Petal has a backpack and Lassie wears baseball caps! 😀
Evening Stroll
Petal’s first trip to the dog park
My family and I took Lassie and Petal to the dog park Monday evening. The closest dog park is about 55 miles away and this was Petal’s first time ever at a dog park. She did very well!
Jetta (dog running), Petal and Zoe (black dane pup).
My favorite thing about the dog park is watching the dogs interact, of course, and watching the owners, too. I find it completely hilarious how everyone’s dogs went so well with their personalities/appearance. For example, there was this older guy there who was all proper and polite with his very proper Poodle. Then there was this tall, very beautiful girl with her lean, tall and gorgeous Weimaraner, both of which seemed to have a love for life. There was a German Shepherd with her athletic and outdoorsy owner. There was a couple with two dogs, one of them was some sort of Setter/hunting dog (I forget the exact breed) and she went perfectly with the man, while the laid back Great Dane puppy went very well with his wife.
Lassie & Zoe.
While watching everyone, I noticed that my poor Petal seems to be socially awkward, like I am (though I feel that I have gotten better). Rather than playing with the dogs, she spent half of her time running along beside them, watching them play together. Sometimes she would start to chase them, but as soon as they turned around to chase her, her tail went between her legs and she would look at them like “I SURRENDER! I SURRENDER!”
She spent the other half of her time trying to get the little dogs in the small dog area of the park to come over to the fence and play with her. Apparently they’re more fun or maybe they’re just less intimidating (though I hardly think so).
Petal: “I was meant to be a little dog.”
Despite her socially awkwardness, she still seemed to have a great time and she was definitely a very happy girl (and very exhausted once we got back in the car to go home).
With time I think Petal will get use to the dog park and pretty soon she’ll be everyone’s best friend. Or a pest to everyone, depends on how you look at it. ;]
Petal & Zoe.
The poodle owner described Petal as “exuberant” I think it’s the perfect word for her.
I just don’t understand why he seemed so surprised. Does his dog not jump and bounce around for joy at being leash-free and in a completely new environment?
Petal’s First Camping Trip
At the last minute my family and I decided to go camping for my birthday. Since my birthday (the 26th) is around Memorial weekend, and we literally decided on this camping trip at the last minute, we were only able to get one night in Zion.
Turns out one night was plenty anyway. Zion was very very hot. But we still had a good time and, for Petal’s very first camping trip, it went very well!
Petal helping me open my present.
Taking shelter from the blazing sun.
Lassie wanting in the tent!
Relaxing.
The three amigos!
Which reminds me, we ate at this really great mexican restaurant in Zion called Amigos. Their food was great and they even allowed the dogs to sit on the patio with us!
Petal enjoyed sitting in the camp chairs. Crazy little dog.
The car ride to Zion and home was absolutely crazy. We had to cram seven people, three dogs, and enough camping gear for seven people and three dogs in an eight passenger van. Lassie and Petal were squished in the backseat with me and Miranda and for a little while on the way home, Lassie was laying on Petal!
As is to be expected, we came across a few challenges while camping (like trying to keep Petal quiet and assure her that she didn’t need to bark at every moving thing and trying not to melt in the sun), but all in all, it was a pretty good trip.
a few of Petal’s tricks
Petal has recently learned how to do some new things. Very helpful things!
She helps open packages!
She takes care of, and entertains, our friend’s new puppy Pepper.
She’s also a fantastic babysitter. These girls were in her face giggling and squealing. They were squeezing her toes and her tail. They were looking down her ears. They were hugging on her and balancing things on her head. She did not care nor complain. In fact, I think she really enjoyed it.
Though she’s pretty wiped out now.
I think one day soon Petal will make one amazing therapy dog.
Ella looooves Petal
Sojos = Miracles.
Ever since I switched dog foods Ella has been much more comfortable and sweet. She has finally really bonded with Petal and actually snuggles with her. Â :O
It confuses poor Petal, because usually Ella gets mad when Petal tries to lay too close to her. But it’s still the sweetest thing!
