Worried for a Friend

A good friend, also owned by a lab, is in the hospital. We're worried about you (you know who you are) and your wonderful wife. Hang in there and know the Seattle labs are pulling for you!

Murphy's day.

My Niece's Dog, Redux

My niece left her dog in the great care of my other niece. I am beginning to think this dog, Maggie, knows no other way to sleep. Also, notice she's on the couch. Who really does rule my family? If you're a dog, you really want to be a McDonald!

Sorry Brooke and Megan, I just has to post this pic!

Sweet Baby Sage

Out and about on Saturday (couldn't bear to listen to the UW v. Stanford game). The cure for football blues? Fly fishing, of course.

Sage has adopted Murphy's position on fly fishing. Enjoy a brief dip in the water, then find a patch of sun and bask.

Meanwhile, Annie? Well she is all over. Notice she is not in this picture. I think she is either wilding about or somewhere behind me, practicing her swimming.

But Sweet Baby Sage has got the whole adventure wired.

Murphy's day.

Causing a Fumble

So here it is, game "stills." This is Annie trying to cause the fumble. I am thinking she might be great on "special teams!"

Stay tuned!

Murphy's day.

There is Something About My Family

My two nieces are fantastic women. The older niece (who is not THAT old) is raising two amazing children. She takes her training as a teacher and applies it to a rambunctious son, Jacob, and her little daughter, Claire. Plus she has this drop dead good looking husband. And my younger niece is juggling a legal career, baby boy Joshua, and marriage to the kindest man. But then there is the issue of their dogs.

This is my niece Brooke's dog, Maggie. Sophie, my other niece's dog, is a wild Golden, who chases bubbles. Yesterday I checked Facebook and found pictures from my niece of their kids, and in every pic, I swear, were their dogs. Now where do you think they got that from? Is it genetic? My brother is crazy about his dog (and was nuts about his first Golden). But I am beginning to believe dogs control this family. Kinda' scary...I think I should do something about that...hahaha

Murphy's day.

Fall on the Football!

After the huddle comes the play. I handed off to Sage and now Annie, who I thought was on the same team, is trying to cause a fumble! "Fall on the football!"

I am realizing the idea of lab football is fantasy on my part and all about wrestling to the girls. I suspect that is the same way for college and pro football too!

Murphy's day.

The Huddle

It's autumn, crisp nights, sunny days, and football! I have been teaching "the girls" how to play. Sage makes a great running back and Annie, well, she's working on wide retriever.

So at practice on Tuesday we had to work on the huddle. Here they are listening to the play "Blue 88, Blue 88," and trying to remember their positions. All they want to talk about is the lack of uniforms. Haven't they realized there are budget cuts in home school?

Murphy's day.

Dead Toys

A lively game of tug o' war ended the monkey on the right. Decapitated. Quick trip to the dog store, new monkey found. Everyone happy.

Memorial service for dead monkey to be announced.

Murphy's day.

This Morning

This morning I came downstairs, leaving Annie in bed. I could hear Sage breathing deeply, and then I had this overwhelming feeling of missing Murphy. Almost as a reflex I headed to her bed to check on her.

It feels good to know she hasn't left.

Murphy's day.

Salmon Spawn

This weekend in Leavenworth is the Salmon Festival. Lots of hoopla and ways for the arts and crafts set to sell pictures of fish.

For me, it's going to be a chance to teach Annie about staying away from dead salmon.

Wish me luck.

Murphy's day.

I Will Take Care of You For The Rest Of Your Life

Since I've been an adult I've been loved by five dogs: Alex, Riley, Murphy, Sage and now Annie (hopefully she slows down long enough to love). With each one, the moment I picked them up, I told them: "I will take care of you for the rest of your life."

It's a promise.

And I get a sense each one in their own way responded by figuring they'd take care of me, too.

As I've grown older I've gotten much better, I think, about my side of the equation. Not leaving them alone so long, being aware of things that frighten them, buying better dog food than grocery store made in China crap...they give me so much it's the best I can do to really care for them.

Murphy's day.

