Toba is here for the holidays!

Richie went away again (seems like he is doing that more often, these days), and while he was gone, Toba showed up! It was as if she never left, and made herself at home right away - as you can see from the photo below.

A couple of sleeps after Richie got home, it snowed! We Berners just love the snow, so he took us up to QE Park for a long romp!

We had lots of fun rolling around in the fresh white stuff, snuffling it up, and trying to catch the snowballs that Richie would throw towards us.


These days, I've not been much of a runner, but when Toba decided it was time for some wind sprints, it was game on! I'm still way faster than she is, even if I am turning 7 this year.

Now that Richie is back, we've resumed our daily walks to Starbucks - but with the Christmas season upon us, we've been wearing our jingle bells, much to the delight of the other humans we meet.

Here's the annual family photo - with of course, our visitor Toba sharing the season with us. On Christmas day, we received some new toys in our stockings:

I got a squeaky, chewy thing, and

Toba got a chicken leg! Ok, not a real chicken leg mind you, but fun to chew on nonetheless!

Here's a funny one of Toba - she likes to roll around on her back (doesn't everyone?), but when she does, she digs her head into the ground too. As you can see, it sometimes makes her blaze all dirty!

Finally, we went back to the University Endowment Lands... we hadn't been there in a while, but there was lots of fresh water for us to drink. Toba ran so hard that day, that later she could barely walk and get up the stairs on her own!

Mischa

Under the knife - again

I went to the place called "the vet" again recently. I am always happy to go there, as I can jump up on my back legs, and get a cookie from the jar on the counter there. However, when we went to the back room, I didn't want to go any further, and hit the brakes. Unfortunately, my claws don't get any grip on the floor there, and I got dragged back there. Then I had a big sleep.

When I woke up, I was really groggy, and I cried a lot. Then later, Richie came to get me, and I cried even more. We walked home, and I was really unsteady - good thing I have four (who can count, really) legs. I couldn't really stand up without leaning against something, and so I went back to sleep. When I woke up this time, I had that damned lampshade on again! But it doesn't really bother me, other than I keep bumping it into things like the doorways and chairs. Something on my leg is itchy, but I can't really get a good look at it with this thing on. Anyhow, after a while, my leg stopped bugging me, and I've stopped wearing that silly thing.

Mischa

Editor's Note: Mischa had a 5 cm lipoma on her right rear leg. The vet decided he wanted to remove it, as it was right at the knee joint, and was concerned that it might create issues for her later.

Autumn is when all the leaves fall

Around the same time as squirrel hunting season, the big trees on the neighbourhood streets lose all their leaves, and the humans spend hours piling them up on their lawn. These piles collect all sorts of good smells, and when we go for our daily walks, I love rummaging through the leaves!

 Here's a good one with Christine and I posing in a huge pile of leaves that one of the neighbours was raking... he thought it was funny that I wanted to play in his pile.

We also went up to Kamloops again recently, and we went to that place near the river where there was HUGE amounts of sand! I ran around and played, but it wasn't as much fun as the time I was here with Paisley.

Mischa

Squirrel season

It's that time of year again, when all of those trees along the streets where Richie takes me for my walks, are dropping these things called 'nuts'. I like to pick them up and roll them around my mouth, but don't crack them open and eat them. But apparently those squirrels love these things, as they are everywhere right now.

This afternoon, we went for our walk, and there's lots of leaves on the ground. We walked by a huge pile of them on a lawn where a human and his little one were playing. I decided to join in and frolicked in the leaves. I dug around with my snout, as if I was looking for something hidden beneath them. Then I rolled around on my back and made a comfy bed.

Further down the street, Richie stopped me, and pointed at something. I didn't see what it was that he wanted me to see, until it moved... there was a squirrel on the tree only a leash-length away! It saw me and started climbing the tree, and so I jumped up on my hind legs as if to pursue it. The squirrel got up and away, but then it must have lost it's grip, and it fell right in front of me! If Richie didn't have the leash tight, I could have gotten that one for sure!

Mischa

Johnson reunion weekend

Here we are in Point Roberts again... I think this is my second home! This time we went down there because of the long weekend (whatever that means), and there was a bunch of Christine's relatives there; that means they share common parents or grandparents or something - kinda like how Toba is related to me.

They sat around all afternoon, eating yummy things - I hovered around them, until something fell off a plate, or got tossed my way. I love these group meals!

The small humans had a play tent set up in the front yard, and when they had finished playing, I decided to check it out. What a great place to get out of the sun! I normally sit in the shade by the Rover, but this has more protection from the heat.

Anyhow, the humans have a new game they play - it's called Cornhole, and they thow bags of uncooked corn (phooey), and try to get it through a hole in a board. All I know is that it doesn't involve me, so I thought I would lie right in the middle of their fun.

Mischa

The big doggies...

