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April 29, 2009 - Off of Sabbatical Hi My Awesome Peeps,  Thanks for bearing with me while I was on sabbatical.
I've been keeping Billie and Mike company while they re-do the website and work on some other stuff. I couldn't
even get to the keyboard! But as you can see, I'm back in business and boy am I anxious to write. Greatest of great news - look who got in the White House - my main man, Bo. Now Bo is a lot younger than I am, but just look at us together. Aren't we
so cute? And obviously Sasha and Malia and even the President of the United States and the fir st lady like marki ngs like ours - cute white paws and white little shirts - looks
like we're prancing while we're going off to an inaugeral ball
or somethin'. Just having Bo in the White House makes
me feel as if a guy like me will be listened to, and that's all we need to have the "audacity
of hope." So, you go, Bo
- Yes we can, and yes we did!
Me
on the 4th of July Bo & his Hawaiian Lei
Products My Family Creates When They're
Not Helping Me With My Blog
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October 30, 2008 Happy Halloween from
the Bee on the Beach Ruf, Ruf, I mean BZZZZZZZZZZ. I just landed on
the Back Bay beach and I'm mean. Anyone with a flowered swim suit or Hawaiian shirt better be very, very afraid of me.
BZZZZZZZZ If you look like a Hibiscus, watch out. And you better cover up your sodas, 'cuz I'll sip
'em and wrap up your sandwiches 'cuz I'll eat em, and grab all your Dobermans and Dachshunds 'cuz
I'll sting 'em, yes I will 'cuz I'm Brutus the Brutal Beach Bee - Ruf! (I mean BZZZZZZZZZ).
Run for your lives people! So that' the trick, now where's my treat.  August 9, 2008I love Saturday
mornings because Mike can come along with us on our walks around the Back Bay. We were looking at the boats
in the Marina which is next to the Dunes when all of a sudden Sunny came along. Sunny was very "sunny" to
me, and I felt so comfortable that we lay on the grass together. We found out that Sunny was born in
Murietta, California, but guess what? Sunny travels all the time back and forth from Canada. That means when I
look up at one of the airplanes leaving from John Wayne airport like I do every time I hear one, Sunny might be on one
of them! But that's not all, when we left to say "good-bye" I saw Sunny walk onto the dock
right next to the beautiful boat that was tied up there with all the other big boats. That means Sunny flies
in the blue sky and sails in the blue ocean. Maybe that's why Sunny is so "Sunny!" On the way
home, Mike had to stop Billie from singing over and over: We had a lot of fun
We had a lot of money
We had a little son and we thought we'd
call him Sonny
Sonny gets married and moves away
Sonny has
a baby and bills to pay
Sonny gets sunnier
Day by day by day by day I hear that song a lot in our RV but Mike told Billie she better leave the singing to Paul Simon (whoever
that is!)
July 29, 2008 - How I Stopped the Earthquake I was sitting by the beautiful bay this morning right next to Billie. She was
busy doing really important work. I could tell because she was using the highlighter tape she sells to our customers,
putting it on every page of the book in her lap. (There wasn't even room for me to sit there.) Then the
cell phone rang. I knew it was Nemo and Riley's* person, Joanne from Minneapolis, 'cuz Billie said, "Oh hi, Joanne." Billie
was talking and talking to Joanne when all of a sudden there was a big boom like the kind that happens on those
4th of July nights that I hate. Then the ground made one big shake, and moved right under my feet. I
heard Billie say, "Joanne, hold on a minute. We're having an earthquake." (That's how I
knew what was happening.) I decided I needed to make that quake stop right then and there, so I started to bark.
Then I barked again at that earthquake and then once more (just like this feisty chihuahua).  And guess what? In only a minute, that
earthquake stopped! So Billie went back to talking to Joanne on the phone. The people in kayaks
in the bay went right on kayaking, and the swimmers kept on swimming. So I'd just like to say: "You're welcome, Billie. You're welcome,
swimmers and kayakers. You're welcome, Los Angeles." I'll be right here if you need me
again to bark any future earthquakes away. *
See Nemo and Ripley's picture in my guestbook and in my old blogs.
July 27, 2008 - Cruella de Dunes
I was sitting at home in our RV when Billie and Mike
came home with a picture of Cruella who is staying in our park. Wow! "I never saw a purple dog..."
