Alright, nothing is going on here - I have to take matters into my own paws and write down what's going on in this household. The woman and the man have not updated this blog for the past month - now it's MY turn!

Let me introduce myself (the woman and the man have not done a good job describing my incredible personality and skills...):

My name is Flöcki, I am a beautiful Leonberger in its teens (in human years, that would be ONE). Although I have been told that I destroy everything in sight by simply playing in the yard, I find it hard to believe that anybody can compare my ballet dancing hops through the grass with an elephant in a porcelain store. I am a cute little puppy and I do have a heart of gold; especially when my younger sister Lili steals my bones. I am a good sport and I pretend like I can't get it back - I could, but I find it much more fun to chase her. My chore is it to water all the bushes and trees in the neighborhood. Sometimes Lili is in the way, but yellow stripes suit her great!

We've had some changes here recently; we are not allowed outside in our yard anymore! The Woman made it quiete clear and now every 4 - 6 hours somebody puts us on a leash and walks us around the neighborhood. Not that I mind, after all, there are plenty of trees I can water and plenty of other walking dogs I can say "HELLO" to. But what we can't do is anymore is take a mud bath in the back and chew on the deck. I think this is essential for a happy dog, though! Mud baths give me beautiful skin and chewing on the deck keeps my teeth clean! What could be better than galloping through the yard, chasing butterflies (and little sisters, and barking at neighbors?

We think the man is actually building something out there so we can actually be outside but not mess everything up - let's see when this will be done!

The - oh so vegetarian - woman gave us a real treat today: chicken feet. They look and feel just like little baby fingers, with tiny fingernails. She was disgusted, but they are wonderfully crunchy!

Song of the day: Chicken Feet - By Family Machine

While we had to go up to Northern Wisconsin for a 3-day-trip, Flöcki and Lili went on vacation at their training facility and, according to their friend, Marla, they both had a blast. Lili developed into a social butterfly while Flöcki tried to hump everybody...

Song of the day: Beautiful day - By U2

For everybody that has asked about Flöcki in the past months: he is absolutely FINE!

We have heard so much about Blastomycosis - a lot of negative, but also some encouring information - and we are SO LUCKY that Flöcki is doing very, very well. Although he is still on medication and blind in his left eye, his eye pressure is fine, he can keep the eye and his body is reacting well to the dosis of the medication.

We've been through a rough time and we want to thank everybody for their support!

okay... BIG jump, from Halloween to Christmas, no, even New Years! almost...

Flöcki and Lili are back on BARF. I contribute a lot of Flöcki's health to this diet. He was so skinny before he got diagnosed with Blasto and now he is adding on the pounds without a problem. Both dogs seem very satisfied with their daily meat/bone/veggie intake; their fur is shiny and their digestion is well. The only problem I had with their diet was overfeeding. With Flöcki needing so many extra calories to gain back his weight, I probably fed them way too much - not they have gotten fat, but there was no chance to motivate them by food anymore. Luckily both dogs will not eat more than they are hungry for, otherwise I would have them rolling around *grin*.

I continued to train both dogs throughout the rest of the year, but it was hard, because they seemed so not interested. I hope we are back to a healthy level and I also hope to keep them motivated for further training.

More in the new year! Have a happy one!!!