An Ambassador

Jay has been a great Ambassador for the breed tonight. :) Mr. L just came in from the evening walk, and while out, he had run in to a friend who was out with the son and the family cat. Mr. L and James ended up getting invited in to their home since James was so well-behaved. They had been so impressed by Jay's behavior, not to mention, how he behaved around the cat. :)

Apparently, Jay had been CALM... Can you believe it? We are talking MY James - being calm!!!!! Well, he has his moments... he's always the nicest and sweetest dog (he LOVES everybody) but calm is not something one usually will label James as. :)

Both "the Dad" and "the Son" had fallen in love with James. Hihihi...

.My Gorgeous Blue.

Our Saturday

We had WP training this morning and we were a whole bunch of people with dogs taking off for a long drag weight walk. Cool!

Other than that, nothing much has been done today - just chillin’ … I’m going to my parents home in the country tomorrow, my dad will help fix something on my car. I think I will do some training with Jay while there… some obedience and a drag weight walk maybe.

I'm excited about next weekend already. It’s a Dog Show in the city and my wonderful friend Gabbi will show her gal, Vilma… and Marina from Kennel Needful Thing’s will show Ior - it's his first show. EXCITING!!! Of course I will be there to cheer them on.

Any locals who are planning on coming to the show? Jennie (with Bamse) maybe? Let me know, maybe we can meet up.

Anyhow, wishing you all a continued fabulous weekend.

Ciao.

A Sequel to Mr. & Mrs. Smith

A really good movie is coming out in June - it's a sequal to Mr. & Mrs. Smith... called Mr. & Mrs. Eriksson. Boy, did they find some amazing actors to star in this movie.

Trust me - you do NOT wanna miss it! It will be a good one for sure. ;)

My heart is aching

I received these pics a short while ago - it's Ior - James' half brother who we "baby-sat" for a week right before Xmas. James and Ior LOVED each other. James' whole demeanor changed when he all of a sudden had to become a big brother. It was quite amazing to see. Ior comes from Kennel Needful Thing's, the home of Jay's father.

Well, little Ior just got a new hoodie - how cute and gorgeous can a baby be???

www.needfulthings.se

Devastating News

I just received a call from my very good friend Ivonne in LA - she lost one of her babies (i.e. dogs) last night. He had been sick for some time... R.I.P. Snoopy.

I'm so sorry Ivonne - we loved Snoopy too and he will always be remembered. You made the right decision...

We'll talk soon again. Thinking about you. Be strong.

Love you.

I cannot stop thinking about him

The last few days I have caught myself feeling sad... and after a few seconds I have remembered why...

CARLOS!!!

He's been on my mind ALL THE TIME. I miss my beloved baby and soul mate like crazy. Damn, I wish he was here. I wanna cuddle, hug and kiss him... My beloved Big Boy.

Me sad. :(

Attracting New People

It was WP training tonight and a lot of new people (with dogs) showed up. That's great! An absolutely gorgeous Rottweiler was there for the first time - mmm, eye candy for sure!

Several of the regulars didn't show up, so only 4 dogs were pulling the cart which meant that Jay got a chance to pull MANY times (the beginners don't get to pull the cart on their first visit, they have lots of other things to pratice on). Jay actually seemed satisfied and kind of tired when we got home - now, that's a lovely sight I'd like to see more often. ;)

I'm planning on hitting the bed "early" so it's time to say - Nighty Night Good People!

50 things

I was tagged by Stina, Buddha & Solweig. It was actually a 100-thing-list from the beginning but I changed it to 50-things. :) Here goes -

1. Three names I answer to/Tre namn jag lyssnar till: I only answer to Lina (not meant in a snotty way, I’ve just never had any nicknames… that I know of;)).

2. Something I like about myself/Någonting jag tycker om med mig själv: If I set my mind on something, the word ”failure” does not exist.

