Moo Cows and the Quest for Butter

Woo! Dave here! I was reading on our friends Roxie, Sammy and Andy's blog, Dachsies Rule, about their adventures with the giant cow dogs. That's pretty cool - and the Dachsies are brave to get anywhere CLOSE to those guys!

I told them how we have cow dogs here, too, and that I met them and asked if they'd like to see pictures! (That sentence is almost long enough to be one of Amber's! Woo. Oh... by the way... she said it was going to snow yesterday, so sure enough... it's snowing. Woo!) Anywoo, they said "yes!" so here's the story of me meeting the cow dogs - it's from a few years ago!

A bunch of Siberian friends of ours always rave about this wonderful treat they get called "butter" and even formed a club! Look here for their headquarters! Pretty cool, huh? Only notice anypups missing? That's right - the Army of Four! And do you know why? We've never HAD butter! I took it upon myself to go on a Butter Quest and took pictures along the way.

First, I saw Mom get something out of the magic cold box. I'd heard that's where butter is kept, so I went over to check it out. Hmm..."The flavor says, 'butter'!"

Seemed like I was heading in the right direction. I ran my finding past Tia - a bee-woo-tiful Siberian who is the Queen of the Universe. She said I'd discovered margarine and that it wasn't even CLOSE to butter. Cats! I thought I had something there.

Zim found a little jar of "Butter Buds" in the kitchen and let me check those out. We thought we could plant some in the yard and grow a butter tree, but that didn't pan out.

Stormy told us that moo cows (our term for the cow dogs!) are the ones who make butter. She said if I look for them, I could find that golden treat!

I looked all over the house for moo cows and finally found this tin with a moo cow on it.

Unfortunately, no butter to be found. Then I had a vet appointment. As we drove past the outer buildings to campus, I saw something remarkable! Check out the sign behind me!

That's right - it reads "Purebred Beef Teaching Center"! I just knew that's where cows go to learn how to make butter! Woo! We couldn't gain access to the area, but when we drove past the park on the way home, I smelled moo cows! "Please, Mom! Please pull over so I can talk to the moo cows and find out how they make butter!"

She did pull over. We saw horses first, and I went over to say "woo" to them. Just to be friendly.

I don't know how they knew I was looking for the moo cows, but it was mighty neighborly of them to point me in the right direction!

Mom and I took off to find them. I couldn't wait to meet them and learn all about the ways of butter! It never occurred to me I might not speak cow.

I asked Stormy about the whole thing later, and she said those don't look like the kind of moo cows who make butter anyway. She considered teaching CowSpeak at the Stormy Zoluschka Kryschtal School of Siberian Studies, but she said we have more important things to focus on. Like cats. Stormy's so smart -- the C(un)IA is trying to band together against us, but I have as yet to see any moo cows trying it! Woo.

I hope you enjoyed my Butter Quest photos!

Luv,
Dave

The C(un)IA's Not-So-Secret Headquarters

Hey pupperoos! Stormy here! Before I get started on today's post, we have some cool news! Remember our friend Rocky? Yeah, the guy who not only knows how to open the magic cold box, but who also devoured an entire Gingerbread Village -- that's him! Guess what??!!?? He has his own blog now, Rockstar and Company -- and he has a big announcement to make! Stop by his blog and say, "Ha roo!" And tell him the Ao4 sent you!

As Zim has mentioned, while he was on his under-cover mission to infiltrate the C(un)IA, he discovered their not-so-secret HQs. I knew I could count on him! We took the camera on yesterday afternoon's Forced Road March (as promised!) and Zim showed us the entrance. Here he is, showing Amber.

Down here, Am. They enter through here.

Then I came over to inspect. It's quite the innocuous-looking entrance, but lots of evil doings are plotted in there! Zim explained that he saw several members of the C(un)IA slink through this access point.

Excellent work, Drill SGT Zim!

Some of you may be wondering where Dave was while we checked out the C(un)IA's HQs. Not to worry - he was there, just manning the camera. He's working on a special post tomorrow for the Dachsies.

Be on the lookout in your own AO for more hidden entrances to the C(un)IA's no-so-secret HQs. They could be all over the place.

Tail wags,
Storm

Cat Tracks!

