Dog...... NAMED!

Now that news spread about me getting a dog, there has been one question that I could not answer. That was: 'What was her name?' I could not answer Fluffy, the name the peeople who sold to us had made up, because our family hated that name. (No offence people who like that name or people who sold the puppy to us.) We were definatly going to change it. We always had to say 'She doesn't have one.' I one day typed a e-mail to Dad saying that we would better name that dog. He said that we shoud look up maps of Alaska (we used to live there) and find some cool names on those. So, Dad, Uncle Geoff and I looked at cool names of cities and rivers and mountains. We found a looong list. Mom wanted Shasta. I wanted Aspen. So did Skyla. I decided to take a poll. 6 people wanted Aspen, 3 people wanted Shasta, and 1 person wanted Luciana. I sent Dad an e-mail about how the poll went. I still wanted Aspen. I told him that in my e-mail, too. In his e-mail he sent back, he needed a nickname to agree for the name. I sent him another e-mail saying probably Aspy or Asp. He sent back another e-mail saying that he would let Skyla and I decide what the puppy's name should be. We wanted Aspen. Hooray! The dog was named! Except we did a lot of hard work for nothing!

A Valentine's Day Dog

For practicaly forever, I have wanted a dog. But there has always been an excuse. When we were in Alaska, we lived in an apartment. Then the excuse was that we didn't have a yard. We were there for three years. When we moved to California, when we had our own house with a backyard, my parents managed to make a new one, which was that we didn't have enough of a yard. Hee hee. They didn't get away with that one. Especially when our next-door neighbor's dogs had puppies. In that litter, the dogs only had two puppies. One boy and one girl. Skyla, my sister, and I really wanted the girl. That's because Dad said if we were getting a dog (and we might, once we moved. It's just that Skyla and I decided a long time ago that waiting till we moved was too long of a wait. And they might make another exuse. ) it would definitely be a girl. So we only had a slim chance with the girl. At least Dad wanted a girl dog when the time was right, because a few days later, the boy was sold. The girl, we found out, was going to be sold Sunday. Three people were thinking about buying her. We had three days to decide. It was on Valentine's Day when Skyla, Mom, sort of Karsten, my little brother, and I finally got a full chance to speak to Dad. By then, Karsten, Skyla, and I wanted the dog. Dad did not. Mom was deciding. You might think our chances were good. Or maybe okay. Wrong. Dad is one of the most stubburn people I have ever met. I knew we still had a chance, but not much of one. Anyways, we went to this Mexican resturant. Mom said Skyla and I had done good. I didn't feel like it. My heart was sinking by the time I got home. Dad had made up so many excuses about getting a dog, he could've used every every word in the dictionary. For instance, What about the poop, or the hair, and the money, plus it stinking up the house, ect. I noticed Dad typing a comment on the post Cocker Spaniel. I was too sad to notice. I went and brushed my teeth. When I was finished, Dad called to me because ''someone'' had typed a comment on my blog. I read the comment. It said: Wow, that sounds like a great dog. I can't wait for one to join our family. Thanks for all the useful information. And, YES, I would love for you to have the opportunity to have the same dog I first had when I was growing up. I love you both. Happy Valentine's Day! Love, Dad. I didn't understand that. I went and called Mom. She said to look at a word. It said YES. Skyla, who was looking over my shoulder, and I ran and hugged Dad. But by the look on our face, we were still somehow confused. Mom said, "I guess they don't really understand." Dad looked at us and grinned. "You better take care of that dog."

Cocker Spaniel

To Dad

The nickname of the "Merry Cocker" is well deserved, for he is a happy, friendly, enthusiastic character whose tail never stops wagging. A keen worker, he is just as ready to pour his energy into the role as a family pet. This is a lively and loving dog that needs company. He is devoted to his owners, sociable with visitors, and good with children. Indeed, his kindness and working intelligence make him a great hearing ear dog, support for the disabled, and threapy dog. Outgoing yet gentle, he needs attention, exercise and grooming. Spaniels developed to assist falconers and later shooters by finding, flushing, and retrieveing game. The smallest of the land spaniels, the English Cocker was reckognized as a seperate breed in 1892.

Irish Wolfhound

The Irish Wolfhound is the tallest breed of dog. Given a home that reaches his high scale needs, he is a loving companion. Despite his huge size, he is a gentle and friendly, good natured with children, and very affectionate toward his owners. With a dog this size, he may weigh as much as his owners, and, is very strong, so good training is essential. Although adult Wolfhounds are generally as mannerly as a dog can possibly be, puppies (up to two or three years old) are mischievous whirlwinds and are hard work.
The Wolfhound harks back to the great Celtic hounds of pre-Roman times, where they served as war dogs as well as hunters. However, the breed was almost extinct by the 17th century. The modern Wolfhound is mostly because of the 19th century reconstruction.