1st Halloween without Old Furbro

by Jackie Nippers Corgi

Grrreat pumpkin monster looks sad this Howloween season 2014.

Meezer kitty luvin Mum's pumpkin soup. But our 1st Howloween without Tilin Corgi be kind o' solemn. Everybuddy missing old furbro.

Tilin always confurronted scary pumpkin monsters and kept us safe on Howloween. 'Ere is brave Tilin confurrontin' pumpkin monster in October 2013, hiswoofself's last Howloween with us.

Myself has got to be brrrave corgi now!

Put ta bitey on scary monsters!

Ooooops. . . . Turns out ta scary alien invaders twere not dangerous. Ackchewlly just cookie monsters wot Mum made spawcifically as Halloween dog treat for mywoofself.

Furry simple recipe, Mum sez:

ALIEN INVADER DOG TREATS
Preparation time 10 - 15 minutes. No cooking involved. Recommended for slim, healthy dogs.

12 Pretzel Rods - allowing one or two rods per dog
(Use fresh pretzels, and preferably organic, e.g. Newman's Own Organics brand.)

6 oz. tub freshly ground, pure Peanut Butter 
(Grind your own PB at local gourmet grocer or food co-op!)

12 pairs Candy Eyeballs
(Look for Wilton brand candy eyeball decorations, which are approx. 0.43 inch diameter.)

Jars or cups - sufficient size and number to hold finished Alien Invaders without touching each other.

• Scrape salt crystals off pretzel rods. Try using fingernail as a scraper. Don't worry about removing every last salt crystal. (A dog should get a bit of salt in her diet -- unless the dog is on a no-salt diet for health reasons.)
• Coat about half the length of each pretzel rod with peanut butter: The coated end will become the alien's head. Dip rod into peanut butter and twirl to coat surface. Or use a tablespoon, dipping it into the PB and spreading it on the rod. Cover the pretzel surface, but don't create a thick PB coat. 
• Press two candy eyeballs into the peanut butter "head" of each pretzel rod.
• Stand finished Alien Invader "head up" in jar so as not to touch other treats. 
• Refrigerate jars of treats right away if not serving immediately. Should be eaten same day.

Paw note: Dogs usually insist that Alien Invaders be attacked and nommed immediately!

Happy holidays! Tribute to a dog

by winecountrydog Tilin Corgi, with Jackie Nippers

"The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is the dog.

"A man's dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he may be near his master's side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer; he will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounter with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince.

"When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wings and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens."

-- Senator George Vest, 1870

Paw-note: Senator Vest's wonderfur nineteenth century tribute to ourwoofselves is quoted in Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook, 4th ed. 2007.

Riding round on New Year's day

posted by winecountrydog Tilin Corgi

Here is my happy woofself ridin round in the WCDmobile on New Year's day. Furbro Jackie Nippers is sitting to my left. Himself is wearing his seatbelt harness too. Apawlogies fur leaving Jack out of picture. Seem our chauffeur could not shoot piccies behind er head while driving.

This is a rare piccie of myself dooing The Wave dance. Simpawly stand on hind legs, wiggle, and wave paws. Easy to keep oneself's balance when wearing seatbelt harness.

When not dooing The Wave or snoozing, myself does like to study the scenery and pawsersby. We were traveling through a small town in some rural pawlace. Myself will remember the interesting smells.

Furry best wishes for a grrreat New Year. May you ave lots of fun quality time with beloved furriends.

Another year gone

postedby winecountrydog Tilin Corgi

Humans say that another year has gone by. This does make one's old dogself feel contempawlative.

Our best wishes to you for the coming year, dear furriends!

"Why the world likes dogs"

by winecountrydog Tilin Corgi

What better loveliness to think about on St. Valentine's Day than the wonderfulness of ourwoofselves!

We thot to post the following homage to dogs cuz mum has been reading us a 1937 book called Training The Dog. This book was written by William Lewis Judy, aka Captain Will Judy, an early 20th century "icon in the sport of dog shows," born in Pennsylvania in 1891. He did become the publisher of Dog World in 1923, after buying the magazine.

