Elvis's New Home

Hi My name is John & I am Elvis's new Owner/Dad. Nicola & Shane (Elvis's previous Owners/Mum & Dad) have had the joy of a new born son. Unfortunately for them they were unable to keep Elvis with the impending arrival as he is a bit of a handful with needing alot of exercise and can be clumsy around children. He does tend to accidently knock them over. Anyway Nicola started a search for a new home for Elvis when she was around seven months pregnant. At around the same time I lost my much loved dog Trump who was also a Giant Schanuzer Poodle Cross. Coincidentally we both contacted the same Giant Schnauzer breeder off the Internet. Nicola was trying to find a home for Elvis and I was trying to find out the history on Trump as I had adopted him from the pound several months earlier and had no history on him. To cut along story short we both met and Nicola was happy enough for me to have Elvis and I really liked him as he was so much like my boy Trump. Both Nicola and myself could not believe how much the two dogs were alike to look at (I showed Nicola photos). Nicola gave me the contact details of where Elvis had come from in Tauranga and i contacted the breeder who gave me a list of where all the puppies went to. After some detective work I traced my original dog Trump (previous name Merlow) to a family in Kumeu Auckland. So it turns out that Elvis and Trump are actually brothers from the same litter!!!!!!!!!!!.

I am not a great believer in the after life but I tell you that when I lost Trump I was so distraught and that I wrote euology to him. In the last few lines I wrote: "Goodbye my friend , my companion and my mate. Please be happy and content and I know your spirit will always live and you will somehow give your love again if not to me then to
someone who deserves the love that only can only be given by
a dog. I will miss you Trump my Big Boy all my love your friend John"

Read those few lines again because seven days later Trumps brother came into my life. I love Elvis as much as I loved Trump and both are wonderful dogs. Although I have to say that after losing Trump and the hurt that I felt I now make sure that I spend as much time as I can with my new friend Elvis because we never know how much time we have with our beloved friends.

Growing up and getting in the groove

Ha! I'm still a puppy at heart, but have learnt a few new cool tricks lately.

Like... to sit and wait until my owner has answered the door before I come and say hello to guests.

Also, to sit and wait for my dinner until I am told "ok" and then I can wolf it all down.

Still working on my "recall" - sometimes those birds just have to be chased until I can't run any more... tail up, nose up, wish I could fly kinda guy.

Can do a full "roll-over" and "up"

Really good at soccer now. Shane loves to play with me when he comes home from work, which is great, as he wasn't sure about me when I first arrived ... (cat people hey?) now, he gives me belly rubs and cuddles in the evening and is the one who puts me to bed at night (which is great as I always get a bikky when I go to bed).

Getting really good at wrestling with Uncle Spike the poodle - he and I get it on every morning when I go and stay with him in the country.

BAD DOG - how to chase motorbikes

Elvis was very BADLY behaved last week. I took him for a walk in a nearby park that is dog off-leash, not a huge park and not fenced, but big enough for most dogs to run around in. We were at the top of the volcano and he was happily sniffing out birds when a couple of boys on the mini motorbikes roared off out of their driveway... Elvis saw this and decided he would CHASE them... so he runs down the hill, top speed to the road (about 300metres) in 1 second flat and follows them as they drive noisily off down the road. Meanwhile I am standing there in all my pregnant glory, yelling at him to stop, as I know he's heading to a busy road... and I can see everything from where I stand. So... off he goes, down to the road, onto the middle of the road and around the corner. Poof! GONE!

Tears of frustration as I imagine all the worse possible scenarios (it's 5.30pm and busy time for traffic) I finally manage to get to my car which is at the other end of the park and go in search of the big black monster. I drove around local streets for 10-15 mins, couldn't see him anywhere, so decided to go to the vet clinic that is on the corner where he turned and disappeared. I left my name and number just in case someone turned him in.

After a little consideration I thought I should go back to the park, just in case he had decided to take himself back there. And guess what. Sitting at the top of the hill, panting and hardly able to walk, was my very, very BAD dog. No injuries, just my ego. So now... he's only allowed off in places where there is little or no traffic...

What I intend to do on my owners summer vacation

go to the beach, yea, yea,
hang out with bonnie the lab, yea, yea
chase birds and sticks, yea, yea,
dig holes and hide from the sun, yea, yea
play with uncle spike the giant poodle, yea, yea
annoy shane in the mornings, yea, yea
bark at the postie, yea, yea
cut off all my hair, yea, yea, yea.

WOOF!

OH YEA AN D PUT ON ANOTHER 10 kilos, so I am the biggest, sillyest schnoodle in the park. oH BoY!

Bad Hair Day

They say it's a week between a good and a bad hair cut, but sheesh, this is really the worst haircut that a schnoodle could have. It took 3 hours to go from locks of length to looking like a rescue doggy. I was really mad for a couple of days, but now that the weather is warmer, it's actually rather nice. Especially when I lie on the cold concrete out of the sun... my belly is nice and cool, and I dry REALLY fast after a swim in the sea.

Elvis is growing up.. and up... and up

Hellooooooo, I've gained a bit of height lately and when I sit at Nik's knee my head rests as high as the dinner table or her work desk. Yowza. What it is to be a large black schnoodle doodle.

Other dogs still give me me a bit of a hard time, I think it's the floppy ears. BUT, I am learning to read doggy body language better, thanks to my UNCLE SPIKE the standard poodle. He's been great and taught me all sorts of good and bad habits.

How to chase pukekos and sparrows, how to behave like a poodle decendent should (all aristocratic and nose in the air - like...)

Woof!

Day of naughtyness

Ah ahh haaaaaaa. I am sooo naughty, I love it. MMmuffle snuffle snuff. Today I pulled on my lead, sniffed lots of strangers, dug holes in the garden, ate tissues, barked at the birds, barked at Nic, stole my own pillow and humped it ... Oh joy... actually I am a sad dog. Shane has gone away for a wee while and I have to be the dog around the house. BUT I AM ONLY A PUPPY. schnuffle.

whine YIP... the white teddy is in hospital!

Sad day today, I've eaten a hole in the face of my smelly white teddy bear and he has gone to the soft toy hospital in the laundry. I can see him staring at me while I lie on my bed... oh when will they fix him? Oh when will I hold him in my arms again?

I found the tissue paper under the bed today...

Ah haaaaaaa, I have found another way to taunt Shane and Nik... chewing tissue paper and leaving little white bits all over the house for them to clean up after me.

I especially like doing this while one of them is working hard somewhere else in the house and my favourite trick is to pretend to drop the paper and still have a piece hanging from the side of my mouth for later play-time.

WOOOOOOOF!

Elvis's third obedience class

He learnt to stand and stay tonight - and really like the tummy rubs our instructor had us giving the dogs as reward. Go Elvis, one day you will be a well behaved pup around other dogs!