The Long Winter

I can not believe how long it has been since I posted last. Maizie has been struggling to stay healthy. New events in my life have required great time to adjust and trips to the dog park have been few due to large amounts of snow and ice. And yet, warm and cozy times inside with pets are still special. In the photo above Maizie is reading to her respite care worker's dog after recovering from a hospital stay.Rudy, my mom and dad's dog enjoys laying on the kids snuggies at Thanksgiving. My friend Kate's new puppy is adopted from a shelter in Keokuk, Iowa. Quimby has brought so much love and play into our home. He is part Great Pyrenees and part Black Lab. Kate is training Quimby to be a therapy dog. He is so relaxed and loving I find it hard to believe he is not even close to a year old yet. Quimby brings us all lots of needed therapy right here.
Poor Darwin has been struggling with his paws this winter. The snow and ice has done a number on them. Eventually requiring an antibiotic and pain medications. His new Elizabethan Collar has sent him into a mild depression.

Darwin has always followed me everywhere and I usually don't think too much about it. However, with this collar he can't judge distance very well and every time I stop the collar hits my legs. The poor guy keeps crashing into the door ways to go outside. When he sniffs to go potty he lifts up his head and his collar fills with snow. I have resorted to keeping a towel handy to wipe the snow out. For the time being trips to the dog park or long walks have came to a stand still. Lucky for Darwin Quimby is always ready for a play date!

Sunny Days Are Here...Finally!

Kissy Kissy Dog Park Day

There was all kinds of kisses going on at the dog park today. Joe got licker kissed by Libby several times, a big wet one from Bhutan and of course Nikki had to lick his ear real good and wet like. Too cute. The most adorable kiss picture I caught was of Libby puckering up to give a little kiss to Nikki. Nikki looks a tad bit touched by the experience.Tucker, Maizie's favorite beagle gave me this look when I took a photo of him. Jenah says Tucker does not care for cameras. I can tell. But he is so cute I can't resist stealing a shot of him.Sebastian was playing frisbee today. He is probably one of my favorites here at the dog park. Of course I have many favorites.Maizie took a break to read some doggie riddles to Ginger and her owner Michelle. Look at how Ginger is listening so carefully. She is such a bright little dog.Maizie was picking flowers for Ginger. Ginger likes following Maizie and helping her play her games.Libby and Diesel enjoyed running together. Diesel is a much larger pit bull than Libby. Diesel is seen below taking a breather.Jenah was playing with Bhutan out in the field. I think Tucker may have been a little jealous. See Tucker's little eye peeking through?
Darwin, my darling sweetie pie was caught wrestling with Tucker and Libby. Darwin looks so tough. He is really just a big ol' baby.Here is Libby giving Darwin a puckery kiss. Bhutan is looking on with great interest. I am sure that right after this kiss they began wrestling.Bhutan and Libby were playing some frisbee together. They are such buddies.After a few hours of play Darwin came over to me at the bench and began rolling around. Eventually Maizie was the one who tired first.

Lazy Sunday

Cyrus is above. He is still a puppy. He is probably a German Shepherd and Husky mix. I was sitting on the bench when he came over to say hello.
Nikki is a ten year old Akita. Nikki has some skin allergies and arthritis that slow her down a bit. Despite this she is a real lover and enjoyed hanging out at the dog park.
Jenah let Maizie hold Tucker like a baby. She got a kick out of that. Maizie thinks Tucker is adorable and is real curious why beagles and beagle mixes look so similar and yet so different.Grace is a black collie that was rescued by a loving couple. The owner's wife found him eating a deer carcass with another dog on the side of the road outside of the city. Grace certainly had some guardian angels watching over her that day. She has a gorgeous silky coat. All of the dogs at the dog park love standing on the picnic table. I think they like the view. This doberman, Rosco was watching for motorcycles. Apparently motorcycles are an intense interest for this pooch.

Darwin is in the middle, Lyra is the black puppy and Cyrus is taking a well deserved break. These three had lots of fun running around together. Darwin is wearing his big grin again. He is so in love with the dog park.

Doggie Days of Summer

Today I had every intention of a lazy evening. I was cleaning up after dinner when Maizie came into the kitchen all serious. She said, "Mom. Darwin just told me that he really needs some exercise. He wants to go exercise at the dog park. I need exercise too." How could I refuse after she so wonderfully articulated what Darwin told her. When we first arrived Maizie took some one on one time with Tucker, the beagle seen above.

I called up our friends Sean and Carol and they headed over with their Greyhounds Gail and Zephyr. Maizie loves walking Gail across the field as Zephyr follows. Once at the other end she tells them to run and they take off across the field at lightning speed. It is impressive.

I was unable to capture a good running shot since I did not have my good camera with me. Soon I will get some action shots of these two speed demons.

Maizie loves filling the water bowls for the dogs. Today there were three adorable Golden Doodles at the park. One in particular took a fancy to Maizie and followed her around and loved drinking from the bowl as Maizie held it.

One of the Golden Doodles enjoyed putting her ball in the water bowl. Don't you know the soggier the ball the better!

Here are a couple beautiful shots of Gail. She has the sweetest eyes. Gail has lots of energy and keeps Sean and Carol on their toes. She is growing up to be a real gentle and loving lady.
When it was time for Libby to go home she walked real slow out into the middle of the field. Her owner put Tucker in the car and came back for her. Libby looked at her owner across the field without a care in the world. Her poor owner had to carry her out of the park. She must weigh quite a bit. Sometimes the pups are having such a good time that they don't want to go home.
I love this picture of Bhutan, the boxer. He was a lovable pup, giving Carol a huge wet kiss. She was not prepared for that. Once home Darwin ate and then curled up on the chair for a little rest. Maizie covered him up with a blanket and asked me to take a picture of him. She said, "I love you buddy. You are such a good little buddy." Too cute! Darwin has it real rough as you can see.