These videos rated PG (Pure Groundhog)

Hi Gang! Chester here. In case you haven't noticed, I added a little sidebar to the right that will keep everybody up to date on my hunting prowess. Each time I send a groundhog to meet their maker, the number will change. No banners, no fanfare, no fireworks, just a number change.

So for anybody who is interested I'm gonna give you 2 clips of my technique. I will set up the premise for each. **For those of you who are a wee bit squeamish, you may not want to watch. The actual kill is not shown, just a before and after.

This first clip shows me runnin' towards Mom. Watch as I clearly obey her "Come". Then watch as I blatantly run past her. I mean, come on! There are more important things going on out here in the woods than to stand with her to get a pat on the head. (Heck, I don't even do treats when I'm huntin'.) Then listen closely as she asks "Where's the pigs?". Did you or did you not hear her? That's my cue. Off I go, under the fence looking, smelling for anything groundhog. Then when I stop, she does this weak whistle. What now-I ask myself? One minute you want me hunting piggies and the next you want me by your side. Sometimes she really puts a twist in my knickers, I tell ya. Anyway, by this time I'm smelling a sweet delicacy in the air so I choose to go off in my own direction, ignoring her completely. At this point she stops the camera. Impatient woman! Oh well, it's not like she can keep up to my pace anyway.



So while she tromps up the hill, I'm doing what I came to do. Once she sees me running toward her with my prize, she starts up the camera again. You will see I'm very analytical in going over my trophy to make sure it doesn't jump up and bite Mom. So there you have it. Another one bites the dust!




Goodbye February-Helloooooooooooooo March!!!

Woofs and groundhog hair slobbers,
Chester

Fun Friday Caption Fest

Call me lazy but I'm gonna throw some pictures and see if anybody wants to fetch me some captions:

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Your Cheatin' Heart and Gluttony

Sorry gang for my long absence! It's been busy here around the homeplace. Geesh-where do I start? How about Saturday? That's when it all began to get busy. Dad left early in the morning to go somewhere that Mom said "he was going cheatin' on me" My mind reeled with the possibilities! So to keep my mind off his whereabouts, she took me for a walk first thing in the morning. I love weekends when we get to spend time together! After our walk, she let me take a nap while she did some errands till about lunchtime. In she came with bags of good smelling stuff that I had to poke my nose into and inhale deeply as she was trying to get them in the house. After she put all the goodies away, she whisked me off to see her friend Phyllis at the nursing home. Mom was pleased that I was so well behaved-even when a little sheltie passed by in the hall I just sat and watched as she passed by. Va Va Va Voom! Anyway, back to my story. I even went so far as to gently crawl up in Phyllis's bed, look out her window and then lay down beside her and let her pet me. Phyllis used to have 2 dogs of her own and she enjoys seeing me. Then when we got back home, Mom took me for another walk! That's when I knew that Dad had done something seriously wrong.
So when Dad left in the morning he had alot of huntin' paraphenalia with him which usually means he's gonna smell heavenly when he comes home. And smell heavenly he did. But what really bothers me is I smelled another dog. No, let me correct myself, other DOGS! What the heck, I thought! Mom was right, he went out runnin' around with other dogs behind my back. He should know that I would sniff him out when he got home. He tried to make nice with me and explain that he and my uncles went on a pheasant, quail and chucker hunt (a chucker is some kind of bird but I couldn't find it in the dictionary so it might not be spelled right) with FOUR other dogs. Hello! I'm a retriever here! My feelings are beyond hurt! He said they were setters and trained to do that work. I could do it if somebody showed me, I know I could. But nooooooooooo, he went and paid a king's ransom to do have this affair of his. I guess I'll get over it but it's gonna take time, I tell ya. I went to bed more than just a little miffed.
So Sunday rolled around and it got a little better 'cuz my uncles all came over and they deep fried all those birdies up and I got to eat some of those deep fried treats! Yummy! My aunts also brought all kinds of salads, beans, fruit and desserts. There sure was some miserable humans after all that gluttony. (Serves Dad right!)
Now I'm gonna tease you with this next bit of info. Mom and I are working on a pretty cool post and we have the words all put together but this one requires some Photoshop work and neither of us are very skilled at that. So patience, please in this matter-we'll try and make it worth the wait.
UPDATE: I just got a very helpful tip from my friends, Abbey and Bosley for my Photoshop help. (Thanks Abbey and Bosley!) This may speed up the process. Until then, I'm gonna try and whip around to all your bloggies and have a chat with you.
Woofs and slobbers!
Chester

Gettin' a little fresh air last night


Pee. Ess. My toe is feeling much better now. I don't limp much at all unless I do a Wild Willy (aka: Zoomie) across the yard and catch it the wrong way. Time will tell as to what happens to my nail. Still considering going to the Dock Dive at Harrisburg next month if it isn't too late. Thanks for all your concern!

