Wordless Wednesday:

It was one of my best buddy's birthdays this past week! HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY, JAX! :)

Meanwhile, on the couch.....

Sloppy Weather Tuesday :(

Hi There, Everyone!

Well, shucks, guys, there's not much to write about lately.  I don't get to go outside much these days because it's just so darn gross out.  The ground isn't soft yet, so no rumblings of a fence, the ground is muddy/snowy/who knows what, it's that time of year where things are just....bleh.

Look at all that GREEN grass....I miss the warm weather!!!

So, needless to say, I'm not really outside that much, which is a large chunk of my blog- going outside and being crazy!  I'll definitely keep you posted on my puppy parties that are coming up (because those pictures will be worth millions of words!), and any other exciting things I find in my life, but I'll warn you: my life is plain boring right now.  Woof! :(

Making sure that I keep the neighborhood safe by watching for intruders!  Oh wait, they're my best friends. I love them.

Bosses are planning some camping trips for the summer, maybe a trip to Colorado (!!!), and better yet: Spring is coming soon!!! Yay!!!

Sorry to disappoint you all.  I love to write, too.  But when there's nothing to write about except hyena sprinting through the house, well...you know......

Cannot wait to be Mom's gardening buddy once the snow melts! This garden is a work in progress- STILL!

So, stay posted!  Spring's coming, and so are a lot of exuberant posts once the weather cooperates! :)

Thoughtless Thursay: Rumblings of Doggie Parties?!

Hey There, Everyone!

Sorry for the lack of daily postings around here- everyone's been quite busy around here.  Hunter had a vet appointment (which is 20 minutes away), working at jobs, Mom is "simplifying our lives" and getting rid of a ton of our stuff, and enjoying life as it is here at the "petting zoo"!

Anyone want a squeaky toy?!

Things are going pretty well.  I've been my usual nutty self, going to the P-A-R-K, keeping Hunter busy, making sure the kitties are getting their fair share of attention, and filling my social calendar.

My momma, Nicole, taking in all the sights.

Yes!  Of course I have a social calendar! January and February are usually very busy for me (not the Bosses, me).  Next weekend, I have a doggie party for my foster sister, Kraelyn (who is a really big Goldendoodle), and we'll have a blast at an indoor doggy park facility.  Here are some pictures from last year!

Chester and I have way too much fun together!

After that, I have a private party with some puppy friends scheduled for an indoor doggie pool.  A pool party- for dogs!  And no humans!  I'm hoping to perfect my dock diving form for the summer. :)  This girl misses her puppy pool in the yard!  Hopefully Bosses have been diligently squirreling away enough money to get me a fence, too.  A dog can dream, right?

Having so much fun, boss!

What are you up to lately?  I'd love to hear from you all!

PHOTOBOMB!!!

Mommy and me! :)

Not even close to how many dogs were actually there.

Me (the tiny one) and my new BFF, Cody!

Brother Dylan and I getting a drink of water at the water station.

The aftermath: sweet victory of a sleeping pup.

- See more at: http://www.ruckustheeskie.com/2015/01/thoughtless-thursday-53-sockitruckus.html#sthash.x4knSN2n.dpuf

Monday Mischief- Woof-Dah

Hello Again, Everyone!

Whew!  What a weekend it was!  I had soooo much fun!

Bathtime after dog park time- love the bath!

On Saturday, Bosses took me practically to Wisconsin to play with my brother, friends, and previous foster siblings at the dog park in town.  It was HUGE!  And there were soooo many Golden Retrievers; it was insane.  Lots of fetch going on inside the fence!  All the dogs were very friendly, and the people were very nice.  Good times!

We're tired. Just hanging out!

Then yesterday, as if I didn't have enough fun on Saturday, WILLIE came over to play!  We played pretty hard- hopefully he gets a nice restful day with his Bosses just lounging around.  I sure do wear a lot of other dogs out!

Boss, can't you just put that treat in my mouth already?

What did you do over the weekend? I'm pretty tired- I think I'll take a nap now. :-)

Hunter's really getting good at getting sticks from the yard!

Thoughtless Thursday: Warming Up

Good News, Everyone!

I'm freeeeeee from the house!

We are officially OUT of the frigid cold, and just into slightly less cold!  Let me tell you, it is downright balmy at a very comfortable (alright people, let's keep this in relativity here!) 28 degrees Fahrenheit.  It's supposed to stay in the 20's for the next 7-10 days.  How nice is that?!

I like to run outside- now that it's warm, Boss lets me out to zooooooom!

Look, off yonder!  It's Hunter, out there somewhere!

I love the snow so much, I gotta get a good roll in it.

Mmmmmm, snow is sooooo tasty.

Boss even lets us OUTSIDE for longer periods of time.  That means I can finally scavenge the yard for sticks again- wahoo!  Even the kids at school get outdoor recess- they were locked inside for 6 school days in a row because it was dangerously cold for them to play outside!  This Minnesota frigid cold business is downright crazy.  The outside air feels so nice now that it doesn't make you turn into a popsicle in as few as 10 minutes. (Yes, a -35 windchill can give you frostbite within 10 minutes!)

Hunter likes to play around in the snow, too!

In your humble opinion, is 20 balmy or downright cold to you? Hunter, Bosses, and I think it's pretty nice, considering it's been down to -35F windchills for over a week. :)

Hunter's coming to get me- I love it when he chases me!

- See more at: http://www.ruckustheeskie.com/2015/01/thoughtless-thursday-52-modeling-is-not.html#sthash.MJrpBIpy.dpuf

Coming to a Blog Near You: Tettegouche State Park!

Guess what we did?!

