Poor Colvin-Yet Another Foxtail

Somehow she got a foxtail up her nose and is at the vet as we speak. We have been to the Vet's so much this month that they are going to name the new wing after me and the dogs. Seriously though, the foxtails are as bad this year as I have ever seen them. It's enough to make me want to keep the doggies in the house. AARRGGHHH! For those unfamiliar with the diabolical weed, here is a description from the Placerville Vet.

Foxtails
Foxtails are named after foxtail brome, a grass whose seed head is bushy like a fox's tail. The term is used for any of the sharp stickers you might find poking into your socks after walking in a dry summer field.
Some foxtail problems can be prevented
If your dog has thick woolly hair, foxtails embedded in the coat will burrow through the skin and into his body. By the time you discover the problem, there may be dozens of foxtails that have become difficult or impossible to locate and remove. This can be prevented by careful daily combing or a close whole-body trim. The best time for trimming is just before the fields begin to turn brown and again six or eight weeks later.
Even for dogs with short hair, foxtails get started between the toes and burrow into the feet. This is a worse problem for Spaniels or other dogs with webbed toes, but happens with all breeds. Check your dog's feet every day and remove foxtails before they burrow in. If your dog has long hair between his toes, have a groomer trim it out.
Other foxtail problems cannot be prevented
Nose foxtails
Sudden extremely severe sneezing, pawing at nose, possibly bleeding from nostril. Symptoms diminish after several hours, becoming intermittent.
Ear foxtails
Tilting and shaking head, pawing at ear, crying, moving stiffly.
Eye foxtails
Squinting eye suddenly-swelling accompanied by tears and mucous discharge.
Throat foxtails
Gagging, retching cough, compulsive grass eating, stretching neck and swallowing.
Foxtails in any of these locations must be removed by a veterinarian, and depending on their location, often require anesthesia.
Unfortunately, the common foxtail problems listed above aren't the only ones. Foxtails can be inhaled or enter any body opening and travel long distances. They don't show on x-rays and are sometimes impossible to surgically locate and remove. It doesn't seem fair, but your dog will be a lot better off if kept in a kennel or on a leash.

Am I Back in AZ?

I can't believe how hot it is here. It was 106 degrees yesterday and 109 degrees today. If I didn't have to work I would have definately spend the last two days at the beach. It is HOT, HOT, HOT!!!

Maris-Got the new Janet Evanovich book "Fearless Fourteen". I'll be listening to it on the way down to Carmel this weekend.

Revised-It was 112 degrees!

Fort Funston and the Dead Porpoise

I had no intentions of making an entry today because we went back to Fort Funston. But, on our walk today we found a freshly dead porpoise on the beach today. This is the second in as many weeks and I found it a bit distressing. I haven't seen dead porpoise on the beach before this. I did a little research on the internet and found a place in Oregon that is studying the increase in the number of porpoise dieing along the Washington and Oregon coast line. I contacted them and found out the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito is doing the same thing.

I really worry about what we are doing to the Planet and can't help but think the increase is due to our actions. It's enough to really bring me down.

Hastings Island

Today I am just going to share a few pictures of our outing at Hastings Island in Rio Vista. It is a great place to take to dogs since there are thousands of acres for the dogs to run and then when they are done running, it's off for a long swim. Hope you enjoy the pictures. It is really quite a tranquil place in the Summer. To avoid confusion, Sara-orange collar, Dixy-yellow collar, Colvin-purple collar, Grady-green collar.

Dog Days-From Dixy's Point of View

Today is a holiday so my human mom has decided to take full advantage of it and relax for the day. Here is where I step in. I thought I would tell you about our day from my point of view. Even though it was a holiday and my human mom thought it would be nice to be able to sleep until 6, I just couldn't relax enough to let her. As much as she tried to convince me, I couldn't convince myself. Finally she got up at 5:30. I don't see what the problem is, she is usually up at 3:30 so from my way of thinking, she did sleep in. After a bit of grumbling on her part and a cup of coffee, she was back to her cheerful self. We were on the road by 6:30 heading to the beach. Boy were we all excited. The beach is like Disneyland to us. Hmmm, come to think of it, everywhere is like Disneyland to to us. We are dogs. Okay, must stay focus. When we arrived, it was so foggy we couldn't see 30 feet in front of us. The mist was so heavy, we were drenched from the onset. We didn't mind though, it is perfect running weather. I found a tennis ball right off the bat. I love tennis balls. I seem to be able to get someone to throw them to me non-stop. Some may even say I am obsessed. Anyway, my mom threw the ball a few times. Then she stopped, left the ball on the ground and told me to leave it. I was confused. Seemed like a perfectly good tennis ball to me. I guess she got tired of that one. Wanting to be the perfect dog, I did leave it. I chased Grady for awhile and then he chased me. Sara joined in too. She is particularly playful in this weather. We made it down to the beach and within 2 minutes, Sara and Grady found a lovely dead sea lion. They rolled in it and rolled in it. Apparently mom wasn't too thrilled about it because she was making the biggest commotion. Finally, they came back. I thought they smelled lovely but I don't think mom felt the same way. I found another tennis ball (I have a nose for them). My mom started to toss them in the water. Of course, I retrieved them all. Grady is just like a human baby brother, a pest. He followed me everywhere. Even in the water. Hmmm, come to think of it, I think my mom may have had an ulterior motive. She spent the next couple of hours trying to get Sara and Grady in the water. She didn't say so but I think she was trying to get that smell off them. We walked a long time and along the way, mom found a lot more sea glass to add to her collection. We were home by 11 and are in for the day. Mom won't be going anywhere tonight because she knows how much the fireworks bother Colvin. Fine by me, I love having her home.

