A busy weekend

Hey you guys,

I had such a busy weekend that I didn't get time to post a message. On Saturday the infamous cowboy outfit arrived. Mum says she's taking some pictures tonight so you can all see. Great! I tried it on & was quite well behaved. I did manage to get the hat off with my paws eventually though.

Dad's little girls came to stay over the weekend. They used to be quite scared of me, even though they have a dog at home. I think it's because I'm a bit bouncy & baby-like (hey, I'm a puppy!), whereas their dog is old & very quiet. It's just that I really love children, expecially them & I get really excited when they come over & just want to play. I was a really good boy this weekend though & they were much better with me, playing fetch & even giving my ears a good old massage which always sends me into a complete dopey state. We had a big walk and a great long game of fetch at the park. In the evening I was so tired that I didn't even want to eat my dinner, which is definitely not like me. I think mum was a bit worried, but dad told her I was just pooped & to let me sleep. I made up for it on Sunday morning when I was bright eyed & bushy tailed & VERY hungry!

On Sunday we went to a place called Nightingdale Woods. It's really cool there as you can run around off your lead, and there are normally lots of hoomans & fellow doggies to meet & greet. Sure enough, within about 5 minutes we met a big chocolate Lab, but he was a bit too fat to do much except waddle past.

As there has been so much rain here, there were loads of enormous puddles. I don't mind ickle puddles, expecially the really muddy ones, but I am a bit scared of the big ones as I never trust how deep they are. However, mum had her wellie boots on so she went into to one huge puddle & started being silly & splashing about. Curiosity got the better of me, so I took a run up & waded in. And you know what? It was GREAT! I had such fun splashing & jumping around. I don't know what I was so worried about. A big Red Setter came along & told me there was a proper dog dip pond further round the pathway that he always goes in for a swim. When we got there I had a look, & it did look quite cool, but mum & dad said I have to wait until we go next time when they can bring a towel to dry me off & something to protect the car seats. Party poopers!

Further along the path we met a Springer Spaniel & his ma & pa. Now I know Springer Spaniels are normally game for a good old romp, as there's one at puppy class who's hyperactive to the extreme. This one was no exception, so we chased about through the trees while the hoomans chatted for ages, until we were both too tired to run any more.

On the way home we stopped off at the shops. Mum & dad left me alone in the car alone for the first time while they went into the shops. I was quite worried, and kept a look out at the window the whole time until they came back. I was so pleased to see them when they came back that I just had to give them both lots of kisses. I think they had also been to Pets at Home as I could smell something like my treats from one of the bags. Mum took the bag straight upstairs & hid it when we got home though. It looked like there was other stuff in there too. I don't know why I couldn't have it right away. Mum said something about only having to wait 20 something days, but I don't know what that's all about.

When we got home I also saw that they had been to buy the new digital camera. I don't think mum has got the hang of it yet as she's not taken too many pictures. Dad is away & he seems to be the technical brains of the family. I have seen her reading the book that came with it & playing about with it, so me thinks I'll be doing some posing this evening. Oh joy!

Licks,

Oscar x

Airedales, Airedales Everywhere

Hiya,

As it's a quiet news day in Oscar world, I thought I'd tell you about a really cool day out I went on soon after arriving with my mum & dad. I didn't know, but my breeders are part of an Airedale club for our part of the UK, & once a year they organise a super-duper "Fun Day" just for us Airedales (well, the hoomans come along too, but it's mostly fun for us doggies!). When we got out of the car I was so excited to see David, one of my breeders there. I had to rush straight over & give him some nibbles (you see, I was still only a little Aire-boy then so I was still nibbling the hoomans). He was so surprised to see me as mum & dad had kept it a surprise that we were going. He asked mum & dad if I wanted to give me back like my last owners, but they said "Noooooooo Waaaay"!

First we did an egg & spoon race. You can see little old me in the centre of the picture with my dad. We came second, which I think was quite respectable given that all the others were way bigger than me with much longer legs. Plus dad reckoned some of the others had better spoons than him that the egg sat better in. Whatever dad, just learn to balance better!


