First Family Reunion!

Today was the first "family reunion" for Carmella's Pups! We all met at Creston Park in SE Portland. The weather was wet, but hey, it's Portland, and the puppies want to play! As Kath, Quigley, and I approached the group, we were greeted by Quigley's sister Charlie (Addie). I let him off-leash, and and bolted to the other siblings with Charlie.

The pups were mostly paired off, with Saylor playing with Ramsay (Digby), and Quigley playing with Charlie. Zora was sort of the odd-man-out at first, trying to get in with Q and Charlie, but she seemed a little unsure of herself at first. Eventually, she was able to get some direct face-time with Q and all the other pups. All of the pups were having a blast play-fighting and chasing each other all around the park. It was sooo cute seeing how different, yet similar, they all were. Mannerisms, attitudes, playing styles, and of course just physical looks. A little while later, Hudson arrived with his adopted brother Korban, the pug. Hudson and family had great timing, as the rain had stopped and the sun started to peek out from behind the clouds.

One of the memorable things that I remember inclued Saylor and Zora having a sort of stare-down with each other. A sort of sisterly rivalry, it seemed. Also, it was sooo cute when other dogs started coming to the park. All of the pups would approach in a line, and would all start barking, tails up (many with white tips). It was like a cute little family gang of puppies.

Can't wait for another get-together!

Water Dog?

We planned on walking to Bridgeport Village to make some purchases at the Lucy store. On our way there, Quigley met a few nice dogs, including great golden retrievers. One of these dogs was named "Marley". Well, Quigley and Marley had a good time playing with each other, and like many dogs do, they got into the mud. No avoiding, Quigley seemed intent on getting dirty.

After getting all muddy, Marley's person had him go to the river for a swim to get some of the mud off. Quigley eagerly followed Marley down to the water, and gingerly dipped his paws, but that was about it. Quigley, aren't you supposed to be part lab? Maybe it just reminds him too much of taking a bath right now. =) Maybe later in the year we can try it out again, but at a pool, with a bunch of other dogs.

Doggie Dash is here!

The 2010 OHS Doggie Dash was today, and boy was it fun! We thought it would be absolute chaos, especially with our playful pup, but it was a blast! We made our way from our parking spot towards the waterfront, and dogs were everywhere trying to get to the park. We finally made it to the registration tent, and got into a line. That was the only chaotic place there since there were so many lines and so many people trying to meet right outside the tent.

We had planned to meet with Q's sister, Saylor, but we arrived a little later than planned and weren't sure if we'd get to see them. Then, I heard someone say, "Is this Quigley?" It was Lori Ann, Saylor's mom! What luck that she found us. We let the two siblings greet each other and play. It was so cute. Some people actually came by and asked if they were littermates. =) They sure played like it. Below, you'll see 2 photos of Saylor and Quigley (and some of their brothers and sisters) at the shelter on adoption day. Sooo cute! =)

And here's 2 pictures of them at the Doggie Dash. =)


Walking during the Doggie Dash was really not bad at all. We saw parts of the waterfront that we never saw before, and got to walk over two bridges, which we also have never done. Kath wore her "Quigley's Mom" shirt that Trisha gave her and I wore a shirt I made with Quigley's baby picture on the front and a small picture of him yawning on the back with the caption "Q-Ball". It was funny because at the registration line, someone behind us said, "Hi Q-Ball!". She must have gotten it from the shirt. Quigley was pretty well behaved the whole time. I think part of it was because we didn't end up walking with Saylor and family. If we had, my guess is that Quigley would've wanted to do nothing buy play. Instead, I think he had a little bit of doggie overload and felt kinda like he was in a gigantic pack-walk.


After the walk, we visited the many vendors that were onsite. Quigley scored yummy treat samples from various booths while we browsed the goods that were for sale. One of the neatest things that we got to see was the frisbee competition/demo that they had. There were quite a few great dogs, but the most amazing dog was a 3-legged dog. He only had one of his rear legs, but sat, lay down, ran and jumped as if he had all four of his legs. Truly amazing!
-- Picture Pending here --
All in all, it was a great day for the Q-ball. So many dogs = so happy!

Cooking With Dog

No, people, get your mind right! I ran across this interesting youtube channel one day, and just thought I'd share. =)

http://www.youtube.com/user/cookingwithdog

Below is their episode where they make Green Tea Ice Cream!
I have to try it sometime!

Sunday Stroll

We started our day with a nice stroll on our usual running route through Tualatin Community Park and Cook Park. Along the way between the two parks, we ran into Harry, a Springer Spaniel pup, around Q's age. They have played together there before, so no introductions were needed (not that Q truly needs any). Harry was on his way home, but couldn't pass up the opportunity to play with Quigley. One of Harry's people said "he's gonna sleep well tonight." =) That was surely a sign of things to come.

After playing with Harry, we looped up towards Cook Park in Tigard. On the way, I called my mom to wish her a Happy Mother's Day. Turns out, I called too early, and woke my mom up. Sorry mom, didn't mean to wake you. =p Finally, we arrived at Cook Park, turned around, and made our way home.

Remember earlier, when Harry's person said "he's gonna sleep well"? Well, he was right, Quigley did sleep very well....just in the middle of the day, instead. =) It was kind of a "pack nap". Lucky for us, Quigley is generally very relaxed and calm when we're all resting on the living room floor.

