Happy Corgi (kôr'gē) - Odie, aka 'Prince Albert'

Odie and his friend Bogi

2007-06-08T20:01:00.000-07:00

Odie is ahead because he attacks the stairs mercilessly. Taking two steps at once.

Max extension

2007-05-30T14:08:00.000-07:00

Maybe Odie's back has been hurting, or he's just pooped (dual meaning).

Odie's new girlfriend

2007-05-17T23:10:00.001-07:00

Odie's friend happens to be about 150 pounds. So five times Odie by weight. The two pictures show what mismatch they are. Please forgive the poorly shot photos. The two dogs are constantly in motion and even these were tough to manage.

Odie has that "dont want to get off the couch" look

2007-05-17T21:44:00.000-07:00

Who can deny those tender eyes?

Odie should stop performing for food

2007-05-17T21:43:00.001-07:00

Odie stealing some couch time

2007-05-17T21:33:00.000-07:00

Just done with the tree.

2007-05-10T23:16:00.000-07:00

the dog can't stand still

2007-04-25T13:49:00.000-07:00

Odie must mark everything

2007-04-24T23:38:00.000-07:00

behind Odie

2007-04-24T23:09:00.000-07:00

Short dog

2007-04-24T23:04:00.000-07:00

more park

2007-04-13T10:55:00.000-07:00

His butt needs a trim

One more running shot

2007-04-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

Couldn't resist sharing this photo. The tongue off to the side while running... classic.

Scary Odie

2007-04-13T10:49:00.000-07:00

Odie just happened to have his mouth hanging open for this shot; taken while he was running towards the camera... He's still not that scary though.

Nice day

2007-04-13T10:47:00.000-07:00

Odie awaits a treat

2007-03-17T20:59:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Temperatures have been getting into 80s. Odie keeps dropping onto the grass panting rather than running around. Wait til real Summer hits, he may not want to move.

Odie's Corner

2007-03-09T18:46:00.000-08:00

Odie has a new favorite spot. If I ever need to find Odie, I go to this corner between the dining room and kitchen. He's usually chillin on his bed or sleeping stretched out on the floor.

2007-03-06T18:36:00.001-08:00

Nice Spring like day.

Lethargic Odie

2007-02-28T17:03:00.000-08:00

Depressed Odie

2007-02-28T16:58:00.000-08:00

Odie paid a visit to his vet today and got caught up on his vaccinations. Seems that boarding places require vaccinations to be done within 6 months, or they ask you to get a booster shot. It was about time anyways. The doctor was very happy to see Odie and commented that his ear is looking very nice and reminded us not to let water in his ear. He was, however, concerned for Odie's weight. He looks fine to me, but maybe he still does look pudgy compared to the standard corgi. He officially weighed in at 31.5 pounds on the vet's scale. He is towards the upper end of the normal range for male corgis... Hmm, maybe he still needs to lose 2-3 pounds more before he looks healthy to the vet?
The above picture is intended to depict the lethargic/depressed side-effect that the vet warned us could result from the vaccinations.

Concerned for safety

2007-02-22T18:45:00.000-08:00

Even Odie can tell that the wall outlet seems risky. Notice how he's pulling his pillow away from the cords.

Tough to type with a nose.

2007-02-22T18:28:00.000-08:00

It's been taking Odie longer and longer to make these blog updates. Seems to have a hard time with the keyboard. But his spelling is usually right on.

Same park...different expression.

2007-02-22T18:25:00.000-08:00

Eager Odie

2007-02-21T04:43:00.000-08:00

Fan Art for Odie

2007-02-11T20:14:00.000-08:00

Here is a great likeness of Odie. Courtesy of Odie's #1 fan, Mutaki. Link to a site, full of other great artwork:

http://mutaki.deviantart.com/

Cool! The facial expression really captured Odie. Thank you.

Odie's 1 year Anniversary

2007-02-04T10:42:00.000-08:00

Today marks the 1 year anniversary of Odie joining his new family! Wow have things changed in so many ways in just one year. As evident by these pictures, Odie is much slimmer (should be nearing his target weight by now) and slightly more mature looking. Not that Odie has wrinkles on his face but his body shows some shar-pei like tendencies due to his stretched out skin. After all, another half of Odie, by weight, could fit into that same corgi costume.

Temporary Hiatus

2007-01-25T13:06:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone, I would like to apologize to Odie's fans that we will be temporarily going on hiatus but have every intention of renewing this blog with more fun pictures and stories after a few weeks. Thank you for your patience!

hello there.

2007-01-12T18:59:00.000-08:00

Good bye 2006!

