Happy New Year!

We wish all of our readers a happy new, unsuperstitious year. The New year is often celebrated with fireworks and crackers. The origin of this tradition, however, is superstition. People believed they should make noise to scare demons, trolls et cetera off for the new year. Unless you believe in such monsters, skip the crackers and fireworks, and keep the friendly animals like dogs happy. I am not afraid of the noise, but too many dogs are for it to be funny.

Swedish Taxes - No Longer the Highest

Sweden has a history of having the highest taxes in the world, in proportion to the Gross National Product. The tax part used to be over 50 % of the Swedish GNP. Over the last seven years, with a centre-right government, the total taxes have been lowered to about 45 % of the GNP. This have caused Denmark, Belgium, and France to pass Sweden in the league of having the highest taxes. There is, of course, nothing good about having a top position in this league. The aim of politics must be to make the most of the tax money, not to have the highest taxes you can.

Upcoming New Year

Hello, Orange here!

There is something about this "year" concept that I do not understand. I know I am not a year old yet. Javier, who is a little older than me, just turned one year old. Now we all will have a new year in two days. This is what I do not understand. Our own years are those counting from our birthdays, but what is this general year? Why do we get a new one in two days from now? They say it has something to do with the days getting shorter before, and now longer, but this development happened on the 21st, not the 31st. I have to read up on this.

Cloned Dogs

We saw this documentary on TV this afternoon about some American humans who had had dogs, and missed these particular dogs so much, they paid a Korean company great amounts of money to clone the dogs. While I can fully understand the sense of loss, a cloned dog would never be the same. It would not have the knowledge and memory of the deceased dog, just the same genes. It would be easier, cheaper, and more natural just to buy a new dog of the same breed. Then you would not have to compare the two, either. I do wonder about the expectations of one of the humans. He would travel to meet the cloned puppy, and said he was keen on knowing whether the puppy would recognize him. How could it? No memory, not even that of a beloved human, is inscribed in the genes. I suspect this human will be a little disappointed.

Snow for a Little While

Hello, Orange here!

Snow fel for a little while this morning. I was happy for a little while, too. Then the temperature made the snow melt. It was all over by early afternoon. You can never be fully satisfied with the weather, can you?

Christmas Goes On

Hello, Orange here!

Christmas goes on for several days. This was news for me. Pleasant news, though. Christmas is nice. I like the great food and Christmas spirit. As far as I am concerned, it could be Christmas for many, many days. Merry continuing Christmas, everybody!

Slow Day

It is Christmas Day, which is a slow and comfortable day in Sweden. We have the great celebrations on Christmas Eve, and then we rest a bit on Christmas Day. This is cool.

Merry...!

Merry Christmas to all blog readers from Hailey, Karstuhl, Orange, and the other dogs at Kennel Aangenaam!

When You Know You Are Right

Japan has announced it will buy new weapon systems for its military. The country has tense relations to its neighbour China, a dictatorship who claim Japanese islands in the East China Sea. China denounces the Japanese plans, calling it military expansion and "is firmly opposed to" Japan's actions.

Japan is a democracy with a firm belief in the rule of law and human rights. It is threatened by China, a bigger country which is a dictatorship with little, if any, regard for human rights. If China critizises the Japanese plans to strengthen the military, it is a clear sign that Japan is right in doing so. Sometimes, critique is good, because when you get it, you know you are right.

Rain

It is two days before Christmas Eve, and rain is falling this evening. We want it to be snow. At Christmas, you get a better holiday feeling if it is snow. It is also much more fun to play in the snow. Now it is just getting muddy, and our paws get dirty. I'm dreaming 'bout a white Christmas.

Coward

People who cause a traffic accident, but just leave, must be cowards. This happened to a dog mother in Halland in the south of Sweden, who had nine pups, two weeks old. She wanted to go out by herself, but was hit by a car. When found by her humans, she was already dead. If the person who hit her had stopped and taken care of her, she might have lived. Fortunately, the pups have gotten foster mothers, other bitches who can take care of them. I hope they find the driver and prosecute him or her, but I fear they can never do that.

Pizza

Paula's sister Mia and her fiance Stefan were here tonight. The humans had pizza for dinner. All of us dogs had eaten already, but I would have wanted some pzza, nevertheless. It is tasty food. There was nothing left for me, though. I do not blame the humans, they must think it is tasty, too. It was nice seeing our guests.

Phases of the Moon

The Moon has recently been full. This is when you can, sometimes, see a Lunar eclipse. There was none this time, just like it usually is not. On the other hand, if you look at me, you can se a Lunar Eclips. This is my name, and I an proud of it. We will have to see when there is an eclipse next time.

Painting of a Semi-Nude Godess

As a dog, it is not self evident what it is with humans and being nude. Without thick coats, like dogs and many other animals have, I can understand why they need clothes to protect their skin from cold weather or blazing sun. Why they cannot stand being nude, or that others are nude in their presence, is another matter. I think it has something to do with their reproduction, which is not based on the smell of bitches in heat, but more with looks. Still, many pieces of human art depict humans who are nude or semi-nude.

In the Swedish Parliament, they have had a baroque painting on a public wall, with a picture by G.E. Schröder of the Roman godess Juno, looking like a human. The painting has been in the same spot on the wall for the last thirty years (much longer than the longest life spans of a dog). The godess is semi-nude in the picture, which is quite common when it comes to paintings from that time. The vice chairman of the Parliament has, however, made sure this painting was removed. The reason is simply that the vice chairman was offended by the nudeness. I guess she did not see the artistic values of the painting.

I believe it would be easier for humans if their females smelled of being in heat twice a year, instead of this obsession with covering their bodies up at all times. You cannot tell for sure, but it works quite well for us dogs.

Claws

Hello, Orange here!

I had my claws cut this evening. I do not like it. The claws were cut despite my objections. Well, it will be a while before the next time, anyway.

Christmas Song?

One of the radio stations we usually listen to has decided to play nothing but Christmas songs these weeks before Christmas. It gives us a good Christmas spirit. We were surprised, though, to hear Roxette's song "It Must Have Been Love". There is nothing in the lyrics of this song that reveals it is a Christmas song, the closest are some words about it being a "hard winter's day". A little research on the Internet revealed, however, that the full title of the song is: "It Must Have Been Love (Christmas For The Broken Hearted)". It must have been intended as a song about broken love at Christmas, but I guess the whole message was lost somewhere when writing the lyrics. The words within parentheses does give the song a slightly different meaning. It must be harder to have a broken heart on such a joyful time as Christmas than on other days. It is a good song, regardless of the meaning that did not quite find its way into the lyrics.

Birthday

Hello, Orange here!

Javier celebrated his first birthday today. He was not sure what to expect, but it turned out we all got great food with a lot of sausage. Now I cannot wait until it is my first birthday. The older dogs say it is soon Christmas, which is even better, but I do not know about that. We will have to see.

New Hair Cut

Poodles are not the only ones who cut their hair. Humans do too. Daniel got a new hairdo today.

Good Food

Paula and Daniel went out to eat Christmas dinner tonight. They had already given food to us dogs. We also got extra treats. It was macaronies, which is fairly tasty, and it was some sausage. Sausage is always a hit in my food bowl. I would have wanted more sausage, if I would have had that, I know I would have been just as satisfied with our food as Paula and Daniel was with theirs. Oh, well, there have been times when we have been more satisfied with our food than they have been. Life can even out.

Toy Wolves Used for Protests

A toy wolf sold by IKEA has sold out in Hong Kong, since it has been connected with protests against the local government. The toy is called Lufsig and is sold in many IKEA stores around the world, but in Hong Kong and China it has also been called by a name which sounds close to a profanity in the local language.

I like the use of a wolf in political protests. Wolves are strong and intelligent animals, good for many things.

Reunited After Nine Years

A Staffordshire bull terrier in England has just been reunited with her humans after nine years. At the age of three, Niamh, as she is called, disappeared through a gap in the fence at home near Worcester. Her owners just recently got a phone call from an animal sanctuary in Salisbury, not far away. The staff there said Niamh had been found wandering the streets of the city and taken to the sanctuary, where she was identified by her microchip. She recognized her humans when she was reunited with them.

This is a happy end to a long time being away from home. Niamh was a little underweight, but had obviously been taken care of by someone for the better part of these nine years, because she was in fairly good health.

What bothers me with this story is the human who must have taken care of Niamh. The dog had a microchip, so she was easily identifiable. That human must not have cared about trying to find Niamh's real family. All is well that ends well, which this story certainly did, but it would be interesting to hear what that other human have to say.

Oh, no!

Hello, Orange here!

The weather is warmer again. The snow is melting. It turns into water and drops off. I like the snow, I want it to stay, but who am I to say what the weather would be like? I can wish, but I guess that is it. Too bad, though. The snow is so fun to play in.

Anna

Today is the name's day for everybody in Sweden called Anna. This is a very common name among female humans. paula's sister is among the people who are called Anna. There are seldom cause to celebrate a dog on a name's day. We dogs often have more unique call names than humans, which are not mentioned in the calendar. The good thing is that a unique name make you feel more unique, the downside is there is one less reason to celebrate. On the other hand, you can always come up with other reasons to celebrate, if ever you need a reason at all. I will gladly celebrate by eating treats any day.

More Snow

Hello, Orange here!

We got much more snow today, there is now about 10 centimetres of snow on the ground. It is much more fun to play with than I would have thought. I hope the snow Will stay for a Long time.

Crap!

Here I am in Stockholm, at the greatest annual dog show in Sweden, competing for the very first time as a veteran. I did not do well. Being a little nice to the judge, I Will not say what prize he gave a multichampion like me, but I was not satisfied. Of course, the judge does thé judging, it is the rules. Nevertheless, I do not always have to agree. I Will be back!

A Real Snowfall

Hello, Orange here!

