Independence Day Weekend (long)

I know this is a little late, but I have to tell you about my new found independence on Independence Day weekend (July 4th for all you furry friends).

The day before Independence Day (let’s call it IDay), my Mommy and Daddy packed me up in the car to go Bye Bye. I had no idea where we were going this time, but I had a pretty good guess it was either to go to Dr. Dave’s, Home Depot, the park, swimming, camping, or hiking. A long period of time passed, much longer than it took to get to any of the aforementioned areas and I got a little excited. Mommy and Daddy let me out in some parking lot to go potty, but I didn’t know where I was so I couldn’t go. After a long time back in the car, I finally couldn’t stand it anymore and closed my eyes. I woke up every once in a while to survey the area and every time I looked out the window, it looked completely different than anything I’d ever seen before. Mommy and Daddy kept telling me, “You’re doing good, Kote. Only a little while longer.” Whatever that meant.

We FINALLY stopped the car. Mommy and Daddy leashed me up and let me out. They said we were in a place called San Diego. Oh, the smells! St. Augustine grass, eucalyptus trees, white birds I’ve never seen before, and lots of new dog smells. I pottied on the prickly grass and we walked up to a door. The door opened and inside was Auntie Adrian and Uncle Scott! I was sooooo excited to see them. The last time I’d seen them it was Christmas. The excitement took over and I had to sniff every inch of that apartment. I could already tell that Auntie A was a great cook, the air was filled with all the yummy dinners she makes. I set in and before too long it was bedtime.

The next day, IDay, Auntie A, Mommy, and Daddy took me to a new dog park. There were 3 golden retriever friends there and we had a great time. Lots more doggy friends showed up, but I got hot and it was time to go back to Auntie A’s. We all got ready and went for a ride to another house. The nice man who lived in the house was Larry, Scott’s dad. He showed us to the backyard, which was where I encountered the world’s largest water bowl…or so I thought. As it turns out, this big bowl of water is called a swimming pool. Now, I love to swim, but I just couldn’t figure out how to get into the swimming pool. Here’s a video of me trying to swim.

After Uncle Scott showed me where the second step was, I swam my little heart out. Mommy and Daddy were in the pool and I had so much fun swimming back and forth to them. It was so refreshing. Boy, was I tired when we got home!

The next day, Uncle Scott, Auntie A, Mommy and Daddy loaded me up in the car yet again and we went for another drive. I thought we were going back to the swimming pool but I was wrong. When we finally got to where we were going, I looked out the window and saw dogs…LOTS of DOGS! I was so excited and couldn’t get out of the car yet. I squirmed and squealed and squealed and squirmed, but to no avail. We had to park the car kind of far and walk over but it was worth it.

Auntie A was walking me and when we first reached the sand, I couldn’t believe how soft it was. We followed all the other people and dogs down the sandy path and that’s when I saw it. It was the most beautiful thing! Bigger than anything I’d ever dreamed of! One half was sand, the other, water. Daddy called it “the biggest Dog Beach” he’d ever seen. A dog beach?!? Auntie A finally took my leash off and I ran. I ran right into that Pacific Ocean, took a whiff of the ocean air, turned around to show Mommy and Daddy…and that’s when it hit me…literally! A wave crashed right over my head! I swam a little bit, but I was able to touch the sand. As it turns out, the Pacific was a little too rough for my liking, so I did what I do best…I ran! Running on a cool beach, weaving in and out of people and dogs, was the best feeling I had ever had. It was then that I realized I was free…well, for a little bit anyway.

Mommy and Daddy just watched and knew that I was happy. I had found my independence!

I got to go back to that dog beach one more time the next day and had just as much fun. I guess it’s never as good as your first time though. I’ll never forget that day as long as I live!

The car ride back home wasn’t as bad as the ride down. I dreamt a lot, mostly about running free on the beach.

Temptation Alley

Hello friends (humans, furry, and the like)! I recently had to walk through ‘Temptation Alley’ at school and let me just tell you how wonderful it was! Before I can tell you how wonderful it was, I have to explain what ‘Temptation Alley’ really was: a test to see if Mommy had done her homework with me…and sadly (tisk, tisk Mommy!), we didn’t practice quite enough.

Mommy walked me into the classroom a few minutes before class began. On the floor were so many great treats and toys! Treats I’d never smelled before! There was an open jar of peanut butter, a big bag of horse poop, a natural balance roll, a baby in a stroller (not a real baby, of course), a big meaty bone of some sort, slices of hot dogs, and something called lamb lung that smelled delicious. Mommy told me to ‘Leave It’ as we walked by and sat down at the far end of the room in the corner.

My teacher, PJ, quickly got class under way and explained to all the mommies and daddies the object of the ‘Temptation Alley’ game. As it turns out, we dogs got to hang out with PJ on one side then run in between all the yummy treats to our mommy or daddy on the other side, without touching the treats. I guess that’s why it’s called ‘Temptation Alley’!

I have to admit, there were a couple of show-offs in the room who pretended not to notice any of the treats just laying there in the open. One of the Golden Retrievers took a detour at the peanut butter jar and ate his little heart out. He went before me, so I thought I couldn’t have been worse than that, even if I stopped for a taste.

I was the last to go and boy did I put on a show. I showed all those dogs what a real Lab was made of and devoured the lamb lung…not once, but twice! It tasted waaaaay better than it smelled. I just couldn’t resist! Mommy wasn’t too happy with me; I could see it in her eyes. I did make up for it by running through the alley without stopping 2 out of 4 times.

Mommy walked me back to our chair and whispered into my ear, “At least you didn’t go for your favorite…the horse poop!”

Stampede

Hi everyone! I went camping (2nd time!!) again last weekend and this time my friend, Dolce came with me. Here's a short video of us playing and getting dirty!

Dolce

My white American Shepherd friend, Dolce, came to my house for a sleepover. Oh my gosh! We had so much fun. Guess what we did? We played in the pool at 7 o'clock in the morning and then ran like crazy girls through the house. Then we rested, then we played, then rested some more, played some more, etc. I can't wait until the next sleepover. Mommy and Daddy said it's going to be at a campground! Yippee!!

Here are some pictures of us having fun.

Dive Dogs

Mommy and Daddy took me to a Dive Dogs competition last month and it looks like a lot of fun. They were going to let me try it, but I was really tired from playing with Reggie at a new dog park. We have a local group here called High Desert Dive Dogs, or H3D. They practice on Saturdays and Sundays and Mommy might take me there to try it. I hope I like it!

Look at all those Labby friends!