Damages to Lunar Vessel

NASA is planning to make new lunar journeys. They made the first test launch of a new lunar rocket last Wednesday, and it was a success. However, they say that the rocket booster was damaged when it returned to Earth, landing on the ocean surface. The main thing is, though, that the flight went well. I do hope men will get back to the lunar surface in my lifetime.

No Bones

Paula came home again this evening. She had had a good time, though my daughter Meja had been blowing her coat and was not successful at the dog show. The plan was that Paula would buy chewing bones. There usually are salesmen who sell large amounts of chewing bones for a low price at dog shows, but there were none at this show. We were disappointed, of course, but what can you do? We cannot force the chewing bone sales men to go to every dog show where we go.

Dog Show without Dog

Paula went to a dog show once again today. She did not bring any dog, having been one day too late to enter any of us. Then, why, you may ask, does she go? There is a simple answer: my daughter Meja will be shown at an official dog show for the very first time, and Paula has promised to go there and help. She also has a delivery to make to other dog owners who will go to this show. I would have liked to come, not least in order to meet my darling daughter. However, even if I would have been entered, I am nothing to show right now, since I am blowing my coat. Since this is the case, I might as well take it easy with the others at home.

Discovering Murder

A forensic physician in Stockholm says that if the general physician would become better at examining dead bodies, 10 to 20 more murders would probably be discovered per year in Sweden. This is interesting. I hope many physicians - and politicians who decide upon the budgets of these physicians - take this ad notam and work to improve the discovery of murders this way. It seems to be rather simple. I also hope there would be more examinations like this of dead dogs' bodies, in order to discover more cases of animal abuse.

More Moose Meat

I received a nice phone call this evening. It was Paula's mother Gertrud, who told me she and Nils Olov would come by to leave me and the other dogs some more moose meat. All I had to do was to go down to the road to collect the meat when they stopped by. I just had to wait down there for a little while, then I saw their car and when they stopped, I got three boxes of moose meat. Of course, I thanked them very much. The meat now stands in our refrigerator, it will be nice to have parts of this meat for our food. Meat is always nice, moose meat is something extra.

Advertisements

I have advertisements on my blog. This is to give me a chance to earn some money, but I do not condone or support every single advert. I noticed that I have an advert now for "labradoodle" pups. Anyone who has followed my blog for an extended time must know that I am not in favour of mixed breeding. I thought I would stress this fact again now. Since I have yet to actually make any money from these advertisements, I have now decided that I will remove them.

Late Night

Mia was here last night. She got to pet the new pups and then we had dinner. We watched two feature length movies, so it was really late once Mia went home - too late for me to write anything in my blog. Time flew, as it generally does when you have a great time.

A Picture of April's Pups

This is what I have seen of April's pups so far:



They are cute, are they not? Even the creme coloured female pup is very cute.

We knew there was a risk of creme coloured pups in this combination, a colour not accepted on Shiba Inus, though existing. The colour derives from genes from other Japanese breeds when our breed was restored in the 20th century, breeds where creme is allowed. It can lie dormant for generations, but if both parents carry the gene, there can be creme pups. This is what must have happened now. In every aspect apart from the colour, a creme Shiba Inu is a Shiba Inu. She will be just as good as a companion of her future humans as any other Shiba Inu.

I believe I do not carry the gene for creme Shiba Inus. Neither of my parents have had creme pups.

Pups

April has given birth to two pups this evening. I have yet not met them, they are to young for that, so this is all I can tell you so far. Paula and Daniel say, however, that April is a good mother. This is no surprise, I have taught her extensively.

Meat

One could almost believe Paula had been out hunting today, because she brought a big load of fresh moose meat home. She had been given this by her father Nils Olov, who participate in moose hunts and get meat as part of the payment. Nils Olov is a nice man, generously giving great meat like this to us. Paula prepared a moose stew for dinner tomorrow, I sure hope I will get to taste some of it. It smelled wonderful.

The Sofa

Daniel had to put the covers of the seats of the living room sofa in the washing machine yesterday, because they were dirty. The seats themselves proved to be more worth as toys, perfect for dogs to chew. However, this made Paula and Daniel sad, they wanted to keep the seats to the sofa. Maybe they are right. Playing with the seats were fun, though.

