Happy July 4th to Everybody!

Dogmom has to post today, 'cuz we're kinda freaked out by the loud noises the last few nights...

Hi all! Thanks for clicking and commenting and posting the DogsAyeView 10K and spreading the word! This is the most fun I've had spending money in a long time! I know it's only July 3rd, but I wanted to post July 4th greetings before I "forget."

A few years ago, I was out of town during the July 4th week. I had a terrific dogwalker who came and took care of the boyz (Hi Jennifer at the Pet Crew!), and she even came early July 4th so they got their walk in before the fireworks started. Now, before this particular July 4th, Gomer and Opie would sit on the balcony of our apartment in Minnesota, or in the yard at my house in AZ, and watch the fireworks with me. We ooh'd and ah'd at the lights and the whistles and even the pops and booms didn't bother them.

But then, this one day, while Jennifer was walking them... some teenagers decided it would be funny to throw some firecrackers at Opie when he walked by. They detonated right underneath him; needless to say, they completely startled and freaked him out. Jennifer consoled him and took him back home, giving extra hugs and kisses and attention. But the damage was done.

Each year since, Opie is completely freaked by the sound of fireworks, or clashes of thunder, or the sounds of the highway pylons being pounded into the ground behind our house. If you've ever seen the movie "Because of Winn Dixie" ... and you can picture the dog's pathological fear of thunderstorms scene running back and forth in the trailer ... you have a good idea of Opie's reaction.

I've tried various desensitization techniques, to no avail. Opie's a smart one and he seems to interpret the extra attention as reason to be even more afraid. He has gotten better about repetative noises... like bumbly-rumbly thunder... but not for loud, sudden noises ... which, of course, are harder to predict! Cars backfiring... firecrackers... loud crashes of thunder... dropping a pan on the kitchen floor... all set him off in a tizzy.

So, I've now turned to medicating him around the 4th of July. He takes 1/2 milligram of alprazolam (brand name in the US is Xanax). It seems to be helping, if only from the standpoint that he's more apt to watch me and "hear" my attempts at soothing him.

Of course, he still prefers to run upstairs and sit in the bathtub with the curtain closed ... until all sounds have stopped.

Wuf Ya!

Past the 5K Mark in the DogsAyeView 10k!

Ok, so you dogs are all doing great! Here are the stats as we passed the 5K marker!

454 Visits to our blog ... That's $45.40 for Friends for Life (times two 'cuz of the purple clicks.)

74 Comments - Come on! We've heard you bark more than this at the rabbits, deer and squirrels! That's $7.40 for SW Metro Animal Rescue (times two 'cuz of the purple clicks.)

102 clicks o' the purple button. *That's 61 bowls of food for homeless dogs! And, $10.20 to the Animal Rescue Site.

29 posts on your sites linking back to our site (Totally PAWsome, dogs!) That's $29.00 to worthy rescue organizations!

So, that's just about $145... we can do better than that! Five more days to go!

Wuf Ya!

4:45 p.m. UPDATE: Dogmom said to tell ya that she's gonna assume that everybody is clicking the purple button that visits, so you don't have to include it in the comments anymore. She'd really like to see more comments, tho... so SW Metro Animal Rescue doesn't get shafted!
Wuf Ya!

10K - Through the First Turn!

TODAY'S OUR DOG BLOG ANI-FUR-SARY!

Yay! We've got all kinds of dogs... rescue dogs and Perfect dogs and purebred dogs and geesh, don't get me started on the breed name... running in the DogsAyeView 10K. You guys and gals are HOT! By the way... we've even had a hampster and some koi fish participate! No cats yet... but we think they're just waiting to pounce on us at the end.

Since several dogs asked... here's Opie's story about how he hurt his tail (it's about half-way down on that day's post): http://dogsayeview.blogspot.com/2007/06/were-back-were-tired-opie-hurt-his-tail.html.

Anyways... we thought just in case you needed some motivation in the DogsAyeView 10K to get you on to the half-way mark... here are some deer and bunnies that were in the wetlands behind our house this morning... you can chase 'em!








Wuf Ya!

Now Just a Dog-Gone Minute!

Dogs! I've got a bone to pick here. And it just won't wait until the DogsAyeView 10K is over. OK?

Now, here's my beef.

Dogmom came home at lunchtime today and she let Gomer & me outside to do our business, like she always does. Then, she got us each a Haleigh treat (remember the girl in Ohio makes them for us from scratch?). Anyways. We do our business and we get a Haleigh treat and then, know what?

Dogmom puts a leash on Gomer and tells me to stay. Apparently, he gets to go some place and I have to stay home? What's up with that?

So, I'm working really hard on the whole listening-better-so-I-don't-get-in-trouble thing. No, really, I am. Ok, maybe I'm not ..., but that's not the point.

The point is... Gomer got to go to see Dr. Kate at Pet Crossing and I didn't. Hmmmph.

Something about having to get his tooth checked (which I, like, totally don't understand since the tooth isn't even there any more!) and his funky-fungal tail checked. Double hmmmph.

Know what else? I know he got hugs and treats while he was there. I could smell 'em.

What did I get?
(Well, besides an hour and a half with the house to myself...)
What did I get,
hmmmmm?
JUST LOOK what the she did to my tail!


All because I left a few bloody-tail-swish marks on the patio blinds.

Geesh. You all better really start posting comments and clicking the purple button and telling your friends about our blog this week. Cuz the dogmom and Gomer, they really gotta pay, now!

Wuf Ya - Opie

The DogsAyeView 10K continues...

Ok... gig's up.

Dogmom was looking at her Google Analytics page last night and she wondered why there was a spike on our blog... so she finally read our blog yesterday and knows exactly what we're up to... and know what, dogs? She thinks it's a great idea and she wishes she had thought of it! (Opie says he knew she would... but I wasn't so sure myself... but then dogmom reminded us that she DID think of it!)

Anyways, she's really glad all our dogbloggin buddies are spreading the word. She said that so far, though, she anticipates that we'll be "under budget" for what she expected she would have to dole out. Can you believe that, dogs? She doesn't think we're spending her money fast enough.
'Course that just means more treats for us in the end. And then she'll start back on her, "Gomer, you're getting fat again" and "Opie, where is that greyhound tummy you used to have?" Now, dogs, we don't want that... 'cuz it means less food in our bowls and fewer treats and chew bones and more walks. Well, the more walks is ok, but the less food is a real hunger pain, ya know?

So, get busy and keep barking the news and pawing 'round your keyboards. We've got lots of work to do here!

See... here's our pawprints as proof we're helping!

First one is Opie's... and then Gomer's (really hairy feet!)...

And, here's our family "paw"trait!

Wuf Ya - Gomer & Opie

Dogs' Aye View 10K Continues...

Ok, dogs... we've passed the first kilometer mark in the First Annual Dogs' Aye View 10K. We're doing great so far so just keep running around the keyboard and telling all your friends!

In case you don't know what we're talking about ... see yesterday's post at http://dogsayeview.blogspot.com/2007/06/dogs-aye-view-10k.html for an explanation.

