You GOTTA see this to believe it!

So yesterday afternoon, we're just going for our regular walk around the neighborhood (late afternoon, while the lions are still sleeping on their stoops) and we come around the corner and see this!

OMIDOG!!! Have you ever in your life seen a tennis ball this big? Cats, in your nine lives have you seen one this ginormous???

Mommy lifted me up so I could examine it more closely. Not an easy task while she was trying to take this photo at the same time. I sniffed it for Mango Suds®, as this ball looks to be just the right size for the Relentless Huge, but no such luck. 

However, I did read a word printed on it (thanks to the "Hooked on Phonics" book that Tanner sent, I'm reading like a pro these days). It said "WIMBLEDON 2003." Ahh, a nice vintage tennis ball.

Mommy said that Wimbledon is in England, near where Eric and Jackson live. Have you boys been holding out on me all this time???

Ahhh, in this photo, I'm following Queen Victoria's marital advice to her daughter...I'm closing my eyes and thinking of England. Must be a marvelous place with GIANT tennis balls all around. My relatives are from Scotland, maybe they know of such things. (My luck they'd be giant balls of Haggis. Hmmm, that might not be such a bad thing.)

Eric and Jackson, please fill me in on Wimbledon and these giant tennis balls as soon as possible. If they really do exist, I'm cashing in my frequent flyer points immediately and I'm on the next British Aire.

Aire rhymes with..."Hair!" Mommy and I were walking back from the dog run through the Meat-packing district (can I even begin to tell you how delicious those sidewalks smell? Especially on a warm summer evening???) and we came across a free preview of the musical HAIR that's opening at the Public Theater in Central Park next week. The tickets are FREE (can you believe it? And in New York where they charge you for everything!) but you have to wait in a big line to get them. So it was very exciting to just happen to get a spot right next to the stage.

Mommy sang along to "Aquarius" and "Let the Sun Shine" - what can I say? She's ancient. But then they started singing about hair! I know something about that. I kept waiting for the lyrics about "wire-hair" or "scruffy hair" or "really stinky and could use a bath hair." Even "wet dog hair" or "hairballs." I decided they really didn't know what they were talking about, so I had Mommy fluff my hair into a faux hawk and I sang my own words. Fortunately for the audience, the show was over, but it sure was fun! If you're coming to NYC in the next few weeks, try to get a ticket!

I've been tagged!

Georgie the Airedale pup tagged me for a Name meme. Here goes!

What is your name?

My full name (ie: the name I get called when I'm in trouble) is Petey Keddy Hudson. Keddy is after our wire-fox terrier so I'd be sweet like she was, and Hudson is after my good Bernese Mountain Dog friend so I'd be noble like him.

If you could change your name, what would it be?

I think Petey suits me. Mommy says she knew it was my name before she was even 100% sure I was coming home with her. But maybe something to reflect my Scottish heritage, like Duncan, Finlay, or Malcolm. Harlan and Scout's Mom thought my name should be Scruffy Skidmore!

What's your pet's name?

I share my abode with an Abysinnian cat named Mica. (He doesn't have any middle names!)

If you could change your pet's name, what would it be?

Petey's Cat.

What's your brother or sister's name?

I'm sure I had some siblings but I don't remember. I left my birthplace in Kansas for New York City when I was just a young whelp.

If you could change their name, what would it be?

If I had a brother and a sister, we could be Petey, Paul and Mary!

Now tag as many people as letters in your new name for yourself!

Okay, if we go with Duncan, I tag Eric, Archie, Lorenza, Joe Stains, Stanley, and Daisy the Cat! 

(I figure Asta is busy with Auntie Karen, Toffee with her wedding preparations, and Lacie and Scruffy with packing up BabyStan, so I'll tag them another time!)

That was fun! Can't wait to read what my buddies come up with!

Is Harlan from the planet Remulak?

He likes to consume mass quantities of just about anything. We've never seen his "parental units" as he claims to be from France. Oh yeah...

HE'S A CONEHEAD!!!

He must have read our posts about his pink bandage because he decided to take it off himself. Not a good idea. Then he started worrying about his stitches. So back to the vet he went.

The good news was, he didn't do any harm to his stitches. However, he's being punished by having to wear a ginormous cone!

Here's Scout teasing him about it in the yard. 

Of course it does cut down on wind-resistance in the car...and now his parents can get Sirius radio if he's facing the right direction...

However, it does make things a big crowded when he decides he wants to be co-pilot.

As his Dad said, "Let's just hope there are no more Harlan updates!"

Better behave yourself, Knucklehead!

Lion-hunting in NYC—It's a jungle out there!

I'm sure you've heard New York described as a concrete jungle. Well, this evening at dusk, my Mommy and I decided to go lion hunting. See what big cats we have lurking on the quiet streets of the Village. You may be surprised!

The first lion we saw seemed harmless enough. Just watch your fingers when you use this doorknocker!

Lions in the Village are very tricky. Can you find the lion in this photo???

He's hiding behind the bushes, ready to pounce!

As soon as I lay down to take a little rest and catch my breath, what do you suppose I heard behind this pretty planter of flowers? Yep! Another lion, just waiting to attack!

Oops, this isn't a lion. It's just a scary line. Of people waiting to buy cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery. It's the biggest lion, err, I mean, line we spotted - nearly half a block long! "They're just cupcakes, people!!!!"

I spotted two lions in the Bleecker Street playground! With innocent children carelessly crawling over them. I felt very happy to be on this side of the fence around the playground for once.

