Our dog turns out ok

Hi everyone

We have to tell you, after having had Princess for about 20 weeks it turns out our dog is not half bad. I mean we put all our trust in André and Sue when they picked her out at the shelter but they did a good job choosing our new pet. Princess doesn't bother us a lot and we kind of got the rules laid down by now.

True, she still tries to play with Trapper here but she makes sure not to hurt him. When she jumps on him for example, she makes sure her paws land on either side of him and not on Trapper himself. He only gets scared a bit when she tries to grab on to one of his paws and pull him off the couch. Yeah, she is gentle when she gets a treat from André or Sue and so far she's never bitten Trapper, at least he's never screamed. But he does not like it a bit when she tries to get a hold of him by grabbing on to him.

Well, how would you feel if she would tray to drag you off the couch? I bet you would hiss and growl at her to let go. As a matter of fact you do that anyways to keep her at a distance. Then again Sue caught you on camera laying there on the floor next to her and all was well. No fighting or anything. Admit it, you are curious about her as much as I am. I've seen you sneak up to her and sniff her and you walk by her as if you two had known each other for a long time and settled into some kind of relationship.

Yeah, you got me there. I don't like to admit it and hiss and growl at her when André and Sue are watching but when they're not, I get along with Princess ok. It's not that she does much for us. I mean she's not serving us or something and she gets to go out with André and Sue a lot. It's is a mixed bag with her really. On one side she takes up space in our fifth wheel and she gets to go places with André and Sue all the time. They have gone out for hours or even days at a time a lot lately and she always got to go along while we had to stay home. On the other hand who wants to drive around in the car just to see stuff? Not me! I actually prefer to stay here and snooze away and I know you do, too. Princess going with André and Sue means that we have the fifth wheel to ourselves and can do whatever we want.

Right. And you just said it: André and Sue are going out all the time lately and we used to be a little concerned about them. What if they didn't find their way back home or something happened to them? Who would take care of us? From what we hear Princess has become somewhat protective of them. Now we have to worry a little less. She's gotten into the habit of trying to chase big animals away when they come too close to André and Sue. Just yesterday for example she barked furiously at some wild buffaloes in Yellowstone National Park. They came to within a few feet of the two and Princess decided this was close enough and tried to chase them away. Not bad if you consider how big those beast are! So even if she doesn't do anything for us directly, she at least tries to make sure our servants are save. That's one of the benefits of having a dog and we are pleased that we didn't get her for nothing. Now if only she would learn to take our food dish and drop it in front of André or Sue to make them fill it like she does with her own, that would be a nice touch.

See you around

hunter and trapper

PS: don't forget to read André's and Sue's blogs (listed on the side), too and to follow our trip on Google map and on facebook. You can also check our web site for more pictures.

We could really get used to this

Hi everyone

Yeah, we really could get used to living the life we're living right now. This is just about the most relaxing  lifestyle we know. We get to sleep whenever we want, eat whenever and as much as we want, get all the treats the heart desires and go for more frequent and longer walks outside. I mean really: what more can one ask for?

I completely agree, Trapper, we have it made down here in Florida. And with André and Sue having nothing more to do than to take care of us, we can't ask for anything more. Except maybe that André and Sue would be around a little bit more. You see, they have developed a lifestyle of their own which means they go out and do stuff without even asking our permission. Just in the last five days for example they have constantly been doing fun stuff. Last Saturday they went for lunch then had a golf lesson. Sunday of course they had to rest and, from what I gather, recover from being a little sore from Saturday's activities. I never quiet get how humans enjoy things that make them feel sore and not just once but repeatedly.

Exactly. Would you believe that they went back to the golf course on Monday to shoot some balls on the driving range? One would think they've learned their lesson, but nooooo! Right back at it they go. Tuesday they decided it was too hot for more golfing and went to the pool instead. Obviously they met some nice people to talk to there because they seemed to take forever to come back home. And today they even did both. Or at least Sue did. She went golfing with some other ladies and after she came back, she and André went to the pool again. We had a really hard time getting her to write this blog for us.

In their defense we have to say though that they are not just all fun and no work, they also do their chores such as taking care of us, doing dishes and bringing out the garbage. André goes shopping and cooks and once in a while Sue cleans up a little and does the laundry. Still I'm wondering if they too are getting used to this new lifestyle. I for one wouldn't mind if we just kept going like this forever. What about you, Trapper?

Oh yeah, bring it on. I could go like this for the rest of my life but I think that's not going to happen. André and Sue are talking about the coming summer and from what I hear, they plan on traveling again. Well, as long as they don't go back to the Trans-Labrador Highway, I guess we can live with that, too.