Um... we think dogmom knows something's up now... cuz she's getting lots of emails and Google says we're getting lots of visitors. (KEEP IT UP!) Anyways... she said to post our appreciation on the blog and that she'll eventually answer all the emails individually... but it might take her a while, so try to be patient!

We wuf all you dogs (and even the kitty cats that posted yesterday!).
Rescues Rule!
Um... and so do the perfect purebreds (ahem, that includes you, Tosca!)...

Dogmom said she'll do a formal update at the 5K mark about the number of visitors and comments and purple-button-clickers and link-backs. Keep puttin' those paw-prints all over the world-wide-web!

Wuf Ya!

The Dogs' Aye View 10K

Hey Dogs!

Dogmom planned to do this big to-do [snicker] for our Dogs' Aye View anniversary, which is this Friday, June 29th. Almost one year ago we started writing our blog!

Anyways, dogmom is kind of a statistician... and she predicted that sometime later this week our hit counter on our blog would register our 10,000th visitor. Well, you guys tricked her and sometime during the night last night the ticker turned over 10,000! We're sitting here grinning and smiling and wagging our tails, cuz she's so freaked out that she missed it. Silly human.

Anyways, dogmom planned to do this on Friday, but in honor of all our dogblog buddies that keep coming and reading our blog, she's posting it today ...

THE FIRST ANNUAL DOGS' AYE VIEW 10K:
We wanna make pawprints all over the world and celebrate our success by giving back to the people who helped to rescue us and those who work hard every day to rescue other animals from the streets or from bad situations. So, will you enter the Dogs' Aye View 10K and help us out? It's simple... just run around your keyboard ...

• For every visitor* to the blog over the next 10 days (from Tuesday, June 26 till Friday, July 6), dogmom is going to donate 10 cents to Friends For Life Animal Sanctuary, where she adopted us!
• But wait, there's more! She's going to donate another 10 cents for everybody that posts a comment to our blog ... about anything ... to Southwest Metro Animal Rescue, located in Chaska where we live, since they have the same no-kill philosophy about domesticated animals.
• But wait, there's more! If you tell us in your comment that you also clicked the purple button (upper left side of our blog, under our picture... or this link) The Animal Rescue Site on our blog to help feed shelter animals ... then she's going to donate another 10 cents to EACH of these fine organizations -- Friends For Life, SWMAR and The Animal Rescue Site.
• And, if you post a blurb and a link on YOUR blog that tells everybody and links back to us -- then she's going to donate a whole dollar (!) to the animal rescue group of your choice if you email her their information at dogsayeview@aol.com.

Got it? Four different ways to spend our dogmom's money for a good cause. We know it's a lot to remember... but we also know all the smart dogs that read our blog. Tell your dog-friends and cat-friends and even your humans - ahem, and yourselves - how much we appreciate your reading and participating in our blog over the past year and in the future. Come on, dogs! Let's organize our pack and let the pawprints be seen worldwide!

Wuf Ya !
Gomer & Opie

Here are some links:

• Southwest Metro Animal Rescue (http://www.swmetroanimalrescue.org/)
• Friends For Life Animal Sanctuary (http://www.azfriends.org/)
• The Animal Rescue Site (http://www.animalrescuesite.org/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=3)
• See our "Doggerrific Links" at the left for more!

Here's the fine print...

• *We'll use Google Analytics to determine the number of visitors between midnight on June 26 and 11:59 p.m. on July 6.
• All comments posted between now and 11:59 p.m. on July 6 count toward the SWMAR donation.
• Since there's no way for us to know if you did or not, you have to tell us if you clicked the purple button ... and hopefully, you'll click the purple button at the top of their page to actually donate free food to shelter animals.
• Don't forget to email dogmom at dogsayeview@aol.com an tell her if there is a link on your site telling your friends about our race... and your favorite rescue's information so she can get them the money. She's only human, and may not see everybody's blog in time!

We Were Tagged by Casey and Peanut!

Our new dog-blog buds, Casey and Peanut at http://www.caseyandpeanut.blogspot.com/, tagged us in the friendship tag game. (Thanks, Casey and Peanut!) For friendship tag, you have to list seven random facts or habits about yourself.


Here are our 7 random facts / habits:
1. Dogmom, a.k.a. Trish, started this blog to show people she works with how easy it is.

2. Dogs' Aye View is written primarily in the voice of Gomer, the Lab/Beagle/Cocker/Whippet/Pug mix. Opie, the Beagle/Chihuahua/Am.Staff/Poodle mix, occasionally chimes in with his hound howl.

3. Dogmom has lived in something like 20 cities in 5 states and three countries. We've only lived in three cities in two states since she adopted us.

4. Dogmom loves sashimi and sushi, just like Casey and Peanut's mom and dad.

5. Dogmom used to travel for her job (a lot!) but now likes to travel for the fun of it.

6. We're renting where we live now and wish we could afford a few acres or hobby farm in Minnesota.

7. We think we get to go to Ohio with Dogmom in a couple of weeks!


OK. Those are our seven things.


Now, we tag these dog-blog buddies:

Wimsey (http://wimseyblog.blogspot.com/)

Tosca (http://www.mypuppytosca.blogspot.com/)

Peanut the Army Dog (http://peanuts-thoughts.blogspot.com/)

Amy, Bala and Shankar (http://balashankar.wordpress.com/)

Ike (http://www.ikeslife.blogspot.com/)

Pippa and Kate (http://pippadogblog.blogspot.com/)

Dora and Liza (http://lizayoung.blogspot.com/)



The Rules:

• Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves.


• People who are tagged need to write their own blog post with their 7 things as well as these rules.


• You need to tag 7 others and list their names on your blog.


• Remember to leave a comment for them letting them know they have been tagged and to read your blog.

It's June... Meet Joon! (And Benny, too!)

Hi Dogs. In the interest of full disclosure for your owners and masters and humans, we feel very strongly that we should warn you in advance that if you are predisposed to going berzerk or crazy or just plain wanting to chase uncontrollably when you see kitty cats, well, you should shut down your browser or at least go look at another blog today. Dogmom suggests you visit any of the ones listed under our "Dog-Blog Buddies" list on the left.

It's ok. We won't judge. Just come back and visit us again this weekend or on Monday.

See, 'cuz dogmom got an email from our long-lost Arizona neighbor last night. We wuf Vivian and Don. Dogmom bought the house next door to theirs when Floppy was still living with her. And then he died and then she and Jennifer found me in the dumpster and took me to Friends For Life and then I lived with my foster-mom Keiko and then dogmom adopted me. And then I lived next to Vivian and Don, too. And then, a year later, Opie came to live with us. But that's not all really related to June and Joon.

So what?, you say? Well, Vivian and Don like to eat meat. Yep. Just like us dogs. But not just any kind of meat... well, yes, they do... but mainly they like to eat the kind of meat that humans buy at the store that still has the bones attached to it. Like steak... and pork chops... and hams...

Hey. Stop that drooling all over the keyboard!

Anyways, another thing we liked about Vivian and Don is that they had Benny. Benny was a little tiny kitten when we first met. Ok, well, to be honest he seemed as big as a great big grey tiger to me and I was kind of afraid of him. But, mostly he just played in his yard and I played in my yard and we looked at each other through the gate and all was well.

