Shaq Tails

Best Summation

2011-03-01T18:57:00.000-08:00

Best summation I have ever heard on the passing of a loved one.
"Don't cry because its over. Smile because it happened!" (Dr. Seuss)

Shasta comes to live with us

2010-06-08T12:20:00.000-07:00

Shaq gets a Best Fur-friend (Draft 2)

Readers note: I am now 4 and we are living in Sioux City, Iowa. Ray works for Gateway Computers.

I have many 2 legged friends, and a few 4 legged Fur-Friends. But I have never had a Best Fur-Friend (BFF). I would love to have a BFF to share my life with.

Today Ray comes home from work and like most days we go for a car ride. We usually don’t drive very far, but boy do I enjoy riding in the car. Ray rolls down the windows so I can stick my head out and feel the air on my face. As my ears flap in the breeze I close my eyes and make like I am flying. I love riding in cars.

After a few minutes we arrive at a house, usually we go to the park. I have never been here before. Hmmm I wonder what is going on. As we pull into the driveway I can see a very excited dog in the backyard.

I am a little bit curious. I get out of the car and go to the backyard where there is a very excited Chocolate Lab. At first I sniff her through the fence and she sniffs back. Then she goes tearing off around the yard and comes back to the fence and looks at me. The whole time her tail is wagging.

Being the gentleman that I am, I introduce myself. She tells me her name is Shasta and that this is her house. I ask her if she would like to play. She jumps up and down and is so excited. I take that for a yes.

Ray opens the gate and lets me in. Shasta and I sniff each other more and then she does a head fake to try to get me to make the first move. I know that move; after all I am named after a basketball player, so it does not shake me. I stand very still with my tail straight up. Then I drop down on all four paws getting as low as I can go. She stands very still now. I spring up and jump to one side and she jumps with me. Then all of a sudden Shasta turns and starts running. The game is on!

I start chasing Shasta around the yard and tackle her. We wrestle, then all of a sudden I pop up and run and she is chasing me. We are having a great time running all over the place playing tag. It is so much fun.

Ray is over talking to some people who I had never met. So I come over and say hello. They are very nice and are happy to see me. They throw a ball. Shasta and I race full speed to see who gets to it first. Being the gentleman I let her win some of the time. When I would win she would try to take the ball from me. She is very sneaky; I know I’m going to have to keep an eye on this one.

This goes on for quite some time. Finally Shasta and I are tuckered out and head to the water bowl. The two of us drink at the same time, draining the bowl.

As we are lying together in the grass she tells that she thinks her family is moving because boxes are being packed. I told her that I had moved several times. She says that there have been lots of family meetings where her name has come up, but she is not sure what they were saying.

After a while Ray calls me over and puts my leash on and says goodbye to the people he had been chatting with. He mentions something about seeing them on Friday, but I can’t make it out.

As we pull out of the driveway I stick my head out the window and shout out to Shasta that it was fun playing with her and that I hope we can play again. She shouts back that she had a great time and hopes we can play again too. I like her, she is neat.

Friday:

Ray comes home late from work; I know it is late because it’s starting to get dark outside. At first I think nothing of it, there are days where he works late and this must be one of those days. But then as I watch him get out of the car he has Shasta with him.

Oh, I am so excited. As soon as they get in the house I mob them. I am so happy to see Shasta again. Ray quickly puts us outside and we run and play together. Gosh she is fast, but I know the short cuts around the yard, like jumping up the retaining wall instead of running all the way around.

She is so excited. As we run around the yard she tells me that a big van came to their house today and took away almost all of their furniture. I tell her that is what you do when you move.

She says that when Ray came that her family all gathered around her and were crying and saying how much they loved her. I told her that when Ray would leave he often would tell me how much he loved me. Though he never cried while saying how much he loved me.

After a while Ray calls us over. We both come running full speed; Ray knows to stand with his legs apart as I like to run between them so that is what I do. It is a lot of fun. I am tall and have to duck my head to make it. Shasta just ran right up to Ray and jumped up on him. He caught her in his arms. Wow! I had never seen him do that before. I wonder if he would catch me if I tried it.

Ray sits us down and tells us that Shasta is going to be living with us from now on. Shasta asks me what is going on. I tell her that she is now going to be a part of our family. She seems sad. I tell her it will be ok, that Ray is a great person to hang out with and that we will have lots of fun together.

I am happy and sad at the same time. I am so happy that Shasta is going to be living with us, but I am also sad that her family can’t take her with them.

To help her out, I take her on a tour of the house. I show her where the Kitchen is, where the water dish is. I notice that Ray has put out a new food and water dish for Shasta. We go over to the bedrooms and then we go to the basement.

Shasta has never been on stairs before. I go bounding down them quickly. Shasta just stops at the top and looks at me. I tell her it is ok, she says she is not sure what to do. Ray comes over and helps her by coaxing her to walk a few steps with a treat. She creeps down the stairs on her belly. It is funny to watch, and then I remember my first experience with stairs. Finally she is in the basement. I show her the large play room and where the bathroom is and where the downstairs water bowls are located. Going out of the basement was much easier. She bounded up the stairs, doing sort of a bunny hop. Ray then got her to go down the stairs again. This time she walked instead of crawling. The next time she ran down them like I do. She is a fast learner.

Ray and I had discussed having another family member. I could not ask for a better match.

Yippee I have a Best Fur-Friend.

Bedtime:

That night as we are getting ready for bed Shasta asks where she should sleep. I tell her well on the bed of course, where else would you sleep? She said that she had never slept on the human’s bed before. I told her it was the best. So we both jumped up and lay out. Shasta went for the pillow right away. I told her that was where Ray slept and that she should move. But she didn’t.

When Ray came in he asked her to move, she didn’t. He tried picking her up and she became a ton of bricks almost an immovable object. After much struggling Ray got her moved over and settled in.

Shasta still wanted that spot on the bed so she just lay right on top of Ray. It was funny to watch. Ray would push her off and she would crawl back on top of him. Finally they reached an agreement. Ray had lost. Shasta lay with her body half way across Ray’s chest.

As we went to bed that night I thought of how much fun Shasta and I were going to have together. It sure is nice to have a Best Fur-Friend.

Ray here:

As Shaq was just saying we reached an arrangement on sleeping situation. What he does not say is what happened the next morning.

I was lying in bed when all of a sudden I felt a tongue in my mouth. So I slowly opened my eyes and there looking at me was this cute little chocolate face. Next thing I knew I was getting a tongue bath, no need for a shower this morning.

After that I learned how to sleep with my mouth closed. Heck, I didn’t even know I slept with it open before.

I am so tired Draft 1

2010-01-14T09:15:00.000-08:00

Readers Note: Shaq is 16 in this story, living in Austin.

The End is Near

I am very tired these days. I often need help getting up and getting my legs under me, but once up I can shuffle around. Ray is never more than a couple feet from me. There are ramps so I can get down the stairs into the yard.

It takes a long time for me to lie down as it is painful on my joints. I circle and circle until I finally sort of fall over. Often Ray comes over and picks me up and lays me down. He makes sure I am comfortable and often comes over to help me roll over. I tell him I can do it myself, but he insists.

As I lay here I think back on the amazing life I have led over the last 16 years. I have traveled all over the United States with Ray. I have flown on commercial planes and on private jets. Together Ray and I have driven all over the United States together as well. I have stayed in some amazing hotels like the St. Regis in Aspen and the Helmsley in New York City. I sailed on a boat out in the ocean. I got to see my namesake Shaq play basketball.

I have met some of the most wonderful people on my adventures. Many only have one family; I have been blessed to have several families. There is of course Ray, but I also have my Texas Family, my Montana Family and my Florida Family.

As I lay my head to rest, I dream of puppies and puppy breath.

As I close my eyes to sleep I dream of all who love me and all I will meet.

As I go to bed tonight I think of all and all the delights.

I am so tired

The End is here

Hi, this is Ray. Shaq can’t write. Today is his day.

I am lying with him. Cuddling him in my arms like I did when he was a little puppy. I never want this moment to end.

I whisper in his ear.

I love you so much; soon you will be reunited with Shasta, Zoe and Nanda.

You will swim forever in warm ponds and roll in green grass.

I love you so much, thank you, thank you, thank you.

I love you so much, we will be reunited.

I love you, I love you, I love you

Goodbye dear friend

**Tears**

The End

Chapter 1 D2: My name is Shaq

2009-06-03T14:54:00.000-07:00

Chapter 1 D2: My name is Shaq

This is the first chapter of a book that may be written.

Greg Chooses Me:
I was 7 weeks old when a stranger visited.

Mom brought my brothers, sisters and I all out to the living room. There was someone there that I had never seen before. He got down on his hands and knees and called us over to him. My brothers and sisters were a bit hesitant, and huddled around Mom, not knowing what to do. I ran over to this stranger and licked his face and ran between his legs and rolled over on my back for a belly rub. When I did this my brothers and sisters saw that he was nice and they all ran over to see him.

The stranger was nice to all of us, but he kept an eye on me. After a few minutes he picked me up and went over to talk to my Mom’s people. I didn’t understand everything they said, but I think he was very impressed with me. He said his name was Greg and he hugged me and I gave him a big kiss. Next thing I knew I had a toenail painted green, I wanted to lick it, but Greg said that I had to leave it on so that he could find me again. I didn’t understand what that meant.

When Greg put me down, all my brothers and sisters came over to see me. They sniffed me and looked at my painted toenail. I looked at the others and none of them had painted toenails. I felt very special. After a few minutes Greg left, but before he did he came over and petted me one last time and said he would be back in a few days to see me again.

I asked Mom why I had my toenail painted. She said it was so that the stranger could identify me in a few days. I asked why he would want to identify me. She said that it was because I was going to get a new home. I didn’t understand what that meant either.

Over the next week other people came to see us in the living room. I went up and said hello to all of them, most of them picked me up and petted me but when they saw that my toenail was painted they were a bit disappointed and put me down. One by one all of my brothers and sisters got a toenail painted in a different color..

Greg picks me up:

Then one day Greg came back. I was playing in the yard at the time when he drove up in a big Red Truck. When he got out I was so excited to see him again that I ran right over. He had another dog with him. He called him Geronimo. Geronimo is a much larger Black Lab, who came over and sniffed me. I rolled over on my back and let him lick my belly. He was very nice. I learned later that Geronimo is my Dad.

My mom’s people came out and greeted Greg. After a few minutes he told Geronimo to get back in the truck. Geronimo jumped up into the front seat with no effort at all. I thought that there would be no way I could do that. But Greg picked me up and helped me onto the front seat. I was so excited that I ran up and down the front seat. Geronimo asked me if this was my first car ride, I told him it was. He said to look out the window. The window was high up and I could barely get my head up to see out. When Greg got in he called me over and put me in his lap so I could see out his window.

As we drove off my Mom ran next to the truck and told me to be a good boy and to listen to my people that they would be taking care of me now. I didn’t realize that I would not see her again. As we drove away I looked at Geronimo and saw that he had his head out the window and that his ears were flapping in the wind. He looked so happy and sort of funny. Greg let me stand in his lap and stick my head out his window as he drove. I really liked having the wind blow my ears around.

We drove for what seemed like a long time, until we came to a big house with a huge yard that was full of trees, and grass and lots of animals I had never seen before. When the truck stopped Geronimo jumped out and then Greg helped me out and put me down. I was so excited I ran all over the place as fast as I could. Geronimo stayed right with me; eventually I stopped and rolled in the grass. Geronimo just lay down and looked at me. I asked him where we were. He said that this was his home; I asked if I was going to live here too. But he didn’t think so; he thought that Greg had picked me out for his friend Ray.

I asked who Ray was. Geronimo said that Ray was a friend of Greg’s and that he had lived here a couple years earlier. I asked where Ray lived now, and Geronimo said he was not sure but he thought it was a long way away. Geronimo said that Ray was very nice and gave great belly rubs. I really like belly rubs so I felt better.

Farty takes me for a walk:

After a while a Yellow Labrador named Farty came out. Farty is not her real name, but that’s what everyone calls her. She is Geronimo’s Girlfriend and is very nice. She told Geronimo to get lost and that she would be taking over from here. I wanted to go with Geronimo, but she told me to stay with her. I asked what we were going to do; she said we were going to go for a walk. So off we went on a walk around the grounds. She introduced me to all the animals. There were ducks and geese that I tried to chase but they just ran way. Farty said not to chase the Geese, as they were very mean. They didn’t look mean so I chased one, and after a few steps it turned around and tried to bite me. I ran away as fast as I could. Farty just laughed at me and said, “I told you so”. After that I did what she said. We went and saw these huge animals that she called horses. She said that we could walk around them, but not to run around them as they might get scared and step on me. Finally, we came across an animal that Farty called a Cat. Her name was Miss Kitty. Miss Kitty is the ranch cat and didn’t want much to do with me. I asked Farty why she had run away when I came over to say hello. She said that Miss Kitty was like that with all dogs and not to take it personal.

After some time Greg came out and called for Geronimo and Farty. They ran over to him and I followed as fast as I could. When I got up to where Greg was he had the door to the house open. Geronimo and Farty ran in. I stopped and climbed up the stairs. When I got inside I was in a huge room with lots of neat things all over the place. Greg had three bowls out with food in them. Geronimo and Farty ran over to their bowls and started eating. Greg brought me over to my bowl and put me down. I was very hungry and started to eat right away. Geronimo and Farty finished their food first and came over to check on me. I was eating as fast as I could. Geronimo said not to eat so fast as I would get a bellyache. He also said don’t worry about not finishing, just eat what I wanted and that the rest would be there to finish later. I was very relieved and after I had my fill I went over to the water dish and drank.

After dinner Greg came over and picked me up and held me in his lap. I squirmed around a bit, but eventually I settled down and went to sleep. Later he got up and made a phone call. I had seen my Mom’s people use the phone before. Greg was talking to someone he called “Cajun Carpenter” I asked Geronimo who that was. He said that was what Greg called Ray. I asked why he called him that, Geronimo said it was because Ray had helped with some of the house building a few years back.

I get my name:

Greg came and picked me up and put the phone to my ear. I heard a voice on the other end say hello and ask how I was. Then he said that he would name me ShaqAsorus but would call me Shaq because Greg said that I was going to be as big as my Dad. Ray said he would be up to take me home in a couple of weeks and that I should learn as much as I can from Geronimo and Farty. When Greg put me down I ran over to Geronimo and Farty and told them that my name was Shaq. I asked Geronimo what type of name that was. He said he was not sure, but he had heard it on the TV several times, so I must be named after someone famous.

I asked Geronimo who he was named after. He said he was named after a famous Indian who was very brave and a great leader. I asked Farty who she was named after, she said that her real name was Carhartt, but her nickname was Farty. I asked what a nickname was, and she said that it was just another name that people used. I wondered if I would also have a nickname.

That night I got to sleep in a bed for the first time. I really liked that. I snuggled up right next to Greg and went to sleep with my head on his chest. Geronimo and Farty joined us in the bed as well. Sometime in the night I curled up between them. Every now and then Farty would lick me. I felt so safe around them that I forgot all about being nervous and my new surroundings.

Learning from Geronimo and Farty

The next morning Greg got us up. Geronimo and Farty ran down the stairs, he picked me up and carried me down. I could have made it by myself but it would have taken a long time. He put me down in the kitchen and gave me a little food. I could not believe how hungry I was after sleeping all night. After breakfast Greg asked if we wanted to go on a “nature walk” Geronimo was very excited about this. So out we went for another walk. This time we were on a trail, while walking I heard what sounded like a low roar. I asked Geronimo what that was; he said it was a stream. I had never heard of a stream and asked what it was. He said you’ll see. As we walked along the sound got louder. Then all of a sudden I saw it. It was the largest water bowl I had ever seen and it was moving. I ran over to the edge, but Farty came and intercepted me and said to be careful. She said I had to be careful around streams and rivers until I was bigger. Geronimo told her to quit being a worrywart. He went splashing right into the stream. I followed him, but when I got to the edge I stopped and looked around, the water was moving very fast. I put a paw in and tentatively took a step. Once I had all four paws in the water I started to take a few slow steps forward, then all of a sudden my paws were not touching the bottom.

I started to panic and was franticly kicking my paws every which way. Farty came running into the river and started to grab me, but Geronimo told her to leave me alone. After a couple of seconds I started to swim. I didn’t know at the time that it was called swimming, but none the less I was swimming. This was fun. I got to the edge and climbed out and shook the water off of me. Then I went back in and swam some more. The whole time Greg was standing on the streambank looking very happy. He called me a “Water Otter” I took that as a complement. After a few minutes he called us to follow him so we did and we continued our walk on the trail. We walked through meadows and a forest area. Geronimo and Farty would run ahead and then come running back. I followed them everywhere It was a lot of fun. To this day I enjoy going on nature walks. At long last we returned to the house. I was exhausted and found a nice sunny spot in the yard to lay down and sleep.

Over the next couple of weeks I did what Ray said and learned as much as I could from Geronimo and Farty. They took me for long walks every day. They also showed me how to jump up on chairs. Well they jumped up, I had to crawl up at first, but after a couple of days I was able to jump up as well. Farty taught me how to keep out of the way of cars when they drive up. Geronimo taught me how to run between people’s legs. He said when I got bigger it would be a whole lot of fun. Farty was always teaching me things she said would be important, Geronimo was always teaching me things that were fun.

One day I saw Miss Kitty in the field. She was crouched real low and moving very slow, sort of crawling in the field. I watched her for a little while then came running over to ask what she was doing. When I did I saw a bird come flying out of the grass. Miss Kitty was very upset. She said she had been stalking that bird for a long time and that now I had ruined it. I asked her why she was stalking the bird, she said it was what her job was along with catching mice. I told her I was sorry, but she was still very put off.

Another day, I saw Geronimo out in the field digging. I ran over to ask what he was doing. He said he was chasing something called a Gopher. I asked what a Gopher was, he said it was a little animal that hid in the ground and that one of his jobs was to try to catch them. I asked if I could watch him, he said I could if I stayed out of the way. He was working really hard and was making a huge hole. After a while he came out and had a nose full of dirt. He looked very funny. Greg came over to check out what he was doing. He petted Geronimo and told him how good he was and then called us over to the yard to help him there.

RAY Comes to get me

One day Greg came home and picked me up and put me in the truck. Geronimo started to jump in, but Greg asked him to stay. He looked a bit put off. Geronimo likes to go everywhere with Greg.

By now I was 10 weeks old and big enough to get my head out the window without having to stand on Greg’s lap. So as we drove off I had my head out the window with the wind in my face and my ears flapping in the breeze. Greg drove really fast. He said we were late. I wondered what we were late to.

Next thing I knew we were pulling up to something that Greg called an Airport. As we were parking I saw the largest bird I had ever seen come flying over head. I was so stunned I just stared. No way was I going to chase that Bird. Not only was it large but it made a very noisy sound.

Greg parked the truck and picked me up. I squirmed a bit, as I wanted to walk. Greg said he needed to carry me so that we don’t get in trouble. So I settled down and let him carry me. We went inside this big building and went over to a window. I saw the large bird land and come over to the building we were in. Next thing I knew there were people getting out of the bird. I had never seen a bird that let people out of it before. Greg said it was an Airplane.

After some time I saw someone coming over to where Greg was standing. He was very excited to see us. Greg handed me right over to him and said hi Ray. So this was Ray, I was so happy to see him that I licked his face. He held me in his arms and rubbed my belly. Geronimo was right he did give great belly rubs. After a few minutes we left.

The whole way back to Greg’s house Ray held me in his lap and rubbed my ears and scratched my back and rubbed my belly. I knew right then that we were going to be the best of friends.

