Pockets got a package from Scruffy, Lacie & BabyStan!

Hello to all our furry and not-so-furry friends! I, Pockets got a package in the mail, yesterday. It is from Scruffy, Lacie, BabyStan and their Mumsie! I was so excited that I could hardly wait to open it! There are no pictures of me opening it because evil Mom opened it for me. She said something about there being something in there that she didn't want me to destroy. Me? Would I do that? Ok, so maybe she was right! They sent me a package of natural dog treats that are peanut butter and molasses flavor. They are yummy! Too bad I had to share with those 2 girl-dogs! I also got some square rawhides and some rawhide bones! Yum! My very favorite thing was an Extra Large Kong Wubba! I just looooove it! I love it so much that after about an hour of wrapping my large 'dale teeth around it, I actually uncovered the tennis ball on the small end! Before I did that, though, I drove Dad crazy with the squeaker! He kept saying that I was going to break something because I was slinging it all over the place! He finally put me in my crate so I could enjoy it in peace without putting out any windows or anything!

It was soooooo fun! While I had my evening training session, Mom threw the Wubba into the living room so Penny and Poppy could play with it. Well, that didn't work out so well...with all the squeaking they were doing, I couldn't stay focused on my training. Mom won't try THAT again! Right now, my Wubba is resting on top of the 'fridge because I will have to be snoopervised when I play with it, now, due to the exposed tennis ball! So not fair!!!!!

Hi everydog! It's me, Poppy. My eyes are a little better this morning, but they are still pretty bloodshot. Mom keeps wiping them with distilled water and sterile saline. That sure feels good! Mom and Dad are trying to keep the big fuzzy boy away from me, but sometimes I just have to get right in his face! How else am I going to show him what he did to me and tell him not to do it again? He's such a big doofus that I'm not sure he's getting the picture. Every time he sees me, he wants to play bitey-face! When my eyes get better, Mom says we can play while being snoopervised. I guess that's better than no bitey-face at all!

Hi everyone! It's me, Penny! I am really enjoying my new senior dog food and having Mom and Dad keep the big furry beast from biting my back legs! I like to chase him, but I am not too excited about the leggie biting thing! I wanted to let everyone know that the three wheelies you saw in a previous post are on their way to Scruffy, Lacie and BabyStan's house. They will be transported as soon as Mom gets their adoption certificate and crate ready for them. We are hoping they arrive before Opal's wheelie pawty! They wouldn't want to miss out on that!

Poppy and I are going to have a nap now until Stacey gets here. Once she arrives, we have to have a major playing session with her. Also, she has to meet Captain High Pockets and we are sure he will have to join in the play session, too. Oh, yeah, Mom wanted us to tell you that she did NOT fall down yesterday (or so far, today)! She is getting slightly less sore in her muscles, but fuzzy boy bit her hand, this morning and caused her to smack her forehead into the back of a chair. So...the abuse continues! We sure hope he grow up fast!

Aire-hugs,

Poppy, Penny & Pockets

Poppy's eyes...and Mom fell down AGAIN!

Hi everydog, kitty, hammie and hooman! It's me, Poppy! I seem to have a problem with my eyes. Last night, Mom noticed that my left eye was bloodshot. She freaked out, as usual, and thought I was having a brain hemmorage or something. The vet said to wash it out with distilled water and watch it. Well, by the time we went to bed, the other eye was the same way. I just laid in my bed and wouldn't move. Mom kept checking to make sure I was breathing. After a loooooong time, she finally went to sleep. When we got up, this morning, both eyes look a tiny bit better, but Mom is still freaking! She did a Google search for bloodshot eyes in dogs. She found out that it can be caused by allergies to food or dust and it can also be caused by trauma to the head or eyes. Well, in the last couple of days, Pockets and I have been playing lots of bitey-face and Mom actually saw Pockets bite me in the left eye. I didn't act like it hurt, but he got in trouble anyway. We are in the process of having our food changed to Iam's Lamb Meal and Rice so maybe I am allergic to it. Mom told Dad, this morning, not to give me anymore. That's good because I don't like it anyway! Neither do Penny and Pockets. Now, they are putting Penny on a Senior food because of her drinking and peeing situation and Pockets and I will get our old food until they can find something better. We don't know if it is the food or maybe because the big doofus keeps bashing my head into the coffee table when we do zoomies in the living room. If my eyes aren't better by the time Mom comes home from work, today, I am going to see Dr. Hardee!

