Saturday, July 19, 2008

NEWS! (updated, Sunday edition)

Biggie-Z, pup reporter here, with LOTS of news to report! My beat's been very busy, so here are the top stories: 

VOTE FOR CHANGE: VOTE EARLY, VOTE OFTEN, FOR BIGGIE-Z!!
First of all, I got nominated for the Dogs With Blogs Awesome Blog Award for July! (Thanks Nanook and Pooka's mom)  Voting ends next week, on July 26. At the time of this post, Faya the Airedale is... well, she's way ahead of me in votes. I attribute this to the prevalence of Airedale dog blogs. I figure they're just dyed-in-the-fur Airedale voters no matter what. So I'm going to have to build a rainbow coalition of dog bloggers if we're going to have a chance of winning this. But we kuvasz are not known for being sprinters anyway. We're more the strong, silent type.  Anyway, you have to be registered and signed up at Dogs With Blogs in order to vote. Drop me a comment if you need me to help you get registered... 

And I was sort of kidding about the "Vote Often" part. We're not in Florida anyway, so unless Booker wants to give me a hand with the hanging chads, we have to win this one fair and square! 

I WON AN AWARD! WOO-HOO!
My big buddy and Gentle Leader commiserator, Mango, gave me the Arte-y-Pico award. 

Rules:

1) You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserve this award, creativity, design, interesting material, and also contributes to the blogger community, no matter of language.

2) Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.

3) Each award-winning, has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.

4) Award-winners and the one who has given the prize have to show the link to the "Arte y pico" blog , so everyone will know the origin of this award.

5) To show these rules.

So I give the award to: Pacco, Booker, Huck, Balboa, and Peanut, because he could use a little cheering up right now.

I know this sort of sounds a little like a chain letter but what the heck, I don't get that many awards and this one came from Mango, who I'd give the award to but I can't give it to him since he gave it to me so the next best thing I can do is pass on the award to 5 other winners. 

Phew!

And for our last and most dramatic news, and MY Story of the Year: 

ONE YEAR OF UNDERCOVER WORK PAYS OFF IN MIDNIGHT RAID

In the last year I have used my cover as a "puppy" to great advantage when monitoring the neighborhood. Last summer, when I was tiny, I'd bring my humans up to strangers in the neighborhood so they'd start talking while I stood around just ... observing. Also, "potty training" was a perfect excuse for my frequent reconnaissance strolls at all hours. Pretty soon I noticed some strange goings-on in the freight entrance of our building including lots of men coming in and out (but no women) and a couple large men at the door. 

Using "puppy socialization" as my opening, I brought my humans to visit them. They first told me that the 5th floor was being used as a photography studio and that there were pretty "models" coming in and out. But then who is doing "photo shoots" at midnight on a Saturday night? I brought my P-Daddy along to sniff things out. Occasionally there would be a few women leaving in ones and twos, and I tried to bring P-Daddy along to sniff their ... motives. Momma and I also made friends with the Friendly Neighborhood Crack Dealer. We weren't 100% sure he was a crack dealer. Maybe he only dealt other stuff. But he and his posse loved the fact that I was called Biggie, and I was able to observe their behavior without anyone thinking I was anything but a puppy out on a potty walk. Later they said it was a "private party space" and then after that they said it was a "private club." During all this time, the bouncers would be so distracted by my puppy cuteness that they didn't notice the unmarked surveillance across the street. 

Finally, last Thursday night around midnight, all our work paid off as NYPD Vice raided the joint. They blocked the the WHOLE STREET off, and there were about 10 unmarked police cars and 3 paddy wagons double-parked on my street.  When I went out for my late night "walk" to see how the raid was going, there were several plainclothes vice cops standing around on the street watching the entrances to the nearby buildings. Some people who lived and worked on the street were standing outside watching what was going down. I stopped to chat with the cops who were blocking the street, and they said they'd got about 100 people in there. I took a walk up and down the middle of the street, greeting and thanking all of the cops who had helped to make this raid happen. We also saw a few not-so-bright ladies who must have been late for work, because they were downstairs getting questioned while everyone else was upstairs with all the police. (Note to late-night professional ladies who want to avoid questioning: If you see the street to your "office" blocked off by the cops, just turn around and walk the other way.)

