Another Kuvasz Blog - this time with PUPPY pictures!!

Biggie: Earmuffs!!

Just wanted to introduce another kuvasz blog, SKYY in Minnesota! (link also to the right) He is probably a distant cousin of Biggie's, as both Biggie's mom and pop are from the same kennel as SKYY. All I can say is that looking at SKYY's puppy pictures looks like Biggie's puppy pictures. The sure grow up fast. Sigh.

Note to SKYY's humans: take lots of pictures and video! It will be hard to imagine but someday you will look at SKYY, and look at the puppy pictures, and look at SKYY as he rests his head on the table, and marvel that they are the same dog.

Countdown to CAMP (and Christmas)!

Well, my post was a little delayed because my humans needed to get away from the blizzard that hit NYC. I'm now at camp and playing in the snow and guarding the sheep and cows nearby. I love it.

Momma made me take this picture to wish all you doggies some happy holidaze.

As you can see, that Santa hat is WAY too small for me. Some of my friends who were treated to a preview of my Holidaze picture said that I should never ever forgive my Momma for making me look so ridiculous. (The Santa hat finally came off the Christmas hedgehog that my brother Tex sent me 2 years ago. Sometimes I suck on it because it reminds me of Tex.)

But 'tis the season for snow, and lots of it, and Momma plays in it with me. So I guess I can't hold it against her too much.

HAPPY HAPPY HOLIDAZE ALL YOU PUPPIES. Make sure to give your humans extra snuggles and slobbers, I bet you will get extra treats for it!

Wordless Wednesday

Momma's still sick so I have to amuse myself

Hey everybody. It's been BOOOORING around here because Momma's been sick and all she does is sleep. I lie on my bed or in my crate or at her side. zzzzzzzzz. Momma's sending all these unhappy sickie feelings so I made this video to cheer her up.

Can dogs sense when we're not feeling well?

I think so.

I'm home today in Day 3 of what I thought first was allergies, then a cold, and now I'm admitting that I may have The Flu. It's miserable. But Biggie is such a great companion.

I don't feel under the weather all that often, so this is unusual. The last time I was this out of it, I'd just come back from surgery and The Big One walked me to the bathroom and back to the couch when I was still groggy from the anesthesia. Not because I asked; he just thought I needed some support.

Most mornings we have a very clear routine. Biggie gets himself up a few minutes before my alarm goes off at 7am, and we go to the dog run by 7:30 or 8 at the latest. "Getting up" for him means getting out of his crate, walking around, and pawing at the bedroom door. This morning, even though I was up (sort of) and in and out of sleep, he waited patiently on his bed and his crate until 10. We hobbled to the dog run slowly and he did a nice loose leash walk the whole way, and after he'd taken care of business, he just stood by the door like, "Time to go home, mom."

When we got home, I sat on the floor to pet him and he put his head in my lap - "I'm sorry you feel bad, mom."

Sitting at the table at the far end of the apartment, typing on the computer, Biggie lies halfway between me and the front door. I got up for a moment, and he sprang up, watching me and then going into guard pose at the door - standing and listening alertly to people in the hall. Only after I sat down again did he lie down, again halfway between the door and me.

My dog rocks.

More news from Dan the Man...

I'M GONNA BE AN UNCLE!

Ever since my big brother Dani got his championship earlier this year, he has been letting that all go to his big ole head. Now, he had to go get himself a girlfriend. I am SO jealous. While I have been at camp this week, Momma and P-Daddy are loving their nieces and nephews. I LOOOOVE nieces and nephews so I am so excited to get some of my own! Here's the pee-mail I got from Dani just before the Big Bird Day:

Hi, Big ‘Un .. and to all of my brothers out there ~

Meant to write you guys sooner, but I’ve been just laying around thinkin’ ‘bout things. I jes’ don’t understand if I dreamed all of this, or if it really happened. Tired as I’ve been, I think IT really happened.

I thought somethin’ was up Friday when Mom gave me the bath of a lifetime and put all kinds of good smelly stuff on me. She kept telling me to look and act real purdy so my visitor would like me a LOT! I thought maybe she was gonna give me away, but instead I had a real surprise, like a late birthday present. After all, I was 3 on November 10^th and nothin’ real special happened, but last Saturday I had a party to end all parties!

Mom had already moved Spirit out of “our room” and in with the old folks, poor girl, so I was sitting there kinda lonesome like, when Mom rushed in all smiles, saying, “Oh, Dani Darling, run outside and get a breath of fresh air.”

