Just Eat the Sticks

One Dog, Many Thoughts.
The world according to Gus

Home: Welcome

Ruling the Roost

This week I'm finding out what it's like to be an only child. Yessir! Big Brother has gone away to sleep away camp! I'm loving it, but the emotions here are wound tight. Never before have my human parents been without their human child and - "Gus, stop with this drama! No one is wound tight, and we have been without him before." "Mom, you're supposed to type. That's it. I'm writing this. Now let's get back to it." "Fine, but I'm making an edit for clarification." Not since my

Gus

Jun 194 min read

Spring Broke

Do you know what Spring Break is? I just learned the hard way. It sounded great when I heard my humans talking about it . . . a break from the cold weather that comes as winter fades into spring, preferably to someplace warm and sunny. I love to bask in the sun, so for weeks I imagined the bright and cozy places I would doze while my humans snapped themselves out of their winter blues just steps from me in their own sunny spots. When the suitcases came out of the guest room c

Gus

Apr 194 min read

RIP Uncle Bailey

I'm sad to share, my friends, that my Uncle Bailey, the star of one of my most read posts, has crossed the rainbow bridge. That guy beat more diseases in his 12 years than most dogs have a chance to fight, but a mass on his liver was one he could not get by, leaving him sick and so weak he could not even rally to drink his water. My human grandparents did the kindest thing they could by giving him a gentle nudge towards the other side and holding his paws as he drifted off to

Gus

Feb 72 min read

Meteorologist Gus the Caviston

Mom stood gazing out at the frozen tundra that used to be our backyard shaking her head. "You know, Gus," she said, slowly sipping her morning tea, "a meteorologist is the only job in the world where you can mess up all the time, and no one cares." My ear perked up - just the one actually goes up, you know. Mom was babbling on about how the meteorologists predicted we'd get a foot of snow, but really all we got was about four inches of snow followed by several inches of sl

Gus

Jan 284 min read

My Coat of Many Colors

Unlike Halloween packages, Christmas packages get me excited. I just know there's got to be something fun or tasty for me in one of them, and this time of the year, there are lots of boxes arriving! So when Mom said, "Yes! This one finally came for Gus," a few weeks ago, I thought Christmas had come early! I was sad to find out it was just a sweater - a red and black checkered sweater that looks suspiciously like my very first sweater. Mom said, "Look, Gussy! A fancy, new sw

Gus

Dec 24, 20254 min read

Saved from Helloween?

You know my history with Halloween. You know I can't even call it that, since my lifelong experience with it - all five years - has been hell. What? You forgot that? Remind yourself here and here. I wasn't looking forward to it this year either. I waited in trepidation for the Amazon truck to appear with my stupid costume. I waited with disdain for Mom to bring home a pumpkin, pieces of which she would chuck all over the kitchen during carving, while shouting at me the whole

Gus

Nov 9, 20254 min read

Back to School

I overheard Mom tell Aunt Ruth I was acting a little crazy lately. Aunt Ruth said, "Maybe he's just spoiled. You know, if everybody has been carrying you around everywhere, lifting you up and down and saying things like, 'Aw, poor Gus' for months and months, then suddenly, you're spoiled." Mom thought that one over. "Hmmm. That's an interesting perspective." Good answer, Mom, I thought. Don't give in to her crazy. I was all revved up to say nanny-nanny-boo-boo to Aunt Ruth, b

Gus

Oct 4, 20255 min read

May I Help You?

Mom said that's a joke - no one wants to help her anywhere anymore. I said, "Mom, just tell me what you need. I've got you." She just mumbled something about how she needed help an hour ago. Wait, I thought, when did I miss helping Mom? Big Brother told me not to worry about it. He said Mom was in the middle of a rant, and it was best if we both stayed away from her for our own safety. But I wanted to know more about rants, so I followed her to the kitchen - at a safe d

Gus

Sep 20, 20254 min read

Therapy Dog

I'm here to tell you, folks, dreams really do come true! Let me tell you about the day Mom said, "Come on, Gus. It's time to go to therapy." Therapy! Yes! My dream as a therapy dog was going to come true. After years of reminding Mom that I wanted to try therapy dog school, I was finally gonna get there! This must be a reward for all my hard work taking care of myself after my knee reconstruction. I knew all the resting and activity limitations were going to be worth

Gus

Sep 1, 20255 min read

Gussy in the Sky with Diamonds

What a long, strange trip it's been, my friends. It's been a few weeks since I had my left knee reconstructed, and I've been feeling a little rough. Well, my leg has been feeling rough; I've been feeling a little foggy. Mom said that's because surgery is hard on a dog - all the anesthesia to knock me out, all the medicine to keep me going during and after it. Bodies need time to adjust, Mom said, and I could certainly buy that. Sliced up, shaved, and wearing that darn cone. N

Gus

Mar 9, 20254 min read

PDA

Not that kind of PDA, folks! When I asked Mom to type for me, she told me what PDA means to her - public display of affection. Nope, I don't have an opinion on that. I mean, I'm a dog, and dogs do butt sniffing to get friendly, and we do it right out in the open, very publicly. No, today I'd like to propose a Pets with Disabilities Act (PDA). Mom said these are currently unprecedented times in our nation's capital, with all kinds of new ideas popping up, so that got me to thi

