That's a BIG BOY!

Kona and I went on our regular therapy visit to the Veteran's Hospital today. Our team of volunteers today consisted of K'alani, and her caretaker Andra, (an assistant organizer from my Golden Retriever Meetup Group) and Bella the Boxer, the pup of the Recreational Therapist Kelli that supervises our visits.

We were also joined by a new friend, Wilson. Wilson is a 220 lb. Great Dane-Mastiff mix. He is 5 years old and recently started doing therapy with his Dad, Tom. Wilson is a mellow, sweet boy, and is the epitome of a gentle giant.

The patients today got a kick out of seeing all of dogs today, but especially Wilson. Several of them asked where his saddle was! I only see one problem with having a dog as big as Wilson...remember the old saying of "what goes in, must come out"? Yeah, I wouldn't want to be picking that pile up!

From left to right, Andra with K'alani, Me with Kona, Tom with Wilson and Kelli with Bella.

Thanks Miley!

Many thanks to Miley for passing on the Honest Scrap award to me! I am suppose to list 10 things that are true about me and pass it along to 10 bloggers.

Here goes.

1. I am a sincere person. If I give you a compliment, I really mean it.
2. I am very soft hearted.
3. I love chocolate.
4. I hate dieting.
5. I love my family beyond words.
6. I enjoy searching out and reconnecting with old friends.
7. I love throwing big parties.
8. I get my feelings hurt easily.
9. I will forgive pretty much anyone for anything, but I never, ever forget.
10. I LOVE blogging!



Here we go with who I'd like to pass this on to.

1. Val
2. K&S
3. Curt
4. Kim
5. Milo's & the girl's Mom
6. Mason's Mom
7. Bogart
8. April
9. Golden Samantha
10. Allison

Feel free to post this in your own voice, or, if you'd prefer, in your canine's voice.

Wordless Wednesday

A-Z Mondays - X is for Xavier...

...Cugat that is.

Yes, I likes me some eclectic music. You name the music, and I can appreciate it (except Rap), including Xavier Cugat and his orchestra. Sit back, relax, and take a trip back to yester-year.


If you'd like to see what other bloggers are doing for A-Z Mondays, be sure to go over to Jen's blog. She has a whole list of other bloggers participating, and you can join too!

Space Invaders?

It sounds like aliens have landed at our house. But fear not, it's just a silly "Zap Ball" - our pups favorite toy. It's a red rubber ball that has a light and sounds in it that whistle, chirp, ring, etc. Cute, right? It will keep the dogs entertained, right? It turns off after a couple of seconds, right? WRONG. When it happens to get dropped into water something inside it shorts out (what a shock, no pun intended) and the stupid thing goes off for HOURS! We have a pool, remember?

Ball gets taken out of package, given to dogs, said dogs pick up ball and walk directly to the pool and drop it in. Oh yeah, its entertaining them alright. It's entertaining ALL of us!

Goodies Galore from Dugan's Barkery!

Some dear friends of mine, K & S, have started up a new business venture. They have created Dugan's Barkery, featuring their very own line of all Natural, Allergen-Free Treats for all of your canine family members! Although their web site is not quite up and running yet, it will be soon! They feature all kinds of yummy treats, including Jack's Sprats, Jill's Fills, and Kona's Kisses, in honor of, you guested it, my pooches!

Earlier this week we were thrilled to receive a goodie box for our sampling pleasure. As you can see, everything was a big hit! We can't wait until they are up and running at full capacity so that we can order and share some of these goodies with our blogging friends!

Oh, we love surprises!
Our box was chuck full of goodies! How cools is this! Our pups are even on the labels! Too cute! Love it! Yummy! Trying to wait patiently Come on AJ, hand them over! Kona takes a sniff... ...and goes crazy for his kisses!

Sunset

Last week I was at the beach in the evening, and took these shots. I felt they were somehow appropriate to post today.

Saying goodbye to our friend Sammy

My heart is heavy. A good friend of mine, and assistant organizer for our Golden Retriever Meetup group, Jessica, is having to say goodbye to one of her Goldens today. Sammy is a young dog of 5, an agility champion, and all around awesome sports dog. Last month he was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. He didn't respond to medication and was deteriorating quickly. Jessica and her husband have decided it's time to say goodbye to this beautiful boy. I wanted to share this video compilation she made of Sammy late last year. Hug your babies extra tight today.

Wordless Wednesday (Yesterday by the pool)

Sawing them off....

"Lumber Jack" Jill in action...

Poor thing, can't seem to get a moment of rest with her "collar" on...yeah, right!

Thunder Storm

Just a little something cool I came across that I wanted to share...especially with those of us in Southern California who rarely get any rain or thunder...check this out.

Close your eyes, but you might want to open them after you hear the thunder so you don’t miss the lightning! Be sure to turn on your sound. Start watching with your eyes open, then close them and just listen!

A - Z Mondays - Y is for Yippy-Yappy

Those of you who know me, know that I am an animal lover, and have a very soft spot in my heart for dogs. Most dogs that is...basically any dogs that don't do this! I don't like dogs that "YIP and YAP" constantly!

And really, I suppose it's not the dogs doing this that anger me, it's the owners of the dogs that allow them to do this...some people just shouldn't be animal care takers...'nuff said.

If you'd like to see what others in bloggers are doing for A-Z Mondays....be sure to go over to Jen's blog at http://unglazed.blogspot.com/ - she has a whole list of other bloggers participating!

Jill's New Necklace

Anyone with dogs who lives in even a semi-warm climate has probably, at one time or another, had to deal with hot spots. We've been very fortunate in the past to have been able to avoid them pretty well.