When we got home Geronimo and Farty were there to meet us. Geronimo was very excited to see Ray and ran right between his legs. Ray put me down and greeted Geronimo and Farty. He was very happy to see both of them and gave them each a big hug. After a while we went inside.

It was getting late and I was really tired. Greg said he was going to bed, I started to follow him and Geronimo but he said to stay with Ray. So I ran over to where Ray was sitting. He picked me up and asked if I was ready for bed. That night he slept with me cuddled right next to him. I felt so safe.

In the morning we got up and went outside. I wanted to show him everything I had learned, so I ran all over the yard as fast as I could. I showed him how I could jump and how I could change direction real fast. We went down to the stream and I showed him how I could swim. He was very impressed. After a few minutes we went back inside and had breakfast. Later that morning he said we were going to go help Greg on a job.

I go camping:

I asked Geronimo what Greg did for a job. He said that he had the best job in the entire world. He built trails up in the mountains. I asked what made that such a great job. Geronimo said it was because Greg got to work outside and took him along when he went out to work.

I wondered what Ray did for a job. Geronimo said he didn’t know.

Ray and Greg spent most of the morning packing things. I went over to see if I could help out, but Ray said to go and play with Geronimo and Farty. So I did that. Eventually, Greg and Ray called us over to the truck and loaded us up. Farty had to stay home; she said she needed to protect the house.

We drove for a very long time. Much longer than I had ever driven before. We stopped a couple of time so that Geronimo and I could get out and stretch our legs. Geronimo said not to go too far from the truck unless Ray or Greg was with me. I stayed right next to Ray.

We drove on a very winding road until we got to a place where we turned onto a very bumpy road. Ray held me in his lap to keep me from bouncing around. I looked out the window. At long last we stopped and got out of the truck. Geronimo said we were at a place called a trailhead. I asked if this was where Greg worked, Geronimo said we needed to walk a long way up the trail until we got the place where Greg would be working.

Greg and Ray took all our things out of the truck. They both put backpacks on and walked around making adjustments. Greg then called Geronimo over and put a backpack on him. Geronimo stood still when the backpack was put on. He then walked around like Ray and Greg had done and came over to Greg again to have it adjusted. I went over and asked Geronimo what he was doing, he said that his job was to carry our food. I asked if I would be getting a backpack too. He said I was to little, but when I was bigger I would get my own backpack.

Ray told me to stay close to him and to stay on the trail. I was so excited to be on the trail that I ran up the trail real fast and then came running back. Geronimo said to slow down as we were going to be walking a long time. I started to settle down and walk at a comfortable pace. Every now and then we would cross a stream. When we did Geronimo said to stop and drink some water. He said it was important to drink a lot of water when out hiking.

I was starting to get very tired and found myself slowing down. Eventually, we all stopped and took a rest. I was very relieved, as my paws were sore. When it was time to go I got up but was too tired to walk very far. Ray took his backpack off and came over and picked me up. I licked his face and told him I was very tired. Ray said he understood and asked if I would like to be carried for a while. I wagged my tail and he put me in his backpack. I had my head sticking out the top and rested it on Ray’s shoulder.

Ray and I walked like this for a long time. I watched the world go by, and really enjoyed it. Geronimo came over and said I better enjoy it while I can because soon I would be too big to be carried. After some time I curled up inside the backpack and went to sleep. I was jolted awake when Ray stopped and took the backpack off. I awoke instantly and scampered out of the pack.

When I got my bearings I saw that we were in a meadow and there were a bunch of little houses setup. Geronimo said that they were called tents and that they were where we were going to stay for the next few days. I ran over and checked them out.

As Greg and Ray started unpacking, Geronimo and I went out exploring. He showed me where the stream was to get water, and where the best berries were for a quick snack. When we got back, Ray had a fire going. Greg was going to go up and look at the job site Geronimo went with him. I stayed with Ray. I was still very tired and laid down next to the fire and went to sleep. I must have been more tired than I thought as when I woke up it was dark and I was in a tent with Ray, Greg, and Geronimo. I don’t remember ever going into the tent, Geronimo later told me that Ray had picked me up and carried me.

The next morning we all woke up about the same time. Geronimo and I went out for a run in the woods while Greg made breakfast. I had slept right through dinner so I was very hungry. After breakfast Greg and Geronimo went up to the job site and Ray and I stayed at the camp and cleaned up. I really enjoy helping clean dishes. My job is to do the pre cleaning before Ray washes them.

After that was done we got ready to go up and work with Greg. I started walking up the trail when Ray called me. I ran over to where he was, he said we would be taking the 4 Wheelie up. I was not sure what he meant, but he jumped on this thing and started it up. It was very loud; I was a little scared of it. Ray came over and picked me up and sat me right in front of him. Off we went. I started to like it a lot. I was getting the best of all worlds my ears were flapping in the wind and I was right by Ray. We drove for about 10 minutes and finally stopped.

Up the road I could see Greg and Geronimo working on the trail. They were building a trail that zig zagged straight up a rock wall. I ran up to see what they were doing. Greg stopped and petted me. He and Ray talked about what they were going to do. Geronimo came over and told me that it was important that we stay out of the way. So we went out and explored the countryside. When we got back we laid down by the 4 wheelies and slept.

After a while Ray came back and said he was through for the day. So we fired up the 4 wheelie and started heading back to camp. I was perched right up front again. As we went along the trail Ray saw something that he called snow up on the hillside. We stopped the 4 wheelie and got off to investigate. I had not heard of snow before. I ran up to it and sniffed it, then put a paw on it. It was cold. Ray hiked around the edge of the snowfield. I followed him, when we got to the top he jumped on it and slid down. He was hollering and having a great time. I figured that if he was having so much fun I should try it. I stepped onto the snowfield and all of a sudden my paws went out form under me. I was on my belly sliding down the snowfield. I tried putting my paws out to slow down, but I just went faster and faster. All of a sudden the snowfield ended and I was tumbling head over paws down the mountain. I finally stopped and got up. I was a little wobbly. Ray came running over and picked me up asking if I was ok. I licked his face. He looked me over and saw that nothing was hurt, except I had a very cold and pink belly. He rubbed it until it warmed up. Even though the snowfield was a bit scary I enjoyed it. We went back up and slid down it a couple more times. This time I stayed on my paws and had a blast.

We spent about 4 or 5 days up at the job site. It was a lot of fun. When it was time to leave I was a little sad to go. We made it back to the truck and drove back to Greg’s house. Geronimo and I slept the whole way. We didn’t even get out when we stopped for a break.

Riding a Plane:

When we got back Ray said that we would be going home tomorrow. I wondered where home was. He said we were going to a place called Austin, Texas. I had never heard of it before.

The next morning I woke up late. Ray was up and packing all our things. Eventually, Greg loaded us up in the truck and off we went to the Airport. Ray went up to the counter and checked us in. He then came back and told me that I was going to have to ride in a special place as I was too big to ride with him. He put me in a kennel; I was a bit scared at first. But then he took his shirt off and put it in with me. I felt a bit better having something that smelled like Ray with me. Then someone came and picked me up and took me away. I was not happy and barked a few times. Ray came over and told me to be brave and that I would see him in an hour in Salt Lake City. The guy who took me away was very nice. He petted me and told me it was ok to be a bit scared. I felt better. Everyone came over to see me. They were all very excited and very nice.

Next they put me in with other dogs that were traveling on the same airplane. I felt better being around them. There was another Labrador that they set me next to. She was very nice and said the best thing to do is just lay down and take a nap. After a few minutes I felt the plane start to move, I got a little scared and barked a couple of times. The other Lab said not to worry that this was normal. She said that we would go very fast then we would take off. I was still a bit nervous. But once we were in the air it was a great ride. After an hour we started to go down, and a little while after that I felt a bump and the Airplane started to slow down. As soon as we stopped someone opened the door and took me out. I was very happy to see people again and wagged my tail. They quickly took me to a place where Ray was waiting for me.

Ray said we had a three-hour lay over. He took me out of the kennel and we went for a walk around the terminal. A lot of people came over to see me. I liked all the attention. The time went very quickly and soon Ray said we had to go. I went right back into the kennel and curled up for a nice long nap. Ray said this part of the trip would be a lot longer and that the next stop would be Austin.

When the people came to get me I wasn’t scared at all. I was an old hat at flying. They took me over to the plane and put me in. This time there were no other dogs there to keep me company. I just curled up and went to sleep. After a very long time we landed in Austin.

Once again Ray was right there to get me as soon as I was out of the plane. I was very happy to see him. He picked me up and gave me a big hug. While the rest of our baggage was catching up with us we went for a walk. Austin was very hot and I got tired quickly. When the baggage started to come out Ray grabbed a backpack and off we went.

Ray didn’t have a truck like Greg, but a car. It was nice though, and the windows were low enough that I could stick my head out and feel the air running on my face. We drove for a short time and when we stopped Ray said that this was our new home. He hoped I would be happy here. I thought I would be happy anywhere Ray was.

The Road trip 10/21/01

2009-06-03T14:51:00.000-07:00

The Road trip

Copy Write Ray Hebert
10/21/01

We got a new vehicle a little over 2 months ago. Ray got us a new Ford Escape. It is a mini-SUV with enough room in the back when the seat is folded flat (which is how it stays) for both Shasta and I to stretch out and relax in comfort.

Well, when Ray came home and showed it to us, Shasta and I looked at each other and immediately said Road Trip. After years of being cooped up in a little 2 door Honda Accord we felt it was time to go on a trip in the style and luxury that we deserve. It did not take very long to get Ray to agree, and we were very happy when he said we would go to Montana.

Montana is our favoritist place in the whole world. And were we in for a great surprise when we showed up. But that is for later in the story.

Ray said it was Labor Day weekend so he could get off work without any problem. So on Friday we loaded up the SUV (it’s not a car, not a truck, not a camper, sort of the best of all these things) and hit the road at the nice early hour of 1am. Ray was planning on leaving at 4am, but he said he was not sleepy so might as well get rolling. It had been raining in Austin for much of the past couple of weeks, and it had let up for a little bit so we put the windows down for the drive out of town. Shasta and I loved it.

Ray drove for about 5 or 6 hours (you loose track of time when you having so much fun) before we stopped outside of Lubbock (that’s in North Texas for you foreigners, Ray says it was home to Buddy Holly who ever that was) to take a break. To our surprise he crawled into the back with us and took a nap. There was enough room for him to stretch out if he lay diagonally in the back. Shasta and I thought that was great. We each took a remaining corner and napped with him. We like sleeping with Ray.

When we woke up after a couple of hours the Sun was just coming up. Very beautiful, now we got to drive and see where we were going. We drove and drove and drove and drove and then stopped at a nice park with a river. I got all excited because I thought we were going to go swimming. Ray asked us not to, so we ran up and down the bank and put a foot in just to test the water temperature. Just when we were getting ready to go there was a scream from the bank. Ray ran over to investigate. The wind had blown a hat off the head of one of the ladies from the tour bus that had stopped with us. She was in some distress as the hat was floating away and it had been a gift of her Grand daughter. Ray asked me to come over and sit next to him. He pointed at the hat until he was sure I had seen it, then said OUT. That is my cue to go. So I went running to the water and jumped in (I don’t jump like I used to, but on this occasion I made a big splash). I swam out and picked up the hat, it was a straw hat and it tickled my mouth. I made sure not to bite down on it. I swam back and gave it to Ray. The lady was so excited. I got hugs even though I was all wet. Shasta was very excited too, as she wanted to go swimming. So Ray went back and got our swimming toys and we stayed another half-hour and swam.

When we were done, Ray got us back in the SUV and off we went. Shasta and I were tired so we slept. Next thing we knew we were pulling into Cheyenne, Wyoming. I know Cheyenne as we stopped there when Ray and I moved from Boise to Sioux City in South Dakota. We stopped at the McDonalds where there is a huge grass field for Shasta and I to go and run in. Ray went and got us some water and we all sat down and had dinner. Shasta and I were to excited to eat. There were so many great smells and new sites to see that we only had a couple of bites of food.

Ray then drove and drove and drove again, then stopped and napped for a couple of hours and then got up and drove and drove some more. We started going up this long pass and when we got to the top I knew where we were. Bozeman, my favoritists place in the whole world. I saw the big M on the right side. Ray said that Greg had been working on it the last couple of weeks. It looked very nice. We decided to drive right through town and go straight to the ranch.

We got there just past 8am on Saturday. We all had our heads out he window (even Ray) to see what new things Greg had added. He always is doing something new. Shasta and I both saw the most beautiful site in the whole world. A Pond!!!! We were so excited we could not contain ourselves. Shasta was jumping all over the place and I was just mesmerized. When Ray opened the door for us we bolted out and ran straight over for a dip.

Shasta here. Shaq is handing over the letter to me for a while. His paws were getting sore from typing.

Let’s see we had just arrived at the ranch and were about to go swimming. Greg had built a big pond with a nice pier. I ran straight to the pier and jumped as far as I could and did a big belly flop. Shaq followed me in and Ray was not far behind with our water toys. Geronimo came out to greet us and we all had a fine time swimming.

While we were enjoying the pond Ray was visiting with the people. There were a bunch of people at Greg’s, including Marnie’s (Greg’s female friend) parents, as well as Marnies kids Simo and Tate and Greg’s son Jeremiah. So there was a full house of people to play with us.

We had a relaxing day of swimming and playing with all the kids. Choco and Missy showed up with their friends Terry and Frieda. I like playing with them, as they love to swim as much as Shaq and I do. Ray spent the day visiting and recovering from the long drive.

Sunday was a real treat we went rafting on the Yellowstone River. We had a great time and got to sit in the raft and enjoy the ride. There were a few easy rapids that made the bottom of the raft go up and down. I liked that a lot. After a while I relaxed and took a nap, Shaq was an old pro and just hung out watching the scenery go by.

After the raft trip we had a big party at the ranch. Lots of people came over and played with Shaq and I. With 6 Labs in attendance there ware plenty of play mates available. I even got to eat a whole hot dog all by myself (thanks James). It was yummy.

The next few days went by in a blur. Shaq & I took Ray hiking up at Hyalite a couple of days, then we had a relaxing couple of days swimming in the pond. Every now and then Ray would leave and Shaq & I would stay at the ranch. I would go all over the house looking for him to make sure that he was not playing hide and seek. When it was obvious that he was gone Shaq & I would take a break and relax and rest up for when he got back.

After a week of hanging out we packed the car and headed home. Ray drove again (Shaq offered to help, but he said he could handle it). We stopped at parks and other places on the way home.

Shaq & I really like going on road trips. We are starting to get Ray buttered up for another one this winter.

Well that was our vacation. We all had fun. Didn’t get to see everyone we wanted to (sorry Duke & Polly) but will definitely be going back again so will catch everyone then.

Cheers,
Shaq & Shasta & Ray

Last message from Sioux City 10/5/01

2009-06-03T14:48:00.000-07:00

Last message from Sioux City

10/5/01
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Howdy All,

I am back in Sioux City to supervise the pack and load of our stuff. They are about done and need to get the computer packed up, so this will be the last message from Sioux. The next message will be from our new home in Austin.

The last month has been very tough for me. I have been away from Shaq and Shasta for 32 days. That is the longest I have ever been apart from them and I admit that I really miss them. I have gotten my traveling done for the rest of the year, so I can spend as much time as possible with the kids.

I go to pick them up on Saturday morning for the drive down to Austin. Should take about 16 hours so we will do it over 2 days. I expect that Shaq will be glad to see me and will quickly settle into the routine again. Shasta will initially be glad to see me, then will give me the cold shoulder for a while. She really hates being separated, so I will need to spend some extra quality time with her.

The house in Austin has a really large yard (3/4 acre) so they will have lots of room to play. They have a huge deck (1200 sqft) that is partially covered so they will have a great place to lounge during the days when the weather is nice enough to be outside (when it is not over 100 degrees).

Well I better get going. I am really going to miss Sioux City, did not want to leave but job circumstances forced the issue.

I hope all of you have a great weekend and when you hear from us in about a week it will be from our new house in Austin. Email address will not change so to most of you it will not seem any different.

Cheers,
Ray & Shaq & Shasta

Dog or Frog 6/24/01

2009-06-03T14:47:00.000-07:00

Dog or Frog

6/24/01
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Howdy all,

Yesterday I asked the kids that if they could not be dogs what would they want to be. At once they both said Frog!

Frog, I thought maybe Butterfly or Wolf or some other such animal. So I asked why.
Shasta said that she really liked jumping and frogs like to jump. Then she proceeded to show me how she can jump like a frog and jumped all around the house. So yes I could see that a Frog suited Shasta very well.

Shaq said that he liked to swim and Frogs lived in the water and swam all day. He said if he could he would swim all the time, it is so relaxing and fun. In the afternoon we went out to St. Edwards Park and Shaq showed me how he can swim like a Frog. So yes I could see Shaq being a Frog.

Now, I'm wondering. Are they Dogs who act like Frogs, or are they Frogs concealed as Dogs?

Cheers,
Ray & Shaq & Shasta
P.S. Shasta is letting me send this from her email account. Very nice of her.

Slidy Shasta 6/9/01

2009-06-03T14:45:00.000-07:00

Slidy Shasta

6/9/01
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Howdy All,

Shaq here. An amusing thing happened yesterday. Well, I thought it was funny, I don't think Shasta did.

When ever Ray comes home he let's us in after a hard day of patrolling the back yard. We have a nice large yard that requires both of us to patrol constantly, otherwise some cat or other animal will try to horn in on our turf.

When Ray comes home and let's us in, Shasta goes wild and runs full bore straight to the kitchen and runs to the door to the garage. She want's to go for a ride to the park. I must admit I would like to go as well, but I am more dignified and don't see a need for all the theatrics. Well every day Shasta runs to the door.

Normally, she stops just before the door. This was made possible by the carpet that used to be in the kitchen (can you believe carpet in the kitchen?) that gave ample grip for stopping. Well last week Ray had the kitchen and the dining room tiled, as well as the bathrooms. It is very nice and we like it a lot. Very cool to lay out on, on those hot summer days and nights. I can stretch out and relax very nice.

Oh, back to the story. Well when Ray opened the door for us on Friday Shasta came rushing in and ran full speed to the kitchen. She put on the brakes to stop and found that she was still going forward, she started to back peddle, but to no avail. Thump. She went straight into the door. She got up and shook it off and looked at the door then looked at Ray, then looked at me.

I was rolling on the floor laughing, Ray ran over to give her a hug and make sure she was all right (she was). We didn't get to go out, as it was raining.

Hope each of you are enjoying your summer. Shasta and I are doing fine. Ray seems to be doing ok, but you never know with him. It is starting to get hot in Austin, with several days in the 90 degree range. When that happens we can go under the addition to the house where we have a nice large area to hang out. It is always cool under there, just like being in a cave.

Well that is the story of Slidy Shasta.
Shaq

Tug-O-Shasta 4/1/01

2009-06-03T14:44:00.000-07:00

Tug-O-Shasta

4/1/01
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Shaq loves to play tug of war. Next to swimming and retrieving it is probably his favoritist thing to do.

Shasta's favorite thing to do is sleep on the bed, or cuddle up with you on the chair.

With all the rain that Austin has been having recently (except the 3 days that friends from Montana were visiting last week) we have been playing a lot of Tug-O-War.

The kids have a rope with a rubber handle on it (for my benefit) that they play with.

The game is very different depending on who is on the other end of the rope with Shaq.

If I am the one on the end, then the game is to see if Shaq can rip my arm out of it's socket. He get the tugging going then all of a sudden he starts shaking his head and putting all of his weight behind the shakes. If you don't know it is coming your arm can get very sore. After a couple of times you learn how to go limp and let the shakes come. When he stops you then take your shot at dislodging the rope from the jaws of death. No human known can get the rope out of Shaq's mouth once the clench is in place. He would go on for hours if anyone could withstand his onslaught.

