In loving memory of Pappy John Kennedy

I am so ashamed about my neglect in blogging that I almost decided to shut my site down. But after reviewing the Google analytics, it appears that I do still have a religious group of followers. I'm not talking bible thumping evangelists, but rather the faithful followers who repeatedly check for new material.

As many of my close friends know, I recently lost my Pappy John Kennedy to pancreatic cancer after a 2.5 year struggle. So needless to say, much of our time during the past couple of months was spent taking care of Pappy John. I do have a lot of new and exciting things on the horizon, but this post is meant solely as a tribute to Pappy John – may he rest in eternal peace and laughter.

In loving memory of Pappy John
Sept. 21, 1941 ~ Feb. 7, 2014

Jasper "Badness" Kennedy, Pappy John's faithful fur-legged friend, has adjusted amazingly well to his new life with Auntie Rachael being as spoiled as much as ever. Thanks, Aunt Rachael, for giving Jasper such a loving home. He sure is one lucky dog!

Jasper, Pappy John and Newman

A Very Special Animal-versary

Not to take anything away from the 150th Anniversary of Honest Abe's Gettysburg Address, but October 19 is special for another reason. It's the birth date of my brother. Happy 7th Birthday to best little, bat-pig-dog brother that a big brindle boxer brother could ever ask for! We love you, Rog!

General Roger E. Lee, General Newlysses S. Grant and Nurse Clara Barkton

In honor of two special events that occurred on this date in history, I present you with the Boxer Address prepared for the American Boxer Club's 2013 Regional Show that was held in Gettysburg earlier last month.

The Boxer Address

Three score and eighteen years ago our fathers brought forth in New York City a new American Boxer Club, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all Boxers are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great Regional specialty, testing whether that dog, or any dog so whelped and so trained, can long endure. We are met in a great ring of competition. We have come to select the class winners, as a final chance for those who here present their hopes that one Boxer is Best Of Breed or High In Trial or Best Puppy. It is altogether correct and appropriate that we should do this.

And, with a sense of sportsmanship, we can cheer, we can applaud, we can celebrate our grand winners. The beautiful dogs, fawn and brindle, who strut here, have earned our respect, far above our poor opinions to enhance or fault. The dog world may little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it should never forget what our Boxers do here. It is for us the breeders and owners, rather, to be dedicated to the future well-being for which our dogs who compete here have thus far so nobly progressed. It is for us to be dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that along with these winners we continue our devotion to making the Boxer be the best of all breeds - healthy and versatile and with proper conformation - that we here highly resolve that these dogs shall not compete in vain - that this Boxer community shall have a new birth of friendship and good will - and that renewed dedication "of the Boxer, by the Boxer, for the Boxer" shall not perish from the earth.

Remember. Honor. Teach.

Help Roger, Thelma and me honor our vets — and we're not talking about Dr. Weeks or Dr. Pinney. We're talking about Veterans who have served our country and defended our freedom.

Arlington National Cemetery

Once again this year, Dog Scout Troop 161 has 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!

In 2012, with the help of thousands of volunteers and 1382 fundraising groups, we were able to honor 420,000 veterans by placing sponsored wreaths on graves at over 800 participating locations. DSA Troop 161 alone sold 81 wreaths that were placed at Fort Indiantown Gap. Several Troop members attended the ceremony and helped place wreaths on specific grave sites. Needless to say, it was a very moving experience. Additionally, we raised $405 ($5 for every wreath sold) which we donated to Susquehanna Service Dogs with the requirement that the funds be used for a service dog for a veteran.

DSA Troop 161 will help place wreaths on graves at Fort Indiantown Gap National Cemetery during the December 14th Ceremony. We have set a goal of selling 100 wreaths. By sponsoring a wreath for only $15, you can help us honor fallen veterans who have served to protect our freedoms and let them know that we will never forget.

There are two ways to purchase wreaths: 1) by secure credit card payment online or 2) by check payable to Wreaths Across America which Mom will be collecting. The deadline for purchasing wreaths for the 2013 Season is December 2. All materials including payment must be received by WAA by December 2 so if you are paying by check, please make sure Mom has your payment by November 28.

Sponsor a Wreath

This year's national wreath laying ceremonies will be on Saturday, December 14 at noon.

The best "indestructible" K-9 toy on the market

Finding the right dog toy for your habitual chewer can be a challenge. There are so many options available in various shapes, sizes, and prices.

Crime Scene Photo

After I gutted one "indestructible" stuffed toy after another (see CSI: Brushtown), Mom finally wised up and quit wasting her hard-earned money on them. If she would have kept up with my pace of destruction, not only would she have been in the "dog house" with Dad, but I have a feeling that M&D would have been filing for bankruptcy before long.

Then one summer day while not even in the market for a toy, we happened upon the best indestructible K-9 toy on the market. I remember the day like it was yesterday. Dad brought home a little bat-eared, pig-dog and set him in front of my crate. The rest is history. Not only do I have a bad-ass little brother to blame things on, I have the best indestructible, interactive toy on the market. He was worth every penny that M&D didn't pay for him.

Post Beachdom Blues

I think that Roger, Thelma Lou and I are still suffering from a case of the post-beachdom blues. We had so much fun that we need a vacation to recuperate from our vacation. I'm but a shell of the bouncing brindle boxer that I was last week on the beach.

While I am extremely about "Celebrate the Boxer Day" at the upcoming American Boxer Club Regional Specialty on Monday, October 7, this picture surely doesn't show it. Obviously, I was not "cut out" for the work that Mom had planned for tonight in bed.

But seriously, who brings a paper cutter to bed? To think that she made fun of my Aunt Burt for taking a sewing machine on vacation!

Life is better blonde

Life is better as a blonde. Thelma Lou is not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because she's neither dumb nor blonde.

Live blonde or "dye" trying!

Shark sighting prompts response by U.S. Coast Guard

Land Sharks sighted on Corolla Beaches

After two species of land sharks were believed to be sighted on the beaches of the Outer Banks, the U.S. Coast Guard at Corolla, NC, was called in to confirm the tip.

U.S. Coast Guard patrolling the beaches in Corolla

The call came in from an anonymous sunbather who reported that the sharks, one an English Bull and the other a French Bull Shark, were spotted on the beaches of Corolla at approximately 5 p.m.

Anonymous Sunbather

"In all my years of living on the OBX, I'm not aware that a simultaneous sighting of both types of land sharks has ever occurred. It's exciting yet unsettling at the same time," said neighborhood watchdog Frank Vocci who was walking his pugs, Greycie and Ollie, at the time.

Neighborhood Watchdogs

Frank's wife Julie is thankful that she didn't have her grandson Dominic with her. "If it weren't for the recent birth of our second grandson, Jax, Dominic would have been with us. Like most curious little boys, naturally Dominic would have been drawn to them, Julie said. While neither the English nor the French Bull Shark is known to be aggressive, they can attack if provoked something that Julie said she'd rather not witness.

Coast Guard on High Alert

With the arrival of the Coast Guard, the beaches in Corolla are open today. Howl-ever, you may want to think twice before catching some rays and z's at the same time.