Trying to sleep in...

I am trying to sleep in this morning but for some reason dad keeps on telling me to get up and get the day going.....well its 5:30 am what am I suppose to do that freaking early? It's way to cold to go outside, nearly 45 degrees and there is a slight breeze so with the wind chill that puts it at near freezing! And I am all warm underneath my blanket, can't I just sleep in a little longer?

Choosey dogs choose JIF!!

How could anybody not like JIF Peanut Butter. It is so yummy!!

I could eat this stuff all day, just don' tell mom OK?

Hike with Dad and Uncle Joel

This last weekend me, my Dad, and Uncle Joel went on a hike to Manastash Ridge, a hike close to home. But it was a bit hot for me, I mean I haven't exactly been training for this you know? Laying in front of the family room slider in the sun isn't exactly high impact activity.

Anyway it was fun still and eventhough I did not quite make it to the top I still got a lot of breaks with lots of water to keep hydrated and treats to keep my carbohydrates up. Dad even muttered something about me taking all of his water too, I guess he should of brought more, hello!

Here is a pic of me and Uncle Joel leading the pack on the way down...see how I am actually leading!

At the end of the hike you have to cross the super high and scary bridge that crosses like a class 5 rapid or something like that. But I made it, luckily, I had to go slow and all but I still did it!!

And at the end, after the super high scary bridge you get to cool off in the nice crystal clear spring water....

Hello a little heads up would have been nice this is irrigation water....YUCK! Hey dad go get my EVIAN please thank YOU?

Breakfast in Bend + Lunch

While at the Big Sky Dog Park in Bend, my pawrents got a tip from a nice man to go to McKay's Cottage for breakfast. Let me tell you...it was a barkariffic tip indeed! I mean...look at that food! Mom and Dad had a chicken breakfast burrito with tomatillo sauce, yummy potatoes (which I got to taste ;), and Croissant stuffed french toast. It was stuffed with mascarpone cheese and topped with strawberries.. YUM! The coffee was good too!


Not only did Mom and Dad get yummy food but I got my very own ice water bowl and a big bone!!! It was simply amazing...it was so dog friendly and there were two other dogs there at the same time as me. When we got there this little girl about 6 or 7 years old proclaimed, "That's a Ridgeback!" We were quite impressed that she knew exactly what I was and later she came over to say hello to me. She was very cute and she knew a thing or two about dogs. In fact, she says to my Mom, "My dog is 7" and Mom says to her, "Nala is only 2", and she says, "Well, I mean in dog years...really he is just 1." It was very cute, and then she said, "She is very gentle"...talking about me. :) I love getting compliments!

Give me the bone already Dad...would ya? And while you are at it I will take a bite of your mascarpone stuffed croissant french toast and a lick of your coffee please! BOL! :)


Now, for a nice lunch spot in Bend, OR...Mother's Juice Cafe is pawesome! They have lots of outdoor seating with nice, soft grass for us dogs to lay on. They also have a communal water bowl in case we get thirsty. My pawrents also really liked their food...Mom said the best part was the pickled onions they put on her turkey sandwich. I wouldn't know because she said onions were bad for dogs, and she wouldn't let me taste any but the turkey was good! I did try to get a drink of Dad's smoothie too and this is what happened...

Picture 1 - "Hey Mom, think Dad will give me a drink of his smoothie?"

Picture 2 - "Hey Dad, can I have a drink of that delicious looking smoothie you have there?"

Picture 3 - "No..what...how can you deny your only DOGter?"

Picture 4 - "Fine then...do not try to pet me, cuddle with me, call me sweet names, but when it's dinner time you can still feed me."

Picture 5 - "Hey Mom, what about you...want to share?"

Picture 6 - "I know if I stare at her long enough she will crack..she can't resist my big, brown eyes!"

