Friday, February 12, 2010

MangoMinster (tm) Dog Pile: "Not as Big as Biggie" Group"

FIRST OF ALL: A BIGGIE GIGANTIC THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE COMPETITORS AND THANK YOU TO MANGO FOR HOSTING MANGO MINSTER! As you can see, this was a very tough competition.

I will do the judging and good stuff in a later post after I get the Big Dogs posted. In the meantime, enjoy! Momma worked a little on her bloggy skills, so click on names to find their bloggies and click on pictures to Biggie-fy. Excuse me while I find some fresh snow to FacePlow... brb...

TEN items!! stuffed dog, big bird (balanced on my neck), purple bird, 2 bones (orange and white), snuffaluffagus, demon deacon (mommy's college mascot), bear, stuffed girl animal, ostrich (covering up my girly parts)


SEVEN: 1. A rope toy 2. A knot bone 3. A green hippo stuffie (My Favorite) 4. A fat head Rhinocerous stuffie 5. A blue Care Bear Stuffie 6. A fat head beagle stuffie 7. Another Rope toy (We're not sure this one counts since it is partially touching the bed on the end.) (Ok, we'll count it.)


EIGHT: marker, a red pen, pad, nylabone, mirror, key, bone and squirrley =8


SIX: 2 yellow keys, a square puzzle, a ball, squirrley and a key = 6. My body couldn't hold anything else. My square toy has 3 balls in it, but I know that would be cheatin.


THIRTEEN: 1. 2, 3, 4 - beany bones, 5, 6, 7,8, - dog pull toys,9, 10. 11, 12, 13 plastic chewy toys, i.e. the peppermint, the baba, the pink bone, and the blue hollow toy.


FORTY: 4 pibull figurines; 3 stuffies; 3 chocolate mint candies; 30 smartie candies


THREE: 1 brown hound, 1 pink puppy, and 1 big white bunny (the other stuffies are for effect, since you can't get a lot of stuff on a little spazzy dog)


SEVENTEEN: 1. Brown pilgrim dog with hat 2. White bear with broken arm 3. White dog with black eye spot 4. Black lab 5.Basset hound 6. Pooh Bear 7. Black cat 8. brown boxer dog 9.Squirrel 10. Rattie 11. Grey Cat 12. Pink Mouse 13. Orange Bug 14. Lammie Pie 15. Brown sttuffed rat 16. Chiwawa with pink foof on collar 17. small stuffed giraffe




TWELVE: deer antler unstuffable (from Dexter) Froggie(for Norwood) stuffed camo bone (from Twix) squeakie fish squeakie rabbit purple nylon paw toy mink (fake) stuffed squeakie four (4) pull ropes


SIXTEEN: 1. I have a blue & pink fabric toy on me (looks like a squid) 2. Reindeer 3. Star 4. Moon 5. Sun 6. Gator 7. Rope Toy 8. Santa (red looks like blanket) tug toy with 16 squeakers living in him (you can see his leg) 9. Lobster 10. Starbarks Coffee (white toy) 11. Saxaphone (cat toy) 12. Blue Bone 13. Blue Mouse (cat toy on my neck) 14. Gray Mouse (cat toy on my neck) 15. Skunk toy 16. Santa Mouse Toy


FIVE items: (front to back)
1. Toughie tugger; 2. Toughie tugger rope; 3. Toughie tugger tennis ball; 4. Green half-moon stuffie; 5. White face stuffie


FOURTEEN things, not including the duck and the jack toy, they is kinda on my back legs but have fallen off a bit, so dunno if they count. ok, I got a puzzle toy on my head, a blue scarf, a felt ball (pink thing) a tiny teddy toy, a blue toy, a pen (the pink and white bit just behind the tiny teddy), A santa toy, a catnip toy, a tug rope, a watch, 3 balls and a pink bone toy.



EIGHT items: They are a CD, a bone, a medicine bottle, antibiotic ointment, nail clippers, a pen, a cell phone and a peppermint.


That's me sporting the 11 ribbons that I won in agility that weekend. Well, I actually won 12, but they ran out of the green "qualifying" ribbons, so we didn't have that one for the picture (come to think of it, they still owe us that one...). Because of the flash it's kinda hard to count, and one is overlapped almost completely. So call it 10 if you need to.