Getting Shaq and Shasta to play against each other takes a little finessing. Shasta does not always want to play Tug-O-War, so you have to get her interested. First you play a little bit with Shaq, after a few minutes you stop and give the rope to Shasta and give a couple of tugs to get it seated well in her mouth. Of course you are doing this with one hand and holding Shaq with the other hand. All this time Shaq is trying to jump out of his skin to get to the rope to play.

Once Shasta is engaged then you give Shaq the other end and sit down and enjoy the action. Shasta has one strategy, keep Shaq moving. If she stops then the death shake starts and she has to hang on for dear life. Now moving means backing up, and Shasta can now backup all thorough the house without hitting a thing. While she is tugging Shaq around the room he is growling the entire time. It is a real hoot to watch them go at it. Shasta can hang on for about 15 minutes on a good day.

Regardless who is the opponent when the inevitable happens (Shaq gets the rope) Shaq will parade around the room with the rope. If you sit down to take a rest he will bring the rope over and try to press it into your hand, or into Shasta's mouth. He can never get enough.

Well that is the story of Tug-O-Shasta.

Ray & Shaq & Shasta (formerly Stichy and Stinky)

Under the Knife 3/22/01

2009-06-03T14:42:00.000-07:00

Under the Knife

3/22/01
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Howdy all,

Shasta had a bit of excitement this week. Over the weekend she got a nice deep cut in her left front arm pit. Not sure how it happened, but expect that when she was running through the woods that she landed on a branch that punctured her.

She was not in any pain and it was not bleeding so I didn't think it was serious. But, on Monday I brought her in to get it looked at, expecting just a little local anesthetic and a couple of stitches would do the trick.

Well they took one look at it and immediately admitted her. They had to go in and clean it out. So she was admitted and put to sleep, had the wound cleaned and had 12 stitches put in to keep it closed. She stayed at the hospital all day and I picked her up after work.

We had friends from Montana staying with us (Greg, Marnie, Tate, Jeremiah and Geronimo (Shaq's Dad)) so they took care of Shaq. Every now and then Shaq would go wandering through the house to find Shasta. When she came home he came over and sniffed her wound and gave it a couple licks to make it feel better.

Shasta is fine and recuperating nicely, with a nicely shaved left arm pit (very sexy). She gets the stitches out on the 29th and can't go swimming until then, and should not be doing any heavy running and jumping (yeah right). She does not seem to be in any pain and does not lick or chew on the wound so I think she will survive.

Any way that is the update.

Ray & Shaq & Shasta

Shaq & Shasta Xmas 12/28/00

2009-06-03T14:40:00.000-07:00

Shaq & Shasta Xmas

12/28/00
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Merry ShaqMas and ShastaMas to all.

I scored this year. Shaq and Shasta pulled their resources together and got us a new refrigerator. Shaq used the money he won from jumping competitions in the last year and Shasta used the money she won from the face licking competitions. I kept asking what they were going to do with their winnings, they would only say that they were saving it for something special.

I was wondering what they were doing late at night surfing the web. Everytime I went up to check on them they would quickly switch the site they were looking at. I figured they were looking at www.Playdog.com again. (check it out it is very neat and not X rated ;) Now I know they were cruising the Lowes site.

I guess I will need to do something special for them. Maybe a nice trip somewhere where they can run, jump and play in the water.

Shaq and Shasta got a couple of bones, some new toys to play with and such. Not nearly as nice as a refrigerator, but they seemed happy just the same.

We had a very relaxing Xmas weekend. On Sunday, the kids let me go out for the evening. Bob picked me up and we went to a couple of parties. They were very entertaining. When I got home they were both sleeping on the Chaise. Shasta got up and sniffed me thoroughly to make sure I was not hanging out with other dogs while away. She gets very jealous when I've been out carousing with other dogs. Not finding any other scents on me she went back to sleep.

I hope each of you did as well as I did.

Cheers,
Ray & Shaq & Shasta

Seasons Greetings 12/23/00

2009-06-03T14:38:00.000-07:00

Seasons Greetings

12/23/00
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Howdy All,

Shaq, Shasta and I would like to wish each of you a happy holiday season and a prosperous new year. For those of you in Asia, Kung Hey Fat Choi (Happy New Year).

This past year has been one of transition for us. In the last year we left our home and friends in South Dakota and moved to a new home in Austin. I left Gateway and am now with IBM. We are making new friends, reacquainting ourselves with old friends (Shaq and I lived here 5 years ago).

We are doing well in Austin, enjoy the milder weather than what South Dakota is having right now and getting back into the swing of things. Shaq has a new Chaise lounge to relax on and Shasta has a large back yard to explore.

Shasta wants to wish the best to her former family. She wants them to know that she is doing well and is enjoying life. She likes to swim and enjoys life in Austin. She wishes her sister Sophie happiness in the new year.

Shaq wants to send seasons greetings to Greg, Terry, Frieda, Mandy, Jeremiah and Marnie as well as Geronimo, Farty, Choco and Missy in Montana. He can't wait to go back and swim in the ponds again.

I want to send a special greeting to all my friends at Gateway. I know it is a very stressful time right now, and I hope the new year brings better times. For those of you in South Dakota, stay warm.

On a work related issue, I am doing well. I launched my first product for IBM last week. AIX Toolbox for Linux Applications. www.ibm.com/AIX for those of you that want to learn more. A press release will be done early next year. On a PR note, I have been reunited with Catherine who was in charge of PR for servers when we first launched them at Gateway over 3 years ago. She is now with IBM and is helping me once again. I will be at Linux World in New York at the end of January for those of you attending please drop by the IBM booth and say hello.

And finally, for everyone who has lost someone special in the last year. Remember that they are not really gone as long as we hold their memory in our hearts.

Take care and have a safe holiday season.
Peace and Love,
Ray & Shaq & Shasta

Turkey Days with Shaq & Shasta 12/5/00

2009-06-03T14:37:00.000-07:00

Turkey Days with Shaq & Shasta

12/5/00
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Hi everyone, this is Shaq. It has been a long time since I have written. A lot has happened in the past four months and I have been very busy.

Last week was the first Turkey day for Shasta and I in our new home, oh and for Ray as well. Shasta and I have sort of forgiven him for leaving us in South Dakota for 32 days. But that is another story.

Shasta and I decided to take Ray out for four days of fun in the water during the Turkey Day vacation.

We started on Thursday by taking him to Auditorium Shores, by the Stevie Ray Vaughan statue. This is a place where I used to play years ago, and wanted to show it to Shasta. Ray came along so he could get some exercise he really enjoys throwing the ball for us. We started off with a few laps around the park, then headed over to the water for a dip. Ray kept throwing the ball in the water. We would bring it back to him and then he would throw it again. Lots of fun. He would alternate between throwing it for Shasta then for me. Every now and then he would throw it for Shasta and let her get a head start then he would send me out to try and get it. Whenever Shasta hears my splash she starts swimming faster. Sometimes I just make a splash so that she starts swimming faster, but I don't go in the water myself.

On Friday we took Ray over to St. Edwards Park which is near where we live. Shasta and I really like running and playing here. There are very good hiking trails and a dam that backs up Spicewood Springs so we can go swimming. It is a lot of fun. The trails run right next to the spring so we can alternate between charging through the water and running on the trail. Shasta really likes splashing through the water, I really like swimming in the water. Ray really likes the fact that he can walk on the trail and watch us play in the water. This place is only 10 minutes from the house. This is nice because every now and then when Ray comes back after disappearing for 8 hours he takes us here prior to dinner time.

The only down side of St. Edwards is that there are a lot of Cactus. While Shasta and I can usually miss them, every now and then we will get a sticker in our legs. Ray is very good about taking them out.

On Saturday we took Ray to Sand Point on Lake Travis. This is a bit of a drive, but well worth it. A couple of months ago Lake Travis was very low and we were able to run really far out into the lake area. Now the Lake is at normal levels and we could only play on the shoreline. Regardless Ray had fun. Shasta showed us how fast she can run. When she is in full flight she tucks her tail and her ears look like they are swept back along her neck. It looks really fast. Ray showed off by showing how far he could throw the ball. Sometimes he can get it really far out there. Shasta and I had races to see who could get to the ball first. I let her win a few times. When I get the ball she will get all excited when I bring it back. She will start jumping and getting all excited so that Ray will throw it for her. I keep telling her that she doesn't need to go through all the theatrics that he will throw it regardless, but she likes to get excited. Sometimes you just can't reason with her.

On Sunday we let Ray sleep in a bit. Then we went out to Dunkin Doughnuts for our Sunday muffins and to the store for the Sunday newspaper. This is something we do every Sunday. On an average Sunday there would be an Auto Race on TV. Ray likes Auto Racing, Shasta and I like sticking our heads out of cars that are going fast. So while Ray watches the race, Shasta and I dream about how neat it would be to be sticking our heads out of the window. But this was not an average Sunday, and the race season was over with. So Shasta and I got Ray off his lazy butt and dragged him kicking and screaming out to Auditorium Shores for a lunch time romp in the fields followed by a nice cool dip in the water.

Well that is what we did for the Turkey Day weekend. Yes, I know that was a couple of weeks ago, but you try typing without any thumbs.

We hope you all had a nice relaxing time.
Shaq & Shasta

Sleepy Time with Shaq & Shasta 11/19/00

2009-06-03T14:35:00.000-07:00

Sleepy Time with Shaq & Shasta

11/19/00
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Howdy all,

The kids have very different bed habits. One is very easy to manipulate in bed and the other is as stubborn as a Missouri Mule. (That is a quote from the movie Truman that I was watching last night. It is on the life of Harry Truman, President after WW II for you non-Americans)

Shaq is very good at sleeping in bed. He gets up just before you go to sleep and lays right on your spot. This is great because he warms it up real good. As soon as you move the covers he gets up and moves to the other side of the bed. If you want him to move more he is very good at adjusting. Shaq knows that no one piece of the bed is any better than any other. The whole bed is comfortable and good to curl up on. He likes to sleep at the end of the bed, curled up in a ball. Every now and then he gives out a satisfied moan.

Shasta on the other hand is a different subject. She is the one that is stubborn as a Missouri Mule. Shasta will jump up just as you are getting ready to get in bed. She will commandeer the spot that is exactly where you want to occupy (this is not just for bed it also is valid for where you want to sit as well). Right where your back and head would go is the usual spot.

Now unlike Shaq who is ambivalent on where to sleep on the bed, Shasta feels that if you want her to move that the spot you are trying to get her out of must be the best and most comfortable spot on the whole bed. She will then become an immovable object and resist all efforts to move her. If you get her moved you have to be ready to capitalize on the advantage immediately as she will quickly try to get back to the perceived choice spot. If you do get her moved and you get yourself situated in the spot, the battle is only half over.

If Shasta is determined to make a statement She will come over and stand on you (not over you, but on you), with that don't mind me look on her face. Then she will settle down and snuggle right next to you and put her head on your chest. Every now and then she will try to get a lick in on your face.

Then she will wait, all so patiently for you to turn or twist in your sleep. When you do she will fill in the space that you have vacated for a split second. By the end of the night you are over near the edge of the bed and she is sleeping peacefully in the best spot on the bed.

All this time, Shaq is sleeping peacefully at the end of the bed. Every now and then he lets out a moan. Sort of will you two quit this foolishness and let me sleep. After a while he will just give up and go sleep on the Chaise Lounge (the one that is triple wide and very comfortable).

During the evening when he needs to go out side he will come over and give a low Hummpppphhhh. If that does not get your attention then he will go a bit louder. It is sort of excuse me I need to go out, don't mean to disturb you but I can't open the door by myself. Shasta waits until Shaq gets my attention, then she springs up and heads for the door. She has to be the first one out the door at all times. She gets there and starts this excited dancing routine sort of like, "I have to go real bad, open the door".

When they are done and ready to come in you have to time it just right. You let them in, acknowledge their presence, faint going to the door and hope that Shasta buys it. If she does you then have a clear path back to bed, if not you start from scratch.

Well that is the story of Sleepy Time Shaq & Shasta.

We hope each of you had a pleasant and relaxed weekend.

Cheers,
Ray & Shaq & Shasta

Put up the Tree 11/19/00

2009-06-03T14:33:00.000-07:00

Put up the Tree

11/19/00
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Howdy,

Well we put up the tree today. What's that you are saying, it isn't even Thanksgiving yet?

Well it isn't that kind of tree, it is a wine tree. We found a little wine tree that holds 6 bottles of wine. Wanting to stay with a theme for the tree we went with a Kendal Jackson Tree (in honor of Marla).

The kids were all excited to see it go up. Shaq & Shasta came over and gave it a good sniffing. Shasta is partial to Chardonnay's and Shaq like Merlot's. I think they have both picked out which one they want.

Well that is what we did this weekend.

Cheers,
Ray & Shaq & Shasta

Shaq & Shasta’s Trip Home 10/18/00

2009-06-03T14:31:00.000-07:00

Shaq & Shasta’s Trip Home

10/18/00
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Howdy all,

As most know we now live in Austin, Texas. A week ago I went back up to Sioux City for one last time to supervise the packing and loading of our stuff, to say good bye to some special friends and most importantly to bring Shaq and Shasta down to our new home.

It had been 32 days since I had last been with the kids. This is the longest time I have ever been away from them. When I showed up at the Spa to pick them up they were very excited. I had to play catch with them for about a half hour until they calmed down enough to get in the car, even then they were very excited.

Shasta could not stop licking my face. She wanted to show her appreciation, I knew that I better let her have her way because sooner or later would be inevitable cold shoulder. Shaq had his head out the window and was checking out the country side. This was just from picking them up and driving toward Sioux City.

To get on the road we had to drive through Sioux City. As we approached our usual turn off to go to our old home Shaq started getting excited, when I drove by he had a sort of concerned look on his face. When we passed the last turn off to Sioux City he came over a couple of times and hit my head with his nose. Sort of to say "dumbo you missed the turn off". He settled down after about 50 miles when he realized that we were going on a road trip. All this time Shasta was oblivious to it all, she had her head in my lap which is where it would stay for much of the next 17 hours.

So on the road we went. First land mark was Omaha, Nebraska (putting in the state for my foreign friends). Just outside of Omaha we stopped for a pit stop. The kids jumped out of the car, Shaq had his retrieving ball in his mouth, and ran out into the field of the rest area. After a few minutes of playing it was time to get back in the car. One of the great things about the kids is that all you have to say is "Kennel Up" and they will get in the car with out any questions or pouting (some times they pout, but this time the didn't). After this rest stop they calmed down and relaxed for the long drive ahead.

When we are on a long drive the seating arrangements are; Shaq sprawled out in the back seat, and Shasta in the front seat with her head in my lap. Shasta thinks that she is a Lap Lab, even though she is 70 pounds. So here I am driving with her head in my lap, then she snuggles up a bit and gets her head over on my left leg (that is the leg closest to the door for you folks who have right hand drive cars) then she gets her front paws around my right leg, next thing you know you have half a Lab sleeping on your lap while you are driving 75 mph. And you don't realize it until she has been there for a half hour.

Shaq on the other hand is stretched out on the back seat snoozing away. Every now and then he will get up and put his head on my left shoulder so that he can get a nose scratch. This is what he does when we are driving and he is feeling a bit low and wants a little attention. Every now and then he will let out a loud HURUMPH. This means I am tired of driving and would like to get out and stretch my legs. When that happens we stop at the next rest area and take a break.

I try to stop every 2 - 3 hours to let them out. That seems to work well for us. One of the good things about stopping at rest areas is that inevitably someone, usually a trucker, comes over to meet them. They both like meeting new people and anyone who will throw the ball for them is a good person in their eyes. At one stop out side of Wichita, Kansas a trucker came over who had a couple Labs of his own (not with him though:( ). He had been watching the kids work. On this occasion I was doing some blind retrieves and practicing with hand signals and such. He came over and threw the ball for them for a good half hour, so they were very well exercised by the time we left. Both of them took a long nap.

Day one ended just south of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. We had driven about 11 hours and had 6 hours more to go. Shaq likes sleeping in hotels. Shasta is not so comfortable and decided that she would feel better if she were sleeping on top of me. So I spent the evening with Shaq curled up at the end of the bed and with a Shasta acting as the Lab Blanket. Luckily it was a chilly night.

Day 2 started after a very relaxing nights sleep. Shaq and Shasta were ready to get on the road around 6am. They were really wound up and bouncing off the walls so off we went. So what is the first thing they do? Go to sleep. And here I thought I would have company while driving. We drove until we were just north of Dallas around 7:30 and found a rest area to stretch out in.

David, a friend of ours had invited us to drop by his place in Dallas, but I thought it was a bit to early thus we passed up that opportunity. Wish we had slept in a bit more so we could have arrived in Dallas at a more reasonable time. Maybe another time.

I decided to avoid Dallas and take Interstate 35 West and go through Fort Worth, Texas (just north of Dallas/Fort Worth I35 splits into I35E going through Dallas and I35W going through Fort Worth then they join up south of the cities). Fort Worth is a bit smaller than Dallas and my reasoning was that the traffic would be better, and on the map it is about 10 miles shorter than going through Dallas. Good Idea, bad plan. When we got to where I35W and I30 come together there was a road closed sign for I35W. So we jumped on I30 and went East till we hit a highway that went south that connected with I35E then on to Austin.

It had not rained in Austin for a couple of months. But as soon as we got close to the city the skies opened up and started pouring. The highway was very bad, and there were cars going off the road right and left. So we got off the highway and took a few back roads to our new house.
Upon arriving on Sunday (Oct 7th) we went right into the house. We were in luck, the painters who were supposed to start on Monday had been able to start early and had the house 90% completed. Shaq and Shasta ran all through the empty house. Checking out every room, sniffing every square inch. Shaq liked the Loft area, he ran up and down the stairs several time. I think he was doing this for exercise as he knew it was raining outside so there was little chance of going out and playing in the yard. Shasta did not know what to think. She ran all over the house several times, then I think she started to feel a bit insecure so she planted herself right by me and stayed there.

After a couple of hours the rain stopped and they went outside for the first time. Both went all over the yard investigating. Shaq chased a squirrel, Shasta sniffed every inch of the yard. Shaq went around claiming every tree and bush. Then they adjourned to the deck. Shaq really likes the deck, especially the part that is covered. His first request was to extend the covering, right now it only covers half of a section of the deck. He wants it to cover that entire section so that he can have a larger place to lay out when it is raining. Shasta liked the fact that there is an entrance to the deck from our bedroom. Shaq also would like the fence extended so that it covers the whole yard, right now it only covers about half the yard. Why have 3/4 acre when you can't use it all? So we will be doing that soon.

Since none of our furniture had arrived, and would not for another week, we camped out on the floor. Shasta liked this as she was able lay right next to me the whole night and periodically give me a lick. Shaq was a bit put off as he is used to having a bed or a sofa to sleep on.

On Saturday we had a new piece of furniture delivered. An incredible triple wide Chaise Lounge. It is very neat, a deep purple color and very comfortable. This was the only furniture in the house. After it was delivered both Shaq and Shasta tried it out. Shaq really likes to sleep on it at night. I think he likes the curve on it, sort of fits his back. One of the issues that he has with regular couches is that he has to constantly be aware of where he is on the couch when he decides to roll over on his back. A few times he has fallen off. With the Chaise he can stretch out, roll over and get comfortable with little risk of rolling off.

After a week of camping out in the house our furniture arrived on Monday. Yippee!!!! After everything was brought in the house and all the plastic was taken off the furniture I let the kids in. Shasta ran to her favorite chair and jumped in and curled up. She now seems much more relieved with all our stuff now here. She now realizes that this is our new home.

