Swiss Dogs in Cambie

Pics from Christmas

2012-01-07T12:12:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone. Sorry about not putting any recent posts up here, but Richie has been pretty lazy.

We went to the spa again before Christmas for our semi-annual fluff-up. Somewhere along the line, Richie found some seasonal doggie attire. I wouldn't wear the silly Santa hat, but Paisley didn't seem to mind it.

I however, was ok with the jingle bells - but as usual, I was more pre-occupied with the goings-on in front of the house than worrying about my new necklace.

After the Christmas tree got set-up, we did some silly posing in front of the tree - here's a rare pic of both Paisley and I looking in the same direction - Grandpa Chin was standing behind the camera fussing about, so we had no choice but to look that way!

Our Swiss visitors!

2011-09-08T10:04:00.000-07:00

This weekend, our old friends Sami and Sylvie from our home country of Switzerland came to town! We had not see them since our last trip to the yurt a long time ago. We went for a walk in the hot sun down to Granville Island, and we sat on the patio while they had something to eat.

Then one night they came over to our house for a BBQ. We hovered around the table while they ate (as usual). They were eating those crawly things that Paisley and I often find at the beach - they were apparently different ones called "King crab", but they looked kinda the same to us. After they finished eating, Paisley and I got to eat some of the hard, crunchy shells... they were yummy! I think I like crab now.

After dinner, they sat around the fire when the sun went away. It has been really warm here lately, and even though the evening chills down, they stay nice and warm sitting by the fire.

Paisley and I however, don't need to be close to the fire to stay warm - we've got thick fur coats for that. So instead of lying close to them, we were sleeping on the cool tile patio behind them.

Mischa

The big black (bad) snake

2011-09-07T16:36:00.000-07:00

A while back, this new creature appeared at our house. It comes out of the closet about every week or so, and it makes an evil hissing sound. For the most part, I left it alone, and it left me alone. I would have to get out of the way once in a while, but I could lie around and we pretty much got along.

Then one day when I was minding my own business, it came by me and as I was getting up to get out of it's way, it bit me on the paw and would not let go! I squealed and yelped but it had sunk it's teeth further in! It scared the poop out of me - literally! Finally, after pulling with all of my strength, I managed to get away from it!

Now when the big black snake comes out, I give it a wide berth. But I need to make sure no one else gets attacked by it, so I stay close and watch to make sure that it doesn't bite Christine or Richie. They don't seem to be fazed by the snake, and shoo me away when it starts hissing - don't they know how dangerous snakes are?

Mischa

Editor's note: Mischa got her paw stuck in the floor vent just as the vacuum came by - of course, she thinks that the vacuum hose was hanging onto her paw, not the heavy brass grate.

Hangin' at the beach

2011-08-27T07:45:00.000-07:00

The other day when Christine came home, we all packed up into the Rover and went for another car ride to the beach! However, this time instead of just a short visit where Christine and Richie stand on the shore and watch me swim, they laid out beach towels and sat down for a while.

I ran around the beach like a crazy puppy, and went to see everyone on the beach. I made sure that I did this just after I came out from a swim, so that I would be able to share the wonderful ocean water with them - how refreshing! Being at the beach also did not change my habit of sitting on people's feet and leaning against their legs - for some reason, people did not want me to do that to them here.

When I wasn't running around or swimming, I was digging! I dug a great big hole right between Richie and Christine - it was so big she almost fell in! After a while, Paisley came over and helped me dig, but then she ruined it by lying in the hole. Poo.

Paisley had a good time at the beach, but did not swim as much. Perhaps it was because she's had a sore leg for a while, and might not have wanted to go swimming with me.

Mischa

A summertime treat

2011-08-21T19:11:00.000-07:00

Here's a fun treat that Paisley and I get sometimes. It only happens in the summer for some reason. It's something yummy called "corn-on-the-cob". Whatever they call it, we love it!

Mischa

Road trip!

2011-08-15T17:45:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we loaded up the Rover with some stuff, and we jumped in the back and we went to a new place called Whistler.

We stopped first at a new place and dropped off our stuff and Paisley and I had our dinner. Then we walked into "the village" - what a fun place! Everywhere we went, there were other doggies, and I think the humans thought we were some sort of celebrities or something.

Tourists gather around and take pictures - notice the baby being led up to greet us!

We even ran into our neighbours Heather and Brian in the village, but Tyson wasn't there for some reason. We sat down by a bench while Christine and Richie had lunch with them, and every few minutes a circle of humans would form around us, and they would take pictures and pet us. They would take their small humans and pose them beside us and get them to touch our fur. We went on many walks around the village, and would hop in a creek at every opportunity for a drink and to cool off our paws.

One evening, we got taken to another place where our friends Brenda, Jeff, Ellie and Lily the dog were staying. They all left for the evening and left us dogs inside. I tried to find a stuffy to chew on, but apparently all of Ellie's toys had been put away so that I wouldn't destroy them. The next day we went to the village again to meet them, and we sat outside another place called the Dubh Linn Gate while they all had breakfast. While we were there, we met another Berner puppy!

Then on our way home, we went to a place called "Whistler Olympic Park". It was up in the mountains, and Richie and Christine saw TONS of bear poop on the side of the road. Then they saw a big black bear on the side of the road! Unfortunately, we didn't see him, as we were sleeping in the back of the Rover.

What a fun weekend... I hope we go again sometime!

Mischa

Paisley takes a dive!

2011-07-10T16:02:00.000-07:00

Just the other day, we went down to the swimming hole at False Creek. Surprisingly, Paisley seemed really interested in fetching the tennis ball - it's not something that we Berners are typically good at. Anyhow, Christine threw the ball in and Paisley was intent on getting it. After two minutes of running around the edge, she finally dove in to get it - check it out.

Mischa

Another summer vacation!

2011-07-07T15:34:00.000-07:00

Ok, yes - everyday for us is like the a vacation, but this is the time where both Richie and Christine spend every waking minute of the day with us, so this is real vacation. We loaded up our travelling house on wheels, and drove up to Kamloops. When we got there, not only were Lupin and Humphrey there, but also Harley!

We went for walks down to that "Peterson Creek" area again, and we'd wade in and cool our feet and get a drink too. Yes, that's me taking a pee in the middle of the creek - something about all that running water makes me wanna go for some reason.

We'd also go for a walk down to the school and run wind-sprints back and forth - after a few of those we'd go lie down in the shade to try and cool off. It's hot in Kamloops!

Then after two sleeps, we got back into the Rover and drove out to Shuswap Lake. We've been out there a couple of times before, so we knew exactly what was going on. Here's Paisley taking in the sights as we rolled into our campsite. When we got there, our next door neighbour had a Berner too... but not just any Berner, it turned out to be a relative of Paisley's, from Enstone Kennels, named Molly.

This year the water in the lake was really high - it made the beach area where we lie around in the sun very small. No problem for us however, as we can make ourselves comfortable pretty much anywhere.

After a tough day at the beach and walking around the campsite, we were tired out! This is Paisley and I trying to get some rest by the firepit one evening. Dog is it ever hard being on vacation!

Mischa

I love squeaky toys

2011-06-25T13:59:00.000-07:00

The other day, Christine came home with two new toys for us - I think one is a duck and the other is a flamingo, but who can really tell? Anyhow, as you can see, I love poking and squeezing it so that it makes the noise that bugs Richie.

I already managed to get the flamingo to stop squeaking, but it's still fun to chew on and Paisley and I play tug of war with it.

Mischa

Dig dig dig!

2011-06-20T10:50:00.000-07:00

As we have seen in past posts, I am an avid digger, as is Paisley. There was a time where I would frustrate Richie by digging holes all over the yard. Then I would cause further angst by digging in Christine's garden. But what is one to do? I am a dog after all!

So when they take us over to the school for some fun, we are encouraged to dig in the sand. Check out my awesome digging skills!

Mischa

More fun in Point Roberts

2011-06-18T15:41:00.000-07:00

We've been back down to Point Roberts a few times recently, and Richie captured some pics that I thought I'd share with you.

This is my new hideout - under the deck in the cool dirt below the patio table. Christine's dad doesn't like it when I go down there, as I have to squirm in there on my belly, and it makes it dusty - I think he's going to fix it so that I can't get under there anymore.

Here I am chilling on the grass with Christine - I normally go lie under the Rover when it is hot, and sometimes Richie or Christine will come join me.

This is one of my new favourite things in Point Roberts! It's a drinking fountain for dogs that one of their friends has on their front lawn! I love to drink right out of garden hoses, and this is much more fun!

Here's some more cuddling on the front lawn - this time with Christine's nieces, Brooklyn and Jaeda. Max is there too (in the background).

Here's one of those things that we find on the beach that Paisley and I like to roll around in, but this one was still alive, so we didn't even notice it. Richie didn't let us near it - apparently it can pinch our noses with those claws!

Mischa

Huh?

2011-06-16T13:46:00.000-07:00

Here I am catching some zzz's in one of my favourite locations. If you ever need to know where I am at any given time, this is probably one of the first places to look - the upstairs bathroom floor.

This is my comfy pose... I'm not sure why everyone seems to think this is so funny.

Mischa

New doggie next door

2011-06-02T14:08:00.000-07:00

There's a new doggie next door to us now. His name is Dexter, and he's apparently a "Jack Russell". We sometimes chase each other back and forth from opposite sides of the fence, but the other day, he was allowed to come into our yard! I tell you, he's all bark when there's a two metre fence between us, but nose-to-nose, he was pretty timid. Paisley really wanted to play with him, but she was freaking him out with that big bark of hers.

"Hey... you're on my bench."

I think Dexter was trying to keep away from Paisley, and was hiding under chairs and on my bench for a little while. After a while, he started to relax, and eventually got into it with us:

As you can see, I was better at the chase than Paisley, and cut off Dexter at the pass. I don't think he's ever had 200 lbs of Berner chasing after him before!

After a couple of chases around the yard however, we were pooped, and we were content to just hang out. I don't mind this little guy... if only he would stop barking at me from the other side of the fence!

Mischa

Overnight at the Point!

2011-02-07T10:20:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone - sorry for the delay posting. Richie has been lazy, and I have a tough time working the keyboard on my own. Anyhow, we decided to go down to Point Roberts again this past weekend, and when we got there, it was low tide!

It was still pretty cool down there (not as cold as our New Year's Eve stay), so Richie and Christine wouldn't wade in the ocean with us. But Paisley and I ran in and out of the water, and chased each other around.

That evening, we were tired from all our hijinx, and I passed out on the floor by the fire. Paisley on the other hand, decided she needed to cuddle with the humans on the couch!

On our way home, we came across this big pile of snow! I didn't understand how there could be all of this snow here, because it was pretty warm during our stay down there. We didn't care however - Paisley and I climbed all over and munched away at the snow.

As always, another fun trip down south!

Mischa

Editor's note: The snow is actually the shavings from the public ice rink in Tsawwassen.

Winter fun!

2010-11-20T10:32:00.000-08:00

We woke up this morning to a fresh blanket of snow! After waiting for what seemed like hours for Christine and Richie to get ready, we all went over to the school for fun and frolic in the snow!

We must have done at least a dozen laps of the field - at one point another doggie showed up, and dog, was she ever fast! I'm usually the one at the front, and Paisley (with her big Budda butt) is bringing up the rear.

But when we wrestle, Paisley always seems to get the upper hand on me, as she usually gets a good grip on the scruff of my neck (it looks like it hurts, but don't worry - it doesn't).

Besides, Paisley is my protector - she's always looking out for me, and sometimes hovers over me when we're just hanging out watching things go by.

