Farley’s Farley: Busted

February 26, 2016 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 11 Comments

Farley here,

Last week we had a four year old boy visit our house. Did you know four year old humans are shorter than regular humans? Much shorter than the humans I’m used to.

This little boy needed a pillow on the chair to boost him up, otherwise he couldn’t reach his food. Kristina went to the living room and fetched (ha ha – I said fetched for a human) one of the fancy living room pillows for the boy.

After everyone went to bed, I snuck downstairs, crept under the table, and with my teeth, slid the soft pillow off the dining room chair and onto the floor.

Wow, did I have a good night’s sleep.

Farley on pillow

However, Kristina – my tall human – was a bit quiet and I didn’t hear her get up in the morning.

Busted! She caught me sleeping on the pillow.

What’s a dog to do except run to her, wag his tail, give her a big lick, and look as cute as possible.

What did Kristina do? She leaned down, gave me a hug and a cookie, and said, “No sleeping on my good pillows.” Yup, that’s going to keep me from stealing pillows in the future.

Woof Woof.

Farley’s Friday: Finn Takes My Bed

February 6, 2015February 6, 2015 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 10 Comments

Farley here,

My Friend For Life (FFL) is here. Finn arrived yesterday and is staying for two weeks. He’s an Icelandic sheepdog.

Now Kristina told me when you have a guest you have to be nice to them. So… I gave Finn my bed.

But then where will I sleep?

Not to worry, I found a place.

Although I’m not sure how Kristina feels about it. She has some rule about no animals on the furniture. Well, I just said. “If I had to be nice and give up my bed, she should be nice and give up the couch.

How could she argue that one?

Woof Woof

Farley’s Friday: A Wheaten and his boat

July 18, 2014July 17, 2014 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 5 Comments

Farley here.

Ah, it’s fun to be in Canada again. Even thought I sold my boat . . . yeah I know, my humans sold Mattina . . . I still spend time boating.

And my Canadian boat goes fast. No more 8 knots over ground stuff. My hair is flying, and did I mention Kristina is letting me grow it long, and I can barely keep my eyes open.

But wait, we rip by a field full of cows. The smells are incredible. I just don’t understand why my humans don’t stop and smell the cows!

Also, they should stop making me go tubing and swimming in the middle of the lake. Not my thing 🙂

Woof Woof

Farley’s Friday: How does a dog beat the heat?

October 4, 2013October 3, 2013 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 6 Comments

Farley here.

Well I’m in Florida, and it’s hot.

Early this morning I hear my humans talk about going for a run. They don’t think I’ve been getting enough exercise lately. Well, whose fault is that I ask you? And who wants to exercise in this heat?

I’m not the kind of dog who likes to get up early, but oh, oh! I see Kristina putting on her running gear. It’s not even seven yet. Is she crazy?

Farley by the air

She crawls under the salon table and pulls my legs. I make my body go all floppy so she can’t get ahold of me.

“Let me sleep,” I whine.

“Come on, lazy bones,” she says.

“Lazy,” I bark quietly. “I’m not lazy. Do you see where I am?” I wag my tail making it thump the air conditioning vent. I’m trying to give her the hint I want to stay near the cold air, but she’s having none of it. She takes hold of my two front paws and slides me across the floor. Now she thinks I’m a mop.

I may want to stay in the comfort of my air-conditioned salon, but it’s not going to happen. I give in and follow her out the door.

Now, I know you’re all feeling sorry for me and my tough life, but don’t worry.

We run along a road and at the end of the road we find a beach on the Atlantic ocean.

There’s a sign, which usually means no dogs allowed, but I pull Kristina to it, and bark, “Dogs allowed. Must be leashed. Do you see? Do you see? Let’s go.” Flagler county is dog friendly. This place is great.

I want to hit the surf. I spring forward, dragging Kristina, and get my paws in the ocean for the first time this season.

If I wasn’t a dog, I would be laughing out loud. That lol for you humans. It feels unbelievably good to run in the surf.

Woof woof.

Farley’s Friday: What’s A Dog To Do In A Boatyard?

September 27, 2013September 24, 2013 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

I ask you, do I look bored?

Farley in Boatyard

My humans are getting their Lagoon 380 Catamaran ready for a winter of sailing, so for me it’s all hang around the boat yard and wait for them.

And what’s with the leash? I’m used to being free. How humiliating. What if one of my pals saw me?

Okay, so enough of the whining. What’s good about the boatyard?

There is a long dock I get to run on, and best of all, there are dolphins in the harbour.

“Hey,” I bark. “Come over here.”

The dolphins ignore me.

“Hey, I’m bored, Come play,” I bark.

Nothing. Dolphins just seem to swim and blow air out of their heads.

Then I get distracted by a man and a woman fishing. They guys casts the lure.

“Wait for me,” I bark. I run to their boat, but they are too far away for me to jump on board.

“Cast again,” I bark, and the guy does. Humans are so smart.

Kristina tells the guy she doesn’t know why I bark when someone casts a lure, like it’s not obvious. I wag may tail at her, encouraging her to figure it out.

No, luck. While I”m not paying attention she grabs my harness and I have to sit under our boat again.

