For the Love of Huck (once again)

Huckleberry gave me quite the scare the other day! He was asleep on the kitchen floor when I called him to come over to me. He quickly stood up and then collapsed. He tried to get up a second time but collapsed again. It was the weirdest thing and scared me to death!

Then a bunch of other things happened, which involved intense internet searching on my part that led to me believing Huck had lyme disease and was going to die... 

Well, one vet visit and $300 later the vet confirmed what Steven's been trying to tell me for months. Huck is fine. I am crazy.  But goodness gracious I just love this fur butt so darn much! 

doctor appointments are exhausting

Huck did however have a small abscessed from a tick I removed a few weeks ago. No biggie though. He's on antibiotics, which he thinks are treats, so he's a happy camper.  

DIY: All Natural Carrot & Banana Dog Treats

I pinned this recipe months ago and completely forgot about it! But while searching for a yummy birthday treat to make Huck, I noticed a bag of organic baby carrots in our fridge and this recipe came rushing back to me. And what a hit it was! Huckleberry gobbled these snacks up in no time and begged for more!

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 bag organic baby carrots, pulsed into small pieces in blender
2 bananas, peeled and mashed or pulsed into small pieces in blender
1 beaten egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup cold water

The recipe also calls for 1 tsp brown sugar, but I left it out since the 2 bananas would make it sweet enough.

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease baking sheet.

Combine dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and then add the carrots, bananas, egg, vegetable oil, and water until well blended.

Flour your workspace and roll out dough to desired thickness. Cut treats to desired shape and size and place on baking sheet. Cook for 35 minutes.

If you want the treats to be more crisp instead of soft cookies, after baking turn off oven but leave them in for another 35 minutes to harden.

My dog bone cookie cutter is 4 in long, yielding about 40 dog treats. More than enough for Huck to take with him to daycare and share with all his furry friends!

At daycare he had a little birthday celebration with a cute sign, new scarf, and a ton of wet nosed fur babies waiting to get their chomps on these treats! (so glad they snapped a few shots to share with me!)

Man o' man, is he one spoiled pup or what?!?!

:)

For the Love of Huck!

Huckleberry is a pretty lucky pup. While most dogs have to be in a crate all day while their humans are at work, he has the luxury of being in a spacious, three car garage equipped with his very own bed, heat lamp, and a surplus of bones. We even leave the side door open so he can explore the yard and chase the 3 cocker spaniels next door up and down the fence line until his little heart's content. 

One lucky pup, I tell ya! 

But I suppose even wide open spaces can get boring, so to pass the time, Huck decided to take a cushion off the love seat in the garage outside for his chewing pleasure...in the rain.

Didn't even bother to hide the evidence. 

Funny how dogs know when they've done something wrong, and it's even more funny that they know just the face to offer as an apology.

Apology accepted, Huck. You're a goood boy! Want some peanut butter?!?

Yep, that's usually how it goes.

And yes, Huck is still suffering from a case of snow nose. That's why his nose is pink and not black in these photos. I promise he is not sick! His nose will turn back to normal in the Spring once the weather warms up a bit :)

So tell me, what material things has your pup destroyed?

Friday Letters

Dear Fur Babies - You are sooo precious!! Huckleberry you are an excellent big brother. And Herschel, now that you are comfortable in your new home you have become quite entertaining! I love watching you two play! So much fun! Dear Birthday Weekend - I really don't have a plan for you. {Hopefully Steven comes up with something}But it looks like the weather is going to be amazing; therefore, I know it will be an awesome weekend no matter what! Dear Mommy and Daddy - You guys were the first to give me a birthday gift! :) So you win my affection for a lifetime, albeit you already had it. I love that I'm almost 24 and still get birthday gifts in the mail from you guys. {Let's keep this going, k?} Dear Sweet Tooth - You have been outrageously satisfied lately. I don't know what my problem is but I'm on a huge baking kick. A raspberry pie, chocolate coconut cookies, and peanut butter blondies all in one week!! That's insane. I'm pretty sure my gut is going to suffer the consequences...

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! See you next week!

It Is Well.

Just a couple photos of Huckleberry...

I love this goofy, crazy pup and am so glad he is a part of our little family! 

Although I do wish he could come to New York with us for the wedding, I know he'll be in good hands..

Every Wednesday we take Huckleberry to doggie daycare. It's a 6 acre, completely fenced in farm. 

The lady who runs the place actually does it right out of her own home. There are plenty of doggie beds, drinking fountains, chewable toys, and yummy treats for Huck and his furry friends to keep them busy for hours! She even has a designated digging area -basically just a huge sand pit- for the dogs! He is so excited in the morning when I tell him we're going for a car ride...he knows the routine, and to doggie daycare we go!

When we pick him up in the evenings he is completely worn out! And a tired dog is a good dog..

