BlogPaws Fun

We (my coworker and I) recently got back from Salt Lake City for BlogPaws and I must say what a great time we had! The weather was incredible (perhaps too much so) with clear skies and a scorching 100 degrees each day we were there. I even managed to get some sun by the pool without burning. Go me!

It was so great to meet some of my Twitter friends in person for the first time as well as reconnecting with some old friends from my other BlogPaws trip. Plus I got to visit with one of my good friends who moved to SLC a few years ago!

I got to meet Paige the YouTube Border Collie! She was sooo sweet and even pawed my hand a few times :)

My coworker's flat cat and my flat Ellie at the "Flat Pet Playground"

Me giving a treat to the big flat dog

Ellie LOVED her new toy from my swag bag

My Trip to Nevada (pic heavy)

I had a flight credit from Alaska just sitting in my e-mail inbox since I didn't end up going to NY this past March. Impulsively, I decided to visit my mom for Mother's Day in Nevada. Escape the Seattle rain for some hot Mojave Desert sun!

It was just four days but I experienced lots of adventures! The first day, I rescued their old senior pup who fell into the pool!! My mom said this was the first time this has ever happened. He is so old and oblivious that when he surfaced in the water, he idly started paddling until I jumped in and scooped him out, lol!

Tucker the clueless senior pup

The next day, my mom and I went hiking with her two Rat Terriers. They were pains in my bum, compared to what I'm used to with Ellie being such a great hiking dog. They barked and pulled and tangled their leashes. Oy.

On the way back down, I had Dexter who was sniffing along the side bushes when suddenly I heard a *HISS*. I yanked his leash back and we noticed a rattlesnake! No one was hurt, but upon returning home and doing some internet research, we discovered that it was one of two: either the most venomous rattlesnake, or the kind that has caused the most human bites and deaths in the US! (!!!!!)

Mom and the dogs

Me at the top!

The next day, we explored Zion National Park and went hiking, fortunately with no more surprises, although it certainly was an adventure!

View of Zion on the drive in

View from our hike up into Zion

Little critter I found :)

How I spent my last morning with Dexter

Unrelated to the Nevada trip, my sister and I just did (walked :P) a 5k yesterday so Ellie finally got to see her best friend Goldie again! It had been months since they'd seen each other so they were pretty excited. :)

Goldie and Ellie

Volunteer Appreciation Cookies!

I was out walking Ellie this weekend on our usual route. We frequently see dog shelter volunteers jog by in sort of a parade with their neon vests and their smiling shelter dogs, most of them pits or pit mixes.

Gidget, one of the dogs currently available at the Seattle Animal Shelter

Every time I see them, I feel so appreciative because I know that they are at least 2-3 miles from the shelter which means they do a long jog!

Well, today, I saw them and was feeling particularly appreciative. They donate their time and their energy to make sure that these dogs get some extra love and exercise. I wanted to tell them "thank you". I wanted them to know that they are appreciated for all that they do. I wanted to give back.

I don't have the time or a regular schedule to volunteer jogging with the dogs, but I do have a skill that I would be happy to donate. My baking! I decided to make sugar cookies that I could bring to the shelter and give to the volunteers. So tonight, I put my mixer and my oven to work and made these cookies, and tomorrow I will write a thank you note and deliver them to the shelter.

What is your good deed for the week? Pass it on!

BFFs

I watched Goldie for my sister since she went out of town this weekend. Ellie loves hanging out with her best doggy friend!

I took them on my 5 mile urban hike yesterday and a 3 mile walk today.

We had a nice sunny day walk which totally tired out the pups (thankfully!)

Goldie crashed out

Ellie says no pictures, please.

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

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: Play!

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

I'm going to BlogPaws, follow me live!

I just printed out my plane ticket for BlogPaws -- my flight is at 11:25am tomorrow! I am super excited, and I really want to share the whole experience with everyone which is the purpose of this post.

I will be tweeting live throughout the event via @doggylove86 and @Trupanion so make sure you're following both! I will also try to post blogs as well.

Unfortunately, Ellie will not be accompanying me to the dog-friendly hotel. She is going to have sleepovers with her friend Goldie and will still be coming to work in my place (maybe she'll get some stuff done for me!)

An old picture of Ellie and Goldie

Mt. Si Adventures and Hungry Dogs

Ellie checking things out

Today, Ellie and I went on a long hike at Mount Si which is about a 45 minute drive from Seattle. It was a warm day at about 70 degrees, but with the intensity of the hike, I was sweating, and Ellie was panting, like crazy!

The whole hike is 8 miles round trip with a 3150 ft elevation gain.

So the hike itself was fun, tiring, interesting. We met so many dogs and I was amazed at how nice they all were! Every single dog we passed (except one that was in the arms of its owner) sniffed noses with Ellie and they were all so surprisingly pleasant. Usually on our hikes, we'll get a couple of dogs that growl or lunge at her, but not today. Maybe people are finally learning to only bring socialized dogs out hiking :)

When we made it to the top of the hike, Ellie and I sat and ate some snacks. I saw a few Vizslas sitting on a rock nearby with some people and thought that they were super cute, maybe a little underweight, but nothing more.

Skinny lost dogs on the mountain

Later, some people walked by and noted aloud how cute the dogs were, and the people next to the dogs said "yes, they are cute, but they're not ours. We can't find the owners."

No wonder they looked so skinny! As it turned out, they got hold of the owners and the dogs had been missing for two days. They live near the trailhead so the dogs must have wandered off and followed some hikers up the mountain. Poor babies! I offered them Ellie's last Milkbone and treats, feeling bad that I didn't have more to give. They quickly gobbled them up.

Mama and her son cuddling

Once I learned that the other hikers were going to bring the dogs down to the owners at the bottom of the mountain, I felt better and continued to explore what I thought was the top. After Ellie and I climbed a bunch of rocks, I realized that there's what's called the "haystack" which is another 300 foot rock climb!! "I have to go up there!" I thought to myself.

The "haystack". If you could see the people at the top, they would be little dots.

We followed some trails and climbed up some rocks until we reached the base of this "haystack". As I looked up, I realized that it had quickly turned from a hike to a straight rock-climb. I knew I could spider my way up there, and Ellie might be able to manage as she's pretty resilient.... but I worried about the descent. A 4-legger going face-first down a steep rocky mountain didn't sound safe. So we turned around (I'll have to go back there without Ellie sometime).

View from the top (iPhone doesn't do justice)

After the hike, I went to my mom's where Ellie got to play with my mom's dogs and my sister's dog. I got to eat some yummy dinner :)
Now I'm expecting sore legs tomorrow!