Happy Fourth of July.

Black Diamond Regional Park

Black Diamond Regional Park is located in Antioch, CA. It is about 10 minutes from my home and is the main place I take the dogs for their runs during the week. We are fortunate to have so much park area in the congested bay area. There are approximately 36 miles of hiking trails in the Black Diamond Park alone. The most glorious part is that the dogs get to run free in the undeveloped areas. This is one of the main reasons I moved to Antioch. This area was made up of three mining towns; Sommersville, Stewartville, and Nortonville. It is common to find pieces of kitchenware throughout the walk. There is all kinds of wildlife in the area. It is not uncommon to have relatively close encounters with coyotes and I have seen wild pig, deer, and bobcats. I always enjoy being out in the park. It is hard to believe we are so close to civilization. The top picture is taken from the Ridge trail. The Peak is Mount Diablo. During the winter, it is not uncommon for there to be snow. It is about 15 miles from my house and is a popular destination for hikers. The second and third pictures are also taken from the Ridge trail but looking north to the delta. The last picture is of Grady and Dixy "wrestling" with each other during
the walk.

I have include the link to the east bay regional parks website. This is only one of the parks. You may be interested in seeing some of the others. http://www.ebparks.org/parks

Political Rumblings

Just to let everyone know, I have no intention of making this a political blog since we are all very diverse in our leanings. However, I don't think it matters what side of the aisle you land on, the way our media presents information to us is disgraceful! I mean, seriously, we need to know the likeability of the wives?!!? I guess the nation doesn't have enough serious issues that needs to be address. Please!!! The media should present the issues that are important to the people and find out the differences in the candidates stances. We need to have a voting population that is informed about the differences so we can make educated voting decisions. There are significant issues that we are facing as a nation and the challenges for the next president will be challenging at best. Let's stop the negative campaigning and backbiting. Okay....my little rant is done. I am off to watch "Scrubs".

WALL-E The Movie

Suzy, Stephan and I went to see WALL-E yesterday afternoon. First off let me say, I don't know how Pixar has hit after hit. They are amazing! But enough about Pixar and the movie for now. I want to set the stage for our little movie outing. We went to the 4:40 showing. I don't usually go to the movies during daylight but made an exception for this movie. I thought it would be less crowded. Actually, the theater was only 3/4s of the way full so we had a good seat selection. We were quite surprise at the number of kids that were at the showing. I don't know why we would be surprised because it is a "kids" movie. The ages of kids were between 2 years old and teens. I was really amazed at how well behaved the kids were. I didn't hear any screaming, crying or talking. Of course it could be because I was so engrossed in the movie but I don't think so. Speaking of the movie. I thought it was another brilliant use of animation. It is really a movie that entertains both kids and adult. The animation is up to the same high standards of the previous Pixar movies and the plot was excellent. The story takes place in the future (700 years later) and describes what earth and the human race is like at that time. It subtly shows us how our minds & bodies have changed (evolved is not the right word as that implies positive changes). There is also a love story that Suzy and Stephan thought was unnecessary but I liked. It is between WALL-E and EVA (another machine). The interesting thing to me was that they were more human like than the humans. WALL-E maintains the bridge between what humans had been and what they have become. I will buy this for my movie collection once it comes out on DVD.



Today, I headed back to the beach. I met up with Eddie and Susan (see picture to the right). They own Sasa (a Sara puppy from the second litter) and Anise. Kate also joined us. She owns Jasper (another Sara puppy from the second litter. The weather was on the cool side but from my perspective it is perfect for the dogs especially at this time of the year with the heat and rattlesnakes out at my neck of the woods. Dixy was her usual self. She found every abandoned tennis ball and had me throw it almost non-stop for three hours. I felt like I was going to need Tommy John surgery near the end so thankfully Eddie took over for me. Dixy would play this game until my arm fell off and then she would bring the ball to someone else. She is non-stop until she stops. Amazing. Grady (picture below) is like a pesky little brother. Always trying to get Dixy to pay attention to him. Even if that means taking Dixy's tennis ball just because he can. He did that quite often today. Colvin is the other dog pictured below. She is going to be 11 at the end of July. She holds up really well on these walks. She loves them And I think she would be miserable if she was not allowed to come.

