Oh, how I love this little movie.

Look how happy that dog is! And the toy is in one piece! (Unlike toys in our house.)

Last weekend I was visiting friends and family in Chicago for my birthday when I received the following video.

It was my birthday and Ollie was getting presents. Go figure.

Actually, that sounds about right.

I was out shopping last weekend and came across an honest to goodness dog bed – complete with iron headboard and a mattress – at Home Goods. Into my cart it went, without a second thought!

Unfortunately, Ollie wasn’t as excited as I was about our new piece of furniture. It took six treats to persuade him to get on the bed for a photo opp and all he’s done is bark at it since. He prefers his old beat up patio chair pad for lounging in the sun and causing trouble.

Oh well. Another excuse to go shopping!

This weekend, I stripped all the bedding to give everything a good wash and discovered that Oliver is a hoarder. I feel confident that any reputable pet psychologist would agree after what I found hidden in the blankets.

And like any good hoarder, Oliver got anxious when I discovered his stash and wanted to know exactly what I planned on doing with all of it.

Don’t worry. It all ended up back in bed once the sheets were clean.

Since someone won’t go for a walk in the rain (or set foot on wet grass) and it’s been raining pretty consistently all week, we had to resort to other forms of exercise. Sock throwing, tricks, and a hour of tug-of-war, which resulted in a stalemate; each of us too stubborn to let go of the rope until the trash guy came around and I WON because Ollie tore off to the front door.

Victory is sweet. Even against a 12 pound wiener dog.

PS – If you have a destructive dachshund, check the Dollar Spot at Target for the rope in the video. It’s Ollie’s favorite and one of the most durable I’ve found. For only $1, they are a steal. I have a stash of them as backups!