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April 4, 2003 - Volume 41 Materials in this newsletter are the sole possession of the authors and Dog Company. Please do not copy or use in any fashion without written permission |
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Woofin' n' a'Walkin' We live in one of the world's most beautiful cities and we're going to have a great experience. Our Dog Walking group is branching out and we're registered to participate in the Victoria International Walking Festival, the only walking festival of its kind in Canada. Victoria International Walking Festival (April 18 - April 20) is a weekend of walking-related activities which include the 6th Annual Blossom Walks, International Friendship Walk, International Walkers' Dinner, ( you know we won't be invited to that but our moms are going to take us somewhere special for dogs....Hey, maybe we'll be going to 'Woofles Diner" in Market square !) Walk EXPO, Walking Seminars, Blister Party, (hmmmm, don't think I like the sound of that) Live Entertainment, and plenty of food and refreshments. (Sounds hopeful) I'm very excited about all of this, as our Trail Blazers Club is going to be walking in a real, big time people walk for the first time and we want to set a good example for all dogs who want to welcomed in people walks. Our Canine Good Neighbour Program training is paying off. We're going to look very nice in our matching scarves so Truby's mom and Finnigan's mom will be taking pictures along the way. Look for our article in May about our first International Walking Festival. Here is a little info about it! Although the Victoria International Walking Festival name is new, the event itself has been in existence for six years. Its former name was Victoria International Blossom Walks. For those familiar with the event, the walking events during the Festival weekend will still be known as Blossom Walks and retain the Yoshino Cherry Blossom image as its motif for the walk awards. Walkers come from around the globe for a weekend of health, happiness and harmony in beautiful Victoria, Canada. The 6th Annual Blossom Walks, the main feature of the weekend, is a non-competitive walking event offering a variety of trail distances for walkers of all abilities. Participants are free to walk at their own pace whether that pace is very slow, very fast and or somewhere in between. The Blossom Walks trails include the relatively easy 5 and 10 Km trails which are ideal for the recreational walker. More serious walkers however may prefer the 21 Km Half-Marathon, 42 Km Marathon or the NEW 52 Km Ultra-Marathon. "Walk Your Way!" This really emphasizes that the Blossom Walks event is not a contest of speed but of your own individual achievement. "Fun, Fitness & Friendship" is the aim of The Victoria International Walking Festival. This is a non-political, non-profit organization whose aim is to promote health and encourage friendship between people from all parts of the world. This is accomplished by promoting international multi-day non-competitive walking events in each of the member countries. What the Victoria International Walking Festival weekend is all about? - bringing people together from all over the world who share one common bond - a love of walking! Now who loves walking more than Dogs!
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Crossing Over "Jiggs" Martin Fitzpatrick Oct.1990 - Mar. 2003 Jiggs (the quiet one) was a very special guy. He would like to thank all his family for the love, attention and devotion he received over the years. For example, there were his human grandchildren; he would quietly nuzzle by leaning against them so they had no choice but to love him up as they came to visit. And then there was everyone else....all the not-so-welcomed dives into your crouch and rubs....... he did it to everyone. Some of his favourite things: he loved drinking from the toilet and leaving wet drips on the seat. He loved to take his time to sniff all the flower pots on the deck, and loved to lay out in the rain or snow (go figure). He loved to take all the bones from the basket, chew one, put none back. He'd spend hours watching the fenced corners of the yard to out stare the cats. He enjoyed breakfast & dinner, all snacks, walks, cars rides, dogs, children, old people, Jim coming home from work, and just watching Peni. He loved sharing warm, cuddled together sleeps with his housemates in the winters and on all the warm, summer days, he liked to stretch out on the sun deck ...sleeping in the sun or just being able to climb upon the ever so soft lounger in the shade; Peni didn't have the heart to move him. Jiggs had a fabulous life that has been full of adventures. From working sheep, keeping the turkeys in the yard at the grandparent's farm and all the neighbour cats out of his own yard, to being in movies, in commercials, and working for Peni in all of her Dog Company adventures, he was a busy guy. He adored his brother, Slick, who he worked and played with all his life and in turn was adored by Sweep & Poutine, who had the most respect for the "Old Boy." In the past year Jiggs was slowing down considerably and our walks were slower than some of the other dogs would have preferred. However, they realized the "Old Boy" still wanted to be part of it all and they adjusted for him and let him set the pace. Jiggs would like to thank his friend, Trouble and her mom, Marg, for joining in on the "Old Boy" walks four days a week these past few months; having a girl friend in Truby really perked Jiggs up. She was so happy to see him and would give him a big wet kiss each time; he knew he still had it "with the ladies." Thank you to our friend, Stacey ( a voice of calm understanding and compassion) at Victoria Veterinarian Hospital who has been a long time friend and was on duty that day, and to Dr. Gurney (passionate human being) whose professionalism was extraordinary. Jiggs left this world in the arms of his loving Peni and Jim, arms he has known well over the years, arms and hearts Jiggs knew would be there for him. "He was my friend, my partner, my dog. I was his life, his love, his leader. He was mine and I was his - faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. I owed it to him to be worthy of his devotion." "Jiggs" an awesome dog ................ Jump, run, turn on a dime....... be joyful with your sister!
