Not Doing Anything

Hello, Karstuhl here!

Today I'm not doing anything. Neither are anybody else in our household. Vacation is a great thing, especially when it is heavy rain and you just want to stay indoors, sleeping, all day. It is almost like you start to like the rain - almost.

Valencia

The European Grand Prix in Formula 1 took place in Valencia today. This is one of three races that have a special place in my heart, because the pups of the litter I had last year were named from Formula 1 tracks, Valencia being one of them. My dear daughter Anzu, who lives in Bergen, Norway, is formally known as Aangenaam Valencia.

This year's GP was an exciting one, with a lot of overtaking. One would have thought that Sebastian Vettel would win from pole position, as he often does, but he had to retire with mechanical problem. Instead, the Spanish Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso won on his home turf. Finnish driver Kimi Räikkönen finished second. I do not know that much about Formula 1, but Daniel likes these two drivers, so he was happy. I guess a lot of Spaniards are, too. They are through to the semi finals in the European Championship in football and their countryman Alonso leads this year's Formula 1 World Championship. Perhaps this can divert some of their attention from the sad state of the Spanish economy.

Midsummer

Hello, Karstuhl here!

We did celebrate midsummer today. Paula and Daniel were at home most of the day. In the early evening, they put some meat on the grill. All of us dogs got some extra nice food. I would like more days to be like today.

Summer Solstice and Midsummer

Hello, Karstuhl here!

It was summer solstice yesterday and the shortest night of the year last night. We celebrate midsummer eve in Sweden tomorrow. I wondered why we do not celebrate midsummer at the summer solstice.

Grandmum Sunni said it is unnecessary to celebrate midsummer at all, they never do it in the USA, where she comes from. Daddy told me they never celebrate it in Japan either, where he and the Shiba Inu breed come from.

Mommy, on the other hand, who was born in Sweden, had something to say on the subject. She told me midsummer is celebrated on the weekend closest to the 24th of June, which is when the Christian Church celebrate John the Baptist. This celebration is exactly half a year prior to (and after) Christmas Eve. The summer solstice is earlier than the 24th, but the winter solstice is also earlier than Christmas Eve, by the same amount of time. Thus, this is all due to human political decisions, one way or the other. Humans are curious, sometimes.

Wolves and Baths

Hello, Karstuhl here!

I heard a researcher say on the radio today that there are about ten human children who dies form drowning each year, in lakes, swimming pools, etc. We have just had the first human casualty because of wolves since the 1830s in Sweden, which have caused people to call for the extermination of all the wolves in this country. I wonder when they will call for the ban on all swimmingpools?

Late Night

Please come back tomorrow...

Not a Good Day for Spain

Sweden is out of the Euro 2012, so we have to hope for other teams. Peanut hoped for the Netherlands, but they went out yesterday. Paula's second favourite (next to Sweden) is Spain, and they made it to the quarter finals today. The Spanish team did not play well, however. They did win by 1-0, but the goal was scored in the final minutes when the opponent Croatia was doing everything to score themselves and had switched defenders for forwards. If Spain plays like this, there must be high odds on them defending their gold medals from the last European Championship four years ago. I rather believe Germany will win, or perhaps England.

Portugal

Hello, Peanut here again.

So, Portugal made it through to the quarter finals alongside Germany. Neither the Netherlands nor Denmark made it. I am sad.

Then, after the game, Sunni said once again she did not care, because she does not care about football. Did I not tell you so?

The Netherlands!

Hello, Peanut here!

I hope for the Netherlands tonight, home of my brother Botan.

There is a small hope for the Netherlands to make it to the quarter finals in the Euro 2012 football championship. This is if they win against Portugal, Germany wins against Denmark, and the Netherlands get the best difference between goals scored themselves and by their opponents. It is a long shot, but it is possible.

Not everyone at our home hope for the Netherlands, though. There are those who would rather see Denmark in the quarter finals. Sunni says she hopes for Denmark because it is a neighbour of Sweden and the first European country she was in (and peed in). I do believe, though, that she rather hopes for Denmark because my mother April and I root for the Netherlands. Sunni has never liked my mother, thus, she does not like me. She usually do not care for football, but does tonight. Well, all the more fun, then, if the Netherlands make it.

Human Killed by Wolves

For the first time in centuries, a human has been killed by wolves in Sweden. The killed human was one of the caretakers of the wolves at the zoo Kolmården in the southeastern part of Sweden.

