Majel Waits at the Rainbow Bridge

Mom, dad and me are heartbroken today because our beautiful Majel died peacefully in her sleep. She was two weeks shy of her 18th birthday.

Majel and me share a rare tender moment

Mom and dad adopted Majel and her sister Isis in January after they were married the previous Fall. They found the cute white kittens with calico tails at the Peninsula SPCA. They were still kittens but a little older and mom and dad figured they had been born right around the day they were married - September 17, 1992. So we always celebrated Majel and Isis' birthday on mom and dad's anniversary (which is also Dad's birthday).

Isis (left) and Majel as young cats. They are together again.

Isis went to the bridge from kidney failure when she was 11. Today Majel joins her and all the pets mom and dad have loved. They are waiting there for us. Pepi please take care of Majel we will miss her. If you would like to light a candle in Majel's memory, please click here.

This is for Majel

Other posts about Majel:

My Family
My Sisfur Majel
Meet My Family

Anipal Photo Hunt #3: MY FAVORITE TOY

Lately mom thinks my toy collection is starting to rival that of my friend Buttons. This collection has been significantly enhanced by recent loads of swag from Bark World Expo and her eBay victory at the Lub2Rock event.

But, when push comes to shove, I always find myself turning to my favorite toy - my Waggle. The Waggle is great because mom loads it with treats and I have fun shaking the Waggle until all of the treats come out and I eat them!





From mom's perspective, the Waggle is a great toy because it is still around (trust me, this may be one of my oldest toys and still has no damage) and because it keeps me occupied. I bring it to her to fill up in the morning before she leaves for that work place and when she gets home. Guilt seems to be high around the leaving and coming home from work so I can count on extra treats.


Founding Member

Mutt Puppet Basket from #Lub2Rock Pawty

After all the BarkWorld Expo swag and the wonderful bag of gifts from Boris Kitty, I can almost say the last thing I needed was more goodies. Well .... almost. But apparently mom had bid on that Mutt Puppet basket at the Linda Blair World Heart #Lub2Rock pawty and she won it. She was surprised because she says we got it for a steal. I have no money reference but this basket sure was loaded.

It came in a ginormous box and was all wrapped up in some really crinkly paper. Mom ended up having to get the scissors to open the thing.


Here I am inspecting the basket to see what surprises are in store.


I got a really big selection of the Mutt Puppets. Mom is holding it. These are cool toys with no stuffing (we all know that's a good toy for me). Don't worry Buttons they do have squeakers! This one I am sniffing is the Original Mutt. If you see the head off in a future picture, no worries because it is detachable. It is attached to the body with velcro! Read further down to find out about another surprise.


There were also two of these cool Mutt Nutts. They are two silly plush non-stuffed heads attached with a durable cotton rope. They have squeakers and treat pouches! There were also several Mini-Mutt toys - also with no stuffing, squeakers, great rope and treat pouch. It's like the mother lode of toy - all my favorite things. They seem to be very well made and sturdy which is essential for the Yoda toy seal of approval.

There was more though. A grooming comb and lots of treats.



The basket had an Ol' Roy Munchy Bone which I was attracted to right away. I even took it out of the wrapper.


After I rescued the Munchy Bone from the wrapper, I proceeded to enjoy it!


This Original Mutt had a really cool surprise - a chew toy bone inside! Mom thought I had chewed a hole in my new toy but then she discovered it was a pouch to hide the bone in. Everyone will be happy to know I rescued the bone and ate it. The Mutt is still in great shape!

Disclaimer: Mom bought the Mutt Puppet basket on ebay as part of the Linda Blair World Heart fundraising event. She paid for it but less than the stated retail value. We were a DJ for the event but received no money or gratuity for supporting the event or the companies that supported the event. We do, however, believe in and support the Linda Blair World Heart Foundation and appreciate all of the folks that help support it and the #Lub2Rock fundraising events.

And now, let's get on with the Saturday Blog Hop! I missed it last week because mom was at Bark World.

Parting is such sweet sorrow

Since mom was the one who went to BarkWorld Expo, I have to let her do this post. She was lucky to have use of a GMC Terrain for the trip and a few days after she got back and she would like to tell everyone about it. So, here's mom:

Yoda's mom here. I have been driving GM vehicles for nearly twenty years now. I have had a prettty good track record. I started with a Chevrolet Lumina which saved my life in a head on crash. I then had a Beretta, Saturn SC2 and my current Saturn Ion. The Beretta and SC2 made it to 200,000 miles and the 2007 Ion has 120,000. I had not had the pleasure of driving a GMC product and I was excited about the Terrain since it is an SUV and gets 32 miles a gallon highway which is what my Ion gets. Driving 140 miles a day on the interstate, having a little bit if height is a good feeling but good gas mileage is important.

