It rained on my Jeep last night...I had to run out in my PIJAMMIES and cover her up...twas not pretty.....

A Note to anyone who likes movies please do not see The Happening, it is retarded.  I love a good scary movie, infact I will go out of my way to see a good scary movie, SHOW ME ONE, am I jaded, does nothing scare me..

ummmmmmm, yeah certain things scare me.....a fu*ktard with his finger on the nuclear button scares me...oh that reminds me

its Saturday

I was told that my arch is too big to ever run long distances comfortably...after the DR told me that he said  "If you saw the look on your face, im sorry" I ran a marathon, one.... thats enough, I love to run I can't express that enough....running is perfect, like the great white shark..it is what I am when I run, every step I take I am part of the earth of the world, the weather, everything....... to me running is power and freedom and absolute joy, there is beauty in the simplicity of it

YOU

      GO

            RUN

Asics and Brooks gawds gift to archedly impaired humans like me...lets look at my other shoes, yeah it's Saturday Im weird and why doesnt my fabulous nephew come to Denver and visit...thats another issue...did I mention him, my nephew?  F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S, love him....

but first, the sun is coming up...one great thing about a laptop and wireless I get to sit outside check out Mrs Frog, listen ti the birds, get eaten alive by mosquitoes and see this

Yeah well a $200 camera doesnt do it justice, it's lovely out here

Yeah, it's summer why not let the dogs breathe free

is this post really about my shoes?  Thats rhetorical. this post is about nothing, I have a draft about identification with things and images, but Im just not feeling it this morning....

Im thinking alot about James these days, James is my brother that died in May of last year.....I don't think James is floating around I think he left, higher ground better places etc....he used to give out brussel sprouts on Halloween, yeah thats our families sense of humor...it's not that James and I were close, we were both probably well misinformed about the other, but there was something very comforting in the fact that James was somewhere on Long Island cutting his lawn, playing with his kids, cheering for the Yankees, and now there is a void

It's 85 degrees out....it's not even 10am...yeah baby!!!!!  Another random thought, the most beautiful place I ever went was Vinalhaven, Maine

I have to go workout..oh but one more song and one more photo

delicious....the Golden, the perfect human companion

Took Danny to the vet this morning - that would be SPECIALIST Vet, not regular vet - to have his heart checked out and find out why he was coughing.

After our vet noted his heart was enlarged, I looked on the internet and figured out that he must have DPM, because all goldens tend to have that if they do indeed have heart disease. I was distraught and sickened to my heart - actually had constant chest pains and waking up in the middle of the night and crying. I love my Danny more than anything else.

Went to the vet today, and my goodness!

This vet practice is in a ritsy area of the state. The houses are all like hotels, their hotels... well, actually, I didn't spy any hotels, so maybe they put the people up in their houses?

The vet practice was like a regular human hospital with a luxury hotel complex.

It was lovely.

There was a plaque behind our cubicle (yes, they had private cubicles for people to sit in where they didn't have to deal with other people/pets) and there were more than a few famous names on the board that I recognized. I cracked up when I saw how many people's pets had THEIR last name, like the animals were their real children.

Took Danny in. Had to leave him with the vets for about an hour while they did the electrocardiogram. Mare and I went to McD's for breakfast. I paid. It wasn't what I'd normally CHOOSE to eat, but it wasn't bad. There was a guy sitting nearby who sat down with four sandwiches like mine, and he proceeded to EAT ALL OF THEM.

Went back to the vet, the Vet Tech (who was quite a bit as professional as one of our vets) scared me when she took us back to the room. She sounded rather serious - like something was wrong. I immediately imagined that they found tumors all over the heart, I truly did.

The vet came in - correction, the CARDIOLOGIST (I didn't know there was such a thing for dogs!) - and she explained that my Danny  did not have heart disease. Indeed, he had a stronger heart than most dogs his age. Everything looked just as it should. The only thing off was the pocket of fat around the heart - normal for a dog his age (and actually people get it too), and that was what set our own vet off re in the X-ray.  The fat wouldn't bother him ever, and whatever he dies of, it won't be his heart.

The reason why he is coughing is a case of bronchitis or possibly kennel cough. It was hard for her to tell for sure what bug was in his chest without going into his lungs and taking a sample, but she was guessing it was a bacteria of some kind frazzing things.  And she then prescribed him with some meds that would clear that up. <- And actually, she suggested he might have picked it up from Jacky when we first brought him home. That there are some dogs who are immune to certain bacterias/viruses, but they still carry it and spread it to other dogs who are succeptible.

Danny is going to live forever, so proclaimed Marianne who was with me. We all came home and cried together (in joy) over the dog. I went to bed, because all of the stress of the past few days. Danny curled up in the room with me, and HE crashed. We both slept the rest of the day - which explains why I'm wide awake at 1AM.

In other news -

Went to dog class orientation yesterday night. I didn't know what to expect, because this is a new club, and it was a GUY teacher. *looks shocked* <- Not to many guys teaching dog classes around here. I've only dealt with women. He had two assistants, and the classes appear to be geared towards teaching the clicker way.

