Relaxed

Relaxed

Sunday, January 17, 2016

Brrrr

Whoowee we have had some cold days. Being from the south I'm not really cut out for temperatures below 10 degrees Fahrenheit. My undercoat isn't very bushy and my paws get cold quickly so, even though Merlin didn't need a coat or boots until he was an old man, Mama altered his coat to fit me and tried to get me to wear the last of his disposable boots, but after a fifteen minute wrestling match that resulted in me having only one boot on Mama broke down and bought me some new boots.  I love the coat, the boots took a little getting used to, but then I liked them. Unfortunately they didn't survive my 1 hour and 10 minutes of walking/playing. My toes went right out the front even though Mama made sure they were the right size. So, we DO NOT recommend Top Paw Hiking Boots. We do recommend Petsmart as they took back the destroyed boots no questions asked.

Here is a movie of me playing in my first boots and coat:


Mama went online and researched heavy duty boots and wound up buying me Ultra Paws Rugged boots.  Mama had to buy two sets because my front feet are almost an inch wider than my back feet. (Mama says I have big floppy basset hound feet in front and dainty herding dog feet in the back). The boots arrived in two days!! which was great because we woke up to -3 degree temps this morning and, even though we waited until 9:30 to walk it was still only 0 degrees out by then. I wasn't so sure about the new boots because they were heavier and stiffer than the first pair, but after a few blocks I got the hang of walking in them and was happily jumping and playing and running at the end and the boots were all still in one piece when we went in which Mama says was a plus. She says her only regret is that she bought two pairs of black boots. If she had been thinking she'd have bought red boots for the front and black for the back so it would look like I was wearing boots and mittens. I'm glad she bought all black. They don't stand out as much as the bright green bad boots or the purple disposable boots did, so hopefully people won't laugh at me as much. We hope these boots continue to hold up to my activity level.

Friday, January 1, 2016

Happy New Year Everyone!

Mama and I have decided that we will do an imaginary hike to as many state capitals as we can starting at the place where Mama got me (which isn't a state capital).  In the 10 months I've been with Mama we took 1129.5 miles of everyday walks and 153.9 miles of hikes for a grand total of 1283.4 miles.  That got us, virtually, to three state capitals and just short of the fourth.


Click here to see the interactive map

Mama also wants me to update you on my training goals.  here they are:
  • Sit -- I came knowing this
  • Lie Down -- I know this, although I have to circle twice before doing so
  • Wait -- I know this
  • Come -- I came knowing this
  • Stay -- I know this
  • Heel -- I know this, but see no purpose in it
  • Stop -- I know this
  • Whoa -- I know this
  • Come About
  • Turn Right
  • Turn Left
  • Back Up -- I'm working on this
  • In To Me -- I know this, but I only get to practice it in Wisconsin
  • Freeze
  • Get Out -- I know this, but I don't like to do it
  • Spit -- I know this, but hate it
  • Give It Me -- I know this
  • Paws Up
  • Table Up -- I know this
  • Get Down -- I know this
  • Go to Your Bed -- I know this
  • Touch -- I'm working on this
  • Bump -- I'm working on this
  • Right Foot -- I know this
  • Left Foot -- I know this
  • Back Foot
  • Where's Your Tail?
  • Wag Your Tail -- I know this
  • Where's Your Nose? 
  • Shake Hands -- I know this
  • Wave -- I know this
  • High Five -- I know this
  • Turn Around -- I know this
  • Turn the Other Way -- I know this
  • Hit Your Mark
  • Dead Dog
  • Roll Over 
  • Sit Up -- I'm working on this
  • Dance -- I'm working on this