A new dog park?

yeah not so much...

I heard a couple of weeks ago that there was a new dog park opening up in Sammamish (the town up the hill from us) and figured we should go check it out. So on Monday with the day off, Jeremiah, Hank & I ventured up to the ever curious Sammamish Plateau to lovely Beaver Lake Park. So, I googled the park before we left and it looked pretty easy to get to. So, we drove up the hill, found a Starbucks, and then off to the dog park...

...we found the Beaver Lake Lodge, and pulled into the parking lot. We drove around the lot to see if we could find the dog park within view, and then walk up. Nope, no dog park in view, but let's get out and walk. So we walked down to the lake, and saw a bunch of guys fishing. We noticed that the lake is HUGE and thought maybe we just need to drive around the corner...we drove, for about 45 minutes AROUND the lake. Finally we figured we must have missed it, and my directions that I had seen made it seem so EASY to find, they didn't even need to be specific. Never has a neighborhood been so SNOBBY!

So, we go back by the lodge, we keep going, and it seems the park continues past the way when we entered, we decided to take the first turn back towards the main road to home, and saw ANOTHER entrance to the park. We found baseball fields, and some people with dogs in the parking lot, and a VERY FULL PARKING LOT. And then we finally found the damn park. It was SO NOT WORTH IT! Ridiculous! Its a big dog run, with a little trail behind it. Now granted, if I lived right around the corner from this park, it would be a very handy place to take Hank and run off some energy. I noticed some dads had their dog in the "park" and were watching the baseball games near by. Hank liked it, but got bored pretty quick. We didn't even think to bring his ball and chuck it with since we were so convinced that we would never find the place. So, he ran around and was happy, and we continue to dislike Sammamish...

Hank's Memorial Day Weekend Adventures

Hank is having QUITE the weekend with us home. Jeremiah was home sick on Friday, so it's been four days of non stop family time, and he's LOVING it. ON Saturday morning I took Hank over to Robinswood park to let him run around. He had a good time, and even got out run by a little English bulldog. There was a bulldog meet up group at Robinswood, so it was Hank and a lot of short dogs, which was fun.

Saturday afternoon our dog trainer Diane came over to visit us and Ronin the next door neighbor dog. When Ronin first moved to the neighborhood he was having some trouble adjusting to life in Issaquah. Ronin's from Texas and is used to a big yard. And, like us, he continues to be mesmerized by Hank. So, Diane did some dog training with him, and had done some with Hank as well. She did a meet and greet on Saturday, where we just tried to get them to both be on the patio without barking and trying to attack each other Anyway, it was a GREAT training, and now we have to practice every day for 5-10 minutes with both dogs on the patio. It's a great excuse for us to get to know the neighbors better, they're a really nice couple (also from Texas) who just moved up a couple months ago.

On Sunday, we had a pretty lazy day. I wanted to go to the Nordstrom Half Yearly Sale (still, nothing good, it's so weird...) so left the boys to bond over the Indy 500 & NASCAR. With Hank's Kasey Kahne collar on, he was able to help push Kasey towards first and he won the race. Jeremiah's still excited about it. But, right before I Then left, Hank got all excited, and Jeremiah was folding laundry. Hank had been following me around the house, so Jeremiah had clothes on the floor in the living room. Hank decided to go over by Jeremiah, and setup camp on the floor right on Jeremiah's pile of shirts...adorable.

After I returned from shopping, I had flowers to plant! So, Hank helped a bit, but mostly just waited till I was done to enjoy the flowers along with me while we sat on the patio. Too cute...

Oedipus Complex

So, the last two weeks at work have been CRAZY for me. And then last weekend we were in Yakima and Hank was at Daycare for the weekend. So, yesterday when I got home from work, Hank had been at day camp, and Jeremiah picked him up. Hank always comes barreling down the stairs to greet me when I come in through the garage. And Jeremiah said he'd been sleeping the whole time since he got home. And as soon as I got home, he was WIRED, all over the place running around and just wanted to be by me.

The today, Jeremiah stayed home sick from work, so they had father-puppy bonding time all day. He was pretty lazy according to Jeremiah, and then when I got home this afternoon he was RIGHT NEXT TO ME. It was pretty cute, and kind of annoying since I was trying to put stuff down and get situated to be home for the evening. Mostly he was just cute though. We went on a walk, he just ate dinner and now he's passed out on the floor while we watch Letterman.

But, he's the best dog in the world, even if he IS a mama's boy...

Be Careful, it makes your pee smell...

What a great dog Hank is! This weekend we were in Yakima at my little brother's basketball tournament. Hank was at day camp for the weekend which was probably a good thing with the HOT weather in Seattle. We got home last night, and the house was pretty stuffy. So, we opened the windows and started the fans. Hank spent the majority of the evening laying on the floor in front of the fan.

We put the fan in front of him upstairs in the bedroom, so that he'd sleep OK. He seemed to do okay, but about 3 AM I woke up and he was over by my side of the bed, off of his bed. So we turned off the fan and he slept till Jeremiah got up. No early morning wake up jump which is odd.

He was pretty lazy this morning, but after a day of rest, he was ready for a long walk this afternoon. We took a good excursion, saw a few dogs, sniffed a lot, and enjoyed the muggy air outside...

