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.

Grooming by Sue?

Hi everyone

We have to file an official complaint against Sue today. Really, what she did to Hunter is unacceptable.

Yes, it is really bad and I don't know what has gotten into her. Just look at the picture. This is our proof of the abuse I had to suffer. First she left us for almost 2 weeks and flew to Switzerland on a joy-trip. Not that we had a bad time. We were on the road from Chicago to Delburne Alberta with André and if it wasn't for the fact that we usually lay under the couch while driving, we would have seen a lot. André also took very good care of us and Princess was kind of nice, too. As a matter of fact Sue thought that our relationship with the dog had improved quiet a bit by the time she finally returned.

So André was doing a lot of driving and it isn't surprising that at the end of those days he was tired. And while he looked after us very well he didn't have the time to comb us every day. This led to Hunter here having a big knot in his fur right at the neck. Probably from wearing his necklace. Anyways, Sue found that knot and quickly decided there was no way of combing it out, she had to take the scissors to it.

She did so, leaving me with a huge bold spot on my neck! I can't go out looking like this, it's hideous. And I am kind of concerned that I might get a sunburn on the exposed skin if I lay in the window or outside for too long. How could she have done that to me? At the same time Princess got the royal treatment at the doggy spa at Petsmart in Red Deer. Bath, manicure, ears cleaned and some trimming of fur.

Yeah, and she got all this done by a professional groomer! Now that is a double standard right there. We get disfigured by Sue and Princess gets spoiled at the spa. At least Sue took us out for almost an hour today probably to make up for her behavior. But she better watches out. If she keeps doing this kind of thing to us, we just might decide to pack up our stuff and leave! Seriously!

Now, slow down a bit, Trapper. It was me getting disfigured so I should decide on what to do about this. And threatening to leave might not be the best way to deal with the situation because it would mean that we have to walk all the way back to Ontario and I'm not sure I want to do that. It would be a long walk with no certainty of food, water or shelter. I'm pretty sure that we would arrive with pretty sore paws, too, if we manage to get there in the first place. So some different action may be required here. Let's think this through and not jump the gun - it might backfire!

If you say so, pal. But she better not do something like this to me or ...

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.

Why?

Hi everyone

Guys, we need some help here. We are somewhat confused about several things and just can't figure them out. Maybe you can help us.

Yes, it all started in Florida. We had a great time down there but it was so different from what we used to know. First of all it was supposed to be winter but it was warm all the time and we didn't get to see snow. Not a single flake worth! Still our winter fur did grow in and so we figured that maybe winter in Florida was coming latter. So we waited and waited and waited but no snow was coming. And now we're shedding our winter coat and our summer fur is growing. I mean, we don't mind the warm weather but what if now that we soon will have our lighter coat the cold will arrive? We will be freezing! Does this have anything to do with climate change? People make a big fuss over that and now it has us worried, too!

And if that was not bad enough, we simply can't figure out what's happening with our walks. Again it started in Florida. Sue would take us out on a regular basis, almost every day to tell the truth, and we did enjoy that. Over time she became more and more reliable about it, too. Then she and André adopted Princess and we got the feeling that our frequent walks were kind of a bribe to make up for that. Though we are getting used to the dog, we still much prefer not to have one. Problem is, there is nothing we can do about it. Princess is here to stay. So we thought that maybe this would mean continuous daily walks and we sure would take those. I mean take a little, give a little, right? Less space for us in the fifth wheel, more time outdoors. Not as good as having no dog but still not a bad deal I would say. But in the last week that did not happen anymore either! What is going on here? The dog gets to spend a lot of time outside, tied up to a small tree and on at least two long walks per day and we are stuck inside except for a couple of times a week. It just isn't fair!

Sue says it's because the ticks are out and she doesn't want us to catch any. As if she ever let us catch anything! If it moves, she hightails it. Especially if it's a snake or a big spider. But we are very worried that the ticks are just an excuse. Maybe she is too tired to walk with us because she does that with Princess now. Then again we think she would be fair enough to let us have some fun times outdoors as well, wouldn't she? But why then make such a fuss over ticks. We don't even know what those are. Could somebody please explain that to us or better yet, talk some sense into her? We really like the outdoors and don't want to be stuck in our fifth wheel forever! Please help us!

