This last week, Darwin's friend Muppet came to visit. I was really excited to see what having two dogs was like, and I knew Darwin would love the non-stop play!
Having two dogs, is very different from having one. It actually took me off guard, how much of my daily routine it affected. On the up side, it's fun to see two different personalities. Also, Darwin got MUCH more exercise when he had a pup to play with all day. They mainly entertained themselves, etc. On the downside, twice…
Continue
Added by Camilla and Darwin on April 12, 2010 at 9:43pm —
8 Comments
Something truly frightening that happened to me last week. It really made me stop and think about how much more careful I need to be about my pup's safety.
Darwin loves to play with a yellow lab named Mauii that lives at our apartment complex. We wanted to find a place at our complex that we could let them play off leash, so we didn't have to drive 20 minutes to a dog park. I doubted we would be allowed, but thought I'd give it a go. I asked our landlords if…
Continue
Added by Camilla and Darwin on April 10, 2010 at 7:30am —
16 Comments
I posted a discussion in the photography group a while back and asked about how to get Darwin to do more interesting poses. Well, I posted a picture of him sitting and someone told me I should try and get a shot without his leash.
That can be quite difficult because during the daytime where we live, he has to be on leash whenever we are outdoors. (apartment, no yard) Yet if we take him to a dog park, the chance of getting him to sit for a picture is about.. zero percent. The result is…
Continue
Added by Camilla and Darwin on March 26, 2010 at 10:30pm —
13 Comments
Holidays are a big deal in my family. A BIG deal. I have grown up celebrating every holiday to it's fullest. A few examples of the holidays we go all out for:
-St Patrick's day, we have always had a big "gold" hunt at our local park. We had visits from leprochauns, and my mom even died our milk and eggs green. (I know, gross. But it was cool when I was a kid.)
-We were/are that annoying family that started listening to Christmas music the day after Halloween. (no joke) We had…
Continue
Added by Camilla and Darwin on March 21, 2010 at 6:52pm —
16 Comments
I have been wanting to upgrade Darwin's old nylon collar to a nice leather one for quite some time. I did a lot of searching but all I could find was boring brown and black ones. This would be fine... but I really wanted something more exciting. So I looked harder. In my search, I found this collar which I absolutely loved.
It's perfect! Bright, fun, leather... and 200 dollars. 200 DOLLARS! Yeah, that is outrageous.
So I searched…
Continue
Added by Camilla and Darwin on March 12, 2010 at 10:30pm —
14 Comments
As you all know, we have been considering getting a second dog in the near future. I have researched, and I believe I have come to a decision on what we are looking for. A Standard Poodle, preferably apricot, red, or brown. There are three breeders I'm considering... but I can't bring myself to be put on their waiting list.
Darwin is really an easy keeper. He's going through his little rebellious stage, but it is nothing we can't handle. He is very submissive, no behavioral…
Continue
Added by Camilla and Darwin on March 10, 2010 at 2:50pm —
12 Comments
I knew it would happen, and I thought I had prepared. But it's more frustrating than I expected. He seriously, was an angel up to a month or two ago. Then, things he seemingly knew perfectly started to go out the window. Like, um, COME. Yeah, major problem. He now looks at me, evaluates whether or not he WANTS to come, then goes from there. You can probably guess what he usually decides. <sigh> I am desperately trying to be patient and consistent like I should be... but it's hard not to…
Continue
Added by Camilla and Darwin on March 4, 2010 at 10:36pm —
11 Comments
I have to say that I really love having this blog. I may not use it much, but it's good to know I have a place I can ramble and maybe even get useful feedback on all of my crazy thoughts. This post is going to be long. I just have so much to consider!
I am a MAJOR dog person. Since I was two or three I have been obsessed. My first birthday present I can remember was "The Encyclopedia of the Dog" by Bruce Fogle. I have read that book SO many times it isn't even funny. Ironically, my…
Continue
Added by Camilla and Darwin on February 25, 2010 at 4:10pm —
14 Comments
I have been experimenting with my point and shoot a lot lately... mostly to convince myself I don't need a fancy SLR. :-) Anyways, I have been using the different settings and decided to try out the super macro. It's AMAZING! I don't think I have ever been able to get such a sharp photo from so up close. I need to work on keeping my hands more still, or perhaps getting out the tabletop tripod. There are a few things that could be in clearer focus. But If you like to take pictures of still life…
Continue
Added by Camilla and Darwin on February 13, 2010 at 4:32pm —
14 Comments
Darwin has been lucky to have lots of friends to play with in the past few months. It's nice to have him come home worn out. With all this playing he has done some pretty hardcore napping, and we have certainly enjoyed that! We recently got to go to a Doodle Romp for Utah doodle owners. He had a blast! I thought I would share a few of our favorite photos from the romp... thanks Azure&Muppet for taking such great shots of the romp!
Darwin at play:…
Continue
Added by Camilla and Darwin on February 4, 2010 at 11:24am —
4 Comments
After much deliberation, combing through lots and lots of discussions, and agonizing, I came to a decision.
I was brushing through Darwin today, and found three matts on his chest. I knew it must be the beginning of the dreaded coat change. I have to say I AM prepared. I bought a new brush, and i have already developed the habit of completely line brushing him every night. But after working on those matts for 20 minutes, his fur was red and sore and he hated it the whole…
Continue
Added by Camilla and Darwin on January 26, 2010 at 10:12am —
26 Comments
I remember when we first got Darwin everyone was so drawn to his scruffy soft fur. Looking at his old pictures I have to laugh... He's not fluffy at all compared to what he is now. Everywhere we go people are always asking if he is an Old English sheepdog. I have to say, I don't see the resemblance... but he does have a similar... puffiness.
I think his hair grows fairly fast for a doodle. We cut him down to an inch when he was five months old because his fur was so long. At eight…
Continue
Added by Camilla and Darwin on January 13, 2010 at 8:30pm —
15 Comments
We take Darwin to my parents house every now and then to visit, and let him run around in the backyard. It's a one acre lot, and full of fun interesting smells. There are horses on both sides of my parents lot, and he loves to run up to the fence and stare at them. It really makes me long for a backyard. We live in an apartment, and although we frequently take him to dog parks and hiking trails... nothing compares to a big yard. Hopefully in the next couple years we can find a home with a…
Continue
Added by Camilla and Darwin on January 12, 2010 at 9:01pm —
14 Comments
After much deliberation we finally decided we would let Darwin up on the couch with us. My husband and I are both happy we did. He is so much more snuggly now that he is getting older, and during the evening he will curl up and cuddle all night. I feel like it has made us both happier now that we have that physical bonding where I can just pet and scratch him for a few hours. We work during the day so I think it's important that he gets that one on on time when we get home.…
Continue
Added by Camilla and Darwin on January 12, 2010 at 8:23pm —
9 Comments
My husband and I had a day trip we had to take and weren't sure what to do with Darwin. I decided to enroll him in doggy daycare. We looked around at the local kennels and decided on Petsmart due to it's cleanliness and fun atmosphere. I knew Darwin would have fun playing with other pups all day, so it was a huge relief to know he was taken care of all day. When we got back he was pooped, and happy. They even gave us a little report card to show us how well Darwin did. I'm so proud. :-)…
Continue
Added by Camilla and Darwin on November 21, 2009 at 9:18pm —
6 Comments