Nobody knows why the wolves killed their caretaker. She was alone with them, so there are no witnesses. This is something that was according to protocol, but which I believe was foolish. Wolves belong to the same species as dogs do, but wolves do not have the interited friendship with humans that dogs have.

So far, the zoo has decided not to kill the wolves who might have killed the human. They are not even sure how many of the wolves took part in the killing. I think it is wise to try to establish what happened, before taking any action against the wolves. They, too, deserve a fair trial.

Glad I Did Not Go

For once, today, I was happy I did not go to a dog show. Daniel went to an outdoor dog show this morning to work as a ring steward, but there was heavy rain for many hours. I would not have wanted to be there, in the showring, in the heavy downpour that hit him. Dog shows are usually nice, but there are limits.

Out of the Championship

Sweden lost its second game in the Euro 2012 football championship tonight. With two lost games, while the other three teams in the group have at least one victory each, there is no chance for Sweden to become one of the two best who go on to the quarter finals. Sweden was thus the second team to lose out, after Ireland. The most disappointing thing was that Sweden played well and led by 2-1, but finally lost by 3-2, nevertheless. The Swedes played much better than in the game where they lost to Ukraine, but it was not enough.

I have to consider carefully which teams to root for now.

Blogging

Hello, Peanut here!

Hailey had no interest in blogging, so she asked Polly or me to do it today. Polly also had no interest in blogging. If they do not know what to write, how do they expect me to do it? Well, it will not be longer than this.

Fumi

Paula and Daniel visited my daughter Fumi and her family this evening. She has a great life in another part of our town. It is good to know that she is fine.

Tokyo Is Expensive

The Japanese currency, Yen, is rising realtive to the US Dollar. Tokyo is now rated as the most expensive city to live in for foreign staff. As a Shiba Inu, I would love to see the capital in the country of my ancestors, but perhaps not if it is too expensive. There must be other parts of Japan which are not quite as expensive to visit.

Never Quite Happy

I believe there is a natural law saying you can never be happier than a certain degree. I think I had a good day today, but then Ukraine beat Sweden in the European Championship in football. Oh, well, give me any Ukranian Shiba Inus and an impartial show judge, and I will show you that Swedes do win over Ukranians. ;-)

hello, peanut here again.

hannes will leave for his new family tomorrow. this will make me the only pup left here at home. it will not be as fun anymore, but i think i will manage. i wish hannes all the best, as i have done with botan, tsuki, and chiko already. we might very well meet again on dog shows or the like.

Loss

hello, peanut here,

i got a text message from my brother botan in the netherlands. he was as upset as his dutch family over the danish victory in the european championship against the netherlands tonight. born in sweden, botan will always be a fan of sweden, but in a game between his new homeland and another country, he favours the netherlands. so do i, as a homage to him. we hope that the dutch will rise again and beat the other teams of the group to advance to the quarter finals.

Euro 2012

The UEFA European Championship in football started today. It is fun to follow the games. I just wish there would be at least a fraction of that air time on TV devoted to live coverage of dog shows.

City Fair

There was this annual fair in the centre of our city today. Paula and Daniel went there with Mia. Apparently, a lot of people were there, and a few dogs as well. I saw no point in going. If I am to be on a crowded place, it better be a dog show.

D Day

Today it is sixtyeight years since American, British, and Canadian troops invaded Nazi-occupied Normandy. This is the greatest amphibious military operation ever in history. It was a vital step in liberating Western Europe from the Nazis and saving it from the Communists. It is worth celebrating.

Meanwhile, in Sweden, we celebrate our national holiday, which has a much less glorious history. I believe it is better to join Mum, April, and Calvin (who are from the USA) in celebrating D Day.

Venus Passage

The planet Venus will be seen crossing the Sun tomorrow morning, as seen from the surface of Earth. This is a very rare event. I do not care much, nevertheless. I am Aangenaam Lunar Eclips, I care about lunar eclipses, but why would I care about a similar event with Venus that is not even visible unless you use special gear to protect your eyes? I will not get up early tomorrow morning to try to see it.

Statistics

Blogger, my blog provider, got some new features a couple of weeks ago. One is a frame showing statistics on how many readers my blog has had each of the last days. This is a little fun, but also a little disturbing. I have realized that I, sometimes, think too much about the statistics, in the lines of: "how can I write this blog to get more readers". There is nothing wrong with getting more readers, but I have never before written this blog just to maximize the number of readers. I worry that this might change me, as a writer, and I am not comfortable with that thought. I like the way I have been writing my blog from the start. I guess I must stop thinking so much about the statistics, but it is easier said than done. I am working on the problem, though. If you, as my reader, notice any change in my style as a blog writer, do not hesitate to tell me, I would like to know!

