Archive for the ‘Dog Fun’ Category
Happy Labor Day Weekend, everybody! What have you got planned?
According to Wiki:
The holiday is often regarded as a day of rest and parties. … Forms of celebration include picnics, barbecues, fireworks displays, water sports, and public art events.
There is no doubt that dogs are fond of these celebrations too (minus the fireworks).
Shamus was invited to a fantastic party a while back that went completely to the dogs. It was chock full of Bernese and Swiss mountain breeds who romped through the woods, splashed in the pond and had a jolly good time. (Shamus, having just chased a squirrel over the mountain -- with no regard for recall -- was kept on leash.)
How does a Newf end up at a mountain dog party? Our host, mother of an enormous Berner named Zamboni and a young Newf named Finnegan, didn’t want Finn to feel like the odd dog out.
The day was perfect. Overcast skies, mild temperatures, 27 acres to run with a 4 acre pond in the midst of a lush span of trees… You can’t watch these dogs and not feel happy. Enjoy!
Take a little break and relax with your pups. Sometimes, in the midst of all our “labor,” they can best remind us how to have a good time. Have a great weekend!
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It’s June 25th, a day also known in the world of pet owners as “Take Your Dog to Work Day.” Working from home this year makes this task easy. My dogs are with me every day, or I’m with them. (It’s unclear who owns who in the household.) So, in the spirit of things, we mixed it up a bit by bringing work to the dogs.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY
Saratoga Springs may be notorious for race horses, but Mayor Johnson wouldn’t mind if it were notorious for dogs too. Thanks to Melanie Dallas of Sloppy Kisses, Adrianna Flax of the Saratoga Arts Council, and more than 30 businesses and sponsors that made Saratoga’s Dog-Friendly Downtown kick-off possible, that may now ring true.
THE WAY IT WORKS
The blue sticker pictured here, when displayed on participating storefronts, acts as an invitation to walk in with your dog, year round and no questions asked. While small shops may have size restrictions and restaurants may allow patio seating only, you’ll always be in the know. Just visit the Dog-Friendly Downtown website for an interactive map listing all participating businesses and their possible limitations.
For more about the people behind Saratoga’s Dog-Friendly Downtown initiative as well as the history and growth, watch Malanie Dallas’ interview on Saratoga.com. This model would be an exceptional start for any city.
Shamus, our adopted Newfoundland, turned 3 this year and we missed it. We totally missed it. We could blame our long history with rescue dogs who, with unknown backgrounds, give little cause for birthday celebration. Truth be told, I blame the Newf. He simply slept through it.
Shamus has much to learn in the ways and means of hint-dropping. I, for instance, strategically place ads for lawn furniture on the dinner table or say out loud, in April, that I’d like a bird bath for my birthday… in October. It seems Shamus slept through these invaluable lessons, missing the chance to tell us how best to celebrate. Or did he? Based on the various day to day nappings he’s scattered throughout the house, I suspect the only thing he wanted for his birthday was that very thing – a long, comfortable, uninterrupted nap.
With the hustle and bustle kitten adoption, I never got around to posting photos from the last snow storm…
At the time these were taken, Tim was off skiing in Jackson Hole, as if he needed to leave the East Coast to find snow. I, on the other hand, was home alone scooping through 20 inches weighing the equivalent of a 12 ton slushy. In dire need of a rest after clearing the front path, I retired my shovel and took some time to play with the dogs. By play, I mean I laid winded in a cold bed of white and watched the dogs as they played. The only thing I played with is the camera…
Designing an ad for Creekside Kennel, I needed a photograph of a smiling dog… and, in the name of authenticity, one that had been boarded there. Conveniently, our dog Emmett fit the bill. Having called Creekside his home for nearly a year after being rescued by AnimaLovers.org, and revisiting twice after we adopted him, it’s only right that he’s their poster boy.
That said, I am proud to present my baby boy in print as he makes his debut as an advertising model. (Click the picture for a larger view.) Dawn Niebuhr, the owner at Creekside, kindly offered to mention AnimaLovers in the bottom left corner, giving Emmett credit for his photo appearance.
Now that he’s made the big time, what’s next in Emmett’s future? Dinner. He sure has earned it today.
The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics has been a tremendous display of talent and determination as demonstrated by gold medalists Lindsey Vonn, Evan Lysacek, Shaun White and Shani Davis. While these athletes are making headlines, and rightly so, another worthy competition deserves some light shed upon it…
WELCOME TO THE 2010 WINTER GAMES K9 STYLE!
The Athletes
Meet Shamus, the reigning champion. Shamus had first proved himself in a qualifying run during last spring’s final snow. Tim, his coach, believes he shows a great deal of promise. A descendant from Newfoundland, he weighs in at 96 pounds and is chock full of talent, speed and stamina. His new winter coat is designed for the rigors of competition. His spirits are high going into this year’s games. Winter is, after all, his favorite season.
Emmett, the?contender, is a 60 pound Brittany Spaniel mix. He is extremely athletic, compact, and solidly built. With a little help from Vera Wang, his costume could use some thermal improvement for this particular competition. After eating his previous fashionable coat though, his owner has decided to invest in other areas of Emmett’s training. No worries. This dog has bounding energy that may heat things up just enough to get him through.
As we finish our Thanksgiving leftovers and drag out the many boxes of holiday decorations, Mother Nature is doing some holiday preparation of her own. She has sent a full day of gusting winds to whip up the last of the fall leaves and ship them out.
Shamus and Emmett turn their noses toward the winds of change and nearly take flight. The Newf tends to remain fairly grounded but I’m tempted to tie a rope to Emmett and fly him like a kite … (If you can’t see the video below, visit “Farewell to Fall” on YouTube.)
Fall. ‘Tis the season for woolly sweaters, falling leaves, butternut squash, pumpkins … and gobs of apples.
This last detail is a treasured favorite among our dogs. As each sweet, succulent bauble dangles and then, at the peak of ripeness, drops from a branch, Shamus (our Newfoundland rescue) and Emmett (our mischievous, mixed-breed foster) come charging forth. “Gifts from the Great Treat God!” they must be thinking.
And why should humans be the only beings to savor the perfect apple as we devour a steaming, fresh-baked pie with heaps of vanilla ice cream on top? That thought has never crossed the minds of our pooches. They have shamelessly devoured mass numbers of apple treats during this year’s harvest (as evidenced by a recent increase in gastro-intestinal rumblings) with nary a care for moderation or just who those apples belong to. For that, I applaud them.
