The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 3,000 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 50 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

To all my furry friends I hope you have a wonderful Holiday!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYDOGGIE!!!

Are all those cards for me?

Well hello there!

It was my 3rd year attending the annual ATRA (Airedale Terrier Rescue and Adoption) Fall Frolic held on Saturday, September 10, 2011.
Once again there were many great looking ‘dales to sniff and frolic with!
Ma and I always have fun seeing many of our facebook friends. The day was successful for the good folks from Atra as they raised TONS of money for the organization.
I’m already looking forward to next year!

Me, Ma and our Facebook friends

Showing my good side!

Welcome to the Fall Frolic!!

Beth, Harley and Chole

Shar, Bacall and Peggy

Susan and Peggy

Beth, Peggy, Harley, Bacall, Shar

Me, Beth, Harley and Susan

Susan, Peggy and Chloe

Beth, Peggy, Shar and Tasha

To be honest, I don’t like all that hot and humid weather. Ma loves it but not me!
She takes me outside at a minimum of two times each day and there were many times she’d have to wait until the sun went down or before it came up to let me outside. And there were many times I’d be walking along and then I’d stop, do a little tail shaking and them plop down and not want to move.

Ma asked my doctor about this and he told here that I was simply manipulating her. Ma gave him a nervous giggle but later in the summer, after I had done it multiple times, she wasn’t laughing. She knew that I really didn’t want to continue on with the walk. There were even times when she’d pick me up and carry me home. She also invested in a cooling collar and carried water bottles with us on our walks.

In the winter time I can go for miles and not want to stop. Only in the summer do I lay down and not want to move. So Ma is very angry with my doctor for giving her such a flippant answer! Time to find a new doctor!

Yesterday the sun was hidden by the clouds and Ma had on long pants with a jacket. She said it was chilly! I loved it! She took me to the park and I ran like the wind. WeeeeeeeeeeHaaaaaa!! It felt great to run and run and not get tired out by all that heat and humidity!

I look forward to the chilly days of fall and winter. Ma…not so much!!

It’s always a hectic time of year when Ma has to do so many things in order to keep me calm around the 4th of July. So many days before and after that I hear the pops, cracks and bangs of those fireworks. It makes me shake with fear even though Ma does her best trying to make me feel safe.

We made it though without too much stress this year when Ma kept me in the living room with the air conditioner going along with a floor fan, a air purifier and the television blaring loudly. It seem to make a difference since there were so many sounds for me to try and ignore.

Ma’s facebook friend Barbara makes hair ribbons and Ma asked if she could make one for a dog. Ma wanted a cute red, white and blue ribbon in the spirit of Independence day. Barbara and her cool company, Hairbows and More, made me a wonderful ribbon and it was made to fit! It secures around my neck with velcro. Isn’t it pawsome? Go check out her website and she can make one to fit you too!! ALL occasions! YAY!

Happy Summer!
Love Autumn

It took awhile but I think Spring has finally made it to our backyard! Woohooo!!

Here’s my first Lily bloom

first Lily bloom

and then another poped open next to the first!

Maybe if I stick my magic nose inside the soil it will make the next ones pop open!

I’m getting a little sister. YAY!

Ma told me today that a little girl named Shana is coming to live with us.
She’s suppose to arrive on Easter Sunday and that the Easter bunny is bringing her!!

WOOHOOO

Her name is Shana and she’s about 19 months old. She weighs 18 pounds…the same as me!!
Here’s some pictures of her:

Shana was in the Mardi Growl Parade

Shana and her foster sister...her name is AUTUMN TOO!!!!

Ma tells me that Shana will play with me. I hope in time her and I will become best pals…like sisters!!

I’ll have tons of photos to share in the coming weeks of Shana and me so watch this space!!

Love Autumn

Hiya everyone!

The judges for the best joke contest had a few too many Beef Martinis during the Birthday Bash and have been experiencing hangovers for the past few days.
That’s why it took them a little while to get the Best Joke Winners to me.

But I’m happy they had a great time and I can now announce we have our Top 3 winners.

First Place –  With 35 Likes and 25 Comments the winner is Nancy Guillory

Nancy Guillory - 1st Place

“HELP WANTED!!”

As soon as the airedale saw the sign, he knew it was the job for him! He grabbed it off the window & went inside. The receptionist was surprised, to say the least. Seeing that he meant business, called her boss and told him there was an app…licant waiting.

The manager saw how determined the ‘dale was, so he lead him into his office. The airedale followed, still holding the sign. As soon as he was inside, he put the sign on the manager’s desk, then sat & waited.

The manager, said, “I’m sorry, but I can’t hire you. The sign says you must be able to type.”

The ‘dale jumped up on the chair in front of the typewriter & began to type a perfect letter. He took out the paper & presented it to the manager. “But, but…you must be able to use a computer, too”, the shocked manager said.

The ‘dale looked at him a moment, then went over to the computer. He jumped up in that chair & proceeded to go thru various programs and produced sample spreadsheets & database for the manager.

By this time, the manager knew he was dealing with “not just a dog”, but an airedale, and had underestimated his intelligence & special skills. But he told the ‘dale, “although you have some interesting abilities, I still can’t hire you.”

The ‘dale looked at him, then went directly to the sign & pointed w/his paw at the sentences that told about “being an equal opportunity employer”.

The manager, said, “yes, but the sign says , also, that you must be bilingual”.

The airedale looked him straight in the face, and said, “meow”.

 

Second Place – with 12 Likes & 4 comments  the winner is Sue Higgins Taylor

Sue Higgins Taylor - 2nd Place

Q: What dogs are best for sending telegrams?
A: Wire haired terriers!!

Third Place  with 11 Likes and 3 Comments the winner is  Millie Oakes

Millie Oakes 3rd Place

So this man and his wife live in a bad neighbourhood and one day the man says to his wife “I want you to go to a pet shop and buy us a guard dog.”

So the wife goes shopping later that day and visits a pet shop. She asks the man at the counter if he has any potential guard dogs.

The man at the counter says “Well… I have this little scot…
The woman, not believing him asks for some proof.

The pet shop owner says “Karate that table!”

So the dog walks over and smashes the table into a million pieces.

“Karate that chair!”

The dog walks over to the table and smashes it into a million pieces.

The woman, thoroughly convinced, buys the dog and brings him home.

When her husband gets home from work, she shows him the dog.

“What the hell is a little dog like that going to do?” He shouts.

“He knows karate!”

“Karate my @ss!”

Congratulations to out top 3 winners!

–R U N N E R S   U P —

Evie Purviance – A burglar broke into a house one night. He shined his flashlight around looking for valuables when a voice in the dark said, ‘Jesus knows you’re here.’
The burglar nearly jumped out of his skin, clicked his flashlight off, and froze.
When he heard nothing more, he shook his head and continued. Just as he pulled the stereo out so he could disconnect the wires, clear as a bell he heard ‘Jesus is watching you.’Freaked out, he shined his light around frantically, looking for the source of the voice. His flashlight beam came to rest on a parrot.
‘Did you say that?’ he hissed at the parrot.’Yep’, the parrot confessed, then squawked, ‘I’m just trying to warn you that he is watching you.’
The burglar relaxed. ‘Warn me, huh? Who in the world are you?’
‘Moses,’ replied the bird.
‘Moses?’ the burglar laughed. ‘What kind of people would name a bird Moses?’
The bird replied, ‘The same kind of people who would name a Rottweiler Jesus.’

Leopoldo Crisafulli - What kind of dog likes baths?
A SHAMPOODLE!!

Danielle M. Kauffman Smith – How dogs are better than men
1. Dogs do not have problems expressing affection in public.
2. Dogs miss you when you’re gone.
3. Dogs feel guilty when they’ve done something wrong.
4. Dogs admit when they’re jealous.
5. Dogs are very direct about wanting to go out.
6. Dogs do not play games with you-except fetch (and they never laugh at how you throw.)
7. You can train a dog.
8. Dogs are easy to buy for.
9. The worst social disease you can get from dogs is fleas.
10. Dogs understand what “no” means.
11. Dogs mean it when they kiss you.

Kerry Maple – During break time at obedience two Terriers were talking. One said to the other
the thing I hate more about obedience school is you will never use this stuff in the real world.

Tina Powell – Q: Why don’t dogs make good dancers?
A: Because they have two left feet.

Milly Lamb – What kind of dog can use the phone?
A Dail-Matian
What kind of dog would you find in a cave?
a Bat Terrier
Which dog is very obedient?
a Sit Bull Terrier
What do you get when you cross a small dog and a large boat?
a Ship Tzu
What did the hungry Dalmatian say after his meal?
“That hit the spots!”
Why are Dalmatians no good at “Hide and Seek”?
They’re always spotted!
What dog will laugh at any joke?
A chi-ha-ha
Where do the dogs go for the Macey’s Thanksgiving parade?
New Yorkie
What’s black and white and red all over?
an embarrassed Dalmatian

Peggy Clancy-Flyte – A girl was visiting her blonde friend who got two new dogs and asked her what their names were. The Blonde girl said they were named Rolex and Timex. Her friend said, “Whoever heard of someone naming their dog like that?” “Helloooo” answered the blonde, “They are watch dogs.”

