Another New Addition

Meet Alfie

Alfie is about 13 years old and like many of my favourite things, came to my attention on Cragislist. Alfie was 'surrendered' to a fellow border collie rescuer in Washington on my behalf by the former owner and Heather kindly brought Alfie part way to meet me.

Going over the border was, again, a nightmare. Another hour in immigration only to get a sympathetic border guard who told me that it was "very stupid" to detain me for this. This time, I *MADE* him search my vehicle for photographic equipment (none), in exchange for him putting what amounts to "this is really stupid" on my file, with the intent that in the future I will not be flagged when attempting to visit the USA. Yeesh!

[Borg Bitch = 1. Snoozefest '08 = 0. ]

The not-so-new addition, Sporticus, continues to defy death. Every day we go to the dog beach or the dog park and Sport runs and runs and runs and runs - the same dog who could only get as far as the beach and then lie down!! The other day we even tried swimming. Sport would like you to know that he's sorry he let Canada down, and won't be winning any swimming medals any time soon, but he certainly gave it a shot.

Aside from a new limp in the front, and hoarding the most persistent tapeworm I have ever encountered, he is doing very well.


He's always in the middle of whatever's going on:

Get of the shot Sport!!

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Mr. Woo and Piper's tribute to the 98 Olympic Games:

Synchronized Fifaing.

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Last weekend the Brady Bunch had a family reunion. I unfortunately could not attend, given that it was in my Nemesis City (ie Washington) and I had too much going on that weekend. But I did get photos! These little monsters are all growed up!! Holy crow, hard to believe they are almost a year old.


Marsha is now Sophie

Mike is now Seamus

Jan is now Jazzy

Cindy is now Loki

And Bobby is now McGee

Apparently Mona (Willow) and Cousin Oliver (Mitch) could not make it to the reunion. Cindy's adopters don't keep in touch, so we don't know how she is doing.

Thanks to everyone who went to the reunion for sending the photos of my babies!! Hopefully I can make it next year.

If you are feeling nostalgic, you can visit photos of the Brady Bunch growing up on my Flickr site.

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Ever wondered if you have a Doppelganger out there somewhere?

Wootie does not. Because he KNOWS he does.

This is Nadja, who looks a helluva lot like Mr. Woo! It's eerie!!

What u got there? Nadja being nosey

Originally uploaded by utski7

Check out her photo to see more eerily-similar-to-Mr.Woo photos!!

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Lastly, a new blog you might be interested in is

Vet On The Edge.

Check it out!!

Pupdate

Well readers, I have to admit that since Briggs died, I have not felt a lot of overwhelming need to take photos, 0r caption them with funny shit. In fact, I've not even picked up my camera since the last attempt, except to lend it to a fellow photographer in need. I guess I lost my muse.

:(

But! The Brady Bunch is nearly 3 months old and we got updates from their new mums and dads. I thought you'd like to see them.

Bobby, now known as McGee:
His new parents say: "Here are some new pics of Bobby McGee - he got to go to White Rock today. he is doing really well and growing fast. he loves to CHEW & cuddle and has learned to sit."

Cindy, who now goes by Jynx:
Jynx's parents say: "It has really only been 3 weeks since we brought Jynx home. The name stuck pretty quickly with us and her. She and Charlie get along famously. She rarely leaves his side. They chase each other around the living room and the back yard. Charlie will take away whatever Jynx is playing with so she will chase him. They are really fun to watch. Whenever Charlie lies down Jynx figures it is her place to curl up beside or on top of him. He doesn't seem to mind. When Charlie gets too much for her, she hides under a chair or behind a pair of human legs, and waits until he calms down. Just when he seems to have lost interest, she will leap out and attack him, and the rumbling will start again."

Jan has become Jazzy
Jazz's parents say: "We are having a lot of fun with Jan (now Jazzy), she has settled in really well and enjoying the walks in our woods – she has even seen deer! She is a really quick learner and now comes, sits, lays down and shakes a paw for us. She doesn’t like rain or cold weather very much but I assume that will change as she gets older. We also have her lined up for puppy kindergarten mid February which I know she will really love as she loves people and I am sure other dogs."


Marsha changed her name to Sophie:
Sophie's parents say: "She is very very good indeed...20 # and there is some question about her hearing...she hears, but sometimes does not even react to a sharp sound, will get it checked...but she joins the other dogs at the door if someone is leaving the house...and plays hard with Shira and uses Kirby like a nanny to take a nap with..."


Mike favours Seamus

Seamus' mum says: "Seamus Michael attends Kinderpuppy class on Tuesday nights. Last Tuesday was his third class where he learned "leave it" very quickly. He can sit and lay down pretty consistently. He's a pretty sharp little guy. Almost as sharp as his teeth. He is getting along well with our other dog Nosey except in the mornings when Seamus has his highest level of energy and Nosey is still grumpy, not having had his morning coffee. Nosey occasionally growls and shows his scary teeth face when Seamus overdoes it, but aside from those instances, they play very well together and like to cuddle up by the heater together.

"It seems to us that Seamus has grown quite a bit in the last few weeks. He has amazingly long legs. (see photo) He is still very, very sweet-tempered."


Oliver now calls himself Mitch
Mitch's parents say: "All is well! We changed his name to Mitch. He got his booster shots at 12 weeks and has no troubles visiting the Vet. He's put on a few pounds and a few inches. He gets along with our older dog, Nelson."

