Opie's Trail

Before I went to the Rainbow Bridge, I told my Mom that I would like my tribute to be mostly pictorial.  So I told her what photos of me that I liked and she agreed she would post them…but, sheesh…how many months will it take?  Knowing my Mom, it will take awhile for her to get over all the crying and procrastinating…an whaddya know?  I’ve been schwimming in the big sky pond for quite sometime and she is just now getting around to it.

Yup.  Mom and Pop have a new pup.  Her name is Mattie.  I’m okay with that because I know they need somebody to hold on to until they come to live with me.  After all, the knew kid doesn’t have a chance to live up to my legendary existence, right?  BWwwwwahahahahahahahahah!  Comet, I’ll bet she is a monkeybutt, just like your little brother…Poor Mom and Pop.

Anyway, here are some good and not so good photos of me, OPIE!  The one and only!  I crack me up.  Really tripawd pawrents, don’t worry, we are all waiting for you…take your time, because we are in no hurry to move away from the schwimming pond and the tennis ball field and the CATapult….that thing is the best!

Though this tribute is to me, I want to thank all you tripawds and tripawd pawrents for all the support, fun and laughs…At the risk of leaving someone out, I grew especially close to Peyton, Dillon, Comet, Holly, Maggie, Nova, Jake…and I am sure there are others, but I am a dog and my memory of past events is understandably poor, so the list is probably incomplete, but tripawd pawrents, please know I love you all still and wait for the day that I will meet you and your earthly tripawds in person.  Enjoy the show:

Me and my Pop

Me and my beaver pal

I think I was mad

I spent a lot of time napping in my life:

I had to babysit this kid one time...what a pawful.

I loved the water…still do here in heaven.  I go schwimming every day, just like I used to every summer….

Hey Mom! That's not me!....This was some weird kid I met in Valdez a few summers ago. He was kinda cranky, but I have to admit, that boy could schwim!

Me and my Uncle Bill

I had a lot of adventures in my day:

Me and Mom in Denali

Pop was always good for exciting trips in the backcountry

I did not like this guy at all...kinda creepy...what was mom thinking making me sit next to him? Geez...Stranger Danger much?

I even had my own suit to attend weddings

Eat your heart out Rin Tin Tin!

Even though I made a lot of friends on tripawds, the only dog I really wanted to spend face time with was my girl Katie the beagle.

Me...Katie's mom...& Katie

Seriously? People are crazy.

Camping Klutina

Me and Rainbow Mountain

Me and my chucker and my tennis balls

YAY Christmas! I loved to open my presents....mom's presents too, oh yeah and Pop's. Yike's Mom. red eye? Don't you have Photoshop?

Prince William Sound

This one won a little spot in the Fairbanks Dog Park Calendar 2011. Wow!

I spent a bunch of time in boats of all sorts.

I have no idea why this stoopid hat keeps appearing in the photos.

Net the fish Pop, not me, not funny, it never got any funnier either....

I don't think this pfd is NOAA approved for salty dogs.

Not again.

Nice snappy nappy spot

There are so many more cool photos of me doin’ stuff, but I guess you get the idea, huh?  I guess, I’ll just leave all you tripawd pawrents with just this:  Live in the now.  Take a cue from your dogs no matter how many paws they have.  Life is fun.  Live every day like there is no tomorrow.  Don’t plan so much.  Sometimes go down a road you have never been before.  Stop and smell something you never smelled before….although I do not recommend salmon carcass.  And it does not matter if you cannot run fast…just run and hop and know that I’ll be waiting for you…..

OPIE–The Best Dog, Ever….BWaaaahahahahahahahah!  Take that Comet, girl.

See you at the bridge.

Hey all tripawds,

Aaaarrrghghghghhhhh.  I am so embarrassed by, and just a little ticked off at, my mom.  She and the stoopid vet tried to kill me!  I haven’t been feeling too good for a couple of days and I threw up a lot a couple of nights ago.  Well, my pawrents thought I was wanting to go be with all my immortal BFF tripawds.  I was giving them all the signs that they were giving me too much medicine, but they didn’t recognize my signals. Why don’t pawrents listen to our signs?  Oh, they’re all like, “Ugh.  Why doesn’t he bring back the ball?”  Did it ever occur to them that I want to be in control for once?  or they’re like, “Why isn’t he coming when I call him?”  Hello????? Can’t they smell that squirrel in the woods? or “What in the world is he barking at?  There is nothing out there.”  Yeah, right; then a few nights later Jake up the road gets jumped by the wolf (the wolf won, but Jake’s a trooper and he survived, don’t worry).  Pawrents!  They are so sensory compromised.  I guess they’re just sorta stupid.