Princess Olivia – What do you get if you cross a sheepdog with a rose?
A collie-flower !

Asta Kroon – a lady had an afwican pawwot and thwee tewwiews. the pawwot leawned how to call the doggies and say “coookie!!!!” “cookie” evewy time the tewwiews cam wunning and then the pawwot would say”hehehehehehehehehehhe”

Sally Novak – What do you get when you cross a honeydew with Lassie?
Answer: a melon-collie baby

Elliot Whitebear – A man went to the zoo, there was only a dog there……..It was a Shih Tzu!

Monty Lockhart – My dogs got no nose! How does he smell? Terrible!

Jack Daniel Ciccone – A wife says to her husband one weekend morning, “We’ve got such a clever Airedale. He brings in the daily newspapers every morning.” Her husband replies, “Well, lots of ‘dales can do that.” The wife responded, “But we’ve never subscribed to any!

Keithy T Bear – What did dee hungree Dalmatian say… after his meal?
Dat hit dee spots!!!

Amy Sorvaag Lindman – Why are Dalmations no good at “hide and seek”? they are always spotted!

Doug Jones – What do you get if you cross a Deerhound with a Terrier…..a DERRIER a dog that’s true to the end.

Molly Martin – Man to dog trainer: “Every time a bell rings, my dog goes into the corner.”
Dog trainer: “That’s OK, he is a Boxer.

They are all so funny!!  Thanks everyone for participating in the contests. I think we all had a great day!

Smooches from Autumn

We had a wonderful time during my Birthday Bash. It was held on Facebook Events Page and we had over 250 folks show up to wish me a happy day. It was indeed.

by Charlene Stahl

I got a ton of cards and gifts and a beautiful birthday cake!

Birthday Cake!!

It was a fantastic day and I thank all of my friends on Facebook who helped me share in this day!

A Special thanks to Joyce, Zo, Missy and Tracy for helping Ma with the party!!

xoxox

The winners are here!
Ma did a super job of keeping up with the hundreds of messages she received during the 2 day trivia event.
She sent out 10 questions over a 2 day span so she could keep up with all of my friends answers.
She said over 65 people were playing and that lead to over 650 messages that she sifted through to tally all the correct answers.

Here are the questions with their correct answers!

QUESTION 1 – worth 1 point – Name 5 vegetables that start with the letter A

Answers are -
Abyssinian Cabbage
Achoccha
African eggplant
Alexanders
Alfalfa
Alpine bistort
Alpine Strawberry
Amaranth
American beech
American Bistort
American linden
American lotus
American Pokeweed
American wild mint
American Wormseed
Amur grape
Angled Loofah
Angular pigface
Aniseed
Arctic butterbur
Arrow Head
Arrowleaf sida
Arugula
Asafoetida
Asiatic Pennywort
Ataco
Aubergine
Awapuhi
Apricots can also be considered a vegetable

QUESTION 2- worth 3 points – what is this?

What animal is this?

Answer is BADGER

QUESTION 3 - worth 1 point – you were told to go to http://www.akc.org/breeds/lakeland_terrier/
and name the 5 typical solid colors of Lakeland Terrier

Answer is – blue, black, liver, red, and wheaten

QUESTION 4 -worth 3 points – In Indonesia, cats are thought to…

A: Be the wisest of all animals
B: Spin straw into gold
C: Control the rain
D: Scare off bad spirits

Answer is – C, Control the rain

QUESTION 5 -worth 3 points – you were told to go to the event wall and find this video

and then answer the following question: In the video the titles give a special thanks to a little soul….what is it’s name?

Answer is LILY

QUESTION 6 – worth 2 points -Cats can make hundreds of vocal sounds!
How many sounds can a dog produce?

Answer is 10 ( those who answered 10-15 were given points)

QUESTION 7 - worth 3 points -
There are a group of islands somewhere in the world named after a breed of dog… name of these islands?

Answer is Canary Islands were named after a breed of dog.
* Newfoundland dog is named after the island…not the other way around!

QUESTION 8 – worth 3 points – Name an animal that can fly in reverse?

Answer is Hummingbird

QUESTION 9 -worth 2 points – What three items do you need to make Green Milk?
Many read “items” to mean “ingredients.
Green milk is nothing more than milk with green food-coloring and some “item” to place them in….a glass.

QUESTION 10 -worth 2 points

Who Am I?

Answer is – This is Giant George the World’s Tallest Dog. (those who answered either George or the World’s Tallest Dog were given points)

And the winner is: It is a  three-way tie!!

Congratulations to:
Mairead Barthorpe

Bailey A. Guillory

Evie Purviance

So many friends showed up at my party with the cutest outfits.
We picked winners by theme which was BIRTHDAY, creativity and personalization…except for Hootie which we picked for the embarrassment factor!
It was super hard to choose  winners.

But we had to make the final cut and here they are….

Daisy the Dancing Queen

DAISY

DJ - This Scottish cutie showed his roots by bringing McDonald's

DJ

Ulysses the Party Animal

ULYSSES

Lexie - the Belle of the Ball

LEXIE

Leopoldo Oui Oui!

LEOPOLDO

Hootie - His Ma made him wear a Sailor Dress!!!

HOOTIE

Here are some runners up!!

Clyde - Sophisticated Man

CLYDE

Jaffa the Captain Jack Sparrow impersonator

JAFFA

Max the Hippy

MAX

Duncan - The dapper 'dale

DUNCAN

Ulysses The Party Boy

ULYSSES

Roscoe - Waiting for the Cake

ROSCOE

Molly has her own style

MOLLY

Reynard - JAMAKING ME CRAZY

REYNARD

Honorable Mentions:

MOLLY

Baby Rocket

BABY ROCKET

Dusty

DUSTY

Max

MAX

Otto

OTTO

Sowena

SOWENA

Congratulations to all our contestants!!

I have the cutest friends !!

YAY!!!

That’s what we’re celebrating from now until March 15th which is my birthday.  It’s my 6th birthday! YAY

If you scroll to the very first entries in this blog you will see that I arrived at Ma’s for the first time on March 8th, 2009. So we’re using this time to celebrate my second full year of freedom. Woot!!

The reason I’m using the following photo is because it was the first ever photo taken of me. The nice folks at National Mill Dog Rescue cleaned me up and took this pic for their website. It is this photo that Ma saw and fell in love with me! She actually had it on the kitchen wall for a month before I came to meet her. She was super excited!

My First Photo

OH MY DOG – I almost forgot to tell you that I got my old Facebook profile back! YIPPEE
Ma said she’s do anything to get it back and she did everything! She’s a supermom!!
I won’t reveal her secrets on how she got it back…let’s just leave it at that! ok?

So we’re celebrating my Birthday/Freedom on Facebook on March 15th. It’s a 24 hour event and everyone is welcomed. If you are on Facebook then add me Autumn Lakeland-Terrier.
There’s an Event page where everyone will drop in thoughout the day to say hi and party with us. We have a DJ and games plus contests to win REAL prizes!! WOOT!
We’re have lots of fun and I hope to see you then!!

Next news break -

This morning around 2:30 am I asked Ma if I could go onto the porch and then a while later she hear me….I made my first official GROWL…wooohooo. Ma said it was followed by almost a bark but she said it was my first growl ever and she couldn’t even see what I was trying to growl at. She was so excited!

Some early B-day pressies have arrived on my doorstep.

A blanket that looks like me..made by Sowena and Molly in UK!

It even has my name!!

I want to ask if you would please take a few moments to watch this video. It’s from the National Mill Dog Rescue Org…the folks who rescued me.
In that video you’ll see exactly what it was like for me arriving to freedom.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecGdyw5mGo0

Lot of Lakie Lovin’ To YOU!
Autumn

I barely could watch the online live feed on my facebook friend Ripley giving birth to a new liter. She’s been in delivery all day and she looks exhausted.
The live feed in happened now (if you happen to get this soon after I post and care to watch)
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ripley_airedale

For me it brought back memories I don’t care to remember but it was exciting just the same.

Did I mention we got a new facebook page?
Yea, Ma is still fighting to get my old one reinstated but she made a new one for us just in case they don’t give it back.
Look for Pamela Autumns_Ma
That’s us!!

I got a super nice Valentine’s day card from my Boyfriend Jack in Idaho. We’ve had a long distance relationship for over a year.

My Valentine card from Jackson

He’s a sweetie!!

I also got a card from my BFF Miss Scout in Chicago.

Thank You Scout!!

And I got some fun toys and special yummy cookies from Missy, Steve and Justin in North Carolina.

Look at me looking right into the camera! YAY

I want to give a shout out to my furpal JAKE, It’s his 3rd year anniversary of being in his furever home.
Congrats Jake!! You are a super special wire fox terrier!

Congrats Jake!

I also want to say how deeply saddened we are by the passing of a good furpal SARGE.

SARGE

He is loved and will be sorely missed!
Farewell my friend until we meet at Rainbow Bridge someday!

Me and Ma are planning some special event in the next few weeks so watch for more news here!