I hope this snow lasts for a while, because we love this stuff!

Mischa

Turkey weekend down south

2010-10-11T18:31:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went down to Point Roberts again - it is apparently "Thanksgiving" - the humans reward themselves by stuffing their bellies with turkey... we of course, simply wait for some tasty morsels to fall on the floor. Anyhow, we spent a lot of time beach-combing - or for us, finding smelly, dead things to roll around in.

Anyhow, it was beautiful and sunny down there, and despite the cooler temperatures, we still had no trouble going swimming in the ocean. We went for a really long walk down the beach, and found lots of dead crabs and birds - yay!

Here we are taking a break and quenching our thirst - you try going for a 90-minute walk in a fur coat! After we had a drink, I got into "crazy puppy mode" and was digging in the sand under the log trying to get Paisley riled up:

Here's a funny thing sticking out of the sand a little further down the beach. Apparently it's a "boiler" that washed ashore many years ago.

The first time I came across this, it scared me, and I wouldn't go anywhere near it! But this time, I conquered my fear, and it was nothing... I climbed up on it to show it who is boss.

Here we are this morning on our second beach-combing expedition; I only found one dead crab and Paisley found a dead fish - it was still a lot of fun however!

Mischa

Our second summer vacation

2010-09-07T17:44:00.000-07:00

We recently took another trip with our little trailer, but this time we seemed to spend a little more time in the Rover on our way to wherever we were going. After what seemed like forever, we arrived at a new camping place called Haynes Point Provincial Park.

It was really cool, because the park is actually in the lake! That meant that the water was only a few steps away from our tent... you can see the lake behind Paisley's big butt above. She was really funny this trip, as she went swimming after a duck when we first arrived, and must have swam 30 metres out into lake before she turned around!

It was kinda cold and rainy when we first arrived - not an issue for me and my sis, of course - but I think Christine didn't like it too much. Richie didn't seem to mind either, but when the sun did come out, we would all bask in the warm sun.

We had lots of fun in our campsite, as there were lots of squirrels and birdies that would come by to see us. I swear that squirrel knew we were on tethers, as it would come up within about 5 metres and taunt us.

There was also this neat little strip of shallow water where we could wade way out into the lake without having to swim at all... this picture above is actually over half-way across!

For the whole time we were there, Paisley was obsessed with anything or anyone that went by our campsite in the lake. Ducks, birds, canoes and kayaks - they all had her focused on them for the entire time. She would watch intently, and if any ducks came too close, off she would go. Normally, I'm the only one on a tether, but for this trip, she was tied up a lot too.

But after 4 sleeps at this place, we packed up our stuff and headed home. Dog, we were tired!

Mischa

Our summer vacation - part 2

2010-08-04T19:42:00.000-07:00

After a few days in Kamloops, we got back in the Rover, and drove for a brief period until we ended up at the place called Shuswap Lake. We had been here before, but this was the first time back with the trailer. Richie set up camp, and then we headed to the beach - dog, was it ever hot there! Unlike Kamloops, there wasn't a lot of shade, so when we got to the beach, both Paisley and I went right into the lake for a swim!

After we came out of the lake, we discovered that not only were Harley and his humans there, but also our old friends Bentley and Breton with their humans (Greg and Shannon) and another doggie, Clipper! Turns out everyone had come to the Shuswap for their summer vacations too!

The next morning, Richie's mom arrived, and Christine was with her! Not like we were wondering where she was or anything - we dogs don't do that - but it was a great surprise to have everyone together in the same place. We weren't all sharing the same campsite mind you, as it would have gotten crowded with all those people and doggies.

The next day, we went back to the beach, but Richie set up this wonderful shade canopy over our picnic table. I would often lie underneath it, trying to stay cool. But that crazy cat Pekoe would come over (uninvited, I might add), and hiss at me! Like this is her domain only?

We'd spend most of the day sleeping in the shade, would go for a swim, then go back for a nap at the campsite and wait patiently for dinner to arrive. We'd either go to another campsite for dinner, or the others (along with their associated humans) would come over to our place to eat (and drink).

It got so hot there, that I developed a heat rash, and would get all itchy. They say it's because I go swimming, then my fur wouldn't really dry out, and I'd develop a mini-sauna under my fur. I tried to stay out of the sun, but I'd come out of the lake all nice and cool, and go sit in the sunshine to dry out a bit. After I got too warm, I'd move back into the shade with Richie - shown above.

Back at the campsite, there was lots of action, as these little chipmunks would taunt Paisley and I. They are so fast, and they would climb up the trees, only a few feet over our heads and chirp at us, "ha ha, you can't climb trees!". One time, I tried to race off after one of those little bastards, but I was still tethered, and the cable got wound around Richie's leg - dog, he yelped like a dog!

Anyhow, back at the beach, it turns out that Harley didn't like the water. I don't know why, as it so cool and refreshing! His humans would take him in, and he would immediately swim back out. Here he is drying his fur with his human, Katrina.

Paisley decided she needed some of the same, so she decided to go down and "grab some Z's" with Christine on the beach too. After a total of four sleeps, we packed up and came home - I think Richie is really relieved to be back in cooler weather - so are we!

Mischa

Our summer vacation - part 1

2010-08-04T19:22:00.000-07:00

Ok, so you probably realize that we don't really take "vacations", as there really isn't anything we dogs do that even remotely resembles "work". But Richie and Christine do, so this was our first trip for our summer vacation. We started by hitching up that trailer thingy, and then we got into the Rover (without Christine) and we drove for a long time till we got to Richie's parent's place.

When we arrived, we were astounded to find that not only Lupin and Humphrey were there, but also Chelsey, that loopy yellow Lab that hangs out with Richie's brother. Chelsey had been to the vet recently, and was wearing that crazy lampshade thingy. Humphrey didn't like it, and so they didn't get along, and we had to keep them separated the whole time - weird.

Paisley and I have been here before, and it was much the same. We sat around in the shade, while Richie swam in the pool. We would have normally gone for walks n' stuff, but it was so hot, we didn't want to go anywhere, and just wanted to lie on the cool tiles and sleep. We had a place to "relieve" ourselves, as Pa Chin has an orchard with nice cool shade and grass that we would use to do our thing. In the morning and late evenings, we'd walk down to the school, and run around in the shade for a few minutes to get ourselves tired out.

After a couple of days, Chelsey and her humans left, and Harley and his humans arrived. I tell you, this place is doggy central! They even arrived with a cat, Pekoe, who doesn't really like me. I'm no stranger to cats, and for the most part, I'm ok to leave them alone. But this one hisses at me! Like, what did I ever do to it?

Anyhow, we had another day of staying by the pool - Paisley even found her "place" in the stairwell that led to the basement. Very cool.

Next - part 2.

Mischa

Backyard BBQs

2010-07-05T19:54:00.000-07:00

It appears that summer is finally upon us, as we are spending more and more time outside in the backyard. The other evening, we had lots of human visitors over, and they ate yummy food that Richie cooked up on the BBQ. Despite the sunny days, it still cools off when the big bright thing in the sky goes away, and so Richie gets the firepit going to keep the humans warm.

That's me, lying in the centre of the action above. When they weren't looking, I managed to snarf down a bunch of cheesy snacks from a bowl that someone had carelessly left on the bench - too easy for me to get at!

Here's Paisley trolling around the patio table, trying to see what she can find. But you have to pretty much lie right under the chair if you want to catch anything that might drop from a plate or fork. I love summer!

Mischa

Update from the Berners

2010-06-16T19:50:00.000-07:00

Ok folks, I know it has been a long time since we've posted an update on the goings-on over here in Cambie - sorry about that. We've had a pretty yucky spring, and so the photographer in the household (Richie) hasn't been taking too many pictures. But here's a few from some of the adventures over the last few months.

We have been going to the beach a lot, and it is usually during low tide (not sure how Richie seems to always pick the times when the water is low?). Anyhow, we love running around in the shallow water, and looking for interesting stuff (like the crab that Paisley found above).

I was more interested in running around chasing other doggies that were out exploring the sand bars as well. You can't tell from the picture above, but we're really far out into the bay, but I'm only standing in water up to my ankles!

Later this spring, we finally got taken back the spa for a really thorough washing and grooming. It had been like, forever since we had been to Mestiso's - but we are incredibly clean and fluffy now. Check out how huggable Paisley looks!

I of course, am always huggable, and I spend most of my walks looking for new people to pet me and give me attention. Paisley is not so friendly, and usually is a bit stand-offish when she's meeting new people on the street. Here we are hanging out on the patio after the weather finally warmed up...

Christine was trying lying in that hangy thing again, staring at something called a "book"... we were getting bored, so Paisley and I went over to bug her. Nothing like shoving a cold, wet nose in your face to get your attention!

Recently, Christine convinced Richie to put in something called a "central vacuum system" - it's like the noisy floor pushy thing that sucks up all of our fur, but with less noise. Anyhow, it came in this huge cardboard box, and you know me, I love being in cardboard boxes. This one was great, as it was big enough for me to lie down in, and then I destroyed it.

Stay tuned to this channel - I'm sure there are lots of summer-time adventures coming up!

Mischa

Huh?

2010-03-17T20:57:00.000-07:00

The other day, Richie was upstairs doing whatever it is that he does, locked away in that room for hours on end. Anyhow, I decided to go to my new favourite vantage point - the bed! See, when I'm standing at the window, I can barely see over the window sill. But when I'm lying on the bed, I can clearly see what is happening out there on the street. The mailman walks by, doggies go by with their humans (I bark, but they don't see me), and there's lots of people-watching.

Anyhow, it was a beautiful sunny day, and after I got tired of watching the goings-on outside, I took a nap. It was awesome, as I could just lie there, and the sunshine would warm my tummy!

Mischa

Back to the Point!

2010-03-07T17:55:00.001-08:00

It has been really warm and sunny recently, and we went back down to Point Roberts yesterday. We had a great time running around on the sand bars again, as the tide was out (I don't understand why that is). I found a dead fish in the shallow water - it wasn't as interesting as they are when they are still moving. Richie also found a crab leg for me... I didn't make the connection with the canned crabmeat that I like to eat sometimes.

It was so fun, that I got into "crazy puppy" mode, as I chased Paisley around. Paisley was also getting into it, as she'd run back and forth between Christine walking on shore, and Richie, who was walking along the sandbar.

What a day! Now we are home, and back to the rain. Poo.

Mischa

What the heck happened?

2010-03-04T17:24:00.000-08:00

So we go to the vet again the other day, and I'm looking forward to seeing the gang as I walk through the door. Well, after some happy greeting by the staff, I went in the back, and Christine left me there by myself? I got over it quickly, then had a big sleep. When I woke up, I felt funny, kinda like I did when I was only a puppy, but not as woozy and wobbly. Christine came and picked me up from the vet, and when I got home, it felt like I had been in a bar fight. How could I have gotten in so much trouble while I was sleeping?

I have two spots - one on my back, and the other on my shoulder, where it seems as though someone/something has bitten me, and my fur has been shaved off there. I was bugging me so much that I would constantly want to scratch or lick these areas. After a day or so, Richie put this shirt on me...

Since I can't really get at these spots anymore, I don't scratch and lick at them as much. And I kinda like wearing a shirt - I used to laugh at the other doggies who had "raincoats", but this is kinda cool. Anyhow, after a few days of this, my bar-fight wounds don't bother me much anymore, and I'm pretty much back to normal.

Mischa

Editor's note: Mischa had a couple of pronounced lumps; one wasn't moving, and so the vet recommended we remove them. They turned out to be fat deposits.

Winter Olympics!

