Maximilien Le Woof

Happy New Woofy Year!

2012-01-01T16:29:00.003+01:00

Happy New Year 2012!

What better way to begin than by posting old pictures from 2011!

First of all, can someone tell me how much is that dog in the window?

Woof woof! Max staring at me at work.

Also, I've recently gotten a new protection thingie for my computer at work. It's been working pretty well so far.

No virus is going to get in there! No cat either.

Max is a bit particular. You know how people usually loves to sunbath? We take our long chairs, drag them into the open where the sun is shining warm and bright. We might bring a book, a nice drink or simply choose to close our eyes and drift off while enjoying the nice weather...
Max does it during the autumn, under the cloudy sky, on the bare chair. Silly doggy.

Maybe it's time I turn around so I get an even tan?

Sometimes, he does get tired of cloud-bathing, mostly when he's playing with his cousin Ludde. Let the right ones in? (Låt "de" rätta komma in?).

Let us in! Pleeeeaaasseee! We won't wreck havoc in the house... again... Well, for 5 minutes at least.

He loves to be around us, sleeping at our feet at work and at home, following us around as we do the stuff we do, even when that implies building Ikea furniture.

Ok, so I stay here and you follow my instructions.

I give this the Max' seal of approval. Woof!

We can sleep soudnly with Max in the house. He even keeps the Christmas tree and all teh gifts safe from burglars (or curious people trying to get a sneak peak at their presents a bit too early).

Merry Woofmas!

Hallo-Woof!

2011-11-20T16:34:00.001+01:00

Halloween is traditional in Canada and I think it ranks pretty high, if not at the top, of my favourite holidays. I have been tryingto have a little bit of Halloween in Sweden, either by throwing a party or baking creepy (but yummy) things for my coworkers. This year, I had a puppy (uh oh) and, given his Canadian roots, I had no other choice but to make him participate in this great tradition.

I thought a long time about what kind of costume would be best for Max. I saw some amazing ones on the net, but 1) My sewing skills are rather... poor. 2) I did not want to invest lots of money to buy one. Beside, I think it is a lot more fun to make your own costume (and might often look better).

Much googling later, I got an idea.

Behold. Here comes Spider Dog!
"Spider Dog, Spider Dog! Does whatever a Spider Dog do"

"Can he catch, an orange ball? Yes he can, 'cause he's a dog"

"Can he lie down, lazily? Yes he can, 'cause he's a dog"

"Can he swing, on a web. No he can't, 'cause he's a dog. But he'll ~~beg for food~~ stand watch when the evil spider has lunch."

Family Reunion

2011-10-23T14:48:00.000+02:00

At the beginning of October, we were invited to a puppy meeting by the owner of Canagold. We were very eager to meet Max' siblings as well as see how they would interact with each other.

It was a very fun afternoon and I think everyone had a great time. I do wonder if the humans or the dogs had the bigger blast.

The actors:

Saga (the mommy), Tanya (an auntie, I think, as she has the same father as Saga), Tazza (half sister as they share the same mother). You can read about these lovely dogs here.
Max, Nova, Yatzie, Teia, Tindra, Stella (Max and his sisters. Samos, the other male puppy, was the only missing one). About 5.5 months old.
Nikki and her daughter Luna, golden retrievers.
Minnah, Belgian shepherd/Malinois puppy, about 3.5 months old.
Oh yes, the owners of all these fine dogs and puppies.

Max was a little wary at first, as he usually tends to be. However, it did not last long and soon enough, he was running around and playing with his siblings and the other canine guests.

He happened to be the only male dog during that day, and he got chased around quite a bit.

The puppies are patiently waiting in line for the privilege of being petted.

Max is doing his funny face to make his siblings laugh.

She looks funny!

Max yielding to his sisters.

The puppy house, June 4th 2011

The puppy house, October 10th, 2011

Niclas thinks he can be a flock leader. Minnah seems to be about to prove him wrong.

Max and Nova sharing a stick. Cute siblings.

Teia, Tindra, Nova, Yatzie, Stella, Max and mommy Saga.

