Back Issues

Ha roo, pups, it's me - Zim. I don't mean "back issues" like copies of old magazines, I mean ... apparently I have some issues with my back. Twice on Thursday night, I went to curl up and lay down -- like this, only without the complex pose of resting my chin on the lower step ...

and I screamed, "OUCH!" Mom and Dad and everypuppy were real concerned, because we never yelp! I did it again at 0400 Friday (yesterday) morning, when I rolled over to get comfy on my puppy bed. "OUCH!" All kinds of scary scenarios raced through Mom and Dad's heads, and they knew it was so unusual for me they should take me to the vet's.

Mom called as soon as they opened, and the nice ladies there said she could bring me in as soon as rounds were over (0900) and they'd fit me in when they could. Wow, was that nice!

It was a really long day (we got home just before 6!) and all the people there worked really hard trying to figure out why I hurt! I just wasn't acting like myself at all - I was really hurting! I feel bad about that - it was the first time I'd met Dr. Dixon, the very wonderful vet who has treated Stormy and Dave before. (There are hyperlinks there to remind you - but of note is that Dr. Dixon has very special feelings about our Stormy; she is the vet who diagnosed Stormy's very bad lump that she had removed!) Needless to say, I've heard great things about her, but I was really hurting and she had to give me a very thorough orthopedic-type of exam and move all my joints and poke me and stuff. At one point, near the end of the day, she apologized to me for making me hurt. I offered her a sweet smooch on the nose - my way of saying, "No hard feelings!" I knew she had to do those things to figure out what was wrong! She and Mom said they should have checked the Ao4 Digest to see if I mentioned in the blog what was hurting! Ha roo roo roo.

They took some blood and did abdominal radiographs and all kinds of stuff. One of my liver enzymes was a bit elevated, so to rule out any chance that my liver was giving me problems, they also did an abdominal ultrasound. They had to shave my tummy for that, and given my heightened state of anxiety, they decided it would be best to sedate me. (I have a bad history with clippers, back from before I came to my furever home. They freak me out!) My liver and miscellaneous tummy parts looked fine! The problem seems to be something called "spondylosis", degenerative changes in my lumbar vertibrae.

It's a normal aging kind of thing, and usually doesn't cause pain. If I understand correctly, and remember, I wasn't myself yesterday and frankly Mom was so worried, she wasn't much good at remembering things she didn't write down!, it's bone that forms sort of a "bridge" between the vertibrae or a sort of thickening of the bone. Usually we don't show clinical signs of having it; it's just found when they're looking for other stuff. Sometimes, however, that new bone can put pressure on a nerve ... which makes me go "OUCH!" Oh, it hurts!

The really good news is that it can be treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatories and pain killers. I started my meds last night before bed time and hopefully will be good as new in a week or two. I'll still have the spondylosis, but not the pain - even once I stop taking the meds. Oh, yeah. One more thing. Dr. Dixon said no Zoomies, no jumping, no walks!, no horsing around with Dave, Am or Stormy for at least a week! That's going to be SO hard! I'm everypuppy's best playmate! I even had to sleep in the carrier last night. And the DOOR was on it! Oh, sure, sometimes I sleep in there anyway, but it's one thing when it's my choice and another when it's Mom's! And I thought we'd gotten rid of the door!

If Mom or Dad watch me real close, I can just be on house-arrest instead of having to be crated all the time, which is good. Maybe if I hide and they can't see me, they'll forget to crate me if they have to go out.

Don't anypuppy tell them where I am, OK?

Play bows,
Zim

PS: Mom said she wanted me to blog about this in case this happens to any of you guys. It was very scary for all of us! She and Dad are really glad they took me to the vet's. And if Dr. Dixon is out there ... thank roooooo for fitting me in on such a busy day! And hopefully next time I see you, I'll be more like the debonair guy I normally am!

Burning Bush!

Hi everypuppy, it's me - Amber! Mom wanted to take a picture of me by one of the Euonymus Alata bushes the other day. I gave a little pose for her ...

then told everysibe there was a bush on fire in the front yard! Zim and Stormy went to check it out ...but Zim was on to me! I forgot he knows a lot about landscaping.

Stormy! It's another one of Ammy's jokes!
It's not on fire ... it's a Burning Bush!

