This Is Strange

I published a blog post last night, after midnight, or so I thought. This evening, my blog service said this blog post was still just a draft. I published it, but it came after the last blog post. Still, the blog service information said seven people had read it. How could people have read it, if it was a draft? Sometimes, I just think no answer can be found.

Paula on a Thursday

I realize I am writing this after midnight between Friday and Thursday, but that is how some things are.

Paula was off from work today, Thursday. This is one of the perka of working in the weekends too. She did not leave home, but spent all her tome woth us. This is my favourite kind of Thursday.

Weekend Trip

This Friday afternoon, I went out on the countryside with Mia, Paula's sister. I will spend the weekend with Mia and her fiance Stefan. It is exciting, it is not every week that life turns different like this.

There is also a cat where Mia and Stefan lives. His name is Kurt. I would want to be friends with him, but it is not easy to charm him. Cats have different ways of comminication than dogs. I need to figure Kurt out.

New Snow

Hello, Orange here!

We got more snow this morning. It seemed like I was the only one rejoicing. Daniel was not amused that he had to shovel the driveway again, whoch I can understand, but the other dogs could have shown some more enthusiasm. Am I really the only one still loving the snow? It is not that they were unhappy about it, but there were no wagging tails, either. Oh well, the main thing for me is to feel happy about my own love for the snow, is it not?

Pie

Paula baked a pie tonight. It smelled great in the kitchen the whole night. I wish I had got to taste some, but we had alreadye aten. paula promised us some pie for tomorrow, though. I am looking forward to it.

Going Along

Paula did not go herself to her work today, Daniel gave her a ride. He also picked her up after work. I got to go with him both times. This was extra fun in the afternoon, since we went by Paula's parents for a little while. I like it when I must not stay at home all day.

Politics

Daniel is a politician in his spare time. He devotes quite a lot of time on it. Today, his political party decided who will be its candidates for the 2014 city council election. Daniel was chosen on a spot making it safe to say he will be elected and get a prominent position in the city council. We are very proud of him. And wish him good luck in the election.

Judgment

I read this judgment on animal cruelty from Svea Court of Appeals of the 21st of January this year (case no. B10203-13). A man was sentenced to fines for being cruel to his puppy. This makes Me both glad and sad. I am glad the man was fined, but I am sad that any human would be cruel to a puppy. I hope the dog is better of now.

Junior Master Chef

We have another cooking competition on, on TV. This time, children are competing, and they are really good chefs. The show is called Junior Master Chef. I was just a little disturbed when one of the judges ruled that one dish was not good enough, by comparing it to dog food. What is wrong with dog food? This should be a positive description of any dish.

Late Meeting

This evening, Daniel was away. He was at a political meeting, which is quite all right in it self. The trouble was, the meeting went on and on, so he came home really late. We were all disappointed with him. At least, he could have called us, or something. There are so many ways to communicate these days.

Giving Paula a Ride

Paula was away visiting a friend tonight. Daniel and I went to get her, when she wanted to get home. It is always nice to be at service like this for the ones you love.

Ultra Sound

Hello, Karstuhl here!

Paula took me to the veterinarian today. She wanted to confirm what I already knew: I am expecting pups. I am not comfortable with the ultra sound checking for pups, but Paula was glad to see at least one pup for sure. I expect to deliver the pups in February. This is a good month, I was born on the 19th of February and my first litter on the 15th of February. It feels good.

A Japanese and a Swede in Caterham

The Caterham Formula 1 team will have a perfect driver line up this year, at least if you are to judge from the nationality of the drivers. The experienced Japanese driver Kamui Kobayashi will be the number one driver, while rookie Swedish driver Marcus Ericsson will be number two. It is also worth mentioning that Marcus Ericsson won the 2009 Japanese Formula 3 championship, so they both have connections with Japan. How can you go wrong with a combination of Japan and Sweden?

Basic Rules for Swedish Dog Breeders

The Swedish Kennel Club has enacted new basic rules for dog breeders, which came into force on the 1st of January this year. If you are thinking of getting a dog, remember that every serious dog breeder in Sweden follow these rules. You can find them on the homepage of the Swedish Kennel Club or by following this link. These rules are in Swedish. If you do not know Swedish, at least make sure your Swedish breeder know about these rules.

Crisp Rain

Rain of crisps is sometimes falling in our kitchen. It is mostly Paula who make this happen. I like it, because I really like crisps. Tonight, though, only Mum and Calvin was in the kitchen when the rain fell. This felt a little unfair. I have to do what I can to be in the kitchen next time there is a crisp rain.

Hunter

Hello, Karatuhl here!

My son Suzuki, who lives in Finland, has started a career as a hunting dog. He hunts hares with his humans and may soon start to hunt bigger game. I like this. Hunting is a traditional Shiba occupation and a worthy occupation of any dog. I wish him all the luck!

OK, This Is Enough

We wanted some snow, all of us. We now have snow on the ground. Still, the snow has kept falling all night and all day. Daniel has shoveled the driveway three times today. It is about two decimetres of snow now. This is enough, we do not need any more snow. Enough is enough.

Learn How to Draw!

Dog shows are often the subject of critizism for being too focused on the looks of the competing dogs. Dog shows can be described as the dog fashion industry, so in part, it is natural that it is about looks.