Fluffy White Trail of Destruction

2011-09-13T22:33:00.001+02:00

What happens when a puppy finds out the whreabouts of your emergency toilet paper rolls?

A fluffy white trail of destruction.

The trail coming from the bathroom all the way to the den of a certain puppy.

The poor victim, found crippled in the den of the culprit.

The culprit showing absolutely no remorse at all and having another go at the mangled roll.

Happy Birthday Max - 4 months

2011-08-28T17:10:00.002+02:00

Today is Max's birthday. Well, sortish. He turns 4 months, so it's a quarter of a birthday!

What has mister Le Woof been up to lately? Well....

1. Eating dirt from my potted plant. Tsk tsk
2. Playing with his new tunnel from IKEA (he won't admit it, but he was terrified of the thing at first, now he seems to find any excuse to run through it).
3. Trying to dig the wooden floor at work to hide his bones. It's actually very adorable. He will start whimpering with the bone in his mouth, then walk around a bit, start clawing the floor, then put the bone there and pretend it's well hidden.
4. Hiding his bone between the cushions on the couch. I found it out the hard way when I tried laying on said couch and my side met with something solid and rather uncomfortable.
5. Niclas has been showing him to seek. He hides the ball and then asks him to get the ball. It works! It's so amazing. Of course, it doesn't work all the time, but gosh this is fun and I find it great that he understands the concept.
6. He's a climber. At work, if left alone, he'll find a way to get on my desk and wander around the place. I had to wash my water glass a few times and throw some almonds that were innocently laying by my keyboard. Oh yes, I've also learned to push my chair all the way in when I leave, although it doesn't always deter him. It's a good thing I can increase the height of my desk with a simple button.
7. He loves to jump... down high places that make me go "You crazy dog, you'll break your bones! Arrrrg NOOOO!"

So, enough with words and let's see some pictures!

Max likes to jump.

How much is that dog, in the car window? Woof woof!

Typical day at work for Max.

He's my little handsome gentle~~man~~dog

My Little Helper

2011-08-13T21:46:00.000+02:00

I think the key of getting me to post is actually making shorter posts, so this one is about my little helper.

A new house means more space. Tons of space compared to our apartment, which was still nice mind you. This house has lots of rooms and as Niclas got his garage, I wrestled away one room for my crafting. I have been slowly furnishing it and making it a nice a place to do lots of ~~crap~~ fun projects.
This first picture is from July 25th, so bear in mind that my little helper has been growing since then, despite my most vocal objections.

I'm a genius! There's no way her chair will roll over my fur over here!

The next picture is from a little over a week ago, when I finally and proudly finished my TARDIS table for my sewing corner. He just followed me around as I carried it from the garage then plumped himself right under it while I decided to do a quick photo shoot with my phone (it was late in the evening, so the light was bad, hence the poor quality).

For those who are not familiar with the TARDIS, it stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space and it is the space/time ship of the Doctor in the British TV series Doctor Who. Its chameleon circuits are stuck so it also looks like a Police Box.

Given that this is technically the door, I suppose Max is inside the TARDIS.

Tonight, as I tested out my sewing machine on a project I had been postponing for months, I had my Little Helper keeping my left foot warm as he showed his encouragement with his cheerful snoring.

Random Things and Lots of Pictures

2011-07-31T21:50:00.003+02:00

Two weeks have gone by, more or less, and not much has happened except a puppy that is refusing to heed my order to stop growing.
When he sits and looks at me, I can't help but think of him as a handsome little gentleman. He looks really adorable with his white paws and white snout.

Last week, we took him to the vet for his vaccin. He did not even notice what was going on. However, when the nice assistant came to help out with the claws... well, you might recall how horrible I felt when I tried to clip his back claws... So the girl starts with the front paws. He wiggles a little but she is quick and knows her stuff. Then she continues with the back paws. The little devious thing started screaming bloody murder and whining as if we were cutting his toes one by one. I was puzzled and slightly worried.
"That's how he screamed when I tried! What do you mean he's all right?".
Well, it turns out Max is a little wuss when it comes to his back paws. That little rascal!

