Hangin' With My Bro!

Guess who I got to play with this weekend?  There's nothing like a little Ridgeback Romping!  Thanks for a fun time Remi.

Snapshots From the Past Week

I figured I should post something since it has been a few days, so you get to see what I have been up to over the course of the past week.  First up, Mom and I went for a walk and she was playing around with her tripod and shutter release.  We had lots of fun...even me, because I got treats for posing. ;)

Then, she got some shots of just me...in that first shot I was watching out for other doggies to arrive like my furiends Sierra and Ozzie, but on that day they were no shows.  It was just me and Mom.  Mom told me they weren't coming, but I still like to check. ;)  So, then I gave up and ran to Mom and told her to pick up the darn tripod so we could do some walking.  She did. :)

The next day, I got to go for a walk with my furiend, Sierra, and her friend, Jenny.  Jenny got to stay with Sierra for 3 whole weeks while Colleen (Sierra's Mom) was in Brazil!  I bet it was nice and warm there.  Anyway, Jenny is really nice and she gave me and Sierra treats. 

Asking Mom if it is worth my time to come downstairs?  I mean if we aren't going for a walk or I'm not getting a treat then I really think I should just stay in bed, ya know. ;)

I also got to play with my pals, Ozzie and Samson!  It is SO pawesome to be able to play with my furiends again.  Although my toenail has not grown back yet it is doing much better.  Mom still makes me wear one bootie on it though.  She wants to make sure I don't injure it again.  We got some new booties from Granite Gear, and they actually stay on my feet MUCH better and don't fall off nearly as much when I am running around like a mad woman. :)  Click on the link and it will take you to the booties page on MPGear.com's website.  Remember, they are the ones where I won the Photo Friday thingy. Just so ya know, I have won the last two as well....I mean, maybe it's because no one else has entered but I say who cares....I have millions more pics where those came from and I think I can stay on top!  If you think you can beat me though then order up some good doggie gear, take a pic with it, and send it in. ;)

 Enjoying the blue sky!!  It's about time!

 I also got in a little log jumping this week....I think they should make this an Olympic event, I mean it is much more challenging than ski jumping. ;)

And finally, I got to go on a couple of walks with the family yesterday and our friend, Jason, who came over for the weekend.  It was another gorgeous day and I met a fun pup to play with.  A busy week indeed!

Wonderful Weekend

What a weekend!!  It started out with the BEST surprise EVER!  I got to have a playdate with my bro, Remi, and my blog buddy, Darwin!  It was my 2nd time playing with Remi and boy had he grown although I am still a tad bigger.  Probably won't last much longer though. :)  It was my first time meeting Darwin and she was so fun and sweet!  I can't wait to play with them again soon!

Isn't my bro a handsome boy!  He's also great at the game of chase.

Thanks for the bully stick Remi...it kept me occupied while my family celebrated birthdays. :)

 

Two birthdays to be exact!  My Nanny's and my Uncle Joel's....Happy Birthday Nanny and Uncle Joel...I WOOF you!   I had so much fun hanging out with my family.

One of my all-time favorite things to do...play with my Nanny!  She is one of the world's best players!! :)  She chases me all around the kitchen and plays tug and gives me treats and she ROCKS!

To finish off the weekend...technically, it was Monday but I consider it the weekend since it was a holiday, (President's Day) my family went for a little hike.  It was so much fun going to the mountains and running in the snow!  Weekends are the best!

All Ya Need is Love

Happy Love Day!

There are many different kinds of love...friend love, romantic love, brotherly love, (wink wink Remi) peanut butter love, cheese love, sleepin' on the bed love, but the one I want to focus on today is family love!  Even before I met my human Mom and Dad, they knew I was the one for them.  They saw my picture and Mom says it was love at first sight. I must say I am pretty loved and I love them just as much in return.  It's a wonderful thing....LOVE!

Our first family photo on the day they brought me home.

A couple months later...I had grown.

A walk at the park...my first Autumn with the family.

