Found a new park!

Hi, it's Cinnamon!

We found a new park! It's called Kiwi Esplanade Reserve.

A walkway runs along the shore of Manukau Harbour. Although this park is not an off-leash dog park, you can still enjoy nice walks along the long walkway.

There were also trees to climb!

I found another dog coming.

Look! I greeted him nicely without barking. But, when the other dog's owner asked my Mum if I was friendly, she replied "Not always." Can you believe that? Because of my Mum's reply, they left us quickly almost like running away from us.

This park is a bird sanctuary, so there were so many birds! On the shore...

And on the grass...

I watched them from a distance, as I didn't want to scare them.

But, here is a close-up photo for you.

It was a great walk! Where are you taking me next, Mum and Dad?

My entries to two more photo contests ... and good news!

Hi, it's Cinnamon!

Today's post is about Mango Minster 2010 again! In my last post I showed you my entries to the Mango Minster Dog Show and Biggy's Dog Pile Competition. After that, I also entered Niamh’s Train Your Dog Photo Contest and Tucker's Sit Stay Competition.

This is my entry to the Train Your Dog Photo Contest.



As you know, I started dance training last October and finished a beginner dog dancing course in December. Now I am working on my very FIRST routine. My entry to the Train Your Dog Photo Contest is a shot taken in Roberta Reserve in Glendowie. At that time I was practising to raise my paws in accordance with the movement of my Mum's feet. Although I can do marching legs (a similar trick, but in the position face to face with my Mum who raises her knees instead of putting her feet diagonally forward) very well, I sometimes get confused when I am doing this new trick shown in the photo.

As you can see in the photo, we use a clicker and treats when we practise tricks and dancing. I love practising new tricks. The harder the trick, the more exciting the practice!!


This is my entry to the Sit Stay Competition.



As some of you know, I am not a great sit-stayer. I find staying still very very hard. I would rather just keep moving and get going! But, I like sitting on my biggest stuffie friend, Ben. He's always been with me along with Cookie since I was a puppy. He never complains about whatever I do to him. Because he is so big and I am so small, my attacks on him seem nothing more than light patting for him.


Well, today I have GOOD NEWS!! My dad's new camera came back from Japan! The camera was sent to Japan after a SD card got stuck in it and was unable to be taken out. When the problem happened, Mum took the camera to a camera shop, but the staff there couldn't take it out either. Because the camera was bought in Japan last September, it was still under its warranty in Japan, but not in New Zealand. So, Mum sent it back to the manufacturer's service centre in Japan.

We were so impressed by services of the service centre. They were so quick and efficient! As a result of a check done at the camera's service centre, it turned out be the SDHC card, not the camera, that had broken! Nevertheless, the service centre's staff did a thorough checkup for free and confirmed that everything in the camera was working correctly.

Now my dad is so happy! And, so am I!!

My entries to Mango Minster and Dog Pile Competition

Hi, it's Cinnamon!!

As you all know, Mango is holding a wonderful dog event called "Mango Minster 2010" right now and the entry is due to close on Wednesday, the 27th January. Although I wanted to ask my dad to take a special photo for my entry, his new camera had been sent to Japan for repair, so I looked through photos stored in mum's computer and chose one that would be a perfect entry to the Hound Dogs group I am entering. Yes, I am hunting a rabbit (not real one though) in the photo!!

For those who can't figure out what I am doing in this photo, here is a video of my fantastic run at Hound Racing.

I have also entered Biggie's "Dog Pile Competition," one of competitions being held at Mango Minster. The one who has piled up the biggest number of items on himself will win the competition. But, unfortunately I am not a big doggy, so I went for showing my nice stuffie friends. I managed to pile up as many as six friends on me with Mum's help. They are Red, Horse, Green, Doggy 1, Doggy 2, and Cow from bottom to top. Although you might think that some of them seem like leaning against the wall behind me, they actually are NOT touching the wall.

In fact, the original photo I first thought about entering was this one.

But, as you can see the legs of my biggest stuffie mate, Ben, are touching the floor, which might be a violation of the competition's rules. So, I had to ask him to stand back and supervise the photoshooting. I think he did a great job for me!

My secret place to practise dancing

Hi, it's Cinnamon!

Today I will show you a place I often go to with my mum in our walks. This place is the dog exercise area (off-lease dog park) closest to my home. Although it is very small, it has beautiful views like this!



The other day I heard something behind me when I was posing for a photo.



I looked around...



... And found him!!



He is a Pukeko, a New Zealand native bird. Isn't he cool? Sorry for such a poor shot. (It's all Mum's fault. I think she needs to practise camera work much more.)

In this little park I often practise dance moves with Mum, although there is no flat area in this park. On this day I practised circling around Mum while she was turning in the opposite direction. I had been able to circle around her while she was standing still, but I had never done it with Mum turning in the opposite direction. Hmmmm...it seems I need more practice.

A day trip to West Auckland

Hi, it's Cinnamon!!

We went on a half-day trip to West Auckland on a sunny day. As some of you might remember, we haven't been able to have walks on nearby beaches since last July because of a poison scare (Several dogs died after eating dead sea slugs that contained toxin usually found in puffer fish. Every incident of this kind happened on beaches along Hauraki Gulf on the Pacific Ocean side of Auckland). My humans who had long wanted to take me to the beach finally did what they wanted.

Ta-dah! This is Bethells Beach, a popular beach among dogs and their owners, on the Tasman Sea side of Auckland.



The sand was so hot that my mum carried me in her arms until we reached an area where the sand was wet and cooler.



The section across this inlet is a dog exercise (off-leash) area.



I had a great time walking freely on the beach!

