Properly Trained ....

I saw a photo frame in a gift shop a couple of years ago that said, "Properly trained, man can be dog's best friend." I immediatly knew I had to buy it for Tim and Elvis because that sums up their relationship perfectly.

In August of 2001 Tim came out to visit us in Minnesota and had no intention whatsoever of going home with a dog. But Elvis was living in a home with a female person and 4 female corgis .... and they spent a lot of time with me (another female person) and my two female corgis. I don't know if he was just growing tired of being the only 'guy' among so many women or if there was something about Tim that attracted him (some of both, I think) but Elvis latched on to Tim that weekend and claimed him as his own.

This picture was taken that weekend; Elvis staking his claim and looking down at all the girls with an air of superiority. There were a few challenges involved in getting Elvis a plane ticket but eventually it all came together and several days later Elvis flew back to Michigan with Tim. I'll never forget that morning .... making a hasty run to our veterinarian to get the 'fit to fly' document .... then going to the airport and watching Elvis move down the conveyer belt in his kennel, just as contented as he could be. He knew he was going home with Tim, and if this was part of the process, then so be it.  He never looked back. Tim, however, did look back a few times when it became clear that the 1 year old Elvis was not yet through the puppy-chewing stage. Several rocking chairs still sit in Tim's living room, runners mostly gone, as a reminder of those early days. But the love affair between man and dog took root. Elvis is quite different from my girls in that he is a 'one man dog'.

My girls enjoy attention from others ... and quickly warm up to them. Elvis has a handful of human friends (next door neighbor June and a few other professors in the math department at Hope, but for the most part he is only interested in one person - Tim. He has a way of making any other person (me, for instance) feel like they are nothing. This summer we were touring an old fort on the Keewenaw Peninsula in Upper Michigan and I finished before Tim did, so I went back to the car to let the dogs out. Elvis jumped out, but steadfastly refused to move out of sight of Tim's car. He minds Tim perfectly, but when I told him to 'come' , he looked at me with a 'who are you to tell me what to do?" look on his face. Another time, Tim had gone to an event at the Hope College chapel and Elvis was sitting right outside the door (off leash), patiently waiting for him. When Tim got home later that evening, there were two messages on his answering machine. The first was, "Dr. Pennings, we found your dog Elvis and we're going to bring him to your house." Tim already knew what the second message would be. "Dr. Pennings, Elvis refuses to go with us. He is sitting by the chapel door."

So Long to Summer

It's the last day of August, and summer is waning quickly. My job is very busy from mid-August to the first of October, so for all practical purposes, my summer was over when I returned from Michigan a couple of weeks ago. Labor Day weekend is one that I spend ... laboring .... as I did today for almost 12 hours. When I finally left there tonight at 8:45, it was completely dark, and that, more than anything, is a reminder that summer is fleeting and winter is not far off. In between the two, of course, is Autumn - which probably would be my favorite season if I weren't so busy at work. This past week has had a distinct autumn feel .... cool nights that are wonderful for sleeping, and gusty winds that have ushered in cooler air.

This afternoon the girls and I took a break with a friend and walked around one of the newer housing developments near the radio station. It was a struggle just to remain upright as we walked into a 45 mph headwind. I didn't think that corgis, who are so low to the ground, would notice the wind all that much but they really did. We were getting dust (and other debris) in our eyes, and had a hard time hearing each other, but we did manage to discuss the Picken's Plan for harnassing wind energy and we agreed that there certainly is a lot of potential for that in the northern plains! Tonight, however, my thoughts and prayers are with the residents of the Gulf Coast who are once again being threatened with a devastating hurricane. We have blizzards and occasional floods and a rare tornado - but I don't think I could handle the stress of a major hurricane every few years.

So long to summer. It was a good one .... not too hot, but warm enough to enjoy the lakes and evening walks along the river. I will miss the long daylight hours and being able to run around barefoot. Before long the leaves will start turning and with each one that falls, it is a wave goodbye to summer.

Ahhh .... Vacation!

The girls and I have been vacationing in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for the past week and are having a wonderful time. The weather has been absolutely perfect, which makes camping a whole lot more enjoyable. It's actually been a bit cool at night, but hey ... I'll take 'too cool' over 'too hot' any day!

We have been mostly alone, but last Sunday I ran into a college friend who I hadn't seen in about 10 years at a picnic spot! Very fun!! The next day I connected with my brother Tim, who was traveling with a couple of his students, and Elvis, of course. We spent a day exploring the Keewenaw Peninsula ... one corner of the UP I hadn't really 'done' before. The girls have been swimming constantly. Dee Dee, especially, can't get enough of it and even the big waves on Lake Superior don't seem to phase her.

No matter that she had only been out of the water 10 minutes .... a new view of the lake meant it was time for another swim! It's been a very refreshing week .... lots of time to read, relax and hang out with my girls.

