Cooperating For Photos 1, Lesson 2

Tail wags, students, it's me - Stormy! Welcome back to class here at the SZK SSS. I trust you all had a wonderful weekend and are ready to hunker down and work. I did a little blog-surfing and was really pleased with many of the photos I saw on your fine blogs. I'd like to give a specail "high five" to Echo for his Mother's Day post; way to make her work for it, Echo! And to Huffle Mawson for posing for a bee-roo-tiful picture for her mum - because she felt like it. Both really excellent jobs!

The first lesson of Cooperating for Photos is ... "Don't". Last week, Mom wanted to get a nice picture of the redheads by the Mohican Viburnum. (Please refer back to Ammy's great post about those from last year!) Here are some of the best shots from that session (remember, Am has the green color and leash; Zim has blue!):

As you can plainly see, Am and Zim had no desire to look at the camera. Zim was looking for his kitty friend and Am was checking the AO for Oswald. Mom did not have cookies or other treats on her ... so ... it was Sibes 2, Mom 0.

That's when she tried me and Dave instead. Ha roo. Check these out (I wear red; Dave wears purple):

I was checking the honeysuckle; there's a big honeysuckle patch on one of our walking routes that a relative of Oswald's uses as a nursery for her bunny-ettes. Mom pleaded me to look at the camera.

I refused. Then she said, "Please," which was a step in the right direction. I still didn't feel like it, so I shot her a "look". Check it out:

Ha roo roo roo! That's almost as good as one of Ammy's! Sibes 4, Mom 0.

You also may note that the Mohican Viburnum are barely visible in any of the pictures above. Mom didn't realize that until she downloaded the photos. So ... she decided to try it again this morning. This time, she took cookies with her. That's a step in the right direction. See how you can train your biped? Let's take a look at today's attempts! First, my puppies!

I love Ammy's pose in this first one! What's up there, Yammer?

Mom got them both to sit and gave them the cookie. They still wouldn't look at the camera.

She got them to do a "stay" with the other cookie, but they still refused to look at her. This is when Mom finally gave in and did what we've taught her to do. Get a picture of us doing something WE like to do! This one is one we can all agree is cool:

My kitty friend is out there, Am!
I wonder if Oswald is, too?!?

See how much more natural they look? And relaxed? And it's more interesting. AND... they got cookies.

Here's how today went for me and Davy. This is after Mom told us to "sit and stay".

Note I didn't feel like it. Then she asked me nicely and gave me a cookie.

Ha roo roo roo! That's better. Of course, I chewed with my muzzle open and Dave got up. It's really helpful to have siblings to help challenge your biped. One of you can cooperate, while the other one can ... march to his own tune. Like this:

I look pensive there on the right, don't I? It would have made a great photo! Meanwhile, Dave wanted to check out the Snowball Viburnum. That's when Mom went for the "single" shots. Here's Davy:

Again, a cool picture, because Mom got him doing something HE wanted to do. Will she never learn? Of course, it's all the same to us if she doesn't, since we get cookies along the way.

Here's a nice close-up of the Snowball Viburnum:

Mom said with the wind gusts we're having, the snowball was almost as "cooperative" as we are. Ha roo roo roo! Oh, and you might be wondering why there isn't a good shot of the Mohican Viburnum, what we were supposed to be posing by to begin with. Sadly, they aren't in bloom any more. Had Mom ONLY brought cookies out last week ... well, you know.

Tune in tomorrow for the next lesson: "Do it If You Feel Like It!"

Tail wags,
Storms

Happy Mother's Day!

To all our mom-like readers out there, whether your little ones be two-legged or four, we'd like to wish each one of you a Happy Mother's Day!

We'd like to direct you to Mom's other blog, Bags by KZK, to see a very special way we celebrated Summi's Mummi's Day. Ha rooooo!

Paws up to Khyra for a great post about it, too! Many thanks to the talents, time and generosity of the Siber Mal Society for being a part of it all - especially Holly's mom, Khyra's mom, Sitka & Tia's mom, and Steve, Kat, and Wilbur's mom. Also a high five to the Overland Park Pack for helping trick Summi's mummi about the gift Holly's mom was delivering! Ha roo roo roo!

Happy Mother's Day!

The Army of Four

Special Celebration Today at Ao4 HQs

Hi everypuppy! It's me, Ammy! As Stormy mentioned yesterday in class, today is a special day here!

