Wordless Wednesday: Halloween Edition

(Photo courtesy of Allied Animal Hospital)




ANNOUNCING THE WINNERS of the Frosty Paws Giveaway!!!

And now for the moment 

you've all been waiting for!  

The winners of my first ever Frosty Paws Giveaway for Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, are:

Lovable Lily of The Doxie Life of Lily, Muffin, and Their Humans

Nola of Dachshund Nola

Sam of How Sam Sees It

Jessie Costa of Canine Camp Getaway of NY

Miss Mindy from Hood's Happenings

Fenris of Alasandra, The Cats & A Dog

Hound Girl of Hound Girl - A Texas Home With A Hound From Hell

Ann Paws of Pawsitively Pets

Ashley T.

and 

Silly Sasha of Silly Sasha the Lovable Shih Tzu

We put all the names in a basket

Trying to draw names out of the basket
(Daddy had to help me)

This is definitely worth celebrating!  I think I'll have some Frosty Paws to celebrate!

Thanks so much for all your wonderful entries!  It made us feel so good just to read them -- to hear about all the great things my readers are doing to help out homeless animals!  If you haven't read the entries (all posted in the comments to the Frosty Paws Giveaway post-- I posted the email entries too), you should go back and read them.  The entries are wonderful, and there are some great ideas of ways to help!

Many thanks to Frosty Paws for providing all prize package materials, including coupons, plush toys, and shipping envelopes, and for paying all shipping costs!   I LOVE Frosty Paws!

ATTENTION WINNERS:  Please email your shipping address to me at garth DOT riley AT rocketmail.com so I can send out your Frosty Paws Prize Packages as soon as this silly Frankenstorm thing has run its course.  If I don't hear from you immediately, I will understand, since we expect some of us here on the east coast to be without power at some point in the near future.


Richmond, Virginia is still calm and dry -- the worst is supposed to hit us sometime tonight, but it's supposed to be much worse for our friends up north.  Our thoughts are with those in the storm's path.  Stay safe, my friends.

Key West, continued

Part IV: KEY WEST, continued

Day 9 - Key West:

Paddleboarding and Fishies

Mom and I started the day with an early morning walkie to Mallory Square, Simonton Beach, and along the waterfront. 

Looking for sea creatures

Early morning on the dock at
Simonton Beach

I'd make such a great Dockmaster

Please can we feed the fishies?

Then we went back to Lazy Dog where we all went paddleboarding -- even Daddy-Dog!  And he only fell off once!  Afterwards, we went to back Geiger Key Fish Camp Restaurant for lunch.

This old fellow is a regular at Geiger Key

After all that excitement, I needed a nap back at the hotel room.  

Later we took a walk to the waterfront where we fed the fishies and then went to Schooner Wharf for drinks.

FISHIES

BIG Fishie

We're a LONG way from home

Sponge Creature didn't scare me one bit

And of course we couldn't miss Sunset . . .

I slept very well after all this activity.

The Westin Heavenly Dog Bed
was a little bit small for me,
but it made a totally awesome pillow

Day 10 - Key West:

Cannons, Pirates, and Key West People

Mom and I saw a great egret hanging out at Mallory Square during our early morning walkie.  One of the things mom loves about the Keys is that there are lots of egrets and ibises. On our way back we walked by the Mel Fisher museum where I checked out the cannons and we saw a lady pirate!

I wanna' be a pirate!

Ready, aim, FIRE!

Perhaps it's clogged?

Posing in front of the anchors of the Atocha
and the Santa Margarita.  These ships both
went down in a storm a long, long, long time ago
but Mel Fisher found them -- along with lots of treasure!

Later, when we were having breakfast on a bench at the Westin marina, a very nice lady from the Fury Surf Shop came out to us and told us she had just put out a big bowl of water for me.  The water was fresh and cool and she was VERY nice to me!!!  We think Key West people are the nicest people around!

That night we had dinner at the Island Dogs Bar.  We had a very nice waiter who brought me my drink in a souvenir cup!  He said he had an Anatolian shepherd that paddleboards with him, but only stays on the board a little while, then jumps off and swims along side him.  We can't imagine a dog that size paddleboarding, but he said he was only a puppy, so only about 80 pounds.

We met two very nice women at the Island Dogs Bar.  They were sisters and had been coming to Key West together for years.  They complimented me on my looks and behavior and mom said one of the reasons we love Key West is that it is so dog-friendly.  One of the sisters smiled and said, "and it's so people-friendly."  Yep, we like that too.
  

Of course I'm old enough to drink
(My version of a Malibu Punch is straight H2O)

Ready to call it a night

Key West on Dwellable

Fall 2012 Florida Keys Adventure - My Travel Journal, Part IV

Part IV: KEY WEST

Day 7 - Key West:

Chickens, Chickens, Chickens, and 

the Solar-Powered Dog

On our first full day in Key West, mom and I went on an early morning walkie before the sun came up.  There were roosters crowing everywhere, and we saw a gazillion chickens and roosters, but I was very good and didn't try to eat them.  I didn't even bark at them, despite repeated provocation.

Rooster trying to sneak up on me

I SEE you Rooster!