Then, Opie came to live with us and he kept jumping the six-foot block-wall fence and playing with Benny and chasing him and running around. And then we moved away to Minnesota and then Benny got Joon because he miss-ted Opie and me so much.

Anyways. I digress. But we really miss-ted our best kitty-cat buddies and know what? Vivian just sent dogmom this picture of them!





















See why we like them?

They're bootiful.

And they play fetch and hide-and-seek and like to lay out in the sun like us and watch their dogmom ... um... catmom work on the computer and they are really great cats!

Wuf Ya! - Gomer

FYI - Granddogmom is going to either be transferred to the rehab hospital or sent home today!
Wuf!

1:43 p.m. CST - Uh-oh. Granddogmom is gonna be upset, 'cuz she has to stay overnight at the hospital one more time. She'll be able to go home (not to rehab hospital) on Saturday. She said it's ok... but she wishes she could get some sleep... it's impossible to sleep at the hospital.
Wuf Ya!

Sicko Updates...

Dogmom talked to granddogmom on the phone last night and she seemed more kinda relieved after that. She said granddogmom told her she was going home tomorrow (today), but dogmom said probably not. Auntie Ann said that granddogmom would be released from ICU today, but probably wouldn't go home till Saturday or Friday. She's doing a lot better and her heart isn't slow or low or stopping any more.

Oh, yeah, and dogmom said to tell you that I'm doing much better with my tummy troubles. I've been eating hamburger and rice and taking my medication for the funky fungus on my tail and the medicine for my upset tummy, too. Things are shaping up, so to speak. But Tory told dogmom that I acted weird at daycare on Wednesday and didn't seem to want to play ball or swim in the pools like I usually do. I pretty much just laid down on the side of the yard and watched everybody. I don't think I'll do that tomorrow when I go back, though.

Oh yeah, and dogmom said to tell you that Opie's tail is getting better, too. If he would just stop whipping it around and back and forth and hitting it on the wall and making it bleed again. Then everything would be much better with his tail. But, we've given up on that idea pretty much and she just covers it with a Band-Aid.

Wuf Ya!
(Oh yeah, and dogmom needs a vacation from all of us...)

Oops... and, thanks to Pippa and Kate for reminding us we haven't said much about Ian lately... he's in Colorado at Craig Hospital for rehab. He's working hard at everything they throw at him and seems to be making progress, though he gets frustrated at times. You can catch updates from his mom at www.caringbridge.org/visit/iansweep. Since she's back in Bismark, she doesn't post every day... but posts when there is news from Ian.

GrandDogMom and Paw Prints

Hi Dogs! Thanks for all the good wishes for our granddogmom. Uncle Danny called last night really late after he went to see her at the hospital. He said that her heart stopped a couple of times yesterday but the staff at the hospital is on top of things and taking good care of her.

He said she went up to heaven to see granddogdad and he told her he was busy playing golf and she should come back down for a while longer. [Dogmom says you have to understand the weird humor of her family...]

Anyways, dogmom is stressed out about all the sicko's in the family (I think she means us, too) and the fact that she lives so far away from Ohio right now.

So, we decided to share something completely different...
















See the perfect pawprint that Opie made on the patio today?

Wuf Ya!

Grand-Dogmom's Getting a New Knee Today!

So, we decided to take a break from telling you all about our doggie woes like caught-in-the-door-tail tales and tummy troubles. We'll be fine, although we've learned to milk these situations as much as we possibly can... 'cuz we never know when there'll be another one.

["Yeah, right," says dogmom.]

Anyways, we thought we'd dedicate our post today to our grand-dogmom. You know, the one that had a birthday just two weeks ago? She got up at what was practically the middle of the night -- of course, since she's related to US -- to go to the hospital so she could get a new knee. See, in human years, she's older both of us and dogmom added together. But, in dog years, she's nowhere close to that old. It's so confusing. I need a nap.

Anyways... grand-dogmom is having surgery today to get a new knee. I think that's what it is. They're going to replace the old one, whatever that is. That way, she'll be able to walk better ... 'specially when Pooh Bear comes to visit her. She's in surgery right now and should be done in another half hour or so. Dogmom is waiting to hear how it went. We'll let you know when we find out.

We're sending doggie licks and kisses right over to the hospital. Meanwhile... about that nap.

Wuf Ya!

UPDATE - 10:00 a.m. - Granddogmom is out of surgery and all went well. They discovered that she actually was NOT a candidate for a partial replacement, so are happy that they decided in advance to do the full joint replacement. During surgery, they also discovered a small tear on the ACL, which was likely causing her knee to buckle on her, and they repaired that.

Siti is in recovery and will likely be ordering everybody in the hospital around really soon...
Wuf Ya!

UPDATE - 10:45 a.m. - Granddogmom has been transferred to ICU for observation. Her blood pressure has fallen "dangerously low," which they say happens sometimes. She is still pretty groggy, but awake and aware. Dogmom thinks it's probably a good thing that she opted for the spinal instead of general anesthesia. The cardiologist will be in to see her soon. We'll keep you posted on what we hear.
Wuf Ya!

UPDATE - 4:20 p.m. - The cardiologist checked on granddogmom and gave her some different medication for her nausea that should also help to get her heart rate and blood pressure back up to normal. She thought that perhaps it is a reaction to the morphine and that she shouldn't have that again if she ever goes back for surgery. Dogmom's sister works at the hospital, so she's been keeping a good eye on everybody today. We really 'preciate that.

Auntie Ann (who works at the hospital) said granddogmom should sleep really well tonight and will likely feel a lot better tomorrow.
Wuf Ya!

Feelin' a Little Queasy

Hi Dogs.

I'm feeling a bit queasy today, so I'm at home resting while dogmom is working and Opie is playing at Dog Pad again.

My tummy has been queasy since Saturday morning. I blew out my breakfast, you might say, all over the yard ... and lost my cookies, too. Then dogmom took me outside more often and all seemed to be getting better.

I woke her up three times in the middle of the night to go outside. But, the fourth time, she didn't wake up in time so I splatted poo all over the new rug in the laundry room. [THAT woke her up, hee hee.]

Then, Sunday morning, I went outside after breakfast and promptly deposited it on the lawn so that Opie could try to eat it for me. I just don't even care at this point.

So, Opie got to go to Dog Pad today and dogmom took some of my poo in a bag to Dr. Kelso to have him test it. He called and said "No parasites," so I guess that is good news.

Dogmom also talked to Sharon, the CVT at Pet Crossing, about whether the medication I'm taking for the funky fungal infection on my tail (ketokonazole) might be causing the V&D. It is a side effect of the medication, but dogmom thinks it is odd that I've been taking it for two weeks now and just got sick this weekend. She keeps asking me what I got into and I just look at her (like in the picture).

Anyways, I think I'm going to get some hamburger and rice out of it, so don't worry! And they said to give me some Pepcid AC, too, whatever that is... I hope it tastes good!

Wuf Ya! - Gomer

We Were Too Busy to Post Today...

