Ski Day, Musick Meadows

Took the pups up to Musick Meadows today for a 2 hour romp through the deep powder. This was The Zig's first trip out after his dewclaw debacle so he got his ankles taped before his booties went on just to make sure he didn't do any more damage. We did lose one of Sadies booties in a deep drift, so hopefully we can recover it when the snowpack goes down a bit. All in all a great way to spend a friday.

Sadie in the Snow

So I had to go up near Musick meadow today and Sadie was being unusually persistent about getting in my way while I was packing to go. So, on a whim, I loaded Sadie up in the car and left the Zig at home with a kong for a change. It always surprises me when I see how shy she is without her brother around to offer moral support. I figured this was an excellent chance to bolster her self confidence. She did an excellent job working as 'support crew' for the snowshoe trip and is now sound asleep snoring in her favorite chair.... Good Job Big Girl!

Dogs at Work Day

Well I had to go up to SJER to do some turtle work with the boss today, so I took the kids with me in an effort to get them used to long periods in the car (aka roadtrip conditioning). Unfortunately, I got one whole pic before my camera batteries died (Doh). Sadie Bug showed what a mighty huntress she is when she disappeared for 10 minutes and showed back up with an antler in her mouth (So Proud!). I didn't ask where the rest of the deer was. Unfortunately, she was a little too proud and wouldn't drop it, thus it rode home in the car with us. And now poor Sadie is feeling deprived because I won't let her bring her trophy into the house. She can admire it just fine in the courtyard as far as I'm concerned....

Vets

The Zig is apparently a very cheap date. The 'easily reversible' sedative he was given for the great dew claw debacle of 2010 (in which your dog is apparently good as new in an hour or two) is still knocking down the big Z (literally)36 hours later. He was up and alert for a few hours this morning (during which he pitched headfirst into the coffee table)and then again this afternoon during his vet trip (in which he flirted shamelessly with all the techs while walking around like a drunken sailor). He received a bout of IV fluids and almost an hour of manhandling before being loaded back into the car. He now looks like this...



And then there is Sadie. Who offered me a paw this morning with an ugly pink growth between her front toes that was definitely not there a week ago. So she got to come along for the ride and have a foxtail probe done for potential 'foreign bodies' that the vet suspected of being lodged in there. This required mild sedation and he found Nada. So we get to do some epsom salt foot baths for a few days and see if the mysterious mass disappears as rapidly as it came. In the meantime, I have 2 of the quietest dogs on the planet tonight....

So Stoned...

The Zig - Master of Self Destruction

It is now 12:46am and Ziggy is sleeping off the 'drunken sailor' effects of the anesthesia. That's right. We are just back from the Pet ER. The Zig, in a move that defies belief, managed to wrench off his dew claw in the mere 2 minutes he spent outside on a potty break this (wait, yesterday) evening. Much blood, much whining, Yet the little punk was ridiculously effusive in greeting the ER staff. You've never seen a dog so excited to be manhandled by strangers in the dead of night. Ah well, what's the loss of a nights sleep and an obscene amount of money in exchange for life with The Zig. No competition at all.

Dreary Days...

AAARRGGGHHHH! Getting kinda tired of long walks in the rain. Must. Have. Sun.

Roeding Park

Stopped by Roeding for a half hour while out running errands this afternoon. As usual, we had the whole dogpark to ourselves (although a young couple with a min pin showed up in the little dog side as we were getting ready to leave). 62 degrees and sunny.

Woodward Park Jaunt

Well, we made it out for about an hour and a half today. We took the river ranch trail down to the San Joaquin so the pups could swim some energy out, then we stopped off at the dog park to make sure our social skills don't get rusty.

Snowshoe Day!

Well we set out for Tamarack this morning with the Olsen family, but the crowds and new territory factor made taking the dogs into the park unfeasible. So we doubled back to our old standby Swanson so Kaya and Sierra could get used to the joy of wearing booties. Good times were had by all!








Sadie decided to play polar bear

New Year, New Ski Trip

Today we skied an out-and-back on the Camp Chawanakee Rd with our good friends Ingrid (human) and Julie (border collie). Julie did really great for her first real snow trip and all the dogs were worn out by the time we got back to the car. We managed a little bit of sun on our way in, but it was mostly overcast, as predicted. Ingrid gave me some excellent tips for not falling over on the icy spots and Sadie took great delight in showing the other dogs how to bowl someone on skis over. All in all, a great way to kick off the new year! Thanks Ingrid and Julie!