Hi! My name is Yoda and welcome to my blog!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Anipal Photo Hunt #7: Hey! That's Not Me!

This is an easy one for me as I have found LOTS of dogs that look like me. Since I know who my momma dog was and it is just that no account male dog that left her expecting a litter, I figure my poppa dog really got around!

I wasn't on Twitter long before I realized that one of my best pals, Lou from @LouPeb bears a striking resemblance. I'd think it was unusual for dad to get all the way to Arizona but there was also a lovely female dog that looked like me in that shelter in Poland that we had a #Pawpawty for last year.

So, here is a picture of Lou that I pulled of his Twitpic account. See the resemblance? Maybe I am just a little more pumpkin colored that Lou.


Be sure and join the weekly Anipal Photo Hunt. It is so much fun. Simply click the icon below to find out all about it!



Saturday, September 25, 2010

Wounded and Saturday Blog Hop

Mom noticed the "wound" on the right (in the picture) when she took a picture of me with a treat on my head for sweet Sugar's ten second treat trick. Today she noticed the smaller one on the left. 


How could this possibly happen? How could my handsomeness be marred in such a grievous way? I have a suspicion.



I have many, many kitty friends (some of my best friends are kitties) and they will be tempted to say that if the culprit swatted me I probably deserved it.

But I have nothing but love in my heart and play in mind. Is it my fault he is a grumpy gus (you will notice I selected the only picture we have of him that makes him look grumpy)? All I do is go up to him and try to be friendly and whack!

Well Caesar is not the only potential culprit. Another possibility is crazy Sabrina. Since dad rearranged the room, she has a new hiding place and has turned into a sniper of sorts. Take a look at this sneak attack.


I guess I will just have to be extra careful with these deadly felines around. Anyone have any ideas to help get these blemishes to heal faster?



Friday, September 24, 2010

National Dog Week Contest

I can't believe that mom almost made me miss the National Dog Week Dog Tongue Photo Contest. She was so busy she just got around to checking our blog roll and saw the cute tongue pictures on Sugar's blog. Mom and dad almost missed National Dog Week all together!

I have forgiven mom for her lapse since we are in time for the contest from Twinkie one of the new blogs we have found thanks to Saturday's Pet Blog Hop.

Anyway, we are supposed to share one tongue picture. Mom and dad scoured our photos and we think this is the best one.


I almost didn't recognize dad in this picture since his hair was very short here and it sure isn't now. I nearly didn't recognize me either because I was a puppy. This picture was two years ago! We like this one because it is the only picture we have that shows the black spot on my tongue. Mom decided to check into why a GSD/Black Lab would have the black spot on my tongue but apparently it is not that unusual (HUMPH) and either half of my ancestry is known to have it.

So, we all learned something new and I entered the contest! Now when I send you a Yoda Smooch, you will have advanced warning of what is coming at you.
S M O O C H

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Anipal Photo Hunt #6: Adopt a Less Adoptable Pet Week Challenge



Be The Change For Pets is asking everyone to post a 'less-adoptable' pet on their blog during the week of Sept 19-25. So the weekly anipal photo hunt is dedicated to this project.



I am featuring a sweet girl dog named Nico who is currently at the Peninsula SPCA. Nico is seven years old and black and has been at the shelter since August 2nd. Older animals and black pets are particularly difficult to adopt. Nico is a retriever/labrador mix and already spayed.

The Peninsula SPCA is where mom and dad adopted Majel who recently crossed to the Bridge and her sisfur Isis.


Adoption Information:

Peninsula SPCA
523 J Clyde Morris Blvd.
Newport News, VA 23601
757.595.1399
Click here for Adoption Policies

Follow Peninsula SPCA on Facebook and Twitter

This is a great video about the work of the Peninsula SPCA. They also have a great counseling program to help pet owners work through situations that would normally lead to pet abandonment.



This blog post is part of 2 separate hops. First the Anipal Photo Hunt



and then the Be The Change for Anipals Adopt a Less Adoptable Pet Challenge hop:

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Pedigree Write A Post, Help A Dog

Tomorrow (September 19) is the deadline for the Pedigree Write A Post Help A Dog Campaign. The brilliant social media people (or maybe it was the Head Dog there) came up with this great idea to promote their brand and their very wonderful work helping create awareness for adopting from a shelter. Even Mashable picked up on the campaign.


