Free Range Toy Fox Terriers

OK, so we've been totally delinquent in writing since our latest adventure. While our people were vacationing in sunny Hawaii, we spent some quality time with Grandpa and Grandma R. in the heart of Missouri. Running around the farm is SO much better than our own backyard. We just run and run and run all day. We run so much we sleep like puppies every night.

The highlight of our stay was definitely the poop - there's more poop out there than you'll ever see in the city. We found rabbit poop, deer poop, turkey poop, chicken poop and even coyote poop. And, we had lots of stuff to chase. We chased tons of rabbits, a Guinea hen, field mice, squirrels, birds and, of course, each other. We haven't caught a country squirrel yet, but we hear they taste lots better than city squirrel. This time, we even had our English Setter cousin from Kansas City visit for a few days. Jeni's still trying to decide if she likes her. She's a bit bigger than what Jeni's normally used to seeing chase her around the yard. (That's an understatement! The dog looks more like a horse.)

This was the longest time we'd ever spent at the farm. Jeni started thinking that this was going to be her new home. (It wouldn't have been that bad. Grandpa and Grandma took good care of us.) We were beginning to wonder if our people were ever coming back. But, man, were we ever excited to see them drive up the dirt road. Woo hoo, the prodigal people return! "Kill the fatted calf! Kill the old red rooster! I'm as happy and as joyful as ever I could be."

When our people were ready to drive back to our house, I knew where we were heading. But Jeni thought that she was permanently banished to the farm and waited at the door to go back inside. It was pretty cute. Grandpa said she could stay there if she wanted, but our people told them she was coming home with us.

After the drive back to the city, I jumped out of the car. I couldn't wait to take a poop in my own yard again. Aaah, my old friend - city grass.

We're excited to go back to the farm for a visit, but we're just glad our people our back home and life is back to normal in St. Louis. - Rested and refreshed, KC & Jeni

As Cute As They Come...

I was looking through some pictures of my first few days with my people. Boy, was I cute! Check out my floppy little ears, oversized paws and pink polka dot collar. I could be a poster puppy for adorableness.

I still remember when my people first picked me from the litter. There were about 14 of us from three separate litters all in one big crate. We were all snuggling, with a few of my obnoxious brothers and boy cousins jumping all over the rest of us. I had spunk and was curious to meet these new people. I hate to say it, but I think I was so excited I might've even peed a little.

Anyway, the man who took care of us let these new people pick me up and "ooh" and "ahh" all over me. Once they saw my nubby little tail and my perfectly symmetrical facial coloring, they were hooked. One of them smelled really sweet and I kept licking her face. The next time they came to see me, I got to go upstairs and play with them for a while on the carpet. That one person smelled good again and I licked her face a lot. It made her giggle. (I can still make her giggle when I do that.) The other one kept comparing me to the size of his shoe. Evidently I was the smallest puppy he'd ever seen before.

Enough about me...for now. I thought you might like to see just how cute I was when I was a kid. - Hugs and loads of kisses, Jeni

Not Our Best Sides

Daffodils are a sure sign that spring has sprung, right? Well, our people just got a new "dig cam" and they've been psycho lately about trying it out.

We tried our best to be photogenic in a recent outdoor photo shoot but we got a little impatient with the posing and focusing. "KC, Jeni...sit here by the flowers." "Will you quit biting each other!" "Girls, c'mon...sit!" As you can see, we didn't listen and the beauty shot didn't really turn out as hoped. So, what do our people do but post this photo of us jawin' it out in front of the daffodils in the backyard. Geez. Let's hope for something a little more flattering in the next post! Paws out. - The Girls

Did Somebody Say "Bacon"?!

I swear I just heard somebody say "bacon". As you can see, I'm poised and ready for the Standard Treat Routine. I sit, stick my left paw in the air positioned to shake. Jeni skips the sit portion and jumps right to the dance. She'll hop around on her back legs, sometimes moving around in a circle. She can do the sit, shake, other paw trick when she wants to...but she's so dramatic and it takes forever. We can "speak" on command, some of us better than others. I start with the Little Girl Bark and move to the louder, more boistrous Big Girl Bark when prompted. Jeni does everything with gusto and thinks the Little Girl Bark is for whimps. I can rollover...3 times in a row, if you're lucky. Jeni can do it with some help, but she's skeptical that I'm going to pounce on her or something while her bare midriff is exposed. As I mentioned, Jeni's the dancer in the household. She can hop around like a kangaroo for almost a minute, if she thinks the treat deserves her energy. We'll do just about anything for facon (fake bacon). Biscuits are OK, but don't get us all revved up like bacon, tiny t-bone steaks...or cheese.

Oh! Gotta run...I hear somebody opening the treat bags on the back porch! - Later, KC

Aaahhh...Sunshine.

We've been too busy to post lately. That last one wore us out. I guess you'll just have to learn to live with our inconsistencies and idiosyncrasies. (We're both nail biters, if you hadn't already figured that out.) Anyway...down to the task at hand.

