Thursday, October 25, 2007

A Moment for Prayer

I, Axel G Chocholoza, want us all to take a minute to pray for all the people and animals and creatures of California who are being swept up in relentless and unremitting fires. We pray for their safety and we hope that those unfortunate humans who lost their homes will have the strength and fortitude (and state assistance) to rebuild their lives.

A friend sent me a photo of two fire evacuees - a little wire and his best friend at a shelter. It does my heart good to realize that California allowed humans to bring their pets into shelters, unlike the heartache that was evident in Louisiana during Katrina when this was not the case.

I hope this man and his wire can go home soon.

AGC


Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Preparing for the Big Party

So I am very excited to be going to the big Mega Barkday Party being held in honor of Koobuss, Amber-Mae, Lorenza, Lola, Dewey and Precious. I haven't even met half these guys, but I love making new friends!

So Scruffy and Lacie asked if I was bringing cheesesteaks. Hmm, Dad and me like them - but Dad eats them plain, I like all the toppings. Mom can't even look at a cheesesteak. She must be nuts...I mean would you turn away from one? And cheese fried, hmmmmm!

I don't turn away from any food except these potato chips Mom brought from South Africa called Tomato Fritos. You get Fritos here, but not the yukky tomato flavor! Anyway, other than tomato fritos, I love South African food, and I'm bringing some to the pawty! I am bringing boerewors - that is delicious beef sausage that you put on the braai (BBQ) and then slip between a fresh footlong bun. Yum. They aren't much to look at...Mom said they look a bit like something I'd poop out (gross Mom), but I can tell you, they are delicious. Or as they say in South Africa - baie lekker!

Mom also insists that I take a bottle of her favorite spread - Marmite! Dad won't go near the stuff and from informal testing, Mom says she has yet to find any American who likes the stuff. But Mom grew up eating it and can eat it ten times a day on toast or cheddar cheese. I like it too. So I will pack a jar just in case we sleep over and need breakfast fare.

So the party is October 27 and it's in Massachewsits - I wonder if it is anywhere near where my old girlfriend Gracie lives? I think I'll invite her too! I'm planning on hitching a ride with Koobus in her cute red convertible... I'll probably fall asleep, driving makes me sleepy.

Dad left town today for a few days on a job...boy will I miss him. Hopefully he will keep in touch by reading my blog every day. I miss you Dad!

AGC


Monday, October 22, 2007

My Best Treat of All

It's supposed to be Fall, but I think it got lost on its way to Pennsylvania, because it's still Summer here! Hot! Mom and Dad are thrilled, but I prefer it a bit cooler thank you very much! I'm just grateful that my itchies haven't returned, they disappeared a few days after my shot, that stuff is a dogsend!

So twice a month or so, Mom gives me a big treat. She lets me go to doggy day care for half a day! This past Saturday, we woke up and Mom said, "Axie, how would you like to go to Daycare to see and play with your friends?" People think dogs don't always understand humans, but I understood Mom straight away and ran to the front door in glee! We took the camera along but no sooner had I arrived then the batteries died, so we only got ONE lousy shot:

In that photo, I had just hurdled the gate, I am that enthusiastic to get in there! Can you see my Airedale pal behind the gate? She is beautiful! After Mom and Dad left, I went out to the outdoor yard and played and played.

I suspect the reason Mom and Dad treat me in this way is because they enjoy some "without Axie" time (but they miss me straight after they drop me off!) and because when I come home, this is where you'll find me for the rest of the day/evening....



Yup, that's me. Big couch potato. Daycare exhausts me! And yes, sigh, I do look chunky in that picture...but I had just eaten my dinner - so don't make any disparaging remarks about my freckled belly!

Note from Mom: Yes, Ax seems to have gained a few pounds again...he is such a snack fiend, he tricks his Mom and Dad into giving him treats. We are now creating a list by the treat/chew cupboard so we know who is giving Axel what per day! He doesn't know it yet, but as of today, he is back on diet!

