Friday, July 6, 2012

Inspiring or Perspiring?


June 29, 2012
Richmond, Virginia

Apparently we're doing a bit of both. I, of course, am doing the inspiring.  (Doggies don't perspire, you know.)


As you know, we live in Richmond, Virginia, which is about halfway up the Atlantic Coast of the United States.  Normally our summers are hot, humid, and downright miserable.  When we hike in the summer, it's usually IN the river rather than on our usual trails along the river.  But lately it's been even hotter than usual, setting all kinds of records.  I'm trying to convince the humans that we really need a pool -- and I mean a nice big one with a pool guy or girl who comes along with it who does all the maintenance and plays with me a lot.  Preferably salt water because that's better for dogs than chlorine.  Either that or we should migrate to a more tolerable climate in the summer months.


Since we don't have a pool and the river isn't safe to swim in right now because of the storm which shut down the sewage treatment plant upriver, needless to say, we've been spending a lot of times indoors lately. We are very grateful to have a good puppy cooling system (which humans call air conditioning) in our house, with puppy cooling vents located on the floor of each room.  We're also very grateful we haven't lost power like a lot of people.  I've been spending a lot of time lately lying on the puppy cooling vents.


AC vents are a pup's best friend

When it's this hot (up to 105 degrees F last week, with a heat index of 118 F) (yesterday I think it only went up to 102), we keep ourselves occupied and challenged by practicing old tricks and learning new tricks.  I plan to post some videos of my tricks soon.  


We've also been doing A LOT of blogging lately, and occasionally making the local news with our graffiti.  (See my post Farewell Huguenot Bridge.)

I MADE THE NEWSPAPER

Mom and I have also been very busy with my FIRST EVER Silly Photo Contest, so we're a bit behind on some things, including announcements of recent awards.  But we're trying desperately to catch up . . .


I have been awarded the Very Inspiring Blogger Award by Shiloh, Scout, Teddy, and Ash of Dogs N Pawz AND by Jesse of Berner Tails!
  
Thanks so much Shiloh, Scout, Teddy, Ash and Jesse!  


I LOVE awards!  I'm very flattered, and it makes me feel very good to be a source of inspiration to other pups.  It also makes my mom feel good because she does a lot of the work on my blog (with my supervision and direction, of course).  (That's where the perspiring comes in.)


This is the award, which I now proudly display on my sidebar:



There are three rules for this award:  (I seem to detect a pattern here)
(1) Thank the person who nominated you and link back to them in your post.  DONE!
(2) Share 7 things about yourself.
(3) Pass the award on to 15 bloggers you admire.


Okay, so I have to share 7 things about myself.  Hmmmm.


1.  My birthday is August 8, 2007 (so there's still plenty of time to shop for presents).  I will be five years old.  I've been living with my mom and dad since I was 1 and 1/2 years old.


2.  I'm not the complete angel that my photos may lead one to believe.  For example, I am a life-long unrepentant poop-eater.  I will eat the entire kleenex box if mom leaves it on the counter.  I have also been known to chew up books, a salt shaker, kitchen utensils, etc.  Every towel in our house has at least one corner chewed off of it, or a hole chewed in it.  Mom and dad have gotten better about keeping things out of my reach, but they still forget from time to time.


3.  I am the only lab in the history of the world who refuses to jump off a dock.  I LOVE water, of course, but I prefer to wade in, rather than leap.


4.  I used to not really like little dogs, but now I have lots of little dog friends.  (Did you know that little dogs are just like big dogs, only smaller?  And they can keep up with the big dogs on long hikes!  My friend Gauis, a dapple long-haired miniature dachshund, even likes really big sticks too!)


5.  I have a black lab cousin named Sadie and a chocolate lab cousin named Mia.  (see The Best Part of Christmas - Neapolitan Lab)


6.  I have improved my parents' social lives considerably.  Mom and dad are both introverts and would likely be total hermits if they didn't think it was important for me to get out and do things with other dogs and be exposed to all different types of situations.  The great thing is that the people we have met because of my activities are all cool dog people!  We've met some of our favorite humans through hiking, Dog Scouts, therapy dog visits, tricks classes and demonstrations, dog blogging, etc.  My parents have also made great connections with total strangers (see Fire Eating -- and MORE!!!), all because of ME!!!