3. Something I do not like about myself/Någonting jag inte tycker om med mig själv: I can be impatient with people who do not have the same speed as I do. ;) I’m a chop, chop person if you know what I mean, so when I come across people who aren’t - it can be tough for me. :)

4. I am scared of this/Detta är jag rädd för: That someone I love will die.

5. Three things I want every day/Tre saker jag vill ha varje dag: Food, Shower, and access to the Internet and to a TV.

6. Three things I absolutely cannot do/Tre saker jag absolut inte kan göra: Pet a mouse (or even look at one), Eat something that’s still alive, Intentionally hurt someone.

7. I enjoy doing this/Detta tycker jag om att göra: Spending time with my babies (i.e. dogs), reading and TRAVELLING.

8. This is what I would like to do right now/Detta vill jag göra just nu: Kick back on the coach.

9. The best feeling/Bästa känslan: Feeling happy and fulfilled.

10. The worst feeling/Värsta känslan: Heartache/mourning

11. Traits I like my partner to have/Egenskaper jag gärna vill att min partner har: Having a sense of humor, being honest, being sincere, having a positive attitude to life in general.

12. These are the things I would like to do before I die/Följande saker vill jag göra innan jag dör: The list is long. But a goal I will begin working on soon, is to learn yet another language fluently.

13. My dearest possession/Min käraste ägodel: My Dogs

14. Something I would like as a gift/Något jag vill ha i present: Currently I would like a macro lens to my Nikon camera.

15. This is what I am wearing right now/Detta har jag på mig just nu: T-shirt and some sweatpants.

16. Favorite clothes/Favoritkläder: When at home – a T-shirt and sweatpants ;)

17. Favorite animal/Favoritdjur: DOGS

18. The following music genres I enjoy the most/Följande musikstilar tilltalar mig mest: R&B, Soul but also some HipHop

19. Favorite song right now/Favoritlåt just nu: I cannot pick one song only – I love Jordin Sparks, Leona Lewis, Chris Brown, Katey Perry, Alicia Keys, Beyonce you name it… But a song that I believe I always will love no matter how many times I have heard it, is “Apologize” with Timbaland and One Republic

20. Zodiac sign/Stjärntecken: Virgo

21. A book that I love/En bok jag älskar: I love to read so I could make a long list of great books - but an excellent example is “Black, White and Jewish” by Rebecca Walker (the daughter of Alice Walker – the author of “the Color Purple”).

22. A movie that I love/En film jag älskar: I love to read and watch movies which means it’s impossible to pick one only - but who doesn't enjoy "Dirty Dancing" ;) Oh, I also love the Bridget Jones movies.

23. TV shows that I enjoy/Tv-program jag gillar: All the various design shows, Grey’s Anatomy, Lipstick Jungle, Criminal Minds, Scrubs, SATC, Numbers, Without a Trace, and many more. I always watch the news on CNN and BBC and Al Jazeera as well (the first thing that comes on every morning).

24. Favorite smell/Favoritdoft: Channel No. 5

25. This I prefer to eat/Detta äter jag gärna: Thai, Chinese, Indian, Italian, or a big Steak… ;).

26. I prefer to drink/Dricker helst: Coke

27. This is where I would like to go on vacation/Hit vill jag gärna åka på semester: A deserted Island would be wonderful, but right now I REALLY want to go to the States. It’s been a year which is too long. The New Yorkers are starting to ask for us (Mr. L's family).

28. The color of my eyes/Färg på mina ögon: Blue

29. My height/Min längd: 163 cm/ 5,4

30. People I admire/Personer jag beundrar: Dedicated people who work hard in order to reach their goals. To mention a few of the people I greatly admire, we have Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey.

31. This turns me on/Det här tänder mig: Men who are exceptionally talented at something (a profession for example) and show true professionalism at all times.

32. This turns me off/Det här gör mig avtänd: A poor and/or arrogant attitude

33. Favorite quote/Favoritcitat: For the time being it’s “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today” by Malcolm X.

34. Unique talent or trait/Udda förmåga/egenskap: Not sure if it’s actually unique, but I have an ability to focus on something so hard, that I cannot hear or see anything else around me. This comes in handy when studying. ;) Sucks for people who want my attention at that time. :)

35. If I were an animal, I would be/Om jag vore ett djur skulle jag vara: I have no idea.

36. What do you listen to right now/Vad lyssnar du på just nu? Obama speaking on BBC.

37. What have you done - what are you going to do today/Vad har du gjort - ska du göra idag? I have walked James (Mr. L walked Alih), I have a bunch of errands to take care of during the day, and a night Jay and I are going to WP training.

38. What type of music do you dislike the most/Vilken musikstil tycker du mest illa om? Techno & Opera

39. What TV channels do you have/Vad har du för TV-kanaler? All the good ones. ;)

40. Have you ever driven a moped/Har du åkt moped någon gång? Yes

41. Have you ever made a brank call/Har du busringt någon gång? Yes

42. Have you ever received a parking ticket/Har du fått felparkeringsböter? Yes (the copper a.k.a. Mr. L cannot always save me;)).

43. Are you a good cook/Är du bra på matlagning? NO

44. Are you able to get gas (fill up the car) by yourself/Klarar du att tanka själv? YES

45. What was the last thing you purchased/Vad var det senaste du handlade? Groceries

46. Is it possible to be friends with an ex/Kan man vara vän med sitt ex? Yes, I speak from experience.

47. Did you have a lot of hair as a baby/Hade du mycket hår som liten bebis: Nope, I was completely bald until I was about a year old. :)

48. How does your message on your cell phone (or home phone) sound like/ Vad har du för meddelande på din telefon/mobilsvar? The usual I guess – except for that it’s in both English and Swedish.

49. Where did you find this list/Var hittade du den här listan? On Stina, Buddha and Solweig’s blog.

50. Three people you would like to answer these questions/Tre personer jag vill ska fylla i denna enkät: I want everybody to answer these questions… ;) Don’t stand me up. :)

I took your advice

- and called the landlord today. The woman I spoke to was really good and she completely understood me. She also said it's not just other dogs that are in danger but what about people who are afraid of dogs... not to mention, all the kids who live in our neighborhood. Having an uncontrollable dog off leash is extremely irresponsible. She said that something needs to be done. Together with the owner, she will make a decision on how to proceed. At least a "rapport" as been made and that feels good. Let's cross our fingers this will be the end of the story.

Thanks for giving me lots of great advice! I really appreciate it.

This is life

According to James, this is what life is all about... getting to be this close to the big Brother while enjoying a nice nap together.

"Mmmmmm - it's like heaven!" ;)

I'm upset

Tonight was the 2nd time Alih had to be "attacked" by this Border Collie who lives in our building.

The first time it happened was when Mr. L took Alih out for a late-night-walk and the damn dog jumped the tiny little fence they have surrounding their patio area. Fortunately, the dog has never actually gotten a hold of Alih, but he wants to fight no doubt about it. That’s the only reason why he’s coming full speed in the first place. This time Mr. L managed to sort of fight him off… ‘cause don’t think she (the owner) came out, she just kept screaming from inside her place for the dog to come back. FU(&(%&%¤&%¤c#&%Y/k&!!!!!!!!!

I may also add, today, when Mr. L came home he ran in to one of our neighbors who has a small dog. They informed him that their dog was attacked yesterday, by this dog in particular. Another neighbor with a small poodle was attacked at night some time ago (I cannot say for sure if it was this dog though, because the old man who owns the poodle said he could not see much since it was dark outside, but there is no one else inside the courtyard who keeps having their dog/dogs off leash). The only reason why this keeps happening is because this dumb woman has her dog off leash and she has NO CONTROL over him. NONE WHATSOEVER! I have met her and the dog on walks and she can barley hold on to him when meeting other dogs. I mean – how much does a Border Collie weigh? Give me a damn break. Get a proper collar and leash and there won’t be any problems.

Anyhow, back to what happened tonight.

Alih and I took the elevator down to the garage. As we exited the elevator I saw her and the dog (off leash) heading towards another elevator at the other end of the garage. We stood still hoping that her dog would not spot us, and it almost worked. Just as they were about to enter the elevator the dog saw us and took off towards us- full speed! GA%?aaar&%#?gHHHHHH!!!