NINETEEN items (that can be seen from lower right to lower left): Orange key, green bottle toy, yellow-green duck, AKC squirrel, PetSmart red stuffed bone, blue crinkle rabbit, blue Nylabone, pheasant, blue star, blackdog w/red nose, AKC skunk, camo deer, brownish-orange ASPCA lamb, fuzzy AKC mouse, blue denim ball, 2 Merrick dog bones, AKC Malard duck, yellow loofa head.


From top to bottom:
SEVENTEEN: 1.baseball mitt 2.rawhide bone 3.match box car 4.beige stuffy 5.candy cane 6.banana 7.brush 8.yellow/black stuffy 9.pink headband 10.yellow comb (under brush) 11.white hangar 12.book under hangar 13.white diaper 14.crayons 15.blue popsicle holder 16.snowman
17.red/white dishcloth (it is draped across her back and hangs over the side)


FOURTEEN items (loosely as seen from lower right to lower left): blackdog w/red nose, PetSmart red stuffed bone, fuzzy AKC mouse, blue denim ball, pheasant, brownish-orange ASPCA lamb, blue crinkle rabbit, camo deer, Dog Whisperer squirrel, AKC skunk, AKC squirrel, 3 Merrick dog bones

EIGHTEEN: 1. teapot lid (head) - 2. compass - 3. pool cue chalk - 4. horse drawn carriage - 5. watch - 6, 7: cups - 8, 9: cup plates - 10: coffee pot - 11: water jug - 12. emery nail stick - 13: lock - 14. floss - 15. thimble - 16. oops floss under water jug - 17, 18: skateboards



FIFTEEN toys (pink bear,horse,bug rattle,striped squid,Red dog,chicken Christmas tree,yellow dog,grey octopus,lion,yellow dog,tiger rattle,Bumblebee,clown,tiger,cow)


"I got TWENTY SEVEN items, but the shoe slid off and was leaning against the couch so it doesn't count. The other items, going left to right, are a glove, lotion, measuring tape, eyedrops, a pen, a cell phone, a paper flower, scissors, a sock, a clip, a candle (shaped like a pink flower), a bone, another clip, a medicine bottle, a glass dog, a peppermint, another cell phone, a clicker, a Tide pen, another regular pen (next to the Tide pen almost hidden), a lighter, a light bulb, a CD, stamps and two pennies (on my leg)"


LOTS of stuffies!!



ONE: a honey bee hive? or is that a strange yellow turban with holes?


SIX stuffie friends: Red, Horse, Green, Doggy 1, Doggy 2, and Cow (From bottom to top)



NINE items in the pile: Knife, Fork, Spoon, Book, toy, pencil, cotton reel, remote control, Sellotape crown

Sunday, February 7, 2010

MangoMinster (tm) Dog PIle: Progress Report


I finally got Momma to get her rear in gear and I am happy to say that she's uploaded all the pictures in the "small" dog category. Next up, the big dogs and then she has to make links to all your bloggies and THEN the hard part begins ... the judging. I showed P-Daddy a preview of the "small" dog pictures and first he said,

"That's not a small dog!"

and then he said,

"I like THAT picture!"

and then he said,

"No wait, THAT one is really good!"

and then he looked at another one and said,

"Where's the dog in that one?"

and another one he BOL'd.

I can see that P-Daddy is no help at all.

By the way, the picture at the top of this post is of me and Auntie Pita when she came to visit in November. I am doing my best snuggly suck-up dog, because she gives the best ear scratches. Just a random picture that bears no relation at all to anything in this post.

MangoMinster (tm) Dog PIle Contestants: "Almost as Big as Biggie (plus a whole bunch of Great Danes) Group"

Momma is really good at human pile. Unfortunately she isn't so good at techie bloggy stuff since she's out of practice! Here is the almost as big as me contestant list. If you don't see your name on EITHER list please pee-mail me ASAP at Biggie.The.Kuvasz@gmail.com because that means Momma is being a ditz and she has to find your entry. (Yes, I finally have my own pee-mail address).

By the way... I almost didn't really need 2 dogergories of contestants because you all were very creative with your dog-piling, which made this event VERY hard to judge! Also, I know the sizing was somewhat arbitrary, but really, there are so many of you in the 45-70 pound weight class and I know that most people think of you all as "big" dogs but from the Great Dane/Kuvasz/Mastiff perspective, well, sorry. But remember, especially if you are a boy dog. SIZE. DOESN'T. MATTER.

