Christmas - Part 1!

JD - Hi everyone - we're sorry we haven't posted for a while....

We NEARLY had a white Christmas! This was our garden a few days before the big day - sadly, ALL the snow had melted by the time 25th December dawned - such a shame!

Max - ....we're afraid our humans have been extremely lazy recently doing things like sleeping and eating and entertaining friends and watching films and reading books and then eating some more!!

Male human gave us a chewy, squeaky Christmas Cracker toy on Christmas eve - we loved it! It had a great rope to chew on running through it - great fun!

JD - We're so sorry we haven't been to visit your blogs for a few days - sheesh - humans eh?!!

JD tries to shake his Christmas hat off - he wasn't really a fan!

Max - Still, we've been having a GREAT time! As the song says - 'we wish it could be Christmas EVERY DAY!!'

JD - Christmas Day was GREAT! We met up with loads of our pals at the park at 7.00 am- there were 8 humans and TWELVE doggies! We had SUCH a fun romp - we rarely manage to get together all at the same time you see!

Max - Well, the humans opened a few bottles of Bucks Fizz as they walked round and had a Christmas drink whilst us doggies played chase and bitey face together and investigated all the great sniffs!

JD - We don't have any photos of this memorable walk unfortunately, as the humans didn't have room for their flashy boxes with them because of the bottles and glasses they were all carrying - he he he! Still, as they said themselves - 'sometimes you have to experience the moment in the flesh (or fur!) instead of behind the lens of a flashy box' - or something like that at any rate!!

Female human came down with flu just before Christmas and was a bit poorly - she's only ever had flu once before and admits she moaned a LOT this time round, he he he! We looked after her by snuggling up on the sofa with her - judging by the goofy look on her face we obviously have healing paws! Hey - note Sparky's great picture on the sofa just behind - we're gonna blog about that soon....!

Max - Christmas has been SO much fun, our paws have barely touched the ground! We were far too young last year to have any idea what was going on - after all, back then we'd only lived with our new humans for a mere 6 days when Christmas Day arrived!

A fun snowman chew-toy from our pals Neo, Ellie and Stig!

JD - But this year we've enjoyed every second! So we thought we'd publish a few Christmas posts! Today's post is loads of photos of us opening some of our presents - wow, it was FUN! And guess what - today, even MORE parcels and cards turned up, so we'll post about these soon as we haven't had time to open them yet!

Us playing with a fun Snowman chew-toy - thanks Neo, Ellie and Stig, you're the best!

Max - We'd like to thank everyone for your Christmas wishes and Christmas cards and Christmas goodies - they've all meant so much. You're the best pals a couple of schnauzers could have!

Us investigating a huge pile of presents.....wow, some GREAT smells in here.....!

JD - We're very, very happy that we have made such great pals through blogging - we love you all!

Max - "Do you like our special Christmas stockings? Female human was everso excited when she bought us these - he he he!"

JD - "Oooh, another Christmas Stocking? From our mother-in-law you say? Ooh, it smells so good.....!"

JD - "Oh wow - a doggie treat cracker! I love our mother-in-law!"
Max - "I second that JD!!"

Max - "Hmmm, a very interesting looking box here from our pals Harry, Millie and Pretty Pippa! Wonder what's inside.....?"

Max - "Enough with the flashy box humans - open the present already!!"

JD - "Oh wow - a stuffie bone, a stuffie doggie, special treats for walkies and a big box of biscuits! Thank you Harry, Millie and Pretty Pippa - and your human the wonderful 'M', our treat lady of Holland Park!"

JD - "This is so exciting - we got a parcel on Christmas Eve from our pal Cobi who's from Singapore!"
Max - "We weren't allowed to open it until Christmas Day - posing with it and not being able to open it immediately was AGONY!!"

JD - "We finally got to open Cobi's present! Cobi sent us a keepsake box each - it is WONDERFUL!! Thank you SO much Cobi! We also love the salmon treats - super-yummy!"
Max - "Female human loved our keepsake boxes so much she cried a little! We'll make a clay paw-print each and display them with a photo of ourselves - when we've done this we'll blog about it and show you the end result. It's pawsome - we LOVE it! Thank you Cobi!!"

Max - And we hope you've all had as good a Christmas as we have!!

Max - "I love my new stuffie snake from the humans that hisses and also has bells in it - but I DO wish I didn't have to wear this hat.....sigh!"

The Bootie-licious Winners!!

