The Queen of Denmark Abdicates

Queen Margrethe II of our neighbour country Denmark will step down as monarch in January. She told the people of Denmark about this in her New Year’s Speech today. She has been monarch since 1972, when she replaced her father upon his death.

It is sad that a Queen abdicates, no matter why. She will be replaced with her oldest son, who will become King. Humans do not have the order of dogs, where the highest ranking female always rules. 

I wish the Queen and all the dogs and humans of Denmark well, with this change. 

Despicable Crime

An old woman in Malmo in the south of Sweden has been released from custody by the police, but is still a suspect of crime. She was caught putting pieces of dough on the ground, with shards of glass in the dough. Pieces of dough with glass in them have been a hazard for dogs in Malmo since 2020. It is possible that the criminal behind all of these events have now been caught. We hope the police can tie the woman to many of these events, and that this will never occur again once she is in prison. It is such a despicable crime, to try to hurt dogs in this way. 

Thaw

Crackers were not the only thing bothering our sleep last night. It was thaw, and snow tumbled down from our roof with loud noises.

It is still a lot of snow on the ground. The forecast says it will be freezing temperatures again soon. We will surely have a white New Year’s Celebration. This is good. 

Crackers

Once again, it has started, many days before New Year’s Night. Crackers have been heard many times around us today. 

Some wildlife are afraid of crackers. Some dogs too – though, luckily, none of us. 

It is so unnecessary to fire crackers day in and day out around the change of years. It is based on old superstition, that crackers would scare away demons and other evil doers. It is also an expensive, short joy, for those who like it. 

If people would just keep to the tradition, and fire crackers at midnight on New Year’s Night, I could understand it. The current trend is just stupid and should stop. 

Fire

It is cold outside, which makes it colder inside. We do have an insulated house, but it does not prevent all heat from escaping.

This morning, Daniel lit a fire in the stove in the living room. Needless to say, this quickly became the warmest room in the house. We all gathered there to enjoy the warmth. Some of the warmth spread into the adjacent rooms, which is good, but the living room was the most comfortable room throughout the day. 

Dogs are lucky to have humans, who control fire on our behalf. 

Second Day of Christmas

It is the second day of Christmas, and there are still Christmas treats to get. 

After dinner, we got to pre-rinse the dishes, like always. It is a chore all of us dogs take seriously. However, everyone of us left the strong mustard that was left on Daniel’s plate. Strong spices are not for us. Apart from the mustard, the Christmas food that we have got has been terrific. Meatballs are great the year round, but especially at Christmas, somehow. Life is nice. 

Shiba Meme Monument

There is now a life size statue, a monument, of a Shiba in Japan who became famous for her picture in the first dog memes on the Internet. 

I am sure that if Hailey or Polly would still have written this blog, they would have told you about it. Probably in a better way than I can. Do follow the link, if you want to know more. It is an interesting text to read. 

Merry Christmas!

We were busy celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve, so here is a little late Merry Christmas to all the readers of this blog! (I am sorry I missed to post on Christmas Eve.)

Christmas Candy

Daniel made some Christmas candy tonight. It is a tradition that he makes this candy, marsipanfjux. 

You need:

Almond paste,

Raisins, 

Chocolate.

Cut the almond paste in pieces, put raisins in, form it to pieces of candy in the way you like, melt the chocolate, and dip the pieces of candy in the chocolate. 

Of course, dogs should not eat chocolate. We got some pork instead. We like pork better, anyway. 

Cleaning

Christmas Eve is on Sunday. Daniel is off from work today. We have all engaged in cleaning the house for Christmas. We hope it will turn out great on Christmas. 

Pepe Came Home

Pepe has been away for a week. He came back home today. He refuses to give us much details about how it has been.

When Pepe said, however, that we may get to know in about two months, we think we understood. He has probably been to see another bitch, who has been in heat. We will have to see what comes out of this.

Viola hopes we will not hear anything in two months. It might be so, time will tell. 

Holidays

When Daniel came home from work today, it was the end of his last work day this year. He has vacation the rest of this week, and the work days next week. This is great, it means that he will be at home with us much more. It will be a good Christmas. 

Twice Is the Charm

Daniel worked from home today. He gave us food at noon, when he had lunch himself.

Paula was at home in the evening, when Daniel went grocery shopping. She gave us food then. We did not tell her Daniel had already given us a lot of food earlier in the day. Otherwise, we would just have had a few treats. 

Twice is the charm, especially when it comes to food. 

Pre-Christmas Traditions of Finland

In Finland, they have a lot of festivities before Christmas. Strangely enough, this article about it says nothing about the great dog show that usually takes place in Helsinki in December. Paula and Daniel have been there some years and enjoyed it. Perhaps we will go there some year in the future too. We will have to see. 

Third Sunday of Advent

It is the third Sunday of Advent, the time of the year when we look forward to the coming of Christ. We celebrate Christmas Eve next Sunday, which is also the fourth and final Sunday of Advent. It may seem strange that the fourth Sunday of Advent is on the day when we celebrate Christmas. It is not, however. I have learned today that the real first day of Christmas is Christmas Day, but that Swedes have celebrated on the Eve of Christmas night for a very long time. Traditions are nice, even though you do not understand the origin of all of them. 

Thaw

It is thaw. The forecast says it will be many degrees above the freezing point this weekend. This is crazy, with the many, cold winter days we have had. 

We still have hope for a white Christmas.

Pepe Went Away

Pepe went away. We do not know for how long, but he will be in the vicinity of Köping, where we all were for a week this summer. It was nice people there and a nice place, so I am sure Pepe will have a good time.

Before Pepe left, he said he knew why he would go. He did not want to tell us, though. I wonder if he will tell us when he comes back. We will see. 

St. Lucia

Our breed, the Chihuahua, comes from a Catholic country. There, they often celebrate saints. There is just one true celebration of a saint in the Protestant country where we live, Sweden. It is this day, the 13 December, when we celebrate St. Lucia. She was a saint from Sicily in the south of Europe. The origin of the celebrations is in the 18th century, when Lucia night was the winter solstice night, thus the longest night of the year. When Sweden changed from the Julian calendar to the current Gregorian calendar, the winter solstice moved, but the Lucia celebrations continued to grow. We have had a St. Lucia celebration here at home. It was fun. 

Late

It is strange how late you can turn out to be. My blog entry for yesterday was not published until today. I do not know why this is. The blog service may be to blame, but Viola and Pepe claimed I was the one who was too late. I refuse to aknowledge any such fault. Life is good anyway. 

Daniel

 Daniel has his name day today. 

Our cat Malin had her yesterday. 

I am usually called Piffy, but I also go under the name Paulina. This means I have a name day. You have to figure out which day this is yourself. 

Dog Show

Daniel came home this evening after a weekend in Stockholm. He worked at the largest annual dog show in Sweden, which is always held in Stockholm in December. He had fun, he said, but was happy to be home. We were equally happy to have him home. Dog shows are important, but it is always better to have your humans at home. Now, the whole family is at home again, and everything is fine. 

Strange

It is sometimes strange how IT equipment work. I believed I opened up a news site in another window than this blog, but it turned out it was in the same window, so the blog seemed to disappear. Viola claimed I must have done something wrong. She may be right, that it was my own fault. It posed no danger, it was just a little annoying. I opened up the blog again and got inspiration for this blog entry. Life is quite all right. 

A Lot of Snow

Daniel had to go out this morning to use the shovel on a lot of snow. Even though all of this snow may soon disappear in a thaw, it is a good thing to get it out of our way. Otherwise, some may be left to freeze again and become ice. 

It is fun to jump around in the deep snow. This is an advantage of being a small dog, snow is more often deep and fun. 

Snow

It is not as cold outside anymore. More snow has fallen. It is still temperatures below the freezing point, but the forecast says it might be thaw tomorrow and in the weekend. We hope not. We are dreaming of a white Christmas. Even if the current snow would disappear, new snow may fall. Time will tell. 

Independence Day

We celebrate Finland’s independence day today. On the 6 December 1917, Finland became independent from Russia. Any independence from Russia is well worth celebrations. Finland is a good neighbour of Sweden, her independence from Russia is even more worthy of celebrations than most would be. In an ideal world, Finland would never have become part of Russia in 1809, but would have continued to be part of Sweden. It is still way better with an independent Finland than a Finland as part of Russia. 

Happy independence day, Finland! 

Neutral Competitors?

There has been calls for athletes from Russia and Belarus to be able to compete in the next Olympic Games in 2024. This would be under a neutral flag and just for individual athletes. We have discussed it here at home and we are against it. If boycotts should have effect, they should be without exceptions. We hope the IOC refuses. If great athletes want to compete, let them move to democratic countries, become citizen there, and compete for them. 

Really Cold

It is really cold outside. Even the cats prefer to stay mostly indoors. We are lucky to have a warm house to live in and an even warmer bed to sleep in. 

The weather forecast says it may be much warmer, perhaps even thaw, in a few days. We would like warmer weather, but not that warm. It would be nice if this snow would stay over Christmas. A white Christmas would be nice. 

Advent

The advent chandeliers are up and shining. We have this tradition in Sweden to have chandeliers with seven arms of lights, electric, in the windows from the first Sunday in advent to the last day of Christmas. They look like the seven arm Jewish menorahs, and are probably inspired by those. They are normally angled, with the central electric candle above the others, however. When these lights go up, we know that the count down to Christmas has started. We are looking forward to it with great anticipation. Advent is nice. 

Christmas Lunch

Paula and Daniel were at an early Christmas lunch today. This lunch was hostel by the regional kennel club, where they are both members of the board. While this is a good and important organisation, I still think having a Christmas lunch even before the first Sunday in advent tomorrow is a bit too early.

