Maple and Hazel Go Camping Part 2

     Here are some more pictures of Maple and Hazel from the camping trip.  They are the cutest little beach babies I have ever seen.

Maple and Hazel Go Camping Part 1

     This past weekend Brandon and I took Maple camping, along with a couple of friends and their dog Hazel.  We packed up Maple's food and water bowls, an outdoor blanket, some toys, treats, and a 30 ft tether cable so she would have a bit of freedom, and headed into the wilderness.  I wasn't sure how Maple would feel about sleeping in a tent and this trip had the potential to be quite a disaster.

     Luckily, it was not, and Maple had a great time!  She loved camping and happily slept in the tent curled up next to us.  Even when an unexpected storm rolled in, our little camper showed no sign of fear.  There will definitely be some more adventures and more camping trips in Maple's future!

Dog Park Life

     I started to take Maple to the dog park near my house when she was about 8 months old.  She was a little shy at first, but now it's her favorite place to hang out!  She has lots of friends there and it has been incredibly beneficial for both of us.  It's a lot of fun to watch the dogs running around and playing together, but it also helped me to find some happiness here and meet some really nice people.
     Hanging out at the dog park is like therapy.  If I'm sad or upset, or just having a bad day, I take Maple to the dog park and everything seems to get better.  I may be embarrassed when she jumps all over everyone and covers them with muddy paw prints (I'm not a very good dog trainer), but the dog park has helped me to feel at home.

Mondays

     This is how we feel about Mondays.  All we want to do is nap.  Maple is an expert at napping and I just had to share these adorable pictures I took of her and Brandon napping together awhile back.  They are just too cute!  

Mmm Piña Coladas

     If you and your pup are trying to beat the summer heat, try a smoothie!  Mr. Barksmith's Cool Treats are delicious, healthy and natural smoothies for dogs.  They are low in calories and made with high quality ingredients your dog will love.  The smoothies come in three delicious flavors, Carrot Cake, Peanut Butter and Piña Colada.  Just throw the smoothie in the freezer and pop it into your pup's bowl when frozen.  Maple loves them!!

Monster & Minga

     Since it's Saturday (also known as Caturday on the internet), I thought I would post about two of Maple's best friends, Monster and Minga.  Monster and Minga are Maple's feline brother and sister.  We adopted them from our local shelter about a year before we adopted Maple.
     Monster and Minga are from the same litter and I fell in love with both of them the second I saw them.  They were about 5 months old at the time.  Monster is a little wild and very active but he also loves to cuddle.  He likes to run around and play with Maple.  Minga is very sweet and gentle.  She has the cutest little meow I have ever heard and she is always purring.  She was pretty scared of Maple when we first brought her home, but she is beginning to come around.  We love them so much!

Surf's Up!

     The July Bark Box is here!  It might just be our favorite one yet.  This month's box has a surfer theme and comes with a  super cute neon blue Fish Bones toy by Loopies, Bixbi Daily Essentials Chicken Breast Jerky Treats (Maple can't get enough of them), Healthy Dogma Coconut Flavor Barkers (these look great and she can't wait to try 'em), Etta Says Duck Chew (this was gone in seconds), and Mr. Barksmith's Piña Colada Smoothie (in the freezer chilling).

     July's Bark Box was a big hit in our house.  Even the cats wanted in on the action.  Bark Box never disappoints and we look forward to it every month.  Can't wait to see what August has in store!!  Thank you Bark Box!  

The Results Are In!

     After having spent a day at the shelter I know that dogs who come in as strays without any information are often given a description or listed breed based on an estimated guess after a quick look by whoever is doing the intake process that day.  They try their best, but it's busy and without any information or history, sometimes a guess is all they have.  We were told that Maple was a Jack Russell mix which was easy to believe with the telltale tan patch on her left eye.  At the time she was only eight weeks old and tiny!  We started to have some doubts about her Jack Russell status when she wouldn't stop growing!  We went away for two days when she was a puppy and came home to an entirely different dog.  She was tripping over her giant paws and lanky limbs and we started to realize our little Jack Russell was not so little!  50lbs later...

     As a result of overwhelming curiosity we decided to try a Wisdom Panel DNA test.  We ordered the kit, swabbed Maple's cheeks, mailed in the samples and waited for the results.  We had some bets going.  We really thought the test was going to come back with a mix of Jack Russell Terrier, Red Tick Coon Hound, Beagle and Greyhound.  Turns out, according to the test, Maple is not any of those breeds!

     Maple is a mix of Great Pyrenees, Shetland Sheepdog (sheltie) and Miniature Pinscher (minpin), with the potential for these other breeds: Afghan Hound, Bedlington Terrier, Leonberger, Silky Terrier and Yorkshire Terrier.  Or as Brandon would say, "She's a Maple!".

       

Burt's Bees for dogs!

     We spend a lot of time at the dog park and sometimes this can make Maple really really stinky!  We can't give her a bath every time so we were ecstatic when we found this waterless shampoo from Burt's Bees!  It's natural (made with apple and honey), it smells amazing and gets the job done.  It has made our dog park experience much more enjoyable.

     Maple also has allergies and suffers from hot spots.  If anyone has had a pet who suffers from allergies, you know the frustration.  Burt's Bees makes a soothing hot spot spray with aloe vera and apple cider vinegar.  It seems to be giving our sweet girl some relief from her itchy misery.  

     We have always loved Burt's Bees but now that we know they have dog products as well, we love them even more!  They have many many more dog products available, including shampoo and conditioner, lotion for paws, and dental care!

Check out more of Burt's Bees doggy products here:  www.burtsbeespets.com

Allergies!!

     Our poor baby Monster has allergies.  We have yet to determine what he is allergic to, but he develops mysterious wounds all over his body, loses his fur and leaves a blood trail on our pillows and blankets or anywhere else he chooses to curl up and take a nap.  We now know that these wounds are self inflicted because he is so itchy.  :(

     It has been heartbreaking to see how uncomfortable he is and hope we get it figured out soon!  He is on a flea treatment (Revolution) and has received some allery shots (ouch), but no success.  The shots offer him temporary relief, but not a solution.  I suspect it may be his food so I am going to slowly introduce his old food back into his diet.  He used to eat Wellness but our vet switched his sister Minga to a prescription food (that's another story) which we have been feeding both of them.  

     Has anyone else had experience with allergies?  Our dog Maple has them as well but not as severe.  I hope they aren't allergic to each other!  Yikes!