Oops, I Ate It!

Look what I got from Andrea at Arise2Write! Mum says I should feel very honored since Andrea's blog is such an inspiration.

As I mentioned last post, I've also been tagged by Paco, Milo and Maya.

"When accepting this award, you must blog about the food you have stolen when your humans were not watching.

If you have never stolen any food, you must have been a really good pup!
You can accept this yummy tray of cookies as your reward!
Next add the logo of this award to your blog (optional), then nominate at least 5 other furry blogs and let them know by leaving a message on their blogs."

I couldn't remember any occasion when I've taken food I wasn't supposed to, so I was ready to chow down on my reward of the tray of cookies, but Mum said I've got a selective memory and that I should tell you these stories:

When I was quite young and had only been living with Mum for a couple of months, we had been on one of our training walks. These were a lot of fun and we did them nearly every day. Mum would take treats in her pocket and along the way, she would give them to me when I followed her commands. I learned to "walk to heel", "leave it!", "stay" and "release". These last two I loved because Mum would make me lie down on the trail and tell me to "stay", then she'd walk or run away and I'd have to stay there until she called "release". At that point, I would go tearing along the trail to catch up with her.

On this day when we got home, Mum forgot she hadn't given me all the treats. I knew the treat was meant for me, so I just went ahead and chewed a hole through her jacket pocket and ate it right up! Mum was quite cross with me, but also couldn't help laughing because I'd figured out the easiest way to get the treat out of the pocket.

After that I was very good and learned my "leave it!" command very well. Mum was very proud that she could leave her food within my reach and go out of the room and I wouldn't touch it.

She told Dad this when he came to live with us, so he completely trusted me around food, but sometimes forgot that if he didn't tell me to "leave it!" then all bets were off. He found this out one time when he took me on a trip to the store to pick up a cooked chicken. Now, you need to know that when Mum & Dad buy a cooked chicken, it's usually for my dinner. How was I supposed to know that this cooked chicken was for Mum & Dad's dinner?

Dad had to run another errand, so he left the bag of chicken in the front of the car, and left me to guard the car while he went into another store. My head was so deeply into the bag of chicken when he came back that I didn't even hear him! But boy, was it tasty! I do remember this incident well and even wrote a post about it some time ago.

My best defense, as always, when anything like this happens, is to put on my best "butter wouldn't melt in my mouth" look. And no, I hadn't just sipped out of that cup in this picture!

At least I've never done anything like Mum's other dog, Nelson, who once stole a sandwich out of a man's hand at the beach, just as he was about to eat it!

I know a lot of you out there have some stories you've been sitting on about food you've stolen. Don't worry, if you write about it in your blog, your humans will never need to know! So I'd like to know what Baby Rocket Dog & Hootie, Moose, Sedona, Frankie and Hoover have eaten in the food department that maybe they weren't meant to.

The Winner!

Thanks to all my blogging pals who got their humans to have a go in the contest. We had some excellent entries - not all of them correct, but they were a lot of fun when Mum read them out to me!

First of all, here are the answers:

1. What is the name of my best dog pal?
d) Monty

2. What's my favorite activity?
b) playing in the snow

Several of you said a) swimming in the creek for this one, and I know I talk about the creek a lot, but I actually don't enjoy the swimming part as much as I do looking for ducks and rolling in the dirt. When there's snow to play in, I never want to come home.

3. Which of these places haven't I visited?
c) Oklahoma

4. Have I ever caught a duck?
No, but I know it's going to happen one day
(I thought it was a), but Mum said that was just my imagination)

5. What gives me the willies?
c) Thunder
(and black dogs, as a couple of you rightly noted).

So there were just two of you who had all the answers correct. Mum wrote those names on pieces of paper and put them in my beret.

I had to wait patiently till she gave the word.


When she said "get it!", I stuck my head right in there and pulled one out.



I chewed it around in my mouth a bit because I thought it must be a treat.

When I realized it wasn't, I dropped it on the ground. Sorry about the drool!

It's Ellie! Well done! Please tell your mum to email my mum with your address and we'll send you the book.

I know some of you tried to help your peoples out with the answers, but they obviously weren't listening. I know, I have the same problem with my peoples. But Mum said because I had so much fun picking the name out of the beret, we could put all the other names in there afterwards and I could pick out a runner up. I think you're all probably quite good runners (not as good as me, most likely, but never mind), so this was a difficult choice.


This time, I picked out Eclipse and her mum, Tabatha,

Please email my mum your address so we can send you a prize. It's a picture of me swimming in the creek! It's actually something very special that my human friend Windy made. Mum says it's called a fridge magnet.

Mum was very excited that both the winners are training to be assistance dogs. This just goes to show how smart both Ellie and Eclipse must be and what excellent working dogs they will become.

And now I want to show you all the present my mum got for me.

It came in the mail last week, but I wasn't allowed to wear it because of the little episode with the skunk. Even though I still stink a bit, Mum put it on me today. Doesn't the color suit me?