(Momma's note: I'm just the secretary; all the commentary is Biggie's)

"Almost as Big and Great Danes" Contestants

Name: Hero
Humans name(s): Alex
Bloggy Address: hopeandgreyz.blogspot.com
Breed(s): greyhound

Name: Maggie
Human name(s):
Bloggy Address: northfordmaggie.blogspot.com
Breed(s): Airedale

Name: Randi the Lab/Newf
Human name(s): Angela
Bloggy Address: randithelabnewf.blogspot.com
Breed(s): Lab/Newf (duh!)

Name: Honey
Human name(s):
Bloggy Address: www.bighoneydog.com/honeys-blog
Breed(s): Great Dane - hubba hubba!

Name: Byron
Human name(s):
Bloggy Address: doggoneit-byronsblog.blogspot.com
Breed(s): St. Bernard mix - same size as me!

Name: Moose
Human name(s): Momma Dana
Bloggy Address: dewdana.blogspot.com
Breed(s): Labrador(k)

Name: Miss M and Mr. B
Human name(s):
Bloggy Address: pittiesinthecity.blogspot.com
Breed(s): pitties

Name: Zack
Human name(s): Ms. K
Bloggy Address: kit-dogdaze.blogspot.com
Breed(s): Blond lab (my favorite kind of lab!)

Name: El'bow
Human name(s): Sanne
Bloggy Address: elbouwii.blogspot.com
Breed(s): English Mastiff

Name: Samantha
Human name(s): Miche
Bloggy Address: sammiegolden.blogspot.com
Breed(s): golden girl (more hubba hubba)

Name: Halle
Human name(s): Ina
Bloggy Address: ina-offret.blogspot.com
Breed(s): standard poodle

Name: Kasha
Human name(s): Denise
Bloggy Address: kashathedaintydane.wordpress.com
Breed(s): Harlequin Great Dane (hubba hubba)

Name: Toby
Human name(s): Allie
Bloggy Address: guidedogawareness.blogspot.com
Breed(s): yellow lab

Name: Darwin
Human name(s): Brooke
Bloggy Address: evolutionofdarwin.blogspot.com
Breed(s): Great Dane (Sorry for the gender confusion, if Momma would let me smell you we wouldn't have this misunderstanding. Will you be my Valentine?)

Name: Lexi
Human name(s): Laura
Bloggy Address: doggyadventures.wordpress.com
Breed(s): Great Dane girl (7 months) I am already in love with you since my #1 grrrrlfriend is also named Lexi. xoxo

Name: Master Teal'c
Human name(s):
Bloggy Address: dogslifedownunder.com
Breed(s): Staffy (but with a name like MASTER Teal'c, I put him with the big dogz)

Name: Duke
Human name(s): Anita
Bloggy Address: pawsandpastries.blogspot.com
Breed(s): Great Dane and other stuff

Name: Tucker
Human name(s): Tucker's Momma (wow, what a coincidence her name is Tucker's Momma!)
Bloggy Address: greatdanetucker.blogspot.com
Breed(s): Great Dane teenager (Ok, Tucker, I'm guessing YOU are a boy. I would know for sure if Momma would let me sniff your butt. Don't you go sniffing around my Great Dane grrlz, ok?)

Name: Molly aka Monga the Monster
Human Names(s): Tim and Elfi
Bloggy Address: InkyandMolly.blogspot.com
Breed(s): Airedale/Monster

Name: Mango!!
Human name(s): Mango Momma and Master
Bloggy Address: mangosgreatadventures.blogspot.com
Breed: Relentlessly Huge Mastiff

MangoMinster (tm) Dog PIle Contestants: "Not as Big as Biggie Group"

Sorry, Momma was in a human pile competition by piling work and sickies on top of herself, but I finally got her to stop moaning and groaning and get to work on my contest. There ended up being so many contestants that I had to make 2 categories. They are, arbitrarily, "not as big as me" and "almost as big as me through bigger than me" groups. Since this will take a bit of time and I know you are all waiting for results, so check back here for the judging and updating. When you get into the lab/pittie sizes I just had to make a judgment call on big or small - Mango and I call Dexter "Pee Wee" but to most dogs he is pretty big. So there you go.

