Silvius

I have been thinking about my good buddy and side-kick Silvius, who is still living at home, in the country, in Kansas. I thought you might like to see some photos of him. I will explain all of the photos as I tell his story. The first photo is Silvius after my human K woke him up from his comfy sleep in his dog house. Why must us animals always suffer at the hands of humans with cameras? The second photo is Silvius chewing on a deer leg he found and me pretending that I don't care that he is chewing on a deer leg while I have nothing. I am a good actor, aren't I? I don't know why no one will hire me. I could be famous, I tell you! A bit of Silvius' back story before I explain the next two photos. Silvius showed up at our house, in Kansas, in October 2006. He just appeared in the side yard one Sunday morning but would run into the trees when a human came outside. That went on for a few days until he was brave enough to at least stay in the yard when a human appeared. Slowly, after many months of patience by the humans and many months of trepidation by Silvius, he finally acclimated himself into our family. He was obviously abandoned out in the country and left to fend for himself, but we also think he was abused because of his great fear of humans and how it took him almost seven months before he would come into the house and let a human pet him. He stayed by my side constantly and would follow my lead. I liked being his mentor! K's brother named him "Silvius" which is Latin for "of the forest" ("silva" means forest) since he came from the trees. Since joining our family Silvius has had a few accidents and we have all been amazed by how he keeps on going despite all of his hardships. One accident occurred a few months after he entered our lives, so it was Winter time. Somehow a patch of skin got peeled off his back foot so his tissue was exposed. By using me and treats K was able to get Silvius to come close enough to her so she could hold him and get his foot bandaged. Well, Silvius would have none of that. As soon as K would bandage it up Silvius would just chew it off. That happened about four times. Finally, again using me and treats as bribes, K got Silvius in the car and to the Vet. The third photo shows the result of the Vet visit - a nicely bandaged back foot. That lasted about two hours. After that, K decided to just leave Silvius alone and let Nature take its course. Silvius' foot healed just fine on its own! Then about five months later, at the beginning of Summer, Silvius had a horrendous accident. Somehow the skin on his entire side was peeled away so his tissue was exposed. It was so graphic and disturbing that even I stayed away from Silvius for many days. We all thought he would die. He went into hiding about an hour after the event occurred and K found him the next day, in the early afternoon. K and her brother rushed him to the Vet and they tried to stitch him up with what skin they could save, but it did not last. The skin was too dead and it had to be cut away, leaving the entire side of his body with no skin, so all his tissue was exposed. I won't go into anymore detail. In the fourth and last photo is Silvius wearing a tee shirt which he had to wear to protect his open wound when we went for walks (yes, that is blood on the bottom of the shirt; he got a clean tee shirt for every walk but it did not stay clean for long). It has been over a year since that horrible event and the wound still has not healed, but it is down to the size of a quarter now. We don't know what mix of breed Silvius is, and the Vet did not venture a guess. We do know that Silvius is an amazingly resilient dog. We marvel at all the harsh experiences this strong dog has endured, and how he continually pulls through and remains extremely sweet, loving, loyal, and just an all-around great dog, but still very cautious toward humans. I am so glad he found my house when those hideous humans just left him in the country. I can't wait to see Silvius again and K promised me that when we leave this house/animal sitting gig we will get Silvius to come live with us. However, I don't think I will be using my acting skills the next time Silvius shows up with a deer leg for him and nothing for me. I mean, I would bring him one! Deer have four legs, so there is enough to go around! I'm just sayin'...

Mr. Thicket

I saw the orange cat again tonight on my walk. He was sitting under the little tree, watching his owners, father and son, play catch. This time orange cat noticed me, and crouched down like he was ready to attack me. Ha! I showed him, though - I walked right past him all nonchalant, paying him no attention. I wanted to chase him but I am waiting for a sneak attack. I am going to use my newly acquired stealth technique and surprise orange cat with a chase. That day will come. Anyway, thinking about orange cat made me think about Mr. Thicket. That is Mr. Thicket above in the photo. He is one of the animals we are watching during our house/animal sitting gig. He is about nine years old and was found in a thicket (hence, the name) down in Southeast Texas, near the Louisiana border. They think he had been caught in a trap because his back legs are permanently disabled and he hops like a bunny. Mmmmmm....bunny....Oh, sorry. Anyway, if you see him walking away you might think it is a bunny because he looks just like a bunny hopping away. Mmmmm....bunny....Oh, sorry again. So anyway, Mr. Thicket is still afraid of me. Why, I don't know. I have never tried to hurt him or growl at him. In fact, I pretty much ignore him. I have only chased him a few times and only because he instigated it. You see, sometimes when he sees me in the house he will get into his defensive posture and start to hiss. Well, to me that says, "time to play!" So I get excited and do a play bow. That makes Mr. Thicket even more defensive which gets me even more excited and wanting to play chase. I then start to make funny happy noises and that is when Mr. Thicket will take off running, or hopping, and the fun begins! I have never caught Mr. Thicket, though, because K always intervenes. Dumb K, she ruins all the fun! K tells me to leave Mr. Thicket alone. I have tried to express to K that it is Mr. Thicket who always instigates the play chases and I am just obliging him. I mean, if a cat is going to get in defensive posture and hiss at me, I am more than happy to honor his request for a chase. I'm just sayin'...

Orange Cat

It was my usual nightly walk with nothing too exciting going on - a few joggers here, bikers there, pieces of food scattered for me to find and eat and annoy my human K. We came upon a father and son who were playing catch on a little hill next to the path we were on and as we walked past them I immediately made a leap toward a little tree. At first K could not figure out what I was doing, but then she saw what I had noticed - an orange cat! And this orange cat was just sitting nonchalantly under the little tree watching the father and son play catch and paying me absolutely no attention. Imagine that! I tried with all my might to get to that orange cat but K would not let me. Can you believe that? What is up with that?! Don't I, as a dog, have an inalienable right to chase cats? Especially cats sitting unleashed in a public park? Well, K was having none of that and we got into quite a tug-of-war with my leash. I tried to wriggle out of my collar and even refused to move, but K eventually won by dragging me up the path away from orange cat. Grrrrr...! I don't like being dragged! The father saw K and I struggling and then looked at orange cat and said, "why don't you run up a tree or something?" K got a bit perturbed at that point because that is when she realized the father and son owned the cat and she could not believe he was making no effort to move his cat so that she could move me! Well, the next night, which was last night, we were nearing the same spot when K noticed the father and son walking toward the little tree. And following right behind them was orange cat. Well, K, being so smart {Disclaimer: she made me put that in}, walked me over to a grassy hill further away from where the father and son and orange cat were heading, hoping that I would not notice orange cat. K kept talking to me, walking fast, and guiding me to different areas on the hill to keep me preoccupied. It worked. We made it past the little tree just minutes before the father, son, and orange cat got there and I never did notice orange cat. K later told me about her trick and I gave her kudos for outsmarting me, but I was also a bit mad since I think I had every right to go and chase orange cat. But now I know K's modus operandi so she won't be able to trick me again. I have a few tricks of my own up my paw so next time I see orange cat I think there might be some excitement in the park. Orange cat, be prepared to run. I'm just sayin'...

Sad

I am very sad tonight. I just heard that the baby whale was euthanized. Poor little guy. They had named him "Colin." I was really hoping Colin would be rescued. I did send out a lot of positive thoughts, as did my human K, but I guess that was not enough. I should have had K call Australia and tell them that I would take him in. I have room in the pool since I don't swim in it. I would have shown him how to eat and drink and I would have been his friend. I really don't have any friends here so it would have been nice to have Colin here with me. I am so sad he had to be put down. There are some amazing humans in this world, though. There were many humans who were working on ways to save Colin, including some humans who designed machines to feed him. An Aboriginal "whale whisperer" named Bunna Lawrie, of the Mirning tribe from the Great Australian Bight, came in to comfort the little guy by singing humming, tongue-rolling ancient songs. During the singing Colin came to the side of the boat and lifted its head and allowed Bunna Lawrie to pat and stroke him. After Colin swam off to nuzzle a nearby yacht Bunna Lawrie said that Colin "felt really lonely and wanted to be with his mother and family" and that Colin is "missing the big fellas." That part of the story makes my human cry. I was really hoping for a happy ending, especially since I keep hearing a lot of bad things going on in the world right now. But at least Colin had Bunna Lawrie to communicate with and I am sure that brought some comfort to the little guy. Swim free and strong Colin! I wonder if there is a "Suka whisperer" out there somewhere. I think K needs help sometimes in understanding me. I'm just sayin'...