Um. I think the clicker is something to use on the side, but I'm not convinced I NEED it. Jack is already at Novice level as far as executing exercises. I just need to work on distraction proofing and socializing him in a class environment.

Still, I do like the idea of clicker training... makes sense to me.

The clicker will always sound the same to the dog, and if you train properly, it will always mean that the dog has done something right and will now be rewarded with a treat. This is better than going hoarse cheering on your dog.

I started the clicker training yesterday, and I guess it's working. I have his full attention and I'm getting him to either "watch" or "sit" for me before (CLICK +treat).

At class yesterday, we also watched vids of how clicker training is put to good use. Like training a gorilla to take shots. Teach fish to jump through hoops. Teach dogs how to dance...

Clicker training isn't always just the CLICK+TREAT method. It could be better described as a ACTION+TREAT method. With the gorilla, they used a regular clicker. The fish was just a 'tap on the water' signal. The dancing dogs learned via clicker and targetting (stick that served as an extension of the arm).

It was interesting.

doggy dancing/freestyle <- NOT A CHANCE am I trying anything like that. It looked dupey. Everybody was laughing during that video, even though people set on training that way (like one of the TAs) took it seriously.

In other-other news - I just got a form rejection for Swan Lady. It was an enormous relief to see it was a rejection. I haven't gotten around to pulling the story from consideration from everywhere.

I thought this week was going to be...well, crappy. But I really thank God for both the good news this morning (Danny), as well as everything else going right in my life.

Thanks again to Djanick Michaud of Zomarick Golden Retrievers.

summertime and the living is hazy... due to the over 800 (that's right, not a typo) eight hundred fires currently burning in California (north and south), the air here has been VERY unhealthy, smoky and horrible, been putting Vick's on before I go outside and thought about getting a face mask although the news said that it doesn't really do much... all i could find were paint face masks made out of paper from Lowe's and the local pharmacy... and you have to buy a bunch of them, too...

the last two days, we met up with a dog pack made up of three labs, one golden, one puppy and a lab of unknown age, and a woman who takes laps around the dog park (about 6-8 laps at a time), and cici has joined right in with the pack and gotten along with all of them, especially the puppy lab...  yesterday, the dogs found raw hide treats and cici was running and chewing at the same time, and taking the treats away from the other dogs... she thinks that fun... along with stalking squirrels.

she also was the center of attention last night.  People just love her and this group of guys and another family with a tiny infant were fawning all over her, much to her delight... wag thy tail...

we finally got the word that the car is ready so today we will get it and probably leave tomorrow, gotta get us some good clean air to breathe!

gasp gasp gasp....

anyway, thought I'd write about taking your dog camping, since it's summer and people are spending less on vacations and probably more people will be camping out with their K9's...

http://www.coyotecom.com/dogcamp.html

cici did not like being inside the tent when we camped out a few weeks ago... i had to bodily lift her up and put her inside and zip her in... so yes, getting a dog used to a tent beforehand is a good idea, if you can do so...

http://dogs.about.com/od/travel/a/travelwithdogs.htm

Bring for the car ride:

* Lists of rest stops and veterinary hospitals
* Leash
* Dog seat belt or crate / kennel
* Water and Bowl
* Treats
* One or two toys
* Blanket and/or dog bed
* Bags to pick up waste
* Medications, if applicable
* Your dog’s medical records
*  First Aid Kit

encounters with critters

http://ee.1asphost.com/jongr81/camp/animals.htm

some great natural products thanks to polkadotpup.blogspot.com that we will have to try...

http://www.econsciousmarket.com/site/Vendors/Jackson_Sage/Bug_Off_Soap/

Doggie Sage Bug Off Soap is made from skin loving conditioning oils and bug repellent essential oils. It does not contain artificial or synthetic ingredients that cause allergic reactions or irritations. It is easy to use. Rinses off easily leaving your dogs coat soft and shiny.

* Paraban Free
* No Mineral Oil
* Vegan Friendly

Ingredients: Saponified Oils of Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Olive Oil, Castor Oil, Aloe Vera Oil and Essential Oils of Cedar, Citronella, Eucalyptus

ticks, eeeewwww... they are a fact of life when you take your dog in the wild... so you should be prepared to deal with them...

http://www.theritzyrover.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=8761#height_446

TICK KEY is the only tick removal device on the planet that uses natural forward leverage to remove the entire tick, head and all, quickly and safely without touching or squishing even the toughest engorged ticks. Tick key is 99.9% effective on all sizes and types of ticks. Tick Key Is The Easiest-To-Use Tick Remover On Earth!

Place the key over the tick in the teardrop hole. Slide the tick into specially tapered slot. Pull key up from skin. The Tick is removed easily, head and all! This patent pending design has been perfected and tested for over five years and is responsible for removal of thousands of ticks of all sizes including deer ticks and dog ticks.The Tick Key is fabricated from high-strength anodized aluminum...this is not a weak piece of plastic.

