Dave eats Panda for breakfast.

Om nom nom!

I was at the local dog park and second-hand shop. And I liked it.

Yesterday was a good day. Thanks to the Interconnected Multi-world Net we discovered that a special area for dogs was only 15 minutes perambulation from our home-kennel. Those minutes proved to be the perfect warm-up walk for me to run like a mad thing with a firecracker tied to my tail. The dog park was really quite massive.

Exhausted but happy!

Later that day another new discovery in the neighbourhood was a large second-hand shop. My humans bought some flappy paper things they called 'books' and I got the lovely vintage jigsaw you see below. I'm pretty sure some of my photogenic genes come from this super model!

My ancestor was a model.

Memory Lane

SQUIRREL!

Time to cut my claws and start to write my blog more often. Last year went past so fast, probably because of the squirrels. So many of them and so little time! On this post I have collected some of the events we have experienced since the Midsummer post.
We moved to new location again, but luckily the squirrels moved here too. That reminded me of something that happend the last Autumn... Squirrel just FLEW in my MOUTH! Can you believe it?! 

The squirrel bit me. I had to go to the vet. But I was OK. So was the squirrel.

Before Christmas I received a package from my human Grandparents in the UK!

This I found in the Grandparents' package  - An Xmas calendar for dogs!

For Christmas we travelled where there is that white, fluffy Westy dog. And I got new toys and goodies from a man with red clothes and nose.

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During the past 6 or more months we have been travelling around Southern Finland and especially Greater Helsinki to get to great sniff of this huge neighborhood.

One of the greatest adventures was the Open Show event organised by The Danish Swedish Farmdog Club. I met many dogs and their humans that day:

At the Open Show field, watching some Farmdogs.

View of the Open Show location.

They even tried to drown me, but I said no.

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One busy day we took a ferry to Suomenlinna. It was a bit scary because it was the last day of the Tall Ship Race event and loads of humans wanted to see the last good glimse of the ships while they were passing the island:

On the ferry to Suomenlinna.

At Suomenlinna, there is a bee under the cup!

Staring out to sea from my Suomenlinna fortress.

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Here are some random moments from different locations and times:

Malminkartanonhuippu

When I can't catch squirrels, I kill cones.

Nuuksio national park - Snausage grilling!

Tennis course, Central park

Kruunuvuorenranta

Old bridge by the local river

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And finally the most important part, FRIENDS! Here are some of my lovely new friends :

This cute little girl flew all the way from Germany to see me!

Hello Kitty!

Tilda the killer :)

Volke the Farmdog

Volke the Farmdog (Find his blog from here)

SnausageMuch!

Pagan Dave goes Native.

Ukko must be pleased. It's midsummer day and the rain is lashing down and all the farmers are rejoicing.

Dave T. Dog sleeps in a ball shape as church bells solemnly ring out in case we forget what day it is. Still weary from a bout of socialising that would test the Queen's patient graces he no doubt dreams of squirrels and all things meaty.

Yesterday, the only flames in sight were that of the grill as it cooked up snausages. No bonfires. And no fern seeds leading to treasure were found. But Dave T. still managed to follow tradition and have a BBQ by the sea surrounded by (new) friends and family. So after elbowing the hungry pack from the grill Dave managed to relax on his tartan blanket and watch the midnight sun sink into the horizon.

This time last year he was dancing round a maypole and drinking snaps until daybreak in Sweden, Dave prefers the calmer BBQ version, as the grey hairs starting to manifest on his eyebrows can attest to!

He's no young pup any more but perhaps some feisty lady dog has placed flowers under her pillow and will see him in her dreams tonight?

 

Meat and beer. Dave's favourite meal.

Dave on a rock by the sea at Midsummer.

Mighty Hunter Finds Playground

Anyone who frequents the central park in Helsinki has probably noticed the sudden and worrying decline of squirrels recently. Those little chaps who scurry up trees and steal seeds from bird-feeders will soon be on the IUCN Red List if they don't watch their backs, for it seems a new and insatiable predator has settled in the area. It was first sighted in Ireland, where reports described a strange monster prowling the streets at night, nose to the ground and tail in the air. Leprachaun demise has been attributed to it by some accounts, although those accounts were mostly fuelled by Ireland's black stuff. Tales became few and far between and apparently the beast's taste-buds had turned to a chewier meat, that of the Swedish moose. No doubt after a few years chewing on the gristle laden shanks of moose the mighty hunter yearned for a sweeter and more delicate flavour to tickle his palate. And what juicier, jumpier and joyfuller prey than the humble squirrel? Has he not sustained mankind since the bronze age with his fluffy tail and fat little nut-filled belly?

Helsinki's Central Park has long been home to a vast squirrel population and if Dave T. Dog, AKA The Mighty Hunter, has anything to say about the situation their days are numbered. Although he first has to learn how to climb trees. A minor obstacle. Rest assured, dear reader, once that skill is added to Dave's already overflowing skill plate those squirrels will have to come up with something more deviant than simply ascending a tree to avoid the hunter's tendrils. Or teeth in Dave's case.

Point!

Off to Pastures New

Dave T. Dog's wanderlust has risen again. Not content with the Emerald Isle he came to Sweden and now, almost three years later, his nose is once again in the wind sniffing out new adventures and his tongue yearns for the salty air of a sea voyage.

He'll be following the trade winds to join the ranks of the 3,095 immigrants that have already debarked onto Helsinki's dock this year. I wonder how many of those were also of the four-legged kind? Regular readers will no doubt recollect Christmas 2011 when Dave ventured to Finland to visit the in-laws, so he's no stranger to salmiakki and drinking smoked beer in saunas.

Looking worried, why are the cupboards being emptied?!

Helping to pack.

Making sure the entertainment system is packed properly, Dave needs his big screen!

Getting sleepy.

Nap time after some hard packing work. That balloon was heavy you know.

So keep your eyes peeled for posts comparing Swedish and Finnish culture, complaining about the lack of authentic surströmming, wondering why Finns love heavy metal and other witty observations that will tickle your taste buds and rattle your laugh barometer.