A Breed History.of The Ethel

Some of my friends--like Suki, Wimsey and Nanook--have been posting the histories of their breeds which is some interesting reading so I thought I will fill you in on the storied histories of OUR breeds, the backgrounds of a couple of rescue dogs. I will start with my sister Ethel. The apes think she is a Belgian Shepherd/Greyhound mix but my sis and I have discussed a more accurate description of her background.

Ethel was discovered in shelter on the Maryland shore but the earliest known images of Ethels are actually found in Egyptian culture. Ethel is a descendant of Anubis, God of the underworld. He would welcome the dead in the underworld and sniff them for purity, not unlike my sis and I who sniff every stranger who enters our house for 1) dog odors 2) snacks they may be hiding in their pocket. And, like Anubis, Ethel loves her Mummy. (Sorry, couldn't resist the pun).

More recent relatives of The Ethel include The Supermodel, who shares her skinny frame, lanky legs, and the quality of being highly photogenic. Like Ethel, they are sometimes known for high-levels of energy and being generally high-strung (cocaine-induced in the Supermodel) . The Supermodel Gene is sometimes known to cause those carrying it to hurl things with great force (such as cell phones).

Another version of this gene is known to cause the possessor to chase things hurled at high rates of speed. This is known as the "Shortstop trait" in which the possessor does not let a ball get past her or him. This shortstop trait has been bred into The Ethel, making her a reliable and some would even say obsessive fetcher of the ball. This guy is Ozzie Smith, whose mad fetching skills suggest that he may be a relative of The Ethel.

More recently, images of The Ethel have been seen in American culture in "Santa's Little Helper," the regularly appearing dog on The Simpsons. He possesses the breed traits of a short attention span, general skinniness and all-around loveableness. The Ethel is a rare but cherished (by Max) breed known for their companionship. These high-energy dogs are definite people-pleasers with a flair for fetching and sitting in laps.

My New Friend Oscar

My good pal Buster blogged that there are no THREE pages of dog blogs on Dogs with Blogs. Dogs are taking over the Internets! Now--here's my new friend. I hadn't yet gotten to him on the blogs but he came to ME--Oscar the Airedale!

He's from merry ole England and I might see if he can hook me up with the queen's corgis, or at least some bangers and mash. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance Mr. Oscar!

Wally's spring break

My sister has a not-so-secret-admirer (Max) so she's been pestering me to post more pictures of her and I DID. But what about MY admirers, I said, thinking only of others. And so, here is a photo montage of some things I did on my spring break.

I jumped for joy!


I looked FEROCIOUS!


I posed far away from my sister and closer to the camera so I'd look taller.


I tried to steal her ball.


And succeeded.

I went to Wawa for Tastycakes (they don't lie--they are cakes and they are tasty.)


I ate some bullies.

He who laughs last...

I've begun a new game called 'steal my sis's ball.' Unfortunately she's faster than me but, as you can see, I'm smarter. My fetching technique is far superior.

For Max

My friend Maximillian the Valiant is obsessed with my sister. So here are some more pictures for him.

Sometimes she is quiet and pretty. Those times are not frequent. Or long!


Her favorite thing is to run and you can see it puts a big smile on her face.


For some reason she thought you'd be impressed by her big tongue, Max:


And here she is getting romantic with a portrait of Ethel at sunset. If you enlarge the picture you can see a GIGANTIC string of drool dangling from her tongue. Totally romantic. She wanted me to take the picture from a lower vantage point, Max, so you would know what it will be like to gaze up into her eyes (she promises not to wear heels, though).


Max has Ethel cooties!

Lucky....Labrador?

This is pretty cool--the Lucky Labrador Brewing Company in Oregon is doing a fundraiser for the dogs who do search and rescue and save the naked apes from themselves. And the beer sounds pretty tasty, too:


As a dedication to the dog, Velvet, who kept her human companions warm throughout a cold, stormy night at 7,400 feet, the Lucky Lab has brewed up Velvet Oatmeal Porter, a full bodied, bold ale with a nice blend of chocolate malt and rolled oats.

"It was a natural for us to honor the dog that helped the folks that were stranded on Mt. Hood," said Head Brewer Alex Stiles. The Lucky Lab will donate a portion of the sales of the beer to event.


I'm just confused by their logo. That looks more like a lucky shepherd. Or maybe a Lucky Ethel (who is so lucky to be my sis!) I guess it's probably Velvet the dog. I wonder if she gets to drink any of the beer?

Recalled Ears!

Another recall! This time not dog food but pig's ears. I'm not allowed to eat them because I try to swallow them whole (and they tend to be really overprocessed with the chemicals and whatnot, according to my ma ape.)

Here's the relevant info:

The voluntary recall includes dog treats sold by BJ's Wholesale Club in its 25-count packages of "Berkley & Jensen" Full-Cut Pig Ears dog treats with no lot number and only the expiration advisories "BEST IF USED BY 2009" (without referencing a specific month) as well as "BEST IF USED BY SEPTEMBER 2009," "BEST IF USED BY OCTOBER 2009," "BEST IF USED BY NOVEMBER 2009," and "BEST IF USED BY DECEMBER 2009."

Mr. J always jokes that Ethel acts as if we're trying to poison her whenever they're trying to give her food. Maybe she's on to something! I may have to buy a monkey butler to taste all my food first.