The Tick Key is flat and is easily stored in a wallet, pocket, on a key chain, collar, saddle, or leash

How Not To Remove Ticks: Don't Remove Ticks With Your Fingers. In many cases a tick is likely to be carrying pathogens such as lyme disease,ehrlichiosis and others that are harmful to humans and pets. Tick saliva or blood is something you do not want to risk being on your hands or under your fingernails.Pulling on a tick, even with tweezers, can tear the mouth parts from the body of the tick leaving them embedded in the wound causing risk of secondary infections.

WHY TICK KEY?

Don't Squeeze, Crush or Squash A Tick. This can force spirochete and other infective body fluids through the mouth parts of the tick and into the wound site increasing the risk of infectious diseases. Don't Apply Substances To A Tick. Applying any substances, such as petroleum jelly, fingernail polish remover, repellents, or a lighted match that upset or harm the tick almost always cause the tick to vomit the contents of its stomach back into the host. No matter how badly a tick may want to remove itself, it is not capable of doing so quickly.Ticks can live without air for long periods; attempts to smother it can allow disease transmission for hours.

http://www.thecosmeticmarket.com/product.php?productid=19719&cat=545&page=1#height_446

Herban Essentials Pet Towelettes

Herban Essentials Pet Towelettes are a fabulous treat for both you and your furry family member. The towelettes are made with the highest quality pure lavender essential oil, which not only makes them smell amazing, but makes them naturally antibacterial and antiseptic as well. Plus, lavender oil is wonderfully calming and relaxing.

Use the towelettes to clean your hands and kill germs after playing with, caring for, or cleaning up after your pet. Rub a towelette over pet's hotspots, scrapes, or skin irritations to disinfect, promote healing, and prevent licking. Place a towelette in pet's crate to help calm and relax in stressful situations (ie: vet visits, illness, travel). Use towelettes to regularly clean pet's ears.  Contains 20 Towelettes

http://thewritingwiz.googlepages.com/easybeinggreen

Young Living’s Thieves Spray and Thieves Wipes are easy-to-use, natural, and convenient products to help clean and protect your family from harmful bacteria.

if you want an especially great natural antibacterial and antimicrobial with nontoxic coconut oil that smells good, too, you've got to get a Thieves pack with oils from Young Living... check out my Easy Being Green page and order some... It's fantastic for cleaning your home, and they have a foamy hand soap which I love, as well as the essential oil blend which was created by Gary Young, based upon the historical account of four thieves in France who protected themselves from the Black Plague with cloves, rosemary, and other aromatics while robbing victims of the killer disease. When captured, they were offered a lighter sentence in exchange for their secret recipe.

Young Living’s proprietary Thieves® oil blend includes clove, cinnamon bark, rosemary, lemon, and Eucalyptus radiata ...

The Foaming Hand Soap, features the therapeutic grade essential oil blend Thieves, pure lemon and orange essential oils, Ginkgo biloba, and vitamin E.

now, this is a spoiled pup gone camping...

Now for those of us who have dogs, having dog hair in a sweater is a given. Dogs shed! That is one of life’s facts and if they are going to shed anywhere, it will be on you. However, what I’m talking about now is working dog hair into the sweater as part of your knitting plan.

As those of us who have Arctic dogs know, dog hair is warm, very warm. My dogs go out and sleep in the snow with icicles hanging from the coat and they are warm as toast. So will you be if you knit an entire sweater of dog hair. My friends who have done this have found that these sweaters are too warm to wear for any length of time unless they are outside in January.

No, the use of dog hair in the sweater that I’m referring to is the inclusion of it in the pattern. Dog hair, especially that which has been blended with other natural fibers such as merino wool works beautifully as an accent or when you are working the intarsia design.

When you are knitting the intarsia pattern of your dog, you want it to look as close to the original as knitting will allow. You may not be able to match the coat color with the shades of wool or cotton available even though they are numerous and varied. The answer might be to take combings from your dog; and you really don’t need much, and have it spun to be the yarn used when knitting the dog’s coat. That would guarantee a perfect match

What I have also done is knit the sweater in wool or cotton and then using pure dog hair that has been spun, and gone over the dog pattern in duplicate stitch. This had two benefits. One was that since the same gauge yarn was used throughout the sweater, there was a smooth transition between yarns. The second was that by working the stitches over the original yarn using the spun dog hair, all the fluff was on the right side of the work. This was done very effectively on a scenic sweater I knit in Brown Sheep’s Cotton Fleece. I then went back when I finished and worked just the Samoyed in the spun hair. It was very effective and the dog being the only fuzzy part of the design seemed to come to life and almost move.

So give it a try. Find a spinner nearby who will agree to work in dog hair, or teach yourself to spin which will really be fun, or send the hair to a place like VIP Fibers which will spin it in the exact gauge you want. You don’t need much to make a spectacular effect.

Crash! is a new book by Mayra Calvari and today the virtual book tour is right here at TreehouseJukebox!

Crash! is the story of a young boy who finally, finally gets a much wished-for puppy. He and his puppy love each other and the book details both the fun and the responsibilities of caring for a puppy.

The book centers around the question: What to name this adorable puppy?

I have to say I like the dad's suggestion of "Maple Syrup," but in the end an even more apt name is revealed...

