Dog Days : A Field Trip to Fort De Soto Park

Yesterday afternoon, GT and I took our fur babies on a little field trip. We leashed up our dynamic duo, hopped in the car and ventured over to Fort De Soto Park to check out the Paw Playground and Beach, a dog-friendly place we had attempted to visit after first moving to Florida, until our plans were foiled by several toll roads and a pay-to-park fee for which we were completely unprepared. This time, we made sure to bring plenty of change and cash and made it successfully to the beach.

Cali absolutely adores the beach. It is probably her favorite place in the world. She loves swimming in the water, running on the sand, playing with all the other four-legged beach-goers. And it seems that she may enjoy the warm Gulf Coast waters more than the chilly Pacific. Several times Cali would just wade into the surf and stand there, a big silly grin on her face. It was like the best bath of her life.

Jasper, on the other hand, had a different experience. Since he's just a puppy, yesterday was his first time at the beach and his reaction was funny to watch. When we first stepped onto the sand you could see his little mind at work as he ran through a litany of emotions: confused, excited, nervous. You could tell he was thinking, "Where am I and what am I supposed to do?" In these situations, it helps that Jasper has a big sis to show him the ropes and he slowly warmed up to the environment, especially when I put my feet in the waves and gave him a few encouraging "atta boys" as he inched closer to the water's edge.

Our little one was having a good time until another young (but larger) pup came over to play. Jasper was up for it but he quickly got stepped on and became frightened. The playful pooch continued to pounce at Jasper, who by that point was so overwhelmed that he felt cornered and backed into the ocean he still wasn't so sure about... A wave came down on him and he was drenched. After that, Jasper realized the water wasn't going to hurt him but he was just done. Ready to go home. He kept jumping on my legs begging to be picked up. With two thoroughly soaked dogs, we decided it was time to head out, rinse off and get some food, for us and for them. But more on that later. 

For now, here's a few more of my favorite shots from our beach trip (this crazy proud dog mom took 150 photos!), if you'd like to see...

Dreamland

This is how I feel today. Sooo sleepy. I missed my usual morning cup of jo. I guess it does more to perk me up than I think. All I want to do is crawl into bed and snooze...

The hubs has duty today and Sunday (just like last week), so we're planning on making the most of our Saturday together. (There's an Oktoberfest in Tampa we might check out.) Until then, here's to a well-rested weekend. And having a cuddle buddy.

P.S. I was actually a cat lover before I was a dog lover/owner. Kitties are so cute, especially sleepy kitties. But really, any little furry thing is just infinitely cuter when they are dozing in dreamland, don't you think?

(Top image, bottom image)

Weekend Recap : Pup Crawl

On Saturday, the four of us—the hubs and I, plus our two furry kids—participated in a Pup Crawl! A fundraiser for the Pet Pal Animal Shelter, the "pup" crawl was just like a "pub" crawl but with four-legged companions as our drinking buddies. 

I signed us up after spotting a LivingSocial deal for the event, and I'm so glad I did. We had a blast! It got us out and about, walking around, checking out new places, meeting new faces, and it did the same for the dogs. The Pup Crawl had a fabulous turnout (better than I ever expected) and was a wonderful socializing experience for all of us.

[ The face I make when Jasper makes a jump for my beer, mid-photo no less. Little beggar! ]

We explored five dog-friendly bars in downtown St. Petersburg, starting at World of Beer. We then hit up Cafe Del Mar, The Kitchen and The One Night Stand before ending the night at The Ale and the Witch. We humans enjoyed one drink at each bar while the dogs got plenty of attention and treats, as each stop on the crawl featured a "biscuit bar" sponsored by a local pet-related business: One Lucky Dog, Woof Gang Bakery, St. Petersbark, Pawsitively Posh Pooch and Pet Food Warehouse.