2010-02-27T10:52:00.000-08:00

The long wait for something called the "2010 Winter Olympics" is finally over! I don't quite know what all the fuss is about, but it has something to do with stuff on the TV, as we are either watching it, or Christine and Richie leave us alone for what seems like hours at a time. What was fun however, is that our cousin Max came to stay with us for two weeks! He's a lot of fun to have around, even if he does kinda get under-foot when we are going for walks.

Speaking of walks, one day we went out to the street (showing our Canadian colours) and there was a huge crowd of people - apparently we were waiting for something called the "olympic torch" to go by. All I know is that we got lots of attention, and people were taking pictures of us.

Here we all are, out for a walk near the curling venue for the olympics, posing infront of the venue monument. It's funny, because the big grassy field that we normally run around on is fenced in, and we're not allowed to go in there - who knows why.

When we got around the far side of the field, we ran into these policemen - one was even a dog handler! They were supposed to be guarding the venue from terrorists, but since there were none there, we went over and got some attention from them.

There you have it - that was our Olympic experience. Go Canada!

&amp;lt;br&amp;gt; &amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-medals/" title="Vancouver 2010 Medals"&amp;gt;View the vancouver2010.com medals' table&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;

Mischa

The start of a new decade

2010-01-28T21:40:00.000-08:00

What? I'm sleeping here.

"I've fallen and now I can't get up!"

Ok, not really. Just another one of my favourite spots to sleep - probably #5 on my list. Besides the spot under the bed, the tile in the bathroom, the kitchen floor, and the living room, it's one of the best places to catch some shut-eye. Richie just thought it looked funny.

A week or so ago, the man came to the door with a heavenly-smelling delivery. Something called pizza apparently - well I love pretty much everything to do with pizza... the cheese, meat, and even the bread crusts! This time, we got to snack on the melted cheese scraps that were stuck to the cardboard boxes - yum!

It's been really warm here - where is the white stuff we had last year? No matter, as we've been spending a lot of time with Christine these days. Not sure why, as it's only usually Richie who stays home with us on "weekdays". Now it seems the opposite is happening - he's never here, and Christine is always home. Anyhow, we finally got the stuffing out of the dinosaur I got for Christmas, as you can see above. It was a warm sunny day, and Paisley and I enjoyed gutting and shredding out on the front lawn.

Look at me! I too can stand on my hind legs and check out what is happening on the computer!

Mischa

Christmas 2009

2010-01-03T17:37:00.001-08:00

So "Christmas" came around again - it appears to be a recurring event each year when it gets cold and rainy. This year, both Paisley and I got more stuffed toys to play with... Paisley got a beaver, as you can see below.

I got a blue (looks dark grey to me) dinosaur, and we spent the morning playing with them while Christine and Richie opened their presents. Later that afternoon, we went out to see the other Johnsons, and they opened even more presents. We were really well behaved, and we got lots of love and attention - especially from Jaeda.

Here you can see us playing with Christine amongst all of our new stuffed toys and smokey bones - surprisingly, we did not immediately gut and shred our toys like we did last year.

But best of all, we have been spending lots of time hanging around the house, with both Richie AND Christine home all the time. While it would have been better with some snow, it has been a pretty good Christmas this year.

Mischa

Christmas season visitors!

2009-12-20T07:38:00.000-08:00

It has been lots of fun here at Berner Haus recently. A little while ago, my cousin Max arrived, and he's been staying with us for lots of sleeps. We have been playing really hard, as Max and I really get along well. Even Paisley, who normally doesn't like to play with other doggies, was getting into it. But most of the time, we sleep or lie around the house - like you see here.

Then one evening, Richie's sister showed up with her mini-humans and our other cousins Lupin and Humphrey! It was pure doggie chaos, as there must have been 400+ lbs. of dogs running around the house, skidding around on the hardwood floors. Humphrey has gotten bigger since we saw him last, but he still hasn't caught up to Paisley, the reigning heavy-weight champion. Despite his largess, he's pretty low-key, and he seems to have taken a liking to me... but who hasn't?

Mischa

Our house-sitters

2009-11-15T19:21:00.000-08:00

A little while ago, Richie and Christine left us for a quite a number of sleeps, but that was quite alright, as we had new humans staying at our house to take care of us. Karen was the full-sized human, and Lily, was the little one. We were on our best behaviour for them - well, as much as we could be. I chewed up some cuddly toys that I think made Lily unhappy... sorry Lily - I really can't help myself.

They took us for walks every day, even in the pouring rain! I thought I would test them, and not only did I get them to give me treats so that I would get in the Rover, but I had them giving me treats to get out of the Rover!

As you can see, I think Lily really liked us. We had a really good time with them, and we hardly missed Richie and Christine at all. When they finally did come home, we got really excited! They had apparently been to our home country of Switzerland, and brought back a stuffed Berner for Lily... I tried to grab it, but I wasn't allowed to have it.

Thanks for taking care of us Karen and Lily!

Mischa

A sunny fall weekend...

2009-10-04T20:07:00.000-07:00

So this is apparently supposed to be "fall" - the nights are cooler, and I think we're normally supposed to have a lot more rain by now, but it was pretty sunny this weekend. We went for some long walks (a little longer than Richie probably likes), and did some hanging around in the backyard.

Christine likes to go out with her book and read on the bench at the back of the yard. I thought I'd try to get a bite of Christine's ice cream cone, so I hopped up on the bench and waited patiently. We both got a little bite of the cone at the end!

Here's a funny picture of Paisley - she'd crawled up on Christine's lap (again)! I think she thinks that she is a little doggie, not a 100 lb. Berner!

Mischa

A sad day in Cambie...

2009-09-24T20:05:00.000-07:00

Richie's old buddy Lewis went off to doggie heaven today. He was 13 years old! Amazing how old that is for a doggie - I can't even imagine how old that must be. Apparently he was doing fine up until about a week ago, and then stopped eating. Al and Tasha took him to the vet, and they were told he probably had cancer. Richie stopped by to see Lewis last night to say his last goodbyes, and give him one final hug. He didn't seem to be in any pain or anything, just didn't have the energy to get up and greet him like he normally does.

They tell me that where Lewis is going, that you get all the cookies you want, and there's all sorts of adventures and other dogs to play with. Woo woo woo, Lewis... woo woo woo.

Mischa

Summer is still here!

2009-09-20T17:05:00.000-07:00

It would seem that everyone is getting uptight about summer coming to an end, but it still looks and feels like summer to me! It was another beautiful day today, and so we got to go down to "Spanish Banks" again... there were lots of doggies there wading in the ocean.

I immediately went in and got my paws wet, but Paisley would only come in up to her ankles. So I went back up to the shore to get her, and the both of us walked into the water together. It was pretty cute, or at least it looked that way to the humans standing on shore.

Here's a shot showing how beautiful it is with the views of the city in the background... not that I was noticing, as I was busy digging in the sand in front of Christine. This is the only place I'm still allowed to dig without getting in trouble - except for that one spot in the garden behind the big bush where Christine won't notice!

Mischa

Another weekend in USA

2009-09-15T20:43:00.000-07:00

We went down to Point Roberts again this past weekend, but this time, we were by ourselves, and we stayed down there for two sleeps! We were pretty restless that first night in the cabin, as Paisley didn't really know where to sleep, and so when we got down to the sand bars at the beach the next day, it was fun and frolic!

But despite the few days of cool weather we've had recently, it was still really hot down there; I resumed my typical spot sleeping in the shade of the Rover, and Richie came over and joined me.

This is the cabin - Christine is up there on the deck reading her book, and when Richie got up to take this picture, we followed him. Paisley of course, thought we were leaving, and went and stood at the back door to the Rover. Silly girl.

We went for lots of walks, and almost always went to the beach to go swimming... or at least wading. It was really nice, as there was almost no waves, and it made it easy for us to walk around on the rocky bottom.

Even Paisley was getting into it, as she would occasionally go into the ocean and fetch one of the many sticks that Christine would throw out there. She's still not too crazy about swimming, and if the stick drifted too far out, she would quickly turn around and come back.

Here's another great reason for us to be at the beach... there's all sorts of smelly, stinky stuff that washes up on the sand. Here, it looks like Paisley and I have found an especially smelly thing, and I'm rolling around on my back in it! Woo hoo!

The next day, Richie disappeared for a long time, apparently to play golf, and we went to the beach again. Note the impressive form as I leap out of the water as I try to get away from Paisley.

I just love running around at the beach - I still have a few "frantic puppy" moments now and then!

Mischa

Another trip with our new trailer!

2009-09-04T19:29:00.000-07:00

Christine and Richie were busy packing clothes and stuff a few sleeps ago, and so Paisley and I knew something was up. Sure enough, we got in the Rover and hooked up the trailer-thingy and drove for only a short while till we got to a place apparently called Deception Pass State Park, down in Washington State.

Here we are with our new camp setup - it was a great place with lots of beach and forest to run around on/in, but for some reason we were kept on our leashes almost the entire time. We did get a chance to run around on the beach one day however, but the water at this place has bigger waves than Paisley and I had ever seen.

I wasn't so sure about fetching a piece of wood that Richie threw into the water, as the waves seemed kinda scary. Sure enough, I turn around, and a wave picks up Paisley and flips her all the way over until she gets back on her feet, and then the water goes right over her head! After that, we didn't go in the water anymore.

Here's Christine enjoying the sun with us on the beach - it might seem like a bad idea for those of us with black fur to be lying in the sun, but with the cool ocean breeze, and the temperature of the water down here in the US of A (as Richie calls it), we did ok.

This is what Richie was doing while we were at the beach - I went and slept with him for a while too, but Christine wasn't fast enough with the camera to get a picture!

After a while, it got a little bit warm as my fur dried out, so I went for a little snooze in this neat hut that someone had made out of driftwood on the beach. It was perfect for getting out of the mid-day sun.

When we got back to camp, Christine would get really excited if the sun came out - it was a bit cool down there, as there was a low fog almost every day that would hang around and make things damp. I like the sun too.

But for the whole time we were there, they had these big loud birds that would fly overhead - so loud that it scared us sometimes. They would fly low over us, then circle, and sometimes race off into the sky. I know it irritated Christine and Richie - I don't think we are coming back here again.

Anyhow, after a short ride in the Rover (we slept the whole trip, so who really knows how long it took?), we are back home again, and dog, are we tired! I was so tired when this picture was taken - look how far I've buried my nose into my bed!

Mischa

One hot week!

2009-08-03T07:52:00.000-07:00

This has been a very hot week - for all of us, not just us two with fur coats! Apparently, this is the hottest it has ever been here, as all sorts of heat records have been broken. Not that I know what temperature it has been, as all Paisley and I have been doing is sleeping and staying in the shade.

Richie has been doing most of the same, as you can see above. We went down to Point Roberts the other day to run in the ocean, and hang out with Christine's parents and her nieces. When we got back, it was too hot to sit on the deck, so Richie came over in the shadow of the Rover with us. It has been so hot, that all we do is go for our morning walk (Richie complains that even at that time of the morning, it is 25º C), sleep all day, then go for a play once the sun goes down. Both Richie AND Christine have been staying with us in the basement, which is really fun.

Even Christine, who normally likes the heat, has been staying in the shade too. Here we are getting some love from her while she tries to stay cool in the hangy thing. Paisley tries to climb up on her lap when she's up there, but it's too wobbly for her. You might also notice the big thing filled with water sitting on the deck - it's something called a "pool", and Richie has been lying in it to try and keep cool. Christine has been trying to get us to go in, but it looks like a ruse to try and give us a bath. No way Jose.

