Getting Spayed Is A Piece of (Cup)Cake

I got spayed yesterday! Although my Family was sad to leave me at the Place Where I Get Poked, they hugged me and told me I'd be a happier and healthier doggy in the long run. The vet said I came through the surgery with flying colors. Today I got to go home, and my Family had a special doggy cupcake waiting for me; it was DELISH! I am a little tired, but I should be back to my bouncy self in a day or two.

So for those puppies whose future includes spaying or neutering: don't worry, be happy your human is a responsible pet owner!

And the best part? No Cone of Shame like poor Dug in the movie "Up"!

A Taste of Agility

I tried it, and it was yummy! My puppy kindergarten class just finished up, and to celebrate our instructor gave us a little intro to agility. My human was very happy with my reaction to the mini-course, as she hopes to do agility with me when I'm older. I liked all the pieces of equipment, especially the tunnel:

Girl Twin had come along and my human filmed her running the mini-course with me. She had so much fun, she says she wants to do agility with me, too! We had gone through all the equipment on lead first, then after the other puppies left, our instructor said we could try it off lead.

A Toller called Slyder won the AKC 2007 Agility Finals (16-inch category): you can see the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddqT6sJXJS4

Maybe I'll follow in Slyder's footsteps one day!

Come Along With Me...

...for a little history lesson! No, no, not the boring kind, the cool kind! My Family and I love living just outside New York City, since this area is so historic and beautiful. This morning, my human and Girl Twin took me for a long walk along the Croton Aqueduct.

Well, actually, on the footpath that runs on top of it, since the aqueduct itself is an almost 9 ft x 8 ft elliptical, brick-lined, mostly-underground tunnel (but wouldn’t that be a pawsome walk?!).

The Croton Aqueduct is a National Historic Landmark, and is considered one of the great engineering achievements of the 19th century.

Now, you might be asking how a puppy could possibly know all this…I’m a good listener! My human told Girl Twin all about the aqueduct and the village of Irvington, NY, where we stopped for a drink, and I was all ears. Beauty and brains, that’s me!

The Croton Aqueduct helped to fuel Manhattan’s explosive growth in the mid 1800’s by bringing its first supply of clean and plentiful water. Opened in 1842, it was still in use until 1955, when it was replaced by a bigger aqueduct which serves NYC to this day. It carried water 41 miles (!!!) from the Old Croton Dam in Westchester County (north of NYC) to two reservoirs in Manhattan, where it was distributed to the rest of the city.

Here’s the cool part…how did all that water continue to flow nonstop for 41 miles? Gravity! Based on engineering principles from the Roman times, the tunnel drops gently 13 inches per mile. Imagine having to maintain that angle, tunneling through rock, over valleys, through streams, all before the advent of modern technology! No wonder it was (and still is) an astonishing feat.

Today, about half of the original aqueduct footpath is a walkable trail. We walked along the portion that connects the villages of Dobbs Ferry and Irvington. It’s a great spot to meet other doggies!

Billy the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Enzo the French Bulldog

Jasper the Tibetan Terrier (very cool...never met one of those before!)

Taz the Goldendoodle (who has dreamy hazel eyes under that hair!)

And lastly, a Portuguese Water Dog whose name I didn't catch (that didn't stop me from playing kissy-face with him!). I asked him if he knew Bo...he didn't.

This is one of the many marble ventilator turrets, set about a mile apart on the path, that kept fresh air circulating in the aqueduct beneath. Wow, that thing is 167 years older than me!!

We stopped in the picturesque village of Irvington, named for one of America’s greatest writers, Washington Irving (he lived here for a bit). The village of Sleepy Hollow (yep, as in “The Legend of”) is just down the road.

Main Street. It slopes down to the majestic Hudson River, seen just through the trees.

Da Man himself, Washington Irving: America's first internationally-known writer. His beloved home on the Hudson, Sunnyside, is in the next village over (Tarrytown).

A bronze statue of Rip Van Winkle, one of Irving's best-known characters.

Some refreshing H2O with Girl Twin, in front of the Town Hall.

A quaint groomer for humans.

Some of the charming houses along the way (can you tell they're purple & pink?)

Checking out the Irvington peemail before heading for home.

Does your human take you to visit any cool historic places near where you live?

I've Been Tagged...

...by my pal Twix! Thanks, Twix! I love playing games.


Here were my instructions:

1. Open your "My Photos" folder and select the 6th folder.
2. Select the 6th photo in that folder.
3. Post the photo along with the story behind it.
4. Tag 5 of your friends to do the same thing.
Sounds like fun, huh? You never know what might show up on someone's blog!!!

