I’m a Teenager!!

Posted on April 2, 2020 by liv2rv

Hello everyone, it’s your favorite dog blogger, Makena! I thought it was time for an update on my blog, as quite a bit has been happening for me, both good and bad. Let’s just get the bad stuff out of the way first…

OUR NEW HOME

What in the world were my parents thinking when they sold my house?? I was NOT consulted on this purchase of what amounts to a human sized dog house. I have gone from 40 feet of floor space, to 11 feet. I knew something was going on, because my parents kept packing up their stuff, and moving it out. But then I noticed they were packing up all my toys, food and treats, and it was removed from the RV as well. At that point, I became very nervous about what was happening. That night, which turned out to be the last night in our home, I refused to sleep with my parents. They would put me in bed, and I jumped off, and sat by the door. They again put me in bed, and I jumped off and went by the door. Finally they gave up, and put a blanket down by the door. That’s where I spent the night. There was no way I was going to let my parents leave, without taking me along. So I slept all night in front of the door.

Nobody leaves without me

The one thing I do like about the camper, is the booth dinette. However, I have to stand on my paws to see the computer, as the table sits up higher than the dining table in our fifth wheel. As you can see, it’s not as comfortable for blogging. But I will still keep my peeps informed!

Keeping my peeps informed!

The nice part about the booth dinette is I can sit on top and look out the window. I like that a lot. I can get some sunshine, fresh air, and see what is going on outside.

But there is barely enough room for my dog bed, blanket and food dish on the floor. And when they need to get something out of the refrigerator, or cook on the stove, I get moved around. And there’s not much space to run around indoors to play. I’m slowly adapting to my new digs. They promised me I would have a bigger house in a year or so.

MY BIRTHDAY PARTY!

So on to the good news. I just turned 13 years old, so my parents decided to have a birthday party for me. They tried to make sure that everyone practiced good social distancing during the party. Here I am demonstrating how to keep an appropriate social distance, which is something I have spent my whole life doing. P1060362 (1)

My friends Duffy and Finnegan attended my party, and they were busy trying to find the feral cats that hang out behind this park model.

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Si also attended, but he didn’t get the memo on proper social distancing! I had to keep my tail down…it’s kinda like a face mask for my butt!

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Missing from my party was my Grandpa Stu. We share the same date of birth, only 70 years apart. Also missing was Buddy, my next door neighbor for the past two winters. His parents had to leave early to get back to Canada. I like Buddy, because he lets me share his recliner with him. His mom gave us some treats before they left to celebrate my birthday.

CHRISTMAS

This past Christmas, I was again able to spend a few days with my dad’s family for Christmas. Gary and Julia again rented a pet friendly house, in Tempe. I was able to meet up with my cousin Simon, who just keeps getting bigger and bigger. He just turned three years old. We did our customary picture, but had a new addition this year. Simon is now a “big brother” to Amira, born in September.

Currently, I have been spending a lot of time hanging out at Dave and Marilyn’s house in Yuma. My parents have been helping them with some outdoor projects. I like having a bigger house to hang out in, especially when I can just relax in the sunshine.

Stay safe everyone! Take care and thanks for following along.

Quote of the Day: “The world would be a nicer place if everyone had the ability to love as unconditionally as a dog.” – M.K. Clinton

On the road again!

Posted on October 9, 2019 by liv2rv

Hello everyone, it’s your favorite dog blogger, Makena!

Keeping my peeps informed!

We are on the road again!!! While my parents are busy driving from Wyoming to Yuma, Arizona, I’ll get you all caught up. We have finished up with our fourth and final summer at Luton’s Teton Cabins, just five miles east of Grand Teton National Park. Once again, we were the last work camper couple to leave. My dad steam cleans all the carpets, so it takes a while to get thru all 14 cabins and the lodge. I have enjoyed my time here, because I can run around off-leash on the property.

The one problem, for me, with being the last to leave is the weather. It always snows before we leave, and it gets cold. It was 17 degrees when we pulled out this year. But it sure is pretty! This was our view from Luton’s on Saturday, October 5, when we left. It had snowed the day before.