Getting our Christmas tree.

Just because.

Our annual 4th of July hike.

And of course, the day they made our family official!  They loved me so much that I got to be their ring dog.

How could they not fall in love with a face like this? ;) 

I hope you all have a very Happy Valentine's Day and get to spend it with the ones you love.

Mousecapades & Other Nonsense

Well, the week started out ok...my toenail was healing although I kept tearing my sock off which made Mom unhappy.  We went for some nice walks and even went downtown and perused some alleys for picture spots. 

Then, this morning I rubbed my toenail against the carpet and it started to bleed a little so Mom said no more playing silly and she wrapped my foot again....don't worry I eventually got it off. BOL!  It's ok but it is taking quite a while to heal. 

The real story I wanted to tell you about though happened last night while my Mom and Dad were driving home from this trivia night thing they went to. (of course, I wasn't allowed to go....how rude!)  Anyway, they were driving and all of a sudden Mom sees something pop up on the outside of the windshield where the driver's side wiper attaches.  It was a MOUSE...a squirmy, teeny, tiny, icky little mouse.  I apologize if some of you like mice, and personally, I have never met one, but this is what Mom thinks of them.  She immediately panicked and Dad said she probably didn't really see a mouse as it disappeared before he saw it.  Dad told her to pull over anyway and he checked under the hood but nothing was found.  As soon as she started driving again it popped up again and this time Dad saw it.  As you can imagine, Mom had a bit of an anxiety attack. ;)  She made it home though but kept thinking she saw mice all night scurrying here and there.  So, this morning, she worked up some bravery and went out to her car to clean it out really good.  She had been needing to do this for a while anyway....it was pretty gross and inundated with my hair.  So, for that I am happy the little mouse was there.  Then, she proceeded to wash the outside even though it was cold out.  No sign of the mouse.  Dad then helped her set some peanut butter traps just in case the little bugger shows up again.  Hopefully, he is gone and Mom can resume driving her car and taking me to play. :)

Super Bowl and Other Things

I don't know about you, but this is what will be happening at my house today. :)  I am just holding out for the good food.  Mom is for the Saints as they have never been to the Super Bowl before and I think Dad is too but technically he hasn't said.  Me, I am for the Saints too because if they win then Mom may feel happier and give me more yummies! ;)


Onto other things, THANKS to my pal, Darwin for this fantastic award!  Darwin is a gorgeous Great Dane girl who lives in Seattle...one day I hope to meet her.  My little bro, Remi may be playing with her right now. How cool!

The rules of the Sweet Friends Award:

1. Copy the image and paste it to your blog.

2. List 10 things that make you happy, do one of them today.

3. Select 10 bloggers who brighten your day.

Things that make ME happy

•Cheese

•Walks/hikes with Mom and Dad

•When Mom & Dad come home from work

•Play dates with my pals

•Cuddling on the couch with Mom and Dad and sleeping in the bed

•A warm and cozy blanket

•Getting treats from the coffee shop
•My Nanny

•Playing chase me around the table with my pawrents

•My Honest Kitchen food

10 blogs that brighten our day (in no particular order):

1. Sheba and her Mom, Esther - They live in Niger and always have great tales and adventures...we love reading their blog.

2.Clive - Clive and his human boy, Murray, make us smile with their sweet ways and hearts of gold.

3.Beaudor - He's a handsome Rhodesian Ridgeback boy and always has beautiful pictures of him and his sisters on his blog.

4.Guinness & Saige - These two Irish Wolfhounds have so many wonderful adventures and are quite imaginiative.  I just love seeing pictures of them that truly show their amazing size.

5.Africa - She's a Boerboel and she even has a baby human brother she looks after. :)

6.JD & Max - These two Schnauzers always make me laugh...I love their witty banter. :)

7.Sophie, Hazel, & Scotty - This Pointer trio really know how to snuggle with one another...they have snuggling down to a science.

