I’d like to Thank Paw Print City Times and the Academy for….

Opie and I would like to thank Paw Print City Times for this wonderful award Stylish Blogger Award.

We just started blogging in July of 2010 and it’s really been fun. We’ve both learned a lot and we’ve both had a blast doing the blog! It makes us both pretty happy to meet so many people and doggies who are on the same page with us.

Writing this blog has been like a VIRTUAL PLAYDATE! I originally started blogging just to deal with the overwhelming excitement our family experienced with our little Opie. Blogging has become much more than just that. I never expected to learn so much over the past months and have so much fun. Opie’s had some fun as well. He may not like his most personal moments exposed to the world, but well those are the breaks. LOL!

In the spirit of the award we are supposed to share seven things about ourselves and then nominate 15 wonderful blogs for this great award. First of all, we found way more than 15 blogs to give this award to. There are so many excellent bloggers out there. If I put down all the blogs that I wanted to, the list would look like the Saturday Blog Hop! I have to say that the quality of all the pet bloggers I’ve visited over the months has been exceptional.

Okay, so here are the seven random things about me and Opie that you might not know.

1. My favorite color is blue. I don’t know what Opie’s favorite color is, but I always try to get him things that go great with his lovely white silky fur. He can wear pretty much anything.
   
2. I have a secret desire to be a Romance Writer, but I only have about 10 pages worth of attention span and then I get bored. So, I’m long winded for a blogger, but lack the endurance of a hardcore novelist. My hope is that regular blogging will work my writing muscles hard for the marathon of writing a novel.
   
3. Opie as most of you know is a Snorkie – schnauzer+ Yorkshire terrier. However, he seems to have a rather big dog attitude about himself as well as a very deep “masculine” bark. He sounds bigger than he is. I’m beginning to wonder if he’s just those two dog breeds.
   
4. Opie loves walks, but he pulls like a crazy dog on the walk with me. We are working on it, but it’s been slow going. The problem must be  me because he doesn’t pull with his Dad at all. Rotten little mutley! Taking advantage of Mama like that. Shame!
   
5. We are a rock and roll family, and Opie must necessarily be a rock and roll dog. He likes to sit under my sons’ feet while they are practicing their electric guitars. And yes, their amps are on! He seems to really like Michael’s rendition of Hotel California and the metal head Snorkie is a hard core Nirvana fan as well. He doesn’t howl. He just sits and listens and occasionally drops off to sleep. I’m thinking about getting him a little rock and roll t-shirt with a guitar on it. Luckily, he has not chewed on anyone’s guitar. He has a healthy sense of self preservation!
   
6. Opie is a much desired dog. My kids earned him. They had to demonstrate responsibility toward several other pets before being even allowed to think about getting a dog. Opie’s precursors were several freshwater fish that  lived out their normal fishy life spans until some rotten aquarium store contaminated our tank with a ridiculous number of snails. I hate snails. Then, a hamster named Max — Much beloved. He escaped his cage twice. I found him both times. The first time he managed to get out of the house  I caught him in the backyard flower bed before the feral cats got to him. The second time he nearly gave me a heartattack because he decided to crawl into my bed while we were sleeping. He’s really lucky he didn’t get swatted to kingdom come. The boys kept their room and the living room clean and straight for 6 solid months. Then, we started trawling for rescued dogs that were hypoallergenic. Yes, Opie’s Mom is allergic to dogs and cats.
   
7. My fantasy is to have a larger house so that I can have at least one more dog friend for Opie. I know he gets lonely, but our house is just too small. I’d like a little dog about the same size as Opie so that they will be on an even footing and good buddies. Maybe with more space we could foster a dog as well. I keep buying lottery tickets! So wish me luck!
   

 

Now here are the blogs Opie and I are giving the award to.

Like my predecessor, we will probably be naming some blogs that have already won the award previously, but we also hope you’ll see some blogs you haven’t seen before. Please take the opportunity to visit them, especially the ones that are new to you. All of the blogs  listed are both beautiful in form and content. We know you are going to enjoy them. They are stylish not only in format and design, but also in their content. They have wonderful substantive content on a regular basis. They are all a delight.

