{trick or} TREAT!!!

     Halloween Love is.....

 

     Thinking of my Lucky dog before throwing out the part of the peanut butter jar that only he (or a spatula) can get!!!

 

Have a safe, fun, and Happy Halloween!!!!!!

 

 

 

Live, Love, .......What???

     I know I posted quite a bit about our trip to the East Coast, and even though we've been back for a week I wanted to share one more thing -- a souvenir I picked up in Bar Harbor, Maine at a shop called "Bark Harbor" (how cute is that name?).
     As our beloved Lucky was back home hanging out with his pals at Canine College, I knew we had to bring him back something special but not your run of the mill dog toy -- something that signified our trip.  I saw this red rope lobster and had to have it as the Lucky dog loves all things rope!  I didn't even look at the price, but when my husband paid for it, he gave me a look!!  (ok, it was a little pricey....ha!)  (Maybe I can find out how to make one on Pinterest!!??)

     As you can see, Lucky loves his lobster -- and I also picked up a magnet for myself!! 

 (Maybe I should rename my blog!!??)

Living, Loving....Lobstering??

Stinker!

    Yesterday I decided to move Lucky's crate.  We have had his dog crate in our kitchen since we brought him to our forever home a little over a year ago.  We really do not have room in our kitchen for this big crate and have been awkwardly trying to walk around it for over a year.  We have also come to realize that we will need to continue to use his crate for a long while as Lucky is a big and curious dog and still has some puppy in him when it comes to finding socks and shoes and whatever else he can get his paws on.  We also need to quickly be able to crate him when we are leaving the house so going up or downstairs probably would not work.
     So, I moved his crate to a corner of our family room...which incidentally is only about 4 feet and just around the corner from its prior kitchen location.

     Well, Lucky apparently is going to protest this move.  So far he has not automatically and willingly gone into his crate as he did before.  To make matters worse, he barked incessantly all night long.  I finally let him outside at 2:30 am thinking maybe he really does have to go "potty".  He mostly sniffed around and took a brief potty break.  Then, when I let him in he tore up the stairs and directly in our bed!!!  I am quite sure that was the plan all along.  I had to go up and retrieve him to which he decided to let out a.....growl!!!??  I let him know I was not having that, and my husband stepped in and put him back in his crate...so that he could continue barking and whining the rest of the night away...  Ugh!!  Lucky has been a dream dog in most respects so it caught me off guard that he was acting out so dramatically.
     Meanwhile, my husband slept like a baby through it all.  I didn't!!  I am also waiting for an "apology" from my beloved dog.  He did lick my hand this morning, but I was too tired and crabby to care.  He has been doing this all day....

     Obviously, I now realize that this 4 foot move of his crate is more traumatic for him than I bargained for.  However, I am sticking to this new location...and praying for a better night tonight.  That spoiled stinker!!  His fur even looks extra messy -- I guess even dogs have bad hair days -- when they don't sleep!!!

Our Leaf Lovin' Dog

     Lucky the dog LOVES this time of year.  I think it's because it is the perfect weather for his furry coat and....he loves chasing leaves!!!  I caught him making this pile and then he tries to hide under it and comes up with some leaves on his face.  He also loves to catch them mid air when they are falling from the trees.  It's so cute!! 

    He's done more raking of leaves than anyone else in the family!! 

Happy Fall!!!

Before Meets After...

      I took Lucky (our beloved Goldendoodle) to the groomer the other day.  Kind of sad because I think I like my "scruffy" looking doggy better, but I know another few weeks of his hair getting longer and it becomes unmanageable and starts to get matted.  Either way, we couldn't love him more...and he IS way cleaner and softer.
     When we pulled in the parking lot, my 65 lb. doodle leaped from the backseat onto my lap in the driver's seat and couldn't wait to get out of the car and go for his haircut.  So, I guess it's all good.  He goes to Canine College..."Where It's Cool to Drool" (that cracks me up every time).
     I know my cell phone pics aren't great and the lighting is terrible on the "After" (I'd take another pic, but he's busy right now zzzzzZZZZzzzzz.), but which doggy looks better to you, Lucky "Before" or Lucky "After"???  Either way, I think we're gonna keep him!!

AFTER

BEFORE

Our "Lucky" Anniversary

WARNING:  If you are not a dog-lover, read at your own risk ;) !!

     It's hard to believe, but one year ago today was our "Lucky" day!!  It's the day we met our 3- month-old Goldendoodle puppy at Save a Dog rescue and adopted him into our "forever home".  (Awwww...)  It was love at first sight!  The bestest spontaneous thing we had ever done.  I remember it was a stormy summer night (a Thursday) so indoor activities only.  Then, something made me surf www.petfinder.com/...  I had not been actively looking for a dog prior to that night.  I always wanted a Golden Retriever, and wanted a Goldendoodle (a Golden Retriever and Standard Poodle mix) even more.  Every time I would bring it up with "the husband" he would say "I'm not getting any dog with the word "doodle" in it"....how's that for overkill on the masculinity!!??  Although my kids had the experience of having dogs, they never had the experience of having a puppy...and I really wanted that for them.  Plus, they were old enough to help, too! 
     So that Thursday night, I literally searched through each dog within a 100 mile radius.  I thought...even if there's a good mixed breed, I'm fine with that.  My family dog growing up was the cutest little "Benji" mutt from the Humane Society!  Eventually, I was stunned to find a cute little Goldendoodle -- a puppy no less!  Immediately I filled out the online application...  I had never "applied" for a dog before and had no idea if I would even get a response or how the whole thing worked.  I remember also, it was about 1 am when I finally came upon "my puppy" and everyone else was in bed.  Nobody knew what mom was up to all night -- and I also decided that --- dah dah dun.....I no longer cared that my husband didn't want a "doodle"!!  (Yay me!) 
     When I checked my email in the morning the owner had sent me her contact information, etc...  We were "approved".  She indicated she actually had a few Goldendoodles that had been rescued from an out-of-state puppy mill, but had not yet had time to post them all on Petfinder.  By that evening we had bought a new little collar and our old dog leash and were headed for the hour drive to check out the little puppy they called "Sammy".  The kids were delirious with excitement when I told them what we were doing.  They (especially Jacob) had been relentless on beggin' for another dog ever since we lost our "Cocoa" and "Cola" a couple years earlier.  (They were our two English Setters we had bk (before kids) and lived to the ages of 14.)  The kids were in shock and thought that mom had lost her marbles...in a good way!  The truth was, I wanted another dog just as bad as they did...but the timing had to be right, and I felt it was.  I sent an email with a picture of the puppy to my husband and called him back and forth at work and told him I was going to see the puppy and he was welcome to come....or not.  All he said (after seeing the picture I sent him) was....how much money do you need me to bring!!??  LOL!!
     The rest, as they say, is history.  As I said, it was love at first sight!  I think we all knew we were going home with a dog...unless his head was missing or something!?  He was and is the cutest smartest dog ever!  He was bell trained/potty trained in no time and had only a couple of "accidents" the first week we had him home.  We are soooo in love with him and really don't remember what life was like when he was not here.  He is definitely a part of the family and does so many cute things each day that me or one of the kids are always snapping his picture with our cameras and cell phones.  
     The process of naming him was painstakingly done.  We had a family meeting and came up with the hugest list of names ever...  In the end, "Lucky" was the winner with "Friday" (the day we adopted him) as his "middle name".  Many people have said, "you're the lucky ones".  Believe me, we know -- that's why the name fits because...we are the "Lucky" ones to have found him!! 

Mommy loves you!!

XOX

Happy First Birthday Lucky!!!

     In honor of our "puppy".....Happy 1st Birthday!!!  We love you Lucky!! 

You have brought us sooooo much JOY!!!!

Our "Lucky" Day

July 2010

The Car Ride from the Rescue to his Forever Home

*NOTE:  Lucky is feeling much better than my last post!!

My Lucky is Sick...

     So, if you have been following along, you know that we recently had a vacation.  We made arrangements for my 11-month-old Goldendoodle "puppy" (Lucky) to be boarded in a fun place while we were gone.
     Apparently, when Lucky was picked up the staff mentioned to G that there was a virus detected in the facility and to just be aware.  I asked him for details and....he did not have any.  Meanwhile, Lucky was happy to be home and see everyone and played almost like usual.  However, he was pretty tired (slept a lot!) for especially the first two days.  We attributed that to all the doggy playtime he had.  Day 3 he "coughed" a few times in a weird way....but not a lot.  Day 4 he "coughed" some more like he was going to get sick....but never did (remember, he chews sticks and whatever he can find...everyday).  Day 6 we came home from being gone about 3 hours and poor Lucky had kind of "spit up" a few times in his crate....and then again when we let him outside.....
     At my insistence, G made a few calls and then took him to the vet with Jacob.  After blood work, consult and x-rays*, we learned my baby doggy has pneumonia!! :(  (Thank God he didn't eat any household items and have to have emergency surgery...)  But pneumonia is as sad in doggies as it is when my Megan had it...3 times.  He had a temperature, was dehydrated and was very lethargic when he came home.  He would not eat or drink ANYTHING....his breathing was rapid and labored...and he could barely move around,  Very sad to see him change like that seemingly overnight...it can happen fast with kids, too.  After trying salami, cheese, doggy sausage, peanut butter, baby carrots, treats, Frosty Paws, ice, etc.....we eventually did get him to eat some Gerber baby food (Beef with gravy to be exact).  He licked it right out of the jar that we fed to him while he was slaying on the couch.  We were relieved he at least ate something.
     Day 2 his appetite started coming around and he seemed to be on the mend.  Megan was an awesome doggy sister and he eventually slowly ate another Gerber baby food, his breakfast and dinner....and two Frosty Paws (one peanut butter one vanilla).  He LOVES Frosty Paws.  He is taking medication -- Clavamox 2x/day.  Tell your pets to keep Lucky in their doggy prayers....but we think he will be just fine!!  He knows he has a big day coming up very soon!!!!  We love you Lucky!!!

A Healthy Lucky!

Lucky with Cheese on his leg, baby carrots, salami, doggy sausage,
peanut butter, etc...in his food.  Still not eating!

Lucky's Big Sister, Megan, Feeding Him a Frosty Paws treat!

Kids Are At School, I ate my Breakfast,
now I just need some peace and quiet!!!!!!

BREAKING NEWS...
This morning....enough energy to steal a shoe, just not enough to chew on it...yet!

*Oh, and it cost $552 to find out, ugh! 
 (And yet, we would pay more!!!)