Snow has fallen. There are a few centimetres of it all around outside. It is fun to play in. This is the second time I see snow, but the last time, it disappeared quickly. I have been told this snow may last for months. We will have to see what the weather will be like.

A Neutral Head of State

The King of Thailand celebrates his birthday today. He gave a public speech, where he urged people to support each other for the sake of the country. Thailand has seen a lot of demonstrations and civil unreat lately, but the King is politically neutral, he standa above the day to day politica. Hence, his urge for peace will certainly have effect. This is a great advantage of having a monarchy, where you always know that the Head of State wants the best for the whole country in the long run, for generations to come, not just past the next election.

Taxi Service

Paula was at a Christmas party with her work mates tonight. Daniel and I went to get her home. It was not that late. On the way home, we passed by a hamburger drive through and I got a cheeseburger. It is nice that it pays off to give taxi service.

Upcoming Holiday

Hello, Orange here!

Something called Christmas is coming later this month. The older dogs, who have been around before, are looking forward to it. I do not really know what it is about and what will happen. They say there will be a lot of candy, which sounds good. Time will tell.

Visitors

We have entertained visitors from Belgium. This is interesting. My paternal grandfather was from Belgium, so I have always wanted to know more about the country. Our visitors did tell us some things I did not know about. They are Shiba breeders to, which implies they are good people, and they turned out to be really good people, too. We will see if we will go down to Belgium to visit them sometime.

Countdown to Christmas

It is the first Sunday in the time before Christmas that we call advent. We have lit up the house with the traditional chandeliers and other lights. I long for Christmas, we are always given extra treats at Christmas. Perhaps snow will fall soon too, making for even more Christmas spirit. I feel happy.

Downside of Pickled Herring

Pickled herring is very salty food. Salty food makes you thirsty, so you drink a lot. When you drink a lot, all of that water, mixed with the salts, needs to get out of the body again. This needs to happen outdoors. It does not happen to everyone at once, and yesterday night, it happened after bedtime. We really made Daniel upset, forcing him to get out of bed over and over again to let us out. He does prefer this to us not being housebroken, but we understand that he was not happy. On the other side, he was the one who served us all of that tasty pickled herring, so who was he to complain, really?

Pickled Herring

We got great food this Friday afternoon. There were some jars of pickled herring in the refrigerator, that Daniel emptied in our food bowls. Herring is really tasty. It is like the Swedish equivalent to the great Japanese dish known as sushi.

Justified Answers to Chinese Aggression

Communist China has declared an "air defence zone" over parts of the South China Sea and Japanese islands in this sea. China demands that anyone who wants to fly through this zone must first file the flight plan with Chinese authorities. This is, of course, outrageous, aggressive, and unjustified behaviour by China.

Japan, South Korea, and the USA have all flown through this zone without complying to the Chinese demands. This is good. It is a justified answer to the Chinese aggression.

One has to wonder what China wishes to accomplish. They have claims to the Japanese Senkaku Islands in this unilaterally declared zone, but the islands belongs to Japan and are controlled by Japan. There are certainly natural resources in the sea. Does China want to provoke others to start a war? Does China, perhaps, even want to start a war itself?

In the case of an armed conflict between China on one side and Japan, the USA and South Korea on the other side, I am sure China could not win. I would still wish that more countries would openly defy this air defence zone, showing China that it is moot because nobody cares about it anyway. Sweden does not have any aircraft carriers to go there and defy the zone, but the United Kingdom and France have. I hope they show up. All countries with diplomatic contacts with China can express their view that they believe the zone is moot.

Pigs

Hello, Orange here!

A woman on TV just told the audience that pigs are more intelligent than dogs. I do not believe that. If this was true, then why is it that dogs eat pigs and not the other way around? No, we are on the very top of the food chain, together with humans, because our wit and intelligence have taken us there.

Sick

I felt sick in my stomach last night. It was so bad, I threw up before I got outdoors. Sometimes, the things you eat are just not good enough for you, though you think they are. I hope there will be nothing of that sort tonight.

Thankfully, Ignorance of the Law Is No Excuse

A man in Sweden used a prong (also known as pinch collar, or "stackelhalsband" in Swedish) on his dog. This is a type of collar with spikes, or prongs, on the inside, directed at the dogs neck and throat. It is illegal under animal protection laws in Sweden to use prongs.

According to a judgment by the Svea Court of Appeals on 25 November 2013 (court case number B 3857-13), the man has now been sentenced to fines for this.

In his defence, he said he did not know it was illegal in Sweden to use prongs. Neither court that tried the case considered this an excuse. Ignorance of the law is no excuse. In this case, I believe this legal principle worked better than most times.

My only regret is that he did not get a more severe sentence than fines.

Veterinarians' Journals

The Administrative Court of Appeals of Jönköping has decided (judgment 18 November 2013, case number 1635-13) that it is not possible for the Board for Animal's Health and Hospital Care to demand that a veterinarian has a journal on the care that she or he gives to animals. This may seem strange, but it is what the law says. I believe a veterinarian should have journals. It is important to know the history of the health care for an animal. Good veterinarians will certainly have journals whatever the law says, but I believe the law should still say that every veterinarian should have journals. The law could and should be changed!

Police Films

We watched a police film on TV tonight. There are often things about such films to object about, though they can be entertaining. It is not just that there are few dogs in the films, police dogs or other, but there are other things as well. In this film, a lorry carrying a lot of money would be robbed. The lorry and its escort cars had a look which would have made it easy to spot them. This does not seem realistic. At the end of the film, two million Swedish crowns from the robbery ended up with the Salvation Army, which was a humoristic, divine justice. Still, would the Salvation Army just accept such a big donation, without asking themselves if this was spoils from a crime? The film did not show how the Salvation Army members reacted to the donation, but I do not think they would just have put it away on the account for donations. Oh, well, it may be easier watching a movie without these thoughts, but I just cannot help having them. I enjoy the films, nevertheless.

Puma

We got to see pictures of my granddaughter Puma today, Karstuhl's black and tan daughter. She has turned out really nice. We always expected she would, but it is nice to see pictures showing this without doubt. I am sure she, too, will eventually become a show champion.

Proof of Championship

Hello, Karstuhl here!

My Show Championship diploma has arrived from the Swedish Kennel Club. I have now written proof of my status as a Swedish Show Champion. The title has been in the public database too for some time, but the diploma feels more tangible. I am so happy to have it.

Some Mornings Are Odd

Daniel was away the night between Yesterday and today. He is usually the one taking us for the morning walk, but Paula did this today. She is equally good at it, but it is different. It feels odd, even though everything is right, in its own way. This is a strange feeling, when we have these occasional, odd mornings. It has been a good day, all in all.

Forgetful

I forgot to write anything in my blog yesterday. It is very rare that I do so, so it is all the more surprising for myself when I do. I am also greatly annoyed by it. I have asked Karstuhl and Orange why they did not remember either, they are often helpful. Both of them claimed, however, that it is my blog, hence my responsibility. I cannot deny that. I just have to be even better at remembering to update my blog. Stay tuned!

Full Moon

Hello, Orange here! We have had quite light nights lately. It is because of the full Moon. It is almost like having an extra street light, shining across the whole landscape. I like it, even though I have no reference to the Moon in my name, like Hailey and Polly have. I can understand why they say wolves howl at the full Moon. It is beautiful.

Wind

It is windy outside today. We should not complain here in Sweden, though. It is not like we have a typhoon, like they had in the Philippines recently, ruining houses and homes for a lot of dogs and humans. I hope things will soon get better there, they do get aid from around the world.

How Can He Be Satisfied?!

Sweden lost the first of two play off games against Portugal tonight. Portugal scored one goal, which was enough for them. They deserved the victory, because in the second half of the game, the Swedes stopped attacking and just backed down, defending themselves in a not very effective way. It was not sufficient that Sweden was close to scoring a goal many times in the first half, when there were no goals. a game is 90 minutes. Under these circumstances, I cannot understand how thé Swedish coach Erik Hamrén could say after the game, that he ws satisfied with the way the Swedish team played. It is OK if you lose a game, as Long as you fight to the end against a better team, but the Swedes just fought in the first half of the game.

There Are a Few Bad Humans

Most humans are good hearted individuals, good towards other animals, of their own species as well as other species such as dogs. Then there are those who are bad. Among the bad humans, I count the humans who have dogs, but when they get a child or more children, claim they have not got the time for the dog and give the dog up. How can you do this to anybody who is so faithful as a dog?

I cannot understand why giving the dog up would be the solution. If you have no time for the dog and the child, you should not get the child. If you get the child anyway, it is possible to put the child up for adoption in order to keep the dog.

Do you think it is heartless of me to suggest this? Well, I have given birth to a total of nine pups myself, eight of which have been adopted by other families. Putting these pups up for adoption was the plan all along. Why would it be harsher to put a newborn child up for adoption than a newborn pup, if this would mean you could keep the dog who has stood faithfully by your side for many years?

Back Home

Daniel was abroad yesterday and today, for a meeting in his line of duty in Copenhagen. He is back home again tonight. This is good, we all want him to be home. It also means he takes hos part in watching the property, whoch means the rest of us can relax a little. Life is at its best, when the whole family is at home together.

Dark Day

It is November and there were heavy clouds today. The Sun rises late in the morning and never comes high above the horizon. With heavy clouds, that the rays of the low Sun has a long way through, we never get real daylight. It is no fun outside. It is better to stay indoors in the warm house. It is on days like this I really enjoy not being a wild animal. I appreciate the comforts of civilisation too much to want to live in the wilderness.

No Veteran Winner

There Will be no veteran winner on the Swedish Winner Show where I will be shown in veteran class for the first time. This was a disappointment. Well, I will enjoy the show as such, anyway.