Mum has read several sections of Captain Judy's dog training book to myself and furbro Jack. Our impawression is that Captain Judy was a great dog lover and a great human being. Howlever, his thinking bout dogs' position in the animal kingdom suffered from the same kind of compawmentalization that mum calls "typical of 'modern' 20th century westerners who have seen themselves as separate from and above Nature."

While one does not like to dwell on negatives, one does infurr from some of Captain Judy's word choices that he did not see ourwoofselves as sentient beings. Fur example, he does refurr to us dogs as "things" and does talk bout us as "serving" humans.

Wotever, tis not our pawpose ere today to critique the old beliefs. Wot we doo prefurr is just to present the homage below in consideration of our moral pawfection.

Why the World Likes Dogs

The most unselfish living thing in the world is your dog. If you are in danger, your dog needs only to hear your cry of distress to rush to your aid, without thought of his own life, fearless of guns and enemies.

The most patient thing in the world is your dog, waiting for hours at the top of the stairs to hear the sound of your footsteps, never complaining however late you may be.

The most grateful thing in the world is your dog. Whatever you give him, whatever you do for him, he never is guilty of ingratitude. To him you are the most powerful personage in the world and beyond censure; you are your dog's god; you can do no wrong.

The most friendly thing in the world is your dog. Of all the animal kingdom, he alone serves man without whip, without compulsion, glad to be by the side of his master wherever he may be, whatever he may do, and sad in heart when his master is away.

The most forgiving thing in the world is your dog. The one virtue most humans lack is forgiveness. But your dog carries no grudge and no spite. Punish him even undeservedly, and he comes to you, nudges his moist nose into your hand, looks up at you with pleading eyes, and wags his tail hesitatingly as tho to say, "Oh, come on, let's be pals again."

The most loyal thing in the world is your dog. Whether you come home from Congress or from jail, whether you have lost your fortune or made a million, whether you return dressed in fashion's height or in rags, whether you have been hailed a hero or condemned as criminal, your dog is waiting for you with a welcoming bark of delight, a wagging tail and a heart that knows no guile.

The world likes dogs because dogs are nearest to moral perfection of all living things.

--By Capt. Will Judy, Editor of Dog World magazine

Paw-script: This howliday is myself's 14th Valentine's Day with mum, who did attach a heart to my collar last week as a symbol of er grrreat love. ~ Tilin Corgi

Home for the holidays

by winecountrydog Tilin

We wish every dog and cat a prawpurr home fur the holidays and furever. Howl.

These dogs ave got the right idea about celebrating!


But they ought to ask fur some better "people food" than sugary cookies! BOL

Paw-note: We two corgis and our meezer doo not eat Christmas cookies and other sweet noms, but we doo eat "people food." Thanx woofs to mum!

4 November: Cats who nom out loud

by guest author Ani Meezer

Tis November, a time of thanks giving and nomming. Tis therefur appawropriate to introduce you to animals who are pawticularly vocal in expressing gratitude fur their food.

Oh but wait a furry second. Allow me to introduce mycatself: I am Ani Siamese, aka Meezer. I do nom out loud occasionally.

Purrhaps you know me as best furriend of the WCD boyz, Tilin Corgi and Jackie Nippers Corgi.

This furst Nom Nom Nom Cat video came to us by tweet of Judy Dunn, aka twitter friend @CatsEyeWriter. We are grateful. We luv looking at videos of cats who nom out loud.

Grateful Nom Cat Number One (below): This cat does enjoy her sour cream and cannot quit raving about it. Nom nom nom!



Grateful Nom Cat Number Two (below): This cat is furry good at using her paw as a ladle. She does lovely nom-maowing while she drinks.



Grateful Nom Cat Number Three: This cat does not need to nom out loud. He just needs to roll around on the floor to show how furry grateful he is fur the watermelon. MOL!



Now tis time fur us to nom gratefully. The boyz and I are having steamed organic butternut squash, fresh green peas, and raw free-range chicken necks!

