Sepia Saturday- Halloween Treats

Bosses got me a stuffed pumpkin- any guesses on how long it lasted?

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Wordless Wednesday: Sadie the Not-Spookiest Dog

#AdventureDogChat Tuesday: The Family Birthday "Paw"ty

It's that time again!

Adventure Dog Tuesday is upon us!

I looooove going through an agility tunnel.  Shh, there are kids in that tunnel, too, and I happen to love those!

On Sunday, my biological puppy family and I celebrated my litter's birthday.  I haven't seen some of my siblings since we were separated- and I couldn't have been happier to see them!

My brothers, making a break for it!

We usually get together with a few of the puppies from my litter, cause...well...you know, dogs my age can be a little crazy.  We like to get together to wear off our "puppy" energy and to have fun!  Thank goodness we were all adopted by people in the Twin Cities- we're pretty close, but some families have busier schedules than others, and aren't able to make it to a lot of our get-togethers.  Luckily, my ENTIRE family made it there, PLUS my other friends that I met along the way.

Me in front, my brother Bixby in back.

Party "Paw"ticipants:

• Me! Sadie!
• My siblings: Bixby, Dylan, Ryder, Comet, Holly, Sawyer, and Chester
• My momma, Nicole
• My daddy, Roy
• My foster sisters: KraeLynn and Lilly
• My foster friends I met along the way: Whitney, Raelynne, Annie, Joy, Bailey
• My foster friends' other dogs: Jack, Lottie, George

Joy, a fellow volunteer's rescue Golden. She's awesome!  The wheelchair can't slow that girl down.

George, our foster friend Annie's adoptive brother.

Me (on the right) telling my brother, Chester, a piece of my mind! :)

Three of my brothers: Dylan (left), Ryder (center), and Comet (right)

Dylan (right) and I having an old-fashioned game of tug-of-stuffie.

Wrestling with my big brothers- Chester (left), me (center), and Dylan (right)

"Hey, they're beating up on me, Ma!" Dylan (left), me (on ground), and Chester (right)

Dylan (far left), Me (with the pearly whites), Sawyer (center), and Chester (right)

My foster sister, Kraelynn!  She's awesome at catching a ball.

We love to play!

Dylan (with the ball) and Chester- they're good buds!

Look at all these rescue dogs!  Only one pup here was from a breeder (George): we all had stories (some "prettier" than others), and all were surrendered to RAGOM.  We couldn't be more thankful- puppy "get-togethers" remind us of how far we have come!  P.S. : that list was just merely dogs- double that, and that's the humans, too!

Bixby, Comet, and myself (in the far back) getting some beautiful fall weather playtime in.

Another reason we get together is because our parents are learning how to socialize with other dogs and humans.  And what better company to do this in than with their children?!  Our momma was adopted a while back and has come so far since she was surrendered.  She was terribly shy, scared of people, and did not seek human attention.  Our foster mom and her adoptive mom worked very hard to get her socialized and enjoying her life- we're so happy to see her happy!  Our daddy, however, has come so far, but still has a long way to go.  He is still available for adoption, 1 year after he was brought here from the commercial breeder.  He is a very scared guy- but he is getting better day by day.  I got to meet him last summer, and I look so much like him!  I made sure to tell him "everything's alright, Daddy- you're in great hands now!".  I'm so grateful that I get to see my parents and brothers/sisters as often as I do!

My Daddy, Roy (left) and my Momma, Nicole (right).  Aren't they ADORABLE?!

That's my daddy, Roy.  He's getting so brave!

We had so much fun- we had T-R-E-A-T-S, the humans had munchies, we ran, fetched, caught, wrestled, the list could go on.  We love our little RAGOM family!  We are truly blessed.

Take a look at my lazy brother, Ryder, at the water dish! BOL!

Do you get to see your littermates or really good doggie friends?

Team Nicole's pups! There are two more that aren't well visible.

Chow!

This post is part of the Adventure Dog blog hop, hosted by DOGthusiast and Tiffany's Diamond Dogs every Tuesday.

Monday Mischief: Sadie the Motor Mouth

Good Morning, Friends!