Alih is a good boy so he’s not about to start anything. But the damn dog circled around us … and went for attack. Despite being very dog aggressive he's somewhat of a sissy so Alih had no problems keeping him at bay, but of course I don’t want neither of them to get injured. I tried to scare the dog off at the same time as I was holding on to a FURIOUS Alih. Good for that woman I can control my dog. She eventually made it up to us and grabbed a hold of her dog. We did not say a word to each other – she just grabbed her dog and pulled him away.

Once they had left the garage we headed towards our car. As I pulled out she was all of a sudden back in the garage (without dog) and walked up to my car, so I stopped. She asked if everything was ok and I told her Alih was fine, the dogs never actually got a hold of each other so there were no injuries but that does not mean it was not incredibly upsetting and unnecessary. I told her it was not the first time it happened and that I was highly upset about that. One time an accident– ok, I can live with that…but not 2 times or more. For someone like me who owns two dogs (i.e. breeds) that are labeled “bad and dangerous” I don’t get ANY chances. If I can make sure my dogs never end up in any “bad situations” why cannot other people do the same thing with their dogs? Shit only happens when people are careless.

I was gonna call our landlord immediately but once she came back and talked to me, I calmed down and felt I could give her another chance. Once we came home though and I told Mr. L what had happened he said to call the landlord anyway. Next time it may not be Alih but James the dog wants to attack, and you never know the outcome of that. James is great around other males (despite not being neutered) but I have a hard time believing he would accept that kind of behavior. I think he would get furious just like Alih, and all it has to take is one fight and he might never get along with other males again. Not to mention injures on both him and the other dog. I would attack her (the owner) if that were to happen (you understand I'm only joking right?). I mean no matter what, it's not her dog's fault, it's her fault.

What do you guys think I should do? Hope that she understands the seriousness and stops being careless - or should I contact the landlord regardless? She's had enough chances as it is?

Sled Pulling

We missed the Weight Pull training at the Club last Saturday since we were in the country, however, we had our own Weight Pull training instead. The sled came out and the Crazy Blue Baby was put to work both Saturday and Sunday.



"I'm strong, I'm strong - I can do it!"


"I will show my grandpa what I can do, he's no match to pull."


"I can pull my daddy too. But he's REALLY heavy".. ;)


"Geee, old bro - how about some space, after all I'm trying to work".

The Black & Tan Baby

"For some reason it feels like I have something on my nose... "



"Mmm, it's lovely with snow and colder temperatures..I could stay here forever."


"It's not just my little bro who can pull, I can too. I'm so strong you don't even wanna know." ;)

Baby Blue

"What's going on over there?"


"I LOVE to run ... especially in the snow".

"I can stand still too - I swear."

"I'm starting to get bored with all the pics now.. ".

Hang tight...

I will update the blog tomorrow (i.e. today) with pics from our snowy weekend - so hang tight. ;)

Pizza

Yes, we'll be eating home-made pizza and salad tonight. Yum! And we won't be eating by ourselves, some special guests will join us for dinner. :)

The mischievous baby

I would like to add in regards to my last post that an Amstaff is generally speaking a very active dog, which is also why we chose this breed. I wanted a high energy dog, and as far as I am concerned all the training and long walks James gets, he also deserves. Most definitely!

I just wish he would come home and feel satisfied after a long walk and/or training. I would like him to have an ON/OFF button (right now the "off" side is not working ;)). The fact of the matter is that he has always been a hyper active dog since we got him at age 8 weeks, however, he has become better and better with age … that’s why I’m hoping he will eventually outgrow this. When having a hyper active dog there are also other things he has "issues" with, for example he whines a lot.. he cannot stand still, he has to be on the move all the time ... well stuff like that. Seriously, if you have experience from humans with the ADHD disorder you would know what I am talking about - there are some parallels here for sure.

James was also born under somewhat dramatic circumstances as he couldn’t come out on his own, so his mom had to be rushed to the vet. The vet also had problems getting him out. When humans are without oxygen for too long they can suffer some damages, I’m assuming the same goes for dogs which could be the reason for why he is the way he is. Who knows!

The boy is hyper active BUT he is also a wonderful working dog and a very lovable baby. He’s just not like most other dogs. He's like a kid who is fighting going to bed despite actually being tired. During the time that Jay is fighting it he will walk around looking for trouble… like finding things to bite on (i.e. things he's not allowed to bite on). But with a little help and persistency on our behalf, he will in due course settle down.

