Birthday Boy

Today Charlie is 4. He continues to mellow, but still has that puppy excitement about him. Some of this year's developments:

• Charlie's become quite the singer, demanding to harmonize at the end of every human meal. Every. Meal.
• This year Charlie's proved himself a sociable guy -- meeting and playing nicely with several new dogs and even handling himself with composure on walks when faced with aggressive off-leash dogs.
• Wev'e had lots of houseguests and visitors this year, and Charlie's initial reservednesss upon meeting new humans has decreased dramatically.
• Charlie has decided (finally!) that he likes to be brushed. And he's learned the word "brush". "Want to brush?" sends him flying to the appropriate closet.
• Now he allows me to dry even his feet without resorting to teeth. Clipping his nails alone, however, remains an unattainable goal.

What's not changed is that Charlie's still glued to me and I'm crazy about him. Some things are just forever.

 

Debating, Charlie-style

While the adults ate inside, watching Barack Obama and John McCain go at it on television, Charlie and Gabbie staged their own little contest outdoors.

Gabbie took a firm position on the Cuz and commanded an early lead.

Charlie tried to attack her on the Cuz issue, but Gabbie remained unflappable.

Gabbie was the decided frontrunner in the contest.

Still, it was a real horserace.

And in the end, Gabbie won the Cuz.

But Charlie won hearts!

I think polls will call it a tie!

 

Hello, Goodbye

Goodbye, sunny summer...
Hello, rainy fall!

 

Charlie's Day on the Farm

Yesterday, Charlie got to visit a farm just outside Portland. He met (and made friends with) the laid-back farm dogs, and he gave barky Petey a wide berth. He was delightfully startled when crickets jumped and frogs plopped into the pond in front of him. And he saw horses for the first time. What a great day he had!

Wandering
Surveying the pond.
"Plop? What was that?"
Wheeeeeee....
Where's Charlie?
p.s. It took three treats to get him into the car to come home!

 

Rainy Days and Mondays

Pretty quiet around here on this mostly cloudy Monday.

 

Silver Lining

Charlie's fine, but had to go to the vet today. Pictures are best left to the imagination, but we had a conversation there that went something like this:

Dr T: We went through his stool sample, and I have to tell you that all of us back there found it pretty entertaining!
Us: ???
Dr T: I mean it! Did you look through that sample before you brought it in?
Us: Well, kind of. Charlie had some brown rice for dinner last night, and we could see the grains in his poop.
Dr T: Yes, brown rice. But did you see what else was in there?
Us: I don't know; maybe not... like what?
Dr T: Like, for example, a hairball. There was a hairball in there! None of us have ever HEARD of a dog having hairball problems.
Us: Well, he has been shedding a lot lately and he's been itchy so he bites himself...
Dr T: And there were almonds. WHOLE almonds! Several of them.
Us: Well he likes them. Sometimes he gets them as a treat. And he doesn't bother to chew...
Dr T: There was all kinds of stuff in there! But he'll be fine --- I'm sure it's just something he ate.

And he is. Fine, that is. And the vets and techs at our clinic got a few laughs today. Not a bad trade in my book. :)

 

Mom... I'm Not Even Touching Her...

Boat Dog!

Today was the big day! The day that Charlie got in his boat.

"What the heck is this thing?"
"Hey, fishy fishy fishy... are you still under there?"
It required stairs (thanks, Robin & Lavonne).
Yes, treats were involved.
Yes, it took two of us encouraging, cajoling, and assisting.
And, yes, he was scared; shaking even as he wagged.

But he did it. And, most importantly, he liked it!
Checking out the lines
Checking out the cabin
"Just call me Cap'n Charlie!"
"Let's GO!"

 

Happy Labor Day!

-- Boathouse Charlie.

 

This Party's Gone to the Dogs!

45 minutes ago
PORTLAND, OR -

Charlie's anointing Gabbie...
...as his...
... running mate!
------

 

Shhhhh...., Mom,

"...I'm listening to the convention!..."

 

A Little Progress

The boat's been in the shop getting some items fixed up, so there hasn't been much happening on the Charlie-boat front. However, we did take a little preparatory step forward yesterday.

First I got Charlie dressed up in Harley's old harness. Before sweet wobbly golden Harley went to the Rainbow Bridge, we used this to help steady and support his walking. Designed as a search & rescue dog harness, it's comfy and strong enough to lift Charlie back on the dock if necessary. Assuming, of course, that an adrenaline-rush really can provide the strength necessary to lift 68 lbs. of squirming dog. (*Note: life jacket coming.)

A Charlie 'suitcase'
But most suitcases don't have teeth
Then we took Charlie to the docks and the boathouse. This is his second time there, and today he not only went into the living space, but allowed himself to be coaxed into the boatwell! Sans boat, but it's a start!

Deciding whether to enter the boatwell
Success!! In the boatwell.*
"Here, fishy, fishy, fishy..."
I think some of our friends are rolling their eyes at all this "slow-walking", but Charlie is suspicious, spooks easily, and once he makes up his mind against something, it takes trickery and treats to work around it. Seriously, it took almost an hour to get him to even try going up stairs when we first moved to Portland!

