Puppygate

Joe Biden, the Veep-Elect, tried to do something good, something noble. He went out and got himself a nice new dog. But messed it all up and angered just about everyone in the process. Well, no surprise there, I guess. He went out and got this cute little German Shepherd puppy. That dog may look cute now, but it will grow to be a big, vicious dog, the kind who bullies others in the dog park. So, first off, why not a cockapoo, Mr. Biden?

He got the dog from a shady breeder, a Pennsylvania breeder who was cited several days later by the state Department of Agriculture for several violations, including a failure to produce proof of rabies vaccinations and maintenance issues. All the breeder could offer in her defense was a big “Oops,” insisting the records were lost the night before Biden’s visit as she was cleaning up.

http://blogs.dogtime.com/the-news-hound-blog/2008/12/biden-dog-a-puppy-mill-product

That angered a lot of people, but I think that's OK, it's like the same kinda place I came from . . no shame in that. But now he's all embarrassed and flip-flopping and says he's gonna get a second dog, from a shelter no less, like that's what he planned all the time:

http://www.ecorazzi.com/2008/12/22/joe-biden-to-add-second-dog-rescue-pup-from-shelter/

After coming under fire for buying a puppy from a breeder in PA (where violations have been cited in the past), Vice President-elect Joe Biden is vowing to add another dog to his growing family. This time, he’ll get one from a shelter. “We’re gonna get a pound dog that my wife wants,” Biden said.

And to make matters worse, Mr. Biden got the puppy to get a jump on the Obamas, trying to show up his new boss. Is this the kind of 'change we need?' Where's Hillary?

By the way, have you noticed, as I have, that the Obamas still don't have that dog?

Happy Birthday Big Brother

Happy Birthday!! It's hard to believe you're 133 today, and yet you don't look a day over 20. I hope the owner on that farm you're on remembers to give you an extra bowl of beef gravy.

Have you seen my daddy?

My daddy hasn't been home for a few nights. He is rarely this long away from me and I'm worried he may be lost or hurt or sick. He's not quite himself when he doesn't get the chance to chase me around the basement or scratch me behind the ears. If you've seen him or heard from him, please let me know. Or ask him to send me an e-mail.

Correction

I got a lot of feedback on my last post. Apparently, my readers are very passionate about the Civil War. Several of you noticed a small error, which I'd like to correct. The stone wall I referred to was not actually a stone wall, as reported, but was really a general named Stonewall Jackson. But he was so hard to get around that he was like a stone wall, get it? So the monument on the battlefield is not really a piece of him but rather just that, a monument. And come to think of, the nice park ranger probably never really said it was really a wall. I guess I was looking at the squirrels when she was talking about that part. The error was strictly my own.

Chancellorsville

What a whirlwind of history my family has been taking me through over the past few months. Here I am on the famous Chancellorsville battlefield, where a long time ago a lot of people fought with guns and cannons. So Tommy, what was the battle all about, you ask? I got a tour from a nice park ranger and learned all about it. You see, back in the nineteenth century, the people of the south part of the US held all dogs as slaves, and even some people too. And the people of the north didn't think that was right. So they had a war, called the Civil War and they fought some of it right here. The mean people from the south, who held all dogs as slaves and even some people did real good here at Chancellorsville and a lot of other battles. But you know how the south did it? They cheated. They did it with sneak attacks, like here at Chancellorsville, they didn't just come out and fight, but snuck around lots of bushes and trees and attacked the rookie guys on the right who weren't expecting it, rather than come after the real men of the north in the middle. And the north had this courageous general named Fighting Joe who wanted badly to get at those slave-holding people of the south but he never knew where they were so he didn't get the chance. But that was OK, because he brought his girls with him so it wasn't a total waste of his time.

And the south had this secret weapon, a big stone wall they would cart from battle to battle and the north couldn't get past it. But right here at Chancellorsville, the south soldiers, who weren't too bright, smashed up their own stone wall during this battle and there's just this little bit of it left you can see here and they left it here on the battlefield as a rememberence. It's so tiny now that no one would have any trouble just going right around it.

Well, even in spite of what happened here and a lot of the other battles, the north won and all the dogs and the people were freed once and for all.

Obama ruff ruff ruff Hillary!!!!

Ruff ruff Obama ruff ruff Hillary ruff ruff!

