Chalk and cheese - part 3, our names

JD - Today's chalk and cheese post is about our names! Now, you might think that it's pretty obvious that our names are going to be different....

Max - ....after all, it's not as if our humans were going to give us both the same name is it, he he he!

JD - But we still want to talk about the methods they used to name us as well as why we like our names so much! (Oh, we're also going to disperse some random photos of us in this post, just so you can be reminded of how cute we are!)

Max - Right, me first, me first! Some of you might remember a previous post about how we ended up at our furever home. In short, I chose MH - as soon as I realised he liked the 'pogo stick' impression that I was doing against the kitchen cupboards because I knew it was 'nom nom' time I knew he was the MH for me, he he he! He thought that I had 'character' and instantly realised how brave and fearless I was!

Boing, boing, boing!!!

Even though I chose MH it was FH who named me. I got my name the day before I was brought home and I know that the humans went through MANY suggestions before they decided upon Max. FH decided that I would suit a short, one syllable name. She said that my personality was 'pow! pow! pow!' and that I should have a name that reflected this.

The day before I came home MH had decided upon Mac - it was FH who insisted on Max as she said this suited me much better since she had the feeling that I would be a puppy who would 'push things to the Max' - how right she was, he he he!

Max shows off his 'power leap'!!

I LOVE my name! I know that Max is a very popular name for a dog but I've never actually met another dog 'in the fur' who has the same name as me! We know a few bloggie pals who share this great name - they are obviously great doggies, just like me!

Since I have been called Max I DO feel that I have a lot to live up to! The humans put a lot of thought into my name so I don't want to let them down. Sure - there are times that I would like to be quiet and calm, but I figure no - my name is Max, I need to be in every one's face, he he he!!

I also like the various nicknames that being called Max means I end up with. FH especially loves the name Maximilian and she often calls me this when I'm snuggling on her lap.

Let the zoomies begin!

I also have a sci-fi name, something I am extremely proud of! Both MH and FH call me Maxidian Order - I'm not quite sure why, I just know I like the sound of it!

When I'm in full 'guard-dog mode' the humans quip that I'm Mad Max - to be honest I'm not really sure if I like this particular nick-name and I have been known to sulk when they call me this....!

Whenever FH wants to bribe me not to eat horse candy or duck sweeties or bunny raisins when we're out on a walk she'll call me Maxie - don't tell her I said this but I think this makes me sound like a girl so I usually ignore her when she calls me this - ha!

All in all I LOVE my name! It is so versatile, so varied and suits my feisty personality down to the ground!

Not to be outdone, JD shows off HIS 'power leap'!

JD - You done Max? Great! Well - my name is JD! It stands for 'Just Dog'. Years ago my humans had seen in a film a doggie called JD and they both loved it!

I was named the day I chose FH - as soon as I curled up on her lap and went to sleep she looked up at MH and said 'we've found our JD!' She knew that she couldn't just force the name JD onto any doggie, but she's told me that the moment I chose her by settling on her lap she knew that I was calm, docile, snugly and - in her words - a bit dopey! 'Just like a dog' she said, and so I was named. I LOVE my name - it tells everyone who I am!

Max - Er - is that it JD?

JD - Yes Max - what more is there?

Max - No nicknames?

JD hams it up for the flashy box!

JD - Nope! I like to liken myself to 'James Dean' - another seriously cool JD! When you have a name as cool as ours you don't need to be called anything else!

Max - Fair point bro', fair point!

JD - We'd like to end of a serious note if we may and ask for your help. Our FH is a member of a wonderful organisation called 'post pals' where she 'sends a smile' to very ill children by sending them a card. It's a wonderfully simple idea that really brightens the day of sick children everywhere.

Bedragled but cute! This is us asking 'please send a smile to a sick child'

Max - We would like to ask all our doggie pals out there if you could ask your humans if they could specifically help one very special little girl. Alice is 14 and has been having 2 years of constant treatment for cancer. She is the BIGGEST doggie fan around (she's obviously incredibly bright!) so to receive some doggie related post, such as a card about us doggies or a photo of us handsome and pretty doggies or even a picture of any sort of doggie ('cos hey, all doggies are great!) would really help to make her smile!

