FINALLY!

THE WINNER OF THE PHOTO CAPTION CONTEST IS...

CHER WITH..."WINNER GETS THE WHOLE SOGGY STUFFED TOY!"

AND GOOD NEWS CHER, SO DO YOU....YES! THAT IS THIS MONTHS PRIZE...A SPIT SOAKED DUCKIE TOY! HOOPLA!

MY APOLOGIES WITH TAKING SO LONG WITH THIS MONTH'S CONTEST..AS YOU CAN SEE SKIP HAS BEEN HARD AT WORK AND WELL I HAVE BEEN EVEN BUSIER THAN HIM IF YOU CAN EVEN IMAGINE THAT AS A POSSIBILITY!

THANKS SOOOOOOOOO MUCH FOR YOUR PATIENCE!

NEXT ONE WILL BE UP SOON....MEANWHILE JUST ENJOY WATCHING SKIP SWEAT AT WORK WHILE YOU RELAX...
 

MANY, MANY THANKS TO LORI, AIMEE AND SUZALOO!

Oh yeah, just kidding the prize is Paul Mitchell doggie wipes! Woohoo again!

JULY CAPTION CONTEST:

okay, SO I FELL BEHIND A LITTLE, but c'mon...the link is fixed...is no one gonna enter this month's contest???

YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO....CLICK ON COMMENTS AND ADD AN APPROPRIATE CAPTION FOR THIS MONTH'S PIC.... (Aimee and Suzie are devastated... yeah, that's guilt yer feelin'. What of it???)

UNE JOURNÉE DANS LA VIE ...

(A DAY IN THE LIFE...)

REMEMBER THIS POST?
(well as you can see below...a whole lot hasn't changed.)

The Role of Exercise and Metabolism to a Healthy Poodle:

          Much unlike his best friend (me) who has the metabolism of a mastodon frozen deep within the Arctic tundra, Skip has the metabolism of a hamster...I say this because the previous pics depict his most active posture on any given day and he has never gained an ounce. Taking Skip for a walk means a commitment to carry him for at least a mile...and depending on his mood you may have to drag him behind you the rest of the way (to be fair, he runs like a lunatic off-leash). So while originally we were shooting for a few more lbs he's happy and healthy at 15lbs which to be quite honest about it I think my head weighs more than that.

Well, as you can see from the following pics Skip is still living the active, up and coming life of a poodle in his senior years...

I just wish he could learn to relax...

SUMMERTIME, SUMMERTIME, SUMM...SUMM...SUMMERTIME...

nesting

Summer has arrived at the barn and I must say that despite Skip's advancing age he remains an off leash maniac managing to tree one bear and chase another that had scaled (well, flattened is more like it) the fence into the chicken coup. I wish I had pictures of the events but I have to admit they tend to reduce me to a blithering fool (see "Skip the Conqueror") and my primary concern is getting Napoleon to back off without getting hurt. So instead you get a more docile snapshot of life at the barn. Don't misunderstand, the only time Skip is maniacal is when faced with a challenge he can't possibly win. He really does spend the majority of his time as you see him below...



Where's Skip?

laundry day...
(no, no, he's helping...really.)





This is Skip's idea of "going to work" with Judi



   "Okay, so whose going out there? I'm not going out there...YOU go out there...

Do you even know what a bear is?"





  

"Oh, THAT"S a bear!?"



blueberry season





GROOMING DAYS...

As you have all witnessed in previous blogs, Skip is no stranger to the grooming scene...

fortunately one recovers from most things...including bad haircuts....

It apparently grows back...

So I just wanted to send a little hope to our friends in VT...Don't worry guys...It will grow back! You just gotta find a better hiding place for the new "flo-bee" your folks just bought...

coda



Indy

maybe you could mail it to Massachusetts?

THE BEST OF AIMEE AND SUZIE!

Aimee and Suzie are two eleven year old lab mix sisters who have been fortunate enough to be raised from birth in one of the premier doggie households of Massachusetts...