There is no particular order – alphabetical or otherwise, just how they come to my mind.

1. I am Santa a Miniature Schnauzer
   
2. Will My Dog Hate Me
   
3. Paw Prints on my Heart
   
4. Dobermans by the sea
   
5. Maggie Mae
   
6. From Sophie’s View
   
7. Tanks Two Cents
   
8. Park Avenue Chihuahua
   
9. Stella: A blog about a Schnoodle
   
10. According to Gus
    
11. The Clampets
    
12. Brown Dog CBR
    
13. Schnauzer and Schnauzer
    
14. The ( mis) Adventures of Sage
    
15. Life and Times of Chewy the Shih Tzu
    

     

These are all wonderful blogs. I hope you’ll take the opportunity to visit them.

Once again, Opie and I say thank you to Paw Print City!

 

 

 

A Snorkie’s View of The Top Grossing Dog Movies of All time

Hi all,

Opie here!

This is Oscar weekend! So I thought I’d get in on Movie Mania, but I don’t care about some British guy with a speech impediment or some boxer, unless of course it’s a canine boxer. I like dog movies. So, mama found a list of the top grossing movies of all time. It turns out that Mama and Daddy and I have seen a lot of these movies. For those of you who haven’t seen them here’s a quick summary of what these movies are about and my take on them. Feel free to agree or disagree.

These movies made a lot of money. Wouldn’t it be nice if the producers gave just ½ a percent of their gross profits to doggy rescues. Even an eighth of a percent would be fabulous! It seems to me that doggy movies should do some good for the doggies that they portray. Pretty much every movie here illustrates our best qualities, our good relationships with our humans no matter how stupid those humans are and our ability to make the story turn out right!

Imagine how much dog food, how many rescue shelters, and vet bills ½ percent from just one of these movies would help.

Maybe some Hollywood producer will read my blog and get an idea.

HINT! HINT!

I vow right now that if somebody does that my whole family will see the movie, and I’ll bet a lot of you guys will too! Anyway, here’s the list! Enjoy!

Top grossing dog movies of all time

1. Marley & Me (2008) – $142,992,475 – Great story about a dog that really rules the roost. I love this wonderful “dawgins”! I wish I could do all the stuff he does! Unlike Cesar Milan, I have no problem with this doggy or his family! What’s wrong with the dog being the pack leader? What a precocious pup!
   
2. 101 Dalmatians (1996) – $136,189,294 – heartrending tale of lost puppies and a really evil human aptly named Cruella Deville. I hung on the edge of my dog bed during it.
   
3. Cats & Dogs (2001) – $93,385,515 — This is like Die Hard for Dogs. I love this movie!
   
4. Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008) – $92,072,613 – A horror film – dogs forced to wear numerous outfits, taken care of by a slovenly dog sitter and then LOST in a foreign country. Puppies should not be allowed to watch. It will give them nightmares. It gave ME nightmares! Beverly Hills is 5 minutes from my house…Chills!
   
5. Eight Below (2006) – $81,612,565 — I watch this one over and over again. I love this film. However, I am awfully glad I don’t have to pull anything where I live. Personally, I know I would not have had any trouble catching a bird to eat. I do jump quite well. Dog Adventure at it’s very best!
   
6. Snow Dogs (2002) -$81,172,560 – Well, I do have standards. Nobody looks good in this.
   
7. Turner & Hooch (1989) – $71,079,915 – Once again, I do have standards – Hanks may be an Oscar winner, but I don’t get why he’s so annoyed with the dog in this one. He’s just being a dog, and the dog in my mind is a much better actor.
   
8. 102 Dalmatians (2000) – $66,957,026 – I love these madcap dogs, but sequels are never a good idea.
   
9. The Shaggy Dog (2006) – $61,123,569 – A true horror film. What happened to the dog’s personality? Completely taken over by the man. The horror! Like a doggy Exorcist
   
10. Beethoven (1992) – $57,114,049 – This poor dog Beethoven turns out to be a hero for the family and the family in turn becomes a hero for him. It was a great dog action adventure.
    