Well that is the story of our trip down and getting setup in Austin. We hope that each of you had a good summer and will have a prosperous end of the year. We are happy to be in Austin, we miss our friends in Sioux City and all the places we used to play every weekend.

Cheers,
Ray & Shaq & Shasta

Shaq & Shasta Update 9/10/00

2009-06-03T14:29:00.000-07:00

Shaq & Shasta Update

9/10/00
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Howdy All,

Shaq, Shasta and I have been in Montana resting and charging our batteries for the next adventure. Sure was pleasant to enjoy the splendor without having to worry about much of anything.

We drove out to Montana, which was a long drive. We did it in one day. Shaq was sprawled out in the back seat of the car, and Shasta was stretched out in the front with her head on my lap. Every 200 miles or so we would find a rest area so that they could get out and stretch and run a little. On the way back we stopped in Mitchell South Dakota to visit the Cabelos sporting goods store. Shaq and Shasta got a new set of dinner plates with Labs on them. Very stylish.

We arrived in Bozeman around 6pm and had dinner with Terry. While having dinner he inquired what our plans were. Well I thought we were going to go for a hike up to Castle Rock. Nope that was closed due to fire danger. No problem we will go up to Hylite reservoir and let the kids swim in the cool mountain water. Nope closed too. Hmmmmmmmmm Can we hike up to the M? (The M is the world largest block letter and sits above Bozeman) Nope close as well. Well what can we do? Terry informed us that we could swim at the ranch or go to the Bozeman ponds. So that is what we did for our stay. With all the fires in Western Montana all the forest service land was closed, which meant little opportunity for hiking and such in the mountains.

Shaq, Shasta, Geronimo (Shaq's Dad) and occasionally Missy and Choco (Terry's Chocolate Labs) went swimming. Shaq and Shasta loved it. Shaq's wish in life is to be able to wake up each morning and go for a swim.

Shasta really blossomed into a retriever on this trip. Normally, Shasta will let another dog retrieve if they have a step on her. On this trip, after a day of not getting much of anything she started to race for the retrieve with the other dogs and she found that more often then not she was the first one there. So good for her.

Shasta usually carries things back very softly. Once while bringing back her ball from a water retrieve Missy came up and grabbed it out of her mouth. She was pissed. Next time she got it, Missy tried to take it again. She held on tight and growled at her. She was not going to let it go.
Shaq showed everyone that he could walk on water. Choco is a great swimmer, but she will usually charge into the water and start swimming as soon as it gets deep enough. Shaq charges in and walks across the water for a bit then settles into swim when he can't run anymore. It is something to see, very hard to describe.

Having Shaq around means that you never have to bend over to pick up anything. He will be more than happy to pick it up for you and put it in your hand. All you have to say is deliver, and off he goes. Geronimo likes to chew on what ever it is he is retrieving. Shaq figured this out and would stand by until he dropped it for a second. Then he would dart in and grab it and bring it back so it could be thrown again.

Thus, that is our trip out to Montana. I am finally on my way to Austin to start work. Shaq and Shasta are staying in South Dakota until our house closes in Austin on October 3rd. I think that they will be happy in Austin. They will have a huge yard to play in, 3/4 acre with about half of it fenced. I will need to see about seeing if any of my friends from Montana want to have a nice vacation in the sun this winter and help finish off the rest of the yard.

We hope each of you had a good summer. Don't forget that the Summer Olympics are coming up. If you have access to Australian or Canadian television you will actually get to see the Games unlike us poor souls in the States who will see "highlights" with "Human Interest Stories" of the games. As soon as I get down to Austin I will have to find a sports bar with a real satellite dish that can get the Canadian broadcast.

Cheers,
Ray & Shaq & Shasta

Watch Dogs 8/3/00

2009-06-03T14:27:00.000-07:00

Watch Dogs

8/3/00
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Howdy all,

Shaq and Shasta often double as watch dogs. This is in addition to their duties of retrieving dogs, swimming dogs, face cleaning dog (Shasta only), belly rubbing dogs and caning dog (Shaq with his lethal tail) among other duties.

Shaq and Shasta have divided the watching responsibilities based upon their general interest and acumen. Each one has specific talents that make their watching duties tailored to them. Shaq has a menacing look (even though we all know he is very gentle) Shasta is the caring one.

Shaq is an outwardly watching dog. He likes to keep an eye on what is going on outside the house. As such his position of vantage is either on the hill in the backyard so that he can see traffic on the sidewalk or street or at the front door where he can view the street and sidewalk from the full-length window by the door.

Shaq takes the job of alerting the family of any activity outside the boundaries of the house very seriously. He lets us know when a cat crosses the street, when there is another dog wandering around or when a house is being robbed. This last activity happened last year when at 3am Shaq went ballistic. He started barking, came running into the bedroom at full speed jumped from the door to the bed in one bound and continued barking at me. Sort of a get up now type of bark. I got up and he ran right to the front door where I could see a neighbors garage open and a van backed up to with people putting things in it. We quickly called the Police who nabbed the culprits. Shaq got a big thank you from the elderly lady who owns the house.

Shasta on the other hand has the duties of inwardly watching. This primarily means watching me. She wants to be there for whatever need I may have. You never know, I may need my face cleaned or I may need a Lap Lab or I may need to rub a belly. She wants to be there to provide whatever service she can. Thus her perch is where ever I am. If I am sitting in the living room she is right by the chair it I'm in bed she is either right there in bed next to me or on the floor by the bed. If I move a muscle she is immediately up to see what I am going to do and if I need help.

One of Shasta's favorite watching duties is being the designated Lap Lab. Every now and then she feels that she needs to watch me from up close thus she will leap into the chair and sprawl out on my lap. Hence the term Lap Lab. This move is usually (but not always) preceded by the traditional staring at you with Big Brown Eyes look with accompanied head on knee pose. Then all in one motion she jumps, curls up in a ball and lands on my lap. When she lands she does it in such a way that her weight (70 lbs.) is distributed evenly so you don't feel crushed. But as soon as she is on your lap she then becomes the immovable object. You would think that she weighed a ton.

Right now both are outside. Shaq is on the hill looking out at the street and Shasta is on the retaining wall looking into the back window. So even though they are both outside they are still working hard.

Well those are our watch dogs. I am lucky to have to such devoted and hard working kids.

Cheers
Ray & Shaq & Shasta

The House Guest 7/24/00

2009-06-03T14:26:00.000-07:00

The House Guest

7/24/00
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Howdy All,

For the past two weeks Shaq and Shasta have had a house guest. Cheiko is a Golden Retriever who's family is moving to San Diego. They wanted to get their house all setup for him prior to his arrival. He left to fly down to San Diego on Monday. His family is the Subermarians (hope I didn't butcher it that bad).

Cheiko is three years old and very smart. He listens much better than Shaq or Shasta, and loves to retrieve as much as Shaq does, and enjoys a good ear scratch as much as Shasta.

Shaq and Shasta often have selective listening skills, Cheiko very much listened all the time. I think Shaq learned a bit from this. Shasta on the other hand is the Princes and knows she can just about get away with anything as long as she can make eye contact with those big, deep brown eyes.

Every morning we would wake up and go outside to play. Cheiko gets so excited about retrieving that he can hardly contain himself. His tail starts wagging, his skin starts shaking, he sort of does this half bark/half whimper of excitement, all the time his eyes are glued on you and the ball. Shaq on the other hand just sits there and glares at you until you throw the ball. He and Shaq would alternate retrieving the ball. Shasta was just interested in pets and was glad to have someone else chasing the ball for her. Which ever got the ball first (Shaq or Cheiko) would be chased around the yard by the other. If Shaq had the ball he would run at a lope to let Cheiko get close, then he would jump up the retaining wall to get away from him. This would infuriate Cheiko and he would go charging around the yard to catch up. If Cheiko had the ball, Shaq would run next to him then all of a sudden cut in front. Cheiko would make a sudden move to avoid him and most of the time drop the ball, at which time Shaq would scoop it up and off he would be running.

Shasta was not left out of the fun, even though she did not join in on most of the retrieving play. Shasta would goad Cheiko into chasing her in the middle of the day. This was usually done by walking over to Cheiko when he was sleeping and pawing his face. Cheiko would jump up and wrestle with Shasta. Both of them had a great time.

For the evenings entertainment, Cheiko would occasionally chase his tail. Shaq and Shasta thought this was very funny. They would sit and watch him go round and round. Other times he would goad Shaq into wrestling with him. This would start by jumping up and down in front of Shaq, then trying to paw him. At which time Shaq would jump up and grab his collar and then they would wrestle in the living room for a few minutes. One would get in a position of disadvantage then kick the other one and then spring up and start all over again. Shasta knew to get out of the way.

When Cheiko left Shaq was all concerned. He was outside when Cheiko jumped in his car to go to the airport. When I let Shaq and Shasta in the house, Shaq ran all over the house looking for Cheiko. He checked all the bed rooms twice (even looked under the bed), then ran down stairs and checked there, then re-checked the rooms then ran outside to see if he was out there. Once it was obvious his playmate was gone he came over for a long ear scratch. I went out and played with him and Shasta to get their minds off of Cheiko leaving.

In all it was a fun two weeks. Shaq and Shasta wish Cheiko all the best in his new home in San Diego. Shasta knows that her former family (the Burns') will be going over to check up on Cheiko from time to time.

Well that is the story of Shaq and Shasta's house guest. They all had a very good time, got along very well and played a lot. Cheiko learned to eat all his food at one sitting, otherwise Shaq would be more than happy to help out. Shasta shared her eating stand with Cheiko so that he didn't have to bend over to eat. They would both bury their noses in their food and not come up for air until it was all eaten. Most dogs are very protective of their eating space so it was interesting to see all three eating next to each other and not getting into fights or growling matches.

Both Shaq and Shasta have raised eating platforms that have a food dish and water dish, if you have a large dog we recommend it as it helps to reduce the stress on the neck and back from having to bend over to eat and drink. Best to get one that is a little lower than the dogs shoulder. Smaller breeds most likely don't need this assistance. Another bonus is it keeps food and water off the floor.

Hope everyone had as entertaining a time over the last couple of weeks as Shaq and Shasta, and their new friend Cheiko.

Cheers
Ray & Shaq & Shasta

The Majesty of Labs 6/13/00

2009-06-03T14:24:00.000-07:00

The Majesty of Labs

6/13/00
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

There is something about the look on a Labs face when they are concentrating. Shaq and Shasta both have it. Right now, they are sitting, sort of leaning forward looking out into the distance with their ears cocked forward and eyes constantly searching. It is one of the most majestic sites I have ever seen. And one of the prime reasons I am so fanatical about Labs.

Both Shaq and Shasta have a uniqueness about them that makes them one of a kind. Shaq is all concentration, always wanting to work. He is a learning machine, and loves to be challenged. Shasta is the caring one. She is always looking to lend a hand, and does not mind letting Shaq take the lead. Her goal is to get the job done with a minimal amount of effort. Do not misinterpret this to mean she is lazy, just thrifty with her actions. Both of their personalities blend well with each other, which is why they are a great team.

Shasta: Shasta is a medium sized chocolate Lab, she is a very affectionate and always is looking for a little attention (ok, a lot of attention). During the day I may be sitting in my chair watching TV or outside reading a book. She will come up and put her head on the chair, if I ignore her she will then put both front paws on the chair and get her face up next to mine. She is thinking that the reason that I am not petting her is because I don’t know she is there. If I gently push her off the chair, she may do it again right away, or she may decide that she needs to be a Lap Lab, in which case in one swift and graceful motion she will jump in your lap and lay down all at once. It is an amazing thing to see, much less have happen to you. She has the ability to take her 70 pounds and distribute them around such that you don’t know that there is that much weight laying on you. If Shaq did this you would be squashed. Once she is on you there is little you can do to get her off, except to give her the attention she wants after she has had her fill she will then get off.

Around 9pm every night we have a routine where Shasta will go outside to use the bathroom prior to going to bed. When I let her back in she does this excited dance where all in one motion she jumps, spins and sits. She will do this a few times, and always right in front of the biscuit box. She is so excited that you just can’t help but love her. Shaq walks into the room with a air of dignity, suggesting that yes I would like a biscuit too, but I’m not about to make a fool out of myself for it. So I grab a couple of biscuits and we do a little work. It is usually with the down command, which is always Shasta’s most challenging command. I say "Down" and they are supposed to lie down. Shaq is very good at this, but Shasta will go down for a millisecond and then pop back up. You have to say it a couple of times before she stays down. All the time Shaq is down and looking at you with his ears propped forward and a piercing glare that says "look I’m down so give me my biscuit, I can’t help it if she can’t get it straight". After they are both down they get their biscuits and go off to separate corners to eat them.

Shaq: Shaq is the quintessential working dog. He always wants to retrieve something, investigate something or just learn something new. He has an adventuresome sprit that I just plain adore. When we went out to the first long jumping contest, he was totally into figuring out how to compete. After a couple of practice jumps it was clear that he had figured out what this game was all about jumping far. Ever since then he has been striving to go further and further. His last competition he went 21’2" and I could not have been prouder.

When Shaq is on top of his game he has his ears at full attention, his eyes burn with intensity and his tail is straight up. When he is in this state you can ask him to do anything and it will get done. That is extremely exciting to watch. If I were to compare him to a human athlete I would say that he has some Michael Jordan in him (the ability to jump) a bit of Steve Prefontaine (the ability to run forever) and a bit of Mark Spitz (the ability to swim). Add to that a bit of Brian Boitono (a bit of a show off) and you have Shaq.

One of Shaq’s favorite pass times is retrieving a toy called a Kong. A Kong is a three or four layered toy with each layer looking like a donut that has each ring smaller than the one below it. (It is also hollow inside so you can put a treat in it and watch them try to get it out, lots of fun to witness) When it hits the ground you don’t know which direction it is going to shoot off in. Shaq loves this because it constantly keeps him scrambling. Every throw is different than the one before it. Sometimes it just goes straight up after it hits the ground, Shaq loves that because it allows him to sky for it. He will launch himself up in the air then contort his body to make the catch. Then land. Sometimes it is perfect four point landing, but there is the occasion where he will come down and take a digger. Regardless the Kong never leaves his mouth.

Well that is just a few reasons why I love my kids. Yes I’m bragging a bit. They are not always this perfect, just usually.

Cheers
Ray & Shaq & Shasta

Thanksgiving Update 12/6/99

2009-06-03T14:21:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving Update

12/6/99
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Howdy All,

Yes I know it is no longer Thanksgiving, but I was overly lazy and am just getting around to writing. So be happy you are hearing from us.

It has been a long time since the last update. Shaq and Shasta are doing well. I am enjoying a most mild winter in Sioux City, it is now December 6th and there has been no snow. We may get some in a couple of days, but this is very odd.

It was warm enough on Sunday that Shaq went swimming in the river. Ok, it really was not warm enough for any sane animal, but Shaq is such a water hound that he plunged right in, swam around for a while then stayed waste deep in the water expecting me to throw something for him. Shasta just thought he was insane. She walked over to the waters edge and put a paw in and quickly stepped back.

Shasta has been a member of our family for over a year now. She has settled in quite well. She likes to snuggle up next to me in bed and will not get out in the morning until she has had a belly rub. If she has been less than an angel she will put her head on my chest and give me the big brown "I'm sorry" eyes. How can anyone resist them? When she wants a treat she gets you to go to the kitchen as if to let her out, then she gets all excited and does a sort of jump full twist with a sit at the end. Degree of difficulty, 9.5. She does this over and over again until you relent and give her what she wants. Shaq sits at the door looking dignified, refusing to stoop to such dramatics.

Shaq and Shasta often team up to get me to go somewhere in the house. Shaq will get behind me and butt me with his head, Shasta will walk on one side to make sure I don't take a detour. Together they will get me to go where they want. At which time I am at their mercy.

I have learned so much from Shasta in the last year. For example how to sleep with my mouth closed so I don't get my tonsils cleaned in the morning by a long brown tongue. Also I learned how to get both Shaq and Shasta up on the bed just prior to bed time so that they can warm it up. This is very useful.

Shaq really likes having Shasta around. He now has someone to play with all day. And play they do. I have sat for hours in my office looking out the window watching them play tag and wrestle. One of the oddest thing's is that they don't fight over who gets to clean the plate. Every now and then I will let them lick a plate clean. Both of them get their noses in at the same time and neither one growls at the other. Eventually Shasta pushes Shaq's nose out of the way and she takes over. Shaq does not seem to be overly concerned at all.

Shaq and Shasta also help out with work. They tirelessly surf the net all night looking for tid bits of information on the competition. In the morning they have reports all done.
So I can say that in the last year one of the best things that has happened to Shaq and I is that Shasta came into our lives.

Work is progressing along. I thought I was moving to Irvine in August, but had it put off for a while. I guess I am ready to move if that should be the direction to take. We do like Sioux City and would prefer to stay here, but sometimes you have to go where the jobs are, and right now in Gateway they are showing up more and more in California. So don't be surprised if sometime next year you get a note from me saying that we have a new address in southern California.

We hope that all of you have a merry holiday season and a safe new year. Remember to stock up on plenty of food and ammunition for your guns prior to the new year. Also be sure to check and see if your banks are using Gateway servers. If not I highly recommend that you pull all your money out prior to the new year and store it in an establishment that is using Gateway servers. If one is not near by it would be safer in a mattress.

Cheers
Ray & Shaq & Shasta

Swimmy Shasta 9/6/99

2009-06-03T14:20:00.000-07:00

Swimmy Shasta

9/6/99
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Howdy All,

Yes you read the subject right, Swimmy Shasta. After a year of hanging out with Shaq, Shasta has decided to try her paw at swimming.

For the last year Shasta had not wanted to swim at all. This is very odd for a Labrador, but I was not going to force the subject. When she was good and ready she would swim. Well that day has come.

The weather in Sioux City has been very good for much of the last month. So I took the kids to McCook lake to let Shaq swim and to let Shasta play in the nearby woods and wade out into the water. At least that is what I thought would happen.

I forgot to pack Shaq's favorite retrieving dummies, so we stopped and got a new ball for Shaq to retrieve when out swimming. This one has a squeak in it, which just captivated Shasta. She would go a bit crazy when I picked it up and squeezed it a couple of times. She would jump up trying to grab it out of my hand, very playful.

I threw it a few times for Shaq, then saw that Shasta was really interested in it, so I tossed it out in the shallow water where I knew she could wade out and get it. She cautiously waded out and got it. Next I threw it really far out for Shaq, Shasta waded in and waited till Shaq got back then she berated him for not getting it back quickly enough.

So this time I held Shaq and squeezed the ball a few times to get Shasta really excited, then threw it just far enough out that I knew she would have to swim a couple of strokes. She was so into the ball that she did not realize that she had swam out and got it until she got back. She dropped the ball and looked back at the lake. I held the ball up and squeezed it a few times, she jumped up and really wanted to get it. So I held Shaq again and threw it really far out. She wadded in and cautiously started swimming, after a few splashing strokes she settled down to a nice efficient stroke and retrieved the ball. After that I could not keep her out of the water. When I threw the ball for Shaq she would wade out and try to grab it from him, as if hew as not bringing it back faster on purpose.

For a while I alternated between throwing the ball for Shaq then for Shasta. Then I decided to see if we could have a swimming contest. I gave Shasta a head start on retrieving the ball of about 10 yards, then release Shaq. Shaq would charge into the water and the race would be on to get the ball. Most of the time Shasta would win out, but one time Shaq just beat Shasta to the ball. She was visibly pissed. Shaq started to swim back with Shasta right in his wake. After a few strokes she tried climbing on his back to get the ball. Shaq just stopped and gave her a dirty look, she never tried that again.