Ruff ruff ruff, ruff ruff ruff ruff ruff. Ruff ruff ruff ruff ruff ruff ruff ruff, ruff ruff ruff ruff. Ruff ruff ruff ruff ruff ruff ruff.

Ruff ruff Hillary, ruff ruff ruff ruff ruff ruff ruff ruff ruff ruff. Ruff ruff ruff ruff.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-obama2-2008dec02,0,3361992.story

Vick pleads guilty to state dogfighting charge

Good picture of the great human football hero.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/fbn_vick_dogfighting

The good news is Michael Vick is still behind bars. But he is plotting a return to human football, like he's all sorry and stuff. Oh yea? Well what do you make of this:

"Vick apologized to the court, his family and "to all the kids who looked up to me as a role model."

What, no apology to the dogs he harmed and their families? Some apology. He just doesn't get it, does he?

Let ME apologize, because I know I sound bitter, very uncharacteristic for me, such an otherwise sweet little dog.

Exciting Update

"Malia Obama has expressed an interest in a cockapoo . . ."

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedishrag/2008/11/president-elect.html

Yes, you read it right. Malia must have read my recent blog. You go, girl!

You really shouldn't read the article beyond the second paragraph. I almost regret posting a link to that article because it contains some breedest slurs of the most vile sort, hardly fit for polite society.

Open Letter for President-Elect Obama

Dear President-Elect Obama,

As you know, I was a supporter of your candidacy, albeit a soft one:

http://tommythecockapoo.blogspot.com/2008/09/my-endorsement.html.

However, I have two suggestions on important matters, which if you follow will turn my support to rock solid .

First, the breed of dog for your kids, perhaps the most pressing issue of our time. You promised in your campaign to change the tone of Washington. After of eight years of Barney as the poster dog for the Republican Attack Machine, who would bite any reporter he disagrees with, it is time for a kinder and gentler White House dog. My advice to you is: go with the cocakpoo. In all modesty, I've been told repeatedly that I have the classic cockapoo looks and I've highlighted the features in the attached photo: small, furry, with floppy ears and a short stubby tail (just click on the photo to get a better look where I've labeled each). And our fur doesn't shed, so Malia will not be achooing all the time - our fur stays very well contained on our bodies until that lady comes at us with her butchering scissors. And we are very gentle and incapable of hurting anyone so Sasha will not have to worry that one might bite her, even if she pulls our tail or hugs us too hard. Let me be perfectly clear, I'm not applying for the position myself. I like downtown DC and all, especially for sight peeing, but I'd be too scared at the White House and have all those strange people around all the time. I'm very happy here in McLean in this nice home and am quite content with my Kong snacks. But if you want one just like me, just go ahead and contact Autumn View Farm. They can set Cody and Cherokee on the job and because you will soon be president and all, you may even get the pick of the litter, even though they are probably Republican-leaning (just a guess here as I rarely discussed politics when I was down there).

Second, Hillary for Secetary of State. She will help repair and soften America's relationship with dogs all over the world.

The M-Word Uttered by Our President-Elect

This is what he thought would be funny, when speaking to the press about adopting a dog:

His family is looking for a dog that will not trigger his daughter Malia's allergies. Ideally, he said it would come from an animal rescue shelter, but "obviously, a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081107/ap_on_el_pr/obama

Shame on you, Mr. Obama. Even speaking self-deprecatingly.

And let me point out that he hasn't gotten that dog yet. We are watching you, and plan to hold you accountable to your campaign promises. Though at this point, I wonder what self-respecting dog would want him as an owner?

Watergate

This was a terrific sight-peeing adventure. We went to the Watergate, the Kennedy Center, and looked out over the mighty Potomac. Here I am at the Watergate Hotel. All you dogs out there are too young to remember the significance of the Watergate. It all went down when your great-granddads were still sniffing. But interestingly, some of the people I know are old enough to remember some of it. But because of their by now advanced ages, its all a fuzzy memory.

So I was in my cozy little annex, my brother's erstwhile closet, surfing the 'net, and did a little research on the subject. You see once upon a time, this funny-looking little man named Richard Nixon was president. Even though he had just about everything, he was president after all, he was kinda a kleptomaniac and not always very honest. He heard all these rich people lived at the Watergate Hotel, just down the street from his house (you know, the White House), and he couldn't resist. So one night Nixon busted into the joint and tried to rob some stuff. But he tripped the alarm on his way out and tipped people off. He was wearing a mask and all, but wouldn't you know it, he had pulled an old Halloween mask out of the closet and with his luck, it was A RICHARD NIXON mask, so everyone knew it was him. He went on TV and said he wasn't a crook, but no one believed him. So they kicked him out, all the way back to California, too far from the Watergate to be robbing it any more. I think even with his faults he was a good man. He even went on TV once and told everyone how much he and his young daughter Trish loved their little cocker spaniel Checkers. A man like that can't be all bad.

