Polar bears ...... and owls?

All that worry about polar bears and one came to my HOUSE!!! My mother saw a polar bear at the store and she just had to buy it for me. This is what it looked liked new.



This is me trying to kill him.



NO, I AM NOT POSING FOR YOU TO TAKE MY PICTURE WITH IT MOM! I haven't killed it just yet. I'll keep you posted.

I have owls in my neighborhood. You can hear them if you know what they sound like and my Daddy always hears them. (My Mom is too busy washing things to listen for them.) Daddy saw one the other day far away in a tree and Mom took his picture. He is kinda grainy and black and white because she took his picture so far away and she had to tinker with it. Isn't he pretty. Miss Cindy says I am too big for him to mess with me. Gheesh, that's good news.

Tomorrow I get to go to the spa!

How to get home ....... Day 13 ..

Copper: "Hi Hershey! Man am I glad to see you!"

Hana: "Yeah, we've missed you so much. What are you doing here at the North Pole?"

JB: "Were you looking for animals?"

Mona: "Did you run away from Home?"

Hershey: "Yes, I did .... I ran away from home because my Mom tried this silly hat on me when it didn't fit the baby ..... and it made me embarrassed. I didn't appreciate my Mom or her creativity, but I DO NOW! I miss her and my Dad and the baby and I even miss NIXON! I never thought I'd say that ... that I miss Nixon.... but I do."

Copper: "Hershey, we've all miss you. Aren't you cold up here at the North Pole?"

Hershey: "Yes, I AM!!!!! It is FREEZING up here. I sure wish I had a sweater and some socks. My paws are really really cold. These goofy green snowmen keep looking at me and these shiny rainbow lights over my head are scaring me. I wanna go home!!!"

Hana: "Do you want to come home with me? We can go visit Casper. You know, you missed his party?"

Mona: "You can go home with ME?! I live in Texas. We can go visit your cat cousins, Mari and Tabitha, up in Fort Worth!?"

JB: "Hey, do you want to go home with me? I'm a cat and you can come visit ME if you want to?!"

Hershey: "No, I just want to go home! Do you know how I can get home?"

Copper: "Hershey, right now I am worried about your paws. They look very cold. Mona, do you have any of those socks you brought along?"

Mona: "Yes, I think so ... let me look in my suitcase. - - - - Hershey, here put these on. They're a little girly and sparkly..... but they're my favorite set."

Copper and Hana: "Here, let us help you .... here, stand still and try to quit shivering."

Hershey: "Gee thanks y'all. They fit nice. My paws are warmer already. Now, so you think we can find a way to get home? I'm so cold!!!"

Copper gave Hershey a big snuggle to try to warm him up.

All of a sudden the sky got very bright and greenish pink arcs flashed through the night time sky. Hershey closed his eyes and shivered and barked at the lights like he had been doing for days. As he barked, his paws tapped together and ..............

Poof!

When Hershey opened his eyes, he wasn't at the North Pole anymore. He was HOME! Hana, Mona, JB and Copper were home too. They were all home, just in time for Easter!!

(And they didn't even have to catch a plane out of DFW! )

Hershey: "There's no place like home."

at last, the North Pole ......Day 12

Boy am I glad that balloon ride is OVER! Note to dog friends ... (and cat friends) ... balloons are not for pets. You can't go poddy in them and they can break so you have to be really careful with your claws. Gheesh, I am glad that is over!

We arrived safely at Zach's house.

He lives in North Pole, Alaska. We knew we were at Zach's house because we saw these pretty lights in the sky from the balloon.

The lights in the sky were nice because they gave us some light to read our map

and they helped Mona not be so afraid of the dark. Zach took us straight to his house where we met Chani and his baby friend.

Zach treated us to some mammoth bones and some ice water .... (they have a lot of ice there!) The baby reminded me to tell Zach that we were looking for my best friend Hershey because he has a baby too and she needs him to come home and take care of her. Hershey lives far away from me now and I almost never get to see him AND he has not blogged in a long time. I told Zach that I had seen a picture of Hershey with an elf hat on his head and I had figured out that he MUST be at the North Pole in elf training! The North Pole is the only place I know that has elves.