One thing that Shasta did not like was diving off the pier. Shaq loved it he would charge down the to the end and launch himself off. Shasta tried it and got to the end and sort of jumped in. I don't think she enjoyed having her face under water because she would pop up and panic for a few seconds and try to climb back on the pier. I would reach down and grab her by the scruff on her neck and pull her back up. I think after a few times of doing it she will see what Shaq is doing and try to launch her self off rather than just jump off the end.

Well that is the story of the Swimmy Shasta. Very proud of her and glad that she has decided to join in on the fun of swimming.

Cheers
Ray & Shaq & Shasta.

LabFest 99 7/18/99

2009-06-03T14:17:00.000-07:00

LabFest 99

7/18/99
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Ok, it was 4 labs and a Beagle, but I'm not sure that the Beagle knew she was not a Labrador.
Shaq and Shasta had Tim Derochies Kids over for a slumber party.

The players: Shaq and Shasta (you know them), Pixie (large yellow Lab, sort of a lovable moose), Goldie (the grand Dam of Labs, a bit smaller than Shasta) and Rascal (the Beagle who thinks she's a Lab). Pixie, Goldie and Rascal are part of Tim Derochies family. Shaq and Shasta invited them over for a slumber party for the weekend while Tim was working on his new house.

All of Tim's kids are females, so Shaq was in heaven with 4 females at his disposal. He was a drooling and slobbering machine right from the start. He went over and sniffed everyone, and decided that he was particularly fond of Goldie, unfortunately Goldie was not as fond of him, so after a few quick growls Shaq gave up.

Over the weekend the dogs seemed to pair up, with Shaq and Pixie hanging out together and Goldie and Shasta hanging out together. Rascal and I teamed up and had a great time.

Pixie: The name depicts visions of a small petit dog. Those visions are far from the truth. She is about as tall as Shaq is. She loves retrieving just as much as Shaq does and they were a great pair for playing with the ball. Both would run out as fast as they can to get the ball. Shaq got it about 60% of the time, but that did not seem to faze Pixie in the least bit. When they came back she would immediately demand that it be thrown again.

Goldie: The old girl of the bunch, a savvy huntress who knows when to expend energy and when to conserve. She and Shasta had a great time together. Shasta would go over and whack her with a paw until she got up and started chasing her. After a while she would find Shasta sound asleep and come over and pounce on her. Shasta would then jump up and chase her around the yard. She and Shasta were evenly matched in the retrieving category. Both would run out as fast as possible, but neither could keep up with the speed of Shaq. So I would hold Shaq and Pixie and throw the ball so that they could get it.

Rascal: A Beagle with the heart of a Labrador. I am not sure that Rascal knows that she is Beagle. Most Beagles that I know don't like to retrieve, they tend to like to investigate and chase things (like Rabbits). Unfortunately being the small one of the bunch she could not compete with the speed of the Labs when it came to retrieving balls. I could see her getting very frustrated about not being able to partake in the fun so a couple times I put the big dogs in the house and she and I played together in the yard. She is quite the retrieving Beagle. Everytime she came back she had an incredibly proud look on her face. Needless to say the others did not like to be left out of the fun so our playtimes were kept short.

The daily routine is: Wake up in the morning and play, then Pixie, Goldie and Rascal get to eat while I take Shaq and Shasta inside and do obedience work with them. After breakfast it is time to rest until the afternoon play session where I try to let the Big Labs and the Medium sized Labs get the ball an equal number of times, or until they are so tired that they just don't go out anymore. Then it is time for the afternoon nap. In the evening Shaq and Shasta eat while I do some obedience work with Pixie, Goldie and Rascal. Pixie and Goldie are very good stayers, Rascal is very good at sitting. But she is just so darn excited to stay for a long length of time.

Just before bed time I give out treats. It is interesting to see all 5 dogs sitting perfectly still waiting. Rascal always got hers first as I did not trust the big dogs to be generous. Then came Goldie and Pixie, both took there bones very nicely and retreated to neutral corners and devoured them. Shaq and Shasta did their usual gently take the bones and immediately scarf them down.

Sleeping with 5 dogs is quite a chore. When it came time to go to bed Pixie, Goldie and Rascal took the left side of the bed while Shaq and Shasta took the right side. Pixie curled up at the foot, Goldie stretched out with her head on my chest and Rascal curled up by my head. Shaq took his customary spot at the end of the bed and Shasta stretched out along side. So in effect I was the meat of a lab sandwich, with a topping of Beagle. Saturday night Rascal decided that the best spot on the bed was on my back. So she curled up on top of my back for about 15 minutes. I could do nothing about it as I was hemmed in by four Labs and thus prevented from rolling over.

Well that is the recap of the weekend. Attached are a couple of pictures of the kids. Shaq is the Black Lab, Shasta is the Chocolate Lab, Pixie is the Yellow Lab on the far Right closest to the camera and the other Yellow Lab is Goldie. Rascal got her own shot.

We hope each of you had as much fun as we had this weekend. Shaq and Shasta can't wait to have their friends over again.

Cheers
Ray & Shaq & Shasta & Pixie & Goldie & Rascal

Leapin Labradors 6/13/99

2009-06-03T14:14:00.000-07:00

Leapin Labradors

6/13/99
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Hello, this is Shasta.

It has been quite some time since I wrote, I want to update you on something we did yesterday. Shaq says he is to tired to write, I think he is just full of himself.

Ray took Shaq and I out to a long jumping contest. It was south of our home on the way to Omaha, or at least that is what Ray said.

Ray got us in the car around 8am for a drive of about an hour. I really like going for rides. Shaq always gets the back seat, he is to big to sit comfortably up front, and I get to sit next to Ray in the front. I can see everything from the front, and it is a lot of fun. If we are not driving very fast Ray will roll the windows down so that Shaq and I can stick our heads out the window. I love the feel of wind blowing on my face.
We drove for about an hour and arrived at a farm. There were a lot of other dogs there. Most were Labs like Shaq and I, but there were some dogs that looked like Labs, but were all Gray and had short tails. Shaq told me he thought they were Weimeriers. They looked like ghost running around. There were also Golden Retrievers, a couple of German Shepherds and some other odd looking dogs that did not look like anything identifiable. In all around 40 or so.

Seeing all these dogs got me very excited. I jumped out of the car and ran over to say hello. They were all so friendly. You could tell which ones were all work and no play because they would ignore everything except this bumper that their friend was throwing for them. Shaq went over to check out the competition. He growled at a few of them. I asked him why he did that, he said to psyche them out. He said you can't let them think for a second that they are better than you.

I went over and raised a lip to a couple dogs. They just looked at me and laughed. I guess I don't have the killer instinct that Shaq has so I just went over and played with them.

Ray took us out into a field to practice retrieving. He sprayed my bumper with this incredible smell. Shaq said it smelled like a bird. I really liked it. Ray would throw it out into the field and I would run real fast to get it. It was a lot of fun. Ray took Shaq over to the lake where the long jump competition would be and threw the bumper for him. Shaq ran to the end of the pier and jumped real far. He made a big splash when he went in.

Ray had already registered us for the competition, and I was the first dog to compete. Ray sprayed the bumper with the bird scent and let me sniff it. I went a bit wild, I really wanted it. Next he threw it and let me go. I charged down the pier, then I realized that the pier was running out. I put on the breaks and stopped just in time to avoid going in the water. Everyone started laughing, I looked back to see if Ray was upset he just motioned for me to run back to him, which I did. He picked me up and gave me a hug, and said that if I didn't want to jump in that was ok. We went over to where Shaq was. He told me that I was expected to jump into the lake and get the bumper. I told him he was crazy if he thought I was going to do that. Next came a bunch of other dogs that ran down the pier and jumped in. Some jumped very far. A few were as smart as me and decided not to jump in. Why get all wet when you don't have to?

Shaq was the second to last to jump in the first round. Ray threw the bumper for him and he went charging down the end of the runway and jumped real far. Everyone cheered when he got out of the lake. He stopped and shacked himself off then brought the bumper back to Ray. He came over to me and said that is how it is done. He told me that there were three rounds of jumps and that at the end of each round half the dogs were eliminated. So that meant I didn't have to go out again. I was very relieved and just as happy to be a spectator. Maybe next year I will give it a try.

At the end of the first round Shaq was one of the leaders, and got to jump third from last in the second round. When he went up to jump he looked like he was all business. He ran real fast down to the end of the runway and launched off the end. He seemed to fly forever. When he finally landed everyone started cheering. When he got out Ray ran over to meet him and gave him a big hug and picked him up. Shaq is very big and I was surprised that Ray was able to pick him up. Shaq came over and sat down next to me. He said that he must have jumped much farther than anyone else.

The third round was announced and Shaq was going to be the last one to jump. He said he got to jump last because he had jumped the furthest. When his turn came up again a lot of people came over and started shaking Ray's hand and petting Shaq. It looked like he was not going to get to jump. Shaq was all excited and wanted to jump in the water, he could care less about the attention. Finally Ray got everyone cleared off the pier and threw the bumper for Shaq. He ran to the end and leapt in. He did not seem to go as far as the second jump. But everyone was very excited just the same.

When he got out of the water Ray came and got me and the three of us went up to a stage where a lot of people made a big fuss over Shaq. I was excited to meet everyone and got lots of pets and belly rubs. Ray and Shaq jumped up on the stage, Shaq got a gift certificate to PetCo. He was very excited.

Well that is the story of our weekend. Shaq and I hope all of you had a relaxing weekend. Shaq is constantly talking about all the things we will get with the gift certificate. I want an automatic belly rubbing machine, you can never get enough belly rubs.

Cheers
Shasta

Howdy all, Shasta asked me if I would write a word or two on the competition. Shaq jumped really well. Last year he was third with a jump of 18'6", this year he won with a jump of 20'2". He qualified for the national long jumping championships. Not sure where or when they will be held, but I am sure we will be going. Shasta likes to wade in the water, she still has not done any swimming, when she is ready she will do it. Not going to force her. Both the kids had a great time, Shasta got to play with all the dogs who had been eliminated and Shaq got to get wet which is what he loves doing.

They are both out back sleeping in the sun. Shasta is laying on her back with her feet up in the air. I am sure she is dreaming of an automatic belly rubbing machine.

Ray & Shaq & Shasta

Shaq & Shasta Update 3/19/99

2009-06-03T14:12:00.000-07:00

Shaq & Shasta Update

3/19/99
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Howdy all,

Just got back from a quick trip down to Irvine for work. Was supposed to fly back on Friday, but meetings went long and I had to take the Saturday morning flight. Well enough of my whining, this is about the kids.

Saturday morning Shaq was scheduled to compete in a field trial at 11, my flight could not arrive on Saturday until 2:30. So I called the person organizing the trial and explained my dilemma. He got ahold of one of the other teams and got us switched out to 5pm. Since we were going on last I asked if I could enter Shasta as well. So both got to compete.

In a field trial the dogs are expected to do things that you would expect to encounter in a hunting situation. So there are retrieves, running obstacle courses, working a field and doing some basic obedience stuff. If it had been in the summer time there would have been water retrieves, but with it being a bit chilly they did not have this task. Much to Shaq's chagrin. Scoring is on a point basis, with 100 points being the maximum. A whole routine usually takes about 30 minutes.

Shaq is very good at these competitions. His best score was 85, he has usually lost points on a routine called "double blind retrieve" where you blind fold the dog, throw two bumpers (dummies) out into the field then send the dog out to retrieve. You direct the dog with hand signals and commands. Very difficult for both the dog and the handler.

As soon as I got in, I got the kids calmed down and put into the car for a half hour drive up to Burbank South Dakota. Both the kids had their heads out the window the whole way. Having a great time. We arrived about 15 minutes prior to our start time, much to the relief of the organizers. I usually like to show up at least two hours early to get Shaq acclimated and to do some warm up routines. The organizers were very nice and let us have a few extra minutes to get Shaq settled and ready to go.

Shaq started out well with a few easy exercises. It was evident right from the start that he was really on top of his game. He got his retrieves and was doing a great Job of listening. He did his single blind retrieve perfectly. At this time he had only lost a couple of points.

Next came the dreaded double blind retrieve. I put the blind fold on him and watched the bumpers being shot out. They set the bumpers up so that they were in a straight line away from me. This is the most difficult double blind I have ever seen. Usually they are placed to the out in the field to the right and left. So that you are sending them out to get the one on the right side of the field then the one on the left side of the field.

I had to send Shaq out to retrieve the farthest bumper first. The real challenge is that to do this he has to run right by the first bumper. So I took a deep breath and sent Shaq out. He ran right up to the first one and picked it up. I called for him to sit and he did, then gave the drop command. Which he did, but with a very puzzled look on his face. Sort of if you don't want me to get this why did you send me out? I gave the out command for him to go further out he gave me a dirty look and went further out. He found the next bumper picked it up, stopped and looked back to see if this was the one I wanted. I gave the come command and he came charging back with it. I then sent him out and he got the first one quickly and came back.

We ended up the competition with some distracted stays. In the end Shaq scored a whooping 93 and took fourth place. There was a tie for first between three dogs who scored perfect scores.

Shasta was another story. I have not done much work with her on complicated retrieves. This being her first competition I did not want her to get overly frustrated by not being able to complete a number of the tasks. So I told the judges that we would wave all of the complicated tasks with the exception of the single blind retrieve.

So we started the exercise with the working the field routine. In this exercise the dog is sent out to canvas the field. They are expected quarter a field and methodically search it. Shasta is a natural at this. When we go out for hikes she spends her time searching. So we did well here.

Next came the single sighted retrieve. Here she balked a couple of times, but eventually got the bumper. We did a few other exercises and then came the single blind retrieve. She did not like having a blind fold on her at all. I took the blind fold off and said "go" (Shaq's command is "Ok") this is supposed to send the dog out into the field. Shasta was confused. She is used to seeing the bumper being thrown out. So she balked at first it took about 10 times to get her to go out in the field. She went out and started to quarter the field. I called for her to sit so I could give her directions. She looked at me like I was crazy and went on with her quartering. She found the bumper and brought it back. But she got it which is the important thing, and she had a lot of fun doing it. Now I just need to get off my lazy ass and spend some more time with her so that she knows what to do.

We finished up with a few easier exercises. In the end Shasta finished up with a 43. Very good for not doing about 40 points worth of tasks.

So I'm very proud of both kids. Shaq with his 93, could not have asked for a better performance. Shasta with her 43, very good for a first time. Both very much enjoyed the competition.

Well that is the Shaq and Shasta update.

Hope all of you have a pleasant weekend.
Shaq, Shasta & Ray

Shaq & Shasta Holidays 1/1/99

2009-06-03T14:09:00.000-07:00

Shaq & Shasta Holidays

1/1/99
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Howdy All,

Well another holiday season is almost over, and this is by far the best one yet. It was special because Shaq and I had Shasta to share it with. She has brought so much to our lives, that I really can't imagine how we got on without her for the past four years. In the past we would have slept late and lounged around the house. Now we get up early and get out and play.

When Shasta decides it is time to get up she lets everyone know that they should be up as well. She will walk over to where you are sleeping and first flop herself down on top of you then start licking any exposed flesh. This goes on until you relent and get up and let her and Shaq out for a morning romp in the yard.
I thought I would try something new. When I let them back in I closed the door to the bedroom so I could try to go back to sleep. Shaq took it well and went to lay out in the living room. Shasta on the other hand was deeply concerned for my safety and layed by the door sniffing away. She never scratched on it, which is good. So after a few minutes it became obvious that I could not get back to sleep with this sniffing going on so I let her in. She immediately planted herself on the bed. Shaq then came in and took his spot on the bed. Then the two of them decided to play. Shaq would nozzle Shasta with his nose and Shasta would get up and try to pin Shaq down. All this while I'm laying there under the covers trying to get back to sleep. After a while I just gave up and got out of bed and joined in the fun.

Shaq and Shasta got treats from the Three Dog Bakery in Kansas City. I had to go to KC on business, and was able to visit the bakery while there. A wonderful place full of great things for dogs. Shasta especially likes the cuisine and will do just about anything for a biscuit. Shasta is usually very head strong and will only lay down if it suits her, but when you have a treat in your hand she will lay down very quickly. Shaq on the other hand enjoys being asked to do something, and those of you who have seen him know that he is well behaved and listens.

I try to work with them each day. When it comes time to do a long stay, I will sit them on one side of the room and say STAY. Shaq will stay very still. Shasta will stay for a few seconds then while still sitting she will scoot a few inches forward, then stay still for a bit then move a little closer. I then have to go and re position her and say STAY again. Shaq looks at her with a look of "just sit still damn it or we will never get a treat". So after the third time she will stay still for the required five minutes. When you say come she comes full speed at you, stops and does a couple of spins then sits down. Before giving her a treat you have to say "gentle" a few times to calm her down so she does not take a finger off. She will then take the treat very well, with out saying that you are putting a digit in danger. Shaq on the other hand comes over sits patiently for you to offer the treat, at which time he takes it.

**Play time update. It is snowing outside right now, Shaq and Shasta are out playing tag. Shasta seems to have goaded Shaq into chasing her and she is having a grand time tearing around in the snow with Shaq right behind her. Shaq just tackled her and now he is running full speed away with Shasta in hot pursuit. Shaq has scaled the wall and there is now a stare down going on as Shasta trys to figure out which way Shaq is going to run.**

They got me a DVD player. Very thoughtful dogs, as I have several DVD movies and they were getting tired of me watching them only on the computer. This way we can all curl up in the living room or in bed and watch Pulp Fiction. Yea!!!!! They got Marla a bottle of Wine. Marla takes care of them when I have to do a quick overnight trip.

Over the holidays we went on several long hikes into the woods. Shaq and Shasta love to run and play while out. Shaq tends to pick his route thru the woods better than Shasta does. She tends to just plow straight thru what ever obstacle is in the way. Bushes, trees, undergrowth etc... Just ducks her head and plunges in. Shaq does more of a full boar run thur the woods while ducking and weaving his way thru obstacles. Lots of fun to watch each one. Shasta always comes home with a scraped up belly from all the bush whacking.

**I just got back from letting them in. I was immediately accosted with a demand for a snack. Shasta get so darn excited and jumps around and does spins and sits still sort of all at once. Shaq sort of herds you in the direction of the snacks if you try to get away. So being the softy that I am they got a snack.**

The snow is coming down very steady right now. It looks like after the wonderful December that we had that winter is finally here. Glad to have it to, as it is easier to keep the house clean when the kids are not tracking mud into the house. As much as I wipe their feet you can never get it all off. With a nice covering of snow all you get is a little water on the floor, which is much easier to deal with.

Well that is it for now. I hope you and your families had as joyful a holiday season as we did.

Cheers
Ray & Shaq & Shasta

Turkey Day’s with Shaq & Shasta 12/3/98

2009-06-02T15:30:00.000-07:00

Turkey Day’s with Shaq & Shasta

12/3/98
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Howdy all,

Shaq, Shasta and I hope you and your families had a happy Turkey day. We had a very nice day where we relaxed and went for long hikes, and watched Tulane go 11-0. Roll Wave Roll

We had many invitations to spend the day with friends, but decided to spend it together as it is the first Turkey day for the entire family.

Shasta started the day by letting me sleep in. Instead of the usual 6am waking attack I was allowed to sleep until 8:30. What a treat. When I did start to stir Shaq jumped up on the bed and sat patiently waiting for his morning belly rub.