Then Mom has to go blab all over the forum and tell everyone that I have lung mets.  I didn’t want to tell anyone, because I didn’t want my tripawd buddies to treat me differently.  I’m not going anywhere yet, so get used to me sticking around for awhile.  Harumppfff.

Anyway, finally my mom cut back on the freakin’ pain medication and I slept all through the night last night.  Check this out.  My mom sat up until really, really late and I did this.  She knew then that I was feeling better and she went to bed:

Zzzzzz...squirrel...zzzz...tennis balls...thousands of them....zzzzzz.....grouse...zzzzzz....schwimming!....zzzzzz.

Oh yeah.  Check out the background in the photo….When mom gets worried, the house goes to hell.  Bwaaahahahahah.  She is going to be so mad at me for not cropping!  Well there has to be some penalty for over-medicating your tripawd, right?  I’m serious, bffs, I was seeing pink elephants…pink ones!  I can’t even see color and I don’t even know what an elephant is!  There were giant mushrooms, and a white rabbit in a waist coat, and this crazy guy in a weird hat.  Wow.

Anyway, my apologies for my worry wart mom.  I feel much better.

Comet, thanks for saying you love me.  I kind of suspected and ya know I love you too.  You are tough, scrappy girl-dog, but I knew your crusty shell was thin…crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside.  My mom says that you remind her of the little girl, Scout, in the classic To Kill a Mockingbird… I think I may have already said this, but when I was a pup, my mom wanted to name me, Atticus, after the father in the same book.

Well tripawds and tripawd pawrents, thanks for helping my mom through her crazy-ass episode.  I am going to go outside now and enjoy some sun.

Opie

PS.  Comet, I asked my mom to take these photos of me this morning.  I am still in the AMBF band.  Okay?

You can call me Opus Clemons.

Am I cool or what?

Speaking of poop…This is going to sound really weird and I almost hesitate to bring this up, but I just have to know so I am not going to pee around the bush.  Ill get directly to the point.

Here goes.

I think I poop gold.  I know.  I know.  Crazy right?  But listen.  Sheesh this is embarrassing.  My mom and pop pick up my poop.  Seriously, they collect it, mostly in the spring when the snow is melting.  I have watched them go around the yard and pick up my poop and put it in a big white bucket.  I don’t know where they take it.  I’m still sleuthing on that one.  There must be a refinery around here somewhere.  My poop has to contain either gold or silver…maybe even platinum, because I overheard my mom tell my pop that she was going to go outside and,,,,get this,,,, pick up Opie’s “land mines.  Mines?  Gold and silver come from mines.

I would like to know if any of you also poop gold or am I just incredibly special?

Respectfully awaiting your replies,

Opie

The Deep Thinker

Hi everybody,

I haven’t posted for awhile because I have been having a good time with my friend, Jess.  She is a really nice, pretty gal (she has naturally red hair-same color as mine!) who my mom and pop ask to live with me when they go away.

Mom forgot to tell Jess that I was allowed to spend some time on the computer each night, so it didn’t occur to her to turn it on for me.  I wrote some notes to my pawrents longpaw, though.  No easy feat, since I used to be left pawed.  So I am going to copy them below:

April 5
Yo! This is your Son O.P.,
I wanted to drop you a line and let you know that I miss you.  I hope you two are having a blast with Grandma.  While you all are laying in the sun, I’m here back home enjoying the last bit of snow.  My babysitter has taken me on 3 joy rides already!  She has all the windows down so the breeze lifts up my ear hairs; I think it is the best!  The sky was always blue, the sun was always out and it was always the perfect temperature though I think it was cold for her cuz she was buttoned up to the mittens.  Even though she is much older than me, I think I have a crush on my babysitter.  You think she would mind a dog with only 3 legs?