I think I caught a cold or something, because I’ve gotten sick the last two mornings before we left. My parents had to wash my favorite blankets two days in a row, and I’ve been sneezing a lot. But now that we are on the road again, I am doing better. I spend all day in my crate in the truck, so I have been getting a lot of rest. It’s my “safe place.” My parents say I’m an excellent traveler.

We are going back to Westwind RV and Golf Resort in Yuma, Arizona. I’m looking forward to the warm weather and sunshine! My parents told me they will have new jobs this year, and will only be working two days a week. Yay! That means more time for me! They will have an orientation day on October 15th, so I’m sure my mom will get back to blogging and have more information on their new jobs after that time. And their friends Tom and Ellen will be working at Westwind this year. They stopped over at our house a month ago, and brought their new puppy, Duffy, with them. He promptly sniffed my butt and ate all of my food. I don’t like him….

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Before I go, I’m going to post some more photos of the Tetons that my mom took in May, and September. The Tetons are a beautiful place, and I hope all of my readers can someday visit the park. Good-bye Tetons, looking forward to new adventures next summer in Alaska! Here’s a view from Oxbow Bend at the beginning and end of our season.

May 2019

September 2019

Jenny Lake is a popular area in the park for hiking. This is a view from an overlook. In May, the lake was still frozen.

May 2019

September 2019

Quote for the day: “Once the travel bug bites there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life.” – Michael Palin

The dog blog is back for another year!

Posted on January 30, 2019 by liv2rv

Hello everyone! Your favorite dog blogger is back! And Happy (belated) New Year!! My parents need to leave the computer open and the wifi on while they are busy at work, so I can keep my peeps updated more often! For those new to the blog, I’m a little Jack Russell Terrier that likes to take over the blog once in a while, and post about my life on the road.

Keeping my peeps informed!

Normally my parents do their work camping thing (which pays for my toys and treats) from mid-May to the end of December. I’m not sure that I like this idea of them working all the way through mid-April this year. Usually I get to spend the first four months of the year being the center of attention. Now they are off working 3 days a week, and I’m home alone listening to the radio. I guess it’s better than being back in Wisconsin, where it’s 22 below, and that’s just the air temperature! My mom’s sister Margie sent her this picture this morning. That is just wrong! I feel bad for my cousins, Rudy and Reagan. They are German Shorthair Pointers, so they have even less hair than I do! I would need to use a litter box, because there’s no way I’m going outdoors to pee in that temperature!

I did get to go with my parents to San Diego (thanks Gary and Julia for booking a dog-friendly house so I could come along!). I’ve visited the Atlantic Ocean several times in Florida, and was excited to get my paws wet in the Pacific Ocean! I’m officially a coast-to-coast traveler now!

My mom and I sat down for our regular photo with my cousin Simon. That tiny baby has grown into a handsome young boy.

Simon has also grown into the perfect height for getting snacks! I’ve taught him well.

I was super excited when my grandparents came to visit me here in Yuma! They have been very busy with golfing, line dancing, playing cards and participating in many other activities in the park. When they came over, gramps was a little pooped out, and grandma was more interested in her iPad. I feel left out….

sigh…

Longtime readers may recall that grandpa and I share the same birthday, March 20. They will not be here in March, so we decided to have an early birthday celebration, with gramps turning 82, and I will be 12! The cake was delicious!

Looking at the photo with 2 candles, has caused me to reflect on the 10 years that have passed since the last time I had 2 candles on a cake.

just a pup at age 2

I now have some gray behind the ears, but I think I still look great for my age! Back then, we were living in a house, and I enjoyed playing with the neighbor kids, Adam, Faith, Josh and Ben. They would play football with me, which I enjoyed. But I really enjoy living in a fifth wheel. The smaller space suits me better, and I get to meet people from all over the country, and discover new spots to sniff and pee. Life is good!

Quote for the day: “A boy can learn a lot from a dog: obedience, loyalty, and the importance of turning around three times before lying down.” – Robert Benchley

I’m still in jail, awaiting freedom!

Posted on June 22, 2018 by liv2rv

Hello everyone, it’s me Makena, your favorite dog blogger! It’s time for my update on the dog’s life on the road.

