Holiday Party Animals 2007

Holiday Party Animals 2007

Good times for warm hearts and cold noses.  Looking forward to more in the New Year!

Guess who's coming to town?

Rumor has it that Santa might make an appearance Sunday, December 23 around 8 AM. Hmm. Have all you doggies been good?

Blind dog leads the pack

Hi Gang,
Hope you had a nice relaxing holiday. Scrumpy is passed out on the couch as I type this dreaming up ways to coerce my mother (who is visting for the week) into further feeding her some of our breakfast.

In other news -- I read this article and thought I would share it with you all - Talk about realizing potential !

November 24, 2007 The Canadian Press

Isobel, a six-year-old husky cross, has all the great qualities of a sled dog. She loves to run, has strength and endurance, and works well alongside the other dogs tethered to the sleds that take tourists out on the subarctic terrain of Churchill, Man.

It takes a while for visitors to notice that she is completely blind.

"The dog lost its vision, but it didn't lose its spirit,'' Dr. Evan Fisk, Isobel's Winnipeg-based veterinarian said in a recent interview.

"It can smell, hear and feel other dogs nearby.''

Isobel not only follows other dogs on the sled team owned by Jenafor Ollander and her common-law husband, she sometimes runs lead in tandem with another husky.

"She runs tours every single day right now . . . and we have tourists from all over the world that are absolutely amazed,'' Ollander said.

"I'm sure some of them think I'm crazy when I tell them she's blind.''

Isobel wasn't born blind. Everything seemed fine until one day three years ago, when she suddenly came to a halt in the middle of a sled run and started staggering around.

"We hooked her back up in her house and noticed that both of her pupils were completely dilated,'' Ollander said.

"I remember a couple of people mumbling, 'What good is a blind sled dog? You should just take her out and shoot her.' And I'm a bit stubborn in nature . . . and I said, so what if she can't be a sled dog? She's a good dog.''

Isobel was taken to Winnipeg, where Fisk noticed her retinas had detached, possibly the result of a virus.

Back in Churchill, Isobel was kept indoors. Ollander figured she would be happy and safer inside.

Ollander was wrong.

"She stopped eating and drinking and we were quite concerned about what was going on,'' Ollander said.

"We happened to bring one of our other sled dogs home, and she perked right up. So it dawned on us that the problem was she was depressed and she missed her pack more than anything else.''

Isobel was soon reintroduced to her canine comrades and her behaviour improved right away. She started eating and drinking again.

With some hesitation, Ollander's husband decided to take a chance and hook Isobel up to the sled team and see what would happen.

"That dog ran like you wouldn't believe. She ran better than when she had her eyesight,'' Ollander said.

Isobel has been running ever since. She relies on the other dogs, human vocal commands, and her other senses to avoid obstacles.

It's not a complete surprise for Fisk.

"I believe that their senses adapt and they adjust, just like a person,'' he said.

"We know that people hone in well on their hearing skills and their sense of vibration and time and distance and smell and everything like that. And dogs become really acute at that. When they lose their vision, the rest of their senses kind of take over.''

Isobel is sometimes put up front with another dog for races, and has beat other dog teams in head-to-head competitions.

She still has a couple of good running years left in her. But she's already nearing the age when many sled dogs hang up their harness.

Finding a good home for her might be a challenge.

"We've had several people who've offered to adopt her . . . but we're really concerned because she just loves to run,'' Ollander said.

"We want to make sure that she doesn't end up in a situation where she gets depressed again.''

"She's OK in the dog yard where she has her dog yard buddies.''

Charlie

Thanks for the invite, Jacob. The doggies at Duniway have made Charlie feel right at home here in our new city of Portland. And we enjoy the park too! Lots of great people to meet and greet nearly everyday.

Thanks for all your support

What a group! It was a perfect day for a walk. Rhinos for Richard collected over $3,000. Thanks to all of you who contributed and/or showed support.

The Green Lantern

Today I found a Green Lantern in the school yard. It may be called a torch in the UK, possibly a flashlight here in East Moreland. I surmise that one of the Dawn Patrol dropped it. I would gladly like to return it to you. If you happen to be a literal, visual type, try to imagine that the torch, lantern, flashlight on the right is Green, not red.

You call this a fair fight?

Hey McKenzie, pick on someone your own size!

Finally logged in!