Updates and Thoughts

Since I didn't have any adventures today I thought I would just add a few thoughts and photos to the blog today. So here goes...

As I have gotten older, I have come to realize how important having meaningful relationships in my life are. I am fortunate enough to have some really great folks in my life. My sister Maris is one of them. Hard to believe since we were so different when we were growing up. Now she is one of my closest friend. How cool is that?!! The photo to the right was taken while we were on a hike in Morgan Territory a couple weeks ago. She is with her husband Charlie who always takes me on great hikes during my Christmas visits.

I will periodically "highlight" my buddies throughout these postings.

Favorite Television shows-CSI (original) almost makes me want to become a CSI except for all the death. I watch it all the time. I also have had a blast watching "What Not to Wear". It has helped me with my fashion sense.

Music I am currently listening to-I really enjoy Gnarls Barkley. It really picks up my energy level.

Updates and Thoughts

I feel very fortunate to have some really fabulous people in my life. As I

grow older, I realize how important it is to allow myself to get close to people. I have included a couple of photos of some of the people who mean so much to me. To the far right are my sister Maris and her hubby Charlie. The picture was taken on a hike in Morgan Territory. It is the first hike I have been able to take him on in long, long time. Charlie usually exposes me to a wonderful hike on my somewhat annual Christmas trip.

To the immediate right are my friends Suzy & Stephan. They are originally from Switzerland and our my primary movie buddies. I have known them for 10 years. We met at a dog show when they were looking for a vizsla and found out we have much more in common than our love for our red dogs. I have grow to love these folks very much.

Obviously, there are other meaningful folks in my life who I will showcase periodically. Hopefully none of you feel slighted.

This picture of Sara was taken on June 7th. She won her veteran's class and was handled by my dear friend Walter. She is also a fabulous pet and I am thrilled to have her be part of my life.

Walter is also one of my field training buddies. He and is wife Sue have been a pleasure to get to know. BTW, Sue makes a fabulous tuna salad. Sara is my first show dog and she has done really well.

To the right is a picture of Sara (mom), Grady (son) and Sasa (daughter). Sara and her gets won the Brood Bitch class at our Specialty. I was pretty proud as the competition was fierce. The handlers (from L to R) were Walter, Kevin, and Susan.

There are a lot of fires around the bay area right now. The causes seem to be primarily due to lightening. It is really smokey outside. The fires seem to be so close although I know they are many, many miles away. One thing the fires seem to be doing is keeping the outside temperatures down. I guess it is a side benefit but it doesn't seem so when you consider the damage done to folk's property. We are bound to have a busy fire because of how dry our spring was.

Fort Funston again

Okay, it is hard to believe how different the weather was today from yesterday. As you can see from the photos, it was a lot grayer yesterday. I knew it was going to be a little cooler but it was 25 degrees cooler. I started to worry a little as we were getting closer. I had on a pair of thin shorts and a short sleeve shirt. brrrrr. Fortunately I found a fleece shirt that I had stowed away in the car. Not much but at least it had long sleeves. It was great weather for the dogs though. They were quite frisky. Another almost three hours at the beach and they are content again.

On a completely different note. Anyone see any of those retrospective shows on VH1. VH1 started a limited series of the 80s called "I Love the 80s". Each show is an hour long and showcases one year in the decade. For some reason I really enjoy the shows. Sometimes the shows will make me nostalgic and other times I can't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of the fads, fashions, music, and movies. They also have a series on the seventies. I enjoy that one for the same reasons. Watch it sometimes. You too may get a good chuckle.

Fort Funston June 21st, 2008

Well it was 108 degrees in Antioch yesterday and it was suppose to be hotter today so I knew it was going to be a beach day. We (Sara, Colvin, Dixy, Grady, and I) left the house at 7:00 am. When we arrived at Fort Funston, it was already 79 degrees. Quite warm for Funston at anytime but even more so that early in the am. It was gorgeous though. The tide was low so there was plenty of beach for us to walk on.

When we first arrive at the beach, we were greeted by a rotting shark carcass. The dogs were thrilled and wondered what goddess thought so much of them that she would leave them such a gift. I, on the other hand, was horrified knowing how much my dogs love to roll in dead carcass and the lingering them that would end up in my car if I didn't prevent their fun. Fortunately, I was able to intervene and move them on. For those of you who haven't had the "pleasure" of smelling this odor, it is harder to remove than skunk spray. For those who do know the "pleasure", you can imagine how fast I moved to prevent it. Once we moved from the carcass, the dogs ran for all over while I searched for sea glass. I found a pocketful which has been added to my jar.

We spent a couple of hours at the beach and then headed home to the heat. All the pups are sleeping as I type, content with their dog life. Sometimes I am envious. :-)

Above is a picture of Dixy's head, Sara and Grady overlooking the water, and a random handglider.