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. :)

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!

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!

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!

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!

Veris' Birthday!

Friday, April 9, was my birthday. The big 3-0. To celebrate, and also to introduce Quigley, we had a bunch of friends over on Saturday. Nothing big, just a gathering of good friends, some of whom I hadn't seen in a bit.

My biggest concern with throwing a party was how Quigley would do. Would he be a rascal? Would he be over protective, since he didn't know all of these people coming into the house? Would he be overly excited? Would he bark the whole time?

Fortunately, the answer to all of these was "No". At first, Q barked quite a bit when the first guests arrived, my brother Jo, and our friend Antonette. For some reason he just barked more than normal. But after that, he didn't really bark a whole lot once he realized that people would be coming in, and that it was OK.

We kept him in his crate for the most part, as I didn't want him to cause too much trouble, especially with some young children and their LEGOS in the house. He didn't seem to mind at all, though, and he seemed content to be in his crate. I let him out early in the party so he could have his dinner. He carried on as normal, and did a few of his commands with me, without seeming too distracted. After eating, he went back into his crate to relax. The next time out, was to go potty. Surprisingly, he didn't try to pickup any LEGOs or completely stop to say "Hi" to everyone. He knew exactly what I wanted him to do, and he did very, very well.

Another thing we're happy about is how well he does with kids so far. One of the kids there, Rubie, seemed very excited to see Quigley. She gave him treats, and wanted to let him out of the crate, though I didn't think it was such a good idea right away. My god-daughter, Evie, was afraid of him at first. After seeing her older sister, Rubie, taking such interest, and seeing that her younger brother Lucien was fine, I think she warmed up to him. =) She even asked me if she could say "Bye" to Quigley before she left. How cute.

After the kids left, I let Quigley out briefly. I passed out treats to everyone to give to him, and had them make him at least sit before giving it to him. I think he liked it, since he got to meet people and get food. What a better combo!

Overall, Quigley was absolutely wonderful during the party. I don't think I could've asked for a better behaved dog that day. =) Good boy, Quigley.

Kath's Birthday

We started off the day with our 10K training run, with Quigley tagging along. This time we ran the path from Tualatin Community Park towards Durham City Park. It was a particularly good dog-day, as Quigley got to meet a number of great dogs while we were out there.

For breakfast, we ventured over to the Waffle Window for the tasty treat you see above. Called "The Three Bs", it has Bacon, Brie and Basil on it. Oh so yummy! While we waited, we met a cute older dog named "Mandu" (sp?), and Quigley was quick to try and play. Mandu's human friend was very responsible and checked to make sure that Quigley was vaccinated before letting his dog play, and then happily let the two dogs have a little romp in the parking lot. Mandu had been used to romping around at "Puppy Romp", a supervised Sunday play session for puppies. His owner couldn't recommend it more. We'll be looking into that for Q in the near future.

After breakfast, we walked along Hawthorne. Quigley was greeted by many people, and he did really well, even with younger children. Pictured above is Q waiting for Kath in front of a store on Hawthorne.

During the walk, we ventured down to the Fred Meyer store, and I asked Kath to wait with Quigley outside. Well, I bought her the above flowers.... and when I came out, she told me how allergic she is to them! DOH!

Next, we ventured up to Laurelhurst Park. We walked all long the paths, and enjoyed the park thoroughly. In the above photos, you'll see Quigley watching an older German Shepard from a distance, watching some ducks, and surprisingly, NOT chasing a squirrel! We met a few people, but mostly the park was pretty quiet. We did let Quigley run around a little bit and play fetch, but only with his really long leash on.

On the way home, we decided to stop at Burgerville to try their Rosemary Fries. They satisfied our French-Fry craving nicely, and as an added bonus, they gave Quigley a doggie biscuit!

We decided to work off those fries by taking Q for a walk around Tualatin. During our walk, we encountered even more "wildlife". First was a bunch of ducks at a "DUCK XING". From the picture above, you can see that the "X" is for "HULA HOOP". =) When we got to the Tualatin Commons, Quigley got to meet the kittens you see above. They didn't seem to want to play with Quigley, as they just sat there. =) Maybe another time, we'll be able to introduce you to some real kittens, Q, depending on how well you behave, anyways.

Later that night, Jay stopped by on his way back to Seattle. We all went to dinner for Kath's birthday at Hayden's Lakefront Grill, by the Commons, near where Q met the "kittens". The evening ended nicely with some wine and créme bruleé.

Seattle!

This weekend, Quigley visited Uncle Jay in Seattle.  After feeding Q a relatively late lunch, his stay started off with a nice long walk with some good hills.  First stop, of course was to go to the bathroom outside Uncle Jay's apartment.  After that, Uncle Jay and I searched for our lunch location.  During our "hunting adventure",.Quigley met a beagle, a mixed-breed with Whippet and Schnauzer, a really fluffy Pembroke Welsh Corgi, and a few other dogs.  After passing various locations, carrying Q when he didn't want to walk, and meeting many people who melt at the sight of a puppy, we ended up at Dick's Drive-In for some burgers, fries and shakes.

