Monday, December 22, 2008

I come from a line of very talented whippets!!!!

2008 was an awesome year for my whippet family. My relatives are very versatile and compete in events that range from straight and oval racing to lure coursing to agility to frisbee to flyball to obedience to couch potato-ing to hot dog eating contests (not really but Pixie made me put that one in here).

Many of my relatives earned their Canine Good Citizen (CGC) titles this year (including Pixie and me). This title shows what well-behaved and friendly whippets we are. We are proud of these titles. Since I got this particular title, I was allowed to volunteer at the nursing home. I sure had a good time visiting with the people there. I like to lick them on their noses and they seemed to enjoy it.

Now as far as other titles go - here is the rundown (in alphabetical order by name):

Cousin King - ORC and NOTRA meet winner, #3 at NOTRA National race meet

Cousin Luther - WRA meet winner

Cousin Martin - NOTRA meet winner

Dad Panther - SORC2, NOTRA National meet winner, NOTRA National Champion (#1), MX, MXJ, AKC Invitational

Uncle Pete – OJ, OA and NF

Grandpa Poet – MACH, AKC Invitational #9 out of 95 dogs, first whippet to reach the finals

Aunt Punky - SORC

Mom Rita - AKC FC

Uncle Shax - #10 WRA, WRA and NAWRA meet winner

Brother Spinner - JC
Aunt Lateeda - CGC

Cousin Trumpet - WRCh and ORC, #6 at NOTRA National race meet

Cousin Whistle - ORC and NOTRA meet winner

(please let me know if I forgot anyone or got any of this wrong)

Pixie and I Met Santa...

and guess what? He drives a tractor. Here we are posing with him. He was very nice and gave us treats. We love Santa - we tried to give our very best ears for the photo.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

I got a present from my boyfriend

A pretty young girl like myself has many boyfriends. They come and they go. But one boy has stood the test of time. My special boyfriend -- Luke. Luke is a handsome whippet boy who knows how to treat a lady right. He showers me with gifts.

Yesterday a box came in the mail. When my Mom opened it there was something all wrapped up inside. Hmm - is that for me? Well, is it? Is it? I think I smell my Lukey-boy.


Once it was unwrapped, I saw that it was a cute, stuffed ladybug. But my Mom put it on the table and told me that it wasn't for me to mess around with. I am a curious type and I didn't believe her, so I had to take a closer look.


Then my Mom gave me the best part of the gift. Luke sure knows what I like. Some delicious wrapping paper to shred up.

Mmmm, mmmm good. Excellent shredding material. I spread it all over the house.


Thanks Luke and also thanks to your Mom, Maggie for helping you to pick out a great gift for me.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Blackmail photo

This is my sister, Raven - she lives in Minnesota where it is cold, but I don't think that is the reason she has to wear these silly panties. I heard my Mom say something about her being in seesun, whatever that means. I hope it doesn't hurt.

I love you Raven and hope to see you soon.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Toy recommendations

Lately I have been thinking about toys and how much I love them. I like to squeeze them until they squeak and sleep on top of them and find out what is inside of them and rip them in half and toss them off the bed and put them on Pixie's head and carry them around and put them on Mom's lap while she works and drop them in the water dish and eat the ears off them and toss them in the air and kill them and lovingly groom them and play tug with them and well, I think you get the idea.

Here are some of my favorites - show this page to your humans and maybe they will get you one of these cool toys.

The ring zinger -- very very fun toy

The rock -- oh I love this toy it is just as good as the real rocks that I try to bring in from outside

Udder tugs -- I really recommend this online shop, they donate part of the proceeds to the charity of your choice, I chose whippet rescue but there are many to choose from

Skinneez -- these are soft toys that have no stuffing and they are excellent for tugging and they squeak really loud

Rabbit fur tugs -- this is made from real rabbit fur - need I say more?

And just so you don't think I am some kind of dog toy elitist - I really must say that the best toys of all are the boxes that these toys arrive in and empty water bottles too.

Happy playing!!!!