Ha roo, it's Zim! Some good news to report today - we had sub-zero temps over the weekend. That seemed to keep the Ice Cube Thief away and what snow he hadn't already taken out of our yard is still there. What a light-weight! Afraid of the cold!?!? Ha roo!

Our friend Frankie (one of two bee-roo-tiful all-white Sibergirls in our lives!) asked a really good question on my "Who Took My Snow?" post. She wanted to know, "Do you ever see any CATS in the snow walking around?" YES! And I have evidence! Kinda.

The other day when I was helping Mom clear snow off the upper deck, I thought I saw a bunch of paw prints down in our snow. We hadn't BEEN in the fenced-in yard, so they sure weren't OUR prints!

Hey... what's down there?

I peeked over the railing intothe back yard. I didn't see any CATS... but I did see this!

Yeah... somebunny's been in our yard, alright! And not just the BUNNIES! See that trench right up the middle of the picture??!!?? Cat tracks. The C(un)IA has been marching right through our backyard. Looks like a whole army of them, too. Well, I know where their not-so-secret Headquarters is and I'll get a picture of THAT and post it for everypuppy to see! In the meantime, you cats better stay OUT of our yard! (...Unless you have total dirtbags for bipeds and they don't let you in the house to get warm and you're just trying to get warm under our deck or something .... not that I trust you... but something in me doesn't want to see you all cold & all...)

Thanks for the question, Frankie! I have seen them walking the perimeter of our yard, I just haven't had the camera with me when I spot them. I need to start taking the camera with me on Guard Duty.

Play bows,
Zim

Sunday Salute - Princess Brynne!

This week, our Sunday Salute goes out to our friend (and princess!) Brynne, of Ohio!

We've been planning this Salute since December, when we read an email Brynne sent out to Siberian pals all over the world. The subject line was "Aroooo all Sibes I killed the Dyson beast!" and we knew right there it was going to be a great and important email! Her email read as follows:

What silly human said these beasts were Sibe proof! I killed ours today by eating its heart! I watched intently as Grandpa was doing something to the nasty beast. He took something out of its guts and washed it out in the sink. He then sat the yellow heart outside on the step railing to dry. When no one was watching I retrieved the monster's yellow heart and proceeded to eat it till Grandma saw me out of the window and took it away from me. Grandpa was not happy to say the least but the beast will not be running me out of my favorite spots any more. Harooooooo! A victory for Sibes everywhere!

She signed it Princess Brynne and encouraged her grandpa to "add Dyson Beast Slayer" to her titles. Ha ROOO!

We immediately dispatched a congratulatory email to her. She replied, "I knew my pals in the Ao4 would be proud of me! I just thought to myself 'what would Sgt Zim do in this situation?' and it came to me how to kill the beast. My Grandpa must not be too mad he tells me I am at the top of his list." Wowzers. Our own Zim inspiring royalty to such bold, brave acts. Ha ROO!

Zim told Brynne, "Oooh, are you on a 'special' list? 'Cuz I think I'm at the top of that one, too! Wow, it's great to be in such good company!" Mom assures Zim daily he's at the top of her list, so Zim wasn't just exaggerating to impress Brynne! He went on to ask her if she had any pictures of the destruction. She did! Check these pix out!

Side view of the Dyson beast's "heart" ... And another view below.

What success! Unfortunately, her grandpa brought the Beast back to life, but Brynne's actions are to be commended! Such bravery! Way to go, Brynne! Brynne is very humble and down-played her accomplishment. She said she did not do enough damage and she advises other Sibes to chew the soft part of the heart up first and make sure you eat the instructions on how to bring it back to life. This is where she failed, she says. No... it's a rousing success in our book!

Battling the Evil Dyson is not all our royal friend does! Here she is in her vehicle, helping navigate, no doubt. Looks like a great way to ride.

Pull in at the PetsMart, my good man!

She also keeps a close eye on Ezri, the "bad Cat and chief tormentor" as she calls him.

Watch him closely, Brynne. He could be a member of the C(un)IA.

One of her biggest accomplishments is that Brynne went through a lot of training and has earned not only her CGC (Canine Good Citizen) credentials but is also a certified Therapy Dog through TDIA -- ! Here she is, in action!

