Giving Thanks

Yesterday was the American holiday of Thanksgiving. A day that is for giving thanks for what you have and appreciating the good in life.

The family - including Mom & Dad and Dad's parents - had a nice dinner of fried turkey, sweet potato pie, green bean casserole, stuffing, and croissants. Too much food for just four people so we dogs got some too!

In the spirit of thanks, I thought I would go around the house and find out what everyone is thankful for this year:

• Mom is thankful for family, friends, and us dogs (of course!!).
• Dad is thankful for enough money to be comfortable, if not necessarily wealthy.
• Fox is thankful for a comfortable place to lay down during the day.
• Trekkie is thankful for the sun to lie in.
• Gimme is thankful for humans who give her food and attention!
• Alf is thankful for the cool temperatures of a Colorado winter.
• Val is thankful for large yards to play in and young kids to play with.

And so from all of us here, we hope you had something to be thankful for yesterday and throughout the year!!

Na zdrowie!!
Alf
 

Where Have You BEEN??

Hi-diddly-ho, neighborinos!!

It's been a busy couple of months! Trying to think of things to blog about can be draining. Who cares what I had for dinner? It's always the same anyway Laugh Laugh!

So, a couple of months ago I thought I would try to have a "guest" blogger take over occasionally. I thought Mr. Fox would be perfect to get us started. Unfortunately, Mr. Fox began getting ill and the whole house fell into a funk. Mr. Fox didn't want to blog, and after asking and asking Trekkie, Gimme-Mom, and even Val, no one wanted to do it! Wow.

So here I am again, trying to catch up. As I said, Mr. Fox has been ill. He's feeling a bit better now but certainly showing his age. And BOY has he gotten really grumpy! Don't try and ask him for anything. He'll just growl a "NO" at you. I sure learned my lesson! It was a long slow road to recovery, but he's back to eating now so I think Mr. Fox will be around for a while yet.

Gimme-Mom has gone back to the showing thing. Something I still dearly want to try but can't yet. Gimme-Mom has been doing pretty good, even garnering a Best of Breed at one show! She tells me she didn't even make the cut in group but she was so happy to be back out showing!

Even Val was out showing before she was old enough! She went with friends Loren & Brian to something called "The Nationals". It's a place where members of one breed get together for a couple of days (or up to a week!) to show in conformation, obedience, agility, Futurity, and Top 20. Val wasn't old enough for most of the events so she and her brother Marty went for Futurity. Their new friend Josh showed them there. They had a ton of fun but brought home no ribbons. Of course, now that Val is old enough to show (can you believe she is six months old already??) there are no shows. She'll have to wait until February. I want to go to Nationals one day. Maybe in 2013 when the Saint Bernard Nationals will be in Nebraska. Something to look forward to!!

Because Gimme-Mom and Mom have been showing a lot again lately, there hasn't been a lot of time for Trekkie or <gasp> ME! And then Mom does nothing but complain about "school" all day long. When I try to ask her what "school" is she doesn't really respond. I had to look it up at dictionary.com:

1. an institution where instruction is given, especially to persons under college age: The children are at school.

2. an institution for instruction in a particular skill or field.

3. a college or university.

4.a regular course of meetings of a teacher or teachers and students for instruction; program of instruction: summer school.

5.a session of such a course: no school today; to be kept after school.

NO wonder Mom hasn't been around much! She's been institutionalized Laugh Laugh!! Just kidding. Actually, Mom has said that she is trying to learn to be a better business-person and earn her degree in the Associate of Applied Science - Business at Community College of Aurora. She has a lot of homework this first semester because one of her classes turned out to be a fast-track class (didn't start until mid-October and is complete mid-December). So, we'll just tip-toe around Mom for a little while!! 

I'll leave you with a picture of my buddy Val and me when she got back from Nationals. She was gone almost 2 weeks!! It's a fuzzy picture but I think you can see I missed her Laugh Laugh!

Until we meet again! Hopefully next week!!

Alf 

It's My Birthday!

Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday to ME!!

Yeah! I turned a year old on Wednesday September 26th. Mom and Dad didn't do anything super special for me, but I did get extra treats and a super special meal (Hamburger! Yummy!).

Hard to believe I'm a year old already. The time has just flown by! Sure, things didn't go as planned (I was supposed to be a Champion by now Mom says Laugh Laugh!). But Mom and Dad do their best by me.

I find it's really hard to write a blog when I don't have the experiences of some of the older dogs. I thought this would be really cool and fun but, as you can tell by the fact it's not updated every week, it's not easy. Still COOL and FUN though!! Laugh Laugh!

