Fruits, Vegetables & A Time Capsule

Don't you just hate sticky buds? You innocently poke your nose into the bushes to have a good sniff, and when you emerge you've been attacked by a swarm of evil tentacled seed pods!

Anyhow, on to more interesting thing! My very cute Beagle pals Jazz and Dixie tagged me to play a cool game. They recently went to a park in Tokyo where there's a time capsule which was buried in 1982. It will be opened in 2032, how cool! I wonder what's in there?

Anyhow, seeing the time capsule got them thinking and they asked - "If you doggies/Girl Girl were going to make a time capsule to be opened some time in the future what would you put in there for the doggies/hamsters of the future? Name five important things that you would include and then pass it on to five other friends".

Hmm, now I have been thinking hard about this and I have decided that I would put in:

1. The website link to Dogs with Blog, though I'm sure in only a few more years, DWB will be world famous without the help of my time capsule.

2. My Wubba! This is the best toy ever. You can tug it, squeak it, bounce it, chew it and you can even get ones that float for watery fun - it's sooooo cool!

3. The recipe for Frosty Paws, courtesy of Nanook and Pooka. No doggy should ever not know about the delicious cool creaminess of this homemade frozen delight

4. My fave treat, homemade dried liver. I actually think the delicious smell coming from this might make someone crack open the time capsule before time though!

5. My cat sister Fat Flakes. Well, if I have to put up with her, the dogs of the future should share my pain too!

I am now going to tag Persephone and Buster, Pappy, Pippa, Wimsey and Sophie. Look forward to hearing your answers guys!

I also got tagged by my new buddy Johann. He's a Sheltie who is a master of all things agility related. I hope one day I am a tenth as good as him.

I'll pass over to him to explain the tag.

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There are all kinds of fruits and veggies that are good for us dogs, right? Well, let's make a list! And get some link love in the process.

Instructions:

1.) Copy and paste the matrix of “Fruits/Veggies LinkLove” below, courtesy of Johann The Dog!

2.) Substitute the Host Tag and one of the “Fruits/Veggies” in the matrix with the name of the fruit or veggie and URL of your blog.

3.) Be sure that the fruit or veggie that you list is REALLY safe for dogs. Do your research, K?

4.) When you get a ping back from someone that has your link in one of their “Fruits/Veggies”, practice good paw by copying his/her Host Tag’s anchor text (automatically the associated link will also be copied) and paste it over one of your “Fruits/Veggies” below.

5.) Encourage and invite your readers to do the same and soon this can grow fast. And if your not a dog, but your blog about dogs you are also welcome to participate - just make sure you do your research! Safety first!

Host Tag: Oscar the Airedale - cherries

1. Blueberries - JohannTheDog
2. Bananas - Tip Tail
3. Apples - The Adventures of Spencer: Sticker Dog's Mascot's Blog
4. Fruit
5. Fruit
6. Fruit
7. Fruit
8. Fruit
9. Fruit
10. Fruit
11. Fruit
12. Fruit
13. Fruit
14. Fruit
15. Fruit
16. Carrots - Utah Collie Rescue
17. Tomatoes - Ayla the Newf - I'd like to note that green tomatoes and the plants themselves are not safe for them to eat but ripe tomatoes should not be a problem.
18. Sweet Potato - Furbaby Frenzy
19. Veggie
20. Veggie
21. Veggie
22. Veggie
23. Veggie
24. Veggie
25. Veggie
26. Veggie
27. Veggie
28. Veggie
29. Veggie
30. Veggie

Important: Once I get a ping back from you (I promise to do the best I can), I will add your anchor text and the associated link you designate as “Host Tag” here, replacing one of the “Fruits/Veggies” from the matrix above. As more and more doggie bloggers copy and paste this matrix, the more backlinks you will have with your anchor text. If everybody who copies and pastes from your blog does the same, pretty soon this will spread and go viral. So, the sooner you participate, the more links with anchor text you will receive.

There it is folks. This should help you improve your Technorati ranking, SERP and Google PR and get you noticed with more blogs - we all like making friends, right? Please leave a comment here if you have copied from this matrix so that I can add you just in case your ping-back didn’t reach me.

Remember, before giving anything to your dog, research or ask your vet if the food is safe. Obligatory disclaimer: No entities and individuals participating or involved in this project will be liable for any injury or illness that could arise from feeding your dog the items listed and included in this list. Practice responsibility, K?


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I am master of the fruits and veggies, I like most stuff that we're allowed to eat, and I'm pretty sure I'd give the stuff we're not supposed to eat a good try too. Greedy, moi?!

