A Flyover Blog

A Happy Blogger

I found a blog this week that I just love. It's called Hobie's World and it's written by a bright and articulate Australian Shepherd in Southern California. It's true. Hobie was featured blogger a few days ago on Typepad and I can see why. He blogs about his family, his life, his medical issues (yeah, he's got a few aches and pains just like most of us) his doctor, and - I love this - his book picks. I'm a sucker for a dog who reads. My two little guys, Buddy and Sam, love a good book, too!  If you want to smile today, go meet Hobie.

Way To Go, Uno!

Congratulations, Uno, Westminster's Best In Show 2008! What a grand little dog. He competed against the best field I've seen at Westminster in years. And what about those wonderful commercials by Pedigree? They were better than the Super Bowl ads. What a treat. Can't wait for next year's show.

I'll Be Glued To The Set

Bright and early Monday morning, the competition will begin. Yeah baby, I'm talkin' about the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show! It's the highlight of February every year at my house. If you've read my blog for any length of time, you know I'm a dog lover. I love all dogs - purebred or mutt - doesn't matter to me. A dog is a dog is a dog - and they're all gifts from above. I'll be watching the show with our 2 little guys - Sam, our Teddy terrier, who doesn't get the whole dog show thing, and Little Buddy, our 5 pound Yorkie who truly believes he's more beautiful than any dog at Westminster. (I may have planted that thought in his tiny head.) May your favorite dog win.

I Know It's Not Saturday...

"No one ever said, Happiness is a warm squirrel."

- John Ritter, narrating the short film Dogs: The Early Years

Saturday is when I usually post a favorite quote, but I heard this one today and I loved it... and it's National Dog Week... and it's my blog, so I'll post a quote on Wednesday if I want to. 

National Dog Week

You probably already know this, but this is National Dog Week! The 2 little canines that share rule our house thought you'd enjoy this little YouTube video. They're big Randy Newman fans. Seriously.

Canine Heroes

Two notable canines made the news this week. Though they are very different dogs, both are heroes. The tiny chihuahua pictured here is Zoey, who lives in Fort Collins, Colorado.  Zoey's owners, Monty and Denise Long, credit Zoey with saving their grandson, Booker, when she jumped between baby Booker and a 3 foot rattlesnake. Zoey got a nasty bite and nearly died, but after several tense days of intensive treatment, survived with little more than some bad memories and a nasty scar.  Our second hero is the black Lab, Jake, pictured here with his owner, Mary Flood, at the World Trade Center in 2001. Jake became a national canine hero after burrowing through white-hot smoking debris in search of survivors. Jake eventually became one of fewer than 200 U.S. government-certified rescue dogs on call 24 hours a day to tackle disasters such as building collapses, hurricanes, floods and avalanches. In recent years, Jake helped train younger dogs and their handlers across the country. Jake also did therapy work with children at a Utah camp for burn victims and at senior homes and hospitals. Jake passed away Wednesday after a battle with cancer. He was 12 years old. His ashes will be scattered "in places that were important to him," said Flood, like his Utah training grounds, the rivers and hills near home where he swam and roamed. He will be missed.

More Tillman

Monday, I posted a little video I found on YouTube about Tillman the Skateboarding Bulldog. Turns out, Tillman has a second video, shot in LA. I thought you'd like to see it. I have the greatest admiration for Tillman. I can't even stand on a skateboard, let alone negotiate a flight of stairs! Oh, there's a link to Tillman's website in my sidebar. Enjoy!

I'll Bet You've Never Seen This

I just stared at this video the first time I saw it. You're gonna love little Tillman. One more thing... the next time you find yourself making excuses for not trying something new, remember this dog.

Top Dog

Congratulations to James, the English Springer Spaniel, who won the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show last night in New York. 

James was an underdog going into the Best In Show competition, but performed brilliantly and defeated the favorites.

Didn't you love all those commercials from the show's sponsor, Pedigree?  Shelter Dogs Rule!

Two Poodles?

I can't believe that 2 Poodles actually won their groups tonight at Westminster.  I love dogs - all dogs - but Poodles have never been rated high on my hit parade. 

As a child in the '60's, Poodles were "the dog" to have - kinda like the Parson Russel Terrier is now.  Everybody had a poodle, including us.  Bless his heart, Peppy wasn't much of a Poodle... but then we weren't much of a family either.  He was built more like a pot bellied pig than a poodle, but my mother bought him because relatives of the actor Dean Jagger owned him. How's that for a reason to buy a dog?

Trivia note: Dean Jagger played the General who owned the Vermont ski lodge in the Christmas Classic, White Christmas.

Peppy got into trouble a lot, and he was grumpy by nature.  Oddly, all of his siblings were put to sleep by their owners; every one of them bit people.

So, who did I like tonight? The Dandie Dinmont was exceptional.  The Akita was beautiful, but I liked a couple of other dogs in that group better.  I hope tomorrow night's group winners add some interest to the Best In Show competition!