Who Says Shelties Don't Like Water?!?!?

For all those who believe this I say:This weekend in The Great KC I took a dip to prove that shelties indeed like the water!

First, I got my feet wet. I had to get myself mentally prepared for the adventure ahead of me. This was no small undertaking! I needed to test the water temperature, the currents, the taste! I also needed to ensure my launch point and landing area were clear of debris and had the proper sites for the photographers to take their photos to record this monumental occaision. All systems were go...

And then Mom stepped in, she said for safety I ought to wear a doggie lifejacket. A what?! A doggie lifejacket? For this champion of champions swimmer? I think not! And so I ignored her and dove in anyway...

Yea I wish... I'm too much of a goodie goodie to ignore my Mom...

And so here is the photo of me in my lifejacket... it so kills any coolness factor I was accumulating by braving the waves. How can you impress the chicks when you are wearing a styrofoam bumble bee coat?! SO NOT COOL! Especially the handle! That's like for water rescues, namely rescuing ME out of the water! I'll just pretend thats a handle for the drowning swimmers to hang onto as I pull them from the pounding surf... yea that sounds WAY cooler.

I made the best of my jacket wearing by striking my best sheltie pose and smiling for my adoring fans. They love me you know... even if I am wearing a styrofoam bumble bee jacket...(which gives me visions of my Halloween Costume from two years ago..)

To appease the Mom parental unit I take to the seas in my bumble bee jacket. But as you can see, it seriously cramps my swimming style. I mean bees don't swim! So I shouldn't be looking like a bumble bee in the water. So the bumble bee jacket has gotta go!

I shed the bumble bee jacket and brave the waves once again. This time with a MUCH HIGHER coolness factor. Don't I look brave paddling about without any lifejacket??? We're talking seriously daring stuff here folks!! I set out with supreme confidence... I've got mad swimming skills!

My fans loved it so much that they caught it on VIDEO! Yes, my bravery is preserved forever in photos. There is now proof that shelties do like the water!

Then, when I returned to shore I took a celebratory roll....

LIFE IS GOOD!

Dogwood Acres held a Petlane Pet Party last night, so not only did I get to spend extra time at daycare, I got to play with some AWESOME new stuff! The best part was the party lady spread all the toys out in a big pile on the floor and my daycare buddies and I got to sniff through them and pick what we wanted!

I convinced Mommy to buy me all sorts of stuff, cause what this sheltie wants he gets :o) Not that I am spoiled or anything. I got this neat tree trunk that these little stuffies squirrels hide in- its my job to get them out! Can't wait to go after those sneaky little guys! Then she got me a Thinga Majig, seriously they called it a Thing-a-Majig! Its this rubber ball thing with all these crazy curls when you throw it it bounces in all sorts of crazy directions. Perfect sheltie toy! And last but not least she got me an everlasting treat ball- Mmmm this is the first thing I pulled from the pile of doggie stuff. It's part rubber for chewing, part treat for licking like a lollipop! Yum! Yum!

Mom also bought some stuff for Maddie Cat- I'm sure I'll get to play with it too!

Know what else they had there? Those doggie licenses I have been wanting... hint hint Mommy!!

Note from Stormy's Mom: The Petlane Stuff was super cool and all vet tested and approved. Nothing goes into the catalog without being thoroughly tested by the company. It was seriously tempting to buy the whole book!

Carpet just for Canines?

Yup! Thats what us lucky dogs at Dogwood Acres got this week! The small dog area where I play everyday had K9Grass installed. The stuff is super cool, its like the artificial turf that football players play on. Pretty neat huh? Daddy just told me to be careful not to blow out my knee...

Mom found this comic in Monday's paper... its the Cathy Comic and she claims that I use similar techniques when she and Daddy go out without me...

I would NEVER do such a thing! hehe

A lady was at the dog park yesterday taking pictures of us doggies while we were playing... she got some neat shots of me. What's interesting is that she sent me two copies of one photo- one in black and white and one in color. It's amazing how different the two photos look even though they are the same shot. Which do you prefer? Mom says she likes the black & white.

It's Friday the 13th... does a black cat lying in my path count as bad luck too?Licensed?
I'm licensed in the county we live in, but I saw in this catalog that Mommy got in the mail last week that you could get a doggie driver's license. I want one. I would get a card to carry with me and Mom would get one to carry with her. Then I would be way super cool.

Attacked by a cat... oh the shame!!! What's a sheltie to do when he is so embarassed??! My sister beat me up last night and I don't exactly know why... she just up and jumped on me!! At least she wasn't making the "Maddie Death Noise" that she uses when she goes after my friend Cujo. That's when you know she really means business!! She may look all innocent in her pictures but she's a B-A-D kitty!!

