Well, I was just chatting with my mom in Minnesota. She was telling me about her dog, Tony, chasing the prairie dogs all over their property. They own 160 acres so there is no end to the mischief that Tony can get into. I was chatting with my mom as she was working out in her yard she began to laugh. When I asked what was so funny, she said, "just her silly little dog."
You see, Tony was a gift to my mom from her husband. When she came to visit us in Hawaii last year, she returned home with gifts of Aloha and received a gift herself at the airport in the form of a new puppy that she could fit in the palm of her hand. Fast forward a year and a few months and Tony is now an 8 pound, 1.5 year-old full-grown Yorkie Terrier. He is bigger and bossier than a lot of other yorkie terriers we know. He loves cats and he would love them better if he could catch them. He spends his time chasing them and loving them on the farm. He occasionally spends time at my sister's house with her two cats, Sassy and Charlie, who would both rather he never came over again. He chases them around the house barking and trying his best to catch them. He is a very vocal little chap and never seems to know when to be quiet. Oddly, he loves to be outside even in the dead of Minnesota winters. My mom is always worried that coyotes and birds will get him. Imagining my poor mom outside waiting and keeping a watchful eye on him as he disappears into the snow drifts, doing his best impression of a snowshoe hare rather than an eight-pound puppy, freezing his toes off in 30-below weather, makes me shiver. He is her faithful companion. He lays on the edge of her big, Roman tub while she takes her bath at night, barking at the bubbles. He loves his treats and eats like it is his last meal. He travels all over with my mom as she shuttles back and forth to Montana to visit my Grandmother and over to visit my sister and my little nieces. He goes out to feed the chickens and the geese with my mom and helps round up the farm cats out in the shed, barking at them, letting him know who is in charge. It is never a dull day with Tony around.
When my mom started laughing about her silly dog today, I wasn't surprised. She usually has a story to tell me about some crazy adventure Tony has had. Today's was prairie dogs. Tony was chasing them around the field and then realized that they live in a little hole in the ground. Well, being true to his breed, he began to dig, and dig and dig. My mom said she looked over and she just saw mounds of dirt flying in all directions as Tony attempted to dig out the prairie dog that had eluded him all morning. He was not aware that the prairie dog also dug and could dig itself an exit should this very thing happen. Tony, not understanding the ways of the prairie dog, was convinced he was going to dig him out. Then, he saw another one pop up out of a different hole and he ran over and began excavation on the new hole. My mom, having watched this for awhile, decided to give poor Tony a break and filled the two holes with water. Well, guess what happens when you add water to dirt? Yep, that's right, you get mud! Tony doesn't mind getting dirty so he began to dig in the sloppy mess and then, not realizing he is not equipped with a built-in snorkel, began sticking his head under the water trying to check on his progress. My mom didn't know if she should laugh or worry. She pulled him out of the muddy mess and headed for the wash sink. Tony, not yet done with his adventures, ran off, caked in mud. When my mom caught up with him, she took his picture and text it to me. I thought I would share it with you. Behold, Tony the Mud Puppy!
