It’s the last day of the year today so went to the beach to blow out the old and let the new in. Wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2021. May you find many treasures, friends, and jolly adventures all the way to December.
BASQ, Kapiti Coast, NZ
The road trip from Crawfordville, Florida to LA in California was just the beginning of the big escape. After spending two nights in LA, we had to face the big air-monster. Luckily we had practised months in advance for that big step. We had listened to the growling sounds from the monster on the computer -with comfort food and chew toys- while we got in and out of what turned out to be our sleeping quarters in the big monster. Da Sky saw it all as one big game, but I knew that we were heading towards something fishy. Of course, I was right; the ocean on the west coast does smell fishy. Always trust your instinct guys and girls.
For the trip across the Big Blue, our sleeping quarters were lined with M’s sweaters and our own bedding. Da Sky’s kennel even had his name on it. I think M should have taken one of my blankets with her because it turned out that she was more nervous in the big air-monster than Da Sky and me. Especially when we all got in the plane and there was a 1.5-hour delay because of a mechanical issue… M hardly slept while we did manage to get some Zen in. Maybe she should have taken her own sleeping quarters and practised sleeping in it too.
When Da Sky’s and my sleeping quarters got opened and we got out it was like we stepped in an alternate reality. Instead of being nighttime, it was morning, and instead of winter, it was summer. My sense of orientation was off too, I didn’t seem to know where south or north was anymore. So weird! As if the world stood on its head. We didn’t see M nor Q on the other side. Luckily the people in the kennel were we stayed for 10 days were super nice and they sent messages back and forth between us and headquarters. While we were getting pampered, M and Q were trying hard to find new temp headquarters in this new strange world. And then finally, after 10 days, we all got reunited. Even Puffy, our mascot, was waiting for us on the other end.
Benji
And it’s March; how did that happen?! We had several outings. The one that jumps out is Sky’s first sailing lesson.
I remember my first sailing lesson, eons ago. Beginnings can be a bit rough but Sky was like a rock according to the trainers I pawsonally hired for him. Pretty soon he will be ready to be my first mate. Can’t wait to go sailing with him and head for the skies.
Come sail away come sail away
Come sail away with me
Benji
Conquering the heart of The Beast has become part of our tactical training. Sky seemed ready for this so M took him to The Beast Park. The Beast looked older. There is some wear and tear on him. I think he needs some pampering from a real Dogtor.
Is this the one?!
He is purretty big!
To win your adversaries heart you say goodbye with a kiss. Sky didn’t have to do that yet; that’s for his next lesson.
Moi in 2017: Till we meet again!
Benji
Big drumroll pul-ease: Next week, September 18, I will be 3 years old! I expect lots of yummy treats and an extra toy or two or three or plenty. Anyhowls, my big birthday seems to be a reason to dwell on my puppy photos and has led to my own Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/dogtor_benji/. I hope the humans know that there is only one account that really counts: it’s my treat account!
Benji
Wow, it was steaming and co-old earlier this morning. The yummies must have thought so too because they were nowhere to be seen while Ms. Zulu and I froze our behinds off for this photo. We hadn’t even had our breakfast yet! Hence the “all-business-and-can-we-get-this-over-with” looks. I’m happy to report that we are currently warming up in front of the fireplace with full tummies.
Benji
Not sure why we went, but we went to the beach on Sunny Day. And yes, the sun was out as it should be on Sunny Day but it sure was no weather to go out without a winter coat. It was only 58 °F! That’s no beach weather if you ask me.
Despite me still haven’t gotten a winter coat, and yes my B-day is not until September so I can’t wait for that one to get one, we had fun. I met two new fur-iends and their human family with a gazillion offspring that sprung up out of nowhere. They were very nice though and knew how to treat a dog: like a long-lost friend.
Happy week my friends, stay warm and dry,
Benji
You won’t believe it, but on Tuesday we had snow at headquarters. The universities and schools were even closed because of severe weather conditions. On top of that on Thursday agility training got canceled! Snow and Florida, who would have thought those two would go together. For me, it was a sign to start my winter sleep. Ms. Zulu didn’t seem to be too disturbed. If anything, she looked more alive. I guess her winter coat is better quality than mine. Maybe I need a new one. It’s supposed to warm up over the next couple of days but after that, it will get cold again. Brrr.
Stay warm,
Benji
Finally, we are getting to the visit of the prison puppy. I wasn’t always invited to the outings but I did get to play and hang out with him. A seven-month-old pup can be exhausting and I got tired already after only two days of fun. The pup was here for a week so you can imagine that I had to sleep and sleep after he was gone. I can tell you, those pups can play! I wonder if I played that much when I was a youngin. Hmm, someone nods yes; I just can’t imagine it.
