Puppy Party

Our adoption coordinator at Homeward Trails is leaving on an overseas assignment. She invited all the puppies and dogs that she had coordinated for a farewell party at the dog park.

Nike was there!

We stayed at the dog park for 2.5 hours and went home dusty, happy and tired. It was nice for me to chat with the different people involved with Homeward Trails, catch up with Nike's parents, and for Mickey to meet new friends.

Hiking

Last Thursday, Mickey and I were invited to go hiking with my co-worker and her dog, Precious. Precious is a Vizla and loves to run around Rock Creek Park. Precious zooms into the woods and when Lindsay calls her she comes tearing out and appears on the trail 40 feet ahead of us as if saying, "Come on! Lets go!!!!" She romped around in the creek, trying to catch insects and floating sticks, dragging them for a while before tearing off after the next adventure. I don't have a picture of Precious on the hike because she wouldn't stay still long enough to snap a shot.

In contrast, here is Mickey enjoying the trail. He trotted along behind Lindsay and my feet. Stopping when we would stop to allow joggers to pass. Pausing at large steps/roots/rocks to muster his energy/courage to make the leap (or to wait for me to lift him over, which I only did once I swear).

I think he enjoyed his time in nature. The best part was the 45 minutes completely exhausted him and we had a nice relaxing evening at home afterwards.

I'm being taken back to their mother ship...

I laughed out loud when I saw this product sold at Target.

It is an upside-down clear umbrella with a leash attachment. So your dog doesn't get wet on rainy walks! Perfect for the dog that can't wait 10 minutes for their walk. Or the owner that doesn't have towels.

Or, as I can imagine, your dog completely freaks out and tries to run away from the alien saucer that is following him!

English Terrace Massacre

Jamal and I hit up the cheap dog toy bins at Target on Sunday. We picked out the perfect one..the head is the only stuffed part and it contains a squeaker. The belly has some crinkly stuff inside of it. Otherwise its floppy and soft. When we got home, we gave the frog to Mickey to keep him busy.

Fifteen minutes later we walk into this horrifying scene:

On the far left is the toy, and the trail of its stuffing guts leads straight to our culprit. He was proudly munching on the recently expired squeaker (he had killed the squeak).

He still loves to pick it up and thrash it back and forth with gusto, so we'll let him keep it for a while longer.

Not pictured is the confiscated plastic toy that Jamal was certain would last forever. Mickey had the plastic pulverized in minutes. He shredded it into tiny little bits (not all of which have been accounted for at the time of this posting...)

Chilly Dog

I've told you how Mickey likes to snuggle up with us on the couch. He also seems to appreciate being tucked in with the blankets when the AC is on full blast.

I saw this article that says there will be a Snuggie for dogs! Perfect. It will be available this fall at Petsmart. I know its a little ridiculous, but I know we will get one for our pup.

Additionally, I have no doubt that Mickey will soon get remote control privileges in our house that trump mine, like this doggie.

Rosie's Moving to Town!

That's right folks, Rosie and Snickers are moving to Alexandria. Rosie came out for a house hunting trip during the July 4th weekend and we explored Shirlington. I brought Mickey along for the excursion to make sure he had enough exercise so he would rest peacefully during that night. (I didn't want him all hyper and agitated at the fireworks).

We stopped by a Mexican restaurant for some lunch, and Mickey was very well behaved. We sat on the patio and he spent the entire meal under my chair. After lunch we went to explore the famed Shirlington Dog Park. The dog park makes use of a narrow piece of land between some warehouses and a stream. Mickey was content to just follow about 5 feet behind me as we strolled down the path that runs the length of the park. We decided not to go into the stream this time because we didn't want to deal with a wet muddy dog on the way home. (Yeah, its a dog park with a stream for water sports!)

All in all we enjoyed the dog friendly Shirlington area and I am very excited that Rosie will be moving to a neighborhood within walking distance!

"I am tired but soooo happy"