Sorry I didn't get the chance to get my paws on the keyboard yesterday- Bosses didn't let me into the computer room, since they went to Iowa City for a wedding over the weekend.  I got to hang out with my Grand"paw", "Run"cle, and "Paw"nt.  I think that's what they call those people?

Anywho, today, I'm going to tell you a little bit about the one thing that gets me in the most trouble:

My mouth.

I am a young dog, and am learning what is appropriate and not appropriate to chew on.  Unfortunately, I figure things out the hard way.  Bosses use a technique to help me learn what is right and wrong, which helps a lot.  If I have my mouth stuck on something they'd like me to leave alone, they switch the bad thing out with something good, like, a Nylabone/chew/ball.  That way, it's positive training with no negative punishments.  I think it's great!  Sometimes, when they're gone at work, I find something out of the blue and obliterate it.  Whoops.  Hence the first Monday Mischief that we wrote about- the stairs getting de-carpeted.

Along with behavioral training, chewing on inappropriate items can be physically dangerous for us dogs.  What if I would have ingested any of the things I ripped to smithereens?!  I hear things don't end well when certain items get stuck, so Boss likes to make sure I'm supervised when chewing on things as much as humanly possible.

We read a neat guide called "Eat This, Not That!" that explains the hazards items can introduce to dogs.  There's even a "seasonal hazards" section, which is very relevant during this time of year!  Halloween this week, Thanksgiving next month, Christmas, New Years.....lots of fun, but also lots of hazards.  I encourage you to read through the guide- even if you know some portions of it already, it's always worth a read.  You can learn something new everyday!

What are some inappropriate items I've destroyed?

• Underwear- I only rip up the cute ones that Small Boss has.  Not Big Boss's- those aren't cute.
• The carpet on the staircase- I pull the carpet up and shred the padding underneath.  Good fun!
• Socks- I like to tug on these.  They have good smells, too!
• The rugs in the kitchen- they looked too neat.  Plus, all the food smells?  Psh! Yeah!
• The memory foam bath mats- they were so squishy.  Felt like cotton candy!
• Toilet paper rolls- because when it's shredded, it looks like snow!  And I like snow!
• Mom's peony plant roots- THIS was a little more scary.  I threw up a lot from these- turns out they are toxic to dogs.  Who knew?!  Mom immediately put a little fence around these so I can't get them.
• Cardboard boxes- the cats do it, why can't I?
• Markers- I ate one.  It wasn't as satisfying as I thought.

The list could go on.  However, I don't actually swallow my victims.  Whew.  I recommend you check that infographic/guide out.  I found it very helpful, and we now know what symptoms to look for in case I do end up swallowing something one of these days.

*Note: I was not compensated for this article- I found it informational, and thought it would be a good read!*

Chow!

October Adopt-a-Shelter Dog Month- On Fostering a Dog

Boss wrote this one a while back, on her old blog.  She thought it was a good one to share, and thought that everyone would enjoy a little "warm fuzzy" feeling after reading about so many happy endings, as our buddy Kaiser (now known as Geno) will be embarking on his happy ending on Friday.  Take it away, Boss!

"I think I mentioned this in my first post of 2014, but I thought I'd write a longer post about this for all the dog-lovers out there. In September of last year, the hubster and I decided to volunteer at the local Golden Retriever rescue, and wow- have we learned a lot.  There is so much more to dog ownership than I ever have realized.  Even though I grew up always having a dog, I feel like I still have only scratched the surface in terms of experience.  Here is what S and I have learned in the past 9 months:

I have always had a love of dogs, and always had a dog when growing up.  Our first dog (that I can remember) was a mix of a few different breeds and was named Honey.  Despite her name, Honey wasn't always sweet.  My parents bought Honey out in the country as a small puppy, before they had children.  She was the typical puppy- energetic, a tad naughty, but knew some tricks and my parents loved her.  Then, they had two kids, and Honey wasn't "the world" to them.  Honey developed very aggressive behaviors, including resource guarding.  Honey was sat on, ridden like a horse, but she maintained her composure for many years (after reading many articles on child etiquette with dogs, I realize that this is very inappropriate for children to do to dogs).  My little brother and I were always reminded to not bother her while she was eating, and let her do her own thing.  Add moving to a new house into the mix of stressors a few years later. We were all playing in the yard one day, and my brother accidentally stepped on her tail.  She immediately whipped her head behind her and bit my brother in the face, ending up in a visit to the ER.  He ended up recovering from the attack, but it was evidence that how you interact with your dog is so important.  

