Wonderful Wiry Families

I won't lie. I like being an only child. I wouldn't like to share my toys and bones with a sibling 24/7. But I would like to have a playmate for the long hours that I am alone during the day when Mom and Dad are at work. Someone fun like Gracie! So this got me thinking, are there many multiple wire families out there? We all start off as part of a wiry family, but invariably when we are about 12 weeks old we join our new forever families. But some wires are really lucky, they get to live with other Wires their whole lives and sometimes even other dogs too!

Meet proud parents Daphne and Ares - they just gave birth to a litter of 5 pups - 4 bitches and a dog. They live in Fredericksburg, Virginia with their Mom Kellie, and another wiry bitch Phoebe (Daphne's sister) and an Airdale Zeuss! How lucky can you get? When I saw these beautiful photos of the little wire family, I felt a sudden longing for my own wiry parents Daddy Walter and Mommy Pompi, and siblings...



Scarlet the Wire also recently had a litter of little Wires in Winnipeg, Canada. Just look at these paragons of Wiry Magnificence!



Then far away in Singapore, live another family - Party and Mango (parents) and daughter Fever. They don't actually live together full time, but they see each other very often! All three wires are a hoot and love to dress up and model different outlandish costumes. Pictured below are (left) Fever, Party and Mango.



Then in Washington State live Mom and daughter Alexandra and Miss Amelia. Like many mothers and daughters, they don't get on too well and have to be separated 24/7 - a lot of work for their poor human Dad. In Southern Arizona live Ciara and Simon (below) and somewhere out there, I"m not sure where - live a heap of Wires who like sleeping on the couch!



And then there is the BIG Terrier Family known as the Terrierfirma Trio. That's Libby Longtail, Bamboozle, and Airedale Linus. They also had a Scottie sister, Matilda, but she crossed the Bridge recently. Their Mom Jill writes, "They are a fun trio, and always make us humans smile - except when Bamboozle poops on the floor! (To which he retorts: "Hey! I'm 15 1/2, for pete's sake! My control ain't what it used to be!")

If there are any other multi-wire families, drop me a line and send me a photo! You can never have too many Wires in my unbiased opinion....We bring joy. We bring laughter. We bring mischief. In short, we are quite SPECIAL.

AGC

PS Thanks to everyone for voting for my pal George, he has swept ahead of Biscuit in the contest now thanks to all your votes. But hey, don't stop now - you gotta vote every day for another week!!!

Why Can't Humans Get Along?

I am feeling sad today. I am tired of the way humans treat each other. We dogs may have the occasional fight - but we don't wage wars or seek to destroy eachother. My heart goes out to Duke (pictured below) tonite. Duke lives on a kibbutz in Northern Israel. Today his human Dad David heard the bomb siren wail and instead of running to the bomb shelter, he hopped on his bike to go and fetch Duke so that he too could be safe with his master in the shelter. On the way, a rocket fell out of the sky on to David and he was killed. Now Duke is an orphan again - David had found and rescued him on the kibbutz. Duke stood in silence next to his dad's body until friends dragged him away. I know you will all join me in sending our condolences to Duke and David's human family.



I also want to send best wishes to my pal Terence who had to have surgery yesterday due to a sudden diagnosis of glaucoma. Poor little guy had to have his one eye removed, so now he'll be a dashing pirate dog! Get well soon buddy, we're all pulling for you!

Do me a favor, click here and cast your vote for my pal George who is entered into a photo contest. George is a little behind - so don't delay! I'm not sure if we can vote multiple times, but I'm sure as heck going to try!!

I have to tell you, yesterday evening I had a rollicking good time with my bestest chick Gracie. Despite the 100F heat, our Moms took us to the fountain by the Art Museum. There we met up with many of our other friends, also out to cool off in the water. I swam and swam, Gracie tried to catch me and often did, dragging me out by my collar and dunking me under the water. We played fetch, chase and wet the Moms! It was good clean fun until Gracie pissed in the water! Heh Heh - I like my gals uncouth and uninhibited, but I was a tad grossed out!

Here is a picture of the fountain I found online - but that odd looking lady wasn't in the fountain when I was there yesterday! She would have freaked us out for sure! You see the perimeter around the fountain, I love running around up there and barking at everyone!



It's time to go chow, so until later,

Bye,

AGC

Itchies Progress Report and Utter Verklemptness

Well you'll all be happy to hear that Gracie and I buried the hatchet on Friday (not literally as neither of us could find one to bury) when we met up in the park after a torrential downpour. She did some grovelling, so I forgave her and now we are bestest pals again. Man did we have fun! Noone was around, so we took over the kid's playground and ran up and down the equipment. There are two small slides, a big one and a spiral one. Gracie and I were having such a blast, Gracie got confused and instead of running down the big slide, she went bounding down the spiral one! Boy that was scary - she sort of fell on her head. But it didn't phase her and back we went, both going down the big slide one after the other so that I landed on Gracie when I hit the bottom. We got awfully hot, so we both ran into a big puddle, sat down, wrestled and got full of mud. Ah, what a grand day!

But later my Mom got very upset when she turned on that damn CNN again. This time it wasn't something far away in the Middle East that made her heart lurch, it was a story about a shooting at a Jewish Federation building in Seattle, WA. Some man angry at the Middle East situation decided to take out his feelings with a gun on 5 innocent women who worked there. One was killed and four were badly injured. Mom also works for a Jewish Federation, so this story upset her greatly - she told Dad it could happen at any Jewish institution...I think I better start going with Mom to work - I would be able to sniff a deranged lunatic a mile away.