Poodle Breeders' Course

Paula is not at home this weekend. She is at a breeders' course. The odd thing is, it is a course for Poodle breeders. Poodles are dogs as well, so I am sure she learns a lot which can also be applied to our Shiba breeding. Still, I would think it was a little better, had she gone to a course for Shiba breeders. There are differences between different breeds. I have two dear and near Poodle friends, the Toy Poodle Love-chan and the Miniature Poodle Momoko, so I know about these differences. It is not that I discriminate against dogs of other breeds, but we have slightly different talents. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to hear what Paula has to tell us, once she gets home.

One Tonne Satellite Falling to Earth

Hello, Karstuhl here!

A satellite from the ESA that weighs about one metric tonne has run out of fuel and will fall to Earth this weekend. There is almost no risk for getting any pieces of it on you, most of it will certainly burn up at re-entry into the atmosphere.

Satellites are small, man made moons. both Mommy and I have official names from the natural moon of Earth: the Moon. My name is Full Moon Eclipse, while her is Lunar Eclips. There is no risk at all that the Moon would fall down to Earth, even though it uses no fuel at all. This is but one reason to like it.

The Emperor Must be Respected

The Emperor of Japan is the only Emperor in the world. As such, he has the highest rank of any human. He is recognized worldwide as Head of State of Japan, but under the Japanese constitution, the Emperor is not to have any role in politics.

An independent member of the Japanese parliament has been reprimanded, after handing a letter with political content to the Emperor. I can fully understand the outrage. The respect that must be shown to the Emperor involves respecting that he does not get involved in politics.

Some Japanese humans would want the Emperor to have a more political role. I do not agree. I believe one of the major advantages of a monarchy is that the monarch stands above politics, to be a symbol for the whole population, regardless of what politics of any one human. For much of Japanese history, this has also been the case, such as the period in the 17th and 18th centuries when the shoguns ruled. The Emperor is seen more now than he was then, and Japan is a democracy now. Still, the non-political status of the Emperor is not without precedence.

First Show

I am looking forward to December, when I will go into the show ring for the first time as a veteran. If everything goes to plan, I will have a brand new, full coat by then. I will be dangerous for my competitors. It will be so much fun. The show in Stockholm is the biggest in Sweden, hosted by the Swedish Kennel Club itself, not any of its member organisations. This does not intimidate me. On the contrary, it makes the show more fun. There is a winner title up for grabs, as well. Exciting, isn't it?

Prohibited to Keep Animals

The Administrative Court of Appeals of Sundsvall in Sweden has upheld a decision by the County Administration of Gävleborg County to prohibit a family to keep animals (judgment 29th of October 2013 in court case 2060-13).

The background is a dog, Wyatt, with serious skin problems that he had had since he was a pup. The family was urged to take better care of Wyatt in 2009 due to the skin problems. He was still not taken to a veterinarian at all in 2010, nor in June 2011, even though his humans stated that his skin conditions got worse by then. When Wyatt finally got to a veterinarian in August 2011, he was in such a bad state that the vet had to put him down.

The judgment targets the whole family. It now means that the family must not keep its cats and fishes.

I think this is a good judgment. If you are a human and cannot take care of a dog, you should not be allowed to keep animals. It is no excuse that Wyatt's skin condition may have been difficult to treat. You have to take care of your animals, if you want to keep them.

There May Be Many Hospitable Planets

Scientists have made calculations and estimates, and concluded that about one in every fifth star in our galaxy may have a planet that can be hospitable to life. Hospitability means that the planet is orbiting its star at a distance where it is not too warm and not too cold, but that liquid water can be abundant. The planet also has to have a size that is not too small, it has to have a gravity holding the water and an atmosphere in place. It also cannot be too big.

This is positive news for everyone who sees a future for men and dogs on other celestial bodies than Earth. Our chances of long time survival as species increase, if some of us leave Earth and colonize other worlds. If we find planets to go to, it is not futile to work towards the end of going there. I hope this lies in the future.

Pillow Case

A pillow case was destroyed in the bed today. There is no clue saying who did it. Daniel believes it is one of us dogs, but he cannot say who. I can assure everyone it was not me. In case I would know who did it, I would not say, though. It might be that the pillow case was possessed by an evil demon and needed to be ruined. Consider that, before blaming anybody.

Exchanging Noses

We were watching Formula 1 on TV this afternoon, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. When one of the cars got a broken nose, they took the car to the pit and changed the nose.

In a way, Car racing is like dog competitions. The car, like the dog, does the real work, but there is supposed to be a human there as well. A dog is intelligente nogh to do most of the things in a competition on itself, whereas a car cannot think at all, but the rules are set by humans in both types of competitions ans that is why we dogs need help from humans. A car can get a new nose, if it is hurt, however. This is not possible for dogs. We have the most complex nose known to science, considering our sense of smell. I am thankful for this, I would not want to have my nose replaced.

Interpreting Dog-tail Wags

Human scientists have made progress in interpreting how we dogs wag our tails. In case you did not know, it is more complicated than just: "wagging tail, happy dog". Humans who know many dogs are aware of this, of course. I will not write more about it now, it is better if you read what a human journalist write. A human must be better on explainign this to other humans than I, as a dog, am.

Ears

My Toy Poodle friend Love-chan has hanging ears, not the standing ears of us Shibas. This causes troubles sometimes. It may cause dirt to stay in the ears and clog them. Paula and Daniel spent part of the evening today cleaning Love-chan's ears. She did not like it, but she felt much better afterwards and even heard better. I would not want to have ears like that. Love-chan does not Care, Most of thé time, though. Of Course, her breed standard says she must have those ears, so it is all right.

Evilness

A dog in Gothenburg was left alone for a whole month in the flat which the dog shared with his human. When the dog was discovered, it was heavily dehydrated, had ophthalmia and bled in the mouth. It was taken to a veterinary for treatment, but it was deemed beyond salvation and was put down.

The human, a 22-year-old woman, has been prosecuted for animal cruelty. This is good, her negligence constitutes evilness. She claims she is not guilty. I cannot understand what defence she might have. If she just denies culpability, but is found guilty, this only goes to prove her evilness.

I wish no dog would be subjected to negligence like this.

Monument Dedicated to Dogs in the Military

The United States military dedicated its first ever national monument to dogs in military service this Monday. It is located in San Antonio, Texas, and features four dogs of the most common breeds in the military since World War II and one human soldier. The dogs are a Doberman Pinscher, a German Shepherd, a Labrador Retriever, and a Belgian Malinois.

This is a fine gesture to all the heroic dogs whe have served with the US military. If I ever go to San Antonio, I will go to see this monument. Mum has lived in Texas and says it is a nice place, but she does not want to go back. She wants to stay at home and Texas is quite far away from here. Well, if we can find dog monuments closer to us, we might go and see them instead. There should be more dog monuments in the world.

Jumping

Hello, Orange here!

Sometimes, Paula or Daniel closes the gate between two rooms in our house. I do not like that, but I have learned how to deal with it, at least when they seal off the opening between the livingroom and the bedroom. I can jump over it. I do not always do that, but it happens. It feels good to know I can.

Storm

Europe was hit by a great storm today. It hit the British Isles first, then moved east and northeast. The meteorologists said it would hit Örebro, but it never came this far north. We do hope that Daniel's parents' summer house on the west coast and forest in Småland make it all right, though. Nature can be a fantastic, but also horrible, thing.

Normal Time

So now we have got normal time again. For a little while, we will see the daylight again on our morning walks. I like to have daylight on the morning walks. It would be better if humans would not shift the time twice a year, but had normal rime the year around. No other animals that I know of have daylight savings time (the name probably meaning saving an hour of daylight each morning for the evening). We should not either, I believe.

Late Morning

I like Saturdays. Most of the time, we sleep until late, instead of the early morning walks we take on the weekdays. Of course, even in the weekdays, we dogs can go back to sleep after the morning walk, but it is still better not to have to go out.

Another Japanese Tsunami

Japan's east coast, hit in the spring of 2011 by a big tsunami, has been hit again. This time, the tsunami was much smaller. The earthquake measured 7.1 on the Richter scale, 10 km below the sea surface at a distance of about 320 km from the coast. The tsunami that reached the coast was not higher than 30 cm. This was a relief. Not all tsunamis are devastating. Still, one hopes the lesson is learned from the last big one, because eventually, there will be more big tsunamis. Perhaps not in the next decade or so, but sometime. There must be better protection for humans, dogs, nuclear power plants etc.

Deceiving Smell

Daniel had left a paper bag in the kotchen, close enough to the floor so one of us dogs could reach it. The bag smelled of tuna and salami sandwiches. Sometimes, the great dog nose deceives us. We got hold of the paper bag and ripped it open, but there were no sandwiches inside. There was just a little smell left. Too bad.

Slow Internet Connection

Sometimes, the Internet is so slow loading my blog page, that I forget what I was going to write about. Fortunately, this do not happen often. It did tonight, though. What a disappointment.

Some Snow Is Still There

Hello, Orange here!

Thé older dogs told me the other day, that the newly fallen snow would soon disappear. I am not sure what they meant, because there is still snow left on the ground. "Soon" usually means the same day, at least. Sure, most of the snow is gone, but not all. I like the snow and want it to stay. I am also intrigued by the silence on the subject of the disappearance of all snow, when I try to address it. The older dogs are not always completely right. They know this, and they understand that I have come to realise this as well. I love them, nevertheless.

Great Result for Karstuhl's Daughter

My granddaughter Puma, daughter of Karstuhl, participated in a match show today. Among three Shiba pups, she was best puppy. Then she won the puppy group final for group five. She went on to become second best in show. It may have been just a match show, but there were many pups who participated. It is a great result. Karstuhl, Mum, and I are very proud of this new star in our lineage. What more may come in her future? Probably a lot of good show results. We are looking forward to hearing about it.

Full Moon

Hello, Karstuhl here!