8.James & Alih - These two boys are so loveable and their Mom, Lina, takes beautiful photos of them. :)

9.Jana and the Papillons - Jana is a Viszla doggie who lives with a group of Papillons.  Her Mom also takes very lovely photos and Jana is quite the "Tigger" of sorts.

10.Rouxby - Her Mom is a dog photographer and boy oh boy can she model...you should check out her purple wig she was sporting the other day!  She is also a Rhodesian Ridgeback like me so I am a bit partial.

Next up is my trip to the pet store.

Don't let the top picture fool you, it only looks like I was pulling at my leash and trying to swipe a pig ear....pictures really can distort reality sometimes. ;)  Anyway, it was a great trip...Mom normally doesn't buy me so many goodies but with me being cooped up, my owie, and the fact that we were extremely low on treats she decided to get me lots of yummies.  First, she got me a bully stick that I even got to chew while in the store, then she got these dehydrated liver treats, a turkey roll, some mini Zuke's, and a toy turtle.  I think you can tell what I liked the most...the bully stick.  However, I have also been enjoying my yummy treats on walks.  Thanks Mom!

The Zuke's went straight into my treat jar.  I love the sound of falling treats and the clanging of the treat jar lid...it tells me good things are about to happen. ;)

Good things for sure....can you see the drool?



Last, is a picture from my modeling session for Mom the other day.

You see, I have alot of gear from this online gear company called Mountains Plus Gear or MPGear for short...personally, I think the P should stand for Pet but that's just me. :)  Anyway, my uncle Joel works there, my Dad used to work there, and Eric, the owner, is a super cool guy.  In fact, we got to know him when he would volunteer for the adventure races my Dad and uncle Joel used to produce.  Even Mom has some cool gear from them.  They have a ton of COOL outdoor gear.  So, every Friday they have a Photo Friday Winner they select...it of course has to be a photo of someone or somedog using gear they got from them.  Well, this Friday I was the winner!  I know what you are thinking, I have family ties and all so it was rigged but whatever, I am still excited!  WOOHOO!

Above I am pictured with my Chuckit toy, but I also have a travel pack that comes with a bowl from Mountainsmith, a travel bed from Canine Hardware, and I used to have some boots from Granite Gear until my pawrents lost them.  They need to order me some more because they were much more comfy than my ones now. Anyway, to see their blog you can click here.   To see 3 more pics of me modeling with my gear, check out my Mom's new photography blog.  She just started it, so it is a work in progress. :) 

Enjoy your Sunday and Go Saints!

Kisses,

Nala

Scenes From Around the House

Recuperating - there's nothing like a snuggle on the couch with Mom to make a girl feel better. :)

Salmon Chowder
I got to lick the cream cheese packet that went into it. :) YUM!

I also got to eat some of the bacon that went on top.  You are probably thinking, hmmm, cream cheese and bacon, doesn't sound very healthy.  However, it was fat free cream cheese and as for the bacon, well, it was only sprinkled on top.  Nevermind the heaping pile of it Mom has...only sprinkles right. ;)  I also got to taste Mom's bread...it was a new recipe and she thinks it will be a keeper.

Now, onto more serious business.  DON'T do this unless....

you want to wear this!  That's right, the first day after my incident Mom took off work to be with me, but yesterday she decided to work as I seemed to do fine with my bandage.  BOL...fooled her, didn't I.  When Dad came home for lunch he found this on their bed and me with a free foot!  As soon as Mom got home though she put this awful thing on me and took me back to the vet.  He said my owie looked great but to keep the sock on for about one more week.  YUCK!  I should have just left the bandage alone.

Oh, it gets worse...when I go outside I have to put a plastic bag on top of the sock to keep it from getting wet.   Mom says that today she will take me to the pet store to get me some new treats and a toy but I have to put my sock and boot on.  RATS!

Here is my toenail.  The only good thing is that inside the house I can take the sock off as long as Mom makes sure I don't lick it.  So far, I have been a very good girl.