11. Beethoven’s 2nd (1993) – $53,443,066 – Okay I liked the first one, but I don’t do sequels.
    
12. K-9 (1989) – $43,247,647—Well this one was kind of boring. It was not the GSD’s fault! Bad plot.
    
13. Underdog (2007) – $42,937,703 – I love this film! The human element was weak but the dog rocked! Isn’t it every dog’s dream to fly!
    
14. Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993) – $41,833,324 — Mama says the book was better and the original movie was better too.
    
15. Benji (1974) – $39,552,000 – yes I love this dog. He looks like me and he saves the day.
    
16. Good Boy! (2003) – $37,667,746 — a good dog fantasy! Yeah see how happy you guys would be if we all left the planet. MISERABLE! So take better care of us!
    
17. White Fang (1991) – $34,793,160 – a true wolf dog’s film. Five woofs!
    
18. My Dog Skip (2000) – $34,134,641 – what’s not to love about this film. It has it all. Daddy says he teared up pretty good in this film. I whimpered a bit as well. Love this film.
    
19. See Spot Run (2001) – $33,357,476 – typical dog thriller!
    
20. Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco (1996) – $32,772,492 – once again I don’t do sequels.
    
21. Because of Winn-Dixie (2005) – $32,647,042 – LOVE IT!
    
22. Air Bud (1997) – $23,144,499 – Okay this was just silly. I have no desire to play basketball and I don’t know any dog who does. The dang ball is too big!
    
23. Benji the Hunted (1987) – $22,257,624 – not too happy with sequels
    
24. Cujo
    (1983) – $21,156,152 — Why didn’t these rotten people have Cujo vaccinated against Rabies. This movie enraged me. People who don’t vaccinate get what they deserve. Cujo is an avenger and a victim. Dog Tragedy!
    
25. Iron Will
    (1994) – $21,006,361 – the dogs are the true stars of this. Should be Iron Dogs.
    
26. Best in Show (2000) – $18,715,392 – Really cool! It made me want to be a show dog. Unfortunately, not possible since I’ve been fixed.
    

List retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_animal_films#Top_grossing_dog_movies_of_all_time

I want some Albondigas Soup! A Snorkie’s Cry!

Hi all, Opie here.

Look at my bowl.

It’s got COLD KIBBLE in it. COLD, COLD KIBBLE!

 

Now, I want you to look at Daddy’s Bowl. What do you see?

I see SOUP! Delicious, fragrant MEATY Soup! What you can’t see is that it’s so hot that the steam is rising from it.

All those wonderful aromas are wafting right

UP MY NOSE!!!!

Now normally, I am do NOT beg, but guys it’s Albondigas Soup!

Do you know what that is?

That’s MEAT BALL SOUP!!!

How much is a poor Snorkie supposed to stand!

Do you think I got any? Do you think I even got a cracker or a chip!

No. I didn’t.

I am depressed

Why didn’t I get at least a chip or a cracker?

Because mama has run into a lot of really, really, really obese dogs lately!

She says there’s no way I’ll ever get like that. She says that she’s not going to kill me with food!

She had sort of a mad gleam in her eye when she said it right after she ran out to her Weight Watchers meeting.

I hate weight watchers!

Now the whole family is on a diet.

This is going to be a “lean” year.

And I’m not trying to be funny. L

 

 

WordPress Data leads Opie to “Classic Opie” Taylor

Hey guys,

Mama and I occasionally like to look at the search terms that readers use that result in them finding our blog.  It’s really funny how things end up.

Somebody asked what type of dog that Opie Taylor had. Remember Opie! He’s classic Opie. I’m named after him!  Mama and I were both kind of curious about that question.

Image via Wikipedia

 

So we did a little bit of Internet research. We found out that Opie did have a dog named Gulliver, but we didn’t find out what kind of dog he was.   Indeed, we couldn’t find the episode where we might even see him.