Mom, dad and I walked by Aunt Ginnie's old place on our way back from breakfast.  It's now part of a bar called Smokin' Tuna.

Smokin' Tuna, former residence of Aunt Ginnie

I am NOT impressed

It was a warm day, so I wore my silver cooling jacket when we were walking around town.  I got lots of comments on my jacket, but my favorite was when a man asked "is that a solar-powered dog?"  Mom replied, "no, he's a superhero."  Glad she cleared that up.

In the evening, we went to Sunset at Mallory Square, then had dinner at the Island Dogs Bar.  Of course I felt quite at home.

Mallory Square

Mallory Square

Laser eyes at the Island Dogs Bar

We went window shopping on the way back to the hotel.

I just don't think this outfit is really me

Day 8 - Key West:

SUP, Geiger Key, and 

Playing with the Locals

at Dog Beach

Mom and dad got bagels and we had breakfast sitting on a bench at the Westin marina, overlooking the water.  We had breakfast there almost every day.

Our favorite Key West breakfast spot

After breakfast, we got in the car and went to a place called Lazy Dog at Hurricane Hole Marina, and I learned to stand-up paddleboard!  At first it was a little bit scary, but I will go pretty much anywhere and do pretty much anything as long as my mom is there with me, so I simply sat on the board.  We paddled around the marina for a while, and I got more comfortable, so I lay down with my tail hanging in the water.  Then mom and I paddled around the mangroves and out the little canal into the channel, through shark-infested waters! (yes, 2 baby nurse sharks count as shark infested)  In addition to the sharks, we saw tarpon and lots of other fishies.  Mom said it was awesome being able to paddle with me.  I was SUCH a good boy -- I didn't try to jump off at all.

After paddleboarding, we met Uncle Randy & Aunt Cara at a really cool place called Geiger Key Fish Camp Restaurant.  Geiger Key is off the beaten path, and we had never been there or even heard about it, but we can count on Uncle Randy to take us to cool places.  The humans had a yummy lunch, and our very nice waitress was from Danville, VA (small world).  She brought me a big bowl of water with ice in it!

Post SUP rest time at Geiger Key
Fish Camp Restaurant

After lunch, we went to Dog Beach, where I met and played with local dogs Greta (a golden), Vita (a very cool-looking brindle boxer mix) & a little Boston Terrier whose name I didn't catch.  I played with Greta's ball while she played with my bumper.  Mom went out snorkeling and I tried to follow her, then dad and I hung out at Louie's Backyard Afterdeck while mom snorkeled.

Hanging out at the Afterdeck

At Sunset we looked for our friend Will the fireeater, but learned that Will & Kime moved away.  Will and Kime were very kind to me last year, and we had really hoped to see them again.  Sunset isn't the same without them.

Where's my friend Will?

Of course I got the usual attention and petting from people.  A lady asked to have her photo taken with me.  Another lady asked if I was a "polar bear lab" (she was serious).  After Sunset, we went to Schooner Wharf for dinner.  There were LOTS of dogs there!

I did a lot of this in Key West

All that petting was exhausting

It's a FROSTY INVASION!!!

Daddy-Dog came home the other night to an alarming sight:

INVASION OF THE FROSTYS

It took several minutes for us to reassure him that we had the situation under control.  This is not -- as it might seem -- an invasion of Frosty plush toys.  These are actually the Frosty plush toys for my Frosty Paws Giveaway.  I'm giving away TEN Frosty Paws prize packages.

They really are quite cute when they're not swarming.  See?

Each Frosty Paws Prize Package contains
a Frosty plush toy (for your human pup sibling)
and TWO Frosty Paws coupons (for you)

 

TWO coupons for a FREE box of Frosty Paws

If you are a U.S. resident dog*, and you LOVE Frosty Paws like I do, or if you've never tried Frosty Paws and would like to, just enter my giveaway.  You can find all the details on how to enter in my post Frosty Paws Giveaway for National Adopt A Shelter Dog Month.  If you don't already follow my blog, start following to stay up to date with news about the Frosty Paws Giveaway and the announcement of the winners.  Also, if you're on facebook, check out the Frosty Paws Facebook Page.  (Please note that following my blog and "liking" the Frosty Paws Facebook Page are NOT requirements for contest entry.)

The deadline for entry is 12 midnight Eastern Standard Time on October 27.

The ten winners will be randomly drawn from all of the entries.  To enter, all you have to do is tell me about one thing you have done to support a shelter or rescue organization or to help a homeless animal.  (If you have done more than one thing, that's GREAT.  Tell me all about what you've done to give ideas to others.)  If we ALL do one thing, it adds up!  If you're looking for ideas on how to help, read the comments to the Giveaway post.  My readers are doing wonderful things!

Frosty Paws has generously provided the prize packages and shipping boxes with prepaid postage.  How cool is that?!?!

Frosty Paws sent me all of this

 

 Of course I needed some help opening the package

Hey, you with opposable thumbs! 

Help me!

*Sorry, this is only open to U.S. residents because Frosty Paws are only available in the U.S. -- until I'm able to deliver them on my private jet!