Monday, February 26, 2007

Snow Hound



My favorite dog walker P took this cute pic of me in the snow today - we got another few inches overnight but not too much ice this time. Do I not look the epitomy of cuteness?

What? huh? oh no...I'm being forced off my computer...arghhhhhhhhh!

Hello. This is the rubber balloon toy speaking. You'll remember me from yesterday's post. Well, I am but a shadow of my former self. If you saw me now you would notice that I am without my string and I have two huge holes in my side courtesy of that horrid little wiry creature, the author of this erstwhile blog. He all but ripped me to pieces, silenced my voice forever. I fear you will not hear from me again as he is not done yet. He is intent on killing me outright. So it is goodbye for now fleeting friends...gaze upon my complete visage of yesterday and remember me fondly.

Oh God, I see big teeth coming my way...oh no!!!!

It's me Axel, I'm back. That stupid balloon toy tricked me. I'll show him! He's a goner now!!!!!!!!

AGC

Sunday, February 25, 2007

The Best Toy Ever!

In an effort to cut down on my snack intake, Mom has this bright idea of replacing snacks/chews with toys! She spent a good hour in the petstore yesterday agonizing over which toys she thought I would enjoy. She bought me one of those fancy AKC lifelike animals - a flying duck and then she spotted a really cheap ($2.99) weird looking rubber balloon type toy on a string (pictured left). Mom knows that I love to eat rubber (condoms in the park are my fave...) - so she thought, why not? It also lets out a god awful squeak when it is suppressed. And she got me a nylabone.

When she got home, she gave me the rubber balloon toy and I went beserk. It was love at first sight for me. I threw it up in the air and hopped around the livingroom. I played for a long time. Man, I love this toy! Mom and Dad were amazed that something so small and silly would capture my attention so much. It's great to chew - I love the squeak - it's great for tug-o-war -- it's just all round great!! Here are some photos - notice my very shaggy winter appearance, especially my tail and eyelashes. I keep telling the parents that I am not FAT - it's all my wiry hair that just makes me look that way. So stop depriving me of my treats and chews!



The nylabone did not interest me at all, and the duck is okay. But the rubber balloon just rocks!
When Mom and Dad were in the bath together last night (eek, should I be divulging that publically - they are both little enough to fit in the bath together and do it almost every night), I kept jumping up and throwing my balloon toy in the bath - much to their annoyance. Of course what I really wanted was to join them in the bath - but Dad would not hear of it. So I bugged them the whole time until they threw up their hands and said, "this is not relaxing - let's get out!" Heh heh, I'm evil.

It's about to snow again..let's hope it's enough to keep Mom and Dad home tomorrow. We were supposed to go to gran and gramps for dinner tonite, but it got cancelled due to the coming storm. I just hope I still get my evening walk!

AGC

Friday, February 16, 2007

Dogs on Ice (and a horror story)

Wow, the soft white stuff has turned hard and really cold. Today I went to the park and I wish I would have been wearing two pairs of ice skates - it was so cold and slippery! I met up with my buddy Bruno who is a bulldog. We get along so-so - I like latching on to his floppy face and he is obsessed with nipping my ankles. At first it was just the two of us with his dad and my mom and we were having fun, but then he bit my ankle a bit too hard, I screamed and launched a retaliation attack. Because it was so slippery, Mom couldn't get a grip on me, and finally grabbed me and just sat down on the ice. Poor Mom, she had a wet butt! This is my favorite photo of me and Bruno - it looks like we are gay lovers! Heh heh.

Here are some more of us playing just before it got nasty!

Later one of my favorite playmates, Maggie (not sure breed - but she must have some greyhound in her) arrived with her brother Tommy - a daschund. Maggie is the fastest runner you ever met and I love to chase her becos I can NEVER catch her. Put poor Magster...she couldn't run very well on the ice and kept sliding about on her butt, so we just hung out by the bench. Poor Mags, the second photo is not very ladylike, is it? She has a cute bum.

Anyway, we were all shivering after half an hour, so Dad came by in his truck and took us home!
Here in Phila, we only got 3 inches of snow and now it's all ice; but where my friend Pippin lives, Upstate New York, they got LOTS of snow. Here are two shots of Pip - I wonder what he was digging for - frozen rodents? And look at his face!!



And now, a detour from the snow - I present to you, a picture from the annals of WFT horror! This innocent young Wire Fox Terrier pictured below was subjected to the most hideous of grooming abuses -- a poodle haircut!! I joke not loyal readers. It is truly an affront to the Wire heritage and breed. It seems the groomer was asked to shave down the Wire, but before doing so, she decided to have a lark and cut him like a poodle. Brother and Sister Wires, if this fate (worse than death I'm sure you will agree) ever befalls you -- you MUST resist. Bite, fart, throw up - do whatever it takes to avoid such humiliation! Do not succumb! Poodle haircuts be damned!



Finally, big shout out to my good pal Gussie in Arizona -- HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROTHER!

AGC

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Snow and Pizza

Well the snow arrived as promised but with it came sleet and rain and wind. And it wasn't enough to keep Mom from work - but she did get to go in late and come home early. It was so horrible out this morning - 3 inches of snow, lots of icy and cold rain, that I pooped right outside the house (as poor neighbor George was shovelling our sidewalk) and dragged Dad back inside (he was not upset!).

Here is me taking a leak in our back yard. The snow is so icy that my paws barely left any imprints. Man it's no fun balancing on 3 legs on ice taking a pee!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO ALL MY GIRLFRIENDS! Especially the delightful Miss Amelia and wee Miss Koobuss. Mom and Dad exchanged chocolate gifts which pissed me off because I can't eat chocolate and I never got a thing (well I did eat a dingo, a pigsear and lots of Milkbones today). And instead of a romantic dinner out - they stayed in and ordered PIZZA. I got to share in that little feast...