See you around

hunter and trapper

PS: don't forget to read André's and Sue's blogs (listed on the side), too and to follow our trip on Google map and on facebook. You can also check our web site for more pictures.

To be or not to be

Hi everyone

That really is the question here, isn't it? You heard that right, genius here is going philosophical on me. When he realized that a few hours ago a new year has started, he asked me if that meant to be or not to be a year older. I wonder where he go that idea from and so he tried to explain it to me. In his logic 2013 minus the year he was born in equals one more than 2012 minus the year of his birth. So, he concluded, we both just turned a year older. Ooooook or as dear old Shakespeare would say: no, duh! But then Trapper made a very good point and now I am the one wondering if he isn't right - kind of.

Don't take it that hard, Hunter, I know you're good at literature but I'm good at math and logic. So far nobody has explained that specific question to me or finished it for that matter. To be or not to be WHAT? It could be any number of things, right? My math adds up and so I can't be far off except if I accept your reasoning that one turns a year older every 365 or 366 days after ones birthday, depending on whether or not we have a leap year. Then again I say: today I am exactly one year older than on January 1, 2012. So we both are right, are we?

Yeah, I guess we are. Why do humans have to make things so confusing? I for one don't feel any different than what I did yesterday or the day before. I think they just make that stuff up to confuse us and try to make us think they are so much smarter than we are. They have no idea! We, that is you and I Trapper, just found the answer to the question everyone has been asking for over 400 years. The correct answer to "to be or not to be" is "depends on how you look at it".

With that thought (and added wisdom) we wish you all a happy 2013.

See you around

hunter and trapper

PS: don't forget to read André's and Sue's blogs (listed on the side), too and to follow our trip on Google map and on facebook. You can also check our web site for more pictures.

We don't get it

Hi everyone

We learn new stuff all the time but sometimes we just don't get it. Like today for example. For the second time in days André and Sue came home with those things for supper. They are really ugly and look as if they had been in the sun too long and gotten a bad sunburn. Bright red! And then the fight for the food begins. These things don't have a fur either but a kind of shell which needs to be opened to get at the food. So special scissors and pliers and these ridiculously small forks come out and André and Sue tear the legs of those ugly things and twist their tail off as well. They then begin to get the food out and with delight feast on it. Sometimes some juice splashes all over the place and we are wondering, why they don't wear bibs or something. But nothing much can surprise us anymore and so we would not be astonished if some day they would even do that. Really curious behavior! 

See you around

hunter and trapper

PS: don't forget to read André's and Sue's blogs (listed on the side), too and to follow our trip on Google map and on facebook. You can also check our web site for more pictures.

Heahlty gourmet cats

André and Sue really take their responsibility for us serious. So when Sue saw a new cat food in the store which advertised as health food, she took the time to do some research. You see, they both want the best for us and the choice of the right food is not only important but with the two of us has some background history, too.

When I came to live here, André and Sue decided to feed me dry food and to stick with the brand the Human Society feeds. They would fill my bowl and I could (and still can) go snack whenever I feel hungry. Since I was only approximately 3 months old and still growing, I got kitten food which is extra rich and contains everything a kitten needs to grow healthy and strong. Some time later they changed to adult food and when I started to develop a weight challenge to a diet version.

Things changed when I arrived (what's new?) and they tried to give Hunter his diet food while at the same time feeding me the extra rich kitten food. Yeah right, as if we let anybody tell us what to eat. Since variety is the spice of life - and this certainly holds true when there is food involved - Hunter indulged in my food while I just loved his. This lead to Sue asking the vet for advise and ending up feeding us both the same, just regular adult food. But the damage had been done: Hunter had gained some more weight and I was just skin and bones. So Sue changed our food once again. There was a product which is supposed to help overweight cats with that issue while at the same time help underweight ones to build some muscle mass. It didn't really change anything for the two of us but at least it was tasty.

When Sue saw this new food we mentioned at the beginning, she put in several hours of research. She compared about 3 dozens dry cat foods for nutrients, protein, source of protein, healthy and unhealthy ingredients. Not just what was in there but how much and quality of ingredients, too. Then she narrowed it down to about six products and went to the store to compare prices. Based on all that she found that the healthiest food she could find for us cost just slightly more than what she was feeding us at the time. So now we get this new stuff and we love it - it's tasty and good for us. Honestly, who wouldn't want that if it means a longer life and fewer trips to the vet at the same time?

Boy, writing sure makes one hungry! Come on, lets go have a snack.

hunter and trapper