Splish Splash, It's a Dog Pool Party

Fussy in the pool

          It has been years since the last time we bought a kiddie wading pool for the dogs, so this year we searched around for a nice big deep one. With all that has been going on here I hadn't had the time to put it out and get it filled. This Monday I said nuts to this I'm putting out the pool for the dogs!

          I was so excited, I envisioned all my dogs splashing about in the cool water and running around with their pool toys. Ahhh, they are going to love it! Patio all cleaned up, put down the mat and placed the pool on top of it. At this point all the dogs were showing interest in my odd activity. Now to just pull out the hose and get this baby filled! At this point all three of the girls are just milling about the yard wondering why they haven't gone back into the house. Just you puppies wait and see what I've got for you.

          The pool at this point is now a quarter way filled and a great point to put Fussy my 13 year old disabled dog in. Fussy comes wandering over and goes "Great a drinking fountain!" She starts drinking and I then pick her up (because there is no way she could get in on her own) and put her in the water. Now Fussy when she was younger loved swimming in lakes, real pools, and even in wadding pools. The look on Fussy's face was unsure but she continued on with drinking the water. At this point I'm feeling fairly good about this and grab my camera for some photos. As soon as she spotted the camera it was all over (she hates having her photo taken). Fussy was like "Yup, now I know I really don't like being in here. Get me out!" Not to worry I though, I still had the other two girls who I know is going to have a great time. I pull Fussy out of the pool and she makes a mad dash away, well, in her her own fashion of dashing away which makes her look like a seal as she drags her back legs behind her.

"Get me out!"

          The pool continued to fill. Now it was time for Cahokia and Sunka to get in. Cahokia was the first to wander over, she to started drinking the water. I told her she could get in which peaked her interest. This time I had a dog who looked like she wanted to get in. With a bit of a nudge I got her in. She walked around slurping up the water and then stopped, stood there smiled. Score! We have a happy doggie!

Cahokia enjoying the cool water

          Sunka your are up next! With her sister drinking and splashing around in the pool Sunka felt compelled to see what this pool was all about. Maybe a drinking some pool water will put her more at ease, all the while she kept giving me glances. She even tried to put her foot in the water and then thought better of it. So I helped walk her in one foot at a time. She took a few steps and then looked up at me as to say "Why would you do this to me?" It didn't take much longer after that that she hopped out and wondered away. This is not how I thought my pool party would go. Two dogs out of three didn't want anything to do with the water, not only that but Fussy insisted on going inside. Does that make me a failure? The odds weren't good that was for sure but there was on silver-lining and that was Cahokia.

Sunka came over to see what her sister was up to.

          Cahokia was having a ball digging in the water and chasing all the pool toys. She just kept bring us the toys for us to throw into the water. I had her jumping in and out so many times she started to get tired which was something because it is so hard to tire her out.

       
Stop by my Google+ pages for more photos and videos of my pool party.
https://plus.google.com/117288703281079315811
https://plus.google.com/b/116865961144889959657/116865961144889959657

Two New Options Added!

New and improved Bloodhound

          I want to thank everyone for bearing with me and waiting for me to finally get my website back up-to-date. This year has just be insanely crazy but so far things look like they might be getting back to normal (or semi-normal). Anyway there is just a little more tweaking I need to do on my website and then it will be good to go.

          Now to introduce my latest additions! If you love Bloodhounds you will be very happy to know that I have redone my pattern so now it is better then ever. I must admit I'm very pleased with how this one turned out. It took quite a long time to get this new pattern just so, particularly the ear which is my favorite part.

NEW Double Dappled color

          This year I had a lovely Dachshund costumer place an order for some new colors, which I was excited to do. Thanks to her I now have a black/tan dappled and double dappled in the Dachshund Longhaired to offer. I just love it when I get to work with a customer that is knowledgeable in their breed that they can give me feedback on how I can improve my pattern to get it as close to the breed standard as possible. I want to get each breed and color just right so that they pass muster with my customers who are very passionate about their particular breed.

NEW Dappled color

          If you are looking for a particular dog breed or even a coloration just send me an email with your request and I'll do my very best to make it happen.

Fussy Puts On Her Wheelchair & Heads To The Forest

Annnnd she's off!!

          On Thursday, we took Fussy once again to the Fullersburg Woods but this time in her wheelchair. The last time we went she could still walk on her own, nowadays she can't go any where without support. It must have been perfect timing when we went as the weather was optimal for walking outside. The trail for the most part was fairly empty, but we did pass people (mostly bikers) every now and again. The wildlife was even out and about making the walk even more fun and enjoyable. And to top it all off the vegetation was so green and lush with flowers blooming throughout the way.

Fussy was so excited she was running everywhere.

My baby niece went with us.

Pretty much the whole trip all we saw of Fussy was her tail wagging butt.

Every view was lovely.

Run!

"Hey Fussy! Did you have a good time?"

Check out Blog Giveaway I've found

Check out 2014 Blog Giveaway #1

I know it isn't dog related but this was the only way I could enter the giveaway. If you are a crafter you will like this giveaway.

New Dog Breed & Colors Added, Also Key Chains!

NEW Irish Terrier Key Chain

          Just as promised NEW STUFF! Took me much longer then I would have liked to of gotten posted but as you know "real life" likes to get in the way. So without further ado I present my new pieces! There are new color options for Collie Rough - tri color and Doberman Pinscher - dark blue. I also have added a new breed, you can now get the Portuguese Podengo Pequeno in a smooth coat and wire coat. You may also be interested to know that I'll been unveiling more later.

Tri color Collie Rough

          The new tri colored Collie was added thanks to a customer request. I know I've said this many times before but there are just so many breeds and colors of dogs that it may take me a super long time to get to your favorites, that is unless you ask me to make yours a priority.

A darker blue Doberman Pinscher

          I thought I was done with adding any more colors to my Doberman Pinscher line until I was contacted by a customer. They just recently lost their service dog and wanted my tag to memorialize the sweet angel. The current blue I had was a light color so they asked if I could possibly make it in a darker blue (as that was the color of the their dog). I was more then happy to oblige and this (see photo above) is the result.

NEW Portuguese Podengo Pequeno smooth coat

NEW Portuguese Podengo Pequeno wire coat

          In between me adding new colors for breeds I already have or reworking old patterns I like to add new breeds. I hope Portuguese Podengo Pequeno lovers will love my newly added designs.

          The most requests I've received has been for a key chain. I must admit I had originally turned down the idea because I had been much to busy. But more requests for it continued to come so I just couldn't ignore it any longer and begin sketching. Before I send out a key chain into the world I needed to test it to make sure it would hold up. I have a family member that carries more keys then any normal person would, they would become my Tester. I started making my designs but in the end each one proved to be flawed. Some designs lasted longer then others but they just weren't right and it was to bad as some were quite nice. I had one last idea but at the point I had spent a lot of time on the key chain project and the whole thing just fell to the wayside. Fast forward to earlier this year, a customer on eBay contacts me after seeing my Irish Terrier crate tag and asks if I happen to have it in a key chain. I did have that new design idea in the pipeline and I took this as a sign to give this project another shot. Well I stitched up the new design and put it through testing and lo and behold it worked! I do have to warn you that not all my dog designs will be suitable to be made into key chains. The dog designs with the long tails, thin legs, etc may not be sturdy enough to be made it a key chain. I'll be going through my dogs and making a decision on which breeds will be offered in the key chain design.

          All these new items will be added to my website, shops, and on eBay but please be aware that it may take me some time to do so. However, you are always very much welcome to contact me to request that I  list them quickly for you.