Last night we watched the Westminister Dog Show and it was quite a snore. The winning terrier was called Harry and he was a Dandie Diamont Terrier. If you ask me he looked like a freakish daschund with a poof on his head, although he did look like he had oodles of personality and as they say, "personality can go a long way." {Source: Pulp Fiction} The winning dog was an English Springer Spaniel named James and he was rather breathtaking. I was just relieved neither of the poodles won - another ridiculous looking breed if you ask me - with pom poms on their bum! And they were male dogs! I don't know how they go around in public, I would rather die! It's a good thing I've never seen one groomed like that in the flesh, I would feel compelled to remove those pom-poms!

I forgot to tell you that I have a new passion for taking hot baths with Mom! I always accompany Mom in the bathroom when she bathes, but last week I decided instead of just snoozing on the bathmat, it might be nice to join Mom. So there she was, reading her book, when she got the surprise of her life - I jumped in! She let out a scream of shock and jumped out the bath - I suppose because she didn't want to share the warm water with a rather dirty dog. I just stood in the warm water, had a drink (tasted funny cos it had oil in it) and waded about. Mom was laughing her head off and thought well, while Ax is in the bath, I might as well shampoo him. So she did, and I didn't mind. I was enjoying the warm water. When she was done, I jumped out and ran up and down the passage like a loony. Mom towel dried me and then I dived onto Mom and Dad's bed and mom blowdried me. I love that machine. I was almost dry when I thought, wouldn't it be fun to have another swim, so I jumped off the bed and back into the tub! Mom screamed and Dad came running! Dad wasn't so amused, but Mom was. I dived out again and ran up and down and back on the damp bed -- and then....uh oh...I peed! Drinking warm water does that to me...Mom knew but there was no time to let me out...she was about to when I jumped back in the tub!


So tonite, when Mom was in the bath, I snuck in and tried to join her again. Dad would have none of it...after snapping these pictures - I was forcibly removed from the bathroom. Humpff!





AGC

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Snow is a-coming!!

I heard on the news today that Philadelphia is finally going to get a snow storm - not just a dusting like a few times this month, but real snow - 12 inches worth! I am going to sit by the window and wait...oh hang on, I can't get to the window anymore ever since our horrid neighbor complained to the cops about my barking. Anyway, I will look forward to stepping outside later this week and seeing a mountain of white stuff...it always falls so silently, even we dogs don't hear it! I wish I was a dog living in Oswega, NY state - they've had over 100 inches of snow. Dad said he would kill himself. Haha. Dad is such a laugh.

Speaking of Dad, Mom took this cute shot of us snuggling. Dad loves me to pieces and never leaves me alone, he is forever rubbing my head and singing me the "little guy" song. Mom orders him to stop irritating me and flicks his ears and says, "see do you like to be pestered?" Mom is funny. I don't really mind Dad's pestering 'cos it is so rooted in love.

I love to hang out on my couch perch. Mom got me a blankie when the winter started, and I love to lie up there and get toasty - here I am rather sleepy...the camera buzz woke me up:



Of course the couch is my general hang out in wintertime. I also like to eat my smelly, greasy bones on the couch - Mom used to try to stop me, but she has since, wisely, given up.



Dad was home 3 days this week because he picked me up and hurt his back. Dad is my hero - he tried to pick me up because the salt they put down to melt the ice burned my feet, so dad was going to carry me for a while so I could recover - and wham, crack, and next thing I see, Dad is lying on the ground in pain. I felt very bad so I was a very good boy all week while he was home. We hung out on my sofa, watched tv, played playstation and did other guy stuff.

Photos of me and my pals in the snow are sure to follow later this week!!!

AGC

Sunday, February 04, 2007

Enchanted Forest

Yesterday Mom had the brilliant idea of going for a hike despite the 26F temperature outside (for people in SA reading this blog - that is about minus 6C). Dad thought she was crazy but weirdly went along with it. We drove for quite a while until we came to Carpenters Forest in Mt. Airy. Mom and Dad had a hard time keeping up with me because they were wearing ten layers of clothing. I refuse to wear any clothing whatever the weather - I'm a tough guy!

So here we are, Dad and I (with Mom lagging behind as usual), entering the woods:


Doesn't my Dad look silly all hooded up?
Dad stops to read a sign welcoming us to the enchanted forest...

Next I came upon a very interesting looking log. Something smelled weird in there, so I had to check it out for a while:


Unfortunately, no snacks in there...

Suddenly I heard a noise. I looked up, and saw a family with their German Shephard approaching...

He seemed friendly - so I went up to say HI.


After only 30 minutes, Mom and Dad started to complain that they couldn't feel their own faces, so we headed back to the car. I put up a protest and refused to get in - I wasn't done yet exploring the woods - but as usual, I lost the battle and Dad picked me up and heaved me into the car.

This morning Mom slept late (for a change - boy does she like to sleep). When Dad and I get back from our early walk, I always run up the stairs with my after-walk cookie, jump on Mom and drop the cookie/chew/bone on her head! I think it's a grand ol' way to wake up, don't you?
Mom staggered downstairs in her long undies (which she stole from Dad after they shrunk in the wash) - I immediately jumped in her lap with my piggie chew and she assumed "the position" - which is, hold the chew FOR ME, so it's easier to chew!


Boy in the picture on the left, my head looks ten times bigger than Mom's. heh heh.

So that is my news for now. Mom just took me for a walk in the even colder than yesterday weather. She had had enough after 20 minutes of the cold wind numbing her face, when she started to drag me home...and along comes my hyper pal Dublin and Mom knew there was NO way I was leaving! She's a trooper - she unclipped my lead - and off we went, running in circles around the parks like happy lunatics.

AGC