I got my first ORC point

Following in the humongous footsteps of my most awesomest Dad - Panther - I got my first championship point on the oval track this past weekend. It was only my second oval track meet and I did real good. I split some points with my brother, Demetre. We like to keep it in the family.

Besides my points, the thing I think my Mom will remember most about this weekend was the red mud and how I made her fall down in it - oops - sorry Mom.

I am looking forward to more oval racing next year - I really like to run fast and turn left.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Silly runs in my family

Those of you who follow my blog know that often I act silly. In fact, one of my nicknames is Nutball cause of all the kooky things I do. Well, I come by it naturally. Look how silly my Dad, Panther is -- he thinks he fits in this teeny bed. He sure is silly. I am proud to be like him.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Pixie and me love our big blue bed

This is our giant size snuggle ball bed from Dr. Fosters and Smith. We highly recommend it. We never tire of coming up with different ways to snuggle in it. And of course it is big enough so that if we don't want to then we don't even have to touch. Though if we are not touching then we have to be in the exact same position - that is just how it works.






Hooray for the big blue bed.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

shout out to pine cones

It seems that it once again is that wonderful season - the time when the trees drop lovely pine cones everywhere. There are so many to choose from. I am in heaven. Hooray for pine cones!!!!!!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Friday, October 17, 2008

Can that possibly be comfortable???

We whippets like to sleep in some contorted positions and often humans can be heard asking, "Can that possibly be comfortable?"

Well, of course it is otherwise we wouldn't sleep that way. Whippets are all about comfort.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

10 ways to drive your human crazy

Yes indeed, I am posting again so soon after yesterday's post and I really do plan on posting every day for a while.

Today's topic is - things to do to drive your human crazy. Here is my list (in no particular order). I bet some of you other blogdogs have stuff that can be added, so send me some comments.

  1. Sleep with your eyes slightly open so the whites are showing - for some reason, this really freaks the humans out.
  2. Always (and I mean always) wake up an hour earlier then your human usually does
  3. When you are awake earlier then your human (which is pretty much always), stand up on the bed and shake, shake, shake; then jump on and off the bed a few times
  4. If your human is still asleep and you are awake (meaning all that shaking and jumping didn't work) - go and lick your human in their ears
  5. Speaking of ear licking - do this as often as you possibly can - the humans hate it
  6. Whine at the door like you need to go outside. Once you get out there, spend the whole time looking for squirrels, then go back inside without doing any "business"
  7. 5 minutes later, whine at the door to go outside again
  8. At least once a week, decide that you don't like a food that you really liked the day before. Make sure this is a food that your human has bought in bulk
  9. When your human has their back to you, start staring at them. Then when they turn around and see you just staring at them, they get all freaked out - it is totally fun - try it.
  10. Sneak things into the house like rocks, acorns, small sticks, and cat poop.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Blogdogs for Obama

Hey All My Loyal Fans -

It has been way too long since I posted on my blog. I have been busy running around. But I am back and these posts will be flowing freely cause I am a little whippet with a lot to say.

Today I want to say this - VOTE FOR OBAMA!!!!!!!!!

OK, gotta go get my beauty sleep now. Talk to ya soon.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

www.findtoto.com

Last week, something really scary happened. My Mom got out of her yard and was missing for almost a whole day. Thankfully, my Mom was found and part of the reason why was www.findtoto.com. I have no idea what findtoto is, I mean I really have no idea what the Internet is - but my Mom is home safe, so I wanted to let you guys know about it, it can really work in scary situations like these.

I am so happy that my Mom is OK and I can't wait to see her soon at the WRA/NOTRA nationals.

A super pretty picture of me

I am an auntie

So it wasn't exactly planned but my brother, Stretch has sired a litter of completely adorable pups. The super Mom is his housemate, Flare - a very talented border collie. All of the pups have homes waiting for them. Here is a link to their puppy blog - you won't believe how cute these border whippets are.

PUPPY BLOG


I wish I lived closer cause I would love to play with these babies - I love puppies.

Can you believe some people think I am vicious???

Check out my slideshow and see what you think - am I vicious???