"the best??? really???"



"A little more dignified, yes...but you could lose the fat man...."

Aimee always dreamed of being a Wimbledon "ball girl."

"Wait up! I'm comin'! I'm comin'!"

"PIC O' THE MONTH!"

THANKS TO LORI, AIMEE, SUZIE AND JOHN...

JULY CAPTION CONTEST:

YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO....CLICK ON COMMENTS AND ADD AN APPROPRIATE CAPTION FOR THIS MONTH'S PIC.... WHO KNOWS MAYBE THIS MONTH'S PRIZE WILL BE A LITTLE WHITE POODLE ??? (IF HE DOESN'T SHAPE UP SOON...)

 okay its time for the winner of the "Pic O' the Month"....drumroll please........brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.......
the envelope please....

and the winner is ROBIN with

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh, bliss..."

a "wag more, bark less" bumper sticker is on its way

the runners up were:
Jeannie: It took a long time to get parts where I wasn't just the "bad" girl...

Melissa: "Downward facing dog" has got nothing on this move...

Jeff and Anna:  That is GOOD catnip...thanks to Petra and Hannah for the pic of the month!

Thanks to everyone who entered.....and keep entering....I gotta say this month had some exceptional entries....I am reserving the right to judge next month's contest....just cuz I can...So please ....enter often....

Thanks to Tara our impartial judge of the month!

Look for the July "Pic of the Month": 

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, SKIPS!

June 24, 2009


Setting: a local animal shelter, late afternoon

Characters: Vi (name change to protect the innocent): a very nice, dedicated (albeit
                          currently misguided) older volunteer
                 
                  Skippy: a very snarky, vicious, unsuspecting as to the fact that he 
                  was about to win the equivalent of the poodle lottery, 14 lb. apricot
                  poodle
                   
                  Me: an equally snarky, unsuspecting as to how much vicious could
                  be packed into a 14 lb. apricot  poodle, middle-aged volunteer

The Encounter:
                  
Vi: Oh, I'm so glad you're here...could you take Skippy for one more walk?
       Dr.****** is here.

Me: Oh yeah, is he gonna see him?

Vi: Well he's with Daisy right now but then he's going to have to put Skippy
        down.

Me: He's so cute, why?!

Vi: He's mean! He keeps biting everyone! He's not trainable, he's too old...

Me: Hand him over...I'll take him....( I suspect she thought I meant for a walk,
        which actually did happen as we DID walk to my car) C'mon, Goofball...

Vi: I'll look for you when the Dr. is ready.

Me: I'm sure you will.

Setting: the parking lot of the local animal shelter, standing in front of an
                          open car door.

Skippy: Grrrrrrrrrrrr...

Me: Oh my Gawd, you little moron...get in the car! You wanna die? Cuz I'M
         gonna kill you if you don't get in the car!

Skippy: Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr...

Me: C'mon, Man! We are gonna get caught! I'm just going up the river...you
         get the chair! Get in the CAR!  Do I have to pick you up? You are NOT that
         short!

Skippy: Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...................

Me:  You bit me! I'm gonna kill you! You little ....YOU ARE SOOOOOO DEAD!

Skippy: (smiling)...Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...

For more of the continuing saga, click on "Saving Skippy."

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, SKIPS!

 

a short vacation....

We decided to go on a weekend getaway.

We stayed at a very nice bed and breakfast.

Kyle's room was a little spooky...

Skip had a lovely room...

overall Ogunquit was quite lovely...well, for everyone but Kyle...

C'MON EILEEN!

After sustaining a poorly healed fracture Eileen tries our her new prosthesis

LA PRESSE DE POULET

EXCITING INOVATIONS IN POULTRY PROSTHETICS

Meet Judi, the inovator and brains behind the new drumstick technology

Eileen is excited to show off her new gams to the girls in the yard

To read more about Eileen, go to "Springtime at the Barn"

(Thanks, Judi!)