Guest Blog Thursday - Gus

Well, it's me today. The things I do to get the little one to stop pestering me. Things have been good this week, Daddy has been home. I like that. That means I don't have to do all the guarding. I prefer to just hang out and let others do the work. Don't get me wrong, if there's a person or critter on the other side of my fence I will let them know they don't belong - but other than that I prefer to not over tax myself with too much activity. Unlike the little one. That is all.

Guest Blog Thursday - Army Guy - Unclassified!

Hi everyone! Guest Blog Thursday is back. Sorry I had to take a few weeks off - those last few interviews with all that girly talk really threw me for a loop! But THiS week I have a GUY! He's Mr. Jared and he serves our country in the Army, which is pretty cool of him. Same as always , but just in case there's a new reader or two - questions are in black, answers are in blue and my responses are in red!

Enjoy!

How long have you been in the Army? What is your rank?

I’ve been serving for 20 years now. I am a Sergeant first class. (that sounds pretty cool, but honestly, I don't know what that means. Does that mean you get all the first class goodies?)

What do you do?

I am the Readiness NCO for an Engineer unit in Missouri. Some stuff is secret so I dare not tell. Like where you hide your favorite toy or the extra treats mom gives you! (I get it - you don't want everyone to know what you're up to, like when I lay on the bed and I'm not supposed to - that stuff is best kept secret)

What's your most favorite thing about the Army?

Being able to make a difference and protect the Country. (wow! That's pretty big stuff! and really cool!)

Least favorite?

Being away from my wife and daughter. (I don't think that would be fun at all - that must be really hard)

Do you have any funny stories you can share or is it all classified?

I once slipped off a wood walk way during the rain and bruised my shoulder, but my wife doesn’t know about it. The rest you have to have a secret clearance for….. (more secret stuff..... how do you keep all those secrets? )

What was basic training like? I hear you get yelled at a lot and have to do lots of exercises? That doesn't really sound like fun, at least the yelling part.

It’s kind of like obedience school for dogs, only the drill sergeants don’t say “good boy” and give you treats, they say drop down and give me 40 push ups now! (no treats?!?!? that doesn't make any sense! I'm not sure what a push up is but if you don't get treats then is the push up the fun part?)

You served in Iraq and I hear it's really sandy there - did you have to deal with that? What was that like?

It was very sandy and windy. Sometimes it looked like rain. (I think the sand in my fur would get irritating)

What did you soldiers do with your down time?

Well, there is some time to exercise and call home, but generally when I was there we stayed pretty busy. (I pretty much guessed you couldn't tell us much - what with all the secrets and all. Probably a good thing - you don't want those mean guys to know all our Army stuff - you're pretty smart for keeping it secret)

Is there anything the readers can do to help our heroes who are serving this country?

Greet them with cheer when they arrive home! Care packages are cool too! (that's pretty easy. Momma says care package donations can be made through the USO.org and that especially with the holidays coming up that it's a really nice thing to do)

Can dogs join the army? If so, what jobs do they have?

Yes, we have police dogs and bomb sniffers, how’s your nose? (Momma says I'm not a good sniffer, neither is Gus - but we do like to herd things - would that work? I wonder what kinds of dogs do the bomb sniffing? that must be scary)

Do movies show what the Army is really like? Like one of my Daddy's favorites is Stripes - Was that what basic training was like?

Stripes was funny, but not realistic. There are funny things that go on, but no UAV’s to drive. (not realistic, hhmmm? makes me wonder if other things in movies aren't real? craziness! No UAV's? That's Urban Assault Vehicle for those of you who don't know - I say that 'cus Daddy had to tell Momma what that was)

Any super cool gadgets that you get to play with that only the Army has?

Oh yes lots, but mainly I am stuck in the office. I did just get back from running lots of big equipment though. (that must be hard to know there's all those cool gadgets and you can't go out and play with them - I can sympathize. Like, I know that the ball and squirrel-on-a-stick are in the garage but I can't just go play with them - not fair. Did you get to crush things with the big equipment? that would be fun! although I'm not a real big fan of loud noises)

Is there a reason they call the necklaces you soldiers wear "dog tags"?