Save the Baby Whale!

This makes me so sad. A baby Humpback whale, who has not even been weened yet, has lost its mom and is trying to suckle from a yacht. I ask that all you doggies and other furry, feathery, and scaly friends out there send positive thoughts that this baby can find his mom or a surrogate mom who will feed him and love him. If he does not get food in the next few days he will die. Please send positive loving thoughts his way, especially those of you who live by the ocean. Tell those female whales to go and help that little baby! Unlike us dogs and cats, who go to shelters and are fed and cared for while we wait for our new homes, this little guy has no one to help him. I don't understand why the humans can't bring him to a captive whale somewhere who would be able to feed him. Also, I don't like that they assume the mom abandoned him. Perhaps she was killed by whalers, or a passing ship, or by the Navy's sonar. It is not nice to assume the worst of this little guy's mom. I know in Nature that female animals have been known to abandon their babies for various reasons, but I also know that whales face many dangers from humans so there is just as likely a chance that she was killed as there is that she abandoned her little one. Animal telepathy is powerful so use it for good and help save this little guy, or I will animal telepathy some grrrs your way. I'm just sayin'...

Fluffy Furballs

Photos from: http://english.pravda.ru/photo/report/angora_rabbit-1384/0/

Ummm...Perhaps my days of tormenting bunnies are over. I thought Kung Fu bunnies were a handful, but these Angora bunnies look like a mouthful! I don't think a ball of fluffy bunny fur would taste very good, and these guys don't look like they would react too kindly to an Alpha Male Malamute mix chasing them down! Squirrels don't really interest me, snakes just make me jump and bark, and the moo cows and bulls just stand around looking at me. I think raccoons are next on my list. We'll see how that goes. But if I find out that raccoons have a secret order of martial art warriors then I am going vegetarian. At least veggies can't hurt me, can they? OK, my human K is nodding her head yes. Oh great! K said I would have to be on the lookout for the attack of the killer tomatoes. OK, then. If those raccoons don't work out then a liquid diet it is! At least that would clear my doggy body of all toxins. I'm just sayin'...

Escape From Alcatraz!

Alright, so maybe I did not escape from the Alcatraz but where I am living right now it sure seems like a prison. I mean, look at that recent photo of me above. Doesn't it look like a prison yard? Anyway, the father and college-aged daughter of the home we are house-animal sitting have recently come home and will be here for a bit. K had made it very clear that I am an escape artist (tee hee) so they would need to be aware of my presence. Well, yesterday morning the father left the front door open and I saw my chance for freedom. I nonchalantly wondered out to the front yard la de dah. When the father noticed me in the yard he called my name and I turned and looked at him. He was within reaching distance of my collar but right before he had me I turned and bolted down the street. Freedom! The father ran in the house to let K know I had escaped and then he got on the bike and K got in the car and they both took off to find me. Well, the father finally found me in the park near the house and he brought me home. K did not know how to scold me, as if I needed scolding! She was happy I was home and safe and had not gotten into any trouble, but she had to discipline me somehow - according to her, so I got a stern "Suka, that is a no!" Humphf! Since when is a dog running free a "no"?? So later that morning we went on our normal morning walk. On our way back we ran into one of my new friends, whom I shall call "Noel." She is a small Norwegian Elkhound (hence, the "no" and "el" - clever, if I do say so myself!). Small because she was the runt of the litter and is about 10-15 pounds smaller than she should be. She is a bundle of happy energy and when she saw me she went crazy happy! So Noel and I ran back and forth and in circles playing and chasing each other. Even though I am much bigger than her she is a fun friend to play with. She was on a leash, but her owner dropped the leash so Noel could run more freely. K held on to my leash, but it is a leash that extends so I could go out pretty far and back rather easily. Anyway, Noel flopped to the ground at one point and started to roll-over in place, just one after the other. Well, she was doing it so fast and so much that she soon had her leash, and then mine, wrapped around her. Since my leash had been extended out it was really long and she just kept getting more and more wrapped up in it. Finally K noticed what was going on at about the same time that Noel's owner saw it and they both stopped Noel from turning and then had to spend quite a few minutes untangling her from the two leashes. Hmmmm...maybe I could get myself tangled up in my leash and make it so complicated that K has to cut it off me and then as soon as it is off me I can run free again! I'm just sayin'...

Chaos Abounds

My human K would like to apologize for insulting the intelligence of my animal readers/friends. In my previous blog entry {30 July 2008} I was working on positing an original piece I had written. However, all I managed to post was a small portion of it, "8ik7iuopui67yh5u6," before K walked in a put the kibosh on it. K would not let me post the rest because, she said, "it was too complicated and deep and no one would be interested." Grrrr! That made me mad, so I had a woofing discussion with K. I informed her that animals are very intelligent and would completely understand what I had written. And, hopefully, they would find it amusing. But K said that my paws were too big and I was accidentally hitting the number keys with the letters. I informed K that letters and numbers form animal's thoughts and my animal readers would know exactly what I was saying. K seemed doubtful but her skepticism was put to rest the very next day, and I was vindicated, when reading the Comments section. My cool friend Kodak had responded to my short piece with this witty reply, "2390mav90mewi!!" Very clever Kodak! Thank you! And for K, well, she humbly apologizes.

So, what is going on in the World? Chaos seems to be the ruler right now because lots of scary things have been brought to my attention lately and it is making me nervous! First I have the Kung Fu bunnies menace. I mean, if they do that to each other, what are they going to do to me if they catch me trying to eat one of them?! Then I have the mean dog behind the fence to contend with. Luckily, he was gone during most of the summer but now he is back and barks and growls every once in a while just to remind me of his scary presence. Then I recently found out about kitty cat Martial Artists. Yipes! Who knew? I think my "Stray Cat Strut" comments the other day {25 July 2008} made them upset, me being a dog and all, so their existence was made known to me. I better be careful what kitty cats I chose to mess with, I mean play with. And now I have been informed of this very scary Montauk Monster [warning: graphic photos] that washed up on the other side of the continent. What is it? Was it nice or mean? Would it hurt doggies or be our friend? Oh Ninja Dog Sifu, please come and teach me your Ninja ways! I think I am going to sleep in K's room tonight. What? Hey! No, I am not afraid, I am an Alpha Male dog! I just meant that, um, I just need to protect my Pack! Yeah, that's it. It is my job to protect my Pack, so I will sleep in K's room to make sure she and Porgy are safe and none of these scary animal creatures get them. Yeah, that's it, protector of the Pack...that's the ticket. I'm just sayin'...

De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da

De do do do, de da da da is all I want to say to K! Don't think me unkind, but K has been busy interviewing for jobs so I have been neglected these past few days, and it makes me rather sad. I know she has to find work so I can get treats and new toys, but when she is busy or not around I get pretty lonely. Oh sure, I have Porgy, but he can't run and play. And Ginger is too frail and weak to play. And Thicket the cat, is, well, a cat. And Thicket does not like me, he runs when he sees me. Silly Thicket! Just because I chase him and jump at him doesn't mean I am going to eat him. Although he does look tasty. Anyway, I thought I would blog with all my animal friends and share some of my recent observations and thoughts. This is what I started to write, "8ik7iuopui67yh5u6," but K came in the room and put a stop to it and would not let me finish. I don't understand why, I thought what I wrote was pretty eloquent, and I had more such thoughts to convey. But K said it was too complicated and deep and no one would be interested. Well, when she goes off on her next interview perhaps I can finish what I started. This is my blog and I feel I should be able to write when I want and what I want. Power to the Puppies! OK, I am not really a puppy, but it sounds good. But since K does happen to be the leader of the Pack I suppose I need to obey her. Leader smeader, doesn't being an Alpha male dog have any ranking? I'm just sayin'...

