A longish Tag from Blue!

A quirky questionnaire!

We have been tagged by Blue with what she labeled “a quirky questionnaire!” As she explained it, the idea behind this questionnaire is to learn a few previously unknown facts about friends..She tagged me and muzzer! So we have set it up so my answers are first, and Muzzer’s answers come second.

Got that? Good, we’re not so sure that we do, but we are game, so here goes…..


1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
Gus: When I came to my family, my name was already GUS! For some reason, they thought it was appropriate.
Muzzer: My parents wanted to name me “Glenda” a combination of their first names. Someone convinced them to give me my own name. However, there were four of us in my kindergarten class with the same first and middle name, so the good sisters had a few days of chaos before they started calling us by our surname.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Gus: Boy dogs don’t cry, do they?
Muzzer: Sunday, the Komen walk gets me started every year.


3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Gus: Don’t know, I’ve only written anything on the ‘puter.
Muzzer: No.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Gus: Genoa Salami, Hammie, Turkel, Roasted Beef, Bologna, Mortadella, Capicolla, Proscuitto, spicy salami, pork roll, pastrami, corned beef……
Muzzer: I like braunschwieger, liverwurst, and all those thing Gussie mentioned.


5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Gus: No, I had the fixit surgery before I came to live with my family.
Muzzer: Two daughters, seven years apart!

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Gus: If I were another person, I would be friends with me. If I were another dog, probably not.
Muzzer: Maybe, depending on when I met me.


7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
Gus: I don’t have any sarcasm. Should I get muzzer to buy me some?
Muzzer: Moi? Certainly

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Gus: I still gots everything I came with, except a few boy parts.
Muzzer: Yup, and I never had Chicken Pox.


9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Gus: No, but Teka would!
Muzzer: Not from anything higher than two feet.Never ever

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Gus: Whatever is left in the bowl with the milk that day!
Muzzer: Sugar Crisp with the original Sugar Bear!


11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Gus: ????
Muzzer: Sneakers, no. Oxfords, yes.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
Gus: I am Super Wire!
Muzzer: Not as strong as I used to be.

13.WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Gus: Lowfat Frozen sweet cream yogurt with Milk bones mixed in.
Muzzer: Amaretto with grated orange peel and Ghiardelli Chocolate Chips! (May depend on the ice cream shop)


14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Gus: Smell!
Muzzer: Eyes, then hair.

15. RED OR PINK?
Gus: I’m color blind.
Muzzer: Red, except in October, then Pink!


16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
Gus: My lack of guy parts.
Muzzer: My height.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
Gus: Miss Snickers, Mr. Butcho and their Mom and Dad
Muzzer: My mother and my sister.


18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO PLAY?
Gus: Every one excepting Teka Toy!
Muzzer: No, the table gets too crowded.

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Gus: No shoes, no pants, just fur.
Muzzer: Khaki pants and no shoes, they are under my chair at the counter. (hey, it’s my store!)


20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
Gus: A French fry.
Muzzer: Won Ton Soup from the Chinese Take out place.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
Gus: The American League Championship Series with Dad and Teka on the Big Bed.
Muzzer: All Things Considered on NPR


22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Gus: Hey, did I forget to mention I am color blind? All those colors taste the same to me.
Muzzer: Burnt Sienna

23. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Gus: My sister E.Rabbit, who calls me every week!
Muzzer: A customer calling about store hours.


24. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
Gus: Yes, Yes, Yes!
Muzzer: Yes, and I can’t wait to meet her.

25. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Gus: Baseball with my dad.
Muzzer: I don’t do sports.


26. HAIR COLOR?
Gus: Mostly white, black saddle, some ginger
Muzzer: Dark brown with one skunk streak of grey, contributed by E.Beth!

27. EYE COLOR?
Gus: Brown, just like Muzzer and E.Rabbit and E.Beth! (and Teka) Dad’s are hazel.
Muzzer: Brown


28. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
Gus: No, can’t get them in without opposable thumbs
Muzzer: No. Can’t get them in, but still trying!

29. FAVORITE FOOD?
Gus: Kibble, green beans, eggies, wally melon, asparagus, and whatever Muzzer is eating. Oh, and Steak and Shake.
Muzzer: Shrimp, crab, anchovies, pasta, good tomatoes, bread and olive oil, toasted ravioli and thin crust pizza.


30. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Gus: Happy endings.
Muzzer: Happy endings, except for Love Story

31. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Gus: That one with the Terriers!
Muzzer: Best in Show


32. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Gus: I don’t do shirts, but I am wearing my bow tie, cause we are at work! It is my blue one, cause it is Monday
Muzzer: Hot pink!

33. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Gus: SNOW!
Muzzer: Fall and Winter!


34. HUGS OR KISSES?
Gus: Kissies!
Muzzer: Hugs and kisses


35. FAVORITE DESSERT?
Gus: Ice Cream!
Muzzer: One good piece of very dark chocolate.

36. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
Gus: To food, any time, any where
Muzzer: To a call from my husband or children


37. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND
Gus: To the “come” command.
Muzzer: To a phone call made by a recorded voice!

38. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
Gus: We are reading Winnie the Pooh again because it is muzzer’s most favorite!
Muzzer: Re-reading Michael Dibdin’s “The Last Sherlock Holmes Story” to see if I can figure it out this time!


39. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Gus: My secretary does the typing.
Muzzer: No mouse pad, use the laptop.

40. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT?
Gus: We watched the Az. Diamondbacks lose again.
Muzzer: Don’t do TV. Sometimes watch the news.


41. FAVORITE SOUND?
Gus: Muzzer singing Lully byes.
Muzzer: I’ll go with Blue’s answer: The sea lapping against the shore

42. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Gus: Nope.
Muzzer: Peter, Paul and Mary


43. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Gus: Muzzer is my home, and so it must be about 1800 miles, when she goes to St. Loulis without me
Muzzer: Australia?

44. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
Gus: I make people smile
Muzzer: I sometimes sing well


45. WHAT IS THE BEST TIME OF YEAR TO GET MARRIED?
Gus: Anytime Miss Snickers says yes!
Muzzer: Anytime, as long as you are marrying the right person.

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Gus: 9112 3rd St., Lanham, Md. At Esqwire Kennels
Muzzer: DePaul Hospital, St. Louis Mo.


We should tag some people, but this is a long tag, and takes some time that folks might not have. However, if you are willing, consider yourself tagged! Copy the questions and put in your own answers to save some time, and pass it on if you want to!

Kissies
Gussie and Muzzer

Lots of walking goin on out there!

Hello pals! Tis the season. And I promise, most solemnly, not to post another good cause for at least a week. But I am so proud of my muzzer and dad, and all my blogging pals, for putting their feet where their mouth is, that I am going to tell you about three special events. First of all, today was the big race day in Downtown Phoenix. The Komen Race for the Cure had more than 40,000 participants, thousands of volunteers, and every news team in town up early this morning for the big event. This race always seems to be right around muzzer's barkday, which I think is appropriate, 'cause she is my most favoritest breast cancer survivor. Susanna, you are second! Lots of other women and a few men wore their pink shirts proudly, and the support was tremendous. Every year this gets bigger, raises more money, and gains more support. I am sorry that I could not go with them today, but muzzer knows where my heart was. Oh yeah, me and Tena cut our walkies short this morning so that no one would be late. Wasn't that nice of us?
My friend Asta (NY) and her Mommi and Dad are in the memory walk this year, sponsored by the New York chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. Here is the link to their page if you want to visit. Oh, and it has a stunning photo of the three of them on it, so go, if only because you are curious about the folks that Asta loves.

And Ivy Paws and her people are going to do the hunger walk in their home town. What a great place to walk. I am waiting to see if Linday and BP do the walk with Ivy and her Randy! Visit Ivy to get the latest update, and while you are there, see if you can guess when BP will arrive.

pee ess...Ivy's Randy has made some neat games that you can play if you visit.

You are the bestest blog readers in the whole world! Thank you

Just in Case

We don't know how many of you also read Mackie's blog, but we found something of interest there the other day and thought perhaps we would cross post, just in case.

Mackie is a wirey fellow, like me, and like me, he is a rescue. So he and his mom posted this information about an antique quilt raffle that the Fox Terrier network is having! Mackie provided the story, and we got the pictues at the website above.

Mackie says"
"Just want to tell you all about a chance to help Fox Terriers in need all around the country. The Fox Terrier Network (FTN) formed a Crafters' group that is raffling off it’s first quilt to help with its work for Fox Terriers. The first quilt is a beautiful antique quilt. The design is called "Dresden Plate." The squares were found in a chest by the grandaughter of the lady in the picture. The lady lived in Arkansas andit appears the blocks were made from used flour sacks. During the depression, these flour sacks often became first clothing and then quilts. One of our members found the coordinating fabric and put the quilt together, then hand quilted it. The quilt back is muslin. The finished size of this beautiful quilt is approximately 64 inches X 80 inches. This is a great chance to get a brand-new Antique quilt just in time for Christmas! All tickets, which are $5.00 each, can be purchased from the FTN website. Click on the ad and buy your tickets! Once you have paid, your ticket and number (or tickets and numbers!) will be e-mailed to you. Ticket sales close December 10, 2007! Get your tickets now! The drawing will be on December 14, 2007.Thanks for helping FTN help our fox terriers and those that love them. "
Posted by Wired for Mackie

Anyway pals, this is an opportunity to make a contribution and possibly win a beautiful quilt.

This and That, Here and There, Why and Why Not?

Hey...did you notice...Butchy and Snickers gave me this cool new award. Now, the hard thing is to figure out who to give it to, since it has been popping up a lot lately! OK, we are going to write Pappy, Asta (AU), William Tell, The Five Happy Hounds, and E.Rabbit for this award. Go visit them and tell them Gus sent you!

I have been having a great time in the mornings being a terrier sort of fellow and digging under the big grapefruit tree in the back yard. This has resulted in showers with muzzer and most recently, showers with Dad when I come in muddy up to my belly. I like showers with Dad best, I am not embarrassed when I shower with him. Took them long enough to figure that out though! Anyway...tomorrow I am going to my groomer to get cleaned up. After growing my wirey hair for a long time, we went to meet two new groomers who hand strip. Both of them recommended that muzzer continue to have me scissor cut and some areas clipped. We were gonna talk to another groomer, but it is getting desperate, and I cannot see well because my eyebrows hide my eyes. So tomorrow I am going to get cleaned up a bit, and we will continue to look for someone to strip my saddle and back at least. Muzzer thinks I will be even more handsome if we can find someone to do that for me. Either that, or she is gonna start using something called "Greasion Farmula" on my dark spots. Photos at 10:00 tomorrow!

