Dog Year Resolutions

I have been reading about these things moms and dads make at the beginning of each year called 'new year resolutions' and was thinking we should have 'dog year resolutions. So here is your challenge guys......to make 10 resolutions. Here are mine.

1. Go for 2 walks everyday
2. Do 2 miles on my treadmill everyday
3. Do half an hour of agility training every day
4. Do half and hour of obedience work every day (training moms is soooo hard)
5. Play tug at least 5 times a day
6. Play chase the red dot at least 3 times a day
7. Play ball twice a day
8. Have at least 5 cuddles a day (erkkkkk mom made me put that in)
9. Go for a car ride everyday
10. When it warms up again - go to the state parks every weekend.

Here are Ricky's resolutions......these are VERY GOOD

Ok - #1. Eat 4 meals a day (not
just two!)
#2. Bark as much as I want
#3. Actually start catching
squirrels instead of
just chasing them
#4. Walk off-leash every
where I go
#5. Never have to get a bath
#6. Long walks in the park
every day
#7. Never have to cuddle no
matter how much mom tries
#8. Agility practice every
day with real salmon as
the reward!
#9. Learn a trick a day with
real salmon as the reward
#10. Play tug as much as I want

There you go, Reilly! Think we can keep our resolutions? (Probably not as soon as my mom hears about this!)

Merry Wooftmas

To all my wonderful buddies and their moms and dads - we (mom, dad and me) want to wish you all a very happy and safe Christmas. We hope that Santa Paws brings you lots of goodies and that you just enjoy being together and of coarse make time for us smaller ones. I have been so lucky to have my dads 'other' hooman daughter (he has two of them) staying with us over Christmas - she came all the way from Wisconsin. (I know about Wisconsin because I was born there!!!) Oh coarse she just fell in love with me and she was so nice, she would go outside with me and throw snowballs for me to chase and she played tug with me a lot too. Merry Wooftmas everyone and a happy new bark year. Woofitty woofs and slobber kisses to all.

A little chilly

It is like -12 outside and we even ice building up on the inside of our patio glass doors and two of our windows! Dad says it is because they are crappy windows and doors - he use to work for Anderson windows so anything less than that is crappy.....or so he says. Anyway, with the wind chill (and it is blowing a gale out there) they say it is like -30. Even I don't like it this cold!. Here is a photo of the snow building it yesterday. The other picture of coarse is me sitting near our tree....there are no presents under it for me......mom said Santa Paws put all my goodies in a Christmas stocking that is hanging above the fire place. He seemed to think if I could smell the goodies under the tree I might be tempted to 'investigate them'. I hope you are all keeping warm where ever you are.

I am sooooo bored!

This cold weather is so nice for me but the mom doesn't want to take me anywhere. Just because we had a couple of inches snow and two inches of ice on the roads and its only 26 degrees....she says no every time I rattle my lead to remind her about walks. Well if she won't take me walking I will just have to spend my time on the computer and blogging. Mind you this can be fun.....look what I found today. Wow, I wish I had the markings this cowspotcow has.....I would NEVER get lost (look closely at the patches).

Then I found this one....personally I don't get it but the mom thought it was so funny. Mini moo.....what is funny about that?

I guess I can't really say I am bored...the mom does play tug with me all throughout the day and we play chase the red light a couple of time each day. We also go do some agility work down in my basement playroom every morning and I do my treadmill 3 times a day now which is 3 miles in total. Yesterday mom and I went over to Franklins (the corgi) and we took him and his mom to PetSmart with us and we had a wander around, got lots of pats and had fun sniffing at every corner. Of coarse I didn't think it was right that Franklin got a treat and I didn't !!! (They know about my food allergies so don't give me treats anymore). It didn't stop me from protesting loudly about it though. I guess the other good thing, my dad is home for the entire next week and home as in vacation. We are also having someone new coming to stay with us this week. Dad's oldest daughter is coming from Wisconsin to have Christmas with us, and the youngest daughter that lives with us, she is going home to Tennessee to visit her mom for the week. Maybe I won't be so bored this week afterall ....woofitty woofs

Snow snow and more snow

Hey mom - look at me, I sneaked out without my hat and gloves on!!! I think there is a bit of snow storm blowing out here but it's lots of fun to play in........Come on mom - trust me it's not that cold.....its up to 6 degrees today.

It is soooo cold

The mom says it went down to -24 last night and hasn't got above 0 today. That is so cold she worries about me even going out for a few minutes to do what a dogs got to do - which as we all know is BARK!!! Anyway, she decided I had better rug up a little (please mom - do you not notice I have a big heavy fut coat!!) She said she was worried about my ears and feet getting frost bitten.......and this was her answer. The hat I could cope with......but the gloves on the feet......good grief. Moms can be VERY silly sometimes.

Honorary Cowspotdog

My little buddy Ludo had his mom do some photo magic and this is what he would look like as a cowspotdog. He is very cute.

Mom has something she calls a 'soft spot' for Ludo as he reminds her of the puppy mom had before me. Her name was Bonnie and like Ludo she was a Blue Merle Sheltie with a tan face. Mom loved the little Bonnie very much and when mom got her she was very sick. The vet doctor told the mom that if she hadn't bought her, she would of died within the next day or two. (mom later found out that Bonnie came from a bad place called a puppy farm and mom hates those but she was so glad she saved the Bonnie) Anyway, mom worked very hard every day to make her better and eventually she did. Mom and dad then had to go to somewhere called Italy with dad's new job and then move to California where the happy Cows live but sadly they could not take the little Bonnie. Mom was very very upset but little Bonnie went to live at a new forever home and it was meant to be for little Bonnie preformed her own little miracle the very first day. Bonnie's new home was with a a family who had a Downe Syndrome boy. He was sixteen and had not spoken a single word in over two years. As soon as he saw Bonnie though he ran to her and cuddled her and said 'doggie" After that he started speaking a lot to Bonnie and eventually to his mom, dad and sister too. His sister was also on the track team so she would take Bonnie on runs with her every morning. Bonnie's new dad was a Pastor and he said Bonnie was indeed a little miracle for their family. My mom was very sad for a long time at having to give Bonnie to a new home but glad too that is so loved and adored by her new family. So that is the story of Bonnie, but of coarse now my mom has me and is very very happy again. The photos below are of Bonnie the day she went to her new forever home.

In keeping with the theme

The theme being cow spots! I will share my latest find MOOGLE - the best search engine any cowspotdog could use while doing all this wonderful trivia searching. Notice that the "eat more chikin" girls are back. You guys just don't know what fun you are missing out not having spots like me......so come on you creative types lets see if you can play around in a graphics program and give yourself some spots! I do not recommend spray painting spots on though.......it can be awful to wash out :)

In support of my fellow spotted friends I have agreed to support their cause!!! Oooooppppps I just remembered I am allergic to poultry!!!! That is okay, my new diet is venison (oh deer). I wonder if there is some connection between mom loving the California happy cows considering they are white and black.....and the fact that I am white and black (if you haven't seen their ads check them on You Tube) Do you think she was secretly wanting a pet cow......dog oh dog would she be complaining about 'dookie patrol if she had one of those in the back yard! They are nice coloring.....but that are not soft and furry like me, and it would sure be fun taking one of those for a card ride to the pet store!!!

Something New

Mom decided to play with my blog today....it is okay, I gave her permission. As you can see we have gone green!!!!! Mom made me this new header for my page too. (Dad called tonight and said he likes the old cowspotdog header and colors better!!!) What do you guys - old or new?

We also found some interesting trivia today which we thought we would share.

The Basset hound made famous in the Hush Puppies shoe commercials was named Biggles.
Biggles' grandson, Mr. Jeffries, earned fame as the dog with the longest ears in the world. His ears measured 11 and ½ inches each and he often tripped over them.

Tia, a 2 year old Neopolitan Mastiff gave birth to the world's largest litter in 2005. She delivered 24 puppies by caesarean section. Twenty of them survived, setting another record of the most surviving puppies.

The world's tallest dog is a Great Dane from Sacramento named Gibson. He measures 7 feet when standing upright.