Keeping my peeps informed!

For those that are new, I injured my back last fall (too much playing I guess!). I was shut down and had to spend several weeks “in jail” inside a big crate (thanks Dave and Angie).

By January I was feeling better, and had my freedom back, but then I tweaked my back again. In April, my mom took me back to the vet, and they did another x-ray, and my vertebrae has not completely fused together yet. So Dr. Alex put me on some steroids, and said I needed to remain off my paws until I can heal up some more.

I’m starting to feel better, and hope to be able to walk off leash again out here in Wyoming. After all, what’s a dog to do with 100 acres of land to explore? My parents mentioned the 4th of July as my target date to gain my “freedom.” In the meantime, I spend my days back in jail…oops, I mean the kennel, while they are busy working.

It has been raining a lot this past week. I really don’t like being inside the 5th wheel when it rains, as it is just too noisy. But my mom always says “no rain, no rainbows!” She always looks for rainbows when it stops, and she did get this photo the other day right outside the RV.

Before we came out to Wyoming, we stayed at Camp Meyer (Doug and Linda’s house, Dan’s sister) in Hortonville, Wisconsin. I had my first face to face with a rabbit that was caught in a rabbit trap. I was a little afraid at first, but when I realized it was stuck in jail (I could sympathize) then I moved closer to it.

Don’t worry, it was released unharmed. I told it to stay away!

On our way out to Wyoming, we stopped in Minnesota so I could visit with my cousin Simon. He’s 13 months old now. Here we are last year, when he was about 6 weeks old.

And about 6 months later…

Last year, I was not impressed with him, as he really didn’t do anything. But now that he is 13 months of age…

I think this picture thing might become a tradition. Hopefully Simon is the only one that puts on weight over time! At least that is what my Mom hopes.

He’s finally in the “trainable mode”. I was able to teach him how to drop food during lunch time!

We worked on scratching my ears…

And I taught him how to watch for squirrels from the upstairs window at Gary and Julia’s house, Simon’s grandparents (Dan’s brother).

It was a busy day with my cousin, and we were both exhausted after a long day of playing!

Yes, he’s now one of my favorite cousins! Food, scratches, and naps. What more could a dog want?!

Quote for the day: “Dogs have boundless enthusiasm but no sense of shame. I should have a dog as a life coach.” – Moby

Makena Meets Her Texas Cousins

Posted on March 16, 2018 by liv2rv

Hello everyone! It’s me, Makena, and I’m back after resting up for a few months! For those new to the blog, I’m a soon-to-be 11-year-old Jack Russell Terrier that likes to post the views of the traveling dog.

Keeping my peeps informed!

Before we left Florida, I did get a few days to visit my buddy (in his mind), Mr. Finn. My parents went with their friends Tom and Ellen to watch a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Winter Park. Ellen, Mr. Finn’s mom, made him wear some crazy clothes and took him along to the parade. I heard that he was quite popular, and many people stopped to take his picture. Hmmm….I guess I wouldn’t mind all that attention from humans. But my head is too small for that big green hat he was wearing!

Mr. Finnigan

Mr. Finn went to watch his big sister Annabelle dance after the parade. She does Irish dancing, and her school, Watters School of Irish Dancing, put on a free performance after the parade. My parents said they really enjoyed the performance, but my mom has no coordination to dance like Annabelle. Annabelle is the shorter girl in front, and her proud grandma, Ellen, is the lady wearing the shamrock headpiece in the front row!

After that, we packed up our house, and I spent the next several days in travel mode, riding in my crate in the back seat of the truck. There’s nothing better than finding new places to pee! I like leaving my mark all over the country. I was getting a bit confused with my schedule during this traveling time. My mom is normally up at 6am, and takes me out to go to the bathroom. As with humans, you get used to doing your business at a certain time, if you know what I mean. And I always have my canned food dinner at 5:00 pm! But while we were traveling, my mom kept telling me we are now on Central Time, and I had to wait. I didn’t understand, and just as I adjusted to the new time schedule my mom started feeding me early again. Apparently we switched to Daylight Savings Time? I just don’t get these humans and their time changes. When my belly alarm goes off, I need food. Not a difficult concept for us dogs.

