Day at the Park

We Love Fall

Ahhhh- Loving the cooler temperatures that this little front brought in! 

The Ricardos were especially frisky on their runs today.  Lucy got to go about an extra 1 1/2 miles, and Ricky got to go a little extra too, and rather than just running beside me, he was really interested in trying the Bunny Hop with me. 

They are now resting peacefully on their big fluffy pillow.  I snapped a few photos of just how sweet they look (and are!)

Squeaky Clean

They really weren't dirty before, but Lucy and Ricky hadn't had a bath in a while, so today was the day.

We used some new super yummy smelling puppy shampoo. 
Lucy and Ricky don't really enjoy bath time, but they don't complain.  They just stand perfectly still in the bathtub while I scrub 'em down.  Then, they run into their crates and lay down, where they stay for about 3 hours until they're more or less dry.  And then voila!  Out come clean, sweet smelling pups!

Not sure why Lucy looks like a little old grumpy lady...

But after she and Ricky exchange a few sniffs and kisses...

They're both back to their proud and sassy selves-- only cleaner! 

Unsuspecting

These two don't know it quite yet, but in about 5 minutes, it's bath time!!

Super Yum

Lucy loves to chew on all chewy stuff I give her.  Ricky Ricardo mainly just stares at her while she chews.  And possibly as a result, I have noticed Lucy's teeth are perfectly white, but Ricky's have a little discoloration already.  And he's only 1 1/2!!

We brush on a weekly basis.  Maybe I need to up it.

But what I think is a way more fun alternative is to find Ricky some stuff he really wants to chew!

So today I spent $60 dollars on chewy things-  A rounded bully (because we had to stop getting bully sticks long ago because they were swallowing them way too quickly- Hoping the circle will last longer than the sticks!), some raw meaty bones, some dried meaty bones, and I got some dental "wipes", just to try teeth cleaning with those too.

I just unleashed the dried bones and they are in heaven.  I told them they have to stay on the towels to chew them so things don't get gross around here.  They're smart pups and know when to follow the rules!

Special Delivery

Somebody got a little something in the mail today...

Can you guess what's inside??

Ahhh, yes!  Happy day!  It's frisbee time....

Now THERE's a big, beautiful smile!

Ricky's Go-To Move

Ricky Ricardo looks very comfortable and at ease in this picture because, well... he is.
This is him sitting up and "begging."  I find him doing it ALL the time.  I don't even have to ask anymore. He's discovered that everyone seems really amused when he does this, and often good things follow.  Kisses, treats, or just kudos.

The other day at the pet store the check out lady was just being nice and said, "Well, aren't you cute?" and he looked at her, cocked his head to the side and sat back onto his hind legs begging for more attention.  (And of course, he got it!) Then this morning, he saw his first cat.  First he just stared it down, and as the cat came a little closer towards him, he sat up and begged, assuming the kitty might reward him in some way.  Well, the kitty did not give him a treat, but me and my neighbor both admired his effort and let him know we thought he was super cute.

Lucy and Friends

Today was Lucy's turn to go to the field and play with friends.

Lucy got to see Jasper- who although is about a year older than her, has the same mom and dad.  He's so much bigger than little Lucy though...

She also got to see her new friends, Mudpie...

And Ace!

Ace's butt is to the right- Jasper's up front-  Lucy loves the boys!

I was so proud of my girl.  She behaved herself very well.  Stuck with the dogs on our little hike, but checked in with me often.  She was sweet to everyone, and had a great time!

Almost Heaven

Ricky Ricardo and I went to the park today and met up with our friend and brother, Jasper!  We also got to meet a nice lady named Air with a group of 4 Aussies-  What fun! Lucy has got to check it out next time.  I felt sorry that she wasn't there today.  But, I haven't figured out a civilized way to take them both on an outing at the same time...YET.

We've Been Busy!

All is good in the life of Lucy and Ricky!  We've been having so much fun, I've just forgotten to post on the PuppyTracks blog!

Although the weather really isn't much cooler- in fact this week we're in the 100's- we have started going to the field and trails near our house again the past few weeks.  I run one pup in the hood each morning, and the other gets to go to the field.  We alternate days so it's even Steven!  ;)

Ricky, taking a little break from his hike yesterday morning to pose for the fuzzy camera.

Lucy, expressing her exhaustion over litter in the park.

Remember These Please

Puppy Ears

Just ran across these photos of the Ricardo's from when they were just wee little ones...

Lucy during her cute funky ear stage

Ricky before he grew into his ears

Black Coffee in Bed

While Fermin was out of town, both Lucy and Ricky were allowed in the bed.  Pretty much at their whim.

Lucy doesn't realize she's big enough to jump on or off the bed (and I haven't tried to convince her otherwise), so she let's me know she wants up by just standing at the side of the bed.  She doesn't leave the bed until I take her off. 

Ricky, on the other hand, has full command of jumping both on and off of the bed.  When he's tired, he'll snuggle for hours.  But when he hears something, or gets thirsty, or needs to go ring his bell to go outside to use the restroom, he jumps right off.

The last few evenings, after he naps in the bathroom while I bathe, although I have gone back into the den to join Fermin and Lucy in a little late night TV, Ricky has decided he likes an earlier bedtime!

Yawning is Contagious!

 

See what I mean?

Staying Alive!

I'm not known for having a green thumb.  In fact, quite the opposite.  Before I buy a plant to bring home, Fermin often says something like, "Kerri, just let 'em live.  Don't bring 'em home".  And he's right. 

