Happy Howl-oh-ween!

So, you know how I've been dreading Girl Twin's Howl-oh-ween "surprise" for the past couple weeks?  Well, it wasn't as bad as I'd feared!  Nuhnuh-nuhnuh-nuhnuh-nuhnuh-nuhnuh-nuhnuh-nuhnuh-nuh, BATDOG!  She and my human made this for me; what do you think?

Girl Twin was Batgirl and I was her trusty sidekick, the Dog Wonder!

Here I am with her and all her trick-or-treating friends.

Those girls were too fast for my human and Little Boy, though, so we went off on our own (Boy Twin went with his friends).  BTW, thanks for all the get-well wishes for Little Boy...he is doing much better after my TLC.  Here, I ran into my friend Truman the Firefighter.

Not many other doggies out-and-about.  Lots of people took my picture and said they wished their dog was as well-behaved as me, so they could take them trick-or-treating...that made my human furry proud!  She was a little leery of how I'd react to all the commotion & costumes.  Nothing to fear...I loved being out for an evening stroll.

So now I'm gonna go check out all my blogging buddies to see if anyone else got dressed up!

Remember to stay away from the chocolate!

Nursing Duty

Quick!  Call the germ exterminators, our house needs fumigating!  Those nasty germs are still lurking and Little Boy got sick again with a fever.

I have decided to take matters into my own paws and go on nursing duty to ensure he gets better for good this time.

Now, if I could just figure out how to get him to take his medicine...

Wordless Wednesday

(I don't crimp my ear fur, I promise!!)

Training Your Human: Mastering the Furniture

It's raining cats and you-know-whats today...my human is kinda glad, 'cuz there were 5 things on the family's calendar but one got cancelled and three got rained out.  It's been a ruff week around here, that's why I've been MIA.  Little Boy was sick Mon. and Tue., Boy Twin was sick Wed. and Fri. and Girl Twin was sick Thur. and Fri.  My human dad had to go out of town and my human had a gazillion things to do, so by yesterday she was run down, got a sinus attack and still had to be a timer for a swim meet.  Whew!  No wonder I got no attention whatsoever this week.

So today, they are all taking it rather easy, snuggling under blankets, drinking tea, baking, reading, catching up on DVR'd shows, knitting, and one of my favorite activities:  napping!

Which brings me to today's installment of Training Your Human.  Remember how my human used to banish me from the kitchen table bench?  And the couch in the TV room was a big no-no?  Well...ahem...I am proud to announce that I have successfully trained her to let sleeping dogs lie where they want!  How did I manage this feat, you ask?  I noticed that when she gets all busy & frazzled with the kiddies, she's less likely to push me off the bench or couch, especially if I lie there very quietly without moving.  Maybe she doesn't see me.  I also got Girl Twin to work on her, too:  "But Mom, she's so cozy lying here with me!"  I guess my human realized it's no biggy to let me catch 40 winks where I want, since I don't destroy the furniture and haven't shed much (yet!  Will she be in for a big surprise in the Spring, hee-hee!).

So this is what I'll be doing today as the rain pitter-patters against the windows:

It seems that most of my blogging buddies have already trained their humans to allow them up on the furniture; kudos!  If you haven't, take my advice and sneak up there in increments, preferably when there's a lot of commotion going on.  Before they know it, your humans will forget that they ever banished you in the first place, and you're home free!

A.K.C.'s "Meet the Breeds" Event in NYC

Today, my human, Girl Twin and her friend left me at home with "the boys" to attend the Meet the Breeds event at the Javits convention center in NYC.  I was a little miffed about the "non-exhibitor dogs forbidden" rule, but I got over it pretty quickly when they returned with lots of goodies for me!  From what they told me, it was a huge hit so hopefully it'll become an annual event.  Yesterday and today, there were 160 dog breed booths, 41 cat breeds booths, lots of vendors and demonstration rings (obedience, agility, service dogs, acting, performing cats, pet care, etc.).  Too bad I wasn't small enough to sneak in inside my human's handbag; just look at all the cool sights & pups they got to see!

