Henry's World

Happy 101st post! Enjoy! Rascal's Journal March 27, 2006 You know that feeling? When you know something is about to come true. When you can taste the answer to the problem on the tip of your tongue. That is how I felt about that Dogpalooza victory. My dreams were fulfilled. At the first Dogpalooza, hard, icy, justice had been served on a steamy platter with a side helping of... victory. I had been told I was not big enough, that I was not strong enough. But now, those days were over. I was the king on top of my own personal mountain. Yet, I caught myself writing the speech... of my retirement from the world of tug-of-war. Maybe, somewhere, distantly, I thought that was it. That was all I was ever going to achieve. I guess that is basic instinct. You do whatever it takes to stay on top of the heap. But I was not basic anything . I would never be basic. So, as the ink dried on the half- finished speech, I made up my mind. Anything to keep me competing was good. After all,

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone is enjoying what is sure to be a whopper of a holiday. As some of you may be traveling, I wish you pleasure and joy, wherever you are, and safe travels. And now, Number 1 on my countdown. The Pug That Always Finished Second, Chapter 15 Of course I was going to name this my favorite post. In case you haven't had a chance to read it, here is some quotes from dogs(and humans) who read it for your enjoyment. Happy Thanksgiving! "My heart stopped beating when I read it... tug-of-war and races and exhilarating excitement... the classic tale of dogs tackling the impossible! Four paws up!"- Molly "I don't even get why you would read this thing... it portrays dogs as lovable creatures, when in fact, we are not. You're better off watching rain." -Rascal "Treat! Race! Fun! Pugs! Story!" -Emma "I wouldn't even lose to another pug! I expect justice for this ending!" -Leia "All the credit s

Number 1 of the Countdown to 100 will be posted later today. What post takes the prize? You'll have to wait and find out. (I will post on Thanksgiving Break, the next time I am off from school. The post will probably be next Thursday). Thank you for a great day of posting!

In the future, this will be narrowed down to just RTOT I do in Life, so it doesn't take up too much space. Here is the second posting. Emma Episode 2 Food I love food. The way it crunches in your mouth, all the flavors. Kibble never cuts it for a gourmet dog such as myself. I require that which a dog is not allowed to have. Cake, chocolate, cookies(peanut butter is my preference), whipped cream, and a carmel apple dotted with nuts. Sandwiches as long as baseball bats swim across my imagination. Lettuce and roast beef, tomato and avocado, with a helping of bacon- yum! None of these I can have- but a girl has to have an imagination, right?

Here is the first posting of Races and the Other Thousand Things I do in Life. Enjoy! Emma Episode 1 Sleep Everyone has to sleep. I do, too. I sleep with a mixture of snoring and movement. That's right, I move to help me sleep. Don't look so surprised. I curl in my bed, crate, or really any available surface(table, lap, chicken pot pie) and take a nap. I cover my snout with my paws(a gypsy lady once told it either means you are defending yourself or you want food, it doesn't matter to me which) and tuck my tail in. This assures no stepping-on-tail action occurs. What do I dream about? The most perfect piece of cake, heating in the oven. Just a taste of my life.

There are times when all animals rise to the occasion, declaring the spoils of victory- Rascal Rascal is an accomplished tug-of-war participant. Winning his first title at just 2 years of age at Dogpalooza, Rascal went on to be the most famous tug-of-war player ever. An outstanding 9 titles in a short 3 years at 6 different events won him the award for Best Tug-of-War Dog of the Decade. And still, Rascal dominated the competition. Following his shocking retirement just 5 years into his career, he would come back to the tug-of-war ring and shattered record upon record. Now, witness his incredible career and why there is only one Rascal. Crushing Hopes and Dreams , coming soon to the blog Otterworld.

The second-to-last spot on the Countdown to 100. The second hermit crab post of the day. And coming in at Number 2 is The Route of Life . This was a chapter-based story I wrote in the 2nd grade as a tribute to my hermit crabs. I said it before and I say it again. The hermit crabs changed my life. I owe a lot to them, and I won't soon forget it. Goodbye Crabbe and Goyle and sweet dreams.

