Tales from the Midget Circus

Tracking

2011-07-16T07:40:00.002-04:00

Snoop1, a photo by Jill Lily Snoop on Flickr

Wow! Time flies. I've been busy learning about tracking. It has been a lot of fun. I'm working with a great instructor and follow students (both dogs and people). This track was about 400 m laid by my instructor, Susan. It wasn't too hard except for one corner that confused me for a bit. It was a dry day and the wind was coming from the north east and wasn't too strong. At some point I'll be taking a tracking test but I have to wait until there is one for mixed breeds since I'm not registered with the CKC. It doesn't really matter to me but my person likes these kinds of tests. There is a group called NAMBR that gives out ribbons for those to pass the test. For me, it is fun to figure out the problem and usually there is a nice reward on the trail or at the end.

I'm back!

2011-05-09T23:48:00.007-04:00

It has been a long time since I've posted. My mom has a new computer and camera. These pictures were taken at the pond besides our property. We have a great time in the water. On a sad note, there are no pictures of Ruffy as he died last summer. He is dearly missed and will live on in our memories.

Snoop on the trail beside the pond.

Tuppence

Lily swimming which she doesn't do very often

Flowers are blooming.

Another picture of the pond. The ripples were created after Tuppence got out.

Dock Diving: Carrotfest Bradford Ontario

2008-09-30T17:29:00.002-04:00

I love dock diving! I love flying through the air and splashing into the water. This picture was taken at Carrotfest in Bradford, Ontario this summer. My jumps were around 14 feet which is Junior level. My longest jump was at Scugog Dog Days of Summer where I jumped 16 feet which is a Senior Level jump. This picture was taken by the Ontario Dock Dogs' official photographer, Deb Hitchens. You can see the pictures of all Ontario Dock Dogs events on her website, Deb's Darkroom (www.debsdarkroom.com). To learn more about Dock Dogs, you can visit Ontario Dock Dogs website (www.ontariodockdogs.com) or Dock Dogs website (www.dockdogs.com).

Update!

2008-07-04T16:13:00.003-04:00

Wow! I can't believe a year has gone by since I last posted. Time flies when you are having fun. I have been thinking about posting but it is difficult since the internet is dial up. Upload times are slow, slow, slow!

Lily and Ruffy are doing well. Ruffy hasn't slowed down since his surgery. He is still as mouthy and as energetic as ever. He loves his mealtimes and lets everyone know about it.

The picture below is the newest member of the family. Sorry for the quality of the picture. It is a cellphone picture. This is Tuppence, an Irish Wolfhound cross. She is big!!! She is just over 2 years old. She has been in the family since February because her current family couldn't keep her because their son was allergic. She is a big baby and loves to play. It is a tad tiring to keep up with her puppy power. I'm no longer the youngest and I feel that I am more dignified now and have left some of those puppy behaviours behind.

Good to be back. I hope all is well with everyone. I'll try to be back soon with better pictures of Tuppence.

5th Fave Thing: Parks!

2007-07-05T17:00:00.000-04:00

Who doesn't love a park! One of our favourite parks is Proctor Park in Brighton.

Ruffy is the perfect trail dog because he stays on the path unlike Lily and I.
This is so refreshing. It was hot on that day. My favourite feature of the park is this river. I love a good roll in the leaves to dry myself off.

Update: Ruffy

2007-07-05T08:15:00.000-04:00

Time has flown by and I'm sorry I haven't updated the blog. Ruffy's surgery went well. The biopsy showed that it was a malignant tumour. That is sad news but the vet is confident that she got it all out. Right now there is no signs that Ruffy has cancer, he is exuberant and energetic. This is Ruffy 5 days after his surgery. It was tough the first few days after the surgery but by the third day he was back to his old stuff. In the pictures you can see where his neck has been shaved.

I like this picture because it shows him in an animated conversation with the rest of us. He has a lot to say. His foot is in our water dish. Talking can be tiring. He looks very relaxed in this picture. He always rides in the front seat. Before I moved in, there was an argument in the car between Lily and him. Lily still has a faint scar on her nose where he accidently grazed her with his teeth. Since then, he rides in the front.

Lily and I are glad that he is doing fine. What would we do without him? The house would be too quiet (both his bark and his toe nails) and we would sleep in too late in the mornings. Ruffy keeps us safe from animals on television which we are clueless about but will bark with Ruffy.