Edited to add the ORIGINAL Pee-Wee and Mrs. Magoo. I'm so embarrassed.


Contestants (in no sensible order whatsoever):
name: Gracie
human's name: Amy
breed: Yorkie

name: Prince (May be moved to "almost as Big as Biggie")
human's name: Mike & Jennifer
breed: labbie/pit bull mix

name: Benny
human's name: Benny & Lily's humans
breed: French bulldogs

name: Lily
human's name: Benny & Lily's humans
breed: French bulldogs

name: Sally Ann
human's name:
breed: Welsh Terrier

name: BRINKS
breed: pitbull

name: Cookie Monster is One Tough Cookie (aka Cookie)
Human name: Channy
breed or predominant breedS: Multipoo (Miniature Poodle, Lhasa Apso, and something else, possibly sheep)

your name: Daisy aka Daisy dog, Pink daisy Dog, Pink Daisy
your human's name: Annie
your bloggy address:
Daisydog.wordpress.com
your breed or predominant: Pretty Pink Pit Bull

Name: Frankie Furter
Breed: Dachshund... Long haired

-My name is benjamin barker!
-my mom is lisa.
-my blog address is http://TheWorldofHansel.blogspot.com
-I am a pure bred Miniature Schnauzer

- Name: Alex P. Kitten
- Human's name: Mom & Dad
- Breed: Purebred silver Maine CoonDogCat

-your name: Penny
-your human's name if they want: Dee
-your bloggy address: www.ludwigvanpup.blogspot.com
-your breed or predominant breedS (like the rest of Mango Minster, mixed up confused breeds is ok): cross breed, springy spaniel

Name: Jackal
Human: Achieve1dream
Bloggy Address: jackaltraining.blogspot.com
Breed(s): Beagle/Mountain Cur

Name: Brutus (the Frenchie)
Human's name: Michelle
Bloggy address:
www.brutusthefrenchie.blogspot.com
Breed: French Bulldog

- your name: Baby Rocket Dog
-your human's name: Cassie & Patrick
-your bloggy address: "Baby Rocket Dog and Hootie" www.hootieandbabyrocketdog.blogspot.com
-your breed: Airedale Terrier

My name is Jazzi
my Mom is Diana
I am a little scottie and from neck to tail about 20 inches and weight ?? a girl never gives out her weight LOL

Name: Twinkie

Blog address: twinkietinydog

Breed: definitely confused Chi byproduct


Name: Hootie (aka Hairy Houdini)

Human: Cassie

Bloggy: Baby Rocket Dog and Hootie" www.hootieandbabyrocketdog.blogspot.com

Breed: Welsh Terrier


Name: Pepsi

Bloggy Address: http://hopeandgreyz.blogspot.com

Breed: Jack Russell/Beagle Mix


Name: Storm

Human: Achieve1dream

Bloggy address: stormglory.blogspot.com

Breed: Siberian husky


Name: Miss Kylie

Humans: Ali and Matt

Bloggy address: misskyliem.wordpress.com

Breed(s): Border Collie/Flat Coat Retriever


Name: Dexter, aka Pee-Wee

Humans: Master and Dexter Momma

bloggy address: mangosgreatadventures.blogspot.com

Breed: cracker dog labradork!


Name: Cinnamon

Human's Name: Momo

Bloggy Address: beaglesnz.blogspot.com

Breed: Beagle


Name: Mrs. Magoo

Human's Name: Michelle

Bloggy Address: smallbrowndogs.blogspot.com

Breed: Border terrier

Friday, January 29, 2010

Dog Pile Update

Sorry I haven't been around lately - I had to go take care of my Momma cuz she went and got sickies AGAIN! Anyway, she wanted me to say we have been getting your entries and she hopes to do some bloggie updating and visiting your bloggies soon. She's just had a lot of stuff on her mind. I tried to tell her that is why doggie minds are better. You can't pile so much stuff on them. She doesn't listen...

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Mango Minster DOG PILE Update!

Well, the entries for my Mango Minster Sanctioned Event, DOG PILE, are coming and and I am realizing a couple of things:

1. There will definitely be two size groups, though the "smaller" dogs are giving the big dogs a run for their money!

2. I am really glad I am just judging and not competing, because there are some really great entries already. All I can say is: WOW.