Well, as it turns out Zach knows all about the North Pole. He knew exactly where the North Pole was and said he could take us there! Imagine that! I asked him if we had to pull a sled because of the snow and he laughed at us! He told us his mother could drive us there in her car! All that worrying about sleds and deep snow was for NOTHING! So we all jumped in Zach's Mom's SUV and off we went. His Mom was so very nice ... I think her name was Glinda. She let me sit in the front with her and Zach while Hana, Mona and JB sat in the back. We drove and drove and drove. We saw lots of things along the way. We saw a funny white rabbit

and a pretty red fox.

We saw a big tall animal with antlers that Zach called a moose

and we saw a big brown bear.

We DID NOT see any POLAR BEARS!! Once again ... a lot of worrying for NOTHING!! The big brown bear didn't even look our way and he didn't look scary at all. In fact, he looked very nice. Zach told me he eats fish ...... not black and tan long haired dachshunds.... or any dogs or cats.

A little more driving and we came to a big giant red and white striped pole.

There at the bottom of the pole was my best friend Hershey!!! Yes ... Hershey WAS at the North Pole!!!! He didn't have the elf hat on. He wasn't in elf training after all. He told me he had just run away from home because his mother tried a funny hat on him when it didn't fit the baby. When he saw that Hana and Mona and JB and I had gone on an adventure to search for him, he was very touched. He barked a "Thank You Bark" and wagged his tail. He told us that he had decided he missed his Mom and Dad and his cat brother Nixon and most of all his baby .... and he wanted to go HOME! But how could he get home? He had been at the North Pole for days and now all he wanted was to go HOME!!! Poor Hershey. I wonder how we can get him home????

Off we go ... Day 11 ...

Pay no attention to the fact that four days have passed since my interview with the future Queen of the Whole World, Meeska of Merryland and that I have not blogged. Hana, Mona, JB and I have very busy.

We have spent the last few days up in the air in a balloon. I figure so far I have traveled on a jet, a train and a car ........... but since my journey seems to have some things in common with a certain movie, I decided to travel this leg in a hot air balloon. We floated away from Meeshka's house in Merryland in our balloon, floated over the US and Canada and are on our way to Alaska. Hana told me she knows a dog that lives in North Pole, Alaska that can help us find Hershey.

There have been very few WiFi hotspots along this part of our journey so we haven't been able to blog over the last four days. But we stopped for dogfood and catfood tonight and found a spot to file this post. Mona has been a little homesick so we also stopped to let her call home with some of her quarters. Since she called home, I decided to call my house too and you'll never guess what I found! My Mom is not home! She went on a trip to Fort Worth, Texas to see some cats! The nerve of her ..... leaving me when I am not even home!!!

Mothers! .... I think I am going to feed her to the polar bears.

Meeshka and Merryland ... Day 10 ...

Well, we have arrived in Merryland at Meeshka's house. Meeshka is my internet huskie friend. She is going to be queen someday and because she is a huskie, I am SURE she can tell me about snow and how to pull a dog sled in the snow. She LOVES the snow. Meeshka is the wiseest dog I know.

This is our conversation ...

Me - Hello Meeshka! It is so good to finally meet you!


Meeshka - I know.

Me - Meeshka, I need your advice. You live up here in Merryland where it snows and you tell us all the time that you love the snow. Can you give me any advice for dealing with the cold bitter ice and snow that Hana, Mona and JB and I will undoubtely encounter at the North Pole????

Meeska - Er .... you're taking a ...........C-A-T?



Me - Uhhh, yes we are .... she is sharp and she knows alot about different animals. I think she will be a big help with the polar bears!!






Meeshka - ok ... whatever


Me - So can you tell us about snow? Hana lives in California and Mona and JB lives in Texas. I live in Georgia and we don't have snow very much. Can you tell us how to deal with the snow?



Meeshka - Yeah, snow is cold. Don't step in it. It makes your dainty feet cold.




Me - But Meehka, you say in your blog that you love the cold?


Meeshka - Yes, I do say that. But I also love comfort and I get cold from my cool air vent and it is more comfortable. Snow gets on my fur and makes my feet cold.



