Last Thursday when I awoke there was a whole lot of snow outside my door. As in 15+ inches of fluffy white stuff!
Of course the first thing I did was pile on my jackets and head outdoors to catch some snowflakes!
Running like a crazy dog through the snow was totally worth being chilly for just a few minutes. So fun in fact, that I headed out to the farm for some more winter adventures with my ponies!
Even the ponies had fun in the snow!
Despite the inches upon inches of snow we received (and keep continuing to receive), I just can’t get on board with “snow bashing”. It might be cold and wet, difficult for mom and dad to shovel, and somewhat of a hazard – but when else do you get to make memories like these? Snowday fun is just the kind of adventures I needed this winter!
How about you, do you enjoy snow day adventures as much as me?
As my Facebook fans already know, last week a big ice storm hit my hometown just a few days after we received about 10 inches of snow.
As beautiful as the ice was it didn’t take long for it to coat the already snow covered trees and power lines which pretty much meant it was lights out for most of my area!
My backyard started to look like something out of a Dr. Suess book!
I spent most of the first day we didn’t have power snuggled up in bed.
But without a generator or a fireplace my layer of sweaters began to pile higher and higher. So along with most of the people on my street I packed up and left home in search of somewhere warm to stay.
But don’t worry, it didn’t take long for me to find a warm place to snuggle up in. Thankfully my mom mom and pop pop had a whole house generator which made for some nice and toasty napping spots.
I even spent some time over at my other grandparent’s house and soaked up a little warmth in front of Trooper’s wood stove. (Don’t tell him, but I also chewed a hole in a few of his toys too when he wasn’t looking).
Despite living out of a suitcase for 4 days, it seemed like I was on an exciting overnight trip where I got to visit extra long with the people I care about! Thanks to everyone who gave me a place to stay!
But thankfully with the help of all the linemen in my area (and many from other states that came to help as well) I eventually got to go home to my own bed. While I can’t say I didn’t miss sleeping in my own home – it was definitely an adventure that I won’t forget.
And it looks like my next winter adventure is just around the corner, because we’re supposed to be getting about 12 inches of snow on Thursday! eek!
P.S. For those of you wondering how my ponies made out in the storm, despite all the road closures around the farm due to down wires and poles – the farm only lost power for about a day. Everyone made it through the storm A-ok (those ponies are super tough!).
Over the weekend I decided to go on a sledding adventure at the farm. So I grabbed my favorite ponies (Minnow, Blitz and Boomer) and hitched them to a sled for some fun!
Trooper and I had a blast chasing the sleds – we even made it a little friendly competition out of who could get there first. (it was me incase you were wondering)
Dad even broke out his snowboard for a little more “extreme” fun. We’re a little unconventional around here.
You can bet I’ll be doing some sledding again real soon!
Make sure you stop by and visit the Painting Pony Blog today to see more fun videos of me sledding with the ponies!
Yesterday I shared my adventures in the Isle of Palms, frolicking on the beach with my best pal Trooper, and having a grand time! But being a beach bum wasn’t the only thing I did on my Thanksgiving vacation.
There was some turkey involved too as I celebrated Thanksgiving with a traditional turkey feast with my family. Trooper and I begged mercifully for some turkey, and even though we didn’t get any, we had fun chowing down on the turkey sausage chews for dogs that mom brought along for us.
After our day of feasting Trooper and I headed into downtown Charleston, South Carolina to check out some of the local scenery.
Before strolling through town we practiced being southern gentleman on a front porch stoop, because I hear that’s what you do when you’re down south!
I even wore my fancy bow tie and poured on the charm, because you never know when a southern lady might be watching!
After my front porch adventure I realized I was getting quite sleepy in the warm southern sun.
I was also quite hungry too! So we decided to take a walk into town to grab something to eat. We ended up at Tabbuli, which had a great little enclosed outdoor dining area that was completely dog friendly!
After some good food it was off to explore Charleston, and I was excited to see that I was sharing the streets with some horses too! These carriage rides around town were pet friendly too, as I saw a couple of small dogs riding in them.
After exploring some of the shops I headed over to Waterfront Park, where I fit right in with my sailor jacket!
I even met some new friends while checking out some of the fountain displays in the park.
Then it was off to Battery Park where I watched the sunset before it was time to head back to my beach rental.
The next day Trooper and I took the short walk from our rental to the beach to say goodbye to the ocean one last time.
Then we packed it into the car and settled in for the long ride back to Pennsylvania.
Making sure to stop for dinner of course!
I hope you enjoyed my Thanksgiving adventures, what kind of fun did you have?
As you know last week I left for a fun Thanksgiving road trip with my family. With over 1500 miles of driving this would be one of my longest road trips to date!
Not to worry though, because Trooper and I are excellent travelers and we can nap in the car for hours and hours.
Trooper even snores!
Despite our excellent traveling skills, we did make a few pitstops for dinner and a couple bathroom breaks.
And then finally after about 14 hours of driving from Pennsylvania to South Carolina we reached our destination. When we awoke the next day I wasted no time in hitting up the beach on Isle of Palms. This time of year the beaches are open all day long to dogs.
