Learning to Swim

Hi everypup!!!


A few days ago, I got to go to the best place in the world...the dog park!!!! Yup, mom packed me up into my car along with some water, towels and my frisbee!! Oh boy!! Now, the park that I go to is in the Cherry Creek State park. It's a wide open space and has a creek running through it. It's kinda dry and brown this time of year but that doesn't bother me! Lot's of room to run and catch my 'bee, meet other pups and jump in the creek to cool off or slurp up some quick refreshment. My mom didn't throw frisbee often enough for my liking.



Throw it! Throw it now!

I may be 11 years old but I can still jump like a champ!:

These pups are telling me that the water is a little chilly, but it's clear and fun!!!
So, usually we walk along the path and my mom throws the frisbee for a while and then puts it away so I can meet other pups - she says I tend to obsess but... whatever. When she puts the frisbee away she says "stay with me" and I usually listen. Usually. This time, things got a little more dramatic. This time, as we got closer to the creek, I just couldn't help myself and I jumped down into the creek. The bank was much steeper than I anticipated and so I had no choice but to jump in! And the water was so deep, I couldn't reach the bottom! Now, I've mentioned before that I can't swim so I was in BIG TROUBLE!! I tried climbing back up the bank but it was too steep! I looked up at my mom to come and get me out but she was waaaaay up there! Then I saw another dog...she was a little Labrador puppy who was learning to swim. I looked at her and followed her to a sandbar. I just moved my legs like I was running, just like the puppy was doing and then I was on solid ground! Yay! I can't believe I swam! It was so easy!

Mom didn't get any pictures of me swimming because she had thrown her camera off onto the ground and was frantically trying to find a place to jump in the water to save me. Silly mom, I had everything under control! ahem

So I finally found a place to climb out of the water and I was so glad!: *grunt* It's still pretty steep here but I think I can make it:

Did you see me mom!?!? I swam, swam!:


So mom, you know that frisbee isn't going to throw itself....




So, that was my day at the park. Time to go home and get a bath. Maybe next time we come here I'll listen to my mom....yeah, probably not.

Nubbin wags,
Ginger

Wishing for Snow

Hi everypup, it's me Ginger!!



Look what I got this morning...


Snow!!! It tastes great!


I made it snow...yup...it was me. I wished that we'd get some snow and we did! You see, the other day I was taking my mom for a walk and it was so warm and sunny and I was sooooo hot because I still have my winter parka on. I thought, "I wish it would cool off & snow!" A few days later it did! I'm goooooooooddd!


So it's been a long time since I posted - so what's been going on? My people have been skiing a lot so I was away for a little while. Then my dad started barking! Can you believe it? Mom says he had the flu and he was coughing but it sounds like barking to me. He still barks a lot but he went back to work today after being home for like a hundred days!! Ok maybe it wasn't a hundred days - but it seemed like it to me! I really liked having him home so when he left this morning I howled extra loud for him.

Speaking of howling, you should hear my mom complaining about the pesky squirrels that have been stealing the bird seed that she puts out for the birdies. Look at this guy, he's verging on obese! He's trying to make the jump to the feeder -

Made it! It's chow time!

I'll catch up with everyone in the next few days, OK?

Nubbin wags,
Ginger

Happy Valentines Day!!!

Hi Everybuddy!

Ginger's back! Happy Valentines Day to all of my blogging buddies out there!

So yesterday when I took my mom for her walk I met up with another pal of mine, Sid. Like my BFF Sandy, Sid's yard backs up to the park also so I get to see him a lot. He's such a swell guy! We alway play bow and start doing zoomies up & down his fence, which is hard to do since I'm on a leash.

It's been cold & windy here lately so my mom wears these ear warmer things on her head. My ears get cold too so thought I'd try them out.
Sporty, no? I can't hear very well with them on though.
What's that? You want to teach me MATH?!?!
No? Or did you say you want to give me a BATH?!?