That little punster's gonna pay for this one!

Hee hee hee! They really did think it was funny! And Mom got some pretty shots of the Burning Bush!

I know some of you are wondering why Davy wasn't out there with us. He's been busy helping Mom with projects she's making for the Bernina Shoppe, and was just exhausted. In fact, Mom had wanted Dave to pose for pictures with some of the little things she just made, like this one checkbook cover ... but he needed a rest first. Mom said, "Amber, how about you? Would you please pose with some Bernina things for me?"

This is my "I'd really rather not" pose. Hee hee hee! She waited for Davy to finish napping. I think he might post some of those pictures tomorrow.

Love,
Amber

Miscellaneous Answers

Ha roo, pups! It's me - Zim. I'm glad you enjoyed seeing all the pictures Mom took on our Giant Walk over the course of the past two days. Wowzers, did we have fun! In the comments sections, some of you asked some great questions, and I thought I'd field a few of them here. But FIRST....

This just in this morning! "Two more sleeps and Nikki is free!!!" is the good word today! Her mom sent us the great news that she will be sprung from quarantine at the 2-week mark! She sends thanks to everyone for all the prayers and good thoughts! First stop for Nikki will be the vet's for a thorough check-up, then HOME! We can't wait to hear all about her adventure and to see some pictures of her in her new home in Northern Cyprus!

So ... about our walk! Holly was surprised that I sit when I see a cat. Tucker thought that perhaps I trained as an MP K9 and that I alert to cats by sitting. Ha roo roo roo. I like that one! The truth is I am fascinated by cats! Simply fascinated! I like to sit quietly and study them. Pippa - we don't chase cats, we just stare. Quietly. It's what we do. Sort of like snipers.

Girl Girl thought the view was incredible and asked if Amber could see her from high up on our perch! Am said she thought she could! Hi, GG!!! ;) Did you see us wagging our tails at you?

Marvin said he's never seen a coyote and asked if they're "Coyote Ugly". I think that's a reference to a movie .... but no! In REAL life, coyotes are quite handsome. Trust me - people ask all the time if I'm a coyote, so I should know.

Tucker was amazed by our hills. Tuck - aren't you familiar with Ski Kansas? Ha roo - just kidding.

Koobie wanted to know how long the walk was and Kat wanted to know how long we usually walk! The Giant Walk was probably 4 miles, Koobie. It seemed longer because it was all new turf so we had to do a lot of sniffing and all. Kat, every day us redheads do about a 3-mile run with Dad while Mom walks Storm and Dave about a mile and a half. If it's cool out, we'll do another walk all together, probably another couple of miles. Broken up like that, it's less taxing on us! Mom and Dad and ALL of us were totally thrilled that we could all take the big walk together! This all ties in to Mom's favorite saying, "A tired Siberian is a good Siberian." Stormy says all Siberians are good; it's a question of how well the bipeds have been trained. Ha roo roo roo, Stormy's so smart!

Me, relaxing after the walk and a Zoomie session

We loved all of your comments. We really appreciate all of you who read the blog, and leave comments when you can! We'll be sure to bring the camera on our next great adventure - we wish we could take ALL of you with us, but sharing pictures is the next best thing!

Until next time ~

Play bows,
Zim

Giant Walk, Part II

Ha roo, pupper-dupper-doos! It's Stormy! Are you ready for Part II of our Giant Walk? When I left you yesterday, I told you we sent Mom and Dad a Siberian Mind-Meld Message that we wanted to go explore the area where the Giant has been busy with his Tonka Toys and everything over the summer. (For new readers, we've been tracking the Giant's moves for a long, long time now. You can click on that hyperlink to catch up!) Sure enough, Saturday morning, Dad said, "Let's go!" and we headed into the Land of the Giant!

We made a wide loop around and into the area we showed you yesterday, instead of heading right over that cliff. Mom said we couldn't go on one of the little trails - something about not having had a hard freeze ... and ticks & fleas. Hmm. OK with us - it just made for a longer walk!

Here's the view heading into that valley from the new road!

Cool, isn't it? We boldly went where no Siberians have gone before!

The road meandered around, then flattened out where Little Kitten Creek (I know... I know ... who names these things!?!?) sort of ends or fizzles out. Rumor has it they're going to dam it up and create a cool water feature there! The road sort of fizzled out there, too, then started up again. Here are Amber, Dad and Zim after they crossed that area.

