Still waterlogged

My boy Eric is ready to go, he is all dried out, my boots are still wet.

Might take a week, before I can use them again, but so worth it being without them.

Eric had some acupuncture for his arthritis and it helps.

This evening while I had some energy healing, Eric was treated at the spa, he got this
beautiful bath, rubbing and brushing and he loved every moment of it.
So we got rid of all the old hair and start with the new. He is all shiny and soft now.

I am tired good night.


Woof, woof

Sabine

Rain, rain and more rain

When I woke up this morning, it was still raining, or should I say pouring.
It just did not stop.

Many mornings when I walk, it rains, but when I get to the beach it is a drizzle or stopped altogether.

Not this morning, I did not have many dogs and the once I had, where not very exited, but I had to pick
up one dog, because the owner leaves early.


When we have days like this and the beach seems to rough or just not walkable, I can ask one of my
customers, if we can walk on her property. Most of the times when I ask her, she lets me walk. She has a lot of room to roam about.

I just love it there, the dogs enjoy all the new smells, the woods the high grass or the pond.
The dog who lives on that property, loves to show everybody what he got.
He can be a little bit of a show off, he throws his head all the way back and barks and barks, saying look
at me, then he runs off and everyone follows. That sounds like children at a birthday party.
He is very competitive, but also one of the greatest athletes I have seen in a dog.

Today was a little bit different. Two hard core people walking the walk, or trying to swim part time, but I
almost believe, that we had more fun then the dogs.
We could not help laughing, it seemed all so silly and I felt like a little kid, walking in the puddle. I was totally
soaked and my friend half way, he had the better jacked. His leather gloves were completely wet and he wrung them out at the end of the walk.
His dog had rolled in something, so he gave her a bath in this long driveway, which was a small pond by now.
I tell you I had many great dog walks, but today topped it. You know, I felt like one of the dogs just being in the moment, rolling with the punches and laughing and almost crying. Try it sometime.


Woof, woof

Sabine

Incident on the beach

It rained the whole beach walk, but it was warm enough, to stay almost 2 hours, even so we were wet.
The dogs loved it and had a lot of fun.


Today happened, what I had mentioned the other day, that it was amazing to watch, the way the dogs play. The teeth are showing, biting in the tale, biting the leg, pulling on the ears and neck and not one nip or tear. Today one of the players got hurt a little.

Fur and skin was pulled off and there it was, a tear and some bloody flesh was exposed.

Off to the vet, some anesthesia, stitches, antibiotic and the worst part, not been able to go to the beach for a week to 10 days.

When I called the owner, he told me that she was ok, just a little sleepy, so I will visit her and maybe will take her home with me for a
couple of hours, and bring her special friend so they can play a little.

The owner asked of course, what had happened, so I told him, nothing out of the ordinary. They where playing as usual and suddenly she came running with her tale between her leg and complaining, so I knew something was wrong. The nip was on the side and I said I think she got nipped, you really had to look to see it, it was on her side.
It is like with children on the playground you play rough sometimes to rough, one gets pushed and an arm is broken, or scratched up knees.
The same with dogs. It still amazes me how little happens, because the way they run, even while they are running holding on to some skin, it is almost like a dance and every player knows what to do. Every step is calculated, except one was out of step this morning.

We walk every morning, weather permitted, so I feel very lucky.





Woof, woof

Sabine

A dog loves you does not matter what

I have been taking care of dogs for over 12 years now and what really makes me happy is,
that it does not matter how much fun they had on the beach, or if they had a great time
with their friends in the yard.
When the owner shows up, they are all happy, bark, scream, jump up and down full of joy.

It does not matter if they can sleep on my couch or bed, even so some may not be allowed at home,
they are happy to be picked up.

It does not matter, if the owner gives a doggie a bath once a year or every week, brushes you or not. Has money or no money and so on.


A dog loves you does not matter what.

The good thing is that they also love coming to my house, some cry when they turn the corner to my street, it makes me smile to see both sides and the joy in there eyes to check out, if one of there good friends is staying with me. Dogs are in the moment and they make the most of there time, maybe they know, that there are not living as long as we do and that makes time more precious.