UH OH! Whatever you said, I think it's time to hide under the bed for a while. Maybe I'll find a long lost rawhide or something under there!

Gotta go!



Nubbin wags
Ginger

I'm Back! And Gone AGAIN!

Hi Everypup!


I'm back from my weekend at Club Pet and boy, did I have a great time - it was an action-packed weekend of playing, barking, playing, going for walks, eating & playing!! I was happy to see my people again though, and I was soooo tired on the way home:

Look what I found when I got home - a ball magically appeared in my backyard!
It's not my regular tennis ball - it's all rubber and a little smaller.

Where did it come from? Don't know.
How did it get there? Don't know.
Whose is it? It's mine now!!!!!!!
I DO know that I want to play with it!

Throw it mom! THROW IT NOW!!!!!!

Well I'm off again to Club Pet again for the weekend because my people didn't get enough of that crazy skiing thing that they do. That's ok - my friends at Club Pet are a blast!!!

And OH, I almost forgot! Velcro nominated me for the Thinking Blog award - thanks Velcro! I'm going to have to do some homework on that one and get back to it soon, I promise!!!

Nubbin wags,
Ginger

Cows, Sheep & Toenails - Oh My!

Hi there everypup!

There's something about this picture that makes my people want to drive up to the mountains, strap two boards to their feet and slide down those mountains. So I'm headed off to Club Pet for a long weekend while they go crazy up there - I guess we all have our obsessions...
But before I go, let me tell you about what's been going on. First, my mom dragged me to the vet to get my Leptospirosis booster shot, yuck, and toenails clipped. I know one day they're going to slip & cut off all my toes...I know it!! Sorry we didn't get any pictures of this torturous excursion but mom says that when she takes me to the vet, I'm kind of a "handful". You bet your bippy I'm a handful! Because when I go to the vet I have one aim: ESCAPE!!!!!! I just don't know why my people bring me there - whatever happened to the belief that if your dog's nose is cold & wet, your dog is healthy!! My nose is cold & wet - so I'm doing GREAT! Why do people have to make things so complicated!?!?!

OK enough of that terrible experience - last weekend my people went the National Western Stock Show here in Denver to watch the stock dog trial competitions. That means they got to see a bunch of Border Collies & Cattle Dogs chase cattle & sheep around. Mom took some pictures and it looks like those doggies had LOTS of FUN!!!
(some of these pics are a bit blurry because mom is messing around with the settings of her new camera - she'll do better next time, right mom?)

I'll bark atcha on the other side of the weekend!

Nubbin wags,

Ginger

"Funny" Feet

She's doing it again...
...a girl can't get a decent nap in without being snapped! Apparently my feet are a topic of much amusement because I've sprouted fur in between my toes. So let's get it out in the open - yes, I have furry paws & yes, they smell like fritos.

Nubbin wags,
Ginger

What's New With You?

Hi everybuddy!! Wow, I kinda fell off the face of the earth for a while, didn't I? I hope everyone had a fun Christmas and a fabulous New Year's! Did you all get some good loot for Christmas? I got some pretty neat stuff, like these new treats & rope toys. (Those sprinkles on that treat that looks like a wreath? Those are colored sesame seeds!!)


The red rope toy is my favorite because it's kind of like a tennis ball and rope toy all rolled into one. When I'm done chewing on it and chasing after it, I can roll over on my back on it and it makes a WONDERFUL back massager! AHHHHHHH!

Mom got a new camera for Christmas so while she's learning how to use it, she's been terrorizing me with that thing, chasing me all over the house and trying to take pictures of me. Just because it's a new camera doesn't mean I have to like it any more than I liked that last one!!!
Anyroo, on to a more pleasant subject...let me introduce you to my BFF Sandy! I just LOOOOOVE Sandy! She's a sweet puppy that lives near my park where I go for my walks with my mom. Her yard backs up to the park so she gets to see all the dogs that go by. She knows ALL the good gossip! I run right up to her yard every day and say HI if she's outside. She used to be able to stick her head right through those bars (which really freaked out my mom!) but she's grown in the last few weeks so her head doesn't fit through anymore - although that doesn't keep her from trying! Sometimes she reaches out her big, soft puppy paw and pats my head and sometimes we just catch up on what's been going on in the neighborhood.

