Regrowing Bones

A dog in Scotland has had her leg saved by a new method to regrow bone. The method will now be tried on humans as well. Medical science is amazing, whether it is ordinary (veterinary) or human medicine. It speaks for an even better future. I am glad for the dog.

End of the Year

We are closing in on the end of the year. It will soon be 2018 instead of 2017.

The date for the new year is actually a random date. There are a lot of historical reasons why the 1 January, ten days after the winter solstice, is new year.

Tradition says this is the date for the new year, but there is no need to fear anything. Nevertheless, superstitious humans fire crackers many days before and after the clock strikes twelve on New Year's night. I call these people superstitious, because thefiring of crackers goes back to old superstition that you should fire crackers to scare away demons, who could haunt you in the new year if you did not scare them away. These days, all the crackers do is scare innocent animals who do not know they are mostly harmless.

I wish humans would stop firing crackers to scare the demons away.

Getting Old

Humans do a lot of research in medicine, aimed at making themselves live longer, healthier lives. This is good. It does not say so in the article, but I think the research can benefit dogs as well. They have done research on mice, for example, and dogs are not that different to humans or mice.

The older I get, the more interested I get in living a longer and healthy life. Mum lived until she was many years older than I am now. Her mother became even older. I hope I can live to be old and stay healthy.

Back to Work

Both Paula and Daniel are working these days between Christmas and New Year. This means we dogs have to work at home as well, watching the house from time to time, when we are alone at home. As dogs, we are superbly equiped to keep watch. We have excellent hearing, we can scare people off, and we are very loyal to our family. It is not an easy task, but we like it, and it has to be done. Granted, we are not alone much, and never for long, but it is still a vital task that we take seriously. Anybody who has loyal dogs can be sure they will watch the house.

Boxing Day

Hello, Li'l Gertrud here!

This is the Second Day of Christmas. Apparently, it is called Boxing Day in English speaking countries. Nobody seems to know why. I asked the older dogs if the name meant we could have some mock boxing fights, but they did not approve of the idea. It has been a nice day, anyway, with both Paula and Daniel at home. I guess the only downside has been the mud in the yard, it does not feel nice getting dirty paws. Over all, a good day, despite not having any boxing fights.

Christmas Day

It is Monday, but a holiday, since it is Christmas day. It is the birthday of Christ. We all took the day off as a day of supreme rest. Such days are great to ave once in a while.

I hope you all have had a great start on this Christmas season. It does continue until January, even though the last dayay vary from one country to another.

Merry continued Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

It is Christmas Eve, the greatest day for Christmas celebrations in Sweden. We have cleaned and decorated the house. We eat good food. We have a good time. Over all, Christmas is a good time of the year. The only thing I would want is a thick layer of snow, even though we mostly do not have snow at Christmas. You cannot have it all, however. It has been a good Christmas Eve.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Bath

Our Poodle friend Laila took a bath this evening. I do not envy her. She is a Poodle, however, so she needs to take baths more often than Shibas. In this way, Shibas have a better coat than Poodles. I am glad we do. Laila actually wishes she had the same, on all of the instances when she needs to take a bath. It is nice, however, to be clean in time before the Christmas celebrations that start tomorrow.

Cleaning

We are cleaning and tidying up for Christmas. I was so busy cleaning that I forgot to write a blog entry before midnight. This is strange. Cleaning is not much fun, so I usually remember taking a break. This was not the case tonight. Oh, well, it gets cleaner, at least.

Heartless Woman Gets Her Case Before the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of Sweden has decided to hear a case (decision on the 18 of December 2017, case no B3079-17) on whether a woman convicted of a fellony can get free of prison time, because she has got small children to take care of.

The woman and her husband, the father of the children, are both convicted of smuggling dogs from another country to Sweden. This is a crime that only heartless, ruthless people will commit. Taking advantage of helpless, live dogs, and paying no attention to disease control, shows a lack of compassion and a fundamental flaw in the mindset of the human doing this. How this woman could be considered fit to take care of children at all is beyond me. The children should be removed from the care of her and the father and put in foster care for the rest of their childhood years, regardless of when her time in prison is over. I hope the Supreme Court will not cut her sentence short.

Belgium to Appoint First Female Ambassador to Saudi Arabia

According to local mass media, Belgium is about to appoint its ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Ms. Dominique Mineur, to Saudi Arabia. There has never been any country sending a female ambassador to Saudi Arabia before.

The news media also reports another female will become Belgium's ambassador to Iran, Ms. Véronique Petit.

This is true feminist foreign policy, unlike the policy of the self proclaimed feminist cabinet of Sweden.

Belgium is a nice country. Dad's father was from Belgium.

Christmas Cards

We have written Christmas cards and sent them by mail. We have also received some. As usual, we receive some cards from people to whom we have not written, whereas some people do not send us cards, even though we send cards to them. I was especially pleased to get Christmas greetings from my son Bagus, and a little sad that we have not yet sent any card to him and his family. It seems like Bagus is doing well, which pleases me. We do have some cards and stamps left, so there are opportunities,

Terrible Train Crash

A new train has derailed and crashed south of Seattle in Washington State. There have been a lot of casualties and injuried people.

Washington is where Mum came from. I am concerned about the welfare of any dogs affected by the crash. There may even be relatives of mine who are affected. I hope there are no news of this kind, but that dogs have made it.

America needs more passenger trains. I hope this crash does not affect the public support for it.

Thaw

So the cold weather came and went in a day. It has been thaw again today. Most of the snow is still around, but drops of water has come down from the roof and from the trees. I guess we will jave to ait for yet another couple of days before there is a real winter.

Snow

We have got snow now. Just a few centimetres, but it is many degrees below the freezing point, so it will stay for a while. It makes the days brighter and the nights more Christmas like. I love it.

Moomin Bed Sheets

Paula and Daniel have new bed sheets. They have pictures of Moomin trolls and other characters from the Moomin Valley. The Moomins are great and the bed sheets look really nice. It is hard to even say anything that can live up to the greatness of Tove Jansson's Moomin literature. We love the new bed sheets.

Weird Weather

The weather is weird this December. The temperature jumps up and down around the freezing point. There are snow, rain, snow, thaw. We still have our hopes up for a white Christmas.

Flowers for the Queen

The Labrador Yama was supposed to give flowers to the Queen of the United Kingdom. The Queen visited Canine Partners, an organisation which has placed 400 dogs with disabled owners. However, as can be seen in this video, Yama dropped the flowers on the floor right in front of the Queen.

The Queen loves dogs. She has bred Welsh Corgis. She did not mind the little mistake. She is a great woman.

A Blister

I was hurt a little today. I started to bleed a little on my left front paw, so I limped. It was not dangerous, but would have healed. I guess I just stepped on something sharp.

Daniel and Paula saw my limp, however. They cleaned the wound and put some ointment on it to help it heal and kill bacteria. This will make the small wound heal faster, which is great.

Humans are good to have in so many ways. It is not only that they give us food to eat, water to drink, a warm house to live in, they also tend to us when we are hurt. I love this.

Music Help

It is the time of the year when "Musikhjälpen" is broadcasted on Swedish radio. This is a way to make people help other people. I wish the theme would be to help dogs. Maybe it will be in some years.

Name Day

Hello, Gertrud here!

Daniel has name day today. There are some humans and some dogs who have their names in the almanack. This is because we have names of saints or other holy people. Daniel has a name from one of the prophets in the Bible, I have the name of a prominent saint in early European Christianity. Neither Mum, nor Grand Mum, have name days. This makes me feel a little special.

Nobel Prize

Sweden is in focus in the world today, the Nobel Prize is given to the laureates. It is one of the most presitgious prizes in science and literature.

I might be a productive blog writer, but I do not believe this will ever make me become a Nobel Prize laureate. The vast majority of writers around the world do not win any prizes. I just hope my work amuses some readers.

Congratulations to all the winners!

Missiles for Japan

Japan is planning to get medium range missiles for their fighter aircraft.

The plans will spark protests in Japan, whose constitution states the country must be pacifist. Still, there are military threats against Japan. The object is to arm Japan against the threat of North Korea. There have also been tensions between Japan and China.

If the government of Japan believes these missiles are necessary in order to preserve peace, then I am all for it. You often need to arm yourself in order to preserve peace, thus staying true to thr pacifism required by the Japanese Constitution.

Lights in the Night

We always have lights on throughout the nights at this time of the year. It is tradition, a way to commemorate the time before and during Christmas. It is coz and nice. It may make it a little harder to sleep, but the advantages are bigger. I like the upcoming holiday, it is so full of joy and good food.

Rain and Ice

It is cold outside now, but it is raining. Then the rain on the ground may freeze. Nothing is more slippery than this. I wish no one will fall and get hurt. By Christmas, I wish there will be snow.

Readers

Hello, Li'l Gertrud here!

There are logs on the number of readers of this blog. My blog posts have fewer readers than the blog posts of Grand Mother Hailey. She says the readers will come to me too. She is actually quite supporting. I can still see the numbers, but I trust Granny. It will be better. This is good.

In the Bed

Hello, Li'l Gertrud here!

Life is unfair. I must not be in the bed, while the others may be there. The official reason is that I am too small, because I am not yet big enough to get up into the bed on my own. The theory is that if I cannot get up myself, it is too dangerous, because I would not be able to get down from bed without hurting myself. I say this is slander. Of course I could be in the bed without falling off or hurting myself. Oh, well, I guess it is a passing problem, anyway, because I am getting bigger.

Dog to Work Against Cheaters

A lot of work is done to counter cheaters in cross country skiing, cheaters who uses unallowed substances to boost their own performance in the track. A new method will soon be active, the Springer Spaniel Molly, who has been trained to discover many of the substances that are not allowed.

This is a good measure. Cross country skiing is a high endurance sport, where cheating by using different unallowed substances can make a huge difference. Working against the cheaters is important, to make the sport legitimate in the eyes of the spectators. Using a dog in this work is great.   This is but one of many instances where dogs contribute a lot to society.