Polly Poppins

hello, polly here.

two of the pups will move to their new families tomorrow, as this is the day they turn eight weeks old. i have enjoyed playing with them and raising them. this has gone so far that the other dogs have started to call me polly poppins, after the famous childrens book nanny mary poppins. i am proud over this nick name. in many ways, though, i believe i raise pups better than mary poppins could ever do. i guess it is also great training until i get pups of my own.

Trouble with thé Computer

our computer is not functioning properly. we believe it is filled with too much data. meanwhile, i have to make do with writing blog entries by mobile phone. it is all right, but the touch screens could be better suited for dog paws.

Party

Paula was away at a party tonight. We dogs did not care. For us, every night at home is like a party, if we wish it to be.

Many Birthdays

Mum turns thirteen years old today. This is an awe inspiring age, yet not really old for a Shiba Inu. In our line, there are many old ladies.

My third litter, of Zeus, Fumi, and Anzu, turns one year old today. This is an exciting young age.

Congratulations to all four of you!

Summer

Hello, Peanut here!

The older dogs say it is summer now. This is supposed to be a period when the weather is generally warm, as opposed to winter, when it is much colder. I guess I have to live for a little longer before I really know what they mean.

What We Dogs Can Do

A stray dog in China who got some food from a participant in a bicycle race, then decided to run along the race. He completed the 1 700 km long race running alongside the cyclists, one of whom now wants to adopt him. After such a feat, he well deserves to be adopted by a human.

There is a short video of this heroic dog on BBC's homepage.

Is it not amazing what we dogs can do?

Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day in Sweden. I have congratulated my mother, though she always believes I am to late. In America, where she comes from, Mother's Day is the second Sunday in May, not the last Sunday. Mum claims this is the real Mother's Day, since the modern Mother's Day celebration comes from America. I still believe that when you live in Sweden, you should celebrate the Swedish Mother's Day.

My daughter Polly congratulated me. We also went over to Paula's mother, who was celebrated by her daughters. Daniel's mother got a Mother's Day gift yesterday, as Daniel and Paula met her at Daniel's brother's place.

Sweden Won

Sweden won the Eurovision Song Contest this year. Apparently, Sweden has done so four times before, but this is the first victory that I have experienced. It is fun.

The result was in when the clock was past midnight, this is why I did no blog entry for Saturday.

Dad's country of birth, which is also my daughter Anzu's home country, Norway, did not do well. They came in last. On the other hand, they won just a couple of years ago.

Congratulations

Last weekend, my dear Toy Poodle friend Smash JP Victorious Love "Laila" became Swedish Show Champion. Congratulations!

Japan not Radiant

There are good news about Japan in a new report from the World Health Organisation, WHO. According to the report, radiation levels in most of the country are below the levels that are likely to cause cancer, one year after the terrible nuclear accident in Fukushima. Two areas near the power plant has relatively high levels of radiation, but that is about it. Levels outside of Japan are below levels deemed as "very small".

One will have to see, a couple of dog generations on, if the rate of cancers have increased in Japan. This report suggest it should not be so. This is indeed good news for all the dogs and humans living in Japan.

40

We have been up until late tonight, celebrating Daniel's 40th birthday. It is worth celebrating.

Baptised

The youngest Swedish princess, Estelle, was baptised today. We wish her all the luck in life.

Dogs are never baptised. I have never before wondered why. Somehow, I guess we do not need to.

Dieting During Pregnancy

I read this rather startling story about scientists who had reviewed a lot of findings and found out there is no harm for either a pregnant woman or the child she carries, if she goes on a diet. Of course, it could not be any diet, but still, some diets were good.

I wonder if the same thing applies for bitches expecting pups. I hope not. Getting extra food sure is one of the big perks of expecting pups.

Shorter Lawn

Hello, Peanut here!

When we got out in the garden this afternoon, the grass was much shorter than it was this morning. I was told by the older dogs that this is because Daniel does something called mowing, when he cuts the grass shorter. There is one big advantage with this: there are fewer ticks. It is also easier to run on a shorter lawn, and to find toys. I like the shorter lawn.