We have a full Moon in the sky tonight. I like that. It reminds of my official name: Aangenaam Full Moon Eclipse. There is, unfortunately, not a Lunar eclipse every time there is a full Moon, but you cannot get everything. The full Moon is beautiful as it is, too. I guess this is one reason for our wild cousins, the wolves, to howl at the full Moon. We do not howl ourselves, the dogs in this family. It would not do, being indoors, even though the full Moon light is shining in through our windows and curtains. I show my appreciation for the full Moon by writing a blog entry instead. It is quite possible that this blog entry gets more readers than I would have gotten listeners, had I howled at the full Moon.

Something Called Snow

Hello, Orange here!

As a pup, I know I have still a lot to learn about the world. Some of the knowledge based on personal experience came early this morning. This early, the ground was covered in a white sheet, about two centrimetres thick. It was soft, cold, and parts of it did just barely stick together. The older dogs called it snow. I noticed that some of it, somehow, could turn into water. It was strange, though not in any frightening way. It was just fun. I was told, however, that the snow would likely melt and disappear soon. Apparently, a lot of it was melting already. This was the word used by the older dogs to describe the event when the snow turned into water. It had something to do with the temperature. I would learn more about this in the winter to come, whatever a winter is. It sounds interesting, anyhow.

Lack of Gender Equality in Communistic China

China is a communistic country, at least its only legal political party says so. According to communism, all humans are supposed to be equal. Still, there are a lot of jobs in China, that women are not allowed to have. These includes many forms of engineering. I guess this is what communists in China claim to be gender equality. I would laugh, if I was a human.

Breeder's Group

We got a letter from the Småland-Öland Kennel Club today. This club arranges the dog show in Växjö in November. We will go there, and for the first time ever, there will be enough of us with the Aangenaam name, that we will make up a breeder's group. This will be fun! It gives all of us an extra chance to enter the show ring. I love that.

Animal Cruelty

An old woman in the area around Timrå, north of us in Sweden, has killed a fox with her bare hands. I believe she should be prosecuted for animal cruelty. She swung the fox by its tail in the air, then hitting it against her stone staircase on the outside of the house. The fox had done nothing wrong, just walked outside of the fence where the woman held her hens. The hens had been scared, of course, but that is in the nature of hens. I hope a prosecutor takes care of the case.

Blog Entry from Mobile

We had already gone to bed tonight, when I remembered I had not made any daily blog entry for this day. Fortunately, Daniel's mobile was close by, so I borrowed it and made this entry. Modern technology is fantastic!

Plastic Bottles

Hello, Orange here!

Plastic bottles are fun toys. They give you just the right feeling, when you chew on them. The trouble is, they also make noise. Sometimes, when I feel like chewing on a bottle late at night, Daniel just takes it away from me. He says I am disturbing everyone who tries to sleep. Perhaps I am. I think the bottle manufacturers should consider this, when developing new bottles. Could a bottle be manufactured, that is not noisy when you chew on it? I sure hope so.

Entertainong a Guest

Hello, Orange here!

We had a guest here last night, a dog whose human is a friend of Paula and Daniel. She stayed in our guest room. I guess you are supposed to entertain your guests, but could not do that. Perhaps this is just as well. It was just one night, so there was little time to become friends anyway. Maybe we will meet another time, another place, and become friends. Time will tell.

No Food Have to Be Wasted

It has been estimated that 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted every year. This is about one third of all food produced in the world. I do not believe anybody can have the opinion that this is a good thing. On the other hand, there is an easy solution to this problem. Instead of throwing food away, humans would give more of it to their dogs. If there are no dogs in the household, dogs should be acquired. Of course, not all humans like dogs (even though all dogs like humans), and these humans should not have dogs. In these cases, the waste disposal fees should be higher. With more dogs in society, less food would be wasted. It does not have to be more complicated than this.

Rain

Hello, Orange here!

It was raining today, at lunchtime, we had to go out in it. I did not like it, but you have to do what you have to do. I wish for better weather tomorrow. The older dogs say it will only get colder from now on. Winter is coming, they say. I do not know what that is, but I hope it will not rain much in the winter. I guess I will have to wait and see.

Party!

Paula is at a party at Örebro Castle today. I am sure she is having fun.

Meanwhile, we are having fun at home with Daniel. It is a more common night for us, but fun all the same.

Daniel actually had an invitation for dinner downtown tonight. Some of his colleagues who usually work in other towns came to Örebro this afternoon for a meeting tomorrow. They asked Daniel if he wanted to join them for dinner, but this was late this afternoon. I understand that he said no, he already had plans for things to do at home tonight. I believe it is impolite to ask so late. Well, they are bound to meet later, anyway.

Apple Juice

Hello, Karstuhl here!

Paula's parents have bought an apple juice machine. You put apples in it and get apple juice out of it. This is supposed to be good. I do not realy see the need for it, but I have never been that fond of apples, either. I would rather have a machine producing meatballs.

New Bag of Food

We are a relatively large pack of dogs, here in this house. Daniel came home with a new bag of dog food today. I do not think it was long ago he brought the öast one home. It must be a bigger thing for those dogs who are just one or two in their family to get to start on a new bag of food. Perhaps they often get smaller bags, but I think the bags may still last longer. Well, I do not care that much, the main thing is always to have food, not how often your humans bring home more of it.

Anniversary

Today, Paula's family celebrated the anniversary of their family, when Paula and her sister first met their parents. This was in Colombia, where Paula and her sister were born and where their parents went to get them. Adopting children is not that common, but I have a good understanding of it, since my litter brothers and most of my pups have been adopted by other families. Adoption is a good thing to do, it is a way of giving love to children who would often have had much less space or love but for the adoption. I congratulate Paula and her family on the anniversary.

Sorrow

We celebrated Linni's birthday with her yesterday. Today, we are mourning with her instead. linnis father Kenzo passed away today. I know how this feels, I have also lost my father. We try our best to comfort Linni.

The Perils of Reruns

We missed the live airing of the Formula 1 qualification this morning, Swedish time. We thought we would watch it this evening instead, in a rerun. We had intentionally not read any reports. However, the person reporting from the show just prior to the rerun reminded the viewers of the race tomorrow, while revealing who would start from the pole position. What was, then, the point of watching the rerun? We turned the TV set off instead and prepared for bed.

Aunt Linni's Birthday

My dear Auntie Linni is turning twelve years old today. This is a respectable age, not least because she was diagnosed with severe hip problems in her youth. These problems have never stopped her from taking walks with us, doing the occasional Shiba Inu rush in the garden or jumping up into the sofa in the living room. We sometimes wonder whether her hips ever were as bad as they were diagnosed to be. Her joints are a little stiffer these days, but this could just be due to her age.

Auntie Linni is not really my aunt. I just call her this, because she was the adult dog living with us besides my Mom and Dad when I was born. We are not related. We are, however, very good friends. It is easy to become friens with Auntie Linni, because she is such a friendly dog herself. She has always been very helpful raising pups, as well, even though she has never had any herself. I sincerely hope she will live on for many years to come.

Happy birthday, Linni!

Ice Hockey

The ice hockey season started a little while ago in Sweden. Daniel is disapponted that his team Djurgården does not play on the highest league. Djurgården is a team from Stockholm, and there is, in fact, no team from the capital playing in the highest league. This feels a little strange. We have our hopes for Örebro, though, the team from our home city which does play in the highest league. Örebro won tonight, 3-0, against Frölunda from Gothenburg. This was good. Djurgården also played a game tonight, against Karlskoga, the town just to the west of Örebro. Djurgården won. It was thus a good night for both the teams we root for.

A Little Extra

Hello, Karstuhl here!

I have taught Paula and Daniel a trick. When They want me to get indoors, they give me some candy. I usually stay outside until they do this trick, to make sure they do not forget it. It happens, however, that I go indoors without insisting on them giving me candy. It annoys me a little, but then, sometimes, I want to go in without needing to think of this training. I have to follow my whims once in a while, and I have noticed that neither Paula nor Daniel does forget the trick. They can always do it when I insist upon it. This is good. I have a great couple of humans.

Old News

When surfing the Internet today, I encountered an article about wolves and research on why they howl. Even though I believe I understand wolves better than the average human does, given that I am of the same species, I thought the article was rather interesting. It was, however, old news. The article was from August this year. I will gladly post links to new articles, but not to old news like that. It would not stand up to my personal sense of quality. Some may have a different opinion, but this is the way I rule my blog.

Blowing Coat

I have started blowing my coat. It is all right to do this now, since the show season is over. Of course, there are a few shows left this year, as always, but the summer time with its many shows is over. I just wish I have a nice enough coat again once it is time for another show. It might not be until November, so I can make it. Is this not a sign of a professional?

The World's Smallest Dog

The Guinness Book of World Records has declared a Chihuahua bitch living in Puerto Rico, USA, as the world's smallest dog. She is called Miracle Milly, she is 9.6 centimetres high and weighs half a kilogramme.

In the FCI breed standard for this breed, 500 grammes is the minimum weight for a Chihuahua; anything less, and she would be disqualified on dog shows. I do hope she lies above this limit. We would not want to have a Guinness World Record holder for smallest dog, who would not fit the breed standard, would we?

The Result

Hello, Karstuhl here!

I did not win at the Eckerö dog show. I received Excellent and a CK, but was second best bitch with a reserve-CAC and a reserve-CACIB. I fell on the finishing line, so to speak. Well, the winning bitch was a fine representative of our breed, so I am far from embarrassed losing to her.

Show

Polly is with Paula and Paula's mother on a dog show in Eckerö, Finland. i wish Polly's mother would also have been going there. It is no fun staying at home.

