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Likes: Playing in the snow (mud is fine, too!), rolling in the grass, chasing/chewing sticks, my warm and fluffy blanket, BELLYRUBS!, snoring next to mom, a BIG (make that giant) bowl of yogurt (WOOF!)
Pet-Peeves: Not getting to say hello to every pup or little human we meet ("But,... but... but MOOOOMMMMM! Look, they wanna play!"). And don't even mention the B A T H word!
Favorite Toy: SOCKS, washcloths, towels, ropes, anything that can be tossed around and chewed on. My Kong - I can BOUNCE that thing off a wall 2 meters away! My plush Alligator Sir Winston the Third (the first two suffered the fate of destuffination). SOCKS!
Favorite Food: Scooby Snacks, no questions barked. A nice knuckle bone is never sneezed at either. Did I mention yogurt? MORE yogurt. You still eating that cheese?
Favorite Walk: Wherever there is snow, walking is FUN. If the snow is gone, nice soft grass will do, preferrably with LOTS of tasty flowers. Hey, look at all those sticks! Bugger, they're still on the tree. Gimme a paw, willya?
Best Tricks: Finding stuff buried under the snow, waving my paw when I need attention. Oh, and I can not only wag my tail like a champion, thus clearing an entire table, I can ROTATE it. One day I'll be hovering above the trees and become known as the Heli-Berner
Arrival Story: Well, my mom stumbled across my breeder quite by accident (fortunately there was no actual colliosion involved) and, not surprisingly, immediately fell in love with my sweet face.
Since my dad has been wanting a dog for a long time now, she figured now's as good a time as any and before I knew it I was in my new home. I kinda like it because everyone spoils me rotten, I have friends next door to play with (my pals Jack and Mavrick) and I get to play in the SNOW!
The only bummer is that my dad is overseas, but mom sleeps with one of his T-shirts in her bed and sometimes she's not looking and I can steal it.
Update:
Daddy's HOME :-)
Finally my partner in crime is back! Snoring on the couch, stealing cookies when mom's not looking and sharing them with daddy - my idea of Berner heaven...
Bio: Obviously, I'm a Berner and like most people (human or canine) from Switzerland I'm easy going and like to take my time to think things through.
Snow or mountains (hills will do if no mountain is available) are not so much obstacles as fun and I have no problem lending a helping paw if needed. Just don't expect me to do silly things like retrieving a ball (why'd you throw it away in the first place if you want it BACK?!).
If however you lose your keys, your dustpan or an entire human in the snow, I'm your pup. Sometimes I even find stuff no one was looking for ("Look mom, a stick!" "Yes love, it's still attached to the shrub. You might want to let go now.")
Forums Motto: Finder of treasures, lost or not... Dogster Local Spots I've Marked: The Animal Doctors, Indigo Books, Music & Café, Blue Seal Feeds, Inc, Remington Park Dog Park The Groups I'm In: ♥ Pirates Cove ♥, ♥ The Pet Poetry Group ♥, ♥♥MISS DIXIE MONROE'S **DIXIE** LAND♥♥, **HANG~N~WITH THE BIG DOGS**, ♣ Furiends'N'Fun ♣ , ♥NO BORDER LINES♥, ♥ Saving Animals' Lives ♥, *** WE LOVE OUR TROOPS***, AnimaLimpix 2008, Alpha Dog Anti-Squirrel Brigade, Fancypants Cafe, PPR, ~*Dog Park PlayGround and Pawty Place*~, Adirondack Dawgs, Ban Stupid Legislation, Bernese Lovers Group, Bernese Mountain Dog Clubhouse, Cesar's Dogster Pack, Dogs in Danger, Dogster Kool Dog Cafe!, Military dogs on the move, Military Mutts, Military Pets ~meow~ ***Go USA*** ~ruff~, Million Dog March, P*I*F (Paw it Forward), Rottie defense group, The Secret Pet Agency {S.P.A}, We bark German :o), Who Let The Dogs Out, ~~~*♥Dog Park USA♥*~~~
The Last Forum I Posted In: Your "heart breed" - What is it? How did you know?
AnimaLimpix Training::
Currently practicing for Freestyle Napping, Figure Scooting, Extreme Kong Bouncing and Sock Stealing.
MAVRICK: What a lil' firecracker! Always up for anything, fearless friend and the most happy-go-lucky pup you'll ever meet!
Hear our humble prayer, O God,
for our friends the animals,
especially for animals who are suffering;
for any that are hunted or lost or
deserted or frightened or hungry;
for all that must be put to death.
We entreat for them all Thy mercy and pity,
and for those who deal with them
we ask a heart of compassion and gentle hands and kindly words.
Make us, ourselves, to be true
friends to animals and so to share the blessings of the merciful.
--- Albert Schweitzer ---
Well, mom was waving her funny little box around a lot these past few days and going on about something called a "photo contest". Since I got quite a bit of special puppy icecream for my cooperation I think I like this idea, however the fact that mom focused her efforts on my paws and tail got me thinking...
You see, The Paw and The Tail (capital letters are warranted, as you will learn!) are what you might call a Berner trademark. So is The Lean, however you'll be hard put to grab a funny box when being the recipient of an affectionate Berner Lean. More likely you'll be gasping for air, struggling for balance or both. I guess that's why it wasn't a category in the contest...