Good Odds for the Eurovision Song Contest

Swedish journalists almost always report that the Swedish song which will participate in the Eurovision Song Contest is a favourite. It feels like they do it every year, so I have stopped believing in it. Now, however, the BBC reports that bookmakers give Sweden's song the best odds of all. The bookmakers base their odds on what people will bet on, and the people are the ones who call and vote in the song contest. I now believe there is a good chance that Sweden may win this year.

Life Is Unfair

Hello, Peanut here!

Daniel was playing with the broom on the living room floor today, but when I wanted to join the fun, he told me not to. Later in the day, Daniel was digging in the garden. When I tried to join that fun, he also told me not to. Why can he play with the broom and dig in the garden, when I cannot? I may be just a little pup, but I start to realize life is not always fair.

Senkaku Islands

Japan is being nice to its mainland neighbour China. It has agreed to talks over the Senkaku Islands and surrounding seas, islands which are part of Japan and fully controlled by Japan. There are natural resources on these islands and in the sea. I do not really understand why you would have these talks, except for being polite. Politeness is nice, but can still not be the only reason to talk. I guess there is more to this story than I can see.

Smaller Pups

Hello, Peanut here!

I have met pups who are smaller than I am. This was an interesting experience. A couple of weeks ago, I was also that small. Still, I believe there are things about life that I can teach these pups.

I was told by the older dogs that it is not common to meet other pups at my age. In this case, however, the younger litter of pups are also bred by us. Thus, it is only natural for me to meet them. I like that.

Missing Paula

Paula is away on a business trip. We miss her. Daniel is at home, but it is not the same thing if not both our humans is here. Paula will be back tomorrow, though.

Summer Santas

Hello, Karstuhl here!

Paula had bought something interesting: a common Swedish Christmas candy in the form of small Santa Clauses, but with summer taste. It was a summer twist of this candy. Santa Claus was on the bag, wearing sunglasses on a summer day. Quite funny, I think.

Airport

Hello, Peanut here again!

My brother Botan left us today for his new home in the Netherlands. Auntie Linni and I accompanied Paula, Daniel, and him to the airport. It was a new experience to see a huge structure like the airport terminal, but nothing to be affraid of. We have heard from Botan, he has met his new family and is doing quite well. I miss him already!

Eight Weeks Old

Hello, Peanut here!

My brother Botan and I are eight weeks old today. We are told that this means we are old enough to move to new families. Botan will move tomorrow. I will miss him, even though I have made friends with other dogs here. There is something special with a dog who is just your own age and size, especially for us pups.

I wish Botan the best of luck with his new family!

Reading Dogs' Minds

A couple of American scientists have started experiments with brain scanners to figure out what dogs are thinking of. I think they could just ask humans who live with dogs. We do know each other well, dogs and humans, do we not?

Rain

It is well that it is not snow, this far into the year. Still, the almost constant rain today was not nice. It did not make the day bright. I hope for a sunnier day tomorrow, then I might be inspired to write something more than this.

Good Food

Hello, Karstuhl here!

The pups are lucky. They get better food than us adult dogs. The pups get a special mix of meat, while the rest of us get ordinary pills. There is nothing wrong with our food, but I believe the food the pups get is tastier. I used to be the youngest. There are advantages of not being the youngest anymore, but it is obvious the food is not one of these advantages. Well, you cannot be lucky all the time.

There's No Place Like Home

I enjoyed this last weekend, not only because I won a lot in Denmark. It is always fun to go places and to meet new friends, two legged as well as four legged. Still, it felt good to come home today. There simply is no place like home, with the rest of the pack - my dear daughter, Mum, and all the rest. It is time for some rest now.

Another Good Result

I was Best of Opposite Sex today as well.

The Best of Breed winner today was not Kokuhou, but another fine male. I would rather have lost against Kokuhou today as well, since he is one of my pack, but the winner was a worthy one.

Black and Tan Victory

It was a great day in Roskilde, Denmark, today. Kokuhou was Best of Breed and I was Best of Opposite Sex. Both of us became Danish Show Champions, to add to his Japanese and Swedish Championships and my Swedish and Finnish Championships. It also meant that I became Nordic and International Champion.

The only thing that would have been better than this result, would have been that I won the Best of Breed title. For one thing, the red centre of the ribbons make the red and yellow Best of Breed ribbon better looking than the green and white Best of Opposite Sex ribbon. The main thing, though, is that as a true competitor, I always want to win, even aganist dear friends like Kokuhou. I also always want the chance to walk into the Best in Group final. Well, you cannot have it all. I am far from disappointed with today's result.

