2010 Update

Maggie thanks all those who have followed her Pooscapades over the years for their ongoing interest in her activities. She has asked that you all be informed she is loving life, having loads of fun and is currently enjoying her sabbatical, which consists of:

Some walks on the beach....









Blarneys with her bedding followed by protracted exhaustion from the effort,






And tucking into bones!

Bah! Humbug

Season's Greetings to all of you! I wish you all a safe and restful Festive Season. I only put the "bow" photo up because I'm a good sport, it's the season, and I thank my lucky stars Aunty Amanda didn't get a hold of me like last year and dress me up with antlers and bells!

The only reason she didn't is that she's very busy moving herself, Uncle Brian, Eric, Elsie and Max to a new home and they won't be my neighbours anymore. I'd wear the antlers every day if it would make them stay. I'm going to miss them SO much! We were all puppies when they moved in just a few months after me and my house started life together. My house was built for me, but I was just plain lucky they moved in next door.

I know they didn't miss getting dressed up this year either...

I've been trying to enjoy myself despite the impending doom and gloom, and I hope you are all winding down for the long, hot, lazy days of summer. I'm stuck with Him at home all the time, which has its advantages, like our successful lizard hunt yesterday, and it's disadvantages, like sharing my space and not getting hidden treats left in obvious places as distractions for being left alone at home. She on the other hand is in and out, although She does respond more frequently to my demands when She's at home than He does.

I've had quite a few car trips too. The most exciting event that I engineered was a cocktail party. It's not all that hard to imagine. She was in the kitchen making food, which actually only happens when it's for me, so I had a right to think I was up for something special.

The next thing was He hauled out the chilli bin, which usually means a road trip or a vacation that includes, or is especially for me. After all, all my food is personally prepared by Her and its all I'm allowed to eat. Which in itself is another whole story which has its advantages and disadvantages, but I digress...

So what was I supposed to think. He's getting stuff together that looks like a car trip. She's making food AND the chilli bin is out, and so, smart dog that I am, I got excited at the prospect of some adventure. I mean really excited - yapping and spinning and yapping and dancing and yapping and you get the picture!

Anyway, She's wearing a pretty dress (or She thinks so, but She's worried because no one ever compliments Her on it, so now She's not so sure) and He's not in shorts, so I'm thinking only half the cues are in my favor, but if I yap and spin and yap and dance and yap pleadingly with my cutest face, I'll be going for sure! I see Him haul the iPhone out (She hates that thing, because after His bicycle, computer, kitchen appliances, coffee machine and me, She's moving further down His list of favorite things, notwithstanding that's what She ought to expect if She gives Him presents He wants for His birthdays). Anyway, She's shaking Her head and blushing scarlet, while He talks to the iPhone, and next thing you know, I'm loaded in the car with the chilli bin.

I've been to that house before and the people that showed up all think I'm pretty cute. I'm good with children and I behaved. Sadly, I wasn't allowed to eat what was in the chilli bin, but She did sneak me a few tasty treats as reward for my good behaviour. I felt very grown up going to a cocktail party, but I was knackered for a day or too after that! Not sure what they had in the water...

The dress has come out again, but not the chilli bin, so I guess that was the only Christmas do I was able to get myself invited to. That's okay, I'm over it. I think They are too, what with Her being such a fussy eater and Him hating to wear smart clothes in the heat! Only 8 more sleeps until 2010, so hang on to your hats and enjoy the new decade! I'm signing off for 2009, unless a really big story breaks!

Toad you so!

No, it's not a typo, this is an important post to inform fellow Westies of the dangers lurking in Australian Adventure Playgrounds. A timely reminder to stay safe over the summer. We Westies and other terriers were bred to hunt and hunt we do! But, like all highly skilled activities, success can come at a price.

So your Pack Leaders need to be trained to know what to do when our enthusiasm overwhelms our judgment and we come face to face with a Cane Toad! Lucky for my friend Marlee-Jane(seen here on the right with me in the middle and Tiff on the left ), her Pack Leaders, Aunty Kim and Uncle Paul knew EXACTLY what to do and saved her life!

Now, for those who like to read stuff for themselves, follow this link. For the rest of you, here are the important points:

1. Toads gets scared when you get close and release a WHITE POISON onto their skin.

2. DON'T sniff, lick or get so close the poison goes in your eyes - it can KILL YOU (or even your Pack Leader) within 15 minutes.

3. You may get any one or more of these SIGNS: start to salivate, retch or vomit, get a bit disorientated, stare into space, have a fit, have trouble walking, and it could make your heart stop.

4. If the poison got in your mouth, your Pack Leader must WASH AND SCRUB YOUR MOUTH OUT and get rid of all the poison from your teeth and gums using water. The water must go forward OUT of your mouth so that you don't swallow the poison!