The dog show world is, however, nothing compared to the human fashion industry. Many female human fashion models and acresses are photographed, but then the photographies are manipulated in many ways to make the woman look "more than perfect". This means that she often look unnaturally thin, but not as unhealthy as such a thin person would normally look like.

I believe a photography should be a picture of the real world, not an idealized fantasy world. The manipulated photographies probably affect the viewers more than the manipulators think, because the viewers presume the pictures show the real women.

If you want to make pictures of "more than perfect" fantasy women, I believe you should learn how to draw. Many comic book heroines look "more than perfect". However, since the viewers recognize the pictures as drawings right away, even on a subconscious level, they do not presume this is what real women would look like. A good drawing can make a great fantasy come to life, a photography should not.

Tax Deduction for Dogs

Hello, Karstuhl here!

The Administrative Court of Appeals of Stockholm has ruled (case no. 4147 - 4152-13, judgment 19 Dec. 2013) that a man could not get a general tax deduction for having a dog which he used in the line of duty. He does not work full time with his dog on duty, but just part time. The court therefore says that his expenses for the dog is private costs. He could not prove that he had had certain costs, either.

In one sense, I can understand the court. It rules according to the present Swedish tax laws. On the other hand, I believe every human should get tax deductions for each dog they have. Dogs are such an asset to any person. For instance, it is proven time after time, that dogs make humans live longer and happier. I would suggest a common tax deduction for each dog registered as belonging to a certain human. This would be a great political reform.

Green Spaces are Positive for Mental Health

Human scientists have found that living in or near trees, grass, and other growing things, has a lasting positive effect on your mental well being. This sounds reasonable. I believe it is the same thing with dogs. It is better to have a lawn to run around and play on, than a hard asphalt square. Parks, trees, small areas of grass, are essential for every dog taking a walk outside (you all know why, but it is not only that). It makes sense that it would be equally essential for humans. After all, we all developed in green surroundings, so it is the natural habitat for us.

Snow!

There is snow on the ground now. Quite a lot of it, actually. We are all happy, except for Daniel, who is annoyed when showeling it away from our driveway. Well, you cannot expect everybody to be fully happy about a thing, can you? Daniel does see advantages with the snow, he says the white snow makes the gloomy winterland brighter, which is good. I like that, too.

Rain, Rain, Rain

The rain is pouring down today. It is getting quite frustrating for us wh want to have snow on the grund in January. Rumour has it, snow will start to fall tomorrow. I believe it when I see it.

Club Meeting

Daniel is a member of the board of the Swedish Spitz Club. This makes us a little prod. However, he sat in a telephone meeting with the board tonight for two and a half hours. This was no fun. It is better when he hangs out with us.

Cardboard and Paper

It can be fun to play with paper and cardboard. Sometimes, Paula and Daniel leave a paper bag with old paper and cardboard in the kitchen, and we get hold of it and play with it. It is fun. I cannot understand why Paula and Daniel are annoyed, when they pick up the pieces that are left. They were the ones who left the paper bag there. Well, I am happy despite the annoyance.

Junior World Championship

Sweden was host for the Junior World Championship in ice hockey, with the finale played today. Sweden played against Finland for the gold medals, but lost in overtime. Even though Sweden played better throughout most of the game, Finland made the ultimate goal. When everything comes around, it is not enough to be best, you win if you score the most goals. This is comparable to when you lose in a dog show to a dog you think is not as good compared to the breed standard as you are yourself. You may be the best, but this is not always enough. On the other hand, the Junior World Championship is comparable to a junior class at a dog show. It is more important that Sweden win in the upcoming Olympic Games and World Championship. We have chances to get revenge.

Rain

It is the begining of January. Our town and countryside is usually covered with snow this time of the year. This is not the case now. We have hardly had temperatures below the freezing point for a month. Today, we had a lot of rain and the lawn is getting muddy. It is no fun. I want it to be winter.

Unlikely Cause of Death

Some mass media has published the improbable story that the disfavoured uncle of the dictator of North Korea would have been trapped in a cage with starved dogs and thus killed by the dogs, who would have eaten him.

I could never believe this, when I heard about it. The overwhelming majority of dogs are not likely to eat humans, no matter how starved they may be. If they do, it is certainly because they have been taught by their humans to do so, which is also unlikely. The story did not come from North Korea, either. The American historian Dr Tim Stanley has also published an article where he dismisses the story as unlikely. I could not put it as well as he did, but I have to agree with him.

I do not believe more than that the uncle of the dictator has been executed, but probably in a way more likely to actually kill him.

Party with Dogs

We saw some kind of reality TV ahow tonight, where some people were at a costume party. The great thing was that their dogs were invited to the party, too. These humans really knew what a natural part of all human life dogs are. I wish this could happen in Sweden some time.

A New Year

Hello, Orange here!

I have just experienced my first new year celebration. It was fun and contained a lot of good food. I was a little annoyed, however, that people were using so many crackers in the middle of the night, it was disturbing. Now there is a new year. I do not feel like anything is different. It feels just like last year. Maybe the changes will come gradually? If this is so, why did we have such a big celebration last night? Oh, well, if there are changes, I guess I will notice it, eventually.

Happy 2014, everybody!