Amber had just done one of her "behind the back" maneuvers. She learned that from great-brother Booter; it's a herding thing. It's her way of paying homage to him.

We walked a long time, then we came to another side road. Dad said it goes up to a new office building and did we want to go up there or just keep going straight? We opted to go up - of course! Here's Am, heading up the hill.
Anyone who thinks Kansas is flat needs to look at these pictures! Amber was worried that the road just went up and up and up and went into the sky ... but she was brave and kept going. Pretty soon, we all had the office building in our sights!

Dad, Zim, Am, Dave and me, heading to the office building

Dave went over to the edge of the parking lot (or is that a "barking lot", Marvin?) and said, "Hey. I think we've been here before."

Woo.

Here's a closer look at what he saw.

It was incredible! I remembered being there, too - it wasn't just Dave having déjà vu ! Click this link for a post we made almost a year ago! We were there before this was built! Cool!

Then we headed to the other end of the barking lot (ha roo roo rooo!) and had a great panoramic view facing east. We saw part of the castle from above ... AND we saw our house!

That's the far end of the castle from what we showed you last time. It has three different turrets on it - cool, huh? Dad said we were going down there next! It was totally exciting!

This was our approach. If you look out in the distance, you can sort of see the big road by those pine trees. That's where we took that first picture of the castle that we showed you the other day. You can see the other short turret ...

...and then LOOK! Here we all are at the BIG turret!

Here's another shot, since somepuppy wasn't facing the right way. He has a habit of marching to his own beat. Sigh.

After we posed for a few pictures, we headed home.

Here are Dave and me, going down the home stretch. See the horizon, out beyond those houses? That's where we had been. All we have to do now is turn left on our street, and we're good to go.

Dave was a bit tired, as you can see. Our big loop route was probably 4 miles or so. It was great fun. It was all we could do to have a short Zoomie session when we got home, then settle in for naps.

Even though he was tired, Dave wanted to check the TV. Something about KU playing Nebraska in football ... in Nebraska. I think he was looking for Holly!

Holly? Are you there?

He didn't see her, so he took a nap, too. She must not have gone to the game.

Hope you enjoyed our Giant Walk as much as we did!

Tail wags,
Stormy

Giant Walk, Part I

Ha roo, pups! Storm here! We had a GREAT walk we want to tell you about, but before I get started, I have another update on our dear friend Nikki! Remember ... she's our friend who is has moved with her bipeds from South Africa to Northern Cyprus!

Her mom is really grateful for all the good thoughts, prayers and crossed paws and fingers out there! Nikki is doing much better now - has sort of settled in to the routine. AND, here's the great news, keep those prayers coming, because Nikki may be released at the 2-week mark! That would mean busting out of jail on Friday! Let's all send Siberian (and other canine) mind-meld messages to the quarantine people to release Nikki! And keep those prayers and good thoughts coming!!!

OK, about the walk! It all started last week. Dad was out running the redheads; Dave, Mom and I went to find them. We met up with them near the entrance to the trail like always, then headed back up the hill to come home. Zim saw a cat, and being who he is, he sat down and refused to move.

CAT! Must ... stare. CAT!

It's all well and good when he does that at the house, but we had places to go! Scents to smell! New areas to explore! I had a few "roo"s with him:

Zim! Let's go! Get it in gear!

That's my ears in the bottom of the picture. Zim heard me loud and clear, and Dad appreciated me taking charge of the situation.

Thanks, Stormy.

That's what I'm here for. Anyway, when we got up to the top of the hill, we went down one of the new roads that's been cut in. Actually, right now the side road is only about 25 feet, but we went down the dirt trail at the end of that. How cool! We looked out into the valley area, where all kinds of activity is going on. Here's Amber, surveying the area.

I can see forever, you guys!

We saw a coyote running around down there the other day, but Mom didn't have the camera. He was as big as Zimmie! Speaking of whom ... here he is, taking a look.

Hey... I think the Giant left some of his Tonka Toys down there!

Dave went over to check it out.

I don't see the Tonka Toys, but I think I see a coyote!

Really? I had to go see.