JD - We all know how exciting it is to get post - our tails nearly wag off when we get anything! - so we think if Alice got some cards from some of our wonderful pals from different parts of the blogging World it really would help her to smile! After all, you can't get more 'doggie related' than all of us can you, he he he! You can find out how to send Alice a card by clicking here - thank you!

Max - Yes, thank you! We hope you're all having a great weekend!

Chalk and cheese - Post 2, our outlook on life!

FH - Hi everyone! Firstly, apologies for not getting round to visit your blogs much this week - we've had a bit of trouble with our Internet connection, probably due to the volume of users on-line locally because we've had a general election. As I type this our country has no one in charge!! It's a hung Parliament - the next few weeks should be rather interesting! Anyway, things are slowly getting back to normal broadband-wise so we'll be visiting again soon!

Secondly, when I set this little 'chalk and cheese' project up for the boys I had no idea that this was such a British phrase! I love what I learn from the blogsphere - we've experienced this before when the boys did a post entitled 'elevensses' about their mid-morning snack!

Right, today's 'chalk and cheese' is about my boys' outlook on life. I thought it would be fun to ask them to both write a short account of the same day, entitled 'What I Did Last Saturday'! JD - over to you!

JD - Thanks FH! Okay everyone, here is my essay....

What I Did Last Saturday - by JD Schnauzer

Last Saturday Max woke me up at 5.30 am when he decided he wanted to play with squeaky chicken. Don't get me wrong, I love squeaky chicken as much as the next dog, but I suggested to Max that as it was the weekend our humans might appreciate a lie-in. He just laughed and started woofing loudly about FH loving mornings. I did try to shush him, but when my brother gets something into his head it's pretty hard to distract him.

Some cute photos of us will be dotted throughout our essays to keep you entertained! Here's JD showing that his legs are about twice as long as Max's!

FH appeared about 5.40 and let us into the garden for our morning wee - I wait patiently for my morning cuddle which we always get just before she lets us out. She always cuddles me first - I'm not sure if Max has noticed this but it makes me feel very happy and waggy!

FH always takes us out for our morning walk really early, so after she's put our leads on us she straps us into the backseat of the car and we set off to the nature reserve. Mind you, it took us about 5 minutes to get out of the front door on this particular morning because Max kept on wanting to go out before FH, so she had to keep on telling him to sit and wait for the release word. I waited patiently until he got it and then we both trotted to the car together.

Our morning walk was great! A bit wet as it was drizzling but we had some great rounds of zoomies round the fields and then we had a great exploring session on the beach. Because of the weather we didn't meet anyone else on our walk even though we were out for nearly 2 hours, which was a shame as I love meeting new people and new doggies.

JD smiles for the camera!

When we got back home we had a rub down with the towel monster followed by a yummy breakfast and a lovely nap. As it was a bit chilly FH tucked us up with some blankies - ooooh, it was comfy!

We woke up briefly when MH came down - he'd slept in a bit later as he'd been working late the night before. He played tug with us and gave us a biscuit each - we've got the best MH in the whole World! MH then needed to do a bit of work in his office so I kept him company for a few hours, supervising him and making sure he was okay by doing things like keeping his lap warm by snuggling into it every time he sat down! Max popped in a few times but didn't stay.

At about 3.00 pm FH gave us a bowl of natural yoghurt with a spot of local honey stirred in - I suffer from hayfever you see and I find local honey really helps this. Plus it's super-yummy!

At about 4.00 pm FH asked if we fancied another romp at the nature reserve - we sure did! It had stopped raining when we got there but it was still cold and windy. To our delight Abby was there - she's a great pal of ours, a gorgeous golden retriever and - I'm not sure if Max knows this - I'm totally in love with her! I knew she was at the reserve when she was about 3 fields away because of my amazing nose so I just ran and ran and RAN to meet her! Max tends to hang back when we meet people and dogs so I figure it's down to me to be the sociable one. Abby is SUCH great fun, we played and wrestled and romped - oooh, it was great!