Until then I send Lakie Loving to all!
Autumn

Today FACEBOOK deleted my account because I cannot prove I am who I am.
With over 2050 facebook friends and two years of photos, notes, videos, games and memories FACEBOOK had deleted my life without any notice.

www.facebook.com/lakelandterrier

GONE

And many of my FB friends are being deleted. People are sickened and sad. TEARS! REAL TEARS. Facebook has devastated me and so many wonderful peoples …our lives turned upside down. This isn’t a joke. These are real poeple who love their animals and have formed lasting bonds with people all over the world. We share photos and send gifts and cards and letters to each other. Autumn has her life with me, all the memories with me on her facebook account which is now GONE.

I’m completely devastated.

WoW!  What a week it’s been!
First there was Saturday preparing for the Super Bowl and the the BIG GAME on Sunday where WE WON!!
YAY!

I knew we were going to win because I had a lucky Green Bay Packer scarf sent to me from my Welsh Terrier pal Cody and his Ma Sue.

My Lucky Packer Scarf

They live in Wisconsin too but north of us. Sue and all her furkids wore lucky scarves too!

Yes, It was Green Bay Packers against the Pittsburg Steelers in the Super Bowl 45 and the Packers went all the way!

Then all the parties began!!

WOOHOOO!!

I was so excited I started to play with Ma's Packer cap. I didn't hurt it though!!

There were fireworks and firecrackers blaring throughout the entire state of Wisconsin.  Somehow the noise didn’t seem to bother me. I guess I was too excited and enjoying all the humans out on the streets screaming and chanting Go Pack Go!

Headline says it all

Monday was the day the Packers returned to Titletown. That’s what they call Green Bay, Wisconsin because it’s where Vince Lombardi coached the Packers to their first Super Bowl and started the championship streak.  They’ve won the championship a record number of 13 times and brought home the Lombardi Trophy 4 times.

The trophy is made by Tiffany & Co and is made of pure silver

There were tons of people lining the streets as the players drove by on buses to Lambeau Field, the home of the Packers. It was a big deal to see the trophy being brought “home”.

Tuesday was the official celebration of the Packers and the entire Packer organization at Lambeau Field. They, of course, sold out every seat as fans stood in the freezing cold to cheer their favorite players and especially the Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers.

But now things are starting to calm down a little bit.
And it’s really really super cold outside.
Ma bundled me up to the point I could barely walk when she took me outside!!

It's chilly outside.....

...but i do love the cold weather!

Until next time, hope all my friends are doing well. If it’s cold where you are then stay warm. If it’s hot where you are…you can always come visit me!!
Love Always,
Autumn

Hi all!

I sure hope your new year is going good. Everyone around me is super excited about the big game. We call it football here in America.
It’s a super huge match up with long time rivals the Green Bay Packers vs the Chicago Bears.

They are arch rivals because the States of Wisconsin and Illinois border each other. So you can imagine how heated things can get between fans closer to the border.
I’d say Ma is a big fan of Green Bay but she can’t compare to the thousands of maniacal fans who’ll do anything to see the game at Soldiers Field in Chicago on Sunday.

Ma says we’ll just watch on TV.

Go Pack Go!

It’s been frigid cold. Last night it got down pass ZERO degrees Fahrenheit.  Ma bundled up so much she could barely move while taking me for my night walkie.
She had me wearing my boots so my paws wouldn’t freeze to the ground plus I wore a sweater under my coat. But I love the cold weather and Ma just doesn’t understand why!!

Free?? Really??

So Ma seen this TV show a few weeks ago about people who get tons of groceries for free just by using coupons. This made Ma very curious and started to investigate.
She went online and read coupon-clipper blogs and articles. So here the deal….

First you should have the type of grocery stores that offer what they call Double-Coupon days. This is when the store offers twice of what the face-value of the coupon is.
Ma checked around and found one store in our area that does this. It’s called Pick N’ Save. They have “double coupon” days on Wednesday and Saturdays.
Next you have to have coupons.  After Ma did her investigating she got some local papers and read through all the sales at the grocery store. Then she clipped some coupons and then she went online and tried to find coupons that matched some of the items that were on-sale this week.

So finally Saturday came today and Ma was ready to see if she could get free groceries.

NOW the problem with Pick N’ Save is that, although they accept double the coupon value, they only will if you buy at least $25.oo worth of stuff, plus they will only accept 5 coupons to double and only up to $1.00 each!

So Ma had to strategize !! She decided to use 2 different Pick N’ Save stores and luckily for us we have them about 2 miles apart. Ma made her grocery list, gathered her coupons and off she went.

The first store they had a special on 6 boxes of breakfast cereal – get $10 off plus free Milk and Eggs.  AND Ma had coupons for the cereal!! YAY
Ma bought 23 items and the total purchase after all coupons and specials came to $25.33 with a total savings of $35.39.

$35.39 Saved

The second store it took Ma  a bit longer because they didn’t have some of the items she had planned to purchase. BUT she did bring her “backup” coupons. Those are the ones she said she’d use just in case they didn’t have one of the items. So her backup plan worked, she bought 26 items and the amount she paid this time was $30.00 with a total savings of  $39.39.

$39.39 Saved

In total the two bills came to $130.11
Ma paid a total of $55.33
so she saved a total of $74.78

YAY!!

But that’s far from free!!

Ma still doesn’t know how those people get free groceries but she had fun trying!

Happy Dog Bloggin’

Love Autumn

Have a super, great and happy New year!

Here's to a great 2010

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 1,700 times in 2010. That’s about 4 full 747s.

In 2010, there were 22 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 81 posts. There were 235 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 167mb. That’s about 5 pictures per week.

The busiest day of the year was June 8th with 59 views. The most popular post that day was Camping Trip Part 2.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were facebook.com, asquaredogsblog.blogspot.com, twospecialwires.blogspot.com, astasworld.blogspot.com, and bloglines.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for ups package, package, airedale, connie versagi, and ups package seized.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

Camping Trip Part 2 June 2010
2 comments

Update on UPS Package December 2009
7 comments

Airedale for a Day! September 2009
10 comments

Summer here is over September 2010
6 comments

About Autumn! February 2009
2 comments

Dear Santa Paws,

This is my first time writing to you because I had never heard of you before.
They say you come each year to deliver toys and goodies to all the animals around the world who believe in you. I could never have believed that someone like you existed. But now I do believe!

I believe in miracles now.
I never could have dreamed that there were people in this world who wanted to make me feel safe and secure and people who wanted me to feel happiness and not despair. People who want to pet me and let me run and play. I do believe Santa!! But I don’t want you to bring me any toys and goodies.

My wish, dear Santa Paws, is that you help all those other doggies who don’t know you exist. All those doggies who have no happiness, no family or friends.
I want them to know the joy that I now know. I want them to have friends who really care about them and cry when they aren’t feeling well. I want them to run and play on grass and in snow and have a cozy place to sleep each night. I want them to have someone to hold them and pet them and  teach them what love is.

This is my only wish Santa and I know you can make it happen. Because I BELIEVE!!

Thank you,
from Autumn Lakeland Terrier

Happy Holidays Everyone!

(click on pics for larger view)

It’s been a hectic time of year for me and Ma. Shopping, sending cards and gifts, spending time with family. I need some quiet time!
Ma is the worse when it comes to getting things done. Not that she’s doesn’t get everything done…it’s how she does it!!

She’s such a scatterbrain and tries to do so many things at once. She calls it multitasking.  But she isn’t very organized. She was sending out Christmas cards and she decided we would have a craft day and make paper ornaments to include with the cards.  There’s a lot of cutting involved — cutting round shapes and pasting my picture onto them then adding a  sparkly santa hats on my pic.  I helped her by chewing on the construction paper trying to create designs.

We made paper ornaments!

She has little pieces of paper stuck in drawers and folders with addresses on them. She spent an hour just on locating addresses. She knows she doesn’t have them all!!
She stopped twice to check her computers. Of course she has 3 computers and uses a dozen email addresses which makes it even more difficult for her to locate everything. She even had to ask some of her Facebook friends to help. BOL!!
She has terrible handwriting so she can’t even read her own writing as she deciphers the numbers on the little sheets of paper to address the envelopes.

Next step was to sit down on the computer and do some online shopping. Trying to find online shops in Europe wasn’t easy especially when you can’t read French,  Italian or Japanese! She managed to find one shop in the UK. That helped a bit but not enough.

Her next move was to find a US shop that ships overseas. The stores that did were low on stock of the items she wanted. The stores that had the stock didn’t ship to Europe.
I tried to comfort her in her time of frustration by squeaking some of my toys at her. <SQUEAK SQUEAK>

She found one store who could ship some things around the US but she had to place all separate orders.
She was going crazy and called their 800 number only to get an answering system. She really needed to talk to a live person. She left emails and tried calling again leaving messages for someone to return her calls.
She had already spent 3 hours trying to organize the shipments to my friends and worried about not receiving confirmation emails and international shipping questions and a bunch of other things seemingly going wrong when the few email confirmations came in stating “Your Order Has Been Shipped.”
She called one last time and screamed a message saying I NEED TO TALK WITH SOMEONE NOW!
A few minutes later she got the call back. The woman told her she would run down to the warehouse and stop the orders so they could fix the problems.
Ma had to make one last order and have it shipped to her so she could then ship them herself overseas. BAH!

