We are OK

Hello ta All,

We just wanted ta say that we are all OK and home now. But the computer we had with us crashed and so we couldn't update the blog. I Dewey, had to go back to the vet on Saturday cause I still was feelin' puny and Gram got some pain pills, antibiotics and a tranquilizer fer me. There are still quills comin' outta me but I don't want anyone ta pull 'em so they'll just have ta work out on their own. But in case Gram 'n Pap want ta ty that's what the tranquillizer is fer.

Now we get home 'n the wireless router isn't workin' well 'n so Gram has ta fool with it. Aw, the wonders of technology........

As soon as we can, we'll update everythin'......

But gee guys....thanks fer visitin' 'n thinkin' of us.....Pap says he's gonna try 'n trap 'n shoot any porcupines that come near our cottage.....they're nasty buggers fer sure.......


Oh, since we won't be updatin' fer maybe a few days, we just wanted ta post this lovely Get Well Card we got from Koobie....thanks a bunch Koobie....we love ya and yer poetry too !!!!!
(click on it ta make it bigger)





Dewey Dewster here.......

Happy Barkday ta Toby..... Part II- Barkday Disaster

Hello ta all.....

We're still at the cottage and I wanna tell ya me 'n Toby aren't feelin' too well as of late.....well, Toby feels better 'n me right now but he wasn't doin' too good lately either.....

After the Barkday party 'n eatin' our yummy cake...we went up ta Uncle Donny's cottage ta chase around the crab apples like we love ta do in the evenings. Uncle Donny is at his cottage right now so we visited fer a spell with him....'n it was gettin' ta be pretty dark. Gram and Pap were standin' there talkin 'n talkin' when we shoulda been walkin' and walkin' and so we got bored and saw somethin' in the trees just off the driveway. We went in ta see what it was.....Can ya guess what it was??????


See that??? That's a PORCUPINE.....

"n we don't like 'em around here...cause this is our space...'n not his space....why he's an intruder fer sure...... yes siree...'n he needed ta be taught a lesson...our space here....his space somewhere else......
Porcupines are rodents with a coat of sharp spines, or quills, that defend them from predators. Most porcupines are about 25–36 in (630–910 mm) long, with an 8–10 in (200–250 mm) long tail. Weighing between 12–35 lb (5.4–16 kg), they are rounded, large and slow. Porcupines come in various shades of brown, grey, and the unusual white. The name "porcupine" comes from Middle French porc d'épine "thorny pig". Porcupines' spiny protection resembles that of the distantly related Erinaceomorph hedgehogs and more distantly related Monotreme Echidnas.

All defend themselves with hair modified into sharp spines. Porcupines' quills or spines take on various forms, depending on the species, but all are modified hairs coated with thick plates of keratin, and they are embedded in the skin musculature. Old World porcupines (Hystricidae) have quills embedded in clusters, whereas in New World porcupines (Erethizontidae) single quills are interspersed with bristles, underfur, and hair.

Porcupine quills are as sharp as needles, detach very easily, and will remain embedded in an attacker. Unlike needles, however, the quills of New World porcupines have microscopic, backwards-facing barbs on the tip that catch on the skin making them difficult and painful to extract, though they must be removed. Quills are about 75 millimetres (3.0 in) long and 2 millimetres (0.079 in) wide. If a quill becomes lodged in the tissues of a would-be attacker, the barbs act to pull the quill further into the tissues with the normal muscle movements of the attacker, moving up to several millimeters in a day. Predators have been known to die as a result of quill penetration and infection. Quills are still capable of penetrating animals and humans even after death. [1] Quills are released by contact with them or they may drop out when the porcupine shakes them, they are not sprayed out.

Know what??? We didn't want that porcupine ta be there and so we tried ta get it ta go away....actually we tried ta kill it and we did.......but if ya read about what that animal does ta defend itself.....you'll understand why then we looked like this.......

And Toby looked like this......
My Mom got inta the fight at the end and so she didn't have many quills in her and while Gram was inside makin' arrangements fer an emergency visit ta the vets, Uncle Donny and Pap pulled the quills outta her with a pair of pliers. Gram and Pap took us all ta the vet in Franklin, Pa which takes about 45 minutes ta get ta from the cottage. The Vet had ta put me 'n Toby under anesthetic ta get the quills outta us. Here's Toby after he was de-quilled and still groggy from the anesthetic..... we had ta get shots of antibiotic too ta make sure we didn't get any infection later.

