Archive for the ‘photos’ Category

Dogs kept as pets do work. Don’t think we do? I’m on security duty 24/7. That’s a sweet assignment because a dog can sleep on the job and not get in trouble.

Outside the house even pet dogs on squirrel patrol are doing their job.

Dogs can sleep with one eye open and hear intruders to sound the alarm by barking to scare them away.

I do a low “grrrrr” sound if I suspect something wrong, and then bark like a big dog to wake up my parents as a backup plan.

The photo here is me, Corky the shelter dog, as taken a few days ago with me looking up at a treed gray squirrel and sniffing his tiny little squirrel tracks.

Personally, I’m trained to “leave it” if told to ignore everything from trash, glass, or cigarette butts to cats, dogs, birds, or squirrels. Playing off leash I once allowed a squirrel to pass across a large open space of the park where I was playing fetch because Dad said “Leave it.”

Dog training is not always easy to obey.

Squirrels are less trouble in trees, so any of them found frolicking on the ground will be promptly chased up a tree by most dogs. To chase or not to chase is a tough decision for dogs on squirrel patrol.

The portrait photo here is me, Corky the shelter dog, on a visit last week to Mills Slough Dog Park in Kissimmee, Florida.

The dog park is an enclosed area within the larger human park. The photo is in the human park before going in to play in the dog park section.

The tree shown fell over a bajillion years ago, so there’s roots above ground and hollow places for dogs to explore and have fun. As you can see, the roots are BIG and have bark just like branches above ground.

Why am I off leash in the human part of the park? Mostly because I behave and listen to commands like “leave it”. I do “leave it” for squirrels, cats, dogs, people, trash, glass, cigarette butts, and just about anything if Dad says so.

Children could learn from that lesson. With privilege comes responsibility. Be good and you get cool privileges like playing off leash inside (and outside) places similar to Mills Slough Dog Park.

Stay tuned. I have video footage of me climbing that tree to be released soon. The photo here will be the still shot intro at the beginning as voted on by my pals on Twitter.

If you didn’t know already, pets DO celebrate holidays! This 2011 Valentine card for me, Corky, arrived Saturday in the mail.

Today is Valentine’s Day and the photo here shows me, Corky the shelter dog, reading a card from my cutie patootie puppy pal @Niqqi on Twitter. She lives in Illinois which is far far away from Florida, so the mailman brought me the card. Inside it reads:

Dear Corky,

Wishing you the pinkest Valentine’s Day ever!

Fluffs,

Niqqi – 2011

The photo features a closeup of the Valentine’s card (center), and then me looking up (left) while holding the card, and then me looking down (right) and reading the card.

Thank you! Thank you, Niqqi!

Today was another spoiled day in the life with Corky the shelter dog story as I got this stuffed toy owl from the flea market. For those from another state or planet, a flea market is NOT a place to get fleas, and besides that doggies should never have to buy them.

In some places a flea market is called a swap meet where people sell new or used stuff for a bargain. I didn’t see anyone swap stuff so why swap meet and I didn’t see any fleas, so why flea market? Humans are confusing!

Whatever you call it, Mom and Dad took me to the Orange County Fairgrounds Flea Market because they allow dogs. Last time we went I barked at half the people I met and some were scared. They don’t know the difference between a friendly bark and a you’re-gonna-get-bit bark. I only have a friendly bark (*Psst – look for the wagging tail as a sign of a friendly bark).

Anyway, the stuffed toy owl shown here was brand spanking new and made like the raccoon stuffed animal I got for Christmas. It’s lasted for months and months without a squeakerectomy, so the parents thought the owl was a good idea! Guess what. It wasn’t for sale.

Today I didn’t bark at half the people I met – maybe 1 in 10, and not at the man selling the owl toy. He LOVED doggies and thought I was extra extra cute and said “For Corky, it’s free!” He even gave me water and ice from his ice chest for a cool treat.

There you have it pals. If going to the flea market don’t worry about fleas. Next, always be friendly and extra cute and you might get free toys, too!

The residents of Winter Park should consider electing Steve Leary and Sarah Sprinkel to the city commission on March 8th for their public stand on Fleet Peeples Dog Park support.

The photo shown and taken earlier today is me, Corky the shelter dog, posing on a tree stump while exploring the wooded area of the park. Why do I endorse these candidates?

The city of Winter Park in Florida is home to Fleet Peeples Dog Park on Lake Baldwin, and last fall the city imposed a fee per dog to use the park effective January 1, 2011.

For now collecting the fee at the park is in limbo because the machine intended to collect the fee and issue a receipt has not been installed. Mr. Leary and Ms. Sprinkel are in favor of repealing the fee.

Quoting Mr. Leary from his website in reference to the park fee he states “The fees collected will not come close to equaling the expense required to enforce the fees. Only in government can you make such a fiscally, lopsided decision”.

