My buddy Josh is a BIG winner!

I'm SO excited! I just saw on the Ventura County Star news site that my friend Josh Spiker won the Carlsbad marathon in 2:24:56!!! WOW! What an accomplishment! He must be SO happy! And I'm SO proud of him... I know mom and dad are too. We were just in his store visiting him the week before...while mom was trying on new shoes Josh and I were playing. I love going to visit Josh at his store Inside Track. He lets me sit on the furniture, plus if he isn't too busy, he'll give me treats and belly rubs. Check it out, you can see him asking me to sit-stay. 

I know he trained really hard for this race! I couldn't imagine all the running he did... fast runs, hill runs, road, trails, long runs, over and over...just so he could get his body in shape for running 26.2 miles straight! And he wasn't even chasing anything edible! I still don't get that, but whatever... maybe it was the people chasing him? 

Anyway, this just goes to show ya "life is a mechanical skill". Josh proved that if you train hard, your efforts will pay off. Winning a marathon is pretty huge. What about the rest of life? 

Let's take us well-mannered dogs. We aren't born that way ya know...okay, maybe there a few out there - but we need training too. Even just a few minutes a day, going over a few of those skills you want us to have will help pay off in the long run, and make your own dog a winner! Trust me, it ain't like training for a marathon! Even if mom is really busy, she'll throw in a few training moments throughout the day - or get someone like her buddy Josh to do it while she shops for new running shoes...hmm, pretty clever of her... 

I know that going after my nemesis E.J. Harrison or the mail trucks help me with running faster. I wonder if Josh likes to chase mail trucks too? Hmm, something for this inquisitive canine to ponder... 

Mom Soars With Noozhawk: you can now "Ask the Dog Trainer" directly

It's official everyone! My mom the rockin' dog trainer is launching a new column on the Noozhawk Web site called "Ask the Trainer". It's for all inquisitive owners and inquisitive canines. Check out the site yourself. You or your dog can write in about training and behavior. You can also direct questions to yours truly if you prefer to have a canines point of view. 

Now that both mom and I are spending more time writing, I wonder if she is going to ever buy me my own laptop? Hmm, something for this inquisitive canine to ponder.

Happy Birthday to DAD! A great way to celebrate Martin Luther King Jrs special day too...

It was dad's birthday today... it also happens to be the celebration day for Martin Luther King Jr. What better way to celebrate both events than with a road trip to one of my favorite beaches: Hendry's in Santa Barbara! 

First we stopped to get snackies at one of mom and dad's favorite cafe's called Starbuck's. They're very dog friendly - the outside part anyway. I think they should call it "StarBARKS", but hey that's just my opinion. 

After we picked up our "treats" we headed north to play at the beach....ahhh, the cool comfy sand, warm sun, lots of sniffing and exploring, meeting and greeting - it was a fun time. Afterwards we headed to another dog friendly place called Nordstom's. Mom wanted to buy dad something, but they didn't see anything he wanted... so we decided to go to another place called Anthropologie - they're very dog friendly too... you can check out the picture of Cara. She works there...made sure I had water, then gave me treats and scratched my chin...how sweet is that!? She said I could come back any time I wanted... 

Even though it was dad's birthday, I was having most of the fun...thanks dad! I wonder if you're going to like the gift I'm giving you? Hmm, something for this inquisitive canine to ponder... 

Mickey Rourke is one top dog!

I guess there was some important ceremony yesterday where entertainment folks received lots of nominations, awards, praise, applause etc... Wow, talk about "positive reinforcement". 

Mom and I watched this dude named Mickey Rourke make a speech on YouTube. He won an award for being a great actor in a movie called The Wrestler. I haven't seen this particular film, not yet anyway (movie theaters don't allow us dogs to go inside) but mom and dad said they'd wait for dvd release so we can all watch it together. 

Anyway, this guy is so cool! Out of all the people at this show, he was the only one who thanked his dogs! Is that great or what? It seems like he really knows how to appreciate us pooches for what we are, and for what we bring to your lives. Through good times, through rough times, we're always there for you...why? Because you give us positive reinforcement, just by being you. 

I'm also thinking that Mickey does what mom teaches in her classes: to pay attention! He probably "catches his dogs in the act" of doing what he wants and rewards them for it. In turn, they reward him. What a great relationship he must have with them. 

Here's to you Mickey - I hope you receive lots more awards. Personally, I think you should get one for being such a great dog dad. I wonder if there is such a category at these award ceremonies? Hmm, something for this inquisitive canine to ponder. 

Someone Get the Number of That Train: ouch my eye!

Mom always says "Horseplay leads to tragedy." And oh brother is she right! We weren't even "horsing around" together, my friend Nico and I... we were just running to our moms... the problem was, we were so focused on what we were running towards we didn't see each other coming... and right then outta nowhere, kaboom! Nico hit me like freight train! Ugh! I know she didn't mean to do it...things like this just happen... 

I yelped like a little girl (come on, it hurt like crazy!) and the next thing you know my eye was killing me! Mom totally jumped in there to make sure I was okay...she knows that getting hit in the eye can be dangerous (ask her about the Speedway race she went to). Just like you humans our doggy corneas can get scratched easily - especially since eyes like mine stick out a little further than some of those other breeds - and if it's not taken care of, I can get an infection - and believe you me, that is not a good thing. 

