Pongo received a card from Grandma Bev while Mama and Papa were in Texas. I’m sure he took Grandma Bev’s words of wisdom to heart and worked really hard at being a good boy while staying with Miss Kari.
Thank you, Grandma Bev for putting a smile on everyone’s face!
After spending 4 days in Brownsville, we made the five hour drive up to San Antonio. I had never been to San Antonio but heard it was a great city to explore. And, who ever I heard that from was not lying. San Antonio kept us plenty busy for the two days we were there. One of the best decisions we made was to stay at a hotel that was 8 blocks from the River Walk. We walked everywhere enjoying the perfect weather.
Walking Through The King William Historic District
Steve engaged in his favorite past time: finding survey monuments
The River Walk
Outside The Alamo (It was probably a 4 hour wait to actually go in!)
Japanese Tea Garden
We had a wonderful trip spending time with my parents; I know we were able to relax and enjoy ourselves because we knew Pongo and Reid were safe with Miss Kari and Miss Peg. And while Pongo had a blast at Miss Kari’s, I do think he was relieved to be home with his family as he slept all day Saturday and all day Sunday!
Spring break is here and Steve and I decided to take the plunge: take a trip without the dogs. We have only traveled once before without Pongo, and that time we were able to have a friend stay at the house with all of the pets. This time, Reid went to stay with Miss Peg and Pongo went to stay with Miss Kari. Reid is so easy going that we had no worries about leaving her, plus she’s been to doggie sleepovers before. Pongo, on the other hand has not. We were apprehensive about leaving him with someone but knew he would be in good hands with Miss Kari; she knows his idiosyncrasies. Miss Kari is also graciously stopping in a couple times a day to check in on Puna and give her some lovin’.
The trip down to visit with my parents in Brownsville, Texas was a 20 hour ordeal but we made it and have been enjoying the warm weather and spending time outdoors:
Boca Chica Beach
Golf Tournament: Team Alaska
Steve won the “longest drive” and sports the coveted green jacket.
And, we’ve received lots of updates on how the dogs are doing: Reid, fantastic as always.
Pongo has done really well for being away from Mama, Papa and the safety of his own home. He is behaving himself and being a respectful house guest.
Pongo showing off his obsession with water bottles.
The only issue he’s had was separating from Miss Kari at daycare yesterday. He was rather obnoxious barking at the wall and door of the classroom to get at her. She is getting to experience what cattle dog owners call the Velcro dog. Today at daycare though, he was a very good boy and appears totally smitten with his new girlfriend, Bella.
We are just so thankful and pleased that things are going so well. Tomorrow, we’re off to San Antonio.
Pongo will be staying with Miss Kari over Spring Break. To help him ease into staying with Miss Kari and her pack, Miss Kari and Miss Peg graciously took him yesterday to meet her three dogs. Here’s the email I received from Pongo after his field trip:
Mom,
Today I went on a field trip with Miss Kari and Miss Peg. When I left the building I saw your car, but then Miss Kari started to drive and I was confused because you were not there. Miss Peg told me it was ok because Miss Kari’s car is just like yours. Our field trip was my chance to visit the two remedial daycare homes where kids who are not so smart spend their days since they can’t go to Dog Tired.
Our first stop was at Miss Kari’s house where I met Tobe, Abby and Maddie. I was a very good boy and did not do anything out of line. I greeted each dog very respectfully, which actually surprised both Miss Kari and Miss Peg. We investigated each other and made our way around the yard. Tobe peed on a lot of snow so I followed him around and did it too. We all went number two and then Miss Kari and Miss Peg decided that it was a great start and we should head out on a good note. I get to go again later this week to see my new friends once more. Next time I will meet the cat and see the inside of Miss Kari’s house.
At Miss Peg’s house I didn’t meet any dogs put I did help them move a treadmill into the car so they could transport it to Dog Tired for the staff to use in the break room. I was a very brave boy because that treadmill was big and mean and scared me a bit. We arrived back at Dog Tired and I ran into class to tell all my doggie pals about my big adventure. What a great day!