However, we made a really great discovery, or as Mama would say — rediscovery! ( She used to watch the show when she was little — she’s reminding me to tell you that they were re-runs and she is not nearly as old as all that!)  ( Yeah right! )

Anyway, we found a great episode of the Andy Griffith Show called “Dogs, Dogs, Dogs”

We’re going to give you Part I of that episode here and encourage you to watch all 4 parts.  ( no commercials so it’s fairly short for a TV episode!)  We watched the whole thing and it was just a delight!  It will make you smile and make you think a little too.   It’s hard sometimes to watch these old shows with 2011 sensibilities sometimes, but this show manages to retain a lot of charm.  Otis still irks me a little, but oh well… it was the 50’s or early 60’s right?

Here are some things to note while you watch

1.  Different views of Dogs

2. Barney’s Giraffe Story

3.  The effect  the Pack on the main tension of the story.  

4.  Children really are the best conscience  of our society. 

Anyhow, here’s the clip. Let us know  how you liked it.  YouTube will automatically feed you the next part.  Just click on the 2/4 clip to see the  next bit.

Enjoy!

Frolicking with my Hu-Brother or A “Rough” game of Fetch!

 

There’s nothing more fun than playing in the backyard with my brothers.

Here’s a video of some of our fun!  Watch your volume… we’re a rock and roll family!

( Unfortunately, youtube says I have some copyright issues with my music so I’m going to do another video with some different music for my international pet blogging pals) Stay tuned for that one. It might take me a little time

Here’s the one that should be unblocked for my international pals.  I used the Youtube audio swap. First time using it!  It’s okay, but I couldn’t figure out how to add another track once the first one finished.  So you only have one song.  The original songs were Rock and Roll by Led Zepplin and Dream on by Aerosmith.  Love that Steve Tyler!

Anyway here you go… this guy’s pretty good too!

Snorkie Surfing Discovery — Presidential Pets!

 

It seems only fitting that on Presidents Day weekend we should look at some Presidential Pets!

Opie and I were surfing the internet and ran across a great slide show. Of course AP won’t allow their stuff to be shared on a blog. So, we’ll just have to do this the old fashioned way.

Here is the link!

You could almost forgive some of these presidents for stuff they did or didn’t do when you see how much they love their dogs, cats and

 —- well..let’s just say the White house has been home to more than dogs and cats!

But then again, notice the names of their pets. I think it’s kind of telling.

If I were President, my Chief of Staff might suggest that Opie have a name change to fit his position as First Dog!

King

Duke

Emperor

Dictator

These names seem to fit his Snorkie Personality.

He looks like he’s above it all in this photo!

“Go ahead take my photo, peasant. I shall not deign to look at you. You are beneath my gaze!

Let them eat kibble!”

 

However, that might not be in keeping with our Democratic ideals.

Don’t want all the people to revolt over my dog’s name, right?

So, how about these?

Freedom

Equality

Liberty

Justice

I wouldn’t mind changing his name to Happiness (First name –Pursuit of)

Yes, Happiness! We could call him Hap or Happy!

 

Why not name your favorite slide in a comment to this posting. (Try not to be partisan about this! No matter how villainous you think that particular commander in chief.) Which photo do you like best?

 

I’ll start you off.

I love the picture of Jackie and John-John and other Kennedy kids with a pack of dogs!

And those dogs appear to be nameless!

Enjoy!

Related Articles

• 10 Most Memorable White House Pets (onlinecertificateprograms.org)

Wordless Wednesday – A Study of a Sun Lit Snorkie

It is fitting on a rainy day in Southern California I post a study in Sunshine on Snorkie Fur.

It’s wet and grey here today but a few days ago the sunlight was just brilliant.

Let’s hark back to those days shall we?

What captions would you put under this series of photos?

What do you think our little Snorkie is thinking?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Opie sends his Valentines Greetings!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Have a wonderful Day

Everyone!

I wish love and blessings to

All my Human and Furry Buddies!

Remember to support an Animal Rescue or Shelter Today!