What's Up? Wednesday

Thankful Thursday

I’m a pretty thankful guy every day of the week but this week I wanted to paw out some special “High-fives”.
If you’ve been following my blog, you know that this weekend brought me a little pain. So I want to send out a special thank-you to folks everywhere that have the desire-and have done some serious training-to help us 4 legged critters. Sure, you make a decent living off of our owners, but it still takes someone with sympathy and caring to help us when we can’t tell you where it hurts.



I’m thankful for a great Mom and Dad who resolved to get me to this point in my life. I was not an easy fur-child to raise. You see, I have quite a dominant, bull-headedness about me that has tested their patience more than once. (Mom says I inherited this stubborn streak from my Dad). I’m very thankful they are not quitters!
I’m also thankful that both of them take me for walks. Like the postal motto: "Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" They know I need a walk/run daily no matter what the weather.
Photo of Dad on one of our cold day walks. Kinda looks like Papa Smurf, don’t ya think?



I’m thankful Mom is not a “girly-girl”. She owns a mean pair of boots- and knows how to use ‘em!
(I inherited my big feet from her)



I’m thankful for all the men and women who are serving our country in the Armed Forces, and to their families back here at home. Here is a picture of my cousin Sarah. She just received “Airman of the Year” for the second year in a row from the US Air Force. She had a tour in Afghanistan last year and her fiance is now serving in Iraq. Our thoughts and prayers are with them all.



And as always, I am thankful for food. Any kind. Any where. Any time.

And last, but certainly not least-I’m thankful for all my friends in
Dog-Blogville. You inspire me, encourage me, teach me, and make me laugh!! I’m so glad to have friends who understand me and love me for the dawg that I am.

THANK-YOU, ONE AND ALL!
Chester

Wiser??? Wednesday

I'm breakin' the rules today to wish my Mom a Happy Birthday!

She's no spring chicken but let's just say she doesn't do too bad for a girl her age.



Woofs and birthday cake slobbers!
Chester

CarPawl Tunnel UPDATE

Just to let you all know-I am fine. Mom and Dad did take me to the vet last night and it turns out it wasn't carpawl tunnel after all. It's still kinda embarassing but I guess I pounded the keyboard so hard that I broke a nail. (And I thought only girls did that) But I broke it back in underneath the skin. I wouldn't let the vet look at it so he gave me a shot that made me very very sleepy. But even being sleepy, I was feisty. I think I surprised all the nice people there. It's kinda hard to see but they shaved my toe and the nail is crooked and almost touching my other nail. They cut it back shorter than the rest of my nails and are hoping it will grow out on it's own. They sent us home with some pain meds and an antibiotic, just in case it decides to get infected. I was really sleepy last night but don't worry, I'm feelin' better already this morning, although I am typing very slowly. The only thing that bums me is that Wednesday Mom has off for her birthday and she was going to take me swimming at the Spa again. Doc says that might not be a good idea. Sorry Mom! I still think you're pretty cool for wanting to take me there on your birthday. We'll figure out something to do, won't we?




Chester's Mom: Sorry dude, I guess I was a little harsh on you yesterday. That must have hurt pretty bad.
Chester: Dang Tootin' it hurt! But don't worry, there's a song that says "Only the good die young"
Chester's Mom: In that case, you may live forever.

Woofs and slobbers!
Chester

CarPawl Tunnel

I’ve always heard that you never see the storms of life before they hit. Well now I know. In my haste to make sure I sent all my Valentine wishes out, I overdid my keyboarding and now the price is being paid. I believe I have the dreaded “CarPawl Tunnel” that you only hear about in back alleys and French horror films. You always think you’re above all the meager pestilence that plagues inferior deviates. The utter embarrassment of being weak tears at my innermost being.

**Caution: the following photos are not for the faint of heart.



You can see the contorted look on my face as spasms of pain jolt thru my leg while trying to put my paw on the floor.


The thought of trying to live a “normal” life on 3 legs is more than I can bear.


I’m going to have to lie down before the darkness overtakes me.