There should be more dogs in society. We all contribute.

The Emperor Will Abdicate

On the 30th of April 2019, Emperor Akihito will step down from his duties as Emperor. His son Naruhito will take over the Chrysantemum throne. This is in accordance with a special law allowing the Emperor to  abdicate, which was enacted at the request of the Emperor due to his health issues.

Long live the Emperor, even after his abdication.

World Cup Groups

Sweden will start the FIFA World Cup in a group against Germany, Mexico, and South Korea. Japan will start against Poland, Senegal, and Colombia.

Germany mist be the favourite to win the group where Sweden plays. Sweden does stand a good chance to be second and continue in the World Cup. Japan will have a hard time, at least against Poland and Colombia. It will be interesting.

What Is Christmas?

Hello, Li'l Gertrud here!

What is Christmas? I have heard the others talk about the upcoming Christmas with great anticipation. I still have not figured out what it is, The others say there is supposed to be a mystery about Christmas before we get there. I am not sure if this is true, or if they are just pullong my leg. I guess I will have to do some research into the matter myself. It sure sounds interesting.

Last Day

Daniel made his last day at work today. He will start at a new job on Friday. Formally, he is still hired at his last job to orrow, but he has a day off.

The good thing is that he gets a higher salary. This means he can buy more and better treats. This is the great thing about it. If it was not for thins, I think he could just as well have stayed at his workplace.

A New Guy

I have met a new Shiba. He has moved here from Japan. He is handsome, but I do not know him yet. I am always a little careful when making new acquaintances. There is time to get to know him, of course. When I get to know him well, I may write more about him in my blog.

Going Inside

Hello, Li'l Gertrud here!

When we have been out in the yard for a while and Daniel lets us in, he always wants us to go straight into the living room. The other dogs usually do. I do not. I just do not see the point. If I want to be indoors, in the warm and dry surroundings of the house, I can just as well stay in the entrance hall. I may change this behaviour later on, and I may not. It is fun not to be too predictable. We will have to see what happens.

Home Again

Paula has been to Spain for a couple of days. She is back home now. We have all missed her, but now everything is all right.

Fourth

The political party that Daniel is a member of had a meeting today. They decided upon whom to put forward in next year's election to Parliament. Daniel came in fourth. I am not sure this will mean anything. The incumbents were the first and second candidates last time around. You are not getting very famous and you do not get any records that can result in a title in the pedigree. Come to think about it, humans do not even have officially sanctioned pedigrees, the poor people. Becoming Best of Breed or Show Champion is much better.

November

It is November. We have had snow, and it has melted away again. We have had frost in the morings, but not all mornings. It is colder than the freezing point tonight, but no snow. Typical November weather. The snow would make the dark mornings and evenings a little brighter, but as usual, we have to wait at least until December to get a layer of snow that lasts. Still, November has its charm. When there is sunshine, even a November day is beautiful. I like this.

Thomas

Thomas never stood a chance. He did not have hip joints on his skeleton. RIP, dear Thomas.

Punctuality

Punctuality is a very human problem. Humans believe time is very important, and being on time is almost as important. They do not just divide the day up in morning, midday, evening, but in equally spaced hours, minutes and seconds. Trains must go on time and arrive on time, to make sire all the humans going with the train knows when to get to the starion to board the train and when their train journey is finished. Interestingly enough, though, it seems like different countries have different standards on what time is "late", and how this is measured. Only humans think this is important. When it comes to time, dogs are much more laid back. This also mean we are less stressed and I believe we are happier because of it. I suggested to Daniel that he would try the dog approach to time, but he would not hear about it. I guess it is his loss.

Candy Santa

Hello, Gertrud here!

Today, I got hold of a marshmallow Santa Claus, what we call "Skumtomte" in Swedish, or "Skumtomtar" if we mean more than one. It is a very tasty snack. I ate it by myself by the front door of our house.

From what I have heard, Paula has not reaf the Daily Hailey for many weeks. I hope she reads it tonight. I would like humans in my surrounding to know I like Skumtomtar. I believe this may lead to me getting more of them. I sure hope it does. Skumtomtar are very tasty.

Fire

We lit a fire in the stove tonight, for the first time this winter season. It gives a nice heat in the living room and also makes the rest of the house a little warmer. I like it.

Pup Little Gertrud was interested when Daniel lit the fire, but he lofted her away. Fire can be dangerous, but she has not learned this just yet. The knowledge of this will come. It is good that she is curious, but there are still limits to what we can allow her to do.

Snow

We got a little, little snow on the ground today. Most of it is still there. It is not enough to be fun, just enough to look ugly when we have run all across it. The world gets a little brighter even with a little snow, however. There will probably be more snow in the not too distant future, now that winter is on its way.

Calm Day

Paula slept all day after her night shift.

Daniel was at home, since it was an ordinary Saturday, but he kept quiet. He spent most pf the time at his computer, working on this and that.

The rest of us spent most of our time in the company of Paula, also sleeping or resting. This is among my favourite pass times. It was a wonderful way to spend the Saturday. More days should be like this.

Night Shift

Paula is working on the night shift tonight. Daniel is at a lodge meeting in the International Order of Odd Fellows. This means we dogs have a night shift too, watching the house. We are good at it. Nobody needs to worry.

Japanese Top Students Stopped from Studying Swedish

There are Japanese top students who study Swedish. Many of them have come to Sweden to work on their Swedish language skills. These students have done this for twenty years. None of them have posed any problems for Sweden. Now, however, the Swedish authority responsible for issuing visas, Migrationsverket, has decided not to allow these students to come to Sweden. The reasons are unclear. Any reasons must be weird. There are only advantages with Japanese people learning Swedish. Migrationsverket should change its decisions.

Economic Growth in Japan

Japan has a long streak of economic growth. It is the longest stretch in 16 years, and it seems to continue. So far, consumers are still not willing to spend a lot. However, this also shows that there is potentially more growth to come, when consumption rises.

Japan is the home of the Shiba Inu. Most Shibas in the world live in Japan, though we are increasingly popular across the world. It is good for all the Japanese Shibas that the Japanese economy is strong. I believe it will be even stronger. Shibas help, we are constantly aiding our humans, thus helping the economy too. Things are only getting better right now.

Fetching Paula

Apparently, Morran os the dog who come with Daniel, when he fetches Paula at work in the morning, after her night shift. I have always been the one who come along, when Daniel fetches Paula late at night. I hope I still am. I guess there are differences between fetching in the morning and in the night. I believe I would be the best one to come along regardless of the hour, but other dogs need their moments in the lime light as well. There are advantages with staying at home resting as well.

World Cup

Hello, Gertrud here!

Grand Mum Hailey is very happy today. Sweden has qualified for something called the FIFA World Cup in football. We watched the game against Italy. I think it was rather boring. What is the point of watching some men playing with a ball? It must be more fun playing with the ball yourself. I am still happy for Grand Mum and the others, I can sense that this qualification feels important to them. The World Cup is far into the future, in something called summer, which I have yet to experience. The future is exciting.

The Only One

Hello, Gertrud here!

Perhaps there can be only one? One pup staying here, I mean.

My brother Harry left for a new home and family in Upsala last week. The other pups, who had Karen as their mother, left yesterday. The first one left in the morning, he will live not far off here in our hometown. Then the two other left for Helsinki and Stockholm, respectively.

I will stay here, as the only pup of my generation. All of the other dogs are adults. Perhaps there can only be one pup at a time staying on. I am glad it was me.

Victory

Sweden won against Italy yesterday night. There is a second game in Milan, Italy, on Monday.

This is just like at a dog show. You can win the class, but you still have to win the best of bitches. You can win best of bitches, but you still have to win Best of Breed. Then there is best in Group, then Best in Show. You always have higher goals to achieve. I hope the Swedish national football team achieves one step on Monday.

Play Off Game

It is the final chance for Sweden to get to the FIFA football World Cup tonight, and another game soon. Sweden is playing Italy, a formidable foe with four World Cup gold medals to their name. It will be a hard task for Sweden, but we hope for the best. We root for Sweden in front of the TV set. This time, none of us dogs would rather see Italy win, which feels good.

Pups Get OK

Karen's pups of her current litter went to their veterinary check today. They all went through with flying colours. I was more happy about the great results for Polly's pups, but this is just because I am a grandmother of all of Polly's pups. I am happy for Karen's pups too. This is not just for the sake of the pups and Karen, kt also adds to the good name of our breeding. This is also a good thing. Being an Aangenaam dog is a badge of honour.

Meat

There was some fresh moose meat today, but only some of us got any of it. Daniel told me there was not enough to go around. I can understand this. What I do not like, however, is that I did not get any meat. I am the alpha bitch, why am I not guaranteed meat? Well, Daniel told me I usually get tasty stuff, even though there is not enough for everybody. This time, he thought others were worth it. There are few instances when I think there are too many dogs in our pack, but this was one of them. Oh, well, I hope I get the good stuff next time.

Lunch

Paula was away all day. She is back now, but was not around during the day, like we have gotten used to this autumn. Daniel came home at lunch and took us out and gave us lunch. We have had routines like this before, so it was not strange. It is nice eating lunch. Once Paula got home in the evening, we were all happy, however. Everybody is at home now, as they should be. This is relaxing.

Pen Names

When the world gets more and more connected through the Internet, a lot of people want to create an online persona with a somewhat fancy name that stands out in the crowd.

I did this myself at an early age. As soon as I started my blog, as a pup, I called it the Daily Hailey. My official name is Aangenaam Lunar Eclips, but I have always been called Hailey. Adding the word daily said something about the blog, but also gave it a ryhme. I have never considered changing the name of my online persona, it is good as it is. My daughter Karstuhl, who will eventually inherit my blog, has said she will keep the name of the blog. There is a lot of value in a good name. I can understand those who struggle to create a good one. I never had to struggle. fortunately.

Since this blog is daily, you are welcome back tomorrow.

