A Siberian View of the 'Verse

About Time!!!

2010-04-05T22:50:00.005-06:00

Mama is finally letting me use the computer to update everyone! It's about time, but I have to admit that we have all been very busy! For one thing, Mama whelped a hairless puppy on December 27...wait, she says she "gave birth" to a "baby". Okay, whatever...anyway, it is a girl-pup, and she and Dad named it Siobhan. Dad calls her Chevy for short. The baby keeps us all on our paws. We've all been helping Mama with her. I decided that as I am the biggest dog in the house, it's my responsibility to guard her from everything. I even sleep under her cradle, or between the cradle and Mama, since it's my job to guard her too.

I don't remember if I mentioned it before, but Mama had to rehome Lita, which she did a long time ago, but I don't think I got on here and said anything, since Mama has been so bad about letting me have computer time. Lita just kept starting fights with my Lab sisters, and the last one almost got the older human sister bitten. Mama still misses Lita, but LeeLee needed to be in a family where she would be the only dog.

That being said, on February 13 of this year, we added another dog to the pack! This one is a male, but he is only a pup and so submissive that I let him live here. His name is Malayko and he's about 4 or 5 months old. The older biped sister named him. Lots of humans who don't want their dogs drive all the way out to our area and just dump them out of the car and drive away. Can you imagine such a horrible thing as having someone you love do that to you?! So the Labbies and I, we know how lucky we are. Our neighbors have a dog named Chupacabra who was dumped, and Malayko was dumped too. He's a German Shepherd mix, and I think he's mixed with a little bit of Sibe! He's very cute, Mama says, although he will never be as cute as I am - that's just impossible!

And, I'm six years old now! Yes, Mama forgot to let me post another birthday, but she didn't forget to feed us extra special food on our birthday! So I'm not too mad at her - I did get raw chicken leg quarters for my dinner on my special day, and also on my gotcha day! I've been here for three years now! And you know what? Mama and Dad still love me! I guess I shouldn't be surprised by that; they've had my Lab sisters with them for almost seven years now - their whole lives! So we're some lucky dogs, huh?

Hopefully, it won't take so long before Mama lets me on the computer again! The newest biped sister seems to be settling into the pack better now, so maybe Mama will have more time again soon! Until then, don't give up on me! I will be back!

Woos,

Thor

Birthday!

2009-08-31T23:12:00.002-06:00

This post is late, and it's Mama's fault! First of all, she forgot to keep me in the loop of important dates, and then she forgot to tell me what the date actually was, AND she forgot that her brother, Smoky, and Bandit all had a birthday on the 29th! Sheesh! At least she remembered her brother's birthday on the proper date, but she forgot my sisters altogether!

So, I am finally here to post a happy belated birthday to my Lab sisters, Smoky and Bandit, who turned six years old on 8/29/09! Smoky remains her dark chocolate self, but Bandit has begun to show her age in the grey hairs appearing on her chin. That's the only place, though: she is still our hyper, playful, puppy-brained sister!

In the interest of fairness and smoothing over any hurt feelings, I call on Mama to make reparation to us all for forgetting the girls' birthday by giving us extra livergreat tonight, and allowing us all to sleep wherever we like on the bed, no matter how uncomfortable it makes the humans! And, if Bandit wishes, she should be allowed to sleep in the little biped's room tonight, even if she keeps the little biped up playing all night. This point, however, is negotiable, although the rest are not!! A lesson must be taught, here!

Woos,
Thor

PLEASE BE ON THE LOOKOUT!!

2009-06-22T12:41:00.005-06:00

Yes, every so often there is something more important to post about than me, and this is one of those times.

Laska is a rescue pup, like me, and he is heartworm positive and needs medication for it. Mama has received a flyer about him, so I will post it here:

"Laska has been missing since June 21st. Last seen near Lakeshore Drive in Hewitt, NJ. Laska is very fearful and may run away if you try to approach him. If you see him, please call 1-862-881-0568 immediately. Thank you."

Here is a picture of Laska:

I couldn't get the other picture of him to work, but I will continue to try. Please, if you know people in this area, have them keep a lookout for him. Even if you don't, crosspost this to as many places as you can and get your prayers out there. Laska was thisclose to being PTS when he was rescued from North Carolina. He has come so far since then; we can't let it end for him now!

Thank woo,

Thor

The Secret, Revealed!

2009-05-26T19:36:00.003-06:00

Mama couldn't keep from telling everyone, so I am now free to reveal the secret I had sworn to keep: Mama is going to whelp and have puppies!

Wait, Mama has corrected me. In humans it's giving birth and having babies. She further corrects that it isn't "babies", it's "baby". Don't humans have more than one at a time, like dogs do? I'll have to research that.

So, she will be spending a lot of time at the doctor's office over the next nine months. Wow, nine months! It only takes us dogs about 65 days! Humans really are weird, taking so long to have one furless puppy, when it only takes us two months to have several! I don't get it. But, anyway, I'm not sure how I feel about the new pup yet. Smoky and Bandit are happy about it, but they told me the pup won't be giving us bonus food for months, and that the pup pretty much only sleeps and eats just like a regular pup, except it can't even crawl right away! So I'm gonna reserve judgment till after I meet this new pup!

Woos,
Thor

With An Oink, Oink Here...

2009-05-23T17:52:00.004-06:00

Harooo! I was about to post about grooming...AGAIN...when I remembered that I never told anyone the story of the pig I met! Not that Mama was happy about it...

Well, here's how the story goes: Smoky, Bandit, and I were all in the dog yard, and we see the neighbor's pig snuffling around our yard. We've never seen it up close before, but it was in our yard! So we discussed it, rather loudly, trying to get Mama's attention, but I guess she was too busy cooking dinner, and we are always loud, BOL! Bandit and I agreed, we had to drive the pig off. Smoky didn't want any part of it, the goody two paws. So Bandit and I got out of the yard by laying the fence down flat and walking out (Mama has long since figured it out and killed our fun).

Pigs are BIG! I didn't know this! He was definitely bigger than I am, and I'm the biggest dog in the whole family! Can you imagine how much bacon and ham and pork chops and pork roast and spareribs you could get out of one pig?! Yummy! And we figured that if he didn't leave our yard, we would get all of that! But it was not to be. I guess two of us together scared him enough to start him moving on home.

By now, Mama had figured out what was going on, and, typical for a human, she was freaking out. She actually chased us in the car, thinking we would give up on the pig in favor of a ride! Boy, was she wrong! Okay, half wrong: Bandit did give up the chase for the car. Stupid Labs. But it was kind of funny, since Mama was basically offroading in a Chevy Cavalier. Now, I'm no expert on cars, but even I know you don't offroad in a Cavalier. Mama was desperate though. She had no faith in my hunting abilities. She thought the pig was going to really hurt me or kill me, can you imagine that? So since I wasn't about to give up all the fun I was having, she started calling everyone for help. Animal Control, the livestock people, the Sheriff's Department, everyone, and they all told her they didn't help with this sort of thing.

So, for four hours, Mama stood in the yard and kept calling me. She probably would have caught me if she had just walked up to the pig, but she doesn't know anything about pigs and was scared. Silly human!

Finally, the pig's people came home, and that was the end of my fun. They laughed at Mama because she thought the pig was already big enough, and they said he was only a baby still and would grow much bigger! Wow! Mama turned dead white, and that's saying something, since Mama's Black! BOL!

The pig got corralled, but I still wouldn't come home, so Mama went and got me extra dinner to get me to come home. Well, of course that worked! So that was my adventure with the pig. Wasn't that great?

Oh yeah, the grooming thing. Well, this first picture is three hours worth of work, just on my rump and back legs, with me arguing all the way:And, of course, this one is of my dashing good looks. Do I look like I need to be groomed?? Honestly!

Well, that's all for today! I do have more news, but I've been sworn to secrecy yet, by Mama, and since she controls the food and the grooming brush, I'll keep quiet for a bit longer. I'll give you a hint though: it has to do with family! Gnaw on that for awhile, haroooooooo!

Woos,

Thor

Catching Up

2009-04-28T18:00:00.006-06:00

I didn't realize how long it had been since Mama last let me use the computer! I'm going to have to nag her a bit more often about letting me keep up my blog! She updated hers TWICE yesterday, after all!

I guess the biggest piece of news I have is that Lita has left the family, for those who didn't know. She never wanted to fit in with the rest of us, and she wanted to be alpha so badly that she endangered the small biped. I don't do that! I may chew on Mama and Dad when we're playing, but I never use my teeth when the little biped is around, and neither do Smoky and Bandit! But LeeLee did, and so Mama didn't have a choice. LeeLee went to the shelter a bit over a month ago, and Mama cried a lot after she left. The house is a lot quieter now, but no one is ready to bring another dog home yet. Mama and the little biped are still missing LeeLee too much.

That's the only sad news though. Now we have the stupid news: Mama came up with new names for us dogs. Why can't she just call us dogs? No, now she calls us "furbles" instead of "furballs", which was bad enough! And "fuzzlebutt"! What the heck is a fuzzlebutt? Where does she come up with these things?! Can't she come up with something with a little dignity to it? Helloooooo!

Summer weather is already setting in here, or at least what Mama and I call summer weather! The people and pups native to Arizona call it spring weather, but 90 and 100 degree temperatures are summer temperatures where we come from!! So we are spending less time outside now because it's too hot. But Mama keeps the air conditioner on in the living room all day, so that's okay. I get to lie around on the human sofa instead. Yes, we have a human sofa and a dog sofa in the living room, and no dogs are supposed to be on the human sofa. That was the rule Dad set. But I'm so cute, even Dad lets me get away with pretty much anything except countersurfing. Smoky and Bandit have lived with Mama and Dad for nearly six years, and they don't get away with the amount of stuff I do! Harooooooooooooo! On the other hand, they sleep on the bed with Mama and Dad all the time, and I don't. Not that I'm not allowed to, I just don't choose to!

The little biped is getting more fun as she gets older, and we make Mama do a lot of screaming at us to calm down! BOL! Like that's gonna happen! It's too much fun to make her yell at us! But she did find something to make us calm down somewhat. It's this computer radio called Pandora, and when we get way out of hand (according to her, anyway), or when she's doing beadwork, Mama puts on this station of something she calls Celtic music. Even I can't help but slow down when it's on. I can't help it. It's soft and slow and boooooorrrrrrrriiiiiiinnnnnnnng! It makes me go to sleep, but Mama loves it and stays awake. I just don't get it. Humans are just weird.

Well, I'm gonna go outside and steal the tennis ball from Smoky for a little while now that it's cooling off. I promise to try and get the computer from Mama again soon! Later!

Woos,
Thor

More New Stuff

2008-11-22T13:46:00.002-07:00

Well, mama's computer died. It was young, only three years old, but it died anyway. Or something like that. Maybe it's that it is about to die. So Dad had to go and buy a new laptop anyway for school, so he's going to give Mama this one. This is the first time I've gotten hold of it, since everyone is busy trying to move all their stuff from one computer to another. Dad has to move all his stuff from this laptop to the new one, and when he's done, Mama has to move all her stuff from the desktop to this one! Dad says the best way to do it would be to have something called an external hard drive, but since the new laptop cost more than he planned on spending, he's panicking now, and Mama won't push him on the hard drive thing. So they have to move everything using a 4 gig flash drive. Something tells me it's going to take them forever!

Mama did manage to set up her store on Etsy.com, though! Because she loves us so much, she named her store Siberian Star Beads, except it's all one word. And she made another Sibe holiday ornament to sell, since the first one went to Indy's mom for a donation. And Mama promised us that if any ornaments sell, she'll donate some of the proceeds to ASHRA: Arizona Siberian Husky Rescue and Adoption. Arooooooooooooooo! I knew we loved her for a reason! ASHRA is in both Phoenix and Tucson, and they get a lot of dogs. Mama would like to foster for them, but Lita still starts fights, and the last visitor we had, well, that didn't go so well with me, either. He was a young Border Collie mix, very nice and well-mannered, but I didn't like him playing with my pawrents! So I tried to eat him. Mama was very happy I was on a leash, and very shocked that I could be aggressive, since I'm usually such an easygoing fellow. I was sad that I made her upset, but I share my pawrents enough!

Anyway, gotta go for now! Until next time!

Woos,
Thor

A New Experience

2008-10-19T21:48:00.007-06:00

Thor here. Mama and the little biped went on their own adventure today, and they didn't take us along! But it's okay, because I don't think any of us really wanted to go on this one. They went to a ranch called Cowtown Keeylocko. It's a working cowtown, owned and built by one of the few African-American cowboys in the area. Ed Keeylocko's got chickens and pigs wandering around loose, and horses and cows and bulls. It's a real Old West type of cowtown. It even has a jail, and the rumor mill has it that on occasion, overly rowdy Border Patrol officers have been put in it! We didn't want to go along because we heard that a whole bunch of pigs can be kind of mean. I don't know how true that is, but I can say I didn't want to find out! Individually, though, I think I'd like to make the acquaintance of a pig...bacon and ham and sausage are really tasty! So is cow, but these cows haven't gone to the factory yet, so they're a lot bigger than I am, and Mama says they have REALLY sharp horns!