In case sweet stories about puppies aren't enough to tempt you, I am very happy to report that author Mayra Calvani is donating 50% of her royalties from Crash! to Almost Heaven Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary!

You can buy Crash! at Amazon, Powells, or at a bookstore near you.

Enjoy!!

this was at the dog park.  the golden was perfectly happy hanging out with his parents, but every now and then he would get the courage to mingle with another pup.

When you decide to take him traveling for the first time, you should always give him food in small amounts throughout the day, while he adjusts to traveling.  If you feed him a lot of food before you head out, he may get sick in the car and have an accident.  By reducing the amount of food that he consumes, he’ll be much more in control of his bladder and himself.

When you are traveling, always plan to make frequent rest stops and allow your Golden Retriever time to relieve himself.  You should also take some time to exercise as well, stopping every few hours for bathroom breaks and exercise.  Golden Retrievers will hold themselves if they need to, although it isn’t good for them.  No matter how far you travel, you should always be kind to your dog and stop every so often to let him have some time.

A common mistake that many have made, and one you should avoid at all costs, is letting your Golden ride in a moving vehicle with his head out the window.  Although you may think this is a good idea, your Golden can easily get an eye, ear, or nose injury.  Cars and trucks move at very fast speeds, and something can pop up when you least expect it and do serious damage to your dog.

When you stop for a break or to fill up your car, you should never allow your Golden Retriever to be alone in the car with the windows up.  Even though you may crack the windows for him, the heat of summer can result in a heat stroke if you aren’t careful.  If your dog does get a heatstroke from being locked up in a hot car, he can easily die before you are able to return to the car.  If you simply must leave your dog in the car, make sure that you park in the shade and give him plenty of air.

You can also use one of the many pet strollers to take you golden retriever out of the car with you. If you are going to be biking, there are even pet bike trailers you can get.  You might be surprised where you can take a dog when he's in a pet stroller, that would never think of allowing dogs on a leash.

As long as you do your part and take care of your Golden Retriever when you travel, he will love to travel with you.  Traveling is something that your Golden needs to get used to, although most adapt to it fairly quick.  Once you have taken your dog traveling with you, he will know when it’s time to travel and eventually learn to tell you when you need to stop so he can use the bathroom.

For your Golden’s health, feeding him foods such as chicken, raw vegetables, turkey, brown rice, fruits, and oatmeal are always great.  Even though we think of these type foods as “human food”, they are actually good for many animals as well.  All dogs have taste buds and noses, meaning that they get very excited when they see you with food.

If your Golden Retriever runs to the refrigerator when you open it up, he’s trying to tell you that he smells something good.  Even though he may run to the refrigerator, he isn’t begging for food as many think, he is simply wanting to have some real food.  Once your Golden starts to do this, you should give him some of what he wants.  Although most real food is great for Golden’s, there are some that aren’t quite so good.

Egg whites
If you feed your Golden a large amount of egg white in his diet, he will get a deficiency in biotin, which is a B vitamin, due to the amount of avidin, which is a very destructive substance.  If you are feeding your Golden Retriever egg yolks, you shouldn’t worry as the effects of avidin will be offset by the high biotin levels that are found in egg yolks.  You can also feed your Golden egg shells as well, as they contain a large amount of protein.  If you want the best for your Golden - try feeding him raw eggs - with the shell intact.

Any form of Chocolate
We all know never to feed chocolate to any type of animal.  Chocolate contains bromine, which is very toxic to both dogs and cats.  Unsweet chocolate is by far the worst to feed to your Golden, as it contains a large amount of bromine.  Bromine is a very harmful chemical, one that normally leads to death of your animal should he be fed any type of chocolate.

There are other foods out there that can be good or harmful to your Golden.  If you have any questions, you should always ask your veterinarian.  Your vet will be able to recommended real food that is beneficial to your Golden, as well as foods you should avoid.  You can experiment with real food if you like - although you should never allow your Golden Retriever to consume any type of chocolate.

To help your dog learn the right way to relieve himself, you should always praise him when he goes to the right location.  You can crate him at night, then take him out when he wakes up in the morning and show him the correct spot.  Give him some time, then praise himself once he starts to go.  If you avoid accidents, you should be able to train your Golden without any problems.  Once accidents begin to happen though, it can be extremely hard to break the pattern.

When you house break your dog, you should never give him any freedom.  Getting it right is a lot of work for him, and chances are he’d rather be doing something else.  If you are tolerant with him and allow him to make mistakes, you’ll find yourself needing to be a lot more stern to break him of the bad habits that you have tolerated and allowed.  If you start when your Golden is young and enforce the rules, he’ll be a happy member of your family in no time at all.

When you house break, you should use confinement as much as possible.  Confinement basically means that until you have housebroken your Golden Retriever, he isn’t allowed to freely move around the house.  You should always keep a watchful eye on him and make sure that if he’s outside the crate - you know where he is at all times and what he is doing.

If you happen to take your eyes off of him even for a second, he could easily relieve himself on the floor.  Once he starts to go on the floor, it can be really hard to break him of this habit.  The smell will be there, and he will smell it the next time he is in that area.  Each time he smells it, he will instantly go to the bathroom in that same area.  The best way to prevent this from happening is to watch him at all times and ensure that he only goes in the area you have for him.

