Riley & Murphy: Ready, Set, BEG!

There is a three step process that Murphy goes through when he tries to get a sought after toy that Riley has. (The funny thing: they have enough toys that each could have three of their own, but they only want what the other has; definitely sounds like siblings.)

Step 1: Try to steal it with brute force: tug-a-war style.

Step 2: Stare and hope for an open window of where Riley gets a little too careless. (This does work once in a while)

Step 3: Beg and plead - try to look innocent enough that Riley finally gives up the game (never happens, but doesn't keep Murphy from trying.)

Playin' in the Dirt

I will admit to yesterday being a proud and exciting day for me. You can't help but get excited when your child shows interest in something that you love to do.

 

All Kurt can think about is dollar signs (cost of ponies and horses) and the smell of two stinky girls coming from the stable. Oh well.

Kylee and I decided to visit the stable yesterday afternoon since it was such a nice day and we finally had a break from dog walks. She loved running around everywhere.

She loved to chase all of the chickens and roosters and could not understand why they would not let her pet them.

When it came her time to ride, she walked straight up to the pony in its pasture and helped brush her and tack her up. Once in the arena she kept demanding up and loved riding by herself. If we stopped or got off she would state up and go. Anyone watching her ride was amazed to find out that this was only her second ride by herself and that she was only 19 months. (Yep, you sensed a little bit of bragging there.)

She also rode with me and then led my horse back all by herself, (wish I had taken a picture.) It was funny to watch her lead a 6 1/2 foot tall horse by herself. It was definitely a very proud moment for her, but she is definitely going to stick to riding ponies for now, (less feet to fall).

Blue: Poop Crew

We have not visited the nearby pond in a while by Blue’s, so we decided to visit it this week. It can usually take quite a while just to get around the pond because of all the interesting smells Blue likes to check out. Blue definitely enjoyed checking out each and every spot that she could find.

There are several spots throughout the neighborhood by the pond where they have trash bins for you to dispose of your pet’s waste with accompanied signs. Blue made sure to do her part and to make sure that her own waste was properly disposed of. She waited patiently as I fished out the bags from the stroller and placed them in the trash bin.

She made sure to fully examine each and every sign that we came across (4 signs in all) to make sure they were fully readable. I am sure everyone in the neighborhood appreciated Blue’s thorough inspection.

Blue could not pass the opportunity for a fresh drink by the waterfall along the pond. She made sure to pick the best spot before she took her drink. We then continued on our walk and enjoyed the nice weather.

Jake & Charlotte: Three's Company

Jake and Charlotte have been great sports in allowing Kylee to join them on their walks. She has been walking on a leash with them for the last several weeks, unless there has been snow recently. I still get some of the funniest comments and looks from people driving or walking past that spot these funny three: Are you walking them, or are they walking you? You have quite the crew there?

Jake will once in a while look back to see what she is up to, especially if she is standing on something that smells good. He'll look up at her like, "Excuse me, can you please move?" Charlotte is constantly checking on Kylee to make sure she has not fallen too far behind or does not get too far ahead. If Kylee stops and Jake is not pulling (doesn't happen too often), Charlotte will even sit down and try to sneak Kylee a lick or two.

There have been a few funny situations where everyone tries to go separate ways at the same time, or that Kylee has gotten stuck in between Jake's and Charlotte's leash and gets clothes lined. Our walks always provide a good laugh.

Thank you Jake and Charlotte for letting Kylee be the third wheel.

Riley & Murphy: Birthday Cupcake!

Riley was given his birthday cupcake from Kylee and I today (his parents had the last two days off.) It was made complete with the Happy Birthday song and his candle was even lit. Happy Birthday Riley! (I wonder who blew out the candle for him?)

All you need to do is just place it under Murphy and his drool could extinguish it. I enlarged the picture so you could take a closer look at the puddle forming under Murphy as he watches and waits for his fair share of the birthday treat.

Douglas: Tennis Anyone?

On our walk today we did first stop by the duck pond to share a few treats (mainly for Kylee). Douglas had a hard time sharing the popcorn with the ducks. It is still so funny to watch his expression as the popcorn is being thrown into the water. He still doesn't get why you would throw perfectly good popcorn to the birds.

We stopped at a local tennis court that has been dubbed the "doggie hangout." Douglas had fun chasing him squeaky ball around got a little exercise in at the same time.For some reason he kept being drawn to this one side where he just could not get enough of the sticks. No matter how many I threw over the fence, he would still somehow find just one more.

It was not very long before other dogs started to arrive to play off leash as well. This is where Douglas met a little beagle where they played and chased one another around for a while. This spot is so popular that there was even a toddler girl, other than Kylee, running around with the dogs as well. We finished up with a walk around the block before returning home.

