The Dingo Chronicles

Emotions are running high these days, with 2 weeks to go until the due date of Baby Boy Anderson. Hormones, mostly, have me going full speed one minute to near exhaustion the next. And don't forget the tears...those are likely to fire off at a moments notice - without much real warning whatsoever.

Our Thursday lunch-hour walk was a true test of trigger speed of those tears. The outting started off a little shakey when we came across an elderly lady walking her severely overweight Corgi off-leash. I didn't have the energy to fight the on-leash Hunter and Wally to keep them reigned in, so quickly dropped their leashes, letting them join the "free from the leash" club that the Corgi seemed to be enjoying. They danced around with their new friend as they typically do, and Hunter went off to go pee somewhere as part of the ritual. Of course, that meant he was dragging his leash under him and yes...you guessed it...proceeded to mark some territory all over his leash. Yeah...like I said...not a great start.

We managed to get through that challenging event WITHOUT tears, but it must have put me in a vulnerable position. The rest of our walk proceeded with little much worth reporting. A standard sniff-fest, with Wally darting off into the trees/bushes on occasion.

Then...the last 10 minutes of our walk happened. I rounded the corner on the roads we walk at lunch to see Wally in the tall grass but looking a little off-kilter. His legs/feet are flailing in the air, which could mean only one thing...he's rolling in something. Why? Why me? Why now? All I could do is yell at him to try to get him to cease the rolling in whatever abomination he'd found to use as this season's newest fragrance. He stopped pretty quickly and came gleefully to me with something slimy and gunky covering his back. The smile he'd worn seconds before was gone the moment I opened my mouth and reprimanded him. He knew he'd messed up big time, but the damage had been done. And that's when they hit...the TEARS. All I could think about was how in the world I was going to clean this dog up. I could barely tie my shoes these days, let alone bathe Wally - the dog who squirms and wiggles throughout the entire bathing session. Hunter appeared concerned (he stuck pretty close until I recovered, which in hindsight was so sweet) and Wally remorseful (he didn't leave my side the rest of the walk), but that didn't solve anything...and I cried.

I finally called Ty and his words were music to my ears. "Throw him outside for the rest of the day and we'll wash him when I get home." Husband to the rescue!

Wally did spend the rest of the day in the backyard and looked more like a stray dog then ever before. Not only did he have the most disgusting of gunk on his fur, but he moped and pouted his way through the afternoon. Slinking from one spot to another, figuring he'd been banished for the rest of his life.

Ty ended up bathing Wally for me on Thursday night and I was oh-so-grateful. No tears since, but you never know when these two pups will drive me to it again these days! :) Good thing I love 'em so much that nothing ever seems all that bad for long.

WE'RE BACK!!! Impending changes in our lives here at the Anderson house demand that we get back to posting on happenings with the dogs and me. In order to separate the chaos of dog-life from the soon-to-be chaos of life with a new little one (and you can guarantee they'll intermingle more often than not), I've also started a family blog to help with the distinction - Our Anderson Adventures.

For now, here's a reminder of what you've been missing out on all this time!

...you stay upright for an entire run with Wally-dog. Yep...that's right...Wally and I went for a 7-miler this morning and managed to avoid a disaster similar to what took place just one week ago today, which involved me falling near-flat on my face.

Here's the back-story. In addition to stops for unannounced piddle and poop breaks, Wally has also developed a habit of stopping - UNANNOUNCED - smack dab in front of me to sniff. Sniff what, you ask? Hard to say, but more than likely something you would not want anywhere near you or your loved ones. In other words, something dead, decaying, or regurgitated. It's all part of the blessing of being a dog. Everything smells utterly delicious. Anyways, last week Wally had been making sniff stops at intervals that seemed to be hitting every tenth of a mile. My patience was wearing thin towards the end of the run. Reason being, this behavior not only interrupted our pace, but would send me jolting to a halt comparable to clamping down on just the front brakes of your bike while cruising downhill. The result would send me into a near catapult over the "handle bars", which in this instance were represented by Wally's butt.

With only 1 mile left to go in the run, Wally made a sniff stop that caught me in a moment of blissful inattentiveness, meaning I'd forgotten the potential for Wally to cause me pain and potentially broken bones. Yes...I was chatting away with Danni (running buddy) and not paying attention when before I knew it, Wally sent me flying...stumbling...reaching for something to hold me up with the only wherewithal to know that I had to save...my....FACE...FROM HITTING CONCRETE! At the last second my heavily padded mittens came flying forward and kept my teeth from knocking pavement. Wally stared at me with a hint of "oops" in his eyes and Danni's pup Sonja immediately ran to offer her support - administering kisses to the inside of my mouth (because that's where the pain was, right?). I shouted a few expletives at Wally - in between dog-tongue first aid I was receiving - and Wally got the point that he had messed up big time.

Fortunately, the temp was around 20 degrees that morning so all body parts were well bundled and safe from "road rash." The knee was a little sore from hitting hard, but I was able to hobble on for a few and get back into the groove for the remainder of the run.

I'd like to think that today's success (Wally had minimal sniff stops) was due to the fact that Wally remembered what tragedy he ALMOST CAUSED and felt remorseful, thus forcing him into good behavior. Yeah right! I know...I laughed too when I typed it, so don't feel bad for laughing as you read it.

All I have to say is one day at a time with these pups. Remember the good and forget the bad - this way they'll always be our angels.

