Riley & Murphy: Number 1 Fan

So I apologize ahead of time when I state they my photography does not do this story justice. You can only guess so well at exactly what you may be taking a picture of when you have to do it over and behind your head.

Murphy LOVES to give Kylee kisses on her face, hands and legs. He will also bunt her with his wet nose until he sends her into hysterical laughter. It is hilarious to watch, especially if Kylee has eaten a peanut butter sandwich recently. (This really makes him lick her from head to toe.)

If you were wondering if Kylee enjoys this teasing, the answer can be answered through this picture: Yes! Kylee will try to encourage him to come and get her. If that does not work, she will hang upside down from my backpack until she is right in his face and he just can't resist.

What could I be holding that has peaked Murphy's interest so much? A toy? A treat? Nope, it is a Kylee! Yep, this guys really gets excited to see her and loves to chase her around and play with her. I will carry Kylee around sometimes and have Murphy chase her. Another activity that will just make her laugh and laugh.

Riley likes to give Kylee her space, but he is never too cool to not beg for a treat if she has one for him every once in awhile. You should see him work those puppy dog eyes on her. Gets her every time. Talk about personal delivery, he is even willing to deliver his treat Kong right to us for easy treat dispensing.

Douglas: Goin' on a Duck Hunt

Since February or March, Kylee and Douglas started making the duck pond behind his apartment one of our regular stops along our walks.

These two learned very quickly that the best way to lure the ducks and geese in are with "special duck treats." This can consist of bread, crackers, or popcorn. The hard part: keeping the food away from Douglas. When you throw the food into the water he can't decide which is more exciting, the food or the ducks at close range.

This has become such a routine that if I even now mention a walk with Douglas, Kylee starts mentioning the ducks right away. (It is to the point that if we even drive on the road near the pond, she will start quaking like a duck.)

Douglas has learned quickly that we are not the only people that come along and bring food to the ducks. He tries to scan the area for any leftover handouts. Thankfully, he usually finds nothing or I find it first. Those darn ducks just do such a great clean up job. Poor Douglas!

At the end of our walk there was a little one-year-old that just screamed with excitement when she saw Douglas come around the corner. He was a good sport and survived the petting, the patting, and the squealing. I think you made that little girl's day Douglas.

Blue: Traffic Jam

I will have to admit to this little "area" definitely not being stroller friendly. It is a great route to take Blue on for walks, we just always end up with an interesting situation for a minute or two every time we try to scale over the wall with the stroller.

The hurdle (easily and gracefully leaped by Blue):

The traffic jam (Kylee high centered with no where to go):

Stuck! (Optimistic point made by Kylee-there are leaves to look at and touch at least):

Patiently waiting (Blue has learned to wait patiently while the not so talented Kylee and I cumbersomely make it over the little wall):

Composure regained and we are off like nothing happened for the past minute or two.

Credits Awarded: I have to give Blue credit for waiting for us and not being embarrassed that this situation keeps occurring. I give Kylee credit for hanging sideways in her stroller without a complaint. And I would also like to give my arm credit for finally being strong enough now to pick up the stroller with just one hand.

Murphy: The "Zoomies" and a Little Bit of Wrestling

Sometimes Murphy will not have gotten all of his energy out during our walks. These are the times you are going to see a brown blur flying around the table, over the couches, and sliding across the floor. What can set this off? Sometimes absolutely nothing. Other times, running around yourself, or getting him excited with a toy. All Kylee needs to do sometimes is just crawl on the couch and Murphy is off and on the run.

Now that Murphy has new hardwood floors in his apartment, the zoomies have now even turned funnier to watch. He has definitely gotten better at maneuvering these slippery floors, but there are times he starts to slide and cannot stop.

It is hilarious to watch Murphy and Kylee play now since she has gotten bigger. They will both climb/hop on the couch and will try to chase and wrestle with one another. Most of the time Murphy will give Kylee the slip right before she has almost gotten him. Once in while though, he will let her give him a big bear hug and then shoot out from underneath her. This always sets her off into a burst of laughter followed by Murphy barking and telling her to start chasing him again.

