Goodbye Old! Hello New!

Behold I bring you tidings of great joy – the long-awaited, end-of-the year brag sheet.

After much internal strife over whether to produce our annual calendar, M&D opted to take a year off. This was an extremely tough decision because we know how much everyone loves them. However, there are only so many hours in a day and we've been quite busy.

You're probably thinking, "Those poor dogs finally got a break from having to wear all those ridiculous outfits!" Unfortunately not. In reality, since Roger and I have become certified pet therapists through Therapy Dog International (TDI), we probably have been dressed in costumes more during the past couple of months than if we would have had to pose for a year's worth of calendar photos.

The year started off a little "ruff" with the death of Pappy John in February. As personal witnesses to the joy that our visits brought him, M&D decided that Roger and I could make other end-of-life patients happy by visiting them, too. Last month, we became approved volunteers with Celtic Hospice and Home Health with official photo ID badges and everything. Roger’s first sanctioned visit as a representative from Celtic was to a local nursing facility on Veterans’ Day. Always trying to get a little leg up on me, Rog showed up for the event in typical Frenchie fashion wearing his Sgt. K-9 uniform and driving a blasted tank! He certainly turned quite a few heads as he rumbled through the halls handing out American flags and thanking veterans for their service.

Roger rumbles through Lewis Katz Hall

Our Dog Scout Troop once again participated in the Wreaths Across America project to honor our nation’s veterans by selling wreaths and placing them on gravesites of soldiers across the country. In addition to honoring a vet with a wreath, our troop receives $5 for every wreath sold. This year we raised almost $800 which will be donated to the Susquehanna Service Dogs with the stipulation that it be used for a service dog for a veteran. SSD is one of only a few service dog organizations that trains dogs for people with brain injuries and PTSD like many veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan have.

Arlington National Cemetery

Roger and I also are participating in an after school kids' reading program at the local YWCA. We just show up and the kids read to us for an hour. My favorite book is "Hop on Pop." Roger likes "Green Eggs and Ham" probably because he gets to explain to the kids all about his allergies to beef, liver, and venison – but not ham. Except for having to wear the outlandish costumes, therapy dog work is a lot of fun, plus it keeps us off the streets.

Thelma Lou hasn't had the opportunity to take the TDI therapy dog test so she can't participate in either of these programs. She did recently pass her Dog Scout test with flying colors and is registered to take the TDI exam early in 2015 so we are hopeful that she will be able to join us soon. Thelma’s service work did include helping to ring the bell for the Salvation Army. She really wowed the patrons at Keck’s Store and Archery by collecting dollar bills with her mouth while store owner Tammy Hammond and future heir of the Keck Dynasty Hennessey Strine rang the bell.

Thelma Lou & Hennessy with their Red Kettle

M&D insist on us participating in at least one extracurricular activity whether it involves community service, athletics, or the arts. Thelma Lou chose to register for an introductory nose work/scent detection class at Good Dog Rising. While a bloodhound she is not, I will hold judgment on her choice of sport since she can, I am ashamed to admit, lap me in a swimming pool.

Thelma Lou doing her morning laps

Roger and I spent five fun-filled days at Blue Ridge Mini Camp hosted by Dog Scout Troop 161 in Western Maryland last August. I earned my All Dog Band merit badge for learning how to play a banjo, and Roger earned his hiking merit badge for completing 6 miles of off-leash hiking. We also have both logged enough hours to earn our Service I and Therapy Dog I merit badges.

Dog tired at Dog Scout Camp

We spent three glorious weeks in the Outer Barks, NC. We kicked off summer with family and friends during the last week of May, and of course, we ended it with my birthday blowout during our traditional two week stay in September. Well, that’s 2014 in a nutshell. Wishing you health, wealth, and happiness in the coming year!

Feel your Boobies

October 1 kicks off Breast Cancer Awareness month. Thelma Lou is donning her pink to remind everyone to "Feel your Boobies" and get regular mammograms.

International Talk Like a Pirate Day

Buccaneer Beulah

Ahoy mateys, did you know that today is Talk Like a Pirate Day? I threw together this list of classic pirate pickup lines for our fellow buccaneers trying to get some booty. 