After an entertaining Kong and some asparagus, he's passed out for the night, ready to go back to day camp tomorrow!

What a BEAUTIFUL day!

And Hank's at Day Camp...

We're going to Yakima for the weekend, so Hank's at day camp and will stay the weekend (it's a Pets Hotel). But it's the most beautiful day we've had since we got Hank. It's going to be almost 90, and a trek to Marymoor would be a blast. But, we'll survive and Hank will be in a nice air conditioned building for the weekend having fun playing with his friends.

Hank LOVES him some grass...

Tonight after work I took Hank on a good walk, and now that it's spring and really green around here, he's sniffing everything out. It was a good walk and the mom with her German shepherd actually let us walk by her without pitching a fit. Although the dog DID growl at us. Maybe she's getting the hint that she's the mean dog mom in the neighborhood...

Anyway, as the walk continued Hank started to eat grass again! I noticed it right away and was able to call him off and stop it, but good grief, what's with his new hobby? Seriously, I've never even smoked it let alone eat it!

Please don't barf...

Today Hank and I went up to Marymoor to run him ragged for a while. It's over cast and cool out, but a good dog park day. So, we went up to the park, he ran all over the place, and swam a TON.

As we were in the grassy area playing with the ball, he was doing OK. But then he started to eat the grass! I had read somewhere when we first got him, or around that time, that it's OK if dog's eat grass, as long as they barf it up. So, I called Jeremiah quickly and he read that it's sometimes a digestive aid, and sometimes they just need the nutrients. So, we're staying in tonight to keep an eye on him. I came across this post about why dog's eat grass, and it's kind of funny, in that British sort of way.

In any event, he's been fine this afternoon, and no barfing. But, we sure aren't taking our chances...

Testicular Fortitude

Sorry, but I just heard that phrase on Top Chef the greatest TV show that I discovered about an hour ago. My brother Jake tonight said I should check it out. I've been hesitant to ever watch Top Chef because I knew I'd love it. Jeremiah's out of town, and the only thing on our DVR is Ask This Old House and Deadliest Catch. So, Top Chef it is!

Back to my dog...so, Hank ate all his dinner tonight, and I decided to give him a Kong. The beautify of the Kong is that Hank recently discovered that if he picks up the Kong and then THROWS it down on the ground, he has a better chance of getting that damn biscuit out, instead of just sticking his tongue in the Kong. It's our favorite thing to watch, and I'm just grateful that we aren't in an apartment or they would think that every evening we used our pogo stick while watching TV...

This is an older video, but it gives you an idea of the passion that goes into getting the goods out of his KONG!



Top Chef started out with a beer pairing, and is now doing tail gating food...good grief, I'm in love...

It's like a heard of elephants!

Since Jeremiah's in Denver this week, and I have a busy work week, Hank is at day camp on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. It's AWESOME! He's so tired at the end of the day, he ate his dinner and is curled up on the couch with me now. He's so great. We were up stairs on the bed when we first got home, I changed clothes and then was watching something on TV for a few minutes. Hank KNOWS the sound of the TV going off, either means bed time (if the lights are all off) or time to go downstairs where the fun and food are. So, as I'm laying next to Hank, he hears the TV turn off, and JUMPS right over the top of me to get out of the room and downstairs to the fun.

I thought I might break a rib.

In other news, Hank hasn't realized that daddy's gone this week. He is always a very snugly dog and wants to be close, but he doesn't realize that he gets to sleep ON the bed because there's a WHOLE SIDE just for him. So, it's been less than exemplary sleeping conditions the past couple of days...

What are you talking about?

Yup, he's pretty much the CUTEST ever. Last week was pretty busy at work for me, and then on Saturday we went sailing with Mike & Grace. Hank got a special weekend Day Camp experience, which was great for us. We picked up Hank about 8:30 on Saturday night, and the Pets Hotel gal said she had just given Hank a Kong, I asked if it was to shut him up, since he's always so LOUD and hates being in the kennel. Her response was "yeah, pretty much." Hey, more power to her, that boy is LOUD, I always know he's there when I go to pick him up though! So, we brought him home Saturday night and he was very happy to see us, no surprise.

On Sunday we slept in and then took Hank to Robinswood since we had a few errands to run on Sunday afternoon. So, we go to the park, and he ran around for about 20 minutes, then was panting and slowing walking towards the ball. So, that was a nice short jaunt. Jeremiah hung out with him for about an hour while I went to InSpa, and then we left on our errands. We were gone for about 3 hours. When we came back, we figured Hank was just sleeping away the afternoon. We took him out, came back in and were out on the patio, since it was SO nice on Sunday. James, our neighbor, came out and said that Hank was barking for about the last hour. ACK! Not again! James and Jennifer are really nice about Hank, since their dog Ronin is infatuated with Hank, they are always very polite and kind to him. But, I always feel bad that Hank barks. This is only the 2nd time they've mentioned it. James mentioned maybe it's the garage door. But, he works from home so must go out throughout the day, and no barking. Jeremiah and I talked about it, and we think maybe it's when we're gone at odd times and gone together. It's not very often that we leave him together, or outside of the day time when we're at work. Ack, how frustrating! So, my dog trainer Diane mentioned that leaving the radio on, classical or talk radio is a good cover and might help. I guess it's time to start letting him listen to Rush while we're at work...