Nothing beats a relaxing snooze in the sun. We've each got our favorite lounging spots in the living room...KC's got first dibs on the back of the couch with a strategic view of the neighborhood. I prefer the warmth and texture of a good fleece blanket. On occasion, our people leave the big front door open so we can get another 3-foot spot of warm carpet in the afternoon. But since we don't usually survey the neighborhood from our eye level, we get a little too excited when we can see everything happening on our street. So the front door sunshine spot is usually short-lived.

We love our REM sleep. KC and I have chased squirrels, birds, rabbits and the occasional obnoxious neighbor during our naps. If we're really "engaged," we even growl, bark and jump. Our people think it's quite entertaining to watch.

On the days when the sun's not shining, we'll curl up next to our people. KC started some weird thing when she was younger...she sprawls out across our peoples' shoulders. For some reason, I have to have at least some part of me (usually my head) on their hands. If their hands move, I know they're up to something...or going somewhere. It could be my own puppy insecurities. If our people are preoccupied and I'm napping on my own, I'll konk out on my back with my legs in the air. That's only if I'm sleeping in front of the space heater, though.

When we're finally nestled into our napping locations, we don't like to be disturbed. We don't mind the television, or even the occasional phone call, but you better not drive your car up into our driveway or bring that vacuum in here. (That's a whole 'nother post for another day. Trust us.)

It's back to our naps. Sweet Dreams! - Jeni

Five Minutes of Our Lives

Hi, everyone. KC here. Jeni and I are having one of those days, if you know what I mean! There’s so cotton-pickin’ much to do, I don’t know if we’ll get it all done or not. Thought I’d share with you just one small five-minute portion of the day today...just to give you some idea of what I’m talking about.

First, let’s begin with responsibilities. As I’ve heard my people say so many times, they can’t ‘do it all by ourselves.’ Jen and I have to pitch in and do our part, and we’re all about doin’ our part. So, here’s what we’re in charge of: perimeter security, internal security, sniffing, kibble control and other duties as assigned.

Security is our main thing, and that’s a huge job for the two of us, even working together. But we put every bit of our combined 17.6 pounds into the job. And our Enemy #1…those #@#$!&! squirrels. They’re everywhere, they’re up to no good, and they’re out to take over the world. Personally, I think they’re nothing more than tree rats that have furry tails and a good public relations person. In fact, I also think they’re the second or third largest threat to our country’s security…next to Al Queda, and possibly Rosie O’Donnell.

Anyway, I’ll get down off my soapbox and give you my blow-by-blow account of what the two of us are doing. Or at least what we did from 9:05 to 9:10 this morning. Here goes:

9:05:01 to 9:05:36

The first RED ALERT of the day. There’s one of those furry-tailed jerks on the
ground by the tree next to our driveway. (Bark…BArk…BARk…and finally, BARK!) Good, scared him off. The coward ran up to the one of the branches that overhang the neighbor’s roof, and escaped into her yard. Overall, a good job. But, what’s with Jen? She hardly moved from her spot on the couch by the window! I like a warm nap as well as the next dog, but she’s got to take this whole thing a lot more seriously. Rookie mistake, and we’ll go over that in tonight’s operations review meeting.

9:05:37 to 9:06:14

All’s quiet again. Just had my first good sniff of my left back leg, and I must say it does remind me of a field of jasmine in the springtime. As I lay on the back of the couch next to the window, I shut my eyes for just the shortest of time, and just as I’m starting to get a little comfy, when...

9:06:15 to 9:07:00

All heck breaks out and Jen’s about to go into orbit by the front door. I can’t see what all the ruckus is about, but I don’t want to miss out. (BArk…BArk …BARk. No need to BARK just yet…target unknown…but I want my little buddy to know I’ve got her back!)
Now I see him…the guy who lives across the street is out by the curb, wheeling his trash container back to his house. The nerve! He actually thinks he can be on my street whenever he wants? Well…(BARK… BARK… BARK…BARK…and BARK!) That last one was for that darned trash container. You can’t tell me that thing is anything but trouble. It looks like something from another planet, it rumbles like it's about to fall apart, and the truth be told…I bet squirrels hide out in that thing!

9:07:01 to 9:08:07

All’s well with the world again. Just checked out the back right leg. Equally nice.

