Escape artist

Little Gardener

Since the weather was so nice yesterday, Nala and I decided to do a little gardening. (mostly weeding) Nala was a huge help...she dug up some weeds, made holes for future planting, made sure there were no moles or anything down there, and then she decided to just supervise as she had worked so hard. She fell asleep in the nice cool dirt...all stretched out and enjoying the sunshine. :)

Play Time!

Nala enjoyed her Saturday play time today, and she even got to meet two new friends. Kyle (middle right) and Angus (middle left) were very fun to play with. Kyle loved chasing the ball which was great because all of the other dogs would chase Kyle so they got lots of exercise. Of course, Nala always loves seeing her "old buddies" too!! Nala says, "Thanks for playing with me today! I had a tail-waggin' good time!"

The lie is revealed

Well, for those of you who played the two truths and a lie game.....thank you :) and the lie was #3. Although ridgebacks are countersurfers, Nala does not do this at home. (it's because we have trained her so well....haha! we just got blessed with a sweet puppy girl) She does like to stick her nose up on the counter to try and smell what's up there and she even does this little "kangaroo jump" where she jumps straight up on her back legs just to steal a peek but she has never put her paws on the countertop.
As for #1...yes, we don't think she can swim because of this and #2...I really did set her up because I was tired of her gross little habit....too bad though because it didn't phase her. :)

Friends Fur-ever!

On Tuesday, Nala got a BIG surprise! Her friend, Gracie, came over to play. As soon as they saw each other their tails began to wag, and they were so happy to be together. They ran circles around the table at a high rate of speed(only knocking over the chairs a couple of times, but hey that's what happens and at least they were having fun, right!? :), so I quickly let them outside to release some energy. They ran circles around the trees, played chase, played keep away and tug-of-war, shared drinks from the water bowl, pulled out all of the toys from the toy box, did tricks for treats, and finally took a nap and relaxed. What a day they had! Nala certainly slept good that night, and she can't wait for another play date with her pal, Gracie!

*Check out the video below of them running in circles. Every other lap Gracie takes a little shortcut to catch up...it is so cute. :) It's only fair though because Nala's legs are alot longer than hers.

One big tree

Sun Dog!

Nala is currently laying in front of the slider trying to soak up all of the sunshine she can. This is her favorite spot to lay on sunny days. (Her all-time favorite spot would be the bed where she likes to stick her muzzle under the pillows.) **Note all the nose smudges on the slider. It is impossible to keep that thing clean with a dog in the house. :) We also had to put some of those window clings on because she ran into the door a couple of times :( but since the window clings have been up she has had no problem.

So, I am jumping on the bandwagon of a couple of my blogger friends and doing the two truths and a lie game, but of course since this is Nala's blog they will be about her. It is up to you to decide which one you think is a lie...once you have decided post your guess in the comments section and I will reveal the lie by this Saturday.

**They will be in the voice of Nala

1. "When I was a puppy I nearly drowned in a lake. I fell off a dock and started sinking....down, down, down...until I felt someone's hand grab my collar and pull me back up. I didn't even attempt to doggy paddle, which now has my Mom and Dad thinking that I can't swim. Now, I REALLY hate the water, and Dad wants to buy me a life jacket but I am worried that all the other dogs will laugh at me!"

2. "This is a little gross, but I am a dog so bear with me....all of my canine companions out there would totally understand. I really like to munch on horse, elk, and goose candy if you know what I mean but of course my Mom thinks it is the most horrible thing I could ever do, and she starts scolding me and trying to get me away from any treasures I have found. Once she put cayenne pepper on some of it to set me up, but little did she know...I LOVE CAYENNE PEPPER and I just continued to eat it...it was barkalicious!!!"

3. "I am an avid counter surfer, which we ridgebacks are known for, and one time when Mom was in the kitchen it just smelled so good that I couldn't resist. She was mixing up some salad dressing with vinegar and olive oil. (I love olive oil and sometimes get it mixed in with my kibble) She stepped out of the room for just a minute, and I made my move...I jumped up and knocked the bowl over on the carpet and was able to get a few licks of the bowl in before Mom started going crazy and put me in time out. I had to stay in my crate for a long time after that one. Mom was not happy, and I was "in the doghouse" for the rest of the night. She had to spend a long time cleaning up that mess, and there is still a little stain that serves as a reminder of that great day."

Ok, which one is the lie? Do you know?

What a view!

More pictures from Olympic National Park. Now, if the snow would only stay that high up and let us have some warm days here in Ellensburg that would be DOGGONE fantastic!

