Dogland Adventures

Spring into action (pun totally intended)

Angela — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 04:00:13 +0000

Today was a BEAUTIFUL sunny Sunday in Seattle! Not the first day of Spring, but the first day it really felt like the flowers would begin to bloom. While I’ve enjoyed playing on the snow-packed mountains with the pups, I’m thrilled for the abundance of warm weather, fur-friendly activities. Below is the beginning of our 2010 Spring/Summer must-do list. Lots to do, but I’m sure I’m missing a ton of hidden, creative and downright fun ideas, and that’s where you come in. Big and small, all ideas are welcome and appreciated.

Dogland Approved Activities

Hop the ferry and float your way to the San Juan Islands for a relaxing weekend with your dog(s)
Step into action and walk for a cause. We had a great time participating in last year’s Walk for the Animals and can’t wait for round two. September 26, 2010 (we’ll post more on this later)
Escape the bustling city and head south to the Oregon Coast where you and your pooch can pop a tent and unwind to the sounds of the sea
Grab your pup, then grab a brew at Norm’s Eatery & Ale House
If you only have an hour or two, visit your local dog park (Magnuson’s our favorite), stroll around the neighborhood and let your dog socialize and smell the activity around them, or get a heart pumping exercise in with a hike through one of the thousands of Washington trails

Above all else, don’t forget to keep your dogs cool in the heat.

Happy adventures!

A rueful dog blogger revived

Angela — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 03:23:24 +0000

Before I dive into my next and long overdue post, I would like to first sincerely apologize to my fellow Dogland bloggers and five (maybe six?) loyal followers for my lack of posts over the past few months. I wish I had a good excuse, but sadly I don’t. I’ve let life (work, gym, volunteering, funeral, holidays) get in the way of writing about two things I love dearly, Ruckus and Kaiya.

The good news, however, is that my furry babies have not been tossed to the side like my writing. They’ve enjoyed trekking through Alpental’s trails, hiking through St. Edwards’s forest, splashing in Lake Washington and playing with their 500 closest friends every week at Magnuson.

I’m happy to report I’m back on blogger duty and look forward to sharing our many adventures and lessons learned. And a special thanks to Angela (and Winnie) for holdin’ down the fort, er blog.

Winnie, my seatbelt Houdini

Angela — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:09:57 +0000

Winnie and I have a long-standing battle on where and how she rides in the car. I say it should be in the back, she thinks it should be in the front, on my lap. Completely frustrated (not to mention scared for our lives) Alex and I bought Winnie a car harness that enables us to strap her in using a seatbelt in the backseat. Problem solved.

Well, for a while.

If you know Winnie, you know she is nothing if not determined. That little stinker manages to wiggle out of her harness or unbuckle her seatbelt about 60% of the time. It’s usually just when she’s super amped up, like when we’re on our way to Doggie Day Care. She knows the route and knows exactly where we’re going.

In the past month, the problem has gotten worse. I fight back and by pulling over when she wiggles her little way out and buckling her back in, but it’s a giant pain if you’re on a tight schedule. I also tighten the harness everytime before I put it on her, and I don’t know of any other way to lock the seat belt than by buckling it.

Any other thoughts? More fool-proof solutions to keep her buckled in? My next stop is tranquilizers, so all suggestions are welcome.

Winnie makes her national debut in USA Today ;-)

Angela — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:42:25 +0000

Sharing a link to this USA Today post about Dogland Adventure pup, Winnie! Hope to see a post about Jenna go up soon as well, and we’ll flag if and when it does. In the meantime, I encourage you to follow USA Today’s ‘Paw Prints’ community. They’re doing great work sharing stories about dogs everywhere, including rescue pups who overpopulate every shelter in the country. If the stories they publish inspire just one person to adopt from a shelter, that’s a wonderful outcome.

Snowshoeing husky style

Angela — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 05:12:21 +0000

Santa was good to us this year, bringing us snowshoes and warm weather gear. To show our appreciation, we made the trek to Stevens Pass, hitched the huskies up to long leads and hiked our way through the snow and up to some of the best views I’ve seen in a long time. Even Jenna (the foster husky who recently found her perfect forever home) made the trip.

I can definitely say I am now a true fan of snowshoeing. LOVE IT! Even when Kaiya dragged me down a good size hill on my back screaming and laughing all to be clothes-lined by Jeff and Ruckus at the bottom. At least they stop us from going off the side. But more than me, our dogs loved snowshoeing. For them (and us) it means lots of exercise, cold weather and piles of snow to play in.

Next up… Snoqualmie!

What to take for your pups:

Long lead, preferably attached to a harness: Our “kids” are too young still and their prey drive is on overload, so unlike Jenna, they aren’t quite ready to go off leash; I’m looking forward to the day they’re ready for this.
Snacks: To avoid the dreadful bloat, make sure you don’t feed your pooch a big meal right before they exercise. However, like you they’ll likely want a couple of treats if you take a break mid-hike. Then, following the hike they’ll be ready to chow down.
Water: Our dogs were more interested in eating the snow than drinking the water we brought, but still a good idea to have on hand since they’re working up a sweat like you. And don’t forget the water bowl.
Proper attire: I know, who says this for dogs, but it’s true. If you dog has a short coat and you plan on being outside for a good amount of time, pack them a warm waterproof dog jacket. You also never know when a storm may roll in and better to be prepared than watch your furry loved one shivering.