Final Journey

My buddy, Beau, who spent so much time staying at our house this year while his family was away, unexpectedly went to the Rainbow Bridge last night. His dad was out of town and his mum had been trying to call my mum when he started acting funny, but our family was at a party and so we didn't find out until we were on our way home.

Mum was very sad last night, so I kept my head resting in her hands while her eyes were leaking. I stayed close to her on the bed during the night and my fur got all wet because her eyes wouldn't stop leaking.

We spent a lot of time with Beau this year, so we feel like he was part of the family. Here are some of our favorite memories of him.

At Indian Gardens, a place where there is people food outside and dogs are allowed.

In the snow at Griffiths Springs, one of our favorite winter places. Beau loved the snow as much as I do.

On my chaise. Yes, Beau took over my chaise when he came to stay, but I willingly gave it up - he was much bigger than me. He could make himself look really small when he curled up.

Playing "Beau Stones" at Dry Creek. He would dive right under the water and retrieve a rock from the bottom. He loved that game.

His favorite position. He looked very regal when he crossed his paws.

He was a good sport, too, and would play along with the silly things we do at our house. I'm going to miss you, Beau.

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!

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.