Mirror Lake

Robert and I went camping to Mirror Lake in the Uintas this past weekend....well Sunday night and Monday and Monday night. It was so much fun! A friend of Robert's was having a personal crisis so we invited him with us. With all of our stuff and the dogs we were packed in there sooooo tight! I thought about leaving the boys home, but I thought they would rather come with us.

Our Campsite

From another angle

The sky when we got there

My mom, dad, and little sister Kathryn met us at the campsite just as it started to get dark. As we were driving up the canyon though, it looked like it was pouring rain! I was really worried it would ruin the camping trip, but luckily after about half an hour it quit enough to set up camp. It would sprinkle on and off, but no more down pours. We waited and waited for my family to get there, but about an hour and a half after they were supposed to get there, there was no sign of them. We all piled in the jeep to drive down to a cell phone signal, and just as we pulled out they pulled in. We had yummy hot dogs and marshmallows for dinner, and spent most of the evening setting up the tents.

Robert and Cypher starting the fire

Hobbs and Patriot in the shelter during the rain

The boys were put on long-lines tied to the trees. They weren't very happy about it, but there was a leash law, so they couldn't run loose. They slept in the tent with Robert and Me, and kept us very warm.

Hobbs on his long-line

Patriot on his long-line

Our tent

The chairs and the camp fire

On Monday I cooked breakfast, eggs and bacon, which was really good. My dad had to go to a work meeting so he, my mom, my sister, and me went with the dogs on a walk around the lake. It was a beautiful clear morning with not even a hint of clouds. The boys got to play in the water a little; Patriot had a good time swimming, but Hobbs kept jumping out and running down the trail like a crazy man. Robert and Cypher (his friend) went out on the lake in the canoe to fish for most of the morning, and then came back for lunch. We all just snacked for lunch and then relaxed in camp for a while.

Kathryn on Monday morning

Kathryn and Me

L-R: Mom, Kathryn, and Dad

I took Hobbs down to the lake later and let him fetch sticks out of the water for a bit. I stopped because one time he couldn't find the stick and so he kept swimming out into the lake, and wouldn't come back because he hadn't gotten the stick. I finally had to pick up a stick and wave it for him to see. Then he started swimming back, but he got out there a long ways.

Robert and Me

My mom and Kathryn decided to go swim in the lake during the afternoon on Monday. It was just starting to get cloudy and looked like it was going to rain. But they still felt the urge to get in the water. I had stuck a toe in earlier and it had felt really cold, so I didn't want to swim/freeze.

My mom ended up just wading, while Kathryn actually swam for a bit. They said it wasn't that cold, but I couldn't bring myself to try it.

Here is some of the scenery around Mirror Lake:

When we were all bored from relaxing we went down to the lake to fish. I hadn't gone fishing since I was very little so I was nervous and excited at the same time. Robert and I had gone to Sportsman's warehouse to buy fishing supplies and poles. Mine is really cute! It is black with some pink on it. It is an "Ugly Stick" Brand of fishing pole, so it is supposed to be really good. Roberts is black with some brown on it. His is a much bigger pole than mine, but I after fishing with mine, I am glad it is smaller.

We all went fishing most of the afternoon and realised right from the beginning that I am pretty good at casting. I could cast just as far as Robert who is a pretty experienced fisherman....sometimes farther! Kathryn was having some issues with her pole and couldn't quite get the coordination of the casting. I let her use my pole for a few casts. She did have a lot of luck catching fish though! She caught 9 little baby fish of which she kept 2, and then in the canoe she caught one big fish. I on the other hand had a bit of trouble with catching them. I caught one little baby fish after about 3 hours of fishing. Robert caught 3 or 4 in the morning but none that afternoon. His pole's reel was getting stuck and tangled a lot, so he didn't get much actual fishing in in the afternoon. We were so into the fishing that we even sat through the rain and fished.

Me fishing thoughtfully lol ;)

Kathryn

The three of us; Robert, Me, and Kathryn

More of me and Kathryn....you can see how the sky was getting cloudy

Robert fixing his pole and reel

Me with the one baby fish I caught

After a few hours on the bank, Robert, Kathryn and I went out in the canoe to try to get me a fish. It didn't happen, so we went over to where they had just stocked the lake. There were tons of albino trout there feeding on the fish that hadn't survived being dumped in the lake. I cast there I think three times and caught 2 fish including a HUGE one that was over 12 inches long! We then docked and caught three more fish from the dock. Then we cleaned them, and went back to camp where mom was cooking dinner. Dinner that night was great, fish and sloppy joes.