We went down to Point Roberts again last weekend, and were joined by our friends Chelsea, Spencer and their doggie, Miley. It's a little bit cooler than it has been, so we were able to go for some walks in the sun, right by the farm with the big doggies!

Each time I walked by, I would cry for them to come over so that I could greet them. This one time, the big brown one (kinda grey to me) came right over and we sniffed each other nose-to-nose! I would love to go play with these doggies, but I'm not allowed to run around in there.

Those big doggies eat a lot of grass... I want to be a big doggie like them, so I thought I would try munching on some of this tall grass too. It tastes ok, but I'd much prefer the bacon that those humans have been eating!

Mischa

Berner day at the beach!

It was really hot yesterday, so Richie and Christine took us to the beach by the river called McDonald Park. We ran into our friend, Patsy Cline, and her human there. She also had another Berner in tow - an 11 month-old male named Bentley!

We had a great time running in and out of the water - even Toba would come in to the river deeper than we've seen her go before. We also did lots of digging and wriggling around in the sand - we call Toba "Pigpen", as she gets so sandy when she rolls around on the beach.

And then just when we thought there were enough Berners, another big guy came along and said hello to the rest of us. What a party!

Mischa

Dog days of summer

Last night, Richie and our neighbour, Malcolm, took me to the baseball game! I had been there before, but it was a long time ago, so I don't really remember it. There were all sorts of dogs there, and I had a great time - getting attention from all the people there, and seeing so many dogs walk by.

I even got dressed for the occasion with my special Swiss collar, and a Vancouver Canadians hat! I didn't mind wearing it, but it would slip down over my eyes, and then I couldn't see. I got lots of treats and even some peanuts!

 While it might look like I'm actually watching the game, I'm not really - just resting my head on the railing. I was more interested in the people and doggies walking by in front of us. What fun!

Mischa

July update

Here's some updated pics for you from our hot July summer. It cooled down a bit from the July long weekend, so we've been going to the beach and hanging out in the park lots!

This one is from Queen Elizabeth Park, only a few blocks walk from our place. I was looking for a cozy place to sit down - Christine was lying on the blanket, so I went over and sat down on her!

Richie's friend from Australia was in town and came by for a visit. Here he is trying to teach me a new trick with some cookies. It didn't go very well, as I was too focused on getting the cookie off my nose.

On another weekend, Richie and I went in the roadster down to Point Roberts; Christine caught up with us again, and we had a great weekend hanging out at the beach and sitting in the shade, enjoying the summer breeze.

One evening, Ian brought out a bag of ice, but this was different than the ice that I like to chew on. When he put it in a bowl of water, this white stuff came out and spread across the lawn! I didn't quite know what to make of it, so I kept my distance.

And then last week, Harley showed up for a stay. Here we are at the beach with Ian and Lauren's friends. As you can see, Harley is trying to mooch some dinner from an unsuspecting guest, as I cuddle up to Christine.

Apparently July was the sunniest, driest month ever in Vancouver... I'll be happy when the rain and cool weather comes back!

Mischa

Canada Day long weekend

Richie and I went to down to Point Roberts by ourselves this weekend. We've been doing our usual stuff; visiting the neighbours, going beachcombing, and hanging out in the sun (and shade). There's a new puppy across the road from us, and I've been getting visits from the chocolate lab next door.

Our first evening, we went to Brian and Rita's for dinner. I had been over visiting earlier, and found something that smelled interesting in the cardboard box. When Brian opened it up, there were a bunch of these things in it.

I didn't quite know what to make of it, but Richie didn't seem scared by it, so I went in for a closer look. 

It was moving slowly, and I was curious, so I moved in for a sniff. Then it tried to grab me with one of it's claws! Lucky for me, it had rubber bands holding the clampy part closed, but I jumped up and moved away regardless.

Yesterday evening, we went over to Rick and Shirley's to have dinner, and that's when I saw one of those strange kittys with the black eye mask. I ran across the road (something I'm not supposed to do apparently) and chased it up the tree.

Richie came over too, but instead of trying to help me get the kitty out of the tree, he was trying to grab me. So instead, we played a terrific game of barky-barky keep-away. I would alternate this with running over to the base of the tree and jumping as high as I could. Finally, Richie gave up trying to catch me, and walked back to the rest of the group, so I came back with him.

After dinner (I got some yummy bits from the various diners), when we were sitting around the fire pit, I heard what sounded like Christine's MINI. I looked up, and sure enough, here it was, slowing down in front of the driveway. I jogged over to have a closer look, and it was Christine! I was so excited - Richie grabbed my leash and we started walking back to the cabin. But Christine was getting away from us, so I started galloping and pulled Richie along with me all the way home.

Mischa

Harley week

Harley got dropped off here for a brief stay recently - we seem to have a lot of other dogs come stay with us temporarily! Anyhow, the weather has been really nice lately, and we've been doing lots of fun things. 

We went down to the beach, and of course, I was digging like crazy in that soft sand. I had a great time, and I think Harley did too. He got fascinated by another little dog there, which is kind of odd for him. 

