New Dog Story Call Out!

For all you doggy writers out there, Chicken Soup for the Soul is having a call out for more dog stories! This new book is about all ages and stages of a dog's life. Some of their suggestion are to write about training your dog, laughing with your dog, how your dog came to live with you, and how it changed your life. Do you have more than one dog in your family? How do they get along? Chicken Soup is wanting tales of puppy antics, terrible teens (you know, that adolescent stage some of us never outgrow!), adult years and senior pups. There will also be stories about the twilight years and the greiving process, too, that is a very special part of this particular book. Stories can be humorous or serious, or both. Poems are good, too (hey, Gussie!). So help your folks polish up their best stories and send them in. No limit, no entry fees, just great fun!
~Tell

And a Happy New Year!!!

We survived the Christmas Blizzard of '09. Had about 12 inches of snow dumped here in our neck of the woods, starting on Christmas Eve and didn't end until the next afternoon. It was wicked to watch, but very pretty when it was all done. It was great fun to watch our new llamas prance in the snow. They didn't feel cold at all because they were wearing their wool coats, and their breaths came out their noses like steam. It made ol' Banana Ears look mad! Hee hee! I call Stomper that because 1) his ears are big; and 2) it has become apparent that we are never to be best buds. You see, llamas DO NOT LIKE DOGS. Period. No ifs, ands or buts about it. He's a "dog-stompin' fool" according to his last owner. At least they told us that BEFORE I became a gooey spot in the dirt. So, no more going to the pasture with My Boy to feed the critters. It belongs to Stomper now and forever.

Now on to happier thoughts, My Boy and I had a rip-snortin' good time in the snow. We wrassled, rolled, hollered, flung snow and played Catch-Me-If-You-Can until our tongues hung out. We'd stop long enough to thaw out, then hit the snowbanks again. Cap stayed indoors and slept. He's been doing that more and more lately, old man. Glynn watched from afar like a lady. She's too reserved to wrassle much, though she's not above nipping me in the bum as I fly by. Wheeee!

Wishing everyone out there a safe New Year's Eve and looking forward to a Great New Year!

~Tell

Merry Christmas to All!

Merry Christmas to all my friends out there. Seems like the holidays came faster this year, and I barely got all my Christmas shopping done in time. Got Cap a new squeaky and Glynn a new spiffy collar (she likes accessories). Can't tell you what My Boy and My Girl got yet. Don't want to spoil their surprise.

Mom and Dad got their Christmas presents early this year, and let me tell you, there's no way they could be wrapped and put under the tree. Dad got a new bull, a gorgeous black Angus that should make the heifers happy. Yeah, I know, not your usual Christmas stocking stuffer but you have to remember, we're country folks. Mom's present was a pair of llamas. You heard me, llamas. We got them for coyote and sasquatch control on the farm. Stomper, the big one in the photo, is standing next to a seven-foot corral fence. You can see he is much bigger than the average camelid. When we unloaded them, the herd looked up in surprise and stampeded over the hill. Stomper and Rockette were neutral about the whole thing, they're used to cows. So far, no spitting, so we believe they're happy with the new digs.

Have a wonderful holiday!
~Tell

Team Tell

Well sir, I am one frustrated pup, I tell you. I have been fussing with this for about five weeks now, and I cannot upload any photos to my blog! I've tried everything I know. It's worked in the past. Now it just says No Can Do and spits them right back at me. So you know what that means? You won't be able to see my handsome mug until I get this snazzu figured out. Any suggestions out there???

Meanwhile, you'll just have to picture everything in your minds. I know you can do it. We terriers have a pretty good imagination anyway.

I've been hearing a lot of talk about the movie Twilight, but since dogs are not allowed in our movie theatre I hadn't seen it. So when My Girl and Mom decided to watch it at home on the DVD player, I whipped up a bowl of popcorn and sat down with them. Right away I could see this wasn't a movie I was really going to get into. Too much drama, not enough fisticuffs (until the end, that was something), and rain. Lots of rain. We've had enough of that here lately. I was a little bored, though the ladies seemed to like it. I even caught Glynn penciling in a Team Edward tee-shirt on her Christmas list. Ho hum.

But now I hear there's a new sequel out to the Twilight movie, and it's going to be a good one. Even has a dog in it, I think. They must be taking a page from Norman Rockwell's book. He always said if a painting wasn't working out, he'd add a dog to it. Always made it better. Works for me.
~Tell

Happy Tails

We're happy to say that out Boxer pup, Miley, was adopted by a very nice family we knew that fell in love with her the moment they met. It's nice to see a pup come out of a neglected state and gain confidence, and go on to a loving furever home. I do wish that she would have stopped and looked back as they were leaving. But no, she was so happy to prance to that waiting car with her new girl, that she forgot to say goodbye. That okay, though. I wish her all the best and can't wait to see her again. I know she'll remember me!

Now, for any of you that like animal stories with happy endings, we want to introduce you to our new friend, Floyd (right). If you like, once a month Floyd the Dog will send a nice story to you to brighten your day. You can even submit stories if you like, and if yours is chosen, a donation will be made to a charity to benefit animals. So if you have a happy tail to share, hop on over to Floyd's place and tell him about it.

Happy Tails,
William Tell

Miley's Progress Report

Wet. Wet. Wet. That's the long and short of it around here. The ground is spongey, the air is damp, and it's been drizzling rain for three days on top of the downpours we had last week. Even my hair is more frizzy than usual and won't stay put. Can't even dig a proper hole before it fills up with water. Maybe we'll have some sun this weekend...

On the brighter side, our Boxer is growing more beautiful every day. We finally settled on the name Miley (My Boy is a huge Hannah Montana fan, can you tell?). She is up to forty pounds now. Still skinny, I like my girls to have a little reserve on them, if you know what I mean. Don't worry, though. We'll fatten her up. Just takes a little more time to build up those muscles that had wasted away. So far she is great on a leash and has learned to sit on command. She's a quiet girl, too. Sweet and loving, with no rough-housing, which will make her a good pet for a family with kids. It's so funny to see her play bow, and wag her tail. She doesn't just wag her tail, she shakes her booty. Just cracks me up every time she does it!
~Tell

Wire Fox Duck

It's been raining so much here in Oklahoma that I'm begining to feel a bit waterlogged. I can swim laps in the backyard if I want, and we don't even have a pool. Good thing I know how to dog paddle like a puddleduck. Yesterday Mom and Dad went to Tulsa to see a friend in the hospital, and they got caught in a storm that drenched poor T-town in five inches of rain. Yeah, I'm glad I wasn't riding in the pickup on that trip. Thunderstorms, darkness, floods and white-knuckle driving is not my idea of fun. Still, I am hoping that all the rain will make the fall leaves prettier this year. It seems to make a difference.

We've been busy here on the farm, what with pigs having babies and the fall show season starting. My Boy took his cow Ruby Tuesday to the fair and won a blue ribbon. She seems to love My Boy almost as much as I do. Well, you just keep head-bumping him Ruby, but you'll never fit on his lap.

Dad picked up another rescue pup. She's an adult Boxer but only weighs thirty-three pounds. She's very thin and had some parasites, but nothing a little TLC won't cure, the vet said. She is eating well, and should gain a lot of weight over the next few weeks.

Just look at those beautiful eyes! And her tail wags almost as much as mine. She's such a sweetheart. We've yet to come up with a good name for her. A name's got to be perfect, you know. Gotta put some thought into it. A bit of class for this lady, because I know behind the neglect and thinness is a gorgeous gal!

~Tell