Not sure on that one, they look nothing like dogs! (I don't think they look like dogs either - and I don't like stuff around my neck - I tend to chew it off if I get bored - have you ever been tempted to do that?)

personal stuff about you

how many pets do you have? names? breeds?

4 pets: Chloe is an Aussie retriever mix, then there is the dachshund crew; Heidi, Phillip and belle. Phill is a dacha wawa mix. (they're all my bestest friends)

what kinds of things do you like to do with your pets?

Play with the squirrel toy and chill out to tv. (that squirrel-on-a-stick is the best!)

what human thing do you do that probably annoys your pets?

Not sharing my dinner. (yeah, I'm not a big fan of that one myself. Why do you humans do that? Considering we can smell what you're eatin' I think it's kinda rude you don't share. aren't you always telling us we should have good manners?)

who is your favorite cartoon character?

Bugs Bunny (he's pretty funny he gets into all kinds of things - he's still no Scooby though)

what is your favorite food?

Everything, but Brussel sprouts (I've never had those but I haven't met a food that I didn't like yet, either. I knew you and I got a long for a reason)

what is your favorite toy? My motorcycle (fun!)

If you could be anything other than human - what would that be & why?

Nope like being a human cause I can reach the frig door, although I have heard about a dog on tv that can open the frig so maybe a dog. They get to lay around on the couch all day…….. Thanks for chattin with me. Tell your mom and dad HI for me. (I'm not allowed to lay on the couch - but because we're buds I'll tell you a secret, and I know you can keep a secret, just don't tell Momma & Daddy - sometimes I lay on the couch when they're not around! ssshhhhh - don't tell! Figuring out how to open the fridge door would be awesome - there are some amazing things that come out of there)

Thanks, Mr. Jared for serving our country and taking the time to answer my questions. I still don't know what you do but I know you have to keep a lot of secrets and that can't be easy. I like to talk so sometimes my secrets come out - I bet you don't do that. It sure was fun chatting with you. Life is fun!

strange days

Hi everyone!
The last few days have been really strange. Momma wasn't here. We got up really early a few days ago and went for a car ride. Momma got out of the car and then didn't get back in and Daddy left and we came back home. I got home and looked all over for Momma but she wasn't here. It was just us guys. Daddy was fun. He took us for walks and play times at Canine Country - but he didn't talk to me as much as Momma does and that was a bit strange. Gus & I did manage to pull Daddy onto his bottom one day while we were out for a walk. Not sure what he was doing but we just went with it. Then one day Daddy left and when he came home Momma was with him! It sure was good to see her! Then we all went to Canine Country & I got to chase the ball. It was fun. Life is fun!

Guest Blog Thursday - but not.... Other stuff instead

Sorry folks! Normally Thursday is Guest Blog day - but I'm a bit behind. Those girls in the last two interviews really tired me out! But I have an interview lined up for next week with a really cool GUY! So be sure to check it out.

In the meantime - I think I mentioned in the last post that I was expecting to get a new collar - well it arrived.



But the best part is it arrived with food too! YUM!



Momma said I should also take this opportunity to mention a few dogs in need. Sadly there are dogs out there that don't get this yummy food or have people to care enough about them to put a collar on them and that's just not right. So here are some ways to help if you can.

On September 13, 2009 - The St. Charles Humane Society will have an event at Frontier Park called Trails for Tails - here are the details
http://stcharleshumanesociety.org/html/trails_for_tails.html
(Peaches, Chewee & Oreo might want to consider entering the best dressed contest)

On September 27th are the Canine Games at Purina Farms. Gus & I went last year with Miss Trina & Phillip & it was lots of fun! There are all kinds of games dogs can play! You can find out more info here
http://www.stlsamoyed.com/caninegames.php
(Rebel - you might like to look at this as it's hosted by the local Samoyed club).