But the little biped had lots of fun! For awhile today, she was the only child on the ranch, and the cowboys all spoiled her! One of the cowboys, RJ, even let her ride a horse! A BIG horse too, not one of the little ones! I am very proud of her. Mama showed us the video, and the midget wasn't the least bit scared, probably because she's used to big dogs like us, and she feels that horses are just really big dogs! They're not, of course, but she's three, so why argue?

She also made another friend--this is the one we wanted to meet! Doesn't he look tasty? Just think of all the ham, sausage, bacon, spareribs, roast, and pork chops we could get out of him! Yummy! Only two problems with that, though. For one thing, Mama says they smell really bad, which doesn't bother us, but I guess she doesn't like it, and since she's the chief cook in our house, when it comes to food, her word is the law. The other problem is that Dad is Jewish as well as Italian, and isn't supposed to eat pork. Hmmm. Dad does eat sausage and bacon when Mama cooks the big breakfast on Sunday mornings, so I think he plays that card when it's something he doesn't like. I'm just sayin'.

Mama was kind enough, though, to bring us back treats from Keeylocko! They had cooked a brisket, and Mama brought it back for us! Mmmmm, so tender and juicy and delicious! Mama didn't like it much and said it was a heart attack waiting to happen, and she also said not to expect such treats all the time because she loves us and wants us to live a long time. Huh. If she loves us so much, we should be getting treats like this all the time, don't you think? I think so, and I'm pretty sure my sisters would agree! I think if LeeLee becomes the Queen of the West, the first law she should pass is one making brisket a required treat! Ha roo!!!

Here's the video Mama made of the little biped on her first ride! Have I mentioned that I'm proud of her being so fearless? Her bravery is entirely due to us dogs!

Enjoy!

Woos,

Thor

My Dorky Family, and My Fantastic Idea

2008-10-18T19:42:00.006-06:00

Hello, all. This is LeeLee, taking over the blog for today. I wanted to be certain that everyone knows exactly how dorky my family is. To that end, I clawed Mama into taking the pictures in this entry. I wanted video, but there isn't enough light in the living room, so I'm stuck with just still pictures to illustrate how far below me the rest of the family is, at least of the canine set.

As I'm sure you all know, I'm not very fond of Smoky and Bandit to begin with. Labs are just too sappy and want to please everyone. But Thor is supposed to be a Sibe, and I am very disappointed in him. He doesn't woo, and he hardly ever does anything Mama and Dad don't like, except countersurfing. He's even--dare I say it--obedient!!! One begins to wonder if he isn't another Lab in a Sibe suit, like the Ao4's Dave. And no, I don't countersurf, only because I'm not tall enough, and I'm too fluffy yet to easily get up on the counter.

Well, anyway, he decided to have a huge wrestling match with Dad last night, along with Smoky and Bandit. Dad's a dork too. Look at him pretending to be scared of Thor. How sad is this? At least Mama is smart enough to stay out of this. Of course, that could be because I was making her take all the photographic evidence.

Oh, yes, my fantastic idea! I almost forgot! Mama always refers to me as the more obnoxious Meeshka of the West, which is a horrible thing to say, as I have seen no evidence to date that would support the claim that Meeshka is obnoxious in any way. But, as she seems to think we are so alike, it occurs to me that the position of Queen of the West stands vacant, and I thought I would volunteer to take over that position, if the great Meeshka has no objection. Isn't that a wonderful idea? After all, there is a LOT of land to administer, and the West is still pretty wild sometimes. So, I'm nominating my fluffy self to be the Queen of the West and keep all the pups on this side of the country in line! Of course, I need a second in command to help me, and I think Thunder of Colorado would be a perfect assistant, if he would be willing. Or maybe even Tucker, since he certainly seems to do a good job of keeping Sinjin in his place!

Of course, I would still ultimately defer to our great Queen in the East who does, after all, have so much more experience at being royalty than I do. When we dogs manage to get near the computer, I read Meeshka's memoirs faithfully, and memorize her lessons for use in my own house! Ha roo!!

Off to eat now,

Lita

Bowling for kitties

2008-10-09T23:21:00.003-06:00

Echo's mom gave all the SMS ladies a new gadget to play with, and Mama is addicted now. It's called Cat Bowling. Can you imagine? I had to see this! Well, pups, I don't see the attraction. The cats aren't even real! They're just drawings. And there are no dogs at all, just aiming a pumpkin and hitting the kitties with it. Humans are entranced with the weirdest things sometimes. I wonder what my friend Huffle will say when she finds out about this site. I bet kitty-claws will be liberally applied, ha roo! I hear Huffle's claws are worthy of Her Majesty, Queen Meeshka, herself! I think she's on tour right now, although her mom doesn't know it, and she's visiting a few SMS pups on her tour. Those moms better watch out! I don't think Huffle will like a bowling for kitties game!

Shameful!

2008-09-27T11:26:00.010-06:00

Mama hasn't let me on the computer since June 1! And here we are about to go into October! Sheesh! We missed posting about a bunch of stuff. The little biped had a birthday a couple of days after my last post, so I'll say happy birthday to her first of all--she's three now! And she started school in August. Mama leaked about that; I don't really know why. You would think she'd be happy to get a break! We sure were!

Mama didn't have a choice about letting me blog today. Ha roo! All the SMS bloggers got an award from my honorary Sibe-sister, Khyra, so she had to let me post it! Here it is!

Isn't it khool? Thank woo, sis!! Now maybe Mama will let me post more often!

Oh, and Mama is making Siberian Husky holiday ornaments with beads to sell. I got hold of a picture of it. Okay, it's not done yet. She still has to make a hanger for it, and put a backing on it so that it hangs right on a front door, and edging, and fringes that swing like a fluffy tail, but I love it! What's better looking than a Siberian Husky, after all? Ha roo roo roooooo! Now I want her to make one that looks like me! She's gonna sell these on Etsy.com.

But our most major news is this: we had an adventure! Well, my Lab sisters and I had a small adventure, but my Sibe-sister LeeLee had a big one! And Mama says that if I post this, I have to tell you humans that this is one of the reasons you have to research a breed before you get a dog and be aware of all the quirks and habits. There, I said it, Mama. See, we had an escape one night. To quote Snoopy, it was a dark and stormy night, and all of us took off when Mama and Dad got home. Well, Smoky, Bandit, and I got home by three a.m., but LeeLee didn't stay with us during our adventure; she went off on her own. Mama was frantic, driving all over the neighborhood calling until 4 a.m., but she never found LeeLee. At 6, the phone rang, and it was a family seven miles away, on the other side of the highway! LeeLee had wandered into their yard!

We were VERY lucky to get LeeLee back! We Sibes like to run and run and run, and we look around and realize we're lost and have no idea how to get home, so we find a human who looks friendly. That's why our yards have to be very, very secure, and our humans have to be very, very careful. And microchipping does help, but only if we go somewhere we will get scanned for one, and only if the chip is registered! Escapes are a big Siberian trait, so make sure you read up about us before you bring one of us home! LeeLee was lucky enough not to get hurt, but escapes don't always have happy endings!

Until next time,
Thor

Early Morning Hunt

2008-06-01T00:24:00.005-06:00

Thor's mama here. He has--grudgingly--allowed me to post this blog, although he will probably add his own words to it later.

We live in a manufactured home, which means that the dogs have long ago torn down the skirting at the back of the house so they can stare at the chipmunks and squirrels that constantly get under there. Well, lately there has been a pigeon, also known as a flying rat, living under there and driving the dogs insane, because, of course, they can't get to it.

Well, early Memorial Day morning, when I let the dogs into the yard to take care of business, the idiot bird, who has seen the dogs in the yard every morning, is in the yard, strolling around like it belongs there. The dogs did not take this invasion lightly, and Thor, my beautiful, gimpy-legged baby boy, proceeded to prove that a bum leg does not impede him in any way. The flying rat launched itself into the air, frantic to get away, getting about five feet up...and so did Thor. He snatched the bird out of the air...from above, even though he had been standing on the ground a second before. He caught both wings in his mouth and landed lightly on his feet. I have never seen him look so proud, with his head and tail both held high as he pranced across the yard. I hated to tell him to drop it, but, well, they're called flying rats for a reason! So he dropped it, and Smoky and Bandit converged from the left and right simultaneously, while LeeLee barked and jumped excitedly. Big three-way melee ensued, and when the dust settled, there was a dead pigeon without a mark on it, feathers everywhere, and three proud, successful hunters whose praises were being sung by the fourth!

Thor here now. Don't let Mama fool you. The only reason I dropped the stupid bird in the first place was because Mama was standing in the doorway in her pajamas, jumping up and down and screaming at me like an idiot. And LeeLee wasn't singing our praises, she was criticizing our techniques! Not that she did anything at all! And Mama, as much as we love her, wasn't smart enough to have a camera right by the back door to video our hunt! Humans!

Woos,
Thor

The Name Game

2008-05-19T11:32:00.003-06:00

I've been tagged by Echo for a new game! It's really easy--you spell out your name in Japanese, using this key:

A - ka, B - tu, C - mi, D -te, E - ku, F - lu, G - ji, H - ri, I - ki, J - zu, K - me, L - ta, M - rin, N - to, O - mo, P - no, Q - ke, R - shi, S - ari, T - chi, U - do, V - ru, W - mei, X - na, Y - fu, Z - zi

Here are all of our names:

Thor: Chirimoshi
Lita: Takichiki
Smoky: Aririnmomefu
Bandit: Tukatotekichi

We did Mama, Dad, and the little biped too--now efurrypuppy that doesn't know them can work backwards to figure out their names! Ha roo! Arichikamifu, Karukatamoto, Chishimofu--who's who?!

Now I tag the ThunderStorm, Sitka and Tia, Huffle Mawson, Turbo, Tucker, and Indy!

Tagged and Tagging

2008-05-13T10:28:00.003-06:00

Mama is finally letting me back on the computer. It's about time! I got tagged by my friends Echo and Fenway, and I have been patiently waiting for Mama to let me do this! So here are the rules:

1. Post a 6-word memoir on your blog and include visuals if you'd like.
2. Link to the blog and dog who tagged you, ideally to their original memoir post.
3. Tag at least 5 more pups with blogs, link to them, and leave a comment with an invitation to play.

So without further ado, my six words:

1. Handsome
2. Fortunate
3. Rescued
4. Loving (and loved!)
5. Happy
6. Affectionate

I didn't feel like taking pictures, so you'll have to content yourself with pictures already in various places in the blog!

I'm tagging Shelby and Maddox, the Rasta Boyz, the RHP, the Kapp Pack, and Flurry and Aja!

Thor vs. Troy

2008-05-09T23:42:00.005-06:00

Mama filmed us playing with Dad tonight! Well, me, mostly. Our camera isn't all that great, so the picture is a little fuzzy, but you can still see it!

Mama didn't even get upset when I stepped on her foot; she just laughed at me. We are much loved pups!

A Furball in Need

2008-05-05T17:08:00.003-06:00

Our Mala-pal, Holly, has posted a challenge issued by her friend Izzie, to post this badge on our blogs and click on it every day for a week.

I have decided that we will be a part of that challenge. But I'd like to see it kept going for more than a week. Thus, I issue my own challenge: one month. That's thirty days. Not so hard. We can do that, can't we? It's just one click of the millions of clicks you'll make in a day. Click here to get your own badge.

AVON Calling!

2008-04-29T22:21:00.004-06:00

Sigh. Okay, I'm doing this--under duress!--for Mama. In addition to starting to do beadwork to sell on Etsy, she also decided to sell Avon. I don't use the stuff, personally, so I don't see the big deal, but if it helps get goodies in the house for us, I'm all for it! So please check out Mama's Avon store. Help a dog out! There, Mama, I did the plug for you. You owe me livergreat for this one!

Woos,

Thor

Wolves

2008-04-23T14:54:00.003-06:00

I am a dog. I am not a wolf, nor am I, although I look like one, any more closely related to one than your average Chihuahua. That being said, dogs and wolves are related, way back when, and therefore I have quite a few concerns about the fact that timber wolves are now off the endangered list, and can now be killed again with impunity.

Humans say that the wolves kill their livestock, and therefore deprive them of their livelihood. I have something to say about that: every living creature on this planet is driven to procreate for the continuation of their species, not just humanity. Procreation leads to families, which means that every living creature needs a home and food. If humanity takes away the land that provides your home and takes away the ability to feed your young, then you watch them die, and you face extinction.

It is interesting to note that there is not one species of animal that has sanctioned the mass murder of humanity to save themselves. Only humanity holds that distinction. Humanity is a species of excess. You MUST have more land. You MUST have more money. You MUST have a better car, house, television, clothing, child than your neighbor. Why can't you be happy with what you have? Why must there be the deforestation issue that has taken the homes of millions of animals? Why are there trophy hunters? Why must the rainforest be destroyed? Why do you abuse your children and pets? Why would you protect the wolves long enough to bring up their numbers, only to turn around and kill them again as soon as they are no longer endangered? This actually makes sense to you?