And it has been busy even if I've been a homebody. I mean, someone had to raise Gimme-Mom's puppies, right? And I did an awesome job! So glad that one of the puppies is sticking around. And Gimme-Mom just came out of season recently. Whew, was that a tough time to get through! Seriously! I found love everywhere! Laugh Laugh! Or, at least I tried. For a while there, I think I lost all my brains. Poor Mom and Dad. They had to keep a really close eye on me because anytime Gimme-Mom was even near I would lose it. I followed Gimme-Mom everywhere Laugh Laugh! Now that she is no longer in season, I've got some brains back. That makes Mom and Dad oh so very happy! Laugh Laugh!!

Hey, I just had a thought (See? I got my brains back Laugh Laugh!)! What I should do is turn the blog over to Fox Sir, Gimme-Mom, and Trekkie occasionally. At least that way, maybe one would get written more often. And they have ever so much more experience than I do. Little Val probably won't write too often but maybe. She is going to her Great Dane Nationals soon. Maybe she can write about her experiences there.

Thanks for hanging with me internet Dudes!
Alf

The Heartbreaks of Breeding & Dog Ownership

So, it's been a pretty good time around here lately. Especially with the newest member of the family : Val. She is officially registered with the American Kennel Club (AKC) as Voyager Daystar Valley Girl. Mom also co-owns two other puppies from the litter: Marty (registered as Voyager Back To The Future) and Mercy (registered as Voyager Daystar Tender Mercies). The other four puppies went to wonderful homes. Gone to a show home are Star (Voyager A Star Is Born For Carla) and Stig (Voyagers Return Of The Jedi). Gone to loving pet homes were Bueller (Voyagers Ferris Buellers Day Off) and Louie (Voyagers The Terminator). And Mom gained a bunch of new friends!

So, since we are having such a good time, why did I name the blog the heartbreaks of breeding and dog ownership? Well, for a lot of reasons. Dog ownership, without a doubt, has a lot of good points to it. I mean, you own us right? We never talk back, we love you unconditionally, and we are always there for you. But sometimes, it's not so easy.

Although Gimme-Mom had 7 puppies, she actually gave birth to 8. She lost one sometime before giving birth. The reason she had the C-Section is because the third puppy got stuck and she tried and tried and tried to give birth, but he was already dead and she was just exhausted trying to give birth to him. In order to save the lives of Gimme-Mom and the rest of the puppies, Mom had the make the decision to do a C-Section. Thankfully, Gimme-Mom and the 7 puppies all survived and are doing well.

But plenty of things can still go wrong. The puppies are just four months old and growing, growing, growing! And Mom just worries, worries, worries about all the things that can go wrong. HOD, OCD, Pano, Parvo... It's so hard to be her best friend when she does nothing but worry about the puppies and how they are growing. But I'm there for her - all the time!

And then we hear about the really sad news. The breeders who lose the entire litter after birth. Or most of the litter. Or our friend who lost not only the litter, but the Mommy too. That made us cry. Breeding is not for the faint of heart. It can be maddening and saddening and expensive. And we really can't stress this enough!! BREEDING DOES NOT MAKE YOU MONEY! Sure, maybe a litter will or two. But in the long run - when done correctly - breeding does not make you money and can cause nothing but heartbreak!

And so why did I include dog ownership in the heartbreaks? Well, look at me. Mom and Dad love me, I know they do. But what a heartbreak it must be for them. I may never walk normal. I don't know. They don't know. They'll spend thousands of dollars fixing me up and hoping and keeping their fingers crossed. Or, one of Val's littermates. One of his testicles hasn't fully descended. It's there, it just won't stay down. So, they are spending money to fix that. But what if he doesn't turn out as a show dog like he was supposed to? Heartbreak.

Even just owning a dog like us can be heartbreak. Show dog or not doesn't matter. Take my doggy Mommy. Just out of the blue she got sick and never recovered. Gramma is heartbroken and there is no consoling her. Some other friends lost their beloved 9-year-old recently to bloat.

We love you, we'll always love you. But gosh we just can't stick around as long as you. And every time you humans lose one of us canines, it's heartbreak.

Kisses and hugs to all my internet buddies. Hug your humans tight. They need us.
Alf

HORMONES!!

Honestly, I don't know what is happening! Mom and Dad yell at me all the time because I hang around with Gimme Mom.... and Trekkie... and Val... and Mercy... and, well, ANY girl that comes across my path! I LOVE THEM ALL!! I can't help myself!! They are all so bee-a-u-tiful!! And so distracting. Oh my! One look at them and I can't think of anything else.

