Port-a-Poo: Dog Walker's Must-Have!

I got this awesome gift for Christmas called the Port-A-Poo. I would totally recommend it to all dog walkers!

How it works:
Attach it to the leash (it screws on, so it's there to stay until you disassemble it)

When you've got a used poo bag, clip it into the Port-A-Poo!

 

Now you have a free hand and don't have to carry the poo bag!

Christmas fun

Post written by Ellie:

This weekend was soooo busy! First, we went to boy's family's house and there were lots of people and I tried to chase the kitties! The people opened lots of paper, and they even gave me a squeak toy wrapped in paper that I got to unwrap all by myself!

And guess what else I got! Puppy Tweets! Follow me on Twitter @Ellie_dog and you'll see some of the crazy stuff it automatically posts :)

The next day was Christmas, and mom got me some awesome tennis balls that I chewed up in about 30 seconds! Me and mom had no idea, but boy also got me a stocking!

Me and my stocking! Also, I'm wearing my Puppy Tweets tag!

Yummmm... Pup-Peroni!

Wait... is that... CAT TREATS?!?

Yes. Boy's sister, who did the shopping, accidentally picked out cat treats for my stocking. Guess she couldn't tell the difference. Oh well, they still taste good!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Flying Trapeze

This is not dog related, but last night Jon and I used our Groupon for trapeze! It was super scary at first, but they walked us through all the moves and by the end, we got to do a "catch"!
It was sooo much fun and I would recommend anyone to do it.

Watch my quick 30 second video!

Yappy Hour Meetup

Happy dog

This morning, we went to my mom's for breakfast where Ellie got to play with my mom's Rat Terrier, Jaxson. They are both high energy so it was lots of fun for them.

I had gotten an e-mail from the Seattle Active Dogs meetup group about a Yappy Hour at Carnation Golf Course which is a long drive from our apartment, but relatively close to my mom's, so we all decided to go there together since the weather is absolutely beautiful today!

Well we got there 30-45 minutes after it started so there were lots of dogs when we got there, but it quickly cleared out. No worries though, because Ellie still had a blast running all over the golf course! The course was closed to golfers because it was super muddy and wet.

Ellie chases Jaxson

Ellie came back a muddy, happy, tired mess and she has a date with the bath tub later ;)

Update: My mom just e-mailed me pictures that she took with her nice camera.

Action shot!

Water break

The Results are in! Ellie's DNA broken down

A little while back, I got the opportunity to do a DNA test on Ellie. The shelter told me GSD mix but I had my suspicions since she has a very thin coat, is very small, and doesn't have the droopy hindside. By the lean look of her body, I had always thought Whippet mix.

Well test #1 results come back:
"In the mix - English Coonhound, Rottweiler, Pug"

Pug? ...
Oh well, I'll take it. Rottweiler somewhat explains her coloring.

A little later, I got another opportunity to perform a DNA test on Ellie through a different company. The results just came back a few nights ago and I'm excited to share that I was right!

Test #2 results:
Grandparents: Rottweiler + Cocker Spaniel Mix, Whippet Mix + Mixed Breed

So I would like to believe that this second test was more accurate. Plus they send you a really neat diagram that includes breed info so that you can learn a little more about the breeds that are supposedly in your dog. I would definitely recommend the Wisdom Panel DNA test! (Click the image below to see the full sized diagram)

Click to see the diagram larger

Lazy Friday

This post is written by Ellie!

Today is a lazy day. I've been sleeping at mom's feet all day long.

I like it when mom rubs my belly with her foot

My paw pushes my nose back so that my teeth show!

I start to fall asleep and my eyes roll back so I look like a dead dog

Christmas Tree Cutting Adventures

Today we went on an adventure to get our Christmas tree! We are fortunate that Jon is friends with people who own a Christmas tree farm. They host a party every year and serve hot dogs, hot chocolate, and there are LOTS of yummy cookies brought by all of the guests.

Oh, also they let you find and cut down your own tree!

We bring Ellie because they have a giant yard and it's great for her to run around. A few other people bring their dogs, so it's a great time for everyone.

We found our tree and one for Jon's parents, and as we (he) was tying the trees to the car, I watched in amusement as Ellie chased her new doggy friend Max around the yard. They went nonstop!
The rest is pictures and video, enjoy!

