Memorial Day Morning at Pearsall Park

The last few days Diane has been taking me on walks in the neighborhood in the morning. She says it's too hot later in the day. I agree. I tend to yawn in the morning because I'm still a little sleepy, but at least it's not so hot.

This morning Diane took me to a new place. We went to the Pearsall Park Dog Park. Diane made a wrong turn near the park, because none of the online maps give the correct directions. The City of San Antonio information indicates the park is at 4700 Old Pearsall Road, but the online maps don't give the correct directions. The entrance is located on Old Pearsall Road between Medina Base Road and Loop 410. The SADogList site has a brief description and some photos. This site lists the address at 5000 Old Pearsall Road, but online maps place that address outside Loop 410, which it's not; it's inside Loop 410. I want other dogs and their humans to be able to find this park.

When we got to the park at 7:20 AM, Diane and I were the only ones at the park. Diane let me off the leash, but I wasn't too energetic. When I'm at a new place, I like to sniff the ground to see who else has been there. There is an agility course for dogs and Diane tried to get me to walk over a few ramps and to go through a tunnel, but I don't really understand why. I mainly sniffed around most of the perimeter fence.

Just about the time I had sniffed around most of the park perimeter fence, a woman with a black & white Icelandic Sheepdog and a Blue Heeler mix came into the park. She had a couple balls and a tool that helps her throw a tennis ball farther and allows her to pick up the ball without having to handle a slobber-covered ball. I wasn't interested in chasing the ball, but I liked chasing the Blue Heeler while he chased the ball!

A lady with two smaller dogs came in the park. I liked the white girl dog. And a woman and man came with a large golden dog and a smaller black puppy. It turned out the puppy, Buster, was just a little smaller than I am and was about a month younger than I am. It sounds like he had story similar to mine--he was left off at his people's gate. He was quite shy and stayed close to his human mom.

Then a man and woman came in with a brindle Dutch Shepherd-Pitbull girl dog named Shawnee. She's about four years old and only a little taller than me and I really liked playing with her. We wrestled and played quite a bit. The couple liked me, too. The man told Diane that his relatives had raised Red Heelers in California and that we are very smart dogs! (My vet has told that to Diane, too.) He also mentioned that Dutch Shepherds are used in Germany for security purposes.

Then another couple came in with two very large dogs. One was a white long-haired Great Pyrenees and the other was an Irish Wolfhound. The couple brought ice and water for their dogs. I licked some of the ice, but that was strange to me--I had never seen ice cubes before. Another woman came into the park with two more dogs, but I was kind of tired by this point, so I didn't really check them out. After spending two hours at the park, I was ready to go home.

Diane didn't realized I had some mud on my paws when I got into the car. I didn't sleep on the way home, but I sat quietly on the back seat of the car. I hope we'll go back to the dog park soon!

I'm on Ashton Kutcher's camera

Everyone's been messing with Ashton Kutcher's head, trying to get their pics on his sleek and stylish new Nikon COOLPIX camera.

Check out my photo on Ashton's COOLPIX camera at:

http://www.ashtonscoolpix.com/default.aspx?video=0dc78bee-6f95-4293-ae22-2ec2af3ec4cc

I'm lying in the shade quite frequently these days, since the temperatures are in the 90s, and it's still spring! After all, I'm in South Texas. Diane and I did a short walk this morning when it was cooler, rather than at night when it's still hot.

I was asked why "Chompers" is part of this blog name. It's because I frequently "chomp" my teeth when I see a cat or other things I want to bite, like ankles. That's why I'm called a "heeler"!

First Day of School

I attended my first "training" class tonight at a local pet store. My classmates are Gunther, a 4-month-old Rottweiler and Hercules, a tan dachsund. The "training" involved a lot of bits of sausage treats while sitting on a concrete floor or looking at desired places, i.e. Diane's eyes. Apparently I'm supposed to sit "square" but it's difficult for my back legs to not slide apart. Who invented the idea of sitting squarely on a slippery concrete floor?

I realize I didn't tell much about my own background, most of which is sort of fuzzy to Diane and Mike. I was probably born around November 22, 2007--Diane arbitrarily places my birth date on Thanksgiving Day.

According to the veterinarian, I'm an Australian Red Heeler, which is a type of Australian Cattle Dog. Many people are more familiar with my cousin, the Blue Heeler. Diane and Mike thought I had some Jack Russell Terrier in my pedigree, since my face looked that way when I was younger. It's difficult for them to know.

