Scored the Ten Spot!

Just when nine started to feel normal, we find ourselves back at TEN! (And if Uncle Kidlat visits, we'll be 11 again!) Sigh. Good and bad, we suppose. Narra's new admirer is JoJo, a 7-year old DE SPCA parolee with a penchant for cranky behavior.

You can hardly blame him, though. His family lost their home due to the economy, and, after that, the family broke up. The only home JoJo ever knew was gone. When he ended up at the shelter, JoJo had a really hard time: it was so loud and busy, and with no one to pay special attention to him. JoJo missed his house, his couch, and his kids. In his confusion and anxiety, he's had a particularly hard time trusting new people. He feels alone and is always guarded. We thought he'd be okay when he went to his first foster home, but it wasn't his home, and JoJo took out some of his frustration on his foster dad. :(So JoJo ended up at the shelter again, and his health declined even worse. Not to mention his morale. The shelter did everything they could to find the right place where JoJo could recuperate and start anew, but no help could be found. JoJo's time at the shelter had run out.So, apparently, somewhere in our "papers," we must have an extended moniker that includes the name St. Jude--because someone has mistaken us as a savior for hopeless cases! Well... where else was JoJo gonna go?? Anyway, we'll make the most of it and help as best we can. And we hope that some day the right home will come along for JoJo, and he can leave his past behind him and be happy again.

In the meantime, at least he's easy on the eyes. But make no mistake, we're not sharing any bacon.

Historic!

These have been some trying times... You might've guessed as much from our blogging absence (but then again, who'd miss our inconsistent bloggin?). First, we suffered a major loss: our trusty ride--those special wheels that took us on innumerable adventures--finally succumbed after 222K miles. RIP, baby. But we got a new ride! It's sweet! A younger, peppy-er version of our dearest, not a replacement, just new (er, used)--welcome to the fold!

Anyway, we finally got to take it out! Um, not all of us, just the anointed ones, Narra and Tuchuck. Destination: Valley Forge National Historic Park, old stomping grounds of brothers Tsamba and Buko--and baby Narra, back in the day.Speaking of old stomping grounds, we thought Valley Forge was an ideal spot for us to march in solidarity with our homeys back in Wisconsin! They've got quite a battle on their hands, and they're fighting for history! Not to mention collective bargaining rights and workers' rights, in general. We won't even get into corporate greed, public services, etc. Oh, humans, why are you like this?? On Wisconsin! In the name of "Fighting Bob" Lafolette!

On a more pleasant note, doesn't Tuchuck look like our buddy Norwood in this (blurry) picture?!Sure felt great to be out there again, for sure. But, next time, can we all go? And can we get rid of those damn leashes? We promise not to chase the deer--promise!

On the Road

We travel this road every day--wherever we are.

Rosie, you're alright

New gal pal Rosie is a husky Husky--just more to love! And she's just full of love, too! She stopped by briefly on her way to Virginia, to our new friends at Pet Harbor rescue.She has a new name: Posi, and she's all set to embark on a whole new world. After two stints at the Delaware SPCA, she's onto the promise of a better life. She's 8-years young, loves everybody: kids, cats, dogs, and is super fun and affectionate. Hey, we really wanted her to stay here! But if you know anyone who's worthy of her, send them to Pet Harbor!But we want to know--yet again--how come only Narra and Tuchuck get to be on the welcoming committee?! (Not that the rest of us want more committee work...)

Rosie from 4dogart on Vimeo.

Who's the cat that won't cop out when there's danger all about?

Tanner! Right on! Can you dig it?

In our quest for a more dapper 2011, big bro Tanner joined the fashion forward with a bold and elegant collar choice. He's the strong, silent type so didn't go in for the bright, colorful statement the collies made.This pattern from Bison Designs is called "Tribal." We're all about that, dude, we're totally the TRIBE (minus the racist overtones and mascot)! (The collies' collars, btw, come from a Sun Valley outfit called A Tail We Could Wag.)Sister Narra loves her sharp-dressed bros! We think Tim Gunn would approve. :)

Li'l snow, lotsa pics!

