There is No Place Like Home

We're back!
After a great summer vacation to Boston, we are back home with our boys. Thank you Mom, Dad, Granny and the Parker House! Although, we always welcome time away... it is impossible to not miss our boys.

We did enjoy meeting some of the locals and getting our dog fix during our trip. Our new friends include the furry Westie duo in the Harvard mall park and the beautiful Wheaten terrier that was shopping on Boylston. :) I even laughed and cried telling dog stories with Dennis on the flight home. Thanks Boston for a wonderful trip!

Time for some memories...
While we were away, Taylor celebrated one year since his first dog cancer surgery. One year ago today, Taylor was visiting the vet for a follow-up for his grade 1, soft tissue sarcoma surgery - more specifically he was diagnosed with a peripheral nerve sheath tumor. How the time flies, I am looking forward to celebrating his one year anniversary of being cancer free! :)

Taylor will have a BIG party in July... followed by Andre's 10th birthday in August. For now, we will enjoy the small milestones and get ready for the big ones!

Smile for the camera boys!





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Lesson from a Dog: Love

There are so many things I learn from my boys. This morning I came across one of their favorite tug toys. The lesson... Love hurts! But, it's so rewarding. :)


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A Day of Rest - Training Day Three

Every good athlete knows the importance of balancing training with rest. Today, Taylor spent a litle more time resting. :)

The morning began with Taylor very concerned as I emptied the old water from yesterday's adventure into the yard (we don't like to swim with bugs). He relaxed quickly as he saw me filling it up again and jumped right in.

The afternoon got even more exciting. He was very interested as I added a fountain to the pool later this afternoon. It took a little looking at the store, but we found a container fountain kit and it works great! We set it up with the "sprinkle" spout and it made the basic pool look like a dog water park.

After splashing and playing for a bit, our wet and curly Taylor decided to retire in the shade and dry off. I think it was a bit warm for him, but I was enjoying the afternoon sunshine. Maybe, we'll play some more after dinner. :)


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DockDogs Watch Out - Training Day Two

It's day two of our pool training... The pool was filled much higher today and we even added a water pump! What fun! We are now basking in the evening sun and drying off.

I am happy to report that during today's pool time, Taylor dove right in and started splashing around at the hose filling the pool up. He lost interest when we took the hose away... So I got creative!

I dug out an old submergible water pump, from a fish tank of all places, from the basement. We plugged it in and crossed our fingers there I wouldn't get electrocuted from the old thing. :) It worked and even better the noise didn't scare our Taylor away. So, I have plans to do some research tonight and get a better pump to keep the water and bubbles circulating. I don't have high hopes this old pump will run for long.

One may ask, what is the benefit of the water pump? Well, in my "dog pool market research", I have learned that dogs like it best when the water moves. :) It gets even more exciting when a leaf from the willow tree "dares" to fall into the water. That calls for immediate removal and looks something like bobbing for apples.

I am looking forward to day three of training! For now, we will continue to rest and enjoy the sun. :)








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Let the Training Begin - Day 1

Before I begin... let me set the stage. Close your eyes and imagine the theme song from the movie Rocky - "Eye of the Tiger". Let the training begin!

Today was a first at our house. After being inspired by the DockDogs at the Teva Games, I decided that the boys needed a swimming pool to play (and train) in! I'm not sure my three boys were as excited as I was. I got funny looks from them all as I pulled the plastic blue pool out from the garage. :)

Andre was the first to wet his paws and it may have been the last time. :) Jim set him in the small puddle (I didn't even come close to filling it all the way) and Andre stood there staring at me. Talk about a look! If he could talk he would have ordered us to remove him that very moment. He did humor me by walking through the water, just a couple steps, and then demanded he was removed. We got a grunt from him as he walked away. He wasn't too happy about his wet paws, he better stick to the dry version of the speed retrieve competition.


Taylor was next! He was a bit confused by the situation... but he didn't jump out. Our first success. :) I started splashing in the water and he was amazed at the bubbles. He soon started splashing around with his paw on his own. It was the funniest thing. I wish we had caught it on video! I consider training day #1 a success, he spent about 15 minutes playing around and checking it all out. Next, we fill the pool a couple inches... maybe I'll even find a toy. Watch out, we are headed to Big Air at the Teva Games 2012!


When I was finally ready to empty the water, Taylor was very worried about where his water was going. Don't worry Taylor, we will fill it up again. I can't wait for a nice hot weekend we can train more!

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A Weekend of Adventure!

What a weekend! We got to get away and headed up to the Teva Mountain Games in Vail... thanks Mom, Dad and Granny for watching the boys! :)

The fun included getting to see Jager break the world record in the DockDog Big Air jump... it was amazing! I can't wait to see him compete on tv later this year... the boys and I will be cheering this rescue dog on.

The weekend also included watching the kayaking, rafting, biking, Rocky Dog trail run (Taylor and I can totally do this!), speed retrieve (this is Andre's expertise!) and getting a bunch of swag. We got to meet Elvis, the nine year old terrier who took fifth place in the speed retrieve this morning showing size and age don't matter (we can learn a lot from him). We got to see Eddie, the official black lab of Eddie Bauer. A shout out to the 170 pound mastiff (we watched BigAir with) and the cute little itchy Boston terrier (that reminded us of our Andre).

We saw athletes and animals alike that beat life's obstacles. From the three legged shepard mix and one eyed retriever... to the poor guy who couldn't stay standing practicing for surf cross and the biker who crashed in the mountain bike racing.

Best of all, we scoped out the competition for the 2012 games! This weekend taught us, it's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog! Now, we are back home with our boys, giving them their the Vail Pet Partners bandanas and getting ready for the week ahead. :)

By chance, if the lady from the North Face store is reading this... Go with your gut and rescue the blind, deaf and three legged dog! To the man in the store, he has fight and will learn to hike with your help. :)






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The Good Life!

All I can say is... Thank goodness for the entertainment my boys provide! Tonight they have been running through the house like wild monkeys. Things are just starting to calm down and Andre is looking for a spot to relax. For them, this is the good life!

It's so strange to think that we are a week away from the one year anniversary of Taylor's cancer diagnosis. At our house, we have decided to make this the best summer ever and celebrate big! I haven't decided what the full celebration will include... But stay tuned, it will be good! Not only do we get to celebrate Taylor's health, but Andre's 10th birthday. It's going to be fun :)


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