Me with all the fish

Kathryn pointing to her big trout

My two albino fish! Yes the big yellow one is the big one I caught

My wonderful mom cooking dinner in the dutch ovens

Robert and me with the fish (my face looks a little weird like my bells palsy side was acting up)...I just look a little crooked

The fishes cooking

Monday night didn't go as well sleeping wise. The wind had picked up, and so everyone was cold. Even Patriot with his huge fur coat was shivering, and came to cuddle right next to me. Hobbs had eaten too many pine needles and leaves and other junk which caused him to puke twice during the night. Not too fun to clean up. I woke up sore and tired.....sore from casting so hard for so long, and from rowing the canoe.Patriot went home with my mom, because of our trip to the Arizona cabin this weekend. Hobbs is going to stay with some friends while we are gone. We originally were going with a bunch of friends, but now there is just one couple going with us.

The back of the jeep all packed.....needless to say we were a little crowded.

Mirror Lake and an Update

The boys and I went camping to Mirror Lake in the Uintas this past weekend....well Sunday night and Monday and Monday night. It was so much fun!

A friend of Robert's was having a personal crisis so we invited him with us. With all of our stuff and the dogs we were packed in there sooooo tight! Hobbs and Patriot were both pretty worried, I think they thought we were moving again. Poor Hobbs kept trying to take his toys out of the suitcase while I was packing. I don't know what to do to make him more comfortable when we travel (especially during the packing and getting ready).

When we got there it was sprinkling which quickly turned into pouring rain. I was really worried it would ruin the camping trip, but luckily after about half an hour it quit enough to set up camp. It would sprinkle on and off, but no more down pours.


Our Campsite


The boys in the pavilion during the rain


The trees around our campsite


Part of Bald Mountain

Inside the pavilion

The boys were put on long-lines tied to the trees. They weren't very happy about it, but there was a leash law, so they couldn't run loose. They slept in the tent with Robert and Me, and kept us very warm.

On Monday morning they went with us on a walk around the lake, and got to play in the water a little. Patriot had a good time swimming, but Hobbs kept jumping out and running down the trail like a crazy man. I took him down later and let him fetch sticks out of the water for a bit. I stopped because one time he couldn't find the stick and so he kept swimming out into the lake, and wouldn't come back because he hadn't gotten the stick. I finally had to pick up a stick and wave it for him to see. Then he started swimming back, but he got out there a long ways.

Hobbs on his long-line

Patriot on his long-line

Bald Mountain

We all went fishing most of the afternoon and I caught two fish including the biggest one of all, over 12 inches! The boys came with, and were tied to trees for most of it. Hobbs was a bit of a whiner, but he eventually laid down and relaxed. Dinner that night was great, fish and sloppy joes, and the dogs were patient and waited almost a hour and a half later for dinner.

I got a little bored and put Hobbs up on this stump for some pictures

He was so cooperative

The boys and the tent

Monday night didn't go as well sleeping wise. The wind had picked up, and so everyone was cold. Even Patriot with his huge fur coat was shivering, and came to cuddle right next to me. Hobbs had eaten too many pine needles and leaves and other junk which caused him to puke twice during the night. Not too fun to clean up.

Patriot went home with my mom, because we are going to the cabin and they are watching him. It was easier to send him with them rather than drive him down tomorrow. Hobbs is going to a friends house. We got home around noon, and at 4 Hobbs got to go into the vet for his infected neuter incision. Fortunately it isn't retained stitches, just an allergic reaction to the stitches. So $75 later we have some antibiotics and a note in his medical records to never use that kind of stitches on him again. The vet said something that I find a little odd. She said that for most internal stitches to completely re-absorb it takes around 6 months! I thought they just dissolved after like two weeks! I really hope this is it for me and the vet visits for a while.

Patriot's face looks like it is getting better, so I hope it doesn't flare up while at my parents house. I still have meds for him though if it does. I am looking into some pet insurance, but there are millions of providers so it might take a while to find one that works for us. Any suggestions would be wonderful!