To housebreak your Golden Retriever, you should also allow him a way outside.  Normally, a doggy door is the best way to do this, as your puppy can go outside and relieve himself when the time comes, without disturbing you.  You should also use puppy pads or a litter box inside as well, so that he always has somewhere to relive himself.  During times when he can’t make it outside, he needs somewhere else that he can go.

Housebreaking your Golden Retriever can take you some time, although it will be well worth it once your Golden is properly trained.  He’ll be an essential member of your family, and not use the bathroom anywhere he takes a notion.  He will only relieve himself outside or in an area that you have trained him. Golden Retriever’s need interaction with people, and if you are going to keep them inside - you’ll need to ensure that they have been properly house broken.

The signs and symptoms of hip dysplasia is nearly impossible to detect with Golden puppies, although it will start to show once the pup has reached the age of nine months.  Even though you may take your Golden to the vet to have him looked at, your vet will tell you that you need to wait to see if the symptoms are there, once the Golden Retriever has reached a certain age.

The symptoms and signs of hip dysplasia vary, although the most common include crippling or the inability to walk properly.  This disease can get better once the dog gets older though, due to the joints stabilizing, the inflammation going down, and the muscles in the hips getting stronger and more mature.  Keep in mind however, that Golden’s who have hip dysplasia when they are younger will more than likely develop arthritis when they get older.

Golden Retrievers that suffer from hip dysplasia aren’t fit for breeding, although they can still live a long and healthy life.  There are certain drugs that your vet can prescribe to your dog, which will help him control his weight and help control the disease.  These drugs can also cut down on the pain as well, helping your Golden enjoy himself as much as possible.

Some Golden Retrievers that have hip dysplasia won’t begin to show any signs at all until they get a few years old, once the muscles start to wear down and the damage to the hip muscles start to become more noticeable.  Although your dog may be active and healthy for most of his puppy years, dysplasia can slow everything down and make your dog look as if he is old and is suffering from the physical attributes of arthritis.

To eliminate the pain of hip dysplasia, there are surgery options available.  Golden Retrievers have a high threshold for pain, and won’t normally show any signs of being in pain, even though you know they are.  X-rays won’t show any signs of pain, although the limping or slow walking will tell you that your dog is hurting.  Golden Retriever’s who have this disease won’t know it - which is why you should help as much as possible.  If you do your part and help your dog seek relief - he will feel better than ever before - although he won’t let you know he hurt any at all.

If you still want to your golden retriever to be part of your families activities you can look into getting one of the many available pet strollers. It will enable him to join in on the family fun while resting his hips.

Sometimes, Golden Retrievers can get affected by non hereditary cataracts, although an examination by a board certified veterinarian can determine just how bad the cataracts really are.  If cataracts are indeed suspected with a Golden Retriever, then breeding won’t be recommended.  Breeding a Golden who has this condition can lead to serious problems, such as passing it on to the pups.

Several families of the Golden Retriever breed have been known to carry genes for CPRA (Central Progressive Retinal Atrophy), which affects the retina, and can result in permanent blindness for Golden’s at a young age.  There are other types of eye defects as well, such as retinal dysplasia, which prevents a Golden from breeding.

Trouble with both the eyelid and eyelashes are also a possibility with Golden Retrievers, with some being the result of hereditary factors.  The eyelids rotating in or out, or the eyelashes rubbing on or in the eye are both common problems with the breed.  Even though surgery can help to fix these types of problems, dogs that are experiencing this type of problem shouldn’t be allowed to breed nor compete in shows under any type of AKC rules.

You should always have your Golden Retriever checked annually for eye disease, as it can develop during any age.  When you take your Golden to have him examined for eye disease, you should have a veterinary ophthalmologist do the exam.  He has all of the necessary equipment, and the proper training needed to make sure that your dog gets the best examination possible.

Heart disease
SAS (Subvalvular Aortic Stenosis) is the most common and widespread form of heart disease within the entire Golden Retriever species.  Before you breed your Golden Retriever, you should always have him examined for heart disease by a certified veterinary cardiologist.  If the cardiologist detects a heart murmur, he will recommend additional tests for your dog.

In the event that the results prove negative, it doesn’t necessarily rule heart disease out, as some milder forms may still be present, although undetectable.  If a Golden Retriever is diagnosed to have any type of heart disease, he should not breed.  Breeding Golden Retrievers who have heart disease can lead to serious and sometimes fatal results.  To be on the safe side, you should always have your Golden tested for his disease before you plan on breeding.

Author/Designer Peggy Gaffney has added another book to her The Crafty Dog Knits series and this time it is for those who love Golden Retrievers. Peggy’s forty years in the world of purebred dogs has given her a unique insight and allowed her to create charted knitted designs that show these dogs in action. The inspiration for these designs comes from the stories within the book about the Golden Retriever telling all the wonderful things that are distinctive to that breed. These stories are the inspiration for nearly 25 charted designs. Patterns for sweaters, hats, scarves, mittens, pillows, afghans and even a Christmas stocking are included so that knitters may choose the designs from the collection and create truly unique garments and accessories. Sweaters are sized from infant to men’s 2x and instructions are in inches and centimeters.

