My Reward!

Hi everypuppy! It's me, Amber! Like Davy told you, I was a very good girl at the vet's Thursday. I knew I'd get a reward, I just wasn't sure what it would be. Then Stormy looked out of one of our cool look-out windows yesterday afternoon and said, "It's here!"

Check it out, pups! It's here!

I wasn't sure what she was rooing about, but then Mom and Dad bundled up and hooked us up and out we went! Here's Dave:

Woo. I thought Dad just shovelled the driveway. Look at all the snow!

It was BEE-ROO-TIFUL! And it was still coming down! Here's Zimmie, catching snowflakes on his nose. Silly boy!

Oooh, this is fun! Got one! Try it, Am!

But I was ready to GO, GO, GO!

Let's GO!

We had a great walk in the snow. What a nice reward after my hard day!!! I just LOVE it!

I hope everypuppyelse who wanted more snow got more snow!

Love,
Amber

Lazy Day

Woo, everypup. Dave here.

Amber and Mom were at the vet's all DAY yesterday for Am's first "Senior Care" check up. I know ... it's hard for all of us to think of little Ammy as a "senior", but she IS 8 years old now. She was poked and prodded and x-rayed and all kinds of stuff. She was a little vocal about having to hold still and all (except for me, most Sibes have a hard time holding still) but she was really a good girl, according to Mom. She got to see lots of the nice people there - all the bipeds who work there are always really nice to us and I (dogonally speaking) make it a point to give every ONE of them a hug when I go. Am's not the "give a hug" type, but she IS sweet. Her vet student wrote, "Amber was a joy to work with!" on her record. Woo.

She's sleeping right now, but here's a cool picture of her:

We think Hamish and Indy and Tin Tin might especially like it. Woo.

It was a hard day for me, Storm and Zim, too, though not as hard as Am's! Dad was here with us, but we were worried about Am the whole time - where did she go? We sniffed her over REAL good when she got back and knew where she'd been. Woo. We cut her some slack and let her nap - after the three of us put on a show for her, doing zoomies through the living room and bedroom. It was our little way of saying, "Welcome home; we missed woo!" Mom seemed to appreciate it, too, 'cuz she was all excited during our performance.

We were all very sleepy last night and hit the sack early. That would have been a swell plan, except that the smoke detector/alarm thing right by the bedroom door started going CRAZY at about 2230 and oh, it hurt our ears! Mom! Dad! Please make it STOP! It was horrible! Dad fixed it (we aren't sure what set it off, but the house is fine) but we got ALL worried! So this morning is a slow morning.

I'm here by the computer, if you need me.

Luv,
Dave

Update on the C(un)IA

Hi everypuppy, it's me - Amber! I hope everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day. We did - we totally enjoyed everypup's greetings and wishing everypup else a love-filled day!

Before I get to today's post, I'd like to point out that not only did we get a few flurries this morning (about 1/2 an inch worth!) but it's colder here than in Siberia. I think our Weather-Control Devices in the sidebar area might finally be working! Rooooo!

Mom took me out front to go potty yesterday afternoon, and I keyed on something. Everypup and the bipeds know that when I focus, there is SOMETHING out there. Remember my squirrel-spotting ability? I see everything. So like I said, I saw something yesterday, sat, stared, and refused to move.

Here I am, not moving:

I can't move. I see something.

Mom got behind me to look between my radar ears to see if she could see what I did.

Amber Alert!

It's there, by the wall. Can you see it? Let me zero in on it a bit:

CAT! From the Cat (un)Intelligence Agency -- the C(un)IA, no doubt! Just when we thought they'd gone into deep cover!

I hope our friend Chelsea reads this; she asked about our progress just the other day! How serendipitous!

I stared at it until Mom said she couldn't feel her fingers anymore - bipeds seem to be uncomfortable when the temps are in single digits (Fahrenheit) with even lower wind-chills. Myself, I was quite comfy. Anyroo, the cat saw me and took off. He knows the Ao4 is on the job!

Have a happy day, everypup. And keep on the look-out for cats!

