Queen Kayloo and the Sparkling Strait of Georgia

I absolutely love walking the dogs down by the water. Look at how it glitters. Love it.

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Rocks Don't Float

Went for a walk with a dear friend of mine on Saturday- we gabbed in the sun for HOURS. You know when you get on a roll and you practically talk your jaw off? Fueled by caffeine, sun rays and estrogen I'm pretty sure were basically the Michael Jordan's of jabbering.

We came across these floating rocks*. The water was perfectly still despite being on the edge of the ocean. Cool, right?

This shot kind of makes me think of this shot... and this one...

*Just kidding about the "floating rocks" thing. Rocks don't float, silly!

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A Dog Walk in the Good Kind of Snow

Mmmm. Cherry blossoms.

I took this picture last Friday while I was taking the dogs for a walk. I love it when a breeze starts to blow and the petals start to fall like snow.

Nice snow that doesn't need to be shoveled.

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My Happy Place

That is my husband. Those are my dogs. The sun is shining.

Things are good.

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An Olympic Leap For Noodle Head

Here we have Kayloo on Rock #1:

And here we have Kayloo on Rock #2:

These photos probably don't seem ALL that interesting, but I had to share them with you guys because it took a BLOODY LONG TIME to get these shots. And NOT because I had to snap so many photos.

Oh no.

It's because Kayloo thinks she is as wee as a can of tomato soup and that her little ol' four-left-pawed self was embarking on an epic leap across the English Channel.

She seemed quite pleased with her feat. Well done, Noodle Head (that is one of her nicknames. Nope. Dunno why).

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8AM on a Saturday (!!!) Morning

Early morning walk before Kayloo's (successful! BOO YA!) Therapy Dog test.

8am on a Saturday morning is damn early, people. Damn early.

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Positively Thrilled and Burnt Cliffs

I took this photo last weekend; the last weekend of January 2010. I love how the brush  looks like it's burnt and Kayloo and Mickey looked positively thrilled to be a part of it all.

Two years ago I didn't have dogs. I don't think I noticed things like rusty crimson cliffs and how beautiful a tree looks balancing beside a dilapidated old barn.

If I did, surely I didn't appreciate all this quirky wonderfulness nearly enough. 

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Duck Hunting II

Do you see the ducks in the background there? Kayloo wanted to be buds with them. She was clearly disappointed when they waddled away in uncoordinated terror. She even managed to look a little confused, like, Don't you know I'm practically Therapy Dog material?!!!

Back in the day at this very same park Mickey discovered ducks as well (here's a pic). They didn't like him either. Bitchy, elitist ducks.

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January is Walk Your Pet Month (Unless You Have a Snake)

Turns out that even though right now John and I are living in the Big Dusty Office Build-Out Extravaganza (I bitch intelligently discuss the process here and here) the world continues to turn AND...

January is Walk Your Pet Month!

So, if you'll allow me to get up on my little soapbox, I would like to take this opportunity to talk about how important it is to walk your pet.

BUT, before I really get rolling... I'm not so entirely sure how important it is to walk ALL pets. I don't know, do people walk their pet llamas? Feel free to educate me here, guys. How about snakes? Snakes don't have... legs... Although, I was at a gay pride parade in Toronto once and I had my picture taken with a HUMONGOUS 10 foot tall bare chested Amazon man in shiny chaps with a GIGANTIC... boa constrictor (heads out of the gutter, people) languidly drapped across his shoulders and wrapped ever so frighteningly around his neck.

WHAT?! I told you to GET YOUR HEADS OUT OF THE GUTTER!

Okay, stay with me. We're getting back to dogs.

Dogs.

I think it is very valuable to bring this topic up every now and then, because even the best intentioned of us sometimes forget how important it is to get our dogs out for a structured walk every day.

Every. Single. Day.

Even when it's bitterly cold. Even when it's grey and miserable. Even when it's been raining buckets for a kajillion days straight and if it rains for one more bleeping second I AM MOVING TO THE MIDDLE OF THE FREAKING SAHARA DESERT I'MNOTFREAKINGKIDDING DON'T-PUSH-ME-I'M-SERIOUS-THIS-TIME!!!

Three little points to keep in mind:

1. 1 hour, 2x a day: Unless your dog has some kind of health issue, chances are he would appreciate a brisk one hour walk 2 times a day. 2 TIMES A DAY?! That's right. I know Cesar says at least two 30 minute walks a day, but let's be honest with ourselves. 30 minutes innocently turns into a skimpy 7 1/2 minutes down to the corner and back, doesn't it? So let's go with the oh-so daunting 60 minute walkathon. Twice. You can do it. I have faith in you.
2. The park doesn't count: It really just doesn't. The park is AWESOME, don't get me wrong, but Fido needs structure in his life, just as you need structure in yours. So head down to the park AFTER you've hiked around with your pooch close at your heels- he will benefit from the discipline and you will reinforce your role as Da Boss.
3. A big backyard doesn't count: See #2. Go on. I'll wait.

1, 2, 3! Super easy, right? If you walk your dog THE WORLD WILL BE A BETTER PLACE. I am not kidding you:

If your dog is exercized he will be LESS likely to wreck your stuff, which will make YOU less likely to have a crazy flip-out spazz-fest, which will make you MORE likely to be zen and get along with your partner, who will probably take you out to dinner where you will have a FANTASTIC spicy tortellini paired with a scrumptuous, oaky cabernet sauvignon and I am pretty sure all those things together are the recipe for WORLD PEACE. I'm pretty sure. If you google it you'll find it. Yes, there it is.

So, enjoy Walk Your Pet Month! Go celebrate by, oh I dunno... walking your pet maybe. Especially snakes. And make sure you go to the park after your walk because look at how much fun Kayloo and Mickey are having in this photo!

