Adventure Dog Tuesday: Yogurt? Oh, a Yuuuuuurt!

Hello, Friends!

I love going out hiking and being in nature!

So, my Bosses and I (and I guess Hunter by association) are very much into the "Great Outdoors", and are always looking into new ways to camp and enjoy nature!

A girl's gotta be able to see the pretty overlook, too!

A few weeks back, Bosses went to REI (because they don't let me in the door) and saw this interesting round tent-looking thing.  Curious, they went inside of it, and there were couches, and cots, and very nice looking things to be camping with!  Usually, our setup is a tent, so this was a completely new concept.

Our tiny little tent from REI- extra long to make sure I can fit, too!

Enter: The "Yurt".  Now, check this thing out!  Talk about a cool idea.  You could even use one of these awesome structures as a cabin, or house, or a place to hang out in nature.  Seriously- how cool?!  They give you all the instructions on this cool infographic, made by "CustomMade" and "Ghergich & Co.".  If you had the means and time to build a yurt, where would you put it?

Click to Enlarge Image



Hunkering Down in a Yurt
Infographic by CustomMade

Think you could live in a yurt?  I think it would be simple, rustic, and it screams "HEY, SADIE'S FAMILY!  SLAP ONE OF THESE THINGS ON A PIECE OF LAND BY A LAKE AND YOU WON'T NEED A CABIN (which is the only thing from stopping them from getting a cabin: $$$)!!!" 

*Please note:  I was asked to write about this infographic by Ghergich and Co., but was not compensated in any form.  All opinions are my own.*

Monday Mischief: Even MORE Mischief!

Hey, you guys!

Boy, do I have good news for you!  It's a heart-warming puppy story!

Bosses brought me home a foster brother last Friday.  His name is Hunter, and he is ADORABLE.  He is a year old, just like me, and is just a small fry (relatively speaking).  He is technically a mix of 55% Golden, 35% Cocker Spaniel, and 10% toy poodle, but was bred as a "Miniature Golden Retriever".  He's only about 40 pounds- isn't he adorable?

Anywho, my little friend was surrendered to the rescue because he had a biting incident involving a small child (about 4 years old).  We're guessing he didn't plan on biting the little child, but rather wanted the food in her hand, missed, and got her face.  Since I've been romping around with him, he hasn't been one ounce mean!  He is just a doll.

So, for the unforeseen future, Hunter and I will be causing mischief together.  Watch out, world!  We run fast! ;-)

Meet my friend (on the left), Hunter! :)

Sepia Saturday: Baby it's Cold Outside

Boy, Boss, my head sure feels a lot more toasty!

- See more at: http://www.ruckustheeskie.com/2014/12/sepia-saturday-52-its-almost-that-time.html#sthash.QpVrvDX7.dpuf

Wordless Wednesday: Bed Pirate

Adventure Dog Tuesday: What do we Look for in a Good Campground?

Bosses have been to many different campgrounds, at least in Minnesota.  So, after all these trips that we've blogged about, what do we do to find a great spot?

Bosses took their first foster dog, Cody, with them camping last fall.  He loved it!

1. Location.  Our personal preference is traveling to places that aren't terribly far away from our house, and have beautiful scenery.  Our favorite place to go in Minnesota is anywhere along the North Shore, but the Mississippi river bluffs on the Southeastern border are pretty cool, too.  It's nice, because these are 2-5 hours away, making it easy to drive there for either a weekend or extended weekend.

Camping is even better when you can find fall colors, too!

2. The campground amenities.  While we're not terribly picky about this, we like to look at what the campground has before we book a spot.  Is it a drive-in campsite, a walk-in, cart-in, kayak-in, backpacking?  Definitely something to consider depending on how light you want to pack.  Most of the Minnesota state parks have showers, bathroom/shower rooms with hot water and everything, running water, the whole kit and kaboodle.

Easy access to trails from the campground makes finding beautiful scenery convenient and fun!