Slideshow

Friday, September 5, 2008

I DID IT!!!!

Yup, I ran in my first adult race meet and you know what? I am a fast little bugger. I ran real hard and real fast and out of 20 dogs, I came in second place. I think that is pretty darn good for my first time running against all those adults. I had a super good time and I can't wait to do it again.

Here are some videos of my races. They were taken by my friend Brian. I am the one in the green #4 blanket:

First race

Second race

And here is a photo of me taken by my friend John Huff.

Monday, August 18, 2008

The ear mafia

A bunch of my relatives met up recently at a race meet. Look at my beautiful family.

From left to right: Mom Rita, Brother Spinner, Sister Raven, Brother Stretch, Dad Panther.

Friday, July 25, 2008

Summer Fun

Here I am killing the evil hose monster and cooling off in the process.



Sunday, July 20, 2008

My brothers and sisters are taking the racing world by storm

While I am at home recuperating from my spay operashun, my brothers and sisters are rockin' it out on the race track. I am so proud of them.

In Indiana today, my sister Raven made her NAWRA adult racing debut and came in 8th. And I am waiting to hear how my brother Spinner did in the puppy meet.

In Canada today, my brother Stretch won a CARA race meet.

In New Jersey, my brother Demetre and my sister Nettie had some great practice runs.

Huge congrats to all my sibs and their awesome families.

ladybugs ladybugs everywhere


Look at all this cool ladybug stuff that my Mom has gotten. I am even allowed to chew on a few of the toys.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

A bunch of beautiful bitches

This is a photo of me with some of my female relatives - it was taken this weekend by my friend, Brian.

Front row (left to right) - Aunt Punky and Grandma Fudge
Back row (left to right) - My sister Nettie and Me



Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

My birthday

Well, just an hour or so is left of my birthday. I had a great day. On my morning walk I found a discarded water bottle - trash to some - but treasure to me. I carried it all the way home and even got to bring it inside so I could destroy it. Then Pixie and I got to run at the park and chase the squawker. I got some yummy treats and had a playdate with my boyfriend Axel. Now I am a very tired girl.

Sunday, June 29, 2008

In less than 48 hours....

I will be one year old. Stay tuned for a fabulous photo album of my first year. My Mom is a picture-taker-aholic. You won't be disappointed.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

My brother Spinner is all growed up

Spinner and I made the journey to Ohio together when we were little babies, that is where our new Moms picked us up. We were each other's first BFFs.

Here we are when we were little and sleepy:

Here is Spinner learning how to come thru the racing box.


And look at handsome Spinner now.


I sure can't wait to see my brother again.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Brithday Countdown!!!!!

8 more days until my first birthday

Monday, June 16, 2008

Newsflash -- My sister Raven is also kicking ass

Just found out that my sister Raven won the puppy meet in Antioch this weekend. Hooray for Raven. She is a speedy speedster.

I am so proud of my family!!!!!

Sunday, June 15, 2008

AWESOME weekend for some of my brothers

Today, my brother, Stretch won the puppy class at the ADDCO USDDN disc trial in Canada. I am just a puppy so I don't really know what all those letters mean but what I do know is that Stretch really knows how to catch a frisbee and can do some cool tricks too. Stretch's Mom is Pam and she is a real good trainer.

Here is Stretch with his medal - hooray for Stretch!!!! Don't you just love Stretch's ears (heehee).


And my other brother - Demetre - won the puppy race meet at EWA in New Jersey. Hooray for Demetre - I gotta ask my Mom to get his Dad to send her a photo of him in his cute racing blankets.


Friday, June 13, 2008

Countdown to my birthday

17 days until I am one-year old

yipppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

Monday, June 2, 2008

Pixie is sleeping with the enemy

Look at my silly sister, Pixie and her bunny:




Thursday, May 29, 2008

Summer Fun

Well, Memorial Day has come and gone so I guess it is now summer. Yesterday Pixie and I went to the park - it was hot, hot, hot. Here are some photos of us enjoying the summer.

Pixie enjoys a good roll around in the grass.