And Muzzer has asked me to thank everyone who inquired about her itchies. It seems that I am the likely culprit, according to the Doctor she consulted. I supposedly brought some kind of irritant in on my paws and belly the last time she showered with me, which made her break out in all the places I had touched on her chubby little body. (feet, legs up to mid-thigh, hands and lower arms) She got some cream to put on and now I am showering with Dad. We haven't told him about the cause of the itchies (contact dermatitis covers a lot of things) and are waiting to see if he is a hyper-reactor like muzzer. Teehee

kissies

Gus

Uh Oh

My Muzzer has the itchies
I think she's blaming me
My dad,he thinks it's allergies
My muzzer says...."We'll see"

She says she's gonna make a call
To see her good old Doc
I said to her "My dad's a doc."
Her answer "Not M.D."

She says she hasn't made a change
In eating, soap or stuff
She hasn't been near plants and things
Which makes my case real tough

She said to me "Now Gussie boy,
I read your buddies blogs.
I know you waded with the koi
And played with Butchy's frog."

"I know you played in hay and stuff
with Snickers and the gals.
And if this turns out to be fleas,
You're gonna miss your pals."

I hope those pinkish blotches
Do not turn into hives
I think it's cats, not dogs you see
Who claim to have nine lives.

See Yourself on a pumpkin!

Sigh: We were browsing blogs the other day, and one of my dog pals had found this neat site that shows you what you look like on a pumpkin. And of course, muzzer has forgotten where it was. So, we are sharing with our pals the pictures that we made of us as pumpkins. (I must redeem myself...it was over at Five Happy Hounds!

Here is my pumpkin picture. Gus-O-Lantern

And for those not too faint of heart to look....Here is Teka's pumpkin:

Tek - o - Lantern

And, if you want to play with your own photos, go to this fun site

MADE IT

Well, I finally made it to Butchy's party. Actually, I made good time from St. Louis and was able to get here while it was still daylight! Here I am on the path leading up to Butchy and Snickers house. From here you can see the garage and the front of the house. The Fish house is down by the pond, and the deer watching station is out toward the back, closer to the boy scout camp. Boy, I hope nobody gets mistaken for a deer tonight! Some of those airedales are pretty big, and they are all brownish like deers, right? Oh well, Butchy and Snickers mom is a very organized type of person, and I am sure she has some extra safety vests or something to keep them all safe. Anyway, it probably isn't even deer season yet!

Anyway, I thought I would put Butchy's special Birthday song right here in this post, so you can all have the words to sing around the campfire.

Hail, Hail it's Butchy's Birthday
Hail,he's havin a pawty
Hail, Hail to Butchy he's the
Best Dog in the land!
Hail to his buddy Snickers
Hail to his mom and Daddy
All hail to Butchy he's
The bestest friend to man
Hail to his friends who came here
Hail to his family who care
Hail Hail to all of us
We'll pawty while we can
We'll have some hot dogs roasted
We'll have marshmallows toasted
We'll all tell stories bout the
scarey boogey man

I'm almost There!

Well, I made it to St. Loulis in record time. This takes so much less time than driving. And the stewardess was so nice to me.
Here is the view from my seat in business class. I found that my disguise was not effective almost as soon as I got to the airport in Phoenix. The man at the TSA counter wanted to see my photo ID. Well, fortunately he accepted one of my business cards and the number from my dog license, but he did tell me to be careful and not take any dog biscuits from strangers.

Then, wouldn't you know it....my tags set off the metal detector and I had to get help from the nice little girl in line behind me to get my collar off and back on at the end of the line. Whew.

Muzzer packed me a snack pack, because she said the food was not good for doggies on the airplane. But I must confess that I found the pretzels in the little bag quite tasty! And the stewardess brought my water in a little cup, which was difficult, but she also brought extra napkins. I hope I did not make too much of a mess.

It was a long flight, and I had been a long time without a pit stop, so I was in a bit of a hurry at St. Loulis to get outside and find a comfort bush.

I did stop long enough to snap a photo of this the cute little plane they had hanging from the ceiling. Muzzer told me the story about Charles Lindbergh, a man who flew this plane to France, all by himself. No co-pilot, no stewardness, not even a little dog to keep him warm. I think he must have been brave, if misguided. After all, he should have just asked his muzzer for her frequent flyer miles.

I had to wait a little while for my cousin Scott to come pick me up. He is loaning me the truck and trailer to pull to Butcho's. He and his family live in St. Peter's Mo., which is pretty much on the way to Iowa, I think.

Anyway, I stopped at his house for another snack, borrowed his vehicles and took off for my first stop. Friendship Village and the Gussie Fan club! Everyone was glad to see me, Aunt Re had been fretting because she thinks I am to small to fly by myself, and also too young for overnight parties. But I calmed her down, and then cuddled with her last night. She misses Uncle Ray, and Muzzer said I should be very nice to her.