Andrew Larkey of Sidney Australia, walked 11 dogs at once on leash for one kilometer.

Twelve veterinary science students from the University of Sydney set a record bathing dogs when they scrubbed 848 dogs in eight hours.

The real hero of the 1925 Serum Run was really Togo. The 12 year old husky led his sled dog team through 260 miles of blowing Alaskan blizzard to deliver emergency diphtheria serum to Nome. Balto received most of the fame because he led the final 55 miles.

The first search and rescue dog on the scene of the World Trade Center disaster on September 11. 2001, was Bear, an 11 year old Golden Retriever. He began recovery efforts immediately, working 18 hour days in the beginning.

Endal, a yellow Lab, helped rehabilitate a Gulf War veteran. He also saved Allen's life, when Allen was struck by a car and knocked from his wheelchair, unconscious. Endal pulled him into the recovery position, covered him with a blanket and grabbed his cell phone. After no response, he walked to a nearby hotel and raised the alarm.

There's a chill in the air

Mom says we are expecting a couple of inches of snow tonight....I can hardly wait. I hope it is really fluffy and white tomorrow because I need something to cheer me up. This is my "oh so sad" look because my dad is off traveling again this week. Sigh......... I just get use to him being here for a week and then he is gone again. Mom says I am a "daddies boy" because I just love him so much and miss him when he's not here. Mom also bought something called a humidifier today. Mom has long hair and I have long hair and with it being so dry we are both so full of something she calls static. All I know is that when ever she reaches out to pat me we both get zapped by some weird unseen thing that stings my nose and her fingers. I am not to sure about the humidifier thing and have been walking in WIDE circles past it, as it will suddenly make a lot of noise. The mom says it's on some automatic thing so when ever the humidity drops below a certain level it turns itself on. I am thinking though that is just another monster....one hiding in a plastic box. It certainly growls like a monster. Who ever knew that they were so many monsters in the world and that apparently it is only we doggies that can see them??

A FOLLOW ON: I got up early expecting to see snow - not so much as a flake....baaaaa humbug

Nothing terribly exciting happening

As much as I am loving this cold weather (only 12 degrees F this morning) the mom doesn't seem so fond of it. Here we were having a game of tug outside - that is her arm all wrapped up in a thick coat and gloves on her paws....ooooppps hands. It was a VERY quick game of tug and mom scurried inside complaining it was too cold. So I sat on the step enjoying the cool - that was until the BAG monster suddenly appeared and dog oh dog did I bark like crazy at that. Mom came racing to the door to see what the commotion was. She doesn't seem to understand that those plastic bags that the wind blows onto MY fence are really monsters. Did you know for example they are one the biggest causes of turtle deaths. They mimic jellyfish floating in the water and when the poor turtle eats it......they get stuck in their tummies and they can die. Luckily there are no turtles in my yard....but I don't trust them. I mean to say, if they can kill a big old turtle what could it do to me? Apart from that we did go to the pet store yesterday and mom and me spent nearly an hour there. I think I checked out every smell I could find!!! I also got LOTS of pats and one of the assistants there said I was her MOST favorite dogs that visits! Maybe mom will take me to the other pet store today.

It snowed!

Woofitty woof woof!!!!!! it snowed last night. I got up this morning and my green grass was missing and all the white cold chilly stuff was back. At first I wasn't to sure about it as it did feel wet and you all know how I hate to have wet feet, but then I could feel that nice coldness when I stuck my noes in it, and I was off exploring. Sadly it had all melted by this afternoon, but I enjoyed it while it lasted. Mom says it's a good thing I have a black head and spots, otherwise you wouldn't see me at all in the snow!

A visitor in my yard

Mom was just about to open the door and let me out when she saw this guy sitting on the fence. She says sorry they are not very good photo's but if she had opened the door he would of flew off. He had caught himself a sparrow and was happily eating it. Last year we saw a lot of them around but this is the first one we have seen this year. My dad is home today so I am soooo happy. He was away in North Carolina all week and it was just me and the mom at home. I took good care of her though and she took good care of me.