We really like a lot of the guesses Tucker left on the blog yesterday, especially the anniversary of Winston Churchill's appointment as Prime Minister! We also found out that on the 10th of May 1951, Frank Sinatra released the song "Mama Will Bark". Hee hee hee! Frank Sinatra sang and another bipded named Donald Bain did his imPERSONation of a dog! How apropos ... since today is...

...my Ammyversary! The special holiday Stormy mentioned is the anniversary of my adoption! Or as she and I like to think of it, the day she gave birth to me! (The short version of how we all got here is at this link! In fact, some of our most favorite pictures are at those three links above!) My birthday is in February, but we also celebrate adoption days for all of us!

Anyroo, it's my 9th Ammyversary, so we're going to have a big celebration! There will be nice walkies, treats, ice cubes, lots of playing, and NO brushes! I hope you can all stop by!

Here's a picture of us girls that Mom just recently scanned. It was taken just hours after Stormy gave birth to me; you can see how happy we all are!

Ha roo!
Your new puppy is darling, Stormy!
Thank roo. I love her to pieces!

Have a VERY happy day!

Love,
Ammy

Cooperating for Photos 1

Ha roo, it's me - Stormy! Welcome to the start of our first correspondence course at the Stormy Zoluschka Kryschtal School of Siberian Studies - Cooperating for Photos 1.

Our first lesson ties in with yesterday's Pup Quiz. Before I get to that, let me reveal the joke about who is who in that photo. A couple of you were very close! Who all thought they looked remarkably like Amber and Zim? The real pups in the photo are their cosmic cousins, Luna and Kito! Ha roo roo roo, Mom even fooled Dad with that one, so don't feel bad if you couldn't ID them! A big thanks to Luni, Kito, and Auntie Laura for a terrific photo! Kito - on the right - looks so much like Zim there that Mom still does a double-take when she sees it! Ha roo roo roo!

As per who is the most SIBERIAN in the picture, many of you had great responses! I can tell you're a sharp group! Yes, the pup looking away from the camera is being VERY Siberian. Clearly, Kito didn't want his picture taken, so he chose not to let his mom get a "good" shot. Choosing your own agenda, knowing it doesn't coincide with the biped's plans, and not really caring, is the mark of a great Sibe. Paws up, Kito!

But let's take a look at Luna, too. And think about what our honorary Husky, Huffle Mawson, Explorer Cat, had to say. She said, in part, "...I think whoever is sitting down is being more Siberian because that pup has a look in his (or her) eye that says, "I did something that you're probably not gonna like but hey I'm a Siberian and it's my job to keep you entertained"..." Oh, Huffle! You said you need to work on your Siberian studies, but I must say, you are off to a fantastic start! Luna DOES have that Sibe-atude look in her eyes, doesn't she? BOTH she and Kito are displaying the perfect Siberian behavior.

So the answer is ... BOTH Kito and Luna! I'm going to share more examples of Cooperating for Photos with you when class resumes Monday, and will give you helpful tips for your own photos. (Tomorrow is a special holiday here, and Sunday is Mother's Day.) In the meantime, I've seen some great examples on your own blogs - the one that immediately comes to mind is Star, on the Cyber-Sibes' blog. Check her out at that post - she is sooooooooooooo Siberian!

Until Monday! Tail wags,
Storms

PS: Huffle - Zim said thank you very much for your concern about his back. His spondylosis is flaring up. He is on pain meds and an anti-inflammatory, thanks to our wonderful vet; now that they've kicked in, he's feeling no pain. He just needs to rest and not horse around with Dave! I better go supervise him.

Pup Quiz

Tail wags, all! It's me - Storm. As Amber told you, tomorrow my first correspondence class at the Stormy Zoluschka Kryschtal School of Siberian Studies will begin - Cooperating for Photos 1. Amber told ME that you should always start a class or lecture off with some humor (actually, I think Ammy starts most everything off with a joke ...) so I'm going to incorporate that into my Pup Quiz! Are you ready?

Take a look at this photo (I give you my word, it is not PhotoShopped).

Name the Siberians pictured here. (SiberMal Society members who may have already seen this are excused from this part of the quiz.) As a hint, our dad couldn't figure out at first who was in the picture with Zim. (Amber, stop giggling!)