April 6
Hi Mom & Dad,  Here are the pictures I promised you.  One picture the babysitter took of me laying in the snow at what I would assume was her home;  It was one of the stops on our joy ride Saturday.

I See You!

Soon the snow will be gone

I am kinda bummed I was unable to go with you but I am enjoying myself back home.  The babysitter lets me do anything I want and doesn’t make me do anything I dont wanna do, like homework.

Hi Mom & Pop,

Yesterday evening after our walk the babysitter said she was going to church for a bit and did I want to come; did I want to go for a ride!?  Of course I did!  So she let me go with her.  Instead of taking her ride she took mine.  I got some lovin from some familiar smelling people….the tallest lady smelled the best.

This morning we came to the babysitters work early and we went for a short walk.  The wind was whipping and the snow was slowly falling.  In the parking lot there is the mountain of snow and I walked right to the top; I could see hundreds of feet from all around!  I wish she could have had her camera at this point because I could just imagine how it looked… how hansome I was sticking my nose in the air and wind running through my hair, I really should be a model.

Around lunch time we went to the park and hung outside for a little bit with the ball, the wind was still nice and cold.

Right now I am sitting in my ride enjoying the cool temperatures and a snack stick.  After the babysitter gets off work she says we are going to head to the Chena Pump park!  Yeah baby! I hope you guys are having as many adventures as I am!  Miss & Love you, your son O.P.

PS.  When Jess wasn’t looking, I used her camera to take some photos of me, so you don’t forget what I look like…Sheesh.  Are you ever coming home?  Not that I am complaining, cause Camp Jessica is really fun.

Handsome Me

I love my nose

CHEESE! No really, got any cheese?

Well tripawds.  Gotta help mom unpack some suitcases.  They better have brought me something.

I can’t believe that three weeks have gone by since my last post, but we had company and my pop was getting ready to go on a trip.  He said I was spending too much time on the computer, so I had to lay off for awhile.  For an outdoorsy kind of guy sometimes my pop is high maintenance.  At least that’s what mom says.  I’m not sure what that means, but I think she is confusing him with our truck, cause that IS high maintenance.  Anyway, the visitor was Barney.  I think I will just tell the story of his visit in pictures.  I showed him around town and took him fishing and stuff.

What's this?

Saw-Wheat!

Barney smells pawesome! Nova? Maggies?

Hmmmmmm No DaGrinchy Toes? and no corn chip smell?

ZZZZZZzzzzzzzz Jet Lag

Come on Barn. Lets play!

Two Gigantic Empty Craniums

Malibu Barbie...I mean, Caribou Barney

Bwahahahahahhaah. Handle your "garbage" responsibly.

Me and Barn at the Trans Alaska Pipeline. I wanted to leave him there for the wolves, but mom said, "No."

You should have seen him climbing up there. He got stuck and my mom had to rescue him. Sheesh!

I took this one of Barney at Creamer's Field with the barn in the background. My mom works here. I help her sometimes.

Barney gets some fishing tips from Barney!

Barney practices his new found fishing skills with Andy Angler.

Barney in my mom's office. Can you find Rhys & Dillon? Jerry is there too, but the sun is reflecting off his photo.

What is Barney looking at?

Silver Salmon Alevin! That's what was in the bucket...tweeny little couch potato fish babies.

Me trying to put Barney in the ice fishing hole.

He kept hanging on to the edge! He wouldn't sink!

Barney tried his paw at ice fishing. I encouraged him to try it. Then I told my mom that he was fishing and he didn't have a fishing license...She gave him a citation! Bwaaaahahahahahahahah! Stupid Barney.

My friends Snarffles and Frankie playing with Barney. Frankie and Snarffles are models. Their picture is in the Fairbanks Dog Park 2010 calendar.

Me and Barney on our last day together. Bye Bye, Barney. On to your next adventure! Don't come back. Bwaaahahahahahahahah

Oooops!  It’s bedtime, tripawds! Gotta Go.