Trooper and I had a lot of energy to expel so we ran and ran to our hearts content.
I even made friends with a few dachshund mixes that were staying right next door to my beach house!
Even though we were a bit farther south, it was still chilly enough in the morning that I preferred the extra warmth of my coats.
The cool weather didn’t stop me from venturing into the cold water though!
One of my favorite things to do on the beach is to “rescue” crabs from the ocean. I drag them ashore from the sea and then I’m off in search of my next crab that needs saving.
My new favorite thing on the beach though…..bird watching!
Well ok, maybe more like bird chasing.
Seriously, bird chasing = the most fun ever!
With a close second being wrestling with my best buddy Trooper on the beach!
By the end of our trip I was becoming such a beach loving dog that I’ve decided when I’m rich and famous I’ll be purchasing a vacation house right on the beach.
I miss it already!
Check back tomorrow when I recap my adventures in the town of Charleston!
Last year for Thanksgiving I headed south to North Carolina to visit family. My road trip was so much fun that I’ve decided it was time for another adventure this Thanksgiving. So today I’m on my way (with Trooper too) to Charleston, South Carolina for a couple of days of fun with my family!
I’m sure my days will be filled with lots of adventure, I’m especially looking forward to playing on the beach with Trooper! Don’t worry, when I return I’ll be sure to fill you in on all the fun I’ve had, but in the meantime I’ll be sure to post pictures of my road trip on Facebook and Instagram as I travel.
And if anyone knows any fun dog-friendly adventures in and around the Charleston, South Carolina area post them in the comments section!
I’ve meticulously packed my bag with everything I might need for my trip. You can check out what I typically pack for a road-trip, and I always make sure to store the phone numbers for emergency vets in mom’s phone as well as bringing along my DIY Pet First Aid Kit.
I was also super excited when just in time for my trip my November Barkbox showed up at my door.
Packed full of goodies perfect for a Thanksgiving feast of my own I could hardly wait to dig right in!
Mom even set aside these Turkey chews for Trooper and I to have on Thanksgiving day!
Of course she let me have a little goodie before the trip to wet my whistle – even the dental chews were mighty tasty.
So if you want to pick a little goodie from Barkbox for your furry friend, you can get $5 off any new BarkBox subscription with code AMMO5
Disclosure: I received a Barkbox in exchange for my review. But all opinions are my own and I really think they’re great!
What I thought was just a typical car ride for me turned into an unexpected pit stop the other day when I found myself arriving at my vet’s office.
I must admit, shots and a physical exam are never on my to-do list, but it’s a necessary evil I guess.
As friendly as the staff at my vet’s office is, I’m just never my typical happy tail wagging self. I can’t help it when my first REAL memory at the vet is being neutered!
While I was waiting for my turn in the exam room I did find a happy little surprise. My Halloween costume made the bulletin board, and it turns out I won first place for the best character costume. How cool!
When it was finally my turn to be examined I tried to put on a brave face.
Mom helped a bit by bringing along one of my favorite snacks, peanut butter. She’s been carrying it around in her pocket for weeks and using it to help me build a positive association with things I’m a little scared of. (the vet, the vacuum, etc). I have to admit, peanut butter does help make everything a little bit better!
My vet came in and examined my weight and body condition, and I had a few routine tests done before getting my annual vaccines.
I’m happy to report that I got a clean bill of health, clocking in at 18.8 pounds my vet said that I’m in perfect condition and weight for my size. My blood test even came back negative for lyme after I tested positive last year for anaplasmosis (a type of lyme). So it’s great that there was no traces of it found in my body this year.
I hope your puppies are feeling happy and healthy too!
Next week I’ll be sharing just how I keep my body in tip top shape – perfect timing right before Thanksgiving, so stay tuned!
Yesterday I shared my homemade Halloween costume for this year, and today I thought it would be fun to share some of the details from my annual Halloween Party!
One year during our annual Halloween party I happened to escape out the front door, but thankfully I was wearing my Glowdoggie, so I wasn’t lost in the dark for long. So now every time we have a party my Glowdoggie is a necessary accessory!
I was so excited to show off my costume to all my friends, but of course everyone was fashionably late!
My dad dressed as Mr. Clean, even going as far as to shave his head! Now that’s Halloween dedication.
Mom was Inspector Gadget, and I was just really bummed that her go go gadget helicopter didn’t actually work!
We were all decked out and ready as the first party guests started to arrive.
I was excited to see my pal Trooper showed up dressed as a soccer player, but I really couldn’t figure out why he kept screaming GOOOOOAAAALLL all night long when the soccer ball was tied to his own back!
Trooper loved my costume and was convinced I had pizza hiding under my turtle shell, so all night long he kept checking!
As more and more guests started to arrive I was excited to see that we even had a horse guest! Now the party was really getting started!
We partied and partied and then partied some more, but wouldn’t you know, my pal Trooper was the first one to hit the floor. He just can’t hang like I can!
As my guests headed home for the night the spooky figures in the front windows of my house waved goodbye….I’m pretty sure some of the party goers had nightmares!