Yesterday, Mom and Dad took Pockets to the vet for a check-up. Everything was going well until they were ready to leave. Dad put Pockets into the back of the Aire-mobile and walked around to get into the passenger side. Mom realized that Pockets would be in the front seat by the time the front doors were opened, so she hurried to the driver's side door to keep him from getting up there. Well, in her big hurry, she tripped over one of those concrete barriers that keep you from hitting the curb. She flattened herself on the ground and now, she has asphalt burns on her hands and her left knee kind of looks like hamburger! All the people from the vet's office came out to see if she was okay. After making sure she didn't have any broken bones, they got her up off the ground and opened the driver's door for her to get in. That's when Pockets escaped! Fortunately, one of the nurses grabbed his big fuzzy butt and put him back into the Aire-mobile! So...now that Mom has hit the deck twice in the same week, her entire body is hurting. She even has a headache and we can't figure out why because her head is the only part of her body that hasn't hit the ground recently! Oh, yeah...and she did all that damage to her body without ripping her jeans! That must be some really tough denim! Dad had to drive Mom home since she was so shook up. Dad almost never drives because he can't turn his head very easily! Many years ago, he had a Titanium cage put in his upper spine and it keeps him from turning his head very well. After they brought Pockets home, Dad even drove to do their errands so we know Mom was really hurting.

Pockets has been having training sessions with a prong collar and last night, he was so bad that Mom gave up and put him in his crate. He kept biting her and wouldn't do any of the commands! Since she hurt so badly, she couldn't give him the corrections properly so she had to give up. This morning, she tried again and he did pretty well except the big doofus kept trying to shop everything he saw instead of heeling like he was supposed to. He did do the sit every time he was told! Maybe there's hope for the big fuzzy maniac after all!

There will be no bitey-face today since I have the eye problem. We have a permanently installed baby gate between the living room and the kitchen. The big fuzzy boy will be in the kitchen and Penny and I will have the rest of the house to relax in. I'm sure Penny will be glad, too, since she is probably tired of having her legs bit every few minutes!

Aire-hugs,

Poppy, Penny & Pockets

Hot Sauce, Mud and Even More Bitey-face

Hi everydog, kitty, hammie and hooman! Our wild brother, Pockets, is now sporting about a 6 foot long rope so Mom and Dad can step on it and catch the crazy critter when he refuses to come. Since he has already shortened his rope from the 8 feet he started with, it has now been soaked in hot sauce. That stops him from chewing it for several hours, but then, it has to have more put on it. He either decides that he likes to have a really hot tongue or the stuff wears off. If you click on the second picture, you can see the wild-eyed look he gets when he gets a taste of the hot sauce. Sorry it's so dark!

I, Poppy am still limping and the big boy is to blame. He t-bones me and knocks me off balance. My petite 46 pounds are no match for his 65+ pounds and his 34 inch height. I have sunk my teefies into him more than once, but he just comes back for more! When he went for a bath, on Saturday, Penny and I thought he had finally left for good. No such luck, he came back home a few hours later. *Sigh*! He IS fun to play with when we feel like it! We just wish he would settle down a little!

Yesterday, Aunt Wendy came over to give Pockets his first real training session. He attacked and jumped all over her when she came through the door so Mom grabbed him by the collar and tried to get him settled down. That was a big mistake! Mom ended up being slammed to the wooden floor in the kitchen and now she is hurting all over! Beastie boy grabbed a packet of Kleenex from Aunt Wendy and she had to pry it out of his jaws of death. Funny thing though...once he got his prong collar on, he was the perfect boy! He walked nicely, sat on command and paid no attention to stuff when told to "leave it". They even took the big doofus for a walk around the neighborhood and he was really good. However, as soon as Aunt Wendy went home to Ezzy and Jagger, the wild boy was back! He ran through the living room and knocked over a lamp and almost knocked over an end table with a glass top! Mom was able to grab the end table before it hit the floor! He had to go in his crate after that little escapade so Penny and I sat outside his crate and snickered at him!

See that patch of mud? If you click on it, you can see large 'dale toenail marks in it! That is from when Pockets kicks his back legs every time he does poopies. Mom calls them "burn outs". He does it EVERY time he finishes his poopies. The really bad thing is that he brings the mud inside under his toenails and even worse...he kicks the poopies about 6 feet behind himself so some of that comes in too! We sure are glad Penny and I don't do that! Mom doesn't even want to think about what it would be like with all 3 of us dragging mud and poopies into the house!

We should have the fence up by Wednesday or Thursday so beastie boy will be able to run off some of his energy. Maybe, then, he will be nicer and a little more gentle with the bitey-face stuff. We like playing bitey-face with him, but he's just a little too rough! Right now, he's in his crate again because he was trying to eat the computer cords under Mom's desk! We aren't sure, but we think he might be "possessed"! Of course, Mom thought Penny and I were, too, when we first came to live here, but we finally outgrew it! I wonder how long it is going take for the wild child to outgrow it! And we wonder if Mom and Dad will live through it!

