Mission Possible

This is the cutest video of a Swedish Vallhund ever! I happened upon it yesterday while looking for some dog herding videos. Would you believe that this Swedish Vallhund is Timber's great grandfather?! Well it is.  Of course neither of my dogs are as well trained as little Ymer here.  

Paw it Forward

One of our most beloved toys in the house used to be the Pink Dragon (can you tell I'm real creative with names?). Pink Dragon was loved by all but has now gone into retirement. Notice the missing nostril. Oh how the pups loved to chew his nostril!

Here, you will notice where Pink Dragon had to undergo an untimely amputation of one of his rear legs.

Pink Dragon has been stored in the pet cupboard for some time now. I just don't have the heart to throw him away (and don't ask me why Pink Dragon is a him. It just feels right). 

Today, Hazel and Timber received their Paw it Forward package from Solo and Mugen over at Everything Counts!  Along with some yummy chicken food and treats was Pink Dragon's younger sister, Green Dragon! Everyone was excited to see her and welcomed her into the family by dragging her around the house.  

And now it is our turn to "paw it forward". To the next two people who post a comment on this post, I will send a little pet care package (dog or cat) to your furry friend. Please make sure to leave your email address so I can contact you! All I ask in return is that you Paw it Forward!

Summer Fun

I'm not very good at servicing two blogs. Some days I can barely manage one. But we're here and we've been out doing summer things. 

On Fourth of July weekend we made our yearly trek to Bow Wow Beach, a dog park located around a large pond. Hazel has always thought she was part Lab and loves to play in the water. Despite her love for water, I don't really like to go to Bow Wow Beach. For starters, the dogs get really filthy when we're there. But besides that, there are always the dirty dogs (Hazel) that feel like the first thing they should do upon arrival is poop in the water. Then dogs like Timber, who don't really like to get wet or really know what they should do with around a pond, come around and drink the water. The last time I took both of them to Bow Wow Beach was probably in October of 2008. Timber threw up on the way home in the backseat of my car. It smelled like old fish.

Timber still drank the water on this trip but there was no throwing up later (yay!). He even ventured into the water this year. He has never actually swam in water, and last time we were at Bow Wow Beach he barely put a toe in. This year he at least got wet up to his chest. As you can see, for Hazel, it's a fully body event.

After about an hour of water play, Hazel called it a day by hanging out in the shade. 

Perhaps we'll make another trip this year. 

Training Update

Honest to goodness, I swear we've been training. It has been decided that I will walk with Timber for Bark in the Park. Hazel is a good walker, but a bit hesitant around strange dogs. While Timber pulls very hard for such a short dog, he's the better natured of the two. The last few weekends Adam and I have taken the dogs out to the metro park to "train". Training mostly involves me learning to walk with the dogs and get Timber used to his new gentle leader. We actually did really well this weekend (that was after the video). I was able to get him to walk on a loose leash for a bit. Progress!

Spring Training

Training for the Bark in the Park walk has officially begun. I'll only be walking with one dog and I haven't decided if it will be Timber or Hazel yet. To be honest with you, I rarely walk my dogs. And when I say rarely, I mean a couple times a year. I leave the daily dog walking up to my husband. They pull when he walks them too, only he's bigger and stronger than I am. 

Timber, despite his small stature, pulls on his leash very hard. Harder than Hazel for sure. Yesterday I purchased a gentle leader for Timber. My goal is to be able to walk him (not for him to walk me). So far so good. He's still pulling, but I'm able to maintain control. 

Hazel panting after a walk.

Spring Season = Mud Season

At least that's how it goes here in NorthEast Ohio. Unfortunately our back yard isn't landscaped (there is grass though) and Hazel used to have a tendancy to dig under the deck. One spring evening, I think she must have stepped in one of her holes that had turned into a mud pit while playing outside with Timber. So when I found muddy prints all around the house and said "Who did this!?" there really wasn't a need for a response.

And yes, it was just this one foot.

Spring is Coming

Since we had a lot of sunshine today (yay!) and it's finally starting to feel a little warmer, I thought I would post a spring picture of my favorite girl.

It was like a miracle when we got our backyard fenced. Hazel was so much happier being free to run and play (and poo) without the hassle of us having to leash her up and take her out. She was very difficult to house train. We got her in July and it wasn't until the fence was complete in March that she finally started to consistently potty outside.  So yay for spring, fences, and the men who put ours up in a March snow storm!