Coming in at the third position on my Countdown to 100 is the post concerning the day before Pugtacular. This is Chapter 14  of The Pug That Always Finished Second. Bucky mentions that he feels no nerves, but believes he cannot win. Would this come true? Readers would have to wait for the final chapter.

Up next, the post titled " Curious Crab ". Crabs, by nature, are very curious animals. Reading this post made me realize how much of my life crabs filled. I believe all animals, big and small, are worth every second you get to know them. That is just the way things are.

After the Countdown to 100 finishes, which will be soon, Emma will debuting Races and the Other Thousand Things I do in Life . This will hopefully become a series letting interested blog readers know how a dog like Emma lives her life. This is the first story on my blog. I drink your dreams for breakfast! The second story is Crushing Hopes and Dreams . This is Rascal's story, new to the blog. Here you see the cover photo for his story, which features heart-pounding tug-of-war action. Stay tuned for more and happy blogging!

That's right! Here is our new dog, Emma. We got her from CARE, where we got Rascal. They named her Gemma, which we shortened to Emma. She has been in our house for about 6-7 weeks and has a birthday on June 1st. We have since started a Facebook page called Rascal and Emma where you can follow their wonderful meanderings. Stay tuned for her new story, Races and the Other Thousand Things I do in Life , coming soon to my blog!

Later today, a new series will debut on my blog. Here are 4 more posts for you to enjoy. " My Mom " " The Blueberry " " Fruit Fly Attack " " The Haunted House " These are short posts, but I think they are well worth the time spent reading them. Have a good day and happy blogging to all!

For my next Countdown post, I chose to do 4 in 1. Why? Because new things are debuting soon on my blog. I won't spoil the little surprise, but I must say she is very cute. Don't worry, I'll run through the choices. They are: " Latest Update on New Puppy " " I have a dog today speech " " Dogs Are COOL! " " Puppy Mill Speech " As you can see, these are all dog-related posts. They are all great posts that I still re-read from time to time. Go ahead and check them out.

I'm back to the blog! That's right, school has started up and has been going well for the past couple of months. I finally have some time to blog today, with my day off because of Veteran's Day. Look forward to some posts today, plus some when I have 3 days off next week for Thanksgiving. But enough about me, let's go to the Countdown. Next on the Countdown is a post that can go hand-in-hand with the Tobogganing post. It is my First Snow post. Now, I never was a huge fan of snow, as I mentioned before, but it was a neat experience for the first time. My birthday is around the time when most people are enjoying snow. As a matter of fact, the week that we get out in February near my birthday is called ski week. I can just hear a fellow student asking, "So you go skiing on your birthday, huh?" And my answer, "I don't like snow." "Why not?" They always ask. I don't really have an answer for that. I guess it's just one of those

Hello. I am going to take you on a trip to China. Yes that's right, Country Report  is the next post included on my countdown. This speech was given in second grade for the class's report on a country. I chose China, my mom's country of birth. Was started as just a speech given in class has turned into the most-viewed post on my blog. It has over 70 views. I'm astounded that this post has so many views, which is why I just had to put it on my countdown to 100.

The post that started it all. On August 3rd, 2010, chapter five of The Pug That Always Finished Second was posted. What was unique about this chapter was that, for the first time, Trinket's journal made an appearance. From asking Bucky about going to Pugtacular to celebrating his birthday, Trinket and his journal made a big impression. Eventually, both Rascal and Bucky would get their own journals, but Trinket's was the first. Sing, Bucky, sing! (you have to read the chapter to get that one)

The next moment on my countdown isn't one post, but many. In second grade, I had a teacher's aide named Mr. Martin. He taught our class a lot about poetry, and our class wrote quite a few poems. Most of the poems I wrote, I put here on my blog. If you want to find these poems, just go to the front page of my blog and find the label "poetry". I really enjoyed second grade because of Mr. Martin. He later became my fifth- grade teacher and he was one of my favorite teachers I've ever had. He also made second grade into an enjoyable time for me.