Can you imagine? Dogmom didn't tell us that we were gonna get to go to Dog Pad again today and play with Tory and all the day care dogs.

We were really good boys again for Tory. We wuf it there.

She told dogmom about how I laid down in one of the pools and just floated for a while. I was a happy happy dog.

Even Opie was a good boy today. He got to run around with his 30 ft. leash, not even tied to the tree, since he wasn't looking at the fence like he wanted to jump it.

Wuf Ya! Have a great weekend!

Dog Names and Personality

So, dawgs, does your name fit your personality? Did you get your name because of your personality? Or, did you get your name before you really had a personality of your very own?

Dogmom found this site ... http://www.dogsabc.com/dog-names.html that describes us dogs based on our names. She would happily give credit to the site's developer, writer, owner... but she couldn't find any information on the site on under "WhoIs" other than it is held by a company in Scottsdale, AZ called DomainsByProxy. So if anybody has some more information, please let us know, K?

She thought that our descriptions fit us pretty well, all things considered.

What do you think?

"Gomer
Gomer falls into the 'Four' group of dog names. 'Fours' live on an internal clock so regular you can almost use them to tell the time. Whether it's mealtime, playtime, or bedtime, the 'Four' dog name lives for his schedule and will let you know if you're causing him to deviate from it. Don't get me wrong, it's actually really great. You can't appreciate the love of regular schedules that a 'Four' dog name has until you're on your sixth trip around the park with your 'Five' dog name in the middle of January waiting for him to 'do his duty'. The downside to that is that breaking their schedule too often can make them cranky, and you know a cranky dog will find a way of making that fact clear to you.

When it comes to personality expressions, Gomer falls into the 'Two' group of dog names. People and other dogs will get the impression that Gomer is easygoing and able to get along with just about anyone or anything. They'll get the feeling that your dog is cooperative - a peacemaker concerned with keeping harmony within his family group.

Gomer falls into the 'Two' group of dog names for soul urge or inner desire expressions. Internally, 'Two' dog names like Gomer want to build friendships and companionship. They are unconcerned with leading the pack, they are focused on working with their pack members in the effort to make the pack as strong as it can be. They will go out of their way to help a pack mate in need and are the first to help defuse any tense situations that might arise

The positive aspects of 'Two' dog names like Gomer show up as devotion and sensitivity to the needs of others. They're usually quiet and make close, loving companions for the family and other household pets. The negative side might show itself as timidity or having their feelings to easily hurt.

Opie
Opie falls into the 'Nine' group of dog names. 'Nines' are impossible to pin down because controlled by some mysterious force, 'Nine' dog names will behave like any one of the other eight expressions depending on what strikes them as appropriate. Like careful shoppers, 'Eight' dog names will work their way through different traits, picking and choosing the bits that seem to work for them until they've matured.

When it comes to personality expressions, Opie falls into the 'Seven' group of dog names. People and dogs will see your dog Opie as being quiet and introspective. 'Seven' dog names like Opie will seem to be more comfortable in periods of solitude and escaping the distractions of the social world. 'Seven' dog names like Opie certainly seem to enjoy daydreaming alone in some secluded spot than mixing it up with other dogs or people.

Opie falls into the 'Two' group of dog names for soul urge or inner desire expressions. Internally, 'Two' dog names like Opie want to build friendships and companionship. They are unconcerned with leading the pack, they are focused on working with their pack members in the effort to make the pack as strong as it can be. They will go out of their way to help a pack mate in need and are the first to help defuse any tense situations that might arise

The positive aspects of 'Two' dog names like Opie show up as devotion and sensitivity to the needs of others. They're usually quiet and make close, loving companions for the family and other household pets. The negative side might show itself as timidity or having their feelings to easily hurt."

Sound like us? Or, not?

Wuf Ya!

We're back... we're tired... Opie hurt his tail...

posted by Opie today...
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.... snortle................. snort ................... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Dogs... Dog Pad wears us out. We're zonkered. Beat. Dog tired.

We were asleep in the car before dogmom hit the highway on the way home... and after we got home, we looked like this for three hours...

But, we'll be back to normal real soon.

Oh, yeah... Tory said to dogmom (we heard her even without our super-dog hearing) that WE were complete ANGELS at Dog Pad this weekend. For four days.

Ok. So Gomer had to wear a bark collar for screaming at Tory cuz he knew dogmom was on her way. But, for the most part he was really really good.

And, I didn't even look at the fence with the idea of jumping it. Can you imagine that? I played in the yard and I chased the balls and I ran in the pool and I dragged the big rope around the yard. But I didn't try to jump the fence. That seemed to make Tory really happy. 'Specially since so many other dogs weren't on their bestest behavior this time.

Anyways. We're really happy that dogmom is home and she came to pick us up and take us back home with her. Even though we like Dog Pad best, there's no place like home.

[Dogmom says we need some ruby slippers.]

Oh, yeah. And when I was leaving, I darted out the door really fast. But dogmom was holding my leash and the door closed in between us. I yelped and I cried and I howled. She thought I was just complaining because I couldn't get into the truck and was stuck on the other side of the door. But, know what?

MY TAIL WAS CAUGHT IN THE DOOR!!! I was stuck. So, I pulled really hard and I pulled my tail free. In the process, I pulled some skin and hair off. Now I've got a holy tail. [snicker snicker] Dogmom says holy terror describes me better... whatever that means.

Really, it hurt. I jumped in the truck, but I was so happy that we got to go home that my tail wagged around in circles, as it is wont to do... I can't control it when it does that. Round and round like a fan. In the meantime, I sprayed some blood round and round like a fan spraying water in a circle. Dogmom got in the truck and kind of freaked out cuz there was blood on the windows in the front of the truck. She was trying to figure out where it was coming from... but since now Gomer and I had our faces by hers, she couldn't see it... meanwhile, I sprayed the blood around the back of the Explorer.

When we got home, she figured it out. By that time, I forgot that I hurt my tail... silly humans freak out at the smallest things. Something about just having the truck detailed and now having to do it again. Don't have any idea what that means. Anyways, since I kept wagging off the vet-wrap bandage she made... she put a big Band-Aid on it. Goofy human.

Anyways... we're still zonked and beat and dog tired... so we'll post a better post tomorrow. Promise.

Wuf Ya! - Opie

We're Goin' Back to Dog Pad!

Dogmom is going away this weekend to see Auntie Dawn (not Ginger) and Auntie Brenda (not Bailey) and Auntie Ann (not Charm and Mollie) and Siti Louise (no Pooh Bear either!). We don't know why she'd bother seeing all those humans at one time when none of the dogs will be there!

I mean, what's the point of visiting relatives if you aren't going to see the dogs?

Dogmom said something about a girls' weekend away with her sisters and her mom to celebrate grandogmom's birthday. Anyways, because the dogs aren't going, we don't want to go either.

So, we're gonna go to Dog Pad and see Tory again... we'll be back in a few days!

Wuf Ya! -- and we'll miss ya too!
Gomer & Opie

Dog Pad Day Care Wrap-Up

So, dogmom said that we could tell ya that we were good dogs at doggie day care at Dog Pad yesterday with Tory and Mike. For the most part.

