The cool weather is rolling in and it’s time to squeeze in those last little bits of summer. Ice cream cones and a dip in the pool seem like the perfect way to soak in every last bit of it. Before I know it it will be time to break out my sweaters!
Until next year summer! 
It’s time to take a look back over the past month at all the exciting things I’ve done! So just incase you missed it, here are some of my highlights from August!
I tested out some Instinct Rawboost Treats from Chewy.com and held a giveaway, which the winners are now posted!
I took a trip to the Goshen Fair.
I went to Sunday Breakfast with my family.
I helped my pal Trooper test out Ruffwear’s Swamp Cooler (which is awesome by the way!).
I got nosey with the new stonework on the farm.
I introduced my new dog pack pals.
I took my pal Shilah the Husky out on the lake for the very first time.
I shared the must have items I pack when going camping in the summer!
I went camping with my friend Shilah in Cape May.
I dined at some dog friendly restaurants during my trip to Cape May.
I had a blast on the dog friendly beach, Higbee Beach in Cape May NJ.
I shared pictures from when a car crashed through the shop where I work.
I helped mom make a DIY Dachshund Cork Board.
I shared some of Sleepypod’s Pendants and offered everyone a chance to win their own set. You can still enter to win!!
Gosh what an exciting August I’ve had! Now we’re getting to one of my favorite times of the year – fall. I can’t wait to see what else I’ll be up to in the coming months!
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Today is Labor Day, the unofficial end to summer. I am sad because I don’t want the summer to end! So today I’m relishing in the last day of summer, and remembering all of my warm weather fun….
Happy Labor Day Everyone – soak up all the sun you can while it lasts! xoxo,
P.S. Don’t forget to enter my Sleepypod Pendant Giveaway!
The main reason for my camping excursion to Cape May last weekend was to hit up one of the all year round dog friendly beaches, Higbee Beach. I’ve been to the beach a few times before (this was my first trip to Higbee), but every time I went it was either rainy or cold, and I never got to really have a true beach experience.
Be forewarned, my mom went a little photo crazy and took way too many photos of me at the beach – and I didn’t have the heart to leave any out of this post!
Even though the day started out a bit rainy, by the time my pal Shilah and I were ready to hit the sand the weather had cleared and at 70 degrees and a bit overcast it was the perfect weather for us dogs to be on the sand.
Now as a general rule of thumb I’m usually always kept on my leash when I’m away from home (aside from where I’m let off leash at the family farm). But since mom and dad knew that I wouldn’t get to fully enjoy the beach without being able to run, mom decided that I could be trusted enough to ditch the leash this one time. Now you’re probably thinking by the looks of this photo – that maybe it wasn’t the best idea.
But not to worry, I remembered all of my training and came running as fast as I could as soon as mom or dad called. After all, I didn’t want to loose my off-leash beach privileges!
Running free on the sand was one of the greatest experiences, I highly recommend it to all you dogs out there! But one other thing on my doggie bucket list was to touch the ocean too….
As you can see I was a bit hesitant at first – those waves are quite intimidating!
So instead I decided to build a sandcastle instead!
I even got to meet some new pals, like this short-legged (like me) Jack Russell. He was very fun to play with – until he peed on mom’s beach chair!
Just as I was getting back into my hole digging fun, mom said we need to take some family photos on the beach.
As you can see I was less than thrilled!
Even my pal Shilah got in on the action with some modeling shots!
I’m friends with that beauty right there!
After out mandated photo shoot I decided to coach Shilah on her first dip in the ocean.
Ultimately I had to show her the ropes, being that I’m much older and wiser!
Then as luck would have it I found a horseshoe crab that had washed up on the beach! (Not to worry, no horseshoe crabs were harmed – and this one was not living when I found him)
I found him quite intriguing as he didn’t smell like the groundhogs and bunnies I was used to hunting in my own backyard.
After Shilah and I full inspected and tasted our horseshoe crab friend, I started to get concerned that he might float back out to sea.
And as the waves started to take him back to the ocean I suddenly wasn’t too scared to brave the waves myself.
Ok well I was about as brave as you can be without your life vest on!