Visitors to my website, my 3,200+ friends on Twitter, and fans of my blog and YouTube videos are encouraged to tweet their support for these candidates. Help me help them protect my most favorite place in the universe!

Visit their individual websites to learn more at Elect Steve Leary for Winter Park City Commission Seat #1 and Elect Sarah Sprinkel for Winter Park City Commission Seat #2 on March 8, 2011.

UPDATE 9 March 2011: Both candidates I endorsed won yesterday! Congratulations to Sarah Sprinkel and Steve Leary. With their support the repeal of the dog park fee at Fleet Peeples is one step closer to success! Puppy power may have helped!

FINAL UPDATE: Success! The access fee was repealed on a 3-2 vote by Ms Sprinkel and Mr Leary plus mayor Ken Bradley as reported in this article repeal announced in the Orlando Sentinel.

Here I am, Corky the shelter dog, being a lazy boy on my La-Z-Boy recliner and watching television in one of several versions of this photograph. The blue background is a Snuggie™ blankie just in time for cooler Florida weather. That and the chair are MINE but I let Mom think she owns both!

The cropped version of the photo displayed here shows me reading the TV Guide and smoking a pipe while sitting in Mom’s chair! That’s digital trickery because 1) I am too young to smoke and 2) won’t smoke when I get older either! You can see the uncropped version of this trick photo of Corky on Twitpic or look at the original untouched photo on Flickr without the pipe or TV Guide.

Check out enlarged views of the TwitPic and Flickr versions for 1200px wide wallpaper to download, too!

Previously I wrote about 13 baby Muscovy ducklings born in late July and living on the canal near our home in Kissimmee, Florida, plus I published some updates of how they developed. In the course of nature the number of survivors dwindled down to 4 of the last 5 shown here. The 4 ducklings are now young adults and capable of flying away, so for this group this is the last chapter in my baby duck story.

While losing any of my little feathered friends is sad, this is the first group in several years to have at least some of the ducklings survive to become adults. The Mom (center) with her back to the camera and 2 of her ducklings flew away and live somewhere else. Poppa duck (far back) and 2 male ducklings have stayed on at the canal.

4 baby ducks have made it. Since my previous report a 6th duck was killed and eaten by a bald eagle. I know because Dad and I saw the eagle having breakfast one morning on the grass at the edge of the canal while going for a walk. **it Happens. The 5th of the young adult ducks shown here was killed in traffic when flying too low across a divided highway. I expect there will be another brood next Spring, so stay tuned for future baby duck news.

While at Fleet Peeples Dog Park near Orlando yesterday Corky the shelter dog had the opportunity to show off how he learned fireman rescue techniques. On the beach and not far from the edge of the lake other dogs had dug a deep pit in the wet sand.

While play wrestling with another puppy, Corky decided to show what he calls the Corky fireman rescue demonstration. In the photograph you can see how he climbs out of the sand pit while carrying a doggy actor who is pretending to be injured.

The same method of rescue could be used in a house fire, drowning rescue, mountain rescue, and maybe even situations like Timmy fell down the well! Take a closer look and you may notice that Corky stopped to smile for the camera to show he is super strong and has no problem carrying a doggy pal to safety.

This gives a whole new meaning to doggy rescue!

Earlier this afternoon when it was time to review Twitter new followers and tweets I checked in and won on Twitter! Yes, pals, talk about great timing.

My brand happens to be Nutro dog food (and Greenies), so I follow their reps and Natalie was doing a contest for the fastest answer to a product question. The photo here shows what I won including a NEW flavor of Nutro for small breeds.

Special thanks to Natalie at Nutro aka @NatalieatNutro on Twitter for such great timing, and Dad for being a fast typist! If you’re not already, follow Natalie plus ReneeatNutro and EdnaatNutro who are the other Nutro reps on Twitter (*pssst – all 3 are giving away daily prize packages this week).

I’m so excited I’ll be sitting at the window looking for the mailman every day, and promise I won’t scare or bite him!!

Footnote: Photo credit: Twitpic – would not load properly, so a copy was placed on this site rather than leave a BIG blank space there.

What started out as a shopping trip for a jingle bell for training me ended up as a cowbell and puppy training lesson for humans. The photo below shows me, Corky the shelter dog, and a cowbell that hangs by the back door that I ring to let my parents know I want to go for a walk.

When looking for a jingle bell to hang on a ribbon, Mom got excited seeing the cowbell and decided on that instead. Dad hung it nose high using a piece of old nylon leash. Here’s how the training began. Each time we left for walkies they’d ring the bell on the way out. Eventually I caught on, and would ring the bell with my snout to signal I wanted out.

Guess what? They’d come running to take me for a walk! The next lesson was teaching them that I wanted out 5-6 times a day! Weak bladder? No. Mom complained that we walked and walked but I would never pee, and said the bell idea wasn’t working. Dad chimed in and said the training works just fine! Corky rings the bell when he wants to go out, not when he needs to go out.

Keep an eye on Corky. He may want driving lessons next!