So in the meantime she did a little real life shopping.
She didn’t let me go with her on the morning of November 26 which here in the US they call Black Friday. It’s a day where retail stores open early and offer super low prices to help get their profits into the “black”.

Waiting in the freezing cold behind 300 people. The upside was there were 300 more behind Ma!

Ma went out at 3am and stood in the lines outside in the freezing cold. She says it’s fun to be part of the “madness”. I’m glad I stayed home. She said there were 300 people in front of her waiting to get into one store. She was hoping to get the best bargains and she managed to get a few deals.

At one store, Ma grabbed a bunch of goodies and paid about $100. for all it. Plus she received $15.00 in gift certificates bringing her price to just over $85. That's a lot of stuff!

She got a Digital Photo Album so she can fill it with photos of ME! YAY! She also got a portable DVD player, a slow cooker, an electric griddle, and a couple bags of other goodies. She ended up going to three different stores that morning. Kohl’s opened at 3am and she found a few things but wasn’t willing to stand in the long checkout line for them. Target opened at 4am and she waited behind 300 people to get inside and of course it was the coldest morning of the season BOL!!
She grabbed everything that was on special and got a great price.

5am was Walmart but the parking lot was so full she wasn’t going to park across the road so she left and went to Macy’s. She bought herself some winter wear and a few home items before returning home.

The next day was Small Business Saturday. It’s an effort to help small local businesses and boast their profits. This time I went along. We went to many Pet boutiques where they allow dogs inside. The strange thing was when Ma asked if they had any Small Business Saturday specials they either told her no or they didn’t know what that was or they offered a 10% discount.

Ma was very disappointed.  She says she wants to support the local economy but they aren’t willing to offer her much in return. She ended up getting me some treats and told me not to worry – that I would be getting loads of presents from Santa this year.
I’ve already started to get cards and presents in the mail. Ma bought me a bulletin board last year so I could display my cards and letters but I ran out of room so this year Ma is letting me put them on the refrigerator door too!

Leopoldo from Italy send me a super nice package filled with wonderful holiday goodies including a Merry Christmas scarf.

At least the presents help me cope with Ma leaving me alone a lot lately while she attends dinners and parties. It’s not fair but she says she’ll make up for it after the New Year.

I hope your holiday season is going much smoother and we’ll be thinking of you all during this time.
If you don’t get a card please blame my scatterbrain Ma!!

As a side note I want to wish my dear friend Ulysse a speedy recovery from a horrible accident he was involved in. His Ma and Pops were so worried about little Uly as we all can relate to.

GET WELL SOON ULY. WE LOVE YOU!

Happy Holidays Everyone!
Love Autumn

But I had a terrific summer. Ma and I did a lot of traveling and I had fun! Now Autumn is here…hehe I like saying that!

A couple of weeks ago I went to the Annual Fall Frolic for the Airedale Terrier Rescue and Adoption ( ATRA) . I had a chance to meet many of my Facebook friends which was super exciting and so much fun. Ma and I spent the afternoon playing with all the beautiful Airedales and we took some pictures and shared them on Facebook.
Here are some of the photos we all shared together.
(Click on the photo for a larger view)

Connie Versagi holding Harley Puestow, Beth Puestow, Sara Trippe, Peggy Clancy-Flyte, Susan Soucheray Widmar, Ma and Me!!

Sue Feith Shannon with her Airedale Timber and Welsh Terrier Cody along with my auntie Connie from Ohio.

Lots of sights and smells!!

Chase me!!

All the doggies received a complementary red ATRA scarf

The auction begins

My auntie Sara from Minnesota and big sis Rorie Belle.

They served yummy goodies for both humans and doggies

This is one of the items Ma bid on and won during the auction. It was made by Connie Versagi and donated to the auction.

Ma took home all these goodies from the silent auction

Facebook friends chatting as I stand on the table

My auntie Sara gave me a comfy, cozy nightgown which I couldn't wait to get into and go to sleep after a fun-filled day!

That was a fun day!

Now that summer is over Ma decided to get into the Fall spirit by doing some crafts. She bought some Halloween doggie-scarfs along with black and orange ribbons. She also got construction paper in black and orange and used some of her greeting cards. She pasted the cards to black squares of paper and pasted those onto orange squares. She got a fun scissors that cut the edge of the paper unevenly and made it all look spooky fun. She sewed the ribbons to the scarfs and sent them to some of my facebook friends. I, of course, supervised the entire project because Ma isn’t very good at crafts BOL!!!

The pictures we got back from my friends are all truly wonderful! Here are just a few….

The beautiful Miss Scout in Saint Charles, IL

My BF Jackson and his Sister Roxy in Sandpoint, Idaho

Perfect Miss Lily in Somerset, Mass.

My Little brother Monty in Tunbridge Wells, UK

Handsome Mr. Max in Cleveland, OH

The super cute Ulysse Des Irreductibles from Narbonne, France

The very dapper Eric, my square cousin in London, UK

The lovely Lola from Mississippi

Those pictures look so professional. My friends are all so gorgeous!!!
I can’t wait for Halloween. Ma and I will go to some costume parties and I’ll get a big bowl of treats!! I know some of my friends don’t celebrate trick or treating but they can still dress up and scare their neighbors!! YAY!

Hope all of you are well and thanks for letting me share my life with YOU!

Love and Licks, Autumn

You can click on any of the images here and they will get HUGE so u can get a closer view! YAY

Thanks for all the great comments and thanks so much for coming along with me on my adventure.

Big Loving Hugs!!

Autumn ( the great explorer)

You gotta go back and read the last 2 entries to catch up to this part!

Back on the road in Wyoming  we watch the signs for Route 111 and turn off heading towards Devil’s Tower National Monument which is in the Black Hills National Forest. We were about 15 miles from Devil’s Tower when we first catch a glimpse. WOW Ma was super excited. The first thing she thought of was the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
That’s what everybody thinks of!

Our first glimpse of the Tower from 15 miles away

Finally get there and it is spectacular!! Definitely worth the drive.
There’s a $10 fee to get closer but there’s really no need to go further unless you want to hike the tower or actually touch it. So we saved the money and still got great pictures. It’s absolutely amazing up close.
There’s a KOA campgrounds at the base of the tower which is very nice. They play a movie, (guess which one) nightly and offer lots of fun stuff like swimming pool, fun area for the kiddies, a restaurant/cafe/snack shop. Its very nice and reasonably priced.

Autumn the Great Explorer looking for a "Close Encounter"

Now Ma says since we’ve come this far we might as well head over to Yellowstone National Park and Old Faithful Geyser. Let’s go!!

Driving along, we seem to go in and out of the Black Hills areas

Back to I-90 into Gillette, WY where Ma found a Starbucks wifi hotspot! We spent some time driving around this town. Its a big town full of all the modern conveniences like Walmart, Mc Donalds and Starbucks! It seems to be a very culturally diverse place as well. Ma didn’t expect that from a Wyoming town. I guess she didn’t realize it’s one of Wyoming’s largest cities! DUH!

Another thing we noticed is Wyoming doesn’t have many Rest Areas along the interstates. They have plenty of, what they call, Parking Spots. No restrooms or info booths. Just parking.
But finally found a rest area in between Gillette and Buffalo on the Powder River. There doesn’t appear to be any towns anywhere near by.

Monday late afternoon sitting at this  rest area… we are 1440 miles into our trip and  on our way to Yellowstone but here, looking at the maps, Ma thinks we should go  to Billings Montana instead. Only because night is approaching and it appears as there are some huge mountains are coming up.

Those must be the Tetons...and they have snow on them!! YIKES!!!

She doesn’t want to drive thru the mountains in the middle of the night PLUS the interstate goes to Billings. She would have to take a county highway through the mountains in the middle of the night with no rest stops approaching. This sucks but It’s best if she avoids all of that and goes straight into Billings. From there we can decide if we want to head into Yellowstone via another route.

I woke up the next morning in Billings, Montana and I was sick. Ma doesn’t know what’s wrong. I was  throwing up and wouldn’t eat. This had Ma worried. She heads out to find a place for us to get breakfast. She knows I like chicken breast. Uh OH! The “maintenance required” light came up on Ma’s dashboard!!
She called the Toyota dealership in Milwaukee to ask why? The car is has only 10,000 miles on it!
The man on the phone told her there is nothing wrong with the car and that the light will automatically come on every 5000 miles. That’s a relief. But I’m still sick and now I’m starting to get itchy. Ma stops at a local drugstore for some anti-itch medicine. Ma promises to take me to a dog park so she stops at the wifi coffee shop to get online. Wouldn’t you know it?  Billings isn’t a dog-friendly town. No doggy parks. Next, the camera…it’s not working? Ma tried new batteries. Still nothing. Ma is totally bummed. She looks at the map again and I notice that we’re not too far from my boyfriend Jackson’s home in Idaho. She wants to take me but then again Ma is superstitious. She starts to think there’s something more than meets the eye with everything going wrong. She has a decision to make.

She thinks about those big mountains she’d have to drive through. She thinks about having to drive off the main interstate, the camera being broke, the maintenance light on, me being itchy and not eating.
As we look out we see I-94 east to Bismarck, ND. That’s the opposite direction of Jackson in Idaho or Yellowstone National Park.

