My Top 10 Fun List (Dogs Only)

My birfday is coming up–next week I’ll be 4 years old! To commemorate that momentous event, I decided to entertain you with a few stories about when I was just a lass. You know, ‘back-in-the-day’ type of stories. We all have them. And things haven’t changed much in the past 3 years. So, here we go–originally posted August 17, 2010.

I’m bored. It’s been hot for days, which means no walks during the day, no park during the day, no this, no that, not much of anything! Mom says that’s not true–we just have to do things differently. She said it’s going to cool off tomorrow–boy, am I glad! (‘cept now it’s cold and raining and raining and raining. BORING)

I’ve already told you I have LOTS of energy, so when it’s hot, I just can’t sleep all day like Toby does and I don’t know how to read yet like Mom and Dad do. So, inbetween deviling the cats and chewing my antler, I decided to list my 10 favorite things to do. I’m not sure I can even count to 10–remember I’m not even 9-months old–but I’ll try. My list is not necessarily in order. I know which is my favorite, do you?

Do you think she likes me?

10. Tease cats–I get in trouble for doing this, but it’s FUN. If they would just learn….. (Um, sometimes I still tease them…)

9. Chew my elk antler–I spend a lot of time doing this. Mom says it helps my teeth AND I don’t chew it up in 5 minutes like I do all my other toys. (my fave!)

8. School–you might say “why is this fun“? Because Mom and Dad learn stuff and I have fun! (remedial education is an ongoing thing around here, for some reason)

7. Play games–I play a lot of games, like “leave it”, “come”, “NOW”, “drop”, “off” (that one I don’t do so well), “quiet” and of course, “sit”, “down”, “wait” and “stay” (I don’t do that very well either). What I like best about games are the treats! (YEP–this is a keeper!)

6. Go to the park–I get really excited when we get in the car and Mom takes Toby & me to the park. I have LOTS of friends there that I can run and wrestle with. I especially like to go to 1000 acres park with Toby II. He’s my best friend. Mom says it’s good to be “socialized”, whatever that means. Friends teach me stuff and I teach them stuff. Like school. (1000 acres is still my fave! Others? Not so much)

Two fun things–a ball and water!

5. Play ball–I play ball at home when we can’t go out (like now). I even bring it back! Mom played ball with me in the pool today. WOW–do you know that’s two fun things in one? (well, you know the answer to this one 🙂 )

4. Walks–We do that a LOT. I sometimes get to meet Mom’s friends and I’m very good and “sit”. Sometimes I see Oz and we get to play! (my buddy Oz moved, but nothing else has changed)

3. Off-leash–Oh, wow. I LOVE this. But Mom is always in control. She’s the top dog, right? I think so. Sometimes she won’t let me run free (like when I don’t “come” right away). I always know where Mom is, but sometimes she doesn’t know where I am. She says I’m learning. That’s what school is for, right? (Mom’s still the boss here…)

2. Digging–Mom says I’m digging a hole to Croatia. They “think” they are leaving me here when they go, but won’t they be surprised when I pop up! (OMD, I just found out I was digging to Australia–not Croatia. Guess I should have looked at a map….)

1. Water–I LOVE water. Yep, I LOVE water. The river, the pool, the beach–you name it. Mom says I don’t even know about snow yet. She says that’s water too. We’ll see…. (I should have added mud here, but it’s still has that water component. Right?)

So, what do you think? Pretty good list, huh? Do you think I forgot something? Did you guess my favorite? What do you think it is?

Mossy Trees

We–that means all of us dogs that live here in Portland–are SO thankful for 1000 acres. We can be off-leash almost everywhere. And I know most hu-mans are good about picking up after us–Mom sure is. It’s important so we get to hop along trails like this and have mud baths and go to the pond or the Sandy River. And it’s the ONLY place Mom will even let me be off-leash. I guess because I can’t run into a road…..

We are lucky, because there are many, many places where dogs can’t go or always have to be on a leash–even in Portland. One of San Francisco’s favorite off-leash places is Ft. Funston. Toby went there in December and he told me how neat it was. Dogs got to go surfing and there was even a doggie buddha. Now they are talking about banning dogs altogether there and in other places around San Francisco.

We all have to be good to our parks and obey the rules and not leave “presents” all over, that’s for sure. That way we’ll still have places to go and enjoy being a dog!