We were all refreshed and ready to enjoy the rest of the day after our nap. We picked up some food at the nearby Aloha Grill, and then drove to Atfalati Park after some miscommunication about going to Jurgens and Avery Park. Atfalati is a nice big park, with some playing fields, tennis courts, hills, and a playground. We walked up the hill to find a nice spot to sit. It was kind of tough with all the goose droppings everywhere. Finally we settled down and had our lunch. After lunch, Quigley and I played fetch a little bit. The funny thing is, he seemed to want Kath to play too! Instead of bringing the ball back to me, he would bring it to Kath. =) He always wants to play with EVERYONE, I tell ya. =) After getting a little tired, and from the heat too, I'm sure, we finally just sat down and rested. There were a few other dogs that came around too, but Quigley was pretty satisfied and tired to go running after them. If only every day were as easy to tire you out, Q. Here's a picture of Q trying to take cover from the sun with me under one of our beach blankets.

Sunny Saturday Doggie Day

On Saturday morning, Kath got her hair done in at Ad Astra on Belmont in SE Portland. While she had her hairdresser work her magic, Quigley and I went for a long walk around the neighborhood. We ventured along Belmont, made our way South, past Hawthorne, down to Ladd Circle Park and Rose Gardens, and then back. All in all, it was over 2.5 miles of walking. The weather was great during the walk, not too hot, not too cold, though you could tell it was a lot warmer than Quigley had been used to so far. He drank a few bowls of water along the walk, and as a result had to pee at least twice that I can remember. Once we finally arrived back at the salon, we got to see Kath's updated hairdo, which was wonderfully done, as always.

For lunch, we tried to find the dog-friendly Berlin Inn, once again. The last time we hunted for it, we kept going in circles, but never found it. This time, we were determined. Finally, we found it across the street from Edelweiss Sausage Co. & Deli on 12th Street. We seated ourselves in the corner of their relaxing patio. It featured nice, high walls, which concealed much of the area, and buffered much of the road noise from Powell Blvd. You'd never realize you were in the city, it was so relaxing. =)


For our lunch, turned breakfast, Kath ordered the Blue Brew Cakes, made with Hefeweizen and blueberries, and I ordered the Leberkaese, which was a slice of sausage loaf with eggs, and potatoes (I chose potato pancakes). We also shared their Porta Sticks, which are breaded and grilled portabella mushroom sticks. Mmmm Mmmm Mmmmm! The food was absolutely perfect. I also had a refreshing Strawberry Lavender Lemonade, which was perfect for the sunny day. After lunch, our waitress brought out their dessert tray, which featured a VERY enticing selection of sweets from their in-house "Backerie" (Bakery). We selected their Cashew Cream Cake, which was very cheesecake-like, but without the cream cheese. That was the perfect selection for further enjoyment of the sunny day on their great patio.

After letting Quigley have a refreshing nap at home, we ventured out to Hillsboro for the library book sale, and then to the much mentioned Hondo Dog Park, right next to Hillsboro Stadium. This was a very large dog park, with a nice hill right in the middle. The layout and features of the park are great. My only qualm was the abundance of what I believe was goose droppings. I've been seeing that more and more all over town, so I can't really blame them since the geese go where they please.

Quigley eagerly found a few dogs, but found he was not fast enough to keep up with them. When he wasn't looking he was practically stampeded at one point! Being the tough dog that he is, he stood right up and found a few dogs closed to his size that actually seemed to want to play with him. One of the dogs was quite vocal, and at one point seemed a little aggressive, but Quigley held his own without stirring any trouble. They were all playing much better after Q showed he could stand his ground. Not long after, Q was even playing with a tiny little MinPin. Quigley was easily 5-times the size of this dog, probably even more! Quigley was so eager to play and let this dog know he'd be safe that he lay on his back to play with him. Quigley, we're so proud of you. You've learned and matured so much. Such a good dog. =)

Grilled Cheese Grill and Quigley the Co-Pilot?

We went to North Portland tonight, and ate at Grilled Cheese Grill. Since we were unsure of their policy on dogs (they have outdoor seating), we left Quigley in the car, just a few feet away. As we left the car, Q was surveying the area around hm, and then peeked over the backseat with his puppy dog eyes watching us leave the car.

Kath ordered "The Morton", which has meatballs, marinara sauce, ricotta and mozzarella cheese on Italian Sourdough. I had "The Moondog", with provolone, hard salami, pepperoni, chopped olive and pepper tapenade on grilled sourdough. Mmm, mmm, GOOD!!! Especially when combined with their creamy tomato soup. =) We sat in their "indoor" seating area, which was a converted schoolbus. The interior had some great artwork all over the bus, booths on one side, and a long counter spanning the other side of the bus. Trivia cards furthered the nostalgic experience inside the bus. All-in-all, it was pretty fun, and the food was great.

When we returned to the car, Kath found quite the surprise in her seat. Quigley was curled up and relaxed in he passenger seat! He only gets to sit in the passenger seat in my car, as it has two seats, but tonight we had Kath's car. He knows he's only allowed in the back of her car. Silly dog, trying to ride shotgun. Q was good, though, as it didn't seem like he'd tried to get into anything that he shouldn't have, other than the passenger seat, anyways. =p Good boy, Q.

Double Doggie Dash Donations!

Try saying that three times fast! =)

Donations of $20 of more received between today and May 14th will be matched by the generous Doggie Dash Sponsors! Donate today if you haven't already!

Donate at least $20, to be matched by Doggie Dash Sponsors!

BIG Thanks to the following donation-doubling sponsors:
Lithia Subaru of Oregon City, Banfield the Pet Hospital, Sergeant’s, Fred Meyer, Pedigree, Witham & Dickey, and boly:welch