Update of the Century...or More like 6 Months

I know... I know... I've been majorly slacking and shouldn't even call this a blog anymore. (Wasn't this the same beginning sentence I had in my last post which was 6 months ago?) I can't even remember what happened since then. Hold please, as I go back and read....

Well... A lot has happened since watching Teddy and house sitting. So I guess I will just start with what I believe to have happened from November 2014 to present day (August 1, 2015) -- this might be harder than I thought since I have a terrible memory...

November 2014:

Thanksgiving Drew, Luna, and I went to Southern California to celebrate America's biggest eating holiday with my side of the family. We decided to drive since I'm terrified of bringing Luna on a plane from all the terrible stories I've heard. My parents aren't big inside dog people, so Luna stayed outdoors for the most part, and came in when it was time to go to bed. It was hard for her to get used to because she would go directly into her crate and not be able to cuddle with us... Spoiled little brat ;)

I don't think Luna hated being outside for most of the day, because my parents have a pool, so she was in that thing like it was 110 degrees outside and a nice cold pool plunge would be the only thing to keep you sane...Except it was winter, but it was also in SoCal where winter doesn't really exist, so it was actually probably 60 degrees.

One of the days we were down in SoCal, we visited a dog beach which was Luna's first time in the ocean. We got there and I let her off the leash and she sprints to the water like Usean Bolt ran to the finish line. I've never seen her run so fast...until I saw her run back to me. She got so excited about the water she didn't realize that this water has huge waves and the water is super salty. Needless to say she was a lot more cautious around the waves and water.

December 2014:

Christmas: Something that seems so far away since I just saw someone post that Christmas is now 18 Friday's away... Weird. Anyways, Christmas 2014, was my first time spending it in Norcal without my family in SoCal. Which was hard, but I did have Luna and Drew. It was a good time. We went over to Drew's parents house and opened presents, ate some breakfast, and ate some dinner. The dogs were all playing and loving each other in their christmas jammies.

We made our own holiday cards again this year, but decided to not print 250 copies out because we still have 200 of them left over from last year. We just posted on it on Facebook, since everything is digital now anyways.

January 2015:

I'm not one for making New Years Resolutions. Seriously, I've never made one in my life (mostly because I know I would fail at something like 'Go to the gym more often'). But this year I decided that I'm going to read 5 books. That's a really big deal for me. I hardly ever read, because when I was a kid I was forced to read for school and I was a super slow reader and hated it.

So I ordered a couple books on Amazon Prime, including a book called "The Art of Racing in the Rain". It is a book that is written in the dog's perspective and it's AMAZING. I will give a review of all my books in later blog posts.

February 2015:

On Valentine's Day weekend, the three of us (Drew, Luna and I) went to Santa Cruz. We went to the dog beach and had a little picnic there. This would be Luna's second time in the ocean, I was curious how she was going to take it.

She loved it. She played with the other dogs there, played in the water, and just had a fabulous time over all. Until that is when she drank way too much salt water and was shitting salt water. I kid you not, Luna had clear water coming out of her butt hole. The worst part about it was that she would go up to people who are laying on their towels and just poop water right in front of them. Then I would go over there and apologize and say its just water and throw some sand over it (cus it's still gross).

Then we decided to go because I got a little nervous we were going to have to bring her to the ER. But as soon as we left her poops turned brown instead of clear, but they were still watery. But at least it had color! (Sorry, I guess I should've pre-warned about the graphic imagery). We filled her up with water so she wasn't so dehydrated and picked up dinner and dessert and drove home. She slept the whole way.

(For those of you concerned about my reaction to Luna's clear poo, and that I should've taken her to the hospital... I used my best judgement and watched her carefully to make sure she wasn't getting worse. From my observation, as soon as we left the beach she was instantly getting better).

March 2015:

I can't remember anything super out there that happened in March. We probably went to the lake and the park a lot.

April/May 2015:

This was a big month. I quit my job, and dog sat my boss's Golden Retriever named Travis. I didn't have a single thing lined up after I quit, so my job in April and May was to find a job. Luna enjoyed having me home every day and she would get to play with Travis every day, Monday through Friday.

