Are we not men?

The Question

The Answer: I am Devo!

Wednesday pictures

Brother Chip sent up a stack of old photos. Just started scanning them this week. Here are a couple of my favorites. Had to fix the demon eyes on the first photo. I hear there is a photo editing package that has a "pet eye" fixer. Haven't seen how it works, so I'll just keep doing it manually.

Sadie and Sunny 1990

Sunny and Cosmo, PaPa dog and his little girl loved to cram themselves into one crate! They slept like this for years. Taken at our North Idaho rental house - 1996

Play date with Bambi

Thanks to:  Land of PureGold

Dog Intelligence myth

In Stanley Coren's 1994 book "The Intelligence of Dogs" a list of 79 breeds was created and ranked by the author based on their acumen for obedience and working intelligence. Golden Retrievers were #4 and Afgan Hounds were #79. If you have read or heard of this book, you will find this video enlightening.

Thanks to:  Land of PureGold

Cascade Loop, Winthrop and Leavenworth

What a wonderful, scenic trip. Weather was decent and the scenery was fantastic. Lady had a blast and was as good as gold. Here are the Lady pictures I took. For a more in-depth pictorial, go to my SmugMug gallery at the link below:

Cascade Loop pictures at SmugMug

First stop in the park

Excellent State park on the Columbia River just outside Chelan

Lady on stage in Leavenworth - waiting for her accordion!

Hanging out at one of the MANY dog friendly establishments in Leavenworth.
I'll drop the names of all of them at the end of this post.

During the two days we were in Leavenworth, Lady must have charmed at least 100 humans and a couple of fellow Goldens. She got a ton of attention no matter where we went. Here she is at the art show in the park.

Our new friend Klaus. Runs a nice little espresso and food shop with outdoor seating. Klaus and his wife Ulmke run a first class kennel just outside of town. See their website listing at the end of this post and permanently on my sidebar.

Now, a few travel and leisure recommendations based on my experiences during this trip:

DOG FRIENDLY
-Twisp River Pub, Twisp, WA - good food and service too! They brew their own beer.....yummy.

-Winthrop Inn - Super nice people and very accommodating when we hated our room. Made it right.....thanks.

-Munchen Haus, Leavenworth, WA - Outdoor casual restaurant with great sausages, killer kraut, regal relish, BEER, BEER and more BEER, plus a terrific staff.

-Klaus' little place called Haus Dog Kaffee and Tea - I live in Seattle, I love coffee, I know what's good and what ain't - Klaus knows his stuff. I hear from a local Golden owner we met that the food is good too. Located on the far west end of Front Street.

-Good Mood Food Cafe - on Hwy 2 close to town - free WIFI, nice people, good coffee

-Gypsy Cafe - right across the street from our hotel

-Obertal Inn - decent place right downtown, great staff, price is right.

-A Paw Above - Susie's dog store on front street. Good food selection, toys, treats etc.

-Uncle Ulis - little restaurant in the same building with Susie. Didn't eat there, but saw that it was very dog friendly.

Other places I can recommend
-Renaissance Cafe - downstairs and out of the way, look hard to find this one, good food and service, opens for breakfast at 7AM and is a local favorite.

-Andreas Keller - GREAT German food, awesome German beer selection, plus Johnny V plays a mean accordion most nights - highly recommended.

-Hitching Post tavern, Cashmire, WA (on Hwy 2 between Wenatchee and Leavenworth) - Have been stopping into this place every few years for 20 years now, the steaks are always good and affordable. Excellent service and cold beer. This time was no exception; even won $162 on one $20 pull tab....yay.

Best website for Leavenworth info: Accidental Bavarian

Klaus and Regina's kennels (so not to get Klaus in trouble, I want to be very clear, Regina runs the kennels): Haus Denali Kennels - Leavenworth, WA

Road Trip

Lady and I will be gone this week, heading for the eastern slopes of the Cascade range. North Cascade highway to Winthrop then on to Leavenworth for a couple of days. We will catch up with you all this weekend. Here's hoping for some dry, warm weather.

