Dogs Aye View - Answers...

So, we got some more questions sent to us this past week and here are the right answers from the Dogs' Aye View!

Rufus (and his mom) in Plymouth, MN, want to know... You dogs seem to have so much fun, with activities like the triathlon. Where can a pup and his mom find out about fun things like that to do in MN?

Well, Rufus, it's not easy in MN, that's for sure. There are so many rescue places that do their own thing for fundraisers, that you kinda have to look at all of their web sites to get the information from them. Some of them let you get on their mailing list and that helps. Dogmom sometimes just does a Google search for "dog events, MN" and sees what comes up.

We're gonna find a way to list them on our blog... but we'll need some help! When you hear of or read of an event - 'specially one that benefits a rescue group - would you send us an email at dogsayeview@aol.com so we can post it? Maybe dogmom can do an online submission form when she has some time in between her two jobs and classes. We'll ask her, ok?

"Hello, I'm Buddha. Although I hold the official titles of Best Dog in Woodbury and The Best Dog in the Whole World, this hasn't made me too full of myself to ask a question now and then. My question is: Why is it I like to curl up with my owner Katharine on her bed and Dennis the doggy daycare guy on his couch, but I don't like it when a visitor dog or a foster dog curls up with me? Don't get me wrong; I like these dogs. I play with them, I let them drink out of my water dish, I share my toys as a gentleman should, and I generally enjoy their company. But when one of these dogs settles himself/herself on my bed with me, I move to the rug. If they move to the rug, I move back to the bed. Why do I do that?"

Well, Buddha (www.beyondmyslab.blogspot.com), that could be a really easy question or a really hard one. Maybe you have emotional attachments issues... I mean, you know the foster dog isn't actually going to STAY living with you, right? So, it's better not to get too attached. I, Gomer, am a lot like that. I'll share my water dish. I might let them eat before I do... not always, but sometimes. I play with them and let them play with all but my favorite toy. But, dawgs, three things are off limits: my cuddle time with dogmom, my lamb-filled rawhide chew bone (even Opie can't share that!), and my spot on dogmom's bed. A dog's gotta have some stuff of their own.

Or, maybe they just stink. You know, some dogs noses are better at sniffing out weird smells than others. Maybe these dogs smell really funky to you... and not to other dogs.

Or, maybe you're not the same-species-cuddle-bug-type. Opie and I aren't! We'll lay down with the cats at the vet office. We'll definitely sleep with the dogmom. Heck, I'd even consider sleeping with a rabbit or a ferret... but with Opie? Are you joking?

Yo - Dogmom here. If you have a few moments to spare, log on over to Buddha's mom's blog and read a few bars and leave her a comment. It's not a "dog blog" in the purest sense, so she was rejected by Dogs With Blogs as a member... BUT... she has a great heart and loves animals and seems to need a bit of a boost in spirit right now. Let's show her that dog-bloggers are real people, too, and that even though we say "It's all about the dogs," we know it's all about the way dogs treat each other instead of how humans sometimes do...

The Key West Collies (www.keywestcollies.blogspot.com) want to know... What is snow like? And, does yellow snow really make you blind?

Snow is like crushed up ice cubes. You know, like when you chew on an ice cube and it's all chewed up in your mouth in little pieces, but it's not melted yet? Yeah, like that. Opie thinks it's like ice cream... but it doesn't taste the same. We don't think yellow snow makes you blind... we think the white stuff does a better job of that than the yellow kind - 'specially when the sun is shining. (Which isn't very often when the snow is out.)

Thanks for your questions this time - Rufus, Buddha and our parrot-head collie buds...

If you have questions, please send them to us at dogsayeview@aol.com! We'll answer some more next Friday!

Wuf Ya!

How Do You Sleep?

So, dogmom thinks that Opie and I sleep funny.