I kept trying to rub my basket muzzle off by jumping up on Tory and rubbing my face (well, the mask anyways) all over her.

And, Opie got a little bit defiant with Tory when she stopped him from jumping the fence by startling him. He stopped and turned around and barked and barked and barked and barked at her. Know what? She threatened him with a bark collar. Know what? He still barked at her. Know what else? He had to wear one for a while.

Nah-na-nah-na-nah-nah!

That'll teach him. I only had to wear one once... never again. With Opie, it will probably take another time or two, dogmom says.

Anyways, know what? We must have been pretty good overall, cuz Tory said we can come back again on Friday!

Yay!
Wuf Ya!

It's BAAAAACK ...

Ok... so I mentioned (or dogmom did) that I had to wear the dreaded basket muzzle again whenever dogmom isn't around to watch me... so that I don't do something stupid like chew on something hard or run into a wall or try to scratch my stitches out...

That said... there is ONLY ONE THING in this whole crazy scary world that would make me wear this thing on my face AND let dogmom take a photograph of me wearing it AND let me let her post it on the blog so that you all can see it and make fun of me AND actually write about it.

Wanna know what? ...

WE'RE GOING TO DOG PAD TODAY!

(Opie says... "Are we there yet?")

Wuf Ya!

Happy Birthday GrandDogMom!

Today is our granddogmom's birthday! She lives in Ohio where dogmom grew up.

We think it would be fun if everybody who reads our blog today sends our granddogmom an email birthday greeting or posts a birthday greeting as a comment on our blog today. (Granddogmom is, um, older than 75 years old ... so she's older than us! even though she doesn't look like she's old enough to retire yet!) AND, she just got her first email address and computer about a month ago.

So, if you want to send her an email birthday greeting, please identify yourself as one of Gomer & Opie's friends and send it to sittoe@gmail.com.

Wuf Ya!
Gomer & Opie

All Is Well With Toothless and Jumping Bean...

Hi All!

Gomer did very well in surgery and in recovery, as usual. Now comes the fun part, where he's not allowed to play with his toys or chew on his rawhides or eat crunchy kibbles or cookies or treats for two weeks. Yikes!

Anyways, I'm glad he's good about taking his meds (Rimadyl for pain and Antirobe antibiotic... and an added anti-fungal medication for a fungus infection on his tail and front paws.) Oh well.

That, and he said to tell you the dreaded basket muzzle is back. He hates it, but has to wear it whenever I'm not around to keep an eye on him. I got him a slightly smaller one so maybe he won't chew the straps off this one...

Opie did remarkably well at Dog Pad for doggie daycare without Gomer. We were afraid that he might try to jump the fence or otherwise try to "find" Gomer, but the day was uneventful, thankfully. Silly Tory even invited him back again on Wednesday. ( Grins -- that's for you, Tory, cuz I bet you'll read this!)

Anyways, I get to go home and try to convince Gomer that he can't run and play ball, without making Opie think that he's in trouble... ah, the joys of dogmomhood!

Wuf Ya from Gomer & Opie... they'll be back really soon!
DogMom

Out of Surgery

Hi all!
Gomer finished his surgery around 11 am and I'm here with him in recovery. He's doing great and only had to have the one broken tooth removed.

He's up and walking around and has had his morphine shot, so he's feeling no pain. When he starts to get an appetite and wants to eat, we'll be able to check out and go home.

Wondering if Opie is behaving at Dog Pad without Gomer...

Thanks. Wuf ya!
Dogmom
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Off to Surgery and Dog Pad!

We know, that sounds like a weird combination for a title... but there are two of us... and even though we do most things together, today we're going to different places!

Gomer is going to Pet Crossing Animal Hospital and Dental Clinic in Bloomington to have his broken tooth removed. For those who are interested, he broke the lower left fourth premolar off at the gumline. (Opie here... I think he just likes to have matching sides!)

So, he'll be at the hospital playing with the cats and getting lots of hugs while I'm...

Well... I'M GOING TO DOG PAD!!!!
Yup, Tory's gonna come pick me up at mom's work and I'm gonna go play with all the other dogs and with Tory and with Kim today. Dogmom gave me strict instructions not to jump the fence or be snarky with the other dogs since Gomer won't be there. I'll try to listen...

Anyways, we'll post more later, after Gomer's home from surgery and I'm home from daycare so we can tell you more about how our day went.

By the way, we had a fantabulous weekend playing in the yard and going on car rides with dogmom!

Wuf Ya!

Sayin' Our Prayers ...

Ian Sweep, the son of one of dogmom's good friends, was in a car accident on May 15. A lot has happened since then... but here's the short version:

• Ian is 20 (dogmom thought he was 23 -- he's mature for his young age) years old, a fantabulous chef and was working at the newspaper in Bismark, ND, until he was to leave for the Navy in July.


• Ian broke three vertebrae in his lower back and one in his neck, along with some bruising to his lung, in the accident.


• Ivan, the driver, broke his ankle -- but still walked to the next farmhouse to get help.


• Ian's surgery to repair the broken vertebrae went very well, but he did incur some spinal chord injuries.


• Ian has been transferred from Bismark, ND, to a spinal rehabilitation hospital (Craig) in Denver, CO, to begin rehabilitation.

We're praying every day for Ian. See? (We're praying for Ivan and his family, too!)

We think that Ian might actually read our blog in between his therapy sessions... so we wanted to post something about him.

If you want to know more - or leave him a message - you can visit his Caring Bridge site at www.caringbridge.org/visit/iansweep. His mom updates it every day with his prayer wishes and his progress.

(Did we make you smile, Ian? Huh, did we?)

Wuf Ya!

Is My Nose Too Big?

Ever since the Poodle reference came back in my DNA test, the dogs and people I know are teasing me about my long nose.



















What do you think? Is my nose too big?

Wuf Ya - Opie

Eight Things About Us!

Thanks to Ike, our Minnesota dogblogging Boston Terrier buddy, for tagging us ... we were beginning to think nobody loved us any more! Anyways, here are eight things you probably didn't know about each of us...

8 Secrets About Gomer

1. My favorite song of all time is “Who Let the Dogs Out” by Baha Men. Whenever I hear it playing I stand up and dance, dance, dance!
2. My favorite movies of all time are “Homeward Bound” and “Lady and The Tramp.” If dogmom puts one of those in the VCR, I stop whatever I’m doing and watch the whole movie from beginning to end.
3. When I was a little puppy, my favorite “safe place” was in the space underneath the night stand in dogmom’s bedroom. Even when I got too big to hide in there, I would squeeze and contort my body so that just one foot hung out.
4. Like Ike, sometimes I snore so loud that dogmom moves me … or kicks me off the bed completely.
5. I’m very afraid of Boxers… even though some of my bestest blogging buddies are Boxers, when I see one in dogson, I freak out and get scared and try to run away. And Maltese dogs kinda freak me out, too, ‘cuz I mistake them for rabbits until I get close enough to smell them.
6. When I start barking and dogmom says, “Whisper,” I do.
7. I like to steal Opie’s chew bone when he gets up to get a drink and eat the liver out of the middle and then let him have it back.
8. These are all related, so I’m counting them as one thing ...

