Cyber Pooch

I guess I'm what you might call a cyber pooch. I mean I have my blog and my website (www.deepacresfarm.com) and yesterday I tweeted for the very first time. All my dogs (and bitches!) can now tweet me on twitter @DeepAcresFarm. I am not alone. There are tons of dogs (and bitches!) on the internet. I already have quite a few doggy followers on twitter. Think of the possibilities!

I like being a cyber pooch and thought I probably coined the term. But, on no, Sony introduced a $2500 robotic dog called Cyber-Pooch in 1999 that can go for walks and wag its tail and do tricks. When it first came out it sold out in 20 minutes. At the time, a survey was taken to determine the reason for its popularity. Here are the results.



I also came across a website (www.foopets.com) where you can adopt the world's most realistic, interactive virtual pet. The website even claims that you can "mate your FooPet with your friend's FooPet and make FooPet babies! Watch out — puppies and kittens are a lot of work!" Yeah. Right. Tell me about it. I must admit that the FooPet beagle is kinda cute.

Well the best thing about all this cyber stuff is that I found another Tibetan Terrier blogger. His name is Wigglebutt Duncan and he is VERY cute. He refers to his blog as musings and deliberations of a spoiled, but lovable TT. Roxie has her eye on him. Yesterday, Wigglebutt posted a list that I want to share with you.

The 10 things I Like Most About Being a Tibetan Terrier

1. I've made friends all over the world with other Tibetan Terriers and their owners. I'm on Facebook; you can even Google me (WigglebuttDuncan) and I have 2 whole pages devoted to me! A TT!

2. I've convinced my humans that I'm smart (and that's not just about my breed trait).

3. I'm forgiven for my willful, independent disposition (because my humans believe it's a breed trait).

4. Most people forgive my misbehaving because they think I'm a terrier and it's "terrier behavior," even though I'm NOT a terrier.

5. I get tons of extra special treats for doing stupid things in training. I even get cooked special foods as rewards where I reward my mom intermittently for listening to what I want her to do.

6. It's OK for me to have ADHD; in fact, it's expected.

7. It's OK for me to have notoriously bad recall; in fact, it's expected.

8. Everyone who knows me thinks I'm cute and I know how to maximize it in order to get invited into people's homes (Thanks, Aunt Karen and Uncle Fred).

9. There are very few of my breed around, so I always get LOTS of attention from everyone asking me what kind of dog I am.....

and, finally .....

10. My mom and dad love me so much and think I'm so special, that they actually do something dorky like blogging about me!

For the Birds

Did you notice Roxie singing in the video that I included in my last post? TTs like to sing. We are known for it. Among other things! We sing when we're happy. It feels great and I think more people (and dogs) should sing. I know you want to. I think everyone wants to sing like birds sing not worrying about who hears or what they think. My dad sometimes sings to me and the pups. Ramblin' Rose is a current favorite. He doesn't like to sing in front of most other people though. Not even at birthday parties.

I have a friend who helps others overcome their fear of singing (www.thebirdsings.com). She's a trained vocal coach and leads workshops all over the place. Now, I'm not afraid to sing. I'm just too tired to right now. My dad is afraid to sing, but he would never go to anything like a singing workshop. Oh no!

I think I mentioned that we recently introduced Roxie and Angus to their new siblings. They are really sweet with the pups. I won't say that I'm surprised. I didn't quite know what to expect. Today I shot and cobbled together a video of my older kids with the pups.

Movin' On Up

My pups are now a month old. Can you believe it? Yesterday we moved them out of the whelping box and into a more spacious ex-pen so that they have lots of room to romp and play. As you can see, the move wasn't too hard on them and they find their new accommodations quite comfy. The ex-pen has a raised gate that allows me to come and go, but keeps the pups safe inside. They even have a cardboard box to hide out in. Who could ask for anything more? And there's a little puppy bed in case they do. And toys. Lots of toys. The kids are now noticing and playing with their toys. Although they find the edge of the box just as interesting. In a couple weeks we will move the ex-pen downstairs and add some panels to make it even larger. It will grow as the pups grow. And downstairs it will have easy access to the backyard so I can try to get them thinking about the great outdoors as a great big toilet. We'll see!

You probably know that during housetraining it’s helpful to confine the pups to a small area with hard flooring while you are at home. You can use a gate or, if you can’t use a gate to confine your pup to, say, the kitchen, you may want to buy an ex-pen. You can put a vinyl flooring remnant (usually readily available at stores such as Lowes or Home Depot) under the ex-pen if you have carpet. JB Pet Wholesale has relatively inexpensive ex-pens (www.jbpet.com) that can be expanded with add-on panels.