Actually she's pink and yellow, and I was worried about her until I found out that her Vet said it was just fine
to be pink and yellow and blue. Cruella has teenage kids in her family who color their own hair, so they dyed Cruella
as well. So I'm letting Billie put her picture up here for you. Maybe I'll see Cruella in person (I mean
in canine) on my walks, but I hope I don't become afraid. (I can see from the picture that she's about 3
times taller than me!) But I think I'd like Cruella's rainbow color because, after all, rainbows
are lucky, doncha know?
July 26, 2008 Love Story - My Boots "Was" Made for Walkin' Well,
I guess she was never really my Boots. But she was somethin' - beautiful silky hair, sparkling eyes, adorable smile. Here's her "head shot" - just like a movie star. We met in the sand at Newport Dunes. I used my
best pick-up line just like I hear when Billie watches TV late at night. ("How YU doin'? I asked.)
But then I made a fatal mis-step. I checked out my paw and I lost her. Right there on the beach, I lost
her. It's too painful to talk about, so I put the sad story of our brief meeting below. "Bye, Boots.
Here's lookin' at you kid. We'll always have the Dunes."
July 24, 2008- Part I: You Say Good-bye and I Say Hello" - It feels like a Target commercial
around here It's been a month of comings
and goings here at the Dunes. My neighbor Rex and I said our "good-byes" in the picture below. His people
Mary and Gary (the arys, as they're known around the Dunes) are off to great adventures in San Diego, Flagstaff,
and ultimately St. Louis and other parts East.  I saw Rex's "traveling palace"
in the back of their truck. (That's what I call it - a traveling palace.) The whole back seat has a long comfy
foam rubber cushion covered in a royal green color, and Rex can just stretch out as far as he wants when the
ary's 5th Wheel hits the road. The
great thing about Rex is his voice. Rex is an Alaskan Malmute, and he has this really intense howl that reminds
me of "Call of the Wild". The interesting thing is that Rex only howls when an ambulance goes
by on the PCH. The great thing about that howl is that it feels as if Rex senses that the ambulance siren
means something is wrong somewhere and it makes him uncomfortable. The rest of us block the sirens out, but Rex's
howl reminds everyone to send a wish for good for the person who might be in the ambulance. I'll miss
hearing Rex's voice. Part II: "Hello, Hello.." I thought that after the big fireworks in the
sky 4th of July day, things would be quieter at Newport Dunes, but how could that be? The sun still is up in the sky
for a long, long time every day, and it's still warm so that means the people and dogs come to "my" yard to
visit. I try to leave my mark at every tree I see, but I still don't think the people know this whole bay is mine.
But that's ok...I let them come anyway. They mostly like to come when my beach has a big screen that shows
movies on Saturday nights in the sand. That's when I met "Nug" (pronounced "Noog"). He's
the one in the "Hot Dog" T-shirt.   His owner was so nice a nd didn't worry about letting me meet Nug. It always helps me when I know the owner understands our dogly ways.
Here's a cute picture of Nug and me on the left. The picture on the right, shows Nug in a big hurry to
get out of the dog run and over to the movie on the beach. As you can see, it was starting to get dark, so Nug
must have known the show was about to begin!
When I first met Nug, there was another dog in the dog run with him, but guess what? I can't remember his
name! Maybe this doggie's person will write to me or sign my guestbook so we can get his name right.
I do remember Maggie who is the spaniel in the picture. (I always remember the girls' names.) So we'll
just wait and hope the owner of the pug writes to us with his name. I must be getting old. I am already
six years old going on seven, you know! So until we get the name of my new pug friend, I'll just show
you these pictures.
Part III - Guess Who This Is? Here's a little test for you. I just received this
email picture from our friends Tom and Linda. They left the Dunes to go to their home in Glendale, CA for the summer. They
sent this picture for me. One of my friends has grow n up so much that you'll laugh when you scroll down to see a picture of her when she was a puppy. Just email me
at scooter@windmillworks.com if you can't figure out who my grown up girlfriend is. (I'll give you a hint:
her brother is Ollie, and as you can see, he still looks at her with adoring eyes.) So I'm invited to Ollie's house in August - whoo-hoo.