• Drive-in campsites: Ever see that commercial from Staples with the "Easy" button?  You could press it in this instance.  Drive-in campsites are fun, easy, and you can bring anything that will fit in your car!  Mom and Dad "car camp" frequently, since it's easier to do with a young puppy- plus, when you're done cooking, you just throw the cooler/dishes/campsite into your trunk.  That way, you don't have to worry about little critters (and bigger ones, like bears...) getting into your stuff!
• Cart-in campsites: A little more work than a drive-in, since you have to pack all your belongings into a plywood cart to bring to your campsite.  You have to pack a little more efficiently (like...putting your sleeping bags into compression sacks), but we love them.
• Walk-in campsites: Mom and Dad tried this a few months back, and had no problems.  No cart provided, but the campsite is pretty close to the parking lot, and you have to carry all your things in.  Not too hard, but again, the efficiency factor is there- you have to pack everything lightly and in as few bags as possible to prevent yourself from going back to the car multiple times.  But...the car is there, and it's not a huge deal.
• Backpack Sites: Our family hasn't tried this yet!!!  Mom and Dad tried to go on a backpacking trip in the fall, but weddings/family/work/etc got in the way :( So, we're working on a backpacking trip for next summer. We'll report back when we experience it!

All I ask for in a campsite?  Lots of water nearby.  Boy, do I love water.

3. Timing.  The time of year in each place we go to is another thing Bosses like to think about.  For example: planning a trip that isn't scorching hot or freezing cold.  They like to plan trips in early June or July, September, and even October (as long as it isn't on the North Shore).  October gets to be pretty chilly "Up North", and some of us don't have warm insulation like us fluffy friends!  A lot of Northern Minnesota parks also have fresh raspberries on the trails, so they miiiight also plan trips to be able to pick those, too.  But it's not the end of the world. ;-)

4. Who we're going with.  Let's face it- everyone is busy!  If we go with our friends, it's tough to find a weekend when no one is working or doing other things that prevent them from camping (how dare they?!).  Also, their whereabouts affect which park we camp at.  Our friends whom we camp with a lot live about an hour and a half away from us (and in the complete opposite direction of the North Shore), so we try to pick campsites that are within reasonable driving distances of both of us.  Not only does it affect where we camp, it also depends on what kind of campsite we get- a roomy campsite with the capability of multiple tents is also nice.  Minnesota's DNR website is great, because they give you all the specifications of each campsite, and most times will give you an actual picture of the site.  Now that is convenience!

Just getting out of the river...The rocks up by the North Shore are pretty "intents", wouldn't you say? ;-)

What kinds of things do you look for in a campsite?  I'd love to get more input so we can find more amazing places to explore!

Chow!

FitDog Friday: Vacation!

Have you ever felt so worn out that you needed a vacation?

We do! Well, at least the Bosses seem to be pretty drained these days.

My Mom and Dad are leaving this afternoon for the East Coast for a little relaxation with family over the holidays.  So, since I'll be with my Gran"dog"ma, please give me a little slack the next week as I will be many miles away from my keyboard!  I'll be in town, but my computer won't! :)

A dog needs a little vacation every now and again, just like my wiped-out Bosses!

Mom has made sure to pack me all the goodies I need:

• frozen KONG treats with yogurt and fruit in them (they keep me busy for Gran"dog"ma)
• my bed
• my crate
• my toys
• food
• CHEW TOYS!

Mom says I can be a bit of a handful when I'm bored, so these things will ensure that I don't send poor Granny to the looney bin! She loves dogs (and me!), but I'm pretty high-energy- I drive the Bosses bonkers on occasion, too.

My gran"dog"ma's kitty, Chloe!

Know what the best part of Granny's house is (other than the little orange kitty and Granny, of course)?  She has a FENCED-IN YARD!!! So, I can run myself in bigger circles than I could at my house!  Yahoo! I'll be thoroughly exercised every day. :)

Hope you all have a fantastic Friday!

Chloe and I are going to have a "blast" this week! ;-)  Or at least I will!

Curbing "Some" Mischief

Happy Monday!

So, as you know, I've been known to cause quiiiite the mischief around here when Bosses leave for work.  I really miss them, so I panic, and think they're never coming back.....

....and then they come back.  And while I'm really happy that they're back, I also look around me at the rubble.  Oh yeah, I made that rubble.  Oh. No.