That's her grandpa with her. From what we understand, she helps small bipeds learn to read. How nice is THAT?!?! We encourage all our readers to look into a program like this - maybe you can get involved in your area!

Brynne, for all you do - from eating the evil Dyson Beast's heart out to helping teach little bipeds to read - and everything in between, we Salute you!

The Army of Four

Who Took My Snow?

Ha roo! It's me - Zim. As you may remember, we got some really great snow just shy of a week ago. Here it is ... remember?

Ah... snow... sweet snow!

Me, above ... enjoying the snow.

Mom took me out to scout around the yard a bit yesterday afternoon. And guess what? Somebody took my SNOW!

I left a bunch right here... and now it's gone! Who took it? Who took my snow!?!?!?

I have a strong suspicion it's the same guy who's been stealing Amber's ice cubes and leaving puddles of water where she put them. That's right -- the Ice Cube Thief took my snow!

I'm not amused.

Give it back, thief!

If anypuppy has seen my snow, please send it back to me. And grab the guy who took it by the neck and shake him around a bit. Thanks, guys.

Play bows,
Zim

Pack Cohesion

Woo. Dave here. A lot of bipeds ask how it is that all four of us get along so well and what the big "trick" is for pack cohesion. "Trick"? We are Siberian Huskies; we don't do "tricks". That's one of Stormy's rules! I try to follow her rules -- I mean ... she's the alpha and all (within the pack, that is!) but the truth is, we don't always see eye-t0-eye.

See what I mean? That's her in the foreground and me in the background (above). Obviously, she's looking at things one way ... and I'm looking at things totally the other way.

The bipeds have this belief that "A tired Siberian is a good Siberian" and think that's one of the big things that helps contribute to pack harmony. Maybe. They also give us jobs, and I like that. We take it to the next level; we like to find a task and tackle it together -- working together builds strong bonds! Teamwork - that's a great trait of Siberians!

The other night, for example, Mom was going through her big notebooks of quilt patterns. Storm and I thought it would be really helpful if we went through the books with her. Help her out, you know? Me and Storm, working together to help Mom. Here we are:

Pretty helpful, aren't we? Mom always says funny things about the size of our house and why we're always all right on top of each other. How else are we going to help? Anywoo, it was a great bonding experience.

We were exhausted afterwards and went in the other room to do some more bonding. It's tough work... but somepuppy's gotta do it.

Luv,
Dave

Happy Australia Day!

Ha rooo! Right now it's the 25th of January here in the USA, but it's already the 26th in Australia! I don't want to try to explain how that works to readers like Bowie who may not understand the whole time/earth rotation thing, so just click here for a world clock. Anyroo.... to our Australian readers - Happy Australia Day!!!

So ... to our cool pals Charlie and Opy, Floss, and Tin Tin - and all the other Australian DWB members -happy celebrating, stay safe, and thanks for being such great friends!

Tail wags,
Stormy

How To Get Ice Cubes

Hi everypuppy! It's me - Amber!

I love ice cubes - don't you? I do. And I thought I'd share my technique with you about how to get one. No... I can't operate the thingy on the door of the magic cold box... but I do have another trick up my um... collar. Here's how it goes.

Step one. Stand right in front of the magic cold box. Stare intently at it. Wait.

If nothing happens, move to Step 2. Stare at Mom and send her a guilty mind-meld message.

You know I love ice. You know I can't get it for myself. Please? Please won't you let me have one little cube?

It works really well! And she'll give you cube after cube after cube ... until she finds the stash on the living room carpet. Or the puddle left by the ice cube thief. (There's a thief who roams the country, stealing ice cubes, leaving puddles in their place. It's horrible!)

I hope this helps all my fellow ice-lovers out there!

Love,
Amber

Cat Scan 5000 - Lab Test Results

Woo! Dave here with some great news! I think we were all getting mighty worried about Zim last week, afraid he'd contracted Cat Scratch Fever (CSF) from some member of the C(un)IA. As promised, I fired up my new Cat Scan 5000 and tested everysibe in the Ao4. I mean... Althea made a great point with her comment about Stormy and her fishy toy! That really looked ... uh ... fishy, didn't it? So best to test everysibe!