I can't wait to see him and my old girl friend in person. (I mean "in canine.") I guess it happens that when someone leaves, someone always changes - either in a big way or a small
way. But if no matter what gets added (or maybe even subtracted), always, at the core, is the someone we loved before
they left.
July 4th, 2008 - My Best Yet ! 
click here to download file
This is the third 4th I've spent at Newport Dunes, Newport Beach, California and it was the greatest one yet. Since it was the Dune's 50th anniversary, there was
more of everything - more games, more dogs (real and hot ones), and, of course, more of those things that make the sky
explode. We stopped
a lot to take pictures of all the dogs I met, and I have to tell you, I was very good. There were so many people and
kids that I didn't have time to think about whether I wanted to bark or not. And every one was all cheery and
smiley that it was hard not to catch their mood.
And since you might have read my last two fireworks
experiences, I thought you might like to know how I did this time. I really knew what was coming when we sat down in
our camping chairs in the sand next to all the people and the loud speaker started playing music. I'm a smart guy
and I remembered that this was the whole set-up for last year and the year before. So you can bet it wasn't long
before I hid under Billie's blue canvas chair and started shaking. But Billie picked me right up and held me
in her lap like last year and put her hands over my ears when the big banging started. About half way through all
the flashing in the sky, I decided I'd look up like last year. And guess what I saw? I saw fireworks
in the shape of a cube and two happy face fireworks that I had never seen before. I knew it was the end when
all the fireworks started lighting up the sand on the side of the bay where I always walk. Then we walked home and had
a campfire with our friends. Luke and Lisa and Elizabeth. Later our neighbors Gary and Mary (the "ary's"
brought over homemade marshmellows that their friend had made for them. They were the best marshmellows in the world
and because they were home-made, they looked just like the cube that I saw in the sky.
It was another
great 4th. and we have the pictures to prove it. I had Billie put them in a Scrapbook (Aren't I smart?) You'll
be able to turn the pages and everything. Just click the link that's next to the cover of my album and click open
(Billie told me to tell you not to be afraid when it says "unknown publisher" because the "unknown publisher"
is her and she is always careful to be safe on the web and create things from only known software that she is sure of.)
So if you're one of the dogs in my pictures, I hope you like the angle we took. I think we all look very, very
cute!
"Chow" and Love,
Scooter June 29, 2008- Surf City - Here I Am Once Again
Another wonderful visit to my favorite place - the Dog Beach at Huntington
Beach. On way up the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway I started get so excited that I was crying.) It was a busy day and as
Mike parked the car, Billie and I walked to a great spot. The waves were great there, but I'm not a spaniel, you know.
Billie held me and lifted me down into the ocean, but I got out of there as fast as I could when the waves came by.
You can see in the picture that I got a little wet, but the sun dried me off so I could get back to the best part of being
at the beach - meeting new dogs.  
There was a sweet young couple with two dogs. Here I am with one of them. Her name
is Millie, and, as you can see, I really "looked up her". She was very friendly to me
and I kept going over to her people and sitting on their blanket. We all just listened and watched the ocean and that
makes life feel really special.
June 23, 2008
My Very Own "Scare-Flea"
Thanks Diver Dave!
One
of our favorite friends at Newport Dunes is Diver Dave. We first met Dave the Diver when we were walking across the
bridge that goes across the Back Bay. Billie always lets me look at the boats in the bay and even picks me
up and sets me on the railing so I can see the seagulls and ducks in the water. We both love it.
One
day when we walked across the bridge, we noticed Diver Dave in a cool black wet suit and asked him what
he was doing. His job, he told us, is to go under the water and check the yachts and sailboats to be sure they're
free from any barnacles and other sea stuff. So we all became friends - Billie, Mike, Diver Dave and me!
This week as Billie and I walked over the bridge, Dave came running up with some presents he bought
for us over the weekend. He had a bag of really cool key chains that have interesting bugs that you can see inside the
polyurathane. Dave told Billie to pick one out for herself, and she picked a big beetle key chain that glows in the
dark. Then Dave said to pick one out for Mike. Since Mike is a Scorpio, Billie picked a scorpion key chain for
him. Then, I couldn't believe it, but Diver Dave said Billie could even pick one out for me!