I did and the next thing I knew a White Angel came dancing out to see me, swishing and leaping around, and I thought I was in Heaven. OOOOOHHH, did SHE ever smell sweet, so she danced and I smelled and we had the best play time I’ve ever had. Her Mom was calling her Ren and I was calling her Sweetheart, trying some new moves I’d only thought was a game, ‘cept this time is was for REAL!!!

All too soon, things went kinda blank and suddenly we were together just standing there ...

[CENSORED BY MOMMA]

WOW, did I have some woozie dreams that afternoon. No one bothered me, but Mom did serve me an extra large dinner that night and said something like “get your strength back, son.” Still no one told me where Ren, the love of my life, had been taken.

I didn’t have to wonder ‘bout that too long because first thing the next morning, I went into the “Love Yard” and right away, here comes Ren again .. doing an even wilder and more enticing dance than yesterday. I tried to follow just right, but she is so beautiful and light on her feet and her curls were so sweet against my face .. oh, brothers, I am so in love with this woman!!!

[CENSORED BY MOMMA]

After another fabulous dinner, Mom tucked me in for the night because she said I’d have to get up early in the morning. Oh, boy, Mom, anything you say!!! Then the 2 Moms sat with me and talked about how they would pack Ren’s car tonight, get up early and leave soon as Ren had a chance to tell me goodbye.

Visions of sugar and spice danced in my dreams all night, and while it was still dark my Mom came in to wake me up to go out to “our place.” I was suddenly wide awake, feeling like the greatest man on earth, eagerly watching the door, and then there she was, Mrs. Dani, my dream queen. She didn’t mind it being still dark at 5:30, and she was as glad to see me (I think) as I was to see her. Ah, Ah, we danced and danced and I knew what was to be done next, which this time...

[CENSORED BY MOMMA]

It was the weekend of a lifetime ... 3 days of pure bliss with my Ren, and now I don’t know when I’ll ever see her again because she lives nearly 900 miles away from me.

I’ll never forget her, though, and if any of you kids run into Ren, you leave her alone – SHE’S MINE!!!! That’s not quite the end of the story because now Mom is running ‘round bragging to everyone that she’s gonna have GrandPups about late January! Don’t ever miss an opportunity to do that if the right girl comes to visit you!!! I’ll let everyone know if Mom says anything about my babies arriving in Georgia.

Your ever-lovin’ brother, Dani (with Ren in my heart)

If anyone is interested in giving my nieces and nephews a GREAT (not just okay) home, call Denise at Windridge Kennels, and tell her Biggie said the Dani x Ren Pups are “in the oven.” I can tell you from first-paw experience that nephews and nieces are the BEST - and those are just human ones!

If you are seriously considering a kuvasz, PLEASE read these first:

Teaching a kuvasz not to guard: Is it possible?

So you think you want a kuvasz?

So you think you want a kuvasz? Part 2

Living with kuvasz in a rural setting - by Anonymous Dave

Pros and Cons of Having an Intelligent Dog

Biggietude: 98-pound weakling takes control

NEWS FLASH!

I'm waiting to get the full details from the people in the know, but apparently I wasn't the only one who spent an idyllic and exciting weekend with a HOT girlfriend. I should have more info soon.

In the meantime, I wanted to post a picture of my weekend with Lexi but Momma said it was too graphic for puppy viewing, so she is going to post these few teasers.

Here I am sharing a drink with Lexi at the Hose Bar.

Then she took me to the other end of the run and had her way with me.

Well, that was MY hot weekend, Saturday AND Sunday ... how was yours?

Purebred v. Mutt? Not really...

It never ceases to amaze me how charged the term "purebred" can be, and how the media, the public, dog owners, divide the dog world into "purebred" and "mutt/rescue/mixed breed" camps, and make assumptions about the dogs and their owners. Fortunately the dogs themselves don't make those kinds of assumptions:

Biggie's friends Timber (Husky), Levi (Weimeraner/Doberman) and Puccini (German Shepherd/hound/husky??)

Last month we went to a kids' birthday party where we ran into some friends we hadn't seen in several years. They brought their very cute, 8-month old soft-coated wheaten terrier along, and our bizarre conversation went something like this (all names have been changed to protect the clueless):

Me: What's her name?

