Jay, Lola and Colonel Esau's Blog (16)

I don't have a poop bag list (actually I'm lucky if I remember to have a poop bag when I leave the house, let alone a list) - but if I did, I would have just added my first entry.  Carol and her husband John are in town for their daughter's wedding, and even with their tight schedule, they graciously stopped by to meet me, Lola and Esau.  

Time was short, and there was so much I wanted to say and hear... I'm sure I was talking a mile a minute (sorry if that was the case Carol and…

SO ... I had sent some photos of where I live to a few people on DK, which in turn led to my making a little video to try to explain where I was photographing.  And I just remembered, right after we moved her I had posted a blog about our great new dog-friendly living situation.  You may recall we were joking around about moving the DK vacation community here.  At the time I had said I would try to get some photos to give people a better sense of what I was talking about.  Well, here are a…

This is what I woke up to the other morning.  The name pretty much says it all.

This is how Lola likes to wake Esau up each morning.  Sometimes it goes on for five or ten minutes until he finally gets up.

I was out shopping for puppy supplies for Colonel Esau and of course I had to pick up a few treats for my two other favorites dogs waiting back home ... at first Sophie didn't seem too interested in the one I got her - she is somewhat picky about her "presents" - but turns out she liked it just fine once she got home:

Guess who showed up and surprised us yesterday?  Bumblebee and his Autobot buddies!  (Actually they were filming across the street...)…

Getting ready to celebrate Lola's first birthday this Sunday:

A doggie pool party at the K9 Oasis!

If anyone is in the Chicago…

As hard as it may be to believe, I don't have much to say about this one.  Just a nice, relaxing time on Friday evening after work.  Oh, and I bought a portable camping shower at REI for $25.  I keep it in the trunk of my car, along with a microfiber towel and a couple of brushes.  That way it's easier to get cleaned up onsite without getting a lot of sand and mud in the car.…

Yesterday was an absolutely perfect day here in Chicago, and I was luckily to spend it hiking and playing with three amazing ladies - my new friend Monica, her dog Sophie and of course Lola.  A muddy good time was had by all.

Lola did such a great job swimming and retrieving out of the water.  She put almost every other dog to shame.  Its hard to believe that a month ago, she wouldn't even go in past where she can stand.  My taking her in with me and teaching her to swim, kind of like…

Sometimes I find myself so overwhelmed with love and admiration for this little dog, I just don't know how to express it.  I mean, many times each day I tell her I love her and give her a little pat or scratch behind the ears.  I see her gazing back at me with those big brown eyes, and I know that love is reciprocated.  But sometimes it doesn't seem like enough. Does anyone else experience this?

The other day there was a doggie swimming party.  It was little hectic, so I wasn't able…

I finally brought myself to watch the actual video from the tragedy in Hawthorne, California.  For anyone who may not know what I am talking about, here is the link to the news story talking about that video:

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Witness-of-Hawthorne-Dog-Shooting-Tells-Story-214103031.html

As far as the video itself ... disturbing…

Unlike many of you, I'm not a huge photography guy.  Not because I don't like it; I do.  More because there are already so many items to keep track of when we leave the house (keys? cell phone? wallet? leash? poop bags? ball? hat? gloves? jacket? scarf?) that I resist adding another to the mix - particularly one that is expensive, fragile and requires both hands to operate.

Nevertheless, there are so many moments with Lola that I wish I could capture - even if not as perfect…

Check out the VERY INSPIRATIONAL video of a 7-year-old girl and her Schutzhund dog.

This might be the cutest thing Lola has ever done.  I'm working from home.  I have my shoes and jacket on and leash nearby.  Then I get an email for work that I really need to respond to.  I keep telling Lola, please be patient, just give me a few minutes and then we will go for a walk.  She is being so good, sitting next to me and patiently watching me type.  After a while she starts to get impatient and pawing at the screen a little bit.  I tell her, yes, Lola, almost done.  Finally, she…

Hi everyone, and Happy Easter to those who celebrate it.  I was just thinking about how fortunate I feel to have found this site and all of you.  Some of you may know that I originally got Lola with my now-ex fiancée.  Unfortunately that relationship did not work out, for a number of reasons too personal to get into here.  My point is that I am a single doodle parent, and there are times when things happen with Lola that I feel like I just have to share.  Moments too…

I hope I'm not violating any guideline by posting this.  I don't think I am.  I just thought it was a good story and wanted to share.  Really it was the fact that my very serious father was the one who sent it to me was the best part.…