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Tranquility

Chilly Sunday morning, spitting snow. Barb on her way home. And Ripley and Lucy at my feet. I'm just not sure life gets much better than this.

No "yappy dogs" for Obama

One more from the Barbara Walters interview:

WALTERS: I have one final, very important question. I, Mrs. Obama, I sent you a picture of my dog, Cha Cha
MICHELLE OBAMA: Uh-huh.
WALTERS: Who is a Havanese, and a very perfect dog, and
BARACK OBAMA: Cha Cha?
WALTERS: Cha Cha. Cha Cha is a dog, he's a Havanese, he's from Havana... name is "Cha-cha-cha."
BARACK OBAMA: Cha-cha-cha.
WALTERS: Yeah. (overlap)
BARACK OBAMA What is a Havanese?
WALTERS: Oh, it's like a little.. it's like a little terrier. And they're non-allergenic, and they're the sweetest dogs in the world.
BARACK OBAMA: But, but it's a... it's like a little yappy dog.
WALTERS: Yeah, you don't want (overlap)
MICHELLE OBAMA: Don't criticize.
BARACK OBAMA: Yeah, it like sits in your lap and things?
MICHELLE OBAMA: (Overlap) Yes, it's a cute dog. (Laughs)
BARACK OBAMA: It sounds kind of like a... a girly dog.
MICHELLE OBAMA: We're girls. We have a house full of girls.
WALTERS: We know...  we... what about whatever you were saying?
MICHELLE OBAMA: (Laughs)
BARACK OBAMA: Well, well, we're gonna have a big, rambunctious dog.

Indoor dog park

You've heard of dog parks? Places you can safely take your pup to run free and play with other dogs. In the frozen tundra that is Madison, Wisconsin, they have indoor dog parks. Bob is taking his dog Dusty next week and reports the place has a webcam so you can watch Fido sniff Sparky's butt.

Here's a still from the (rather jerky) live feed . Note the plastic floor for easy clean-up. Looks like an industrial strength pooper-scooper and a big bucket next to the door. And don't miss the beat up old couch in the corner. Are there 3 or 4 dogs on that thing?

During the brief time I watched, the yellow lab and the golden retriever were having a great time.

I'd love to have a facility like this for Ripley and Lucy.

PS: Yoga students will note the near-perfect example of Downward Facing Dog.

Found pup

While waiting for George to join us for our Saturday morning gab-fest at the Coffee Zone, Tom and I saw a small dog run into the street. Lots of traffic and the dog seemed to have not street-smarts. Just ran down the middle to busy intersection.

I went out to try to help get her out of the street and succeded with the old pretend-you-have-a-treat-in-your-hand trick. When I picked her up she was frantic for a bit but calmed down. I took her into the Coffee Zone thinking the owner might come looking. Didn't happen so George drove us to the shelter. Turns out she had been picked up a week ago and returned to owners.

Who apparently let her get out again. A scan of her chip confirmed and the owners were called again. I didn't know dogs could have blue eyes.

The Big Deuce

“A giant inflatable dog turd by American artist Paul McCarthy blew away from an exhibition in the garden of a Swiss museum, bringing down a power line and breaking a greenhouse window before it landed again, the museum said Monday.

The art work, titled “Complex S(expletive..)”, is the size of a house. The wind carried it 200 metres (yards) from the Paul Klee Centre in Berne before it fell back to Earth in the grounds of a children’s home, said museum director Juri Steiner.” — Flying piece of art causes museum chaos in Switzerland

Don't normally re-post (from flickr blog) whole cloth but could not improve on the post and wanted to include the image.

Welcome home

No video or photo could convey the joy of Lucy and Ripley --our Golden Retrievers-- at seeing Barb and me after a week's absence. Faces were licked, bottoms were scratched, biscuits were consumed. If the nature of the universe is unconditional love, I have found no greater expression.