Hi Friends with dogs! We finally found the email inviting us to join. Our only digital photo of Ayla is her "shelter" photo. We'll bring the camera to Duniway to take some more. Thanks for thinking of us. Ayla's owners.. Ron and Amy.

More details for the Walk

Some of the participants from last year

This should link you to Cascade AIDS Project Walk page with all the details of where and when to meet. The Rhinos meet near the Umbrella Man around 9. If you have funds to turn in, I need them by 9 at the latest. If you can make donations online that is the easiest for everyone. If this link doesn't work for some reason, I know you will be able to figure it out on your own.
Thanks again.

Rhinos for Richard

Hi, everyone. I'd like to invite all of you to join me for a walk. The Cascade AIDS Project Walk to be exact. "Rhinos for Richard" is the name of the team that Bill and I formed many years ago in memory of my brother. There has been a lot of progress in treating people with AIDS, but it is still a huge threat and is still devastating lives all over the world. My hope is to raise some money to help support our local community. You can join the team or just donate through me. If you go to the Cascade AIDS Project website, either support a walker (Madelon Lewis) or join the team. The fund raising is the most important part. You don't even need to walk. If you donate $50 or more you qualify for one of my artistically challenged t-shirts. Everyone is also invited to join us after the walk (around noon or so) at the Lucky Lab for beer and bento or sandwiches. Dogs are welcome to walk if you'd like to bring them along. Thanks a lot. You are a great bunch.
xoxo,
Maddy

cooper

Growly has left the N'hood though only by location not by his memories. Cooper(aka Growly) has left though on his first/last visit back he definitely felt at home barking at Sam and Ollie. I love my new hood... please come visit the Mississippi N'Hood, only 1 person died from gun shot wounds since I lived here. No it wasn't my gun....I don't even own a gun just a growly

Counting Candles

Awww, no need to hide, Little Bit. Mom and Dad want to share with everyone that you've made it to your first birthday!! Or seventh, I guess if we're doing the dog years thing. Plus it's a nice excuse to share pics of our Sweet Cider Jeanne. Make a wish and blow out those "candles"....

getting her feet wet...

We brought Scrumpy along to Sauvie Island today and she decided to get her feet wet at the beach. She met a a friend named Roger . The farmers market was nice and the sweet corn we brought home was delicious. Happy Labor day gang.

Good Luck Charm

I dedicate this little song to Jacob. He received a good luck charm from the sky the other afternoon.

Birdie, birdie, in the sky
Dropped a doodoo
Near my eye.

But I'm a big boy
And I don't cry.

I'm just glad that
Cows don't fly.

(I added my favorite bird to this post for completelness -Jacob)

Not unless you're a good girl...

Help us, PLEASE!! This past Sunday, we had Mr. Harry Oakes, search and rescue dog trainer, over to our house to help us in our training. Cider, as most of you are aware, loves to greet people by jumping up on them. We would really love to break her of this habit, especially before rain and mud come back again, and we are going to need your help.

Please please please, if Cider comes to say hello to you, make her sit before giving her any kind of attention. Ignore her otherwise, turn your back to her, say no and give a little knee so she'll get down, anything! Once she sits nicely, then you can bend down to her level and say hello. She's never going to learn this right if all of us keep "letting" her jump up on us.

We can't tell you enough how much this means to us and all of those Cider says hello to (especially the mini-sized humans) and know that if you can help, it will make her learning so much faster and easier. Thank you thank you thank you so much in advance!!

It's a miracle. Son of Skanky

A funny thing happened at the opening of this weekend's REI sale. Bill and I were walking up to the checkout line and what did we see?
Hmm. I said. It looks very familiar. I think I will have to buy it. We got home, and opened the package to find:

Such a beautiful little thing. Perfectly smooth and nearly round. It even still has its little paw print visible on both ends. Turns out we must have found its daddy at REI too. The family comes from Bozeman, Montana. There was a red sister there, but we decided yellow is the only true skanky ball color. I hope all of you will make son of skanky feel at home this weekend. Chances are good he'll be there.

Mr. Skanky gone underground

Mr. Skanky has once again gone underground. Under deck, actually. He disappeared after a long chase by Django. Did Mr. Skanky jump or was he pushed through an opening in the deck? Could it be that his position has become a burden and he simply needs a rest? I'm afraid that will remain a mystery until the deck is disassembled and Skanky is returned to us. Until then, we are on a search for another contender for Skanky's position of the ultimate ugly, grimy, chewy, indestructable ball on the playground. What have you got?