For extra credit, which pup in the above picture is being more ... SIBERIAN?

Let me answer some questions about the SZK SSS before classes start:

• The learning never ends at this school. Consequently, there are no graduates and no tuition. Learning the ways of the Siberian is priceless, after all!
• Any clowning around during class will not be tolerated. Anypup instigating or participating in any silliness will be grabbed by the neck and thrown down.
• Everypup and kitty (and hamsterberian) who contacted me is now enrolled. Auditing the class is also quite acceptable.

Get some rest today, and I'll "see you" tomorrow for class!

Tail wags,
Storms

Snow?!?

Hi everypuppy! It's me - Ammy! Check out this picture Mom took of me last week!

It looks like there's snow on the ground, doesn't it? Sadly, it was just what a wind storm and rain did to the blooms on the Redspire Pear tree. It was fun pretending, though.

Stormy said to tell you she's happy to see so many readers have signed up for her Cooperating for Photos 1 correspondence class at the SZK SSS. Tomorrow, she's planned a fun, little pup-quiz to get everypup and kitty started, then class will start Friday! I'll "see" all of you there!

Love,
Ammy

Memoir Meme

Ha roo, pups! It's me - Zim! My friend Girl Girl the Hamsterberian tagged me in the latest game going around. It's pretty cool!

Here's what you're supposed to do:

• Write your own six word memoir.
• Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like.
• Link to the person that tagged you in your post, and to the original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere.
• Tag at least five more blogs with links.
• Don’t forget to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.
• Have fun.

The "having fun" part goes without saying around here. Ha roo roo roo! OK, here goes:

1. Dreamy

2. Photogenic

3. Schmoopy

4. Playful

5. Charismatic

6. Inquisitive

I'm going to tag Sitka, Khyra, Ari, the Mars Bar, and Jazz & Dixie. Remember the FUN part!

Play bows,
Zim

PS: Storm said to keep signing up for the SZK SSS class Cooperating for Photos 1 class! The semester will start in a few days!!!

Warm Weather is Coming!

Ha roo, pups! It's me, Stormy. Our weather is starting to warm up ("finally," as Dad would say) and we all took advantage of a "still cool enough for a long walk" day to ... well ... take a long walk yesterday. It was great!

Remember back in the fall when we took you on a long walk into the Land of the Giant? We pretty much walked the same route. Check this out!

Yeah! The Giant put a little water feature in! I wonder if all the geese who fly over us in the fall will take rest stops there? I'll bet they'll love it!

As you can tell by my picture, we had a blast - but we did get mighty warm. It wasn't quite 80 degrees, but it was close. We had cookies when we got home, then all went off to nap in different locations.

In warm weather, Zim loves to go downstairs and nap in the bathtub down there. Mom wanted to get a picture of him in the tub, but by the time she came up here to get the camera and headed back down, he had moved:

Sorry, Mom. You've gotta be quick! (Readers can see a picture of Zim in that napping place at this link.)

That reminds me...... our friend and honorary husky Huffle Mawson, Explorer Cat, was asking about attending the Stormy Zoluschka Kryschtal School of Siberian Studies via correspondence course. Great idea! I think I'll teach some on-line courses like our dad does.

I'm putting together a list of classes now. The first one will be Cooperating for Photos 1. You can sign up in our comments section - and can request future classes, too.

Tail wags,
Storms

Sunday Salute - Prince!

Tail wags, pups. It's me, Stormy, and I am all over this Sunday Salute! It's to my boyfriend Prince of Team Husky in New Zealand!

He is so sweet, thoughtful, and generous. He's also very smart and is quite the athlete! But why the salute right now? He sent me a package this week! It was SO exciting!

It was a rough week for us, with all the vet visits and strong storms (with a small "s"), so when Dad said I had a package sent all the way from New Zealand - it was just what we all needed!

All four of us did so much sniffing of the box, Mom couldn't even get a picture! We were so fast and fur-ious, we were all blurry! Our favorite thing in the box were some lovely cards Prince and his bee-roo-tiful sister Summer made for us!

Here I am with the card from my Prince!

He tied a sniffy fur to the card for me! Oh, he smells JUST like I thought he would! It's like I got to visit with him!

Check this out - they made cards for all of us!