Yay for raw diets!
Dogs do understand english. So it’s not crazy to talk to them.
I’ve had a number of people tell me that dogs don’t understand what you’re saying when you babble to them. I’ve chosen not to believe this, mostly because it isn’t true, but also because I can’t go two seconds without talking to one of my dogs.
There have been many times when my dogs have responded to what I’ve said.
For example, when out for a walk, a very muddy walk, I jokingly told Lassie that he had better not push me in the mud. So of course he jumped up on his hind legs and gave my back a good shove with his front paws. Rotten dog. Though I will admit that he gets his sense of humor from me. ;] Thankfully I only stumbled forward, I didn’t actually fall.
Another example would be when I misplaced a dog leash and could not find it anywhere! I asked Ella (jokingly, because she hadn’t been trained to find things or to recognize the word leash) “Where did I put that leash?” and she led me up the stairs and straight to the leash. Awesome!
This last example is by far the best though.
Are you ready for it?
Yes?
Okay. Here we go.
Are you ready for it?
Yes?
Okay. Here we go.
Just the other night, Petal was laying on the couch with a pillow in front of her. Harriet, Petal’s best cat friend, curled up on that pillow and started innocently licking her paw. I started joking around and told Petal to poke Harriet in the back of the head. Petal ignored me, as I expected. I told her “Petal, kick the pillow and Harriet onto the floor!” Petal sniffed her back paw and I joked and said “Yes, with that foot!” Petal pulled that paw back and then gave it a good kick forward and launched the pillow and the cat off the couch.
Greatest moment ever.
Wish I had the camera going.
cause you’re cuter than a cupcake
Ten reasons why Petal is cuter than a cupcake.
- your ears stand straight up, unless you’re eating, then you hold them down like your head is a plane and you’re preparing to land.
- you have an overbite that makes you look like varies cartoon characters, like Scrat.
- you have a petal on your head.
- you have freckles on your nose and you have to wear sunscreen to protect the small visible amount of pink skin on your nosey.
- you notice the birds in the sky and watch them with awe and fascination, sometimes you even start to run with them as if you think you might be able to fly too.
- you wake me up gently by lightly sniffing and licking my face.
- you like to sleep on top of mounds of pillows and/or blankets.
- you’d do anything for a cookie.
- you carry your Orbee with a rope around like it’s your child. though sometimes you ditch it in random spots just to watch me fetch it for you.
- even though you often have the attention span of a squirrel, you are capable of focusing and you are a very brilliant little doggy.
New Toys!
My spoiled dogs received some new toys from Planet Dog (my our newest obsession) on Thursday. They got a Orbee-Tuff RecycleBONE (black!) and a blue and green Orbee-Tuff ball on a rope! We got the ball for our walks and to try out in the water and we got the bone just because it’s fun.
Bone!
Ball!
Both of them have been a big hit already, though I did put the ball up so we wouldn’t lose it before we got to test it out in the water. All three of them have loved the bone, especially when I put little treats inside of it. Petal was the first one to claim, taking it out of the box when it arrived in the mail and running off with it before I could get the tag off. After getting that off, Ella took it and had a great time chomping on it until she fell asleep, but since Ella’s not one to lose (even when snoozing.. get it?) she crossed her paws over it and took a nap like this…
Mine!!
Lassie has also given the bone a good chew and found that it’s pretty nice! Much better than most of the rubber toys we buy (though we still love KONG too).
But Lassie’s favorite is still the limited edition Orbee we got several weeks ago.
He loves how high this ball bounces and bounces right along with it. It’s adorable.
We also have the Orbee snowball, which is Ella and Petal’s favorite ball. I think they like that it’s lighter and chewier. They often walk around just chomping on it, like it’s a giant gum ball.
Hey, there’s an idea for you Planet Dog! Gum ball Orbees! ;]
wink! wink!
And now I’ll leave you all with..
Collie butts!