I've received so many kind emails asking about my itchies and offering all sorts of advice, so I wanted to post some new pics so you can see there is some improvement - granted my front paws aren't completely A-OK, but they are a lot less itchy:

Mom thinks the medicine did the trick. Boy those pills make me sleepy and ravenous...I've been eating like a horse and sleeping like a ........dog! Heh heh. Here I am dozing on my perch:

I have new friends to introduce to you. Meet Sammy, he lives in Blacklick, Ohio with his Mom Jean. Good to meet you Sam my boy! You sure look fluffy dude, and clean! Are you sure you're a wiry guy? Seriously, note everyone the very unusual situation evident in that photo - NO couch cover, Sammy is standing on the actual couch material. WOW!! A wire usually looks more like my bud Cody, pictured right! Heh Heh, Cody digs playing with the hose!



And then there is Daisy, what a sweet little bitch, and Mom of the very famous Canadian Colby featured often on my blog. Daisy has a very high pedigree, and lives with her mom Alexis, I forget where...maybe Canada? Daisy's best pal is Hamish the Sheltie, though she won't tell me if there is a romantic involvement there...



Finally, meet Buster - a fellow wire and a fellow blogger. Check out his blog called very humorously, The Wire Fox Terrorist. He's a funny chap, he is an expert in grilling and seems to enjoy doing beach jigs by the look of his funny photo below. His blog comes with this warning: "Do not be alarmed, I am a wire fox terrier and cannot help myself."



And now for an amazing story...animal related of course...it almost moved me to tears. Happy tears.
In a zoo in California, a mother tiger gave birth to a rare set of triplet tiger cubs but sadly they died shortly after birth. The mommy tiger started to decline in health due to depression, and the vets decided that if the tigress could surrogate another mother's cubs, perhaps she would improve. But there were no tiger cubs to be found anywhere so they decided to try something that had never been tried in a zoo environment. Sometimes a mother of one species will take on the care of a different species. The only orphans that could be found quickly, were a litter of weaner pigs. The zoo keepers and vets wrapped the piglets in tiger skin and placed the babies around the mother tiger. They wondered, would they become cubs or pork chops?

You be the judge. (Warning, the following images may result in strong reactions of verklemptness...)



Ahhhhhhh.

AGC

Gracie's Big Secret

So there I was, surfing the web merrily while Mom and Dad were at work, when I went back to Dogs with Blogs to see if any more Wires had joined (most of my pals have!). And lo and behold, I see listed "Amazing Grace - Anatolian Shephard - Pennsylvania, USA".

Well, I almost fell out of my chair.

Surely, thought I, there cannot be two Anatolians named Grace in PA! So I clicked on the link, and sure enough, there she was - my first love, my neighborhood squeeze Gracie with her very own blog!

Friends, I was shattered. How could the love of my life keep this secret from me? Was she afraid I might think her a copycat (copydog?). Did she intend to bitch about me and thus wish to keep the blog from me? Or, most likely, did she not want to openly compete with my blogging prowess. As we all know, I am king of the dogblogosphere...

I didn't see Gracie today, but when I see her, I may play up my dejection or just openly confront her. Either way it is likely to end up with some passionate make up wrestling.

Deep down I am very pleased Gracie has taken to the blogosphere, now I can read her inner thoughts and she won't be able to be mysterious. I just wish she'd told me damn it.
We've been friends forever - this is a pic of Gracie and Me (with Ohren) when she was smaller than I was:



And now look at her - she is at least double my weight and still growing, growing, growing - but then I like my bitches BIG:



Gracie, if you grovel a bit, I'll find it in my heart to forgive your "deception"...I love you too much to hold even the tiniest grudge.

Yours,
AGC

No respite in sight...

Friends, I am falling apart. First the terrible itchies and now I've been invaded by the big green blob! Yesterday my eye was full of green yucky stuff and this morning, I woke up with more of it and my eye was all crusty. Mom very gently wiped the crusties and took away the green stuff with warm water and cotton wool. But my eye is itchy, my body is itchy and I'm going beserk. The only thing that takes my mind off my troubles are the following:

1. Dingo chews
2. Marrow bones
3. Milk bones or riblet treats
4. My best friend Gracie, the Anatolian Shephard
5. Being around my other canine pals

The problem is I'm home most of the day alone without distractions - I mean Mom and Dad leave me items 1-3, but I only like to eat those sitting on Mom's lap or when they are home with me. So I'm left to deal with the itchies and I can't even bark just for some release, because of Rex the horrid neighbor who coerced Mom and Dad into using a bark collar. They used to slack off and forget about it but Rex wrote to the city to complain, and since then the parents are fanatical about keeping me from barking lest I upset the dear sensitive Rex. I'm a dog god damn it, why can't I bark?

Anyway, I need to stop bitching, it's not becoming of a virile (albeit temporarily unattractive) wiry male. Let's rather talk about bitches rather than bitching! I got an email from a wiry bitch named Ciara - she lives with her family and canine bro Simon in the Mojave desert in southern Nevada. She is almost 2 and boy is she sweet! When I saw the pic she sent I laughed out loud because I just love her expression. I amused myself thinking of what she could be thinking in this pic:

-- I am the beautiful Ciara - don't mess with me Dog!
-- Where is my chicken wing damn it? (Her Dad told me she loves chicken wings above all else)
-- I have you all figured out, don't you doubt it...