Essential Elements

There are essential elements in many things in the world. An essential element in a blog post are words. In the body, most elements are essential, in one way or the other. One example is potassium (abbreviated K for the latin word kalium). Paula has too little potassium in her body. This week, she has been at the human hospital and received some potassium boosts. The human medicine veterinarians examining her now has a theory on why she has had constantly low amounts of potassium lately. They will evaluate their theory and we might have an answer in a week. If they are right, the problem may be solved. We all hope for this. It is no fun knowing that a loved one lacks essential elements in her body.

Pets Rescued After Flood in Colorado

There have been floods in the American state of Colorado. When rescuing families, the motto has been that no pets shal be left behond. The rescuers learned this from the rescue operations after the hurricane Katrina, where humans would not allow rescue parties to bring them along without their pets.

I believe this is the right approach. Dogs and cats are as much family members as the two legged individuals. We are as much a part of human culture and society as humans are themselves. Thus, we have earned the right to similar treatment as humans get. I like the Colorado rescuers' approach.

Cat and Kittens Abandoned on a Train

Personel on a regional train on Sweden discovered a female cat and five small kittens of her in a railway cart they were cleaning. It is unlikely the cats were forgotten, they have probably been abandoned. They did not even have any water to drink, though the kittens could drink their mother's milk. I cannot understand who would do such a thing. I have had small pups, you are never more vulnerable as when you have pups, and it must be the same with kittens. If they find the human responsible for this, I hope he or she will be sentenced to a harsh punishment for animal cruelty.

Growing Strawberries Indoors

The Japanese corporation Sharp is known for its electronics. Their newest idea, however, is growing strawberries in a controlled, indoors environment in Dubai. This is interesting. If you could grow strawberries and other farm products indoors like this in a larger scale, imagine how you could lower the transportation costs and make products more available across the world. I especially like melons, but I guess melons are too big to consider growing indoors in the most immediate future.

Big Cat Genome

Human scientists have mapped the genome of lions, tigers, and snow leopards. This is a vital part of trying to preserve these big cats. While I have more sympathy for wolves than for big cats, I feel some kind of kinship to these carnivores as well. We are all top predators, as are humans.

It is interesting to note, however, that the most successful top predator besides humans are dogs. There are a huge amount of dogs in the world. Our ancestors did the right choice in teaming up with humans instead of competing with them. The big cats and the wolves are competitors of humans, hunting for big prey and threatening humans, while we dogs help humans and get help back. The domestic cat did a similar thing, though they do not stand as close to humans as we dogs do.

I do hope the big cat species will survive. They are beautiful animals and there should be room for them on Earth.

Past Midnight

I mostlu have no trouble deciding upon what to write in my blog, but inspiration never came to me this Sunday. Now it is already past midnight. It annoys me, since the blog is supposed to be daily. Oh, well, better luck this Monday, I hope.

Wrong Link

When I wrote my Thursday blog post, I did it on a borrowed iPad. I find it hard to work with iPads, especially when I try to copy and paste things. It went terribly wrong this time, and the link to the source of the knowledge behind the blog post did not work. I am now working on a normal computer with Windows and have been able to mend the broken link.

(Somehow, the link had ended up with two times "http:/" in the beginning. No wonder it did not work. I suppose that the iPad provides one "http:/" by itself, when I want to add a link, so if I have copied a whole link, there will be two "http:/" at the start. I cannot see the user friendliness in that. In a normal computer, a "http:/" is provided, but it is marked, so if you just paste a full link, that "http:/" vanishes. This is user friendliness.)

Well, here is another link to the same article about how wolves, the future dogs, domesticated humans rather than the other way around.

Wolves Domesticated Humans

An exciting new scientific theory stated that humans did not domesticate wolves into dogs, it was rather wolves who domesticated humans. I cannot say I had suspected this all my life, but it does make a lot of sense. It is like a theory that I have been looking for without really understanding it. Read the article that I have put a link to and judge for yourself. At the very least, it is interesting.

No Rain

Hello, Orange here!

The news paper has stated that there would be rain both yesterday and today, but no rain has fallen. The older dogs have explained to me that nobody knows what will happen in the future, even though meteorologists can make an educated guess based on their observations and knowledge about how weather usually evolve. You can never fully trust what is said, though. This feels good to know. Life is more exciting, if you do not know what will happen, not even about the weather.

Toilet Rolls

Cardboard must be one of the best human inventions ever. It is so fun to chew on, and you can destroy it, but not too fast. One of the best items are toilet rolls, when the paper is all used up. It is a kind of waste disposal that really is fun. If you have yet not tried it, just go ahead. If you are a human, let your dog try it, it will soon become a favourite.

Typhoon

A typhoon has struck Japan, flooding big cities like Kyoto. I hope the dogs and humans of the affected areas will make it through the hardships caused by this typhoon. We are lucky not to have this kind of wheather in Sweden.

Birthday

This is the day when I turn veteran. I was born eight years ago today. The celebrations have already started, with a nice breakfast from McDonald's. I love the McToast.

Turning a veteran may also be a new beginning for my dog show career. I can now compete in veteran's class. Mum did some of her very best results in dog shows in veteran's class, e.g. winning two veteran world winner titles. I hope I can make this a great family tradition.

This is me when I was four months old:

Paddington Bear Film

Hello, Polly here!

I am named for a children's book character, the badger Polly, from the Swedish translations of American author Russell Hoban's books about Frances the Badger.

Another great children's book series is English author Michael Bond's Paddington Bear. This character will now become a feature film hero, with voice done by Colin Firth. I guess this will be a good film.

New Japanese Space Rocket

Japan has launched the first of a new generation of space rockets, the Epsilon. This rocket is much cheaper than its predecessors. Artificial intelligence inside it helps reduce the number of people needed to monitor the launch and journey. This is a good development. Space exploration is important, but needs to get cheaper. I am not surprised it is the Japanese who really start cutting the costs for it. After all, the Japanese have done the same in many other areas. They are good at quality for great prices. I am looking forward to reading more about this exciting development.

How to Avoid Smuggled Dogs

I have all the sympathy for smuggled dogs that I can have. I feel really sorry for each and every smuggled dog. However, the only way to stop dogs from being smuggled, is to put an end to the demand for smuggled dogs. This requires that humans learn not to buy these dogs.

The Swedish Kennel Club has published a good article on the subject on its homepage. I recommend it for everyone who knows how to read Swedish.

If you consider buying a dog, have patience, research the breeds you are interested in and make contact with a dog breeder who is a member of a national kennel club. The national kennel club should either a member of the FCI or be the English or the American Kennel Club (who are no members of the FCI but the KC and AKC cooperate with the FCI and have mutual recognition of each others' pedigrees et cetera). If buying a dog bred in Japan, the breeder may be a member of Nippo instead of the JKC.

Buying a dog is about the most important thing you can do. You must take it seriously.

Haiku

I don't write haiku
The harsh rules are not for me
Exceptions happen

Recalling My Younger Days

Hello, Orange here!

I wanted to write about this yesterday, but Hailey thought it was more important to write about the Football World Cup qualification. I do not know what the Football World Cup is, so I cannot make a judgment on its relevance. I was given the opportunity to write a second blog post today, though, so here it is.

We got some raw minced meat in our food yesterday evening. This was great. It reminded me of my really early days, when I was but about four weeks old and Daniel started to give me and my sister real food instead of just our mother's milk. Raw minced meat was the very first thing we got to try. I have loved it ever since. We do not get it often, but it always remind me of those early days of my life. Those were happy days, carefree and comfortable. I miss them sometimes, even though I love the life I have now too.

I wish we could get minced meat more often.

The Results

When I wrote yesterday, not all qualification games were finished. Austria has the third place in the same qualifying group as Sweden, and also won its game. Still, Sweden is three points ahead.

This is what it looks like:

Country......Games.....Scores.....Points
Germany.............8......28-7..........22
Sweden..............8......14-8..........17
Austria.............8......16-8..........14
Ireland.............8......13-13.........11
Kazakstan...........8.......4-17..........4
Faroe Islands.......8.......3-25..........0

Sweden has a game against Austria left, on our home turf. If we win that game, it is certain that the second place and a place in the play off games is Sweden's. This is good.

Another Qualifying Game - Another Win

Sweden won another qualifying game for the FIFA football world cup 2014 today. This time it was against Kazakstan on their home turf. This means that Sweden is second in the group with a good gap down to third. Sweden does have one more game played, but more than three points up to the third team in the group. If Sweden ends second, it gets to play a play off against another group second, and winning there means a place in the World Cup. I do think this might happen. I sure hope so.

Cutting Hair

Hello, Orange here!

I am glad I am not a poodle. Poodles do not shed their coat, but have to have it cut. Our toy poodle friend Laila has had her hair cut today. She did not like that. I understand why. She looks different now, but I like her as much anyway.

2020 Olympic Games

The Olympic Games in 2020 will be held in Tokyo. This is bound to be great. I am full of confidence that the people of the home country of my dog breed will do a great job hosting the games. The Japanese people are effective and hard working, they know what it takes. Japan stand for quality, not just when it comes to dog breeds, but for almost anything.

For the moment, I am making plans to live to see the TV broadcasts from Tokyo in 2020. If I live that long, I will almost be fifteen years old. This is a respectable age for any dog, but Shibas can often become as old as fifteen, or older. With the promise of seeing so much from Japan on TV in 2020, I have a goal to focus on and will take the best care of my health in order to see it. Stay tuned to this blog seven years from now and you will get my thoughts on the Olympic Games in Tokyo as they happen.

Sweden Won

Sweden won against Ireland in yesterday's qualification game. There is hope for participation in the World Cup.