Friend 1: Dusty ---

Friend 2: --- but her REAL name is Miller's Basking in Sunshine [not her real name]

Friend 3: Yeah, she is one fancy dog! She's purebred with PAPERS. [1] And she has TWO NAMES, a short one and a long one! [2]

Me: hmmm....

Friend 2: She's too FANCY to go to the dog park.

Friend 1: It's not that, it's just that she gets jumped on a lot and she's still young

Me: jumped on a lot? is she spayed?

Friend 3: Not yet.

Me: Why not? Are you planning on breeding her?

Friend 1: We didn't really want to, we just wanted a dog...

Friend 2: But she's co-owned with her breeder.

Me: Oh. Where is the breeder?

Friend 3: Just the next town over. But co-owning her with the breeder made her half-price!

Friend 2: Yeah, she's co-owned with the breeder because they want to SHOW her. [3]

Me: Wow, that's a lot of work! Has she gone to any shows yet?

Friend 1: No, not yet. The breeder's gonna do all that stuff. [4]

Me (as Dusty goes berserk on her leash, jumping on me as I pet her): Are you taking her to any classes to, you know, teach her how to behave in the ring?

Friend 2: She knows "sit" and "paw" already!

Friend 1: Classes to show her?? no idea. The breeder's supposed to do all that stuff but they haven't done anything yet. She's only going to be shown twice, then bred twice, [5] and then we'll get to spay her.

Friend 3: It's all in her CONTRACT! (snickering)

----------------------------------------

[1] Any purebred dog that is a breed recognized by a kennel club can have "papers" if the puppy or dog is registered - but the kennel clubs don't do anything to verify the information, and just having "papers" means you can trace the ancestry of the dog a few generations (if the information provided was true). It has NOTHING to do with the dog's conformation, health or temperament. Dogs that are shown have to have papers, but again, all that shows is that the dog is a purebred dog of that breed. And again, only IF the information provided was accurate and truthful in the first place.

[2] This would be a shorter "call name" (aka, "Biggie") and a longer name that is on the papers, that has the breeder's name and a more formal name ("Yanilan's Big EZ, The Notorious D-O-G"). I have no idea why the names are as long as they are. Breeders often call their litters by letters of the alphabet, based on when they are born, and sometimes give them formal names or call names that start with that letter. Since Biggie came from his breeder's 2nd litter, we thought a "B" name would be fun, though it was certainly not necessary. We gave Biggie his names because they meant something to us but also because we thought they were funny. If you are looking at pups from a breeder who follows this naming convention, beware of pups whose names start with Z... Again, you can name your dog anything you want, and it has nothing to do with the dog's conformation, temperament or health.

[3] A couple of red flags here. First of all, "show quality" pups tend to cost more than "pet quality" because the breeder thinks they may have what it takes to be shown to championship, and that they MAY want to breed the dog if he shows the right conformation (looks) and temperament. Pups sold as "pet quality" by a reputable breeder often come with a spay/neuter provision so that only the best of the best - in health, temperament and pre- and post-natal care - are bred. Reputable breeders care about this, because they do not want their kennel name associated with unhealthy dogs.

Also, if a breeder seriously wants to show a dog, not only will they want to keep the dog with them (to make sure the dog is properly socialized, taught how to behave in the show ring, and is given the proper food and care), but they will usually have spelled out the co-owners' rights and responsibilities in the contract - which clearly didn't happen here.

[4] Showing a dog to championship is a serious venture, and not without its criticisms [this will have to be the subject of another post]. Serious contenders start when the dog is a puppy. We have friends who used to show and handle dalmatians, and they stopped because it was costing upwards of $20,000 a year to travel to shows with their dogs. "Dusty's" owners seemed to think that all they had to do was give their pup a home, and the breeder would swoop in and "show" the dog a couple of times.

[5] This just made me cringe. It had all the hallmarks of an irresponsible breeder selling a lot of hogwash to naive dog owners. In order to show a dog to championship, you have to go to a lot more shows, and win two "majors" (i.e. beat enough dogs of the same breed) for there to be some general consensus that your purebred dog is a decent representative of the breed. It is impossible to show a dog twice and get anywhere close to championship. As far as I could tell, showing the dog twice before breeding was just another way for this breeder to sell puppies to yet more naive dog owners who think that they are getting a "show quality" dog.

Repeat after me: JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE A PUREBRED DOG DOES NOT MEAN YOU SHOULD BREED HIM/HER.