So now, I've been a member of "Project Sadie" for a few weeks.  For now, it's been a success- whew!  I'm finally being a rather good puppy (or did Bosses finally realize possible disastrous materials and remove them from my worksite)!  Mom has been lining my KONG with a spoonful of peanut butter everyday, which has been working well as a positive reinforcement.  Mom leaving is okay now, since I get good things when she goes!

The kitty overlord, Thor, making sure the "Staff" (or I call them "Bosses") are making the food correctly.

A few days ago, Mom saw a brilliant idea from her volunteer friend at RAGOM- now, most of it is common knowledge.  Her volunteer friend froze the KONG toys for her dogs, filled with a lovely little concoction! (You're probably saying "yeah, yeah, yeah, what else is new?" I'm Mom/Dad's first dog together, so this is all news to us!")  She mixes apples, peanut butter, plain yogurt, and water.  We did a little spin off this one, mixing plain yogurt, apples, peanut butter, and blueberries.  I'll show you what she did- I had to ask Mom to make these, since I don't have opposable thumbs. :)

If only we had more KONG toys.....

First, Mom washed all the fruits- gotta make sure that they're all clean.  You never know what's on those things!  After everything was squeaky clean, Mom cored the apple, then chopped it into little pieces so it would blend better.  The picture shows the skin, but she took the skin off shortly afterwards.

Mmmmm, apples!  After this picture, Mom took the skin off the apple and chopped it.

She put all the chopped apple aside in a little bowl (about 1 medium apple's worth), and put about 1/2 a little carton's worth of blueberries aside in a bowl.  Mmmmm, fresh fruit is so good!

After the fruit prep was done, she poured in a little bit of plain yogurt into the blender.  We're still in the experimentation process, so we started by adding a personal-sized container's worth of yogurt in there.  It seems like a reasonable amount.

Mom put the apples in first, and blended the apples and yogurt together.  The whirring of the machine makes me curious!

When the mixture was smooth, Mom then added the blueberries.  It was so cool watching the color change as soon as the blueberries started making their way to the bottom! :)

When the blueberries were mixed in, Mom also added in about a tablespoon's worth of peanut butter. YUM!  It has a slightly watery consistency, but it'll work for our purpose.  When it was thoroughly mixed, Mom set out the KONGs in...wait for it....

IKEA Kid cups!!!  Yes.  These things work perfectly for storing KONGs in the freezer!  The bottom little hole in the KONG practically seals on the bottom of the cup, and nothing spills.  Mom put mine in the freezer last night, and I'll get my first one to try when she leaves for work in a little bit.  How cool is that?!  A huge thank you to our volunteer friend for showing us this!  (Note: the ones that fit perfectly are a size large.  The one with the paper towel around the outside is a size medium, and still sealed.)

Size medium KONG with a paper towel around the edge.

Size large KONG- perfect fit!

 So, there you have it!  A brilliant realization!  The IKEA kids cups cost Mom and Dad about $1.99 or so.  Do you have anything that keeps you/your pet busy while the Bosses are at work?  Do you stuff your KONG with something different?

Until next time, we're working on getting more KONGs!  Mom says they're a bit spendy to buy 5 or 6 at a time, so maybe Santa will be kind to me this year.

Chow!

Wordless Wednesday: Sadie the Not-Spookiest Dog

Sepia Saturday- New Camera Lens

Boss got a new camera lens after our camping mishap a few weeks ago, and she is really pleased thusfar!  She got one that zooms a lot further.  Does that mean that it can run faster than me?! I think not!

Chow!

- See more at: http://www.ruckustheeskie.com/#sthash.S42MxnDO.dpuf

FitDog Friday: Healthy Snacks for Dogs

IT'S FRIDAY!!!

