Like a surgeon

Tonight I came home to find Mochi and Obiee's pen in this state:


The picture isn't completely clear, but the white bits on the floor are chunks of foam. My first thought was that they had gutted the toy between the two potty pads. But wait! That toy never had foam; it's a simple mix of squeakers and cloth. (sidenote: T - if you're reading this, let us know where you got that toy. We haven't found it in any local stores, just online ones).

I then looked right and saw their bed. It looked mostly intact until I leaned in for a closer inspection.

That's the only hole I could find in the bed. It looks like the dogs chewed a small hole and proceeded to pull out as much foam as they could reach via that hole. Maybe they were plastic (liposuction) or arthroscopic surgeons in a past life?

Walking observations

In the short time we've had Obiee, I've noticed the following while walking the two of them together:

• Obiee seems to prefer to walk on the outside edge of the sidewalk. Mochi sticks to the inside, probably because he realizes that's where all the interesting things to smell are.
• Because he likes to walk on the outside, if we stop, and he gets bored, Obiee willl walk behind me to see what Mochi is examining. This, of course, makes his leash wrap around the back of my legs. Sometimes I think Obiee is purposely trying to trip me. :)
• Obiee also seems to like to be in the lead. If he sees Mochi ahead of him, Obiee will run forward.
• But, if Obiee sees something he's not familiar with ahead of us, he'll stop and let me go first. He's a brave one.
• Like Mochi's early days, Obiee hasn't figured out it's ok to go potty when we're on a walk. He'll figure it out eventually.
• Mochi, meanwhile, continues to exercise his impeccable potty timing. Tonight, he chose to go number two on a lawn that didn't any lights shining on it. As he was finishing, the owner pulled up in his car. The owner waited to make sure I picked up after Mochi (a little awkward, though we always clean up). However, this experience was extra fun because:

1. It was dark, and I didn't have a flashlight, so I had to hold my cell phone as a light in one hand and the bag in the other.
2. Mochi barked at the man the entire time. That's my boy, always making peace with the neighbors.

Cut from the same...roll of toilet paper

Struck by their similarities, less than two minutes into our "forever" drive home Mommy was telling Mochi and Obiee how they're "cut from the same cloth." Before Mommy could finish the statement, Obiee did something a little punkish, maybe pushing Mochi out of the way or something. Whatever that was is lost in history**Update - Tracy remembered that Obiee stuck his entire head into the litter chute we have tied to the back of the passenger seat **, but this remains: the two are cut from the same roll of toilet paper.

See, back when we just had Mochi, we referred to him as our "butthead" due to various antics and misadventures. Obiee has proven to be quite matched to his brother, both in the cute factor as well as some occasional buttheadedness. Thus the two are "cut from the same roll of toilet paper" - a combination of "cut from the same cloth" and "butthead," or at least the paper used in that region.  :)

Examples of Obiee's and Mochi's similarities include:

• Followers of the Mochi blog might remember his love for a certain cardboard tube. With Christmas not yet a week ago, we have a few recently emptied cardboard tubes...which Mochi co-opted on the 24th and 25th, and Obiee took to right away on the 26th. Now we see Obiee carrying a ragged cardboard tube the way a dog might carry around his prized stick.
• Speaking of sticks...Mochi taught Obiee right away that sticks are fun. Obiee started by picking up a stick and waving it around to make Mochi give chase. Otherwise, Obiee had no interest in the stick. But he seems a little more interested now.
• Mochi-stretch! This was our saying to capture the way Mochi locks his legs and pushes at whatever's in his way - be it your face or other body part - when he's tired. Wonder of all wonders, Obiee does exactly the same thing. It's now known as the "Obiee-stretch" as well.
• Wrestling. They look like those "kung fu kitties" sometimes with their animated expressions and flailing limbs. It's hard to tell who's who sometimes when they're wrestling.
• Bait and switch. They've both learned that one of the quickest ways to get what the other has is to lure him with a more attractive toy, then take the desired toy when he's not looking.
• A flair for the melodramatic. When they're tired, both Obiee and Mochi let us know, alternately doing the "I'm-not-sheepy" winks and sighing the "it's-tough-to-be-a-pup" sigh.