New Neighbours?

We have received a letter from the town that says someone has asked for a preliminary building permit just next door to us. There is now public land there, undeveloped, where humans never walk. Daniel has written a long letter to the authorities explaining why he opposes the preliminary building permit. He had a long list of reasons. The most important reason is that there is no zoning law governing this piece of land, bit there will be in a few years. No building permits, not even preliminary permits, should be given before the work is done with the zoning law. We hope Daniel's letter will help. It is better if there are no other people living really close by our yard. We will see what happens.

Visiting Tombs

This evening, Paula and her family visited the graveyards here in Örebro where their deceased relatives are laid to rest. They always do on the first Saturday in November, it is a Swedish tradition.

I paid my respect to the memories of my parents, Mum and Dad. Blessed be their memories. I often miss them both, even though I do have great company of my daughter Karstuhl, her daughter Gertrud, the other dogs around here, and our humans.

There is always a piece of your heart dedicated to the lost loved ones. However, the more loved ones you ve had, the bigger is your heart, meteaphorically speaking. I have loved and lost many times, but I also love many dogs and humans whom I have not lost. This makes me feel good.

Growing Up

Hello, Gertrud here!

My brother Harry moved away from us yesterday, to a family of his own. In a way, this means he is growing up. He is becoming an adult dog with a family of his own.

I will stay here. I will not move. Mum says she never moved, either. This must mean it is possible to grow up, without moving to a new family. Does this mean I am also growing up? I guess it does. In this case, I am glad. Growing up seems to be a good thing, making you more confident and strong. This is good.

Harry

Hello, Karstuhl here!

My son Harry, of this latest litter, has moved tois new family today. They are nice people, but live a way away, in Upsala. I am sure Harry will get a good life with them. Naturally, I miss him, nevertheless.

Gertrud, my daughter, will continue to live with us. I like this. I have always wanted a pup to stay on, like I did myself. Now this happens, with what might very well be my last litter. Better late than never. Gertrud is a kind and terrific daughter.

Therapy Dog

Hello, Karstuhl here!

My brother Nemo has become a therapy dog. One of his humans, Maria, is working with the social services and uses Nemo to treat children who are distressed and who are often affraid of dogs. Nemo is a very kind dog and can help many children with his gentle manners. I am so proud of Nemo. It fits him, helping out children in this way.

It Is Tuesday

I had a talk about which day it is today with Paula. She was a bit confused about which day it was. This is in large part due to her irregular schedule at work and the odd hours she works. I guess part of it may also be the jet lag of changing from Daylight Saving Time to normal time. It is Tuesday today, I told Paula. She knew it was, she just did not feel like it was. I know that feeling, when you know something, but just cannot feel it is so. I am glad I could help.

Brightness at the Morning Walk

We have turned the clocks back to normal time. There is no daylight sacings time any more, not until next spring. This means we have daylight again, when going on the morning walk. The daylight is not saved until later.

I have never understood why humans turn the clocks twice a year. Daylight saving time is nothing for me. I would rather have normal time around the year.

World Champion

Lewis Hamilton secured this year's world championship title in Formula 1, at the Mexico Grand Prix today. Our Affenpinscher friend Morran is happy that he did it in a German car, her breed is from Germany.

Lewis Hamiltons top contender this year was Sebastian Vettel, but he has not secured a second place in the championship yet.

I do not know whether Hamilton or Vettel has any dogs. If either of them has, I would root for him. I may do some research into this until next year.

Historical Events

We watched a documentary on TV tonight about Henry VIII of England and his wives. I have seen documentaries and dramatised movies about this before. I wonder what it is that make Henry VIII so fascinating that there have been so many productions made about him. Is it not more interesting to tell the story of a king or queen that people have not heard about many times before? I would say it is.

Japanese in India

A professor in English in India has travelled across this vast country to record as much as he can about languages spoken there as mother tounges. He recorded up to 780 languages, and this is still a lesser number than some decades ago.

It is amazing how many different languages humans use. Dogs around the world use a common language. On the other hand, our language is far from as complex as human languages.

An interesting fact was that there are some people in India who use Japanese as their language. This was just mentioned in the article. If I would like to know more about this, I guess I have to do some research.

Dog Shelter

Paula and Daniel paid the monthly bills tonight. Paula also paid a gift to a dog shelter in Scania in southern Sweden. This was a good thing to pay, I believe. There are so many dogs, too many dogs, who need aid and need dog shelters. We who are more fortunate need to help them. This must be the most good hearted gift of them all.

Deep Sleep

Paula is working night, so she slept during the day. When Daniel came home, we greeted him with the normal, happy barks. Paula did not wake up, however, but kept sleeping. She must have had a very deep sleep. She also told us later, once she was awake, that she had had a wonderful day's sleep. She felt a bit confused at first, when she woke up, bit then she felt fine, because she had had a good, deep sleep. I know the feeling, I have had it once in a while. It is a noce feeling. I am happy for Paula's sake.

Winter Tyres

It was cold outside this morning, around the freezing point. It may get slippery from frost, snow, and ice further on. Daniel changed the tyres on the BMW, so we have got winter tyres on it now. There are winter tyres on the Chrysler already. It is safer this way, now that winter is coming. We are prepared.

Pups Who Fight

Hello, Karstuhl here!

Pups always play with each other. Sometimes, they are a little too wild, so they may hurt each other. As a good mother, I make sure the pups calm down before anything like this happens. My two pups aref ull of energy, but they are friends and well behaved.

Karen's pups are not as well behaved. Karen does not seem to care, at least not enough. If these were my pups, I would have raised them differently, but I cannot interfere with Karen as a mother. She has to have her rules for her pups. I do believe my rules are better, but what mother would not think so? My pups will be the best dogs ever.

Apple Pie

The visitors who were here to see pups today brought an apple pie. Everybody thought it was very tasty. It must have been tasty, because there were no leftovers for me or Calvin, who held the humans company when eating the pie. I would have liked to have some pie, but, alas, I had to do without. It is not like I am starcing, anyway.

US Grand Prix

This weekend, the Formula 1 Championship comes to America. The race is held in Austin, Texas. Mum lived in Texas for a while in her youth, so I watch the qualifications and the race with an extra interest. The USA is a fascinating country.

Blood Pudding

I do not get blood pudding every day, but when I do, it is great.

Readers of my blog may remember that I was diagnosed with having too few blood cells in my veins this summer, The medicine was blood pudding, to boost the iron levels and, thus, the production of blood cells. It was tasty and effective.

I have not eaten bllod pudding every day lately. I got some with my food today, however. It was as tasty as ever. It is great to have such a tasty food that is also this good for your health

Bad

Hello, Karstuhl here!

With my pups, I reside in the bathroom. It is nice to ave a door shut towards the other dogs. I like them, but I do not trust anyone of them with the care of by pups.

Living in the bathroom does not make me take more baths than I usually do. I am not fond of bathing and the excellent coat of Shibas does not need many baths.

There is also another factor to consider, before taking a bath. The Swedish wird for bath is "bad". This gives you a hint that having a bath is a bad thing, doesn't it?

There are often more important things to do than taking a bath, such as eating, drinking, going on walks, resting, sleeping, playing, etc. In short there are good reasons not to take manyaths, not even when living in the bathroom.

Robots

I do not believe much in the benefits of robots. There are some jobs that they can do, however, that nobody else should have to do. At the wrecked nuclear power plant Fukushima in Japan, robots are cleaning up the debris. This is good, it means no living thing have to be affected by the high radiation levels. The Japanese are good at manufacturing advanced technology, like robots. This is advantageous now, when robots are really needed. No dogs or himans need to be affected by the radiation, which is good.

Cutter

Paula has purchased a new hair cutter. She tried it on the Poodles today. They became very fine in no time. As Paula put it: this was the best hair cutter ever, well worth the money.

I am glad Shibas never have to get oir coats trimmed,

Floors

Hello, Karstuhl here!

Daniel cleans the floors more often than usually these days, here in the bathroom where I have my pups, and in the guest room, where Karen and her pups are. The floor in the guest room needs to be cleaned more often. It is no surprise to me, that my pups are doing better than Karen's pups.

Cake

Soon to be humans of one of the current pups here were visiting us today. Paula and Daniel served coffee and cake. I like cake, and I got to taste a little. It was a very good cake. When visits result in me getting to try cake, I am all for it. I would like to jave more visits like this.

Ears

Our Toy Poodle friend Laila always has problems with her ears. She has narrow ear canals and a lot of hair in them. This causes dirt to accumulate, if nothing is done to take the dirt away. In the dirt, bacteria and fungus may thrive, if nothing is done. Laila does not like it, bit Daniel often cleans her ears before we go to bed at night. I am glad Shibas never have problems like this.

Is Dad Back, in a Way?

In the current litter that my daughter Polly has, the male pup looks similar to Dad in this age. I could not tell myself, not having known Dad when he was a pup, but Paula is quite certain, and Daniel agrees. If this pup grows up to be a copy of Dad, I would be very happy. I loved Dad. He always took very good care of me. I will take very good care of Polly's pup, to the extent I can. Life is full of hope right now.

Sandwich

Daniel was in Stockholm in the line of duty today. When going there, he usually buys Paula a sandwich from her facourite sandwich maker. He bought two today. Unfortunately, Javier got hold of one and stole a little piece of it. I guess this was not such a big deal for Paula after all, she was mostly mad at Daniel for calling out to Javier, telling him to stop. Well, most of the sandwiches were saved, anyway, so I understand. Yelling is not nice,

No Fear of the Rain

Hello, Karstuhl here!

My pups have been outdoors in the rain for the first time. They do not fear it. They do not even think it is that uncomfortable. I am not sure whether I should be proud of their fearless behaviour towards the rain, which is Shiba like regardless of the danger or inconvenience you face, or concerned that they do not care about the rain and getting wet, which is not really Shiba like. A true Shiba never fears the weather, but will avoid uncomfortable weather such as rain whenever it is possible. I have mixed feelings about this. Regardless of this dilemma, though, I love the pups very much.

