Chum-Chum

This is my brother's Beagle named Chum. She is about 12 years old and still a spunky little girl. She didn't want her picture taken, so she would turn her head. She has to be the friendliest dog I ever met. Never a growl or a snap out of the girl.

She doesn't miss a chance at a boat ride, skidoo ride or a ride in the truck with her Dad.

Christmas morning

Mya found her own present under the tree and tried to unwrap it. She needed a little bit of help

Oh, I just love my new ball!

Why does he get to look in his stocking first??? Get mine down too.

My Bear

This is Mya's favorite bear. I bought it at a yard sale when she was a puppy. She will lay down with this bear and wrap her paws around it and hug it. She throws it all over the place and pretends she's killing it, but she will never rip it.

I love my bear, I love my bear, I love my bear!

What do you want?

Best commands ever invented...Sit, Stay, LEAVE IT

The poor thing! How sad does she look?

I use "LEAVE IT" to keep the antlers on her head.
Sit, stay.....

Ah, only 2 minutes of torture a year for the poor little thing!

3 More Sleeps

I love my Momma

Lounging in our pajamas!

Taken last year, but this is how Mya likes to cuddle with me.

When Mya used to go to the Groomer

This is one of Cheryl's employees giving Mya a haircut last year some time. That was before I was brave enough to try it myself. I am getting better as we go along, but I still can't get those darn legs right. I think I'm going to have to arrange to visit a groomer and watch. My poor Mya the Guinea Pig!

Christmas is almost here!

Hope

She's our friend's brown spotted Dalmation.

Getting a haircut

Well, I finally got around to giving Mya a haircut. Her hair was so long over her eyes that she couldn't even see the cats in the yard!

At the old house, I built my grooming table right into the wall, so when I moved, I couldn't take it with me. My father in-law built me a beautiful grooming table but my grooming arm doesn't fit on it. My husband said he would fix it for me...tic, toc, tic, tok.....still waiting!

So I went ahead and groomed her anyway. Not bad I must say! However, whenever I groom her I have trouble with her tail and her rear. She sticks her tail flat over her butt and I can't groom under it. No matter what I try I can never do the tail properly. Then there is her rear! The hair must grow in 100 different directions there. She ends up looking bald there for a week until it grows in a bit. I guess I should only be using a 7 blade there.

Ahhhh, when am I ever going to get this grooming thing perfect????????????

Who Me?

For those of you who think you know me, I thought I would share a few little facts about myself, nothing too personal but enough to make you think about how well you know people you met through Yahoo groups or over the internet.

****************************************

Well, you missed it! If you read this blog often, you would have known all about me.

Mya's New Toy

Mya's Grampa spoils her rotten. We had to make a special trip to a pet store to find her a new toy. We already know that she can rip through any stuffed toy in 2 minutes flat. I had never bought a Kong for Mya or Jasper because I always thought they were kind of expensive and I could never decide which one to get. I told Grampa that we should try a Kong this time. I remember Lee had this cool Kong toy for Nitro with a rope attached to it and Mya loved it. She kept stealing it away from Nitro that day. So that's what we bought. She LOVES it! She's been swinging it all over the house and hasn't broke anything YET.

Now I have to figure out what to get her for Christmas?

My Grandpa

Tomorrow is Remembrance Day. My great grandfather was in WWI and my grandfather was in WWII. I lost my grandfather 2 years ago to lung cancer. He was one of the strongest men I knew. He lived 6 years after being diagnosed with cancer, and still played golf until a month before he died. I wish he would have shared his war stories but it was too painful for him and it was rare that he ever spoke of it. I can only imagine what these men had to endure, both mentally and physically. I am proud of you Grandpa and I miss you!

Satelite Maps

I found our cottage using a satelite map. I think that's just too cool!

1 = Cottage, even showing pathway to front door

2= Parent's trailer

3= Peddle Boat on shore

4= Spot where my trailer is now

5= Boat

6= Floating raft at our beach

It's a good thing this doesn't pick up anything too close or you may have found me peeing in the woods!!!!!!

Teddy

This is Teddy when he was taken home by his new foster parents Bob and Candace almost one year ago! Teddy was our first and only Rescue from Giant Schnauzer Rescue Canada. Teddy was adopted but later returned to his foster home. He has several behavioural problems and will not be adopted out unless the PERFECT home is found for him.

This is Teddy in his new kitchen. His toy was on top of the fridge and he could get it if he tried hard enough.

This is Fletcher, Teddy's foster brother. He is 10 and from Liefhond. He's about 30 inches tall and such a gentle boy.
This is Teddy with his other foster brother Nash. The dogs loved playing with Avery, especially Nash who was a puppy at the time.
This is Dee. She is "Bigfoot's Afternoon Delight". The funny thing is that she was Jasper's Grandmother! What a pleasure to have met her. What a gentle, loving girl. She couldn't see or hear at the time but still enjoying burrying her head in my lap to get a scratch. Dee passed away in the spring of 2006.

Barf Bag

After Avery threw up, I thought it would be a good idea to bring him outside and get some fresh air while I cleaned up the yard. It turned out to be a fun afternoon.

Avery wearing his barf bag!

Love this picture! Guess what's in the bag?

That's what was in the bag!

Another Kitty

This new neighborhood is full of cats and dogs. Today, Mya met a new cat on the other side of the fence. I think she was disappointed that he didn't want to come over and play!

See the cat? It's between Mya's front feet, but on the other side of the fence.