Oregon Canine Traveling Tip #1

I promised you some good tips so perk up those ears...if you ever plan on traveling in the Pacific Northwest (Washington, Oregon, British Columbia) and you are of the canine persuasion then you need to pick up The Dog Lover's Companion to the Pacific Northwest or have your human pick it up for you!

The author's name is Val Mallinson, and she traveled all over the Northwest with her two Dachshunds, Isis and Cooper, to scope out the perfect places for us dogs and our humans to go. She gives you tips on where to stay, where to eat, where to play, and she tells you if the city you are going to has any special dog events like the Farmer's Market Dog Dayz event I participated in. :) If you click on the link above with the book title you will also see there are 10 other books for different cities and areas around the United States. Now is that something to bark about or what! Most of the places in the book are really great too! (at least the ones I have visited)


First, you look up the city you are going to...

then, you read about all the great things to do!

Our first stop on our vacation was Bend, Oregon! This was also the first time I ever went to a dog park...thankfully the book told us all about it and how to get there. The park is called Big Sky Park and it even has these funny signs to remind humans to pick up after their dogs. :)

I got to meet all kinds of neat and interesting dogs. This is Bruno, a 12 year old Dachshund...he was nice.

Then, there was August, a 7 month old dog from the shelter...don't know his heritage but he sure was a pretty boy. He was also very playful and silly.

Here I am chasing August and having a pawesome time! I met lots of other dogs too while I was there...Labs, a Greyhound, a Black and Tan, a Bassett Hound, some little Yorkies, a German Shepherd, a Walker Hound, and lots of others! I have never seen so many different dogs...it was grrrreat! Plus at the park, they had a nice trail through the Junipers, green grass, trees, rocks, and water for us to drink. I really like this place and would definitely recommend it. The humans were friendly too and my pawrents enjoyed talking with them and they even got a good tip about where to go for breakfast but I will cover that in my next post. ;)

What is this all about you ask....well, this is your next tip. When at a dog park in VERY hot weather dig yourself a little hole to lay in and cool off. It's the best! Mom and Dad were quite surprised as I typically don't dig holes at home. They let me get cool but then covered my hole back up so none of my new friends would run through it and fall down.

After you dig the hole and cool off your muzzle will look like this and your pawrents will take you to the fountain to wash it off. So, that's your next tip...if you don't want your muzzle washed then RUN as soon as the pawrents start covering up the hole!

And when it's time to go home you will be so exhausted from all the fun that you will just need to find yourself a nice, comfy pillow to snooze on. :)

Doggy Dog Park Dance

Vacation

I'm back from vacation and boy was it fun!!! Mom, Dad, and I drove down to southern Oregon to visit my Nanny and Grampi...they are just down there for about one more year and then they come back to Washington. I sure do miss seeing them, but I'm so happy I got to spend a few days with them. They are pawsitively the best grandpawrents a dog could have!

There are not many Nanny's who would treat their grandDOGters the way my Nanny treats me! (She spoils me and I love every minute of it!) Every time I visit she always gives me the yummiest treats plus she always gets me a new toy. I'm licking some peanut butter off of the newest toy above. Also, she plays with me a ton and as you can see she even curls up and takes naps with me! My Grampi is also GRRRReat...he snuck me some very tasty cookies while I was there. ;) Aren't I one lucky canine!

Other than play with my grandpawrents, Mom, Dad, and I also went to Crater Lake. I have never seen anything so blue...it was Bow Wow Beautiful!

Here are a few other things we saw as well....Pinnacle Rocks is at Crater Lake, we saw Mt. Washington when we were driving along the McKenzie Highway coming home today, and we saw the deer lounging in the Ponderosa Pines at the head of the Metolius River early this morning.


I have much more to report about my trip but there is just too much for one post so I will be adding more later. You canines will definitely want to pay close attention as I will tell you about some of the great dog friendly places you can visit in Oregon. You humans should listen up too as your dog will be much appreciative should you decide to take him or her to any of these pawesome places!

