Hiking San Diego's Canyons With Your Dog: Hiking Mischief

One of the many things I really like about San Diego is the canyon parklands which run through the 'burbs (and even quite close to downtown). Although the canyons can be a bit scary at times (like fire season...) they are great for going on a nice hike and feeling like you've gotten out in nature, even though you might be hiking right along a freeway.

Check out the link above for a list of all the canyon parklands and maps of each.

You'd never know we're hiking right next to a freeway!

Perfect Present Pairs a Pup and a Paperback

You guys! My dear, sweet friend (and fellow author) Kathleen Irene Paterka (by the way... check out her books!) sent me the sweetest present!

And it's so perfect for me! A dog reading a book!! I mean, could that be any more perfect??

My Dog's So Weird: Miss Sniff

Instead of Mischief Monday, today we have Miss Sniff Monday.

Rita has some funny habits, and this is one of her more amusing ones. Every morning, when I get dressed, as soon as she hears the rustling of the fabric of my clothes, she comes running to sniff my pants.

If I'm putting on yoga pants or shorts, she's pretty sure she's getting a walk and her tail starts wagging.

Me, getting my shorts ready to put on

Hiking at Wildlands Conservancy With Your Dog

For less-wordy Wednesday, I thought I'd share some photos from a little getaway trip we did last week. We went to Desert Hot Springs/Palm Springs for a few days and did three days of hiking on some of The Wildlands Conservancy trails.

One day we went to the Mission Creek Preserve:

My Dog's So Weird: Breakfast Mischief (And... A New Title)

Rita has some very odd habits.

Here's one that's been surfacing lately - she doesn't want to eat her breakfast.

Dinner, she'll snarf down in two minutes flat. But breakfast? She'll often sleep until 9, get up to go outside quickly, and then go back to bed.

Less Wordy Wednesday: An Update on Adorable Adoptable Pups

Ages ago (siriusly... ages - it was way back last June...), I posted 2 pics of buddies Gus and Ricky, who were up for adoption at Helen Woodward Animal Center where I volunteer. I asked you guys to come up with captions and (some of) you guys came through! 

From Amy at Terra Toby: Bus: "Right here?"
Ricky: "A little lower…to the left…ahhh right there!"

Off The Wall Mischief

About once a week, I try to get Rita over to her BFF's house for a playdate.  They play like crazy, and then we all go for a nice long walk.

I've shared a photo of her BFF before - she's a boxer named Dakota. She will kiss you with that big ol' tongue if you let her.

Wordless Wednesday: A Photo Flashback

I shared this recently on my Facebook author page, but thought I'd share it here as well.

As far as I know, this is the first known photo of me with a dog: (sorry about the quality - I just took a pic of the original with my phone)

Monday Mischief: Dog Days of Summer - in Winter

It's too hot to blog! Siriusly. My office with the computer in it gets the sun beating into it in the afternoons (and trying to blog via an iPad is an exercise in frustration!), so I'm going to try to keep this brief!

The weather in San Diego this afternoon while I type this is 87 degrees.

Wordless Wednesday: Our Minx, the Sphinx

Remember I told you about Rita's artwork/custom-bedding project? I didn't have the heart to throw it away, so it's in our bedroom and she sleeps on it every night. (Sometimes I hide it under her blankie but she's not crazy about that.)

Here she's our little minx in her custom bed, doing her sphinx imitation:

Monday Mischief: When No Mischief Is Mischief

When I posted last week about Rita meeting Sugar, I mentioned that I was hopeful she'd like Sugar, since there's a sweet, calm, older golden in our 'hood that Rita likes.

Well, we ran into her this weekend, just hanging out on a sunny sidewalk all by herself. (She's so mellow, her pawrents just let her hang out in front of her house. I'd worry too much to ever let a dog do that, but then... I worry about everything!)

My Goofy-Foot Girls or What Do Dewclaws Do?

A while back, my blogger buddy Jan wrote a very interesting post about dog's feet called Barking About... Canine Paws & Toes. (You should check it out. Did you know dogs have either "cat", "hare" or "webbed" feet?) Her post made me think of some of the odd things about angel Abby's and Rita's feet.

When we got Rita, we said she seemed to be a mix of Abby and our other angel Bailey. Bailey had no dewclaws in the back, but Abby had both.

Our long little doggie with both back dewclaws

Monday Mischief: If Only Rita Was as Sweet as Sugar!

You guys! We met a celebrity this weekend! As fun and exciting as it was, there was a lot of mischief too...

I was super excited to get a chance to meet Sugar (!!) from Sugar the Golden Retriever fame on Saturday!

Love To Go To the Dog Show But Not For the Dog Show

Today for less-wordy Wednesday, I'm sharing some of the (really terribly blurry*) pics I took at the recent dog show here in San Diego. Two of my sisters and I go pretty much every year, but I don't even care about the actual dog show.