We weighted him on the way out and, on Thursday, July 22nd, Maximilien weighted a full 7.90 kg.

Aside from that, he is turning out to be a real typical dog. Here is one of the latest proofs:

Most dogs get stuck on poles and such. He manages to do it all by himself.

Given that there are very few people at work right now and that Niclas wanted to spend some time working on his dad's house with his brother, we decided I could take Max with me and see how he behaves while spending the whole day there. I have done it three times now over the course of two weeks and it has gone very well... except on the first day where he managed to first pee and then poop in my boss' office *hides in shame*. Luckily for me, he laughed and took the opportunity to take a coffee break while I cleaned it up. The worse part? We had just spent 10 minutes outside running and playing to see if Max needed to do something.
Otherwise, he has been behaving very well and he has been quite popular with everyone. He now knows where my office is as well as the ~~bathroom~~ boss' office where he knows he can get a few friendly scratches behind the ears.


Oh boy, we're going to work! I'm so eager, I slept under your car to make sure you wouldn't forget me!

Welcome to my office! It's just me and my human today as her coworkers are still away. That means more room for me! And I can chew on some cables while she isn't looking, muahahaha (sorry Kalle! No harm done, I swear).

This is where we plan all we've got to do. My picture isn't up there yet, but I'm sure they'll add me soon.

Ah, there's nothing like hard labour to make you feel good about yourself! Here I am in one of my finest creative moments.

Yesterday, we had the visit of Niclas' brother and Ludde. Max was quite pleased to be able to play with his cousin. His brother took beautiful pictures of them playing together and he has agreed to let me post them on the blog.

Catch me if you can!

When Ludde gets tired of the fight and starts to focus on a toy, Max will still try to get him to play with him. After seeing all his attempts to fail, he will steal Ludde's toy and run off with it, chased by Ludde who wants to get his toy back. While we were eating sausages, he managed to grab the plastic duck from Ludde and they both ran around the table a couple of times before the culprit was caught.

Two good buddies sharing a piece of wood

At one point, after the usual friendly fighting, they settled down and both gnawed on the same branch for about half an hour.

A very nice picture of Max with Ludde in the background

Max enjoying a bit of shade

Much later, the two cousins were cooling down and resting a bit while I was busy in the kitchen going "awwwwww"

That's it for now, folks! My good friend Mia is coming next weekend and I hope she will take her camera with her (hint hint). She makes beautiful pictures and I bet she would be delighted to catch Max on film. That means I might get more lovely pictures to share!

I Can...

2011-07-17T17:45:00.001+02:00

Parents will often gush over their babies when they take their first step, speak their first word, get their first tooth, etc. Dates are often written down in a cute little journal to be eventually read, many years later, with a nostalgic smile on the reader's lips.

I thought about making a little book for Max, but I fear I would be a bit too lazy when it comes to write things down. I had already had the thought to continue to take one picture a week, on Wednesday, like Canagolds would do, so I could see his evolution but... well.. we take pictures, just not like they should be (one whre he sits and one where he stands).

However, I can put this stuff here! They say nothing you put on the itnernet ever vanishes, so that might be the best way to keep it for a very long time.

So, tell us Sir Maximilien Le Woof, what can you accomplish now that you are closing in on your 12th week of existance?


I can sit!

I can lie down!


I can sometimes bring back stuff (although these balls are a bit too big yet)

I can give the paw (since Friday!)

I can pretend I'm the Sphinx (yeah yeah, so he's more of a feline than a canine...)

And most of all...

I can hang out with my humans (and I love it)!

One of Many First(s)

2011-07-12T21:41:00.001+02:00

This last Saturday, we took the cousins to the lake with the hopes that Ludde could trick Max into the water.

Well, that did not go as well as we had hoped. Dog treats helped, but Max is still wary of diving in. What he is not shy of doing, is digging in the sandy beach to then roll in the muddy sand until he is covered in it. Right... that will dry you up much faster, you silly doggie!


Ludde and Max at the lake

Ludde enjoying the water

Max enjoying the beach... yeah...
Don't think for one second that you'll escape the bath that's coming when we get home!

