Puppy Plans

If all goes according to plan, Kuro-chan and I will have another litter of pups by the end of May, or perhaps by the start of June. We got a great result last time, with Karstuhl and Nemo, and I am sure another litter with Kuro-chan as a father will be equally great.

The best thing about expecting pups is that you get more food and treats. The other dogs do not. This evening, Paula has promised me a piece of her Danish bread. Mum, the biggest candy lover I know, really envies me. I just wag my tail at her.

Dangers of a Vegan Diet

If you are a vegan, you do not eat any animal products whatsoever. I think this is stupid, because meat, fish, cheese etc. is so tasty. It is also very healthy for you. In France, a couple of human vegans face criminal trial after their 11-months-old daughter died and was found to suffer from vitamin deficiency. Despite her age, the daughter had only been fed her mother's milk, and her mother was eating a strict vegan diet. The couple did not even listen to advice from their doctor, but tried alternative methods instead.

I cannot understand humans like this. A dog mother would never be so stupid that she would deny her pups meat, or eat a vegan diet making the milk she gives to her pups deprived of essential ingredients. It is simply not natural for carnivores like dogs or humans to eat like herbivores. We are not cows, we are supposed to eat cows. We are also supposed to feed our little ones a healthy diet, which includes meat. I do not care if adult humans eat whatever they want, but they are stupid if they impose this diet on their children. Nature has its way, and showed what is not natural here. The couple belong in prison.

The Cubs Were Killed

The police decided that the abandoned cubs - the ones I wrote about yesterday - would be killed. They have been killed now. According to the news that I have read, the idea to move the mother back to her cubs had been considered, but not much. I cannot understand why it was dismissed. I feel so sorry for these cubs, and for their mother. The pups that I have had all have good lives, I cannot imagine what I would do if I would lose pups at such an early age that they could not survive without me. I would be beside myself with grief, I suppose, but I really do not want to think about it.

Move the Mother Back to Her Cubs!

A couple of bear cubs have been abandoned by their mother since last Friday. She went away after being woken by an off pist alpine skier in Jämtland, Sweden. The skier had to be taken to hospital, but will survive. It is less certain that the bear cubs will survive.

The authorities have debated on whether they should take care of the cubs or not. It looks like they will not. They still hope the mother will return to her cubs in time to feed them. The mother was last observed about a kilometre from her cubs.

If I were in charge of these authorities, I would tell them to get hold of the mother and transport her back to her cubs. I am sure she would take care of them as soon as she would be reunited with them.

Would you think this is an intervention in nature, that nature has to have its way? In that case, the off pist skier's action was also an intervention in nature, and transporting the mother back to her cubs would just be an intervention to set status quo back. If the off pist skier is also considered a part of nature, well, then the transportation of the mother back to her cubs is also a part of nature. I consider humans and their actions to be part of nature.

Early Mornings

Hello, Karstuhl here!

We will have to get up one hour earlier on weekdays for the upcoming seven months. I am not sure why. On the morning walk today, Daniel tried to explain it. The explanation had something to do with changing all the clocks so you get one more hour of light. This is illogical, since we will have to get up the coming mornings in darkness, having had daylight for the past week or two. How do you get more daylight, if you get up before the sun?

Earlier American Settlement

Archaeologists have found stone tools that seem to establish that humans were in the Americas about 2,500 years earlier than previously thought. Instead of first arriving there about 13,500 years ago, humans would have been there about 16,000 years ago.

You may ask why I, as a dog, am interested in this. Nothing is mentioned about dogs. I guess no dog remains have been found. Still, it is reasonably established that dogs have lived with humans for at least 40,000 years. I also believe dogs have been with humans in every culture that I know of. My conclusion is, therefore, that dogs have also been in the Americas for about 2,500 years more than previously thought. I am not sure to what extent native American dog breeds have contributed to modern dog breeds, but I guess they have to some degree. Some present day dogs are probably decendants of dogs who accompanied humans to the Americas 16,000 years ago. This is food for thought.