• Have ya ever met a man with a real yardarm?
• You’re drinking a Salty Dog. How’d you like to try the real thing?
• Avast, me proud beauty! Wanna know why my Roger is so Jolly?
• How'd you like to scrape the barnacles off of me rudder?
• Let's get together and haul some keel.
• That’s some treasure chest you’ve got there!
• Pardon me, but would ya mind if I fired me cannon through your porthole?
• Wanna shiver me timbers?

Adult Entertainment

When Uncle Dave isn't providing games for us to play around the pool, he does his best to provide entertainment for the humans. Having lost most of his hair at an early age, Uncle Dave is completely comfortable with his baldness. However, that fact doesn't alleviate his yearning for a full head of hair like Dad's. Being a thoughtful nephew, I thought that it would be cool to surprise him with a gift of hair in a can -- aka Good Looking Hair -- to give him a little confidence boost as he approaches his 65th birthday. I think you'll agree that he looks about 25 years younger with the hair transplant.

Applying the base coat

Perfecting the window-blind bangs 

 A sneak peak

Exuding a sense of confidence he hasn't had in 25 years

 Unbelievable that he's old enough to collect Social Security

Davey "the Destroyer" Knowlton

Chillin' and Grillin' in the OBX

After thanking my Uncle Denny and Uncle Craig for their service to our country, we spent the day chillin' on the beach and around the pool and grillin' burgers and dogs with Dad and Uncle Mike. Not a bad day and one that I wouldn't mind repeating the rest of the week.

Come on! I hear the beach calling me.

I'm not sure if it's Thelma Lou's good looks or Roger's crab chasing that makes us so memorable, but we've become celebrities in the OBX with many vacationers and permanent residents stopping by our campsite to catch up on our latest adventures. 

Chillin' by the Pool

While hanging by the pool we often play some impromptu game that my Uncle Dave leads. This afternoon we practiced our "leave it" commands and bobbed for bite-size Red Barn treats placed on the first step of the pool. The first one brave enough to find and retrieve the treat was the winner. Thelma Lou easily took the Gold.

A quick paw check before the nose dive

Now for the nose dive

 

Practicing our "Leave its" 

Tantalizing Tempting

Land shark invades pool party

Have you thanked a Vet today?

Memorial Day Weekend is considered by many as "the official kick-off of summer," often celebrated by family gatherings, cookouts, and vacations. No matter what things you are celebrating this weekend, we beg of you to remember the true spirit of the holiday and remember those service men and women who have lost their lives to preserve our freedom.

Remember. Honor. Teach.

Celebrated on the last Monday of May, Memorial Day is a time to honor service men and women who have paid the ultimate price to give the rest of us the freedom to have our cookouts and spend time with those we love.

May is also National Military Appreciation Month (NMAM). Designated by Congress, NMAM gives the nation a time and place to appreciate and recognize our armed services and to remember and learn about our American military history. Thank you to all the service men and women who are currently serving.

Remember and Honor the Fallen

Once again this year, Roger, Thelma Lou and I have joined the Wreaths Across America project as a way of honoring our nation's veterans and their families by placing wreaths on fallen veterans' graves. Wreaths Across America is a non-profit organization whose mission is to Remember the Fallen, Honor those who serve, and Teach future generations about the cost of freedom.

Each December, Wreaths Across America holds remembrance wreath laying ceremonies at participating cemeteries to honor both living and fallen veterans. This is an awesome way to let more people know why you care about our veterans and all they have sacrificed for our freedoms. Together we can show our veterans and their families that we will never forget!

Thank a Veteran today and join us by sponsoring a wreath! If you'd like to acknowledge our support of this program, please choose Dog Scouts Troop 161 (PA0026P) when sponsoring a wreath.

Sponsor a Wreath

Rare land hippo sighted in Brushtown

Although once believed to be extinct, the Pennsylvania land hippo was recently caught on film while wallowing in the wild at a local watering hole in Brushtown. While typically not dangerous, the Brushtown area land hippos do have a propensity to charge anything in their path when provoked.

As the water level in the low-lying regions begins to recede, the central Pennsylvania land hippos often migrate south often showing up in the OBX, North Carolina around Memorial Day Weekend.