In Memoriam: Jumpin' Jive

Ratchet & Clank’s Report:

We had a sad thing happen this week, which is why we haven’t written in our blog. Our big old brother Jumpin’ Jive died on Monday evening. He was really sick for a long time and the Moms explained that he couldn’t stay with us anymore because he had to go be with his brother Jazz at the Rainbow Bridge.

Ratchet: Jive took really good care of me when I came to live with my Moms. I had been ‘bused and was awful scared of everything, but he helped me get my smiles back and he taught me all kinds of good things about playing with toys and stuff. I will miss him a lot ‘cause I loved him.

Clank: I only knew Jive for a little while, but he was a wonderful big brother. He taught me all about pottying in the yard instead of the house. When he got really sick last week, I would cuddle with him on his bed and kiss his chin to cheer him up. I hope he is having fun at the Rainbow Bridge and that he knows how much I love him.

Jumpin’ Jive
In Memoriam
1998 – 2009

His spirit lives on in the love and joy he shared.
He was a healer and a gentle, loving soul
with a heart as big as his smile.
Good night, Sweet Boy.
We’ll meet you on the other side at the Rainbow Bridge.

Read the book, “The Legend of Rainbow Bridge”
by William N. Britton
Read the poem and support this wonderful author at: http://www.legendofrainbowbridge.com/

Busy Days

Clank’s Comments:

I’ve been really busy around the house lately, so I haven’t had time to write. Mommy needs lots of help and she says I’m her little helper. Isn’t that cool? Only 11 weeks old and I already have a job.

I’ve been helping out in the office while Mommy designs stuff. I take care of the filing and sometimes I consult. I don’t know exactly what that is, but Ratchet says it’s real important and that he’s the senior consultant. I was impressed, ‘cause I didn’t know he was in high school. I even have my own spot right on the filing cart, in between the inkjet paper and the notepads. I’m hoping to learn how to fax soon. Ratchet says he’ll teach me all about it.

I also help take care of my oldest brother Jive, who has a bad tummy. He gets sick a lot and Mommy has to clean up after him. She says I am a big help when I grab the mop and show her where to push it around. I think I’m really good at it because I’m so close to the floor.

There’s so much I have to do in the yard, it’s hard to keep up. I have to pick up pine cones and sticks all over the place and munch on them. Then Mommy takes them away from me and throws them out.

I had to butt tuck around the yard this morning at least five times. Mommy laughed a lot. I’m not sure why.

Mommy gave me a really neat treat to help with my teething. It’s called a bully stick. I can chew and chew a long time and my teeth feel much better. The problem is that my brother Ratchet likes bully sticks, too. And he keeps stealing mine. If it wasn’t for Mommy’s fast action, I wouldn’t get to chew any of it. Whew!

Ratchet’s Report:

Boy, am I relieved. I’ve been really worried all week because I thought there was some kind of alien monster that had invaded our house. It had a dog’s body, but there was the real strange white dish antenna on its head. I figured it was sending signals to the Mother Ship and we were all going to be in real trouble when that thing landed in the back yard.

I growled at it and tried a few times to scare it away, but Mommy Shar kept scolding me every time I did that. I was soooo confused.

Well, everything is fine again. Tonight the Moms took the alien into the bedroom and I listened at the door while they fought with it. Man, you should have heard the whining and pitiful cries for mercy. I almost felt sorry for him, but then I remembered he was a threat and barked a couple times to lend moral support to the Moms.

A few minutes later they opened the door and I raced in to see what was happening. There on the bed was my little brother, who had been missing all week. Obviously, the Moms hammered that alien guy and made him return my little bro. My Moms are just the best!

Making Friends

Ratchet’s Report:
I never thought I’d say this, but it’s been a good couple of days. Despite the fact that Clank is kind of a pest (he follows me around all the time looking at me with this dopey look on his face), we’ve been doing some cool stuff.

I was kind of worried that my Moms were going to toss me in the trash now that they’ve got this brand new guy, since he’s so cute and all. But my Mommy Annie is so great; she took me on a really long walk, just her & me yesterday morning. And my Mommy Shar let me sit with her on the couch and gave me lots of attention, even when Clank was around. I felt much better after that.

Of course, Mommy Shar stopped petting me every time I growled at Clank, so I figured out pretty fast that I should knock that off. Sigh.

Then all three of us (me, Jive and Clank) took a walk with the Moms, and I gotta tell you, that Clank is hilarious. What a goof! Jive and I were just doing our usual thing, trotting along, and this little nutjob would come running up alongside us at about 100 mph with his tongue hanging out of his mouth and a really silly grin on his face. I had a hard time looking stern at him. After all, a guy has to maintain a certain level of decorum on a walk. You don’t want to embarrass yourself in front of all the other dogs in the yards & houses along the way.

The coolest thing I’ve discovered about having a puppy along is that people go out of their way to come up and pet you. It’s like he’s an affection magnet. We got loves from the lady who lives on the corner, and our neighbor Mike called his wife, Carolyn, out to see the little dude. Naturally, Jive and I took full credit for the new arrival, and everyone thought we were great guys.

The only beef I have is that the little furball has weaseled his way into the bedroom at night, while Jive and I are stuck in the living room and kitchen. I did my best pouty face and Mommy Annie has been falling all over herself to make me feel better. I’m trying to work my way onto the bed tonight. Keeping my digits crossed.