Kewl For Cats

Wow! This is the cat's meow! I am so excited I have been doing the stray cat strut! I have received my second award for my first blog! This kewl and fun award has been presented to me by that wonderfully wacky, adventurous, and clever kitty Huffle Mawson. Thank you Huffle Mawson! Huffle Mawson comes from the land down under (that would be Australia). Hey, do any animals come from the land up over? Just sayin'... Anyway, I have prepared another speech. Ah-hem….I am very honored to have received the kewl and classy C-squared award. I could not have achieved this highpoint without some amazing furry, feathery, and scaly animals, so let me start by thanking my parents, for bringing me into this world, and my siblings, who I am sure we had some fun times playing. Of course a huge thanks to my Pack - my human K, Porgy, Silvius, and Kitty. We are a rag tag Pack of misfits but we have lots of exciting adventures and fun times. OK, why is that music playing? I am not done - I just got started! Grrrrr....To keep the integrity of the award it has been suggested by its creator, Huffle Mawson, that each recipient should "feel free to share with another five bloggers." I would like to humbly ask Huffle Mawson if it is ok for me to display the kewl and classy C-squared award but hold off on passing it along to five others. As I mentioned in a previous post, I have not been able to socialize that much so choosing five animal bloggers will be a bit difficult for me at this time. Although I have visited many wonderful animal blogs and think all of them are unique and special in their own way, I would like to ask for an extension of time so that I can put more thought into my choices. I was hoping for maybe a couple weeks or so? Please Huffle Mawson? If not, I understand and I will go bury the award in the back yard and bring it out when I am ready with my list of five further recipients. I await your response Huffle Mawson. In the meantime, I'm going to go slink down the alley and look for a fight while howling to the moonlight on this hot summer night. I'm just sayin'... UPDATE: Huffle Mawson, Explorer Cat has graciously said I could display the Cool Cat award and bestow the award on others of my chosing at a later date. Woof Huffle Mawson!!

And The Award Goes To...

I have received my first award for my first blog. It was awarded to me courtesy of my good friend Charlie Daniels, that wonderfully funny and interesting doggy who comes from a land down under (that would be Australia). Thank you Charlie Daniels! Ah-hem….I am very honored to have received such a beautiful award. I would like to start by thanking my parents, for bringing me into this world, and my siblings, who I am sure we had fun times playing. I want to thank my Pack - my human K, Porgy, Silvius, and Kitty. We may be a rag tag Pack but we have lots of exciting adventures and fun times. I would also like to thank my agent...wait, I don't have an agent, do I. Hey, why is that music playing? I have a lot more furry, feathery, and scaly animals to thank! Stop the music! Grrrrr....OK, on to business. As a condition of accepting this award, and in honoring the award, there are five conditions that I have to follow:

1. Add the logo of the award to my blog. Arf!
2. Add a link to the person who awarded it to me. Arf!
3. Nominate at least seven other blogs. Arf!
4. Add links to those blogs on my blog. Arf!
5. Leave a message for my nominees on their blogs. Arf!

Seven is a lot of blogs to pick, especially for a doggy like me who has not had the opportunity to sniff out and meet a lot of the other animal bloggers. K hogs the computer so much doing her own thing that it leaves me little time to socialize. And a dog needs to socialize! Anyway, I don't want my award decision to be construed as a popularity contest. All of the animal blogs that I have sniffed out and visit are fun, creative, interesting, and unique. Some animals are lucky that their humans have a lot more time and resources to devote to creating really dazzling blogs. Other animals, like me, have humans that, well, have little time and no resources so their blogs are more subdued. Hear that K?! Regardless of the look of the blog, I enjoy reading about all the animals and their humans and their lives and their adventures. I don't care if you have no photos, one photo, or lots of photos, I just think it is the cats meow that animals are blogging! Did I really say "cat's meow"? I must have cat kooties on me! Anyway, I sniffed out seven animal blogs and I hereby treat them with the award. Although I have not commented on some of these blogs, and they may not know who I am, I have visited all of them and find them to be unique and enjoyable. Woof! The order listed is random:

1. Huffle Mawson, Explorer Cat
2. Powder-Puff the Wug
3. Kodak, the American Eskimo
4. Skye, of the Moondance Huskies Sled Dog Team
5. Girl Girl Hamster
6. Oorvi
7. Princess Eva and Brice the Handsome

Dough Boy

My human K went to the store today and brought back some sourdough rolls. I have never had sourdough so I was mighty interested in those rolls. K took one out to eat and gave Porgy, Ginger, and I each a piece. Yum! I wanted more! So K took out another one and again gave each of us another piece of her roll. Yummers! Then K had to run an errand and as she left I had my nose on the counter sniffing the bag of sourdough rolls. K was hesitant to leave the house with my nose permanently attached to the counter, but she gave me a look that said 'don't touch those rolls!' and I gave her a look back that said 'hey, I'm a dog! That is what I do!' But when she got back I was napping and since I was a good boy I got yet more of a sourdough roll. Yeah! Sometimes being good does pay off. I just can't keep my eyes off of that bag of sourdough rolls. Why are they so good? And why is this the first time I am ever tasting sourdough rolls? What else is out there that K is hiding from me? Sometimes I think I should focus on my inner-Malamute and use my superior tracking skills to go and find all this great food that I am not privy too. Back in Kansas, where that picture above was taken during a winter day (you can see the wonderful cold fun white snow behind me. I want snow now!), Silvius and I not only got a steak every Friday, but we found some pretty good food on our own - cow feed, deer legs, a dead calf (we didn't do it!), a few dead raccoons and squirrels here and there, and of course, cow dung. Yes, cow dung. An exquisite taste of grains and greens mixed together. And when cow dung is dried out, they are called cow pies, which are round and hard. Then you don't eat them, you play frisbee with them. I'm just sayin'...

Beauty Rest

That's me drinking some water last summer at my home in Kansas. That's Porgy sitting on the rail watching me. Guarding me. Obsessing over me. Yes, K is digging at the bottom of the barrel for photos because she refuses to get a digital camera - she prefers analog - so she is using what few digital photos she can find. So, although my face is blocked by the table it is still me. Porgy spent almost all day outside with me today. I got mad a few times and had to bark at Porgy because he kept sitting next to me when I was trying to sleep and it disturbed me. I need my beauty rest too, you know, just like you humans do. Finally K put Porgy on a chair near me and gave him some millet spray to munch on, so that kept him busy and I was able to sleep. It was not very hot out today so I stayed outside all day. K took a short swim so it was nice to have my human around. And the mean dog behind the fence has been gone almost all month so freedom from the nerves! Well, not total freedom, I still am a little bit nervous about him. Anyway, he was gone all of June, then came back for a few days, and is now gone again. I don't know what is going on with him. Is he gone for good? Or will he return to torment me with his growls and barks and sinister behaviour? Thoughts like that keep me up at night. I have bags under my eyes. That is why my day time sleep is so important to me. Gotta look good for the humans so they will pet me! And love me! OK, I am really not superficial that way. I just like to keep on top of my looks, in a non-superficial way. No, I am not a girly-doggy. I guess you would call me a metro-doggy. I'm just sayin'...

Ouchy On My Leg

I have an ouchy on my leg. K just noticed it today during our morning walk. Seems I have rubbed the fur off above my elbow on my left front leg and there is a small circle of exposed skin. But it is not my fault, there is no place soft to sleep here. The backyard is all stone and cement, except for a tiny square of dried grass which is very uncomfortable. So I only have hard stone surfaces to sleep on. Sometimes I go in K's room at night and sleep on the rug. Lately, though, I have been going into the shower and sleeping in there. It is nice and cool and small, so I consider it my temporary dog house! K has some blankets for me to sleep on but in this heat I have not been using them. I suppose I should start, at least they are soft. I don't like it here. I can't wait until we can leave and get our own place. Porgy does not like it either. He got in trouble today, but it is not his fault. Porgy is just acting out. See, K had to leave Porgy's house/cage in Kansas because it was just too big to bring here to California. It is a giant parrot cage, cast iron. Since K could not bring it she is using a borrowed parakeet cage for Porgy. If you know birds, you know a parakeet is very small so hence, the cage is small. K only puts Porgy in there at night to sleep, but Porgy is missing his home and is starting to act out. He does not have a place to just hang out or go nap in since the cage is too tiny for him. He used to like to hang out in his house and nap and eat and play. So without a house to go to he is starting to act out, so now K is stressing because when she is gone she won't be able to watch him and has no secure place to put him. So, it is not a happy time for us. None of us like it here but we are trying to make the best of it and trying to stay positive. Gosh, these last few posts have been downers. Sorry! Usually I am a very happy doggy! I guess you can't have happy without the sad. Yin/Yang. I learned that from hearing K talk about Bruce Lee. She wants to take martial arts and she wants me to be a Ninja dog. Once I learn the secret Ninja stealth techniques I can sneak up on yummy bunnies and they will never hear me coming. Unless they are Kung Fu bunnies, then they will give me a boot to the head. I'm just sayin'...