Cravings, Part 2

Not only does April has strange cravings, as I wrote about yesterday. She has some cravings which, although quite normal, take dangerous turns. Paula made some meatballs for us dogs tonight, and it is quite normal that April likes meatballs. However, when Paula held one to give to Dad, April jumped for it, biting Paula in her finger. Paula's hand was still more than a metre up from the floor. April usually waits for her turn, she is even better than I am at waiting, but not now, not when she has got cravings. My cravings were never dangerous.

April did ask Paula for forgiveness later, and was forgiven. She is lucky Paula is such a good hearted human. You do not bite the hand that feeds you.

Cravings

April has got puppies in her tummy. While pregnant, it is not uncommon to get cravings, when you feel like eating or drinking strange things. April has a craving for drinking juice or soft drinks from a glass. This is strange, I would never have had a craving like that when I had pups in my tummy. April just blame her cravings, I still tease her for it.

Old Computer

Our computer does not work properly, so Paula and Daniel turned it in to the shop where they once bought it. They had paid for an extended warranty and got it less than a year ago, so there is hope we can get it repaired cheaply. Meanwhile, we have brought an old computer in from one of our storages. It works, though not as well as our ordinary computer did before it started ot malfunction. I hope we get the ordinary computer back soon.

Groomers on TV

We saw a TV show on Animal Planet this afternoon about dog groomers. They had a competition on who was the best groomer. One of the groomers cut the dog she was grooming twice. Once is bad, twice is a catastrophe. We all hoped she would lose and have to leave the show, and this happened. Sometimes, TV show competitions have quite satisfying outcomes. I am only sorry for the dog who was hurt twice.

We Were Mentioned

I have already told my blog readers that Kuro chan and I became BIS-2 in brace at the World Dog Show last week. The Swedish Kennel Club mention us as well. This feels good, we are recognized at home as well as on the WDS. There is nothing more that needs to be said about this.

Hunt

The second Monday in October is a special day for a lot of people and dogs in the south of Sweden. (In this context, Örebro counts as part of south of Sweden.) It is the day when the yearly moose hunt start. I am not a big game hunting dog, Shiba Inus never were, but I can understand the thrill that many dogs feel, who will participate in this hunt. It is necessary to hunt for moose, to prevent them from being too many, damaging too much of the forests. The hunt also brings good meat.

Paula's father has given us moose meat sometimes, from the hunts where he participate, and it is tasty. If you would buy this meat in the store, it would be very expensive, so getting it for free is fantastic. I do not know if Paula's father will participate in hunts this year. Paula does not really fancy this meat, I do not understand why, but I hope we can get some more this year anyway.

Curious Things Happen

You would think it would be easier to write in your blog from home than from abroad, but it is not necessarily so. While I was away on the Continent, I always managed to find computers to write blog entrys from. Now that I arrived home, I thought I would be able to relax a little, as we have a good computer at home. However, our computer did not work properly yesterday night, thus, no blog entry last night. It is curious how things work out sometimes.

It Feels Good to Be Home

We arrived home this afternoon. It feels good to be back. Now we just have to unpack and then we can take a well deserved rest.

On Our Way Home

It has been an experience to go to Slovakia. I have liked the journey and the World Dog Show, but all good things come to an end. Regardless of how fun it has been, there is no place like home. We all would like to get home soon, so we will not make many stops on the way.

Before we left today, we visited a Poodle specialty, where Kuro chan's former Japanese human showed his Toy Poodles. This was fun too, though I did not like it quite as much as the World Dog Show.

Nobel Prizes

The Nobel Prizes of this year has been announced this week. The biggest surprise was probably that US President Barack Obama got the Peace Prize. This is a surprise, because while Obama is certainly liked and respected in large parts of the world, he has not actually accomplished any great things for peace and cooperation between humans.

If I would be able to suggest a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize, I would consider that organizations can get this prize, and suggest the Fédération Cynologique Internationale, FCI. Being at present at the World Dog Show, with humans and dogs from all over the world, I can really see that the FCI is an organization that brings us all together in peaceful competition, as well as in cooperation and for the good of dogs and humans alike. The dog-human connection is strong, and the FCI works to strengthen the status of dogs in human society, thus improving human society world-wide with all the positive things that dogs can bring. The FCI is a private, world wide organization, and its achievements on international cooperation is tremendous. It would be a worthy winner that has achieved a lot already.

