New Year!

• Well, Jewel & I missed getting our pictures taken with Santa. I kind of liked it last year. I think Mom was happy she didn't have to figure out how to get both of us to behave with Santa.

We have had a lot of snow to play with that is for sure. We haven't been out to the field to hunt - not even pheasant. The refuge has been kind of messy trying to get in and out. Dad said he thinks we bring along our own camoflage, but the snow is so deep that the birds see us coming or better yet, hear us coming, a mile away.

I am getting better on my jumping. You say jumping? Yeah, I know. It is kind of embarassing. Jewel will jump up into the truck or onto about anything. Me? Well, Dad has to lift my hind end because I refuse to jump into the back seat of the truck. Every once in awhile I surprise everyone, including myself, and jump up into the bed of the truck when we are out doing a hike for Mom's training, but not often enough to suit Mom. Today, Mom was in the bedroom flolding clothes and I went over to stand by her. It is a very narrow space between the bed and her big dresser. She looked down at me and touched the top of the bed, which is about 3 1/2 feet straight up. I looked at her and up I popped onto the bed. I think you could have knocked Mom over with a feather. She congratulated me and then yelled to Dad what I had done. Dad said, "well, good for him!" They took Jewel and I for a ride to get coffee, but I wouldn't jump into the backseat of the truck. Mom just shook her head at me. I can't tell you why I won't jump up there, but maybe some day I will.

With all the snow Jewel and I have had a blast. The only thing I don't like is the ice. Dad said I do a very peculiar thing that he has never seen another dog do. I don't think I am peculiar, just cautious! When you go out our back door the big kennel is to the left and the pool to the right. If you go straight out there is a lot of cement that surrounds the pool and leads to the shop. If you go out past the kennel and turn left you are in the yard with the roses, grapes, apple trees and grass. Well, there is a little Christmas tree that has grown up along the side of the kennel leading to the yard. I have taken to going between the tree and the cement to avoid the ice. So I crawl under the tree to get to the grass or snow covered yard. My feet don't have to touch the icy cement and I don't slide. Dad says I am clever and creative. He said he doesn't know what my issue is with ice because as far as he knows I have never taken a bad tumble, but he says that I sure do avoid it at all costs! Does Jewel avoid it too? No, my silly sister sometimes has more guts and brawn than brains and she will take on anything including ice. She just skitters right across and into the yard. I did hear Dad tell Mom that he is going to have to replace all the grass under the first apple tree. Jewel and I have made that our racetrack and we zip around it chasing each other so much that when it rains it is the coolest mud track ever! Mom sure doesn't like it.

We got some pretty cool toys from Kissty Kissty - like we do every year. We have only tried to kill one and that has been Moose's platypuss. It's blue and we don't like it! First Mommy had another liter of pups. They sure are cute. Mom says that they are growing fast. I have seen the pictures. The little black pup, her name is Erin, she is cute and Quinn looks like a great pal.

Hopefully, I will have some hunting or training news to report soon. You just never know around here. We are busy, busy, busy...doing, well, poodle stuff. It is important you know!

I am Hugh

Santa is Coming to Town!

Now don't say, "Not you too, Hugh!" I am not starting the Christmas season too soon..cuz really, Santa arrived on the train today!!! Mom and Dad are decorating the house today. We are going to have that big ole tree in the house again and I am going to have to tell Jewel all about how they bring the outside inside but that it doesn't mean we are outside!

Ten rules for Poodles at Christmas time:

1. Do NOT hike your leg on the Christmas tree. Marcus taught me this last year. I tried it anyway.

2. Glass balls on the Christmas tree are not for running with through the house!

3. Opening presents that are not yours or have not been specifically given to you is a No, No!

4. Stuffed angels are not chew toys!

5. Do Not, and I repeat, Do Not unplug the Christmas lights with your teeth!

6. It does not get you a better gift to growl at Santa!

7. Mom frowns on Poodles pulling the table runner off the coffee table..even if it has fun tassle things that swing around.

8. Eating Santa's cookies & milk, before he arrives, will not get you a better gift either!

9. Do not be afraid of the BIG Christmas bear they put by the front door. Attacking him does not make Mom happy either.

10. Having your sister chase you around the Christmas tree will NOT have a favorable outcome!

I know for sure that I am getting my picture taken with Santa. I heard Mom and Dad talking about maybe taking the "twins" and Mom muttering, "oh what a joy" that would be. Some how I don't think she really meant Joy!.

We got a ton of snow during the week and through the weekend. Jewel & I got to go out and run ourselves silly. Dad says that I am so much bigger than Jewel that I sucker her in and then I dump her in the snow. Well, it is true that I am a big guy - um, okay, well, I guess I do get her to run after me then I spin and POOF! into the snow bank she goes! Mom likes all the snow because there is no mud. When it begins to melt that is when the fun stuff begins....I like being dirty! I think Jewel likes it even more than me.