Technical Problems

There were technical problems with my blog service yesterday, hence the short and rather strange look of my last post. I like Blogger, it is a nice, free service, but it is not without flaws.

Some of us got to come with Paula and Daniel to Paula's sister Mia tonight. There were technical problems there as well, of sorts: neither Paula nor Mia wanted any dessert. I cannot explain this, but there was definitely a problem there, perhaps of a technical nature. Well, there were more for the rest of us, so I do not complain.

Small Bits of Happiness

The death toll in Japan has risen again after the earthquake and tsunami, but some happy news are reported as well. A porpoise who had been washed

The Fox

Hello, Karstuhl here!

Grand Auntie Linni and I scared a fox away this morning. The fox was roaming around just outside of our fence, so we barked at it to protect our domain. It did not take long before it went away.

It was still close enough to be seen when Daniel came down to us, however. This was good, because Daniel got an explanation as to why we were barking. He could have been angry with us for barking at such an early hour otherwise. Now he could see what we did and approve of it.

Foxes are cool animals, almost as cool as dogs and wolves. Still, we do not allow any fox to trespass on our land. Enough is enough.

Justified Critizism

Even though you are right, in the strictly legal meaning, you may do things that make it justified to critizise you.

A police department in Sweden decided to execute a judgment by an administrative court that a dog that it had taken into custody would be killed. By law, the police department was allowed to do this. The legal counselor for the dog's human told the police that the judgment would be appealed. Nevertheless, the police executed the decision to kill the dog without waiting for the appeal or the question on whether the judgment would be stayed pending the appeal.

The Swedish Parliament's Ombudsman now critizises this police department, since the police department had received notice that the decision would be appealed, but above all since the killing of an animal cannot be undone. Regardless of the result of the appeal, a killed dog cannot be brought back to life. It does not matter, then, that the law says that the decision could be executed immediately, because the right to appeal becomes pointless in these cases.

I agree with the critizism. My only concern is that I believe the critizism should have been sharper. A dog's life is worth so much more. A dog on death row deserves the right of appeal.

The Aftermath

The crisis in Japan is not as severe anymore. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency says Japan will overcome. I am sure he is right. There may be over 8,400 humans who have died, and 15,000 are still missing, but the crisis still is not so imminent anymore. The work to cool down the damaged nuclear power plants are also making progress. Japan will rise again. What we see now is the end of the beginning. There may be years before everything is put back into order, but the day will come when the earthquake and tsunami of 2011 is but a horrible memory. Later, still, it will be part of history. Even though I feel sad for all the lost dogs, humans, and goods, I am positive for the future.

Spring Equinox

Tonight is the spring equinox, after which the days are longer than the nights for the next six months. I just wish we had more of spring in the air as well. Snow was melting today, but not to any great extent.

Shelters

Not only humans in Japan get temporary refuge in shelters, so do their pets.

The picture shows a Shiba Inu with its human waiting to be scanned for radioactivity, having lived close to the nuclear power plant Fukushima Dai-ichi.

I am glad dogs and cats get the same treatment humans do.

Cinema

Paula and Daniel went to the cinema today. I have never been to the cinema, but I do not think I would like it there. Rumour has it a cinema is full of people you do not know, who watches a movie side by side with you. It might be that it is on a bigger screen, but you have to pay for each movie you see.

I much rather watch TV at home. There is often something on worth watching. If it is not, you can change the channel or you can just turn the TV set off. This is not possible at the cinema, I believe. If dogs are allowed in the cinema, which I would not bet on, chances are I would not want to go anyway.

St. Patrick's Day

Today, all the Irish of the world celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Everybody dress in green, and dress other things in green, during this celebration. I only wish nature here in central Sweden would celebrate St. Patrick's Day in the same green manner. The snow still covers the ground, now in a greyish white colour, and the branches of the trees and bushes still have no green colour.

In Sweden, we celebrate St. Gertrude instead. We called Paula's mother Gertrud to congratulate her. She thanked us for thinking of her.