- My canine teeth on my right side are both broken off and had root canals.

- During my very first root canal surgery, I woke up and tried to jump off the table before Dr. Visser was done working on my tooth.

- I have to go see Dr. Kate again next week to have another broken tooth taken out.

8 Secrets about Opie

1. My favorite song of all time is “Fur Elise.” When it’s playing on the CD or dogmom’s cell phone, I fall asleep. If I'm really anxious (like during big boomies storms) and dogmom turns that song on, I'm better ... even if I still hide behind the curtain in the bathtub.
2. I like to sit on the couch backwards and lay my head on the back of the couch and look out the window and dream about one day learning to fly and catching some of those birds and squirrels out there.
3. I absolutely refuse to come when called unless what’s being offered is better than what I’m doing at that moment – and what is considered better changes every moment, too, so that dogmom has to keep trying new stuff.
4. I sleep with my eyes open.
5. I love to run … even when I’m not supposed to be running ... but I love to convince humans to play “Catch Me If You Can” even more.
6. I especially like cats and children and little dogs … German Shepherds kind of scare me.
7. When I start barking and dogmom says, “Whisper,” I bark louder and louder. She has to say, "Wanna go in your crate?" to get me to stop.
8. I lay down in the corner of the room and whine and talk until dogmom figures out what I want her to do (sometimes it takes a long time!), especially when I want her to make Gomer give me my chew bone back!

So, those are 8 things about us that you probably didn't know yet. We're tagging Niko, Max and Amy at One Dog and Two Birds blog -- they just started blogging this month! (See their blog at www.balashankar.wordpress.com!)

Wuf Ya - Gomer & Opie

And The Winner Is...

Well, um, hmmm... about 50 dogpeople got one of our breeds right... and a few dogpeople got two of our breeds right... even if they guessed different breeds from the other guessers... but, nobody got three or four of our breeds right.

So dogmom is in a quandry... she doesn't know who to declare as winner of our favorite things basket... everybody who got two right ... (I mean, that's 50% right ... and as you know from reading our blog if you're half right about us, you're doing pretty good...) or everybody... or um, making us wait some more.

Even dogmom didn't guess more than half right, and she LIVES with us ... and has for seven years now! So... what should we do? Pick one of these and vote in the comments... dogmom says "Dogs rule!"

• Wait until the expanded breed test results come back this fall.
• Randomly draw a winner from anybody who guessed half right.
• Randomly draw a winner from anybody who guessed at all.

Ok - you can vote with your comments over the next couple of days...

MEANWHILE...

Here's what the DNA test shows is in us:

OPIE:

• American Staffordshire Terrier
• Chihuahua
• Beagle
• Poodle

Dogmom says that explains his love of children, his penchant for wearing clothes, and his taste for exotic foods...

GOMER:

• Pug
• Whippet
• Beagle
• Cocker Spaniel

Dogmom says that explains... well, that doesn't explain much. Since the Labrador that's pretty obvious didn't show up, they are going to retest Gomer in the fall, when they refine the test to look for American, British or German Labrador history.

Dogmom says that she believes the science behind the test is sound. She exchanged emails with people at the company, and they do hundreds of thousands of DNA tests each year... even though releasing the availability of testing to the general public only started in February this year.

But, she recommends that if you want to do the test on your mixed-breed dog, that you wait until the expanded breeds test is available this fall. At that point, they will be testing for 100 of the 151 AKC breeds instead of 38. They are constantly adding new breeds as they are able to verify them -- which is why American Staffordshire Terrier showed up in Opie even though it wasn't one of the listed verified breeds -- but the full 100 won't be available for a few months.

They also found the "glitch" in Labrador DNA by testing "purebred" Labradors and noticing some of the tests did not show Labrador DNA. Turns out, they were only testing for American Labrador DNA and there are three strains of Labradors in the U.S. - American, British and German.

So... Tosca can stop biting her foot... the results are in!

Wuf Ya!

Vote... And Pics from the Humane Society Walk

Don't forget to click the link at the left (or in yesterday's post) to vote in the contest to guess what breeds are in us. You could win a basket filled with our favorite things! (Or, if you don't have a K9 in your house, you could win a basket of dogmom's favorite things!)

In the meantime, we thought you might like to look at some of the pictures we took last weekend at the Carver-Scott Humane Society Walk to Unite Pets and People. We went and we looked at all the booths and met some of the dogs, but we didn't actually walk very far because Gomer's leg was still hurting him and he was limping a lot.

(BTW, he seems to be doing much better now!)

Anyways, here you go. Enjoy! (Click on the photos to see full size.)

And don't forget to vote!

Wuf Ya!

We Interrupt This Blog... (UPDATE)

For an important announcement...

Dogmom got our DNA test results in the mail yesterday!

Since nobody guessed correctly (ahem, including her) ... she's launching another survey to guess what breeds are in us.

That's right, not just Opie... but in Gomer, too. She apparently really wants to give away some of the dog treats and chew bones and toys that she bought...

You can click here to guess: http://www.surveymethods.com/EndUser.aspx?90B4D8C592D7C7.

Or, you can click the button at the top of our blog.

She said to tell you some hints...

• At least one breed that would appear pretty obvious is missing from each of our results.
• At least one surprising breed is listed in each of our results.
• Both of us have four breeds listed as "in the mix."
• Neither of us has a "primary breed" that makes up 50% or more of us.
• Neither of us has a "secondary breed" that is prevalent and makes up less than 50% of us.

So - click the link... guess four breeds for each of us... and we'll see if anybody can figure us out.

(Dogmom says good luck with that... after seven years, she still hasn't figured us out!)

You have until Monday night, May 28, to guess -- so tell all your friends, too, so they don't miss out!

Wuf Ya!

UPDATE - WE JUST RECEIVED CONFIRMATION FROM THE DNA TESTING COMPANY THAT ONE OF THE BREEDS IN OPIE WAS NOT ON THE ORIGINAL LIST OF BREEDS VERIFIED... SO IF YOU'VE JUST VOTED... PLEASE VOTE AGAIN, AS DOGMOM HAS ADDED THE OTHER BREEDS TESTED TO THE SURVEY LIST.

Big Weekend of Dog Events! -- UPDATED!

Ok. So, really there were two. But we don't usually get to go to two in the same day! We were sooooo excited AND we were really good boys! Can you believe it?

Dogmom couldn't...

Anyways... we went to the first event first on Sunday. FUREVER FUN DAY! It was at Pet Crossing Animal Hospital and Dental Clinic in Bloomington. That's where Dr. Kate is. You remember Dr. Kate... she's the one that fixed our teeth -- especially when Gomer had all that trouble with his? (She's also the one that just had to help Spidey over the rainbow bridge a couple of weeks ago... :( )

Anyways. It was fun.

First, we noticed Lisa from Top Dog Country Club. She was sitting out in the cold at her booth. But she recognized DogMom and then realized that she hadn't met us in dog before. Lisa gave us hugs... but more importantly, Lisa gave us TREATS! We liked her. You remember Top Dog, right? That's where we had our adoption day party last year that dogmom wrote about in the newspaper.