I tried to get pictures of me running everysibe through the machine, but it was too hard to focus on my very important job as a certified Lab technician AND run the Cat Scan at the same time. Here's the label on my machine, though:
Pretty cool, isn't it?

I ran Stormy through first. She said that as the Supreme Commander of the Ao4, she had to show her troops there was nothing to be concerned about and to prove to them that she didn't have CSF. The arrow between canine and flickered back and forth and back and forth and ... well, you know. But then it settled in on the image at right! It printed out a report about how smart she is and what a good leader she is, what a great teacher she is to her pack-mates, and that she is the epitome of a Siberian Husky! Wooo!

Amber was next. She wasn't real thrilled about it, but once I convinced her it wasn't a bath tub, she was good to go. The arrow on the meter sprang to life and settled on this icon at right for Amber! The report was that she was a very happy puppy with an incredible sweet spirit. It didn't mention her ability to spot a squirrel from 100 meters, but I think we all saw that through pictures yesterday! It said she is a master of communications and an excellent snow-ologist! It also mentioned that she is very loving and funny, but is not keen on baths or brushing. I tell ya, the Cat Scan 5000 is one VERY accurate machine!

I ran Zim through third. (This is also the order our dinner bowls always go down, too -- Storm, Am, Zim then me.) Oh, you should have SEEN that arrow fly around! It was about ready to jump out of the machine! Then I heard Amber say, "Relax, Zimmie, and think about that snow out there!" That must have helped, as the arrow flickered just a few more times ... then settled on the image at right. Yeah... that seemed to sum up what the Z-man is all about! Playful, yet a dreamy pup who puts himself into a lot of dangerous situations! It said he's willing to go the extra mile for the cause. That's our Drill SGT Zim! He just went SO deep under cover that it was hard for him to come back to reality! But he's OK! 100% CANINE! Wooooooo!

You may be wondering how my own Lab test came out? Please see image at right. It said I am a very laid back pup, who has nothing to prove to anyone. (As in I don't have to prove I'm not a Lab in a Sibe suit!!!) Happy just to be invited to the party, I don't go looking for trouble - preferring just to kick back, nice and mellow-like. If trouble comes knocking, though - count on me to defend my pack-mates! It said I am very snuggly and like to give hugs by leaning up against bipeds. It also said I love to play-wrestle with my brother, play with toys, and have a tendency to retrieve items. WELL... OK, it's all true. But that doesn't mean I'm a Lab!

Mom cleared the snow off the upper deck yesterday afternoon and Zim got to help her. I thought a picture of him hard at work would settle everypup's concerns about him!

I can dig it, Mom!

That Zim! He's OK! Thanks for everypup's concern! AND special thanks to Ivy for the offer to contact somepup who knows somepup who knows Super Ivy! (That is SO cool!!!) I think the Cat Scan 5000 results show that we're all free from CSF! Woo.

Luv,
Dave

Snow Pictures!

Woo! It's me - Dave! I'm going to delay releasing the Lab results from everypuppy's Cat Scan until tomorrow. The preliminaries are in, and things look good so far. The Cat Scan 5000 seemed to indicate that we're free of Cat Scratch Fever (CSF); more on that tomorrow! For now ... we have to share some of our snow pictures with you!

As Amber predicted, we got a pretty good snowfall! Here I am (left) with Stormy!

We're heading up the hill - the next street over from ours. We're walking in the road. It was still covered with lovely snow. The bipeds found it much easier to walk on this than the ice and snow we'd gotten a few days earlier. We thought so, too!

Here's Dad and the Redheads after we crossed the big road. That road was pretty clear! Zim is checking the trees for his friend Short Round. I took it as a positive sign that he could be snapping out of CSF!

Further down that road, Dad grabbed a snow-filled branch and dumped its load on Zim. As you can see, Amber thought it was pretty funny!

Zim enjoyed it so much that he sent Dad a mind-meld message to do it on another one. This time, it back-fired a little and went all over Dad. Hmm. Yes! Very Siberian of Zim! I think he's going to be OK!


