Christmas 2012

Every year, when the sun goes away early and the rainy season starts, there's this thing that comes around called Christmas. I don't really know what Christmas means, aside from all of the yummy food that is always around the house (more on that later). But one of the traditions that the young humans do, is go visit this guy - Santa Claws - and they ask him for presents. I asked him to bring us snow.

This year, Toba showed up to spend the Christmas holidays with us! She's been over here a couple of times before, and so she settled in here pretty quickly. On her first day here, Santa gave me my present early, because it snowed! We Bernese Mountain dogs love snow, and so Richie took us up to the big dog park where we ran and ran and ran! Both of us frolicked in the deep snow (over 10 cms, or so I am told), and we played snowball catch with Richie.

Then there's this whole Mayan calendar, end-of-the-world thing. It seems there were these humans that lived a long time ago, that had a calendar that ended on Richie's birthday - Dec. 21, 2012. I don't know - it's just another day to me. Anyhow, Richie and Christine thought they would celebrate the end of the world, so they were making all sorts of food for their party. When Richie went out for a while, I noticed that he had left a big bag of dinner rolls on the counter! I grabbed them, and ran outside with the bag - I shredded the flimsy plastic bag open, and it was a bonanza for Toba and I. Then I went back inside and grabbed the freshly baked banana bread off the table. Nothing better than having a yummy dessert after a meal. Needless to say, Richie was not happy when he got home.

Toba and I have also been spending a lot of time snoozing on the bed. She's discovered that you can watch the people go by up there, and there's also the chance of spotting a squirrel or two.

It does get a little crowded however, especially around bed-time. As you can see, there's very little room left for Richie once both Toba and I have laid claim to our spots.

The best thing about Christmas is that both Richie and Christine are at home the whole time, and we get to spend quality time with them over the holidays.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas, and we're wishing you a happy New Year!

Mischa

My favourite things

Now that I seem to have free reign of the house pretty much all the time, my favourite place to spend the day is on the bed. Here's why:

1. I can see out to the street without having to get up.
2. It's a nice soft place to lie and catch a nap.
3. The front door is very close, so I can bark at the mailman when she sticks the paper through the door.
4. Sometimes the sun shines through, and I can warm myself without leaving my nap spot.

I like it up on the bed so much that even when Christine is changing the sheets, I can't be bothered to get off. Sure, when there's the three of us up there, and I get a little warm, I'll get off - but it's on my own terms, not theirs!

I am liking this cool weather too. I'll go outside and sit on the deck or patio for hours by myself. Of course, I'm keeping everyone safe from those humans who go by the back alley, and I keep an ear out for other dogs barking in the distance. This is also the time of the year for good squirrel hunting. I almost got one the other day... one went up a tree, and as I went around the back to see what was going on, there was another one clinging to the back of the trunk, mere inches from me! It quickly scurried away, but dog, that was the closest I have ever been to one - well, except that dead one I found in the park one day... it wasn't very fun however.

I hear Christmas is coming... I love Christmas!

Mischa

Dinner at Toba's!

The other evening, we got into the Rover and drove for a while to a place we have never been to. After a while, we stopped at a row of houses, and went up to the door. When we rang the doorbell, I heard Toba barking! Then when the door opened, Toba's humans were standing there too! Toba was so happy to see us - she ran back and forth between the living room and dining room.

Lounging on the floor, using Toba as a headrest. 

The humans ate yummy smelling cheese that they melted onto their food with something called a "raclette". Whatever it was, I wish I could have had some. I did manage to get a chip that fell onto the ground in the kitchen however. What a fun visit!

Mischa

My new piggie

Christine came home the other day with a new toy for me. I was cautious at first, because this one looks like a real little piggie. I gently took it from her, and gave it a few squeezes and he made funny "oink oink oink" sounds.


I find this little piggie almost too real... I'm not really sure what to do with him. So I decided to take it outside and bury him in the garden. A little while later, Richie came back inside with my piggie! Doesn't he understand that I'm trying to grow him bigger so that I have a play-friend?

Then I went out and buried the piggie again. I dug so deep that I rubbed the skin off my nose!. This time, Richie and Christine couldn't find him - I hid it so well. The next day, when we came back from our walk, Richie went into the garage, and I decided that piggie wasn't safe, so I dug it up, and moved him. But he started making his "oink oink oink" sound again! Richie came out of the garage, and I was busted! He took piggie inside, washed him up, and put him away... apparently so that I won't try to bury him again. Poor piggie.