We know that while he's there he is in great hands. I am sent pictures via email throughout the day of Huck playing with the other pups! Always accompanied with the cutest captions! Seriously, it's the perfect place for a crazy, worrisome dog owner like me to send their fur baby. I don't have even the slightest concern while he's there. 

Originally, Huck was going to stay at a family friend's while Steven and I were away for the wedding...

but then things fell through, the couple could no longer take him. I was DEVASTATED. Daycare is not cheap...overnight boarding is even more outrageous...and since we'd been expecting him to stay with these friends free of charge, we did not budget for him to be boarded...

We told Maryellen, the lady who runs the daycare, our situation. And {just like every other complication in my path this past year} God completely worked everything out. Maryellen offered to take Huck in for the entire 12 days we are going to be gone for a ridiculously discounted price. She said it was her wedding present to us. And then, after I forwarded on this information to Steven and my family, my brother's offered to pay the remaining boarding costs as a wedding present to us! :) Seriously, we are so stinkin' blessed!

I love my family, my friends, my fiancé, and my pup! 

{Quite a turnaround from yesterday's mood, eh?}

Happy Wednesday! Two more work days till two weeks of vacation!

Ahhh, Freedom, you are going to feel so good :)

Life Lately.

In the midst of crazy wedding planning and preparations life still goes on. And when I do remember to push the stress aside and enjoy myself I realize that, indeed, my life is quite enjoyable! And even though Steven and I are on a tight budget {weddings tend to do that to people} we still manage to have the best times together. It's true what they say, you know. The best things in life are free.

Like our precious, Huckleberry. {Okay, maybe he wasn't free. But you get the idea.} I love to take pictures of him sleeping like this one.

(I don't know how that is even comfortable...)

And cooking together. Steven is an excellent cook :) I know, be jealous, ladies.

(Green onion for some chicken enchiladas. Yum!)

And my quickly growing strawberries in the garden.

(Can't wait till these little guys are plump and red!)

And watching my man do work! Last night he began building a desk for our office.

I think it's good to take time to put the wedding planning aside and enjoy moments like these in life.
After all, the wedding is only one day.

Mr. Mopey

Tomorrow Huckleberry will be 8 months old! :( I miss my tiny baby pup, but I love watching him grow. I think Golden's are beautiful dogs, and because Huck has the dark gold/red coat rather than the lighter yellow coat -- I think he is the best looking pup on the block! (I may be slightly biased!) It's amusing to watch his personality develop as he gets older as well. Staying true to his retriever DNA, Huck has a happy-go-lucky demeanor and is the furthest thing from a guard dog one can get! However, lately I have noticed that Huck can get a little "mopey" when he doesn't get his way. For example, Monday through Friday he's learned that I get up, get ready, and leave for work. No play time for him. When he was new to my morning routines, he simply ran around the house wagging his tail and nipping my shins in the mornings. Not anymore. Now he sulks. He lays at my feet and lets out loud sighs of disapproval. He gives me the saddest looks and follows me around all morning like he needs to soak up every moment he can by my side before I leave for 8 hours. I take him outside, give him hearty tummy rubs and playful head pats, but all to no avail. He is one sad pup on those mornings. And I have a suspicion that his sulking sessions are manipulative maneuvers designed to ensure that he gets the maximum amount of attention he can from me in the mornings. 

Other than his heart-wrenching sulking on work day mornings, I've also noticed that Huck holds grudges. Never for long periods of time (I'm pretty sure he forgets what he's upset about at the sound of one word: treat.) Here is Huck refusing to look at me after I give him a bath on one of his particularly stinky days.

I said his name again and again but he is deliberately avoiding eye contact with me! After about two minutes of me pestering him, he turns his head and gives me this look...

Do you see that? I'm pretty sure this is his "say my name one more time, Mom. I dare ya" face. Totally moping. I have a manipulative, sulking, moping pup who holds grudges...

Maybe this is just an adolescent phase. Either way, I find it very interesting that he has such a defined personality. Kinda like his momma, he is the happiest, happiest, happiest living organism on the face of the earth...until he doesn't get his way. Then...beware, my friends. Just beware. Because an emotional roller coaster is about to begin :)

How about your fur babies? What are some unique personality traits that define your pets? Any more mopey pups out there?!

Love, Huck (part 1)

Hi, I'm Huck. Otherwise known as:

Huckleberry

Huckster

Huckleman

Huckles 

Huckles - Chuckles

and Little Man

I don't mind all the names mom calls me --because she gives me treats.

And sometimes hotdogs.

Apparently, I have a grandma. I don't know what that is. But mom says she likes to hear stories about me, so I thought I'd tell grandma a thing or two about me myself...

So hey Grandma, I'm your grandpup. And I'm really strong.  So strong that I can pull a boat.