For dog lovers only

We got all of our dogs as puppies so I have a great appreciation for this little trick. Now take your insulin injection and go back to work. [via Planet Nelson]

A Walk Around the Lake (video)

I had a feeling Henry might enjoy making a few videos. He's a gifted digital artist (that's a photographer who doesn't have to take assignments) but has always focused on still images. The video above (4 min) is a walk around the lake at the Prairie Garden Trust with Pete, Sam and Boots.

I think this is only Henry's second video and I predict we'll see some very cool stuff once he gets the hang of a different medium.

My favorite part is when Sam stops to take a leak.

Hours of fun. I'll take two.

Busted

Lucy thought I had left the house.

Holiday Greetings from Ripley and Lucy

Far and away the most asked question about the annual holiday card, "How did you get the dogs to sit still for the photo?" [Larger version]

The answer has always been a combination of patience and treats. This year, neither was enough to get Lucy to pose. When the camera came out, she freaked and ran. Barb never lost her cool but I really thought this would be the year she'd have to punt.

The image above perfectly captures the exhaustion of everyone involved. Not an award winner, but an honest and true image of the season. We're all a little exhausted.

Lucy and Ripley

It's been too long since I posted some pup pix. Lucy and Ripley are Golden Retrievers who live at our house. If there's a sweeter creature on the planet, I haven't found it. But then, I haven't been looking.

Lucy (left) sleeps under the bed. When the world is too much with me, I can reach down put my hand on her and drop right off. Ripley has her own spot on Barb's side of the bed. When I come home each evening, the pups are waiting at the top of the stairs, tails wagging.

GPS dog collar

Garmin, a manufacturer of G.P.S. equipment, makes a tracking system that keeps tabs on dogs during walks in the countryside or in the dense ground cover of a hunting trip. It has two parts: a hand-held G.P.S. unit for the owner and another device that is mounted on the dog’s collar or harness.

If the dog bolts after a deer, the owner’s device will show where the dog is headed so the owner can follow and find it, even if miles away.

The Garmin dog tracker system, called Astro, costs $599, but the price may not be too steep for people who already have a deep emotional and financial investment in their dogs. Businesses that sell the Astro include Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, and Gundogsupply.com. [NYT.com]

Would I pay $600 to find Ripley or Lucy if they were lost. You bet. If they weren't inside dogs, I'd have me a couple of these collars.

Meet Sadie

Barb and I love Golden Retrievers. So when Andrew Lear called to tell us they had a new pup, we jumped in the car and raced over for a look. Sadie is 7 weeks old and has a great new home with Ben, Jack, Maddison, Leigh and Andrew.

And here's proof positive that everyone looks better holding a puppy.

Lassie, where are you?

A voice-enabled, waterproof, GPS-enabled cell phone from Pets Mobility tracks your dog's location. It's also a two-way cell phone, with an auto-answer feature that puts your voice on speakerphone. You can talk to your pup and he can respond with a bark. The doggy phone has a "call home" button so if anyone finds him, they can use the phone to contact you.

I'm not sure I see the value of talking to my dog, but the rest of it makes sense.

You Don't Need to Pick Up Dog Feces Any More!

"The Doggie-Poop-Catcher is a palm sized portable poop-catcher with a collapsible frame structure which opens up any plastic grocery bag in a second ( patented ). Then, it catches dog feces before the feces falls onto the ground. How do we do it? We take advantage of the dog's behavior or their body languages prior to defecation, which is recommended as an exemplary method to clean up after the dog."

Sorry, no can do. Harvesting the load after the fact is one thing... catching a steaming pile before it hits the ground (even in a plastic bag) is too much for smays.

If bitten by a dog, stand perfectly still

I emailed a story about how to avoid getting bitten by a dog to my blogging vet pal, Dr. T. Everett Mobley, thinking it might be fodder for his blog (it wasn't). Here is a portion of his reply:

"I have had a few very severe wounds, as well as many minor ones. Fortunately, most dogs in my situation simply want me to go away, so they bite and let go (pretty soon, anyway). The part about not jerking back is absolutely true. However, one's first experience probably won't allow you to avoid that reflex. Unfortunately, I am now able to stand still (while yelling at the top of my lungs) until the dog lets go. The crushing is much more painful and damaging than the punctures. Adding a tearing component is certainly undesirable. Afterwards, I sometimes have to lie down before I fall down."