Fashion's Waste of the Environment

Hello, Karstuhl here!

The human fashion industry generated a lot of money. Humans buy a lot of clothes, not using them very much. This makes the fashion industry one of the industries causing the most negative impact on the environment. The reason is that so many clothes are manufactured and transported over the world.

Dogs have very little guilt in this. There are just a few dogs who ever wear clothes, and this is in the wintertime when going outdoors. Most of us make do with our coats.

Humans, of course, do not have natural coats. Thus, they must wear clothes in temperate and colder clomates to stay warm, and in sunny climates to protect their skin. Still, I believe they could make do with fewer clothes. If they had clothes of the quality of Shiba coats, these would not need to be washed or changed as often as humans usually wash and change clothes. This would help the environment and would save money for many humans.

I guess it would be hard to start such a fashion, though, there are so many humans who like to change clothes often. On the other paw, I believe humans change clothes often, because they do not have clothes nearly as good as Shiba coats. They are probably a little envious. I can bear that.

Community Economy

Daniel was at a long meeting tonight. He is a member of the city council, and they discussed the budget their political party would suggest for the city. It seems really boring. I am not even sure I want to write anything more about it. It was just a little annoying it took longer for him to get home than it usually does. I am glad not all night meetings are this long.

World Cup Qualifiers

It looks like Sweden will be second in its World Cup qualifiers group, after France. This means France will be directly qualified, and Sweden will probably be one of the eight best second teams who will face off on play off games.

I hope Sweden will succeed in the play off games. The World Cup is exciting, but I want all my favourite teams to participate. These are primarily Sweden and Japan. Then there are Norway, the USA, and Belgium, all of which are countries where dogs in my pedigree come from. Unfortunately, Norway is out of the competition. Belgium and the USA will probably qualify, however. Thus, I hope for Sweden, Japan, Belgium, and the USA.

Japanese Grand Prix

The Japanese Grand Prix in Formula 1 is driven this weekend. I enjoy watching this Grand Prix even more than others, because I like seeing views from Japan, the home country of our dog breed.

The race is on tomorrow morning, Swedish time. We just have to get up early on a Sunday morning to watchit, then.

Friday

It is Friday. Great!

You may think that a pet dog like me, who is at home all week, does not care that it is Friday and weekend. You could not be more wrong. At the weekend, the humans working office hours, like Daniel does, are at home. Dogs always likes it better when our humans are at home. Thus, the weekend is great.

Driving Paula

There have been plenty of times when I have come along with Daniel and fetched Paula in the centre of town late at night.  This night, Daniel and I did the opposite: we gave Paula a ride down to the centre. She was going there to work on the night shift at the hospital. I think my participation was appreciated. This feels good, it is always nice to make someone else happier.

Boycotting Cinnamon Bun Day

We did not eat any cinnamon buns today, even though it is Cinnamon Bun Day on the fourth of October. This is just as well. Late Auntie Linni were always annoyed that Cinnamon Bun Day was on her birthday, because she had a cinnamon bun tail, too curled to be excellent according to the Shiba breed standard. In honour of Auntie Linni, we boycott Cinnamon Bun Day and do not eat cinnamon buns.

Italian Songs

Paula likes Italian Eurovision songs. I understand they are often nice, and the language is beautiful. She plays a lot of these songs tonight. I prefer Italian food. Spaghetti Bolognese is great. We all have different preferences.

Cold Rain

The rain is colder this time of the year. I still like it, as long as I am indoors and just have to listen to it. The sound is rather soothing.

Dutch Victory

The Dutch Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen took his first Grand Prix victory today, in Malaysia's Grand Prix. It is fun when relatively new drivers step forward and win races. No sport is fun, if there are always the same winners in every competition.

I guess April's son Botan, who lives in the Netherlands,is more happy than the rest of usAangenaam dogs.

Celebration

Paula's sister with family and Paula's parents came by this afternoon. They spent some time here, then  they, Paula, and Daniel left. Paula and Daniel came back in the evening. They ad a late, special celebration for Paula and her fortieth birthday. Paula told me it was a very nice evening. I am glad she enjoyed it. For me, it was a calm evening that I also enjoyed.

Friday Fun?

Neigher Paula nor Daniel felt well this evening. They both had a cold. They coughed and sneezed.

On Friday nights, you want to hve fun. It is the start of the weekend. It is, however, not that fun, when both your humans are feeling low and cold. We dohelp up their spirits, however, Dogs are great at that.

New Family

A couple of humans were here visiting us tonight. They will become the new family of one of the current pups, probably one of Karen's pups. I studied them thoroughly and came to the conclusion they are nice people. The pup who will get them as his new family will get a good life. This feels good.

It is great when people interested in becoming the new family for a pup come here, so we can get to know them. It is not just about Paula and Daniel getting to know them, the way they act towards dogs is something that the dogs here can, quite naturally, be better judges of. We were today. These humans passed.

Meeting the Grandpups

I met my grandpups of Polly's most recent litter for the first time today. It was not that interesting. Having pups of my own was fun and very rewarding, but I have been there, done that. Polly's pups are very cute, but in a rather boring age. It will be more fun in a few weeks, when they have started to play for real and go outdoors. Until that time, I am fine with just seeing them for a little while, letting Polly do the work. This is a perk of being a grandmother.

Archaeology

There was a documentary on archaeology on TV tonight. Most of it was about human remains, some about horse remains. There was not a single word on dog remains. The excavations must have been made from very poor societies. If a society does not have dogs, it must be a poor society. Dogs are an essential part of human civilisation.

There Is a War Already

North Korea accuses the USA of declaring war against them.

This is silly. North Korea and the USA are already at war with each other. They have been since 1950. There was a cease fire in 1953, but no peace treaty has ever been negotiated, much less signed.

You cannot really declare war on a state which you are already at war with, can you?

It is said that Andorra did not show up at Versailles in 1919 and never signed the peace treaty with Germany after the First World War, so when Andorra followed France and declared war in 1939, they found thenselves fighting two world wars simultaneously. This ended with a separate peace treaty in 1939 with regard to the First World War, while the Second World War was allowed to continue. This is an exception to the rule. The USA and North Korea should both know that there is, actually, a state of war between them. The question is rather who might break the cease fire first. I hope none of them do.

Upcoming Event

The political party that Daniel is a member of will hold a national event here in Örebro later this autumn. Daniel spent part of this day reading documents about suggested policies for the party, suggestions that is up for decisions at this event. Daniel will not take part in the event, but he will be at a meeting before the event where he will discuss the ideas. I still think it is a little waste of time, if Daniel will not be there coting for or against anything, but he thinks it is interesting. We all have our own hobbies, I guess.

Saturday

We have had a cool Saturday today, generally taking it easy. Both Paula and Daniel have stayed at home most of the day (though Daniel took a detour to the grocery store). I like days like his, days when we can just take it easy. It is among the best of days. If we go to a dog show, it is better, but cool days are second best. I hope for more days like this.

Washing Machine

Hello, Karstuhl here!

When I have small puppies, like I have now, I spend my days with them in the bathroom. This is where we have the litter box. I am quite fond of the bathroom. The downside is that the washing machine is here. I dislike the sound of the washing machine, when clothes and other things are washed in it. I wish Paula and Daniel would wait until the puppies are old enough before washing, but I cannot expect them to actually do this. I guess I have to endure this noise, then. It is not nice, bit I can manage. My puppies help me through this, they are so cute.

Karen's Pups

I guess I should mention that Karen has had a litter of pups, parallel to my daughter Polly. Karen's pups were born on Saturday evening. They are cute, like all Shiba pups. As a grandmother, however, I believe Polly's pups are a little cuter.

Karen got three sons, no daughter, in this litter. There are already plans for their future, we have a number of different families who are eager to get a Shiba from here. We have a good reputation. Karen and her pups will benefit from this. I think they will add to it, as well, which is good.

Shiba pups are the greatest, but they are not for everyone. You have to know enough about us and be prepared to treat us with the dignity we deserve. If you do, you will get a faithful companion for eternity. This is great, isn't it?

Vulnerable, but not Endangered

The snow leopard is not at such a high risk of extinction any longer. It is no longer an endangered species, but it is deemed vulnerable. This is not bad, although more work has to be done. The great carnivores are important in the ecology, they need to be preserved. I hope they will survive.

Grandpups

Humans talk about their grandchildren, who are children of their children. For us dogs, it is grandpups. I have not heard or seen this word anywhere, but I am sure it must exist. If a dog has had pups, who have become adult dogs and have pups, these pups are grandpups. It is a splendid word, telling you how grand the pups are. My daughter Karstuhl has newborn pups again now, these are my grandpups. So far, they are too young, but I cannot wait to meet them. It will be great.

Gertrud

Hello, Karstuhl here!

My most recently born daughter will be called Gertrud. This is a fine name. It is a Medieval name, meaning spear and force. Saint Gertrud is the patron saint of travellers.

My daughter Gertrud will stay with us, our family will be her family. This is great. I have longed for having a puppy who stays with us.

She can also be called Gerstuhl.

Sleep

Hello, Orange here!

We had one of these great days of rest. Paula worked night between Saturday and Sunday, then she came home to sleep. We kept her company in bed, and slept when she slept. There are times when life as a companion dog is pretty nice.

More About the Pups

Hello, Karstuhl here!

My pups of the latest litter are doing great. They are a week and a half old now and really cute. It is a boy and a girl.

As is the case with most of the very best Shibas, they are black and tan. If you do not believe me that black and tan comes with being one of the best Shibas, ask Mommy. You could also have asked Daddy or my maternal Grandfather, as long as they were around. Of course, all Shibas are great dogs. We are, after all, the very best of breeds. However, black and tan Shibas are the best of the best.

So far, the pups are blind and dead, but this will not last for long. They will open up their eyes and start exploring the world in just a couple of days. This will be nice.