GMC delivered the Terrain to me on Wednesday, the day before the trip. They use a great company for their deliveries - Prestige Auto. Before he delivered the car to me, Hector stopped and washed the car and gassed it up. This is Hector when he delivered the car to me outside my office and right next to the Virginia Governor's mansion.


This summer I had a long term rental for a program I work on. I had a Dodge Journey. The Journey is larger than the Terrain but I found the Terrain just as roomy and with a lot of nice features.

I did not get the 32 mpg highway because GMC provided me with a 6 cylinder model. I averaged about 24 mpg for the trip. My mistake was not reviewing the very handy guide to the vehicle that GMC provides. Owner manuals are sometimes daunting and often provide information on a variety of models. GMC also provided a Quick Start guide (as a geeky person that reminded me of all the tech stuff I usually get - no geek reads the full manual). Sadly, I failed to look at the cheat sheet so I missed a few really cool features for several days. The worst thing I missed was the door lock buttons which are on the radio and climate control console. I did check for the MP3 player connection (cleverly stowed in the center console along with one of three 12 volt jacks). The Terrain has an entertainment package not in this model and I hope it comes with an actual AC outlet (the Journey had one).

Boris Kitty's Human 2 (Kelly) and I brought a lot of stuff to BarkWorld and nearly all of it fit in the back with room to spare. The Terrain features an auto lift and close feature for the rear hatch which was pretty cool when Kelly actually found it on the Quick Start guide. Here is the car all loaded up to go. Kelly brought two boxes of stuff from DogToys.com to give away at the Expo. You can see Yoda's bag from Doggy Baggage that I borrowed for the trip. That was one of the great freebies I got for the trip. Not sure how I could have packed all my stuff coming home without that roomy bag!



Kelly and I were Team Jedi for the trip. Well, with Yoda's name and both Kelly and Boris Kitty's love for sci fi, we couldn't resist. I had magnetic signs made for the car that told everyone who saw us that we were part of the GMC Bark and Ride promotion. Here is the picture Kelly took (we each kept one of the signs as a souvenir).


You can see Edgar Kitty relaxing on the very comfortable leather dashboard. Did I tell you that there were leather seats? They were also the kind that you can heat up but since it was August we sure didn't need that feature. The XM satellite radio was wonderful and we listed to the Bridge and Classic Vinyl for the trip.

I am a cruise control fanatic. It's the only way my lead foot keeps me out of speeding ticket trouble. The Terrain's cruise control was one of the easiest to control. There was also all kinds of information available at my fingertips including miles left until you run out of gas, average and real time fuel economy.

The ride was very comfortable. When we were in Atlanta the Prestige Auto folks spruced up the Terrain for us and gassed it up so we were ready for the trip back.

I was really lucky because I got to keep the Terrain until Friday. I had a trip for work that took me on some curvy back roads at night and the Terrain was easy to handle and has great lights. It was hard to say goodbye to the Terrain and I am seriously thinking of purchasing one. The folks from GMC were wonderful to work with.

Here is the Team Jedi artwork that Kelly designed. Pretty snazzy!
I am one of the Bark World Expo Advisory Committee members and I received a conference pass at no charge. GMC provided me the use of the Terrain for the trip to Atlanta and back plus three additional days. I also received two tanks of gas and a goodie bag of dog toys and supplies. Doggy Baggage provided a free 20 inch duffel bag. I received no other payment or gratuity.

Anipal Photo Hunt #2: Pawtraits

Since mom is in Georgia and I am in Furrginia this post was going to be hard. But we were sitting and waiting for Cokie to post the Photo Hunt theme and when he did darned if that hotel free internet did not start acting up. You can ask Boris Kitty's mom - she was actually using some bad four letter words.

Well I guess if someone had to beat me it could be my special friends Buttons and Shawnee.

For some silly reason mom keeps pictures of me that do not turn out right. Good thing she kept this one because it would have been a little hard for her to take a picture of my paw (like Buttons' mom did), us being in two different states right now.

Here I am playing with my bungee toy that Shawnee sent me when mom met her on the way back from the Shorty Awards. Obviously I was in great need of a pawdicure here.

See how bony my leg is? I had to go to the V-E-T this week and that's what she said. We had a little scare because the groomer found a growth of some kind on the back of my elbow. The nice V-E-T lady tested it and said it was okay - just gooey fluid from me rubbing my bony legs on hard surfaces.

The groomer story reminded mom of that Chet the Dog book and what a coincidence, she met the man that writes the story for Chet at BarkWorld Expo and he signed a copy of Dog On It for me and her! We have lots to tell about BarkWorld but that will have to come later!

Anipal Photo Hunt - You Looking At Me?

Mom and I are excited about Cokie's new picture bloggie adventure. Here is the first one - with the theme "You Looking At Me?"

