Tag: Dog

Lens-Artist Challenge #261 Work in progress

If you think about it, everything is a work in progress, isn’t it? So, this should be a challenge open to endless possibilities –Anne-Christine can’t wait to see what I think when I hear this phrase.

Warning super cute Golden Retriever alert! My In-laws had an antique sign up in their kitchen for the Original Elixir Moxie. This is how we decided on her name.

Drink Moxie. It even had a fun song.

Moxie is a work in progress, and I am fully devoted to her. Each and every day I think about ways to keep her mind stimulated, and her body strong and relaxed. Moxie, my Golden Retriever is “Golden”.

We met at 5 weeks, and I was ready for puppy time. I had 3 weeks to get ready.

Ordered her first collar from Collars by Woofus. Her tag is from Red Dingo

Moxie has outgrown her collar, but the tag now adorns another. My next purchase was her Snuggle Puppy with a heartbeat. Moxie loves this puppy, and to this day carries it from her crate in the morning, and returns to her crate after first locating and carrying Snuggles back every night.

Snuggle Puppy
Moxie takes care of Snuggles

Puppy first comes home

Shark teeth. I wore these when playing with my pup.

Mom Phoebe and Dad Bailey live across the street, so there was no long car ride home. Now Phoebe and Bailey have Alfie, Moxie’s 10 month old brother. She visited them when I went to Pacific Grove a few weeks ago. She may have been surprised to encounter 9 four week old siblings, and 2 cats also. Moxie was gentle with the cats who are very used to Goldens, and accepted her as part of the pack.

Training Days

Up!
Bed
Down. Leave It!
Moxie Rings the bells when she needs (or wants) to go out! Good Girl!

Fun Time

At the dog park, Moxie is fully focused on retrieving. She selects the ball of the day, and won’t be deterred. If another dog gets to her ball first, she will bide her time until the dog gets bored. Then back to “her” ball. I catch her watching television, especially if there is dog action. Food is formost in her mind. Not a picky eater, but she does have a sensitive stomach. I carefully watch what she eats. She loves peanuts. A frozen Kong occupies her time.

Loves this ball
Moxie watches Puppy Bowl
This teddy bear didn’t last long

Moxie’s sleeping positions

After playing and trainiing hard, Moxie needs her rest time.

Moxie and I head out to explore the world

I am still working on Moxie remaining calm when we are out and about. This is a serious work in progress since I want to be able to have her with me when I travel. She is calm in the car, but trucks and motorcycles make her anxious.

First shopping trip. Pet store shopping
First long distance trip to So Cal
Mom’s away, and I get to play
First winter rains
Sporting a new rain coat
Waiting at
Old Towne Animal Hospital
Me and my shadow
The shadow follows

Photo Shoots for the holidays and celebrations

Spidery Halloween
Gobble Gobble
Eight Days of Celebrating
Love is in the air
First Birthday
Birthday #2
Forth of July. No problem!
Summer is here

Moxie’s many facial expressions

Moxie thinks she is a lap dog, but this summer it is too hot to sit in my lap.

Me and My Moxie

I continue to have fun with my Moxie. I am always finding new ways to spend time together. We play “Find it”, a game where she sniffs out treats. Grooming takes place every other day on a grooming table. She learned to settle down in my room while I am on the computer, and she will tell me when it’s dinner time. Five o’clock! And later today I have arranged for Rosie, a Golden friend, to visit Moxie.

One thing you can learn from this post is that owning a dog is a lifetime commitment that gives me lots of pleasure. It does take a lot of effort and is always a “work in progress!”

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #223 Flights of Fancy

For this week’s challenge Journeys with Johnbo has me considering sharing images of interesting or unusual subjects that represent notions or ideas that seem incredible even today or seemed unrealistic at some point in the past.

An idea, narrative, suggestion, etc., which is extremely imaginative and which appears to be entirely unrealistic, untrue, or impractical; thinking which is very speculative.

My usual dream state is very practical, and not very whimsical. When I was a child I had a recurring dream of being able to fly and living in a department store. Now, most dreams I have are realistic, and lean toward darkness. But in my photography I look for fun and imaginative images.

Taken at a fountain I saw this figure pop into view.

The bark on this tree calls out to me.

Funny little person is ready to drive away.

I think I see some dogs starring at me.

Is this a duck?

This airport monitor just saw something frightful!

This rock formation on Maui talks to me in all kinds of ways.

Some more whimsical images.

Sometimes I feel like my dogs are trying hard to talk to me. What wisdom can they impart?

This last image expresses my my dream state of being able to fly away!

Now you can see that my photography gives me room to take flights of fancy.

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge # 203 Local Vistas

What are your local vistas? Where do you photograph when you don’t have a lot of time or are not on vacation? What about your hometown excites you? Is it the countryside, city, gardens, amusement venues? This week, Anne Sandler: Slow Shutter Speed wants me to tell and show local vistas.

Sacramento has been home since 1980. Yet with my local camera group I still find new things to photograph. There is a certain seasonal flow of vistas that show up during the year. For instance, Anne and I visited the Lotus Flower Garden “Peace Pond” this week. When I turned on the television Rob on the Road was interviewing the person responsible for this amazing Sacramento site. Started in 2005 this is now another reason the go to Land Park.

Asked to take a photo of some friends, and we got to talking

Within Land Park there is also the WPA Rock Garden. Always something to photograph.

The Sacramento Zoo is also located in Land Park, currently. There are exciting plans afoot in the coming years to move this zoo to Elk Grove so that it can provide a better habitat for the animals. Just a little further to drive.

The flamingos welcome you at the entrance of the Sacramento Zoo

In the coming weeks the sunflower fields located in Yolo County calls for photo captures. This image was taken last year.

No sunflowers were harmed in the taking of this photograph.

For people watching I head to Old Sacramento. No matter how many times I visit I find something new to focus on. But it is often the people wandering around. And people with dogs are my favs.

Trawler and his owner live on a houseboat that was docked in Old Sacramento.

This dog wants to share a drink.
Musician on a lunch break. His dog has his eyes on the fries!

Located in Old Sacramento is the California State Railroad Museum.

I find museum locations good when the temperature rises. This week June 2022 the temperature will be over 100° for multiple days. Also a good time to be home and blog!

Well that is just a touch of what I find locally around Sacramento.

Moxie Turns One

It is said that puppies grow so fast. This is my girl when I first picked her from Mom Phoebe and Dad Bailey’s litter of 10.

Here she is on New Year’s Eve @ 8 months.

Her birthday starts off at 7:05 a.m. Moxie is my new alarm clock.

She first starts with a subtle whine. This evolves over time. I get up, dress quickly, and out we go to potty. Now we are ready for a game of fetch. Most of the time she is a good retriever. The ball is either dropped by my feet or she wants to give it to me. Sometimes, I think she likes the idea of tug.

Moxie can get distracted. I have a small secluded backyard. My neighbor’s landscaping could be called “natural” foliage mixed with strange stuff. I was surprised to see an airplane parked in the yard behind my house when I looked up a satellite map. Looking through the fence I also see an abandoned Edsel, and another vehicle I can’t identify. I have lived here for over 4 years and I have only heard interesting sounds from there. The latest was heavy equipment jackhammering for 10 minutes at 10 p.m. I hear the usual mowing of the field. Last summer welding went on and on as a shed was built from scrap pieces of metal. It sure would be interesting to get a camera drone and see the field.

But I digress. All kinds of stuff fall into my yard from this neighbor’s yard. I am learning the life cycle of pine trees. In Spring, pine flowers fell on my patio an inch thick, after a big wind. Then the occasional pine cone, often eaten by squirrels. Then come the pine needles. Again, not good for dogs to consume. Now, a wild berry tree is dropping blackberries into my yard. Moxie enjoys searching, and eating these berries. She even lets me think she wants to play ball, and off she trots with her ball to the berry patch. So far, there are no digestive issues. On the other end of the yard, they have a very large, very old, brittle oak tree. In the winter/spring branches fall. Today, a large branch that has been dangling over my yard finally fell down. No one was injured. but we were standing a couple of feet away. In the fall I go out and pick up acorns before Moxie grabs them. Acorns are not good at all. Learning what is good and what is toxic for animals is the number one question I ask at a nursery.

Moxie settles down for her breakfast. I imagine that she thinks if she eats it up fast I will forget that I even gave her anything. I grab some coffee and sit in my recliner with my Golden in my lap. Read a couple of emails, check out FaceBook, and plan the day. Today, a photo session is on the agenda

Her birthday photo session.

We try and groom Moxie every night. I have all the equipment I used on Charlie, and so I started early with Moxie. She even looks forward to having her teeth brushed. At first, she liked the taste – peanut butter! Now we do a full brush!

Moxie just finished her first heat cycle with no issues. The vet is now changing the dialog once again. Spay before six months, wait for at least the first cycle or 18 months to never spay a Golden Retriever. Something to think about.

Around 8 months of age Moxie developed a couple of fears. Her biggest is large trucks. This has interfered with our peaceful walks, and car rides. I have not settled on a crash-tested car harness because Moxie settles herself on the floorboards behind the passenger seat. With the harness, she was getting so tangled up. We both were stressing out. Each day I try and take her somewhere. During her heat cycle, we just drove around and made a stop at Starbucks. Now, we have started walking around Oak Park or Phoenix Field. I use a Gentle Leader on her, and it helps to get her to focus on walking with me instead of leading the way and pulling me. Also, we are back to going to Basic class with Carley, and we practice all the commands throughout the day. Some days are better than others, but today I feel that progress is being made.

Just like when I had kids, I arrange dog playdates. Moxie loves to play with other dogs. Right now we were sticking to girl dogs. But soon our next-door neighbor’s puppy Seven will come to play. Moxie’s Mom Phoebe lives across the street and sometimes comes to play.

So between feedings, playing, grooming, napping, training, and walking Moxie keeps me plenty busy. Having a puppy is a full-time responsibility, and I am glad I am up for it! Well, most of the time.