Next on my countdown comes a post I like a lot. Written in fourth grade, "Why Pine Tree Has Spiky Leaves" is my take on a folk tale. Told a lot by Indians, these types of tales used fiction to tell why a certain thing in nature was a certain way. This often allowed for turning plants and animals into near-humans, with the ability to talk, react, and move. Often these tales would include a cunning side, and a not-so-bright side. Like wise coyotes and swooping eagles, "Why Pine Tree Has Spiky Leaves" outwits all on it's journey to number 17 on my countdown.

I never really was a big fan of the snow. However, my favorite (and only) hobby in the snow was tobogganing. Now, of course, I don't like the snow, but it is fun to read some old posts of mine. I wrote a post in 2007 about tobogganing, and it is now the second-most looked at post on my blog. If you like tobogganing, then maybe you check this post out. It's short, but I like it. That's why I'm taking it out of the library, dusting it off, and setting it at number 18 on my countdown.

Next on my countdown to 100 comes someone very dear to my heart. As a matter of fact, he's sleeping on my bed as I write this post. Yes, that's right, Rascal claims the next spot. Rascal features as part of my story, The Pug That Always Finished Second. As a matter of fact, he's working on helping me with his biography. But more on that later. Rascal first appears on my blog in the post, Latest Update on the new Puppy. Rascal hopefully is at just the beginning of his stay on my blog. And stay tuned for his biography, Crushing Hopes and Dreams, debuting soon!

The Beginning of The Pug That Always Finished Second Is there a better way to begin the countdown to 100 then with the beginning of my most successful story on my blog? This chapter, originally written in second grade, was the only two-part chapter. The second part was written in fourth grade. The first part was what mattered. Bucky finished second and began an endearing tale of a pug and his oddball brother that set my blog on fire.

As most of my new readers may now (I know there are lots of you), I was recently given a blog award by my mom. Now, she was the one who originally introduced me to Blogger, so I feel it is right to say a few nice things about her. Her blog is called Bits and Pieces, and she is a hardcore blogger. For those of you that don't know what her blog is like, she has a devotion to knitting and pugs. For those of you that believe that sounds interesting, click here . I wouldn't be blogging without her. Now, I have a quick thing to say. If anyone who reads my blog would like me to read theirs, just leave me the link. I'm open to reading any blog, because I think that if anyone can cook, than anyone can write (Get it? Get it? Oh, never mind). So, I have two events for accepting this award. First, I would like to say seven things about myself: 1. I'm crazy about dogs. Anyone who reads my blog knows that. I have a dog named Rascal and I love him. Don't I, Rascal? Rascal? Rasc

Today is a big day for my blog. I accept a blog award and begin a countdown to a very special number. But first, I have to begin with the bad news. Obituary of a Crab Anyone who followed my blog in the beginning may remember my early posts about my two hermit crabs. Goyle, one of the hermit crabs, passed away a couple of years ago. And then, last week, Crabbe, my other hermit crab, passed away as well. Crabbe was someone who was very close to me. In his later years, I didn't do much of his care taking, but I still could rest easy at night that I had a little crab in the room with me. He died after going through a tough molting. I guess it was his time. My dad buried him in a large shell he always wanted to get into. I suppose he finally made it. On what is an overall happy day, I had to stop and mourn a crab that helped me to get where I am today. He taught me a lot. He taught about the simple joys of having a life well-lived. He may not have lived 15 years, but he still g

I have finished the story, The Pug That Always Finished Second. I have to give thanks to my Mom and Dad, for giving me the support to finish it. It was a long journey and I couldn't have done it without my dog Rascal's tugging skills. Thank you Rascal for giving the idea. And thanks especially to my dear dogs, Trinket and Bucky. You two made it possible. This wouldn't be here without you. I'm sorry you couldn't see it happen. You were a special part of my life and will ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS miss you. REST IN PEACE, TRINKET AND BUCKY