My trip to Higbee Beach was one of my favorite adventures of all time, and you can bet it won’t be my last!
Shilah and I were dog tired after our day in the sand, but we wouldn’t have it any other way!
Anyone else frequent dog friendly beaches? Tell us where it’s located in the comments!
Over the weekend I went on a mini 3-day vacation to Cape May, New Jersey. While the main purpose of the trip was to soak up some sun at the beach (which I will get to in another post), I also got to log some camping hours – which is one of my favorite things to do!
My friend Shilah the Husky decided to come on this trip with me too – and it was to be her very first camping trip.
Shilah and I waited patiently for the cars to be packed, and oversaw that everything necessary made it into our caravan (squeaky toys, dog food, and cookies of course).
Then we loaded up the tightly packed car and made the 2 1/2 hour trip to Cape May, New Jersey.
We arrived at our dog friendly campsite at Seashore Campsites in Cape May. This campground was a bit more modernized than where I’m used to camping, with activity centers, snack shops, pools and swimming lakes (all of which do not allow dogs to enter), but I did spot lots of other friendly dog campers.
I even met this friendly dachshund named Theo!
Most of the campsites were under lots of wooded trees, which made it quite comfortable to camp even in the summer, although the camping areas were pretty tightly packed – making it a little difficult to find open areas for a dog to do his business.
I prefer a little more of a rustic camping experience personally, but I suppose to my fellow 2 legged campers it was nice to have warm showers nearby. (They can’t rough it like I can!)
My pal Shilah took to camping quite well considering this was her first experience. I even let her borrow my x-pen to make her trip a little more comfortable.
Shilah and I took our camp dog duties very seriously, and we guarded the area from any possible intruders. Ok well maybe guarding isn’t the right word when all we did was stare at passerby’s and wag our tails – but it was fun nonetheless!
One of my favorite things about camping is getting to sleep in a tent with my family. Something about being in nature is just so relaxing to me.
It also helps if you bring a comfy sleeping bag incase it gets chilly at night!
When it came time to head home from our weekend adventure I was sad to go – but I know I’ll be putting up my tent again soon, because this dog loves a good camping trip!
Tomorrow I’ll be back to share some more of the fun I had in Cape May!
One of my favorite summertime adventures with my family is to go camping, and as luck would have it this weekend I did just that! You may have caught a glimpse of my outdoor activities this weekend on Instagram and Facebook, and while I promise a full recap of all my camping related fun, today I’d thought I’d share how I pack for a camping trip.
Ammo’s Must Have Summer Camping Gear:
The key to summer camping with your four-legged companion is to make sure you bring plenty of items to keep them cool in the heat. During the day you can also choose camping activities that involve water (like swimming, kayaking, or boating) or shade (like hiking in the woods or geocaching). And when in doubt, wait for a cooler month to go on a camping adventure.
Happy Camping!
Adventures on the lake are quickly becoming my favorite thing to do in the summer. And at the Marsh Creek Boat Rental, where dogs are always welcome, there is a whole slew of fun to be had out on the water!
I started out my adventure by renting a paddleboard with mom. There’s nothing quite like gliding through the water on one of those!
This time I brought along my pal Shilah, for her very first boat ride in a motorized rowboat rental.
Dad also rented a kayak which I happily took a few laps around the lake in.
Since this was Shilah’s first trip to the lake I decided to let her test out the paddle board, which is one of my favorite rental choices.
Shilah had also never been swimming before, so I gave her a little coaching from the sidelines.
Eventually though I hopped aboard to show her how to man her lake vessel with style. She’s only one, so she has lots of learning to do still!
Shilah almost got to assist in her first water rescue when Dad accidentally tipped his kayak, but luckily things didn’t get too crazy.
Later I showed off my natural swimming skills, and it was enough to convince my pal to take her first dip too! You can see her showing off at the end of this video:
Being on the lake with my friends was so enjoyable I just didn’t want it to end!
So when we landed back on shore I decided to practice some of my swimming skills.
I’ve gotten quite good at playing fetch in the water, mom even picked up this new floating buoy toy for me from West Elm (which mom bought before it sold out).