I love to cool my paws in the pool.

That's Pixie having a run with our greyhound friend, Skyler.

Here I am chewing on some grass.

Hope you all are enjoying the summer wherever you are.

Monday, May 26, 2008

Bug's Puppy Racing Debut

This weekend at the Jersey Rag Racers WRA meet, I made my debut in the puppy races. I had a super good time, not a real surprise cause I mostly always have a good time at whatever I do - well not when I get my nails cut but I guess I will leave that for another blog post.

So anyway, I am now all official and stuff as a real race dog, you can even look up my stats on the WRA site, click HERE and type in "Ladybug". I guess I did pretty good at the racing cause my Mom seemed to be really happy and she kept telling me what a good girl I was. I think I even saw her start to get some water in her eyes - which sometimes can be a bad thing with these humans and then again sometimes it is a good thing - humans can be very confusing. Oops, I seem to have gotten off topic again.

I got to run 4 times - 3 times with another puppy. Click HERE to see a video of one of our races- I am the one out in front, yay!!!!!

For the 4th race, I got to run with my Uncle Hercules. He is a pretty speedy guy and I tried my best but I could not get past him. I did beat him out of the box though. I am the one in blue.


I would like to thank Pat at BowWoWware for making my awesome racing blankets in time for my debut and Brian for taking the video and photos and Derrick for taking me to the boxes (I don't want to thank Derrick for making me wear my muzzle though). And lots more thanks to all the folks at JRRWA who put on a great meet for all the whippets.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Personal Space

Lately I have been thinking about "personal space". Humans seem to need it - for some reason they don't like it when you sit on top of them all the time or try to stick your nose up their nose or lick the inside of their ears. I really don't get it. What better way to show your love than to be right on top of your person?? Thank goodness, my best friend, Pixie, doesn't give a hoot about her "personal space".

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Bug's first real dog show

I am letting my human Mom - take over my space today, so here she is...

On Saturday, May 17th - Bug and I competed at the Mattaponi Kennel Club Dog Show in Manassas, VA. We met both of the goals I set for myself – 1. to have fun and 2. for Bug’s ears to stay down in the ring.

I won’t keep you in suspense any longer – Bug was entered in the 9-12 month puppy bitch class – she had some competition from 2 sisters one month younger than her and she came in 3rd out of the three of them. So yes, she came in last – but she did it in true Bug-style.

OK, now for the full story. We arrived at the fairgrounds and found a good parking spot. Pixie stayed home since I did not feel comfortable leaving her in the car. Then off we went to find a catalog, since a few folks had told me that the first thing to do was get my catalog. As I wandered around the show, I realized I had no idea where one actually buys the catalog. I just assumed it would be like any other sporting event and there would be vendors selling them. So I asked the first person I saw who looked halfway friendly and he pointed me toward the superintendent’s tent. Bug was her happy little self – wiggling her whole body and trying to say hello to every man, woman, child and dog that we passed. We found the superintendent and as I was buying the catalog – Bug promptly took a poop right there in front of the superintendent. I thought, oh boy, is this how my day is going to go? I went to pick up the poop and before I could, a nice gentleman came over and scooped it up for me. Hmm, I thought, well that was nice – maybe my day would go OK.

So once I had the catalog, now I needed to figure out where to get my armband. Again, I wandered around for a bit and then bumped into a friend of mine and her whippets. She told me I get the armband at the ring. So off we went to ring 12. Got my armband then had to have her help me put it on. We were number 8 – seemed like a good number to me. Checked the catalog to see when we had to go into the ring and saw that Bug would be the first one in for her class. I was glad we would be first in line because I was a bit worried that Bug would be trying to sniff the butt of the whippet in front of her – so again, things seemed to be working out for us.

Then it was time to stand around the ring and watch. Saw two other people that I knew and got myself mentally prepared. Bug was having a great time greeting the other whippets and giving kisses to the people. She is a very happy little girl.