Paw-note: Sometimes grateful nom cats begin to growl. In catspeak this is a warning. It means "Back off my noms!" ... A word to the nomwise should be sufficient.

A love story

by winecountrydog Tilin

We had a lovely afternoon picnic on Valentine's Day.


We were out in Laguna de Santa Rosa, in the Russian River Valley. The Laguna is full of water and happy birds after the winter rains.

We wanted to count all the birds we saw 'cuz the Great Backyard Bird Count was going on from February 12 to 15. So many birds take sanctuary here. I pawsonally cannot count that high.


I sat next to my bovine furriends' big pasture, up on the hill away from the water. My furriends were far away, grazing in a distant field. I knew that they'd come over after a while.


Suddenly I felt intense stares at my back. My furriends had walked over to the fence so quietly that I hadn't heard them.


I was so excited. I ran right over to them. I love my big furriends!


We doo nosetaps with each other. It's arfully fun. And usually one or more of my big furriends licks my head.


My paws started sinking in the watery mud and my head was getting wet from the licking. I had to return to our picnic pawlace and dry off.


What a beautiful warm day for visiting furriends we love.

Some howliday fun pics

by winecountrydog

Here we are with a nice young appawrentice Santa.


We woofed everything on our Christmas wish list to a Santa we don't even know. BOL


At home, Ani Siamese decided that I should wear dog-ma's decorative kitchen towel. Silly pussin.


Ani Siamese must've been hitting the nip again. She was dooing crazy things, making it difficult for dog-ma to put away the groceries.


Woofing of crazy things, who are these people? It appawears that they are a couple of fun pawty animals.


Paw-note: We think you might enjoy our beautiful pics from Christmas 2008.

Pawtrait of the corgi as a young dog

by winecountrydog

Every dog is a work of art. A dream to wake up to.

As a tribute to us dogs and to the drinking holiday that humans call St. Patrick's Day, I give you this unique corgi pawtrait:


Woof thanks fur the pic to Shippie's Pub, Tasmania's famous watering hole, where they're pawtying every day.

Pawleeze pass the local Lagunitas. I can have 60 mL. Calms me hyper self.

Love me with all of your heart

by winecountrydog

I've been listening to sentimental love songs. Is that so arful? . . . I guess it depends on your pawspective.

I turned up the volume while listening to the pets' version of "Love me with all of your heart" on Youtube. Dog-ma overheard and had to hunt down a kleenex.

"Knock it off now, will ya?" dog-ma said. "I get your point. You've got to love your friends while you have 'em, because life is short."

See, dog-ma understands. She just doesn't like to get soppy.

Howl, I think it's appawpriate to be all mushy on Valentine's Day.

So here's a wee Valentine message. This is a classic Letterman show clip. It's of Odie, the late great talkin' Pittsburgh Pug!



Odie was a lucky dog with a family who loved him so very much. You can tell this when you read what Odie's human wrote on Odie's Dogster page a year after he passed away.

"Odiekins. You are missed every single day. I miss your sweet little face, your puggy kissses and especially your I Love You's. Until we meet again at The Bridge, my friend, you are forever in my heart."

All those dear ones who've traveled with us in this life are furever in our hearts.

Paw-note: Don't listen to dog-ma laughing at my sentimentality. I've not gone all soppy! Really.

Groundhog or hedgehog forecaster?

by winecountrydog

If this week's North American weather is any indication, the appearance of Groundhog Punxsutawney Phil and Groundhog Ontario Wee Willie on February 2 will forecast six more weeks of winter.

Wee Willie seems to knows his stuff. His predecessor, Wiarton Willie, passed on great predictive powers, which are attributed to living on the 45th parallel, halfway between the equator and the North Pole.

There are many pawlific prognosticators, includin' New York's Staten Island Chuck, Georgia's General Beauregard Lee, Alberta's Balzac Billy, Manitoba's Brandon Bob, and Nova Scotia's Shubenacadie Sam.

Best known is Br'er Groundhog Phil, who comes out of his Gobbler's Knob burrow in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to look around after hibernating all winter. He has been doing this same routine for the past 200 years.


