Rottweilers Ate My Laptop

If not, take a look up there, over a bit to the right. World domination is still a core value here. But now we’re going to take pictures of it, too.

One of my goals for the year is to gain some proficiency with the Canon EOS Rebel XS entry-level DSLR I bought last fall. Seeing as even the birds say “no photos, please” when they see me coming…

…this might be a bit harder than I thought at first. I’m seeking professional help, though, and there will be much more about that in future posts. I’m taking some of Kent Weakley’s photography e-classes and they have given me a good start toward learning more about how to effectively use my camera.

I still have a long way to go, so I hope you don’t mind hearing about my progress (and hopefully it is forward progress, not lack of progress) in the days to come.

(NaBloPoMo | April ’11: 4 of 30)

The tenth issue of The Total Rottweiler Magazine is being put to bed even as I type.

Hmmm, do they still say “put to bed” for sending a publication to the printer? The printer is here in Illinois, just two hours southwest of me. But I won’t be arranging for a courier or driving flats or film to the printer myself. Our editor Jane is in British Columbia, finishing up last-minute page corrections and uploading them to the printer’s server. I’m doing the final check and approval on those pages as she finishes uploading them. Everything is done online.

During the 17 years I have been in Rottweilers, many breed specific publications have come and gone. I still have fond memories of the original TRQ — The Rottweiler Quarterly. It may have often been way behind schedule, but the original owners always made good on subscriptions and advertising payments, one way or another. I can’t say the same for subsequent owners, and there are a few other now-defunct Rottweiler publications that out and out screwed over their subscribers and advertisers.

So I’m not surprised there was a place for us — so many others have bailed, some with honor and others without any class at all. And I’m not surprised that Jane has been able to keep the magazine going. She is one of the most determined people I’ve ever met. Her past life in accounting didn’t hurt either. I think a lack of knowledge in that area is what sent some of the other magazines to an early demise.

But it really did sneak up on me that we are just now finishing up issue number ten. Feels like a real accomplishment to hit that number!

(NaBloPoMo | April ’11: 3 of 30)

Those things that I said were going on this month? Yup, they are going on all right. Here it is, almost tomorrow and I’ve just gotten here. Sorry… all you get today is a gratuitous Rottweiler.

(NaBloPoMo | April ’11: 2 of 30)

Foolish doesn’t even begin to cover it, but I’ve decided to take another shot at NaBloPoMo and post something every day in April. I’ve got a lot going on this month, and I hope that will translate into “lots of things to write about” rather than “not having time to write.” So you can look forward to reading about the Rottweiler Klub of North America, Total Rottweiler Magazine (and if you are a Rottweiler owner, I’d like to think that you are not only reading about TTRM, but that you are reading it), Susan Garrett’s 5 Minute Formula to a Brilliant Recall, and Kent Weakley’s Photography eClasses.

See you all month!

(NaBloPoMo | April ’11: 1 of 30)

The deep feeling of relief that my family and friends in Hawaii and on the west coast of the United States were not affected by last Friday’s tsunami was soon overwhelmed by the horrible news and images from Japan.

I don’t talk about it very often here, but I am of Japanese ancestry. I’m sansei (third generation, or second generation born in the United States) and way more American than Japanese. I speak very little of the language and I’ve only visited Japan once. But there is still a real connection for me, as I believe everyone has with the land of their ancestors.

Many years ago, my brother and uncle were looking into our family tree. As it does for many Japanese-Americans, some of our branches break off with the records lost in Hiroshima during WWII. It is sad to think that there is a part of my past I’ll probably never be able to find, but the records were lost so long ago, long before I was born. It doesn’t even compare to the man I saw interviewed on television earlier this week. This Japanese man has been living and working in the United States for quite some time. He saw the village where he is from completely destroyed. He said he doesn’t believe he will ever go back, as he wants to remember it the way he last saw it. I can’t even imagine how it would feel to lose my hometown like that. Nor can I truly imagine what it would be like to be separated from any of my family members, two- or four-legged, in such a devastating natural disaster.

That brings us to today’s Paws for Japan, spearheaded by Pawcurious and BlogPaws. Human lives are important (and yes, I am donating to help people as well). But because animals are important to so many of us humans, the animal rescue teams now in Japan need our help as well. Please consider donating to World Vets to support that goal.

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It has been exactly five years and a few hours since Oscar left us to join the rest of the original vom Viersen Rottweilers “4 dogs, 15 legs” crew. I was fine until the universe decided to punch me in the gut by sending me to a web page with the poem “I Stood By Your Bed Last Night.” You’ve probably seen it before, but since the author is unknown, I’m going to include it here.

I stood by your bed last night, I came to have a peep.
I could see that you were crying, you found it hard to sleep.

I have so many things to show you, there is so much for you to see.
Be patient, live your journey out … then come home to be with me.

Maybe it’s not the universe punching me in the gut. Maybe it’s just Oscar making sure I never forget him. Like I ever could. He is tattooed on my shoulder. He still has my back, just as he did in life.

Miss you, Opie. Be good until I get there. I promise I’ll have your Big Red Ball and a lot of time to play.

Yes, you’re in the right place. I know, I usually talk about my fancy showdog and other snobby purebred stuff. But today is to celebrate Petfinder’s fifteenth birthday and help them Adopt the Internet!

You’ve met Oliver the Kittyweiler here before. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned that Dan found him on Petfinder. It was a supremely successful match. So we are one of the 17 million successful Petfinder adoptions, and I truly can’t imagine life here without our Kittyweiler.

There are more than 320,000 pets waiting for homes on Petfinder.com. I can’t promise you that any of them are as strange and quirky as our Oliver, but I do know that you can make a difference by helping Petfinder Adopt the Internet today and find forever homes for as many as possible, maybe even your own home.