A Tiny House For Spur (and Jax) (and a Malinois...sometime)

Mom has got it into her head that she is going to build her own house, and not just any house--a tiny house.  Yes, we three shall be living in a house under 800 sq feet (perhaps with wheels) on a plot of land yet to be determined. I blame Grandpa--he showed her the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company Catalog over which she went into ecstasy.  She was uncontrollably giddy, mes chers. It was a terrifying sight! She says we live in a pretty small house now and we don't use all of it--it just holds all the stuff that we don't use. And, she added, we pay lots of money to heat/cool this crappily made house, money that could be better spent on other things. Images sprang to mind of more dog classes and more dog toys, treats, etc. and I could feel my tail start to wag... but what about exercise?! Land, Mom says, we'll have Land--or park on someone else's Land with permission and hike to our heart's content. Since Land is expensive yet vital to our happiness, our house must therefore be of a reasonable cost and energy efficient so that we may afford said Land. The tiny house solves this problem--many of them can be built for about $20k.  Mom says the mortgage would be cheaper than our rent right now...

Some tiny houses are built on trailers, so you can take them anywhere!

The Harbinger by Tumbleweed--not movable but still small!

The Loring - Mom has a soft spot for bungalows!

Interior of a Tiny House

Tumbleweed Founder Jay Shafer and his EPU house

The Whidbey, another favorite

Concept drawing for the inside of the Whidbey

Check it out, ya'll! And if you want to join us with your own Tiny House, we could have a Pocket Neighborhood!

A Doubly Good Day

I thought that my day was wonderful enough when Mom managed to drag herself out of bed a little earlier than usual and give me an extra-long walk. After work, however, we got back in the car and went to...GRINDSTONE! I was so excited that I barked all the way across the bridge. I swam for a little in the creek and then we went in very confusing circles as Mom seemed to be waiting for something...
And then...HUGO!!!

Hugo and I haven't played since he was a pup in our PETCO class. It took awhile for him to warm up--the sand helped a lot! I don't quite know what it is about sand, but it DRIVES ME CRAZY. In a giddy way:) It worked the same way on Hugo, too! SAND WRESTLING!!! I retrieved a few sticks from the creek and Hugo went in after me. Then the creek dropped off. He bobbed back to the surface and swam back the bank but we were all surprised that his short little legs actually swam. We spent about an hour at Grindstone and then went back to respective houses for a much-needed bath:) See? Doubly good day!

Mom went to PETCO to visit her friends today and buy the LAST BOTTLE of the best whitening shampoo ever...and a muscle shirt for Jax;)

Just Some Cool Stuff

Mom got bit by the Etsy bug again...

A Whale's Tale Collar by TheModDog

Be A Hero! Collar by daydogdesigns

Begging Dog Vinyl Decal by DabbleDown

Dashing Deco Martingale by CollardDogs

Doghouse Vinyl Wall Decal by graphicspaces

Father and Son Print by JasperAndRuby

Know Thyself Yorkie Print by outsidepeg

Loki Puppy Collar by thecoolpuppy

Copper Mustache Dog Tag by makeyourdogsmile

Mmm Pizza Beagle Print by outsidepeg

Punched Heart Tag by SWISHandWAG

Sheltie Silhouette by beanieart

Sock Monkey Family Portrait Collar by TheHydrant

Upcycled Vintage Suitcase Pet Bed by AtomicAttic

Another AtomicAttic pet bed

Where Are YOU Sitting? Great Dane Print from outsidepeg

Enjoy!

The Dog of Cake

As a reward for being so very good this weekend, my Mom decorated me a cake! It was her first foray into the world of doggie cake decorating, so it looks a little weird...but it tasted GREAT!

Ladies and Gentlemen...

...I must now change my name. To CHAMPION Eperon Mes Yeux Vigilants!!! Ah mes chers, it was a crazy weekend at the Columbia Dog Show--my first show since Nationals last fall. I behaved with commendable maturity and composure in front of The Official Spur Fan Club at my first show on Saturday, taking Winners Dog and my second major! All the MYV dogs (my kennel) did well and the judge took my face in his hands with a smile and said, "We may make a show dog out of you yet!" He further complimented Mom on her handling of me in the ring and on my solid temperament. Mom was beaming--I can't wait to see the official photo!
Two dogs (not from our kennel) had a very difficult time in the ring Saturday and one was excused on Sunday, breaking our major. But Mom and I were prepared to be content with two points instead of three and finishing my title another day...and then the craziest thing happened! I WON BEST OF BREED!!!!! Mom was stunned and could barely compose herself enough to take our place at the head of the line for our victory lap. My dog mom, Chaumette, got Best of Opposite Sex. Mom spent the next thirty minutes or so trying to remember to breathe and not to dance (too much). Since I beat other champions, we got our point back and FINISHED MY CHAMPIONSHIP!!!! Mom was delirious with joy. So many people came up and hugged Mom and congratulated us--thank you to everyone! We didn't win anything in Group--except the unofficial "Most Applause" award:) Such a good time!!
Thanks to all the MYV Family--especially Adrienne for getting us through each show! We could not have done this without you!!! BTW...Adrienne is now a Breeder of Merit!
AND...as if all this was not enough, Adrienne asked Mom to co-own Jaxson!!!! He will be rejoining us this late spring/summer to prepare for rally, agility, and TDI. I get my brother again!!!!!

Faiza Update!

Faiza's ear tapes came off Tuesday night and wow do her ears look good...and BIG. I'm sure mine looked that way, too...

I'm sure it felt so good to finally get a good ear scratch!

Faiza sitting in MY chair!

Her first time with The Everlasting Treat Ball

She didn't quite get the concept of picking it up and dropping it until food falls out.

She just kept stealing it and trying to chew on it!

Thank the Lord, she's tired at last!

Water!!!

Guess who went retrieving in Gans Greek on Thursday?! This dog! I was so happy I couldn't stop running madly in and out of the water. Faiza, however, was less than enthused. She refused to step in the water, although she will run through any puddle, no matter how wide and murky. Whenever I would climb out of the creek with my retrieved stick, she would run over to me worriedly to make sure I was OK...and then I would shake all over her. Sometimes I am a mean uncle:) She was absolutely indignant when I would splatter her with all that cold water!  Heehee! It was glorious!
As a side note, I am doing well on my Primal raw food! Mom mixes it with my Acana and a dash of enzymes et voila! The perfect meal for Spur. For those of you in Columbia, Treats Unleashed is hosting a seminar on raw food for dogs and cats next Tuesday at 6:30 pm. The Primal rep will answer any questions you may have regarding the benefits and safety of feeding raw, as well as how to do it economically. I'm all of 80 lbs, as you know, and while Mom loves me she could not really afford to feed me raw entirely. But I can still reap the benefits of raw with partial feedings! Mom heard this rep speak in STL a few weeks ago and she gave raw a try. I am very happy she did! For more info on Primal, try their website: http://www.primalpetfoods.com/
Anywho, off to play in the mud some more!  Ta ta for now!