Here's Opie sleeping:


She thinks it's funny that either he curls up inside a blanket... or he sticks his legs out straight and starts running in his sleep. Yep, his feet actually move and his legs move like he's running. He almost always sleeps on his side, too. Hardly ever on his stomach and never on his back... Sometimes he "talks" in his sleep... and if she asks him questions, he'll actually squeak or bark an "answer."

And, here's how I usually sleep. Dogmom thinks it's funny that I sometimes hang off the end of my bed... even though it's big enough for both Opie and me to lay in. I usually sleep on my tummy and curled up in a ball. But sometimes, after I get home from Dog Pad, I crash out like Opie. Dogmom says I don't run as much in my sleep. I seem to eat a lot, though. Yep, my mouth is always moving and chewing when I'm sleeping. I don't seem to talk as much as Opie does, though.


So, we're curious.

How do you sleep?

Wuf Ya!

Don't forget ...

To take the time to lay in the grass, let your tongue hang out and smell the weeds!


And, don't forget to scream if you feel like it!

Look! More Triathlon Photos!

Hey dogs!

'Member a couple of weekends ago when we went to the Minnesota Iron Dog Triathlon and we got our medals for finishing (even though Opie only thought he got wet swimming...)?

Well, we got these pictures in email from Jody at Lake Minnetonka Pet Sitters. We actually were on the LMPS team for the triathlon.

Anypaws... look how handsome and gorgeous Jody's dogs Tobie and Pete look wearing their medals...


And, even better... here is a picture of Randi! You remember Randi - she's baaaaaacccccckkkkk!

Anypaws, Randi is holding her puppy Teddy (the big boy) and her dad is holding Gemi (the petite one) just before they went swimming!


Wuf Ya!

She's Baaaaaacccccckkkkkk!

So, just when we thought that life couldn't get any better... guess what?

It did!

Yeah, we complain sometimes that dogmom hogs the computer and she smells like other pets when she comes home... But, for the most part, we got it pretty good here. Sure beats the dumpster... and Opie says it beats being left in the park, too.

Anypaws. Guess what!

Randi came back today! Yup. We were really surprised. She came in and let us out in the back yard to go potty. Can you believe it?

Dogmom said she can't walk us any more because we tug too hard and we hurt Randi's back. But, she can come and hook us to our tie-out cables and let us go potty and pet us and give us treats and stuff like that.

We'll take it.
Wuf Ya!

The Dogs' Aye View

So, last week we asked people and doggies to send us questions. And, we'd answer them from the Dogs' Aye View. You can post the question as a comment on our blog, or you can email it to us.

Here's the first installment of questions we received:

The Key West Collies (www.keywestcollies.blogspot.com) want to know ... Are your five favorite foods the same as ours?
Well, KWC, our five favorite foods ARE pretty much the same as yours!
We wuf cheese... pretty much any kind will do.
And we wuf peanut butter... in fact, I almost ate a whole jar that I found on the counter when I was a puppy. Opie ate a whole jar of Nutella last year that Sasha's mom bought for dogmom.
We never get ice cream, but we think we would like it if you all like it!
And we wuf bacon 'specially!
And, we absotively, pawsolutely wuf dog treats!
-Dogs' Aye View

And, KWC (www.keywestcollies.blogspot.com) want to know this too: Will they ever event bacon-cheese flavored ice cream?
Dogmom said she found bacon-flavored ice cream ...
http://www.slashfood.com/2006/08/06/bacon-ice-cream-is-an-udder-delight/

And, Turkey Hill mentioned in their blog that they should consider a bacon and cheese flavored ice cream... but it doesn't look like they did it. http://icecreamjournal.turkeyhill.com/index.php/2007/08/15/philadelphians-love-ernie/ Guess it wasn't appealing to the humans.
-Dogs' Aye View

And, darling Dakota (http://itsasibeslife.blogspot.com/) sent this question:

Dear Dogs' Aye View,
I have every reason to think that there's a new dog coming to live with me and Bandit. I'm all about the twos company, three's a crowd theory. What do you think? If there was a new dog joining you, how would you feel?