Twelve Years Old

It is my birthday today. I turn twelve. We celebrated this evening. A lot of things have happened during these twelve years.

Some would say I have passed my peak, that I am old enough that I am on a downward slope now. I know I will not see another twelve years in this life, but I still believe I am on top of my peak. I believe I have been at the peak for a long time. For me, it is an elongated peak, like the top of a long ridge, rather than the tip of a mountain. I can still see this elongated peak continuing way into my future. This feels nice.

I wish to send congratulations to my brothers Jiro and Kiko as well!

Nice Looking People

Paula and Daniel had this strange debate about nice looking people. Humans claim looks are important, when chosing a mate, I have never understood this. For dogs, the smell is most impotant. You can smell if you are in heat and if the male in your vicinity would be a good father of pups or not. Why would you need looks. The smell is so much more decisive. I guess humans go by looks, because they lack the sense of smell that dogs have. It is just that the smell tells you so mich more than the looks do. If you can smell him and find he is good, he is. Kenny was my love, I could smell it.

Tagliatelle

Pasta is always good. We had some tagliatelle tonight, the elongated, flat kind of pasta. Paula made an easily made but tasty sauce. I got a rather huge part of it. Calvin got more than I did, but he is a nice guy and can deserve this once in a while. It was a good evening.

Doughnuts Instead of Flowers

A bride in Australia surprised the wedding party by having bouquets of doughnuts instead of flowers. Everyone was pleasantly surprised, as far as the story goes. I understand them. I would also much rather have doughnuts than flowers, anywhere, in any capacity. Dogs do not have wedding parties, but if I had, this is the kind of bridal bouquet I would want.

The Noise

We figured out what it was that went boom in the night. It was most certainly the sound of Swedish artillery at the military training field at Villingsberg. The sound came from that direction and the army is involved in a big excercise for the moment.

The sound of Swedish artillery is a good sound. It is the sound of our army preparing to defend our land, if necessary. We hope it will never be necessary, but the army is there to prevent the necessity as well as responding to the necessity, if necessary.

We cannot hear any explosions tonight.

Distant Explosions?

Things went "boom" in the distance this afrernoon. None of us knew what it was about. It was far enough away, that I and the other dogs did not react by barking at it. Paula and Daniel did discuss possible origins of the sound, though. Daniel though somebody was causing explosions in projects to build something. Paula was not so sure. I was not either, humans usually do not work on building sites on Sundays. Whatever the origin of the sound was, it was not causing us any harm, however. I guess we really do not need to know what it is, then.

Rain

We have had quite a lot of rain over the last couple of weeks. This is good for the amount of water in our well. It is raining again this evening. As long as you are indoors, and can just listen to the sound of the rain falling on the roof, it is really rather cozy to have rainy weather. I like it.

Anniversary

Paula and Daniel celebrated their anniversary as married today. I do not really see the point. I like it that they live together, and have us dogs, but living together with just one partner like this is not the dog way of doing things. I loved Kenny above any other male dog, but he was not my one and only. Dogs generally do not have any one and only. I guess there are just some differences between us and humans that I cannot quite comprehend. Nevertheless, Paula and Daniel are happy, so I congratulate them!

Good Food

Hello, Karstuhl here!

One of the fringe benefits of having puppies is the extra food you get.

Taking care of your small puppies is, in it self, the best reward there is. They are so cute. Beside this, there are fringe benefits. One is the extra food.

Today, I got smörgåstårta during the day and a hamburger with chips in the evening. I really enjoyed both dishes. This was great.

Puppies

Hello, Karstuhl here!

My pups were born tonight. It is one boy and one girl. They are among the best puppies ever. The only other puppies this great are my former puppies – and myself, when I was a puppy.

Darker Outside

It is getting darker outside. We had the lights on outside, when we went out for the final time tonight. It gives you an additional feeling of autumn. Even though it was relatively warm and almost no rain today, darkness tells us it is autumn. The full Moon rose above the treetops, this was a nice thing to behold.

Cold

Paula is having a cold and a fever. The fever is a reaction to the cold, making her warm. She sleeps to get rid of the cold. We help her, by lying close by, sharing our body heat with her. This is a good way of helping someone with a cold getting better. We all hope the cold will disappear soon.

Giving Paula a Ride Home

Paula worked the night between Saturday and Sunday. Daniel went to pick her up by car, giving her a ride home, and I got to come along. Our humans usually bring one of us dogs as often as they are able to, we are a great support in anything they do. Picking Paula up went very smoothly, I guess my presence was a help. I hope I can come along more times. I am experienced at picking Paula up.

World Beard Day

The first Saturday in September has been named the World Beard Day. It is a day in honour of the beard and bearded individuals, in a humourous way.

We honour the day by paying special attention to our Affenpinscher friend Morran, who has got a beard. Schnauzers and other bearded dogs should also get special treatment this day, we believe.

I am not certain if the humans who started World Beard Day considered paying special attention to bearded dog breeds. We do, nevertheless.

Autumn

Hello, Karstuhl here!

It is. September, and the almanack says it is autumn. The weather is just like yesterday. Humans and their wish to control everything. The almanack is one such way. It is funny..

The great thing about the almanack is that the humans keep track of birthdays etc. Celebrations are always great.

A Nice Trend Is Broken

Ever since 1993, Sweden had managed not to let in any goals in football, when playing Bulgaria. The teams have met many times, bit Sweden has always won without letting the Bulgarians make any goal. In the World Cup qualifier tonight, this nice trend was broken. Bulgaria scored 1-0 against Sweden in the beginning of the game. I am sad they did. I like nice trends.

Sausages

We got sausages for dinner today. It was very tasty. Meat is better, but sausage is a close second. Meat is a main ingredient in sausages, of course.

Oil

The car needed oil today, so Daniel got some. I do not really know what it is for, but it makes the engine going, anyway, along with the petrol. This is good enough for me. I keep going on meat and water, I think this is easier.

Thorax Intensive Care Unit

It is a bit strange, that you are sometimes interested in reading about something you are very familiar with and know a lot about. Tonight, Paula said she was going to read about the thorax intensive care unit. This is the unit at the hospital where she is working. Thus, she knows about it. Still, she reads about it. I guess it is like when I read anout dog shows, despite being a dog show professional, or read about dog behaviour, despite being a dog myself. It is odd, I admit that. I guess it is common, nevertheless.

Future Family for a Puppy

Puppies will soon be born here. both Karstuhl and Karen are expecting pups. We received visitors today, a human family who is interested in becoming the new family of one of these puppies. They were very friendly, interested, and informed for not yet having dogs. These are the kind of humans with whom you want puppies to move in to.

An interesting thing was that this family did not have a car. Most dog families have cars. They told us, however, that they live within walking distance to one of the biggest veterinary clinics in Sweden. Not having a car will, thus, never jeopardise the safety of the puppy. This is good.

If more humans were like these, more puppies would be needed.

The Lawn

In the dry summer that we have had, the lawn has not grown as much as it usually does, The positive side of this is that Daniel dåhas not had to mow the lawn as often as he usually does. Over the last couple of weeks, we have had rain, however, and the growth of the grass has increased very mich. Daniel had to mow the lawn today. It looks better when it is newly mowed. The best thing is, however, that it gives less opportunities for ticks to get onto us dogs. The lawn is mowed now. This is good.

Towards Autumn

The nights are getting longer and darker. Autumn will soon be here. It is getting more damp outside and a little more chilly. There are fewer bugs around. I rather like autumn, apart from the dark mornings that will come. Autumns are cool, autumns are nice. I hope there will be a lot of rain, our well would need it,

Qualified

The small Swedish football club Östersund, from a small town up north, has qualified for the Europe League.

This was very unexpected, a pleasant surprise for all of us from Sweden who have hoped, but have not really believed. It is always nice when Swedish clubs come far in the international club leagues. I believe so about every Swedish team. Daniel does not agree, when it comes to a few teams which he does not like, such as AIK. I still believe it is good r Swedish football. It is even better when the Swedish team is an underdog, like Östersund.

We wish Östersund all the luck in the League. The team will need it.

Happy, Happy Birthday!

It is the birthday of the best human I know: Paula.

Paula has been with me for all my life. She is my idol, my heroine, my human love. Today, she turns forty. She will continue living when I am gone, humans live longer than dogs. I will be with her as long as I can.

Happy birthday, Paula!

Preparations

It is Paula's birthday tomorrow. We have prepared the celebrations today. More preparations will be made tomorrow, but now it is time to rest. The present is ready.

Solar Eclipse

There has been a Solar Eclipse, visible from North America.

I believe Lunar Eclipses are much more important.

Candy

Sunday is always a holiday. Daniel had bought some candy and ice cream, fitting for a Sunday evening. We also continued celebrating a little from the dog show successes yesterday.

There are always some things worth celebrating. Sometimes, you have to think for a while, before you think of a reason to celebrate. With our show successes yeaterday, we did not need to ponder what to celebrate.

Good Results

We actually planned to go to Eskilstuna and the dog show today, to give my granddaughter Soya a chance to get her final CAC and becoming Swedish show champion, alternatively giving Karen a chance to get her first CAC. Soya have injuried her paw, however, and passed, because she would just limp in the show ring. Karen is expecting pups and should not go into the show ring for the sake of her pups.

I was entered in veterans' class, because we would go to Eskilstuna anyway. So was Gunde (a.k.a. Cookie). When Soya and Karen had to stay at home, however, Gunde and I had to defend the colours of Aangenaam. We did it properly. Gunde won best of breed, and I was Best of Opposite Sex. There were other excellent Shibas at the show, but we beat them.

Gunde was not placed in the Veterans' final or the Spitz breeds' final, but he did a great job, nevertheless. We are very satisfied with the results today.

Show Tomorrow

We are foing to a dog show tomorrow. I will participate in veterans' class. It was a while since there was a show where I participated, Going into the show ring has always been among the favourite things I know. It will be so much fun. Stay tuned for results!