Dalmatians were the breed in the ring before the whippets. As they were finishing up, all of a sudden there was a commotion outside the ring. We heard yelling and lots of people started gathering around. I thought it was a dog fight. Things started to get very tense, nobody knew what was going on. Then a woman came walking toward us carrying a Dalmatian. I don’t know the full story, but it turns out all the excitement was this – apparently this woman co-owns the dog with someone else. A handler was showing the dog and the co-owner attempted to steal the dog back and actually slapped the handler. Yikes – that sent some bad vibes around. Is this what goes on at dog shows? I am told that this was in fact very out of the ordinary.

After all that excitement died down, it was time for the whippets to head into the ring. I guess in the dog show world they don’t believe in the old mantra – ladies first – so the boys went into the ring. This was good because I could watch and see what the judge was having them do. It all looked simple enough, I thought – go around, put on table, down and back, go around again.

I have no idea who won anything cause I was too busy 1. trying to have fun and 2. trying to make sure Bug’s ears stayed down. It came time for our turn and into the ring we went. Bug behaved like a champ. She stacked without too much fussing and kept her ears down – Yay!! We went around but she was pretty busy trying to sniff the ground. Up onto the table she went and she was a very good girl when the judge came over. I told the judge that this was our first time and she very nice and spoke to Bug as she looked at her teeth and she also helped me to stack her properly. Bug was very cooperative – Yay Bug!!

The down and back was OK but on the go around Bug just wanted to sniff the ground again, so I think her movement didn’t look all that great. And that basically is it – we came in last, um, I mean 3rd. None of the horrible things I had envisioned happened – she didn’t bite the judge, poop in the ring, jump up in the air and she didn’t get excused from the ring for any reason. And as for me, I didn’t trip and fall down or step on her or bite the judge either.

We got a ribbon to add to our collection, I breathed a giant sigh of relief that it was over, and then we stayed to watch the rest of the whippet judging. After whippets were done, we went shopping – Bug got an adorable green leash and collar with little flying ladybugs on it.

So there you have it - this was most likely Bug's first and last "real" show - we will still compete in fun matches on occasion.

Allie

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Busy Bug

I know it has been way too long since I posted on my blog. Time seems to be flying as I grow up from a puppy into a beautiful young lady. I am 10.5 months old now, can you believe it? I have been quite busy lately. I spend a lot of time running around at the park and when I am not there, I am catching up on my beauty sleep and bothering Pixie. I have been doing some traveling to some race meets and getting lots of practice. Today my new racing blankets arrived. Look at me, I am a real race dog and don't I just look smashing in green.

These blankets were made by my friend Pat at BowWoWware - you can check out her site HERE

Pixie and I were just in NYC and I have lots of fun stories to tell you all, but that will have to wait cause I gotta go to the park now.

Bye and I promise to write again soon.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Pixie and I are good citizens

Yep - last night both Pixie and I passed the AKC Canine Good Citizen test. You can read all about the CGC program HERE.

I am not really sure what the big deal is. In fact, I have thought up my own test which of course I can pass in my sleep. So how do you think you would do on the Bug Good Citizen test. Here is what you have to do:

1. Make sure that everyone around you has clean ears. Good ear hygiene is of the utmost importance. Clean ears help everyone listen better. So you must spend some time each day cleaning the ears of those around you - both canine and human and even feline if you have one of those around.

2. Rescue poor worms that have been flooded out of their homes. You must find a worm and carry it inside to dry ground. The catch is that you have to carry it inside without killing it. Then you have to deposit the still wiggling worm in a safe, dry spot like the sofa.

3. Keep your area free of pinecones. Pinecones can be hazardous - they are very easy for people to trip over. You must find and destroy all pinecones. Once they are shredded into tiny pieces they cannot hurt anyone.

4. Help your owner stay fit by not fetching. Here is how it works - they throw the ball and you run after it but then you don't bring it back. This way they have to retrieve it and in doing so they get some exercise. If you bring it right back every time, they will just stand still and that is not healthy.

5. Make people smile each day by doing kooky things. There are a lot of different kooky things you can do to satisfy this part of the test. This is your chance to be creative. Extra points are given if you come up with something kooky that I haven't done yet.