Bucky's Journal December 2, 2006 This was it. The time and the hour. This morning, I left for Pugtacular. I decided I would not come back to this house without that first place medal around my neck. I had taken a final run-through of my strategy that morning, and saw a surprise guest in the gym where I practiced. It was Freeway. He had decided to come with me for moral support. I thanked him, and soon, we were off. Me, Trinket, and Freeway stuck together in the car and when we arrived up in Antioch. At the front of the giant tent, I bid them farewell. I accompanied Mom over to get checked in, and found another surprise. Cali, one of the dogs defeated by Trinket in the tug-of-war contest, was handling dog check-in. I talked to her, trying to calm down my nerves. Mom lead me over to where Dad, Freeway, and Trinket had set up to watch. Freeway was babbling about racing strategy, and Trinket was thinking. I went outside to take a walk.  When I came back in, Freeway was ent

Bucky's Journal December 1, 2006 I'm calm. Pugtacular is tomorrow, yet I don't have nerves. Pugs generally try to avoid being nervous. When your breed has an aura of pushing through those around you, you have to be very careful with the actions you take. But now I'm thinking. I need to stop. Not thinking is a trait in a pug. I finished up my final practice, my final tune-up for the Pugtacular race. My sprints were getting better, but it seemed whatever I did wouldn't be good enough to win at Pugtacular. I kept flashing back to the time Leia had, and shaking. No trick would get me under 15 seconds. I just had to hope something happened on the day of Pugtacular. Maybe she would wake up on the wrong side of the bed. It didn't matter. I felt sure she would win. But I wouldn't stop trying. I had gone to far to turn back now. All the effort I had put into this race made it impossible for me to think of finishing in second place. I put in the effort, a

Bucky's Journal November 16, 2006 It was the day of qualifications. The qualifying races were held up in Antioch, where Pugtacular would be held on December 2nd. I was excited that Pugtacular lay only half a month away, and I felt ready for it. I felt I knew the pug Leia's moves, as yesterday I had a final meeting with Freeway. From now on I was on my own, but the last meeting had not been wasted. He watched the videotape of Leia racing, and analyzed it. He showed me her pros and cons, and told me how I might just beat her. I felt good. The qualifiers awaited. I would be in the third race. There were four races, and the top two in each one would move on to the race at Pugtacular. But I didn't want to finish second. I wanted desperately to win, for I thought it would prove something to my competitors. I wanted to set an example. Early in the morning, Mom woke me up so we could go to qualifications. It would just be the two of us, as Trinket was staying home to w

Bucky's Journal October 1, 2006 Another new month on the path to Pugtacular. October began and I felt strong. All this time I had been training and building towards the long-awaited event in December. Every day brought more training. My endurance level was sky-high. I thought I was ready to take on the race right now, and I would win. Patience is a virtue, Trinket's voice said in my brain. Now, what is a virtue? I know chew means to destroy by way of teeth, but what does vir mean? And what is patience? I smiled and cleared my head. Being able to not think is a skill in any good pug. You have to believe that thinking does no good. I sure believed it. Mom walked into the room. "Bucky, I have news. A pug has volunteered to race against you. His name is Freeway. He will help you train." Well, this was interesting. A pug volunteering to help out another. This was certainly news. October 2, 2006 I had my first training session with the pug Freeway today.