Terrorist Attack in Barcelona

A van has been driven into people in central Barcelona, Spain. Police is treating it as a terrorist attack.

Our thoughts go to the victims and their families, including dogs.

It is terrible that things like this can happen. Humans can be so cruel. I wish the war on terror will be won soon.

A New Flower

Scientists have discovered a new flower on the Shetland Islands, which are part of Scotland. It is not just that the flower has been described by scientists for the first time, it really is a new flower. The original species was introduced in Shetland from overseas about two hundred years ago. Since then, a mutation has caused this flower to become bigger than its ancestors. It is, thus, a new flower. Compared to the time span of floral evolution on Earth, this flower has just appeared. It is younger than many dog breeds. This is fascinating.

More Pups

Karen went to the veterinarian today for an ultra sound examination. It turned out she is expecting at least three pups. Just like last autumn, we will have two litters of Shiba pups here. Polly's pups will likely be born before Karen's pups. Polly is my daughter, so I am sure her pups will be the sweetest.

Soon There Will Be Pups

Hello, Karstuhl here!

Paula said today, she believes I will get at least four pups. She said my tummy is that big.

I know what I think, but I will keep this to myself until the pups are born. There are not many weeks left now. I am looking forward to seeing the pups.

Cucumber

Calvin got some slices of cucumber today, but he did not want them. The offer passed to me. I accepted with a wagging tail. Cucumber may be a vegetable, and vegetables are generally neither very tasty, nor very healthy, for carnivores like us dogs. I do like cucumbers, however. I cannot quite describe why cucumbers are tasty. Taste is hard to describe in words, I believe. It is sufficient to say I like cucumbers. Calvin may think I am a little crazy because of this, but that is his problem, I know I am perfectly sane. We all have our personal preferences, when it comes to taste.

No Home Dog Show

Our own regional kennel club, Örebro läns kennelklubb, has its annual dog show in Askersund this weekend. None of us are shown there this year. This is a shame. It is so fun to go to dog shows and there is a point in going to the show of your own regional club. We will have to come back next year instead. This year, Daniel goes by himself, working as a ring steward. He is having fun.

Athletics

The World Championships in athletics is on in London. There are a few Swedes making an impact, one of them got a silver medal. The Americans are doing great. I root for Americans as well, since Mum was from America and I am thus half American. I can also root for athletes from Japan, Norway and Belgium. It is nice being able to trace your roots to many different countries, when international competitions are on.

Chicken

Apparently, cooked chicken is not healthy for dogs. If we swallow cooked bones of poultry or pork, it might split inside us and cut us up. I still do not see why we cannot have more chicken filet, now that Paula and Daniel had chicken for dinner. Life is full of small disappointments.

Birth Control App

There is an app that can help humans not getting pregnant, if they not want to and still want to have sex. It works on measurements of body temperature and algorithms. It has been found to be quite effective in clinical studies.

The app can also be used to pinpoint the time when humans are most likely to get pregnant, if they want to.

I figure it would probably be possible to evolve the app, so it can be used for dogs. This would be a great help, when the male is living quite far away from the female. It would suggest what day would be the best to travel to the male. This could prevent long, unnecessary trips to be mated. I hope such an app will come.

Godzilla Actor Dies

One of the most famous Japanese contributions to popular culture is the giand lizard monster Godzilla. The very first actor who played Godzilla n 1954, and returned to the role in eleven sequels, Haruo Nakajima, has died at the age of 88. 

Horror movies are not my cup of tea. It is still interesting to note that probably most people around the world has at least heard of Godzilla. The Japanese are good story tellers, regardless of how high cultural value the stories may be deemed to have. If the original actor behind Godzilla dies, Godzilla will still survive for the foreseeable future. This is cool.

Partial Lunar Eclipse

There was a partial Lunar eclipse at Moonrise this evening. We do not have a good view of the eastern horizon from our garden, there are tall trees in the way.

I did not look for the Moon, eclipsed or not. After all, I am a full Lunar Eclips all the time, a partial Lunar eclipse is not so much to see compared to this, is it?

Joke aside, I hope there were many people interested in celestial events who took the time to watch the eclipse. It is special, even if it was just a partial eclipse this time.

Rain

At last, this weekend, we have received a lot of rain. We got twenty millimetres yesterday and a lot today as well. It is still far from an annual average, but it is a start.

I have written a lot of blog entries lately about the laxk of precipitation since last autumn. We had just a little rain throughout the late summer and autumn, not much snow in the winter, and just a little rain in the spring. This summer, we have hardly had any rain at all. By the start of summer, experts said to the newspaper we needed to get at least hundred millimetres of rain in the early summer. We never got that. Months have passed with hardly any rain. This is why about forty to fifty millimetres of rain this week is just a start. It is a good start, but we still need a lot of rain in the days and weeks to come.

Let us hope for even more rain, even though it is uncomfortable being outdoors when it is raining.

Upcoming Pups

Hello, Karstuhl here!


Daniel asked me and Mommy why none of us wrote a blog entry yesterday about the result of my ultra sound examination.


The examination confirmed to Paula and Daniel that I am expecting pups. There will be at least two pups, perhaps three.


Well, there is a simple answer to Daniel's question. Both Mommy and I already knew I was with pups. I knew it from the start, of course. Mothers know this, and I have had litters of pups before. My own mother soon suspected the same, and I confirmed it to her. Consequently, the confirming result of the ultra sound examination was not news to us. It was, thus, nothing to write a blog entry about.


It is good that we have ultra sound examinations. They show our humans whether we are expecting pups or not.

Weekend

It is weekend, starting with Friday night, today.

The best weekends are those when we go to dog shows. This is, however, not common enough for my taste. The second best weekend is when both Paula and Daniel stays very mich at home. The upcoming weekend is not such a weekend.

Daniel will be home most of this weekend. Paula wil, however, not. She is working tonight, coming home early tomorrow morning. Then she will work the next night as well, Saturday to Sunday.

It is good that Paula and Daniel are working. They earn money from it, with which they buy dog food, treats etc. Still, parts of me cannot help wanting Paula to be back home. We will greet her with great joy, when she is coming home tomoorow and the day after tomorrow.

Final Teams Decided

In the UEFA Women's 2017 tournament, there were semi finals tonight. Denmark played Austria and the Netherlands played England. Javier rooted for Denmark and England, because he has got brothers who live in those countries. Denmark beat Austria, but the Netherlands beat England. It will e an interesting final game this Sunday.

Romans

Europe may have been founded, culturaly, by the Roman empire. It ruled all of the southern part of Europe, and more, from Rome and then Constantinople. A new, spectacular archaelogical discovery of Roman houses has been found outside of Lyon in France. it is an area of about 7,000 square metres with very well preserved remains.

I wonder if there are any remains showing dogs.

Is This a Boring Blog?

Hello, Karstuhl here!

It happens that I ask Mommy why she writes this blog on a daily basis. The statistics provided by the blog host shows there are not many people who read it. There are very seldom any comments on the blog posts.

Well, the answer I get is that Mommy thinks it is fun. She writes down her thoughts as much for her own sake, as for the sake of her readers. She likes her readers, but could have a journal without them.

I guess this makes sense. It must make sense for any writer. No matter how many readers you have, you must think it is fun writing, for your own sake, as well as for the writers.

So, is this a boring blog? Is this why there are not many followers? I do not think so. I believe there is just so many things out there on the World Wide Web to read, that a blog by a dog is just so odd it gets few readers. It is far from boring. I know, I enjoy reading it.

Different Times for Food

We never get food at the same hour and minute every day. It is not that I normally care. Wolves in the wildernes do not have fixed times for their meals, they eat whenever they have hunted some game down. Today, however, we had to wait until it was almost nine o'clock in the evening, before we got our main course for the day. This is a little to late, in my humble opinion. Fortunately, the late hour was an odd occurence. we usually have our main meal much earlier than this. All is well that ends well.

Exo-moon

The first moon in orbit around a planet orbiting another star than the Sun may have been discovered.

There are many planets by other stars already accounted for. These are called exo-planets, exo meaning it is a planet outside of the Solar system. Consequently, a moon orbiting an exo-planet is called an exo-moon.

This is an interesting discovery, but not surprising. The more exo-planets we have found, the higher probability there would be also to find an exo-moon. In this case, it seems to be a moon the size of Neptune, orbiting a planet much more massive than Jupiter. The size of this moon is probably part of the cause it was discovered, if indeed it is. More observations are needed in order to confirm the discovery. I hope the exo-moon turns out to be there.

Night Guest

Paula's nephew Arvid has a sleep over at our house tonight. He is a sweet little child, one of the humans who belong to my granddaughter Soya. He remembered me from last time we met. We had some fun together in the evening.

Arvid is and a half years old, which is equal to being a puppy in dog terms. Humans are children for a much longer time than dogs are pups. This is equal to the average longer life span of humans, compared to dogs. Sometimes, I wish I could also have such a long life.

I am sure I will see Arvid many more times. It will surely be fun.

No Rain

I could have guessed, there was no rain today. The forecast yesterday said it would be rain today, but we never get rain this summer, or so it seems. Perhaps I would have put a bet on it, but I never do. I guess the odds would have been low. We want rain.

Rain?

Once again, the weather forecast says it will be rain tomorrow. We have had many forecasts lately promosing rain in a day or two, but when that day s come, the weather conditions have changed and no rain has fallen. I guess we will just have to see if the forecast is correct this time. I hope it is, but I still doubt it. We need rain, but we do not seem to get any.

Wedding Cake Eaten by Dog

A Labrador Retriever in England started the wedding festivities early for a couple of humans. Bella, which she is called, lives with close relatives to the couple who were getting married. Her humans had baked the wedding cake. On the morning of the wedding, Bella ate it. Every wedding guest was told the story and appreciated it as funny. The humans got a replacement cake, so the party was not spoiled.

Bella did the right thing, I believe. If she was allowed near the cake, of course she had every right to eat it. This is the right of dogs vis-a-vis food.