2006-12-31T21:27:00.000-08:00

2006 will be a memorable year. Odie wants to thank everyone and wish you all a happy new year!

Happy holidays from a happy corgi

2006-12-27T23:55:00.000-08:00

Odie celebrated his first Christmas with us. Here he is enjoying his new squeaky ring toy presented to him by his Aunt and Uncle. Amazingly, they found a more than suitable replacement to his infamous blue life-ring. It squeaks very well and is preferred by Odie over his old toy. (By the way, we found his old toy hidden under a coffee table). It's pink, but he doesn't know, cause he's supposed to be color blind. He leapt into the air when he first saw it, and has been squeezing and chewing it to death ever since. It may be the "newness" of this toy, but he prefers this over any other toy at the moment.

Odie's new winter coat

2006-12-21T22:50:00.000-08:00

Our temperatures have dipped down into the low 30s, making short walks very challenging to poor Odie. We spotted this while shopping for human clothes for ourselves. Unlike our previous attempt at clothing Odie (see Wrong size), this one is actually meant for dogs!

It's kind of a shiny, futuristic, aluminum "Coors" can style with a little 80's retro nylon ski coat thrown in. But it does get the job done and keeps him warm. The other obvious benefit is that you can spot him from 2 blocks away.

Blue ring memories

2006-12-12T17:41:00.000-08:00

Odie lost his beloved blue life-ring toy. It was a sad ending for the poor toy, it was first rendered unsqueakable by Odie's teeth, then it was left behind somewhere. Odie still misses the toy, but a suitable replacement is nowhere to be found. Every night, he reminisces about this last day with his toy.

Cool Odie

2006-12-12T17:32:00.000-08:00

After hundreds, if not thousands of photographs under his belt, he knows how to pose for the digital camera.

Relaxation

2006-12-12T17:30:00.000-08:00

Warm sunshine and a rawhide to work on. Can't complain.

Shy Odie

2006-12-12T17:25:00.000-08:00

Odie usally acts like a tough guy unless there are bigger dogs around... In that case, he pretends to be minding his own business. Sniff, sniff.

He meets your hand half-way

2006-11-29T12:21:00.000-08:00

Slim and swift Odie

2006-11-29T12:18:00.000-08:00

Feeling dog tired

2006-11-11T23:32:00.000-08:00

Unbeknownst to Odie...

2006-11-11T23:28:00.000-08:00

Odie getting aggressive

2006-11-08T21:14:00.000-08:00

Snuggles Corgi

2006-11-08T20:27:00.000-08:00

More life-ring pandemonium

2006-10-31T12:55:00.000-08:00

Getting too dark to play outside.

2006-10-31T12:42:00.000-08:00

Here goes Odie again, patiently waiting for someone to engage him in a little life-ring playtime.

Sleepy Corgi

2006-10-31T12:34:00.000-08:00

Exhausted Odie

2006-10-31T12:25:00.000-08:00

We have noticed that Odie has been putting on more girth. Despite our efforts to not overfeed him. Maybe it's those tasty treats. We are attempting to walk him more and further to see if we can get him to resume his fitness plan. A minor relapse.

Odie still has that stubby and pudgy look.

Odie's neighborhood walking trail

2006-10-23T20:45:00.000-07:00

Odie's look of deep concern... for more treats.

2006-10-20T16:15:00.000-07:00

Odie and the life ring - deceivingly aggressive Odie

2006-10-18T12:45:00.000-07:00

Tug & Pull

2006-10-18T12:44:00.000-07:00

Odie and the life ring - video edition

2006-10-18T12:35:00.000-07:00

Odie's favorite toy. The $1 blue life-ring.

2006-10-18T11:46:00.000-07:00

Odie's owners have gotten pretty busy lately, and slacking off as a result, from keeping Happy Corgi regularly updated. Thanks to a nice comment from one of Odie's fans, we are motivated to keep Happy Corgi refreshed more often. Mutaki, thanks for the nice encouraging words and for being patient through this recent Odie drought!

Odie in the "Downward Dog" Yoga Pose: notice how he has perfected the straightened back in this difficult pose...he has been building up his core muscles...namaste!

We got this inexpensive toy for Odie months ago; he never showed much enthusiasm for it until recently. He has started to show a great deal of interest, or possessiveness, towards this little squeak toy. But, this happens only when we are around to interact with him.

He would chase it around and retrieve it when thrown, run around on his own, squeezing and squeaking the toy to death. Once he loses his interest and drops the toy, we will try to snatch it from him... This is an invitation to play his game, "keep away" and "tug of war." Perhaps he enjoys the interaction and our reaction more than the toy.

Whachadoing?!

