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

Part II: Key Largo

Day 3 - Key Largo

Mom, dad and I went on a sunrise walkie.  We walked all the way across the island to see the ocean!  During the morning, I napped while mom and dad went swimming.  Dad overcame his fear of water and learned that he is part fish!  He learned to use a mask and saw a bunch of fishies and a starfish!  

Napping on the balcony

Then during lunch at the Blue Cow Cafe, I made a new friend named Buoy, and Buoy's dad gave me a treat!  Then I made friends with Bentley who works in the boutique nearby.  

Me and my new friend Buoy

Buoy

For dinner, we all went to the Conch House, and the very nice lady there gave me BACON!  After dinner, we stopped by Divers Direct and a guy in the store said I could come inside too.  I'd never been in a dive shop before.

That night I had very active dreams -- I dreamed I was hunting bacon on the plains of Africa.

Day 4 - Key Largo

We started the day with another sunrise walk across the island to the ocean.  

After lunch at the Blue Cow Cafe, we went into the dog-friendly UPS Store because in the window they had a sign that piqued our curiosity -- it said "we send coconut postcards".  The very nice lady in the UPS Store gave me treats and explained that a "coconut postcard" is when you put an address on a coconut and ship it to someone.  This is why I love the Keys!  Every place is dog friendly and everywhere I go, they give me treats!  And they do crazy things like ship coconuts to people instead of a postcard!  We wanted to get a coconut postcard for Grandma Joyce, but the only ones they had said "Happy Birthday" and it won't be her birthday again until next July.  But I got treats, and that's all that mattered.

Me and Hector in front of the Blue Cow Cafe

I LOVE this place

Excellent service at the UPS Store

I was very proud of Daddy-Dog because he was learning basic swimming and was rapidly gaining confidence in the water.  Mommy-Dog tried SUP (stand-up paddleboarding) for the first time ever and paddled a couple miles down the shore and back.  She "totally rocked it" according to the 18-year old SUP dude.  Momma was quite proud of herself at receiving such high praise.  And her newly-mended-with-a-titanium-plate-and-8-screws arm didn't bother her AT ALL, which is really amazing, considering she broke it into a bunch of pieces only a little over two months ago.

Day 5 - Key Largo

We had an early morning walkie, then went to the Blue Cow Cafe for breakfast, where we saw my new friend Bentley.  Everyone who walked by admired me and petted me.

Dad continued to amaze us by trying stand-up paddle-boarding.  He didn't fall off and was actually able to keep up with Momma.
During lunch at the Blue Cow Cafe, we saw my new friend Buoy.  The UPS Store lady brought me treats so I did some tricks for her.  Then Buoy had to show us HIS tricks.  Then we met Uncle Randy & Aunt Cara at Snook's for drinks.  It was great to see them!

The Blue Cow Cafe is VERY dog-friendly (and people-friendly!)

Buoy and Hector make sure everyone
knows dogs are welcome

Buoy has the best eyebrows EVER

We went back to Snook's later for the MarrVelous Pet Rescue Yappy Hour.  You wouldn't believe the number of dogs there!  You can see some photos at Yappy Hour at Snooks.  I REALLY missed seeing my buddy Southernmost Moose though.  Hopefully we will see him next year -- if not before.

Me at Yappy Hour

More scenes from Key Largo:

This little dude was walking across the driveway of our hotel

Lizards were EVERYWHERE

Relaxing on the balcony of our sweet suite

Big jaws at Shell World

Now this is just silly

Stay tuned for Part III: Key Largo to Key West

Key Largo on Dwellable

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

14 days, 5 states, 2500 miles

Part I - The LONG Drive Down

Day 1 - RVA to Port Wentworth, GA

Not a particularly exciting day.  Momma and I went on an early a.m. walkie because we knew we would spend lots of time riding in the car (and momma & I both get restless if we haven't had a walkie).  We drove and drove and drove (actually dad drove, we rode) which was kinda' boring, but I got to smell North Carolina smells and South Carolina smells at rest stops along the way, then Georgia smells when we got to the hotel.  We spent the night near Savannah, GA at the super dog friendly Hampton Inn in Port Wentworth.  (We love this Hampton Inn because they don't charge a dog fee and they don't have one of those silly weight limits.)  They even gave me a bag of cookies at check in!

Riding in the car

Interesting stuff in the Hampton Inn parking lot:
Who knew BBQ was a sport?