She is very talented is Miss Ciara. Her dad Tom says, "She spends her days diving in dad’s spa where she dives for her toys. She can get down about 2 feet max so far, but I’ll not be surprised if she goes deeper. The bottom is just over 3 feet and she can see the toys at that depth." I dive in my doggie pool too Ciara, but when the water comes up to my ankles, I can't say it's very difficult to retrieve my toys! Heh heh.

Shout out to my friend in Troy, NY - Pippin - the poor thing is suffering from the stinkies...or should I say her family is suffering from having to deal with her smelly farts. I am very refined, I don't fart, at least not if I can help it. Pip, I hope the vet puts you right tomorrow - it can't be fun having runny poops and stinkies. I just hope the vet doesn't prescribe a gas mask. Mine prescribed a lampshade - so a gas mask is not that far fetched. These vets can be very creative!

I leave you with this image my friends sent in by Pam -- I believe it gives a whole new meaning to Fox TV:



AGC

A Yummy Diversion

As you all know, I haven't been myself lately. I have some horrible allergies that make me chew and bite myself. I'm on meds now - Hydroxyzine and some lotion, but I'm not sure I am feeling that much better. I laugh in agony to think of my blog entry just a few weeks ago calling myself Mr Handsome. Look at me now, I look hideous!



Mom is trying everything to stop me from chewing myself, so today while she worked on her computer and Dad was out working, she gave me this big yummy bone to chew on. It certainly tastes a lot better than my own leg, and I forgot my itchies for a long while. Mom looked pleased with herself:

My pal Gus in Sante Fe is also into chewing himself - but luckily he doesn't have allergies - he injured his paw. The vet put a PINK bandage on it and though Gus tried his hardest to fight the vet (how can a virile young WFT suffer the indignity of a PINK bandage!), he is now forced to wear it. Poor Gus. I'm just waiting in dread for Mom to pick up on the idea and bandage my red and itchy legs. I swear I will go mad!

While surfing the net today I came across a neat site called Dogs with Blogs. I actually think it was Gus who told me to visit the site and make sure to put my blog on their list. I never dreamed there were so many dog bloggers out there -- it made me feel a little less special - especially to read how some of these canine bloggers have won awards and been noticed by important people. I also want to get noticed. NOTICE ME DAMN IT. Anyway, Gus and I are the only two Wires on the long list of dog bloggers - even if we are at the very end of the list. We encourage the other wiry bloggers out there to add your blogs so we can show that wires are at the forefront of the dogblogosphere!

Good news! I have managed to draw Mom away from watching the war in the Middle East on CNN by finding her delightful wire fox videos online to watch instead!
Friends, if you too are having issues with blaring TV's showing horrid images of misery and destruction - grab your human by the pants leg and get them to their computers!
Check out Nina WFT enjoying her Chicken Game; My Fox Terrier; Mago&Andrea Bocelli (a must see, a cultured Wire!); Homenaje a Pepe (bit long and what is he doing in black undies?) and Maggie can Swim (surprise surprise, what WFT can't?).
I too want to be a video star - I"m going to start working on the parents!

AGC

Linus the Coon Killer

Remember a little while ago I related that my poor friend Jenny the Wire was bitten by an evil raccoon and as a result became paralysed for a few weeks from what is known as Coonhound Paralysis. At the time, I offered a $1 million and a year supply of treats to anyone who could catch that horrid creature! Alas noone claimed the reward. But this week, I heard via the terrier grapevine that one 87 pound Airdale named Linus (right) had caught and killed a coon in his own backyard! Now, unless Linus can prove that this was the same coon who bit Jenny (Good luck old Linus - I believe you live in different states!), I'm afraid he cannot claim the reward, but none the less, I want to offer him hearty congratulations on his amazing hunting feat! Pictured right is Linus with the dead raccoon in his mouth - well a not-so-good artist's impression of a dead coon in his mouth - I'm a blogger, I get a bit of artistic expresssion leeway here!

I bet you are all wondering what happened at the vet yesterday. I ended up going only with Dad 'cos Mom was running late at work. I always enjoy a visit to the vet as it's a good place to meet other dogs and chase a few cats. The vet lady was very nice - she prescribed stronger pills for me and some sort of conditioning lotion which I haven't tried yet becos Mom and Dad need to wear gloves to apply it and they haven't gotten any yet. Explain to me how it's okay to put something on my coat that isn't good to put on human hands. If I lick it it can't be very good for me - indeed the vet said it might make me sick. So we're all a bit confused really. But I hope the pills at least make me feel human again. If you know what I'm saying.

I want to bring an important event to the attention of all friends within driving distance to Lancaster, Pa. This October 14th Angelhalls.org are teaming with "United Against Puppy Mills", to raise awareness of the deplorable conditions puppy mills generate. The event is to be held in Lancaster Central Park, in Lancaster Pennsylvania from 10am-3pm. Go to www.angelhalls.org, Scroll down to United Against Puppy Mills click, open the file and print copies of the flyer and post anywhere dog lovers congregate. Wholesale puppy brokeraging is a National tragedy, Lancaster County PA, has the highest concentration of Puppy Mills in the US. Help us bring awareness to this disgrace. What is hidden should be seen. Post the flyers, send a delegation to the event. I am going to convince Mom and Dad to go - and maybe we can meet up with Sydney, a resident of Lancaster, and Lucy, Skippy and others...