We got food when Paula and Daniel came back home. It was far from a Christmas lunch, but as you can understand from what I just wrote, I think this was just as well. 

One Twelfth Left

December starts today and one twelfth of the year is left. This year has gone by quickly. It seems to me time flies faster when I write this daily blog. 

It is soon Christmas with a lot of great food. This will be good. 

Winter

We have had snow and temperatures below the freezing point for a couple of days. It seems like winter is already here.

Normally, winter does not arrive until late in December. Not all Christmases are white. Morran claims this snow will likely melt and disappear long before Christmas. I hope it doesn’t, but you never know about the weather. We just have to wait and see. 

The snow makes the landscape brighter. This is good. 

Pasta with Cheese

Daniel made some pasta for dinner. When everything was eaten or put in lunch boxes for later days, there was some pasta with cheese left. He put this down to us dogs. Paula had given us ordinary dog food earlier in the day, but I have to say I enjoyed the pasta with cheese more. It was something else. 

Genetics

Paula and Daniel went away this evening to listen to a lecture on genetics. This is important, especially for dog breeders. 

Snow fell and the roads were slippery. They made it to the lecture and home again without incident. This is good. 

The lecture was very interesting. Paula and Daniel told us about it when they got home. We believe it was a good thing they attended it. More people should know about genetics. 

A Little Snow, a Lot of Cold

We had a little snow on the ground this morning. It is not much to talk about, less than a centimetre. It is cold, however. This evening, we had -9° C. It is also a clear night, so it will probably become even colder during the night. We are lucky to have a warm house to live in. Both of our cats are indoors tonight, which is good, then we do notabelt to worry about how they can stand the cold. Life is cozy. 

Volcano Eruption

Earth is a fantastic place. There are mountains connected to the hot centre of the planet, where lava erupts into the sky. It would be interesting to see this, but I would not want to live near an active volcano. Then it is nice that you can watch film clips of it from the comfort of your home. It is a fascinating time we live in. 

Staying at Home

Paula and Daniel were supposed to go to a dog show today. This would have been Paula’s first time of practice before finishing her job to become a ring steward. Late yesterday, however, she got a message that it was cancelled.

While it was too bad Paula’s practice was cancelled, it was nice that she and Daniel stayed at home. Life is better when everyone is at home. We had a good Sunday. 

This and That

We have done a little bit of this, and a little bit of that, today.

Daniel went away to visit a friend on his birthday. Then he did some shopping on the way home. 

When Daniel got home, he had, apparently, not bought everything that Paula wanted him to buy. They went away again, to a different store this time. 

There was lunch when Paula and Daniel came back home. Then we cleaned the house. 

Later in the afternoon, we took it easy and watched a little telly. 

It was a day of this and that, and it was nice. 

Ham

Paula and Daniel had dinner with ham tonight. Paula did not eat all of this. I wanted to have some, but she just kept it. This is strange, whenever I keep a piece of food and defends it from others, Paula tells me to eat it or let it go. 

Ham is good, but Paula wastes it, when she just keeps it. I would make better use of it, because I would eat it. Life is good, but would be better with ham in my tummy. 

Under the Covers

On cold days in November, iris nice to spend time under the covers of the bed. We have spent most of the day like this, actually. Paula was at home and let us stay in bed. It was a lazy day, but a good day. We quite enjoyed it. 

Rain

The weather forecast said it might be snow, but the temperature went up. We had rain all evening instead. November is a month of autumn, but after quite a few days with freezing temperatures, we did not count on rain. It would be more fun to get snow now. You cannot get all you wish for, though. We can wish for a white Christmas instead. 

Brush Up

We listened to an on line brush up seminar for ring stewards tonight. Daniel had got the link, because he is a ring steward. The subject was interesting, but I got tired of it all after a while. Perhaps I would have had a better understanding, if I had been to many dog shows. I have not, even though all of the humans Ihave had around me have. There may be dog shows forus next season. 

Maya Writing

We watched an interesting documentary today about the Maya writing and what we can learn from it. This was in Mexico, where Chihuahuas come from. They did not tell us anything about the dogs there, but it was interesting anyway. 

To and Fro

It is Sunday, but Paula and Daniel have been busy. They have been away on three different occasions, doing errands. 

We watch the house while Paula and Daniel are away, so we are busy too. It is satisfying to have a job like this. I believe the house would be much less safe without us. 

In the evening, Paula and Daniel was back home. Then our cat friends Malin and Totte went out for the night. It is rare that everyone is at home at once. 

Friday

It is Friday night, and Daniel is at his lodge in Odd Fellows. They usually meet on Friday nights.

I think we have more fun at home with Paula. 

Influenza

Paula has the flu, or the influenza, as is the ful name of this virus infection. 

We feel sorry for Paula and lazy close to her to help her get better soon. The body heat from our bodies help. The flu in humans does not affect dogs, so we are safe and can still help. It feels good to be able to help. 

Fudge

Daniel bought some candy today. Each and everyone of us dogs got a piece of fudge. It took me some time to eat the fudge, but I liked it. Morran did not, however. She said she’d rather have some of the rosat beef that Paula and Daniel had for dinner. Well, you cannot get everything you want. I much rather have fudge than nothing, which was what Morran ended up with. 

Snow that Melted

We had a little snow on the ground this morning. During the day, the temperature rose and the snow melted. It is still cold, though, and freezing temperatures in the evening.

Our cat friend Totte decided to stay outside tonight. While I can understand when the cats stay outside on summer nights, I do not understand it on cold nights like tonight. I hope Totte is still happy with his decision. 

Colder Again

It has been temperatures just above the freezing point today. This evening when we were outside for the last time, it was actually a little colder than the freezing point. We have to see how cold it becomes tomorrow. Perhaps winter is coming now. 

Father’s Day

It is Father’s Day in Sweden. None of us dogs who live here now, live with our respective fathers. Paula told us we can see Daniel as a father figure. We do, of course, to a certain degree. 

Fathers are good. Without them, we would not be here. They also help in other ways. We hope all fathers out there have a great Father’s Day.

Goose

Today is a day when you would traditionally celebrate St. Martin of Tours by eating geese. We doot have any geese to eat at home, though. It would be interesting to taste goose meat. I like chicken, goose may be similar, I believe. Our dog food is good as iris, but it is always interesting to try new kinds of food. I think I would like goose. 

Born 100 Years Ago

On this day one hundred years ago, the Akita called Hachiko was born in Japan. He became famous for waiting for his human outside a train station. His human always came back from work by train, but once died while he was at work. Hachiko kept waiting for him outside of the train station every afternoon for the rest of his life. He outlived his human for many years. 

There is now a bronze statue of Hachiko on the spot where he used to sit and wait. Movies have been made about Hachiko, making his fame even bigger.

While we feel sorry for Hachiko, who never got to see his human again, and could not have understood what had happened, we are also in awe of his devotion. This is true devotion to your human. Fortunately, most dogs never have to show such a deep devotion. If we had to, we hope we would, however. 

Kristallnacht

Eightyfive years ago, thugs in Germany following the policy of the German National Socialistic dictatorship of the time, destroyed a lot of Jewish property. The night has been named Kristallnacht. This is for the huge amounts of shattered glass from windows, which made the streets look like they were covered in crystals. It is hard for us dogs to fathom how evil humans can get. They can be even more evil in groups. 

In the present time, hatred against Jews is expressed more than usual. Now it is not Germans who express such hatred, but Islamists. Islamists have hated Jews for hundreds of years. I do not know why, but they have. They also believe dogs are filthy and bad. I wish they would change their views. I believe this would make the World a better place. May the commemoration of Kristallnacht help us to reach this goal. 

Biki

One of the Shibas bred by Paula and Daniel has passed away. His call name was Biki and he lived in Bergen in Norway. His mother was called April. 

I never knew Biki. He was born and raised here many years ago. I still feel for Paula and Daniel, they feel the loss of a dog bred by them. 

Rest in peace, Biki. 

Tilting the Head

Some human scientists have published a theory on why dogs tilt our heads. They claim it may be connected with concentration on a task at paw. This is interesting. 

We know ourselves why we tilt our heads, of course. I still do not want to ruin the further human scientific studies on the matter by telling you too much. It will be nice to see what further human research may come up with. Human science is interesting, though they do ot know quite as much about us dogs as they would like to think they do. 

Late Pastry

Paula and Daniel took some time today to go grocery shopping. When they returned home, Daniel had Gustavus Adolphus pastry. As I wrote yesterday, he could not get hold of any on the Gustavus Adolphus day. It is better late than never, however.

We got dog food rather late in the evening today. Again, it is better late than never. When you eat late, you do not feel hungry when it is time to sleep, so this is an advantage. 

No Pastry

Daniel was late business the Gustavus Adolphus pastry today. It is the 6 November and we would celebrate the Swedish national hero, King Gustavus II Adolphus. We had to dog without the special pastry, though. This does not matter much for us dogs, we rather eat meat or treats, but Daniel was disappointed. We hope it will be better next year. 

Candles for the Graves

It is a Swedish tradition to put candles on the graves of lost relatives this weekend. This is mostly done on the Saturday, but Paula was to tired yesterday. She and Daniel went to do this today instead. 

This is a fine tradition. We did not light candles for the late dogs, but our thoughts were with all of them, nevertheless. The memories of them are still with us. 

All Saints’

This weekend is when we celebrate All Saints’ Day. This is tomorrow, and All Saints’ Eve today. This day is actually on the 1 November, but it is celebrated on the following weekend in Sweden. 

We will commemorate all of the dogs who have lived here before us. Not just the ones we knew, but also those who passed away before we arrived. There have been many dogs here. It is sad that they are no longer with us, but we believe they are somewhere. Paula and Daniel have all of them in their memories. 