I’m sad that the Halloween season is coming to an end, but I’ll have one last hurrah tonight as I bark at all the trick-or-treaters!
Happy Halloweenie!
Make sure you check out what my pals, the Painting Ponies, dressed up as this Halloween!
Over the weekend I took my very first trip to the Fair Hill International Event, one of the most prestigious international three day events in the world, this is the ultimate test of a horse and rider. Through tests in dressage, endurance, and stadium jumping the horse and rider teams work together to show that they can compete in the most demanding and highest levels of equestrian sports.
But before I could attend the event, I had to go on my very first school bus ride!
Trooper tagged along with me on this adventure, and we were both pretty excited about taking the bus to the event grounds from the parking lot.
I can only imagine how exciting it must be to take the bus everyday to school! Those lucky kids! I even sang the wheels on the bus during the ride just to make it even more fun.
Once in the park I quickly made my way to the arena, because the real reason I came to the Fair Hill International was to cheer on my friends from the Chincoteague Pony Drill Team!
Made up entirely of Chincoteague Ponies (and the only one in the world), the drill team performs at events to choreographed music. It was great to see my friends again, as I had not seen them since I went to Chincoteague a few years ago so that my pony friends could frolic on the beach.
After I said goodbye to my friends I was ready to check out the other events at the Fair Hill International. (Above is me pictured with Misty’s Icicle, the only cremello colored pony in the Misty family line of ponies)
Of course my number one mission was to RIDE A PONY! But since most of them were busy competing I settled for this cardboard cutout of one instead.
And here’s what I would look like if I was a world class eventer like the riders that were competing at Fair Hill! Dashing right?
Next up I hit up the Dog Agility area, where they very nicely let me try a practice course – which was the first time I tried a course outside of my weekly classes at the Dog Training Center. I was a little distracted by all the smells on the course (and the fact that some of the obstacles seemed a bit different than what I was used to), but I did complete all the obstacles!
You may have heard my pal Trooper crying in the background of the video – he was utterly convinced that the course was going to eat me up if he wasn’t out there to protect me – or better yet, herd me around the scary obstacles. Oh Trooper, such a silly boy.
Next I headed over to watch some of the show jumping on the hill with the other dogs. You might not be able to tell from this photo, but almost every person came to the event with a dog. Great Danes, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Greyhounds, Jack Russells, Labradors, and I even spotted a few Dachshunds among them.
Watching the show jumping was quite spectacular as the horses soared through the air, but I have to admit, the Fair Hill International really wore me out!
I’m already counting down the days until next years event though!
Make sure you check out some more photos and video of the Chincoteague Pony Drill Team at the Painting Pony Blog.
For those of you who follow me on Facebook I’m sure you have been on the edge of your seats waiting for me to share all my adventures from this past weekend at the Yuengling Oktoberfest event in Bethlehem, Pennyslvania.
Well after obtaining my special Puppy Pass (for VIP Dachshunds only) I was excited to attend my very first Oktoberfest!
I was super excited to see some fellow germans at the Oktoberfest – I felt right at home immediately!
I had fun touring around the event, everything smelled so wonderful, especially the sausages and beer!
I quickly began to make new friends – the german ladies loved me, what can I say I’m a handsome guy!
Even the children couldn’t keep their hands off me!
I had fun soaking up the culture, and after watching some german dances I was definitely ready for the main event – the Dachshund Races!
The Dachshunds came from all over to race, and there was even a few other super heroes in the mix besides myself!
I even got to meet one of my Facebook friends, Super Dash, who came sporting a bowtie his mom made him from my DIY Bowtie tutorial!
There were dachshunds big and small – some twice my size, some half my size, but everyone came for one reason – to race for the title of Champion!
With over 40 Dachshunds competing I knew it was going to be pretty tough to beat them all. But after winning a few of the preliminary heats I was pretty confident I could make it to the top. And after showing off a few of my favorite tricks I was clearly the crowd favorite to win when I made it to the final race!
Just watch what happened yourself….
If you had trouble telling what happened – it’s because mom’s camera skills were not so stellar. She said it was difficult to film me and call my name/shake cookies at the same time. Excuses, excuses.
Regardless, I won 3 preliminary heats, beating out some really fast weenies – and earning myself a spot in the final against 2 other super fast dachshunds. The final race was run and I came in at a photo finish with a dachshund named Tucker – who had me beat in size by a lot! So the judges decided to re-run the race, just me and Tucker.
I like to think I won that final race, but since it was so close to call the judges said Tucker won by just a nose!
Even though I didn’t win the coveted Champion title, reserve champ still came with some pretty nice perks. I got to take home this hand-blown glass dog bone from the ArtsQuest Glass Blowing Studio and these yummy handmade cookies from Whisker Biscuits.
Not only that but I also brought home not one, but two dachshund cakes from the Vallos Bakery! (too bad mom says they are only for human consumption).
Even though I can’t say I’m the Dachshund Races Champion it still feels pretty great to be Reserve Champion. After all, I am still faster than a speeding bullet!