We arrived in Texas and I was excited to see my Aunt LuAnn, Uncle John and cousin Alicia. But then I discovered those “other cousins,” the four-legged kind. They gave me a big “Texas welcome,” which I was less than enthused about.

Seriously? Both ends?

Toffee decided to sniff my head, and Karamel got the other end. Then they switched positions. I think my mom needs to stop using the lavender-scented shampoo. After that greeting, I discovered two more cousins waiting to greet me, Athena and Artemous.

After that traumatic episode, my parents took me outside, without a leash (yay!) since they have a fenced in backyard. It was then that I discovered even more cousins (must be a Texas thing), but they were chickens! Hmmm, I like chickens, but they wouldn’t let me in the pen meet them. I just had to watch from a distance.

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Needless to say, I was quite exhausted by all this activity, and decided it would be best to hide under my aunt and uncle’s bed. I felt this would make a good “safe zone” away from those big poodles. Unfortunately, the cat’s also use this area for their safe zone as well. They were not amused that I was in their space, and promptly cornered me. My parents were unaware of this cat bullying, until they kept calling my name, and wondered why I was not responding. Then they found me and rescued me. Whew!

B3384415-1C33-41B6-B2F3-5192C0F988EB I slept well that first night back in the RV!

The next day we went back to visit, and I was not prepared to discover that I had even MORE cousins! Yes, they adopted another standard poodle, Café Noir, who is eight weeks old. My parents found her adorable, me, not so much.

Cousins Café Noir and Alicia

Apparently the big dogs have taught the little dogs how to butt sniff. I’m doing my best to keep it away from all of them.

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My parents did bring my crate along, so I would not infringe upon the cat’s safe place. Unfortunately, my new cousin hasn’t learned her boundaries yet, and tried to sneak in with me. Now I know how the cats felt when I invaded their safe zone.

DSC04756 (2) And if that new dog wasn’t enough, they also had a guinea pig too. It stays at school in LuAnn’s classroom, but she brought it home for spring break, so it would ‘stay alive.’ Again, I was not allowed in this cage. I think I would have liked this cousin. It would be too small to reach my butt to sniff!

Since my parents have been out playing tourist, I have spent several days inside my crate at my cousins. I don’t get to sleep as much as I would like because I need to keep an eye out for my cousins.

I think I tweaked my back in Florida, and was not feeling well. Even though I don’t like being locked up in my crate all day, I have started to feel better. Hopefully I can continue to get stronger, as I really miss playing with my football. Oh, the good old days…sigh.

Makena and football Well thanks for following along with me on my adventures. I’m sure my mom will be back soon posting, as they have kept themselves busy in Dallas. Take care!

Quote for the day: “I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult.” – Rita Rudner

The A-Dog goes on the ‘DL’

Posted on November 2, 2017 by liv2rv

Hello everyone, it’s me again! For those new to the blog, I’m Makena, who occasionally takes over this blog. Today I have a lot to write about, and it’s not good news for me…

Keeping my peeps informed!

But before I get to the bad news, I will do a brief summer recap. I again enjoyed my time out in Wyoming, with 100 acres to roam around, off leash! What dog wouldn’t love this?

My parents were excited about the Eclipse, and I was prepared with my glasses. But I ended up staying in the 5th wheel….no dogs allowed by the cabins…sigh.

IMG_1035 (1) I spent the summer doing a lot of playing with my football….maybe too much playing, which I will get to later. The weather was good all summer, until the end. My parents promised me when we ventured out on this crazy journey that we would always have warm weather. But once again, we ended up with quite a bit of snow. But I didn’t let it stop me. I made my mom put on her boots and winter coat (had to dust it off!) and get out and play with me. October in Wyoming!

Hurry Up! I’m ready!

And away I go in the snow!

We made a quick stop in Minnesota on the way home, so I could see how my cousin Simon was doing. He is now 6 months old, and has grown a lot since I last saw him. Compare the photos from May (bottom) and October:

He still can’t throw a football, and he’s not eating solid food, so I’m still not that interested in him yet. I did try to teach him how to rub my belly. But apparently, Grandpa Gary has been teaching Simon the “pull my finger,” trick, as he was only interested in “pulling my paw!”