This is my very own Scruffy Dog Collar, in teal, hand made especially for me by Kelli and Tibby (I think Tibby does most of the work). I'm very proud to wear it and like it a lot better than my purple collar, which gets very hot around my neck in the summer. If you want to get one for yourself, have your person order one from Tibby's mum. She makes them really fast!

Okay, Mum says I have to stop the chit chat now, so I'll have to tell you the rest of my news next time. I've been tagged by Paco, Milo and Maya. This time it's all about food. That's my kind of game!

Pepé le Who?

I stink!

Mum said so.

Dad said so too. He called me a Stinkerpoozer.

And it's all because of that tricky little black and white critter they call Pepé le Pew, who hangs out down by the creek.


I had to get doused in this stuff.

We waited for it to dry, then Mum did it again.

The stink didn't go away. That was Thursday.

Since then, Mum has washed me at least 10 times* with all of this stuff.

I've had to sleep outside every night.**

I'm almost going bald from all the bathing.
(But I'm still quite glamorous, aren't I?)

And apparently, I still stink!

*This may be a slight exaggeration, but I swear it was at least 8 times!
**Mum did sleep outside with me so I wouldn't feel lonely

Contest Update

Hi Everyone!

There have been some good entries for the contest so far, but it's still wide open, so if you haven't had a go yet, please give it a try. And just a reminder for you to email your entries to me, rather than put them in the comments (ahem, Dory's mum!), so there will be no cheating! At the end of the contest, I'll be putting all the correct entries (or as close to correct as there are) into my beret and picking one out to be the winner.

Also, to remind you that my Mum has put up a very helpful tool. It's a search button that's on the top left of the blog. You can just put in the word you're looking for and it will take you to all the posts on my blog that have that word (or phrase) in it! It's not cheating, honest! And I really do want you all to have a chance at winning this great book.

In the meantime, I'll be staying cool at the creek.

Woofs,
Ruby

The Adventures of Danger Dog Contest!

Mum says I can give away a copy of this book, which is all about my friend Riley Blossom.* It's just been published and is hot off the press, so the lucky winner can be one of the first to read it.

I've been putting a lot of thought into how to do the contest and have come up with 5 questions, which are all about me, of course! The answers can be found in my blog posts, and I've made it multiple choice, so you can have a guess if you aren't sure of the answer. Send me your answers in an email. Put "Danger Dog Contest" as the subject so I can filter them out from all my other fan mail and feel free to include any bribes or treats that may sway my final decision!

1. What is the name of my best dog pal?

a) Beau
b) Jack
c) Babushka
d) Monty

2. What's my favorite activity?

a) Swimming in the creek
b) Playing in the snow
c) Chasing bunnies
d) Playing ball

3. Which of these places haven't I visited?

a) Oregon
b) California
c) Oklahoma
d) Colorado

4. Have I ever caught a duck?

a) Yes, many times. Mum and Dad roast it on the barbecue for me when we get home
b) Yes, just once, but I've never forgotten it
c) No, but I know it's going to happen one day
d) None of the above. I've never chased a duck in my life.

5. What gives me the willies?

a) Ice cream
b) Bluegrass music
c) Thunder
d) Having my teeth brushed

That's all! The contest will be open until next Monday evening (7 pm MST). If there is more than one entry with all correct answers, we'll do a draw.

*Mum says it's not strictly about Riley Blossom, but rather a fictional dog based on her. It has something called poetic license, whatever that is.



Good luck, everyone! I'll be keeping my paws crossed for you.

Dog Tired

I don't have a lot planned today.

The camping trip kind of took it out of me.

Wait, did I hear something down on the street?

Maybe I'll check it out later.

After some shuteye*...

Noun

1.

shuteye - informal term for sleep sleep, slumber - a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended

Who's For Ice Cream?

I've been inspired by Baby Rocket Dog and her reporting skills (to say nothing of how studious she looks in those glasses!). I like to spend some time at the weekends catching up on the news. It's been too hot to go out and find out what's happening in the neighborhood, so I've been finding out what's going on around the world and thought I would share a couple
of the gems with you all.

Photo credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sankey/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

First up, check this out. Who doesn't like ice cream? Well someone's been thinking over in England and realized that puppies should have their very own ice cream. About time!

Photo credit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jono2k5/ / CC BY 2.0

Mum pointed this next one out to me, because this was her local beach when she lived in England (Devon, not Cornwall as the article wrongly states). She used to go there with Nelson the Jack Russell, who I sometimes hear about when I've done something naughty. He was "the naughtiest dog ever", according to Mum - unbelievable some of the things he got up to (chasing ducks across a partially frozen river, climbing out of a skylight onto a steep, slate roof to try and chase sheep, going down a badger sett...). I don't let on to Mum, but sometimes Nelson whispers in my ear and eggs me on to do something I shouldn't!

