TOBY, THE MERLION-DOG

COCOA AND BARLEY (TWO CRAZY PUPS FROM SINGAPORE) POINTED OUT THE AMAZING RESEMBLANCE BETWEEN TOBY AND MERLION. MERLION WAS AN ANCIENT CREATURE WITH THE HEAD OF A LION AND THE BODY OF A FISH WHO SAVED THE VILLAGES OF TEMASEK(ANCIENT SINGAPORE) FROM A VIOLENT STORM. SO MAYBE WE SHOULD CALL TOBY THE MERLION-DOG.

PRESLEY IS THE GREATEST AMERICAN DOG

Woof everypups, Norman here. I'm flying solo today for the final recap of The Greatest American Dog because Toby's Birthday Bash is still in full swing and our neighbor Duke just arrived with a case of homemade wine and a box of doggie biscuits. Anyway, my boys Travis and Presley won the competition and Presley was named The Greatest American Dog. JD and Galaxy were shown the Doggie Door early in the show which left Travis and Presley and Laurie and Andrew. Of course JD had to be an arrogant doggies behind about being sent packing. You'd think that JD would develop a little respect for the other dogs and humans in the show but that didn't happen. He still thinks he's the greatest thing since the squeaky toy. Oh well, we don't have to put up with him anymore.
The last challenge was a obstacle course which Presley just ripped through with no problem only to find that the 9000 pound elephant was waiting at the end and hovering over Presley's favorite toy. To complete the course Presley had to retrieve his toy but hesitated (can't blame him for that). Travis went under the elephant and guided Presley to his toy. Little dog Andrew completed the obstacle course but had a problem with the tilting balance beam. But he managed to finish the course and had no fear of the elephant and snatched his toy with no problem. The judges debated long and hard over who should be named The Greatest American Dog and in the end, it was Presley. The judges felt that Travis and Presley had come into the competition as the least experienced of the competitors, but they improved with each passing week and the bond between them only became stronger. Another plus for Travis and Presley was the fact that Travis had stepped beneath the elephant to lead Presley to his toy. It was that act that showed the judges that Travis wouldn't ask his dog to do something that he wasn't willing to do himself. Presley became more disciplined as the show progressed and Travis never once used harsh or questionable training tactics with Presley as did several of the other human competitors. The love and devotion that the pair show toward each other really represents what having a dog is all about. It's not about the perfect dog or the best trained dog (you won't find any in this house), it's about loyalty, trust and most of all love. So congratulations to Presley for being The Greatest American Dog.

PEE ESS
Toby's Birthday Bash is going to continue for awhile so if any pups out there want to stop by, just hop into the transporter and beam over (hell, it works on Star Trek). We'll be watching for you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOBY

Six years ago today Toby came into our lives. He was a frightened, starving little pup with a broken leg and Mom found him stumbling along the side of the road as she was headed home from work. He was so afraid of her that he tried to run away but he couldn't because of his injured leg. But Mom was very patient and carefully picked him up, put him in the car and hurried to the Doggie Doctor. As Mom was driving to the Doggie Doctor the little pup whined and cried so Mom turned on the radio and that seemed to calm the pup down and he soon drifted off to sleep. After having his leg set in a cast and a couple of days at the Doggie Hospital, Toby was allowed to come live with us. He was very timid and shy and it took a long time before he would even play.

Top Dog Scuba had a long talk with Keiko and Norman and together they worked with Toby and helped him overcome his fears. Scuba taught Toby how to use the doggie door, Keiko taught Toby how to play and Norman taught Toby how to lift his leg. Soon Toby was happy, healthy and terrorizing anyone who dared venture into the yard. And as far as how Toby got his name, the song that was playing on the radio when Mom was rushing him to the Doggie Doctor was 'My List' by Toby Keith. Little did Mom know that when she named that frightened little pup after the country singer, he would soon take on some of Toby Keith's bad-ass attitude and the rest is doggie history.

THE DOG WHISPERER

AFTER YEARS OF OBSERVING DOGS IN THE WILD, CESAR FINALLY DISCOVERED THEIR SECRET

TENNESSEE FOOTBALL DOGS

SMOKEY AND KEIKO ARE WOOFING GOOD LUCK TO THE TENNESSEE VOLUNTEER FOOTBALL TEAM AS THEY FACE THE UCLA BRUINS THIS LABOR DAY WEEKEND.

GO VOLS!!!