Have a good weekend all. Hopefully we are off to pick up something from Snitchy Bug Dog Designs which is waiting at the Post Office later today so look out for Oscar the Airedale AKA Sherif Sundance Kid coming soon to a blog near you!

Licks
Oscar x

Rockin' Smiley Guy

Look what my rockin' girl buddy Ruby awarded me! Thanks Ruby! My pal Toffee also thought I was worthy.

I'm going to pass the love to my blogging buddies Marvin, Loui and Kevin the Brit Boys!


I also got tagged by the lovely Chilli to show you my smile. Now I'm not really a big beam kind of a chap, even when I am very happy. I prefer a cheeky little grin.

All kinds of things can make me smile - mum and dad, my hooman step sisters, my friends, food, toys...but in this particular case, mum had just asked if I wanted to go walkies with Poppy, guaranteed to make me a happy boy!

I'm not too sure who hasn't been tagged yet, but I fancy a Poodle grin-a-thon so I'm tagging Triple B, Chelsea and T-Man. Come on guys, show us your pearly whites!

Licks
Oscar x

My New Uncle!

Hmm, for some reason I don't seem to be able to give my posts any titles at the moment. I couldn't when I posted about agility the other day and I still can't today. Very odd.

Anyhow, look at this little cutie pie! It's my grandma and grandad's new dog! Now those of you who have been reading my blog for a little while may remember that my grandma and grandad moved to Spain in March and that their two poodles were stolen/lost en route by the company transporting them. You can read about it here and see some photos of Sammi and Suzy here.

Grandma and grandad spent a lot of time and energy looking for Sammi and Suzi but they were simply nowhere to be found. It took them some time to mourn for them and get used to the idea that they probably wouldn't ever know what had really happened to them.

They have been settling into life in Spain and are buying a lovely house out there. Grandad is playing his guitar lots and earning some Euros and they are beginning to relax and enjoy their retirement.

And then today I got an email from B'Jay! It seems like he's adopted grandma and grandad! He's a little Bichon Frisé and is cute as a button I think you'll agree!


He told me that he has his very own paddling pool to play in and loves splashing about in the water, although it gets very hot in the afternoons in Spain. I expect he goes off to have his siesta when the sun gets too much.

He also told me he likes chewing shoelaces! I wonder if he'll learn to untie them like I can? I can hardly believe any doggie with a face as cute as that could do anything naughty can you?

He said he also like to run really fast around the house and skid along on the tiled floors. Eek, sounds a bit scawie to me. I'll tell him to make sure he doesn't hurt his little legs.

I am so glad B'Jay has come along to cheer grandma and grandad up. Of course he won't ever replace Sammi and Suzy, but I know he'll keep them smiling!

Licks

Oscar x

Agility 7th July 2007

Hello, hope you are having a lovely weekend. I can hardly believe it but it has actually stopped raining here! Yes, we had a whole day with no rain yesterday for the first time in weeks. Mum even risked hanging some washing out, amazing! This morning is quite bright so far too. Once my breakfast has gone down and I have done my round of the blogs, we are off out for a nice walkie!

So yesterday was my 5th agility class. I think I am starting to get more focused now that I am familiar with all the equipment. I am really enjoying it and hope that mum can find me a place at a proper club sometime soon. This class is just a fun class (good job sometimes the way we can all carry on!), but is good for getting used to the equipment.

Here's my first run from yesterday. I still like to try and clamber on the dog walk part way up the ramp. Dad said it's mums fault as she doesn't being me round so I'm at the start of the ramp. Nice to know it's mum being a doofus, not me!



And here's my second attempt. There's not much difference in the two, but I come off the end of the ramp a bit better in this one. Mum has realised that I go a lot better if she doesn't use a treat apart from on the weaves where I still need a bit of help remembering what I have to do. When she was using a treat near the tunnels, I wasn't wanting to go through as I was too distracted by the power of the cheese. That's why you can see her getting a biscuit out of her pocket as I come out of the second tunnel.



If you compare it to the video below taken in my first class, you can see how I am more confident on the equipment, especially the dog walk. Mum says that's because I am becoming a lot more aware that I have back legs as well as front ones. What?! Of course I know I have back legs, otherwise I'd be scooting around on my fuzzy little bottom all day. Crazy lady!



As my agility class is run by the same people as my obedience, I had a go at the 2 minute stand from my Platinum. I had the urge to sit down about 1 minute 45 in, ah well!