Last time on The Pug That Always Finished Second, Trinket competed in Dogpalooza. After defeating 3 straight opponents, he fell to the first ever tug-of-war champion, Rascal. What will happen next? Rascal's Journal March 27, 2006 I wake up and find myself still basking in the glow of victory. Oh, how sweet the taste. You see, I eat like no other. I feast on those below my level. I crush their hopes and dreams, and they taste like warm, sweet vanilla to my senses. I wash it down with tears of frustration, and I eat my dessert, power and glory sorbet. Yes, I, Rascal, am a true champion, and there is nothing anyone can do about it. Trinket's Journal March 27, 2006 I force myself out of bed. For what must be the thousandth time, I remind myself it was one competition. I did all I could. I really needed to move on, but I couldn't make myself do it. I really needed someone to snap me out of it. I pressed the button to open my crate. This technology, I thought, real

Thanks to everyone for their support in making The Pug That Always Finished Second possible. The book is now 2/3 done. That is 10 out of 15 chapters. Look forward to more!

Last time on the Pug That Always Finished Second, we heard a very cocky Rascal claim that "victory was all but assured". Will this statement prove true? Will Trinket trip over a corncob? All that and more on the Pug That Always Finished Second. Trinket's Journal March 26, 2006 It was the day. March 26, 2006. That morning, the Dogpalooza website released the official bracket for the competition. I didn't know the dog I would be facing in the first round, a Scottie named Molly. The only dog I had researched about and cared about was Rascal. Everything else was mere details in the final report. And how was I feeling? Thanks for asking. I felt great. I had a good night's sleep under my belt and I was ready to go. That morning, I lay in my bed thinking (a dangerous habit, I might add). I felt like I should get some good old Rocky music following me. All I got was a pug snoaring. Dad walked in and let me out of my crate. "Trinket, I don't know how Buck

On July 3rd, I picked fruit with Village Harvest, a charity group who picks fruit off of people's trees to donate to the food bank. The first house we visited had plums, oodles and oodles of plums. We made the mistake of shaking them down, as most of them were very ripe and exploded. Believe me, it was as bad as it sounds. When I was doing the sorting, tossing out the bad ones and keeping the good ones to give away, my gloves got soaked from plum juice. More than half of the plums we collected were no good. Oh well, onto the next house. The next house we visited had apricots and lemons. Most of the apricots we were taking were high up in the tree, so I got to climb the gigantic ladder! It was pretty fun considering the ladder was four times the size of me! The next house we visited after that was about as big as an orchard. They had two lemon trees, two plum trees, and an apricot tree. I was busy picking the lemons the entire time, and I managed to pick about fifty pounds of lemons

Trinket's Journal March 25, 2006 One day away. One. One day. I couldn't believe it. All of the training I had been doing for the past 2 months had lead up to this. One day and I was through. One more day to survive. It was amazing to look back on my tug-of-war skills when I first began this to now. And after tomorrow, nothing else mattered. I was pumped. I was ready. One more day. Rascal's Journal March 25, 2006 I guess there are some days when you wish there wasn't a target on your back. I wish I could just be a normal tug-of-war participant like the other dogs. I had to accept being the one expected to win. But I had always been expected to win. And when you're a hardened hooligan like my self, you treasure victory. Don't think ahead, Rascal, I chastise my self. I'm not a tug-of-war fighter. I am a tug-of-war winner. And tomorrow I will become THE tug-of-war champion. Victory is all but assured.

March 1, 2006 I jumped and tugged harder. The vivid colors of the snake hissed like an out-of-control freight train. Rascal tugged with vicious intent, saying, "You know you can't beat me." The snake went flying out of my grip. I gave a cry as the snake lunged- I woke up. Midnight, said the clock. I lay back down. Another bad dream for a dog that had plenty. I remembered what the dog Rascal had said, and shivered. I lay back down, but wasn't asleep for a long, long time. March 2, 2006 Bucky went out for his morning training again today. I brought out the tug toys. Dad and I began our daily work, him tugging at certain angles, trying to catch me off guard, and me adjusting to keep tugging. After about 15 tough, hard-fought minutes, I won and we set the toy down. Dad rose and said, "Trinket, I've been meaning to tell you. The date for Dogpalooza was released today. It's earlier than I thought. March 26th." I jumped up in shock. It was only 24 d

For those of you who like The Pug That Always Finished Second, I have a surprise! There will be a marathon this weekend! Stay tuned!

