dog massage

A found this video on Daily Candy a few weeks back and have since tried these massage techniques on several dogs including Henri and Franklin, of course.

I have noticed that by following the instructions on the video , my furry subjects really do enjoy their treatment, a few have even fallen asleep. Give it a try, you'll be amazed.

the view from here

Sunday evening at our house.

fair warning

This might be the best dog tag ever.

(Can't find the source...sorry, brilliant person who designed this!)

ice monsters

I have spotted two ice monsters in our yard on a regular basis lately, they like to eat snow.

international sheepdog championships

Yesterday Josh and I attended the Soldier Hollow Classic, International Sheepdog Competition in Heber, Utah. We have never been before and didn't know what to expect but thought we would go check it out. It turned out to be a beautiful day, so nice to spend in the mountains eating Aussie Pies and watching man's best friend hard at work.

Dogs travelled from all over the world to compete. It was impressive to see them herding sheep (and ducks!). They were given signals with a whistle by their owner and were not allowed to bite or nip any of the animals. They had to drive the sheep around a course within a prescribed amount on time, separate out 5 sheep from 16 and then herd them into the pen with the help of their owner. I could learn a little about being patient from those dogs.


{jill traveled all the way from south africa}


{the standings}


{a little help from a friend}


{enthusiastic spectators}

Oh, I forgot to mention the amazing petting zoo...I got to pet a baby yak and miniature llamas!


{a baby yak!}


{miniature llama fur pants}


{miniature sheep and horse}

rested

Hope you had a restful weekend.


{franklin and me having a nap}

ruff week

This week...

...we cared for a baby bird named Donald that had been abandoned by his mom, we hand fed him every few hours in hopes that we could save him, he passed away.

...when picking up Henri from his vet appointment a woman brought in her darling chocolate lab/husky mix puppy named Chocolate who had just been attacked by two pitbulls. The little guy was badly injured and she had no way to pay for his medical care so another lady and I paid to help him.

...on a way to a meeting I saw a dog get hit by a car, I could not tell how badly he had been injured, he slunk away and I was unable to find him.

My heart is breaking for each of these little guys, I wish I could help them all.

course a'lure

This weekend we brought Henri and Franklin to the Course a'Lure competition at The Humane Society of Utah. The obstacle lure course utilizes a pulley system with a fake furry rodent used to lure the pups. The dogs then chase the lure through the course while they are timed. You can enter your dog as many times as you like and a good portion of the proceeds go to HSU.

For the first round, Henri was a little confused, so I ran the course with him, Franklin was completely uninterested and didn't make it past the starting line. After a very poor first time, and a bathroom break in the middle of the lap, Henri got the idea and wanted to compete more. He went crazy!

Henri was an amazing competitor and improved his time by 50%, Franklin was a model spectator. Although, Henri didn't win for time (he was considerable shorter than the athletes), he did win a ribbon for Most Precious Competitor.


{henri navigating the course for the first time}


{his strategy involved some creative maneuvers}


{the little man in action}


{the ribbon henri proudly wore home}

feeding frenzy

The buddies certainly enjoyed their chicken dinner this evening.

two moons

Missing all three of my boys...these two and the one behind the camera. See you in 2 more moons!

XO


{pic taken last night by josh}

the art of racing in the rain

I have devoured The Art of Racing in the Rain in just a matter of days. Written from the perspective of Enzo, a very special and deep thinking four legged fur child, this story has given me new insight to the life and loves of our canine family members.

air show

When we flew Henri (pre-Franklin) to Canada for Christmas last year, we purchased a soft carrier in a hurry. There were very limited options, let's say he didn't fly in high style.

We recently found out about Sleepypod. They make stylish (makes Bree happy), comfortable (makes Henri and Franklin happy) pods for pet transportation that store flat (makes Josh happy). They are not inexpenive, but neither is taking your dog on vacation.


{sleepypod air}

grrr

As further evidence that dogs may be one of our best teachers, I offer you this quote that I saw at a book store today...

"Never bite when a growl will do."

chester

Two weeks ago we made our way to Canada to see my sister, Dawn, to marry her love, Jon.

Josh and I had the special privelege of caring for our dogphew, Chester. Our job was to pick up Chester from his babysitters (already dressed in his tux) for the ceremony, then supervise him while he greeted people, sit with him during the ceremony, deliver him to his photo shoot, and return him to the sitters for his sleepover party.

He was such a good boy, only a little bit of whimpering and some unexpected gas... but nothing a little Timmy Holedigger dog cologne couldn't fix.


{chester and uncle josh}


{so excited for mom and dad!}


{chester and auntie bree}

part bull?

You may remember this photo of our little Franklin from a previous post...



We may have figured out where our Wild Thing came from...

dog gone day

We all missed Henri today while he was at the animal hospital having emergency surgery on his bladder. My heart broke for Henri, and for Franklin who didn't know where his brother went. Happily he will be home tonight.


{franklin waiting for henri's return}

hello world

Five years ago my life was very uncertain in many ways. I was still figuring out who I was and what I wanted, I suppose I was just growing up.

At the same time, a beautiful little soul was born into the world and would come into my life 8 weeks later. I would call him Henri.

More than anyone in this world, he has been by my side through good and bad, loving me unconditionally through it all. He helped me find my way and continues to do so every day.

In celebration of his 5th birthday, I will donate $5 to the Humane Society of Utah for every comment left on this post between now and September 30th. I will also match any donations made to the Humane Society of Utah (just leave a note on your comment about your donation).

great crate

Monster and the Troll each need a new kennel. I thought if we could somehow convince them to share, we might be able to justify the purchase of an eiCrate.

I keep reminding Josh that this is much less expensive than a nursery...ha ha!

new hoot

With 8 consecutive days of rain here, I have spent a lot of time reading lately. Tonight I am going to start my new book, Wesley the Owl, a love story about an owl and his girl.

wolfman frank

This is what our little Franklin looks like when the sun goes down.