Picasso has morphed into Loki
Loki's parents didn't send photos, but they said: "Loki (picasso) is doing great! he is so inquisitive and playful and has made good friends with some of the other dogs in my family. he has gained 5 pounds since we took him home (he now weighs 23 lbs) and he is growing fast. We are taking him in for his booster shot in the next 2 weeks, and then we start with puppy training classes, we are all very excited. Already he has enriched our lives so much."

Let's review, shall we?

Looking back at 2007.


Tweed

This is the first photo I ever saw of Tweed. He is 2 weeks old here:


And now he's just (T)weird.

Tweed is still annoying. But he did qualify for the AAC Nationals for the third year in a row.

He wore some stuff:

He found a mentor:

He partied.

Not a bad year for Tweed. Humiliation of wearing stuff excepted.

Piper

Piper has had a full year of Mad Teeth (tm)

In all sorts of situations:

Not that you can blame her.

She's also my up-and-coming agility dog, and will one day replace Tweed as my main trialling competitor. If she stops biting me.

Woo

Woo had a year of highs and lows.

He lost his BFF Fifa:

But gained The Wootie Toy (tm)

He experimented a little:

And he took Piper exploring new places

But mostly he just chilled.

Red Dog

Red Dog reached a milestone in 2007, when he turned 10 years old.


He also began to fall apart.

First his elbows went to shit.

And then his face collapsed

But throughout it all, he has remained my most precious boy. He's dead honest. He's the most loyal creature on the planet. He is the truest dog I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. And he may be gimpy, and he may be creaky and drooly, his coat may be shit now and he is shaped like a tube, but he is far and away the most beautiful dog in the world.


I lost my Toilet Kitty in October, after 16 years together.

I still miss him every day. But fortunately, I have an extremely irritating Angry Donut to keep the sadness at bay:

Cookie Uncle and I had a succession of foster dogs.

And we raised 7 tiny little babies

and then helped turn them into monsters.

It's been a busy and hectic year. In 2008, watch for more photos of other people's dogs as I set up appointments for shoots when the weather improves. If all goes according to plan, I will be heading down the Coast to California in the Spring to take photos of dogs we know from the internet. If you want to know if you'll be on our route and want to schedule a shoot, let me know!

Have fun ringing in the New Year. All our best.

Okay, Okay. Quit yer bitchin'

Mona's begging you.

Actually, I think she may be begging Calgon to take her away. When you've got kids the size of MONSTERS who think you're a milk bar, you get a little desperate and sweaty.

I know, right? WTF? Where did the puppies go? Cookie Uncle and I went to visit puppies today and all we found were medium sized dogs running around.

They are HUGE.

Big Boy Bobby is still the biggest. He's a whopper! He's got one brown eye, and one that is both blue and brown. He can squash small children with one of his massive paws. Bobby is potentially going to live in the Wenatchee Valley on a native plant farm.

Cindy is still the baby bunny of the bunch. And she still has that heartbreaker of a face too. Cindy is going to Vancouver Island to live with one of Uncle Finn's siblings.

Interestingly, sweet, shy Jan has become Miss Social and has energy to burn. She has legs uptohere and is very striking with the peach running all through her coat. Like Bobby, she has one brown eye and one blue and brown eye. No one has spoken for Jan definitively yet, but there is a gal in the Vancouver area who might be interested.


Ole Blue Eyes, Marsha, remains chronically unphotogenic, but is lovely in person. She has a really sweet personality and is attached at the hip to brother Mike. Marsha has not yet been spoken for, so will be going to live with Cookie Uncle for a bit after her spay, until she finds a home of her own. Cookie Uncle says "Marsha looks like she is wearing shorts." This explains the attraction.

Gorgeous Mike gets better looking every time I see him. I am so glad we didn't name him 'Greg.' (No offense to the Gregs out there). He has perfect merle markings. Mike is going to live in Idaho with one of our 3WAAW fans!

Oliver, still blurry and out of focus. I'm sorry Olly, I don't know why I can't get a good photo of you. The big bruiser is still the world's cuddliest puppy - he is going to live in the Lower Mainland with a gentleman who says the addition of Olly means his wife moves down the Priority Scale one notch, and she's okay with it.

And last but not least, the very stunning Picasso. This boy is a lean machine and is a simply marvelous slate grey colour with grey eyes to match. His photo does not do him justice. Picasso has not been spoken for yet, and I have no earthly idea why.

The pups are at least double the size they were when I last saw them. They are 9 weeks old as of this Sunday and go in next week to be neutered, vaccinated, chipped and have their dewclaws removed. I know that their foster family will be sad to see them go, but they have done such a fantastic job with them. Each and every pup is a well socialized, docile, sweet, good natured delight.

Finn, who was tasked with keeping Cooper amused in the yard, says "Yo, don't forget about me out here."

And Cooper, who liked Finn a lot but felt left out of the indoor fun, says "WTF? Why do I need a babysitter? Can I come in?"

Bobby is too sexy for the kitchen floor.

Not to be outdone, Marsha strikes a pose.

Mike and Marsha muscle in.


Happy now??

These will probably be the last photos of the pups I can take, since they get split up next weekend to go to their new foster and/or forever homes.

Bye bye, babies.