August 2010!

Wonders of nature!
August is a very special month - there is no more fur on the floor since Zodd is done with his shedding, there are no more tourists on the beach since they are back on their jobs and there are alot of berries and mushrooms on the fields and in the woods. And if you have a dog who just loves being outdoor and you yourself love picking berries and mushroom, well then you have a great combo ;)
Add the fact that the fur on the dog is gone and he can stand the warm weather + the lack of tourists = a content TM! That means that all the barking had effect - he managed to get rid of all those strangers on "his territory". Weird logic? No, not in the mind of a Tibetan Mastiff ;)
We have spent several hours gathering the small treasures of nature this month. Zodd have been my constant companion and we've managed to fill the freezer with blackberries. There have been soooo many black and juicy berries this year. We've also gone on long walks in the forest, hunting for chanterelles, and enjoyed them fried on sandwiches in the evenings. Well, Zodd have enjoyed liver paste on his sandwiches instead, but the successful hunt for the gold mushrooms belongs to the both of us, and to my father who's been our trusted tracker ;)

Zodd and his pal Bulten have had a few fun dates, playing catch in sand and water! You can see them enjoy themselves in the photos this month. My oh my, they sure have some serious stamina! Zodd thinks it's great fun for a while, then he wants to relax a bit before he goes at it again, but Bulten... Well, Bulten has no off-switch, that much is true ;) It's great exercise for the boys to play in the water and the sand and they simply LOVE it!

Zodd and I went to Norway this month together with our friends Frida and Noblesse. We spent a couple of days in Horten together with my love (and Frida's brother) Lucas, who works in Norway. It was a very nice trip and we got to see some very nice places and scenery. We went there to attend a 2xCACIB show. Read more about the trip here ---> Dogshows! Both Zodd and Noblesse went back to Sweden with the titles Norwegian Champion and Nordic Champion! So Frida and I were more than pleased during the long drive home ;)
That was actually my second trip to Norway in only one week. The weekend before I went with Lucas and his company to their annual summerparty, out in the archipelago of Oslo. It was a lovely trip with lots of nice people and magnificent nature! We spent the day and night on an island and had the weather on our side. It was my very first trip to Norway and it left me wanting more. Zodd had to stay home and guard the rest of the family, but I didn't feel bad about that since he got a chance to visit Norway only one week later ;D

As you can see in some of the photos this month Zodd made a few new friends. The three Cairnterrier puppies fell in love with him and Zodd only wanted them to stop with the lovin'. He's great with puppies, but when they are intense like the three Cairns he gets all "OMG, give me wings so I can fly out of here! Someone?? Anyone??!!".
And then a bunch of cows were very curious when we walked past their pasture and they came over to have a look at the Tibetan wonder. I have to say that the cows have been extremely brave and forward this year. We've been nearly trampled by them on several occasions... Very unpleasant. Luckily I'm not scared of them and I've had to let Zodd off the leash to run out of the pasture while I've stood there, arms flailing.
Cows are curious by nature, but there have been something more than curiosity at some times. Zodd even made a run for it and disappeared at one time. It was when Lucas and I were walking him, the cows got into a very bad mood and wanted much more than to have a look at the Tibetan wonder! Zodd must've lost sight of us when he ran away with the rampaging cows at his heels. We kept walking since I was sure he would find some way back to us again, but alas. Far far away we heard barking and I shook it away, sure that Zodd wouldn't have gone so far. I was wrong!
I gave my sister Nina a call and she came on her bike and found him more than one kilometer from where we were... He was on his way home, startled out of his socks, poor boy :( He was SO happy to see me and Lucas again, almost shouting "WAAAA, I didn't think you'd made it!! Man, that was a close call! I was going home for help and met Nina on the way. I love you! I LOVE YOU! Stupid cows... I don't love them stupid cows anymore..."
;)
//Sanna