Prince and Summer put sniffies in their card to Dave and Ammy, and Summer made one just for Zim! Isn't that special!?!!? We will treasure those cards! Here are the redheads and me checking out Zimmie's card!

There were all kinds of wonderful treats in the box, too. What we were MOST interested in were some treats their mom made for us! Prince told me in an email, "...they are our favourite ones from the MaPaw Recipes For Rescue cookbook! They are called Goldie's Peanut Butter and Honey Canine Cookies (page 222) - it's one of the lovely Kathy R's recipes. Our Mom really likes them....she says they are soooo easy to make." Well, I don't know how easy they are to make, but I do know they are mighty TASTY!

Here I am checking out the package!

Let's crack it open, Mom!

Here are shots of each one of us, enjoying a treat! Me first, as I'm the alpha!

You have NO idea how good those are! Ammy was next!

Oh, they smell heavenly!

Zimmie couldn't wait to try them! Check out the size of his pupils!

Oh, wow! I wonder if Summer helped make these?

And last, but not least, the Deeve:

Woo, those look so good!

They were incredible! Prince, your mom is really a talented baker!

I tried to get Mom to give us another one, but she said we have to wait. "Wait"? I don't want to wait. I gave her my best harp seal look...

Please, Mom?

...but she wouldn't cave. I tried again ...

What do you mean "wait"?

... but to no avail. I did get a walk for my efforts, but not another treat. Not yet!

Prince - and Summer! Many, many thanks to you and your mom for the wonderful surprise package! We salute you!

Tail wags from the Ao4,
Stormy

Guess Who?

Ha roo, pups. It's me - Zim. I'm dedicating this post to Aunt Janet.

Mom told her about the Cat Burglar from the other day and sent the pictures to her. Aunt Janet was afraid Mom was talking about you-know-who when Mom asked if she'd like to see pictures of our new friend. See, Aunt Janet is a Master Gardener and she fights the Battle of the Bunnies, too. But no, a cat was trying to break in. Oswald was too busy making himself at home in the back yard! But rest easy, Aunt Janet! This post's for you!

Oswald

Oswald in my radar

Where'd he go?

He likes to hide out in those Texas Quince. Oh! Maybe he's in the ones on the other side of the yard!

No luck. But hey, the Old Fashioned Lilacs are blooming!

Mom loves those. After we did sniffies, we checked back up at the top of the yard for Oswald.

On the way up the hill, we passed by the Eskimo Viburnum. I like that the name!

OK. Here's what I saw when we got to the top!

Hey, what's that under the deck?

It was hard to make him out, but the cotton tail gave him away!

Oswald!

Yeah, he was all OVER the place! I told him to stay away from the rose bush Aunt Janet sent us! Here's how that's coming along:

Signs of life and no signs of bunny teeth marks. Two good things!

While we were up by the deck, I checked out the Juddi Viburnum. They smell HEAVENLY!

Here's a close-up for you:

Pretty, aren't they? Sadly, Mom wouldn't let me taste them. I don't know why not.

Anyway, I told Oswald "hi" for you Aunt Janet. Mom said we were going to leave a strip map for him with directions to your house, OK?

Play bows,
Zim

A Working Group Member's Work is Never Done

Ha roo, pups! Zim here! As you can see, it's been a busy week around here - Stormy's vet visit, Dave's vet visit, a cat burglar, my vigil looking for my cat friend ... it's enough to wear a guy out. But it doesn't end there! There is no rest for members of the Working Group.

Before I get started, Stormy wanted me to say something. In reference to Ammy's post about the Cat Burglar, she wanted me to reassure all our friends out there, especially our feline friends at Jan's Funny Farm and Witty Kitty over at Forget Sit & Stay, that no harm will come to ANY kitty around here. Stormy forbids it. We can stare, but that's where it ends. Or else. So fear not. And she's on to the fact that Am and Dave don't agree.

Anyroo, did you happen to see Witty Kitty's post today? It was all about Cat Naps for Dogs; it was so inspiring! Witty Kitty - this post's for you!

As I was saying ... a Working Group member's work is never quite done. And my job this week, (among other tasks, of course) was to come up with a new cute pose. This one works paw-in-paw with WK's Cat Naps for Dogs advice. Without furthur ado... here I am:

I'm a professional; do not try this at home!

Exhausting just looking at me, isn't it? It was all I could do to hold the pose until Mom and Dad saw me and found the camera.

