I've been Furminated! I'm a sheltie, I shed a lot. Yea so I leave clumps of fur on the carpet sometimes, but so does the cat!! Mom has been doing some research on deshedding brushes... she bought a knockoff brand from Bed, Bath & Beyond last year to put in Maddie's Christmas stocking and it worked fairly well but not as well as she had hoped. Well she graduated to the Furminator- the original deshedding tool. It arrived in an Amazon.com box yesterday (they have the cheapest prices on Furminators & free shipping!) and Mom decided to try it out on me. In about 45 minutes we groomed a little over half my body and the picture below shows what we accomplished... Mom's happy and I'm happy because my coat is a bit lighter, cooler and a good bit more shiny! Bark! Bark!

Still waiting on results from my final classes in the Virtual Sheltie show... I hope I win some ribbons even if they are electronic ones. At least electronic ones can be posted on my blog! My Rally Obedience ribbons are hanging on the "Sheltie Wall of Fame" in Mom and Dad's office. Not only am I the subject of a newspaper article, I also have my own Wall of Fame! How sweet is that?! My ribbons, and my certificates for my Canine Good Citizen and Rally Novice titles along with Basic Obedience diploma all hang on that wall with my Qualifying Ribbons, a "win" photo from the day I earned my first Rally title and a pair of sheltie prints. Neat, huh? I must be special or something...

Speaking of somethings- it's Memorial Day weekend! That means a trip to the Shore to visit the grandparents, my cousins and the rest of my family! And that always lots of fun! Last time I went to the farm I got to play with the horse and go down the slide with my cousins. They think I'm super cool and they share their chicken nuggets and cookies with me :o)I hope that everyone has a great weekend planned for themselves that involves at least some sort of fun activity.

You can bet this little sheltie has big adventures coming down the road...

Celebrity Sheltie?

I guess that means all the "chicks" will recognize me now...

I sent a letter to the local paper and next thing you know I'm the subject of an entire article! How cool is that?! I personally think its super way cool. Mom says she's working on linking it to my page here, so that all my friends can read it.



So what's up in my world? As mentioned in the article I won best dancing dog at the MRE's Dog Day Afternoon! Talk about a barking good time, but I can't take all the credit for my dancing skills... I learned them at Greenbelt Dog Training! Yup! I took obedience classes there (loved them too!) and once I graduated from basic obedience I started taking Canine Freesyle classes. You should try it sometime! Bark! Bark!


And... I found out that I won a ribbon in the Virtual Sheltie Show for a photo I submitted from the MRE Bridge Run! Check it out right here! I'm entered in a couple more classes in that show... so I'll keep you posted on the results!


The article also enlightened me to the fact that Maddie Cat is a gasp! CAT! Yipes! My sister is a cat! Wait a minute... I knew that... she just isn't a "catcatcat" so she's cool to hang out with, aside from being my big sister and all. The article asked if Maddie Cat joins me at my cat lookout post... as a matter of fact she does and I've got photographic proof! Here we are keeping watch over our domain from our lofty lookout perch... talk about an awesome team! Not much gets by us!

We even have a team uniform- black and white!

And For those of you who wanted You Tube Videos... You got 'em!

Maddie & I Wrestling...


Dancing Skills!

Who wants to be the first to sing 'Happy Birthday' to me?

Cause today- I'm Three!!

Mom and I celebrated my birthday this morning with a trip to Chick-fil-A for Tater Rounds & a Chicken Mini sammich. Tonight, Pop's and I are gonna have a guy's night and hang out on the deck and drink beers (I have a new brew to try out- its called Bowser Beer, bet it's AWESOME!).

Bark! Bark!

Fluff = Fun

Therefore, more fluff = more fun!

That's sheltie math and that's awesome! This is one tired little sheltie typing to you today, my fluffy self spent the weekend spreading sheltie love across two counties in good old Maryland. First, we went back to my puppy stomping grounds, University of Maryland, I was welcomed back with lots of pats, back stratches, hugs and part of a hot dog. Man was life good.

I represented University of Maryland as an honorary ambassador for the College of Ag and wowed some of the crowd with my tail chasing and spinning skills. They were way impressed. I almost nabbed some little kid's lollipop but Mom caught me... dang! I was feeling the need for some sugar! The chicks were digging me on Saturday too, those sorority girls can't resist coming to spend some time with a dog like me... must be my beautiful brown eyes....

My boy Cujo came for an overnight visit that night, we had a grand time playing chase and stealing chewies from each other. We were up bright and early on Sunday to hit the park for the Walk for the Animals. Time to pour out some more of that sheltie charm... I came home with a whole tote bag of toys, treat samples and a bandanna from my most favorite playplace EVER - Dogwood Acres. Yup, I was sporting the hunter green bandanna. I was representing my peeps from Dogwood Acres, especially my man Batman. I was looking good. Life was good! The whole weekend was AWESOME!

And the best part??

Mom snagged me some doggie beer to sample on my birthday- I'll be legal on Wednesday you know... 3 dog years = 21 people years!

Bark! Bark!

Life is good in my Sheltie World!

