Blue Heeler Name Change

Cookie No More (A Barn episode)

Do you remember the new blue heeler dog at the barn, a recent dog adoption? Her name was Cookie. Well, you better remember since many of you asked for an update. I was at the barn recently and when I asked about Cookie, nobody could give me an answer. I repeated myself, explaining I wasn't talking about edible cookies, but I got nothing. I started to panic then. Cookie's family were all tragically dead and poor Cookie herself, the sole survivor, was in poor shape when rescued. I looked to the right. No Cookie, but somebody was hiding behind a tree. I went around and saw:

Nathan, you silly goose, um, horse. I thought you were Cookie, the blue heeler.

I wanted to keep looking but M grabbed me because somebody allegedly got me a present. I was hoping for a dog treat. I looked for my present and saw:

OMD Please scroll away

Once I flattened myself in place, thus convincing M I wasn't going to wear this, no way no how, she got it off me and I started looking for Cookie again. Wait, what was that I saw between Nathan's legs?

Wrong again, 'twas my pal, Peetie, the doxie.

I was starting to panic. Nobody could talk to me about Cookie. Nobody knew of a Cookie. At this point, I came up with an idea.

'Scuse me Zamiro and Ringo, would a blue heeler happen to be between your lovely heads?

They neighed me away. Huh, horses can be so private at times.

I heard some noise from one of the stalls, so I decided to take a look.

Not you again, Peetie the doxie! Sorry dude, get back to work

I hope you realize, by now I was fearing the worst when all of a sudden I heard Maddi's voice. Cookie loved Maddi, also a blue heeler, so I ran to see if perhaps I could finally locate the Cookie Monster.

Twinkie: Boomer! What are you doing?

Boomer: Who, me? Keeping Maddi's tail warm

Maddi: Tiny chihuaha, get off of me now or I'm wagging!

Maddi did indeed have the answer, "Twinkie, if you're referring to the crazy baby Heeler, she didn't like her name." I was confused, and Maddi noticed. "She goes by Holly now." And that's when I turned around and saw Cookie, err, Holly.

She's become a soccer player now

And she's so serious about her future career that she asked for the name change herself.

Huh!

My blue heeler and recent barn dog adoption asked me to say hello to y'all

Hello!

Twink!

UPDATE: I just heard through the grapevine, okay, from Fiona, today's the day we get to vote for Sporty Dogs at Mango Minster 2010. If you check out MM you'll find that there may be a slight delay but keep checking. They actually had to break Sporty Dogs down to two groups and with all the crazy things happening over at MM, it'll be interesting to say the least.

Twink! Twink!

Dog Photo Contest | We're Going to Decorate the Twink!

I bet you all know by now that I've been obsessing about Biggie Z's Dog Pile Contest, a dog photo contest with an extra challenge, for a while now. I've visited your posts, made jokes of your attempts, challenged you, teased you... And now, it's time for you to have at it.

This is how it all started. A bit of human dialogue as overheard by me:

Mother (matter of fact): We're going to decorate the Twink.

Daughter (clueless): Huh?

Mother (exasperated): You know, for the Big Pile dog photo contest, an event sanctioned by the Mango Minster 2010.

Daughter (more clueless and slightly concerned): Huh?

Mother (fed up): Oh, just hold the camera!

Daughter (obviously worried about Mother): HUH?

Mother (unwavering): Take some photos, go on, 'cause ya never know with the Twink.

After her last statement, Mother approached me holding an enormous (okay, small) basket in her hand. Oh, boy, I thought and lied on my side. I thought of all my furiends who meditate and practice yoga and I started to relax.

What do you mean, I don't look relaxed?

Momma proceeded to adorn me, not with love this time.

And this is what they did to me!

And this!

And this!

My Official Dog Photo Contest Entry

Name: Twinkie

Breed: Definitely confused Chi byproduct

Approximate size: Tiny, duh! Okay, surface square footage, 8x3 feet (inches) lying on my long side. Weight, just under 4lbs on a good day and after a big meal. I am however impressively tall for my size.

NOT PHOTOSHOPPED, although we did enlarge my photo a bit, for the judge's sake

***Disclaimer: No animals were harmed during the photo-shoot, really.

TA-DA! for all the skeptics out there

List of items:

1. teapot lid (on my head)

2. compass

3. pool cue chalk

4. horse-drawn carriage

5. large watch

6, 7: teacups

8,9: teacup plates

10: coffee pot

11: water jug

12: emery nail stick

13: lock

14: floss

15: thimble

16: other floss

17, 18: skateboards

I would kindly ask Your Honor to take into consideration the extreme difficulty level of my brave undertaking due to my challenged size and my TDPD (Tiny Dog Personality Disorder)

Muchas gracias and good luck to all!

