It's Snowing!

Surprise! Surprise! Seems that the weather guys forgot to predict this one for the metro area. It's been snowing big fat flakes for a few hours now. People around here have no clue how to drive when it's snowing, so my 2 mile commute took over half an hour - with most of the route circumvented with neighborhood streets, nonetheless. I love my AWD car.

Kendall's loving the snow even if she did have to come home from doggie daycare a bit early today.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all of our canine and human friends.

Joker!

We're both sick and feeling pretty bah-humbug-ish, but this photo op had us laughing. Kendall got a new toy from my mom in which you insert a Milkbone. She has to try pretty hard to get it out. She was carrying it around the house looking for more Milkbones when I snapped the picture.

AAI Training at OHS

Kendall and I spent all day last Saturday at the Oregon Humane Society going through AAI (Animal Assisted Interactions) Pet Partner Team training. It was a 9 hour class. This was the first step that we had to take on our way to becoming a human/canine team that can go into nursing homes, hospitals, and libraries to interact with people. It's often referred to as pet therapy, but technically it's really referred to as AAI or AAA (animal assisted activities) unless there are documented goals set for your team and your client. OHS is an affiliate of the Delta Society.

Kendall was an angel all day. From the time we put on her vest to the time we got off Max after our field trip to the airport, she behaved perfectly. To my surprise, she has a 1 minute sit/stay in her. I didn't even know she could do it. With dogs all around and people walking all around her, she was solid. We did find a few things we need to work on before her test in February. Just how do you teach a dog that loooooooves people not to give kisses?


She waited patiently on her blanket while the instructor talked. There was plenty of time when the dogs were up practicing.
That's Kaya on the left. She is the most well-behaved Jack Russel Terrier I have ever met.
Here's Kendall in her AAI vest. She seemed to know that it was time to do stuff and not play around.
The end of the class involved a field trip to the baggage claim area of the Portland Airport. We rode Max and then went through the revolving doors. We walked all around, met lots of people, and did some practicing. A lot of it was to test out the dogs to see how comfortable they would be in places they don't usually get to go such as the elevator or revolving door. She did great! All that socializing we did as a puppy seems to be paying off. She's a real confident dog, which I think really helps.


It was a really long day for both of us, and this picture tells it all!

Holiday tree lighting

Beaverton held its annual tree lighting in the Beaverton City Park on Friday night. We weren't doing anything in particular, so we decided to go. It's been really cold here the past few days and Friday night was no exception. We hung around just long enough for the tree to light. Kendall had a great time getting petted by lots and lots of kids. She just adores children!






(I wonder what happened to red and green. It kinda looks like an upside down dreidel, doesn't it?)

Pictures from Halloween

I know the calendar says it's December, but I just found these pictures on my camera. This costume party took place at Pup-a-Razzi where Kendall goes to small dog play hour on Saturdays and where she goes to doggie daycare once a week. Since small dog play hour fell on Halloween, they decided to hold a party. Unfortunately, I was out of town, but I did get these pictures to share.

Where is Kendall? The Answer

You might be tempted to think that Kendall made the trek to Philadelphia to get her picture taken next to Ben Franklin in the picture I posted yesterday. But no, she only made the car trek to nearby McMinnville, OR. During our last outing to wine country, we went to downtown McMinnville to walk around among the changing leaves. The bronze statue of Ben Franklin sitting on a bench is part of their art program. Apparently, it's on loan until January 2010.

Where is Kendall?

Anyone have any idea where this picture was taken? Hint: Kendall hasn't been on an airplane.



Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

On the Road Again

I'm on the last of a series of business trips, and this one brought me to sunny South Florida. I'm lucky enough to be staying right near the beach and in clear view of the cruise ship docks. Yesterday morning the Oasis of the Seas came into port. It's the largest cruise ship in the world. It came in with quite a lot of fanfare.

New Sweater

I finally finished the sweater I started knitting last spring with the pdxdog.com knitting group. I only knit when I travel, and I've been doing a lot of that lately. I was able to finish knitting the sweater on yesterday's flight and sewed it up this afternoon - just in time to post before I fly out again.



I can't say she's in love with it, but I'm sure she'll like it more when winter sets in and it makes her nice and warm. It's a Cascade 220 washable wool in a blue heather tone. I knitted it in a ribbing pattern since she was still growing when I started the project.


The armholes came out a little big, but the length under her belly and along her back came out perfect.


The pattern and the measurements for adapting it to your dog can be found here.

Halloween

About a month ago, I picked up a black, velour hoodie jacket for Kendall. It has "Rotten" written across the back, as in totally spoiled..

One of my friends mentioned that all she needed were some low-slung jeans and she'd be a Juicy Girl. I couldn't figure out how to put jeans on a dog, so she has a miniskirt. I picked it up at the resale shop and cut it apart so we could tie it around her waist. As you can see, she just loves wearing the outfit. Right.



There's a Halloween costume party at small dog playday at Pup-a-Razzi on Saturday. I'm on the road, so I'm hoping someone will take lots of pictures for me to post.

More random pictures

After Dogtoberfest on the east side, we stopped at The Lucky Lab's west side location on the way home for a bit to eat. It was a gorgeous day, so we sat outside in the sun. Around here you have to soak up every last bit of sunshine so it will hold you until next July when the sun comes out again.

More from Mutt Mixer

Here are some more pictures from the costume party at Hotel Monaco earlier this month. Kendall had a great time meeting dogs with all kinds of costumes. She really didn't mind wearing her black hoodie. It says Rotten on the back. Perhaps I should get her some jeans and a big belt to complete the outfit. :)

Picture perfect day

It was an absolutely beautiful day in the Pacific Northwest today. The sun was out, the leaves are turning, and temperatures were in the low 60's. We took a drive to McMinnville to pick up our fall wine Cellar Club "shipment" from Sokol Blosser Winery. We stopped at a park in Lafayette and then at the winery.

Hanging out

Friday was pretty rainy, so we just hung out at home after dinner. Kendall was busy with some chew toys. When The Dog Whisperer came on tv, it really got Kendall's attention.