I have especially bad luck with houseplants.  For one, our house has very little natural light.  And, okay, I'm not great about remembering to keep them watered.

However, I've had these 2 houseplants for nearly a year and a half and they've at least tripled in size and they are looking quite lush, if I do say so myself. 

"What in the world does this have to do with puppytracks?" you might ask.

Well, these two plants were sweetly given to me by my friend Aaron (who produced half of my last CD, and did all the percussion/drums you hear on it!) and his sweet family just after Zoe and Scout died. 

So, of course, they've gone on to thrive in this house that we shared such happy times in for so many years.

My two sweet angels, Scout and Zoe.

Weebles Wobble

One of my gifts from Fermin, was actually a gift for Lucy and Ricky.

I get such pure joy out of seeing them thinking and figuring stuff out, so this really was a gift for me as well! It's a weeble wobble type of toy that dispenses food as they knock it around.  They both love it.  Anything that spits out food at them is a winner!

Between the Sheets

I love Lucy.  And she is definitely at her sweetest and most cuddly anytime she's allowed in the bed.

You Don't Need to Be a Star

As you may have heard, my brother and his dog, Deville, have become superstars lately.  They both appeared on ABC's show, Shark Tank, a couple of months ago.  Mark Cuban and Barbara Corcoran invested half a million dollars in his cruiser bike company, named Villy Customs.  So his dog, Deville, also known as Villy, has become quite the celebrity.

Who?......me?

Today, Ricky and I got to go to my brother's shop, while the Shark Tank crew filmed a little follow up segment, which will air during the fall season.

Ricky was a great sport while all the work was being done.  He just kept quiet and stayed out of the way.

He said "Hi" to the new Diva in town, but it took awhile before he got any love from Deville...

Um, hello?  Deville, have you forgotten the little people?

Ricky was a little starstruck as Cousin Villy finally came near.

Of course my brother's bikes looked great in the shop!  They look great anywhere and everywhere!

But, to me, the most beautiful thing in the room was my Ricky Ricardo~

Me and my boy.

As we were driving home, thinking about the day and what a great boy Ricky was, a silly song I remember from my childhood came to mind... It's the perfect sentiment for Ricky Ricardo-
"You Don't Have To Be a Star, Baby (To Be in My Show)"

Woof

Ever since I've been an adult, I've had dogs that don't bark.  Zoe and Scout, like Chloe before them, were Siberian Huskies, and true to the breed, they howled rather than barked.

And because of that, I guess, having a dog that barks has been an adjustment for me.

Lucy has a voice.  And she likes to use it.

There is nothing inherently wrong with that!  Dogs are suppose to bark. 
Lucy barks at Ricky when she wants him to chase her.  And sometimes she offers a different bark when he's playing too rough with her. She also has an entirely different bark she uses when she's in her crate and someone comes to our front door.  It's sort of a deep grumble.  And then she has this other bark she uses sometimes with strangers that approach her that she's not too sure about.  It's pretty mighty, and she makes her point.  I figure, Lucy is my first "guard dog" with a bark like that.  I feel very safe walking with her at dusk.  She's not going to let anyone sneak up on us!  But yeah, every now and then, I'm a little embarrassed when she does it.

Ricky doesn't bark much, but every now and then, when he really wants to play, he'll do his little bow and bark a couple of times.  It's really, really cute- of course!

The other day we met some older lady and her Schnauzer, and Ricky voiced his call to play.  The lady said to him, "Now, no barking!" And he looked at her and cocked his head as if to say, "What in the world are you talking about, Lady?"  She then told me, "Well, he's just a puppy- My dog is 9 and he only just now learned not to bark."  I told her I wasn't really trying to teach him not to bark.  I'm not sure she and I saw eye to eye.

Like I said, I've had to get use to the fact that my dogs bark.  It's the voice they have.  Why in the world should I try to convince them not to use it?

Little Treats

When I'm training with Lucy and Ricky, I give them treats along with hugs and kisses.  If I expect them to work, I gotta pay them, right?  Right!! 

My two are always eager to learn....

and snack!!!

They're really happy with whatever I give them, happy words of encouragement, kisses, but I do think they love food the most.  And since I want to keep them slim and trim, I give them healthy-ish stuff.  Sometimes cut up lean meat, or sometimes good snacks I buy at pet stores.  But one thing about those packaged treats:  They are WAY too big.  They are super-size treats.  And if I used that size, my dogs would turn into pigs very quickly. 

So I cut down the treats into much smaller pieces.  Although it's time-consuming and at times bit annoying, other times it feels meditative.  I just stand over the counter and cut, cut, cut- making a little go a long way!

One piece becomes 8...

Lucy's Mom

I love Half Priced books.  For about a gajillion reasons.

I'm so lucky that a huge one is less than a mile from my house!  We go there a lot.  Partly because it's dog friendly. However, the cafe is not, since there is food in there.

So yesterday when Lucy and I were up browsing around at all the books, I popped my head in the cafe and asked them to save a Napoleon for me and that I'd pick it up later.  The girl said, "Oh, what a cute dog!  What's her name?"

After Lucy and I finished up in the bookstore, I stopped back in the cafe.   The girl had the Napoleon waiting in a box for me.

That is now officially my proudest title--- Lucy's (and Ricky's!) Mom.

I was not the only one that thought the dessert looked absolutely yummy! 

YUM!