Hikin' with Hank

This weekend, Hank and I went hiking! We hiked to Lost Lake and back, and we had a PAWESOME time! One of the best parts was that this was a trail where lots of horses had been in the past soooo.....much to Mom's dismay I enjoyed running up ahead and....NO, I won't say it but you get what I'm barkin' about, right! DEELISH! Really, I don't know why Mom gets so worked up over this but it is quite comical to see her try to shoo me away. BOL!



Anyway, that's Christina and Hank up above and of course, you know me and Mom. We had a great time and the weather was perfect. Not windy, not too hot, just right.

Hope everyone has a tail waggin' good week! You won't hear from me for a bit as I am going on an adventure but I will tell you all about it upon my return. :)


Me and Hank at my house after the hike.

My First Concert!!

Mom had to work tonight so she brought me along. In the summers she works for the city and she helped with an event called Free Concerts in the Park. It was my first concert...it was loud, there were lots of people, little people crawling and running around, and dogs. What a GRRRREAT time it was. See the Irish Setter behind me...that's my buddy Samson. He came too with his family. The band that played is called SLYDE...they played 60's and 70's rock music or so that's what Mom tells me.


There I am enjoying the show. My Mom also knows lots of kiddos since she is a teacher so there were tons of little people that came up to us so I got to kiss lots of cheeks and eyes and noses and ears and mouths...even some baby cheeks. It was fun!

You'll never guess the best part though!!!?? I got to meet two other Rhodesian Ridgebacks!!! We are the only three in my small town but I had never met them before until tonight. Mom spotted them so of course she brought me over to say hello. Turns out we come from the same place but we have different families. Their names are Kona and Brooklyn, and they were quite cute but much more red colored than me. I wish we could have played but you know the rules...DOGS MUST BE ON LEASH!!! BLAH...where are the human leashes, I ask? Anyway, it was very exciting to finally meet them, and who knows maybe we will see each other again someday and actually get to play.

Oh, and GET THIS...I have been called lots of dog names other than Rhodesian Ridgeback such as a Whippet, a Great Dane, and a Lab among others (all of which are great dogs but not what I am!!) but tonight this older man called me a "Big Rat Terrier"...does he even know what a Rat Terrier is...SHEESH! I look nothing like that! Just goes to show ya.... Anyway, Mom and I always get a good kick out of people's silliness.


I mean, they are cute but REALLY people!

Dog Dayz

This weekend was Dog Dayz at the Farmer's Market, and it was certainly a day for the dogs and humans alike! My Mom is part of a local dog club, and they helped organize the event. There was a cutest dog contest, best human/dog look alike, best trick, and a best costume contest. Check out all the cool costumes above...my friend Samson (Little Red Riding Hood) won first place and then there's my buddy Hank in the camo...he won a prize for best trick! Mom and I entered the human/dog look alike but we didn't win...oh well, it was fun!

To kick it off we had a doggy parade through the middle of the Farmer's Market...see me and my Mom? Also, I'm up there with Dad and Colleen (Sierra's mom)...Dad brought me since Mom was busy volunteering so she and I could participate in the parade and stuff. Thanks Dad!!! Also, there was a Rally Obedience demo (I'm trying the course up there) that some of the people in Mom's club did. There's my Auntie Lori...I love going to daycare at her house! (she's with the Georgia Bulldog!)

More fun times...so, from left to right starting at the top....me and Mom in the human/dog look alike contest, Nancy and Lilly showing their skills in the Rally O demo, Leah and Samson in the best costume contest, Hank giving Christina a high five in the best trick category, Mike, Smokey, Dad, and me hangin' out, and Bob and Andrea practicing the Rally O course.

So, in addition to the contests, parade, and Rally O demos there were also homemade dog treats made by Christina and Debbi for sale (Mom bought me three bags..YUM!), Police K9 demos which were really cool, and then Mom set up a table for kids doggy crafts. It was a BARKIN' good time...next year, I am totally dressing up as a fierce lion and learning a cool trick to WOW the crowds! :)