Christine also took us up to Queen Elizabeth Park where we can run around and explore. I found a squirrel here once - it wasn't moving, and so I didn't find it very interesting - much better when there's a chase to be had.

And here I am playing King of the Mountain - I love climbing on piles of dirt, but in this case, a picnic table will have to do!

Happy Spring everyone!

Mischa

Whistler weekend

Last weekend, we went up to stay with Richie's other brother Daryl, Rita and Harley up at Whistler. The last time we stayed here, there was lots of snow to play in, but there was none this time.

It was pretty nice weather up there actually, and we went on many walks into the village. Here we are sitting in the sun while Rita is inside one of the stores. I was getting a little bored - yawn! But once we got into the village, there was something going on called the "World Ski and Snowboard Festival". All sorts of humans were walking around and there were other humans giving things away. I got some beef jerky, and some doggy treats!

When we got back to the hotel room, there was this bunny who would hop right up to our balcony! I was so excited... this bunny wanted to come over to see us! I cried and cried for him to come over and play, but I wasn't allowed out to see him.

You can see how close he is in the picture above - Richie thinks that the other humans that stay there have been feeding him; I think he wanted to come see me!

Finally, Christine let me out onto the patio, and I rushed over to see the bunny, but he ran off under the tree nearby. But he didn't go very far, and I could still see him tucked under the brush over there.

I love bunnies.

Mischa

Easter down South

I forgot to post some pics from our recent visit to Point Roberts. We went down there on "Easter" weekend - whatever that means. Something to do with an bunny (I love bunnies!), but I didn't see any. Here's a cute picture of Toba when she was a little puppy - with bunny ears!

We hadn't been down to the Point in a while, and this trip was the first time this year that the sun was out in full force. While I didn't have Toba chasing me around on the sand bars, it was still fun running around with the sand between my paws. I even got in a little bit of "crazy puppy".

But I'm getting older now, and really all I want to do is laze about in the sun, and hang out on the patio with my humans. Lucky for me, it was warm enough that weekend that they stayed outside almost the whole time, so I was in my element!

Even when the sun would first come out in the morning, they would move their chairs to the other side of the lawn so that they could sit in the sun with me. When we weren't outside, we would go inside so that the humans could make yummy dinners of roast beef and turkey! Of course there is always something that falls from the counter, or a few scraps that get left for me.

Back here in Vancouver now, but apparently we're not done with Easter yet, as we're going to have another Easter dinner for the Chin family.

Mischa

PS - Happy birthday grandma!

Meet Linden!

Ok, we've met this guy before - we often see him on our morning walk to Starbucks, and recently we actually went over to his house for the evening. But the other day, Linden's human came by with him and when he left, Linden stayed behind! 

As with all doggies that come to stay with us, Linden was a little out of sorts for the first day - not sure what he's doing here, who these humans are, and what he's allowed to do. But it's been a couple of days now, and he's really settling in. He's staked out his spot on the bed, figured out where food drops from the counter in the kitchen, and the best places to take a nap.

Yesterday, we went to the University Endowment Lands with Charlie. We had a great time running around in the woods, and we discovered that Linden actually likes to lay down in the muddy puddles! Yucky - you won't catch me lying down in there.

It's getting warmer again now - we sat outside on the front lawn for a while, even though Christine needed to wear a jacket. Of course, Linden and I don't need anything to keep us warm. Today, it's raining hard, so we're spending the day inside, lazying about the house. Hopefully we'll be outside enjoying the sun again soon.

Mischa

Another visit from Toba

Toba came by for another brief stay with us last week. There wasn't an serious antics to report - like huge new holes dug in the yard, although she did do some excavating in Christine's garden. It's a good thing it's not spring yet!

We've been running into lots of other Berners lately. A little while ago, we were up at Queen Elizabeth dog park, and ran into Gabby and Patsy Cline:

Then just last week, we ran into another one called Jada - it's really fun when we all get together!

 And then there's a new boy that moved in across the street called MacKenzie - Richie hasn't managed to get a photo of him yet, but I'm sure he will soon.

Mischa

Keep away at the park

It's been really cold here lately - which I like of course. Christine and Richie don't seem to care for it however, as they seem to want to stay inside the house, whereas I can sit for hours out on the deck, watching the goings on in the back alley, and keeping watch over the threshold.

A side benefit of this cold weather, is that the dog park where we go in the afternoon isn't all yucky and muddy. It actually snowed a tiny bit the other day, and when we went up there, it was all frozen solid. There weren't any other doggies up there to play with (not that I do much playing anyways), so Richie started to chase me around.


Silly Richie - he can't catch me.

Mischa

Tandem happy dance!

Here's a really brief clip of Toba and I greeting Richie and Christine when they left us behind one day...


Watch carefully and you'll see I actually get both of my back paws off the ground - more points for style. What fun!

Mischa