A Little Annoyed

I am a little bit annoyed at my blog provider. So, it was a late night this Friday. We drove almost all day and then met some new and old acquaintances. The simple fact that I did not post my daily blog post until 0:00 on Saturday should not make it a Saturday blog post. It was meant to be a Friday blog post. This goes against the idea of a daily blog.

Oh well, maybe I should blame myself, too. I could have published a draft a couple of minutes earlier, then just update it. Nevertheless, I am annoyed.

Finally, a Show!

Finally, I am going to a dog show again to be shown. Paula, Kokuhou, and I are going to a show in Roskilde in Denmark.

We hope that both Kokuhou and I will add a Danish show championship to our other champion titles. It is possible that I will be Nordic and International champion as well.

The main thing is, though, that I am going to the show. It is so much fun to be shown at a dog show. I love the whole setting and everything around it, and I love to show myself to the crowd. The result is not quite as important, even though it bears a considerable weight, too.

I will let you know what happens.

Birthdays

Paula's sister Mia celebrates her birthday today. We sent Paula and Daniel to congratulate her from the whole family.

Our Pharao hound friend Primus would also have had his birthday today, but he is no longer with us. We think of all the good memories we have of him.

Game of Thrones

April's pups of the latest litter are named after the TV show Game of Thrones. The second season starts today on Swedish TV. It is really something.

Senna

It was exactly 18 years ago today that three times Formula 1 world champion Ayrton Senna died on the race track. We saw a documentary about him on TV this evening. It was an interesting documentary. Since his death, safety has been much improved, and there has been no deaths in Formula 1. We hope there never will be, either, though it will continue to be a sport where serious accidents will happen.

It is nice to know dog races are not as stricken by accidents as motor races are.

Superstitious Behaviour

Tonight is yet another night when people are firing crackers. They scare some dogs. The original purpose was to scare demons etc, keeping them away. Modern science say demons do not exist, and most people do not believe in demons.  suppose many people who fire crackers also do not believe in demons. I guess they must be very afraid of us dogs, then, wanting to keep us on a distance. Either that, or they are just stupid.

Cookies for the Visitors

Hello, Karstuhl here!

We had visitors today, a human family who will be the family of one of the pups who live with us at present. They were really friendly and nice people. Sometimes, I would like to be treated a little more like humans, though, because they had cookies to eat. It is not that I am envious, but cookies are always a treat.

Best of Breed

My dear daughter Anzu became best of breed at a dog show today. She also won CC. This was at a dog show in Norway. Anzu is the one who has moved to Dad's country of birth, Norway, so this was her home turf. Anzu is not yet one year old, still she beat every other Shiba in the show. This is great!

A Puppy and a Cactus

A lone puppy has been found in the USA, covered with spines from a cactus. He has now been freed from the spines and lives in a shelter, but is up for adoption. It seems the bad luck of the cactus encounter has turned, and he needs some more luck now. Whether he had humans already who could claim him, or he will be adopted by new humans, I wish him the best of luck.

Guide Dog Day

Today is the International Guide Dog Day. Guide dogs are important for many humans with disabilities. Another good thing about them is that they give humans, as a whole, a more positive view on dogs. I do not think that we should have to have ambassadors like this in order to be liked, but we do have to, and we have them, and this is good. Cheers for all the guide dogs out there!

Rascals

Hello, Karstuhl here!

April's pups, Peanut and Botan, are small rascals with tonnes of energy. All they do, it seems, are running around disturbing everything in their path, except for when they suddenly fall asleep. Mommy says that I was just as bad when I was their age, but I do not believe I was. Peanut and Botan must be much worse. I would tell them off more often, if I was their mother. Perhaps it is just as well I am not, I would have a lot to do if I was.

New Blog Layout

My blog provider has updated the way in which I, as a blog writer, can see what I write and what tools are available for me. It does not look like I am used to, but I guess I will get used to it, eventually. It does not seem to be worse than the last one, once I am used to it, I might think it is much better. We will have to see.

World Book Day

Apparently, it is the World Book Day today. The book, as such, is being celebrated. I have considered writing a book. However, I believe that the length of books does not fit my writing skill. Writing blog entries fits me much better. Perhaps I could one day publish my blog as a book. It might be fun, but I am not so sure I would get many readers. The amount of readers is of lesser concern when writing a blog with a free blog provider, as I do. I mainly write because I like to, myself. I do hope my readers enjoy reading my blog, but I would write it anyway.