Of course near and dear to Momma & Daddy's & mine & Gus' hearts are the Aussie rescue sites.
www.aussierescue.org/ - ARPH- this is where Gus came from.

and locally
www.aussierescuestlouis.com/

Also there's one other shelter that isn't local but Momma follows her on Twitter and this woman does lots & lots to help dogs and is amazing at all that she achieves (as are all those that foster and work in rescue). Here's her website
www.aplacetobark.com/
and you'll see in the upper left corner "Help A Place to Bark win $10k" - click there then follow the link to a contest and vote for A Place to Bark as well as other shelters listed above or ones that are near & dear to your hearts.

Oh - one more thing that I think is pretty funny - here's a pic of me watching a youtube video of Phillip & Heidi playing with Squirrel on a Stick! Life is fun!

hhhhmmm....

Hey everybody! It's been a while since I've posted so I thought maybe I should write something - it's just that not a whole lot has been happenin'. At least for me & Gus. Momma & Daddy seem to be pretty busy. We go on our walks every morning and have our breakfast & dinner and have even had several afternoon walks lately. Oh - and we've had popcorn a few nights (not enough though).
Been hanging out with Daddy on the sofa when he plays his video games & I hung out on the patio with Momma all day on Saturday while she read a book - it sure was nice.
I suspect I'll be getting a new collar soon as I chewed mine up last week - just for something to do. It was bothering me so I chewed it off.
That's about it. Life is fun!

Guest Blog Thursday - Chewee & Oreo

Well, apparently there was a bit of an uproar over my interview with Peaches last week and since I don't ever want to offend anyone I'm interviewing Peacheses friends Chewee & Oreo this week. Their Momma also provided some photos.
Same as always - Questions in black, answers in blue & my responses in red.
ENJOY!

First - your full names and breed (as the humans call us)?
Chewee O'Brien and Oreo O'Brien Shi Tzu's

Chewee

Oreo

You two have some interesting names - how'd they come about?
Chewee is because even though I am little I could chew through gates as a puppy, and Oreo was to be named Cookie until Brendan's best friend told us she looked like an Oreo Cookie........Aunt Debbie still calls me Cookie (Cookie is a good name - I like cookies)

Age(s)?

Chewee will be 14 October 10th !! Oreo was 1 on March 24th (wow - Chewee you HAVE been around awhile - should I speak UP? Oreo - your birthday is my Momma & Daddy's anniversary day - I'll always remember!)

Nicknames?

Chewee- Chew Chew, Chew Boogie Oreo - Pretty perfect princess, Pretty Puppy, OR O (Brady calls me that)

(Chewee - Does it bother you that Oreo is called "pretty" ?)


What is your most favorite toy?

Chewee - The football I picked out for my 1st birthday at Pets Mart.....yes I still have it, I roll on it now OREO - my bear, that is tiny and just for me, but I have a whole basket of toys that I scatter all over the house.
(Oreo - I like to scatter toys around the house, too. That way there is always one handy when needed! Except my Momma walks around pickin' them up - does your Momma do that? & Chewee it sounds like your toy is extra special - Gus has one of those, too)

What is you most favorite treat/food/snack?

CHEESE

(cheese is pretty good - I do like me some cheese)

Regarding humans and your people what do you find to be

the most interesting thing about them? That when I bark and look up with my big brown eyes, they do whatever I want. (hmmm - you seem to have an interesting ability with humans -me & gus don't like it when they look us in the eyes - maybe if were littler like you it would be different)

What amuses you most about them?

That when I bark with my big brown eyes, they do whatever I want. (Will you teach me your secret?)

You girls have three human brothers. What do you like best about them ?

They love us! (good human love is nice)

Little Humans are quite different than the grown up ones - do the little ones do funny stuff? or are they more fun than the big ones?

Oreo likes when Patrick lays on the couch every morning and rubs her belly, Brady likes to do silly things like put hats on her, but I snip at Brady sometimes. Chewee doesn’t play much anymore but always goes to Brendan’s room to bark and wake him up.