Ma pulls onto the interstate. She feels horrible but she feels it’s the right decision. She tells me we can always come back once she gets me checked out with my Vet and once she is certain there’s nothing wrong with the car. Ma feels so bad that her tummy is sick too!

We travel along BIG SKY Montana. They call it that because it is truly an eye full of sky as you travel through it. We made a stop at an area which was called the Big Horn Junction. Ma said I couldn’t walk on the grass because there were Rattlesnakes about so I had to stay on the sidewalks.

You are here but where is here?

Watch where you walk in Montana

We were following the The Yellowstone Trail: Great Highway of the Northwest.

Ma calls some friends in Minnesota and tells them we’ll be coming through their way. They tell us to make sure we stop in.
We make a stop in Miles City, MT. Nice little town but so far there’s been not a lot to see in Montana and we’re almost all the way through the state. We pass the Powder River again! Remember that from Wyoming?

And soon we’d be in North Dakota

Goodbye Montana..Hello North Dakota

By the time we hit Bismarck, North Dakota I’m feeling better and eating but Ma doesn’t feel s good It’s not her broken foot…she hasn’t complained about that once and has been a real trooper! But she feel sick inside. She drove such a long way only to have our trip come to an end. But we’re heading back to Milwaukee to have me and the car looked at.

We pass through an area called the National Grasslands then make a stop at a fast food restaurant in a place called Dickinson, ND. Ma can not believe what she sees. There is a woman driving around with a chicken stuck in the grill of her car. It’s dead with it;s head in the grill and body dangling about.but Ma wonders if it died that way or what? Before Ma has a chance to ask the woman about the chicken she hears truck horns honking and the woman laughing and waving. I think it was fairly obvious that these folks think it was funny to have a chicken sticking out of the car grill. That made Ma even sicker.

We pass Bismarck and then there’s not much after that until you get to Fargo.

Found the cutest town name called Home On The Range.

Home home on the range..where the deer and the ...Where's the deer??

There is much beautiful scenery along the drive but not a lot to see or do. Once we make Fargo Ma kept thinking about the movie called Fargo.  BOL!!  Once you pass there you are now in Minnesota. What a difference in scenery. From big sky country of Montana to mountain filled terrains in North Dakota to the land of 10,000 Lakes in Minnesota.

Ma hasn’t been up to see her friends in Wayzata since 2003 and she was surprised she remembered how to get to their place. Wayzata is just west of Minneapolis on Lake Minnetonka. BoyOBoy…. they were sure happy to see Ma and made me feel right at home. They actually had us spend the night and we bar-b-qued on the grill and they made me my favorite..chicken! YUM! They had a cat named Princess and she was very nice to me. She didn’t try to scratch me either! Whoosh

The next day we were back on the road headed towards Wisconsin Dells. This has always been one of Ma’s favorite places.  It’s a town in central Wisconsin, only 2 hours from home, and it has lots of huge resorts and fun attractions. It’s the water slides that bring families here. The main street is simply packed with touristy places and old fashioned motels some with hot tubs right in the room. We get a room and then Ma heads over to  Noah’s Arc, one of the bigger water parks and manages a half-a-day pass out of the guy at the window. She spends half a day resting in the waters as I catch up on my beauty rest. I dream of our fun little holiday to the wild west.
Ma says we will do more traveling as soon as she knows everything is good to go!
Until then, take good care my friends!
Love Autumn

Autumn the Great Explorer signing out!

Continued from the last entry…so go back and read from the begining if you’re just joining in!!

Yahooo!! South Dakota!

We’re on our way to Mount Rushmore YAY!!

We stopped in Keystone which is the town closest to the Monument and took some pics and grabbed some snacks. This is the area where they filmed the movie North By Northwest. It says so on a sign on the roadside.

Keystone Population 311

Continuing on this road you make a turn and then POW! You see them!!

Just around a bend you see them faces pop out at you!

They don’t allow pets so Ma didn’t pay to go in and turned around but we got plenty of pics around the area and WOW those faces are so cool to see in person. I highly recommend this place!

The entrance to the memorial

Here's me and George Washington!

View from the auto!

This type of rock is found all over the area around the monument. It's all sparklely!!

Well, it was a spectacular sight to see. We continued on to our next destination.

We can always put a hole through it so the cars can drive through!

Back thru Keystone and made a pit stop. This is a quaint little town population 311, all touristy but nice. Not at all like the next place….Deadwood.

The town of Deadwood

There's not much to Deadwood

Ma must have missed a turn so we drive back to Rapid City to get to I-90.
The construction on I-90 made us have to go through the town of Sturgis to get to Deadwood.
If you’ve ever seen the HBO show Deadwood then you have a wild idea of what this place must be like.
It’s nothing like you can imagine. It’s a crappy tourist trap filled with old fashioned named buildings filled with modern touristy junk. There’s nothing fun or exciting or authentically old about this place. Ma didn’t even bother stopping. We drove down to Leed and then came back thru Deadwood then towards the interstate. Ma was disappointed but now we’re on our way to another state.

Welcome to Wyoming…where there is no welcome center for visitors. WHAT? how strange is that?  We made a stop a few miles into the state and found a welcome to Wyoming sign so we could get some pics!

Ma found us a place to picnic and take pics!

TO BE CONTINUED…watch for part 3!!

Love Autumn

Ma and I headed out of Milwaukee on Friday and drove I-94 through Madison, WI to I-90 around Tomah, WI

A funny statue near Baraboo, WI

We stopped at the area rest stop and saw a magnificent double rainbow.

Double Rainbow in South Central Wisconsin

We drove I-90 across the Mississippi River near LaCrosse, WI into Minnesota.
We enjoyed the River attractions like Eagle watching and took pictures.

Eagle Watching

The great Mississippi River

I'm looking towards the Mighty Mississippi River

Sniffing the sights

Across the river is LaCrosse, WI ...we're on the Minnesota side

We head out towards Rochester, MN  where Ma stopped to get some lunch. We drove by the world famous Mayo Clinic and looked for a Starbucks or a WIFI hotspot but couldn’t find anything so we headed to Albert Lea, MN.  We drove around the city and then back on the road.

Enjoying the ride

The trip from Albert Lea to Sioux Falls,SD along I-90 wasn’t much to see… Blue skies above us and green fields on each side with a long open road in front of us.  There were loads of these wind turbines everywhere you looked. Simply miles and miles of them.

Many Wind Turbines lined the roadside

The highway speed limit is 70 mph with most folks traveling between 75 and 80 so that got us here pretty quick.
Pretty boring drive all in all although some of the town names I found interesting like Blue Earth, MN and Welcome, MN. One I particularly thought was interesting was Mountain Lake, MN considering there wasn’t anything even remotely  resembling a mountain. It was quite flat all the way along I-90.

Watching Ma drive

Ma drove around for 3 hours in Sioux Falls. Ma wasn’t very impressed She tried talking with folks who didn’t seem very friendly. She asked a few folks if there were a Starbucks in the city and they weren’t helpful. She asked other folks about wi-fi hotspots and again she wasn’t well received.
She finally found a McDonalds that offered free WIFI but she couldn’t get a connection. The manager wasn’t helpful. Ma was frustrated and everyone driving no one than 25 mph didn’t make things better so we finally left Sioux Falls.
The drive across South Dakota was pleasant, The speed limit is 75 mph but there were many construction locations.

Driving across South Dakota on I-90 is actually quite fun because there are so many fun and interesting billboards along the road side. It’s very entertaining and makes the time go by quickly.

Ma decided to make a stop in a town called Mitchell, SD where they has the Corn Palace. Indeed it is a huge building and it’s facade is made entirely with corn! It’s one of the strangest things seen so far.

The Corn Palace, Mitchell, SD...it's made of corn!!!

Next stop was a town called 1880 town. Population said 1/0 Ghosts, 9 cats, 3 dogs and 3905 rabbits.

1880 town!

Next we went into Wall, SD. Only because all these signs along the interstate kept saying don’t miss Wall Drug.
Ma couldn’t figure out what that meant so we decided to stop. The town is called Wall but a few miles into the town is an area with shops and touristy places all anchored by Wall Drug Store.

This is Wall Drug

Wall Drug Street

So that mystery solved we moved on into The Badlands National Park. It’s not hard to miss along I-90 when all of the sudden there are some lands that look BAD.

Those look like some bad lands!

It’s no wonder they call it Bad Lands! I can only imagine the settlers coming towards this new western area of America and seeing this place and saying…that is a bad looking area. Very bad lands!
Simply breathtaking. We paid a $15.00 fee to enter and the pass is good for one week.
It’s worth it! I went rock climbing as Ma hobbled along trying to keep up with me.
There’s a mini-museum at one of the buildings which has many info, facts and exhibits.

Ma got some great pictures of me but unfortunately the “money shots” on the digital camera got lost in translation. Ma was missing about 7 pictures but one or two of me hiking the badlands made it!! YAY!

Autumn the great explorer

This looks easier than it is!

Climbing up some bad lands

We left there and stopped at the Prairie Homestead Historical Site. It’s an original settler’s prairie home. It’s an $6 fee to enter and Ma hobbled her way up to the house to get some pics all while the prairie dogs bounced up and down looking for peanuts. Apparently the tourist can feed them unsalted peanuts. And here I thought they only ate Prairie Dog Chow!!