I was under the anesthetic here and the Vet was pullin' out those horrible quills.....
And then I got ta rest just like Toby while I was still groggy.......

Oh, woe is me.....woe is me......I felt terrible after that anesthetic wore off....feelin' right puny and just tired. I took ta my sick bed. Gram had ta feed me by holdin' my bowl fer me and my water too. She made popcorn last night and I wanted some but was just too sick ta get up. Gram brought me some.

I'm still am usin' my sick bed taday.....my one foot hurts and I don't want ta use it. So what's the good part about all this????? The PORCUPINE IS DEAD!!!!! We killed it!!!!!!

Gee, I sure hope I remember that good part until I feel good enough ta get up and play again....

This is Dewey Dewster reportin' from my sick bed outside Titusville, Pa............

Happy Barkday To Toby

Hi Ta All.....

We're at the cottage again fer a spell but we got ta celebrate a momentous occasion taday cause taday Toby is ONE YEAR OLD!!!!!!!!!!

HAPPY BARKDAY TOBY !!!!!!!!

We always have a bit of a party cause we know that hoomans have parties 'n we feel we're just as special as they are and we're all still kids too......

See what Gram had fer our party????

Yummy people cupcakes....one fer each of us on our own Happy Barkday plate....except someone spelled it wrong....it's Happy Barkday....not Happy Birthday......

So let's all sing along.......

Happy Barkday to you.........

Happy Barkday to you.......

Happy Barkday, dear Toby.......

Happy Barkday to you !!!!!!


May you have many more.......


May you have many more......

Happy Barkday dear Toby......

Happy Barkday to you.........

We swear that Toby didn't have anythin' ta drink but he was high on the icing.....

And while we can't play this on the stupid dialup we have here...hope the Beatles can get ya in the Barkday mood.....to bad they say it wrong....it's Barkday.....not birthday........

This is Dewey Dewster reportin' on Toby's HAPPY FIRST BARKDAY.........

This 'n That

Hello ta all.....

We have a new houseguest stayin' with us fer awhile...til the end of October. We thought that maybe ya would like to see who it is that is stayin' here. Can ya guess who it is?

Here's a picture.....

And another one.....


And a third one. Gram made a little house outta a flower pot so the guest had a place ta put down her head....sort of like a bed.......but more like a house.......

Here's a little video of the little guy....maybe this will give ya a better hint..... I think it's givin' itself a bath here.....
Our Houseguest

Did ya guess who's visitin' us???? Huh, did ya???? Tell us who ya think it is now?????? 'N did ya see a second one stickin' it's head outta the little house ?? I can tell ya that we know they're around and we have trouble fergettin' about it too.......
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This is the first Gram has been able ta get any video uploaded ta Blogger....'n she could hardly believe it was successful....we never seem ta see the progress of the upload like we did taday and fer some reason we always have an error or it just never finishes uploadin' .....but taday, viola, a successful upload....go figure......
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Baby Parker

Now do ya remember that little hooman baby, Parker, who is havin' trouble growin' up? Well, Gram got a little video clip of 'em yesterday tryin' ta figure out what his feet are for.......can ya imagine....6 months old and still doesn't realize what feet are for or even that they were his feet until lately......wow, guys, ya all need ta help us get Parker educated before it's too late......how do ya think we can help him?????

Baby Parker at 6 months....

He's sure a cutie pie but needs some educatin' 'n fast........

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Mark Your Calendars

Butler Doggie Fun Day

Are ya from southwestern Pa. ? Do ya love ta have fun with yer doggie? Do ya like ta meet other people who love ta have fun with their doggies? Mark your calendars because Butler Doggie Fun Day is on September 14, 2008.

Ya can try Agility, Rally, Obedience, Comformation handling, Canine good citizen and Earthdog with yer best friends. A microchip clinic will also be available. Details are below........

