Fortress of Solitude

Baxter has been known to curl up in a tight ball when he gets chilled. As the temperature drops outside, our old house gets pretty cold. Recently, as I was getting ready for work one morning, Baxter began scratching and making a lot of noise on our guest bed. I checked in on him a few times, but he wasn't causing any damage, so I let him do his thing. A few minutes later I noticed the noise had stopped, so I checked up on him again only to find this fabulous fortress he had built all by himself.


Another angle to show the depth of this architectural wonder:


Apparently, it's VERY cold in our house. Since this was taken, we've cranked on the heating.

Baxter the (Other) Beaglier?

Chris from South Africa, by way of Melbourne, Australia, commented on an earlier post about a beautiful Beaglier, who just happens to be named Baxter. Both Baxters are, of course, named after the Spanish-speaking, cheese-eating Border Terrier sidekick from “Anchorman.” After following up with Chris about the comment, I was sent a few photos to post to the site. I have to agree with Chris; it is pretty cool that half a world away there’s another dog of the same type with the same name for the same reason. Hope you guys enjoy these pictures of Baxter the (other) Beaglier.

Baxter Begs for the Park

We recently wanted to take Baxter to the park, and we've decided that Baxter has learned our routines so well that he knew exactly what our intentions were. Generally, when we get ready to leave the house, Baxter will bolt into his kennel and sit patiently for us to lock him up. The other day when we were about to go to the park, Baxter kept whining and running to the door. I took him outside, since I thought maybe he needed to potty. We got outside and he immediately ran to my car door. Since I wasn't ready to leave, I had to bring him back inside and listen to him whine and bark at us for a few more minutes.

Here's the video of his pleas!

Baxter's 1st Birthday!

Today is Baxter's first birthday. Unfortunately, he was stuck in his kennel most of the day since we were at work, but this afternoon he got to join some of his friends at the dog park. Enough words. Enjoy the pictures!

Visiting Friends and a New Cousin

Baxter's been pretty busy lately visiting with friends and family, destroying toys, and taking a lot of puppy naps.

Recently, my sister added another dog to her family. She already had a miniature white schnauzer named Macie. She has now added a mini black schnauzer named Gracie. Baxter hasn't met Gracie yet, because she's still very small and Baxter sometimes get a little too friendly.



Just before my sister got Gracie, we visited with my mom's side of the family. Baxter and Macie were caught having a good time in the yard, exploring everything together. Normally, Baxter is instigating some sort of wrestling match.



Aside from that, life has been pretty typical. Here's Baxter checking to see if there are any new dog blog posts.


Baxter looks around, pondering where he's hidden his squeaky toy. Sadly, that toys has since been destroyed. If there's even a microscopic hole in any toy, Baxter will find it and he won't stop until it has been ripped wide open.


Baxter had a friend over last week to see how they got along. This is Jersey. She'll be staying with us for a couple of days next week. We'll be sure to post some pictures of the visit.




And lastly, here's a picture I had to snap with my cell phone yesterday as Baxter fell asleep with me on the couch. He loves his naps, especially when he can curl up with someone he loves.

Rainy Day and Nothing on TV

Behold the Power of Baxter

This weekend, Trista bought Baxter a Petstages Orka Bone, since he's been chewing through a few other products, like his Blue Hippo and the Hartz Dental Bone (shown in the picture above).

The packaging on the Orka suggested that it was durable and made for large dogs who liked to chew. One Web site we visited after Baxter started ripping it apart said the following.

This unique toy is made of a durable, non-toxic, synthetic rubber that is pliable enough to satisfy your dog's urge to chew. The Orka's heavy-duty material will last through hours of chewing fun, while multiple textures massage gums.

Apparently, this is not entirely true. Our eight-month, 30 pound, furry ball of fun caused the damage in the picture below in less than 30 minutes. I don't want to give the Orka a bad review based solely on Baxter's performance, but if anyone reading this has a dog whose only purpose is to chew, you might shy away from this one.

Baxter's Twin?

I got an e-mail the other day from Nancy in Vancouver Island, BC with a few surprising pictures. It turns out Nancy's dog, Chloe, looks (and acts) very similar to my favorite Beaglier.

I believe we have twins. It seems our "Chloe" has the same colouring (right down to her spotted belly) and personality. She likes to lie on the cushion on the back of the couch, lies in the sunbeam on the floor and has that "crazy" spell every once in a while when she runs around like a lunatic and then crashes. I couldn't believe the similarities. She is always getting into trouble but we love her dearly. We are even going to go to puppy school at Petsmart.

See for yourself:




I'd say Chloe and Baxter were separated at birth, but Chloe is just a few months younger and lives roughly 2500 miles away. The way we came across our Beagliers is eerily similar as well. Trista and I were originally looking for a Puggle when we came across the Beaglier mix. Nancy's experience wasn't much different.

I had looked at breeds of dogs such as a Boston Terrier, Pug, the Cavalier and the Beagle with each having some characteristics I liked but not necessarily all. When I saw the Beaglier I thought..."that's it"!! I had never seen this cross before until I saw her and knew I just had to have her.

It's nice to know we're not the only ones who get to live with all the "quirky" personality traits of a Beaglier.

Random Baxter Pictures

Posing on St. Patrick's Day

Enjoying a peanut butter treat!

Showing off his Robert Smith eyes.

Typical Baxter - "Crazy Dog"

Baxter tends to surprise us during the day with an impromptu running spree around the house. It can last for a few seconds, as he quickly runs into each room with an open door. Sometimes it can last for a few minutes. This often results in random items all over the floor, furniture out of whack, and a very tired dog afterward. I really don't mind picking up his toys or the occasional shoe or even moving the ottoman back where it's supposed to be when he's finished. In fact, I get a kick out of it, because there's nothing that really precedes this behavior. It's completely random. I think he just gets bored with his surroundings and decides to entertain himself.

The only problem I have is that we can never get it on video. Anytime we try to watch from a decent vantage point, he wants us to join in. He'll stop and beg for help in chasing a toy, or sometimes he'll simply chase us!

I was lucky enough today to have the camera ready for whenever he felt the need to play Crazy Dog. Of course, he immediately involved me in his little game. Below is just a little snippet of his insanity.

And here are a couple pictures just moments after. It's almost as if he stopped and fell right where he was.

Winter Storm 2009

Kentucky was recently hit with, what our governor called, "the biggest natural disaster that this commonwealth has ever experienced." It was basically a big ice storm, followed by inches of snow, more ice, and then more snow. The results were beautiful, but the amount of ice weighed down tree branches and power lines, cutting power to more than 700,000 people in the state.

Luckily, our house wasn't affected as greatly, and we only experienced minor power surges during the storm due to a branch laying on our power and cable lines. After the storm subsided, Baxter and I went out to survey the damage around the house. Here's what we found.






Baxter inspecting the scene:



Here are a few pictures of the neighborhood around our house.