Bad Things About Summer

Hello, Karstuhl here!

Summer is coming closer. Some bad things are coming with summer. I had the first tick of the season removed today. Ticks do not deserve to live, they do not fulfill any good purpose whatsoever, that I can think of. I wish there was a form of pollution that killed all the ticks, but left the rest of nature as it is. I guess that is hoping for too much.

New Guest Writer

I have invited another member of our pack who will, from time to time, be a guest writer in my blog. My daughter Polly writes entries rather often. The new writer is April's daughter Peanut, still just five weeks old. She wrote her first entry the day before yesterday.

Polly agreed with me that it would be nice to invite Peanut to write the odd blog entry. Not that I need Polly's agreement, this blog is mine alone, to do with what I please, but it is good to know that Polly agree with me anyway.

Peanut is a red Shiba, unlike Polly and I, who are black and tan. I do not believe this makes any difference, it is just a fun piece of trivia, given that most Shibas around the world are red.

RIP

Gullie Nelvin

11 April 1920 - 25 March 2012

Paula's grandmother

Lover of Shiba pups

Our friend

Laid to rest today.

First Try

Hello, this is Peanut!

I am the new girl in the house, discovering the world with my brother Botan. We will be five weeks tomorrow. I was offered to be a guest star in Auntie Hailey's blog. This is my first try at a blog entry. We will see if there will be more.

Vom

Hello, Karstuhl here!

I note that I am not the youngest, cutest around anymore. There are pups in the house. The older litter got to eat Vom, a very tasty meat dog food. None of the rest of us got to taste any, except for April, who is the mother of that litter. It makes me feel a bit jealous that I am not the preferred youngster for treats like Vom. Sure, I am grown up and strong enough not to need it, but that is a little beside the point in my mind. I would like to be the preferred one. Then again, so does Granny!

World's Tallest Free Standing Tower

The BBC reports from the World's tallest free standing tower, earthquake safe. It is built in the centre of Tokyo, where else? The Japanese never let you down, they are always making everything spectacular. I am so proud over my Japanese heritage.

Chicken Burgers

We tried something new today: hamburgers made of minced chicken meat. It was quite good. We have already decided that we will have this meal more times.

Dog Friendly Restaurants

In Finland, you can visit restaurants, even if you are a dog. Since the start of this year, the law gives the restaurant owners the right to decide their own policy on allowing dogs. I believe this is just as it should be. Many humans want to bring their dogs to restaurants, and why should they not be allowed to do so, if the restaurant owner believes this is all right? If there are other humans who are allergic or affraid of dogs, there are other restaurants to visit.

Funeral

Paula and Daniel visited my sister Suri today. The reason was sad: one of Suri's humans passed away some time ago and her funeral was today. We feel so sorry for Suri and her other human.

Bad Behaviour

A toy poodle was attacked last Sunday at Riseberga not far from us. The attackers were two large brown dogs running freely. The toy poodle got lose and fled into the woods, while the brown dogs' owner appeared. He promised to wait until the toy poodle was found again, to see whether she was hurt, but when the toy poodle's humans had found her and came back, he was gone.

Humans have a large responisibility for the damages caused by their dogs. This human, who disappeared, made two large faults. He let the dogs run freely, while they showed they could not be trusted with that freedom, and he disappeared without standing the consequences. This is bad behaviour. I am really sorry for the toy poodle who was attacked. Things like this give bad publicity to all dogs.

In the Barn

We have a barn next to our house, where we store things that we seldom use and often have no place for indoors. Daniel went out there to find his dress coat this evening, and Polly and I accompanied him. I thought it was best that he would have our help finding the dress coat. He has talked for weeks about going out to the barn to find it, but has never done it, so I figured he was very uncertain as to where it really was. Then, lo and behold, he went straight to one of the boxes in the barn, opened it, and stretched down, producing first the dress coat and then the matching trousers. We did not have to stay in the barn for long, so there was little time sniffing around for more exciting things. There may be time for that another rainy day.

More Pups

Once again, there are the tiny voices of newly born pups in our house. It is Kiku who have had pups yesterday night. As far as I can understand, she had two red and two black and tan pups, one each of each sex. Four pups is quite a large litter for a Shiba Inu. I have never had more than three. I do not believe, though, in the rumour that her black and tan pups are better looking than any of mine has ever been. It just has to be the other way around.