Max really "digs" the beach. Har har har.

The Cousins

2011-07-06T21:09:00.000+02:00

Max has had a little (well, big) roomate since saturday as Niclas' brother is off to celebrate his birthday in beautiful Italy.

Ludde will be staying with us until Sunday and I must admit I am looking a bit forward to it so we can get more peace around the house. He's a sweet dog, but quite energetic! He might have been fine had we not have Max but... well, we're looking after for two puppies at the moment (as if one wasn't enough already). It's a fun experience though.

They get along very nicely, so that in itself is a big bonus. It also helps Max to socialise a bit more with another dog, he gets a playmate who he will meet many times over the incomming years and the neighborhood kids are just nuts about having two puppies to visit.

Ludde and Max, playing calmly for once.


My cute little frog

Something sad...
I tried to cut Max' nails last night. It was my first time ever and I had asked Elisabeth to show me how to do it before they left on Saturday. She gave me great tips and did two of Max' nails before he struggled to escape, so I felt more secure into performing this daunting task on my own.

Last night, I figured it was time. Max was a little sleepy and I thought it would be perfect. Niclas sat near by and we tried. Well, Max had a change of mind so we stopped after I managed one or two. While Niclas went to take care of Ludde, I tried again, this time bribing my little frog (see above) with a yummy doggy treat. That gave me plenty of time to do the 2 front paws. He finished chewing as I was about to start the back paws, started to wiggle a little but I thought I had it under control... then he welped and my heart broke. That poor little guy, I had almost cut his nerve. Luckily, I probably "only" pinched it or something when I ended up too close, because there was no blood and he seemed to have forgotten about it after 30 seconds, which included lots of hugs and another treat.

Now I need to get over my fear of doing this again, prep myself with lots of treats and give it another try soon. Wish us luck.

Clocking in

2011-07-02T11:30:00.000+02:00

Yesterday, Friday (or Canada Day for our maple sirup lovers), saw a little puppy take over a whole company with nothing but bright green eyes and a fluffy red coat.

The "awww" and "ohhhh" and "så sött jag dör!" (so cute I could die) were heard in unison as little Max made his fashionable entrance (I say fashion because he was half an hour late due to bad trafic and the crowd was getting restless by then). I think that faux-pas was forgotten within seconds as a dozen of hearts melted simultaneously. I think we might be getting a new mascot at work.

Max stayed about an hour and made lots new friends, including a coworker's cute daughter who followed her to work just to play with Max.I can say for sure that Max had a great time with her, even falling asleep, after much playing, by her side.

You'd think he would do after the blue ball, not the white laces...

That ball's life ended shortly after meeting with Max' pointy teeth.

No Max, hiding under the couch won't save you from having to work!

What a big desk for a little puppy. Cookie points for that awesome mouse pad, Max!

Coming soon to New York Art Gallery!
After the 4 years old painter, the 9 weeks old designer!

Visitors!

2011-06-28T19:11:00.001+02:00

Max has been having a few visitors since he moved in with us. People have a hard time resisting to his charm and who could blame them?

I have to say I'm quite proud of my little guy, he's been doing quite well with taking *most* of his business outside, he comes when we call him, he sits and since yesterday, he lays down too!

This past Sunday, he got to meet Niclas' brother's dog Ludde (does it make them some sort of weird cousins?). We'll be dogsitting Ludde next week, so we thought it would be a good thing to slowly introduce them to each other and see how they react. It went rather well, even if Ludde might not realise how strong he is, but it didn't deter Max who kept going for the ears. Tsk tsk.

Ludde thought it would be funny to blow a strawberry on Max' belly.


Max seemed to disagree and showed his discontent by nibbling on Ludde's snout.

Yesterday, Max had another playmate visiting who took it upon itself to play hide and seek in our yard.

I bet he cannot see me here!

And... random adorable picture of the day!

Oh no! He's coming to steal my cookies!!

Joyeuse St-Jean Baptiste!

2011-06-24T13:59:00.001+02:00

Passez une superbe St-Jean Baptiste!

Même Max se joint aux célébrations!