It's not about whether purebred dogs, as a whole, are healthier or nicer or more appreciative than mixed breeds, nor is it a statement about selective dog breeding in general - dogs aren't people, after all. Many of the negative remarks against purebred dogs are a result of irresponsible breeding by puppy mills or families who get a brother and a sister of the same breed and then want to show their kids "the miracle of life," thinking that they can sell their puppies for $500 (or more) per pup and make some money on the side. Even if these puppies got the best care after they were born, they probably didn't get much in the way of prenatal care, and there was absolutely no thought given to whether the parents should ever have been parents at all.

One of the benefits of getting a purebred dog is that you have the potential to get a dog that has a known family history - of temperament, looks, and above all, health. But only if YOU, the responsible dog owner, do your research. (again, the subject of another post)

2010 Kuvasz Calendar - on sale now!

The 2010 Kuvasz Calendar is ready for orders again! Yours truly is in it again. They just can't get enough of my manly curliness. Or is it my curly manliness? Either way, I do it for my brothers and sisters who are still needing their furever homes. Support a good cause, and admire my, ahem, manly beauty.*

$19.95 plus shipping and handling. All proceeds go to Kuvasz Rescue. The calendars SOLD OUT last year so buy early and buy often!

BUY HERE.

*Momma's note: Biggie has, by far, the goofiest picture in the entire calendar. But don't hurt his feelings. He thinks he is very handsome.

Fall Photo Shoot - video outtakes

So you can see what it took to get the shot at the top of the page. And, because my dog is a goofball.

Fall Photo Shoot - shoot! darnit! hold still!

It's fall in Vermont, the leaves are changing, it was foggy and drizzly but very pretty out there. Biggie and I decided to hike and try a photo shoot for the 2010 Kuvasz calendar. Let's just say it's sort of hard with a new video/still cam, one rambunctious dog, and no assistants. Biggie was either forging on ahead to make sure it was safe, or running back to check on me, or standing too close to take good pictures, or moving too quickly.

Not only that, but I'd brushed him before we went out, and he came home muddy and covered in burrs.

Here's some outtakes:

I can sit AND stay, but I don't have to like it.

Can't talk. Busy looking for stuff in here. Did anyone misplace a rock?

This last one would have been great if he would turn his head the other way. But the classic kuvasz guard dog has put himself between me and any potential interloper, and is scanning the hiking path and woods for anything threatening, like a chipmunk.

Biggie's Rules for Happy Walkies

We had a Most Unfortunate Incident last month with P-Daddy and Little Gramma, in which I reminded P-Daddy that he has to make sure he follows the Rules for Happy Walkies. P-Daddy and his momma took me for a walkie in BrrrMont and then something happened so that when I got home I had to run all the way to my crate in the dark bedroom and lie there for a few hours because I was very very sorry. Momma didn't even know I came home. (Momma didn't know that I went out with P-Daddy and Little Grandma, either.) Anyways. P-Daddy did some meditating and he helped me type out some Rules:

Biggies is not a human

I may be smart, but I'm still a dog. I respond to commands and leadership. Don't reason, cajole or try bribery. I will take your treats and do what I want if you act like you are not sure what you want. Don't ask, but TELL. If you ask me to do something, it's like you're asking me what I think. And I think I want to PLAY right now, even if Gramma is holding my leash and I want to play with P-Daddy, because I LOVE P-Daddy and Gramma and wouldn't it me so much fun if all 3 of us played together?

Little people and old people can be really wobbly sometimes

And if they're little and old, they can sometimes just fall down if you so much as wag your tail in their direction. So sometimes you have to be very very careful to be very very gentle. Getting all the way down on the ground helps.

Observe proper leash technique at all times!!

Here is cousin Ava demonstrating Proper Leash Technique. I probably weighed more than she did in that picture, but she was pretty good at holding me BECAUSE SHE TALKED TO ME and told me what to do, she didn't just pull me around. And look especially at how she is holding the leash. If I pulled too hard, what would happen? I'd just yank the leash out of her hand but she'd probably be ok. She has one hand holding the loop, and the other one picking up the slack in the leash. So if I'm just pulling a little bit, she can use her right hand and give a little tug to tell me where to go.

Very important: Ava did not wrap the leash around her hands or anything to keep me from getting away. DON'T EVER DO THAT! Dogs are really strong. Momma and P-Daddy met a lady whose Golden Girl broke 2 bones in her hand because the Golden Girl went after a squirrel. And that was a teeny little golden girl who was only 50 pounds or so! Most dogs, even the most senseless silly ones, have enough sense to not get hit by a car the moment they get free. Or at least all the yelling if you have a loose dog will usually get everyone's attention and they will then all play chase or something. But that is all better than the risk of a human getting pulled into traffic or getting hurt because they were stuck in their dog's leash.