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.

Jewelry and such

Hi everyone

Once upon a time jewelry used to be for women, or so we've heard. And tattoos were for bad guys in jail or motorcycle gangs. We have to tell you though, this seems no longer to be the case. How do we know? Well here in Florida it is so warm, and we absolutely love it, that just about everybody is dressed in T-shirts and shorts. Many guys also wear tank-shirts and many women spaghetti-strap shirts which expose tattoos. Jewelry is supposed to be seen anyways so it is not hard to spot guys with necklaces, bracelets, rings and even ear-studs. We, too have some necklaces. As a matter of fact we each have two of them since Sue bought us a new one about a month ago.

That's right, we now each have one with a pendant that has our respective names on one and Sue's Canadian phone number on the other side and one with our names and Sue's US phone number both on the same side. If I recall correctly we explained that to you in an earlier blog. The second pendant became necessary because Sue for some reason has a different phone and phone number here in the US. We think it has something to do with roaming although we can't figure out how her phone would wander off. It's a thing not a being and we have never seen it move all by itself. Anyways, it seems to be perfectly normal for guys to wear necklaces, André has one too.

He also has two tattoos, a bracelet and an ear-stud and while tattoos and bracelets seem to be fairly common, he is the only guy we know who has had his ear pierced. It looks good on him though, we have to give him that, and somehow he can carry it off. Sue has had her ears pierced which is common in women but she also has a tattoo, something one doesn't see so often. Would you ever get an ear-ring or a tattoo, Hunter?

Are you nuts?! Why, for crying out loud - literally - would one go through all the pain to get poked with needles? Sometime we can only shake our heads. Besides who would see a tattoo under all our fur? You are not seriously suggesting to first get one and then have to constantly shave our coat for it to be visible? We would look just ridiculous. And we both dislike needles. Let's stick with our necklaces and leave other jewelry and tattoos to the humans.

Agreed, and we are so good-looking that wearing all that stuff would actually take away from our stunning looks. Let's forget about it and go play-fighting for a while and then we should be entitled to some treats for writing this blog.

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.

Living THE life

Hi everyone

We have to give it to André and Sue: they learn and they follow instructions pretty well. Well, most of the time anyways. I mean they took their sweet time to take us to our chosen winter destination. After we spent two weeks back in North Bay we had almost given up on our dream of a warm, sunny climate, palm trees and endless beaches but they finally came around and headed south. It was about time, too you know. In North Bay we had to cope with cold and nasty weather and we even saw some snow. No thanks, we've had enough of that in past years.

Yeah, especially now that we live in "Escargot", our fifth wheel. In the house it was not too bad. There we had a good furnace which kept us warm. But here it kind of stayed a bit nippy even when André and Sue turned the heat on. I even had to find something to cover me when I wanted to take a nap. Really not our idea of comfortable retirement. So we were very happy when we finally drove south and the climate improved by the day. This is more like it. We enjoy temperatures in the mid to high 20s and all the new sights. Sue has not taken us out as much as we would like lately but this will hopefully change soon, too. We're working on her.

Trapper is right. Florida is a great place to spend the winter. We can lay by the open window or look out the open door (too bad they always close the screen door, though) and feel as if we were on vacation. The days go by leisurely, we snooze whenever the mood hits, get lots of treats (I think Sue has a bad conscience about not going out with us), we even got a new food which tastes sooooo good. On the campground we are right now there is also another cat. She is roaming free and was very interested when she saw us. Must be a female, they just can't withstand our good looks and charm. So she actually walked towards us but then Sue closed the door and ever since we can only see her (the cat) through the window. Who knows, maybe one of these days we'll get to meet her.

