Happy Halloween

Click on Photo for Larger ViewCooper is wishing you a Spooktacular Halloween. No tricks, all treats!

Griffin is wishing everyone a Howling Happy Halloween too!

Terrific Day

We had a truly splendid day. We had pups. We had adults all playing and hanging with each other.

This is Barb's Jazzy. She fell asleep on Nathan.

I think Jazzy was curious what was going on with her housemate, Shelby or maybe it was the silly Nathan. :-)

Get on the floor and they will come...

This is Jazmyn. She loves to chill out and if Nathan is in the recliner, she's draping his head like a scarf.

Missy and Adele have a fondness going on!

Roxie finally had a bath and she needed it. Miss Roxie is looking more and more like Miss Abs these days.

Meet Ms. Marlee. She is a play monkey. Give her a toy and she goes crazy with fun. Yes, Patt both Jazmyn and Marlee are so comfortable that they are taking over. Just teasing but no worries with this duo.

Max, where's your head and where's Roxie's head?

The dogs ran and ran and ran their little hearts out today.

They also had a rip roaring game or 3 of get the sock covered ball.

Missy is so funny. She is finally realizing Max is not all hers when it comes to play. She wanted to play with everyone but Max had to play with just her. She tried bossing. She tried engaging him and he said talk to the paw. Now that she's not bossing him around she is playing in a big way with everyone.

Truffie is starting to get his winter dark. In winter he always goes darker. In summer he fades out.

As you can see Max thinks Roxie is all that and that was the crux of the problem all along with Missy. He's mine you know... heh

We had a wonderful time. Ms. Shelby's Jazzy was attentive with Ms. Shelby and relaxed with the crew. Mr. Levon was his usual play monkey but he always kept his eye on the Trigger guy. The puppy magic seems to be working.

Exhausted Sorry

Just had a lot of dogs to wash today. Back for some strange reason is killing me. I groomed, Nathan played. Here is Jeannie jumping at the camera saying take a picture of ME!

Jazmyn and Marlee has arrived, Zoe is about to depart.

I need to lay down and watch tv and get snuggles from the dogs.

I hope you understand.

Everyone is wonderful but between baths and grooming, I am so done for the day!

Stay tuned tomorrow!

Before the Brushout

Well, these photos were taken before grooming but just after breakfast. They sure look a mess - well to me.

The sun is out. We are playing. We are cooking chicken strips (maybe all will have a treat). We will have to see how long it takes. I have a feeling I need a food slicer as Nathan's cutting job was not very thin or even. :-) We shall see. Time will tell.

Do you make your own dog treats?

Doozie's Shout Out!

Darlah,

Here is Doozie with her favorite toy "Two Foot" on her birthday.  Coco,  Doozie and I went to a Howl oh  een open haunted house fund raiser.

Happy Birthday all of Doozie's brothers and sisters.

Lot of love

Carol

What a Quirky Day

Can I come inside - you know its wet out there!

Really, you call this wet running around fun? What is your definition of fun, lady?

Well, wet dirty dogs, of course! Okay, I guess we will get extra dirty so it takes that human THREE yes, THREE washes per dog to get that mud and sticks and anything else out.

Yes, 4 had baths to go home. Nathan never got a photo of Brewer after the fact (I did ask but I think he was too busy playing with them) but he came out stunning. Now I want to know how long he lasted that way.

Zoe is so full of life running around mad - well not mad in an angry way but in a mad fun way!

She also got mighty wet. Not to worry I dried them all but I give up on the floor. I think we have washed floors daily lately and they always look like well dog tracks of mud... and leaves and... I need a huge squeegee and drains around each room so I can just squeegee it all out in one swoop. Now that's crazy, isn't it?

There are moments when a lady has to act like a lady and just look good says, Zoe! Jeannie needs to learn that from me!

Then I see Jeannie mucking it up and well I can't help myself so there goes that hairdo and those dry hair and the fun just is too intoxicating.

Missy just closes her eyes and says really kids... must we act so silly?

Brewer says, but of course!

Don't think it's all run and play but there is a seek game going on too! We know you are out there - come out, come out wherever you are!

Rocky says but here I am!

Then the race begins again and again and again!