*Note: Hunter wasn't able to join this week's or last week's run because 7 miles just isn't his bag. He does get to join in on the other, shorter runs though. It's hard to leave him when you can't explain that the 'ole hips will appreciate it.

I REALLY need to do better at this blogging thing. I enjoy it immensely and am going to have to find a way to make it part of my routine. Thanks for your patience with my infrequent posts. It's no excuse, but I'm going to throw it out there anyways that work has been pretty killer lately. I'm by no means in a position to complain because our company is doing really well and given the state of things I feel so fortunate to have a job (Oh...and Hunter and Wally feel lucky too...it means they're guaranteed another meal!) :). However, it has been NUTZ!

Speaking of Hunter and Wally...they are both doing well. Hunter got his first swim of the season in on Saturday. We went for a run down by the park and before I knew it, he was taking himself for a dunk in the freezing water. It's funny how 40 degrees is hot for the dogs. I always forget that they go through this period every year when it starts to warm up and they think heat exhaustion going to engulf them. Wally had a classic display of feigned overheating a couple of weeks back when the sun was actually shining and the temps were mid-40's. We ran our typical route in the park and had to run on the road more than usual due to muddy conditions on the park's dirt roads. Apparently, Wally felt that the blacktop/sunshine combo was like kryptonite to his running skills. Not only did he slug along behind me for the last 2 miles of the run (and this was only a 3-mile outing), but I literally had to DRAG HIM the last quarter mile. Mere yards from our house and I'm standing in the middle of our street pulling this "near death" dog to the point where his collar is about to slip right off over his head. He wouldn't budge! Finally, I was able to get him to move forward and we made it the rest of the way home. I'm sure the neighbors appreciated the show.

To carry on the theme or running with Wally, we had a running adventure the end of February - the 30th Annual Snow Joke Half Marathon held in Seeley Lake, MT. It's really just a fun, local run to help keep people motivated in the dead of a Montana winter. The bonus is...you can run with your dog! It was Wally's first year to participate and my second. We had a blast and Wally was such a good boy. He made me quite proud and didn't do anything embarassing or out-of-control (I know...SHOCKING!). And he even got his name in the results - Wally Anderson listed as a finisher!

Before the race - Wally was amped beyond comprehension at this point. So much excitement!

Other items of interest consuming our time includes a week-long trip to Boise for work and a chance to visit family and friends while I was there. Little niece Ava is getting so big and growing so fast! Ty was the mobile doggy-day-care that week, taking the dogs up to Columbia Falls with him each day I was gone. I'm so grateful he's willing to do this and I know the dogs appreciate it. We've also had some company in March - Ty's friend Matt came to K-Town for a hockey tournament and Bill and Wileen came to visit this past weekend.

So...I'm sure it could go unsaid but we're just antsy for the real spring to come now (ya know...the warm, sunny, flowers-are-blooming spring). However, as I type this there are snowflakes falling. Ugh! The conditions have been pretty soggy as of late. On two occasions already this spring I've had to hose the dogs down after a run. They kick up so much dirt from wet, sandy roads. And after one run, I think Ty was tempted to hose ME down after I came home caked in the gunk. For now, we'll have to simply dream of dry, sunny conditions and be content knowing that it's impossible for winter to last forever.

I'm going to try very, very hard to get back to regular updates of dog-like antics around this place. Lord knows, we have plenty of 'em coursing through this home. And just to prove my point, I leave you with this...

Where does it go? I blame work this past month for my inability to do anything far beyond, well, work. It's been crazy busy and the fact that it's hitting during a time that is usually kind of quiet has me worried for what the rest of 2009 will bring. I can't complain too much, since having a job at all is something I am more than grateful for with the state of things.

Let's see...what has happened since our last post. Ty and I have been skate skiing quite a bit and take the dogs whenever we can. We traveled to Hailey, ID (our old stomping grounds) a little over a week ago for a company party, visiting family, and lots of skate skiing. Oh! We also managed to get a very nice recharge in the SUN department.

We took part in a local Ski the Rails event with Ty's aunt and uncle on the Saturday we were in Hailey (a few pictures follow). It's an informal gathering of cross-country skiers, organized to promote nordic skiing on the groomed bike path, which is founded on abandoned railroad (see the connection? ah...ah...Ski the RAILS) ;). The goal is to start skiing in Ketchum and end in Hailey. Altogether, it's about 12 miles of mostly flat terrain and is very mildly graded at a decline. The best part about it? Dogs are welcome to join their owners in the romp. Not only are they welcome, but they're catered to at each of the aid stations. Treats and water bowls await. Hunter and Wally were in heaven. Especially when Hunter found out he didn't have to beg for treats, but that humans actually came to HIM and offered the tasty morsels quite liberally.

The first 5 or 6 miles went by quickly and Wally only embarrassed us a few times. We left a car at the mid-way point for Hunter, since we knew he wouldn't be able to voyage the entire way with us. With our speed and the distance combined, it would eventually get harder and harder for him to keep up. The drop point partnered well with an aid station and while the rest of us refueled, Ty took Hunter to the car. I missed the whole transaction, but made note of the Subaru set nicely on the side of the road with windows cracked and sun shield in place. Initially, we thought Hunter would be psyched to have the down-time. A nap in a warm, well-sunned car. Free from the harassment of Wally. But, as I started up to ski again, Hunter proved us quite wrong.