Snoopy: Who Stole the Cookies from the Cookie Jar?

So toys have been mysteriously appearing on the edge of Snoopy's mom's bed. The first incident had gone unnoticed, until Snoopy's mom saw the amazing jumping toy. There have been a few other mysterious appearings here and there that have been caught before we leave.

Well, today I caught the toy mover, (cookie monster), red handed. There was no way she could get around it because Snoopy and I caught her red-handed. Snoopy and Kylee had been innocently playing with his new toy when Snoopy was suddenly left behind. We both began to look for Kylee and this is what we found:

 

Dum dum DUM! Kylee placing Snoopy's toy on the edge of the bed, just right out of his reach. (Someone is a little tease and someone is also a little obsessed with things "jumping" up and down.) Good job Detective Snoopy! We will work on solving a new crime next week.

Murphy: Meet Rudolph the Legless Reindeer

So this post is a little late in coming. We just have had so many things going on that it has been pushed back over and over. Murphy received an early Christmas present this past December from his parents. Meet Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer:

Murphy went through a craze where this little guys was his favorite toy. This would always be the first toy he grabbed to play with once he came out of his crate.

Each day I watched as a little more and more of Rudolph mysteriously disappeared. It started with an antler, than a hoof here and there. Finally, Rudolph ended up with no antlers and no legs. Oh well, at least you know he received a lot of love and attention.

Someone else also fell in love with Rudolph; Kylee. There was some competition once in awhile with who could get to the reindeer first. It would be funny to watch Kylee cradle the reindeer and then watch Murphy due a sneak attack and run off with it. Reindeer is still surviving, but Murphy has decided to give him a little break so that he has some time to recuperate from the long holiday season.

Zeus: Cute Cottonball

The two comments I have heard the most from people while taking care of Zues have been:
     1) What a cute, little fluffy guy
     2) Also, what a large, strong name for such a little dog.
Just wait, Zeus is going to prove his name someday.

Zeus became Kylee's best friend for the weekend once he arrived Saturday. They were almost inseparable. He was not allowed in her room during naps, but he made sure to take his naps during her's so that he would be refreshed and ready to go by the time she woke up.

 

Anywhere Kylee was, Zeus was usually only a few inches behind, taking part in any activity. Neighbors that knew Zeus were amazed by how calm he was anytime they saw him. Just shows you how well Kylee can do her job of tiring out the pups.

 

Zeus even tried to make friends with our cat Sadie, but she wanted nothing to do with it. Zeus just could not understand why she kept kissing at him and did not want to play chase or let him sniff her bum.

 This cat (Kylee's toy) was more of his style. It took him a little while to overcome his fear and this one didn't even hiss. When you pushed it's back it meows and walks and this just took Zeus by surprise, especially after encountering Sadie.

 Zeus joined in on adventures to Roosevelt Island, Georgetown, Dora Kelly and had plenty of opportunities to meet other dogs and get some play time in.

His stay also included some deluxe pampering which was given by Kylee. There was some pillow fluffing, bed making, toy organizing, meals often fed by hand, and treats given often for tricks.

Kylee's is going to miss you Zeus.

Happy Birthday Riley!

Riley is officially five-years-old today. 

He gets to share his special day with President's Day. Positive side, his parents have the day off to spend with him.

We would like to share some of the many faces of Riley. There are so many sides to him. This picture seems like it was taken so long ago. (It has been over a year). These were the days when he was the alpha dog and Murphy was just a little round tootsie roll. He was always very sweet and gentle with little Murphy.

There is also the more serious face where he tries to look so mature and noble. Sorry Riley, we know that deep down you are just a fun loving, goof ball.

You can't forget the puppy eyes, look how cute I am. This is tried on us anytime there are treats. I can only imagine the power he had with these puppy dog eyes when he was a puppy. (This almost always works on us.)

Riley is always the first to greet us (partly because Murphy is crated), loves to give Kylee and I kisses, is willing to make a fool of himself by jumping up and down and chasing his tail when we arrive, never plows Kylee over, and is a great protector over her. (Don't ever think about getting too close to Kylee on walks if Riley does not know you, he'll let you know what is on his mind.)

Douglas: Polly Wanna a Cracker?

I will admit to Kylee influencing a little where we have been walking lately. She has been loving the pond with all the ducks. Whenever she hears that we are walking Douglas she starts quacking like a duck.

I don't think Douglas minds the adventure though. He gets to take a long walk around North Hampton and W. Braddock and then cuts through the nature trail. At the end, we stop at the pond to check on the ducks and two geese.

Douglas is definitely not afraid of the ducks, even when there are 20 or more swimming towards him. Today we decided to bring crackers along with us. Douglas loved how close the ducks would come when we had food for them.