"What is man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone, man would die from a great loneliness of spirit, for whatever happens to the beasts, soon happens to man. All things are connected."--Chief Seattle, 1854

This is one of Mama's favorite quotes. Not all humans are as stupid as the ones that have declared war on animals. Mama and her friends are among the smarter ones. This Chief Seattle sounds like someone I would have liked. I don't think he would like the world today. There are so many species of animal that are in danger of extinction. Timber wolves. Bengal tigers. Siberian tigers. Giant pandas. Alligators. Buffalo. Elephants. Pronghorn antelope. Peregrine falcons. Golden eagles. Condors. Blackfooted ferrets. Gorillas. Whales. Cheetahs. Leopards. Jaguars. Polar bears. Arctic wolves. Mexican wolves. Hippos. Seals. Sea otters. I could go on and on, but Mama is helping me with this one, and her eyes are leaking too much for her to see.

You humans need to get your acts together. One day, it will be you facing extinction. And, at the rate your species is going, far too many of you will not be missed by the rest of the species on the planet.

The Reason Why: Firefly

2008-04-16T23:05:00.003-06:00

Dad was teasing Mama about the title of my blog here, and it occurred to me that I should explain it a little. The title is my nod to Mama's favorite show, Firefly. It was a really good show that got cancelled a couple of years ago, but Mama owns the DVD set of the series and the movie that came out later, which was called Serenity. Joss Whedon, who produced Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, is the guy who produced Firefly as well. It was a sci-fi series, and it was more grown up than the other two shows. Mama got addicted to the show and used to watch it over and over until Dad got sick of it! In the show, they always referred to the universe as "the 'verse", so that's where I got the title from!

Woos,
Thor

Mama's Newest Thing, and Pictures!!

2008-04-16T12:46:00.007-06:00

Mama has decided to try and find a way to work at home, so she can add to the household income that provides us with Canidae and cookies, and yet be home where she can be readily available to serve us as needed. Oh, yeah, and so she can be home with the little furless biped too. So she is looking for a job in something called data entry, and also decided to try her hand at crafting stuff for a website called Etsy.com. Dad is trying to figure out how to set up a workspace for her in the living room, Mama's making lists of tools she will need but doesn't yet have, and trying to think of a name for her Etsy store. She wants one that is Siberian-related, of course! Good mama! So , all suggestions from everysibe will be appreciated and considered. She does all kinds of stuff, but mostly beading on the loom and freehand. Look at all the beads she's got! All of those little boxes and pill bottles are full of beads! She says they're all size 11/0, which means they're pretty small. She told me that the larger the number, the smaller the bead, and she also works with size 14/0 beads for really detailed stuff. Wow! Imagine how small those are! I know she has some of those sitting around the house somewhere, but she won't let me see them. She's afraid that if I stick my nose in there to smell them, I'll inhale them and then we'll have to go to the vet. I'm not pressing the issue, since I have NO desire to visit the vet!

Mama said that she plans to take some of her beading graph paper and make transparencies so she can do some really special stuff. There are two types of graph paper she has. One has tons and tons of ovals in straight rows, all touching each other. That paper is for making designs for the loom, which is that wood thing in the picture. Then there's another paper for something called peyote designs, where the beads won't be in straight lines. Too confusing for me. Anyway, if she makes these transparency things, she can put it over a picture and then photocopy it so that the graph shows up on the picture and she can bead the picture! Cool, huh? She's already promised to do one of ME first!! I can't wait! Some of this stuff is pretty! Here's a picture of one Mama never finished.

Now, what all this means is that everypuppy has to get hold of their biped's plastic card thingies when Mama gets things going, and buy stuff so that she can buy us stuff! Ha roo roo roo! Only kidding! We'll see how well it goes!

Mama's been taking pictures of us again too. I forgot to run when she was doing it, so she finally got some of me and LeeLee together. Oh, well, I suppose she can have those few. I'll be generous.

We had another fight here the other day. I don't know if LeeLee started it or Smoky did, but we all got involved, and Mama and Dad weren't real happy with any of us afterward. We all got timeouts in our crates. The little furless biped wasn't happy about that, since she wanted to play with us, but Mama and Dad said she would have to live with it because we were in trouble.

LeeLee got revenge though. The next night, after we got to play in the yard for awhile, she came in the house and went directly to my crate to go to the bathroom on the carpet right in front of it! Mama and Dad weren't happy about that either, because they had to clean it up. There's something to be said for not having opposable thumbs! But I wasn't happy about it either, because it was right in front of my crate! And LeeLee just laughed at me. I don't know why she did it. I think it was just mean. I never go potty in the house anymore. I'm a big boy. LeeLee is just being bratty. She tries to take over Mama and get all the attention, but I'm not about to let that happen! I don't mind letting Mama pet her sometimes, but her lap and her bed are all mine! I already have to share with Smoky and Bandit!

Speaking of my Lab sisters, don't they look cute sleeping together on the sofa? Bandit's on the left, and Smoky on the right. It took Mama a long time to get a good shot of them, so it's a good thing they were sound asleep! Mama says it's really hard to get decent pictures of them because they're so dark they usually just look like black blotches in the middle of a picture. Having seen some of Mama's pictures, I'd have to say she's right about that, but I think that's more Mama's fault than my sisters' color! Ha roo!

Anyway, here's one last picture for now, and then it's naptime for me! Avi was showing LeeLee her tiger that she calls "Cat", but LeeLee wasn't hungry just then! Ha roo!

Lucas needs more help!

2008-04-03T13:01:00.004-06:00

I hope everydoggy remembers Lucas, the Sibe in McMinnville Tennessee whose owner filed 30 of his teeth down to the gumline because he was chewing things. If not, here's a quick update. His owner was seen beating him, and Lucas was taken away, only for his rescuers to see that thirty of his teeth had been filed down to the gums, exposing the pulp and the nerves, because he was chewing things he shouldn't. Can you imagine what it must feel like to have THIRTY teeth all hurting and bleeding at the same time? This is what training is for, humans!

Anyway, his owner, Christopher Barnett, was charged and went to court the other day. Originally he was being charged with a misdemeanor, but lots of people signed petitions and sent letters asking for a stronger penalty, and the charges were upgraded to a felony! Good humans! Pat yourselves on the head and have a treat.

But Lucas still needs help, because the court case has been turned over to a grand jury. So we're starting a new letter-writing campaign. Please send letters to the following address:

Lisa Zavogiannis

District Attorney

Lucas the Siberian Husky

131 East Main Street

McMinnville, TN 37110

Reference: Christopher Lee Barnett Animal Abuse Case - Lucas, Siberian Husky for the Grand Jury

The felony penalty, as it stands now, carries a fine of $3000 and a two year prison term. Mama and a lot of other humans (I mean a LOT) don't feel like this is enough, and I have to say that I and my sisters agree. Maybe people wouldn't do these things if they got more than a slap on the wrist! So please, write letters and sign every petition for justice for Lucas. He needs all our help. If Mr. Barnett is acquitted or anything like that, there is a possibility that HE WOULD GET LUCAS BACK!!! The idea is unthinkable! Please, please, write and let your voice be heard!

Thank you,

Thor, LeeLee, Smoky, and Bandit

Thank you, Mr. President!

2008-04-02T09:19:00.003-06:00

Thank you to our presidential candidate, Turbo, for answering my questions so promptly. Definitely a good indication of how well you would handle crises as president! The Wild Hunt pack of Arizona fully pupports your candidacy and will certainly be voting for you! I'm sure that you have plenty of pupporters all over the world!

Woos,
Thor

Questions for our President to Be

2008-03-31T12:15:00.004-06:00

Running for Presidential election this year is our very own Turbo, whose campaign manager is my honorary sister Khyra. Recently, it has come to my attention that nodoggy has made an attempt to interview our prestigious presidential candidate! Unbelievable!

So, to rectify the situation, I have come up with several questions to ask Mr. Turbo, so that the humans are very well aware of his campaign platforms.

1. Turbo, will there be an anti-plucking law passed if you are elected? Many pups, during coat blowing season, are followed about by their humans, who constantly pluck at loose tufts of fur. This is quite irritating to many of your constituents.

2. Livergreat. The humans need to know, in no uncertain terms, your stand on livergreat. Are you for or against?

3. Do you support the notion that if a human gives a dog a bath, the dog has the right to return the favor and bathe the human?

4. How do you feel about the segregation between dogs and cats? Should they be forcibly integrated, and if so, why?

5. Cuz toys. Should we all have them? Why or why not?

6. Queen and king-sized beds. Is there a law requiring us to share these things with the humans?

These are a few of the questions the world would love answers to. I will post more questions throughout the course of the campaign.

Woos,
Thor

Birthdays!!

2008-03-31T11:57:00.003-06:00

Mama and I had our birthday this past Friday! I turned four, and Mama says she had the 19th annifursary of her 21st birthday. That sounds like 40 to me, but what do I know? Mama bought livergreat for us dogs, and Dad took her and Avi to a restaurant to eat, so Mama wouldn't have to cook. And look what he bought for her! It's a drum! Mama doesn't play it, though, and she wouldn't even let us sniff at it! She put it on a hook on the ceiling where no one but she or Dad can get to it! How mean! But that's okay, because Mama did something really silly today! She was baking cookies with the little biped, and she burned a batch of them. She threw them away in a bag she had hanging from the cabinet door and forgot they were there! Well, I didn't forget!! They were delicious! Sour cream cookies! Yum! Mama came into the kitchen right after I finished the last one, so all she saw me doing was licking my chops! Ha roo! And no, I didn't share a single bite with any of my sisters!

LeeLee update

2008-03-25T16:56:00.004-06:00

Well, my Sibe-sister has been here for nearly two months now, and aside from one fight, we have all been doing pretty well with her and vice versa. She still growls a bit occasionally, and gives Smoky and Bandit the hairy eyeball, but she hasn't actually started any more fights. Of course, Mama and Dad keep a pretty close eye on her since the last one!

It looks like her diet is paying off too! Princess Holly's mama told our mama that Holly was on a diet of kibble and green beans, so Mama decided to try that with LeeLee. It seems to be working! When she went to the vet (after the fight), LeeLee weighed seventy two pounds. Mama says she's going to take her in to be weighed again, because she looks a bit thinner than she was.

LeeLee still isn't allowed to sleep in the bedroom with the rest of us, because she likes to woo at the small biped until she wakes up, chews everything she can get her teeth into, and doesn't let Mama and Dad go to sleep. She kisses them awake every time they doze off! They keep trying though, and Dad says she'll eventually figure out that she's home for good, just like I did, and she'll relax. I don't know...if she relaxes, that means she'll get to sleep in the bedroom too, and I don't think I like that idea. She likes to lie on top of Mama, and that's MY spot! Nobody gets to lie on Mama but me! Even if I choose to sleep on the floor, no one else gets to lie on Mama. LeeLee tried last night, and I pushed her all the way down to Mama's feet and took my spot back, and put my head under Mama's chin, which she thought was really sweet. I wasn't trying to be sweet, I was marking my territory!! Ha roo roo roo!

Woos,

Thor

Happy Easter, Everypup!

2008-03-23T15:29:00.004-06:00

Today is Easter Sunday, the day the Easter Beagle arrives, bringing candy and treats to all children, whether they have fur or not! We've been looking for him, but he hasn't gotten here yet. Mama says that houses that only have children only get an Easter bunny, but houses where there are furkids and furless biped kids get the Easter beagle, which I think is way better! Here's what he looks like:

So if you see him, be sure to let us know where he is, so we can figure out how soon he'll be here at our house!

While we're waiting for him, Mama subjected me to a grooming session! I was not happy, but I submitted with grace...this time! It's getting hot out in Arizona at this time of year, so getting rid of all that loose fur was kind of a good thing. Mama's going to get Smoky next, and maybe Bandit too. She had to have Dad put LeeLee in the crate while she groomed me, because LeeLee was eating the pile of fur! YUCK!

Since there was discussion of coat blowing among the Sibe-slaves on SMS, as well as some pictures, Mama decided to join the fray. So here are some pictures:

As you can see here, I am very unhappy with the situation.

And here are some pictures of all the fur Mama got from me before her arms got tired. She gave up before I was fully groomed, with a threat to finish the process later!

The Easter Beagle better bring me a whole roll of livergreat just for me because I was so good for this! Even the little biped helped Mama! She got the pin brush and brushed me for awhile. Mama had to show her how, but she really wanted to help, so she's learning. The things a Sibe has to put up with sometimes!

Woos,

Thor

Missing you, Sasha

2008-03-19T23:48:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, we lost a good friend named Sasha. She was her mama's first Siberian, and her mama was with her to the very end, letting her know how very much she was loved. We couldn't all be there with her, though we would have been if we could have. To her mama and dad: you did the best thing for her that you could do, and that was to let her go without suffering. She will wait for you and watch over you from the Rainbow Bridge, and she will love you always, just as you loved her. She is young again, and wearing her silver harness with pride.

Sasha, we will miss you very much until we see you again.

Sasha RIP March 18, 2008

It's Plucking Season!

2008-03-19T21:55:00.004-06:00

No, it isn't me, and it isn't LeeLee either! It's Smoky and Bandit! Mama says they both look like moths have been at them. Well, I would have to agree with her there. I have to find Mama's camera so I can take pictures to make fun of them. Mama has been following them around the house, plucking out the tufts of fur on Smoky's rear end. Smoky has taken to running from Mama, but Mama just waits till she catches her asleep and plucks away until Smoky wakes up. It's very sad and pathetic. I have a feeling that when LeeLee and I blow our coats, Mama's going to have a pluckfest. Tubey or Meeshka should pass a law that plucking is illegal!

Mama made a big mistake with them tonight, too: she decided to use the shedding blade on Bandit in the living room! On the white carpet! Ha roo roo roo! You should have seen the mess! Mama was covered in Bandit's fur, and the white carpet was black! She looked so funny! I wish I knew where the camera was so I could have taken a picture of it! And what made it worse is that the Hoover doesn't do a good job of picking up the fur, so Mama had to pick it out of the carpet by hand! I bet she doesn't make that mistake again! Bandit didn't like being groomed, so she got her revenge without doing a single thing! Way to go, sis!

Woos until next time,
Thor

Of Annifursaries and Veterinarians

2008-03-11T23:12:00.004-06:00

Yesterday was my Gotcha Day! I've been with Mama for a whole year, and she hasn't dumped me or hurt me at all, even when I...um...misbehave. She still loves me! Dad does too, and so does Avi, but Mama's my favorite, and I'm hers! I got to play all day yesterday, and to sleep on the bed whenever I wanted, and I even got a special dinner! Well, everydog got the special dinner, but they got it because of me! Mama made something called albondigas, a Mexican meatball soup. It's got rice and meatballs and broth. It's supposed to be soup, but for some reason, Mama's always comes out like a stew, really thick and filling. No kibble last night, just meatball stew. YUM! But I didn't get to sleep in the bedroom last night. We all slept in our crates. Mama and Dad said we were too wild last night. Can you believe that? Just because we woke Avi up a couple of times!

LeeLee was the one who had the big adventure, though. We all had a fight on Friday, and when Mama came out to break it up, Smoky, Bandit, and I had LeeLee down and we were playing tug-of-war with her. Mama wasn't happy with any of us! She threw a bucket at us to break up the fight, and LeeLee ran away. Bandit had put some holes in her butt, and Mama didn't find them till the next day. She made Dad take her to the pharmacy to buy Betadyne to clean them with, but they got infected anyway, so this morning LeeLee and Mama went to the vet.

Boy, was Mama mad at that vet! She hurt LeeLee with needles and pulled the scab off of one of the wounds, and then was surprised when LeeLee yelped and snapped her head around real fast. She didn't try to bite her, but the vet says she did! She told Mama that we would all eventually kill LeeLee, and that LeeLee should be rehomed with someone who actually knew dogs, and Mama should watch Cesar Milan, the Dog Whisperer. Mama was really mad, and she came out of the vet and called Khyra's mama to vent. Khyra's mama calmed her down, and Mama took LeeLee to Petsmart, where she got to meet a whole bunch of developmentally disabled kids, and she had a really good time getting petted and giving kisses. Then Mama took her to the hardware store to pick up an air conditioner for the living room, and she got to go in there too, where she said hello to everyone coming in and out of the store. So she actually had more of an adventure today than I did for my annifursary! That wasn't fair, but I forgive Mama, because I know she loves me best!

Woos,
Thor

We're Funky!

2008-02-27T14:12:00.002-07:00

This is so khool! Our pal Dakota nominated us for the Funky Blog award, because she likes our new look. Mama helped with it--I have to give credit where credit is due! And I have consulted with LeeLee, Smoky, and Bandit on who we should nominate for the funky blog award.

So, without further ado, here are our nominations for this prestigious award:

1- The Army of Four (hey, my girlfriend blogs there! And her humans are way khool!)

2- Holly's House (one of the sweetest Malagals I know)

3- Meeshka's World (not only is she our queen and commander of HULA, but she does the best cartoons in the world!)

So those are our nominees for the funkiest blogs around. Dakota, of course, is also not only a funky blogger, but an awesome interior decorator. She can come decorate our place any time! Dakota, maybe you can give me tips on how to make my crate look nice? I'm a guy, after all--what do I know about home decor??

Lucas

2008-02-26T16:03:00.003-07:00

While Mama and I were working on this blog a little while ago, we came across a link to a news story that made water leak out of Mama's eyes, and made the rest of us woo.

Lucas is a handsome black and white Sibe in McMinniville, Tennessee. He's only a little over a year old, and has been being tortured by his owner for some time. The bone around his eyesocket has been fractured, and 30 of his teeth were filed down so much that the nerves are exposed and bleeding. He'll never be able to eat normally, and will always have to have soft foods. But he's still a sweet, sweet boy. Someone finally saw his owner beating him, and saved him from the...well, I can't think of any words bad enough to describe a human like that. Mama has a lot of words that might cover it, but I'm not allowed to use that kind of language.

Anyway, that's when all of this was discovered. Poor boy. The people who have him now are going to try and save as many of his teeth as they can, and pull the ones that can't be saved. I hope he gets a really good home after everything he's been through.

They say it will cost thousands of dollars to help this baby, and they are asking for donations to be sent to:

Sparta Road Veterinary Clinic
4021 Sparta Hwy.
McMinnville, TN 37110

Donators are asked to specify that they want their donations to be used for Lucas' medical expenses.

The police in McMinniville have put out a warrant to arrest Lucas' owner on cruelty charges. We are praying very hard that they get him.

So all you Sibes and other dogs out there that have been rescued and wound up with humans that love you, tonight let your biped family have extra cuddles with you to thank them for being good to you.

Woos until next time,
Thor, LeeLee, Smoky, and Bandit

Lazy Sunday

2008-02-24T22:14:00.002-07:00

Well, we didn't do much today. It was a really warm day today--in the mid seventies, so we didn't stay outside much. We laid around the house most of the day, and when we weren't lying around, we were taking turns climbing into laps. Mama and Dad make these wonderful pain noises when LeeLee does it, because she can't jump up like I can. So she jumps partway up, her front paws land very hard in someone's lap, and her back legs scrabble to get the rest of the way up, usually against someone's legs. That's when they make those noises. It's really funny! They're like big squeek toys!

Mama even curled up with the whole pack on the floor today and took a nap with us. She figured it was safer and less painful to nap on the floor than it would be to get LeeLee up on the bed. She's probably right. But LeeLee is doing really well on her green-bean-and-Canidae diet, and she runs almost as fast as me in the backyard!

So, since we didn't do much today, Mama is letting me post the pictures we do have of our friends from Jer-man-ee. They emailed us today to say hi!

First, this is Sonja:

And this is George:

Mama took the pictures with her cell phone, which is why they didn't come out very good. It doesn't have a flash, which is kind of stupid, I think. All cameras should have a flash, if you're in a dim room! But the phone still takes better pictures than our actual digital camera, so I guess I can't complain TOO much.

Back to napping now. See you next time!

Woos,
Thor

Our new friends are gone!

2008-02-21T12:24:00.002-07:00

Our new friends from Jer-man-ee left yesterday. We were really sad to see them go, but they have to go to other places in this country, and then go back home. Sonja said she misses her dogs a lot--they are with her oldest daughter and her granddaughter. She doesn't look old enough to have a granddaughter, but she does! She says she's going to keep in touch with Mama by email. That'll be good! She invited us to come and stay with her and George in Jer-man-ee. Well, she invited Mama, Dad, and Avalon, anyway. Mama said we wouldn't be able to go, because we would have to stay in something called kwar-en-teen, which means we wouldn't get to see them, or Sonja and George's house, or their dogs, because Mama and Dad wouldn't be visiting for more than a week, and this kwar-en-teen thing is for something like SIX weeks. Not khool!

The day before they left, they spent the WHOLE day with us, and Sonja took lots of pictures of me with Mama! That was fun. Then they went out to dinner with our family, but they couldn't take us along.

Avi has a big crush on George. She kept calling his name over and over all day. Everybody thought it was really cute.

Our camera didn't get any good pictures of them, so hopefully Sonja will send hers to us when they get a chance, and I can post them here then. I want to see what her dogs look like. Mama saw pictures of them and said they're really pretty dogs. Sonja has one black Doberman, and one chocolate--just like Bandit and Smoky! Except her black one is a boy.

She also showed Mama pictures of their house in Jer-man-ee. I happened to be looking over Mama's shoulder at those. They have a great garden, with lots of pretty flowers, and it's just the way Mama likes it. It's not a formal garden, it's a friendly one. And a nice house in a small village. It's very green, with lots of big trees and grass! Mama says she would love to go visit, if she had the money! I wonder if there are any Sibes there?

Woos,
Thor

RESCUE: Help Needed for Sibe-mix in NC

2008-02-18T20:46:00.002-07:00

Mama came across this today, and got permission to crosspost, so I told her she could use my blog to help get the word out. Here's the email she got:

"Thank you for crossposting this. The only info I have is what I posted in the HH message board and some things Diana and I talked about yesterday.

"I really wish I could find someone, I don't mind you putting my information out there, I need to find a home for him soon. I live in a small little town, and what happened is my dog was "accused" of killing someone's cat, although he has never done anything like that. In fact he lets my cats sleep on top of him. He is the most incredible animal, and part of my family. But this town makes the law as they go. Several people have said he is a terror now, and want him put down. Which I am scared they will get some legal ground to do, be it truth or not. Plus several people have stated that he might have to get a snack thrown to him, I suppose they are plotting to poison him. So here I am with 60+ pounds of Solid White Siberian Husky laying in my living room floor, trying to stay cool while we stay warm. I have cried all day, and emailed every rescue, but all the info that can get out is great. I feel like that finding him a new home is urgent. Note to he is great I mean great with Autistic children.So do you know anyone in the Southern United States that would take in a white mixed breed husky to keep him from being killed.

Thank you, Diana"

Diana's son is autistic and can't understand why his dog has to be killed. I am not sure it would come down to that but you know small towns in the south seem to be able to do what they want. He is 4 yrs old and his name is Napoleon. She is willing to deliver him or meet half way. Dianawfay2006@yahoo.com 1-828-733-3277 name is Diane Fay"

Mama doesn't know anyone in North Carolina, except the rescue I came from, so she's going to contact them to see if they can help, but any other help we can find would be really appreciated. Thanks to everydog that reads this one!

Woos,
Thor

The Snow Didn't Come!

2008-02-18T11:24:00.002-07:00

We waited and waited and waited, and the fluffy white stuff NEVER came! We were so disappointed! But Mama says that's typical of Arizona weather. Hmph! I've got some words for whoever wrote the weather report that said we were going to get snow! We didn't even see snow on the mountaintops, and we are surrounded by mountain ranges! Not one single snowflake! Mama better get on the ball and get this house sold! Hey, Meeshka, can I claw the weatherpeople for lying to us? It seems like that would only be fair!

On the plus side, we did get to have some khool khompany last night! Sonya and George work for the man that bought the house across from us, and they're staying there while they're in town. They are from some place called Jer-man-ee. Oh...Mama says it's spelled Germany. I like my spelling better. Anyway, that's where they're from, and they have dogs too, so they liked meeting us! ALL of us at once, too! They weren't real fond of The Tongue, though.

Sonya says her dogs are Doberman Pinschers, but they don't look like the ones we have here. It's illegal to crop their ears and tails in Jer-man-ee. Mama was happy to hear that. She said she could never understand why it's done here when it isn't a medical necessity. I have to say I agree with that. No one had better ever try to cut my ears or my beautifully fluffy tail! I'd claw them HARD! But Mama would never let that happen. She loves me just the way I am way too much!

So we all liked Sonya and George a lot. They're only going to be here a little while longer, then they're going to Los An-jell-ez, then Ree-no to George's family reunion, then back to Jer-man-ee. Jer-man-ee sounds interesting. George said that when you move from one place to another, you have to move the kitchen too, that places don't come with kitchens. He said until twenty years ago, places didn't come with bathrooms either! That's pretty weird to us over here! Mama and Dad couldn't figure out how you would move a kitchen and bathroom! It sounded like an awful lot of trouble. But you have to have a kitchen; that's where all the goodies are kept! I'm not so sure a bathroom is really necessary, though. Why can't the furless do the same thing we do? Mama says it's not civilized. Yeah, whatever that means.

See ya later!
Thor

Snow, maybe??

2008-02-15T11:56:00.002-07:00

It's raining today, so Dad had Mama look up the weather report for the day before he went to work, and guess what? We're supposed to get SNOW tonight! Yes, you heard right, southern Arizona is due for some snow! Okay, it's not much, most likely less than an inch, but it's still snow, and Mama has promised to let us play in it if it comes, especially since it will be gone by tomorrow. She says it snowed about a half inch last winter, just enough for Dad to make a few snowballs to throw at the house, and he brought snow in while Mama was cooking and put it down her shirt! Ha-roooooo, I wish I had seen that! That must have been hilarious! I bet Mama didn't like it much, though!

She has already got the video camera out and ready for if the snow comes, so she can make movies of us in it. I wonder if Dad will freeze another snowball this year? I wasn't here for the last one. I wonder if Arizona snow tastes different from Pennsylvania snow or New York snow? Or Nebraska snow? Holly and Khyra could tell me, I bet!

Well, mama asked me to put up this picture of Bandit and our biped sister. She says I've been hogging the blog. I don't see how I'm hogging it, since it's MY blog! But I'll humor her and post it anyway.

There. It's up. Okay, so it's a cute picture. So what? I'm not in it, so it isn't as cute as it could be, but it's okay. I guess. She wouldn't let me put up the video of us playing out in the yard, because when she made it, we had been out there for a few minutes, and she didn't rake up the inevitable results before making the video. That's not our fault, and I think she should let me put up the videos anyway, regardless of her embarrassment. Maybe it'll teach her to rake first, tape last! Ha-roooooo!

See ya's later!
Thor

And now the video camera!

2008-02-11T15:53:00.000-07:00

Now Mama is making videos of us as well! Now that she has high-speed internet, she can upload this stuff, so we are all in trouble! So, here are the videos she did today. Hope you enjoy them!

Mama's Playing with the Scanner

2008-02-11T11:13:00.000-07:00

Dad gave Mama a scanner that had been packed away, and she's making a digital photo album, just in case something ever happens to the photo albums. She started scanning all the photos yesterday, and she found a bunch of pictures of dogs and other pets she had before we came along, so I decided to give a nod to them by putting some of them up here. I'll start with the smallest first. That would be Brandy, Shai Alai, Alysheba, Blanca, and Azhrei, the ferret crew. I don't know why Mama would have ferrets, since they're stinky, but she did! I haven't found all of their pictures yet, but here's Brandy:

She's climbing up Mama's leg! The one behind her is Alysheba, but the next picture gets her a little better:

That's Alysheba, the white one, and Shai Alai. Mama says ferrets are actually lots of fun as pets. I think they look like good snacks, but that's just my opinion.

Now we go on to the more important ones: the dogs! First, this is Lir'reia and the pups she surprised Mama with. Mama got her name out of a book by a lady named Melanie Rawn about princes, princesses, and dragons. There was a dragon named Lir'reia in the book, who belonged to a blind princess, and the name means "The princess' eyes", but Mama just thought it was pretty. So, we have Lir'reia, with Smoky I tucked under her chin, then Bandit I with Hershey's Kisses on his back, Ewok looking at the camera, and behind her is Nocona, which is Comanche for Wanderer. He got his name by managing to get out of the puppy bed the day after he was born and wandering away to another area of the bedroom, making Mama tear apart the room until she found him sleeping under the bed!

Now, here's a picture of Bandit I, all grown up, with Mama! He looks like a Golden Retriever, but he was also half Chow Chow, and Mama was the only person he ever liked!

And now, for the most important dogs of all: the Sibes! And no, I am not biased in their favor! First, this is Nhavari with Lir'reia, and Hershey hiding behind him. Look how big he is! He was four months old, and Hershey was two months old!

Now, here's his sister Nikita:

Aren't they beautiful? They paved the way for me and Lita, so I had to give them a nod. And here's a decent picture of Mama:

And finally, a picture of Mama's mama with our bi-ped sister. This one was taken on Christmas Eve 2005, so it was Avi's first Christmas, and her Nana's last one before she crossed the Bridge. Mama said I could use it because Nana loved dogs, and would have loved us a lot! So, here it is:

Mama says Nana would have been proud to be mentioned on our blog. I think we would have loved her lots, too!

So, there you have it. Mama is a general animal nut, but now, since she has us, she won't have any of the smaller animals anymore. She says she's afraid we might eat them. Hmmm...have to think about that. Ferrets might taste good, but I don't know if I want to eat something stinky!

Woos,
Thor

We got tagged!

2008-02-09T20:53:00.000-07:00

Not only did the lovely Holly tag us, but Thor is letting me do this blog myself, kind of as a welcome to the pack! Isn't that sweet of him?

So, Holly tagged us to reveal seven weird facts about ourselves. I'm gonna share this one with Thor, if no one minds!

1. I am fanatical about giving kisses! Nothing, and no one, gets away from The Tongue. My new mama has tried, and it has not worked.

2. I like my green bean-and-kibble diet, which is also thanks to Holly and her mama!

3. I talk all day long, whether anyone is listening or not, it doesn't matter to me!

4. When I want to come inside from the run, I woo at each window in order, until mama or dad opens the door.

5. I like to nip at my new sister Smoky, just because it annoys her and she won't nip back.

6. I can break through any barrier a human puts up against kisses, and contort myself into strange positions, just like a cat, in order to do it!

7. I like waking up my new bi-ped sister by lying in front of the bedroom door and wooing at her until she wakes up.

Now it's Thor's turn! But I'm going to paw them, because this blog is mine, and I don't know when he'll let me have one again!

1. He doesn't like to sleep on the bed unless mama is the only one in it.

2. He won't lower himself to eating ramen noodles, although the rest of us will! He knows that just because it smells like chicken, it doesn't mean it is chicken!

3. He likes waking mama up by collapsing on her really early in the morning.

4. He doesn't like the cold.

5. He doesn't like to give kisses all that often. How weird is that??

6. When he barks, he sounds like a yappitizer instead of a Sibe!

7. He only woos when he is roughhousing with mama, and no one else.

So, there's my first blog! I tag Meeshka, Steve and Kat, Thunder and Stormy, and Shelby and Maddox!
Woos until next time,
Lita

A New Sibe-Sister

2008-02-05T15:32:00.000-07:00

Mama and Dad got us a new sister yesterday! Her name is Lita, and she's five, so she's a little older than me, but that's okay. And she's really, really um...fluffy (Mama won't let me use the other word spelled F-A-T). And that's okay too, since she likes to roughhouse with me more than Smoky and Bandit do, and I'll run the weight off her!

She thinks I'm great, but she isn't so sure about Smoky and Bandit yet. Bandit only thinks about playing and food, so Lita is kinda okay with her, but boy, she really doesn't like Smoky! Mama's trying to figure out how to get them together without bloodshed. Smoky doesn't want to fight, and she's trying to be nice, but, well, Lita isn't ready to be friends just yet. So Mama puts me outside with Lita, which is fun, and keeps the girls in, and then switches us. After our biped sister goes to bed tonight, Mama and Dad are going to try again, without me and Bandit, which I think is pretty unfair! I should be there to supervise, don't you think? But mama thinks it would be better if no one is there but her, Dad, Smoky, and Lita. That way, if there's a fight, no one innocent would get hurt. I guess that's smart. So, anyway, Mama made a film of me and Lita and our biped sister today. Here it is:

So enjoy, till next time!

Woos,
Thor

My turn!

2008-01-15T14:09:00.000-07:00

It's my turn now! Shove over, Thor. Listen, everypup, Thor thinks he's the king of this house, and that there is no queen. Well, that's not true, no matter what he thinks! Men! I am the oldest dog in this house, since I'm four and he's three, and my sister and I have been here a lot longer than he has! Not only that, but Mama swears I'm the reincarnation of Smoky I, which would mean that I've been here for eight years. It also means that I'm very special to Mama, so there, Thor! Sheesh. Sometimes, you just have to put him in his place. Brothers can be so obnoxious sometimes. My sister Bandit doesn't have two brain cells to rub together, so she's completely oblivious to his obnoxious side. But I love them both anyway. I just can't figure out why!

Lab khisses,
Smoky

We missed all the fun!

2008-01-15T13:52:00.000-07:00

Summi's and Holly's mamas drove all over the world and got to meet Dave, Zim, Storm, and my sweet Amber, and they met Skylar and Thunder and Stormy in Colorado too! I would be jealous, but Summi and Holly didn't get to go on the road trip either. Now I really want our house to sell, so we can go on a big road trip too! Maybe I can get Mama to find all my friends so we can meet them on our way across the country! Wouldn't that be fun? I want to meet EVERYDOG! Of course, that means I would have to share introductions with Smoky and Bandit too, which I wouldn't like much, but I guess some sacrifices would have to be made. It would be hard, since I barely tolerate them sharing Mama with me. Mama should be paying attention to me only! Well, and the baby too, I guess. If she has to. I don't mind sharing Dad with them, much, but Mama is mine, and they can't seem to get that through their heads! You know what they told me? That they were here first, and therefore Mama is theirs, and they are being kind enough to share her with me!! Can you believe that? They aren't even Sibes! Well, actually, I'm not sure about that anymore. Smoky howls more now since she got spayed, and she actually sounds pretty musical! Dad says I taught her how, but I never howl! Wait--maybe they're the Sibes, and I'm not?! No, that can't be right. I'm confused now. I think I'll go take a nap and sort things out.

Woos,
Thor

A Good Day

2008-01-06T21:34:00.000-07:00

We had a really good day today. Mama spent some time just lying on the floor with us. Not doing anything, just lying with us. Then she fell asleep on the floor with me for awhile, and when the baby woke up and mama went to cook dinner, she let us have the leftovers that Dad and Avi decided they didn't like. Of course, that meant we didn't get kibble tonight, but we didn't mind. Then she baked sugar cookies, and let each of us have one. We wanted more, but mama wasn't going for it. Oh, well, at least we got one each! So it was a nice quiet day. We didn't do much of anything, but it didn't matter!

Woos,
Thor

They're Baaa-aaack!

2008-01-05T20:40:00.000-07:00

My sisters finally got their staples removed yesterday, and Smoky got her ears rechecked, which she isn't happy about. She has a chronic ear infection that seems to be really resistant to the antibiotics, so she has more antibiotics and an ear flush now, which makes her really unhappy. But the headgear is all gone now, so they can run and play with me again! But then I got really unhappy, because I forgot that now that everything is getting back to normal, I have to share mama's attention again! I don't like that, and I made sure they knew it! I pushed Smoky off mama's lap twice, and climbed on top of Bandit who was playing with mama on the floor, and knocked mama over by accident. Ooops! But she didn't mind and just laughed at me!

Woos,
Thor

Happy New Year!!

2008-01-03T23:50:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year, everydog! I started out the new year with a bang, sort of! Since my sisters were spayed and now have staples in their bellies, at least for one more day, mama has been making them sleep in separate crates, which means that Smoky is using my crate temporarily. Which means that I get to roam the house at will. Well, since I was bored, and I didn't feel like chewing on the toys mama gave me, I decided that it would be fun to chew off the plug of the air conditioner that mama had borrowed over the summer. No, it wasn't plugged in! She kind of freaked out, and she and dad decided that if they weren't going to be home, they would put me in the bathroom while they were out. I fixed them good! The first time, I was a very good boy. I took mama's sweatshirt to lay on, but that was it. But the second time, ha! We had what dad calls a "microburst", which took off the door of the water heater closet outside, and smashed it into the bathroom window, which, of course, broke. Mama and dad took out the window and all the glass and cleaned up, and put in a board until they can go get a new window. They had to go out this morning, so they put me in the bathroom. I waited until they left, then carefully took apart their repair work and jumped out the window into the dog run! I got to hang out all by myself for a couple of hours. When they got home, dad came in first to let everydog outside, and I jumped him at the back door! So he went and told mama that I was already outside, and how I had gotten there. Mama freaked a bit, so I guess I won't be seeing much of the bathroom anymore. Success!!

Thought you could use a couple new pictures of my handsome self while I was at this blogging thing.

Woos until next time,
Thor

Another Trip to the Vet!!

2007-12-22T20:39:00.001-07:00

Mama had to take my sisters back to the veterinarian first thing this morning. Last night, Dad saw Bandit licking her incision, and when he checked it, it was starting to open. So Mama checked Smoky's and it was opening too, so they called the vet, who told them to just put my sisters in tee shirts to keep them from licking, which they hadn't been doing before. Mama and Dad were really mad! So Mama left me and Avi with Dad first thing, and loaded my sisters into the car with bandages wrapped around their bellies to keep them from licking.

She didn't even have to yell at them. Boy, were they sucking up, to hear her tell it! They were really pleasant about the whole thing. They took Smoky and Bandit in the back, put staples in their bellies (ouch!), finally put cones on their heads, gave Mama a prescription for both of them at no charge, and even gave her some of the toys they were selling--took them right off the shelf and pulled off the tags for her to take them home!

Since the girls got home this time, they've been really funny! They can't see very well with the cones on, so they've been beating up on Mama and Dad. Mama says she's going to be in the hospital soon, with circular stab wounds that will make the doctors wonder, because Smoky doesn't navigate very well with the cone on, but she has learned to use the cone to herd Mama in the direction she wants her to go! Bandit navigates better, but Mama and Dad have to keep getting them unstuck from different places.

I'm not allowed to play with them right now either, because Mama says I play too rough, and she doesn't want to take any chances. So I'm really, really bored, because I can't roughhouse with Avi either, because she's too small. But Mama makes special time to go out and roughhouse with me in the run, so that's okay.

Woos till next time,
Thor

A Sibernet Calendar!

2007-12-21T08:54:00.000-07:00

Mama got an email from Dogster that said that because we were members, we could get a calendar from them and Shutterfly as a Christmas gift! We would have to make the calendar, though, and Mama got the bright idea to make one of all my Sibernet friends! So far, lots of 'em have sent us pictures. We've got the Ao4, Lakshmi, Ziggy and Marley, Khyra, Steve and Kat, Blaze, Holly, and, of course, me and my honorary Sibe sisters Smoky and Bandit. Summit's and Stormy's mamas said they're gonna send some too, and I hope we get some from Queen Natasha the Evil, Meeshka, the Hubley Hooligans, Kali...gee, I didn't realize how many friends I had! Efurrydog, send Mama pictures so we can make a really good calendar to share with efurryone! Thank Dog we can do it as a collage, so that we can actually fit everybody in!! And would you believe that Mama says she isn't going to let me put in more than one picture of myself?! She says I have to leave room for my friends, but I'm her Sibe, and she's always saying I'm the most beautiful Sibe in the world, so I should be able to put in more than one picture, shouldn't I? Oh, well, maybe I can sneak another one in later! So, remember: send lots of pictures!

