Capone the Wonder Dog

09/06/2025

Is anyone else feeling emotionally exhausted lately? Between the divisiveness, the anger, the uncertainty, and the general craziness, it’s a lot to take. Even for Madame, who is usually an annoyingly upbeat person, it’s sometimes a struggle to stay positive. To remain hopeful. But being sad and angry all the time is hurtful to one person.

You.

So what can you do about it?

1. Get outside. It’s good for your soul.
2. Eat well. Unhealthy choices affect you more than you might realize.
3. Get dressed, even if you have nowhere to go. It's important.
4. Set daily goals. Even if it’s just something silly. My goal today is to get outside in time to bark at the UPS truck before it goes down the street. Goals are important.
5. If you don’t meet your goals, don’t beat yourself up. Like if I don’t make it out in time for UPS, there is always Fedex, right?
6. Reach out to other people. Being alone can be very dangerous for your emotional well-being. That is why I don’t leave Madame alone for a minute.
7. But avoid toxic people. If someone makes you feel bad every time you’re around them, don’t be around them. It’s pretty simple.
8. Be careful about what you post online. Posting negative things can become an addiction, and soon it damages you in more ways than I can explain.
9. Live in the moment. Appreciate the fact that you’re alive and breathing. Dogs are great at this.
10. Stop watching the news. Trust me on this one. It doesn’t matter what channel. It all sucks.
11. Keep believing that good things will happen and they will. I promise.
12. Be nice. That’s a simple one, but a lot of humans are not doing this right now. You all need to do better. The dogs (and cats) are getting annoyed.

I guess that’s all the advice I’ve got to give. I’m going to go cuddle Madame and try not to be a do**he canoe. There is always hope, right?

xoxo
Capone

08/06/2025

Life is hard when you’re hungry all the time. And every Lab is hungry all the time.

Madame wonders if I’m part Hobbit. They like having second breakfast. I like second breakfast, second lunch, early dinner, and midnight snacks. I like all of it.

Maybe I’m part Hobbit and part Hoover. There is definitely something vacuum cleaner-like about the way I consume food. Sometimes I forget to chew. Madame has to add water to my food so I won’t yark.

Definitely a Hobbit/Hoover/Lab combo. Like one of those designer dogs.

I’m a Labra-Hobbi-Hoo.

Who knew?

07/06/2025

The Invisible Fence: Part II

After my neighbors, the Cutie Pies, took down their fence (unbeknownst to me), something else happened as well. Something unexpected. Something exciting.

I told you the Cutie Pies have two dogs, right? We have barked through the fence at each other for years, but I've never seen either one of them. Strange, but true. But that all changed this week.

Buddy, one of the dogs belonging to the Cutie Pies, escaped not once, but TWICE, and came into my yard to hang out.

It was amazing. It was also weird.

Have you ever seen the show, "Love is Blind"? Madame and Monsieur are slightly addicted. They especially like the Swedish and Japanese versions. I have no idea why, but that is beside the point.

So, what is my point exactly?

When Buddy went on the lam and and snuck into my yard (breaking through the fence that apparently no longer exists), it was like "Love is Blind." On that show, the characters talk and get to know each other through a wall. Once they are engaged, they can finally meet in person. But it can be really weird at first, because they know the voice of the person they've fallen in love with, but they don't know their face. It can make things confusing.

And that's what happened with Buddy. When he charged into my yard, barking his head off, I knew the bark, but not the face. So I barked back and him. He had the same, "Wait.. do I know you...?" type of reaction. It was nice to finally put a face to the bark, but it was strange as well.

When Madame came out to find out what all the barking was about, she saw Buddy and I standing in the yard together, only a few feet apart. We both looked perplexed, which made Madame perplexed as well.

"Buddy? What are you doing here?" she asked, leading him back to his yard.

I couldn't follow, of course...due to the fence.

Or the memory of the fence.

Or whatever.

Things are very confusing here, but at least I know what Buddy looks like now.

I consider that a win.

Enjoy your weekend, friends!

06/06/2025

I've never been the sharpest tool in the shed. Or the brightest crayon in the box. Or the crispiest chip in the bag. But I was operating at average Lab intelligence level, which is (frankly speaking) a few fries short of a happy meal.

That being said, something happened this week that made Madame begin to question many things. Like, perhaps, if I have a brain at all.

In this photo, I'm sitting in my backyard. Behind me is another house. We'll call that family the Cutie Pies, because they are super cute, and I like pie.

Anyway, my entire life, there has been a fence separating me from the Cutie Pies. I could hear them (they have two doggies and three small children). I could smell them (they smelled like laughter and sunshine). But I could never see them.

Last week, for the first time ever, the fence between our yards came down. The Cutie Pies are getting a new fence, so that will be up soon, but this is the funny part.

I seem to be completely unaware of the fact that there is no longer a fence between our two yards. I'm not joking. It's like the fence still exists somewhere in my itty bitty lab brain, and I can't imagine a world without that fence in it.

There have been people working in the yard. Men walking in and out. A giant cement truck pulled and poured concrete to create a place for the little Cutie Pies to play basketball. I didn't notice ANY of this. I didn't look. I didn't bark. I didn't bat an eye.

Until something unexpected happened.

Stay tuned. I'll tell you about that tomorrow. I anticipate a fun weekend of shenanigans ahead.

Happy Friday, everyone!

06/06/2025

05/06/2025

Good morning! It's Thursday, which means we have another adorable adoptable from the wonderful folks at Judges Park.

Look at this adorable bun-bun named Nessa!