Mischa

Fall is here...

It has been raining a lot recently, and I'm acutely aware of this... it's not because I don't like getting wet, it's just that I don't like my paws being wiped off every time I come back in the house.

But with all of the leaves falling from the trees, there's lots of them piled up on the ground for me to play in. I love running around in the big piles, and while we were down in Point Roberts last weekend, Richie caught this on his camera.

What fun!

Mischa

T-Bear is back!

A while ago, Max showed up at our place and ended up staying with us. But then a couple of days later, my step-niece Toba showed up again! She was very happy to be here, and has been getting me into all sorts of trouble ever since.

Max inspects the hole that someone dug in the backyard

Like this for instance - I have pretty much all but stopped digging in the backyard and garden. But the first sunny day that we were all back there unattended, Toba and I had a great time trying to unearth things from the yard. We got in trouble for this, of course.

 Here's the three of us waiting patiently by the back door for some human to let us in - we've been doing the tandem "welcome home happy dance", but Richie is just too damn slow with his camera to catch it on video.

Here's a place where we are allowed to dig without fear of repercussions - the dog area at Queen Elizabeth park. We've been going here a lot, apparently because it's easier for Richie to put us in the back of the Rover than trying to walk three dogs at once. No matter, as it's fun to meet other doggies and run around after them. Toba really likes to give a good chase, but I'm still faster than she is.

Last night was something called "Hallowe'en". All I know is that the doorbell rings often, and we're not allowed to go and see who is there. At least 45 little humans came to the door, dressed in funny outfits, and they got little boxes of chocolate. Toba of course, is barking up a storm as soon as someone knocks on the door - or bangs a spoon on a pot for that matter. Here she is being cordoned off from the front door - she's decided that the couch is a good vantage point to watch the little humans from.

It sure is fun having Toba around again!

Mischa

In the centre of the action

We went down to Point Roberts again last weekend - apparently it was something called Thanksgiving. It was warm and sunny in the day, but cool during the night - just the way I like it! Anyhow, one afternoon, all the humans were playing a silly game called "ladder ball". I can't play with them. But I thought I would participate anyways... so I decided to lay down behind one of the ladders. 

The balls would often fly right by my nose, or as you can see above, they would land on me! No matter, as I was happy to be in the centre of the action.

Mischa

Enjoying the last of the summer evenings

I can tell that there's a change in the air... I smell it coming. You see, our sense of smell is like 25x better than you humans - at least that's what they said on National Geographic last night. Anyhow, we are in that time of year that I like - cool, crisp evenings, and sunny days with only moderate heat. So yesterday evening, we went out and took in the evening sun down at the beach. Even though the tide was in, I didn't feel much like swimming. Maybe it's because Toba's not around anymore to play with, or because I wasn't feeling hot enough. Eventually, after a bit of digging and meeting other doggies, I decided on a brief swim.

Then we went back to the grassy area to dry off. Richie tried to lay a blanket down for me, but I thought it would be more fun to steal it from him and play keep-away. Eventually they got it back (I let them have it) and they started playing some weird game with balls. I thought they were throwing them for me to fetch (which of course, we Berners really are good at - NOT!). So I ran and chased down their silly balls, only to find out that I was ruining the "score" or something like that. Poo.

Then this big doggie came by to meet us. He's a St. Bernard - from  Switzerland too! Although, it would sound like we originate from the same area, he gets his name from a mountain pass in the South, whereas we Berners get our namesake from Central Switzerland. Unlike us carting dogs, his ancestors were bred by monks to rescue people in the mountains. I think I'd like to wear one of those little brandy casks around my neck though.

After the ball game ended, and I had sniffed what I wanted to sniff, we got back in the car and drove home in the setting sun. What a great summer evening!

Mischa

Long weekend antics

We decided to stay at home on this long weekend, and Richie and Christine had BBQ meals and we hung out on the patio for long periods of time. We went out to the UBC Endowment Lands (as they used to be called) for a long walk on the trails. Toba had not been here yet, as it has been too hot to go out for extended periods. We got to the "luge run" area, and she went crazy again, and we chased each other around and around!


Back at the house, we went back to hanging out on the patio. Christine pulled down the cushions from the chairs and laid down with us on the grass and snuggled with us.

