May 3, 2013

I see you, butterfly! You better start flapping!

Introduce yourself:

My full name is Finnius Maximus, PhD(og), so named for my considerable therapeutic skills (The Mom says I’m better than Prozac, whatever that is). However, mostly I just go by Finn.

Age:

I am one year and eight months old, which in dog years is about 17. Unfortunately, I can’t get my driver’s license because humans put the woofing steering wheels so high.

How did you came into your parents’ lives:

Before I came along, The Parents always had high energy, high maintenance dogs that wore The Mom right out. Plus they got up to serious mischief, like chewing the dining room chairs and eating whole birthday cakes. So The Mom decided she wanted a pooch who would be happy just hanging out with her – you know, at the beach, in the car, in the study while she reads and writes. She was tired of taking dogs on marathon walks at a sprinter’s pace (whatever that means).

They found me at a farm in Ontario, where I lived with sheep and ducks and chickens and Great Pyrenees. I had to take an airplane, all by myself, to get here – over 1700 km! That’s partly why I am known as The Brave Little Cavi.

Nobody bothered to clear this particular point with me beforehand, so I was surprised – and not a little dismayed – that I’d be sharing the new joint with a bunch of cats. What the woofs?! I consider that to be a dirty trick. But I sorted them out in hurry – all except for the oldest one, that is. She weighs as much as me, and is a wily old dame with lightning fast claws, so I pretty much steer clear of her.

Why do you blog?

Well, to be honest, that was all The Mom’s idea. She read all about pet blogging in a magazine. She thought it would be a great idea for me, since I don’t have a ‘real’ job. Frankly, I didn’t even know the human alphabet when I started out, and the luxurious fur on my paws was a major nuisance when it came to operating the keyboard. And don’t get me started on the trials of having no thumbs – something humans never seem to think about. Now, with the aid of a special cushion on my chair and The Dad’s voice recognition software, I do just fine.

What is your favorite post?

I would have to say my favorite post is one The Mom wrote a while back, On Life and Animals: Lessons From My Father. In it, she tells stories about growing up on a farm, and the lessons she learned from her dad. I never had the chance to meet him, but by all accounts he was

a great man, who loved animals – especially dogs! Plus, I lived on a farm once, too, just like The Mom did.

Bonfire 026

What post do you like the least?

Finn Takes A Bath. I will never understand humans’ obsession with soap and water. It’s plain unhealthy if you ask me. Gee woofs! Every time I turn around, one of them is sitting in that big white tank getting wet – on purpose! They just don’t understand how important it is for us canines to achieve just the right scent. Sometimes it takes weeks, and lots of rolling around in disgusting things – and then, just when your odor has reached perfection…. they stick you in the bath and make you smell Spring Meadow Fresh!!! Let me just say that no dog was ever meant to smell Spring Meadow Fresh! Ever. It’s just humiliating.

What is your favorite thing about blogging?

I get to meet so many kindred spirits – both canine and human!

What do you dislike about blogging?

Blogging takes up a lot of time. It’s hard to visit all my blogging pals as often as I’d like to. Also, thinking up new ideas for posts every day can be tough sometimes.

Little dog - and only a little mischief!

Sneak peek on future posts?

I will be writing a post about finally catching Chippy the Supremely Annoying Little Red Squirrel. Chippy is a rascal who sees nothing wrong with making himself a nest in MY shed out of the shredded remains of The Mom’s best beach umbrella. I can’t give you the date of this post, as it hasn’t actually happened yet. In fact, I haven’t even come close to catching him. But I am keeping my paws crossed that someday soon he will venture a little too close to the bottom of the maple tree, or else slip through the branches of the big spruce while I am lying patiently in wait. Keep an eye out for that post!

What blogs do you read that you would like to share?

I follow a lot of great blogs. In the interest of time and space, I’ll just name a few: Wag n’ Woof Pets (wagnwoofpets.com), Most Photogenic Dog (mostphotogenicdog.com), My GBGV Life (mygbgvlife.com), Heart Like a Dog (heartlikeadog.com), and the Chronicles of Cardigan (chroniclesofcardigan.com).

My favorite snoozing spot... on top of the cushions...

What are your thoughts on spaying and neutering?

I don’t know all the scientific data on the topic, since I’m only a dog, and I have more important matters to think about (such as how, exactly, to get the pantry door open). I do know that I was born crichorchid, which means I am a special dog, indeed, since I had one… ahem… testicle on the inside, and one on the outside. I overheard the vet telling The Mom blah-blah high risk blah-

blah something something cancer. Say what??! She told The Mom the longer we waited for neutering, the higher the risk that I may develop cancer. The vet’s a pretty nice lady, so I believed her, but after what she did to me that day, I don’t ever want to go back there again. I’m here to tell you, having surgery is no laughing matter – but for most dogs and cats, it’s the right thing to do.

Don't worry, I'll take care of this!

Anything else you want to add about you?

Well… er… I don’t tell many folks this, so let’s just keep it between you and me, alright? My best friend is… um… a cat. Yeah, yeah, I know how it sounds, but it’s not as bad as you think. This is a man-cat we’re talking about. His name is Toby, but The Mom just calls him The Big Orange Menace. He’s the only animal around here who likes me, so I have little choice in the matter. Remember…. Shhhh!

Author’s Note: Many thanks to Finn and his mom for letting me do the interview questions. Photos were used with permission. You can follow Finn on his blog, facebook , Twitter or Google +

This article is a part of the Pets that Blog theme, for more interviews on blogging pets, click the image below. Many thanks to Miss Ann from Pawsitively Pets for the image.