So what did the puppy do when he was at our place? Well, he got to go shopping, he went to a fire station where he met real firefighters, and sniffed out firetrucks and ambulances. I showed him some of my favorite places near the water. Of course, I told him to always keep his feet dry. No dog should ever get wet.
Keep your head cool and your feet dry,
Benji
We were very busy this morning writing a postcard to Doug, Andy, and Dougy. It’s not an easy affair. Once we figured out what we would write, we wrote the card and put a stamp on it. Unfortunately, we didn’t have to lick the stamp. And since we didn’t have to put the card in an envelope either, there was no licking at all. I can tell you that the usefulness of our long tongues is often overlooked.
Next, we walked to the mailbox and made sure that all was in order for the mail(wo)man to pick it up and deliver it to the boys up north. What we wrote and sent? I’m sure you will find out as soon as the boys get our postcard.
Patience is a virtue that will eventually lead to rewards,
Benji
On my drive home from the shelter (11-3-15)
Remember this picture? Not sure if I have shown it to you before. This is how I used to be transported. No expenses were spared, WOL. The day M adopted me from the shelter (November 3, 2015), she used the big box to bring me home. It was the first big box I ever traveled in. That’s when I learned that big boxes can take you to new worlds, to boldly go where you have never gone before.
I was only 6.5 weeks old when M saw me and she hadn’t anticipated that she was allowed to take me home. But the lady at the shelter said she could and of course M was so smitten with me that she had to take me home before someone else did. Because of zero preparation time, yes this is very unlike the normal procedure at headquarters but I think seeing my picture on petfinder.com threw all caution to the wind that morning, M didn’t have a crate in her car. After desperately rummaging around in the trunk of the car, she did manage to find a big cardboard box and a blue beach towel. Before anyone could argue she had me in the car and drove me home sweet home in the big box.
The first box shrunk at some point. Why? I don’t know. Maybe it was washed too many times. Anyhowls, the box was eventually replaced by, how could it be otherwise, another “expensive” big box. I traveled in that one many more times when the car was full with people and my crate just wouldn’t fit.
No expenses were spared… (12-3-15)
These days I travel in style on the back seat in a hammock. I was so proud when I was finally allowed to sit in the back seat without the crate. The arrangement is very comfortable and most of the time I sleep meditatively when I am driven to my missions.
First time without a crate (1-24-16)
Sometimes I can even travel “shotgun” when the backseat is taken by other things that have to be driven around. Those times M drives like a snail on muscle relaxers while she normally tends to drive like a car racer on steroids. Not my words; just repeating hearsay. In her defense, I’ve never seen her drive like a maniac when I am in the car. Either way, we are still trying to find a dependable safety harness for me. Have you found one? We have asked around and researched the topic but the jury is still out on whether there is such a thing as a dependable safety harness for canines.
Traveling in style (2-14-17)
Wishing you happy and safe travels,
B
We are having a lazy weekend so we went digging for more oldies in the goodies collection; enjoy!
Ahoy! The boat is back in the water, so we are sailing again. It had been at least a half year since the last time I sailed. So understandably, it took a couple of minutes to get my sea legs back. Yummies did help; every sailor knows that you get seasick with an empty stomach! It was fun once I found my sea legs. Of course, they were on the boat in case you were wondering …
Today, I also got a new cape. I haven’t tried yet if it is a magic one, you know the one that opens doors. Ms. Zulu was MIA as she needed her beauty sleep. I will include a photo of her from a while back so she doesn’t feel left out. I was dog tired after all that steering. Luckily I was able to confiscate the only two pillows that were on board. After all the captain always gets first dibs.
Night, night, Benji.
After our guest left, we are trying to get back on track with some sort of routine. So here is another video for you from when I was just 14 weeks old and went canoeing. Canoeing is always fun! Feeling the wind on my face, my ears flopping…, just heaven. One warning though, you have to stay on top of things. I know I am part Retriever, but that doesn’t mean I should get my paws wet either. After all, I have a standard to keep up. As a therapy dog I should be presentable at all times, so no ragged wet mop look for me.
Stay dry and don’t rock the boat, Benji
Proof that we did pay attention in school
While my CCI buddy and I studied hard in school, okay we did play some too, the wedding preparations for Drake and Sol have moved forward nicely. Here are the bridesmaids in their new outfits. Check out Belén Soto’s website Arcilla y fuego for an update. Belén is a very talented ceramist and we love her sculptures!
The ZAB team.
