How Much is that Doggie in the Window? (and yes, I do have a curly tail, don't rub it in!)

I bet many of you wonder what I do all day while Mom and Dad are at work...Well, here is a pictorial answer for you. I sit in our front window, on my couch perch and protect our house from any passers-by. I also sit and wait for Mom or Dad to show up, and when I see them out the window, I go ballistic!!!


By the way, if you are wondering what is in my mouth...no, I am not becoming one of those native Africans that stretch their lips with tribal jewelery! That is one of the treats I got from Dad yesterday after they came home from the Philadelphia Dog Show. I don't know what it is...I need to walk around with it for a while in my mouth, and then bury it in the sofa for a while, before I'm ready to eat it. That way I savor the experience. Mom and Dad told me there was only ONE wire and ONE smoothy at the show! They are pretty cute though. I could smell them on Mom when she got home...hope she wasn't hugging them too much!



There were (apparently) many other sorts of dogs at the show, you can see a few of them by clicking here.

Well, I have two new friends to introduce you to today, Smitty and Ares. And they both happen to be modeling the latest in winter canine wear! Ares lives with his Mom Kelli in Virginia. Ares has a big brother Airdale Zeuss whom he gives a hard time by pulling his beard then running around back and biting his behind. OW! His Mom writes that, "Ares is game for anything you might want to do EXCEPT riding in the car. He would rather die than get in that thing." Are you nuts Ares, I love the car?! Try sticking your head out the window, it's such an awesome rush!!



Smitty, pictured below in a fleece jogging suit no less, lives with his Mom Joanne in Albany, NY where I think it gets pretty cold. Man, I dig that jogging outfit. I gotta get myself one. Boy would all the bitches flock to me then! Bet Miss Amelia would be on the first plane from Washington State to come see me if I sported one of those! Hey Mom, isn't Chanukah coming up soon...need any gift ideas!? You just got one!



Remember a while ago I started a new blog segment called, "Take Me Home!" - wherein I highlighted foxies like myself, who needed forever homes? Well, I have two sweet foxies, one smooth and one wiry, to tell you about.
First there is Sally (right), a 9 year old, wiry, spayed female. She was found in an animal shelter and brought to Fox Terrier Rescue. Sally is the sweetest little girl. She is non-agressive with other dogs. And then there is Jacki (left), the Smooth Fox Terrier, who is only a year old and spayed. She seems fine with other dogs, cats and kids, but she hates being crated or left alone.
If you can offer these fine gals a forever home, or know someone who can, please go to Petfinder.com, and select Southern California - that is where these foxies are waiting for you.

Finally, on a merry note...I did a devilish deed this morning. Mom was making her lunch for work, a big turkey hoagie! It smelled so good, when she wasn't looking, I jumped up against the counter and managed to grab it and run to the living room! Heh heh! Boy was she mad at me...she managed to catch me and take away that tantalizing meal. I saw her put it in the trash, and all I got for breakfast was the usual Solid Gold biscuits and Pedigree ground beef! Why can't Mom understand that I was simply getting into the Thanksgiving turkey mood!?

AGC

Squirrels in a Box?

OMIGOD - Look what I found in Mom's closet today!!!



Heh heh, just kidding! Now that I'm post Birthday, I'm feeling fulling of jokes! I found this pic online and thought it was too funny. I'd love to find that in a closet 'cos I think it would take a while for the kitty to untangle herself from the hangers and then I'd catch her! Blanche the cat next door, always sits on my wall and taunts me. Boy, it drives me nuts!

Speaking of birthdays, I never did get that big surprise! I had chicken breast and eggs for dinner, but that was the sum total of my birthday treat! Mom and Dad are going to the Phila dog show this weekend and Mom promised to bring me gifts from there.

So I found a new friend in my State of PA. His name is Pancho, named after the Mexican Revolutionary by the same name. I sure wish I was named after a revolutionary! Pancho lives near Exton, PA with his Mom Nadine. I think he's 10 years old. He has some nice toys there!



I also met another new friend, Chloe who is even older than Pancho, she's 12, but you'd never say it to look at her sweet face. She loves to snuggle with her teddybear, and she is so lucky, she's a California Gal! She lives with her daughter Peaches, and human Mom Marjorie.