Then you blink and they are playing yet another game, king dog of the diving board.

Zoe leads the pack in crazy wet dawg play!

Running, mad fun!

Thank you for the visit, for the fun and all the smiles. Brewer, Rocky, Gracie and Tuffie - we miss you.

After all the muck of outside we moved inside. We had baths, we had departures. Cali gets to say bye to all - part of her socialization! Here is Ms. Tuffie after her bath - all 7lb of her. She's a delight!

Zoe waited her turn for brushes and everyone had theirs.

Jeannie had a mouthful of Max! So we had to comb to find any tangles. We watched the X-Factor UK. I finished brushing ad combing and well we had an immense amount of fun.Well brushing isn't an immense amount of fun for the dawgs. :-)

We shall see what tomorrow brings.

Happy 3rd Birthday

Charlie is sending a huge Happy 3rd birthday to all his siblings including Spice tomorrow. Think of it - you are now all aunts and uncles to mighty fine pups. Your neice Cali sends you an extra special Happy Birthday to her very special relatives.

You deserve the best. Tell human Dad and Mom you want a filet for dinner.  Well, that is what Spice would want.

Wet and Rainy

Dogs muddy, floors muddy, leaves and pieces of cedars find their way inside. Why was the floor washed yesterday. Some dogs adore the rain and others not. Brewer LOVES the rain and I mean LOVES it. Bring on the mud I hear him saying - or I imagine it but it must be so!

Missy and Truffie are standing and assessing if this wet stuff is worth it.

Fiona's Tuffie is visiting and oh boy is she going to drop tonight as she is playing and playing with Cali. They adore each other. She's here overnight as mom and dad have a wedding to attend. Tomorrow she gest a bath and oh boy will she need one. Brewer will too.

I give up on Jeannie as she is a terminal wet rag and doesn't care.

Rocky is just here till tomorrow. He's not one of ours but he has come a long way from his first visit where he was a tad nervous about it all to getting excited about coming now. It happens giving time.

The dogs are getting wet, getting muddy, laying in blankets, getting groomed, playing up a storm. We now have our heat on. I guess goodbye good weather?

On another note - fun may be had at: (Thanks Val for letting us know)

This is from Val:

Hi again, pawsway is having a haunted dog walk on the 29 th.  a few of the st james pack dogs and parents are going. i can pick of a costume for stella at winners. this could be a lot of fun. i don't know much about it, but maybe some of your city dogs may want to go.
i think stella needs to be dressed up as an angel, no costume needed !! on the other hand maybe a little devil !

-----

Also tomorrow is another event:

PawsWay Halloween Party (12pm-4pm )

Come to PawsWay for our annual Halloween Party! Enjoy fantastic activities and games for you and your dog including, scariest costume, cutest dog costume, most original dog costume, best owner/dog costume combo, face painting and crafts for kids. Come for a walking dead off leash for small zombie dogs from 12pm-2pm followed by a monstrous large dogs session from 2pm-4pm. Prizes and giveaways for the best K-9 costumes at 4pm.

Happy Birthday

A big 3rd birthday shout out to Chinook, Frannie and Sparky. Wow how has time flown by so quickly?

It goes by way too fast, don't you think?

Brie, make sure Chinook gives you some of his treats. But you have to share when it's your birthday. :-)

Shelley said:

Our Birthday boy at the cottage.  Can't believe he is 3 and that he is our Special big boy... Aka The Wizard

Love him and the Breeze so much and they had a fun day running and getting mucky.   Birthday wishes to his siblings too.

Here's a photo of Sparky!

Blurred Out

Nathan took photos this morning and well I got many that were blurry so this is all I got - this and one of Grace. hehe

It's been wet outside. I have been doing a ton of grooming and playing so not much time to do my own photos. It's also very cold outside.

We have the Milo and Hugo here overnight. Something about mumbling they don't need to get up at 4am for the umpteenth time so we shall see if we do.

I think they have wildlife noises that seems way too exciting to Mr. Hugo the bichon. Wish us luck.

Its now started really pouring hail just in time for eating and having to go out. More grooming is in store for me.