I hope summer never ends!

Mischa

Things we're not supposed to eat

Yesterday afternoon, while we were all hanging around on the patio, Christine noticed one of the toys that we play with was all but gone. Where did it go? Toba was just chewing on it. I don't see it anywhere. Are you sure she had it? A few minutes later, Richie appeared with the syringe-thingy. I didn't want anything to do with it, as that usually means I'm going to have some yucky stuff fired into the back of my mouth. Toba on the other hand, didn't seem to have a clue what was about to happen. Richie opened her mouth, and shot the clear fluid down her throat with the syringe. She swallowed it, and everything seemed fine. Hmmm. Then about 5 minutes (who can count, really) later, Toba puked out what was left of my yellow toy! She had eaten almost all of it, even the little plastic squeakers that make noise when you bite on it. They were glad that they got it out of her, as it could have gotten stuck inside, and that would have meant an expensive (what is money, really) trip to the vet.

Toba examines the remains of the outdoor
snack that she missed out on

Then during the night, I noticed that there was something that smelled very enticing in the kitchen sink. Apparently my humans hadn't learned from the last time, but I can easily get up on the counter and fish things out of the sink. Turns out it was a huge piece of beef! I love beef - normally I get little bites of fatty bits, or have to gnaw it off the bone. This was gift wrapped in a plastic cover (that I love shredding apart anyways), and didn't have any of those annoying bones in it. I promptly ran outside with it, and devoured my midnight snack. This morning, I knew something was wrong however. Hey, was that roast thawed before you put it in the fridge? Huh, what are you talking about? The roast - I put it in the sink to thaw overnight. No way. MISCHA! Well, I guess we're not supposed to eat some things.

Mischa

Berners were made for carting...

Ok, maybe not. Richie and Christine put my harness onto Toba this evening, and thought they would see if she would pull my cart. 

She let them hook up the cart to the harness, and would stand there with it attached, but wouldn't go anywhere with it. I guess it comes naturally to some Berners, and some not so much. I win.

Mischa

Playing at the beach

We went back to Point Roberts again this weekend, and we had a great time running around on the beach at low tide.

Dog, that Toba, she went crazy there. It was like she went "crazy puppy" and she started chasing me around on the sand. Of course, I'm still way faster and more agile than she is, so I put up a good chase.


Toba and I dug in the wet sand, looking for whatever treasures were left behind by the tide. She would dig dig dig, then lie or roll around in the freshly dug hole.

Here's a cool 360º view of what things look like at the beach when we are out for a play at low tide:


Mischa

Editor's Note: For a better 360º experience, click 360º degree view at the beach using your iPad.

Toba and the wading pool

It was pretty hot here recently, and so Christine set out the plastic pool and filled it up with water. I love going swimming, but this looks too much like a bathtub to me - I don't like getting a bath. It does make a great big water bowl however, and both Toba and I have been drinking from it often.

One day, Toba decided that she wanted to try and get at the little fish and other animals that are lying on the bottom of the pool. It was funny to watch.

Mischa

My new shadow

It seems that I have acquired a new fixture by my side, that follows me wherever I go. When I go outside, Toba follows me. When I bark, she barks. When I pee - well, you get the idea.

She will sit nearby, or lie down on the grass beside me. Here we are lying on the front lawn together, watching the humans walk by. It has cooled down a lot here, and we are able to spend more time out in the lawn, instead of hiding out in the basement (or the garden for Toba).

Here you see how she's followed me up on the bed! We're not sure if this is a normal thing for Toba, but she sure seemed to enjoy lying on Richie's side of the bed.

Mischa

Salut. Mon nom est Toba.

Salut. Mon nom est Toba. J'ai été déposé ici avec ces personnes il y a quelques semaines. Au début, je n'étais pas sûr de ce que je devais faire avec eux. Mais ils ont deja un Berner, de sorte qu'ils ne peuvent pas être complètement mauvais. J'ai eu du mal à les comprendre, comme ma deuxième langue est le français (d'abord bien sûr, ma premiere etant la langue non-dite que nous les chiens utilisent). Je suis un peu trilingue, mais mon anglais n'est certainement pas aussi bon que mon français. Même encore, je suis très sélective sur ce que j'entends "viens ici" ne fonctionne vraiment pour moi si vous avez un cookie pour moi!

Mischa n'a pas été très heureuse de m'avoir autour d'elle au debut. Puis ma nature ludique a finalement déteint sur elle, et maintenant nous jouons ensemble comme de vieux amis. L'autre jour, nous nous sommes débattues dans le parc, et je commençais à avoir le dessus sur elle! Nous nous baignons souvent et je vais patauger dans l'eau jusqu'à la poitrine, mais Mischa, elle, plonge completement dans l'eau! Elle n'y va même pas pour aller chercher une balle ou un bâton, elle y va simplement pour le paisir de nager. Je voulais faire un essai, mais j'ai peur quand je ne peux pas voir le fond du lac.

Il y a autre chose que je ne comprends pas bien ici non plus. Il semble que Mischa entre et sort à l'arrière-cour de son propre chef! Je la vois passer par cette porte magique dans le sous-sol, mais apres qu'elle est passee, la porte de referme de nouveau! Je sais que les humains veulent que j'utilise cette porte magique, mais je n'arrive pas a savoir comment ca marche !!!

En tout cas, ici c'est la canicule depuis mon arrivee! Mais, j'ai dcouvert un endroit genial pour me rafrachir dans le jardin et me cacher pendant de longues periodes. Il y a aussi le sous-sol ou Richie prend ses siestes, Misha et moi y allons aussi. La plupart du temps, nous allons pour notre promenade matinale à un endroit appelé "Starbucks". Il semble que nous sommes pratiquement célébrités autour d'ici. Nous sommes accueillies et reçoivons les animaux de compagnie de beaucoup de gens sur notre trajet du matin. Dans l'après-midi ou plus tard dans la soirée, si il fait trop chaud, nous irons pour une autre promenade dans le quartier. En d'autres occasions qu'ils appellent "le week-end", il y a beaucoup d'activites à l'extérieur et à la plage.

Hey, je viens de comprendre comment utiliser la porte spéciale! Il a fallu un certain encouragement avec des biscuits, mais je me rends compte maintenant que si je pousse sur le rabat avec mon nez, je vois que je suis capable de sortir et entrer dans de la cour en toute liberté! Maintenant Mischa et moi on court tout le temps. C'est génial!

Ce week-end, certains humains sont arrives ici. Ils sont apparemment les parents de Richie, son frère Chris et sa compagne. Les deux derniers parlent français! Ce n'est pas reellement important maintenant puisque je comprends ce qu'ils veulent me dire dans les deux langues. Ca ne veut pas dire que je vais toujours faire ca. Comme l'autre jour a la plage, j'étais occupée a scruter les autres repas autour, ils voulaient que je vienne, .. moi je ne voulais rien savoir.

Je suis en train d'avoir une merveilleuse vacance d'été ici. Je vais faire une traduction par le Québécois pendant qu'ils sont ici.

Toba

Editor's note: English translation in the comments below.

The sunny day rain...

The other morning when we went outside to do our morning business, it was sunny, but yet there was water falling in the yard. The rain would fall on one side of the lawn, then move to the other. So both Toba and I went onto the grass to go, and the rain started to fall on us! But you know, once you start, you can't stop... So both of us got wet. 

Then for some reason, we were not allowed back in the house. Hmmm. Just another thing that we dogs will never understand.

Mischa

Summertime activities

Summer has definitely arrived now. The sun rises every morning and heats things up around here, but we manage to stay cool by hanging out on the concrete patio or lazing about in the shade on the grass in the backyard.

This sunny weather has us doing lots of fun activities. We went down to the beach and swim; ok I swam, but Toba would only go in up to her belly. There was lots of doggies around, and we played in the water until we got cooled down.

Toba and I eagerly await a treat

Then we went back to the grassy area by the Rover and Richie and Christine had a picnic. We had to sit there while they ate yummy bits of bread, meat and cheese. I drooled. Eventually, we got a few bites and we were happy.

One of the other things I like, is eating frozen blocks of water... here I am chomping away on one that Christine just gave me.

We also went down the river on another day; I think the the water is better-tasting here. Again, Toba seems to want to come in and swim with me, but she turns around as soon as she gets belly deep in the water. Maybe she doesn't know how to swim?

Mischa

Where's Toba?

The other day, Richie came downstairs, and while I had staked out my spot on the bed, Toba was nowhere to be seen. Then he went outside on the deck.

What do you see in this picture above? The tree? A beautiful garden? A patch of grass? Look more closely.