JD - Hello everyone - we hope you're all ready for Christmas!

Max - We were too young to understand what was going on last year, but this year it's different!

JD - There are lots of visitors making a fuss of us (naturally!), there are lots of brightly wrapped parcels with our names on them underneath a tree that's INDOORS (what's all THAT about?!), the house is full of amazing smells and we've been having SO much fun playing in the snow.

JD and Max find hide and seek rather easy in the snow!

Max - AND female human has even gone to the trouble of getting a bright red nose to impersonate Rudolph - we're very impressed!

JD - It's something to do with her having a cold or some such thing - why she went and got herself a cold whilst she's taking time off work is a mystery to us. You'd have thought she'd have waited until she went back to work - humans are so odd sometimes....!

Max - Anyway, the only downside to the season - as far as we can see - is the humans strange compulsion to dress us up in antlers or hats or some such frippery!

Max - "Hey - what's that on your head JD?" JD - "Um, I'm not really sure Max, but every time I wear it female human gives me a biscuit so I thought I'd just go with it....!"

JD - Yes - it is somewhat annoying to say the least!

Max - ANYWAY - we would like to apologise for not getting our paws out and publishing our 'bootie-licous' winners any earlier. We blame the humans really - gadding off AGAIN to party at the O2 last week without a care for us and OUR needs - humph!


JD - But now, without further ado - we can announce the results! However, before we do we would like to thank our great pals Nellie & Calvert, Santa & Minnie and Guinness, Saige and Groucho who have ALL helped us to host this competition.

Max - Because of their generosity of spirit - and wonderful wit! - this competition has been truly international!! As you can see from the four red blobs on the map below, the 'bootie-licious' competition has been brought to you courtesy of England, New York, Novia Scotia and Kuala Lumpur - isn't that wonderful?!

JD and Max - "Wow - we thought the World was bigger somehow.....!"

JD - Thank you to Nellie and Calvert....

Some fine hiney action demonstrated by Nellie and Calvert!

Max - .... and Santa and Minnie....

Some wonderful bootie-sychronisity from Santa and Minnie!

JD - .... and Guinness, Saige and Groucho. You guys are the BEST - we love you!

A perfect three-point bottom figuration from the Wolfies and Groucho!

Max - Here is the photo that 'launched a thousand butt photographs'- well, it was the inspiration behind the competition anyway, he he he!

Work it Groucho, work it!!

JD - We're just pleased we didn't have to vote - ALL the entries were fantastic and ALL were worthy of winning we don't think we could have made our mind up! Thank you SO much to everyone who entered - it has been so much fun hosting it!

Max - So, without further ado, we are proud to hand over to Guinness, Saige and Groucho to announce the winners, as voted for by you, the blogging public....!

CATEGORY ONE - TAIL PLACEMENT

Joint 1st Place between - Fatty from "The Schnauzer Blog"....

Guinness, Saige and Groucho - "Groucho here! Fatty had me at HELLO with this entry! Any dog who can weave a tale with her tail is sure to make all ends meet to secure first prize. Fatty, you have come full circle to win this category! Well done!"
....and - Mango from "Mango's Great Adventures"

Guinness, Saige and Groucho - "Saige here - and tied for first place is my buddy in hugeness... Mango. Looking more like a banana than a Mango The Relentlessly Huge's tail placement is a real wag. He is a 'flat out' winner as he strategically guards future generations. That Mango...discreet, always discreet!"
2nd Place - Lily from "Fold n Unfold"

Guinness, Saige and Groucho - "Groucho again, and it appears little Lily has taken curling lessons from me! Well done, well done...and at a mere 14 weeks old at the time of this photo she is also our youngest contestant. Lily has secured 2nd prize and all 3 of us fell for this little sweetie hook, line and sinker!"

CATEGORY TWO - NIFTY NUBBINS

1st Place -Benny from "Doggy Days"

Guinness, Saige and Groucho - "Guinness here and with paws crossed for the win Benny did not come up short! Hehehe!! What is that Saige? You say you have a sudden craving for some Rump Roast??? Hmmmm....well, no wonder, with a LANDSLIDE win for first place Benny has everyone craving for a little piece of that sweet meat....congrats to Benny - and please pass the salt!"
Joint 2nd Place between - Cobi from . A Dash of Salt & Pepper"....