Mugshot

That's my mug! That is all my human, K, saw of me before signing the adoption papers. That was four years ago. I have aged. All the black on my head is now a silvery grey. I don't want to age! Anyway, I am having an identity crisis. On Thursday the Vet came to the house to take blood from skinny Ginger. She is 17. They needed blood to do some tests to see how the medicines are working for her. She seems to be doing ok, but since she is old they want to make sure the medicines are not doing more harm to her organs than good. It only took one poke to get her blood. Ginger did not even realize she had been poked until half-way through the blood drawing, so it must have taken a bit for the pain sensor to reach her brain. She suddenly got this look in her eyes that said "hey? what the....oh no you didn't!!" and she jerked her leg. But K had her held down pretty good so the Vet was able to keep the needle in and finish the draw. When he pulled the needle out Ginger tried to bite him, but K was able to deflect Ginger's mouth away from the Vet. Ginger has no strength in her jaw anyway and her teeth are so old that it would have been more like her sucking his hand than biting it. Ginger is funny, and pretty spunky for an elderly doggy! As the Vet was leaving he said I was a very pretty dog. Thank you very much! K told him I might have wolf in me but the Vet said I looked like I had a Great Pyrenees face. K said a Vet in Minneapolis told her the same thing about me. The Vet then told her they have DNA tests for dogs now but wolf DNA is not included so if I had wolf in me that part of my DNA would show up as "unknown." "Unknown." I feel like an unknown sometimes. What am I? I know I am Suka, but what does that mean? OK, it means "fast" in Eskimo language but, oh, never mind! Anyway, K was looking at photos of Wolf-Malamute hybrids (Wolamutes) and they do look like me, but they all have straight ears. My ears are the adorable floppy ears. So then K looked at photos of Great Pyrenees' and I do look like them too, and I am great so the name certainly fits. So what am I? Who am I? How old am I? Where am I from? Do I have siblings out there? My whole identity is wrapped up in me being part Alaskan Malamute with possibly some wolf. What if I am neither? Then what? Is a Suka still a Suka by any other name? I am having an existential breakdown! Since I already mentioned how my color scheme is 2-Tone Ska I think I will just take my bone and head on down to Montego Bay. I'm already lobster red from this past week anyway. I'm just sayin'...

It's A Cruel, Cruel Summer...

105 degrees today. 107 - 115 degrees tomorrow. 104-112 degrees the day after that. And 99-109 degrees the day after that day. I have heard of fried green tomatoes, but is there such a thing as fried black and white malamute? If not, there might be by the end of this week. I'm just sayin'...

Pig Ears

I finally got a treat! I guess it was a human holiday in the USA on Friday, the 4th of July. So humans celebrated by doing odd things like not working, having bar-b-ques, going to the lake, and having fireworks at night. I used to not be afraid of loud noises. Living in the country in the Midwest I heard shotguns all the time and they are loud but they never bothered me. [By the way, that is me last year in the backyard of my house in the Midwest. You can see the creek just behind the tree line.] Also, we would get some pretty loud firecrackers in the country but again, I was never bothered by the noises. But this past Friday, when the fireworks started blowing I went into the house and stayed put. We are currently living just a few blocks from where the fireworks were blown, so my human, K, just stood on a bench in the backyard and had a perfect view of the show. But she watched it alone. None of us animals were going to subject our sensitive ears to those loud booms! Anyway, because it was a holiday K treated Ginger and I to a treat - pig ears! Now, normally I am not a pig ear fan. I used to get pig ears in the Midwest and would just carry them around a few days and then Silvius would take them from me and eat them. But since it has been so long since I have had a treat (I know, I am so deprived!) I ate it all up in one sitting! Ginger ate hers even faster than me! And she is a 17-year-old skinny skinny greyhound! I knew greyhounds could run fast but eat fast too? Anyway, I love pigs. They are pink! How can you not love a pink animal? Pink flamingos rule. As do I. But I'm not pink. I'm more Ska, of the 2 Tone Ska scene. I have the black and white look going on, but just not checkerboard. K was trying for Goth with me, but I have too much white and I was not going to dye my fur. Black eyeliner, maybe, but I draw the line at dyed fur. And a nose ring. I'm just sayin'...

Lost In My Thoughts

Sometimes I tend to get lost in my thoughts. This picture of me was taken a year or so ago at my home in the Midwest and as you can see, I was hanging out on the back deck contemplating life, lost in my thoughts. I tend to do that a lot, because there is a lot to contemplate and think about. I am not your typical Malamute, which makes sense since I am a mix. Hey - "sense since." Try saying that six times fast! Anyway, I am very happy and social for a Malamute. I love people, I love having people pet me, and I love playing with other doggies. I have heard Malamutes tend to be aloof. I suppose I sometimes exhibit aloof behaviour, but that is usually when I am running away off-leash pretending that I don't hear my human calling me. So most of the time I am a pretty happy-go-lucky doggie but I do have my reflective, thoughtful side. I am a complex doggie. I am a multi-dimensional doggie. I am an enigma wrapped in fur. Lately I have been thinking about the dolphins stuck in New Jersey, about eight miles from the ocean, and I wonder if they went there to get away from the deadly sonar blasts from the Navy submarines. I hope they are ok and I wish those submarines would stop blasting sonar. I love dolphins. In fact, I feel very fondly toward all the beautiful sea creatures. Whale songs make me misty eyed. Should I tell you that? I don't want my Northern brethren heading down here to howl and growl at me. But I suppose I could just tell them to take off, eh? I'm just sayin'...

La De Da Days

No, I am not ready to pounce and attack. I am stretching and yawning. That is how I have been feeling these past few days. Just taking it easy, going at a slower pace. But I have noticed something strange. The past three nights I have seen only one dog during my evening walks. One dog! Is there a doggie convention going on that I don't know about? Has the invasion of the doggie snatchers occurred? Where did all the doggies go? Humpf. If it did occur, they forgot a dog. The mean dog behind the fence. He came home last night. I have not heard him for over a week so I was hoping he moved. But he is back. He was barking last night and it made me nervous. He must have been vacation or something, or maybe the cat got his tongue and then gave it back. Oh well. Just as long as he does not break through the fence again I will be ok. It is smokey here. I guess there are some forest fires in some mountains near here and the smoke has been drifting this way. I have never been in forest fire smoke. It looks hazy, and it blocks the sun. K went swimming in the pool yesterday for a little bit. I laid by the pool with my front paws hanging over the edge, almost touching the water but not quite. I am not a pool dog. I mean, I have an image to uphold, I think, don't I? What would all my Northern brethren think if they saw me lounging in a pool while they are out pulling sleds through the Great White North? Or Alaska? My ears twitch just thinking of the sorts of howls and growls I would be hearing from them. I fall to the submissive pose just thinking about it. I'm just sayin'...

Porgy Smorgasbord

That's me trying to take Porgy's cracker away from him. If I watch him long enough when he is eating he usually relents and drops for me whatever it is that he is eating. Good Porgy! I trained him well! I know Porgy is hard to see against the green of the grass but that is his camouflage and it protects him from bad birds and squirrels. This was last summer at our home in the Midwest, in the country. Porgy hangs out outside when the weather is warm enough and he even has a little tree he sits in that K calls "the Porgy tree." Sometimes when he is sitting in his tree amongst the leaves you can't see him. K has stood outside looking all around the tree calling for Porgy then all of a sudden she sees him just sitting there. It is funny! His wings are clipped - poor Porgy! - so he can't fly away. Well, that's the idea, anyway. Sometimes Porgy realizes his wings are back and he will fly short distances, and sometimes far distances. Before I joined the family Porgy had flown away a few times. The longest he was gone was for three days, then they found him in a tree. He survived a severe Midwestern storm while he was gone for those three days. Pretty scary! Porgy has been following me all over the place ever since the two kids of the relative we are house-animal sitting for left. Porgy had to be kept in the bedroom while they were here and K only brought him out a few times to sit outside with us. So Porgy was really lonely and missing me a lot. When they left K let Porgy have his freedom again so he has been following me every where I go. I love Porgy but sometimes I get annoyed when he follows me, especially when I am trying to sleep. But it is nice to have such a good friend. Porgy is my best bird buddy. I hope Porgy does not fly away again, I would really miss him. K makes up nicknames for her pets. She calls Porgy, "Porgy Smorgasbord." I like it better than my nickname, "Suka Pants." I don't wear pants! But "Suka Your Royal Alpha Dog Highness" would be a nickname I could get used too. I'm just sayin'...