I'm not saying I did anything quite like that to Little Gramma, but let's just say that P-Daddy learned that he doesn't just hand my leash over to someone who doesn't know how to walk a dog any more. And I don't think Little Gramma will be walking me any more, but that's ok because she's so wobbly it's probably better that way. And she's never going to wrap the leash around her hand again. Until the next time she forgets.

Seriously, people: if you have a large or rambunctious dog, it doesn't take much for the dog to overwhelm the person. I've almost been knocked down by a 40-pound dog who was barreling at me, because I wasn't looking and I was off-balance. People who aren't used to being around dogs of any heft are not usually of this. Small people CAN walk large dogs, but as the dog owner, you have to be careful to make sure the person and the dog are on the same wavelength and that they are understanding each other.

Wordless Wednesday, 9/9/09

Wordless Wednesday

View larger here (YouTube).

Dog Cousins

By now you have probably infurred that I had a lot of guests - 4-legged and 2-legged - at my Brrr Mont Compound. They were my Puppy Transport Team and all their dogs.

In addition to my Momma and P-Daddy, there was a lot of P-Daddy's relatives: my Gramma and Grampa, P-Daddy's Sister and Brother-in-law, and a bunch of their kids: My Puppy Transport Team! I was not always a cosmopolitan metrosexual kuvasz. I came from TEXAS. Mama Clare drove me to Tennessee where I met Tyler and his wife Emily, and then they drove me to meet Tyler's sisters Lauren and Gillian. Tyler, Lauren and Gillian are Momma's nephew and nieces, so they are sort of like human cousins but they are also hundreds of years older than me so they are also sort of like my first parents and also like aunties and uncles, except for my cousin Josh. Josh is Tyler, Lauren and Gillian's younger brother but I feel more like he is a cousin. Josh isn't around with us any more, and we miss him a million times each day because he was just like me, a big beautiful boy who liked to run and play and hug me. But that is a sad story and I don't want to talk about that now.

Anyway, the Puppy Transport Team all have dogs too, and because sometimes I am a little mixed whether to call my Puppy Transport Team auntie or uncle or cousin or mommy, it made my furry head hurt to figure out if the dogs are second cousins or great uncles or what. So I just call them all cousins. It's easier that way.

BENJI (left) AND BUDDY (right) aka The Grumpy Old Men:

BENJI

Benji is the grumpiest old man. He's really only 6 but he is cranky enough to be 623! He growls at everything and barks at me all the time, even in my own house. He would just like to sit in someone's lap all day or be held. He belongs to Uncle Tim and Aunt Sue.

BUDDY

Buddy is Benji's dog brother and family brother. He's calmer and quieter but that is because he is a little more confident because he's a little older and was there first. Sometimes when Benji isn't there we sneak in a few seconds of playing but then Benji comes over and yells at me and it's so loud we can't really play any more.

Here is a picture of cousin Josh snuggling with Buddy and me in Brrmont in 2007. I was 10 weeks old and already I was bigger than Buddy. hehe

THE GEORGIA COUSINS

The Georgia Cousins belong to Tyler and Auntie Em. They rescued my Georgia cousins after they met me- Tyler and Auntie Em were the first leg of my Puppy Transport Team and I must have impressed them with my amazingness because after they handed me over they had to get not just 1 but TWO dogs to fill the void I left! (they have their own bloggy, too, but Auntie Em hasn't updated it in a while...)

TOM

Tom is the littlest of my dog cousins. They thought he was 2 when they got him but he is so calm and well-behaved that now we think he is older, like a grownup or something. I don't think I've ever heard him bark. He looks like a Ewok and here he is chewing on my knuckle bone, which is so big he can't even move it because it's bigger than his head, bol! The humans seem to really like him, but I think he's a little boring because he doesn't play or get naughty or make any noise or farts or sling drool or anything. booooring!

but ...

I saved the BEST for last ...

...