(I can't blame you for snipping if they're putting hats on you - that's just not right. A pup has her pride)

Do you girls have to wear bows in your hair like Peaches? If so what do you think about that? (It's something I'm not quite grasping)

Peaches got her hair tips from us !!! She had hair envy for a really long time. Chewee does shorter hair now, she will be 98 soon, and Oreo just got her pony trimmed down due to playing in the river too much.....(more hair issues that I just don't understand)

You two are quite little - what's that like? Does your shortness (no offense)
pose any problems? what about positives because of your lack of height? Do humans ever step on you because of your littleness?
The only problem is that in Chewee's old age she cannot jump on the bed anymore, but that’s ok because someone will always lift her up, she used to be able to though. Oreo has never been able to jump on the bed, too tiny. Our family loves to snuggle us and we don’t shed…….big plus. (I don't have a problem with the shedding but sometimes my Momma asks me if I want it back - she can be a bit crazy like that. I can jump on the bed - but I'm not supposed to - only if invited. Must be nice to be picked up and placed places - I'm too big for that. I'm starting to wonder if shorter is better? hmm - but then again - I wouldn't want a stranger to pick me up - I'd have to bite them - which would get me in trouble so I should stay the size I am)

What are your most favorite things to do? (you can list more than one -I have LOTS of favorites!)

Sleep, play with all of our toys and go to the river house. And EAT CHEESE !! Oreo loves to sit at the breakfast bar and catch what drops. (all those are really good favorites)

What kinds of things do you and your Momma/brothers/family members do together?

Mostly Chewee likes to stay home in the AC now days, Oreo likes to go on walks and she goes to a lot of baseball and soccer games. She doesn’t care too much for basketball season because she has to stay home. And we both like to go to the river !! (You've mentioned the river a couple times - I've only been in one once - but Daddy says that was creek. You two must be brave to go into the river & it must be so much fun!)

Chewee, you’ve been around a while - any lessons learned you'd like to share?

Love your family, and eat lots of cheese…….the vet says no table scraps but I am almost 14 and look at me !! Oh, but never get in the trash and get chicken bones…..did that a couple years ago, not good. (Good advice, except that vet part - I don't agree. I'll have to remember that about the chicken bones - problem is - chicken smells so good)

Who are your favorite cartoon characters?

We are in to wrestlers at the moment my brothers like them so we do too, Oreo occasionally chews off an arm or too and doesn’t make her brothers very happy. (I don't know what wrestlers are - but if they're chewable they must be fun!)

Thanks Chewee & Oreo for the interview. Chewee, Daddy says your Momma said you had to have a surgery - I hope you don't have to wear one of those cone thingy's those aren't much fun. We all hope you're recovering quickly and feeling good.

You two are some interesting girls even though I don't understand about the bows. I think I may need to interview a guy next week 'cus these girls are confusing! But you are fun! Life is fun!

Pool fun!

So yesterday I was telling you how hot it was - 'cus it was HOT! And I wondered, when Daddy got home, if he'd pool out the pool. Do you remember that ? Well he DID and it was lots of fun! I got to bob for treats over and over again 'cus Momma said she was trying to get a good pic "in focus" whatever that means. Daddy made sure and set the pool in the shade 'cus he knows I'm not up for much sun. Gus wouldn't come in - not even for treats. Although he did stick his nose in a bit to get a Cool Treat. Yep - We got one of those too! It was Awesome!

Here's me in the pool. Yeah - it's little but it's all I need!


This is as close as Gus gets to the water. Except the one time he did grab the Cool Treat. I tell him it's really comfy but he won't come in. Don't know why.

Here's me bobbin' for treats. So much fun & yummy too!

This is me after I lift my head from gettin' the treats. Momma says it was a good thing we were outside 'cus water got everywhere!


Here I am all nice & cool. You can see Gus panting in the background but not me! I was nice & comfy!

Momma thinks it's silly that I'm not smiling much in the pics - but I told her it's serious business being hot and then going after the treats in the water and I told her I did have fun. Life is Fun!