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

When we got back to Wisconsin, my parents dropped me off at my grandparents house, so I would be well taken care of while they helped out remodel their friends business. However, after two weeks, they picked me up and took me in to see the doctor. And that’s where we get to the bad news. For the last few weeks, I have been unable to jump up on the couch or the bed at night. I still wanted to play and play, and my parents didn’t think too much of this at first. But I wasn’t getting any better, and was having trouble going up steps. So they decided to have me checked out.

My doctor in Wisconsin retired, so they tried out a new clinic, Kuenzi Family Pet Hospital, and were happy with the visit. I was not. They were concerned I may have torn a ligament in my knee, but they could never figure out which leg I was favoring. Dr. Alex did a thorough examination, and put me through a lot of range of motion tests, and said my legs and neck were fine, (that’s the good news) but he was concerned about my back, and took me in another room for x-rays.

The bad news: I ruptured a disc in my spine, and the two vertebrae are now just “bone on bone.” Dr. Alex said in humans, this would be an extremely painful injury. But I’m one tough dog, and haven’t displayed much pain. Here are two of my x-rays:

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Yes, I’m a lean, mean, machine!

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Now for those reading this that are not Radiologic Technologists (Happy Rad Tech week, by the way!), here is the above image blown up, and I have added some markings. The arrow on the top left points to the microchip that was inserted in me when I was a puppy. The other 3 arrows point to the disc spaces in between my vertebrae. This is how they should look. The circle shows the two vertebrae that are rubbing together. The disc is gone. And there is narrowing at the disc space below that level.

So this is where “the ugly” comes into play. Since the vertebrae appear to be starting to fuse together, Dr. Alex said wants to hold off on considering surgery. However, for the next 6 weeks, I have to be completely non-weight bearing! In other words, I have to stay in my crate….ugh! No playing, no jumping, no walking. My parents carry me out to go potty, and then carry me back in.

I’m not happy, and I don’t understand why I’ve been put “in jail.”

My parents friends, Dave and Angie, let them borrow a bigger crate that I can stay in during the day (at night I’m back in the little crate in the bedroom). They call it “The Taj Mahal.”

I call it “a bigger jail.” But I am happy they put my dog bed in it, and set it in front of the electric fireplace. I’m on pain meds and anti-inflammatory pills, which are making me feel better. I have learned that they will let me out, “on good behavior,” for an hour or two at night, as long as I don’t run around. I heard the word “NO” for several days, before I complied with their rules, and just laid down on a blanket outside the crate.

Freedom!

The worst part of all of this, even worse than being stuck in a crate for 6 weeks, is that I am not allowed to play football, until February, at the earliest. It’s going to be a long winter for me….

Quote for the Day: “Petting, scratching, and cuddling a dog could be as soothing to the mind and heart as deep meditation, and almost as good for the soul as prayer.” – Dean Koontz

Ready for a good summer!

Posted on June 1, 2017 by liv2rv

Hello everyone, it’s time for your favorite dog blogger to post again! My parents have been very busy with work, so I thought I would get you caught up on what I have been up to.

Keeping my peeps informed!

While my parents were busy working in Wisconsin, I was back at my grandparents house, keeping them busy. I really enjoy my time there, because they spend all day playing with me, taking me for walks, and lot’s of cuddling time. It’s a good time!

After we left Wisconsin, we stopped in Minnesota and I met my newest cousin, Simon. Right now, other than being cute, he’s not very exciting. He just sleeps a lot, and he’s not eating real food yet. Hopefully by the time I see him again, he will be sitting in a high chair, tossing some food onto the floor for me. Then I will be more interested in him.

Simon’s pretty boring right now

Once he gets bigger, I will have to teach him how to throw my football. Gary and Julia spent some time tossing the ball to me, and I enjoyed my time at their house.

But it was time to move on, and I really enjoy traveling. I was excited when we arrived back at Luton’s Teton Cabins, as it is my favorite work camping job for my parents. They walk to work, so I know they are close by. With a 45 minute lunch, I get to play every day when they come home. I have them well trained already! They even surprised me with a new football! I have acres and acres of playing field!