Sizzling

I'm melting! OK, not really. I guess only wicked witches melt, and I am not a wicked witch. But it sure felt like I was melting. It was 106 degrees yesterday. Ouch. I stayed inside most of the day. I even took my evening walk late and I still got overheated. Blah. Today was much better, only up to 90 degrees, so I took my afternoon nap outside in the shade. I wonder if this is what I have to look forward too the rest of the summer? Oh well, at least now that the days are going to get shorter the cool evening breeze will start coming sooner. Don't get me wrong, I love the sun! Sunshine makes me happy! But I like the sun better when there is lots of snow on the ground for me to roll around in! K said we may be able to move back North when this house-animal sitting gig is done. "We will see" she said. I hope she sees things my way because if we continue to live in these hot states I will be Baked Alaskan Malamute. I'm just sayin'...

Sunny Summer Solstice

Happy Summer Solstice! Summer is certainly here where I live. The past week it has been in the 90s and 100s. I am hot. I sleep most of the day and evening in the house because it is too hot outside. I have been walking into the pond every morning during my walk just to cool my paws and legs down. Lucky for me, though, the nights get nice and cool here, so that helps to perk me back up. All this heat has made me reminiscent of my times in the snow, so I posted a picture of Sylvius and me in the snow back home. Boy that would feel good right now to be laying down in the snow! I love the snow! I miss the snow. Just the other day during my morning walk a little human boy pointed at me and said, "Look mom! A snow dog!" I thought it was funny that such a little human in this area would know that I am a "snow dog." At least thinking of snow gives me something to look forward too. The good news is the two kids of the relative we are house-sitting for have left so the computer is mine again. Yeah! OK, it is K's too. But I get to post more often again and I am now able to go sniffing out all my new doggie friends' blogs. I can't wait to see what all my doggie friends have been up to. Hopefully staying cooler than me! Anyway, one of the kids had left their dinner in the refrigerator. It was pasta with chicken. So tonight K gave me and Ginger the leftovers, and even the cat Thicket got two chunks of chicken. That's not fair. Cats should not get chicken, only us dogs. Anyway, it was really good. I chowed mine down really fast! Dare I say the chicken tasted almost as good as bunnies? K gave it to us because she is a vegetarian and won't eat any animal. That is good because she is still unemployed so if she gets low on food at least I know I am safe. But maybe I can trick her into eating cat. I'm just sayin'...

WOOF-OUT!

This is a bit late in coming, but I wanted to give a big WOOF-OUT to Dogs With Blogs (DWB)! They can be found here: http://www.dogswithblogs.com.au/ They are a great resource for all things dog, so please visit them and all the wonderful dogs they support. DWB accepted my blog and I am so excited! Because of DWB I have been meeting lots of interesting, smart, and funny doggies. It is almost like being at the dog park, except we can't play. It is exciting to see so many smart dogs stealing time at the computer to blog rather than napping. I didn't know so many of us canines had become so technologically savvy! Just goes to show you that once again us canines have adapted to the human way. I am number 897 on DWB, so now 897 is my lucky number. I wonder, is there a dog lottery? I can play 897 in the dog lottery and if I win, I can build my dream dog house with a jacuzzi tub. Then after a long day of walking with K and playing in the dog park, I can relax in my specially designed bone-shaped jacuzzi tub while nibbling on peanut-butter covered bunnies. I'm just sayin'...

Miss Me Blind

I must apologize for my lack of presence lately. The two oldest kids of the relative we are house-animal sitting for came home the other day since college has ended and they will be here for the next week. There is only one computer in the house and they have been using it a lot. When they are not on the computer, K grabs some time on it to job hunt. I am the animal at the bottom of the totem pole, so to speak, so I get the computer last. Needless to say, it has been hard for me to get time on the computer to blog. But please keep visiting me! I will try to blog as much as I can while they are here, but I may only have time to blog short posts. I am also very excited about all my new friends who have been making comments to me, and I am sorry I have not been able to respond or visit all of your blogs. I will though, as soon as I can have the computer back. So please, don't you forget about me. I'll be back! Hey, I wasn't born in the 80s, K is making me put in all these 80s references. She's the dancing queen. Ooops, that is a 70s reference. Hey, how did I know that? I am just a ball of confusion lately. I'm just sayin'...

Toys

I miss my toys! I left all my toys in a crate at the house we just moved from, where Silvius is now living, in the Midwest. My toys got accidentally left behind in our hurry to come here for this house-animal sitting gig. I think K just forgot about my toys since she had so much on her mind. She had to decide between two job offers in two different states, or this gig, in yet another state, and K ended up choosing this house-animal sitting gig to help out her relative. K told me that as soon as she finds a job and starts working she will take me to a pet store to pick out a toy or two. I can't wait! But until then, I have found a surrogate toy. I call him my mangled squirrel. Remember when I told you how, since moving here, I have been finding lots of things on my walks? (post dated 14 May) Well, the other morning during our walk I found a toy squirrel, except this toy squirrel was ripped open and all of his stuffing was gone, so he is basically just a furry shell of his former self. I don't care, though, he is a fun toy! As we walked home after finding mangled squirrel, K would throw him and I would run and grab him. That was fun! Yesterday afternoon I fell asleep with him next to me but when I woke up I dropped him in the pool. K was looking all over for him last night and she finally saw him in the pool, so she rescued him and threw him in the washer. Now mangled squirrel is all clean. A clean, mangled, floppy furry mess! Actually, with my fur still falling out in clumps from shedding, I kind-of look like a floppy furry mess too! I'm just sayin'...

Recycled

Ok, ok, I know I have already posted this picture but my analog human, K, does not have a digital camera so I am waiting for some new pictures of me that a relative is sending. So until I receive those, I decided to recycle this picture of me taken last month. I am looking toward the area where the mean dog behind the fence broke in an attacked me. That still scares me. He was barking a bit yesterday but at least K was outside with me at the time so I did not feel as nervous. We are waiting to find out how long we will be here house-animal sitting. K's relative may come home as early as August or as late as December. I don't much like it here, especially since that mean dog behind the fence attacked me, so I would be happy to leave by August. But we are making the best of it. K is still looking for a job but took today off from job hunting to swim a bit since it was hot and the water was nice. I won't go in the water of the pool, but I do jump into the pond that we walk around every morning. The pond water smells, but it cools me off. A few humans think I smell right now. If I do, which I don't think I do, it could be the odor from the stinky pond water. That and the fact I am still shedding like crazy, leaving clumps of fur everywhere. Maybe someone should collect all my fur droppings and knit sweaters. Suka sweaters! And Suka socks! And Suka scarves! Everyone else is recycling, so shouldn't my discarded fur be recycled too? I'm just sayin'...

Lollygagging Suka

What does "lollygagging" mean? On our walk this evening K told me to stop lollygagging. Funny word! She said it after I had stopped for the hundredth time (or so it seemed) to sniff at something unseen by the human eye. I do that a lot. I will stop and sniff at the ground, at trash cans, at trees, at posts, basically at anything that is sniffable. Sometimes I just do it a few times during our walks, other times, like tonight, I stop every few feet. I think K gets impatient with me, but hey, it is my walk so I will take my time! K's previous dog, who passed away in 2003 and is now in doggy heaven, used to also stop a lot. A lot more than me from what I have heard. He was part Australian Shepherd and part Malamute (yeah Malamutes!) and it was in his blood to be aware of his surroundings. He had an amazing nose on him. His nickname was "Nosey Bozie" because his nose was in everything. Funny. My nickname is "Suka Pants." I don't get it. I need a better nickname. Tell K to give me a better nickname. I don't wear pants! Anyway, K said Nosey Bozie should have been a search and rescue dog because he had such an incredible sense of smell. Too bad he wasn't. I am sure he would have been able to find lost people easily. Just like a human, when a dog has a gift you should use it. Anyway, I don't wear pants! I'm just sayin'...