Thaw

The snow is gone again. We have had temperatures above the freezing point and quite a bit of rain. While I thought the snow would disappear quickly, this was even quicker than I had imagined. I guess we will have autumn for a while longer, before winter is here. 

A Little Snow

There is a little snow on the ground. Winter is coming. We have heard that this snow will melt, but the first snowof the season often does. There will probably soon be a permanent layer of snow. The Shibas always wanted a lot of snow. As Chihuahuas, Viola, Pepe, and I think a thin layer is enough. It is deep enough for us. We will see what happens. 

Halloween

It is Halloween today, which is celebrated by young people here in Sweden because they have been inspirerad by the Halloween holiday in America. America shares the North American continent with the State of Chihuahua in Mexico (and some other countries) and has a lot of trade and exchange with Mexico, so it is a decent country. 

A main feature of Halloween is to scare people a little. This is why there are so many skeletons, spiders, witches etc. around on Halloween. These things don’t scare me. Something which would scare me much more would be an empty food bowl when I am hungry. I am amazed none of the manufacturers of Halloween stuff has thought of this. As long as they haven’t, Halloween is just a little fun for me. 

Food Reserve

Paula did something new today. She gave us so much food that we could not eat it all, but let the food bowls stand on the kitchen floor. She said we can go and fetch food whenever we want. If this experiment is successful, she might continue with this practice. I like this, I hope we can keep up with this so the experiment turns into a new routine. We have to discuss this, among us dogs, to make sure it will turn out great. Keep reading this blog, and we will let you know, too. 

Great Result

The Rugby World Cup ended with gold to South Africa, silver to New Zealand, and bronze to England. This is the second biggest sports tournament after the Football World Cup. 

For us dogs at home, however, Paula’s result in the test that concluded her ring steward course was bigger. Paula passed. She will now just have to do some training at dog shows, then she will be a ring steward. We are all proud of Paula. 

Studies

We have all helped Paula in her studies to become a ring steward today. Daniel can help, since he is a ring steward already. Morran can help, since she is a Show Champion. Viola, Pepe, and I help as much as we can. We have all been bred by Show Judges, so we know some things about dog shows. 

Paula will surely succeed. She is good at theoretical studies and she has a long history of showing dogs at dog shows. 

The test is tomorrow. This is Viola’s name day, which must be a good omen. We believe Paula will make it. 

Good Bye, Laila!

Our dear, old Poodle friend Laila, SEUCH Smash JP Victorious Love, is no longer with us. Over the latest few days, she became very ill. She almost did not manage to do anything. Her time was out.

We will sorely miss Laila. She was a gentle and nice friend, who taught the younger ones of us a lot. Her love of the good life, good food, and good sleep may stand as an example for any dog. May she have a great afterlife, wherever she is. 

Test Questions

Paula worked with test questions for her course to become a ring steward. She was good at it. 

I would have helped, if I would have had experience from dog shows. Morran could help, however. She is a Swedish Show Champion, so she knows what it is all about. It turned out that Paula was good enough herself not to need any help. This is great. Paula will become a good ring steward, I believe. 

Hurricane

Acapulco on the Pacific coast of Mexico was hit by a hurricane today. The news reports say humans have been scared and property have been damaged.

I hope all dogs are safe and sound. 

Celebrations

We celebrated tonight. I will not tell you why, not yet. On Friday, the reason to celebrate will become more clear. Stay tuned! 

Darker Mornings

When the alarm clock goes of these days, it is dark as in the middle of the night outside. We get up and get out anyway. After this little tour outside, we can always go back to sleep again. We usually do. Daniel does not, he has to make himself ready for work. While it seems like his life is a little more exciting than mine, I would not want to trade, especially not when it is dark outside when you have to get up and get ready to leave. Dogs’ lives are rather good. 

Dogs in War

When humans go to war, there are always innocent casualties. Mostly, there is talk about the civilist humans. My concern is mostly for the dogs. Humans can understand what happens, dogs often don’t. 

I feel for the dogs who live in Gaza, that is the target for the Israeli attacks to defend Israel from the war started by Hamas, based in Gaza. However, if the Israelis were to take control of Gaza, I believe the situation for the dogs there would improve. Arabs as the majority who live in Gaza are notorious for their low regard for dogs. In the long run, this war may be good for the dogs in Gaza. 

Chicken

Paula and Daniel had chicken for lunch today. One of the chicken filets were cut into pieces and given to us dogs. This was a great meal. Saturdays are seldom as good as this. 

No Need for a Veterinarian

Paula had scheduled a time for an appointment with the veterinarian for Viola today. Viola seemed to feel better, however, so Paula called the veterinarian and asked for advice. Once Paula had explained the situation and that Viola felt better, the veterinarian thought there was no need for the appointment. They cancelled it. Viola was happy they did. Shetold me she felt better and she has never been fond of going to the vet. I guess this was just as well. 

Pieces of Sausage

Paula and Daniel had sausages for dinner. Paula did not finish her. Then Daniel cut the sausage up and put the plate on the kitchen floor. Pepe and I got there first. Sausages are always great. 

I wish we had sausages more often. 

Hundreds of Animals Rescued In Spain

Spanish police has rescued more than four hundred dogs and cats and arrested humans who held these animals in an illegal trading network. The animals have been held in poor conditions, many have been transported for long distances from East Europe in cramped quarters and without any regard for the health of the animals. A veterinarian in the network have signed documents to give false impressions that everything was fine. 

This is good news. We hope more illegal animal traders like this can also be arrested and more animals be rescued. There are, unfortunately, probably more networks like the one hit by Spanish police. 

Murderer Killed by Police

The terrorist who shot and murdered two Swedish citizens in Belgium yesterday night, was shot and killed by Belgian police today. He posed a threat to the police, who shot in self defence.

I do not mind much that the murderer died. It would have been better, however, if he would have been put on trial and sentenced to life for the murders. This would have been justice. 

Match Suspended

Sweden played Belgium tonight in the UEFA Euro qualifyers. The match is suspended, since two Swedish citizen dressed in Swedish football jerseys have been shot dead close to the football stadium in Belgium. The killer shouted ”Allah akbar”, which is a Muslim expression in Arabic.

We had hoped Sweden would win. Now the highest priority is that the murderer will be caught. 

Quarter Finals

Yesterday, Argentina won against Wales and New Zealand won against Ireland in the first two quarter finals. Today, the first European country went on, when England won against Fiji. In the fourth quarter final, France played the winner of last World Cup South Africa, and South Africa won. 

We live in Europe, so we said we would support the European teams. Now there is just one of them left. I guess we all have to hope for England in the semi final against South Africa and in the final that might come. 

Vacuum Cleaner

Daniel rain the vacuum cleaner throughout the house today. Viola is usually scared of it. I do not understand why you would be scared of a machine that Daniel controls. Viola is never scared of Daniel, but the sound of the vacuum cleaner still scares her, when he uses it. I am not scared. 

Totte In the Bed

It is seldom that the cats sleep in the bed with the rest of us. Totte has, however, chosen to do so several times this week. He says it is comfortable now that it is getting colder outside. I like Totte and there is definitely room for him in the bed. His body heat adds to the body heat of the rest of us. Nights are good in our bed. 

Sausages

Sausages are good food. We got some sausages for food today, together with ordinary dog food. I liked the sausages better than the dog food. We all did, I assume. 

Morran said sausages are from Germany, just like her breed, and this is why sausages are so good. I do not think anybody knows where sausages were invented, even though I know Germany is famous for its sausages. Morran is right that sausages are good, though. 

Course

The regional kennel club had a board meeting today. Paula did not participate, however, she attended her course to become a ring steward instead. It is an interesting course for all of us, who have the chance to listen in on it when she is at home and the course is taken via video meeting. 

When Daniel came home from the board meeting, he said all of the others had thought Paula made the right choice, when she took the course instead of participating in the board meeting. I agree. It is a good thing to study to become a ring steward. 

Frost in the Morning

For the second morning in a row, we have had frost on the ground in the morning. The temperature has been below the freezing point. Then it has become warmer in the day, in the sun. It is typically Swedish autumn weather. I have liked the afternoon weather better than that in the mornings. 

Chicken Stew

We got some chicken stew with rice to our food today. It is always great to get something extra like this. 

Laila said rice is originally from the part of the world where she was born. Her land of birth is Japan, but I am not sure rice is originally from Japan. Rice is quite good with chicken, nevertheless. 

Portugal Won, but Fiji Went On

Portugal won the final game in Pool C versus Fiji, but Fiji were good enough to get the points and the +/- to still be the runner up. Fiji, thus, go on to the quarter finals. Australia is out. 

I am not sure how they count in rugby. It is interesting that Fiji can get points, while losing the game, even though it was just by 23-24. It probably has to do with the close result. Kudos to Portugal for the win and to Fiji for advancing. Australia was just not good enough this year. 

No Quarter Final for Japan

For the Shibas we know and have known, and for Laila, who was born in Japan, we hoped Japan would win the last game of Pool D in the Rugby World Cup.

Japan played Argentina. Any of these teams that would have won, would have taken the second place in the pool after winner England. The winner and the runner up advances to the quarter finals. 

Unfortunately, Argentina had the strongest team today. Argentina won after a strong finish, 39-27. 

Laila says she will now root for France. She is a Poodle, so her breed is from France, and France won Pool A before New Zeeland. Pool B has one game left when I write this, but it is between the teams that have already lost the pool. Winner and runner up is Ireland and South Africa. In Pool C, Wales is the winner, Australia may be runner up, but the final game is between Fiji and the least successful team of the pool, Portugal. Fiji has one point less than Australia, so Fiji can be the runner up and get to the quarter final. This would be a huge blow to the 1991 and 1999 World Cup winner and 2015 World Cup finalist Australia, but you are never better than the current tournament results say you are. We will see what happens in the games to come. 