Ty was ahead of me a bit as I made last minute adjustments to my gloves. All the sudden I heard this high-pitched yelp from nearby. Surely this couldn't be Hunter and I looked around for an alternate source. He never barks from the car. It happened again, louder and more urgent. The tears hit almost instantly...it was Hunter. I had never heard him yelp like this. He wanted more than anything to come with us and was definitely voicing his displeasure with our decision to leave him behind. "It's okay Hunter Bunter," I yelled to him as a skied away. My heart was broken. It killed me to have to leave him, but it was for the best.

Ty reassured me that he'd be ok...and he was (well, he did give us a bit of the silent treatment when we got back to the car to retrieve him after we finished the ski), but never had it become more clear to me than at the moment he hollered after us, just how smart Hunter is. He had the wherewithal to know that 1) he was having a blast out there, 2) he wanted to keep having fun, 3) we were leaving him behind, and 4) he was gonna let us know how he felt about it. Wally, on the other hand, would have sat there in the car and thought to himself "Huh...how'd this happen?", blissfully ignorant of the potential to change his situation. Ty and I regularly agree that Hunter is one-of-a-kind in his intelligence and this incident helped remind me that we can't take that for granted. Love you Mister Hunter!

Since our return from Hailey, we've done a bit more skate skiing. Mom and Dad got some classic skis and we took them out for ski in the NW Montana sun on Sunday. I've been running quite a bit too. In fact, Wally managed to configure himself into a somersault on our run this morning after he decided to stop mid-stride to investigate some form of smell. That dog...always keeps us guessing.

Anyways, I'll try to do better with stories and keeping you posted on the antics of our crew. Happy February!

Road trip!!! On our way to Hailey.

They're amped! Hunter, Wally, and Chutney gearing up for Ski the Rails (please forgive the slobber on the seats).

Crossing a bridge on skis. Close to the starting line.

Ty, Aunt Wanda, Uncle John, Wally and Chutney. Hunter is next to me - sticking close (maybe he knew what was coming!).

Greetings and Happy New Year! Well...we survived the holidays! No major incidents to tell of. Lots of goofiness from every angle and plenty of moments we were able laugh about and enjoy the instant it took place. I promise to summarize with a few photos at the end of the post.

As mentioned, Christmas was spent here, the weekend after at Ty's parents', and we kicked the New Year off with an afternoon of skate skiing with the dogs back here at home. They loved it! We go to this great little place about 10 miles outside of Whitefish - Stillwater Lodge - and they have extensive trail that's dog friendly. They romp, play, and run and run and run. It's a good way for us to get some exercise and the dogs to get EXHAUSTED! We've gone back once since then and hope to get up that way many more times before the snow melts. We also ski the Whitefish Golf Course. No dogs allowed, but they have night-time skiing, so we take that in quite often. Luckily, we have this winter-time recreational activity to keep us sane and remind us that there is fun to be had in snow.

However, we're already starting to feel the effects of cabin fever and long for the days when the trails are clear and the grass is green. The dogs seem bored with running and walking the same routes over and over again. I'm with them...I miss the diversity of spring and summer. And since most of our snow is depleting day-by-day and we haven't seen fresh since New Year's, the spirits are not getting any lifting from what's happening outside. We'll get through as we always do, but for now I'll have to dream...dream of vacations in Mexico, California, Florida.... And Hunter and Wally will have to contend with wrestling in the house, slip-sliding their way through the backyard for potty breaks (it's icy out there!), and worst of all - NO SWIMMING - for a couple more months. I think they're grateful for skate skiing and Stillwater too!

Hunter, Wally, and I hope your 2009 is off to a great start! We'll be posting again soon in 2009. Until then, a little something(s) from 2008...

Our tree (with decorating assistance from Rosco...notice the bald spot?).

The Anderson Family

Although I love my bro and his fiance dearly, I'm including this photo more for its chaos factor vs. the endearment. Yes...that's Hunter's nose.

They're always so cute when they're NOT moving. Gotta love 'em!

WISHING YOU ALL THE BEST IN 2009!!!

My girlfriend sent this to me and I have to share. We'll be busy with family these next few days, so probably won't write much. However, look for great photos and updates after Christmas. Wishing you all a wonderful holiday!

By the way...Ty and I are pretty much certain that this could indeed be Wally on any given day.

I'd always considered myself a single-digit kinda girl. I like the numbers 3, 6, 9...ya know...easy to remember, not hard to write, and a bit of character in and of itself. No "partner" number imposing additional influence on its appearance or meaning. Well...that all changed today, when it had been four days...count 'em...FOUR DAYS since the dogs had been outside for any exercise. None! As in nada, zilch, zero. It was today that the number 10 and anything higher became my favorite number. And please...don't put a "-" in front of it. That's just mean.

Hopefully I haven't totally confused you. Allow me to elaborate. As you gathered from my last post, we've been experiencing colder than normal temps lately. Ty and I have decided that anything below ten degrees - unless the sun is out and making itself more than known - we probably shouldn't take the dogs out into the elements. As a result, they hadn't been out since Saturday and let me tell you...the tensions were running high. The casual wrestle session between Hunter and Wally had turned from friendly to snarly. And the Rosco-Wally chase fest went from knocking one or two ornaments from the tree to an unprecedented three or four falling to their death. AND a tree skirt disturbance thrown in for good measure. It was turning desperate here at the Anderson's.

But...finally (hallelujah!!!), the temps started going up, up, up today and we crested at 14 degrees! To make it all that much more enjoyable, it's been snowing all day too! Hunter, Wally and I celebrated with a drive-way shoveling, chuck-it throwing, snow eating (the dogs) fest after work. It was grand. The dogs are now sleeping peacefully downstairs and I imagine we won't hear a peep from them 'til tomorrow.