I hate getting my picture taken so most of the time mom and dad catch me unawares. But every once in a while I catch them taking it and can shoot them a glaring look.

You looking at me? You threw the stick away. It's mine now. If you wanted it you should have kept it! Why would I want to bring it back?

And from my puppy days ....

You looking at me? You should be. I am just too cute!

And when in the state of ultimate embarrassment ....


You looking at me dad? Could I please have some privacy? note: My dad has a whole collection of me pooping. What is wrong with him?

My Review of Rope Sticks Dog Toys

Originally submitted at Nip and Bones

Grriggles Rope Sticks are stretchy and sturdy rope dog toys. Dogs go crazy tugging on these colorful rope chew toys. Each colorful stick measures 10 inches.

Rope Sticks Dog Toys

My favorite rope toy

By Yoda_the_Dog from Yorktown, Virginia on 8/14/2010

 

5out of 5

Pros: Tough, Colorful, Safe, Fun, Dog Likes It

Best Uses: Active Dogs, Indoors, Outdoors

Describe Yourself: Long-time Pet Owner

Mom says this toy is one of the cheapest she has found that is tough and fun both. I don't care about the money but this toy is just the right shape for great toss and catch fun! I also enjoy chewing. We have had this toy for more than a month and you can see I have chewed on the edges but it is still perfectly good. I give it the Yoda Paw of approval. And, mom throws like a girl but even she can toss this so I can catch it!

I love this toy so much I have to sleep with it!

Tags: Picture of Product

(legalese)

Linda Blair World Heart Pawty, BarkWorld, and the Hop

This is a super busy Saturday for us! First, tonight is the exciting pawty on Twitter to benefit the Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation. The organization's mission is:

to make sure that every animal we rescue is given a second chance at a happy life and a loving forever home. Linda’s status as a public figure helps to bring much needed attention to growing problems related to animal welfare and the work required to stop animal abuse and neglect.

They have a new facility in Acton, California that they are continuously updating to make the rescued animals comfortable and happy as they wait to be placed in forever homes.

If you have never pawtied on Twitter before, this one is going to be a great introduction. Maybe you aren't even on Twitter. It doesn't matter - jump in, create an account and follow the pawty. The theme is Hollywood because we all know Linda is a star! If you are new to Twitter, create a Twitter account at www.Twitter.com.

Join the pawty by going to www.tweetgrid.com. The pawty hash tag is #Lub2Rock. This means whenever you tweet (type a short message up to 140 characters) you need to include #Lub2Rock. If you really want to join in and need some help, comment on this blog and we will help you. You can find the menu, DJs and other info by clicking here. I'm DJing tonight at 7 p.m. EDT but you don't want to miss the performance by the first ever Twitter band the Shibbering Cheetos


In addition to all the pawty planning (after all I spend HOURS developing my DJ play list on Blip), mom is making last minute preparations for her trip to BarkWorld Expo. BarkWorld starts next Friday, August 20 and runs through Sunday in Atlanta, Georgia.

She is riding with Boris Kitty's Human2 in this really cool GMC Terrain. GMC is one of the event sponsors. PETCO is also a sponsor and there are a bunch of others.
You can imagine Boris and me riding in the car. We are going to BarkWorld virtually with our humans and will be tweeting all about them. Mom has been working with Human2 on some decorations for their GMC Terrain which is part of the Bark and Ride program. There are 3 other Terrains coming from all over with Anipals and their humans converging for the ultimate pet social media live event in Atlanta! Each Terrain is supposed to have a Team name and we are the Jedi Mind Games Team or Team Jedi for short. With my name and Boris' sci fi expertise (and he is a Jedi and a wiz with the Litesaber), the team name really fits!




And now it's time to join the weekly hop! Mom and I really enjoy all the new friends we have made through this wonderful blog hop!

Bark World Expo Bling

Mom talked to the GMC people this week and made all the arrangements for the delivery of the GMC Terrain for GMCBarkNRide to BarkWorld Expo. The fantastic woman behind all this, Denise Quashie (aka @DQtweets and mom to @FrankieElPerro) said mom was going to get a bag to put all the stuff in for the trip. I don't know what we were picturing this bag would look like but it definitely was not the super cool bag that came in the mail on Friday!


Mom is so excited about BarkWorld Expo she can hardly contain herself. She and @BorisKitty 's Human2 will be driving from Richmond. There is still time to get in on the fun. If you live between Richmond and Atlanta, you can ride with them!

Anyway, this duffel bag from Doggy Baggage (@DoggyBaggage) is out of this world. It has dog bones all over it and it very roomy. After the BarkWorld trip, we will be going on our family vacation and my stuff might just fit in my new suitcase! I have a LOT of stuff and this is a LOT of bag!


Well, this is late, but I did manage to join the Hop!