New Digs

Check it out. My sister and I turned this musty old closet into a cozy, little annex where we can blog, do homework, and just chill. I never really understood the point of this room. My brother, where ever he is, used to use it as his closet, throwing his clothes around and getting dressed in there. But now that he's gone, we are finally putting it to good use. Hey, one more thing. What's with the tattered old mouse in the corner? He belongs in my toy basket.

Where Was I?

Here I am, at George Washington's house. That's where I was. I was so excited when we got out of the car and I saw where we would walk that my bowels almost exploded.

This George Washington fellow was a rich guy and he got this nice house. You can see that he kept it up real good. He had so much money that he decided to build a big city just up the river from his house. And being a smart guy, naturally he wanted to build a great college in his new city, so other people could be smart too. They named both after him, Washington, DC and George Washington University. And everyone was so grateful for the good work he did that they made him president of the US.

Sorry, nobody won the chew bone. The photo of me in George's back yard was a tough one, I admit. I guess I will have to continue enjoying that chew bone myself.

End of the road

What a sad day. No joy in Dodgertown, no joy for Tommys the world over. First Hillary, now this. It's almost too much to bear.

Ahhh, Sight Peeing Again

OK everybody. I was out sight peeing again last weekend and what an adventure it was. Everyone was petting me and no one tried to bully me.

Who can guess where I am? I've got nicely worked-in rawhide chew bone for the first person who can identify this famous spot.

Answer in my next post!

OOPS, Caught Me

My sister snuck up and caught me blogging. Didn't mean to keep yo'all in suspense - is he in McLean or back on the farm? I made it; I'm still here. But I've been so busy watching the Dodgers and I've been a little depressed about it and just never got up the energy, even though I'm delighted to remain with my family. You can see here that that I'm none too happy, about to write about the Dodgers loss. But I just didn't have the energy.

Hiatus?

I'm very sad today and this may be my last post for a while. Yes, it's D-Day, the anniversary of the day I was adopted by this great family from McLean. But that means they have the option to return me to the farm, today only, for a replacement puppy or a full refund. I didn't say anything about it in the days preceeding, imagining they would forget. But this morning I overheard some chatter about the long drive to Mt. Airy. So it looks like I'm going back. I think throwing up under daddy's chair two nights ago was the last straw. I tried to hold in, honest.

I'm determined to continue blogging though. It may be tough at first. I think all the dogs on Autumn View Farm have had their computer access revoked. I haven't heard from the gang for a while, Cody, and Milktoast, and of course my mom Cherokee. But I'll find a way, don't worry. Even if I have to trade all my toys for a second-hand computer. But if you don't hear from me for a while, you'll know why.

Under the weather

Great dinner last night, hamburger, with some macaroni and cheese. But it ended on a sour note. I hurled it all up. Not feeling so good, so that will be the end of my post for today.

New Endorsement

I am rethinking my endorsement (I can do that, can't I?). My tail just doesn't wag too much for that Obama guy anyway. I think this man should be president. He could even use some of that salary he will get for next year to help stabilize the struggling economy (which if left unfixed could impact the quality of my food).

An open letter to my mommy and daddy

Let's talk food. I'm going to lay my cards on the table, here. I like people food. The kibbles, I can take 'em or leave 'em. If I'm hungry enough and after I've eaten all the people food in the dish, you know, I'll graze a little on the kibble. It's OK. But this new dog food you got me, it's got those little bits and pieces in there that just don't agree with me. Case in point, look at the attached picture. See I cleaned by bowl . . . well, almost. You see that green spec to the left. It was in my dish, it was one of those bits and pieces I'm talking about and I'm telling you, not eating those. I'm putting my paw down. You put them in, I'll pick them up and deposit them right there on the floor. I'm not threatening you, I'm simply stating that I'm not going to eat it.

Dodger Mania

WOW, what a game last night. No big surprise here, I'm a fanatic Dodgers supporter. Being named 'Tommy', how could I be otherwise? My daddy has told me countless tails of the storied Dodger past, but this is the first playoff run I'll be able to root for in 'person.'

