Happy (Belated) Gotcha Day Shermie!!

Sorry I didn't post anything yesterday. I was at a wedding out of town & didn't get to a computer. Thank you to everyone who sent Sherman Happy Gotcha/Burpday wishes!! We're going to put off his celebration for a couple of weeks so I can have a whole day off work to celebrate with him.

But here's a little story of how Sherman became the Original Dog of Jackman Avenue.

Six years ago today, our lives changed forever. I had been bugging Scott about getting a cat. I also was looking at puppies...for about 6 months, I would go on Petfinder.org & look at all the available dogs & cats in the area. Some I would send to him & he'd entertain the thought for a few minutes & then dismiss it. One day, he forwarded a picture of a RottiLabX named Zena. "Why don't you call & see if she's still there...maybe we can go look at her on Saturday". She was still there & I was beyond excited at the possibility of finally getting a pet.

So Saturday we drove the hour to the Butler Co Humane Society and spotted Zena right away. She was the crazed dog jumping about 6 feet in the air...growling & snarling at me everytime I approached the cage. I was very intimidated & scared of her so we walked around the kennels for 15-20 minutes & decided to spend some time with a LabX, Moose and a LabSharpei, Cookie. Moose walked into the meet & greet room, peed on the wall and started running around the room. Scott looked at me and mouthed "NO!". Cookie came in next & was sweet and gentle, but very aloof. She basically ignored us...Scott found this endearing, but I wanted to see a couple other dogs first.

There were two other dogs we wanted to see, both in the same pen. One was a yellow lab mix and the other was medium sized black dog. Apparently they had been found together, along the side of the road in a ditch and were both a year old. When we initally walked by their cage, the Lab (who was bigger) kept trying to pushing the black dog out of the way...but the black dog demanded to be seen & his tail was wagging like CRAZY! I wanted to see the Yellow Lab first, but Scott liked the black one. We never even got to meet the Lab…Sherman walked into the room, right up to Scott and rolled right onto the floor at his feet to have his belly rubbed. It was all over.

Sherman was a great first dog...for the most part, he was housebroken. He wasn't destructive. He was pretty easy to walk on leash. He just sort of came into our home & fit right in. He's my best buddy.

Happy Gotcha Day to Sherman!

Thank you for changing our lives forever! We're very glad you decided to stay.

Will work for food

Hey Doggies & GG...as you may know...Sherman has this Big Day coming up and we've been pretty excited about it because it means PAWTY TIME at our house (aka lotsa treats!!).



So we were all psyched when Mom cooked up this yummy flank steak for us.



It was even better when she made it into little Dog sized pieces for us to feast on.

But the bad news came...that was Dad's dinner & THIS is what we were left with!!

Umm...hello??? And exactly WHO is that gonna feed???? And Mom had the nerve to cut this little tidbit into even smaller "training" sized pieces. Training??? Mom...I thought I had you perfectly trained.

Apparently, Mom has not been impressed when she calls my name & I've been searching the yard for Tadpole or Marvin or super studly Stanley or the new hottie on the block, Rowan and I ignore her. Hey Mom! Soooooorry! I'm busy. And popular. You've got to HOLD UP!

But I'm getting better. A girl's gotta learn to separate her Boyz from her Treatz!

Unless of course...the Boyz wanna come callin' WITH Treats!

Presents from Peanut

I got presents today from the handsomest brindle Boxer boy in the whole wide world! My boyfriend, Peanut!!

Isn't he a stud muffin???



I whipped up this little video to say Thank You!




Oh and Liza...Mom says she's going to find a support group for you & her. Windows Movie Maker Anonymous!

A Story...by Sherman

Hey Doggies (and GG)...you may want to get comfortable. I have a little story to tell ya. Grab a bone and a cool spot on the floor and enjoy.


So we have this little tear in the screen on our back door. You may recall this is not the only broken screen this house has seen & Dad just keeps rigging it so bugs really don't get in but it keeps coming loose.


So Saturday, Lola & I were chillin at home with Dad while Mom & Penny were doing girly stuff.

Dad was playing video games (it's OK Dad, you can admit it) when he saw a hairy fat rodent walk into the kitchen toward the back door. He jumped up and screamed "WTF???" and it woke me up. He tried to run after the varment but I pushed him out of the way and took control of the situation. I cornered the little bugger and he went like this!

