Pool's Open!!

The weather has been warm lately, so naturally the water dogs were looking for the pool.

Hey guys, there's water in here!


Oh boy, I have the pool all to myself.


Where did you all come from?


Oh no, let's get away from Norma Jean, She splashes.


Norma Jean, leave some water in the pool for the rest of us.


There she goes digging in the water again. What's she looking for?


We want to get wet, too.


At last the pack has moved on and I can play in the water by myself.


This feels great on my toes.


Oh no, they're back.


What shall we do now?



Let's splash.


I don't know, Morgan, it looks pretty muddy. If we get in there now, we might have to have baths.

Everyone but Tsar got in the water and got pretty wet. It was a good start to the season for a pack of water dogs.

Miss Morgan Magoo

Yesterday afternoon we took Morgan to visit Dr B.


It was time for her semi-annual check-up. Morgan is ten years old now and has had some pretty serious medical issues in the past, so we get her completely checked out every six months and do blood tests in between.


Morgan gets pretty nervous about going to the clinic, so we started taking her along when anyone else has to go. If it's not her turn she can just sit quietly and watch, then get a treat when the other dog is finished. We've been doing this for a couple years now and it's starting to pay off. Yesterday Morgan was calm and didn't tremble. She knew what to do and then received her treat when we were done.


Morgan had a good check-up. Her heart and lungs sounded good. Her temperature was normal. Her eyes hadn't deteriorated since the last time she was examined. Her weight is perfect due to her green bean diet and although she has arthritis in her hips and back legs, it doesn't appear to have gotten any worse than last time.She has a couple of cysts that we'll have removed sometime in the future, but they're not anything to worry about.

Dr B took blood from her jugular vein and she stood perfectly still for him. The call just came that her blood work looks pretty normal, so it was a very good check-up.

Our New Flag

Yesterday I thought about a flag that I had in the office. I decided that it should be flying, but it's quite small, so finding the right spot required some thought.


In case you can't see it, there is a blue dog holding a bone shaped sign that says 'Dog Lover Lives Here'.


Of course, the perfect spot is to fly it over the tower. With Rob's help, we had a flag raising. I have another small flag with a Portuguese Water Dog on it, but I have to try to remember where I put it. I wanted a safe place for it, and now it's so safe that even I don't know where it is.


The crabapple trees on both sides of the tower popped into bloom yesterday.


This poor tree has an identity crisis. One of the lower branches has larger leaves than the rest of the tree and look at the flowers. They're totally different, larger and white single blooms instead of pink double blooms. Hmm....


Saturday evening Rob mowed the lawn. Most of the yard is still covered with straw, but along the sides the grass was getting pretty tall. First he walked around, scooping and picking up toys. He put glow balls on top of the cones. In case you're wondering, the cones are for our Rally training.


When we let the dogs out, we watched to see who would notice the balls first. Sky went over to rescue his beloved ball.


Bailey took one, too.


Morgan found an old ball that she had forgotten about. It was leftover form when the pups were little.


Of course, since the balls glow in the dark, we had to start throwing them for everyone to chase. Sky and Samba always want the same one. I guess it's more fun when you have to race each other to the prize.

Lazy Afternoon

Not every outing is an organized game. We have our carrot hunts, and bobbing for apples. We have times when we throw the balls to be brought back and any other games I can think up for doggie entertainment. Sometimes our midday playtime is unstructured and everyone has to find something to do on their own.


Sticks are one of the most popular ways to spend their outside time. Sticks aren't allowed in the house for obvious reasons, so they enjoy having a chance to relax under a tree and chew. Notice above that Samba's coat is growing in. It's still pretty thin, but it's starting to cover the bald spots.


Bailey isn't playing with the ball, but she doesn't want to give it up either. She's having a little catnap while hanging onto her prize.


Sky noticed the camera, and ham that he is, he's asking to have his picture taken.


Morgan's favorite spot in the yard is here beside the tower. She takes her toys there, in this case a stick, and enjoys them in peace.


Fudge likes to run around the yard with the ball in his huge mouth, humming and sticking his face into the other dog's faces. He hopes that they'll jump up and chase him. Most of them just ignore him because he's so annoying.


Samba traded in her tiny stick for a larger model. She's chewing on the side with the paralysis. I'm not sure what that means. Is she getting better? We have to wipe her face a lot because she drools on that side, but I'm hoping when she sees Dr B next month, he'll tell me she's better.


More sticks are in play. What are they watching?


Their other favorite activity. Norma Jean is starting a run around. One dog will start running as fast as she can go back and forth across the yard and the others can't keep from joining in. It's contageous.


Fudge has given up on the others and brought his ball to me to admire. He doesn't want me to throw it, just to tell him how wonderful he is. It's interesting to just sit back and watch how they entertain themselves.

What Do Water Dogs Love?

How do you make a water dog happy? There's one thing that works every time.


Turn on the hose.


They come running to get wet.


They try to catch the drops.


They stand under the stream of water.


They stick their faces in the water.


They catch the water as it sprays out.


They jump in the air to catch it.


They beg for more.


They drink as much as they can hold.


Still they want more.


The wetter they get, the happier they are.


Water dogs and a hose are a perfect match.

Spring At Last

Spring took it's time getting here, but suddenly the temperature has been hitting 80 and we had a good rain. It made the trees pop into bloom and I'm reminded why spring is my favorite season, despite the sneezing.


Norma Jean like to follow me around as I check out the trees in our yard.


This is the new cherry tree. It's only been in the ground since Saturday, but it must like it here. The leaves have opened up and so have a few flowers.


Imagine next year when this tree is covered with these big clumps of pink flowers. There are lots of these trees at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore. It's the first place I ever saw them and I knew I wanted at least one in our yard. They're called Kwanzan Cherry.


This is the plum tree we planted in the front yard a few years ago. Rob and I are both surprised at how fast it grew.


I love the pink flowers and the dark red leaves.


Our Forsythia is a little late. We see most of the others in the neighborhood are already in full bloom. Ours is protected by the house and gets the late afternoon sun, so it'll take another week to be fully out.


The dogs like finding a spot under a tree to chew a stick. Sometimes there's a dog under each tree in the yard.


We have four crabapple trees in the yard. They're covered with buds, but haven't opened up yet.


After running around on a hot day, a dog needs a cool drink, and everyone knows the water tastes better outside. Fudge was the first to discover the water bowl.


He sprayed everyone with his soggy beard.


Samba and Fudge shared the bowl. She doesn't allow everyone to share, so we were impressed.


The four sisters don't mind crowding all their heads into the bowl at once.


When everyone was finished drinking, Fudge discovered a leaf floating in the bowl. Notice that he's sneaking his foot into the bowl to try and get the leaf.


He was so focused on getting the leaf out of the bowl that he didn't notice everyone else leaving the yard. He had his face and foot in the bowl and splashed all the water out until he managed to get the leaf.

Then we had to dry his face and feet before letting him inside. We're all glad spring is here.