 Today there was so much excitement that Murphy grabbed his crate pad and pulled it out of his crate. Every time I put his crate bedding back together he would snatch it back out and try to run off with it. After a minute, he was able to be distracted by a toy long enough for his crate to be put back together.

Jake & Charlotte: Doggie's Little Helper

It is a good thing that Jake and Charlotte are going to have a little sister soon. Who else would take over Kylee's position as their personal assistant?

Who would they have to point out when and where they have gone to the bathroom so it can quickly be disposed of?

Who would carry their waste to the nearest garbage can? Even when it's several blocks away?

Who would throw their balls and toys to them?

And of course, who would feed them their food and treats until every last bit is gone?

These are going to be some big shoes to fill, but I am sure their little sister will do a great job of taking care of them and loving them.

We will miss you guys!

Snoopy: Puppy Kisses

After our walk with Snoopy, Kylee will not leave his apartment until she has been allowed to give Snoopy his last special treat and she receives a kiss from him.

Sometimes she tries to sneak a few extra kisses in even before our walk. She will get down on her hands and knees and starts to crawl around on the floor like Snoopy. She will then try to chase him like this, but he was always able to outmaneuver her.

A new game has been started within the last few weeks as well: Hide-and-Seek. Kylee will run and "hide" and Snoopy must find her and give her a kiss before we head out for our walk. Snoopy seems to thoroughly enjoy this game and takes pride in how well he can always find her.

P.S. Kylee thinks she is hidden if she can't see you, even if her whole body is out in the open and only her eyes are covered. Snoopy hasn't let her in on this secret quite yet.

Jake & Charlotte: Where in the World are Jake and Charlotte?

I do not know if many people remember the times of the game show, "Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?" Well, Jake and Charlotte decided to play their own version of this game over the past week while Kylee and I watched them.

We had fun taking pictures of different places that Jake and Charlotte visited or could be found throughout the week:

Their regular haunt: Fairlington Neighborhood. They love sniffing out all of the new scents and making new four-legged friends and catching up with the old.

Fort Ward Park: I do not know if Jake and Charlotte were as intrigued with all of the park's history, but they loved getting attention from anybody passing by that was willing to give a scratch or two.

Home: (their kitchen to be exact) - this is their temporary residence during the day while everything is being prepared to move. I will have to admit that I cannot believe that I was actually able to take a picture with these two not moving and they are both actually LOOKING at me and even at the SAME time.

My car: Charlotte actually had a chance to look out the window without having Jake shoving her into the seat. She made sure to take full advantage of this golden opportunity. Can you tell that someone is a little excited to play ball?

Jake's favorite spot in my car: Kylee's carseat. I always try to make sure to clean her seat thoroughly before anyone hops in but there are still a few crumbs that Jake looks forward to finding here and there.

Utah Dog Park: One of their favorite local dog parks. I love it because Jake the Wiley Coyote can be spotted at all times. This means no mysterious disappearing where he us up to who knows what - (Shirlington Dog Park).

Jake and Charlotte were finally able to catch up with the morning regulars three times this week since the weather is finally starting to warm up. They enjoyed games of tag, fetch, and just having a good sniff here or bark there.

Riley & Murphy: Smelling the Roses

Okay, so they are not necessarily smelling the "roses," but tulips are pretty close.

If you have ever seen Riley and Murphy during a walk, you would most likely encounter them with their nose to the ground and their tails waving back and forth.

These two are like little metal detectors who will sniff every square inch of dirt, bark, and grass if there is something of interest.

Quite regularly you can find them with their heads in the bushes, seeing what interesting things they can find.