There is a short video on the story.

Good Day's Sleep

We had a good day's sleep today, once Paula came home from her night shift st the hospital, We sleep with Paula during the days and with Daniel during the nights. I could really get used to this lifestyle!

Working at Night

Paula is working tonight. There is need for nurses around the clock at the hospital, so Paula does the night shift once in a while. It was long ago now, due to her long illness. She likes working at night, however, so I am glad for her sake that she has been able to resume this habit. Meanwhile, we stay at home with Daniel. It is nice to sleep at night with him, and sleep at day with Paula,

Waffles

We had waffles tonight. It is very tasty. I really liked that we had jam and whipped cream as well. Jam and whipped cream is a Swedish tradition, whenever waffles are served.

It is not that I got to taste a lot, but even a little bit of a waffle is great.

Pre-history of Dogs

Science is making progress, when researching the pre-history of dogs. This is good, not only for all of us dogs. It is also good for all humans. If there is any animal living in near symbiosis with humans, it is dogs. Dogs and humans are very important for each other. Civilisation is our common culture.

A Giant Step for Mankind

It is the anniversary of the first Lunar landing. On this day in 1969, the Lunar lander called Eagle landed on the Moon. Its two man crew of Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin were the first humans who ever sat their feet on another celestial body than Earth. They were followed by a few other men until December 1972. We are still waiting for the next manned Lunar landing.

The first Lunar landing is worth celebrating. It was a great feat and every human may be proud of it. It truly was a great step for mankind, as Neil Armstrong put it.

The Lawn

One good thing about not getting much rain, is that the lawn is not growing very fast. For the first time in many weeks, today, Daniel mowed the lawn.

The lawn mower has not been functioning properly. Daniel has managed to repair it, however. This is good. A well mowed lawn makes it harder for ticks getting at us. The lawn is well lowed and nice now.

Hamburger

I got a hanburger this evening.

Do I need to say more?

Floods in Cornwall

There are floods in Cornwall in England, due to heavy rainfalls. This is not as far away as Fukuoka in Japan, where there were floods the other week.

We still have a draught in Närke, Sweden, where we live. There were some millimetres of rain over the last couple of days, but this is nothing in the big scheme of things.

I wish we could have a lot of rain. Our well needs it.

Darkness

We are getting dark nights again. We are getting further away from the summer solstice, and nights are getting darker. There are advantages, it is easier to fall asleep. Not that I have ever had trouble falling asleep, but still. Life goes on. Autumn is here soon, when no bugs will bug us.

Snowfall in Santiago

Snow has fallen in Santiago de Chile, capital of Chile, for the first time in two decades. A lot of people have lost electric power.

Santiago is situated on the southern hemisphere, so this is the right time of the year for winter and snowfall. Still, the city lies way up north and not up in the Andes mountains, so snow is rare.

I hope the cold weather and power shortages does not cause dogs much harm.

Late Night Snack

Paula made some sandwiches late at night. I love a late night snack. I also got to taste a little.

Snacks are always good, but there is something else about eating just before you will go to sleep. It makes you very satisfied and you go to sleep with a nice and warm feeling in your stomach. This is great. Late night snacks should be more common.

Dual Citizenship Makes Australian Senator Resign

An Australian Senator will resign, since it was discovered he is a citizen of New Zealand as well as of Australia. Under the Australian constitution, you are not eligible to hold such a public elected office, if you have another citizenship as well as your Australian citizenship.

Apparently, the senator was born in New Zealand, gaining citizenship there at birth, but moved to Australia with his family when he was three years old and became an Australian citizen as a teenager. He claims he thought he had relinquished the New Zealand citizenship when he became an Australian citizen. He had not, and has to relinquish it now or resign as senator. He resigns as senator

I believe this is a good rule. Dual citizenship does not have to be a problem, but if you will be a legislator, your loyalty to the country cannot be put into question. A legislator should only be citizen in the country where he legislates.

Warning for Heavy Showers

We watched the news on TV tonight. They issued a warning for heavy showers, a lot of rain could fall tomorrow. We were happy, since we have a draught. The nature and our well needs rain.

It turned out, however, that the warning was for a lot of rain in the northern parts of Sweden. This is far away from us. There is no chance we can get any of this rain. It will be sunny here tomorrow, too.

Weather is nothing we can control. It is a chaotic system. No matter how much we wish for a certain type of weather, it is out of our control. In a way, this is comforting, because nobody can blame anybody else for bad weather. It would still be nice if we could wish for more rain.

Best Prescription Ever

A veterinarian has given me a prescription to eat a slice of blood pudding every day. This is the best prescription I have ever heard of. It is so tasty!

Over the last days, I have not felt really well. I have been more tired than usually and I have breathed more heavily. Paula, Daniel, and I discussed this and decided I needed an appointment with a veterinarian. This is not a thing I usually like, bit the results can be good.

Daniel and I went to the veterinarian today. There were nothing wrong with the way my heart and lungs sounded, no lumps or scars, and I am flexible and allert for my age. They got a blood sample from me and ran some tests. It turned out there was just one thing that was not really good: I have a lower count of erythocytes (also known as red blood cells). These cells transport oxygen to the cells of the body and carbondioxide from the cells. With a low level, there is less oxygen reaching the cells, less carbondioxide leaving the cells.

The veterinarian said there were a couple of different possible causes for my condition. She said this required further investigation. Part of the investigation was to help my body produce more erythocytes. I would achieve this by eating blood pudding. the high level of blood, and thus iron, in blood pudding would probably boost the production of erythocytes in my bone marrow. We will then return to the veterinarian in two weeks.

On our way home, we stopped by the supermarket and purchased some blood pudding. This is a prescribed medicine I look forward to taking. It tasted great today and will taste great in the days to follow.

Shrimp Sandwiches

We went out to a summer cafe by Lake Hjälmaren today, at Ässundet a few kilometreseast of Örebro. They make great shrimp sandwiches there. It was a beautiful day and great company. This really made our day. It is a great way for having a holiday close to home.

Name Day

It is Paula's second name day today. She has the names Paula Andrea Johanna, all of which is in the official Swedish calendar as name days, Today is Andrea. Thus, we celebrate her.

Dogs seldom have name days. Hailey is not in the calendar. I am not that disappointed, there are always other reasons to celebrate, anyway.

Another Bottas Victory

Valteri Bottas, from Finland, in his Mercedes, won the Austrian Grand Prix in Formula 1 today. It was his second victory of the year and of his career. He is now not far away from the two leaders of the championship, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton. It would be great if he could compete for the title. He has certainly showed he is good enough to do it, his first victory was not just luck. It would be great if a driver from our eastern neighbour would win the title.

Road Trip Rain

Hello, Karstuhl here!

Paula, Daniel, and I went on a road trip today. It was raining a lot, while we rode the car. This did not bother us. It was a lot of rain, bit not so heavy that the sight or the grip on the road was impaired.

We were disappointed when we came home, though, there was not a single millimetre of rain in the rain gauge. We want to get more rain to water our garden and fill our well. Now all we got was a cleaner car. Oh, well, I guess this is a little thing to be happy about, anyway.

Floods in Fukuoka

There are floods in Fukuoka, due to heavy rains. We have draught in Närke, Sweden, because we have had so little rain. Life is not always fair.

Well, at least this should be ecidence against the draught being an inevitable cause of the climate changes.

Eino Leino Day

It is the day of poems and summer in Finland, or Eino Leino day, after the Finnish poet Eino Leino, who was born this day in 1878.

If Finland would not have ceased to be a part of Sweden in 1809, perhaps we would have celebrated this day here too. Poems can be exciting and invigorating. Summer is warm and nice. I believe it would be nice to have a day for summer and poetry in Sweden as well as in Finland. Perhaps we can import the celebrations?

Just a Little Rain

We read in the news paper this morning that the water in the ground is at a very low level. We are a bit worried about the amount of water in our well. There was a little rainfall this afternoon, bit we only got 1 millimetre. We are a bit annoyed about the lack of rain, but what can we do?

Mum's National Holiday

It is the 4th of July, and we celebrate the national holiday of Mum's home country, the USA. Mum always celebrated, as long as she loved with us. Calvin celebrates too, of course, he was also born in the USA. I celebrate mostly because my Mum was American. The USA seems to have been a great country to live in. Long may the USA remain!

Europeans in America

The first confirmed European settlement in America is in what is now northern Newfoundland. Vikings from Iceland and Greenland settled there around the year 1000. They lived there for about a decade, then went back to where they came from.

It is interesting to imagine these settlers, travelling in open viking ships across the North Atlantic Ocean. I wonder what dogs they had. They must have had dogs, I think.

History is interesting, About this time, Shibas only lived in Japan. We have spread across the world in the last century. Dogs have always acompanied humans, though, at least since we teamed up with one another many millenia ago. Exploring new lands is exciting for us too. I still have more to explore in my life

Germany Won

Germany won the Confederations Cup. My bet would, therefore, be that Germany will not win the World Cup next year. As I wrote the other day, no country has went on from winning the Confederations Cup to winning the World Cup as well. It is also very rare that a winner of the World Cup can defend the title.

I hope Sweden wins the World Cup, or that Japan does. I do not think this will happen, though. It is not yet clear which countries will participate in the World Cup, so I will wait until I may make a prediction. One of the best things about football is that it is not easy to predict results.

Celebrations

Paula, Daniel, Morran, and I went over to Paula's parents this evening. We celebrated the 45th wedding day of Paula's parents. It was great that I got to come.

Celebrations are also due this day, because it was the birthday of Dad. He knew and loved Paula's parents, just as I do.

We had a great time today. There are no bad reasons to celebrate, but we had great reasons today.

Beer Sausage

It is the day of Pilsener Beer Sausage. This is celebrated on the 30th June every year, on the initiative of Bullens Pilsnerkorv, the most well known beer sausage of Sweden.

