Toby in Echuca November 26, 2009
Posted by themarchingjester in Family Trip, Toby.Tags: Toby, country, victoria, poodle, internet, dog, cute, shih tzu, echuca, new south wales, great ocean road, daylesford, passport, life before internet, eat, sleep, nature
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The family went up to Echuca over the weekend. We have family friends up in Echuca and as it’s not the first time we’ve been up there, it’s familiar territory for us.
I thought Toby might like a slice of country action, so I brought him along. He’s quite a well-travelled dog. I reckon his passport would look quite full and indicate a who’s who of Victorian attractions – The Great Ocean Road, Daylesford, practically all of Melbourne inner city and now, the border of Victoria and New South Wales. If a dog is reading this, it would want to be my dog too.
Really it was all about a relaxing weekend. Didn’t even do much browsing in the shops. It was Nature + Sleep + Eat = Remembering what life was before the advent of the Internet. It was great not having to stare at a screen for hours on end, or worry about anything computer-related.
Just all in a weekend's work for Toby!
Toby’s new home November 8, 2009
Posted by themarchingjester in Life At Home, N95 pictures, Toby.Tags: Toby, poodle, scent, shih tzu, backyard, dog house, kennel
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No, Toby hasn’t been shafted. He still lives with us. Readers can rest easy.
I’ve been looking for a dog house for Toby to seek shelter from and more importantly, a place to rest. Previously, he had used his doggy door to enter the laundry, where it’s warm and secure. But doing that left our security door open, and we didn’t spend hundreds of dollars on a new security door so it’s left unused.
I’ve read a lot on dog forums how difficult it is to persuade your four-legged friend to get into the dog house. Dogs – when left outside – don’t tend to stray too far from the entry point into the home. So with that in mind, I moved things around the backyard to accomodate his new dog house and placed it right by the back door. This way the first thing he sees when he leaves his house is the entry to his ‘other’ house.
Getting him into the house was less stress-free than I had envisioned. Many owners recall trying to bait them with food, sitting next to the dog house to arouse the dog’s curiosity or even getting into the dog house.
My problem, however was three-fold.
Cup Day with a polar bear November 5, 2009
Posted by themarchingjester in Observations, Toby.Tags: cute, dog, groodle, house warming, lexie, melbourne cup, poodle, shih tzu, Toby
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Hi there, I hope your extended weekend has been kind to you. Did you win at the races?
My family – that’s myself, Michele, Toby and Baby (still getting used to saying that!) – went over to Sarah’s for a house warming-cum-Cup Day barbie at their beautiful home in Glenroy. I reckon they did very well for the size and amount of renovation needed. Michele would say the same herself.
Of course, that meant an arvo with Sarah’s groodle, Lexie. When she visited several months ago, I was able to manhandle her and pick her up. She was slightly larger than Toby and from far, the two playful dogs looked a lot like frolicking teddy bears.
Fast forward to November and what greeted me was a monster! A polar bear! A four-legged frosty teddy! A water-guzzling, bone-chewing, tail-nipping terror!
Well I’m glad I never have to deal with a dog this size! Toby feels the same way too, as he spent the entire arvo rejecting Lexie’s amorous advances! Which man would date someone bigger than himself, let alone six times his size!!?
Toby goes mobile! October 8, 2009
Posted by themarchingjester in Life At Home, Toby.Tags: canine cough, cute, dog grooming, dog washing, local papers, mobile dog grooming, poodle, room service, shih tzu, Toby, vet fees
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Hello all. The weather has been brilliant today so I’m sure you’ve been well.
After three years of dropping Toby off at local groomers, we decided to give mobile dog grooming and washing a try. We’ve had varying levels of satisfaction with the groomers we’ve been to. Mostly, they do a good job. However, the last two times Toby returned with canine cough (first time) and a bit of the flu (second time).
I would like to give the groomers the benefit of the doubt but I’m not willing to put up with a sick Toby again. Perhaps he contracted it elsewhere, but we thought it wasn’t worth the worry and hassle and decided to look elsewhere. We’ve copped a bit of vet fees with Toby’s history of ill health, so it was paramount we kept him healthy.
With winter now gone, Toby’s thick coat of hair has begun to mat, so a complete shave was necessary. We’ve always wanted to give mobile dog groomers a try but were put off by the prohibitive prices. After all, they come to your house ala room service. A basic cut and wash sets us back $50, but mobile groomers charge around $80. That’s steep if your dog gets groomed every two to three months.
We found our local mobile groomer to be a very lovely lady, was punctual and really professional. Toby was well taken care of and for awhile, it felt strange having lunch at home knowing your dog’s in the driveway getting a haircut. Ha.
And the price? Exactly the same as sending Toby to the old groomer. Savings on travelling expenses and more importantly time.
Thank you Tracy, you have our business in future.
Timberrrrrrrr! September 30, 2009
Posted by themarchingjester in Life At Home, To Start Off With, Toby.Tags: arborist, backyard, collapsed, deck of cards, felling, poodle, shih tzu, Toby, tree, weather
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Even Toby didn't know what to make of it.
Our house is falling apart, literally.
Over the weekend the big old tree in my backyard decided to do a split after watching one too many gymnasts on the telly. I was in my room when I heard a rip-roaring sound that went like “rrrrrrrkkkkkk-kkkkkcccccchhhhhh-rkkkkhhhhh” which was accompanied by the shaking of the ground. For a moment I thought the house was falling like a deck of cards.