Speaking of Jack Russells, my friend Riley Blossom here in Sedona is the star of a new book that her mum has illustrated. It's all about her adventures as Danger Dog, Sedona's Tiny Telepathic Terrier - sniffing out danger and rescuing tourists right here in the red rocks. Mum says we can have a blog contest to give away a copy of the book, so watch out for that. I'll be letting you know what you need to do to enter.

Okay, I'm off on another adventure myself. We're going to camp out tonight and watch the sky. There's something called meaty-ors happening. I can't wait! Apparently they fall right out of the sky. I'll bet they're really tasty!

Mamba's Adventures

I've been told everyone loves a story with a happy ending, so you're going to love this story of Mamba, my little 6.5 pound chihuahua friend who had a 10-day adventure, right here in our neighborhood. This is a picture of her.



I know what you're thinking. She doesn't look like she'd be up to much in the way of adventures, lounging around as she is in her designer clothes. But don't be fooled by that little dog, aren't-I-so-cute-in-my-tropical-outfit look. Mamba surprised us all.

About two weeks ago, her mum went out, leaving Mamba and her four little friends in their yard. The wind got up while she was gone, and when she returned, she found the gate blown open and 5 little dogs running around outside. The four came back inside when they saw their mum, but Mamba, being the timid girl she is, ran the other way and no amount of coaxing would bring her back.

As you know from some of my stories, our neighborhood is a bit of a wild place, with coyotes, javelina, bobcats and sometimes the odd mountain lion roaming around. It's rocky and hilly, and at the time Mamba got out, very, very hot. (I may have complained about the heat once or twice myself recently).

Mamba's mum was very upset and went all over the neighborhood with her friend, calling and looking for Mamba. She put Mamba's picture up everywhere around. (Personally, I think that may be what made Mamba stay away so long - she was just plain embarrassed that everyone had seen her in those fancy clothes and didn't want the other dogs laughing at her!)

She was last seen near the school, which is just by our house, so every time we went for a walk, me and Mum would look for her. But it was so hot, even I didn't want to be out there. The blacktop burned my paws and after only a short time, I'd want to go back home. "Poor Mamba", we thought," there's no way she'll have survived out here. If the heat hasn't done her in, that mean coyote that comes around barking insults to me at night will surely have snarfed her down for his evening snack."

As the days stretched out into a week, the posters of Mamba taped to the Stop signs were getting brittle in the heat and curling at the edges, and the picture was fading so it was hard to tell if she was a dog or a monkey. But her mum didn't give up. Everyday she still went out looking and calling for Mamba. A couple of people called and said they had seen her, which gave her mum some hope, although she didn't really believe it, as this was a really long way from where she had last been seen. One man called to say he'd seen her running across the road not far from where Mamba's family lived, but Mamba's mum thought he must have seen a rabbit, which there are plenty of around here, and it's easy to confuse them with a little itty-bitty dog.

The man said the rabbit/dog had been wearing a collar, so with her friend, Mamba's mum went door to door, asking everyone again if they had seen Mamba. When they got to the last house, it was the man who had seen the rabbit/dog who opened the door. He said he'd seen Mamba again nearby, but she was afraid and ran away when he went near. Mamba's mum thanked him for the information and went to leave. The man showed Mamba's mum and her friend a shortcut to get back to their street, and as they were crossing the land, they saw Mamba right there, hiding near the barn! Mamba's mum called her and this time she came back. I guess she'd had enough of being out on her own and was missing her family at home. (I know what that's like. If ever I get out the gate for an adventure on my own, and there's no one home at David & Hope's, or any of the other houses I go to, after several days, hours, minutes, I start to miss my mum so I go and wait on the doorstep till she lets me in).

So, how did Mamba survive all those days out in the wilds on her own? She hasn't been saying too much about it. Mamba is a rescue dog, like me, which makes us tough. She came from somewhere called a puppy mill where she lived with 200 other dogs. I'm not sure what a puppy mill is, but Mum says it's not a good place and Mamba had many, many puppies when she lived there. There was never enough food, so she had to learn to be smart and outwit the other dogs.

We're all so happy that Mamba was found safe and well. She's now known as the "Miracle Dog" and is quite the heroine in our neighborhood. She's earned her respect among all our dog friends and I think she can pretty much wear what she likes these days, without fear of anyone laughing at her.

Water can be so overrated

There's nothing quite so relaxing as spending time in the shower. Especially when it's really hot outside.

Water? Did I hear someone ask where the water is?

That's what the creek's for, silly!

Here I am with my friend, Monty, enjoying a very relaxing morning at the creek.

Creek water. Now that's how water is supposed to smell. You can tell it's the right kind of water when we get back in the car afterwards and Mum says, "You dogs stink!"

Mum only says that when I smell really good.

Next up, I need to tell you about the adventure my friend Mamba had recently when she went missing for 10 days. Just to let you know, she wasn't wearing this costume when she went missing!