Reserved our dream campsite for September 2015!!!

This campsite has it all.  Take a look at the view from the campfire ring!  Look at all the sticks I can chew!

Only downside to this site is that you have to cart-in .25 miles to get there.  But the views?  Totally worth it!

Where is your dream campsite?

Monday Mischief: Bosses Gave Up.

Hello Again, Everyone!

My weekend was awesome.  Bosses decided the post-holiday season is going to be spent relaxing, so we've all just been super lazy and just hanging out at home.  Nothing terribly exciting.

Hunter gives pretty toothy kisses....

Hunter has been causing quite the ruckus, though.  He's pretty vocal- he'll bark at just about anything.  During the daytime, no big deal.  However...he's been barking from 4am-7am in his crate, and Bosses aren't too thrilled about their loss of sleep!  They also don't have too much room in their bed for animals, so that's why we don't sleep in their room (floor isn't an option for us, because the bed looks way too appealing!).

"What? No.....we weren't playing on the couch at all........"

Bosses tried many different methods of getting him to enjoy his crate more- soft music/talk radio in the background, quiet room, sleeping in a crate next to mine, in the room next to ours, tasty T-R-E-A-T in crate upon getting in, and nothing has worked.  So, finally, Bosses caved, and at 4:30am, opened the crate door up.  Want to know what Hunter did?

The favorite spot- Boss' bed! Everything about it!

.....raced up the stairs straight to their bed, jumped up, and fell asleep.  The little guy knows what he wants!  So now, Bosses have a furry bed heater.  I'm pretty jealous, because I don't get to sleep in their room, but hey- I don't make a fuss.  Life's not fair, you know.  Mom promised me that someday, when they can get a bigger bed, that I'll get to sleep in their room.  I'll hold them to it!

Do you have a furry bed heater at night?

FitDog Friday: The Importance of Dog Booties

Welcome Back! (Or Welcome, for those who haven't read my blog yet!)

It's been soooooo gosh darn freezing here this week- it's been quite the challenge to get mental and physical stimulation (for both humans and dogs).  But the past few days, it's been cold enough to get to the point where I don't want to go outside (which normally is one of my favorite things to do) because my paws hurt.

I used to huddle with my Mom next to the heater when it was (and still is) freezing outside!

Cue my little reminder for us who live in cold weather: dog paws and human feet have a lot in common!  Humans don't walk around in bare feet when it's 100 degrees out- nor do they walk around in bare feet when the windchill is -35F.  Being outside for short periods is just fine- most dogs do it!  However, when you're like me and take forever and a day to do my business, my paws start to sting.  It's important to remember that dog paws can crack, get dry, get cold and sting- much like they can burn from really hot pavement!

Little did I know as a puppy, that my little paws needed a s"paw" day after long periods outside.

What have we done to alleviate all this pain? (Going out to potty quickly) Momma got a pair of some dog booties.  There's an online store that we bought them from where they make them way up north in Minnesota, and they use them for sled dogs.  They were very cost-effective, and are definitely worth the money- they're so durable!  And....you can pick the colors, quantity, material, everything!  We love them.  Now, instead of licking my paws in chilly-ness when I go outside to do my business, I (look like a crazy bouncy antelope) go about my business, come inside, and my paws aren't stingy and frozen.

Mom has been putting the booties on me since I was a wee pup- that way, I'm not so opposed to wearing them- I'm used to it!

Does it ever get this flippin' freezing where you live?  What do you do to keep your paws (or your buddy's paws) healthy in this crazy weather? I'd love to know so that my paws can be in tip-top shape, too!  We got our fantastic booties from dogbooties.com .

Thoughtless Thursday: Another Craft!

Everyone!

You heard it: another crafty post!  Yahoo!

I decided to showcase the little puppy jacket I had last winter.  Unfortunately, I am now much bigger than I was when I was tiny, and no longer fit into it.  Fortunately, Boss is considering making me a bigger one so I can still support my football team in style!

Tiny me in my tiny coat.

Boss usually doesn't dress up animals, she says, but last winter was frigid up here in Minnesota (as is this year too, apparently).  Schools cancelled classes because it was too dangerous to wait for a bus, cars wouldn't start, businesses closed, it was just that cold (no, we're not wussies up here, either)!

My Iowa State Cyclones jacket!

Bosses were fostering a dog at the same time they initially adopted me, and he had very short hair (black lab mix).  Foster brother Harley refused to go outside to do his business unless he had little booties on and a jacket.  If I had a short buzz cut like that, too, I would've demanded some outerwear as well!  All factors considered, Small Boss whipped out some dog jackets and bought some coordinating dog booties.  It made the -40 raw temperatures more bearable, that's for sure!

Take a look!  Pretty functional.  It was originally a flannel dog pajama pattern that went along with a pattern for bosses/small mailmen pajamas, but Small Boss decided it would work well for a fleece jacket.  It was a success!  I certainly like it, do you?

I really do wish that I didn't grow out of this....it's just so comfy!

Maybe Small Boss will make a few for a GIVEAWAY someday!  She'll have to get her mind working on that one- I'll make sure I run this by her.  Literally, and I gueeesssss I can bark at her and let her know.  I just like running better.

Well, I see that it's snowing outside, and it's warmed up to a balmy -15F (windchill included), which is at least better than yesterday's -35F! :)  Time to go out and catch those snowflakes!

Chow!

- See more at: http://www.ruckustheeskie.com/2015/01/thoughtless-thursday-51-checking-out.html#sthash.R0nsZv0F.dpuf

Wordless Wednesday: Bundle Up, Everyone!

-30F windchill here. NOT COOL