Doggie Cafe

The Halloween Doggie Cafe at the Humane Society was really something last night. The first people we saw were ours! Aunt Kathy, Doreen and ABBY!! In her poodle skirt!! Cleverly made by Doreen!

Isn't she a cutie!?   (I don't know about Aunt Kathy and Doreen; I know Abby is a FRENCH poodle, but always letting her go going around topless! Yo! This is the U.S. of A., ladies!)

Darby was very happy to see Abby and all the other dogs she met as we walked to the check in table. I was happy about that because often she barks at other dogs. I know that is because she is shy and a little afraid and she is telling them to stay away. She is getting less shy all the time.

There were a lot of people and dogs. Here is a crummy picture taken with one hand while the other held onto Darby's leash.

We didn't stay too long because once we got inside, all the people, dogs in funny costumes and the noise from all that activity in an enclosed, hard surfaced area was too much for Darby.  (Last time we went, Doggie Cafe was held outside.)  She couldn't settle down and started barking enough that one of the Humane Society trainers came over to talk with us.  She suggested that next time we take breaks--go outside, come back in for a few minutes--and gradually let Darby get used to the atmosphere. I think that is good advice!

I'm glad I didn't add to the Darbs' nervousness by making her wear a costume! 

Can't wait to see how she does tonight with the trick or treaters!!

Happy Halloween! 

New material!

Darby has something in common with the first President Bush--she doesn't like broccoli either!

I read recently about a corgi who loves it, so I steamed up a few pieces tonight and when they had cooled off, rolled them around in her kibble to give them a nice meaty taste.

She bit into the first piece and I thought, great!  Something else to feed her.  But, nope!  She dropped it over the side of her dish. 

Then she dropped the second piece,

then the third,

 

fourth,

 

and fifth!

 

 

Then, she proceeded to delicately nibble every last piece of kibble from around the broccoli pieces remaining in her bowl.

She also scarfed up the piece of kibble that fell out along with the second piece of broccoli she dropped from her dish.

 

And, finally, she gave the broccoli on the floor one more sniff, then walked away!

So much for adding something new to her diet, but it sure was nice to have something other than tennis balls to talk about!

P.S.  These photos made me realize how grubby around the edges Darby's bowl had become.  You'll be happy to know I scrubbed it.  

Need new material

I don't know about you, but I'm getting a little tired of the tennis ball shots. But, it is hard to get a photo of Darby doing something that doesn't involve a tennis ball. So here, for the sake of little variety, is a photo of Darby, a tennis ball and lovely leaf!

Darby and I are signed up for an "Agility Confidence" class on Sunday mornings for six weeks. It is a low-key, not-too-strenuous-for-puppy-legs, fun class. I just hope it is Darby that has to do all the crawling through hoops and not me!

Maybe the class will give me some new photographic material! That is, if I remember to pull out the camera!!

She's grown a bit

Compare this photo to the one in the blog banner.

She's grown a bit, hasn't she?

She likes me! She really likes me!

I felt like Sally Fields yesterday when Darby asked to come up on the sofa and after hanging out for awhile at the other end, wobbled over to me and plopped her head in my lap!

She likes me! She really likes me!!

  

 

Detente

One of these days I am going to invest in a digital SLR camera and take another photography class.  But, for now it's great to be able to capture moments like this with my phone--even if the quality of the shot isn't great.

P.S.  Darby knew Harry was there. 

Testing Continues

Testing continues.

Starbucks Petite Vanilla Scone lost to the ball. 

Darby did dart her tongue out to lick the generous piece of scone I offered her in my left hand, but her eyes remained fixed on the ball in my right hand until I threw it and off she went.

The score so far:  Cheese--0; Natural Balance Duck and Potato Treat*--0; Petite Vanilla Scone--0; Tennis Ball--3

Testing will continue.

* Ordinarily duck and potato treat will cause Darby AND Bonnie to chatter their teeth in excitement!  Bonnie is pretty ball-obsessed, too.  But something tells me Duck and Potato treat would win with her! 

Fall

When my parents first moved to San Diego from the east, they were so fall-color starved that they would load us into the car and take a drive on Highway 395 through Balboa Park just to look at the deciduous trees planted in the median.

My parents would be very happy to see all the Liquid Amber trees and other fall color trees that have been planted here and are now large, beautiful trees. These leaves artfully displaying Darby's ball, are from our neighbors' tree.

Does it look like she is looking up at me in an adoring manner? Nope! It's the tennis ball I am holding.

Darby looks like fall to me.

 

Proof

Remember how I said that Darby runs out the back door in the morning and waits at the potting bench for me to throw the tennis ball for her?

Here's proof:

5:05 am yesterday. I turned on the patio light, opened the door and let her out.

I had to throw the ball to get her to go out to the grass to "do her business"!