DOGGIE FUN DAY !!!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
(Rain or Shine)
ALAMEDA PARK, BUTLER, PA
OBEDIENCE * RALLY * CONFORMATION * AGILITY * CGC/TDI TEST * EARTH DOG * MICROCHIP CLINIC
ALL JUDGING OUTDOORS FREE PARKING FREE SPECTATOR ADMISSION REFRESHMENTS VENDORS
DOGGIE SHOPPE RAFFLE TOO !!!
􀂌Picnic Shelters Available on a first come first serve basis􀂌
MIXED BREEDS WELCOME!!!
􀃌OBEDIENCE REGISTRATION: 8:30 AM -10:30 AM 􀃌 CONFORMATION REGISTRATION: 8:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Obedience Judging starts at 10:30 AM Conformation Judging starts at 1:00 PM
Registration starts at 8:30 AM at the Concession Pavilion for Obedience and Conformation
(No professional Handlers please, unless showing personally owned dogs)
OBEDIENCE CLASSES: $6.00 per dog, $4.00 additional entry of same dog * NO PINCH/PRONG COLLARS *
PRE-NOVICE – Judge: Dave Pistorius NOVICE A & B – Judge: Robert Balcom
OPEN A & B and UTILITY A & B – Judge: Bruce Ringer GRADUATE NOVICE - Judge: First Available
CONFORMATION CLASSES: (DIVIDED BY SEX) $6.00 per dog
Litter Rate: Same owner, 3 or more - $12.00
JUNIOR PUPPY: 3 up to 6 months SENIOR PUPPY: 6 up to 9 months; 9 up to 12 months
ADULT: 12 months and over
SPORTING & GROUP - Judge: Kim Daboo HOUND & GROUP - Judge: Kim Daboo
NON-SPORTING & GROUP - Judge: Rick LeBeau TOY & GROUP - Judge: Rick LeBeau
WORKING & GROUP - Judge: Donna Chappel HERDING & GROUP - Judge: Donna Chappel
TERRIER & GROUP - Judge: Rick LeBeau MISCELLANEOUS & GROUP - Judge: TBA
Best Junior Puppy: Donna Chappel Best Senior Puppy: Kim Daboo Best Adult: Rick LeBeau

HANDLING CLASSES: ADULT & JUNIOR
Judging starts at 12:00 Noon $2:00 per dog
Adult Handling - Judge: Rick LeBeau Junior Handling - Judge: Rick LeBeau
AGILITY RUN THROUGHS
􀃌Registration at 8:30 AM at the Agility Rings……Runs Starting at 9:00 AM
RING 1 Intro to Agility - $5.00 per Dog/Run-through - Supervised: (Agility experience not necessary)
RING 2 Jumpers Course - $5.00 per dog/run through; $3.00 per additional run-through/same dog
RALLY OBEDIENCE
􀃌Registration/Run-throughs start at 9:00 AM at Rally Ring
Run-throughs - $5.00 per Dog/Run-through or $12.00 per Dog for Unlimited Run-throughs
(Rally experience not necessary)
COMBINED C.G.C. & T.D.I. TESTING - Same Day/Location
􀃌Registration starts at 9:30 AM at the CGC Test Area Testing: 9:30 AM - 2:30 PM
Combined Test - $18.00 per dog C.G.C. only - $10.00 T.D.I. only - $10.00
**Bring Dog License, Rabies Tag and Brush**
INFO: Nancy Kieffer (724) 285-9910 -or- Frances Cashdollar (724) 283-7384
EARTH DOG TUNNEL FUN
(Courtesy of the Western PA Earthdog Club)
􀃌Registration/Run-throughs start at 9:00 AM at the Tunnel
Tunnel Runs - $5.00 per dog/run-through
ALL SMALL DOGS WELCOME
AVID MICROCHIP CLINIC
$25.00 PER DOG (includes Registry)
Administered by licensed Veterinarian (for info: Linda Arnold –(724)-504-0935 lindy53@zoominternet.net)
FUN DAY CHAIRPERSON: Nancy Kieffer (724) 285-9910 e-mail: dogpawscs@zoominternet.net
DIRECTIONS: From North: Take I-79 S to 422 East Exit. Take 422 East to Route 356 (Lyndora) Exit. At light off exit ramp, get in left
lane and turn left on to New Castle Road. At the 4th traffic light (6 Pack Grill on your left side), turn left from turn lane onto Alameda
Road. At the stop sign bear right into the park and follow posted signs.
From South: Take I-79 N to 228 East and then to Route 8 North. Follow Route 8 N to the Lyndora Bypass Exit (Hansen Ave). Turn left
across the bridge (this is Hansen Ave.) and stay on Hansen until the 4th traffic light, which is a “T”. Turn left onto New Castle
Road/Route 356. Follow New Castle Road until the 3rd traffic light (Bank on your right side); turn right on to Alameda Road. At the
stop sign bear right into the park and follow posted signs.
From East & West: Take Route 8 and follow appropriate directions for North or South.