Sweets

Paula and Daniel went away today to look at Paula’s nephew Arvid run a race. After the race, they bought some sweets for Arvid and her sister Nadja. This was nicely done and the children deserved it. I am, however, a little disappointed that they did not buy any sweets to take home to us dogs. We watched the house while they were gone, but did not get any sweets. Life is nice, but it could have been sweeter. 

Colder

We have put on the heat in our house. This evening, it was just 3° outside. This does not really bother me or Pepe, who are long haired Chihuahuas. Viola is short haired, however, and complains a little. 

It is autumn, so the cold weather is no surprise. We will have to see when winter will come. 

Cinnamon Bun Day

In this house, we never celebrate Cinnamon Bun Day on the 4th of October. A legendary Shiba bitch called Linni was born on this day in 2001. She was the first Shiba of the family and though she never got any pups of her own, she is remebered as one of the founders of Aangenaam Shibas. Her tail was too curled to be an excellent Shiba tail, they should preferrably just lay in an arch across the back. A Shiba tail that is too curled is sometimes called a cinnamon bun tail, which is a derogatory statement. Thus, because of the legendary Linni and her cinnamon bun tail, we never celebrate Cinnamon Bun Day on her birthday.

May the legendary Linni rest in peace until the end of time. 

Reunification

It is the 3 October. This day is celebrated in Germany as the day for the latest German unification. It was in 1990, when the German Democratic Republic merged into the Federal Republic of Germany. The former was also called East Germany, while the Federal Republic was called West Germany until that day.

I understand the happiness of reunification. Sometimes, I wonder if Mexico – where Chihuahuas are from – and New Mexico will ever reunite. If this would happen, it would be a cause for celebrations for all Mexicans. 

Not Feeling Well

Paula did not feel well this evening. I felt sorry for her. Besides coming close, I could not do much. I often wish I could do more. 

Hopefully, Paula feels better tomorrow. 

Ham

Appart from our ordinary food, we got some slices of ham to eat today. Ham is great food. It is tasty and it is healthy. 

Apparently, there are people in the world who do not eat ham. They believe all pork is unfit for food. I have never understood why, but it might mean there is more ham left for the rest of us. If I had the chance, I would gladly eat more pork that these people would not want. 

Minced Meat

Paula made meatballs today. While she cooked, she gave us dogs minced meat. We all love it.

I wish we could have minced meat more often. It is so tasty, it is better than treats. 

The Roof

We had a visiter here today, who inspected the roof. The roof is old and our visitor said it needs to be remade. It would be better and look better if remade, but it the repair would also be quite expensive. Paula and Daniel will discuss how to take care of the cost. I wish I could help, but I do not have that kind of funds. We will see what happens. 

Rugby

The Rugby Union World Cup for men is played now. This is the second biggest sports tournament in the world, counted by how many people follow the games. Only the FIFA football World Cup for men is bigger. 

We are not sure what teams to hope for. Neither Sweden, nor Mexico, participate. Our Poodle friend Laila roots for Japan, where she was born, and France, home country of her breed. Our Affenpinscher friend Morran is as unsure as us. Her breed is from Germany, but Germany does not participate either. 

It is still a little interesting to follow the results, since the tournament is so big. 

On Line Course

Paula had an on line lesson in her ring steward course today. It was interesting for all of us to listen in and learn more about dog shows.

I think it would be interesting to go to a dog show some time. Both Laila and Morran have been to dog shows and become show champions. Laila says it is quite boring, though. It might not be my cup of tea either, but who knows before going to one. We will see what happens next year. 

Wordfeud

Paula and Daniel plays a game with each other on their mobile phones. It is called Wordfeud. I think they spend too much time with this game sometimes. It is not that I want them to stop playing, but there are times when they could spend time petting me instead. Then I think they make the wrong choice.

The game is fun, but I do not play with Paula or Daniel. It would not be fair to them that I would often win. 

Pepper Ham

We got some ham tonight, seasoned with pepper. Ham is good food regardless of how it is seasoned. This pepper ham was tasty too. 

There are days when we only get our ordinary dog food. I like it when we get other things as well, like the ham we got today. We have a good life every day, but with a little pepper seasoned ham, the day is spiced up. 

In the Lap

Daniel came home this afternoon. As soon as he sat down, Viola and I lied dopning his lap. It is great to have him back home. We regained our place in Daniel’s lap this way.

We have not seen any wolf again. This is good. At first, I wrote a bland blog entry for yesterday without mentioning the wolf. Then I changed my mind and rewrote all of it. I think this was better. Hopefully, the wolf will not come back. 

Wolf

We woke up in the middle of the night. All of us got out. There was a wolf outside the fence around our yard.

We are watchdogs, but we cannot take on a wolf. It was a good thing we have a fence.

The wolf had gone in the day. We had a slow Saturday without any wolf encounters. This was good. 

Pork

In Malmö town in the south of Sweden, they have a strange rule. This rule says that if the town buys food for its employees at a conference or the like, all food must be vegan or vegetarian. This makes me feel sorry for the vast majority of the employees, who have a normal diet and eat meat.

Recently, there was a mistake made at a conference with the town. The restaurant made a mistake and served meatballs made of pork, instead of vegan mock meatballs. In the news, it has been reported that this was very traumatic for the vegetarians, vegans, or the muslims among the employees, none of whom would eat pork if they had had a choice. I believe the news reporters should also interview some of the employees with normal eating habits. They must have been satisfied with the food. 

Pork is tasty and healthy food. I do not understand why anybody would chose not to eat it, even though I do respect their choices. At the same time, maybe someone acquired a taste for it through this mistake. There would be a happy news story worth reporting. 

Packing Bags

Daniel packed his bags again this evening. He will go away tomorrow and come back late on Sunday. It is an important meeting he is going to: Kennelfullmäktige, which is sort of the congress for the Swedish Kennel Club. This is the highest meeting of the Swedish Kennel Club, where a lot of decisions are made and the Board of the Swedish Kennel Club is elected. Daniel represents Örebro län Kennel Club, which s the regional kennel club where we live. We are proud of Daniel, even though we would rather see him at home. If he What’s to go away, Kennelfullmäktige is a legitimate cause. We wish him luck. 

Exploring More

I went out on an expedition to explore more of our property today as well. Paula did not like it. Yet, I always come when she asks me to.

It is interesting to see parts of the surroundings where you have seldom been. 

Around the Property

I am usually on high ground, close to our house. The road goes by a bit further down. This afternoon, I went there to get to know this part of our property better and make sure it is ours, so no other dogs trespass. 

Paula came down to get me. She did not like my initiative. I cannot always ask for permission, however. It is often better to ask for forgiveness later instead. I was forgiven, of course. 

Life is better with a little adventure now and then. 

Sushi

Paula brought home some sushi tonight. 

Polly always loved sushi. She said sushi was one of the dishes that proved Japanese food was the best.

I have to say I do not agree with Polly’s statement. I believe tacos and other Mexican food is better. Then again, taste is personal. 

Edges of Sausage Slices

Paula has never liked the outer edges of the sausage slices she puts on sandwiches. She pulls the edges off. Then she gives the edges to us dogs. She did it this afternoon again.

This is a habit of Paula that I really like. I like the edges of sausage slices. 

Paula herself told us today that she believes her habit of removing the edges of sausage slices is weird. I do not mind. As long as I get parts of the sausage edges, why would I think it is weird? On the contrary, I think Paula should keep up this habit. I hope she does. 

Unofficial Show

Paula and Daniel worked at an unofficial dog show today. Unofficial dog shows are not as important as official dog shows, but they are still important. 

There was good weather, a lot of dogs, and over all a show that went well. Meanwhile, I stayed at home, and enjoyed this. Life is good at home too. 

Fifty Years

Today is a flag flying day in Sweden, just this year. It is because the King has been King for fifty years today. 

Humans live much longer than dogs. Still, fifty years on the throne is a tremendous feat. I think it is only the Queen of Denmark who has been monarch for a longer time and still is monarch. She became Queen the year before our King became King.

Long live the King!

Late Magazine

We got the Shiba magazine for June in the mail today. It is crazy that it did not come earlier. It is September now. 

I do not blame the Shiba club. I believe it is the mail carrier that was at fault. There is nothing to do about this than complain. We just have to hope the next Shiba magazine will not be as late as the magazine from June. 

Autumn

It is getting colder outside. Leaves are becoming more yellow. Autumn is here.

Daniel says autumn is his favourite season. I do not agree. There will be less mosquitoes and ticks, but the colder weather is nothing positive for dogs from Mexico. We survive, of course, but summer feels better. It is not bad during autumn, but could be warmer. Life is good anyway. 

The Struggle to be Petted

Viola, Pepe, and I will sometimes struggle to be the closest to Paula or Daniel. It is a struggle to be petted the most. It is a friendly struggle, quite fun. I enjoy these struggles almost as much as I enjoy being petted, once I get ahead. Life is nice. 

A Little Cleaner

We cleaned a little in the house today. 

A cleaner house is nice. It is just sad that even though you do not do anything to make the house noticeable dirtier, it becomes dirty, nevertheless. I wish you could clean once and for all. 

Tick

Daniel took a tick tonight. This time, it was not on any of us dogs, but on himself. I am glad it was not on me. Ticks are nasty, useless creatures. I wish they would go extinct. 

Euro Qualifiers

Sweden played Estonia in Estonia in the qualification for next year's UEFA European Championship in football. I am not that interested in a qualifying game. However, the result was good. Sweden won with five goals to Estonia’s zero. You can never be dissatisfied with such a victory. Sweden is closer to the tournament thanks to this victory. 