Visiting Franklin

Every couple of days we go over and visit Franklin the corgi. His mom is a wonderful elderly lady who had been battling a brain tumor. We are very pleased to say the prognosis is very good and she is slowly regaining her strength. Franklin was a rescue dog who is around 9-10 years of age. He was found just sitting and waiting on the side of the highway. Sadly, he had been very badly mistreated and some cruel and inhuman human had kicked him in the jaw and broken it. He had never received treatment for it and although it healed it very out of shape. He manages to eat and chew bones just fine though and it doesn't seem to bother him. He really is the sweetest dog and rarely ever barks - which makes it hard to understand why someone could do what they did to him. He has been living in his new forever home now for two years and he "the baby" adored and loved like all we furbies should be. The mom remembered the camera today so we got a photo of Franklin, it's not a great photo as he doesn't know about mom's and cameras and that you are supposed to sit still and look cute. he could smell the cookies that mom had in pocket and was more interested in those. Franklin also doesn't know how to play, which is rather sad and I wish he did, it would be fun to play chase with him. But he is my little buddy and it's okay if we just sit together or have a chew bone together.

Back to the lake and bald eagles

Yay!!!! we went back to the lake today (the one where they killed off all the fish) It's not as pretty as it is in spring and summer but there are still so many good smells and yes, even a dead dried up fish or two which for some reason the dad would not let me anywhere near and he tugged me away REAL quick when we came to a pile of horse poop!!! It was quite chilly and mom and dad were all rugged up in their coats but me I was just lovin it. I ran, I sniffed, I ran some more and sniffed some more all the time trying to get the dad to move faster so we could get to the next smell. Then mom spotted something up the trees. It just looked like two old birds to me....but both mom and dad got quite excited because they said they were bald eagles. They didn't look at all bald, in fact they had feathers all over them.....the logic of humans is very odd. Anyway, they made me slow right down which I didn't actually mind as it gave me longer to check out each smell. Of coarse mom has that camera thing but she only took a couple of pics of me and seemed more interested in those birds. Here I am above first checking out how close I could get to the water without getting my feet wet and the second one I am checking out where someone had had a fire. It smelled very good to me, in fact it reminded me of my charcoal cookies. Dad pulled me away before I could taste some to see if was like my cookies. And of coarse here is the photo mom took of the eagles. Dad was most surprised at how close they let us get, in fact we were right under the tree they were perched in. Dad said the only other time he has been close to wild bald eagles was when he was in Alaska, but he still hadn't got this close. Mom pondered over whether there was any fish still left in the lake, but then she saw some swimming near the shore, so she was happy that they have plenty of food. And remember if you click on the pictures you can see them big size. I am so happy today that I got to go for a nice long walk - but I won't mention (yes I will !!!) how funny the mom and dad looked, their noses and cheeks were bright red.....they should really consider growing some fur! Mom had to laugh at the dad though, he said he needed a baklava to keep his face warm - mom pointed out that baklava is a greek dessert and what he really wanted was a Balaclava. I don't know, a sticky sweet dessert all over dad's face would be lot of fun for me to lick off!!!! Hope you all had a great weekend - Woofitty Woofs

Mom has the camera out again

Mom had been waiting to take photo's so she could show my winter coat but she decided to take some pics anyway. I am just loving this cold weather sooooo much but I am driving the mom crazy wanting to go outside and then wanting inside and then wanting outside. She really wishes we had a doggy door but unfortunately out back door faces exactly the direction the cold winds blow from. Today she rugged up in her coat and gloves and braved the 36 degree weather to take me for a walk. For some reason the mom didn't seem to appreciate me wanting to stop at EVERY single lamp post and sign we came across. But she was good and waited while I had a good sniff at each one. I must admit I am not understanding why we are not going to the park so much when it is so nice and cold. Maybe the mom needs to grow fur like me because I am just so toasty warm. We do our agility work and I go on my tread mill a couple of times a day and we play a lot but I just seem to have so much energy lately. Mom wishes there was a farmer around here who had some sheep so I could learn to do some herding, she says that would use up lots of my energy. I am not really sure what these sheep things are but if I can run after them, then it sound a good thing to do. Mom thought it was funny the other day, she was watching the movie "Babe" and there was sheep barring on it and I liked the sound so much I kept running over to the TV and listening to it intently. Mom says it's a natural instinct.....what ever that is. I just know it sound interesting and almost familiar in a way. I wonder if any of my buddies have ever been sheep herding?