Two Kinds of Corgis

When I take my girls out in public, they attract a lot of attention. This has been a fun thing for me because I am not very outgoing, and my corgis are natural conversation starters. The comments I hear most often are "What kind of dogs are those?", "That's the kind of dog I've always wanted" and "Are those the Welsh corgis? They're alluding to the fact that there are two kinds of corgis, but actually they're both Welsh. Pembroke Welsh Corgis and Cardigan Welsh Corgis are actually two different breeds. Both originated in Wales to herd cattle, but they descended from different breeds. Pembrokes are better known ... probably because that's the kind the royal family has. Pems and Cardigans have similar personalities. They're smart, strong willed and low to the ground with a long back and short legs. Cardigans are a little larger, and the most noticable difference is that they have a tail.

I haven't seen very many Cardigans, but we do run into this pair at the park now and then. They are beautiful dogs with alert, intelligent faces. And, as these pictures show, they can sit straight up, using that long tail to balance themselves. Actually, I think they just like to show off in front of my girls, who can only dream of being able to perform such a stunt!

It's Street Fair Time!

This is one of my favorite weekends of the year ... the annual Fargo Street Fair. Many communities have some kind of craft fair during the summer, but I think ours is one of the best. There are a few vendors that I check out every year, but also some great new ones. There's the giant bag of kettle corn that I can't leave without (you can get a small bag for $5 or a giant bag for $8 ... kind of a no-brainer! ) and the turkey drumsticks that you stand in line 20 minutes for. There are the musicians and street performers ... we saw a guy on stilts so high that he had to walk around the traffic lights when he crossed the street! But I think the best part is running into friends that I haven't seen since last year's event, and just 'hanging out' and watching people. Princess and Dee Dee would not rank the Street Fair high on their list .... there are just too many people who stop to pet them and Dee Dee, in particular, hates 'commotion' ... something there is an abundance of at the Street Fair. But they fared quite well last night ... a two-dog cleanup team happily munching their way down Broadway, picking up popcorn, bits of burger, hot dog or pork chop, dropped french fries .... and anything else they caught wind of. (There are advantages to having your nose so close to the ground!) There have been many years where it's either rained - or just been too hot to be squeezed amongst so many bodies, booths, dogs and strollers, but this year the weather has been perfect. I think we'll go again tonight ... not to shop, but just to hang out and enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of a summertime tradition.

Happy Fourth of July!

Hope everyone had a nice 4th of July. Minnesota State University Moorhead hosts an Old Fasioned 4th of July Celebration every year, and I don't think we've ever had a nicer day than this one. It was gorgeous ... sunny, warm, light breeze and low humidity. Who could ask for more. The girls wore their flag bandanas and sun visors and were huge hits. They enjoy the attention to a point and then they get kind of tired of it ... especially all of the little kids petting them. But they did very well. A local TV station took their picture and so I hoped they would be on the news tonight, but they didn't make the cut. Oh well ... maybe another time! We came home for supper and I thought we'd go to the park for a walk, but by that time there were some fireworks popping off in the distance and Dee Dee refused to get out of the car. She cowered under the dashboard so I brought her home and she made a beeline to her kennel.

Princess and I walked all the way back over to MSUM (about 2-1/2 miles each way) to watch fireworks. She did so well ... didn't even crawl up in my lap until the grand finale, but just sat by me and watched them ... actually seemed to rather enjoy them. She was happy as a lark walking all that way, having me all to herself. I do love fireworks ... a great ending to a very fun day!

Happy Birthday Elvis!

Dee Dee and Elvis are litter mates, but they were born a day apart ... just before and just after midnight. Dee Dee is really glad she doesn't have to share a birthday with Elvis; there's a healthy dose of sibling rivalry between them and she feels like she's living in his shadow anyway! I haven't written much about Elvis on this blog (he lives with my brother in Holland, Michigan) but I will try to post some stories about him in the coming weeks. He is quite the dog ... I mean, how many dogs do you know who have an honorary doctorate degree?! (See November, 2007 posts for more .... ) Tim and Elvis are going to receive yet another award later this month. See http://www.hope.edu/pr/pressreleases/content/view/full/18897pr/pressreleases/content/view/full/18897 for details on that. Today, however, we just want to wish Dr. Elvis a happy birthday and share a few of his funnier photos. Seems the boy likes ice cream.

He also enjoys sleeping with his head under the bed. Who needs mini-blinds anyway?   And sticks ... well, Elvis is legendary for his obsession with sticks. The story behind this photo is really funny. Tim and Elvis like to kayak. They also go to the beach. They go to the beach a lot. Elvis loves to have Tim throw sticks into the water so he can retrieve them. But this particular evening there were no sticks in sight. (For Elvis, a stick = something close to a branch.) So Tim told him to 'go find a stick' and Elvis dutifully trotted off looking for one. He came upon a group of kids who had built a nice bonfire on the beach and a few minutes later, Tim sees Elvis running down the beach with some kids chasing him,

yelling "Hey, give us back our firewood!"