Logan

Happiness and joy for my friends Linda and John. Logan is their new puppy and special boy. Sadness for the loss of Major, their male Golden; passed away just a couple of months ago.

"There were no answers to my questions.
But now I think he went away because you were coming".

Hanging with Santa

Here is Lady reluctantly posing with Santa. Things were a little chaotic during the photo op. There were so many distractions. Santa just didn't want to move very far, so the creature with the smallest brain had to adjust. Oh well, must have been a long day for the fat guy. We did get to spend some quality time with Ollie the bulldog; running, sniffing and doing all the fun things two dogs that truly like each other do. That was so much fun. It really made our day!!

I'm begining to discover many other Quality Golden sites - here is one of my favorites

Check out Sugar's list of friends and blogs. Awesome dog sites, no need to duplicate them here. PS: Sugar reminds me of our raccoon masked Lady Bug. Aren't senior Goldens just the best?!

Winter 2009 trip: Seattle to Phoenix

5 days, 1780 miles, Seattle to Salem, OR, Salem to Corning, CA, Corning to Barstow with a stop in Sacramento (wow, that was a long day), Barstow to Cornville, AZ (relaxing day with Bob and Robin), then the short drive into Phoenix. Lot's of blustery weather encountered; always seemed to be blowing in our face. There just is not a good way to travel from Sacramento south to Bakersfield. I5 is desolate and busy with slow trucks and maniac California drivers. Our route this time took us along Hwy.99 through all the valley towns. This was a little better than I5, but still very busy and at times scary (why do some idiots have to drive 90 mph?). I think from now on the slightly longer route; Seattle-Boise-SLC-Vegas-Phoenix is much easier and not any longer time wise. Well, now I know!!

Lady was good as gold the whole way. I trained her to lay down in the back in a secure position so she did not have to endure the crate this trip. She was much more comfortable. Normally, she wants to hang her head out the window standing up the whole way. Obviously, this isn't safe or practical. She always shows me that she is willing to adapt to her new forever home.

Another odd thing; most of the rest areas along the way were closed!! Budget cuts I hear. How dumb is that. The Blueberry commission is still funded along with an army of state funded deer poop collectors, navel lint consultants and worthless bureaucrats; but rest areas that contribute to public safety are closed.

So, we had to find our own ad-hoc rest areas whenever the need presented itself. The picture shown on this post is from one of our stops.

Dog Paradise

The Drill brothers (Doug, Tom & Brian) and Mankato Joe

Vermilion Lake, Minnesota. Even though none of my Goldens have had the privledge of taking this trip with me, two very happy Labs spent a long weekend with many acres of Minnesota northland forest and a huge lake at their disposal. It was a joy watching them swim, romp and play until they dropped. I could get used to the cabin life (modern plumbing and satellite TV required). Many thanks to Tom and Rhonda for their hospitality and for being "so dog-gone Minnesota nice". There are more pictures in my SmugMug gallery (Link on the side panel of this blog).

Hottest Day of the Year

 > July 29th, 2009 - 105 degrees in Seattle <

That has never happened before. Had to escape for a few hours to Luther Burbank park on Mercer Island. Here at the park is hundreds of feet of lakefront dedicated to the use of off-leash dogs and their happy owners. Lady had the time of her life. Our friends Joyce and her two Goldens - Cedar and Buddy - met us there for some fun. Can't really say more than that. The pictures say it all.

Joyce, Cedar, Buddy (hypnotized by his frisbee) and Lady getting a head start.

Lady

Buddy with his favorite frisbee

This Bassett Hound was loving the water on this hot day. What a great picture!

Shoreline dog park

Oh what joy. Finally, Shoreline, WA enters the 21st century and creates our first off-leash dog park with money from a multi-million dollar parks bond passed a couple of years ago. The space is roomy, well fenced and drains properly for those soggy Seattle winters. Lady has visited a dozen times since our return. She loves to sniff, mark, meet new doggy friends, paw and crotch dive her new human friends. All in the name of innocent K9 fun. Memorable dogs we've met are:
- a pair of Portuguese water dogs who had very good energy and were as sweet as pie. Lady enjoyed their company very much. Their owner was very nice too and clearly understood how to raise balanced dogs.
- A big goofy Blood Hound who just adored Lady. They became fast friends and running buddies.
A word of thanks to ShoreDog, an informal organization of private citizens who helped drive the progress towards establishing this dog park. Way to go. The lady that helped establish this organization is running for city council. She has my vote for sure (Shari Tracy).
PS: As of Dec. 1st, 2009, Shari is officially declared the winner of her city council race (defeating the incumbent appointed mayor - pretty big deal). Congratulations Shari.

Phoenix to Seattle

1836 miles and perfect weather, Lady was a trooper for the whole trip. Rode in her crate but never complained or acted up. She is truly a special girl. Glad to be home in Seattle. She blasted through her doggy door at least 20 times the first hour after arriving. I think she missed the freedom. Off to explore the new dog park in Shoreline. Will report on that soon.

Lady's springtime update

Many of you have asked how Lady is doing, hanging out in Phoenix, making new friends and enjoying the sunny weather. It took her awhile to adjust to the warm dry weather; her skin and coat made their own adjustment, shedding the majority of her undercoat during November and December. For the first couple of months on our daily off leash walks, I allowed her to flush the many cotton tail bunnies out of the bushes (she just loves it). But there was a serious down side - Oleanders, a shrub that when their branches are trimmed and exposed, can be extremely poisonous to the skin of humans and K9s. Lady broke out with a horrible rash and it took quite awhile to identify the source of the problem and cure it.
We tried several different vets at two clinics; not one of them deviated from their pedestrian views about skin problem: food allergy, low thyroid level, food allergy (followed by a recommended $90 a bag food only THAT vet could provide) and special vet supplied shampoos (one good - with benzoperoxide added , the other was coal tar based, don't EVER use this on you dog). I'm happy to say that with the help of my friends at Kimber Dog Wash and keeping Lady on leash and away from all bushes, she is completely healed. Lesson learned: trust your instincts when it comes to the health of your K9 companions. Vets mean well, I never doubt their sincerity, but trust your own "gut" when choosing your vet and interpreting their diagnoses and course of action. It is a relationship worth exploring deeply and not choosing strictly on emotion or cost.
Lady’s socialization is coming along very nicely. She has made some new friends:
- Ollie the 3 year old English Bull Dog, there was a spark between these two. Playing like they’ve known each other in a past life (or something new age like that). It was very cute. Ollie’s dad says it’s because they share the same energy and are both balanced and happy kids. He may be right!
- Major the big male Golden, they spent an evening together at Major’s house. Lady waltzed in like she owned the place and after getting to know each other they began a male-female Golden courtship. More new moves from Lady. She never ceases to surprise me.
- There are lot’s of unruly, yappy little dogs in our neighborhood in Phoenix. Lady really dislikes them. She must have had a bad experience in her past with a little dog or two. There is a sweet toy poodle who is not afraid of Lady and after a controlled first meeting they get along very nicely whenever their paths cross. Wish I could find more of those.

Friends

Lady, taking a rest after a big dog day, playing with Rocky.
New Years Day 2009, Anthem-Arizona