The heatwave is slowly losing it's punch however - it is still hot during the day, but at least it cools down a bit at night now. I heard some mention of going swimming at the waterfall again today, so that should keep us cool for a bit.

Bliss.

Another summer vacation!

2009-07-09T19:42:00.001-07:00

Well, we finally got to find out what Richie has been doing in the garage for the last 6 weeks. It all started on something called "Canada Day", when Richie and Christine were busy running around all morning packing stuff up. I was getting anxious, as I could have thought for sure that they were going to leave us (or me) behind. Not that there's been any track record for being left at home, but I was whining by the gate nonetheless. Anyhow, after a few hours of organizing, Richie pulled this thing out of the garage, and attached it to the back of the Rover. He opened the door, and I ran right in - not like I'm going to miss out out on any of this action!

We actually drove to Richie's parent's place, where we have been before. They spent a lot of time swimming in the pool, but since I couldn't figure out how to wade in, I didn't go swimming myself. Paisley and I just hung out in the shade and pooped in Grampa Chin's orchard.

After a couple of sleeps, we got back in the Rover and went to a campsite where we met up with our friends Greg, Shannon, Bentley and a new doggie named Breton. We immediately went swimming in the lake - you can see me in the picture above returning from an attempt to try and catch a duck and her baby ducklings - dog are they ever fast!

But it was really hot up there - something like 34º C - that is, if I could read a thermometer. So when we got back to our campsite, we had to hang out in the shade on the grass beside our new tent trailer. This was a good time for Richie and Greg to drink beer, prepare dinner, and drink more beer. Followed by wine and then a scotch before bedtime. I can tell when Richie has been drinking all that stuff, as we dogs have very keen noses, and Richie, well he smells like booze in the morning.

Speaking of the tent trailer, here it is, after Richie and Christine unfolded it for us. It is really neat, as there is plenty of space for Paisley and I to sleep on the part of the trailer that is on the ground, while Richie and Christine get to sleep on the elevated section. I kinda miss being able to trample all over them in the middle of the night, but I think they prefer it when Paisley isn't trying to lie on their heads! I was also able to come and go throughout the night - I had my tether attached to the tent trailer, and I decided that I preferred sleeping outside.

Here's Paisley sneaking up on Christine's lap (again) for a photo opportunity. I really enjoy being out here camping, but I think after a couple of days, Paisley really wanted to go home. She didn't tell me that, but you could see it in her behaviour - she was ready to get back in the Rover at the drop of a hat.

After three sleeps, we got what we were waiting for - cooler weather and some rain. Here we are that morning hanging out under the awning so that we don't get wet. I don't really mind the rain, but it sure seemed to get the humans bent out of shape for some reason. Anyhow, it didn't really last long, and by that evening, it was sunny again!

The next day, we packed up our stuff, and hopped back in the Rover for a long drive home - well it might have seemed that way, but Paisley and I slept almost the entire trip, so we didn't really care. We did get a bath (again!) when we got home, but for some reason, I am still really itchy. Oh well, I am getting a lot of attention from Richie and Christine, as well as a dollop of peanut butter every 6 hours).

Mischa

(editor's note: Mischa contracted a heat rash from spending so much time in and out of the water, so what she thinks is just peanut butter, is really a Benadryl caplet disguised inside)

Suckers!

2009-06-24T19:47:00.000-07:00

So for a couple of months now, I've been fooling them by behaving like Paisley - I haven't been digging holes in the lawn or garden, I haven't shredded up my stuffed toys, and I've been really affectionate and attentive when I'm in the house. Heh heh... I lured them into a false sense of security, and they thought everything would be good. Until tonight.

Richie put a frozen hot dog in the sink to thaw while he went out to the garage to work. When he turned his back, I stood on my hind legs and managed to fish the tasty frozen treat out of the sink! But while I was up there, I saw that there was something else there that was worth investigating. It was a yummy chocolate cake! I peeled back the tin foil and took a few good bites of it. I was a nice dessert, but in truth, I much preferred the hot dog.

When will these two learn? I just can't be trusted.

Mischa

Posing...

2009-06-15T21:42:00.000-07:00

Here we are, taking a few pics in the backyard with all of the foliage (the plants) grown in. It has been really hard for to go digging in the garden, as the plants are taking up so much space! Anyhow, I don't think they really like it when I dig anyways.

And here's the finished patio area that Richie made a while ago - now that the grass has grown in, it is a really nice place for us to sit and enjoy some sun... that is, if it's not too hot out. Otherwise, the cool concrete under the deck is where you will find me most of the time.

Mischa

The dog days of summer...

2009-05-30T23:23:00.000-07:00

Now that Richie and Christine have finished their backyard landscaping, and the grass has grown back on the lawn, they are spending more time with us in the yard.

Here we are hanging out with Christine in the new little patio area at the back of the yard - I really like sitting under the bench, whereas Paisley is a little bit too big to slide under. She prefers to sit on their feet anyways.

While Richie has been busy with a large project in the garage (I haven't quite figured out what it is, but apparently we will find out on the July long weekend), Christine has been able to do some quality lounging on the patio. It must have been hot for her, as she has a towel on her head!

Mischa

More fun in the backyard

2009-05-05T17:57:00.000-07:00

We had a nice weekend with Richie working in the backyard again. It seems he found yet another stash of cedar panels from the original kitchen demolition (long before I was born!). Anyhow, apparently, it was Christine's idea to use it for some end tables for the new bench at the back of the yard. So Richie started thinking and was busy cutting and sawing the wood until he made the tables. I try to get him to play while he's working, and will stand nearby and bark and bark, until he chases me away.

Here he is putting the finishing touches on the tables. At this point, it got kinda hot, and Paisley and I decided to get out of the mid-day sun, and have taken to the little nook in the garden wall that Richie made recently. It's nice 'cause we get to lie on the cool, damp ground, with a little bit of shade from one of Christine's bushes.

As you can also see, the grass is finally starting to grow... well, at least where I haven't been digging. The other day, I got sprayed in the face with the hose - I think it had something to do with the hole I dug in the garden, but I am not really sure. I dug another hole in the yard last night, and now it is already filled up, but it also smells like poo!?! I don't really understand what is going on, but I might just have to give up digging.

Mischa

Here's Humphrey!

2009-04-27T19:32:00.000-07:00

Richie's sister came over on the weekend with Lupin and our new cousin Humphrey!

Here we are greeting our new 5-month-old cousin... as you can see, he's already pretty big for his age. He's surprisingly calm for a puppy - I was a lot crazier when I was his age. He actually has a whole different disposition than us Berners... apparently as a flock guardian, he is supposed to patrol the perimeter to make sure the sheep are safe from the wolves. So when he was here, he would walk around the fence and check things out, rather than attack us (like I would do). Funny huh?

Anyhow, he's really cute - not as cute as I was when I was a puppy, mind you. But nonetheless, he's still welcome here anytime.

Mischa

More funny pictures

2009-04-20T19:24:00.000-07:00

Here's some pictures Richie took over the past few weeks that are kinda funny.

Look how far I can get the peanut butter container onto my snout so that I can get that last bit of scrumptious stuff from the bottom of the container!

Here's the famous "froggy" pose while I wait for Christine to get up on the weekend.

Paisley finally got her whole body up onto Christine's lap the other day - a 100 lb. lap doggie!

This is our typical pose by the front window as we watch Christine drive off every morning. Check out the size of Paisley's butt! BOL

Mischa

Our new cousin

2009-04-12T21:05:00.000-07:00

Richie's sister Deb is getting a new puppy named Humphrey!

He's a 4-month old Great Pyrenees/Maremma Sheepdog cross apparently... these dogs are actually a little bit bigger than us Berners, but not by much. So Humphrey will likely end up being even bigger than Paisley! No matter, as he's still smaller than me, and I'll show him what's what.

The Great Pyrenees, similar to us Berners, are from the Pyrenean Mountain range after which they were named. While they were used for pulling artillery and other stuff during the war (whatever that was), their primary duty was to guard the sheep. Similarly, the Maremma Sheepdog is named after the Maremma section of Tuscany, but actually originated from central Italy. These dogs weren't herders, but rather protectors of the sheep. Crazy, as I would spend my whole day chasing them.

Anyhow, I can't wait to meet my new cousin Humphrey!

Mischa

The welcome home happy dance

2009-03-06T16:11:00.000-08:00

When Christine or Richie comes home, I get so excited that I do a little dance against the back door:

Mischa

Paisley gave us a scare...

2009-02-26T14:53:00.000-08:00

Sometime last week, Paisley barfed up her dinner out on the patio. Then in the morning, she decided she didn't want to eat her breakfast. This was really strange, as she normally eats her bowl of food in about 1/2 the time it takes me to mow through mine. But it was obvious something was wrong. She didn't want to play with me either, as all she wanted to do was lie on what was left of the snow in the backyard, or the cool, damp dirt in the garden.

This really concerned Christine and Richie, and so he took Paisley over to the vet that day. He poked and prodded her, and figured that she ate something bad that might have been rotting under the snow since December. Anyhow, whatever it was gave her a bad belly, and so Paisley didn't want to eat at all! So for days, Richie and Christine would pry Paisley's jaws open and put stuff down her throat - you could tell that she didn't like it, but she would still let them. There's no way I would let that happen, as I would run away at the first sign of those little white things!

Paisley sporting her new pink "wrist-band" where she was given the IV

But Paisley still didn't want to eat, and it made me not want to eat. But I would eventually break down and eat a half bowl now and then. She on the other hand, was getting really weak, and had trouble getting up and going down stairs. After 4 sleeps, she had to go back to the vet again. This time they took those special pictures of her insides and the found out that her stomach was still very upset. Don't ask me how they know that, they just did. They also stuck a tube in her front leg, and gave her "intravenous fluids" because Paisley hadn't been drinking as much water. So she came home with this bandage on her leg, and a new set of pills that would calm her stomach down.

Christine trying to hand-feed Paisley one evening

This time, after about a day of taking these new pills, Paisley started to feel better! She even started eating a few treats. Another day later, and we found out that her blood tests showed a "high white blood cell count", which apparently means she did indeed have some sort of bacteria in her stomach. She went back to the vet one last time, as they were going to put a camera on a long tube and see what was going on in her tummy. But since she was starting to feel better, they decided not to do the camera thingy. They put one of those things in her leg again (the other one this time) to top up her fluids, and she came home happy and hungry!

Paisley with her two pink wrist-bands - feeling much better now!

You can tell that Paisley is getting back to normal - she's eating lots of food, is happy to go out for a walk, and play with me in the backyard. We don't quite know what happened, but she sure did give us a scare! We are thrilled to have our old Paisley back again.

Mischa

Cousin Max

2009-02-01T11:45:00.000-08:00

Christine's sister dropped by the other day with our cousin Max - a brown lab cross. We'd met before, but he's never stayed over with us overnight. So when Marla left and left Max behind with us, I was thrilled! The two of us played all afternoon, and when we stopped, we napped. When we woke up, we played again! It's funny, because he's so much smaller than both Paisley and I, and for a boy doggy, he's not nearly as, you know, "male" as some other boy dogs can be.

The next day, we all got in the Rover and went to the University Endowment Lands for another long walk. Here we are stopped for a drink and a romp in the water. As usual, we ran and ran, Paisley would wander around looking for squirrels, and I would chase her into the woods. Max was having a great time too, as he would tear back and forth - alternating between watching our six and taking point.