While Pedigree hopes people will adopt shelter dogs, this campaign helps provide food for the dogs still there. For every blog that is posted about the campaign and for every new Facebook Fan (or "Like" as Facebook changed it), Pedigree will donate a 20 pound bag of dog food to a shelter.

What I like about the Pedigree campaign is they emphasize RESPONSIBLE adoption - meaning families need to know what it means to adopt a dog and understand the commitment so the dog will find a real furever home!


So if you haven't already written your post or "liked" Pedigree on Facebook, what are you waiting for? Be sure to add it here!



Yoda's Book Recommendations and the Saturday Hop

I mentioned in my last post about all of the books mom read on vacation. Mom loves to read but is usually so busy she doesn't have time. Since she has a long drive to work, she listens to books instead of reading them. I like when she reads because she shares them with me.

There were two books I liked the most that we read on vacation and they were both by one of my favorite authors Dean Koontz. My friend Teeny likes Dean too because he did a review of The Darkest Evening of the Year. Dean Koontz has dog characters in a lot of his books. Often they are major characters like in the book Teeny reviewed. Some of my other favorites are Watchers, Breathless, Brother Odd (this had a GHOST dog), Fear Nothing, Seize the Night and Ticktock.

Mom and I read Relentless by Dean Koontz. Dad read it too. Relentless was a fast paced book about a writer terrorized by a book critic. Trust me, the critic does not stop at writing to express his dissatisfaction of the lead character's writing. The man and his wife have a six year old who is a genius with a specialty in physics. They have a dog named Lassie. If you think the original Lassie was smart and saved Timmy, wait until you see what this Lassie can do! You will really love the story about how the family rescued Lassie (or was it the other way around)?

Dean Koontz's books are often suspenseful and there is also usually some kind of evil in the book. But what is so wonderful about his work is that his characters that are often put through some really bad stuff never lose hope and live life with humor and love.

The other book I am recommending is also by Dean Koontz. It is called A Big Little Life and is non-fiction. This book is about Dean and Gerda Koontz and their amazing Golden Retriever Trixie. Trixie was trained as an assistance dog by Canine Companions for Independence. After her training she was an assistance dog for six months until a congenital problem with her elbow joint was found and she had to have surgery. After elbow surgery, Trixie had to retire as an assistance dog and she was adopted by Dean and Gerda Koontz. Trixie was the first dog they had ever had in their family and Dean writes with such love as he tells the story about their beloved Trixie. The book also gives you a glimpse of what Dean is like and why he writes with just humor and hope.

Dean wrote a lot of the books with dogs before he adopted Trixie. It is obvious he has some special connection to dogs. But nothing will prepare you for this story. You have to know from the outset that Trixie is OTRB so be prepared for tears but this book is really amazing and well worth the tears. Dean makes it very clear that Trixie changed their lives and made him a better writer. Dean and Gerda have another Golden now named Anna who is related to Trixie. Trixie died at the age of 12 and had lived with Dean and Gerda for nine years. This quote from Trixie's bio on her web page will give you an idea:

Trixie was an angel on earth, shorn of her wings and given fur as a disguise, with mysterious eyes, with the heart of a lion and the temperament of a lamb. She changed us as people, made us better by her example, brought piercing beauty and so much humor into our lives, and left a terrible void when she went to God.

Trixie has authored some books herself. In fact on September 16 her latest children's book, Trixie and Jinx, was released.You can find out all about Trixie by clicking here.


Be sure and check out his Facebook page as well as Trixie's!

And now, for the Saturday blog hop, after my absence of two weeks!


Friday, September 17, 2010

Our Vacation

Every vacation is special because I get to spend the time with my mom and dad both without that nasty W-O-R-K stuff getting in the way. But, some vacations are more special than others and this one was definitely on the extra special side.