**This bunny is fully vaccinated for RHDV*

**She is living in foster in Niles, OH**

Here is more about her from the shelter:

Breed: Lionhead
Size: About 3 lbs
DOB: About 10-12 months as of December 2024

Reason in rescue: This girl was surrendered after she was left with someone else who didn’t want her. She came here in a tiny wire cage, eating guinea pig food :(

Personality: This poor girl was clearly never treated well. She’s very curious and comes running up to the front of the cage to see you but she is scared of hands. She will run when you reach for her and in the beginning she would try and bite in fear. She has been getting steadily better and is learning to love petting and will hunker down for a good face rub. She would do best in a quieter home with no small children and maybe another bunny to bond to to gain confidence! She is good with her litter box.

Friends: She is a good candidate to be bonded to a neutered male.

Requirements: Must be adopted as an indoor animal, with an as large as possible plastic bottomed cage or puppy pen (minimum 4' x 2' for a single, 4 x 4 for a pair).

Adoption process: An adoption application must be filled out (http://www.judgespark.org/adoption-application.html), and approved by us. Then we will arrange a meeting time to see the animal of interest. A home visit is required prior to adoption (but can be waived if pictures or video are supplied of where the bunny will be living).

Suggested adoption donation is $100 which includes her spay, vaccine, and microchip.

04/06/2025

Little Moonbeam's new favorite thing to do is to sit by the window with Luke and watch the world go by.

I'm sorry. I need a minute. It's physically hard for me to process this much adorableness.

I think it's the pigtails. And the hand on his back. And the snuggle. And that little smile. And Luke sitting there like a sentry, standing guard in order to protect her.

But really it's just the love between a girl and her doggo. And I can't think of anything better.

Have a great Wednesday, friends. Enjoy your day!

03/06/2025

Hello! I am Clyde. I'm five-years-old and weigh 13 pounds. My brother and I have been at the shelter since March. We'd love to be adopted together if possible. We are two special boys looking for a special home.

It took me a long time to warm up to the humans here. The shelter was really scary to me at first, but the staff never gave up on me. Every day they visited me, worked with me, and showed me I was very safe and loved. I can still be shy, but now I am affectionate and sweet too!

I would do best in a home without little kids as they'll probably be too much for me. A nice quiet home is ideal.

I have beautiful eyes and so much love to give. Please come and meet me today!

Here’s what a staff member has to say about Clyde:

“I visited Clyde in colony today and I got to pet him! I sat and talked to him and also pet his buddy Miller. I reached out to pet him and Clyde headbutted my hand and started to curl up onto his back! I think he very much wants to enjoy being petted and wants to accept it but he is just afraid to let his guard down with new people. I am so happy I got to pet him today!!!”

For more information about Clyde please contact: The Beaver County Humane Society, 3394 Brodhead Road, Center Township 15001, or call 724-775-5801.

02/06/2025

Last weekend quickly turned into the BEST WEEKEND EVER.

After a delightful visit with Mistress Patti, Henry, and Elliot on Saturday, yesterday I got to visit the Oldest Son, the Lovely Daughter, little Moonbeam, and Luke. As you can see, a good time was had by all. In this photo, it looks like the Oldest Son is some kind of deity, and Luke and I are bowing down to worship him. The unusual part of this was that he wasn't holding any food at this time, so our reactions are even more remarkable.

Little Moonbeam still adores me, and is thrilled every time I visit. Luke was thrilled as well. There was quite a lot of doggy French kissing going on, so I think Luke may have actually missed me. That is remarkable as well. Usually Luke just tolerates me. For him to show affection to me is sort of a special event.

I hope all of you had a great weekend too. I hope it was filled with lots of doggie kisses (normal ones—not the French kind). And I hope you had a great start to your week.

I need a day or two to recover from my weekend activities. Having this much fun is exhausting.

xoxo
Capone

01/06/2025

Yesterday was the best day ever, because Henry, Elliot, and Mistress Patti came to see me.

Huzzah!

Madame will say they came so that she and Mistress Patti could work on designing graphics to be used to advertise her books. I'm not a diva, but I know they really just wanted to see me. The graphics were just an excuse.

While Mistress Patti and Madame "worked" (aka, drank coffee, ate cookies, and talked about romance tropes), Henry, Elliot, and I "helped" (aka, stood uncomfortably close to Mistress Patti and Madame the whole time).

Elliot was an angel—as usual. I spent most of the afternoon barking and whining (as usual). Henry barked too (he learned it from me). He also sneezed a lot. Henry sneezes on command, and he also does it when he wants food. It's the cutest thing ever, so it works.

Who wouldn't give treats to a dog who can sneeze on command?

As you can see from this photo, we spent most of our time vying for Madame and Mistress Patti's attention. It got to be a bit annoying, but the ladies did manage to finish their project, and the results are spectacular. You can see them on Madame's Amazon page if you scroll down to look at the part that says "From the Publisher." Here's the link: https://www.amazon.com/Black-Lotus-Tattoo-Parlor-Stories-ebook/dp/B0DPLCK3S7?

Isn't that awesome?

Mistress Patti is a very talented graphic artist. Writer peeps: she's taking on clients, but she won't have slots available for long. Hire her. NOW. Before you miss out.

All in all, it was a wonderful and very productive afternoon. Also, Madame bought us doggie ice cream. You cannot have a bad day if you're eating bacon and cheddar ice cream. Trust me on this one. It's the bomb.

I hope you have a wonderful Sunday and a great start to your week. I cannot believe it's already June. Did May even happen? It feels like a blur.

And if you see any of that bacon and cheddar ice cream, I suggest you buy it. Your dogs will thank you for it, and so will I!

xoxo
Capone