HUCK (aka TIGGER)

It's always a party when Huck is around - we wrassle like there's no tomorrow. Huck was the first Georgia cousin and he shoulda been named Tigger from Day One. I think his humans got Tom to play with him and tire him out but so far I've been the only one able to tire him out. Every waking moment, we played and played. Sometimes Auntie Em had to put Huck in his crate just so the humans wouldn't have dogs barreling around the house. Oh yeah, and Huck would try to mark MY house, especially MY Momma and P-Daddy's stuff. That really annoyed the humans!

Biggie swims, 2009 edition

I just got back from 2 weekends in Brrr Mont where it was pretty warm but still not as hot as it is here in New Dork City, and there were 10 people and 5 dogs including me. AND my diaries cleared up JUST IN TIME for me to go back on my raw food *and* steal the little dogs' food and rawhide chews, which I used like toothpicks after my meal. I did let my dog cousins share my big knuckle bone, though only one of them was strong enough to move it.

It was great - my whole Posse was there - basically the Puppy Transport Team plus their support team. And I got to play and get barked at and petted and it was AWESOME.

The BIG NEWS - well, there was lots of big news but this is the only big news that my brain can handle tonight - is that with the help of Cousin Huck and Auntie Em (hehe, I just like saying that) I finally showed everyone once and fur all that Yes I Can Swim and Maybe I Even Like It A Little When It Is 942 Degrees Out. (I heard it was over a thousand degrees in New Dork City, so boy was I glad I wasn't there.)

So first my humans didn't take me to the Beach where it slopes in all gentle-like. Instead they took me to a more deserted area where you have to climb down some bushes and slippery rocks to get into the water. A few hundred yards away, these 4 guys were setting up their fishing stuff. Before Momma let me off the leash P-Daddy went to have a talk with them and then I charged over and showed them who was boss. It was quite a fearsome display, very loud and full of fur, but they were appropriately respectful of my authori-tay so I let them stay. There were lots of other people at the pond too, but the rest of them were pretty far away and I did not think they were much of a threat. Plus it was 942 degrees out and I was wearing a fur coat, so I decided it was ok to just keep an eye on them.

Speaking of keeping an eye on stuff, as soon as I got back from telling those fishing guys that I was in charge of the pond, look what I saw:

Huck swimming all over the place and Auntie Em and ... most dangerous of all ... Momma was already in WAY over her head!!!!! As soon as I turn my back she gets into trouble. Sheesh, Momma! That is SO NOT SAFE!!!!

I waded in as far as I could stand and cried to her to come a little closer. Good thing I've clicker-trained her well, so most of the time she comes when called, especially when she hears the urgency in my voice:

After Momma squirted me on the head, I realized it felt pretty good to get in the water.

But you know what is even scarier than when Momma gets in over her head?? When P-Daddy goes swimming. He might drown and I really had to go check on him so many times. It was really tiring work but someone has to make sure P-Daddy and the rest of my Posse don't drown.

Stay cool, everyone, and don't swim alone! I can't watch you all.

Lifeguard Biggie

Back from Camp and Gallop and Goes!

Momma says this video does double doody. I got back from Camp more than a week ago. I stayed there for TWO WHOLE WEEKS while my humans went to some place called Gallop and Goes. (Sounds like a dude ranch to me.) When I got back, I was so excited that Momma said I reminded her of this video!

The video was from Espanola Island and shows what happens when you take liquid stuff and force it through a small opening under pressure. Except my liquid was some kibble poo that, well, I was just excited to see my humans again even though it was a little stressful being back in the city.

Momma said this one reminds her of me, too:

I don't know why she would say such a thing, that is a booby and I am a Biggie. Boobies got their name because the Spanish people who first found them called them "bobo" because they were silly and goofy because they don't run away or anything. So Momma has been calling me a booby. It's true I don't run away from anything, but I'm not nearly that colorful, and my diaries are a different color. And more voluminous. But now I'm back on raw and everything is fixed. Yum, chicken bones!

Anyway, this was a strange dude ranch they went to. They seem to be a little too happy about riding that tortoise or something.

Just kidding. You're only allowed to ride tortoises that are your friends.



More pictures from Momma and her friends' trip to Gallop and Goes here. She says they are still organizing them and stuff. Yeah, right.

Now I am in Brrr Mont except it's sort of HOT. I'm here with LOTS of people and dogs and we're having an AMAZING TIME!

Hope you are all having a good weekend too!

BrrrMont in July!

Ok, SOMEdogs thought I had too many words in my last post and they had to stop reading and go meditate. So I will try to keep this one short.

This is a picture for you grrlz. This is me without a bath or brushing - I hear the scruffy Bad Boy look is in. I have a great dog run up here though sometimes I have to let the humans hit a tennis ball around.