Call me a prairie dog! hehe

Little house on the Prairie

REAL Prairie dogs!!

Next we drove over to the Petrified Rock Forest or something like that. But Ma said it looked to hokey to pay for so we kept going until we made it to Rapid City where we had a room waiting at the Best Western Town and Garden. Ma said it was, at best, a $70. room that she got on priceline.com for $130. But someone mixed up the reservation and it was a no pet room and they had no pet rooms left. WHAT??
Ma made a big ol’ stink about it and they gave us a room that didn’t allow pets but charged Ma $20 which was suppose to be included in the priceline.com price! So Ma wasn’t happy and will have to take it up with Priceline when she gets a chance. Ma had booked the room for a Pet, and Free Internet access. Those were the only 2 requirements. But when Ma laid on the bed and tried to access the web..she got nothing! She actually had to sit in the car to get some access. It wasn’t a very strong signal. But the upside was they offered  free soup and cookies between 4:30 and 6pm. Then free breakfast 6 to 10 am.  Ma also didn’t like the maids knocking on the door at 8am.
One last upside to this place is it is located on Mount Rushmore Ave which is a straight shot, 25 minutes to the place we’re going next!

I'm ready!

To be continued!!

Love from Autumn xoxo

Chipmunk enjoying MY food!!! NO WAY!

First night was nice and quiet. Not too hot and not too cold. Perfect sleeping weather.
Day 2 Ma was up by 6:30 making breakfast while I roamed the backyard. We spotted some chipmunks and they came right up to Ma.
She gave one of them a piece of my MorningStar veggie link. That’s not cool Ma!
I think I will have to find that chipmunk and take it back!
Gosh Ma is busy from sun up to sun down!
Wobbling on her one foot..cooking, cleaning the dishes, hanging up towels to dry, filling the water jugs, picking up sticks for fire starting, making sure we have enough ice, sweeping the inside of the tent, taking showers and icing her foot… this woman doesn’t stop moving!!! err..wobbling!

Poor Ma had a rough night. Her foot was really sore, her back was achy, and she had band-aids on her finger and arm. She was exhausted when the rain started. And it came down hard, then harder, then even harder. It didn’t seem like it was going to stop! Uh Oh. Ma sure made us a good tent but the heavy rains have carved a path in the ground straight for our tent. Ma rushed out in the rain to make a barrier using her privacy curtains that we ended up not hanging. Smart thinking Ma!

It’s a little wet on the ground near her cot but my space is still dry. YAY! Sorry Ma!

OH boy..now the temperature is dropping with the rains. Ma decided at about 2am that we’re moving to the car. She’s so sore, exhausted and tired plus everything is damp from the rains. The car is warm and fairly comfortable for Ma. I have the whole backseat to myself. It’s good for a couple of hours until the rains stop.

Day 3 we’re up and at it early. Ma takes all the stuff out of the tent and places it in the direction of the coming morning sunshine. Another beautiful day!
After breakfast Ma drove me to a Starbucks about 20 miles away so I can check in with my facebook friends and look through my emails.  Then she stopped by a drugstore and picked her up a walking cane. YAY now she can semi-walk again!!

It started raining again but this time Ma thwarted the direct-to-the-tent puddle with her cunning use of those curtains.

The sun came out in the afternoon and Ma took a shower while I guarded our area! No Chipmunks Allowed!
We went down to the lake and I saw Geese!
Then we drove around the marshes and I saw Cranes. They were so tall and made weird sounds… they scared me!

Day 4…it’s Friday and up until now it’s been very quiet and peaceful. Now all the weekend campers are coming in bringing their Minivans with screaming kids and motorcycles with loud music.

Ma tried combing me but gave up because I keep chasing the chipmunks through the woods. She had to shorten my leash. BAH! But the good news is Ma was very excited…she said she thinks she sees a vein in her sore foot. I guess that’s a good thing for her.

Friday night we had the college grads across the street and they partied hard all night. Ma and I snuggled on the cot and watched a movie on the laptop. AHH technology is great! BOL!

Saturday Morning Ma slept until 8am, took a shower, and made us breakfast. Later we drove around the area to explore more strange looking birds and animals. I saw a possum and a raccoon, deer and horses. Afternoon sun is hot and the air very humid so we drove back to the beach but I could only look at it ‘cuz they said no pets allowed. Ma did find a spot I could get my feet wet at the boat launch. That was fun!

Ma’s foot doesn’t look any better to me. She’s still sore but she’s a real trooper!
She made us a late lunch before the rain started again. She decided to drive us back to town and back to that Starbucks for a warming Latte while waiting for the rains to stop. The rain slowed down a couple of hours later and it started to get dark so we headed back to camp and build a huge fire to keep us warm. We roasted marshmallows over the fire. YAY!

Sunday morning was pleasant but damp! Ma began to slowly break camp and let me roam in the woods. I could sniff these woods all day. I was looking for the chipmunks and I did chase a few. It was quiet and peaceful since many of the weekenders decided to leave due to all the cold rain.
We just sat and enjoyed the lovely morning in the forest knowing we would have to be leaving in a few hours.

All in all we enjoyed our week out in the wilderness. I personally found the wild side of my Lakeland Terrierness.

PLEASE ENJOY THE FOLLOWING SLIDESHOW OF MY PERSONAL CAMP PHOTOS xoxox Autumn

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We’ve been planning a camping trip for weeks! Ma packed the car so full there was barely any room for us!! We were all set to go. Camping equipment…check.
Food and water…check. Blankets and laptop top…check. Full tank of gas, firewood, ropes…yes, yes and yes. Lets go already!

One last thing…grab batteries for the camera!! Hurry Ma hurry! HUH?
What? What the? Ma!! What’s wrong???
OMD!! Ma? Are you alright?
Your foot! What’s wrong with your foot?? It looks like it’s growing!!

Ma's fractured her foot

Uh Oh! Ma hurt herself. She fractured her ankle. YIKES!!
What’s that you say Ma???
We’re still going?
YAY!!!

My Ma is the BEST!!

Off we go to Kettle Moraine State Forest.

Nice drive. Beautiful sunny day.

This is the place...Ottawa Lakes Camping Area

This is a BIG place

Campsite 337

Check in and back the car into #337 campsite.
OMD! Ma?? How are you going to set up camp with just one foot?

Wow Ma. You are my hero. It took much longer than expected but you got it done. And we have a great camp!

Let's unpack the car and set up the tent!

Let’s explore?
ok..ok..you stay here Ma and start a fire and all the stuff….I’ll go explore.
WHAT?? ARE YOU KIDDING?? NOT FAIR!!!!
I have to stay on a leash the ENTIRE time I’m here?
So unfair. well, I’ll make te best of it and explore my camp ground backyard.
Look Ma!! Squirrels. Lots of birds too! Oh boy I love all the smells.

Autumn the Great Explorer

Time for dinner? YAY!! I’m a hungry girl from all the exploring I’ve done.
I love never having to go indoors. This is soo fun. I can watch everything from my screen tent and when I’m tired I can fall asleep on my beddie!
Or I can just jump in Ma’s cot and make her sleep on the ground. BOL!!!

More to come……

Howdy Everybloggie!!

Whoa! Summertime really is here. Today it was over 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 celcius)!

Sorry I haven’t been visiting my doggiebloggie pals much. Ma and I have been busy planning our upcoming summer holiday. But not to worry…I promise to take lots of photos from our journey and post them here each week!

I wanted to share a nice card Ma received from a rescue organization which has an adorable Lakeland Terrier named Lambchop.

LAMBCHOP

She reminds me of me when I was first rescued and she needs a home really badly!
I foster her through my Facebook account application called Save-A-Dog. But Ma went a little further and sent her a donation plus has been making inquiries about the little girl regularly.

Ma received the card and it was so touching so I thought I’d share it with you all.

Rose's Rescue sent us this nice card

Inside was a nice message...

It says:

Thank you so much for your donation to Lambchop. She has spent her life in a cage and she is slowly rehabilitating. We had her spayed and quite a few teeth pulled. I guess dogs for breeding have bad teeth from chowing on wire cages. She is now in the Prison Program being trained by the inmates. She has no idea of when and where she should go to the bathroom. It’s amazing what backyard breeders will do to make money. She has a home in NJ if she will be the right fit. Thank you for your donation to our little Lambchop,
Rose & The Rescue

Ma cried when she read it. Poor sweet Lambchop has touched our hearts and many of our facebook friends are now “virtually” fostering her too.

So sweet!

If you are interesting in virtually fostering little Lambchop it’s very easy and requires you to do nothing but visit her profile page.
Here’s the web address…just click on it:

http://apps.facebook.com/save-a-dog/animals/1980648?&referrer=89998

It looks like it’s going to be a long hot summer for all of us in the Northern Hemisphere so take it easy out there, be safe, and have fun!

I will be back here writing again very soon!
Until then, Love you All!!
Autumn

One of our beloved friends have left us for the Rainbow Bridge.

A final picture from Sweet Jackson

We all mourn his loss and send many heartfelt wishes to his family.

Jackson was adopted in 2004 by his wonderful family. He had many health issues but while he was here he gave much love to so many.