Uncle Jay and I walked Quigley down the street to Cal Anderson Park, and found a bench by the water feature there.  Q waited fairly patiently while we ate our lunch, and he met a few more dogs, including what appeared to be a Bernese Mountain Dog.  After the Bernese Mountain Dog said "Bye," to Q, it went to the water feature and waded for a few seconds.  Another interesting thing that was in the water was a photographer and the model he was photographing.  It's crazy what some people do, as it wasn't warm or sunny, and that water must've been cold.

After we ate, we ventured further into the park.  I put Q on his long leash, and found an open concrete area to try and get him to play fetch.  Well, there was too much seeds and bark on the ground, that he had very little interest in his ball.  We moved further in, and found a empty basketball court.  We threw around his floating Kong, since it had a rope.  Now he was playing fetch... sorta.  It was more of run after after the Kong with Uncle Jay holding the leash, run past the kong and turn around to get it, then maybe run back to Dad, and if so, past him.  Silly dog.  Silly, Silly Dog.  Q met a few more dogs, including a 14-year old Golden Retriever / Australian Shepherd mix, and a 12-year old dog before we finally made it home for his afternoon nap.

Later that evening, after feeding Q his dinner, we took him for a nice long walk.  We started off walking a loop at Freeway Park.  From there we decided to look for our dinner, so we walked down to Pike's Place.  Since it was late, it turned out that nothing was open, so we headed back to Jay's apartment.  On our way, we passed by the newly opened "Biscuit Bitch", which serves late night biscuits and gravy.  While it sounded good, it wasn't exactly what we wanted for a late dinner, and we didn't want to have to wait another 10 minutes for it to open (10pm).  While we made our way back towards Jay's place, we crossed a busy intersection.  Then, all of a sudden, I felt a jolt on the leash.  I looked back to see Quigley squatting to pee in the middle of the crosswalk!  Poor guy, I had to pull him to get out of the street, and you could tell he just couldn't hold it any longer.  =(  Q, you need to give me some warning when we're walking, kinda like you do at home or in your crate.  You did so well inside Uncle Jay's apartment, now we just have to figure each other out when we're out and about.

Dog's First Day at the Beach

On Friday, Quigley had received his 3rd shot for Distemper, and also his Rabies shot.  With the great weather, and Q fully immunized, we decided to take Quigley to the beach on Saturday.  We picked up Uncle Jojo in Corvallis and then headed over towards Newport, and then up to Lincoln City.

The first stop in our itinerary was Beach Dog Cafe on the South side of town.  It's a cute little place with limited seating, but apparently it gets pretty busy, so we expected a wait.  We couldn't have arrived at a more perfect time.  We parked right in front of the place, got there just in time to beat a rush of people, and were able to seat ourselves at their only outside table so that Q could sit with us.  We had the stuffed french toast and the Coney Dog.  Mmm, mmm, good!  In all the times we've been to Lincoln City, why hadn't we discovered this place sooner? 

Another thing that brought a smile to our faces, was the cutest little boy that Sonja, one of the owners, brought out to say hi to Quigley and a pit bull who had arrived not long after. He was sooooo happy to see the dogs. You had to see the smile on his face, it was truly infectious.

You can tell that they are very dog friendly there, as the walls are decorated with pictures of their patrons' dogs.  (Picture of Quigley, pending, hehe)  They also offered Quigley a delicious treat that we found out was available at Paws On The Sand, located on the North side of town..

Naturally, our next stop became Paws On The Sand, which was a great little pet store with very friendly people.  We picked up a floating Kong on a rope, and a bag of the Darford holistic dog treats that Q had tried earlier.  The people there absolutely loved Q, and gave him some more cute little treats.

After that, we made our way towards the beach, and introduced Q to sand.  I'm not sure what he thought of it at first since he kept falling and shoving his face in it, getting covered in sand.  It was so cute.  Once he got to the harder, wet sand, walking became much easier.  We let him sorta play fetch with his new frisbee (run after it and try to pick it up), chase after us, say hi to more people and dogs.  We also did a little bit of training, doing sit-stay, come, and lie down, which he did pretty well for being in a new environment with so many new things all around.

After playing at the beach for a few hours, we drove south to Newport for dinner.  We went to the Chowder Bowl at Nye Beach.  While we waited for our food outside, Quigley met even more people, including some kids.  He did fairly well with all the new people, even the kids, though he did jump up a few times, and nipped a little when he shouldn't have.  Overall, though, he did a good job.

After dinner we finally made the long trip back to Corvallis to drop off Uncle Jojo and then bring our fun day to a close.  It was a great trip for the four of us.  Quigley seemed to have a blast exploring his new play area and meeting all the friendly people and dogs.  The coast will definitely be a destination for us when the weather is nice again. =)