HELLDOG

THE GREATEST AMERICAN DOG - EPISODE SEVEN

Woof, everypups. I really have to say that last night's show was the worst I've seen, with the two lady judges screaming at each other over JD being the best part of the show. The Dog Bone Challenge was really lame. The teams were paired together and while one human was hidden in a wooden box the other human had to get one dog to ring a bell and then lead the remaining dog up the steps to the top of the wooden box. There the dog would dig until a lever was released, thus opening the door to the box. Travis and Presley teamed with Bill and Star, winning the challenge. The last challenge was a maze in which the dog had to work their way to the end with only their owner's voice to guide them. With one catch, there were three puppies that were also in the maze and they had to follow the dog out of the maze. Now I know everyone loves puppies but I think it was very irresponsible to introduce strange pups into the show. Many older dogs just don't appreciate that puppy energy and tend to get a little cranky which was obvious with Star as she did whatever she could to stay away from the puppies. Teresa and Leroy were picked Best in Show and Beth Joy and Bella Starlet were shown the Doggie Door.

SCUBA'S FIRST PICK - RON AND TILLMAN ARE GONE
SCUBA'S SECOND PICK - BILL AND STAR


I have to agree with you about the puppies,Scuba. That was just a bad idea. Sure Presley loved the pups but he's still a young dog. Some older dogs just don't like pups, not to mention the puppies were bigger than Andrew and Bella Starlet, no wonder they were freaked out. And after listening to those judges jump all over Bill for his aggressive treatment of Star, I'm beginning to think that Toby is right, the show is rigged and the judges just don't know what the hell is going on. I didn't see any thing wrong with the way Bill treated Star except making her run the maze. If he didn't make her run the maze then the judges would have been all over him for not challenging his dog. The judges stink like puppy poop and are doggies behinds.

KEIKO'S PICK - BILL AND STAR

Amen to that!!! Those judges are just getting worse with every show, though their little 'cat fight' was very entertaining. And about the puppies, it was just a bad idea. I considered myself to be somewhat of a young dog and I wouldn't want three rambunctious pups crawling all over me. It was a poor choice and whoever made it is a doggies behind. But I do have to say that Teresa and Leroy just ripped through that maze and beat out JD and Galaxy. Great job!!!

NORMAN'S PICK - TRAVIS AND PRESLEY

Well, I hate to sound like a broken record but I agree with everyone's take on PuppyGate. It was just a stupid idea to include the pups in the maze challenge. A couple of the older dogs actually snapped at the pups and though no pup was hurt, things could have gotten out of control. I do admit that the fight between the judges was the best part of the show, though I'm not really sure what the hell they were fighting about.

DUKE'S FIRST PICK - RON AND TILLMAN ARE GONE
DUKE'S SECOND PICK - TRAVIS AND PRESLEY


I've been saying it, the show is rigged and the judges suck!!! Really, jumping on Bill like that, poor guy. He was damned if he did and damned if he didn't and he knew it. On one hand the judges want you to challenge your dog but just don't do it if Miss Victoria is having a bad hair day. And as far as that little spat between the two lady judges, that was fixed to drive the ratings up.

OPERATION PEE ON HUGO

THIS VIDEO WAS ALSO FORWARDED TO HUGO, SO WE HOPE HE ENJOYS IT. AND WE HOPE ALL THE PUPS OUT THERE WILL CRANK UP THE VOLUME, GRAB A BISCUIT AND ENJOY 'OPERATION PEE ON HUGO'.

TOBY'S ADDICTION - PART TWO

Scuba's Diary - August 11, 2008
Weekly update on Toby's River Toad addiction. It seems that Toby is suffering from post-traumatic stress as a result of the unprovoked attack by the gopher snake and is turning to River Toads to deal with it. We found him behind the rock wall in the back yard with a couple of empty River Toads lying nearby. He said he was hiding from gopher snakes and wouldn't come out until they were all gone. Enough is enough, I called The River Toad Hotline (1-800-NOMORETOADS). The CANINE COUNSELOR (CC for short) on the line said we just need to be supportive of Toby and try to get him involved in a hobby to take his mind off the gopher snake and the River Toads. I mentioned Toby's project of 'OPERATION PEE ON HUGO' and was told that was an excellent hobby to keep him busy. The CC even volunteered to send in his best pee photo to help support the project.

