Hospital sleepovers and tourney time

From Maggie: We had a few scary days this week. Bandit felt really awful on Wednesday and the staff made him go to the Emergency Clinic. We didn't know what was wrong, but Bandit said he had a tummy ache and wouldn't move or eat. He said he was cold, too, and the nice vet said he had a really high fever, so he had a sleepover there.

The next day the staff took him to see our fave vets at Case Veterinary Hospital where Dr. Witherow poked and prodded him a lot. He must've liked it there, too, because he had another sleepover and Staffer Dad said Dr. Witherow stayed with him some.

In the meantime, I got lots of attention, which was OK but I didn't have anyone to snuggle with at all. I usually sleep with Bandit and he keeps me warm. Next time he's gone, the staff really needs to think about letting me sleep with them.

From Bandit: I've been away for a few days, and it sure is nice to be home. Dr. Witherow says I had some sort of infection. Staffer Mom lets me have extra treats with my pills. Staffer Dad takes me outside regularly and hovers a lot. I think he's still worried about me, and I wish he'd quit watching me poop.

From Maggie and Bandit: The best part about being home now is that it's ACC tournament time and the basketball is the best. The tournament is an important tradition in our house. Downside is that very little gets done and sometimes we have to walk around a lot and head-butt someone to get the staff to pay attention enough to let us outside when we have to go.

Whether the Tar Heels win or lose, it's a good time to stay on Blue Pillow in front of the TV. Granted, Bandit can't see much, but we always know who's winning by the noises Staffer Mom makes. We know enough to keep our paws out of her jump radius, too. A Tar Heel game can be a very dangerous time if we're not paying attention. We think the only thing that should be in danger is a Dookie.

Big night(s)

So last night, a dog named Stump won the Westminster.....we like that. If our choices can't win, then an older dog with a great name should. Bandit's inspired by Stump -- he always thought he's be a good show dog and now he's wondering if it's too late to get on the circuit. His Staffer Mom is always telling him how handsome he is.

Tonight's another big night: UNC vs. Duke in the season's first matchup. Careful readers will know we proudly wear Carolina Blue collars for the Tar Heels, and we stand ready to bite almost any Dookie who comes near. (Except Uncle Kevin.) See you later. We have to park ourselves in front of the TV now. Go Heels!

A conundrum? Not.

Do we whine because Bandit's bracket is doing only fair or do we rejoice because Dook fell in the second round?

It's no contest: Woooohoooo!

(Now we'd better shut up or we'll jinx the Heels.)

Carolina cool

Well, it's been a fun, fierce 2 days! Yesterday, mom let us play outside early in the drizzle, and then we got to stay in the house all day with her. Then today, we had lot of outside time and then we got to watch the Dookies fall on Senior night in their own court to the Tar Heels.
Staffer Mom held us up to get a good view of key plays, and we were so tired at halftime we had to take a nap!
Our questions about coverage: Why is Digger Phelps wearing a stupid hat? Does Dick Vitale know anyone who didn't give to the V Foundation? (no offense, we're sure it's a good thing, but he sure does talk about it a lot.)
Is that all Coach K's real hair? Does Coach Roy have any bad ties? (We don't think so, on either question.)
Wasn't it cool to see the drunk Tar Heel fans go wild behind the Gameday team in K-ville? (Staffer Mom says she would never have done that and doesn't know anyone who would have done it either.)

Coming soon: Beat the Bandit! (not literally.)

Challenge is on

It's March and we're ready for the madness. Outside of October's Savannah Wiener Dawg Races, there's only one other competition we live for: NCAA basketball and its lead-off event, the ACC tournament. As careful readers will remember, we wear our Carolina Blue Tar Heel collars proudly.
And when it comes to the final weekend of the regular season, we tell you Dookie dogs: Bring it.

Notes from the last few days

Some catching up with all that's going on:
- We have good news! A dalmatian puppy has adopted Aunt Laurie. Its name is Yuki, and it doesn't -- contrary to popular myth -- follow around beer trucks or fire trucks. (They do some weird stuff in California, but that's not part of it.) Here's a photo of Yuki. The cat in the other picture is Aunt Laurie's cat, Xerxes. He's been around a bit, and we have a lot of respect for him. We're pretty sure he can kick butt in any fight.
- The Dookies have lost two basketball games. We're very happy about that (and so is Staffer Mom). We are also thrilled that one of the losses was to Wake Forest. We have a soft spot for the Demon Deacons because of Aunt Jenn's affinity for them and Staffer Mom says her dad was a fan, too. So, if it needed to be done, we're glad Wake did the deed. Next up: March 8 and a Tar Heels rematch with the Dookies.
- And, we had a nice weekend at the Doggie Spa. Staffer Dad says it's just the vet's office, but they treat us like we're in a spa and that's important. The staff went out of town, so we seized the opportunity for some nice "me time" for us. All in all, a good few days.

ACC basketball is back!

It's a very serious time: College football madness is nearly over and college basketball conference season begins in earnest. This is important, and we know this because even Ernie gets involved.
Now right now, the Tarheels are undefeated. We don't expect that to continue all year, and they shouldn't lose to Dook. But we know they are Fierce and will be throughout the season.
What's also important: Staffer Mom stays happy. When the 'Heels are winning, service is good for us. And as everyone knows, when mom ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. Ask Staffer Dad.

How 'bout those Mildcats?

So as our poll closed today, the UK Wildcats had more than a snoot-full of the Tarheels. Another year of dominance for the Heels.
In the poll, we learned that Dook fans anytime, followed by Auburn fans who are out of beer, actually are more obnoxious than UK fans. Wow. That's big. We probably should have considered the option of UK fans after a rich Hot Brown in the bathroom line....but that's another poll. If you've had a real Kentucky Hot Brown, you'll know what we mean. That menu item used to give Dad the fits.