Dog Photo Contest Again?

Enough is Enough, Mommy Dearest

My momma wanted me to participate in the National Train Your Dog Month Photo Contest, an officially sanctioned Mango Minster 2010 event. That's when I started questioning her sanity. I mean, okay mommy dearest, but I think that Mango Minster, the valentine's dog photo contest, Biggie's Dog Pile competition, and piano lessons, is overkill. I refused. I've always refused to allow M to train me anyways. Huh! So, I did what all good family members do, I volunteered my Linguini and my Frankie, because they're both so trainable. Their photo session was this past Sunday and it went surprisingly well.

LINGUINI'S ENTRY:

My skill was positively enforced using duck a l'orange, a favorite of mine. My human didn't want to be seen with me, so she's standing off to the side, but I'm sure you can feel the good relationship between us, or should I call it chemistry? The paparazzo, mi mom, is taking the photo. I'm feeling very positive about everything because I secretly love getting all the attention, plus I view this as a warm up for my SitStay contest entry. How do I look?

COMMAND: On top of your house! Now sit!

Linguini's dog photo contest entry

FRANKIE'S ENTRY:

My skill is very difficultest. I just graduated from dog obedience training school, but my dog trainer has yet to mail me my graduation photos (I still love her though, especially if she's reading this post). Anyhow, I did really well in my dog training class, but there was one thing I just couldn't figure out: I didn't understand why Momma wanted to touch my leg. Why, Momma, why? But then my human sis came by the other day and she totally explained it to me. Now, I can teach anybody, tee hee. My human sissy, the one I visit the barn with, doesn't visit often enough, so I always do whatever she asks of me. She gaved me treats (kisses) and positive reinforcement as Momma snapped this photo:

COMMAND: Shake!
Frankie's dog photo contest entry

* * *

One more piece of news. I received the Sweet Friends Award from Stella, Gunther, and Betty AND from Madi and her Mom. What can I say other than thank you, I may be a bit abrupt or outspoken, but, deep down, I am sweet and I'm undeniably a good furiend!

The rules:

Rule #1. Copy the image to your blog (check)

Rule #2. List 10 things that make you happy and try to do one today

1. I love blogging (doing it)

2. Lie out in the sun and collect the heat (did that this morning)

3. Play with my sissies (it's ongoing)

4. Steal the cat food (possibly later or asap)

5. Hikes (Moooom!)

6. Chewing on my Duck A 'Orange treats (at least once a day)

7. Leave comments on my furiends blogs (I'll be doing tons of that today)

8. Helping old people cross the street (hasn't happened yet)

9. Curling up on my heating pad (ongoing)

10. Listening to my momma (there's always a chance she'll read my posts)

Rule #3. Tag 10 bloggers who brighten your day (loose interpretation)

Blog #1

Dexter's new blog aka Mango's old blog. I've laughed a lot at Dexter's underhanded and subtle way of forcing the enormous RH out of his own blog and home soon. In case anybody is looking for Mango you can find him here.

Blog#2

Frankie (the good Frankie) despite the fact that we can't open a restaurant together. Frankie's worried about his luxurious mane catching on fire, whereas I'm virtually hair free.

Blog #3

Coco, for being fearless and styling at the same time!

Blog #4

Jazzi, because I love rascals and you must admit it, he's one. Plus he did a magnificent job with his Sit Stay entry.

Blog #5

Kissa-Bull for asking me to join the roaming comedians.

Blog #6

Paco, Milo, Maya, and Simona. My family and I ar so grateful that Simona aka Mommy is alive!

Blog #7

Jack! What can I say, I love to laugh and I always will. Thanks, Jack.

Blog #8

Penny, who just became a media star, in the hopes she's can hook me up. BOL

Blog #9

Stella and her world. There's a hidden agenda here. I want her to still like me when I try my own version of my favorite Tuesday post: Ali Z

Blog #10

Thunder and Phantom. Other than the fact that I need a dictionary to translate their Siberish when I read their posts, all I can say is "Happy Toothsday" BOL

Thank you ALL furiends for making blogging so much fun!

Twink!

A Dog Photo Contest on Valentine's Day

Some of you already know that our furiends at Bark.Sniff.Drool are doing a Valentine's Day dog photo contest via FB. I know, I got it, many of you don't care about the dreaded FB but I'm here to discuss The Photo-Session.

M, short for Momma and reminiscent of Bond, had been complaining today, ever since we got back from the pet store. All we got was some pizzle, some dog food, and IT, the reason for M's frustration. You see, M gets shopaholic tendencies only at the pet store, so she's come up with the term "bling" for anything that is unnecessary. IT was superfluous, IT was redundant. I shall now post some photos and ask you, kind furiends, to tell me, was IT really unessential? M got her answer alright.

We started the dog photo contest session with me. M's time was limited and she knew it. She used IT quickly before I knew what "wrapped" me.

