Pat and Traveler's Blog (40)

I don't fit through the little holes--must have ball!

A different perspective...must have ball!

When in doubt, dig!…

Portland, Oregon!!!   Yipeeeee!!

The beloved, battered and once again repaired traveling trophy was life-flighted from Texas to a top-notch repair facility in Pennsylvania before winging its way back across the country to Oregon.  The reason for this detour has to do with the trophy falling apart from all the doodle lovin' it has received.

For those who might not know, the Hopeless Doodle Addict trophy and a selection of goodies from the most recent addict's…

We have new neighbors a couple of houses up on the other side of the street.  I noticed this morning that there was a young pit bull looking dog in their yard, trying to dig his way under the gate.  He'd gotten his head and part of a shoulder out.  Nobody was home at his house.  I took a big piece of firewood over and stuffed it under the gate, which seemed to scare him away from that spot. 

I'd been out for most of the afternoon, and had company later on.  Looking out, I saw the dog…

Apparently I left a gate open yesterday when I was mowing the lawn.  Trav has been outside  several times since then, but maybe didn't notice that one gate was open, and I didn't either.

This afternoon we played ball in the yard for a while, and I'd been back inside for some time when I heard him 'talking.'  He was using a little in-the-throat sound that usually means 'I want to go outside,' which was strange since the door was already open.

When I looked out, he was patiently…

Trav and I go to a nearby park most mornings to play ball.  I take two Chuckit balls, throw one and when Trav gallops back and drops it, I throw the other one for him.   I've had some humiliating public experiences with the Chuckit launcher, which I'd really rather not discuss, and this is our more gracious, less destructive, adaptation of that game.  Trav stays in motion all the time.  When he starts returning at a walk or slow trot, I know he's had enough running and jumping and we…

I brought Traveler home on Christmas Eve day, 2009.  It was serendipity–when I woke up that morning I didn’t know that by nightfall I’d be under new management--by a puppy!  I’d been checking doodle websites for months, and that morning found what sounded like the perfect breeder just 15 miles from my house, and she happened to have three adorable, chocolate, eight-week-old puppies!   The more I read, the more excited I got.  Everything sounded perfect–the puppies were raised in her home,…

Trav and I were the lucky winners of a $50 gift card credit from Only Natural Pet Store, thanks to the Doodle Kisses calendar drawing.  And did we score some great stuff! 

First, I agonized for what seemed like hours over the vast array of items I could order, but finally managed to make my selections.  Then I lost the screen, and the selections!  Despair.  The selection process began again, and was eventually completed.  We've been waiting …

Trav's newest park buddy is a Coton de Tulear puppy named Moxie.  He's five months old and can really run, considering he has such short little legs.  His dad was watching me or I might have scooped him up and brought him home.  :)…

Grendel, my daughter’s dog, spends about half his time with us.  During this last visit, Gren has asserted his domination over Trav and has enjoyed charging or giving a few big barks and sending Trav scurrying for his ‘safety’ spots.  Trav can hide behind a table in the living room…

I knew that already, but just happened to notice my new status on my page.  Such fun to join such an illustrious group!

Nothing dramatic or really note-worthy, just fun.  There was a soft, misty rain, and we got to the nearby park by about 7 a.m.  First, Trav spotted Kaye, the cookie lady, who keeps the park neat and clean, and always has a pocket full of home-made dog treats.  Trav adores her, and recognizes her from all the way across the park.  I let him go, and he raced across the park to say hello and get his treat.  He knows he’s supposed to sit before he gets his treat, so he starts sitting when he’s…

Grendel, daughter's dog, is visiting for a while, and when a UPS package arrived, he grabbed it and opened it for her.  It was hilarious, and he didn't touch the shoes inside!  I was so amused I forgot all about trying to get pictures or videos until some time in the aftermath.  Now, this might not be something you would want your dog to do, but Gren would have stopped anytime if told to.  He just loves to open boxes!  Trav was fascinated too, and learned from his bro.  He sort of delicately…

We haven’t really mastered a nice ‘greeting people at the door.’ My bad–I’ve been negligent. Strangers aren’t a problem. Trav jumps up on the leather couch by the door and observes, with great interest, his head in the general vicinity of my shoulder. He doesn’t bark or door dash; he’s just there to observe.

If one of his Beloved People arrive, greeting takes on a whole new meaning. He has a vague and imperfect grasp of the concept ‘don’t jump up–four on the floor.’ There’s the couch…

Traveler isn’t much interested in the ocean, unless a wave sneaks up behind him and gets his feet wet. Somehow I always expect him to be really excited about seeing a huge expanse of moving water, but he’s much more interested in whatever driftwood he can find and drag over to me, hoping for a good game of chase. Driftwood was sparse during one section of a walk, but he did find an orange. Why would there be a lone orange on an unpopulated beach? Darned if I know! If a dog could say ‘ick,’…

I sought advice recently in a discussion about Traveler protecting the bed (or me) from his visiting 'brother,' Grendel.  Here's a picture of the two of them sharing the bed.  Of course, there's no room for ME, but they're happy.  In fact, in the last 3-4 days I've discovered that Trav gets protective only when I'm actually IN the bed, and he's maybe very subtly protective at other times, like possibly trying to get between Gren and me when both dogs are milling around and I'm petting both…

Trav has a place of ultimate refuge in the house. When things have become unbearably horrible, he retreats to a small area in the bathroom between the toilet and the wall and just stands there. He’s elected to escape to this refuge on only 6 or 7 occasions in his 1-1/2 years–a couple of times when he saw me gathering grooming tools after the previous grooming session was too vigorous for his taste, and when he realized I was getting ready to give him a bath in the kitchen sink, an activity…

Not really a play pose...

No mistaking this message!

Trav and I had an interesting couple of days house and pet sitting for a friend. I’ve been a little nervous about doing this ever since I agreed to it, because my…

When I use my hair dryer, I sit cross-legged on the floor in my room by a convenient electrical outlet. From the time Trav was a tiny puppy, he has considered this activity to be one of our special bonding times. He is always right there when I plug in the dryer, circling happily around me, occasionally getting tangled up in the cord. Early on, the appearance of the dryer somehow became associated with his blanket, so he has to find and fetch the blanket in order to provide the right…

I took Trav to my daughter’s new house this afternoon, and it’s a good thing there wasn’t a video of this train wreck. First, this daughter is on Trav’s list of Most Beloved People, which means the best way for them to meet would include her wearing a suit of armour and holding a chair and whip to keep him at bay while he does the doggie equivalent of joyful back flips, somersaults and flying-Wallenda-like stunts involving available furniture. There are sound effects too–tiny whining…