Career counseling for the working pup

I love to work. Because I am a kuvasz, a Working Dog. But I was thinking the other day that this security and protection gig might not last forever in this recession, so I should probably have a backup job just in case. 

I found this free online quiz that tests your personality and suggests some other career choices that might fit with your personality. Even though it only had Yes or No for answers, I found it much harder than my Puppy Aptitude Test. 

Some of the questions were easy, like "You are usually the first to react to a sudden event, e.g. telephone ringing" (duh!) or "It is in your nature to assume responsibility" (who else is gonna watch those kids?) or "You prefer to act immediately rather than speculate about various options" (if I hesitate in my protection duties, someone might hurt my people!). 

But some were sort of hard.  Like, "You get bored if you have to read theoretical books." How do I answer that if I don't know how to read? How do I know if I would be bored or not?? 

Anyway, the test said that I am an ESFJ. This is not really a surprise. I'm an Extrovert since I love to visit my people and my dogs. This past weekend we had some friends over to Brrr Mont and I showed them around and we played and they petted me and we all had a great time. I am also Sensing and Feeling, rather than iNtuitive or Thinking. Again, not a surprise. I have to go on what my eyes and nose and ears tell me might be a threat, and I sometimes have to act quickly, without a chance to overthink the situation, because that split second of hesitation is when someone might hurt my Momma or jump out of a dark corner and threaten my people. Finally, I guess it goes without saying that I am a Judger not a Perceiver. I decide - and not anyone else - whether a situation warrants action. And if you are "in" in my book, you are in forever.

MLK and Eleanor Roosevelt were ESFJs, so I'm in good company I suppose. 

And if I ever decide to get out of the security and protection field, these are my possible other fields: 

• Management (I like to be in charge)
  
• Public Administration (I do love paper)
  
• Nursing (I did take good care of Momma after her splurgeries...)
  
• Social Work (maybe I should go for that therapy dog certificate after all) 
  
• Hotel & Restaurant Management (somedog has to make sure that the beds are soft and the food is good)
  
• Sales & Marketing (I am very good at selling the Raw Diet and also grooming tools)
  
• Fashion Merchandising (Just look at my fur!)
  
• Education (ditto that therapy dog stuff)

I don't know, dogs. I guess I'm still young enough for a career change if I have to. What about you? 

Some quick news

First of all, congratulations to T-Bone and his family! He has a new little brother to take care of in addition to his 2 cats, his girl and his human parents. What a pack! Let's all send happy HARROOOOOOs his way.


Now, some not so great news: After a few days of glorious meat, I am back with the diaries again. This time I couldn't hold it til we were outside because Momma has been doing this working thing again, and so I made it on the new flokati rug so it would be easier for them to remove it. Momma thinks this is because I am sneaking little bits of bad snow on my walkies and the dog run. So she has decided to punish me by instituting the Meat Embargo again. Humans are so dumb, if they would feed me more than I wouldn't have to eat bad snow. As a result, I am restarting OPERATION MEAT AIRLIFT. Again, if any of you can SEND ME SOME MEAT I would much appreciate it. If you disguise it in a Tiffany box it is more likely to escape Momma's meat detection sensors.


Also, to give you an idea of just how dirty NYC snow is... Here is a "before" picture...





And this is AFTER a walk on what seemed like pretty clean city sidewalks. Somedog needs mudflaps!


Pay no mind to the unfortunately located stain near by butt. That was made by Momma when she overwatered a plant that used to sit on a table there. Unlike most of the other stains in the apartment, that one was NOT made by me.

News from Dan the Man and Sister Spirit

Momma is such a drama queen. She has been hogging the computer and leaking from her eyes about all sorts of things in the last two weeks like she had to go to a service for someone who D-I-E-D and then she had to do some other sad things for "work" and then she has been traveling (so I went to camp AGAIN! ok that part wasn't so bad) and then there was that thing about the plane landing in the river near my dog run. Oh yeah and lately there has been that issue with my diaries which Momma thinks came from me licking some dirty snow in the dog run that day it was below zero. And now she has been keeping me on STARVATION rations. NO MEAT! I am starving. I walk into the kitchen and touch the refrigerator with my nose, then I touch the counter where she makes my dinner, then I walk into my crate and sit, and then I flip my food dish, take it out of the crate and push it around the room like a giant hockey puck, and STILL she doesn't get the hint! Sheesh. Anyway, so she APOLOGIZES for not being around more because of all that. I still think she is being a drama queen but if you get a moment CAN SOMEONE PLEASE SEND ME SOME MEAT?!?!?!?

