7 Sep: C & C Visit the Coast

I'm staying with Dave's mum in Saanichton for a while with the dogs, while Dave's still in Lethbridge. Of course he misses his dogs and family, so I promised to send some pictures.

The backyard here is tiny, so they go out (on leash) in the front yard. This morning they had a massively wild and crazy romp together in the woods, so weren't cooperating very well for an afternoon front yard photo shoot!

Here's what I got from my two (reluctant) models, who are now snoring away in their beds...

Cosmo shows his tiredness

I can't sit straight, my spine muscles are tired from running...

I can't even sit up anymore, I've used up all my energy and you didn't give me any treats

I'm soooooo hungry without treats that I've been forced to eat the leash!

Okay I'll do a half-sit/half-down, if I have to.

Don't laugh at my gangly legs!

Okay that's enough for me, I'm just going to collapse here on the lawn like a true model who hasn't eaten in days.

I couldn't resist a close-up for Cosmo's wavy coat!

ARE YOU DONE YET?? I'm ready for a nap (and I think Cyndi Lauper did my ears when I wasn't looking)

 Cedar was also tired, but with her it's more of a 'I'm not as intense as usual' rather than an actual 'off' switch. The gardeners from next door were walking by with loads of green waste, which was far more interesting than Mum with a black box pressed against her face.

Hmmm, I see a wheelbarrow of branches going by...I wonder if I could grab one and get back here without mum noticing.

Smells like slugs! And snails! And all sorts of oozy things that like the damp!

Wait, there go those wheelbarrows again...didn't see anything fall out, though. Disappointing

Oh, maybe they're going to talk to me! I should be ready to jump up on them and lick their ears.

The long view - Cedar has a very loooong body

Pretty girl, looking for her dad. :)

Hope to get some action pics in the next while for a more scintillating blog post!

24 July: Fun Day at the Lake

Lately we've been doing a lot of field training, which is great for Cedar because she's figured out just how fun it is, and sort of good for Cosmo - though he'd rather be playing.

Sometimes dogs just need to be dogs and run around like mad to get the heebies out. This morning was a good day for a trip to the north end of Keho Lake, where the dogs could swim and run around in freshly-hayed grass. All off-leash, all the time - loads of fun!

Cedar entered the water from stage left with her customary enthusiasm:

Does this pose make my waist look tiny?

Bracing for impact, eyes on the toy...

Yup that's Cedar under there. Fastest dog in the west! lol

On land she was her whirling dervish self, happy to be racing around with toys at warp speed

Incoming!

Then there's Cosmo. He's been having a rough time with teething (though Cedar's been helping extract teeth - she found one of his molars this morning!). And he's often so overwhelmed by Cedar's enthusiasm that he doesn't take 'the plunge' and really go swimming. He'd swum once before, with Blazingstar's Tinbie, but hasn't really been excited about it.

Today was his day to change that! A while back we got this lighthouse toy, which Crazy & Little had 'reviewed' on their blog. It's fantastic! And easy to see in the water. Perfect for a new swimmer splasher like Cosmo.

Looks like he thinks he can walk on water...

Cosmo swimming. See his front paw reaching out really far, like he could push off on top of the water. *Sigh*...

Whoops! Head up little man, head up!

The black water shark reaches for the lighthouse toy with its toothless gums...lol!

Yay Cosmo, look at you go!

Phew, that was hard work but I'm so excited my eyes are bugging out!

I'm a star, I know it. :)

By the end of the visit Cosmo was excited to get in the water and get the toy. And when I say 'excited', I don't mean off the charts, jumping and squeaking, body slamming excitement like Cedar. But more - yeah, let's do this excitement. :)

Until a butterfly came along and he had to chase it. That's our highly focused easily distracted boy!

I know it's around here somewhere - it just flew past my head...now why can't I see that butterfly?

5 June: It's All Fun & Games Until Someone Loses a Tooth

Alternate title: When Cosmo Met Parker (not entirely true, since they first met on Sunday...)

Nervous Cosmo (L) on a first date with the slightly older, sexier & happier Parker (R)

There are a pleasantly surprising number of flatcoats in this neck of the woods grasses (?). We have Cedar from Eagletarn in Richmond, and Cosmo from Coastalight in Nanaimo. Liz at Blazingstar has a couple of dogs from their own breeding line (Tinbie and Puffin), and Cava from Kennel Bramatha in the UK. Judy Hunt has Roxy and Mazie from Affinity in the Fraser Valley, and Kona from Blazingstar. Sarah N. recently lost Kaleb, who was from Prairielight in Saskatoon.

22 Mar: Spring Training

March has been a month of snowstorms - as soon as the chinook wind strips off the previous snowfall, there's another one to take its place. Since the calendar says it's spring, time for some spring training - field training, that is!

Wet spring snow covers the dry fall grasses.

19 Mar: One Year Ago

A year ago we brought Cedar home from the Coast. We'd picked her up at the end of February and spent a week taking her to the beaches of Parksville, before heading back to the dry prairie.

9 week old Cedar, fetching!