NOW ONLY GOTTA WIN TWO - - - GO BLUE!

One Paw Ahead of the Law

Now this is a rare picture - that's me in silhouette - from Tommy Jefferson's building. No cockapoos supposed to be in there. But we pretended we didn't know and my daddy and I snuck up fast, I posed, and had my picture took, before the cockapoo police knew what was happening and chased us away. In the background, you can see that big tower in honor of George Washington, our first president and father of our country. I pee'd on it last year.

See that guy with his hand held up. He was the snitch that alerted to police that I was up there. I coulda sniffed around for a while up there if not for him.

If you look real carefully, you can even see the place where the President's dogs live. But you gotta click on the picture and make it big. Fala used to run around there, and Barney does now. That's a big yard to sniff and pee in.

In the Temple of Greatness

Here I am with a real famous dog, FDR's dog Fala. Don't worry, he's not going to eat me, it's just a statue. He's very BIG as you can see, but I hear he was a real friendly dog. Fala was known to have a second-class mind but first-class temperament (you know, like a lot of dogs). The little known fact is how influential Fala was over the course of history. FDR would ponder important decisions, and be pretty indecisive. So he would ask Fala's advice and whatever Fala woofed for the loudest is the course FDR would take. Like take Social Security, for instance. Roosevelt was against it at first, arguing it's just a Ponzi scheme and socialistic. But Fala was so emphatic in his support that FDR finally relented. Roosevelt kinda blundered on that one, though, because he forgot to include the canine provision in Social Security. Fala was quite angry when he heard about the final legislation, but being a dog, he quickly forgot and was still excited and wagged his tail when FDR entered the room.

Frank and Me

Here I am with Frank Roosevelt, some called him FDR (not sure what the 'D' stands for, maybe Dog or something). I was scared here too. I've been told that this FDR fella was a real powerful man, so I assumed he could break a cockapoo with his bare hands. But look closely. It's just a statue like a lot of other stuff I saw. There were a lot of people around, wearing shorts and some with baseball hats, and some with funny accents. But there were a lot of statues to.

Now here is an interesting historical fact related to this exhibit. This FDR guy, see, he's in a wheelchair. That's what's ironic. I heard that when he was living, he didn't want word to get out that he rode around in one of these things. See, this FDR was a real smart politician and he wanted people to think he was a 'man of the people' even though he had enough money to eat hamburger every day and to have a whole farm of cockapoos of his own. He didn't want word to get around that he had this cool chair to ride around in all day, when the rest of the folks were hungry and had to walk everywhere.

Funny how it hasn't changed too much today with the politicians wanting everyone to think how bad they had it when they were younger and how good the other guy's got it -"my daddy ran away", "oh yea, I was tortured", "your dog eats from gold-plated Kong toys", " oh yea, your an elitist and eat foie gras [whatever that is]".

Where Am I?

Really, I'm asking, I don't know. This is Part II from my exhotic sight peeing adventure last weekend. Daddy made me go up close to those men. I was real scared and he had to struggle to get me over there. They don't look any too friendly and they look hungry enough to eat a cockapoo. But then as I got close, I noticed they didn't move. They are statues - get it? So I felt a little safer and posed for this picture. But what is it? They don't look like presidents or soldiers or anything like that. It's a good picture of me, but what's the point?

Sight Peeing

I was out sight peeing with my mommy and daddy this past weekend. I saw some great sights, some that dogs from all over the world can only dream of seeing. Can you guess where I am? Here's a hint - that building behind me has a statue of another great Tommy.

My endorsement

From the picture at the left, you probably think I'm endorsing myself, Tommy. Given my choices of the other two, my candidacy is looking more attractive. But now that I've 'boned up' (so to speak) on civics, it's obvious that, at two years old, I'm constitutionally ineligible to be elected (even if you apply a liberal 'dog-year' factor). I'm just luke warm on the choices, so why not just post a picture of me. After all, I've got better fur.

So these are the choices. Nice man Biden running with the dog-hating, over-promising Obama. And nice man, animal lover McCain running with animal killer Palin. Here goes. I'm going to cover my nose and pull the lever for the Biden / Obama ticket.

I know I'm voting for president and McCain is the better pick that department. We dogs would have a friend in the White House in a McCain administration. But he's so OLD. I mean he's 72 or something. I'll be lucky to make it to 15 years, forget about 72! He's not going to make it and then what - we're stuck THAT WOMAN.