The weather is warming up and though that means non-sheltie friendly weather (hot and humid) is just around the corner but I don't care cause its warm and warm weather means lots more adventures! This Sunday we are headed to the SPCA's Walk for the Animals, if you're there look for the prancing tri-colored sheltie accompanied by a sable sheltie pup and a silky terrier and that will be me! Yup, I'm introducing my sheltie friend Joey and my terrier friend Cujo to the funness of the SPCA Walk... wonder if they'll hop in the doggie pool with me??

Last weekend was the first blast of warm air and I celebrated by falling into the frog pond thats by my grandparent's house. We were out with on a walk with my cousin Christopher and there was this frog sitting on the bank so I just HAD to sniff him. Well he made a funny noise and jumped in the water and I leaned just a little too far over the edge looking for him.... plop! Soaked sheltie!

Mom laughed at me but it was so not funny... I got my payback when she had to ride back to Naptown with a sheltie that smelled like a frog! Ha ha ha!

Paybacks are heck though cause on Tuesday she made me take a bath at daycare.... booo! But I do like how soft and shiny my fur is now!

What a great comic! A sheltie favorite!

So Mom and Dad bought me a new treat this past weekend, it was called the Pedigree Super Chew. Sounded yummy enough and according to the package it was "the healthy, long-lasting chew with a delicious outer layer and rich meaty center dogs love. Unlike tennis shoes and table legs, PEDIGREE® Super Chew is a treat that’s highly digestible and nutritionally complete." Can't get much better than that right? Mom and Dad figured they'd get me the large dog one, so it would last me longer. Looking back it was a bad idea but the directions aren't clear. I consumed the whole thing in one night. Should I have used restraint? Probably but it was so, so yummy!

Anyway, I got an upset tummy. Very upset tummy and have been dealing with such for the last three days... granted I snacked on some "unmentionables" at the barn while visiting Buttercup so that is probably to blame as well. BUT- the whole deal started with this Super Chew and I wanted to get the word out that you should follow the package directions... just like you should for Greenies!

As for me, there will be no more sampling of Super Chews or their cousins the Pedigree Jumbones (I throw up everytime I eat those, even when Mom follows the package directions or even gives me less than recommended!) So remember- read those packages!! Mommy and I learned our lesson!

Mommy and I plan on watching at least part of the Westminster Kennel Club judging tonight, though we won't be nearly as excited as we will be tomorrow (the herding group is judged on Tuesday). We'll be cheering for the shelties!

My great-grandpop won Best of Breed at Westminster in 1999 and 2000... he's a pretty cool dog. His name is Ch. Shadow Hill's Air Force One but they call him Boomer.

I'd like to show at Westminster, but Mom says its only for the dogs that complete in breed classes... I don't do that but if they held obedience classes I'd want in! Even if I can't make it there I'll still be barking encouragement to my sheltie cousins, go shelties! Take the Herding Group and go on to Best In Show!

I'm following the breed classes so far and I thought I'd post the winners of my friends' breeds so they could see if they have any Champions in their family tree!

First up- The Newfies! The Best of Breed winner is:

Ch Pouch Cove's Head Of State

Sire: Ch Darbydale's All Rise Pouch Cove

Dam: Ch Pouch Cove Casts Its Vote

Stay tuned on updates for more breeds!

Another neat pic of me doing what shelties do best.... playing chase! And yup thats my flying squirrel toy in midair about to hit Mommy as she snaps the picture!

Portrait of a Stormy Dog... it was a sunny 70 degrees the other day and Mom snapped this picture of me... I think I'm a pretty handsome sheltie don't you think?

Hope that everyone had a happy holiday! You are reading the blog of a sheltie who had a WONDERFUL holiday. I got lots n lots of great toys including this awesome pillow from my pal Max in Walla Walla. He loves pillows too and he's got great taste! It's wonderful to snuggle with and combines my two favorite colors- red and green! Can't get much better than that!

Mommy, Daddy and I had a lot of big adventures this holiday. We spent time with the family in The Great KC where I got to spend an afternoon exploring the farm with my Uncle Diesel and my buddy Cujo. It was great fun until Cujo and I got a bit to excited about chasing birds and ended up covered in burrs. Not the best thing for my sheltie coat, after the clean up process Mommy mentioned that she now knows why a lot of field hunting dogs have short coats...


Guess you gotta pay when you play... so I had to sacrifice some of my coat hair for an afternoon of fun, it was well worth it! At least they didn't have to use the horse clippers to remove the burrs on me like they had to on Cujo!

Tell Santa Paws that I have been a VERY good sheltie this year, especially when compared to the Maddie Cat who has been knocking ornaments off the tree and chewing on the branches. What she does that for is beyond me... its not real! It doesn't even smell real, I gave it the sniff test and it failed the pine scent sniff test miserably... But she does it anyway.... oh well, I guess thats why Mommy and Daddy refer to her as Crazy Kitty. I can't believe that it doesn't have anything to do with her early morning windsprints through the condo and her freakish staring at blank walls... but she's my sister and even if she is spashul I still love her.
But back to the task at hand... for those last minute shoppers or early birthday shoppers (my birthday is May 2!) I have an awesome gift idea- squirrels! Yes they have these fun little squirrels stuffed in a tree trunk that you are supposed to pull out. A perfect job for a sheltie like me, I have the nose for it! It even says you can stuff some of my favorite treats inside for even more fun!! How cool is that?! Just a hint!

