Family Camping Trip

Boy, I told you there were lots of fun things happening! Last weekend Dobby and I went camping with my family and Gracie. My sister was even back from her summer job in Maine, so we were all together and it was wonderful. Here is our little camp site, which actually did stay pretty dry despite the rain!

And here are some pictures of us hanging around:


But the highlight of Saturday was a canoe trip on the lake! Mom and dad took Gracie for a hike because we wouldn't all fit in our canoe, but Dobby got to ride along because he's nice and light weight :) He had a great time! We stopped at a little inlet and got out to swim for a while. I didn't get any pictures because I was busy making sure he was safe, but Dobby did swim for a while! It was so cute. His little tail spins around like a silly propeller. Here we are on the lake!




When he got tired of sitting on my lap, Dobby found the softest spot around (of course!) and curled up:


It was a fun ride!

Later, we went back to the camp site. Gracie was not a big fan of camping and was very happy when we just let her in the tent to have a nice nap (besides, it was raining then, and it kept her long hair relatively clean and dry).

Dobby napped for a while, too, but I think those pictures are on my sister's camera. The whole family was giggling and teasing him because where he was sleeping was deep in a pile of sleeping bags and you couldn't see him unless you called his name and his little head poked up, with his big ears. "Dobby!" we'd say, then his head would appear, then we'd giggle, then he'd realize we were just being silly and put his head back down. Then we'd do it again. After 5 or 6 times, he figured out the game and just went to sleep. Later, he (once again!) found the softest thing around and made a nice seat, although we teased him a little by taking pictures of it:

It was so much fun, and very beautiful :)


(We camped at Rocky Gap State Park in MD, which has several options for pet-friendly camping.)

Dobby's First Visit to the Beach

Dobby and I went on a grand adventure on Wednesday. My best friend from college moved to Raleigh last year, so we take turns visiting each other and for this trip, she had the great idea to go to the beach! So, I took Dobby with me and she brought Grizzly, her adopted mutt, and we made the journey to the coast. We went to a special beach that allows off-leash dogs on an island called Topsail Beach. Here's how far Dobby and I travelled on Wednesday:

We left Greensboro, drove east for almost 2 hours, then my friend L drove us all south east for another 2.5 hours. It was a long day! Breaking it up by stopping at L's house in Raleigh made all the difference, though, it would be hard to do the 4.5 hour drive alone as a one-day trip. But when we got there we had so much fun!!

It was high tide when we got there, so there was really just a narrow strip of sand between the water and the dunes. It was actually pretty great though, because it meant that the water was very shallow for quite a way out. We could walk out into the water 20 feet, and it would still only be up to our ankles! So that was great for shorty Dob. L had been to this beach with Grizz before, so she knew it was best for the dogs to stay on the sound side of the island, not the ocean side, because there were no scary waves. Once we walked a little past the few other people who were there (most of them just fishing), we let the dogs off leash.

Dobby really loves doing anything outside off leash :) So, although I was a little nervous about him being a baby about his paws in the sand or getting wet, he was a trooper. He was brave and trotted out in front of us along the sand and dunes, and then after I showed him how shallow the water was, he even went into the water by himself! I don't think he was really interesting in playing in it, but he definitely liked just exploring. And of course I took lots of pictures! (Click to make big!)

(Grizz wanted to play with Dobby but Dob thought he was just a little too energetic...)









Here are some special pictures taken by L with her fancy Nikon D80 camera (The one at the top of the post is hers too!):

Me and Dobby!

Then, when we got back to L's house in Raleigh, Dobby met her pet bunny and was fascinated.


What a great day!

A Hiking Trip

Last weekend, Dobby and I went with my boyfriend and my (new!) neighbors to Hanging Rock State Park, which isn't too far from where we live in NC.

It's a pretty good hike- about 2.5 miles total, and billed as "moderate difficulty." I've done it before, so I knew I could handle it. And Dobby is always so energetic and good on walks I figured he could do it, too! My neighbors also brought their dog.

It was a beautiful day!

My neighbor Lora with her dog, Harper, and Dobby.


Sam, me, and Dobby at the top!


It is so beautiful! Visibility is about 60 miles.


I picked Dobby up once we got to the top- for his own safety, mostly. He was very frustrated though, and kept whining to walk around and explore!


On the way down, I made sure to get a picture of some of the trail. I was totally impressed at how well Dobby did the whole time- some of these steps are twice as tall as he is!



What a great day it was :)

Weekend activities and lots of updates!

Hi all! Dobby and I had a fantastic weekend. I have been bad lately about taking pictures of him, but hopefully I'll be getting a new camera for Christmas and will get better about that. (My current camera is about 8 years old; it still works fine but it is so big and heavy that I never take it anywhere with us!)

On Saturday, Dobby and I went to All Pets Considered (I think of the Munchkins going to Harry Winston every time I go there now!) APC is a privately owned pet shop that has high quality kibbles, exciting chewies like moo tubes (trachea), bully sticks (...you know), and Dobby's new favorite: Texas toothpicks! Texas toothpicks are sheep tails, I think. They look really kind of gross when he's chewing them, like he has bitten off someone's finger! Since I don't have any pictures of our trip to APC, here are some pictures of Dob with a Texas toothpick.

Anyway, we went to the store to get him some new kibble and, after much deliberation, came home with Wellness Core original. I also looked at car seats and will maybe buy one soon. Dobby had a good time smelling all the smells and looking at some of the new outfits they had, but all we took home was the food.

After the pet store, we went to pick out pumpkins!! Dobby has gone with me to pick out pumpkins at a local church every year he has been with me (this was his third time). He always gets lots of attention, and loves being somewhere completely out of his ordinary routine. We picked out 3 great pumpkins and 2 adorable gourds to put around the house as decorations. Pictures to come soon!

Sunday, Dobby and I went to a little dog get-together at a park north of town (the same park where we got lost in the woods). There weren't as many people or dogs there as I had hoped, but there were tables set up for local vets, pet-sitters, and other dog related goodies. There was even an agility course set up! Dobby has never done agility before, but I've always thought he would be good at it. He was too distracted to try much, but I got him to jump over a little pole several times. One of the people running the thing took video of it, and as soon as I know if it's posted online somewhere, I'll put up a link! It was adorable! After meeting lots of new dogs and sniffing around for a while, we went home happy and tired.

It was a great weekend. Today is also a special day- Today is Dobby's gotcha day! I've had Dobby for 2 whole years now. Here is his adoption story. He also just turned 3 years old last month- I was so busy I forgot to post it that day, so I figured I would wait and post it today with his gotcha day post. Happy gotcha day, Dobby! I love you!

-Sharon

Boston Trip

'Please take me with youuuu!'

This is from earlier in the summer when Jeremy and I went to Boston for a weekend. Dobby wanted to come along! I'll be travelling again for Thanksgiving, but don't worry, Dobbs- you will be hanging out with daddy that weekend...

Taken July 27, 2008.