 

Snorkie Report – The Lange Foundation – Angels walking among us

 

…And a Valentine’s Day Call to Action

A few days ago I did a favor for one of my son’s friends and brought him back to school for his rehearsal after a basketball game. It was the best experience of the week after a rotten two hours of L.A. traffic and being confused about where the team was playing that day. Inadvertently, the team coach left my son’s friend at the other team’s school. We drove him back to our school for his school musical rehearsal. During the trip we talked about our dogs. His family has three — All older dogs and with some problems. He told me about Loki, who has one eye and adores his Mom. I know what that’s like. Loki was from the Lange Foundation. I’d heard of them. I remember looking through their dogs on petfinder.com when we were looking for our furrever friend. I also might have seen them on an old episode of the Oprah Winfrey show. In any case, Opie and I promised that we’d spend some time talking about pet rescue issues at least once a week. I’ve fallen a little behind with that promise, but hopefully, this Snorkie Report on the Lange Foundation and a Valentine’s Day Call to Action will make up for it.

The Lange Foundation is a wonderful organization. It is a no kill shelter for dogs and cats that need to be re-homed. Lange volunteers rescue dogs and cats that are just about to be euthanized. I’d like to shine the spotlight on them with my blog buddies. They are doing a wonderful and amazing job here in Los Angeles and it would be great for them to continue doing this wonderful job. I’d like to also encourage people to donate to The Lange Foundation.

Here are some of the wonderful animals that can be adopted. This is Lady. She is a 10 year old Mini Pin.  This little gal is going blind so she knows that she has to pay attention to everything around her.  In no time, she has figured out her surroundings and is practically the queen of this castle! Because of her disability, Lady is very attached to people and loves so much.

This is Tigger!

Tigger 10 year old poodle that was returned to Lange Foundation after 10 years; he needs to be on special food and maybe some medication, but he is a doll, and he deserves a second chance. Maybe through Lange he’ll get that chance.

Puppies and kittens are easy to adopt, but what about an older dog or a dog with injuries, or an FIV cat? Lange foundation is trying to help these hard to place animals. They need your help. They are also involved in saving horses as well. They’ve built an amazing facility in California’s Canyon country that houses some retired dogs, cats AND horses. It is a sanctuary for rescued dogs, cats and horses that are so neglected and abused that they are beyond rehabilitation. At the sanctuary at St Bonnie’s they have a permanent home with loving staff and volunteers.

“The Lange Foundation was founded in 1993 by Gillian Lange, recipient of the City of Los Angeles St. Francis of Assisi Award in recognition of her work on behalf of abandoned and neglected animals since 1974.  To date, she has helped rescue and place over 20,000 cats and dogs that would have otherwise been destroyed in shelters.” http://www.langefoundation.com/index/Home.html

My poor words are not nearly as effective as the video you are about to see about the Lange foundation and the link to their website.

I urge you to click on the link and donate something directly to the shelter.

I also have a Valentine’s Day suggestion.

Valentine’s Day Call to Action!

If your honey loves chocolate or negligees or a fancy meal from you, consider supplementing your V-day celebration with a true gift of love.

Give a donation to Lange or the rescue of your choice in their name as part of their gift. My hubby and boys are going to get something special in their chocolate boxes this year — A receipt for a donation in their names to Lange Foundation.
Without organizations like this many of us would be without our furrever friends. It hurts my heart to think that someone might have thrown Opie away. It makes me cry to think about all the others. We could stick our heads in the sand and not think about it, but consider that a small donation, even $10 could be the tipping point for a rescue’s budget. It might be one more doggy that gets saved or one more FIV kitty that get’s a home, or one more horse that is saved from the glue factory ( oh yeah, that still exists!)

So for Opie’s sake and all the little doggies, kitties and horses who need our help –

Let’s make a difference

On

February 14!

I know among my readers I am preaching to the converted. We’d probably all empty the tissue box watching Lange Foundations videos, but we all have tweet buttons and Facebook pages and friends who we chat on the phone or online with. Pass the word along and let’s see if we can make miracles happen for some wonderful rescues – Lange and/or those in your area.

Related Articles

• Los Angeles Pet Adoption: The Lange Foundation Continues Commitment To Rescue Animals (huffingtonpost.com)

A Trip to the Groomers – The Normal Routine!

I should know when I am going to the groomers. There’s a set routine that I should remember, but I get fooled EVERY TIME!