Guinness, Saige and Groucho - "Groucho again and there is a 3 way split for 2nd place...hey Saige, can I make a butt joke about a split? No? Stop being weird you say? OK, well here we have the adorable Cobi shaking his Salt and Pepper on the boardwalk. This little rascal shakes his derriere for 2nd place...great job Cobi!"
....and - Lily from "Doggy Days"....

Guinness, Saige and Groucho - "...and showing off her better half who could resist these drumsticks? Lily has us all craving our holiday turkey dinner and shares the 2nd place win with this delicious picture! Bravo Lily!"
....and - Oskar from "The Daily Oskar"

Guinness, Saige and Groucho - "Oskar is the final winner for 2nd place, but what we really want to know is who noticed the tail? Look at that face! Do we all agree a cuteness overload warning should be in affect here or what?! Great job cute little guy. You win on both fronts...or should we say ends."

CATEGORY THREE - FLUFFY BUTT

1st Place - Elliot from "Dip-Dip & The Bridge"

Guinness, Saige and Groucho - "Saige here - and moving on to my favorite category, we have the Fluffy Butt contest! And look! Is that the end of a Q-tip? No, It is the end of our first place winner, Elliot! Elliot is also the youngest canine entrant of the entire contest. Who can resist this cottony softness of a bottom! Well done little fella!"
2nd Place - Sasha from "Pupalicious!"

Guinness, Saige and Groucho - "And here we have Sasha with a chimney sweep broom for a tail! Due to the height factor, this is one of my personal favorite entries. And look at that mischievous grin. Sasha is certainly tuned into 2nd place with her built in antenna! "

CATEGORY FOUR - BOTTOMS UP!

Joint 1st Place between - Virus from "The WriggleButts"

Guinness, Saige and Groucho - "Groucho at the keyboard because Saige and Guinness are at a loss for words over this brilliant picture. Why is "You're a Strange Animal" playing in the background? This shot says so many things to me. If you turn your head to the left, you can see a goose neck. Look at it front on and it transforms to a howler monkey of the rainforest! No wonder this fascinating and talented kitty has earned 1st place. Well done Virus!"
....and - Sasha from "Pupalicious!"

Guinness, Saige and Groucho - "Sasha does it again with her high rise! This little 'yummy bummy' is so cute we give it a standing ovation! First place! Way to go Sasha!"
2nd Place - Fatty from The Schnauzer Blog"

Guinness, Saige and Groucho - Guinness: "Peek-a-boo, I see you! No, it is not an elephant trunk...it is Fatty showing off her ASSets! Nothing that cute should ever be hidden...you wag that tail with pride Fatty. Great job on 2nd place!"

CATEGORY FIVE - JUST FOR FUN

1st Place - Ally from "The Schnauzer Blog"
Guinness, Saige and Groucho - Saige:"WOOO! Watch out! Here comes a landslide! No, no...it is Ally and she has won by a landslide! " Guinness: " Wow, first place? What a bargain! Half off - no heads, just tails here!"
2nd Place - Brutus from "Brutus The Frenchie"

Guinness, Saige and Groucho - Guinness: "Way to cover your butt Brutus! You won second place with this adorable picture. Is that what you were looking for? All 3 of us just love that little wiggle wag of yours. Great job buddy!
Guinness - Well that was a great contest. We would like to thank JD and Max for letting us comment on the winners!

Saige - And we think ALL the entries were amazing and creative and thoughtful.

Groucho - But MY butt takes top spot, and I am the one who inspired it all. So none of this would even have been possible without my unique nether region...hello... hello? Saige...? Guinness...? Where are you going...what are you doing with the duct tape....??

JD - He he he!! Aww, thanks guys!

Max - Yes, thanks SO much!

JD - So, can all the 1st and 2nd place winners please e-mail us via the 'contact us' button on the top navigation bit of our blog as we have a modest prize to send to all you for being so bootie-licious!

JD and Max - Happy Christmas everyone - we hope you all have a great time over the next few days!!

It's our anniversary!

JD - Today is a VERY special day! It's our anniversary with our humans!

Max - Yup - it was one year ago today that we agreed to move in with them! This is a photo of us taken on our first day home - look how TINY we were....

JD and Max knew from the off that they enjoyed snuggling on the humans!

JD - ....and this is us now - haven't we grown! Um - female human says please excuse the photo of her as it was taken just before she had a haircut - and just after she had eaten a massive cake too by the looks of it - he he he!!)

JD and Max show off how accomplished they have become at human snuggling!

