Feeling a Little Sheepish!

OK, I admit it: I am a food addict. Or, in my case, that would be a “chow hound.”  Now that I have said it, does that make any of you feel better, because it sure isn’t helping me one bit…  Here’s the story as I know it. I’m a dog, right? (even if I am the MIRA Ambassador, I’m still a dog…) Dogs like food, especially people food, right? Here’s where it gets dicey. We are trained NOT to like people food. You know why, don’t you? No, it’s not because we will get fat and lazy if we eat people food(although there is probably some truth to that)  It’s because we can’t be going into grocery stores and trying to eat the bakery goods off the shelves (imagine the problems THAT would cause) nor can we walk into a restaurant while guiding our owners to a chair and all of a sudden decide we are going to dive under some table after a scrap that someone has dropped ( not only is that VERY rude behavior, it is also incredibly disruptive for the poor person on the other end of the leash!)

So, the fact of the matter is that we are not ever, EVER, supposed to allow ourselves to be tempted by people food. Well, tell that to the person(out of deference to the aforementioned, no names will be used) who left not one, but TWO quiches with ham in a bag under the drivers seat of the car. Oh yes, did I mention she left me for two minutes in the backseat? What was I supposed to do? (well…I know what I was “supposed” to do, but now, seriously, isn’t that a lot to ask of a DOG?

All I am going to say about the matter is that ham and cheese quiche is very tasty and I will never eat another one. Need I say more?

It’s a good thing Bob, Elaine, Dixie Doodles and I are heading down to Florida for a few weeks, soon, because I am persona non grata around here right about now (that’s a fancier way of saying “in the doghouse!”)

Yours truly,

Devon (the gourmand, but no dummie….) Baillie

Devon Loving the Snow and Cold in Canada

Devon here, back from the snows of Kilimanjaro (no, actually, Canada, but I love a good story) Anyway, we returned on Monday and something happened because we seem to have brought the Canadian cold front with us! How could that happen? Did it sneak on to the plane when we weren’t looking?  All I know is that we left Canada and it was freezing cold,and we got to North Carolina, and guess what?- it was freezing cold! Yikes….Bob is not happy though I am giggling because, as you know, we Bernese Mountain dogs LOVE cold weather. In fact, the colder the better. When I was at Tracy and Richard’s house I spent half my time sprawled out in a snowbank. It was pure bliss, believe me. I think you can see in this picture that I was having a great time.

Anyway, we are back at work and calling on people to help us raise funds for more MIRA dogs. Everyone is so nice. We also have six fundraisers planned between March and June, so everyone in the office is hard at work preparing for them. It’s a lot of work, but someone has to do it, and my job, after all, is to be Ambassadorial. I don’t do windows, nor do I prepare for fundraisers. I do, however, love to make an appearance at them, between the great food and the photo ops (not that I know too much about the food, but I keep hoping)

So, my wish to all of you is for a happy and prosperous new year, and I hope that many of you will join us at one of our events so that we can all say hello. I’ll keep you posted as things take shape. There’s going to be a whole lot happening around here over the next few months.

Love,

Devon (the ice King) Baillie

What celebrity? I don't see a celebrity....

Wow…I love Florida. We have been here for a week and a half, and as you can see from my photo, I am having a wonderful time. This is my disguise when we go out with the other celebrities who hang out on the beach. I don’t want you to think that I am not working, heck, Bob and I have already attended one Rotary meeting (where I was appropriately Ambassadorial and refrained from trying to conduct a taste test on the luncheon) This afternoon we are going to speak at an organization that helps blind people find jobs and get to their appointments and so on. It is a very important service and I am happy to take some time out of my afternoon to visit with those nice folks. We have the rest of the week off, so I really can’t complain.

I hear from my friends back at the MIRA office that there is a lot going on there in our absence (though I can bet they aren’t as busy as when Bob and I are in residence!) Anyway, MIRA has seven fundraisers scheduled between March and June. Seven! Whew, you know what that means? It means that yours truly is going to be very busy being Ambassadorial. Our first event is on March 03 at the Sunrise Theater in downtown Southern Pines (I love that place- we always get front row seats at the end so I can stretch out and snooze if the show doesn’t interest me)

I know the Talent Show will be exciting, though, because there are already some great acts lined up. My friend,TC,(the reigning Miss Southern Hootie for those of you who don’t know)  is going to do his famous Tina Turner dance routine that earned him the crown. Whoa…you sure don’t want to miss that if you like to laugh! Be sure to come and join us if you are in town.

I guess that’s all I want to say for now. The beach is beckoning, and I can’t wait to see who we will meet today when we are out and about. Vacations are so much fun!

Yours truly,

Devon (incognito) Baillie