TRIXIE WANTS A PAPILLON OR A WIND UP CHICKEN

One of the nieces, Jenny, and her daughter Hailey, dropped off Cheryl's sister after picking her up from the airport. The little dog with the coat is about 17 years old and in very frail health. Jen also brought over her little puppy, Chloe.

When Chloe went under the chair, I think Ellie figured it was a good time to check for her genital warts, given the name of the breed, Papillon.

I keep a special drawer of candy and cigarettes for myself. The kids are always welcome to help themselves. When one of them complained about there not being much candy, I told them, "You children are just going to have to start smoking".

Notice the Arabic on the cigarette pack. SIL bought them in Egypt.






Randy Travis and me singing "I Told You So" on American Idol




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Trixie Is Cool

One of the nieces sent me this test to see how cool you were in HS and if you are still cool today.

Since I am very cool and hang with a dog who is even cooler, I couldn't resist.

Yup, I've still got it!

The Cool Test



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My Dog Is Guarding Our Satelite Signal For The Grey Gardens Premiere

"If You Seek A Beautiful Pit Bull, Look On The Hot Tub Cover"




"Michigan's State Motto is: "If you seek a beautiful peninsula, look around you".

Learning that, as a third grader, I believe even then, I thought to myself, "What the eff is that supposed to mean?"

As children we all see and hear things which are beyond our understanding. Our mother had a knack for giving us opportunities to reach deeply into our imaginations. As we'd pass the heavily forested Mio Mountain, on our way to the family cabin, she'd always say that the Indians used to play there. I could just picture the young children in the cool shaded Jack Pines, running and playing just as I loved to do. It was fuel for the imagination as well as the soul. Many times I still look around wondering what walked the ground before me. Although sometimes it is not that difficult to tell. If I find dog shit, I can kind of figure it was one of the dogs.

When I was on crutches after hip surgery, I went to Sears and had them load a new dryer on the pick up truck. Getting home, and with no way to unload it, I called one of my buds at the Gas Company. Before I knew it I had about 6 Gas Company trucks at my house.

Outside of my fence, along the driveway, I saw the bane of every gasman's existence, a big pile of dog shit. A present from one of the neighbor dogs, as my dogs are all fenced. I pointed it out to my coworkers, as a courtesy and because I didn't want them tracking it into the house.

But, there always has to be ONE. Little Zimmy had to step in it. So while everyone else took the dryer into the house and hooked it up, I was outside at the garden hose trying to clean up Zimmy's shoes.

The conversation went like this:

Little Z: "Was this from one of your dogs?"

Me: "No Zimmy, this must have been from a neighbor's dog. My dogs are fenced".

Little Z: "Oh, do you know what kind of dog it was?" (I guess he was just trying to be sociable.)

Me: No, Z, I'll have to pay closer attention. If I'd known it was there, I would have picked up it before you guys came.

Little Z: "Looks like a pretty big dog."

OK, at that point I gave up being polite. Sometimes it's better to bust stupidity to the rest of the guys and let them handle it from there. And believe me, busted he was. It was hilarious!

As far as I know, my gasmen still analyze dog shit for breed specificity.

Two nice aerial shots of Mio, Michigan




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Trixie Liked Her Bath

I used the kids dinosaur shampoo on the dogs. Myranda commented one time that Kassie's hair smelled good. When Cheryl asked her what it smelled like, she said, "dinosaurs".











I don't think that they wanted to get out of the tub. I had to let the water out.



I was too exhausted to try and take pictures while I was trimming nails. But someone is going to get a hair cut tomorrow. Guess who?




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An Irish Dog? I Think Not!

Trixie Could Have Been Summer Help

Trixie would have made a really great farm dog. She totally could have done the work, but her short coat would have made for awfully rough winters. Especially since my grandparents never took any dogs into the house. The dogs always took shelter under the wooden steps on the east side of the house, away from the west wind which, in Michigan, is as ruthless, as relentless.

Trixie could have been summer help, like the young men who came and went, summer to summer, at Uncle Keith's farm, which was right up the road.

My grandfather splurged one time on a dog that he mailed ordered from Ireland. It was supposed to be a special herding dog and cost the exorbitant sum of $200 back in 1959. (Probably comparable to about $3500 today.) The puppy came packed in a wooden crate that sat in the barn for years afterward. She arrived amid much family fanfare and excitement, not only because of the extravagance, but the wonderment of a special dog, arriving by airplane from a foreign land!

The word special did not do her justice. One of a kind, yes. She looked to be some kind of small, gray, shaggy, ah, canine. A Sheep-a-poo that got crossed up with a large Dingo Mutt? Shleep-a Ding? Grandpa got totally ripped on that deal. I've never seen any kind of dog, or picture of such a dog since, and I find myself constantly on watch for one during televised Dog Shows.

It had to be a mutt. She wasn't even a good mutt. I don't believe that she ever went out to the barn unless someone carried her. (She did like to be carried and held.) I know she never brought any cows in from pasture.

That dog was never right. Without going into detail about the dog's behavior, even as a young child (I was only 7) I could tell that something was drastically wrong. Fortunately, the Waller's, city folk who spent their summers on a small farm 1/4 miles east, took Cindy in as a house pet and treated her very well. The Waller's probably weren't really "right" either so it was a good fit.



JUST DRUNKARDS AND HORSE THIEVES

Because the Kirk's all immigrated from Ireland to Canada before the potato famine, I asked Uncle Keith one time if he knew why they left. After all, it was a family of about 14. Eleven or twelve boys and their parents who all made the Atlantic crossing in the early 1800's.

He told me that they were thrown out of Ireland.

Thrown out? How does a whole family get thrown out of an entire country, especially Ireland?

Uncle Keith told me that they had a choice. They could have gone to Australia, or England, but instead left for Ontario, Canada. (They settled in Western Ontario, before crossing Lake Huron when it was frozen, to settle in Michigan. The town in Ontario is still called Kirkton.)

"But, they sent the criminals to Australia! They must have been really bad to get the whole family thrown out of Ireland, of all places!"

"Oh no, they weren't that bad." Uncle Keith said, "They were just drunkards and horse thieves!"




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TRIXIE WANTS A PAPILLON

She Thinks They Taste Good!



We had a lot of people in and out of the house over the weekend. Finally Sunday night everyone came over for BBQ chicken wings that I made on the grill.

One of Cheryl's niece's, Jennifer, was here with her daughter, Haley, and their new puppy, Chloe. Chloe is a Papillon. Adorable.

The dogs played hard, especially the puppy. After dinner, they climbed up for a nap. We had to lift Chloe up on the couch.

I think it's bad luck to get a dog whose name sounds like some kind of warts!







THE DOGS THOUGHT THAT CHLOE LOST A CONTACT LENS. (THE JOKE WAS ON THEM! SHE DOESN'T EVEN WEAR LENSES!)





Trixie spotted her Easter Gift. Now I'll have to buy another one.






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Does Trixie Look Scared?

When Trix first came to live with us, we had a difficult time training her to climb up on the sofa or get into bed. After consulting many training manuals, we were able to train her with consistent positive reinforcement. Every time that she would hop up on the furniture I gave her a treat and told her what a good dog she was.

This change in behavior does not happen overnight! You must be persistent!

Sometimes even now, when I walk into the bedroom and find her on the bed, she cowers a little, as though I might beat her. I just speak softly and give her a gentle pat.

How did you train your Pit Bull to get up on the couch?








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Little Maggie R.I.P. 1996-2009

Trixie With Her Best Pal, Maggie







THE WASHING OF THE EARS






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Is Trixie Comfy?