Flower Child

I like to sleep in the flower bed. It's a bed, right?

Instructions for the Chuckit

I've never understood why my apes are so fond of the chuckit. Why do you want to throw the ball so far? You just have to go get it and bring it back. Stupid! But then I discovered--they've just been using it wrong! So here's some better instructions for using the chuckit:


Start on the back, paying special attention to that spot at the base of the tail.


Move around toward the belly, scratching vigorously.




Finally, move on to the belly proper, being sure to scratch in perfect harmony with the dog's wigglin'.


Mission Accomplished.

A More Humane King

Fast-food chain Burger King has just announced it will no longer buy animal products from suppliers who confine animals in cages and crates (my sister likes her crate so I guess Burger King won't make her into a burger.)

So they make more humane burgers. When will they start making edible ones?

Ice Cream Headache!

Aaaaaand, tis the season for Frosty Paws! You will note from the video in the previous post it takes approximately one-third the time to eat the Paw as it did to beg for it. No one can say I don't work for my snacks. I ate it so fast I may have gotten brain freeze but it's hard to tell if that's a pre-existing condition.

Mad with the Hunger

It's finally warm enough for Frosty Paws but I don't get them without considerable work (ie, begging). This video shows what my mean ma ape makes me go through. The fine cinematographer not only lets the camera strap flop into the view but has to drop her book (which is not edible, I checked). Well done, Martin Scorsese. Anyway, you see her cruelly taunt me, waving the Paws in the air because she thinks its funny to watch me look back and forth. It takes some serious whiny barking to get her to relent. Oh, the cruelty.

Humans Choke on Greatness of Dogs

This morning my granny sent me this story about a dog who performed the Heimlich Remover on his owner, dislodging a piece of apple and saving her life. I would totally do the same for my ma ape, though mostly because I wouldn't want the apple to go to waste.

The Howler

Here I am singin' along with the sirens. It's not one of my better efforts because I rarely sing the in the outdoors. My favorite duet partner are police sirens on the tv. Arrrroooooooooooooo!

Centerfold

My pal Max-the-V is always telling me how preeeeeeeety my sister is, how looooooovely her long legs are and how niiiiiiiice she looks. So I thought I'd give Max a little of what he loves. A full centerfold of my sis.

Here she is watching one of her favorite TV shows, the Real Housewives of the OC. She is curious about the apes who stuff themselves with saline and botox. She is trying so hard to understand but I try to explain that it's not her, it just doesn't make any sense.


Here she is showing off how TALL she is. Standing upright she's almost as tall as my ma but that's not saying much, my ma has stumpy legs like me.


And, just for you Maxy, here she is getting ready to give you kisses...


Ethel and Maxy sittin' in a tree...

Blogwhore!

Because I am a bit of a blogwhore and leap at any mention of ME, I found a link to MY BLOG at NYCity Pets in their round up of doggie news on the Internets. I don't live in NYC but I won't complain! They post a lotta good links and info about dogs. Also some cool pictures.

Yes, I occasionally Google myself (I told you I had a big head!) Try googling "corgador": I'm slowly taking over the term!

I've got the Wiggles!

I'm celebrating my Dogs with Blogs victory by kicking up my heels and doing a little of the wigglin' and snorflin'. Ah, it's a dog's life!

Power Lunch.

What is THIS?

Why, only one of the greatest dinners ever combining two of my favorite things, hamburger and Wallymelon! Mmmmm. A dinner fit for a gourmand (me!). Here I am selflessly offering to help my sister polish hers off:


It gives me plenty of energy for playing. Up, up...

and away!

More on Food Recall

I found some good information about the Menu foods recall here. I'm very concerned because I never imagined my best friend, food, could turn on me! It appears that Menu Foods makes a LOT of the dog food sold in the U.S. including Evo and Wellness (wet foods, not dry) This stinks, unless it means more people food for me!

Eat safe dogs!

Toothy Grins

Back around Paddy's Day when I was doing new renditions of old Pogues classics my friend Sophie Brador asked if my teeth are as good as their lead singer's, as he is well known for his impeccable dental health after years of boozin' and smoking. Here is a side by side comparison for your consideration, Sophie:

Mr. Shane's Teeth:


Mr. Wally's teeth:


Beautiful!

P.S. My ma ape wanted everyone to know that she is not particularly proud of my dental health and they're not her fault. I came with this fine set of chompers! It may be a product of my years on the street prior to finding my new apes and/or may be a product of my tendency to put anything, edible or not, in my mouth.

You like me, you REALLY like me!

Woo! I won the Dogs with Blogs Blog of the Month contest! Congratulations to Hana who will be the Featured Blog next month, too. I have to give thanks to Buster who nominated me and would totally win the Best Friend award if there was one. Also thanks to Nanook who, in spite of also being nominated (and having an AWESOME blog) shilled for me! We big-headed dogs gotta stick together. Now, Nanook promised that if either of us won we wouldn't get a big head but I can't promise that because I WIN! I RULE! My ma ape says I'm going to be insufferable for the next month. Oh, as if I'm not always!

I'd give a longer speech but as you can see from our pictures, my sister and I have already been hitting the sauce to celebrate! Look at our squinty, tipsy eyes.