Yikes! What's happening?

That's right, I'm winking. I'm DONE.

Lucky for M, she managed to get one more good shot, but for that, I need a drumroll.

Thank you!

The Shot

Within seconds, I had unwrapped myself, sparing my life. I ran to the adjoining couch as fast as I could but not without observing what happened next. The Brat (yeah, the chiweenie is just the Brat now) hopped on my couch and started posing. What a poser!

And then I had to listen to M: Yeah, that's right, great, you look hot baby, give it to me, tuuurn, excellent, look happy, look down, oh, wow, that's the shot... Should I go on? I think photos speak louder than words.

It was in the middle of the dog photo contest session that M all of a sudden saw the light. She actually put the camera down for a moment and with teary eyes exclaimed: "Sweetie, you love this. I'm so glad I got it!" Apparently, weird looking ITs from another planet are not considered bling any longer at my house.

Oh, How Cute!

Way to go, M. Not a bad dog photo contest shot, Frankie!

Now you know everything that transpired on my couch last night. As for what was going on on top of the pool table, some other time.

Twink!

Catnip Effects | Gray Squirrel

Today, I need to address a serious problem. It's about my twin-kat-siblings. I think it's time for an Intervention. The catnip effects are devastating. Let me lay it all out for you.

Nanny cam:

Please pardon the grunt in the middle of the video. Momma couldn't help herself when she realized the catnip mess and exactly what she was shooting. Ha ha.

Photo Evidence

Who stole the catnip from the catnip basket?

Wasn't me!

Wasn't me!

The culprits!

I believe the pictures speak for themselves. To prove my case even further, please allow me to show you the "after" photos.

Jet

Bob

Help! Is there a Catnip Effects Anonymous that you know about or do I need to do that too? I've been thinking about it (tons of extra time on my paws due to nonstop rainstorm!) and I have an idea for a name for my detox center: Nip/Tox. What do you think? I might get my own TV show this way.

One last thing before I go (this is for you, momma): January 21st was Squirrel appreciation day. I would like to take one moment to post a photo of our gray squirrel. She was a rescue too. She came to us as a newborn and in really bad shape. A friend had rescued her from a grade school play-yard where the children were taking turns tossing her by her tail. Ashley spent the first months of her life inside Momma's exercise bra. She remained my momma's darling until she passed away at the overripe age of nine! (Squirrel's usually don't make it to age six). We remember her all the time, but you have never seen her. Do not feel sad. She sure needed a break. Here's our gay squirrel.

Ashley hanging outside her cage door

That's all for now, folks. Transmission over.

Twink!

Free Giveaways | One World One Heart

IT IS OVER! Dear friends, old and new, you must be anxious to find out who the winners of the free giveaways where. I am grateful to random.org for taking the pressure of choosing off of me. Here's the link in case you want to check up on me. It's entrant accessible: http://www.random.org/draws/details/?draw=1533


The three winners are: 
WW, Debbi, and Twix!!!


Drawing
#1,533
ENTRANT
ACCESSIBLE
OWOH
1st drawing held by twinkietinydog
Completed on Tuesday, 16 February 2010 at 02:35:23 UTC
150 entrants, 3 winners


Thank you 

One World One Heart is an event that was started by A Whimsical Bohemian in 2007. The goal was to bring the blogging community together. While One World One Heart is non fur-ball specific, I decided to participate. Since this is an international event, I will be representing both the US and Greece to add to the diversity. I'm half-Greek, didn't you know? As the author of A Whimsical Bohemian puts it: this even transcends geographical location, socioeconomic status, political affiliation, religious beliefs...and I'm adding here: breed and species. Besides, Whimsical Bohemian's official assistants are two katz! Heads up my blog furiends; we're a peace loving bunch, our network, and I think this event is fitting. Peace on earth for everyone!

Let's share our blogs. By clicking HERE, you will be redirected to the page with the actual rules (you can also click on the OWOH image on the side bar). Yes, there are rules, but life's full of them. For example, Frankie's not allowed to pee on the bed. Simple stuff, don't fret. The event is open to everyone and the restrictions are minimal.

Free giveaways: I'm going to mail a copy of my enlightening and delightful children's read-along photo story book about my life after my rescue. The title is Twinkie, The Tiniest Dog in the World. It's filled with beautiful and funny photos. You can click on the book cover on the sidebar for more information. Every 50 comments I'll be doing a random drawing using www.random.org. The more comments, the more books... Don't forget to leave a comment, if you want to participate that is, and of course a way to reach you, if you're one of the lucky winners. Now let's get social. The event starts NOW!

But before I go, a little Synchronized Shaking for good luck.

Enjoy everybody!

Twink!

How To Train Your Cat | Not So Much Walking

Another Cat-astrophe!