Finalists

We are satisfied with our results on the World Dog Show. Kuro chan was not placed as champion male, but with Excellent, I got Very Good. Mum, however, was the best individual of us, she got the World Veteran Winner '09 title!

Kuro chan and I also competed in brace, where you are supposed to compete with another dog of your breed with the same human owners, and try to look alike. We made a great couple. We got to the WDS finals, where we became Second Best in Show in Brace. This is an amazing result; Shiba Inus are seldom in the Best in Show Finals at all, black and tan Shibas like Kuro chan and I are there even more seldom.

Kuro chan also met an old friend of his from Japan. That was a happy reunion.

Slovakia

We arrived in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, late this afternoon. This is where the World Dog Show will be this year. They do speak strangely here, but I guess it is just because I am not used to it.

The weather is amazing, sunshine and over 20 degrees Celsius. It is still summer here, not like the almost-winter weather we left behind in Sweden. This is one advantage that they have, living further south than we do. On the other hand, with my Shiba Inu coat, I have never had any difficulties with the cold climate of Sweden.

It will be interesting to see the dog show facilities tomorrow.

In Germany

We have arrived in Dresden, Germany, where we will stay for a night on our trip down to Bratislava. So far, this is the southernmost place I have ever been, but we will go further south tomorrow. It is me, Mum, Kuro chan, Paula, and Paula's father Nils Olov. We have had a nice, but long, trip today.

The Germans speak a language I do not understand at all. I had expected that, but never experienced it before. I have been to the Swedish speaking parts of Finland before, where I naturally understand the language, and to Norway, where they speak Norwegian, a language closely related to Swedish and which is the mother tounge of my Dad. I also know English, my Mum's native language. German, on the other hand, is a completely different matter. Rumour has it, Slovakian is even more different from Swedish. It will be interesting to hear that.

Packing Bags

Paula is packing her bags to prepare for a dog show journey. It will be a long trip, starting tomorrow, to Bratislava in Slovakia. You have to go through Germany or Poland to get there from Sweden, the planned route is through Germany and the Czech Republic. Paula has told me I will get to go on this trip, so I have already packed my bag. Still, there have been so many dog show trips this year when I have had to stay at home, that I am not quite sure I will get to come until I sit there in the car tomorrow morning. Let us hope for a safe trip, a pleasant dog show, and that I really get to come along. It will be the longest voyage I have ever made, and I am looking forward to it. You will hear more in the days to come, provided that I have computer access on the road.

Downgraded

Sumo, a Maltese Terrier who used to live with former French President Jacques Chirac in the Elysee Palace, has found life after retirement from his position as First Dog depressing. He had to move to an apartment much smaller than the palace, and had to leave the gardens of the presidential palace where he used to roam.. According to Mrs. Chirac, Sumo has suffered from depression and has turned aggressive. After biting his human Jacques for the third time, he has now moved to a new home on the French country side.

I can quite understand Sumo. We used to live in an apartment with no garden to roam about in. I would not want to leave our garden now for an apartment, and our garden must still be much smaller than that of the French Elysee Palace. Well, I certainly would not turn against my humans, but perhaps I would be depressed, would anything like that happen. A dog used to roam freely wants to continue to do so. I wish Sumo all the best in his new home.

Hmpf

I did not get to go to Mia and Kesshi tonight either, when Daniel and Paula were there. Can there be any good reason for not bringing me? I think not. Well, it could be worse, the rest of this Saturday was a peaceful and nice day.

Late

Paula and Daniel went to visit Mia and Kesshi tonight, and I did not get to come along. They got home really late, we got food even later, and I write this blog entry past midnight. I am disappointed that I still have not seen where Mia and Kesshi now lives. Eventually, I am sure I will, but I am curious. Well, it is late, now I am going to bed.

Moving

Paula and Daniel were away this evening to help Mia and Kesshi move to a new place. There is a lot to move, if you are a human, I remember this from when we moved to our present house. It is much easier for a pup to move to his or her new family, but that is another matter. Mia and Kesshi are dear friend of ours, so I think it is self evident that Paula and Daniel would help. I was not allowed to help, but while Shiba Inus are good at many things, lifting heavy furniture down and up stairs is not one of them. April and I hope to give our contribution to Mia's and Kesshi's new flat soon in some other way, for example when there is a house warming party.