You know I really don't like this cold weather. Mom can't get out of bed in the morning (not even my peeing on the warm down quilt helped, she now sleeps under her summer quilt with a blanket and she still can't bring herself to get up) and ends up leaving me 10 minutes to walk. I haven't seen Bailey or Elvis in 3 days! It sucks! All we do is go around the block! Hope Dad goes back to regular hours next week, he has no problem getting up early!

My deepest thanks to my girl Miss Amelia for sending me this cautionary cartoon. I am so flattered that she has my manhood at the very pinnacle of her thoughts and priorities:



It's the Philadelphia Marathon this weekend so I hope to go along and watch. I don't understand why they don't let us dogs enter the race - a marathon would be a breeze! It would be extra fun if they planted a squirrel in a see-through box on wheels in front of us, and had us chase after it! Don't you agree Mackie (he caught a squirrel last week!)?
I may have to write to the marathon committe and suggest such a thing. I have a feeling however that PETA would have their tits in a tangle at such a proposition!

AGC

IT'S MY (SORT OF) BIRTHDAY AND I'LL BARK IF I WANT TO...!

I am six-months old today! Happy birthday (sort of) to me!

I'm very excited, can you tell? So far Mom and Dad haven't done a darn thing to help me celebrate...I suspect they might still be pissed off at me because I peed on their bed last night! Eek! Or maybe they are just pretending they've forgotten and when Mom and Dad get home this evening, I will be in for a big surprise! Hm, maybe a cup cake or a big Dingo treat slathered in liver paste? Yum! Bring it on!!!

AGC

Here's Bailey...

So finally I can show you pics of me and my best buddy in the whole wide world - Bailey the Boxer. Mom and Dad always forget to bring the camera when we go out in the mornings to meet Bailey and his Mom Lydia, but luckily Dad's cellphone has a camera on it. The photos aren't as good as a real camera shot, but at least you can finally get to meet my girlfriend Bailey and see what a wild time we have together. (Uh oh, Miss Amelia is going to read this and flip out!)



Our other good pal who usually joins us in the mornings is Elvis, he's a pitbull. I'll get more pics of the three of us soon.

Not much going on here. Mom is working at home today so I had to sneak into the computer room when she was in the bathroom! She's been in there a lot today. She is feeling very nervous because she is appearing in a program tonight at International House that is going to be televised on WYBE. My Mom the TV star! Woohoo! I caught her looking in the mirror this morning reminding herself not to appear in profile on TV 'cos she hates her bumpy nose!

I love having her home with me, but not when she sits upstairs working and barracades me at the bottom of the stairs. I keep crying and crashing against the puppy-gate, but she's ignoring me! Can you believe she keeps yelling, "Pretend I'm at work Axel!"
Yeah right Mom. I may be intelligent, but I'm not that gifted!

AGC

From Wire to Woodchuck

Oh dear, I pissed off Mom yesterday. She found bite marks on her precious yellow-wood table which she has shlepped around the world with her -- she bought it in South Africa, shipped it to Israel and then to Philadelphia only to have me nibble on it. I'm sorry Mom, it just looked tasty and now that I know how to jump up onto the dining-room chairs...well, it's hard to resist.



Mom has this new irritating weekend habit. She subscribed to the NY Times Weekend Edition. So now every Saturday and Sunday morning, instead of playing with me, she sits at my table and reads that thick, never-ending piece of superlative journalism. I don't like to be ignored, so I insist on sitting on her lap or on the chair next to her while she reads that thing while holding my chew toy for me to chew. It's the least she can do, right?

I never did quite like TIME magazine, but now I just think it's a stupid publication. I see they awarded the best invention of 2005 to the idiots who cloned Snuppy, the first cloned dog! "Last year, Spaceship One was Time's "2004 Invention of the Year". Let's see - from Spaceship to Cloned Dog...humans are so damn weird!

Hey in 2 days I'll be 6 months old!!! I hope Mom and Dad remember and buy me a present. God knows I deserve it...I put up with a lot of shit from them. Haha!