So, off to The Animal Doctor we went... even though mom knew I'd be fine, and we could probably wait it out, it's best to be safe and just go in to have my eye checked... an infection is much worse to have to treat...Thank goodness Dr. Wilson and her staff were still at work - they said to come in so I could get checked out... You can see me sitting on moms lap, waiting for the staff. I always love seeing them...and it appears from their giggly voices that they love seeing me too - plus they said I did a really good job by staying still and being cooperative. Well shoot I had just been there a couple of weeks before for my annual...

As you can see from the cool picture mom took, Dr. Wilson was doing a very thorough job of checking me out. Great news! I only had a contusion, no scratches or major damage. They gave me something to make the pain go away...then home I went. Mom and dad were relieved, and they felt so bad for me that mom actually gave me my dinner out of a bowl!!! Can you believe it??? Besides my veggies she never feeds me from my bowl...only my interactive toys (which is much more entertaining for me anyway). She didn't want me straining my eye and running into walls or anything. She was smart cuz I couldn't open my eye anyway. Luckily I can still use the keyboard... 

I wonder if mom would put a cold steak on my eye for the pain? Hmm, something for this inquisitive canine to ponder... 

It's a brand new year!!!

Wow, where does the time go??? I guess it doesn't really matter since I don't really have to be anywhere at any specific time...All I know is it's New Year's Day 2009! A brand new year!

This smart dog decided to start 2009 off the right way and slept in while mom and dad headed to Santa Barbara for some race...Yep, I changed my behavior...did something different. Instead of getting up with them, and practically begging to head out the door with them, I decided to stay home all tucked in nice and comfy burrowed deep in the bed - talk about "positively rewarding"... what fools they are! It was freezing outside! Mom said it was 35 degree's! Yikes! No thanks! "Have fun" I said... wake me with snacks when you get home...which they didn't do...bummer... instead we hit the road for another fun-filled day! 

Yep, all safe and sound strapped into my car-seat, with my kitty toy and bully stick. But this time we headed south! Mom and dad were wearing the type of clothing they use for when they go running... Hmm, I wonder what was up? Well, talk about something different, this time we went for a hike! That's right, this lucky dog got to go back to his "roots"! I could just feel my doggy dna oozing with delight! Back into the wild, smelling all of those wonderful aromas only found in nature: dirt, earth, foliage of every kind, excrement everywhere, leftover aromas of dead animals (they had been snacks for other animals no doubt)...ahhh, heaven on earth for this canine! 

Can you believe it? This was probably the first time mom and dad have ever taken me on a real trail for a real hike! You could tell mom was kinda nervous...she decided it would be best to keep me on leash :-( I know I know...but she wanted me to be safe. She knows I have a pretty intense predatory drive (my nemesis and favorite prey animals are E.J. Harrison, FedEx, UPS, and mail trucks), so mom didn't want to take a chance that I'd go after something, even if it was something small like a mountain lion... Trust me, although mom can run, and she's in pretty good shape, compared to me she's not that fast... 

Although I was on leash I still had a great time... Turns out we were 

meeting lots of our friends... a few of them brought along their dogs too...so it was a great time to be had. Mom tried to hold the leash but I was bolting up the trails...she couldn't believe I could scale the rocks so quickly, with such great ease and elegance. Hello???? I'm a freakin' dog! That's what dogs were meant to do... plus, I'm vertically challenged (short) and have "four paw drive"....makes hiking really easy. Anyway, because dad was clipping along at a nice pace, she handed me off to him... it was great!!! Geez, and she calls herself a runner...

Anyway, once we got to the top of the mountain we all took a little water break... Mom and dad brought some pieces of cucumber for me (I'm not a big drinker unlike the Labra"dorks" that were with us), and wanted to make sure I was hydrated, so I ate some cucumber - great snacks and quenched my thirst. Then we headed back down the mountain and home...They couldn't believe I was out there for almost two hours! Yep, me, the dog who doesn't like to take many walks in the neighborhood was going full force the entire time on the trails. Well, it was different, much better surroundings - plus I saw friends I hadn't seen in awhile... maybe I could go with moms ultra-runner friends...they could probably keep up with me. 

I was pretty tired once we got home... I had to have another stupid bath :-( I was smelling so good too! I rolled in some stuff that I thoroughly enjoyed, but mom didn't agree. Anyway, once bath time was over I just hung out on my mat in the kitchen until dinner was ready... I was hungry, but I was pretty tired too - nothing like a good round of exercise to help me relax...I didn't even care about barking at anyone walking by - so you know I was tired... My mom the dog trainer always says "A tired dog is a happy dog, and a happier owner." Check out the photo...mom kept giggling at me - couldn't keep my eyes open, barely kept my head up! But never too tired to skip a meal!

What a great way to begin the new year! I hope that 2009 brings you and your families lots of yummy snacks, enjoyable walks, fun stuff to roll in, and lots of positive reinforcement throughout the entire year! 

I wonder when we're going hiking again? Hmm, something for this inquisitive canine to ponder...