Laters,
Thor

Spayed, Finally!!

2007-12-19T09:07:00.000-07:00

My sisters finally got spayed yesterday!!! Mama is thrilled, although the girls aren't. She's been trying FOREVER to get them done, but everytime she scheduled it, some emergency always got in the way. The other day she found a vet that could get them in in just a matter of days, and also told her about an organization called SNIP (Spay/Neuter Intervention Project) when they heard she was on disability, which was a great help since the car accident a couple of weeks ago has made so many financial problems while trying to fix the car! So I was an only dog yesterday while the girls were gone, which was really boring. Of course, until they heal, mama is keeping us separated because she says I'm really rambunctious, whatever that means! All I know is that means I can only play with Mama, Dad, and the baby for now. Oh, well. At least they came back home. I was really worried about that, and I moped around the house all day. I wouldn't let Dad touch me, and I wouldn't eat. Then they came home, and I started dancing all over the place!! But they were too busy crying because they hurt to play with me. Mama and Dad put them in the crates to protect them from me and the baby. Can you imagine that? I was sort of insulted about that, but then I realized that since Smoky is in my crate so that she and Bandit don't scratch each other's incisions by accident, that means that I am crate-free for a couple of days!! That means that Mama will have to be extra careful about food for awhile!

Laters,
Thor

I'm back!

2007-12-17T20:16:00.000-07:00

I'm back, sort of! The sale of the house isn't going well, so Mama is letting me blog again. She says it's just as well, since the snow is so bad in the direction we'd be going. I'm not sure how I feel about the snow anymore. When it's cold outside here, I don't want to be outside! I only go out because Mama says we can't use the bathroom in the house unless we learn how to use the thing the humans use--she calls it a toilet. Well, I'm not about to do that! So I go outside because she cruelly makes us, then we run back inside to curl up in front of the heater. Much nicer. Maybe I'd like the cold more if we actually got snow here. Cold without snow is pretty pointless. But even if I don't like the cold much, I'm still all Sibe in other areas! I'm starting to realize that I actually have a furever home, and Mama isn't going to throw me away when I do things she doesn't like. Actually, she gets mad at me sometimes, but I'm a really cute Sibe, so she can't stay mad, and she usually winds up laughing at me when I talk back to her, which makes me happy and I talk even more!

I didn't talk a lot when I first got here, but now I do! And I'm not really big on escapes, like my sisters are. They take off for a long time when they manage to get past Mama and Dad, but I stay home. Okay, at least I don't go far, and Mama always brings out our bi-ped sister when I do get out, because I always come home for her, but I like to tease Mama, because she looks so funny when she's yelling at me to get my "fuzzy tail back in the house!!" And I like to stand up on my back legs on her bed when she's standing next to it, because then I'm taller than she is and I can almost knock her over, which is lots of fun too. And now she needs to buy new sheets for the bed, because I clawed all of the sheets she had while doing zoomies, and they all have big rips in them. I thought they looked better that way, but she doesn't agree with me. I can't imagine why.

And guess what? Now that I really know I'm home, I finally started digging in the dog run! I put four craters back there in the last couple of days, and I got my sister Smoky to help me with the biggest one. When she digs, she can barely get the dirt out of the hole! But when I do it, dirt goes EVERYWHERE! And Smoky's really silly, because she'll stand right where all the dirt is flying and snap at it because it's hitting her in the face! DUH!

We're not done digging that crater yet. I wanna make it really big. Mama watched us digging that one today, and I knew she was there, but she didn't even yell at me! How khool is that?? Of course, there isn't any grass in there--this is Arizona, after all--so she can't really get mad at me for digging! But she says she's going to be very careful walking back there! So I'm letting all my Sibe traits show up a little at a time, just to test her, and so far, everything is really good! Mama really does love me! I'm so glad I came to Arizona, even though summer is really hot, but I love Mama. I'm gonna sign off now, 'cuz it's time to go climb on top of her and get my rubs and hugs. She gives me lots of hugs and kisses! Who knew I'd like that kind of stuff?

Till next time,
Thor

Help Us to Find Blue!

2007-11-29T11:21:00.000-07:00

Blue is a black and white Sibe with brown eyes, as handsome as me, and he's been missing from his house in Brighton, Michigan since May 8, 2007. His mama really misses him a lot! There have been balloonists and parachuters up to look for him, and dog people all across the country (like my mama) are doing whatever they can to try and find him and get him home. So us dogs are gonna do our part here. I talked it over with my sisters Smoky and Bandit, who are honorary Sibes, and they agreed that this blog doesn't have to be about us.

So, here is the flyer about Blue that his mama made:

In case it shows up too small on the blog, this is what the flyer says:
"LARGE REWARD (no questions asked) BLUE, missing since May 8th even though his name is BLUE, he does NOT have blue eyes. He is black and white with brown eyes. He's also microchipped, so anyone, anywhere can have him scanned by vet, for identification, even if he is halfway across the country. If seen, TRY to keep in sight until help arrives. Call 313-550-6095 A.S.A.P. codeblue@woofgang.com"

There is also another website you can go to for news and information:
http://www.WhereIsBlue.com

Please, if you know where Blue is, please get him home. His family misses him very, very much, and I'll bet he misses them lots too!

--Thor, Smoky, Bandit, and our mama Stacy

My sister Cheyenne has crossed the Bridge

2007-10-17T08:48:00.000-06:00

Despite all the craziness around here while mama is packing for us to move and trying to sell the house, it was very important for me to sneak onto the computer today to pass on the news about my sister Cheyenne. Mama took her to get help crossing the Bridge yesterday. She growled and snapped at our human sister, who is only two years old, and the rest of us would never have dreamed of doing that! But Cheyenne was scared of everything and everyone all the time, especially our human sister. Mama was afraid she might bite her.

It really wasn't Cheyenne's fault. She was just made that way. She didn't mean to do such bad things. Mama and Daddy tried to train it out of her, and then tried to find her a new home, but it didn't work, so Mama did the nicest thing she could for her. Now Cheyenne is all fixed up, and she's gonna wait for Mama and the rest of us at the Bridge (no offense, Cheyenne, but I'm in no hurry to get there!) and watch over us until we do. Mama cried a lot yesterday. We're gonna miss Cheyenne. I even went out and helped Daddy dig her grave. Okay, well, I supervised the digging and kept Avalon busy, but that's contributing too, right?

Bye bye, Cheyenne. We're all gonna miss you lots.

Cheyenne: January 5, 2006 to October 16, 2007
We love you very much, little sister.

Good news!!

2007-06-30T14:01:00.000-06:00

Guess what? Mom put the house up for sale a couple of months ago, because she wants to move us all to this New York where she grew up, and someone has made an offer on the house that she's going to accept! We should be moving sometime within the next two months!

Mom is really excited about this. She doesn't like the heat here, and I have to admit that I agree with her there! So she's looking for a house in a town called Syracuse (I had to be sneaky to find out how to spell that!) with a yard that we can run in. She says that we will get lots of snow in this New York. I can't wait for that! None of my sisters have really seen real snow yet. They told me that it snowed here before I came, but it was less than half an inch, and it was gone the next morning. I had to explain to them that if it's less than an inch and melts that fast, it isn't real snow! Well, it's real snow, but...oh, never mind, I'm sure everydog knows what I mean.

Anyway, this means that I probably won't get to have too many adventures that I can blog about between now and moving. Mom will be too busy packing to let us get away with anything! And you know what the worst part is? The computer will be easily accessible, and I won't have anything to write about! Boy, life really isn't fair!

Grooming woes

2007-05-30T13:26:00.000-06:00

Mom groomed me last night!! She finally caught me, put me on a leash, put the leash around her ankle, and made me lie there and put up with it! How humiliating! All while the other dogs were all playing! And to make it worse, it took her two whole hours to do it! I didn't have mats or anything, but she says they were starting and that's why she had to do it. She also says I'm gonna have to let her do it more often if I don't want to have to sit still for two hours! It's not fair! It's not my fault I'm the only long-hair in the house! The other dogs don't get groomed unless they're blowing their coats, 'cuz they're all short-hairs! But I guess she's right about doing it more often, 'cuz she hit a couple of spots where I had to let her know it hurt! I didn't bite her or anything, I just mouthed her wrist really gently, and she let up. I don't think I want the mats to start again if it's gonna hurt to get them out, so I guess I will have to submit to this indignity at least once a week. I'll give her that, and if that isn't enough, we can work out something then. But she gave me a treat afterward, for being a good boy, and that was cool, because I was the only one who got a treat!

Unwanted pets

2007-05-20T23:37:00.000-06:00

I've been thinking. There are a lot of animals in shelters 'cuz humans get them and then don't want them. I've been wondering why that is. Lots of us dogs wind up there when we haven't done anything wrong except be ourselves. Why is that? Don't humans know that they can't expect us to be human? Don't they do research before they bring us home? And if they don't, why not? My mom had Sibes before, but she says that before she brought me home, she read every book on Sibes she could find. She even joined Sibernet and some other Sibe groups before I ever got here, to make sure that the information she got was correct, so that she could make sure of what to expect from me. She doesn't always like the things I do, but some things she just shakes her head and puts up with. I don't worry about her sending me away, although I did at first. But she loves me lots, and I know she wishes she could take more dogs out of the shelters. But there are so many dogs in shelters. Cats, too. She can't take them all! Nobody can! She thought about working at a shelter, but a lady she used to work with used to work at a shelter and told her that every morning, they had to put down over twenty dogs because they hadn't been adopted. They weren't sick or anything, they just didn't get adopted. Mom decided she couldn't do it. She gets attached to us really easily, and it would hurt her a lot. So, instead, she just wants to volunteer with a rescue group.

But I want to figure out why some of us get lucky and some don't. I wanna know why so many of us have to die every year. I wanna know why humans bring us home and make us love them, and then throw us away. We're not garbage, you know!

Is it just that some humans don't have hearts? That must be it. I've heard some humans even throw away their children! Can that be true? I think it must be. If they can't love their own pups, how can they love us? I don't understand humans like that. I don't think Mom does, either. She didn't give up on me when I was nervous when I first got here. She kept on trying, and now I think she's the best human in the world! Okay, sometimes she's not, when she won't let me do some of the things I want to do, but you know what I mean. Sometimes she yells at me when I do something she doesn't like (how am I supposed to know that I'm not supposed to eat the bread on the counter??), but she never hits me or leaves me sitting outside in the heat without water or anything like that. Why can't the rest of us in shelters find parents like her?

Mom says that life isn't fair sometimes, and I think she's right. If life was fair, the throwaway dogs wouldn't be in shelters, the humans who put them there would change places with them, and they would be the ones put to sleep! Then there would only be people with love in their hearts left, and maybe then we would all find furever homes.

I know how lucky I am to have my Mom, and I know other rescued dogs know how lucky they are too! We were lucky enough to find furever homes before we were put to sleep. Some of us were found by rescue groups first, too, like me, and that was lucky too! Maybe someday, there won't be a need for shelters anymore. Maybe, if we all work really hard at it, we can save everydog in the shelters. Okay, the cats too, if we absolutely have to. And the ferrets, rabbits, and everyone else in the shelters. Do you think we can do it?

I'm gonna be FAMOUS!!!

2007-05-19T21:59:00.000-06:00

Mom did something really cool for me today! I told her to tell everyone on Sibernet that I was willing to be a model on clothes and stuff to help out the rescues (I'm a Sibe, after all, that means I'm beautiful enough!), and she passed on the message. Now I've got a whole line of stuff with my picture on it with MaPaw and Harnessed to Hope Northern Breed Rescue! You gotta go see this stuff, I look so fantastic! Here are the links to the MaPaw rescue store: http://www.cafepress.com/mapawrescue/3007522 and http://www.cafepress.com/mapawrescue/3007587 and then there's the link to HTHNBR: http://www.cafepress.com/hthnbr/3007333 . Go spend money on my stuff, support us rescues! Mom says that now she's in real trouble, because even though she wanted to buy stuff anyway, now she really has to, because she's my human, and she has to have me-stuff! Well, she would support the rescues anyway! But I really am beautiful, just like all Sibes are! I hope Mom buys me a tee-shirt too!

Mom's current obsession

2007-05-18T13:47:00.000-06:00

Sorry I haven't posted recently, everydog! Mom has been tying up the computer with her current obsession. What is that, you ask? It is moving from Arizona back to New York. Ever since she qualified for a mortgage, she has been working really hard at getting us out of here. I can't say I blame her; I don't much like the heat here either! And most of her human family is back in New York, so she wants to go. We're all rooting for her, but we have to get rid of this house before we can go anywhere, and Mom says we have to get enough money from the sale of this house in order to make things work. She wanted to get gone before summer really got here, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. What is this "money" that humans are always talking about? It doesn't seem like it's worth all the stress to try and get it. It doesn't even taste good! What's the point?