Update Lily & Snoop: We completed basic obedience with Lakeside Obedience in June and in July & August, we are taking Rally-O (Lily) and Intro to Agility (Snoop) at Superdog Central. Lily will be trying her Good Neighbour Test in Port Perry on July 21st.

#4 Good Health

2007-06-14T13:20:00.001-04:00

Hi all,

I hope everyone is in good health. #4 which should be number 1 is being in good health. Ruffy had surgery on Monday June 11th to remove a tumour from his neck. He recovered well but we don't have the histology report yet. His mom was a basketcase that day and Lily and I stayed with her to try to comfort her. We didn't go playing outside until after Ruffy came home that night.

Lily and I are doing fine. We have started Revolution last Saturday which is good because I had another tick in my neck last week. Ruffy and Lily haven't gotten any but that is the second one for me! My mom is getting better at removing them.

#3 Favourite Thing in Life

2007-06-14T12:49:00.001-04:00

Comfortable spots to sleep, cuddle, think, and dream are important part of my life. I have lots of photos of my favourite snuggle places. I'll post some more later. My assistant doesn't have all the photos. For MJ, I'm not quite hiding from anyone but I'm almost hidden behind the comforter.
After the indignity of a bath, I had to find the best place to dry off. I found it in the comfort of a pile of blankets and I didn't mind that I had to scale to the top of the couch.
In the front of the house, this is one of two chairs that I adore. You can see I'm deep in thought. I'm trying to come up with the solution to global warming. I am worried that future doggies are going to fry up in the heat! Also, I'm contemplating what I should have for dinner. Unfortunately the two-legged people who run this establishment don't offer a menu. I keep hoping. Pasta is my favourite. I'm not particularly fussy but I do have preferences.

#2 Bones

2007-06-07T11:47:00.000-04:00

I visited Billy Boo's page today and I saw his steak bone. I love bones! My mom gives me store bought bones which I love but I can find my own. It is a bit disgusting for the humans when I find a carcass outside. This is a cow bone that I got from the field next to my house. Lily will eat these bones but I'm the one that is dedicated in getting them off the carcass and back home. Ruffy doesn't touch these bones.

#1 Favourite Thing in Life

2007-06-07T11:26:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone,

My assistant (Mom!) has been too busy to help me update my blog. She was away in Vancouver for a family wedding without us! I heard how wonderful it is on the West coast for dogs (and humans). I hope I can visit one day.

Pippa had tagged me a while ago to tell everyone 7 things about us.

#1 is food. We love our food.

Patiently waiting for food. We eat Hund-n-Flocken and Ruffy eats Evo.

Lily and I are droolers. There is always a puddle below where we are sitting.
Ruffy gets a little more excited about his food. It is hard for him to sit still.

Chasing Squirrels

2007-05-25T01:39:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone! This is part two of encounters with birds and squirrels that I promised Blue (Glad to hear of your Springer with a tail although I realize that most Springers don't get that choice. Lily and I are glad we have tails.) The story starts when Jolly (Ruffy's mom) finds this stump with roots. She thinks it is a good sculpture so she and my mom move it to the garden. Then my mom, who loves to feed the birds, decides to put a bird feeder on one of the roots. The chickadees and other birds find it pretty quickly. Then the squirrels take notice and find it an easy way to get seed. I take note of this activity and start chasing the squirrels. I get so into trying to get them that I climb the root stump. It is pretty easy to climb but not easy to catch a squirrel. I'm almost at the top!
Where did those squirrels get to? I thought I saw them on here.
Hey! How did those pesky squirrels get over there so fast? They were on this stump a minute ago!

Oh well! I'm the king of the world!

Yummy Bird Seed

2007-05-24T00:08:00.000-04:00

Hi! I was visiting Blue's blog and saw two awesome pictures of close encounters between a dog and a bird. I haven't seen any birds that closely but I've enjoyed eating the bird seed. Don't worry the birds still got fed since there are about 4 different feeders at my place. We love birds! To name a few, there are chickadees, goldfinches, cardinals, blue jaws, woodpeckers, white breasted nuthatches. The fun doesn't end with birds. I love squirrels. Let's get a count. Paws up for those who love to chase squirrels. I'll be putting up pictures of a time that I was chasing squirrels and where that lead me. Stay tuned. The pictures will be up soon since my assistant has vacation time this week.

