Flat Brutus Update: Part I

It's been a busy first few weeks on the World Tour for Flat Brutus - he's really getting around! He's seen so many things that I can't get it all in one post, so I'm splitting this update into two halves. The first will be about our non-blogging friends who have been hosting lately both here in the US and abroad. Then tomorrow I'll do part 2 about the fun Flat Brutus had while visiting our DWB buddies.

Flat Brutus' first international host was our friend Arlette and her two Frenchies, Rufus & Lilly.

They are live in Cologne, Germany. Flat Brutus followed Arlette everywhere (to Rufi & Lilly's dismay!) - she took him to work, the salon, a cafe, and of course to see some of the local sites. Here's Flat Brutus lounging on the Rhine River. In the background is the Hohenzollern bridge and the Cologne Cathedral

As if that wasn't exotic enough, Flat Brutus got to accompany Arlette and her mom on their trip to Istanbul, Turkey!

He got to go for a ride on the Bosporus Sea,

and even saw the Blue Mosque (sorry for the small photo, that's as big as I could get it for some reason....).

After all that travelling, Flat Brutus and headed back to Cologne to relax for a few days with Rufi & Lilly before saying goodbye.

Now Flat Brutus is really traveling - his next host (Sarah-Jane) has him on another whirlwind tour of western Europe, this time to no fewer than 4 countries! At this rate, he's going to need to add a few pages to his passport!!

Meanwhile, back on US soil....

Flat Brutus has been hanging out in Pittsburgh. Our friend Nathaniel was so happy to host him that he and his Frenchie, Biwa, had a feast planned to celebrate his arrival! Talk about a warm welcome!!

The other Frenchie in the photo is Pancko, who came over to celebrate with FB & Biwa. He & his mom (Lissa) also helped show Flat Brutus around the city. The next day they took him to the park for a romp in the beautiful spring weather.

Then they headed back home for a little couch-potato time. Nothing like being offered a nylabone and a little butt-sniff from hostess Biwa to make you feel like an honored guest!!

They turned in early that night, as Biwa needed her beauty rest. The next two days Flat Brutus got to attend his first AKC event, the Western Pennsylvania Kennel Club show! Unfortunately, Flat Brutus missed the entry deadline and couldn't compete (plus he's a little small for breed standards....). Biwa, however had a most impressive showing weekend, winning both days!

Flat Brutus was most honored to be able to appear in the win photo! Nathaniel had to hold onto him, since he was so excited he looks like he would have lept right onto the table to hug Biwa!!! A little side note, Biwa was bred by our friend (and vet) Dr. Lori, who is next on his hosting list. I'm not going to let any proverbial cats (or Frenchies for that matter) out of the bag, but you'll be seeing a lot more of Lori and as well as her gang of Frenchies at her Assisi kennel soon...

So after all that excitement, Flat Brutus was happy to have a few days to rest. He'll be heading back to Ohio briefly then on to lots of other exciting places. Thanks to all our great hosts for showing Flat Brutus such a good time. There have already been some wonderful donations made to FBRN, so an even bigger THANKS for that!!

Be sure to come back tomorrow to see all the fun that he's been having with our blogging pals, you'll be sure to see lots of familiar faces!

How to Train Your Frenchie.... I mean DRAGON

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Since that recent burst of winter was still lingering, we luckily had lots of indoor plans to keep us busy here.

Have you heard of the new Dreamworks movie "How to Train Your Dragon"?

Paul and I saw it in 3D on Friday night - we both give it five stars! GREAT movie - better than Finding Nemo or Monsters, Inc. Good story, great animation, fun characters, fantastic sense of humor, lots of action, nice message... LOVED IT!

What made it even better was that the one of the main characters, Toothless (a Night Fury dragon), seems to have been modeled off Brutus. He looks like Brutus, sounds like Brutus, moves like Brutus, acts like Brutus. Other than the fact that he is ten times bigger than his human instead of ten times smaller, has wings and a long tail, Toothless IS Brutus!!