Veterans

The British Government kills dogs who have served with the Armed Forces. They claim it is too hard to make them pets, or that they are too old anyway.

I am so sad to read about this. It is horrible! Dogs who have served for their government, and this is the thanks that they get? What if the same would be done with human veterans? Nobody would accept that, would they?

Wolves' Return to Washington

Today, I read this interesting article about wolves in North America. The main story is about a group of wolves who wandered south from British Columbia, Canada, recolonising Washington State in the USA. This was the first time in seventy years that wolves settled in my Mum's home state in America. No human reintroduced them there, they did this themselves. The article will also tell you a lot about how wolves live and how they communicate with each other. We are a well developed species.

Visitor

Paula's sister Mia is here this evening. She will stay the night. This is fun, I like Mia.

Easter

Hello, Karstuhl here!

It is Easter, which is the time of the year when Swedes buy and consume the most candy. I like that. I hope we have a huge Easter celebration, that is, with a lot of candy.

This is not to say that I do not care about the serious religious aspect of Easter. On the contrary, the message of Easter Day, when Christ defeated death, is well worth celebrating. It is just that I believe that a lot of candy is just the right way to celebrate Easter.

Typhoon

We have had a couple of cold days and nights in Sweden, with temperatures well below the freezing point. It has been sunny and beautiful days, though. When compared to others, we should not complain. Japan has been hit by a typhoon, resulting in four dead humans and several others injured.

As usual, there are no reports on what has happened to any dogs. I do hope all dogs have made it, not least all of our Shiba Inu relatives who live in Japan. It must be tough getting your normal dog walks when a typhoon is controlling the weather.

Pig's Ears

We watched this cooking show on TV, where they cooked pig's ears. Paula said it was disgusting to cook these as food for humans. I agree, such fine cuisine should only be given to dogs.

April's Fool

My dear daughter Polly was a little angry with me for writing about her younger sister Anzu's name day yesterday. This was until she realized it was an April's fool joke, at which time she got even angrier. It did not last, though. After a while, she actually thought it was rather funny. This is good, than I have made something right. You know, they do not have name days in Japan. Name Days is a Christian tradition.

Name Days

There is a widespread tradition throughout many parts of the world to celebrate name days. Originally, name days were days celebrating saints of various names on certain dates. This also meant that humans - and dogs - who held these names could be celebrated on the name days. In recent year, the trend towards a more secular society have stripped name days of most of its Christian meaning, but they are still commemorated.

It has annoyed me for a long time that most of the dogs of our family have given names that do not correspond to any name day in the Swedish calendar. However, there are Japanese name days too, which suits Shiba Inus and any dog with a Japanese given name. My daughter Anzu's given name is of Japanese origin, meaning apricot. I have learned today that Anzu has her name day today, on the 1st of April, by the Japanese calendar! Congratulations, dear Anzu!

Puppy Buyers

We had a nice family visiting us today. They were interested in buying a Shiba Inu pup from our breeding. I can understand that they want a Shiba Inu. Too bad they cannot have a pup or grandpup of mine right now.

Two Weeks

April's pups are two weeks old now. I am a bit curious about them, but I let her take care of them herself so far. We will meet, eventually. I suppose they are cute, pups usually are. Not as cute as any of mine, but still.

Rumour has it, they are red, no cream coloured pup this time. This must be nice for April. She had a cream pup last time. Cream Shibas may be cute, but the coat colour is not quite Shibaesque enough. I have never had a cream pup.

Meatballs

Hello, Karstuhl here!

We got meatballs in the food today. It is great. We would get meatballs more often, if I were to decide upon the menu. To bad I do not.

New Bed Sheets

We have some new bed sheets. It is more difficult than it usually is, to make the bed with these. This is because they are constructed in a different way from most bed sheets. There are buttons along the whole short end where you put in the blanket, instead of a smaller hole that keeps the blanket in its place by itself. Now you have to button the buttons to keep the blanket inside. There are also a lack of holes by the other short end, making it much more difficult to put the blanket in the right position. Daniel swore and said he would not use these bed sheets often. I understand that. New constructions should make life easier, not harder.

Frühling

Hello, Karstuhl here!