First Week of School

Home school. I haven't taken my dogs to obedience training since Alex and I flunked in the summer of 1978. We were both hungry and during the final exam of "sit and stay," while hot dogs were thrown in the middle of the ring, it was a race between my Airedale pup and me to see who would get the "dogs," first. I think I won but we were both flunked.

Since then, it's been home school. Can you tell? On occasion, one or the other dog has had to "go to military school," you know, that intense drilling. Heel, sit, stay, come. I think Annie will be there forever!

But yesterday morning she did well. She knew Sage was in the back yard and she desperately wanted to get beside her sister. I made her sit, stay, lie down, then left her. And she did it! Wha-hoo! One time, I know, but it's a start! Now, if she can only figure out her spelling.

Murphy's day.

Late Summer

I think for a lab there is nothing better than late summer. It's warm days cool nights are perfect. Not as many people out at the usual haunts. And for labs, that sense of hunting season must coarse through their veins.

Murphy's day.

Motherhood

I am certain my nieces, who both have young young children agree with this, or frankly know more about this than I, but there is a knowing when you're a mother. You just know when something is wrong or right.

So in the middle of the night last night I woke up, listened, and could faintly hear toenails on the kitchen floor. I got up, and indeed Sage was sick. Opened the back door, looked for raccoons, and let her fly out. She'd gotten sick on the floor (there was a reason linoleum and paper towels were invented).

Mother's know.

Murphy's day.

Does She Calm Down?

"Does she ever calm down?" asked the woman as we watched Annie and her dog romp through the creek.

"No," I said, shaking my head, "I think she sometimes sleeps, but I am not sure when."

Murphy's day.

Birthdays

Yesterday was Doug's birthday.

Rest in peace.

Silence in the Backyard

Silence in the backyard is never good. I keep neglecting that fact, though. Yesterday morning, I heard Annie go out back. Then I began working. A half hour later, I realized I hadn't heard her come back in. And indeed, she'd dug a hole. Plus, adding insult to injury, her paws were looking suspiciously like a Chocolate lab's, all brown (from the mud).

There are a few good things about winter, one being the back door will remain closed. In the meantime, I'm contacting NASA to see if they want to train in my moonscaped back yard!

Murphy's day.

Short Week

I simply love these three day weekends and short weeks. Not that our pattern changes that much, but for some reason I think of time as little vacations. On Labor Day you could not believe how much we labored: cleaning house, laundry, washing the car, vacuuming dog hair out of the car (which I always wonder why I do that when within 12 hours there will be more dog hair!). But we got things done I have put off while staring at a computer, or driving to and from my parents.

The girls, somehow they know it is a "day off." They lounged around, then thoroughly enjoyed the sleeping in, the trip to my parents, supervising the housecleaning (that vacuum cleaner needs a lot of barking in order to work). I wonder whether they know today is a work day (as I type this Sage is snoring at my feet and Annie is still snoozing on my bed....hmmm). It's a dog's life. Everyday is a short week or a long weekend.

Murphy's day.

Long Weekend

Long weekend. Last one before home schooling begins again! Last night, though, Annie and Sage found their toy football, so we had a pretty good practice for the Kissing Labs, a fierce football powerhouse...

Have a wonderful holiday.

Murphy's day.

Learning from Sage or Me?

I think one of the tricks in raising a pup when you have another dog is getting the pup to bond with me rather than the older dog. While I think Sage is a great teacher, at some point I need Annie to understand she has to relate to me.

One of my new strategies is to spend time alone with her. It's hard, because Sage loves to go, and Annie loves to be with Sage. But, it's all part of home schooling....

Murphy's day.

Heaven

This is heaven, at least for me. But the girls sure love it.

Murphy's day

Feral Annie

She is by far the hardest dog I've had to train. This Sunday she caught scents that must have went straight to her hunting DNA and was "gone." Wild, feral, taunting me about behaving. A lot like some teenagers I have known. Needless to say, I was not happy.

It's going to be a long school year for Annie.

What was good was by the time I got her in the car, Sage was impatient. She growled and even "nipped" at Annie, letting her know she had misbehaved. If I can't train her, maybe Sage can!

Murphy's day.