We will meet someday Jackson and play together with all of our friends. It will be so much fun! Much Love

In Sadness,
Autumn

It’s official! At least according to Ma.
I’ve become a proud Lakeland Terrier and Ma is sure proud of me! YAY!

Well, it all started with the chipmunks. Many chipmunks have been popping up, literally, through small holes in the ground. And, as in true Lakeland fashion, I was curious. I began sniffing around for a few days honing my “sniffer” skills. Then I began digging a bit hoping to see one of those rascals. After about a week I became more and more confident in my skills, sniffing and digging and peeking in holes.

Honing my skills

Ma read me a paragraph from the American Kennel Club on Lakelands that states:

The Lakeland Terrier has a dense, wiry coat with longer hair on the legs and muzzle, often giving him a distinct beard. Small, sturdy and workmanlike, the breed’s narrow frame allows him to squeeze into rocky dens to chase after vermin.

Today was the piece de résistance!!
I spotted the vermin and the chase was on!
I stuck my nose in the tiny hole and smelled it. I used all my might to dig that hole out. I scratched and clawed! I even used my teeth to pull the grass out from the ground. I was determined!! Ma had to stop me only to pull out a hunk of soil that was wedged in my teeth.
I was relentless. There was no stopping me.

Ma had never seen me so focused, so engaged! My true Lakeland Terrier had finally kicked into full gear. Ma was so proud.

My face was muddy and my paws had grass and soil stuck between the nails. I was a mess and Ma just laughed as I shined in all my Lakie glory.

I never caught that little chipmunk but I know I had him scared.
I realized…..I never had anything fear me before.
It felt great!
I felt proud.

Ma took me home and washed me up and then I ran to my beddie and grabbed some toys. Me and Ma played and played and we were both so tickled and happy!

It was a great bonding moment for the two of us. She has never been more proud of me. And now I’m sitting on the deck and looking very satisfied if not a tad arrogant. BOL!! And Ma says that’s good for me! YAY!

WoW! How far I have come in 14 months! WeeeeeHa!

Hi Everydoggie!
I’ve been a bit under the weather lately. Ma had to take me to the ER because of runny poos and vomiting. Of course the Doctors couldn’t detect what the cause was and put me on some meds. Many of my Facebook friends gave me loads of ideas on how to get better and I am feeling lots betta!!

Ma took me over to grandmas on Saturday to play with my cousins and that made me feel better too! On Sunday we went to visit an elderly man named Pete who is a friend of our family. He lives in Milwaukee in a “not so good” part of town. But Ma grew up in that area so she doesn’t mind going down there. It was Pete’s birthday and we visited with him in his yard because it was a nice day.

There was this sad looking little pup that lived across the street. I wanted to play with him but Ma said that wasn’t a good idea.
But then Ma saw some boys go up to the dog and start to hit it on it’s head. This made Ma VERY ANGRY.

So Ma walked across the street and asked the boys why they were hitting the dog. One of the fellas on the porch said it was his dog and he could do what he wanted with it. Ma told him that he could do what he wanted until the Human Society comes to take the dog away from him.

Ma walked up to the dog and the boys all started to shout at Ma not to touch the dog. She asked why? They told her that the dog was mean and it would bite her. Ma walked straight to the dog and bent down on her knees and began to pet the pup. It was a sweet little pup and gave Ma kisses. The poor thing looked like it needed some loving.

Ma asked the boys if it was mean then why was he giving her kisses? The boys told her that they “wanted to make it mean” and that she shouldn’t pet it.
Ma talked to it and pet him gently and the dog looked her in the eyes as if he was trying to say SAVE ME. This made Ma every sad.

Poor babe laid in the empty lot..no water..no food and short chain

She notice the huge chain that he was attached to. It looked like a car towing chain. And then she saw the chain was kinda tight to it’s neck and the worst part was it was pad locked!!

Notice the thick chain around his neck

Ma tried to get a picture of the padlock but the boys got agitated when Ma started taking pics. Ma asked if the boys had the key to open the lock and loosen the chain. The boys said they had lost the key. This worried Ma so much thinking that this little puppy was going to start growing and the lock and chain would eventually strangle him.

Ma took another picture so she could report this to the proper officials. She also noted that the dog had no water and was tied in the middle of an empty field adjacent to the apparent owners. The boys asked why she was taking the pictures and Ma told them she was going to report them for dog abuse and have the dog taken away from them. All the boys got very quiet and didn’t say anything else while Ma walked back across the street to get me. Then we drove away. Ma was very quiet on the way home too! She was so upset thinking about that poor lit’ pup and others like it and how some people just don’t care how they treat animals.

This is a sad sad day when you have to witness such abuse and are helpless to do anything. Ma said she’ll never forget how that puppy looked into her eyes.

It was a sweet soul

YES! It's time to stop and smell the flowers and take a trip!!

Ma says we get to go on holiday this summer YAY!
So we’re planning a road trip.

I asked my facebook friends where I should go and they gave me loads of ideas. I even had invites to swing by and say hi to some of my doggie pals along the way.

Ma says we must first visit some friends of hers in Minnesota and then she plans on taking me to see Mount Rushmore. Ohh that sounds fun!!
Then she must go to Denver to see her good friend April before we head to San Francisco to meet up with my Pops! Yippee!! I haven’t met my pops yet but Ma says he really nice and he’s flying up from Hawaii to spend time with us. We’re all going to drive down the westcoast together. That should be really fun ‘cuz I never been on a beach before or seen the ocean. Maybe they’ll let me take a swim??

OhBoy I can’t wait!!

And don’t worry…I’m bringing a camera so I can share all my experiences with my pals. YAY!!

I think we’re leaving in June but I’ll be sure to let everydoggie know before I go.
BIG HUGS from Autumn

I actually had a small party last year with grandma and my cousins. But I had just arrived to my first home so I was still adjusting to everything and so much was happening I couldn’t relax and enjoy myself.

My Birthday cake was SOooo good I didn't wanna stop eating

Decorated with animal cookies

This year’s birthday also marked my first year with Ma along with my 5th Birthday combo day. They threw me a party with some of my best doggie and kitty pals. We ran around outside then ate my birthday cake and had bones and other treats.

It was a soft-bake cake using organic flour, cornmeal, honey, egg and fresh ground peanut butter.Then it’s dipped in melted Yogurt chips. Then the addition of Squirrels and Bone shaped cookies dipped in carob are attached around the cake.

There were candles on the cake that Ma blew out for me and party hats too.

Most of the gifts I got were edible and that was good ‘cuz I like to share with my pals!

A bootiful Birthday Kerchief from my BFF, Miss Scout

I received cards in the mail from some facebook friends and a bootiful kerchief I wore for my birthday.

On this card I'm a Princess...from Lorraine a Reynard in the UK

Miss Scout knew I was having cake

From one Lakie to another from my lil' brother Monty in the UK

I just want to thank everyone for ALL the wonderful birthday wishes I’ve received. I’m exhausted after my week-long celebration and if Ma could she would take some shots of me sleeping between the pillows looking Oh So comfy! But she knows if she even picked up the camera it would wake me up because everyone knows I don’t like cameras!!!!

and that’s why there are few pics of my party. Ma didn’t want to spoil my good time with the clicking and flashing.

Mucho Lakie Lovin,
Autumn

pee ess

HAPPY ST. PATTY’s DAY
from MISS GREEN EYES

St Patty Eyes

I’m Virtually fostering an Airedale. Her name is Roxie. See how purty she is?

http://apps.facebook.com/save-a-dog/animals/1759835?referrer=89998

My birthday is in a couple of days. Tomorrow Ma and I will go get the cake she ordered for me. I can’t wait! I’ll get lots of pics to post on my blog for everyone to see. YAY!!

HUGS from Autumn

If you scroll all the way down to the beginning of this blog you’ll see it’s been a year since I started it. Of course I wasn’t even with Ma when I first started blogging. I was still in the NMDR (National Mill Dog Rescue) Kennels waiting to be driven to my new home.

I like reading back in this journal blog as it reminds me how far I have come and how much progress I’ve made. I’ve had so much encouragement from friends near and far. And I look great!
BOL!!

Check out the pic of skinny little me on the day I arrived to meet my new Ma and then compare the healthy looking me NOW!

This was me when I first came to meet Ma

Look at me one year later

Almost a year! I’m very excited to be celebrating my first year with a home, and people who love me and great friends all over the world.
Ma loves me so much!
YAY!

Loving the Cold Weather

I wasn’t sure if I’d like this thing they call snow but I have come to love it. It’s so fun making Ma freeze her bum off while I run and play! YAY!
The colder it is outside, they longer I make Ma stand there watching me.
I run so much in the snow that ma and I have actually made a trail through a field. We call it Autumn’s Trail and when Ma says to run down the trail, off i go!
The trail looms around a tree and comes back up a small incline then around another tree and back again all in about a county-block.

I’ve even gotten brazen enough to go into the huge piles of snow. They were really scary at first but now it’s no problem!

Ma says she’s just happy to have watched me go from stepping on grass when she first got me to running in snow. I’ve done myself proud in 10 months time! YAY

Many of you wonder how my therapy is going. It’s going quite well.
I haven’t fully conquered the scary lights but I’ve been working real hard on it.
My therapist says I’m doing very good and, since it’s only been a couple of months, she expects a slow but steady progress.