Spring is here. We have had a beautiful, sunny day today with warm weather. It is just that I think "spring" is such a bland word. I like the German word "Frühling" better. A great part of this is that it contains the ü, a u with dots over it, also called u with an umlaut. I like dotted letters, they are cool. Swedish have ä and ö, but not the German ü, while English miss them. (Swedish have å, as well.) I also think spring deserves a word that is a little longer, like Frühling, with two syllables. Then you can enjoy the word for a little longer, along with the positive feelings of spring. We miss this in Swedish as well, with "vår". On the other hand, Swedish and English have other advantages. No human language have all the advantages of spring, though.

New Car

we have bought a new car. it is used, but much newer than the old one. i think i like it.

Gone

Our thoughts today go to Paula and her family, especially her mother. Paula's grandmother passed away earlier today. She was old for a human and had not had a good health for some time, so it was not that unexpected. Still, it is always a tragedy. I know what it is like, I have lost my father, with whom I lived all my life. Paula's grandmother was a good human and we wish her well in the afterlife.

Congratulations

Today is the birthday of a very important person, Mum's breeder Laura Perkinson of Taichung Shibas. Without her, Mum would not be. Thus, I would not be, my siblings would not be, my pups would not be. She has greatly influenced the Shiba breed in America and in Europe, all in a positive way. Her birthday is well worth all possible celebrations. Congratulations!

Crocodile Meat

We saw a food show on TV today, where they tried crocodile meat. Many liked it, though chef Gordon Ramsay said it lacked taste and would not want to serve it in his restaurants. I would like to try it, though. I am always eager to try new edible things, especially meat. Eating a large reptile like that would be something else.

Good Food

Hello, Karstuhl here!

April gets extra treats, more than anybody else, now that she has got pups to attend to. Perhaps it is time for me to get some pups of my own soon.

No Thin Models

I have always been puzzled over the human fashion industry and its current call for very thin models. There are valid comparisons to be made between the fashion industry and dog shows. (Although such a comparison would rather have the human "cat walk" named "dog walk". Cats do not walk on their shows, as dogs do.) However, on dog shows, you are supposed to win if you are in the centre of the standard, not at the very lowest possible weight to height ratio.

In Israel, the parliament has now passed a law banning extremely thin models. The law also requires information on pictures that has been manipulated in order to make models appear thinner than they are. The aim is to promote the health of models and a more healthy view of human bodies.

If health is the concern, though, I believe it would be better that the appearance on the cat walk would have to be preceeded by a mandatory check by a veterinarian. (Well, humans call veterinarians who concentrate on human illnesses "physicians", but as a dog, I see no reason why the veterinarians who concentrate on this particular species would be called anything else than the rest of the veterinarians.) We have health controls on dog shows, so why not have them on fashion shows, if you are so concerned with the health of the models?

Therapy Dogs

In Stockholm, specially trained dogs help treat the elderly who suffer from dementia. The city council has voted to give more funds to this great programme. It is but one out of many ways in which dogs help humans.

Police Recruitment

The Chief of Police in Sweden writes an article, published today, about making it possible to become a police officer in more ways than one. He believes one should not have to go through all of the traditional police education, if one is to investigate specific forms of crimes. Well, he fails to acknowledge that there has always been one alternative way of becoming a police officer. Dogs do not go through the same education as humans, in order to become police officers. I just wanted to point that out.

Formula 1

It is Sunday, but Daniel got up really early anyway. This is because he wanted to watch the first Formula 1 race of the season, which was broadcasted live from Australia. While it was driven late afternoon in Australia, our time was early morning. I do not care that much about Formula 1, but slept in like the rest of the family. We got the results from Daniel later, anyway.

Jenson Button won, before Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton. There were thus three drivers who has won the world champion title on the podium. This will probably be fairly common this year, as there are a record of six former champions competing this season. I guess this is a quite interesting piece of trivia.

Gold Dogs

A geologist in Sweden has trained his dog to search and find precious minerals, such as gold ore. He aims to train more dogs and handlers to search for minerals. These dogs can be worth gold - litteraly. I am pleased to read these news, but not surprised. There is no end in the ways we dogs can help humans.

New Mouse

We have had a mouse at our computer. Not a real mouse, that would have been hunted down ages ago, but a computer mouse. It feels good steering with a computer mouse, playing with a mouse make me feel a bit carnivourus. However, our computer mouse broke down the other day. There are delicate electronic devices in such things, so the best way to go is just to buy a new one. Paula found a cheap one with a picture from the movie Toy Story. I cannot tell why this was the cheapest computer mouse. It works properly enough.

The movie Toy Story is another thing I like. It shows that toys are alive. We dogs know this, which is why we sometimes kill the toys. Some toys are evil, you know.