The fam was hanging out in the living room and Maddie got her deranged look and pounced on me... so I went and hid under the kitchen table AND SHE FOLLOWED ME!! So I naturally did what any brave dog would do... I hid behind my Mommy. But Maddie was relentless in her pursuit... Mom and Dad didn't help much, they were laughing the entire time. It wasn't a laughing matter, this was serious drama! I mean what if the other dogs find out about this! This could be seriously damaging to my sheltie reputation. I mean this could jeopardize my cat-cat-cat patrols in the parking lot! Gasp! Those cats might find out and not be scared of me! Oh- that would be so not cool. Not cool at all.

The thermometer hit 100 degrees yesterday and was supposed to hit close to 100 again today though this time with the addition of humidity. Blehck!!! I'm hoping doggie daycare will set out a pool for us to play in, thats GREAT fun! My human cousins Christopher & Dylan got their very own plastic pool yesterday. My Mom-Mom bought it for them and almost had to buy one from Petsmart because almost no store in her town stocked the actual kiddie ones. Shows how loved us doggies are, store stock pools for us but don't have any for the human kiddies.
My Uncle Diesel has his own pool too... here's a pic of me from the past, staring into Uncle Diesel's pool wishing my little sheltie legs would let me hop in...
All this pool ownership has me thinking that I should get my own pool... I'd only need a small one, I bet I could find one that would fit on the deck of our condo. Then our building would have a regular water park, there's the big community pool (no dogs allowed though...boo!), our downstairs neighbor's hot tub and my wading pool. How cool would that be??!! I would even share it with the Maddie Cat... I bet she'd like a pool too! (Note from Stormy's Mom: Stormy isn't going to get a pool, that's what we purchased the season pass to the doggie beach/park for... And despite Stormy's argument I'm 100% sure that Maddie Cat is not interested in a wading pool).

Today was a scorcher but I know how to cool off! Just take a dip in the pool at my uncle's house! We visited him for my cousin's fourth birthday, so there was cake for eating too! Though all I really cared about were the kiddies in the pool... I was sneaky... I climbed the pool ladder and I hopped on a floaty and dog paddled my way out to them (all without Mommy noticing!) What a sneaky sheltie I am!

Here I am on my floaty, this time with Mom's supervision.

Brokeback Sheltie

Mom watched the movie "Brokeback Mountain" and was not impressed. She wanted to know what all the fuss was about. Then we found this video on YouTube and laughed our tails off!! I know it's wrong to laugh at one's true love, but you just can't help it sometimes!!

My long distance doggie friend Katy posted this on her blog, she found it on this awesome blog by Nanook and Pooka and I just had to join in! Us shelties can't be left out!!

1. Your age?

3 years, 2 months and 2 days. I was born on May 2, 2004.
2. Your age when came to live with your people?
I was an 8 week old ball of fluff that was so small they couldn't find a collar that wouldn't slip over my head.

3. What color is the collar you’re wearing right now?

Red leather, with my Cougar Pooch and Canine Good Citizen tags.
4. Who is your favorite person other than the people you live with?

That would be my Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop, they live on a farm so I get to play outside with my Uncle Diesel and my cousin Bubba. Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop spoil me, they feed me bread and if I look especially cute I might be able to snag cookies, cheese or other goodies. Last time I visited Mom- Mom gave me ice cream! After my grandparents its the people at Dogwood Acres, they are so fun when I go to doggie daycare!
5. How much do you weigh?

According to my vet, 27. 6 pounds.
6. Most expensive thing you’ve ever chewed up?

Hmm... wasn't much of a chewer. I did chew up a pair of Mom's underwear and I destroyed the laces on Dad's work shoes the first time he came to spend the night at our place (it was a test to see just how much he loved my Mommy).
7. Do you like other Dogs?

I do! Especially if they like to play chase, I love to herd. And I act as a referee when there are wrestling matches at the doggie park.
8. Who is your best non-human friend?

That would be Bangs, he's an Icelandic Sheepdog. He's great fun, we play chase in the grassy area by the condos and play fetch together at the dog park. He's way cool.
9. Squeaky Toys or Tennis Balls?

Tennis Balls! I LOVE to chase balls, if I see one I must grab it. MUST grab it. Get it! Get it! Oh sorry, got carried away. Squeaky toys are fun for tugging but I love chasing balls and shoving them around with my nose.
10. Do you like to be brushed?

Having a fluffy coat like I do means lots of brushing and furmination. I also need the hair on my feets trimmed because I get these funny tufts of hair between my toes. Do I like it? Meh. The brushing is alright so long as it doesn't last too long and the trims are pretty good cause I get a belly rub when I'm done.
11. Peanut Butter or Cheese?