Hey mom!!! Can Sandy come over to our house for a sleepover? I think she's potty trained!!!! Please?!??!!?

Sorry I've been away so long, I'll try to catch up with everyone in the next few days!!!
Nubbin wags,

Ginger

Comings and Goings

What's up everypup? I've had an exciting couple of days!!! First, Hero is back home, safe & sound with his people. He only stayed one night but that was enough for me - I was soooo happy to have my people back all to myself! Hero left behind a lot of half eaten, slobbery chew toys which I have to say, is pretty nice - he got them started for me & they have a neat pre-chewed taste.

Second, we've been getting some snow!!! Not a lot, but enough for me to run around & have a good time:Best of all...last night my people went out and came back with Oma & Opa!!! They're visiting from Vah-jin-ya for Christmas. Grandma is also coming from Mizzuree but her flight was cancelled so she won't be here until Monday. I love all these folks because they're all about playing with MEEEEE!! They like going for walks (I sometimes get 2 or 3 walks a day when they're here!!) and they bring me stuff. Like this:I've never had an outfit to wear before. I think I like it, I'm not sure yet. Don't I make a good model? I think it makes me look very regal! My dad says it makes my butt look big - what do you think?? I wish all of you and your people a very merry Christmas! Hope all of you get lots of toys & treats and belly rubs. I don't know if I'll be able to post in the next few days as I think all of these visitors are going to keep me busy...but I'll try!!!!



Nubbin wags,
Ginger

I'm a Donner

I just visited Tosca's blog and took the test to see which one of Santa's reindeer I am:

You Are Donner

The most loveable and sweet reindeer, you're also a total dork! Why You're Naughty: You keep (accidentally) tripping the other reindeer while flying. Why You're Nice: You're always smiling, even if you've fallen flat on your horns.

Which of Santa's Reindeer Are You?

I also found out what my elf name is:

Your Elf Name Is...

Pixie Snaggle Tooth

What's Your Elf Name?

The Invasion of Hero

Hi everypup!!!

Yes, it's been a while since I posted but there's been lot going on at my house! First, my dad left for a business trip and took the computer that mom likes to use. Bad news is that she doesn't like to use our other computer so she tends not to post to my blog. Good news is that she spends NO TIME in front of a computer at all so I get a LOT more attention!! Then, my mom left on a trip to see her family as soon as my dad got home! I tell ya, I try keeping my eye on these people but they're always going somewhere! I tried telling my mom that I could come with her if she packed me in her suitcase - I fit perfectly...

...but she said that wouldn't work. So I did the next best thing - I made sure she took a little bit of Ginger along with her. She had laid out all of her clothes for her trip on the bed & then left to run some errands. That gave me the perfect opportunity to take a nap on her clothes, depositing a good coating of fur on everything! I try hard to make sure she doesn't miss me when she's away!!

So, what's this "Invasion of Hero" thing that I'm talking about in my title? Well, this is a Hero:

Hero's an 80 pound, 1-year old, German Shepherd mix that was recently adopted by his people from the Denver Dumb Friends League. His people had to go away for a few sleeps and so he came to live in my house and I don't like him! Mom says that I'm getting grouchy and intolerant in my old age but I think I was very patient with him. He helped himself to all of MY rawhides and chewsticks that he could find.


Then he stole and just about KILLED MY kong!
He slurped up 5 bowlsful of MY water and he dribbled it all over! He pooped and peed in MY backyard and ate some of MY snow. Worst of all, he kept getting ear scratches and butt rubs from MY mom!! He generally made himself right at home in MY house! To top it all off, when he wasn't eating my stuff he decided that he wanted to play with me, smacking me upside my head with his massive puppy paw and nipping at my butt and THAT IS NOT COOL! So, I snipped at his snout a few times and growled every time he came within a few feet of me.