Downpour!

Hi everyone, Lady here. We were caught in a very heavy rain squall when we were on our walk. I got so wet that my dad sez I must stay here with these towels on me so I'm nice and warm and comfortable. I think I'll just sleep the rest of the day away and dream about cookies and kitties and Mr. Armadillo and....and....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Pursuit of dog food - Part 1

Just in case you forgot

The dog food industry has sure changed a lot since I brought Sunny home as a puppy 25 years ago. Purina dog chow was the defacto standard.  Soon there was Iams and Science Diet clamoring for market share. This market space is jam packed with heroes and pretenders. Today, this is what I have found to be true:

- There are more high quality dog food options than ever in the history of barkdom.

- My single source of credible, detailed information about dog food is the "Whole Dog Journal".

- Any of our dogs could do very well on a number of different "premium" foods. All dogs are different.

- Availability and price are huge factors when deciding what premium food to feed. Not one local store (in Seattle or Phoenix) carries the complete line of every premium brand.

- Grain should not be a major part of Lady's diet.

- I would throw her a whole Salmon to eat every couple of days, but it's hell to get the guts off the carpet.

Lady has been with me for almost 2 and a half years. During that time I have fed her the following (all kibble).

- Orijen Adult (5 months)

- Natural Balance Duck and Potato - and - Natural Balance Venison and sweet potato (alternated these 2 NB foods for 18 months)

- currently, Castor Pollux (see the previous post) - she's been eating this for 4 months

There is a lot of misinformation about dog foods. Most perpetrated by over zealous advertising and some retailers (your dog doesn't care what color his kibbles and bits are). Do your own research, talk to your vet, find a retailer that you can trust. YOU are in control of what your dog eats. A clerk at a chain pet store is unlikely to be well informed. Beware, there are company reps that hang out in the pet food aisles and (even though they may be knowledgeable) will push you towards their brand. Occasionally there are specialists in some large stores you can lean on, but I have found that the most trustworthy are small business proprietors whose whole life revolves around the care of your dog. Seek these people out and create a relationship with them. They may or may not have any revolutionary new information or ideas, but you know every day they will inspire at least 1 dog owner to give up their Old Roy and feed their best friend a balanced food made from quality ingredients.

Links of interest - do some research, you and your dog will be glad you did

Whole Dog Journal - choosing the right dog food

Unbiased, detailed information about dog food ingredients

Next post: Part 2 - Lady's health, plus "the choices we all make".

And now, your moment of Zen......

Lady's menu!

A few of you wondered what we were feeding Lady that helped her lose some weight plus increased her energy and playfulness. Lady eats once a day around 5PM. She gets 3 cups of kibble, 1-fish oil capsule and extra Trader Joe's Glucosamine - Chondroitin for dogs. Here's what the food looks like:

Castor-Pollux is the brand - Lady thinks it's "gobble it up good"

There is a Petco very close to home in Seattle, so we get it there. I would prefer to buy from a small business, but nobody stocks it. We do have a small business source in Phoenix (more about that later in another post).

Link to Castor-Pollux

Same Fish Oil as the KT takes!

We let Lady have fresh fruits and vegetables as a treat (mainly apples and carrots). Occasionally cheese or yogurt. She'll eat just about anything from your hand (but she's not a pig about it). No feeding from the table and NO Cheerios! The only things we have found that does not agree with her are Salmon Oil and Dental Chewies from Costco called "Checkups".

