To Each Their Own

Mommy was feeling rather adventurous during her last week of summer vacation.  She decided to take ALL THREE of us to the dawg park all by herself.  She says unloading at the park was the worst part of the whole adventure.  We were rearing to go!

She was recovering from the exhausting walk from the car to the park gate (maybe a whopping 30 yards??) and didn't have her camera out to capture the great picture of all three of us running together.  Instead, you'll have to settle for just me and Ruger running wild!

Once again Ruger's tongue was flapping in the breeze.  This was the best picture Mommy could grab of it!

This little guy is Dozier.  He's quite a chunky bulldog and tried to keep up with us at the park!

He also tried to run with the other big dawgs there.  He got a little nip on the nose at one point!  But that didn't stop him from waddling around with us.  (He even tried to make an escape with us as we were leaving!)

It was rare to see all three of us together this day.  We were all doing our own thing all over the park. 

Mommy learned that each of our personalities stood out while at the park.  Dixie was all about the tennis balls!  She only wanted to retrieve the ball over and over and over and  . . .

She played until she finally had to collapse at Mommy's feet from exhaustion.  

Ruger liked to be where the action was.  He spent a good bit of the time running from one pack of dawgs to another trying to play with them.  If someone threw a ball, he'd run after the dawg trying to retrieve it.  He likes to try to steal the ball from others.  That may be how he ended up with slobber all over his nose!

I used my time more wisely.  I went from person to person trying to nab some FOOD!  The rules of the park say no people food or dawg food allowed in the park, but you know how people are; they don't follow the rules!  Unfortunately, the only "food" I found that day was a man with coffee.  That wasn't quite what I was looking for and he wasn't sharing!

We played until we couldn't play any more.  We finally settled in the shade together and Mommy asked if we were ready to go home.   I was forced into the backseat on the way to the park, but I called shotgun for the ride home.  I don't know why Dixie just doesn't let me ride up front all the time.  She knows I prefer it and she doesn't seem to mind where she rides.  Ruger proved to be a good car rider too.  He and Dixie each took a rear window and enjoyed the views.

I enjoyed my ride home in the front seat.  I can relax and have Mommy all to myself! She enjoys having me up here too because I tend to lie down and sleep.  (Dixie prefers to sit up and look around.)

Hopefully we'll all get to go to the park again soon!
Jenna

Pawfect Ruger

At the end of July, I had to go to the vet for my yearly appointment.  I needed a few vaccines and just a good overall check up.  Dr. Clary declared me PAWFECT!!!!  (Seriously, was there any doubt???)

I wore my personalized seersucker bandana and received LOTS of compliments!  I looked LABRADORABLE!

I was a great weight!  Whew!  That means I don't have to eat green beans anymore.  I had packed on a few extra pounds while away from home.  Most of you might think the trainer would keep me slim and trim, but Mommy thinks he really likes BIG dawgs!  When my parents left me with the trainer for boarding last summer as a puppy, he commented that I was too skinny and told Mommy he fed me more than she directed him to.  Mommy thinks the same thing happened during my four months with him this winter and spring.  I even heard the word FAT tossed around by my parents upon my return!

What do you think?  Here's a slightly blurry picture taken back at the beginning of May . . . yes, I like to lie in weird positions, but that's another story.  Am I fat???

Here's another picture taken around the same time.  

Here I am now!  I guess the proof is in the picture (and unfortunately not the pudding).  

I've lost about TWELVE POUNDS!  Mommy put me on the green bean diet.  I ate half of my serving size in my regular dawg food and the other half in canned green beans.  Three months later, I'm slim and trim and the vet told Mommy I could stop eating the beans.  (She's considering trying this diet out for herself!)

Not all of my weight loss can be chalked up to green beans.  I walked about three miles every morning with Mommy this summer.  She walked a total of 6-7 miles each morning between the three of us.  You'd think she might have slimmed down with that much walking, but apparently her snacks aren't locked up like mine are.

Now I can just sit back and relax and focus on looking pawfect.  My good buddy Homer sent me this monogrammed bandana all the way from Australia!  I love it so much I can't stop grinning over it!

I think you'll agree, I'm as pawfect as the vet said.  My sisters may disagree, but what do they know??

Until next time,
Ruger

Three Dawg Park

Since the dawg park was successful with two out of three dawgs, Mommy decided to try it with all three of us.  She knew the regular minister was not going to be at church one Sunday morning and Daddy can't stand a substitute.  So they decided to skip church and take all three of us to the park together.  Dixie was super excited to be returning.

 We took the Chuckit with us so we could RUN, RUN, RUN!!!

Dixie ran some, but she's also figured out how she can do minimal running.  She likes to act like she's going to retrieve the ball, but then she lets me bring it back and just snatches it out of my mouth when I return!

So many tennis balls, so little time . . . 

Daddy had a pretty decent time too.  Not as much fun as we had, but we think it was better than he expected.  He was rather nervous to have us around all those other dawgs at first.

Daddy complained about the heat, but Mommy said it was ten degrees cooler than we'd been experiencing lately.  Mommy needs to remember we haven't done this much running lately!

Mommy said Ruger ran so hard that his tongue was slapping him in the face!  Too bad she didn't get a picture of THAT!

A good time was had by all!  And I had no ill effects on my knee from all that running.

Until the next time,
Jenna


PS: We're remembering our big brother Hunter today.  He passed away three years ago today. 

Dixie Day

Did you know there is a National Dixie Day?  How can you have overlooked such an important day?  Mark your calendar next year for August 1.  Actually, on second thought, this holiday may come around more often than once a year.  After all, shouldn't I be honored as often as possible???

Okay, so technically this holiday doesn't really exist, but IT SHOULD!!!  Mommy and I had a pawfect day on August 1, just the two of us.  Truth be told, she was feeling guilty.  Ruger got to try out the new dawg park all by himself the day before, and Ruger and Jenna went on their morning walk together and went swimming.  I was left out for reasons I'm still unclear about.  To make up for it, Mommy treated me to TWO surprises!

She decided to take a chance on me at the dawg park.  She was very nervous at first.  I tend to be a little aggressive towards other dawgs on our morning walks.  Mommy says it's because it's my only chance to be the Alpha Dawg.  I growl and bare my teeth at any dawg we come across that doesn't growl at me first.  Mommy says it's very embarrassing.  I think it's empowering!

She need not have worried.  I was an angel at the dawg park!  I REALLY was!  It had been sooooo long since I'd seen that much space to run free.  I really miss my HUGE backyard from the last house.

The dawg in the purple collar is Luna.  She's on the Welcome Committee at the park.  She greeted every dawg that arrived.  She and I played together a little bit.

We didn't catch this dawg's name, but she wanted my ball every time I retrieved it.  I do NOT give up my ball for anyone.  Well, maybe for Ruger.

Mommy took lots of tennis balls with us and we found lots of balls too!  I was in ball heaven!

All that running was exhausting!  I run in my yard where we live now, but it's more like short sprints.  This running was a build up to a marathon!

I had a great time at the dawg park, but my day wasn't over . . . 

Can you guess where we headed next???  We went through the drive thru window . . . 

at STARBUCK'S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One delicious puppuccino coming right up!

A friend asked recently if this was whipped cream or gray hairs on my face.  I'd like to say the whipped cream got away from me, but no, those are gray hairs!  I don't have many and they're in really weird places.

My pup cup was good to the last lick!  I had a fabulous day, just me and Mommy!  I can't wait until the next Dixie Day!

Love, Dixie