Jake's First Hike (and swim)

We've done a bunch of city walks and urban hikes on paved trails, but this weekend was Jake's first "official" hike! The four of us went to our favorite park, Big Eau Pleine in Mosinee.

We endured a chilly breeze for the sake of getting some sun and fresh air. There was still ice on much of the reservoir but Jake got his first taste of swimming in Wisconsin (read on for the story below). Even though the temps are still a bit cooler than normal, it was nice to get out hiking.

Because the biking trails were closed due to mud and boaters unable to access the still icy lake, the place was deserted. Which meant we could have the dogs off-leash for most of the time. I was anxious to test out how Jake would do off-leash, and he didn't disappoint!

Jake is one of the best dogs I've ever had. Charlie was a difficult dog from day one and I've put years of hard work and training into her. She's an awesome dog now and I love her so much... and one of the benefits of all that training is that she can help train Jake now!

Jake is definitely a follower. He follows Charlie everywhere. He does everything Charlie does. He even rolled in poop after watching her do this (and yes, both their harnesses needed to be washed when we got home).

Charlie usually trots a little ways ahead of Alan and myself, and Jake followed somewhere in between. He'd jog ahead to see what Charlie was doing and then he'd stop and turn around, waiting for us to catch up. Then he'd trot along next to us for a while until Charlie was sniffing something interesting and then he'd catch up to her.

He was so good.

We had a great hike and the dogs were definitely tiring out by the end of the loop. We slowed down and headed over to the boat landing to explore the shore and check out the ice chunks pushed up on the rocks. There was open water along the shore but also some big ice floes. Jake was hopping from rock to rock and I was watching him to make sure that he didn't get his uncoordinated limbs stuck in a crevice, when suddenly he jumped onto an ice floe and started walking away from us.

I yelled his name frantically to come back to us, but as he got to the opposite edge of the ice sheet, it broke off under his weight and sent him head-first into the icy water. He quickly surfaced and paddled up onto the ice sheet and was able to get back to shore, but I was seriously two seconds from jumping in after him.

He gave me a huge heart attack. But he was safe. We quickly walked to the truck and dried him off with a towel. I wrapped him up in another dry towel and cradled him on my lap while we headed home; he shivered the whole way.

I preach about ice safety all the time and have always been so cautious with Charlie in the past. But with it being the end of April and most of the ice just slushy piles, I didn't realize the danger I was putting Jake in. He's just a baby and doesn't know about ice yet. So yes, I messed up a little this weekend but learned a big lesson too. I've gotten complacent from having an older dog who is already trained and forgot that Jake still needs training.

So we'll be working on voice commands over the next few weeks. He'll be learning "Come!" and "Stay!" and "STOP!" among other things.

My days are filled with dogs, work and sleep. I'm exhausted but also fulfilled. These dogs bring me so much joy and contentment. I'm overflowing with love. And I have a big project ahead of me.

Earth Day 2018

Today's hike was not as epic as I would have liked, but it was still a great day spent with the ones I love.

Typically Charlie and I would have done a long hike on some wilderness trail, most likely the Ice Age Trail. But this year, there is still plenty of snow on the ground (although it's melting fast!). Plus, we have Jake now. And Jake just turned 6 months old last Friday. He's got tons of energy... but in short bursts. A long hike would be out of the question for this little guy.

So we settled on the winding paved path along the Wisconsin River in Mosinee near Alan's house. We could enjoy views of the swiftly flowing river while treading on an easy trail that was a decent distance to get some exercise and fresh air, without over-doing it with Jake.

It turned out to be a great decision. Most of the cars in the parking lot had boat trailers attached, so the trail wasn't too busy. The dogs had a great time sniffing scents in the quickly melting snow and earth below.

Jake still has tons to learn, but he's making a lot of progress so far. I need to be careful not to let him "follow" Charlie too much and make sure he's actually learning the training words. Looks like I'll be working with him quite a bit in the next few weeks so we can get the basics down before he gets too much older!

Beautiful Whirlwind

It's crazy how so much can change in a week. Last weekend I was busy shoveling two feet of snow during a rare spring blizzard while trying to get acquainted with our new puppy, Jake. This weekend I'm leisurely baking homemade dog treats with a delicious breeze blowing in the open kitchen window while singing along to music with my dogs sleeping together in the sunspot by the oven.
Pure bliss.

