Collieween 2016

Another exciting Collieween is over.  We only had a short stay at the dog park, then it was off back to our home.  Dad put us in the bedroom, brought in our food bowl and closed the door.  He went through a bunch of bags of candy as there was the normal steady stream of trick-or-treaters.  Dad enjoys talking to the neighbors and seeing all the people.

One lady that stop by asked Dad if he still had his pups. She had a Burmese Mountain Dog and lived just down the road.  Dad remembered the pup and walking by the house all the time with Essex and Deacon.  He replied that he still had collies, but that we lived with him now.  It brought a smile to his face that somepaw remembered the collies and him.

We received a card from the hoomans that first lived with Deacon.  Herricane Matthew just grazed where they lived.  They lost power for several hours and are doing fine.  We found out that Charm now lives with them.  We noticed that Dad was happy when he got that card.  He said that hooman pack were really nice.

Hope you had a pawsome Collieween.

Sherman & Gemini

Relief and Remembering

This week we sent out e-mails, watched blogs and crossed paws as Herricane Matthew went up the Florida coast.  From the Miami- Fort Lauderdale area the news was good.  Gusty winds, very few power outages.  At Holmhaven Collies, where we were born they had gusty winds and a little rain.  When Lil added she had six-week old collie puppies she was bringing in, we all smiled.  Brave Star and Just Harry stated they all were doing well.

Just Harry Reported All is Well in South FLorida

The families of our pals Gandalf, Teddy, Magnum & Samson, and, Shiloh & Dakota all were doing well.  We got some news about their pack and few pawtographs.

Shiloh and Dakota Are Doing Well 

Cousin Teddy is Loving Life

Reilly and Denny - The Cowspot World is Okay 

Annie Loving Life in Jacksonville

Next we heard from Annie in Jacksonville and read the Reilly & Denny's post on the cowspot dog blog.  Annie's Hooman knew Auntie Essex very well.  She was a frequent visitor to Angel Paws and would talk to Dad about all kind of things.  They were both Geology Majors, so they could talk about rocks.  She watched Essex a couple times when Dad had to be out of town.  When the Cowspotdog blog reported that their home did well, we did a happy dance.  We are sending a letter out this weekend, but we are pretty confident that Deacon's first family probably are doing well, because they were further inland than Annie's mom.  

Today would have been Essex's 13th barkday, so Dad spent some time thinking of her and Wilma.  His memories are good memories.  When he thinks of Essex, he will usually smile. Essex saved him in so many ways.  Maybe the spirit of Essex and Deacon herded Matthew away from hoomans so there was less damage.  Just maybe Essex saved Dad one more time.  After thinking of this, we both got a big hug.

Angel Dog Essex - Did She Save Dad Once More?

Dog Speed,

Sherman & Gemini

Safe But Worried About Our Pals

Herricane Matthew missed us, but we are worried about so many of our pals.  We barked very hard trying to weaken and push the storm away from everypaw.  

The weather folks are predicting Herricane Matthew will go up the coast and loop around back toward us.  If that happens the storm is supposed to weaken to tropical depression.  We were happy to read that Reilly and Denny are safe in Georgia.  We are worried about there home, but that they are safe is what counts most.  In the St. Augustine Dad is worried about Vixen's Mom, Carol, that was the first hooman that Angel Collie "Deacon" lived who with; then there is the Mom of Angel Dogs Oreo and Snoopy that Dad spent many a days talking at Angel Paws.  Dad is worried about Lil at Holmhaven, Just Harry's pawrents and Brave Star's Dad in Broward County, Florida.  There are others we are thinking about Magnum & Samson, Gandalf, Karma, Shiloh & Dakota, Howie and their families.  We are hoping every paw is safe.  We have some reaching out to do.

Carol & Angel Collie "Deacon"
2008 - Herricane Ike Evacuation

Dad remembers coming back from Herricane Wilma.  Essex told Deacon how she kept things from over whelming Dad.

October 2005 - Storm Surge Line is Behind Essex

One good note though.  Navy and his pawrents made it to Key West 5 AM on Thursday.  They rolled into to Key West a day before Matthew. 

Dog Speed,

Gemini, Sherman & Dog Dad

Herricane Matthew and Keys Animal Quarantine.

Gesh, we have two problems to worry about in the Florida Keys.

First, Herricane Matthew is an evil storm with 120 knot winds right now.  Our prayers are with all those hoomans and animals that are in Herricane's path.  The current forecast is that the closest approach to Key West will be at 6 pm on Thursday (6 October) and will be 204 nautical miles (378 kilometers).  Looking at the wind probabilities  there is 8% chance of having sustained winds of 34 knots, 2% for 50 knots, 1% for 64 knots. So we feel okay with the idea of staying safe in our house.  We have been barking at the storm to send it away from land and weaken Herricane Matthew but no luck.

The other news we read about into today's Key West paper is an animal quarantine has been declared in the Keys.  There has been a screwworm out break in the keys.  The screwworms are fly larva that enter a wound and eat an living animals or hoomans flesh.  Hoomans rarely get infected.  When we read about this we alerted people we knew that lived or normally visit the Keys.  It did cancel a planned visit by two collie relatives Samson and Magnum.  We were so looking forward to seeing them, but their parents decided not to come down.  We found one good site about the screwworm scourge at  Florida Dept of Agriculture and Consumer Services site.  Here is the link to the screwworm site:  The site has some numbers to call if you have any questions.  Samson and Magnum pawrents called the number, talked to their vet cancelled their visit.  Dad said they made an informed decision and he would have made the same one.

Screwworm Fly
Attribution: The Mexican-American Commission for the Eradication of the Screwworm

All this leads us to wonder, if we a  zombie apocalypse is coming our way.

Dog Speed,

Sherman & Gemini

Watching Matthew and Key West Departures

We are breathing easier since Key West is not in the cone, but we are still  tracking Herricane Matthew, which is a dangerous Category 4 Herricane packing winds of 145 miles per hour.  (233 kilometers per hour).  Both of us are barking at Herricane Matthew trying to weaken and push it farther out into the Atlantic Ocean.  You may remember Sherman and Essex barking away Herricane Irene way back in August 2011.  The collies succeeded in that butterfly effect.  Gemini has been pretty enthusiastic about the barking.  We haven't been very successful in weakening Matthew though.  Sigh.  Perhaps the spirits of Jake the Weather Dog, Essex and Deacon will weaken Herricane Matthew.  In the meanwhile, our prayers are with the hooman, dogs and cats in Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos.

Sherman Barking Away Herricane Irene - August 2011

Jake the Weather Dog

As for our world in Key West.  Navy and hoomans are coming back to Key West this month.  It will be pawsome be able to count on a pup being at Angel Paws.  Yesterday, we were the only ones at the park.  On the downside, several pups have left Key West.  Anna and Ellie departed for Jacksonville, Florida.  They should have a pawsome time with the cooler weather.  Then Gandalf has moved to central Florida.  We may see him every once in a blue moon though.

Navy and Gemini Playing Last April

Gandalf 

Anna & Ellie

Stay Safe and Dog Speed,

Sherman & Gemini