I have attributed this unwanted disaster to the wild weather. High winds and wild rain – you could interchange both adjectives and the meaning would still be the same – must have become too much for the tree.
I’ve always wanted to remove the tree as it posed as a safety hazard but put it off due to the tightening of the purses. I guess there’s no way to put it off now!
Toby couldn’t be more pleased when I have the tree (and spare parts) removed. He hasn’t been able to do his usual laps around the yard and has too much energy at the end of the day. Which means more throwing of toys or balls for him to fetch. And Michele and I hate that.
Wonder how much arborists charge to remove a tree. We could do without more expenses.
Oh well, life goes on.
Lexie visits September 2, 2009
Posted by themarchingjester in Life At Home, Toby.Tags: birds, cats, golden retriever cross, groodle, horses, lexie, polar bear, poodle, poodle cross, shih tzu, Toby, turtles
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Top to bottom: Lexie making short work of Toby's chewy; Toby, me and a polar bear; Getting acquainted; Let's jump together!; Sarah with Toby, Michele with Lexie.
Our beautiful friend Sarah brought her groodle Lexie to visit. An animal lover, I was told Sarah has several horses, x number of cats, birds, little turtles but never had a dog. She had tried to convince her boyfriend Lucas to adopt a dog, but to no avail. Good thing Michele and I got married, as Sarah took the opportunity to have Toby under her care while we were gone for our honeymoon.
Lucas and Sarah enjoyed Toby’s company so much, they went out and got themselves a poodle cross as well. Somebody must have forgotten to tell them how big groodles are, because Lexie is massive! And she’ll only get bigger!
I’m three years old! Woof! July 16, 2009
Posted by themarchingjester in Life At Home, Toby.Tags: birds, birthday, cupcake, cute, hungry jacks, orange cat, poodle, sausage, three years old, tom
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Hello! It has been a furry while but I finally get a chance to dirty Daddy’s keyboard with my expert furry paws typing! I have been very diligent and learning how to use the computer. You wouldn’t believe it but my paws were made for typing! No other dog types as accurately as I do! And while most dogs salivate and wag their tail at the mention of ‘mouse’, I get all excited because I get to spend more time online looking at doggy porn. Woof!
My fetish for cream-coloured poodle crosses had to take a backseat last week when I turned three. This year Mummy and Daddy bought me a large sausage and stuck it into a sweet cupcake. I asked Mummy why couldn’t I have three sausages since I am three years old but Mummy said something about a cupcake that was too small.
Daddy also made the occasion extra special when he introduced me to little plastic doggy toys from Hungry Jacks because that’s how he shows his love – endorsing a special day with fast food giveaways!
But I don’t complain! That’s the beauty of me! I’m so furrily adorabily…me!
And how often do I get to eat on the kitchen counter? Never! Only on birthdays…my birthday!
Oh well I’m getting tired of this little post here. The sun is lovely today and I’m going to go back out the back yard to chase birds and Tom the orange Cat who loves leaving his poopy in the yard for Daddy to clean up. *wags tail* That’s the best thing Tom has done yet!
Until then, woof!
Toby might have a friend? July 10, 2009
Posted by themarchingjester in Toby.Tags: apricot, blonde, cocker spaniel, cute, poodle, Toby
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Toby at home with me just last week. Michele’s been bugging me to get a playmate for him. Poor boy’s lonely and I can see it in his eyes. Michele thinks we can cope, but I don’t know if another dog is a good idea. She sent me a link from the local papers with pictures of a breeder’s litter of Poodle/Cocker Spaniel puppies (below). Argh they are really adorable.
Now I have no idea which puppy Michele wanted, but hey give her a chance I’m sure she’d have taken both.
I really want Toby to have a good friend to wake up to and play with. I guess it’s the thought of cleaning up after two dog’s mess, feeding two dogs, watching out for the needs of…well you know I mean.
The home does get awfully quiet with just three of us at home. Hmmm…
Decisions…
Cleaning! Oh joy. June 23, 2009
Posted by themarchingjester in Life At Home, Michele, Toby.Tags: better, cairns, clean, cleaning, clutter, dishes, dog, food, foreplay, gardens, ground zero, homes, house, husband, kitchen, laundry, location, married, poodle, property, routine, sexual, shopping, solitude, Toby, vacuum, wife, window, work
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Hello. I hope you are well.
Michele has gone away to Cairns for the week. Duty calls and work beckons. Just when Toby and me were resigned to a week of lonely solitude, good noise turned up.
Friends of ours came over the weekend for boardgames and meals. It has been a long time since we’ve had visitors coming over for boardgames. It was something Michele and me used to do a lot of, but it got really quiet after Christmas, when the furore of the wedding caught up with us.
After our friends left, I took the vacuum cleaner out, gave the house a nice wipe down and sat down in front of the telly. Then it struck me.
If I was still single, the idea of taking time off to clean the house – time that could be spent leveling up my character on *insert RPG/FPS game* – was preposterous.
Living with your wife means lots of compromises, and one of them was sticking to a schedule. We agreed to clean the house every weekend, and if the buzz of life renders us a little fatigued, we will do the next weekend.
