WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS.....

Find a willing lab to warm your toes

Miss Mika

******UPDATE******

JUST GOT THE WORD MISS MIKA AND ZEBBIE ARE GOING BACK THIS MONTH. GOOD LUCK!

Speaking of Miss Tamika, here are a few pictures of when she was here a few months ago. Yes those are her food bowls she has in her mouth, those where her toys of choice while with us. Her momma says she is going on 20 months, and just cruzing along.

The little tin pan head so reminds me of my 1st pup Tacoma, who was way too smart for her own good, always getting into something that one was. Let's hope Mika Mika will use her uber brain powers for good and not to join the Evil League of Evil

oooommmm

Birthday Hike

Doh! the sun is in their eyes

'whose got the frosty paws?'

ok do you see the problem with a yellow and black, you never know where to set the white balance

Much better

After crossing back and forth over this small stream several times we made it!

smile

I love this shot of Waffle, she looks so regal

So for my birthday I decided to take the girls out for a short hike to a local waterfall. Now understand that I live in the city so the girls idea of the wilderness is the park. They loved the actual real forest outdoors stuff. Truffie who has developed this fear of puddles actually got her feet wet and Waffle was crossing streams and rock scrambling like a natural. There were tons of people out walking and several dogs. The girls were great, I forgot Truffie's Gentle Leader, and she did pull quite a bit, but on the whole it wasn't too bad, we only got jumped by one dog --- go figure it was a 15lb rat terrier. It's people lifted it up by the harness and it was still going after Waffle. 

The river crossing was difficult with both dogs, at first they would walk in the water but pretty soon they were rock hopping, the problem is that all three of us could not rock hop together. It was a recipe for a dunking. For dogs who don't like water I was shocked that Waffle actually walked into the stream on her own..... Truffle even got in the act, but she preferred to rock hop, the problem came when she tried to hop one direction and I hopped another. I ended up totally soaked, with a sore butt. 

It was a short hike only 3 miles, but with the two dogs and lunch it was more like a half day experience. After the hike, wet and dirty I got my revenge on the girls and both of them got baths. Nothing better than sweet smelling, exhausted sleeping puppies.

Letter to St. Peter

Let them in, Peter
For they are very tired
Give them couches where the angels sleep
And light those fires
Let them wake whole again
To brand new dawns
Fired by the sun
Not war-times bloody guns
May their peace be deep
Remember where the broken bodies lie
God knows how young they were
To have to die
You know God knows how young they were
To have to die
Give them things they like
Let them make some noise
Give dance hall bands not golden harps
To these our boys
Let them love Peter
For they've had no time
They should have bird songs and trees
And hills to climb
The taste of summer
In a ripened pear
And girls as sweet as meadow wind
And flowing hair
And tell them how they are missed
But say not to fear
It's gonna be all right
With us down here
Let them in, Peter
For they are very tired
Give them couches where the angels sleep
And light those fires
Let them wake whole again
To brand new dawns
Fired by the sun
Not war-times bloody guns
May their peace be deep
Remember where the broken bodies lie
God knows how young they were
To have to die
You know God knows how young they were
To have to die
And tell them how they are missed
But say not to fear
It's gonna be all right
With us down here

It's gonna be all right
With us down here

Dear Bo

 

Dear Bo, 

My name is Truffle and I need your help.You are probably the most influential pup that I know of and I think you might just the one to make things right. Next time your see your Dad Barack, can you ask him 'what's up with the time change deal' you see me and my tummy are very confused. Every night now for the past week, my peeps have been late on the dinner service. No matter how nicely I sit, or how pitiful I look dinner has been late.You've probably experienced this too, I mean there is no more accurate clock that a pup's tummy alarm. 

My big sis Waffle explained that it was something called day light savings - which when she told me I thought was a fib (you have to know her, but trust me). Why would people do that to themselves. Why would they do that to us? Who needs a clock anyway - when it is light get up and play - when it is dark curl up and go to sleep. AND when your tummy says it is time to eat. EAT. Now I know you being a reasonable guy, you understand what I'm talking about. Your peeps seem pretty cool, they seem to have fallen for your adorable cuteness so use your best puppy eyes trick to get Dad to can Day Light Savings. I like having more day light in the evening - most people are off of work and will play with us in the evening. Last night my BFF was going to take us out for a walk but after din-din it was too dark and cold to go out. Plus I think it is just mean to mess with us like that. It is not just dinner that is messed up too, mornings are for playing but all I keep hear is "Truffie GO BACK TO SLEEP", so now I have to turn my somersaults very quietly and where's the fun in that I ask you. 

Yup, your my man, I know you can do it. If puppy eyes don't work try the sit on bed and whine tactic, my big sister Tacoma will flap her big ears and paw at her people - get creative I have faith. I can not tell you what a big service this would be to dogs across the nation.

yours truely, 

Truffie, FYL, PIT - GDB

Birthday count down!

this is me at 3 months old. My 1st vet visit

On Sunday I turn 1 yrs old - and in party preparations leading up to my big day here is a picture of me when I was just a little squirt. 

I'm excited to be fully grow'd up - but I'm a little worried Waffle said something about a hat.....

more training

They were tearing up some concrete and I walked Truffie over to take a peek. It is weird. Some loud noises spook her and others she is just 'meh' about. Go figure.