Trekkie, as you know, is my first love! She came with Mom & Dad to pick me up from Gramma. She's "older" as she is almost 6 years old. And she tells me that she has had that operation to make her not have babies. But I don't want babies, I just want loooooooooovvvveeee.

Gimme Mom, of course, is one of my housemates. She is a Great Dane and the mother of Val and Mercy. The puppies are only 12 weeks old but I love them too! They are girls aren't they?? And of course just stunning and lovely and girls and fun to be with and girls and ... wait, what was saying? Oh, right. How young they are <sigh>. I shouldn't be this excited to be with them, but they are GIRLS!! But they are so young. Dad just called me a child molester :-(.  I think he was joking, I'm not sure.... I'm not even sure what he meant. But I think it's because I won't leave the puppies alone. But look! LOOK! Look how cute, adorable, snuggly, and kissable they are!!

Don't YOU just want to love all over them??

I can't believe how distracting all the girls are! I want to be with them all the time! And hold them down and lick them to death <Laugh Laugh>!

Mom and Dad say it's because of my age - I am 10 months old now and maturing. They say I am getting hormones. I don't know if I like this part of maturing! But then again, I do <Laugh Laugh>. I don't like it a lot because I get yelled at all the time to "Leave Them Alone!!!" and "NO!!!!". But I'm happy I'm getting older and leaving puppyhood behind. I want to be an adult!

And did you know, that Great Dane puppies have their ears cropped? This is a surgery that the puppies go through so their ears stand erect. That is why they are wearing tape on their ears in the picture here. I love licking their ears. And of course when I do, I get even more "Leave Them Alone!!!" and "NO!!!!". Something about if the ears get wet then they won't heal correctly because the tape will have to come off and be started all over again... But I love the girls and then the tape gets all gooey and Mom and Dad have to redo them (again).

And don't forget Trekkie! Trekkie loves me back! I know she does! Who could not love a handsome, young, stud like me? I don't care if she can't have babies! She's a girl and my heart and I can't live without her. Unless Gimme-Mom is in the room. Then, and only then, will I probably give myself over to another other than Trekkie. But maybe not.... If I could have them both.... And believe me, I have tried and tried!! Laugh Laugh!!

I know Mom worries about what will happen when Gimme Mom comes into season again. She hasn't come into season since the puppies were born and this next one will be the first since I "matured" and got hormones. I'll try to behave, I promise! But just let me near Gimme Mom just once... that's all I need <Laugh Laugh>.

See? You see the dilemma I have? So many girls, so little time, so many hormones!!

Happy Dreams internet pups! I'll be dreaming of GIRLS!!

Alf
(Rest In Peace to my Mommy - BISS GCH Copper Mtn's Windstorm HOF)

OH! Those Puppies!!

Well! Gimme's puppies are almost 8 weeks old now and boy do they get into trouble! They run around and act like madmen (and women)! Little escapees too! The girls were getting out of the whelping box weeks ago; it took the boys a little longer. So Mommy and Daddy took the whelping box down and created a puppy room instead. It did not take them long to figure that out and so that had to be adjusted too. Sheesh! Now you can't walk into the puppy room without moving aside a 4-ft high xpen and the door to the crate. HA! You little buggers! Get out of that! Oh, wait. I don't want to issue them a challenge.... Hmmmmm....

So, although I'm older now I certainly don't remember being that bad as a puppy! These guys poop and pee all over the place. When they get into the living room they go behind the couch and start chewing on wires and cords and whatever they can get their little teeth into. I think the curtains are next!! Not me though! I remember being Mr. Perfect Puppy! Laugh Laugh! That may just be my memory though! Laugh Laugh!!

Right now as I write this, they are in the kitchen sounding like a herd of buffalo as they run through the kitchen into the puppy area and back (again and again and again). NOTHING is safe from these puppies! Not even poor lil' ol' me!! Laugh Laugh! I love the little goobers though and will miss them when they are gone. Even if they did start deciding that I could substitute for Mom. But OW! Those are not nipples!! This is what I do when they get too out of control by me:

Gotcha you little goober-face! Laugh Laugh!!

Mommy and Daddy keep saying how nice it is that it is sunny and warm so the puppies can spend a lot of time outside. They've been  wishing too hard for that I think as it's been really super hot around here lately. I know I already blogged about that but I just want to say that we've had rain for the last couple of days here and cooler temperatures. Most (if not all) of the fires burning in Colorado are 100% contained! Those firefighters working the lines deserve everyone's eternal gratitude!! They saved Colorado Springs - our second largest city!! - from burning down!! From Boulder & Ft. Collins to Durango, the western slope by Grand Junction, and the eastern plains by Limon. There have been terrible fires this year. And those firefighters got them contained before the rains showed up!! THANK YOU from all of us Coloradans!!