After a long walk, we were all tired, even Christine! So while Richie cleaned up the "man cave" getting ready for something called "Superbowl Sunday", we all had a nap in the living room. That's Christine under the blanket on the couch. Max - well, he's in the bedroom sleeping beside their bed. It's kind of funny, as I had heard that one of the stipulations that Richie had to adhere to in order to have puppies like us around, is that we wouldn't be allowed in the living room or the bedroom. Hmmm.

After we all woke up, we headed out to the deck and Max got a good brushing. He also got looped into one of those things that Paisley and I hate - a bath. He didn't understand that when the hose comes out, and you get hooked up to that wooden post thingy, that nothing good happens and you get really wet. Both Paisley and I managed to dodge the bath for some reason.

Here we all are, last night after another scrumptious dinner, hanging out on the TV room floor. Then to round out our evening, we all went downstairs and watched a movie. Well, I went outside to patrol the perimeter, Paisley slept, and Max, well he actually watched some of the movie.

I wonder how long Max will be here? No matter, it's still lots of fun having another doggie around to wrestle with.

Mischa

Special picture day

2009-01-24T17:30:00.001-08:00

It was another exciting day for Paisley and I today. We went for another road trip to Richie's sister's place, and we played with our Berner cousin Lupin and all of her toys. There was this awesome squeaky toy that we all wanted, so whoever had it got chased by the others. After a little while there, we got back in the Rover and drove down to the place where I was born!

When we got inside, there were a bunch of my sisters and one of my brothers! Even my old friend Mercedes was there; she was very calm - much more relaxed than when she was staying with us. Apparently she is pregnant, and will be having puppies of her own! I hadn't seen them all in such a long time, but we all got along like the family we are - no barking, biting, or even any hijinx. Here's Paisley, me and Mercedes lined up for what we thought was a treat, but we weren't allowed to eat anything this morning for some reason.

Anyhow, one after another, my siblings would disappear into the back room for 20 minutes or so, and then come out all dopey and slow... I didn't care - I was getting plenty of attention and quality time with my old family members and their humans. But then it was my turn - I went in the back and was given something that made me sleepy. I then had to stand still while they took pictures of my insides. Apparently, I have great joints... I don't really know what that means, but I hear that it will be important to me as I get older. A little while later, I was led back to Richie and Christine and was very happy, but still sleepy.

But we're home after a long drive, and I had a nice big dinner and I think I'll sleep for the rest of the evening.

Mischa

A different kind of doggie

2009-01-21T18:13:00.000-08:00

So we went for our afternoon walk when Richie got home from work today, and we came across a strange doggie that I hadn't seen in the neighbourhood before. Sure, we saw the big fella from the next block, who always barks and acts mean to me, but this one was different. He was running along the road, no collar, no leash, no owner. I wanted to greet him, but Richie sensed something was wrong, and held us back. Sure enough, he too, didn't want to come see us, and as he ran in our direction, he ducked across a yard and zipped down 23rd.

Richie figures it was a coyote - too big to be a fox he said. However, it was still a lot smaller than either me or Paisley, but let's face it, street brawlers, we're not. I think the mere sight of us (185 lbs. combined weight) was probably enough to scare him off, not to mention the tall human standing beside us. But I think we could have taken him - you should see how ferocious Paisley can be sometimes. Nevertheless, it wasn't an everyday occurrence - unlike the numerous squirrels that we see almost everyday.

Mischa

Busted!

2009-01-21T18:04:00.001-08:00

The other day, Richie was working at home, and we were relegated to the basement/outside again. But after lunch, he let us stay upstairs - I went up into his office and slept quietly on the floor beside him, while he tapped away on that thingy. Mischa however, stayed downstairs, and when we went down to check on her, guess who was sunning herself on the bed!

There was Mischa, wagging her tail like there was nothing wrong with lying on the bed - it's where the best sun rays come in, after all. I of course would do nothing of the sort, and would only lie on my (ok, "our") bed in the TV room, as demonstrated below.

But every once in a while, when Christine lets us, we somehow manage to sneak up on that cozy, soft, human bed... like last night for instance:

Paisley

Getting older...

2009-01-13T16:43:00.000-08:00

I don't feel any different - but they tell me that I am 2 years old today - Happy Birthday to me! But I guess I have been growing up... there was a time where you couldn't leave a piece of cardboard unattended or a garbage can lid open - there would have been consequences of that, and frankly, I can't be held responsible for these situations. Don't get me wrong - the old rule of "if it's on the floor, it's mine" still applies, but these days I'm not as obsessive about it. Sometimes, I'll even find something neat on the floor, but I'll bring it over to Richie to see if it's ok if I continue chewing on it. And I still like to dig holes in the lawn, especially Christine's garden, but it's only every once in a while, and no longer a weekly occurrence.

I've actually become fairly predictable in my old age - sure, there is always going to be a few minutes of frantic puppy syndrome, but I think the days of tearing around the house with a sock in my mouth are starting to wind down. It's been a really long time since the dreaded squirt gun has come out, and the only threat of getting wet comes when I start barking in the house. I guess I really am getting old.

Happy Birthday to all my brothers and sisters out there!

Mischa

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T11:02:00.000-08:00

Paisley and I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you all a very prosperous and happy New Year!

Best Christmas ever!

2008-12-26T09:10:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I know I've only had one other Christmas to compare to, and truth be known, my memory isn't that good that I even remember what I did yesterday. But it has been snowing TONS this year, and every time it does, we go for another walk to the big park by the baseball stadium. The other day, it was soooo deep, that I had to jump up just to get moving in it.

On Christmas Eve (like I have any idea what day that is, but so they tell me), Richie and Christine went away for what we thought was the evening. But it turns out they had gone over to Richie's brother's house, but they couldn't cook their dinner because they had no power there! So an unspecified amount of time later, the whole Chin family arrived back at my house with all sorts of yummy smelling food! They ate and ate and ate, and we didn't get any of it! Paisley didn't like having so many people around, so she went down to her room by herself.

On Christmas Day, we both got toys to play with! Here we are just as they were when we received them, and...

a short time later, we had performed our ritual gutting and shredding of the new arrivals.

But after a long day of Christmas-ing, I found a new place to hang out. I can't wait for next Christmas!

Mischa

Snow!

2008-12-22T17:15:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been nothing but excitement here lately... Richie's brother has arrived at our house, and so has the snow! We've been spending a lot of time over at Hillcrest Park, running around and chasing each other. Then we really got a lot of snow, and Richie's other brother Mike came over with his little human, Justin. We all went to the park in over a foot of snow!

Here I am giving chase to Richie as he makes for 1st base... he's pretty fast with those long legs, but I caught him!

The snow was so deep that I have to jump like the bunny next door to get moving - of course my ears flop around like the bunny too!

Paisley was having a gas too - she likes to run along in the snow and then stick her nose down and snuffle up the snow and stuff! I'm not sure what she's looking for, but when she comes up for air, there's always a bunch of snow sticking to her face, which makes her look kinda funny. She's pretty good at getting around in the snow too, and we would chase each other around, "joust", or wrestle in the snow.

Here you see me with my classic, "go for the jugular" attack on Paisley, while she attempts to get away.

Here is just one of our many wind sprints that we did that day - somehow Paisley managed to get a head start on me, but I am in hot pursuit! But I tell you, it is hard work running around in snow that deep - I'd have to stop and lie down and catch my breath once in a while. Christine also decided to lie down and try and make a "snow angel", but Paisley and I wanted to see what she was up to, and messed it all up.

Anyhow, I hope you are all having fun in the snow - I hear there is more to come!

Mischa

Catching up with the Berners

2008-12-12T19:07:00.000-08:00

So sorry it has taken so long to post some new stuff here, but Ritchie and Christine went away for what seemed like forever to some place called Maui. We on the other hand, went to stay with Richie's sister Deb, Connor, Sarah and Lupin! We had a grand old time, and got into all sorts of trouble. Like the time that Mischa got up on the counter and pulled the cookie jar down onto the floor. Lupin and I didn't have anything to do with it (I swear!), but we weren't just going to stand around while Mischa feasted - no way! When we are not getting in trouble, I follow Deb around like her shadow - something my namesake used to do as well, I hear.

Anyhow, we were thrilled to have Richie and Christine home again, as you can see by my lap-dog impression above. Mischa has decided that it's great fun to stand on the big brown box (called an ottoman), and frequently uses it as a method to try and get across to a warm lap. When that happens, I snuggle right in there, and the next thing you know, there's 185 lbs. of Berner fun in your lap!

I think they really missed us too, and so Christine gave us two little bears to play with. You can see Mischa and I playing a little tug-o-war with one of them, on top of Richie's head! I actually didn't really know what to make of the little bears, and I was treating them like my own little bear cubs. Sure, I had them in my mouth - what are we dogs supposed to pick up things with? But when I was put in my room for the night, I yelped, because I wanted to be with my little bear! My nickname is "Big Bear" (Mischa's is "Little Bear") - why wouldn't I have a thing for bears?
Anyhow, after a few days of tussling with them however, the little stuffed bears got pulled apart, and I've pretty much gotten over it now.

Now we are getting ready for Christmas, which has been great fun! Richie put up this tree in the living room, except that it isn't real - you can't fool our noses. Then Richie sits back with a big glass of wine, and Christine hangs all sorts of enticing, shiny toys from the tree... we aren't allowed to have any of them, but they are still fun to look at and sniff. There are also lots of other things in the living room that she has put out for us to smell - the best one is this little stuffed "Santa" (whatever that is) but it has fur that smells like the rabbit next door all over it! I know Mischa is going to grab it one day, and then there will be hell to pay.

I think the best part about this Christmas season however, is the fact that Christine and Richie spend a lot of time in the living room, with that fire thingy going, and we get to lie on the floor by their feet - something we Berners are very good at.

Smelly cat...

2008-10-08T03:53:00.000-07:00

So last night, we were sleeping in our "safe room" (otherwise known as the laundry room), and we woke to a strange smell. Mischa went outside, so I naturally followed her. There was this strange-looking black cat (although we can't see in colour, so it could have been really dark brown or something) with a white stripe on it, sauntering across our backyard.

Of course, Mischa and I started after it, but when we got close, it sprayed some yucky smelling fluid at us! Now we both smell bad, even after Christine had to get up in the middle of the night to bathe us. Yucky.

Paisley

Our summer vacation

2008-08-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

So we all got in the Rover for a long trip recently. We went to a place called Shuswap Lake Provincial Park. When we got there, we went directly to the beach, as Paisley and I were hot from traveling. Who did we meet on the beach, but our friends Greg, Shannon and Bentley!

Later on, Richie and Christine set up that flimsy house thing, and we all slept together in it! What fun - early in the morning, one of us would try to snuggle up with them, as they were lying down on the ground with us!

We had a great time running around the park and chasing each other in the morning dew. After that, it got too hot for us to run around, so we went to the lake instead. Here is Paisley swimming - notice how she tries to get her front paws out of the water!

Richie tried to help her swim better by lifting her bum up, but that would only help her get back to shore. Each time she came back into the lake, she would flounder again. Here I am, fetching a frisbee and demonstrating great style and enthusiasm!

Anyhow, after three sleeps, we left and headed to Richie's parents' place for a few nights.

After what seemed like hours in the Rover on the way home, we were stopped on 12th Avenue, by a doggy sitting in the middle of the road! Richie honked, but Christine was worried that a car might hit the pooch, so she jumped out to rescue her. When she got the doggy back in the Rover, Paisley and I wanted to get a sniff, but we couldn't get close enough. She was a snorting, snuffling thing however... she sneezed and stuff came out of her nose and hit Richie on the arm!

This is Lola - we found out her name when we dropped her off at the Vancouver Animal Control; she was welcomed by the staff there, and ultimately re-united with her humans.