There she is! Toba seems to have found a great place to stay cool in Christine's garden... at least she's not getting into any trouble by digging in there.

Mischa

The visiting doggie

This past weekend, a new Berner showed up at our place. I thought this was just some friends of Christine and Richie, but it turns out that the humans were just dropping off their doggie to stay with us! This is Toba - she's apparently my step-niece, or something like that. Anyhow, I don't know how long she's going to be staying with us, but it is nice to have company again.

We got into the Rover and went down to Point Roberts for something called a "long weekend" - we dogs don't understand what that means, but the effect is that we spend 3 sleeps away from home. Just as we were getting to the border however, I decided that something was amiss, and I climbed out of the back doggie area into the back seat. But when I got up there, I found that there was too much gear piled up on the seat for me to be comfortable, so I climbed up into the front with Christine! She didn't seem to like me standing/sitting on her lap, but Richie laughed and laughed. Anyhow, I knew there was a reason why I left the back area, as not 5 minutes later, Toba threw up on the carpet - yuck!

Then when we arrived at the cabin, no sooner had we jumped out of the Rover, when Toba ran straight for the smelly water in the ditch. I know from past experience that I'm not supposed to go in there, but I'm not going to let the new girl show me up, so I ran in there myself! This did not please Christine and Richie, and we immediately got back into the Rover and went to the beach to "get cleaned off".

We did all the usual things that we normally do at Point Roberts - go for walks to the beach, go swimming, look for dead/smelly things to roll around in at low tide, and sleep in the shady areas of grass. It was really hot this weekend, and we spent a lot of time lying around. I think Toba really enjoyed herself - especially having everyone hang out with us every waking hour of the day.

One evening when we went for our walk down to the beach, these two big doggies were standing right by the fence! Toba and I strained at our leashes, as we wanted to get closer for a sniff, but we were held back tightly.

All in all, another great trip to Point Roberts, and I think Toba enjoyed herself.

Mischa

Stylin' summer cruising

Here's the latest thing we've been doing lately. I told you about my

new harness; now I've got a new set of "doggles" to wear when we are

out cruising in the roadster.

I will admit that I didn't like wearing them at first, but when we get into the car, I kinda forget about them. Also, it seems to cut down on the brightness when I've got them on - it seems that we only go out in this car when it is bright and sunny out. I like our new summer-time activity!

Mischa

More road trip

After Seattle, we continued driving for a little while, and ended up at a place called Leavenworth. It seemed strangely familiar to me, as the place had a Swiss mountain feel to it. Apparently it was "Bavarian", but we dogs have no sense of borders, and it seems that they have similar style to my Swiss homeland.

Anyhow, it was blisteringly hot there... we had lunch at a cafe on the street, then went back to our hotel for some cool air-conditioning! I can't tell temperature, but they said it was 104° F there (or 40° C for us Canadian doggies)... too hot for me. We went back to town later that evening for dinner, and they had sausages and beer (ok, Richie did), and I got a little bit of some German pretzel. We went down to the river too, and I got to cool my paws in the water there, but didn't go for a full swim.

The next day, we got back in the Rover and went searching for an off-leash dog park on a lake. We went to someplace called Lake Chelan, then another one called Manson, and neither of them had anyplace for me to swim! So we said, "screw this country, let's go back to Canada", and we drove to Osoyoos.

Now this is more like it... my own little private beach, and it was much cooler there - only 34° C and some shade by the lake. We had camped here before, so Richie knew it would be off-leash. We hung out there for a couple of hours and then continued on to Penticton. It was also nice there, and after hanging out in the cool air-conditioned room for a while, we went for a swim in Okanagan Lake.

This was a great place to swim - the sand was really nice, and there were tons of dogs (yet another example of why Canada rocks) to get introduced to. 

After a refreshing dip, we went over to the shady area of the grass to relax, and I got some tummy rubs. What more can a dog ask for? 

Anyhow, after we woke up, we got back in the Rover and ended up in Kamloops. We weren't there very long, when Lupin and Humphrey showed up (with their humans)! We did the traditional walk down to Peterson Creek Park, where we all can get our paws wet, as well as quench our thirst.

It was still pretty hot there, so we stayed in the shade most of the time, and slept pretty much all day. I like visiting Kamloops, but could do without the heat. After a few sleeps, we came back home, and concluded our road trip.

Mischa