This has definitely been a week of ups and downs. Jake is bringing so much joy to our lives and watching Charlie taking on a "big sister" role makes me beam with pride. She's having just as much fun wrestling and playing with Jake as we are watching them.

Jake and Charlie got to spend the entire day yesterday with their daddy, Alan, since he had the day off work. They did "guy stuff" and spent a lot of the day outside playing. When I joined them after work, I could tell they were pretty tired out but not willing to give in and go to sleep. Luckily, they're napping today so I can get some stuff done in the kitchen.

Baking dog treats with sleepy "kitchen helpers."

I've also been dealing with a lot of sad news from co-workers and relatives this past week. My aunt died of cancer, my step-niece's best friend and entire family died in a car accident, a co-worker was given terrible news about his remaining life expectancy after battling cancer for a long time and another co-worker is going in for a double mastectomy next week.

It really brings things into perspective watching others deal with tragic and life-changing events. It also brings back feelings of missing my dad who died of cancer a few years ago. I miss him every day and probably always will.

But being surrounded by this grief and sadness doesn't change the fact that I'm truly happy right now and things are going so well for me. It makes me more grateful for how wonderful and full of love my life is.

And I'm sending my loving energy back out into the world and hoping it finds people who need a lift. We're all connected in ways we're not even aware of and whatever small kindness you can give another, could mean the world to them.

And someday that kindness will come back to you in your own time of need.

Jake is a "chair thief."

Frostbite in April?

I'm probably exaggerating, but seriously, it feels like I got frostbite on our walk tonight. It was the most miserable walk I've taken in a long time.

Ice has returned to the Wisconsin River.

When I got home from work tonight, the dogs were really wound up and obviously needed to get some exercise. I figured it would take more than backyard fetch to tire them out and I really want to get Jake on a good routine of daily walks so he knows what he can count on each day, so I talked myself into taking a walk even though it felt pretty cold out.

The ski hill in the background is still operating... in April.

Actually when I checked my cellphone for the temperature, it said it was 28 degrees, which in April should feel more like 35. But no. With the extreme windchill, I think it was more like 2 degrees.

My legs are REALLY red and hot, like burning hot. Which is weird because they're freezing.

The dogs are tired though, and that was the goal. I'm going to snuggle in bed and get warm now. Wake me up when spring gets here.

Snowmageddon - 4.15.18

When I brought our new puppy home last week, I was thinking how much better it is to get a puppy in spring rather than in winter (like I did with Charlie). It would be so much easier for potty-training and getting into a leashed-walk routine morning and night.

And then Snowmageddon happened the following day. Between Friday night and Saturday night we received 15 inches of snow. By Sunday morning there was an additional 6 inches of snow... and at the time of writing this on Sunday afternoon, it is still snowing.

Luckily the dogs are loving it! They are romping around the backyard and burying & digging up toys. I am exhausted from shoveling in shifts around the clock to prevent it from getting too deep for me to handle. Every few hours I go out and shovel. I'm sore and tired, but in a good way I guess. It's great exercise. And I absolutely love watching these guys play. It's entertaining beyond belief.

But it's also April 15th. And I want to see green grass. I want to hear the birds singing.

I am sick of snow.

VIDEOS (backyard blizzard fun):

Year of the Dog - Introducing Jake!

I have been seriously considering getting another dog for at least a year now. But with Charlie's fear-aggressive issues toward other dogs, I was skeptical whether we could make it work. Fortunately, Charlie has done great with all the work we've done to get her ready... and it finally happened!

I had been searching rescue sites for the past couple of months and after filling out applications and being approved for several organizations, we found a good match for Charlie this week. On Thursday, we drove 3+ hours to Milwaukee to visit a puppy from Rescue Gang.

We spent some time at the foster's home introducing the dogs and learning about our new puppy. Charlie seemed to take to him fairly well and after careful consideration, he came home with us!

It's crazy how so much time went into this process and then is seemed like it was happening so fast. I couldn't believe we had a new puppy!