I hope everyone had a good 4th of July and celebrated the country's BirdDay with some things that just - oops - fell off the grill and into your mouths. I wasn't so lucky because my humans are SWITCHING ME TO KIBBLE because they are sending me to camp and going somewhere without me for a long time. I heard they will be on a boat in lots of deep water.

I prefer water in solid form. It's mostly safer - except for when I was roaching on top of it and fell off, but luckily no one got that on film. Momma did fall down laughing though.

Yes, we went to BrrrMont last weekend and now you know why it's called BRRRRR Mont! We went on a hike and found this strange glacier where the half-pipe used to be.

I had to investigate.

It also had this great tunnel I could run through, full of mud. You can see my mud action here, as I survey my domain.

Earlier that day we also saw a fox! Momma didn't have a camera with her and she wouldn't let me catch it. My humans CLAIM they saw one while they were driving, and if you Biggie-fy this picture you might be able to see it. I was a whole lot closer to mine, and if I hadn't been on a pesky leash, I might have caught a specimen for everyone to admire.

Finally, here is a video of me playing on my glacier. Haroooo!

2009 Kuvasz Specialty, as told by Spirit

Back in April when we were all too stunned by Josh's death to do much more than plod through life numbly, Biggie and Spirit shared some good news:

KuvaszGrrl: hi biggie

BiggieZ: hey u got a new screen name?

KuvaszGrrl: ya i think it's cooler now that I'm TWO and I'm a Big Girl. hey so guess what

BiggieZ: what?

KuvaszGrrl:I got my second major! And I didn't even need to borrow your P-Daddy after all!

we just got back last night we were gone for 8 days of NO yards just quickie walks on leashes in ucky windy weather

BiggieZ:yards? Is that like a personal dog park? windy weather is sort of fun i pretend im a explorer and stick my nose in the wind

KuvaszGrrl:not the point of my story. listen up!

dani and i drove all the way to kansas for a big show we had to hang out in our crates or the hotel room or the car all the time and there were lots and lots of kuvasz doggies there cuz it was a special show for kuvaszies

BiggieZ:wow cool! was tex there?

KuvaszGrrl:i dont think so because i think he got tutored like you so he doesn't go to those shows and stuff

BiggieZ:oh bummer. if you see tex tell him i said hi. I kind of miss it when he used to sit on me.

KuvaszGrrl:anyway mom had a lot of work to do

BiggieZ:why was Mama Clare doing all that guarding if there were all those kuvasz there why didnt u and dani do your job n guard her?

KuvaszGrrl:silly biggie! there's other work besides guarding!

BiggieZ:is there biskits in this story?

KuvaszGrrl:well anyway, Mama C had to do a lot of work in the hospitality room so she was gone too much and was too tired when she came back to play with us.

BiggieZ:That sounds like my P-Daddy too - he is always at the hospitality and then he is gone a lot and he falls asleep in funny places and doesn't play with me too much...

KuvaszGrrl:One night I got to go into the hospitality room so everyone could admire me --

BiggieZ:--u r a service dogz? Congrat!

KuvaszGrrl:No, no, I was at a show with BILLIONS of other Kuvasz.

BiggieZ:--u were at the aminal hospitality? r u ok??

KuvaszGrrl:ugh. boyz r SO DUMB sometimes! So do u wanna hear about my second major or not?

BiggieZ:ok ok sorry u grrlz are always so sensitive. yeesh go on

KuvaszGrrl:Anyway I had a different handler, Linda, and I had to break her in a little the first day she expected me 2 just race off with her so I did my fast run + then she wanted me to NOT pace, which I won't do if no one hurries me but if someone hurries me then sometimes I pace and since Linda was new and she didn't know how I like to show and so maybe I paced a little that first day.

BiggieZ:I know what u mean when u r doing walkies with someone who doesn't know what u want. Cuz when I'm going with my Momma she is always either saying Biggie hurry up or Biggie waaaaaaaiiiiit or Biggie LEAVE IT!

KuvaszGrrl:ummm sort of like that. I am more elegant at a slow speed --

BiggieZ:--I think u r pretty elegant at any speed and I'm not just saying that because I'm your brudder!

KuvaszGrrl:Thanks biggie but in the ring there are a lot of things we need to do to Be Have. And since I didn't handle Linda so well the 1st day I didn't win much of anything on the actual specialty day, but then I handled her much better the next day and so then the judge, called me a Winners Bitch, which was a 5-point major for me!