You might wonder why someone would go to a dog show and not watch the show, but there are lots of other things to do. 

First of all, we love to walk around and see all the cute pups, like this adorable beagle getting ready to go in the ring:

Every bit as cute as Miss P!

Monday Mischief: Adding Insult to Injury

Remember when Reggie and Rita had a play date in my sister's neighbor's yard?

Wordless Wed.: A Walk in the Fog with the Dog

We've had some super foggy mornings here lately. Rita's not a huge fan of walking in the fog. She seems to be on high alert, as you can tell from her perked up ears in this pic.

Valentine's Mischief: Pets Over Partners?!

Petplan, which we use for Rita's insurance, surveyed 4800 pet parents with some questions about Valentine’s Day. Some of the results were kind of amusing, and maybe sound like your house or mine??

Dementia and Show Tunes (and Dogs!), Oh My!

The other day, there was a report stating researchers found that singing show tunes helped improve brain function in patients with Alzheimer's/dementia. The researchers held sing-along sessions with hits from The Wizard of Oz, Oklahoma! and The Sound of Music, and found that those who sang along showed "marked improvement" compared to those who just listened.

The hubs and I really worry about our brains - especially mine, which often doesn't work right. This was fantastic news to me, because I know every word to every song from Oklahoma! (and most of them for TSoM and TWoO and, as a bonus, South Pacific). We not only had the albums when I was a kid, but I played Aunt Eller in the school musical. (I shoulda rounded up a pic, but that would be Throw-back Thur, and today's Less-Wordy Wed.)

To prove to myself I still had it, I typed out the lyrics to Ado Annie's "I Can't Say No" from Oklahoma. (Hit that link if you've never heard it. It's not exactly a beautiful tune, but it's fun.) 

So, here are my typed lyrics... accompanied by repurposed dog photos.

Monday Mischief: Custom Bedding! And a Storage Problem Solved!

The hubs and I have been on the search for a good night's sleep (defined as not waking up in pain. Is that too much to ask?) for, like, years now. A while back we realized we wanted different things, so went to two twins in our king frame. Because of our search, we have a couple of spare twin bed toppers around the house, and since we had (yet another) new bed coming, I needed to do some rearranging. 

I asked the hubs to toss one of the toppers in the spare room until I could rearrange some stuff stored under that bed and store the topper under there too. That night we went to bed and Rita trotted off to the spare room where she sometimes sleeps up on the guest bed. We heard what sounded either like distant fireworks (my guess, since we live within hearing distance of SeaWorld's fireworks and it was a 3-day weekend for MLK Jr. Day) OR Rita rearranging the blanket we keep on top of the guest bed for when she sleeps in there (the hub's guess, since Rita likes a cozy nest). We were both wrong.

The next morning I found this:

Someone had a good time.

Wordless Wed.: The Dog's a Fan of the Bone Broth Craze!

Did you know there's a bone broth craze going on? (If something makes The Today Show it's probably officially a craze!) I've been making bone broth for the hubs (so it will hopefully help with his joint and bone issues). He drinks a hot mug of it every night, and the dog's a fan!

Here she is watching, waiting, and hoping while I prep the bones for the cooking.

Lost & Found Mischief

Each novel I write has its own notebook. It holds various things: a rough outline, timeline, character notes, lists of names, maybe some first-draft scenes when I don't feel like working on my desktop PC, any newspaper articles or photos or other bits of inspiration, etc.

Well, this weekend I realized I'd lost my notebook for Book #4. Aggggh! I figured it was in the house, so looked everywhere. I've been known to absentmindedly set things down in weird places when I'm straightening up and have my hands too full, so I really looked everywhere! (Yes, I looked in the freezer.)

Lots to Celebrate! (Including Book News!)

There's a lotta stuff to celebrate today on PoochSmooches, so I hope you'll let me be a teensy bit wordy! (Don't you always??) :)

First of all, Jan. 21 is Rita's Gotcha Day! Three years ago we brought this crazy little pup home.

Momma's Girl? Daddy's Boy? Does Your Pet Have a Preference?

This is a daddy's girl:

Our beagle Bailey was a major daddy's girl. She would sit in his lap and hug and kiss him for ages. And he would just let her. They were quite the pair. (I literally gave up once after counting 1000 kisses.)

Wordless Wednesday: Left Out in the Cold

Recently when my sis was dog-sitting Rita, she took Reg and Rita over to a neighbor's house so they could race around in their park-like backyard. (Yes, the livin' is easy - and warm - in the winter time in San Diego, but our backyards are tiny.) 

They played:

Monday Mischief: There's Always One!