Castor-Pollux FOOD DETAILS

ADULT LESS ACTIVE FEEDING GUIDELINES
If your dog weighs:             Feed Daily:
Less than 10 lbs.                     ½ cup
10 - 25 lbs.                                ¾ - 1½ cups
25 - 50 lbs.                               1½ - 2¼ cups
50 - 75 lbs.                               2¼ - 3 cups
75 - 100 lbs.                             3 - 3½ cups
100 - 150 lbs.*                        3½ - 4½ cups

The portions are based on a standard 8 oz. measuring cup.
*Add ½ cup per day for every 25 lbs. over 150 lbs.
Calorie Content ME (calculated): 3,365 kcal/kg, 371.4 kcal/cup

INGREDIENTS:
Organic Chicken, Chicken Meal, Organic Brown Rice, Organic Millet, Organic Peas,Organic Oats, Tomato Pomace, Salmon Meal, Chicken Fat Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols (a natural source of Vitamin E), Natural Chicken Flavor, OrganicApples,Organic Carrots, Organic Broccoli, Organic Pumpkin, Organic Pears, Dried Egg Product, Organic Flaxseed, Organic Quinoa, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate,Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Sodium Selenite,Calcium Iodate ), Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Organic Dried Blackberries, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement,L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Niacin, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Biotin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate, L-Carnitine, Yeast Culture (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus niger Fermentation Extract, Dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum Fermentation Extract, Dried Bacillus subtilis,Fermentation Solubles, Rosemary Extract.

GUARANTEED ANALYSIS:
Crude Protein (min) 21.50%
Omega 6 Fatty Acids (min)* 1.75%
Crude Fat (min) 10.00%
Omega 3 Fatty Acids (min)* 0.35%
Crude Fiber (max) 5.50%
Glucosamine Hydrochloride (min)* 150 mg/kg
Moisture (max) 10.00%
Chondroitin Sulfate (min)* 75 mg/kg
Calcium (min) 0.80%
L-Carnitine (min)* 15 mg/kg
Phosphorus (min) 0.60%

*Not recognized as an essential nutrient by the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles.

Fun Video - Dancing Golden does the Merengue

As our friend Khyra always says "Goldens are such show-offs". We don't need anymore proof beyond this! WOW
 Click the link blow to view the video. Forgive the tacky advertisements.

Merengue dancing Golden 

Here's my rope Dad. Time for tug-a-war.

Lady is feeling playful today. She has lost about 5lbs since returning from Phoenix. My girl is now eating a food for low activity dogs (at 10 years old, she qualifies). She does have more energy and is eagerly jumping into the back of the MDX again. That's really good to see. Saves my back when the ramp is not around. Time for our evening walk. See ya later......

New kid in town

Meet Tucker, the rescued/redeemed Golden Retriever who now has his own blog. His very first post was last Wednesday. He has a good story; honest and very revealing. Check Tucker out at the following location. Tell him Lady sent you.

Tucker the Golden Retriever

For September 11th

Remembering Toby

1989 - Sept. 8, 2002

Toby lived a good, long life with my brother Chip. He was a Sunny/Solo puppy and except for Cosmo, he was the Sunny puppy I knew the best. Very much like his MaMa dog Solo, he was happy, carefree and obsessed with retrieving and snuggling. Chip sent these pictures up last month, so we thought this would be a good time to display them. We miss you Toby. See ya at the bridge.

Good looking boy

Caught in a stretch!

This is one of my favorites. Such a happy boy.

Toby could smile on command, or just smooth one side of his muzzle.

Couple months before he died. Toby loved beach roaming on the Oregon coast. I'm sure that's what he's doing right now.

The story of Toby - this blog - 2008

Did you order something?

Just a new playlist. It's over there, on the side panel. September is Lady's month. Hard to pick songs and/or versions of same we haven't heard a hundred times, but I tried! Thanks to my Canadian friends + Phyll, Andi and The Mountain for turning me on to some of these tunes.
In the meantime, catch-up on why I built this blog in the first place, those wonderful Goldens that came before Lady starting in 1976. Those would be the oldest posts....or.....just enjoy the latest Golden Image.
I don't say this enough but, thank you so much for stopping by. Have a great 3 day weekend.

THOSE BLACK BOOTS WERE A BARGAIN