Once every two months...

...that's not bad, right?  These days that seems like about all the humans (read: Marshall's web team) can manage.  All in all, life has settled into a nice routine for those of us here on Rockwood Lane, but its not all boring...

Today's entry is inspired by our recent stop at Springfest, an annual event in the Austin area that often includes a booth manned by the dedicated volunteers of Hound Rescue.  It was at this event last year that Denise first mentioned to the humans that Marshall was going to be available for adoption soon.  Like last year, Uno (2008 Best in Show at Westminster), was out to support his fellow hounds.  But this year Marshall was able to attend, and even got a few pictures with Uno.

You'll notice that Marshall has no problem crashing this little girl's picture with Uno:

Besides hanging with celebrities, Marshall has been taking advantage of his backyard this spring.  Yes, his backyard.  That's the space behind his house.  And that is the building that contains his bedroom, his living room, his kitchen, etc.  Anyway, back to the story.  In one two hour span a few weekends back, Marshall "played with" a baby bird that had fallen from its nest *and* cornered a baby squirrel that seems to have wondered into the yard after falling from the fence.  As you might expect, neither the bird's parents nor the squirrel's parents were particularly fond of Marshall.  So Lori sent Jimmy out to deal with both situations.  The first required holding Marshall back while the baby bird hopped to the back fence, and the second required gently guiding the squirrel out of Marshall's range, again through the back fence.

Marshall is also keen to try as many dog friendly restaurants in the Austin area as he can before it gets too hot on their decks, sidewalk and picnic tables.  Taco Deli is a new favorite.  On the opposite side, Central Market has gone on Marshall's "Two Paws Down" list for their rude signs about not letting pets on their decks for sanitary reasons.  Please.  Let's talk about those walking germ factories (aka kids) that are swarming the place and ramming people in their strollers.  Marshall snuck (or sneaked, according to Oxford's dictionary) onto the deck anyway and was only approached by two families while the humans ate a quick lunch.  Both families wanted to let their kids pet the cute, and sanitary, Marshall.  Take that, you fancy HEB.

Other big news on Rockwood Lane includes the recent painting project and Lori's graduation from the LBJ School of Public Affairs (don't pass up this link) next month.  Lori's parents are even going to fly in from Hawaii for the festivities.  Marshall is getting very excited.  In just a few short weeks there will be no more evenings devoted to group projects or reading chapters in the office.  Marshall will get 100% of Lori's attention.

The Humans Are Such Slackers...

Marshall is appalled at the poor performance of his web team recently.  Its been two full months since they last updated his blog.  Can you believe those slackers?  So much has happened...

First, the weather.  Crazy times here in Austin.  Two snow storms already this year.  Marshall got to play in the snow in Denton at Christmas but there have been two additional opportunities right in his own back yard.  While he still isn't too fond of his winter coat (required by Lori for all walks when the temperature is below 40 degrees) he is getting more used to it, and is even trying his hand at attacking snowballs, a trick taught to him by his Houston cousins.

Don't get too worried for him though, there have also been plenty of warm days already.  That means Lori is spending time out in the backyard with Marshall while she reads for her classes on the weekend.

 

Another sure sign that the weather is changing is that Jimmy took the cover off the patio table and unpacked the swing's cushions and the hammock that were stored under the table's cover.  Funny thing about that, it also solved the mystery of why we didn't have any squirrel nests in our tree this year.  We have seen several every year until this one.  Well, turns out they made their nest in the hammock this year, so when Jimmy unpacked it he found three tiny babies crying out for their parents.  Less than 30 seconds later Jimmy was inside the house trying to keep Marshall out of this particular episode of Mutual of Omaha presents while one of the parents turned up to take the babies to an undisclosed location in the yard next door.  Where was Lori?  In the back office searching Google to find out how many babies were likely to be there.  Google was right, squirrels average 2 to 4 babies at a time, and ours had 3.