Many Moods of Ruffian

2007-05-23T13:38:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone both new and old to my blog. Pippa mentioned me in her blog. Thanks! I've met a lot of great dogs from Dogs with Blogs. I haven't been visiting as much as I would like because I have a slow internet connection plus there is so much fun stuff to do in the summer. I agree wholeheartedly with Billy Boo's letter to Dogs with Blogs. I never realized what a great community was out there and that people would come and visit my little vanity page. Thank you to all that have visited and left comments.

Featured today is some pictures of Ruffian aka Ruffy. He was given to his present owner, Jolly, when his current owner wasn't able to take care of him. He is loved dearly by many people even though he is a bit of a salty tar/curmugeon. Our relationship has gotten better despite the beatings that I have laid on him. Thankfully I wasn't turfed out of the house for bad behaviour. Back to Ruffy, he is a Westie X, too big to be a purebred Westie. He is around 10 or 11 years old. Last year he spent 3 months on a road trip through the United States and Canada. If he doesn't blog about it, I will highlight some pictures for you. He is a much better writer than I am so it would be better if he did his own writing. He can tell a good yarn. Take all his words with a grain of salt.
He is often called the perfect dog around the house as he doesn't shed and he is better behaved in some sense than Lily and I. It is a bit of a joke because no one is perfect. I have the pictures to prove it. Still he is a good boy and quite a character.
I think there is a story coming on. Remember pups, don't believe everything he tells you.
He probably thinking about the shame of wearing a wifebeater. We called him a mafioso dog. Lily was the moll.
I think he was let out of the house wearing his outfit and he peed in it!
Is he reading or sleeping?

Muffin 17 years young

2007-05-22T16:59:00.000-04:00

Muffin is a friend of mine who lives in B.C. She is 17 years old!!! Muffin was rescued from the St. Louis pound at 10 weeks old. She isn't as lively as she used to be but she still loves her food and goes for a walk 3 times a day down to the corner and back.

Lily's Pictures by Hernan

2007-05-22T16:39:00.002-04:00

More Hernan Photos

2007-05-17T11:49:00.000-04:00

Johnathon, Ruffy, me, Toulousse.

More great pictures courtesy of Hernan. I love all the pictures he took. I wish I had more action shots of me. This second picture looks like Ruffy is riding on my back. Toulousse is a papillion. I think he has a blog but I don't know the address.

Waiting at the front door

2007-05-15T18:37:00.000-04:00

Here is the gang waiting for the fun to begin.
The screen hasn't survived although I tried to remember that it was there.
This is what we can see out the glass doors.
These pictures were taken by my friend, Hernan. He was a little upset with me when I delayed dinner plans by going awol. I wasn't far but I was distracted by the squirrels and digging and other fun outdoor games. To all my new friends that have visited my blog, you are welcome to come play at my place. There is fields, forests, and ponds. We have lots of space to run and play.

Hello New Friends! Wanna Play Tug of War!

2007-05-09T18:07:00.000-04:00

A shout out to Opy, Billy, and Maggie. Thanks Billy for giving me your blog address. Thanks Maggie for knowing the flower. Hello anyone new to the site! Welcome! Welcome! The more, the merrier! Anyone want to play tug of war? As you can see, I'm in need of a partner as Lily is sleeping. I'm not sure where Ruffy is but we don't play together.

Stop and Smell the Flowers

2007-05-06T12:26:00.000-04:00

I have to admit I am not one to stop to smell the flowers but they are pretty. I don't know what the bottom flower is called. If anyone knows, please let me know.

Asia

2007-05-06T10:14:00.000-04:00

Asia is leaving tomorrow to go back to her old home. She arrived on March 30, 2007, weighing around 73 lbs and she is leaving on May 7th, 2007, weighing around 66 lbs. I'm going to miss her. She is a super dog, getting along with everyone she meets. I love play wrestling with her. She had a great time getting to run free and to wade into ponds. I wish her well back in her old life. I hope her owner will keep her promises of giving her more exercise and better food.

2007-05-05T12:24:00.000-04:00

Lily: She may have been in the house first but I have dibs on the couch!

Ruffy: A quiet moment. Being a terrier, he is loud and bossy. I have to put him in his place at times.

2007-04-28T10:44:00.000-04:00

Here I am lounging. I have a hard life of eating, sleeping and running around the property and the adjacent field. I'm the king of this castle whether Ruffy agrees or not!