Every year when I put my Christmas stuff away after New Year's, there's always ONE thing that evades me, which is a pain since the Xmas decor gets crammed, er, packed with great precision into storage boxes. The heavy boxes are then hefted up onto the top shelf of our storage closet/pantry, with all manner of odd-sized/shaped things piled on top.

So, any missing item gets to spend the year sitting on the shelf in the closet surveying our comings and goings. (Since this is also the closet where Rita's treats reside, we come and go a lot!)

Because of the "there's always one!" problem, I usually do a military-precision-style sweep of the house, going through each room several times to make sure no one gets left behind. I pile everything on/around the dining room table, and when I'm sure I've got it all, I start cramming, er, packing.

Well, I really thought I'd rounded up and exiled everyone this year, until Rita pointed out that we had a stow-away hiding between two dining room chairs.

Pooch Smooches Takes the Pet Blogger Challenge

Today is the Fifth Annual Pet Blogger Challenge hosted by Go Pet Friendly (check them out if you like to travel with your pets!). It's a way for bloggers to "encourage, motivate and support each other." If you're a pet blogger and haven't joined already, hop on!

 

1. How long have you been blogging? And, for anyone stopping by for the first time, please give us a quick description of what your blog is about.

Less-Wordy Wednesday: A Photo Tribute to a New Angel

Sadly, our family lost another pup over the holidays - my sister's dog, Indy. Since it's Wordless Wed., I've got a little tribute to her in pictures:

A painting my other sis did of Indy

A Resolution Your Dog Can Help You Keep

Most of us know the routine with New Year's resolutions - we make them on January 1st, but they're usually forgotten by about mid-January! 

Well, last year SlimDoggy challenged us all to move our mutts, and Rita and I took the challenge seriously!

Wordless Wednesday: Comfort and Joy

Thought I'd share with you the front of our Christmas card for this year:

Monday Mischief: Everything Is Irresistible

It's Christmas, and Rita is finding everything irresistible. 

First of all, there's the "dogs at the beach" themed tree I put up. She LOVES the smell of the starfish and shells on the tree! It's a bit of Momma-mischief to put something so smelly on the tree, but so far this year she's been good and hasn't stolen anything off the tree!

Dog-Inspired Xmas Windows and Forced Xmas Crafting

If you've followed the blog for a while, you know that every Christmas my sisters and I get together to paint my one sister's windows. It's always a dog theme, featuring her pup Indy. (Last year was Fleas Navidad. If you'd like to see a retrospective of some of my faves, check out the guest post I did at Peggy's The Writer's Dog blog 2 years ago.)

This year, we also did a bit of "forced crafting." That's what my family calls it when someone gets the idea to do a little crafting project, and the rest of us are forced to join in. (It's like a forced march, but more fun. And you end up with cute things to bring home.) I'll share pics and how-to instructions from our craft at the end of the post for those who like to get crafty!

Now, back to the windows. This year the theme was Muttly Kalikimaka, so of course we have Indy on a sandy beach wearing a lei, with the ocean behind her. 

Monday Mischief: A Spa Technique the Dog Hates

Last week, the hubs and I went away for our first ever vacation at a spa. (Although I scheduled some posts to go up while we were away, we were mostly "unplugged" so I wasn't able to reply to comments or visit your blogs. I missed you guys!)  While we were at the spa, we took a lot of classes, including one on myofacial release - basically using tennis balls to massage your fascia (the thin connective tissue that wraps around your muscles and most other structures in your body).

Rita is not a fetch-crazed dog. She has several tennis balls, but mostly ignores them. Oh, she'll chase them a time or two if you initiate a game, but she quickly gets bored and her tennis balls just lie around the house.

Wordless Wednesday: Before and After

Last week I shared this pic of Reggie after he and Rita had had a good play session, romping in the damp grass and through the flower beds:

A Gift for You - A Free Anthology!

No mischief today - just a little giftie from me to you guys! I've got a Fido-friendly fictional short story coming out in an anthology, called A Cup of Christmas.*

The anthology will be FREE (!) from Tuesday, Dec. 2 and for the next 3 days. Thereafter, it will be priced at $1.99, and ALL proceeds will go to First Book, a children's literacy charity.

"Cindy Lou" from my story

Wordy Wednesday: Thankful! #ShareGratitude

Thursday is one of my most favorite days of the year here in the US: Thanksgiving!

So, in the spirit of a holiday that is all about gratitude (and FOOD - one of me and Rita's fave things!), we are joining the Share Gratitude hop!

I hope you don't mind if I get a little wordy, while I share a combined list for Rita and me.

Waiting: The Reverse Angle AND a Winner!

Last week, I showed you how it looks when Rita is waiting on Reggie. This week, we've got a view from the other side of things.

Here's Reg waiting on Rita's arrival. He's not quite as patient as Rita. He waits by the door...

Less Wordy Wed: Whatcha Waitin' For?

Can you guess what Rita is waiting for?