Friday night I took another tour around and it was much quieter. There were a few men who were looking at the freight entrance to my building, trying to get into the club. By Saturday there were no more, thanks to the press coverage by the New York Times, NY Post, and NY Daily News (photos may be borderline NSFW). My next surveillance project: the underground club on the other side of my building. 

Detective Biggie signing out!

17 comments:

Dexter said...

I can't wait to see what you have been up to (for a whole year)!

How were your walkies today, hot enough for ya? I was all huffin and puffin after five mintes.

You look fab in that hat. Does it keep the sun out of your eyes?

Slobbers,
Mango

Peanut said...

Thanks for the award. I appreciate it a ton. Oh can't wait to see what your talking about there.

the many Bs said...

hi Biggie z, congrats on being nominated. that's an honor even if you get beat by an airedale or wft. there's a huge contingent of those kiddos on DWB. what can we say, we're poodles, for pete's sake.

we can't wait to hear about the undercover job.

woofs.

Biggie-Z said...

Mango - the story is out, and my cover may be blown. Walkies? TOO HOT. WAY TOO HOT.

Peanut - maybe you can convince your mom to put you in jail with some of the pretty ladies.

4Bs - Thanks! Sometimes people think I'm part poodle too. Maybe that will be my next cover.

Urban Smoothie Read said...

are u some kind of CIA spy?

congratulation for the nomination and thanks for the award...

Unknown said...

wowwhooooo! thanks for the artedepico award! we are excited! thank you ...

Dexter said...

Biggie! I went a voted for you, but Faya is still in the lead (you know how those black and tans all stick together).

Slobbers,
Mango

Georgeous said...

Hey Biggie, congratulations on the award, looks like i was too slow to paw mine forward?
Tell me more about you Rottie girlfriend, have you got piccies, take your camera to day care...
Love & Big Snuffs
George

Unknown said...

Good work Biggie! The news paper is ummmm, WOW they leave little to the imagination. I am really shocked.

I voted for you.. good luck!

Anonymous said...

Hey Ya Biggie Z,
We just voted for y'all cuz our buddies Nanock and Pooka recommended that we do so. You're trailing 20 to 12. We tried to take your advice to "vote often' but the DWB system wouldn't let us; dang it. We thought that since there's really 11 of us that they'd give us 11 votes but we guess not. Good luck
- Homer J, - Jubal - JEB - Shelby - Jack - Abby - Max - Shiloh - Alex - Boru - Jenny = The Bumpass Hounds (TBH)

Anonymous said...

Wow, congrats Biggie! The world needs more dogs like you working under cover. Congrats on your award, too! Well deserved. I will check out the other blogs you mentioned.

Biggie-Z said...

Thanks for the votes, everyone! I am still trailing but we will continue to rally. I have not been around as long as Faya so it's an honor just to be nominated, really. (Though I sure would like to win!)

Most people have never even heard of a kuvasz so that's a start!

My Momma has to argue with someone today so I won't be back for a while.

Crotch sniffs, Biggie

Lenny said...

Nice work, Biggie! Did you get a mention in the Times?

Your friend, Lenny

Princess, Tank and Isaac: The Newfs of Hazard said...

Hey Biggie! We're not in the BZ but if you get us in we'll vote for you. Maybe we can get 3 votes! Nice work in bringing down the house. Hope none of their friends read this.

Balboa said...

COngrats on the nominations.

WOW, YOu sure make one great undercover dog detective. I hope the cops rewarded you for all your hard work on this long job.

Frenchie SNorts
Balboa

Biggie-Z said...

Lenny & Balboa - No mention in the Times since I need to keep my cover, but I am considering whether to switch to Giant Poodle or Schnoodle to throw the bad guys off. The cops didn't really give me any food reward, but they did pet me and admire my beauty and my size. And my good behavior (har har har!!)

Princess, Tank & Isaac - I sent Princess some p-mail. I think I could use some swimming lessons.

Sniffs, sighs and sleepy snorts,
Biggie

Dexter said...

Biggie - Thanks for the tip. I have been eating sticks and grass and rabbit poop. I have also been pulling green apples off the apple tree but have pretty much gotten all the ones low enough to reach.

Tomorrow is trash day so maybe I can do some dumpster diving on walkies.

Slobbers,
Mango