In this ring, they were demonstrating the Canine Good Citizen test with this goofy-looking dog.  That beagle must be on steroids!


Some of the breed booths and costumes were amazing!  Check these out:

This Gordon Setter exhibitor was in a full kilt.

And here's Toto the Cairn Terrier with his friends from Oz!

This Cavalier King Charles Spaniel exhibitor had an English tea table to go with her Victorian finery, and two Cavs tucked into a proper English pram (and yes, they were fast asleep!)

I've never even heard of a Black Russian Terrier, but their booth was one of the flashiest ones there (my human said they kinda look like Giant Schnauzers).

The (barkless) Basenji folks had erected an African hut and were decked out in the local fashions.

 

And my human said the Mastiff people went all Medieval on their...booth!  I didn't get the joke but she says movie buffs would.

The Saluki group had constructed something out of 1001 Arabian Nights...

...including one of their dogs!  Doesn't she look like a Bedouin princess?!

The Rhodesian Ridgeback booth also had an African theme.

The Shih Tzu folks had Chinese lanterns and a dragon (buddies of yours, Sasha?)

Speaking of buddies, Girl Twin took her friend to visit the booths of all my blogging buddies' breeds!  Brutus, this is for you.

   

NY Bully Brats, do you guys know this handsome devil?

This sweet girl made me think of all my Golden friends: Sammie, Mason Dixie, Sierra Rose, Lexi, Thor, and my new pal Miley.

Girl Twin and her friend had to visit the Siberian Husky booth twice!  The exhibitors was so happy when she told them about Khyra's mom's rescue work.  She also told them about my buddies the OP Pack, Army of Four and Kira the Beawootiful.

 

Hey Riley & Star and Snowy & Crystal, are you guys as silky as this Maltese?

Jasper, this kitty was gorgeous but I like your deeper orange shade better!

 

My human was smitten by this breed, the Tibetan Spaniel.  She loved their sweet expression and temperament, luxurious coat and compact size.  Hmmmm...maybe a future sibling for me??

Check out this ancient Aztec breed's name!  Try saying that three times fast after sampling the toliet bowl at the Pup Club!!

Speaking of Twix (and Lorenza and Beckett), my human and the girls were flabbergasted (that's gobsmacked for you Brits, Jasper!) that there was no dachshund booth!  Nor was there a Rat Terrier booth, Bijou & Banjo!  What a bummer!  And the worst omission?  No Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever Booth!!!  What's up with that?!  The Xolodilaldufiljaalimcoeuqnxeruas were there, but no Tollers??!!  Once I finish this post, I'm gonna paw a letter to the national club and tell them they better get someone over there next year...heck, I'll do it myself if I have to!!

On a happier note, Girl Twin had entered an art contest for Meet the Breeds, featuring moi!  She didn't win a prize, but her work was featured along with lots of others and it was a nice surprise to see it there.  Didn't she do a nice job?

She and her friend got lots of nice freebies and they even picked up some stuff for me!  Six tennis balls for a buck, a multipack of compressed rawhide chews for a buck, and a great squirrel stuffy for $3 that they've seen in stores for $18!  So I'm a happy camper.  And so are they...my human and Girl Twin are already talking about going again next year.  If any of your humans decide to go, they should do a blogging-buddy meet-up!

A "Paw It Forward" Pressie!

Do you know the fair-haired lake-swimmer extraordinaire otherwise known as Mason Dixie? If you do, you know she's been incomunicado for a bit, and I bet you miss her as much as I do! Well, I heard from her recently and she's had a lot on her kibble dish lately, but hopefully she'll be back to blogging soon. In the meantime, I had told her I wanted to play Paw It Forward, and guess what arrived yesterday for me? Yep, a package from Ms. Dixie herself! It smelled divine. I couldn't wait for Girl Twin to open it. Look at these amazing doggie truffles!!! Girl Twin was taking her time opening the box, so I decided to help with her the ribbon (see the cute pawprints on it?). I started licking my chops in anticipation. Here's a clip of me savoring that first bite!