I CAN READ MOM!!!

AGC (Big boned and fabulous!)

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

With Apologies to the Famous Artist

The Wire Yahoo Group is running a contest to feature a Wire Fox Terrier in a famous painting. Mom went to work immediately and came up with this...the little known, Surrogate Mother of Whistler:

I am NOT amused as that is ME in the picture! I am a boy first of all, and second of all, I don't think I look good in a bonnet!

AGC

Monday, October 15, 2007

Let Me Eat Cake!

I am always envious when I read my pal Asta's blog - it is always full of wonderful descriptions of dinner parties in New York City, with sumptuous food and great ambience. So I was thrilled to hear Mom's plans for her own dinner party that took place last night. Only two people were invited - you'd think she'd invited ten the way she agonized over what to cook/bake! You see these are Mom's cousins and Mrs Cousin is a fabulous cook/baker - so Mom felt she couldn't serve just anything!

Mom set the table with all her African paraphenalia and wedding presents that she'd hardly had the opportunity to use. Here is the table setting - not sure you can see much - but the beaded placemats are African and the napkins are too. (They call them serviettes in Africa!)

I wasn't much interested in the decor frankly, I was far more interested in the menu! As it was Sunday night, Mom decided on hot pastrami on rye (yum), and three different salads -- green bean/red onion/peppers salad; new fangled potato salad recipe; and a green salad that had yummy avo, big mushrooms, green onion, lettuce, green pepper from our garden and other stuff in it. That all looked quite tasty - though I am not crazy about salads - so what really got my attention was the dessert!!

I watched Mom work hard on it - beating yolks and then whites and doing all sorts of things that needed 3 different bowls and many measurements and chocolate too. When it finally went into the oven, the smells were overwhelmingly tantalizing. I stood guard outside the oven door willing it to open so I could free the cakes from their pans. When they finally came out - wow, they looked good! I tried to jump on the counters to get them. I tried jumping on the dining room table when Mom moved them there. But I gave up when Mom put them on the overturned washbasket on top of the dryer. I mean look at this cake - would you not have tried to eat it!!???

This my friends, is called a Chocolate Blitz Torte. Not sure the picture does it justice. The bottom is choc cake with a layer of merangue. It has chocolate cream in the middle and then another layer of cake and merangue that is decorated with flaked almonds and cinnamon. Oh it is simple delicious. I know 'cos I did get a wee taste - but pig that Mom is (yeah, you wouldn't know it to look at her skinny frame), she ate half the cake!

My consolation prize for being a good boy all evening while the guests were there (Ok, I did get locked behind my puppy gate for part of the evening when I was quote, "being a pest") - was a marrow bone this morning, which I enjoyed almost as much as the blitz torte!



Remember. I said ALMOST.

AGC

Monday, October 08, 2007

Scenes from a Dog Show

Remember I told you about little Rosalina, the ginger wire girl from Italy I met at the show yesterday? Well, it turns out that Dad captured her on video, so you can all see for yourself how gorgeous she is. Sorry Miss Amelia, Asta, Koobus -- I have a new love. Quel bella doga (my Italian is not great, I admit!)



Also, I know many of you have never had the pleasure of going to Montgomery or seeing Wires in the ring. So Dad made a video just for you of some beautiful wires competing in the ring. Enjoy!



And in late breaking news...you won't believe this!!
Ricky Pepper has a NEW BROTHER. That brings the Doxie tally to FOUR! A family of 5 dogs including Chloe the Beagle. Welcome Teddy - you sure lucked out with your new family!!

AGC

Sunday, October 07, 2007

My Day at the Montgomery Terrier Show


Today Mom, Dad and me went to the annual terrier show at Montgomery. It was in the high 80's so I got very hot and bothered! Mom was in her usual state of rapture to see so many terriers and to meet new and old friends she'd met online. Dad raced around with his video camera. I mainly snoozed and tried to get comfy on Mom's tiny lap. I saw my breeder but was disappointed that my mom and sister were withdrawn from the competition cos Mom is pregnant and sis wasn't groomed well enough. I was so looking forward to seeing them!