Thank you double digits! I owe you my life.

Happy dogs, happy me!

If only I could capture the glory of the temp in this photo.

Long time, no chat! Well...my new year resolution is taking affect before the calendar switches over to 2009. I've decided it's been way too long and I've been far too negligent for this to wait. It's time I get back to it. And surprise...a new look to go with it! Hope you like the design.

Christmas is coming up fast, with lots of excitement for our clan this year. The dogs will spend most of the holidays at home this year. My brother and his fiance (a June 2009 wedding!) will travel east from Seattle for a week here in Montana. Their visit will be kinda old school style, as they'll arrive on the train to Whitefish on the morning of December 22. Maybe we can whip up a light snow to welcome them as the train rolls into town. We always have a blast when the Hanzelka's are together and I'm sure this time will be no different. The day after Christmas, we head to Moscow, ID to spend a few days with Ty's folks and his sister's family. New little Ava will get her 1st Christmas rights-of-passage. It'll be fun to have a little one around...the awe and magic of the holiday will start to creep back into our lives as the tiny tot gets to experience all the traditions for the first time.

Yeah...funny how the magic just isn't there with the mutts. There seems to be more yelling and caution that enters OUR lives when the holiday grows near. "Wally...step AWAY from the tree!", "Wally...get AWAY from the ornaments!", "Wally...quit STARING at the Christmas lights! They're not alive...promise!", and finally...facing the near-tears that I've experienced every year since 2002 when I unpack ornaments. Memories of Hunter's first Christmas flash to my mind as I delicately handle the RUINED baby's 1st Christmas ornaments he so thoughtfully picked from the tree for gnawing and munching. Thanks, HUNTER!!! I still hold on to them for the sake that 1) there's sentiment in what's left of those things and 2) I can chuckle about it when the time comes to put the ornaments away at the end of the season. Tears...chuckle...tears...chuckle...it's an emotional cycle I've come accustomed to every year.

To the more immediate happenings around the Anderson zoo, we had a crazy morning that started with the visit of the cable guy, followed by the Culligan man, followed by a visit from my Pops (with coffee...thanks, dad!!!). As you can probably guess, this also meant a morning FULL of barking as each guest came and went. We're working on it, though, and Hunter's getting a little better at controlling his announcement of each suspicious (and non) arrival to our home.

One final note...it's been FREEZING here the past couple of days. Negative 12 the other morning with a windchill that has it feeling much, much colder. The dogs voyaged out with me for a run on Saturday, but Sunday was just too darn frosty for them and I had to leave them behind. Hoping that by tomorrow we'll be back in a normal range so they can get out for some extended exercise (they're getting just a wee bit restless). However, it was pretty funny to watch Hunter literally tip-toe his way back from a potty-stop in the backyard and Wally has been wasting no time at all in the great outdoors.

And since we missed you at Thanksgiving, here's a couple of photos as evidence that we did indeed stuff ourselves...Hunter too.

Okay...I know this is supposed to be a blog about the dogs, but I absolutely CANNOT RESIST posting this. The fact that it made me laugh to the point of tears leaves me no choice but to share the entertainment value of this video. As mentioned to my bro, I think one of the primary reasons this thing made me laugh so hard is because I could see our dumb-dumb cat doing something equally as elegant. Enjoy!

We have (or had) a dog that stinks...bad. Ty and I were standing in the kitchen on Monday night going "what's that smell???". "I think it's Wally...," was Ty's response. He began sniffing at Wally's fur, which was oddly quite the role reversal - usually they sniff us. "Yep...it's him," Ty declared. I replied with "No way! Can't be." I leaned down to contribute to this sniff-fest. Huh, I thought - not bad enough to stink up the kitchen, but certainly not delightful. Right then and there we decided that Wally needed a bath.

You see...we forget that Wally doesn't swim (yeah...he regularly displays some pretty wimpy behavior when faced with the prospect of becoming FULLY SUBMERGED in a large body of water). Hunter, on the other hand, is in the water almost daily. Thus, eliminating the need to bathe him very often if at all. As a result, we've carried over this aloofness towards bathing to Wally. In a way, you could say we deserved what we got. A stinky dog.

So...last night it was time to do the deed. Ty and I debated the best place to rinse the stinker out...the bathtub or outside. Outside would save on cleanup, but the bathtub would confine him to the bathroom and give him minimal places to run. But...given just how dirty he was, we decided that cleanup would not be fun and we both envisioned splatters of dirt-laden water being sprayed across our bathroom walls with each of Wally's inevitable shakes of the body. An outside bath won out this time.

To avoid the "run away" syndrome that both Hunter and Wally exhibit when approached with a hose, I strapped Wally to my body with a leash around my waist and the other end attached to his collar. I must say, it worked pretty well. As predicted, he lunged away from me at the sight of running water, but I was able to reign him in pretty quickly. He submitted, with his head between my legs, to the "torture" that ensued. I wet him down and began to scrub. He shook the suds off pretty often, so my decision to bathe him outside was confirmed as a good choice quite quickly. Once I was done with the suds, I began the final rinse...again with his head hiding between my legs. And then...he was all done and I released him from his confinement. The second that leash was unclasped, he charged around the yard...shaking the water from his scrawny little body after every few steps. He looked at me from a distance with a confused look...afraid to come too close for fear it would happen all over again. As though he was saying "what did I do to deserve that!?!?!?!?" I turned to Hunter with hose in hand (Wally was still wandering the yard in recovery mode) and asked "want a bath Hunter?" His ears perked, as though interested. All it took was for me to turn the hose towards him and he bolted. It was pretty funny. Since Hunter had just gone for a swim 20 minutes prior, I let him go unscathed. This time...hee-hee-hee.