Yes, this place is a dog’s dream! What’s not to love about this view?

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And the fact I can walk around off-leash is a bonus! Lot’s of trails right on the property for me to check out. There are 4 other dogs with me this year. Casey and Honey are back, and they have already stuck their noses in my butt….sigh. I also met the two new dogs, Lilly and Molly. I also heard there are two cats that like to walk on a leash, but I have not met them yet. I think I would like them. Cats are usually more polite to me.

Happy to be back!

When I am not out playing, walking, or marking my spots (need to let the elk, bison, horses and bears know I am around!), I spend most of my day waiting for my parents to reappear from the bushes. I am not allowed to go beyond those bushes where the cabins are. So I just sit in the window and wait.

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I know it’s going to be a great summer again! My parents said it should be very busy, as they are already booked full for most of the summer. Hopefully they won’t be too tired to go for regular walks on the property.

Take care everyone and have a great summer!

Quote for the day: “Ever wonder where you would end up if you took your dog for a walk and never once pulled back on the leash?” – Robert Brault

Celebrating 150 years of birthdays!!

Posted on March 20, 2017 by liv2rv

Hello everyone! It’s me, Makena! For those new to the blog, I’m a Jack Russell Terrier who occasionally takes over my parents blog. It’s always good to get the dog’s perspective! My mom was going to post another blog about their visit to Kennedy Space Center, but today is a very special day….my 10th birthday! And even better, I get to celebrate it with Grandpa Stu (Dan’s dad), who turns a fit and fabulous 80 today! Tomorrow is Aunt Linda’s Birthday (Dan’s sister). Linda is the BIG 60!! So altogether, we are celebrating 150 years of birthdays! Whew, that’s a lot of candles. Hopefully the smoke detector won’t go off!

Keeping my peeps informed!

Now in human years, I am 56 years old (based on age and size of dog). Sorry Aunt Linda, you still are older than me!

Happy Birthday Linda!

Grandma and Grandpa came over to the RV park for a visit today! They took me over to the dog park to play football with me!

I love playing football!

And I had presents and birthday cake too!

Is this for me?

A new football from my grandparents!

More presents and a card!

Grandma baked a delicious cake for grandpa and me!

Happy Birthday to us!!

I know it was good, because I snuck in a quick lick!

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I tried for more, but grandma and grandpa blocked my route!

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Sadly, this will be our last day in warm and sunny Florida. Tomorrow my parents will be hitching up the fifth wheel and heading back to Wisconsin to help out their friends, Mike and Karlyn, finish up remodeling a new business. So I will be spending the next three days riding in my crate in the back seat of the truck. I don’t mind, because every 2 or 3 hours they stop and I get to walk around and pee about 15 times at a gas station or rest area. Sometimes my mom thinks I have two bladders!

Since it’s been a while since I have blogged, I will catch you up on a few other events. For Christmas, my parents bought me an orthopedic dog bed, to replace my old one that didn’t have much padding left. They also bought themselves new throw blankets. While the bed is nice and comfy, I decided they don’t need two blankets. They can share one, and I have claimed the other as my own!

New bed and blanket!

Although my parents didn’t bring me over, I did get to smell a pizza cooked over a campfire one night. Bob and Betty, our next door neighbors here in the RV park had a happy hour campfire and cooked a few pizza’s over their triangle grill. I’m told they were delicious. I did not get any…

Master chefs Bob and Betty

Bob, Betty, Dan & Roger

Ed, Sheila, Dori and Sue

Last night my parents went out to dinner in New Smyrna Beach with three couples from the campground that will not be coming back here next year. They will be traveling out West next winter. We wish them safe travels, and hope to see them sometime down the road!

Roger, Sheila, Paul, Diane, us, Betty and Bob

It has been another good year in Florida. Hopefully warm weather will be waiting for us in Wisconsin? As always, thanks for following along on our journey!

Quote for the day: “How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?” – Satchel Paige

The ‘dog blog’ is back!