(The pictures were taken with the zoom as she was really far away. I didn't want to get close and scare the cat. So the pictures are not very clear)

Where's that thing going?

Stop moving!

Watch me dive head first into the leaves. Are you impressed?

Holiday Decorations

What ever happened to just carving a triangle face onto a pumpkin, sticking a candle into it and putting it in your window for Halloween, there.......decorating done!

Now, people decorate for Valentine's Day, Easter, Canada Day, Halloween, Christmas (although this one is my favorite) and New Year's and probably a few more that I'm forgetting about.

Catching a Nap

8 pm is Mya's bedtime. She tries to fight it though. When I stay up late, she gets comfy on the couch and waits for me to go to bed before she moves to the front door. We have to put blankets on the couches because Jasper ripped all the cushions and we said we wouldn't buy new furniture until we no longer had a dog. Guess we'll have these for the rest of our lives!!!!

From Bald to Hairy

It doesn't take long for Mya's hair to grow back in. It's time for a haircut again. So, as soon as I can get my grooming area set up in the basement, she'll be getting another fancy doo!

Mya has a new friend

I let Mya outside this evening in the back yard. After a while, I decided to look out the window and see what she was up to. Much to my surprise, Mya was making friends with a little black kitten. Roddy said "Quick, get her in the house, she's going to kill the thing", but I knew better. As I watched the kitten weave through her legs, Mya sniffed her butt and followed her around the yard. Then it was play time. Mya went into "Puppy Pounce" and tried to get the kitten to play with her. When the kitten approached her, she would jump back and keep playing. Then I went outside to see what would happen. Mya ran up to me as if to say "Look what I found Mom". There, I knew my little girl was a Gentle Giant!

4 Leaf Clover

While walking through the grass today, I looked down and saw a 4 leaf clover. I have been looking for these since I was a little kid. As I bent down to pick it up, I saw another one! 2 Four Leaf Clovers. I had to share some of the luck it is suppose to bring, so I gave one to Avery.

According to legend, each leaf of the clover represents something. The first leaf is for hope, the second leaf is for faith, the third leaf is for love, and the fourth leaf, naturally, is for luck.

What a Lady

Mya was sound asleep, snoring and wiped out! Roddy must have thought it was cute because he grabbed the camera and shot these. This is how she sleeps most of the time. She is Queen of the Couch!

Ears

I have to say that I love Mya's ears! The vet who did the cropping did an excellent job. I'm sure the results had nothing to do with my futile attempt at ear taping.

Moving

I hear so often that people have to rehome their dog because they are moving. Some people who have pets move to a place that does not allow pets. Why would anyone do that? Well, now having just gone through searching for a new place to rent instead of own, I found there are several places that say "No Pets". But there are an equal amount of places that do accept pets. Leaving Mya behind was not an option. So after searching, we found a 3 bedroom home (semi-detached), with a fully fenced back yard and it's bigger than our tiny house that we are in now.

So, my opinion has not changed about people who turn their dogs over to Rescue because they are moving. It's a cop out.

Keeping track of Mya's heat

First heat - April 2005

Second heat - Sept 2005

Third heat - Feb 22, 2006

Fourth heat - Aug 19, 2006

The Dance

"The Dance"

Looking back on the memory of

The dance we shared 'neath the stars above

For a moment all the world was right

How could I have known that you'd ever say goodbye

And now I'm glad I didn't know

The way it all would end the way it all would go

Our lives are better left to chance I could have missed the pain

But I'd have had to miss the dance

Holding you I held everything

For a moment wasn't I a king

But if I'd only known how the king would fall

Hey who's to say you know I might have changed it all

And now I'm glad I didn't know

The way it all would end the way it all would go

Our lives are better left to chance

I could have missed the pain

But I'd have had to miss the dance

Yes my life is better left to chance

I could have missed the pain but I'd have had to miss the dance.

(Garth Brooks)

This is my take on life!

Christine

Help, I can't stop

Help, I can't stop the clippers!!!

Mya was looking very sexy in her new doo, until I got to her legs! I didn't realize how matted they really were. I guess all the swimming, pine gum, burrs and unidentified things in her fur caused it to be so bad. And of course, I always have good intentions on brushing her, but when you are on holidays, who feels like doing work? I will let it grow in and start the Giant pattern all over again. I hope it doesn't take too long! Although, I did do a pretty good job on her head. So, introducing Mya, the Giant Stick Dog!

It Arrived!!!!

Christmas has come early! Well, I dropped enough hints at Christmas for a new Dog Clipper and nobody picked up on it, so I went out and bought it myself. I tried it out on Mya's head for a total of about 2 minutes so far, and what I did it 2 minutes would take me 20 minutes with the old clipper. Now, I have to switch blades and finish her grooming. Am I crazy about being so excited about a clipper? I don't care...... :P

This is the before shot....stay tuned!

We're Home!

Well, our 5 weeks of vacation are now over. It was hard saying good bye to the lake and the trailer. Mya will truly miss the lake and all the land to run on. She swam every day and ran until she couldn't run anymore. She enjoyed chasing squirrels and chipmunks but never came close to catching one. She had a futile attempt at catching frogs, she sliced her paw open and ate things that she never ate before (thanks to the grandmas and grandpas). Ah, now back to reality and real life. Looking forward to next summer already. Mya is enjoying a great nap right now. She sure has a lot of sleep to catch up on.

Lazy Day

Water Baby

Mya spends her entire day swimming, running and chasing chipmunks. She sometimes squeezes in a boat ride too!