I'm sleepy

Playing with my Eastmoreland friends makes me tired...

How Does Your Brain See Color?

Below is an example of The ColorText Brain Teaser. You do it by saying the color of each word. Be careful not to say the color named by the word. Example: if you see Blue you would say “red” because the color of the word blue is red. It’s harder than it looks. Give it a try…

http://dmiracle.com/conversation/how-does-your-brain-see-color/

Thanks for your kindness to the new puppy!

To everyone we met this morning, thank you! Pearl had a great time and I'm looking forward to chatting with y'all on a weekly basis and watching Pearl grow and become fully integrated into the Eastmoreland Pack. Ali Solari

perseid meteor shower -august 12th

http://www.omsi.edu/visit/planetarium/starparties.cfm

The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) is getting ready for its largest star party of the year on August 12! Stargazers will be meeting at Rooster Rock State Park at 9 p.m. to watch and enjoy the wonder of the Perseid Meteor Shower.

August brings one of the year's most famous and enjoyed meteor shower – the Perseid Meteor Shower. Hundreds of star lovers from across the Pacific Northwest are expected to attend OMSI's biggest star show of the year. The event, sponsored by OMSI, the Rose City Astronomers, the Vancouver Sidewalk Astronomers and Oregon Parks and Recreations will have telescopes set up for attendees to use. Jim Todd, OMSI's planetarium manager, will be presenting informal talks about the meteor shower, constellations, and the summer sky.

The Perseid Meteor Shower occurs when the Earth enters the path of debris left by the comet Swift-Tuttle in its last trip past the Sun. Swift-Tuttle follows a highly eccentric orbit around the Sun with an orbital period of about 130 years. The comet last passed by the Earth in December 1992.

This strong annual shower can produce 20 to 60 meteors an hour, though because of the light pollution and other factors, "many are too faint to see with the naked eye," Todd said. "Still, an observer in a dark subdivision can hope to see few meteors on the peak nights. This year the New Moon will not be a factor during the prime meteor-watching until the early morning. Under these conditions, you will see a Perseid or two each minute."

Rooster Rock State Park is located 22 miles east of Portland on I-84 at exit 25. The event is free, and there is a $3 per vehicle parking fee for public.

Cowboy Hats and Keens

Bosco sees Bill and Maddy in the distance..

Angus contemplates existence...

Here are some shots from this morning. Bill and Maddy performing the Oregon welcome for Cliff ! It was nice meeting you and slick pair of keens you had on there ! As for me -- I'm back to yard work duty for this afternoon. I'm hoping to see the Bourne Ultimatum later if time permits. Cheers & Happy Saturday...

Day Camp

Hey all!! This is Cider's Ma, Oona. (Yes it looks like Ooooona but you say it Own-a, FYI.) I have a question for you and your fine canine friends. Has anyone ever heard of Double Dog Ranch? It's like an adventure camp for dogs and my hubby Brian and I are considering taking Cider there for some fun in the sun when we go on vacation in October. Also, their website has info on a trainer that sounds like he's got a great resume, if anyone knows anything. I'd really like to get Cider thru obedience - ultimate goal: passing the AKC's Canine Good Citizen Test someday. Thanks for your input. See you in the A.M.!!

Scrumpy boots

Now, that's what I call a nice pair of boots. I knew you Oregoneans had to have a little fashion sense! I wish they just sold Keen's with embroidered vamps. By the way, I have purchased a number of t-shirts for my Eastmoreland visit this weekend.

Canis lupus familiaris

Laughter in dogs

Laughter might not be confined or unique to humans, despite Aristotle's observation that "only the human animal laughs". The differences between chimpanzee and human laughter may be the result of adaptations that have evolved to enable human speech. However, some behavioral psychologists argue that self-awareness of one's situation, or the ability to identify with somebody else's predicament, are prerequisites for laughter, so animals are not really laughing in the same way that humans do. The dog-laugh sounds similar to a normal pant. However by analyzing the pant using a spectrograph, this pant varies with bursts of frequencies, resulting in a laugh. When this recorded dog-laugh vocalization is played to dogs in a shelter setting, it can initiate play, promote pro-social behavior, and decrease stress levels. In a study by Simonet, Versteeg, and Storie, one hundred and twenty subject dogs residing in a mid-size county animal shelter were observed. Dogs ranging from 4 months to 10 years of age were compared with and without exposure to a dog-laugh recording. The stress behaviors measured included panting, growling, salivating, pacing, barking, cowering, lunging, play-bows, sitting, orienting and lying down. The study resulted in positive findings. Exposure to the dog laughing recording resulted in the following: significantly reduced stress behaviors, increased tail wagging and the display of a play-face when playing was initiated, and more frequent pro-social behavior such as approaching and lip licking. This research suggests exposure to dog-laugh vocalizations can calm and possibly increase shelter adoptions. (Simonet, Versteeg, & Storie 2005) A dog laughter sample: Simonet 2005.