I checked my e-mail this morning at the St. Louis County Public Library. I had a nice note from Wally, who is looking forward to the party tonight too. Wally mentioned that he was hoping we wouldn't be over-run by presidential candidates while in Iowa. HA! Even last summer when we went to Miss Snickers' pawty, the candidates were all over the place. You could pretty much take your pick of parties and Candidates. There was the guy in the picture above, who represents my state in the Senate, and who was wisely wearing his ball cap, not because Iowa is big on ball caps, but because he has had some problems with skin cancer, and has learned caution in his old age. Despite that, muzzer says she does not endorse this candidate or any other candidate in the race at this time. Dad my have his button that says "If I were 21 I'd vote for Barry." That does not reflect our current politics any more than Mom's collection of "Clean Gene" T-shirts.

And of course, this fellow. Muzzer says his family is either very brave, or very crazy. His wife Elizabeth is having a recurrence of breast cancer, and they are still campaigning. Muzzer feels some solidarity with his wife, but does not necessarily endorse this candidate either.

I know that Barack Obama is in Iowa this summer. My Uncle Ray was very excited about him before he died. He told Dad one day that if he was still alive when it is time to vote, he was gonna vote for that "Italian fella with the Democrats." And Dad was confused, he said "Rudy Guliani?" And Uncle Ray said, "No, NO, he is a Republican now anyway. You know, that Italian fella whose name ends in an A!" And he got pretty mad at dad when dad couldn't figure out who he was talking about. Finally muzzer came through the living room. She said "I think he means Barack Obama." Uncle Ray said, "Yeah, that's him. Good lookin fella, looks like Marie's relatives." And muzzer just rolled her eyes. And Dad had a coughing fit. And Aunt Marie said "TCH, RAYMOND!" Sometimes with Uncle Ray, you weren't quite sure whether he was pulling your leg or having a bout of dementia when he said things like that.

Gettin' ready for Butcho Boy's pawty

Well, I think I have gotten through the worst part of getting ready for Mr. Butcho's big birthday bash. Muzzer said last night "Gussie....You cannot go to Iowa looking like that! Why, there is something stuck in your fur from the last party, and your feets are filthy!" I knew what was coming....yes, I did. A Shower! Muzzer took Teka into the shower and washed her first. Teka is good, she is a girl and she wants to smell good for the pawty. I spent the whole time she was in the shower trying to convince Dad that I should not have to take a shower wth muzzer any longer. I mean, guys it is embarrassing! She washes EVERYTHING, tail, feets, earses and, well, you know. And I think I should be able to shower with Dad. But he didn't go for it, and into the shower I went.

Now, this is probably a pretty nice shower. It is big. But not so big I can get away from Muzzer and the hand held shower! It has glass all around it, so I can see what is going on in the bathroom. But the door shuts really tight, so I can't get out unless muzzer or dad helps. It has a cute little bench thingy under the window. But I don't shave my legs like muzzer, so it isn't much good to me. And it has lots of warm water. Sheesh. I'm a guy dog. I don't need warm water. I'd rather wade in the koi pond at Butcho's. But muzzer won the battle, and I got my shower.

Then Dad came in with a couple of nice big towels and helped me dry off before I went on my run through the house. And Muzzer was gonna make me change my collar for the pawty, but I said "NO NO NO, I want to wear my Cardinal collar that I got from Miss Snickers" And Dad came in on my side of the argument, so at least the guys got one point.

So here is my picture right after my shower. We are letting my fur grow so that muzzer can have one of the local groomers who does hand stripping do my saddle and then trim up the rest of me, so I look like a wft (no Tanner, not a wtf!)

I am quite furry, but not quite the 2 and a half inches that the groomer wants. So I've got a pretty good 'stache and beard, and lots of little tiny curls. AND....My tail is really fluffy. So Dad grumbles that it looks like he is walking a little lambie in the mornings. And I just hope we get this taken care of before I go to Sedona with my pal Travis later this month! He is gonna laugh at me, I just know it.

Anyway, tomorrow morning I am gonna get on the plane and fly to St. Loulis. Muzzer let me use her Frequent Flyer miles, so I will fly business class. That means I have to wear my bow tie on the plane, I guess. But I will just keep my laptop open in front of my face and hope the stewardess is distracted. When I get to St. Loulis, I will stay overnight with my Aunt Marie, and make sure she is feeling OK.

Teka is flying air Ruby, I guess, so I am taking her sleeping bag

MY sleeping bag
And renting a truck at the airport to pull the trailer with the rest of my camping stuff and a few extra things.

I will leave St. Loulis very early Friday Morning, and get to Butchy's in the early afternoon. Looking forward to seeing all you doggies and hamsterriers at the doggie campgrounds

Kissies

Gus

Response to a tag from lovely Asta NY

Harry's Song

Harry is a lucky puppy

He has got a great new home

Oscar's mum and Oscar's daddy

We know he will never roam

He will have kids there to play with

Time now to stay and Sing along

Soon he will have Cassidy

and they can sing this happy song

Thank you Oscar, Thank you Katy

Thank you for the cool new home

Here the trees are nice and shady

Here I have my brush and comb

Thank you Martin for the rubbing

Of my furry airedale ears

I will even stand a tubbing

No more crying, no more tears

I will give you lots of loving

Sloppy Airedale kisses too

I will be a real good doggy

Help with Cassidy the new

I will help to train him in many

Doggie tricks and human ways

When he comes to live here also

And we start our doggy play.