At night and when you must leave your pup for any period, I recommend that you remove their ID collar and place them in their crate. It is unlikely that they will have an accident in their crate. Immediately take your pup outside upon releasing them from their crate and allow them the opportunity to relieve themselves. I find this crate training to be highly effective in house training my pups. The crate is also a safe and secure refuge for your pet and they are likely to feel more secure confined in their crate when you must leave them alone.

Either a vari kennel type airline crate or a wire crate will do. My parents like the wire at home and at shows when the weather is hot. The airline crate is safer for travel in a vehicle and some dogs prefer them as they make them feel safe. I use a wire crate, the Midwest Lifestages 1630 (30” x 21” x 24”).

Despite all this serious business I did get outside today to shoot this video. Angus and Roxie are definitely ready for their close ups Mr. De Mille.

Shining Like The Sun

My Super Troopers. 3 1/2 weeks old.

I Feel Pretty

Pretty tired that is. Just like MeeMaw.
That woman is always tired. Then again she is old as dirt. But you see, in addition to tending to the little ones, I've been walked up the hill and back down. Let me tell you it's a long, tedious walk. Day after day after day we go on this same blasted walk. And, you know what, I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've plodded up and down these stinking stairs. For the coup de grace, dad cajoled me out of the house to play catch with Roxie and Angus. Well, he only threw the tennis ball a couple times for me. I think he thinks I'm going to hurt myself with all this milk I'm carrying. Darn straight!

I'm still better at frisbee than Roxie and Angus. They're young you know. I put Angus' hair in a pony tail. Otherwise he can't see the frisbee at all. Now I must admit it's good for me to get outside and clear my head. It also gives me some quality fun time with Roxie and Angus. I feel a little bad that I can't spend as much time with them now that I have seven other pups to care for. But, you know what, I think they really understand. I must admit that I was a bit worried about what Roxie and Angus would make of these tiny pups, their new brothers and sisters. They hadn't seen them at all until two days ago, but they knew something was up. So the day before yesterday dad carefully introduced them to the pups one at a time. They were surprising calm and gentle. Especially Roxie who has been nuzzling them and even turned over on her back like she wanted to nurse them. Now wouldn't that be nice.

I'm so glad that they are all getting along so well and I look forward to the day when we can all go out in the backyard and play together. It is so good for the pups socialization to safely interact with other dogs and people from a young age. Grammy Jill is coming for Thanksgiving and she is bringing Sadie so that will throw another friendly dog into the mix.

If you ever bring a new puppy into your home, I strongly recommend that you enroll in a group puppy socialization class as soon as possible. This is a great way to learn basic tools for working with your new pup and it is good for their socialization as well. I also believe it is important to actively introduce your puppy to dogs, people, and a variety of situations to aid in their development. These introductions should be practiced both off-leash in a safe, enclosed area and on-leash in a variety of settings. This will help ensure that your pup becomes comfortable both off- and on-leash approaching new situations and meeting new dogs and people. Praise all positive behavior and quickly correct any negative behaviors. Ask your training class instructor to demonstrate appropriate methods to praise and correct your pup. After completion of your puppy training class, continued group training classes and socialization activities through your pups first few years promote optimal behavior. You know what they say. Pretty is as pretty does.

Gourmet or Gourmand?

I looked it up. My dictionary defines gourmet as "a person who knows a lot about food and drink and is good at choosing what should be combined together" and a gourmand as "a person who eats too much, esp. one who is more interested in the quantity of food than its quality".

I asked a very smart TT over in England named Mo Mo (www.tibetanterrier.me.uk ) and she explained gourmand as "greedy feeder, glutton" and gourmet as "connoisseur of table delicacies; judge of good food."

Well my question is is it possible to be both a gourmet and a gourmand? I guess it is. I mean I know it is because I love delicacies, but lots of them. When it come to my pups I only want the best. I guess I'm thinking about this because it's getting time for me to think about weening the pups. I mean "the girls" can only take so much. For about a week now, my parents have been giving the pups plain whole fat yogurt on the tips of their fingers and they have been lapping it up. I mean really lapping it up. And today, we tried just a little bit of a puppy formula that is used to transition the pups to a more solid puppy food. Again, my parents put the puppy formula on the tips of their fingers and the pups seemed to enjoy it. I got the leftovers and I REALLY like it. Gourmand? We will give them a little more each day until they are ready for puppy food.

The pups will be raised on the dry (moistened, at first) and can formulas of Holistic Select for puppies. Holistic Select wet is chicken based. The dry is an anchovy, sardine, and chicken meal recipe. It is protein rich and contains probiotics, digestive enzymes and Omega 6:3’s. It is a high quality food that my puppies deserve. I believe it promotes superior brain and body development. Visit www.holisticselect.com to find a supplier near you. By the time they are ready to go to their new homes, we will be feeding the pups three times a day, at 6 AM, noon, and 6 PM, usually feeding the can variety at one feeding time daily. Keeping the pups on a schedule helps with housetraining. Angus, Roxie, and I prefer Wellness Core over other brands such as Eukanuba, Iams, and Innova. Wellness Core and Holistic Select are both made in the USA by WellPet.