2006-09-23T18:13:00.000-07:00

Here's Odie with his attentive look whenever he follows you around. Whether it's for the next trick, command, or just some TLC, he will always give you his 100% attention...that's something we should definitely do more of...

Flying Odie: The bear-skin rug

2006-09-21T19:18:00.000-07:00

Whenever Odie has access to a cool wood floor or concrete, he likes to stretch out his stubby legs. It's a pretty common pose for corgis. It must feel comfortable as he does this often. Do other dog breeds do this too?

Imitation Odie

2006-09-19T21:45:00.000-07:00

Odie must be getting pretty popular lately, because we seem to notice Corgis more often. Before we must have not paid attention. This adorable corgi still looks less than a year old, not unlike the debonnaire Odie we referenced several months back. Of course, this is severe bias, but Odie looks more handsome!

Castaic Fire in Southern California

2006-09-19T21:41:00.000-07:00

This is unrelated to Odie, but a shot of I-5 heading to Los Angeles a few days back. Odie was safe while riding in the back of the car, but it looked like the end of the world.

Back from the local 'Animal Inn and Spa'

2006-09-18T21:54:00.000-07:00

We ended up going out of town on business and was forced to leave Odie behind this time. We weren't sure how he would handle being away from us for 4 nights... but had no choice. We did some research for various kennels in the area and located a place that billed itself as a "pet spa" Not sure if he actually did get a spa, however, they seemed to be very loving to their guests. He probably didn't get as much exercise as he normally did because he was more than overly excited when we returned to pick him up this morning. He kept running around like crazy, with this wide eyed look seen above, and spinning in his kennel, while whimpering feverishly on the ride home. After a good solid walk and plenty of treat and trick exercises, he seemed to return to his normal calm self. He must have been pretty frustrated from being pent up. Maybe he thought he he was abandoned at a shelter or something...

Buff and Shine

2006-09-05T16:14:00.000-07:00

We have been getting into a habit of giving Odie a good wash after a visit to the dog park, afterall the entire park doubles as a dog restroom. Odie is pretty much a neat-freak, by dog standards. He usually avoids puddles of water by walking around or hopping over them. Compare to this labrador retriever that we saw cooling off in a mud bath.

Bang 2

2006-09-05T16:07:00.000-07:00

Here Odie is very convincing at playing dead. He has honed his abilities over the past months and now has perfected the wide-eye and open mouth pose regulary seen on tv. For the few concerned Odie fans out there... Odie was in no way harmed to produce this image, as a matter of fact, he was given a tasty treat!

Bang!

2006-09-05T16:05:00.000-07:00

Playing dead. Or just taking a nap.

Galloping Odie

2006-08-31T16:56:00.000-07:00

After resuming his normal eating routine, Odie has bounced back and is running around like a dog in a typical dog food commercial.

We are continuing his ear infection therapy by giving a prescribed ear drop 3 times daily and an antibiotic chewable pill in the morning. The vet recommended a 2 week course before a return check-up. We have to make sure this doesn't happen again by avoiding water sports (i.e. attacking water sprinklers) or plugging up his ear before giving him a bath.

Day at the veterinary hospital

2006-08-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

We made an appointment for the very next day with Odie's vet. He ended up being knocked-out for the day so the vet could clean out his ear safely. We came back that evening before 6pm to pick him up but his anesthesia didn't fully wear off by then. To make matters worse for Odie, we were instructed to not feed or even give water until the next day. It was tough to withhold any food but we cheated a little and gave him some water. The combination of the anesthesia and lack of food must have been tough on him. He was so lethargic that he could barely keep up on our shortened evening walk and looked like he had the flu. He usually has a bright smiley face, but not this day. He looked very sad and maybe even thought that we were punishing him by withholding food. Too sad.

Drooping right ear.. infection?

2006-08-29T11:41:00.000-07:00

Odie had a tough week. In large part to Odie's owners being ignorant about his ear condition. He had been scratching his right ear and shaking his head every now and then. This should have been a warning sign. But it has progressed to the point that he was shaking his head constantly. When we rubbed the base of his ears, we were surprised to hear Odie yelping in pain. That's when we decided to do some research online. There were so many sites dedicated to this condition; here's an example... ear infection. It didn't take long to realize that that he had an ear infection. Off to the vet he goes!

Need attention please.

2006-08-29T11:37:00.000-07:00

Odie's way to cool off (Video Edition)

2006-08-19T18:57:00.000-07:00

This is a video taken a few weeks back that shows that he has something against water sprinklers. He must enjoy the refreshing feeling of having the water splash in his mouth and over his fur.
(please see cool off)

*There will be a moment in the video where a hand appears to block the camera... this is not censorship, merely a way to shield it from the massive amounts of water being redirected by Odie.