After Honey died of cancer, we adopted our next dog: the polar opposite.  Rocky was a Golden Retriever/German Shepherd mix.  And oh, what a joy he was!  His personality was a perfect fit for our family, and everyone adored him.  Rocky was a very cherished member of our family- we often called him our "red-headed brother" (since he was a dark red golden color).  He didn't run away, he walked beside you, he was very obedient, and also very loyal.  You could see the best of both breeds shine in his demeanor.  He never needed a leash at the cabin, he rode on the pontoon with the family, he enjoyed rides in the car, he never resource guarded, and loved cats.  The only thing he didn't like?  Swimming.  Odd.  Rocky hung through the best times and the worst of times.  During my parents' divorce, even Rocky was being fought over.  He was a senior dog at the time, and was quite literally a piece of glue in our family.  He got a tumor on his spleen during the finalization of their divorce, and died peacefully before the papers were signed.  I guess he knew that the time was right.

Sweet Rocky, and his one ear that was up

Cue 2013- S and I = newlyweds, and were considering adopting a dog (I have been begging for a dog ever since Rocky passed away).  I am head-over-heels in love with Golden Retrievers, so we picked the local Golden Retriever rescue.  I saw that they needed volunteer foster families, and since S was a little unsure about owning a dog, we decided to foster to make sure that this was what we wanted to do.  So, we got trained in, and we picked out our first foster dog- Cody.

Cody, our first foster dog

Cody is a beautiful 5-year-old Golden Retriever mix, who traveled all the way from Georgia to spend the rest of his happy days in Minnesota!  He was on a euthanization list at the shelter there, and so Mobile Mutts (a volunteer transport group) helped him make his way up here to RAGOM (Retrieve a Golden of Minnesota).  When we picked him up, and he instantly was a ray of sunshine.  His tail was wagging, his ears were perky (well, one was- he had one ear up and one ear down, just like my Rocky), everything was beaming happiness!  He even went camping with us in the fall and liked taking naps near the campfire!  He had a case of what we thought was kennel cough, but when the antibiotics were over, his cough still had not resolved.  Unfortunately, Cody became a bit too interested in our two kitties, and he went to another foster home.  There, they did more medical tests and they found out that he had two different types of bacteria in his lungs.  He went on more medications, and he eventually got better and was adopted by a lovely family, where he has another furry friend to play with and all the toys he could ever ask for.  I love to hear that there are so many happy endings to these stories.

Cody, on our way to his first camping trip!

Our next foster dog was a completely different breed (no pun intended)- 12-week-old Harley, a Black Lab/Border Collie/Who-Knows-What mix.  His mom and all 10 of the puppies were abandoned in a foreclosed house when the pups were 2 weeks old, and so RAGOM decided to help them out to find them homes.  We picked Harley up when he was 12 weeks old.  He was a cutie!  I mean, look at his ears.  How can you not love that!  And I can't forget- he is full of energy!  He has a great demeanor, and was a true "velcro" dog- he never left your side.  He was a quick learner, respected "most" boundaries, and was a very happy-go-lucky dog.  He was adopted by a young guy who, when Harley is old enough, will take him on runs around town.  After he went home with his family, I felt a big smile on my face, knowing he'd be happy in his forever home.  While I get quickly exhausted by the herding dog breeds, getting our next dog was a little breath of fresh air!

Harley is friends with Willie, too!