Starting on the Trail

1000 Acres (my favorite park in the whole wide world) was pretty much a mud pit. At least that’s what Mom said anyhow. Toby took the grassier side and almost got caught in a bramble, but I forged ahead, up the hill, in the mud.

We have to stay on-leash until we get out of the parking lot. That’s the rules, Mom says. She said she could get a BIG, HUGE fine. Yuck.

But then……..WHOOHOO! Off-leash!!!

It’s the only outdoor place Mom trusts me to be off-leash and I’m really good there. Not sure what’s up with that, but it’s so big that I can run and run and run and still see Mom and come back when she calls me.

There were so many sniffs we had to take. Who’s been here? Is that a horse I smell? Hey, Toby! I smell a mouse too. What are you smelling?

I couldn’t be happier!

I could feel a huge case of the zoomies coming on.

We had a lot more adventures on this trip, so it’s like they say on tee vee:

“…to be continued“.

What Happened at the Beach-revisited

Mom and Dad are suppose to come home today, but here’s another story I told you earlier:

Well, what happened, you ask? Let me tell you, it was a lot. This is going to be a LONG story, so you’d better sit down and relax.

Mom and Dad took Toby and me to Lincoln City not long ago–actually about a week ago. That’s on the coast of Oregon, in case you don’t know. I’ve been to the coast before, but the first time I was really little and don’t remember it. The second time was a disaster because Mom lost her keys in the sand. WOW, what a mess that was-she needs to get her head examined….(oops, don’t tell her I said that). We (Toby and I) had to ride in our car on this BIG truck, but it was OK–we just took naps.

This time, Mom said I lifted her curse. Ya’ know, everything comes in threes, or so they say. So, you ask, what was the first thing? One time, before she lost her keys and about the time I was being born, they went to the coast and came home and THEY WERE ROBBED. Now, I bet you are wondering what could have happened this time? Let me tell you.

When we got there, we went to Gleneden Beach so we could have fun and run and play. Did I tell you Toby II (and his sister Macy) were there too? They were! There weren’t very many human people, so we got to go off-leash (remember, I know “come”). That was so much fun–sand to dig in and Toby II. THEN I saw the water! This was like going to the river!! Here I come!!!!

That was one big river–not like the Sandy. And there was something Mom called waves–look at them! They were BIG! And something called seafoam. I thought maybe that was something I could eat–but it tasted a little funny. Mom said I can’t drink it OR eat it–it can make me really sick. Well, what is it?

So, I ran down into the water and this huge wave crashed over me–I came up spluttering. Oh wow, it was  BIG. Mom and Dad were SCARED (or so they said). They said I could have been caught by a sneaker wave. What’s that? I thought sneakers were something I could chew. They’re crazy….Give me a sneaker, I’ll show them!

Well, I guess it was something I need to learn more about. Mom put me on my leash and said I had to wear it on the beach until I learned about it. Well, they’d better teach me!

We stayed at this hotel that LOVES dogs. They even let me stay there! I thought that was pretty neat. Mom took Toby and me for a long walk and I played with Toby II and then we had to go to bed.

When it was really dark outside, Toby got up; got stuck in the bathroom and barked. Mom thought he needed to go pottie and told Dad. Dad got up; opened the front door and I raced out! Like I do at home, don’t you know? He didn’t know I was right there at the door. Silly Daddy!

Oops–where am I? This is not my back yard. Mom and Dad came out and kept calling:  “Sage, COME”. They sounded really scared, but I knew where I was. Did they? Apparently not–what was their problem? Well, I came, like I was taught. I just made them suffer a little–I was having fun exploring. Mom read her book for a long while after that, but I went back to sleep. What was the big deal, anyway?

Mom says this is what lifted her curse! Really? Does that mean we get to go back? Oh, wait! We still had another day! But I’m tired after all this writing, so you’ll have to wait.

My Top 10 Fun List (Dogs Only)

I’m bored. It’s been hot for days, which means no walks during the day, no park during the day, no this, no that, not much of anything! Mom says that’s not true–we just have to do things differently. She said it’s going to cool off tomorrow–boy, am I glad!

I’ve already told you I have LOTS of energy, so when it’s hot, I just can’t sleep all day like Toby does and I don’t know how to read yet like Mom and Dad do. So, in between deviling the cats and chewing my antler, I decided to list my 10 favorite things to do. I’m not sure I can even count to 10–remember I’m not even 9-months old–but I’ll try. My list is not necessarily in order. I know which is my favorite, do you?

