Travis has given up his water bottle for a much larger iced tea bottle. Actually, I gave both boys a bottle, but Travis just have to have it all, so he took Riley's bottle too. Watch as he tries to get BOTH bottles in his mouth at one time!
So, we are home. Back to Reality. I worked approximately ten minutes before I had to shorten my totally awesome nails. It's freezing cold. I am working non-stop until Christmas. The knower of all, Tinkerbell, says it like it really is....
Mornings in Western Pennsylvania, in the winter, are NOT magical. She is such a smart one, I guess that's why she has wings and gets to carry the Pixie Dust.
Know what is magical? Or should I say Who? This guy! Travis!
This guy will turn your frown upside down!
I swear that the boys have switched bodies on me ala Freaky Friday. Travis, my little naughty boy has suddenly become an angel and Riley, my angel has suddenly become my naughty boy. Look at this photo! Riley is on the couch! You see Mr. Bruises did a lot to stop him, he's laying right there with him. Neither boys are allowed on the furniture.
Monday, when I took Riley to the vet, as we pulled into the parking lot, he started howling like a hound dog. I am talking it sounded like I had slammed his tail in the door and driven the 10 minutes to the vet with it still in the door. I blame this all on Mr. Bruises' parents dog, a beagle-basset hound mix, who went to the bridge a few years ago. Stormy had the most God awful bark and Riley learned it. It is quite embarrassing when he does it because you usually don't hear a sound like that coming from a Golden Retriever. He usually does it at home when he knows my father in law has come home. NOW, he is doing it in public!
Yesterday, I took the boys to get groomed. When I went to pick them up, the groomer told me that she noticed a huge difference in Travis this time, that he wasn't as excitable and jumpy. She said he jumped right up on the table and she didn't even have to use the head harness, he just stood there and let her groom him. I asked how Riley did, since the last time he got a little snippy when it came to the nail clipping. She said, wait for it.......wait for it......wait for it.......HE GAVE HER A BLOODY NOSE! OMG! my angel started thrashing when it was nail clipping time and she head butted her and gave her a bloody nose! Never in my life would I ever think that my precious Riley would draw blood on someone.
I don't know what these two did, but I want it to stop. I want my boys back. I want my angel Riley and I want my mischievous little naught boy Travis. Now I just have to figure out how to switch them back and quickly. They are going to Aunt Tammy's house for "vacation" in T minus twenty four hours!
Yesterday, I was a Chiuaua. I was irritable, bitchy and I let everyone and everything bother me. I have some OCD tendencies and I really hate it when things are moved or broken or just wrong. Sometimes things are done with good intentions, however, when you are a Chiuaua, you don't give a shit, you are just pissed off and everyone is gonna know it.
I chalk it up to surgery, pain killers and just not feeling up to snuff. Today, I've decided to be a Golden Retriever. They really don't have a care in the world. They walk around with that "Nobody's gonna breaka my stride" song playing in their head. Everything is fun to them, even going to the vet and getting a thermometer shoved up their butt.
Look at the look on Travis' face. Do you think that he gives one flying fig that he looks like a looney? No! He could care less, he's loving life and having fun while he does it. Not a care in the world.
Today, I am a Golden Retriever. I just won't lick my butt.
Holly's mom is my last client every other Thursday evening. Holly has started to come with her to her appointment because A: It gives her alone time with her mom without her little brother Crosby and B: I love doggy visitors at The Purple Pinkie.
Fall is upon us. It is a beautiful time of year, yet it means winter is coming. I hate winter with a passion. I want to live in CA and Mr. Bruises wants to live in FL. We compromise and stay here in PA. Some compromise.
Sunday, I get a call from Mr. Bruises, he is at the motocross track, saying that he crashed and was heading to the hospital just to get checked out. It seems as though he was going over a little jump, trying to go around someone and when he crested the top of the jump, his bike jumped out of gear. He went down and his arm was pushed into his side and he fractured two ribs. The bike, doesn't have a scratch.
Mr. Bruises is 44 years old. He's been riding since he could walk. This is his FIRST crash ever with any type of injury. I remember when I first met him, he has a couple of scars on his face and I was all impressed that they were race injuries. Later I found out that he is just clumsy and that they were all caused by tripping over a fan in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom.
Well, he is in a lot of pain. I can totally sympathize. However, he is a total bugger, fighting me on everything to do with his recovery. Trying to say I am overdosing him by giving him two pain pills when the prescription says one to two every four hours. He won't eat, but he has to eat to take his Motrin. Then he complains because he has an upset stomach. Well, if you ate, you wouldn't have the upset stomach. Then he says he don't want to eat because he is just sitting, doing nothing and can't burn it off. WTF? I am certain that this boy was a woman in a former life. He worries about his weight more than anyone I know.
The goldens have totally dumped me for him. He's been sleeping in the Lay-Z-Boy, so I get the bed all to myself. Literally. I wake up in the morning and I am alone. Everyone is with him, even the cat. Geez.
The other night, I offered to make the ultimate wifely sacrifice. I offered to wipe his butt. Those of you knowing me and my gag reflex will appreciate this selfless gesture. Luckily, he was able to take care of that business on his own.
I don't know how long he is going to be out of commission, but I finally feel comfortable going to work and leaving him alone. They say three weeks of bad pain and six weeks to heal.
Now as for these goldies. Don't they realize that I not only purchase their kibble, but I hand it out as well. I better be getting me some snuggles or they will be on a hunger strike with their father!
