It's a whole new country!

Now that we've finally accomplished "regime change", we can wear red, white and blue again! In fact, I think it's time for the democrats to reclaim the flag. Even Maggie, my patriotic pup, is happy about the new president!

Maggie and her half sister!

I've been meaning to post this for quite some time...When we were at the Ann Arbor 4th of July parade, we spotted a puppy and knew right away that she and Maggie were related. We introduced ourselves and learned that, yes indeed, they have the same mama. They were so cute playing together and Stella's "parents" were kind enough to send me this lovely photo. What cuties!

Fall is in the air!

What a gorgeous weekend! The colors are brilliant, it was sunny and we spent a lot of time outdoors. Here's Ms. Maggs in Black Pond Woods.

Boy, oh boy, did Maggie have fun this weekend! She just loved playing with my son and his friends in the leaves. They loved teasing her by burying the tennis ball deep in the leaves. She is VERY motivated by that tennis ball!

I am always sad to see the summer go, but the fall is so beautiful around here that it is hard to be sad for long!

End-of-the-year dog swim

Those of you who know me know that I love to have fun, I love dogs and I love all of the quirky activities that are available in Ann Arbor. The end-of-the-year dog swim at Buhr Pool satisfies all of these criteria! This is the first time that I joined in the fun. My son and I took our one year old golden retriever, Maggie, who had a blast! She was a bit hesitant at first, but there is nothing that can stop her from a tennis ball. By the end of the session she was diving willingly and gracefully. The pure joy of 30 dogs together with balls and water is beyond description. I will definitely make this an annual tradition!

Maggie goes to doggie overnight camp!

My dear friends, Lynette and Macklin, agreed to take Maggie while I went off on a long weekend. Maggie was extremely well taken care of and she and Millie clearly had a blast. As for Lynette and Macklin, I'm not so sure...

They played ball...they went on walks...they went inside, then outside again...they lounged in the myrtle...they even escaped a time or two! All in all, it sounded like a great time was had and Maggie was pooped when she got home. Not that it takes her too long to recover!

Rite of Passage

Poor Maggie endured an inevitable rite of passage this morning. We headed out for our walk early this morning. I was hoping to take her on a long walk to make up for the short walks in the rain yesterday. The only good thing about the rain was that it was a good opportunity to give Maggie a much needed bath and then keep her inside all day. As we were about to enter the woods, Maggie came running back to me, squealing all the way. She cuddled up against my leg, whimpering and blinking her eyes constantly. And then it hit me. The stench of skunk was everywhere! Aaargh. So much for that great bath I gave her yesterday. She then proceeded to roll in the mud to sooth the irritation. Sigh. She is now recuperating from her second bath in two days (in her crate in the garage- where I hope she won't need to stay for too long...). I think I might just make it a point to wait until the sun is really up before venturing out...

Sweet new puppy friend!

We had a lovely walk on Friday with Barb, Khegen and their brand new, adorable pup, Supernova (Nova, for short). He did a great job with the big dogs and was very good on his first off-leash walk. He is sweet and gentle, very easygoing and oh-so-snuggly! Welcome, Nova!