PS. Comet, I think that was a good idea about the purple sweater and monkey butt.  Can you knit?  Probably not because you do not have thumbs, but maybe you could trick your mom into making it.  Anyway, AAaaggggghhhhh, my mom is so lame, she keeps hollering for me to get off the computer and go to bed.  Sheesh. Pawrents.

I cannot believe how time is flying by.  I check tripawds almost every evening and make a few comments and before I know it, it is time to go to bed.  My mom and I have been going on a walk at lunchtime every day, and Pop has been walking me every morning before he goes to work.  I can’t believe how strong I am.

I am having just one cosmetic problem….Uhm, have any of you tripawds ever not grown your hair back?  I mean, most of my hair is growing back, but there is one circular spot right behind where my shoulder used to be, that is still bald!  My mom thinks that my hair is not growing back there because I have a lipoma right underneath and my skin is cool to the touch because of that little fat ball.  She thinks that I am not getting good blood flow to my skin because of that lump and so my hair will not grow.  I’m just wondering if anyone else has a bald spot.

I have a new nickname!  Chalupa!  Mom picked up some fast dinner to bring home to my pop and I may have snarfed one of them up, when she wasn’t looking.  Wellllllllllllll, I can only be “Best Boy Ever” for reasonable periods of time in reasonable situations.  A bag of fast food under my nose in the back seat of the car? well, just call me Chalupa.

This weekend was a little boring.  Mom and Pop went to Ice Art last night.  I had to stay home.  Hurrummpfff.  NO DOGS ALLOWED.  WTH?  They don’t want yellow snow spots taking away from the ambiance of their fancy schmansy ice carvings.  Sheeesh!…No Dogs.  When is this world going to progress beyond this species discrimination?

Anyway, have a good week, tripawds.  I’ll leave you with some photos from the World Ice Art Championships.  My mom said that while she was taking pictures, she thought of Peyton/Dillon/Rhys’ mom and Nova’s mom because they are such pawsome photographers; she wished that they could take the photos.

World Ice Art Championships 2010

Shark after a seal

Hornet & Mom

Grizzly wants salmon

Saber tooth cat after pterodactyl

Lion Fish

Cabin

Mom in cabin

Abstract

Angel fish & Pop

The cell

Scorpion stinging spider

Blue ring octopus

Abstract womb

Lion on Water Buffalo

Snake & Croc

Pop & Jelly FishIce slides in the kid park

Pop in big Carhartt

Bwwwaaahahahahahahahah!

Hello tripawd buddies!  Sheesh, my mom has been on the computer all day.  I finally got my chance.  She’s watching the Limpics.  I’ve been waiting to see some tripawds on the limpics, but there haven’t been any.  In fact, I really haven’t seen anyone limping, so I don’t know why they call it that.  People are crazy.

Comet!  I’m not anything like Brad Pitt! I am more the Harrison Ford, Sean Connery type.  And believe me, that bath was no spa treatment.  I do smell good though (thanks for noticing, Dillon).  Yes, Nova, my feet still smell like corn chips after a bath, except they smell like clean corn chips instead of dusty ones.

I can’t believe how warm it is here for February.  The winter’s worth of snow slid off the one side of the roof two days ago.  I hate when that happens.  It scares the living bajeezers out of me.  It is a big rumbling sound and the roof is sheet metal, so the noise is incredible.  It’s not as bad as when the earthquakes happen, though.  We haven’t had one for awhile which isn’t good, cause that usually means the next one will be that much worse.  I’ll bet Wolfie knows about earthquakes, right Wolf?

My pop flew to California really late on Friday night.  He went there to drive my Gram (Bobbie) to North Carolina.  She lived in Lytle Creek, California for many years and decided to move to Charlotte, N.C.  My uncles are moving with her.  Their names are Vinny and Toby.  Well their given names are really Vincent and Tobias….Bwawwaahahahahahah. Here’s a photo of them from last summer when they lived with us.

Uncle Vincent & Uncle Tobias

We got along pretty well last summer.  Toby and I decided we would just pretend the other one didn’t exist, but Vinny would try and be my boss when he thought no one was looking.  I’d walk past the guy and he would curl his lip so only I could see it.  They’re both pretty nice fellas, though.  Can you believe Vinny’s big ears and rather large feet?  and how about Toby’s blue tongue.  WTH’s with that?  My mom says it is blue because he is part chow.  What does dinner have to do with a blue tongue?  Unless he eats a lot of blueberries.  People are crazy.