Ellie riding in the car wearing her new seat belt

Jon cutting the tree

Ellie exploring

Ellie chasing Max

Cookie heaven!

The final product!

Wordless Wednesday: Lap Dog

Ellie will do anything she can to sit on my lap. At one point, her butt was on my shoulder (parrot?). Her DNA test did have remnants of Pug in it...

Mallards in Ballard

I love how Mallard ducks can always be found in pairs. Little Mr. and Mrs. Quack waddling around town together. It restores my faith in love and amazes me that it can occur in nature like this.

Spongebob Stalks Ellie

I was just going through some videos and found this one of Ellie attacking a mylar balloon of Spongebob that I never posted up! Watch the ending where he follows her... lol.

Enjoying Fall Sun

Remember that walk I told you about yesterday? Well we went on it again today, but this time my friend Benny came with!

It was sunny and nice outside. I got to meet a dog named Izzy, and later these two Yorkies chased us down the street barking. I really wanted to say hi to them but mom made me keep walking.

Time for me to sprawl out on the floor for a nap!

Me and Benny walking

Bridges and Leaves

Me and mom have been bad bloggers lately. Her, because she gets caught up in other stuff and doesn't write in our blog, and me because, well, because mom gets caught up in other stuff and doesn't let me on the computer!!

Anyway, last week we had a lot of sunny days, so mom and Goldie's mom (remember my friend Goldie?) decided to take us doggies on a looooong walk during the middle of work. We are so lucky because we got to do it 3 days in a row!! Mom said it was 4 miles long, I dunno what that means, but it was long!

It was fun spending time with my best friend Goldie and I go to sniff a lot and see a couple of squirrels (SQUIRREL!).

Mom is making me upload these pictures.

Dog & Cat Gift Exchange

My coworker just e-mailed me a link to this gift exchange for the holiday season and I wanted to share!

You just sign up your pet (you must sign up multiple times for multiple pets) then you get matched up with someone and you send their pet a gift under $10 and your pet will receive a gift in the mail! It's always fun to get stuff in the mail, so why not?

Learn more and sign up here!

Happy Halloween Day at work!

We're celebrating Halloween at work today and Ellie and I both dressed up! I also baked pumpkin peanut butter dog treats for the office for the occasion! :)

Enjoy!

Pumpkin cookies! (for dogs)

I hope I win the Ashley bedroom set!

Best for last - Ellie is a bull (adora-bull!)

I ate a fly!

So I was sleeping in my bed, minding my own business. Mom turns around to look at my Mini Schnauzer friend, Batman, and notices that he is fixated on something. Then she sees this huge fly sitting there!

Luckily, she called me out from my bed, and it started moving, so I chased it as fast as I could! It got away the first time, but mom got it to fly over by me again, so I chased it again, and then I got it!

CHOMP! Down the hatch.

That fly is done-for.

Mom and her coworkers made a lot of sounds, like "ewww". I dunno what they are talking about.

The fly looked kinda like this, but a little bigger!

I went back to that corner where I caught the fly to see if there were any more of them, but nope.

Wordless Wednesday: Play!

An old picture of Ellie playing with her Frenchie friend, Dude.

I'm just cute.

I'm loving this picture that I captured of Ellie last night. Her paws were crossed and then her head laid over them. She does the most unique poses that just brighten up my life! :)

Adopt A Shelter Dog Month!

October is National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month! As much as I would love to add another furry four-legger to my home, my boyfriend would kill me so instead, I'm going to celebrate by sharing my adoption story of how Ellie came into my life.
I'll [try to] keep it short and sweet. ;)

Early Spring 2009, I was desperate for my own furry companion. I was on Petfinder daily, finding a few dogs that sounded sort-of okay, but not sure I wanted to settle.

Then one morning, on my daily Petfinder scouring routine, I saw a new dog called Keiki. She was the perfect size and temperament, and it even included a video of someone rubbing her belly. I was in love!

Fortunately, my boss allowed me to leave work early (at that time, I was an intern) and my sister allowed me to take her car (we carpooled) to drive 25 miles to the shelter.

