Terrier Tagged

Hey all. Seems I've been tagged by Sunshade - ooh, first time to be tagged

The Rules: The player of this game starts with "3 things he/ she would love to get for Christmas" and also has to list "3 things he/ she definitely does not want to get for Christmas". Then he/she tags 5 friends and list their names. The ones who get tagged need to write on their blogs about their Christmas wishes, as well as state this rule clearly, then tag 5 more victims. And the one who tags need to leave a comment that says "you've been Christmas tagged!" in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

OK, let's see...

3 things I would LOVE to get for Christmas

1) Some snow pleeeeeeeeeeeeease
2) A HUMUNGOUS marrow bone
3) Lot's of walks & fun with mum & dad over their holiday from work

3 things I definitely DON'T want for Christmas

1) No scary fireworks over Christmas & New Year
2) No more wearing stoopid cowboy outfits
3) No lump of coal Santa Paws 'cos I'm being REALLY good

I am going to tag Boo, Charlie Kellie-Church, Opy, Kevin & Loui

Licks,
Oscar x

Pooch Party

Well my friends, the day of the much awaited Christmas party finally arrived yesterday. I was pretty excited anyway, as I can usually sense when it's puppy class day. I was a little confused when dad got in the car too as he doesn't usually come with us. However, as soon as we got near the hall I could tell where we were headed!

I had to get my costume on in the car park before we went in as mum hadn't trusted me to sit nicely in the car whilst wearing it. Something about chewing it. Does she not realise I'm now a mature man of 6 1/2 months? Hmm...

Anyhow, once we were all dressed up, in we went. Dad was put in charge of the camera, but he didn't take many photos, and quite a few of those were pretty blurred as we were all running around like crazies!

He did manage to get one photo of me & mum though. Excuse the glum expression, but I just wanted to go & meet my friends. Mum was the only hooman to dress up, boring lot, & I have to say the other dogs didn't do much better. My girlfriend Molly had a cute Christmas cape on, Bracken had some antler ear, & Annie had a pink sparkly neckerchief on, but apart from that it was a bit dull. The bonus for me & mum was that we won hands down, & that I got LOTS of attention for looking so damn cute!


This is Harvey. He's the baby of the class. He's a Chocolate Lab. He's the one who made his mummy's fingers bleed the other week as he's still really nippy & gets really over excited at class still. He seems to grow huger week by week!

The first game was Pass the Parcel. The hoomans passed a package around to music, & when it stopped whoever had it had to unwrap some paper & find the trick us doggies had to do before the game continued. It didn't ever stop on us, but my friend Paddy the Poodle had to do a down-stay, and some of the others had to do tricks too. Georgie the Springer Spaniel won. Well done Georgie!

We played quite a few more games including Musical Chairs & an Egg & Spoon race. Dad recorded them & they are at the bottom of the post. It was soooooooo much fun.

There was food & drink for the hoomans, but none for us, so mum gave me some treats as I was doing the games. I did try to steal a few bit of food from the table, but mum was in there faster than a speeding cowboy bullet. Darn it!

After the games, it was awards time. First I got my Bronze Certificate.

Then my pretty little lady Molly won a really shiny cup for "Best Puppy" of the year. She also got her Silver Certificate, what a girl. Her mum is only a little girl herself, so she has done really well. Molly was so excited & was leaping about all over the place!

It was then time to go home. Boo! The time seemed to have passed so quickly & I could have played for much longer.

Mum & Dad went to Domino's on the way home to get pizza as they were so hungry apparently. Huh? What about me??? You had food at the party! And I hadn't even had my dinner yet! At the shops by Domino's we met mum & dad's friend Sharon & her West Highland Terrier. I think he thought I was pretty cool in my cowboy clobber, and the hoomans thought I was super cute.

We went home & mum & dad started munching their pizza. Now normally I'm pretty well behaved when they're eating as so far they've never let me have so much as a crumb of their food (apart from bits that have dropped), so I kind of know by now that I'm not getting anything & go off & do my own thing. But last night I was making a real fuss, sniffing around the table & not interested in my toys. They couldn't work out why I was being so insistent, until mum suddenly realised that in all the excitement of getting ready for the party, I'd not had my dinner! Gee mum, get your priorities sorted. She still made me wait until they'd finished stuffing themselves though, and I was soooo hungry after all the running about at the party, & smelling their pizza wafting over me.