That's Zim, Dave! The Tonka Toys are at my 1 o'clock. Check at about your 11.

He meant well, he was just facing the wrong way. Once I pointed him in the right direction, he saw the Tonkas down there. We were all fascinated and wanted to go down there. We sent Mom and Dad VERY strong mind-meld messages to take ... us ... down ... there. Being putty in our paws, Dad said something about "maybe Saturday we should go on a long walk down there and check it out." Oh, COOL! And guess what? We DID!

We saw incredible things and will share it all with you tomorrow. We even went up to the Giant's castle!!! Until then ~

Tail wags,
Stormy

Sunday Salute - Our Nation's Veterans

Today our Sunday Salute goes out to all Veterans of the United States Military.

On this day, we give thanks for all those who have worn and who currently wear the uniform of America's Armed Forces. Veterans Day is a time we set aside to remember, to honor and to pay respect to our nation's uniformed Patriots — American Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, Airmen, and Coastguardsmen — who have, and who continue to stand in harm's way that we might live in peace.

As President Bush said in his radio address yesterday, "On this Veterans Day, I urge every American to take time to thank one of our Nation's 24 million veterans. They come from different generations and different backgrounds. But they are united by a commitment to honor, duty, and love of country that has kept America free. They continue to strengthen and inspire our Nation. And we will never forget what we owe them." We echo his sentiments 100%!

We encourage you to watch this touching tribute; we couldn't find a way to embed it into our blog, but it is well worth viewing!

To all of America's veterans - thank you, may God bless you, and we salute you!

The Army of Four

Videos of Us ...Watching Videos

Woo, it's me - Dave! Before I get started, I'd like to wish the US Marine Corps a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Hoooo-rah! Hey, Echo - check the size of that cake! Woo.

Did you watch and listen to the video the bee-woo-tiful Hollybollyboo posted the other day? She sang a duet with her Samoyed brother Monty. They sounded really nice and Mom thought she would shoot a video of me listening to my special friend sing! I listened ... but I knew she wasn't really here. So ... well, you know. But here I am.



As you can see, Zim was more interested than I was. I am more of a "live and in perrrrr.... uh... canine" kind of guy; Zim is more techno savvy, I guess! Here he is again:



We thought Holly and Monty sounded really great!

Then Mom said our very bee-woo-tiful friend Frankie sent us a link to a video of her! And her Chocolate Bunny Lab sister Maddie speaks some Bark in it! I was a little more engaged in listening to this one (Storm said it's because I heard "a fellow Lab" talking ... but I'm sure she was just kidding), but mostly Zim was the one listening to Frankie. He hung on EVERY word - and could even tell when she was done!



It was great listening to and watching both of you. I think Zim really thought you were here! I knew you weren't .... that's why I wasn't as interested!

Luv,
Dave

Bulletin

We interrupt our regular blog to bring you the following bulletin:

CAT ALERT!

We will not leave our post until the cat has vacated our AO.

....Or unless there's a cookie involved.

That is all!

Play bows and love,
Zim and Amber

We've Got It Surrounded!

Tail wags, pups! It's me - Stormy! Before I get started, I wanted to thank everyone for the kind words on our garden yesterday! You're all so very kind! Thank you! Mom and Dad work hard making it a nice place for us!

Also, thank you for the kind comments left for our friend Nikki, formerly of South Africa, now of Northern Cyprus. Here is an excerpt of an email our mom sent out:

"I received another update [from Nikki's mom, Pam] today from Northern Cyprus. She said Nikki the Sibe seems a bit calmer at the quarantine facility, though is still 'uptight', as Pam put it. She has started to eat the door frame. That's Nikki ... not Pam." (Ha roo roo roo!)

"Pam and her dh are able to visit twice a day - 9-10 a.m. and 2-3 p.m. They are in charge of cleaning Nikki's kennel and feeding her; the people who 'run' the place do nothing. Except not allow [Nikki's parents] to stay longer than those hours.

"As per Kengele, the elderly, blind kitty ..... Pam has come to what I think is really a hard yet great decision. Kengele will be staying in South Africa. Pam said, 'After this nonsense and trauma with Nikki I realised that I would not be able to put her through this. Dogs and cats are kenneled together (well next to each other) and being blind she will be petrified of everything.' To make a long, emotionally trying story short, the woman who works at the pet transport agency in South Africa has fallen in love with Kengele :) and would like to keep her. Pam said that she really liked her when she met her and 'could see she really loved all the animals.' Pam has had to make some really difficult decisions along the way with this move, and it really sounds like this will be wonderful choice for Kengele."