 

Better weather also means more trips to Lady Bird Lake to visit with the other dogs, if Marshall is good.  Of course, with the Olympics on there have also been plenty of opportunities to kick back on the couch and watch Bob Costas make a fool out of himself, and to sleep through the performances that make our country so proud.  Marshall thinks Apolo got cheated in the 500, by the way.

Marshall also got to spend a full week at his private retreat / boarding kennel (Stay N Play Pet Ranch) earlier this month, because Lori and Jimmy flew to Tulum, Mexico to help with Lori's friend Melanie's wedding.  Marshall passed his time with special play sessions and long walks in the woods near his kennel.

And finally, the really big news around here:  Marshall turned 2 years old on February 22, 2010.  We celebrated with a small gathering (just Marshall and the humans) and a dog bone cake from a local dog bakery.  It was banana flavored and Marshall ate from it all week. 

 

 

I think that does it for now.  Thanks for reading.

2010...another year of the Beagle

Let's be honest, isn't every year the year of your dog...or cat / kid if you aren't lucky enough to have a dog?  Marshall has a bit of a cold these days so he's keeping warm inside, passing time by writing on his blog and patrolling Rockwood Lane.  But he has some good stories to tell about Christmas...

Since he will be two years old in February this wasn't Marshall's first Christmas but it was his first with this set of humans.  He was less than impressed with the gift wrapping routine.

As we got closer to the holiday though, Marshall did seem to get excited on the road trip to Denton.  He went up a few days early with Jimmy and then helped spot Lori's plane at DFW when she flew up a few days later.  But enough about the two leggers, Denton means fun with cousin dogs.  There was just one problem...

 

Nope, not the dog door: Marshall mastered that on his first visit to Denton last summer.  So what could be keeping him inside?  What could prevent the beagle from being the master of all he surveyed...   SNOW!!!

 

It took Marshall a few days to warm up (don't be a critic, he's only 22 months old) to the white stuff covering the lawn.  Luckily, Aunt Carolyn's pack didn't seem to mind and in particular D.D. Max convinced Marshall playing in the snow could be fun.  Max even developed a great talent for catching snowballs ("No Balls," according to the prouncement of Cousin John) in mid-air.

 

 

Back inside, Marshall participated as best he could in the gift giving and recieving.  He got gifts all the way from Hawaii in fact!!  

 

Just because it was a holiday penguin doesn't mean it wasn't a threat in Marshall's eyes, and so yes, this poor little stuffed animal did not last more than a few minutes.

 

 

All that family time can really take it out of you, whether human or beagle.  So Marshall and Jimmy had to take a quick power nap upstairs before returning to deal with the other cousins on the final day of the Christmas vacation.

 

A Very Beagle Christmas

The calendar has just turned to December but its already starting to feel pretty cold around Austin these days.  We all survived Winter Storm 2009 (that's what the local TV stations called the two snow flakes that landed in our county, in order to increase their ratings) but it is getting harder and harder to get Marshall to go out for his morning "business."  With the temperature below 40 some mornings I guess he can't be blamed.  Here's a nice shot of Marshall, still trying to understand why the leaves are falling so much these days.  His best guess: this is the snow they were talking about on TV.

Before the humans could get some holiday shopping in this weekend, Marshall had to be taken to his first Christmas gathering of the Austin Beagle Brigade (this is a Facebook page).  For those of you that have not ever attended, its mostly like the regular monthly meeting except there are group pictures and...gifts!  Let's start with the group picture.  That's Lori with Marshall standing in the center.

 We're still learning the names of his new friends but a couple definitely stood out this weekend.  First, please note this well dressed beagle, sporting the latest in winter fashion for the furry set.
 

And in this picture there are two good friends.  Hazel is the beagle on the left.  She is a bit older than some of the others and defended Marshall from some rough (but all in fun) play the others were having.  When Marshall rolled onto his back to go completely submissive, Hazel jumped in and literally stood over him to keep the others away.  I wonder if she is related to this Hazel, who also helped young ones in trouble.  On the right is Polo who like Marshall is also a veteran of Hound Rescue.