BEFORE


Notice how happy he is...at this point, he doesn't know what's coming.

AFTER

The trauma is over and the smile is gone. Poor dog, but lucky us!

I've decided weekends are gonna be tough to keep up on for blogging, so weekdays for sure I'll post something. The weekend was a busy one for us, and kinda boring for the dingo's. I felt bad for them, but we'll make up for it this week and over the weekend.

Ty and I participated in the Glacier Challenge this weekend and had a blast competing as a 2-person team. We had a ton of friends up in Whitefish taking part with larger teams, so in addition to exhausting ourselves while completing each leg of the race on our own, we had so much fun hanging in Riverside park with friends and taking in the beautiful day. My mom and dad came up to help us with all our gear and water/nutritional support and Danni was also there to help keep things in order and make sure we had the equipment we needed when we needed it. We couldn't have done it without Mom, Dad, and Danni, so thanks you guys!!! Shayla and Molly (my parents' dogs) got to make the trek up to Whitefish with us and got TONS of attention from spectators and participants alike. Hunter and Wally stayed home and got lots of rest and long naps ;). I'll post photos from our adventure when I get them from my parents and Danni.

Sunday involved another early morning for me, as I met up with Danni, Callie, and Iris for a 22 mile trek on the cross-country ski trails near Blacktail. It was a beautiful morning to be out. I would have loved to taken the dogs with me, but despite the obvious fact that the distance would have been too much for them, the overwhelming presence of wildlife in this area (Iris and I spotted a COUGAR out here a few weeks ago, amidst bear tracks, bear scat, and a LOT of mountain lion scat!!!), this was no place for the dogs. Maybe for a hike sometime...with leashes!

Ty and I were EXHAUSTED Sunday afternoon, so we took it easy. Watched movies and lounged. It was great. Ty took Hunter and Wally for a swim and chuck-it session while I was gone in the morning, so they did get some fun over the weekend. Ty had to sacrifice his body to the mosquito-fest in our park nearby so Hunter could swim, but I know it sure meant a lot to Hunter and he appreciated it immensely.

I took today off from work. I woke up feeling like I'd been hit by a truck after the weekend I'd had, so I decided a sick-day was in order. Hunter and Wally snuggled in with me for a long snooze. I must have been tired...slept from 8:00 until 1:30, with a short moment of awakeness around 11:40 when I had to let our very own cougar in from outside (he was howling at the front door as though he'd been out there for days...without food or water. In reality, it had only been 3 hours.) At this point, Wally needed to go outside, so I traded Wally for Rosco as a snuggle-buddy on the bed. Hunter was in it for the long haul and probably could have happily slept until 5:00, or so, had I been up for the challenge.

I hit up the Humane Society for my hour of volunteering on Mondays. The dogs gave me the usual sniff-down when I got home. I think they feel as though I've been cheating on them. Today I helped with cats, so the "you're a traitor" sniff wasn't quite as intense as it usually is.

Ty and I went to see the movie Wanted tonight and had a glorious dinner consisting of movie theater popcorn, Reese's Pieces, and Junior Mints. When we got home we were beat and went straight up to bed. Hunter looked at us like "hey...you just got home...it's time to go to bed already????". I know...sorry Hunter...I'll do better tomorrow. A lunch-time run of 4 miles will be in order with the pups. And I'm pretty sure Hunter will get some swim time. I'll be a better mama real soon, dingos!!!!

...we were basking in the sun at a gorgeous lake cabin on Hayden Lake. Ah...I miss it. I'm pretty sure the dogs do too. We arrived early Friday with some of our best college friends. Friday afternoon involved boating, wake-boarding, and tubing. Friday night was an awesome display of fireworks that would probably put most small-town displays to shame. Saturday was more lazy and we mostly relaxed and swam. The dogs also got a turn at swimming and in Hunter's case - dock diving. He's nothing close to the dock divers you see on ESPN, but it's still fun to watch him launch himself in the water after his tennis ball. Wally was a big sissy all weekend and didn't get into the water once on his own. He wanted to soooo badly, but would chicken out every single time. He did get a few nudges from bystanders that sent him flying off the dock, but I think it did more to ease our pain from watching him lean towards the water repeatedly - in a stance that makes you say out loud "just DO IT already" - vs. doing any good in helping Wally realize he can swim and it's okay for him to get in the water. If anything, we probably scarred the little dude. Oh well, it was still fun ;). Sunday we headed home pretty early and made it back in time to get settled into being home again before the week began. Here are a few photos from the weekend. Can we do it again? Pleazzzzzzzz!!!!


This is the tram that takes you to the lake-front.


Happy to be here!!!


What's this? They're not moving?


Sunset view from one of the many decks.

We traveled to our old stomping grounds for Memorial Day weekend - Hailey, ID. With mountain bikes and dogs in tow, we made the journey south to Idaho. I'd just gotten home from Nashville on Thursday night and we were on the road Friday afternoon. It was a beautiful drive...everything is so green this time of year and even the most desolate Challis, ID is appealing to the eye.

