Our New Guard Dog

Dexter scans the room, poised for a mighty attack

should the need arise.

This ain't so bad after all. Night #4 and he's already abandoned the loud whimpering. He just whines a couple times, realizes he's getting nowhere, gives up, then goes back into his kennel to chew on a toy or nap. We're actually getting sleep.

So far so good.

Introducing Dexter

Over two months of research, soul-searching and family discussion came to a head over the weekend when we finally adopted a puppy. We'd come close on a couple occasions, but for one reason or another, it fell through. We learned that you had to act quickly, it’s a hot puppy market out there.

This time we contacted the breeder right after the posting went up on Kijiji. I was surprised when she phoned us back that evening asking us to select based on pictures, which we did. A number of times before this, breeders had just ignored our calls, or the pups were all claimed. We did get a scare when I called to finalize a time for pickup and get directions to her place in Drumheller. I couldn't get through to her phone number after numerous messages. Thankfully she called back, but she did say that she turned off her phone because it was ringing off the hook with inquiries into her puppies. But we did set a time, and I got my directions.

When we got there, we were invited into her house for an introduction to our selection "Artie", the litter for this breed were given "A" names, other breeds got "B" names, etc. On the drive down, we were talking about the horror stories we had seen on our web research about puppy mills, people looking to make a quick buck without caring at all about the dogs. However, when we got there, we got a good vibe. The lady loved dogs, she just did breeding on the side (still talking dogs, now).

She gave us the run-down on recommended care for "Artie". I tried valiantly to concentrate, but was distracted by my two boys and their immediate bond with the pup they had chosen. When she said to feed him one cup of puppy kibble with one tablespoon of moist puppy meal three times a day, I responded back, "So we feed him the dry kibble three times a week?" She seemed concerned. "Actually, three times a DAY" she repeated. She's probably wondering right now if poor Artie is still alive.

So we did the deal. Money changed hands. $600 was the fee. As a side note, Petland's puppy selections ranged from a low of $1200 to $1600. We took the pup and placed him in a quilted basket and made off with him back to Calgary. We did leave something behind in Drumheller, his name. It was unanimous, "Artie" was out, "Dexter" was in.

Dexter had a great time exploring his new home, he even initiated it with a good ol' plopper right on the kitchen floor. His first night was not so good. He missed his mom, and his littermates, so he whined and cried all night long. The adults only got about a couple hours sleep that night. The next night, which was last night, was considerably better, but he just toned it down to a whimper. There was no panic cries like the night before. So it shouldn't be too much longer till he can shut his yapper through the night.

Any regrets? Nope. We knew there would be some up-front pain, and that he'd take some patience, so we were prepared. He's just very lucky he has that ultra-cute puppy face. Any misdeed he does, he just flashes the ol' puppy-dog eyes at you, its no contest.

So there you have it. We now have "The Family Dog". We are officially the typical North American family.

Reasons the Flames Could Win Round 1

The Flames begin their playoff run on Wednesday. While everybody has already dismissed the team's chances of any success whatsoever, I'm saying "Hold the phone!". There are some arguments to be made FOR the Flames making some noise. Here's a few points to consider:

Owen Nolan playing against old team.
Nolan has been ramping up his game, under the radar, during the last half of the season. He has a vendetta streak in him (remember the vigilante justice he laid on Grant Marshall?) which makes him a valuable asset in the playoffs. What's more, Nolan represents a distinct type of player that Keenan can use in his battle of wits against Ron Wilson, a relative neophyte.

Familiar territory for Keenan.
Keenan is the 5th most winningest playoff coach in the NHL. For whatever his short-comings, you can't dismiss his playoff pedigree. He has been around the block a few times. This is the intangible that gives an edge to the Flames: when to kick a player's behind, when to pat another's back, when to rest, when to run a bag-skate. During the game, there's also a chess match going on. Keenan's seen it all.

Better second line.
No question that the Sharks have a lock on the first line matchup. The Michalek-Thornton-Cheechoo line seems to dwarf the Tanguay-Langkow-Iginla offering in obvious ways. The same can't be said for the second line. I like the idea of a Huselius-Lombardi-Nolan combo over the Sharks' Marleau-Pavelski-Setoguchi trio. Nolan on that second line adds an element of complexity for Ron Wilson, should he choose to deploy a checking line against the Flames second line. But what about Setoguchi and his torrid scoring streaks, you ask? Well, I would respond, the playoffs are a different animal. The playoffs are a gut-check time that usually favours the guy with experience.

Iginla and Kipper have a "playoff gear"
See Exhibit A: the playoff run of 2004. The defense rests.

Flames have beaten the Sharks 3 of 4 times this season.
I realize that I poo-poo'ed regular season stats when talking about Setoguchi, however, I can't help but think that having a winning record against the team helps the team realize that their opponent has been beaten before by them, so why not again? Been there, done that. And, also, the games that the Flames won were all one-goal games. This should be evidence to the players that they can grind one out for 60 minutes. But, I don't know. I don't have a huge amount of stock on this point, its just one I thought I'd bring up, lump it in with the rest.

There is little question that Calgary is behind the ol' eight-ball this year, but by no means is this David versus Goliath.