Sigh, I’m so sad that summer is coming to an end, but hopefully I’ll get to squeeze in a few more lake trips before it ends!
Disclaimer: This review is brought to you by Ruffwear.
Lets face it, Summer is HOT! And when you’re a dog who’s covered in fur it can feel even hotter. So when I came across the Swamp Cooler Vest for dogs from Ruffwear it sounded like a great solution to keep us dogs cool in the heat. So when Ruffwear offered me up the chance to take their redesigned Swamp Cooler for a spin I decided to let my best friend Trooper test this one out. Trooper likes to tag along on the trail with the horses, but the summer (and his extra thick coat of hair) sometimes makes it just too hot for him to do so.
How does it work? Simply soak the vest with water, wring it out and put it on your dog! The evaporative cooling process will move heat away and bring cool moist air towards your dog.
The Swamp Cooler was redesigned this year with three distinct functional layers. The outer layer blocks the sun, and is highly breathable to assist in the evaporative process and keep air moving through the vest to cool the inner layers. The middle layer is the absorbent layer that holds the water after you soak it. And the comfortable inner mesh layer wicks water from the mid-layer to the dog’s body keeping them cool.
On an average day tagging along with the horses at the farm this is what Trooper looks like in the summer:
So when the Swamp Cooler arrived I was anxious to see if it kept my working buddy any cooler!
We started off by hosing the vest and wringing it out before strapping it onto Trooper.
Trooper is wearing the size medium, which fit him perfectly. I’d be curious if some of the smaller sizes would work on Dachshunds or not – our never ending quest to find products that accommodate our big chests and long backs can sometimes be a bit difficult.
I then gave Trooper strict instructions to run his little heart out after those ponies and report back to me if it kept him any cooler. I on the other hand hung back to guard the farm because my short little legs just aren’t made for keeping up on the trail!
Then off Trooper went with my ponies, wagging his little stubby tail the whole way!
When Trooper returned back to the farm he reported feeling much cooler. His tongue wasn’t hanging out as much, and it took him much less time to slow his heart rate back down. We both agree that this vest would be great to taking on the hiking trail, summer walks, or even just wearing outside in the backyard in hot weather – especially for dogs that work hard or have a thicker coat. The cooling features of this vest seem to last about an hour before it needs to be re-wet again, but as long as you bring a water bottle with you (or stop at a creek like Trooper sometimes does on his trail rides), you will always have a method of making it cool again for your dog.
Trooper and I highly recommend this product and hopefully you will be fetching your own Swamp Cooler from Ruffwear soon!
Disclosure: I received a Swamp Cooler from Ruffwear to review, all opinions are entirely my own.
Sunday breakfast out with the family is one of those enjoyable outings that are always few and far between. Which is why last Sunday mom and dad took me out to Georgio’s to have an lovely feast.
And when breakfast comes looking like this you can’t help but to use your best sad puppy face to get a bite of bacon!
Works every time!
If you know my mom and dad, then you know that just one outing in a day is never enough – so a stop off at the river on the way home is the perfect thing to work off all that bacon I ate!
Of course the food coma which ensued afterwards was still inevitable! But Sunday breakfast was totally worth it!
It’s time to take a look back over the past month at all the exciting things I’ve done! So just incase you missed it, here are some of my highlights from July!
I took a dip in my own Personal Puddle!
I shared what I do when Adventure Awaits.
I celebrated the 4th of July.
I recapped all the adventures I had on the Fourth of July.
I spent the day at the pool.
I reviewed and gave away an Easy-Scoop-A-Poop.
I went to the rodeo to watch my ponies compete.
I helped my pal Trooper test out some True Chews premium jerky.
I took some swim lessons.
I tested out my new raincoat from Voyagers K9 and gave away a gift certificate to a lucky reader.
I spent a rainy day at the lake with my pal Shilah.
I tested and gave away some great products at Prime Pet Supply.
I welcomed my ponies home from the Chincoteague Pony Penning.
I got to spend the day at work with dad.
I shared what an average weekend looks like for me.
Boy, I sure did a lot in July! I’m looking forward to many more adventures in August!