LOVE this license plate

Snuggling with momma
after a long day of traveling

Riding in the car for 8 hours is exhausting

Day 2 - Port Wentworth, GA to Key Largo, FL

Momma & I went for a morning walk while the moon was still out.  I tested mom's arm repair job when I saw a cat, and the repair job passed the test!  Her arm held up quite well and didn't even hurt in response to a sudden major jerk of the leash!  (This was great news because our later adventures would require the full use of both of her arms.)

We hit the road early, but Florida is a very long state.  

We saw an awful lot of this

I love the signage at the Florida rest stops,
but what about the 'gators???

We got to Key Largo around 8:30 p.m., tired and hungry.  We had dinner at the Blue Cow Cafe, and mom and dad said it was awesome, and it was doubly awesome because the lady there was very nice and there was a big sign that said "Dogs Welcome" and a bowl of water.  We checked in to our hotel after mom and dad had dinner, and I was VERY tired.  Exploration would have to wait.

A very tired pup

Stay tuned for Part II, about our stay in Key Largo

(It gets more exciting, I promise.)

Fighting Canine Cancer, In Memory of Jake

Momma and Puppy Jake, May 1999
Ocracoke, NC

Jake at Booga's house, one of his favorite places

Before I came to live with Mommy-Dog and Daddy-Dog (that's what I call my human parents), they had a black lab named Jake.  Jake died of cancer when he was only eight years old.  

To honor Jake's memory, mom, dad, and I formed Team Garth to participate in the Fetch-A-Cure Mutt Strutt to raise money for Fetch-A-Cure, a Richmond, Virginia-based 501(c)(3) organization that educates humans to raise awareness about canine cancer and its detection, treatment, and prevention.

If you are in or near Richmond, Virginia, please join us in the walk.  It's only a mile long.  If you would like to join or support our team, check out the Team Garth Fundraising Page.

Many thanks to those who have already made donations to Fetch-A-Cure in support of Team Garth.

Jake
January 19, 1999 - December 1, 2007

FROSTY PAWS GIVEAWAY for National Adopt A Shelter Dog Month!

Photo courtesy of Frosty Paws®

Super-Exciting Post Alert: Please note that the contents of this post may lead to uncontrollable tail-wagging.

October is National Adopt A Shelter Dog Month!  The generous people who make Frosty Paws® Frozen Treats came up with a great way to celebrate National Adopt A Shelter Dog Month -- by giving away Frosty Paws prize packages!  They have provided me with TEN Frosty Paws prize packages to give away to ten of my readers.  As my readers well know, Frosty Paws is one of my absolute favorite treats, so I am thrilled to be hosting this giveaway.  

Each prize package consists of two coupons for a box of Frosty Paws for you and a plush toy Frosty for your human puppy siblings.  [Total ARV $17.63]  Please note that the Frosty plush toys are not suitable for dogs.  Since Frosty Paws are only available in the United States, I can only award prizes to U.S. residents.

To determine who gets a prize package, I am holding a Support Your Shelter/Rescue Challenge in honor of National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month.  For various reasons, we can't all go out and adopt a shelter dog right now, but there are many other ways in which we can support animal shelters and rescue organizations.

This is how my Support Your Shelter/Rescue Challenge works:

To enter the giveaway, post a comment below telling me how you &/or your humans have supported an animal shelter or rescue organization in the past (by adopting a shelter/rescue animal, volunteering, donating money or goods, etc.), or how you have helped a homeless dog find a forever home.  
(If you are unable to post a comment below, you may enter by sending an email to me at garth.riley@rocketmail.com.  I'll do another post at the end of the contest which will include the email entries.  Please put "Adopt A Shelter Dog Frosty Paws giveaway" in the subject of the email.)

There are many ways you can support your local shelter or rescue group: by adopting a shelter/rescue dog, fostering a dog, volunteering for a shelter/rescue, making a donation to a shelter/rescue, participating in or attending a fund-raising event, etc.  If you have provided a foster or forever home for a homeless dog, that counts, even if you didn’t go through a shelter or rescue organization.  This will hopefully give others ideas of ways they can help support their local shelter or rescue organization.

