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

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