There you have it. If you pass you get the coveted BGC title after your name.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Why Ladybug Is the Perfect Name for Me

Although I am a whippet I have a ton of things in common with the beetle called the ladybug.

For instance, ladybugs are red with black markings and as you can see from my photos I too am red with black markings.

Ladybug's beat their wings 85 times per second when they fly - I also can fly even if I don't have wings.

Ladybugs are called the gardener's best friend because they eat lots of aphids - I am Pixie's best friend and I am sure I would like to eat lots of aphids too if I knew what they were.

There are also some things about ladybugs that aren't exactly the same as me - they are cold-blooded and I am not. They can only go 15 mph at top flying speed and I can go twice as fast as that. They hibernate in cold weather but I love to run around in the snow.

And here are some other interesting stories about ladybugs:

In England a ladybug signifies a good harvest. In France, it means good weather is coming. In Sweden, if a ladybug lands on a girl's hand, it's said to be taking measurements for her wedding gloves.

Another popular belief is that if ladybug lands on you, you can make a wish and chant:

"Ladybird, ladybird fly away home.

Your house is on fire and your children all roam."

If the ladybug flies away, your wish will come true.


And did you know that
The Ladybug is the Official State Insect of five states: New York, Ohio, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Tennessee. And the Ladybug is the Official State "Bug" of Delaware.




Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Being Ladybug

Being Ladybug means enjoying the spring weather to the fullest and spending as little time inside as possible.

Being Ladybug means greeting each day with a huge smile.

Being Ladybug means knowing what is important - snuggling with friends and giving kisses.

Being Ladybug means running as fast as you can without worrying where you are headed.

Being Ladybug means savoring each morsel of food that comes your way.

Being Ladybug means throwing caution to the wind.

Being Ladybug means diving in with all 4 paws.

Being Ladybug means being generous with your gifts.

Being Ladybug means loving a broken old stick as much as an expensive store-bought toy.

Being Ladybug means knowing when to stop but keeping on going.

Being Ladybug means feeling the sunshine on your face.

Here's hoping you can be a little bit Ladybug in your life.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

How many names does one puppy need???

First you have my registered name - Notorious Firekat

Then you have my call name - Ladybug

Of course nobody actually calls me Ladybug, they call me Bug. Well some folks call me Lady cause they don't like insects.


And then there are my many nicknames:

  • Babybug
  • Bugaroo
  • Bugger
  • Buggle
  • Buglet
  • Bugsy
  • Kookoobug
  • Lady B
  • Little Momma
  • Little Ms. Stretchypants
  • Moomybug
  • Mumbly Bumbly
  • Nutball
  • Peanut
  • Wooby
Pixie's registered name is Catchem Trigger and she has lots of nicknames too:
  • Pixaroo
  • Pixel
  • PixieChick
  • PixRooster
  • PixieSticks
  • PixieWix sometimes lengthened to PixieWixieWoo
  • PixieWixel
  • RoosterRoo
Even my Mom has a lot of names. Her registered name is Allison but everyone calls her Allie. Here are her nicknames:
  • Alibabba
  • Alleycat
  • Als
  • Big Al
  • Smitty

Sunday, April 6, 2008

I am a good girl

It has recently come to my attention that my Mom is spreading lies about me and my behavior. I actually don't think my Mom means any harm, I think her statements just need to be translated into Bug-glish.

So if you hear my Mom say - Bug is stubborn - she really means - Bug is determined.

Anytime she might say - Bug is uncooperative, she really means to say that I am an independent thinker.

Perhaps you have heard her say that I am destructive - well really all that means is that I am creative.

If she says that I am cute, adorable, beautiful, special, wonderful, lovable, or fantastic - well actually those words just mean what they say cause I am all those things.

And if you hear her say something about me being a nutball or a kook - she really means to say that I am exuberant and very serious about enjoying life to the fullest.

I hope this lesson in Bug-glish was helpful. Please keep these things in mind whenever you hear my Mom say anything about me.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Look what can happen in just 9 short months

I went from this:

To this:
To this:
To this:
To this: