The Dog Beach at Avila

All summer I'd been wanting to take the girls to the dog beach for fun but also because Ginger had never been to the ocean before! On Thursday 7-30-09 I declared a day trip day! Mom and I drove the girls to the Dog Beach in Avila. We totally lucked out...it was a beautiful sunny, breezy 70 degree day at the beach...no clouds!!! It sure beat the 100-plus degree day Bakersfield was having!!! When you get there...you park along the shoulder of the road and then walk down this, like...big boat ramp (or at least that is what is SUPPOSED to happen!) You see, the minute we made the Avila turn off I rolled down the windows and Baylie jumped up out of a dead sleep when she smelled the ocean air! She ran from window to window and barked a few times out of excitement...Ginger didn't really know what was going on but seemed to feed off of Baylie's enthusiasm. Once we got to the people side of Avila we HAD to make a pit stop...too much water intake on the way up! Of-course near the peer there wasn't any parking so I jumped out of the car and ran to the restroom while mom drove around the block...then a quick "Chinese fire drill" and I jumped into the driver's seat and drove around the block while she ran into the bathrooms. Whew! After that I drove us down to the dog beach...the girls could SEE the other dogs down on the beach and started going crazy! I could barely keep them calm enough to get their leashes on and grab the toys, beach blanket, camera, and water! The girls were DRAGGING me toward the beach...only they were looking for the shortest way to the shore and it was all I could do to keep them from jumping down the rocky cliff and taking me with them! We made it half way down the ramp when Baylie pulled out of her collar and took off running for the water! Ginger started whimpering and so I just unhooked her collar and she sprinted after Baylie. I was shocked that she had NO hesitation when her paws hit the sand or as she dove into turbulent water! She and Baylie played for a solid 2 hours while we threw the frisbee and the ball. By the time we left they were SO tired and dehydrated they drank about a gallon of water! We were hungry for lunch and I was really craving GOOD fish and chips so we drove in to SLO and stopped at the Splash Cafe (they have outdoor tables so the dogs could come too)! I'm such a sucker, I even got them a plain burger to split between them! After lunch it was on the road toward home...the girls slept the whole way (well, with the exception of the 2 pit stops they had to make after drinking soooo much water!) Overall it was a beautiful day and everybody had fun...and only got slightly sunburt! :)

I thought I was making progress...guess not!!!

Ginger ate the futon again! It had been torn up previously and sewn back together because that is the one piece of furniture I allow them to sleep on and it happens to be Baylie's favorite place! You see, over the summer I've been trying to get Ginger more comfortable and less anxious about staying home while I go out. Before when I'd go to the gym at night I'd leave Baylie inside with free reign (as she's always had) but I'd crate Ginger...then she started becoming resistant, dodging me and the crate only to lay in her normal dog bed. I hate shoving her into the crate against her will and I don't like locking them outside when it's been so HOT either. So I started small...a quick 20-30 minute trip leaving both girls in the house with free reign of the backyard and house (with the exception of the bedrooms because I shut the doors) and everything was fine! Then slowly I added time and every time I returned home to find it untouched my confidence grew. I'd actually built up to a 4 hour trip...with the goal of a full workday I and a month left before school starts I figured I was on track to achieving it! Normally I did errands mid-day or in the evening but today I got up first thing in the morning to go to the gym with Leah...fed the girls breakfast then left. I returned only about 2 hours later to find the futon in the middle of the living room with shreds of foam everywhere!!! It had been dragged off its frame and then Ginger cured her anxiety (or boredom) by gnawing on it! I was more upset about the regression of progress than the futon itself! I re-stuffed it then sewed it back up again and got a cover to hide my ugly patch job and now I guess it's back to the drawing board when it comes to conditioning Ginger to stay home alone!

The 4th of July...2009

I have always loved fireworks but I'm glad that it is over this year!!! What happened to the good 'ole days when fireworks were only legal to light off on the of the 4th??? This year (and last) I've had to hear the squealing, cracking, and whistling of random fireworks beginning as early as the 1st! It is not really me who has the issue with it...it's the dogs (even more specifically, Baylie). At the first sound of a boom, scream, or pop she is set off on a barking spree that is tough to cease! Each night has been an adventure...I even brought my big box fan into the bedroom to help drown out the outside noises and although it helps, it does not prevent the barking! So on the 4th with my brother, (his dog Kailey) and his girlfriend Amy in town for the holiday we'd planned to have a simple BBQ/swim/hang out evening at Mom's house and then the two of them were going to the bluffs to see the big fireworks. Now...the planning began because my sister and her husband had gone to Canada on a weeks vacation and were now in Seattle for the 4th. Typically they give tranquilizer pills to their dogs because the fireworks upset them so much...but mom and I weren't comfortable just giving them pills and leaving them alone at their house so I picked them up on the way over to the BBQ. It was practically a zoo in the backyard once my carload arrived...it was the 4 of us (Mom, Wayne, Amy, and I) plus my brother's friend Jake and then 5 dogs...my 2 (Baylie & Ginger), my sister's 2 (Blue & Liberty), and my brothers 1 (Kailey). All the dogs had fun and enjoyed the smells of the BBQ. After dinner I stayed in the house while everybody else went outside to light the few fountain fireworks that Wayne got while the dogs and I watched through the window. Baylie (of-course) barked at every sound and flicker of strange light, Ginger and Liberty seemed intrigued, Kailey hid down the hall under a bed, and Blue slept on the couch. I drove Blue and Liberty home around 10pm but as I drove up their street there were still some big parties happening in the street and aerials exploding over the golf course. I decided that without the tranq. pills I was afraid to leave them alone in case the dug out or ran away etc. just one day before Sherry & Matt got home! So I went inside to get their beds and drove home for a "sleep-over". All the dogs were crazy tired and we went strait in to bed...I read for a while to make sure everyone settled in comfortably. They all slept well until 4am...when Blue and Liberty had to go outside. The bathroom break was no trouble but settling everyone back down in hopes of taking in a couple more hours of sleep was another story!!! By 6am I gave up and woke up to feed my girls breakfast and take Blue and Liberty home for their breakfast. I may have gone overboard a bit but I couldn't bear to think of anything bad happening...as it was today I've seen multiple "lost dog" signs on the mailboxes! All in all...it was a happy laid back 4th with just a few extra precautions! Hope yours was good too!