Click here to read the source...

Rocky- Still alive and well

Rock just wanted everyone to know he is doing just fine. He LOVES playing up at the Woodstock dog park and gets his fill of fun and play there. As well as getting to dig a hole in the yard, with permission, of course!

El Presidente speaks

My loyal subjects. It has been an honor to serve you over the past year. I look forward to taking care of the Presidential duties of emptying the garage can and providing treats on Christmas morning. If anyone wants to complain about how I have handled these responsibilities please let me know. I would advocate immediate elections. (unless it is John H. who wants to take my job away)Thank you for being such a good group. Of course some of our members could stand a few personal improvements but we won't go into that right now. May our sweethearts continue to be good dogs and may we continue to enjoy each others company in the process.

How about these for scrumpy?

It might be too mature for her. Maybe in Pink?

the evening contingent

We get up at--oh, I dunno, 6:30 or 7 in the morning, and miss the morning group at Duniway, but we do bring Roz over in the evenings between 8 and 9 pm, when there are 2-3 'waves' of dogs passing through. You'd be surprise how long we hang out some evenings, swatting at mosquitos and chatting about Life as the dogs run amok.

Several morning dogs and their people show up at night, too, but the rest of you dawn patrol people should join us!

foot wear

I ran across this blog and really feel all the dogs in the Eastmoreland Dog Association would be more comfortable wearing Cowboy Boots..........just a thought.

Roz brings her stick to the blog

In the "What's the Best Thing to Fetch?" competition, Roz votes for a BIG stick. Running a close second is Anyone Else's Ball.

Keep a close eye on your toys, folks!

--Eric & Sharon

Hello from Stevie Ray

I was just up at the school and had nobody but some human to play with. I'm very upset and probably will go to a tavern tonight for a few shots & beers.

Hello from Chloe!

It's not enough that she terrorizes everyone at Duniway, but she insisted on having her presence felt on this blog as well.

In other local news....

Lola was found shopping for a condo near the Willamette River by her family. Thanks for the update Bill and that is good news --except for Lola's Realtor !

See you all at the park this weekend!

The skanky yellow ball is back!

The skanky yellow ball is back in circulation. Django had stashed it under Bill's dresser and didn't let anyone know until today. It has regained its place as the nastiest, ugliest, favorite, indescructible ball in Django's toy chest. Come see it in real life Friday morning. That is, if it's still around.

Lola is missing

Hello everyone ... IF you don't know yet --keep an eye out for Lola the brown lab mix who has been missing since this weekend. She is about 55 lbs and is very friendly. She is not wearing a collar. Contact information for her owner is posted at the fence at Duniway.

If anyone has a digital picture --please feel free to update this blog post.

Clint Eastwood

Sunday morning was nice at Duniway. I saw Bosco in a submissive position (if you don't know, he is the Clint Eastwood of our dog world) and looked like he was having quite a bit of fun with Sam.

We actually have 3 people (besides me) participating - Ok, thats not much. I sent some invites to Jessica and Kristine and we need more posts people -bring out your inner writer !!

I'm not sure if you are familiar with this fad on the internet -- the gimick is to take a cat and add a caption. I thought this one was amusing.

Have a nice weekend everyone.

Stevie & Crazy Luigi

I forgot about the other 2... Stevie and Crazy Luigi

Sheila's Pic

Here she is...

easy like sunday morning

Sam

Ollie

Rio

Baxter

Django

Scrumpy

Madelon has joined the blog and I hope more of you join in the coming weeks. I can't say that I'm entirely sure what this site hopes to accomplish besides a few chuckles and maybe a smile or two and thats plenty in my book. Enjoy !

Our Gang

Angus
Baxter
Bosco
Brin
Cooper
Chloe
Diva
Django
Luigi
Mackenzie
Maggie
Ollie
Rio
Riley
Roz
Rocky
Sam
Scrumpy
Seamus
Sheila
Stevie
Stevie Ray
Vegas