Jarka, Monty & Auggie's Blog (18)

Two weeks ago Auggie turned 4! It's so hard to believe!

My "trouble" child, my itty-bitty-buddy-boo (well, not really itty-bitty) is an adult doodle. At least physically, LOL.

So what has he been up to in the last year?

Since his older brother Monty was out of commission most of 2015 thanks to his knee surgeries and rehab, I got to spend a lot of time with Auggie alone. Those of you with multiple doodles know how hard it is to have a dedicated one on one time…

Where does the time go? My baby Auggie-doggie is three today! Seriously?!?

Those of you who remember my early struggle with him as a second "child" would love to know that he is such a great and goofy doodle. I love him to pieces. And no, I don't compare him to Monty anymore. They are both different in a wonderful way. After Monty's knee surgery, I got to spent more time alone with Augustus. He grew into a happy silly and sweet boy. I think he is one of those dogs that never fully…

Some of you who are my friends on FB know that I volunteer for our local animal shelter taking pictures of the dogs.

I have been doing this since April and even though I feel bad for all the wonderful dogs suck at a shelter, I managed to keep my cool. Until early November 6th, when I noticed a small poodle mix was brought to the shelter as a stray. I was there the day after they checked her in, and for some reason I just had to see her. She was in the "found" area waiting for somebody…

Where did the time go, right? I'm still exhausted when I think of our first few months together.

Those of you who were telling me 2 years ago that the difficult puppies are always the ones who will make you smile later on, were completely right. He is one of those eternal puppies, a never-aging dog. Very silly, playful, and just a love bug. He does not chase balls, unless there is a ball he can steal from his brother. His favorite game is a chase. I want to put a collar on him…

It seems that March is a lucky month for several of us who get to celebrate our doodles' birthdays. Better yet, I know of a couple of doodles who were born on the same date Monty was, just a year ahead: Jack (of Jennifer and Jack, and Daphne (of Lori, Daphne & Lucy). How cool is that? I don't know anyone who would have the same birth date as me!

So, Monty is turning 4. Time is flying way too fast. He will forever be my first dog, my love. He helped me learn about dogs and with the…

I don't have two-legged kids so Monty and Auggie are not used to being around fast-moving and loud little people, other than sporadic visits from my DH's grandkids here and there.

My best friend Denisa and her DH Sam came to visit from Slovakia and we got to spend a wonderful week together. They have a 6 year-old first-grader, Scarlett, and she of course came along with them. For weeks before their arrival, little Scarlett was telling her classmates that she is going to stay with two…

A couple of weeks ago I came across a post about Petco's contest that was supposed to celebrate the owners, named The Great Ones. You were to submit a written story or a video that would show why you are a great pet owner. It had been going on since March and closed at the end of August. The grand prize was $50,000 for the owner and an equal prize for a selected animal shelter. Each month Petco chose 10 finalists who would compete for the grand prize. So I looked at the finalists from each…

Ever since Monty came to our family, our vacation planning evolves around the dog. Now with Auggie in the mix, it's double important. I truly have not taken a time off from my dogs ever. I'm just not comfortable boarding the two....it's just too hot outside in summer and I know they both prefer staying inside most of the day in the heat. And then there is this little thing of me missing and worrying about them all the time.

So this summer we've decided to attend the annual Colorado…

Guess who is 1 year old on Wednesday!  Can you believe it? It seems like yesterday that I was complaining about the 10 week old puppy and suddenly he is 1! 

Auggie is such a happy boy! And a good boy as well. Very patient, very soft with his mouth. Loves to play a lot; he will be one of those eternal puppies. I've discovered that Auggie loves water so my next task is to take him swimming. 

Happy Birthday, puppy Auggie! Thank you for being so patient with me.…

Many of you know that when we added Auggie to our family last summer, I naively hoped I was getting a clone of Monty. I mean, same dad, just a different mom, how much variety can there be? First time dog owner with Monty. Boy, was I mistaken! The difference is apparent in the looks, everyone sees that. It's deeper than the looks, though. I was thinking what makes these two half-brothers so different. And here is what I came up with:

Monty does everything with a verve. And I mean VERVE…

...well, almost. You do need to start a story with a catch phrase, right?

Auggie is fortunate enough to be in touch with his real brother Jack. They went together to the same socialization class when they were just tiny-tiny skinny-butt puppies and they also met a few times for a local doodle romp.

And yes, they looked like twins. They only way to tell them apart…

Auggie is 8 months old today. Where did the time go? He's been home for 6 months already and I'm happy to report that I'm still alive. :-) As you know the first few weeks were really hard for me. But fortunately, puppies grow fast and the humans get used to the chaos eventually.

Auggie still loves to terrorize his older brother Monty and to destroy the backyard. But, he has grown into a very sweet puppy (you can tell this especially when he is separated from his brother). Being used…

It has been two weeks since we brought Auggie home and I feel like I have not slept for two full years.  I should have probably sent this as a private message to my DK friends in order not to incriminate myself, but who cares. I’m exhausted.

A while back we had a discussion about a TV show portraying dog owners willing to spend big bucks cloning their bellowed dogs.…

I had a conference to attend in San Diego in June and since my DH's son is in NAVY and stationed in San Diego, we've decided to make this a family vacation. So instead of me flying to the conference by myself, we drove from Denver to San Diego with Monty. This was Monty's first long trip and I have to admit, I was not sure what to expect. To my great relief, he did just great. In fact, I believe he was born to travel. He slept most of the time while the car was moving.…

I have always loved dogs, but until recently, the situation did not allow me to have my own dog. I did not know what to expect and had no idea how much better life can be with a dog...let alone a DOODLE. Monty turned 2 in March and it got me contemplating about our two years together. Here is a handful of things every new doodle owner should expect to happen:

1. You will never shower alone...and I mean EVER again. So get used to stepping out…

You are 2 today and I'm so proud of you. You brought so much joy and happiness into our house in those two years. I'm looking forward to returning all the love and attention you gave us each and every day for many years to come. You are so precious, my big boy, I LOVE YOU!

The day we brought you home:

On the morning of your 2nd birthday:…

I love dogs and animals of all sizes and shapes. After having a bird and a guinea pig, Monty is finally my first dog and what a good dog he is. We are hoping to pass the Therapy dog certification with Delta Society in February 2012. In the meantime, I keep his training routine going. While back I got him a dog vest with patches that read: "I'm friendly, ask to pet me. Therapy dog in training." We take Monty…

I was working from home today and Monty was keeping me company on the loft, when suddenly I heard him snoring on the chair. This is what I saw:

The sound of my camera must have disturbed his sleep and he rolled over. Since he is a big…