 

OK, now on to the really important part, according to Marshall...  So, all the toys are put out on the ground...  (please note that Marshall wrapped the one center right that has feet sticking out of the end)

...then each beagle is called up when its their turn to claim a gift however they choose: some did it with a sniff, some with a paw, and some with another form of marking.  Here's a shot of Marshall patiently but intently waiting his turn.

And when his turn came he claimed a wrapped reindeer stuffed animal.  He clawed open the wrapping with a little help from Jimmy and entertained the group with his chomper skills.

But as you know, Marshall is still young.  He doesn't understand that if you have a toy at the dog park its fair game for everyone.  He has mastered the art of retrieving and is getting pretty good at bringing it back to the humans.  However, he kept leaving it unattended as well and that left many opportunities for others to play with Mr. Reindeer.  He's a shot of Marshall hoping it will again be his turn with the new toy soon.

Country Dog

As I type, Marshall is laying on his favorite couch, with only enough energy left to half open one eye when he hears "major" noises around the house (an exterior door open, for example).  What has caused this condition you might wonder?  Thanksgiving with family.

First, we packed up Marshall's weekend bag and headed to Denton to meet the new cousin dog, Peaches.  She is a rescue from the pet shelter in Granbury, Texas.  Peaches might look like an innocent Shih Tzu but its pretty clear she likes to run the house (and family) her way.  Marshall got along with her just fine though, and they enjoyed several walks around the neighborhood and even a few good games of tug.

Here's a shot of the two of them together, recovering from an evening of bone chewing, stuffed animal killing, and general play time.

 

Next up was the annual Charney family gathering at "the land" on the Saturday following Thanksgiving.  Yeah, Marshall says there is no need to dwell on the A&M / Texas game from Thursday.  Move on, he sure has.

The land holds a variety of challenges for a beagle, mostly the incredible smells coming at you from all sides.  Cows, armadillos, oppossums (look it up, I did), wild turkey, deer, cow sh%t, etc.  Plus all the sights...  This year, the dog pack that assembled for Thanksgiving totalled 6 which meant there was lots of running, barking, howling, sniffing, and general chaos.  Here's some shots of Marshall patrolling the front 100 (acres).

 

 

 

 

 

After all the running and patrolling, Marshall needed a rest.  Here he is under the dining room table with his dog cousin Samanatha, of the Houston Charney pack.

 

 

And then here is one final shot, of a clearly exhausted (but happy) beagle boy.

 

 

So many events...

As Lori says, "its their season."  Now that its cooled off consistently every day is a great day to be a beagle here in Austin, Texas.  We'll get to the organized events in a minute but let's start with the really fun stuff first: the everyday adventure that is being a 1 and 1/2 year old beagle.

Nope, he does not like water.  Marshall will not join the others dogs at Town Lake when they are playing in the water.  He doesn't even like to get close to the wet dogs.  However, put a human in a shower and he is a regular water lover.  Let's clarify, first, this is an activity shared between Lori and Marshall; Jimmy showers in private.  As you can see below Lori is more open to a viewing audience:  

Essentially, the game is collect some water from the shower head and let Marshall lick it from your hand.  Odd, yes, but its part of their quality time.  Another of their favorite activities is morning-time hide and go seek.  Here's a shot of Marshall not quite getting all the way under the bed.

 

 Next we have a collection of "too cute for words" shots.  Hope you enjoy.

We don't want you to get the wrong impression about Marshall though, because he does help Lori study as well.  These days they are spending more time in the yard while she reads about health care financing.  Dude, its so boring even the bugs don't come around.

Other activities haven't really changed much recently.  For example, meet Marshall's latest toy / victim, Mr. Shark.  This is the result of about two minutes of effort.  Poor bastard, never knew what he was up against.

Now for the recent organized events.  First, Marshall went to the Austin Dog Fair to support his friend Gypsy.  She was attempting to defend her title as "Austin's Trickiest Dog."  Marshall doesn't like to point paws but let's just say the judges seemed very chummy with Einstein, the so-called winner this year.  Gypsy had some trouble with the first part of her trick routine but ended with a very story Twirl.  She was awarded 3rd place, and that was without even attempting the rarely seen "Pick the Circle out from the Other Shapes" trick.  Sadly, neither Gypsy nor Marshall won the "Fastest Dog" contest either.  Again, no paw pointing but it doesn't seem totally fair to Marshall that a greyhound, entered by one of the event organizers, should have been allowed to compete.  Anyway, here is a photo of Gypsy competing in her second round elimination run.