Guarding Candy

We all got candy from Paula tonight. Pepe did not eat his piece of candy, though. He just guarded it. He told everyone off, if we came too close.

I am a little annoyed with this guarding behaviour. If you do not want to eat your candy, give it to someone who will. Then everything will be more calm and you do not have to be stressed for guarding it. 

If Pepe loses his guard, I will try to take the piece of candy. This will teach him. 

Birthday

Paula, Daniel, and I went over to Paula’s parents’ place. We celebrated the birthday of Paula’s mother.

It was nice to come along for the celebrations, if only for a while. After half of the celebrations, there was a break, and Daniel and I went home. Then Daniel returned, while I stayed at home. For me, this was the perfect mix of party and calm evening.

The celebrations were a success. 

At the Club House

This afternoon, I joined Paula and Daniel when they went to the club house for the Örebro län Kennel Club. We prepared for the board meeting and then they participated in the meeting. I was fortunate enough not to participate at the meeting. Board meetings are not fun, even though they are important. It feels good that I helped prepare for the meeting. 

New Office

Daniel has been at a new office for the first time today. He still has the same employer, but the employer has moved to a new office. It is brand new, cheaper than the former, and a little further away from our home. It remains to be seen how different it will feel, compared to the former. 

In the former office, dogs were not allowed. I believe it is the same in the new office. Whenever Daniel wants to work with dogs around, he can work from home. 

Staying at Home

Daniel was at home all day. He worked from home and he cancelled his participation in a meeting in the evening. This suited him, since he has had a cold for some days. It also suited us dogs, since we always love it when our humans are at home. 

Paula was away for a while in the evening. Since Daniel was at home, this was not such a big deal. 

Nicknames

Dogs often has to listen to more than one name, because our humans give us nicknames. This is a way for them to show their affection for us. One of the way for us to show our affection for them is to listen to all our nicknames. We will never, however, listen to one of our humans using the name or nickname of any of the other dogs of the family. 

Paula and Daniel have so many nicknames for us, they sometimes have to discuss the nicknames among themselves to make sure which nickname is for which dog. This is rather funny, but I appreciate the effort. 

Among my nicknames, I prefer the simple Piffy. 

Under the Covers

Viola is often sneaking in under the bed covers to sleep. I do not. She is a shorthaired Chihuahua, while I have the warmer longhaired variety of coat. I am warm enough as it is, I do not need the additional warmth of the bed covers. I believe the longhaired Chihuahua has a better coat than the shorthaired. Viola is a dear friend, I am sorry for her to freeze if she is not sleeping under the covers. My nights are good as they are. 

Loud Cat

Our cats are often silent, like cats are rumoured to be. Tonight, however, Malin was on the headboard of the bed and was very noisy. We barked at her. Paula and Daniel told us to shut up, because it was just our cat. We knew it was, we just barked at her to tell her to be quiet. 

Cat Co-authored Science Paper

Hello, Malin here!

As a domestic cat, I just wanted to point out that in 1975, a domestic cat, Chester, co-authored a scientific paper that has been cited many times. Cats can. 

No Camping For Us

Paula and I watched a show on TV where a family went camping. They would sleep in tents. This is nothing for us. If you go somewhere, you stay indoors when you sleep. Tents are for ringside at dog shows, not for sleeping. Civilisation is too precious for us to leave behind, unless we are forced to. 

Cold

It seems like Daniel has a cold. He is more tired than usual and coughs. He was at the city council today, but he is not in such a good mood that he usually is after a day at the city council. I hope he feels better tomorrow. Sleep often cures colds. 

Ticks

Paula removed some ticks today. We hope they are at the end of their season.

Tick bites hurt. How much we have ever discussed it, we have never been able to come up with any good aspects of ticks. If there is any species that humans may exterminate, if I were to decide, it is ticks. 

Political Meeting

The political autumn season has started. Daniel was away this evening to lead a meeting with people in our town from his political party. 

They often get sandwiches and coffee with these meetings, but today, there was just fruit and water. Rather cheap, if I may say so. On the other paw, there is enough food for Daniel at home. 

Redhead Festival

Malbec I should have been in Tilburg, in the south of the Netherlands, this weekend. They have an annual festival for redheads there. I am a red sobel Chihuahua, so I think I would fit right in. Red Shibas should also fit in.

On the other paw, neither Paula nor Daniel are redheads. Daniel have told me his father was a redhead, but this would hardly help. Thus, I would not have any human to accompany me there. Oh, well, it is nice to stay at home too. 

International Dog Day

Apparently, it is the International Dog Day today. Paula served us cheeseburgers thanks to this.

I am not very fond of the idea of a special dog day. I believe every day should be a dog day, and a human day. We are two species who have a civilisation together. Nevertheless, I thanked Paula very much for the cheeseburgers. 

Quiz

Paula and Daniel went away on a quiz night tonight. They came back and had not won, but were happy anyway. They did not do badly on the quiz, they said. 

I believe Paula and Daniel would have won, had I been on their quiz team. Alas, dogs were not allowed, probably because we would be an unfair advantage to our teams. Perhaps there will be another quiz in the future, when I can participate. 

A Little Cake

There was some leftover cake from Paula’s birthday. Daniel got a piece and all of us dogs got some. 

Cake is good, I can understand why humans love it. I would prefer something like minced meat, but if you are served cake, you are grateful. 

I look forward to the next time we have a birthday celebration. 

Birthday

We celebrated Paula’s birthday today. Everyone got good things to eat. Birthday celebrations are great. 

The rule of thumb is that dogs live one year for seven human years. I believe we should, therefore, have birthday celebrations seven times a year. This would only be fair. 

Happy birthday, Paula! You are worth all the celebrations you can have. 

Toto Cutugno Has Passed

Hello, Pepe here!

When you have a name like Pepe, you feel akin to people with similar names. Toto Cutugno, who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1990, just had Toto as a nickname. His real first name was Salvatore. Then again, Pepe is just my nickname. My real name is Skabona And No Messing. 

Toto Cutugno passed away today. May he rest in peace. 

Ice Cream

Hello, Viola here!

Paula and Daniel had ice cream for dessert tonight. I also got some. It was great. I ate so quickly that I got seconds and thirds from Daniel. He is a nice human. 

Non-return Valve

A plumber was here today, changing the non-return valve deep down in the well. The old valve had broken down, so the pump had to work constantly to keep the pressure up. We cannot have it like this. The pump is not built for this and it consumes too much energy. It was nice to have the valve changed. 

Spanish Gold

Spain won the final of the FIFA Ladies’ World Cup in football. England got the silver. 

We Chihuahuas rooted for Spain. They speak the same language as in our native Mexico, so there is this connection. 

Daniel rooted for England, because England is the home country of football and he likes England in other ways as well. He likes Spain too, but it is more fun to follow a game if you root for one of the teams. 

There will be more interesting sports tournaments in the future. 

Bronze

The Swedish team won the bronze game in the FIFA Ladies’ World Cup in Football. We are happy Sweden won against Australia. 

It would have been better to get to the final, playing for the gold medals, but Sweden is still one of the best countries in ladies’ football. 

Australia also got the best result ever in a World Cup. Within time, they can also be happy for this result. 

No Rain

It has not rained for two days. With the huge amounts of rain we have had, almost every day for weeks, this is new. Now I hope it will be no more rain for a while.

The lawn needs to be mowed and this may be done tomorrow if it is dry enough. I hope it will be. 

Reintroducing Wildlife

Water voles have been reintroduced in the Lake District in England. The species has been almost extinct in the country, but humans have bred a lot of them and are now reintroducing them into the wild.

This is a great thing for a wild species of mammals. There are few species who have the luck of dogs and humans to be part of civilisation, with all the perks that this bring us. Most species are adapted to the wild. Chihuahuas could too, of course, but we are so devoted to our humans that we do not want to. It is still nice that wild species like water voles can get help and be reintroduced like this. 

Days Can Go By So Fast

We all had a day off today, with summer vacations. This meant that we could sleep until late. Then there was mostly soft things to do. You would think a day like this would feel long, but it did not. It is suddenly evening again. 

I hope tomorrow will feel like a longer day. 

Loss

Sweden lost the semi final in the FIFA World Cup to Spain, 1–2. The Spanish team made a better game and won fairly, though we would have liked Sweden to win. 

The Swedish team will play for the bronze medals on Saturday. I hope they win. 

Epilogue

Paula and Daniel have been away today as well to work with the dog show that took place the past weekend. I did not realise that there were so much work to do after the show, just like before it. The show went very well, Paula and Daniel have told us. I am glad it did, it means the work they do get good results. 

Back Home

Paula and Daniel have been away a lot this weekend. They worked at a dog show in Askersund, which is an important thing to work with. They are back home now. It is always better when everyone is at home. Life is better now. 

No Time

 Tonight, I have no time to write more than this 

Another Swedish Victory

Sweden won the quarter final versus Japan in the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Our Poodle friend Laila, who was born in Japan, was a little disappointed. She also pointed out that Hailey and Polly, creator and former owner of this blog, would also have been a little disappointed. They were Shibas, thus, of a Japanese breed, so I have to agree with Laila. While we are glad that Sweden won, for the sake of Hailey, Polly, and other Shibas we know, we are sorry that Japan is out of the tournament. In a knock out phase of a tournament, this is inevitable, one team has to lose for the other to win.

We can still be sure that Hailey and Polly would have wanted the best possible result for Sweden in the rest of the World Cup. Next opponent is Spain, another exciting game. We root for Sweden in this game. 

Packing a Bag

Pepe will go away for the weekend, so he has packed a bag with the essentials. There is food, a bowl for the food, a bowl for the water. Who needs more? He also has his passport, not to go abroad, but to be able to come in at a dog show that he will visit. It will be an adventure for him, but I am pleased to be able to stay at home. I like the peace and quiet at home, where everything is as it usually is. 