Posted on November 21, 2016 by liv2rv

Hello everyone! It’s me, your favorite blogging dog, back from a long absence! For my long-time followers, you will note that I have a new photo of me blogging. Currently, I am at my Grandparents house, while my parents are busy making money so they can afford more treats and toys for me. My grandma just purchased her very first laptop, so I am trying to figure things out.I would have blogged sooner, but my grandma’s desktop computer is older than I am, and I just couldn’t figure it out! My parents have come up to visit me a few times, especially now that grandma has her new computer. Grandma called them 5 times the first night after getting the laptop, so they decided to come up and visit the next day, because getting tech support over the telephone was cutting into my playing time. I was starting to feel neglected.

My parents were trying to set up grandma’s laptop in person, but even that was becoming a process. Apparently grandma handed them some things she called “floppy discs” and wanted them installed on her laptop. A long discussion took place, and soon my dad was cutting up the discs. They are older than me!

who still uses these?

Mom then set up her iTunes account on the laptop and was transferring some music for grandma. More discussion occurred…

uhmmm, no grandma!

But enough about that, time to get back to me! I had a great summer at Luton’s Teton Cabins. It was a great place to be a dog with working parents. No late nights, always home on time for lunch so I never had to “cross my paws” with their long workdays. And having 100 acres to run around, off leash, was just icing on the cake. Who can beat this view?

my summer home

I was excited to arrive back in Wisconsin, but not so much when I found out we are staying in a glorified parking lot. Not big green space to play, and I always have to be on a leash. And, I was back to crossing my paws as my parents were gone all day…no thanks!

So after a few days, they realized I was not a happy camper, and took me up to my grandparents house. Now I am back to being the Queen Bee! As any grandchild knows, whether you have 2 legs or 4, grandparents homes are the place to be! I spend most of my days sitting by their back door, trying to convince them that I need to go out and play with my football.

Let’s go play!

They are easy to convince, so I have been getting a lot of play time in their back yard.

I try to keep my grandpa’s chair warm when he is away (usually golfing). I am so grateful that he is feeling good and fully recovered from his scary ordeal with Guillain-Barré Syndrome (you can read about it here). We go for daily walks, which I really enjoy.

When my parents brought me up here, they packed up all my toys and treats. Beggin’ Strips are a special treat for me, and a bag usually lasts about 2 months, because I only get a couple of them every week. Milkbones are my regular treat. My parents were a bit shocked when grandma called after three weeks and said they were out of Beggin’ Strips! Well I am special, so I convinced my grandparents to give me my special treat every day! Yay!

I also discovered I don’t even need to do anything special to get a treat. If I stare at my treat jar for a long time, they just get up and give me a treat! Here’s a photo of my grandparents watching television. Notice me in the corner?

It looks like I was put in the “time-out” corner, but upon closer inspection, you will see I am staring at my treat jar on the counter Yes, I have them well trained!

I also figured out where grandma hid my new 12 squeaker toy. She put it up on top of a dresser in a bedroom. So I sat and stared at that for a while, and she eventually gave in, and I was able to destroy my new toy!

My grandparents did take me to see my cousins at Camp Meyer! I really enjoyed having even more people play with me, and snuggle up with me.

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It’s better than snuggling up with “mini me”. This is the stuffed animal my parents sent to my grandparents so they won’t forget about me when I’m not there. Hey, it’s cute, but not quite as good as the real me!

The weather is starting to get a little too cold for me. Hopefully my parents remember to come and get me before they leave for Florida. I could use some warm weather, as I don’t have much hair. When my parents come to visit, my mom brings up their laundry. I crawled in a basket of sheets just out of the dryer. My parents aren’t sure if I was just cold, or if I wanted to make sure they don’t forget about me.

I’m not sure how much longer I will be staying here, but now that I have mastered grandma’s new laptop, I will try and not go so long between blogs.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving! Hopefully the ‘turkey fairy’ will drop a few pieces in my dish!

Quote for the Day: “An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day.” – Irv Kupcinet

I Like It Here!

Posted on June 16, 2016 by liv2rv

Hello Everyone! I’m back, your favorite blog posting full-time dog!

Keeping my peeps informed!