Well, Dakota, that's a tough one. Before Opie came to live with us, I was like you... two's company and three's a crowd. Cuz, Dogmom and I were really happy, just the two of us. And then, when I met Opie, I thought that maybe it would be kinda nice to have a friend besides Dogmom. And, now, I can't even remember my life without him.

I know you're talking about another dog coming to live with you. Um. Maybe you should look at it this way... do you ever get tired of playing with Bandit and wish there was something else fun to do? I feel that way about Opie sometimes... even though I wuf him like a littermate. Sometimes, I think it would be really nice to have another furry-four-legged being at our house. In fact, I'm kinda jealous.

Yo- Opie here. Send your new dog up to our house and take the Gomester... would ya? Wanna trade?

In any case, good luck! Hope you wuf your new kennel-mate in the speed of a dog's day!
-Dogs' Aye View

And, darling Angel - the Yorkie from Prior Lake, MN - wants to know ... Why do some dogs write blogs?

Well, Angel, I suppose there are lots of reasons. Some of us are just looking for a creative outlook in between meals, naps and potty breaks. Others are driven to write and tell stories and record events, much like journalists and newspaper editors. It's in our blood. We're always sniffing out a good story and barking it out to everybody.

Maybe a better question is why don't your humans let you write a blog? We bet you have all kinds of great stories to tell! ... 'specially about your dogdad's job at the newspaper...
-Dogs' Aye View

Don't forget to send your question - or your human's question - to dogmom for future installments of Advice from the Dogs' Aye View.

Also, dogmom was wondering if you would send her your bestest or favorite winter pet-care tip? She's going to write an article for the Southwest Metro Animal Rescue's newsletter, PawPrints, and wants to make sure she doesn't miss anything.

Thanks, dawgs!

Wuf Ya!

We're Off to Dog Pad!

So, good news and bad news, dawgs.

The good news is that we get to go to Dog Pad a lot these days. We wuf Tory. She comes with the big blue truck and picks us up every day where dogmom works. And then dogmom either comes and picks us up at Dog Pad, or Tory or Nate drive us back to dogmom's work. Doesn't that sound like pure doggie fun? Well, it is!

Anytails, the bad news is that dogmom is really busy these days and that's why we go to Dog Pad so much. She still works full-time at her job at the newspaper company. She says that one pays the rent and for the big bags of food and treats that she brings home. And she likes her job there and all the peoples she works with (well, that's not really bad news, is it?)

And, more bad news is that she works at Pet Crossing Animal Hospital and Dental Clinic. You know that one; it's were Dr. Kate is. She's our favorite doggie doctor and dentist. She makes our mouth and teeth feel all better when we break our teeth... which dogmom says we do way too often for her liking. She works at Pet Crossing about 20 hours a week. The only reason this is in the bad news category is 'cuz she comes home smelling like all kinds of puppies and kittens and dogs and cats and even bunnies and ferrets! It makes us crazy when she comes home smelling like animals we haven't met yet.

Anyways, more bad news is that she also spends a lot of time on the computer for her class. She started at veterinary technology school and right now she's taking classes online; so I guess that's not totally bad news because it means she's at least at home. But she hogs the computer for hours at a time and then she reads really weird books to us and says things like hydroencephalitis and pneumothorax. Like we need to hear those things, right?

Anyways, we get to go to Dog Pad more, so I guess it's all worth it.

Hey - don't forget to send us some questions that we can answer from the Dogs' Aye View! Anything goes... except not medical or behavioral issues that you should talk to your doggie and kitty (and hampster, Girl-Girl) doctor about. Dogmom needs your help here! (See post from the other day...)

Wuf Ya!

Ask Us! Ask Us!

Ok, so dogmom has this crazy idea of starting an advice column from the Dogs' Aye View.

Not advice about the medical and behavioral stuff you and your humans should be barking at the veterinarians and trained professionals about... but the other stuff.

