Saturday, October 9, 2010

How Do You Know Your Child is a Dog?

1) She willingly goes into a crate. She will even be happy to hang out in it for about 30 minutes while her mom takes care of other pups.
2) She laps up water from a watering dish. Her father is not too happy about this one.
3) She throws and fetches her own balls. She is self-entertaining.
4) She chews on and carries dog toys in her mouth. Another gross, but funny thing.
5) She pants like a dog. Especially when she sees a dog.
6) She eats leaves and flowers.
7) She chases cats. Poor Sadie, she always has to keep an eye out.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Riley & Murphy: Favorite Toy

There are several toys that Riley and Murphy both like: tennis balls, bones, rope bones and squishy balls. There is one toy that no matter what, gets them excited.

Meet the neon orange "S" tug toy:

This is one of the toys that will guarantee one good game of tug-a-war between the two pups. It will also get Riley the most excited when he does not have it and wants it. Riley will start barking and then take off after whoever has the toy. You better run fast, move quickly, or throw far before he gets to you. Otherwise, you are going to be taken out by a yellow furry blur.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Snoopy: It's a Bird, It's a Plane! Nope, It's Just a Tree...

During our walk we were exploring an area behind the apartments where there are a lot of trees in the area. Some of these trees are very close to the apartments so if it is a windy day, they brush against the apartments creating noise.
Every time a gust of wind came by a screeching sound would start and Snoopy would immediately stop whatever he was doing. He would get wide-eyed and look all around him, trying to figure out what was creating that noise. There were even several times he would actually jump and freeze when the sound surprised him.After walking up to the culprit tree and looking up, Snoopy finally realized his mysterious screeching ghost was only a tree. The look on his face afterward was priceless. Relieved, but also trying to look tough and that he had not been scared in the first place.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Murphy: Super Puppy to the Rescue!

I love this picture because Murphy looks like a Superman with his ears back. He looks like he is ready to take off and fly.


I am sure Murphy wishes he could fly because then the birds in the neighborhood would really have to keep their eyes open.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Magnolia: Night Life Gal

So it is not necessarily night quite yet, nor that crowded. But given Magnolia's age (12-13 years old), she is living it large compared to a lot of dogs her age. Since it has been colder this week most people have been enjoying the warmth of inside, instead of strolling the streets so it has been a little dead in Shirlington.
But this has not stopped Magnolia. Magnolia loves to take a stroll down the main street of Shirlington in search of a good scratch, but most importantly: any type of scrap her nose can find.
This girl knows how to work it. She will actually go up alongside a table with people eating and bat her puppy dog eyes hoping they might give her a treat or two. (Sometimes this even works to her advantage.)
Other times, she just lets her nose do all the work and she cleans up anything that has been left behind. She is pretty good at finding mints and once in awhile will even attempt gum. (I make her stick to just mints and leave the gum.)

Jake and Charlotte: Overpass Puppies

There is an overpass over by Jake and Charlotte's that we cross occasionally.
Charlotte is not a major fan and likes to get over it as quickly as possible. She does not like the loud noises of the traffic below. Once in awhile something will peak her interest and she will spy on the cars below.
Jake, however, loves this overpass. What dog would not love to watch tons of cars go by, especially the really loud ones? He can bark at the large trucks and motorcycles and they won't even hear him. Also, he can pretend to chase the cars. After all, to Jake it appears that he is actually larger than these cars below him.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Blue: Herding Cars

Blue is an Australian Cattle Dog, also known as a Blue Healer. They are great dogs! They are very energetic, loyal, protective (especially over children), intelligent, and very hardworking. In Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming red and blue healers are seen quite often out at farms and ranches because they make such a great and obedient working dog. They are very well-known for herding cattle. I have worked with one a few times when I have moved cattle on my horse.
Well since Blue only has imaginary cattle to heard I think she has started to imagine certain vehicles as her cows and bulls that are getting out of hand. There are only certain cars that will catch her attention. Just a normal car does not do the trick. She will let it pass without a second thought.
It’s the long, big, or loud vehicles that she thinks need a little nip in the butt. A truck with a trailer will get her attention, large commercial vans, commercial trucks, and last but not least…..the UPS truck. As soon as one gets within earshot she begins to get excited. She will glare it down, get ready for a charge, take a run for it and then…..end up face to face with a stroller. It keeps you on your toes.

Whenever a car is coming that I know will peak her interest I get an extra tight and strong hold on the leash and place her even with the stroller. Once she does try to lunge her momentum just pulls her right back into the side of stroller. Maybe someday she will start to herd strollers instead. They are a little less dangerous and more her size.