BiggieZ:WHO CALLED YOU A BITCH?! I HOPE YOU GAVE THEM A PIECE OF YOUR MIND! WANT ME TO BARK AT THEM??

KuvaszGrrl:No Biggie, you don't need to, that is a good thing! It means I was a Good Grrl at handling my handler and I am very pretty.

BiggieZ:so can you explain this champeen thing again?

KuvaszGrrl:ok so you know u need to get 15 points to be a champion but u hafta get at least 2 majors and if u win at a minor u only get one point at a time and a major is 5 points so i kept going to these shows where there weren't enough kuvasz to be a major so i got a 5 point major a while back and then I won a lot of little shows where i was the prettiest grrl but each time there werent enough kuvasz there so i only got 1 point at a time for each win and so then i had 14 points for the longest time but if i went to another show and only got a 1 point win and got 15 points but it's not a major then i still wouldnt be a champeen because i needed another major and that was why i was asking to borrow ur daddy and then it turned out i didn't need him after all because i got my second major!

BiggieZ:um... so u need 15 and 1 plus 1 and 5 makes um.... and you need 2 points for 5 majors?

KuvaszGrrl:sort of. well, not really. actually, not at all. but you get the idea. My Mom was SO proud and everyone was hugging her and saying something like "come grab your relations." Don't know why Mom since she wasn't even in the ring with me.

BiggieZ:Who knows why our Mommas do what they do. Sometimes I think they r a little stoopid... hehe. (looks around nervously for Momma)

KuvaszGrrl:Well you haven't even heard the bestest part! After my major, I got to go in the ring with ALL the other champions! And I was just standing there being a pretty girl and all of a sudden the judge picked a boy for Best of Breed and ME for Best of Opposite Sex .. over ALL of those Big Girl Champions!!!

BiggieZ: Wow! wtg Spirit! You are da BOS!!!! is that how u spel bos?

KuvaszGrrl:i think so anyway now we have to be extra nice to Dani cuz he didn't win a thing at the Specialty. I think he is so much more handsome than many of the other boys there, but most judges don't think his nice, broad head is *in style* at this time.

BiggieZ:that's too bad. is he all bummed out?

KuvaszGrrl:not really cuz he he LOVES to show and he doesn't know any better. Every single judge told his handler "he sure is one happy fellow"

BiggieZ:maybe hes happy cuz he got special attention from Mom and cuz it's like a sleepover without your Yani Pop and Mama Snow?

KuvaszGrrl:Maybe... anyhowzits, here's a picture of me, lookit me I am da BOS!

Awards and More Sad News:

1. AWARD: Kess and her Mama passed this International Bloggers Community award to me. Here's the details:

The rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Copy the image, rules and questionnaire.
3. Post in your blog.
4. Answer the four questions.
5. Pick 7 friends to share with.
6. Come back to BLoGGiSTaiNFoCoRNeR at http://bloggistame.blogspot.com/ and leave the URL of your post in order for your blog to be added to the master list.
7. Have fun.

Questions and answers:
1. The person who tagged you? Kess and her Mama. (I suspect it was Mama since she has opposable thumbs)
2. His or her site title and URL? It's a Dog's Life
3.Date you were tagged? May 28, 2009
4. Persons you tagged? Well, I'm sort of bad at this and I think I'm so late that everyone's been tagged already. So in a spirit of inclusiveness for the 40th Anniversary of Stonewall, if you want to join the International Bloggers Community just go for it!

2. More Sad News: The Brotherhood lost another kuvasz lover and K-is-for-Kuvasz-Daddy. One of my brudders and littermates lost his human dad very suddenly last week and I am sending lots of good vibes, tail wags and cuddles to my brudder. It's ok to be sad and to cry when you lose one of your humans, but remember you need to take care of your momma and love her lots and lots cuz we think her heart is breaking right now. snuffles and sniffles.

The Royal Kuvasz

From the Westminster Kennel Club Kuvasz page:

The present day Kuvasz developed in Hungary where the breed served as a guard to royalty in the 1400s, prior to becoming popular as a livestock guardian [and highly skilled food beggar, drooling over tiny morsels of bread]...

...Today's AKC breed standard describes the characteristics required of a dog whose function is to protect its flock and drive off predators: large, moderately boned, sturdily built, well muscled, not bulky or lethargic...