Love,
Amber

Haik-woo #34 and Valentine's Day

Woo. Dave here. I'd like to send the following post out to a very special friend of mine. It's a little poem I like to call Haik-woo #34. I hope you all enjoy it... especially that very special friend. Woo.

(New Ao4 Digest readers can read what constitutes a Haik-woo at this link.)

Happy Valentine's Day, everydoggie.

Luv,
Dave

Hide-Out Hang Outs

Ha roo, everypup! It's me - Storms! Before I get to today's post, let me say that Amber was right once again and we got SNOW! It's heavy, wet snow and our temps plummeted overnight. The wind-chill is now about 4 below, F. PERFECTLY beautiful out there! Makes me wonder why our morning road march was cut short.

Anyroo...... glad everyone likes Zim's seat in the balcony. You'll note he didn't say he hides from me up there, just the bipeds, Dave and Amber. And why might that be the case? Well... who do you think taught him about going up there?

Ha roo!

That's right. Another class at the Stormy Zoluschka Kryschtal School of Siberian Studies. This one is Cool Places to Hang Out, and this is the lesson on Hide-Outs.

Dave will usually only go half-way up and stop on the landing. That's pretty much the same with Amber. It's a good place to hang out, too, and has a fairly good view. The biped who built the house referred to the balcony as a "cat walk", and I think Am is afraid someone's up there waiting to head-butt her. She only goes all the way to the top if it's really important. Here's Dave, on the landing:

Speaking of whom... did you see the poem Holly commissioned Marvin to write? Mighty sweet. And here's Am in a picture from a couple years ago:

Dreaming sweet dreams, no doubt!

Until next time, tail wags, everypup!
Storms

More Entertainment From the Balcony

Ha roo, it's me - the Z-man! Everypup seemed to appreciate my That's Entertainment post from the other day. Hiding up there isn't just a great way to get the bipeds all excited, it's fun to mess with Amber and Dave, too. They used to not know about my secret look-out up there and I'd go hide from them. Check this out:

Can you see me? (Hint: check the lower left-paw corner.) I'm just sure they were wondering where I was - ha roo roo roo! Here's a shot where you can see me looking right at them:

Ha rooo! Up here, you guys!

I just never get tired of that game. I also go up there just to daydream. Um... I mean to think profound thoughts.

What does everypup think I'm thinking about?

Mom also likes to display quilts up there sometimes. Guess what?!!? The Super Bowl quilt top is finished! (She still has to quilt it, but at least all the blocks are together!) Here's a shot of it:

It will measure 70 x 70 inches and will be a "snuggle up to watch TV quilt" for Dad! Cool!

Have a great day, everypup. The weather bipeds say we're going to get snow. I can't wait to see what Amber says!

Play bows,
Zim

Sunday Salute - The Bernina Boys!

Today, our Sunday Salute goes out to Moseley and Bristol!

Remember a few days ago Zim mentioned a Lab who works at the Bernina Shoppe? He helped Mom pick out the cool thread to quilt the wild snowman quilt? Yeah - that's the guy! Sadly, he lost his brother not too long ago. He had been carrying on, helping his mom, Lisa, in the shop all by himself when some people were trying to find a home for a little Labrapuppy!

The pup in question was three months old and already on his third home, the way we heard it. He really needed a good home! Then someone thought... Let's ask Lisa! No, she wasn't looking for a little brother for Moseley - but hey, some of us around this place have heard that one before, too. Ha roo roo roo. (Yes... that's two hyperlinks there....) She was concerned about all kinds of stuff - to include Moseley's feelings and how he'd respond to the babe, but decided to give this little fella a home! Interestingly enough, Lisa was mulling over adopting the Lab puppy at the same time Mike in DC was considering adopting Mati! They both knew what an important decision it is to adopt a pup of any age - with tons of short- and long-term considerations. How cool that they both chose to adopt! They've both found great fur-ever homes!

Mom just "had" to stop by the Bernina Shoppe the other day. (right...) And guess who she met? Introducing Bristol!

Hello!

