May 2012: Grubbin'

Thurmon has been helping Mark to dig the garden beds. Well, actually he's been jumping into the piles of freshly overturned sod and eating all the grubs. When he comes in the house with a dirty nose I know that he's been out grubbin' again!

May 2012: Warty

Thurmon's a handsome dog - except for his puppy wart! At his recent check-up the vet said it's at maximum size, and should clear up soon on its own. Can't happen too soon...

Addendum: within a few weeks, the wart started to dry up. Over the course of a few days it came off spontaneously in little pieces, and now you'd never know it was there.

Thurmon's Many Nicknames (An Ongoing List)

Furmon (the default pronunciation by young children, which must seem logical to them, as he's covered in fur)
Thurms
Thurmeister
Thurmunchkin
Thurmon McMerman
Pup-pup McPupster
Pup-pupperoni
Angel Pup (but only when he's being good)
Dog McDog
Mister Dog
Dog-a-log
Leashius Tightus Puller (credit to Mark for that Rome-inspired name!)
Pupalupagus (referencing the Snuffleupagus, because Thurmon likes snuffling between the couch cushions)
Snufflepup (a variation on Pupalupagus)
Mr. Waggles (in reference to the way his tightly curled tail bobs around in the air when he wags it in happiness)
Thermos (our neighbour Sandy's trick for remembering his name)
Sherman (courtesy of Thurmon's new best friend, Sara)
Herman (yet another mis-heard interpretation of his name)
Schmuppy
Schmupster
Sir Schmupsalot
Schmupples
The Schmupmeister 2000
Bob (Barker. Bob Barker)
Schmuppet
Muppet
Puppet
Schmooples
Schmupple Beast
Thurmy (that one is strictly Elsa's)
Schmuppy Bu
Schmupple Bu
Schmuppley Bu
Bu Pup
Little Bu
Theramin (another mis-hearing of his name)
Truman
Schmuhund
Schmu
The Thurmonator (Doug's nickname)
Schmuhunden
Schmudog
Schmudonegan

What Kind of Animal is Thurmon?

Here are some of the many theories we hear about what kind of dog Thurmon is:

- a small Akita
- a large Shiba Inu
- a Husky mix
- a Shepherd mix
- a Great Dane (just kidding - that was Mark's idea of a funny joke)
- a mini-wolf (only one small girl has pegged him for that)
- a fox (not sure if this was entirely complimentary)
- a cat (due to his prominent whiskers)
- a baby seal (this one is my theory - he has the same black markings on light fur)
- a polar bear (probably due to a similar theory as above)
- an Alaskan Malamute mix
- a Samoyed relative
- a Golden Retriever mix
- a shark (just look at that open jaw filled with teeth)
- the friendliest Spitz ever (that's the consensus at the vet)
- a Corgi mix (I can see it a bit in the forehead)
- a ferret (so now we think we should make him a t-shirt that says "My mama was a husky and my daddy was a ferret")

Only rarely has he been recognized as a Norwegian buhund. Although occasionally when we explain what breed he is, people have heard of it, and are excited to finally see one. We should start keeping track of what kind of dog he is most often!