To Andrea - Sweet 16

Happy Birthday Andrea! 16 years old today. Wow. Have a good party - and drive safe!

Dewey - The New Addition

Dewey is going to be my hearing dog - and they have let me know that he is halfway through his training now. He is a Terrier mix, and he weighs about 14 pounds. I will get him at the end of July or beginning of August. So now I will have two dogs, Sandy and Dewey.

Before I knew about Dewey, I asked them if I could pick out my own dog. They said that the service dogs have to come from a local pound and that they have to go through extensive testing to make sure they have the right temperment and personalitiy. I think they picked the right dog for me! He is cute, and I'm excited to get him.

Why do dogs bark at the vacuum?

As I was surfing the internet, I ran into the most interesting question - Why do dogs bark at the vacuum? One person attempted to answer this. Whether it is true or not, I do not know. You can decide for yourself.

Dog hearing is much better than human hearing, and they can hear in the ultrasonic range - very high frequency sounds, which humans cannot hear. Vacuum cleaners tend to put out loud ultrasonic sounds that are irritating and frightening to dogs. They attack the vacuum because they just want it to be quiet.

Book Review - Eldest (Book 2 of Eragon Series)

To all of you readers out there, I have just finished Eldest (Book 2 of Eragon Series). Dad, I know you are not a fantasy fan, but this is the only book I have read worth reporting since Marley and Me. It is not as good as Harry Potter, but it is still a good series to get started on. Since Eldest will be coming out in the movies, it might be fun to read before you see the movie.

Interesting Fact: The author of the Eragon Series begain writing Eragon when he graduated from high school at 15. He became a bestselling author at 19.