Humping Dog thumb drive

If you haven't purchased my Christmas present yet, I'd love to have one of these.

Lucy and Ripley enjoy the snow

Our two Golden Retrievers love the snow. Lucy, the younger dog, cannot contain her excitement 1 min .mov, 6 meg

Speaking of dogs and cold weather... my favorite blogging veterinarian, Dr. Everett Mobley, provides a terrific overview for caring for you dog when the temperature falls.

Shooting the annual greeting card

Today was the first day of shooting for Barb's annual greeting card. I tagged along to hold Lucy's leash. She hasn't seen a lot of snow and goes a little nuts. This would be a little like giving me a front row seat at a Victoria's Secret runway show and then handing me a Rubik's Cube to solve. Here's the hill that Lucy dragged me up and down. Video :40, 5 meg .wmv . Note that the audio sounds like one of those "this will be our final report" from a doomed Everest climber.

Under the Mistletoe (Because they can)

Let's just call this little video our first holiday greeting.

Weird-looking dogs

Dr. Everett Mobley blogs at Your Pet's Best Friend. He started in September and his posts just get more and more interesting and informative.

Now look at your dog. Notice the parts that look wolf-like and the parts that don't. What kind of a wolf percentage do you have? Chances are that the lower your wolf-score, the more built-in problems your pet has.

You never know who's going to be a good blogger. By "good" I mean someone who posts frequently and writes in an open and personal voice. I confess that I find it very gratifying to play even a tiny role in helping someone get started blogging. YPBF is a must-read for anyone with a pet.

All the way from Guatemala

Zena is the travelling companion of Mike Mah, a pain management specialist who "practices healing techniques through martial arts." He's been doing his thing in Guatemala but will return to the U.S. He just rode in on his motorcycle, accompanied by his dog Zena, a five year old boxer-Dingo mix. She rides in front of Mike on the motorcycle and takes a rest about every two hours. Here's 20 seconds of video with Zena (the dog) wearing her goggles. You'll note that I lapse into my Bootheel mush-mouth when I'm around dogs. More images of Zena.

Deep thoughts on dog shit

We live on a three-acre, mostly wooded, lot. And I challenge you to walk 50 yards without stepping in a pile of Golden Retreiver poop. As he so often does, Dave offers fresh insight on this endless and thankless task. A couple of my favorites:

You shouldn't use kitchen utensils to pick up canis crap. My neighbor uses a large soup spoon, and I just can't endorse that. Nothing I would ever put into my mouth will be used to pick up fecal matter, because I'm fairly aloof, and often deep in thought. What if I got confused?

The tool you use says a lot about your personality. A scoop indicates a straight-forward person who attacks a job quickly and efficiently. A dustpan-type tool is a sign of creativity, the user approaching the job with a flair for the dramatic. In my case, I use this thing that resembles a piece of earth-moving equipment. It indicates power, control, and a penchant toward genius.

Laissez les bon ton roulette

The embargo has been lifted on this year's Golden Retreiver Holiday Card. Barb has mailed to her list but I'll got right up to New Year's Eve and still miss some folks. This year's theme is Mardi Gras. I don't think this has anything to do with Katrina...Barb just likes the masks. [Larger image]

If you can imagine the patience required to shoot this photograph, you begin to understand how it has been possible for Barb to live with me for 28 years.

Lucy

That's the new pup's name. We pick her up this coming weekend. She'll be doing her business on the Wall Street Journal until house broken. If images of puppies make you queasy, you might want to stop back by in a month or two.

Staaaayyy

Barb completed her annual holiday card photo shoot this week, featuring Ripley and Andie. While I couldn't bear to help (or watch) I think this year's card will be another winner. We're embargoed here until the analog cards are mailed.