We did not have any beer sausage today. I regret that. We will have to remind ourselves of this day by the end of June next year. Beer sausage, just like all sausage, is very tasty. It is well worth celebrating.

Confederations Cup

Ome year ahead of the FIFA World Cup in football, the Confederations Cup is played. Germany will face Chile in the final.

Germany won the last World Cup and now has a chance to win Confederations Cup. Regardless of whether Germany wins the final on Sunday, odds are there will be another country winning the World Cup next year. It is very rare that a country wins the World Cup twice in a row. Italy did it in 1934 and 1938, Brazil in 1958 and 1962. It has not happened since. The winner of Confederations Cup has never won the following World Cup.

Well, odds are one thing, the actual tournament is something else. I hope for a good game on Sunday and a great World Cup next year. Time will tell who wins.

Coming Home

Daniel came home this afternoon. This is great. The whole family is at home again.

Daniel's father is doing good, under the circumstances. He only had to stay for one night at the human hospital. He will go back for additional tests on a bigger hospital this Friday. The prognosis is actually not bad. We have hope. Daniel does not feel anxious.

Cutting Hair

My Poodle friends Laila and Momoko need to have their hair cut once in a while. They do not like it, and it does look uncomfortable. I am glad I shed my coat instead. Sometimes, I guess our humans are not happy when we shed coats, but this is because they do not like the shed coat hairs lying around. When they cut hair of the Poodles, some of it end up lying around too. I guess there may be advantages and disadvantages both with shedding and having to cut coats.

Not in Full Health

Daniel went to the west coast today, alone. His father is there, and not feeling well, admitted to the local human hospital. Daniel's brother is there as well, but Daniel wanted to help. It seems like things are not very bad, but we will know more after some tests tomorrow.

I fully understand Daniel's concern. I have lost both of my parents. It is sad and nothing i wish for anybody, though it is bound to happen. We all hope for a full recovery.

Lawn Mower

Daniel mowed the lawn today. He was, however, angry with the lawn mower, which does not work properly. It is not an old lawn mower, but it is still not fully functional.

I can understand that Daniel is not happy. I am not, either. We need a working lawn mower, because high grass is only good for ticks. Ticks climb high on the straws of grass and jump over to us dogs. They are bad little creatures. With a well mowed lawn, we get fewer ticks.

Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Tomorrow is the Azerbaijan GP in Formula 1. It is a race in Baku, the capital of this western Asian country.

The race at this circuit last year was called the European GP. I never really understood why. Azerbaijan might have a corner of the country which formally can claim to be part of Europe, but Baku is in Asia. The former Grand Prix races of San Marino and Luxemburg were held outside of these countries, but this is understandable since the countries are so small and do not have race tracks fit for a Formula 1 race. Europe, however, have many race tracks fit for Formula 1. It is better this year, when the race in Baku is called the Azerbaijan GP.

Midsummer Eve

It is Midsummer Eve. We always celebrate this in Sweden. This Midsummer Eve, Paula and Daniel were supposed to go away for a while. Paula did not really feel well, so she considered staying at home instead. Eventually, they did go away. They were not gone for long. It is not that I wish that Paula will feel sick, but I would still have preferred it if she would have stayed at home. We had a nice Midsummer Eve anyway.

I wish all of my readers a happy Midsummer!

Fish Pate

Paula cooked some fish pate tonight. I like fish pate. There was none of it for anybody to eat today, though. Paula made it for tomorrow, when it is time to celebrate midsummer. I wish we would have celebrated tonight, it smelled really tasty.

Flowers

Hello, Karstuhl here!

There are a lot of flowers in our garden at this time of the year.

Daniel likes the flowers. He finds them beautiful. Paula is more indifferent.

I do not care much about flowers. To me, they are just a display of reproductive organs for plants. It is like me, when I am in heat, and give the males part of my scent and tease them. I would rather see a steak than a flower, a steak is just as beautiful, smells just as great, but you can also eat it and get a satisfied stomach.

However, plants would look more dull without the flowers, so there is this advantage.

Disturbing

It happens once in a while that one of us dogs needs to get out late at night. This is quite disturbing for those of us who do not need to, but who would rather go to sleep. There can be whining, paws moving about, and the odd barking. Regardless of the type of sound, it is disturbing. I guess I have become more sensitive to disturbing behaviour like this with increased age and wisdom. In my younger years, I was more eager to follow the other dogs out late at night. I am wiser now, finding the comfort of the bed or sofa better. I wish there would be less disturbances late at night, however rare it is.

Bright Nights

It is near midsummer. The sun sets very late in the evening and rises again very early in the morning. It never turns really dark. In a way, I like this. It may be a little hard to fall asleep, though. With a lot of rest, this does not matter much. Life is still good. The weather is nice and warm.

Cheesecake

Daniel had some cheesecake for dessert late tonight. This is an American cake, and since I am half American, I believed I should have some. I actually got to taste it. It was great. Cakes are always great, but some are greater than others. Cheesecake are among the very best.

Nadja and Arvid

Paula's sister Mia was here this evening, with her hubby Stefan and her children Arvid and Nadja. Human children are very cute, almost as cute as Shiba puppies.

Arvid is two years old. He and Daniel sat with me and some of the other dogs in the living room for a while. He is a really nice little boy. You can tell he is used to having dogs around. This is thanks to my granddaughter Soya, who lives with him and his family.

Nadja is also very cute, but she is just half a year old, so she is not old enough to i teract with us dogs. I love her anyway.

It was a nice evening.

Candy

Hello, Karstuhl here!

I have taught my mother Hailey a valuable lesson. Whenever Paula or Daniel want us to go inside, we wait until we get some candy. I started this, Mommy learned from me. Now she is even more eager to get candy in order to get indoors than I am. If we want to get indoors ourselves, we do not demand candy, of course. It is just when our humans want us the get inside, but we do not, that we demand candy. It is still a great way to get some extra treats. I like it.

Music

Paula is often playing music in the evening. It makes her happy. I like some music, but I am not as interested as Paula. I believe music is more of a thing for humans.

There is a lot of music that comes with lyrics. I would wish more lyrics would be about dogs. A lot of lyrics is about love, but it is about love between humans. Dogs love humans as well. Why is there not more songs about dogs and the love of dogs and dogs' love of humans? I would like such songs.

Tuesday

It was Tuesday, but the day came and went, and I missed the opportunity to write my daily blog entry. This rarely happens, but happened this Tuesday. Crap!

Sausage

We got some sausage in our food this afternoon. Sausage is great food. It mainly consist of meat, and it is easily eaten. I love most sausages. The sausage we got today was lovely. I wish we could get sausage more often. We often get extra food, but few things are better than sausage.

Finnish Champion

One of the Aangenaam dogs who lives abroad is Hannes, in Finland. He became Finnish Show Champion today. Hannes is not related to me, but as a fellow Aangenaam dog, I root for him anyway. It proves the value of all of our breeding strategies, whenever anyone of us succeeds in the show ring.

Congratulations, Hannes!

How Civilisations Could Evolve

New anthropological finds indicate that the modern human is much older than previously thought. Instead of being about 200,000 years old, the species may be about 300,000 years old.

We could ask ourselves, if humans are this old, why did civilisations not evolve until the last 10,000 years?

Humans teamed up with wolves about 35,000 years ago. These wolves evolved into dogs.

My theory is that civilisations could not evolve until humans had dogs. Thus, dogs are an essential part of human civilisation.

We Have Had Rain

Over the last few days, we have had considerable amounts of rain.

This does not seem like an exciting thing to write about. Normally, it would not be; normally, I would not write about it. Over the latest months, however, it has been very dry here, relatively speaking. It is far from a desert, but the water levels in the ground, in the lakes and the rivers, have been very low. We need much more rain for the water levels to rise to normal levels.

I normally do not like being out in the rain, but under these circumstances, I can endure it. I even hope there will be more rain soon. We will see what happens. Daniel does not want rain tomorrow, he wants to be able to mow the lawn.

Scent

Hello, Karstuhl here!

Humans struggle to understand why dogs sometimes roll around in excrements from other animals. There are a lot of theories, but they really do not know. I would say: let them wonder. Some of our behaviour is better kept an enigma.

Day Off

Paula had a day off today, after working throughout the weekend. This was nice, we could sleep together with her until late in the day. Sleeping is comfortable, especially when you do it with humans and dogs you love. We all love Paula. She is such a great person. She deserved this day of rest.

National Holiday

We celebrate Sweden today. It is our national holiday.

Daniel gave us dogs minced moose meat. Eating moose, perhaps the most iconic Swedish animal, seems fitting on the Swedish national holiday. It was also very tasty, of course.

Sweden is a great country. We have a fantastic nature and culture, and we have great laws against animal abuse. It is worth celebrating.

Hamburger

Life as a dog may seem easy to humans. We are often easy to please, we live here and now. Tonight, Paula and Daniel cooked some hamburgers for dinner. I got to taste a little bit. It was great, as it always is. Iwas easy to please tonight.

Busy Day

It is Pentecost and Sunday, so most of us have taken it easy and celebrated moderately. Paula has been off to work at the hospital, however. The injuries and diseases do not take any days off, so neither can nurses or other staff on the hospital. Paula had a very busy day. She did not come away from work until half an hour after the end of her watch. We commend her for being a heroine at work. She is needed there. We understand this, though we like it better when she is at home. Everything is fine now, in the evening.

Baptism

My granddaughter Soya's youngest human, Nadja, was baptised today. Paula and Daniel were there for the baptism.

Baptism is a way for humans to become members of a church, thus coming closer to God. Dogs are never baptised. I believe we are close to God anyway.

All of us dogs sent our greetings to Nadja for the baptism.

Good News

The world is becoming an increasingly better place to live. One example is that the number of children who dies from diarrhoea is down by one third from 2005 to 2015. A lot of children still die in this gruesome way, but not as many as before. Clean water and better hygiene amounts for much of the improvement. I guess this also has a positive effect on the health and survival rate of dogs. I hope it is so.