Season's Greenies!

So the people who make the yummy Greenies for my tummy sent Mom and I a neato e-card. Every star in the sky is someone's wish and you can add your own. Pretty neat stuff! I think I'll go add mine right now...
Greenies e-Card

Mommy says "Fear The Turtle!"

Daddy says "Go Cougs!"

One says vote for Testudo, you were raised a Terps fan! The other says vote for Butch cause you're a Cougar pooch- your collar tag says so!

I say- is there a write in option??? Cause I'm voting for a sheltie!

If you want to join in and watch Testudo & Butch battle it out visit:

http://capitalonebowl.com/Voting/Default.aspx

Brrr!!! It's gotten quite chilly around here in Maryland. They said there were supposed to be flurries last night, but we didn't see any. Oh well... there's still plenty of winter left and I'll be happy so long as I get the chance to romp in the snow at least once this year! I was a happy sheltie when I walked outside last night, happy that I had my thick furry coat to keep me warm! The ground was a bit cold on my feets but I could handle it.

Bring on the cold weather Old Man Winter!! This sheltie is ready for it!

The parentals on the other hand are not so thrilled to be out in the windy cold! Last night was one of those great sheltie nights when the wind is blowing, the wind is cold and exciting scents are in the air! They told me to hurry up but I got to meander anyway cause we had to trek to the mailbox... hehe.

My friends had their first snow of the year! I am terribly jealous! I can't wait for the first snow here so that I can chase the sledders down the hill like I did last year or go on snowy hikes with Mommy and Daddy. Those are the best times!! Once we went on a hike and I had to protect them from an evil scarecrow... Mom caught my heroics on video, I'll get her to post it on You Tube for all to see!

But the overall bestest best part about snow is that I get to work on my "snow beard"!

My parents are currently very proud of themselves for 'winning' Battle Cat Food... Mom has even taken the chance to tell the world on her blog.... But I am posting to let them know that they may have won the fight but they haven't won the war... I still have some trickery sheltie moves up my sleeves and I have plenty of time at Dogwood Acres to discuss plans of attack with my fellow doggie friends... you haven't heard the last from me! You've been warned!
*love you mom and dad!* :o)
I have a busy week coming up, I am having my photos done on Friday! Mom also says I am getting a bath that day... ewww!!! But I will be sure to smile pretty for the camera, and maybe even come up with another awesome photo to put on my profile. We shall see. But I will make sure that my photo appears front and center in our Christmas cards... so be on the lookout for them! I KNOW they will be in there because how could my parents exclude such a beautiful boy like me from the cards?? hmmm? That's right! They can't cause I am too cute!

Since our friend The Evolutionary Pyschologist posted her Christmas Wish List I felt the need to post mine. I certainly hope that Santa Paws will read this so that he will know what I want... I been such a good sheltie this year!

Shetland Sheep : Yes, the real critters. I am a sheepdog you know and how can I reach my full potential without sheep for me to herd? They are darn cute too, just like myself! A small herd would be nice, then I could practice my skills and wow the world with my herding prowess. The one small problem with this Christmas wish is that sheep aren't good condo dwellers and I don't know if Mommy and Daddy would be able to convince the condo board that the sheep would make better grass mowers than the landscapers that already work here... so I guess I would be willing to settle for one of these adorable plush sheepies.

Greenies: We all know what these are! I LOVE THEM!! I would bark with joy if a greenie or two found its way into my Christmas Stocking!

Chuck It Toys: They aren't just ball throwers any more! They have a line of plush Chuck It toys....and I think they are great! I already have two sizes of the non-plush chuck it squirrel but I would love to welcome the plush version to my toy basket! The boomerang looks totally awesome too!

Tug Toys: I love to play tug, so if its a toy that says you can play tug with it then I am all about it! Bring 'em on!

Greenies, greenies what a wonderful treat!

They're a green toothbrush and their fun to eat!

The more I eat the better I feel, I should have Greenies for every meal!

Ya'll know you liked my poetry :o) But probably not as much as I love my Greenies, Mom started giving them to me to help clean my toothies and keep them peary white. I don't know how something that is green could keep my teeth white but they taste yummy delicious and so I think I'll play along.

I was a bit worried earlier this week when Mommy mentioned to Daddy that they had redesigned Greenies. I mean why change a good thing?! Then a free Greenies sample came in the mail and it was Mmmm! Mmmm! Good! Any difference in taste? Don't really think so. The shape is a bit different and they are a smidge chewier... Mom says thats for better teeth cleaning. That's nice and all but all I care about is taste and that didn't change, so its all good. I'll leave the Greenie designing up to the experts but because I always like to put in my two cents on subjects that affect me I would like to offer one piece of sheltie sensible advice: Play with the shape all you want but don't change the taste!

That being said, I'm feelin' a craving for a Greenie coming on right now....