The ducks however had some serious competition for those crackers. Douglas could barely contain himself from jumping into the pond for every cracker we threw. There was one that landed close to the edge of the pond and he tried to beat the duck to it. (The duck won.)

Here is a picture of Douglas ogling over the saltine goodness of the cracker. It was hilarious watching his optimism that one cracker would end up in his mouth by the end.

Mr. Bigglesworth: One Smart Doggy

Mr. Bigg knows how to work those puppy dog eyes to his advantage. He can give you just one look with those eyes and he knows he has you.

He can also perform many tricks: trained and untrained. He can dance, stand up to have his winter parka placed on him, sit, lay down and etc.


One of the untrained tricks is if he is left in his crate for a long period I have been told he can escape. He is a furry version of Houdini.

Happy Valentine's Day!

We hope that everyone had a great Valentine’s Day and that all of the dogs enjoyed their treats. Kylee had a blast this morning picking out all of the treats at the local dog bakery and delivering each one to your dogs.

We wanted to share some of our favorite pictures of your pet’s from that last year. I hope that you enjoy!

I just love the facial expression that Snoopy is giving. (He just got a face full of leaves when the wind picked up.)

Charlotte doing what she loves the most: playing ball

I was so excited when I got this great picture of Murphy. This describes his personality better than any words could. He is very inquisitive and always wants to be a part of what is going on. At this moment I was placing treats into his Kong for his crate.

There are only a few things that can get Jake's full attention like this: squirrels, birds, the mailman, UPS truck, and treats. In this case, it was treats that worked the magic.

Riley was enjoying a break after chasing Murphy and I for a toy. I love how he always has a grin on his face and more than willing to give you a friendly lick or two if you let him get close enough.

Murphy is drooling over the tantalizing mitten of Kylee's. (Sometimes he does not even give treats this much attention.) Who knew that sinking your teeth into a soft, warm mitten could be so enjoyable.

Apache & Meatball: The Licking Lovebug and the Gentle Giant

These are the titles that many people have given these two after they have met and gotten to know Meatball and Apache a little. (Even Kylee gave her approval upon these nicknames.) 

 

We visited the Utah Dog Park on Saturday evening to let Apache and Meatball run a little more of their energy out. They got along great with the local park crowd: Great Danes, Husky, Beagle, and a few others. They loved running, wrestling and chasing everyone from the large (pony-sized) dogs to the small feisty little beagle. 

 

Every afternoon was spent playing at a nearby fenced in playground in the area. This allowed Meatball and Apache the opportunity to sniff, run and check out the new vantage points. Apache loved to climb to the highest platform and look out and survey her surroundings.

 

Even Meatball didn’t let the playground intimidate him this time. He shadowed Kylee’s every step and would climb stairs and platforms so that he could keep a close eye on her. 

 

It was hilarious to watch Kylee play tag with Meatball. She would smile at Meatball and then run and try to hide from him. He would take off after her, but stop right before he reached her and give her a lick or tagged her with his nose.

 

Apache followed Kylee everywhere she went as well and loved to drench her with wet sloppy kisses. (Once Apache got done with Kylee’s makeover, it looked like she had placed styling gel in her hair.) Kylee would just end up laughing and would try to push her way past without much success. 

Magnolia & Libby: Breakfast Buns and Feather Dusting

What kind of title is this? This is what Magnolia and Libby were up to this past evening and morning while their parents were away. Magnolia and I checked out the night life on Saturday in Shirlington, but we mainly hung out on the side streets and received some exclusive pampering upon our return from our walk. (You know you are getting old when you, see two guys your age or older and they comment about how early it is at 10:30 PM and all you are thinking about is a warm bed.)

 

Libby loved getting some scratches too, but this created a little bit of competition between cat and dog. Mags was not too thrilled about the idea of sharing the attention. (I secretly think that Libby is what keeps Magnolia so young and energetic and Magnolia is what keeps Libby whipped into feline shape

I could not believe how much Libby has grown since I had seen her last. (She was a kitten when I first started to take care of her.) Her tail has become a feather duster. Everywhere she goes you can’t help, but get hit by that fluffy tail. I was teasing her about hiring her as my personal cleaner and using her tail as a duster.

Sunday morning Magnolia made sure to do her thorough inspection and cleaning of the sidewalks along the restaurants. She wanted to make sure to fulfill her community service in picking up any of the unwanted food crumbs and forgotten candy so she could do her part in beautifying her community. Way to go Mags! 

 

She couldn’t help, but stop at the local bakery to salivate over the delicious sights and smells that could be caught through the door and window. (This was quite the hang out this morning among other dogs as well.) They all must think alike.