Dad & Lola were huddled on top of the dining room table and I grabbed the stupid rat thing and shook in hard. It tried to bite me many, MANY times but I was too quick. I threw it to the ground and stomped on it with my giant Sherman feet and then bit it in the head again. I crunched down hard and it went "EEEeeekkk!" and then I crunched it all over it's body till it was dead.



Dad got down from the table and said "Thank you Sherman, I was wondering what we were going to have for lunch. You sure do earn your keep around here".

Yes Sir...I certainly do.


The End.

********************************

We really did have a Possum in our house on Sunday. Looks like a Rat, huh???

But Sniffy McSnifferton didn't even wake up. Scott got the Dogs upstairs and the little thing outside went back outside. When I asked Scott what happened to it, he said "I took care of it". To which I replied..."Where did you find a Have-A-Heart trap???"

I don't wanna know.

I love Camp Bow Wow!!

Because I'm such an excellent Camper, I was invited to the big Pawty thrown by Camp Bow Wow (just click on the link & see who their poster girl is...it's ME!)




It was at a giant dog park and I was so excited to get there & see all of my friends.



But then I just couldn't contain myself & I ran & ran & ran & ran & played with all the other Dogs...a little.






See...I'm still running!

And look who showed up! Tanner!!! I spotted him right away...notice the Doofus Dot and the Steeler collar!

And Buster? Is that you????

I tried to get in the pool, but it was being hogged by this guy!

And if you watch this video, you'll see Sitka, Lady Kaos and Sophie's were there too. You'll also notice that I love people and have a particular fondness for French Bulldogs (Not to worry Figgles...I know Balboa is taken).



And when I got home...I did this for the rest of the day.

Apparently Sherman & Penny were very happy about that.

Are you ready????

Yes We Are!!! Tonight is the Steelers first pre-season game of the year. The game doesn't mean much but it does mean that Football Season is right around the corner!!

This is a football town & we made sure to start Lola off on the right foot (she was 12 weeks old in this picture). Just so happens that we won the Super Bowl that year so she was a very good luck charm



Here We Go Steelers, Here We Go!

Look what came from Wally World!

A giant box full of stuff just for Sherman!! My BFF Wally T. Corgador sent me the most super coolest box filled with FOOD! Just for ME!

Wally said I could share with the girls but I told Mom to lock them out of my room so I could get to work checking everything out.

Ha Ha! No girls allowed!

I started my investigation and it was a like a dream...Salmon treats, Herring treats, Carrot & Chicken treats, SAUSAGES, Wizzle sticks and...a WALLYMELON!!!!

THANK YOU WALLY!

Just look at all this loot.

It's a chubby black dog's dream come true!

I also got a Wally magnet that Mom immediately added to the collection on the fridge.

Notice how I admire Wally's picture.

Oh yeah, & Lola says thank for the tennis ball. Now I don't have to share anything with her. I'll share some stuff with Penny b/c she digs Ethel.

We got stuff from France!!

No Dogs...it's from Sophie. In Montreal. Where they speak French.

Sophie is sad because she's rotting in jail for TWO WHOLE WEEKS!!!

But we are VERY happy because before she went into lock down, she sent us these goodies!

I am most excited about the portable water bowl because it's been a bazillion degrees here & the Dogs need a big bowl to drink from or they won't. Have I mentioned before that they are spoiled?

Ummmm...I'm embarrassed to say that it took about 30 seconds before they ate through all of the cookies & I thought I was video taping the whole time. But I wasn't!! Sorry Sophie!! The good news is that Picky Princess Penny Wiggles couldn't get enough of those cookies & she has VERY discriminating tastes. (aka...she usually spits store bought treats on the floor and walks away. She's a giant Priss!)

Thank you SO much Sophie!

Speaking of Princess Penny...her very handsome boyfriend, Peanut wanted to know where I got Sherman's raincoat. Well, Peanut...I got it at PetCo about 4 years ago. Sherman is 52 lbs (Ok, Ok...55 lbs) and the Large fits him perfect. Good luck finding one for such a big Studly Boxer like yourself!

Penny also has her own raincoat & she wouldn't let me got to sleep until she modeled it for her big, strong boyfriend.

Hi Peanut...Here's some eye candy for you!

And just for Cubby, Hey! We have the same coat!!

For the record Tanner...I ain't no Doofus either.

WWwwwaaaSSssssUuuuppppppp!!

Hey Tanner!!! I have one of those raining coats too!!



I don't live in the desert, but it's been pretty hot here in Pixburgh so I haven't had much of a chance to wear it. Can you send us some rain?



Oh, and for the record...I ain't no Doofus.