So this little outing proved very successful. Next up - getting Charlie on the boat!
---------
*I just about freaked when he turned around on that narrow walkway, but he did fine!

My Mom Went on Vacation and All I Got Was a Lousy New Collar, Leash, Canteen, and Treat Ball.... TREAT BALL?

Fast-drying nautical blue mesh with little shark pictures... "ho hum".

"...yeah, ok."

"Hmmmm... what's this?"



If you're ever in Bloomington Indiana, stop by T&T Pet Supply -- they have great stuff!!

 

I Should Leave More Often

While I was away, the blogosphere exploded with activity! There's been a virtual storm of awards, with some even blowing this way!

Sami & Baylee, Huskee Boy and Chef gave us the Arte-y Pico Award. This award "was created for bloggers who inspire others with their creativity and their talents, and for contributing to the blogging world." Wow, we're honored to accept! And even more honored to pass it along to:

- While Walking Duncan - a daily blog by a wonderful writer regarding his life and experiences walking Duncan, a golden retriever who looks a lot like Charlie
- Greg/Brooke/Charlie/Opy -- i.e. Dogs with Blogs - if you don't know them yet, then you should. They have literally created a worldwide community of dog bloggers.
- Sophie Rules the World - a beauty AND a beast... what more is there to say about the uber-talented Ms. Sophia La Brador?
- Dogs Eye View - L^2's fabulous blog with some of the best photography around, and
- Meeshka - whose cartoons and attitude keep me in stitches (and nodding in agreement).

These are five very creative and artful blogs, without which it would be a much duller world!

-----------
For those who wish to accept the award, here are the rules:
1. Pick 5 blogs that you consider deserve an award for creativity, design, interesting material, and contribute to the blogging community, no matter what language.
2. List the name of the author and a link to his/her blog to be visited by everyone.
3. Show the award and put the name and link to the blog that awarded it to you.
4. Show the link of the Arte Y Pico blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.
5. Display these rules.

And there's an award from Curt of While Walking Duncan (which, by the way, you should really check out if I didn't make that perfectly clear before).


I'd like to pass this one along to:
- Lab Tails, an engaging blog about breeding and raising labradors and the lessons learned therein
- To Aire is Divine, the adventures of Bogart, an Airedale exploring his new home here in Portland (from which we learn a lot)
- Sparky, a fun blog written by a very talented Canadian teenager
- Pippadogblog, the adventures of a Spanish dog with two British ex-pats living in Spain (& Gibraltar)
- El Diario de Lorenza, the life of a (the sweetest ever) dachsund living in Torreon, Coahuila Mexico, and whose grandmother makes the most amazing dresses
- It's Hammer - Beau's Brother, whose tenacious mom, Susan, continues to hunt for her beloved English Setter, Beau, and uses this blog to help spread the word
- and The Daily Coyote, a totally addictive daily blog about raising a coyote pup in Wyoming.

-----------
The rules of accepting this award are as follows:
1) Put the logo on your blog.
2) Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4) Add links to those blogs on yours.
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.



I only wish I could pass these awards on to many more blogs, because these are just a few of the ones I love.

And Now for Something Completely Different

Meet Sophie, Charlie's sister. His real sister, as in littermate.

Sophie on her air vent
I've just returned from a trip though Indiana with my siblings, seeing the old homesteads and visiting the old haunts. While there, I got to spend a few days with Sophie and with her mom, our good friend Karen. And I got to meet Stephanie, the woman who bred Charlie & Sophie's litter, raised them for the first 8 weeks or so, and still has their mom Abby.

Sophie (right) and her best friend Steeler
Upon meeting Sophie, the resemblance to Charlie was striking. Because just like Charlie, Sophie squints and smiles (while wagging vigoously) when she's really happy to see someone.

They have the same look to their face and similar smiles. Both have below-the-ears unruly flyaway (but I mean that in a good way) ear hair. They both paw. A lot. Both are constantly hungry, not bothering to chew in their haste to wolf down food. And both carefully cultivate a serious mournful stare which they milk for all it's worth.

Sophie, working it
Unlike Charlie, however, Sophie is a licky dog, and she loves to give dog kisses. Also unlike Charlie, she doesn't drool, and she's not bitey. Until you rev her up... then, watch out... yep, just like Charlie.

Sophie on her deck
Like Charlie, Sophie is completely "glued" to her mom (and vice-versa) and follows her everywhere. I tried to convince her to come home with me, but I don't think she was even tempted.

 

Shhhhhh....

Charlie doesn't quite know it yet, but boating is in his future.

That's assuming he's willing. And Charlie is so fearful of so many things that I'm worried he won't be. Willing, that is.Yesterday we started the introduction process by taking Charlie to the Columbia River Yacht Club to visit the boathouse & start getting comfortable with the surroundings.He sniffed all around, went inside & out, poked his head into the boatwell (but wouldn't go farther), and even met Cheyenne, a golden retriever girl who explained everything to him (including that she's the boss).
The goal was to have a good, non-challenging, non-scary time and I think we succeeded.

Next step? Start getting Charlie used to the boat with the engine off. And excited about "going for a ride" in it. Oh yeah, and figure out how to fish him out if he falls in the drink. 'Cause, oh baby, when we finally do turn on that engine, I want to be prepared!