The Birdwatcher Turns Three Years Old

Three years ago this month we brought Piper home.

Looking back at these old pictures makes my heart melt all over again. He was adorable.

He was also a born troublemaker.

Scrap became Piper's daddy.

And poor Scrap never had another day of peace.

Piper even hogged his bed.

Before you knew it...

Piper was all grown up.

 He and Scrap are still best buddies.

Even all grown up, Piper is still a troublemaker.

He is quite unlike any Shetland Sheepdog we have ever had. 

Piper likes to be busy. He's a true Sheltie in that sense– a working dog looking to be useful. 

As far as "Piper's chair" goes, it all began innocently enough.

The fancy, French-style chair had been moved into a corner of the dining room while we were working on some renovations. One day I made the mistake of inviting Piper to come to sit with me to watch the birds visiting on our birdfeeder. 

Like so many dogs, Piper loves to watch all the comings and goings in the backyard.

Before I knew it, Piper had commandeered the chair for his own personal use. He even began to take naps on the chair. To save the chair somewhat, I started covering it with a dog blanket. 

If there are songbirds on the feeder, Piper watches them quietly. 

But if a grey squirrel dares to make an appearance, the tail goes up like a flag.

If the squirrel moves in closer to steal from the feeder, all hell breaks loose. 

The barking commences.

And grows to a fever pitch.

If the squirrel is brave enough to ignore all the noise, Piper's outrage reaches a boiling point. 

As if his legs were spring-loaded, he hops up and down on the chair.

"Pippperrr!", I complain trying to get him to settle down.

He looks over at me as if to say, "Hey, I'm just doing my job."

Happy third birthday Piper!