Mom, dad and I went to Shenandoah River State Park in Furrginia. It is between Front Royal and Luray and, as you might guess on the Shenandoah River. Mom says it is on the South Fork of the Shenandoah River. Since she works for state parks I will have to take her word for that. I did not see any forks while I was there except the ones mom and dad ate with.

This is the park road. It is winding to copy 
the way the river winds around lots of bends. 

 Here is the river winding

We went to the same park last September and it was great then too but this year the weather was better and the air clear so the mountains and the sky were extra beautiful as opposed to hazy. It got really cold a few nights and I had to get under the covers to help keep mom and dad warm.

Shenandoah River has some beautiful new cabins and a new campground that opened in July but we stayed in this old, rustic cabin called the Brown Cabin. The Brown Cabin is not fit for public consumption so park staff can rent it. It got its name because it's brown. I think that makes lots of sense. The Brown Cabin features a porch with windows that open up and look out at the river.

Great views in the new cabin area

Great views in the new campground

 This is the Brown Cabin with the windows of the porch 
that look out over the river

This is me looking out the window as mom was taking the pictures

This is the river we see from the cabin. Dad took the chair out 
there so he could sit and watch the river.  
Do you see the giant stick in the water? 
I couldn't budge it.

While we were on vacation, mom read seven books. I am going to do a review of two of the books that I read with her in my next post. Dad read a book, played his guitar, and played some of his Playstation games and we all listened to lots of music. There is no TV at the Brown Cabin (or actually in any of the state park cabins except Chippokes Plantation). There is no cell service or internet. The park gets some cell service but not out at the Brown Cabin. This was not good for keeping up with my pals on Facebook and Twitter but it was real good for my mom who works too hard. The best part of the trip for me was all the swimming and stick chasing I got to do in the river.



 
These three are my favorite swimming pictures!

Looking for pee-mail

To get to the cabin you have to either come by the low river bridge and go through a locked gate and then drive a mile. Or, you take an "authorized personnel only" gravel road from the main park side and drive a mile and a half. We don't see tons of people near the cabin but there were more people hiking, biking and horseback riding this year than last. The only vehicles that go by are park staff doing security checks. I bark at all of them.

This is dad opening the gate so we can drive through

This is a picture down river when you are on the low 
water bridge. The low water bridge is just a very narrow 
bridge not much above the water. You don't want 
to be on that bridge if there is a flood.

This is a picture up river from the low water bridge

This is a picture of the park when you are driving to the 
Brown Cabin. You can barely glimpse the river past the trees.

Since I don't like riding in the car much, if mom and dad have to go somewhere, they leave me at the Brown Cabin. This year they weren't gone much. Mom tells me the town of Front Royal is really nice. They have an old fashioned town square.

The Front Royal Town Square

The Brown Cabin has a tiny kitchen and mom and dad did some cooking there and there is also a charcoal grill and two fire rings - one right by the river. The last night we were there we had a really big fire in the fire ring. It was kind of scary because it was really windy but mom and day watched the fire real good. We also roasted marshmallows.

Can you see the marshmallows cooking on the stick?

The day we came home was cloudy and it rained a little. Since we had nine days of beautiful, sunny weather that was okay by us. It was also okay because the rain washed away all the dirt on the car from driving down the gravel and dirt road to the cabin.

Next year we may go to a different park in September, but I will always remember the special times we had here.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

The Cat Burglar

Many of you know my brofur cat Caesar. He has a blog and Twitter account that are seriously in disuse but he has been around before. Well I have a funny story about Caesar. 

I call him the Tubby Tabby because he is a hefty guy. You could probably put Cleo and Sabrina together and not quite make Caesar. He is pretty agile in spite of his girth and often makes amazing leaps from furniture to the back of dad's recliner. He has nearly toppled the chair over before.

 Caesar

Anyway, mom ordered the family the complete set of Cat Sitter Videos because Boris Kitty was always raving about them. I am not offended because I love birds and I believe mom got them really for me even though the name has CAT in it. Of course, we have had them since we got back from vacation Sunday and the are still un-viewed.

Mom ordered the videos from CatToys.com and a trial packet of cat treats came with the package. I will try to forgive the packers at CatToys.com because obviously they were misled by the name of the videos into thinking the package was for cats so I guess that's why they sent the cat treats instead of dog treat samples. The trial sample was for Zuke's Natural Purrz Salmon Treats. Actually mom did not pay attention at the time so she had to ask Boris Kitty's Human2 today what kind they were. 