Like Witty Kitty suggested, I like to cat nap alone. I like my own space. I also usually like for my head to be under something, propped up on something, or for my feety-feet to be crushed against something. Stormy also gives us bonus points if we're laying somewhere that makes the bipeds have to step over us or go around. What are your felines on that, Witty Kitty?

In this new pose, I've got the feety-feet thing going on, plus a tail prop-up. Check it out:

Pretty cool, don't you think? And the snooter balancing ever-so-carefully on the edge of the step:

Not only did Dad feel compelled to step over me to go upstairs to get the camera, but Mom HAD to smooch my snooter. I mean ... look at it. How can any biped resist?

Here's one last look for you, from a slightly different perspective:

Mom was worried that I might totally melt and slip down the steps or something. That got me not just snooter smoochies and camera time (I happen to LOVE the camera!), but caused Mom to fuss over me with some sweet talk, worried about my fall. Being a very agile Siberian, let me assure you, I was never in danger of falling - but did enjoy the schmoopy talk. Well... up until the time I'd had enough, then jumped straight up and onto my feet (rather like a kitty, I might add), then took off in a huff.

It was great! But very, very hard work. I had to hide out and take another cat nap in one of my favorite spots to recharge my batteries. Whew! It's a good thing I'm a trained professional!

Play bows and cat naps!
Zim

Vet Visits!

Woo, everypup. It's me - Dave! Both Stormy and I got to go to the vet's this week for our Senior Care appointments. Mom took the camera with us for my trip, and I thought I'd show you just how taxing it is! We each had the big 12-month one, not the 6-monther; Stormy told you all about what happens at each at the post found here. I thought I'd show you some highlights with our pictures!

Here I am with Beth the Vet Tech (in purple) and my student, Jenny.

"This little toothy went to market..."

They're doing a dental exam on me. Sure, some puppies stand up for that - or maybe sit - but there were preliminary tummy rubs involved and I sort of melted. As you can see, they know how ferocious I am, so they're concerned about sticking their hands in my mouth. I'm being restrained by ... oh, wait. Maybe I was just laying there. I'm not sure. I might have fallen asleep and missed something.

Jenny took her hands out of my mouth for a second, so I thought she'd want to rub my tummy. In this next shot, I was trying to accommodate her.

Here's my tummy, Jenny!

She tickled my toes instead. Almost as good, pups!

One of the parts of the Senior Exam is the blood pressure check. Most of you pups might not have your BP checked, unless you're under sedation for surgery or having a dental or something. It involves them shaving a little area just above your pads on a front foot (basically, the inside of your wrist), then they squirt cold goo on the sensor and hold it on the shaved area. They put a "cuff" thingy on your arm and pump that up, just like on bipeds and they have this amplifier so they can hear your blood. Some dogs have a hard time relaxing during this procedure and have to be held down, or at least held still. That sensor is really ... sensitive! Woo. Here I am during the BP session:

That's Jenny again, and Rachel, another Vet Tech. As you can plainly see, it takes a lot to restrain me. I must have worn Beth out! Rachel brought that nice, fluffy blanket in for me to lay on - wasn't that nice of her? Stormy said she did the same for her. They take SUCH good care of us!

Mom brought my Tuffy toy for me to play with in-between tests. Hey, Khyra! See it under my head? Thank woo again! Not only is it a fun toy, it's a great pillow, too! Woo.

I tried to relax a little after the tests. Actually, I tried to stay awake. It was hard! While Rachel continued to give me tummy rubs, Dr. N said I could have some cookies. Oh, pups, not only does she not make us have to sit first, she didn't even make me get up! It was great. Laying on my back on a fluffy comforter ... Rachel scratching my tummy-tum ... being fed cookies by Dr. N.... Rachel said to Mom all they needed was one of those big palm leaves to fan me. That would have been GREAT!

Hey! Where'd everybody go? Where's the palm leaf thing?

I guess they were kidding. Too bad.

Both Stormy and I had really good BP. Hers was 125 and mine was 120. Overall, we got really good reports and that made all of us really happy!

We are so thankful to have such caring, skilled vets and vet techs! They're doing a great job taking care of us AND training people like Jenny to do the same! Woo! Thank woo for all you do!

Luv - especially to anyone out there reading from the K-State Vet Med Teaching Hospital,
Dave