Here's the side view....it is healing quite nicely. :)

This is from last night...I was beckoning Mom to come and snuggle with me so we could watch some crime shows.  Eventually she did. :)  Now I must go beckon her to take me to the store....I can't wait for my new toy and treats!!  WOOHOO!  Being on the injured list sure has its benefits.

Down & Out

This is not what I had in mind to post for today but sometimes life throws ya for a loop.  Yesterday afternoon, Mom took me for a walk with my pal, Ozzie.  We went to one of our normal places and I was running and having fun like I always do.  Well, right before we got in the car Mom noticed my back left nail was bleeding.  At first, she didn't think much of it as my paws/nails have been sensitive in the crunchy snow as of late anyway even though there was no snow where we walked.  However, upon closer investigation she noticed that I split my nail completely apart somehow and it was bleeding pretty good. :( 

So, she took me to the vet for them to have a look which I was NOT happy about!!  As soon as I realized where we were I tried to turn and run but Mom wouldn't let me...how rude!  Once trapped inside, I tried to hide under the chair which the vet thought was too small for me but I assured him we Ridgebacks can curl up into tight little balls, and space was NOT an issue.  It's not that I don't like the vet...it's just that one time I went to a different vet and he wasn't so good.  He didn't even greet me when he first met me and instead immediately started poking my belly which freaked me out.  At least, that's what Mom attributes to my fear of the vet now, because before that I was fine.  I still give kisses to my vet and the vet tech but I just don't like being there. Anyway, where was I...oh yes, trapped inside.  The vet had to sedate me, which basically means give me some medicine to make me very sleepy and then he had to remove the top part of my split nail.  At least, I was sleeping so I didn't realize what was happening.

Once it was over, they wrapped my foot in a pink little bandage and brought me to Mom.  I was VERY stumbly and shaky.  I could barely stand up and my eyes were droopy.  Mom helped me get into the car and she managed to get me to lay down in the back seat.  Once at home, I had to miss dinner (RUDE) in favor of sleeping it off on the couch.

Don't worry though, once I was a bit more cognizant I got my dinner and some of my special Honest Kitchen warm broth. :)

I have to keep my bandage on for three days and I can't get it wet.  That means, every time I go out to potty or if Mom or Dad decide to take me for a walk I have to get a plastic bag tied around my foot....YUCK!  It feels SO weird. I also have to take an anti-inflammatory medicine and an antibiotic.  Mom thinks I don't know she's hiding the pills in cheese and bananas but I do....hehehe!  As long as I get the good stuff then that's cool with me. ;)  Also, once I get my bandage off then I have to take it easy until my nail grows back...each doggie is different so I have NO idea how long that will take. :(  BOOHOO...that means no more playdates for awhile and it also means that for walks I have to put a sock on my foot or a bootie to keep it protected.  Oh well, I plan to milk this time for all it's worth!!

When the Dad is Away, the Girls Will Play!

And play we did!  Dad went to help my Nanny and Grampi move home from Oregon this weekend which I must say I am SUPER happy about.  Now they will only be two hours away instead of ten...woohoo for that!  So, Mom and I had a fun girls weekend.  First, we had a little photo session where I got to be the model.  I will tell you about that later.  Then, we went on this pawesome hike with my pal Sierra, her Mom, Colleen, and our other furry friend, Rosy.  Rosy's Mom was skiing so we just kidnapped Rosy and brought her along.  She is so cute and she likes to clean other dogs teeth just like me.  I am thinking of asking her to start a dental practice with me. BOL!

It was quite snowy still where we went, but the sky was gorgeous and the sun was shining!  Check out Rosy cleaning my teeth in the bottom left picture. Told ya! ;)

Telling Sierra how much I love her.

Here comes Sierra!

Here she comes again.  Doesn't she look so happy!  There's nothing like playing with furiends.

And sweet Rosy was sitting pretty for Mom.  Her little ear flopped back making for a cute picture.

Rosy and I playing in the glorious sunlight.  What a day...I can't wait for another hike with the girls!