A Little Late Celebrations

Yesterday was the International Cat Day. Paula bought some luxury cat food for our cats Malin and Totte. However, they were outdoors the whole afternoon and night. Paula gave them the luxury cat food today instead. They loved it, Malin almost so much that she tried to steal Totte’s food. 

Our cats are good friends and guard our house against mice. They deserve to be celebrated. It was quite alright to do it a little late, today. Better late than never. 

Derailed Train

The huge amounts of rain has caused a train to derail outside of Hudiksvall, further north than us in Sweden. The rain had caused the foundation for the rail to be too instable. Fortunately, there were just minor injuries and just on some of the passengers. I still would not have wanted to go by this train. All passengers were evacuated, so they had to go out in the rain, and everybody was delayed. It feels good to stay at home instead. 

Calm Monday Morning

It is Monday, but we did not wake up to the alarm clock. Both Daniel and Paula are off from work. This is the joys of summer vacations. 

The weather is still rainy and dull. It was not as much rain today as yesterday, but some. This is the downside of summer vacations, but we have had a nice time indoors, nevertheless. 

Sweden Won

Sweden won in the World Cup and went on to the quarter finals. 

As decendants from Mexico, the other Chihuahuas and I were a little extra happy. The loser was the USA, which beat Mexico in a war in the 19th century, appropriating a huge part of what was Mexican territory up to that war. The Mexican parts of us can, thus, have a little schadenfreude that the USA did not win. We do not hold any grudge against the USA, but we may root for others in sports. 

Japan Carries the Day

Japan won its first game in the knock out stage of the FIFA World Cup versus Norway, 3–1. 

Hailey, creator of this blog, and my dear late friend Polly, would have enjoyed this. Their Japanese roots made them root for Japan. 

Laila, our Poodle friend who was born in Japan, likes it.

If Sweden wins its next game versus the United States tomorrow, Sweden will face Japan in one of the quarter finals. Laila says she will still root for Japan and that the Shibas would have, too. I will root for Sweden. We will see what happens. 

Bus Crash

Polly often wrote about news from Japanin this blog. Since I am not the owner of the blog, but just the care taker until a decendant of Polly can take over, I thought I might try to do the same. News from Mexico is still more interesting for me personally, since Chihuahuas are from Mexico, just like Shibas are from Japan.

In a place close to the Mexican Pacific coast, a bus crashed yesterday. Fifteen humans died. Just like Polly would have done, I question if any dogs were among the casualties and how things will turn out for dogs whose humans were on this bus.

It is a pity that news like this hardly ever tell you whether any dogs were involved. This seems to be the same regardless of the country the news are from, whether it is Mexico, Japan, Sweden, or any other country. I will continue Polly’s critique of this. 

Rain, Rain, Rain

It has been raining a lot today. In the evening, when we usually go out for the night, it is pouring. We don’t know if we should go out quickly anyway or just wait. I guess I will write my daily blog entry before we go out, anyway. It is not that I think the weather will change while I write it, but at least it gives me a small opportunity to delay going out. Summers can be rainy, this is one such summer. Life is still nice indoors. 

Won the Group

After three consecutive victories, Sweden won its group in the FIFA World Cup and went on to the final sixteen. There, Sweden will face the USA. While the USA came second in its group, it is a great womens’ football team and the game will not be an easy victory for Sweden. Indeed, there is a huge risk that Sweden will lose it. The game will surely be exciting. It will be played on Sunday and we will probably watch it on TV, unless, perhaps, the suspense gets to big. 

Eating Out

We got food on the deck outside today. It is nice to eat outdoors in the summer. The air is fresh and warm, and it adds to the experience of the food. 

In the winter, I rather eat indoors, but in the summer, eating out is a great thing. 

Raising Funds for a Dog Statue

In Hertfordshire in England, a fundraising has started with the aim to raise a statue of a late former police dog. The dog, a German Shepherd, was injuried while saving the human police officer he worked with. He was cured from his injuries and resumed his job, until he later retired. 

This is a good cause for a statue. If I lived in Hertfordshire, I would contribute to the statue. 

Another Second Place

Mexican Formula 1 driver Sergio Perez came second in today’s Belgian Grand Prix. We were a little disappointed, because he started in front of his team mate, but was overtaken. They have equal cars, but I regret to say Morran is probably right when she says Max Verstappen is just a better driver. Perez is still second in the standings, which is not bad. 

5–0

Sweden won against Italy, 5–0, in the FIFA football World Cup for ladies. Pepe said it would have been a more meaningful victory if it would have been in the gents’ World Cup. I guess he is right in the way that Italy is normally much stronger than Sweden in gents’ football, while Sweden is stronger in ladies’ football. Pepe said the gents’ World Cup is also more important, but I do not agree. This is as if you would say dogs’ classes are more important than bitches’ classes at dog competitions, and everybody knows this is not the case, they are equally important. Oh, well, Pepe was as happy as the rest of us for the victory, anyway. At least he said he was. 

Ring Stewards

Daniel is responsible for hiring ring stewards to the dog show in Askersund in two weeks. He is now done with it and have told the others who help administrate the show about this. As long as nobody has to cancel with short notice, this is it until the show starts. I can understand that it feels nice to be done with it. 

Preparations

Except for work, Paula and Daniel spent a lot of time preparing for the dog show in a few weeks. I got to go with them to the club house, where we went through the materials necessary for the ring stewards. A lot of the necessary things were there, but some had to be added and other things will have to be purchased.

There is a lot of things to do. I had never imagine it was quite this much. The show will certainly be a success. 

An Important Meeting

Paula and Daniel were away on an important meeting tonight. It was about the upcoming annual dog show in Askersund, that they help administrate. When this is the reason for them not to be at home, we cannot blame them. We watch the house in the meantime. As soon as they were back, everything was just as good as usual. 

Colombia Won

Pepe, Viola, and I have one important thing in common with Paula. We all have Latin American roots. While every Chihuahua has roots in Mexico, Paula was born in Colombia. It is not very far between these countries, Colombia is just a bit further south east. 

Colombia played South Korea in the World Cup today, and won 2–0. Paula is happy about it, and so are the rest of us, because we also root for Colombia because Paula does. Besides, Mexico failed to qualify for this World Cup. 

We will have to see what happens if Colombia will face Sweden in the knock out matches. 

Long Hours

It is interesting to note an article about long working hours for humans. As a watch dog and as a pet dog, I am on duty around the clock. My predecessors as bloggers noted the same thing once in a while. Why do articles like this never mention the long hours of dogs? It is not that we dogs complain, we love what we do for our humans as much as we love them, but it would be nice if our long hours would be recognised. 

A Mexican in Second Place

Mexican Formula 1 driver Sergio Perez did a good race today, the Hungarian GP, becoming third in the end. He is still second over all. The leader is his team mate Max Verstappen, who leads by so much that he will certainly become the world champion this year as well as the last. Perez may still end second.

In the football World Cup, Sweden beat South Africa, 2–1. The final goal was scored just in the end of the game, so it felt unnecessarily exciting for a long time. 

Over all, it was a decent day of sports results. 

Polly and Hailey Would Have Liked It

Japan played Zambia in the football World Cup, and won 5–0. Polly, who rain this blog before me, and her mother Hailey, who started it, would have loved this result. As Shibas, they always rooted for the home country of their breed, Japan. They would also have liked that Denmark beat China, 1–0. Denmark is Sweden’s neighbour and friend, while China is a dictatorship with a culture where many humans are cruel to dogs. I have to say I also liked the results, even though I do not have as strong opinions on the matter of many countries as Polly had. I believe Hailey had about the same strong opinions as Polly. 

Sweden will play tomorrow. Then we will root for Sweden. 

Ladies’ World Cup

Both Hailey and Polly used to write about the FIFA Football World Cup. There is another one that has just started, but it is the ladies’ World Cup. There are not as many humans who follow this World Cup, as far as I can understand because the ladies do not play quite as well as the gentlemen. The games can be interesting, nevertheless, such as when New Zeeland beat favourite Norway.

I believe that if there would be football World Cups for canines, the bitches would play better than the dogs. 

New Internet Connection

We have had some trouble with the router and its connection to the Internet. A new SIM card arrived today from the Internet provider. They were the ones at fault, but it seems to work properly now. This is good, now we get what we pay for. 

The Internet connection is important. Without it, Daniel cannot work from home. We all like it when he does. The Internet connection is also good to have when we write blogs et cetera. Now life is easier. 

Saved At Sea

A dog and her human were saved by Mexican fishermen after spending a long time on their storm damaged boat far out in the Pacific Ocean. Here is a short video about the rescue. The human says his dog is much braver than he is. It is a sweet story. 

Waffles

There is a Waffle Day on the 25 March every year, but you can eat waffles any day. We had waffles today.

One might think a meal of waffles does not fit on a day in the middle of summer, but it fits very well. Waffles are great food any time. 

Local Rainfall

It was raining here at home in the afternoon, but we talked to Daniel over the telephone. He was at the office, which is in the centre of the town about 5 km from here. It was not raining there.

Rain can be very local. This is quite interesting. I had never thought about how close you can be, and have rain in one spot, but no rain in the other. It is still logical that it can be this way, so I would not say I am surprised. 

When Selfies Go Too Far

A spectator at the Tour de France bicycle race held his mobile telephone too far into the raceway, knocking a cyclist over and causing about twenty cyclists to crash. This is dangerous, it is unsportsmanlike behaviour, there is no excuse forint in my mind. 

On dog shows, you are not allowed inside the ring when dogs are judged, unless it is your turn to be judged. This is despite that such an infringement would not be as dangerous, because the dogs do not run fast in the ring, like cyclists in a bicycle race.

