Hey Dawg!

This news story has all the necessary components to be a great Choopie Blog story: dumb humans, smart animals, an escape & capture climax and then a happy-ever-after ending. Today's story is about some very smart prairie dogs. A Maryland zoo spent $500,000 to build the dogs a new home. They matched the 80 truckloads of soil exactly so it would feel like their old home. They made sure the depth of the sand was 6-8 feet deep to let the burrows be far enough under the frost line. The zoo people even made sure that the sand was poured into a concrete lined hole so they could not dig their way out. The big day came and the doggies were released into their new environment. It took just 10 minutes for a dozen of the critters to figure out a way of escape! Fortunately zoo keepers captured them with nets before they flew the coop. Slippery plastic walls and more wire fencing was added to the enclosure to keep the crafty pups inside their new home. I am the same size as a prairie dog. I wonder if they would let me into their pack?

Little & Big Cesar

We are watching more Dog Whisperer shows. Since I am such a picky eater, I now have to work for my food. When I was little, Jerry used to get up a half-hour early to spoon feed me my puppy food. I would only eat off a spoon while he held me. The same food in my dog bowl tasted terrible. I'm not that bratty now, but I still turn my nose up at 90% of the food Linda gives me. Big Cesar said I have to earn my Little Cesar. By taking a 20 minute walk before I eat, it guarantees I'll be hungry enough to chow down. It really works!! I've been walking 2x a day and I'm eating so much better. Next we are going to work on my leash skills.

Hide your Shoes!

I have my very own shoe to play with. Linda bought a pair of toddler slippers. I absolutely love the slipper. It is the perfect size for me to carry around. It is my favorite toy (for now). In a small German town, 100's of shoes were stolen from peoples front doors. No one had a clue who stole the shoes. The next day, a forest ranger came across the shoes during his patrol. Sure enough, the thief was a fox! The stolen shoes were near the fox's den and down his hole. The fox had babies and stole the shoes so the cubs would have something to play with. The shoes were returned to the owners (only partly chewed). No charges will be filed against the fox.

"Stay Calm and Assertive!"

I have a new favorite show "The Dog Whisperer". A man named Cesar Millan can make a rebellious dog into a angel dog in just 3 minutes. He does this "tsssst" sound and even a man-eater Pitt Bull rolls over and wags his tail. It's a good thing we have been watching it because Linda saved my life tonight. We were taking our walk this evening when all of a sudden, a big crazy dog came crashing through the screen door and lunged for me. Since I was 5 feet ahead on my leash, the dog had me pinned before Linda could pick me up. Linda rushed up and grabbed the big dog by the collar and pinned him down with two hands on his side while making the "tsssst" sound. If she did not see the show, she might have tried to pick me up and maybe he would have bit me! The owner came flying out screaming for the dog, which only reved the dog up, but Linda held him down. I was a little scared, but we finished the walk. Thanks Mr. Cesar.

Just say "ARF" to drugs!

Jack is a Lab mix who has not had any run-ins with the law and has always been a good dog. Until recently, he has been healthy and well behaved. After his normal romp at a Seattle park, Jack became disoriented, glassy eyed, dizzy and did not recognize his human. (He had wandered off the path for a few minutes, but came back when his owner called for him.) Jack was rushed to the emergency vet ASAP. After being presented with a $1,500 bill, the vet told his human that Jack was stoned. As in stoned on weed. It seems Jack wandered into someones pot stash and ate a bunch of dried marijuana. According to police, a duffel bag with $22,000 worth of marijuana was found in the same woods earlier. Warning... don't let your dog off leash. You never know what they might get into. Jack is now drug- free and back to his old self.

"Suuuee"

There are gourmet restaurants then there are GOURMET restaurants. Linda has never had the good luck of eating at the Herbfarm Restaurant. They serve fancy 3 course meals. A couple was taking a break between their courses and decided to visit the restaurants pigpen to feed the pigs That's right, pigpen. To feed the pigs. While they were eating dinner. Anyway, since it was dark outside, the women did not see the pig approaching her. The pig did what pigs are supposed to do and went for the food. Since it was dark, the pig could not tell the difference between the food and the women's finger and chomped down on her hand. Of course the women is now "sooeeing" the Herbfarm claiming permanent damage to her hand. There are so many things wrong with this news story that I don't even know what to comment on. The End.

Mom was right... Wash your hands

Linda always washes her hands with soap after she walks me, feeds me or picks up after my ooopsies. It's very important not to spread germs. There was an article in the paper the other day about carrying antibacterial spray and lotion to disinfect your hands while your out and about. Just when you thought you were germ-free, analyses of several brands of skin sanitizers showed high levels of bacteria inside the lotion! Some of the germs were the same ones associated with unsanitary conditions. They bacteria could cause infections and get in the tissue to cause permanent damage. So here you are, trying to kill the germs when what your really doing is putting killing germs on your hands. The Food and Drug people said not to use any product from a company called Clarcon. Better check your bottles.