Do you think she likes me?

10. Tease cats–I get in trouble for doing this, but it’s FUN. If they would just learn…..

9. Chew my elk antler–I spend a lot of time doing this. Mom says it helps my teeth AND I don’t chew it up in 5 minutes like I do all my other toys.

8. School–you might say “why is this fun“? Because Mom and Dad learn stuff and I have fun!

7. Play games–I play a lot of games, like “leave it”, “come”, “NOW”, “drop”, “off” (that one I don’t do so well), “quiet” and of course, “sit”, “down”, “wait” and “stay” (I don’t do that very well either). What I like best about games are the treats!

6. Go to the park–I get really excited when we get in the car and Mom takes Toby & me to the park. I have LOTS of friends there that I can run and wrestle with. I especially like to go to 1000 acres park with Toby II. He’s my best friend. Mom says it’s good to be “socialized”, whatever that means. Friends teach me stuff and I teach them stuff. Like school.

Two fun things--a ball and water!

5. Play ball–I play ball at home when we can’t go out (like now). I even bring it back! Mom played ball with me in the pool today. WOW–do you know that’s two fun things in one?

4. Walks–We do that a LOT. I sometimes get to meet Mom’s friends and I’m very good and “sit”. Sometimes I see Oz and we get to play!

3. Off-leash–Oh, wow. I LOVE this. But Mom is always in control. She’s the top dog, right? I think so. Sometimes she won’t let me run free (like when I don’t “come” right away). I always know where Mom is, but sometimes she doesn’t know where I am. She says I’m learning. That’s what school is for, right?

2. Digging–Mom says I’m digging a hole to Croatia. They “think” they are leaving me here when they go, but won’t they be surprised when I pop up!

1. Water–I LOVE water. Yep, I LOVE water. The river, the pool, the beach–you name it. Mom says I don’t even know about snow yet. She says that’s water too. We’ll see….

So, what do you think? Pretty good list, huh? Do you think I forgot something? Did you guess my favorite? What do you think it is?

Party, Party, PARTY

That's me & Oz in the pool. His friend came too

I told you about Oz before, remember? He’s my friend! Oz lives a couple of blocks from us and we walk by his house a lot. When he’s outside, I get to play with him. One time he went with us to the river. He likes water too, but not as much as me!

I think they were waiting for me to start running again!

Oz is 1-year old now and had a birthday party last night–and I got to go! And you’ll never guess what he had? A pool! No, two pools!! And Oz’s friend also came. His friend is 1-year old too. I’m not. I’m not quite 9-months old.

We had so much fun running and wrestling. We ran all over Oz’s front yard, around and around and around. We were all a little crazy! And guess what? I never ran out into the street! Not once! And Oz lives on a corner so there are lots of streets.

It was a fun party. I like parties. I bet you do too!

I like water better than anyone!

A fork in the path

It’s going to be really hot this weekend in Portland, Oregon (that’s where I live) so Mom says “we are going to the river“. Yippee!! Yay!! I love the river!!

Toby and I loaded up (that means we got in the car)! We like to ride in the car because it means there’s going to be FUN. Toby II and Macy came too. I like it when Toby II comes because we explore together. Mom says “Sage, come” and I do! At least most of the time. If there’s something that’s new and exciting, I sometimes stay and sniff too long. Then Mom puts me back on the leash for a while.

See that Chuckit in the lab's mouth? I was helping him get it.

We got to the river and I was in lickity-split (that means fast). There were lots of dogs there already (because it’s going to be hot, remember?). Some of the dogs had something called a Chuckit. I want one! Please, please, please? I won’t chew it all up, promise! Mom says I can destroy a new toy in 5 minutes, but she has a special surprise that we can play with at home. She just won’t let me chew it all up. It’s like a Chuckit, but looks kinda like a squirrel (no, it’s not really a squirrel, silly). Mom says it’s a Huck Em. Mark and Veronica gave it to me–that’s Mom and Dad’s son and daughter-in-law. I like them–they give me great toys!

I pulled that branch out!

I helped clean some of the tree branches out of the side of the river. I like to help and I like sticks! I wonder if Mom will throw this one for me? I went way out in the river because a dog was out there chasing a stick. Oops, all of a sudden I couldn’t stand up! I don’t think I like this. But I’m smart–I know how to swim. I just don’t think I’ll go out there again. At least not today.