AGC

Wild Weekend!

Whoa, did I have a busy and very cool weekend! Even the weather was perfect!

Yesterday Mom and Dad took me to play with my cousin Jakie, who is a bit of a clapped-out geriatric dog at about 10 years-old. He is a black lab/chow mix. He is one lucky dog, he has this humungous back yard! Unfortunately, being an old man, Jakie doesn't like to play with me very much which is a bummer, he even growled at me a few times after I jumped all over him, but I still had a grand time.



All the kids were also at Jakie's house, and boy they have a lot of toys! I was in heaven! I particularly like their barbie dolls and mermaid dolls cos they have long hair which is fun to chew. But everytime I succeeded in grabbing one, one of the kids or adults would chase me around the house and get it out my mouth! So I had to content myself to play with my frisbee and their big purple ball, together with my new pal Ashley:



During the day, the humans were hungry and decided to go off to McDonalds, but they were too nervy to leave me alone with Jakie, so I went along in the car. I was horrified when they all piled out and left me alone in the SUV! Luckily for me Mom felt worried and guilty leaving me alone while they all indulged in delish burgers and fries (and they should feel guilty!!), so after about 10 minutes she came out with a little box containing bits of burger and fries for me. Hmm, I like junk food!

So all in all, it was a great day at Jakie's house, but also quite tiring for a wee chap like me, so when we finally got home around 8:30PM, yours truly took to the couch. Miss Amelia, note the very gentleman like pose, my front legs so elegantly crossed:



Oh! Oh! I almost forgot to tell you what I did on Saturday! Mom took me to the dog run next door the Penitentiary which is always fun, but on Saturday we happened to arrive just in time for a birthday party for Ellie (not sure what breed she is - lab?) who was celebrating her first birthday! Boy it was great! Ellie's Mom gave us all gifts - a frisbee and a bag of treats, and all the guest both human and canine had a grand time! I played with Ellie and Henry, a 5-month old bull mastiff puppy who Mom got a bit too enthusiastic over for my liking! There was also a doberman, beagle, sheltie and many more. Ellie's Mom was a bit nuts and made poor Ellie wear a silly party hat. I did my best to help her remove it by biting the tinsel pom-pom!

Before I forget, I have two new friends to introduce! Both these Wires epitomize what active little delights we are! First up is Jazz (left) who is 14 months old. She sure is a lucky gal, she gets to go boating with her Mom Jan - just check her out in that cute life vest! Her Mom says "she’s also quite the character and has no fear of anything which is a mixed blessing sometimes." Pictured to the right of Jazz is Terry who has ambitions of being a Nascar driver by the look of this pose. I love the look in his eye, it's as if he's thinking, "Uh oh - caught in the act - guess I should have asked Mom if I could borrow the car!" Terry is 2 1/2 years-old and lives with his Mom Ellen in Maine.



Tomorrow Dad is starting a new job and he has to leave the house around 6a.m. so I am a bit worried about missing my early morning walk. Mom said she'd take me, but she's not as energetic as Dad is in the mornings - she is kind of lazy and prefers to sleep late! Now that Dad won't be home much, I'm feeling kinda sad, but I overheard Mom and Dad discussing interviewing a new dog walker for me. Yippee!

AGC

Sooo Many Birthdays!

Wow, so many of my friends are having birthdays this week! Let's meet a few of them, shall we?
First up is Kodi, who just turned two. Kodi has a big, bossy sister Maddie who is 3, and they are both rescues from down south. They love walks, playing and barking at cats. They also enjoy the challenge of trying to escape out of their yard by digging under the 6 foot fence, just like they do in prison outbreak shows! Maddie is the boss, and is always after Kodi to behave, but he's pretty incorrigible and loves eating his mom's grandkids' barbie dolls and trucks! And I thought I was bad! That's Kodi sitting on the right, Maddie on the left, and a pretend wire at the back!



Then we have my smooth friends Lottie and siblings Sugar Bear and Gunner who are also celebrating this week!