Now for Obama. At the risk of sounding naive, let's take his word at face value. Maybe he really will keep his promise to his kids. Having a dog around the house may soften his heart - "The New Obama," like "The New Nixon." It could happen. And I think dogs get a much better shot at AFDD and universal pet health care with Obama. No way will McCain go for it. With him, dogs gotta be independent and on their own. But with Obama, he loves spending the humans' money on worthwhile government programs. And what's more worthwhile than AFDD.

But this is just a personal preference. It is such a mild endorsement, I'm releasing all my followers to vote your own conscience.

Rethinking My Endorsement

OK, OK, I noted that I am but a small, furry cockapoo (with floppy ears and a short stubby tail) and I am still a political neophyte. The e-mails have been pouring in informing me of my misunderstanding of presidential politics. Now I get it. You have to vote for President and VP FROM THE SAME PARTY. So if I want McCain, I have to accept Palin (ouch) or if I want Biden, I have to accept Obama (yuk). (In my defense, we never studied civics at U of PetSmart Falls Church Campus.) So . . . what's a cockapoo to do? I'll let you know.

I'm Endorsing the McCain / Biden Ticket

I'm so excited, being just two years old, here's my first official presidential endorsement.

Senator John McCain is a life-long animal lover and has a lot of pets and dogs. So I know I'll have a friend in the White House and who knows, maybe even be named Undersecretary for Canine Affairs. His opponent is the Dog Hating Obama, who refuses to get his kids that dog even though they beg him for it. Both candidates have remained silent on AFDD and universal pet health care. But I am starting this campaign is more about character than issues.

For Vice President, Joe Biden seems like a nice guy. But that Sarah Palin tracks down animals and shoots them dead. Then goes out and brags about it. I'm happy keeping her far away in Alaska and not bring her practically to my neighborhood. I like sight-peeing in the NW DC, and the Veep mansion would be too close for comfort if she moves in. I'd have my tail between my legs, looking over my shoulder the whole time.

So there you have it. All you dogs and concerned humans, go out and vote for McCain and Biden.

Initial Reaction to Palin

I know you are all waiting for my presidential endorsement. And it's coming. I just got a lot of facts to collate. At this stage, I'm still what's known as an 'undecided.' I watched Sarah Palin's speech while nuzzled next to my daddy. She seemed like a nice lady. So I did a little research on her. I turned up this picture here. Look what she does to these poor animals. Wow, does she do this to her dogs too? I don't even know if she has dogs, but maybe it's best that she doesn't? I couldn't help but notice that her speech was deafeningly silent on issues of importance to us pets. Well, gotta go. But I'll be coming out with my endorsement real soon.

Rough Night

I usually start the night sleeping on the floor beside mommy's and daddy's bed. But then in the middle of the night I like to hop up on the bed and we are all nice and cozy. But what happened last night? Mommy was keeping a vigil all night and as soon as I hopped up, she yelled at me to get down. Like I got fleas or ticks or something. So I spent a restless night on the floor.

On an unrelated note, what seemed like a pleasant surprise, I got to go bye-bye this morning. Nice long drive, but then we end up in the parking lot of that lady who likes to put that stick up my tush. Fortunately, she wasn't there, and I only got a mild going over. But I was shaking the whole time. I was glad to get out of there, return home, and take a snooze in my crate with two stuffed Kong toys.

Not Fair

So what do you think about this . . . my daddy and sister are going to Florida tomorrow to see my grandma and grandpa. And they are leaving me behind!! I wanna go too. It isn't fair.

So Sad

It's been a while since I've seen my brother, but it's vacation season and I figured he would be home soon, for school, you know. After all, I just got back from my vacation (had a great time and all). But when I got on-line again, I received an e-mail from him and he says "I hope he realizes by reading this email that I wont be coming home for quite a few months; I hope he is not too disapointed. He can go in my room anytime he wants to take a good snooze." "Quite a few months", that's a long time. What about our hikes?

Time to get serious

Hi everyone. I'm having a great time with my surrogate family. There are plenty of dogs, cats, and people here, not to mention the fish (yum). Sure looking forward to seeing my family again soon. But . . . not onto business.