The expressions on Toothless' face and how he reacts - I'm tellin' ya, if Brutus could fly, this IS him!! For those of you with high-speed connections, here's a little clip from the actual movie, see for yourself:

I mean... It's not just me, right? There is definitely a strong resemblance, you can't deny it!

And speaking of training.....

It just so happens that I really was training my "dragon" over the weekend!

Brutus and I attended a 2-day seminar called "Are We Having Fun Yet?". It was an obedience workshop presented by well-known dog trainers Betsy Scapiccio & Linda Brennan. Lots of great information, and it all focussed on using all sorts of "games" in training to keep it fun for your dog. It went so well, Brutus is getting his very own dumbbell now (an object used for retrieving in the more advanced exercises).

Anyways, here are a few photos of Brutus in action at our weekly obedience class. Not that there is much "action" going on, as we were practicing the sit/stay exercises that are part of the "Novice" competition sequence. See my little Night Fury, the last dog over here on the right end?

Here's another shot, this time the down/stay. As you can see, Brutus is the only "little" dog in the class.

The dogs are required to remain stationary for up to five minutes. In the "Open" level, the handlers are required leave the room & are actually out of sight for the duration of the exercise. But for the time being, I'm just happy that Brutus has come far enough to control himself to this extent when I'm across the room, even with the instructors intentionally creating distractions (like throwing/bouncing balls around the dogs) to challenge him!

Tune in tomorrow for some Flat Brutus updates! It was a busy weekend for the little flatties, so lots to tell!!

Spring "Break"

We now interrupt this regularly scheduled season for a word from old man Winter....

Yep. I spoke too soon.

Big time.

So much for Spring - this is what we woke up to this morning!

The daffodils and crocuses are now covered with snow!!

Can you believe it? After the "Sure Signs of Spring" post I just did yesterday? Really????

This gives new meaning to the to "Spring Break"...

Poor Gus... And the other little froggies must be peep-cicles now!!

OK, I will personally take the blame for all the misery caused to the Midwest. My enthusiasm for Spring certainly jinxed us and caused undue stress, angst, and general dissappointment for so many... *sigh*

Buck up campers, it won't stick around long!

Well, one good thing about the cold snap is that Brutus got to test drive some new outerwear that just arrived on our doorstep. Remember the post I did a few months ago about the great little boots we found? They are called Pawz, and are ingenious little booties that let Brutus walk comfortably even in the snowy, salty streets (click here to see the original post). Guess we have to get them out one more time...

Well, it turns out that the Pawz folks also have another ingenious product: the "1Z coat".

This is a really sleek dog coat that has a harness built right into the structure of the garment. The little carabiner on the back is where you can attach a leash, so there's no need to struggle getting a separate harness on under/over/around the coat. It's made from a really nice light fabric that's waterproof, and windproof, and insulated to keep your little buddy from getting chilly.

I think it will be a great coat for walks, because it's lightweight - don't want to get Brute too bundled up or he could actually overheat. Thanks to the streamlined/fitted design, the 1Z coat it stays put and doesn't have a lot of extra bulk to get in the way when the dog moves around.

The coat completely covers his chest & belly - where Brutus has the least insulation and also tends to get the most grimy, as many low-rider breeds do. Yet it leaves his "important" parts unobstructed should Brutus feel the need to water any nearby bushes or clumps of grass.

Not the most gentlemanly pose, but you get the idea!

Click here to visit the Pawz/1z website to find out more about their nifty products.

As much as I like the new coat, I really (really, really) hope this is the last time Brutus needs it before next winter! I'm seriously ready to put all our coats and sweaters away for good!

What happened to our yard, mom?? It was just here last night!

I speak for myself, the boys and probably all the Midwest when I say "No more Spring breaks - just constant Spring from now on, please!"

I love the 1Z and all, but can we go in now?

My lips are getting frozen in funny positions...

Sure Signs of Spring

I can't help it. I really do think Spring is here to stay! Sure, we'll probably get another cold snap or two, but there are just too many signs to ignore. The boys see them to, as evidenced by the increase in noseprints on the windows!

