I Got Mail! The Mutt Paw and Skipper-keys

Hello Cyber-pack!

I got mail! I got mail! A big puffy white envelope came for me! It said, “In honor of Merlin”. (The mailman brought it, so maybe he’s not as bad a guy as I thought.)
My Alison opened it up, and inside was a letter from Lorraine. She is a nice lady in Wisconsin, which is a place that I think is another planet.

Also inside was a Mutt Paw. What is a Mutt Paw, you ask? Here is a picture of it:

(Too bad the top of it didn’t get in the picture. I’m just learning to use a camera, and have to work on my paw-eye coordination.) Wow, is that cool! An "I love my" Paw all about me, Merlin! The coolest is that Lorraine was the person who informed my pack some time ago that I am actually a purebred German Australian Border Pointer Shorthair Collie Cattle Dog!

My pack met Lorraine’s pack at a dog show, a long time ago—before even my pack had Spock the Skipper-Key. In fact, when my Alison and Alexa met Lorraine, it was the first time they met Skipper-keys! What is a Skipper-key, you ask? Well, here is a picture I found of Mr. Spock the Skipper-key:


I think Spock looked like a little fox, whereas I, Merlin Merlino Moo (and sometimes Charlie), think I look more like a wolf. What do you think? Here is another photo of me, Moo, hunting a chipmunk:

Lorraine’s pack had lots of Skipper-keys, but now has -only- 3. My Alexa still talks about Rainbow. Hahaha, -Rainbow- is a FUNNY name for a Skipper-key because they are completely black! It was the first Skipper-key Alexa met, and she fell in love immediately, just like she fell in love with me, Moo, when she met me. (I was then called “Merle” because of my blue merle coat.) But Alexa couldn’t adopt Rainbow ‘cause Rainbow was busy being a Champion and a mommy. Alison was telling me about Venus the Skipper-key, too. Lorraine’s pack loaned Venus to my pack for a couple hours one time, to make sure nobody would be allergic to Skipper-keys.

And then my pack went out and got Mr. Spock, who I never met, but sometimes I can still smell him. Too bad he got so sick and had to go to Rainbow Bridge. Later on, Lorraine’s alpha human male went to Rainbow Bridge too, and I am sure that Spock was happy to see him. I think there are other dogs and nice humans there too.

If you want to know more about Skipper-keys, here are some places you can go:
http://www.bullmtn.com/oleoranch/schip.htm Ya gotta see SUPER KODY!
http://www.schipperkeclub-usa.org/ You can find Skipper-keys to rescue there.
http://www.bonchien.com/ An amazing amount of Skipper-key info.

Oh, my Alison wants me to tell you that if you think you want a Skipper-key because it’s cute, you must be willing to play with it A LOT, EVERY day, and do training, and you must have a lot of energy and a good sense of humor. She says it is a “full-time dog” and definitely NOT a lap-dog and NOT a home-alone dog. And most of them live a very long time, sometimes 140 years. (I don't know how many people years that is.)

And I, Merlino, say, why not adopt a rescue dog?
http://www.petfinder.com/
For Chicagoland: http://www.adoptapet-il.org/ (The organization that saved my life.)

Well, this pure-bred German Australian Border Pointer Shorthair Collie Cattle Dog is going to go in the car with my Mutt Paw proudly displayed in the back window! Thank you Lorraine! I am one lucky, happy Mutt!

Many wet doggie kisses,
Merlin Merlino Moo