You know, like why does Opie jump the fence? (To get to the other side.)
And what should I do when somebody is standing too close or bugging me? (Lick them in the face.)

She said it's similar to what Perfect Tosca does with her mailbag of questions. But we don't get a mailbag of questions... so now we want some.

So, if you have a question that you would like answered from the Dogs' Aye View, please post a comment or email Opie and me at dogsayeview@aol.com - we can't wait to check our email! (If you don't want your question posted or printed, please just say so in your email!)

Wuf Ya!

We Completed Our First Triathlon!

Ok, so it was all in fun and not really a true competition. But we did all three events ... well, most of all three events ... and we met some really nice dogs and people and we had a blast.

The Minnesota Iron Dog Triathlon is a fundraiser for Top Dog Foundation. They are trying to raise funds to build a sanctuary for dogs that are old or otherwise considered unadoptable in the area around where we live. Because every dog deserves a permanent home, food and shelter from the cold. Did you know there are only 9 sanctuaries in the U.S. - and that only 1 in Ohio is dedicated to providing a permanent home for elderly dogs. Top Dog Foundation wants to change that.

This is our picture when we were just starting out. Thanks to the Top Dog volunteer who snapped it for us - we forgot to get her name.)

Anyways, so we had to walk on the trail for about a mile. (It really wasn't all that much of a chore, although dogmom didn't like it when we tried to run down the hill - something about her knees...)

And then we had to walk through the obstacle course. We didn't like the tunnels and wouldn't go through them for dogmom. I went around them and Opie jumped over them. We jumped over all the bars, except when there were people watching us. Then we just sat there and looked at the bars and watched their dogs go over them (even the little chihuahuas and rat terriers!).

Then we got to go swimming! I ran right into the water and started trying to drink it all. Opie hates the water - but even he got all his feet wet! Everybody started laughing when he kept trying to shake all the water off of him and only his feet were wet. Really, I'm serious. His body was dry but he shook like he was all wet. So, I went over and shook my water all over him so it at least looked like he went swimming.

Then we walked back to the area where the vendors were.

See, here we are at the finish line wearing our medals! (Thanks to Patrick Nau of Patrick Nau Photography for taking a picture of us with dogmom's camera!)

• We stopped at the Patrick Nau Photography booth.
• And then we got to look at all the paintings and the lady that was painting pictures of dogs - Best Friend Watercolor Portraits by MarySue Krueger.
• And the Petco guy gave dogmom a bag of goodies with balls and Frisbees and stuff.
• And the BarkBusters training lady commented on how happy and social and well-behaved we were since dogmom had two dogs on one leash! (Can you believe it?!?)
• And we saw Jody and Randi from Lake Minnetonka Pet Sitters. Randi might even start coming to visit us on Wednesdays again.
• And Top Dog Country Club had a booth ... they do boarding and doggie daycare, and a portion of the fees help the future sanctuary.

And, the Star Tribune had some people there to promote their PetCentral section and web site. (Dogmom hates that, cuz they're competitors of the papers she works for.)

Anyways, we had lots of fun. Dogmom was really impressed that we behaved the whole time and didn't get snarky or scared this time. After seven years, we're getting better!

And, this is what we looked like on the way home in the back of the truck ...

Wuf Ya!

Hey Dogs!

Today, we get to go to Dog Pad again. We wuf Tory at Dog Pad. I can hardly wait to get out of the truck when I see the big Dog Pad puppy-wagon come to pick us up for doggie day care.

We'll probably be too exhausted to post tonight... 'cuz we run and play and chase balls and dig holes and run and play some more all day long. Tory told dogmom that the pools are still out... but it rained last night so we're hoping to just lay in the big mud puddles if we can find one.

Dogmom said to not forget to tell you that Opie did really well during the boomies and lightflashes last night. He hardly shook or got scared at all this time. He did run over and lay down on dogmom one time, but I think it was by accident. He didn't see her watching Craig Ferguson on the TV while she was laying on the couch.