HIDING FROM GOPHER SNAKES

THE GOPHER SNAKE

Norman here, it was yet another exciting day at Life Inside The Fence, at least for us dogs. We had another crawly critter show up, a gopher snake with an attitude. Now normally we try to avoid crawly critters simply because of the one called Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, which is extremely venomous. But this gopher snake was freakin nuts. He nailed Toby on his rear left paw as Toby (believe it or not) was minding his own business sending Mom into hysterics and she ran screaming across the yard toward Toby totally convince that a rattler had gotten him. I’m not sure whether Toby was more freaked out by the snake or by Mom’s shrieking. Anyway, Toby tucked tail and bolted, hiding under the porch steps leaving me, Scuba and Keiko trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. Finally Mom realized that it was a gopher snake and calmed down, but that was of little consolation to Toby who was quite content to remain beneath the steps thus avoiding both the crazy snake and crazy Mom.
Now this snake just didn’t want to leave. Mom’s pretty good at hooking them with the hoe and walking them down the road a bit but the snake just started acting all crazy, coiling and hissing, even striking at Mom (don’t worry, she’s smart enough not to get that close, I think). Eventually the snake did go under the house so we expect to see it again sometime soon. For more information on Gopher Snakes and how they benefit the environment, please visit the Desert USA web site.

THE EVIL CREATURE

TOP DOG SCUBA STEERS KEIKO AWAY FROM THE SNAKE

TOBY CONFRONTS HIS ATTACKER

UK JOURNALIST CLAIMS THAT DOGS ARE STUPID

TOBY SHOWS HIS TRUE FEELINGS FOR HUGO

Hugo Rifkind, an idiot journalist for Times Online out of the UK has written an article with the title 'Just exactly how stupid are dogs?' Now this dog hater, who has obviously never spent any time with a dog, goes on to try and explain why dogs are stupid only to show his own ignorance with ever word. Dogs have saved countless lives, working as guide dogs, rescue dogs, sled dogs and cancer detecting dogs. On September 11, 2001, rescue dogs spent many hours at Ground Zero looking for survivors. And the list goes on and on. Dogs show more compassion and love than any human I know and would die to protect us (even Mr. Rifkind, sad to say) For such a educated human, Mr. Rifkind has really shown us who the stupid one really is. Please visit Hugo Rifkind and let him know that dogs are not the stupid ones and that his article is really out of line.

TOBY'S ADDICTION

Scuba’s Diary – August 4, 2008
Mom caught Toby with another Colorado River Toad last night after the rainstorm had past. Keiko, Norman and myself believe that he’s addicted to them. We tried telling Mom about Toby’s dependence on the River Toads but as usual, Mom refuses to see the bad in any dog.
"No," she says, in total denial. "It’s not an addiction."
We mentioned some of his erratic behavior such as mood swings, sticking his head into a hole in the ground or spending hours alone beneath the porch steps. I even pointed out his glassy, wild eyed expression but Mom just called it his happy look. Of course he’s happy, he’s been licking River Toads. Will update weekly on Toby’s problem.

TOBY'S HAPPY LOOK

DOGS AND BIRD FEEDERS

This morning Mom hung a bird feeder in our favorite tree. Now we love our Mom, but clearly she isn't the sharpest tool in the shed. Apparently she doesn't realize that while she's watching the birds peck at the feeder, thinking how sweet and pretty they are, this pack of dogs is thinking all you can eat buffet.

CANINE HISTORY

CELEBRATING THE CANINE CONTRIBUTION TO HISTORY, MOUNT POOCHMORE RECOGNIZES THE GREAT DOGS OF YEARS GONE BY.

ARIZONA DOG

HOW ARIZONA DOGS REALLY STAY COOL

THE GREATEST AMERICAN DOG - EPISODE TWO

Woof, everypups;
For those who missed last night’s show, Star was viciously attacked by a piece of wire or ferocious feline (you know how cats are) and suffered a cut on her left ear. I was holding my breath as Bill rushed her to the Doggie Doctor where the brave pup was stitched up. Thank dog, she’ll be O.K.
I really enjoyed last night's show. The challenges were very difficult especially ‘The Leave it’ challenge. I would have been all over that steak and I don’t know how Tillman controlled himself. They’re still my pick to win. Elan and Kenji were shown the doggie door and I felt bad for Kenji dealing with Elan screeching at her all the time. And joining us today is our guest TV critic, Duke, who will give us his poop on last night’s show.
SCUBA’S PICK – RON AND TILLMAN

Thanks for having me on Life Inside The Fence, it’s really pawsome to be here. I enjoyed the show and the challenges, though I think they need to include real dog stuff, like digging holes, peeing contests or killing rabbits, you know stuff real American dogs can relate to. But I have to agree with you, Scuba, I didn’t really care for Elan either, she doesn't know how to treat her dog, it’s a wonder that Kenji hasn’t taken a bite out of her. Elan doesn’t deserve to have a dog. And what’s with Beth Joy breaking down and crying like that. Oh my dog! What was that about? Anyway, I’ll agree with you and take Ron and Tillman for the win. We big headed dogs need to stick together.
DUKE’S PICK – RON AND TILLMAN