Knott's Berry Farm

Before Truffie went into season, and the crazyness that is Halloween started, I took Truffie out to eat at Knott's Berry Farm. It is a local amusement park that follows this whole wild west theme. Every year at Halloween they turn the park into a huge Haunted House with mazes and extra staff dressed up to scare you. Rather cool, but as half of S. Cali goes to this event we steer clear of it during Oct. But some how I digress from the topic at hand which as you might guess is Chicken. Yes Chicken, the park was started by some couple who invented Boysenberries (a cross between two different berries which escapes me now), the wife made jam from the berries the husband grew. She started serving fried chicken to hungry people, they added a theme show to entertain, a hotel, ect.... the rest is chicken history. Growing up a friend of mine refused to eat the chicken for the longest time. Turns out they had pet chickens, who as chickens will do had other chickens and pretty soon things got out of control. Instead of giving away said chickens, their father told them he took them down to Knott's Berry farm and let them lose in a lake......right by the chicken restaurant.  

Anyway personal pets notwithstanding, the chicken here is good, the biscuits are even better, so once in a while we will head on down. It is great for the pups to see the commotion of the park without actually going in. This huge roller coaster swoops down right along the side of the parking lot. I usually start the pups watching the coaster from across the lot and gradually get closer, I know we are ready to move on when the pups give me that 'I'm sooo bored' look.' Some times it is hard to tell the bored look from the 'please not another picture look.' as you might be able to tell from the above picture.

One day - I will have a lab that likes water AND taking pictures. That's not too much to ask for is it?

Welcome and Goodbye....I think

Welcome new Pups In Training

Josette and Jody

I believe they are Goldens, definitely sisters and from the looks of them 10 weeks or older. Yeah I'm a terrible club member, I missed the last meeting because of work. But Truffie has been displaced as the youngest pup in our group, I would say that she is the old lady of the group, but we still have Tamika. Yes as much as we love Mika, Mika she is still without a recall. She might be up for the November truck but we don't know, I guess there is a meeting on the 16th to decide who is going on the truck that will be coming down on the 19th! YIKES that is hard, 3 days notice, right now we know she is up for consideration but the confirmation will not come out until after that meeting. It is possible that she will be here until Jan, who knows. I think she is going on 18 months, quite the change from when the recalled Lani at 14 months.

But in any case Welcome to the newest furballs on the street - don't believe everything Truffie tells you.

for eggo

Last night we cleaned out the garage of junk stuff, for my friend's yard sale. Afterwards hungry and dirty what to do? It was another hot one in LA, no cooking for us, pizza, Chinese, Mexican? NO WAY we joined the millions and gave into the hype and ventured into the land of the......  McRib

Sooooo goood

But soooo baaaad

What was the result? Huuummmm how would I describe it? It was like the special affects in the original Star Wars movie or the Shark in Jaws, 1st time you saw them it was all ooooo and aaaaawwwww 'lets do it again, again and again' but 20 years later uuuhhhmmmmm not so much. It's not quite as cool as you remember them to be, but it's just been long enough for you to forget the bad computer graphics and cheesy plastic sharks and indulge in a two hour trip down memory lane. So every two years when the McRib makes another appearance we are suckered in by the hype and take a bite........ and well the fries are still great, the sandwich is pretty much a cheesy plastic shark.

some times you feel like a nut

So many of you have surmised from the last post that Truffie is in season. Being cooped up in the house combined with her hormones has her nutty side out in full force. I sometimes worry about her future partner, I hope they like to party as much as my little girl. This is a vid of her favorite way to play with her chewies. It's not a good time 'till she is upside down.

I love how she tries to entice Waffle into playing with her. She thinks if she keeps shoving the bone at Waffle it will make the Waffler want to play with her. Plus I love her cutie patootie face.

r u done?

Really?!! Aren't you done yet?

98 degrees

The only way to sleep when it's 98 degrees!

I voted

I did, well BFF did all the heavy lifting on that one. I got the sticker though. BFF lost the camera -some place in the house, so sorry no pic.
love you
Waffles

Woof Woof

Lost...

LOST ONE PUPPY BRAIN
Small, grayish, with occasional flashes of brilliance
should fit into the skull of one yellow Labrador
has been know to vacate it's owners head on occasion.
Current owner needs it back to be released from asylum
can not return to guide dog school without it.

Family and friends are mourning the loss.
REWARD

You gotta love 'em

Labra pups of course. But I also love blogs. I started this so my sister who lives in the heartland can keep up with the lives of the girls, and over the years it has been a good record of the pups lives.

Case in point. Waffle's ear issues. I went back and reviewed my posts, and almost a year to the date last year she had a similar infection and again in Feb of this year. I think it is yeast....

She has been on lamb and rice forever, but I think it might be the food, I did try her on the natural balance low calorie version, it could be that. Now I'm nervous, cuz I wanted to switch her to another food (costco, lo cal).

Or am I over reacting three infections in one year too many?

there is no place like home.....

Smelly Ears

So as Truffie's post suggests The Waffler's ears were infected. I had noticed the baby licking her ears and someone told me that was a pretty good sign she had an infection. I usually clean them 2 a month, and generally try to sniff her ears every few days. Right after a bath I use this stuff called epi-otic to dry/clean out her ears. So we do all that and she still has ear infections. This is her second one this year. When we 1st noticed she had crud in her ears I started cleaning them every day, I thought we had it kicked, but it came back. Does anyone have suggestions? She had a shot and is on ottomax, this is not a cheap experience. Our last lab we never had this many ear problems.

any other cleaning solutions, labrador ear clips/head bands ect... how do you get the stuff way down at the bottom of the ear canal?  I feel like I'm sticking my finger into her brain. Any other suggestions.
Carrie