Let the wrestling begin!!

When we got home, after another session with the towel monster both me and Max settled down on the sofa for another snooze - we were both very tired. I dreamt about running around with Abby!

I was woken up by Max barking - MH's brother had come round and Max didn't seem to want him to come into the house. I really hoped he would as I was sure he would make a lovely fuss of me. Sadly, MH and his brother both went straight into MH's office and I wasn't allowed in this time which was a shame. Max was still barking and getting himself rather stressed so I brought him over to the sofa, sat him down and started to groom his ears as I know this really relaxes him. After about ten minutes he fell asleep so I snuggled up next to him and before long was snoring myself!

We snoozed through most of the evening and when it was time for bed I settled down straight away in the corner of the sofa, ready for a wonderful sleep. FH tucked me in, told me I was her 'good boy' and her 'handsome boy' and gave me a goodnight smooch. It had been a great day!!

Max - Is it my turn, is it my turn, is it my turn? Gosh, you took SO long JD! Right, here's my essay about last Saturday....

What I Did Last Saturday - How I Saved The World! - by Max Schnauzer

Last Saturday I awoke, as I usually do, around 5.00 am. I did a quick security check of the the lounge perimeter to ensure everything was in order. I then did a toy roll-call and realised that squeaky chicken was challenging me to a fight! Well, as everypup knows a challenge like this can not be ignored, I needed to teach squeaky chicken who was boss! I'm aware that JD tried speaking to me at some point but I was so engrossed with squeaky chicken that I'm not really sure what he was wittering on about!

Max and JD enjoy the plumpness of their favourite pillow - it's big enough for both of them!

FH appeared about 5.40 - I was SO excited to see her that I kept on jumping and squealing and jumping some more. I was trying to tell FH that, once again, I had saved her from oversleeping and being late for work by selflessly barking her awake. She muttered some such nonsense about not working on weekends but I think she was simply didn't want me to get embarrassed by admitting what a huge hero I am! I notice that whenever I'm leaping around in the mornings, reminding FH how amazing I am, she'll always make an immediate fuss of JD, who's just sitting about doing nothing, and only fusses ne when I've stoped bouncing! I reckon she does this so he doesn't feel bad that he's too dopey to wake her up!

A spot of rock-climbing!

After trying (but sadly failing) to train FH on the correct way to leave the house we set off for the nature reserve. It was wet and I'm not a fan of wet things - I ask FH to turn the rain off but she pretends she doesn't understand what I'm on about. I therefore decide to carry out some security checks. I ensure all the seagulls are cleared away, I check the hedgerows for dangerous looking bunnies and I stay close to FH for the duration of the walk in case anything I disapprove of gets too close to her.

Can you spot the schnauzers?!!

When we get back home we are both attacked by the towel monster - I valiantly fought back to ensure everyone was safe. I then carry out a quick security check of the premises to make sure nothing untoward has happened in my absence and then I settle down for a nap.

When MH appears I get so excited I leap straight at him. He is so delighted to see me that he gives me a biscuit and then plays tug with both me and JD - I suppose he doesn't want JD to feel left out so has to include him in our game too. MH then goes into his office to work for a bit. JD scampers in after him leaving it to me (as per usual) to ensure the house is safe. I carry out frequent security checks, popping in to see MH at regular intervals to give him a status update, I know he really appreciates my diligence!

Around mid-afternoon FH gives us a delightful snack of natural yoghurt with a touch of local honey - my brother has allergies you see but I find this particular allergy rather rewarding, he he he! An hour later FH took us for our afternoon walk - I was pleased to note that she had remembered to turn the rain off for this one!

Max smiles for the camera!

Abby was at the nature reserve with her humans - JD went running straight over to her leaving the security detail to me, as usual. Even though I know Abby and I know her humans you can never be too sure - I hung back and double checked that they all were who they appeared to be before I felt comfortable enough to join in. We had a great time although I had to pause briefly in the middle of a particularly good wrestle to woof at a passing cyclist who looked extremely dodgy - it's a good job the humans have me around to keep an eye on everything!