I hope people are cautioned by this. 

A Volvo Has Lost an Item

When Daniel came inside, he told us he had found something on the ground when he mowed the lawn. It was a metal sign saying VOLVO. Daniel says it is likely a Volvo car that has lost this on the road outside us. Somehow, it must have found its way onto our lawn. 

Neither Paula nor Daniel has ever owned a Volvo. Now Daniel has a Volvo sign, nevertheless. I wonder what he will do with it. Time might tell. 

Strange Celebrations

There are posts around on social media where Swedes State they celebrate the French national holiday today. This is a little odd, if you consider that Sweden was against the revolution, Swedes tried to save the French royal family, Sweden fought France and her allies in the Napoleonic Wars that followed, and lost Finland because of it. 

I would rather celebrate the birthday of Crown Princess Victoria today. 

Hundreds of Golden Retrievers

In an event to celebrate that it is 155 years ago the first recorded litter of Golden Retrievers were born in Scotland, hundreds of Golden Retrievers have gathered there with their humans. 

It is amazing to have a fixed historic starting point of your breed. We do not have this for Chihuahuas. Polly used to say she was proud that the origin of Shibas were so old they could be the oldest breed ever. Chihuahuas also have an origin before things like this was recorded. Nevertheless, I congratulate Golden Retrievers for their jubilee. It must have ben fun to be there. 

Floods After Heavy Rain

We may complain that it has rained a lot lately in Sweden, but it is nothing compared to what happened in Kurume, a town on the southern Japanese island Kyushu. The recorded rainfall was 402.5 millimetres. This is much more than the 30 millimetres we noted in our rain gauge the other week. Floods have followed the rain and there has even been some deaths due to it. This is not even a record for Japan. While rain is usually good, there can be too much of it. I hope we do not get such heavy rains here. 

Strange Error Message

Paula got a strange error message today. It said she had no surf pot left. We have a service that gives us unlimited surf. As if this was not strange enough, in a little while, the surf worked properly again.

Why did Paula get the error message? Why did it disappear again? Life is full of mysteries. 

Great Food

Whenever we got minced meat and Polly was in charge of this blog, she used to praise the food. You had to watch your piece of minced meat for her, otherwise, she ate it quickly. I came to think of Polly tonight, because we got some minced meat. It really is great food. I hope Polly gets a lot of minced meat in Heaven. 

Not Good Enough

Mexican Formula 1 driver Sergio Perez did climb from storting position 15 to finish sixth in today’s British Grand Prix. If he had made a better result in the qualification, he could have finished much better. This is not good enough, we believe. Perez’ team mate Max Verstappen won and is worthy of leading the Championship. All of us Chihuahuas were disappointed, we want the driver from the home country of our breed to win, but he was far from it. How could it become better? Unfortunately, we do not know. 

Terrible Qualification

Viola, Pepe, and I root for the Mexican driver in Formula 1, Sergio Perez. We are of a Mexican dog breed, so this seems natural. Sergio Perez also drives for Red Bull, which has the best car on the grid. Nevertheless, he made a terrible result in the qualification today for the British Grand Prix tomorrow. He did not even go on from the first qualification round. You can blame the difficult weather with constant changes between rain and a dry track. This is no excuse, when Sergio Perez has the best car and every driver faces the same weather. It is even far from the first terrible qualification of Sergio Perez. The other Red Bull driver, reigning World Champion Max Verstappen, got the best result and will start from pole position tomorrow. We are deeply disappointed with the Mexican driver. 

Heavy Rain

Daniel wanted us to go out in the late afternoon. It is just that rain was really pouring down at the time. We told him we could stay indoors for a little longer, so he let us. 

Rain may be good for nature, but if I can chose, I stay indoors when there is heavy rain falling. I wish it can be a lot of rain in the night, and no rain tomorrow during the day. 

In the rain, none of us were interested in leaving the yard, like Pepe did yesterday for a while. We just wanted to get indoors again. 

Open Gate

The second time we went outside this morning, the gate from our dog yard was open. Pepe ran out to watch the rest of our land. There is a stretch of land between the house and the road, but Pepe ran down to the road. This is where Daniel later fetched him. 

Indoors, later, I asked Pepe what he did, when he got down to the road. He said he secured the property from intruders. It is not that we often have intruders, rather the opposite, actually. Pepe like to claim this is to a large part thanks to him. Chihuahuas like us are watch dogs. So are Shibas, by the way. I still do not think Pepe is a large contributor to the fact that we almost never have intruders. I play a greater part myself, I believe. 

Mums-Mums

Paula and Daniel were upset today. A classic pastry, Mums-Mums, will go out of production. Apparently, there is not enough demand for it.

I have never had Mums-Mums. There is a chocolate topping on it, and chocolate is said to be poisonous for dogs. This does not mean I cannot feel for my humans. I know what it is like to love a special kind of food. 

For Paula’s and Daniel’s sake, I hope the manufacturer of Mums-Mums changes its decision and continues to produce Mums-Mums. There must be more humans who would also like this to happen. They all need to buy more Mums-Mums, to show that there is demand for it. 

Tacos

Paula and Daniel had the Swedish take on Mexican food today, tacos. Some of the minced meat went to us dogs, which was great.

Rumour has it, tacos is much better in Mexico. It should be, since it comes from Mexico. Since I have never been in Mexico, I do not really know. I can imagine, though. Chihuahuas are from Mexico, so many other Mexican things are probably great as well. 

So Much Rain

We really got a lot of rain today. It was as if all of the rain of June was saved until the 3 July. The rain gauge got full in four hours before lunch, this is more than 30 millimetres of rain.

Nature needs it, we did not have to go out in it, so we are happy about it. Rain is good, when you can stay indoors. 

Could Orkney Islands Become Norwegian Again?

A motion will be discussed by the Orkney Council on Tuesday on different forms of governance for the islands. The islands are now part of Scotland in the United Kingdom, but the motion is to see whether this can change. One of the proposals is to make the islands a Crown Dependency, like Guernsey, Jersey, and the Isle of Man. Another is to make it a dependency of Norway again, which it was for many centuries until 1472.

The Orkney Islands lie a little north of the north coast of Scotland. I believe it is less well known than the Shetland Islands, which lies further north, and which has the dog breed Shetland Sheepdog named after it. The Shetland Islands were also Norwegian until 1472.

It will be interesting to see the result of the discussions. National borders are never fixed for all time, it is fun when something changes. 

Potatoes

Potatoes for dinner, and I am reminded of the fact that potatoes come from the Americas, just like us Chihuahuas do. 

Polly was proud of food from Japan, where Shibas are from. She used to raise this issue when sushi was served. Sushi is great food, I can understand her pride, but potatoes are more spread around the world and come in many more forms. Can you compare them? Perhaps not, but both are food for thought. 

Rain

The Wi-Fi works again. This is convenient.

We had rain today, for the first time in many days. Nature needs it. Polly also used to point out how we need it, since we get water from our own well. Then you can take that it is a little inconvenient to go out when rain is falling from the sky. 

The forecast for the weekend is updated, it looks like we may have rain tomorrow and the day after tomorrow as well. This would be good, so I hope it will be so. 

Broken Wi-Fi

Our Wi-Fi does not work.

Daniel called our Internet provider and had to wait for a long time before anybody answered. After a short diskussion, the person at the Internet provider believed the SIM card in the router did not work. He asked Daniel to check the SIM card in his telephone. Meanwhile, he would send a text message to Daniel’s telephone which would tell him how to bypass the queue. Daniel tested the SIM card and it turned out it did not work, as predicted. He switched back to the ordinary SIM card for his telephone, but never got the promised text message. Eventually, he called back, but the support service had just closed for the day. 

It is fortunate that we can reach the Internet by other means, even though it takes longer time without Wi-Fi. We hope we can solve the matter tomorrow. 

Tropical Night

When the outdoor temperature is never below 20° C in Sweden, we call it a tropical night. We do live far away from the tropics, but it is still so warm that we call it tropical. The forecast for this night is that it will be a tropical night. I hope everyone can sleep well despite the heat. I do not think it is troublesome for us Chihuahuas, Mexican as we are. We can tell tomorrow. 

Returned

Paula came back home this afternoon. We have missed her. Life has pretty much returned to normal now that she is home.

I still miss Polly, though. Polly will not return, I know, but I wish she would. 

Bugs

Bugs are bugging me, when we are outdoors. Why do they have to bug us? Couldn’t they just leave us alone?

I am even more annoyed with mosquitoes, but I can understand them. They want to eat our blood. The bugs, I do not understand, they are just annoying. 

Perhaps it is like Pepe says: life is not meant to be understood, it is meant to be enjoyed. Then the question is still: how do you enjoy bugs bugging you? 

Home Again

We are back home again. Daniel came and picked us up in the middle of the day. It was nice to see him.

It has been a fun week away, but there is no place like home. Now we can play and sleep where we use to. We can also socialise with our cat friends Malin and Totte. It was nice to see them again, and the feeling was mutual. Cats are nice. 

Civil War?

The big news today is the Russian forces (”the Wagner group”) turning against Russia, but quickly giving up, as it seems. For a while, it seemed like there would be a civil war in Russia.

I do not think the risk of fights between Russian forces is over. The Russian war on Ukraine does not go as planned. An unsuccessful war may make the people who wage war turn on each other. 

We will have to see what happens. Hopefully, there will be peace soon, but I would not think so. 

Midsummer

Happy midsummer, everyone!

This is one of the foremost holidays in Sweden. Some would like it to be our national holiday, but it is not. It is fun, nevertheless.

No Break

A few days ago, I wrote about my thoughts on taking a break from this blog. Obviously, I never did. I just went on writing it. When I spent a lot of time to come up with something to write about today, I had some regrets that I did not take a break. I guess I will just keep up the daily blog as it is. This is in the spirit of the former bloggers, so it cannot be wrong. The daily blog will still be daily. 