My fellow blogger Snickers turned 4 today, so I wanted to wish her a very happy birthday. The lucky bitch had a party with a special birthday cake and her friends came to visit. Not even my Mom had that much attention on her birthday this week.



It's cooled down a bit today so I'm really looking forward to a long walk and play session with my pals in the park when Mom gets home.

AGC

Get Lucky Today!

Urgh, I'm going to the vet this evening. Mom and Dad are going nuts watching me chew myself senseless. Everytime I try to bite myself or scratch, they try to pry my head or leg away, and it's very frustrating. They keep threatening to put that lampshade thing on me, but it makes me so unhappy they capitulate. As Mom said, imagine if we had big mosquito bites and couldn't scratch, we'd also go barmy.

I look pretty awful, I have red splotches everywhere, my paws are red. Man, I'm miserable. I hope the vet can help me tonight. Dad highly respects this man as he looked after all Dad's pets when he was a young boy. Mom just thinks it's a terrible shlep - it takes about an hour to get there...but as long as he helps me Mom won't mind.

Anyway, it takes my mind off my itchies to talk about something else. I want to introduce you to Lucky a 5 1/2 year old male wire who lost his home because his Mom lost her job and had to move. He is completely house trained, has all of his shots, is on heart worm preventative. He is very sweet and loves to go for walks and plays well with another dog. He will lay at your feet or sleep with you on the sofa. He should not go to a home with another male says his guardian. That's too bad because I was going to ask Mom and Dad if Lucky could come and live with us!

If you can offer Lucky a forever home - please contact Nancy at wyrelee1@hcnews.com

Not much else to report. The heat is god awful, so I haven't been out much, and when we do go out usually later than usual in the evening, I come home and lie on the cold floor and pant for an hour (in between scratches of course). Wouldn't it be grand if some of that white cool stuff would fall from the ground? I liked playing in the snow!

AGC

My Mom is a Young Bitch

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

I heard it is not polite to reveal how old a woman is...so I'll just say she's a tad over 5 doggie years! Mom says that sounds much better than putting it in human terms.

I bought Mom a card which Dad signed on my behalf 'cos I'm not so good with a pen. I was hoping for some birthday cake, but Dad seemingly forgot to make one! Shame on him!

It is 101F today so Dad and Mom refuse to take me to the dog park. What a bunch of wussies! I'm going to go stand at the door and look miserable. Maybe they'll get the hint.

AGC

I Wish I Had Earplugs

I need some peace and quiet. Mom has had the television on all weekend, stuck on CNN. She seems quite upset when she watches the idiot box, yet she doesn't take the logical step and switch it off! It seems there is big trouble going on in a place called the Middle East. Mom used to live in Israel and has lots of family and friends there, so she is worried about what CNN calle a "crisis" but what Mom and Dad say are a WAR!

I of course wonder about what happens to the dogs when their owners are forced to flee their homes or hunker down in bomb shelters. I hope unlike most places, dogs are welcome at these shelters. I'm sure bombs are a lot louder than fireworks, so I really feel for my fellow canines in the war zones.

Back in my comfy little world, I wanted to update you on my itching situation. I'm afraid it is not much improved despite a visit to the vet, a cortisone shot and twice daily Benadryl capsules (adult dose). I also got bathed in anti itching shampoo yesterday which smelled just a little better than that Murphy's oil stuff. But none of this is helping me so much, I still itch too often and it's driving me nuts. Dad is going to take me to another vet this week. I hope he can help me.

Boy is it HOT. I love my walks, but walking in what feels like a hot cup of soup, is not such fun. Mom woke up at 7am this morning (very uncharacteristically!) and we went out while it was still dewy and cool. I also enjoyed the benefits of the park smorgusbord thanks to the increase of picnickers who come out when the weather is hot. Mom made the mistake (lucky me) of letting my off lead, so I could run and skip from one meal to the next till my luck ran out and Mom decided enough was enough.

Anyway, I think I'm going to head to the basement - at least it is cool down there and I won't be able to hear the war stuff on tv. And I can scratch and bite myself without Mom and Dad looking at me in dismay.

AGC

24/7 Itch

Boy am I itchy! It is driving me nuts! I can't take it!

Last night Mom came home with some foul smelling purple stuff that she tried to make me drink. I took one lick and ran in the opposite direction. Mom seemed genuinely surprised. Newsflash Mom: I may eat garbage, poop and other unmentionables, but that doesn't mean I like medicine! Got it?

Mom then got clever and mixed the Benadryl in some Cherry Garcia ice cream (which I love) and so I lapped up its cold creaminess - albeit tinged with vile grape medicine flavor.

After about an hour, man, I felt totally stoned. Like I'd smoked a huge joint or been at a bong for a bit too long. I stood on the couch and just stared into space - I was totally out of it. I can't say it was the greatest feeling - but it did take my mind off my itching limbs for a few hours.

But when it wore off, that evil itch came back with renewed vigor and I was forced to bite myself all over again until I had big red welts on my legs and inner thighs. Mom kept trying to cover my limbs, but that didn't work, I just bit her by mistake instead. So that was short lived. Good try Mom.

Out of desperation Mom wrote to her very knowlegeable friends on the Fox Terrier Network email list. Boy there are some great humans in the FTN community, real foxie lovers and devotees. Of course we've met a few of the special people like Kathy and Melissa and Barb and their wiry charges - so the list is more than just a bunch of cyber connections. So Wanda on the list told Mom to bathe me in...Murphy's oil! Mom, being a non-American, had no idea what that was until she googled it. I had no clue either.