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Another award fer Dewey Dewster.......presented ta me by William Tell Whistlebritches

It's the Bloggin' Friends Forever Award.....Thanks a bunch Tell.....'n while there are a bunch of rules that go along with it....we think just about everyone we know has one except Koobie...so we're presentin it ta Koobie.....cause maybe it will get 'er Mom outta the baseball park fer a bit and back ta bloggin'...

We're sorry Koobie's Mom.... but it can't buy ya anythin' at the ballpark.... 'n ya can't use it fer the casinos either....but ya can display it on yer blog ta show that we're all friends here.....'n forever too......

Gee, hope yer all still awake here so ya can hear me signin' out....

This is long-winded Dewey Dewster signin' out .....ten... four.........over 'n out....

Public Service Announcements

Hello all,

Instead of one of our regular posts........tonight we wanted to bring a few things to your attention that may affect the way you view the toys that you buy for your dogs and the way the Pedigree dog is judged at dog shows.

First there is a blog about a toy that has been recalled by the company that offered it for sale. ( 8-22-08 as an update on this post, please visit Chai's blog. His owner has been contacted by another person whose dog had the same thing happen to it in 2005. They were assured by the company that the toy design would be changed to include a hole at the other end of the ball. It never was. Please email this company to register your outrage )

This toy caused a Lab mix dog named Chai to loose his tongue. I want to warn you that the photos are graphic and may upset anyone with a weak stomach. We all love our pets and no one wants to see someone that they love end up like Chai..

Do you have this toy in your home ??????

Four Paws Pimple Ball with Bell

If you do, please take it away from your dog and return it to the store where it was purchased.
It appears that all balls that look like this do not pose the same danger...there are some by other manufacturers that have a hole at the other end to prevent a vacuum from occurring if the tongue is inserted in the ball. This one does not.....

Click on the link and read about what happened to a Lab mix who was playing with this ball and how it changed his life.
Chai's Story

The owner of Chai waged a campaign to have these balls recalled by the company distributing them. The company refused initially, but has recently decided to recall the balls. Thank dog for small favors.
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Pedigree Dogs Exposed

Pedigree dogs have been around since the 1800's. Dogs were bred for a particular reason....to herd, to rat, to retrieve etc.

Pedigree dogs are registered by the Kennel Clubs. Certain standards are set in writing for each breed and those standards are judged at Kennel Club dog shows. Something went terribly wrong at some point in time. Now there is so much inbreeding of dogs to achieve a standard,that breeders have changed over time, that the dogs of today do not resemble the same breed of yesterday. Fatal health problems are threatening to cause the extinction of the different breeds as we knew them in the past.

The BBC recently aired a program about the serious health problems that are plaguing our pets because of the breeders' concept of what that breed standard should be. Dogs with horrible deformities and health problems are winning "Best In Show" and "Best of Breed" and are then being bred multiple times...passing those health problems or deformities on to countless generations.

If you have the time to watch the program, it has been uploaded to YouTube in 6 installments. It takes an hour to watch, but it may change your mind on how dogs are judged in the show ring. Can anything be done to save the integrity of these breeds before it is too late? And can pressure from dog lovers force a change of policy at the Kennel Clubs?

See what you think:
Pedigree Dogs Exposed on You Tube part 1 of 6, once there you can click on the others.

Wow, this has been very hard to read about and even harder to watch. I am hoping that the Kennel Clubs will come to their senses before it is too late...or is it too late already?

This is Dewey Dewster's Gram reportin' on disturbin' information......

Earthdogin' and Talley

Hello ta all......

This was the weekend for the earthdog tests at Woodside near Donegal, Pa. and all of us and Gram and Pap headed out in the car ta get there....

We always have ta pass thru the city ta get to the Pa. turnpike and everytime Gram gets on the Veterans Bridge she gets mad cause she doesn't have her camera ready ...and the view is pretty spectacular 'n so this time she had it ready....but we were goin' pretty fast so the only picture she liked is this one...that sloped building is the Convention center and that is the Allegheny River.
Click on any of the pictures for a larger view.....
Woodside is partway down a hill but it is still up pretty high and the view is wonderful. Ya can see some of the shelters here of the earthdog participants and the hills beyond.
I met my new girlfriend again...'n I got 'er name wrong last time...she is Talley, not Callie ('n i hope I spelled it right Linda)...but it was an honest mistake cause Linda did say earlier she was goin' ta maybe change it but didn't.....LOOK HERE...me and Talley sharin' a little kiss.....

