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.

Baxter Meets Jersey and Georgia

Our friends, Liz and Andy, have two mutts named Jersey and Georgia. Jersey is a black and brown, long-haired dog, and Georgia is short-haired and mostly black with some hints of white. Baxter had a chance to visit them today for the first time, and it was an adventure.

Georgia wasn't quite sure what to think of the little guy, so she played mean most of the time. She continuously growled and bit at Baxter's neck. Jersey was just happy to meet a new puppy and play. Baxter was pretty submissive most of the time, but he did get a few good hits to Georgia's face when he could.

Fun in the Snow

It snowed a little over an inch in Louisville last night, so Baxter got to enjoy his morning in the front yard.







After Baxter played for a while, he decided to start digging and rooting through the snow to find what was underneath.

Best Friends Animal Society Donation

We've got some non Baxter-related news today. Every blog that reposts the song “People Got A Lotta Nerve,” the first single from Neko Case’s forthcoming album Middle Cyclone (out March 3), Neko Case and ANTI- will make a cash donation to Best Friends Animal Society.

So, check out the PSA, then enjoy the song. If you'd like, you can get the embed code from the Antiblog.

People Got A Lotta Nerve - Neko Case

While you're here, be sure to click the link on the right (or in this post) to play Bow Wow Trivia. Mimi Ausland, a 12 year old girl from Bend, Oregon, wanted to help feed the hungry animals at her local animal shelter. “There are 10’s of thousands of dogs and cats in animal shelters across the country, all needing to be fed a good meal.” Say hello to freekibble.com and freekibblekat.com!

Graduation Day

Baxter the Beaglier graduated from his beginner class at PetSmart today. It was relatively easy for him. Lately, we've been attending the class out in the store for more distraction. Today, we were in the "ring" and Baxter had a much better attention span.

The "final exam" consisted of Baxter doing a series of sits, downs, stands, come when called, and a lengthy stay. He actually did really well until halfway through, when his buddy, Kobie, came in late and confused him. All Baxter wanted to do at that point was sniff. Our instructor allowed him some free time, then it was back to the exam.

Here are a few shots from the class.

We Just Got New Furniture

And Baxter has found his favorite spot...



Apparently, the Cavalier King Charles in him likes to be in the highest spot possible. It's loads of fun when you're sitting in that particular spot and he wants to nibble on your ear while you watch TV.