What's down in the dark will be brought to the light

We watched 2010 ride off into the sunset--literally. Actually, we were so inspired by Mattie Ross, Rooster Cogburn, and especially Joel and Ethan Coen, that we wanted to get a jump start on a gritty 2011, full of action, adventure, and brilliant writing. At the very least, we wanted to get out while the human's knees could still manage a reasonable bend. As it turned out, those feeble knees didn't get moving til late (as usual), so we ended up going for a walk where we knew we could at least enjoy the sunset. An expansive natural resource area is pretty close to our house--but far enough that we get to rev up the van--and it does showcase spectacular sunsets, New Year's eve or not.
Going out was also a good way for Tuchuck and Theo to show off their cool new collars. Another resolution for 2011: be more dapper (cuz we really can't get better lookin). Then again, dusk doesn't offer the best light for admiring snazzy duds. So we just ran around for a bit, resisted the temptation to chase deer--ahem--and watched 2010 fade away.You might notice, at this point, that not everyone got to go. :( Boo! The human promises that 2011 will bring a more equitable distribution of fun to the pack, but we remain unconvinced. We get that sistah Narra gets to do everything--and the rest of us can live with that--but, c'mon, boys just wanna have fun, too!Anyway, brutha Theo was happy for the ride and the horse-poop eating, plus he enjoyed the dubious distinction of New Year's eve at Uncle Kidlat's house… While Uncle Kidlat can be quite demanding, extremely vocal, and incapable of pausing, he did get more snow than we did--so snow zoomies were a big bonus! We'd like more of that in 2011, too, please.
And we'd like less losses. We lost our Angel and Wally, as well as beloved humans: our human's "surrogate grandma" and the Peppy Sheppys' Gramps. We have other friends who suffered a lot of losses, too; our thoughts are with them always, and we're hoping for a stupendous 2011 for everyone. In fact, we're determined to make this year the BEST!

After a little nap. And perhaps a snack or two...And BACON. Oh, yeah, definitely need more bacon in 2011.

Colorful Collars for Collie Boyz!

Check out our cool new collars! More pictures to come...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Good enough!

Not the blizzard we were promised, but we'll take it!

Happy Holidays!!!

Wishing health and happiness to you and yours! Have fun out there!!

The one that got away

No, he's not back--we just miss him... (The human does, anyway.) But who wouldn't miss that face?!

Dr. Tuchuck, I presume?

You can call him Doctor Supah Stahr!! Oh, yeah, brother Tuchuck rocked the agility trial again--he is now a man of letters! They may not be "PhD," but his letters actually mean he can do something (heehee)! To recap: he qualified in all four of his runs this weekend, with two first places, a second, and a third. And, more important, he earned his Novice Agility (standard) title in three consecutive outings. Paging Dr. Tuchuck... we're swooning! Way to go, brah!

As for Narra, that elusive jumpers title remains just out of reach. She was so close today--just one knocked bar away! Oh, well, she still has her blue ribbon from yesterday and is now one step closer. Maybe it'll happen next weekend!

Call me Q... DOUBLE Q!

No, Tuchuck's not "Q" because of a long unspoken affection for Captain Jean Luc Picard... (Haha, kidding! We're not really that geeky--okay, maybe a little geeky) Nor for scientific brilliance in inventing spy paraphernalia! Neither are we the politicized offspring of the Stonewall riots (okay, maybe somewhat).

Dog sports-ters know that "Q" stands for a qualifying score--three of which add up to a title in various AKC (and other) performance events. (Okay, as much as we don't really believe in external validation of this sort, it does feel kinda good!) In agility, the hallowed Double Q is traditionally achieved when a team qualifies in the events of standard agility and agility jumpers with weaves in the same day. And, now, we're very excited to report that brother Tuchuck double Q'd today!!! Our first EVAH! WOOHOO!!! Even sistah Narra with all her agility experience has never accomplished a double Q! And Tuchuck did it with one first place and one second place!

Not to be outdone, however, Narra earned a blue ribbon of her own! She Q'd in jumpers--which has been her nemesis from day 1. We're getting there! Go, sistah, go, sistah! Guess the human's not such a detriment after all. :)