Turkey Day! And pie...

Fall Day

I AM THE OLIVE. DISCIPLINE IS FUTILE.

LEAVES!

MAD DOG!!!

Uncle John and Mom

Mom threw Jax in the leafpile

LEAFMAGEDDON!!!

Say hello to my little friend!

This is the only photo we could get of Olive.  She was not terribly cooperative.

Mom bought Jax and me bowties and Olive got a flower collar.

Faiza!

Mom talked to Adrienne the other day and she sent us some photos of my niece, Faiza--all grown up now!  We remember when she was just a pudgy, bossy puppy:)

Faiza (foreground) playing in the pond at Grand Paws

She's every bit as pretty as we remembered!

TGIF

Today was a day of firsts, mes chers!  Jax's first visit as a therapy dog and our first time eating Answers Raw Goat Milk (with organic cinnamon and honey--yum!).  We have a photo from the therapy visit...not so much from the milk.  It was slurped up rather quickly...

Jax with a new friend!

Anywho, Jax behaved perfectly (as usual) and was the toast of the Alzheimer's ward.  Everyone loved the pretty dog and his cute little tricks.  Many residents enjoyed telling us about their past dogs as they stroked his soft fur.  They also thought he was a girl and kept calling him "Jacqueline"--heehee!  So Mom began to introduce him simply as "Jax."  He accepted their shaking hands and sporadic movements with great patience and affection.  I think he has found his new calling!!

Heat Wave

Allo, mes chers!  I hope you all are staying cool.  Mom has been taking us out at 5:30am and again around 8pm to avoid the worst of this oppressive heat.  Since she can keep up with them, she walksruns Jax and Olive around our neighborhood through all the good smells and critter haunts.  All the neighbors come out to smile and make that pathetic "awww" sound.  If Mom walks me instead (our usual 8pm routine), no one stops to look.  They scoot along the road rather quickly.  *sigh*  No love for poor old Spurtacus...
Since there is no hope of Mom ever keeping up with me, she takes me somewhere to run--most recently we have had the good fortune to play soccer in Grandma's backyard.  And guess who we've found!  My beloved Anatole, believed dead, but alive (enough) for our favorite game.  I don't know if you remember him from old photos, but he was once bright yellow, blue, and white.  Now he's...not so much.  But I still love him!  He remains the only soccer ball I've never punctured.  A survival rate of 1 out of 5 isn't so bad:)

Behold the Anatole!

I am the happiest dog alive...especially when I think of all those Spur-shaped biscuits left from the Race for Recovery sitting on the kitchen table!

Specially made for me! Wheat free beef cookie with honey mustard glaze:)

Dignity

It takes a REAL dog to pull off red Doggles and an aviator cap.  And slice of Canine Quiche...

Mom's New Plan

The dream of a Tumbleweed Tiny House still fresh in her mind, Mom made the decision that we also need a small farm.  While the prospect of my very own woods--through which I will romp and bark all day long--fills me tail-wagging joy, Mom says I must also share this Promised Land with some new animals BESIDES Jaxson and Olive...
She communicated this brilliant scheme to me with wild gesticulations, her usual rapid-fire speech, and a strange amalgam of smells on her jeans: grass, feather, and fur.  She had been deep in foreign territory.  My sniffs were so intoxicating that all I managed to catch from her were a few key phrases: "adorable goats" and "charismatic chickens."  I remember these quite well, mes chers, due to their accompanying, prickly emotion: I believe you would say I was "miffed."  Such desirable adjectives were often (and, I had believed, solely) applied to ME. And here was my own Mom bandying them about willy-nilly on farm animals.  I ceased to sniff and fixed her in my signature "sad puppy" stare, but it failed to rouse even the tiniest bit of sympathy from her!  I began to worry that she had lost her mind due to the heat, mes chers, especially when she showed me the photos on her Blackberry.  I show them to you now, so that you may judge:

Behold, the Chicken! My, what a feathery, charismatic bird!

The "Adorable"Goat

The Adorable Goat and Her Equally Adorable Family

The Adorable Goat, eating what I am sure MUST be an Adorable Plant

Me, just in case you've forgotten.  You can also find me in the dictionary under "adorable" and "charismatic."  Under "charming," too.  And "awesome"...

Mom says I will like these new "friends."  I am sure I will like to CHASE and EAT them, but I did not tell her that.  I'll bet "adorable" tastes pretty good.  Almost as good as "charismatic."

Race for Recovery

Visit me tomorrow morning at Alive in Christ Lutheran Church in Columbia, MO for the Race for Recovery!  Oui, mes chers--Spur the Busy Beauceron will be sitting at the race startline to hand out Beauceron-shaped, wheat free cookies!  After the damage done to Joplin by the tornado, Mom and I wanted to help out--and along came Mike with idea for this race.  We decided to help sponsor it and I'm even on the t-shirt!

Come out and see us!

Jax's Birthday!

Our beloved Action Jaxson celebrated his second birthday yesterday!  Olive and I let him have all the best toys (when Mom was looking) and eat the biggest pieces of biscuit.  We were on our best behavior, drooling over the promise of Treats Unleashed cake...

...and finally, it came!

Soooo tasty!

The birthday boy in his party hat. He actually seemed to enjoy wearing it!

Memorial Day

I got to go to the Memorial Day parade, mes chers!  While there are no photos to prove it, I was very well-behaved among the scads of people, kids, other dogs...and PLANES OVERHEAD!!! Those of you who know me well remember my aversion to helicopters. Fortunately, it does not extend to other aircraft, no matter how loud.  The Ziwi Peak venison bits that Mom kept shoving into my mouth as the sidewalk shook beneath us helped a little:)  Anywho, I was proud to be there in honor of those who have served our country!
Here are some other photos we've collected since the last post.  Enjoy!!

Jax on his new ortho bolster bed...LUCKY!

My Wall of Fame, before Mom downsized.  See how many toys I've killed!

The latest Beauceron creation , from Bluestem

Olive!

Old photo of Jax in midshake--makes us laugh!

Old photo of Jax's wolfish side

Long Time, No Post!

Bonjour, mes chers! Sorry it's been so long. The Tripp Trio has hit the ground running this past month.  Hiking, obedience and agility training, trips to the dog park, swimming--you name it, we've probably done it!

The Tripp Trio, precariously perched on the window seat

Jax's first day as shop dog

Jax's "Chick Magnet" tank--see how small he is beneath all that fur!

I am pleased to announce that I am a pretty stellar focused heeler and am no longer afraid of the agility teeter. Jax remembered all his training--even the scary weaves! Olive has been successfully introduced to the wobbleboard, flat boards, the sway gate, the pause table, and the weave poles. We try to practice three times a week!