Thinking about Beau

Just Harry and I have been thinking a lot about Beau and his family. We watched the You-Tube video with its poignant images and have visited Hammer's blog several times to read about Beau again and again. If thinking alone could make a difference in this world, then Beau would be safely at home with those who love him because we all feel such sadness at the idea of his being separated from them all this time.

Sitting here in South Florida, so far from his home in Australia, we're not sure that we'll be the ones to find him -- but since we care so much, we've added the Operation Bring Beau Home campaign logo to our blog and will be attentive to any signs that he might have been brought to this continent. You never know!!

We're with you in spirit, pals!!

Jake



l

Something from the Canine Kids

We love this award. Thank you Emma and the Canine Kids. We see that many of our friends have already passed this award on -- so we're not sure who to share it with. Feel free, pals, to add it to your blogs!!

This Just In...

We stopped by to see how Sam COL. Sam ASTA-fari Joe H. Pinkerton Peabody, Esq was doing on his trip and to our shock and surprise learned that he has been successful in finding our missing E.C. Bird, and has shipped him home.

To hear it in Sam's own words.

"I finally caught up to that old bird in Houston, TX. I tricked him with more fish. I put a bow around his mouth and sent him back to Florida with strict instructions. I hope he doesn't get lost in shipping?After all that, I need to take a rest. Currently, I am hanging out with Cricket, Sparky and Ginger in the back of their dad's truck. Maybe they can help me find the Stain Mecca. I think I am getting closer?

Zowie!!

Our plan, since we learned about Gussie's Super Bowl Bash, is to let E.C. Bird work off his debt of fish -- not to mention the embarrassement and emotional distress -- by flying us to Tempe Azrizona next month. Not sure where we'll keep him until then -- although there are some pretty nice lakes on the golf course where we romp every evening. And they even have fish.

Thank you and bon voyage, Sam!!!

Jake and Just Harry

Who Was That Masked Woman?

Sadly, no pictures accompany this blog, but we hope our graphic description will convey the image.

Yesterday morning, I was dressed in my collar and harness, ready to take Mom for her morning walk. Just Harry was similarly dressed, waiting for his turn.

All of a sudden, instead of our Mom -- who typically wears a cotton t-shirt and skirt with sandals or light shoes -- a totally bizarre-looking creature appeared. This unrecognizable creature was wearing a heavy sweater, long pants, socks with heavy shoes, a jacket, a wool scarf, and bright red gloves.

"Ready to go outside, Jakey?" the creature asked.

"That voice, I know that voice! It sounds just like Mom!" I thought. But it couldn't be. Socks? Gloves? Wool scarf? Here in South Florida?

What to do? Being the clever six-year old terrier that I now am, I glanced at the headline in the morning paper - TEMPERATURE DROPS TO 39 DEGREES -- FARMERS FEAR FOR THEIR CROPS!! -- and immediately realized what was up.

The strange-looking creature was my Mom. Despite her years in the Northeast, she's now a cold-wimp and fortunately had all those clothes handy from her week in frigid St. Louis. So off we went on our walk.

With my unplucked wirey coat, I was fine; but Mom made a spectacle of herself, wrapping the scarf around her face and impatiently stamping her feet while I did my business.

I guess it's just as well that we have no photos.

Jake

The Answer to Being Six

Our whippet friends left this comment on my earlier musings which makes me very very happy because now I know what it means to be six. If it was good enough for Winnie the Pooh, it's good enough for me!!!

From the world's best writer, A. A. Milne:

When I was One, I had just begun.
When I was Two, I was nearly new.
When I was Three, I was hardly me.
When I was Four, I was not much more.
When I was Five, I was just alive.
But now I am Six, I'm as clever as clever,
So I think I'll be six now for ever and ever.
Happy for ever and ever!

Thank you whippets, thank you Ms. Patience!!!

For Our Dachsie Friends

Key West, always a special place, celebrates New Year's Eve with a parade of Dachshunds. We thought our Dachsie friends -- Lorenza, Andy, Sammy, Roxie, and others would enjoy knowing about this unique event!!!

In this Dec. 31, 2006 file photo released by the Florida Keys News Bureau, Lola, left, and Nosey, right, pause for a moment during the annual Key West Dachshund Walk in Key West. The third New Year's Eve procession of canines down sidewalks that border the island city's Duval Street is scheduled to begin at noon Monday, Dec. 31. Organizers anticipate the event will attract more than 100 dogs and their owners. (AP Photo/Florida Keys News Bureau, Andy Newman, file) (Andy Newman, AP / December 31, 2006)
The Associated Press
December 31, 2007

KEY WEST - A parade of about 100 dachshunds and their owners will kick off New Year's Eve festivities in this island city.Today, the dogs will parade down sidewalks that border Duval Street, the island's main thoroughfare.The route is kept short to cater to the canine contingent's short legs and many entrants are costumed. A supply wagon will accompany the dogs with water, plastic bags for accident cleanup and transportation for canines that get tired.

Post New Year's Eve/Barkday Musings

We've heard that what you do on New Year's Day is what you'll be doing the rest of the year. So, in an excess of caution, to avoid doing things we wouldn't want to repeat all year long, we decided to do one of the things we like best: take a long afternoon snooze. That was easy as we're still recovering from all the celebrations surrounding the holidays, our return from camp, a long New Year's Eve chat, and my sixth birthday.

Just to keep Mom happy, we also limited our barking (mostly because we're still hoarse from all the barking we did at camp) so that she can think maybe we'll control ourselves a bit better this year.

We do want to thank all our friends -- old and new -- for the many New Year and my barkday messages we received!! Mom tried to explain to a dogless friend what these friendships mean to all of us -- but the friend really didn't get it. Nevermind!! We understand.

My big dilemma now: what does it mean to be six? How should I behave? What kind of role model must I be for my goofy brother?

I've always been a pretty serious kind of guy, as I have what I've described previously as a philosophical nature (unlike the Goof). Now that I'm six, do I have to read more books -- or can I content myself with chewing paper and pencils? Now that I'm six, can I still bark my head off at anything I wish -- or must I constrain myself to only the most egregious violations of our space, i.e., neighbors who still insist on parking in their own driveways, dogs who insist on walking past our house, FEDEX, UPS, and trash trucks who insist on rumbling by and sometimes stop.

A puzzlement. I think I'll take another nap and ponder.

Jake the (older) dog

Pee ess: Our temps are dropping to 39 degrees tonight. This morning it was a chilly -- for us -- 50.