Zoe is here for a few more days and she is having such an amazing time. So is Missy and Max. Scruffy and Pepper dropped in for play along with Magic and Rocky. Got a lot of drying and brushing before departures so I am signing off. Time to feed them and deal with rain.

Class and Cold

I get to go to class tonight with Ms. Cali. I had 2 classes in Blackstock but we decided that its just too inviting to see the other Cali sibling and be close. I hear my brother will be there too.

Mommy decided its a no groom day today as she did so much yesterday but we had Logan and Panda to brush up and of course it will be Cali and well me to do.

Daddy is going to buy some Merrick treats at class - yum and he will bring hot dogs and well we won't eat dinner. <frown> But I will make up for it tonight.

Now it's Mom's turn to blog.

I can't believe how they all line up almost on top of each other to get in. It is very cold today. It feels like snow but thankfully its not here. No heat on yet. I asked Nathan for a fire and he sort of looking like I had 2 heads. I hope its warm in class. Maybe I best breakdown and just put the heat on. Best to know if it works I guess.

The dogs bring it piles of leaves, cedar branches that have fallen and every other thing. The leaves are starting to fall but I suspect they will just drop all at once this week. We still have a fair number of the leaves on the trees and those that are fallen seem to make it into the house.

The dogs appreciate the cold and play accordingly. They also appreciated having a day off from the brush and comb.

They also had a wonderful nap with Nathan till someone tried to replace our water heater (we have a no solicitation on the door) and showed us a badge that had no company on it, just a photo and name. Beware.

Ms. Laci Visits

We had a welcomed visit with Ms. Laci and boy does she feel and look good. Bravo, Deb! Coco and Doozie departed. We had visitors this afternoon, visitors tonight. Tomorrow we have class. Oh boy... and I also groomed everyone, bathed several dogs and now I am blogging it awaiting another visitor.

Here are some photos from today.

We will head outside again probably in winter coats after the visitors depart. Boy is it cold out there but at least no snow. Brr I hear Cooper had his first snow of the season in Huntsville.

Is it in the Genes?

Check out Shady driving. These dogs are so smart. heh Does he have his driver's license yet? (wink)

Be sure to check out more of today's update below. Back to grooming.

Brr Cold But Wild Fun

Last night we went to bed wet. I still have to groom this crew. At 10pm it was POURING and everyone was drenched. So towels soaked up excess water and dryers went into the bedroom but I had no energy to dry them so I may be paying today when I start brushing out but we had dogs under the blankets. They usually sleep on top. The sheets were soaked. My I was shivering. Let's just say it was an experience that I hope I don't have to duplicate tonight.

Then this morning I took a shower and Nathan said come outside and take some photos as I am going to run with the dogs. I said well okay but my hair is wet. Then I said why not cause you have to catch the moment. Will I get sick from this experience? Who knows but it was mighty cold and damp. That's okay. I smiled broadly watching them and even forgot I was cold, well momentarily. Time to get the rain/winter coats out?

Here are some photos from this mornings play.

This is Zoe from Treasure's LitterOscar's not one of ours but he comes to visit and each time he does he gets more and more relaxed. It's rather nice.He's full out running and playing with everyone including the puppy. He goes home tonight after his bath.

Doozie departs tomorrow and you can always catch her in the thick of it.

Grace and Zoe enjoying the play!

Run cold playMax started out slow with the play but is now a play monkey.

Kat was playing wonderful with DoozieMax and Kat PlayingLogan in the thick of itMissy getting Nathan time!

Who says the older gals can't run? Yeah ShoshiThe fun continues but now I have to do some serious grooming.

Driving Runs in Family

I bet you are wondering what that title is about.

Do Havanese actually drive?

This was Risa driving home after winning her championship.

Well not really but that's the pose she struck and I snapped it.

So many years have passed since this moment.

Risa still jumps, plays and adores all aspects of life.

This is Chewie, a Risa grandson from Wasabi and Kat. I wonder if driving does run in the family.

Check out the photos below of an earlier blog post too.

No Photos Today

I didn't take photos today. I was sort of lost in walks and grooming before the rain came. So, I started looking at older photos and here are some fun ones.

This was Coco when she went home. Yes, she was that little!

This is Bentley. Adele's brother.