Oh, I just covered my eyes with my paws when Star was attacked, I just couldn’t watch. And did you see Bill; he was so upset that he was crying. I just love it when humans cry over their dogs, makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Star recovered nicely and she and Bill did really well at the last challenge. In fact they were picked Best In Show by the judges, which is totally pawsome. I’m still picking Bill and Star to win.
KEIKO’S PICK – BILL AND STAR

Well, I wouldn’t have thought that anyone could have been more annoying than Brandy but I’ll agree with Scuba and Duke, Elan needed to go. I swear, all of her shrieking at Kenji was hurting my ears. I thought it was great when the judge started mimicking Elan and screeching back at her. I was howling with laughter. But I do have to wonder how Elan got picked for the show. Did they just need to bring in someone that all dogs would hate and maybe drive up the ratings? Anyway, my boys Travis and Presley did really well and won the golden bone, sending JD and Galaxy to the DogHouse. I still think they’re gonna win.
NORMAN’S PICK – TRAVIS AND PRESLEY

Yeah, I think we’re all in agreement that Elan is an evil woman (she must have some feline in her) and needed to go. It’s just a shame that Kenji has to go home with her. Maybe we should go rescue Kenji from the evil creature.
But I just can’t believe Scuba and Duke are picking Ron and Tillman. Tillman just rolled over when Elvis got into him, what a wimp. Now Elvis, there’s my kind of dog, one with an attitude. I’m still pulling for David and Elvis to win. Dogs with attitudes rule, baby!
TOBY’S PICK – DAVID AND ELVIS

THE MONSTER

IT BEGAN AS AN ORDINARY MORNING FOR OUR DESERT PUPS, JUMPING ON MOM, EATING BREAKFAST, TAKING THEIR EARLY MORNING NAP WHEN SUDDENLY, OUT OF NOWHERE......

THE MONSTER APPEARED!!!!!

AS THEIR MOM WENT TO BATTLE THE MONSTER ALONE, OUR DESERT PUPS COULD DO NOTHING BUT WATCH HELPLESSLY FROM INSIDE THE FENCE.

THE BATTLE RAGE ON WITH THE MONSTER RETREATING, BUT THEN SUDDENLY......

WILL THEIR MOM SURVIVE? WILL THE EVIL MONSTER BE SLAIN? MORE IMPORTANTLY, WILL THE DESERT PUPS GET EXTRA DOGGIE BISCUITS FOR DINNER? TUNE IN TOMORROW AS THE SAGA CONTINUES.

BUSTED!!!!

SANDWICH? WHAT SANDWICH?

THE GREATEST AMERICAN DOG

The Greatest American Dog aired last night and I have to say that I really enjoyed the show. And for those who missed it, Michael and Ezzie were the first pair to be shown the doggie-door. Personally, I didn't much care for Michael. He seemed more interested in showcasing his lack of talent than showing off what Ezzie could do. Also, I think I'm gonna pull for Ron and Tillman, they seem to work well together. What do you think, Keiko?
SCUBA'S PICK - RON AND TILLMAN


I agree with you, Scuba. Michael is a freakoid egotistical maniac and I felt sorry for Ezzie. She seemed to be intimidated by him. Too bad the judges just don't kick off the humans and keep the dogs. That what they should do. Anyway, I'm gonna be rooting for Bill and Star. He seems like a really nice human who loves his dog and Star is a very smart dog. Did you hear that she can tell when Bill's wife is having problems with her diabetes? I think that's really great. What do you think, Norman?
KEIKO'S PICK - BILL AND STAR


Yeah, Michael had to go and if I've got to pick someone to go next week it's that freak Brandy. Did you see her dressing up poor Beacon? Geeeez, let the dog be a dog, for dog's sake. And I didn't like the way she kept pushing Beacon down to make her sit during the final competition. I was glad when the judge scolded her for doing that. As for me, I like Travis and Presley, they make a good team. What do you think, Toby?
NORMAN'S PICK - TRAVIS AND PRESLEY


Personally, I wouldn't have cared if both Michael and Brandy were shown the doggie-door last night. Just by looking at those two humans, I can tell that they're not really dog people, they're just in it for themselves. And I really liked the way the judges mentioned non-physical reinforcement for training. I think that's so pawsome. I was gonna pick JD and Galaxy but after reading that JD doesn't like to spoil dogs, I've change my mind and I'm gonna pull for David and Elvis. Any human who spends $10,000 on a party for his dog has got my vote.
TOBY'S PICK - DAVID AND ELVIS

CANINE ADDICTIONS

CANINE BISCUITITUS-THE ADDICTION TO DOGGIE BISCUITS WILL TURN THE GENTLEST OF DOGS INTO FEROCIOUS BEASTS.