Yeah... doesn't he just go over the top of the Cute Meter? Wow! We smelled him and Moseley all OVER Mom. We don't mind, though. Those guys work SO hard at the shop; we're glad Mom showed them some appreciation. Check out these pix Mom took of them during a work break:

Moseley is obviously showing Bristol the ropes. (Amber made us write that ... you know ... the rope toy... showing him the ropes... sigh......)

They're a great asset to the shop - we have no doubt! Lisa works real hard with her boys - they are very well-behaved, respectful, and mannerly. They are both so adorable - and we are totally impressed at what a good big brother Moseley is! Lisa is a wonderful doggie mom; she should be very proud of her boys. (And we're sure she IS!) The boys are great Customer Relations workers!

Moseley and Bristol, for all you do, helping run the Bernina Shoppe (and Moseley for helping to train your little brother!) - we salute you!

The Army of Four

Look-Alikes?

Hey everypup! It's me - Zim. Have you seen our new blogging friend Sooky's blog? Wowzers, what a cute little pup! Then it occurred to me. She's kind of a lighter red and white like me ... bieyed like me (except our eyes are mirror-images of each others) ... and poses really cool like me. Since I was adopted when I was about 1 1/2 years old, I've got to wonder ... do you think I looked like Sooky when I was a little guy?

Let's compare!

Sooky above ...and me below.

Seriously. What do you think? Try another set!

Sooky admiring her snow above ... and me from a couple years ago enjoying my really cool snow fort that I built below.

Let me know what you think, everypup!

Play bows,
Zim

Doggie Dentals

Woooo, it's me - Dave! Dad's got a dental appointment on Monday and one of the nice ladies who works there called to remind him today. That led me to wonder ... how is everypuppy out there about letting their bipeds brush their teeth? You know, the more we eat right and the more we let our people brush our teeth, the healthier we'll be! (Dogonally speaking, I love the Tooth Fairy who paid me a visit, but I'd rather just go see him, give him a husky hug, and let him scratch my ears than what I went through last time!) So... best to let the bipeds do some brushing!

Here are some shots of me letting my mom do some brushing this morning. We have some really great chicken-flavored toothpaste. Mostly, we just try to lick that or chew the brush, but it all gets the job done!

That's it, Mom! Down on the uppers and up on the downers! Or something like that....

Yeah... that tastes good! Um... I mean feels good. Can you get the sides, too?

Thanks, Mom!

The dentist Mom and Dad go to are owned by four puppies - so you KNOW they're really great bipeds! Dr. W asked Mom one day if we let her brush our teeth. She answered yes, and that we'd probably let her do anything. One thing led to another and before long, he and the dental hygienist had taught her how to use the dental scaler tool. You know -- the scraping thing. Mom's real gentle and we always get lots of praise and cuddles and sweet talk during and COOKIES afterwards. Here's Zim showing how he feels about it:

Yeah, Mom? The scraping tool? Sure. Knock yourself out. Zzzzz......

Mom showed the picture of Zim to Dr. W and the ladies who work there and they were totally impressed. He admitted his pups don't let him do the scraping thing to them. Woo.

The girls aren't exactly as cooperative as us guys, but they're really pretty good. Especially if Mom remembers that "A Tired Siberian is a Good Siberian" thing. Stormy said Siberians are ALWAYS good; it's expectations on the bipeds' part that needs adjustment. Stormy's so SMART!

Woo, everypup! And remember to take care of those teethy-teeth!

Luv,
Dave

That's Entertainment!

Hey pups, Zim here! Know what's really fun? AND sends the bipeds into a mild panic? (I hope Sooky is paying attention; Macie and Malechai already posted great tips for her, but this could help her earn HULA membership!) Here's a little game I played last week. It was soooo entertaining!

After everyone is back from the afternoon forced road march, we usually go downstairs to work in the study or the quilt studio. Let everypup go first. Hold back on flying down the stairs. "Oh... I'm going to go on Guard Duty in the bedroom." Let the bipeds see you saunter in there before they head down.

