Shopi

This cute terrier cross, doing his very best to appear 'fierce,' was peering out from under a café table in Carnoles, part of Roquebrune-cap-Martin. He's six years old and called Shopi. Shopi is the name of a local supermarket, by the way. Don't you love the intensity of his expression?

It's Squillions Day - Hooray!

It's Squillions Day
and my Food Lady's Computer is having issues...
~~~~~

Sadie Katie is here
but the rest of her Squillion Day Adventure
will have to continue later...

See Derby’s original post, learn about Squillions
and adopt a virtual-Squillion of your own.
~~~~~

The Virtual Squillion Shelter welcomes

the new Shelter Goddess: Grr, Midnight & Cocoa’s Lady!

Monsieur Spitz One-Ear?

Not a nice morning in Carnoles - a suburb of Roquebrune-cap-Martin. I noticed this cute and very independent little Spitz following his owner. I took about four photos following them - he, always off lead, even when crossing the road. They walked fast and I didn't think I'd get to take his photo. Suddenly Madame stopped and greeted a friend and from then on, quite oblivious to me, I could photograph this little boy. I don't know his name - I didn't like to interrupt their conversation - but I know he's a boy.

And yes, as you see, he does have two ears!

Wordless Wednesday We are Watching for Spring

Things are looking up

Hey everyone. I'm Hector.

So it's good to see all my pals on here - shout out to Uba since he was my kennel-neighbor when we were in what my foster mom calls "custody" and I call "that other place."

Things are looking up since I got to California. I went to live with some nice ladies and a bunch of dogs and they had all these crazy things they kept giving me, and I didn't know what they were or why I was getting them. It's funny now that I know that these things are called "toys" and "dog beds" and that there's a big supply of both of them for me. The dog beds were really strange to me and I used to try to eat them and then lay next to them, but one day I realized that you can sleep on top of them. That was a good discovery! It's definitely nicer to nap on them than it is to use them as chew toys.

So anyway, I'm learning lots of new things - most especially what it means to live in a house. I definitely like the house a lot better than other places I've lived, and now that I know how to use a dog bed the house is even better!

I did have one strange day where I went in for a "neuter" - I'm glad I didn't know what that was at the time, but I'm cool with it now. The best part other than all the attention from the vet staff was the awesome cone they put on my head - I think I rocked that accessory, and the great thing about it was that you can run around with it and whack it into things and it makes some awesomely loud crashing noises.

I kind of miss my cone, actually. Here's a picture of me rocking the cone look - I think it looks kind of cool. So for every dog out there who hates the cone, I'm telling you - try whacking it into things and picking up toys with it. You can make your own game!

That's about it for now. Thanks to everyone who sent nice notes when I was in the newspaper and on TV. I only wish they'd let me wear this cool cone for the press conference, because that would have been a BLAST!

Family Dog 101

Hello! I’m Ernie!

I am soooooo liking my new digs here in California!

Something tells me that there must have been a Bully goD watching over me and my pit bull pals from Virginia. We’ve all been through a lot…most of which, I, (actually, we) don’t care to ever think about again. I don’t even want to contaminate my brain thinking about stuff like that. Life was really rough for a long while there at “home” (not that I could actually call that creepy place on Moonlight Road a “home” by any stretch of the imagination). And then, we were in "custody" for what seemed like forever and ever and ever. Not exactly how I would have wished to spend my younger days.

But hey, I’m not one to dwell on the past. And thanks to some really awesome people out there who totally believe that pit bulls deserve so much better, my buddies and I headed out west for a brand new start… Yay!

I’m so excited that I can hardly stop wiggling and wagging!!! I finally get to learn what it feels like to be a family dog now; a cherished companion even...No more school of hard knocks for me and my friends….Woof!

And guess what?! I have my very own human boy, Eddy, to pal around with.
I also have a really cool canine sister named Maxine (a fellow pit mix) that I get to run around and do zoomies with, wrestle, play, and snuggle with. She makes a really comfy pillow to rest my head on when I’m tired. And, best of all, my mom says that I always make her smile! It doesn’t really get much better than that…

More about me later…but, for now, I’m really hoping that the Bully goD watches out for other equally deserving pit bulls out there.