(St-Jean Baptiste, celebrated on June 24th, is Québec's National Day. The blue and white flag with the white heraldic lilies is Québec's flag).

Welcome Home, Max!

2011-06-23T22:35:00.000+02:00

After about 2 months of waiting and 2 hours of car, Max is finally home!
He was very quiet and well behaved in the car (for the most part).

Have you noticed his eyes? They went from blue to green! They will change one last time and turn brown within a few weeks (or a few days?). II find it quite fascinating (and very pretty, although I wish they could stay blue or green, but he will be as gorgeous with brown eyes, of course).

Aside from marking Niclas' mother's rug as his own, he has been very good so far with doing his business outside. Then again, I've spent quite some time with him in the grass. I think he was having quite a blast! He has fallen asleep just outside the door when Niclas tried to take him for a walk, so I moved him inside his crate.

He looks so tiny in his big crate. Soon enough, he's going to fill it up pretty well.

Little Max also received a parting gift from his mother Saga. A green toy to chew to his heart's content and a few cookies for when he has been a good boy.

Canagold's Nassak (Max' official name). Good luck in your new home! Hugs from mamma Saga

In less than 24 hours...

2011-06-22T19:31:00.000+02:00

... this collar will be around a little puppy's neck! Can you guess who that neck belongs to?

What's in a Name?

2011-06-18T18:05:00.000+02:00

I’m sure you’ve been torturing yourself with “but how did they come up with this name?!”. Well, my friend, ponder no more as the answer will come shortly.

I suspect that most families welcoming a new member will spend a good amount of time about figuring out who they will call them. Personally, I thought I had it all figured out ever since Beetho passed away.

Chopin: A few months after we all survived the terrible disaster of the 2000 bug, I moved to the big city and, given that we were forbidden to have a dog in the apartment, we settled for a little kitty. Beethoven was alive and well at the time. He had been given that name by the owner of his parents and while it was probably inspired by a movie with a giant St. Bernard, we took it as the composer. Thus, kitty was known as Mozart. I thought it would be pretty cool to continue this musical tradition and, after some thinking (and the fact that Bach and Tchaikovsky are just awful dog names), picked Chopin. From that day on, I looked forward to meeting Chopin. When I moved to Sweden, I was doing all I could to get Chopin, but things got in the way: at first we didn’t have our own place, then we moved to the third floor of an apartment buildings, etc. In consolation, I’d give any virtual dogs in games the name of Chopin. Then after many years of sighing and longing, we finally moved to a house. It was time to get Chopin!

Then I realised that… We always shorten names, no matter what, so it would be natural for Chopin to be abbreviated sometimes. Chopin was a very nice and fine name when pronounced in French. “Viens ici mon Chocho!” doesn’t sound too bad, right? Let’s try in English “Come here, Chop Chop”. In Swedish? “Kom här Shop Shop”. Ugh. ACK! My name was ruined! Enfer et damnation!

With my head low, I started thinking of a new name.

Doctor: I love Doctor Who and a dog named Doctor sounded pretty cool. It would also go well with my parent’s dog Mister B. Instead of “Play dead!” I could command him to “Regenerate!”. There was also the old Bugs Bunny quote of “What’s up, Doc?” upon which my dog would give me his paw. Niclas was not too fond of it and I fear that most of the fun jokes would have been lost upon most people.

Maple: Given that the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever has roots in the province of Nova Scotia in Canada, I thought Maple would be an awesome name. Maple trees can be red (the dog is red!) and it is an obvious symbol of Canada (just look at the flag if you are in doubts). Sadly, everyone I spoke to said it was a bitch name, so I had to give up my little Maple. Actually, I might just store it away because I still think it’s a great name.

Spirou: The red haired groom/journalist came up at some point as I love comic books. We seemed to be both quite taken by the name. However, it lasted only for 24 hours and we were back to wondering what to call the dog.