Woof, woof

Sabine

Oliver

I run into a someone I know, who is a friend of a friend, very nice family.
They are having 2 dogs and one of them is Oliver. So I found out, that Oliver was up for adoption. They had moved, and things where more difficult with 2 small children and 2 dogs. Oliver is 6 years old.

My husband and I looked after him over
christmas and he is this really very nice laid back white Labrador, who has the same food allergies
as our Eric, who is a black Labrador. I will talk about Eric some other time, because he deserves more
time then I have right now.

For some reason Oliver reminds me of Eric, even so there is no other dog like Eric, but they are very much alike.
Very laid back playful, no issues with other dogs and good sense of humor. The english lab is not as tall
as the american lab and they chest is broader. So a lot of people think that they are heavy, but I love that look. I remember when we looked after Oliver and I took him to the beach with the other dogs, he was very independent, no attachment to me at all, followed anybody who was up front, with a big smile or grin on his face.

So hopefully that will change when he starts living with us. Maybe because he reminds me
of Eric, that is why I fell in love with him in the first place.

Woof, woof

Sabine

How important it is to have animals in my life

I used to live in New York City for 10 years.

I lived uptown and worked in a Restaurant in lower Manhattan. One of my jobs was to open up the Restaurant and accept the deliveries, cook potatoes and basically get it ready for the breakfast customers. I loved that time of day, even so it was very early and a lot of work, but it was my time alone before it got crazy.

One morning, I heard some very faint meowing. First I thought, that this can not be, how would a cat get into the basement, but then i heard it again and again.

Going down to the basement I looked around, could not see anything remotely looking like a cat, but there was that meowing again. I tried following the sound and it came from the elevator shaft.

We had this open elevator called dumb elevator, it seemed like the noise came from somewhere in there. I looked underneath and there it was a little black and white kitten, actually more black and dirty white. Hanging on to her live in between the elevator.

Somehow I got it out, with only a few scratch marks, my white shirt did not look white anymore.

It was so tiny, cute, helpless and skinny.

I called my friend who came in a cab with a clean shirt and took the kitten home with her.

In the afternoon I picked up the kitten. The last thing I needed or wanted was a cat or any other animal for that matter.

I had a lot of depressions in those days and did not feel like taking on another living thing. It was hard enough for me to put one foot in front of the other.

Now having a cat I did not ask for was a little bit of a challenge. I may have rescued her, but she did not want to have anything to do with me and just ignored me. She was hiding when I got home. When I tried to get her out behind the sofa, her responds was to hiss and spit at me. So I tried some other technique, I ignored her and said to myself, let her come to me. Had some simple toys, cotton balls, wool.

When she came out I threw those things into the room and she seemed interested. Slowly, slowly she got closer and closer and finally jumped up on to the couch. She did not like strangers and she made that very clear when a friend visited and I had told him, do not touch her, she will scratch you, but we humans think we have to be in charge. Sure enough she did scratch him.

After a while when she knew I was coming home, she started running towards the door. I could hear her little paws on the linoleum, I will never forget that sound, every time it made my heart jump. In fact just writing about it, puts a smile on my face.

I believe that you have to earn the trust of your animals. Sometimes it takes a few weeks and sometimes a few month, but it is well worth it, because when you pass the test, they will love you for a lifetime.

As I said, I was dealing with a lot of depressions and I do not know what I would have done without that little black and white kitten. The moral of my story is, even so I rescued the kitten a cat saved my life in the end.

Woof, woof

Sabine

You can never be to old

to fall in love,

the picture of the day show two senior dogs, the girl is 10 and the boy is 14 years of age.

Now you might think which one is which,

the St. Bernard must be the boy and the fragile looking Irish Terrier must be the girl.

Wrong answer, the St. Bernard has been called a boy many times, but only because she is big.

As you can see, she is very sparky, springy and athletic, two paws up in the air, focused on her mate, a wide smile, which can only be stopped by her ears. All in all charming.

Her mate is trying to keep his balance. She can be a little overwhelming at times. Specially when they have not seen each other for a few days, but to impress her he is standing on three legs and not on all four. Don't want her to think that she is to much for him.