Clank’s Comments:
Things have been really good here up until this afternoon.

I think I’m getting the hang of my potty training. I’ve been watching my big brother Jive, and he even came outside with me and Mommy in the middle of the night and reminded me to do all my business before I go back inside. He’s so smart! Today Mommy Shar said she was so proud that I went outside all by myself to piddle after breakfast.

I think Ratchet is coming around. We’ve bumped noses a few times, and he lets me follow him around so I can learn the rules. Sometimes he gets crabby with me and shows me “the fang,” but I take it in stride. I’m such a nice guy, he’s just gotta love me.

Yesterday I had a big adventure when we went to Natural Pet Northwest. It’s a really neat store and everything there is really good for dogs and cats, and the people are so nice they gave me a bunch of free treats. It doesn’t get any better than free food. They said I could come back any time.

We had to get me a collar for walks. My nifty blue harness doesn’t work so well when Mommy is trying to teach me how to walk on a leash – I can’t figure out what she wants. So, she got me a red collar that goes with my flex-lead and it’s got doggy pirates on it, with real eye-patches and everything. I feel so cool when I am wearing it.

We took two whole walks yesterday and today. I never knew about walking on a leash, but I think I’m getting the hang of it now that I have my new collar. Must be the pirates. I walk with Mommy Shar while Mommy Annie and the other guys go ahead, then I race up next to Ratchet and Jive really fast. I usually find something interesting to look at or sniff, so they get ahead of me, and I do it all over again. Mommy Shar says it’s my “robics” or something like that. I just think it’s fun.

I met some nice people and found lots of trees and bushes to piddle on, and best of all, I saw a real fire hydrant. What an upscale neighborhood! I also barked at all the dogs in all the yards.

I don’t know what I did, but for some reason, the Moms decided to torture me by taping my ears this afternoon. And every time I scratch at the tape, they put my foot on the floor and say, “No!” Mommy Annie told me I have a lazy ear and it needs to be taped so my “cart-ledge” can get stronger. Where is this cart and why is it on a ledge, anyway?

A New Home

Today was the start of my big adventure. My name is Clank and I’m a whole eleven weeks old today. So, I got to move to a new forever home. I’m really going to miss my family at Toreth, but I had lots of hugs with everyone and said goodbye to my brothers and sisters, so they know I love them.

I met my new Moms and my two big brothers and I rode in a really huge truck and got a neat new harness-thing and a stuffed sheep and my very own dinner bowl and a crate with a really soft fleece bed in it and it was fun!

My brother Ratchet is a Corgi like me, so I don’t feel quite so bad about leaving my Mommy Kayla and my littermates. At least we talk the same language. Boy, he is really grumpy! I keep talking to him and he keeps grumbling at me. He really got cranky when I tried to play with his rolly-ball, but I figured I should get some of those treats that fall out of it on the floor. That’s okay. I’ll just keep talking Corgi to him and pretty soon he’ll come around.

The other guy is a ginormous old yellow Lab named Jive. He’s been pretty nice to me, though he did bark at me when I got up in his face. I’ve been trying to sniff his butt, but it’s way over my head and he wags his tail all the time – I’m afraid I’ll get a concussion. He did let me sit on his bed with him, though. He’s a really good sport.

My new Moms are really cool, especially Mommy Shar. She gives me lots of pets and goes with me everywhere. I even learned to sit and sit up already. That’s really cool ‘cause you get treats when you do stuff you learn.

The other really great thing about my new home is that there are more stuffed toys here than at PetsMart. So far, I’ve played with a monkey and a duck in a little roadster and some other ones, too. The best one was a blue and yellow octopus with lots of legs I can pull on. I liked it so much I had to run all over the room as fast as I could with it. I tried playing with Mommy’s shoelaces, but she gave me the stink-eye, so I got my duck instead.

I’ve been having so much fun, I had to take two naps! Man, this is the life.

A Really Big Day

My name is Ratchet. I’m a Cardigan Welsh Corgi and I live in a nice house with my Moms and my big old brother, Jive. He’s a Lab, but he’s ancient, so he doesn’t play with me. He mostly sleeps all day.

Today was amazing. My Moms and I took a really long drive. I saw lots of interesting things out the window and after about a hundred years, we finally arrived at this really cool place called Toreth.

They have sheep and a whole herd of Corgis like me. They also have a really neat bulldog named Gus. He and I bumped noses and he was a very nice guy.



The puppies were pretty cool, except I think some of them must have gotten into fights and broken their ears, because they were all wrapped up with masking tape. Sure glad I didn’t meet the guy who won the fight!

I got to meet a lovely lady named Léo Washburn and her daughters. I put the old smooth moves on them and we were all friends in no time. We even had cuddles on the couch. I love dog people!



Then for some completely unexplained reason, my Mommy Shar took one of the Corgi puppies and put him in the truck and we drove away with him. I had to bark at every single car we saw on the way home, just so he’d know I’m in charge.


They tell me this guy is my little brother, Clank. I guess he is sort of cute, but I’m hanging close to my Mommy Annie and letting this interloper know that he’s not going to get away with anything on my watch (I grumble at him). Mommy Shar says I better be nice, ‘cause I’m supposed to be the big boy and have good manners. That is sooo unfair.