I'll be paying special attention to the conventions and after the events, will throw my support one way or another. I'll be paying careful attention to the respective candidates stances on canine rights, universal pet health care, and AFDD. And naturally we all want to see whether Obama gets his kids that dog, as he promised (I got my eye on you Barack, and I'll be happy to call you out).

T.R. (and another T.R.)

Yep, that's me, T.R. Here I am out on a great hike with my brother. Can you guess where I am? Well, if you look carefully in the background, you see another great T.R. That should be a clue. Go ahead, take a guess.

My brother is away right now, but I have a lot of other great hikes planned for when he gets back.

Back from my retreat

I just returned from a nice vacation. Here is a picture of one of my new friends who I spent a few days with. They have dogs and cats and it was just a lot of fun. I like chasing the little chiwawa around. My mom and dad picked me up last yesterday. Haven't seen my brother and sister. They probably went on their own vacations and will be back soon. I was a little confused this morning. All summer, when my mom, dad, and sister left for the day, I got to go in with my brother for a nice morning snooze before our big hike of the day. I went to his door this morning, but daddy wouldn't let me in. Then I realized my bother is probably still on vacation. Well, I'm sure I'll see him soon and we can start our hikes again!

Go Wille Bean!!

My dad forwarded me this one, initially discovered by my grandma.

http://news.aol.com/elections/article/labrador-runs-for-mayor-in-alabama/104299?icid=200100397x1206726359x1200342926

Wille Bean Roscoe P. Coltrane, an impressive yellow lab (he's the one on the right) is running for mayor of Fairhope, AL. With a name like that, you can be sure he is a well-bred dog. The newspapers are treating this like some kind of joke, but believe me, Wille Bean is nothing to laugh at. I just got off the phone with him and it's clear this guy is going places. He's a big supporter of AFDD and wants to expand and improve his town's dog parks. Wille Bean is natural charmer on the campaign trail: he does 'shake' with all the prospective voters and is out licking all the babies.

Tommy's Book of the Month

For the Love of Animals: by Kathryn Shevelow


Once I opened it, I just couldn't put this book down. A shameful blot on human history is only now being slowly rectified.

http://www.amazon.com/Love-Animals-Animal-Protection-Movement/dp/0805080902/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217247897&sr=1-1

"the record of human treatment of animals over the centuries has been notable primarily for its cruelty, brutality and selfishness . . . Most people simply used, and abused, animals as labor, food and sport because that was what people had always done. "

To my canine readers, I encourage you to get this book. It is your responsibility to know the history of your ancestors, how they struggled, suffered . . . endured, in the hopes that their descendents, puppies of today, could live a satisfactory and decent life. To some extent, that hope has been fulfilled. But does any dog out there seriously think the job is done, that all we dogs live nice sheltered lives, that all we dogs get Kongs and have nice fenced-in back yards? The reality is NO, NO A THOUSAND TIMES NO. There are still dogs who suffer, even in this, the richest country the world has ever known!

Perhaps it's a bit like Germans being forced to read of the horrors their parents and grandparents perpetuated during WWII, but you humans must read this book too. It's not enough for you to say "I didn't do it, I treat dogs good." You must learn of the cruelty your species is capable of inflicting on poor, helpless dogs.

Dog Lady

I found a real cool web site, by Dog Lady.

http://askdoglady.com/

She didn't post a picture of herself, so I assume she looks something like the picture here. She seems like a very smart lady and you can look at the site yourself. But she's only part dog, and maybe that makes her qualified to help between us canines and our owners. But there's still a gap, she can't presume to speak for us dogs. That's where I try to fit in.

She did cover a very controversial subject on this page:

http://askdoglady.com/best_in_show.html

(Bleep) Happens At Dog Shows

What happens if, for instance, Uno goes poopie right in the middle of the show? She quotes someone who says “If your dog eliminates while showing in the ring, you won't be disqualified. The judge will ask the ring steward to call for the cleanup crew, whose job it is to dispatch such problems.

What do you think, should a dog be disqualified? I think 'yes' the dog should be disqualified. Because I know I would be disqualified as a pet by my mom if I went poopies or peepees at the wrong time or place.

Wow, was that close!

My daddy and big sister took me 'Bye-Bye' yesterday. We went for a long ride to downtown DC. But during the ride, I really had to 'go'. So I whimpered and cried and made it real clear that something just wasn't right. I guess they got the hint because shortly after, we stopped at East Potomac Park and, boy, I got out just in time - if you know what I mean. (I've been asked by some people why I blog about subjects such as these. It's really quite simple. We dogs are not as self-conscious as you people.)