To celebrate such an occasion, I'd like to share with you special little snacks my bosses have made me:

• Sweet Potato slices- dehydrated: Bosses have this cool thing called a "dehydrator", which cooks food at a low temperature for a long period of time, sucking all the moisture out of the food which is being cooked.  Bosses like to eat sweet potato fries on the grill, and they always buy an extra potato (or three) to make into potato-chip-sized slices for me.  When they're done cooking, they are a jerky consistency, and are perfect for a little "snackeroo".  Plus, the only ingredient?  Sweet potato.  Since the moisture is all gone, they last for quite some time, too!
• Apple Slices- raw:  Raw apple slices are a nice treat at our place.  Usually, Bosses go apple picking in the fall, and bring home gratuitous amounts of apples.  They make tons of cooked/baked goods for themselves, and they give the extra pieces to me when I'm being good.
• Apple Slices- dehydrated: The dehydrator works wonders on the apple slices.  After I'm done with a few slices of fresh apples, Bosses put the rest in the dehydrator to preserve them better.  Then I can have chewy apple slices/bits longer into the season!  Also? Only ingredient, again, is apples.  Can't go wrong with that.
• Banana slices- raw: I love the ends of the bananas!  Bosses don't like the very last bit on the banana, so if I follow a training command or trick, they give me the tiny little nub off the end of the banana.  They think it's pretty funny when I eat that one- the texture of a banana is so chewy, I sit there and make the most hilarious face while chewing it.  Maybe a video of this will surface here later...who knows.
• Pumpkin/Peanut butter biscuits: Small Boss is really into cooking/baking, so she bought a bone-shaped cookie cutter, and experimented by making some pumpkin/peanut butter biscuits for me.  She loves pumpkin-flavored things in the fall, so she figured she'd share the love.  She used rice flour (since I'm on a gluten-free diet), peanut butter, gluten-free oats, and pureed pumpkin.  She baked them at about 450 for 30 minutes, or until they were golden brown.  After they cooled off, they got nice and crispy.  Perfect snack!  My buddies liked them, too!

Please note that I, nor my Bosses, are veterinarians.  This is not dietary advice, and all of these snacks are fed in moderation, and not as a meal.  Bosses only give me a few of these per day.

What are your favorite healthy doggy snacks?  I'd love to know!  I love to eat- but I love to keep my "fit" figure!

Loving this fall weather!  Laying in the yard is my favorite (while the biscuits are cookin')!

Chow!

Wordless Wednesday: Bosses Left for Work.

The Post Title says it all.

Monday Mischief: X-Marks the Spot!

Maybe I should take up geocaching, or maybe archaeology!

Bosses knew I had a mild digging phase in my "puppyhood", but when they saw the huge hole in the middle of their backyard, they had to go investigate.  I went on a digging hiatus for quite some time.  I guess I thought they needed a break from re-seeding/re-mulching/etc.

You can't see my findings yet, give me a few more inches.

Little did they know that their little archeologist would find something interesting in their yard.

No, I didn't find any bones or cool artifacts. *sigh*. But...I found this:

A HUGE PVC PIPE!  I feel like Sherlock Holmes!

Now, you'd ask "Sadie, why would you be so excited about a PVC pipe?!"

Good question.  I really just love everything.  But Bosses were very intrigued, making me feel pretty excited, because maybe I made a breakthrough in their flooding mystery!

X-Marks the Spot!

Bosses were having some water issues in their basement during our Minnesotan "monsoon" back around June, and were baffled as to how water was pooling in a corner of the closet.  They replaced a Sump Pump, and then decided that the majority of their problem was that the landscaping next to the house foundation needed to be re-graded.  So, they re-graded.  But, this little PVC pipe might be correlated to our flooding!

LIGHTBULB!  The PVC pipe connected to the gutter on the side of the house where the flooding came from!  We investigated further.  The pipe was also broken where I found it (not my doing), and also stuffed with dirt at the beginning and the end.  Turns out this pipe probably drained water away from Bosses' house and to the other side of the backyard.

Found it!

Sherlock Holmes = Sadie.  Case: closed.

See you tomorrow! Chow!

FitDog Friday: Mental Stimulation

Hiya, Everyone!

Well, Boss has been up to lots of blog hops this week- I hope everyone has been thoroughly enjoying all of them thusfar!  A big thank you to everyone I've met so far this week- you are all so fantastic.  It's great to meet you all!