Olivia

Olivia, the little Yorkie, is the companion of Océane, whom we met yesterday in the medieval village of Roquebrune. She's 8 years old, same as her friend, and is sporting a short haircut which seems to be comfortable for a Yorkshire terrier and fairly easy for an owner to deal with.

Crap poodle

If you recall, real dogs do not have hairstyles. This poodle sports a full-body hairstyle lifestyle. It is exemplarily crap.

Bottom of the food chain crap dog

Its ears are so large because it has to listen alertly for predators.

Crap begging dog #2

This dog has no bucket so is instead inviting pity through its pathetic facial expression.

Crap begging dog

Real dogs do not beg for things, they take them.

Crap doggies in the window

These crap puppies are for sale, for Christmas. Look at him drinking out of a bottle like a hamster.

Océane

Océane, a lovely 8-year old Hungarian Vizla, lives in the old village of Roquebrune with her owner Josie and a little Yorkie. You'll meet the Yorkie tomorrow. Hard to believe but it's got to be 9 years since Josie's beautiful Weimaraner died. I think she was only around 5. Josie felt she couldn't take another dog of the same breed, it would never be the same, and so she chose a Vizla. In the photo below, she moved her head, so it's just slightly out of focus, but I love her expression.

Thoughts on Friendship

Hi! My name is Uba, and I am one of Jonny's friends and fellow survivors. I had a harder time in jail than Jonny did, so I prefer not to think about that time. You can read a little about my first experiences with people who didn't want to hurt me in this nice article . My life now is all about what's next and the new things I can see and experience. Sometimes those new things are kind of scary, but I try hard to be brave and my friends help me with that.

My mom has told me that some people think that dogs that have been abused and neglected and sent to jail like me can never, ever, be friends with other dogs or with cats. They even think that I might hurt my friends! I really don't understand why someone would think that. Why would I want to hurt my friends?? They keep me company and help me be brave when things are scary. I guess those people have just never met anyone like me. I have lots and lots of doggy friends and I get very very excited when I get to see them at pit-ed class. Sometimes I bounce so much with happiness that I lose my balance and fall over and everyone laughs at me. I have a beautiful big pit bull sister, Lulu, and we live with two cool little guys called Angus and William who smell a lot different than other dogs and don't go for walks with us. My mom says thats because they are not dogs at all, they actually are cats. Some dogs (like Jonny) think that cats are all bad news, but I like to take naps with my buddies. Lulu has shown me that scary things are no big deal and she has helped me get used to living in a nice house, and Angus and William snuggle with me when we watch tv or read books in the evening. I would be so sad if I couldn't live with my friends any more. I hope those people who think I might hurt my friends can learn about me and my friends on this blog and change their minds.

Hugs, Uba

Crap tache

Only Hulk Hogan is allowed a moustache like this.

The Cell Door Opened

On my first day out of custody, I took a road trip with some of my cell block mates and some super nice people in a giant rolling house. It was a tough trip, sneeking thru places that I overheard folks say I wasn't allowed. I didn't understand that. I'm just a dog. I can understand that some people aren't keen on dogs, but whole towns, cities and counties ??? Are these places run by cats ?? Oh' my, This isn't good. Is this the land of the free ? I was told it was so great, but sounds kinda mixed up. Free, but only in certain places ?? I dont get it. I hope my people try to fix that. But my super nice people kept me safe and prevented us from being thrown back in a cell, and a few days later we all arrived in a place called Oakland. Freedom at last !!!!

It was nice to be out in the sun, to smell grass, chase birds, and play with other doggies. It was nice to have a hand from good people to pet me. It was very strange, as good hands were foreign to me, but I sure did like it. I hope I get more. It was a long time spent in a cell. What my people tell me, it was over six months, whatever months are. I was lucky, because I am very strong, but some of my buddies had a very hard time in doggie jail. We are all different, and some of us need different types of care. Being locked up for that long changes you. But since being out, we are all bouncing back, getting our strength back slowly, shaking off the wrongs done to us, and wagging.

Wagging Lots.

Jonny-

Seal

Real dogs don't look like aquatic mammals.