Christmas Past

The mom is in the process of making a Christmas card for a competition she is entering and we were looking at the photo from last year. We found this one and .....LOOK !!! My ears stood up back then. I wish they had stayed standing up :( Mom says I was such an adorable pupster last year.......silly mom, I am still an adorable pupster, just bigger with flop down ears now. I can not believe a whole seven dog years have past since last Christmas. Last year I had my own very own stocking hanging up and it was amazing because on Christmas morning it was fully of the best doggie things ever. I hope that happens again this year.....I sure did enjoy ripping all that paper off to get the goodies inside. Mom thinks it is a bit crazy here in the States that they start getting ready for Christmas so early. Back home in Australia she followed the 12 days of Christmas Rule. You put your decorations and tree up 6 days before the 25th of December and then take take them down 6 days after. She was always told it was bad luck not to follow this rule. I have been busy barking at our next door neighbor today because he has been up the roof stringing up some things mom calls annoying blinking lights. Mom just shakes her head and says she is glad she is not paying their electric bill. I am not sure what she means......but I kind of get the impression she doesn't like those light things.

Oh, I nearly forgot, Katie asked how I learned to go on the treadmill and not be scared. I have been playing on my treadmill since I was very very little. The mom said she started me off with my lead on, and just going at a normal pace. It also helped to have a favorite squeaky toy and anytime I started to worry, she would squeeze that and take my attention off it. Gradually she let the leach become loose and eventually just took it off. She also found a treat on the front of the treadmill would help keep my attention. But the BIG thing mom did, is made it fun. We would do a few minutes and then have a happy excited game of tug......then a little more...and more fun. Now, I just love my treadmill......I trot along at speed 3 and do a mile, then mom and I play. We do that a couple of times a day and it is our 'special time'.

Bbbbbrrrrr it's cold

It is cold and I am lovin it!. We even had a few snowflakes last night and are expecting some more tonight. I have been spending a lot of time outside just enjoying it. Of coarse when it get colds, that means we also head down to my 'play room' to do my agility training and also I do my miles on the treadmill. So I thought I would share some pics of my 'play room'. Mom has made all my agility things, the jumps, a hoop, a tunnel, my weaves poles and a chute. Over in the far corner near the window is where mom does all her painting. As you can see, we have a huge basement and this only shows half of it!!!! Mom and I will be spending a lot of time down there (down being in the basement) this afternoon as dad will be watching his foozeball team and we ALL know how scary that is. Hmmm maybe it won't be a good idea to be down there as we will be underneath where he will be jumping up and down yelling at the bad umpires !!!!!! Personally, I don't understand why the umpires are bad (they are black and white like me after all) but dad calls them a lot of bad names and seems to think they are not very smart. His team is playing only three hours away from us and he had looked at getting tickets to go to the actual game, but now he is glad he didn't as it only 36 degrees today. Well I had better go and see what the mom is up to. Hope you all have a great weekend.

White Collies and Update on Mom

Dawn and Katie mentioned they had seen a white collie that looked like me at their weekly class and yes... there are actually quite a lot of them around and they tend to have their black patches in the same place I do. The coloring is caused by the same recessive gene that caused me to have a white coat. I must say, this is one very handsome dude!!! People are ALWAYS mistaking me for either a border collie or a collie as I am quite a big sheltie - which whites tends to be for some reason.

Update on the mom - she is having good days and bad days. On the good days she does too much which causes the next day to be a bad day.......I keep telling her not to do that but the mom is rather stubborn. We did go to the leash free dog park on the weekend and it was so great, we were the only ones there and mom and dad just walked really slowly so I got a whole weeks worth of sniffing done. Mom tries to take me for a small walk each day, even if its only a trip to the pet store as she worries about me getting bored. Playing is really tough on her as she can't bend to pick up my toys....she ouchies when she forgets and tries to do that. Overall though, she says it is slowly getting better.