Doggie Dash 2016

Wow, so it's been 6 years since we've been doing the Doggie Dash, and Quigley is still ready to roll! If you'd like to, please take a look at my donation page: http://ohs.convio.net/goto/ninjadogg

2 Years Old!

Quigley turned 2 last Tuesday and to celebrate we had a birthday bash for him and his siblings at Fido's Indoor Dog Park. It was really nice to see all of the puppy parents again and catch up.  But it even more fun seeing all the pups play and to see how similar they all still were.  We expected Quigley to tire out or maybe be limping by the end of the day, but he did just fine and had a blast running around and playing with his siblings.  Happy Birthday Pups!

2011 Doggie Dash

We weren't sure if we (Quigley, rather) were going to be able to do this year's Doggie Dash since Quigley just had knee surgery 2 months ago. Well, we got cleared by the doctor just in time! =) This year, we did the 1.5-mile Doggie Dash Classic, which was just along the waterfront. Q had a blast, getting to play with plenty of dogs and having a fun, big pack-walk.

Does this look like Quigley to you? I spotted this dog when looking for Kath before the race, and luckily she was able to snap this pic, because this dog looked VERY similar. The face was pretty close to Q's as well. :) I met another dog that looked similar after the race as well that turned out to be a German Shepherd-Australian Shepherd mix.

It's been a while...

Geez, it's been awhile since we've last posted on here. Quigley's been through quite a lot, meeting his "grandparents" on both sides, a whole football season of home games, staying at Uncle Jo's house, various trips to the Seattle-area, and his first Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas! I'll try and post some pictures and stories in the next few days about the past few months. :)

4th of July Fireworks!

Each year, the city of Tigard puts on a great fireworks show at Cook Park, just north of our house. This was Quigley's first experience with a big fireworks show. Earlier in the week, Quigley heard some bottle rockets from our street. He was relatively fine with the bottle rockets popping, as he was inside the house. The evening of the 3rd, Q was a bit more jumpy and barky when he saw the sparks and pops from some fireworks being lit in the neighborhood.

Well, the evening of the 4th, we went to a friend's BBQ for dinner, and watched a few fireworks being lit by them and the neighbors. Before we knew it, it was getting much later, so we decided to head home and make sure that Quigley would feel fine during the big show.

We got home with plenty of time before the show, so we gave Q his dinner, and then decided to go for a walk down the main street, away from any fireworks. On our way out, he jumped a bit again when the neighbors lit some fireworks. He'd hide behind the bushes, and jump when he heard a pop. Poor dog. We made it out to the main road and started walking towards the wetlands, since nobody would launch any fireworks there. We had a wonderful view of the show. Quigley was able to calmly sit and watch the night sky glow above our neighborhood. There were quite a bit of loud booms, and Q was alert during those, but he was mostly just looking in the direction of the echoes. Thankfully, we were far enough from it that he did just fine, and didn't seem too traumatized, if at all. =)

Maybe next time we'll get to be a little bit closer. If not, we'll figure something out. It was nice watching the show from where we did. Happy 4th!

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

Doggie Dash 2010! - Team Carmella's Pups

Help join Team Carmella's Pups raise funds for the 2010 Doggie Dash event on May 15th! This event is to raise funds to support the Oregon Humane Society in it's mission to find homes for our fabulous furry friends. Each year, many pets are unable to find homes while staying at other shelters, and as a result are euthanized, rather than transferred when time or space runs out. OHS has no time limitations on how long an animal can stay there. As long as the animal is in good health, and it's behavior is good enough to be adopted, it can stay at OHS. OHS takes in animals from all over the Pacific Northwest, from various shelters and agencies, and also rescues animals, as you may have seen in the news recently.

Our wonderful pup, Quigley is a shelter dog. While we adopted him from Home At Last Humane Society in The Dalles, the goal is still the same: To help loving animals find their forever home. Please help in this cause. Many animals depend on this help from shelters, and we wouldn't have Quigley if it wasn't for the help of Humane Societies like Home At Last H.S. and the Oregon Humane Society.

All that I ask is that you:

A) Join Team Carmella's Pups (Carmella is Quigley's Mom, she had 11 other pups in Q's litter.)

B) Donate just $5 (I have many more fundraising events this year, though you may donate more.)

or
C) Join us in spirit. - Your support means so much!



P.S. - Carmella is still looking for a home. Call the Home At Last Shelter @ (541) 296-5189 to ask about her.

March of Dimes March for Babies 2010!

We walked in the March for Babies 10K in Salem this Saturday. It was a lot of fun joining Team R.E.L. and walking with a bunch of good friends. The weather started out iffy, but in the end was beautiful. It was a nice walk through neighborhoods and businesses, and we saw quite a bit of Salem. We walked by the Waterfront Carousel, the State Capitol, and even right by the Governor's Mansion.

At first, all Quigley wanted to do was play with the other dogs. Not long after the start, he laid down and rolled in the grass so that I couldn't pull him any further and so that the dogs behind could catch up. =) He did that a few times (to rest, maybe), so we had to run afterward just to catch up to the team. Quigley did pretty good once the walk really started going.

Together, Team R.E.L raised $765 for the March of Dimes to help fund research and programs to help mothers have full-term pregnancies. Go Team!

Teeth

So far, we've collected 5 of Quigley's teeth. The first one we found was a small, flatter tooth. Then on 4/19, we found two more teeth. Another time Quigley looked like he was chomping on something on the floor, and Kath found a tooth on the floor. Another time, he looked like he was chomping on something on the ottoman, then stopped, left, and went back to look at it twice. Turned out that he'd lost a tooth and dropped it there.