We went for a walk (it was snowing!!) and he didn’t know any of the walk words like "stop pulling", "leave it"' "sit" or "I mean it, stop pulling!" (and trust me, you better pay attention to that one)! He didn’t have a clue! Mom would have liked to take some pictures but well, she only has two hands and Hero required both of them. I can pretty much walk myself, thankyouverymuch.

So far, I see no redeeming qualities in Hero. Well, wait – he IS big enough to counter surf. Hmmmm. So when he's finally learned the fine art of counter surfing maybe he can come back over to my house we can talk about a deal. I'll be hiding under the table until then.

Nubbin wags,
Ginger

Super Dooper Snow

Hi there everypup! So have all of you lucky pups here in the U.S. been able to get a few pieces of Thanksgiving turkey??? Hope so! I had to repeatedly nudge my mom's leg with my nose and give her the "I'm-starving-feed-me" look before I got some...my perseverance paid off!!! She calls it annoying, I call it fortitude.

I spent yesterday going to the park and enjoying a bit of snow that we got the day before. Mom let me off my leash for a bit so I could run amok:

And then I stopped & had a bit of refreshment:

Ahhhhhhh!

Bark atcha later!

Nubbin wags,
Ginger

She Works Hard for the Money

Greetings everypup! I had a productive day today helping my mom rake up the last of the leaves in our backyard. I had a couple of very critical jobs to do in this project. First, was to closely monitor and oversee the raking of the leaves. This required walking through the piles of leaves to inspect the integrity of the piles and standing between my mom...I mean the Raking Engineer's legs as she was raking to make sure she's gathering ALL of the leaves. My more important job was that of Twig Shredder. You see, when the Raking Engineer saw a twig that she was about to rake into the leaf pile, she tossed it my way for me to crunch into smaller pieces. Consequently, when all of the leaves were stuffed into plastic bags, the large twigs wouldn't poke holes through the bag. It's a very important job and all twigs and sticks must pass through my department and be processed before being bagged. This is a BIG ONE - might require some overtime!
I also pointed out a dead bird that I found behind one of the trees. (If you're squeamish like my mom, scroll real fast past this next picture)

When my mom...I mean the management came over to inspect what I was sniffing, she screeched! Honestly! I bring her a live bird she screeches...when I show her a dead bird, she screeches!!! It's hard to work under these conditions! Anyway, I tried convincing management that I had not done anything more to the dead bird than sniff it but I later gave it away when I burped up a feather. More screeches.

See that? Two bags stuffed with leaves and no twigs poking through - I'd better be getting a bonus!!!

Nubbin wags,
Ginger

Autumn Fun and 8 Random Things About Me

Hi everypup! Wow, it's been a long time since I blogged! Sorry, 'bout that - we've just been enjoying the great fall weather here and haven't spent much time in front of the 'puter. So let me catch up on some stuff even though I'm a little late - Look what Lorenza gave me!!! Thank you Lorenza!!!



I had a great time on Halloween, barking at all of the hairless pups ringing the doorbell and begging for treats!!

A while ago, River tagged me to tell you 8 random things about me and here they are...

1. I have black and white eyelashes. Can you see them here?:

2. I HATE to have my picture taken!! I can hear when mom pulls the camera out of its case or turns it on. I usually pin my ears against my head, unless there are treats involved, of course. Generally I hate to sit still while mom has that thing in front of her face so most of my pictures end up like this:

3. I'm from Albuquerque, New Mexico. I was a stray there and was picked up and thrown in jail and then transferred to a shelter here in Denver, Colorado where I had a better chance of being adopted.