Tomorrow is our big day at the park for Top Dog Foundation's Minnesota Iron Dog Triathlon. Dogmom says to say a prayer that we will be nice to the other dogs and people so that we can stay and have fun. We think that's silly. 'Course we'll be good - Jody and Randi and everybody from Lake Minnetonka Pet Sitters are going to be there!

Wuf Ya!

Iron Dog Triathlon 2007

Yo, Dawgs! Calling all dogs in the Twin Cities Metro Area! Wanna come meet us? Huh, huh? Do ya?

Well then get yourselves in shape (not really!) and get ready to have some fun (yes, really!) and join us at the Top Dog Iron Dog Triathlon 2007 THIS SATURDAY, September 8. It's a fundraiser for Top Dog Sanctuary. There's an agility event as well for all you agility-ability dogs!

You can find all their info here: http://www.topdogfoundation.org/
And, info about the event is here: http://www.topdogfoundation.org/2007_iron_dog.htm

Here's the brochure: http://www.topdogfoundation.org/Docs/Iron%20Dog%20Brochure07.pdf
Here's the dirty details: http://www.topdogfoundation.org/Docs/Iron%20Dog%20Flyer%202007.pdf
And, the registration form is here: http://www.topdogfoundation.org/Docs/Iron%20Dog%20Participant%20Registration2007.pdf

You CAN register at the park on the day of the event - but you might have to wait to get your t-shirt and stuff. So, better if you can send it in before hand...

Basically, the triathlon means that we get to play in the park, get our feet wet, pull our dogmom down the path, make her go through hoops and laugh our doggie butts off. And, the money raised will go toward building a sanctuary for doggies that can't find a forever home. Unfortunately, there are still some doggies out there that people don't want.

So, won't you come? It'll be fun!
Minnesota Iron Dog Triathlon 2007
Saturday, September 8, 2007 from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
for the benefit of Top Dog Foundation
Lake Minnewashta Regional Park (Map: http://www.co.carver.mn.us/departments/PW/parks/docs/Minnewashta_Park.pdf)
Between Hwy 7 and Hwy 5 on Hwy 41 in Chanhassen.

Opie and me will wear our DogsAyeView bandanas so you'll be able to spot us! (Hey, dogmom! You can make us some DogsAyeView bandanas by then, right?) Well, if she doesn't, then you'll recognize us because you see our pictures on this blog!

Wuf Ya!

Mom Tried to Cut My Leg Off!

Ok, so Opie and I are outside in the yard, minding our own business. You know, the usual stuff... sniffing the ground, eating the grass, rolling in squirrel and rabbit poo, barking at the birds and the trees and the people and dogs on the trail - well, only the ones that don't have their dogs on leashes.

We don't bark at the peoples with their dogs on leashes. But we go crazy when we see a fellow canine with their human on the trail and they're not wearing a leash. I mean, geesh, don't they realize how easily humans get lost if we don't lead them around?

Anyways, when dogmom called us inside, we waited a while, but then we went in. And, she had these in her hand...

And you know what that means, right?

Anyhow, usually, I'm very brave and I actually kind of like the attention when she's clipping my toes off. 'Cuz, normally, she's good at it and if I lay still on my side, she clips them really fast and we're done in no time and I get treats after every foot is done.

Opie, on the other hand, wimpers and wiggles and cries. But eventually he gives up on that and lays down and gets his extra treats.

Well, today was different. Dogmom tried to cut my whole leg off. I mean, I know she didn't mean it, but dawgs did she chop into my toe really bad. OUCH!

So, anyways, I made a big deal about it and let her know that that just wasn't acceptable. I hid in my room and wouldn't come out until I couldn't stand the smell of blood anymore. I let her wipe my foot and look at my toe. And, you know what?

She said it wasn't even cut open. I looked, and know what? It wasn't. Isn't that weird?
I was sure she cut my leg off.

Anyways, I got treats and didn't have to endure the lopping of the toes today!
Wuf Ya!