Oh dear, do I have to choose? If forced to make a decision I'd have to go with cheese... Mmmm cheesy bites of goodness....
12. Do your people cut your toenails?

Yup! My Mom does it at least once a month. I've even had my nails dremeled? Mr.Sam who has a sheltie named Darby filed my nails once with his dremel tool. It tickled and I kept wiggling my foot but I did have some spiffy looking nails afterwards!!
13. Any formal education?

I'm an honor student at Greenbelt Dog Training, finished first in my class :o) I've even earned two formal obedience titles from the AKC- Canine Good Citizen and Rally Novice.
14. Couch potato or Energizer Bunny?

After a day at Dogwood Acres I'm a total couch potato but let me see a cat cat cat, show me a ball or take me to the doggie park and its time to PLAY! When I get super excited I herd furniture and chase my tail.
15. Five nicknames your people call you.

Stinkus, Stinks, Baby Dog, Steamy, MeMe
16. What is your best trick?

My best trick? Well I just learned how to roll over on command and I am working on mastering the shake. My neatest trick is stealing the kitty food from on top of the table when the parentals leave me at home (evil sheltie grin)
17. Do you like kitties?

Yes, but not cat cat cats. You see Maddie is a kitty, she's my sister and we have great fun wrestling and tormenting each other in general. Cat cat cats live outside in out parking lot and must be chased whenver spotted.
18. What did you have for breakfast?

1/4 cup of Nutro Chicken and Oatmeal dry, 1/4 cup Nutro Dental Care dry and some frozen green beans and carrots.

19. Can you hunt (aka have you ever killed anything living)? If so, what?

I stalk birds and my Pop-Pop wants to take me goose hunting to see if I'll retrieve one. But I must admit I am more of a herder than a hunter.
20. When & why was the last time you went to the V.E.T.?

June 11th I went to the vet to have my teeth cleaned, they don't call me Stinkus for nothing! My breath was kickin'! I was pronounced a healthy pup and sent home with prescription toothpaste.
21. Where do you sleep at night?

Depends on several factors- Is it REALLY hot? Then I sleep in the bathroom wedged up against the toilet where its nice n cool. Most days I sleep on my bed that is on the floor by the foot of Mom and Dad's bed that is unless Maddie steals my bed in which case I go and sleep on the floor on Mom's side of the bed.
22. Do you like to swim?
I do! I do! I'm a wader. But if its hot and I'm all excited I've been known to jump off of breakers to take a dip. If Mom paddles away on her kayak without me I will follow her out into the water. And once I did a somersault into the deep end of my Aunt Marcy and Uncle Jeff's pool trying to herd my cousins...
23. Can you make puppies?
Nope! This bachelor plans on being child free so he can travel the world!
24. Your favorite place to visit?

Let's see- there's my Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop's cause there are always tons of fun adventures for me on the farm, Dogwood Acres cause its always a party and my daycare friends are AWESOME and the doggie park/beach because I can run wild and bark!
25. Do you give kisses?

When I'm in the mood I do, but I'm always in the mood to lick your feet when you get out of the shower...

Hey ya'll!

Haven't typed in a while, my paws have been busy busy!! We've been having some nice summer weather here in Maryland lately and I'm loving it! Yea we've had a good bit of the searing heat that this sheltie HATES but we have also had quite a few nights where it gets nice n cool and we can sleep with the windows open. Ahhh...

Well, the month of July has arrived and it's shaping up to be a busy sheltie month! Ok, so a lot of months are busy sheltie months but this one is special because I have a dog show coming up! Bark! Bark! The county fair in the Great KC is later this month and Mom entered me in showmanship and sub novice obedience. Sub- novice? I am so not sub-novice! But Mom reminded me what happened last time I was on the fairgrounds (I was afraid of the pigs...) and she said that she would rather have me do all on leash stuff this go round. Ok, so I see her point. And for the record I wasn't all that scared of the pigs... I just don't like the idea of ham on the hoof... I much prefer it on my plate!

Speaking of other funness... I am featured on my breeder's homepage! Fun stuff I say! AND... when you check out Diamond Hill's Kennel you'll also get to see my brother Tyler. We don't look alike at all... but you can tell we're brothers because of our floppy tongues! Wonder what it would be like if we ever met up with each other at the dog park... think he would remember me? While you are visiting their site check out my Dad... his name is Jordan and he looks like me! Or do I look like him? But if you scroll down to his pedigree you will see who I most look like... my grandad- Soccer (or shall I say Ch Oak Crest A Kick In The Grass?)!