Love you – PONGO
And here’s Pongo after his field trip adventures…
One worn out boy (who was also being rather bad by making his sleeping nest right on top of Mama’s pillows!).
…while I patiently wait for Mama to turn on the treadmill.
Way, way back when the grass was still visible, brown but visible, and the air held the smell of impending snow, I entered Pongo into a Halloween photo contest on the AuCaDo Cattle Dog forum I frequent. Unfortunately, the moderator for the photo contests needed to take a hiatus from moderating so the contest was never completed. Forum members voted but the polls were never closed and winners were never announced. Until…yesterday.
If only our backyard was a little bit bigger…
The only problem though is that Pongo has absolutely no fear, and that often gets him into trouble. I can just see him becoming a projectile ACD trying to jump off the thing! Pet emergency, here we come…again.
Pongo loves to chew and he’s very good about only chewing appropriate things. He has a toy basket full of Galileo Bones for him to chew at his leisure but his all-time favorite chew object is a raw beef marrow bone.
He gets to indulge in these while Steve and I eat dinner. We are very careful about watching him so he doesn’t break off large pieces or partake in too much of a good thing and end up with an upset tummy. It’s pure ecstasy for him to dive into his raw bone.
As you can tell, Pongo can be a total little brother when it comes to flaunting his bone in front of Reid. Reid does get a bone too but spends a few minutes licking them and then she’s done. I think it hurts her deteriorating teeth to chew on something so hard. We end up putting her bone away when she’s done because Pongo will be greedy and want both bones.
We are always on the look out for chews that aren’t going to cause intestinal blockage (rawhides) or break off into big pieces that will have to be surgically extracted later (some raw bones). I had seen these Himalayan Dog Chews at our local Mill & Feed store but always bypassed them because they were made out of Yak and Cow’s milk.
With ingredients like those, I assumed they were soft and would be devoured within minutes. Then I read a post on the Notes From A Dog Walker blog about these dog chews. The author was raving about them and how long they lasted, even with her most powerful chewer. So, I picked some up the next time I was at Alaska Mill & Feed.
Pongo loves his new cheesy sticks! I love that they break off in small pieces and if he does happen to break off a larger piece, he’s able and pretty good about chewing them down into smaller pieces. The only drawback the Himalayan Dog Chews have is they give Pongo some pretty horrendous gas. Oh well…I guess that’s the price you pay for some peace of mind.
Kona, our 9 year old male Siamese has been battling Chronic Renal Failure the past couple of months. We’ve tried to make him as comfortable as possible but came to the realization his condition was not stabilizing. Steve and I had to make a very difficult decision: it was time to let Kona run free at the Rainbow Bridge. I have never had to make life decisions like this; it’s absolutely heart-wrenching and to be honest: it SUCKS!
I decided to write this very difficult blog before we let him go because I knew there was no way I was going to be able to write the tribute Kona deserves, once we came home.
Kona was one very special kitty…
He had pizazz and personality.
He could make you laugh with his inquisitiveness or as he was zipping around the house, with the kitty zoomies.
He was a love bug who would sit on your lap or by you for hours, just enjoying your company.
He would drool all over you as you stroked his velvety fur.
He terrorized his sister…
and loved on Reid like she was his Mama.
He tolerated Pongo and if he had more time, they probably would have become friends.
After a holiday hiatus, we are back into our Nose Work classes. Pongo has sniffed his way to Advanced Nose Work and is preparing for a trial in May. Our instructor Liz, at Alaska Dog Sports made today’s class especially challenging for the dogs. Instead of using the usual small, metal tins to hide the scents, she put the scented q-tips into empty pens. That means the scent could only travel through the very small opening at the end of the pen.
I love watching Pongo take on a challenge but felt for him today when he struggled a bit to find the hides.
We also had a chance to practice box drills. Pongo is working really hard on alerting with a sit instead of becoming the Smash-O-Nator and destroying the hide or the box. All of these small details matter in a trial. He can find the hide no problem but if he disturbs the hide area, it’s a fault. So, practice, practice, practice!
The Pongo Experience 