Hobbs is getting really good with the clicker stuff! He now understands "touch" with my hand very well, and is learning "touch the toy" which I will turn into him knowing the names of his toys. He still gets frustrated and shuts down, but I just encourage him, or click for a small move in the right direction (such as just looking at the toy). The only thing I am not liking about the clicker training, is it is making him jumpy. Now when I ask him to do something simple like just a sit or down, he wont stay put. He just sits and then jumps up, or he will lay down and then sit right back up. I am going to work on it on leash so he will get a correction when he pops back up. I don't want this clicker stuff turning him into an ADD puppy. His obedience used to be so amazing.

Ok, this novel is over!

Swimming Party!

Hobbs, Patriot, Robert and I went to our puppy meeting a couple weeks ago because it was a pool party. It was so much fun! I am really glad I decided to bring my suit so that I could swim with my boys. Hobbs was a little hesitant at first, but eventually was jumping in and out of the pool like a pro. Patriot on the other hand, wasn't too impressed with the pool. He likes water, but it freaks him out when he can't touch the bottom. So he just played on the dry land and looked longingly at me in the water.

All the dogs in the club (and the pets who joined the party) got in the water at one point or another. Even baby puppy Apex "jumped" into the pool....really he tried to walk out to the other dogs, and fell in the pool. I stupidly forgot my camera, but here are some pictures from another raiser's camera.


L-R: Neutron (a pet), Pecos (PIT), and Hobbs


Hobbs being lifted up by Robert, Neutron in the water


Onterio looking at the water (he really wanted the Goughnut that fell in but didn't want to get wet) Hobbs is in the background.


Patriot towering over the other PITs (L-R: Pecos and Texas)


Patriot on the side with Hobbs in the water on the right....I am pretty sure that is him anyways...
Outside the pool: Texas and Patriot. Inside the pool L-R: Pecos, Neutron, and Hobbs.

Clickety Click

Hobbs had his first clicker lesson today, and he thought it was awesome! My goal for the end of the session was to get him to get his toy on command.....yeah, that didn't happen. lol.

I was pretty frustraited that Hobbs wasn't understanding how to work with the clicker. I think that is because as a guide dog puppy he wasn't allowed to be pushy about anything. To work with a clicker he has to try things "without permission" which has never crossed his mind.....ever! So I lowered my goal to just getting him to touch my hand with his nose on command. That took him a little while to figure out, but finally he did it on porpose and started to understand. I was sooo happy for him! I had to take a bunch of play breaks right at first or he would shut down and just lay down and wait.

By the end of our little clicker session he was able to touch my hand almost wherever I put it. The thing that is still hard for him is if he is laying down and I put my hand up high and he has to stand up to get to it. I think he thinks he is supposed to stay put if he lays down. The other time he wont touch it is when I put it high enough in the air that he would have to stand up on his back legs (even a little) to touch it. It is funny when I do that because he will streach up as far as he can on one leg, but hasn't figured out how to lift that other paw up to reach higher.

I am going to take it slow with him, so he doesn't get frustraited with the whole clicker thing, because I have a feeling it is going to play a pretty big part in the Agility training that we are hopefully starting in a few weeks.

More Owies to deal with

Hobbs has an infection in his incision. I noticed about two weeks ago that there was a left over (not absorbed) stitch in the very end of this neuter incision. I pulled on it lightly but it didn't come out so I left it alone and forgot about it. Last night Hobbs was CONSTANTLY licking himself down there, and would only leave it alone for a second. Finally Robert looked at it, and it was infected around the left over stitch. So he cut the loop in the stitch and it came right out. **Caution this is the gross part**

Then out came a ton of puss and blood! He squeezed it a bit so that all the puss was out. Ok, gross part is over. lol!

It is still a bit red around the area but I am going to do warm compresses (or just warm washcloths) on it to keep the infection to a minimum. Does anyone know another way I could keep the infection at bay? Cross your fingers that it heals up and I don't end up having yet another vet visit and bill. I am seriously considering getting some sort of health plan for the boys so I am just making a monthly payment and then the really expensive stuff is covered. What is it with my poor injured dogs?!?