That's me going WAY out where that dog is. You can hardly see him, he's so far out.

My Toby even got in the water. He was playing with a chocolate lab.

Toby got in all the way up to his tummy!

This was a race! I won!!!

Then Toby II and I had a race. I say I won. He said he did. Whatever….

Do we have to go?

On our way back, Mom said “Is this the way we go?” I knew which way we usually go, but I wasn’t going to tell her. She said we’ll take the right fork. Fork? Where’s a fork? I don’t see one? Maybe it’s buried in the path–let me dig.

Well, I didn’t have the heart to tell her we usually go left. Oh, well. A new adventure! And it was. We saw 5 horses! Yes, I said 5. That’s a LOT. I’ve never seen a horse before. Mom had me on my leash so I just looked. It was OK, but they sure were BIG.

Then I found a campfire. There were some really interesting sniffs there and I sure wasn’t going to come when Mom called me. But some men said “Here they are” (that was Toby II and me). I wasn’t THAT far away. I knew where Mom was, but I got put on the leash again. There was a tent or something there. Mom said homeless people lived there. I guess a tent is not a home.

We walked and walked. Mom picked some blackberries, but she wouldn’t give me any. She said they might make me sick. We finally came to the road that leads into the Sandy River Delta park and got to the car and came home.

That was my adventure for today. Pretty good one, huh?

Ugh–I Failed Recall

Who said? I think I do pretty darn well at “come”, but I think I must have a limit. The other night, I found it. But, to be fair, on a scale of 1 to 10, this was a 10 in the distraction list. It was MORE than a ten, if you really want to know. Let me tell you what happened.

We went to the local park where I ran and played with a whole lot of dogs. Every time Mom called me, I came. Somebody even told Mom how good I was doing. Well, a little dog came–he was a new arrival–so Toby and I went to greet him. He got all scared and stuff and ran down to the street. Of course, I went too, and I sorta came when called. What did this little dog do next? He ran back down there and so did I. Mom was right behind me.

THEN, I saw this chocolate lab that I had been playing ball with. He lives across the street, so I went over to see him. Mom was still right behind me, but I was faster and wasn’t listening anymore. And this boy who lives with lab tried to catch me. Well, I showed them! I wasn’t going to be caught. I ran into their back yard, out and around and back in again, out and around and back in again. Mom heard the man say: “Don’t let that dog get in the pool!” Then I saw it–WATER!! Of course I jumped in, you know how much I love water. But Mom pulled me out right away. I didn’t even get to show her how well I can swim…….

I don’t think Mom was real happy. She made me go home and I heard her talking about me to Dad. She said I needed more training and it wasn’t my fault. IT WAS THEIRS!! Ha, I knew it. Not my fault–told you so.

Uh-oh, she brought out the big guns and called my trainer–his name is Doug and he knows ALL about dogs.  I guess this was serious–I was just having a little fun.

He told her it sounded like the “perfect storm” of distractions and that will happen. We just need to keep working on my recall (whoopee, I know what that means: treats!). He had several suggestions and they all sounded like it meant I was going to have more fun! Isn’t that what it’s all about?

* Mom and Dad can get a wading pool and say “come” and give me a treat and then let me go back in the water. And then do it all over again. What’s wrong with that?

* Doug said he can come to 1000 acres with us and help Mom and Dad teach me that I have to stay with them when we get close to the river. That’s because I run ahead before we get there. I know where I’m going–why do I have to wait? He said to put me on a long lead when we get close (that really long one?) and I’ll learn who’s boss. Shoot, I thought I was, but Mom says NO!  How about sometimes? She still said NO! She said we’ll go out there this weekend and let Doug know how I do.  YAY–the river!! I’m ready–let’s go.

* He also thought I’d learn that the surf was scary–that’s the ocean, right? Well, take me back! I’ll see about that. I heard them say I’m just a dog and I do dog things. And I’m young.

WHAT? JUST A DOG? ME?

What Happened at the Coast

Well, what happened, you ask? Let me tell you, it was a lot. This is going to be a LONG story, so you’d better sit down and relax.

