FitDog Friday! Garth's Top Ten Reasons to Join PetsMove.Org

It's FitDog Friday!

What better day to share with you all the GREAT reasons I belong to PetsMove?

Garth's TOP TEN Reasons 

to Join PetsMove.Org

1. All the cool doggies are doing it

My buddy Gizmo (of Gizmo's Terrier Torrent)
is tough competition
(and no, we didn't feel like having photos taken)

2. You can get an inspiration band

3. You can make new friends & connect with 
others with similar interests on Forums

4. You can get info about dog exercise & nutrition

5. Accountability helps you stick to a program!

6. PetsMove.Org will help you get/stay fit, and fit doggies live longer & have fewer vet bills . . . 

& fit doggies have more FUN

Fit doggies: Ricky, me, and Makayla
Photo by Brian Padow, Canine Adventure

Photo by Brian Padow, Canine Adventure

7. Girl doggies like fit doggies!

8. You can get support in your fitness routine

9. You could BE ON TV

and, most importantly

10. You can WIN PRIZES (and who doesn't like to win prizes?)

So why not join PetsMove.Org today?  It doesn't cost anything, and the benefits are AWESOME.

Keys Stories, Part 2 - Crazy SUP PUP Maneuvers and the Wayward Husky

Our second day in Key Largo began with a morning walk to the other side of the island to see the ocean.

GOOOOOOD Morning, Key Largo

Then we went to Mrs. Mac's Kitchen for breakfast -- and more photos.  

Posing in front of the Mrs. Mac's sign

After breakfast, I took a nap while mom and dad went snorkeling, so I was all rested up for our afternoon pack adventure.

After lunch, mom, dad and I went on a paddleboard ecotour with PADDLE! The Florida Keys (who we highly recommend, by the way - check out mom's Trip Advisor review).  Our guide took us to a place we never would have found on our own, Dove Sound and Dove Creek in Tavernier.

We paddled around Dove Sound, then we went down Dove Creek, a tiny creek through the mangroves.  We saw parrotfish and mangrove snappers and nurse sharks, and dad even saw a sea turtle but it swam away before mom and I could see it.  (Which was okay with me.  You never know when a sea turtle is gonna' decide to add labrador to its diet.)

Exploring the mangroves

Dad was rocking a super-fast board,
leaving us behind

When we got to a nice, deep canal, we took a break. 

It was a warm day, so mom decided to take a (voluntary) swim to cool off.  This provided me with an excellent opportunity to demonstrate my paddleboarding skills without a human in the way.

I can stand at the far back on the board, no problem

Surveying the area for creatures who might want to eat me

What's THAT?  Oh, just mom's foot.

Mom says there are no hungry sea creatures here,
but I'm not buying it

Mom said the water felt good, so she tried to "encourage" me to join her, but I was determined to stay on the board, and I did.  (This is amazing, by the way.)

Nope.  Not going in.

When break time was over, we headed back down the canal.  Mom was trying to get yet another photo of me, so she backed up a bit, and she toppled right off the back of the board, thus taking a second (involuntary) swim.  Did I fall off?  Nope.  (Daddy dog says it is important to note that he didn't fall off his board either.  Mom fell off and he didn't.)

Still on the lookout for sea creatures

We paddled back through the mangroves

One of the many advantages of being short

How many pups get to go on an adventure like this?


On our way back from the put-in place, we were stopped at a stop sign, and we saw a husky slip through a gate and take off running down the road, with a human running after him and calling to him.  The husky was paying no attention to the human -- he just kept running.  (Sometimes huskies do that, we've been told.)

We watched as several cars drove by, and the husky just kept running.  So mom told dad to drive past the husky, then stop.  Dad drove a little ways past the husky (who was still running) and pulled over.  Mom opened the door and got out, and a few seconds later the husky ran between our car and the thick brush at the side of the road, and mom grabbed him by the collar.  Mom said to him, "It's okay sweetie.  I know you're afraid because I'm a strange person grabbing you, but your mom will be here in a minute and it will be okay."   

A man on a bicycle who had been trying to help catch the dog and the woman who had been chasing him both came up and put a harness and leash on the dog, and thanked momma over and over.  The man said they needed to rename the husky Houdini, and the woman was thanking mom and crying and said she was afraid the husky was going to make it to Route 1 (the busy major road that runs the length of the Keys).  

We were so glad we were driving by at that particular time and that momma's timing was perfect and she was able to grab the husky.  I'm not a Houdini-dog, and I have no interest in running from mom and dad (after all, they have the treats), but if I did, mom and dad sure hope someone driving by would help. 

We went back to the hotel with a good feeling because the Houdini-husky doggy was safe at home that night.  We had a wonderful adventure, then we were able to help out someone who needed it.  What more could you want out of a day?

Keys Stories, Part 1 - Another Adventure Begins!

At the beginning of October, Mom, Dad and I went on vacation to the Florida Keys, our favorite place in the world.  We love traveling and having adventures together, and being on vacation together is the BEST.

Our Keys trips always start out with two very long days of driving, which means a lot of napping on my part.

Cozy in the back seat with a blankie
& momma's jacket as a pillow

But during the second day of driving, we made it to Florida, a strange land of most astonishing beasts.

Sure, I've seen dolphins before,
but never one with such unusual markings,
and never at a rest stop

Speaking of astonishing beasts . . .