To give you some ideas, I'll tell you about some things my humans and I have done recently to support animal shelters and rescue groups.  This year, my mom, dad, and I have helped animal shelters and rescues by:

Organizing & participating in Dog Scout Troop 194's fundraiser for SEVA GRREAT (Southeastern Virginia Golden Retriever Rescue, Education and Training), sponsoring my buddy Cisco's bid for the Richmond Animal League 2013 calendar, participating in the Richmond SPCA Dog Jog, contributing to Odessa Rescue and Rehabilitation's chip-in for Jasmine, donating items to Odessa Rescue's auction, attending Henrico Humane Society’s Bark in the Park, supporting Marr-Velous Pet Rescues & Adoptions by attending Yappy Hour, and referring friends to local animal shelters and rescue organizations.  See how easy it is to help homeless animals! 

If you haven't done anything to support your local shelter/rescue organization, you can still enter this giveaway by doing something and then posting a comment about it.  If you don’t have money to donate, you can donate your time or you could donate something you make to an auction.  Mom was very pleased and amazed that a frame and five ornaments she donated to Odessa Rescue’s auction brought in over $100 for Odessa! 

Bonus entry:

To get an additional entry in the contest, do something during the month of October to support an animal shelter or rescue organization, and post a comment (or send me an email) about it.  Make an additional donation, take a shelter dog for a walk, attend a fund-raiser, etc.

The contest is open to dogs, cats, etc., but you must have a dog family member or friend who will enjoy the Frosty Paws -- I don't want any coupons going to waste!  You must be a United States resident because Frosty Paws are only available in the U.S. (sorry my non-U.S.-resident friends).

The contest begins today and will continue through 12 midnight Eastern Standard Time on October 27.  Winners will be chosen by a random drawing.  I will put all names in a basket and will draw ten names.  Winners will be announced on October 28.

Don't worry if it takes a while for your comment to appear.  I moderate the comments, so they disappear after you type them, then appear after they have been approved.

Good luck!

Many thanks to Frosty Paws for providing all prize package materials, including coupons, plush toys, and shipping envelopes, and for paying all shipping costs!  The giveaway was totally their idea!  I LOVE Frosty Paws!  (and no, they are not paying me to say that!)

Doing my part to support Henrico Humane Society
at Bark in the Park 2012 (Frosty Paws-eating contest)

"In a Frosty Paws-eating contest, 

everyone is a winner." - Garth Riley

Super Exciting Stuff!!!

I have some super exciting stuff to tell you about:

Exciting Thing #1:
Mom just got her first article published in the blog doggyWOOF.  It is called Road Trip! 7 Tips on Traveling With Your Dog.  Mom will be writing an article for doggyWOOF each month on various doggy-related topics.  I'll be sure to post the links to her articles.   

Exciting Thing #2:
I'm one of the sponsors of the 2013 North Carolina Wiener Roast!  The nice lady in charge of organizing the Wiener Roast saw Reuben's trophy from the Silly Photo Contest and she really liked it.  So she contacted mom to ask if mom would make the trophies for the 2013 Wiener Roast.  Mom said she would love to make the trophies, and she also offered to donate one of her frames for the auction.  As if that isn't enough, mom said we are planning to attend the Wiener Roast!  Which means I will get to meet one of my favorite bloggers -- Reuben of Floppy Tongue Joy!  The Wiener Roast sounds like a really fun event, and we are looking forward to it, and we are very happy to be supporting doxie rescue.  (Sure, I'm a lab, but I've got LOTS of doxie friends, and I like to support lots of different rescue organizations.  And the Wiener Roast benefits the rescue group that saved Reuben, so that's all the more reason to support them!)

Exciting Thing #3:
Frosty Paws is sending me TEN Frosty Paws prize packages to give away to my readers to celebrate National Adopt A Shelter Dog Month!  I will post more details about this super exciting giveaway within the next couple of days!

Exciting Thing #4:
I've been having all kinds of adventures that I can't wait to tell you about, but my IT staff and I have been too busy having adventures to blog about the adventures.

A Virtual Awards Ceremony: Silly Photo Contest Winners Enjoying Their Prizes - Part 1

Mom and I have really enjoyed reading the posts and seeing the photos of the winners of Garth Riley's FIRST EVER Silly Photo Contest enjoying their prize packages.  We thought my readers may enjoy them too!

Zosia is enjoying her squirrel from Kygen

Serveta appears perplexed by her trophy

Zosia is not letting the squirrel out of her sight

You should definitely check out the post in which Arabella shows off her prizes -- mom and I were cracking up while reading it.  That girl can balance ANYTHING on her head and snout.

Reuben especially liked the Kygen Fling 'n Floss.  I get the feeling he will be growling at anyone who comes near his Fling 'n Floss.