Harley, our second foster pup

....And then there was the dog we couldn't live without- our little Sadie Bear.  She and quite a few dogs came from a retiring breeder in Iowa.  The dogs who came from here lived outside their whole lives- friendly, but very shy.  What the organization thought was going to be 2 litters of puppies and 5 females and 2 male adult dogs turned into 41 puppies, 5 females, and 2 males!  Many of the female dogs were pregnant when they were surrendered.  Sadie (then known as JJ) was one of the litters that was born in Iowa.  The volunteers and foster mom of "the little family" spent hours upon hours around the clock working to socialize these dogs (let alone clean up their messes)!  There were eight pups in Sadie's litter, and when we went over to meet them, Sadie immediately went to S's lap and slept in it.  After that, she was S's little girl.  So, we adopted her.

Little Sadie, around 9 weeks old

And from then on, she has stolen our hearts.  We'll foster again in the future, because Sadie always loves the company of furry friends, but for now, we're just fine loving on our little fuzzball. :)  Ahhhhh, now I'm feeling warm fuzzies.

Momma,Sadie and two of her siblings at a playdate

I'll probably post all the time about Sadie and her adventures, because quite frankly, I can't get over her cuteness.  And, I love dogs.  They always have that way to scoot right into your heart.

If you have ever considered volunteering with a dog rescue, I recommend it- whether you help with fundraising, event planning, training, home visits, transporting, or fostering- everything is worth it.  Knowing that you're helping for the greater good for someone or something who needs it is very rewarding.  Or if you can't commit to volunteering, donations are always welcome- even $15 can help a dog get a vaccination!"

Thanks, Boss!  Ahh, those warm fuzzy feelings are flowing now.  Enjoy your day!  What is your rescue dog story? :)

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Monday Mischief: The Birth Day

Good Morning, Friends!

This weekend was a BLAST.  Thank you all for your kind birthday wishes- I feel so loved!  Saturday was our most mischievous day of the weekend- I regret nothing.  We made sure that my day was extra special, since, well, you only turn ONE...once!

Me posing for my 1st Birthday!

We started our day out by a big morning breakfast.  Bosses let us puppies go outside and play! I got to find all the sticks that have fallen with the leaves.  I decided to be a nice foster sister and share some with my buddy, Kaiser, too.

Sharing is caring!

Bosses then told me we were "going" somewhere.  I love the word "go"!  Bosses went quickly into REI, got me a sweet new food bowl, and then we went to a "Meet & Greet" at Chuck and Don's for RAGOM (Retrieve a Golden of Minnesota).  The Big Boss even let me sit in his lap up front, with the window rolled ALL the way down.  I just liked to rest my head on the window ledge and get all that fresh air in my nose.  It was WONDERFUL.  I even got to see the people who helped rescue me at the Meet & Greet!  They all couldn't believe that I was already one year old!  They even remembered picking me up for the first time when I was just two weeks old.  Ahh, reminiscing. :)

You can't catch me, Kaiser!

We took a mid-morning nap, because....well, we got a little worn out from the morning.  We played a bit more.  That's my specialty!

Aww, man!  You got it.  Now I have to get you!

After we woke up, we had lunch- another little feast.  I'm thinking everyday should be a birthday!  We had tons of T-R-E-A-T-S.

I kidnapped this fluffy friend from the bedroom and now it's mine.

Bosses even got me some birthday presents.  They got me a wonderful doggie bed!  Small Boss usually makes me one, but she found a deal on the foam/liner/"duvet" that was even better than buying materials.  So, this one is mine!

Eating yummy things on my new bed! So comfy!

I got a sweet bag of treats, TWO rawhide ribs, and a bunch of little toys handmade by my Boss herself!!!! SO COOL.

My haul from my birthday- not too shabby! :-)

We even went on an afternoon outing!  I'll be writing about that on Tuesday, because this one is getting a bit lengthy.

We played some more, ate some more, and passed out.  Just because the day was that good.  Bosses had friends over for something called "Bored Game Night".  They looked like they were having too much fun to be having a night devoted to "bored games", but I never said these people always made sense. ;-)  It was fun for Kaiser and myself, though, because that means that people come over to pet us!  Not a bad deal.

*Many treats were involved in the production of this photo*

Thank you everyone, for making my day special!

Chow!