It was sooooooooooooooooooo yummy!!! Thank you so much, Mason Dixie, for these wonderful treats! I had to make sure my human hid them from Little Boy, since he'd finish them off. Put frosting and sprinkles on anything and that boy will eat it.
So, who wants to play Paw It Forward with me? Send me a pee-mail with your mailing address to tollertales@yahoo.com and the first three doggies get to play!
Have a great weekend, efurrybody!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Still recovering from Ladies Night Out with Twix.  That chick sure knows how to throw a paw-tay!

Furiends With Benefits

No, no, not those kind of benefits!  Let me explain...

During my walk yesterday, we swung by Gigi's street to see if she was out-and-about.  No sign of her.  So my human rang the bell to see if we could find out Gigi's routine, so next walk we could plan to pass by when she was outside.

Gigi's human was pleasantly surprised and invited us to their backyard.  There was Gigi, and boy was she happy to see me!  She was on a long tie-out, 'cuz the neighbors had complained of her wandering onto their property (sheesh!).  We felt bad that she couldn't enjoy her huge yard.  My human would've suggested putting a gate across the only opening in their fence (the driveway entrance), but she didn't want to risk offending her new neighbor.  So the two-leggers chatted while we doggies played.

Turns out, the family is from Albania, and there are six kids (!) in the family.  They have grapevines planted along one wall; not a very common sight around these parts.  My human asked if they were wine grapes, and Gigi's human said they were just decorative.  But, they do make their own wine from purchased grapes.  How cool is that?!  My human got all lively 'cuz she used to work in the wine business (the things we learn about our humans, huh?!).  Quick as a flash, Gigi's human disappeared into the house and returned with this:

My human was tickled pink!  And Gigi's human said we could come into their backyard anytime to see if Gigi was outside.  Ain't that great?!  My human says she'll let you all know how the wine is when she tries it this weekend. 

Speaking of weekends, mine will start with a bang:  Twix and I and a bunch of our homegirls are having a Ladies Night Out!  Woo-hoo!  We're gonna paw-tay like there's no tomorrow!  Read all about it on Twix's blog soon!  Have a good one, efurrybody!

Make New Furiends, But Keep The Old...

..one is silver and the other, gold!

On today's walk, I bumped into my good buddy Garth and met a new one, Gigi!

Garth is a PBGV (Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen, pronounced "puh-TEE ba-SAY gree-FO(N) von-day-ON")...aren't ya glad they go by their initials?!  That name's almost as long as my breed's name!  He is a rescue dog and very, very sweet.  He's also sweet on me, but I have to gently repel his advances 'cuz Sir Bentley is the jealous type.

PBGVs are part of the hound group, and there's no doubt when you hear Garth baying!  He protects his property from scary delivery trucks and dangerous joggers. 

After we left Garth's driveway, we noticed how many acorns have filled the sides of our road:

 They were everywhere!  No wonder the squirrels and chipmunks are getting so fat.

I was also on the lookout for our neighborhood wild turkey flock.  There are three of them who taunt me by leaving their droppings and feathers for me to find, knowing I'll go into a frenzy.  It's torture!!! 

No sighting today, tho'...sigh. 

I didn't find any turkeys, but I did find a new furiend!  Her name is Gigi and she's a 4-month old American Eskimo Dog that recently moved into the neighborhood.  My human was really taken by her.  Gigi wanted to wrestle with me and I would've played chase with her in her nice big front lawn, but her owner didn't invite me to so I stayed in my harness.  She looked very lonely and so happy to have a visitor.  She even tried to follow us home.  I hope I run into her again soon.