This is such a heart-warming, tear-jerking story I just had to share.  At 5 weeks old, Naki’o a red cattle dog lad was left behind in the cold Nebraska winter to basically die.  He ended up stepping in an icy puddle of water, which froze his paws.  He lost all 4 of his paws to frostbite.  A kind soul took him in and raised funds to have his back 2 paws fitted with prosthetics.  Orthopets, who fitted him with the prosthetics for his back legs decided to donate 2 prosthetic legs for his front legs.  What a lucky dog and he seems to be getting around like a champ!

Click HERE for the full story.

Pongo turns 2 today and I don’t know who is more excited about it: him or me?

I told myself I was going to keep things simple this year and avoid the crazy lady label of last year, when it came to making goodies for Pongo to share with his daycare friends.  But, that idea was quickly thrown out the window.  I actually think I out did myself this year which makes me even CRAZIER and possibly the laughing stock of doggie daycare!

Last year, I spent hours looking for dog biscuit recipes and cookie cutters, and then making 3 different doggie treats with some pretty rank baby food.  Luckily this year, I was able to avoid putrid baby food by using recipes out of The Organic Dog Biscuit Cookbook by Bubba Rose Biscuit Company.  I found this on the clearance table at Barnes and Noble this winter and what a gem of a find!

So instead this year, I spent a good chunk of time choosing which receptacle to place the dog biscuits and party favors in, and then deciding how to decorate the receptacles.  I guess I have to obsess about something, right?  After much thought and consideration, Pongo’s daycare friends are receiving: 1 Ohm My These Are Good dog-shaped biscuit, 1 Dragon Slayers bone-shaped biscuit, and 1 tennis ball all enclosed in a very cleverly (in my humble opinion) decorated chinese food box.

A very Happy Birthday to our sweet boy, Pongo!

Pongo and I went for our first hike of the Summer today, which was long overdue!  We headed up to Arctic Valley to explore for a couple hours.  Driving up toward Arctic Valley, it looked like we were going to be completely socked in by some ominous looking rain clouds; but as we rounded the last corner that took us to the trailhead parking lot, low and behold: SUN!!!  Well, brief moments of sun but at least no rain, and that’s what’s important!

We made it safely to Seattle from Bozeman and got Bev, my mother-in-law settled in with her very gracious Grandkids. I am patiently waiting for my sister, who is flying in from Charlotte, NC to play in Seattle for a couple of days before I head back to Anchorage. Unfortunately, her flight was delayed which caused her to miss her flight to Seattle. She arrives tomorrow. This is the first time I’ve really been alone since coming down to the Lower 48. And now that things have slowed down a bit, I’m realizing how much I miss my boys!

Steve reports that Pongo was out of sorts for a while after I left on Saturday. To hopefully wear Pongo out, he worked Pongo with a good long game of frisbee, quite a few rounds of nose work, and finally POOL TIME! Pongo loves his pool, especially with the hose running for him to dunk down and grab.

This is my test post as I am posting from the iPad. I’m off to Bozeman tomorrow to help move Steve’s Mom and brother to Seattle. My plan is to take only the iPad and not my laptop. I don’t know how much I’ll have to post as the main character of the blog is staying behind with Papa. But who knows…I may have a guest blogger every now and then filling all of us in, me included, on Pongo’s antics, which there have been plenty of lately (picture Pongo standing on the kitchen table making himself known to the dog next door. Yes, I wanted to wring his little neck right then and there but I refrained).

This picture was taken up at Byers Lake on a what was to be kayaking day trip but ended up a frolic by Troublesome Creek because the lake was still frozen.