Classified (To our advertisers: we'd love to hear if your ad in the Woof was successful. Please drop us a line and let us know.) Coming Events Trail Blazers: Agility Tournaments: Island Dog Sports Demos Upcoming events on Salt Spring are: Coming Soon Hi Everybody, Wanted: Your 'articles', your 'For Sales', your 'Want Ads', your birthday wishes, your letters to Mam'selle, your names, your ......... ????? By Wed. April 16 .... for the next Woof, please...... peni@dogcompany.com (Disclaimer: Advertisements posted by the Woof are done as a service, not as an endorsement. Please communicate directly with the ad contact for further information on any items.)
Did You Know? In Frankfurt, Germany, city officials are proposing that dogs wear a large number plate around their neck so that dogs who foul the streets (and are not picked up after) can be easily identified and reported to the police by anyone observing them. Owners could be fined 150 euros.
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Tips and Tales by Miss Trouble These humans - they're really something. They're forever thinking up new ideas and toys for us furfaces. Why, just the other day at Agility Club, Spencer's dad arrived in his truck and all the human people got really excited. He carried in these gray things and set them down by the trailer. Then all the human people got busy carrying them around and doing a lot of talking. They put one piece down, and then hooked another up to it and then another and then another. It didn't look like much to us at that point unless our moms wanted us to learn how to go on a slide. But they weren't finished. They started dragging the tunnels over to these things, and wag my furry tail! One tunnel went up and over - kinda steep but manageable - no worse than when they drape it over the A frame, I guess. What came next though was unbelievable. Our moms tucked one tunnel in under the 'up and over one', and then they took a third and used it to join the ends of the first two a pretzel they called it. Trust me, I've seen pretzels; they're those crunchy little food things that people drop on the floor when they're drinking the stuff in those tall wobbly glasses. This thing was not edible and not little. Why, that crazy thing was three tunnels long, and nowhere was there a straight line like the tunnels often are. As you can imagine, we furfaces just sort of stood around watching all this happen and wondering. But then we got a chance to try it out. What a howl! Some of us went through at a full gallop, bursting out the far end so quickly there was hardly time for the mom to get to the end to greet them. Others were a bit more hesitant.. like me. I took it nice and slow; after all, you just couldn't tell what might be lurking around one of those curves. It was even fun being on the outside watching someone else. Because the tunnels are sort of clear, you could see the furface running through, or not running through, or turning around and believe you me, we did them all! This is a really, really neat thing for us to have. On behalf of all of us, I'd like to woof a great big thank you to Spencer's dad, Archie, for building it for us.
Phydeau Phun A wealthy man decided to go on a safari in Africa. He took his faithful pet dachshund along for company. One day, the dachshund starts chasing butterflies and before long the dachshund discovers that he is lost. So, wandering about, he notices a leopard heading rapidly in his direction with the obvious intention of having lunch. The dachshund thinks, "Okay, I'm in deep trouble now!" Then he noticed some bones on the ground close by, and immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat. Just as the leopard is about to leap, the dachshund exclaims loudly, "Boy, that was one delicious leopard. I wonder if there are any more around here?" Hearing this, the leopard halts his attack in mid-stride, as a look of terror comes over him, and slinks away into the trees. "Whew," says the leopard. "That was close. That dachshund nearly had me." Meanwhile, a monkey who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree, figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the leopard. So, off he goes. But the dachshund saw him heading after the leopard with great speed and figured that something must be up. The monkey soon catches up with the leopard, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the leopard. The leopard is furious at being made a fool of and says, "Here monkey, hop on my back and see what's going to happen to that conniving canine." Now the dachshund sees the leopard coming with the monkey on his back, and thinks, "What am I going to do now?" But instead of running, the dog sits down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hasn't seen them yet... and just when they get close enough to hear, the dachshund says, "Where's that monkey? I sent him off half an hour ago to bring me another leopard." Thanks to Gerry M in California for this one!