First Mommy's dog Kale is getting ready to have a litter of puppies..any day now, Mom said. Mom said she hopes they are on puppy cam like my brothers and sisters and myself were. She said it is great fun to see everyone develop...the only down side and it really isn't a down side, is when they all go to their forever homes. That is hard, she said.

Well, I gotta get to supervising all this decorating stuff - I'll be back again soon!

I am Hugh

Thanksgiving

Today was not a good day for pheasant hunting...we got some snow! Not as much as last year, but this was Jewel's first snow. We had a very good time playing today.

We helped Dad yesterday rake leaves...well, we helped scatter them around again. We got really super dirty. Dad had to wash us off with the hose! By that time Mom was home and we went and curled up with her on the couch to snuggle and get warm.

I have gotten to go hunting a couple more times with Dad. He says that there are just some places I like and some I don't. It is kind of like today...Mom and Dad took us shopping with them. Jewel and Mom were looking at little kittens and a girl came over to say "hi!" to Jewel. Now, Jewel, she likes every one when she meets them in person. If they are up on the bike path - well, forget about it! But if she is introduced to someone she is very friendly. This little girl was cute, but Jewel didn't like something about her. Turns out the family has a full wolf in their pack. Jewel didn't like the smell of her at all. Her tail was down as far as she could get it and she wanted Mom to take her away from the girl. Mom knew it too and she thanked the girl for saying "hi!" and then they came over to where Dad & I were picking out a new "baby doll" for Miss Moose. So it is kind of like that. I smell someplace and sometimes I just don't like it. Dad says that I will need to work through that. I guess.

Today we helped Dad shovel snow. We weren't allowed to go outside together while he shovelled. Dad said it was hard enough keeping track of one of us let alone two of us when we are going crazy! When we were out with Dad yesterday and he was raking Jewel was not paying attention to where he was and she swung around after me and hit her head really hard against Dad's leg. He told Mom that it stunned her for a minute. He made us stop playing and he checked her out. He checked her head and her eye to make sure she didn't hurt herself. Mom checked her out when she got home too. Jewel was fine, but she sure did scare Dad. When he got out the shovel this morning we were raring to go and help, but he was having none of it. Nope. We could come out and play, but one at a time. I have played in snow before, but Jewel, well, she had a rip-roaring time!

Well, I sure do look forward to more snow and more chances to go out and prove myself. Dad told me a secret the other day though...we were sitting on the couch and he whispered to me that no matter what he still loved me and I would still be his buddy. Yep, my Dad, he sure loves me. I sure am Thankful.

I am Hugh

Who are We?

I have had a hard time the last couple of months hunting..so I have been concentrating and not writing on my blog. Mom says, "shame on the Poo." So here I am to give an update as to how things are going.

Jewel and I both are giving hunting a go. Dad is still hoping that my lack of love for water will change. He says that I have fear that he doesn't know where it is coming from. I am working on it. Dad and I went out on Friday and we went some place that we had not been before and nothing freaked me out. Dad said if I can just get over my fear of "someplace different" that I will be the perfect companion hunter. Gunfire doesn't bother me, but if I don't like a situation I am pretty stubborn about it.

Jewel went pheasant hunting with Dad on Thursday. The same place I refused to hunt she did as well. He said she just plopped down and would not budge forward. As he was loading her back into the truck he ran into another hunter. They talked about their dogs and she said (it was Jewel's prior mom's daughter) that she has had dogs refuse like that. Dad took Jewel to a different spot and they got out of the truck. Dad said that Jewel was very excited and she worked the field like she is supposed to. Jewel's problem is she does not like loud noises of any kind. Dad thinks this has something to do with where she lived before she came Home to us. She is ever on alert with loud noises. Mom said they are going to continue with "sound" therapy for Jewel and see if they can get her over that.

Dad thinks we are both very capable of being really good hunters. He said that he thinks it will just take us a litte longer than most.

I am pretty smart and I like to go, go, go. Mom and Dad say they won't give up on me because "it" is all there.

I did have a success this month though...I have decided that it isn't so bad for people to touch me. At about 10 or 11 months I decided that I didn't want anyone but my Mom and Dad touching me and I would duck away if someone tried to touch me. Last month when I was with Kissty Kissty her Mom visited the shop and I didn't like that. This month when her Mom came to visit I wagged at her and let her touch me. I now also greet everyone at the vet's office downstairs from Kissty Kissty's shop. I've told my Mom, in not so many words, that maybe I am just a late bloomer and I like things just so before I feel good about it. Mom doesn't seem to think any less of me for it.

Well, I think I will get it. I am sure I will have more to report next Sunday.

I am Hugh

Grouse Hunting is Hard Work...