If you ever decide to transition your puppy or dog to a new food at any time, please do so gradually. At first add just a small amount of the new food to the existing diet and over at least a seven-day period slowly increase the proportion of the new food included in their daily diet. I don't recommend that you change a puppy’s food in the initial transition period when they are introduced to their new home.

Since I am going on about food today, I guess it's as good a time as any to share my dad's oven roasted tomatoes recipe. They are great as a side with eggs or anything for that matter. Sometimes my dad spoons the tomatoes over pasta when he's craving a healthy and easy meal.

Dad's Oven Roasted Tomatoes

2 28 oz cans of whole plum tomatoes
1 tablesoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine sugar, salt and pepper in a small bowl and set aside. Lightly coat the bottom of a large baking dish with olive oil. Drain the tomatoes in a collander and discard the juice. Cut the tomatoes in half and and place cut side up in a single layer in the baking dish. Sprinkle evenly all over with the sugar-salt-pepper mixture. Cook for 1 to 2 hours or more until the tomatoes are well cooked and a bit carmelized. Remove from oven and cool. Dad likes them best at room temperature.

Oh, dad just reminded me, after sprinkling the sugar-salt-pepper mixture on top some people like to dab just a teeny tiny dob of butter on top of each tomato before placing in the oven. Gourmands I would guess.

Autumn Leaves

Toby, I was listening to Pandora (www.pandora.com) today. Do you ever do that? You know the internet radio station. It's kinda cool cause based on your listening and song preferences it will suggest and play other songs that it thinks you will enjoy. You probably think I'm so lame. I mean you're a Cali boy. Always one step ahead.

Well, I was listening earlier today and they played this song called Autumn Leaves. Do you know it? I have heard it before but it really hit me today. Maybe because it's full-on Autumn here. Falling leaves everywhere. The song is so lovely. I couldn't help thinking of you. You're lovely too. I know we may see each other at the Nationals in the spring, but I miss you so much today. I don't mean to complain. Really. I just want you to know how much I think of you and if I can't share my time with you right now, at least I can share this song with you.

Autumn Leaves

The falling leaves drift by the window
The autumn leaves of red and gold
I see your lips, the summer kisses
The sun-burned hands I used to hold

Since you went away the days grow long
And soon I'll hear old winter's song
But I miss you most of all my darling
When autumn leaves start to fall

I think I'm heading the way of Grammy Jill's sister, Aunt Joan. You see Aunt Joan just LOVES to watch and order baubles and trinkets and warm fuzzy slippers off of HSN, the Home Shopping Network. Well, I don't actually watch HSN, but I did buy something on ebay today. You see there was this listing RARE TIBETAN TERRIER BOOK. How could I not be interested?

The book was described as follows:

THIS IS A RARE "HOW TO RAISE AND TRAIN A TIBETAN TERRIER" PAPER BOOK WRITTEN BY ALICE W. MURPHY. IT CONSISTS OF 64 PAGES. THE BOOK IS IN GOOD SHAPE FOR ITS AGE NO PAGES MISSING. WE OWNED TWO TIBETAN TERRIERS FOR ABOUT 14 YEARS AND FOUND THIS BOOK USEFUL. THE BOOK IS PROBABLY ABOUT 35 YEARS OLD.

I know they say you can't judge a book by its cover, but it's the cover of the book that I fell in love with. So with 21 seconds left in the auction I bid $9.99 and now the book is mine. No one else even bid. Can you imagine? I am really curious to see what's beneath that cover. I can't wait until it arrives. It shouldn't be long. Joan, the original owner sent me the dearest email. I want to share it with you.

Joan's email:

Dear Suddie,

I can tell from your blog that you have a houseful right now. Our first Tibetan Terrier we purchased at a pet store about 35 years ago for $35.00. The owner had died and his TT ended up in this pet store. Unfortunately, he was killed in the road in front of our house. We were heartbroken and immediately found a breeder and she suggested we purchase two. We had a black and white female and a golden male. We had them fixed so we never had any puppies. Since we owned our own business, they went to work with us every day. They lived to be 14 and 15 years old. Oh, we had a fence put around our property this time. We are too old to have dogs now, but they remain dear to our hearts. They were both put to sleep together in 1992 or 93. Enjoy your new puppies. I am starting to read your blog, but it is hard to look at the dogs as they look like ours. They had a wonderful life as we had no children so they were spoiled. It sounds like you and your pups are spoiled too with all those hand made treats.

Regards, Joan.