Last night we did Illegal Dog Park followed by Roosevelt's bar as per our usual Thursday. Our current Illegal Dog Park location seemed to attract a few people who were just running by. In particular a young good-looking guy with some equally good-looking labs (one yellow, one chocolate) was running by and saw us, so he stopped in.
He let his dogs off leash for a little while and they went off and socialized a bit. I was intrigued by him so I went over to talk to him and Audrey followed me. As we got close enough Audrey went up to sniff him.
Guy: "Aww, she's a Labradoodle right?"
Me: "Oh c'mon, you've gotta be kidding me. A Labradoodle?"
Guy: "What??? She looks exactly like my dog...she's a labradoodle."
(I don't know if he meant she looked exactly like his chocolate lab who he had with him, or if he had another dog - a labradoodle - at home).
Me: "She is absolutely NOT a labradoodle. She is a purebred Field Spaniel. They are a very rare breed in the United States."
Guy: "Oh...cause she looks just like a labradoodle."
I think that will probably be the pinnacle of Audrey's career. Being called a Labradoodle. It doesn't get any better than that.
We had a great time last night and she behaved beautifully at the bar. She laid on her little mat, ate ice cubes and treats, chewed on her plastic cup, and whined to play with her best pal, Grace the 6mo GSD who was tethered across the table from her. She still occasionally acts shy with people when they initiate the greeting, otherwise if she is allowed to come up to them first, she is perfectly fine and friendly.
Taking her to the bar is obviously the ideal solution to her shyness. No one is allowed to be shy at a bar. :)
Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
8mo Update
Audrey accompanied April and I to the Vet this morning. April is going blind in one eye and is sporadically limping on her right hind leg, plus she needed her yearly shots. So off we went.
April weighed in at 17.5 lbs! A whole pound more than the last time, granted she was wearing her super heavy bling Coach collar + a harness so that might have been the pound right there. She got her yearly shots, plus one anti-inflammatory shot for both her eye scarring, and her leg. She was insanely happy to be at the Vet and jumped up and gave every one lots of kisses. She was super cute and silly, I love my April.
Audrey weighed in at a disappointing 28lbs. I was guessing (hoping?) she was anywhere from 30-35 but no, still in the 20's. Which is pretty sad considering she's so much taller/longer than Spence and only about 6lbs heavier than him. I also had the Vet look at the little scabby thing on Audrey's head and he said it was likely some mange mites were still present so she's going to do oral Ivermectin for two more months just to make sure we got them all.
Sorry no pictures for this post, but we are most likely going out to the bar tonight, so perhaps I'll have pictures to post later.
April weighed in at 17.5 lbs! A whole pound more than the last time, granted she was wearing her super heavy bling Coach collar + a harness so that might have been the pound right there. She got her yearly shots, plus one anti-inflammatory shot for both her eye scarring, and her leg. She was insanely happy to be at the Vet and jumped up and gave every one lots of kisses. She was super cute and silly, I love my April.
Audrey weighed in at a disappointing 28lbs. I was guessing (hoping?) she was anywhere from 30-35 but no, still in the 20's. Which is pretty sad considering she's so much taller/longer than Spence and only about 6lbs heavier than him. I also had the Vet look at the little scabby thing on Audrey's head and he said it was likely some mange mites were still present so she's going to do oral Ivermectin for two more months just to make sure we got them all.
Sorry no pictures for this post, but we are most likely going out to the bar tonight, so perhaps I'll have pictures to post later.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Next up for the pup
Next up for Audrey is going to be a practice run at her Delta Society therapy dog evaluation. She is ineligible based on age (she needs to be 1yo to be evaluated) but I would like to see how well she would do right now. Mackenzie and I are members of WAGS (Wonderful Animals Giving Support) so we are hoping to squeeze Audrey into the summer evals/workshop to see how she does. She is still quite shy when people approach her but overall I think she has the perfect temperament to be a therapy dog because she adores people.