Anyhow, once I had a full belly, I was able to check out my goodies from the party. I won this cool Christmas tuggy for the Fancy Dress. It did have a nice red tennis ball on the end, but we were all kind of playing about with it at the party, & it got shredded! I think it was Georgie the Springer Spaniel as he's a bit wild. It's still a cool toy though.

This was my present from Santa Paws. It's a bone made from tennis ball stuff, but is a lot tougher than the red one was. Mum says it will float in water like Sunshade's yellow ring toy, so maybe I will be brave & give this swimming malarky a try sometime.

Mum won this for me in the Tombola. There were lots of gifts with different numbers attached & you paid the lady some money & picked bits of paper out of a bucket. They had numbers on too, & if you matched one up you won that prize. I think dad was hopeful for one of the bottles of whisky that were on the table, but mum won some bubble bath & other stuff for herself (seems like hoomans, especially mum ones like baths & showers & smelling good, funny people), and this really bouncy ball & some rawhide chews for me. I don't think I'll get to eat the chews. I think mum will give them to Paddy the Poodle's mum, as no doubt she'll say they'll give me funny tummy. I did try to eat them through the plastic bag without much success!

I am a little bit worried now, as mum & dad were saying that as I got so many new toys at the party, they might have to tell Santa Paws not to bring me too much for Christmas! Noooooooo! That's not fair, I've been trying so hard to be good, and that Flakes has presents, you've seen them. Hmph!

Anyway, here's a picture of my certificate. It's pretty nice looking I have to say. not sure why mum got her name on there though - after all, it was me that did all the hard work! Mum says she will frame it, and we can put it on the wall so everyone will know what a clever boy I am. Hopefully there'll soon be a silver one to go with it.

All that's left to show you are the videos. I think some of them are a bit long so be warned!

Off to have a snooze as I'm still pretty tired from all the excitement!

Licks,
Oscar x

The first video is of the "Egg & Spoon race. Paddy the Poodle & my mum's friend Kim are up first for our team, then me & mum. The cutie who goes after me doesn't normally come to class as she is a grown up girlie, but her mum helps out so she came along to. her little pink t-shirt said "Too Cute" and she really was! Last but not least was the lovely Molly.

This video is of "Pass the Parcel" that I told you about earlier in this post. This was a bit boring for us while they were all passing the parcel thing around so we were playing with my tuggy that I won, so I think this is when the tennis ball sustained critical damage, oops!

This final video is of "Musical Chairs". This was a lot of fun. The video is a bit long as me & mum got down to the last 2! We lost out to my girl Molly & her grandma, so I didn't mind too much. At about 1 minute 50 in, a lady goes to pet me & I decide to give her lots of face licks which I don't think she was expecting. I don't normally kiss many people, but she was a really nice lady.

My Fat Sister

I know I have mentioned my cat sister a few times, & mum has told me that it's only fair that I introduced her to you all. I know probably not all of you are huge cat fans, so look away now those that aren't.

Her name is Flakes. I think it's a pretty stoopid name, but mum & dad said she was already called that when mum got her from the rescue centre, so they didn't want to change it, same as I was already called Oscar (well, at least that's a sensible name!) She's nearly 15 years old, so a really old lady, but there's not much wrong with her reflexes, as she can still give me a good swipe on the nose if I get too close when she's in a mood!

This is her in her pink palace. It's really dad's little girls room for when they come to stay, but Flakes likes to "look after it" the rest of the time, cos she thinks she's a bit of a princess and needs a pink boudoir.

She's really, really furry, which kind of drives mum crazy sometimes as where ever she goes, she leaves big lumps of fur in her wake. She HATES being groomed though, and cries like a big baby whenever anyone tries to! Believe me, that cute ickle face belies an evil scary cat monster when a hair brush appears!

