Ours for a Year: blue picardy spaniels

Showing posts with label blue picardy spaniels. Show all posts

To Be Continued, I Promise!

>> Wednesday, July 24, 2013 – blue picardy spaniels, dillon, dog blogs, off leash dog beach

Oh lordy, I've fallen off the blog wagon, but I intend to get back on! I met up with Becky and Cricket over the weekend, a friendship that came about through our blogs, and I was reminded of all the good things that have resulted from this blog. Plus, I had a few other reminders. A dog park friend said that Cabana was the nicest dog she'd ever met, and another said that at 4.5 years old, Cabana was in her prime. I thought, these are little things I want to remember. Time goes by so fast, and I may not remember this special time in my life and in Cabana's life if I don't record it on this blog. I know that Facebook has taken the place of blogging for many people, but I need to remember that this blog is first and foremost for ME. It's a record of Cabana's life, and I intend to keep blogging for the entirety of it.

A year or more ago, I vowed to start taking Cabana to the beach more often, my goal being like 10 times a year. Well, that didn't happen, BUT I did take Cabana there a couple days ago. It's a 30-minute drive there, 2 hours to leisurely walk the length of the beach and back, another 30-minute drive back, plus about an hour to bathe her (and myself) afterwards. It's a time commitment that I can't justify often, but I was glad to get to do it on Monday.

kelp mounds dot the sandy beach, four black dogs scattered about sniffing the mounds, with yellow Cabana among them

When we first arrived at the beach, we saw our old friends, the Blue Picardy Spaniels, arriving at the same time. Such a happy surprise! They haven't been coming to the dog park lately, so it had been almost a year since we'd seen them. Cabana recognized them right away, and they were excited to see her, too.

group of people in the distance by the water's edge with large group of dogs of all shapes and sizes

The Blue Pics are "regulars" at the beach--their breeder brings them 3 times a week. It was evident that there were other "regulars", too, gathering together to chat and let their dogs intermingle.

group is somewhat dispersed, as a large Great Pyrenees and a husky approach Cabana

Some of the regulars noticed Cabana and decided to come in for a closer sniff.

cabana encircled by three large dogs, sniffing her all over, she stands still with her ears back on her head

I could tell by Cabana's pinned-back ears that she was a little overwhelmed by the mass scrutiny, but she passed muster, as I knew she would.

The town of Dillon Beach is a tiny place. About 90% of it is pictured here. Would I like to live in one of those houses overlooking the ocean? If I had a spare $2 million, maybe--but it's so often foggy at the coast, so for that reason (and not because of the $2 million thing) I'll stay where I am.

cabana sniffing an overturned crab on the shore

Cabana spots a dead crab in the waves. I wonder if she knows that's what's in the crabcakes I often make. Cabana loves crabcakes, but then, what food doesn't Cabana love?

cabana tagging along after a woman holding a toddler in her arms

Cabana also loves babies, or at least, she loves the way they smell. Here she is, trying to be polite but get a good whiff of the baby at the same time.

cabana running through the water toward the camera, alongside mounds of kelp that run the length of the shore

It's funny how the kelp mounds together in little piles that dot the shore. I bet there's some scientific law of nature as to why it does this, like matter attracting matter. Kinda like how Cabana's fur gathers in little tufts under the kitchen table.

Cabana on things.

cabana in the ocean with two other dogs, she has an orange ball in her mouth

I didn't even know Cabana had momentarily stolen another dog's ball until I saw this photo! She's a sly one.

cabana's behind with her tail in a curl as she runs through the water away from the camera

We had a great time. I don't usually like butt shots, but it seems appropriate here. The end.

A Visit from Bodhi

>> Thursday, March 8, 2012 – blue picardy spaniels, bodhi, dog sitting

Oh dear, over a week since my last post. Don't you hate it when life gets too busy to blog?

Today, we got to have Bodhi come for a visit. Bodhi is a 2-year old Blue Picardy Spaniel and a favorite friend of Cabana's at the dog park. I love how he lays with his paws crossed, so dapper.

Next month, we've offered to keep Bodhi while his owners are away for a few days. Because Bodhi has never been exposed to homes other than his own, we decided it would be a good idea to have Bodhi over for an hour or two in preparation for his real sleepover.

Bodhi was a bit nervous at first, running to every door and window, looking for his hu-mom after she dropped him off, but he settled down after 15 minutes.

I had shut all the bedroom doors upstairs, so I could keep a better eye on Bodhi's whereabouts. But at one point, he ran upstairs and managed to pushed open the door to my older daughter's room. Suddenly, I heard him barking loudly, so I went up to see what was going on. Turns out that Bodhi was scared of the stuffed bear on my daughter's bed. I held it out to him to show him it was a lifeless toy, but he wouldn't come any closer to investigate until I asked Cabana to come and give it a sniff. After he saw Cabana's fearless behavior, he finally realized that Freddy, with his missing eyes and torn-up nose and who used to belong to my husband when he was a child, is relatively harmless.

In the photos, it looks like Cabana can barely tolerate Bodhi! But he really is one of her best friends at the dog park. Maybe she was puzzled by his nervous energy at our house. They played with each other a little bit, but not as much as I had anticipated. The funny thing is, when Bodhi's hu-mom came back for him, he suddenly became his old rambunctious self, going into full play mode, happy and comfortable with his owner present. It can be hard for a dog who is under-exposed to new situations, so I'm glad we got to take it slow with this practice visit. I think he'll do even better the next time.