Mom says that without money, she couldn't bring home our Canidae. Well, there are plenty of rabbits and squirrels out here, and they look pretty tasty. And let's not forget the chickens next door! She also says she needs money to get a new house. Why can't she just dig a den? It would be nice and cool in summer, and nice and warm in winter. Humans are very strange creatures. They take lots of looking after. I think that's why we dogs stay with them. Without us, they wouldn't know how to take care of themselves!

The Lord of Destruction!

2007-05-04T21:48:00.000-06:00

Mom is so silly sometimes! She always makes sure that the humans and the canines have meals at the same time so that she doesn't feel guilty about crating us while we're eating, and she always says that she's going to make sure the leftovers are put away before she lets us out so I can't countersurf. HA! First of all, I can countersurf even if there's nothing there. I have to keep checking, after all, because she'll forget something at least once a day. I have to thank my human sister for that. See, Avi gets very messy when she eats, so Mom will get sidetracked by having to clean her up, and she will forget to put away the leftovers first. So after she cleans Avi up, then she lets us out. First, we go and clean up whatever Avi has thoughtfully left on the floor for us. She always leaves something for us, after every meal. She's a very kind child, and she likes to share with us. Then, I get to the counters, quick! Because sometimes Mom will remember the food before we get done eating Avi's gifts. That's never good. My sisters don't countersurf, and they aren't as big as me anyway, so this is my area of expertise!

This week, I broke a bowl (Mom thought it was an accident, but I have to maintain my HULA position), shredded a potholder, and removed all the dirty silverware from the sink to clean at my leisure. That stuff is small enough to carry without making much noise to alert Mom to what I'm doing. Plates and pots make too much noise, so those I clean where they are. I do a good job, too, so I don't understand why Mom takes these items and cleans them again with soap and water. They were clean enough when I was done with them! Jeez. Maybe I should take a lesson from Meeshka and start clawing her when she insults me that way.

Last night, Mom made fried chicken and didn't give us any!! How rude! She said something about chicken bones being dangerous. I totally disagreed with that. Well, she made a mistake. She put the bones in the garbage. We have a rolltop garbage can in the utility room, and Mom didn't know I knew how to open it. I was quick! On the way outside to go potty, my sisters and Wolfie completely ignored the delicious smells of fried chicken coming from the garbage. Not me! Right in front of Mom, I nosed open the can and grabbed the bones. They were right on top, just waiting for me! I didn't get to eat them, though, but I tried really hard! Mom tackled me--I didn't expect that!!--and she grabbed my muzzle and pulled my mouth open and took the bones out of my mouth. How do you like that? I made her work for it though. I clamped my mouth shut, so she had to pry it open. I'll have to be a little sneakier next time. Maybe raiding the can isn't such a good idea when she's standing right there, huh? I'll have to wait until Dad is the only one home. He always forgets to close the utility room door after he lets us in. Mom never forgets, so when she's home, any kind of a raid is out of the question. I may have to focus on learning how to work those round things that make the door open. And I have to remember to make more noise. Mom always thinks I'm up to something if I'm too quiet. Maybe if I remember to be louder, I'll get away with more!

ASHRA: Arizona Siberian Husky Rescue and Adoption

2007-04-30T00:04:00.000-06:00

Guess what Mom did! She emailed Arizona's Sibe rescue to see if she could volunteer for them! She told them that she would like to help in any way she could, including fostering whenever possible, though that part might not happen because our fence is a foot lower than they would really like. But somebody emailed her back! The lady said she would send Mom's phone number to the Tucson volunteers, and Mom might get to make home visits to make sure possible furever homes are good for homeless Sibes! Isn't that great? I hope she does get to foster, though. It would be nice to have another Sibe to play with! Not that my sisters aren't cool, but it would still be nice.

I wonder, though...Mom is dead set on leaving Arizona as soon as possible. But she says we may have to stay here until the house sells, and that might take awhile! She says that if we can sell this property, then we can all go to New York and rent a place while we look for a place to buy. That will be fun! Well, maybe not the renting part, but I liked some of the houses I saw while I was looking over Mom's shoulder. One place Mom really liked has 58 acres, and some of it was woods with a pond or a stream, I think, with deer! It was in a town called Chase Mills, up near the Canadian border and Lake Ontario! That would be a really, really nice place to run! I hope she figures out what we're doing soon, and I really hope this house can sell fast!! And in the meantime, we can help other Sibes. Maybe, if I'm really, really lucky, Mom will find another Sibe that can be another furever brother or sister. After all, Wolfie will be going back to his family when they move, and I'll be the only boy here. No, the cat doesn't count even though he's a boy. He's a cat, and an obnoxious one, so I don't acknowledge his existence.

Well, it's bedtime, so I've got to go. That means I can poke my nose into the baby's laundry and find crumbs of what she ate today!

Homeward bound to NY?

2007-04-27T23:18:00.000-06:00

Mom started researching leaving Arizona today. She said she can't stand the heat here, and dog knows, I don't like it (although I'll tolerate almost anything just to have a good furever home!), and she was looking at places like Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Colorado...all cold places, YES!!! Well, she's from Long Island NY, and she really misses NY a lot. She hasn't been there in 11 years! So she went and looked at a real estate site in upstate NY, and found a whole bunch of nice houses with lots of land, and the monthly payments are less than she's paying now, so she's now crying, like an idiot. With joy, she says, because she can afford to go home. I've gotta say, this place must be really special if it makes Mom cry. I think I'd like to see this NY. None of my sisters have been there either, and they say they're interested in checking it out. I looked over Mom's shoulder while she was looking at houses, and there's all this green stuff on the ground that we don't have here, and really tall brown-and-green things called trees that are really pretty. The trees here are short and spread out a lot; they look more like really big bushes than trees. And they have stickers! Good thing my fuzz is so thick. I feel sorry for my sisters, but they've learned how to avoid the stickers. This New York might be cool!

Mad at Mom!

2007-04-26T20:57:00.000-06:00

She gave me a bath this afternoon!! Just me, no less! She told me all of my white fur was brown (okay, maybe it was), and that since it was so hot she was going to kill two birds with one stone. I didn't see her killing any birds, and I didn't see her with any stones, so I have no idea what she was talking about. Humans are weird.

Anyway, she said it would cool me off and get me clean at the same time. I didn't care about cooling off, I didn't want a bath! Rain is one thing, and mud, but baths are another story altogether! I can't avoid the rain, especially if I need to go potty, but baths can certainly be avoided! I made her pay for it too--she was soaked when she got through with me. I made sure to rub my wet fur all over her and splash all the water on her, and then when I got away at last, I shook all over her. Then went into the bedroom and shook again, so the bed was wet too! Mom was FREAKING OUT about the bed, yelling and hollering at me to get off and waving her arms at me. She looked really funny.

"GoodSearch" search engine

2007-04-24T22:04:00.000-06:00

Mom found this on Sibernet and I was reading over her shoulder, so I decided it would be a great idea to put this on my blog! Probably all you Sibe bloggers already know about this, but maybe other dogs are reading this too that don't, so I'm gonna copy and paste this:

Hi, I know all of you love Siberians with all of your hearts....and you want to do whatever you can to help those in need, but you don't have that much time.....Well Great news....
Hi, I just wanted to let everyone know that there is a site called GoodSearch that is a search engine that donates to charities. Once an eligible charity is signed up, each time a person that lists that charity as its recipient conducts a search using GoodSearch, a penny is donated that charity.
Tails of the Tundra Siberian Husky Rescue has been approved already.
What you can do to help raise money that will save a Siberian is.....
Simply go to this site:
http://www.goodsearch.com/Default.aspx
and list Tails of the Tundra as your charity
Then, make GoodSearch your search engine either by listing it as your default homepage or saving it as a favorite and remember to use GoodSearch when searching.
Lastly, send this link to all your friends and furry friend lovers so they can help us add up pennies.
So far today I have raised .13 cents!!! If I continue at this rate for the rest of the year I will have raised $47.00......not bad for one person doing nothing extra!
Thank YOU in advance for your support!!!!

So, now it's up here for all the world to see! If you're a good dog, please tell your parents to check GoodSearch out! My mom did--I made sure of it! I wooed and barked until she did it! Now she won't use the other search engines because she wants to help Tails of the Tundra. AROOOOOOOOOO! I love my mom!

Commenting on blogs and update

2007-04-24T13:26:00.000-06:00

Hey, everydog! I just wanted everyone to know--I want to comment on your blogs, but for some reason, maybe Mom's stupid dial up connection, I haven't been able to! So I'm reading them, I just can't comment on them. Stupid dial up. I asked Mom about getting broadband, but she said it isn't available out here yet. We're pretty rural, but you know that if you saw the picture of the road we live on. The only broadband out here is satellite internet, which Mom says costs a fortune and she can't justify it because the internet is a luxury, not a need. I don't know about her, but I certainly need it! But she just says if I need it so badly, I can pay for it. I don't have any money!! So I guess I'm not getting it until some other broadband comes out this way. Boy, that just raises my hackles.

I'm getting along better with Dad. His voice still scares me sometimes, but the others have convinced me to give him a chance. He treats me nice, and he pets good, but I still only own two humans: Mom and Avi. But since Dad lives here too, and I can't do anything about it, I guess I'll put up with him too.

Oh! Congrats, Malkin, on making it into HULA! I'll be sending my pictures to Meeshka later; it might help with my application!

A Visit to a Restaurant

2007-04-22T13:34:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we didn't do a long walk. Mom and Dad were out running errands too late, and it got dark. They took our human sister to a restaurant. Would you believe they let toddlers in, but not dogs? That's so unfair. We're MUCH cleaner than toddlers! Here's Avi waiting for Dad to give her some chocolate pudding:

You should have seen how messy she was when they got home! Mom said Avi even painted the wall next to her with mashed potatoes, and that she cleaned her up in the bathroom before they came home. Howl! As messy as she was when she got home, if that was cleaned up, she was REALLY messy! We could have used her as a walking billboard for why dogs should be allowed in restaurants! Not only are we neater, the restaurants could save lots of money on vacuum cleaner bags, since we would clean up anything on the floor, and they wouldn't even have to pay us to do it! This job we'd do for free!

Mom's weight loss system

2007-04-20T21:04:00.000-06:00

Mom decided that walking me would be her new weight loss system. She thinks she's gonna manage to wear me out. So far it hasn't worked, BOL! Today she walked me even further than yesterday and I still wasn't tired! But it was fun anyway!

This is Curry, my walking buddy. She lives next door to us. Her humans have a fence around their property and would prefer for Curry to stay home, but it's not a fence made to keep dogs in, so she pretty much does what she wants. So when we go walking, she meets us at the end of her driveway and goes with us! She's a nice girl. My sisters say she has been visiting Avi since they bought the house. That's cool!

We live WAY down at the end of this road! Mom took this on our way back today. It was really overcast, so it was nice and cool. And really windy! Curry and I had a lot of fun. I wish Mom would let me roam off leash like Curry does, but somehow I don't think that's gonna happen! And here's me on my walk:

It's kind of blurry. Mom had the wrong focus on again. Oh, well. She's talking about getting a bike with a baby seat on the back and one of those contraptions on the side to hook a dog to. That would be fun! Then I could run! Hey, I made a rhyme!

We met a whole bunch of neighbors on our way home today! First we saw Micki with her daughter and her mate in the car, who live next door to us, then we saw Billy, who lives across from us, then we saw Curry's mom Marie, and Curry left us then to run home next to her mom's car, and then we saw Micki's roommate Dieter, and then we saw Joe and Stephanie, who live across from Billy. Everybody stopped to say how beautiful I was! Well, DUH! I'm a Sibe; of course I'm beautiful! But it was nice to hear it anyway. Well, I'd better take off for now--I hear Mom coming!

A LONG Walk

2007-04-20T13:51:00.000-06:00

Mom took me on a really long walk yesterday. She said she was trying to wear me out, but I think she wore herself out first, BOL! She put Avi in the stroller and loaded the stroller down with drinks for all of us, and we went walking around the neighborhood for two hours. She wouldn't let me off the dirt road though. She's worried about the possible rattlesnakes in the brush. Rattlesnakes are crazy! The diamondbacks will just give you a warning and leave you alone if you leave them alone, but the Mojaves are just NUTS! They actually chase you! So Mom kept me on the road where you could see if anything was there. We stopped and visited another small person for a little while, so Avi could get out of the stroller and play for awhile. His name is Aidan. He's older than Avi by a couple of months, but he's a lot smaller than she is! I guess he was the runt of the litter?? Do humans even have litters? Who knows?

Aidan's dad and grandad had gone catfishing. I wanted to get closer to the fish, but Mom was totally creepified. The fish were still alive and gasping and thrashing in the net. Mom thought it was gross. I thought it was cool! And they looked pretty tasty!

Well, then we headed home, and I was not even tired! Mom was, though. We walked a really long way--for her, apparently--and she was limping when we got home. Mom has a bad leg too! I didn't know that before, but I knew she was tired because I limp on my bad leg when I'm tired. When we got in the house, she let the other dogs out of their crates to go out back and do their business, and I went out with them...under supervision, of course. I shocked Mom by going out there and doing zoomies with the others. She actually thought I would be tired! Ha! Not this Sibe!