Qualifying Game

Sweden is playing a qualifying game for the 2014 FIFA football world cup tonight. The game is against Ireland. It is quite an important game, because Sweden has not done so well in the earlier games of this qualification round. Over the years, Sweden has often done well every other decade. In 1938, Sweden was fourth. In 1950, Sweden won bronze and in 1958 silver. In 1974, Sweden was fifth, and very close to a medal. In 1994, Sweden won another bronze. Thus, it would be about time for another really good result in a football world cup. This has to start by getting to the world cup in the first place. I hope the national team wins tonight and makes this the start of a winning streak ending with another medal.

Standards

Hello, Karstuhl here!

Daniel is spending time reading breed standards. I do not think this is necessary, he already has a lot of dogs of the most important of breeds. However, it is not up to me to decide what he will waste his time doing.

Visit of a President

The Head of State of Mum's home country is visiting Sweden for a couple of days. roads where he is supposed to travel have been closed for ordinary traffic for security reasons. He is not a King, nor an Emperor, but merely a President. Mum says this is better than a King or Emperor, but I disagree. Nevertheless, he is a Head of State and it is right to treat him as such. Thus, it must be all right to close roads.

Life Sentence for Murder

For some years, the normal sentence for murder in Sweden has not been lifetime imprisonment. The Government now suggests that the law returns to normal, thus making life not an esceptional punishment for murder, but the punishment which will probably be the sentence in the majority of cases. I think this is right. Murder should be punished harshly. Just consider that a dog can be punished by death just for biting a human. If one human kills another human, life in prison is a proper sentence.

Macaronies

Hello, Orange here!

We got macaronies in our food today. I always like it, when we get extra food in addition to our ordinary dog food. It makes the food more interesting and it is often very tasty. These macaronies were well seasoned. I hope we get something like that tomorrow as well.

Nippo Show

The Swedish Shiba Inu Club, Shiba-no-kai, held a specialty show with a Nippo judge from Japan today. One of my sons competed in one of the junior classes, where he became second best. Kuro-chan, who is the father of two of my littera, including that of my daughter Polly, came in third among over twenty adult males. These are great results. - Oh, and I guess a daughter of Kicki got a good result too.

Better Japanese Economy

Hello, Karstuhl here!

Prices in Japan are rising. This is supposed to be good. The economy is speeding up. Mommy writes about these things in this blog sometimes. I understand her interest of Japan, but I cannot say I am as interested in economy and domestic Japanese politics as Mommy is. If you want to know more, just follow the link I supply in this blog entry. I hope you find it interesting.

European Winner's Show

Paula is in Geneva, Switzerland, at the European Winner's Show 2013. I would have liked to go there and enter the show ring, but I had no place on the aircraft. The only dog from us who will be shown is Kuro-chan. I like him and he is a great representative for us and the breed. However, we have no female representing our kennel. Oh, well, life is not always the best imaginable, you have to make do with the nice life at home sometimes. This is good, too.

Dog "Weddings" in Sri Lanka

The police in Sri Lanka has performed a ceremony where nine couples of police dogs were "married". The aim was to make domestic breeding of dogs more popular. The police in Sri Lanka is now importing many dogs, which is expensive.

I believe most acts that promotes good and healthy dog breeding is good. The purpose of this act was good. It has, however, caused protests among believing Buddhists, who think the police desecrated Buddhist symbols of marriage. I do not know enough about Buddhism to comment on this, but perhaps there is some truth in it. Dogs do not need to marry in the human way, we have other forms of forming family bonds. A dog marriage that causes protests could, therefore, have been bad publicity. I hope this does not fall back on the dogs.

Early Morning Walks

Hello, Orange here!

A while ago, Daniel started to bring me on the morning walks. Weekdays, he gets up really early. I have never been against going out in the garden this early, if I just have to do what I have to do, then go back to sleep again. The morning walks is a different matter. They last much longer. You cannot go back to sleep right away when coming back, because you have to wind down first. On the other hand, it is fun to walk with the adult dogs and my older puppy friend Xavi. It makes me feel more like an adult myself, and this makes me proud. I have also discovered that once you do wind down from these walks, you sleep better than if you just spend some time out in the garden. All things considered, I see more ups than downs with these walks. I like that and I will continue to walk these walks. I can recommend early morning walks to everyone.

CACIB

Hello, Karstuhl here!

I am quite happy about my show results this last weekend. I did lose to Mommy, but I got Excellent and CK both days. If I would not have won my Swedish show championship last Sunday, I would have won it this Saturday. I also got reserve CACIBs both days, but since Mommy is already an international champion, I will get the CACIBs eventually. These are good steps towards a possible future international championship for me. I like that.

Wolf Policy

The national committee on sustainable predator policy for wolves handed over its final report to the cabinet last Friday. It was on Paula's birthday, which was fitting.

There is a summary in English in the beginning of the report. An even shorter summary is the list of proposed measures, as written like this:

The Report's proposal for measures can be summarised as follows:
- clarification of the policy direction and purpose of the predator policy
- development of comprehensive wildlife management legislation
- creation of conditions for adaptive management
- simplification of the culling process
- increased compensation for damages caused by predators
- further development of damage-preventing measures
- concrete definition of the management plan for wolves
- decision for an action plan for genetic reinforcement of the wolf population
- curb on illegal hunting
- introduction of opportunities for licenced hunting of wolves, when favorable conservation status is achieved
- allocation of sufficient resources to the responsible authorities
- conduct of socio-economic analysis related to predator presence
- establishment of a permanent wolf committee

I believe there are some great proposals here, not least the establishment of a permanent committee. If I could, I would like to be a member of that committee, but I do not think they will appoint any dogs, regardless of my experience of breeding. Hopefully, at least one experienced dog breeder will be on the committee, knowledge from breeding dogs must be valuable when it comes to preserving the wild breed of the canine species. i do not like licence hunting, but believe it is better than the illegal hunting that would certainly be the result if all the hunting of wolves would be outlawed. I will follow up what happens and I might write more about it in my blog later.

...and Yet Again

There are always two shows in Visby, one on Saturday, one on Sunday. I won Best of Breed on the Sunday show as well. There was not much luck in the Group Finals either day, but I went into the final ring anyway. I have to use my position as Best of Breed to promote the breed in the final ring. With enough great Shibas there, sooner or later, one of us will be placed in the group. Calvin was, a couple of years ago.

I am happy about my results this weekend. It was definitely worth going to this show.

Best Again

It was a fun dog show today. For the very first time, I was up against my daughter Polly in Champion Class. I won. Both of us was fit to be champions, according to the judge, but I was the better one. My experience matters.

A little later, I also won Best of Breed against Gunde. I just dominated among many excellent Shibas today. It is a great feeling.

Think About the Gassed Dogs!

There have been news articles and debates about gas attacks against humans in Syria, where they are fighting a civil war. I believe we should also consider the animals, they must have been gassed too. Dogs in the Middle East do not have an easy life, many humans there consider them "unclean". They must have an even harsher life, if hit by the gas. I hope aid goes out to the dogs, as well as to the humans, hit by the gas attacks in Syria.

Happy birthday!

We are celebrating Paula's birthday today. She is worth all the celebrations she can get. Hooray!

Busy

We are busy today, preparing for two dog shows this weekend in Visby. We will go there tomorrow. I am so happy that I get to go. It will be so much fun to enter the show ring again. Now I have to continue my preparations.

Late car ride

Paula was on After Work with people with whom she works tonight. She did something similar this spring. Daniel went by car to pick her up last time, and I got to follow along. We did the same this night. It feels like the start of a pleasant tradition.

Stew

Hello, Orange here!

We got chicken stew in the food today. Small wonder, then, that everyone licked their foodbowls clean. It was really tasty. We have to thank Paula for this.

Bathing

Hello, Orange here! Gunde is one of my male Shiba friends. He is a really nice fellow and I am glad to follow his lead in a lot of things. This evening, he had a bath. This is, however, not a thing I would like to have, despite Gunde having it. There has to be limits to the things we do voluntarily, regardless of who go before us and do it. Bathing is not a nice thing to do. I wish you could do without baths altogether.

Champion Today

Hello, Karstuhl here!

I went in the pawsteps of my parents today, winning a third CAC and becoming Swedish Show Champion. It goes in the family, being excellent enough to become a Swedish champion, I guess.

I was also Best of Breed. My half brother Yamasakura's Oliver wom CAC and was Best of Opposite Sex. We have the same father, and a great father he is!

Pies

Paula baked pies tonight. I offered to help her, preferably to taste it and to make the firat rinse of the dirty dishes. I did not get to taste any, though. The pies are for a little party tomorrow. Perhaps there will be some left-overs for me after the party. I do hope it will.

Killing Healthy Animals?

I was deeply concerned, when reading this article about British animal protection association RSPCA. It says that the RSPCA kills perfectly healthy animals and rather pursue humans whom they think abuses animals than helping the animals. One story is about five perfectly healthy cats put to death. The RSPCA does respond, but I am still not convinced. I do think it is important to bring animal abusers to justice, but the most important thing is to take care of the abused or abandoned animals. Things can be done in a better way.

Upholding a Contract

A cat breeder in Sweden had put her male cat with another family, who could care for him as their own family member. However, this came with a contract stipulating that the cat would be surrendered to the breeder for breeding. When the family with whom the cat lived did not want to provide the cat, the breeder asked the authorities for help. She got the help she needed, the authorities will get the cat, thus making sure the contract is honoured.

This is a good move by the authorities. Contracts must be honoured. If a contracting party does not honour his or her obligations under a contract, the authorities should use its power to help the other contracting party. If you have a contract, you want this, or the contract is of no value whatsoever.

The principle is the same with similar contracts on dogs. I hope no dog breeder will ever have to use the authorities in this way, but if they do, I am all for it.

As Daniel quoted in latin: pacta sunt servanda. Contracts must be upheld.

Death in the Dutch Royal Family

Hello, Karstuhl here!

We have received notice that a brother of the King of the Netherlands, Prince Friso, has died after a year and a half in a coma. He suffered severe brain damage in a ski accident in Austria, when hit by an avalanche at off piste skiing. He never recovered.