Mackenzie was the first dog I've actually done dog stuff with, so she started much later in life. I got her while I was in college, so we didn't quite have the time or resources to start doing stuff while still in New York (although I kick myself now). Mackenzie became a therapy dog shortly after her 3rd birthday and didn't enter the obedience ring until she was nearly 5yo. Now, since I sort of know what I'm doing, hopefully Audrey can get a head start on her dog "stuff" career at a much earlier age. That being said, I will never force her to do anything that she is uncomfortable with or that I feel she is not ready to do/or capable of doing just because Mackenzie did it. :)
Mackenzie was the first dog I've actually done dog stuff with, so she started much later in life. I got her while I was in college, so we didn't quite have the time or resources to start doing stuff while still in New York (although I kick myself now). Mackenzie became a therapy dog shortly after her 3rd birthday and didn't enter the obedience ring until she was nearly 5yo. Now, since I sort of know what I'm doing, hopefully Audrey can get a head start on her dog "stuff" career at a much earlier age. That being said, I will never force her to do anything that she is uncomfortable with or that I feel she is not ready to do/or capable of doing just because Mackenzie did it. :)
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Stacked at nearly 8mo
She'll be 8mo on May 27th and as one of her breeders said about the pics, "she looks damned good to me". I totally agree. :)
Friday, May 8, 2009
Los Caminos
One of the people we meet up with is the Executive Director of Los Caminos del Rio (www.loscaminos.org) "Los Caminos del Rio began as a Texas Historical Commission exercise in historic and cultural preservation back in 1991. Fresh investment from the Meadows Foundation has reinvigorated our pursuit of National Heritage Area status for the Corridor from Laredo to Brownsville. Through a robust mix of place-based education, support for the arts and outdoor sports we make the Valley a more interesting place to live. Los Caminos promotes cultural heritage, ecotourism and active outdoor living on both sides of the Lower Rio Grande."
He has invited us to help promote and recruit for a kayaking day on the river with people and their dogs. I'm totally excited. :)
He has invited us to help promote and recruit for a kayaking day on the river with people and their dogs. I'm totally excited. :)
Thursday Adventures
The evening started out by us meeting up with a few friends and their dogs at a school yard just like we did a few weeks back. Things were going good and the dogs were running and playing and Audrey was exploring her perimeters every chance she got (trying to find a way to escape and give me a heart attack - did I mention this area isn't entirely fenced in?)
After a few minutes we looked down the road and decided to try and go to another school yard a couple blocks away which looked to be empty (and was fenced in completely). The other ladies I was with walked to their cars and said they would meet me there. I begin walking back to my car (on the other side of the school we were currently at) and the realization hit me. Somehow I knew it was a bad idea to park on that side again because last time I came they locked the gate right behind me as I was leaving. This time, it was already locked since we had stayed a bit later than last time. After a few minutes of desperately searching all over the school for a custodian or someone to let me out to my car, I decided to just walk to the other school yard we were meeting them at.
For someone who used to walk an hour and a half to class at Cornell, this little two block stretch was nothing for me. It was actually quite a nice little stroll. Since it had been several minutes since I told the ladies I would meet them there they were driving around looking for us and found us walking. Once we got to the other yard it was lovely and had a nice gate and we let the girls off leash to run around.
A while later one of the women I was with said she was meeting someone at the bar, so she was going to leave and she would meet us there whenever we were done playing. So she left and we stayed playing for a while longer. As we were just chatting away we see two men looking straight at us from across the school yard.
One of them comes up and starts telling us the following:
-dogs are not allowed in this area (even leashed) because they poop and poop is dangerous to the children who go to this school and play in this yard regardless of whether you pick it up or not
-he has been advised that if he finds dogs in this yard he is supposed to call the McAllen Police
-but he likes us and doesn't want us to be upset with him so he won't call the Police
-but he has to leave so when we're done playing if we could just lock the gate behind us so no other people (with dogs) can get in that would be great
-so really we're not supposed to be there and don't come back, but for now, stay as long as we want.
It was kind of odd, but we appreciated him not calling the Police on us. Shortly after he left we leashed up and got out of there. My friend drove me to my car and we then drove another couple of blocks over to the Bar.
The bar (Roosevelt's at 7) was really awesome. The outdoor area was super nice and all of the servers were extremely accommodating to us and the dogs. They have a giant water bowl for the dogs and they loved petting them and talking to them. Not to mention the bar-goers also really enjoyed the dogs too. I had a Pear Woodchuck (well, two) and OMG it was amazing. They have like 40 different kinds of beers/ales and it is a really classy place. I didn't get to go inside, but from what I saw it looked just as nice inside.
The conversation was equally great. These people I hung out with are all around my parents age or older and they've got these fantastically interesting lives. We had a few drinks and slowly the bar really began to get busy. When we first got there (~7:30PM) we were the only people in the patio. By around 8:30 or so it was nearly completely full. Like I said, most people came up to pet the dogs or made a comment about them and they were having a great time.