We did get to see Bebe and her folks; Finnegan and his folks, Claudia and her smoothie Sydney, Suzanne and her little Folli and some other wirey folks. Sitting in front of us was a tiny ginger wire from Italy called Rosalina...Mom couldn't take her eyes off of her and I started getting worried that Mom was going to kidnap her!

Click on the image below to see our 23 photos from the show! Note: if you click View Slideshow - you will not see Mom's photo descriptions. Mom recommendes clicking on the DETAIL link so you can see all the photos with their descriptions on one page.




AGC

Saturday, October 06, 2007

New Movie!

Well Mom and Dad are getting better and creating and editing video...I am proud to present my second video to you all entitled, Axel and Dad Have Fun at the Park.

Click on the link below to watch the 1:32 minute video:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=yL35RyoUFJE


Viewer discretion advised. You may suffer a heart attack if you have never seen a wire running off leash in an unfenced park ringed by heavy traffic. I am an unusual wire in that I am happiest off leash and never stray far from my parents. I have grown up playing in this park from 12 weeks old, so I know the lay of the land very well, as do most of the dogs there.

Before I leave, I want to wish my pal Butchy a very happy 7th birthday!! Sorry I couldn't make the party dude, I heard you needed a passport to travel to Iowa now, and I left it too late!

AGC

Friday, October 05, 2007

Mom's Special Visit to New York City

Yesterday morning Dad and I dropped Mom off at the 30th Street train station. I heard her tell Dad she was going to New York City to visit her cousin Annette from Australia who was in NY visiting her son. I pleaded to go with, but Mom said dogs weren't allowed on trains. How unfair is that!! So off she went after blowing me a kiss. At the time, I didn't know she was keeping a BIG secret from me!

And now over to Mom. I am generously relinquishing the blog to her...just this one time.

I arrived in NY and met Annette and her hubby at Columbus Circle. We lunched in Central Park in the beautiful weather. Annette is my first cousin and I met her for the first time when she came to my wedding last year all the way from Sydney! (There is a long sordid story...but yadda yadda, her Mom and my Dad didn't speak for 40 years which is why I never met Annette or her family. But then one fine day I thought, enough bullshit - I want to meet my cousin! So I went online, searched and found her in Sydney, wrote and yadda yadda yadda - a wonderful friendship was born and many family reunions ensued. It's been one of the greatest accomplishments of my life!! Healing broken family relations!)Here is Annette and Me and Annette and her hubby Jeff.



What I didn't tell Axel, was that before I left, I emailed Asta's Mom and asked her if she was willing to meet up while I was in NY. I try to make a habit of meeting other wires and their families when I travel about. Last time I was in NY, I met up with Jeeves and his Mom who live on the Upper East Side. I didn't have Asta's Mom's phone number, so I gave her my cell. And, she called!! So after bidding Annette goodbye, off I went on the subway to the "Meat Packing District" - a fine place for a wire to reside.

How wonderful it was to meet Asta and her Mom and Dad! Asta ran out to meet me and disappeared down the passage. When she came back, so pranced about, played with her toys and gave lots of kisses. (Note to Ax: You could learn from Asta "no kisses ever" guy!)

After we had a good shmooze (I felt like I'd known them for years), I went with Asta's Daddy to their Doggie Run and checked out Asta at play with her friends. What a joy it was, Asta is just a delight - she never stops moving and loves her friends:

Before I bid them goodbye, Asta gave me a cute orange squeaky turtle to give to Ax. When I got home, I regaled Ax with stories about the delightful Asta and he was thrilled with his gift:



A wonderful day in New York City! Just wish Ax could have come along! I'll give him the final word:

Thanks Mom. I do so wish I could have met Asta and played with her friends - but at least I got the turtle! And for the record, I just don't like to KISS! Get over it.

AGC