When we got home, we were dirty and I was a little itchy in spots, so both of us got a "flea bath" - not sure how it is any different than the bath I get when we go to the spa, but we both smell clean and I'm not as itchy anymore! We were so tired from our trip, that all we wanted to do that evening was lie on the floor with our Mickey Mouse towels wrapped around us while our fur dried out.

And that ends our summer vacation - see you next time!

Mischa

Hot summer days

2008-08-07T19:27:00.000-07:00

It has been really hot lately, and so Paisley and I have been hanging out on the cool concrete a lot. Lupin came over for a couple of days, and we all went to the beach for a romp in the ocean.

Meanwhile, back at home, Richie made a lounge chair from some used cedar deck boards that he pulled up a few weeks back. Once it was finished, Christine was trying it out on Sunday, and I thought I would try it out for myself - it is very comfy!

As you can see, I worked my way onto the middle of the lounger, and pretty much pushed Christine off! No matter, we all got a chance to try it out.

Mischa

Keeping busy in the backyard

2008-07-31T15:45:00.000-07:00

Well, the weather finally got better this summer, and so Christine put Richie to work on a backyard makeover. I think it was just fine the way it was - lots of places to dig, plenty of plants and shrubs to chew on/pull out of the ground. Regardless, it's been great fun hanging out with them in the yard, while they dig, build and create. Weekend after weekend, they've been toiling in the backyard, while we hang out and see what they are up to.

One of the things they have been doing, is excavating a new area for more of that solid stuff called "concrete" - when they were digging up the dirt, Richie pulled out two stumps, and they left great holes in the ground for us to lie in (above).

But sometimes, when left to our own for a bit, we'd still get into a bit of trouble - like Mischa here, got a hold of one of Richie's outdoor pillows, and - well, you can see for yourself what she's done to it.

This past weekend, while Richie was busy doing something, Christine set up this flimsy house in the yard - it was great fun to play in... apparently we are going to be spending more time in this thing soon. Not sure what that is all about. I guess we will see!

Paisley

3-month update

2008-06-25T22:02:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are, after a full 3 months at my new home, and it's been nothing but fun and games. Our day starts at around 6 am (like we can tell time?), when Mischa gets up and we go outside through the dog-door. She leads us upstairs onto the deck, and she scratches at the door to wake up Christine and Richie. It doesn't usually work, but after a little while (again, no concept of time), someone comes and opens the door. We have a delicious breakfast, and sometimes get a small treat like a bite of banana, or maybe a couple of slurps of milk from the bottom of a cereal bowl.

Mischa and I lying back-to-back while we get tummy rubs from Christine

A little while later, we go for a walk down to the Starbucks, and we usually meet lots of people that want to pet us. After we walk back home, Richie goes inside for what seems like forever - no matter, because Mischa and I play hard... we run around and chase each other, play tug-o-war, or dig in our sandbox. Then we sleep - lots; I like to go back into our room since it's nice and cool there, but Mischa likes to stay outside.

Sometimes, Richie will come out and say hi to us, or let us in for a sleep on the kitchen floor while he has lunch. Other times, he goes away in the car, and comes back an undetermined amount of time later. We greet him like we haven't seen him in years.

Some amount of time later, Mischa runs to the garage for some reason - it is usually followed by Christine appearing! I don't know how Mischa knows that she will appear - must be psychic or something. We have another scrumptious dinner, followed by some sort of evening hijinx - a trip to the park, a walk, or just hanging out with Christine and Richie. More sleeping, and then it's time for bed!

My human went all the way to New York, and all I got was this silly thing!

Paisley

Paisley went swimming!

2008-05-28T19:54:00.000-07:00

Well, kinda. See, we went to the fun park down in False Creek this evening, and there were so many dogs to play with! Paisley went around and greeted all the humans, while I went around and checked out all the other 4-legged friends. After a few quick romps, I headed straight for the duck pond! Christine and Richie called for me not to go in, but that wasn't going to stop me.

Anyhow, after that, we went over to the waterfall area, and we had a great time running around. That was when Paisley took one too many steps off the submerged rock ledge, and her head went right under the water! Christine and Richie laughed hard, but Paisley was able to pull herself back out. But then another minute later, she went around to the other edge, and I don't know what she was thinking, but she stepped right in again! This time she went all the way in, and after she came back up, she paddled right back to the rocks and climbed out. You should have seen it - too funny!

Mischa

What fun!

2008-05-26T20:39:00.000-07:00

Here's a video of Paisley and I playing in the backyard earlier tonight:

After that, we went to get groceries - of course, I pulled the cart. Now we are really tired!

Mischa

Our long weekend

2008-05-20T20:44:00.000-07:00

So last weekend, we got dropped off at Richie's sister's place (Lupin's human), and we spent 4 sleeps there! We had a great time, as Paisley and I played hard and ran around the (big) backyard.

Lupin wasn't quite sure what to make of us at first, but eventually, the three of us were like our own little pack. We would go for a walk - all three of us, and it was a riot trying to keep us all going in the same direction at the same time!

But after a long, hot weekend, we were happy to see Christine and Richie again to come take us home.

Mischa

Some pics to update you

2008-05-09T17:10:00.001-07:00

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted some pics, but we've been really busy around here. As you can see, the sanbox/playpen is a big hit, and Paisley and I play in there all the time. Sometimes, I'll just go lie in the cool sand and hang out by myself.

But when we're inside, you'll usually find us sprawled out on the kitchen floor, or snuggled together on our new bed in the TV room.

I got a great treat the other day, when Christine finished a jar of peanut butter, and I got to lick out the rest - well, as much as I could - it's really hard to get your tongue into the bottom corners!

I thought this picture of Paisley was pretty funny - this is a new toy that Richie brought home the other day. It is supposed to be almost indestructible... we'll see about that.

Mischa

Best buddies

2008-04-10T20:51:00.000-07:00

Now that I have had a full month here, I thought I'd let you all know that Mischa and I have become best buddies. We do almost everything together - we eat, walk, play, and sleep together! She's been a great companion for me, and I think I've been good for her too. She does some pretty crazy stuff sometimes, but she's also been showing me the fun stuff to do. Like watching the bunny next door, or digging in the garden (or our new sandbox)!

But, more often than not, you can find the two of us hanging out with each other on the kitchen floor or the outside deck(or sleeping). That's me on the outside spoon above.

Paisley

Our new sandbox

2008-04-06T16:46:00.001-07:00

There's been some weird stuff going on in the backyard lately, and I think it might have to do something with me. See, earlier this spring, Christine and Richie put down a bunch of really neat smelling dirt on the area of my grass where Idaho and I had torn it up with our playing. After they put a flimsy fence around it, I jump in there and dig a new hole. Richie would come out and I would get sprayed with the hose for some reason.

Anyhow, I have also been teaching Paisley how to dig, as she doesn't seem to do it on her own. But for some reason, Richie would come out and spray our paws with water! I don't really know how he knows we've been digging, but he figures it out somehow. So yesterday, they dug up all this dirt (and we get in trouble for doing this!) and put down a wooden thingy - I'm helping... well, maybe getting in the way at least. Anyhow, apparently there is going to be some sand put in this thingy, and we will be allowed to dig 'til our hearts content.

Here you can see Paisley sitting on all the freshly dug-up dirt - we dogs love to lie in fresh dirt! I guess they are saving this dirt so that they can put it in all the holes I will be digging all summer!

Mischa

New bed!

2008-03-21T19:12:00.001-07:00

So the other day, Paisley and I were mucking around with a water bottle that I found on the counter. I of course, can get the lid off the bottle, and the contents emptied out onto my bed. When Christine saw this, I think she thought that Paisley peed on it! Anyhow, Richie came home that day with a big, round bed!

Here you can see both of us sharing the bed, while we work on getting treats out of our kongs. This is a great game that Richie likes to play on us - makes us work hard for our treats - I think it has something to do with keeping us busy however. Anyhow - we are both enjoying our new bed in the TV room!

Mischa

No optical illusions here

2008-03-12T16:50:00.000-07:00

Remember this optical illusion when you were a kid? It used to be in the back of comic books that Richie used to read. I mean, I wasn't even close to being born, but it shows two curves that are actually the same size, but when placed side-by-side, you brain fools you into thinking that the curve on the bottom is larger.

Well, here's a good pic that shows you the size difference between me and Mischa - that's me on the bottom. And no, it's not an optical illusion created by a wide-angle lens... I really am that much bigger than her. We'll see how I look after I lose my winter fur, and manage to drop a few pounds.

Paisley

Having a great time!

2008-03-11T17:20:00.000-07:00

Mischa and I have been having a great time together! On the weekend, we went to a big area with a bunch of trails and trees (called the Endowment Lands, apparently). We spent about an hour walking and running around, chasing after squirrels we hear, meeting other dogs, and playing in the water!

We've also been having lots of fun at home - we play tug-o'-war lots, and she's been very good at sharing her toys with me. I don't think Richie likes it when we play inside, as I'm so tall that it blocks his view of the TV! Anyhow, it might look like I'm guilty in the picture above, but it was her, not me... really.

Paisley

So who was Paisley the First?

2008-03-09T17:35:00.000-07:00

The original Paisley was a beautiful Berner that spent a lot of time with Richie. She actually belonged to Richie's sister, Deb, but on many occasions, Richie would take care of Paisley. They would go camping and fishing together, and they formed a very strong bond.

Paisley was a big female too, not as big as me perhaps, but she was definitely a handful! She would get into all sorts of trouble at Deb's house, but for some reason, didn't give Richie much trouble. Unfortunately, Paisley passed away early - at about 6 1/2 years old. But it was Paisley that got Richie hooked on us Berners, so I have her to thank for my new life here in Cambie.

So for a little over two years, I've been called "Pazi" - when Richie found out that was my name, he knew I would respond just as easily to "Paisley". I wish I could have met my namesake, but I'm sure I'll live up to her expectations!

Paisley II

Hi, my name is Paisley...

2008-03-08T20:47:00.000-08:00

the second, that is. I am new to this place, but am here to stay. I met my new human parents today, Christine and Richie, and my new sister, Mischa. After some introductions, I hopped right into the back of the Rover (they even have a car named after a dog!) and brought me back to my new home in Cambie.

There was a bit of a welcoming party with the neighbourhood dogs, as Idaho and Daisy came over to greet me. I was a bit nervous all day, but I think I am going to like it here. I got a nice bit of brushing right away, and we went for a long walk to the DVD rental place. I have been on my best behaviour - Kelly led them to believe that I would be hard to handle "on-leash", but I have been very good to my new owners.

Don't get me wrong - I have some bad habits; it is nothing for me to run into the theatre room and jump on the couch. And let's face it, I'm a big dog, and when I want to do something, it's hard to stop me. A female berner is supposed to be ~23 to 26 inches at the shoulders - I'm closer to 28 inches! When you combine my ~100 lbs. with a thick, winter coat, I look like a big bear - which is my new nickname. Mischa is actually a decent sized girl at 24 inches and 85 lbs., but there is definitely a new sherriff in town!

Paisley II

How did this happen?

2008-03-04T15:45:00.000-08:00

So the other weekend, Christine and Richie spent a bit of time putting down this wonderful smelling dirt (apparently called "topsoil") over the area of yard that Idaho and I have been shredding up over the winter. Then Richie put up this crazy orange (like I can see colour) fence around the newly seeded area.