Thank you Asta, and the doggies

Who have welcomed me anew

Thank you Joe, Snowball and Maggie

For your happy welcome too.

Watch this spot to learn my story

Watch to see my pictures too

Watch for all our new arrivals

That we now will share with you.

Now I must say goodnight

to Oscar

In his shady glen

Come and visit me tomorrow

Come back now and then again.

our apologies to Mr. Beethoven!

muzzer here, cannot figure out how to put the music on from U.Tube. Here is the URL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wod-MudLNPA

Wall-E

OK....I gotta get this out so Wally can go look at it.

Yahoo.com is showing a preview clip of a new Pixar (think Finding Nemo) movie due out next summer.

If you go to http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809902253/photo/970445428 you can click on the trailer and information about the movie.

I watched the trailer. I think it looks like Wally, to some extent. Teka, whose mom is a real movie freak, says it looks like ET around the eyes. I hope it gets to the drive in soon.

Do you think the sequel might be Gus-E?

Greetings

Hello all: Teka here. Gussie is still asleep. Dad is still asleep. But I am wide awake.

This is a picture of me on the ride home with my mom, E.Beth. I don't remember much about that day, except that I rested when I got home and then set about teaching my mom and her family about life with a Jack Russell Terrier!

We had a really great early time together. For a few months, it was just me and my mom and her grandpa. I call him "ACE!" And he likes it. Then....Gussie and his muzzer and Dad came home. Nothing has been the same. I have three more lives in my control. I have three more lazy individuals to wake up in the morning, and chase around the bedroom late at night. But, all in all, they are not half bad. Muzzer cooks, Dad plays the guitar, my mom plays with me, and Gussie Grumps. I sleep most of the day in my crate, and then I am rested and refreshed and can help the humans get things done. Gussie has let me write some notes this weekend, and now I know the password to his blogger account. So......look out world, here I come. My tiny paws work better on the computer than his big ones do, so we work well as a team. Expect to hear more from me.

Oh yeah...the reason I am blogging this morning is because Gussie wants you all to know that his muzzer is coming home today. He is pretty happy about it. I guess it is OK. I would really rather have the whole side of the big bed to myself. But I can make concessions. It will cost him, but I can make concessions.

More later

MMMMMMMWAH

Teka

(Hi Stanley, how ya doin?")

Our First day with Gus

Greetings all: Muzzer here, blogging for Gus on this Tag, because I have all the photos on the laptop in St. Louis with me.

Here is Gussie's Story:

Dec., 2005
We were spending sabbatical leave in Lexington, VA., at Washington and Lee. Our original plans, which included a year of dining and exploring in New Orleans, were radically changed by Hurricane Katrina.


Proving the adage about Southern Hospitality, the community of Lexington embraced us, collectively known as "those poor Katrina folks" and we found new homes, academic and personal. But as beautiful as Lexington and the surrounding area are, there were a number of differences that led me to the computer to search for a "dog." translation: I was BORED in a town of 7000! My high school was bigger than that.

Our ESS (Nigel) died in June, and a dog was not included in our sabbatical plans. But I spent much of my free time walking and exploring, and met and fell in love with a rescue Bernese Mountain dog who lived on the top of a hill.

So, how did we get Gussie? Well....the Bernese lived on top of a hill. Our apartment was off Main street at the top of a looooong flight of stairs. The apartment was "cute", charming, convenient...it was also very small. And, Gussie's soon to be dad is a logical man. Over the period of a month or so he convinced me that a Bernese was not workable. Combined with the small size of the apartment was the very large size of the average Bernese and the relatively small size of muzzer. (Small BMDs weigh more than muzzer, large ones can outweigh me by 50 lbs.)

Researching Breeds kept me busy for a while, and we talked with other dog owners both in Lexington, on the phone, and a number of people on line. Lexington may only have 7000 people, but it has a LOT of dog breeds. We even met some Bedlington Terriers! Friends in Lexington and Charlottesville had Standard and Miniature poodles, Corgis, lots of coon hounds, spaniels, and airedales. (Yeah 'Dales says Gus) It was a long process, but it ended with putting in applications to two rescue groups: Welsh terriers and Wire Fox Terriers!

The paperwork for BOTH groups was almost as extensive as the paperwork to adopt a child was 35 years ago! Complicated by the fact that we were in temporary quarters which meant that at least one of the breed groups did TWO home visits, one to us in VA and one to our home in AZ, temporarily occupied by three college seniors!!!!!

Life goes on, and I scheduled a trip back to AZ to see my oncologist, check on my store, and home....and stop over in St. Louis to visit my aunt and uncle!

Ding-a-ling...two days before the trip we had a phone call from Md. asking if we would like to meet a rescue....the dog sounded perfect, but I know that the time window is often limited, because breed rescue groups can have very long waiting lists. Near tears, I explained that I needed to pass up my turn, becuase I felt it was not fair to leave Dad with a brand new dog and a couple of deadlines!

Bless Gus's foster mother. She told us we were perfect for the dog, and she would keep him until we could pick him up. So I left on a jet plane from DC the day after Thanksgiving....flew to St. Louis, spent some time with my relatives and flew on to Arizona for a clean check up and a healthy store. (we won't mention the house, OK?) And then back to DC, a short stop in Lexington to do laundry, and on to northern MD to meet Gus.