Then, we saw the guy at the Science Diet booth. And, know what? He gave us TREATS! We liked him, too.

Then, we waited while dogmom looked at some handmade jewelry. They had some doggie collar charms, but we told dogmom they were a little too fancy for our dogblood. We tried to knock over the display, but they had them tied really good, so that they just swayed back and forth...

Then, we went and visited Wendy at Fresh Air Training. And, know what? She gave us TREATS! But, she made us sit first and dogmom made us say our prayers.


Then, dogmom talked to somebody who turned out to be a veterinary student... and she asked us if we wanted to take a bath. By this time, we had gotten so many treats that we didn't care what she wanted us to do... so we got a bath from the vet students. They were giving half the money to the Humane Society and using the other half to fund some of their trips to help out on things like Hurricane Katrina efforts to rescue dogs and stuff.

Opie was really good and went to get his bath, but I started being scared and barking at the students... so dogmom came and put me in the tub and told me to be good or I'd have to go home. I was good after that... and, know what? They gave me TREATS!

Then, dogmom talked to Mr. Benda at Benda Photography... you remember him -- he took our portrait pictures with dogmom a couple of years ago... He didn't give us any treats on Sunday... but we like him anyways!

Oh... by the way... here's a picture of us with Dr. Kate (kneeling) and dogmom (red SW Metro Animal Rescue sweatshirt) and one of the vet techs/students (that Opie is kissing)! And, the dog in front belongs to Luanna, one of the volunteers at Southwest Metro Animal Rescue... we don't remember the girldog's name, but she's a patient of Dr. Kate's too... and, besides, she's cute, dontcha think?

UPDATE! Dogmom got an email from Luana (sorry we spelled it wrong before...). Luana is the girldog's mom... the cute girldog's name is SYDNEY! We wuf Sydney!



Wuf Ya!

Rainbows! And New Names For Us...

I'm still limping today. Dogmom says it's cuz I won't stay off the stairs and the bed...

Dogmom snapped this photo (well, two photos, actually that are laid on top of each other) this morning when we were doing our business outside....

That was right before a big flash of lightning and thunder crack that made Opie run into (literally) the screen door trying to get inside...

Dogmom says she's going to give us new names: Gimpy and Wimpy.

What do you think she means by that?

Wuf Ya!

If this worked ...

It's really cool! Blogger.com has introduced a mobile blogging feature that lets you send texts or pics from your phone directly to your blog. How cool is that?
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Jus' For You, Tosca-Girl!

Ok. So even though I'm in extreme pain... and I'm trying to milk my injury for all the treats and hugs and belly rubs I can get... I'll still post pictures of my "nekkid" belly for Tosca ... But, it's only because she was the first dog to post a comment on my blog...

(That, and the fact that she's totally HOT... even if she won't actually show her netherparts online...)

So... here goes... we tried to pose the same so that you can't tell us apart...

Oh, yeah, and we had to do it outside for all the neighbors to see... since Opie will only show his belly if he's laying on the grass... sorry, Cubby, no rabbit poo today...

Now... we tag Radio and Pippa and Ko and Lillie Valentine for naked belly shots!

Wuf Ya!

Gomer update

Well, Gomer is still limping around, but he occasionally will put some weight on his right foot. He will walk up and down the stairs, but not with his usual bounding enthusiasm. He doesn't wince or wimper when I palpate anywhere on his leg or shoulder.

I gave him some pain medication ... We'll see how he is in the morning.

Luv, Dogmom
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Naked Belly Tag... But First...

Yo - it's the Opester posting today.

We got tagged last night by Tosca for the naked belly photo tag. (Should have known she would have figured out who we were ...) Dogmom said I could post the pictures today... but ...

Well, here's the deal. The reason I'm blogging today and Gomer isn't is cuz Gomer hurt himself playing this morning. Clutz. Goofball... huh? Ok, dogmom, I'll be good.

Anyways, we got up and we went outside to pee and we came back in to eat our breakfast (measly as it is these days...) and we went back outside to sniff the grass and look at the bunnies and the geese and the squirrels and the birds and the...

Huh? Oh, yeah... sorry. Got distracted there for a minute.

Dogmom said to tell you that's why Gomer is the main writer for this blog and I just fill in occasionally.

Um. Anyways... when we came back inside, we went and got our cammo-star toy and our purple tennis ball and dogmom was throwing them and we were taking turns running and getting them and bringing them back. You know. Playing.

But then, dogmom threw the cammo-star and it was my turn to run and get it but Gomer took off around the corner and he ran after it. I stopped, of course, to avoid a collision of dogs and toys. Gomer didn't stop and slid on the hardwood floor and made the throw rug in the hallway all bumpy and then slid into the wall and started crying really loud.

Which is really bad, cuz he usually doesn't tell us when something hurts.

Anyway, he let dogmom look at his leg and he let her move it and hold it and rub it and everything. I thought he just liked getting the attention, so I went up and dropped the purple ball on his face to get him to start playing again. Nope. He didn't stand up.

When he did, he wouldn't put any weight on his foot. Dogmom said she's sure it's just a sprain. He walked three-legged up the steps when she went to take a shower. But then, he wouldn't come downstairs again.

Until, of course, she got out the treat jar. See, we've been on a diet and haven't gotten a lot of treats, so that was a huge motivator... even for me, who can take them or leave them.

Anyways, dogmom said he'd be ok. He's milking it while she's home. I bet when she leaves for work he'll start playing with me again.

Wuf Ya - Opie!
Oops... forgot to tell ya. We'll post our naked belly photos tomorrow!

Look! We're Fish!

Dogmom is a little slow these days about keeping up with everybody's blogs. She says it's cuz she's spending more time taking us on walks in the morning and in the evening... ok, she is but that doesn't mean she can't let us keep up with our friends, right?

We got home from Dog Pad last night... well, dogmom came and picked us up, ya know. Anyways, Tory told dogmom that Opie was an angel and behaved and didn't get into any trouble and even got to run around outside and didn't have any time outs at all.

I... on the other hand... was a complete jerk. I spent most of the weekend in time out cuz I just wasn't in the mood for all those other dogs and I didn't want dogmom to go bye-bye without us. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

Anyways... Look! Here are our koi fish in Butchy and Snickers pond. We're sorry that it took us almost a week to notice that we were even pictured up there. Aren't we cute?

Know what we noticed even more than how cute we are? Hmmm? Just look at how much food our koi fish get. Obviously, Butchy and Snickers' mom isn't concerned that the Gomer and Opie koi fish will get fat. Meanwhile, the Gomer and Opie dogs are on a diet with rationed food and treats and chew bones.

What's up with that, dawgs?!?

Anyway... we stole this description from Butchy and Snicker's blog (http://butchyandsnickers.blogspot.com/). "This is Opie & Gomer: Opie is the top fish, Gomer the bottom fish. Opie is Metallic Golden Silver with Black edges on the scales. Gomer is Metallic Copper with Black edges on the scales. Both Opie & Gomer's Mama fish is Silver. These colors of fish are gorgeous outside in the pond, especially when the sun is shining. A photo just doesn't show their beauty."