Twink!

Maine coon cat Max: His Story

Alright, get your tissues ready. I'm geared up to talk to you about Maxwel, Maximilian the Grrreat, Maxine (because he sounds like a girl), Maxi, etc. Our newly adopted main coon cat.

MAX in the shower

Momma was coming home from the animal shelter and she was supposed to bring home a large Akita and German Shepherd mix, Darla--only. Well, as it turns out, when M goes to the pound, ya never know what she'll bring home. So, I wasn't terribly surpised when she got out of the car, Darla's leash in hand and a huge box in the other. What was that box doing there and what was in it?

As M was leaving the shelter with her daughter, my beloved Sissy D, they discovered that one of the cat cages had a notice on it. Of course they rushed in the office to enquire. Max's hours were numbered. Momma tried to plead with the shelter, to give her 'till Monday (it was a weekend), but they shook their heads and confirmed that Max would NOT be around on Monday.

"Well, in that case, wrap him up!" M is decisive that way. Apparently, not only was Max "too old", he was eight, he had also been adopted out once. He had made it to the parking lot. Between the animal shelter and the lot he had apparently coughed up such an enormous cough ball that the lady turned around in her heels and returned him! OMD the fool!

It was July of 2008 the day M brought Max home. She hadn't even seen him at the animal shelter, not a glimpse. He had been curled up at the back of his cage at the shelter and he was barely visible. We all got to see him for the first time when he started coming out of his box, and coming, and coming, there was no end to this dude. Max is enormous! I now know that it's normal for a maine coon cat. He's much bigger than me, no surprise there, but he's also much bigger than the twins, the catnip addicts, Bob and Jet.

Max was covered in poo and we all held out breaths at both his beauty and his stench. M took care of the latter and we could all breathe again. Underneath the poo was one of the most gorgeous kats we'd ever seen.

This is Max the day he came home.

The face! This dude was not supposed to enjoy life any longer? What?!

See the "M" shape over his eyes? We think he's a Maine Coon Cat

The problems with Max became obvious immediately. M would occasionally and half-heartedly try to find him another home. I'd hear her on the phone: "I'm looking for a home for Max. He's awesome. He's the best. We should all adopt a pet. You can only have him if you really want him, because I want to keep him. Plus he has a couple of health issues. I love him sooo! Are you sure you can provide him with the best home, because actually, no, never mind, I want him." Needless to say, nobody dared adopt Max from my mom. But there was also no controlling the twins, out tailless cats. They hated. The reason? I personally believe they're still afraid of him. It's been a year and a half since then, but things haven't changed much. We've seen very little blood, and their fights are a mockery, but they do not get along. M got a bunch of feline anti-anxiety sprays, some herbal potions, and she did everything the experts said, but it didn't make a difference. M had a personal problem with Max too. He didn't want her. She'd try to pet him, and he'd worm away. She'd find him lying about contented, attempt to touch him, and he'd move. I could see the disappointment in her face. The worst part was, that when my human siblings would visit, Max was all over them, begging to be petted. What's up with that cat behavior? M is a charmer (with animals mainly, don't get me wrong), where was her mojo? My guess is her mojo left along with that first poo she had to clean off him.

Rescue Maine Coon Cat in his bed on his bed in his own bedroom

We lived like this for eighteen months, when M decided to get Max an As Seen on TV EmeryCat Scratch Board. Scratch boards are Max's passion, plus he hates having his nails clipped. So, M ordered him two and held her breath. Would they work on Max's nails? Would they make him happier? The Emery Boards finally arrived. They came with a kitty toy, that Max loves and two cheap looking de-shedder tools. Hmmm, M put the tools aside. She's got the Furminator and she loves it, even though Max winces and tries to squiggle away from her, somehow they were getting the hang of it. Golly, this almost sounds like a review, but I can't tell you much about the Emery yet. I need more time to have a educated opinion. Anyhow, the cheap looking de-shedders were abandoned in some kitchen drawer, until ...

Happy Max The Yogi

Friday night, a long time after we adopted Max from the animal shelter, we were all hanging in the living room, and what do I see? Max is all over M being brushed with the de-shedder and purring loudly. I guess Max didn't like the Furminator, his loss. M was mesmerized while Max was hypnotized. They remained there for about half an hour, while Bob made uneasy circles around them, vocalizing his frustration. Frankie put an end to it. She got fed up. She went up to Max's face and yelped "My turn!". He got the message and left to play with the fluffy cat toy that came with his EmeryCat. I have never seen a shinier kat. I have never seen Max more content. As for me, I'm a lady, and I patiently remained on my heating pad from where I observed all I just recounted, even though, between us, I was dying for my turn!

