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April 2011!

21/4-2011
Welcome home (and an attempt at love)!
After two months out and about in the world my good friend Frida returned to Sweden! WELCOME HOME!
Frida, who is also Lucas sister, happened to come home as Lucas and I was in the village where she lives. To Zodd's great joy she had Noblesse with her (Noblesse spent these months with the other side of her family). And to Noblesse's GREAT joy we had Zodd with us! She happened to be in heat, and not just in heat but in the very HEAT of the heat. She was overcome by joy that her very own prince charming (yeah, that would be Zodd) had decided to visit her on that very best of days.
She started courting him with everything she had. Tail on the side, butt in his face, dancing invitingly in front of the black and very manly man.
Zodd watched it all in confusion.
Noblesse upped her efforts.
She wiggled and twisted and pulled her tail even more to the side, glancing hopefully at the handsome prince who she had positioned in the right spot, right behind her. All he had to do now was climb up and the love they have felt for eachother all these years would finally be consummated.
Zodd looked bewildered.
You could almost feel the frustration emitting from Noblesse as she showed Zodd how it was done. One paw on his back, then a toss of the torso to get in position and then - just wag and rub against the one below and magic would happen!
Zodd stood there, with a far away expression, wondering what was going on.
Noblesse licked his ear.
He blinked.
That was it.
He blinked and with that blink all Noblesse's dreams of an afternoon spent in the sunshine of their love faded and the longing for pitter patter of tiny molosser paws on the floor dispersed.
She slid off him with a deep sigh and as Zodd watched her leave he suddenly wondered if he by any chance had missed some great moment that would never come again.
I suppose that he never quite knew what happened.
I suspect that's what happens when all you dreams of love and females are so extremely seasonal as they are in him. He is a Tibetan Mastiff, after all. A breed where the ladies come into heat only during the winter months.
I wonder if he'll think back on this day when the cold winds from the plain of Tibet reaches him and the snow starts to fall. I wonder if he'll suddenly lift his head up from a dream and exclaim "AHA! Was that what she wanted me to do?!"

If there's love there's always room! Noblesse didn't want Zodd to leave so she joined him in the car ;)

 

21/4-2011
NEVER get in the way of a Tibetan Mastiff!

 

 

19/4-2011
Sundari time is the best time!
The two Sundarians of Sweden have met once again. This time the small gathering took place in Höör, next to a gas station, in a bit of a hurry.
Lucas, Zodd and I were out driving and had decided to meet up with Catarina there.
Catarina's been really helpful during Zodd's "I don't want to eat" period. She's been our food supplier.
She works at Nordic Hundfoder, where they make dogfood that speaks to even the most picky of palates. Well, it's a truth with modifications I suppose. Zodd didn't fancy it much for a while there, but as his appetite slowly returned so did his love for that food, and so we called our supplier and friend.
And what do you know! Not only did she bring that tasty food, she brought along her boy Ganzi Sundari as well!
Zodd and Ganzi haven't met since september last year, and that meeting didn't start too well even if they did kiss and make up at the end of the date, but this time it was LUV at first sight.
Ok, I'll admit Zodd was a little bit tense, but that was it, no growling or barking or anything of the sort. But Zodd have been close to being molested by other TMs at a couple of dogshows so I have nothing but understanding for his scepticism. It's kind of sad that he no longer trusts his own kind, he who used to be the biggest, sweetest puppy of them all every time he saw another TM...
When he got a wiff of Ganzi his tension melted away and he accepted Ganzi's kisses and play invites and even dealt one or two kisses himself.
Oh, how in love Ganzi was! It was obvious to us all that he's missed his uncle very much!
While the two boys hung out we caught up a bit. It's always so great to meet your old friend and every time I do I ask myself "Why didn't we do this earlier?".

Zodd inviting Ganzi to play.

Looks like Ganzi accepted the invitation!

Zodd: "Ooooh, Ganzi! It's great to meet you again!
Ganzi: "You don't have to tell me about it!"

Sweet, sweet, sweet Sundari boys!

Ganzi's grandmother (on his fathers side) is Zodd's mother (Aya de Yuwenchi "Rewa"). Her heritage is obvious in both boys!

Gravitation leaves no Sundarian unaffected ;)

Ganzi: "Cuddle me... PLEASE!"
Zodd: "OMG, in front of the camera?!"

Ganzi: "You are so handsome, uncle Zodd. I love you..."
Zodd: *cough* "Thanks kiddo... I love you too..." *cough*

Zodd: "You DARE take on the MIGHTY Zodd?!"
Ganzi: "Thihi, you're funny!"

Ganzi: "You're the best uncle on the planet! I just know that in my heart! Give me a kiss!"
"Zodd: "A KISS?! Are you kidding me?!"

Ganzi: If you don't give it, I'll TAKE it!"
Zodd: "I'll give it, I'll give it... Calm down already."
He SO obviously LOVED that kiss!!!
Zodd: "WHO said that?!"

Two tired boys after the rumble :)

My two absolute favorite TM boys in Sweden :)

A GREAT Tibetan Mastiff! Ganzi Sundari is amazing!