Our thoughts go to the family, the Dutch people and Dutch dogs. We know one Dutch dog, of course, Botan, who was born and raised here at our kennel.

Off piste skiing is dangerous. This is but one proof.

Great Weekend!

Yesterday, my daughter Polly won CAC and was BOS at the dog show in Askersund. Today, my son Gonza won CAC and was BOB at the dog show in Ronneby. Gonza is not much more than a year old. They sure follow the paths of their parents. I am so proud over them. Do I need to say more?

CAC

Hello, Karstuhl here!

This was the day of the Askersund national kennel club dog show. It is the annual show hosted by our regional kennel club, so you can say it is home turf for us. Calvin and I did very well. Calvin went in champion class, of course, and he became best male. I won a CAC and was best female. Thus, we met each other in the competition for Best of Breed, which is good among nine Shibas. Calvin was Best of Breed today. I think I will beat Calvin sometime in the future, if we will go up against one another again, but I congratulate him for the victory today. My main goal was the CAC, another step on my way to becoming a champion. Look out for me in shows to come!

Hamburgers

Hamburgers are very tasty, especially those that Paula makes herself. She made some for dinner tonight. I got to taste. It was so good, I even got a little sauce on my ear. Well, eating slowly has never been a virtue, in my mind.

Blowing Coat

Many of us are blowing coats now. I do not. I know that there are dog shows left, blowing your coat before these shows will clearly lower your chances in the shows. It is best to do whatever you can do to preserve your coat. Good luck to Calvin, who has already blown half his coat and who will be shown in Askersund this weekend.

Aircraft Carrier

Japan has unveiled a new, huge warship. It is an aircraft carrier with a flight deck 250 metres long. Reports say it is the biggest Japanese warship since World War II. The carrier is supposed to be used in border-area survellance and anti-submarine missions. With the recent tension over the Japanese Senkaku Islands, which China claims, it is a good thing that Japan has a good defence capacity. I hope it will never have to be used in an actual war, but then, having a military strong enough to deter your enemies from making war with you is the main purpose of it.

Baking Bread

Paula has a new hobby. She is baking bread. It is not just any bread, but so called LCHF bread. This is supposed to be healthy. I do not know about that. LCHF stands for low carn, high fat. The best hing to eat, then, is meat. Bread can never be as healthy, nor as tasty, as meat. There is some value having a varied diet, as well, but I would not mind more meat, to eat more like the LCHF diet suggests.

Solar Powered Lights

We have had some solar powered lights in the garden since last summer. They have never worked. Daniel has now reviewed the construction and got rid of a seal that was hidden inside. You could not see this seal, unless you disassembled part of the lamp. As far as we can remember, there was no word or picture about this seal in the manual to the lights. However, they are shining tonight. We like that. Better late than never.

Good Ridance

We transported some garbage to the waste depot. It is good not to have it in our garden.

Concert

There is a concert playing a kilometre away, or what it is to Brunnsparken from us. We can hear the base at home, even indoors. It could be a little disturbing, but we do not care. These things do not happen often. It is also Friday night, when humans usually party more than other nights since most of them do not work Saturdays and Sundays. We let them do this, it makes them better people, and better people are nicer to dogs.

New Kind of Antibiotic Discovered

Antibiotics are good stuff. It helps both dogs and humans, and other animals of our liking, to fight off bacteria and the diseases created by them. There have, however, been more and more bacteria who are resistent to the antibiotics we know and use.

Scientists have now discovered a completely new kind of antibiotic compound in a microorganism living in the sea off the coast of California. This antibiotic compound seem to be effective on some bacteria who are immune to all other antibiotics.

This is great news. Fighting off bacteria can save many human and dog lives. I hope antibiotics can soon be on the market derived from this new discovery. Perhaps it is also grounds for a Nobel Prize, like Alexander Fleming got for discovering the antibiotic penicillin. Go, science!

Summer Is Still Not Over

This is the last day of July. Both Paula and Daniel have started to work this week after some weeks of summer vacation. The nights are getting darker and longer. Still, August is also a summer month. We are bound to have several weeks more of warm, nice summer weather. There are also many summer dog shows left, not least when we are going to Gotland by the end pf August. It is still summer, though signs of autumn start to show. I am going to enjoy what is left of summer.

Wolves Helping Bears

Hello, Karstuhl here!

Wolves are important in the eco system. In the American national park Yellowstone, wolves vanished in the early 20th century, making elks much more abundant. These elks ate the berries upon which bears get an important part of their diet. When wolves have now returned, decimating the number of elks, the bears of Yellowstone gets a better diet and feel better.

It is nice that our wild cousins can help bears in the forests. It is a little like us dogs helping teddy bears through life as toys.

Calvin Did It

Calvin became Best of Breed at the International Dog Show in Ransäter today. I congratulated him, when he came home.

April's son Javier became Best Puppy.

My daughter Polly and my son Zeus were also shown. They made fair results, but, unfortunately, nothing that will be noted for the future. Polly told me she enjoyed this show like none before, though, so she hungers for revenge and better results in the near future. I am looking forward to that. She deserves it.

Show Tomorrow

Hello, Karstuhl here!

Mommy is unhappy today. There is a dog show tomorrow, and I, Calvin and Javier get to go to it, but not her.

The show is in Ransäter, Värmland, halfway to Norway from us. It might be rain all day, and thunder and lightning, but Mommy does not care. Going into the show ring is still the best thing she knows. I am not quite so fond of it, but I like it, nevertheless. I will do my best.

Bad TV

We watched a little on the Tv series Spartacus this evening. It is quite bad. They fought in a battle, but whenever a friend was close to dying, the others could stop fighting to hear the last words and give a hug, without being attacked by any enemy. How realistic is that? We laughed a little.

Semi Finals

Sweden lost its UEFA Euro 2013 football championship semi final to Germany yesterday. It was a close call, but all in all, Germany was slightly better and worthy winners.

Today, Norway won its semi final versus Denmark. My Dad was from Norway, so I will hope Norway will win the final on Sunday. I am looking forward to an exciting game.

Nils-Olov

Hello, Karstuhl here!

Paula's father Nils-Olov has been here the last couple of days to help us build a terrace. I really like him. Whenever I see him, I bark a lot at first. Some people might think I am afraid of Nils-Olov when I do this, bit this is far from the truth. I just bark at him, because he is so good at responding to this by cuddling me. I love lying in his lap. Unfortunately, I cannot do that while he is building, but I like him anyway. There will be more times of cuddling.

Plastic Bottles

Plastic bottles are really fun toys. They bend and shoft shape with the pressure of your teeth, but not too easily, and they sound funny while you chew on them. They are cheap, too.

Yesterday, Orange was playing with a bottle of mine, but I took it back. She should be subservient to an older Shiba like me, and was, too. This is good. This bottle was extra fun to play with.

If you want cheap, noce tous for dogs, just buy pop in PET bottles, then let the dogs have them when they are empty. If you want a refund, you can, as long as the EAN code os intact and the bottle is not very deformed.

Building a Terrace

Hello, Orange here!

Paula's father Nils-Olov has been here today to build a terrace in the garden. Daniel has helped him. So did I, almost all morning. It was fun being there to help. I do think the work went more smoothly thanks to me.

I stayed indoors in the afternoon, but there were other dogs helping ot then. It was really hot outside by then, so I am thankful for being able to atay in the shadows indoors.

Taking Down a Bush

We took down a bush in the garden today. You have to do that sometimes, because bushes always grow. Mostly, it is enough if you cut it and get it smaller, bit this had become so big we decided it was best to take it down permanently. That corner of the garden has more space and light now, so it was an improvement. We may cut more in the garden soon.

In the Countryside

Hello, Orange here!

I got to go with Paula and Daniel to Paula's sister with boyfriend out in the countryside this evening. I have been there before and I like it. There are cats there. They have a slightly odd way of communicating, it is not the same as with other dogs or with humans. Still, I think I am getting better at understanding them and we are getting along well with each other. It was a nice evening.

Fish Stock Recovery?

A major scientific study suggests many European fish stocks are on their way to recovery, and are not overfished.

Some researches doubt the result, one says that it is premature to talk about recovery.

I would very much like to think the fish stocks are recovering. Fish is tasty, healthy food, and we can only have it for future generations if we fish responsibly and let the fish stocks have healthy numbers. I hope the report is right, but I am not sure. Time will tell, but I have hope for recovery of the fish stocks.

Fumi

Paula and Daniel visited my daughter Fumi and her family tonight. They told me Fumi has a great life with a great family. This is always nice to hear. As a mother, you always want the best for all of your pups. It definitely seems like Fumi has the best life she could ever have.

Beauty After Pregnancy

I read this story about human females and their view of their post pregnancy bodies. They would very much like these slightly changed bodies to be considered just as beautiful as their pre pregnancy bodies. I guess they are.

When it comes to dogs, many bitches have achieved their highest victories after having puppy litters. Mum won her Swedish and Norwegian championships after her first litters, not to talk about her double World Veteran Winner titles. I have also won champion titles after having puppies. There is no reason to believe human females would do worse than dog females, if humans had shows the way we dogs have. (As fun as it is to go into the show ring, I feel sorry for humans that they do not.)

All in all, I can see no reason why human females would not be considered beautiful, just for having had children.

Online Game

Paula is playing an online game about candy. She likes it, staying awake late to play. I cannot see the fun in it. Candy is supposed to be eaten, not seen on a computer screen. Oh, well, to each her own joy.

The Orange Team Lost

Hello, Orange here!

In the ongoing UEFA European Football Championship for Women, my favourite team lost its game today. My favourite is, of course, the Netherlands, since they play in orange jerseys. There is no better colour than orange. However, Norway beat the Netherlands, 1-0. I am disappointed, though it is not yet over. The Netherlands still has a chance to go further than the groups.

