guest blogger: amy and kingsley.

If you read this blog on a regular basis, then you already know Kingsley who belongs to one of my dearest friends, Amy. They have had a rough year, as 2-year-old Kingsley was diagnosed with Wobbler's Disease. I asked Amy if she'd mind sharing a little about their journey together, which completely displays true love and companionship at its best. So, grab the tissues, curl up with your pup, and settle in for this heartwarming story.

Some people never plan on getting a dog but end up with one when a stray shows up randomly one afternoon. Or maybe they didn't expect to see that cute box of puppies when they headed to the supermarket that day. I, on the other hand, had dreamt of getting a Great Dane for more than ten years. Everyone always asks me "Why would you want such a HUGE dog?" Well, I grew up on a farm. I had horses, cows, pigs... just like Old MacDonald. I love animals and have always been a "dog person." I was always intrigued when I saw a Dane. It was something about their gigantic, regal, yet clumsy stature that pulled me in. I researched the breed a good bit and only became more enamored. You'll find most anywhere that they are unequivocally referred to as "Gentle Giants." With that moniker, you'll often find images of them with tiny toddlers hugging their necks, which seems ironic given the notion that the bigger the dog, the more they tend to scare people. There's something that speaks to my soul about an animal that embodies such capable power and strength, yet chooses not to wield it.

I finally got to a place in my life where I decided I was ready. It took me a few years to convince myself I could handle it and afford it, but the time came when it was a "now or never" moment. In all my research, I found a  great breeder just west of Nashville at the time. Reading up on Danes you'll discover purebreds have the potential for quite a few health problems mainly due to their size. With the anticipation of being a first time Dane owner and wanting to ease into it, I decided getting a pup from good stock would help ward off some of the genetic issues and give me a better shot at a prolonged lifespan, since the average textbook lifespan of a Dane is only 7 years. Little did I know that my breeder had show stock and had some of the best Danes around. I wasn't completely ready for the price tag of such a pedigree, but I was committed and fortunately, even though I wasn't going to show, they allowed me to get a puppy.

"Sir Kingsley" (as he's AKC registered) was born on December 4, 2010. The breeder called and let me know I could come out and take a look when the pups were a couple weeks old. When I got to the nursery I found four little fur balls huddled together near a heating lamp.

The breeder picked Kingsley up and handed him to me. It was love at first sight. I held him and he snuggled close up into my neck. I was elated! The worst part was having to leave him since I couldn't bring him home until he was seven weeks old - which is prime attachment time. Seven weeks couldn't pass fast enough. However, I had plenty to do to get the house ready for a baby puppy. You quickly learn that the size "XL" sometimes isn't big enough and you hope the pet supplier carries "giant" sized items. His crate was a nightmare trying to put together. I bought one that ultimately fit a full-size Dane, but you also buy this divider that you use to let your puppy grow into it. The crate is slightly smaller than a MINI-COOPER, a beast to maneuver, and took a community effort to put together. I was ready!

Take Home Day came and I was so excited and nervous! I went with a very close friend to pick him up. They drove, I held him. It was late January and it was cold, so I zipped him up inside my jacket and he couldn't bury his head in my neck deep enough. He eventually stopped wiggling and fell asleep. When we got home, I immediately took him to a grassy area to do some business to try the potty training bit right away, which was pretty successful. We had friends come visit and he instinctively hid behind my legs when he was unsure. After having him only a few hours, he already seemed to be attaching to me.

Kingsley grew like a weed the first year. I could literally leave for work in the morning, come home in the evening and see that he had grown. He went from being born to weighing 125 lbs in one year. We became very attached to each other. As soon as he was old enough and had his shots, we went through two levels of obedience training, took hikes together and went to the dog park. It was important for me to socialize Kingsley early. When he was a puppy everyone would comment on how big his feet were. As he grew, his feet did too. To this day, he still gets comments on not only his size (often called a "horse"), but the size of his feet.