9:08:08 to 9:08:57

Jen, get your buns over here. We’re under attack! That bushy-tailed demon is back, and he’s brought reinforcements. Now there are three of them, and they’re chasing each other in a never-ending circle. Oh, sure, they may be in the neighbor’s yard, and it may look for all the world like they’re playing, but they can’t fool us. (BARk, Bark…BARK, Bark…BARK, BArk…BARK, BARk…and, finally BARK, BARK!) [As you can tell by the transcript, it took Jen a good four or five times to get up to the maximum bark-age level, but she got there!] Sure, at first they may look innocent enough. But you let them get away with frolicking, and the next thing you know…BAM…they’ve taken over. We’re all forced to wear one of those hideous tails, and we’re all having to live in trees, while they run along the power lines bossing everyone around.
I've learned this much in my relatively short life: If it looks like a squirrel, and it runs like a squirrel, and it eats nuts like a squirrel…it’s a terrorist squirrel. Darned terrorists. You know, evil never rests. But, they won’t succeed. They won’t take over the world. No sir-eee, Bob…not on our watch, they won’t!

9:08:58 to 9:10:00

All’s quiet on the eastern front. The furry-tailed idiots are off to some tree somewhere. The guy across the street is probably back in front of his television watching ‘The Price is Right,’ and it’s time for a little nosh, a quick lap or two of water, and a little nap. It’s never easy on the front lines. Not when it’s two little dogs against a gazillion squirrels, more trash containers than you can wag your tail at, and people, people everywhere.
Time for a little shut-eye. Jen and I are due back on duty in 15 short minutes!!

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'...Rawhide!

Jeni and I were chomping on a few rawhide bones recently and it reminded me of the biggest bone of my entire life, and that's almost 28 dog years! It was a Christmas present a few years ago and boy, was it good. I think I chewed on that thing for weeks. It was so big, it was taller than me! The picture here doesn't really do it justice. Eat your heart out, Jeni Poo! :-) Fondly remembering the Big Bone of yesteryear, KC

A Bark Out to Sam

Wave your paws in the air like ya just don't care! Hey, we'd like to give a bark out to our new furry friend, Samantha who made her prison break today. She was a Death Row dog and just completed an intensive, in-prison obedience training program. We can only guess what the punishment for bad behavior was in there! Today, she graduated from the program in an official ceremony and bust out with her new person, a good friend of our people. We'd really like to post some picts of the ceremony, but we're told no cameras were allowed behind the barbed wire...for good reason, we're guessing. We're sure Sam's person is going to have some great stories to share of the graduation and of Sam's acclimation to the "outside." We heard she's even been trained to ring a bell when she needs to go outside. No way!

KC said she's seen this prison training program featured on Animal Planet (when our people still had cable). And, she was right. It was a show called, "Cell Dogs." Pretty cool, huh?

If you think this Death Row doggie program sounds like a neat idea, why not pony up some cash to let the organizers know you care. According to Sam's person, they really need the financial support. Or, if you're interested in adopting one of Sam's friends, check out the list of available animals.

Welcome to St. Louis, girlfriend! - OXOXOX from The Girls

Speaking of groundhogs...

KC's been telling me ever since I was a pup that she's captured a number of critters, both in our backyard and down at the farm. Her biggest claim to fame - a mole. No joke. She tells me (and our people have confirmed) that she stalked a mole in the backyard by following the moving pile of dirt. It took her a few tries, but she found that nasty critter and shook the life out of it. Our people tell me that she was so proud of herself she stood over her kill and tried to bark it back to life...with no such luck. I'm just glad our people didn't feel the need to get a picture of that moment. As you'll see here, KC's providing some direction for me on proper digging technique. She's a typical big sister, telling me how she does it is the right way. :-) I hope that someday I can work my way up to field mice...or the ever-elusive squirrel. Later, Jeni

What's this snow stuff?

It snowed here in St. Louis last week - the sure sign that winter had arrived. We don't mind the snow too much...once we get used to it again each year. Our people thought it would be fun to post some pictures of us from last winter - the first time Jeni saw snow. I was a pro at navigating the snowpiles, having spent my formative years in the Great White North of Michigan. Anyway...take a look at the picture of Jeni doing a "pawstand" in the backyard. Sometimes she'll walk on three paws. I guess it depends on the day. We heard the groundhog saw his shadow earlier this month. Let me tell you, if we saw Punxsutawney Phil, he wouldn't be around to make another prediction! Until next time, America... Kisses, KC

The First Post

If you thought a Happy Kwaanza card was crazy...you're not going to believe this. A dog blog!

First, the introductions - KC & Jeni. Many of you know us as "the girls," but our formal names are "Kansas City" (the one on the right) and "Jenison," (on the left). We're not chihuahuas, Jack Russells or Rat Terriers, but two Toy Fox Terriers currently living in St. Louis. We were named after the childhood hometowns of our people. So, we're technically not sisters, more like "sistahs." They're kind of goofy about stuff like that.

We love road trips, running free on the farm and peanut butter with kibble in our Kongs. And we've never met another dog that we wouldn't face off with - no matter the size - as long as our people are right there next to us.

It's been a chore, but we've finally got our people trained. They come when we bark, fill up our water bowl when we lick their ears, and check the window for possible intruders when we "talk to them."

With this new dog blog, we'll keep you posted on the latest news in our neck of the woods. Life's an adventure...and we think our adventures are worth sharing.