Well, I couldn't resist the smell of that new dirt, and I had to jump over the flimsy fence so that I could dig and stuff. But after a bit of playing in there, I realized it was harder to get out of the area than it was to get in. Richie came out from his office, and there I was, busted - caught with the dirt still stuck between my paws. He wasn't very happy, and I got scolded and squirted with the water pistol again. After that, he put up a more substantial fence, and I don't think I can jump over it anymore. No bother, I'll just dig underneath it.

Mischa

Weekend with the mini-humans

2008-02-18T07:47:00.001-08:00

So Christine's nieces came over for the weekend again, and they didn't bring Max along. That's ok, as I got all the attention from them - I loved it! We went for a walk to the grocery store with my cart again, and when it was empty, Richie put Jaeda in it! I pulled it no problem, of course.

We also went for a walk down by the sea - I ran straight into the duck pond, but those silly ducks fly away. So I decided to go swimming in the ocean instead - I went into False Creek, and after a few strokes, I would look back at Christine and her nieces, wondering why they weren't coming in with me.

After a long day of playing, I was just happy to hang out with these little humans and bask in the attention.

Mischa

Yay! Snow!

2008-01-29T16:31:00.001-08:00

I woke up this morning to another fresh blanket of snow! I actually snuck into the bedroom to sleep last night, or else I would have noticed during one of my outside pee-breaks. It really dumped this time - if I could count (or measure) it would be something like 10 cms, but I do know it was enough to get me romping around the backyard all by myself.

Anyhow, it turns out that when it snows this much, it makes Richie stay at home - something to do with the silly 255/40 ZR17 tires on his car. Anyhow, Idaho came over for a play in the morning, then we all went for a walk (pull) to Starbucks. I played more with Idie while Richie went upstairs to work. Then after my mid-day nap, we went out into the sunshine, grabbed Jamie and Idaho, and went for a walk (pull) to Queen E park. We ran and ran - in some places, the snow was up to my elbows! I love it when it snows!

Mischa

----------------
Now playing: Peter Gabriel - Growing Up
via FoxyTunes

Yummm.... yogurt!

2008-01-27T21:52:00.000-08:00

Here is one of my favourite things... licking the last bit of yogurt out of the plastic container, then chewing on it! Actually, I only get to chew on the container for a few minutes, as I tend to tear little bits off, and sometimes they end up going into my tummy. Richie says he knows how, but I can't figure it out. Anyhow, it is great fun - you should try it sometime!

Mischa

Pullin' a load

2008-01-20T16:19:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I think I might have said that I would never do this, but here I am, pulling a cart! Ok, so it didn't have much in it, and the truth be known, I hardly even notice it when I'm walking. See, our neighbours across the alley had a Berner, and they used to cart her - she would pull the kids around in it. So when Christine told her that she wanted to cart with me, she lent us their cart.

This isn't actually my first day pulling the cart - I did it once before, a few days after Christmas, but it was only a couple of blocks, just to see if I would be ok doing it. So today, it was nice and sunny (but cold - just the way I like it) and we went to the post office to pick up a delivery. I think I am a natural at this!

Mischa

What I did over my Christmas holidays

2008-01-01T08:37:00.000-08:00

We had a fun Christmas holidays - it was great having Christine and Richie around all the time, instead of taking off all day like they do most of the time. One day, Lupin came over for a sleep-over, but she is still kinda skittish around me. I don't know why, as I like to play with all dogs.

The next day after Lupin went home, there was all sorts of fun things to do - we opened presents (I shredded paper off of my own!) and saw what Santa left for us in our stockings overnight.

After all the excitement of Christmas was over, I still had more fun, as my best pal, Idaho, came over for a few days to stay with us. We played, ran, wrestled and farted - phew!

Here we are playing with my new Christmas toys - we look sad because Richie is making us pose while he takes our picture. We're not really sad though, we just look that way.

Happy New Year everyone!

Mischa

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-24T10:50:00.001-08:00

So this is some kind of special time of the year or something. Last Friday (apparently - we dogs have no concept of time, let alone being able to track the days of the week!), Richie and Christine took me to their office, and I had my jingle bells on (below) and a harness with stockings attached (stockings are the things that I like to steal from the bedroom). Except these stockings were filled with candies, and I paraded around the building, meeting people, and they got all excited and I gave them candy.

Today is apparently "Christmas Eve", although it certainly doesn't seem like evening to me. It is bright and sunny, so Richie took me for a walk to Starbucks in my jingle bells, and then over to to Douglas Park. Everyone loves to see me, and I return their affection by sitting on their feet!

Anyhow, I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

Mischa

Now this is a comfy bed!

2007-12-09T18:15:00.001-08:00

The other evening, I was lucky enough to sleep in the bedroom - turns out that when I'm wet from swimming, Christine doesn't like me to stay in my room downstairs, as I might go outside and catch a cold. Not that it bothers me, but I really like sleeping in the bedroom, even though I'm too big now to try and scootch under the bed.

In the morning, Richie got up to make his morning coffee, and I thought I would see what the big deal about sleeping in bed is all about. Let me tell you - this rocks! Not only is it nice and soft, but it also smells like my humans! I still like sleeping on the cool floor however, but this is a pretty nice alternative!

Mischa

Where are you going?

2007-12-04T13:07:00.000-08:00

You would think that being a puppy is pretty easy-going, and that there isn't any stress in my life. But there are a few things that upset me. This is one of them... almost every morning, Christine gets in the Rover and leaves. I get upset, and run to the window, and whimper as she drives away.

Inevitably, Christine comes home near the end of the day, and I greet her like I haven't seen her for days! I'm not sure where she goes all day, but I'm just glad to have her back home.

Mischa

Let it snow, let it snow!

2007-12-02T16:58:00.001-08:00

I discovered a new thing this weekend - snow! Apparently, this is what happens to the rain when it gets cold enough. I wish it would snow more often, as I love it! This morning, Idaho came over and we played in the backyard - wrestling, tug-of-war and a good ol' game of chase.

After, we all went up to the field at Queen Elizabeth park, and we ran and ran! Richie and Christine made a snowman, while I chased Idaho around with a snowball in her mouth. I used my now-famous linebacker tackle technique, and I took out the silly snowman in one tackle!

Back at the house, Grizzly was over for a visit, so I went over for even more playing in the snow. We ran around and frolicked in the snow for at least another hour or so. When the snow started to turn back into rain, I finally decided it was time to come inside.

Now I am really tired - I think I'll take the rest of the day off.

Mischa

The Swiss cross

2007-12-02T16:44:00.000-08:00

If you look at us berners from the front while we are sitting, you might notice the Swiss cross that the white fur on our chest forms. Richie thought he would prove the point with his sweater with the same cross!

As our fur grows longer, it is harder to see the cross, but you could easily make it out when my fur was short as a puppy:

Mischa

An exciting evening at the park

2007-11-23T20:07:00.000-08:00

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Christine took me over to Douglas Park this evening for a walk, and this puppy comes up and wanted to be around me. He didn't really want to play with me, but you could tell that something was wrong. He was sniffing around like he was looking for food, and was really shivering. I don't think I've ever shivered, as my thick coat keeps me warm on the coldest of nights. He didn't have a collar or anything, so Christine thought he might be missing. So she waited around until some guy walked by and asked if she could use his mobile phone. Then she made a call and the next thing you know, Richie shows up in the Rover! So we all pile in, and go home (all of 3 blocks!).

When we get there, Richie looks up dog breeds trying to figure out what kind of dog he is. I'm happy to have some company, but he seems to be a little freaked out as he's shaking and stuff. Christine gave him some of my food, and he wolfed down as much food as I eat, and he's not even half my size! Anyhow, we think he's a Weimaraner-cross with maybe a Ridgeback because of his silver fur colour. Christine found a tattoo in his ear, so Richie called the animal hospital to see how that could be used to find his owner. Turns out someone else tried to catch him as well, but he was too skittish and ran off. I guess I have too much allure for him! Anyhow, they suggested that we call Vancouver Animal Control and report him, and they would try to find his family. A few minutes after leaving a message, they called back saying that there's a family that has been looking for a "Thai Ridgeback" all day. So here we are, hanging out together while we wait for the animal control girl to come get him so that he can be re-united with his family.

Mischa

Back to normal

2007-11-10T19:04:00.000-08:00

Hi folks - I'm back. Actually, it was only a few days where I felt out of sorts, and aside from an itchy tummy, I feel good again. I think I lost a little weight since I wasn't eating too much for a couple of days, but I've been eating well lately. Christine bought me some more canned salmon (my favourite) and I get a little bit with my dinner sometimes.

So today we took a ride out to Langley again - it was a beautiful day! But for some reason, Richie wasn't feeling well, as we had a party at our house last night. We had to stop and get some pills for him at the drugstore. I think he felt like I did a week ago - except I think he knows what caused him to feel that way - I still have no idea what happened. Anyhow, he closed his eyes for a long time... we both slept for a while in the car. We finally arrived at Christine's parents house - we went there to get this thing:

This is a "PONG table" - something about as old as Christine, but Richie was playing with this kind of thing as a kid. They spent a lot of time trying to get it through the doorway into the basement kitchen - it looks really heavy. Anyhow, you plug it into the wall, and they sit beside it and stare into the middle of the table. It looks boring, but they seem to get very excited by it. It makes some weird beeping noises, and I like to bark when they are playing with it. Silly humans.

Mischa

Why am I being punished?

2007-11-03T11:22:00.000-07:00

Last night was a tough one for both me and Richie. So apparently I had an ovio-hysterectomy; I don't know what that means, but I do know that I was in a lot of discomfort. Richie stayed with me in the basement, and when I wasn't sleeping, he would try to comfort me. I tried to lick away the irritating feeling in my tummy, but Richie would keep stopping me.

In the morning, Christine went off and came back with this thing - believe me, I am not the life of the party with this lampshade on. I'm unable to take it off, and I also can't get to my backside anymore. What have I done to deserve this?

Mischa

What the heck is going on?

2007-11-02T23:11:00.000-07:00

Today, Richie took me over to the vet again... I normally like going there - I get treats from the nice people there, and there's usually some other doggies there to sniff etc. But today was different - Richie didn't stay with me this time, and left me there. I had a long nap, and when I woke up, I felt really funny. Apparently, it was something called "morphine" that was making me feel that way. Somebody had shaved the fur off my tummy, and it feels strange down there.

Anyhow, Richie finally showed up, but I was feeling too groggy to give him my normal welcome reception. All I wanted to do was lie down... it took us about 10 minutes to walk the 30 metres or so back to the house. The second I got in the house, I laid down on the floor. When Christine got home, I cried and we went into the living area. All I could do was lie there and whimper or sleep.

I hope this ends soon,

Mischa

What, me worry?

2007-10-24T20:41:00.001-07:00

Mercedes here again. Thought I'd keep you up to speed on the happenings around here. Lewis, the golden retriever, showed up here again yesterday. We were going to go to the dog park - all three of us, but when Christine got home, Richie let me off the leash, and I ran all around the neighbourhood. Christine didn't like it, but it was great fun for me. When she finally caught me, she seemed upset, so we didn't get to go to the dog park. We did eventually go over to Douglas Park later, and we got to run around and chase other dogs. We met a HUGE 5-yr old berner named Moshe - he is 135 lbs!

Anyhow, life has been pretty good here. There has been no lack of dogs to play with, and there's all sorts of stuff that I've been able to get into. Take today, for example. While Richie was upstairs working this morning, I decided to poke around in the laundry/mud room. See, Richie thought he had out-smarted me, and put "child-proof" safety catches on all the cupboards so that I can't get into them. But I managed to push open the bi-fold doors to the furnace area, and found a bag full of plastic grocery bags. Then Mischa took over and started shredding them into tiny pieces! What fun!