This is her food, which I like to steal, erm I mean taste to make sure it's OK for her to eat, when ever I get the opportunity. See, it's called "Go Cat". Yeah, Go Away Cat and let Oscar eat all your food! Mum doesn't like me eating it as I have quite a sensitive stomach & get ill if I eat almost anything apart from my food & treats made by http://wellbeloved.co.uk. Flakes' food is cheap stuff, but she gets ill if she has good quality food. Go figure!

And anyway, look - the water bowl may say CAT, but the food is free for anyone!

This is Flakes' favourite toy, and about the only one that I haven't claimed as my own! It doesn't squeak or do much, so I'm not that interested in it, and I figure even a 15 year old old lady has to have a little fun.

I was a bit put out to find this yesterday. It looks suspiciously like a present for the little madame from mum's sister. Hmm, there had better be one for me somewhere too or I won't be a happy boy! Maybe it is true what mum & dad keep saying about only good boys & girls getting presents!!!

It's my Christmas Party at puppy class tonight. Hopefully there'll be some good fun & games. Probably food too, not that mean mum will let me have any I bet in case I get ill. No doubt mum will make me post the photos of me & her in our Woody & Jessie outfits tomorrow for you all to admire (laugh at).

Licks

Oscar x

A Walk Around My Neighbourhood

Hiya,

As the weather is dry again (miracle of miracles), I thought I'd drag mum out & give you a tour of my neighbourhood. Even though I live in a large town, I am lucky that around my house, there are some really good places to walk.

This bit of park is right outside my house, & there are pathways all around my estate for me & the hoomans to go walkies so we are away from the cars. We have had fun exploring & discovering lots of different routes. Mum is much braver when dad is with us though, as she has no sense of direction whatsoever!

This is the park where my dad's little girls like to play when they come at weekends. It has been so rainy that it has been underwater for a few weeks! Looks fairly dry today though.

I never miss the opportunity to have a game of "fetch" while we're out. This is my yellow tennis ball - I'm not so good at giving this back as some of my other fetch toys as it's just so good to chomp on. I found it whilst out on a walk & claimed it as mine!

As a good neighbour & citizen, I think it's important to keep my area tidy & free from litter, so I'm always extra careful to pick up anything I find en route. Tsk, someone's dropped a banana skin, that could be dangerous, better pick it up & eat it.

This is a bit of a funny picture. I'm having a drink out of my current favourite muddy puddle, so you can't really see my head too well. Don't ask me why it tastes beter than water in my bowl, it just does. OK mum?

This lane leads to the fields where I can get off my stupid lead & have a proper run about, hence the rather peeved expression as I just wanted mum to get a shuffle on & get there instead of keep pointing that THING at me!

Finally arrived. The place is called Seven Fields. Any guesses why?! There are supposed to be foxes, squirrels & all kinds of wildlife here, but I haven't seen anything apart from birds & other dogs so far. Maybe they hear me coming & hide. Maybe I'm just too busy having fun to notice.

As you can see, there's LOADS of fields, so plenty of space to have a really good play & use up some of my terrier energy.

First though, I always have to have a sniff about to see who has been here since my last visit. Have to stake my claim you see. Don't want any old riff raff using the fields.

Look how much space there is to run around in - and that's just one field, never mind the other 6!

There's a stream too, but I'm not too sure about water (apart from the lovely muddy puddles), so I haven't ventured in yet. Maybe when it's a bit warmer next year, brr.

I found a great stick while we were out, so I had to drag it home to add to my collection.

Back home now. Sometimes my fat sister, Flakes the Cat, is sat in the upstairs window keeping watch, but not today. Probably too busy stuffing her face while I'm not there to steal her dinner, greedy Miss.

Because of the awful rain we have been having, the garden was getting like a swamp, and I kept trotting LOTS of mud into the house, so mean dad fenced of the lawn until spring. As he pointed out, I do go out 3 times a day for play & walkies, so don't really need to be on the lawn, but I was still a bit fed up. I have managed to break through the fence once, but now security has been tightened up so don't think I'll get another chance unless come up with a very cunning plan!

Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed looking around my stomping ground. Glad I'm back in the warm, as it's raining again!

Licks,

Oscar x

Helping mum

Mum had a busy weekend this weekend as she had been studying hard for her exam which she sat last week (she's doing her accountancy training), so the housework had been a little neglected. Now her exam is out of the way, she thought she's better get back to it. Like any good son (especially one who knows Christmas is on the way & is hoping for some decent presents), I thought I'd do my bit & help out.

First, I thought I'd better do a bit of washing up. Normally I just try to lick clean any plates or glasses that are left around, but mum doesn't seem to think that's too hygenic for some weird reason, so I did it the "proper" way.

Once they were all squeaky clean I thought I'd better dry them up & put them away. Just thought I'd better make sure first that there were no bubbles left on anything.

They all looked fine, so I went in search of a tea towel. Unfortunately, I got a little bit distracted at this point & had to have a bit of a mess around with it. Well, all work & no play makes Oscar a dull boy.

Mum decided to put the dishes away herself, and we moved on to some dusting. Here I am checking that the polish smells good. Yep, that should make the house smell nice & fresh, atchoo!

I know I was supposed to be dusting the furniture, but it was so much more fun to toss the cloth around & wave it about (AKA shaking the dust out of it - still helping out ya see if you're reading Santa).

All that cleaning left me pretty tired. Aren't I a good boy being so helpful though? The only thing mum didn't want my help with was sorting out the washing. She doesn't trust me not to steal socks. Honestly mum, just because the one time I was left alone in a room with the washing on the airer & took every single sock off it (about 30 socks), & tossed them all over the room, doesn't mean I can't be trusted does it? Oh, it does. Ah well. Mum said it looked like it had been snowing socks when she came in as they were all over the floor, sofa, in my crate, EVERYWHERE! I'd had such fun though that it was totally worth the ticking off!!

Thanks for all your kind comments on my football skills. I did some more practice over the weekend, so watch out team England, I'll be joining you soon. Looks like I could be meeting Miss Sunshade in some international competition after seeing her soccer skills. Fantastic! Check out the cool dancing elf she made of me

http://www.elfyourself.com/?userid=1511d1ff3575faca80f1264G20061209

I'm liking the dance moves!

Licks,

Oscar x

Move over David Beckham

Hiya,

Now I'm sure all of you know how much the Brits like their football, & I am no exception. I love nothing more than a good old game of footie (that's soccer to you my North American friends).

I haven't been able to play as much as I would have liked recently as it has been so wet & rainy here (yes it is true what they say about it raining a lot here in England) & boring mum doesn't like me getting too muddy, even though I have no qualms about being as muddy as I possibly can - apart from the fact that a shower normally follows...yuck.

So I was pretty excited to see it was a lovely sunny day yesterday, and even more excited when mum got my football out of the car boot as we set off for a walk. I had wondered where she had hidden it. I was pretty excited, so ran off ahead to try & hurry her along a bit, as she can be so s-l-o-w sometimes. Look at my scary shadow in the picture above - I look huge!

First I honed some dribbling skills, working my way up the field past mum. Once I've got hold of the ball, it's pretty hard to get it off me again.

Next I had a go in goal, with mum kicking some shots at me. No way was that ball getting past me. As you can see, it's got tassles on the sides so it's easy to get a good hold of it...

...As demonstrated here when mum tried to take it off me when it was finally time to go home. But mum, it's miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnne!

Check out my sulky face now as I really didn't want to go home, but mum was moaning on about having to go back to work to earn pennies to keep me in the manner to which I've become accustomed. Fair enough I suppose, but I still had to register my displeasure. Can't let those humans think they've got the upper hand all the time, can we?

This is mum's first attempt at a video on the new camera. Thanks to the very lovely Sunshade for the help on getting it uploaded onto my blog - I would NEVER have managed it on my own - far to complicated for my little puppy brain. I think she needs to turn the quality up on her camera as it's a bit fuzzy, so we'll try again over the weekend.

Here's to the next World Cup!

Licks,

Oscar x

An Exciting Day!!!