Wuf Ya!

Happy Dogmom's Day!

We hope all the dogmoms and catmoms and other petmoms have the bestest day today! Oh yeah, and the human moms, too!
Wuf ya!
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

We're Goin' to Dog Pad!

Heavy sigh...

We're waiting for dogmom to hurry up and finish packing our stuff....

Cuz... We're gonna go to Dog Pad for the weekend!

Dogmom's going to Ohio to see Siti (her mom) and since she's taking an airplane instead of the car, we're gonna stay at Tory's house (a.k.a. Dog Pad Bed 'n Biscuit in Jordan, MN.)

See ya in a few days!

Wuf Ya!

Who's Bed Is It, Anyways?

Ok. So dogmom is on this whole bed kick again. As in kicking us off the bed.

Can you believe it? She actually wants to kick Opie and me, the bestest dogs in the world, off the bed?

This picture shows where she says we're supposed to be on the bed. "Your spots" she calls them. It's a constant thing... all night long... "GO-mer, go get on Your spot." "Oh-peeee, move over to YOUR spot."

I mean, how's a dog supposed to get any sleep?

Do you dogs notice anything wrong with this picture?

Huh, do ya?

It's ok. We'll wait. I'm sure it will come to you...

Did you figure it out?

Here are some hints ...

Just look at all the room she seems to think she needs for herself. I mean, come on! Look how much better it is if I get to spread out more.

Geesh. We need help here, dogs. Big time!

Wuf Ya!

We Went to the Vet!

On Friday, dogmom took us to see Dr. Kelso! No, we aren't sick or anything... We go see him once a year for a checkup and get our vaccines.

We are both healthy. But Opie got some medicine to take when it storms. It's the same stuff that Dr. Burke gave him so he would sit quieter on car rides until he figured out that those are fun.

Dogmom says I got fatter. I weighed 59.8 pounds. She thinks I should weigh more like 55. I said they must have gotten us mixed up since they said Opie weighs 55.7 pounds. She says I can think that if I want ... but Opie should weigh more like 50!

I think she said this means more walks and not less food like last year when I weighed 70 and Opie weighed 60!

Wuf Ya!
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Bird Invasion!

Ok. So Opie and me, well, we're sort of hunting breed dogs, ya know? (Even though we don't know yet what exactly Opie is made up of...) Anyway, if there is something around that we should hunt... well, we kind know about it, ya know? I mean, it's stinktive... or something like that.

Anyway, dogmom seems to think we should just ignore all the things that we think we should hunt....

Like the crows ...

And the robins ...

And the geese...

But how in the world are we supposed to ignore these ducks in the street?!?

Dogmom swears she saw four turkeys today on the way to Dog Pad... but we didn't see 'em and she doesn't have pictures...

Wuf Ya!

Pet Wash! = Car Ride!

Dogmom says we're gonna go back to the pet wash today! You know what that means, dogs?

Car Ride! Car Ride! Car Ride!

See, if we just get a bath... it's different. That means going upstairs to the bathroom and getting wet and smelly shampoo that dogmom seems to like and toweled off and staying off the bed till we're dry and all that.

But... the pet wash means a CAR RIDE! And TREATS! And getting toweled off. And then getting back in the car and watching the machines clean the outside of the car... that was kind of scary the first time... but now it means TREATS! And then stopping at the coffee place, where they give us MORE TREATS! And a longer car ride. And then going back home and taking a NAP!

Here are some old pictures from the pet wash. (Some of you have seen these before on our blog. Dogmom promises to take some more.)

See? It's a room at the car wash place in Savage. That's the closest pet wash to where we live. It has a tub that's off the floor and has a ramp for us to walk up (but we don't use it... we just jump.)

And dogmom puts money in the box on the wall and the water and the shampoo and the creme rinse come out. Then dogmom uses our light blue towels to dry us off. And then (we don't like this part) she puts more money in and the loud-windy-blower-thing comes on.

Then we jump down and wait by the door for dogmom to put everything back in our bag so we can go for a CAR RIDE!

Oh... in case you're wondering why we are getting more than one bath in a week... it's because we decided to roll around in the rabbit poop on the grass this morning. Dogmom doesn't seem to like it much when we do that... She says we're too smelly to stay in the house. We usually only go to the pet wash or bath on Saturdays... to keep dogmom from sneezing at us.

Wuf Ya!

Boomies!

Ok, dawgs. So, we were gonna talk about the pet wash for all those dogs that emailed us and read our post and asked what it is... and then we were gonna remind everybody to vote in the "Guess Opie's Breed" contest before the DNA test results come back (which should be sometime this week!)

But, instead, we have to talk about the boomies. We don't like the boomies. Dogmom thinks if she gives the boomies a cute name like boomies, that we'll not freak out. Doesn't work. Dufus of a human, you'd think she woulda figured out that it doesn't work by now.

You know what boomies are, right? I don't know what else they're called, cuz dogmom always calls 'em boomies. We don't like 'em. But I said that already.

You know how sometimes, not every time, but sometimes, when it rains, the sky flashes really really bright and then there is a big noise? Not when it's the other way around and the sky is growling for a while and then there is the light. Those growlies don't bother us. We figure the sky's just having a bad day and is upset cuz of the rain.

But the other ones... the ones that Crack! Pop! Flash! BOOOM! ... those are the boomies that we don't like. We don't like them at all!

Opie has a reason. A few years ago when we first moved to Minnesota and when Jennifer was our bestest dogwalker and dogmom was traveling a lot for her job... See, one day when Jennifer was walking us, some kids (big kids, not little kids) were playing around with these things that make a boomies sound. Not a big boomies sound like last night, but big enough, you know?

Jennifer called them firecrackers. She was mad at the kids and tried to walk us really fast and stay away from them. But, you know what they did? Do ya, huh? Those bratty kids actually threw the boomies at Opie! Right at him. They went Boom! Crack! Pop! Crack! Boom! right under Opie's tummy. Yup! Scared the bejeebees (and a lot of other stuff) right out of him.

So, it's kind of understandable that Opie's a-scare-ed of sudden loud noises. Dogmom tries to help him and for some things, he's better. Like, he doesn't freak out if dogmom drops a pan any more. (Of course, there are rewards when she does that...) And, he doesn't freak out so much at the construction sounds for the highway behind our house.

But boomies are a whole 'nuther story. There's no talkin' to him. There's no consolin' him. There's no convincin' him. His new way of coping is to try to get into the bathroom and when he does, he hides in the tub. Behind the curtain. Just sits there and shakes and stares at the corner. He doesn't want anybody around him or touching him or talking to him.

It makes dogmom feel really bad. I can tell.

I don't freak out quite that bad on the first one, but if there is a second one, I'm under the bed faster than agility dogs can run through the weave poles. And I'm not coming out till the sun is shining, I tell ya!

When we come out from our hiding places, we'll talk about the pet wash and DNA test, K?
How do you dogs feel about boomies?

Wuf Ya!