Together we clicked the link, and horrors - up came a bottle of furniture polish! So friends, that is what my future holds...a bath in furniture polish this evening. I'm hoping Mom forgets all about this as I really don't think I want to smell like a wooden table for the rest of my life! My dog park friends are going to turn away in disgust when they sniff me!

I'll keep you posted. Right now, I need to go scratch some more....this sucks!

AGC

Call me Monsieur Manipulator

Well hi there.

I've been getting grumbles via email about my absence from the blogosphere, but it's hardly my fault that I haven't blogged. My parents up and abandoned me this past weekend and dumped me at my grandparents. Initially I was thrilled to go for a car ride to NE Philly because I thought I'd see Buddy the Jack Russel who lives next door, and swim with him in his pool.

When Mom and Dad stopped outside my grandparent's house, I was beyond excited. My mom was half way out the car, holding onto my lead, when I jumped out the car at full throttle. Mom was ever so clumsy and fell out of the car backwards onto the concrete pavement. Of course she blamed me, when we all know full well that she just lost her balance. She sat on the concrete wiping her bloody elbow and screaming unmentionable insults at me. I didn't really care at that point as I spotted THREE wild bunnies jumping across the lawn and made a valiant effort to catch them! Dad grabbed me in mid air and dragged me and my unhappy Mom into the house.

After a while, I got bored and started thinking about those bunnies outside. So I sort of fooled Mom into thinking I was desperate for a pee and kept walking to the door! Mom told Dad he had to take me out 'cos she was not up to handling me, but Dad was obsessing over his sister's laptop trying to show off my blog to his parents. Mom was convinced I was about to pee on the floor - I'm such a great actor - so she impatiently took my lead and let me out.

And there again were those bunnies! Well, I lunged at them using every ounce of my strength and in so doing, almost pulled Mom right over or at least almost pulled her arm out it's socket and dragged her across the lawn in hot pursuit of the fluffy babies. She started screaming for Dad to come and help her as she just couldn't hold me back in her already traumatised state from her aforementioned clumsiness getting out of the car. Dad evidently didn't hear her, and grandma came to her rescue instead. I refused to come inside, but when I did eventually I could tell Mom had been yelling at Dad for failing to come to her aid, and for failing to take me out in the first place. It was not a pretty scene. Mom wouldn't even look at me - and frankly I was so enraptured by those bunnies, I didn't really give a shit. I know, I know, that sounds awfully mean, but furry bunnies ready to be chased are infinitely more exciting than emotionally distraught crying Mothers and chastised Fathers.

Next thing I knew, Dad and Mom had made up and were walking out the door hand in hand, WITHOUT ME. On the one paw I was happy to stay there on the off chance of chasing those bunnies again, but on the other paw, I didn't want to be abandoned either. And abandoned I was, not for one evening, but THREE whole days! I did everything I could to misbehave so that my grandparents would have enough of me and send me home. But they put up with my barking and misdeeds, the poor sods.

And then yesterday, 3 days after been summarily dumped, Dad arrives to take me home. I was happy to see him, I won't deny it, but I decided to play a little hard to get and to fake not wanting to go home. Dad looked rather surprised and a little hurt. But I reserved my best performance for Mom - when I saw her at home, I barely gave a wag, and for the next few hours, I pretended to be mad at them. I didn't follow them around like usual, I just sat morosely on the couch. Mom wondered aloud to Dad whether I was depressed - hahaha! - or ill - hahaha! I tell you I deserve an Oscar!

While Mom and Dad were trying to figure out my weird mental state, I overheard them threatening to take me for some training. Dad spoke to Elvis's Mom Priscilla who has some experience with dog training and told her what had happened at my grandparents and how badly behaved I was, and she told Dad that Mom needed to do arm strengthening exercise. HAHA! Boy did that make me laugh to myself. I misbehave and almost cripple my Mother (oops, I think I denied my part in that earlier) and the dog trainer says Mom is the one who needs the training! Hahaha! Mom was not amused with Priscilla's advice, to put it mildly.

"The bloody Axel dog is the problem, not ME" she proclaimed, "we need the bloody dog whisperer not a bloody personal trainer for ME!"

Enough said Mom.

AGC

My Vacation Report and Pictures

Happy July 4th Everyone!

Mom realized that yesterday was her 4 year anniversary in the United States. And...today is Mom and Dad's ONE month wedding anniversary!

But more importantly, today I get to tell you all about my fabulous vacation at the NJ shore! We just got home a while ago, in time for all the July 4th craziness on the Parkway up the road.

My Vacation: Chapter One
Hit the Road Ax
On Friday Mom and Dad packed up all their goodies and we we hit the road to the NJ Shore - our destination: North Wildwood.
I love being on the road, feeling the air in my face...