After a leisurely morning we decided to go for a hike out at Stone Park. We packed a light brunch and off we went. Shasta likes going to Stone Park because she does not have to be on a leash. Once we were at the park they went for a wild run down the trail. Shaq has this loping gallop going that covers a lot of ground in a single stride. Shasta has this stride that always looks like here rear end is going to come under her, except when going down hill when she looks like she is going to do a flip because here back end is going so much faster then her front legs. Very funny to watch. Both of them run very hard at first then slow down to a trot until we get to the stream at the back end of the trail. There is a nice spot there for them to get a drink of water, we always stop and have a bite to eat and relax here as well. After a half hour they are rested and ready to go.

Now what would a Turkey day be without a bit of Turkey? While we were out and about Shaq spotted a flock of Turkeys walking in the woods. Shasta saw them a split second later. Next thing I knew both were running at top speed jumping over logs, hurdling ditches, going straight thru shrubs all to chase these Turkeys. These birds know Shaq and Shasta and let them get close before flying away. They chased them a bit longer, when they came back they were exhausted and trotted all the way back to the car.

Once home we fixed a nice lunch relaxed and watched Tulane beat up on Louisiana Tech and get there first undefeated season since 1936. For those of you who do not know I got my MBA from Tulane.

Well that is the story of our Turkey day.

Hello from Shasta 10/25/98

2009-06-02T15:28:00.000-07:00

Hello from Shasta

10/25/98
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Howdy All,

My name is Shasta, Ray may have told you about me. Shaq has been teaching me how to type and is helping me to write this letter.

Well my name is Shasta, I'm a 4 year old Chocolate Lab. Up until 2 months ago I lived with the Burns family in Sioux City. They had to move far away and could not take me with them, so they helped me to find a new home. Now I live with Ray & Shaq.

Shaq is my new best friend. He is a big Black Lab, all of you know about him. He says that he writes every now and then, and Ray always seems to be writing about us. Shaq and I hang out all the time. We have a nice large yard to play in and a large house to live in. At my previous home I stayed outside most of the time, here I can come in and lounge inside if I want to or just hang out in the yard. Ray lets me sleep on the bed with him and Shaq. I really like that.

Shaq is a very large dog, he is much bigger than I am, and is a lot of fun to be around. Ray comes out and plays with us every morning and afternoon. When he does he throws toys for us. Shaq is a real retrieving machine and will get the toy everytime if not asked to let me get it. Sort of a hog in that manner. Ray will ask him to stay and throw a toy so I can get it. When I first came to live with Ray & Shaq I didn't really enjoy retrieving things, but after watching Shaq have so much fun I figured I would give it a try. And I must say I like retrieving. Especially when Ray throws a toy that bounces in all directions, Shaq says that this is a Kong. When he throws it I run as fast as I can to get it, but when it hits the ground it can go anywhere so I'm scrambling to get ahold of it. When I'm bringing it back sometimes is falls out of my mouth and the fun starts all over again.

Shaq and I love to play chase and tag. we have a large retaining wall in the back yard that splits the yard into two sections. Sometimes Shaq is it and he has to chase me, but most of the time I'm it and I have to chase Shaq. I can jump up the section of the wall that is 4 feet high, but Shaq can jump the part that is 6 feet high. When we are running around and I'm getting close he will scale the wall and get away. I get really mad and run even faster to catch him. In all it is a lot of fun.

Sometimes when we are just relaxing in the house we wrestle. This usually starts by my goading Shaq into playing. I'll come up and playfully slap his nose with my paw. He tries to ignore me, but I can usually persuade him to get up and play. We have a great time.

Another of the fun things I get to do is go hiking at Stone Park. There are nice trails and Ray lets Shaq and I off our leashes so we can run and play. I really like being able to run as fast as I can. But I always stay close enough to Ray and Shaq so I don't get lost. Every now and then Shaq and I spot a few Turkeys. We go tearing thru the trees after them, but they always get away. Sometimes there are mountain bikers out on the trail. I always get out of the way so that they can go by.

For much of the last month Ray has been traveling. He is in town for a week then on the road for a week. When he is out on the road Shaq and I stay at Lone Willow Kennels. They let us stay in the same kennel. I like that a lot because it is easier to pass the time with Shaq around then by myself. When Ray comes back he always brings us out hiking at the park prior to going home. Helps us to stretch our legs out and relax.
As soon as we are home Ray gives us a bath to clean us off. Shaq and I really like getting wet. When he is done we go off and run around the yard and roll in the grass to dry off.

Well it is getting late and Ray says he needs to do some work. Something about a presentation he has to give next week. A likely excuse, I bet he wants to surf the web.

Well got to go.

Take care
Shasta

Gimpy Shasta 9/19/98

2009-06-02T15:26:00.000-07:00

Gimpy Shasta

9/19/98
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Howdy All,

Shasta has a little cut in her rear left paw. She got it yesterday while out playing. It is not bleeding much, just a bit tender.

Shasta is not sure what to make of this situation. She knows she does not feel well and knows she is not as mobile as usual. None the less she still wants to play, and there is nothing stopping two labs when they want to run and jump as labs like to do.

Shaq is a bit concerned over this situation. He has had cuts on his paws in the past and generally knows what is going on. Yesterday (Friday) they were outside playing when I heard Shaq barking. Shaq does not usually bark unless there is something wrong. He was standing at the back door cutting up so I opened it up and told him to be quiet. He just looked at me like I was crazy and started to bark some more.

So I went outside and he ran over to the far side of the yard where Shasta was laying. When she saw me she popped up started to run to me on three legs. Shaq was right next to her. When I got to her she laid down and let me look at her paw. It had a little cut in it, not deep and not big. Shaq came over and inspected it. Gave it a few big licks. I got Shasta in and cleaned it out. She isn't in any obvious pain, just a bit sore from the looks of it.

Even though she is a bit lame, Shasta still wants to play. So when I throw the ball she will still go out and try to get it. Shaq wins the race and she gets pissed off and chases him around the yard at full speed on three legs. She is getting very fast on three legs and will undoubtedly have a very strong right rear leg when this is all done with.

So that is the latest antics of Shaq and Shasta. She is doing fine and should be running normally by Monday. Until then just call her Gimpy Shasta.

Cheers
Ray & Shaq & Shasta

Shasta joins our family 9/15/98

2009-06-02T15:23:00.000-07:00

Shasta Joins our Family

9/15/98
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Saturday Morning

Howdy All,

It has been a bit since Shaq and I have updated all on the goings on in the heartland of the America. And wow do we have some news.

Last night we picked up a new member of the Hebert family. Her name is Shasta, she is a 4 year old Chocolate Lab. She has been fixed so no worries about puppies and such. She is about 3/4 the size of Shaq. So not as big a Lab as Shaq, but not a small Lab either.

Right now I am looking out the window and they are playing tag and chase. They are having such a good time. Tails a wagging and all.

OK back to the story. On Monday DeeDee Burns who works on the same floor as I do at Gateway came over and asked if I would be interested in adopting her Chocolate Lab. She and her husband Darrin are transferring to Gateways San Diego facility. Darrin also works for Gateway in the Portables group. Shaq and I went over to their place and spent about an hour getting to know Shasta. She and Shaq got along well.

I had been thinking about getting a new addition to our family for the last six months, but had been putting it off because of all the uncertainty as to where we were going to be working for Gateway. South Dakota or Irvine? Still no definitive word yet. But this was the right thing to do so we did it.

Play time update. Seems that they are a bit tuckered out right now. Shaq is laying out on the patio and Shasta is stretched out on the lawn.

Where was I? DeeDee and Darrin seemed pleased with Shaq's manner. I really like Shasta's spirit. We all concluded it would be a great fit. So we coordinated a Friday evening pick up.

Darrin helped bring Shasta's kennels and toys over to the house. Upon parting tears were had by all involved. Shasta was truly loved at the Burns house. I think it was hardest on Darrin and I.

Shasta has been primarily an outdoor dog. And as most of you know Shaq is an indoor - outdoor dog. So when we were alone Shaq and I stayed with Shasta outside for a couple of hours while she relaxed and
unwound. Then we introduced her to the house. She did very well. Being in a new environment she stayed very close to me.

I don't think she has had much experience with stairs. When I went to introduce her to the basement I had to help her down the steps. The next time she needed a little coaxing, but went by herself. The third time she had it mastered, still a little tentative compared to the bounding style that Shaq has.

More playtime update. Shaq has decided that he is rested up now and wants to play some more. Shasta is still laying out. Shaq is now pushing her with his nose. She has now gotten up and is running full speed around the yard. Shaq is right on her heals. Shaq is down and sliding across the yard. He was chasing Shasta and she made a sharp turn that Shaq could not make. Shaq is now walking around with that "I
meant to do that" look. Shasta is off in the distance mocking him.

When bed time came about Shaq climbed up on the bed and took his customary position at the foot of the bed. Shasta jumped up and snuggled right next to me. She did not sleep much as she was so excited about her new surroundings. Around 3am she let me know that she needed to go out for a pit stop. So we got up she and Shaq went out did their business, came back in and we went back to sleep. Took her about a half
hour to calm down again.

This morning we woke up and went out for some playtime and they have been going at it ever since.

I am going to try to keep her name as Shasta, but if they can't separate there names we may have to change it. The key is that they both start with the SH sound, which may confuse them. This is a big undertaking
and requires a lot of patience, so it is not something we will do right away, but take a couple weeks to see how everything works out. Should we need to change her name I think we will go to Chomo Luma. This is
Tibetan name for Mt. Everest and means Goddess Mother of the Earth.

Well that is the news from South Dakota. Shaq and I are very excited about our new found friend. Each of you can now expect to get Shaq and Shasta updates from time to time. Shaq has asked me if this will spur
me to get off my butt and update the Web site. I told him I would see what I can do. We will be getting a new computer in September and will most likely do it then.

Take care. Shaq, Shasta and I wish each of you all the happiness in the world.

Cheers
Ray & Shaq & Shasta

South Dakota Update 4 6/7/98

2009-06-02T15:18:00.000-07:00

South Dakota Update 4

6/7/98
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Howdy All,

Can't believe that it is coming up on a year since Shaq and I moved to Sunny South Dakota, and soon we may be making another move. More about that later.

Shaq is doing well. We just got back from swimming at McCook Lake, so he is tired and just laying out in the yard. The weather has been on and off the last couple of months. Either blazing hot or raining. Shaq prefers the heat that way he gets to go swimming more often. Since I wrote last we have hosted both Labfest, where 4 labs were in the house playing all the time, and LabStock where we had 8 labs in the house. Both were great times and Shaq really enjoyed it.

Work is moving along. Gateway Servers are going well. Once again Gateway servers were ranked as fifth by IDC. So two quarters in a row as the number 5 server vendor. We are happy about this since we were 11th a year ago. Wish I could take all the credit, but we have a great team working on Servers, both in Irvine and in South Dakota.

I have been on the road for much of the last couple of months. Mostly Trade shows and Intel launch events doing a lot of press relations and such. Hit San Francisco, Chicago, Portland, Vegas, and am about to head out to New York for PC EXPO next week, then a vacation in San Francisco toward the end of the month which will culminate in another Intel event.

A month or so ago Gateway announced that it was going to move its corporate offices to San Diego and its Gateway Business Division (which I am in) to Irvine California. Hence the ossibility that Shaq and I may be moving again.

Now don't get excited, it is not a done deal yet. I know we would get more visitors in a more desirable location then sunny South Dakota (If you only came here you would see what a lovely place it is). Shaq and I will not be moving to Southern California if we have to loose our standard of living. Our options are to stay in South Dakota with a different group inside Gateway (not likely for long) or find another company to work for. So if you know of any great opportunities for someone who has built successful product lines let me know. Which ever way the ball bounces we will come out on top. And we will keep everyone posted.

Well, that is about it. Shaq and I are doing well, work is going along, I travel a bit to much and as usual my life has a healthy dose of stress. We miss all our friends.

Cheers and the best to each of you and your families. And if I don't send a note out before July 4th happy Independence Day.

Ray & Shaq

South Dakota Update 3 3/15/98

2009-06-02T15:11:00.000-07:00

South Dakota Update 3

3/15/98
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Howdy All,

It has been a while since Shaq and I have updated all on our exploits in the heart land of America.

Well the Cliff Notes version goes like this. We are still living in Sioux City, I still work for Gateway, Shaq is doing well, and we miss all of our friends. Ray has no life to speak of.

OK now for the detailed version.

The house is doing fine. Greg & Terry Johnson came over last month from Montana to help (OK they did all the work and I brought beers down) frame in the basement. On the way they got caught in a Blizzard and had to stay at a bar for 24 hours. Needless to say the only reason they left was because it ran out of beer.

So now I have a framed in basement with a family room, bedroom, bathroom, utility closet and Sauna all ready to be finished. So I hope in the next 6 months to get everything completed. Next step will be running the water for the bathroom and putting in the electrical sockets. Then will come putting up the drywall and installing the bathroom fixtures. Once that is done then finishing off the Sauna and putting in carpeting will be next. So lots of fun things for Ray to get off his Ass and start doing.

On a work related note. I am pleased to say that my Server team has built the 5th largest Server line in the U.S. in a short 6 months. The IDC report just came out and we ended up the year at #5. Which is very cool since we were not even in the market until September 15 when I launched the products. This level of success has put the spotlight on us. The trick is now to keep the momentum going. So Ray stays up late and gets up early trying to keep things going. I just launched product in Australia and am about to turn on in Japan and Europe.

Shaq is doing fine. When Greg and Terry came over they brought Greg's Labs. So we had Labfest 98 at the house with Geronimo, Farty and Shaq. All Labs all day all having fun. They played and played. Shaq tried his courting dance on Farty but to no luck. She knows how to keep her legs crossed.

Shaq has discovered a toy called a Kong. It is a hard rubber toy looks like Three doughnuts stacked on each other with bottom one large, the middle one medium and the top one small. The great thing about the toy is that when he drops it it can bounce in every direction. Thus lots of fun and excitement with little intervention by Ray. During the real cold days Shaq stays in the basement and plays with his Kong all day long. I get home a night and he is wiped out from the thing.

I have not been traveling much lately. Just a couple trips to Chicago and Washington D.C. to relax and get away for a day or two. Went to D.C. a couple weeks ago with Bob from Chicago. Had a great time, found a Moroccan restaurant that was fabulous (7 courses, eat with your hands and a belly dancer to boot). Went to all the Smithsonian museums and to the Postal Museum. Found out the that Tommy Gun was the preferred gun of postal workers in the 30's, seems like the 9 MM browning automatic is the preferred gun of postal workers today. (OK sick postal humor)

Well got to run.

Shaq and I want to wish each of you a happy new year and may the good times be more numerous than the not so good ones.

Cheers
Ray & Shaq

Trick & Treat 11/1/97

2009-06-02T15:05:00.000-07:00

Trick & Treat

11/1/97
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Howdy All,

Today was Shaq's first real Halloween. He has been thru three, but this was the first one where we lived in a neighborhood where kids came out and participated.

Shaq wanted to participate as well, so he put on a pair of devil horns and his white bow tie. Sort of the Black Devil at a social function look. Very dashing I must admit.

Shaq is one of the most polite and well mannered dogs you will ever find. When I got home I put the goodies in a big bag and put them by the door. Shaq went over and checked to see what was in the bag then came over to let me know that the contents were to his satisfaction. He is never one to give away anything but the best.

For those of you who don't know Shaq well, you can put a hamburger at nose level and walk away and he won't touch it until you say OK. Then he will devour it in one gulp.

We had a Reggae tribute album to the Grateful Dead playing on the stereo so the mood was good. Shaq is a true Rasta dog. He has the laid back Rasta walk going when the music is playing. And of course being a Black Lab he has the rhythm thing built in.

The first group came over about 6. There were three children. Shaq was all excited when the door bell rang. He helped me to greet the kids. All of them said trick or treat and was given an adequate supply of stuff. Shaq was fascinated by this. He gave me the "why are you giving
away our food" look. About 5 minutes later the next group arrived. And the same thing happened.

By this time Shaq figured out what was going on. So he sat looking out the window by the door and would alert me by getting all excited when he saw kids walking up the driveway. Shaq never barks, just runs around with his tail going 100 MPH.

Most of the groups were just two or three kids. One was a group of about 20. Shaq saw that we were moving to slow so he went out and greeted those at the back of the line and did a little entertaining while they waited their turn.

The best part of the evening for Shaq though was when one of the neighbor kids who knows Shaq well took him to a couple of houses with him. Shaq loved walking up and down the street with his horns on greeting everyone.

As a service to all the kids in the neighborhood he went and sniffed all the bags just to make sure there was only good stuff in them. All of them checked out. Shaq is a very protective dog, whenever anyone comes over they must be sniffed prior to gaining entrance. Just in case you have a bomb or such. Can't be to safe these days.

Well that is the Trick & Treat Shaq.

Cheers to all
Ray & Shaq

Beagle Shaq 10/13/96

2009-06-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

Beagle Shaq

10/13/96
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Howdy all,

Sorry it has been so long since I published an update on the Antics of Shaq. Shaq and I have been very busy in Boise and I must admit that I have been somewhat lazy. So I accept all blame. But here goes anyway.

Yesterday was a lovely Saturday. Nice 70's, partly cloudy, dry just a nice day. Not to hot not to cool. So Shaq asked if I would take him out for a hike. Being deer season I told him we could not go to our
favorite hiking trails but would have to find something a little closer to town and safer.

He suggested going to Camel Back Park, which is nice, but it was way to crowded. Then he wanted to go to the foot hills, but they are recovering from a fire and a mess for him to go running in. So we settled on going for a hike up to Table Rock. For those of you not from Boise, Table Rock is a high point that over looks all of the Treasure Valley and is accessible from a series of trails behind the OldPenitentiary.

So off we went to hike up to Table Rock. Shaq was all excited when we turned up the road. When we got to the parking lot there were no other dogs around so I let him out of the car without his leash. He loves this because he gets to bolt out of the car (for those of you who have not seen Shaq exit a car the best advise is to get out of his way).

He went and sniffed all the trees and shrubs while I got my hiking shoes on and packed a bottle of water and a small dish for him.

So off we went. The start of the hike is a bit steep, but Shaq ran it several times. Going up to the top and then coming back down to see what was keeping me. And of course marking the trail just in case we got lost and had to find our way home. Such a thinking dog he is.

We got up to a place that was sort of a plateau before the final climb to the top. Here Shaq got his nose to the ground and smelled something he had not smelled before. I was not sure what he was doing, but he was on a sniffing spree. And he sniffed with a vengeance. He sniffed on the trail, he sniffed off the trail, he sniffed branches, bushes, trees, dirt, rocks, he even sniffed the air, he just about sniffed everything.

Then all of a sudden tail went up, head picked up, ears went forward and he started bounding through the brush. He was more hopping over things with a pogo like jump. Each up swing he would look around and change his direction accordingly. After a few seconds I realized he was chasing a Rabbit. He was having the time of his life. He was all over the fields. I saw him chasing one then another appeared. He seemed to want to split in two so he could chase each one. He stopped and looked both ways for a second then took off again. You would have thought he was part Beagle.

We never made it up to the top of Table Rock. Shaq was having such a good time and I was not about to interrupt his play time. He finally came back and said he was ready to go. His tongue was dragging on the ground and he was tired. He drank his water and back we went.

So that is the story of Beagle Shaq.

Cheers to all and don't give up the chase.
Ray & the Beagle Shaq

Bathy Shaq 6/20/96

2009-06-02T14:58:00.000-07:00

Bathy Shaq

6/20/96
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Howdy All,

I just gave Shaq a good bath.

He knew something was up when I took his collar off. He gave me this dirty look. I put the collar on the coffee table and he went over and picked it up and brought it to me. He knows that he is supposed to wear it at all times. He was greatly concerned.