Slim Pooch 4

2006-08-19T17:47:00.000-07:00

Odie in his perfect "slim pooch" pose....actually, we had to take at least twenty plus attempts before he gave us this posture. Odie loves to follow us while we're taking pictures or constantly wanders away sniffing for yummy snacks on the ground... so it's been challenging to capture this shot. In fact we've been trying for a few weeks but it has worked out for the best.

He was 38 pounds at the last weigh-in. But today, after his bath (undoubtedly removing at least 0.5 pounds of shedding fur) he is merely 36 pounds! So that means that he's lost 8 pounds (was 44 pounds back in February) or just under 20% less than before. If we haven't stressed this enough, this means he has gotten his Summer figure back and can fit into his old blue jeans (like Oprah). Again, Wow!

As usual, here's a slim pooch link to compare and appreciate Odie's tremendous progress. Go Odie!

Formal introductions are in order.

2006-08-19T12:50:00.000-07:00

Let me see who you are first... Then...

Here you go! Now we are well acquainted. Only if humans can make it this easy to meet others.

Strolling at the dog park

2006-08-19T12:18:00.000-07:00

Odie got to meet more friendly dogs on this warm Saturday morning....today must have been the XXL-K9 day. Odie was first greeted by a gigantic great dane whose head was just about the size of Odie's body, and a curious bloodhound...but Odie turned out to be the instigator and even growled at the friendly bloodhound. Overall, he behaved pretty well and stayed close to us. Even though he loves to go off leash, he wasn't as enthusiastic about it today. There may have been a few factors involved. Such as, the presence of gigantic dogs everywhere and the heat from being in the sunlight. He strolled around a little and sat next to us most of the time. If we could get him to stand up and run around, he would go straight for the nearest tree, so he could take refuge in the shade. Look closely at the tree to spot lazy Odie.

zzzzzz...

2006-08-14T22:29:00.000-07:00

White T-shirt to cool down Odie

2006-08-13T16:28:00.000-07:00

WHen we go for long rides in the car, Odie's place is in the back seat, but the heat from the sunlight seems to absorb really well into Odie's fur, This is a shot of us improvising in the Starbuck's parking lot with a white t-shirt, unfortunately it looks a bit too large. It did the trick, however, and kept Odie's back cool.

Home away from home

2006-08-13T16:16:00.000-07:00

This collapsible tent, or kennel is very useful to have when traveling. Whereever it is set up, Odie will test it out by going in and out several times. Perhaps to make sure he can run in at a monents notice. He paws at the corners and sniffs around before finally settling down to rest.

A rawhide treat's worst nightmare

2006-08-07T21:33:00.000-07:00

Odie is going crazy once again on a rawhide bone. He gnaws with so much fury that we worry about his poor teeth. We may have to try something softer or not give these as treats. But it is pretty entertaining to see him get absorbed in destroying his chew treat.

The red-eye from the flash is the culprit for his "evil Odie" look.

The many faces of Odie

2006-08-02T14:52:00.000-07:00

Here you see him enjoying an ear rub after running around like crazy.

Odie seems to show different expressions and faces, largely depending on the positioning of his ears. Besides the ears, his greatest tool for helping to communicate expressions is his quizzical, concerned eyebrows. Here's another concerned Odie picture.

Digging out a comfy bed in the sand.

2006-08-02T14:44:00.000-07:00

This is the first time we saw Odie digging anything. besides pawing at a blanket to soften it up a bit. He really dug his paws into the sand and dug out a decent size concavity to accomodate his belly and front legs. It was very interesting to see him doing this like he's done it many times before.

Odie's seal of approval, a big grin.

2006-08-02T14:43:00.001-07:00

Now, Odie is satisfied with his sand bed.

2006-08-02T14:43:00.000-07:00

Full speed ahead 2

2006-08-02T14:35:00.000-07:00

Odie loves to sprint around for short durations and chase us around on the sand. He gets excited and hops up and down with a giant grin on his face. Here's a another running shot, a rare shot of Odie with a serious look on his face. Full speed 1

Odie off leash... and lovin it 2

2006-08-02T14:31:00.000-07:00

Off-leash series

Odie friendly beach

2006-08-02T14:30:00.000-07:00

Odie, the adventurous canine.

2006-08-02T14:26:00.000-07:00

Odie was eager to join the other dogs on the beach. We were not sure how we should carry him over the rocks or gently guide him through. He took matters into his own paws and found the best path down the rocky cliff. By the time we were heading back up to leave, he was off leash and climbing up with his 6 inch legs just fine.