The shelter didn't open until 2pm, and if I recall correctly, my boss said I could leave AT 2 which means I wouldn't get there until after it opened. But I have an amazing boyfriend who got his boss to let him leave so that he could arrive at the shelter right as it opened and place "dibs" on the dog.

Of course, when I saw her in person, she was everything I knew she would be; albeit a little crazy and antsy from being locked up in a cage. I remember noticing that her nails were miles long! Yikes!

Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to take her home that day because they had to send her to the vet to be spayed and vaccinated. I had to wait TWO WHOLE DAYS to bring her home, so needless to say, I didn't get much sleep those two days, but I did have time to stock up on all the necessary supplies!

Ellie's first picture! The car ride home from the shelter :)

And a year and a half later, me and my pup are living happily ever after (minus the separation anxiety). :)

We met 2 Ellies!

I took Ellie to the dog park today, and wouldn't you know, we saw not one but TWO dogs that looked so similar to Ellie! I got pictures of both, but unfortunately I didn't realize that my phone cover slid up so the second two pictures are a little fuzzy.

The first dog we saw had an identical body but slightly shorter/smaller. Her face was a little different, but still very alike!

Hey, you look like me!

We ate grass together

Then we saw another dog that looks like Ellie! She was a little bit bigger and much more muscular as she had about 30 pounds on Ellie! Fun times at the park running into twins. :)

Afterward, we went to Dairy Queen so I could pick up a couple of Blizzards for Jon and myself. I also grabbed a doggy cone for Ellie which she delightfully devoured.

Meditation

Sometimes I need to take a minute to myself and think about life. I like to imagine that I'm on a sunny beach with thousands of tennis balls and all of life's troubles just wash away.

Cannon Beach - part 2

Must finish up with more pictures from our weekend trip! It was awesome-- Ellie got lots of ball time. I bought lots of salt water taffy and fudge. We went in and out of the shops and it was so nice to see such a pet friendly town; there were doggy water bowls outside of almost every store!

On Saturday, I unexpectedly ran into Carol from FIDO Friendly (who I also met at BlogPaws) on the beach! She was so nice to send a picture that she took of Ellie:

Ellie in action - Thanks Carol for the picture!

And the rest of the pictures from the trip:

Jon and me :)

The beach - it's beautiful!

Ellie plays with baby!

All tuckered out in the blankie I made her

Cannon Beach - part 1

We made it to the beach! After 5 hours of driving, we are finally here and it is windy and rainy, but still tons of fun so far! Ellie was amazing on the car ride and I can't believe that she only made one small peep the entire time, considering she whines the whole way every time we go hiking.

Anyway, we made it out to the beach and tossed the tennis ball around for Ellie and she greatly welcomed the opportunity to stretch her legs. Her face got super sandy and it was very cute. :)

Ellie consumed a lot of sand this weekend!

Happy dog!

Special Delivery

So I'm sitting at my desk, working and minding my own business, when one of my coworkers appears with a cardboard box.

"Ellie, you got a package!" he says.

I turn around... huh?
Apparently the box was addressed to her. Hmm... I wonder what she's been ordering online while I'm away. No wonder there have been some mysterious charges on my credit card... (kidding of course lol).

Sure enough, the box is addressed to her and I have no idea what it could be. So I open it up, and it's a giant tennis ball! I took it out of the package and tossed it and Ellie went nuts, and of course tried to find a way to rip it apart.

Turns out, it was from Jon. So he not only surprises me with flowers delivered to work, but also surprises Ellie with toys delivered to work. I sure am a lucky girl!

Mom is boring, so I'm gonna blog

Me and mom are back at work together! She is soooo boring, I keep whining at her to play with me and she just tells me "go lay down". Ugh!
But the good thing is that she brought me back tons of awesome toys from BlogPaws! There was a green alligator toy with 16, yes 16 squeakers in it! I just killed the last one this morning. :)

Anyway, I wanted to get on here because my doggy friends in the shelter are in need and I found one of mom's papers that says I can help!
It said that if I write about Pedigree's Adoption Drive in my blog, then they will donate a 20 pound bag of dog food to a shelter! I used to be in a shelter, so I know that they are in need of donations.

Here's the info if you wanna post about it on your blog and get some food donated too. I think you should!

(Click to see the large version)