Me - I hear huskies wear booties in the snow to protect their feet. The musher put the booties on the dogs and they can use many booties in a race.

Meeshka - Booties?



Me - Yeah, booties. Meeshka, can you tell me how to pull a sled? I am afraid that we may have to pull Hershey home on a sled if he is injured.






Meshka - Well, first you grab Loki by the neck and you body slam him into the ground and then you woo and run fast and get in the back door before he does so you can get to the water first. Then you wash your dainty feet in the water so he won't drink it and it is all yours.




Me - Meeshka, I don't think that is going to help me.... but thanks anyway.

Meeshka - Ok, Copper, I'll help you. Now listen ... whisper, whisper, whisper ..... snow .... whisper, whisper .... when they yell mush .... whisper, whisper, got it?

Me - Gee thanks, Meeshka, your're my hero! You're like the wise and powerful OZ in Mona's movie! I know we can do it thanks to you!!!

Ok, dog friends ... we're off!!!

On the way to Merryland ... Day 9 ....

Hi friends....

It has been a long car ride but Mona, Hana and I are almost to

Meeska's house in Merryland. Meeska is a huskie, loves the snow and cold air vents, and has lots of huskie friends. She is also going to be queen someday. Mona, Hana and I are driving to her house in Hana's red convertable to ask her how to drive a dog sled so that we can go to the North Pole and rescue my best buddy Hershey. He is like a brother to me and I miss him so much. I can't wait to see him.

Our trip has been exciting and emotional. The minute we drove across the state line into Kansas, Mona remembered some movie about there being no place like home. I don't know what she is talking about because I am a dog, do not watch TV, and I cannot get into the movies. My Mom and Dad never go to the movies because my Dad won't go and I can't drive so I can never go to the movies. But Mona remembered this movie about a dog named Toto and so she started to miss her Mom and her Mona Lisa. So I showed her this picture

that my Mom took in Paris and it made her feel better. I am really glad Mona came with me. She is sweet and she brought sweaters and socks and quarters for Hana's car.

Hana is a good driver which is good because neither Mona or I can drive. We have used 5 more quarters or $1.25 and we are almost there. We could have gotten away with 4 quarters but we had to stop and go tinkle a lot today. Stopping to tinkle has cut down on our milage. Hana wishes we had some pee pee pads but I told her that I don't know how to tinkle on them. I just tear them up.

Hana used one of Mona's quarters and called home and found out that her cat friend JB wants to go with us. So Hana made arrangements for her to meet us as Meeska's house. She does not look very brave in this picture but I know from chasing Herhey's brother cat Nixon, that cats can run fast. They are also very sharp, which may come in handy with the polar bears. Mona showed me this picture of a polar bear and now I am even more scared. See how they lay on the ice and wait for little black dachshunds? Yikes!

P.S. I also used a quarter and called home and Mom told me she bought me a new dog bed today. She says it is made of velvet and fake fur and is really really soft and luxurious. She says I will like it. She says she got a great deal on it at Tuesday Morning. She misses me. I miss her too, but I have to continue on my journey. Hershey, wait for me man. I am coming.

Kansas ... Day 8 ...

Hi friends.... Copper here. Hana and Mona and I are in Kansas.

Hana is driving us in her red car. She is a great driver and her car is very comfortable. I love car rides! Mona is so resourceful. Not only did she bring sweaters and socks and snowshoes for herself, she brought some for Hana and I too. Then, on top of that, she brought quarters for Hana's car. Isn't that wonderful? So far we've used 7 quarters to get from California to Kansas ... or $1.75. Is that good milage? I don't know.

Kansas is very flat and there aren't very many trees. It is a good thing I tinkle like a girl because there are no trees to lift my leg on like in California. I hear that they have tornadoes here. We did not see any tornadoes but we did see some clouds like this. I hope it doesn't rain because Hana's car doesn't have a top like my car at home.

I am starting to miss my Mom a little. I hope she misses me. Bye from Kansas. Tomorrow, we may get to Meeshka's house.

