THIS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE

Jenny and Boru here with a hot news flash. We have been living in this house at Lake Anna for 2 1/2 years. We have large low windows and have a great view of the bird and squirrel feeders at the side of the house. We spend lots of time looking out at the birds, squirrels and chipmunks chowing down on all the goodies that dad puts out for them. This morning something happened that has never happened before. A brazen evil squirrel had the audacity to actually come up to the second floor deck at the back of our house. We were all amazed. If the Newfs had been out in their pen the varmint wouldn't have done it. Anyway, we were mesmerized by the evil critter sitting out on our deck rail. Sophie even came over to the glass door to watch with us. We thought that she'd spoil our hunt by barking and scaring the Squirrel Out Back (S.O.B.), but surprisingly she kept that yapper of her's shut. The dumb squirrel evidently didn't see us hunting him or else he has a high squirrel IQ and knew we couldn't get out to pounce on him. He stayed out on the deck for over 15 minutes. He had our tail tips twitching. Just click on each picture to enlarge it and see the the evil squirrel detail.
- Jenny and Boru (Hey Spencer - "Here's looking at you kid.)

HOMER J. RAMBLIN'S

Hey Hounders, This is Bumpass Hound Homer J. doing today's post. The "other" Homer from Rotterdam was forced to let his missus use his blog and then she tagged us to make our dad post 40 interesting things about himself. We should be able to make him post 40 things but it will be very difficult to make them interesting. Dad will be doing a rescue transport for Almost Heaven Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary this weekend so he'll have to do his 40 things list next week, and we'll make him document and keep a journal of the rescue transport. - Fortunately, The Rescue Wagon is all repaired and back from the shop better than ever. Well, maybe not better than ever, but definitely better than before because the brakes work now and the fuel lines have been replaced so it doesn't smell like gasoline and it isn't about to blow up. - We have been saddened to hear that Poo-Face Salvador, the brother of our friend Huffle way down under in Australia has, rather unexpectedly, made the journey to The Rainbow Bridge. Please leave her a comment in remembrance of Salvador. - We wish our BFF Spencer has a rejuvenating day today out in sunny Los Angeles. - Well that's about it for this morning. Y'all have a fine day. - Homer J. and The Bumpass Hounds

THE RESCUE WAGON

ATTENTION TO ROLL CALL.

Hey Hounders,
It's all of us Bumpass Hounds banding together for today's posting. We want to pay respect and remembrance today to K9 Benny. Our sissy Sarah is a police officer for the government. She is a dog handler who works explosive detection dogs. Her current dog's name is Aldo. Aldo is a Golden Retriever just like most of us. However, her first dog was Benny. Benny was trained at, and acquired from, Lackland Air Force Base. Benny retired a few year ago to live with the police officer who was his handler at that time. Unfortunately, Benny made the journey to The Rainbow Bridge in December. As you may know from watching TV, before each police shift goes on duty there is a roll call with the Sergeant who goes over orders of the day and important announcements. Well this week at Attention To Roll Call the following citation was read:

The Pentagon Police Department K-9 Unit announces that K-9 Benny, the last of the original 4 dogs that started the K-9 unit in 1998 was euthanized this past December. Benny was 12 years old and was suffering from degenerative nerve issues in his hind legs and hips. Benny was an exceptional K-9 and served this agency well through Two Handlers, Two Chiefs of Police and Three Secretaries of Defense. Some of Benny's highlights were working on the 1999 NATO Conference and the 2001 and 2005 Presidential Inaugurals.

BENNY

Fair Winds and Following Sea to you K9 Benny. Run free in the fields. Thank you for your service. We all miss you, especially Sarah.

- The Bumpass Hounds

http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=1852

http://www.dogheroesof911.com/events.htm

http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/United-States-Pentagon-Police

U. S. Pentagon Police Canine Directorate
The Police Canine Division (K-9) is the explosive detection unit for the Department of Defense community in and around the Washington D.C. area. The K-9 Division is organized into several teams (canine and handler) that provide both proactive and reactive law enforcement functions in order to ensure a safe working environment at the Pentagon Reservation and its other associated properties.
The Officers of the USPPD K-9 Division are dedicated to duty and ready to respond to any situation at a moments notice. The dogs actually live with their assigned PPD Officers and are a part of every aspect of the Officer’s home life. This relationship is necessary to provide the most effective dog handler rapport. Since the handler and canines are always together, it provides for an efficient response time to incidents when canine support is needed.

Have a good day Spencer. Hang in there buddy.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - WHO WANTS A CHEWY?

IS THIS A DINNER DATE?

Sophie here again. I just need to vent. As you all know, I'm currently on a reduced calorie diet. I'm basically living on a drunken sailor's ration of bread and water in the brig. I get 1/2 cup of low fat kibble (Purina OM) and 1+1/2 cups of uncut green string beans (yummmmmm) fo breakfast and again for dinner. So what happens when dad puts my bowl down? I have an uninvited dinner guest, that's what. I'm a sophisticated southern lady so I don't want to cause a commotion. ere's how this usually goes down:

Boru: Hey Sophie, are you having dinner?