Jasper, being just a 4-month-old pup, was a bit overwhelmed at times. He hasn't been around so many people and dogs before, so there were a couple times while walking through the crowds when he would just lie down and not move if he wasn't comfortable, which would garner laughs from all who saw this little act of defiance. But overall Jasper did well and seemed to have a good time. He definitely got lots of "oohs" and "aahhs" from passersby, with everyone exclaiming how gosh darn cute he is and asking his breed (a Biewer Yorkie, if you're wondering). 

Don't worry, Cali got lots of love, too. People always tell us how beautiful she is, with her reddish coat and big, chocolatey brown eyes. Since she is almost 6 years old, she was very calm and well-behaved around all the other dogs. She was completely tuckered out by about 9 o'clock though. Cali's an old lady! But even the ever-energetic Jasper was sleepy at the end.

We lucked out when GT ran into one of his Coast Guard colleagues at the very first stop. We spent the rest of the night hanging out with him and his wife, and her friend. After months of not meeting any potential new friends here in St. Pete, I personally was very glad to chat for a few hours with some nice, fun-loving and welcoming women—who love dogs, and bars, to boot!

A few more photos from the day, if you'd like to see...

[ Sitting nice for daddy, in order to get some treats, of course. ] 

[ Jasper with another Biewer he met at One Night Stand. 
Wearing a dress and bow, the mature misses was named Gucci. ]

Hope you had a wonderful weekend, too! Do you have pets? Ever been on a Pup Crawl?

Almost Friends

Pupdate: Cali, our nearly 6-year-old Lab mix, and Jasper, our new, spunky 3-month-old Biewer Yorkie puppy are starting to settle into their dog-sibling roles.

Jasper has mastered the art of the annoying younger brother, with his hyperactive and curious personality, his constant "play with me" pleas. Cali is perfectly cast as the aloof older sister, who doesn't appreciate the yipping and nipping for a round of rough-housing at 6:30 a.m., nor is she too keen on sharing her personal space with a pipsqueak.

Nevertheless, after about two weeks together, and considerable work on my part, this undeniably "odd couple" is inching towards "almost friends" territory. Playing together, chasing each other, snoozing on the couch in close proximity... even chewing bones in the same bed the other day! It was such a great moment I had to capture some (read: a lot) photographic and video proof. The moment started with Jasper trying to steal Cali's large, big girl rawhide (naturally), but once I gave him his appropriately-sized puppy bone, everyone was happy.

They are a handful at times—together and separately; yes, even the six-year-old pooch!—but I love my little yin-and-yang fur family.

Puppy Love : Meet Jasper!

Exciting (and adorable) news to share today! Yesterday, my husband and I welcomed a new furbaby into our family. Meet Jasper!

Jasper is a nearly 3-month-old Biewer Yorkie. He's inquisitive, friendly, playful... and a little feisty at times :) But he loves to cuddle, too.

GT and I have been thinking and talking about getting another pooch for quite awhile. And we had been actively searching since moving to St. Pete. When we saw Jasper's happy little face, we couldn't resist—and knew we had found the right match!

Our almost 6-year-old Lab mix Cali hasn't quite warmed up to Jasper just yet. Though she is much, much bigger (and has been around small dogs before), she is a bit afraid and hesitant to interact and, yes, a little jealous. Jasper would love to play with Cali and he has made a few attempts, but Cali needs some more time to adjust to her new little brother.

Last night was our first together, and it was rough and restless—for us and the dogs! Jasper decided he wanted to play, go potty (not always in the correct place), and chew everything he could get his baby teeth on. Sleep was limited from about 1 a.m. until almost 8 in the morning, when he finally conked out in a silky-soft heap of fur on top of one of daddy's old shirts. Ah, the joys of puppy-parenthood.

I'm sure there will be many more potty accidents and a few sleepless nights ahead. But we are overjoyed by the new addition to our lives! We are already addicted to Jasper snuggles.

(I'm sharing many more photos of Jasper on Instagram!)