Now we have some more traveling ahead of us and then we will go to our destination for the winter. We are curious to see what it will be like there but first we expect company. André's mom is coming to visit and we will do our best to make her feel welcome. Like visiting her in her bed in the middle of the night, sleeping on her cloths and letting her give us lots of treats so she will feel like a member of the family. Company sounds like a lot of fun! We'll let you know how that turns out.

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.

It's apuzzle

Hi everyone

This week we have to tell you about a phenomenon that keeps us wondering. We just can't figure it out. Here is what happened: Sue kept complaining about being hot and then two days ago this thing happened. She and André went to town and when they came back we hardly recognized Sue.
Her fur had come off and grown back in a matter of a few hours. But not just that, it had grown back much shorter and the colour has changed too. Her fur is now shorter than ours! We just can't figure out how that works. With us it's twice a year that we loose our fur and grow a new one and it's predictable when that happens - in spring and in fall. Period.
Humans are so different. First of all they only have fur on their heads (André doesn't even have that) and for that reason kind of look funny anyways. Second it seems they can change it at any time they want. We don't know if that really is the case or if it's just coincidence. And then it never seems to grow back the way it was before. It changes colour and is shorter. Almost like they loose it and then it grows back partially in a hurry but then it keeps growing until they decide to change it again. This is so complicated. With us it's simple, change it twice a year, same colour, same length everything.It's a real mystery. Have you ever thought about what you would do, Hunter, if we could change fur at will?
Not really, but if one looks as gorgeous as we two do there really is no need to change anything. It could only come out worse, don't you think?
True! And with that we leave you for today. We don't know when we will be able to tell you more about our travels because André and Sue keep talking about going into an area where there may be no internet but hopefully we will be connected again in a few days or a week or so. Boy, this makes me realize that we truly have become cybercats1 Who would have thought that?!

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.

At the groomer's

When André's family came to visit recently from Europe, Hunter and I got quiet a bit of attention. Most of them had never seen us before and only heard some of the stories about us. So when Sue told some that I hadn't heard before I listened with interest.

According to Sue it started with Hunter developing some mats in his fur which couldn't be combed out. He doesn't like it at all if something pulls too hard on his fur. It could be because of the shape his coat was in when he was brought to the Human Society as a baby. The staff had to completely shave him when he first got there. Maybe they had tried to comb him to the point where he just couldn't take the pulling any longer. After that experience he doesn't like being shaved either.

Anyway, he had those mats and André and Sue figured it would be easiest to bring him to the groomer and let a professional do the job. When Hunter and Sue arrived, the groomer had just finished with a dog and put him back into a cage. A second dog (both of them larger than Hunter by the way) was waiting to be picked up, too. As soon as they smelled a cat in the room they both started to bark and stand up in the front of their respective cages. You should have seen the look on the groomer's face when only moments later both dogs retreated to the back and lay down quiet and intimidated after Hunter had given them a piece of his mind!

So the groomer gets ready to cut the fur mats out and Sue takes her jacket off to give her a hand. Let the fun begin: Hunter puts up a major fight and no matter how much Sue tries to hold him, the situation quickly turns into a wrestling match. After a lengthy struggle they're finally done and the groomer is very happy to see Hunter back in his carrier. She advises Sue that she will not take Hunter back should he need more trimming. Sue would have to bring him to the vet who could do the job after giving Hunter a tranquilizer.

Now as you can see in Hunter's pictures his fur is really long - up to 4 inches - and this causes the mats. It's just impossible to keep his coat clean without help. So one year after the trip to the groomer there is no avoiding it any longer: Hunter's coat needs some trimming and off he goes to the vet where they have a really tough time doing the job even after they had given him not one but two shots of tranquilizer! Next time, they say, they will have to put him under a full anesthesia to do the job again!

Hunter looked kind of cute though: completely shaved except for his head, paws and tail. And he has not to go back since André found a way to groom him at home. One day, a bit frustrated with the situation, André grabbed the comb and got to work rather roughly. And surprise: Hunter doesn't mind at all - he even likes it that way. Problem solved! Maybe he is just ticklish!

Funny story, eh? See you around
trapper