{30aug2010: reunion}

It's been a while since we've been to Marymoor after Darwin's bout with kennel cough, which she seems to have picked up from the Dane Outreach event we went to earlier in the month (we've heard a few of the other Danes that went came down with the cough too).  We got a late start when we headed out there yesterday, but it turned out to be great timing.  As we were halfway through our first lap, we ran into another blue Dane.  I saw his collar and knew right away it was a Greenbelts collar and that this was probably Darwin's brother, Kona.  And it was!

He was really healthy and happy.  It's been a few months since the last time Darwin and Kona saw each other, but they had fun playing bitey (and barky) face.  Kona's a barker when he wants someone to play with him, and Darwin's a barker when someone barks at her, so there was a whole lot of barking going on.


It was kind of funny because to everyone else walking by who heard these two, they probably thought there was a dog fight.



  
We chatted with his mom for a bit and she showed us some of his new tricks (he actually rolls over... Darwin would never).  Hopefully we'll see him again soon!
After we left Kona, we ran into the rest of the Dane group and Darwin made a new friend with a big blue 16 month old boy, Megatron!

It's funny, when we first met the Marymoor Dane group last year, Darwin was the youngest and one of the only blue Danes, and now there are a lot of younger pups and a lot more blues.  Just yesterday at the park there was Darwin, Kona, Misha, Megatron, and a baby girl puppy (who's name I'm blanking on) and usually there are a few more too.  

{26aug2010: for laughs}

via the agitator

{26aug2010: ndd}

It's National Dog Day!
Go and spoil your favorite canine companion!

I also came across this petition via Twitter trying to encourage hotels to remove their restrictions based on size.  Having a Dane and trying to travel with her doesn't give us as many options for hotels compared to if we had a  Chihuahua or Pomeranian.

{25aug2010: wordless Wednesday}

Nervous wonky ear edition.




  

**when Darwin hears things she's unsure about, her ears go crazy and one usually flops up on her head all funny. 

{24aug2010: Camping... lake time}

After heating up in the sun, we headed over to Cooper Lake for a hike and to dip our toes in the water.  The campground area was pretty crowded so we followed a trail around the edge of the lake to see how far it would take us.  We thought maybe it would take us around the whole lake, but after we reached the bottom of the lake the trail was less defined and trying to navigate through branches and weeds got to be a little too much.
 
 
 
   
   
   
Darwin had a blast at the water.  We'd walk along the trail and take breaks along the lake so she could get a drink.  Everytime we'd go down, she'd get a case of the zoomies, and dash from the water up to the trail and back again.  

 
 
She's still learning how to play with a frisbee.  So far she likes to dig at it and then bite it til it breaks apart.
    
    
  
Even though it was HOT out, the water was still freezing!  But I did dip my feet in for a game of tug.
    
It was beautiful at the lake, the only problem was there were TONS of flies and mosquitoes.   They wouldn't leave Darwin alone and she was only willing to chase them for so long.  I felt bad for her so we packed up our things and headed back to camp where Darwin and I could hide from the pests in our tent.
  
This picture cracks me up, because you can see where Dar's pushing the tent with her nose.
  
We even had nap time.  Darwin was funny and kept pushing my head off the pillow so she could get her head on.

Despite the flies and mosquitoes, we had a fun, relaxing time.  Hopefully we'll do it more than once next year!

{23aug2010: camping}

Sorry it's taken me a while to get this post up.  I'm currently obsessed with The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo  book series













(I'm on book 2) and can't stop reading!

Anyway, onto camping! 

We went on one camping trip last year and we wanted to do it more this year, but the weather this summer has been unusually cold and we've only made it out once so far (could be the only time as college football season is starting up in a week and a half and Jason cannot be moved from the tv during college football season).  This time we went by ourselves, and being newbies we weren't sure how it was going to go.  We had spent most o the week running around to REI and Fred Meyer and other stores getting all our supplies and then we were slowed down by the 3am emergency vet visit and we weren't sure if we should go camping or not at that point.  We decided to stick it out and rushed home after work on Friday threw everything in the car and headed out east to find a (hopefully good) spot. 
We drove out to Wenatchee National Forest  and drove through a couple of full campgrounds.  It was already nearing 7pm and I was worried about it getting dark and not finding a spot, so we ditched the campground idea and found a random old fire service road (a few feet into the over grown road there were boulders blocking access) near Cooper Lake and set up camp there.



I worry about Darwin being a dark colored dog, and knowing it gets pitch black outside I ordered her an LED lighted collar, partly for camping, and also for winter dog park or walk times since it gets dark by 6pm in Seattle. 
And to be even more "worried mom" I even bought a bear bell for her... you never know when a bear will sneak up on you. hehe. The bear bell also helped keep track of where she was wondering off to without having to be watching her like a hawk.

The spot we found was perfect... away from all the other campers and nestled in the trees with enough flat space for our tent and kitchen set up, and room for Darwin to explore.
 
  
 
It was actually a pretty hot weekend and Darwin is not a fan of the heat.  After standing in the sun for a bit, she finally gave up and found shade on the side of the tent.
   
   
   



 
After getting some reading in, we decided to get a move on and check out the lake.
  

Stay tuned for lake action!

{18aug2010: mostly wordless Wednesday}

Impromptu play session edition.
During one of our walks a few weeks ago Darwin made a new friend with a 1.5year old Golden puppy and a Collie.  They had a short play session in a random front yard of some house (the owners of the house came outside to watch the play session for a little while).
The owners of the Golden kept making remarks about how good and well behaved Darwin is (their Golden kept running in the street - not a busy street - and Darwin kept on the sidewalk for the most part). 



  
 

{17aug2010: recall}

image via ohmidog!
Another Merrick product added to the recall list!  

"Merrick Pet Care Inc. of Amarillo, Texas, has expanded its dog treats recall to include all lots of the two products – Beef Filet Squares for Dogs and Texas Hold’ems treats.

The treats come in 10-ounce packages and were shipped to distributors and retailers throughout the United States, according to Merrick.

While the expanded recall is based on salmonella concerns, no illnesses related to the product have been reported.

Merrick issued limited recalls of its Beef Filet Squares and Texas Hold’ems treats in July and August after samples turned up positive for salmonella.

Pets with salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Some pets may have decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans, according to the company.

Dog owners are urged to contact their veterinarian if their pet has consumed the recalled product and is exhibiting symptoms.

Consumers who have purchased 10-ounce packages of Beef Filet Squares for Dogs and Texas Hold’ems are urged to return the unused portion to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 800-664-7387, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CDT."

Dang!  neither are the ones we buy for Dar, but it's quite worrying that they are adding to their recall!