4. I'm ambidextrous (big word, hunh?) I can Shake with my right paw and High Five with my left. Here's a picture of me shaking but mom couldn't get one of me High Fiving. (see Random Fact #2)

5. I only chew on my rawhide toy when both mom and dad are home. I get so worried when both of my people aren't home, I just can't relax and enjoy a good chew.

6. I'm missing my two front teeth! Last December when mom took me to the vet for my yearly poking and proding, the vet lady pointed it out to my mom. I haven't told her how I lost them because it's a great source of guilt for my mom - she has no idea how it happened and feels bad about it so I'm keeping it a secret. Mom took a picture of my missing teeth but it looks quite disturbing so we won't post it. And no, I DO NOT bark with a LISP!!!!!

7. I have a tattoo - yup - aren't I cool?!??!! It's on my inner left thigh and right now it's all covered with fur. When my people adopted me and took me home, I had just been spayed so I was all shaved and someone tattoed a symbol that looks like this: It means that there is no possible of any Gingerettes ever being produced.

8. I go ballistic when the phone rings. The way I see it, when that phone rings, it's an indication to go get my rope toy and play!! I get so excited!!!

So that's it, 8 random things about yours truly! I promise I'll keep up with my blogging a lot better than I have been, ok?

Nubbin wags,
Ginger

Morning Maneuvers

Hi everypup!!!! River tagged me to come up with eight random facts about myself - I'm still workin' on that so I'll post them in the next day or so. In the meantime, I'll answer a question that River asked me about the bunny in my last post. He asked me if I had ever chased that bunny, even just a little bit. And the answer is.....YESSSSS!!!

Back when mom was working, she would take me for my walk really early in the morning, even before the sun came up. So one morning, we were coming back from our walk and we were almost home so mom let me off my leash like she always does. I don't know if mom was really tired or if it was just still really dark but mom didn't see that bunny sitting in the front of our yard.

But I did.

Just at the moment I saw him, he saw me and he took off running!! Of course I went running after him in HOT PURSUIT!! I chased him around the side of our house into the lawn of our neighbor Randy's house across the driveway around the side of his house through the flower garden and under the tree and past the trash cans then I followed him toward the road and then he curved into the street and we headed back down toward my house in the middle of the street as we came down the straightaway I started gaining on him, my Gingerlegs pumping as fast as they would go - it was glorious, I tell you, GLORIOUS!!!

And then mom appeared as I was running down the street and she pointed to the sidewalk next to her & she growled, "Get over here!!" (it was too early in the morning to yell, so she growled) As I neared her, I considered my options: I could either keep running after this bunny and eventually catch up with him or I could obey mom and end the chase now. It was so tempting to keep chasing bunny but if I ignored mom, she'd be MAD.
And I thought, if mom was mad at me she might not take me for walks anymore...
She might not rub my belly anymore...
She might not feed me yummy treats anymore...
She might not throw my tennis ball anymore!!!!!

So as hard as it was, I listened to my mom and followed her inside where she fed me my breakfast and gave me a bellyrub.

And the bunny ran off down the street to live another day.

Nubbin wags,
Ginger

Wild Kingdom

We have an agreement, this bunny & I...if he stays out of my sight, I won't chase him.

Ginger

Don’t carry anything that’s too big to fit in your mouth

Hi everypup! It's been a while since I've blogged - mom has a lot of excuses but we've just been kind of busy here in Gingerland. I had two really exciting days when a man came to my house & replaced all of the eyes! Yep, mom calls them windows but they look like eyes to me. He came into our house, made lots of banging and drilling noises and then put the new eyes in. I tried to investigate and inspect what the man was doing but mom wouldn't let me. She made me stay close to her and "out of the way" - whatever that means. She kept a lot of treats in her pockets so I had no choice but to stay close to her! I did have a chance to check out one of the new eyes:

Yes, this meets my high-quality standards but it's missing one thing...a nose smudge! I can take of that!!!!