7.  I'm not much of a barker, but I do make a lot of cute, silly noises.  When I dream, I make this high-pitched whinnying sound, like a horse.  I have perfected the big sigh and pitiful moan, to show my total boredom and exasperation with my humans.  The only time I get really excited is when mom and dad take out the trash, and I jump around and make this excited yipping sound.  And I snore -- boy do I snore!


Now I pass the award on to blogs I admire.  There are so many blogs I admire and that have inspired me, so I'm just going to list a few that I don't think have received this award yet.


floppy tongue joy - Reuben's dogblog (make sure you check out the Disclaimer on this blog)
Reuben is one of the finalists in the 2012 Petties Funniest Blog or Blogger category, so be sure to go to the Petties site and vote for him!


The Dog Who Doesn't Fetch

Gemma's Little Gems

Babka Bars


Bernese Mountain Dogs @ Bertoak

If you don't have time to pass it on, or if you've already received this award, please don't feel obligated to participate.


Don't forget - Friday, June 6 at midnight Eastern Standard Time is the deadline for my FIRST EVER Silly Photo Contest.  We have added some new and exciting prizes, so don't miss out on your chance to win something!





13 comments:

  1. Keep cool! We love our cooling system too, BOL~

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  2. You and your mom really deserve that award for sure! Even an all-time-feline-lover follows your blog and loves it! Maybe because one of my cats is just like a blond lab. He sniffs, he apports and he is just plain silly sometimes. But he is also very sweet and devoted to his dad. I think you would like him....
    Eventhough the temps are really VERY high over there, I wished we would have some of that. After 4 days of summer it's raining cats and dogs over here. Again. Like it always does in the netherlands..... Hope that it's still warm when we will be in the US, could use some warmth.
    Have a good weekend, give your mom a snuggle from us in rainy cold Holland.

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  3. Woah Garth it is Hot Hot Hot in your neck of the woods :O Glad you're snugglin up with the AC vents my furiend :) Maybe your Mom could pick up some Frosty Paws fur ya too? ;)

    Waggin at ya,
    Roo

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  4. Good information about you Garth! We have a pretty good puppy cooling system too, but when the power goes out around here, the muzzer gets grumpy. And that has happened a couple of times recently. So, while a pool would be nice, we would settle for a generator big enough to run the downstairs (AC, computers and Fridge. Oh, and maybe the stove, but that is not critical.)

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  5. Congrats on your award.
    Best wishes Molly

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  6. Hey Garth!
    Wow, congrats on the fun awards and for making the local paper! Gee, I only pee on the paper here, I'm never in the paper. BOL. I can't wait for the finale of your silly photo contest! You have tons of fun entries.
    Grr and Woof,
    Sarge, COP

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  7. Wowzers, you are even hotter than down her in Florida! I asked for a puppy pool, but don't know if I will get one or not. Stay cool my friend! Looking forward to seeing those silly dog pics too!
    Lovies, Miss Mindy

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  8. Congratulations on your award. If you want a change of weather you could always come across the pond to the UK. We're on flood alert. The forcast predicts a months rainfall to fall in 24 hours.

    A soggy Sheba.

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  9. We do like your built in coing system. Congratulations on your cool award by the way, we sweat like the dickens
    Benny & Lily

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  10. OMD, Garth, I'm going to be 5 my next birthday, and I've been living with my mom since I was 1 1/2 too! We have so much in common. Congratulations on your award!

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  11. Congratulations on your award, Garth! Angel Maggie loved to eat tissues too!

    Love ya lots,
    Mitch and Molly

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  12. Those puppy cooling vents is the best invention ever! Can you talk my mama into making ours work? Daddy putted the coolings in the window where I no can reach! And Garthie, thank yous for mentioning about my Petties nominations. You is a good friend to tell all of the whole worlds about my blog!

    Love,
    Reuben

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  13. HOT HOT HOT is right! OMDawg...can't even imagine! (we don't have AC in MT - last night it cooled down to 39 degrees! Today it got to 80! That's just pawfect. I also have the lake to go in! (PS my sister lab wouldn't jump off the dock either) I feel for you Garth! That is HOT.

    Great job on the awards! It was fun readin' all about you!

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