Hopefully his teething doesn't last too much longer. Teething puppy breath is stinky, I mean wonderful. =) We love you, pup.

Dog Parks x 4

What a lucky dog Quigley is. With the nice weather we took him to the equivalent of 4 dog parks this last week. On Thursday, we took him to Hazelia Field Dog Park off of Stafford Rd. This was a nice park, with bark for the dogs to run on, and a few obstacles and trees. Quigley had a blast running and playing with the dogs there. One dog in particular was a boxer who was 10-months old, I think. They enjoyed wrestling with each other, and she (the boxer) was impressive with the use of her paws and body to take Quigley down. Her owner was very nice as well, and engaged in conversation with us discussing raising a pup, and other dog parks in the area as well.

On Friday, I took Quigley to Memorial Park in Wilsonville. It was a beautiful afternoon that day, and there were a TON of dogs there. One dog in particular was a GSD/Lab(?) mix named Koda that Quigley enjoyed wrestling with. She was quite a collar-grabber, but after a few corrections from her human, she seemed to get the idea that she shouldn't do that. Another one of the many dogs he met was a 5-month old lab(mix?) pup. She was very shy and submissive, though, and didn't seem to want to play with Quigley too much. Poor girl, she must've been kinda intimidated by him, with his energy and wanting to play so much. At least he eventually understood, and went to play with other dogs after.

Saturday's dog park selection was the dog park at Mt. Tabor. This was technically "taking him to a dog park", though I didn't let him off leash there. My friend Vince and I were on a mission to get his daughter Benecia to the playground at the top of Mt. Tabor. Quigley didn't seem to mind, though. He got to play with his friend, Hass, earlier. Quigley didn't quite make it all the way up Mt. Tabor. Luckily Benecia wanted to be carried in her pack, so that freed up the stroller, which Vince offered to Quigley. One of these days you'll make it all the way up there, Q, one of these days. =)

On Sunday we took Quigley to Puppy Romp in Hillsboro. It's more of a private, indoor dog park just for puppies 6-months and under. Quigley had fun playing there, and we had fun watching all of the cute puppies. I think it's more geared towards younger pups so that they can learn how to play with other pups eventually bigger dogs. Quigley has had a bit of experience already, so I think he just thought of it as yet another playground. We saw that he had a little blood in his mouth when we left, so we got a little scared. Turned out, he knocked one of his bottom teeth loose, but it didn't get knocked out. Hopefully it isn't causing him too much paid or anything.

So that's that. 4 "parks" in 4 days. Hopefully he doesn't start demanding this from us. I think we'll be OK though. He seems pretty tired still. That walk up Mt. Tabor is tougher than you think, especially if you're a puppy that's used to flat ground.

Rest up, Q-ball. =)

Lunch on Hawthorne

On Saturday, Quigley and I met the Hale family and the Rinehart family in SE Portland, near Mt. Tabor Park.

It had been a few months since we'd all gotten together, so it was really nice to see them again. It was also nice to see how much the young ones had grown (2 girls, and Quigley).

We started off by letting the dogs play with each other for awhile. Quigley played with Hass, about the same as way as he did 2 months ago, but now he was maybe twice the size. =) After a bit of crawling, chasing, and play-biting, we drove to Hawthorne for lunch.

Our original destination was Apizza Scholls, but it turned out that it was closed. Luckily, ¿Por Qué No? was bustling with a crowd, so we decided to get in line for the taco goodness that they serve there. Turns out the wait wasn't very long, and it was pretty easy to get a table since they make you order before getting a table. I had "Bryan's Bowl" with Carne Asada and tortillas. Oh man, soooooo yummy. I definitely have to go back there. =)

When we returned to the car, Quigley and Hass were waiting patiently. It was good that they played earlier. There wasn't a whole lot of space for the two of them to really play in there. Maybe they had some interesting conversation? =) On the way back to Vince's, Quigley was exposed to yet another noise, a crying baby. Thankfully he didn't start barking or seem too worried or nervous. Hopefully he continues to do well with kids, as he's been very impressive around them for the most part. Good boy Quigley, you don't want to make kids cry, or they won't come and pet you. =)

March for Babies!

Help join Team R.E.L. raise funds for the March for Babies event on April 24th! This event is to raise funds to help moms have healthy, full-term babies. This cause is very close to me, as I was born 2-1/2 months early. My parents know firsthand how important a full-term birth is, and I want to help ensure that all babies have a good chance at a healthy life, without having to put up a fight just to live. All that I ask is that you: A) Join Team R.E.L. B) Donate just $5 (I have many more fundraising events this year, though you may donate more.) or C) Join us in spirit. - Your support means so much!

Graduation!

Quigley graduated from Puppy Class today! Yay Quigley! During the class, there was an "obstacle course" which we took the longest, sorry Quigley, that was probably more my fault. =) He impressed all with his "Puppy Pushup" (Sit, Lie Down, Sit), and then his "Sit-Stay" lasted a whole second due to his excitement with all the other dogs, and my nervousness. Lastly the "Leave It" was a piece of cake, since he has no interest in plastic cones. LOL!

Another thing Q took home was the title of "Fastest Tail Wagger". All of this was due to carrots. No, I'm not sure how much he actually likes carrots. (None were harmed in the making of this blog.) But rather, we all had to get our dogs excited by saying nothing by the word "Carrots". It was a close match, Quigley must've edged out Patchy by a wag. =)

All-in-All it was a great day, and Quigley got his cap, certificate, and even a bowl of vanilla frozen yogurt! Good job, Quigley!