Sparrow continues to be a nuisance. On Tuesday, he tore apart Draco's bed and got the foam filling all over our new rug. Draco and I try to tease him by sleeping in his bed, but he doesn't care - he's busy laying on the couch shedding black hair all over the place. He's such a disobedient pup - he needs discipline. His bed is really comfortable, so restful that I don't miss the couch too much when I curl up in it. Sometimes, his bed feels so cozy that I dream of the good old days when I was unemployed, and I don't mind my babysitting job as much. Sparrow should spend more time in that bed.

But he has so much energy. When Sparrow isn't resting on my couch, all he wants to do is go outdoors and play. One of our biggest problems, though, is that Sparrow runs away when he gets outside without his leash. Mom likes us to help with gardening, and I sit like a little statue in our yard while she plants bulbs, or cuts flowers, or pulls up weeds.

Sparrow has to be tied up because he can't be trusted. If he spies a squirrel or another dog, he goes CRAZY! He wants to chase everything he sees, but if he gets loose, we wind up chasing after him. A trick we play is to say to him - "Do you want to go out?" (even though he's already outside!), and then tell him to sit and stay, so we can get the leash on again. This scam usually works - can you believe it?