Gollum

This dog discovered what happens if you wear the One Ring for too long.

Hairless rat terrier

The hint's in the name. Hairless. Rat. Even the twisted breeder who came up with these realised they were crap.

And, as the photo shows, they can reproduce.

Calipet

Calipet lives in Fontvieille, right by the small port of Monaco. She's a mix of Fox Terrier and Golden Retriever or Labrador and is two and half years old. Her owner was SO nice. She saw me photographing sculptures for Monte Carlo Daily Photo and asked if I'd seen a specific new and modern sculpture in Fontvieille. I hadn't. So she insisted I went and saw it and indeed took me there. As we walked along she told she was born in Monte Carlo and as a child used to fish off the port - she'll have seen many changes over the years. Calipet met several dogs as we walked along - she knows these streets - a lovely dog and great rapport between her and her nice owner.

'Dogs encourage us humans to become humane' - Jo Winter

Wordless Wednesday in a Box

Crap ugly dog

This apology for a dog wouldn't even be able to scare prey to death with its face.

Failed dog

Failed people become teachers. Failed dogs become fat pointless dependents.

Clothed crap dog

You could dress a real dog in this manner, but you would sustain injuries in the process.

Crap fat dog

Even large impressive dogs can be crap if their owners stuff them to the point where they can no longer walk, let alone violently snap the neck of a grazing herbivore.

Crap before, crap after

There is more of this crap dog now that it has gained weight, but it has never been capable of taking down an ungulate single handedly.

My Oh My Monday

Today we celebrate President's Day
so my Food Lady decided to help me with my post.
It was supposed to be somewhat presidential
but I don't know what happened...
~~~~~
I thought that I would just maybe sit next to a flag or something.
But then right before my very eyes,
she was putting a hat on my pretty head.
(Not a real hat, mind you, I wouldn't stay still for that!) After that it was all about different colors...
I told her that my post might fit in well with one of Tripper's... Then she wondered
what I would look like for Midnight Monday...
~~~~~
I think that I look better with my real fur
in my real family room
without a hat...
Just my opinion, Mom.
~~~~~
I was not harmed in all of this "fun"
and will look like myself again tomorrow!

A wolf

Wolves, not being crap, do not require pink fluffy outfits or dungarees to keep them warm in the snow.

Pink fluffy crap dog

A chihuahua gazing adoringly at its owner photographing it wearing an outfit a seven year old girl would sneer at.

Crap boston terrier

Real dogs do not have eyes which bulge out of their sockets in their eagerness to please.

Crap corgi

The mouths of real dogs do not automatically form gormless grins irrespective of mood.

Waste of dog food

This pug looks depressed because it is wishing it had been born an Irish wolfhound.

Crap dog with crap hair

Nature and culture have both been unkind to this crap dog.

Crap dog dressed as a crap human

Real dogs do not have hairstyles.

World's smallest crap dog meeting world's largest real dog

Gibson is wondering whether it would genetically constitute cannibalism if he were to eat Boo Boo.

Alien infant

Real dogs cannot be lifted with one hand.

Doglette

Real dogs are measured in feet, not inches.

Bully at the Fête du Citron

I met Bully outside the Jardin Biovès in Menton, where work was in preparation for the Fête du Citron. Click on the link. When I asked his name -I wrote down Billy but his owner corrected me!- and then told Bully to do his party trick, which you see in the photo below.

Happy Valentine's Day

Lucky Charmz and I are Valentines this year.
Doesn't he have the most beautiful blue eyes!!!
Oh, Charmee, you make me swoon!

Clipper - Tintin's dog?

This little 5 month bundle of trouble is called Clipper and belongs to friends who live in south western France and in Monaco. He is a replacement for Scupper, who died far too young. You can read Scupper's story by clicking on the link.

To me, Clipper looks so much like Tintin's dog, Milou - called Snowy in England. His ears don't stick up but he has that look - probably because he hasn't yet got full pigmentation around his eyes. If you don't know Hergé's famous Tintin stories, do click on the link.

This last photograph - below - is out of focus, but I'm using it cos in this he really is Milou/Snowy! I wonder if he'll have as many adventures in his life as Tintin's dog. I sure hope so.