Hi.  My name is Welkulm Thief of Hearts, but you can call  me Boodles; everybody does.

I live with my brothers, Riley and Twoey, in sunny  Southern California. 

 

   Here I am with Riley.  I licked his ears until he was nice to me.

 

 

Here I am with Twoey.  He and I play all day long.  He isn't nearly as grouchy as Riley, though he does tease me a lot and steal my toys. 

 

 

 

 

 

I was born in Ontario, California, where I lived until I was ten weeks old with my brother, DJ, and three sisters.  DJ still lives there with our father, Drummer, and  grandmother, Tavia.   Go to http://www.welkulm.com/puppies.htm to see photos of both our parents, Ch Welkulm I'm Magnificent (Drummer) and Ch Ashcroft Hart to Hart (Sox).

 

Here is a photo of my litter, when we were wee babies.  I am the handsome fellow on the far left.

 

 

 

 

This is me the day I went home to my new family.  I was a little scared, but tried to act brave.

 

 

 

At the moment, I want to be a therapy dog when I grow up.  If not that, then a fire fighter [if only the Dalmatians' union wasn't so strong].  Or maybe an actor.  I could play a sheep, as well as a dog -- even a llama or an alpaca with a little coaching.

And I'm getting ready to take my first educational step by going to puppy class.  I'll also be taking some online courses, as I don't think learning how to "sit" and "heel" will give me much to chew on mentally.    I'll keep you posted on how it goes. 

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Good News!  I just got my swimming certificate.  Not that I like the water, but Mom insisted

 

 

 

When I'm not playing with my brothers or learning how to swim, I lead an active social life.

I recently had my first dinner party.  Everyone seemed to have a great time, though I later discovered that humans like to use knives and forks.  Go figure.  I thought since everyone had a big napkin, they would just dig in like me.

I also have had my first house guest, Steve.  He is a wonderful guy who paid a lot of attention to me, though Twoey says he is Steve's favorite.  Personally, I don't think someone who didn't really like me best would give such great tummy rubs.  It was just jealously on Twoey's part.  His friend, his bone, his raccoon -- the list just goes on and on with him.

Here is a shot of Steve telling me how much he loves Bedlington Terriers.  [So there, Twoey]

 

 

 

Not that my young life hasn't had its share of trauma.  I had to go down to Westminster to get a haircut.   Tammy seemed nice in the beginning.  Then she tried to drown me; cut off my nails and hair; and attacked me with an air hose!  See the evidence below:

Did I mention the noose she put around my neck?

 

 

 

 

 

Or how sharp her scissors were?

 

 

 Or how hot the air hose was?

True, I looked stunning when it was over, but still...

Afterward, I spent some time with my litter mate, DJ.  I wasn't my usual vibrant self, having had a very rough morning, but it was nice to get together again.

I've also had several play dates with the effervescent Lulu.  Unfortunately, she only wants to be friends, but we still have a lovely time together.  She is sooooo cute. 

However, once I met the true love of my life, Heidi -- tall, athletic, with legs up to here and beautiful brown eyes, I realized my crush on Lulu was just a silly infatuation.  Of course, being a Goddess, Heidi wouldn't give me the time of day, but just being able to sit there gazing up at her seemed to be enough.

Then it sank in that she liked a tennis ball more than me. Now, I love a tennis ball as much as the next dog, but how could anyone prefer one to me -- Boodles? I was CRUSHED.  Maria, who also has lovely brown eyes, tried to comfort me, but the pain was unbearable.  I even thought about running away to sea. 

 

Fortunately, a nice dinner and a pleasant evening with friends helped me bounce back.

 

On a brighter note, I aced puppy class this summer.  My teacher said I'm a natural born alpha.  I'm not sure what that is, but apparently it is a very good thing to be.  Here I am with my teacher and Aunt Joy, who took me to graduation since Mom was out of town. 

 

The mother of another kid in class offered me a part in a movie.  I was so excited!  I've dreamed about being in pictures, since I was 8 weeks old.  But Mom said no.  She said she didn't want me doing puppy porn and asked me how I would like it, if Grandma found out.  Since I've never met Grandma, I wouldn't know the answer to that question.  However, I think it would be pretty cool to be paid for something I would gladly do for free. But Mom was adamant --no child of hers was going to be typecast as "a cute little humper."   What's a puppy to do with a Mom like that?

My new friend, Sam, came all the way from Chicago just to meet me.  Can you imagine?  All the way from Chicago to see me?  I was very flattered, of course, and did my best to insure that she had a face licking good time.  I think things went well, as she promised to bring her fiance next time.  What fun.  I love meeting new people.  Here we are in the garden with Lulu's mom.  (I'm the one in the middle.)

My Mom says I should spend more time working on this page, as it will help me develop my writing skills.  I'm sure she is right - I'll never be the published writer I dream of being without a lot of work.  I've been thinking up names, as I doubt anyone would take a writer named Boodles seriously --  what do you think of the Virginia Woof? 

 

Great news!  Heidi sent me a note inviting me back to her beach house...And, she signed it "Love, Heidi."  Also, I think she might be right about tennis balls.  If you have one, you don't need anyone else to play with.  You can bat it off the wall, push it with your nose, drop it off a couch.  Pretty amazing really.