Last Saturday, I was working on bikes for Good Kharma Bikes, a repair shop. They accept volunteers to come work on their bikes. People can come in and get their bikes fixed, free of charge. This was my first time doing bike repair, so I was way out of my element. They were very happy to teach me how to repair a bike. The first thing I learned was how to clean out gunk from inside the ball bearings in the wheel. You clean it out using cleaner and grease it back up again to get the wheel moving smoother. Otherwise, the gunk could build up and the wheel would stop moving. The bike I was helping to work on needed a new seat, which was replaced before I arrived. The back wheel had a broken spoke, so they took off the tube and found a new fixed wheel. The bike also got a new gear cassette. The brake was broken, so it had to be restrung. The new back wheel turned out to be to big for the back brakes, so countless adjusting had to be done to make sure it wouldn't drag and had a good brake

Trinket's Journal February 25, 2006 And so, after I learned about the dog Rascal I began my training with the thought that I couldn't be stopped. Weeks of training, and I felt as strong as ever. I couldn't be stopped. And it was time to see how Bucky could fare. He had his first practice today, and I stopped in to watch. His sprints were going well, but he didn't seem to be getting much better than before. He came over to see me once he had a break. "You know, Trinket, this could be the last year that I could do this. I'm starting to lose my grip." "Not much coming from the dog that they call the pug that always finished second," I quipped. "Hush, the book hasn't come out yet. I still need to polish it off." "The author could always change the ending." This aggravated him, I could see it in his face. He was trying to think of a way to get me back for that one. Then, he had a way. "I spoke to Dad today.&

Last time on the Pug That Always Finished Second, we wondered if Bucky was going to Pugtacular. Trinket's birthday was celebrated, and we looked in on his diary. And now, Chapter Six. Trinket's Journal January 31, 2006 Is there a happier dog than I? Yesterday was my birthday, and today I get a day without Bucky. He went out for some shots, and I sniggered as he passed me. He gave a bark, not quite happy with the whole affair. Dad turned to me once Mom and Bucky were out the door. "Actually, there's something I wanted to talk to you about." I sat and wondered what this might entail. "Trinket, you're thinking too hard." Huh? I blinked and looked around, wondering how he knew what I was thinking. He was speaking again, and I tried to concentrate. "Bucky may have his race at Pugtacular, but he doesn't get all the competition around here. There is a new competition called Dogpalooza, and I want you to attend. Their big event is a mega tug-of

If you notice, my latest post, the puppy mill speech, didn't have paragraphs. I typed it on my iPad and it didn't add the spaces. It's fixed now, so look forward to the Pug that Always Finished Second. Thank you!

I said I was done, but I decided to come back. That speech was one I gave to my English class for our speech competition. Expect more chapters on The Pug That Always Finished Second and more.

You walk into PETCO and spot an adorable puppy in the corner. You wonder where he came from, so you might meet his brothers and sisters, and possibly even his mother. It would be easy to know where this puppy came from. As reported by animalrescuecorps.org, "95 percent of dogs in pet stores are from puppy mills." That means that when you buy a puppy from a pet store, you are investing money into puppy mills. The responsible thing to do is to get a dog from a shelter. This way, you save dogs who are victims of circumstance. You shouldn't be getting dogs from pet stores, because they are unknown, ruthless, and are cowards. That is the dark side of pet stores.  Puppy mills were created in the late 1940's by farmers who needed a new kind of crop. These farmers housed their dogs in rabbit huts which provided little socialization, for they didn't realize puppies needed to socialize. They couldn't afford vet care, and so decided to skip it. Organizations soon repor

I know it has been over a year since I last posted on Otter World. This will be the last time I post here. I am starting a new blog called Henry's Daily Thoughts. I will post daily. I hope you enjoy the new blog. Here is the link. http://hendailythought.blogspot.com/ Thank you all for the support into Otter World. I hope you have enjoyed this blog as much as I did.