Fast Suka, Sweet Suka

Yesterday during our morning walk a human woman stopped K and asked her if my name was "Suka." K told her yes. The woman told K that her relative has a dog named "Suka" but is a female dog. Hey! Do I have a girls name? Anyway, the woman told K that her dog sitter had been telling her all about me (I wonder which human that was? I have met so many since moving here I just can't remember them all). She also told K that "Suka" means "sweet" in Hungarian. So now I know three different meanings of my name: "Suka" means "fast" in Eskimo, "very fast" in Ethiopian, and "sweet" in Hungarian. Pretty nifty! I know I am fast, but now I can honestly say I am sweet too! Then during our evening walk we passed three human males sitting on a bench. As we walked by one of the males said, "now that is a good looking dog." I felt so proud! I like when humans recognize me, and I like it even better when they stop to pet me. Don't worry, I will not let all these compliments get to my head. I see cool looking dogs all the time and I think every dog is spectacular and beautiful, even the mean dog behind the fence. It is not his fault he is mean, he probably ended up with a bad human who taught him bad manners, or worse, hurt him. So even though I am still nervous about the mean dog behind the fence, I think he was once a great dog with great potential. And I am not just saying that hoping someone will tell him what I wrote and he will become my friend and stop prowling by the fence growling and barking. I mean what I say and I mean what I howl. And "Suka" is not a girls name. It's a name for great looking dogs who are fast and sweet. And not afraid of mean dogs behind fences. Well, maybe just a little afraid. I'm just sayin'...

Restless Days and Nights

Here is the picture I promised you many posts ago. Behind me is the fence that the mean dog broke through to attack me. It was so scary for me. Right now it is almost midnight and I just had to come in the house because he started barking again. I am just so nervous now, I don't think I will ever feel comfortable here. That mean dog behind the fence really did a number on me. At least I know this house is not permanent. As soon as K is done house-animal sitting, we can leave and find our own house and our own yard, with no mean dogs living behind fences! But she needs to find a job first so we can afford to move. I hope we can go live in the country again. I don't much like neighborhood living. But if we have to stay in a neighborhood, I hope we can find a place with a big private backyard and the houses not so close together. I also hope we find a place near a fun dog park. The best dog park was in the Northern state I came from. I had so much fun going there every night when K got home from work. But the dog park here is always empty and is really small. I miss running and playing with doggies. Silvius would play with me until he had is severe accident. I miss Silvius. But for now, I am stuck here living in a house that is not mine with a mean dog behind the fence. Maybe if I howl sweet nothings into the night he will come around and learn to like me. I'm just sayin'...

I don't stink!

I slept inside the house last night. The mean dog behind the fence was out barking very late and I was so nervous that I decided to go in the kitchen and sleep. I don't know why he was out so late barking and growling near the fence, but I did not like it one bit! Tonight it is nice and quiet, though, so I will be outside under the moon and stars. Hopefully the mean dog behind the fence will stay quiet all night. I wonder if he will be outside more as the weather gets warmer. I know summer is coming because I have been shedding a lot lately. I am leaving huge clumps of fur all over the house and yard. They even fall out during my walks. K brushed me today and she filled up an entire plastic bag of my fur from only getting my two hind legs brushed. She still has the rest of my body to go! I do feel better, though, to get that hanging fur off of me. We had four days of hot hot heat the other week. It was 100 degrees (plus or minus a few degrees) for four days. I did pretty good, though. I slept a lot in the kitchen on the cold stone tile floor during the day but at night I was able to stay outside since it cooled down. But obviously summer is coming so my fur is adjusting. The other evening during our walk we saw six doggies running around off-leash on a little hill, so I went to join them (on leash of course, or I would take off running!). They were nice dogs. One of the humans said I should get shaved for the summer. K disagrees. My Vet told K that my double coat helps keep me insulated and cool during the summer (well, as cool as any animal can be during 100 degree heat) and also, my fur protects me from the sun's rays and from insect bites. So now it bothers me when I see shaved dog because I wonder if their skin is burning from the sun, or if they have lots and lots of insect bites. I don't think dogs are meant to be shaved. I think Nature is pretty smart and would not create an animal that would need a human to come along and shave it for the summer. I am shedding right now which is helping me to prepare for the summer heat. K's relative came to visit this past week-end and said I smelled like a stinky dog and needed a bath. Hey! I do smell like a dog, because I am a dog, but I don't think I stink! K thinks it is just because I have so much fur falling off and also, at least four times now, I have jumped into the little pond we walk by every morning. And the pond water kind-of smells. I have been going in up to my neck and it feels so nice and cool. The ducks get mad at me for going into their pond and some yell at me. But I only stay in for a minute or two. So I guess if the water is smelly and I am in it then maybe I am getting to be a stinky dog. Well, if being stinky is the price I have to pay for a cool down in a smelly pond, then I guess my name is stinky Suka! I'm just sayin'...

Sick As A Dog

These past few days have been scary for me. I got really sick and my human was very worried about me. It started the afternoon of Mother's Day. I miss my mom!! Anyway, I started getting very lethargic and I would not eat. But I was eating grass and making myself vomit. My human decided not to take me on my evening walk, which was a good thing because I was not feeling very well. On Monday I felt worse. We tried to go on our morning walk but I was moving really slow, so my human had us turn around only about 1/4 of the way into our walk. Again, I kept eating grass and vomiting. On Monday afternoon my human saw a blue thing sitting by the fence. Curious, she went over to check it out and found one-half of a blue rubber ball that was in my vomit. I must have swallowed a blue rubber ball at some point, I don't really remember when because I eat so much, and it came out through my vomit. Well, that made my human happy to see because to her it explained why I had been feeling so icky. But things only got worse for me. Monday night I vomited three more times, and by early Tuesday morning I was just pacing because it hurt to lie down. I still had not eaten and then I threw up again Tuesday morning. My human was really worried and did not know what was wrong with me. She called a friend who is in veterinary school and asked for advice. Her friend said since I was at least drinking water I should be ok for one more day, but then I should probably go to the vet if I did not get any better. But she said to observe me during the day and if I looked like I was getting worse then I needed to go to the vet immediately. She said it sounded like I still had an obstruction in me. So my human watched over me and I finally fell asleep and slept most of the day. When I woke up around 6 p.m. I wandered into the back yard where my human was cleaning the pool. I was able to eat some food, just a little. Then I went to poop and guess what? The other half of that blue rubber ball came out! My human was so happy! It meant no x-rays or surgery for me! Today I feel so much better. I have eaten some food and did my full morning walk. My human had never seen that blue rubber ball so she does not know where I found it or when I swallowed it. She just needs to watch me more closely when we walk because I am always picking up things that I find. Since moving here I have found, during my walks, a golf ball, two rubber balls, a golf club, a ballet shoe, a pair of flip-flops, two nerf footballs, one soccer ball, a dragon kite, and a one dollar bill. I don't know why you humans leave these things all over the place. I pass a lot of trash cans on my walk so if these are things you don't want why not just throw them away? Except for the money. My human seemed to be pleased with me finding a dollar bill! Anyway, I did not eat any of those things but I guess the blue rubber ball looked fun so I must have started to play with it and just swallowed it. Or I might have thought it was a big blue piece of food. I don't' know what I was thinking. When I was first adopted by my human I swallowed a red rubber Kong toy that I stole from Porgy. Porgy always had so much fun playing with it that I wanted to try it out. Well, it went right down my throat. One day when my human was cleaning Porgy's cage she noticed it was missing and looked all over for it but never found it. She had no idea I had gulped it down. It stayed in me for two whole months. Then one evening I was feeling really sick and when I vomited, out came the red rubber Kong toy! Two months! Yuck! My human was shocked. She had no idea I had swallowed it. So you would think I would have learned my lesson to stay away from small rubber toys after having a red rubber Kong in my tummy for two months. Oh well, I guess I just like the taste of rubber toys. Or the tickling feeling I get when the rubber toys are bouncing around in my stomach when I run! I'm just sayin'...