Then my sister took me for a long walk around Haines Point. It sure was hot out there, with all my fur and all. But she didn't walk too fast or anything. She stopped to rest plenty of times and she called daddy a lot and complained about how long the walk is, like there's anything he can do about that! Finally, Daddy came up running up from behind us and grabbed my leash and made me run the rest of the way in. I napped the rest of the day, except when my brother came home and decided he just had to pick me up.

The Pet Ten Commandments

These Pet Ten Commandments were sent to my family by my human granndpa. I posted them for all my human readers. All my dog readers . . . well . . . you guys already know this.

=======================================

1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is likely to be painful.

2. Give me time to understand what you want of me.

3. Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being.

4. Don't be angry with me for long and don't lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainments, but I have only you.

5. Talk to me. Even if I don't understand your words, I do understand your voice when speaking to me.

6. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget it.

7. Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I could hurt you, and yet, I choose not to bite you.

8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I'm not getting the right food, I have been in the sun too long, or my heart might be getting old or weak.

9. Please take care of me when I grow old. You too, will grow old.

10. On the ultimate difficult journey, go with me please. Never say you can't bear to watch. Don't make me face this alone. Everything is easier for me if you are there, because I love you so.

Pet owners prefer McCain over Obama

http://news.yahoo.com/page/election-2008-political-pulse-pets-and-politics

I think I was one of the first on this story . . . and this is a scandal that simply won't go away. Dog hating Obama has a lot of 'splainin to do to the dog lovers of this country and thus far he has been ducking the issue.

And don't be fooled by his mendacious campaign promises:

While he doesn't currently have a pet, Obama has reportedly promised his daughters a dog once the campaign is over.

I'm not ready to endorse either candidate yet, but McCain's obvious joy and celebration of animals will certainly weigh heavily.

The Fate of Vick's Dogs . . .

provides an important lesson. It's another blow to the breedests.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/06/AR2008070602351.html?hpid=topnews&sid=ST2008070602429&pos=



Some claim breedism is ingrained in American society, that we are irredeemibly breedest. But now comes an instructive and heartwarming tale of Michael Vick's pit bulls. Being pit bulls, many ASSUMED these dogs were hopeless and wanted to give up on them en masse. It turns out that, once you get to know them and treat them as individuals and not as caricatures, many of Vick's erstwhile killers are now sweet, lovable animals. Like Leo (pictured here)

a tan, muscular pit bull, dons a colorful clown collar and visits cancer patients as a certified therapy dog in California.

Or Hector

who bears deep scars on his chest and legs, recently was adopted and is about to start training for national flying disc competitions in Minnesota.


So sure, there are some bad dogs out there. But you "can't judge a bood by its cover" and you can't judge a dog by its breed.

Trakr 'most clone-worthy': to be cloned

Trakr, the hero who sniffed out survivors from the World Trade Tower rubble, will be cloned.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080701/sc_afp/usattacksskoreaanimalcloneoffbeatp://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080701/sc_afp/usattacksskoreaanimalcloneoffbeat


Trakr, a German shepherd who lives with his owner James Symington in Los Angeles, was picked by BioArts International as the most "clone-worthy" canine in a competition offering an owner a free chance to replicate their pet.

Good for Trakr; he looks like the kind of dog you can sit down with and hoist a few rounds of gravy. But what the article omits is where I came out on the 'clone-worthy' list. I'm in frequent communication with a dog whose owner works for BioArts International, so I've been following the selection process closely. He told me I weighed in at #53 overall and perhaps more important, #2 on the cockapoo list. So who knows, maybe if I improve a little, learn how to fetch better, eat my all my dog food in one sitting, things like that, maybe I'll move up. I'm not saying I want to be cloned and you, my readers, voted against it. But it's nice to be recognized, just the same.

Barack?

What a development in the presidential campaign. Barack and Hillary are quite close now. I found some private photos of the two of them and and they look very happy together.




They kiss










They embrace















They dance.











And they share private moments.








Maybe this Barack isn't so bad after all since it looks like he is getting his advice straight from Hillary. Maybe she will inform him of the importance of AFDD I will have to take a closer look at him too.

(By the way, let's keep this on the Q.T. I don't want Bill to get wind of this. He strikes me as the jealous sort and I don't want to get Hillary in trouble with her hubby.)