Aire-hugs,

Poppy, Penny and Pockets (the burn-out kid!)

Bitey-face and pinestraw.

Hello to all our furry and not-so-furry friends! See that pile of pinestraw at the back of our woods? Well it is 6 feet high and about 150 feet long and that's what Pockets jumped over on the way to his great escape! We haven't had anymore escapes, but he is driving Penny and me crazy. He chases Penny and bites her tail and he is constantly biting my face and legs. I am limping and Penny is just plain worn out! Yesterday, he grabbed a grapefruit off the counter and played with it like a ball. Mom was afraid he was going to puncture it and put juice EVERYWHERE! Fortunately, he turned it into juice, but he never broke through the skin! We, now have mouse traps on the window seat, in the kitchen to keep him out of the window where the plants are. He tripped one of the traps and hasn't been near the window again. We think we should mouse trap the whole house! Maybe Mom could glue one to the top of my head and Penny's tail. He wants to play bitey-face with me constantly and I only want to play when I feel like it! I keep growling at him, barking and showing him my large teefies, but he comes right back at me. Mom has been putting him in "time out" a LOT!

Yesterday, the wild boy decided that he is no longer going to mind Mom. He won't come when she calls him and runs from her instead. Today, he is wearing a rope around the house so Mom can step on it when he won't come. He is going in for a much needed bath, this morning, and while he is gone, Penny and I will be taking BIG, BIG nap! There is a man coming, this afternoon to get measurements and see what kind of materials he needs to put up a fence in front of that pile of pinestraw. Thank Dogness! Once the fence is in, Pockets can run like a mad fool and burn off some of that energy! Then, maybe he will leave Penny and me alone for awhile.

Stay tuned for more great adventures!

Aire-hugs,

Poppy, Penny and Pockets (the wild child!)

The Great Escape.....

Hi everydog, kittie, hammie and hooman! It's me...Captain High Pockets! I get to do my very first post, today, even though I have been a very naughty boy. I have lived here in Airedale Heaven for not quite 4 whole days and I have created all kinds of mayhem! I have lifted my leg on a bag of trash, a trash can and a plant...so we are at 3 and counting! I went to the basement with Mom so she could pack one of Dad's ink pad caddies for shipping. Under her packing table, she has this ginormous bin of packing peanuts that are made of corn starch. They looked soooo delicious that I just had to grab a mouthful! In hindsite, I think that may have been a mistake. They start to melt on contact with water so I had a large 'dale mouth full of slime! Later that day, Dad was priming some boards and I stuck my fuzzy head right on them and ended up with paint on my ear and my muzzle. Later still, on the same day, I disappeared and Mom found me standing in the middle of the big bed with a Longaberger basket in my mouth and a tube of Mentholatum on the bed. Fortunately for her, she caught me before I had a chance to destroy either one.

On Tuesday, my second full day here, I started out the day by getting up into the window seat in the kitchen where Mom stores plants in the winter. The first three times I got up there, I was caught and made to get down without disturbing any plants. The fourth time I got up there, I knocked over a large cactus and dirt went EVERYWHERE. Mom got out the Dust Buster to clean it up and I attacked it. I just didn't like the noise it made so I thought I should kill it! At that point, Mom put me in my crate so she could have a "time out".

Here's the worst thing I have done since I've been here! On Tuesday afternoon, it rained really hard and as soon as it quit raining, Mom let us go outside to do our business. I was mesmerized by all the water so I splashed around in all the puddles and then I did a tuck butt run to the back of our yard. I sailed right over a pile of pinestraw that is about 5 feet high. I refused to come back when Mom and Dad called me. I set out for parts unknown and was having a really great time sniffing out all the great smells! Mom jumped into her Tahoe and took of through the subdivision looking for me and squeaking my favorite toy. I could hear it, but I was just having too much fun! She went over to the school that is behind our house and she couldn't see me. She came back into our subdivision while driving with the passenger side window down and squeaking the toy while looking for me. She turned around in our driveway and started back out of the subdivision and she finally spotted me in a backyard about 6 houses away from ours. I was just grazing and inspecting their retaining wall when Mom jumped out of her Tahoe and called me with my squeaky toy. I thought she wanted to play, so I turned around to run, but changed my mind when she squatted down on the ground. I got close enough that she grabbed me by the collar and herded me into the back of the Tahoe. Damn! I was having such an excellent adventure and all of a sudden, it came to an end. Now, I have to go outside on a leash until someone comes out here to put a fence in front of that pile of pinestraw. It's no fun at all, but I have already shortened Mom and Dad's lives by a few years and sent their blood pressure soaring, so I guess I will have to put up with the rope for a few days.