So Billie picked out this really scarey bug for me to wear around my neck.
Dave helped Billie put the keychain on my dog tags and they both started to laugh. "That will scare all the
fleas away from Scooter," she said. Dave added, "Yeah, like a scarecrow scares away crows!" Then
they both started laughing really hard and all at once they both said, "It's a SCARE-FLEA".
So here I am in the picture with my new haircut and my scareflea. If you follow the arrow and look very closely,
you'll see it.
I don't care if my new keychain scares the fleas or not. Just
wearing it reminds Billie and Mike and me of our sweet friend Dave the Diver at Newport Beach who always says "hello"
to us, waves from the boat you see in the picture, and makes us feel like he's happy to see us walk across
the bridge! We love you Diver Dave!
June
17, 2008 - Father's Day Weekend at the Dunes
You
sure can tell it's summer at the Dunes! About a million RV tires passed by my paws this Father's Day weekend (or
at least it seemed that way!). It's always fun here at Newport Dunes RV Resort, but summer is super crazy fun,
especially on the weekends.
This weekend was filled with dads and kids and moms and kids and skateboards
and kids and scooters and kayaks and sailboats and kids and even a CAT!
| Wait a Minute, Are You A...? |
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| Yep, I'm Nike the Cat ! Hi Scooter |
This was my first
formal up-close and personal meeting with a real live cat, and I'm here to tell you that I was very, very
good. Nike, the cat, was excellent too. If we had been off leash, I think we might even have played
together.
Funny thing about cats. They can really tell the good guys! How do I know? Cuz after
Nike met me, he went right over to Mike and sort of gave him a little nudge "hello". Nike's people say
that he doesn't often go up to strangers, and when Mike told them he once had had 13 cats, we all knew why Nike
went up to Mike. When you're very very comfortable and familiar with something or someone, it just shows
in the way you talk, the way you move, the way you say "hello". I think "comfortable" works
like a strong magical magnet of some sort.
| Shadow from Hacienda Hts, CA |
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| I've never met a "Shadow" before! |
| Let Me Look Into Your Eyes |
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| Beautiful ! |
And speaking of comfortable, that's how I felt when
I met Shadow. It's almost hard to see, in our close-up shot, where Shadow leaves off and I begin! We
were able to just look each other right in the eye and that's always important when you first meet someone. I think
Shadow is from Hacienda Hts., California, and I hope we meet again!
And speaking of meeting....(aren't
I a good transition-er?) Billie just put up a new guestbook for me. It's the coolest - or hottest (I
never know which one to use when I speak people-ese), but all in all, it's great. Billie saw it on a
wonderful site for writers - The Shades Writer. So she just found out how to add it to MY blog and now it's here! So you can just put a picture
of yourself if your a dog or a cat or a horse or a person. Billie will put me up to the computer and if I look
very carefully, I might be able to see YOU!
Love and "Chow" for now,
Scooter
| A Pelican I Barked At |
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| At Balboa Island, CA in April !!! |
June 9, 2008 -
JUNE? JUNE? ARE YOU
KIDDING ME?
Now I'm a dog with a lot of
patience, but pa-leeze. March, April, May? My last blog - three months ago? Is that any way to treat
a dog - especially a dog with a blog? NO! What about my fans? What about MY needs? Oh sure, I know what Billie
will say.
"But Scooter
we had soooo much to do on our website." (She always
says "sooooo" just like that.)
And my Scooter-reply to that would would be:
"So, you can't even take a few minutes to type for me? What about me?
You haven't even taken me on long walks. And when, I ask, was the last time we went to the Dog Beach at Surf
City, USA, Huntington Beach! When? - I'm asking. I can't even remember!"
"But Scooter, now that we have the IQ Solitaire Games up and running
for people to play online, I'll have more time. And you'll be so excited. We've had 400 people come
and play our game in only a few days! You see, Scooter," she'll say, "after we worked
soooo hard on making Obama Solitaire and McCain Solitaire we wanted to put it on the web so more and more people
can play. AND if lots of people play and visit our site, we might be able to buy more treats for you. And you know
how you love those doggie cookies."