Nikki's mom really made some tough decisions. This one for Kengele was made out of such unselfish love! We think she made a wonderful choice for the sweet Kengele kitty. And now Kengele can add warmth and love to the life of the wonderful lady at the pet transport place! We know her mom and dad will miss her, but what a great, stress-free choice they made for her!

OK ... so Dave and I do have a few things in common. One is that neither of us has much use for the Dyson. (Let me brag a bit on my brother here and tell you he can turn off the Oreck cannister! Pretty good, huh?) Anyway, that being said, check out these pictures:

We've got it surrounded!

Hey Dyson ...

Vrrrrm rrrrrrrrrr vrrrrrrrrrrrrrrmmmmmmmmm!

Ha roo roo roo!

Keep those positive thoughts and prayers coming for Nikki! I think they worked well for Kengele!

Tail wags,
Stormy

Autumn Deck Pictures and Confusing Terms

Hi everypuppy, it's me - Amber! Remember the other day when Zim posted of that "cool action shot" of him and Dave? (And my tail feathers? Hee hee hee.) We had such fun out on the deck that day! While Zim and Dave were playing, I saw somepuppy walk past the house with his biped and told the boys to look quick!

Halt! Who goes there!?!

Mom liked the way we lined up at the deck railing. You can still see the puppy's biped walking past. The puppy was much faster.

Here's a shot of Dave, kicking back.

He looks comfy, doesn't he? And Zim is still watching for that puppy, in case he walks past the house again.

Can you see that tree in the background? That's our White Ash tree. That's one of the things Mom went out to photograph. Here's a close up. Isn't it pretty?

I'm no Dave.... but it doesn't look "white" to me! Hee hee hee! We have a Purple Ash, too, but Mom didn't get a shot of it before the leaves fell off. Here are the Amur Maples, though:

It's the view from the deck! They're pretty, aren't they? I like the Pampas Grass, too - back there by the Austrian Pine. I sometimes get confused and call it a "pompous" grass, though. Hee hee hee! Confusing, isn't it?

Speaking of confusing terms ... a man who used to work for my dad got a little tongue-tied about a certain kind of reptile. Instead of "Komodo Dragon" .... he'd always say ....Kimono Dragon!

The elusive Kimono Dragon

Hee hee hee! I think the Kimono Dragon is native to Japan; I'll have to ask Jazz and Dixie! Hee hee hee!

Have a happy day, everypuppy!

Love,
Amber

Rule? What Rule?

Woo, everypup. It's Dave. Do your bipeds ever confuse you? Here's an excerpt from a conversation I had with Mom the other day.

"The 'No Chew Toys on the Bed' rule? Hmm....

No, I don't think I am familiar with that one."

She didn't seem to like my answer. You can't say I didn't think about it first - check that pensive look on my face!

Luv,
Dave

My Snooter is Stuck!

Ha roo, everypup! Zim here with some great news to start the post!

Mom just got an email from our friend Nikki's mom - you know, our Siberian pal who's moving from South Africa to Northern Cyprus! The good news is that Nikki's mom and dad and Nikki have all arrived in NC! Nikki's mom said, in part, "Nikki arrived at the airport here screaming the Siberian death scream - just about cleared the airport!" That sounds normal and healthy to us! Ha roo roo roo! "We got her to the quarantine station and got to bed at 2 in the morning. I have been very concerned about her but today she seems a bit better. ..... She has eaten her pillows, her lead, her collar, her food and water bowls and has a broken tooth. :( Will see how she is tomorrow." Sounds like a first-class Siberian temper-tantrum ... again, normal, though we're REALLY sorry to hear about the tooth. Dave can relate! Her mom is considering seeing a vet about sedatives or a slight tranquilizer to help see her through - but is really hoping she'll settle down now that she's landed. Quarantine will be 2-4 weeks; please keep her in your thoughts and prayers!

In other news, I went over to see what Mom was having for breakfast the other morning. Yogurt! I love yogurt! I gave her my best sad eyes look and she caved.