Today's thoughts are my first FitDog Friday!  Boss got her college degree in Human Performance/Exercise Science/Kinesiology and Health, so this is right up her alley, at least for the humans!

Run, run, run...as FAST as you can!

Boss has learned that raising a puppy is no chore.  Puppies need a LOT of exercise, especially as they grow.  Exercise keeps them physically healthy, happy, and mentally healthy.  After a dog stimulates their mind and body, they are much less likely to get into devious trouble- or at least that has what Boss has found with me so far.  Boss has fostered 1 other puppy, as well as raise me, and will be fostering a 13-week-old puppy in 2 weeks.  What has been similar with all of us?  Staying busy and happy.

My braided rope tug toy.  I love it!

Boss will be honest, she doesn't take me for a walk every single day.  She feels a bit guilty about this.  Sometimes, though, I get exercise in a different way.  We play fetch in the yard, or play a game of "Chase Boss", or we go to the dog park and get the hiking/running/socializing out.  During physical exercise, of course my mind and body are both busy!  It's great!  Some of those days, though, Bosses are tired from work or have commitments where they can't slip physical activity in, Bosses have to get clever.

I need to keep my mind busy, right?

So, what are some of the ideas Bosses have come up with so far to keep me busy (hint: Bosses really prefer I don't stay busy by ripping up the stairs anymore)?  Here are a few:

• Hiding treats around a room.  Well, let's be honest here- Bosses would hide treats around the house, but I am so easily distracted and don't get the whole determination thing yet, so we'd just have old treats hanging around the house.  One room is all we can handle right now.  My personal favorite is ice cubes!
• Treat-dispensing toys.  Bosses have bought me a few different types of treat dispensing things, and they seem to keep me busy.  Balls with holes in the center for smaller treats, a big treat dispenser with goodies, or even a fabric "maze" game with the stuffies taken out from the middle and stuffed with ice cubes.  I looooove ice cubes.
• Honestly, the kitties and I interact and keep each other...busy.  Allie usually stays out of it, since she is a pretty mellow gal, but Thor and I play chase.  He is usually the instigator, getting me all excited and then bolting off.  He gives me mixed signals, because then he growls at me when I actually get to him, but I like it anyway. ;-)
• Chewing toys.  I love to chew everything.  It's not over-exaggerating when I mention that, because I have probably chewed on almost everything.  Bosses like to take me to the local pet store (again, the outing keeps me busy), and I get to pick out something to chew on whenever I am out of food.  I usually pick one of those cow-hoof things, because not only does it take me forever to demolish, it smells SO good.  Boss thinks it smells like a horribly bad piece of bacon (she even likes bacon!), but I think it smells glorious.  Mmm mmm mmm!

Why did Bosses have to get so innovative?  Ha.  Let me tell you why! (Boss laughs just remembering the Cabin Fever we had last winter!!!)

Playing fetch when it was a balmy 20F out last winter.

Last year, I was a tiny little puppy during what was considered a horrible, never-ending winter up here in Minne"snow"ta.  Holy cow, it was brutal.  Temperatures were at -40F, and that barely counted the windchill.  Sometimes, we had windchill/temp readings up to -60F.  Needless to say, we ALL were cooped up.  Bosses and myself.  Boss had to come up with ways to keep me busy during those long, frigid days.  So this is where all the mental stimulation comes into fruition.  At least we're prepared in case it happens again!

I LOVE my floating bumper toy- I can't break it!!!

When it is too cold to play outside, Bosses and some volunteers/friends from RAGOM get together and plan playgroups for us as well.  I got invited to my foster sister's birthday party at an indoor doggy play area last winter.  It was sooooo much fun!  Here's a snapshot of my momma and I getting a picture together- I love when I get to see her!  The weekends are usually for wearing myself out with play and physical activity, and the weekdays are my chance to get my brain working and stay sharp.

Carrying sticks to my "nest" is also a personal hobby.

This weekend, I plan on completely wearing myself out- it's football weekend again, and that means more tailgating and play time with friends!  I cannot WAIT!

What are some ways you keep yourselves fit, mentally active and healthy?  Any fun plans for the weekend? Give me some ideas!

Chow!