How do I cure an obsession like this???

Maybe she isn't a real corgi

So, Corgis have a reputation for being motivated by food, for living for their next meal, for eating whatever is put in front of them in nearly any quantity, and for preferring food to everything.

I thought that was true of Darby until now.

This evening, I was sitting in the backyard eating cheese and crackers.  Normally, Darby would be sitting close, begging, hoping crumbs might fall so she could scoop them up.  I don't feed her when humans are eating, but that has never stopped her from hovering and hoovering if we're sloppy!

This evening it occurred to me to try an experiment.  I offered her a piece of cheese in one hand and offered her the ball in the other hand, and then immediately threw the ball. 

I would have bet money that she would ignore the ball and go for the cheese.

But, nope!  She ran after the ball--and continued to choose the ball over the cheese several more times!

Turning down food?  And, before she had her evening meal?  Maybe she isn't a real Corgi! 

(Sorry, no photos!  Both hands were involved in the experiment!)

Please...

Please just put the dumb camera/phone away and throw the ball, would ya??

She's so cute I can't stand it!

No rest for me

So I'm sitting in a chair in the backyard, enjoying doing nothing at all and here she comes, ball in mouth:

She drops the ball on the seat of the chair next to me, watches it drop to the ground and waits. (Those are drool spots on the chair and the ground.) 

If I don't reach over the side, pick up the ball and throw it quickly enough for her, she moves in closer, pushes her nose against me and stands there STARING at me from under the arm of the chair!

I find her hard to resist!

Outside in the dark continues

A break from retrieving for a drink from the fountain.

 

More outside-in-the-dark photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

Con or Sin Gas?

Seems like Darby likes her water either way.

With or without "gas" or fizz.

Here she is lapping up some freshly made fizzy water.

 

Freshly made by me using filtered tap water and this.


What a fun tool!  And "green," too, if you consider the environmental savings in fewer bottles and the shipping savings on those fewer bottles.*

Erika and Christian received a Penguin as a wedding gift from my Aunt and two of my cousins and Erika raved about it so much I went out and treated myself to one. I think the mother of the bride should get something out of the deal besides a son, a pretty dress and sore feet from the heels she isn't used to wearing, don't you?

* Good rationalization of a relatively frivolous purchase, huh?

My view of my house lately

This is the view I've been having of my house most often the last week or so:

Even with the days getting shorter, Darby is still waking up at 5:00 am and wanting out. And, the instant she steps outside the back door, even before she "does her business" after having been in her crate all night long, she stops at the potting bench and looks up, asking for the tennis ball she knows is sitting there.

She has become obsessed with retrieving tennis balls!

 

So, there I stand in the early morning dark, early evening dark, late evening before-we-go-to-bed-dark, throwing a tennis ball for Darby. Don't get me wrong--I'm really glad she likes to retrieve--it is a good, easy way for her to get some exercise. But, I have to admit I sometimes wish I were inside looking out!

Guess who might be coming to live with us?

Guess who might be coming to live with us for six months starting in January?

Bonnie!!

Her human, Erika, may be awarded an internship in Washington, DC. Erika's husband, Christian, loves Bonnie but has a work schedule that makes it impossible for him to get home to let her out on time.

So, if Erika gets the internship, Bonnie will come stay with us!

I wish Darby could understand! She would be so excited!

I am!

Making friends at the pumpkin patch

Darby attracts people everywhere she goes. She is always very happy to meet them--usually too happy! But, we're working on that.

Here she is with Glenn chatting with a woman who visited the pumpkin patch on Saturday with her senior citizen group from Riverside, CA.

Darby likes her house

I was knitting at the kitchen table this afternoon and looked up to see Darby sleeping Corgi style--on her back with all four legs in the air--inside her "house." I bumped a chair leg when I reached for my phone to take a photo and woke her up.

Still, here is proof that at least one pup loves her crate enough to voluntarily go into it to rest.

Orange

Darby looks good in orange.

Pumpkin Patch

Every year for longer than we have been married, Glenn and I have been going to the pumpkin patch at Bates Nut Farm in Valley Center about 50 miles north of San Diego. Today, Darby went with us for the first of hopefully many, many trips.

For many years now, we've been getting a REALLY big pumpkin--90 to 120 pounds big!

 

Here's the pumpkin Glenn and I chose this year:

 

Here's the one Darby chose:

 

YUCK!

Autumn Joy

Autumn Joy--the name of the sedum plant and my feeling about the significantly cooler weather we have had for the past week!

Even Darby seems a little friskier in this weather--I'm tired of throwing the tennis ball LONG before she is!!

Right foot

This is a very characteristic pausing or time-out pose for Darby.

Always the right foot tucked; never the left.

Camouflage

Quick! Can you see Darby?

Doesn't she blend in well with the bark in the garden?