NEW UP-TO-DATE FRITO PICTURES!!!

Thanks to Mrs. Coffey the world has some new up-to-date pictures of Frito! Too long it has been since the world was graced with Frito's "presence"! As you can see, Frito's leg is healing rapidly and he is just so excited to be outside visiting the neighbors and getting some fresh air and time to chew on some good old fashioned sticks! Take a look...











FRITO HAS RETURNED...

From the good old days...

Here are some pictures of Frito from back in the day. Due to my dad's unfortunate computer problems and my necessity to see Frito-a-Day everyday I am forced to post some old pictures that I have saved on my computer.




Luckily, they serve the purpose of my daily Frito fix, so old pictures are better than nothing.

Oh, the indiginity of it all

Well Frito is being a trooper, but still having some difficulties. His blue cast that you saw in earlier pictures was so long he could not walk around. So to my surprise the doctor said, "well then let's take it off." Apparently, it was not there to immobilize his leg, but to protect it and keep him from chewing at the stitches.

So now you can see he no longer has a cast, and instead, has to wear this collar if we are not with him. Oh, yes, the indignity of it all. His leg looks pretty good considering the surgery was so recent.

Frito models the new "shaved-butt" look

Of course, it is not all bad. Frito gets this neat and sheik hair-do. I think it will be all the rage at Westminster next year, don't you?

Not so good, though, for early morning walks (er, "stands"). Frito is potty-challenged these days. He's going to explode if he doesn't figure that out ;-)

Morning after - ears are up

Well, things are looking up a little bit the next morning. Of course I should point out this is at 3:30 AM, becuase he just wasn't sleeping. But slowly and surely, he's starting to get back his Frito spirit.

We keep Frito on a leash to make sure he doesn't try to jump off the sofa or bed (that would not be good). This also is the bed in my office (aka Greg's room), and Frito and I laid down together so Frito could get some shut-eye. Me, I was computing of course. And we put on some iTunes music for Frito, which I think he liked.

The Greenie that wasn't "et"

OK, this tells you the seriousness of the surgery. To see a Greenie without Frito in the picture should tell you something. That's right, he wasn't even interested in eating his favorite treat on the first night. But he did manage to get over than on the second day.

Alpha gives comfort too

This is pretty much the routine -- when Frito is awake, if he is uncomfortable, then one of us just have to spend lots of time with him. That does seem to comfort him, and lets him get some sleep. Of course, it makes it tough for us to sleep. But hey, that's what parents are for. Frito is certainly worth it!

Mom comforts the wounded warrior

Frito looks so pathetic! His ears are back, and his face has that "been to the vet" shagginess to it. Not to mention this oversized peg leg to try to carry around. Indeed, for the first few days, Frito didn't really move around on his own. Yep, his parents get to carry him everywhere! Good thing there were two of us this week.

Ears are back -- it's gonna be a long night

Well, you can imagine how you might feel after having relatively major surgery on your knee to replace a blown-out ligament with an artificial one. Yeah, that's kinda how Frito looks, isn't it?

Good news - I'm home; Bad news - drugs will wear off

Frito comes home! He's pretty out of it. He's going to need alot of TLC for a while. Hey, I thought we only had two kids?

Notice which one is *not* smiling

This is Eileen, the assistant who helped the surgeon patch up our wounded warrior. Apparently everything went well, and what more can we ask (besides a 2-for-1 discount at the vet)? You'll notice there is only one person in the picture that is not smiling. Hmmm, I wonder why?

BTW, Frito's leg is now covered in an outdoor "boot" so his cast doesn't get wet. We prefer Ziploc bags, ourselves, but hey, what do we know?

Is my leg supposed to go that way? ("After")

Well, we dropped Frito off for surgery the day prior and here we are picking him up the next morning. Everyone thought Frito was an excellent patient! At this point, it's too early to tell (he's still on happy drugs). How else can you explain him not being bothered by his leg being in this position?

Computing with Mom ("Before")

First off, my aplogoies to all of the Frito-a-Day fans for my irregular postings of late -- I'm blaming it on jet-lag.

Here is Frito "before" his operation to repair is cruciate ligament (on the other leg). All you can really tell when he's sitting is that he is rather shaggy -- we didn't send him to the groomer because we thought it might stress out his bad leg too much.

Out for a run

Here we are, out for a run through the woods around Tucker Pond. Frito loves to run on woodland trails, becuase he can be off his leash.

Alas, for those that haven't heard, it will be a while before this is possible again. Frito recently injured his other leg again, and will probably need knee surgery once again. That will lay him up for months. Poor Frito.

(And officially, I'm back on track for Frito-a-Day postings now. I will try to keep up with one a day so you can keep checking back daily ;-)

Cruisin' for some frogs

When its hot, there is nothing better than a quick dip in Ticker Pond. Frito likes to cruise the shoreline (as he is doing here) hoping to find some kind of critter hiding in the bank. Little does he know, the frogs are elsewhere. But hey, swimming is a nice way to pass the time.