5. If you are having a fit, get your Pack Leader to take you to the VET immediately!

6. Toads come out at night, so don't go hunting by yourself then and make sure your Pack Leader doesn't leave water out and they must cover any pools and ponds.

For myself, I've decided to stick to sunbaking:

On the deck

On the grass

On border patrol

And when I can't find a beam:

I just dream of hunting

Or get a bone held for me

Or make my own fun

Or stick to flies

Ode to Hamish

Suddenly and without warning, I have to say goodbye to one of my friends. I have known Hamish Arber since 2006, when I founded Westie Walkers. I was hoping to see him this Sunday at the year end Westie Walker social walk for 2009 called "Woof 'n Walk".

Hamish and his pack live nearby me and I often bumped into him on my "duck walk". That's the walk down to the creek where the ducks get fed and round the back under the bridge and past the library and back home. It's a long one, and one I make reluctantly when it's hot. But other times, when I bump into Hamish on the back straight, we commiserate about how our pack leaders feel obliged to take us out walking in the evening when all we really want is dinner! We have a roll in the grass, a good old sniff, perhaps a bit of a play and then it's "see ya later" until next time.

Today, Hamish's Pack Leader sent me an email saying how Hamish, who harbors some distaste for the postie, got out the house, chased the wretched scooter in earnest, and was hit by a car in full flight. I for one admire his determination, a fallen hero, taken down in his prime protecting his territory from noisy strangers daring to cross his path. I'm going to miss you Hamish - my heart is broken.

Ode to Hamish
My dearest Hamish,
You got your wish,
Living larger than life
And heedless to strife,
You grabbed an opportunity
To nab a wretched postie.

But fate intervened
And sadly deemed
That your wondrous courage
Was needed on a Higher Stage,
And so I remember you always fellow Westie
You are simply the Bestie













With much love and sadness, Maggie

September Adventure

Well, I missed September altogether! But not because I was lazing away the hours, I was Very Busy doing dog stuff!

First stop was Teagin who returned from holiday to wave her magic wand and re-discover me under all my winter layers. I had to suffer the bow indignity again, hoo boy!




I didn't make her task easy, getting in some good days of hunting with the extremely warm weather which inconveniently came before my haircut. In the course of the chase of a particularly slippery lizard, I took to the destroying the plants.


But I did enjoy myself immensely!







It was hot, and I tried hard to stay comfortable before my haircut.







Second stop was a Simply Social Walk with all my Westie Walker friends at New Farm Park. There was a great turnout with everyone looking very glamorous and shiny, clearly having been put through the same re-discovering ordeal as me.... successfully!



Third stop was a much awaited vacation. It sounds idyllic, you know, eating, sleeping, hunting, sleeping, walking, eating, sleeping interspersed with barking, treats, cuddles, playtime, staring vacantly into space, watching TV and so on, but the routine can wear me out. So She arranged a vacation for me at Aunty Kim, Uncle Paul, Tiff and Marlee, where I do all the same stuff except in a different location and importantly, there are a lot less rules!!! So I sleep, but on the bed; and I eat, but I get Schmacko's treats; and I play, but with Tiff and Marlee; and I bark, but I carry on until I get my way and so everything's the same, but better! Thanks, Tiff and Marlee, for letting me be Top Dog at your house too!

Fourth stop was a return home, much inspired to put paw to keyboard. But despite the fact that Aunty Kim washed out my color rinse from the dust storm, when I got home there was another one. She is beside herself, frantically cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and contemplating moving because She thinks She'll never get the house clean again.

And then there's me... every time I venture outside to hunt in the dust, I come back a darker shade of orange. I've been checking out my handiwork from before the vacation too. Eventually She tossed me in the tub and gave me a very thorough scrub! Actually, I feel a lot better for it.

Bring on the summer of lizards! I have been practicing on the flies...

Shaggie Maggie (aka Woolly Wonder)

Hoo Boy Folks,

It's not even 1 September and its way over 30 degrees C (that's 86 F for my overseas fan base)... in fact last week it was 38 degrees (or 100 F)!

Yeah, no kidding and to make matters worse, He forgot to schedule an appointment for me at the cleaners last time I was there, which was so long ago, I forgot I had to suffer the ignominy of the whole process (which includes a mortifying bow and obligatory photo op). Anyway, He called up about 4 weeks ago, because it was already getting hot even then, and Teagin of Four Paw was too busy and then she was going on holiday. So because I can't be trusted to any other groomer on the planet, I have had to wait until Teagin gets back, which is thankfully next week. I've been sweeping the floor ahead of me with my tongue it's been hanging out so far in the heat, and quite frankly, I've had enough of the grit!