Peggy Gaffney hopes that all knitters who love their Goldens will enjoy this knitting celebration of the breed.

They are merciful dogs at heart, and will tolerate several mistakes from you all the while wanting nothing more than you to acknowledge the fact that they are there and pat them on the head.  Further proving that Golden Retrievers aim to please, is the fact that they were the first three dogs to obtain the Obedience Trial Championships - which is quite a statement indeed.

With Golden’s being so people oriented, it’s very important that they live with their owners.  When you do any type of family activity, you should make sure that your Golden is included.  Even though they don’t normally bark a lot, they will start barking if they get bored.  Once a Golden Retriever is fully grown and becomes stout, he will enjoy many types of activities such as hiking, walking, hunting, jogging, and many other types of physical activity.

If you start your Golden Retriever puppy out early with exposure to kids, he will grow to become better than ever will kids. Although they can be very friendly around young kids, they can still knock them over or tend to want to lick them in the face.  No matter how great your Golden Retriever may be around kids, you’ll never want to leave your dog and your kids alone.  Even though Golden’s have a great temperament, a child can accidentally poke him or pull his tail and cause him to retaliate via his natural instinct.

All Golden Retrievers love the water, and choose to get wet any chance they get.  If you have a pond or other source of water on your land, you can expect your Golden Retriever to get into it whenever he gets the chance.  They are also drawn to mud, and will get themselves dirty on a frequent basis.  Once your Golden is full grown, you can count on bathing him every couple of days.

During the summer, you’ll need to make sure that your Golden Retriever has plenty of moving air, shade, and water.  They like the heat, although it normally isn’t good for them.  As long as you take care of your Golden and don’t let him over exert himself, he should be just fine even in the hottest days that summer can dish out.

I have no idea what I'm talking about anymore, I just felt like making oaths.  Also, I wanted to document what's happening at my diningroom table right this minute. Flower Childe and Franki (how often do you hear THOSE two names in the same sentence, the same room, the same UNIVERSE? They are like oil and vinegar, those two...) Flower Childe and Franki are sitting at table, playing out the rest of their Monopoly game that they saved from last night! They were having such a great time last night, that they packed up their game neatly, wrote down all their properties, tallied their monies, to be continued today! Friggin' hilarious. That shizzle is noteworthy.

Also, I forgot to mention that Beane went with me to the auction last night! I was so happy to have company! But I still didn't buy not ONE STICK of furniture. Not one. I KNOW! I'm disgusted with myself! But truly, I just can't keep buying projects, you know. I need a dining room set, and until I see the right one, I'm just going to cruise along with my auction number down... I almost bought a really large stuffed rabbit. It was absolutely hideous, it was one of those fancy collectibles,   probably worth $80, but I resisted. It had a stiff white tux collar and tie! I can't believe I was able to pass it up. Beane was horrified at how many times I went back up for the free coffee refills, but didn't I tell you I would go for 5 refills? Except Concession Stand Man wasn't there, it was a lovely Concession Stand Girl, and she cheerfully refilled my cup, without one stink-eye. Kinda took the fun out of it. I also ate a big piece of cake made of fluffy fairy magic dust. It melted on my tongue and was never seen again.

The CareBears are here. Oh LOOK, it's Licorice Bear! It's beautiful out today, Hubz opened the pool, and did the annual ritual SACRIFICE at the stupid bloody Pool Store. So far this year, we are $120 under in chemicals, plus whatever the water bill will be, for refilling. Sigh. It's worth it, right, it's worth it... Hubz and I have been on a kick with the old-fashioned licorice candies, you know, the assortment of black licorice things, with little orange and pink licorice sandwiches, and little licorice buttons and sprinkles and stuff? Sometimes I don't even know what I'm doing, I get in such a licorice frenzy and I look up and I have 3 or 4 pieces in my mouth, drool dribbling down my chin, a glazed look in my eyes... True story. I was laughing and telling my mom about it, and she says, "you know, a couple years ago, I got on a GoodnPlenty kick, for weeks and weeks, I had GoodnPlenties, always on hand, GoodnPlenty, GoodnPlenty, and then I went to the doctor for my check up, and my blood pressure was sky high! My doctor questioned me, and guess what, turns out the licorice in the GoodnPlenties raises your blood pressure!" THat is some F'd up science! I love my licorice! But I told Hubz, enjoy this last bag, because we are going to have to cool it for a while! No kidding, we ate a 1 lb bag in one day, because it's forbidden fruit. Sickos.

Dug some more holes today, fixed some little white picket fence up, planted one of my grapes against the arbor... What else.. the horses are out, roaming around the yard. I tie them to each other, and just sorta let them roam, while we're working in the yard, as they slow each other down considerably.

