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Minnie Kamper

The World’s Best Dog

November 23, 1996 – January 29, 2013

They say memories are golden.

Perhaps, for some, that’s true.

I never wanted memories,

I only wanted you.

Our hearts are broken.

Help! I’ve Fallen – BUT – I Got Back Up!

I had a nasty fall last week. Mom had just given me my fluid therapy, so I was walking around with an extra 350 CCs of stuff on my right side. It threw off my sense of balance. Kind of like having a nice beer buzz and trying to navigate an asteroid field.

Mom heard my fall and rushed to the scene. It took a while, but I managed to calm her down and get us back on our feet:

As a result, my dining options have gone from a somewhat limited buffet line (think Ponderosa) to:

ANYTHING  I HAVE EVER WANTED!!!!!

I’ve got it all:  bacon, beef, beer and braunschweiger (love those Bs) as well as treats, gravy, soup and bones. Bread?  Sure. Crackers?  How many?

I finally have a ramp to the dining room table:

The magazines are there to elevate my bowls and give me easier access to my food. I just hate bending over, don’t you?

Before I sign off, another pic:

After all I’ve gone through, how do I maintain the cuteness? It must be in my genes.

I love you!

I’m Still Here

Mom’s been getting some concerned phone calls from friends and family:  “Is Minnie alright? She hasn’t posted!!”

Yeah, I’m hanging in there. And it’s hard to come up with a post when you move just a couple times a day.  But I’ll bring you up to speed.

After taking a break from consuming calories, I started eating again last week. That is, so long as the main ingredient was bacon, ham and/or braunschweiger. I’ve developed a special penchant for ham. I’m sure the salt is good for my failing kidneys.

I took another, shorter break from eating yesterday, just to keep my parents on their toes. Otherwise, they might try to get me back to a turkey, oats and brown rice regimen. Not enough gusto for me anymore!

Due to my incredible creativity and intelligence, I have found a way to protect my home from intruders without moving:

I can also growl without moving a muscle. Really.

So that’s it. Thank you for asking about me, and I love you!

 

Doggie Prozac

Friends and family, I’m not going to sugar-coat this. I’m not doing so well. Today I heard my mom tell my dad that she thought I might be depressed. Oh, you think? Let’s review my situation:

1.  My brother, sister and dad live elsewhere, which leaves me (most of the time) stuck with Mom. Need I say more? But I will….

2.  I am 2, 467 years old. Okay, I’m exaggerating. But hey, at 113.4 dog years (16.2 in human years), I’m not far off.

3.  It sucks to move any part of my body.

4.  I am stuck (most of the time) with Mom. It deserves repeating.

However, my parents have discovered something in which I can take joy:

         

It’s braunschweiger. And I love it, especially if it’s topped with some bacon. Have you ever seen the movie Grumpy Old Men? I’ve turned into Grandpa Gustafson (Jack Lemmon’s dad). His diet consisted of bacon and beer. A great man.

I still enjoy sniffing a good toilet seat:

It’s the little things.

So, just like you, I’m hangin’ on. I love you!

Minnie Snow

My parents have really gotten into the HBO series Game of Thrones. My mom read the books, and my sister gave my dad the audio book for one of his Christmas presents. He’s listening to it right now as he drives back to Philly.

One of the characters is Jon Snow. He’s a member of the Night’s Watch. They guard and protect The Wall – an immense barrier of ice built to protect the kingdom from Wildlings and Others.

Well, I have a wall of my own:

Guarding my wall often involves becoming catatonic. Here I am five minutes later:

That is NOT the same picture. I swear it on a stack of bacon. Just right-click and check the picture number. I am awesome.

So everyone is gone and it’s just Mom and me. I’ve decided to do a lot of this:

Not moving is one of my favorite things these days.

I love you!

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and …Got Snow?

I have been living the high-life here. First, my sister came to celebrate Christmas with me last weekend. It sure was nice to rest my tired self upon her elbow:

My family feasted on a prime rib roast and guess what – SO DID I!!!!

         

I haven’t been eating much lately, and I heard my mom & dad say they’ll give me almost anything if I’ll eat it, so I’m holding out for the good stuff. Beef, bacon and beer are back on the menu! It’s about time.

My sister had to go back to Ohio, but it was a short wait until the next batch of Ohioans came to see me. And guess who they brought with – OLIVE!!!!!

         

As you can tell in the sledding picture, we have a bit of snow around here:

         

Everyone had to go back home, except for my dad who won’t leave for a few more days. It sure was nice to see everyone. I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas, and I love you!

P.S. It’s snowing again.

Sorry Minn, I’m Too Busy

That’s what I’ve been hearing from my mom the past two weeks. I’ve been barking at her to get my posts up, but she gives me one excuse after another:  “I’m busy with a preschool Christmas project” or “I’m busy ordering presents” etc. etc.

Yeah, right. THIS is what she’s been busy with:

My dad got my mom the ultimate Christmas gift:  a Yamaha C3 piano. It’s the one on the left. My mom is pretty much the luckiest person in the world. Not only does she get to take care of me, but do you know anybody else with two grand pianos? And all I want are two new organs. As in a liver and a kidney.

Before you Google the retail price and think they spent $50,000 on it, they got the deal of the century and didn’t pay anywhere near that. But I gotta tell you, it is one AWESOME piano.

Mom is already saying that she’s spent enough time on my post, but before I go I want to give a shout-out to my Uncle Bill who had some out-patient surgery. Hope you’re back to 100% soon!

I love you!

Today’s Walk

I love going for walks with my dad. I love it WAY more than taking a walk with Mom. She expects me to actually move.

My dad, on the other hand, allows me to do whatever I want. Here I am at the start of my walk:

Five minutes later, I advanced to this spot:

And five minutes after that, I finally made it to here:

Do you really think that leash is necessary?

He even carried me up the stairs:

At least the walk back to the steps wasn’t very far. Like about five feet.

So today, I enjoyed my walk. I hope you get to take a nice walk, too, and I love you!

Not Only The World’s Best Dog….

But I am also possibly the world’s coolest dog. And here’s the proof:

What’s next? I know….the world’s most interesting dog. Piece of cake.

Later. I love you!

I Made It!!!!

Today is a very special day. Yeah, it’s the day after Thanksgiving. Yeah, it’s Black Friday. Yeah, it’s the official start of the holiday season (which really begins sometime around Labor Day, I think).

Today is……drumroll……MY SIXTEENTH BIRTHDAY!!!!!

I know my parents weren’t sure if I would make it, but I sure showed them. I even celebrated a bit. Here’s my birthday cake/stuff:

I am lickin’ my chops in anticipation. There’s no bacon or beer like the good old days, but my parents infused it with this wonderful pumpkin-flavored stuff that my sister brought with her from Cleveland. It tempted me enough to give it a try:

I didn’t eat it all, but I at least I got some of it down.

So….Happy Birthday to me! I love you!