So I took him out side and sat him down and turned the water on. He loves this. The first squirt is a little startling, but then he settles down to enjoy the water. After he is all soaked I get the shampoo out and lather him up real good. This he does not like. He squirms and try's to get away, but no such luck.

After he is good and soaked he gets the rinse cycle. He likes this a lot, except when you accidentally squirt his face. But he takes it well.

When we were finished he ran around the yard, and before I could get to the sliding door he was in the house. Racing around like a mad dog. Finally I got him back outside. At which time he started to rub himself on the ground. This is just to funny for words, but I'll try. He gets on his back and side and scoots himself across the lawn twisting and turning all the time. Then he gets up and runs as fast as he can all the way around the yard. Then he hits the deck again and starts scooting on the ground again. I am of
course just rolling on the floor laughing.

Now he is done with the running part and is standing by the back door wanting to come in. Now I don't mind him being in the house when he is wet, not when he is soaked though. So he is now standing there looking in, barking once in a while but nothing incessant. After a bit he jumps as high up as he can. I think he feels that I just can't hear him so he has to make sure I can see him. It is just too funny. He get his
nose up to the top of the door.

Well that is Bathy Shaq
Cheers and stay clean
Ray & Shaq

Rodeo Shaq 5/27/96

2009-06-02T14:55:00.000-07:00

Rodeo Shaq

5/27/96
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Last week in Austin was the College Baseball regionals. Shaq and I were invited to go tailgating at the Hopper Compound in the parking lot at the field. Terri and Lynn always have beers under a tree at just about every game. And, a lot of friends always show up and visit. Lots of fun and good people all the time.

Remember, before and after any sporting event you should go to Hop's. Yes Hops the friendly bar on Burnet just south of 183 right across from the Pink Taco Cabana. Tell um that Shaq sent you. You won't get anything, but they will know your OK.

OK, enough of my shameless plug, back to the story.

Shaq is an experienced tailgater and knows just how to behave. This time there was a lovely little girl named Jo-Ann. She and Shaq hit it off right away. Shaq gave her a tongue bath and she rubbed his ears. Shaq generally has sensitive ears, but she knew just how to rub them. (wait about 10 years and her parents will have to watch out for her)

Jo-Ann was wearing a red outfit. Her first words to Shaq were "I'm not a fire hydrant". I just rolled on the ground over that one. She took Shaq's leash and was walking around with him. She is just about 6 inches taller than Shaq, so they were about the same size. This went on for about half an hour when Shaq decided that since she was not a fire hydrant he had better find someplace to relieve himself. Now Shaq is very good about where he goes. He never goes anywhere near where we are hanging out. He has no problem going someplace where others are hanging out. He spied a tree on the other side of the field. So off he went at full gallup. Only problem was that Jo-Ann was still holding on. I looked up and there was Shaq running with Jo-Ann holding on for dear life yelling Whoa Whoa but keeping up with him the whole way. Looked just like someone in a rodeo who has been bucked from the Bronco, but their hand is hung up in the rope.

When Shaq stopped he looked kind of surprised with that “we were just having fun” look. So we got him to walk over to the tree's and do his thing. On the way back to the chairs Jo-Ann got Shaq to run at her pace. They both had a good time.

Now Shaq has a new friend.

Well that is the Rodeo Shaq story. Remember to let Shaq know that you are "Not a Fire hydrant" if you are wearing red around him. Don't want him to mistake you.

Cheers
Ray & Bucking Shaq

Taily Shaq 5/24/96

2009-06-02T14:53:00.000-07:00

Taily Shaq

5/24/96
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Shaq's tail can be registered as a lethal weapon.

If you ever have a kid that needs to be caned (or if you are into that yourself) Shaq is your dog. He can get that tail going at 100 mph and you don't know where it is going to go next.

That tail seems to go up - down, side to side and round and round all at the same time. And all at 100 mph.

It's a great thing to wake up to. I get up and am stumbling to the bathroom when all of a sudden a black dog comes out of nowhere and runs between my legs with a lethal tail. A couple whacks and I am wide awake.

When we were last up in Montana Greg's son Jeremiah (little Liver) walked around with his arms in front of his face. Why you might ask? Because with Geronimo, Farty and Shaq all in the house there were tails coming at him from all directions all the time. He got whacked good once and stumbled. Farty was right on the spot to lick his face. She is privileged to have a tongue that can be registered as a lethal weapon.

I learned a lesson from Jeremiah, now I cover the family jewels (not that they are being put to any use, but you never know) when I wake up in the morning.

Well, that is the story of Taily Shaq.

Cheers and watch out for wild tails.
Ray & Shaq

Ribby Shaq 5/23/96

2009-06-02T14:49:00.000-07:00

Ribby Shaq

5/23/96
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Yesterday (and today) Shaq got a treat. Ribs, but not just any old ribs, ribs from Stubb's BBQ (Thanks Thop). If you are in Austin and looking for ribs Shaq and I highly recommend the place. Stubs corner of 8th and Red River. Of course prior to going you should stop at Hops, yes Hops the friendly bar on Burnet just south of 183 and right across from the Pink Taco Cabana. Drop in and say that Shaq sent you and you will be welcomed like one of the family.

Well, I was out having a couple cold ones with a select group of UniSQLers and their significant others and friends. Shaq had to stay home and guard the house. He is very good at this, lately he has been developing a very good bark. If one did not know him you might think he was ferocious. But we all know better.

Well, I got home last night and was given the cold shoulder. That is until he inquired as to the contents in the bag. Wooo Hooo was I ever his best friend again very quickly. He sat down, he laid down, he came and he listened very well. Fully knowing that he was going to get a treat.

He sat there with the Pleaaaaaasssssseeeeee may I have one? look on. I'm sorry but when he puts on the charm I just melt like warm butter. So I gave him one, and out he went to work on it. A few minutes later he was back for another. He got three last night and the rest for lunch today. What a Lucky Dog (for those of you that have been to New Orleans you know what a Lucky Dog is, for those of you that have not you need to go).

Well, that is the story of Ribby Shaq. Shaq sends his best to his benefactor of the rib experience Thop. And everyone needs to think good baseball thoughts to the Horns and to the LSU Tigers during the College Baseball Regionals starting this weekend. Remember the chant goes L S U, L S U, L S U and Hook'em Horns.

Cheers
Ray & Shaq

Watchy Shaq 5/21/96

2009-06-02T14:46:00.000-07:00

Watchy Shaq

5/21/96
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Shaq is a watch dog. He loves to watch you do anything. Clean the house, mow the yard, drive the car (likes to help on this one to), eat, take a shower, use the bathroom, etc.

One of Shaq's funniest things to watch is when I am sleeping. He will just sit at the side of the bed and look. I'll get that erie feeling that I'm being watched and sure enough there he is. Just wants to be available in case I need to pet a puppy.

I cannot move without Shaq moving to a position that he can keep an eye on me. When I'm in the front room he lays in front of the fireplace, when I go to the office he either positions himself in the hall way where he can see me or comes in with me, if I'm working in the front yard he is usually in his room laying on his bed looking out the window. Yep I cannot go anywhere on the property without him being right there with in 20 seconds.

Last night I decided to play a joke. I went to my room and hid in the closet (It's a walk-in so plenty of room). Shaq came in and looked around but could not find me. He then started to go around the house (I could hear him). After about 10 minutes he started to panic and ran around the house. Finally he came to the bedroom and laid down on the bed. When I came out of the closet he was all happy, and then he realized that I had been having fun at his expense. Last night he decided I should not sleep for this crime and every now and then he would come and jump up on the bed and pogo around then jump off.

Morale, Shaq always gets even.

Cheers to all, and remember Shaq is watching.
Ray & Shaq

Pizza Shaq 5/14/96

2009-06-02T14:45:00.000-07:00

Pizza Shaq

5/14/96
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Howdy All,

Yes it's been a while since the last installment of the adventures of Shaq. Not that Shaq has not been doing anything fun, I have just been plain negligent on my duties.

I'll write a more detailed account of his latest antics later, but here is the latest thing.

Pizza Shaq.
I went out and had a couple of cold ones at Hop's (yes Hop's the friendliest bar in Austin On Burnet just south of 183 right across from Taco Cabana)

I was sipping on a cold one (thanks Thop) with my friends. When in comes in a Pizza Guy with $5 pizza's. Not one to pass up a bargain, knowing that I needed something to bribe Shaq with, I bought one.

I sneaked home and opened it up and had a piece. I thought I was being very careful, but Shaq must have smelled it because he came a knockn at the door. With this excuse me your home and I know you have a Pizza in there look on his face.

So in he comes, I finish a piece and give him the crust. He takes it and goes away, I think to eat it. He comes back and sits down and waits for me to patiently finish another piece. I give it to him, but he does not do the usual open the mouth wide and take it (Shaq never grabs). Instead the mouth opens about a 1/4 inch and takes it. Only then did I realize that he had not ate the other crust, he was holding it in his mouth. He took the second one and sucked into his long snout and looked at me saying well hurry up and finish the next one.

I made him eat the two he had prior to giving him another.

Well that is the Pizza Shaq story. Stay tuned because there will be Sailing Shaq II, the return of Swimmy Shaq, Party Shaq and other long over due tails coming along. That is as soon as Shaq gives me time
enough to write them.

Cheers to All
Ray & Shaq

Moraly Shaq 3/8/96

2009-06-02T14:42:00.000-07:00

Moraly Shaq

3/8/96
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Television has corrupted the Morals of Shaq

OK Shaq really has no morals, but I am now convinced that TV has influenced him to new lows.

Last night Shaq and I were snuggling up on the Sofa watching a movie. The inevitable love scene came on. The guy first licked her ears, then nibbled on her neck then started humping away. Shaq was riveted to this scene. And later in the movie it happened again. Shaq was all smiles, little did I know what he had in mind.

This morning I was sitting on the couch watching the morning news programs and playing with Shaq when he started licking my ears then nibbled on my neck and started to hump me. I then realized where we had seen this before. From now on I must be careful to screen what Shaq is allowed to watch. Can't wait for the new TV rating system to come out, hope it applies to pets as well.

If Shaq can figure this out I hate to think of what the youth of America are doing. Well I can think about it because it is on the news every day. Guns in school, shooting parents, running over people etc.. On second thought maybe I need to get rid of the TV. Nah, then Shaq would just surf the Internet for porno. Can't win either way.

Cheers to All
Ray & Humpy Shaq

Adventure Shaq 3/5/96

2009-06-02T14:39:00.000-07:00

Adventure Shaq

3/5/96
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

This one is a culmination of many Shaq stories that happened over his two week vacation.

Shaq and I arranged for some interviews in the great NorthWest, so off we went. Since we had interviews in several cities and wanted to visit friends we decided to drive. Shaq had a good time and loves staying in hotels, Super 8 is his favorite. He does not like Motel 6, as the bed was not to his liking.

Shaq is Speed Racer
When we got to Montana, home of the reasonable and prudent speed limit, Shaq insisted that we see what the old Honda could do. So at his insistence we jacked it up to 100 (MPH for you Metric types) and put on the cruise control. This was not enough for him, coming out of Big Timber he wanted to see what we could do. The speed Ometer registered 130 as the max, and we buried the gage for a couple of miles. He was satisfied and we brought the speed back down to 100.

Coming out of Billings we came up on a line of cars going 65. Shaq was perplexed and wanted to get to the front of the line to find out what was up. So we weaved our way to the front and low and behold there was a Trooper going 65 and no one wanted to pass him. So we pulled up along side, Shaq looked at him gave him the smile and told me to get on with it. So we waved at the nice Trooper, who laughed and waved back and off we went driving 100. I looked in the rear view mirror and still no one would pass this guy. Shaq thought they were all a bunch of wooses, I agreed and off we went.

I tell you it is really nice to drive the 185 miles from the border of Wyoming to Bozeman in an hour 45 rather than 3 hours.

The Horn Dog
Our first stop was home in Bozeman. I being out of Schmidt beer had to stop over at Terry Johnson’s house and get my Beer level back up. Shaq had been two days in the car and was ready to play. So he was first out of the car.

Choco was waiting for him. She had just gone out of heat, but had all the great smells. Shaq was in heaven. Choco was playing hard to get. Shaq, like any self respecting male, did not know when to quit. So he got snapped at. This did not deter him in the least bit he still kept trying to mount her and she kept snapping at him.

After a while Choco just set down. Figuring that Shaq could not get at her if she was seated. So Shaq proceeded to try to impress her with his leaping ability. He would get real low on all fours with his tail going 100 MPH and then leap up and sideways and land back in a crouch. This did not work. He tried the hypnotic eyes, no luck she just would not have anything to do with him. Finally he gave up. Took three days though.

Sailing Shaq
I had a couple of Interviews in Portland, and since Land Tech had just bought a sail boat we went over to check it out and see what a fine investment Terry had made. So off we went. It is a great boat, 41 foot Morgan Out Islander. An Ocean Cruising Sail Boat that easily sleeps 7, can be sailed solo and is almost all Teak inside.

Shaq was not sure what to think. We arrived and he jumped in. First there was the steep stairs that he could not just walk down. He figured out how to jump down and how to jump up. Next came the sailing part. We took it out. I kept him below decks until we were out of the docks and down the river a ways.

Portland is on the Columbia River and it is a good day sail to the mouth, but the river is over 3 miles wide in places so we can sail right on it with out any problem.

When I let him up he was not sure what was happening. He looked out of the cockpit and saw we were moving so he assumed we must be in a car. Nope no car. He looked around no land either. He gently got out of the cockpit and up on deck and walked around. We hit a small wave that rocked the boat. He went down on all fours not sure what had happened. As a safety precaution I put him in a harness and put him on a safety line on the mast. This way he could get everywhere, but just in case he went over board I could get him quickly.

After a while he enjoyed sailing and was always giving instructions for more speed. Trim the main, put up the racing jib, lay it over, go go go. Such a demanding skipper.

Convertible Shaq
Terry’s daughter Sally (the SallyMander) lives in Portland and has this great 67 Pontiac WildCat Convertible. She is a unique person, with a stud in her tongue. Shaq was fascinated by it, but was to polite to say anything.

She drove us out to the coast one great day when it was over 75. Shaq loved it. Here was a car that he could get wind in his face just by sitting in the back seat. He loved it. He got in the middle and let his ears flop away. We drove out to Cannon Beach for a Pizza. When we got to town all these people were just staring at him and he just gave them all the non chelaunt look of Oh I do this everyday. What a ham.

Tired Shaq
On the way home Shaq slept the whole way. I had to prod him out of the car at rest stops to use the bathroom and eat. He was so tired from two weeks of playing. Today he is still recovering.

Cheers to all
Ray & Shaq

Shaq the Bed Pig 2/10/96

2009-06-02T14:38:00.000-07:00

Shaq the Bed Pig

2/10/96
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Last night I had to toss Shaq out of Bed. I was on my little sliver of the bed happily sleeping away when Shaq decided to hog the bed. Shaq is usually a good sleeper. He tosses a bit, but usually he leaves a little place for me to sleep.

Now this is a Queen size bed. I was sleeping peacefully when Shaq decided that he had to sleep on the spot where I was. He laid next to me with his back against me and snuggled up and moved me about an inch. When I moved to give him room he moved closer and gave me another hip check. At about 4 am I was laying on the floor. Shaq didn’t even stir. I got up and scolded him, but all he did was lift his head and give me that “yea so what” look. So I moved him to his side of the bed. But a little while later I felt him next to me again. And again got hip checked until I was almost out of the bed.

This time I just went over to his side and laid down. He got up and moved next to me and proceeded to hip check me out of the bed again. Shaq wanted all the bed to himself. I finally got up and tossed him off the bed. He was not happy, tried to jump back on but I pushed him off. This went on for about an hour. I would start to go to sleep and up he would jump and off he would go. Finally he curled up on my robe and went to sleep.

Not sure what got into him. I think the fact that I was not able to bring him to the part to play the last couple of days may have had something to do with it. He is a very vengeful dog. So today we went out and hung out at Auditorium Shores. On the way home he let me stop at Hoppers for a beer. Even gave me a couple of bucks to spend. What a guy. So I think he was saying he was sorry. We’ll see tonight.

Sleep tight
Ray & Shaq

Belly Rub for good luck 1/21/96

2009-06-02T14:36:00.000-07:00

Belly Rub for good luck

1/21/96
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Yes if ever you wanted luck all you have to do is rub a dogs belly. Shaq loves his belly rubs and good luck has come my way ever since I started rubbing that belly.

Almost all Labs I know enjoy a good belly rub. Shaq’s Dad, Geronimo, is the belly rub king. He weights about 90 pounds, but when you pick him up and start rubbing that belly he goes limp. You could tie him in a knot. The look on his face is pure ecstasy. If you stop before he wants you to you get a loud grunt. When he wants a belly rub he will just come and roll over. Farty on the other hand enjoys a good belly rub, but does not go through the same stages of ecstasy as Geronimo.

Shaq is truly his Dads Son. He loves a good belly rub. All you have to say is Bellllllllllly Rub and he will be on his back with his legs in the air. One belly ready for rubbing. The look is just fantastic. Eyes are closed, mouth is sort of open and his lips are just flapping. If it is a particularly good belly rub his tongue will fall out. Stopping to short gets you a groan and an evil look. Failure to finish the job will result in you being tormented at some future date and time.

Shaq is not as insistent as Dad is on his belly rubs, but sure does like them just the same. At one time rubbing Shaq’s belly would have gotten him incredibly horny (remember hiccup Shaq Story). Now he has calmed down and channels his hornyness into pure mental ecstasy. Of course it does not mean that Shaq does not get horny, only have to throw a tennis ball and he turns into Humpy Shaq.

So rub a belly for good luck.

Cheers
Ray & Shaq

Swimmy Shaq 1/17/96

2009-06-02T14:34:00.000-07:00

Swimmy Shaq

1/17/96
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Since Shaq is still a little limpy from his recent front right leg injury I have been taking him swimming on a regular basis. Sort of a low impact work out. His leg is doing fine and I think in a week he will be back to his old self.

Shaq takes after his Dad when it comes to swimming. If you throw a stick for Geronimo he will go to the water wade in. Look at the stick. Paw the water a few times to see if he can’t get the stick to come to him. Then at a last resort he will swim for it. Farty on the other hand dives right in. Choco (a friend in Montana) does even better she will go in the water and stand there and wait. Even swim out a ways a wait. You don’t even have to throw a stick and Choco will go in the water. She is a true Water Lab.

Of course her whole name is Chocolata River Girl.

Now Shaq is a good swimmer after he gets warmed up. But he would rather play on land if he had his choice. So I throw the stick out. He goes in the water. Wades out carefully. Then the feet go out from under him and he starts to do a splashing type of swim. With the front legs more trying to walk on the water. He does this for a few seconds then he gets his stroke together and starts swimming. He goes out gets the stick and starts heading back in. All you can see is this black head swimming along.

After a while one of Shaq’s playmates shows up. A Golden Retriever named Kootcha. Kootcha is a water otter. She swims and swims. I throw the stick. Shaq wades in. Kootcha dives in. Swims out gets the stick. Shaq swims out to meet her. He grabs the stick and tries to take it. But Kootcha knows this trick and hangs on. Here are two dogs with a stick in their mouths swimming back to shore. Very cute. Where is a camera when you need one. They did this for about an hour.

After this Shaq was exhausted. He walked back to the car. All wet. So I had to dry him off. I keep tons of old towels and sheets in the trunk for this occasion. He sits there and lets you rub him down. What a guy. Then he climbs in and with his last burst of energy sprawls out on the back seat and passes out. When I get home I usually have to leave the door to the garage and the car open so he can get out when he wakes up.

That is the story of the Swimmy Shaq.