When she comes bouncing down the beach to meet him, he has only eyes for her, will pay only attention to her, it is fun to watch, even so he was unfaithful a few minutes before. Nothing else matters until the walk is over.

It is all about being in the moment and making the most off it.

Woof, woof

Sabine

Not hunting, but humping day

Spring must be in the air, hump, hump and more humping, like the bunnies.

I know the word is out that humping is pure dominance, but sometimes I am not so sure.

There is a lot of humping going on where I walk, 99% of the mail dogs are neutered.

Young and old, old and young, boys and boys and girls and boys. I do believe, when girls hump the boys it is out of dominance. Sometimes a look will do, if the boy is a little slow, she will let him know right away, that he was out of line. (this behavior is more likely when they live together.)

Now boys and boys are a little different, a little rubbing and more rubbing the occasional penis peeking out, the awkward walk, the funny look.

I have seen the funniest combinations, the age does not matter, looks do not count, hight and weight being ignored.

How come humans have to work so much harder to be who they do not want to be?

We are being taught and told, you have to be thin, you have to be pretty and look young until you die.

What happened to all those beautiful wrinkles? Why do a lot of humans like to hide behind a stretched canvas? What is it they are hiding from and what is it they do not want anyone to see?

I love our dogs on the beach, because they do not care.

Woof, woof

Sabine

Rainy morning on the beach

Driving down the streets in pouring rain, collecting dogs for the walk, friends calling me before I left, asking are you walking?

I must admit, thinking about getting soaked on the beach, did not seem very appealing to me this morning. Since I never pick the right rain gear, I hate to over dress, because I overheat like a car and get cranky when I do. So I rather get wet. Big puddles everywhere, taking some side roads not to drown the car, but the soonest I arrive at the beach, just a fine drizzle.

Even so it was still foggy and a drop here and there, we still ended up for 2 hours on the beach. It was marvelous, the smell of fresh earthy air after the rain, a light breeze stroking our cheeks, everything is so clean.

The dogs of course had no problem, wet or dry, some looked a little silly with wet hair like we do at times, but that does not stop our four legged friends to have fun any chance they can get. Running, barking, balls, the occasional swim, testing out the waters. What a life.

Woof, woof

Sabine

A lot of confusion over nothing

This day started out like every other day, getting up, coffee, brushing your teeth and getting dressed.

My husband left early to drop off a tree at work.

I was waiting for one customer to drop of 2 dogs.

So far so good, I knew I would be late, so I asked my friend to pick up one dog for me on the way to the beach. No problem.

My customer came with the dogs and I left on my route to pick up a few more. I get a phone call from my husband asking me if he should pick up lets call her lady l, that would be great I replied, thinking he is around the corner.
So I thought, well if he can pick up lady l, maybe he can pick up the dog I asked my friend to pick up. No problem.

I am calling her no answer, so since I did not have to pick up all those dogs, because everybody else is doing my work, I defiantly have to reach her not to show up at the other destination without a dog waiting for her. Guess what, now I had time left, to go by her house to let her know that I will meet her on the beach. Instead of her picking up a dog, I took her dog and called my husband back, if he could pick up the other red head, because there are two. No problem.

Well, I am getting to the beach a minute early, surprise surprise, to run into a friend of mine, who tried to avoid me, because he had just adopted a dog from one our local shelter.
He was worried, that our group might have be a little much for him for the first day on the beach.
I let a couple of dogs out of the car, the easy ones, because, even so our group is great, I did not need to scare him. It all went very well.
Other people arrived with there dogs and I get a call from my customer, if I am still picking up lady l. Oh, yes, I replied, my husband is on his way. Now steaming, I call my poor husband back and say, where the heck are you, near lady l, what, I would have picked up the red heads. My friend ended up picking up the dogs and because of a misunderstanding, there was a lot of confusion. Not the dogs, they are so much in the moment. They do not care how they get to the beach, as long as they get there. All they want to do the soonest they get to there destination, is play, play and play. Just have fun, throw the ball or stick and lets stay as long as we can.

Woof, Woof
Sabine

The Aloe Plant

One customer gave me an Aloe Plant some time ago, I have seen people use it on animals.

So it sits on the shelf in my kitchen, totally ignored, water given when I remember, not when its thirsty. Yet very forging, still looks good, which surprises me. All in all a very easy plant to take care off.

