Dog Spring Allergy

Few days ago, we were still under piles of snow. They're rapidly melting and Hurray!! I don't have to wear my dog winter jacket anymore. Recently, we had a series of interviews with dog walking candidates. I found my new "Mr Walker" who will now take me out for an hour of dog afternoon walk from Monday to Friday while my people are busy running their afternoon errands.

Mr.Walker himself own a sheep dog but that dog is not lively or playful at all. He is not interested to play run and chase. Luckily Mr. Walker likes to play fetch with me.

As the season change, the Hazelnut trees are now wearing their bling bling catkins. Last week, when the temperature was still at freezing point, those catkins was looking quite harmless.

Today, the early spring landscape is "blinging" in a most feminine way. (Does this word blinging exist? Well, it does now according to the dog dictionary)

Those bling bling catkins look beautiful against a clear blue sky, unfortunately I am a typical terrier dog with allergic reactions to many different kinds of pollens. Soon, when the warm temperature release the pollen from those catkins, it will be a nightmare living under my dog skin.

Like the cats in our backyard, these hazel catkins can be found everywhere during this time of year.
The dog in me wonders if the swan also suffer from pollen allergy?

I just don't understand it?! Why is this duck so sleepy and lazy looking, just floating in the water doing nothing interesting?
Could this ducks be allergic to the bling bling season too?

Never mind the ducks. I saw a marmaduke!!
Woo Hoo!! Woof! Whoof!

I could be in tears....

.....but big girls don't cry.

I should be updating my high altitude adventures but I really haven't found much time to convert some raw files pictures. Thanks to those scumbags scammers for taking away my precious time defending my fort instead of doing something useful to this blog.

http://rosesarerae.blogspot.com/2009/03/school-of-hard-knocks.html

Heliskiing 2007

This 2007 heliskiing clip was put up on Utube by our techie chief Jim. Since he put up this clip, he has become a common joke among us as "Jim is helisking with one i " which also makes a funny word play because of his style of skiing with one eye! and eating lots of snow, from falling. The last face on the video in orange jacket is my husband :))

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1opnHvPXpf8&feature=PlayList&p=185D26AA854D5443&index=2

2009 Heliskiing - Part 1

As a dog I certainly enjoy outdoor adventures and exploring new places, sniffing around but certain activities, my people just won't take me along. They said the terrain is too rugged and steep with deep drop cravasses, way too dangerous for happy go lucky dog like me. This is so boring because my four legs need the exercise but ok....when I see their pictures, I see what they mean about me sinking in deep snow...... Heliskiing is about getting out of bounds to places where skilifts and cable cars doesn't exist.
2009 lineup are the same faces with 4 new comers; Kim and Suz are neighbours back in the UK while Andy and Bob are friends of Alex.

Kim is training for her coming up soon triathlon . The interesting thing is that Kim and I share some common school friends back in the UK. This is a small world.

The bit that's not too fun is when the skis decided to take a ride on the backpack instead...

Watch out for more pics as I convert the raw files...

Freeride Paradise

In my 8 years dog life, I find this year's winter really fun. There are heaps of snow at home and then, like many other years in the past, my people decided to take me along on their heliski weekend in Alagna. That Freeride Paradise village is one of my favourite digs and I didn't complain one bit when they squeezed me into the back seat that's already crammed packed to the roof with their skiing gear. It was quite a long journey because Rae decide to drive to Geneva first to collect my hero; Fab-ulous pooch walker and his work colleague Norbert before we drive across the alps driving through beautiful mountainous landscape, the boring Mont Blanc tunnel and man more tunnels after that.

After what feels like 6billion dog hours of travelling, we finally reached the B&B that will be my home for the next few days. There was so much snow I can hardly see the houses and buildings.

Under these mountain of snow, there are plants and bushes buried together, and I know I will have a hard time to do my usual daily dog business if I can't find anything grassy or green. Unlike many many years ago, there are really mountains of snow this year. It is really like fairy tale. I got all excited and impatient to make the white snow yellow...so we walked around the village and I added some colours to the white winter landscape!
We got up to our apartment and hurrah!! I have a balcony to myself for running around.

The view from the balcony was magical even in the dark.
It was difficult to sleep that night as I was too excited to get out in the snow again. I probably was walking around in the dark apartment while my people fainted into their sleep in exhaustion after the long drive. After some hours later, the night curtain lifted up. From the apartment kitchen I saw the most inviting wonderland waiting for me to explore..... I quickly put up my sad face and giving them signs that I badly need to get to do my poo business...I know....very cunning dog trick....

The temperature during end of February usually are quite mild, especially when the sun is out during the day but this year, winter is definitely very hard on the in central europe and I had to put on my dog winter jacket to stay warm. The problem is when the snow decided to stick to my furs making me look as if I'm wearing a dress with lots of golf balls hanging around the skirt. Since I put on the jacket, this rumba golf balls didn't happen anymore.

The link below is what my people are doing this weekend year after year http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1opnHvPXpf8&feature=PlayList&p=185D26AA854D5443&index=2

I'm not a toy dog. I'm just a midget!

My name is Marco Polo. I am 8 yrs old single male and I enjoy meeting other dogs, doesn't matter big dog or small dog, as long as they are dogs.I own the house, the garden and the people in the house. My people think they own me but actually I own them!!

I am what you call a living alarm as well as a watch dog. I make sure I watch all the dogs that walk past our house all the time. I'm not a barker trigger happy kind of dog. I only bark when someone ring the door bell, well that's because they are about to enter our house!!

The outdoor is also mine. I have left my mark all over Europe. This whole continent is mine!

Its a long story how I acquire my name. Apparently when I was 3 months old, I always marked the legs of people who stood still. Well, I want to make them mine (actually, I thought they were poles or the fire hydrant) Polo was because I am nuts about balls and very good at stealing them too. Once I even entered the football pitch trying to steal the ball. I almost end up in the goal with the ball. I was so thrilled when the footballers said that I am a good goalie. I am so nuts about playing fetch that I even jump int othe sea to fetch it. I am a good swimmer and I have swam not only in our pond, but rivers and the sea too.

I always hear people said I am a toy dog, but I don't feel like a toy at all.
There's nothing toyish about me. I can carry sticks bigger than me. I eat a lot. I am always hungry but I could never put on weight or grow taller. It must be my midget genes.

Actually I am quite happy being a petite midget. I don't take much space in the car and I don't have to fly in a box with "life animal" sticking on it. The only thing I hate about flying is during take off. They make me go in that silly ç?*#! bag and that ç?*#! bag with me inside goes under the seat! Yes, under the seat!!
You people cannot imagine what's its like down there huddled under the seat. Legs. Lots of people's legs...and shoes! so many shoes like walking in a shoe store. all kinds of leather shoes, suede shoes, canvas shoes, tennis shoes....and the smell...ahhhh....Very tempting. That is why I never complained when me and my silly ç?*#! bag get shoved under the seat during take off or landing.