I??™ve got trouble - right here in my house!  It starts with an H and ends with a K, and its name is Hank.  Yep, and Mommy and Daddy didn??™t even tell me a Hank was on the way.  They just came home and surprised me with a9-week-old baby.  I thought I was having a dream or something, and I had to keep shakin??™ my head to make sure I was really awake.  Then, after a few days, I got to thinkin??™ it might be more like a nightmare!  He is as wild as a Marching Bear (well shucks, Mommy says it??™s ???March Hare???).  Surely things will get better when he grows up a little bit.  I wonder if I was a brat like that when I was a baby?  I don??™t thhiiinnkk so??¦??¦??¦??¦??¦.

None of my stories have talked about my very best friend, Josey.  I was afraid it would make Mommy cry if she had to type about her.  It??™s been a sad year around here, so I had to work extra hard to keep everyone happy.  But, I really missed Josey too.  After a while I really did want a new pal, and I knew Josey would understand.

Well, when Hank came through the door, I went bonkers and he did too.  I guess he liked me right off the bat.  We played chase until I got dizzy!  I??™m not kiddin??™!  Yippee - I can??™t remember when I felt so happy.

The next day Mommy had to take him for a ???puppy check-up??? at the doctor place.  It was terrible!  I was so scared Hank was going away and not coming back.  I screeched so loud when they left that it made my throat sore.  Daddy thought I??™d be happy if he fed me while they were gone, and he kept saying, ???Shiloh, they??™ll be right back.???  That??™s the first time I couldn??™t eat in my entire life!  I was soooo scared, because I love Hank already.

Hank had a ???perfect??? checkout (oh, pooh - ???checkup???).  I thought he might flunk the color part of his tests, but he didn??™t.  I guess there really are white Schnauzers after all.  How weird is that?  I figured he had fallen in a bucket of paint, but I guess I was wrong.  Poor Hank!  He doesn??™t know what he??™s in for.  Mommy Dearest will be washing on him all the time.  That??™s how she is - she hates dirt.  Besides, she always thinks she knows everything about everything.  She??™s forever cleaning stuff, and ME too!  Hank is in big trouble since he came out white.  She??™ll be scrubbin??™ on him until his hair falls out.

Now Mommy is wrecking the house again.  We have baby gates, a playpen, a crate, toys, and junk everywhere.  This house is a pit, and it??™s all Hanks??™ fault.  But, I really do like having him around to play with.  He just needs to learn more stuff - right now I think he??™s kind of dumb.  He did learn to ???sit??? a couple of days ago.  The next day he learned how to ???give five??? (shake hands), and then he learned how to sit and catch little soft toys.  Who knows, maybe he??™ll end up being okay after all.  Oh well, even if he??™s just naturally dumb, I like having a best friend again.

Hank sure is getting a lot of nicknames.  I only have a few: Shi, Lo, Shi-Shi, and Lo-Lo.  I hope he doesn??™t get confused because my people are already calling him:  The Hankster, Hankster the Prankster, Hankster the Gangster, Hanker Man, and Mommy even calls him Hanky Panky - duh!  If he??™s already dumb to start with, why are they trying to make him look dumber?  He??™ll never learn his name with parents like this!

Life might be exciting around here for a while, and I will probably have lots of stuff to write about.  That is, if Mommy ever gets time to type for me.  Hank needs something all the time or he cries and acts like a brat.  Babies sure make their people work hard.  Whew - I??™m glad I??™m not a ???people!???

 (c) 2005 Kathy Baker