Mama is extra special nice to me on grooming day. She’s nice all the time, but I get some serious treats when it’s time for a shampoo, trim and nail filing (SHUDDER!)

The morning started off well, I suppose. I went outside and did my business. Mama fixed my breakfast a little earlier than usual. Daddy usually does it around 9:30 AFTER he’s eaten and read the paper and checked his email. This time Mama had my bowl right after I came in at 7:30 AM. She gave me my usual ½ cup of kibble, but then she went back the refrigerator and got some beef broth. She put a little in a glass container and stuck it in the microwave for a few seconds – just until it was warm, and I could smell the beef aroma. My mouth started to water. You all know what beef smells like when the delicious vapors are wafting through the air?

HEAVENLY!

She poured a little of that over my kibble. Mmm — I knew that breakfast was going to be good. But she didn’t stop there. She went back to the refrigerator — I call it the FOOD TREASURE BOX – and brought out some HAM! She cut a little slice and cut it into tiny little pieces. Then she mixed it all in with my kibble. The ratio was precisely

Kibble – ham bit – kibble- ham bit – kibble- ham bit.

Well, I gobbled it right down! There was a party in my mouth!

Then, the next cool thing happened. I got my morning walk, and we walked TWICE as long as usual… well not really, mama had to sit on a neighbor’s wall a few times, but we were outside in the neighborhood a really long time. Oh and great news! The mean lady who lives on the corner is moving! When she leaves we won’t cross the street anymore to avoid her house. Mama can’t stand her because she yelled at my hu- brother Michael for letting me poop on her grass. Gee whiz lady we had bags! On our morning walk, we went a little ways up the hill, and I got to mark some new territory. We ran into a really nice Lhasa, but her Daddy didn’t want her to stop and play. When we got home, Mama stopped at the van instead of going into our house. My Snorkie senses should have been tingling but they were dulled by walkies and ham nummies! I hopped into the van like a naïve puppy! She let the window down a crack for me. As we drove off I got to smell all those wonderful smells. My last chance to come to my senses and my senses were OVERWHELMED!

Even though I was unfairly distracted by ham, long walks and “scentgasms”, I still should have known something was up. The dog groomers are right near a burger place. The smells of beef, bacon, cheese, chili cheese fries and fried chicken completely mask the smell of shampoo. As soon as we turned the corner, I knew I was in trouble!

We parked and I decided that I’d better just get it over with fast. So, I jumped out of the car really quickly. Unfortunately, I accidently tied mama up in the leash. I tied myself up pretty good too!

Mama rubbed my head untangled me, and we went in.

To be fair my groomers are pretty nice. They are always nice to me. They give me treats and rub my chin. The other dogs there seem happy. Faoud uses really good warm water to give me my bath, and he calls me darling and honey and baby all the time. He really loves dogs. I can tell. He gave me my first bath after I was rescued from “death row.” He does a lot of rescued dogs.

Most my dog friends in the neighborhood go to Faoud. I was tired from my walk and my belly was full from my very excellent breakfast. I slept a lot in my grooming crate until I got my “hair done.”

Here is my BEFORE picture

Now here is my AFTER Picture

Mama says I smell better, and I’ve had a pedicure. My belly was shaved and my back end is trimmed as well for hygiene reasons. Also, those matts that mama couldn’t get out are gone. Faoud just cuts them out. I’ll admit it’s better not to have so much of my hair in my eyes. My hair is really soft. It’s soft all the time, but it’s super soft now.

But let’s get down to brass tacks – Aren’t I beautiful?

Mama says that beauty is hard work. Well, I’ve done my “beauty chore” for the month!

Michael and mama came to get me from the salon. Faoud called her on her cell as soon as I was done.

I was so happy to get home!

And it was wonderful to have Michael rescue get me from the groomers. I jumped all over him and licked him and tried to eat him up in the car! Mama let the window down a little for me on the way back. Ahhh! The wind was blowing just right… cheese burgers, fried chicken, French fries and bacon were in the wind.

Oh it’s great to be with my family again.

I guess I don’t mind being clean.