Well, my human has a gazillion picture folders. If she had followed the rules to the letter, she would've gotten a bizarre scanned photo from an old family album complete with bad '70s hair and clothes--scary! So in order to spare everyone that frightful sight, she bent the rules a little and stuck with just this year's folders. The 6th folder was this month, June, and here's the 6th photo (really and truly!):

I had just gotten this cool new toy from Boy Twin. My human realized that Sedona + Donut = Sedonut, so she took a bunch of pics for a Wordless Wednesday post. Note my still-wonky ears...this was before my most recent ear weight session, which was thankfully my last. Now my ears stay put!

So I'm tagging 5 new friends/groups of friends: Sierra, Brutus, Samantha, Woodrow, Sweetie & Marshall and Tucker, Daisy & Leo. Have fun, guys! Can't wait to see what you come up with!

Wordless Wednesday - Down Dog (Yoga Pose)

A Compromising Position

I am entering the Sugarific Photo Contest! My pal Sugar the Bull Terrier is hosting a contest for doggies in places they're not supposed to be. Sugar is the Queen of compromising positions, just check out her blog!

Now, I have to say I'm a pretty well-behaved puppy (well, except for my counter surfing...and my occasional "accident" when it's raining and I don't feel like walking to the grass...and my habit of chewing on Legos and stuffed animals and Playstation controllers...and my love of shredding napkins and paper towels...OK, so I'm not that well-behaved! I'm still a puppy, after all...that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

But when it comes to being in places I don't belong, I have been pretty good...at not getting caught, that is! Ha!

The one forbidden place I like to hang out is the kitchen table bench...it's got a nice comfy cushion with little animals on the cover. When I hear my human coming, I jump off and she's none the wiser. But I know that Little Boy will keep my secret, so he's the one who took these pics. You should've seen my human's face when she downloaded the latest batch of pictures!










This is my non-chalant pose. If I don't see them, they can't possibly see me!












If that doesn't work, on to my innocent look: "I have absolutely no idea how I got up here, I swear!"














When all else fails, beg for forgiveness with a doleful expression. How can anyone stay mad at me?

I Deserve To Be Shot? What The...?!

Ohhhh, my blog is worthy of being photographed...at least I think that's what this award means (yo no hablo Portuguese). It was given to me so generously by Tuffy and the Dog Woods Pack. Thanks, guys!

This award came with directions:

1. Post it to the blog and link to who gave it to you.
2. Choose 5 life
situations that could be repeated in slow motion and explain why.
3. List
twelve blogs and let them know you've given them the award.

Hmmmm, 5 things I'd like to repeat in slow motion:

1. Being 4 weeks old again, discovering puppy gruel for the first time with my littermate Foxy. I thought Mom's milk was good, but this stuff was waaaaaaaaay better! That's me in front with my paw in the dish...a chow hound from the get-go!

2. Chasing beach balls...maybe in slo-mo, I'd actually be able to catch one!

3. Biting water, one of my favorite pastimes, for the same reason as #2.

4. Chasing Boy Twin's radio-controlled truck, for the same reason as #2 and #3!

5. And last but not least, eating any of my favorite treats (like watermelon!), 'cuz in slo-mo the pleasure is prolonged (droooool).

And now, I'm supposed to pass this award on to 12 other deserving doggy blogs...I can't do 12, but here are six pawsome blogs that I think fit the bill: Lorenza, Thor, Selby and Her Dogs, Sienna, Meredith, and Mason Dixie!

Walk This Way

I don't know about where you live, but here in New York we've had rain, rain and MORE rain. I'm keeping a lookout for Noah's ark. It's enough to drive a puppy bonkers! What, with no games of fetch, no tearing around the yard, no swimming after bumpers in the pool, all that pent-up energy and nowhere to unleash it (pun intended)...

Bored and sad...sad and bored...

But yesterday, we had a little window of glorious sun open up, so my human and Little Boy were able to take me for a walk! Oh, happy day!

First stop was to check out the neighborhood pee mail...everyone else was complaining about the rain, too!

Next was a visit to the babbling brook...I checked for ducks, but so far nothing. How am I supposed to learn to toll if I never meet a duck?!

Then, Little Boy wanted me to do my sled dog impersonation....

What do you think? Could I give the Huskies and Malamutes a run for their doggy biscuits?

On the way back home, we passed Jake the Maltese yapping at us from his window. Can you see his little head? Bet he was tired of being cooped up all week, too!

Almost home...when I know we're almost there, I grab my leash and walk myself the last steps of the way. My human actually thought she could break me of this habit by soaking my leash in Listerine (a tip given by our puppy kindergarten trainer). Little did they know, I don't mind that taste one bit (and it freshens my breath!).

By the way, it was too good to last...today, more rain! Harumph!

Wordless Wednesday - My portrait by Girl Twin

Treat Me Well

My Family does, I have to say. I get plenty of pats, kisses and squeezes (sometimes a little too hard from Little Boy), lots of games of fetch (including in the pool!), nice walks through our leafy neighborhood, playtime with my best friend across the street, Garth, a nice comfy crate bed, cool bandanas to wear (yes, I've succumed) and yummy kibble and treats.