Jill's luck ran out on Thursday, and she is suffering from a nasty hot spot, just at the underside of the base of her tail. She's been licking the stuff I put on it off and irritating it none stop, so it was time for some "cone" action. I've always hated the old "Elizabethan" style of lampshade cone, so this time, we went with something called a "pro collar." It looks more like a life preserver than a cone, and so far it has been doing the job nicely. (Huge thanks to Lisa for picking this up for me!)

Jill, putting it mildly, HATES it, but if it will help her to heal quickly, it's worth her being a little mad at me.

"Take it off! It clashes with my pink bows!"
"Mom, I'm so mad at you I refuse to look you in the eye..."

Here is a little video of her looking really pathetic, and Kona interjecting trying to help talk me into taking it off. He's such a good brother, that is until he abandons her and starts playing with Harley and Jack...

If anyone has any miracle cures for getting rid of hot spots, I'd sure like to hear about it. We are currently trying a concoction of lavender, tea tree and grapefruit essential oils, sprayed directly onto the hot spot. It seems to sooth for a little while, and it sure smells great, but I'm not sure if it's really doing anything. We went to a "hoity-toity" pet store yesterday where they proceeded to quiz me on everything she's ever eaten since she was a puppy, what shampoo we use, etc., and tried to sell me about $200 bucks worth of crap I know we didn't need. So many of the items in pet stores have alcohol and other chemicals in them-I certainly wouldn't put them on me if I had a hot spot, and I certainly won't put them on my pooch. No, thank you very much, we left....went by a health food store, got the essential oils and came home to give it a try. As I mentioned, I'm up for ideas if you have them. Of course going to the vet is an option, but I sometimes hate to walk in for an office visit, have to pay $40 to hear someone tell me, "Oh, go home, keep the area dry, and it will take care of itself..."

Anyway, I hope you all have a great weekend, and I look forward to your hot-spot remedy suggestions.

Close Quarters

We went a couple of places yesterday that were just plain crowded...Now don't get me wrong, I love most people, but sheesh - this is just a LOT of people to love!


Yes, San Diego+Sun+Summer=CROWDS!

Our favorite beach was packed yesterday. It was still fun, don't get me wrong, but when the parking lot is full before 10am, well...sometimes you just feel like turning around and going home...

On top of that, our Golden group had a gathering at a store last night. It was the first time, and probably the last, that we got together in a store. We had a great turnout of around 40 people and their Goldens, and needless to say, it was a bit crazy. Thank goodness the pups are so well behaved and mellow. The store had snacks for the 2 legged and 4 legged guests, and there was a trainer there to share some advice. It was fun, but I think the off leash places are more our style. Who can knock getting together with Golden friends though, anytime, anywhere?

Kona kicked back while I got some things set up.
So many dog dishes, and all of them empty. Maybe if I sit real nice, someone will fill one up for me!
The place was pretty packed!

The trainer had plenty to say - and even though it was crowded, people did have a nice time.

Ho-Humm

Kona says...."Mom is taking the 2 legged kids to the beach today. What's up with that? Just because they can bathe themselves when they get home doesn't mean they should be able to go to the beach any more than WE do! It's not fair...I'll just stay home, be bored, and continue using Jack for a pillow..."

Wordless Wednesday (Kona in action)

Keeping Cool

It's been a struggle to keep cool lately, with our temperatures running in the mid 90's.

Somehow though, we manage...

A - Z Mondays - Z is for Zip line

A quick explanation - I've decided to participate in a fun little blogging game, called A-Z Mondays. Each Monday I will blog or post a picture(s) about a specific letter. I'm joining this game exactly half way through, as the original game started with A and made it's way through 26 weeks of letters. Today, being the 27th week, we begin going backwards.

I thank my wonderful blogging buddy over at KBL2ORD2SAN2LUV for introducing me to this fun game, and inspiring me to join. I also thank Jen over at http://unglazed.blogspot.com/ for coming up with this great idea, and allowing me to join in the fun.

So, without further ado, my first A-Z (or rather, in this case Z-A) post.

Z is for Zip line
In November of 2007 my entire family went on an Hawaiian cruise to celebrate my parents' 50th anniversary. While we were there, we decided to zip line. It was, by far, one of the funnest things we've ever done. Here are AJ, Bear, Hubby and Pickle all suited up and ready to go.
Hubby, who isn't a fan of heights, took the first step...
In addition to the actual zip line, there were a couple of wicked rope bridges for us to cross. Here I go!

Pickle felt like she was flying!

Bear loved it too.

We were up about 80 feet. Yikes!

Another of those "fun" rope bridges.

I was SO thankful to get to the other side!

It was a breeze for AJ!

Our zip lining group, from left to right - My awesome sister in law, my nephew, me, AJ, Bear, Pickle, my brother, Hubby, and on the far right, one of the instructors.

If you'd like to see what others in bloggers are doing for A-Z Mondays....be sure to go over to Jen's blog at http://unglazed.blogspot.com/ - she has a whole list of other bloggers participating!

Also, if you'd like to join along, all you have to do is go to Jen's blog and let her know you're playing .

Splash Dogs!

Yesterday, before heading to the airport to pick up Hubby, and ultimately winding up in the hospital with him, I went to a local event called Wags For Wishes. At the event they had all sorts of things for our 4 legged friends to do, agility, flyball, canine good citizen testing, you name it...and "Splash Dogs." That's what we went for (I went with Val from My Boo Bears) - none of my dogs are jumpers, but I went with her to be her "official" photographer. Val's boy, Joey, is an awesome jumper - a real natural! He practices quite often an my pool, and he had no hesitation jumping off the dock yesterday. It was a blast seeing Joey and several of our other Golden friends jumping.







Obviously not one of our golden friends, but I was super impressed at how far this boy flew!