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adrianman 6 days ago
Ollie's new arch-nemesis I remember seeing a remarkable online video — one of those that gets viewed thousands and thousands of times. In the video, two guys are squared off to fight, surrounded by a crowd. One prepares by doing elaborate pre-fight kicks and somersaults. When the fight starts, the show-off antics continue. Then the other guy, seeing an opening during some kind of ridiculous full-body spin, slugs the show-off in the noggin, neatly knocking him out. It's enough to warm the cockles of your heart. For some reason, Ollie the Pug reminded me of video when he encountered a gigantic white cat yesterday. Ollie spotted the cat on his walk. He was wearing his pug sweater, which has a tough-guy skull and crossbones on the back. Ollie immediately confronted the cat. He bounced and bounded around, making anxious bark-yelp noises. The cat, lying down in the grass, merely stared at Ollie. The cat did not seem upset or riled, although he did keep his eyes on Ollie ...adrianman 13 days ago
Pug dogs aren't exactly helper dogs. Not like... oh, let's say sheep-herding dogs. Or police dogs. Still, it would be kind of nice if Ollie the Pug was a touch more helpful. For instance, the other day, I was raking leaves in the yard. Ollie's contributions were (1) pretending to chase the rake-head, as though it was a big snake or something, and (2) urinating in the pile of leaves. When my wife sweeps up in the kitchen, Ollie sniffs and fiddles with the pile of dirt, trying to see if there are any crumbs of food in it. When I put my clothes on in the morning, Ollie bites my socks and trouser legs, believing we're playing a game. And after I shower, Ollie cheerfully licks the water from my legs. Now he's assisting me in an exciting new way. Lately, my back has started bothering me. So I went to a physiotherapist, who suggested I do exercises. These are quite elaborate routines. One involved doing leg stretches with a length of black rubber tied to my leg and the stairpost. I ...
adrianman 20 days ago
Ollie (left) and his friend, Elvis, at Bark & Fitz (photo by Ole Jorgensen) On Halloween day, my wife wanted to visit Bark & Fitz in Langford to show Ollie off in his bee costume. At the pet supply store, Ole — the owner — greeted us. He said he liked Ollie’s bee costume. And he said his pug dog, Elvis, also had a bee costume for Halloween. Apparently, it’s some kind of trend. He said he’d insert Elvis into his bee costume so we could get a group shot. “Elvis doesn’t like wearing his bee costume,” added Ole. Sure enough, when Elvis had it on, he looked depressed, like a guy who thought he’d won the lottery but then discovered he was one number off. A woman in the store with a big dog — I think it was a setter or a retriever — looked at Ollie. “Is that a girl dog?” she said. I forgot to mention part of Ollie’s bee costume is a tutu. I guess it wasn’t designed by an entomologist. We told her that Ollie, despite his appearance, is a boy dog. The woman ...adrianman 27 days ago
Yesterday afternoon, my wife said she needed to buy a bee costume. You know, for Ollie the Pug. It's for Hallowe'en. Because Ollie really, really wants to dress up as a bee for Hallowe'en. At least, that's what my wife tells me. "Either that, or a ladybug," she explained. So we went to London Drugs, where it turns out my wife had previously sussed out the costumes. In fact, Ollie's costume was in a rack of Hallowe'en outfits for little kids. "I just need to cut off the arms," said my wife, holding the bee costume aloft. "I really think this will work." As we walked over to the cashier, a middle-aged in blue sweat-pants woman stared at us. Then she barked: "Adorable bee costume!" "Thanks," said my wife, beaming. The cashier examined the bee costume. Then she told us the toddler photographed on the label wearing the bee costume looks a lot like her daughter. "I bet she'd look good in this bee costume," said my ...adrianman 34 days ago
Everyone thinks their kid is smart. I imagine the same applies to one's pet. Take me. I always figured Ollie the Pug was brainy. After all, he can do oodles of tricks. He can roll over, sit and lie down. He can even play the piano. Check out this clip: http://tinyurl.com/yg4apam I'm under no illusions. Ollie is no Lassy. But neither is he the dumbest dog in the world. Apparently, this distinction goes to Afghan Hounds. I'm not surprised. These dogs always look like Paris Hilton to me. Anyway, a few weeks ago, Ollie started doing something that made me wonder if he's as smart as I imagined. Ollie the Pug has started chasing his tail. He does it all the time. He'll twist his head and spy his furry little curl. Then he'll immediately embark on the race that cannot be won. Unless you have a really long neck or something. Which pug dogs do not. Alas, Ollie is almost neck-free. Not only that, Ollie always chases his tail when sitting down. This means his rear-end ...