Towel-boy

Continuing with the Tucker Pond theme, here is Frito drying off after a dip in the pond. He's very smart, and if given a towel, will use it enthusiastically to dry himself. And this keeps him pond-water soft.

A wee bit windy

Well, it's a wee bit windy up on top of Mt. Kearsarge. But I had to pick this photo becuase we need to honor not only Frito today, but also Carol -- since its her birthday!

I know, I'm a schmuck for being in Japan, but I will try really hard ($$$) to make it up to her. Oh wait, if I say that, she'll think I'm getting her that expensive necklace we saw at Jane's Pearls in Tokyo; and then I'll really be a schmuck since I didn't get that. Actually no jewelry at all. Just give me the key to the dog house.

Summertime Smiles

Someone's smiling! That's becuase it's "summertime, summertime, sum-sum-summertime, summertime, oohh!" Of course, Frito's smiling pretty much all the time, except when we leave him all alone at home.

Someone's been bad

Well, someone's been bad. No, no, not Frito. Alpha for not posting for nearly a week. So I have to make it up to Frito and Alli and Carol, so here comes a week of Frito at Tucker Pond, in anticiaption of this coming summer. Here Frito takes out the canoe -- any kind of boat he likes!

Just a baby mountain

As you can see, Mt. Kearsarge is just a baby mountain. Not even a 3,000 footer. We need to get Frito out this summer and tackle some more challenging mountains. He'd just love it!

Frito reaches the top

Here's Frito on the top of Mt. Kearsarge. A windy place, but guaranteed to cool you off on a hot summer day. Though it is a little hazy today, there is still a nice view from this otherwise barren top. A nice place for Frito to run around and cool off.

Heading up Mt. Kearsarge

Here is Frito heading up the Mt. Kearsarge trail, one of his favorite outings. A nice easy hike that takes you through wooded trails and over granite outcroppings to the barren (and windy) top. Any day is a good day when you climb a mountain.

Green eyes behind bars

Here is ol' Green Eyes behind bars - busted for being too cute. Or maybe too shaggy in this photo. He often sits on the stairs looking down on all of those creatures that are "below" him, and of course, you know, that's us! No, no, wait -- I'm the Alpha, and Frito's the Omega. Gotta remember that.

On Alli's Bed

A beautiful dog on a beautiful quilt on a beautiful girl's bed. Frito must be looking for Alli. Don't worry Frito -- she sees you almost every day on the blogosphere! Oh yeah, speaking of Alli and the blogosphere, you can check out her brand new blog: Alli's Awesome Adventures, or via the links section, and see what she's been up to!

Froggylegs

It's the ellusive - but very famous - "froggylegs". This is when Frito kicks out his back legs and gets his belly right on the ground, and then shimmies forward for a combo stretch and belly rub. I'll have to keep my eye out for a better photo, but to date, this is the only one I've got! Now that's hard to believe.

Frito on a rock

Here is Frito up on a nice lichen-covered rock in the conservation field neighboring our house. He looks like he's thinking about pouncing down on some unsuspecting prey. But I think he's really just avoiding the camera ;-)

Hi Alli, how are you?

Hi Alli, how are you doing? I was just sittin' up here on my sofa perch thinking about you. I sure hope you are having fun in Hawaii. You would be proud of what a good job your parents are doing taking care of me. Just look at my new haircut. Aren't I adorable?

Yummy

Oh boy, the Greenies continue. There was a moment, for an hour or two, where Frito's parents were considering foregoing the Greenies becuase of the bad press that was coming out. But we watch him carefully, and Frito seems to really enjoy his treat each night. Let the good times roll.

Frito saying "Goodbye" to Alli

Due to my Dad's internet issues, I decided to post one of my favorite pictures and save him the trouble. Here I am about to depart to Nova Scotia for a five week French immersion program. Lyssy and Emily, my next door neighbors, and of course Frito are wishing me luck! You can even see that Frito is smiling! He's so cute!

This here is "my" squeaky bone

This is Frito, guarding with his paw, his favorite squeaky bone. Unless you plan to play with him, don't mess with it ;-)

As for logistics: good news: computer is fixed; bad news: hotel does not have internet. Your patience is appreciated.

Frito is outstanding in his field

Yes, he certainly is, as well as king of his domain. Surveying the lower fourty. And such a magnificent creature.

I hope to be able to keep posting Frito-a-Day, but on the plane ride out to Japan, I broke off something in the recharging plug. So if I can't get that fixed, I'm toast once my battery juice is used up. Wish me luck.

Sometimes I runs, and sometimes I walks

Frito continues his excellent training. He will be the best behaved dog when Alli sees him this summer. Here's a shot when he was just a little too tired for running, so instead, Frito saunters.

Oh Boy, Out for a Walk

Well, we are both home now, and able to take Frito out for his daily walk. You can see he is a happy camper (but then he almost always is). Our routine now is to let him run free on our street and in the fields, but on the main road, we are keeping him on a short leash, and teaching him good manners (walking right at our side). He is such a smart boy, this training will be very easy.