Early Morning

We got up half an hour earlier than usual today to go on our morning walk, because Daniel was supposed to be at work earlier than he usually is. He was going on a trip to another town in the line of duty, and the journey would start early. We walked in daylight, nevertheless. It is nice to have early daylight back as spring is coming.

New Dog TV Show

There is a new TV show about dogs on Swedish TV. The first episode was aired today. The show is about dogs who needs a new home, and they get to go to families who can "try them out".

I feel sorry for any dog who is forced to move to a new family in an adult age, when the dog has grown accustomed to certain habits. It may be necessary in many cases, and it turns out for the better in a lot of cases, but it is still some kind of tragedy behind any such move. This is why I have chosen not to watch this TV show.

The Swedish Kennel Club (SKK) has given some input to the producers. SKK is not actively endorsing the show, nor critizising it right out. It gives its view of the show and the need to give some dogs new homes on the web page (in Swedish).

We have to hope everything goes well for the dogs in the TV show.

Colours of Food

Hello, Karstuhl here!

The food that is usually presented to us dogs is brown, without any extra colours. This does not matter much for us dogs, we generally have much less ability to see colours than humans.

There are instances when food and colour go together, though. Daniel told me about his rules of thumb when cooking meat sauce. He chops onions, then fry them until they are yellow. Then he fries the red minced meat until it is brown, and adds tomato paste until the sauce is red. This is the basic sauce, then he just adds salt and other spices and some water, and the sauce is done.

I like this meat sauce. It is great to know that colours can be so helpful in cooking.

More on the Catastrophe in Japan

It seems I cannot get enough news on the rescue work after the disaster that hit Japan the day before yesterday. There have also been many aftershocks after the main earthquake. There are more than 1,500 humans reported dead. Paula told us she had received news from friends in Japan that dogs were among the casualties. I did find a photography of a man and a Sheltie who had survived together, though, so there are a few good news among everything that is bad. Let us hope the death toll will not rise much more.

A Blog I Had Forgotten About

I have just made a startling discovery. There was a blog about my first litter of pups parallel to my own blog. This Aangenaam Puppy Blog 2007 is still out there on the Internet, written in Swedish. The blog entries are very short, but I found it very interesting to read them. It reminded me of days gone by, in a different way from my own old blog entries.

As far as I can tell, this blog is written by Paula. There are a huge amount of positive things to say about dear Paula, but following up on starting blogs is not one of them. In a way, though, it is more interesting in this way - you never know what you will discover, when you stumble upon a blog started years ago by someone dear who has not continued writing in the blog. I do wish Paula would start writing this blog again sometime. It would be fitting if she would, at the same time that I would be expecting a third litter in the not so distant future.

Tsunami

Today, all our thoughts go to our families, other Shiba Inus, other dogs, and humans in Japan, since the country was struck by a massive tsunami after the most powerful earthquake of the country since records began. The quake had a magnitude of 8.9 on the Richter scale, which is gigantic. We hope everything is as well as it can be. Early reports talk of 200 to 300 dead humans in the port town Sendai (not to be confused with April's daughter Aangenaam Nikka Sendai), but I have yet to find information on the death toll on dogs.

It is good to know that Japan is a developed country with a lot of experience in dealing with the consequences of earthquakes and tsunamis. Indeed, the internationally known word tsunami is of Japanese origin. We also hope the rest of the areas around the Pacific Ocean, some of which are not as developed as Japan, will not be too devastated by the tsunami.

In the City

I went to the city with Paula today. I am actually not very fond of the cityscape. If I would have to live in the city, I believe I would not like it. I want lawns where I can run around freely once in a while, like we have at home. Still, the city has its charm. It is not very often I am there, which makes the visits more special. The city streets also brings more opportunities to make new acquaintances with other dogs, compared to the roads at home. There are ups and downs to going downtown.

Hello, Karstuhl here!

I was recognized as a very cute dog today. Paula and Daniel usually say I am cute, but they are part of the family. It is not as common to get such a recognition from somebody else, no matter how well you may deserve it. A dog show is not the same thing either, because you are there to get a statement on yourself.