These two scary lions were on either side of a doorway. A man came out and told us that lots of punks take photos of this doorway because it's the building where Sid Vicious died! But he said that Mommy and I didn't look like punk rockers. (Although sometimes I do wear my hair in a faux hawk when I have on my tattoo-print hoodie...)

Yikes!!! A big ferocious lion hiding in the midst of all these toys! I wonder if the doll on top of him knows what's going on??? Run!!!

Finally I subdued this lion and lioness with a bloodcurling snarl. I am the lion-tamer of the West Village! I have to give due credit to Bear's Daddy for this inspiration for this lion-hunt. Maybe next we'll go bear hunting together. I swear a saw a few of those hiding behind lampposts. 

In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for wild animals in your neighborhoods. And remember, it really IS a jungle out there!

Happy 4th & the 3-legged race by Harlan!

Happy Fourth of July everybody!!! I sure hope I don't have to wear another dumb shirt on the 5th of July...

These were the only flags we found in our neighborhood—at a French restaurant owned by a South African, a Chilean, and an Englishman! God Bless America!!!

On behalf of Harlan and his people, many thanks for your good wishes. He had his surgery on Thursday and is now recovering up in the Adogrondacks. The doctor tried to perform the surgery with a scope, but the chip was too big, so he had to make a small incision. 

Harlan's Mom was surprised to see how big the chip actually was —almost the size of a dime!

Here he is keeping it elevated after he came home from the dog hospital. 

And when you've had a bone chip removed, nothing helps with your recovery quite like a nice juicy marrow bone (that can double as a chin rest when you're through.)

His Dad calls this little film "Three Wheelin'." Harlan is supposed to take it easy (HA!) and will have to be walked on a leash for the next three weeks. Easy to do in the city, not so much in the Adogrondacks.  Now he's on the mend and I'll look forward to signing his cast (actually, it's a pink bandage!) when he gets back to the city. Keep eating those marrow bones Harlan! (But save one for me!)

Feel better soon Harlan!!!

Yesterday, Harlan's Mom and Dad took him to see a specialist at the University of Vermont in Burlington. They were hoping that his bone chip was healing so that he wouldn't have to have surgery. Well, Harlan wasn't too happy about the doctor pulling on his leg so they had to give him a sleepy pill. Then they did some more x-rays and it didn't look good. So he was scheduled for surgery yesterday. The doctor was hoping they could just remove it with a scope and not have to be too invasive. Then Harlan is going to have to be kept quiet and on a leash for six weeks! That's really going to be tough! We'll keep you posted. Meanwhile, send Harlan some puppy power that all goes well and he's back playing around in no time!

A walk around the neighborhood...

Hi everybody! Thought you might enjoy going for a walk with me and Bear through the West Village. Some of these were taken on the way to the dog run (where I play with Asta!) and others were taken on our late night walk before we go to bed. 

It's 11:10 p.m. Time to head to the elevators!

This is our doorman Robert. He's very nice, sometimes shares some of his sandwich with me, and is very good at playing tennis ball in the lobby late at night.

Here's Bear, waiting for me outside the door. He's wearing his ASPCA support bandana. I have one too, and when we both wear them, we really look like we're in a gang!

There's a restaurant around the corner from us on West 4th Street called The Place. They serve wonderful food and great cocktails. And the girls who work there are super nice. They always take the time to give us a good back rub!

My very favorite restaurant is at the corner of Bank Street and West 4th Street. It's an Italian restaurant called La Foccacia. Ever since I've been a puppy, I've stopped by their door and they've fed me a piece of foccacia.  Here I am, waiting (im)patiently for tonight's treat!

This shot is kind of a blur because I was leaping in the air to catch a bit of foccacia! It's delish! A scene in the movie "Sex & The City" was shot here.

We walked past the Marc Jacobs for Kids store. (There are FIVE Marc Jacobs stores in the neighborhood. Where's the one for dogs? All we've seen is a Barc Jacobs teeshirt for $200) Anyhow, Bear and I really like this car and wish it was ours. What a great time we'd have motoring around to visit all our friends. (And there's already a Bear in it!)

This is an old-fashioned book with wonderful illustrations of New York. It's one of my favorites.

Then we ran into our friend Pasha and his new baby brother who looks exactly like him, only smaller. His Mom kept calling him "Boo Boo" and it stuck. I like to call him "Little Boo." He's very camera shy. He's people-shy too, but very cute.
We went past the famous Magnolia Bakery. On a nice evening, there can be a line of 50 people or more waiting to get CUPCAKES! They even have a doorman to control how many people can go in the bakery at once. It's crazy. Bear's Daddy wants to sell teeshirts that say "They're JUST cupcakes!"

Across the street is Biography Books. This is a great old-fashioned Village bookshop. Open late. Dog-friendly. And they always have dog biscuits on hand. It's an institution in the Village.

Across the street from Magnolia Bakery is a little park where people go to eat their treats. Mommy calls it Cupcake Park because there are hundreds of cupcake wrappers and boxes all over the ground. I'm always trying to gobble them up but she's pretty good at taking them away from me. Just look at the overflowing trash can - you just know there's some tasty icing in there.
Our last stop on our late night walk is the Abingdon Square Market. It's a deli/grocery store but they always have the most beautiful flowers for sale. It's like a lovely garden! Ahhhh!

On our way to the dog run yesterday, we saw this fellow painting "i heart" on a wall in the Meatpacking District. He was playing some groovy music and we just liked the look of this!

What do you heart?