Like right now for example. I came in from our long “morning” walk recently, I fed him and now he’s walking around looking for trouble. I just caught him and one of my slippers on Alih's bed... hmmm, "the slipper" was seconds away from being demolished.. .hihi… if not paying close attention to him during this time he can destroy just about anything. He tore up one of my leather gloves the other day… I swear, it was unrecognizable.. it took me some time to figure out what it really was. This all happened after our walk, while I was doing the dishes and forgot to keep a close eye on him. I have to say though, we are both very good at keeping an eye on him, so it’s not much he has destroyed… but that’s only because we catch him before the act. ;)
ps. When left alone at home he is locked up in the kitchen and actually behaves very well - he has never destroyed anything during this time, and no whining or anything of that sort (I know this because I have filmed him ;)).

The boy is a trouble maker for sure – but as Mr. L so often says “He’s OUR trouble maker”… and we LOVE HIM dearly.. I wouldn’t want any other dog despite his hyper active behaviour ‘cause he has so many WONDERFUL and AMAZING traits… To be honest, he doesn’t have any other “bad sides”…a litte mischievous & crazy at times we can live with. ;)

WE LOVE OUR BLUE BABY JUST THE WAY HE IS. :)

Long walks...

I have had a headache all day today... not fun at all. :( Jay and I still enjoyed a long walk this morning, like we always do, and right now Mr. L is out for a long walk with him.

I just came back from the pet store where I weighed Alih and he has lost some weight - great! It hasn't even been a full week yet but he was going to the country with my dad tonight, that's why we had to do an early weigh-in. ;) We are going to the country tomorrow and plan on spending the weekend there.

Other than that, I got some WONDERFUL news in regards to the last exam I took. I did great and it made me sooooooo happy! :) Anyhow..

I have a question for all you dog folks -

How long/how far do you walk your dogs every day?

I'm not asking to see "how well" you take care of your dogs ... I'm asking because I'm hoping I will find someone who has the same "problem" as we do. ;)

I think we walk Jay quite long and far. A normal day for James means he gets walked about 10 km (6.2 miles) a day (this is split up in 2 walks a day and in additon to these 2 longer walks he also goes for 2 short walks - midday and before going to bed. This applies to Alih too). On some days Jay even gets more than that, and some days a little less. If we for example have weight pull training in the evening, the evening walk is only about 20-30 min long. In addition to all the long walks, we train a lot of drag weight, weight pulling and other forms of training like obedience and tracking where he gets to use his head. Yet, the boy never has enough. Obviously that's due to the ADHD disorder he has (hihi)- but still, I am hoping he will outgrow that one day and be able to feel content after a long walk. Not only does he go for long walks, we often walk where he can run off leash so he REALLY gets to run like CRAZY during the entire walk.

Is there anyone else out there who has a dog like this??? Please, tell me there is. ;)

Play... & work.

We had fun in the park/forest this morning - both babies had a blast.

Tonight, it was time for weight pull training inside. It was great! I loved not having to stand outside in the cold.. and the dark. We began with a drag weight walk as always, followed by weight pulling inside. It was a whole bunch of people there tonight including my parents. They wanted to see their grandson LIVE in action ... haha...I'm sure they are proud of the blue baby. ;)

Our New President & First Lady

Alih is a proud American ... :) & so is the rest of his family too. ;)

SuperExcited

I'm not the only one being SUPER excited and happy about today's inauguration of America's 44th President. :)

YES WE CAN!!! YES WE CAN!!

He's loud

I just wrote a post and managed to delete it by mistake. Great!:(

It was snowing during our morning walk (Monday), but right now it's just about 0 degrees C outside so it will probably be gone by tomorrow. :(

Jay and I did some drag weight training this morning. We started off by going for a 20-30 min off leash walk so he could take care of business and get warm, then it was time for a longer drag weight walk with both the chains. I'm glad I purchased that extra chain 'cause now he gets to work harder which was exactly what he needed. It was too easy for him before.