Gunner (aka MTN Fox Ghost Rider) , now 2 years old, lives with many other sweet foxies in Utah, near the Wasatch Mountains. His Mom told me that he's almost human and loves to wrap his arms around her arm and "hold" her. Hmm, not sure I'd like to be human - who wants to walk on two legs and work all day when you can run on four and have fun all the time? But I guess Gunner's Mom means he's human in that (and I find this hard to believe) he can speak like a human and say "Mama". Maybe the high altitude in the Utah mountains causes delusions? Heh heh, eek, I may get into trouble for saying that about Gunner's Mom Bev.
Gunner has a brother Sugar Bear who is owned by Cindy - he is pictured right. They sure look like brothers, don't they? Happy 2nd Birthday Gunner and Sugar Bear!



Both Gunner and Sugar Bear are lucky to have big foxie families. I wish I did, but I'm an only child for now. Check out Sugar Bear and his siblings Beauty and Gidget Louise, having a wild time with their frisbee! They live together in beautiful Boulder, Colorado.



Lottie is a smooth gal who turned 3 this week. She seems to have an identity crisis believing herself to sometimes be a mountain goat according to her Mom Claudia. I hope that doesn't mean she has a beard, I don't like beards on bitches! I scrutinized the pics of Lottie and am relieved to tell you that I see no beard in sight! Phew. I sure like her black markings - she's beautiful. And I wish my tail was that straight! Mom and Dad call me CT - Curly Tail. I don't like being called that thank you very much. It injures my manhood.



A last birthday wish goes to my beloved Miss Amelia's human Dad, Phillip, who celebrates his birthday on Sunday. I have no idea how old he is in human terms, but to look at him I would guess he's about 4 years old in dog years. Bet his three furkids keep him young and trim. Check him out trying to lift his birthday cake while simultaneously working out on that weird machine they call a treadmill. I guess he thinks if he eats and exercises at the same time he won't get fat. LOL...humans are so silly sometimes. (I sure would like a slice of that cake, I don't have to watch my figure...)



Speaking of Miss Amelia, I got a nasty email today from Miss Amelia's brother Bigfoot Fletch. It reads in part, "Hey, Axel......you mind your manners here! I know exactly what you are up to! Unless you have serious intentions, don't mess with my lil' sis or you will have me, Woody and big Beau to answer to!!!! Amelia is not just one of your groupies ....she is a lady."

Geez Bigfoot Fletch, I am shaking...I am soooo afraid of you. Not! I'll challenge you, Woody and big Beau to a tug-o-war anytime. Just name the time and place. I'll do anything to win Miss Amelia's heart!

Well, on that defiant note, happy birthday again to all my friends, and have a great weekend! I am going to visit my lab/chow cousin Jakie at his big house on Sunday. I'll tell you all about it on Monday.

AGC

Friends Remembered and Gained

This post is dedicated to the memory of dear Tucker who I mentioned in yesterday's blog entry. By all accounts he sounds like the most loyal and caring companion to his family Melinda, Frieda and Angel. Rest in peace dear Tucker.

I have a new girlfriend to introduce (don't get too jealous Miss Amelia. I never said I was monogomous!). Her name is Scarlett - named after that bitch in Gone with the Wind! Scarlett lives with her Mom Melanie in Winnipeg, Canada (I wonder if she's met Colby?). Her Mom tells me, "She's three years old. She loves to be always on the move with walks, car rides, up and down the A-frame in agility, or chasing leaves or squirrels or tennis balls. She can demolish a soccer ball in seconds. She's a tough girl but she also likes quiet times watching TV or curling up next to me at my desk. She thinks Axel is very, very handsome indeed. She's been laughing at all his bad antics the last few days..."

"Very, very handsome indeed" - what a perfect description of my good looks! Thanks Scarlett, you're pretty cute yourself - groomed or fuzzy!




Speaking of grooming....I seem to not only be a chick magnet, but a burr magnet too! Everytime Dad takes me for a romp in the park, I come home covered in those prickly things. As I'm always sticking my nose into bushes, they particularly like to cling to my face. Dad calls me "Snoot" becos of this.

My other friends Swoop and Bailey are short-haired and don't have any problems with burrs. It's not really fair when you think about it.

Here is a pic of me getting a burr near my nose removed. Check out my new adult teeth, I am fearsome!


