Hello Shadow

Lately, on our walks, us humans would walk on the pavement and Niko hops in and out of the banks of snow by the curb or on people's lawns.  Niko can't get enough of the white stuff.

Weekends are nice because we get to walk Niko in daylight. Yesterday, on our walk under the bright sun, I noticed Niko was moving as though he was chasing a ball, except there wasn't one and we were just walking. It turns out that Niko's shadow was showing prominently in the snow and that's what he was chasing.  He was running and stopping in an attempt to catch his shadow.  This brought back memories of when I was little and I learned about my shadow.  I tried my hardest to step on my shadow's head, but to no avail.  For the time being, I will let Niko continue thinking his shadow is as fun to chase as his tail.

The picture above was taken at a park over a frozen pond.  This is the only way to get him in a body of water because he freaks out at unfrozen lakes, rivers, ponds, and the bathtub.  If he only knew snow is really water!

A Friend His Own Size

Niko spent a day at our friends' house for a day recently.  They have a toddler named Owen and he got along with Niko famously.  Here are some of the adorable details we were told...

Owen put the leash on Niko and walked him around the house multiple times.  Niko was fooled into thinking he was going outside.  Owen didn't let Niko bully him, especially when it came to food. Niko, the lunch money stealer stole a marshmallow from Owen.  Owen chased Niko and got the marshmallow back.  Yay for Owen!  The two tired each other out and are already asking for the next slumber party.  

The Red Balloon

A few weeks ago, I got the idea of getting a helium balloon for Niko because he is entertained by anything that moves.  I first got my hands on a free latex red balloon from a store with their logo on it.  To my dismay, the thing popped within minutes of reaching the ceiling. Niko had half a minute of enjoyment.

Valentine's Day came along and I bought a red heart shaped mylar balloon for $1. This one is still alive after 4 days.  However, Niko does not seem to like it as much as the other one.  I think it's the shininess and he is intimidated by it.  Sometimes he acts like the balloon will attack him and he barks ferociously.

Other times, the balloon is so far above his line of sight, he chases the ribbon as it bounces around. Go figure, he plays with dogs twice his size, but a balloon brings his fangs out.

Termites?

One of the coffee table legs have marks on it.   It could be termites, it could be inconsiderate house guests, or maybe aliens leaving a message? The verdict is still out. We hope Niko can solve the mystery. Look at his sly innocent face. 

Other items that have mysteriously incurred some damage: shoes, sandals, slippers, rug...