GooberStanian Beard Growing Competition

Yep. It's that time of year again, and this goober...

and my little goobette sister want YOU

to join us in the 2nd Annual GooberStanian Beard Growing Competition in honor of my dearly departed buddy, and beard-grower extraordinAire, Dovah Doo! Here's a photo of the Bearded One with me when I was still a puppy. We're both rescue dales, and he's one of the first buds I met after I adopted my girl. (His mama is holding our collars because if she didn't, we would have been chasing each other around the yard like MANIACS!)

Almost a year ago Dovah went to the Rainbow Bridge suddenly at the very young age of seven. This photo was taken of him just a couple of weeks before he left us. Look at his lusciously juicy beard blowing in the wind! (He was a mud-lovin' fool, that boy was!)

In this photo his beard is a little shorter than normal, but still impressive at 8 inches!

Now, Stella is going to explain the basic rules of the competition.

This contest is open to any dog, hammie or cat out there who wants to grow their beard. The rules are very simple. There are three categories.

The first category is Most Improved Beard. The dog, hammie, or cat whose beard has grown the most from now until January 1st will win. Last year's winner was Miss Molly!

The second category is for the dog, hammie or cat who has the Overall Longest Beard. We will have two classes for this category this year: longest beard for a dog 25 pounds or less, and longest beard for a dog over 25 pounds. Last year, our winner for Longest Beard was Buster the Kerry Blue Terrier.

The third category is new this year, and it is for the Best Muddy Face! Since my Dovah bud loved to slather his face in mud, and since not all my friends out there are beard-growing pups, hammies or cats, this category is also for you. If you want to enter this category, then submit a photograph of yourself anytime before the deadline on January 2nd of your most gloriously muddy face. Some of my aunties here in GooberStan will be the judges.

If you want to play, peemail me or leave a comment on this post, then measure what beard you have on October 1st & send me a peemail telling me your intial measurement (if you're going for most improved beard). You can provide periodic updates on your blog with your progress if you like, but on January 1, 2009, everydog (hammie or cat) who is participating will take a final measurement. We will announce the winners by January 5th! You may enter 1 or all 3 categories!

As you can see, my buddy Maggie Girl has been gearing up all year to attempt to knock Buster out of the competition. Look at that FABULOUSLY flowing beard!








So, whatdya say? Are you gonna throw your beard (or face) into the ring?

We DOUBLE DOG DARE YA!

Love,

Stanley & Stella

Fall Aire AffAire

For those of you pups and hammies who have been wondering where I am... Yes. I'm still here.

My girl and I have been gone for most of the weekend because of the fall fundraiser for Airedale Rescue ~ the Fall Aire AffAire. It was held yesterday, but my girl has been running around helping with last minute details for the last few days, and I'm ready for her to be home.

For the Aire AffAire we all met out at this big park. There was a picnic (thanks to all and sundry who snuck me hot dog pieces), silent & live auctions, and a few dog games. The main thing for me was the chance to see some of my Airebuds.

Here's Hercules (in the back) and I getting his dad all tied up in knots.

My girl was so caught up in spending her money and talking with the hoomans that I finally gnabbed the camera myself and made the rounds. Here's my buddy, Seger, looking all fit and ready for action. (He's the friend who was bitten by the copperhead at the beginning of the summer).

This is Sassy Bug, one of my fave Airegirls!

Here's Miss Loretta, another of my fave Airegirls. She is one sharp cookie ~ really knows how to accessorize. Do you like her Wilma Flintstone pearls?






Lorretta's so stinkin' cute I had to get in one more photo. (The pup in the back refused to give his name, so no photo credit for him).

This here is Sandy, a new fave Airegirl of mine. She was just adopted and met her new mama the day before the Aire AffAire. Isn't she a beauty? Her back right leg was injured when she was a wee puplet, and noone got any medical attention for her, so her knee joint fused together. Her hips are good, but she looks a little bit like a pirate with a peg leg when she walks. It doesn't slow her down a bit.






This is Heidi, another fave Airegirl. She has the softest ears... so I hear.







Here is a photograph of a very rare Airedale indeed ~ the Oreo Airedale. This particular Oreo Dale looks very similar to a Newfie Boy I've heard about, named Tank. He's the brother of Princess, from the Newfs of Hazard. A few folks actually believed our explanation about him being an Oreo Airedale. (Gullible hoomans). He was the hit of the Aire AffAire, though it seemed most of us male dales got a little territorial with such a big boy in our midst. No bloodshed. Just a little macho posturing. That's all.

And here is an actual rare type of Airedale ~ a black Airedale named Trina. She's a little over 3 years old, and until a few weeks ago, had never been around hoomans. She used to live on a breeding farm and spent most of her life in a cage, and is now living in a foster home with 2 other dales and a couple of crazy hoomans. She loves other pups and gets along great with them, but is still very shy and tentative around people. She's started letting hoomans pet her & scritch her ears and booty. She too, is now one of my fave Airegirls!

Here's a side shot of the Ebony Princess (as I like to call her).

I couldn't leave without giving you a close up of Trina the Ebony Princess' face. She's a real sweetpea!

Okay. Okay. So I have a few favorite Airegirls. Can you blame me? The male Dale population at the event is sorely under-represented here. My apologies to all of you.

I won't go into any details here (because I don't know any yet), but we had a heap of Airedales and other pups there, we raised some money for rescue, we got to play some silly games (one involved my girl putting a pair of boxer briefs on me and making me run in a relay... don't ask), and I got hot dogs. Not a bad day, all in all.

Hope all you pups and hammies had a great weekend.

Love,

Stanley

GooberStan & HercuGoob

Hercules and I met up today at the dog park. We're just a couple of goobs, hanging out waiting to be recognized by our adoring public.

For Airedales, Herc and I represent each end of the size spectrum. He's at the small end, and I'm a little larger than the large end of that spectrum.

The way I see it, he's packin' a lot of Aireboy gooberocity into a small convenient-sized pup. With my large size, there's just more gooberliciousness to love and get your paws on. (Who cares if the AKC thinks I'm big-boned?)

We're looking a little too much like bookends here.

Herc's had enough of the puparazzi. Smart boy.

So much for that photoshoot...

Love,
GooberStan (for the Hercugoob)