At the dog park Kingsley met LOTS of dogs and owners. Some welcomed him warmly, some didn't. As he grew and some other dogs were intimidated by his size, he would get picked on, and he would take it. As a mom, you want everyone (including other dogs) to like your dog. Your dog is your child. You feel responsible. Yet, I was intrigued to see the development of his personality and that witness that gentle strength that made me fall in love with the breed in the first place. The best thing Kingsley found at the dog park was his girlfriend, the one and only Claire Baby Butterworth. He's been taken with her from the beginning.  Claire and her mom are the warm welcoming wagon of the dog park. Sweetly, Kingsley would follow Claire's lead and pretty much do anything she did. Claire taught him how to dig and crawl under the park benches. Most of all he learned the art of chasing and racing with her. While Kingsley is not incredibly fast compared to some breeds, watching him run is a sight to behold and always left me in awe. His big, beautiful strides were so amazing to watch as he'd thunder past you at a full gallop with his giant paws. He was a pretty active Dane growing up and he loved to play.

About a year ago when Kingsley was just about to turn two, while at a routine visit to the dog park I noticed Kingsley trying to run to keep up with the pack. He couldn't seem to get coordinated with his front half and his back half. Inevitably, he tripped and fell. He scared himself and wobbled to get back up, quickly marking the end of our play time for that day. The first time it happened, I thought he just tripped. I took him to the park again a little while later, but this time when he fell in the pack he managed to get flipped on his back and it scared both of us. Thankfully he wasn't injured, but he still struggled to get back up. We immediately went home. While driving home I recollected some times when I noticed some weakness in his back end, and that he splayed his back legs when he'd walk/run. I decided it was time to check in with the vet. It took a couple vet visits and a lot of explaining, but they surmised that he might have Wobbler's Disease and said they needed to send me to a specialist to know for sure. 

We went to a few specialist appointments. They did x-rays and an exam and diagnosed him with Wobblers. For those of you unfamiliar with Wobblers, basically Kingsley has a malformed cervical vertebrae that is putting pressure on his spinal cord causing inflammation of the spinal cord and therefore weakness in his body. This is a disease that, over time, can take a toll on a Dane. Immediate treatment consists of steroids and medical management, which includes minimal and light exercise - meaning no dog park, no rough play, no quick jerky head movements (which makes playing tug very difficult and is one of his favorite games), minimal car rides, minimal stairs and other uneven or slippery surfaces. The other not-immediate option is surgery, but the prognosis of surgery is grim at best given that the procedure is difficult, quite invasive, and there is still no guarantee that it will be successful. The specialist didn't recommend the surgery unless his condition was so severe that it prevented him from daily self-care activities such as eating and going to the bathroom. While the specialist explained all this to me, I broke down and sobbed in the exam room. Kingsley was lying on the floor and I laid down with him and buried my head in his cheek and kissed him while my tears soaked into his fur.

I pulled myself together and became determined to take care of him the best I could for the time I'm graciously given with him. I took an inventory of all the things we needed to adjust, and accommodations were made. The steroids definitely helped and I've seen the weakness disappear for the most part. However, the steroids made him gain weight - he's topped out at 180 lbs this year, which isn't good. I don't think I mentioned earlier that the reason Danes don't live longer lifespans is because their hearts can't keep up with their body mass. So weight on a Dane is not a good thing. You want them lean to try and keep the stress of the weight off their heart.

However, I'm happy to report that we're a year in and Kingsley is doing okay. He is on a diet and has already been able to get down to 170 lbs, though I'm hoping he can still lose a bit more. While we miss the dog park terribly, we're thankful for dear friends like Claire who come over to the house to visit and socialize. Kingsley has adapted well and he continues to be such a good boy. He makes the most of his toy box which keeps him occupied for play time. As for me, I try not to take any moment with him for granted and I make a point to try and live in the moment of one day at a time. I love letting him put as much of himself in my lap as possible, cuddling (for the record, he likes to be the baby spoon), playing games in the living room, wrapping him up like a burrito in the bed sheets, and simply just spending time together. 

Looking back, I don't regret a thing - and certainly not my decision to get a Dane. This is the reality and fragility of life. Getting Kingsley was one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life. We're a good pair and we take care of each other - and I pray that we continue to have many good years together in front of us.

decking the halls.

I love the month of December. People are happier with the anticipation of Christmas as well as time off from work around the holidays. Claire and I have been preparing for our own holly jolly Christmas: cards have been sent out [which you'll get to see right here on the blog as it gets closer], we've been working on our Christmas list, and we've been planning our roadtrip back to Massachusetts so that we can be with the family for the holidays. Joy is abounding!

To help kick off the holiday season, my very thoughtful and talented friend Beth made Claire her very own Christmas ornament, complete with glitz and glam! I can't wait to bring it home and hang it on the tree!

We've also been busy with holiday photo shoots - I say "we" because Claire has been able to accompany me on some of them. I put pictures from selected shoots on the website to try and keep the photography business and the blog separate from each other, but our mini session this weekend was with a dog who is quite familiar to this blog - it's only appropriate that I share a sneak peek here as well. That's right, it's KINGSLEY!!!! Here's a sneak peek of him wearing a very festive scarf and looking like an adorably large version of Snoopy...

So yes, Claire and I have been quite busy, but I'm trying really hard to maintain a good balance of work, fun, and rest for both of us during the Christmas season! What are your favorite ways to prepare for the holidays and how do you minimize stress around this time of the year?
 
 

a day of rest.

I needed a day like today. In fact, I think I need another day like it soon. Really soon. Life has been tumultuous lately, and I'm very much the kind of person who needs quiet and peace and stability. My Saturday was really busy - I had places to go, people to see, things to do! - and so I decided that today was going to be full of rest. God knew what He was doing when He created the Sabbath, and I think I need to honor that more.

Claire and I started the day by sleeping in. It was glorious. I could have just kept on sleeping, but around 9am, I woke up to a wet nose touching mine and a tail thumping against the bed. Waking up like that is a million times better than an alarm clock, by the way. I got up, got ready, and we headed off to spend a few hours at the dog park with friends, since the weather was so nice. Claire ran around and wrestled with Asya, dug a big hole with Simba, and got some loving from Kingsley. I knew it was time to go when she laid down in the middle of the park, so we came back home and curled up for naptime. [Naps on Sunday afternoons are the best, aren't they?]

Later on, I took her to see her vet at Banfield because she's had itchy red eyes all week, and it turns out that her allergies were acting up and then caused a secondary sinus infection. AHH. Once we got her on some antibiotics and anti-inflammatories, we headed home. I gave her dinner, a bath, a bone, and put some Vaseline on her poor little chapped nose, and now she is sound asleep and snuggled up with her Blue Elephant on top of my electric blanket. My sweet girl.

...You know, I think Claire needed a day of rest as much as I did.
 

love in its purest form.

You all remember, Kingsley, don't you? My friend Amy is his mama, and Claire and I often go over to their house for some good quality best friend time. Amy and I are always talking about how I need to blog about their relationship, so I figured I should get on that! I feel like this story is best told in pictures, so... here we go.

The day begins...

(Left) Claire is enjoying the breeze from the sunroof on her ride to school.

(Right) Kingsley attends a business meeting at Amy's work.

After attending their respective activities throughout the day,

they are very happy to be able to see each other.

Kingsley usually spends about 30 minutes following Claire around the house while she gets reacquainted to Amy and Kingsley's house. If Kingsley gets too close too soon, she does this little squeak to tell him to give her a little space. And Kingsley is very respectful - he will back up a few steps as if to say, "I'll be just over here, waiting for you."

Then the fun begins:

They play their favorite games,

which include taking each other for walks around the house,

"bitey-face", and tug.

Once they have worn themselves out with playtime... (wait for it; this is my favorite part!!) ...Claire sits herself down on the couch, and Kingsley gives her lots of kisses all over her sweet face and nuzzles her little body. It is the cutest thing I have ever seen in my life. Claire just sits there, tail wagging, while Kingsley loves on her. I tried to get a video of all the cuteness, but you couldn't see too well with the mood lighting. They do this every single time Amy and I hang out. And it's the same routine, too! I don't think there is anything that warms my heart more than to see the way Claire and Kingsley interact when they are together.

This is one of the many instances where I think people could learn a thing or two from our beloved dogs: good boundaries, good communication, a lot of respect, a lot of fun, and love that is expressed clearly, honestly, and innocently.

the one where we were robbed.

Not. Even. Kidding.

Claire and I were out with Josh and his parents on Saturday night at the Franklin Street Fair - it was awesome to spend time with them, and we had so much fun! However, when I got in my car to drive home, I noticed that I missed 10 calls from Lissa. When I called her, she told me to come home immediately because someone broke into our house and we were robbed. The police were on their way. I hung up and sped home (sorry, Mom, I know you hate my driving already - but speeding was a necessity this time) and I honestly don't even remember the drive. I got home and Lissa was waiting with our neighbor, David. When she saw me and Claire, she was so happy because she had no idea that Claire was with me; she thought that Claire was hurt or ran away or was taken by the people who broke in.

Between 6:30pm-8:30pm, a couple kids took a rock from the garden and smashed the double-paned glass door. They shattered the first pane, but then thought it was too much work to try again, so they smashed my bedroom window to climb in the house. They went through our stuff and took two laptops, an iPod, and some jewelry before taking off.

When the police arrived, the officer advised us to stay elsewhere for a couple days. Claire and I stayed with Amy and Kingsley, and Lissa went to stay with her brother's girlfriend. I got back to the house yesterday and spent the day cleaning the house from top to bottom to get rid of the fingerprinting dust (which has embedded itself in the window sill) and shards of glass (which we're still finding, despite multiple attempts at vacuuming and sweeping). We stayed decided to stay at the house last night, and are slowly getting readjusted. It's a terrifying feeling to know that unwelcomed people have been in your space without your permission. Absolutely terrifying.

People keep commenting that, perhaps if Claire had been home, she could have scared them off by barking. I, on the other hand, am increasingly glad that she was with me. I was not going to take her with us because she had such a busy day, but at the last minute, I decided that it would be fun if she came along. It was a God thing. Definitely. Claire could have been seriously hurt during the break-in - after all, these kids haven't been caught yet, and who knows what they were capable of doing. I can deal with things being stolen; materials can always be replaced. If anything happened to Claire, I would be devastated. Thank God that none of us were home when it happened, and thank God that we are all safe. I hope that we will feel secure in this house again soon, but this will take time. I do think that our new alarm system will help with that, though!

But I have to say, though this experience has been traumatic for both of us, we both feel incredibly blessed by all of the people who have helped us during this incredible stressful time. From Josh and David who were here with us on Saturday night, to Amy and Evan who let us crash with them, to our parents who have been helping us figure out all of this insurance stuff, to Jeremy who has been talking to all of the neighbors to find out who broke in, to our other friends who have called and talked to us and given advice, to the ADT sales rep who has set us up with a pretty sweet alarm system... We are very very very thankful.

therapy dog in training!

I am extremely proud of Claire. Words cannot even express how proud I am of her. Let me explain...


We had a very very busy Saturday because I made too many commitments for one day. The great thing about it was that Claire got to come along for most of it. We woke up early to take our friend Amy to the airport. After dropping her off, we went home to pack, as we were spending the weekend at Amy's to watch Kingsley. Then we headed to the park to meet up with friends so that Claire could get in her daily dose of off-leash time.


After she ran a marathon, we drove down to Franklin for an informal evaluation with The Delta Society to see if we could pass a series of challenges which would allow me to begin training Claire as a therapy dog. There are about 10 things that a dog needs to be able to do, and many of them are also required for the American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizen Certificate - which we did not pass a year ago. The two things that kept us from passing the CGC were Accepting a Friendly Stranger (because Claire wanted to jump up and kiss them all over), and Walking on a Loose Leash (because Claire wanted to walk me instead). Knowing that we would be evaluated for these things on Saturday made me very nervous because Claire still struggles with both. We've been working very hard, however, so I hoped we could pull it together for the evaluation.


I had no need to worry, however - Claire passed the evaluation with flying colors!!!! She stayed focused, responded appropriately, and completed everything perfectly! And, to get some extra brownie points, she even cuddled up to the evaluator at the end :) That's my girl!


So, I am proud to introduce you to Claire Baby Butterworth, therapy dog in training! A huge thank you to Jay and Maggie for inspiring us, giving us helpful tips and other advice, and for constant encouragement through Maggie's blog (which you all need to read because it is wonderful!)

a lesson in how not to trim your dog's nails.

Claire's weekend looked a little something like this:

Saturday

Skipped breakfast, went to the dog park, flirted with boys, flirted with dogs, flirted with kids, ate breakfast at 2pm, accompanied friends to the 12South Taproom and ate some of MY lunch when I wasn't looking, went to Amy's house and hung out with her and Kingsley, watched movies, finally went to sleep...

Sunday

Ate breakfast, rested while I went to church and to lunch with a friend, ate my favorite pair of slippers out of sheer boredom, went to the dog park, flirted with more boys, flirted with more dogs, flirted with more kids, ate dinner, played some reverse fetch (I throw the ball, she runs after it but doesn't bring it back, I fetch it for her and throw it again), and now sleep...

She's very popular. Her popularity and the demand for her attention requires a chauffeur. That's me. I'm pretty tired after managing her busy schedule, you know? But before I settle in for the night, I just had to share about my recent experience in trying to save some money and clip her nails myself rather than take her to the groomer... I was just trying to pamper her with a pawdicure (yes, I said it, and yes, it's ridiculous) on Friday night before her weekend outings, but she did not see it like that. Not at all.

I've always heard that you need to reward dogs with treats step by step when trimming their nails. You know: show them the nail clippers, give a treat, have them sniff the clippers, give a treat, pick up the paw, give a treat, clip the nail, give a treat. And repeat times sixteen (or eighteen if your dog has dew claws like Claire). I tried that method, but only got to the "pick up the paw" part before she pulled away and ran into the other room. Once I tracked her down, I tried again. And then again. It didn't work. Then I decided to wait until she fell asleep, but once I picked up her paw, she woke up and ran away. And it's not like I didn't try to hold on, either. She's just really strong. And wiggly. I waited until she fell asleep again, which took some time because she was trying to stay awake to keep an eye on me and the clippers, and then I (...wait for it...) laid on top of her to keep her still and tried to grab her paw. The problem was that the second I laid down on top of her, she freaked out and started trying to buck me off of her. And she succeeded. I weigh more than twice what she does, and she still managed to throw me off like it was no problem at all. At that point, I gave up. Claire wins.

And back to PetSmart we go for some grooming...

not a vegetarian -or- and then there were 24.

Claire is sitting at my feet gnawing on a bone, calm and quiet as can be. It's like she's a completely different dog than just seven hours ago...

...Doug and Kim have three dogs: Avy, Bump, and Cash. They work on a farm about 30 minutes away from my house - it is absolutely beautiful and so peaceful. Today they invited me and Claire, and Amy and Kingsley to spend the day with them on the farm, just hanging out and letting the dogs run around. I knew it would be a blast, but was also a little concerned that Claire would be so set on exploring in the woods, that she would get lost. Amy and Kim promised that they would help me round her up if that happened, so off we went early this morning. When we got there, Doug and Kim had already started a fire in the fire pit, and their three dogs were frolicking in the field. As we headed over to them, Claire suddenly spotted the chickens.

One of the sweet and innocent chickens.

She stopped right in her tracks and went into hunter mode. I saw this transformation happen and tried to grab her, but it was too late. She bolted across the field towards the coop, and the chickens scattered, squawking and running as fast as they could on their little legs. A chicken, however, is no match for Claire. Doug, Kim, and Amy, and I were yelling and running after Claire who was barking and running after the chicken. Claire managed to grab a mouthful of feathers before I lost sight of her when she ran around the corner of the house. Suddenly I heard the chicken screeching. Doug finally caught up to Claire who was quickly de-feathering the chicken, and gave her a good scolding. Kim found the poor chicken and bandaged her wounds, then put all of the chickens back in the coop and closed it up. I was so mortified. But Doug and Kim were so gracious, despite the fact that Claire tried to eat their livestock! And without the 25 chickens for Claire to fixate on, she went off and played with the rest of the dogs.

The farm is just gorgeous. It's in a valley surrounded by woods, and there's a big field out in front of the chicken coop. And, not only is there a big field, but there's also a pond that has frozen over. Claire and Kingsley busied themselves by exploring, Cash and Bump spent most of the time fetching sticks, and Avy stood guard over the eggs that Kim collected from the coop. It was so cold that we all stood around the fire to keep ourselves from getting hypothermia. At one point, I rested my gloves on the side of the pit to warm them, but as we were talking, they caught on fire (huge bummer!)

Kim and I trying to stay warm!

(after I lost my gloves to the fire pit)

While Claire was exploring, she decided to go ice skating on the pond. It was hilarious because she didn't have any traction at all, but kept forgetting that she was on a sheet of ice. When Doug threw a stick to Cash and Bump, Claire wanted to go after it too, but forgot that she was in the middle of the pond and just kept running in place while trying to get to the stick.

Trotting across the ice.

It was an awesome day spent with awesome people in an awesome place. Kim and Doug, I will understand if Claire does not receive another invitation to the farm unless she becomes a vegetarian - but I sure hope I get to go back! :)

merry christmas!

Well, as I type this, I am taking a break from attempting to close my suitcase. It is not only packed with my clothes and such, but it is stuffed with presents for my family. And I can't zip it shut... Anyway, Claire and I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish you all a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! She'll be spending the next five days at sleepover camp with Kingsley (for those of you who are new visitors, you can check out this post or even this one to see pictures of this handsome guy) and other great friends at Bark-O-Lounge. Here is a sweet picture of my girl to hold you over until we get back from vacation! Hope your holidays are wonderful!

weekends go by too fast for our liking!

We had a busy weekend over here in the Butterworth household - filled with fun and friends! I was feeling really run down on Friday night, and Claire was exhausted from spending the day at Bark-O-Lounge, so we snuggled and watched The Food Network - a favorite for us both!


We met up with Kinlin and Dickson at the park on Saturday (And sidenote: guess who else was there? Hint: CELEBRITY SIGHTING!! Answer: Clint Black and his dog Cooper!) and Claire did quite a bit of showing off! She can really run! She is unstoppable when she gets going! Once, when we were at the park, a police officer was there on break and he clocked her at running 30mph. Now, I'm sure there are other dogs who can run faster than that, but there aren't many of them at our park! I get so proud when I overhear someone comment on how fast she is with shock and awe - I mean, come on, that's my girl!


Anyway, later that afternoon, Amy had a birthday party for Kingsley's 1st birthday - complete with cake from See Spot Eat for the pups, and cupcakes from Gigi's for the people! Claire had two pieces of cake and ended up with blue frosting all over her face. She looked adorable. She then sat politely at the feet of the other guests with her tail wagging, hoping that they would see how good she was so that they would reward her with another piece of cake. At my insistence, they managed to resist her good looks and charm...!


Once she was tired, I went off to a holiday ball with a friend on Saturday night and had an amazing time! Lissa tells me that Claire waited up for me until I got home. What a thoughtful baby! But she was so excited to see me and my friend when we got back that she didn't sleep much longer, but bounced around the house between my bed and the couch trying to get each of us to play with her while we tried desperately to grab a couple hours of sleep. I think my friend managed to catch some zzzz's but I most certainly did not!


We went to hang out with Amy and Kingsley for awhile on Sunday night, and when the dogs finished wrestling and chasing each other up and down the stairs, Claire curled up on Kings' bed and he attempted to curl up on me...

...which was short-lived, as he is not exactly a lap dog, and I am not strong enough to support a 140 pound dog, as much as I love him! I managed to squeeze out from under him and grab the other couch before it was claimed by my sweet girl! Once we were all settled, the four of us watched Julie & Julia - and Kingsley kept looking over at Claire from his perch on Amy to check on her. Well, I guess he could have been a little mad about her using his bed, but I prefer to think that it was the former option rather than the latter. So, with that: cutest thing ever. Amy has become such a good friend to me, so I love that Kingsley and Claire feel the same way about each other!


So that's a recap of our weekend. I think Claire is still recouping from all of the activity, though. She put herself to bed early tonight, so this is the scene in front of me as I conclude this blog entry:

Early to bed on a school night!

headphones!

Claire's boyfriend Kingsley is famous! He has a cameo in Britt Nicole's new music video for "Headphones!" Let me know if you want Kingsley's pawtograph (that was cheesy, I know) - I think I might be able to arrange that! Enjoy the video!

dachsund and pink.

I had to share this because it's just so cute. My friend Amy, Kingsley's mom, sent the following pictures to me in an email. This little guy, named Pink, couldn't be taken care of by his mother, so he was fostered by someone else:

As Amy said, animals just get it, don't they?

a typical saturday with my girl.

We have a routine, Claire and I. Saturday mornings are a little rough, since she wakes me up between 5am-6am to eat breakfast, then again between 7am-8am to go for a walk, then around 9:30am to see if I am wanting to play yet, and then one last time around 10:30am. And by then, I'm up.  Next, we hop in the car to make a run to the library in addition to other errands, and we swing by our favorite bakery, See Spot Eat to pick up some organic and freshly-baked treats for Claire (check out their selection - it is amazing!). We usually run home after that to drop off the library books and such, and while I clean up around the house a little bit, Claire chews on a bone or plays with some toys. Between 2pm-3pm, we head to the dog park for a couple hours. And when you frequent a park as much as Claire and I do (4-5 times a week), you can count on running into at least one person - and dog - you know.

Claire at the dog park!

Today, when we arrived, Amy was there with her great dane, Kingsley. Kingsley and Claire are so cute when they play together, because Kingsley is HUGE but often forgets his size. Claire loves to be chased, so she'll run as fast as she possibly can while Kingsley lumbers after her. Claire will run so fast that she will leap over other dogs who are in her path, cut through groups of people, and run under benches. Kingsley, attempting to follow in Claire's footsteps, dodges around other dogs, runs into people, and tips over benches. And it is hilarious to watch them! They were having such a great time today while Amy and I were hanging out.

Kingsley, Claire's boyfriend :)

Once Amy and Kingsley left, Claire took a little break by digging a hole so deep that half of her body disappeared into it. I attempted to catch this on video, but by the time I got it working on my phone, she was done. Don't worry, I'll get it next time. All of a sudden, Claire stopped sniffing around her freshly dug hole and just stared at the gate with her tail wagging. Then she ran and disappeared into a crowd of newcomers. I was watching to see what had her so excited, and then all of a sudden, she emerged. Who was in pursuit? Her best friend, Ava.

Ava and Claire after a play date.

Ava is a yellow lab who is about six months younger than Claire. They have been playing together since Ava was just a teeny thing. And, boy, do they love each other! They have play dates often, and tend to just wear themselves out! Ava's parents, Amy and Cope, live in the same apartment complex as we do - and we are going to miss them so much when we move! So I was just as happy as Claire to see them at the park today. Ava and Claire frolicked, tumbled, chased, dug holes, and sniffed around together for two hours. They were both a complete mess afterward, but at least they had fun! The bottom half of Ava was brown from rolling around in the dirt, and Claire had paw prints and drool from other dogs all over her!


When we came home, I cleaned her up, and we both had dinner. Then she curled up in her favorite spot on the couch and promptly fell asleep. There is a saying among dog owners: "a tired dog is a happy dog." And tonight, this is especially true.

Sleepy girl...