I must confess: I am a Treat Addict. I usually get bits of cheese (cheddar, please), hot dog, leftover steak/chicken/etc, and store-bought yummies.

But I've been a little under the weather this weekend, so to cheer me up my human and Girl Twin made me doggy biscuits! They are SO much better than the store variety, let me tell you!

Here they are coming right out of the oven...can't you just smell that tempting aroma?!

It made such a big batch, we're going to share them with my neighborhood friends! We have a lot of interesting doggies around here...Garth is a PBGV, Jake is a Maltese, Samson is a Coton de Tulear, Lucy is a Labradoodle, Misty is a Bichon Frise, Dylan is a Poodle, and there's even a mean Landseer whose name I don't know, who everyone has told me to avoid like the plague as she picks fights with everyone. Luckily , I have yet to bump into her during my walks.

Wait a minute...that was a pretty long list of doggies to share my treats with. I hope there's enough left for me!!

Want your human to make you some too? Here's the recipe:

SEDONA'S BISCUITS

1 C. uncooked oatmeal

1/3 C. margarine

3 beef bouillon cubes, crushed

1 1/2 C. hot water

3/4 C. powdered milk

3/4 C. cornmeal

1 egg, beaten

3 C. whole wheat flour

Preheat oven to 325F.

Place oatmeal, margarine and bouillon powder in a large bowl. Add hot water, stir and let sit for 5 minutes. Add powdered milk, cornmeal and egg; stir well. Add flour, half a cup at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Knead 3 to 4 minutes, adding a little more flour if needed to make a stiff dough. Pat or roll dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with cookie cutters.

Place on greased baking sheet and bake for 50 minutes.

Allow to cool completely; store in airtight container.

BONE APPETIT!

(Not) Forbidden Fruit

Ever since I saw my friend Twix chowing down on watermelon, I've been waiting for my turn to see if I like it.

Twix was right...it is DELISH!

It look a lot of good intense staring before my Family got the message that I wanted some, too.

But could they give me some then and there? Nooooooo...they had to go and make it a "teachable moment". Don't you HATE it when humans do that? Made me "sit" then "wait"...don't they know it's torture?!

Ahhhh, the first taste...

PURE BLISS!

This is the face of one happy puppy. Can you see my smile?

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Wordless Wednesday - "Sedonut"

Coincidence...or Not? You Decide!

After I tagged my pal Sienna with Sugar's "Sweetest Blog Award", I got to thinking about some strange coincidences between us two.

• We're both bitches (I love being able to say that word with no fear of getting my mouth washed out with soap :-)


• We're both puppies.


• We're both Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers.

OK, OK, no big whup, right?


But how about this:

• She lives in Stockholm, and my human's nephew lives in Stockholm...

Hmmmmm, starting to get interesting here...

Now for the really good stuff, for which you have to play the following video. For ambience. It's really an audio clip, but I couldn't figure out how to add an audio clip to my post. Hey, I'm only 5 months old with no opposable thumbs, what do you expect?!

• Our names are both beautiful cities known for their red color:

Siena, Italy

Sedona, Arizona

And I saved the best for last...are you ready?

• Our names are both minivans!

Toyota Sienna

Kia Sedona

So tell me, bizarre coincidence, or some strange force of Nature at work? Or do I just have too much time on my paws to do all this heavy thinking?

I'm Swimming!

Yes, I've taken the plunge! After several practice swims with my human dad holding me around the middle, yesterday he finally let go and away I went:





Everyone was so excited for me! Especially my human...she sounds like a crazed stage mom but she just couldn't contain her enthusiasm.


And then, I made my big debut with my First Real Water Retrieve:

After such an exciting afternoon, I was so tuckered out I had to have a little cat nap right there on the deck...forget walking the extra 20 steps to my nice comfy crate bed!

It's going to be another glorious day here in NY and the neighborhood kids are coming over for a swim...I can't wait to show off my new skills!

But before I go, I have to share with you that I got my first Doggy Blog Award from Bijou:

Thanks so much, Bijou! I am honored. Now, I am passing this award on to the Toller puppy over in Sweden who inspired me to start my blog, Sienna. She is the cutest ball of fluff and has some of the best photography in the world of dog blogging. Go check her out!

Dog Vs. Bandana

The Family has decided that I'm sufficiently beyond the puppy phase to try to clothe me. I'm a little too big to be sportin' any of those fabulous outfits that my pal Lorenza has (and she has a gazillion of them!). But I can definitely do bandanas. Or so they think. Hah! Silly humans!

Step One: Bite corner of the offending garment.

Step Two: Proceed to fall on the ground.

Step Three: Paw at the darn thing. Hands with opposable thumbs would be very useful right now.

Step Four: If all else fails, thrash about like a Tasmanian Devil. Extra points for rolling on your human's foot.

Fight's over. Bandana won. Actually, I got distracted by lots of yummy treats and forgot the thing was there.

Tomorrow's another day! I'll get it off yet.