On January 29, 2008, Mike came home from work and I was in the middle of the street, near his driveway. He was sure I would get hit, so he called me over into the driveway. Eventually, I walked over to where he had been standing. Then Mike called me into the fenced yard. Since I was kinda hungry and bewildered, I followed the water and enticement. Mike says that my mom was with me, but that she got hit by a vehicle or something and was dead on the side of the road, down the street a little way. Ok, stop the Bambi-sympathy violin music! I'm a survivor!

Mike put some boxes out for me to sleep in. It was kinda cold (for San Antonio) a few of those first couple nights--like around freezing temperature! But, with some t-shirts and towels, I kept warm enough.

I guess Diane and Mike discussed taking me to the shelter, since they didn't really know much about having a dog around. They're more used to cats. One night, Mike said he would take me to the Animal Shelter for adoption, but by the end of the week, I had worked my charms and there was no way that Mike and Diane were going to put me up for adoption. I had found a home.

I have a large yard to run around in, and I've strewn many make-shift toys, e.g., old milk jugs, plastic plant pots, balls I've found, etc., around the yard.

Here are a couple more photos from when I was younger on March 29, 2008:

A Busy Day!

Welcome to my blog!

Today, Saturday, May 17, 2008 was a busy day in my life. Diane helped me set up this blog so those of you who don't live with us can keep up with my activities.

This morning Mike made sure I rode with Diane and him in the pickup as they took alumninum cans to be recycled at ABC Recycling on Old Highway 90. I always ride in the cab and Mike opens the vent window, so I can get some fresh air. (Diane knew the lady waiting in line behind them.) Then we went to the credit union. Mike and I waited in the pickup while Diane took care of business inside. It seemed to take her a long time.

We went home for a little while. Then Diane took me in the car and we rode. Diane says it was about 40 minutes; I don't know since I slept most of the way. I like to sleep on longer trips, especially when we travel on the highway.

We went to a Pet Expo at the K9 Country Club & Training Academy, which is out in the country north of San Antonio near Bulverde. There were other dogs on leashes there, too. There were some tables with information and treats, and dogs available for adoption. There was also a microchipping clinic. I've already been there, done that at my veterinarian, but even though it stings a little, it's worth it because it will help Diane and Mike find me if I ever wander away.

Some of the dogs I met, sniffed, and played with included another Buddy (who looked nothing like me--he was short and squat), Penny (we wrestled around), and Einstein (a 2.5-year-old Corgi). I played with a lot of other dogs, too.

Diane and I toured through the kennel and boarding area with some other people and another dog. I liked lying down on the cool floor. It wasn't too hot outside today, either, probably in the upper 70s or low 80s (Fahrenheit).

There was an agility course--I don't really get it. Diane also learned about the Alamo Racing Canines, which is part of the North American Flyball Association. Diane also learned more about Corgis. They are from Wales and there are two Corgi breeds: The Pembroke Welsh Corgi is more common around here (Einstein was this type of Corgi). There's also the Cardigan Welsh Corgi.

We went into the "Beach Club" area which was behind another latched gate. This was a fun area. I got to see sheep being herded by a border collie. I barked a little because I think I could do that, too. But the most fun was that I got to be unleashed and run around and play with other dogs. That was lots of fun!

Diane seemed to want me to go into the pond, but I've never been around that much water before. Some of the other dogs would jump or run into the pool after a tennis ball, but that didn't seem safe to me. I sort of investigated the edge of the pond, but all I usually do with water is drink it. I walked out on a "spit" of land into the pond, and lapped some of the water, because isn't that what you're supposed to do with water? But then when I was walking back, I kind of slipped into the water and had a little problem getting out, and I got wet, but I did get out. I then just ran around in the beach area, through the red sand and played with the other dogs. I'm not sure about the water thing.

I slept on the back seat of the car all the way back home. What a day!

I have a lot more stories to tell. Yesterday, Diane took me to the vet for the last of my vaccinations. I weighed 33.5 lbs. and I'm about 6 months old now.

Here are a few photos of me as a younger dog:
This is the day I showed up at Mike and Diane's (January 29, 2008):






This was taken March 29, 2008 (at home, after I was blessed at First Unitarian Universalist Church):