We had a great weekend with family and got in two awesome mountain bike rides - one muddy and rainy and one the perfect blend of sun and clouds with a spring shower that hit after we finished up. Wally tackled his longest trek ever on Sunday, with a jaunt of about 14 miles as we biked Haddy's Gulch. He did so well and had his buddy Chutney - a German wire-haired pointer - to try to keep up with, which meant...a quiet household Sunday evening! We had to leave Hunter behind, knowing that the sun and distance would have wiped him out after only a couple of miles. We left him with a rawhide chew, a cozy bed, and no Wally...pure bliss for Mister Hunter. It was hard to leave him, but the fact that it was for the best made it a little easier.

So you're probably asking...why the title? Well, as you know, on a regular basis we seem to have something random and completely inexplicable happen with Wally and Hunter (thus, the blog). And when we're traveling, the probability of those "huh?" moments seems to increase exponentially to the amount of miles we voyage away from home. This recent trip to Hailey didn't disappoint. We have a real doozy for you this time around. And instead of "huh?", this one left me exclaiming "oh s@#*!!!!".

Allow me to set the scene for you. Saturday night we were invited over to some family friends' house for dinner. These friends are experienced Europe travelers and we wanted to take advantage of our time in Hailey to pick their brains for tips and tricks that we could put towards our trip to Europe this fall. We were invited to also bring the dogs as entertainment for their little boy. Although we questioned the sanity of this offer, we ventured over to their house with Hunter, Wally, and Chutney packed into the car with us. Upon arrival, Hunter and Chutney were invited into the house as though they were part of the group. However, common dinner guest courtesies like asking to go upstairs before doing so and wiping your feet before entering were readily dismissed. Wally...well...Wally went straight to the back yard. He hasn't quite earned our trust in his ability to display decent manners, so we avoided any run-ins. Hunter and Chutney milled around for a few, but even they became too much to have inside, so we kicked them out into the great outdoors with Wally.

As dinner concluded, the little boy came up to me and Ty and asked if we'd go outside with him to throw the ball for the dogs. "Great idea!", I told him and figured that any kind of movement would do wonders for my body's ability to digest the mass quantities of food I'd just consumed. So Ty and I headed outside with the little guy, who gathered three tennis balls into his arms on the way out the door...one for each dog. We played around with the dogs for about 10 minutes and Ty headed inside. I was having fun, so I stuck it out for a bit longer. Eventually the dogs got tired and we made the decision to go inside. In an attempt for one last hoorah, the little boy was bouncing a tennis ball on the back patio, shooting the ball high into the air for Hunter to catch. First bounce didn't produce a successful catch for Hunter, so we decided to try one more. Keep in mind that during all this Wally is trying to find any way possible to get in on the action, so he's hovering pretty close to Hunter. The boy raises his arm for one last bounce of the ball, he drops his arm with a snap, sending the ball to the patio and popping back into the air upon contact with the concrete. Hunter leaps for the ball and it's looking good (I'm thinking..."yes! Hunter will make the catch and we can go inside!"). But wait...where'd Wally come from. Our "I'm still a klutzy, clumsy, not-so-coordinated" puppy makes his appearance right in front of Hunter's face...they leap at the exact same time...and their mouths go for the ball at the EXACT. SAME. TIME.

SCHMACKKKK!!!! Their jaws collide and the most horrific teeth-knocking noise presents itself to my ears. Immediately me and the little boy panic (this is where my expletives came in, which I apologized profusely for to his mom after the fact). As Wally and Hunter come down from the collision...almost as in slow motion...I see something white soar through the air and onto the patio. Oh crap (again...this wasn't my word of choice at the time), I think, one of them chipped a tooth. As I creep closer to pick up this bit of tooth from one of my dogs' mouth, my shock and awe is maxed out. Not a piece of tooth...a WHOLE FRICKIN' TOOTH!!! I rush from dog to dog, checking mouths for sign of (or lack of) tooth damage. And then I see it...Wally has a gaping hole in the front left side of his mouth.

The way he looked at me after my realization that he was the victim broke my heart. Not because he looked sad or in pain. It was the exact opposite...he gave me his goofy, happy, "what next, Ma?" look and was ready to roll. I couldn't believe it. How resilient can these dogs be? Hunter came away without damage. And luckily, the tooth that came out wasn't Wally's canine. Here's a picture of the aftermath...



So now you understand the title a little better. As we readied to leave the house from dinner, the little boy said to me..."make sure the Tooth Fairy gets that." We chuckled together (hey...I bonded with this kid...trauma can bring you close) and agreed that bones would be in order vs. the traditional monetary exchange for such calcified treasure. For now, the tooth is still in our possession. I think we'll hang onto it as proof of just how bizarre life can be sometimes.

There is one creature residing in our humble abode that never gets any face time and has only been mentioned by name up until today. We know him as "Big R", "The Cougar", "Ki-ten", "The Nator" (short for Rosco-nator), and a myriad of four-letter names that come out when he's clawing the couch, picking on Hunter, or stinking up the utility room with what seems like his fourth or fifth "dook" of the day.

Amidst all the tragedy he's brought to our house (did I mention the couch scratching?), we love him...or at least I love him. He was a shelter rescue and a seemingly mellow, loving cat when we picked him out to become part of our family. He even fell asleep in my arms his first night home. Unbeknown to us, that first night home was a result of him being quite sick...a feline upper respiratory infection. Once the vet got a few "feel good" drugs pumped into him, he turned into a completely different cat. Translation...a cat we probably wouldn't have brought home with us. He rarely snuggled, had regular fits of wildness, and ate EVERYTHING in sight...literally. See...he was a stray and was used to eating when he had the chance. To this day, he never assumes his next meal is a done deal, so he snarfs up whatever he can in the interim. The first few days we had him, he ate a tater tot that fell on the floor. Awww...how cute, you say. But no...it's not all that adorable. Especially when you catch him ripping into the plastic covering your Papa Murphy's pizza and attacking raw pizza dough and delectable toppings. Or...knocking over the Cheetos bag to devour the tastiest of fake cheese products.