If Phil sees his shadow, there'll be six more weeks of winter weather. If he doesn't see his shadow, there'll be an early spring.

The logic here is tricky to follow. If the day is overcast, Phil won't cast a shadow — which would scare him — so he'll stay out to play? . . . Howl's that again? And if the day is fair and sunny, Phil will see his shadow and run back in his burrow to continue hibernating? Woof?


This is quite confusing the way humans interpret it. I wouldn't be surprised if the German settlers who brought the tradition with them to North America were confused too. After all, they'd previously depended upon hedgehogs to do the forecasting.

When the settlers could find no hedgehogs in North America, the Native Americans must've straightened things out by pointing to the groundhog. Native Americans revere the groundhog as the wisest animal, so the groundhog is someone who can do the forecaster's job.

But methinks that the hedgehog has the edge on great forecasting. Nothing pawsonal, Br'er Groundhog.


I'm just inclined to believe that hedgehog cleverness is the stronger legend.


After all, it's a legend going back to ancient Greek texts:

In regard to the instinct of hedgehogs, it has been observed in many places that, when the wind is shifting from north to south, and from south to north, they shift the outlook of their earth-holes, and those that are kept in domestication shift over from one wall to the other. The story goes that a man in Byzantium got into high repute for foretelling a change of weather, all owing to his having noticed this habit of the hedgehog.

Only a slightly different paw-note, it's said that Groundhog Day was, in its earliest incarnation, a human pagan celebration associated with fertility and weather divination. It was called Imbolc in Gaelic, the language of the Celts.

I'll have to paw into this subject more. As you know, we Welsh Corgis have Celtic associations. It's pawbable that Cardigan Welsh Corgis were brought to Wales by the Celts about 1200 B.C.

I'm a Pembroke, not a Cardigan, but maybe I can forecast weather too.

Last 2008 'Acts of Dog'

by winecountrydog

As my last paw-writin' act of the year 2008, I'm gonna give you a little corgi pun as well as endless dog photo fun.

I'm hereby introducin' you to my pick of flickr: 'Acts of Dog.' Below is a sample from the photostream to whet your appetite: what an arfully cute cardie!


Acts of Dog is the most awesome collection of photos of Cardigan and Pembroke Welsh Corgis and other dogs you'll ever see online.

These goshdog great pix come to us from a human who lives in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. The fellow's a gifted and prolific photographer!

Paw-leeze, pawse and enjoy Acts of Dog on flickr. See all the doggies fur yourselves by clicking this link to the cardie photo.

A very Yappy New Year to you. Woof!

Paw-note: Headin' into 2009, let's not furget all the corgis and other dogs who still need furever homes. Woof kudos to rescue organizations like PAWS, based in Sydney, NSW, Australia, a small group of self-funded rescuers, volunteer foster carers, and walkers who help lost or abandoned animals in NSW.

A dog's Christmas in wine country

by winecountrydog

One Christmas was so much like another in those years around the near-sea-towns of wine country, out of all sound except the distant speaking of voices and rattling of wine glasses I sometimes hear a moment before sleep, that I can never remember whether it rained for six days and six nights when I was six or whether it rained for twelve days and twelve nights when I was two.


All the Christmases roll down toward the two-tongued sea, like a cold and headlong moon bundling down the sky that was our street; and they stop at the rim of the ice-edged fish-freezing waves, and I plunge my paws in the sand and bring out whatever I can find. In goes my paw into that wool-grey bell-tongued ball of holidays resting at the rim of the carol-singing sea, and out come Sonoma County photos on a Christmas eve. . . .

Christmas eve afternoon, we wandered around on Cherry Ridge, northwest of Sebastopol, in the Russian River Valley.


After dark, we walked down Snowman Lane in east Santa Rosa.


Mouse, rabbit, and cat were caroling. . . .


Wine country dog friends were stringing lights. . . .


And Snoopy, whose doghouse is nearby, came by to put Mr. Snowman's hat on his head.


All's well that end's well.

Paw-note: Much thanks to dog-ma fur readin' to us the original story A Child's Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas.