At home, with dog

As you may have noted, I like to focus on the dog and cats of this blog and less on the people. But, it's difficult to do so when most of their day currently involves indoor activities, and being warm. So, ignore the funny-faces and let's focus on how cute the dog is and how much he loves to be cuddled. 

That lower left photo is entitled, "blogging with dog." He decided to do that himself, you know. 

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! The pets sure enjoyed their holiday. They all received a bit of our Christmas Eve dinner of prime rib and of course, new toys for all on Christmas morning. Harry wore a little red bow around his collar all day yesterday. We called him our little Christmas Boy. 

It was some sort of Christmas miracle that Harry slept in until 10am on Christmas morning. As you know, 5-6am (6 o'clock if we're lucky) is his usual waking hour and it's quite the rude awakening with him, jumping all over the bed in anticipation for breakfast. But nope, not yesterday. (Actually, he slept in until 8am this morning too- perhaps we're onto something and it's much less a 'miracle'? (We have theories, but perhaps more on that when we have some cold hard evidence as to what we think is happening!)

We recently received a new warm, wool throw from my parents from their their recent trip to Ireland. Whenever we get something as nice, we deem it "not for the pets." (Ok but also, whenever we decide we can't get something nice, it's because of the pets…) However, that rule never lasts long because some way or another, we'll cave and allow monitored use of it, or more likely, they will find the "something nice" themselves! Usually they're too cute or comfortable for us to say anything otherwise.

Mind you, the cats NEVER sit on this chair. Never. But look who we found lounging with their backs against the pristine, new wool throw... Yes, both cats! In fact, Gregory slept on that pillow on top of that chair all evening yesterday. Comme ca in the picture below!

Yup. Sound asleep.

We got each of them a new toy this year. The pictures of the cats playing with their catnip toys are a bit nuts- they were moving so fast, acting like crazies on catnip, that I couldn't really capture it well with my snaps. Chelsea isn't really into toys, so Harry sort of claimed both the Sock Monkey Santa and the Christmas Dragon.

Christmas morning playtime

Oops- too close! Harry helping me set up the auto camera shot right before Christmas Eve dinner

Christmas tree time

The past two Christmases, we have had tall, live trees. This year, we decided on a much smaller live fir but have filled it with the same number of ornaments.

Each year Gregory has picked a fight with at least one ornament (his arch nemesis is the nutcracker soldier- I think because he finds the feathered helmet is so darn attractive!). Oftentimes, we would find broken ornaments on the ground the next morning. So far this year, all the ornaments have stayed in tact (despite Gregory's attempts!) so far.

Life according to our phones

It's been a while again, but life's been pretty tame these days. Much time is spent napping on throws and blankets on the couch.

We had our first major snow fall yesterday and its always fun to take Harry out and watch his face as he "discovers" that the outside has totally transformed into a white-out since the last time he had seen it!

Here they are, acting like little silly fools with their indoor shenanigans. Above, the typical cat response to our packages- even toilet paper packages. Also, Harry occasionally loves Chelsea's bed. I always find it so adorable when he curls up on the bed that isn't his own. 

A veritable zoo

We had quite the crew this weekend. Chelsea is staying for a month and Olive, Harry's dog cousin, stayed for the weekend. Three dogs and two cats at home. Definitely a zoo. We took everyone to the dog park this weekend to exercise out all that pent up apartment energy. 

As I've documented before, there are usually no other dogs who use the park, and Harry is usually the only guy. However this time, in addition to the three, a small young pup showed up and true party ensued. They ran circles around the run in a pack, back and forth. All the while gruffing, snarling,  and opened mouth play-biting.  In fact, it was the fastest I've seen Harry run in a long while!

Olive is still a puppy and it's amazing to see how much energy and enthusiasm she has compared with an seasoned ol' pal like Harry. We tried to think back to all the puppy mischievous things that Harry used to do- maybe that time he ate the flowers and his face hairs were stained yellow with the pollen? What about the instance where he chewed his way through the wooden arm of the couch? Or that time he and his friend Shiz had accidents (plural!) all over the apartment and all the furniture despite being fully house-trained? 

Other than a handful, we couldn't really think of too many! Oh puppies these days...

chelsea & olive

Labor Day Lakeside

The yearly family summer, country trip came around. We spend the long weekend by a lake in Massachusetts. Harry and Chelsea had a good time. Though there was not as much outdoor space as last year, they enjoyed some indoor fun. Harry slept on a bean bag for the first time!

Here they are on a dock on the lake.

Bicycle hike

The end of the summer is upon us and the weather has been splendid. This past weekend was the perfect day for biking- sunny and bright with a light, crisp breeze. We drove out to the town of Wellesley and took advantage of one of the town's hiking trails. We had a marvelous time biking through a shaded canopy of woods. The path was almost completely deserted, and our tires nearly made no noise going down the path covered in dry, dusty pine needles. At the end of the trail, there was an overlook over a beautiful, peaceful lake. Though some of the ride was bumpy, Harry enjoyed every bit. He even got into the water! He found the rock in the lake completely intriguing. 

After a dip in the water, we read, ate the snacks we brought along, and Harry lightly napped on the picnic table before we headed back through the woods again.

my dear dog, ready to head home

the trail from my view

We even had time to stop by the town's center for some much deserved ice cream!

Les cousins

This photo was from several weeks ago, at the dog park. Harry and his puppy cousin, Olive. They had a splendid several hours at the park and were thoroughly spent the rest of the afternoon!

Weekend update

This past weekend, we went for another basket bike ride. We decided to extend our typical Esplanade trip down a little further, over to Cambridge, and then back again. Parts of the bike ride were just beautiful- like the area surrounding the BU boathouse where the path becomes a deserted boardwalk underneath an unused railway bridge. Other parts of the path were downright treacherous with major cracks in the asphalt and narrow, winding paths for both bikers and pedestrians- not to mention the frequent intersections with busy traffic. This was true especially on the Cambridge side of the river. 

Harry didn't seem to mind the adventure. We rode in the bike lane down the Mass Ave bridge and that was the first time during the entire ride he sat up straight, facing ahead, ears flapping in the wind. He was quite the sight, as I could see the faces of the pedestrians on the bridge smiling and pointing as we peddled by.

On Saturday evening, we ventured to the West End dog run, as it was a beautiful, cool, summer evening. Harry is typically the only dog in the run, as I've reported before.  However, shortly after we arrived at the park this time, a young puppy named Luxy showed up.   They started out quite cordially with concurrent sniffing. However, as Harry was eager to return to his game of fetch, she would not allow for it. We tossed the ball, he ran after it, and Luxy would follow in aggressive pursuit. Harry, not sure what to make of this, instantaneously dropped the ball, and ran back with his tail tucked. She followed in very closely, barking and sniffing- a little too close for comfort, I could tell. Harry was a polite gentleman and not once let out a disgruntled gruff, but just attempted to fetch each time, and each time failing to retrieve the ball. 

As soon as she left, he was more than content to continue fetching his beloved red ball. 

*first photo: Harry in Cambridge, looking over at the Boston skyline.

Dog Park Roundup

It's been YEARS since Harry's been this active at the dog park. We stopped by the Peter's Park Dog Run this morning. We expected Harry to be his normal self- moseying here and there, jumping up onto benches and into the laps of other human patrons, taking a peek into someone's bag or purse. However, he utterly blew us away today. He seemed to love the hustle and bustle, for whatever reason.

By his own volition, he decided to get involved in a chase that didn't originally even involve him!  He also confidently barked twice at a group of other dogs- all this for a little guy who I've only heard bark in public less than a handful of times in his entire life!

Of course, there was some meeting and greeting amongst all dogs with sniffs here and there, but when one friendly, bigger guy became a little too enthusiastic with the sniffing, Harry quickly made a grufflying growl (which he has hardly ever done) to let him know that was not going to be tolerated today. I don't know where he discovered his newly-found confidence today, or why he decided he might just be a dog's dog, but it was a little refreshing to know that he seems to be feeling like his ol' self (i.e. how he used to be when he was just a couple years old). 

Someone asked how old he was today. Almost nine, I told him. He's got some years on him, he remarked. You wouldn't know it, would you?

Comfort shelters

Yesterday was an interesting day in terms of weather- one minute perfectly sunny, and the next followed by torrential downpour of rain. Harry was thankful for no thunder or lightening (he becomes very anxious at the faintest sound of thunder- even when it's on television), but he was still on guard after recognizing the patter or rain outside.

We saw a very cute photo on the internet the other day of a dog who found shelter in a "fort" made of couch pillow cushions during a rain storm, so yesterday we tried a similar thing.

Not exactly a fort per se, but we surrounded Harry with couch pillow cushions as he was resting and looking wary during the rain shower. He seemed to enjoy it and actually was quite comfortable!

This morning, I found Gregory finding shelter in a locale that is not necessarily typical for him- the bathroom sink. He's an expert at seeking out the coolest place in the home on a warm day.

Heat Wave Summer

The summer heat wave has really put a damper on outdoor activities these past several weeks. Even an evening walk around the neighborhood has become a little dreadful due to the stagnant, humid, heavy heat. 

We've tried to get up and out early on the weekends for a bike ride (where Harry doesn't have to lift a finger, really). I got him a magnificent dog basket for my bike (from Cynthia's Twigs) which he actually adores. It took no time at all for him to get accustomed to it and by the end of the ride, instead of sitting upright, looking at all the sights, he relaxes a bit, sinks down into the basket and oh-so-casually peers out at the world passing by.

When not on the bicycle, the basket sits at home in the living area and apparently serves as Gregory's new favorite hide-out. I'm pretty certain he sleeps in the basket all day while we're out at work. One morning, we had to wake him up and pick him up and out of the basket so that we could go on a bike ride with Harry. Gregory was of course, not very happy and immediately hopped back into the basket. Twice.

We have also discovered a nice enclosed dog run a short walk away from the neighborhood. Each time we have gone, Harry is the only dog in the run. The first time, he didn't really know what to do with himself since we had failed to bring any toys and there were no other dogs to socialize with. For the following visits, we played fetch and Harry couldn't have been happier. I really do think it is his favorite activity. 

Other weekend evenings, we've had a little chance to enjoy the roof deck when it seems to cool down just a little. Because we live near a major intersection and road, the roof is a little noisier than if we were in the center of the neighborhood, so Harry gets a little antsy when he's up there, but this last time he was able to enjoy his blanket we laid out for him between our chairs while we soak in the evening sun. 

*First photo: Harry at the Boston Public Gardens. Hoping to chase some ducks. 

Summer weekends

We took Harry to Stodder's Neck Dog Park in Hingham this past weekend. It is a very large park that is completely leash-free and juts out into a nice bay that overlooks a yacht club and some classically New England homes. It was quite the drive (30 mins or so), but completely worth the effort on a hot summer day. 

Harry loved it. I think he enjoys being leash-free, though he doesn't wander far from us. He met a couple of friends as well. We walked along the pebbly shore, passing some big dogs fetching sticks and balls that their owners were throwing into the water. Harry only ventured so far as to get his front paws wet. I didn't really think Harry would get too close, so that's something!

I would love to make an outing at least once per weekend with good ol' Harry this summer, as long as the weather permits. It warms my heart to think of him so happy and pleased. 

Here are some other photos I took from that morning:

On the way to the park. Are we there yet?

Happy to be out and about

Watching for skipping rocks

Blizzard of 2013

Well, we've been snowed in since yesterday and the city is mostly shut down- no cars, no public transportation, stores are all closed. It is pretty much a winter white-out outside and Harry joined in with some of the fun this afternoon.

We're not exactly sure how Harry feels about snow- I can only remember him having a smashing time in the snow several years ago, and mostly indifferent since then, but he wanted to romp in it for a little bit today! We saw a neighbor dog having a blast outside. I think he and Harry looked at each other from afar, but did not get close enough to interact. Harry played fetch with his "egg" toy outside in the snow before it just got soaked. By that point, he was much too cold and waited at the front steps to go back inside. 

Perhaps we'll head back out in a little bit to play some more- and this time take a more water-proof toy

Too cold to play

The places he goes...

Though it's been quite cold out still, we've been trying to take Harry out to some of his favorite places (and some new places that we know he would enjoy) on the weekends.

One of our stops last weekend was the Polka Dog Bakery, a treat store exclusively for pups. Harry loved it. We let him "choose" his favorite treat. He was particularly interested in a bag of dried buffalo liver chips (they almost look like blue corn tortilla chips). There is a a treat counter, displayed and filled with freshly made homemade biscuits. We got him some pizza and pumpkin flavored ones (not combined. Separate flavors). He is looking up at all the treat choices in the counter, in the above picture.

so many delicious treats!

Harry also received his new bolster bed last week- personalized, as well. It's taking him some time to get used to it, but the cats sure do love using it. Especially Gregory. Now, if we can just find a good place to put it...

Snowy hike

We spent the past weekend in the country-side in New Hampshire. Harry mostly hung around inside the  cozy, warm cabin- or rather, the kitchen, since a lot of cooking and baking was going on. Harry showed up, his little feet clicking on the hardwood floor, whenever he heard the refrigerator open. This is also what he does at home, but he was pretty astounded by the fact that there was a full sized refrigerator, as opposed to the smaller, apartment sized one he has at home. It certainly opened all the way, with a clear, wide view of all the delicious options. 

We also took him on a snowy hike. After a few hundred feet though, Harry pretty much reused to walk any further. So, the picture you see above is probably just prior to that fact. Luckily, we were prepared and had brought along a dog-sized sling to carry him in- really, there is such a thing made for dogs! He enjoyed being carried even more, I'm sure. 

At night, he found his way to the foot of the plush bed and slept very soundly. Quite the perfect winter weekend. 

To sleep in

This is Harry just blissful: tucked in, under the blankets, having returned to bed after finishing his breakfast. 

For pretty much his entire life, he has always woken up early (for a very long time, when I used to wake up at 5 am, so did Harry). However, the concept of sleeping in on the weekends doesn't register in his schedule, so 5 am on the weekends was also how it was for years. He won't let you rest until he is fed- it is pretty impossible to sleep or pretend to sleep when he is flying on and off the bed, jumping on us. It's surprising how hefty a 15 pound dog can be! Of course, these days he should not be jumping, so we wake up in fear that he tries to jump off the bed. 

These days, he wakes up between 6 or 7 am for the sole purpose of...breakfast time. After his meal, he meanders (happily and full) back to the bedroom for some extra snoozes. 

Of course, this dog wants to be comfortable and warm. We always joke that Harry just "gets" the idea of a pillow, as you can see. He rather prefers his head propped up when he is sleeping. 

If only all could spend all day, toasty in bed!

Productive Monday

Half-day Mondays are the best. Harry has to stay in his crate during the morning while I'm off at work, but has free reign of the apartment when I return mid-day. Of course, his knee is still a bit stiff when he gets out of his crate and he is just so excited about being free that he hops on 3 legs, keeping that "bad" leg in the air since he can get around much faster without it, he figures.

Today, we bundled up (fleece jacket for Harry) and headed outside for a slow, short walk around the block. Weather-wise, it was much more mild than it has been in the past week. It's funny to think about mid 30 degree weather as "mild", but it is much more bearable out there for him versus in the 20s! Harry met a very sweet older gentleman neighbor who was carrying a brown paper bag from the grocery store. Of course, in true Harry-fashion, he starts to sniff the bag, trying to get a peek inside. That's essentially what he does every time we return from the grocery store- as soon as those bags hit the kitchen floor, he is poking around inside them, sniffing all the goodies and possibly sneaking a nibble of some green leafy green vegetables.

As soon as we returned from our walk, he wanted to share some lunch. As lasagna is probably not a good idea for him, he received a bit of cottage cheese and some apple slices. What a lucky guy. (note: my sweet, dear dog does not normally get "lunch," but under these special circumstances, he will get much of what he pleases).

He is much more accustomed to the new medication he is taking and his true self is shining through more than in the past 2 weeks. After he returned from his walk, he wanted to play with all his new toys.  He adores new toys. ADORES them. I usually put all his toys away in his basket at the end of the day, and when he is feeling up for it, he will root around in there, and find his favorite one to bring out to play with. Today, it was the reindeer that he wanted to play with. One by one, the toys came out- newer ones first and then his old favorites. He even went back into the bedroom, into his crate, to bring out his wreath toy!  

It feels good to see him be slightly back to his old self. Right now, he is taking a little rest and sleeping next to me as we write this. A truly productive, fulfilling day.