Gus

Feb 17, 20254 min read

Birthday Dog

Today I'm celebrating my 4th trip around the sun. That's right - today's my birthday! Go ahead, you can say it - Go, Gus! Go, Gus! It's your birthday! It's your birthday! What am I doing to celebrate my birthday, you ask? I'm thinking a lot about how boring and predictable my humans are. This was especially relevant over the recent holidays, which I guess is why their boring-ness is on my mind. Mom took offense to my summary of their holidays as them just doing all the same

Gus

Jan 3, 20254 min read

All Boxed In

It's really heating up where we live - why yesterday it was 101 with a heat index of 110 degrees Fahrenheit. When you're wearing a fur coat, those temps are really cookin'! Still, hot weather notwithstanding, it's my job to protect the homestead - my humans' little slice of American suburbia. I have previously regaled you with tales of me protecting us from squirrels, foxes, groundhogs, stray dogs, neighborhood children, and frogs, but today I bring you the story of the e

Gus

Jul 6, 20245 min read

Dog Days of Summer

I know what you're thinking - it's technically not even summer yet, and you're right. We've still got a few more days of spring, and it hasn't even gotten that hot yet where we live. But I'm not talking about dog days like hot, sultry weather. I'm talking about days of me, all me, around our house. You see, the last month or so has brought about some changes, the most important of which is school is out for the summer. This means life is all about Big Brother - as usual, so t

Gus

Jun 18, 20243 min read

A Total Eclipse of My Heart

"Hey Gus!" Mom popped in on me and my tablet the other day. "I'm glad to see you writing again! I was worried about you there for a little bit." It was hard for me to tell Mom that I've been in quite a depression since the holidays - holidays meaning Christmas and my birthday. Who cares about New Year's? I don't want to hurt her feelings, but it's kind of all her fault. Yeah, a three-month funk is what can happen when pets don't get a thing they asked for on their gift list

Gus

Apr 14, 20244 min read

Makin' a List, Checkin' It Twice

Tis' the season, folks! Around here, the sights and smells of Christmas are everywhere! From amazing outdoor light displays (ours is good but not the best on the street) to scrumptious sweets being traded between human friends, my world is in full Christmas mode. That goes for the house I share with my human family, too - colored lights, stockings by the fireplace, lots of A Christmas Carol watching, and a permanently pervading sugar cookie scent all say the big guy in the re

Gus

Dec 22, 20236 min read

Petsgiving

I don't know about you, but it's been quite a week around our house. If you missed it, this was Thanksgiving week where we live. A lot of build-up takes place at the beginning of the week heading towards Thursday - the big day, Turkey Day, Thanksgiving Day. The humans in my life are supposed to spend some time thinking about all their blessings and give thanks, while stuffing their faces with all sorts of delectable foods that they say aren't for dogs. I was foolish enough t

Gus

Nov 25, 20234 min read

Helloween History Repeats Itself

They say that, you know? History repeats itself. War, famine, plague pandemic every 100 years, bad remakes of good 80s movies, holiday family drama, and . . . Helloween. That's right, folks. Not enough has come to pass this year to change my way of thinking from Helloween to Halloween. But they also say not to repeat history, so this Helloween, I tried to learn from my experience last year. For instance, let's take pumpkin carving time. Last year, Mom broke the last of the

Gus

Nov 4, 20234 min read

Worker's Comp

I'm not sure if you know this, but I have a very important full-time job. No, it's not writing this blog. That is a very part-time job. And no, I haven't been accepted to therapy dog school yet, but that's still the dream. No, my real job is a classic canine occupation - the quintessential American watch dog. Alert, focused, ferocious, and oh so protective of my family and our little slice of suburbia. One look at me and you'll know not to cross our threshold. After Holiday

Gus

Oct 9, 20236 min read

National Dog Day

There are only a few days in a dog's year that really mean something. A dog's birthday has to be one of them, unless your family forgets to celebrate that day. I'm not sure if my birthday is a day that really means something to me or not yet - I've only had two, and my family forgot the first one . . . supposedly because of a blizzard. One remembrance out of two chances does not say "meaningful day." Christmas is fur sure (see what I did there?) a day to remember for dogs

Gus

Aug 26, 20235 min read

Home: Blog2

Meet Gus

Thanks for checking out my blog! My mom says I'm a mutt, but I identify as a Caviston. That's a hybrid breed, which I know isn't a thing - like a breed is a breed, and you're either pure bred or you're not. But, hey, it's catchy, and it pays homage to my original mom and dad - a Boston Terrier and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. And I gotta say, that pair created one good looking dude!

I have a human Mom, Dad, and Big Brother. My favorite pastime is eating sticks. Good times! It's landed me in some bad times, though - gotta chew those things completely. Sometimes in life, though, you just gotta do what you love - so eat those sticks!

Home: About Me

Meet Mom

This is Mom. She does love a selfie. Me - not so much. Other humans not living in our house call her Anne. Her favorite place in the world is home with the family. She's great at transcription, making my words come to life at amazing speed. She can also type pretty fast when she's doing her own writing, which is her favorite hobby, followed closely by working in the yard and baking. Did you notice that "taking care of Gus" is not on that list? I'm sure it's #4. When she's not doing her favorite things, she's working, which is clearly not a favorite thing. She said not to include that, because anyone - including her boss - can read this. But I'm all about truths, and one day, Mom's favorite hobby will be her work, and then we can say work is her favorite thing, followed closely by taking care of Gus.

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