Anyway, my pop will be home in a week after he gets Gram Bobbie settled in.  I miss pop when he is gone, but I am glad mom is here.  We have been going on long walks ,on snowy trails, in sunny weather.  My longest walking loop is 2.25 miles.  You should see my gargantuan hip and shoulder muscles.  Still, I can’t wait until summer so I can go schwimmming!  Yeah. Yeah. I know.  I shouldn’t wish my life away.  Summer is still four months away.

Comet, I haven’t heard any new plans from you concerning The Manhatten Project otherwise known as Operation Anti-Monkeybutt.  What has the scoundrel been up to?  What’s the plan?  Have you been able to get him into alot of trouble?  Looks like Holly is on board, unless you totally insulted her when you confronted her with your fear that she may be a double agent.

Well, goodnight tripawd community.  I’ll talk with you again real soon.

My mom gave me my first tripawd bath this Saturday.  I am soooo soft now and I smell good.  I was really tired afterward so I took a nap.

My mom and pop are happy because the other day I humped my teddy bear.  I used to hump my bear every night, but after I became a tripawd, I didn’t anymore, but the other night I did!  Mom and Pop cheered…we are such a dysfunctional family.

Here is a photo of me and Ted

Me and Buddy Ted

Last week I went on my longest tripawd walk to date.  My mom took me on the full loop of the boreal forest trail.  I am so strong again.  Tripawds rule!

PS.  Have you seen this video of the tripawd black bear?  It is really cool!

Dang it.  I missed the February 5th deadline for the funniest photo in the forum.  Oh well, I would probably have been disqualified anyway because my funny photo was taken when I was still a pup and had four paws.  My mom & pop laugh and laugh every time they see this picture…I’m not sure why and that’s not our phone number either…People are crazy.

Anyway, I’m feeling a little neglected lately.  Mom and Pop went to a movie tonight and left me home alone.  WTH?  This past Saturday, they left me at home to watch the start of the Yukon Quest sled dog race…Why do they have to go look at other dogs?  I’m so much better looking, than those scrawny, crazed, yapping sled dogs.  It’s just a little insulting.  But just cause Maggie’s mom follows the Iditarod and the Quest, mom thought she would go watch the start and maybe get a picture or two.  Well, it wasn’t too cold on Saturday (about 14 degrees F), but it was cold enough to sap the juice out of the camera battery pretty quickly.  Pop did manage to get a video of Lance Mackey starting out, though you can’t see his face.  I never uploaded a video before, so this may not work.

P2060003

Oh sure.  They’re home now and are telling me to go to bed.  What happened to the pawrents that were giving me everything I wanted just two months ago.   Sheeesh, a guy starts feeling strong and healthy again and the gravy train just dries up.  Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.

Hooray!  My mom says that I don’t have to do any more chemo treatments.  I feel like I am getting stronger everyday.

I can still chew a bone-a-roni

I get to go on two walks a day now!  My pop gets up early in the morning and takes me for a walk down the road.  It is very dark still in the morning, so my dad wears a light on his head.  He looks absolutely ridiculous.  Why don’t humans just use their night vision?  Everybody up here wears a light on their head.  Humans must have horrible eye sight…I have no clue how they made it to the top of the food chain with all their disabilities.After work, my mom takes me for a walk down on the Tanana River.  It was c-c-c-cold tonight.  I lost a bootie yesterday; one of my plaid ones, but luckily I didn’t toss the hippie tie-dye one-it’s my favorite.

I don’t get to go to work with mom anymore, because my treatments are over and she says I will have to be like a regular dog and stay home until it is warm enough for me to be in the car.  I can’t wait for summer and SCHWIMMING!

MMMmmmmmmmmmmnumnumnumnum.

Well, I am going to go finish off that bone-a-roni.  Kind of a boring post tonight, but I can’t be Mark Twain all the time.  BWWWAAAaaahahahahahahahahSnort.

PS;  Dillon, I have been practicing trying to get 5 tennis balls in my mouth to teach that Texas dog a lesson.  No success yet.  How ’bout you?