I have been into many more things that don't belong to me, but my personal secretary doesn't have all day to type what I am barking. I will have to tell you the rest later. Besides, I am not done wreaking havoc! There WILL be more!

Aire-hugs,

Poppy, Penny & Pockets (the escape artist!)

The challenge from Maggie and Mitch.

Hi everybody! We have been challenged by Maggie and Mitch to blog about something our parents made. The only things WE make are messes! Our mom does needle felting and in case you aren't familiar with it, it is an ancient art, but Mom just discovered it a little over a year ago. You start out with a pile of washed wool or any other natural fiber and you jab it with very sharp barbed needles until you form it into whatever you want. The picture on the bottom is Harley the Cane Corso Italian Mastiff that is going to live next door to Opal and her keeper. The picture on the top is of an Airedale, a Wire Fox Terrier and a Lakeland Terrier or Welsh Terrier. They aren't sold yet. All of them are on wheels since that seems to be so popular right now. Mom sells most of her felties on Ebay, but she has also done a lot of them by commission. In 2007, she sold 100 of them!

Now, for Dad's contribution: He is retired and likes to do all kinds of woodworking. These two pictures are ink pad caddies that people use for scrapbooking and Stampin Up as well as any other crafts that require ink pads. He also makes ribbon racks, ink bottle holders, crafting trays and just about anything else for storing crafting supplies. Not too long ago, he made a rack for a lady to store all her crafting stuff and it was 50 inches tall, about 36 inches wide and 14 inches deep. It was so big that we had to ship it by UPS. Dad also sells most of his creations on Ebay, but he also takes custom orders.

Now, we have to tag 6 other bloggers to show us their handmade stuff! We tag Harry and Cassidy, Lola and the dogs of Jackman Ave., Turbo the Siberian Husky, Bruno the Airedale, Bogart the Airedale and the Thuglets.

Aire-hugs,

Poppy, Penny & Pockets

He's FINALLY here!

Hi everydog, kitty, hammie and hooman! Our new little brother is HERE! Our mom and Aunt Wendy went and got him, yesterday, from some place called Marietta. He had been transported by Airedale Rescue, yesterday, from South Carolina. He came to us with the name of Mick, but as you know, all our names need to start with a P. Mom wanted to call him Peetie like the dog that used to be on the Little Rascals, but Aunt Wendy didn't like that name. Aunt Wendy like the name Piper, but our dad kept calling him Pepper. Finally, last night, Mom made a decision and Dad agreed. His name is Captain High Pockets and we will call him Pockets. This is a tribute to Mom and Dad's very first Airedale who was named Pockets and it is also a reference to his height. He is WAY taller than either of us! His nose is at the perfect height for counter surfing and so far, he is doing a FINE job of it!

I, Poppy had a really big day, yesterday! First, Ezzy Rider came to visit and then Aunt Wendy gave me a much needed Aire-cut and a b-a-t-h! I wasn't too excited about either the Aire-cut or the bath, but I was a good girl anyway. Ezzy Rider stayed here with us while Mom and Aunt Wendy went to get Pockets. He fell asleep on Dad's lap and played with both of us. We were having a pawsome time until they came back with that giant baby brother for us. We welcomed him into our territory, but we remained somewhat cautious since he is so much bigger than we are and he sure is wiggly! He eats a ton and drinks water by the gallons! We think he is going to turn out to be a perfect Aire-boy, but right now, he is driving us crazy! He has played with almost every toy we own and he's had his big Aire-lips on practically everything in our house. Mom and Dad had forgotten how it is when you have to watch somedog constantly! It's coming back to them very quickly, though!

Pockets has the most bootiful eyes...they almost look like human eyes! If you click on the pictures of him, you can see his eyes up close. Also, he hasn't had his tail docked like we have so it is a lethal weapon. A lot of our European Aire-buddies have long tails like that since it is illegal to dock Airedale's tails anymore, over there. Some people think we should have it docked, but the jury is still out on that! We will make that decision later. I, Poppy had my tail docked one joint too long and, at first, Mom wanted to have it fixed, but it became part of my personality and they never had it done. We will have to see if Pockets' long tail causes any trouble before the decision is made.

Until next time...

Aire-hugs,

Poppy & Penny (the confused Aire-girls) & Pockets (the wild child!)