Both dogs are doing great and every day they get more comfortable with each other. Jake is very good at watching Charlie for cues when she's had enough and is respectful when she gives him a growl/nip to stop playing.

VIDEO (snacking on bully sticks together):

But for the most part, Charlie is loving playing with another dog. It's so much fun watching them chase each other around the yard and playing tug with toys in the living room. And Jake seems so happy to have a "big sister" to look up to. He follows her on walks and shadows her every move.

Our first walk together... it was already starting to get a little dark out.

Jake and his four other litter-mates were found abandoned in an empty field in Texas when they were 4 months old. Their mother was missing and they were all starving. After being scooped up by a rescue down there, they were shipped up to Wisconsin. Jake received treatment for ringworm and giardia and is now all better. He's slowly putting on weight and getting to a good size. He appears to be a Black Mouth Cur/Lab mix and I'm seriously considering having one of those DNA tests done to see what he actually might be.

In the meantime, he's pure cuteness. He's bringing so many smiles and laughter into the house. It's fun experiencing all the puppy nuances again and seeing him bringing out the puppy in Charlie too. I don't even mind the fact that after leaving him alone for 2 minutes on his first night home, he ate my cellphone. All things are forgiven when learning the "rules" of having a puppy again.. like, if you value something, put it away.

The first puppy "casualty". I'm sure there will be more. Lol.

So in this Chinese Year of the Dog, we now have double the dog to love in our home. And we couldn't be happier.

Those eyes will melt your heart! And the forehead wrinkles!

Finding Joy in the Snowstorm

I'm not even sure what to say about this. It's April 4th and we've gotten almost 18 inches of snow in the past four days... 6 inches on March 31st and almost 12 inches over the past two days. It's crazy.

I woke up at 5am this morning to begin the shoveling. The moon hung low in the southern sky and the faint moonbeams sparkled on the fresh snow. I made my way around the front of the house and down the sidewalks toward the driveway. By the time I was finishing up the driveway, dawn was arriving and the sky was slowly getting lighter. The moon had disappeared and the birds finally began their morning song. As the sky brightened, snow began to fall again. Big fluffy flakes swirling in the breeze.

Part of me wants to whine about how unfair this is. All the snow had just melted the week before and sidewalks were finally blissfully dry! We were taking regular walks and enjoying the longer days again!

But another part of me wants to accept what is and enjoy what I can of it. Maybe this is the last big snowfall for some dog out in the world who won't live to see next year's snowfall. Maybe there's joy in this snowstorm. Charlie is a good role model for this line of thought. Dogs live for the moment and enjoy whatever comes their way. Everything is good.

You should have seen her eyes light up this morning when I let her out in the backyard to go potty! I brought the shovel with me to scoop out an area for our other dog, Peanut - a chihuahua mix - to go potty when she got up later (if the snow is too deep, she won't go out). At first, Charlie thought I was coming out to play with her, but I patiently explained that I needed to shovel all the sidewalks on our corner lot and the double-wide driveway before I could play. This is a hard concept for Charlie, or any dog for that matter, to understand.

Why would you want to work before play????

An hour and a half later of shoveling and thawing out for a bit while sipping my morning coffee, I finally went in the backyard for some playtime with my kiddo. She was elated! We had a good bit of fun throwing her ball into the deep piles so she could romp around and dig for it. But, eventually I had to go to work.

VIDEO:

I came home at lunch and spent the entire hour hanging out with her in the backyard, continuing our game of fetch and "go find it." The sun was brilliant and the glare off the snow was blinding. With the sun now higher in the sky than it would be in winter, the snow has begun melting already. The temps will remain quite cold for the remainder of this week, so much of the snow will stick around, but it is slowly condensing into smaller snowbanks.

Once again I had to return to work, but Charlie seemed a bit more satisfied this time. I want her to enjoy this as much as possible before it's gone. We never got any big snowfalls like this over the winter and she absolutely loves diving into the deep snow to find her toys. This is her one big last HURRAH of the season, and I'm doing my best to enjoy it with her.

Admiring her playfulness and the way the snow sticks to her eyelashes and frosts her whiskers is lovely. The melting snow on her back glistened and sparkled in the sunshine. She was absolutely adorable and filled my heart with joy.