June 2015:

I got a job in El Dorado Hills!! Woohoo! So we moved up to Folsom, which has been AMAZING! It was a huge adjustment for Luna (she especially doesn't like the hard wood floors because they are too slippery...but we like them a lot). We've done a lot of out doorsy things (like going to the river and the lake).

I was a little apprehensive about letter her off leash at the river because I was convinced she'd run away and try to get to Livermore. But Drew finally convinced me to take her off the leash and she was fine. Just minding her own business, doing what she loves best--swimming!

July 2015:

We are getting a puppy!

I convinced Drew that we should get another dog and rescue him/her. I did a lot of research and asked a lot of people about their experience with having 2 dogs. I made a pros and cons list and a budget for said new puppy. After I convinced both Drew and myself, I started looking on PetFinder for dogs who need homes. About 3 weeks of looking every day I found this cute pup who was a Lab mix. Mom was a Lab and dad is unknown (we like to say he humped and dumped).

We had Luna meet the pup to make sure they would get along. At first they weren't really interested in each other and Luna was more interested in the senior dog that the foster family had adopted. But after 20 min or so, they started playing and wrestling and we knew we could make it work.

So today, August 1st, we are picking up Skylar in Fairfield and adopting another dog.

Now I've got 2 crazy dogs! More pics and videos to come!

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Two Weekends, Double the Adventure

Even though I did not post about last weekend, it doesn't mean that we did not do anything. Luna actually had a very fun weekend—at the dog sitter's house!

Drew and I went to a wedding in Lodi, so one of Drew's coworkers watched Luna. Cindy (the dog sitter) has 3 other dogs: 2 Labs and a Beagle. Luna was bound to have a great weekend. Cindy kept me updated on how Luna was doing with photos, videos and texts messages. 

Here are some of the ones that she sent me:

Needless to say, she was very tired after her 3 day play date with Cindy and her 3 dogs. Luna slept like a baby the night we took her home.

This weekend was very eventful as well. First, Friday and Saturday night Drew and I decided to bring Luna to our apartment complex's pool for the first time. Our little fish was in HEAVEN! She could not be any happier!

Saturday day, Luna and I went to Aunt CC's (Crazy Casey's) house to have a play date with her two dogs and another dog that she was watching, named Lenny. Lenny is a Maltese, and likes to dominate everything...aka he humps anything that moves. Luna is very submissive and just lets Lenny hump her, and when she gets tired of it she'll just throw him off her. The two of them did have fun together when they did play (and not hump). Luna was good about getting on the ground and playing at Lenny's level (something I think she's learned from playing so much with Teddy the Pom).

Sunday, we decided to be a little more lazy and take naps, and also stop by the dog park for a little. I brought Luna's kiddie pool, so she could get some use out of it. She was sooooo tired though and did a lot of laying down in the water and chilling. She's been having so much activity lately, I think she will sleep for 3 days straight, until her next weekend adventures.

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American Weekend

This 3 day weekend was action packed and huge for Luna!

1. OFF LEASH!

Friday, Drew and I experimented with off-leash potties with Luna. Last time we did this it turned into us chasing after her for an hour, the whole time I was having a heart attack. The Husky in Luna makes her BOLT, and the Lab in her makes her have ADD which makes it hard to get her to "come" when she sees a squirrel. But we have been working on it...slowly. So we decided to take a "leap of faith" and we took off her leash, grabbed a couple motivational treats and opened the door (dun, dun, DUNNNNN)! 

At first she was a little hyper to be off leash but stayed within 15 feet of us and just ran circles and peed. Then we told her to "come" and she did (so we gave her a treat), then told her to "go home" and straight up the stairs she went! SUCCESS!!! Happy parents for sure.

This is a video of Luna when told to "Go Home" after doing her business. (She gets ahead of me but looks back a couple times to see if I'm following).