Following the Leader

>> Saturday, August 20, 2011 – blue picardy spaniels, bodhi, dog park, english springer spaniel, foster dogs, kira

Kira continues to learn and improve by leaps and bounds everyday. She adores Cabana and is ALWAYS giving Cabana kisses. A kiss here and there would be fine, but the constant unsolicited affection wears on Cabana's good humor until, finally, Cabana will protest with a growl or a bark. You tell her, Cabana--after all, Kira needs to learn to mind other dogs' social cues.

Kira is fabulous on leash. She's just so happy to be next to Cabana that I almost don't even need to leash Kira. I don't know if it's her temperament or her breed or because she was a stray? Kira knows what being lost and alone is like, and she doesn't want to experience it again, so she stays close and checks in often.

At the park, none of the other dogs will play with Kira. They come up to her for a meet and greet, but they don't solicit her to play. I suppose they know she's still too tentative.

But when Cabana plays with her springer friends, like Maggie above, Kira is right there, either trying to get in on the action or maybe just getting front row seats? It will be interesting to see if this changes over the next week or two.

In this video, Cabana is playing with her pal Bodhi. They LOVE to rough house with each other. Kira does her best to keep up with them. It's so cute how she runs after Cabana, no matter what.

Soft Spot for Spaniels

>> Wednesday, March 9, 2011 – blue picardy spaniels, brittany spaniel, dog park friends, english springer spaniel

While it's a fact that Cabana loves dogs of all kinds, we have found ourselves gravitating toward spaniel breeds. Or maybe spaniels gravitate toward us? Whatever the reason, most of Cabana's favorite playmates are different types of spaniels.

Bodhi is a Blue Picardy Spaniel. He's lanky and rambunctious, and Cabana is rambunctious right back.

I'll get that ball from you yet!

cabana and bodhi half jumping in the air with front paws all off the ground, bodhi has his paw up toward cabana's shoulder

Oh no you dint!

cabana going up to a brown and white english springer spaniel, who has a long tether, in the driveway in front of a house

Jagger is a large liver and white English Springer Spaniel who lives around the block. On walks, Cabana always looks for him, wondering if he is tied up in his front yard so they can have a quick meet-and-greet.

cabana in a strange upright position with her head thrust forward and her paws pushed out to the side, looking at and taunting jagger who is standing right in front of her

You're tied up and I'm not! Nyah nyah!

cabana and black and white spaniel maggie looking at each other in a big field, face to face, both dogs have mouths open in a big laughing smile

Sweet Maggie is a black and white English Springer Spaniel and is one of our favorite "regulars" at the park.

Hey Cabana, did you hear the one about the smart dog
that got her owner to make her ground beef for breakfast?

close up shot of cabana and maggie, again with their mouths open as if laughing

Ha ha, where's the beef?! That's a good one, Maggie. You tell the best jokes!

cabana in mid-turn on a green field, looking back at tri-colored english springer spaniel and white brittany spaniel with reddish brown spots

Mindy, a tri-colored English Springer Spaniel, and Penny, a Brittany Spaniel, are also favorite "regulars".

mindy, penny and cabana all in a full run on green field, cabana has a big softball in her mouth, all dogs are off the ground in mid-gallop

We see Maggie, Mindy and Penny at the park at least 3-4 times a week. They are great pals with Cabana, and best of all, they love to run...

cabana running full force toward the camera with ears waving in the wind, mindy and penny are running at a distance behind her, also coming right toward the camera, they look really happy

...and run and RUN! I don't know what we'd do without our spaniel friends. And I hope we never find out!

New Year Puppies

>> Saturday, January 1, 2011 – blue picardy spaniels, new puppies

What better way to greet the New Year than by getting to snuggle up with 7 roly-poly puppies! This litter of Blue Picardy Spaniels was born exactly two weeks ago.

Our dog park friend, Christine, is the breeder and needed people to come over and help socialize the pups, so they will be used to being handled by many different people.

This was a mission for my younger daughter and me, if we chose to accept it. It's a tough job, but you know, someone's gotta do it.

The pups remind me of Holstein cows right now, but as they mature, they'll become predominantly black, with just a bit of white or silver.

Here's Peeka, the wonderful young mama. I'm used to seeing her pre-pregnancy at the dog park, where she was a sweet silly little girl. But today, she was very mature, watchful and careful as we held her babies, but also gracious and trusting. It was amazing to see her transformation as she fully embraced her new responsibility as a mother.

Being cute is hard work! The puppies have all been spoken for already. But I'm hoping Cabana might get a chance to help socialize them before they go to their new homes in a couple months.

Can You Pick Out the Picardies?

>> Monday, July 19, 2010 – blue picardy spaniels, dog friends, dog park

Although Cabana continues to enjoy just about every dog she meets, she does have her favorites.

During the morning hours, the soccer and baseball fields in our neighborhood are designated for off-leash dogs. We've fallen into a routine of going there this summer, because it's a nice 3-4 mile walk round trip and because the doggies there are SUCH a nice bunch.

Among them are four Blue Picardy Spaniels, a breed that comes from France and (I think) has recently been recognized by the AKC. Three of these Blue Picardies belongs to the breeder who comes regularly to these fields, and the fourth is from one of the breeder's recent litters.

These dogs match Cabana in temperament--they have sweet dispositions and love to run and chase. They give Cabana a great workout! Ha ha, you can tell in the photos that Cabana is tuckered her out while the Picardies are still going strong.