Wait until it's time to come upstairs. When everyone has come back up and the door to downstairs has been closed... wait for the "Where's Zim?" questions. "I thought he stayed up here." "Maybe so. I'll check the bedroom." "I'll check the kitchen and dining room." Ha roo roo roo.... patience, pups. Wait for them to check the entire main level. Panic will start to set in. One of the bipeds will run back downstairs to check that level. "Maybe he did go downstairs." He or she will come back up, elevated pulse now... "He's not down there!" Meanwhile, the other biped has checked every nook and cranny on the main level. You've got their full attention now. They'll start to wonder if you somehow learned how to unlock and open the doors ... recheck all the areas they already checked ... "WHERE IS HE?!?!?" Wait for it ....

This is about the time they'll finally look straight up over their heads.....

What's all the excitement down there?

Ha ROO! Now THAT'S entertainment! And you have a great seat in the balcony to enjoy the show.

Pup, that's fun.

Play bows,
Zim

Ha roo, Ha roo, Reporting In Like We Do

OK, OK, so it's a bad poem; Dave's the poet, not me. Anypuppy else missing Marvin? Hope his computer problems get sorted out soon!

Along with some other cool places to hang out, Dad's study and Mom's quilting studio are on the lower level of the house. When Mom opens the door to go down there, we just can't WAIT to get to work! Sometimes I help her; sometimes I hang out in the study with Dad. Anyroo... Mom shot this video of us all reporting in like we always do. We thought we'd share it with you.

Notice how Amber always waits for everypuppy else. She's very thoughtful and shepherd-like in that respect.

In other video news... if Bowie of the C(un)IA is out there reading, we wanted to let you know what will happen to you if you push us Sibes too far. Please check out the video of our friend Indy found at this link. See that box, Bowie? You don't want that box to be you! (Neither do Zim and I... but don't push it!)

Tail wags, everypup!

Storms

Help From Us Redheads!

Ha roo, everypup! It's me, Zim! Dave shared some great pix yesterday to show you how helpful he is as Mom's Guide Dog for the Color Blind. Granted, the rest of us don't have the color sense he does, but we work in the Quilt Studio, too! Stormy supervises, as Dave showed you. Ha roo roo roo. She's in charge wherever she goes!

Amber heads up the Security Detail. She always positions herself to where she can keep an eye on everyone - pup and biped alike! In this picture from Friday...

it looks like she has also chosen a good spot for Mom to lay out the quilt blocks. Here's the start of the process:
Amber was still watching over all of us, AND was guarding the quilt blocks! Mom told her not to bother moving, so she didn't. Ha roo roo roo!

On Saturday, Am positioned herself near the stairs, where she could guard Mom and the entrance to the Library. I came in, plopped myself down, and tried to see what Mom was working on. I like to think of myself as the Quality Control Officer or something. Nothing gets past me!

Whatcha got, Mom? Is that what Dave's helping you pull fabrics for? Ohh, I like that camo one! What else do you have over there?

Then I walked around to the other side of the room to check everything out.

I found this cool snowman quilt she finished piecing a week ago. It's bright, bold colors - not what Mom and Dave usually choose! I like this! It's kind of wild - like me! Ha roo! She took the top to the Bernina Shoppe the other day to find just the right quilting thread. A nice lady helped her choose; Dave doesn't go there because a Lab works there and he and Dave have never met. Mom doesn't think the shop is the right place to introduce them. Dave's cool with that and said Moseley is probably the one who chose the thread and he (Dave) approved the selection.

Yeah... I really like this one, Mom. Is it for me?

She said she'd think about it. Cool!

And here's how far we got with the blocks as of yesterday. They aren't sewn together yet, but the blocks themselves are done. Ha roo!

This isn't how they'll be laid out in the long run. Mom asked her quilt group if they liked it this way (sort of grouped by the fabrics on the outer edges of each block...) or if she should mix them up. Nikki's mom said she'd go for mixing the colors up more and asked what Dave thought. :) Dave wanted Mom to mix them up, too - so they're going to do more of a random layout. Nikki's mom is smart to seek advice from Dave! Ha roooo!

When the top is finally pieced, we'll post a picture.

