News From Buddy

Buddy, Deacon's Dad - Essex's Brother

We just got a note from Buddy at Holmhaven Collies. Buddy is leaving Holmhaven, looking for a family to call all his own. Buddy is Essex’s brother and Deacon’s Dad. He is excited and worried about leaving Holmhaven. Dog Dad met Buddy when he first picked up Essex and then again when he went to get Deacon. We can vouch that he is a pawsome dog. He has his Companion Dog obedience title too. Buddy’s formal name is Holmhaven Enchanting Flash, CD.

Buddy isn’t the only collie ready to leave Holmhaven. There is a young collie puppy called Casey that was whelped on 3 February. We hope both of them find grrrreat furever home.

Casey, 03 February 10

“Dog Dad, why are you smiling?”

“Well, Buddy made me think of the first day I met Lil and Essex. Essex came right up to me and started to chew on my shoe lace. Buddy was close behind and wanted some attention as well. All the Holmhaven Collies came over to say hi. It is hard for me to believe that was six and a half years ago. Essex and I have had so many wonderful times together. I hope Buddy is just as lucky.”

“Woof, come over here for a face lick Dad.”

Essex & Deacon

Trouble

Deacon is in trouble with a capital T, cyber-paw pals. You see Deacon gets real excited when another dog walks by and he gets excited. While in this agitated state he has taken to bouncing Essex. When he did it Monday, Essex yelped in pain and Dog Dad had pictures of vet bills dancing in his head. Fortunately, Essex is fine.

Dad had been giving him time outs in the bathroom, but after talking to Lil at Holmhaven, he is going to start grabbing him by the collar and waiting him to settle down. When Deacon is calm Dad will praise him.

Dad adores us and we get along fine and play well together. Except for when Deacon gets all excited when another dog walks by. Keep your paws cross, while Dad gives Lil’s advice a try.

Essex & Deacon

New and Old Wheels

We have a new vehicle now, but Dad is talking about his old vehicles. He tends to get attached to them. If it wasn't for the cheese treats we would be falling asleep while he was talking.

Dad learned to drive and passed his driving test in a Ford Galaxy 500 with a three on the tree stick shift on the steering column. He bought a used Pinto Station Wagon with a four on the floor manual transmission in 1977, his junior year in college. When his graduation day he went over some railroad tracks and the muffler fell off. He drove another two hours home and thought for sure he would go deaf. That car lasted until early 1982 when Dad was in grad school. Early that year there was a sub-zero cold spell. Well, he started the car up and the engine was racing he tried pressing the pedal quick but the cold had frozen the throttle. He threw a rod in the engine.

Dad and his Brudder, Pinto Wagon 1977-1982

Needing a new vehicle quick, he bought a used Pinto Hatchback with an automatic transmission in 1982. After graduating with a Masters, he went off to to Oklahoma and his first real job out in the Oil Patch. He went through the Company training school but the oil patch was starting to see troubled times. He went from the corporate office to oil field and became a roustabout. The Pinto had a hole the floor and Dad could see the ground when he drove. He used to say his car had 3-by-60 air conditioning (two windows, the hole in the floor while the car was going 60 mph).

Pinto Hatchback - 1982-1983

In 1983 Dad bought his first new car a Mustang with a T-Top with a five speed manual transmission. He was working in the oil patch in a small rural Oklahoma town. That car went on several Ohio-Oklahoma road trips. There were numerous softball games too. Despite the fact he lived there just under two years, he made a number of very close friends that he still talks with. Oklahoma is the one place he felt that he fit in with the people. A lot of his friends called him Yankee because he grew up in the northern states. The corporate offices called him back to be a geophysicist and it was back to the big city. The oil field went bust and Dad joined the Air Force. The Mustang took him to Texas, North Dakota to California and back to North Dakota. He had a block heater installed and saw temperatures as low as -36 Fahrenheit in the frozen North. In 1988 he overheated the engine while spinning his tires as he tried to get across an icy bridge to take a friend to the airport. It never occurred to him that you could overheat an engine in sub-zero temperature.

1983-1988, first new car, a Mustang T-Top

Then came a new Ford Bronco II with a five speed manual transmission and four-wheel drive in 1988. The four wheel drive helped him move on the snow-packed North Dakota roads. He talked of snow snakes crossing the Dakota roads; and being able to see the stars above but not more than three feet in front of the car when the winds started howling during a white out. That SUV went to California, Arkansas, Texas, Virginia and stayed a year in Ohio with Grand-Paw and Grand-Maw while Dad was sent to South Korea. Dad then went to Florida. In 1999 he bought a new vehicle and sold his old one to a friend he worked with.

1988-1999, Bronco II, Dad last stick shift

In 1999 Dog Dad bought a Ford Explorer. Dad doesn't have any pictures of it new, so here is the a picture of it just before he sold it. That car was the first to be blessed with a dog in it. It saw Essex go on monthly Key West to Miami and a whole lot of pack trips to Ohio. It was the vehicle we first saw Dad in when he came to Holmhaven. We can see a slight misting in his eyes as he talks of his first moments with Essex and then Deacon. Dad says being adopted by Collies is about the best thing ever happened to him. When he sold his car it had over 111,000 miles on it.

1999-2010, the Explorer, first dog-mobile

Now we have a new 2010 Explorer. It will surely go on trips to Ohio to visit family and friends. It will have many new memories and stories. We will miss our old vehicle, but welcome the new.

New Wheels, a 2010 Explorer

Dog Speed,

Essex & Deacon

Good News

Today is a "Good News" day and we are very happy.

Our Sheltie Pal, Katie

Reilly is doing fine

First, we got an e-bark from Katie. It turns out that Reilly's Mom is hanging in there. Even though she doesn't have the energy to blog, she is thinking about all her DWB friends and wanted to say to all the dogs, hoomans, kit-kats and other critters that have been worried about her. We know she is in the thoughts and prayers of a lot of us.

Second, Grand-Paw is still hanging in there. He has good days and bad, but he was born way back in 1918. Grand-Paw saw Ruth, Gehrig, Foxx, Kiner and Mantle. He definitely got to see some great ones. Well, he got a surprise visit by a famous baseball slugger. Grrr, make that a big baseball slugger. The Lake Erie Crushers mascot Stomper. The Crushers are a minor league baseball team that calls Avon, Ohio home. Now Dog Dad loves minor league baseball. Sounds like he is going to see a game, if we travel North during baseball season. We wonder if they allow dogs at the ball park?

Stomper a big slugger visits Grand-Paw

Third Dad is done using his colorful vocabulary from his oil field days. It was caused by something called income taxes. We just give Dog Dad a lot of room during this time of the year. Taxes done means more time for us.

Lastly, we have a new vehicle the first Saturday in April. Wheel write about the new vehicle before the weekend.

Dog Speed,

Essex & Deacon