Eventhough I tease Miss Amelia that Scarlett is my new girlfriend, I want her to know that I still think she is quite ravishing, long nails and all. I'm sure all my fellow readers would agree? That's her on the right. She makes my loins stir.

Last night there was a huge thunderstorm outside. I was convinced that the lightening and thunder were attacking our house, so while Mom and Dad slept, I stayed alert and barked all night. Funny, I didn't know Mom and Dad talked let alone yelled in their sleep, but every now again I'd hear a loud, "oh shut up Axel!" Of course, I totally ignored their ramblings and kept on barking. It really is deplorable how much they rely on me to protect the house. Such a huge responsibility for a 5-month old wire.

It's blowing gales today, leaves are flying all over the place - it's kind of fun to chase them and chew them!

AGC

My Exhausting Life

Yesterday my friend the UPS man arrived with a new package. When Mom opened it, it turned out to be a sofa cover intended to spare our couch from further terrier stains/damage. But silly Mom, did she not realize my curiousity would be spiked by this new addition to my territory? I promptly began to dig at it to test its durability and by so doing, made some beautiful holes in it. Really pretty ones. Then I noticed it had tassles on the end, so that provided me with endless entertainment, pulling and biting them. I also wanted to test its preservation properties - so I buried some of my biscuits in the corners so I could eat them later.

I am not sure why, but Mom and Dad looked at each other and said, "Well, there goes $40 down the drain. I give the cover another week before it looks like the shredded toilet paper all over the house." I don't have a clue what they were talking about.

Later, the same evening, Dad emerged from the basement with this odd looking combination of stick and strings. He sat on my couch and proceded to pull at the strings, and would you believe, some strange noise came out of it! Wow, intriguing! So much stimulation in one night - first my new couch cover and then this thing Dad referred to as a guitar. The noise made my ears hurt, but at least Dad didn't sing!



About 6 weeks ago, Dad bought me a huge bag of Solid Gold puppy biscuits, and last night as he was preparing my nightly repast, I was horrified to see him tip the whole bag into my dish and then he folded it up and put it in the trash can! Well I can't have Dad throw out my biscuits, so I grabbed the bag out the trash and dragged it into the livingroom and promptly began investigating the insides of the bag! There were no biscuits in there!!! How can that be and what am I going to eat tomorrow?? I'm worried, I think I might have an anxiety attack!

Well as you can imagine, I was completely zonked by the end of the evening what with the new objects in my territory and the stress of worrying about my next meal, that I fell into a deep sleep while dreaming I was a frozen chicken in a supermarket freezer.



Yeah, I know, not the most becoming of poses...don't hold it against me Miss Amelia! I was strung out! You see life can get exhausting for us terriers - there is always so much out there to investigate or destroy. Ask my English friend Tilly -- like me she was so tired, she found a perfect spot amongst her Mom's clean and toasty laundry, curled up and went to the land of nod.



I hate to end on a sad note, but you see I'd like to pay tribute to another dear wirey friend who passed over rainbow bridge recently. I like to think that Tucker and Rocky are playing together over there. Tucker (Nottingham's Merry Man) passed on October 23, he was only 8. In a moving email, his Mom Melissa describes him: "What a huge heart, all the intelligence, intuition...how he performed in the show ring.. how he mastered the agility course and got through the earthdog tunnels so quickly... how he loved and cared for my Mom through her battle with Alzheimers..and marched like an official pallbearer behind her casket with utmost respect, how he helped me with every single task, how he loved his toys...how he cared about everyone and made everyone smile... "

I send his Mom, Dad and big sister Frieda my deepest sympathy over their difficult loss. He sure sounded like one special fella!

AGC

A Tribute from Rocky's Mom

I received this very moving tribute from Elinor, Rocky's mom today. She said writing her feelings helped to heal the pain and remember her beloved wire.