Tennis balls are the bestest

Remember the colorful tennis balls Lola's BFF Tadpole sent to her earlier this month?

Well they now look like this...

She's a total maniac & will play for hours with these things.


Her new favorite game is to drop it in the chair and then whack it with her paws till it gets stuck in the back. Then she barks at it & I have to get it out. She has me well trained.



But I get her back by making her practice Leave It and her Sit Stays.

Wanna hear a story?

I was throwing my ball all around the yard when I felt the call of nature. It was rolling down the hill and I PEED on it!!! I went to pick it up to continue playing and it smelled funny. So I just went & found my other ball. Good thing Tadpole sent me TWO!

And yes, I hosed the stupid thing off so she could still play with it. Did I mention she has me well trained?

Goodbye Sadie

Tadpole's cousin Sadie went to the bridge yesterday. She was a very loved little lady and we send our deepest sympathies to her whole family (especially his Massah-in-Law, who was Sadie's soulmate).

Be at peace, Sadie

Our Saturday

I was gonna post about this on Saturday, but we were too sad.

But. This is how we spent our day. The stupid white Dog was at Camp...annoying all the other campers (really...how does anydog actually like her???)


Grandma Kay & Grandpap Don came to visit & brought THIS! My cousin Baron.

Penny likes him because he wanted to chase her and he kinda looks like me. He can have her.

You may remember the last time he was here & I had to stay in the house all day b/c I was trying to show him that Sherman is THE boss. You will see, however, that I was on my bestest behavior (as long as he stayed away from my butt) and got to hang outside most of the day.

Mom thinks it's because the stupid white Dog wasn't here that I was well behaved. I have to show her who's boss all the time because she's annoying & forgets.

You Dogs should all be glad YOU don't live with an annoying white Dog. Or have an annoying cousin that comes to visit.

Why we blog...

Oscar's passing took such a toll on so many of us. I cannot tell you how much I have cried & how heavy my heart feels every time I think of this young soul taken from all of us way too soon. And if I think of Katy & Martin for more than a second, I'm overwhelmed with grief. I don't know how they can handle it.


Jeannie (Marvin's Mom) is very effected and doesn't know if she can continue their blog. Her post is very touching & I urge all to read it.


It made me think of our blog. Why do it? I started our blog in 2005 when Scott & I decided to get a new puppy. This was my first puppy & I was beyond excited. I wanted to document her life from the moment she came home. I wanted to post about her training & be able to look back at how she progressed. We blogged for almost a year without a single comment from anyone. Our family & friends sometimes stopped by to read about how the gang was doing, but I essentially was posting for Scott & I.


Then in October 2006, I joined DWBs. Pappy & Opy were the first ones to welcome us. Our blog has taken a more whimsical tone since then & I've started a separate training blog to continue with my inital intent. But we have "met" so many wonderful dogs & humans from all over the world. I cherish the friends we've made and feel like this is my extended family. A group of people that "get" me and my crazy obsession with my canine crew. Dog People can be exhausting...I used to spend my time in various Yahoo Groups and Canine Forums. I grew so weary debating training methods, nutrition, learning theory, breeders vs. shelters, vaccines...blah, blah, blah. DWBs is my home. My happy place. I love reading everyone's blogs. I laugh (hard) every day.


I honestly don't know what I'm gonna do when something happens to one of my guys. They are such a humongous part of my life and my family. They are my best friends. I worry about Sherman the most. He's probably 10. Or 11 or DoG forbid, 12. I won't accept that he's that old, but I know he probably is. But he could live to be 17 or 18 or 25. Who knows. And Lola is genetically predisposed to a short life. I'm almost prepared for her die young. Sad, but true. I can't even think about Penny...my rock, my heart dog, my canine soulmate. She's never gonna leave me. She's not allowed. But I know I have this amazing support system that will help me through the pain and that is very comforting.


"Don't worry Mom...we'll live forever."

So Jeannie, let me say...don't put so much pressure on yourself. This is supposed to be FUN!! You don't have to post every day. You don't have to comment everyday. I can't read every blog I'd like everyday. It's that little thing called Life that gets in the way. We won't think you don't like us if you only drop by every couple of weeks. You shouldn't feel any pressure or guilt to do more than you can. Keep Marvin's blog going for YOU (ok...and for us)! So in 25 years (minimum), when he's at the bridge, you can look back & laugh & cry & have a lasting memory of all that he was. And we can do the same.

Not to mention that we would all (Lola especially) surely miss the handsome Marvin Braveheart. That is also heartbreaking.