Ginger Snap

These past few days have been like the dog days of Summer, but it isn't even Summer yet! Lazy days and dreamy nights. The heat never came. It has been nice and cool and breezy all week. Today on my evening walk I met three happy puppies playing together in the grass. They were older puppies, maybe 6 - 8 months old because they were almost full grown, and really friendly! I only stayed a few minutes though, I had more walking to do. Yesterday a human male walked past me and said I was a "good looking dog." And then a few days ago a female human stopped to pet me and said I was "king of the walking path" since I looked so "majestic." I won't let all these compliments get to my head though, I just like that some people stop to pet me! And I also like when doggies stop to meet and play. The mean dog behind the fence has been acting up again these past few nights so I have been hanging out on the back patio since he makes me nervous. He must like the cool night breezes too since he has been outside more. Ginger, my 17-year-old new friend that lives here, has been doing pretty good since she got on arthritis and thyroid medicine. She has recently started to take evening walks with my human. Ginger is funny. When we get back from our evening walk Ginger is waiting by the gate and when she hears us coming she starts to cry. When we get inside the gate she jumps a little and wags her tail as she crys because she knows it is her turn to walk. I don't think they go very far though, Ginger and my human, because they are back rather quickly, not the hour long walk I take. But Ginger seems really happy to have her walks now that she can walk better. A picture of Ginger is above this post. I wonder if I will live to be 17. I am around 5 years old now, so I am still a pup! A good looking, majestic, king of the walking trail pup! I'm just sayin'...

Porgy and Bulls

I told you Porgy always wants to be near me! Here we are on the deck at our home in the Midwest, before moving to California for the house-sitting gig. I guess Porgy and I standing by the palm tree was foreshadowing things to come! We lived in the country, so that is a little red shed behind the deck, and the creek is further behind that. Silvius still lives there. Silvius likes swimming in the creek when it is hot. He also swims across the creek to chase the deer. I don't really chase deer, but I did bark at the bulls a lot and they sometimes did not like that. Silvius would pick a bull and then run around him while barking. That made the bull mad! The bull would huff and put his head down and paw at the ground with his front hoof. Scary! That still did not stop Silvius, though, it just made him stop running in front of the bull but he would still bark and run behind the bull. My human would have to stop me and Silvius from antagonizing the bulls. She did not want to be trampled by any annoyed bulls. Sometimes I feel that way with Porgy - annoyed. He would follow me all day if he could. Sometimes when I am trying to fall asleep he will stand near my head and watch me. I don't like being watched when I am trying to sleep so I growl but he still just stands there. Then I growl again and get up and move, but Porgy will just follow me. So my human will finally have to get Porgy and put him back on his cage. Sometimes Porgy will be content to be back on his house, other times he will climb right back down to find me. I don't blame Porgy though. Parrots are monogamous creatures and since he does not have another parrot to bond with he has bonded with me. Before I came along he was very close to my human's previous dog. And before that dog, Porgy was close to my human. I guess parrots are fickle, because he keeps changing his bonding partners! I love Porgy, though. He may annoy me at times, but mostly I enjoy his company. We had fun traveling to California together and I like when he hangs outside with me near the pool. But there is another side to Porgy - when he gets mad he is scary! And if any one tried to get me, Porgy would attack them. So if that mean dog behind the fence breaks through and attacks me again I will just have to sic Porgy on him. That will teach him not to mess with a Malamute...who has a parrot friend. I'm just sayin'...

Picture Time!

My human does not have a digital camera, she is an analog human, so we have to rely on friends and families who do have digital cameras to take photos of me that can be put on my blog. So, here is my first photo! I am standing at the front end of the pool and if you look behind my hind legs, you will see my water bowl. Just behind that is my spot, which is usually where I spend my days hanging out and sleeping. Later this week I will have a photo of me by the other end of the pool, and you will be able to see the fence where the mean dog broke through and attacked me. I am actually looking at the spot he broke through in this photo. I still get anxious thinking about that! But at least I am starting to sleep outside more, which has been nice since it has been so cool and breezy. Yesterday two nice ladies stopped my human during our morning walk and told her that summers here get very hot and they wondered if I would be ok. So when we got home my human cleaned out part of the garage so that when it gets really hot I will have room to go in the garage and lay down on the cool cement floor. I guess Ginger has always used the garage in the summers to keep her cool, and she is so skinny! Now that my human has made room for me in the garage both Ginger and I can go in and stay cool during the summer heat. I think the heat is starting this week. So far it has been nice for me but I heard that this week it is going to be in the 80s, and that is really hot for me. Yesterday a few neighbors were swimming in their pools. I could hear kids screaming and splashing. But my human was too busy cleaning out the garage for me so she did not jump in the pool. I like it when she is in the pool because then she is outside with me. Dogs are pack animals so we like when others are around us, either other dogs in our pack or our humans that make up our pack. Today Porgy was outside with me. My human put Porgy's cage on the table that you see behind me in the photo, and he stayed outside all day. It was nice to have the company. Porgy likes it too. Porgy loves me. He always wants to be near me. I don't blame him. Can you? I'm just sayin'...

Grrrr

Grrrr...This makes me angry. I just heard that a beautiful horse named Eight Belles was euthanized immediately after coming in second place at the Kentucky Derby today because she broke both of her front ankles and there was nothing the veterinarians could do to save her. The tragedy of this breaks my heart. Why are you humans still racing horses? Do you know how many horses are permanently maimed and/or euthanized because of horse racing? And for what purpose, just to make money? I don't understand. Do you know what happens to these amazing horses when they can no longer race, due to injury or old age or just not being fast enough? Pretty much the same thing that is done to Greyhound dogs when they can no longer race - they are sent away to die awful deaths, except for the few lucky ones saved by rescue organizations. Grrrr...I just found out that some very kind-hearted humans are trying to protect the North Atlantic right whales from being injured or killed in collisions by ships. These good humans are requesting that the ships slow down as the pass through the whale's feeding and calving grounds so the ship's propellers don't harm the whales. But some bad mean humans are blocking this protection because it will take money away from them. Money again! Why is money so important? How can money be more valuable than sharing this Earth with the magnificent right whales? Grrrr...This hits closer to my heart since these are my kin. Word has come to me that the Northern Rockies gray wolf has been delisted from the Endangered Species protection list which means they can now be hunted by humans. Already, 20 of my beautiful relatives have been slaughtered. Why? I just don't understand. Do some of you humans just hate wolves? And whales? And horses? I don't like hearing of animals being mistreated and it does not matter to me if they have fur, feathers, fins, or scales - I don't discriminate. OK, I know Nature can seem cruel and vicious. It is a tough world out there! I know there are some animals that will eat other animals, but that is usually out of necessity. We animals can also form unlikely friendships, like Mzee, the 130-year-old tortoise, who became best friends with a young orphaned hippo named Owen. We animals can usually see past our differences when we aren't looking for our next meal. Or breaking through fences to attack an innocent sweet malamute mix. I'm just sayin'...

Happy May Day!

It's May Day! No flower basket or running around a May pole for me. As for the other aspect of May Day, labour rights, I suppose since I am in the Working Class of dogs, if dogs did celebrate May Day I would qualify. But I don't work and that bothers me sometimes. I have a lot of energy and no place to take it. I would love to be running in the snow and pulling a sled with all of my buddies, but I am stuck here in California lounging around all day by a pool I don't want to use. Sure I get two walks a day, which are great fun! I see lots of different humans and many dogs, but most of those humans won't let me near their dogs. I don't understand it. Dogs are pack animals and we just want to meet and greet each other. But when people see me and my human coming, they pull their dog close to them and don't let us meet. Very odd behaviour. Most of us dogs get mad at that and jump and growl and bark, because we want our humans to let us meet the other dog, but the humans just keep pulling us and walking away. So, I have only gotten to meet a few furry friends on my walks. But I love my walks nonetheless. The humans with no dogs are always admiring me. I get lots of compliments, of people telling my human how pretty I am and what a beautiful dog I am, and other kind words. I love hearing all the compliments! A few little humans, kids you call them, have come up to pet me. I just love being petted and touched. And I love playing. One of the other states I used to live in had a great dog park that my human would take me to every day, rain or shine or snow! I would play for at least an hour, but usually more. There were always so many dogs there and I had so much fun. But then we moved and lived in the country for a bit where all I had were bulls, cows, horses, and goats to look at, but no one to play with and no dog park. Now I am in California and the nearest dog park is always empty. Sometimes we see a few little dogs running around, but most of the time when we walk by it the park is empty. It makes me sad because I want to play yet I have no one to play with. Ginger is 17-years-old so she can't play. I bet she was fun when she was younger, though. She is a Greyhound, so we could have run together and had fun. So, I just lay in my corner of the yard and watch the birds and at night, the stars, and go to sleep wishing I was in my own yard with my friend Sylvius, running and playing and having fun with no mean dog on the other side of the fence to make me nervous. So my human better get a job soon so we can get our own place, or I am just going to have to go to work myself, perhaps pulling kids on their skateboards, or pulling bunnies out of their burrows. I'm just sayin'...