Hailey was glad Norway won. This is because her father was from Norway and always a Norwegian patriot. I never met him, but I can understand why Hailey has feelings for Norway due to her father. It is nice that some of us can be glad for the Norwegian victory.

Grilled Food

Paula used the grill when cooking dinner tonight. What was left went to us dogs. Grilled food is great, I wish we could have it more often.

The world championship in orienteering had its final day in Finland today. For the very first time, Sweden did not win any medal in the ladies' relay, but came in fourth. Perhaps, if they would have had better food, it would have gone better. I wonder if their food came from the grill.

Paper

Hello, Orange here again!

Paula and Daniel are sometimes confused about me and my fellow dogs tearing up or eating paper. Well, is there any better use for paper?

Yes, I know how to read and write, how could I make blog entries if I did not? The thing is rather, I am born in the era of computers. I do not need paper to write on or read from. Besides, if you have paws, it is easier writing on a keyboard than with a pen or pencil. Thus, to me, the best way to use paper is to play with it, tear it up, or chew on it. I do not need to read what is written upon it.

Course

Hello, Orange here!

Javier and I went to this puppy course again today. It is quite interesting. The best thing is all the treats we are given, though. Treats are the main reason courses and trainings are fun. If you go to a course, but your human do not bring treats, I would recommend that you strike. Then you will hopefully teach your human the importance of treats.

Night

It is late at night again, and I am late in writing a blog post again. It is the vacation's fault. Paula and Daniel does not get up early in the mornig, and go to bed late, so we dogs do the same. Then the blog entries I write may be late. I do not like this, I have to improve upon this.

Otherwise, I like the vacation, because Paula and Daniel are at home more. This is good.

Orange Being Green?

Hello, Orange here!

We saw a quiz show pn TV tonight that was really upsetting. It was the British show QI, which os normally fun to watch. Today, they claimed that most oranges are not orange, but green! Could I have an identity crisis for less? I am not sure I want to believe that.

Well, then Grand Auntie Linni said, this does not matter, because to her, there is but one true Orange, and that would be me. I am very grateful for this statement. To me, there is but one grand auntie, and that is Linni.

No Shame

Some people are shameless.

In the town Lidköping, an old lady was tricked to surrender her dog to strangers. Some people approached her when she was out walking her Poodle. They offered to trim the dog for 600 kr, which the lady accepted. She gave them the dog and the money, and they left. After a while, the lady concluded she had been fooled, so she contacted the police.

I cannot understand why any humans would do this? They have separated a dog from its human, what a cruel thing to do. If it was just for the money, that is one thing, albeit unlawful, but taking the dog is horrible. They must have no shame.

I do hope the Poodle find its way home.

The Importance of Microchips in Dogs

The Pitbull Smoke disappeared from his human in California three years ago, when the room mate moved out and stole the dog. However, he was was recently found in Florida. He was taken to a shelter, but since he was microchipped, it was possible to identify who his human was. It is still unclear how he wound up in Florida, across the continent, but he will now be driven back to his own human in California by a relay of volunteers. This only goes to prove how important it is to micro chip dogs. Without the microchip, odds are his true identity would never have been discovered and he would never have gotten to see his human again.

This sunshine story only goes to prove how important it is that all dogs have microchips for their identification. We cannot tell humans who we are and where we belong, like humans themselves can, so we need the aid of microchips to do this for us. To all puppy buyers out there: do not forget to microchip your four legged family members.

The Risk of Vacations

If you spend your vacation at home, there is a risk nothing special will happen to you all day. This is what happened today. Perhaps it will be better tomorrow, then I will have something to write about. I really hope so.

4th of July

Mum is celebrating the national holiday of her country of birth today: the USA. So is April and Calvin. We had some American food, but there were no fireworks. None of us enjoys fireworks anyway.

There was a football game on TV, Sweden v. England, which was far from American culture, but I enjoyed the Swedish victory anyway.

Gotland is the Thing, the 24-25 August

There are a lot of news reporters in the city of Visby on the Swedish island Gotland this week, just because there are a lot of political speeches and seminars there. We do not understand what all the fuzz is about. Gotland is not the thing now, but on the 24-25 August, when the Gotland Kennel Club hosta its annual international dog shows in Visby. The reporters should be there then, rather than now. Dog shows are much more important and interesting than politics.

More Toys

Hello, Karstuhl here!

Daniel has done some cleaning in the barn. He found old toys there, which were lying around without being used. He brought them into the house, so we have put them to use now. Toys are meant to be played with, there is no use just letting them be. It was a good thing we got the toys to play with.

Weekend Away

Hello, Orange here!

This weekend, I got to spend with Paula's sister Mia and her boyfriend out in the countryside. There were some friendly cats there, as well. I have been there before, so I recognised the place, but this was the first time without Paula and Daniel, and my first sleepover. It was a nice weekend. I would not mind going back there many more times.

Show

It all started with heavy rain, as we were preparing to go to the show in the morning. The rain continued on and of most of the morning. Then it was warm and sunny in the afternoon. Unfortunately, we were not as lucky with the show result as with the weather. Javier was the most fortunate of us Shibas, he won Best of opposite sex puppy. Out of all of us, the most lucky one today was the Poodle Momoko, whose son became Best in Show "special colours" yesterday and won a CAC today.

Borås

we went to Borås this afternoon. It is a town about three hours away by car, where we will be at a dog show tomorrow. I get to go into the show ring! I am so looking forward to tomorrow.

Vacation

Both Paula and Daniel will have vacation now, for several weeks. This is great, it means they both wil be home with us more. It also makes us all a little lazy, this is probably why I do not write this blog entry until after midnight, making it less than daily. Oh, well, if you have a vacation, you must allow yourself to do things like this, don't you?

Spain v. Italy

Hello, Orange here! We are watching the second semi final in the FIFA Confederation Cup today. Brazil won against Uruguay yesterday. Spain is playing Italy today. We hope Spain will win. Italy was the better team in the first half of the game, but unable to score any goal. I have heard the Netherlands has a rather good national football team, playing in the greatest colour of them all: orange. They do not play in this tournament, though. I hope to see them in next year's World Cup, though I will rather see Sweden, Spain, or Japan as winners.

Japanese Acquisition

The Japanese company Softbank will purchase US mobile phone operator Sprint for $21.6 billions. This is the largest overseas Japanese takeover ever.

I expect the US company's customers will get a better service in the future. Japanese companies are good at that. In this way, they are similar to dogs of Japanese breeds, like Shiba Inus. We are great at providing any kind of service.

Summer TV

Two Swedish summer TV classics started tonight. One is the sing-along show Allsång på Skansen, live from Stockholm. The other is new episodes of the British criminal series Midsomer Murders. We watched them with Paula's parents, as we were there for dinner tonight. While it might not be the very best you can watch on TV, especially the Midsomer Murders feels a little overexposed, it is still great just because it is summer tradition. Traditions must be adhered to, unless you have somthing way better to do.

Sleeping Tight

It is Monday, so Daniel got up early and took us out for walks. It feels a bit harsh when you are used to sleep longer in the weekend. However, we can always go back to sleep afterwards. Paula slept too, she worked in the afternoon, so she did not have to get up at all in the early morning. Just when waking up, that seems like a great idea, but I actually like the early walks followed by another turn into th realm of dreams.

Rain

It has been raining on and off all day. Daniel has not been able to mow the lawn, as he said he would if he could. He has a cold, so it was perhaps for the best that he stayed indoors. Resting indoors is the best way to cope with rainy weather.

Midsummer

Happy midsummer to you all!

Spain Versus Tahiti

Hello, Orange here!

In the football tournament FIFA Confederation Cup, there was a game tonight between the Kingdom of Spain and the Kingdom of Tahiti. Confederation Cup is a tournament mainly between the winners of the national team tournaments different continental football associations that are members of FIFA. Spain is, of course, the winner of last year's UEFA European Championship, while Tahiti is the winner of the last Oceania championship.

Javier and I watched the game together, rooting for Spain, since both of us have close relatives there. We did agree, however, that while the game was fun to watch, it was far from exciting. When Spain scored its eighth goal, while Tahiti had not scored any, we started to feel a little sorry for the Tahitian team.

The final score was 10-0. We are happy about the victory and hope Spain will win the whole tournament.

Amazing Number of Followers

I suddenly had a burst of readers viewing my blog today. The statistics said 110 views. A normal amount per day on my blog is about 30. I do not know why this would happen today, but I am happy for it. There are probably be new readers there, I hope they will come back.

Waffles

Paula made waffles for us for lunch. She is so nice to us. Waffles are great food.

In Sweden, we have a Waffle Day on the 25th of March. There is still nothing in this great tradition saying that you should not eat waffles other days. Waffles can be eaten any day. This is good, since they are so tasty.

RIP

Rest in peace, Peanut!

Last Night

The last night with a dog is mostly when that dog is a pup who will leave us for his or her new family the next day. Not so tonight. Peanut will leave us and this whole world.

Some die young. This is life. Still, it seems unjust anytime it happens. With someone so happy, friendly, and nice as Peanut, it feels very unjust.

You have made the world a better place, in the brief time you were here, Peanut! We wish you bon voyage to wherever you will go, while part of you will always be with us in our hearts and memories.

Breeding Trees

Scientists in the UK have discovered a variety of the ash tree which is resistant to the attacks by a certain type of fungus killing off ash trees. This fungus has recently been discovered in the UK, but scientists trust that they will be able to grow resistand ash trees from the resistant variety. The downside is that the resistant variety consist of so few trees, that they have a very narrow genetic base. However, by cross breeding the resistant trees to other ash trees in the UK, the scientists hope to get a wider genetic base of resistant trees, which will also be better suited to the UK climate. It is amazing what breeding can do over generations, not just for dogs.