My vacation: Chapter 2
Our digs
Mom found this rather little old "house" to rent on Craigslist. It was cheaper than usual probably because when you walked through the door it was like stepping into the 1940's. Put it this way, it wasn't very modern looking. But I loved it, I could jump on the furniture, run in the yard and make myself at home without worrying about messing up the decor. I did miss my window perch in Philly, but I just adjusted to the new situation by lying on my stomach under the porch railing:

We had a really good time in North Wildwood and also drove around to Wildwood, Cape May, Avalon and other places. But it was always nice to come "home" where we all spent such quality time together sitting on the porch reading or snuggling inside:

My vacation: Chapter 3
Meeting Wiry Friends

Mom and Dad always go out of there way to hook me up with other wires. So our vacation was no exception. We drove 30 minutes to Ocean City where my cyber pal Skippy and his Mom Barb were waiting to meet us. Skippy is a 9-year old wire rescue who lives with his Whelsh sister Lulu. We had a wonderful time running around Skippy's beautiful shore house and eating lots of treats. We hope that maybe Skippy, Lucy (Kathy's wire) and I can meet up soon as we don't live that far from eachother. Skippy's Mom was awesome, she brought out cakes for Mom and Dad, and kept admiring how handsome I am.



My Vacation: Chapter 4
Idiocy in Ocean City (no offense to Skippy)

After we said our goodbyes to Skippy and Barb, we were driving home when we noticed a big sign, "Dog Park". As I was dying to play some more, Mom and Dad made a detour so I could go to the park.

But when we arrived there, it was empty and every entrance gate was bolted with big magnetic locks that require swipe cards to enter. Well, Dad, who is not a mild mannered guy (that's why I dig him, his passion!)...went ballistic. "A private dog park? I don't %$#&ing believe this!!" (trust me, I am not doing his ire justice). He promptly called up City Hall on his cell (while Mom rolled her eyes in the backseat) to ask what was up with this park. Turns out it is PRIVATE, and only for resident dogs of Ocean City who need a permit for the luxury of playing there which comes with a fee! So I guess Skippy will get to enjoy it, but I couldn't and that made me sad. So, with no insult to you Skippy and Barb who live there part of the year, UP YOURS OCEAN CITY!

By the way, I made a nice poopie outside the gate...and I'm not going to admit or deny that we disposed of it!



Chapter 5: My Vacation
Frolick on the Beach

NJ has very discriminatory policies towards us canines. Well, actually, not only canines...all the signs along the beach and boardwalks say "No dogs or cats or domestic animals permitted from May to October". Mom and Dad had a chuckle about "domestic animals" - Dad wondered what would happen for example if a pirate came upon a beach with his parrot - would he get fined? Funnily enough the night Mom and Dad braved the boardwalk in Wildwood (without me of course) then ran into a man with a parrot and put the question to him!

Anyway, not to be deterred by petty signage, one morning Dad and I went for an early walk and Dad risked taking me onto the beach. It was grand but the waves coming at me scared me a little. Mom was so upset she'd slept through (typical mom) my first beach experience, but she needn't have worried! On the way back from our disappointment in Ocean City, we passed a secluded sort of a beach off the highway and saw dogs on it, so Dad pulled over and we went to check it out. It was such fun - it was a lagoon and a beach, water everywhere. We all had a grand ol' time!



Chapter 6: My Vacation
Closing Thoughts

After 4 glorious days in the sleepy town of North Wildwood, we headed home today to Philly. I thoroughly enjoyed my very first vacation and hope it is the start of many more. I especially look forward to more roadtrips in search of more of my wiry pals. It was awesome of Mom and Dad to take me along on their mini-honeymoon as I can be a pain at times...but I am pretty sure having me along only exacerbated their vacation pleasure...

Tomorrow it's back to the grindstone - barking, sleeping and keeping the folks in line.

AGC

Just call me Mr Handsome

I now know why they kill chickens before they pluck them. Eek! Mom kept her word and sent me off to Bow Wow and Meow's yesterday so that Kathleen the groomer could strip my coat. I don't mind it that much, but it gets tiring after 4 hours...I can only imagine how Kathleen must feel! Anyway, I like Kathleen a lot and she tells me I am one of her favorite clients!
I know you are all dying to see my groomed handsome self...so here I am:



There is a lot of craziness going on at the moment with the impending July 4th weekend! Last night, around 9:15PM I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard the loudest bangs you can imagine! I thought the world was coming to an end. I barked and barked as loud as I could, but the bangs drowned me out. And then I looked out the window and these colorful lights were falling from the sky! Dad tried to put me on my leash and take me outside for a better view, but no way was I going into the midst of some god awful war zone. No thanks! So Mom and Dad ran out and left me alone. Can you believe that?

It seems the fireworks were supposed to be across the river but because of the flooding, they moved the display to Lemon Hill, my favorite spot on earth and right on my doorstep! After the explosions ended, Mom came to get me and I met up with Gracie and Kila and many neighbors outside. Gracie and I had a good wrestle and I tried to get into her house because there is a lot of fun places to play in there - her house is bigger than mine. No luck. We had to stay outside.

After the long grooming session and the terrifying explosions, I was exhausted. So while Mom checked her email, I lay down with my head on my pet squirrel (the gift from Mackie) and had a well earned sleep. I dreamt Gracie and I discovered a yard full of dingo chews and huge butcher bones filled with yummy marrow.



AGC

Update from Tieta, and other bitches

Tieta is home! You do remember Tieta right? The wee wiry gal who needed a forever home who was profiled on my blog a month or so ago. Ozzy from Colorado saw Tieta there and declared his intent to have her for his sister. And so his wonderful parents shlepped to Texas to pick her up and bring her home. Reagen, Ozzie and now Tieta's mom writes, " We just LOVE her!! She is totally mellow compared to Ozzie!!! I was expecting a little wild child."

(A mellow wire? haha, just you wait!)