Play bows, everypup!
Zim

Busy Quilting Weekend

Woo. Dave here, Guide Dog for the Color Blind. Mom's on-line quilt group does a "Super Bowl Sunday" quilt every year - this year, Mango's mom posted directions and they all worked independently, encouraging each other through email and sending pictures. I got all excited the first year, 'cuz I thought they said "Supper Bowl" ... pup, was I wrong! Woo. What a cruel hoax!

Since I'm Mom's GDFTCB, it's a big weekend for me. I front-loaded some Z-time, so I'd be ready. Here's an action shot of that:

Me. Front-loading Z-time. It's part of my job.

When I got downstairs to the Studio, guess who was on MY comfy Guide Dog for the Color Blind spot? Stormy! Can you believe it!?!? And check out the look she shot me.

Yeah... this is comfy. Ha roo roo roo. I think I'll stay here.

Hrmph! I wasn't happy, but had to get down to business. I checked over the blocks Mom had made so far and chose a few more fabrics for her to add.

Needs somethin', Mom.

Needs more of this. Honest!

I chose this one first. By the time I made my second selection, Storm had moved off my working place, so I took my other fabric over there. Um... to study it and reflect on the colors.

Yeah. I like this one, too.

Here's Saturday's progress, below. I left my Nylabone there as a marker, so I wouldn't forget our place.

Saturday's progress, above. And Sunday's, below.

And here's how far we got yesterday, above. We're almost there. We'll post pix tomorrow and in the following days so you can see how the redheads helped and how the top comes out!

Luv,
Dave, GDFTCB

Sunday Salute - Rocky's Dad Mike!

This week, our Sunday Salute goes out to our friend Rocky's dad, Mike! Oh, we know, we know - he's a biped. We promise to not make a habit out of this - but he's one biped worthy of a Salute! As frequent readers of the Ao4 Digest may remember, Rocky is a German Shepherd friend of ours in the DC area. He's about 10 years old and his dad has often considered getting him a brother or sister. Here is a picture of the two of them. Rocky is the one on the right. Ha roo roo roo.

Mike and Rocky

Mike (the biped) learned that a colleague of his at work wanted to re-home his husky-mix pup, Mati. Mati's story tugged at his heartstrings. He carefully considered all the pros and cons to the adoption, talked at length with her "owner", even wrote our bipeds about it! Most importantly, he thought about the Rockstar! How would the potential adoption affect Rocky? Would he still know he's the #1 pup in Mike's heart? Would he like having Mati as a sister?

Rocky

This picture above isn't really from one of their adoption-discussions, but it could have been. Rocky is clearly a pup deep in thought. "A sister? What kind of sister?"

And that brings us to Mati. She's a 12 year old - that's right - 12 year old husky mix.

Mati

It's easy to see how she captured Mike's - and Rocky's hearts! Mati and Rocky met a week ago today; the rest, as they say, is history.

From everything we've heard, she and Rocky are doing great together. Mike knew our great sister Lucky; she taught him a little bit about what being a Siberian Husky is all about. And we got to meet him a while ago, and worked our charms on him. There is a lot to learn about the ways of the husky. :) We can be a bit ... trying.

You can follow Mike, Rocky and Mati's adventures on their blog, Rockstar and Company.

Rocky and Mati at home!

Mike, it takes a very special biped to adopt a 12 year old pupper. For all you already do for Rocky and for adopting this very special Mati girl .... we salute you!

The Army of Four

New Intel

Ha roo. Storms here with some new intel on a possible Cat un-Intelligence Agency - C(un)IA - member. This one is in Oklahoma -- the danger is spreading!

Dave intercepted an email that was posted to the quilt group our mom (and he - Dave, Guide Dog for the Color Blind) belong to. Dave monitors the group, in case there's something we need to know about - or in case anyone needs help coordinating fabrics. I knew right away there was trouble brewing when he showed me this message and the attached picture.