The back yard has seen a lot of action. Our exotic midwest "wildlife" has returned:

Grey Squirrels

American Robins

And one of my favorites, the Spring Peepers. These teeny little froggies start peeping (they are aptly named) at dusk every night. Their song is one of my all-time favorite sounds (right up there with Brutus' snorting, or rustling palm fronds in Hawaii). Thanks to the magic of the iphone, here are a few seconds of peeping from nearby my house for you all to enjoy:

The warm temperatures have also brought some more "domestic" visitors out of hibernation. I just had to get my favorite lawn ornament out, Gus the golfing toad.

Hey - it's Gus! Where ya been buddy?

And golfballs are already finding their way into my yard (often followed by the golfer who launched them).

Out in the front yard, the flowers are growing by leaps and bounds. Crocuses, daffodils, and tulips all up, some starting to bloom! All of them must look like salad to Brutus.

All these blooms, and they just go to waste. Why just smell 'em and not eat 'em? Silly humans, I just don't get them....

Just one little nibble. Come on, mom.... Pleeease?

Fine. Then no more posing.

Nope, not looking.

And finally, one of the most anticipated awakenings: Big Earl is out of storage and has rumbled to life!

He has a tune-up appointment next week, but then will be ready to hit the road for a summer full of adventure. They boys just can't wait! We can't let Flat Brutus have ALL the traveling fun, after all!

Let's go! What are we waiting for? There's a whole country out there to explore!!

(almost) Wordless Wednesday: Bad Blogger edition

Brutus got a little frustrated because we keep getting so far behind on reading everyone else's blogs. It doesn't help that Blogger is being slow as molasses in January.... He just couldn't take it anymore...

So many blogs, so little time!! AND darn Blogger is misbehaving!!

I can't take it, we'll never catch up! Ahhhhhh........

Not to fear, readers! Brutus snapped right out of his Frenchie-tantrum when I mentioned that breakfast was ready. I think he'll pull through & be back in blogging form by tomorrow!!

Bowled Over

Hello - Brutus here today! It's all dreary and rainy outside, so no walkies. Bummer. On the bright side, mom is letting me post to keep from driving her nuts for at least a little while. Our pal Frankie Furter has observed that we will post on just about anything, and this is another fine example of that!!

Everyone knows that I'm a pretty high-maintenance kinda pup. True to form, I was having a problem with my food bowl. First I requested that mom change me to a stainless steel one, because I think the plastic one I used to have is what made my lips turn pink (it was really embarassing - check the post on it if you must). So she got me a nice one that my big head would fit into without getting food all over my eyes (really, that used to happen). It's great and all, but I really had to crouch down all uncomfortable-like to eat out of it - see?

Far be it from mom to watch me struggle (gotta love her), so she searched high & low for the perfect bowl befitting my most handsome self. It must have been hard to find, but at long last the man in the big brown truck brought me this box

I recognized the WetNoz label and knew it was something special for me!! I waited impatiently while mom fumbled around getting the box open. To my utter delight, it was a fancy-schmancy new bowl! It even came with a stand to elevate it to the perfect level!

This is no ordinary bowl, folks. Just look at all the "benefits" (although mom says "hand-washing" is not a benefit BOL!). I certainly hope it "stays stationary" - no fun to have to chase your dinner around - yikes! The "Anti-bacterial" part is why stainless steel bowls are better than plastic for those of us with sensitive lips!

Well, we've got the requirements alright, especially that last one!! Come on, let's get this thing working!!

Ooooooohhhhh! That is a thing of beauty! Hey... wait a minute.... There's a bulldog in my bowl!! See him?????

Umm... Just one other problem - no food in the bowl! How do you expect me to appreciate this thing when it's empty???

Nom, nom, slurp, nom, snort, slurp, nom......

Ahhhh... (*burp*). That's more like it. See how nice and tall I can stand while I eat now! Better for my back, and better for digestion!!

This thing rocks! You guys gotta try one!! Check out the WetNoz website to see what other cool stuff they have too!

From one bowled-over Frenchie: Thanks, mom!! Now if we could just do something about that water bowl...