Bobby: Bobby would have been in honour of Greyfriars Bobby. I found that story so touching when we visited Scotland that I told myself I would name a dog Bobby one day. The problem is that I’m not too fond of the name and that Bobby is also a common nickname of Niclas’ middle name. It might have made things a little weird! You can read about Bobby’s devotion here: The tale of Greyfriars Bobby

Maximilien Le Woof: We were eating dinner and talking about names. Out of the blue, I said Max. Niclas looked at me and cheerfully said that it was a very good name. I was a bit unsure, but it did sound good. However, I couldn’t have a dog whose name is only Max. So I elaborated it. Max is short for Maximus, Maximilien… Wait a sec, that one sounds pretty good! It actually sounds a bit noble too. Then it needs a proper last name! Woof is doggish enough. De Woof? Von Woof? Le Woof? It was a bit of a tie between De and Le, but you know the result.

Max' Predecessors

2011-06-11T18:07:00.000+02:00

I've had a couple of dogs in my life, which is both good and bad. It's good because I have nice memories with lots of little friends. It's bad because it means that they left us a bit too quickly in most cases.

Now, the timeline is a bit vague in my head, but I'll do my best to not be too confusing.

Cheeko

He was my very first dog, a lovely black Labrador puppy that we got when I was perhaps 9 or 10 years old. He spent what I hope were 3 happy months with us, but he passed away after a very sudden illness. My parents even paid for a surgery to try and save him, but he didn't make it. I don't remember him much, except for the walk we took with him on the day of his operation. It was my mother, my sister and I in the parking lot behind the clinic. We took pictures, but the films were bad and they never produced anything.

Belle

Belle was an older schnauzer that needed a home. My mother heard about her workplace and she took her home one day. When I saw her for the first time, I thought she was the ugliest dog alive. Black, grey and white with a weird little beard/moustache... The funny thing is that it has become my favourite breed and my heart melts each time I see one of these little guys.

She was perhaps 7-9 years old when we got her and she stayed with us, sleeping on her blue cushion in the kitchen, for what I think were a few years. She was smart and a sneaky little devil. Our backyard was fenced and we would let her out, thinking that she was safe and happy to do her own things. We found out some time later that she had dug a hole and would escape for an hour or so to go explore the neighbourhood. How did we find it out? A neighbour told us that he had seen her walking around on her own a few times, and that this car had almost hit her. Silly doggy...

But she grew old, as all dogs do, and her health declined. Something a child might not always take notice of.

I would sometimes go visit some cousins for a few days in the summer... we'd do an exchange of some sort and that time, my cousin Hugo was swapped in my place. When I came back, I was told that they had given her away to a nice lady living on a farm, so Belle would be able to run freely despite losing her sight and that she would be much happier there to live her old days. I was heartbroken that I couldn't even tell her goodbye... and it wasn't until many years later that I learned that my parents had to actually put her away because of her health. I think that was in 1993.

There's a box at home in Canada with a bunch of old pictures and a few things that belonged to her. I think I'll have to remember to pack it the next time I visit.

Buddy

My father had decided against the three of us (who were rooting for a Schnauzer) and he bought a Boxer around the beginning of 1994 from some biker guy in Montréal (I think?).

Buddy was quite a lot of fun and he was hilarious when he was happy for visitors. Each time we had visitor, you could see this huge dog twisting himself in two with his tiny bit of tail wagging like mad. He was very friendly and used to sleep in the hallway between our rooms. The problem was that he snored. Loudly. And he farted too. Stinklingly and loudly as well.

I remember walking him one day and a little kid came along (he was perhaps 5 or 6 years old and I was about 14). The kid looked happy and came to greet Buddy. Well, that big thing was ecstatic at the prospect of a new friend, so before I could do anything, he got up on his back legs and put his front legs on the shoulders of the tiny kid who had no choice but to fall backward in the grass and... thankfully laughing his head off as Buddy's tongue tickled his cheeks.

We had Buddy for about a year. My dad developed allergies due to his very short hair (he travelled a lot back then, so it took about a year for my parents to make the connection between the symptoms and the cause). My mother managed to find him a great new home, so I'm hopefully that he spent many happy years after his stay with us.