Mom and Dad took Toby and me to Lincoln City not long ago–actually about a week ago. That’s on the coast of Oregon, in case you don’t know. I’ve been to the coast before, but the first time I was really little and don’t remember it. The second time was a disaster because Mom lost her keys in the sand. WOW, what a mess that was-she needs to get her head examined….(oops, don’t tell her I said that). We (Toby and I) had to ride in our car on this BIG truck, but it was OK–we just took naps.

This time, Mom said I lifted her curse. Ya’ know, everything comes in threes, or so they say. So, you ask, what was the first thing? One time, before she lost her keys and about the time I was being born, they went to the coast and came home and THEY WERE ROBBED. Now, I bet you are wondering what could have happened this time? Let me tell you.

Look at those waves!

When we got there, we went to Gleneden Beach so we could have fun and run and play. Did I tell you Toby II (and his sister Macy) were there too? They were! There weren’t very many human people, so we got to go off-leash (remember, I know “come”). That was so much fun–sand to dig in and Toby II. THEN I saw the water! This was like going to the river!! Here I come!!!!

That was one big river–not like the Sandy. And there was something Mom called waves–look at them! They were BIG! And something called seafoam. I thought maybe that was something I could eat–but it tasted a little funny. Mom said I can’t drink it OR eat it–it can make me really sick. Well, what is it?

Here I am, all leashed up

So, I ran down into the water and this huge wave crashed over me–I came up spluttering. Oh wow, it was  BIG. Mom and Dad were SCARED (or so they said). They said I could have been caught by a sneaker wave. What’s that? I thought sneakers were something I could chew. They’re crazy….Give me a sneaker, I’ll show them!

Do Toby & I get a treat?

Look at me, I'm wet!

Well, I guess it was something I need to learn more about. Mom put me on my leash and said I had to wear it on the beach until I learned about it. Well, they’d better teach me!

We stayed at this hotel that LOVES dogs. They even let me stay there! I thought that was pretty neat. Mom took Toby and me for a long walk and I played with Toby II and then we had to go to bed.

When it was really dark outside, Toby got up; got stuck in the bathroom and barked. Mom thought he needed to go pottie and told Dad. Dad got up; opened the front door and I raced out! Like I do at home, don’t you know? He didn’t know I was right there at the door. Silly Daddy!

Oops–where am I? This is not my back yard. Mom and Dad came out and kept calling:  “Sage, COME”. They sounded really scared, but I knew where I was. Did they? Apparently not–what was their problem? Well, I came, like I was taught. I just made them suffer a little–I was having fun exploring. Mom read her book for a long while after that, but I went back to sleep. What was the big deal, anyway?

Mom says this is what lifted her curse! Really? Does that mean we get to go back? Oh, wait! We still had another day! But I’m tired after all this writing, so you’ll have to wait.

Freedom!!!

This is me--my 1st trip to a fenced dog park. I was 5-months old!

It rains here a lot in the spring and that’s when I was ready to go, go, go. All my life–that’s forever, you know– I’ve been tethered to a leash while Toby and everyone else (I mean EVERYONE ELSE) could run free. Mom got on her computer (she loves it) and found ALL the dog parks with a fence. I think we went to a lot of them and I got to play without a leash, but I couldn’t go to some that didn’t have a fence. That was OK for a while, but I knew there was more out there. But, not too long ago, I finally convinced them I could do it. I didn’t think it would ever come! Here’s what happened:

Mom and Dad took me to school to learn stuff (and get treats, remember?). They told the teacher I got “distracted” and wouldn’t listen. Now, what the heck does that mean. I just love to run and play! I hear them–I’m not deaf! Teacher came up with a plan we all could live with–string cheese! And who benefits? ME!

This is me with Toby, Toby II, Macy and my MOM (I'm the littlest dog)

We practiced and practiced. This was a pretty good deal. They said “COME” and I got cheese. Toby did to. Then we were ready for the big day. Mom took me to Woodstock Park near our house. There were lots of dogs and no fence! And think I did pretty good, but Mom said I needed more practice. So we practiced some more.

Mom and Dad took me to this HUGE park–it’s called Sandy River Delta park, but most folks call it 1000 acres dog park. It’s really 1400 acres, but who’s counting? My best friend Toby II also went–along with his Mom, Janice, and Macy (Macy is Toby II’s big sister). Well, we got there and started down a path and what do you know? Suddenly I was free! No leash! This was the best!

Mom says there’s a whole lot more to this park and we would go there lots! I can’t wait!!

FREEDOM!!!!!!!!!