The message was in CatSpeak and read, "Excuse me....I have asked you one time already to let me go outside in the snow.....Now are you going to open that door or do I have to hide your rotary cutter???" and it was signed ... "E.Vil Kitty" Whoa! Here's the picture:

Scary! Where does this guy get off threatening a quilter? Dave had Mom ask E. Vil's biped a bit more about him and learned that they "kid around about how he has this evil lair that he goes to when we let him outside to plot our demise." Um... I'm not sure I'd pup around about that. It could be WAY too close to the truth!

The bipeds say that this cat really does look like he hates you COMPLETELY sometimes!!! He's even got the dogs there steering clear of him! And he can immitate human-speak! To get the bipeds to do his bidding, he once said, "I love you!" to them -- as his biped explained, "...it was like a bribe...'okay, I'll say the ugly words of love if you will please just put me outside!!' He's definitely entertaining........" Oh, no. That's not entertainment -- that's MIND CONTROL! Courtesy of the C(un)IA.

Just when I was about to say that I wouldn't turn my back on E. Vil or trust him around certain objects in the quilt room, his biped posted the following: "I turned my back for one second and this is where he thought he needed to be. I moved him into a box he likes but nooooooo back to my cutting area."

Hide your rotary cutter! Seriously! Do you know how sharp those things are!?!? Dave reminded me that another member of the quilt group who lives in that SAME TOWN in Oklahoma had a bad run-in with her rotary cutter not long ago. We have to wonder ... was E. Vil in the vicinity? Think about it.

Oklahomans - call on the Ao4 or any member of the HULA Hoop if you need help. We're here for you. We will not allow cats to control the world!

Tail wags,
Storms

Punxsutawney Phil and Amber

Ha roo! Storms here! Does everypuppy know that it's Groundhog Day? That's right - it's the day Punxsutawney Phil comes out of his underground den and basically gives a weather forecast. If he doesn't see his shadow, it means an early Spring; if he does, 6 more weeks of Winter. You can click here for this year's prediction. But really ... what does a groundhog know? Where does he get his info?

Rumor has it, he waits for a certain Siberian Husky to come out from her den (AKA the dining room table) and seeks her advice.

Is it time? Should I make my appearance?

That's what really happens on Groundhog Day. Only it's a different day here. IT'S AMBER'S BIRTHDAY!!! For real!

That's our story and we're stickin' to it!

Happy birthday, Ammy!!!! You're the best Snow-Caster EVER!

AND... is anypuppy really surprised that Amber really was born on Groundhog Day?

Tail wags,
Storms

PS: The picture above of Amber and Phil is not real. Please do not panic. The groundhog is NOT really that big!

Supper-Dupper Bins

Ha ROO! It's me - Drill SGT Zim. Once again, we were inspired by something we saw on the Dachsies' blog. They posted an EXTREMELY scary picture of their supper-dupper bins. The scary part? Sammy and Roxie's was almost EMPTY! Fortunately, there was a happy ending to the tale (tail?), as there was a back-up bag on stand-by. WHEW!

Anyroo, our set up looks quite similar to theirs, so we thought we'd show you! It comes out of the pantry, a magical room full of all kinds of treats! (The pantry is behind that door Mom's purse is hanging on.)

Here's our container. The flap that keeps our dinner sealed in nice and fresh is up -- that can only mean it's Supper-Dupper time! Uh... I mean Chow Time. Sound Mess Call!

I'm not sure if Sammy, Andy and Roxie's container is on wheels or not. Ours is. Stormy said when Mom rolls it out of the pantry, it's like a Room Service cart being wheeled out for us. Ha roo.

We all eat the same chow, so there's only one container. We each get different amounts, though. Mom fills a baggie for each of us with the prescribed amount the night before - then she (or Dad) serve us from that for each meal. (We eat three squares a day, so they just scoop from our baggie and only have to really measure once!) Here is a peak at our baggies and all.

Everypuppy has the same size bowl except for Dave. His is bigger. We have a spare one the size of mine, Am's and Storm's..... but Dave needs a little more space around his mouth when he eats. I'm not going to accuse him of anything ... but he's not quite as fastidious as the rest of us are at chow time. The bigger bowl helps with that.

This whole post is making me hungry. I gotta see if I can con Mom out of a snack.

Play bows,
Zim