But without further ado, here are the results of my ponderings:
The Tail:
Strong and fluffy as befits a sturdy pup who sports a lustrous coat, The Tail is a Berners weapon of choice. No human can resist its wagging, the gentle "whoooooshhhh" sound when a happy Berner moves more air than any fan available in stores. A Berner greeting a friend may very well clear a table in the process and walk away with the tablecloth artistically wrapped around The Tail.
A playful Berner such as yours truly may become so overjoyed that The Tail will no longer wag but rotate. Unaware two leggeds please be advised, when in this motion The Tail becomes unstoppable and making contact at this time CAN smart a wee bit.
The Paw:
Often multi-colored and of astonishing beauty, The Paw is a Berners favorite tool for communication. The raised paw can mean anything from "Hello, how are you"" to "I'm not sure about this" or "HOLD it right there!". Waving The Paw is a means to attract attention (most effective if accompanied by a snort) or an invitation to pet the Berner ("Helloooooo bellyrub pleeez!").
When wrestling with other pups (for example a Rottie who likes to bodycheck unsuspecting playmates) The Paw not only provides excellent traction on almost any surface but can also be used to throw the sparring partner off balance and then pin the pup in Olympic manner.
Of course there is much more to the Berner, our laid back and affectionate nature for one. However mom has found that The Paw and The Tail are the features most two leggeds comment on first when meeting a Berner - apart from our beautiful appearance.
And speaking of laid back, I feel a nap coming on and my fluffy blanket looks more inviting by the second.
Each player starts with seven random facts about themselves. Dogs who are tagged, need to post in their Diary the rules & their 7 pawsome facts. Then choose 7 dogs to tag and list their names. Don’t forget to bark them a pmail that they have been tagged and to read your Diary!
1. I'm a Bernese Mountain Dog, currently stationed on a military base in NY. My duties include eating, sleeping, playing, looking after the kids and a mischievous little Rottie and of course my mom's friend. On occasion I serve as a cuddle up Berner (lapdog time!).
2. There are only two humans who can make me bark - one is my dad and I bark for him to do him a favor ("Whosa good Berner! Can you talk? I mean, at ALL?" "WOOF! See, I CAN. Now can we take a nap?").
The other one is our neighbor and I bark WITH him when he's being silly. I just don't want to spoil the fum for him when he jumps around barking and waving his hands.. got to give him a WOOF for effort...
3. Just because I don't bark doesn't mean I'm not vocal at all. I have a wide range of snorts and grunts to express my opinion.
4. My favorite method of communication is "The Paw" - raising it, waving it, nudging people with it - or the "Berner Lean" which means leaning into a leg or whatever human part is available. Elbow bumping with the nose is my preferred maneuver when I'm in dire need of a bellyrub.
5. My mom's friend has a strange human problem they call "seizures". I try to tell them BEFORE it happens so she won't bump her head (again) but they didn't get it at first. At least now they listen to me - most of the time...
6. I LOVE to run with my pals, including a two legged who acts like a Chihuahua. I think that's what the other two-leggeds call her, too. Either way, I'm faster than ALL of them, two or four legs. Sometimes I just feel the need for SPEED!
7. I can snore with the best of them. When dad was still home we actually had a snoring contest. The vote on the winner is still out, though....
Who are "they", you ask? Well, I'd like to know that, too. But apparently they are determined to take over MY backyard. The gall, the INSOLENCE!
Thus far I have had to deal with alien looking long legged creatures (mom calls them "Bambi"), masses of tiny furry things with long ears and fluffy tails, HUGE balls on legs that have feathers everywhere and make the most strange "Gobble" sounds, and since recently a highly annoying group of very small, yet very fast striped thingies (mom refers to them as "Chip and Chap", but there's about 5 of them. Sometimes I wonder if my kind human can count...).
Throughout all those ordeals I have retained my composure, befitting a thoughtful and polite pup such as myself. I may have sent one meaningful "WOOF!" after a retreating fluffball once, but only after due consideration and only as a warning to not startle me again.
Well, today I was insulted on my OWN turf - my beloved yard.
While this yard of mine was most glorious when covered in snow, the melting has revealed unexpected treasures. Soft grass, patches of sand and wonderfully cool and squishy mud (thus my new nickname "Muddy pup"), and entire areas covered in wood pieces. Apparently those are mom's territory ("Get out the flowerbed you silly pup, the mulch is NOT edible!") but at least I was allowed to dig a Berner shaped hole in a nice shady area overlooking the yard.
While I was minding my own business of sniffing and exploring, three marauders came jumping from a nearby tree over the fence and onto mom's beloved lilac. Reddish brown in color and equipped with long bushy tails, those pirates had the audacity to charge at mom's bistro table, apparently with the intent of commandeering the cookies she had so absentmindedly left there.
After a brief moment of considering my options I decided to bark first and ask questions later. While this DID throw the intruders off balance, one of them continued towards the cookies after a brief detour and the other two made a beeline back to the fence.
But a smart Berner pup does not fall for such a maneuver. I did not allow myself to be distracted and focused my efforts on alerting mom and going for the remaining pirate's tail.
Unfortunately this thing was indeed VERY fast and while I could prevent it from completing it's cookie mission, it escaped me via the lilac and rejoined it's comrades in the tree.
Little did I know that mom was watching from the kitchen window, apparently unconcerned about the fate of her cookies which I so valiantly defended.
But I have now learned the name of the enemy - SQUIRREL.
I know they will be back. And I will be awaiting them. Just let them TRY to go after my treats.
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