Alih came home this afternoon after a weekend in the country with his grandparents. It's nice having both fabulous babies at home. I can hear Alih snore his butt away right now- I hear him all the way out to here. If you heard him, I swear, you would think it was a grown man. :)

OMG

I have been playing around with PhotoFiltre and Photoshop. I know nothing about these programs... the current header is my work .. hahahaha... I WANT TO LEARN!!! I will keep playing around with it... it has already been changed about a million times. I hope I don't have to contact Mirre in pure panic. :(

Here are some examples of the various looks the blog has had in the last hour or so. :) Feel free to comment but I cannot promise I'll take your advice. lol. I tend to go with my own personal likings in the end, no matter what. :)

This last one... a running Jay ... I love! No frame, no nothing... it looks cool!

Dressed for Success

Jay: I wanna go outside so hurry up with the pics...

...OMG, that flash bothers my eyes...

This is how Jay looked like a few minutes ago as he and Mr. L were getting ready to head out. lol.

Mr. L said "Com 'on Jay, let's find a dark area where we can walk - where there are no street lights". lol. .... I wonder why??? ;)

It's not all for show though - Jay is very sensitive to the cold. Tonight he's wearing his T-shirt with his reflex vest on top, and a pair of "boots" on his front paws. lol.

Both Jay and Alih got boots last week as they have had major problems walking on the sidewalks due to lots of small and sharp gravel (they put gravel on the sidewalks because of icy and slippery roads). Jay has been limping on and off and Alih has barley been able to move because it has hurt his paws so much.

You should have seen Alih's speed once he got the boots on, all of a sudden he was trotting - it was like getting a new dog! And James stopped limping all together. As always - you win some and you lose some... the dogs stopped hurting but instead Mr. L and I have to walk around with 2 goofy looking dudes in boots. ;)

Weight Pull Training

The WP training was great fun today. I made it up on time (even though I didn't get to bed until after 3 A.M.) so I could take Jay for a walk, purchase an additional chain, and make it to training on time.

We went for a longer drag weight walk and Jay had to pull both of his chains the whole walk… a total of 12.5kg (= 27,5lbs). There were a few hills and Jay had to work hard … towards the end of the walk he actually stopped a couple of times, only for a few seconds though ‘cause he cannot afford slacking behind ..hihi.. he wants to be in the lead all the time so he cannot wait for any of the other dogs to pass him. :)

After the walk we pulled the cart a few times. It went well for all the dogs. On Wednesday when our next training session is, we are going to be inside. Well, we probably start with a shorter drag weight walk and then go inside. I believe it’s inside a garage type place that’s heated – it will be nice ‘cause it easily gets cold for the dogs in-between pulls when they have to wait.

Here are pics of some of the dogs that were at training today:

Above: Jay is having to wait a short while after the drag weight walk (left). The pic to the right is of what Jay and I did when we came home. lol. We took a nice nap... ;)

Overweight

I have been sitting here working on my last research paper... I'm not done but at least I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It's about 1:30 AM right now, however, I cannot say I'm particularly tired but I need to go to bed anyway. I have to get up at a descent time tomorrow considering we have weight pull training in the morning. I want to buy another chain for Jay before the training starts so he gets to pull a little heavier when we go for our drag weight walks.

I went to the pet store yesterday, both dogs came along as I wanted to weight them. Unfortunately, I almost passed out when I saw how much the old Tiger weighed. Time for some drastic changes - my dad and I purchased some "diet food" for him today... I think he'll be able to move around much easier if he loses some weight... the plan is for him to lose about 5 kg (11 lbs). It's a lot but he's a big boy. Shit, who the heck doesn't need to lose 5 kg??!!! Eating and studying has become "my thing" at least this last semester... :( It's dangerous being at home all day along, sitting still in front of the computer or a book, having access to the fridge 24/7... NOT GOOD! It's time for me too to make some changes.

A lock on the fridge for starters... :)

Passport photos

It should be illegal to be this cute. :)

Deep Asleep

This view is what met me last night when I went to bed... my boys had already gone to bed and were seemingly deep asleep. :)

My Sweetness

A bored James...


A sleepy James... cute as a button. ;)