Run, Frito, Run

Here's Frito in his "I'm so excited to run around outside" mode. Carol and I each received our "boy am I happy to see you guys" greeting after our long adventure. Frito's just such a happy guy. And glad to have continuous company again.

Valentine's Kiss

OK, It's Valentine's Day. So how about a nice, wet, slobber. Come on. Pucker up! Happy Valentine's Day, Alli. Frito says he want's to be your Valentine (and vice versa)!

Mom and Frito say Hi

By the time I get this posted, Frito and Carol should be reunited, hence the photo selection. And I suspect Frito may look a little ticked off (as in this picture) that we galavanted our way to Hawaii for over a week. But we got to see Alli, and that was good. And our very generous neighbors, and in particular the J-man, gave Frito lots of attention, so life is good for all. New pictures when I return home on Wednesday.

See you later, Alli-gator

As we wrap up our Classic Frito week, and our trip to Hawaii, we have to say goodbye to Alli. What a wonderful location to be going to college! Of course, Alli misses her Frito, but that would be true anywhere. So we'll keep the Frito-a-day photos coming, and will have to take a whole bunch of new pictures when we get home. Love you Alli.

Rollin', rollin', rollin'

Here is Frito after a nice swim in Tucker Pond. He looks for his towel in the sun, and then starts "rollin', rollin', rollin'". He usually does a few "froggy legs" as well to dry off his belly, but we'll have to save that for another picture, since I can't find one of those.

And if you were curious about the old TV series theme sone lyrics, they are below (yes, I know 'doggies' in this context are cattle, but hey, Frito's never seen the reruns):

Rollin', rollin', rollin'
Though the streams are swollen
Keep them doggies rollin'
Rawhide!
Rain and wind and weather
Hell-bent for leather
Wishin' my gal was by my side.
All the things I'm missin',
Good vittles, love, and kissin',
Are waiting at the end of my ride

CHORUS
Move 'em on, head 'em up
Head 'em up, move 'em on
Move 'em on, head 'em up
Rawhide
Count 'em out, ride 'em in,
Ride 'em in, count 'em out,
Count 'em out, ride 'em in
Rawhide!

Keep movin', movin', movin'
Though they're disapprovin'
Keep them doggies movin'
Rawhide!
Don't try to understand 'em
Just rope, throw, and brand 'em
Soon we'll be living high and wide.
My hearts calculatin'
My true love will be waitin',
Be waitin' at the end of my ride.

Rawhide!
Rawhide!

Frito and ferns

Frito loves to be outside. Here he is in the woods, probably on a run near Tucker Pond. He loves to be on the wooded trails able to run without a leash. Until, that is, Alpha decides to stop for a photo op ;-)

Up close and personal

Now here's a real cutie pie. Look at that face. Don't you want to just give him a big hug? Frito you are the best!

Here comes Frito-Jaws

In the summer, Frito likes to visit Tucker Pond. Here the games of fetch involve swimming. Frito jumps off the shore and swims out to grab one or another play toy, and then brings it right back to shore. A nice way to cool off on hot summer days. Frito is a very good swimmer!

In the beginning

Continuing with the "classic Frito-a-day" theme, here's one when Frito was just a youngster -- taken back in 2002. He looks quite dapper even at that early age, don't you think? Lucky for us he was model material ;-)

"My, what big ears you have ..."

If Frito had auditioned for the role of the "Big Bad Wolf", I'm quite sure he would have gotten it. Of course then they'd have to call him the "Rather Petite, Really Quite Adorable, Yorkshire Terrier", and there would have been no room left for "Little Red Riding Hood" (instead, we would have shortened it to "Alli").

Do I have Something in my Teeth?

This week will be a "Frito classic" week, since I'm on travel and new photos are not an option. Here Frito says the immortal words of Jim Carrey "Do I Have Something in my Teeth"? Yes, Frito, you do, but I am much too polite to point that out to you.

Be Sure To Take My Good Side

Frito is a patient photo model, most of the time. He knows we are capturing pictures for his girl, Alli, so he puts up with Alpha always snapping a photo or two or ten! "Just be sure," Frito says, "to edit well and always show my good side." Frito, every side is your good side!

How indignant

Frito never relishes the "putting on of the sweater" prelude to a winter walk. He thinks it is just so undignified. He's really not sure his little legs are meant to bend this way and that so as to fit through the sweater holes. Some people will put up with just about anything to get their daily walk!

Frito strikes a pose

Here's Frito showing off for the camera, perched atop the stone wall at the top of our driveway. He looks very much like a terrier. And so handsome with his sweater on, don't you think?

Frito Skidoo

Here comes Frito bounding through the snow. Just like a Frito Ski-doo. He loves to run, even when the snow is a little deep, and in that case he justs hops around like a bunny rabbit. Great that he's got his fur trimmed recently, so no more snow balls.