I learned that sage grouse hunting is a lot of hard work. You walk and walk and walk. The birds get spooked. You have to watch where they land. Then you walk some more. It is uneven territory and nothing I have ever seen before. It is dry and it is hot. We worked three abreast. Dad to the left, Mom to the right and me in the middle taking point. I will be honest...I didn't know what I was doing out there. Dad said that even Oliver, TGH didn't know what he was doing the first time but was curious for sure.

I think I was really tired from the night before. There were owl sounds. There were bird sounds. There was a pack of young coyotes that travelled the entire valley we were camped in all night long. They called to each other all night long. Something came into our camp in the middle of the night. I was curled up against Mom. I growled deep in my chest. She could hear what I heard. She just layed her hand on my side and whispered, "ssshhh." There were shot guns in the tent just in case a mountain kitty decided to come say "hi!" I didn't know this, but Mom did.

Dad said I was being a typical poodle because I would not go to the bathroom in a new environment. I guess that Mom and Dad were waiting for me to explode. Dad said that with all the walking we were going to do I wouldn't be able to hang onto "it" for too long. Without painting a graphic picture he was right.

When Dad shot his birds Mom and I worked together finding them. Mom technically found them before I did and I wanted to eat the feathers..Dad kept telling me to quit that, but I don't know, it was kind of fun!

On the way back to the truck, which was a long, long, long way away Mom and Dad decided to make their way down into a canyon to avoid a barbed wire fence. Mom told Dad she didn't think it dropped off but went across the canyon too. It did, but it was much easier to get under. There were even spots that had "hunter holes" (that is where the wire has been cut but "wired" back together so that all you have to do is unhook the wire and crawl through), but it still was barbed wire that you had to be careful of. We were on BLM land, but it is still fenced and cross fenced. We had a game cop watching us for a bit across the canyon. You don't have anything to worry about unless you are doing something wrong or outside the regs Dad said. I don't think I can get arrested for licking sage grouse or eating feathers...can I??

Anyway, I got under the barbed wire, with Mom's coaching, and looked down. Waaaay down. I plopped my butt on a rock and watched Mom and Dad move down the canyon. Mom looked back to see where I was. I was still at the top sitting on my rock. I did not want to go down the way they were going. It looked scary. Mom said to me, "Hughie, you are going to have to come down this way it is quicker." Still I sat. Mom and Dad called at the same time, "Come on Hugh!" I reluctantly gave up my perch and followed Mom down. Where she put her feet I put mine. Whew! We made it down. I then took over the lead because we were back on familiar ground and I knew the way back.

It was a good couple of days in the desert. I had all kinds of stories to tell my sister. Dad said I was very calm during the hunt and I followed Mom's instructions to the "t." He said that my spotting and retrieve will improve, but it will take getting "birds under my belt."

Ahhhh, I like the Oregon desert.....

I Am Hugh

Dove Hunting

I have had a busy month! Train, train, train....well and a lot of fun!

Last night Dad put a bell on my collar & an orange vest on me, he loaded up his shot gun, me & Mom into the truck and we went dove hunting. It was so cool! I didn't freak out with the shot gun going off. I did, however, stand behind Dad when he lifted the gun to shoot a 3rd time. Hey, a guy has got to be cautious. At least I didn't try to take off for the Cascades!

We are going to go Sage Grouse hunting in a week. Dad says that he thinks I will get excited when I can see the Thunder chicken fall from the sky and actually have a mark to go after. Dad calls sage grouse thunder chickens. Go figure. Maybe I'll get it when I see one?

Mom has decided that I am the only one going to the desert. She said that Jewel would be staying behind. I know to be quiet if they are working Jewel, but Jewel has not figured out how to be quiet if I am out working the field and Mom says that really takes the element of surprise out of the equation. So it looks like I get 5 days in the desert with Mom and Dad. The other reason, which I think is the bigger reason, is that there may be quite a few dogs in camp when all is said and done and keeping track of one of us is easier than two, plus Jewel is fearless.

Hopefully, Mom will take lots of pictures for me to share when we get back.

I am Hugh

Workin' it!

We went out today and Mom filmed me...I think she has gone video crazy since she figured out her digital camera will do video. She has had that camera how long and just now figures it out?

Dad said I did the best I have ever done today! I got every buck but two and even Dad had a hard time finding them, so I don't feel too bad. Dad said that I was showing off for Mom because I have never done so well. He has been putting off doing a forced fetch with me. He said he is still going to train with me that way, but he was really happy with me today. He said I, "worked it out." Good, huh?

This is a short video and I am going to swim later, so maybe Mom will help me post a video of that later. Dad says that I still haven't taken to water like he would like me to. He said for sure pheasant are in my future. I'll work hard. I know I will get there.

I am Hugh