What Cabana Did on Her Summer Vacation

We had a whirlwind of a week! It was a lot of fun, but it's also nice to be back home and catch up on blogs!

My husband's brother came from out of state, along with his wife and 4-year-old son, Adam. Adam and Cabana took to each other in the first 2 minutes. I don't know what they're doing in this photo--peekaboo maybe?

The first part of our vacation was in Santa Cruz, where we stayed in a rental house just minutes from the beach. Cabana loved and adored every minute we spent at the beach, running like mad on her flexi leash. She dug holes in the sand, ogled other dogs, and dashed through the waves.

Those retractable leashes, though, do not retract as fast as they should--especially when they're a bit water-logged! A couple of times, we had a massive tangled mess, and it was all I could do to keep Cabana still enough to untangle her.


Here we are at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk--a great place for puppies in training, since "regular" dogs are not allowed! We did see one other service dog there, and both dogs were equally distracted by the other. Still working on that one, ad infinitum!!


Onto the Monterey Bay Aquarium! Cabana and I had front row seats for the penguin feeding, and Cabana, although interested, was very well-behaved, even while being completely surrounded by children who wanted to pet her.

Unfortunately, Cabana had an accident while we were at the aquarium, although I blame myself entirely. I forgot to relieve her as we were leaving the beach house, and when we got to the aquarium, I tried to get her to pee. But Cabana wouldn't go, and the rest of my family was waiting for us--so I gave up. After we entered the aquarium, the time slipped by quickly as we went from exhibit to exhibit. Then, just as I was thinking I should take Cabana out, she peed on the floor. :(

Cabana hasn't had an accident in at least 5-6 months, so I felt bad for making her break her almost-perfect record. But hey, pee happens!


I don't know if it was to appease me, but our relatives said they wanted to take a tour of Guide Dogs for the Blind! They really enjoyed Cabana and hoped to get a chance to pet some of the baby pups. So even though we missed Fun Day, we got to have our own mini fun day! This puppy caught my eye because he was such a chubby chunk--what a sweet baby!


Also on the tour with us was a working guide named Donna, along with her partner Amy and husband Dave (they gave me permission to include them in this post). Donna was so good at her job!! I confess that I found it a bit difficult to see Cabana doing that someday, unless she undergoes quite a change in the next few months. Our tour guide used a few inevitable adjectives for Cabana, like "high-energy", "high-spirited" and "live wire".


But I know that Cabana CAN be disciplined and self-controlled, because she was ALWAYS so sweet and gentle with 4-year-old Adam who is a bit high-energy himself! It was absolutely endearing to watch them together. Above, they are sitting together on Cabana's dog bed.


Tickets to the boardwalk and the aquarium can be expensive--but wouldn't you know, they had the time of their lives with a couple empty plastic bottles and a big bucket of water.


As they say, "Priceless!"

Erin  – (August 22, 2009 at 5:55 PM)  

I think you will pleasantly surprised what a little maturing does to these dogs :))

Sounds like you guys had a great time!

Sarah and Romeo  – (August 22, 2009 at 6:04 PM)  

those pictures are wonderful!! yeah, you always wonder if your pup will ever get to that stage :)

Ally and Eclipse  – (August 22, 2009 at 6:08 PM)  

What a fun time! Glad you and everyone else enjoyed it!

Iverson regularly got those adjectives used toward him too! Those dogs tend to do Fabulous in training and graduate with honors! In fact many times they're trying to find different things to keep these dogs content! The live-wire ones thrive on the focus and energy required to safely guide their partners. And Erin's right, maturing does wonders!

Becky Andrews  – (August 22, 2009 at 10:46 PM)  

How fun to read about your fun adventures. Sweet pictures and how fun to see a working guide, too. I think Cricket could match your descriptive words!

Scout and Freyja  – (August 23, 2009 at 1:40 PM)  

Yes, pee does happen and then, sometimes an occasional poop, too. Just ask us!

Come on over today and help us get the word out to the Eagles about Mr. Vick! We has a furry im-paw-tant bloggy post taday!

Lisa and pups  – (August 23, 2009 at 4:45 PM)  

wow - what a great update and thanks for sharing all the photos!

Taelor, Pilaf, and Cartier  – (August 24, 2009 at 10:28 AM)  

Wht a great summer vacation! I just love taking my pups to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. =]

And you would be surprised how many of the most unruly dogs do well in training. Especially those with high energy! Trust me on this one, I have seen many pups that were way worse than Cabana just exell in training.

OSU 98  – (August 24, 2009 at 1:55 PM)  

The pictures of Adam and Cabana are priceless.

Cassie & The Dogs  – (August 24, 2009 at 6:08 PM)  

Good girl Cabana!! She is super cute with your nephew!! Looking forward to seeing you guys tomorrow! Seems like it has been ages!

Dakota's Puppy Raiser  – (August 26, 2009 at 4:07 PM)  

Awesome pictures -- our family loved the Aquarium & Boardwalk on our last trip to CA also!

Just keep up the good work... "High energy" & "dog distraction" were my top 2 adjectives for our first puppy and now he's a terrific working guide. You (& Cabana) can do it!

mariahleadme  – (August 27, 2009 at 1:15 PM)  

Great photos. Cabana looks like she is doing real well and having a lot of fun.
We are also first time pup raisers, although we are very familiar with GDB as my wife has gotten both her Guides from them. We have 3 dogs in the house now: her retired female Yellow Lab Guide "Mariah", her active female Black Lab Guide "Roanna", and 5 month old male Yellow Lab pup "Wally". Wally seems to be learning a lot from following Roanna around when we are on our outings. Our raiser co-ordinater is very impressed with Wally's progress.
Lots of fum, and all for a good cause.

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