Bark at you later,
Ginger

Hikin' the Wag 'n Trail

Hi everypup! I had such a good time on Saturday! Mom volunteered at a Denver Dumb Friends League event called the Wag 'n Trail. Since mom was working, my Dad took me on the hike. I don't know why they called it the "Wag 'n Trail", all I had to wag was my little nubbin tail. They did have doggie ice cream! It was pretty hot outside so I was ready for something cool. My Dad squeezed it out of the container so I could woof it down...yum! We went to the part where I could run around without my leash - twice! I even got my pic taken with my dad. Then Dad & me waited in the shade for Mom to get done working. What a great day!

The event website posted a bunch of pictures of the event & they kinda got one of my mom: She's the short person on the right in the purple jacket - she's helping people get registered. I think the pic with my dad & me is much better!

Type to you all later! *sniffs around for more ice cream*

Nubbin wags,
Ginger

It's coming! It's coming!

Fall is coming! Can you feel it? I don't know about where you live but here, after eons of hot days, it's finally starting to cool off. I love this time of year when we can go for our daily walk any time of the day instead of ohdarkthirty to beat the heat. Also, Fall means that people stop using those blasted sprinkler things in their yards - I HATE those things! Fall means that I can sit outside and take a nap without melting into a puddle. It means that mom gets my blanket out & puts it in my bed so I can snuggle up, and it means I get to run through the fallen leaves in the backyard and make lots of noise. All good things!!!!!

Fall means that warm instead of cool air comes through the magic holes in the floor, mom starts wearing slippers instead of bare feet and she starts sharing her oatmeal with me for breakfast instead of yogurt.

Aaaahhhh, I feel so good that I rolled in something good-smelling in the backyard this morning. Mom is grumbling about needing to give me a bath but I don't know what she's talking about - I think I smell DIVINE!!!

I hope you are all getting cool weather where you are and enjoying all the good smells life has to offer!!

Lastly, but certainly not leastly...

Nubbin wags,
Ginger
*snuggles in for a nap*

What Happens in the Oak Tree Stays in the Oak Tree

Hi everypup! I'm back! Whew! That was a long visit to Club Pet - I had fun though. I thoroughly sniffed mom & dad's luggage when they got back and I'm happy to report that none of it smelled of other dogs, so they haven't been cheating on me! Their stuff did smell slightly of smoke though - apprently they drove through some areas that had wild fires burning, they even saw some fires from their car but no one was in danger. They went to a place called Montana and saw things like this:

When I came home from Club Pet everything looked normal except for our front yard. There's a big oak tree that has been very prolific this year and has produced TONS of acorns!

So while we were gone, the squirrels decided to have a squirrel convention in the tree! Squirrels have come from miles around to participate in the eating of acorns. This has become the Oak Tree Hotel and Conference Center:They've just been have one heck of a pawty in that tree, gorging themselves on acorns, scaring off the birds, taunting people that walk by and throwing half-eaten acorns and their husks everywhere!
Mom tried raking up some of the mess they've been leaving on the grass and they started dropping acorns on her head and then laughing at her. Poor mom, if she's not careful she's going to become known as "that crazy neighbor lady that yells at squirrels"!!

Anyroo, on my way home from Club Pet, I was successful in using my nose to smudge up EVERY single pane of glass in the car!! I'm so pround of myself! Every one! Well, except for the big one in the front of the car - I just can't reach it and when I try to hop up on the dash board to get to it, mom starts screeching at me. So, I'm very proud of the artwork I created on the glass. This one I call "Rope Toy on Floor" and this one is a self portrait: Does my butt look big?

I missed you all and will be sniffing around your blogs soon to catch up on what's been going on!

Ginger

A Bloggin' Paws

Hi there everypup! Mom took me to my favorite place again - yup, Club Pet! My mom is going on a vacation & won't be able to blog for a little while. When I get back I'll be good & tired and mom will of have lots of pretty pictures - none with me though. Anyroo - take care everypup and I'll be back in about 2 weeks!!!