So while I work on the scary lights I continue to enjoy the cold weather and snow.
What is it about rubbing my face in the snow that’s so wonderful? I guess it just feels good!!

And Ma will stand patiently, bundled up from head to toe, and watch me play hoping that I will eventually get tired.

BOL!! Little does she know!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! YAY 2010!!

A wish for all my friends near and far for happiness, health and lots of yummy bones!!

SMOOCHES FROM AUTUMN

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

If you don’t know about this I’ll catch you up real fast:
My friend Reynard and his mum in the UK sent a Christmas package to me weeks ago via UPS. The package was seized in Louisville by the UPS under a USDA restriction rule. They were going to destroy the package if Lorraine didn’t pay to have it returned back to the UK.

The UPS man came this morning with package in hand for a Miss A. L. Terrier
That’s Autumn Lakeland Terrier…ME!! YAY

I knew it was the package that Lorraine and Rey had sent via Express UPS weeks ago.

The UPS man said that I owed them $20.75 for the package. WHAT??

Lorraine, the sender paid for this package and paid EXPRESS money to get it here before Christmas…this is what Ma told the UPS man.

He said he’d go back to his truck and double check.

And came back and said we could either pay the $20.75 or refuse the package.

Ma didn’t want to refuse it after all Lorraine had been through to get it to us. So she gave the man a check.

Here’s what the package looks likes….and you can click on any pic for a larger view!

BEHOLD the infamous package

It was obvious the package had been opened and re-taped closed

I hope Homeland Security checked it for bombs!!!!

Looks all secure. And a perfectly harmless rag toy...but where's the Alligator??

The UPS note states EMERGENCY ACTION!!! OMD!! Why? because there was 200 grams of "other feed: mainly other ingredients" and very little other information was listed.

There was a purty card!

Sorry and photo quality but it was very purty!

And a wonderful sentiment from Lorraine and Reynard!

I can’t imagine how much expense this cost Lorraine on her end in the UK and all the emails, phone calls and time it took to resolve this matter. And then to charge US to get the package…WOW that’s just insane business practice!

Well hopefully UPS made loads of money off their customers this year but THE GOOD NEWS IS as soon as Ma tossed the rag toy…I jumped right on it and started to rip it apart! FUN YAY!!!!

So I say MANY THANKS to Lorraine and Reynard!!!

Reynard and his Mum

I’m sad they confiscated the alligator but very glad we had a happy, albeit expensive, resolve!

My first Christmas was FUN!! YAY

Wow! I think I may have to sleep for a week. I’m exhausted from all the activities and parties. My favorite part was opening presents and eating yummy stuff especially the special holiday doggie treats!! Boy am I full!!

Grandma helped me open presents while Ma tried so hard to take pitures. Sadly for her I wasn’t having her spoil my Christmas with the camera and refused to cooperate.

I hope all my friends have had a wonderful Christmas!

I got a squeeky Squirrel

My uncle Gary gave me a new purty dress

My NEW winter coat! YAY

I got this cute bear from Granma..it's called Build A Bear! She's my Bodyguard

YUMMIES!!!!!

Lakie love from Autumn 2 U!!

Well Ma and I have been busy cleaning, cooking, baking and decorating for our Christmas Party.

One day it's all green and dry

The next day I'm standing in snow for the first time

I’ve been enjoying the new snow that has fallen. I like to rub my face in it. IT’S FUN!! YAY!

We’ve also been going to parties….

Ma and I visited my girl friend Harley for Christmas tea

Ma holds me thinking that will help get me to look at the camera...BAH!!

Ma decorates the inside as well as outside

My Stocking is filled with something that looks yummy!!

Pressies for me!!!!

My sweet little friend Elway sent me a package filled with goodies. But I can’t open them until Christmas.

My good pal Elway ... he lives in Washington state

Ma made some Peppermint bark in white and milk chocolate

365 days of Ulysseness!!

My good friend Ulysse sent me a grand 2010 calendar. He and his Mum made it together and packaged it up to send me all the way from France!! YAY!!

You MUST go see his new doggie bloggie Ulysse Des Irreductibles Cathares There’s something very special he has written!!

I got many holiday cards

I’ve been getting mail almost daily and many cards arrive for me from friends all over the world!

My friend Rey lives in the UK

I have a friend, Reynard who lives with his mum, Lorraine, in the UK. They sent me a surprise package via Fedex express. But there was a problem when it arrived in the US. All the effort and expense Lorraine and Rey went through to get me a surprise package went awry when Fedex said they would not deliver the parcel because something in it contained animal-by-products. Lorraine assured Fedex that it was only a toy with veggie-based chew. I talked with somewone there who told me they would either destroy the parcel or return it to the UK at Lorrianes’ expense!! YIKES! How unfair is that??
She’s been emailing the woman in charge for over a week now trying to get a resolve and I do hope they can work something out.

My friend Ced from UK...he's the most adorable Bedlington!

Anyway I have been getting many virtual Holiday cards from friends and so many well wishes. I don’t know how lucky I am!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~
I guess for now Ma and I will finish preparations for our dinner party and we’ll have more news and pictures again soon!

HUGS from Autumn

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!!!

This one is for Jon (Ma’s hubby in Hawaii)
Hi Poppa…Mele Kalikimaka, Aloha nui !

Ma sometimes wonders why I won’t look at her.
She’s resigned herself to the fact that I don’t give kisses, won’t lay next to her on her bed or jump on her lap on the sofa.

She must know that I was never held as a pup nor for the first 4 years of my life. All I knew was a cage. A place to lay until I gave birth. My pups and I never bonded. They were taken away from me as soon as they were strong enough to leave me.

She doesn’t wonder why I get scared at noises or flashing lights. She understands. But she gets sad because I don’t know how to love or what love is. She is hopeful that one day I will understand.

Ma has patience. She watches me carefully, gives me space. She allows me freedom but won’t let me overstep boundaries. She sometimes thinks that I “get it” other times she’s left confused.

I have come a long way in the 9 months we’ve been together. I’m learning what being a dog is about. I like being a free dog. I can run and play and when I do Ma is sooo happy just watching me.

I can walk up and down stairs now and drink out of a bowl. I have barked a few times and they were good, solid barks!
I walk up to strangers to say hello and others like me I easily play with if they’re willing!
I run without a lease and never get too far from Ma.

Yes, I still walk around with my tail between my legs but I’m getting better … baby steps.

As my square cousin Eric said…”Big steps are sometimes disguised as baby steps”

I know Ma gets frustrated at times but it never lasts long because she understands.

I am working real hard on bringing out the special dog she knows resides inside me.

One day I might look her in the eyes and even give her a kiss.

xoxo Autumn

Got a purty new dress for the holidays. It’s got a little hat with furry balls attached. I like it!
I also received a couple of holiday kerchiefs from my good friend Scout. She lives in Chicago and she surprised me by sending them. YAY!

My first Christmas with my first holiday wardrobe.
I feel like a princess!!

Hope everyone had a fun Thanksgiving and for those of you who don’t celebrate it I hope you had a fun day just the same!

I went to grandma’s for turkey day and played in the backyard with my big cousins

Bear, an Akita, and Smokey, Bear’s offspring mix, (pic from last winter)

Cleo

and Cleopatra…she’s what we call a ‘poi dog’. That’s Hawaiian for a mixed breed. Cleo is all kinds of poi dogs!

All 4 of us ran around in the straw until we reached the mud underneath it all. And that WAS FUN! Of course grandma didn’t think so.

She brought me in and made me take a bath. The best part was when she put me on her bed and wrapped me in a heating blankie. I fell asleep. Later Ma brought me in some bites of pork tenderloin, ham and turkey breast. YAY

Then I played with all my small cousins

BeeGee

Beegee, a poodle,

Lucky

Lucky, a poodle/terrier mix,

Teddy

and Teddy, a Lhasa Apso.

I also played with all my kitty cousins but there are far too many to name. All of my furry cousins at grandma’s house are all rescues or found strays. Grandma had a BIG heart!

So, I came home exhausted and went right to bed. Later ma fed me my normal dinner and took me out for a walk. I shouldn’t really say walk because it’s more like run-time. Ma trusts me enough to leave me leash-less so we play run around and chase each other! It’s so fun.
Ma can never keep up with me HA HA HA!

So that was my Turkey day in a nutshell. YAY

Other than that it’s been baby steps towards my therapy. Ma and I work on it everyday. Sometimes I’m ok for the most part. Other days it’s not so good. The good news is that I am STILL meds free!
Ma seems to know how to help calm me and my wrap-around works nicely to help me feel secure.

That’s all for now. I’m glad I could share my stories with you all.

P.S. Don’t forget to get those home addresses to me if you haven’t already done so. Send them to autumnlakelandterrier @ gmail .com

HUGS and LAKIE SMOOCHES

Autumn

Now a true angel

A sad day. I cry.
She wanted to stay but was called away.

Pain is gone… no more pain.. no more monsters

All of our lost lit’ loves now have a new playmate.

They play. They run free. They look down at us with wings.

They smile knowing we shall meet again.