We picked him up on a Saturday and headed back to Lexington. He was very good in the car, good on lead at the rest stops and generally more mellow than I expected.

Back in Lexington, he quckly established his place in the pecking order. Males occupy the couch while Muzzer cooks dinner!

Or, sometimes we help muzzer make the bed!And then, his sister E. Rabbit came to visit for Christmas, and for both of them, it was love at first sight.
This is the woman Gus thinks gives the best "butt scrithes" in the world. He will go to almost any length to please her, even happily wearing the sweaters she knits.I cannot tell you exactly what goes on in his mind. But I hope that Gus is as happy with us as we are with him. Thank you to his foster mom and the rest of the WFT rescue network, and to the young couple who realized that they could not spare enough time to keep him happy!

thank you for reading Gussie's story

Muzzer

Thank you all

Aunt Marie and Muzzer send thanks to

all of my friends who sent good wishes

and condolences for Aunt Marie and

Uncle Ray's family.

kissies from Gus

We made it home

Me and Teka made it home today around noon, setting even more landspeed records than we did on the way to the party.

We both had a great time....Teka was sure glad she was still awake when Tanner got there...I think for her, the real fun started then. But no, she says she does not know where the pumpkin suit came from, but she thinks she probably helped Tanner loose a few pounds by chasing him in circles all over the field.

I really did get to dance with lots of the girl doggies, but as predicted, I spent most of my time keeping a close eye on Beautiful Miss Snickers. I was worn out just watching her do the can-can!

Many thanks to my Bud Butcho, who was a tremendous help with the driving. I wouldn't have made the trip nearly as fast without his help. So long Butchy, see you at your birthday bash.

We just barely got into the house and had a long drink of water when muzzer grabbed the laptop and left for St. Loulis. My poor Uncle Ray, he died in his sleep Tuesday morning. But he has been so sick, and so unhappy. I hope he feels better now.

But it means muzzer and my laptop will be gone for a few days. I am making do with Dad's desktop, but it is more difficult to type, and Dad is not much help! He just doesn't understand how important my blog is. But I will persevere and perhaps accept some help from Teka, since she did an OK job on the trip. My real concern is getting someone to download my photos, but maybe E.Beth can help me and Teka. Anyway, we will be trying to keep up with other bloggies and do a couple of posts by ourselves, but please accept our apologies in advance for any shortcomings. (particularly our spelling)

It was so good to see all of you. Thanks for putting up with Teka, and thanks to Asta, Wally, Sir Chance and all the other doggiess who brought food.

kissies from Teka and Gus

Teka here again

Gussie is having such a good time at this Pawty! I didn't know he had it in him.

They finally let me out of the trunk - right after I discovered the emergency release and pulled it with my little teeth. Having the trunk pop open somewhere in Pennsylvania surely slowed down the Gusmobile.

After that, they were afraid to lock me in the trunk, cause they didn't know what I was gonna do next. The secret of my success boys and girls, the secret of my success.

Anyway, I got to ride in the front seat with Butchy, while Gussie snored away in the back with his head propped on poor Miss Snickers! Boy, I wish my cell phone hadn't run out of juice, or I would have some choice pictures to share - or to use for blackmail. Whatever.

The food is marvelous! The great dane bowls with jello in them have some kind of liquor too, I'll bet. Or maybe just the green ones. Serve some of these dunderheads right if the green ones had absinthe, huh?

I've been watching what I drink and eat, cause if I have to ride in the trunk all the way home, I don't want to barf. Also, that way I am gathering up a lot of information for the future.

Butchy is a lot of fun, I wish he was my brother instead of Gussie. And if I could have any brother, well, I think that Stanley fellow is pretty cute. He hasn't stopped dancing since we got here, and he has promised me one of the later ones. By that time, me and Asta NY will be the only girl doggies awake, except for maybe Koobus. Ah...Youth.

Miss Snickers may be older than I am, but she is one cool chick. Hike on over to her blog and see her dance the can-can. I thought old Gussie was gonna pee in his pants. He couldn't take his eyes off of her.

Well, that is my update on the pawty,,,,up until now. My buddy Tanner did not come...he and Joey are still busy opening presents from Tanner's barkday, which was, like, weeks ago.

I'm gonna go and have some more ribs and stuff....and see if I can get Butchy and Stanley to dance with me.

smackos
teka toy

All Right, Enough is Enough!

Teka here, from the trunk of the Gussiemobile.

Well you guys just wait. I am gonna get back at you when you let me out.

You just see if I don't.

We got to Butchy and Snickers place and let me tell you, that is one rough road when you are riding in the trunk.

I heard Gussie trying to get Snickers to let him dump me in the koi pond, but she said no. Thank you Miss Snickers, from the bottom of my Jack Russell heart.

However, he wouldn't let me ride in the car yet. He told me I could just think about my sins some more.

Sometimes he sounds so much like his Dad!

Anyway, all you doggies who are at the party should get your heart medicine ready. Wait until you get the full effect of the outfit Miss Snickers is wearing! And that Butchy ain't half bad either!

I'm gonna start raisin' a fuss at the rest stops if Gussie doesn't let me out soon. Will keep you all posted

smooches
Teka

BUSTED

OH BOY, AM I DEEP IN HORSE POOPEY

When Gussie was back at that Circle K brushing his teeth and smoothing his fur down so he would look good for the Pawty, he got stopped by the fuzz!