Goodbye California ... Day 7

California is a warm and wonderful place. Mona and Hana and I did a little sightseeing today and Hana showed me the redwood trees. What big trees they have here! My Mom will be so jealous, she's always wanted to see the redwood trees. It was fun. I tinkled at the bottom of this one. He he he he!

Hana has been a wonderful hostess but it is time to leave now and continue on my journey. I must go rescue Hershey at the North Pole where he is in elf training.

But I have done some thinking..... Mona has this suitcase full of sweaters and socks that her mother made her bring along on her trip and Hana told me that sometimes it gets cold in California. I wonder if it gets cold at the North Pole???? If it is cold there, then it might snow. If it snows, I am not going to be able to walk very well up at the North Pole because my legs are very short. Mona's are too. Us dacshunds have short legs.

So I have decided to go see my friend Meeshka and ask her about the snow. She is a huskie and everyone knows that huskies pull sleds in the snow. I hear she loves snow. Maybe Meeshka will go with me to the North Pole and help me find Hershey in the snow.

Otherwise, we'll look like this.

So I am headed to Meeshka's house to see her. Hana and Mona are going with me and Hana is driving. She has her own red car. Talk to you soon.

Manners and Day 6 .....

I hope Hershey is not too miserable up at the North Pole because I sure am having fun at Hana's house. Mona and I spent the day today with her lounging around her house, barking at her neighbors and soaking up the warm California sunshine in her big back yard. She has awesome treats in her treat jar and she has some really fun toys to play with. I was going to destuff one of her toys but then I remembered that I was a guest and that they were not my toys. It's a good thing my Mom has taught me some manners. You know it is important to have manners.

I remembered my manners yesterday when Hana took Mona and me with her to Casper's birthday party. I ate only one piece of cake and I introduced myself to all the dogs that I didn't know. I played nice with everyone and I thanked Casper for inviting me. I also took a present to the party, one that I would like to have myself.

The party was pawsome. All of the dogs were white and very fluffy! Boy, did Mona and I stand out in THAT crowd!

We had cake

and pupcakes,

and Casper got lots of presents. It was a pretty day, even if it was a little bit windy. Thanks Casper and Hana.

When Mona and I wake up in the morning, we are leaving to continue on our journey to the North Pole where we will brave the polar bears and attempt to rescue my best buddy old pal, Hershey. I hope he can hold out a few more days.

Going to the party ... Day 5

Well, I'm on my way to Casper's Birthday Party. Don't tell him but this is what I got him. I figure his Mom or Dad can take him for walks when he doesn't feel well if he has a stroller. I hope he likes red.

Actually my Mom wishes she had a stroller for me because then she could walk with me and actually get some exercise. You see, when I walk I like to go reeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllllly slow and sniff a lot along the way and my Mom likes to walk fast so she can get her heart rate up or something like that. I hope Casper likes it. The weather out here in California is lovely... perfect for walks.

As soon as the party is over and I get another good nights rest, it's on to find Hershey at the North Pole. I have to go find him so he can get back home to his baby. Her tummy is much better, thank goodness, but she needs him. I hear his cat Nixon is getting upity. Cats can be like that.

This is a picture of Hershey and Nixon. Notice who is sleeping in Hershey's bed while poor Hershey sleeps on a measly folded up towel .... see I told you cats can be upity!

Hello Hana ... Day 4 ....

Hello friends! Guess where my train stopped? CALIFORNIA! California is where Hana lives! Since my train stopped here, I may as well go visit Hana. I hear she is going to a barkday party this weekend. It is Casper's 6th birthday! Wow, SIX years old! I am only four years old. Anyway, maybe I can go with her to the party.

My train ride went great. Mona and I had a special dinner on the train and we looked out the window at the sights. Now we are in California. I am really far from home. I am stating to miss my Mom and Dad. I wonder how they are doing without me? I wonder if they got another dog to replace me? I wonder if the squirrels have taken over my yard? .......... I can't wory about it now because I have to keep going on my journey so I can rescue Hershey at the North Pole. He is my best friend and he is worth it.

I gotta go. Mona and I are going shopping for a barkday present for Casper. I wonder what Eskie's like?