Casey received two prize packages in one day -- one from my contest and one from the Legacy Boxer Rescue Summer Athletic Competition.  He is one lucky dude!

Zoey enjoyed playing with her prizes too, one of which matched her bedspread -- you can see her post here.

Princeton also enjoyed his prize package, especially the treats.  Check out his post about it here.  He said "Garth, you really know what kittehz like!"  This made me feel especially good, because I have to admit I was somewhat at a loss when putting together the prize packages for kitties.  I don't have any kitty brothers or sisters and I don't really know many kitties.  So I asked myself, "what do kitties like?"  

Then I found these:

How cool is that?  I included kitty tennis balls in many of the kitty prize packages because I think the idea is simply brilliant.  Why should dogs have all the fun playing with tennis balls?  (I've heard they even make tennis balls for humans these days.)

When I was out shopping for the kitty prize packages, I also found some kittie party mix!  I didn't even know kitties liked to party.  But they obviously do, judging from the photo on the front of the package.

So I was quite pleased with myself when the kitties told me they enjoyed their prize packages.  (Aren't kitties notoriously difficult to please?)

Speaking of kitties, Mayzie's brother Smudge won the Grand Prize.  He particularly enjoyed the tissue paper and bubble wrap that mom put in the package to keep everything from breaking.  Check out his post here.  I enjoy playing with and eating boxes, so I understand completely, but the bubble wrap?  That stuff scares me.

Roo found a new use for his Kygen moose toy prize -- as a shiatsu face massager.  He also wrote a very nice post about his winnings.

If you have written a post about your prizes and I haven't seen it, please let me know so I can include a link to your post in Part 2 of the Awards Ceremony.  I think I follow everyone who entered the contest, but I've been having some difficulty keeping up lately.  Also if you write a post in the future about your prizes, let me know and I will include it in Part 2.  

Mom mailed out some prizes last week, but she still has one prize to complete and one prize package to deliver.  She had some technical difficulties with the last one (besides the whole broken arm-surgery-installation of 8 screws and a titanium plate into her arm thing) and will be unable to work on it for a couple weeks, but hopes to have all prizes completed and delivered by the end of October.


Due to the overwhelming success of Garth Riley's FIRST EVER Silly Photo Contest, I am making tentative plans for next year's contest, and am considering making this an annual event.  I'm also trying to convince mom to help me out with another contest soon, because I had so much fun with this one.  I'm thinking of a small contest with only one or a few winners and perhaps a random drawing as at least part of the contest.  I'll tell you more about it when mom agrees to do it.  She said the Silly Photo Contest was very taxing on her mentals trying to keep track of who won what and make sure she sent the right prizes to the right creatures.

I've also got several pieces of big, exciting news, which I will tell you about in an upcoming post.  (Hint: one of these pieces of news involves a giveaway of one of my favorite things to some of my readers!) 

Livestrong Day

October 2, 2012 is Livestrong Day, a day when pet bloggers join to show support for those fighting cancer, and to honor those we have lost to cancer.

Amos, Grampa Booga, and Grandma Gayle
In memory of Grandma Gayle
July 28, 1932 - December 20, 2002

"Her spirit endures in all that is good" 

- Grandma Gayle's grave marker

Ten years ago, my Grandma Gayle died.  I never knew her, but mom says I would have loved her, and Grandma would have loved me.  Mom says I have a lot of Grandma in me, because I make mom and dad so happy, and because I'm always making people smile.

I think Grandma and I would have been great friends.  Like me, she loved the beach and the river, and she loved being outdoors.  She also LOVED labs.  She always gave Christmas presents to my black lab brother Jake, because she understood that Jake was my parents' furry, four-legged child.

Mom says Grandma made the best crab cakes ever.  She would catch the crabs in her crab pot off the dock, steam them on the deck so they wouldn't make the house smelly, then spend hours picking them.  Mom says now you have to go all the way to Tangier Island to find the only crab cakes that even come close to Grandma's.

Grandma was always doing nice things for others.  She remembered everyone's birthdays.  She baked cookies for the UPS man at Christmas.  She gave strangers rides to their boats, so they wouldn't have to walk carrying groceries all the way from the market to the town dock. 

We like to think that Grandma and Jake are playing on a beach together now, with all of the family's previous labs and boxers.  Amos, who was Booga's beagle when Grandma & Booga got married (see photo above), is in the middle of the melee, howling with joy.

This post is dedicated to Grandma Gayle 

and my black lab brother Jake.  Cancer took them both.