My big brother Dani (aka Dan the Man) and sister Spirit and I chatted a while back, sorry it's taken so long to get it up: 

BiggieZ: hey

DanTheMan: yo

Spirit: hey biggie whats up

BiggieZ: not much im starving. whats new w u?

DanTheMan: we went to a show last weekend

BiggieZ: ??

DanTheMan: and i got my cgc 

BiggieZ: wtg but whats a show

Spirit: You know, a SHOW like with dogs and stuff

BiggieZ: ?? you mean like the dog run?

DanTheMan: no like you go in a ring with fence things and you do stuff

BiggieZ: you mean like camp?

Spirit: no theres other dogs there and you run around and stuff

BiggieZ: is there wrestling

DanTheMan: no 

BiggieZ: bitey face?

Spirit: no

BiggieZ: how bout playing in the snow

Spirit: whats snow

BiggieZ: nevermind

do u get butt scratches at the show

DanTheMan: no you go around in the ring and you run with a person and people pet you and you get stacked and stuff

u have to put ur feet in just the right place and let people pet you and look at ur teefies

BiggieZ: sounds like fun

not

Spirit: its fun u get lots of treats and stuff when you run and you get lots of baths and grooming to look real pretty

BiggieZ: can u run up to ppl and stick ur nose in their butt

DanTheMan: no

Spirit: tell bigz what is really cool

DanTheMan: im getting 2 it

anywy this 1 had lots of kuvasz there and so its a MAJOR

BiggieZ: k

Spirit: and so we got to beat lots of other dogz and we both won some stuff i got winners bitch

BiggieZ: somedog call u a bitch?? where r they i beat them up 4 u

Spirit: no no not like that its a good thing and dani got winners dog

BiggieZ: cool

DanTheMan: yeah and then i beat spirit to get best of winners BOW!!!!!!!!!!!! I ROOL!!!!!!

Spirit: no you DROOL stupid

BiggieZ: so u r both winners cool

DanTheMan: see the pic below im in the middle standing nicely like a g'boy unlike other girlz i know

Spirit: I was looking for treats!

DanTheMan: well that is why I, your big brudder, WON BOW WOW WOW!!

Spirit: yah whatever I have more points than u anyway

BiggieZ: speaking of treats u got any meat 4 me im really hungry

DanTheMan: ill look brb

BiggieZ: so that is pretty cool and u mean u didnt get to play bitey face with anyone??

Spirit: no and since it was raining we couldnt go outside and mess up our hair

BiggieZ: thats not so good

Spirit: but it was a MAJOR and so now all I need one more major and then ill be finished

BiggieZ: finished with what?

Spirit: i dunno just finished with stuff, u know like being a champeen

BiggieZ: oh 

my P-Daddy is a major maybe he could help u finish

Spirit: hm maybe when is he coming

BiggieZ: u can only borrow him you cant have him

Spirit: i think i hafta have him to finish r u sure you cant give him to me

BiggieZ: no u cant have him i only said borrow

Spirit: meh

BiggieZ: meh

DanTheMan: im back mama said we cant send u any meat cuz its too smelly we can only send u oranges and grapefrut

BiggieZ: bummer im really hungry

Spirit: hey thanks for the chicken toy i really liked it but then i did something naughty and then mama took it away and said i hafta share

DanTheMan: yeah little brudder dude tx 4 the chicken toy

heres another pic of me being very light on my feet despite my massiveness.

BiggieZ: I dont think ive ever been that white

or fluffy

Spirit: You could be if ur Momma washed and brushed u like our mama does

BiggieZ: maybe but i think im curlier than dani every time momma brushes me i get staticks and then as soon as i wrestle i get all curly again

BiggieZ: Dani u look really huge there how much do u weigh? I have no idea how much i weigh but its over 100 something and momma measured me and said im 30 inches tall now

Spirit: just like u boyz all u can talk about is size

look at me below im striking a pose

DanTheMan: heh and youll make lightning devil eyes at everyone

Spirit: yeah well i still got way more points than u nyah nyah nyah and ur older

DanTheMan: u r such a brat i have to sit on you now

Spirit: ow get off me dfjksnj u r a fat

ass fgkg tyiodv df hfdk;lk

DanTheMan: and when we went to the shows i got to do a lot of pee mailing and we went in the Magic Box where the doors slid back and forth

BiggieZ: u mean like a store or a apartment building?