2. Playing with 5lb Teddy

We went over to Drew's parents' house for Independence Day and Luna got to play with Teddy. I swear, every time we go over there, Luna and Teddy get better and better about playing together. The two got a little crazy when Moxie came around (3 dogs at G-ma and G-pas house can get exciting at first), but then settled down. They went outside and played with bubbles. Teddy was all about them and definitely won first place at popping the most bubbles. Then after a long play day the 3 were exhausted, and fell asleep. 

3. FIREWORKS!

This was the first time Luna would be experiencing fireworks with us. We didn't know how she'd react but seeing that the garbage truck that sounds like a plane crashing into our apartment never phases her, we weren't too worried. And when we walked to Downtown Livermore where they were setting off the fireworks, Luna was intrigued by the lights in the sky. She was staring at them just like she stares at flies, questioning how they got there and how in the world is she gonna get them! All in all a very successful, non-freak-out experience, which is a HUGE relief.

4. OFF LEASH X2!

Saturday, I took Luna to Lake Borris (the off-leash dog lake/trail area in Livermore, behind Shadow Cliffs). It is by far my favorite place to bring her. She can swim, play with other dogs, and get in a nice little tiny hike at the same time. This place is COMPLETELY off leash, and quite frankly it's the best place to train your dog off leash. There's no place the dog can really go and get into any real danger (far from busy streets, and it's basically all in a large ditch). Luna is a HUGE fan of water, I mean she tries to swim in the fountains Downtown, and I don't stop her. 

I decided that this time at Lake Borris, I would try to see how she does off leash on the walk over to the beach (well more like on leash, and I just drop it on the ground and let it drag behind her). I kept treats in hand and when she would get too far I would tell her to come back, and if she listened she was rewarded. She was amazing! I told her to "stay" when I wanted her walking right next to me (which was whenever I saw a dog coming towards us). Then I would have her sit, when the dog and its owner were about 10-15 feet away, and when they passed we would keep walking. 

I'm telling you, it must be a maturity thing, that once your dog hits 1, they listen better and do what you say (for the most part). I don't think that a week ago she would have been able to do this! It's crazy!

So we get to the beach part of the lake and she's playing and swimming and having a great time. Then this 5 month old Black Lab comes around and starts playing with Luna. This was the first time this dog has gone swimming, and the best way to teach your dog something is to have another dog train it! DO NOT EVER THROW YOUR DOG INTO A POOL TO TRY TO HAVE THEM SWIM!!!! EVERRRR!!! (It's like throwing a kid who doesn't know how to swim in the pool, and then they are traumatized for the rest of their life and will refuse to go in the water.) 

When it's time to go (when mom is tired and hot and sunburnt), I decided to put her on the leash again but drop it on the ground for a little. Then a couple minutes later I thought I would try and do NO LEASH AT ALL! And usually (like I said before) she will BOLT like there's no tomorrow. This time? That was not the case. She acted the same as when the leash was on the ground! She was a little more testing her limits but it was okay, she would turn around and walk by my side when I told her to. 

I was such a proud Mama. When we were almost to our car I put her leash back on and a dog who had just arrived was pulling his (or her) owner like you see in those movies. That Lab was easily 90lbs. Big boy (or girl). Then he (or she) just starts barking and barking and BARKING! Meanwhile, I just tell Luna, sit and stay, and she's quiet, just watching this chocolate Lab go berserk. And the owner and family say "Wow! How old is your dog?" And I tell them she's one. And they are shocked since their dog is 5 and "not as well trained." (Clearly a socialization issue). Sorry, was that bitchy? 

Not going to lie, Drew and I have done a great job training Luna on how we want her to act. Of course she isn't perfect and she still makes mistakes, but she's a dog. I'm not a military sergeant training soldiers, I am just a crazy dog lady training her crazy dog. 

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Luna's Birthday PAW-ty

Emphasis on the "PAW." Yes, now I am that lady who throws birthday parties for her pets. I tried to keep it "low-key" so I didn't seem that crazy, but let's be honest, I'm still crazy. But, if you compare a birthday party for a dog, and a birthday party for a 1 year old, at least my dog will have fun and sort of remember it. Even though I wasn't expecting anyone to show up who said they were going to, there was actually a big turn out! There were 9 dogs who ended up coming! (There were a couple of random people who showed up who weren't invited to the party, but it's a public park and I honestly didn't mind—The more the merrier!)

