Superdog

Today was my romping-in-the-snow-with Signe day, and I got to try out my new dress designed to keep the snowballs out of the silky hair on my legs and chest. It's VERY tight, keeps me dry and works well enough with the everyday stuff (peeing and crapping, for those of you without imagination) and, best of all, I look like Mingus the Superdog in it.

Now I'm resting at home in my biabed, but watch out, soon I'm flying again!

Academic dog

Accompanied my human to work today and enjoyed myself running around the corridors and most of her colleagues liked my greeting them (read jumping up to lick their face), but Sean was less enthusiastic. Adnan was cool, but then again he's a writer and knows what's what (setters rule!).

He's my role model and instead of a critic like my human I want to be a writer. I'll write about whatever comes into my head. Mostly birds, I expect, and not just game birds but also the garden birds like the blackbird we feed. He looks adorable in the snow, a black blob with his yellow beak in all that whiteness. Snow, snow, everywhere I look, snow. Today the snow has millions of black spots in it, probably stuff from the blasting at the new building site. Not very tasty either so I obey my human when she commands me to spit, I spit.

Show dog

Time flies when you're having fun! Lots has happened since my last entry, but I've been busy - staying with Amir at Långtora while my human was in Giessen with her doctoral students, and with Amy while she was busy in Brussels and Hong Kong. I missed her, naturally, but had too much fun to pine.  Nough said (I know she reads my pages).

I have also made my mark as this years's SISK dog at the annual Stockholm Dog Fair.  I dogged the SISK (that's an acronym for Swedish setter association) stall and got to kiss many children and adults, managed to steal a few of the specially designed setter gingerbreads in our Christmas tree (thank you Anna, they were delicious). I met a couple of vey handsome setters, and like Arthur in particular. He's a show dog which means he's bigger and much darker in color and has lovely long fur, but knows little about finding and setting birds. But he's smart and I will teach him, I'll persuade my human to visit with his family, and then we'll go bird hunting, oh yeah...

Met Signe (in case you haven't caught on, she's the queen of my heart) on Christmas Eve and both of us were very well-behaved whiled our humans ate their food. Our reward was a sampling of everything, including Christmas ham (my human is rarely this generous, she eats the special food and leaves me with DOGCHOW).

But that's ungenerous of me, because on Christmas day I was served turkey with stuffing, so I decided that from this day on I am a TURKEY DOG.

Hunting dog

Gotta tell you about my magical weekend. Yesterday, when my human listened to scholars talking about wolves I wa staken on an outing by Amy, from Hundbiten. A blast!
She took me to a place I've never been to before, Dod island, and would you believe that I ran into old friends. Karsten's three setters, Avanza and her mum and grandma. What I love the most is to run with other setters, preferably from field lines. My human promised me a half brother when Avanza's sister Aioli had pups with my dad Peik av Miessevàrri, but instead my half-brother Laddie, short for Bruichladdich, moved in with Olle in Uppsala. Humans are fickle, so I'm not on best terms with mine.

But Amy knows how to keep a setter happy, lots of running, playing with buddies and then a tasty marrow bone. Mmmmmmmmmm! Thank you Amy,

Today we drove to Långtora to support our team at the annual field trial for bird dogs, consisting of pointers, Irish and English setters competing against the Continental team of Vorsteh and Bretons. Guess who won. The British team, of course, mainly because our Foxy was brilliant today (well-deserved, so good on ya Foxy!). But my human seemed very taken with Lisa, 12-week old Gordon setter puppy, who turned out to be a little pest. Nipped at my heels and tail yet everyone found her adorable. Maybe not a bad thing that Laddie has his own family...

And now I'll be hunting for ten long days...

Walking grandmother dog

My human is working most of the time which means less walks. But that's Ok since she takes me running in the woods once a day. I love running together, and mostly she lets me set the pace and the route. I follow various scents and have time for lots of cross searches to give her a chance to keep up. Can't be much fun to have only two legs, and her nose being so high up, missing all these lovely trails. If I had magic I would turn her into a dog, if only for a day. She would make a fine golden retriever I believe.

Yesterday grandma joined us for our run, well, more like a walk as she is getting on in years.  She needs a stick to keep her balance, but having her along is always a treat as it means breaks with hot cocoa and cheese sandwiches which she generously shares with me. Grandma's cheese sandwiches are best - with lots of cheddar. She loves my trick - I back off instead of begging, and reward by way of an extra piece of food is guaranteed.My human has seen through me by now, but she keeps this close to her heart, smiles sweetly and produces an extra sandwich for em to feast on. Mmmmmmmmm.

Bird loving dog

Vi har kommit hem från våra arbeten, matte från SU och jag från dagiset där jag jobbar hårt med att hålla ordning på alla. Idag var jag speciellt duktig, så jag måste få berätta. En av fåglarna som finns där för att sjunga för oss, en liten undulat, smet från kloklippningen och hamnade efter en liten flygtur i mitt rum. Stor kalabalik! Mina kompisar ville fånga henne (jag tror det var en fågeltjej) och hon flaxar vilt omkring, ovan vid så mycket uppmärksamhet, ALLA skäller, mest Sara och Ami, och när de väl öppnat dörren blir det väldigt tyst - sen hörs en röst "Mingus pussar på undulaten!" Klart jag gör, hon är ju så liten och SÖT och ingen fågelhund skulle ta henne för en fasan. Fast om jag ska vara riktigt ärlig så var det hon som pussade på mig först...

Matte har väldigt kul åt historien, så kul att hon har glömt mitt namn, för hela kvällen har hon kallat mig "Ferdinand."

Autumn dog

I dessa hösttider är mina tankar upp i det blå. Matte forskar, vilket betyder att vi inte har tid att träna på Långtora. Hon har dåligt samvete och tror att hon kan lura mig genom att ta mig på promenader i skogen. Hon fattar inte - jag är en stående fågelhund och behöver öppna ytor för att sträcka ut i full galopp. Så nu drömmer jag om jakten, i sömnen och på dagarna, med huvudet högt och med fasanvittring i nosen och tankarna. Hoppas matte skriver klart snart, om det tar mycket längre är risken stor att boken bara försvinner. Ni vet, 'the dog ate my homework.'