We even met another Beagle! But, it seemed he was more interested in the water than me. After saying hello to me, he quickly ran away to start jumping around happily in the shallow water. Where were his manners in front of a lady like me?



After leaving Bethells Beach we dropped by Waitakere Ranges Regional Park and took a postcard-like snapshot there. There was an ice cream kiosk beside this picture frame. Althouh I wanted to try a lick or two on ice cream a couple were eating sitting on a bench, our humans didn't allow me to do that.



It was a great day out! Mum and Dad, where are you taking me next?

Vet visits

Hi. It's Cinnamon!

Today I will show you one of my favorite places to visit...that is Kohimarama Veterinary Clinic! Do you think I am strange, as most dogs don't have good experience with the vet? But, I always look forward to visiting them.

The reason why I like the place is I attended a four-week course of puppy classes there and had so much fun with my teacher and classmates.



There were only three of us puppies in the class, Summy the Bichon Frise, Jack the Jack Russel, and me.



In the last class we learnt to get used to strange environments and noise using various stuff humans had brought, such as a vacuum cleaner, a party hat, and fairy costume.



Because I had so much fun at the veterinary clinic and the staff there always give me treats on my each visit, I love the place so much! Among others my favorite nurse is the one who taught us in puppy classes. Whenever she sees me, she says "Cinnamon! Oh my little friend!" and gives me lots of hugs, so I give her lots of kisses in return.

Yesterday I visited the clinic again for an injection of Pentosan, medicine for my hip joints. It was the last on the second four-week weekly course, so I am not visiting the clinic again for the next few month unless I get sick or something, which hopefully is not the case.

Actually I was thinking about posting some photos my dad had taken at the clinic yesterday, but unfortunately his new camera broke after our vet visit and was sent to Japan to go into the manufacturer's camera hospital for repair!! So, no photos!! My dad is so disappointed because he was enjoying taking photos with his new camera, which was only three and a half months old!!

Peacock, puppies, and racing

Hi, it's Cinnamon. I hope you all had a great weekend! I had a wonderful weekend with lovely weather.

On Friday my humans and I went to Auckland Regional Botanic Gardens, one of my favorite places, and I met a peacock there. I had been to the place many times, but I had never seen a peacock there. I wonder where he came from. From the Auckland Zoo, where my Mum says she has seen a peacock walking around freely? But, do you think a peacock can fly from the Zoo to the Botanic Gardens over 25km away?

Look, I found a peacock across a pond!



He was showing off a display of his beautiful feathers.

Later I went over to have a closer look.



My Mum told me not to scare him, so it was the closest I was able to get to him. But anyway we had to leave as it started raining. I hope to meet him again when I go there next time!


On Saturday we went to a dog show at New Zealand Kennel Club Ardmore Exhibition Centre to meet my breeders and their Beagles including a litter born in late November. I think I behaved very well while I was there, quietly watching the puppies eating their breakfast and treats. I think my breeders were impressed by how good I was, because they gave me a dried tendon too.








On Sunday we had this year's first coursing of the Hound Racing Club at NZKC Ardmore Exhibition Centre. I love racing more than anything! I was so excited that I just couldn't stop barking while I was hearing the noise of the reeling machine. I had a great run with my team mates, Holly the Poodle and Chloe the Beagle.









Look at our fantastic run!!

Cookie and Cinnamon on TV

Hi. It's Cinnamon here!

Tell you what! Cookie and Cinnamon's bath time video was broadcast in a TV programme called "Wan Nyan (Dogs & Cats) Cafe" on NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) as a featured video of the week!

You can watch the video here.

In the video I am speaking Japanese!! For those who don't understand the language, the title is "Can't have a dip in the bath tub" and my line goes like this, according to my Mum:

Wow, how nice it is to have hot water run over my body! That's how you think I am feeling, isn't it? Well, I want to soak in the tub like my friend does, but I am scared...

Here is the original video that our dad sent to the broadcaster in October.

Mission complete!

Hi. It's Cinnamon here. Today I will show you why my Mum was busy for the last several days.



She was painting wooden window frames of the dining kitchen. Actually it was a year ago that she declared that she was going to repaint the window frames with peeling paint, but she never got it started until now. In fact it was her first painting project, so she started with doing some research on how to paint and what to use, but later she found a much quicker way, which was to ask our great, kind, and helpful next-door neighbour who does all the painting work around his house.

Mum's painting project proceeded as follows:

1. Clean the window frames
2. Sand them first with coarse sandpaper (to remove peeling paint) and then with fine sandpaper
3. Apply undercoat primer that the kind next-door neighbour gave her
4. Sand with fine sandpaper after the primer dries
5. Apply undercoat primer again
6. Sand with fine sandpaper after the primer dries
7. Paint
8. Paint again after the first coat dries completely
9. Finish!!!

What was I doing while she was painting? Of course, I was supervising, laying under the dining table!

My new start!!!

Hi all!! It's Cinnamon here! I hope everyone had or is having great Christmas and New Year holidays.

You may be wondering why I am writing this blog today. Well, my mum has been so busy that I have decided to take over the blog.

A new year means a new start for me in many ways. Firstly I will have to be more independent and reliable now that I can't rely on Cookie any more. As many of you know, I couldn't sleep quietly in my crate alone after Cookie left us, and I successfully convinced my humans that I had to sleep with them in their bed. But now I sleep in my crate without a bark, if not in a separate room but in my humans' bedroom. I still can't stand being alone. But, as I know I will have to be more independent, I will try my best to get used to sleeping alone in a separate room. Also, I will practice my dancing hard this year and hopefully show you my first routine in the not far future.