Next I played some musical chairs with mum. It was tricky as they took a chair away every time around so there we always more doggies & hoomans than chairs & you had to grab a space really quickly when the music stopped. Mum got down to the last 3, but the other 2 still playing were children with their doggies, so she bow-wowed out & let them have the glory. If you knew my mum, you'd know she's competitive, so this was a big deal for her!


Look how ickle I am compared to the others. Everyone thought I was really cute & were trying to remember when their 'Dales were babies. I just enjoyed sniffing all the bottoms as we went round & round.

In the picture below you can see my breeder David on the far left. I hope I get to see him again soon as he's so lovely.

We didn't know (luckily for me!), that there was a Fancy Dress competition too. The Airedale on the left has a dotty top on with a sign saying "I'm a Dalmation", he he.

I think she must be a show 'Dale as she stands really nicely.

You can just see "Old Mother Hubbard" on the right. She was a little camera show. or just embarrassed maybe! The dog in the middle was "Chav Dog". A Chav in England is someone who wears a lot of sportswear brands like Burberry (hence the top), and lots of flashy gold jewellery. If you look closely you can see he has 2 big gold watches on his front legs.

Do you reckon there'll be an extra Airedale entering as "Sheriff Woody" next year, hmm!

We also played "Mummy Dog". Our hoomans had to see how much toilet tissue they could wrap us in before the time ran out. Mum & dad got a whole roll round me, but I kept eating the stuff off my front legs & face, so I didn't look as impressive as some of the bigger dogs.

The big dogs then did an Agility competition, but mum said I was too little & my bones weren't strong enough yet. It looked such fun though. Mum says I can start doing agility when I'm 12 months old with the lady who does my puppy class, so I can't wait!!!

Finally, there was a competition for "Best Trick", and do you know what? Little old me won first prize!! Against all the other grown up Airedales! I did "Shake Paw" & "Roll Over". Look at my cool rosette. I look a bit glum as I kept getting told not to chew it! I did get a big chew-chew though which I enjoyed lots later in the week.

I had such a fun day out with my Airedale friends, & can't wait to meet up with them again soon. The club organises walks, so hopefully mum & dad will take me to the next one.

I was so exhausted when I got home that I slept for HOURS! An Airedale Fun Day is a whole lotta fun for a little pup!

Licks,

Oscar x

Christmas is in the Aire

I'm a bandanna man!

Hiya,

Woo hoo, I got a present, I got a present. I was very excited as I don't get many presents as dad is really strict & says he doesn't want me to be a spoilt boy. Does he not know that I deserve presents every day just for being me!

Mum got me this cool Christmas neck tie with holly on it. Not real holly as mum said that's really prickly. I'd probably still have a shot at eating some if I saw it though, I just lurve eating plants, even dangerous ones, so mum has to keep a really close eye on me when we're out.

Apparently, a clever lady has been making them to raise pennies for an animal rescue place nearby where there are dogs, cats, and all kinds of other animals who have no owners & have to be looked after there until they hopefully find a new family to be adored by. I was really sad to hear this. I'm really glad that my original family took me back to my breeder's when they couldn't handle me rather than turfing me out on the street or taking me to the shelter.

I think I look kind of handsome. Sorry about showing off my boy bits, mum didn't check before she took the photo!

Mum says she's ordered my costume for the Christmas Party at puppy class. I think I told you the other day that she mentioned that I was going to go as "Woody the Cowboy" from Toy Story (as my pedigree name is Sherifs Sundance Kid). I'll model it for you when it arrives. Not sure about wearing a hat though. I don't think it will be staying on for long. Mum is dressing up as Jessie, who is apparently Woody's pal in the movie, so hopefully I won't feel quite so silly if we're both going in costume.

Mum is going to buy a digital camera at the weekend so that I can put pictures on my blog more easily. At the moment she's using dad's phone, so they're not great pictures, plus it's a bit of a fiddle to get them off the phone. Guess I'd better get used to posing lots, and you'd all better get used to seeing lots more of Oscar the Aire-boy!

Licks,

Oscar x

King of the Puppy Class

Pooped after Puppy Class!