Beethoven, aka Beetho

I'm not too sure when we got Beetho, but I guess around 1997. He was a schnauzer like Belle (we won over dad this time, mostly as we knew his allergies wouldn't be a problem with that breed). He was very sweet and a big idiot. I loved him with all my heart. I think this is the dog that I felt the most about, probably because I was also older (16-17 when we got him).

That's the dog who managed to get sprayed by a skunk on one tiny area of his body - exactly where he had his stitched... silly Beetho.

He would have lived with me in Montréal when I moved out, had the landlord not forbidden dogs in the apartment building. I missed him dearly for the whole year and would take him for walks each time I visited home... until my mother told me she had to put him down a week or so after my birthday (2001). I was devastated, but I know she was heartbroken as well. She's loved each of these dogs as much as I have and it is never an easy choice to make. She had to think of his well-being first and poor Beetho had been sick a lot during his short life. He had allergies which made him bite his paws until they bled. He was treated almost daily with some cortisone cream or pill I think. Then he had frequent ears infections and he even had two operations to try and solve that, to no avail. In the end, we also found out that he had an enlarged heart, which explained why he ran out of breath so often on his walks and would just plump himself down on the grass. It was when he started having bumps and the vet said it might be cancer, that my mother decided that the poor thing had already suffered enough in his life.

Thinking about him always brings tears to my eyes because I still miss him and I wish he had had the chance to get the long happy life that he truly deserved.

His red scarf is in that box. Dang, I really need to get it back.

Mr B

This isn't actually my dog and I've only had the immense pleasure of meeting him for a mere 3 weeks last summer (2010), but he's such an amazing dog! He's my mother's Schnauzer and he should be about 2 years old as she bought him a month or two after one of my visits (spring 2009). I was a bit miffed, because I would have loved to spend time with a schnauzer puppy, but I can't really blame her as it wasn't really planned.

She fell in love with his cute little snout at a pet shop and the rest is history.

Well, this turned out into quite a wall of text. I hope no one is snoring like Buddy by now!

Next up: the origins of Max' name.

Meet Max - Part 2

2011-06-06T15:15:00.000+02:00

The ride takes about 1.40 hour each way, but it has been worth it both times. On saturday, I was in puppy heaven with seven absolutely adorable toller puppies, one of which will soon be wrecking havoc in our house in a few weeks.

The puppies loved my sandales.

Ah yes, which one is Max? We finally found out so now we can scroll through all their pictures and sigh happily each time his little snout pops up.

So, Max was born on my birthday and... wears my favourite colour as his collar (look at the banner if you need a clue).

Don't you just want to cuddle him?

He's the calmer of the two little guys, which is why the nice lady chose him for us - Niclas' brother and his girlfriend have bought a toller as well and she thought it would be easier for us if we got the milder puppy. Mind you, he still has energy, but he seems to be nicer with his siblings. Mister grey has quite the itchy teeth! Given that Ludde (their dog) is very much enclined to bite, I think we're both happy that Max will (hopefully) not be as bad *knocks on wood*.

A few more pictures of sir Le Woof. The next ones should come around midsummer (St-Jean Baptiste pour mes chers Québécois).

Max at around 5.5 weeks old (June 22nd, 2011)

First look at Maximilien Le Woof

2011-06-04T10:57:00.000+02:00

Well, this is it. We are getting a puppy!
Please, meet Maximilien Le Woof, a little Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever who was actually born on my birthday (talk about fate!).

Isn't he just adorable?

What do you mean which one? That one there, the one fighting with his little brother!
Still not obvious enough? Well... that's the best I can do at the moment as we haven't been told which one of these little trouble-making males we are getting. We were lucky enough to get one to begin with, so we aren't picky. See, both males have white fur on back of their necks, which automatically disqualifies them from exhibitions, so some people decided to wait instead. Ha! Their loss, because these little guys are going to be pure awesomeness on top on being gorgeous.

That picture, a still from a video hence the poor quality, was taken back on May 22nd when they were about 3.5 weeks old. We are about to head out again to see them and hopefully find out if it's the one to the left or to the right that will earn the noble name of Max. I mean, Maximilien Le Woof, of course.