My Northern Adventure

by Tuxedo "Woof-woof" Breadner

It started Friday night with the appearance of a suitcase. I've seen that thing before. It means Mommy and Daddy are going away, leaving me someplace that's not Tux's house. Sometimes I get to see Abby and Bear and their Mommy Auntie Susie, who's the best Mommy any puppy could have if they don't have my Mommy.


Here's Abby and Bear and yours truly at Auntie Susie's house.

Other times they put me in this big place with lots and lots of other dogs and we run and play-with-the-Tux all over.

Saturday morning, after Mommy and Daddy got-the-poop-out-of-the-Tux about sixteen times (and I only pooped once, ha-ha) I went back into Tux's house to find Daddy picking up the Tux-pillow and taking it to the CAR.
Well, this is unusual. That's my pillow. If it's going for a CAR-RIDE then that means TUX is going for a CAR-RIDE too. I'm not letting the Tux-pillow out of my sight.
Sure enough, there's Daddy jingling his keys and telling me I'm going for a CAR-RIDE. Yeah, Daddy, I'm way ahead of you there. CAR-RIDE! CAR-RIDE! Yeeeeeeee-haaaaaaaaark!
There's a few moments after Daddy lets me into the CAR that I can't find Mommy. Mommy's the one who makes the CAR go, always. So I just sit patiently, waiting for Mommy to appear and then....we're OFF!
Mommy stops the CAR not far from Tux's house, the place where Daddy and Mommy get the drink that stops them from being dead-puppies and I sometimes get something called a Timbit.
So I sit in my pretty-puppy pose and look beseechingly at the Timmy-lady and she doesn't even seem to smell me. Sigh. The CAR-RIDE continues.
Very quickly I rule out all the places we normally go on CAR-RIDES to. We're not going to the place where Daddy leaves for the day, or the PARK that's close to it. We're not going to Auntie Susie's, either. In fact I don't know where we're going. And wherever it is, it's a long long way from Tux's house. Every time the CAR slows down I perk up to see where I am and I've never seen any of these places before.
This is a long CAR-RIDE.
Eventually, after a couple more stops, we turn off the fast road and keep turning until I am almost dizzy. I look behind me and see this:

And Daddy--Mommy too--seems to relax a bit. I think we're almost at the end of our CAR RIDE. I never thought I'd think this, but thank Dog. I love CAR-RIDES, but sheesh, I'm tired.

There are so many SMELLS here...also SNOW! I love SNOW. All that white snuffiness to leave Tux-tracks in! We get out of the CAR and we're at Daddy's daddy's house. My Daddy's got me on the LEASH and tells me to get-the-poop-out-of-the-Tux, but I can't think about pooping right now, there's too many smells, and...a DOG! There's a DOG right next door and he wants to see me. Exciting! I try to run over to greet him and jerk at the end of my lead, which snaps, flies back, and pelts Daddy right in his...daddies. He's calling me back--loud. He sounds scared, so I tell the neighbour dog 'sorry, my Daddy's hurting' and he says ''s'okay, Tux, see you soon' and I go back to my daddy, who's doubled over like I was that time I went to the VET. Mommy sees that my tags flew off into the SNOW when I went to see that dog, but nobody can find them.
Then we're in the HOUSE...Daddy's daddy's house. I meet a couple of new Mommies who think I'm cute. Then I'm off exploring. I go to make this Tux's new house but Mommy stops me and says "OUTSIDE Tuxes" and we go get-the-poop-out-of-the-Tux, both poops.
This is a nice house. There are CATS here. They want to play-with-the-Tux...or maybe not. There's a nice warm orange thing over against one wall and a nice blue Tux-pillow in front of it, and Daddy tries to get me to LIE DOWN in front of it. Maybe later, Daddy. I want to explore.
I go UPSTAIRS and check out the rooms, and then come back DOWNSTAIRS and make sure Mommy and Daddy are still here. They are. I like Daddy's daddy, also the Mommies Heather and Auntie Shonna, and it isn't too long before I go say hi to the orange thing and relax:

Ah, warmth.

People here keep wanting to shine white lights in my face. They must really love me.

Even when I'm trying to GO SEEPIES....

More people! Daddy's Auntie Dawna and her friend Barry are here. I've never seen this many people before, but it's okay, Mommy and Daddy are here.


Speaking of Mommy, this is my Mommy and I love her very much.

Daddy and his daddy sit down to watch the hockey game, so I watch too. Boy, those Maple Leafs are playing really well. Kaberle and McCabe are on a points tear, lately. They beat the hated Habs 5-1 and looked great doing it, even without Raycroft and Sundin.

(Shhh...don't tell my Daddy I know all this stuff. But really. Daddy watches the Leafs a lot. I've learned a few things. Like when the Leafs score, Daddy reacts the way I do when somebody says CAR-RIDE.)

This is Daddy and his daddy:

At the end of the game, we GO SEEPIES, the Mommy and the Daddy and the Tux. Daddy was worried we wouldn't all fit in the bed but he forgot how good I am at making a little Tux-ball.

In the middle of the night I feel the need to get-the-poop-out-of-the-Tux. I don't want to wake Mommy and Daddy up because they're tired, but Daddy hears me chuff a bit and goes and lets me OUTSIDE. I do my business and want to go find Auntie Shonna's fox, but Daddy calls me back inside. Probably a good thing. This is a big strange place and I need to make sure Mommy's okay.

In the morning Mommy gets up and goes OUTSIDE with me. I'm starting to feel like this is maybe Tux's new house.

There's another Tux right there...

Mommy and Daddy start going on about CAR-RIDES again and all too soon I'm back in my Tux-seat watching the world go by.

Big, big world.

Now I'm back at Tux's house, being a dead-puppy. I had a great time up north, and so did my Mommy and my Daddy.