Stella Grows Wings

Sunny Days Are Here...Finally!

Getting Back Into The Dog Park Routine

I have yet to get back into the swing of taking photographs at the dog park. To be honest I am afraid of dropping my camera. The park is a mud bog and I have my hands full with Maizie. Today our visit went well. Maizie and I have worked out a routine where she runs to the gate, enters the code and holds the door open for the dogs.

We make certain no other dogs are coming or leaving the park and then I open the back of the truck and Stella and Darwin make a mad dash to the gate. Once in Maizie closes the gate and unhooks their leashes. We open the second gate and the dogs take off into the park for a frolicking good time.

It took a few visits for Maizie to get back into following the rules of staying seated on the bench while the dogs run. If it is just Stella and Darwin she can roam but if there are many more dogs we sit on the bench. Today there were twelve dogs! Twelve wild, ornery dogs. Maizie and I were both covered in mud by the end of our visit. It was a great time nonetheless. I missed a lot of great photo opportunities today. Argh.

I am praying the weather stays nice, the earth dries up a bit and the trips become less muddy.
Tonight I combed Darwin. What a mess. All of a sudden he is shedding...bad. I combed him for a good forty minutes and he still needs work. A bath is in order. I think I will be taking him to a groomer within the week.

We are back at the Dog Park! The mud has dried up enough to where I am not too afraid to go. Granted, Darwin always seems to find a small mud puddle to lay in. Stella and Darwin followed Maizie around while she looked for clues in the holes left behind by various dogs. She also found a worm that she called a "snake". You can read more about her great find on the Dazlious blog.

Max in the photo above is pretty old. He walks around a bit and then sits and watches the other dogs play.
Cody is one of Maizie's favorites. A soft yellow lab that is lazy and enjoys following Maizie around since she showers him with attention.

Cody is quite relaxed here as you can tell.

After almost two hours of running Darwin and Stella finally sit down for a break. Stella never sits long. I swear that dog never gets tired.

We can't wait to see our friends from last year at the Dog Park!

Stella's Red Shoes

Stella on Easter Morning!

Maggie Meets Alex

Stella Plays Scrabble!

Tonight we ordered Indian food and sat down for a game of Scrabble with some friends. First Joe was up. Next was Pat who always wins.
John and Cindy played as a team. I left the table to take care of Maizie and when I came back look who was making my play for me! Stella!

Having a limited vocabulary Stella played the word below. John and Cindy felt the pressure. Stella is a serious Scrabble player.

Miss Sadie's Request

Miss Sadie is known as a gentle giant. Her owners adopted her from the pound on the very day she was scheduled to be put down. Sadie is a constant and compassionate companion to Hannah. You can read more about Sadie at A Life of Triggers. Sadie's buddy has been diagnosed with Mesenteric Adenitis. Hannah should recover but right now she is in a lot of pain and feeling pretty down. Please send your prayers that Hannah will be feeling better soon. If you have time stop by A Life of Triggers and wish Hannah well.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Meet Our New Guinea Pigs!

Meet Salem. Salem is a Guinea Pig. I know...I know...what are these Guinea pigs doing on a dog blog? Well, Maizie had been begging for a couple of guinea pigs for months. I was growing weary of finding guinea pig videos on my iPhone and endless chatter about guinea pigs. So, we "cavied" and bought her a pair. Salem is the shy one.
Darwin is in love with Zebra the black and white cavie. Zebra loves to be held for hours and seems to enjoy Darwin's intrusive attention. I think Darwin may be a tad bit jealous? Whenever the guinea pigs are out he has to be laying right there. He loves to clean them with his big ol' tongue. I don't think the cavies appreciate it but they put up with him. Maizie finds holding them very relaxing. It amazes me how lovable these little critters are. Thank goodness because they have a very long life span. They will be pals with Maizie for years to come.



It is hard to decide who is cuter! You may be wondering where Stella is. Lets just say Stella is a tad more "passionate" with the guinea pigs. She wants to herd them and make them her dinner. When the guinea pigs are out Stella has to go down for nappy time. Poor Stella.

Maggie!

Please join us in welcoming Maggie. My Mom and Dad brought her home Saturday to be best buddies with their dog Rudy. They are all so excited. As you can see Maggie is great photographic material. Maizie is so excited to see her!