The neighbor lady, the one with the little white non-dog, she went a little nuts on my dog the other day. Apparently, she and Batman were dog-sitting a couple Shelties for a couple days, and Tex went over to introduce himself, like he does. Only she decided to go flippin' BATSHIT and scream and kick at my dog, like he was trying to murder those Shelties! The dogs weren't even barking, they were wanting to sniff at each other! Hubz was so pissed, I had to practically sit on him, and talk him into believing that it's not our fault if she's miserable and mean and unhappy, or whatever, it's not our job to fix her, and it's not our job to make her like us or our dog. And it's not for us to retaliate either, it won't do any good to call her a miserable, sniveling, frigid beyotch, right? It won't! Anyways, I did the right thing on the OUTSIDE, but on the INSIDE... I was a little peeved. But what the heck, there really isn't anything I can do for that lady. My other neighbors, we are like peas and carrots, which means, it AIN'T MY PROBLEM. I know how to be neighborly. Never in my life would I kick or scream or cuss at someone else's dog, unless the thing was attacking, and that's just not IN Tex. He's not made that way. We took him to the local festival this weekend, and I'll tell ya, that dog was like a prince, or an ambassador, he was great with people, especially the old dudes, they all wanted to pet him and talk to him. The kids were so proud to have such a beautiful animal. ANd then we went up to visit my Dad's Aunt Alice, she lives a block away from the festival, and didn't she and Uncle Claire let that huge bear of a dog right up on into their tidy little house! They enjoyed him! So, you know, Mrs. Batman, not my problem. Except that I have to live next door to her, maybe for the next 45-some-odd years. Heavy sigh. I don't know. Some people are just messed up.

In fact, I would be feeling sorta punky about all that, but Lap's comment on my last entry has left me positively tickled pink! and effervescent! Like the Alka Seltzer! Cherry flavored! Thank you, Lap! I refuse to, in my best 1970's vernacular, I refuse to let the assholes get me down. Or something. I have no idea what that has to do with the 1970's, do you? Regardless, also, there goes my pledge to keep the potty-mouth swearing and general gratuitous cussing out of this journal. Damn it.

You BET I was into that. Because one of the things I really do miss about being in Korea is the lack of pets - specifically, pets that don't fit into a purse. Korea has lots and lots of things, but animals that are not pigeons is not one of them, and it is not a huge thing, but I do notice the difference. (Seriously. I saw my VERY FIRST SQUIRREL EVER after I'd been here for about eight months.) And really, I ask you: greatest petting zoo ever, or GREATEST PETTING ZOO EVER?

Golden Retrievers are my favorite. I had one when I was a kid. His name was Guy which came from the Sesame Street character "Guy Smiley", because as a puppy he was the one out of the litter that had a perma-grin. These dogs live a care free life of just being happy. Not really known for their intelligence they go through life rolling in stuff, shedding, napping, drinking from the water bowl then laying their wet mouths on your lap, and being goofy. Above all they just love people which makes them the easiest going animal on the planet. If there is truth to reincarnation, I wouldn't mind being a retriever. Shit, I practically have the same traits now.

Stormy nights always scared the ba-Jesus out of me as a kid, no thanks to the movie Poltergeist. Today I find them very relaxing. It's a good reason to unplug the TV and the computer, turn on a reading lamp and just listen to storm approach. At times I may open the garage and watch the show from the safety of my folding chair. Lucky for me, there hasn't been any real dangerous storms here in a while. If there are, you know I'm going to be the asshole on the news that was found 200 miles away in someone's tree. I never heed the warnings.

I'm an addicted runner but my addiction doesn't make me a good one. I have been running most of my life but I just am not meant to be one. That's why I turn to "Runner's World" magazine for inspiration. The motivational stories keep me on track to get up, put my running shoes on and head out into the vast darkness every morning. Even though I still come lumbering in, snorting and huffing, side stitched and limping, I still did it. Plus the review of shoes is usually right on.

I know this sounds strange but I am a big fan of foreign vintage advertisements. I consider them more art than anything else and if I could find a print of this above, I would so hang that in the kitchen. Can you imagine a time when this would make you want to buy pork?

One of my new favorite pass times is cruising YouTube for old commercials of yester-year. I'm saving this for a full post later but it also is on the list that makes me happy. More over, I really dig McDonald commercials from '86-'88. I believe I may have consumed more cheeseburgers during that time but I feel the real reason is that advertisements back then focused on stories rather than the product. Just take a look at this. Until the end, I didn't know if this was for Trapper Keepers or hight-tops.

Tiki themed anything really floats my board, man. One day I am going to have a basement that will look just like this. I can picture drinking blue martinis and listening to Link Ray on the turntable while outside it's a whopping 20 degrees. It's a great reflection of my life; where ever you are, you can always be somewhere else.

Well, that was a pretty pointless post but I had to get some happy thoughts churning. Meetings and sad sacks get to me after a while and just writing about this stuff has already made the day a little better. You guys should try this. I swear it works.