Chester’s Mom: Uh Chester-aren’t you being a little bit melodramatic?
Chester: But Mom, you don’t understand, you’ve never been dealt this twist of fate.
Chester’s Mom: I’m thinking you may have a splinter that you picked up while trying to roust that squirrel out of the fallen tree back in the woods.
Chester: Busted! But that doesn’t quite get me the pity party I was looking for from my fur-lady friends.
Chester's Mom: You are such a dawg!
Chester’s Mom AND Dad: Come here. We’re going to take a look at that paw again and see if we can’t find whatever it is you’ve got in there.
Chester: Noooooooooooooooooooooooo! Not the flashlight, please anything but the flashlight!!!
Chester’s Mom: Ok but if we don’t take a look at it now, you might have to go see the Doc tomorrow and he’ll probably want to take your temperature.
Chester: The lights are growing dimmer as I fade into oblivion.

Chester’s Mom: Goodnight, Sweet Chocolate Prince. Goodnight!

Happy Valentine's Day

This is for all my furry friends and for the humans you love to call your own.
Chester

Wah Wah Wah Wordless Wednesday

Bad to the Bone-Honestly!

Thank you Mason Dixie for this most prestigious award. I hope that after I bare my furry soul you will still love me. Then I shall pass the torch to 7 others per award rules.



"When accepting this auspicious award, you must write a post bragging about it, including the name of the misguided soul who thinks you deserve such acclaim, and link back to said person so everyone knows he or she is real. Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design. Or improvise by including bloggers who have no idea who you are because you don’t have 7 friends. Show the 7 random victims’ names and links and leave a harassing comment informing them that they were prized with “Honest Weblog”. Well, there’s no prize, but they can keep the nifty icon. List at least ten honest things about yourself. Then, pass it on!
Here goes:
1. I was not always a good dog. I bit Mom. (Alot)
2. I chewed the tassel off of one of Mom's shoes.
3. When I was little I rescued a dove and took it home for Dad to nurture back to health.
4. I have gas. (Alot)
5. I have several online female friends. (But Mason is my #1 gal.) (Sally is my bestest female friend and coach)
6. I have violated my bed on several or more occasions.
7. I flirted with my Canine Good Citizen Evaluator and I'm pretty sure that's why I passed the test.
8. I love corn and I help myself to the huge buffet of corn that surrounds my yard. I usually bring the whole stalk into the yard, peel back the husks, eat the corn and then let everything else lay in the yard. Mom and Dad have to pick it all up and throw it back into the fields.
9. I ate a pair of bikini underwear I found in the lane near my house when I was a pup then threw them up 5 days later.
10. I am addicted to blogging.

Now the torch goes to 8 yes, count 'em EIGHT of my friends:
Gus, Louie and Callie
Painter Pack
Nibbles Treats
Hebnix
Kris10
Life With Dogs
Stella
Team 3 Dawg Flight
(Please forgive me if you've already been awarded)
Woofs and Slobbers!
Chester

DOCK DIVING ROCKS!!!

Hey Gang! I finally got to try my paw at Dock Diving. They sure named it right when they called it a “FUN” JUMP. I’m not sure if I ever had so much tail-waggin’, ear-flappin’, water shakin’ of a good time!! First when we went in and I saw all the other dogs and they were runnin’ with toys and splashin’ and chasing each other I thought I may have died and gone to Doggy Heaven. It seemed like forever till Mom and Dad unhooked my leash but it was probably only seconds. Here is me with some of my new friends: (Look for the handsome brown fella with the orange collar-that’s “moi”). a> My social manners kinda flew out the window as you can see in the picture above that I wanted to dunk some of my new friends. Apparently not everybody is cool with that. It goes so much smoother when you work together: Then after playing for awhile, Mom took me and my new purple Wubba to the dock. Mom gave me some last minute instruction: I must say all the studying paid off! Going off the dock was not a problem. Lack of confidence has never been one of my downfalls. So we practiced and Mom was nothing short of amazed at how well I would stay-even when my whole body was quiverin’ with excitement. (I don’t know why she was so surprised, I did pay attention last year when we watched the Keystone Dock Dogs jumping at the Pawsabilites event in Harrisburg. I’m not stupid, ya know). Now here’s where I have to let you all down gently. Mom and Dad are real special to me, truly they are. But sometimes they sure can get under my fur. I don’t want to complain but let’s just say that Steven Spielberg has nothing to worry about when it comes to Mom and Dad making movies. I guess Mom’s brains don’t work well in wet environments ‘cuz I don’t have a single good video clip to show you how I jumped. Here’s a picture of one of my splashes:
Now that I’ve teased you long enough, here are the official results of my two jumps: 1st jump- 8’, 9” 2nd jump -7’, 9” That was good enough to get me a 2nd place ribbon for the Novice Division. After receiving my ribbon, Dad took me up on the dock and set me back as far as he could and let me do 2 more jumps. Nobody was there to measure my jump, but I think I may have done even better ‘cuz I got up some speed. Mom tried to get a picture of me sitting and my ribbon hanging from my neck but I really just wanted to eat it. It’s really pretty but as far as I’m concerned if you can’t eat it, what good is it? So she waited until I took up residence on my corner of the couch and then snapped a couple pictures.