It really was a great moment when the two boys melted for eachother. I hope we'll all meet again soon!
//Sanna

 

17/4-2011
Mudboots and mischief!
A visit at Bulten's place was a sweet deal to Zodd. Not only did he get some special time with his best friend - the two of them played dress up and wore brand new (even if they were a bit on the smelly side) mudboots! I hear it's all the rage with our fourlegged friends ;)

Bulten is showing off his new boots!

And Zodd is clearly proud of his boots as well!

Not only do these mudboots look GREAT, they come with abilities as well!
This is the "float like a butterfly" feature!
Notice how there's not even one boot on the ground. Wicked stuff!

This is the "almighty wrestler" feature! Looks like Bulten's boots are working a little better than Zodd's.

This could have been something like a "funny face" feature, but it's not. It's all Zodd.
Mudboots or not, this is who he is ;)

And, as always when we visit Bulten and Manson, Zodd takes a few minutes to tell the rest of the world (or at least the neighbourhood) that he's arrived!

It's always so much fun to watch those two play together. They are wonderful buddies.
And to think Bulten was shocked the first time they met. He was about ten weeks and barked like crazy until he understood that the giant black thing was a dog, and a friendly one at that. Since then they've been on countless adventures together. A great match! And now, with matching mudboots!
//Sanna

12/4-2011
Spring!
Spring is here, for REAL! You need evidence? Well, here's Zodd in the forest, with his paws buried in the tender grass and the newly awoken wood anemones and a blue anemone!

Zodd is enjoying his shorter coat a LOT! But he's not done with his shedding just yet. He'll soon be smooth as a Labrador Retriever or a Rottweiler and he will lose the fluff on his tail as well... It's a bit sad to see it all go, but it's the perfect costume for the warm summermonths!
//Sanna

9/4-2011
April fools!
Today have been a wonderful day that Zodd and I spent in the company of friends!
The two of us jumped in the car this morning and drove to Ryssberget, to visit Veronica and Bulten, the Dogue de Bordeaux.
Zodd started his whimpering and whining when we drove off the freeway and onto the narrow road that leads to their place. Haha, he knows that road better than I do by now :)
We can never drive that way if we're not going to visit Bulten. That would break his heart.
Bulten was crazy with joy when we arrived, and Zodd followed his lead, finally getting a chance to get rid of some of that happy energy he had gathered during our drive.
And soon we were joined by Jessica Snäcka and her Cimarron Uruguayo girl Dare as well.
So we took our cameras and backpacks and went off into the forest for a lovely, long saturday walk with a lot of sun and smiles. And a lot of photos, of course!
Zodd and Bulten hardly noticed Dare. The said "hello" and then they did their guy thing. I'm not sure what that guy thing is, but I'm a girl so I'm probably not supposed to know ;)
If I didn't know better I'd say the two boys are in love... One thing is certain and that is that not even a stunning lady such as Dare can split them up. They just continued to dance with eachother, mixing it up with wrestle matches as we walked further up the mountain. Sweet, sweet boys :)
Dare had a great time, running around with a smile on her face and the sun in her eyes, sparkling with joy.
It was great to watch her take off and then return. She's certainly a very agile girl!

FULL speed ahead!
Zodd, waiting for his boyfriend Bulten to come over to PLAY! (Bulten's ear is visible in the right shot)

We bumped into a man and his two Lagotto Romagnolo girls and Zodd and Bulten went over to say "Howdy ladies, what's up with you this fine mornin'?". The ladies said a shy "Hello mister Big and mister Bigger" and then went on with their human dad in the opposite direction.
It's always great when the dogs can "speak" freely without leashes. I enjoy watching that :)

Zodd: "Aren't you a curly one?"
Curly one: "OMG, can we leave now?! There's a giant in the woods!"

We stopped for lemonade, coffee and sponge cake and the dogs got a chance to relax while we sat down, enjoying the warm sun and the cake.
Well, the dogs got a chance to relax, but they didn't use that chance ;)
Zodd and Bulten went into a wrestle match that stretched on and on and Dare made a few attempts to join, or rather get them to join her.
It seems they play differently, you see.
Zodd and Bulten play molosserstyle (wrestling, tugging lips, tails and all other abundant skin) while Dare wants to play chase games. She wanted the boys to chase her, but they found her invites strange and didn't do much to oblige. Well, they stood there, watching her spin around a giant rock, lap after lap, but if you overlook the small twitches in their bodies they really didn't respond to her flirting attempts. Instead they made eyecontact with eachother and fell back into their old ways.

Dare: "... I wonder what's wrong with those two..."

Zodd: "Bulten, I've been through this before.
Just look into the camera, let her take a few photos and then we can get back to life."

Aaaaaaaand ACTION!

Zodd: "Best friends share, so come taste this, Bulten!"
Bulten: "Man, you're the most awesome friend like EVER!"

I was a really wonderful walk and I must say a big thanks to both Veronica and Jessica, and to the dogs too of course, for making this saturday into something special.
Zodd was absolutely exhausted when we came home and he slept for hours and hours :)
//Sanna