The best part, since they are usually pretty distracted in the bushes, it makes one great opportunity to sneak up behind them and scare them. I have been able to do this a few times with Murphy. It is hilarious to watch him jump, scoot off and then look back after he realizes it was just Kylee and I. I know, we are mean. :)

Murphy & Snoopy: Can't Hardly Wait

When I arrived at Murphy's house today he could barely contain himself when I told him we would be visiting Snoopy today. He knew EXACTLY where we were going as soon as we headed out his door. He ran up two flights of stairs to Snoopy's, with me huffing and puffing behind. He skidded to a halt right at Snoopy's door and whined until I had the front door unlocked.

Neither Snoopy or Murphy waited until I walked in for them to start chasing and romping around the apartment with one another. There was tackling, racing, and some kisses given.

They are still great about getting down to business when we start outside for our walks. They like to play a little here and there, but they know outside means time to walk and see what interesting smells there are to sniff.

The funny thing is usually what ever one sniffs, the other is not too far behind to check out as well.

I think they were both wondering why we had stopped. To take a cute picture of them both, of course!

Douglas: The Chameleon

Douglas has many skills that most people may not know about. He can sniff out treats, spin super fast circles, woof down his whole meal in 10 seconds flat, chase squeaky balls like a greyhound. But did you know that he can also be a master of disguise?

Yep, I caught Douglas today working on his chameleon skills. Now you see him, now you don't:

He's good isn't he?

(Don't worry, no one was hurt in this picture - thank you photoshop.)

Riley & Murphy: Sunshine!

Riley and Murphy have been making sure to make the most of the nice, warm and sunny days that we have had here and there. During our walks they make sure to take extra time and relish in sniffing almost every square inch of grass and dirt on our walks. They will stop time to time just to take a look around and to enjoy the sun's rays.

On these days, we will open the backdoor after our walk and play or lounge outside on the porch to enjoy the extra sunshine. Murphy enjoys playing with his toys (tug-a-war with me) and Riley enjoys sniffing the yard for that perfect piece of bark that tastes so different from the rest of the bark.

Murphy: Pup Tent

Murphy got this new little portable crate about a week or two ago. Ever since Kylee first set eyes on it, it has been love at first sight.

Murphy has had some serious competition for any time in his little tent. Murphy will go inside and then Kylee will try to squeeze in right beside him.

Murphy and Kylee have made a little game out of Kylee going in the tent: peek-a-boo.

Kylee will go in and Murphy will peer in from the back window. He will then hurry and rush to the front and wait for her to come out. They will do this over and over until someone takes off to play chase around the apartment.

Jake & Charlotte: Moving!

Jake and Charlotte are about to embark on another adventure coming mid-May after their new little baby sister arrives. They have enjoyed their time here in Alexandria, VA, but will be returning to Savannah, Georgia in about a month. I guess they have had enough of the fast paced city life and are looking forward to a slower southern pace of life. 

 

This past weekend a lot of their furniture and belongings were moved already back home, which has created TONS of space to run in. 

 

The only drawback: no rugs which equals some slips and slides on the wood floors. 

After we returned from our walk this afternoon and they had lunch, everyone (including Kylee) enjoyed racing back and forth in the front room. It was hilarious to watch everyone dash across the room as fast as they could and then try to slam on their breaks or jump onto the carpeted stairs to slow themselves down before meeting a wall face-to-face. Everyone was pretty skilled and successful though and only one bump and bruise occurred (that was Kylee falling, but she got right back up after Charlotte gave her a kiss.)

Snoopy: "Special" Services

Most any dog that has stayed at our house for pet-sitting has enjoyed these special services offered occasionally by Kylee – personal feeding by hand. Not many dogs can say they have been fed their breakfast or dinner, piece by piece. Well, Kylee thought Snoopy deserved this special treatment today.

She would run into the bathroom to his food dish and bring out a piece of food for him one at a time. Snoopy was nice enough to walk closer to his food bowl so she would not have to make such a long journey. He also did not have to wait as long between feedings. 

 I still have not figured out why one’s food may taste so much better when personally fed to you by hand? For some reason some of the dogs won’t touch their food when it’s in the bowl, but it can be gone in 5 minutes flat when it is fed to them by Kylee. She must have a secret ingredient we don’t know about.