Rocky was very lovable and very loving. Everyone he met was an immediate friend, especially children. The highlight of each day was going for a ride with dad. Some days it was just around the block but, still, it was "go for a ride?" He played extremely well with Rosie, his big sister (Schnauzer), and with our two kitties. After a good romp with the cats, it was not uncommon to find them grooming one another. Getting his ears cleaned by them sent him to Nirvana. During the day, he was with me wherever I was -- protecting me from the vacuum cleaner or dustmop, helping sort clothes for the laundry; or hoping I would drop a tidbit while cooking. In the evening and during the night, he was definitely my husband's dog. He was a typical WFT in that he had a mind of his own but, most of all, he was a good little boy and very much loved. He shall be missed terribly.

Elinor, that is a beautiful tribute. I don't know if there is web access over the rainbow bridge, but I'm sure Rocky can feel your love in these words. It is so overwhelming to know how much joy we bring to our human friends, the love between us really transcends anything I could put into words.

AGC

Farewell to Rocky

Today we received the awful news that our dear friend Rocky (AKC "And the Rocket's Red Glare") has crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

He was diagnosed with acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL). He was in Chattanooga for training and became ill. He would have been two on December 27.

Dad, Mom and me send Elinor, her husband and their surviving little schnauzer Rosie our very deepest sympathy on this tragic and untimely loss. It's so scary to think that we are all so mortal...

I'm sure Rocky had two wonderful years with his family and is happily at peace chasing squirrels and birds in the next world, while forever smiling down on his Mom, Dad and little sister.

Take care little Buddy!

AGC

Get Thee to the Bathtub!

Another great weekend is behind us! The weather was glorious and we had frequent frolicks in the park together - all the while off leash! Free!

It seems to me that there are a few too many hand stripping fraudsters out there. Remember my so-called stripping at the hands of Petsmart groomers a few weeks ago? Well, my hunch is that my good pal Kramer (left), had a similar experience, although he still looks better than I did! At least his body seems nice and trim, but the face? hmmm, don't look hand stripped to me, though he still looks cute. Compare him to my Canadian pal Master Colby (right) - now that is what I call a good hand stripping, he looks awesome! His Mom Wendy is one amazing stripper! (eek, that don't sound so good..)



Speaking of grooming, Mom and Dad forced me into the bathtub on Saturday. The plan was for Mom to bath me alone as Dad had to go out and work, but after chasing me around the bathroom for about 10 minutes (I can get under the clawfoot tub, Mom cannot, haha!), she admitted defeat and yelled for Dad (who was about out the door). When Dad opened the door, I thought I had my escape route all worked out, but instead I ran right into Dad's arms and those darn arms lifted me up and plonked me in the tub. I love water, but I don't like bathing, particularly when they put water and shampoo on my face. When the ordeal was over, I ran all over the house like a maniac and then settled under the bed. Mom was intent on blow drying me, so she literally lay on her back on the floor and pointed the blow dryer at me. She looked funny! I ran around for a while, but then I sort of started liking the warm air on my damp body, and I lay still while Mom dried me. Just don't point that noisy thing in my face...! I now look very fluffy...Dad keeps vowing to strip me, but all he's done up to now is pluck at me. Do I look like a dead chicken Dad?

I want to introduce a few more pals of mine. First, my very youngest pal, Sammy who belongs to Michelle and who is one lucky dude, as he lives in Mililani, Hawaii! He is just a very wee chap, barely 9 weeks old...boy is he a cutie. Wasn't so long ago that I looked a bit like him!



Then lets zoom around the world, all the way to Denmark and meet a sweet, furry gal called Aimee who belongs to Kitty (not a real Kitty thank God! Imagine being owned by a feline!).

And look at these siblings, Danny and Suzie having a wonderous time outdoors. Hey Danny (right) and Suzie (who belong to Joan), remind me, where do you guys live? Oh, Ohio!!!

And finally, a tale/tail of caution to all us terriers out there who love to chase after moving things! Spare a thought for Heidi (who looks to me like a Jack Russel) who was chasing birds along San Diego's Sunset Cliffs. "A bird flew over the cliffs and so did Heidi. She ended up on the rocks below. Local lifeguards launched a rescue operation using a crane. A rescuer was lowered to Heidi, then he hoisted the bewildered pup to safety. "
I can quite imagine any one of us wires or smoothies doing the same thing! So read up friends! Look before you leap/chase....

AGC