Paula, Linni, and I bought some food at a drive through. The guy serving us thought that I was so cute when I looked out thrugh the open car window that he gave me and Linni extra treats. This was great and it made me proud. I told Paula we must go to the same restaurant again soon. It might be that the same guy is serving, I certainly hope so. Free treats is but one thing, the great thing was the recognition of my cuteness.

Lasagne

I joined Paula, Daniel, and Mia when they went to Paula's and Mia's parents tonight. Paula made her excellent lasagne. It smelled wonderfully. Unfortunately, they did not offer me any. Life is cruel sometimes.

What!

I am at a lack of words. Please read here about a Shiba Inu who was thrown out of a truck travelling on a motorway in the USA and left by the side of the road.

Ski Races

Today, there were two long cross-country ski races on TV. In the morning, there was the largest ski race in the world, the 90 km long "Vasaloppet", which runs every first Sunday in March in Dalecarlia in Sweden. In the afternoon, this year's World Championship in cross-country skiing finished with the 50 km race for the male aces of cross-country skiing from around the world. We had the TV on for both races.

Just like yesterday, a Norwegian won the World Championship race. A Swede won Vasaloppet. I cannot really see the glory in that, though, if all the best runners were off at the World Championship. The winner of Vasaloppet is just the best of the not-so-goods. Sure, racing for 90 km on skis is a feat - especially if you are an amateur like Paula's father Nils-Olov - but being the best of the not-so-goods is not.

Norwegian Victory

We watched the final race of the Ladies' Nordic Skiing World Championship in Oslo, Norway. Norwegian ladies took the gold and silver. I thought of Dad when watching the end of the race. Being from Norway, Dad was always the one hoping for Norwegian victories in sports when we were watching it on TV. I cheered for the Norwegian victory today, in honour of my dear late Dad. I feel confident Dad knows of the victory and my cheering, somehow.

Dog Went Through the Ice

The thirteen year old dog Boo went though the ice on his daily walk, and humans rushed in to help him. The Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet has published the short movie sequence on the rescue attempts.

Dog Clothes

Rumour has it that it is getting increasingly common to put clothes of different kinds on dogs. I can understand that dogs with very short coats, like Pharao Hounds, need clothes in the Swedish winter. Shiba Inus do not need clothes. Our origin in Japan makes us used to winters that can be as cold as the winters in Sweden. The same goes with most other breeds that you can find in Sweden. I hope dog clothes will never become so popular that Shiba Inus will have to wear them.

Quality Brushes

Paula was recommended to buy quality dog brushes by a Japanese breeder friend today: wild boar brushes from Mason Pearson. It was just that we already have brushes of this brand. This is no coincidence, and we can also recommend them.

The good thing about quality brushes is that the brushing of your coat takes shorter time, because there is a great result quicker. This gives you, as the brushed dog, more time for other important business. You can also note that Mason Pearson brushes are from England, the first country in the world with modern dog breeding and dog keeping. They usually know what they are doing in England when it comes to dog business.

Granddad

Hello, Karstuhl here.

As has previously been said, Mommy's father, my Granddad, passed away yesterday.

Paula has often talked about how she misses her maternal grandfather and the bond that they had. He passed away a few years before I was born. Even Daniel, whose maternal grandfather passed away when he was four years old, has said the two of them shared a special bond.

I have not fully understood what Paula has been missing, not until now, when I have not got my own maternal grandfather to talk to about life and everything in it. My Granddad was a wise dog. I miss him very much, and now I definitely understand what Paula is missing. I know Granddad was not feeling well, but I would like to have his happy and wise self back.

Justice Is Done

Two men who smuggled nine pups from Poland to Sweden over the Sound Bridge from Copenhagen to Malmo have been sentenced to six months in prison by the Appelate Court. In the lower court, they did not get any prison sentences. Now, however, justice is done. Dog smuggling is a serious crime, which may cause the spread of contagious diseases. It is a good thing the men got prison sentences, though I would have sentenced them to longer time in prison.

I have no information on the pups, but I hope they are all healthy and fine, living with loving families.