Hey you guys,

Wow, so nice to see lots of you have found my blog & enjoyed reading about me. Thanks for all the comments about my cuteness/handsome-ness/rugged good looks. I am trying not to let it go to my head. Mum does tell me quite a lot, so I'm kind of used to it.

I had a busy day yesterday. I had my usual morning walk & saw my friend Sam. He's a Golden Lab & doesn't mind too much when I bite his face & whack him with my front paws, so he's pretty cool in my book. Weirdly, some dogs just don't go for that for reasons I just can't fathom. Mum says it's because they're not puppies any more, but I'm sure I'll still want to play when I'm all grown up. We went to play some football at lunchtime. I hadn't been able to do that for a few days as it has rained so much here that the field was really muddy & mum didn't want to have to bath me so soon after my posh new hair cut. I love getting muddy though, it feels goooooooodd!

In the evening I went to puppy class. I love going so much & when mum stops the car outside the hall I get a little crazy with excitement. She tried to make me go toilet before we went in, but I just wanted to get in there to see the others. I was a bit sad though as my bestest buddy Maverick the Great Dane has moved up to the adult class as mum said he's not really a puppy any more. Hopefully I'll see him again when I move up to the next class as he is a realy cool guy & he's way huger than me even. Still, there was a new Chocolate Lab to play with. He was quite naughty though & bit his mum a few times and made her fingers bleed. He did it to the instructor too, naughty boy! Now I have all my adult teeth I don't do that, but I'm sure mum can remember how sharp my puppy teeth were, he he. I think everyone liked my new hairdo, Molly the only foxy lady in my class even lay on her back & let me lick her, so she must think I'm sexy. Her mum said she's just a hussy, whatever that means.

I just have one thing to get ticked off now to get my Bronze Certificate. Hopefully I can do that next week & then I'll get my certificate the week after at our Puppy Class Christmas Party, woo hoo! Mum says dad is going to come along to that one to see how well I've been doing, so I'm looking forward to that already. I did hear some mention that I'm going to be wearing something called fancy dress, so not too sure what that involves. Mum seems to think that as I'm called Sherifs Sundance Kid, it would be cool to dress me as a cowboy. I saw she'd been looking on a website at an outfit called "Woody from Toy Story". Hmm...

To pass my Bronze Certificate I have had to:
Sit
Dog to sit in front of handler & stay in that position until told to move
Down
Do to go into down position on command in front of handler & stay until told to move
Walk on a loose lead
Dog to walk in a relaxed manner on left of handler without lagging or pulling
Come
Dog to come back to handler when called & have lead attached
Leave it
Dog to leave & take a titbit when tolf
Doorway Situation
Do to go through a gate/doorway in a controlled manner
Play
Handler to play with the dog, start & stop a game & be able to take any articles away from the dog
Controller Greeting
Do to be under control when being greeted & not jump up
Vet Check
Handler to be able to examine the dog's teeth, ears, feet etc without resistance
Grooming
Dog to accept being groomed by the handler

I just have my play to get signed off next week, but that should be cool as I'm pretty good at dropping a toy (well, apart from my tuggie, but that's just too much fun to give it up without a fight).

After puppy class we went to pick dad up. He had been helping his friends rip out their old kitchen as they've just moved house & are getting a new one fitted. They were really tired & dirty & had poorly hands from working so hard. I tried to lick dad's better. We walked to get Chinese takeaway. I really wanted to go in the shop as it smelled sooooooo good, but there was no way I was getting in there. Boring. So I just sat outside with mum looking cute & got lots of petting from passers by, so it worked out OK in the end.

I had hoped to snaffle some food when we got home, but I was just so pooped after my class & walk that I just couldn't keep my eyes open no matter how hard I tried. Good job I did get some shut eye, as one of the neighbour's car alarms went off at 6am & kept going on & off for over an hour, grr. Still, it meant mum got up a bit earlier & I got a longer walk, so all's well with my world.



Licks,
Oscar x

The changing faces of Oscar

Hey peeps,

We made a bit of a muddle of posting the photos in the last post, so thought we'd have another go!