See?...

King of the boat.

 Well, I can't pull it very far because I'm still a kid, ya know? Mom calls me a baby. I'm not a baby. I just get tired sometimes and have to rest. 

 Oh, and grandma, I really like to chew rope. So if you have any extra laying around your doghouse you can send it over here. 

 And when you come to see me in June. You should bring me hotdogs.

Just a suggestion...

I hope you like me. Mom says you will. 

I'll write again soon.

Love,

Huck

PS. Don't forget the hotdogs.

Puppy Love

Tomorrow morning Steven and I are flying to Philadelphia for a wedding. This means blogging will be no more until Monday {gasp!}. But I think you all will survive. More importantly, this means I have to leave Huckleberry for 4 days! I don't even know how to describe the anxiety I feel when I have to leave Huck. It's pretty extreme and highly embarrassing. I experience it every Monday-Friday during the work week. I hate, HATE, HATE leaving him for those 8 hours. 

It's tough being a fur mama! and Steven thinks I'm clinically insane. Which is probably a pretty accurate assumption...

Luckily, Steven's parents are kind enough to take Huck in while we're away. It's a relief we don't have to board him. {Honestly, if we had to board him I wouldn't go to the wedding. Yes. I'm that crazy.} But I still  worry. A lot. 

It's insane how much I love this puppy. He really is like a child. Since he was 8 weeks old he's been with me everyday. He depends on me to feed him, provide him with fresh water, and wipe his paws when he comes into the house. {What? It rains a lot in Seattle..he gets muddy paws..}

Sometimes I wonder if I've develop an unhealthy attachment to my pup. Maybe because I spend more time with him then I do even with my fiancé! Or because when I moved to WA I really didn't have a lot of friends and I transferred some emotional residue onto my pup. But I don't mind being that crazy animal lady. {As long as my interest doesn't extend to rodents down the road!} I love my pup.

The very first photo we ever took of Huck the day we brought him home.
Such a tiny baybay!

Okay, enough of me crying over my spoiled rotten pup. I'm sure Philly will be a blast. Neither Steven nor I have ever been! So be ready for a detailed account of our trip, accompanied by photos of course, when I return on Monday.

Happy, happy Wednesday, friends!

Puppy Blues

Not only have I been sick this week, but poor Huckleberry hasn't been feeling very well either. This means me on my hands and knees scrubbing diarrhea out of the carpet while I try not to gag {yeah, go ahead. be jealous of my life.} I'll leave the rest of the details out, just know it wasn't pretty.

But sick or not --no wet pups are allowed on my carpet!

 And this obviously makes Huck very sad...

 So he just looks at me like this...

And then, of course, he gets to go lay on the carpet. 

Yep, right in front of the fireplace so he can be all snuggly and warm while drying off. I know, I know...my dog has me trained.

But thankfully, there is one rule I'm determined to keep, and that is that absolutely no WET pups are allowed to be cuddled!

{yeah, I broke that one too....}

Doggy Daycare

Darnit! It is hard being a mommy. {Can't imagine when I have a human baby!} Steven and I decided that it would be beneficial to Huck's health, and my mental state, if we found a doggy daycare for him to go to a couple days a week while we're at work. He is just so hyperactive when I get home, and when I have other things I need to accomplish during the day, he makes it REALLY hard to get anything done. Also, it is a good thing for him to be "doggy socialized." 

Sooo, the research began and I found this great boarding kennel, which also offers doggy day care 7 days a week. They had amazing reviews, and after emailing the manager {yep, I did that} and bombarding her with crazy dog-owner questions, I decided we should give it a try. We dropped him off this morning and I really liked the facility. They have a nice sized "doggy corral" that has plenty of water and bunches of Huckleberry's favorite toys!  And after about 5 hours of play, they take each dog to its own 15x30 kennel where they can relax until it's time to go home. I was happy about this and filled out all the necessary paperwork..and then I felt sad and, I admit, slightly panicked. My poor little baby! What if the other puppies are mean to him? What if he doesn't remember me when I pick him back up? What if he thinks we abandoned him? I hope he isn't scared!!

But then I remembered the conversation Huck and I had about an hour before. It went a little something like this: "Huck, if the other pup's are mean to you--bite them, ok? You need to stand up for yourself." Ears perk up, head tilts--"And Huck, remember that momma loves you and she'll be back to pick you up very soon." Lifts paw to palm, moves closer--"Mommy and daddy love you very, very much, Huckleberry!" Stands up, tail wags, covers face with kisses.

He totally understands every word I say. {I think}

Ah, you think I'm crazy, huh? Well, just look at this face! Who wouldn't be irrationally in love with this guy?

...still feeling like a bad mommy, but I think he'll have fun. And HOPEFULLY, when I pick him up this evening, he'll be one pooped little pup!