Licks

Oscar x

Golden Boy

Hey, hey, hey, here's my certificate! Pretty nice isn't it? Do you like my expression? I'm trying to act like getting my gold was no big deal. Whatever! I am REALLY pleased with myself! It's already up on the wall with my other certificates and rosettes.

Here is is in close up.

To get my gold award I had to:

1 Sit - Dog to sit on command whilst a distance away from handler

2 Down - Dog to go into down position whilst a distance away from handler

3 Walk without a lead - Dog to walk by the side of handler and be able to halt, sit and move on without being on a lead

4 Come to heel - Dog to return to handler's side when called and continue walking to heel

5 Leave it - Dog to walk past and ignore food, tit bits and toys on the floor

6 Sit-stay - Dog to stay in the sit position for 5 minutes whilst a distance away from handler

7 Down-stay - Dog to stay in a down position for 5 minutes whilst a distance away from handler

8 Seek - Dog to seek out and bring back an article (one of the dog's toys or article supplied by trainer)

Along with my silver award which I passed in March. Here's what I had to do.

1 Sit - Dog to sit in front & at each side of the handler & stay until told to move

2 Down - Do to go into a down position in front & at each side of handler & stay in that position until told to move

3 Walk on a loose lead - Dog to walk in a controlled manner in a circle & a figure of eight pattern

4 Come when called - Dog to come back to handler on command ignoring any distractions & have a lead attached

5 Leave it - Dog to walk past & around other dogs in a controlled manner

6 Calmness - Dog to wait patiently whilst owner has a conversation with another person

7 Fetch - Handler to throw an article. The dog must pick up the article, bring it back & allow the handler to take it from them

8 Car - Dog to enter & leave a car in a controlled manner

And my bronze which I passed just before Christmas. In order to pass this I had to:

1 Sit - Dog to sit in front of the handler

2 Down - Dog to go into down position in front of handler

3 Walk on a loose lead -No pulling

4 Come when called

5 Leave it - Leave/ignore a titbit of food

6 Play - Dog and handler to play with a toy and dog to allow handler to take the toy

7 Controlled greeting - Dog to meet people without jumping up

8 Vet check - Dog to allow handler to inspect teeth, ears, eyes and body

9 Grooming - Dog to allow handler to groom it

10 Doorway situation - Dog to allow handler to go through a gate or doorway first while waiting calmly until called through

When I first started classes at the end of October I had only been with mum and dad a month or so and I was pretty crazy still. It was hard to imagine I'd ever pass this level, never mind progress any further. I guess that goes to show you what you can do if you put your mind to it. I love a good challenge!

And I'll need to. Tracey gave mum and I the criteria for the platinum award last night and all I can say is....GULP!

1 Drop on recall - Dog to be left in the sit position, to be called but must stop and go into down position where indicated

2 Stand stay - Dog to stay in the stand position for two minutes

3 Sit stay - Dog to stay in the sit position for five minutes whilst the handler is out of sight

4 Down stay - Dog to stay in the down position for five minutes whilst the handler is out of sight

5 Heelwork - Dog to heel at normal, slow and fast pace whilst off the lead

6 Leave it - Dog to walk past/over food and toys whilst off lead. Only voice commands are allowed

7 Distance control - Dog must go into the sit, down and stand position whilst the handler is at least 2 yards away (just under 2 metres)

8 Scent - Dog to retrieve the piece of cloth with the handler's scent on it (from 3 pieces of cloth)

9 Send away - Dog to go to an indicated point. No aids are allowed

10 Retrieve - Dog to retrieve and article of the judges choice

Yikes! I reckon I can do numbers 2, 5, 6, 7 and 10 without too much difficulty, but 5 minute sits and downs while mum isn't there, hmm! Ah well, I guess learning that little lot will keep me out of mischief for a while!

Licks

Oscar x

The Scoop on Mum & Dad

Happy 4th July to all of you celebrating today. I hope you get sunny weather, good food, fun with your families and not too many scawie fireworks. I put my stars and stripes banner that Putter sent me on to get in the spirit!

Now lovely Reina tagged me so I thought I'd join in the fun and give you the lowdown on my folks. It's been fun reading everyone's interviews and details on their own family.

Here are my mum and dad. This was taken at the end of the night at a Christmas party, hence why they both look very drunken! There was a fake snow machine apparently, and that's what is floating around all over the photo.

As you can see, both mum and dad are red heads, which means they can both have pretty fiery tempers at times! They are both pretty stubborn too. However, they love each other very much, so they never stay cross with each other for too long. Dad is 3 1/2 years older than mum, but I think he still looks pretty good for his age, hehehe. People usually think mum is a lot younger than she is, which she is always happy about! They aren't married (how shocking), but hopefully if they ever do tie the knot I can be a page boy at the wedding. I can wear a bow tie like the one dad has on in the photo!