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"Heeeeere's "Wolfgang !" Hi Guys: If you are down in Oak Bay, come by 667 St. Patrick Street and you will probably see me in the front window, checking out who is going by. I know every dog on the street. Also go next door to Boland's Bakery, where my buddy, Angus, the Scotty lives. While your parents are in the bakery eating Johann's goodies, you can visit Angus, or leave a letter in my mailbox on our lawn. I will be sure to get it. No packages, please. Looking forward to meeting all of you. Wolfgang
And on the Subject of Invisible Fencing Crossing over....
Woofs of Wisdom "Anybody who doesn't know what soap tastes like never washed a dog."
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The Purrrrrrr Now all you cat lovers out there know how intelligent we are and how those dogs keep trying to prove that they're more so, but we know better. We keep hearing stories of hostile takeover bids. Take my friend, Mikey, for example. Mikey is Cricket's feline brother and for years, he's had the job of helping Earl watch the stock market; when Earl gets that old laptop out and finds the stock quotes, Mikey has always been right there, on the couch with him, giving him tips and advice. Then came Cricket and in her canine drive to be "man's best friend", she's attempting to take on that role. Give us a break... what do dogs know about the stock market? The only thing they're interested in is whether or not milkbones are on the rise (out of the tin!) We cats, on the other hand, have always helped our people; betcha didn't know that 34% of cat-owning households have incomes over $60,000. Makes you think, doesn't it? But back to Mikey - here's the proof of Cricket's attempted overthrow. I don't think she was successful though; when Earl and Lynn were away, they didn't leave Cricket in charge of the family finances. Hang in there, Mikey; Cricket'll make a big time mistake (I wonder if she picked Enron?) and then Earl will be looking for you again. P.S. Remember that recipe that I ran last issue?? Well, I just wanted you to know, that my Auntie Dale made it, with some changes... she cut the bread crumbs to 1/2 cup, added 3/4 cup cooked brown rice, used a whole can of tuna and rolled it into balls, instead of flat cookies... she sent some out to Trouble and me... and boy, is it good.. Truby liked it just as much as I did. So it's a dog treat as well as a cat treat. Thanks, Auntie Dale.
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Sick Call We've just learned that Spencer had to pay a visit to the hospital and is now laid up with a sore foot. Hopefully, it won't hold him down for long. No dancing for a few days, Spencer.
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Creative Captions Last week's picture and the captions are: |
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And now for this week: captions please!
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Fantastic Job We get lots of compliments about our website so it's time again to acknowledge our designers for the past three years - Atomic Crayon Web Design! Creative ideas, superior quality and dynamic design are elements they incorporate into their work and we are very happy with the outcome on a daily basis. We can't say enough good things about the terrific staff of Atomic Crayon as well as their talents and especially how they treat us -the client is always listened to. We're treated as well today as the first day we came to them. We've never been brushed off for a bigger job; if we ask for something, it is done in minutes...... yes, minutes. They return calls and email promptly and are very patient (beyond belief!) We're not really computer friendly canines on this end.......we just know what we want, and haven't a clue how to make it happen. After explaining to them what we want done, Dale & the staff soon turn it into reality with their special touch. Atomic Crayon heard us when we wanted to revise our sites last year and did it all and more! They came up with some really great ideas and incorporated it into the terrific sites you see now! We are always keeping it fresh and interesting. Are they dog lovers you ask? Well, yeh! That is how we met up ...at the Park! Thank you, Dale Campbell, Ryan, Ben & "Riley & Kona" ( the dog brains behind it all) for the great job you do for us everyday. You're the best! Visit them at www.atomiccrayon.com Woof.......Peni "Sweep", "Poutine", "Slick" ^..^~~!
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