The Circle of Life

Life is Simple.

From Your Table

To Mine

Just Saying....

Sunday Brunch

Can you believe it's the height of summer in this photo?! 

It's the end of July and the weather suddenly turned very cold. So cold that mummy and daddy had to dress as if we were going to Tahoe when in fact, here we are having brunch at Cavallo Point by the Golden Gate Bridge. 

We all had a great time because Cavallo Point is dog-friendly. Very friendly because all the tables are just the right height for me to inspect, sniff and eat what's on mummy and daddy's plates!!

Breakfast in Bed

Every weekend mummy gets up and makes breakfast for daddy and I. We usually have kibble followed by eggs and gravlax salmon. Although daddy doesn't have the kibble. Instead he has French press coffee or a latte. 

Regardless, weekend breakfasts are special as they are fancier and we eat them as a family. 

This weekend was extra special as I got breakfast in bed! Can you believe that mummy actually brought my food right to my bed??! I didn't have to get up or whine or anything. It just happened. 

That really is special. Thanks mummy!!

Abs for Dogs a.k.a. K9 6-Pack!

Yep...you read that title right. At a certain age, dogs just like humans, have to pay more attention to what they eat and how much they exercise. 

As I have got older, especially after I turned three or four, I realized that I was putting on weight and that it was harder to lose it. I seemed to want to eat more and more too. Mummy said that was being a typical Labrador but we both recognized that I was no young pup any more and we needed to address the problem. So I started a gluten and grain free kibble with fish or chicken mixed in as a treat. This has also helped my dry skin spots and made my coat lovely and shiny. My treats have been greatly reduced too so I don't snack as frequently between meals. 

Along with the healthier diet, I have taken on a new exercise regime. I still do my regular exercise with Leigh, which keeps me in shape but I have also incorporated a core toning routine. I usually do this in the garage gym with daddy. I get my own gym mat and exercise ball. The ball daddy uses is to too big and heavy, so I use a tennis ball. Here's a picture of me doing my modified plank on a gym ball.

Daddy says that the diet and exercise regime requires consistency so all three of us, including mummy, are following it. We are all making great progress and have lost a lot of weight and really toned up. I know I have because everyone stops more than normal to tell me how handsome I am!!

Give it.....Not!

There are many funny moments when daddy tries to teach me new tricks, especially if they involve tennis balls. There are equally as many funny moments when daddy tries to do some refresher training. Here's a recent example of daddy revisiting the lesson of "give it".

It starts easily enough with daddy and I getting into position. To give daddy an early sense of how difficult the lesson will be, especially as there is a tennis ball involved, I poke my tongue out at him....sneakily, while he is looking the other way....

Then daddy tries to take the ball away from me in one easy step. Here he is lifting me into position so he can simply take the ball away as he says "give it".

And here I am showing him who's boss and who gets to keep the ball. A swift upward head move and there is no giving of anything!

Daddy tries all sorts of cunning manoeuvres but all it needs is another deft head movement and hey presto! No give it!

At the end of it all, I am declared the winner. To show daddy what a good sport I am, and to let him know we can try again another day, I make him happy by giving him a "High Five"!

Why Bother To Fetch?

I know someone will bring it to me soon enough if I stay here curled up and looking cute!

A Swimmer's Tail

Oh dear!  Look at my silly droopy tail. 

I can't even sit down properly because the kink stays in my tail and won't lie flat on the floor!! Whatever happened to me??!

Well it all started when Mummy and daddy took  me to Chug's house for 'Independence Day'. I love going to see my friend's Bryan and Tonya. They are Chug's human parents. Sadly Chug went to Doggy Heaven but luckily I still get to go to his house to play. 

My regular followers will know that I love Chug's house because it is right on the water. Whenever I go there, I run in and out of the water the whole time and only stop to pee on Chug's parents garden because I swallow so much water when swimming to fetch tennis balls.

Independence Day seems to be a day when I do a lot of things on my own because humans sit around, eat BBQ food and drink wine and margaritas. That is all fine for them but it means that they don't spend as much time throwing tennis balls into the water for me to fetch. I spent most of the afternoon swimming around in the cool bay water. Eventually daddy decided that he was so hot from sitting in the sun that he had to jump in the water and join me to cool off.

We swam for hours - it was great!! After we finished swimming, daddy hosed me down with fresh water so that I was soft and fuzzy. I noticed that my tail was sore and had already developed that annoying kink. Can you believe that all that aquatic fun gave me "Swimmer's Tail"?? I kid you not! Apparently it is very common for dogs like me, who love to swim, to over do it and sprain their tails. 

That all said, I am not sure if it was all the swimming with daddy...

 ...or from giving daddy a tow.........!!