3. Edited to add another ROOL: NO PERFORMANCE ENHANCING DRUGS ALLOWED. No fair waiting til your dog is just home from a traumatic tutoring and then piling stuff on. This is supposed to be a fun game.


That being said, I decided to send some artistic inspiration your way. They're not the most colorful pictures, but they show off my favorite daily-use Buddy Biscuits, which are great for dogs with tummy issues. They are organic, human grade and corn, soy, gluten, dairy, egg, salt and sugar free. In fact, they smell so good that my Momma has almost eaten them thinking they were people cookies! (Actually the Itty Bitty Buddy Biscuits are the best size for training - and really cute - but they don't sell them in the 10-pound bulk cheaper boxes, so Momma breaks up the regular size ones. I have never gotten to eat a whole Buddy Biscuit before.)

Also they are really good to stick in your pocket because they're not greasy or smelly.


"Chiropractic Buddy Biscuits"


"Little Men and Big Dog"

Monday, January 11, 2010

Announcing my Mango Minster Sanctioned Event: DOG PILE!

My friend Mango the Mastiff is hosting Mango Minster again this year. It is a most excellent photo dog show. Any dog can enter in a variety of categories - go HERE, to Mango's special MangoMinster site to see how to enter.

This year, I am sponsoring a special talent event called DOG PILE. The rules are simple:

1. Take stuff and pile it on yourself (yourself being the dog, not your human).

2. Have your human take ONE picture of it and pee-mail it to me at Biggie.the.Kuvasz@gmail.com BY FEBRUARY 1.

3. In the email, include the following information:
-your name
-your human's name if they want
-your bloggy address
-your breed or predominant breedS (like the rest of Mango Minster, mixed up confused breeds is ok)
-your approximate size or surface area
-the number of things you have piled on you and a list of what they are
-NO PHOTOSHOPPED or otherwise altered pictures!!

4. Winners with the most # of things piled on will win a $20 donation made in their name to Kuvasz Rescue or a dog product or toy of my choosing.

5. The decisions of The Great White (that's me, judging) will be final. If we get enough entries I might arbitrarily make small dog/large dog categories since a dog with a large surface area can have more stuff piled on him than, say, a toy poodle.

Clarifications:
-each thing piled on the dog must actually be ON the dog, not next to or touching or leaning.
-stuffies, shoes, toys, pieces of biscuit or liver, all count so long as they are visible in the picture without Biggie-fying the picture.
-blankets, appliances, grandfather clocks, other cracker dogs and children (and stuff like that) are not appropriate

EXAMPLES:

Here I am demonstrating a proper Dog Pile contestant entry:

My score with this entry would be 4: the duck, the gingerbread house, the squeaky truck and the rope bone. The fluffy ball does not count. I am also not capitalizing on the small toys - I think there is something INSIDE the gingerbread house but you can't see it without Biggiefying the picture, and it is not directly ON me, it is inside the gingerbread house that is on me. So it doesn't count.


Here is a sad Dog Pile entry that would get a score of ZERO:

The dog bed is all tangled up in me and I am using it to pin my Orvis chicken. Not a good entry, despite the laser eyes.

Keep checking back here for exciting updates!

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Happy New Year!

How better to ring in the new year than with my 200th post! 2009 was a pretty rough year all around. We lost Josh and we'll probably never know why, and my Uncle Jesse went to the Rainbow Bridge unexpectedly. Also this year many of my kuvasz friends lost loved ones, so we kuvs had to be strong for our people.

I've been cooped up at home with my humans this weekend and it's been boooooring. Momma walked me a few minutes after midnight on Jan. 1 and there were all these weird people out. We live near where the ball dropped and so there were lots of loud drunk people. I'm a one-dog temperance society. 'nuff said.

I did have some fun this year, and after lots of pestering Momma finally made a movie of one of my more fun days in 2009 - I got to wrassle with my girlfriend Lexi while my Auntie Pita was visiting. Enjoy. And yes, I like me some dominant grrlz! (P.S. some of this video is PG-2 so you might want to screen it first for your puppies.)


Tuesday, December 29, 2009

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.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

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!



Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Saturday, December 5, 2009

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.

Friday, December 4, 2009

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.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

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 10th 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


Tuesday, November 24, 2009

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?

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

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)


Friday, November 13, 2009

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!


*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.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

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.


Saturday, October 3, 2009

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.