Short Night

It is the shortest night of the year, the summer solstice. It is very little darkness outside. We can sleep anyway. 

Humans in Sweden celebrate the summer solstice on the evening of the Friday closest to the solstice. This is a little strange. If you want to celebrate an astronomical event, why don’t celebrate it on the very night it occurs? It has something to do with the human work week, but I still think it is a little strange. 

No Goals

Sweden did not reach its goals in the Euro qualifyers in football tonight. The Swedish team played against Austria in Austria, and Austria won, 2–0. Sweden will now have a hard time to reach the tournament. We are really disappointed. 

New?

I read this article about a ”new” species of dinosaur found on Isle of Wight, England. Of course, the species was not new. It is estmated to have lived about 145 to 66 million years ago. This is no new species of dinosaur. It is a newly found species, but it is not new, is it? Humans use their languages in curious ways sometimes. 

Kind Humans

The humans where we stay for now are nice. They also think we are nice. Over all, it is nice here. Life is good. 

Köping

On a vacation outside of Köping. It is great. 

Considering a Summer Break

This is supposed to be a daily blog, even though I never made the decision that it is. It is harder than I anticipated to come up with something to write about every day. Indeed, I missed out on writing in the blog yesterday. 

Now I am considering a break from the blog for a while. We can call it a summer break. I would not write anything in the blog for at least a week, I believe. 

Viola objected to my plan. I told her she could write in the blog in my absence, but she refused. Then I told her I did not like that she objected. 

We will see what happens. I have not made up my mind just yet, but I wanted to warn the readers that there may come several days without any blog posts. Stay tuned, and you will see. 

I Got Away

Daniel cut the claws of Morran tonight. She needed it. Even though she did not like the process, she was pleased to have shorter claws when it was done.

I got away from having my claws cut. Daniel agreed with me that my claws were not so long that it was urgent to cut them. I am happy for this. 

Claws

Daniel cut the claws of Laila and Pepe tonight. He also cut one of my claws, but then he got interrupted by a telephone call. After the call, he must have forgotten about my claws, so I got away with just a single newly cut claw. This was a relief. I hate having my claws cut. They are not that long, so I really think it was unnecessary to cut them. I hope Daniel does not make another attempt to ut my claws tomorrow. 

Paula Is Not At Home

Paula is not at home tonight. She will call later to tell us the latest update, so we may know when she will come back home.

I hope Paula is doing well and will come back home soon. We are missing her. 

Stolen Dog Returned

A French Bulldog who was stolen in England has been returned to her humans. There was a burglary where the dog lived and she was among the things stolen.

I am happy the French Bulldog could be returned. It went quickly as well, thanks to people who helped when the police made a public appeal. Two people have also been arrested on suspicion of burglary. It is good when crimes can be solved quickly, especially when it concerns dogs. 

Close Cropped Lawn

Daniel mowed the lawn today. We have a big lot, thus, a big lawn. 

A well kept lawn is good to keep us from getting ticks. It is evenmore important for small dogs like us Chihuahuas, than it is for Shibas and other bigger dogs. I like it when the lawn is newly cropped.

I know Polly liked when the lawn was newly mowed as well. I hope the lawns are, where she is now. 

A Week Ago

It has been a week since Polly left us. We will always remember her. It was a day when we thought a lot about her. We all comforted each other. We are lucky to have each other, to share the sorrow. 

Polly is probably in a better place now. 

Looking for the Mobile Telephone

Once again this evening, Paula was looking for her mobile telephone. It is so mobile, apparently, that it leaves her. She loses the telephone quite often. Granted, she often finds it quickly, tonight more than ever. She hardly had time to complain that she could not find it, before she did find it. I am glad she did, so she could stop complaining. Now everything is fine again and Paula is her usual, lovable self. 

Somewhat Late

Daniel was late tonight, he did not come home until after seven. He had a meeting in the evening. There are times when he comes home even later, but this does not make his arrival home any better tonight. It is as Polly often wrote in this blog: it would be better if both Paula and Daniel were at home most of the time. We understand that they have to make a living away from home, but nevertheless, life could be better. 

Sold an Old Car

We have had an old Chrysler Grand Voyager standing in our yard. I have never travelled in it. The brakes have not been fully functional. Today, Daniel sold it. There was another human who came here, payed a little for buying it, and went away with it. Daniel says it used to be a good car, but he is glad to be rid of it now. It was a good trade, I believe. 

Spelling

Viola and I had a debate on how I spelled ”mosquitoes” in the blog post of yesterday. Viola asked why I did not spell it ”mosquitos”. We checked it out and this turned out to be the correct spelling in Spanish. Spanish is the Chihuahua language, since it is the language of Mexico, where we are from. However, this blog is written in English from the start and it will continue to be written in English. The correct spelling in English is ”mosquitoes”. This is how it will be. 

Mosquitoes

We had the window open in the bedroom, before going to bed. Some mosquitoes took the liberty to fly inside. They are annoying. The sound of them is disturbing. If they bite, it itches. 

Some birds eat a lot of mosquitoes. We would not want such a bird inside the bedroom, but if we had one outside the window, it would have been great. You cannot get anything, though. 

New To This

It is with considerable awe of my predecessors, and no small amount of nervousness, that I write this blog post. I will do my best to keep up with the legendary Hailey and my late friend Polly, to take good care of their blog.

This blog is written in English. This is not my first language. My mother taught me Swedish, Icelandic, and some Spanish, the language of my Mexican breed. Still, English is an international language among dogs, as well as among humans. Modern dog breeding had its origin in England, English is the most common of the four official languages of the FCI, and we do learn it. Polly has also taught me a great deal. I hope I will not make anyone disappointed with the language. 

We will have to see what I can write about. I will try to write in the style of Hailey and Polly. Laila, Morran, Viola, and Pepe have all said they may help me, for which I am grateful. 

Stay tuned, please!

Rest In Peace

Polly

SEUCH Aangenaam Full Moon Eclipse

* 19 February 2010

+ 2 June 2023

Rest in peace, dear friend! 

This blog will be cared for by Polly’s Chihuahua friend Piffy, until a descendant of Polly is able to take over. 

Meat Sauce

There was meat sauce for dinner tonight. I got to clean the plan, where Daniel had cooked the meat sauce. 

Daniel has told me meat sauce and spaghetti is his favourite dish. I can understand him, meat sauce is very tasty. A few things may be tastier in my mind, but just a few things. Even though I have not had such a good apetite lately, I finished everything in the pan. 

X Ray

We talked about my granddaughter Honey today. She must have her hips x rayed, so we can know for sure she has good hips. When this is done, and she will most probably have a good result, she will be able to get pups.

It is very satisfying to have pups. It is also a continuance of the life, to future generations. I hope Honey will get many pups. She will certainly enjoy it. 

We have to make an appointment with the vet for the X ray examination. This can be done soon. I hope all will go well. 

I would like for Honey to inherit this blog. Since she does not live here, she has never tried. It might be that Piffy will take care of the blog in trust for Honey. 

Tired

We have nice and sunny spring days, but I feel too tired to truly enjoy it. This morning, I jumped down from the sofa, but I sort of missed the floor with my paws, falling on my belly. I cannot run around with the younger dogs. I see their happiness, I recognise it, but I cannot fully participate in it. It is nice to lay down to rest, though. 

Japanese History

Paula and I watched a documentary about a part of Japanese history, in the 16th century. It is always nice to learn more about Japan. I just wish they would say more about dogs, especially Shibas. We are an essential part of Japanese history. 

The Medals

Canada can never be underestimated in ice hockey. It is their sport from the beginning, after all. Team Canada beat Germany in the final.

Earlier in the day, Latvia beat the USA in the bronze game. 

Both the Germans and the Latvians are to be congratulated. These teams both exceeded the expectations. Germany has not won medals in the World Championship for a long time, and silver is a great result. Latvia has never before been in a medal game, their bronze is historical. 

I just wish Sweden would have made a better tournament. 

Morran Is Happy

Our Affenpinscher friend Morran roots for Germany in the IIHF World Championship in ice hockey. Her breed is German, so this is where her roots are.

Tonight, Morran is happy. Germany has advanced to the final of the World Championship for the very first time. They beat the USA in overtime, 4-3. In the final, the Germans will face Canada. This is not an easy opponent, but Germany has a chance to win, nevertheless. Either way, a silver would be a great result for Germany as well. For Morran’s sake, anyway, we will all root for Germany tomorrow. 

Go, Germany!

Long Time to Finish

Humans live longer than dogs. This is more evident in some cases than others. In British Columbia in Canada, a man has finished a university degree after 54 years. This is many generations worth of dogs. 

University degrees can be compared to champion titles for dogs. I finished my own Swedish Show Championship on three consecutive shows, so I was fast. I would not want to wait for 54 years, not even if recalculated to dog years, in which case it would be a little less than eight years. I guess it is still nice to finish unfinished business. 

Latvia Beat Sweden

In the IIHF World Championship in ice hockey, Sweden played Latvia in the quarter final, and lost. 

Sweden would normally be seen as the better team. This does not help, when the Swedes do not score more than one goal on really many chances. Latvia played well enough and score med more goals on fewer chances. It is the number of goals that counts. 

Congratulations to Latvia. 

Dogs to Help University Students

At the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, they have a new way of helping students come with anxiety and stress. They let dogs take care of the students, through a programme called Paws on Campus. 

This is good news and similar to when dogs are taking part in the care of the elderly or ill. I think it is a great idea. We dogs are great at helping humans feel better, just like humans make us feel better. It will be interesting to see if the University of Edinburgh idea will spread to other universities. I think it should.