Anyway, They've tried frightfully hard to alleviate my suffering, and a couple of weeks ago They came up with a Road Trip! They feel bad that Elsie, Eric and Max have a weekender at the beach and I don't, so They finally arranged with Aunty Amanda and Uncle Brian that I could go too. So on Friday evening, even though I had no idea anything was happening because I had my Pooscapade and dinner as usual, suddenly there was this flurry of activity. She packed my blue and yellow back pack with my bowl and my food and I knew this was gonna be good... Then, when everything was in place, I got bundled into the car and off we went. It's generally a lovely soothing drive (until the inevitable roadworks soon followed by the directions argument) all the way up there, and it wasn't too late when we got there. Boy was I excited when I saw My Best Friends; we had a good old chat about what was going down and settled down for scraps from the beautiful meal Aunty Amanda made for Them.

I got to sleep on the bed with Them ( Forbidden Behaviour at home - in fact, I don't even know if They have a bed, because I'm not allowed where ever it is They go after lights out). She didn't have a good night sleep what with me and Him occupying most of the bed; and I guess I do feel lucky I don't have to sleep with His snoring all the time!

The next morning we all went for a long walk on the beach. She had made chicken treats for me, so I was allowed to run and walk off lead, because well, I have to confess it's not worth running away if there's chicken on offer... and She knows it!



I went exploring








I tried to get the fisherman to show me how to do it, or in the alternative, give me some of what he got (no bites there...)







I took a moment to enjoy the moment








I took a rest (note aforementioned tongue!)








After the walk, They took me with to breakfast at the local cafe, and then I followed Max and Elsie's example because a place can be very comfy place when you're allowed on the furniture!





I lazed around reading the latest journals and watching Tiger play golf







and sunbaking








Eric was too busy requesting food as a reward for a good sit. He's looking hot after all his beach walks, but it sure makes him even more determined to find (or make) that elusive food opportunity.




Later as promised, They took me along to look at some real estate to see if there was a place I liked that They could get for me to have more frequent weekends at the beach.

I don't remember much of the drive home though, because it was late in the afternoon and I was all tuckered out. It's hard to be a ball of energy where you're hot and shaggy! Lately, my most important task of the day is to find the breeziest spot and play possum! Roll on Saturday, I don't even care about the bow any more...

It is possible to have too much fun!

I've finally emerged from my state of overwhelming exhaustion following my long anticipated visit to Aunty Kim, Uncle Paul, Tiffany and Marlee-Jane. A few weekends ago we stopped by their house, but noone was home. Much to my embarrasment, She let Aunty Kim know how disappointed I had been, and practically invited ourselves over. But Aunty Kim is very kind and she arranged for us to visit this weekend gone by. Now I didn't know that, so you can imagine my delight when I got ushered into the car bearing gifts. I personally picked out the one for Tiff and Marlee, but that doesn't mean I didn't have an interest in it myself, being edible and all...

Anyway, the miles whizzed by and it was soon exit 20. I know where that is (I'm good with directions), and I am sure to let Him know, because He always says He knows where He's going, but actually has No Idea. Then She gets annoyed because we go round in circles or miss the turn or Whatever, and then there's some raised voices and then ultimately silence and I don't get to go where we were going.

So when We pulled up everyone was waiting for me. But I was so excited I bowled them all over and raced around leaving pee - mail in my favorite haunts and reacquainting myself with all my favorite spots in and out the house. I barked and barked and generally just ran around like a mad thing until I had to make my I'm-so-excited-I-have-to-poop poo. It was with some consternation that I noticed the poo patch out front is now pebbled, but I chose a discrete, distant corner and She dutifully made sure my present wasn't left behind for some unsuspecting passer by.

Since I was there on vacation, there have been some other changes. The budgie barks regularly and if I didn't know better would be completely fooled into thinking there was another pooch on the premises. Uncle Paul turned his deft DIY hand to some bifold doors which when folded back I learnt the hard way by knockin' my noggin on the glass, make the garden seem twice as big ... Uncle Paul also got a flash red Mustang for his birthday, but try as I might, I wasn't allowed to go in and check it out.

Also, much to my surprise and delight was Aunty Kim's neighbour Maggie was there. Maggie is just like me, bright, beautiful and full of fun! She babysat me, Tiff and Marlee the first night of my vacation at Aunty Kim's and Uncle Paul's, but she pointed out that I never so much as gave her a mention! Even with my extensive imagination, I can't come up with an excuse, so I'm sorry Aunty Maggie, and I do love being around you!

So after watching dance video (actually me, Tiff and Marlee were just tussling it out for the best spot on the bed to watch said dance video), scoring scraps from the beautiful lunch, and performing my repertoire of tricks designed to impress, all too soon it was time to go home. It's fair to say I collapsed in a heap that evening



There were absolutely no signs of life the following day...








Late in the piece I moved a shade when the word "Dinner" was yelled out







But immediately after that, once again I couldn't keep my eyes open... So its absolutely true, I can have too much fun! And losing a day is a small price to pay.