 Tubby Tabby

Mom sat the treats aside and dad found them yesterday. He gave the cats some and they really liked them. My kitty sibs are very picky about their treats which is why I have a giant basket of treats and chew things and they have virtually nothing. So them going wild over the treats is high praise. Little did dad know how much they - or at least Caesar - liked them. Dad put the leftover bag of trial treats in my treat basket which was on top of some large storage boxes.

Later that day dad heard some paper rustling. Cleo is a shredder so he looked around to see what she had found to shred only it wasn't Cleo. He saw Caesar with the empty Zuke's trial package. Caesar had climbed up, found the treats in my big basket, brought the package down to the floor and had eaten them all. While you can tell by looking at Caesar he likes his noms, he has never done anything like this before. Other bags of cat treats have sat within his reach and were never disturbed. Sabrina has been known to chew through dog food and cat food bags (before mom and dad started putting them in large plastic tubs) but never Caesar. I think he really liked those treats!

Don't mess with my Zuke's

Hmmm. If they are that good, I think I might need to get mom to buy some of the Zuke's dog treats for me!

Note: we did not receive any free product or gratuity of any kind from Zuke's or CatToys.com other than the small trial bag of treats.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Anipal Photo Hunt #5: BLOG PAWS

We didn't go to Blog Paws because mom just got back from BarkWorld and we had vacation planned, but Cokie said I could share pictures of me blogging so that's what I'm doing to participate in the Anipal Photo Hunt this week.

Okay, so maybe I am micro-blogging in this picture since I was using Twitter.


If you haven't joined in the fun of the Photo Hunt, it's lots of fun and a way to find new friends with blogs. You can read the blogs or click on the Instructions tab to find out how to join in by clicking the Anipal Photo Hunt button below. All my friends always have such great pictures to share that I hope they will play the weekly hunt too.




Friday, September 10, 2010

The Lost is Found

I know my pals will remember the sad loss of my Chewber that decided not to float in my pond like it was supposed to. Here is the link to the bloggie.

You will remember that mom ordered 2 Chewbers from Baby Patches to replace them. One was a little mini Chewber and the other was slightly different from my lost one but I still loved it.
Well thanks to the D-R-O-U-G-H-T (silly word that means no rain), something odd happened to the pond and some of the water disappeared.

It so happened that the water disappeared near where I lost the Chewber. Low and behold the last swimming I did before our vacation, dad found the Chewber laying at the side of the pond clear as day. He should have taken a picture of it where it laid as photographic evidence but we were so excited to see it we brought it right in. Now I have 3 Chewbers - one of each kind!

Thursday, September 9, 2010

I Miss My Friends

I missed the Pawpawty and the Saturday Blog Hop this week because we are on vacation! Here are some pictures to whet your appetite. We stayed at Shenandoah River State Park last September too. It's a great place to relax and enjoy nature and the great river!

This is the view from the park entrance
This is the view from our screened porch

Here I am on the porch begging animal crackers - a new delicacy I discovered on this trip
I miss you all. We will be home late Sunday September 12 so don't worry if you don't see me on Twitter before then. I have another blog scheduled to help you get through the time without me! Hah!

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Anipal Photo Hunt #4: MY BED

I sleep with mom and dad so their bed is my bed. I spend a lot of time there and since the nice V-E-T lady said my legs were bony and I should be on cushions all the time, they are actually telling me to get ON the bed. I swear there was no pay off involved.

Since my mom carries all my pictures with her digitally on her 'puter, she had no trouble finding some good bed pictures even on vacation in No Cell, Virginia (but it's good to stay in No Cell because then mom gets a really good vacation). She had to drive into Front Royal where they do have a cell tower, to do some work, so I was able to enter in the hop! And imagine my surprise that we have our very own blog for the hop now. Thanks Cokie!

This one is my personal favorite. Mom is faking sleep (she has her glasses on).

I was even yawning in this one
I was all played out here
Sleeping with my toys