There's a feeling of tranquility in my home that wasn't there before. I want to believe that the Max-saga is coming to a fast end. We want him not just alive, but happy too, and he's finally getting it. What can I say, katz may be able to catch birds in the air, but when it comes down to their IQ, they are slower than k9s. Oh, I can also say that EmeryCat's de-shedders get an A+ from me, as does the Furminator for the rest of us. 

Twink!

The Tea Cup Chihuahua Experiment

Last time we went to play at our beloved Arroyo Seco, Momma decided to conduct an experiment. She dressed me in something that looked like a cross between a Paris Hilton Chi and a Bunny. As it goes with most experiments, I, the guinea pig, was not given any instructions. The experiment was significant because within seconds we learned that: When a Bunny chases a dog, the roles reverse. Watch Frankie's leaps and hops if you don't believe me.


Let's forget about the Bunnies for a minute and check out the ducks.

Can't get those either!

What if we united our forces? Let's have the Three Stooges go after the Ducks.

Meep!

At this point, I'd like to conclude today's vlogs and my personal tea cup chihuahua experiments with my favorite video of the day. Yes, I do realize fully what I'm doing in this video. It's deliberate!

No comment.

********************************************************
Breaking News: I was visiting Max, all the way in Africa (fine, his blog) to check up on his health, enjoy his post, when I discovered he had joined a dog blog competition. I had vowed to myself to stay away from those for a while, but then I though better about it. I want to join, as I told Max already. The reason: Some of you may have noticed the One World One Heart Event I am participating in. Well, as it turns out, there are virtually no furiends involved. The contest is lovely BUT it's mainly targeting crafters and artisans (beautiful stuff btw). I feel the need for an international furiend blogging event, and I've been thinking about this for a while. The blog contest should teach me new things and expose me to new furiends, that none of us know yet. I'm looking at it as a great PR opportunity that will hopefully allow me to organize the International Furiend one.
The event is called "TrainPetDog.com 2010 Dog Blog Award" and the rules are simple. You need to register your blog(s) and you must blog about it and ask your furiends to vote. Before I ask you to vote for me, know that there are no pop ups and no sign ups. Both Max and I need to get more than 50 votes to qualify for Round 2. To vote for us please click HERE. All you need is Max's (Di6Ym) and mine too (7f1rN). Click on the link, paste our codes (one at a time BOL) in the big yellow box, and ta-da! You'll make two furiends eligible for Round 2. Thank you!
Have a grrreat day!
Twink!

Chiweenie Friday (3)

Twinkle, Twinkle little star, how I wonder where you are? Where's Twinkie? That's right, it's my day. I call the shots. For today, I've decided to do something very complex. I'm going to enter me and my Linguini in Tucker's Sit Stay competition. It's a dog photo contest (See, I can do the links too!)

Now, I need to get this right. I have to remember to email Tucker our entries. I do in a way have a bloggy. I also need to do all this before the 30th of January. Cool, I've got it.

Name: Frankie The Bratwurst (I had to write that, Twinkie's condition)
Breed: Chiweenie

My Bloggie: This one!

My photo: Ta-da! You did say "it doesn't have to be traditional", right, Tucker?

I do the SIT on the model's arms. The important thing here is the STAY. I'm not going anywhere. Tee hee!
This is my official dog photo contest entry

And now it's my Linguini's turn. Please pay attention. She workeded really really hard for the National Train your Dog Photo Contest and this is what she learned.

Oh, wait, the entry!

Name: Linguini aka The Spotted Dog
Breed: Dalmatian and german shorthaired pointer mix

Her bloggy: This one!

Her photo, shows her uniqueness. Linguini is "special", if you know what I mean. As you look at her photo, you can clearly see how Linguini is dedicated to her mission. See her face? You may want to give her an extra point or a thousand, for how dangerous and difficult her choice is. She's my sister, of course I'm supporting her. Goooooo, Guini!

Up on the Rooftop Sit Stay
Linguini's official dog photo contest entry

And this brings my post to an end. So long, kind readers. Thank you all for supporting me in having my own day. Who knows, when Mango's done with his extracurricular activities, perhaps Dexter and I will buy our own bloggy.

Mwah!

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!