Amazing Nicholas

Back in December I shared the story of Nicholas - a pup that came into the Arizona Golden Retriever Connection family before Christmas who need a lot of love and help.  To read his story click here.  Nicholas has been receiving lots of TLC, and is on his way to having his own fairy-tail story!   In honor of his amazing recovery, and to give folks a chance to meet him, AZGRC held a party just for Nicholas! 

Look at how handsome he is!

You can barely tell he had surgery!

Nicholas was a wonderful host - he greeted folks, begged for a few tidbits, and made sure to wander in and out of the house.  ...and when he got tired?  A nap in the sun!

Zzzz....

Of course, folks kept petting him!

That's right, I'm a good boy...

 And yes, I did lots of petting too!

A little to the left, please!

In between petting Nicholas, we all had fun visiting and talking to the folks who played key roles in giving Nicholas a new life.  Thank you, everyone!

I couldn't resist these cute treats!

Nicholas is truly an amazing dog.  As he gains strength his quirky personality is starting to show through.

Who wants to get me sausage?

 ...and his playfulness...

Yup, I'm cool...

...and his loving nature.

These ear rubs are the best!

 I think he knew we were all there for him!

Is that a grin I see?

After all, he is...

AZGRC's Amazing Nicholas

The perils of walking Monty

In order to control Monty's extraordinary energy, walks are a must.  Sometimes, depending on how many witnesses there are, I even try to run with Monty.

...and yes, having no witnesses is a must...

You see, Monty is excellent at walking and he loves running.  Most of the time he is the picture of a perfect canine exercise partner.  He trots steadily and smoothly, no pulling on the leash, and can cover any distance quite easily.

Except every once in a while.  You never know when it will happen.  It could be the 12th outing or the 47th.

You will be cruising along, moving like a fine athlete and look down to admire your handsome pup by your side and realize he's watching you.

OMD, you realize in a panic, he's having a Walter Mitty moment.  ...and he thinks he's a cheetah!  (This varies - sometimes he thinks he's a wolf, or a panther, and once I think he was a shark.)

Worse yet?  He's a cheetah hunting prey, and you are a three-legged impala stuck in a mud puddle. 

After that?  It's all down hill.

WHAM!

I have to admit, his take-down methods are pretty effective.  So far he has been 100% successful. 

I is stalking you....

...and Aaron wonders why my shoes are always filled with gravel....

International Golden Retriever Day - February 3rd

Today we are celebrating International Golden Retriever Day.  I know, you are all thinking "Isn't every day International Golden Retriever Day"?  While that is true, it has been decided to have one day dedicated to partying like a Golden!

How will spend this wonderfully special day? Well, for starter's trying to figure out what Monty was up to while we were out of the house....

Caught on our home camera - looks kind of suspicious, doesn't it?

 Dreaming of where our next space adventure will be....

I'm thinking a visit to the Dog Star would be awesome!  I wonder if Mom would pack us sandwiches?

 Maybe giving the boys a bath?

It took weeks to get odor like I like it....  Now I has to start over.

 ...and just adoring our boys!

How can anyone resist dis face?

...and when the excitement is over at our house, we will go over and join these pups!

In which we meet friends!

Sam and I had quite the adventure today!  We were just settling down for another fun-filled day of fighting floof and laundry, when we got a message from our friends Miche and Bill of The Adventures of Sammie and Avalon.  They are passing through Arizona and due to some issues with their travel trailer are spending an extra day or two here.  Sam and I thought this would be a great opportunity to meet some of our great blogging/Facebook friends and immediately hopped in the truck and headed south.

I hope they like me!

Sammie and Avalon were wonderful!  We took them out in the desert and let them have some off leash time....

The fuzzy butts are off and exploring!

Avalon is a champion hole digger and she gave all the dogs plenty of things to keep busy with.

Dig dig dig dig dig dig dig....

Even Sam was intrigued by the holes!

I had no idea this was down here!

Samantha and Sam enjoyed snootering through the fresh dirt.

What did you find in this hole?

These roots are quite tasty!

The excavating continued....

Hmmm...  I better shore up this hole....

Sam tired himself out....

I'm gonna need a nap....

...and so did Avalon!