• Be cheerful when practicing with your dog
• Keep your training sessions short: 5-10 minutes several times a day
• Practice in different locations in your home, the den, the kitchen, the living room and the back yard.  dogs do not generalize, we need to make sure they can work with us no matter which room we are in.
• Play with your dog (this is hugely important, too).
• CONSISTENCY! Whatever you are working on with your dog, be consistent with them
• Make sure you praise your dog for coming to you (duh), give them a treat, and celebrate with them.  COMING TO YOU IS THE BEST THING THEY CAN DO ALL DAY
• Call your dog for positive reasons only.  If you need to cut their nails, give a bath or give a pill, go to them
• PLAY WITH YOUR DOG!
• Use your most excited, happy voice when calling your dog.  As I mentioned before-no one likes to come to an angry voice.
• Praise your dog for sharing what they have in their mouth, trade the dirty sock for a cookie, talk "silly" to help them share.  Give them a toy to replace whatever they had in their mouth.
• Keep your dog on leash during their training to help them be successful
• PLAY WITH YOUR DOG!
• Give your dog a "spot" in the rooms that you frequent.  A towel, rug or dog bed that they can go to in the den, the office or kitchen
• Discipline can happen only when you catch your dog in the act of an unacceptable behavior!
• Play a clicker game, teach a new trick instead of going for a walk when it's too cold or hot outside
• PLAYING with your dog helps to create a special bond between you

10 dog friendly things to do at the Pacific Mist Inn...

http://pacificmistinn.blogspot.com/

Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens:

http://www.gardenbythesea.org/visitor/

The botanical gardens feature indigenous plants, including the native rhododendrons that blanket the area. Manicured formal gardens, a dense coastal pine forest, fern-covered canyons, diverse plant collections, and flower-filled coastal bluffs overlooking the blue Pacific Ocean. Located on 47 acres that lie between California's scenic Highway One and the Pacific Ocean, includes canyons, wetlands, coastal bluffs, and a closed-cone pine forest. A moderate climate grows a wide range of tender species which cannot survive the more extreme heat or cold that occurs in other locations. 

We saw incredibly beautiful  rhododendrons of many hues, white, blue, purple, pink trumpet, red, peach, white pearl, white swan, blue peter, president roosevelt and took a lovely walk to the beach/bluffs. You can take your dog on a leash and you could probably picnic with your dog, it says the trail is steep to the cliffs but it was not that strenuous... you go through a gate, and cici enjoyed stalking bugs every step of the way. The long walk did not tire her out as much as I'd hoped, even though we walked about an hour... she still had energy left to play with Gracie, the dog at the Atrium B&B. She ran around the yard, and greeted people (lick lick lick)... 

We stayed in the lovely, cozy and comfy quilt room (one of three pet friendly rooms) with a fireplace, very comfy bed...while I had breakfast of mushroom cheese omelet, fresh fruit and fresh baked banana bread, Cici played outside in the yard with Gracie.  

The Atrium B&B is at the north end of Fort Bragg... http://www.atriumbnb.com/

Innkeepers Mary, Gail and Joanna Jenson created the dog park... McDog park on Maple. It took about two years to bring the park into fruition. And came about because of their commitment and dedication and with the assistance of the community, the city and the Parks and Recreation Department. The park has a small dog area and a large dog area, it is entirely fenced and quite a nice size with grass. Soon, they will have a water fountain for the dogs.

Every year there are a few festivals including the Huckleberries and the Hounds, the oldest Ugly Dog contest, and several dog parades and costume parties for the K9's. 

Cici played with about 6-7 dogs at the dog park, and the people and dogs were really friendly (unlike the dogs and owners in Carson City, Nevada)... there was a dog named Zelda, two goldens (huge funny guys), a hound dog, a few others... unfortunately, one dog ruined Cici's day... I had a bad feeling when I saw the dog and sure enough, the minute this dog came inside the park, she and Cici got into it... it was difficult to pull them apart, the owner finally got his dog away from Cici and I left, shaken to the core. Cici's mouth got chewed up a little bit, it was very scary.  She has not let me look at her much. I was able to go to PAWS, and sat in the car for a bit to calm down, take some Rescue Remedy Bach Flowers for shock.  Got Cici a treat and some dog food, which she gobbled up. Then I was thinking what can I put on her mouth, and thought I needed an Aloe Vera plant. We drove by a nursery and I asked them. The woman there at Parker and Jensen I think it was called, gave me a free aloe vera plant. I tore off a leaf and put some on Cici's mouth.  Then I went to the pharmacy and got some hydrogen peroxide to clean the two wounds on her mouth. She was not happy about it but it made me feel better. 

There is a Humane Society here... http://www.MendoHumane.com/?cat=18

Now we are relaxing at the Surf Motel and Gardens ($49 to $250 plus $10 pet fee per night). This is a very nice AAA motel, they even have beautiful gardens and a pet exercise area, similar to the one at the dog park, only smaller. Each room has a fridge and microwave, cable TV, wireless internet, coffee pot and complimentary continental breakfast in the morning (coffee, tea, hot chocolate, fresh fruits and danish). This motel is at the south end of town and it is quiet. The staff is friendly and helpful.  The Harvest market is next door, this seems like a Whole Foods type of market. Cici and I slept well and love being near the beach.  Just the relaxation we needed after the day we had... 

http://www.surfmotelfortbragg.com/Surf-Activities.html