I am really enjoying my time here in Moran, WY just outside Grand Teton National Park. My parents have found a dog friendly work camping job. I am not allowed to go in or near the rental cabins, so I can’t go to work with them (I would be good at licking up all the crumbs on the kitchen floors in the cabins!), but having 100 acres to roam around, is doggie paradise! (even if there are 6 other big dogs on the property)

Before I talk about my current activities here, I will get you caught up on what I have been up to the last few months. After leaving Florida, we went back to my favorite “campground”, Camp Meyer. (Dan’s sister and brother in laws house). I have the full reign of the facilities, and they have several acres to roam around on. I was able to visit with my great nieces. They gave me lot’s of attention and snacks!

Teaching Ellie about treats!

Raya and Leia playing with me

I briefly visited with my doggie cousins Rudy and Reagan, who, after sniffing my butt, pretty much ignore me now. My kitty cousins were not happy I was eating their food, and Bandit hissed and pawed at me quite a bit. Callie was much nicer to me this time and Jonell’s sister Margie and her husband Greg always treat me well!

Veterinarian Visit

As many of you may recall, last year my doctor was concerned about my weight, and said I needed to lose 1/2 pound. This year I weighed in 3 ounces MORE than last year! But, the doctor noticed I was much leaner and more muscular, and had a low heart rate, so he was very happy with my appearance this year. I am a lean, mean, football playing machine!!

My parents were concerned about my scratching and licking my butt for the past couple of months. They thought it was fleas and fire ant bites from Florida. Turns out, my anal glands were full (sorry if this is grossing you out, but this can be an issue with us dogs!). In 9 years of living, I have never had that problem. The doctor was able to “express” them, and boy did that make me feel better!

The doctor recommended that I have some canned organic pumpkin to eat (a teaspoon or so with my food). I guess that helps keep things from clogging up!

After my doctors visit, I joined my mom for her annual patio beers with her friend Amy, and I made a new friend, Taco. Taco and I really got along, once he stopped poking around my rear end!

did you get your anal glands expressed?

My buddy Taco and I

And now back at the ranch…

There are miles of walking trails all over the property here. Just look at this view I have every day. You can see my path just goes on and on. It truly is doggie heaven!

A dog’s dream field

I have been marking my spots all over the field, as there are all kinds of wildlife that come through this field.

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The owners have about 11 horses on the property. I was pretty scared of them at first, and when we went walking with my parents friends and co-workers Karen and Al, I stood behind Al while he pet the horses. But then I warmed up to them, and realized they had no interest in sniffing my but, despite their large noses. They are obviously civilized animals!

Al is protecting me!

you have a big nose Mr. Horse

There were cows on the property for a few weeks, but they have been moved to higher elevations for the summer. I was reprimanded for going under the fence to get a better view of them!

My parents have started allowing me to go off-leash on the property for part of our walks. But, after a few drop and rolls in some big horse poop, I have been warned I may lose my off leash privileges.

I have to stay out of the piles to keep my freedom!

I’m glad that I took agility class, because I have to be careful crossing over the cattle guards when I am carrying my football out to the playing field.

walking a straight line

Unfortunately, my mom broke a bone in her foot last week. She was carrying their laundry basket down the steps inside the 5th wheel, and didn’t see her shoes at the bottom of the steps, stepped on them and fell. So she is in a walking boot for the next 6 weeks, which means we won’t be doing this for a while.

Mom and I. Cabins in the background.

But my dad is still taking me out to play, and hopefully he will take me out for some long walks. I miss those. It’s such a pretty area for us dogs and being off leash to bound around the ranch is awesome!

Take care everyone, and thanks for following along with me!

Quote for the day: “I have a simple philosophy. Fill what’s empty. Empty what’s full. Scratch where it itches.” – Alice Roosevelt Longworth

Liv2RV

Living and working around the country in a RV

Tag Archives: Makena

I’m a Teenager!!

On the road again!

The dog blog is back for another year!

I’m still in jail, awaiting freedom!

Makena Meets Her Texas Cousins

The A-Dog goes on the ‘DL’

Ready for a good summer!

Celebrating 150 years of birthdays!!

The ‘dog blog’ is back!

I Like It Here!