Here's some pictures of my life so far.


Here I am with my 7 brothers on the day we were born. Poor mum looks like she could do with some sleep, but I don't suppose we gave her too much peace & quiet! We don't look at all like Airedales, more like little black rats!

That's me on the left with some of my brothers aged 1 month. We look really roly poly. And quite grumpy too actually. Maybe we were waiting for food. I love my food a lot! I'm sure we were doing lots of play fighting in between sleeping & eating.

Here are me & my brothers taking in the sights & smells of the great outdoors aged 6 weeks. As you can see we're already growing fast. I think judging by the fact we're all looking so well behaved we must have been waiting for our dinner. I'm sure we were soon back to mischief making!

This is me aged 4 months, just ater arriving at my new home. I had already been to one mum & dad at 8 weeks, but they thought I was too much of a handful, so they took me back to the breeders. Better than abandoning me I suppose, and I got to see my doggie mum & half brother again! After 2 weeks my new mum & dad came to collect me. They were going to get an 8 week old Airedale puppy, but heard about me, came to meet me, & fell in love. Well, who could resist? I look tiny in this photo now, as I have grown so much since I arrived at my new home. I think I weighed about 9 kilos here.

This is me at 5 months. As you can see, I'm growing rapidly. Mum thought I was getting a bit chubby, but as you can see from my hair cut picture below, it was all just fur! I know I look a bit peeved, but I was so sick of posing for photos! My puppy crate is in the background. I don't really need it anymore as I'm a well housetrained boy who has pretty much finished teething, but I still like to chill out in there.

This is me on my 6th month birthday this past weekend. I now weigh 16 kilos. I'd just been to be groomed for the first time. The lady there told mum & dad I'd been a really good boy, but I'd been so tired after all the bathing, trimming, drying & pampering that I'd had to have a power nap with some of the other pooches whilst waiting for mum & dad to come back & get me. I think I look rather handsome, even if I do say so myself. I have puppy class tonight so hopefully the ladies will be impressed with the all new sophisticated Mr Oscar.

Hope you enjoyed looking at me!

I'll let you know how I get on at puppy class this evening in tomorrow's posting. Hopefully I might get my bronze certificate tonight!

Licks,

Oscar x

Introducing Oscar the Airedale

Keeping an eye out for pesky squirrels

Hello,

My name is Oscar & I was 6 months old on November 26th 2006. I'm a pure breed Airedale Terrier & my Kennel Club name is Sherifs Sundance Kid. I was 1 of 8 brothers & as our breeder's registered name is Sherifs Airedales, they decided to name us all after cowboys, cool huh?

I went to live with some new owners at 8 weeks old, but they took me back to the breeder's aged 12 weeks as they said I was too much of a handful. I was sad that they didn't give me chance to settle in & show my true charm, but it was great to see my mum & breeders again.

Lucky for me, my new mum & dad came to my rescue & gave me a new home aged 14 weeks. I have been happy there ever since, learning lots & growing rapidly. When I arrived I weighed 9 kilos (19 pounds) & was a fuzzy little pup. I now weigh over 16 kilos (35 pounds) & look like much more of a grown up boy, especially since I got my first haircut last week.

I go to puppy class every week & I really love it. I have been going for 6 weeks & am about to receive my Bronze Award, so mum is very proud of me. I have a few friends there who don't mind playing with me - a lot of the dogs I see when out walking are far too mature to play with a lowly puppy like me.

As I said, I live with my mum & dad, and my sister Flakes, a very big, hairy black & white pussy cat. She's 15 years old & is a bit grumpy. Actually, amke that a lot grumpy. She likes to swipe my nose if I get too near her or her dinner, so I'm learning to steer clear of her (or just eat her food when she's not around!).

I love eating, playing fetch for ages, chewing my bones, stealing socks, eating some more, going for long walks, finding sticks & plastic bottles to carry home, getting filthy whilst digging or jumping in puddles, my pink squeaky bone & sleeping after all that fun.

Well, I hope you'll enjoy reading about all my adventures.

Lot of love & licks,

Oscar x