There have been times I've questioned his place in this house and whether or not it was time for him to find a new home (this was probably soon after he latched onto my arm in a death grip/piranha chomp action when I'd been holding and petting him for a mere .25 seconds). However, we've stuck it out and he's turning out to be a really great cat.

As with all of our animals, we can't concentrate on the negative (ahem...couch scratching), but must focus on all the good they bring to our home and daily lives. We'd wander aimless without them. The love we indulge them with would be wasted - evaporating into the air around us without ever reaching the priceless recipients we call our pets.

And in all honesty, we'd be down-right bored without moments like these to look forward to...

I really don't think there's any way I can cover every aspect and detail of the insanity that has engulfed our "family" since the last post (really? February 25 was the last post?). Where did that time go? Well...let's see if I can give you a brief recap. I traveled to Hailey, Boise, and Chicago for work. Ty played in three hockey tournaments. We road-tripped to Seattle/Whidbey Island, where we visited my brother and his girlfriend. I ran a marathon on Whidbey Island (so cool!). And...to culminate this wild adventure, I was race director for the Great Northern 5K that took place May 10, so I was busy planning/coordinating for that. I travel one more time this spring on May 19 to Nashville, but it's a conference I'm attending ONLY, so in no way, shape or form am I in charge of any part of it. I get to sit back, relax, soak up some knowledge in my brain and great food and drink in my tummy.

Hunter and Wally are doing great. They had to go 10 whole days without me and in all honesty I had to fight my way back into their routine. Ty had them pretty well established in a schedule of going to work with him in the morning, a couple of breaks from the car for chuck-it runs/smells sniffing, and a walk or run in the evening when they all got home. The first Monday back working from home, they seemed so bored with me...why wasn't I ENTERTAINING them. They're now settled back into the routine - a morning run, all day napping, and maybe an extra outting in the evening. And for me? I think I'm finally there...but only in time to leave again! :) It's fun, though, so I can't complain.

We've had lots and lots and lots of rain the past few days and the weather is looking to warm up and be sunny in time for the weekend. In the mean time, the dogs end up caked in a water/dirt/dust film each time they go outside. We'll keep our fingers crossed for improved conditions in the next few days!

It's good to be back on the blogging scene. Stay tuned for more postings on the antics, comedy, and unbelievable happenings that make up our lives with Wally and Hunter. Until next time, a parting shot...

Can you believe how tiny this little bugar was? And note Hunter's pure annoyance, conveyed through his body language. In his world, this is the beginning of the end.

Ty and I took a little road trip this weekend to "get away from it all" with friends at a condo on Lake Couer d' Alene. Two other couples, lots of great food, and plenty to drink made for a fabulous time of doing nothing but relaxing, playing games, catching up, and of course...eating :). We're all in a fortunate time in our lives where finding care for children isn't an issue for such excursions, but we each have dogs to find lodging for. We boarded Hunter and Wally at a local doggy "camp" we've gone to several times and can rest assured the pups are well taken care of - lots of room to roam and other dogs to play with.

Ty and I always take pride in raising and owning well-behaved dogs. Aside from not always listening when we want him to, Hunter is exceptionally well-mannered. Wally...well...Wally's getting there. And in all honesty, his performance is well beyond what came out of Hunter by this age. Thus, Ty and I remain hopeful that he's going to prove to be just as amazing as Hunter. He sits, lays down, stays, comes when called, gets out of the kitchen when told and even drops the most delectable (to him) items from his mouth when asked (this is something Hunter STILL doesn't do). Needless to say, he's going to be a great dog.

By me saying "Wally's getting there" is not intended to elude to any bad behavior...at least we didn't think so until returning home from our trip and retrieving our beloved dingos. Ty and I will be the first to agree that Wally is a high energy (and we mean HIGH energy) puppy that still has some things to work on. Examples: tugging on Hunter's neck when Hunter is sick of it, barking at anything that walks, shuffles, or blows past the house, chasing Rosco endlessly, etc., etc. Oh yeah...and jumping up on house guests as they walk through the door. This one, especially, we're aware of and working with him on. He just gets so darn excited to have someone new over. The nice thing is that when the initial "hi, my name is Wally" introduction is over, he settles down.

Well, apparently the jumping behavior was cause for alarm to the owner of the dog camp (notice I'm refraining from business names and gender association to protect the involved party I'm about to get a little huffy towards in this here blog). After we had transacted payment/ paperwork/dog food/dog beds/dogs, the owner handed me a business card and said "Don't take offense to this, but...".
-----Time-out
Okay....starting a sentence with "don't take offense to this" immediately puts me and probably most people on the defensive. Especially when it comes to their dogs. This time was no different.
-----Time-in
"but...Wally could really use this." Within an instant I offered nothing but a blank stare...pause, two, three...but quickly snapped back to the situation and the card in hand. Immediately, my eyes jumped to "Behavior Modification" listed as a service on this mini-promo of a card. I calmly tried to reply with "Oh really, why?" and the owner was quick to respond with "He's really bad about jumping up and he just has so much energy. I didn't even have any dogs to pair him with for play time because he just had so much energy." The owner carried on and on, describing Wally's super-hyper-antics over the weekend and noted an instance when Wally came up behind her and jumped up, putting two paws into her back..."Oh...I can't breathe," was how the owner re-enacted her response to the incident. Meanwhile...I'm trying to keep my cool. We like being able to take our dogs here, so I refrain from hinting at any sign of irritation. We left with not much more than an "okay...well...thank you...and sorry..."