Dad has 2 daughters. As I think you know, they come to see us every other week. They used to be quite scared of me as their dog is an old, very docile Border Collie and my puppy energy was a bit full on. Now they have realised that I only get excited for 5 minutes or so when they first arrive (well I haven't seen them for almost 2 weeks so of course I go a little crazy!). They play with me lots now and give me the best rubs and tickles. They now also have a new puppy of their own, another Border Collie, so now they get full on puppy fun 24/7!

E is 6 and J is 4. They are both super smart. E is already a year ahead in school and still finds the work easy. J will start school in September and no doubt will be a little star too.

My mum works in finance and is studying to be a fully qualified accountant. She has a degree in European languages (French, Spanish and Catalan) and lived out in France (Lyon) and Spain (Barcelona) as part of her degree which she says was great. She has taught me French so I can talk to my Swiss Miss, the beautiful Faya. Mum enjoys reading, running, TV and films, cooking (and eating LOTS), languages and looking after and loving me and my fat cat sis Flakes. She has 1 younger sister.

My dad works with computers and IT, though I don't know what "it"is. He looks after the computer system for the company where he works, and also installs the software and hardware the company makes and sells in their customer's premises. My dad really wanted a Border Collie or a Welsh Springer Spaniel puppy, but mum has always wanted an Airedale and managed to persuade him. Guess she was the more stubborn one that time! He found me hard work at first as he was used to Border Collies who are very obedient, submissive and eager to please, but now he loves me lots (apart from when I try to knock his new aquarium over when looking at Mr Plec). Dad has 2 older sisters and 1 younger brother.

So there you have it. I didn't tell you much about Flakes, but because I am in a happy mood this week after my DWB win and obedience award success, I have said I might let her do a post later this week. It depends how nice she is to me so we'll see...

Licks
Oscar x

Gold! Always Believe In Your Soul!

Hello to you all! So I won the Awesome Blog poll alongside handsome Spanish senor Verdi! Congrats to you Verdi, and also to Gus for winning featured blog!

But that wasn't the only good thing to happen on Saturday, oh no! Guess which handsome young Airedale passed his Gold obedience award? Yes siree, I did it FINALLY! Woo hoo! It was dad who eventually got me through. I actually ended up doing about a 7 - 8 minute sit, as the first time we got a couple of minutes in and some man came slamming through the door of the hall where we have class and me and the other dog who was doing the test jumped a mile. Dad got me settled again almost immediately but Jasmine took another minute to settle again. When we got to about 4 1/2 minutes the stoopid man came back in again, but dad said "sit!" really firmly so I thought I'd better keep my cute little bottom on the floor. I will get my certificate at my Wednesday obedience class so I'll make sure to get a photo of it for you. Mum and I thought that was the end of the award scheme, but Tracey who runs the club told us that she has just finished putting together a Platinum award, so now we're going to give that a try (gulp!). I enjoy class and we were going to keep going anyway, so we may as well keep my brain active learning even more obedience.

The rest of Saturday's class was agility as usual. Mum didn't think we had the camera (though it was actually in my bag), so there are no videos or photos. We did weaves, tunnel, dog walk, tyre, 2 jumps then collapsible tunnel to finish and I did pretty well. I have definitely got my balance much better on the dog walk now and don't scramble up it in an ungainly fashion.

In the afternoon we went for a nice walk, and I found a funny yellow ring on my fields. At first I was very unsure what to make of it.

I was being cautious rather than wimpish, OK? That thing could have been dangerous. You can see how you could get your legs caught in it. I sniffed it, but it didn't smell of much.



I tasted it, but it didn't taste of much apart from plastic.

I decided to try having a little play with it.

I decided to claim it as my own after deciding it was quite safe and could actually be good fun to play with. I carried it some of the way home, but it got hard work so lovely mum carried it the rest of the way. She's so well trained!

The rest of the weekend was pretty much a wash out - it's still raining torrentially here if you can believe it. The risk of more flooding up where grandma and mum's friend live has subsided a little which I'm sure is a relief for everyone in those areas. Here it is more of a nuisance than anything. I don't get to hang around and sniff or leave pee mail as much on walks as I get marched round quicker than normal, and our house is like a laundry with clothes drying everywhere. This would be a good thing if the socks were within my grasp, but sadly they are well out of reach. Please come out soon sun!

Licks

Oscar x