My dreams were filled with wet dogs and DOCK DIVING!
I would like to send a special thanks Team 3 Dawg Flight for all their instructions, I’m sure I wouldn’t a done half as good without your help. And also to all you out in Blogville for cheering me on. We met a really nice lady who’s black lab named Reggie is a World-class Dock Diver and she told Mom and Dad that she was impressed by my abilities and that my physique was similar to her athletically built champion. WOW! Not to toot my own horn, but I’m gonna take that as a compliment. It was such a great day, hopefully I will get to do it again. (Mom has secretly told me about some events coming up. OHBOY, OHBOY, OHBOY!!!!) I'm gonna try and convince her to quit her day job and take this show on the road!! Woofs, slobbers! Chester

Thankful Thursday

Whewwwwww! I just about didn't get this to press on time! I was so busy studying my Dock Diving notes for my Fun Jump on Saturday that I got sleepy and just woke up on the landing on the steps. I musta sleep-walked 'cuz this is not where I started out. Anyway, let me tell you-wordless Wednesday just about did me in yesterday. Mom made me promise not to break the rules but I just about busted. Ya'll know that Monday was Groundhog Day, right? Unbeknownst to me, it was also the start of my hunting season. Mom and I was taking our usual stroll thru the fields and woods when a familiar scent drifted past my elongated brown nose. It drew me in like a kid in a candy store. I'll spare the dirty details but let's just say that Mom has vowed that I will never be allowed to go to Gobbler's Knob to see Punxsutawney Phil "live and in groundhog". She does not want to be known as the mother of the killer of the most famous groundhog ever and have her face shown all over the nightly news. So the start of hunting season 2009 is just one of many things I am thankful for. I'll be letting you know how I do at the Fun Jump. Woofs and slobbers! Chester

Watching Wednesday

Pennsylvania is a happenin' place!

Hey Gang! It's a great day here in Pennsylvania! If you haven't heard, the Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl last night-although they waited till the end to close the deal. Even though Dad and Mom aren't football fans, they watched it after taking me for a run over the non-icy, mud covered fields. When Mom toweled me off she was afraid she was wiping my brown off when she saw the color of the formerly white rag. Anyway, it was a good game with alot of excitement. (I like the way Mom and I play better. She plays quarterback and tosses it to me and I try to take it past her to the end zone which I might add happens alot. But then I take it back to her again to start it all over again. Simple. Easy. No referees needed.)

But the bestest thing happenin' in PA is already taking place in Punxsutawney. Of course, I'm talking about Groundhog Day!

And the prediction is: Groundhog predicts 6 more weeks of winter. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this tradition I've copied a few frequently asked questions here for ya;

1. Yes! Punxsutawney Phil is the only true weather forecasting groundhog. The others are just impostors.
2. How often is Phil's prediction correct? 100% of the time, of course!
3. How many "Phils" have there been over the years? There has only been one Punxsutawney Phil. He has been making predictions for over 120 years!
4. Punxsutawney Phil gets his longevity from drinking the "elixir of life," a secret recipe. Phil takes one sip every summer at the Groundhog Picnic and it magically gives him seven more years of life.
5. On February 2, Phil comes out of his burrow on Gobbler's Knob - in front of thousands of followers from all over the world - to predict the weather for the rest of winter.
6. According to legend, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If he does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring.
7. No! Phil's forecasts are not made in advance by the Inner Circle. After Phil emerges from his burrow on February 2, he speaks to the Groundhog Club president in "Groundhogese"(a language only understood by the current president of the Inner Circle). His proclamation is then translated for the world.
8. The celebration of Groundhog Day began with Pennsylvania's earliest settlers. They brought with them the legend of Candlemas Day, which states, "For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day, so far will the snow swirl in May..."
9. Punxsutawney held its first Groundhog Day in the 1800s. The first official trek to Gobbler's Knob was made on February 2, 1887.
10. So the story goes, Punxsutawney Phil was named after King Phillip. Prior to being called Phil, he was called Br'er Groundhog.

So all that to say, Pennsylvania is where it's happenin' baby!!
**Of course, I have a somewhat selfish reason for Phil to come out of his hole. No matter what his prediction, the fact that he comes out of his hole is an assurance that all his relatives are soon to follow. And my word to all you groundhogs is:

Woofs and slobbers!
Chester