I took care of this very lively young dog, who cut herself on the beach, either on some glass or a sharp shell.

We had snow on the ground, so it looked even more dramatic, blood all over the beach.

I know my customer had just lost her job and money was it little tighter then usual.

So I had two choices, I take her to the vet and he will bandage her up and tell me not to take her to the beach or I try something new and if that would not work, take her to the vet the next day.

I know my customer would wanted me to do what ever was best for the dog, money problem or not, but what concerned me almost more was not taking her to the beach.

She is one of those dogs who needs to run, she is young and full of life.

After cleaning the wound, I broke some part off the Aloe Plant and squeezed the jell into her cut, put a sock on the foot and let it soak in.

When she played outside in the yard, I took the sock off...well you get the drift. The bleeding got less and less, the wound looked clean. Even so when she was running on the beach, there was a little blood here and there, but she did not limp and the cut looked really good after a couple of days.

Not only did we safe money, but more so did she have all the fun she could have with her friend's on the beach.

Also I know that the Aloe Plant can not cure everything, one should give it a try when small injury do not look to bad.

Woof, Woof Sabine

Easter Egg Hunt at the One Stop Pet Shop

Today, there was an Easter Egg hunt at the local Pet Shop,

a lot of owners came with there dogs, all of them well groomed.

People where standing at the table with a nice Photographer, who was ready to take pictures of the pets and/or owners, the money would go to ARF one of our local Shelters.

Some puppies where there, with hope in there puppy eyes to find a home that morning, or maybe later that day.

We were all supposed to be at the Pet Shop at 12.oopm. The Egg hunt started at 12.15 pm and we were all waiting with anticipation for the Signal to start, holding on to our bags to put our plastic Eggs in.

Finally I was hearing the words "Set and Go", we were all marching in, dogs and owners, the dogs checking out all the goodies in the Store and we the people looking with our Eagle Eyes for the plastic colorful Eggs. We all grabbed what we could, still being very civil and polite.

2oo Eggs were hidden in the Store, I found about 8 filled with delicious treats for the dogs, others had little notes in them for toys, dog grooming and obedience classes. All in all, it was a very fun experience, we were aloud to be 6 years old and laugh and feel great about feeling and being silly.

Just called the Pet Shop and one of the puppies was adopted. That to me is the icing on the cake.

Woof, Woof Sabine

Do not forget to" SPAY AND NEUTER "your animals

I just got a call from someone to board there dog who is 15 month old, Poodle and Jack Russell mix, sounds very cute.

So the first thing I asked, is your dog neutered, no is the response.

Sorry, but I will not be able to take your dog.

I can not stretch enough, how important it is to neuter and spay your animals.

1. health issues

2. we have enough animals who are being euthanized or end up in Shelters for to long

3. being more aggressive towards other dogs, specially when owners do not know how to train there dogs.

4. if you need help with the payment find out from your local shelter, if they have or know of someone who will do it for free or cheaper then the vet, animals from the shelter are all neutered and spayed, so there is an advantage right from the start.

It seems like dog owner's have a harder time neutering the boys, then spaying the girl's, I wonder if it is personal?

Woof, Woof Sabine

Dogs know how to have fun.

Every morning, I walk on the beach with a pack of dogs and their human companions. The humans arrive on the beach with varying levels of interest. Some come to socialize, some come to power walk-or as we say in our group 'march' down the beach. Some drink coffee and walk-an amazing show of multi-tasking if you ask me. We all come in different outfits, thinking different thoughts and with different moods.

Not so the dogs. They come for fun. They come to run and play and enjoy the beauty that surrounds them. They don't care about the weather or whether the stock market is up or down. They are living in the moment. The moments on the beach that should be as precious to us as they are to the dogs.

They weren't kidding when they said it's a dog's life.

Each and every day, the dogs remind me about what is important in my life.

What is important in yours?

Let me know.

Woof, woof,

Sabine

Welcome to Run Doggie Run!

I have learned so much about living life from the dogs that have been part of my life. I look forward to sharing their wisdom and humor with you in the days and weeks ahead.

Woof, woof:
Sabine