Introduction to Counter Surfing

Barcie, did you think that using “whippet” as a password would keep your laptop secure? Geez, how stupid do you think I….Never mind.

I’m determined to increase readership on this blog. A bunch of ramblings about “the book I just read” and the vacations she took is not gonna cut it.

So, let’s turn to a topic of real importance to all you canines out there:  food.  Now, we usually have to depend on the whims of our owners when it comes to getting a snack. But, with my one- track mind, my long legs and a lot of hard work, I have managed to overcome this limitation.

I call my technique “Grab Groceries and Go.”  Now, humans like to leave food in the refrigerator, a sort of large metal box with a tight fitting door. That set-up I have yet to crack. But I've had much more luck with that other location for leaving food:  the counters.

I have made quite a career out of retrieving all sorts of food items off the counter. And I have quite the delicate touch! Like the time when I moved a glass cake pan to the floor and removed the cake without breaking the pan.

Next blog:  I will spill my secrets and describe my many culinary conquests.

Kobe's Turn

Hey Barcie, guess what? I stole your computer and look what I’m doing? I’m blogging!
Barcie goes on and on so I think it's about time I had a turn. I need to tell my story.

I tip the scales at 42 pounds (15 more than Barcie) so I’m a very large whippet. Or as Barcie would say enormous.

I also have a pronounced limp so that passersby can repeatedly say, “did that doggy hurt his paw?”

My life; where should I start? I’m from Wisconsin originally. WRAP brought Barcie and I and all the dogs in the house to the greater Chicago area.  From there I came to Michigan.

I was born with a club foot. This is a condition in which the foot bends up towards the leg; In people it can be corrected with braces, surgery or other techniques.  I'm a dog with a disability, but I don't let it define me.

My original owners showed and bred whippets. I bet most breeders would have “put down” a puppy born with a club foot since I would not have been suitable for showing or er, breeding.  

But, they not only kept me, they had a vet perform corrective surgery. This removed part of my paw and 4 toes, leaving a single toe and nail on the foot. The procedure allowed me to use my leg. Not only can I walk and run, frankly I am a killer typist!

Fact is, holding the foot up in the air with a pathetic demeanor and a winsome look on my face has been a great method for getting handouts. I’m not cute and speedy like Barcie so I need to get by with other attributes.  

Might I just say that as much as I love my sis Barcie, she can be a royal pain. As if the world is hanging on her every word. Seriously girl, do you think you’re Joyce Carol Oates? You write a blog that practically no one reads.

Well, I'm going to help her boost her readership.  So look for more from Yours Truly.
Signed,
Kobe, the big brother

 

 

Barcie on Break

Barcelona is taking a brief hiatus. She suffered some minor scratches near her eyes, but they aren't serious.

 According to Barcie, she was viciously attacked by a squirrel. Right in her own yard. She was just out for a breath of air and no kidding, a squirrel dropped on her and began to slash her with its claws.

She even dug up a picture of some crazed squirrel from the UK (left) and stories (below), plus a web site about the matter.

"In June 2005, a woman was attacked in her own living room by a crazed squirrel in Passau, Germany. The rodent jumped in through the window and sunk its teeth into the woman. Whilst fleeing the scene the squirrel bit a builder and a 72-year-old man, before the pensioner managed to kill it with his crutch."

Here are the top 10 stories about squirrel attacks (just in case you're interested) 

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/killer-squirrels-watch-out-here-372363#ixzz2dbWQIjjr

We believe that it's possible Barcie started the encounter. Just a hunch.

Toodles, Barcie’s Parents 

 

My Skunk Story

  Dear Readers,

Please don’t think I’m bragging, but just the other day I was sure I'd save my humans from certain harm.  Lately there have been many of the creatures called Mephitis Mephitis, in our yard, also known as skunks. You know, Pepe Le Pew. Not as cute as the cartoon though.

 

My latest read, the book  Rabid, A Cultural History of the World’s Most Diabolical Virus by Murphy and Wasik, reported that the skunk was the source of numerous cases of rabies in the old West. And here’s a fun fact:  a single skunk bit 16 people at a military fort. Every one of them died. Rabies, without vaccine treatment, is pretty much fatal.

Naturally I didn’t want such a thing to happen to my owners! So every night before using “the necessary” I carefully patrol the backyard. I spied a striped rascal sneaking around the bushes and tore after it. I saw the devil stamp its feet and turned its back. (A clue, I later learned, as to what was coming next.)

