Dew and Kota

I finally figured out how to download the videos from my camera!

This is a video I put together of Honeydew playing with one of her best buds, Dakota. It includes clips from when Dakota was just a baby pup (and could walk under her legs!), to now - when he is a big boy (and she could now walk under his legs!).

Linus - Honeydew's New Buddy

Honeydew has a new buddy! Linus, a 3 year old Aussie/Husky mix has joined our family. He and Honeydew are having a blast together - playing tug and chase, taking naps on the same bed, going to day care together. They appear to be a perfect match in the personality department - Linus enjoys playing with her, but isn't so high in energy that Honeydew becomes a complete spaz around him (well, at least not any more than usual).

Linus has been deaf since birth - but he doesn't seem to let that slow him down at all. It is a new experience for us - learning to talk to a dog with our hands instead of the tone of our voice. But, we are all figuring it out - Linus has been very patient with us.

Honeydew seems much happier to have someone to keep her company during the day. She was left loose in the house all of last week and didn't destroy anything. Linus is certainly earning his kibble by keeping Honeydew out of trouble!

We are quite smitten with Linus - and look forward to having him in our family.

Beach Bunny

Our friend Seaerra was visiting from Wyoming - so we went to the Oregon Coast. This was Honeydew's first trip to the beach, and she had a blast (click on the images for a bigger view).

She was afraid of the waves - running away from them when they would come rolling in. She loved the game of finding the nastiest and smelliest dead thing laying on the beach (crabs, kelp, etc.). She chased some gulls (bad dog) and climbed on the sea cliffs and driftwood logs.

She also made a few other puppy friends on the beach - including a big black lab boy, and a rambunctious standard poodle. Honeydew said we could go back anytime!

Terrible Twos?

It has certainly been a while since a post about Honeydew. Partially, because she is just working on being a plain ole' dog - so there isn't much in the way of excitement to write about. However - she did just turn two years old (March 18), and it would appear she is going through a bit of a rebellious stage. Sigh....

She has started being destructive when we aren't home. She has chewed through all of the TupperWare from the kitchen and anything made of paper in the house - including books - appears to be fair game. As a result, she is going to spend much of her alone time this week in her kennel. Going back to square one in terms of setting expectations for good house manners.

Luckily, she loves her kennel - so she will likely be fairly content. We will also, of course, get her into doggie day care for a bit to burn off some of that never-ending energy. Maybe a pup at doggie day care gave her the low down on being destructive at home? It would be like Honeydew to run with the wrong crowd at day care.....

The pictures are of Honeydew's new favorite toy -- which is also a great tool for helping her burn off some energy. It is this great little plastic egg/ball that she rolls around the house - and occasionally it poops out a kibble. Tonight, she ate her entire dinner this way - provided a good 15-minutes of mental activity!

She has figured out how to get it unstuck when she gets it trapped in places (like under the chairs at the kitchen table), and she has perfected a move that sends the egg spinning like a top on its end - which results in kibble flying out in all directions.

I think she especially enjoys this toy because so much of her Guide Dog training was for her to refuse to eat stuff (human food, kibble, trash) that she found on the floor. So with this, she is essentially "breaking the rules" - which makes the kibble that much sweeter. You know how that is....

Lap Dog

Honeydew is certainly a bit spoiled now that she isn't a Guide Dog in training! She has decided that her goal in life is to be a "lap dog". Nothing makes her happier than snuggling on someone's lap (in this case, pictures are of Honeydew with a friend visiting from Nevada).

Band of Brothers

Honeydew just spent the holidays at our family's house in Bend, Oregon. This place is like Disneyland for dogs. In addition to having lots of acreage to run, squirrels to chase and deer poop to eat...she gets to run with a pack of big male dogs (her favorite, being the big American bulldog named Tony). I think she likes trying to show these boys who's boss. The pictures are from a walk we took yesterday - through a winter wonderland!

In the group photo you can see the pack (click photo to enlarge), "Honeydew's Band of Brothers"...from left to right: Tony (American Bulldog), Larry (Boxer), Cooper (Border Collie), Mackenzie (Golden Retriever), Fosters (Australian Sheppard), and then finally Miss Honeydew (well, her rear end anyhow).

Look At Me!

Today there was an article in The Oregonian (click the link) about the doggie day care place that we take Honeydew. A fellow Guide Dog puppy raiser emailed us about the article -- because Honeydew is mentioned.

I couldn't imagine why they would have written about Honeydew - I mean, there are probably over 20-30 other dogs there at any given time. Why notice Honeydew?

Well - I think the description of her in the article says it all! The need to be the center of attention! How embarrassing! At least it is confirmation that she does indeed have an absolute ball when she goes to day care. No wonder she comes home so tired and has to sleep for two days to recover!

In case the link above doesn't work - here is what the article said about our little girl:

"Honey Dew, a compact yellow lab, doesn't mind being second-best, as long as she can be the center of attention. No wonder she's spinning madly and yip-yapping among the two or three larger retrievers who give chase until their target throws herself onto the ground, paws in the air and chest exposed for playful whacks and nips. "