WHOOPEEEE!!! Ladies and Gentleman, today is Walter's first birthday! Where the heck has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday he was nippin' at my heels and whizzing on the tile. Time flies when you're having fun. When I finally dragged my tuckered caboose out of my slumber sleigh I gave Walter his birthday gifts. He seemed to love them! The first thing I gave him was an adorable stuffed platypus. He seemed to love this best. I also gave him a doggy "icube," which is essentially a fabric colored puzzle cube for dogs to play with.
After presents, we went and met with his brother, Bogey. Bogart's birthday was also today, and the dogs had an absolute blast! Gigi was also there, as well as Duffy & Dreamer. Here's some photos from today's Sheepie Birthday Party.
The Whole Motley Crew: Duffy, Gigi, Walter, Dreamer, & Bogart
You're not going to believe the week I've had. The good Dr. Ridiculous decided to send me away to some horrifying place known as "the groomer's" last Wednesday. ALL DAY. For all my fellow canines out there reading, DO NOT fall for a car ride::SQUIRREL!!!:: (sorry, it's my job to guard the yard from those pesky little rodents) to this seemingly innocuous place of chaos. What a nightmare! Not only did I have to get a bath,but my nails were trimmed, ears plucked, and the most torturous of all---HAIR CUT!!!! Sometimes my owner has these half-baked ideas, (like trying to make Amelie the cat like me by isolating us in the same room..yikes!) but I think he means well...Oh J. Cornelius, whatever will we do with you?
Don't get me wrong, the cut feels GREAT! Things were starting to heat up down here in sunny Gainesville and I recommend to all long haired breeds to get a cut!(I just wish I didn't look so ridiculous)I lost my size, I look like a newly sheared lamb!!! Agh! Check out these before and after shots.
Before:
After:
::SIGH:: Things could be worse, after all I could be a cat;)
I always knew I wanted an Old English Sheepdog ever since my grandparents gave me a stuffed toy of one. To reinforce this desire, I absolutely loved the sheepdog Max from the Little Mermaid & Nana in the movie Hook. Both of which are superb films, and I recommend them to all!
For the next 22 years of my life, I was sheepdogless. I was unable to get one as an undergraduate, but once I decided to pursue graduate school at the University of Florida it was all over. GO GATORS! I spent a good year researching the breed and eventually decided it truly was the dog for me. After much searching, I stumbled across a fantastic breeder by the name of Ruth Willet. She has been raising OES for over 20 years, and has had such wonderful dogs. Fortunately enough, her female Myrtle was set to have her first set of pups in the spring. I quickly made a deposit, and soon the litter of 12 was born on April 29, 2009.
Ruth was kind enough to update us on the daily progress of the puppies and post pictures, but this just wasn't enough for me! I NEEDED more. How was I ever to make a decision on my new pal solely based on some photos? Oddly enough, Walter was the dog I initially wanted from the photos, and when I decided to visit my mind was set on him. I traveled the arduous journey up I-95 to Durham, NC and met the little guy. Have you ever sat down among 12 of the most ADORABLE creatures on the earth knowing you can only pick one? This was practically one of the most difficult things I've ever had to decide. All the pups were gorgeous, spunky, and anybody would be lucky to own one of them. I eventually narrowed it down to three, but deep down I always knew Walter was the one to be my new pal. So I left with my decision to have Walter, ecstatic but also melancholy knowing I would have to wait another 7 whole weeks before I could pick him up! For all those who'd ever consider an Old English, I HIGHLY recommend Ms. Ruth Willet. Fell free to glance over her website at http://www.riverbin.org/Aboutusdogs.html
Tempus Fugit! For those of you not proficient in the Latin language, that means "time flies." In just a few short weeks, my fantastic puppy by the name of Walter Theodore Rex will be a year old. My where the deuce has the time gone? Just the other day it seemed I was bringing him home and he was weeing on my parents' tile floor and constantly nipping at our heels. He used to fit in my hands, now I can barely lift him! For all the non-dog owners, these sentiments probably appear ludicrous. On the contrary, any dog loving aficionado will tell you owning a dog can be one of the most rewarding experiences of life.
This blog will be a collaboration of both my thoughts AND Walter's. (Things are bound to get interesting...) He's not the best at using the key board, so you'll be more likely to hear from me than him. ( You don't even want to see what he did to my last computer!)
Before I can even think to begin a blog about a dog I have to first explain my personal origins. For me, I've been lucky enough to grow up among all kinds of dogs. Big dogs, small dogs, some as BIG as your head! I'm fortunately from a family of canine enthusiasts.
But my greatest affinity for dog kind will always stem back to that classic tale of the quintessential family dog. Prior to my life with Mr. Walter I was honored with growing up with the creme de la creme of Man's Best Friend. For my family and me it was an amazing Australian Shepherd by the name of Jack. We were blessed with his love and affection for 15 glorious years, and he has set the bar for canine excellence.
Jack was the family guardian, the neighborhood herder, the resident therapist, and a childhood boy's best friend. He would patiently wait for my brother and I to come home from school so we could begin our adventures together. Jack was the world's best playmate, and we knew it. We could take him anywhere! He'd play in the woods by the creek with us. He'd round us all up when he thought we were getting a bit too rowdy. Jack was even known to love a car ride or two...He was simply the best. I realize now not everybody gets a dog like Jack in their life, but for those that have understand. We all miss him dearly, and if you knew Jack you'd understand my undying affinity for such an incredible animal. What I would give just to rub behind his ear again and see his hind leg involuntarily scratch the floor with delight...
A few years after Jack left us, I decided I needed a pup of my own. This now leads us to the beginning of my new adventures with another wonderful buddy. WALTER!!! I figured what better way to chronicle the life of my new friend and our adventures together than in a blog? Walter and I go everywhere together, meet all sorts of people & dogs, and sometimes manage to get ourselves into some deep shenanigans together! (Aye, that business on Alpha Centuri was something else...) It's also a goal of ours to meet as many breeds and kinds of dogs as possible!!! Walter is just such a sociable mush.
If you enjoy comedies, wet noses, and tales of nonsense and everything in between, I encourage you to read on. If not, you're probably a cat person so go scratch up some furniture or something.
“And now,” cried Max, “let the wild rumpus start!!!!!!!!”
Come one, come all to the ultimate realm of ridiculous.
I'm the proud owner of an incredible Old English Sheepdog by the name of Walter. He's my boisterous, rambunctious canine companion. I'm his eccentric and over-the-top human owner. (I smell a sitcom...) We're partners in crime, He's the Peter to my Pan, the R2-D2 to my C3-PO, bamboozling bandits, mischievous miscreants, and friends to the end! Like Lewis and Clark (minus Sacagawea), these are the chronicles of our absurdly astounding adventures together.