Pools and Storms

I slipped half-way into the pool today, by accident! The dog behind the fence, the one that broke through the fence and attacked me, started to bark and it made me nervous so I jumped up and walked toward the fence and slipped partly into the pool, but only my right leg and part of my tail got wet! I guess I was so anxious about the dog behind the fence that I did not notice how close I was to the edge of the pool. But I am ok. It was a very warm day, so a little cool water was not so bad. On a happy note, I have slept outside twice! But last night I came back in because the dog behind the fence was out late and barked a few times, so I just went inside to feel better, and safe. On a sad note, my side-kick Silvius is not doing to good back home. He has storm anxiety. Actually, he has anxiety about a lot of things considering he was abandoned, which is how he joined our family, and he was most likely abused before being abandoned. But storms really freak him out, and lately a lot of storms have been hitting where he is living, so he has destroyed some parts of the house. If he were here in sunny California he would be ok because we don't have storms here. But he can't be here and our humans have to figure out what to do because they can't afford the damage he is causing. I know they will figure something out that will make us all happy, but in the meantime, I miss Silvius and wish the storms would stop. I am not afraid of storms. I have lived through a tornado and I was not fazed in the least! I can outrun a tornado. Or just hide in the corner of my doghouse and hope the tornado doesn't pick it up and twirl it around. But earthquakes - those scare me! I have never been in one, and I hope never to be in one while I live in California. Where do you go when it hits? Things come crashing down around you and the ground just opens up and swallows you! I don't want to live in the ground. Moles live in the ground. And ants. And snakes. And worms. They aren't any fun to chase and catch. Hey, wait a minute, don't bunnies have holes in the ground? I think they do! I guess being swallowed by the earth in an earthquake wouldn't be so bad, as long as some bunnies followed. I'm just sayin'...

Dog Fight!

I am a pretty mellow doggy. Malamutes are known to be aloof and wanderers - we pretty much mind our own business. Since moving to California I have not been too happy in my new house. The yard is not that big for me and I am surrounded by strange dogs that do not seem too friendly. Me, I love meeting new dogs and playing with doggies. I am very social that way. But last week something happened to me that really scared me. Since moving here I have found my spot in the corner of the yard and have pretty much stayed there. I do not wonder near the fence or to other parts of the yard. I just don't feel comfortable. My human is concerned. She thought I would enjoy running around the yard and exploring it so it concerns her that I have pretty much found my spot and don't move from there, except when I go into the house. The other exception is when my human cleans the pool. She walks around the pool scraping out anything that is floating on top of the water and she does this at least two to four times a day. Usually at least one of those times, sometimes twice, I will follow her around the pool. Well last week as we were on the end of the pool next to the fence the dog on the other side of the fence started to growl and bark. So I stuck my nose near the fence and wagged my tail. The dog went wild and so I started to make some noises (I am not really a barker, more a howler) and all of a sudden the dog broke through the fence and had me by the neck! I was scared and trying to get the dog off, but he would not let go and I could not reach him. My human was using the pool pole to try to get his jaws off my neck but to no avail. She was getting frantic and I was very scared and was moving around and the dog lost his footing and fell into the pool. At least it made him let go of my neck! At that same time one of the dog's owners got through the fence and dragged him out of the pool and was holding him waiting for the adult owner to get here with his leash. As my human walked me by to put me in the house the dog got loose and lunged at me and attacked me again! This time I fell in the pool, but only half way because my owner had me by the collar. We got the dog off and I got in the house very quickly! Well, I was not hurt physically because it turns out the dog has no teeth (don't ask me why!) so my skin was not punctured. But I was scared and upset! Why did the dog attack me? What did I do? I just wanted to be friends. Ever since the attack I don't like being outside alone. When the dog is out there and barks I get very nervous and run inside the house. I also have not slept outside alone since the attack, and that is hard for me because I love being outdoors and ever since my human adopted me I have spent most nights sleeping outside under the stars and moon and clouds. But now I am in my human's room on the floor under a ceiling. I also don't follow my human around the pool anymore because I am too nervous now to go by the fence. My human is very upset about this situation. She does not like to see me in this state and it upsets her that I feel so nervous in my own backyard. She is currently looking for work and worries how I will do being here alone all day once she starts working. I would like my human to be home with me every day, as I am sure most doggies would! We love our humans!! I know that not all dogs are going to be friends. And I know that not every dog will like me, and that is ok because that is life. But it is not ok when the dog attacks. There is no reason for violence. If you don't like me, ok, I can deal with that. But why attack me? Why take it out on me? I mind my own business and I let you go along with your life, so why attack me? I just don't understand. All I want to do is play and have fun! Sure I get mad sometimes. Porgy annoys me when he stands by me and watches me as I am trying to sleep. But I don't attack him - I just growl and move. And if he follows me again, which he always does, I get mad again and growl even more, and move again. But I would never attack Porgy, or any animal. Except bunnies. And only when I'm hungry. I'm just sayin'...

California Here I Am!

Sorry it has been so long since my last post but life has been so hectic! A spur of the moment decision had my human packing up Porgy and I and making a road trip to Northern California! We had to leave Silvius, which is very sad to me and very sad for Silvius too, but we could not have more than one dog. We also left Kitty, but that made Kitty happy since she was not too fond of me! Silvius and Kitty stayed with my human's brother, but I sure wish we could get Silvius out here. Silvius is terrified of storms, even if it is just rain and no thunder. Once Silvius senses from the wind and air that a storm is coming, he gets very anxious and nervous. And the closer the storm gets, the more anxious and scared he becomes to the point of becoming destructive. Silvius has done a lot of damage to the house by freaking out over storms, and now that he is out there in the country alone, I worry about him. Kansas has a lot of thunderstorms, especially this time of year. Here in California, it has been sunny most every day, except today and yesterday, cloudy and chilly. It was a fun trip! Me, Porgy, and my human in a car for four days driving down I-80. I got to see lots of new things and smell some interesting smells. I really liked Wyoming and Utah and Nevada. I barely saw Colorado, we arrived in the dark. I loved riding in the car! I had the whole back seat to myself, but I preferred to stand and look out the front window, with my head between my human and Porgy! So many great sites to see! Too bad we did not have time to sight see more. My first few weeks in California have been hard. I don't feel like this is home. We are house sitting for a family member, so we are also watching their cat and dog. Their dog is a 17-year-old Greyhound. She is so skinny but very sweet. We don't interact too much, as I am too rambunctious for her! The cat does not like me at all, but that is ok. You can't like everyone! Anyway, I don't feel like this is my home or yard, but we are only here for a few months so I will adapt for now. There is an in-ground pool in the back yard, so not much grass for me to run and play. My human loves the pool, although it has been too cold to use. I don't like water. I am a Malamute and we are not water dogs. Sure, on a hot day, I may go in a little just to cool my paws. Back in Kansas I would walk into the creek up to my belly on the really hot days to cool down. I like the creek. Lot of otter and beaver and deer around there. No deer here. I guess I am no longer an Alaskan Malamute in the Midwest but now am an Alaskan Malamute in Northern California. Maybe one day I will be an Alaskan Malamute in Alaska. I'm just sayin'...

Robot Pets??!!

I don’t know if I would like my human to get a robot pet. They don’t seem like much fun to play with or chase bunnies with and I often wonder, would they steal my bones from me? I think robot pets would be more obedient than I am, but where is the fun in that? I don’t always come to my human when she calls me, but that adds spontaneity to her life! I bet a robot pet always comes when called. Show off! And I beg for food a lot, I just love my treats! I doubt that robot pets beg for food, so you could probably keep them in the house when you eat dinner. But if there was ever a competition between me and a robot pet I know I could win! I am a Malamute, a working breed, so it is in my blood to work hard and compete. Those robot pets can’t think on their paws like I can! I think robot pets are great for humans who cannot physically or financially care for a live pet, such as disabled or elderly humans. They offer those humans companionship plus help alleviate the loneliness that those humans may feel. But for all other humans I say a real live wet tongued, panting, drool slobbering pet is the best! And I can protect my human better than any robot pet! I may not be able to flash lights and scream “Danger! Danger!” but I can run and lick any intruder who enters my territory and wag my tail to scare him off! I mean, if you can tickle someone into submission, can’t you lick them into submission? I’m just sayin’…