But when Richie came downstairs to check in on us, he didn't look too happy. He put us all outside, and put the block on the dog door. We heard the vacuum cleaner, and what I think was swearing. Anyhow, after a little while, the door opened up, and all of the plastic bags were gone! Richie led me over to the furnace room door, and pushed my nose against it - is smelled and tasted of bitter green apples - yuck! He also went into the furnace room and jury rigged some sort of thing so I can't push open the doors anymore. Poo.

When Christine got home, we all went to Charleston Park to play with the other dogs. I was only allowed off-leash for a little while, as I wanted to run after all the people jogging on the sea wall. Mischa however, went straight over the wall and had a quick swim in False Creek. Then she went for another swim in the duck pond... that didn't make Christine and Richie very happy. That Mischa - always getting into trouble. She paid for it in the end, as she got a bath when we got home!

Mercedes

That crazy Mercedes

2007-10-23T19:11:00.001-07:00

Hey folks, Mischa here. Well for the last few days, this new berner "Mercedes" has been staying with us and it has been really fun having another one of my kind around. It turns out we are actually related - we both have the same great-grandfather, Max. That makes us kinda second-cousins. Anyhow, she's a little bit smaller than me, even though I'm not fully grown!

I don't want to be a snitch, but that Mercedes is quite the troublemaker. I mean, I know I dig holes and shred plastic bags, but Mercedes - she'll jump right over the gate to the mud room and go looking for trouble. Then, she'll jump right back over the gate and come outside with me! She also tried digging her way over to bunny's yard, but didn't get very far. She's also been jumping up on Christine and Richie, which they don't like at all. Richie used the squirt gun on her, but I don't think she gets it yet. She'll learn eventually - we all do.

Later,

Mischa

Rainy Sunday

2007-10-21T18:38:00.001-07:00

Hi - Mercedes here again. Last night, I got put in the "mud room" when it was bed-time; there's a cool door where us dogs can get in and out easily. Mischa and I were raising hell all night, as every time I heard something strange, I would bark at it. Then Mischa, not one to bark, would start barking too! It got the point that around 3:00 am, Christine came down and put the security block over our doggie door. But I was too smart for her, and managed to push it up so that we could get outside and start barking again!

Today it has been raining pretty much all day. So aside from a walk with Christine in the morning, we've been hanging out inside, watching TV and having naps. Christine decided to bake cookies, and so Mischa and I parked out under the counter hoping something yummy would fall within our reach!

More coming later,

Mercedes

Special guest blogger

2007-10-21T09:47:00.001-07:00

Hi, my name is Mercedes, and I am about 2 years old. Yesterday, I got picked up by Richie and Christine. I also met Mischa, their 9-month old berner! Another doggie was also in the back of the Rover - a retriever named Lewis.

"What are you doing Lewis?"

After the long drive back to their place, we all went into the backyard to play! A fourth doggie, another retriever named Idaho, came over and we had a big welcome party. We ran around in the backyard all afternoon, playing ball, sniffing and wrestling. That Mischa is a handful - she's the biggest of us all, and she never backs down with anyone. Lewis gets fixated on the damned ball, and doesn't really play - but I guess he is 11 years old, after all. Richie stayed outside with us all the while, and kept warm by the firepit. I'm trying to get Richie and Christine to adopt me, so I didn't play too much, and would stay close to his side. It's hard for him to get away when I'm sitting on his feet!

After a hard day of playing, we were noticeably pooped out. I already like this place - I get to come inside whenever I want - Mischa likes to sit out on the deck by herself sometimes, whereas I'd rather be inside with these new humans.

Mercedes

Who is the big dog now?

2007-09-23T16:48:00.001-07:00

So the whole damn Chin family was over for a BBQ yesterday evening. Deb brought Lupin along with her so that we could play in the backyard together. But we didn't reallly get a chance to play, because Lupin was so uptight about not being inside with Deb that we ended up hanging out by the back door all evening.

Anyhow, you might remember that when I first met Lupin, that I was only about 9 weeks old, but I was chasing her around like a big dog. Well here we are again, and now I am the same age as she was at the time of our first encounter. And who is the big dog now? Woof! That's right... me! She's got dainty little ankles - not like me... mine are built for haulin'!

But that doesn't mean that I'm too big to be cuddled... as you can plainly see, I'm still a Daddy's girl at heart.

Mischa

The fading days of summer

2007-09-21T08:57:00.001-07:00

So it would seem that everyone is getting bummed out about the end of summer. I don't know what their problem is. See, we Berners love the cold. I myself like to spend the first part of my sleep outside in the yard. After I get nice and cold, I move inside into my safe room. But as you can see above, I love to sit on the cool grass and take in the world (ok, my block).

Richie made me a long rope harness so that I can sit out there without him having to worry about me bothering people who are walking by on the sidewalk. Who would not want to see an 85-lb. puppy like me up close? Well, apparently there are some that do get a little freaked out by me, so the rope stops me just short of the sidewalk... crap.

Mischa

Day 2 at the dog show

2007-09-08T21:15:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the dog show again, and I not only got to see Zhivago again, but my sister Kahlua was there too! I can't keep track of the ribbons I won this time, but I don't think I did as well as yesterday, because I didn't get a "point" (I got one yesterday however).

I think what happened, is that another Berner from the US named "Jaeda" won something called "Best of Opposite" or something like that. Like I said yesterday, I don't really know what goes on, but all I do know is that I get a lot of treats.

Joanne was busy handling Jaeda, so Cathy took care of me in the ring.

This is where I get a treat for simply standing there... how easy is that! That's Jaeda up front, and Kahlua behind me being handled by Dave.
After we trot around the ring, we stand again, and this other human comes around and checks out my teeth and stuff. Kinda weird, but I won best puppy of the breed again! So we stuck around until the other working dogs got their showing, and then I competed against the best puppies.

In the video above, you see me leading the pack around the ring - you would think I'm in the front because I'm the best-looking of the bunch, but it turns out that it is alphabetical! Anyhow, the Rottweiler puppy won, so we went home without any more ribbons.

Mischa

My first dog show!

2007-09-07T18:53:00.001-07:00

Today, we went to my first dog show, and I got a chance to see my step-brother, Zhivago (same dad, different mom). He is huge! He apparently only weighs about 95 lbs., but he seems soooo much bigger than me. Here he is standing with Christine, while I get a last-minute grooming from Joanne.

There was a lot of other doggies there too - only two other Berners (incl. Zhivago), a bunch of Rotties, some terriers, poodles, and Shelties. There was also a lot of little dogs - hard to call them dogs really, as I think my morning poops weigh more than some of those dogs!

I was a natural in the ring, of course... I didn't try to run to Richie and Christine, and I stayed focused on Joanne (shown above taking me on a stroll for the judge). I have to admit, I don't really understand the whole show concept, but here was the results:

We are going to the show again tomorrow - let's see if the competition heats up!

Mischa

The long road home

2007-09-04T18:18:00.000-07:00

It actually wasn't that bad, really. Instead of fighting the long weekend traffic, we went the other direction, and stayed the night with Ma n' Pa Chin in Kamloops.

The next day, when we drove back home, it was clear sailing, as I didn't hear Richie swearing about the traffic at all! I was able to sleep most of the time anyways, and when I wasn't, I kept myself occupied playing with the pillows.

Mischa

Swimming in the lake

2007-09-02T18:21:00.000-07:00

Contrary to popular belief, Berners do indeed swim - as I am so adeptly demonstrating above. Now I haven't quite mastered dock jumping like Lewis has, but I float really well, and my big webbed paws give me great mobility in the water.

Sometimes however, it's more fun to have someone else do the work - Tasha took us for a paddle around the lake one sunny afternoon.

Mischa

Wubba keep away

2007-09-01T19:41:00.000-07:00

Lewis is a toy-stealer; any new dog toy he comes across, he thinks it belongs to him. I was too fast for him however, and I ran circles around him as he tried to get my Wubba from me.

Mischa

Crater Lake Yurting

2007-09-01T17:11:00.000-07:00

Here I am, standing by the edge of Crater Lake, where Richie, Christine and I went to stay for three sleeps. My pal Lewis was up there too, along with Al and Tasha, and my two countrymen, Sami and Sylvie.

That crazy Lewis would chase after the chipmunks at every opportunity. Here we see him searching in the wood pile for one of those crazy critters. But while he had his nose buried deep in the pile, it ran out and went under the deck!

Not wanting to miss out on the action, I tried to find the chipmunk too - but I couldn't fit under the deck to chase him any further! More yurt pics to follow!

Mischa

My new collar!

2007-08-27T19:18:00.001-07:00

Here I am, wearing my new, traditional Swiss dog collar. Here is the history of my beautiful new collar:

The people in Appenzell have been cowherds for centuries. They pasture their livestock in lower meadows in the winter, and in high mountain pastures in the summer, and they celebrate the cattle drives from one place to another with two colorful festivals. The Alpauffahrt -- which translates as "procession up the mountain" -- occurs in spring, when the cows are herded to upper pastures. The second festival is the Alpabfahrt, which means to "come down from the mountains." That takes place, typically, in mid-September, when the cows return from the mountains.

Every Alpauffahrt and Alpabfahrt has a festive parade in which the people wear their traditional clothes, called tracht. Farmers wear bright yellow pants with tall socks and bright red vests, and women wear amazingly detailed dresses. Cows are adorned in ornate straps with colorful treicheln or glocken [alpine cowbells] for their journey up to the mountain pasture, or down to the valley meadow. Horses and goats are also dressed up, and dogs wear their nicest ornamental collars. The traditional Swiss collars for the dogs were designed for these processions back in the 1750s by a family business.

The Faessler family has been working with leather since the 1400s. Before the collars, they were already making saddles and bridles, leather straps for cowbells; Swiss farmers still have cowbells that each have different sounds, so that each farmer knows whose cow it is. The Faesslers made leather straps for cowbells, and the Faesslers were the first family to decorate cows, goats, horses and dogs for the Alpauffahrt and Alpabfahrt processions. The Faesslers have now been making the dog collars for seven generations.

The plates around the collar depict an Appenzeller cattle drive proceeding up a mountain. The first plate shows a herdsman -- a sennen -- leading the procession. He's with a dog wearing the collar. This is followed by a series of plates with cows - the herd. The last plate on the collar is another sennen with a dog, who is trailing the herd.

Pretty cool, eh? I will be the talk of the town when I am cruising down South Granville!

Mischa

Wake up Christine!

2007-08-26T20:32:00.001-07:00

On the weekends, Richie is usually the first one up, and I greet him either in my safe room, or outside on the patio. I sometimes come into the kitchen and have a bit of breakfast, but I usually head straight for the bedroom door, and wait for Christine to get up; if I stick my nose under the door, I can tell she is still in there. Crazy humans... only one sleep per day - I sleep dozens of times during the day - get up!

Mischa

Movie night

2007-08-25T20:25:00.000-07:00

The other evening, Christine hosted her volleyball team for a BBQ, and so we decided to host a movie night as well. The projector thingy that is normally hanging in the basement was moved outside, and we all hung out in the backyard all evening! Richie had friends in from Switzerland - my native country! They even brought me a gift... a traditional collar for us Bernese Mountain dog types! It is a big, black leather collar, with gold cows (one of my favourite 4-legged friends) all around it. I'll try to post a good picture with me wearing it soon.

Anyhow, it was great to have everyone outside hanging out with me - as you can see, I am always in the centre of the action. There was also a lot of popcorn being eaten, and I was able to snag a few kernels from a few of the unsuspecting newcomers.

Mischa