"We are having a bit of an adjustment period with her and the chickens. She would love to have them for dinner I think! That was to be expected though, and we are working on it. She loves riding in the car and I take her with me to take my son Mason to karate. We even took her to Lowe's on Tues. She loved riding in the shopping cart. lol! She is such a treasure..."

Boy, this kind of happy news just makes me totally verklempt! I just love happy endings! Look at Ozzie (foreground) and Tieta, siblings forever...



And I like new beginnings too! I got an email yesterday from a mature but nevertheless gorgeous 9 year old wire named Sydney - she lives in Lancaster, that's in the same State as me. She wrote to tell me about a wiry gal who lives in the city who I should check out. Sydney's mom reads the Philadelphia magazine, and right there on page 52 of the July 2006 issue she spotted a beautiful photo of a bitch named Lucy! Lucy works with her mom at a store in the city called "Doggie Style" - sounds rather obscene to me! So here is the picture of Lucy replete in a bright pink frock. She looks like a spoilt princess, I'm not sure she's my type Sydney.



And then Sydney, upon reading about my upcoming vacation by the shore, told me that she had vacationed on a beach in Cape Cod, and she sent me a few pics too! I have to tell you Syd, I'm far more attracted to an outdoorsy bitch like you than a pampered, clothes-wearing bitch like Lucy! You look ravishing suntanning on your purple beach towel!



I was very amused to hear from Sydney's email that, "My mom reads me your blog all the time and shows me the photos. Even my dad knows about the infamous Axel G. Chocolaza. My mom never just calls you just "Axel." It's ALWAYS Axel G. Chocolaza. She only calls me Sydney Jennifer Martin when I am unrolling the toilet paper, eating some newspapers, or tip toeing my way into the trash can (one of my favorite tricks.) I am the only one in my family who thinks that trick is funny!"

I think that's hilarious Syd! I'd also be curious to hear their pronounciation of my name...it's Chocholoza not Chocolaza which sounds more like a frothy chocolate drink, no? But I always appreciate my name being used in full, so kudos to your Mom for her efforts. I hope to meet you one day Sydney, I think we'd have a swell time together!

Before I sign off, I have a funny story to tell you. Yesterday evening in between rain storms, Mom took me out for a walk. We met up with Elvis the pitbull and Leelo the red-fox-looking-bitch-of-unknown-breed. So the three of us ran off lead like maniacs for a while, and then I spotted a big puddle. I was hot and thirsty, so I figured what the heck, I lay down in the puddle, stuck my snout in it and rolled around until I was completely sodden. Then I just sat in the cool water and drank and drank. Mom as usual just laughed, but Elvis and Leelo's Mom's told her I am one freaky dog!

What a compliment! Freaks rock!

AGC

I'm going on vacation!

Oh Boy! Mom and Dad told me that we are going on vacation over the July 4th weekend to a place called North Wildwood in New Jersey! A vacation sure sounds like fun - Mom said I am going to see lots and lots of water everywhere - and I love water, sand and new sites and smells. Mom loves the ocean and hasn't seen it in 2 years, so she was doing a serious jig when they found the accommodations. Mom also went into top gear searching out dog-friendly places in the area and writing notes on Craigslist asking if there are dog beaches or parks. Someone claims we are allowed on the beach next to the boardwalk - I sure hope so.

Mom told me her dream is to be sitting on the beach under a brightly colored umbrella with Dad snoozing on the one side, and me sitting on a towel on the other watching the sea and swimming together in it. Sounds good to me!

Oh, and my pal Skippy from PA is down in Ocean City for the summer, so we hope to meet up! His mom says he's a brat - heh heh, we'll see!

In other news, the terrier population in Maine is growing daily! Check out the wiry Maine guys below - Willie, Terry and baby Guiness. They also have a blog full of fun pics of Wires and other dogs - check it out http://mainewires.blogspot.com/

It's been a very rainy weekend but hot and humid too. Mom is threatening to get me stripped this week so I'll be cooler on our vacation. Personally, I quite enjoy being stripped, it's like a calming massage at Bow Wow and Meouw!

Dad is dropping me off now at Gracie's house so we can play. Gracie is my best best girlfriend even though she is an Anatolian Shephard and not a wire. Her sister Kila is a spaniel and she's sweet too. So....toodles!

AGC

The Wire Wagon

You've all heard of the band wagon - don't ask me what that means - but I'd like you to meet the wire wagon featuring our own sweet recovering Jenny, victim of that mean raccoon who has caused her temporary paralysis. Crystal, Jenny's devoted Mom tells us "Jenny is in her new little red wagon, being towed around the house, wherever I go. I put a big fluffy pillow in there, then her blankie and topped it all off with the required piddle pad. " Just look at the sweetheart, all smiles and wiry bravery pictured left.

I think I'd quite like a wagon for myself for the days I feel very lazy. It would be great to be towed about by Mom and Dad! You just get better soon lassie, and keep up the good work Mom Crystal.

I was delighted to hear from my wiry friends in Singapore again today! You remember Party, Mango and baby Fever, right?
Well Party tells me that I am quote, their "inspiration" as far as blogging goes!
"We had since broken into mummy’s lap top and gotten ourselves a decent place in blogging land!" Their new blog can be seen by clicking here:

The blog is well worth a visit, it's full of funny photos of the wires - check out this one of Mango and Party all dressed up in what they describe as their wedding photo! It's also interesting to see what one of the wires looked like before and after becoming part of their family so full of wiry love.

What a funny pair they are!

AGC

Mystery Revealed and Lesson Learned

In my last post I asked for your prayers for Jenny, my Wiry Fox friend who had inexplicably become paralysed. Thank G-d Jenny girl is on the road to recovery thanks to the wonderful vets who diagnosed her bizarre and crippling affliction.

It seems poor Jenny has what is called Coonhound Paralysis. It seems Jenny developed an immune reaction to an antigen in raccoon saliva - so we think she was bitten by a raccoon! The result of the bite is paralysis, loss of bladder control and respiratory paralysis. There is no real cure, just supportive care - so Jenny should be back to herself in 4-6 weeks as she is getting excellent care from the vets and her family. Interestingly, Coonhound Paralysis is exactly like the Guillain Barre (aka John Barry) syndrome in humans.

So my wiry friends. Let's learn an important lesson from Jenny's unfortunate episode:

Stay away from raccoons!
I know it's tempting to chase and catch any creature that moves, but leave these coons alone, they are evil creatures who are lethal to our well-being. Unless you can operate a shotgun, I wouldn't go after them!

AGC

My Dad

I don't need people to designate a date in June to tell my dad I love him. Yeah, today is Father's Day and I did give my dad a funny card...but I tell my dad everyday how much I love him by giving him kisses, snuggling and being his best pal.

It's still hot today, so me and Dad took a nap together this afternoon. I think you can see clearly how much we love each other in these photos...




Who do you suppose is more wiry? heh heh!

Please keep my wiry pal Jenny in your thoughts and prayers - she is having a problem with back leg paralysis and all us wires are hoping she'll be a good candidate for surgery and a complete recovery.

AGC

Pant Pant, it's HOT

Boy, Summer sure is here. It's 92F today and it feels awfully HOT in my wiry fur coat. Dad bless him went out and bought me a small pool today so I could cool off. It's not like I can really swim in it, but I did enjoy walking in the cold water, eating the floating bugs. I also loved jumping in the water and then going to sit on mom's lap and soaking her clothes, haha.

A while ago Huckleberry sent me a birthday gift, a gorgeous Tshirt that says, "The Bitches Love Me." I'm not too fond of wearing clothes, but I loved this gift, so I put it on last night and did a bit of a fashion show. Don't I look like a stud?



I reckon it's back to the pool now, I'm starting to pant again!

AGC

Good News and Possible Employment

I love starting off a blog post with HAPPY news! I heard from Bigfoot Fletch's mom Carol that Scubie, the 6-year old wire featured on my blog on May 11, has found his forever home! Carol wrote:

Just wanted to share the good news that Scubie - the little guy from Forida who was looking for a home is now a San Francisco boy. According to a friend who checked out his new digs for us, he will not be treated like a dog, but like a king, in his new home! Way to go Scubie!

Wow, I hear San Francisco is one cool place to live! Scubie's new family sure is lucky to have him! All the readers of my blog wish you a long and happy life Scubie!

So I was reading the NY Times today and think I might want to apply for a new job. Apparently humans are now training us canines to sniff out everything from counterfeit CD's to bed bugs! Seems that New York City is being overrun by these nasty bed bugs and they are relying on us to sniff them out in record time. I quite fancy this kind of work - afterall we terriers were born to sniff out vermin, bedbugs aren't that different! If I get bored laying about the house, I might just go to Monster.com and see whether there are any bedbug sniffing positions open in Pennsylvania!

Dad is away tonite working in North Jersey in some town full of Hoboes (Hoboken). So Dad told me this morning that I am the man of the house for the next 24 hours and to protect and look after my Mommy. I will take my job very seriously and will sleep on Dad's pillow (nothing too unusual even if Dad is in the bed) so Mom won't be lonely. Frankly, between you and me, I don't think it's very cool of Dad to abandon Mom less than 2 weeks after their wedding! But not much I can do about it...humpff.

AGC

Shout out to Gus the Wire

A wiry fellow of 3 years of age left me a nice comment on yesterday's blog post. His name is Gus (pictured left), and he just moved to Arizona - that's the place Mom and Dad want to live too, because it's HOT there! So I'm hoping one day I get to be neighbors with Gus, he looks like lots of fun. His blog is called "On the Go with Gus" because the lucky fella travels a great deal.

I tried to leave a comment on his blog but it wouldn't let me post! Blimey. Gus, if you are reading this, leave me another comment and add your email so we can correspond!

Not much news from me - oh other than some horrible horrible human smashed into Dad's parked truck AGAIN! I heard the bang this morning and barked and barked - but Dad grabbed me and had the temerity to tell me to shut up lest I wake up our dear precious sensitive neighbor Rex! Let that be a lesson to you humans -- we don't bark for our amusement, we bark for a reason, ususally to help our masters and warn them of trouble!

Dad is very upset about his car because in this country even though it isn't your fault, if someone drives off without leaving their info, you have to pay a $500 deductible to get your car fixed. Doesn't seem fair, does it? I mean $500 could keep me in Dingo chews for a few months! Mom and Dad shouldn't have to spend their wedding gifts on stupid insurance deductibles. I feel really bad for them. I hope that human who rammed the car and ran away gets bitten by an untrained vicious pitbull! (No offense to my gentle pit friend Elvis).

I saw Bailey this morning, she had to have stitches after her run in with Sasha the Akita. I think she needs a bit of psychological counselling as well, she's one bitch who can't get along with other bitches. What a shame. I mean I dig a good chick fight just like the rest of the guys, but not when it's two of my closest female pals. Try to get along gals!

AGC