Preparativos de boda – Wedding preparations Las damas de honor – Bridesmaids Lúa y Mar Las chicas también han optado por el color rojo, creo que va a ser el color predominante en la boda, siguiendo las indicaciones de Mar, ambas han realizado sus primeras compras … Los preparativos de una boda son una enorme […]
Me, after my bath
Dorn, I thought I had dodged the bullet, but no, no such luck. What happened? Well, the other day I had what I thought was a great field day. You know exploring the forest and getting up to snuff with the latest and greatest. There were lots of new perfumes that I had to try out. It helps to get rid of the weird smells that the humans put on me and the ladies seem to like it. So, I had just taken a nice stroll, hmm roll, in the forest when mom pulled me aside for THE sniff test a.k.a. the S-test. This test is not to be taken lightly and involves several steps that you have to pass before you are cleared to continue your business as usual. I have written down the steps so that you are all forewarned:
Step 1. The first step consists of a good sniff over. It is a 50-50 chance that I pass this test as mom’s sniffing capabilities are not the greatest. Ms. Zulu sometimes messes up here because if she starts sniffing me in unusual places, mom is on Code Red Alert (CRA). CRA means business or immediately go to step three. However, if I pass the S-test I am safe and I can go to the last step. If the S-test is inconclusive or directs the tester to some wonderful forest perfumes (for some reason humans call these the smells of death), I have to endure step two.
Step 2. For step two, white doggie wipes are being pulled out. My goodness, do they have to be used everywhere?! If the plastic gloves come out at this point you might as well give up and put all paws in the air because this means in human terms that you are too dirty to be touched. If the white wipes stay white while I am wiped all over, I am probably good. If the wipes show some, and I mean really some MINISCULE speck of dirt, then I am basically screwed and we immediately end up in the next step. If the second step is inconclusive we also go to step three. So basically I can’t win here.
Step 3. Step three is the bath of shame, where I am washed with shampoo all over AND that means I get WET everywhere!!!!!*
Step 4. Step four is the good part and can show up right after the second step or during the third one. If I behave well I get lots of treats. I have conquered this step really well and make sure that this step is never forgotten. P.S.: I have a secret weapon that works like a charm: always put on your most pitiful face while you make it look like you are really trying your best to endure this horrible, horrible act and I guarantee you that you will get more treats than you probably deserve.
* No, no pictures of me in the bathroom in my birthday suit here. After all, this a decent site.
I have to say, and I wouldn’t have thought so a half year ago, but my modeling career is taking off very nicely. Maybe one of these days I can even bring up a raise. Here you can see the results of my third paid gig. Just to refresh your memory, this is in anticipation of Drake and Sol’s wedding. So I am happy to report that my treat account is growing. On the other hand, I seem to be using more too so not sure about the balance at the end of this month. I hope I’m not in the red, except for the bow tie. After all, the humans decided that I was too skinny and there is only one remedy for that. So, keep it coming or the tummy will grow hungry.
As you can see, both Ms. Zulu and I are taking the wedding preparations quite seriously and we are putting our best paw forward. -You are correct, that is our right front paw in both cases.- This time I am showing a red bow tie as it was decided by higher authorities that it might look better than the blue ties. My suit will remain the same brindle pattern, decorated with a white front. I have grown quite fond of it, so that stays. Sometimes you have to know when you can put your paw down. There was enough shopping to do as it is. I never knew that weddings would require so much preparation.
So, what do you think of the new addition to my dressing room? How does it compare to the two blue outfits? Light conditions were still not up to par according to my assistant. I hope to finagle another gig out of this. For some reason or another, Ms. Zulu’s pics are less of a problem. I don’t mind though; working long hours means more treats. Besides, I can always sleep in the next day.
Enjoy the good life: make room for play and take lots of naps between work,
B.
The letter I stands for Integrity. Integrity means being honest and having good character. This includes connecting with others by offering a listening ear. It also might mean that you have to wriggle yourself in an awkward position without any treats in sight, just to be near someone.
XXX, Benji
I learned that the letter J stands for Joy. Mom says that I bring lots of it every day. Of course, Ms. Zulu does too.
Joy means bringing smiles to others by simply being there and wagging your tail. I think I can do that, WOOFFF!
Benji
The letter N stands for Nononsense*. I try to keep a no-thrills attitude and am enjoying the simple things in life. Treats are Numero Uno on that list. I bet you hadn’t seen that one coming. The N also stands for November. That is the month of happy new beginnings for me and my new family as I was adopted into my furrever home in November 2015.
Me, Benji
* Yes, that looks like drool on that sock. And no, I wouldn’t know how said drool got on the sock. I don’t recall getting a treat that time. And if I did, I would plead the fifth.
My pretty Sis
May your tummies always be full with yummies,
Benji
Life of Benji 