Has your Cuz eaten yet?

What are you having anyway?

Boru: Pssst.

Got any uncut green string beans in there?

Can I have just a taste, please?

Please, just a taste?

Boru: Beat it sister.

What are you having for breakfast?

Meet you here?

Well, nothing like a date for dinner, whether you want one or not. Oh well, maybe Brusy will sleep in late in the morning and miss breakfast; yeah, that'll ever happen.

- Sophie (a.k.a Sofa-Dofa) of The Bumpass Hounds (and Kitties)

We're praying for you Spencer. Have a good day.

TOOT-TOOT. I'M BLOWING MY OWN HORN!

Hey Hounders! It's Sophie (a.k.a. Sofa-dof) here to announce the good news. As some of you may know from my introduction and previous postings in early December and late December and again in January, I, along with a lot of other American peeps and animals, have a bit of a weight problem. I weighed 147 pounds in June of 2008. I was taken in to foster care in early October at 132 pounds; I was on a diet and had lost 15 pounds. My foster mom said that I wasn't fat; more like I was morbidly obese. My new dad set up a weight goal schedule of 1 pound a week and started it at 147 pounds on June 1, 2008. Now he takes me in to Doc Witter's hospital every couple of weeks to get me weighed. This chart shows the progress that I have made so far.

DATE - Goal - My Weight
6/1/08 - 147 - 147 (Start Point)
10/4/08 - 129 - 132 (Foster Point)
10/25/08 - 126 - 128
11/8/08 - 124 - 124
11/22/08 - 122 - 122
12/13/08 - 118 - 120
12/27/08 - 116 - 117
1/10/09 - 114 - 117

Well, my dad changed me over to Purina "OM" weight management dry kibble that he bought at Doc Witter's. He also cut my kibble to one cup a day but added 2 cups of fresh uncut, green string beans; split into a morning and evening feeding. I really like the string beans (unfortunately, so does Boru). Last Saturday was a weigh in day and according to dad's projected schedule my goal weight for last Saturday was 111 pounds. Here are the results:


1/31/09 - 111 - 110


How about them apples, friends and neighbors. Dad was so excited that he called mom right away, I could here her yelling excitedly over dad's cell phone. I have lost 37 pounds since June and 22 pounds since becoming a Bumpass Hound. (22 pounds is about the equivalent weight of one Boru or one Alex or two Jennys.) Dad and mom both tell me that they are very proud that I'm doing so well. I feel good too, I've got lots more energy and don't have anywhere near as much trouble negotiating the front porch stairs. I had a very good day and I think I have stick-to-it-ness. I am one svelte chick and getting sveltier. Check out my sveltness in the below photo. So what do you guys think? Is it OK for me to toot my own horn?
- Sophie of The Bumpass Hounds

SVELTE SOPHIE

We hope that our friend Spencer is OK and that he has a good day today; and tomorrow and the next day.

We love you Spencer.

SUPERBOWL SUNDAY

Brutus Maximus posting today. I'm the big guy around here (Shiloh is bigger but she's a gal not a guy), kinda like Golic on the Mike and Mike ESPN Radio show. like Golic, I don't play football but I can talk about it. (Those that can "do" and those that can't "teach" or "report." ) It's Superbowl Sunday. Today's the day that the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers play the United States National Football League (NFL) championship game. The NFL isn't as pompous as Major League Baseball and doesn't call it The World Series; it's just a national championship football game. That makes sense because this kind of football isn't like the football played everywhere else in the world (not counting the one NFL game played in England each year.); which we snobishly refer to as soccer. Anyway, the big game is tonight and since the New England Patriots aren't playing we don't really care about it; we were hoping to see Giselle. We'd rather have mom or dad brush us out than have them watch the game. Dad says he's kinda obligated to watch so he'll be able to make cool comments at work and claim he was rooting for whoever wins. We reminded him that he isn't going to work tomorrow because he has a long painful dentist appointment mid day. By Tuesday the game will be old news and everyone other than NFLaholics will have forgotten about it and be getting ready for March Madness (something else all together). Anyway, as a point of interest i was gonna tell y'all about what Boru did the other evening when dad brought home some stuff from COSTCO along with a big pizza. Dad put the pizza box on the kitchen island counter and was putting away the other stuff he bought. Well Boru likes warm things and Boru likes boxes so Boru sat his fat butt down on top of the pizza box (that's a Golic picture). COSTCO doesn't put those plastic disk things in their pizza boxes so Boru's 20+ pounds of cat butt settle the pizza box cover down on top of the pizza cheese. Pizza and cardboard, anyone? Then Boru proceeded to sit in the little box that dad brought the other stuff home in. We have the photographic evidence right here. Well that's all the news that's fit to print. As Spencer always sez: "Wags."
- Max and The Bumpass Hounds

Have a good day, Spencer.