We saw these Sandhill Cranes hanging out next to a McDonald's parking lot somewhere in Florida, where I was taking a potty break.  

Mom didn't see them at first, but you should have seen the look on her face when these FIVE FOOT TALL birds startled her with a sound right out of Jurassic Park.  I think she jumped a foot off the ground.  Luckily they only sounded like velociraptors, and did not exhibit any predatory behavior.

After more riding in the car (Florida is a very, very long state), we finally reached our destination for the first part of our trip, Key Largo. 

On our first day in Key Largo, Mom and I were so excited that we woke up before it was daylight and took an early morning walkie under the stars.  We walked to the other side of the island and saw the ATLANTIC OCEAN.  When we got back to the hotel, it was just starting to get light outside. 

Morning view from our room in Key Largo

After I had my breakfast, we went looking for breakfast for the humans.  Unfortunately our favorite breakfast place from last year had gone out of business, so we decided to give Mrs. Mac's Kitchen a try, since we had heard so many good things about it and they had an outdoor seating area.  We checked to see if it was dog-friendly and then got a table in the shade.  Then a very nice lady brought me a huge bowl of water with ice, and we knew we had come to the right place.  (If you want to hear more about Mrs. Mac's, check out Mom's review on TripAdvisor.)  Mom and dad both said the food was wonderful, but the best part was that the people there were so nice and friendly.  I think they really liked me.

The cool cement floor felt good

THIS is what I call excellent service 

Where's Garth?

I was tired after the morning's excitement, so when we went back to the hotel, I napped while Mom & Dad explored a nearby canal on paddleboards, and then snorkeled in front of the hotel.  Then we all went to one of our favorite Key Largo places for dinner, Snook's.  Snook's is very dog-friendly (in fact, they host Yappy Hour to raise money for a local rescue group), they have excellent food, and they're right on Buttonwood Bay.  All the waiters stopped by to say hi to me.

Evening on Buttonwood Bay, view from Snook's

Yellow dog on a bench

Looking for sea creatures

Not cooperating for photos

After dinner, we went back to our hotel and watched the sunset.

A beautiful end to a beautiful first day in Key Largo.

  

#ScoopThatPoop - The Poetry of Poop

For the third Scoop That Poop Blog Hop, we will be raising awareness about the importance of scooping poop by . . . writing poetry.  Yes, you read that right.  Scoop That Poop will be hosting a poetry contest, sponsored by Earth Rated Poop Bags.  For details about the contest and to enter, check out my pal Sugar's latest post at Golden Woofs.

I wrote a poem about how much I like to eat poop, but mom reminded me that the focus of Scoop That Poop is to encourage people to pick up poop and dispose of it properly -- and she says eating poop is not disposing of it properly.  There's no point in arguing with her.  So I wrote another poem . . . 

Garth's Poop Poem

We all need clean water to drink,

Because, you know, there is a link,

Between water pollution and doggy poo,

But there is something we all can do:

Always pick up your doggie's poop,

Use a bag, or use a scoop,

It doesn't matter how you do it,

Just pick it up, do it, DO IT.

Another Poop Poem by Garth

Some people say that poop is icky,

But leaving poop can make you sickie,

Dog poop contains lots of germs:

Bacteria, viruses, even worms.

Rain washes poop into the Bay,

And all the rivers, where we play,

So when you do not pick up poop,

The rivers & oceans become poop soup.

This is water where we swim and drink,

We don't want poop in it, don't you think?

See, it's easy.  Just write a poem, go to Golden Woofs to enter your poem, and maybe win some great Earth Rated Poop Bags.

Many thanks to Earth Rated for sponsoring 

the third Scoop That Poop Blog Hop 

and Poop Poetry Contest.

I'm exhausted after that burst of creative genius

Wordless Wednesday: SUP Pup

Travelin' Tuesday - Pet Travel Tips!

Mom, Dad, and I LOVE to travel together.  Because I'm such a good traveler, I get to go with them almost everywhere they go.

When we're vacationing, people often come up to us and ask to pet me because they miss their dogs at home.  Why not bring them along next time?

In honor of National Dog Week, my friends at Priority One Jets shared 5 Tips For Traveling With Your Dog.  These are all great tips, especially the one about learning Pet First Aid.  Mom took a Pet First Aid & CPR class at our local Red Cross, and she carries a pet first aid kit with her whenever we go hiking and whenever we travel.  Check out American Red Cross to find a class near you.  If you can't find a class, you can get the American Red Cross Pet First Aid book they used in the class at Amazon.com.  For some pet first aid basics, see AAHA HealthyPet.com, and for a list of what to include in your first aid kit, see The Humane Society of the United States - Your Pet's First Aid Kit.

Speaking of first aid, whenever possible it's better to avoid an injury than to treat it.  So when you travel to a far-away place, keep in mind that the environment is probably different from back home, and different kinds of creatures might live there and different things might grow there.  Some of these creatures and plants could be dangerous to your dog.  Find out ahead of time about any potential hazards -- like alligators, poisonous toads, venomous snakes, porcupines, prickly plants, etc. -- so you'll know to be on the lookout and avoid the types of areas where they can be found.

For even more travel tips, see my mom's guest blog post Road Trip! 7 Tips on Traveling with Your Dog.

Happy Travels!