Me, Dewey, doin' the play bow with Talley.


'n me tryin' ta get a little sniff in before 'er Mom could stop me...hehehe....her Mom didn't have ta stop me....cause Talley did.....grrrrr....
'n here we are really tryin' out a kiss...nose ta nose....Dewey Dewster and Talley......two terriers in love......ooooowwww ain't it grand?????
See that????? That's Gram, My Mom and the Earthdog judge after Mom won a ribbon fer the first leg of her Junior Earthdog on Saturday......right in the tunnel...reached the judge in 13 seconds....barked like a nut....worked the rats fer 60 seconds...didn't even want outta the tunnel cause she wanted those rats bad......
See that????? That's all the ribbons my Mom won over Saturday and Sunday.....she got her Junior Earthdog Title......Horray fer Mom!!!!!
See that?????? That's Dewey Dewster with egg on my face cause I didn't do anything on Saturday and Sunday....nothin'......do ya hear that nothin'.....on Sunday I didn't even want ta go in the tunnel at all....I wanted Gram ta pick me up.....never left 'er side at all.....no siree...non participatin' Dewey is what I'm called.....no earthdog title fer me......

And the worst part was that then Talley didn't want ta go out with me anymore....can ya believe that ????? I guess I'm gonna have ta start again from scratch ta make 'er acquaintance again next year....see if I can impress 'er with my charms and try ta do earthdog again....woe is me....woe is me......Dewey Dewster earthdog failure......

This is Dewey Dewster, egg face...signin' off.....on earthdog......

He Took Me Out to the Ballgame.......

Hello out there in blogland.....

The other night I had a date with Jake of the Barkalot Boyz. We went to a baseball game and watched the Marlins play the Cardinals in Florida. Since I am far away from Florida, Jake sent his personal Heron-cam to pick me up. I think he already told you a bit about the evening.

I must say that was some ride...you could actually see those fluffy clouds below your feet. They were so soft looking..... it felt like I could just walk on them in my bare feet right up to heaven. The air flowing around Heron-cam was cool and refreshing and he was extra careful not to go too fast. I enjoyed watching the tops of buildings and the cities below as we flew by....I wish I would have remembered my camera..... the scenery was spectacular.........I was served pretzels and bottled water and didn't even have to pay for it....

Jake was being a bit modest when he said that we didn't do anything special at the game. We were cheering pretty loudly for the Cardinals but please don't tell anyone from the Burgh that I opened my mouth to cheer for another team. I talked Jake into putting on his Cardinals baseball cap. Didn't he look swell in it??? And happy too !!!!

At one point there was a heated argument on the field and I went out to see how it felt to stand on the pitchers mound while all those men were busy discussing the problem at hand.....and Jake ran out and got me a baseball. One of the players threw it in anger and he caught it in his mouth just for me...... tsk, tsk...not a nice thing to do...throwing balls in anger...you toss.....your loss......no strain.......my gain........
He was pretty proud of catching that ball and he held onto it for a long time before he actually gave it to me. Really, I had to pry it out of his mouth cause it was sort of stuck there since he had it there so long.

But then he got very gallant and sat on his chair at home and presented me the ball in his very own baseball glove.... Wasn't that sweet???? I just love to play ball.....

Besides all the good food we had, I also got a souvenir Cardinals cap (which I had to file away under "Forbidden in the Burgh".) Sorry about that Jake.....I do want to reach the age of seven without incident.......Pittsburgh sports fans can be so unforgiving......but I love it anyway..... And my very own baseball...which I have hidden from Dewey so that I can actually have something to play with when he is not around. Gee, I hope he goes out on a date with that little Callie he met at earthdog. Can you imagine how much ball playing I can get in if he is gone for hours or better still overnight?????

Now there's something I can sink my teeth into......

Wow, it was an exciting evening and I am happy that I got to see it even if it wasn't a Pirates game. Who won anyway?????? After Jake caught the ball, I really didn't care......


Thanks Jake for a great time !!!!!!!! And if you ever want to try earthdog, please let me know.... I bet if we tried....we could have dug an earthdog tunnel under that pitchers mound..........

This is Asta Marie reportin' on my baseball game date....