When we were on the way home, we had to wait for some cars to pass before we could cross the big street. Amber was at attention! She sent us an Amber Alert! Check this out! Can you see that one branch over there? Just above the roof of that house!


Wait ... here's another look!

SQUIRREL! Am spotted him from WAY far away! She is so good, isn't she? Funny, Mom said that "No pull, no pull, no pull" thing she does for a long time after Amber's alert. Mom's funny.

Hope you enjoyed our snow pix! We hope to take more tomorrow - and I'll also post our Cat Scan results!

Luv,
Dave

Sunday Salute - Frankie and Maddie!

This week, our Sunday Salute goes to our friends Frankie and Maddie of Southern California!

Fans of Dave's Haik-woo, may remember #14, which features Frankie.


Oh, sure. It may look like she leads a life of pure leisure, but we assure you - she is one VERY hard-working Siberian!


Look at the picture above! She's holding up the walls of her house! As we do that around here, too, we understand completely what an incredible work ethic she has! Don't overdo it, Frankie!

We intercepted an email between Frankie's mom and our mom. In part, it read, "...She (Frankie) is just too sweet and gets away with anything really. Too cute for me to say no to...." That's the plan, ma'am! :) Ha roooo! Great work, Franks!

Frankie got to have a Dental Chew in honor of Dave's honorary birthday last week! She sent Davy this next picture, telling him, "...I am enjoying it here very much. Maddie does not get these, as she does them too fast..."

Look at her focus! The concentration! The look is priceless! She is one very hard working Sibergirl!

Frankie and Maddie's mom and dad know that Maddie is a SUPER CHEWER and has to be supervised with chew toys! Safety first! As it happens, Thursday was Frankie's 4th birthday! (Happy birthday to woo, dear Frankie!) Guess what she got? A blue dinosaur bone, just like what Santa brought Zim! How cool is that!?!? She even shared it with Maddie - she's very nice, isn't she!?!? Even though the bones stand up to "The Jaws of Steel", Maddie was able to leave teeth marks in hers! Isn't that amazing!? Only one year old, and she's got incredible chew-power! Way to go, Maddie! In a fit of excitement, Dave accidentally deleted the picture of the bone with chew marks, but here are some pix of Maddie working - and she has the bone with her.


Here's Maddie, taking a quick break from her duties. There's her dinosaur bone! She knew she had work to do, helping her mom clean the pool, so she picked it up and went about her work.


You two are amazingly hard working! Holding up the house, cleaning the pool, sharing toys (and that CHEW-power!) .... it's no wonder you need some "down time":

An exhausted Frankie above - and Maddie taking a rest below.


For all you do, Frankie and Maddie - we salute you!
The Army of Four

Zim's Mission Report

Hey everypup. It's me, Zim. Yeah... back from being under cover. I'm not feeling too hot right now so I'm going to keep my briefing ... uh... brief.

I've found the C(un)IA's secret Headquarters. Not so secret anymore. I didn't get a picture (that cat suit didn't have a pocket for the camera!) but they are meeting in the storm sewers. I saw one enter right near the end of our street. So .... Bowie. We know where you're hiding out! You have no secrets from us!

I haven't really felt like doing anything since I've gotten back from my mission. I don't even feeling like playing with my toys.

Nah...I don't even feel like playing with my real dinosaur bones. (sigh...)

I just feel like rolling around in the sheets...

Or maybe napping in the sunshine. The wonderful, warm sunshine.

Yeah... that feels nice. Just for a little cat nap.... it feels so nice and warm, like I like it.

OK... this is Dave. I'm taking over the posting... I'm really worried about my little brother. A "cat nap"?!!? "Warm"? I think he caught something on his mission. Something BAD. He just hasn't been the same pup! I think it's something ... something called .... Cat Scratch Fever! (Paws up to Ted Nugent for warning us all about that one!)

Anywoo.... I'm going to run some tests on Zim to make sure he's OK. And yes, after seeing Stormy's picture with the fish yesterday, I think I better do her, too. And Amber. We're all going to get tested. I'm going to go fire up my new Cat Scan 5000. I'll have the Lab results for everypuppy on Monday. (Please refrain from making Lab jokes -- you know who I'm talking to!)

Think canine thoughts for us.
Luv,
Dave