Max and JD wrestle with a gorgeous blonde!

When we got back home I tried to warn JD about the towel monster but he was too slow and whilst I was trying to defend him the towel monster got me too!

After carrying out my security detail I settled down with JD on the sofa for a snooze - he was obviously having a dream as he kept on kicking me! If that wasn't enough I was disturbed further by MH's brother turning up - he looked a bit iffy to me so I woofed at him to let him know that I was in charge! Amazingly, he took absolutely no notice of me whatsoever and went into MH's office - the NERVE! I strutted around outside woofing and snuffling in disgust until JD came over and persuaded me to come back to the sofa for an ear chew. Now, if there's one thing I'm rather partial to it's an ear chew, so I reluctantly relented.

We snoozed for most of the evening before being let out for our night time wee. I was still patrolling the garden to ensure danger was not lurking behind our rose bushes when FH started calling me in. I insisted on finishing my patrol before I returned to the house - JD was already tucked up and half asleep when I got there! FH snuggled me into a blanket, told me I was her 'brave little boy' and her 'cute boy' and gave me a goodnight smooch. I believe that my continued vigilance successfully averted any possible disaster - for another day at least!

JD - Well, that's a summary of our outlook on life - we hope you liked our stories!

Max - Ooooh, before we go, we'd like to share with you our Pawdance Festival entry! We're so excited about it that we can't keep it a secret! Please CLICK HERE to view our action packed video and let us know what you think - we're very nervous!

JD - We hope you like it - please let us know what you think of our short film and we hope you vote for us if you get a chance!!

Chalk and cheese! Post 1 - appearance.

FH - Hi everyone! I'm just sneaking in for a quick word on my boys' blog to say I've set them a little weekend blog project for the next few weeks! Even though my boys are brothers from the same litter they are SO different from each other that I'm constantly delighted and amazed by them! So I thought it would be fun to do a series of 'chalk and cheese' posts, starting today. Hey, JD and Max - over to you two....!

Max and JD - so similar yet so, so different!

Max - Thank you FH! We thought we'd start with how we look. Now, let's face it, as Schnauzers we're obviously excessively handsome, but nevertheless we each have our own very distinctive style! Take me for example - I am the epitome of suaveness!

Max - I stand at the maximum acceptable height for a Miniature Schnauzer and I have pleasingly stocky build! I'm particularly proud of my tail, which curls high right over my back. My nose is small and cute making my woozle look like a white explosion around it - I find this effect very acceptable! My ears are small and set low on my head and as a result they flap most adoringly when I run!

Max shows his cute ear 'flap, flap, flap!' running style!

Max - I look good and I KNOW I look good! Our vet and our groomer have both told me that I could be a show dog because I am perfect in every way! In short, I am breed perfection! I am the brother with the classic good looks.

Classic good looks - Max models himself on George Clooney!

JD - I know that both myself and my brother look good! Well, let's face it, when you're a Schnauzer you can't help but look great! However, I have a very different style to my brother and I refuse to follow the herd as far as fashion is concerned!

JD practises some streeeee-eeetching doga exercises!

JD - I am far too large for a Miniature Schnauzer as I am an extremely leggy boy - FH says I have the physique of a long distance runner, a comment that I always love to hear! Even though I am leggy I am nevertheless perfectly proportioned and often get mistaken for a Standard Schnauzer.


JD - I have rather large ears which are placed high on my head and my nose is long and distinguished - I am very proud of my nose as I can pick up the scent of our pals from across at least 4 fields! I wear my tail high and proud, but I choose not to curl it over my back like Max as I like to be slightly maverick! I would never make a show dog because my style is too unique as I refuse to 'conform'. I am the brother with the rugged good looks!

Rugged good looks - JD prefers the style of Josh Holloway

Max - We hope you liked our first 'chalk and cheese' post!

JD - We love being brothers but we also love our differences!