Another Great Blog

If you haven't noticed I added another blog to my GDB blog roll. It is a blog about a dog going through in-home-training with a lady who works for GDB. I have LOVED reading it and I really hope she keeps it up after graduation....even just for small updates. Enjoy!

Learning to Run?

I have been trying to find a good way to release some of my stress. I am pretty sure that is part of the reason I have not been sleeping well. My days are filled with stress about small things and things that I couldn't change/fix if I wanted to. I have also been really anxious and I don't know if that is because of the lack of sleep or if it is causing the lack of sleep. Today I walked on the treadmill for an hour as usual (on the days I don't walk the dogs that is) but this time I threw in short sections of jogging. Before I knew it I had tears running down my face for no good reason, and I feel less anxious than I have in days!

So, I figure, why not do more of a good thing? I am going to gradually increase my jogging until I can do that for 30 minutes without stopping to walk. I will be recording my attempts here, but be patient as I have never been good at the whole jogging thing. The first thing I need to do is get some new shoes that are built for jogging, and that fit my feet better. Then I need to get some actual running clothes....both for winter and summer. Just for the record, here is my basic weekly plan for increasing my endurance. This schedule will start the week after I get home from our trip to the family cabin in AZ (yes we are going again!)

Week one: Walk for 6 minutes, then jog for 1 minute. Repeat 3 times. Three sessions with that same sequence during the week.
Week two: Walk for 5 minutes, then jog for 2 minutes. Repeat 3 times. Three sessions in week two.
Week three: Walk for 3 minutes, then jog for 4 minutes. Repeat 4 times. Four sessions in week three.
Week four: Walk for 2 minutes, then jog for 5 minutes. Repeat 4 times. Four of those sessions in week four.
Week five: Walk for 2 minutes, then jog for 8 minutes. Repeat 3 times. Four of those sessions in week five.
Week six: Walk for 2 minutes, then jog for 9 minutes. Repeat 3 times. Four sessions for week six.
Week seven: Walk for 1 minute, then jog for 11 minutes. Repeat 3 times. Four sessions this week.
Week eight: Walk for 5 minutes at the beginning and end the workout, and run for 20 minutes in between. Four sessions this week. By the end of the week, try to run for 30 minutes without stopping.
Maintenance of stamina: Four sessions of 30 minutes every week.

Like I said, this may not happen, but I think if it does it will help my mental and physical stability a lot. I am also going to try some swimming to increase my lung capacity. I am not sure how well this will work, because of my old rotator cuff injury, but I hope it will.....I may have to relearn to swim rather than doggy paddle ;)

Patriot Update

Patriot's rash doesn't seem to be changing at all, either for better or worse. He doesn't seem to be itching very much, and the red spot in between his toes is going away, but his face still looks the same. I did kind of have one of those 5am inspirations though. For months now Patriot has been eating out of his special Brake-Fast food bowl. It is plastic, and a while ago I heard that some dogs can get iritated skin on their faces from a reaction to the plastic. I hadn't even thought about it, but now it may make sense. The problem was that there was a reason Patriot was eating out of the plastic bowl; he just eats too fast.

I decided to try just letting him eat out of the normal metal bowl I have, and he ate at a regular speed!! No choking, no gaging, and thankfully no thrown up food! He finished about the same time Hobbs did, so I am going to keep feeding him from that bowl until he starts speed eating again. Then I will have to go find a big rock or something to put in the bowl. I am really hoping this works!

Wonderful Books and a Wonderful Author!

NO I am not talking about Twilight and Stephanie Meyer!

When I was first considering getting engaged and married I was either given or bought this book:


This book should be a must for every wife out there!! Both Robert and I have read it and it has helped us a lot already. My favorite part of the book is where she counsels women to not talk badly or gossip about their husbands to their friends. She reminds women to think how they would feel if their husbands were talking badly about them behind their backs. I highly reccomend this book to every woman who is married or is engaged or even wants to be married!

This is another of her books, and it is great as well. I didn't get all the way through it because, at the time, I wasn't ready to start thinking about children. It teaches parents to raise independent, self sufficient children who are ready to be successful in the world. This is one that the husbands will enjoy (and should read) even if they felt the "strangling husbands" one was too girly.

This is her newest book, and I have only gotten a few pages into it. I am excited to get more great information from this amazing woman! I encourage all you ladies out there to at least try reading one, if not all, of her books.