 

You know us whippets, nearly the fastest dog breed. I pounced and grabbed the skunk but a rotten egg stench filled the air. My human shrieked my name. Assuming she wished to inspect my catch, I scurried over.  Instead she grabbed me with a horrified look on her face.

Before I knew it I was whisked into the shower stall. Seconds later peroxide fizzed on my skin; an ingredient in that homemade remedy that removes skunk spray from dog coats. I was scrubbed, washed, rinsed, pressed, buffed, etc. until the odor of skunk was somewhat dulled.

How was I to know that skunks are no longer a threat for rabies? Do I look like a public health expert? Instead of being a heroine I’m sopped and discouraged. Sigh!

 Toodles, Barcelona  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My School Days

I’ve been attending obedience classes at the Huron Valley Humane Society. I wasn’t sure what to expect! The other students were quite an assortment of dogs; a pit bull and basset hound mix (a bassapit, a bassbull?)  spaniel, labs and a tiny toy breed our instructor dubbed “Killer.” I was the lone whippet of course.

One black mongrel just set me off and we had several hostile barking exchanges. He was always looking at me, ya now? Fortunately, Michael Burkey, the teacher (www.Michigandogtrainer.com) switched our positions so I didn’t have to see his snarky face.

I felt that I had to snap at all the other dog’s friendly overtures. You just never know when they’re out to get you! This worry definitely had an impact on my scholastic achievement. Even if I was being enticed with slices of Pupperoni and baked liverwurst.

I did enjoy my training neighbor, Killer. Who knows, we might even have played together in another setting. I did eventually relax a little but it was a challenge.

The training? I was barraged with commands:  “Leave it! Stay! Place! Lie Down!” Goodness, it took months to master “Sit!” I’m not accustomed to following all these orders. At the Carjo’s we just did as we pleased. And Kobe is such a naughty dog it doesn’t take much to look like a canine wizard in comparison.

So, now that class is over, back to the old routine. Now that I’m not in dog-filled room I guess it's not so bad trading my independence for some tasty snacks. Where’s that liverwurst?

Toodles, Barcelona  

Winter is So Yesterday

This whippet is sooo sick of winter. Looking at the soggy disgusting landscape, I see heaps of grey snow and pieces of ice littering the yard. The back deck is crusted over with sharp crusts of ice which are painful to our tender paws. Goodness, when is spring coming?

I try to pace the yard watching for critters but quickly get chilled even when wearing a coat. I long for the days when Kobe and I can lounge in the sun on the deck furniture. Do you think we could persuade the humans to take us somewhere warm?

No, instead they took us even further north so we can freeze walking down the shore of Lake Michigan with the wind howling.  On the flip side there were some awesome smells on the beach (dead fish, essence of goose, duck, even a little eagle).

 Later, inside I indulge in a bout of fantasizing about a more comfortable scene.  

Kobe on the Beach (not a warm one though!)

Here it is:  Kobe and I are taken to our dream vacation. We are lying on soft beds on a warm beach and sunning ourselves in the tropical warmth.  Greyhounds (OK, golden retrievers or beagles, who  cares?) are fanning us with palm fronds and feeding us slivers of Milkbone dog biscuits.) Cool, fruity drinks  arrive on silver platters for us to sample.

Occasionally we would race around the sand just to keep our sleek muscles firm. Then, we go back to lounging in the
breezes and sunshine. Until the temperature comes up, I’ll have to stay warm with my daydreams.  Here’s to spring!

Higher Education

As I mentioned in my Christmas blog, I just learned I’m signed up for “Basic Manners” at the local humane society. I was so mad that steam was pouring out of my pointy ears! I’m the well-behaved one in this house; why in heaven’s name am I going? The unfairness of it all was quite unsettling.   

But, I learned last week that this class is the first step in becoming a trained Therapy Dog. Well! That changes the whole picture. I may have a new purpose in life.

Now, earlier this year [ My Dog, the Therapist blog] I explored the idea of offering my services as a therapist. I had envisioned, that my clients would spill their souls while I laid nearby on the furniture and listened. But, I guess that it is NOT the way a therapy dog operates.

Instead, I’ll visit folks in the hospital, clinic, hospice or whatever. As we interact, I will melt their hearts; lower their blood pressure and all that.

So I have readjusted my attitude and look forward to taking some continuing education in February. So Stay Tuned!