A bit of walking, a lot of eating, and tons of tugging is more like it. BOL I feel like breaking into a song: "Who let the katz out? Woof, woof, woof, woof!" Let me translate for the ones still waking up: catwalk=disorder+confusion! They, the cats, have actually caused me so much uncertainty that I'm torn. What am I?

What am I?

Now to the real katz. While Maximilian our XXXL Maine Coon cat acts like the purrfect gentleman, I can't say the same about the twins. Bob and Jet aren't the cat's pajamas. Watch this:

I think Bob confused roll with stroll

He eventually took his first steps.

Look at the baby!

And here are two how to train your cat videos to demonstrate the perfect walking refusal technique.

Courtesy of Bob

Courtesy of Jet

And finally, The Cat Walk

(this is boring)

Not to be confused with Khyra's walks!

In the end, both katz were happy with their "walk". Jet ended up eating instead of cat food a bunch of grass too. Another way of saying this is, Momma ended up cleaning up after her. Haaaa...

Twink!

Waaaait: I'm not done. I just found out it's my friend, Stella's, fourth birthday today and I want to wish her a Happy Birthday filled with walkies, purple armchairs, many fabulous walks at the beach and anything she desires. Gunther and Betty, I'm sure you'll get some cake too. Four toots for Stella!!!!

A Dog Vet Visit and Adventures in Not So Sunny California

The day didn't start off so well. We got news that a furiend of ours was sick. She had to go to visit the dog vet. She'll be fine, but we all got to thinking: Life is short. Why not live a little? Momma started going through the "we're going on a hike" motions. What was she thinking, that we were going to catch a break between the storms? Wrong. Regardless, we all love a good adventure and we'd do anything to get away from our home. Linguini and Frankie leapt in the car as I waited for the large hand/ramp. By the time we parked, it was pouring. We stayed in wait for a few minutes.

This is what I call anticipation!

We couldn't stay there forever. We proceeded with our plan and soon enough, I ran into an obstacle.

I gave my momma the sweetest most pleading look...

...but she was determined to let me deal.

I did! I did!

We were almost at the car, when we were faced with another situation: a bunny wabbit. The soundtrack is courtesy of our fire department. It's a constant reminder of the horrible Station Fire and the current mess. At first, Linguini, as most spotted dogs, even though she's a dalmatian and german shorthaired pointer mix, thought she should follow the sirens, but then came the bunny.

Ch-arge!

It was finally time to head home. We were soaked to our bones. The ride back was quiet. We were all trying to shake off the cold and we were tired. We were happy to lie down and enjoy the sweet smell of wet dogs. Aaaah.

Uh-oh! I hear the momma's sneezers. If she caught a cold, I'll be sad because she will have to pay the dog vet a visit, but a cold would also mean that she's cooking chicken soup. Slurp!

Twink!

PS: A note to all my furiends, friends, and followers. I'm so sorry! All this time I've been uploading super-sized videos. Those days are o-ver. Now they're exactly the size they should be. My apologies, especially to those with the lowest band width.

Chiweenie Friday (2)

Yay, Twinkie let me post again and I'm happy. It's Frankie the chiweenie, in case you forgot. It's been raining around the clock for days now. Linguini doesn't seem to care. She tucks herself in her extra small dog bed and sleeps. Twinkie's doing fine too. She spends most of her day lounging on her heating pads. I'm stuck at home all day long with nobody to play with. I feel like this:

This photo expresses my emotional state

(It's my beloved furiend Jude the mastiff, by the way)

That's why I decided to react. I'm not one to get bored easily, so I put together photos and videos to better introduce you to our latest barn furiend:

Cookie! A blue heeler puppy!

She's a bullet. She's a tad faster than I am. She runs like the wind. I think Mama's camera couldn't have done a better job capturing this:

Cookie's training for the Olympics
I wish I could see blue heeler puppies competing for real in the Olympics!

Cookie was saveded by local authorities. She was removeded from her home and taken to a dog shelter because a good person turned her awful owners in. Cookie is the only survivor. She lost her mama and her siblings who were even more abused than she was. She's got chronic dog mange, among other things, and nobody wanted to adopt her. I'm very happy to report what I overheard: she lookeded much worse when she was rescued. She's even put on weight already, of course she also gets regular meals now.

Okay, now I have to be honest like Twinkie's taughted me. I was in fear for my life when I first met The Blue Heeler Bullet.

In this video, Cookie comes to say hello for the first time.

If you could stop paying attention to how filthy our car is for a moment,

then you can witness my panic.

After a couple of nanoseconds, curiosity won. I decided to come out from hiding and face my fear.

But then I noticeded my dog treats Ha ha

Sweet, Cookie. I'm so sorry that I was afraid of her. Now I know how nice she really is and what a wonderful barn family addition she has maded. I can't wait to see her again--as soon as the yucky rainy weather goes away.

I love this bloggy stuff! This was much fun.

So long, my friends... Talk to you soon.

Adopt a dog!

Frankie The Chiweenie Bratwurst