This week Marshall attended Dogtoberfest at The Domain.  This event was added to his schedule at the suggestion of Linda, a friend that works hard for the local Westie Rescue.  She even gave Marshall a free bandanna with his favorite college sports team on it.  He had a great time at the event, and was even mistaken by one person as the world famous Uno!  Below are two pictures from the festival.  First, a friendly dachshund that was about to enter the costume contest with her pal.  She was a shark and he was Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean.  And the final photo of this blog entry is Marshall sporting his new bandanna.  Word on the street is his support is what put A&M over the top against Tech.  Gig'em.

How Weird is Austin?

Well, how many cities have stuff like this?

Actually, both the art work (left) and the sign (right) are part of a serious effort by the city to reduce the bacteria, etc. that get into area lakes and creeks by asking folks to "Scoop the Poop." Marshall endorses this campaign, although he believes beagles are being unfairly blamed (by association) given the shape of the mascot, Eco.

OK, so that turned out to be public "art" with a purpose, but how about this? Its only temporary art, and its technically from an artist in Houston, but come on, its where Smurfs live.

Marshall does enjoy living in Austin, nonetheless. Here's a nice shot of him with Lori on the Lamar Street pedestrian / dogs (no cats, please) bridge. A few minutes later, Marshall met another beagle that had been rescued by Hound Rescue. What a small world.

Three more pictures this week, just for fun. First, a pissed off beagle that can't play in his yard because its still raining. Next up, a tired beagle lounging on the couch. Finally, a lazy beagle that can't decide if he should take a nap under the tree, or keep investigating where the squirrels went when they disappeared from the grass and seemed to run up the side of the tree.

The Rains Have Come

Anyone in the central Texas region knows that we are in the third year of drought here, the worst in about 50 years. So when it started raining earlier this week and continued for several days it was big news. Everyone was excited. Well, not everyone:
True, rainy days do mean more couch time. But they also mean little beagles that don't like to get their feet wet can't play outside (and burn off their extra energy) as much as they want. Before we get to that though, let's linger a bit on the really cute inside stuff.

This pose on the office couch is known around Rockwood Lane as "on patrol." We live half a block from Pillow Elementary School and more importantly, a stop sign. That means any cars that accidentally happen to invade Marshall's territory can be properly inspected from this, his viewing station. Numerous calls have been made to Austin's 3-1-1 to report suspicious activities but so far, none to the Governor's border enforcement teams.

Even rains can't keep a young beagle from his walks though. Jimmy tried to take Marshall out yesterday morning while it was still drizzling but that outing only lasted around our block. Turns out, the rains were watching and just after Marshall set out it started to really pour. Later in the day, both humans trekked out with Marshall. We got to the farthest point in our neighborhood from Rockwood Lane and noticed a small dog standing in the middle of the street. His name was Ricky and he belonged to a nice gentleman that was cleaning out his garage and had not noticed the escape. Several neighbors saw us trying to find Ricky's place in the world and so we stopped for a few moments of conversation. That was apparently just enough time to allow the rains to find us, and Bam! we were soaked.

This morning's walk was rain free but Marshall did have to avoid some of the aftermath on his walk around the 'hood. Here are his tips for walking after the rains come: walk right through the middle of the pool of water, head directly for the mud, and be proud of your paw prints!

Finally, and without commenting on his political beliefs or his view of the national debate on health reform, Marshall would like to present his personal homage to the memory of Sen. Edward Kennedy. True, that's Robert Kennedy standing in the window of the oval office, and this is Marshall sitting in the doorway of our storage shed, but he felt the lighting was enough of an artistic link to draw the two pictures together. If you don't like it, please remember he's just a beagle and is working with limited resources here.