Beowulf

You are correct. Beowulf is not a Swissy. He is a basset hound, and I’ve had him since December of 1996. He was a Christmas present from hubby, and he’s the first animal that I’ve had from puppy on up.

He’s a good boy. He’s getting old, though. He doesn’t do tricks or anything. He’s my dog, and he knows it.

Happy Anniversary? Birthday?

Friday, September 2nd, 2011 | Alex, Beowulf, Dogs, Gryffindor, Indigo, Ozzy

Or maybe it’s Happy Blogiversary?

Either way, Indy, Ozzy and I (plus Alex, Gryffin and Beowulf) have been doing this for three whole years. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading, as I have definitely enjoyed writing.

To celebrate, we’re doing a giveaway. It’s not the same as the past two years – it will not be based on comments. I haven’t been blogging enough to do that, methinks, and I want it to be different. So, we’re doing a trivia contest! Which means one lucky person will receive some gifts from Indy and Ozzy!

I’ll bet you’re wondering what gifts Indy and Ozzy could possible give you that aren’t bio hazards, right? But never fear, I monitored their online shopping, and I think we’re good. The winner will receive a couple of things, but some are not determined yet. I will wait to see the size of the winner’s dog so they don’t end up with something bigger than their dog. Suffice it to say that those prizes will be Indy’s and Ozzy’s “favorite things”. (Ozzy is a HUGE Oprah fan…)

The one prize I know for sure is a Mountain Smith K-9 Cube, valued at $60.

It’s quite neat. It includes:

Drop down food tray
Collapsible water bowl with PEVA waterproof liner
Collapsible food bowl with cinch cord
Removable PEVA lined Food container for overnight stays
Removable interior divider
Unique top pocket access to plastic baggies
Two side mesh pockets for tennis ball carry
Soft sided Frisbee

Hmm, maybe I should keep it for myself. But the dogs really want one of YOU to get it, so I guess not.

So, on to that trivia contest thing. Here are your questions.

Why are we called “Swiss Lick” Swissies?
What particularly gross thing of Indy’s did Gryffin eat? (Yes, it made him sick.)
Who won our first anniversary giveaway? What did they win?
Who was visiting on Indy’s second birthday?
Name one thing I learned from Gryffin?
What did Beowulf receive for the Christmas of 2010?
Where did Ozzy take his “Puppy 2″ class?
What did the 2010 anniversary contest winners receive?
Name one thing I wish breeders did with puppies before they go to their new homes.
When did Indy get fixed?

Submit your answers to me via email at contests@swisslickswissies.com. All entries must be received by 10am central time on Wednesday, September 7th. In there is a tie, the winner will be chosen at random from the group of those with the same number of correct entries. All the answers can be found in blog posts over the past 3 years.

Good luck, and thanks for reading!

Wordless Wednesday

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011 | Beowulf

Storms

Thursday, June 9th, 2011 | Beowulf

It’s interesting how things change over time. Some things for the good, some things not.

My coworker and I were having a discussion this morning about how his dog is storm phobic. I said (in jest, of course) that I would bring the remained of Beowulf’s tranquilizers in for him to give to his dog. That would be wrong, of course, but he still laughed, which is good as he was very low on sleep this morning and attempting to find a way to get the coffee directly into his veins.

Then it hit me. We had really bad storms last night. Lots of rain, lightning, and rumbling, house-shaking thunder. And nobody woke me up.

It’s weird. If this storm had hit last year, either Dan or myself would have been up for the better part of the night with Beowulf, unless we were lucky/smart enough to get him all doped up ahead of time.

I do miss Beowulf. But it is really nice not having storm phobic dogs.

Rest In Peace, Dear Beowulf

Thursday, January 6th, 2011 | Beowulf

Today is a very sad day in my house. Beowulf, who turned 14 in October, went to the Bridge.

Beowulf was my first dog. He was a pet store dog (I know, I’m sorry) that Dan purchased for our first Christmas together in 1996. I’m not sure if I ever told Dan this, but I was annoyed at first. I wanted a rescue dog or a Beagle like Alex – but certainly not a Basset Hound! Dan had picked me up from the train one day before Christmas, and there was a wiggly box on the seat. That box held what would capture my heart and soul in about 2 seconds flat – a 3.5 month old Basset Puppy who was capable of tripping over his own ears.

Beowulf has been my rock over the years. He wasn’t quite the mother figure that Alex was (obviously – he was a boy), but he stayed by my side through good times and bad. Usually grunting to get me to rub him. Which I did. When I lost my father years ago, Beowulf curled up with me on the couch while I cried working hard to console me with love.

He survived Alex and even Gryffin – something I never thought would happen. He trained three Swissy puppies for us! (Thankfully, they didn’t pay attention to him for house training.) He’s been steadily declining over the past couple of months. We had a talk a few weeks ago – I told him it was ok if he was ready to go meet Gryffin at the Bridge. I thought we were going to lose him a week ago, but he held on. But he had a seizure tonight, and it was time. I am glad I was able to get him into our normal vet immediately instead of going to the animal hospital. I called, told them who I was, and they said to come right away.

Beowulf is now at peace. At least until he finds Gryffin and Alex and they start tearing the place apart.

I’ll miss you, Beowulf.

It was a Very Merry Swissmas!

Thursday, December 30th, 2010 | Beowulf, Dogs, Indigo, Ozzy

I know we’re running a little behind here, but the dogs did have a nice Swissmas this year. Even the Basset.

Beowulf got his new bed a week or two ago because it was too big to keep lying around without actually letting him use it. Oddly enough, the other two seem to use it just as much. Ok, it’s not odd. I did get it in the Swissy size so everyone could sleep on it. I think I even caught Dan there once.

They each received a nice toy on Swissmas morning – of course, Beowulf has no use for his other than taunting.

See?

Here’s the one and only squeaky toy.

I thought rope toys would be fun. Side note – I ordered the “large” toys. I feel like they sent me the “small” size toy. If not, they don’t understand what large really is.