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Pretty Darn Good Day

Kayloo's antennae are up. Mickey is gnawing on something soggy and disgusting, after which he probably rolled in it so we could all enjoy the aroma for HOURS AND HOURS TO COME.

Yeah, I'd chalk that up to a pretty darn good day...

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Magic Touch (or treats probably...)

Where is my damn dog, and why isn't she doing back flips to materialize at my side when I call her?

Aha.

Three guesses as to why she is sitting so perfectly at my feet.

First two don't count.

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Funky Dog with Water Dish

I was trying to catch Kayloo pushing her nose into the little tube above the water dish. Sounds weird, but she likes doing that for some reason.

I love how this pic turned out... kind of arty or balanced or something. Her leg is even sticking out all funky-like and she matches the graffiti!

Here was another attempt I made at being arty.

Do you have an uber-fabulous photo to share? Post a link in the comments- would love to see them!

Update: Okay, there have been some questions about the cement thing. See, it's a human/dog fountain. On the left there up high for the people and then whatever doesn't fit into you mouth goes down into a spout thingy and drains down into the dog dish on the right. See it? Is that brilliant or what?!

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Views Like This

This was what we were surrounded by at the end of one of our walks last weekend (same day as this photo).

I love my dogs for lots of reasons, but one thing I will be eternally grateful for is that because of them I now get my butt OUTSIDE. Every day.

And I get to breathe in views like this.

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B-Dog: "B" is for "Bad"

It's hard to say with any great certaintly what the "B" in "B-Dog" stands for in the graffiti here. I am going to hope for the artists' sake that "B-Dog" is not their name. Because that would be a really stupid name.

For our purposes I am going to assume the "B" stands for "bad." That would make sense considering this and this and this.

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No Such Thing as Neutral Territory

Mickey is staring down at Kayloo, just DARING her to make her way up the stairs. I'm pretty sure he peed on every post on the way down so clearly the stairs are now his.

Boys.

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Advertisement: Oh My GOD You Totally Need to Get a Dog

I've answered a few questions on whether or not people should get a dog recently so I thought I would do a little mini advertisement on just how FABULOUS dogs are. Sure, they crap on your carpet, don't always do as they're told and they wreck your stuff... but watching their happy puppy bums trot across a dog park (almost/not quite) erases all that frustration and is PRICELESS reminder to chill out, have fun and remember your sense of humour. A sense of humour, in addition to a good floor cleaner and insurance, is about the most important tool you can have at your disposal when adding a (pain in the ass) wonderful dog to your home!*go to end of post for other important "Should I Get a Dog?" points

Dogs rock, basically. Some of my friends think I need to get a life, or children or something... but whatever. Top 5 reasons for why I will always have a dog:

1. When a dog likes you, you know you are GOLDEN. Nothing better than a pup shining to you when you walk into a group. Having dogs makes every other dog like you because you already smell like a dog. This point does not help your popularity with other PEOPLE.
2. Happy dog tails- it is IMPOSSIBLE to be a in a bad mood when you watch a happy dog with a crazy tail thwapping chairs and walls and sending small children flying. That is SUCH a smile-inducer right there.
3. Dog tricks- teaching a dog to "roll over" makes you feel like a Super Star Master Dog Trainer and gives you a (somewhat undeserved) sense of amazing-ness.
4. A tired dog falling asleep on your lap can make the even the most uptight, A-type personality slow down and stay still for as long as the little guy snores. In my house, if a dog is asleep on you, that can get you out of doing the dishes RIGHT THERE. Please don't make a big deal of this to my husband.
5. Every dog has their own funny and unique sounds that make you smile every time you hear them: Kayloo groans like an old man as she is falling asleep. Mickey makes a sound that is a cross between a dog and a cat when he's excited. Kayloo has a hard time howling and makes a HILARIOUS hacking sound when she is coming out of a croon (I am trying to record this to share it with you guys. John and I practically start popping popcorn for the show every time there are sirens or church bells (yeah, my dog doesn't like church bells. I'm pretty sure she's Satan's dogs' spawn)).

If all that hasn't convinced you: when was the last time you went to the beach and watched the waves for entertainment? Aside from the hacking-o-hairball Mickey performs at the beginning of the clip, it's pretty idyllic, right?

Other Should I Get A Dog? Stuff:

• Dogs are A LOT of work. Hour walk in the morning, hour walk at night. Are you away all day? Say goodbye to going out for dinner because you will feel guilty (and you should) about leaving your dog for the evening if you have already left them all day.
• $$- on average, people spend about $1,000 on their dog each year. And if you are into swoopy outfits you will spend a lot more than that. You will be your pups Sugar Daddy/Mama.
• You are TOTALLY responsible for this animal- if your dog barks, your fault; is aggressive, your fault; doesn't listen, your fault & ALL your responsibility to deal with. You don't get to take your dog to the SPCA if it turns out he's a bit more jumpy than you expected. You also don't get to take your dog to the SPCA because he gets too old and suddenly you think he is lame (HEAPS of jackass people do this every year).

That said, John and I are SO GLAD Mickey and Kayloo are a part of our lives! If you decide to get a dog I cannot recommend Petfinder.com highly enough. I'm not affiliated with them in any way, but it's how we found Kayloo. Millions of dogs in shelters are euthanized each year- you can get puppies and pure breeds if that is what you are after and you will also have the heart cozy feeling of knowing that you saved a life! How often do you get that opportunity?

Oh my god, I feel like we should all hold hands and listen to After Glow by Sarah McLachlan!

WARNING!!! If you click that Sarah McLachlan link above you will CRY like a wee baby! Damn cute pups and their innocent-ness!

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