People ask me all of the time if I have ridden in Camilla yet. Well, the answer is yes. I rode in her for the first time, back in October, when I was at a wedding and Mr. Bruises picked me up and drove us the to the end of the year SCDD banquet. I didn't write about it because A: I was too tipsy to give a crap that I was in her and B: I didn't have photos.
Travis was so much fun to watch. He would get out so far, until he could barely touch, then he would take this big leap, kind of like a dolphin and then swim like crazy.
On the way home, I saw this in the rear view mirror.
It's easy, just get yourself a glow in the dark ball and some glow necklaces, that you can find in the party section of Walmart. Activate the ball, by holding it to a bright light, then activate the necklace and put on on each dog. Then you go out in the dark and throw the ball and the necklaces allow you to see where they are. It's genius! As you can see, my boys LOVED it!!
So, it seems as though some people have a problem with the fact that Travis campaigned before he got to Goldstock. I thought the whole reason to campaign in the first place was to raise money for rescue. What better dog to campaign in his hometown, before coming to Goldstock, than Travis.
Travis' story, locally, is well known and Travis is very loved. People were horrified at his story and joyous when he received his forever home with us. Everyone wants to die and come back as one of the Kibuk pets.
People were very generous with their donations. Sure, they wanted to see Travis win the Sweetest Boy title, but most importantly, they wanted to help other dogs like Travis escape horrible situations and find better homes.
Advance campaigning wasn't against the rules and Travis brought $373 from Armstrong County PA to Lakewood, PA. I personally think everyone should come to Goldstock with money from those that want to help but can't attend.
Bottom line, money was raised and goldens are being rescued. That's what it's all about!
His competition was tough, a senior, Irish, at 16 years of age, with an awesome Mom, Laurie, who's been through this a time or two. Somehow we pulled it off! All in all, everyone is a winner, since money was raised for rescue. Irish is totally Sweetest Boy in his Mom's eyes. Aren't they all Sweetest?
Travis competed in the Olympics and brought home a Bronze medal in Righteous Retrieving, Puppy Division. He swam for the first time and is a natural. We all had a great time visiting and meeting new friends.
Watch for a detailed, photo pictorial of the weekend coming soon. I am STILL on dial up. When I got home on Monday, DSL was working so Mr. Bruises talked me into rescheduling the Comcast appointment for next Monday due to some scheduling issues on our end. I did that and the next morning, DSL promptly quit working. I think it's a conspiracy. Living for Monday now!
Well, we almost have the car packed. The boys are ready for a fun-filled weekend at Goldstock!!! Thanks to a lot of friends, Travis has already raised $373 for his campaign for Sweetest Boy!
I will be entering Travis in the Olympics. I think he is going to medal in either Dock Diving or Righteous Retriever since jumping and running are his best traits.
I will be sure to get a full pictorial update up as soon as I can when I get home. I am still on dial up. Comcast is being installed on Tuesday.
Happy Labor Day everyone and THANK YOU to everyone who $Voted$ for Travis!
Travis will be attending Goldstock this year, which is a huge fundraiser for Golden Retriever Rescue and he will be running for Sweetest Boy. You vote with dollars. I would like to go into the event with his voting can totally stuffed, which I am allowed to do!
I attended Goldstock in Scranton, PA (six hour drive) Labor Day weekend with Riley, my golden retriever. It's a weekend fundraiser at a summer camp for Golden Retriever Rescue groups. It's like Meatball's (remember that movie) with your dog.
I excitedly took Riley, along with others and their dogs to the lake to see if Riley would swim, or jump off the dock. He had went into the water once when he was a pup to retrieve a stick and was horrified! I hoped he had grown out of it and thought that seeing hundreds of dogs in the water would make him want to go in too. He was having nothing of it. Go figure, a Golden that doesn't like water!
While at the lake, I suddenly heard Jen, my roommate screaming hysterically. Bailey, her Golden had swam out really far to retrieve a buoy that he thought was a ball. The buoy was roped and anchored. Bailey was swimming with all his might to bring the "ball" back to the dock. He was getting exhausted, yet he would NOT release the ball. We feared that he was tangled up in the rope. He was not going to stop until he had retrieved the "ball", retrievers just can't leave something!
Without hesitation, I went running toward the dock along with Karen from England. I started dropping all my gear, my backpack, leash, took off my jacket, sweatshirt, kicked off my shoes, socks and threw my hat, sunglasses, cellphone and purse on the dock as I was racing to the water. Despite it being 54 degrees, I jumped in the lake with all my clothes on, swam out to Bailey and attempted to take the buoy from him. He growled at me, (that stinker) but gave it to me. I then checked to be sure he wasn't tangled and he immediately swam for the dock. He was so tired, it took three people to lift him out of the lake.
I arrived at the dock to find Riley looking down at me from the dock with my socks, jacket and sweatshirt in his mouth. Seems that he went behind me and gathered up all my clothes for me. Too bad I was the one in the water and not him! Guess he was the smart one all nice and dry!
Attending this event was a wonderful thing for me. Up until the moment I got in my car to go, I didn't know if I had the physical or emotional strength to go. My Mom's illness and hospitalization has really been sucking the life out of me. Something made me go. I truly believe that I was meant to be there to save Bailey.
Karen and Rhonda get Bailey situated with Jen, his mom.
Here's Bailey, the precious baby, sleeping on a spare bed at camp later that night.
7 MALE dogs, waiting for their treats. Riley is first on the left. Believe it or not, no fighting, snipping, nothing! I am amazed at this breed!
Riley, Starlight, Fletcher, Bailey, Noah, Conner and Leo