This is Biggie's New Hairdo.

The Scruffster and Pepper. PS: We had Nora here but I forgot to click photos. <sigh>

Brewer on his clean day - just teasing.

These are just some random photos that I was able to grab. Some you haven't see before so I thought it would be fun.

I groomed a great deal today. It's raining and I find that today after walks they were grungy so more time was spent on cleaning them up so photos were not a priority. It should have been as they were mighty dirty.

Now they are chilling and resting.

Nathan added lamb fried up to their food tonight and they were licking their lips wanting more.

It's been a great day just a busy one!

Dry for a Bit: 2 Updates Today

Just got back from a walk with all the dogs. The last ones to go was Cali, Spice and Adele. Well Cali walked all the way around the block without having to be picked up. Adele was up front and excited that she was first. Everyone enjoyed the walk and we wanted to get everyone walking before the rain came. Everyone enjoyed it and so did the humans.

I am tired, I may crawl on the couch, watch tv surrounded by dogs. Lots of walking... Nathan went too. :-)

But before I do here is a video of the Cooper. He's doing weaves, playing in leaves. It's so much fun!

Wet and Mucky

Can't get the video to upload without errors. I have wasted too much time. Dogs keep coming in with mud and wet feet and wet bums and grooming so much my hand is falling off and they say rain all the rest of the week. So, no photos except a couple of DJ.

DJ is gone. We had a ton of fun. Brewer is here with black feet, black undersides and I keep rinsing him off. Doozie also got quite messy but Coco stays clean. I have blankets all over the couches so they can snuggle in and they are. This week is only just beginning and as I say rain, rain, rain in the forecast.

We will survive but I have to be creative. I also can't spend more time on a video that isn't making it online. Will try in another day or two. Sorry about that.

How are you dealing with the rain? What dryers do you use?

Just Some Play

Well, we are busy taking the rest of the plants in, and the furniture as cold is coming and rain is coming. I think Coco will miss the furniture but Nathan is going to leave the two chairs there with cushions when it is dry and Coco can still sit on his lap when he reads the paper when he is not sitting at the picnic table.

Check out DJ and Adele playing just a few ago. Time for me to brush the rest and then add photos etc. But as you can see in this video, Roxie needs a huge brushing. Can't help herself with her wild play all morning.

I am busy washing legs, feet and drying. Then they go into the tv room, cuddle up to pillows, blankets and catch some serious zzzs with Nathan.

Doozie after leg cleanup and dryer.

Bailey visited for an hour or so after he got a haircut at the groomers.

DJ says hey my sister Adele took my spot. What a cheeky thing you are Adele as I think you planned it that way.

Motivation and Mood

Last week something was off with Adele. Was it the creaky floors or the big dogs all around her or? We don't know but she had a very non productive class. It would have been easy to say forget about this but you must persist, expose and be creative. It eventually comes together.

So last night she was waggy tail outside. We brought her into class and she was slinking and reacting. We went oh another non productive class this will be. Perhaps she is just in a fear stage as she didn't react like this before.

Loose lead, high valuable treats and making it fun and upbeat worked. She played recovery quickly and that's your goal not to never react but to play recovery. That moment what is this is normal.

She wanted to say hello to everyone with the waggy, waggy tail. She relaxed about the warped floor and the creaks. She had fun. The old Adele was back. What caused this? We still do not know but we didn't let it get to us. We approached it positively. We still exposed but in an upbeat way. We also upped the treats giving her pieces of hot dog.

We also last week took her on a walk through Kensington Market on purpose to condition her to unfamilar smells, noises etc. She did well there except for manhole covers. She didn't even mind the police on huge horses. Well, you can't assume. All you can do is to socialize, expose and do it in a way that is VERY fun and upbeat. If you are frustrated you need to stop, back off and do it when you are in a better frame of mind. They feed off your emotion.

She also has been walking when its not pouring in a variety of locations around the streets near our home with different dogs each time. We have been busy with her as she was always a dog that was not worried about anything.

So what do I suspect this reaction was? I haven't a clue but you approach it the same way. Remember that Scavenger list we are creating? Well you expose and expose throughout their lives. It's not just a puppy thing.