Cheers to All
Ray & Shaq

Limpy Shaq 1/10/96

2009-06-02T14:33:00.000-07:00

Limpy Shaq

1/10/96
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Yesterday Shaq got a little athletic injury. We were running at lunch as we often do. He was cruising along. More like pulling me along. He loves to run. We were doing an out and back 5K run (3.1 miles for you non metric types) When he started to limp.

Now this happened at the turn around. So we were the farthest from the house. We stopped and I took a look at his front left leg. Nothing in the paw. So I started to walk and he took a few steps and set down. Now this is unusual for Shaq. Normally he will walk off an injury, but not today. So I picked him up and put him around my neck. At first he squirmed when I was lifting him up, but once he realized what was up he relaxed.

Carrying Shaq is easy. He generally relaxes and lays there and licks your face every now and then to show his appreciation. What a guy. Frenched me a couple times on this walk though, which was not pleasant. If you have ever been frenched by a dog you know what I mean. So I started walking home with 75 pounds of dog on my neck and shoulders. I have carried him like this for short periods, but never for a mile and a half. But love him to death so off we went. Me and a black dog around my shoulders like an scarf.

Cars went by and slowed down to take a look, Ella (lovely older lady) thought my wrap was very handsome. Shaq was having a great time. By the time we got home I was wiped out. I let Shaq down and he ran around the house, slight limp though. If he hadn’t limped I would have beat him. Gave him an aspirin and put him in his kennel to rest for the rest of the day.

So now he is going to take it easy for a few days, no rough housing, no tug of war, no chasing a ball. Already he is bummed and not sure what is up. We walk around the house and practice obedience things, but he want to play. I think I better watch myself tonight when I sleep, he could seek spontaneous playtime by tormenting me until I chase him around the house.

Cheers
Ray & Shaq

Jumpy Shaq 12/30/95

2009-06-02T14:21:00.000-07:00

Jumpy Shaq

12/30/95
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Since it was raining and miserable outside and no one wanted to go to a movie I decided to play with Shaq. Of course playing with Shaq makes up a good portion of my time so this was nothing new.

Since the weather was bad we played inside. I started by getting on all fours and pushing him around with my head. This gets him feisty. He likes to squeeze under my belly and between my arms when I am on all fours. Every now and then I pick him up and flip him upside down and scoot him along the floor. This really pisses him off. So we play like this for a while. He loves it. Then of course he get horny and tries to hump me. That is when this game stops.

Next I sit on the sofa and throw the tennis ball for him. Now we all know what the tennis ball does to Shaq. If playing on the floor gets him worked up the tennis ball drives him crazy. We were playing well. I would throw and he would bring it back and sit right in front of me and drop the ball. All was well. I was watching the Outer Limits Special and was not really paying attention to him. I would throw and he would bring. Well once I threw and I heard him get it and come barreling back in the room. This should have been a clue to look up. I didn't. Next thing I know 75 pounds of puppy is hurling itself at me and there is nothing I can do. I am body slammed into the back of the sofa. I bend over with my wind knocked out of me. I am furious and laughing at the same time. Of course I can't breath at this time either.

While I am bent over and helpless Shaq takes the opportunity to jump on my back and hump away. I never knew I exuded feminine qualities to the extent that my Dog would be infatuated with me. I can think of any number of people I would rather have infatuated with me. But for some reason my Dog is not one of them.

I think I need to get Shaq laid soon. If anyone knows of a doggy brothel I would appreciate it.

Cheers
Ray & (Sexually Frustrated) Shaq

Humpy Shaq 12/22/95

2009-06-02T14:20:00.001-07:00

Humpy Shaq

12/22/95
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Not sure what they are putting in tennis balls these days, but it sure gets Shaq worked up.

Every morning we play fetch. Since it has been a bit cold we have been playing inside, and since I want to stay warm I want to throw from bed. Now to achieve this we must use a tennis ball. This is so I can bank it off the bedroom door and propel it down the hallway where if I do it right it will hit off another wall and goes into the living room. 1 out of 10 does this. But Shaq loves chasing any of them.

I will be sitting in bed watching the news (yes I have a TV in my room, and a VCR, don’t you?) when Shaq comes barreling in with a Tennis Ball. Now most dogs will jump on the bed. Not Shaq he hurls himself on the bed. Take off is a couple of steps inside the door and the landing point is the bed. I am on the bed, which makes this a bit adventuresome because you never know exactly where he will land and when he lands how long will it take him to stop. There are times that he has landed right on top of me, others where he lands on his side of the bed but cannot stop and smacks the wall and once where I heard him coming and threw a blanket up in the air as he jumped. This freaked him out and he was not happy.

Back to the theme of the story. The last few days I have been sitting in bed playing catch, but when Shaq returns the ball he has been hurling himself on the bed, dropping the ball and trying to hump me. Now I don’t know about you but being humped by a dog is not exactly what I fantasize about in the morning. At night maybe or in the afternoon but not in the morning. He only try’s to hump me when we are playing with the tennis ball (is it a fuzzy ball thing?) not when we are playing with the retrieving dummy, his bone or his tug o war rope. Only with the Tennis ball. I tried using different tennis balls but no luck all tennis balls make Shaq a horny boy.

So now I know when it is time for Shaq to do the deed for cash I need to make sure the other dog has a tennis ball for him to play with. Sort of Shaq foreplay technique. I’m sure each of you have something that turns you on. For Shaq it happens to be a Tennis Ball.

Happy Humping and keep those tennis balls handy if you really want to get someone aroused.

Cheers
Ray & Shaq

Two Dog Night, But I only had One Dog 12/10/95

2009-06-02T14:17:00.000-07:00

Two Dog Night, But I only had One Dog

12/10/95
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Last night was coooooooooooollllllllllld. It got down to about 10. Now I don’t care where you are, Montana, Ohio, Georgia or Texas. 10 is cold. Since I don’t have anyone to share bodily warmth with I had to make do with what was at hand.

I was laying in bed and sleeping peacefully when I woke up to the realization that I was cold. For me happiness is in the feet. As long as they are warm I am fine. My feet were not happy in the least bit. And they let me know it in no uncertain terms. I got up and rubbed them, no luck. I put on socks, no luck. I then looked around and saw Shaq and got an idea.

I lifted up the covers and said Kennel. This is his command to get in what ever I am directing him to do. It could be the car, his travel kennel or in this case under the covers. He reluctantly went in. I go him all the way down to the end where he curled up. I slipped my feet under him. That did the trick with in a couple of minutes they were warm and happy.

Shaq could not stay down there for the whole night so I let him come up and lay next to me with his head sticking out. Now I am a tosser at night. I can’t sleep in one position for more then half an hour before I have to turn over. Sort of like a good steak, you don’t want it to linger on one side to long. Now I learned something about Shaq. He is tosser also. He cuddled up next to me laying on his side with his back to me. Then he would roll over on his back, then roll over on his other side and push against me with his feet.

With two tossers under the covers it became a battle over real-estate. Who was going to control the bed. That was the issue. Now Geronimo is a dog who weights 85 pounds but in bed is light as a feather and can be manipulated as such. Farty is another dog. She weights about 60 and is a ton in the bed. A fork lift could not get her to move from the spot she occupies. I learned that Shaq is like this. He now weights 65 and can distribute that weight in such a way that it is the equivalent of a ton. I had to get up and move him to his side of the bed. But by the time we woke up in the morning he had 90% of the bed and was planning on getting the rest of it.

This may sound like a bad situation, but the fact that he puts out some serious BTU’s (heat) under the covers made it worth it. I was toasty warm. He was happy to be sleeping with me. So we both got something out of it. I just now need to teach him proper sleeping etiquette along with his sit, stay and come.

Cheers to all
Stay Warm Ray & Shaq

Shaq Slayer of Moths 12/5/95

2009-06-02T14:13:00.001-07:00

Shaq Slayer of Moths

12/5/95

My house is free of moths thanks to the efforts of ShaqAsaurus Monster Dog, AKA Shaq the Moth Slayer.

Last night Shaq rid the house of all flying insects. He felt it was his duty to protect the property from airborne attack. He still lets me take care of the ground attack, ants, roaches, etc… But if it is in the air it’s his duty to get it.

A moth made it through the outer perimeter and for an hour he fought this moth to exhaustion. First he chased it until it found a light. The he stood there for a couple of minutes and watched it. Gotta study your enemy, first rule from the art of war by Sun Tsu. So he studied. Saw that it could not stay near the light for a long period of time and would periodically leave the light and swoop down. So he waited and waited. Second rule from the Art of War, be patient let your enemy make the first move. And it paid off. The Moth came down. Shaq made a lunge at it, but it got a way. He pursued with vigor. He chased it, jumped a good 5 feet off the ground after it. But it got away and went back to the light.

Shaq was not deterred he watched and waited and finally it came down again, this time he got it. The Moth came down. Flapped on the floor. Shaq danced around it, poking it with his nose and pawing at it. Never barked at it. Then picked it up and brought it outside.

I sleep so much better at night knowing that he is ever vigilant against the great flying nemesis. He now has 3 of them and I think once he gets 10 confirmed downings he will be given the Ace status and accorded all honors. I.e. he will get a reward second to none.

Cheers

Ray & Shaq

Shaq plays Fetch 12/1/95

2009-06-02T14:11:00.000-07:00

Shaq plays Fetch

12/1/95
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Shaq has a very unique way of retrieving, he is a retriever so retrieving is in his blood. Well maybe not in his blood but it is definitely in his drool.

Fetch and retrieve may be the wrong word for it. I think Attack and retrieve is more appropriate. He does a sort of run and bound till he gets with in a step of the retrieving dummy then he pounces on it. (A retrieving dummy is a foot long and about 3 inches in diameter) He then picks it up and tosses it in the air. 9 times out of 10 he catches it in the air then sprints with it in his mouth at full speed. Most of the time he comes straight at you. Next he will either sit on the dime right in front of you (this is preferred), run by you then come back and sit, (this is acceptable, but not the best) or he will run at you and forget to stop and sit, in which case he plows you over. If you are really daring you stand with your legs parted so he can run through them.

We play fetch a lot. Both indoors and out. We also play a combination of indoor outdoor fetch with a tennis ball. This is the only time we don’t use the retrieving dummy. I am not a morning person, Shaq is a morning dog and wants to play in the morning. I want to drink coffee, watch the morning news shows, catch Shining Time Station on PBS and generally relax. We have learned that if I open the sliding glass door to the back yard I can sit on the sofa watch TV and throw the ball out the door.

Shaq loves this. So I throw the ball he goes after it and brings it back. Except he brings it to me by hurling himself at the sofa. He throws himself in the air, turns sideways and hits the back of the sofa then gives me the ball. Except this morning he hurled himself a little to high and to hard and sailed over the sofa and smacked into the wall behind the sofa. He was a bit stunned at first and was not sure what had happened so I threw the ball and he came back and this time hit the mark and landed perfectly.

Cheers
Ray & Shaq

Breakfeast in Bed 12/19/95

2009-06-02T14:06:00.000-07:00

Breakfeast in Bed

12/19/95

Yes the title is right, it is Breakfeast, not Breakfast.

This morning, as with most morning. Shaq gets me to wake up then he gets me out of bed. First stop is always the kitchen door for a much needed pee. Shaq is the one doing the peeing, I am a bit more civilized
(but not much more), He sprints outside goes to his favorite spot. The one by the back fence so he can piss off the dog living behind us. When he is done he comes barreling back in the house. I swear if I did not
leave the sliding door open I don't think he would stop.

Next comes breakfast. I get his bowls. Fill one up with water and put it down. He looks at it and gives me the lets cut the crap I'm hungry look. So I take his other bowl and put a cup of food in it. Yummmmmy!!!! Now I don't give it to him immediately he knows that he has to do something for it. Lately it has been laying down. So I give the command "Down" now most dogs gently ease them selves down. Not Shaq. He throws him self down. Butt goes down and front legs go flying out and head is positioned flat on the floor between his front legs. This is Down. Eyes are fixed on you.

I say "Stay" and he does not budge an inch. I put the food down and he springs up and attacks. Now this is what happens almost every morning. This morning was a bit nippy so I grabbed my breakfast and went back to bed to get under the covers and eat. I was laying there happily eating my yogurt when I looked up and here comes Shaq with his bowl in his mouth. Still half full. He jumps up on the bed with it and puts it
down on his side and proceeds to finish eating.

Now I am not sure to be upset or humored by this. This is the most social dog that I know. Always wants to do what you are doing. Drive the car, shower, watch TV, use the bathroom, and now eat in bed.

Cheers
Ray & Shaq

Shaq’s Thanksgiving 11/27/95

2009-06-02T14:05:00.000-07:00

Shaq’s Thanksgiving

11/27/95
Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Shaq's Thanksgiving

Shaq and I got invited to Toledo Bend Louisiana for turkey day by Norma Marsh. Norma is a very good friend and has two Rotweilers , Bear and Bayle. They are both very nice dogs. Normas folks have a Rat Terrier named Major.

Shaq and I drove in, took 5 hours. The whole way Shaq was up and looking out the window and having a very good time. When we arrived he got out and was immediately inundated by these dogs.

They played and played every day from before sunup to after sunset. The two Rotweilers tag teamed on Shaq. One would chase him until tired then the other would jump in. Shaq loved it. When they would both stop he would go over and antagonize them until one played with him.

We went out on Norma and Craig's boat. Shaq swam and swam. Loved every minute of it. It was the one place where he was in his element. A stick would be thrown, all the dogs would bound in the water, but Shaq was always the first to the stick. Not always the first out of the water with it as Bear and Bayle would usually steal it. But he loved
it.

We left on Sunday at 10:30. Shaq had to be carried into the car. He was to tired to jump in. Then he just passed out. He slept the whole way home. Upon arriving he poured himself out of the car and went to the bed room. He tried to jump up on the bed, but couldn't. I had to lift him up, no small feat as he now weighs about 65 pounds. I brought
him a treat, he mustered the last of his energy to eat it, then went to sleep.

I had to wake my self up in the morning. This is very unusual, as Shaq always gets me up. He was still laying in the same spot he passed out the night before. I woke him up and he snapped at me. I got him up and brought him outside to do his thing. He started feeling better and ate a bit of breakfast. By the time I came home for lunch he was in fine shape and was raring to go.

That was Shaq's first Thanksgiving.

Shaq get the hick-ups 11/17/1995

2009-06-02T14:02:00.000-07:00

Shaq get the hick-ups

11/17/95

Well it has been a while since I reported on the antics of Shaq. Not that antics have not been happening.

This morning I was laying in bed, as I have a tendency to do, when Shaq got the hick-ups. He was trying to get me out of bed. This is a daily ritual.

First he gets me to wake up. I fight this until I realize it is a loosing cause and wake up. Now this does not mean I am out of bed, just that my eyes are open. Shaq then realizes that the next step is to get me out of bed. His thinking is that as long as I am in bed I can’t feed him. If I could figure this trick out then I could get another 15 minutes sleep. But it has slipped me so far.

Anyway back to the subject of the story. Shaq gets excited in the morning and prances around the room with his tail up. He doesn’t bark or cut up much, just paces the room. Occasionally he will spring up on the bed and stand over you with that stare that only he can produce. It penetrates your soul. Today he jumped up on the bed and started to hick-up. This was the first time I heard him hick-up. He did not know what was going on.

He sat down and hick-upd, he looked confused. He walked around, still hick-ups. He started his loud moaning howl thinking that might cure them. He ran around, no luck. Then he rolled over on his back on the bed. He had pitiful eyes. His belly was jumping all around. He was howling while laying on his back. So I reached over and vigorously rubbed his belly. The hick-ups stopped. Unfortunately rubbing Shaqs belly real hard gets him very horny so he then spent the next ten minutes trying to hump anything he could get onto. I stayed in bed until this episode ended. But that is another story.

Cheers to all

Ray & Shaq

Coldy Shaq 11/3/1995

2009-06-02T13:52:00.000-07:00

Coldy Shaq

11/3/95

Howdy,

Here is a little something from the antics of Shaq.

Last night it got a little cold, 40 I think. Yes for those of you not in Texas that is cold. Cold is cold. In Montana that would be a heat wave, but here in the south that is cold.

Well about 3 this morning I was under the covers blissfully sleeping away when I felt the covers being lifted. I thought for a second did I go out last night and come home with someone. I thought real hard. Nope didn't go out last night. Then I felt it a cold nose, followed by a cold puppy dog.

He decided to check out why I was under the covers and he was on top. Was there something he was missing under there. He found out there was. It was warm. He decided he liked that so he came under the covers and snuggled up next to me and put his little head out from under the covers on his pillow and slept like that for the rest of the night.

Shaq can sure generate a good deal of heat. And with him there I was nice and toasty. It was definitely a one dog night as the Aborigines in Australia would say. Which incase you did not know it is where the band Three Dog Night got its name. When the Aborigines were cold they would curl up with their dogs. The coldness of the night was judged by how many dogs you had to curl up with to stay warm. So a three dog night must have been very cold.

Well that is Shaq's latest antic stay tuned because you never know when the next antic is going to show up.

Cheers to all and stay warm.

Ray & Shaq

Shaq Tails

Best Summation

Best summation I have ever heard on the passing of a loved one. "Don't cry because its over. Smile because it happened!" (Dr. Seuss)

Shasta comes to live with us

I am so tired Draft 1

Chapter 1 D2: My name is Shaq

The Road trip 10/21/01

Last message from Sioux City 10/5/01

Dog or Frog 6/24/01

Slidy Shasta 6/9/01

Tug-O-Shasta 4/1/01

Under the Knife 3/22/01

Shaq & Shasta Xmas 12/28/00

Seasons Greetings 12/23/00

Turkey Days with Shaq & Shasta 12/5/00

Sleepy Time with Shaq & Shasta 11/19/00

Put up the Tree 11/19/00

Shaq & Shasta’s Trip Home 10/18/00

Shaq & Shasta Update 9/10/00

Watch Dogs 8/3/00

The House Guest 7/24/00

The Majesty of Labs 6/13/00

Thanksgiving Update 12/6/99

Swimmy Shasta 9/6/99

LabFest 99 7/18/99

Leapin Labradors 6/13/99

Shaq & Shasta Update 3/19/99

Shaq & Shasta Holidays 1/1/99

Turkey Day’s with Shaq & Shasta 12/3/98

Hello from Shasta 10/25/98

Gimpy Shasta 9/19/98

Shasta joins our family 9/15/98

South Dakota Update 4 6/7/98

South Dakota Update 3 3/15/98

Trick & Treat 11/1/97

Beagle Shaq 10/13/96

Bathy Shaq 6/20/96

Rodeo Shaq 5/27/96

Taily Shaq 5/24/96

Ribby Shaq 5/23/96

Watchy Shaq 5/21/96

Pizza Shaq 5/14/96

Moraly Shaq 3/8/96

Adventure Shaq 3/5/96

Shaq the Bed Pig 2/10/96

Belly Rub for good luck 1/21/96

Swimmy Shaq 1/17/96

Limpy Shaq 1/10/96

Jumpy Shaq 12/30/95

Humpy Shaq 12/22/95

Two Dog Night, But I only had One Dog 12/10/95

Shaq Slayer of Moths 12/5/95

Shaq Slayer of Moths

12/5/95

Shaq plays Fetch 12/1/95

Breakfeast in Bed 12/19/95

12/19/95

Shaq’s Thanksgiving 11/27/95

Shaq get the hick-ups 11/17/1995

Shaq get the hick-ups

11/17/95

Coldy Shaq 11/3/1995

11/3/95

Copyright © 2001 Ray Hebert

Best summation I have ever heard on the passing of a loved one.
"Don't cry because its over. Smile because it happened!" (Dr. Seuss)