Sunday Salute - Baxter, Mattie, Cleo and Howie!

This week, our Sunday Salute goes out to our friends Baxter, Mattie, Cleo and Howie of Fort Riley, Kansas!

Baxter on the left, Mattie on the right: Teamwork!

This is one incredible crew! Baxter is a 10-year-old Border Collie. His entire litter was dropped at an animal shelter and Baxter was adopted out by his (now) mom’s sister. When she couldn't provide him the home he needed, he joined his furever mom! Baxter loves to play ball, but it has to be a tennis ball and THE tennis ball he chooses when he heads out to play. He is the leader of the pack and he knows what he wants!

Here is Baxter, defending his mom from an attacking sprinkler!

Baxter, the brave!

Baxter is also thoughtful enough to dry himself off in something fragrant before heading into the house! What a nice guy!

Ooooh, yeah!

Mattie is a 6-year-old Black Lab. Her mom told us, “She is a registered Labrador Retriever, although I like to call her a ...Labrador because she has no interest in retrieving.” Ha roo roo roo! Well, we could swap her for a certain Lab-in-a-Sibe-suit who DOES retrieve! (Just kidding, Dave … but real Sibes do NOT fetch!) She was the runt of an accidental litter and is now 85 pounds. She is a mama's girl. (This really DOES sound like the Labradave….) Her mom said, “Most days she could do without all her siblings and just have me. Her dad even has to suck up to her to even get her to shake.” We’re sure she means that as a compliment to her mom and not as a slight to anyone else!

Here's Mattie, having a go at that wayward sprinkler!

I've got it!

Baxter and Mattie also work hard at making their mom smile - and do a mighty fine job of it! Here they are, all dressed up for Halloween!

Mattie on the left, Baxter on the right

We're not sure, but Baxter seems to be enjoying this MUCH more than Mattie! Mattie wasn't the only family member not thrilled with the Halloween costume thing. You see... the other members of their family are two kitties - Cleo and Howie. Kitties ... who were forced to dress up in outfits, too.

Cleo on the left, Howie above, right

Need we say they don't look thrilled?

Sure ... I'll wear your little costume. But you will pay for this. Trust me.

Cleo, the gray and white kitty, is 4.

He was adopted 2 years ago from a friend who was feeding him instead of herself. He tries to vie for the alpha spot but Baxter doesn't let him get by with much. He is very mouthy, but a great cat. He weighs 18 pounds. Here are some action shots of him!

Howie ... hand me the remote and get me a beer, would you?

Never mind. Zzzzzz.......

Howie (short for Howitzer !) is a tabby cat rescue from Camp Funston (an area on Ft. Riley).

His mom said it took them about two weeks to catch him, during “Operation Cat Snatch”. Ha roo roo roo! Good one. He is a lover boy and is just over a year old. His mom and dad started seeing him at Camp Funston when he was just about 4 months old. The only problem his mom has noted is that he is like a little Harrier Jet - he can jump just about anywhere he wants to go. Sounds more like a talent to us, but hey, bipeds are funny sometimes!

Check this out!

Howie the Harrier Jet has landed

This is a talent we truly admire. Yes, Dave has helped himself to bananas off the top of the magic cold box ... but Howie has taken jumping to new heights! He also is a master of disguises! Here he is covering himself in what appears to be Baxter fur! (Mattie, if it's yours, we apologize for the mistake!)

Remarkable camouflage job, don't you think?

He could easily infiltrate anydog's domain without them ever sniffing him! I think we should recruit Howie and all his siblings into the Troopers in the Army of Four! We want a clever guy like that on our side!

Baxter, Mattie, Cleo and Howie currently have an incredibly important mission. Their dad has deployed to Iraq - so they are supporting him by keeping their mom safe. And amused. (Refer to Halloween pix above!) Baxter, Mattie, Cleo and Howie - for all you do, we salute you! (And we send a great big Ao4 'HOOAH' to your dad!)

The Army of Four