Sitting and waiting, about 20 min before the expected arrival.

Pet Cancer Awareness & A #Giveaway!

November is Pet Cancer Awareness Month. I know there's also a PCA month in May... but who am I to tell whoever organizes these things to coordinate their months?? Besides, the more awareness, the better, right?

So, today, to hopefully help make people more aware about pet cancer, there's no mischief on the blog... instead, we've got some pet cancer detection tips and a little giveaway!

Several years ago, the hubs and I did a canine cancer walk to raise money for Morris Animal Foundation. At that event they said that ~25% of all dogs will get cancer. 

Our familial unit back in 2011 at the MAF Canine Cancer Walk

Wordless Wednesday: Something Lovely with Something Icky

Do you ever wonder how your beautiful pups can stand to put some of the grossest things in their mouths??

This lovely girl is up for adoption at Helen Woodward Animal Center where I volunteer each week. There were plenty of nice, clean tennis balls to play with, but of course she wanted to play with the icky, muddy one! (Thank you to the genius who invented the ChuckIt! I never had to actually touch the thing!)

Monday Mischief: Puppy Mischief - What To Expect!

I wish I'd known about the Monday Mischief blog hop back when we had Abby. That girl was a master mischief maker!

Cutest puppy ever. 100% filled with mischief.

Wordless Wednesday: Sending Good Thoughts

Today we have a special request for our friends over at The Three Little Pugs. 

Stella Rose, Margaret Mae and Angus McConnell have a human family member, Macey, who needs good thoughts and prayers. You can read about (and see super adorable pictures of) Macey here. 

Monday Mischief: "I am NOT a Rabbit!"

Did you know that Saturday, Nov. 1 was "National Cook for Your Pets Day"?! (That "for" is really important in that title...) I didn't realize it until I flipped our PetPlan calendar over to November - which I did a day late.

But even though I didn't know it was NCfYP Day, I did recently start cooking for Rita. She's always eaten a good quality, grain-free kibble, with some organic canned food of one type or another mixed in. Pretty much no matter what I buy, and no matter how much she loves it on day one, but day 3 she's bored of it. Plus I got tired of always having to pick up cans of stuff for her, so I started cooking for her, and stirring this mix of organic meat, root veggies and green veggies in with her kibble.

And she loves it.

I Love Halloween; The Dog Hates It

I love Halloween. I love seeing everyone's creative costumes; I love the spooky decorations; I love the candy. :)

Rita, however, hates everything about it.

She hates when Momma tries to put stuff on her (although she will tolerate it for a few seconds for a treat): 

Is She Gonna Make Us An Offer We Can't Refuse?

Remember when we gave Rita a pony for her birthday?

Less Wordy Wednesday: Caption This Goofy Pic

I snapped this goofy pic the other day at Helen Woodward, where I volunteer, when 2 of my fave pups were playing under my legs. Wanna try and caption it?

I'm going with: "I dub thee Sir EatsALot!"

Your Dog Ate What?? A Guide to Edible Hazards

In my debut novel, What the Dog Ate, there's a lotta mischief going on. In fact, in the first sentence, we find out that both Maggie's dog and hubby have been up to mischief: "The vet handed Maggie Baxter a plastic specimen bag containing a pair of size-tiny lavender thong panties extracted from her dog; but they were not hers."

"Panties. Yum!"

When you write a book about a Lab with a "the-world-is-my-smorgasbord" attitude, folks tell you stories about the odd things their pets have eaten. (Note that all these dogs ended up being fine!) Like the dog that ate the zipper on his bed. The zipper! Or a friend's cat that ate the prescription pill her husband dropped. (I thought it was impossible to get a cat to take a pill??)

Blog the Change: An Easy Way to Help Animals

Today it's Blog the Change for Animals again, so I'm sharing a super easy-peasy way to help animals. It will literally only take a minute or two.

But... let's start with a photo of a smiling Rita:

"Cheeeeese! Wait.. really? Cheese??"

There's a purpose to that pic, because my easy-peasy way for you to help animals is to shop through AmazonSmile. Since I'm writing about AmazonSmile, I figured we'd start out with a RitaSmile.

Monday Mischief: Should I Always Say Goodbye?

When Rita and her cousin Reg get together, it usually looks a lot like this:

Less Wordy Wed.: Can You Guess What This Is?

Today we have a guessing game. Can you guess what this is?

Wordless Wednesday: Rewards and Resolutions

I'm excited to share that my second novel, Rescue Me, Maybe, won a Gold Medal award in the Readers' Favorite 2014 contest in the Fiction - Animals category!

Rita looks way cuter in the medal than I do, so she'll model it. (As you can see, she was not super thrilled about the modeling gig. She would rather have a treat than a stupid medal any day! And just so you know... she did get a treat too, of course!)

"Momma, this is lame."