Wordless Wednesday

A Dogably Pawfect Saturday

How many times have I experienced a similar situation?  Especially with my father's dog Joe, he can reach anything with those long legs.

Lucy & Her Hedgehog

Lucy has had her hedgehog toy now for almost 9 years.  How can that be?  I can't believe it hasn't been lost or at least destroyed. Lucy constantly cleans/grooms it while treating it with great care.  I wish I had a photo of her as a puppy with it. But if you can believe this, I took few pictures of my girls when they were puppies.  I know that is hard to imagine.  Of course it was before digital and I didn't like wasting film and I suppose I thought they would be puppies forever.  Now I wish I had done different.

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Birthday Lucy!

My sweet Lucy is 9 years old this month.  I can't believe it's been that long since I was on vacation in Colorado and my brother called me wanting to know if I'd like to have a Golden Retriever.  In conversations, I had mentioned that I might get a dog sometime.  My brother had bought a small dog at Petsmart for his daughter and it had died in 3 days.  At the vet, she showed him Lucy and said they were looking for a home for her and that she was AKC registered etc.  He took her but his family vetoed the notion of having a big dog some day so... He calls me and I take the bait.  So when I return home from vacation the first week in July in 2003, I have this little red fur ball in a big cage sitting in my dining room.  My home, my backyard, and myself would never be the same. I named her Lucy because my name is Rick.  Well, actually because of her red hair and I like saying "Lucy I'm home".

There were a lot of changes around here those first few months.  First, I thought potting training was going to be a big issue.  Amazingly, despite my long hours at work it wasn't.  My brother or my niece would come by and let her outside 2 or 3 hours after I had gone to work to avoid her being locked up for 10 hour days.  This routine was getting old so I put in a pet door after about 6 weeks.  I never thought Lucy would get used to the pet door either.  I'd go outside and offer a treat yet she was fearful of the flapping sound of the pet door I suppose.  Then one day I heard her go outside on her own and I was relieved.   This creates more issues with her access to the back yard all day..  Neighbors complaining of excessive barking.  Lucy finding every opening of the fence to get out.  I think there were three instances before I had a new fence installed.  Oh and no more cascading beds of periwinkles and hostas.  She made her bed in the hostas and either ate or pulled up every periwinkle. No more potted tomato plants either because they were destroyed as well.
The inside of my home was never the same as well.  There were covers of some kind thrown over the furniture, yes I thought it was cute seeing my new baby trying to get up on the furniture, and I had gates up inside keeping her in or out of certain areas making it look like some kind of child care facility.  Within 6 months my guilt of leaving her alone so much would take over and I would get Sable for her companion.

Of all the changes in my life and surroundings I have no real regrets.  Lucy has never been real affectionate.  She wouldn't let me hold her much as a puppy.  I suppose I wanted more of a lap dog.  She is such a guard dog and to this day so protective of me though. 
Happy Birthday Lucy girl!

A Dogably Pawfect Saturday

Have A Wet n' Wild Weekend!

Wordless Wednesday

Lazy Sunday

A Dogably Pawfect Saturday

Have A Fun Weekend!

One Reason

 One reason I can see that my girls don't care for the swimming hole at Pawm Springs Memorial Dog Park is the severe drop off from the edge of the pond.  I'm not sure that it was designed this way or that it had serious erosion once it was filled?

Needless to say it's quite a drop for swimmers that take to the water gradually.  My babies aren't jumpers now nor have they ever been so this is an issue when it comes to getting in the water.  They are just more cautious here than at Millie Bush and other swimming holes.

From A Distance

 It appears to be a friendly face.

 Sable thinks that maybe she'll meet halfway.

 Those long legs and that long tongue is starting to look more familiar.

 Sable realizes it's half brother, cousin, uncle Joe, who knows, and decides to run for it.

But she's no match for marathon Joe.

Wordless Wednesday

Hey Lucy! An Impostor Has The Ball!