We decided to order some food and I must say, it too was incredibly good. But before my food arrived however, Audrey, who was attached by her leash on a carabiner to my chair, decided that the other ladies I was with should be sharing their food with her from across the table. So she proceeded to jump onto the table, and this was a high table, taller than my elbows as we were seated. I quickly shooed her off and once my food came she had settled down enough to have some of my panini.
As we were eating a surprise guest showed up. Sir Kingston and a half-naked woman called "Jaguar". They just pranced all over the bar and people took pictures with them and of course we asked to take a picture with them too.
Apparently you can hire him, Sir Kingston (www.sirkingston.com) to help you advertise your bar or restaurant, which is what Jaguar was doing. I think. Once they left we finished our fabulous food, chatted for a few more minutes and paid our tab and came home. All of that, more than 5hrs of being out and about, and Audrey still got the zoomies with Spencer when we got home.
After a few minutes we looked down the road and decided to try and go to another school yard a couple blocks away which looked to be empty (and was fenced in completely). The other ladies I was with walked to their cars and said they would meet me there. I begin walking back to my car (on the other side of the school we were currently at) and the realization hit me. Somehow I knew it was a bad idea to park on that side again because last time I came they locked the gate right behind me as I was leaving. This time, it was already locked since we had stayed a bit later than last time. After a few minutes of desperately searching all over the school for a custodian or someone to let me out to my car, I decided to just walk to the other school yard we were meeting them at.
For someone who used to walk an hour and a half to class at Cornell, this little two block stretch was nothing for me. It was actually quite a nice little stroll. Since it had been several minutes since I told the ladies I would meet them there they were driving around looking for us and found us walking. Once we got to the other yard it was lovely and had a nice gate and we let the girls off leash to run around.
A while later one of the women I was with said she was meeting someone at the bar, so she was going to leave and she would meet us there whenever we were done playing. So she left and we stayed playing for a while longer. As we were just chatting away we see two men looking straight at us from across the school yard.
One of them comes up and starts telling us the following:
-dogs are not allowed in this area (even leashed) because they poop and poop is dangerous to the children who go to this school and play in this yard regardless of whether you pick it up or not
-he has been advised that if he finds dogs in this yard he is supposed to call the McAllen Police
-but he likes us and doesn't want us to be upset with him so he won't call the Police
-but he has to leave so when we're done playing if we could just lock the gate behind us so no other people (with dogs) can get in that would be great
-so really we're not supposed to be there and don't come back, but for now, stay as long as we want.
It was kind of odd, but we appreciated him not calling the Police on us. Shortly after he left we leashed up and got out of there. My friend drove me to my car and we then drove another couple of blocks over to the Bar.
The bar (Roosevelt's at 7) was really awesome. The outdoor area was super nice and all of the servers were extremely accommodating to us and the dogs. They have a giant water bowl for the dogs and they loved petting them and talking to them. Not to mention the bar-goers also really enjoyed the dogs too. I had a Pear Woodchuck (well, two) and OMG it was amazing. They have like 40 different kinds of beers/ales and it is a really classy place. I didn't get to go inside, but from what I saw it looked just as nice inside.
The conversation was equally great. These people I hung out with are all around my parents age or older and they've got these fantastically interesting lives. We had a few drinks and slowly the bar really began to get busy. When we first got there (~7:30PM) we were the only people in the patio. By around 8:30 or so it was nearly completely full. Like I said, most people came up to pet the dogs or made a comment about them and they were having a great time.
We decided to order some food and I must say, it too was incredibly good. But before my food arrived however, Audrey, who was attached by her leash on a carabiner to my chair, decided that the other ladies I was with should be sharing their food with her from across the table. So she proceeded to jump onto the table, and this was a high table, taller than my elbows as we were seated. I quickly shooed her off and once my food came she had settled down enough to have some of my panini.
As we were eating a surprise guest showed up. Sir Kingston and a half-naked woman called "Jaguar". They just pranced all over the bar and people took pictures with them and of course we asked to take a picture with them too.
Apparently you can hire him, Sir Kingston (www.sirkingston.com) to help you advertise your bar or restaurant, which is what Jaguar was doing. I think. Once they left we finished our fabulous food, chatted for a few more minutes and paid our tab and came home. All of that, more than 5hrs of being out and about, and Audrey still got the zoomies with Spencer when we got home.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Seven Months Old
The A-Team!
April and Audrey waiting to go back inside (and cramming both of their big butts onto one mat).
April and Audrey waiting to go back inside (and cramming both of their big butts onto one mat).
Took some pictures of my goofy little Audrey outside after breakfast. She is a total natural at posing. :)
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