Weekend Update!

This weekend was a flurry of activity for Nala! She went on a little trip to Lake Crescent Lodge in Olympic National Park to check out the location of her parent's (Justin & Amber) wedding. The first stop was Uncle Joel's house where Nala was quite surprised and delighted by the special treats from Three Dog Bakery in Seattle that Uncle Joel got for her. She got mini pizzas, ribs, and a pretzel with doggy safe carob on it. Yum-Yum! What a GREAT uncle! After spending the night at Uncle Joel's place she was in for another few hours in the car as we headed to Olympic National Park. Uncle Joel biked the 17 miles up to the top of Hurricane Ridge (elevation just over 6,ooo feet) so we drove up to support him and cheer him on. Once at the top, it was quite windy but Nala enjoyed feeling the wind in her fur, and the view was absolutely amazing! Then it was off to Lake Crescent for the night where there were all kinds of creatures that Nala found quite interesting. (ducks, ravens, river otters, and lots of deer) Nala enjoyed the lake (from the shore...she is not a swimmer at all) and she even got to go on a short hike around the lake and through the mossy forest. We are all excited to go back and visit again!

Lake Crescent Lodge

First stop in Port Angeles

Getting a drink

Nala Makes the Cover!

Nala made the cover of Pet Fancy! I always knew she had modeling abilities, and I am just so proud of my girl. :) All of that time spent posing for me and her Dad has really helped her modeling skills blossom. Way to go Nala!

Ok....seriously, a friend on myspace made this on some website and sent it to me. :) She obviously knows how crazy I am about my dog. Isn't it funny!

Birthday Burger!

In honor of her 2nd birthday, Nala got a special birthday meal. She had a turkey burger with yogurt frosting, green beans, and of course, two pupperoni sticks for candles! YUM-YUM! She thoroughly enjoyed it, and she licked her bowl clean. I'm sure she is wondering why she doesn't get this kind of food everyday. ;)

Birthday pic

Happy Birthday Nala!!

Today is Nala's second birthday!!!
Of course she is sleeping in as usual, so we will have to get a picture up a little later.

Herding

Nala got to try herding today for the first time! First, she went through some rake desensitization (just exposure to the rake which is used as an extension of the hand in herding), then she met one of the sheep. She sniffed and sniffed some more....trying to figure out what kind of dog it was, and she was fine until it moved. When the sheep moved she was a little unsure about the encounter but still seemed okay. Later, she got to actually try herding three sheep and she did a fabulous job! I was so proud of her! Her second time around (this was the time I actually dropped the lead and she was on her own) she got a bit spooked. One of the sheep made a slight lunge at her and of course, she got out of the way with lightning speed so she was a bit scared after that. We decided to let her just freely move around and praise her every time she got close to the sheep to help build her confidence. She got into it a couple of times and starting running in circles, but mostly she wanted to just play with the sheep or "big dogs". She even did her cute play bow a couple of times but they weren't too interested. Overall, she did a fabulous job and I think she is excited to try it again...I know I am. Currently, she is cuddled up on her bed sound asleep as she is worn out from all of the excitement and hard work! She is probably dreaming of sheep. :)

Birthday PAWty!!

*Gracie, Brix, and

Nala

*Brix and Nala taking

a quick breather

*Samson and Brix

having a tail-waggin'

good time!

*"Running with my buddy, Gracie...aren't we so in sync!"

*Hugs and Kisses

for Brix

*Rompin' with Ozzie

Nala celebrated her 2nd birthday today by having some of her closest canine companions get together for a play date. I think they all had a doggone good time running, chasing, sniffing, fetching, and eating treats. Brix (Czecholslovakian Wolfdog), Gracie (Boxer), Ozzie (Golden Retriever), and Samson (Irish Setter) all made Nala's day pawsitively delightful. She missed her friend Sierra though who could not be with us because of a run in with a fence. :( Hope you feel better soon Sierra!

Early BD bone

Dumpster Diving

Most of the time Nala is like my shadow when I am home, and this is especially true when I am in the kitchen. She knows that "Mom" may give her some food so she stays very close by. She will sit at the entrance to the kitchen and watch for any loose scraps that may happen to fall on the floor. Tonight I was making chicken and threw the scraps in the trash and she thought it would be a good idea to investigate. She is probably wondering why in the world I would throw away such tasty food......of course, I didn't let her have any as it was raw, but she did have a couple bites of my cooked chicken. YUMMY!