Oh, and this morning, Mom got some pictures of today's misdeeds by me. I chewed the corner off of something she calls a potholder. She had four of them left intact, and I've gotten three of the four--yay, me! So she took a picture of the chewed one. Then I did zoomies while she and the baby were in the living room. Mom had made up the bed really nice, which she tries to do every day. This time, I messed up the bed and clawed up the sheet over the mattress. Mom just sighed and took a picture of the bed. I told her I needed the pictures for evidence. Actually, I do--Meeshka might want more pictures of my Sibe behavior before allowing me to join HULA. I only sent one picture with my application. I can't wait to hear from her!

HULA

2007-04-19T14:24:00.000-06:00

I applied for membership in HULA a little while ago. I sent a pawmail to Meeshka with all my qualifications and a picture. I was supposed to send pictures of all my "misdeeds", but, hey, I know what the camera looks like, and I make sure Mom doesn't actually catch me while she has it. I don't want her to have proof! Besides, I'm too fast for her! Ha ha!

I'm pretty qualified, too! Remember, I'm a good Sibe! That does NOT mean "good" the way Mom means it, though! I have to keep her on her toes, can't have her getting too comfortable!

Twice in one day!

2007-04-18T22:03:00.000-06:00

I escaped again today! This time I did it right in front of Mom--big mistake! She put up a temporary fix to block me, but she's been asking around about hotwire now. Uh-oh. I don't think she liked chasing me over twenty acres today!

Blog Discovery

2007-04-18T15:59:00.000-06:00

Okay, everydog. I have been reading tons of blogs in the webring, and I haven't gotten through all of the blogsites yet. This is not working for me. I find that I like almost all of the blogs being written, but I am so busy all day, between napping, eating, blogging and finding more ways to drive mom crazy, that it is impossible to read them all! So, I am going to read a couple of blogs each day, then I'll read somedog else's the next day, and so on until I've read them all. All the ones I like I put as links on my homepage already. The ones that aren't there I haven't read yet! But please be patient with me, I will read them all eventually, and put the links in for those humans or dogs that are too dim to click on the links in the Husky Bloggers logo (that would be my sister Bandit, by the way. No patience at all for learning new things.).

I escaped again!

2007-04-18T14:33:00.000-06:00

I got out of the yard again today! Yes! But Mom was in the laundry room, which is right above where I push down the skirting to get under the house, so she busted me pretty quick. Of course, I didn't come when she called me--where's the fun in that? I made her chase me all over our property and the neighbor's property. That was fun, except Mom stayed in between me and the spot where the chickens live at the neighbor's. Darn it! I was in the mood for chicken, too! Then the neighbor lady came outside and tried to lure me to her with something I thought was food. I wouldn't come to her, but she threw the food-thing to Mom, and I went to her and she caught my collar and put the leash on me. Darn, again! And darn, a third time--the food-thing was just a pine cone! Mom was mad at me for escaping, of course, and put me in my crate for a little while. She thinks I don't like my crate, because I put up a big fuss about going in it all the time, so that's where she sends me for time out now. I just take a nap while I'm in there, BOL! I fooled her! I think she was more mad at herself for my escape this time, because I didn't stop to do my business first, I just went straight under the house and out of the yard. I have a feeling that she's going to be fixing the spot I use now that she knows where it is!

Sleepy-time pic

2007-04-17T22:15:00.000-06:00

I saw everydog posting sleepy pictures, so I thought I would post my own! Mom says I look like I'm imitating a bearskin rug, and she likes to use me as a pillow when I do this. She says I look really cuddly and soft when I flop on my belly. Hmmm...now that I see the picture, maybe she's right! But don't tell her I said so. I can't have her thinking she's right about things!

Uh-oh!

2007-04-17T17:46:00.000-06:00

We were all bad dogs today. Yes, even me, except we didn't know at first. Well, we did, but we didn't. We did zoomies again, only this time we were wrestling over a stuffed teddy bear. Mom didn't see it until we got done with it, and she was really upset about it, because we shredded it pretty good. She crated us for an hour and cleaned it up. It was all over the playroom! We heard her talking on the phone later, telling her friend that it was a bear she gave her mom about an hour before she died. Oops. We didn't know. I never even met Grandma. The girls did, though. They say Grandma really liked dogs. Mom says that Grandma would have loved how beautiful I am, and then she would have loved me because I'm just loveable.

I feel a little bad about killing the teddy bear now. Mom keeps telling us not to kill them, but Avi keeps giving them to us. Isn't that why she gives them to us? I'm confused. Maybe that's why Mom doesn't get us stuffed toys anymore. I thought she was just lazy about cleaning up all the stuffing!

ZOOMIES!!!

2007-04-17T12:52:00.000-06:00

I've discovered a new fun thing to do!! Zoomies! Zoomies are when I run at top speed from one end of the house to the other, and everydog chases after me! LOTS of fun! I run all the way to Mom's bedroom, jump on the bed, wait for the others to catch up because I'm too fast for them, then I run back to the other end of the house and jump on the sofa with as much noise as I can make and do it again! And the whole time we're barking and growling at each other! It's GREAT!! Mom won't let me do it when the baby's around though, 'cuz we might knock her over, but that's okay. She lets me do it when she first puts Avi down for her nap, since Avi won't go to sleep right away anyway. Today I zoomed through the house for a whole HOUR before I got tired and had to take a nap on my couch. Mom thought it was pretty funny, too, and she also thinks it's funny that I never stay in one place for a nap. I start on the couch--or the bed--then I move to the floor, then back to the couch, then back to the floor. Well, it makes sense to me! Sometimes the floor is cooler than the bed! My sisters all stay in one place though. If they get to the couch before me, all three of them go to sleep and stay right on the couch. Then I don't like it, because I don't get to sleep on the couch. At least on the bed there's room for all of us, even if Mom is there too!

Mom's Camera

2007-04-14T22:06:00.000-06:00

Mom has started keeping the camera on hand at all times. I'm not sure if I like that or not. She's taken lots of pictures of us in the last couple of days and then plays on the computer, fixing the pictures up and stuff like that. Maybe I do like it. It means that there are good pictures there if I want to post them here. And I can post them on Dogster too. Mom did a video of us today. We were in the backyard having a really big wrestling match. That was fun! Maybe I can sneak the camera away from her again....

Why won't they do anything?

2007-04-13T16:55:00.000-06:00

This isn't fair. I finally get a blogsite all to myself, and the girls won't do anything I can blog about! Any other time, they'd be getting into trouble constantly, but now that I have somewhere that I can tell on them, they won't do anything wrong! Not even my friend Wolfie, who's staying with us while his family is househunting. I wonder if someone told them about the site...maybe the cat said something to them? No, that doesn't make sense. He wouldn't lift a paw to help a dog out. And I don't think Mom knows about the site yet....hmm, a mystery! I must find out why my sisters are suddenly behaving so well.

Well, I can tell you some other things they've done, anyway! Bandit and Cheyenne might be behaving now, but they sure weren't last week! First, Bandit ripped out the screen in the front door so she and Cheyenne could escape. They took off for hours! At least when I escaped, I stayed where Mom could see me, but not those two! So Mom tried to repair the screen, and when she had the front door open, she started putting the baby gate in front of the screen so they couldn't do it again. Boy, was she wrong about that! This time, Bandit managed to shove the baby gate through the screen door, taking the screen out again too. And again, she and Cheyenne were gone! I guess it's a good thing we live in a rural area. Not so many neighbors to put on the lookout!

This time Dad fixed the screen door. Originally, the glass went in the top part of the door, and the screen on the bottom. Dad put the glass in the bottom part, and took the screen out altogether. That ended that, or so they thought. Then Bandit discovered there were screens in the windows too! So she popped the screen out of a window, and she and Cheyenne escaped that way! They did this three days in a row, so Mom doesn't leave the windows open anymore. Those girls are a handful! I told you I was a good dog! Compared to them, I'm an angel!

Smoky says I'm lying. Can you believe that? Just because I learned how to open the toaster oven--after it cooled off, of course--and stole Dad's dinner. And yes, I did eat a couple of bags of hot dog and hamburger buns, but they were getting stale and Mom was going to throw them out anyway! So I was actually doing her a favor, and that's being a good dog, right? Right! See you later!

More family pics!

2007-04-13T12:49:00.000-06:00

Mom caught me!

2007-04-13T11:56:00.000-06:00

I finally got hold of Mom's camera so I could upload this picture. It might be kind of blurry, 'cuz the camera isn't the best, but you get the idea. Mom had cooked dinner and was busy with the baby, so I figured I would check out what was left while I had the chance before she washed dishes. But she had the camera ready and waiting because she says she knew what I would do! So she caught me this time. I'll have to be more careful in the future!

Fence jumping

2007-04-12T21:46:00.000-06:00

Guess what? I jumped the back fence today! Dad let all us dogs outside when Mom and Avi took the garbage out to the dump, and I jumped right over the fence! I didn't go very far. I was still in the front yard when Mom drove up, and she panicked! She was calling and calling me, and tried to get me to come even to the baby, but I wouldn't come. I was having too much fun! She finally caught me when I went to the neighbor's house. They have chickens! And they looked really tasty. That's how Mom caught me; I was too busy trying to find a way into the chicken coop to pay attention to her or the leash she was carrying. Oh, well. And now she won't let us out unsupervised. Can you believe that?? So after she brought me back in the house, every time she let us outside to do our business, she sat in the door and watched! Not cool. How am I going to escape again if she keeps watching me? I'm a Sibe, I'll find a way!

Kossok's Shadow Dancer/Uillean

2007-04-12T18:10:00.000-06:00

Kossok's Shadow Dancer crossed the Bridge the other day. We never met her except by Mom reading about her in a Sibe discussion list, but we've seen her Dogster page, and we thought she was as beautiful as me. Mom said she had cancer for awhile, and that her mom and dad took her to the vet to help her cross the Bridge. And a puppy, Uillean, in another family crossed too, on the same day. Mom says that Uillean was sick for awhile too. I wanted to tell their families that I am really sad for them, and that me and all my sisters, being dogs, already know that they are okay and waiting on the other side of the Bridge for their families to get there. They know that they will never be forgotten, and they want their families to know that they won't be forgotten either. And my family sends lots of woo-woos to them along with Mom's condolences.

Making mischief!

2007-04-11T21:57:00.000-06:00

Today I tried to get the cat! Gizmo was lying on top of the washing machine, just looking really self-important and obnoxious, so I tried to climb on top of the washer to get him. I would have made it, too, but Mom got in the way. On purpose! And she actually was upset with me! Can you imagine that? I didn't really want to hurt him...much. He's so mean! He doesn't like any of us, and sometimes he claws at our noses for no reason. Mom just tries to keep us separated because she loves him too. YECCCCHHH! How can she love a cat? I mean, she's got me, and my sisters, and my human sister. They may not be Sibes, but they're better than a cat. I can at least understand her loving them, but Gizmo doesn't like the humans either. He doesn't pay any attention to them unless he's out of food or water, or if they forgot to clean his litter box. And why won't Mom let us anywhere near the litter box? How mean is that?

My very first blog!

2007-04-10T12:02:00.000-06:00

Lessons I Have Taught My Human

1. "Woolly undercoat" doesn't begin to describe it.

2. The Lord and Lady (or God, or Buddha, or Odin, or Allah) are to be thanked for not letting Mom throw out those "useless" grooming tools the girls never let her use on them.

3. Butter is a food group all its own. How could she not know that already?

4. Patience is a virtue (mine).

5. Countersurfing is a sport.

6. Rescuing me rescues Mom, too.

7. Patience is a miracle (hers). Although she sees it differently.

8. Hiding things from me is nearly impossible.

9. Mom really does need a king-sized bed.

10. Even a reasonably intelligent biped can be made to look like an idiot by a reasonably intelligent quadruped. Namely, us!

11. The words "toddler", "Sibe", and "grooming" do not, at any time, belong in the same sentence. Actually, "grooming" doesn't belong in ANY sentence!

12. The words "toddler" and "Sibe" in the same sentence mean that somewhere nearby, there is a large mess to clean up. For Mom, that is. I don't have thumbs!

13. They also mean that the toddler is giggling uncontrollably, which Mom thinks is one of the most precious sounds in the universe. Personally, I think my voice is the most precious sound in the universe.

14. Yes, I really am laughing at you. Humans are funny!

15. A black and white blanket on your bed enables your black and white Sibe to camouflage himself and scare the living hell out of you merely by twitching a muscle. I've done it, so I know it works. Just make sure the light in the room is dim enough! Otherwise, your mom will see you.

16. Just because they're your legs, it doesn't mean it's your lap. It's my lap, because I'm cute and cuddly. You love it, and you know it.

17. By the same token, just because you bought the bed with your money, it doesn't mean it's your bed. I'll allow you some space on it though.

18. Selective hearing is not only a human talent. Actually, it isn't selective. I didn't hear you. Honest.

19. You're as innocent as you look, regardless of the havoc in your immediate orbit. Don't you believe me?

20. See number 14. That one's worth repeating.