Of course, now that we have rains we have flood warnings in all the areas affected by the wildfires <sigh>. Please take care all my friends who are in these areas!!

Now, getting back to the serious stuff (ME!!). I know a lot of you are wondering how my leg is doing. It still bothers me and I still limp. Mommy and Daddy say that no surgery can be done until my growth plates close and that will be when I'm at least a year old - maybe older. I continue to see Jennie the Physical Therapist weekly and work on the underwater treadmill. And Mommy and Daddy are making plans for me to see Dr. Lewis for xrays when I turn a year old and then we'll go from there. Right now I'm 9 months old so .... 1 year is 12 months... 12 minus 9 is .... Dang It! Math has never been my best subject ... 3 months! There. Got it. Laugh Laugh!! And let me clarify that when I say "bothers" me, I don't mean it hurts. I just don't walk on it properly and so my movement is funny and I worry about stepping on puppies and slipping on the floors. And I find it hard to get up. And that bothers me!

Wishing everyone safety and quietness and loving arms to hold you when its not!

Alf

OH! This Weather!

So, when I left Grammy's house, the weather was nice. Sure, there were some warm days but nothing - absolutely NOTHING - like it is here at Mommy & Daddy's house! Wow! We have already been seeing temperatures in the 90's and it's only mid-June! We had temperatures in the 90's in April and May. Now, Mr. Fox and Gimme Mom may not care too much. But believe you me, Trekkie and I care!

Sure, Mommy and Daddy have air conditioning but they didn't want to turn it on too early in the year. Daddy does nothing but complain about the cost of it. So, the months of April and May were tough months to get through. Now that we are in June and the temperatures are staying above 80 most days, the A/C is on. When it works <sigh>. Boy, has that been a project for everyone! First, we had to get someone out here to do some preventative maintenance on it. Then, we had it running for just a tiny bit of time and the fan motor started dying! O.M.G.! Will I never get comfortable again??!! It's hot hot hot around here!

OK, it's getting more comfortable. The A/C is on now again and Daddy soon won't have a reason to complain about it. I hear we are getting solar panels from Solar City to help us. The solar panels mean that we won't be paying Excel Energy bunches of money. YEAH! Maybe that will mean I will get more toys or treats! Yeah! Yeah! That's the ticket! I bet I'll get more toys! Or treats! Yummmm!! Laugh Laugh!! But until then, I guess I (we) suffer through the hot temperatures. Yuck! I'll be sure to give an update when the solar panels get installed.

Thankfully, Mommy & Daddy sometimes leave the back door open at night for Trekkie and I. It's cooler at night but we have to worry about Gimme Mom's puppies. We don't want them to get too cold and they are close by the back doorI, so it's kind of a Catch-22. For now, I guess we (Trekkie and I) will just continue to wake Mommy up at 4:30 in the morning (give or take a half hour) so she can let us out then! Trekkie does a good job of waking up Mommy. She walks over to the bed and starts panting in Mommy's face. Works like a charm!! Laugh Laugh! I suggest all my internet buddies give it a try one night! Laugh Laugh!!

The weather has also wreaked havoc along the entire state. Many, many forest fires have started already this year - and it's not even forest fire season yet! That's usually later in the year. It's not only been hot, it's been really dry. Awful, awful! The biggest fire of the year is burning right now near Ft. Collins. More than 50,000 acres are already burned and the fire is only about 15% contained. It's been burning for 7 days. So many people and their animals need help. The Red Cross (http://www.redcross.org/), The Salvation Army (http://www.imsalvationarmy.org/), and Larimar Humane Society (http://larimerhumane.org/) are all accepting donations for evacuees and victims of the High Park Fire.

Speaking of the puppies, I suppose I can give a quick update on them too. Because they are just adorable! I love them soooooo much! And I can tell they love me Laugh Laugh! They all play with me!

The puppies are 4-1/2 weeks old now and range from 8 pounds to 11 pounds!! They are growing so fast! It will be a long time before they are as awesome as I am even if they are cute now! Just a couple of weeks and they will be gone. I will be so sad! Hopefully we can babysit them occasionally or see them at the dog shows! They will be my buddies forever!

Well, I'd better get back to shedding my heavy puppy fur! Laugh Laugh! I realize I've lost a lot of it already in the underwater treadmill (which I still do at least once a week) but this hot hot hot weather is making me lose and fast!

I hope every one of my internet buddies has a cool house to stay in and a warm human embrace to love in!

Alf