Pulling away from doggy camp, smiling on the outside was all I could do in hopes of muffling the seething, on-the-verge, rage I was close to bursting into. If I were born without a conscience (darn you Jiminy Cricket), this is what I would have said in response to the "Wally could use this" comment:

1. He's a puppy.
2. He's a dog.
3. You own a business for and about dogs - they're not humans and you sure as heck can't bank on 'em extending their paw for a handshake as a greeting every time you come into their presence.
4. He's a puppy.
5. Hunter is AMAZING. Maybe if we brought you a poorly behaved older dog that demonstrated our inability to raise a well-behaved dingo, THEN you could be suggesting "behavior modification." Why don't we wait and see how things shake out, eh? Maybe? Before we start making suggestions?
6. Cheer up...he didn't bite you, did he?
7. We're aware of the issue and working on it. Hmm...maybe that's how this conversation should have started..."Boy...Wally sure does jump up when he gets excited!" And our response would have been "Yeah...we know...we're working on it with him. It's taking a little longer for him to get the hint, but we'll get there." Instead of instantly pointing us to the crazy dog psychologist.
8. It's in his breed. You're a dog person, you should understand that. Here's a great description I found to explain this type of behavior that comes from Wally's pointer side: Bounciness. Young English Pointers (up to about two years old) romp and jump with great vigor, and things can go flying, including people. Hmm...Wally's young...he's part pointer...things are starting to add up here.
9. He's a dog.
10. He's a puppy.

I'm not trying to make excuses for Wally's jumping up, but I think the doggy camp owner could have given us a little more understanding before leaping to conclusions. I'll admit, my pride was a little wounded, but I'll get over it now that I've rambled on about it for some time.

I think what really set Ty and me off is that right before we left (and after the incident) the owner told us "He looks like he has some setter in him".

Hmmm...okay.... I'm not seeing the resemblance, but maybe you'll make note of something I'm apparently missing. I'll let you be the judge:

At 4:50 Wednesday morning, Ty and I awoke to that awful, all-too-familiar sound of wretching...dog wretching. The noise is unlike any other and can wake you from the deepest sleep. It's a horrid sound that comes across as a combo of burping, chest heaving, and choking. The victim (aside from Ty and me being woken by the incident)...Hunter. Not much of a surprise here, as Hunter is regularly regurgitating items in the middle of the night. When we wake enough to figure out what's going on, we usually attempt to move Hunter to a "safe" place to deposit his middle of the night gift to us. Safe is meant to imply somewhere NOT on our carpet. Often times it's either too late or he resists our nudging towards the linoleoum or easily washed dog bed. He has an inner voice telling him that carpet must be a better landing spot for the item he's about to puke up. So...we typically have no choice but to wait...wait and see what Hunter's throwing up for us this time. Over the years it's been a myriad of things including, but not limited to:

• the red plastic bits from half of a chuck-it he munched down for an afternoon snack (see photo below if you aren't familiar with a chuck-it)
  

• a baby rattlesnake he'd sniffed out and gobbled down on a walk (the snake was dead prior to consumption).
• mass quantities of crunched up sticks eaten upon return from numerous camping trips (for some reason he always sets a personal goal for himself to consume every fallen stick on the forest floor).
• and oh yeah...cat poop.
  

The most recent event was equally as puzzling as many of his past consumptions. At first we didn't see anything come out...just stomach bile (a glorious smell at the pre-dawn hour). But then...when we started to clean up the goopy stuff, hidden against the brown of Hunter's dog bed was a pine cone. A lone, in-tact, soggy, stinky, PINE CONE (please reference exhibit A).

1. Danni turned to run home from our house and Sonja passionately resisted the pull on her leash, taking her away from...gasp...Wally.
2. After a run concluding in our drive-way, Wally refused to return to the inside of his very own home with heels dug in. He wiggled away from my grasp and returned to Sonja - panickly bouncing around her, as though he was saying "don't go, don't go, don't go."
3. Wally watched Sonja leaving down our street from the front window. He even craned his neck to get one last glimpse as she trotted out of sight.
4. Wally and Sonja kissed. Running side-by-side, on numerous of our runs, they both paused, looked at each other, and leaned in. They even took the time to make sure their tongues touched (sorry if this is grossing any of you out...but it really, truly happened!!!).
5. Sonja has memorized the running route from her house to ours. Every time Danni leaves her house to run, regardless of whether or not they plan to run to our house, Sonja turns right and attempts to convince Danni they MUST charge on to Wally's house.

I think you get the idea. It's pretty funny to watch them interact. Today's playdate was no different. They ran, played, chased, ran, and played some more in the back yard for close to three hours. And what happened when the beagle next door happened to catch Sonja's attention? Wally put on his best show...grabbed a bone in his mouth, shook his head back and forth vigorously, and romped past her with quite a charge, saying "look here, Sonja...I'm way tougher than that dude!"

Here's to a quiet Friday night for Danni, Ted, Zeke, Ty, Leanne, and Hunter. Cheers!