And I must say, for Gussie, he handled this whole thing very well.

Even when the State Trooper called him "Little Buddy."

He said, "I am sorry sir, but you must have me confused with another dog. Little Buddy is the favorite of my friend Blue in the UK, but as far as I know, he has never been to Iowa."

And he answered politely when the trooper asked where he was headed and if he knew how to get there.

And Gussie said he was headed to pick up Butchy and Miss Snickers for a Pawty. And the trooper knew who they were, and about how their mama raises Koi Fishies.

So Gussie opened the trunk to put "his" laptop away, and the trooper peeked in. And he said to Gussie "Uhh, little buddy, your hat in there is movin around."

And Gussie said, "oh no sir, you must be mistaken. " And he picked up the hat and put it on his head.


And I guess you all know where I was hiding!

So now Gussie knows I am riding in the trunk.

And I am up to my cute little chin in doo-doo.

And so I have posted these pictures which I took with my mom's cell phone. Just in case he is really angry by the time we reach Butchy and Snickers' house, and really does drown me in the Koi pools like he threatened.

But I don't think Snickers and her Mom will let him do that, so these photos are insurance, in case some stranger has to identify my body from the bottom of the koi pool, ya know.

Kissies to all
Mom, I am sorry I took your cell phone and i-Pod.
Gussie, I am sorry I gutted all your stuffies.
Muzzer, I am sorry I got up so early all those mornings and was a pill in general.

Teka Toy

ALMOST THERE

Howdy pardners:

Here I am, making a pit stop outside of the Circle K just before you make the turn off the hiway and on to the road that goes to Butchy and Miss Snickers house.

Well, the trip has gone OK so far. Leaving at 4:00 am was a good idea in some ways. But I hope either Butchy or Miss Snickers is wearing their license and can help with the driving so that I can take a nice nap.

Before I left, muzzer had to try to take some pictures of me in my cowboy hat. Well, I gotta tell you. A real cowboy doesn't let his muzzer take pictures, Ya know.

I mean.....do you think Roy Rogers let his muzzer take pictures of him in his cowboy suit?

No way pardner. Ole Roy didn't let anyone take pictures except Miss Dale.

But I thought I would show you my hat, and one of the pictures didn't turn out so bad, I guess.

But let me tell you....when I get to the Pawty, I think the hat is staying in the car!

Man...it is gonna fall off as soon as I start dancin' ya know.

And I figure, with my luck, I'll stomp on it a few times and spill something delicious on it.

I've been practicin my do si do's and my allemande left and right. I think I've got the idea of "swing your partner." But I sure hope we do some line dancin' and a few two steps, so I can get close to some of my favorite girls.

'Specially Miss Snickers. wooooeeee! I have my dad's old Roy Rogers Lunch Box in the trunk, and in it I have stored a few extra rounds of ammunition, just in case some of those dogs like Stanley or Wally get too excited when they see Miss Snickers.

Dog has ta do what a Dog has ta do, to borrow a well used line.

Gotta go, that Iowa State Trooper is looking at me pretty funny.

Giddyap Gussiemobile

Gussiemobile!

Howdy Pardners:
Teka Here:
Gussie doesn't know it, but I have hidden in the trunk of the Gussiemobile, and I am on my way to the pawty!


For those of you who have never seen the Gussiemobile, and may be waiting for it to arrive at your home, here is what it looks like!

Te he he he

Doesn't he only wish!

This would be a lot cooler and more in keeping with the western theme, but it belongs to one of my mom's buddies...not square old Gus.




Here is a photo of the Gussiemobile! Solid, Staid and very unexciting

Just like Gussie.

But he must've done something to the sound system when dad wasn't looking, 'cause I can hear every word of Old Gene Autry back here !

Good thing I copped my mom's i-Pod too. I am groovin along to the tunes of some indy band that she and I love. Don't worry about me, I brought my furry pad and some snacks, and so far, I've managed to sneak out and back in while Gussie is off using the facilities at the rest stop.

I thought I was toast for a minute in Oklahoma, but I managed to sneak back into the trunk when he put the laptop away.

Gussie must've paid someone to goose up the Gussiemobile as well. We are just nearly flying, and so far he has been below the radar for the fuzz, so to speak! I think we are almost in Missouri. We should hit Butchy and Snickers place about noon their time! I think that is when I will make my entrance.

I also managed to "borrow" an ATT card thingy from stodgy old Brian, and I don't have to wait for a rest stop to post. As long as the light is green on my little card, I am good to go!

Wow. I can't wait to meet you all. Can anybody tell me if my heart throb Tanner is comin?

Will post this now,

Ride 'em Cowboys

Teka

Progress update

Monday AM, somewhere in Oklahoma:

Howdy Parners and Pardettes

Greetings from the open road.

I am heading toward Iowa to pick up Butchy and Miss Snickers. Then we will stop for a few more passengers before finally making our way to the big hoedown celebrating the natal days of my bloggin pals, Asta and Bailey.