Mmmm! Mango Pomegranate! Mmmmm!

Hey! Hey! My snooter's stuck!

Ha roo roo roo! It wasn't really stuck, but I thought it was for a minute there. It would have been worth it, anyway. Wowzers, that Mango Pomegranate is yummy!

Play bows,
Zim

Sunday Salute - Baxter, Mattie, Cleo and Howie!

This week, our Sunday Salute goes out to our friends Baxter, Mattie, Cleo and Howie of Fort Riley, Kansas!

Baxter on the left, Mattie on the right: Teamwork!

This is one incredible crew! Baxter is a 10-year-old Border Collie. His entire litter was dropped at an animal shelter and Baxter was adopted out by his (now) mom’s sister. When she couldn't provide him the home he needed, he joined his furever mom! Baxter loves to play ball, but it has to be a tennis ball and THE tennis ball he chooses when he heads out to play. He is the leader of the pack and he knows what he wants!

Here is Baxter, defending his mom from an attacking sprinkler!

Baxter, the brave!

Baxter is also thoughtful enough to dry himself off in something fragrant before heading into the house! What a nice guy!

Ooooh, yeah!

Mattie is a 6-year-old Black Lab. Her mom told us, “She is a registered Labrador Retriever, although I like to call her a ...Labrador because she has no interest in retrieving.” Ha roo roo roo! Well, we could swap her for a certain Lab-in-a-Sibe-suit who DOES retrieve! (Just kidding, Dave … but real Sibes do NOT fetch!) She was the runt of an accidental litter and is now 85 pounds. She is a mama's girl. (This really DOES sound like the Labradave….) Her mom said, “Most days she could do without all her siblings and just have me. Her dad even has to suck up to her to even get her to shake.” We’re sure she means that as a compliment to her mom and not as a slight to anyone else!

Here's Mattie, having a go at that wayward sprinkler!

I've got it!

Baxter and Mattie also work hard at making their mom smile - and do a mighty fine job of it! Here they are, all dressed up for Halloween!

Mattie on the left, Baxter on the right

We're not sure, but Baxter seems to be enjoying this MUCH more than Mattie! Mattie wasn't the only family member not thrilled with the Halloween costume thing. You see... the other members of their family are two kitties - Cleo and Howie. Kitties ... who were forced to dress up in outfits, too.

Cleo on the left, Howie above, right

Need we say they don't look thrilled?

Sure ... I'll wear your little costume. But you will pay for this. Trust me.

Cleo, the gray and white kitty, is 4.

He was adopted 2 years ago from a friend who was feeding him instead of herself. He tries to vie for the alpha spot but Baxter doesn't let him get by with much. He is very mouthy, but a great cat. He weighs 18 pounds. Here are some action shots of him!

Howie ... hand me the remote and get me a beer, would you?

Never mind. Zzzzzz.......

Howie (short for Howitzer !) is a tabby cat rescue from Camp Funston (an area on Ft. Riley).

His mom said it took them about two weeks to catch him, during “Operation Cat Snatch”. Ha roo roo roo! Good one. He is a lover boy and is just over a year old. His mom and dad started seeing him at Camp Funston when he was just about 4 months old. The only problem his mom has noted is that he is like a little Harrier Jet - he can jump just about anywhere he wants to go. Sounds more like a talent to us, but hey, bipeds are funny sometimes!

Check this out!

Howie the Harrier Jet has landed

This is a talent we truly admire. Yes, Dave has helped himself to bananas off the top of the magic cold box ... but Howie has taken jumping to new heights! He also is a master of disguises! Here he is covering himself in what appears to be Baxter fur! (Mattie, if it's yours, we apologize for the mistake!)

Remarkable camouflage job, don't you think?

He could easily infiltrate anydog's domain without them ever sniffing him! I think we should recruit Howie and all his siblings into the Troopers in the Army of Four! We want a clever guy like that on our side!

Baxter, Mattie, Cleo and Howie currently have an incredibly important mission. Their dad has deployed to Iraq - so they are supporting him by keeping their mom safe. And amused. (Refer to Halloween pix above!) Baxter, Mattie, Cleo and Howie - for all you do, we salute you! (And we send a great big Ao4 'HOOAH' to your dad!)

The Army of Four