Friday, December 28, 2012

GIMME IS FOUR!!

<Tick Tock Tick Tock>

Know what that is? That's the clock ticking on Gimme Laugh Laugh!! That's right, Gimme had a birthday recently and she is now 4-years-old!

She has achieved quite a lot in her four years. At her very first show (an AKC show) she went Reserve Winners Bitch. From there, she just got better and better until she racked up an AKC Championship *and* Grand Championship *and* her Rally Novice title. In UKC she has achieved her Championship *and* Grand Championship *and* her Rally 01 title. She is also an International Champion through IABCA! Wow! She has done a lot in her mere four years of life!

And in May, she of course gave birth to my new best friends forever: Stig, Star, Bueller, Louie, Mercy, Marty, and Val. I love when they come to visit!

Mom tells me she has much more in store for Gimme over the next year or two. She will continue to special her in both AKC and UKC with the hopes that she will get a Group Placement and/or a Best in Specialty show win. That would be so cool! But she also wants to complete Gimme's obedience title(s) (Beginner Novice (BN) at the very least and then hopefully also her Companion Dog (CD)). So, while Gimme has created some very big footsteps for the rest of us poor schmucks to follow, she still has a lot to go herself!! Laugh Laugh!!

Kisses to Gimme on her 4th birthday!! Mwwwwwuuuuuahhhhhh!!!








For all my internet peeps, I hope YOUR birthday in 2013 is special and awesome!

Alf

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Gramps

So, we've had some extra humans in the house lately. Dad's Mom and Dad (Gramps and Grams) have been living with us. It's been kind of fun, actually. Grams is kind of boring and doesn't do much (although she does give us table scraps!! YUMMMM!!! Laugh Laugh!!)!

Gramps, on the other hand, is pretty awesome. He's still very active and loves all of us pooches. Of course, he loves Trekkie best (who wouldn't??) but he's always willing to spend time with the rest of us.

Gramps drives a GMC Envoy. Wanna know how I know that? Because Gramps took me to the vet today! I've been doing an experimental treatment for my elbow hygromas - those are those big fluid filled icky things on my elbows. A local vet is trying cold laser therapy for them instead of the usual bandages and/or draining and/or surgery. I have to go to the vet twice a week for at least 3 weeks (maybe more). Because Gramps is bored, he volunteered to take me to the vet for these appointments. It was SO awesome! Of course, Gramps had a bit of a problem getting all of my 148 pounds into the Envoy... but he managed it!!

I love Mom's Dodge Magnum... it's really comfy. But Gramps' Envoy is so windowy. I was able to watch all the world go by. I sniffed all around the inside of the Envoy too! They brought Charlie their bird with them when they moved here to Colorado and it smelled so different! Fascinating... Laugh Laugh!!

At the vet's office, Gramps got me all checked in and then he took me back to the exam room. It is so funny when they do the cold laser therapy!! Laugh Laugh! Because it is a laser, they have to put goggles on everyone in the room. And that includes me!! Being the calm handsome stud that I am, I don't fight the goggles at all. Dad went with us to the first appointment and he told me afterwards that I looked like an alien (with buggy eyes). They kind of remind me of old-time aviation goggles which is why I don't fight them. They make me look even more manly than I already am!

Once we get home, I sack out for the rest of the day. It's exhausting being me!



Hoping everyone has a Merry Christmas with a warm place to sleep and humans to give presents to!

Alf

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Not a Puppy Anymore!

Well, it's finally happened! All those cute puppy antics I did when I was just a teeny tiny baby... aren't so cute anymore! They don't work!

It used to be that I could ignore Mom and Dad when they wanted me to go outside and potty by rolling over on my back. Then they would give me a tummy rub! Yippeee!!! But <SIGH> not anymore! Now they just try to get me to actually go outside. But I'm sleeping!! I don't want to go outside. NO! Don't disturb me! And still they keep calling me name. And eventually it turns into that tone of voice. You know the one I'm talking about. When the first syllables get extended and the voice gets lower... <sigh>. Yeah. THAT tone of voice. That's when I know I had better get up and go outside. Guess I'm not a puppy anymore.

And they make me sit for my meals! Used to be, I could dive right in as soon as they started putting the bowl down. I'm a big, handsome, growing boy. I need my food! Laugh Laugh!! But not anymore! Now, I need to sit and wait until the bowl hits the floor. Dad makes me give him my paw. Mom makes me wait to eat. Sometimes it's even seconds and seconds she makes me wait! FOOD! FOOD NOW! <sigh>. Guess I'm not a puppy anymore!

Thankfully, they still let me up on the bed! Laugh Laugh! Those are good times! I don't stay up there long; it gets far too hot. But Dad still plays undercover alien with me. He thinks I don't know what he's doing, but I do! He puts his hand under the covers and then tries to attack me with it. I end up barking and barking at him! Laugh Laugh! I guess I am still partly puppy!!

So, I've learned today that Mom is the disciplinarian, and Dad is the playmate! And he wonders why we (any of the dogs) don't listen to him. Laugh Laugh! Of course, we fool Mom. We only pretend to listen to her. When we can get away with it, we certainly don't! Laugh Laugh! It's such good times!

Happy Undercover Aliens to all my internet peeps!
Alf

Saturday, December 1, 2012

In Memory - Mr. Fox

It was a sad day at our house yesterday. To better explain, I'm going to turn the blog over to Mom. She would like to type this up herself.

As has been mentioned in this blog by Alf, Fox has not been feeling well lately. We thought we were over the worst of it when he began eating again. Unfortunately not :-(  Although he's been eating with a very good appetite, he has been having other problems. His rear muscle tone was considerably weakened when he got sick and so he has been having problems controlling it. Additionally, he began walking and standing on the tops of his feet instead of flat.

On November 30 2012 - his 8th birthday - Fox gave up the fight. When we got home from work, Fox was not standing and could not be coaxed into standing using food. Using force, we did get him to stand and go potty, but as soon as he came back in he lay down on his bed and wouldn't get up again. Just as concerning was his lack of appetite. If he wasn't even going to try to eat, we knew he was telling us to let him go.

We finally got Fox into the van and headed off to his last trip to the vet. At the vet, they brought a gurney out and we loaded him onto it. In a very spooky way, it was another sign of problems that he didn't even mind the ride on the gurney. Every one at the vet clinic was very kind to us and Fox as he was helped across the Rainbow Bridge.

We miss Fox terribly but he is now out of pain and running free.


June 1 2012 - Best Veteran in Specialty
  

Getting some love from Mom 

New AKC Champion - May 2008

First AKC point - July 2005

New AKC Rally title -  June 2009

Head shot - January 2012

June 1 2012

November 2012


Getting ready for Christmas - November 2012

Easter - 2012

Just chillin' - April 2012

In Memory of Fox (aka Mr. Fox, Fox Man, Dude, and the hated Foxie):
AKC/UKC/IABCA CH Glaciers Voyager Fox RN BN CGC CHIC
Great Dane Club of America Versatility Award
November 30 2004 - November 30 2012