Hello you guys,

Yesterday was such an exciting day for me. I don't know if I mentioned that my dad has been away for 3 days with his work. Well, me & mum have missed him soooo much. I have been keeping a vigil by the front door in case he came in. Every time I heard a car, or one of the neighbours going in or out of their houses I would look at mum hopefully, but she kept saying "No Oscar, he's not back today".

Well, yesterday when we me & mum got home from puppy class, dad was home! I was sooo excited & just had to have a bit of a crazy run around & give him LOADS of kisses to let him know how pleased I was to have him back. For the rest of the evening I sat with him in case he disappeared again, & even when he came downstairs this morning I let him know how pleased I was that he was here. I think dad was a bit surprised by just how excited I was to see him as he has always thought that I was a real "Mummy's Boy" & not that into him. I love him LOADS, just most of the time I have to keep up the macho appearance so he doesn't think I'm to much of a big girl, what with my favourite toy being a pink squeaky bone an' all!

In other news, I passed my Bronze Award at puppy class last night, so I should get my certificate at our Christmas party next week. Mum says now the serious work starts for my Silver Award, but I've already looked & I can do quite a few of the exercises already, so don't sweat it mum.

The other big excitement of the day was that I got a Christmas card! Yes, even though we weren't part of the Christmas card exchange this year as mum hadn't told me about this blogging business in time & I didn't know many of you guys, Faya still emailed mum & asked for our address so she could send me a card. Mum kept it a secret, so when we checked the post, this was among all the other boring stuff:

Mum even let me open it myself. Normally she grabs any post I get my pearly whites into.

It was quite tough to open though, so I did relent & ask mum for some help.

Look how cute Faya looks in her Christmas hat. She's a really pretty Swiss Miss.

Mum made me pose with Faya's card, but as you can tell from my face, I REALLY wanted to give it a good nibble. I could smell Faya on the card & it was GOOD!

Merci Faya pour la carte de Noel si belle. Tu es tres jolie dans ta chapeau de noel rouge.

Bisous,

Oscar xxx

Well, that's all for now. Mum is off to work out how she can put video clips on my Blog. Any ideas anyone?

Licks,

Oscar x

Yee Ha! Sheriff Oscar's in Town

Hello all,

Well, there was no option left but to have a look at this infamous outfit. Mum kindly informed me that she'd had to get me a large size even though I'm only 6 months old. Gee, thanks mum. I'm sure you'd love me making an issue out of your size. Sunshade, I saw you asked how much I weigh. Well, I'm 17 kilos, which I think is around 37 pounds, so I still have some growing to do. Mum think I'm going to be a big boy. As you can see from the picture above, after the size comments, I was a little reluctant to pose nicely.

Then mum persuaded me (as in bribed me with treats) to show you all how I look as she pointed out that a lot of you had been waiting to see the pictures, so here goes. The hat is a bit squashed from being in the packet, but hopefully it will straighten out a bit before my party.

Whaddya think? I don't think I look as silly as I thought I might. In fact, I think I even manage to carry it off with a certain panache. Looks like I can live up to my Kennel Club name of Sherifs Sundance Kid after all

As you all know, any cowboy worth his salt has his trusty steed, & I am no exception, so here I am with my horsey. My hat's looking a bit skewed by now! Maybe I stopped off at the Saloon Bar!

I love my horsey a lot. It's a very special kind of love. I love him so much that I have to pin him down & ride him every day (if you know what I mean). I don't know why I feel the urge to hump horsey & nothing else, but there ya go. I can't explain it.

The only thing is, I tend to get a little, erm, shall we say over excited in the heat of the moment, & poor horsey has suffered for it. He used to be a very handsome horse, but he's now looking a bit sorry for himself as I have bitten of his horns (mum says horses don't normally have horns/antlers, but horsey did), one of his ears, & both his eyes. So now he looks like this:

He still looks fairly happy though if you ask me! And I still love him LOTS, no matter what he looks like!

I hope you're not all laughing at my pictures! Do you think me being such a handsome Woody & mum as Jessie will scoop that prize?

Licks,

Oscar x