Luna's PAW-ty was at Robertson Dog Park, in Livermore. I bought some cheap dog toys (rope toys and tennis balls) from the Dollar Tree, and a kiddie pool from Target to keep the dogs entertained. I also ended up making goodie bags, which consisted of the Homemade Peanut Butter Oatmeal dog treats with the recipe. 

There were SO many different personalities at Luna's PAW-ty (it's just so fun to say PAW-ty). There's Luna, who would get so excited when another dog would come, so, like a good hostess, she would go greet them. She also WOULD NOT slow down the entire 3 hours that we were there. No resting or laying down once! She was having way too much fun. 

Then you had Casey's dogs, Stella and Toby. Stella is a full blown mutt, and Toby is a 14-year-old Shih Tzu. Stella was in charge of making sure all the dogs were getting along. When someone was playing too rough she would bark, as if saying "Nope, that's not okay, someone is going to get hurt." Eventually, Stella would try to get in on the fun and play wrestle too, but she just ended up being the awkward third wheel. Toby, was the dog who did his own thing and didn't care about anything going on around him. He just smelled the fence line and peed on some patches of grass. At one time he ended up on the other side of the dog park (he must've gotten under the poorly made fence), and he was just chillin' and doing his thing over there. So stealth, Toby.

Allie, the standard poodle, with her dog owner Amanda, was the next to arrive. Allie was such a diva. She did not want to play with any other dog, because she's a model now. She was just at a fundraising event and she was asked to model off the new poodle clip. So when Allie and Amanda came, Allie stuck by mom the entire time, or tried to jump up on the table to be above all the other dogs (dominance thing for sure). But in the end she seemed to do just fine and have a good time soaking up some sun.

Shree brought her dog Lilah, who is a rescue but she thinks she has Boxer, Greyhound, and some other breeds in her. Lilah is a very energetic dog, and VERY fast. She was the only other one besides luna that I saw play in the pool. She is a barker, and since she's a larger dog, it tends to scare people. Shree had to put Lilah on a leash a couple times to calm her down. And when it was time to go, Lilah whined and whined, not ready to leave.

Drew's family showed up with Teddy, the Pomeranian puppy. It was their first time at the dog park and with all these dogs and their various personalities, they held him the entire time. At one point, they took him over to the other side of the dog park to have him run around without any dogs in the way. Luna and Lilah watched Teddy from the other side of the fence and would run back and forth trying to chase him.

Hannah brought her two dogs: Bell and Louie. Bell is an older Golden Retriever, and Louie is a Ridgeback mix (a HUGE dog). Becca came with to help Hannah with Bell and to hang out. Bell did her own thing, but was still very playful and very happy. Louie played a lot with Luna, who was probably half his size. That boy was a tank! I would not feel scared walking at night if I had Louie with me. But he is such a friendly guy. 

Ziggy, the Beagle mix came with Mackensie, and she was super interested in Teddy. She was trying to play with Teddy the entire time, even though he was in someone's arms. Once Ziggy realized the tiny Pomeranian wasn't getting down to play with her, she became interested in playing with the other dogs. Ziggy and Mackensie left a little early, but still got ample amount of play time in.

Brian was the last to arrive (yep, just called you out!) with his Golden Retriever, Fez.  Fez was probably tired from the 2 hour drive over and wasn't really in the playing mood. He just sat next to Brian most of the time, and occasionally played fetch. He did however like to get real close to people and sit on their feet and lean against them, getting his fur ALL over them.

Then there was Shreya. She is dog lover, but she doesn't have a dog, so she came to get her puppy fix. Shreya ended up being the photographer and got a ton of photos (basically all of the photos in this post are from her). Thanks Shreya!

And for those of you who think it's absolutely absurd that I have thrown a birthday paw-ty for my dog, you are probably right. It is a little overboard, I'll admit, but at least I'm not a crazy cat lady ;)

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