Welcome to the Barkside!

I just say that I've had itchy paws for some time now, wanting to get a shot at that computer. Problem is, there is so often a human sitting there, and I needed some privacy to ponder what I might say to the masses if given the chance.

So, I'm finally here! I'll start by introducing myself. My formal name is Ode to the Barkside, but my friends call me Odie. I come from conformation bloodlines, so I know all about being pretty (and acting pretty) but that doesn't take away from my other Aussie characteristics, I can still show moments of herdiness, even though I'm getting older and slowing down now.

I'm thinking of retiring from my herding career and becoming a full time writer, which is one of the inspirations for this blog. However I have decided that occasionally I may let one of the other Aussies at Barkside have a bit of computer time, if they behave themselves. I am the wisdom of this operation! The other two are both puppies, under a year old and they can be a bit on the skitzy side, that's my opinion, of course, but I live with the little monsters!

Sydra is the youngest of the two puppies but she came to live here first, after my old Aussie pal Nike died from cancer. Nike is still with us, in my opinion, old dogs never really die, we just change forms and lurk around supervising in spirit instead of in flesh. I hope everyone is clear that the primary responsibility of an Aussie is to supervise. I digress but this isn't a bad segue, Sydra is not a very good supervisor. I wonder if she's really an Aussie. She looks like an Aussie, but she doesn't always act like an Aussie. I've been trying to give her lessons in how to supervise humans but she's not very clever that way. She keeps telling me that she doesn't need to supervise, the house doesn't need more than one supervisor. Too many chefs spoil the broth and all that.

Camden is the middle Aussie by age, but only a few months older than Syd. Cam was dumped at a shelter at a mere 6 months old for "behavioral problems". Well, Cam acts like an Aussie, why would that be a problem???? What leaves me with questions as to Cam's true heritage is that she has a tail. Why would an Aussie need a tail? She wiggles her butt and wags her tail, her butt goes one way, her tail goes the other and if there is anything on the coffee table, it won't be there for long. This tail wagging thing just doesn't seem very sophisticated to me. Who needs to wear their emotions on their butt like that? I guess some dogs do. Anyway, Cam is learning a lot here, Syd has taken it as her personal responsibility to help Cam find her Inner Puppy, which apparently was misplaced at the shelter or during her beginning months as a "yard dog" whatever that is. I'm astounded to hear that some dogs live IN THE YARD. Where do they sleep??? I have nothing against the odd nap in the grass on a nice cool spring day, but let's get real, it shouldn't be a full time occupation!

At any rate, Cam is coming out of her shell. Most folks probably don't realize that Aussies can have a shell! But the softer ones, like Cam, can be deeply effected by things like living in a crowded shelter where some dogs enter and never leave. Anyway, Cam has discovered the joys of Frisbee, although she has not discovered that she should return the Frisbee to the human in order to keep the game in play. What seems obvious to me does not, apparently seem obvious to her. Syd and I understand this (is Cam really an Aussie? With that tail, I am suspect, perhaps she's really a blue merle Border Collie instead?) and have taken it upon ourselves to pick up those darn dropped Frisbees and return them. Syd is a natural when it comes to carrying things around, so this was an easy trick to teach her.

That's probably enough of the introductions for now. More to follow! I hope to get to know you all in the near future. Feel free to email me, my email address is Odie@DancesWithHooves.net.