DanTheMan: no it was like a little box

BiggieZ: oh u mean a Ella Baiter

DanTheMan: whos ella is she in heat BOW WOW WOW 

BiggieZ: nevermind yah we have one in our building its pretty fun

if u sit u get treats

and sometimes its really squishy and full of people

if ur really lucky u might see another dog who lives there its really fun

especially if u start wrassling in there when u r on the leash

DanTheMan: i didnt do any wrassling i get enough at home

this time it was nice to have a vacation just with mama even if i had to share her with that little brat kid sister 

Spirit: mmmbtthh!! mmmmrrgggrrr!! get OFF lardo

BiggieZ: im gonna go bang my dish and see if momma feeds me im really hungry 

laterz

DanTheMan: l8r

Spirit: nbk dfh dfrtm bbrrrgh!!

Happy New Year everyone!

Ok, so Momma is not so good at this whole Blogger layout thingy, but I think my new header picture gives a more artistic view of my New Year wishes.  This is what the full picture looks like: 

We just got back from Brrr Mont and Auntie Lauren (of the Puppy Transport Team) had spent New Year's at our apartment with some friends of hers and she left Momma some toys. Momma is so dumb she thought I was supposed to wear them, and this led to a full-on photo shoot. 

But as you can see, this pink hat is TOO SMALL. (Plus it's PINK and has a TIARA on it...need I say more??) Then again they say Lassie was played by a boy, so I guess I'm ok with that. (harrumph)

 
It was sort of hard to keep the Happy New Year crown on, too. Every time I lowered my head it flipped down onto my face and I would sit there because Momma told me to STAY and so I would STAY even though I don't think this is how it's supposed to STAY:
That's more like it!

Finally, I let Momma know how I felt about this whole photo shoot business. It's tough being so beautiful. (And you can REALLY see how this hat is way too small for me.)


Momma and I also talked about 3 New Year's Resolutions for each of us.

MOMMA'S RESOLUTIONS

1. Take care of my health. 

(That's right, Momma, you should eat more natural foods like my raw diet and get plenty of sleep and exercise. At least I get her out on a 2-mile walk and dog run trip most mornings, but she is always staying up way too late even though I keep trying to get her to go to bed.)

2. Let the little things go.

(Momma and I both need to work on this a little. We are just a little intense sometimes...)

3. Live a more economical, simplified life.

(Really, this is one where I think we dogs have it figured out. We don't need much to be happy - just the company of the ones we love, a warm safe place to sleep, and food.)

BIGGIE'S RESOLUTIONS

1. Let the little things go.

(But I like to guard!!!)

2. More frequent trips to Orvis and Brrr Mont.

(Momma, I sure hope you are paying attention because I need your help with this one.)

3. Less sock/hat/panty raiding. 

(If Momma helped me with Resolution #2 then Resolution #3 would take care of itself, duh!)

Finally, I leave you with a short video of me enjoying one of my pawesome Christmas pressies, and big giant dog bed from Orvis (see Resolution #2). It's big enough for Momma to cuddle on it with me. 

2008 Year in Review

(Sorry, I am a little LATE with this post because SOME PEOPLE ABANDONED me and then were busy doing things like going skiing and entertaining friends and celebrating New Year's and recovering from New Year's and... more skiing and...)

2008 has been a great year. We had a rough beginning, but it's finished up pretty well. 

I tried being a service dog when Momma had a splurgery and I had to take care of her.

I learned how to guard, making me very popular with the neighbors.

Then I fired my dog walker and had to get tutored.

Then I made myself doggona-non-grata at my first doggie day care.

I turned 1 only a day after Momma had her second splurgery. Everything is always about her, she had to go steal all my birdday thunder. But I did get some balloons out of it.

I helped Momma with her physical terrorpy.

I finally showed everyone I am perfectly capable of swimming long distances into deep water; I just choose not to. (Compare my water polo skills as a 12-week baby, here.)

I continued my rise to the top at doggie day care.

I won 3 medals in the 2008 Pawlimpics: 2 golds in Track
and Bitey Face and a bronze in (snow)Ball!

Don't worry about that Bitey Face picture. This is what Zola is usually doing to me: 

I found a new doggie day care and a great camp in the country.

I fooled everyone into thinking I am a Canine Good Citizen.

We opened a new dog run in Brrr Mont.

I became a calendar model, debuting as Mr. January AND Mr. December in my first outing to benefit Kuvasz Rescue. Sorry, the calendars sold out well before Christmas. 

I got more great Christmas pressies and a delayed Christmas surprise (after my humans came back from ABANDONING me) ... that I will tell you about soon!