Rob's Blog

Tanzania Safari

This January, we went on a Safari in Tanzania, with the Oberlin Alumni Group. It was an incredible experience. We saw just about every animal imaginable - lions, giraffes, cheetahs, a leopard who we saw kill a baby antelope, warthogs, hippos, rhinos, zebras and wildebeast. I recommend the trip as a definite entry on the "bucket list." I'd previously gone on a safari in Kenya, but I think I saw more animals on this trip which took place during the "Great Migration" in the Serengeti as animals follow the seasons towards Kenya. Another great location was the Ngorongoro Crater.

 

Snow Dogs in Montclair

Wow, what a storm. Easily 18-inches. And no snowblower! Thank God for shovels, sons and good neighbors. Well, the dogs seemed to enjoy it, at least one of them.  

Rosie's first birthday party!

Rosie just had her first birthday last week. She's a wonderful, happy and healthy Portuguese Water Dog and loves retrieving, playing with her big sister, Beauty, and vocalizing. Having 2 dogs is great.

ROSIE

 

BEAUTY

 

I've got a bone to pick with you....

Our new puppy, Rosie, and dog, Beauty, spar over a chew stick.

New Puppies

Alright, let me make one thing perfectly clear. We decided to get a Portuguese Water Dog puppy, BEFORE the Obama's. And we're not going to name it either Barack or Michele. We recently lost our 16 year-old Wheaten Terrier, and although Casey can't be replaced, we wanted another dog to keep our Boxer-Great Dane-Hound(?) mix, Beauty, company. It's actually easier in some ways to have two dogs, since they are in fact pack animals, and calm each other down when there are no human "pack leaders" around to play with and steal food from. Anyway, we're trying to get a relatively calm dog, as Beauty is a handful, so temperment is going to play a big part in our, and the breeder's, selection. Here are the pictures of the girls, which we'd prefer. Aren't they Cuuuuuuuuuute?!

           

  

   

Casey Jones 1992 - 2008

We had to put Casey, our Wheaten Terrier who we loved for 16 years, down this week. This is a post from my son, Zach, which says it all.

Casey, my dog of 16 years, passed away yesterday morning. I don't want anybody's sympathy--I know these kinds of notes can be read as a plea for attention, but I don't desire that. I just want to write about what I remember about a dog that has been in my family since I was five years old.

To put it lightly, Casey had a quirky personality. Of all the Wheaten puppies we saw at the breeder in Connecticut, the one with the orange collar stood out to us. While the other puppies were quiet and reserved, Casey was very energetic, kissing us and just had a very strong personality. So it was Casey we chose. I remember the first thing he did (other than taking a shit in the basket we put him in) was he ran around the house and woke my dad up. In the winter time, he would grab our gloves off and throw them in the snow.

The negative side of Casey's personality was his aggressiveness. He was very territorial and did bite on occasions. My grandmother can certainly attest to that (note: never try to take food from a dog). But we still loved him and over the years, he stopped being so aggresive. Even as he reached the age of 13, he was still the same as he was when he was younger, if a bit more lethargic. He also started to lose his hearing. But even at 15, the vets told us he still had a strong heart and was very healthy. But as he progressed later into that age, he started to deterioate. He would wander around the house, unsure of where he was at times. And when he hit 16 this October, it was clear he didn't have much longer. I just hoped I would have been able to see him one more time. I wanted him to hold on for another week, but he had held on long enough.

Dogs are amazing creatures. My mom was telling me that my other dog, Beauty, was very attentive when it came to Casey's well-being. She would wake my mother up at night when Casey was having a seizure. And when she paid attention to casey (which would normally upset Beauty) she just sat there, very subdued. It's clear Beauty knew what was going on. Although I will miss Casey tremendously, I will never forget all the happiness he has bought to our lives.

Why do dogs?.......

Well, it actually doesn't look that appealing. I don't think I would, even if I could. Beauty, looks on, I think, in agreement.

Casey takes a licking

Beauty the Demon Dog.

Home Body

Well, before I go off on another trip (Turin, Italy for the Olympics -- don't be jealous, I'm working!), I thought I'd fondly record the cozy joys of home life -- at least as far as my dog is concerned.

 

 

Doesn't this make you want to take a nice long nap with your favorite stuffed animal?

Casey's walk

Casey Jones taking his constitutional the day after Thanksgiving, at Mills Reservation in Montclair, New Jersey

 

Wheaten Halloween

Soft-coateed Wheaten Terriers are really cute dogs. They're very smart, have lots of personality, and are easily trained. They're also one of the few dogs that are hypo-allergenic. Like poodles. They do have a stubborn streak though, and they're very energetic, so they're somewhat high maintenance canines!