One more week of this and we should be in the water! The boat I mean, to me or my humans.

Woof Woof.

Farley’s Friday: A Wheaten Terrier at the Cottage

August 23, 2013November 1, 2013 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

Farley here.

The summer is coming to an end and that means all my peeps go back to their own lives. The kids go back to school and get too busy for me. Not to mention, they live in different parts of Canada. I get to go to the Bahamas, which is great, but I’m still sad about the pack dispersing.

I don’t understand kids. They’re always in the water. No matter how hard I bark at them to stay on land, they jump in. This time, they took a camera.

“Get out of the water,” I bark in my frantic manner.

They laugh and swim deeper. Now I’m not sure they can hear me when they’re under water, but I bark more anyway.

They get the giggles and have to surface, but not before taking this odd photo of me!

It gets worse. I told you about tubing, well now they want to water ski too. I make sure I get in the boat and can at least bark safety instructions. Why oh why do kids like water? It’s just too stressful for me.

Woof Woof.

Farley’s Friday: When a Dog Visits

August 16, 2013August 13, 2013 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 5 Comments

Farley here.

After a wild weekend of playing with my new girlfriend, Jersey, I had to nap. Jersey is a 10 month old Portuguese Water Dog. And don’t you think she has the best hair ever?

If you have a visiting dog, make sure they play nice and can share. Once a a golden doodle visited me and snarled and snapped when I tried to take her bone. After that incident, my humans supervise the first time I play with another dog’s toy. Jersey didn’t have that problem.

Being young, Jersey has trouble settling down. The humans picked up every shoe they could find and placed them on the railing. Ha, don’t they know dogs are patient? All Jersey had to do was wait for her moment, and then, and here’s where she gets a bit silly, she runs straight to the closest human and shows her prize.

This is me chasing Jersey away from the shoes. Okay, it looks likes she’s got the upper hand, but I saved her first by distracting her from the shoes.

Jersey didn’t listen very well and didn’t seem to care when the humans got all excited. She even knocked over a table. Kristina is strange – she just laughs at it all and says she likes having other dogs around.

When another dog is visiting, especially a puppy, the house needs to be dog-proofed. No food can be left on counters, no chemicals can be left out, for sure put away your favourite shoes, and don’t forget dogs love to chew leather so any electronics with a leather cover should be out of reach too.

Don’t leave young dogs alone with children. They don’t know how to be gentle yet. Don’t let the dogs eat in the same room as another dog. I don’t mind other dogs eating my food, but some dogs growl a me if I go near their bowl.

But really,having said all that, how could you not love a dog with hair like Jersey’s?

Woof Woof.

Farley’s Friday: How to Stop a Dog From Begging

July 26, 2013July 25, 2013 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 6 Comments

Farley here.

My humans trained me not to beg by never feeding from the table. This means at all meals and even happy hour if you can believe it.

There are advantages for me and not just my humans:

I get to attend happy hours with my owners.
I get to sleep under the dinning room table while they eat – as long as I don’t even look at them.
They save me yummy tidbits to have in my bowl later.
I’m very svelte – and you know I’m very sensitive about my looks.
l never (okay rarely) get tummy aches.

So what I don’t get it why this guy no only got to eat at happy hour, he got to eat right out of the nut bowl.

Squrrel 2008 08 31

Was he scolded? Did they make him sit in the corner?

No. The humans thought he was cute and let him return time after time to fill his cheeks and take the nuts away.

Could someone explain this to me?

Woof Woof.

Farley’s Friday: A Wheaten Terrier and a Cat

June 21, 2013June 19, 2013 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

Farley here. Woof Woof.

So what’s a dog like me doing with a cat?

I’m visiting a house that has a cat. The cat is crazy. I enter the room, she hisses and runs. Well what to humans expect me to do? Sit there and stay quiet. She’s challenged me. I run after her. If only I could catch her. But then what? I have no idea, but it sure is fun scrambling all over the house.

Cats

Sometimes she teases me. Above, she’s sitting on top of the kitchen wall staring into the bedroom at me. If only I could get to her. She knows I can’t climb like she can, so there she sits laughing at me.

But if a cat likes me, I’m happy to play nice. See . . . I have proof.

Farley and Cat 2009-07-19

I’m not evil. Really, I’m not. It’s the cat’s fault.

Woof Woof.

Farley’s Friday: Why choosing a human is important

May 31, 2013May 28, 2013 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 5 Comments

Farley here.

One of the most important things a dog does is choose his humans. Humans often think they choose the dog. But any good dog knows it’s not true. Even some cats know this.

The human my choose a breeder or shelter to visit, but when I ask my dog friends they all say the same thing.

They know instinctively which human will be a match. And then here’s what you do:

Approach human
Wiggle, wag and generally make a fuss
Stare at human with doting eyes
If human is sitting, put head on humans lap. They seem to like it.
I’m a wheaten and wheatens are known for their ability to hug. So of course, run to human and hug them.

At that point they can’t resist.

I love my humans. I always seem to bark about Kristina, so here’s Matt picking a burr out of my paw. All I have to do is look sad, give him my best brown eyed stare, hold my paw in the air, and tada! I am taken care of. I don’t even have to bark.