Hey! Here's a dog friendly beach!

2006-08-02T14:24:00.000-07:00

More of the clean beach...

2006-08-02T14:21:00.000-07:00

Great beach for humans, no access for Odie.

2006-08-02T14:19:00.000-07:00

Our next beach was a great clean beach, but as the sign indicates, there's no Odie access until 5pm. Needless to say we didn't stay for too long.

Some shaved ice for this hot dog?

2006-08-02T14:05:00.000-07:00

Some people who are unfamiliar with corgis call Odie a wiener/hot dog. He, unlike his owners, take no offense to those remarks. He looks more like a twinkie, or a stubby bratwurst to us.

Corgi on the go at the beach.

2006-07-29T19:26:00.000-07:00

It turned out to be a nice day at the beach. It was bright and sunny in the morning but got a little overcast later that day. That really helped to keep temperatures down and Odie energetic for hours and hours. However, running on the sand is pretty tough for the little guy, because he didn't even wander away very far off-leash.

Chest deep water

2006-07-29T18:58:00.000-07:00

The water depth barely reached the top of the feet, but for Odie, his chest was soaked, lobster bib* and all.

Taking in the view 2

2006-07-29T18:45:00.000-07:00

Walking companion

2006-07-29T18:40:00.000-07:00

We took a chance at letting Odie go off-leash, at this dog friendly beach. Despite having more freedom, he never strayed far off or wandered away.

Camel Dipping

2006-07-29T18:27:00.000-07:00

First time seeing a camel on the beach

2006-07-29T18:16:00.000-07:00

The sand on the beach was very fine. It stuck to Odie's nose if you see closely.

Treasure huntin' Odie

2006-07-29T18:12:00.000-07:00

We were wondering what the heck he was sniffing for... Eventually he located a used piece of beef jerky in the sand. He must have gotten a few chews out of it before we got him to spit it out. Maybe he can be trained as a search and rescue dog.

Odie is so close to jumping in

2006-07-23T20:33:00.000-07:00

He never seems to be afraid of the water, whether from a spinkler or a stream like this one... It's been pretty warm... actually it's been in the 100's for a while. Consequently, we haven't been staying out in the sun snapping much pictures lately... Apologies to the two Odie fans out there. We'll have more pictures to post once we return from another trip to the coast.

Odie's way to cool off.

2006-07-14T19:56:00.000-07:00

Whenever Odie sees the sprinkler head popping up or hears the familiar hiss of the water, he runs over to his favorite spot at this corner. Then, he proceeds to drink the water while more than 90% of it ends up splashing all over his face and neck. Pretty hilarious scene.

Happy Independence Day.. 2 days later from Happy Corgi

2006-07-06T20:23:00.000-07:00

Odie got caught in the fast rushing wave

2006-07-06T20:19:00.000-07:00

He couldn't react fast enough to escape the wave. His feet must have sunk into the sand and couldn't pull them out quick enough...

Running on the sand

2006-07-06T20:18:00.000-07:00

He enjoyed running along the water. His feet may have been wet and cold but he didn't seem to mind. Only later.

Taking in the view

2006-07-06T20:16:00.000-07:00

Odie has a great, alert posture here. Note the booty is slimmer and trim from a recent grooming.

Odie's trip to the coast

2006-07-06T20:10:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the fourth of July holiday, we went to the beach and watched a fireworks show in the evening. Here he posed for us in a classic vacation picture format. He later ran around along the water and even got soaked after being caught by an incoming wave. It must have been pretty cold because he did everything to avoid getting soaked again. His fur got matted with some sand but was easily cleaned with a towel. He was well-behaved even in midst of the big crowds later that night.

Haaahhhh....Shade...

2006-07-02T12:26:00.000-07:00

Although the shade from a tree is a few steps away, he will choose to be right next to our feet, even if the shade is only partial.

What a hot day

2006-07-01T20:59:00.000-07:00

It has been so warm lately... Odie's face says it all. The heat makes it difficult to go for long walks anywhere, unless it's early morning or after sunset.

Odie working away on a new rawhide dental bone.

2006-06-19T16:25:00.000-07:00

He obliterated the braided type of rawhide bone that we got for him before. This time it looks more durable, it's supposed to help his teeth, but we're not so sure. He gnaws and chews with such intensity that there may not be any teeth left. Is this supposed to be given to him at any time or supervised for limited durations only?

Note: In the second picture above, it looks as though Odie has an opposable thumb or dewclaw. He's taken an evolutionary step forward! The last picture demonstrates Odie's water proof fur, everything beads up, even his own drool.