Max - Our humans tell us that it's the best year they've ever had - well, naturally!

JD - We're looking forward to many more years here, sharing our adventures with all our bloggie pals!

Join in the fun at Pet Pride....

We won, we won!! Plus SNOW!!

JD - Hi everyone! This will be a quick post because we're JUST back from the kennels and female human has to go to work....

Max - ....but we wanted to quickly tell you some exciting news! We're sure you know of Sparky, a super-talented dog who PAINTS!

Sparky poses with his work of art - it's pawsome Sparky!

JD - Not only is Sparky very talented he also has a wonderfully generous nature - he recently auctioned one of his paintings to raise money for a dog shelter for Christmas, isn't that a wonderful idea?!

Max - And guess what - we won the auction - wooo, wooo!

This amazing 'one-off' piece will soon be hanging above our favourite sofa!

JD - Sparky - we're so excited to win and we think your idea to help less fortunate doggies than yourself for Christmas is simply pawsome - go Sparky!

JD - ooh, ooh, what's this white stuff Max?" Max - "Dunno JD, but it's all crunchy under my paws!"

Max - PLUS - as well as all this exciting news, it's also SNOWING!! We've never seen snow before....

Max - "Oh - this is GOOD! I can see cat and paw prints - we can track new pals with ease in this white stuff!"

JD - ....and we LOVE it!! We actually have to be dragged back inside we love it so much, he he he!

JD - "Hmm, crisp, white, tasty and fresh - yes, I like this snow malarkey!"

Max - So, we'll be having loads of fun playing in the snow with male human whilst female human trudges to work - snigger!

Max - "*Sniff! Sniff!* Why yes JD - I believe a pack of mammoths ventured past this spot just minutes earlier!!"

JD - Have a fun day everyone - we're looking forward to visiting all our pal's blogs this weekend to find out what you've all been up to!

JD and Max - "Come on female human - snowball fight!!!"

Out of office!!

JD - Hi all - the humans are off up to that O2 place in London again and this time they're gonna be gone for a couple of days so we're heading off to the kennels again...

JD and Max choose a stuffie to take to the kennels with them!

Max - Woo - woo! Pretty kennel girls - yeah!

JD - Exactly Max - they can't resist our Schnauzer charm! We enjoy the kennels, which our humans are quite relieved about!

Max - So, anyway, this means we're gonna be 'out of office' for a few days. We'll count the votes for our 'bootie-licious' competition on our return and then will hand over to Guinness, Saige and Groucho to announce the winners!!

JD - See you soon everyone!!

Scarlet Puppynickel Alert!!

JD - We interrupt our usual Sunday snooze to bring you all some alarming news!

Max - Run for your lives! Take cover, take cover!

JD - Um - quite Max! Anyway, we're sure that most pups are aware of the Scarlet Puppynickel - a dastardly n'eardowell character who sneaks into the houses of innocent dogs, perpetrates a heinous crime, and then leaves unseen, leaving the NOT GUILTY pup behind to take the blame!

Max - He has visited us many times - *sigh!* - and poor Sasha, Oskar and young Calvert, to name but a few, have also experienced this fiend first-paw! (By the way - our good pal Oskar is 'holding the fort' at home just now as his mom person is poorly - please visit his blog by clicking here to leave Oskar's mom person a friendly, healing message .)

JD - No-one knows what this pup looks like. He - or she - is a master of disguise! And now we need everyone to remain calm...

Max - We're doomed! DOOMED I tell you!!

JD - .....*ahem!* - because I'm afraid that I have grave news to impart. It would appear that the Scarlet Puppynickel has enrolled a side-kick to work with him (or her!)

Max - It's true! A few days ago the home of cute little kitties Lily and Jasper was infiltrated and a crime committed, leaving these helpless young cats to take the blame! Poor Lily and Jasper! They're new to blogging so please do visit them and offer support during this trying time (he he he - *ahem!!*)

JD - So the Scarlet Puppynickel's sidekick is obviously from the feline fraternity! It would now appear that no-pup or kit is safe! Doggies AND kitties are now at risk! Beware dear friends - alert your humans to this article - it could save you from getting into trouble for a crime you did not commit!

Max - This puppy and kitty information broadcast has been brought to you by Schnauzer and Schnauzer - he he he!

JD - Oh, and before we leave don't forget to vote in our 'Bootie-licious' competition - voting ends at close of play tomorrow, 14th December!

Join in the fun at Pet Pride....