I have kidnapped the laptop, since I observed that many roadside rest areas now have wireless. I will be posting periodically just to let you know how things are going.

kissies from Gussie

Muzzer's name

Lot's of doggies are playing this Tag about 5 things you call your female human parent. So, for lack of a better theme, and while muzzer uses one hand to make my outfit for the western pawty on Monday, I will tell you what my female human parent is called.

1. MUZZER of course. That is what my sister E.Rabbit calls her...and I never knew she had any other name, except

2. BARB. That is what my Dad calls her, and that is what the people at the store all call her. Aunt Marie and Uncle Ray, however call her

3. BARBARA ANN! But usually only when they are irritated at her, which is pretty often. Also, there is this song by that name, and I just know it was writtened about MY MUZZER! Oh, and she was really ticked off at John Mc Cain when he made fun of her song

4. MOM is what Teka calls her, because that is what my sister E.Beth calls her, and it is a nice name, just short, like her.

5. And only a few special people, like our friends Steve and Sue in Memphis, and Jack and Kathy in South Carolina, her pal Brian in Minnesota, and of course Marty and the gang is St. Loulis, call her BARBIE! But if I do that, or if you do that, she gets pretty huffy.

And for those of you who have never seen my muzzer, here is a picture of her in a town called San Francisco, which is one of her flavorite spots to visit, but she wouldn't want to live there, cause she would be fat on all that good food! But I want to go there with her sometime, cause she says it is a great place for walkies!

Giving Thanks

Dear Friends:

I have been saved by Asta's darling Mommi from intense embarrassment and humiliation. She is not letting Asta read my bloggie until the barkday box arrives!

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you lovely Mommi

SHHHH! It's a Surprise......

This afternoon me and muzzer packed up a box of stuff to

send to Asta NY for her barkday. Yeah, I know. She said

"NO PRESSIES, please"

But I had her stuffs already, so I am sending what I had

and instead of buying more, we made a donation from my Pay Pal

Account to Fox Terrier Rescue. "Cause that is where I came from!

Which makes it an excellent place to send your money. hint, hint

Anyway..the first picture shows me doing a final inspection of the

box the Post Office people gave me to send Asta her present!

And here I am, checking out the tape job on the other side.

Ok Muzzer, you did a good job. Now take it to the Post Office!

This is our post office in Tempe, Azrizona.

See, that is what they put on the wall there, except

they mis-spelled Azrizona!

This is the machine that muzzer says saves her lots of time!

I have never seen it close up, because the post office in Tempe is

not as good as the post office in Lexington, VA. In Lexington, when

I was mailing a package, I could go right up to the window to make sure

that Muzzer did things right and the package was safe.

Here, muzzer takes pictures so I can check up on her!

Gotta keep her on her toes you know.

Here is the schedule for when items will be picked up from

the parcel slot. See there, under Monday-Friday

it says the last pickup today (Monday) is 5:30 pm.

And, muzzer got it in the slot before that time, so Asta should see it soon.

Now, don't you doggies tell Asta that there is a box coming. Remember:

It is a surprise!!!!

Look what muzzer's friend sent her

My silly muzzer has this friend Brian who lives in Minni-Soda and is a real techie type. Brian is always sending her cool jokes and funny pictures. Today we were opening her e-mails before she went to the store, and Brian sent a bunch of photographs that had been changed. His tag line for them was...."see what graphic artists do with their time when you don't keep them very busy. "

And I said..."Muzzer, Muzzer look at that one!"

And she just kept scrolling through the pictures.

And I said...."Muzzer, Muzzer I saw my friend there!"

And she looked at me funny and said "What do you want Gussie? We have already watched the Tanner video four times!"

And I said..."NO muzzer. LOOK at that picture there."

And she finally LOOKED at that picture and she said "Oh my....That picture looks like your friend

SNOWBALL!

And it does. Don't you think so too?

And the moral of this story is.......

I was reading the paper this morning while muzzer was fixing my soft boiled eggy and I came across the story below:

AP Sept. 12) - A surfer rode a wave on his stomach to rescue a struggling dog that had been swept off a pier and into Lake Michigan by a wave.

Surfer Matt Smolenski, right, and Joe Riopelle help save a dog who was swept off a pier into Lake Michigan in Grand Haven, Mich., on Tuesday.

"He (Smolenski) put the dog up on his surfboard, and the dog rode the surfboard in to shore," said one bystander who witnessed the rescue.
Matt Smolenski, 25, said he grabbed the pooch's collar just as the exhausted, black-and-brown mixed breed stopped dog-paddling on Tuesday. "He put the dog up on his surfboard, and the dog rode the surfboard in to shore," said Royce Rodgers, an off-duty Muskegon Heights police officer who witnessed the rescue. As the dog crouched on the board, Smolenski held on from the water, fighting large waves and a strong current all the way to shore.

"I've watched the dog about a million times," said Smolenski, of Grand Haven. "He barks at the waves and then jumps back when they wash up on the pier." Rodgers, who had started walking his own dog on the pier but turned back around after seeing the size of the waves, said the other dog wasn't on a leash when the wave swept it over the side. The same wave knocked the animal's owner off his feet, Rodgers said. "The dog was trying to swim, but the waves were very large. It was struggling," Rodgers said. "The owner was screaming for the dog." Rodgers said the owner thanked Smolenski and gave him a high five. He then "left so fast, I couldn't get his name," he said.

from the AP version

Moral.......Never let your owner off lead in dangerous places!