"Ohh...treats. But wait a little minute here. Forget the treats! What about all of my
news about the places I've been? It's too late to write about everything we did since March!"
| My Neighbor "Princess" |
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| In Her University of Southern California Sweater |
| Winter Where I Live |
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| The Pacific Ocean, a little boy, and ME! |
| My Friend LuLu |
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| About Six Months Ago! |
"I know, Scooter, so
here's my idea. I'll just add some pictures throughout this blog with captions that tell what
you were doing. We'll make this a picture blog today - we'll call it a plog. How about that? And
I apologize. I'm sorry and it won't happen again."
"Well,
ok," I'll say. "But you have to promise to not do this ever again. I NEED my fans!
"Yes, Scooter, I know. Your fans are really, really important to you."
And that's how the whole conversation will
go down. So I guess out of all of this I learned that sometimes the people
you love disappoint you. But if they say they're sorry and promise it won't happen again, all you
can do is snuggle up close to them in bed and believe them! Of course, if it happens again, look out for the Scooter-man
cuz I'm Oprah-strong!
So, my dear fans, look at the pictures that Billie scattered in this blog (even
if you have to put on your glasses to read the tiny print!)
Love and "Chow" for now
from Scooter
March 1, 2008 - So...Quinn, You
Think the Caucuses in Texas Are Critical in Next Week's Primaries?
Yay! New friends breezed into the Dunes from Pennsylvania. I first met the
vivacious Scottie named Kassy, on my walk around the bay. (She's the one on the left in the picture).
I was a little impolite the first day I met Kassy and I growled at her. Sometimes if I growl or bark at another
dog, the owner get really frightened of me and thinks I'm saying something other than "Hello." But Karen, Kassy's person, was really smart and watched my tail (which was waving at Kassy big
time) and she let Kassy and me get to know each other. We didn't bark after that!
The next night Kassy came to the dog run with her younger roommate, Quinn.
Quinn is bigger than Kassy even though he's not as old. (It must be all his guy muscles.) So Kassy and Quinn and
I had a nice meeting together (Scooter to Scotties), and it's all because Karen had faith that we'd work everything out and
gave us time to do just that.
Sometimes, when you're very afraid that people or dogs might fight,
you have to keep them apart so nothing awful will happen. But there
are other times when it's important to just walk away and
let peace happen. I guess, like humans always say, it takes wisdom to know the difference.
We said "Happy Trails," to Ron and Karen, Kassy and Quinn and wished them well
on their trip back east. But it's not the last we'll hear from our new friends because, guess what? Kassy
and Quinn have their own blog at www.2scotties.blogspot.com. You'll love it! Until next time, "Chow" from Scooter
February,
2008 - Oliver's Friends Come to Visit The Dunes
A few weeks ago, Oliver's awesome person, Linda, came
over to see us with her friend Maureen. They had two special someones they wanted me to meet, Bridget and Stella! You
can see Ollie introducing me to the girls in the picture on the left below - except all of us were more interested in
the smells of the dog park at Newport Dunes than each other, I think. Next to that picture is a close-up of
Stella, she's the one that looks like me in reverse. She has black and white fur and she looks like a movie star
with dark sunglasses around her eyes. Billie kept calling out "Stelllla" in a loud voice, but I really don't know
why.
Bridget is the beautiful brown Shitzu in the
picture next to Stella. (This is exactly why I LOVE California!)
Here's another picture of Stella and Bridget and Stanley (whom I didn't meet.) Maureen,
their person, sent this picture to us and told us to tell you that it was a rainy day in California, and she thinks
they were all just asking her when they could go out to play!
A few days after I first met Stella and Bridget, I went over to Oliver's motor
home. It's new and shiny and Ollie let me eat the food in his dish and drink all of his water and play with his toys.
Linda and Tom let me see the whole RV and Linda gave me the best treats I had in a long time. I really like Tom
and Linda's house!
But wait, there's even more excitement that happened after all of these
adventures. After my visit to Ollie's home, Tom and Linda invited me over on yet another day, this time, for a
big, I mean really big (but little) surprise. Oliver has a brand new "sister! " She's a beautiful brown
puppy - another Shit-zu - and they named her LuLu. LuLu shook a little when she saw me, but when we meet again,
I think she'll remember me. She's only a little pup and I know Ollie will show her the ropes at Newport Dunes.
You can see in the picture with LuLu on the pillow how much Ollie, already, is taking care of his new "little
sister."
So I'm glad I had a good time with Stella, Bridget and Oliver. I'm
glad that Oliver let me share his food and water in his new RV, and I'm glad to have met LuLu, the littlest puppy at
Newport Dunes. That's the greatest part about staying at the Dunes - we get to meet new people and new dogs and
it just seems to me that "new" is what makes everyday interesting and exciting.
Another Old Buddy Back at the Dunes
Finally, Billie remembered her camera when my old buddy,
Oliver, returned to Newport Dunes after Christmas. I see Oliver on my walks around the bay almost every day (or
at least once a week), so Oliver and I know each other well. We like each other too and almost never bark when
we meet. We just sniff "Hello" and wait until Billie stops talking to Oliver's people, Tom and Linda. Sometimes
I have to wait a long time until Billie stops talking. (Mike told me to say that.) Here's a picture of
Ollie (as we sometimes call him).
After Billie took Oliver's picture, another brown dog
came along, and I started barking really loud. Billie doesn't like loud barking and went, "Sh, sh, Scooter," so I tried
really hard. To try this hard, I end up throwing my head back like a howling wolf and puckering my mouth so
that no sound comes out. See me in the picture above? Billie calls that my "silent wolf" and she always says, "Good
boy, Scooter," when I do that. You can see that Oliver is trying to figure out just what I'm trying to do with
the "silent wolf," but, like the good friend he is, he just stood there and let me be me.
Here's a picture of Oliver and me and the new dog, but I forgot the
new dog's name. If we see him again, I'll have Billie write it down in my blog.
So I'm so glad Oliver is back, and I'm glad he just lets me be who I
am (even when I pretend to be the "silent wolf") 'cuz that's just what a good friend does.
Ripley (believe it or not - they got a dog)
In my very first entry in this blog, I wrote about missing my two little friends in Minnesota,
Cody and Hayden. Well, Cody and Hayden are only seven years old, just a year older than I am, but they call us all the
time on that black thing Billie puts by her ear.
Cody and Hayden have a cat named Nemo which I never saw, but now they are soooooo excited
because their Mom and Dad just bought a new puppy for the family. He's a papillon and chihuahua mix and he's only
two pounds. So right now, going out in the cold Minnesota weather is something Ripley is not excited
to do, even in his cute little sweater! ( And let me tell you, I don't blame him one bit. I remember how my fur sometimes
got all caked with snow in the backyard of our old house in Fridley, MN. Then Billie had to take the hair dryer
and blow it on me until all the "snowballs" fell off. Brrrr....)
I don't know if I'll ever get to see Ripley, but I know Cody and Hayden will
keep calling us to tell us about Ripley 'cause they're our sweet Minnesota friends. And I just wanted to tell Cody and
Hayden, "Yippee, I'm so happy for you cause I know how much Billie and Mike love me and I know how much you'll love Ripley
and how lucky Ripley is to have two wonderful boys to play with!"
Sunday, January 13, 2008 - Back on the Beach !
This Sunday, we got in the car and went up the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) and
guess what? That's right, we headed right for Huntington Dog Beach at "Surf City USA" - my favorite place
in the whole wide world (except for Billie's or Mike's laps). It was busy today at the beach and about a gazillion and
two different kinds of dogs were there. Here I am touching noses with a cute little white dog who was just my size.
She looked right into my eyes and I looked right back into hers. Be still my racing heart!
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There are puppies like this one at Huntington Beach, CA. I tried to be sweet and welcoming.
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Hi, Corgi. Is your name Georgie?
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What can I say? Huntington Beach, a gaggle of girls, and I didn't even have to buy a surf board!
It doesn't get much better than this. Whoo-hoo.
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I was a really good dog off leash and only growled once at a really big dog. But I didn't growl at Dozer
'cuz as you can see, Dozer (even though his head is as big as me almost) just laid his head down on the sand so
I could see him. So I wasn't afraid and I made a new friends.
And that's how it is with people I think. If you're very powerful and strong, it's
important that you "lay your head down in the sand" so that the one who is smaller doesn't feel...what's that big word Billie
uses?...oh right...so the smaller one doesn't feel intimidated. That's how you make friendships. I think that's
even how you can stop wars from happening!
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