Just claiming this whole dirt pile as mine!

Sammie took time to remind us she needed some attention...

A little to the right, please!

We managed to get the pups to pose together for a photo.  From left to right:  Avalon, Samantha, and Sam

We represent the Golden Retriever color palette, from light to dark red.

Avalon decided she had enough of posing for pictures - she was off for another round of hole digging!

Samantha:  Pups.... Sam:  Yup.  I've got one too!  You will meet him on your way back...

We had a wonderful afternoon and once again marveled at how many wonderful friends we made through blogging.  Thank you Samantha, Avalon, Miche and Bill!

I had a wonderful day!

...and yes, we left Monty out again.  We are working on being able to take him and Sam in the truck together.  There is less room than the car, so longer trips are a little tricky.  Stay tuned for further adventures! 

Forgetful Mom Equals Twice the Fun!

Okay, I'm a bad doggie Mom.   When their December BarkBox came in the mail, I set it aside and forgot about it...  Until, the January one came.

The boys aren't complaining - it just means twice the fun for them!

I can't wait!

 The boys didn't mind that I was late.  It was Christmas in January.

January on the left, December on the right....

First up out of the box were the toys!  These are Monty's favorite every time.

Monty stole the Jax and Bones when I wasn't looking.  ...and the Simply Fido, now that I think of it...

Next comes the treats....  Sam has a special interest in these.

Superior Farms Pet Provisions and Bocce's Bakery

Yumzies Treats by Nootie.  We find these make the best reward for photo shoots.

We were especially excited by this next surprise!

A spiral bully stick and Red Velvet Puppy Cake!  Just what we needed!

Someone special has a Gotcha Day coming up.  Plus, our 5th Bloggiversary is coming up!

It be 3 years with these people.

...and of course, there is always something useful....

That's not for us, right Mom?

Thank you, BarkBox, for another exciting box!  (or two!)...


 

Yappy Hour with AZGRC

AZGRC recently started holding "Cruise the Valley" events - a chance for all of us to get together and spend some time with our Golden's and with our friends in the rescue.  This month's "Cruise the Valley" event was Yappy Hour at Hacienda's Mexican Grill in Scottsdale.  Since Monty went to the last AZGRC event, we decided it was Sam's turn to have a good time.

They are holding a party for me!

It's always fun to see all the Golden's get together.  Sam was a little shy at first, but once he realized he wasn't facing a herd of Monty's, he was ready to mingle.

There were quite a few Golden's there!

And of course, whenever you have a Golden nearby, you can expect a lot of petting!

A little to the left....

That's right, I'm a good dog....

...and I'd like the mini fish-tacos for my appetizer....

Sam settled down on his mat and became a proper host for his party....

It is my party, right Mom?

A few of the Golden's wore themselves out:

Zzzzzz.....

Including Sam....

Zzzzzz.....

We had a great time and can't wait for the next event!  Thank you, AZGRC!

Sam and me.  :)

Trying to feel better....

A lot of you know I suffer from terrible headaches, something I've shared openly, especially on Facebook.  My hope is that someone will be able to suggest something that will finally give me some relief.  January is the anniversary of when my headache began.  I say headache, because once it started it never went away and I've had it for several years now.  Most days it is bearable, and some days, like the past week, the pain is excruciating.  I've seen many doctors and have had many tests without finding out why my head hurts.

I am behind on updating "How Sam Sees It" and reading blogs.  I'm slowly catching up - please don't give up on me!

Anyway, enough whining...!

Aaron and I decided to take a break from the valley and visit my sister in Payson for the day.  We packed up the boys and headed north.   ...and I forgot my camera!  These pictures were taken on my phone.

We aren't sure if Monty has seen snow.  The first time he stepped on it, he shot up into the air like a rocket.  We aren't convinced that he liked it, but he seemed to only walk in it because Sam did.

Sam, Monty and I stopped for a picture.

I love our boys.  They are such an odd duo, but they look out for each other and always want to be with the other one. Here Sam is showing how happy he is with our trip, while Monty is still trying to decide what the white stuff is.

It's evil, Mom.

 ...but of course, Sam has his serious moments....

He's my brother, and a little goofy, and I love him....

We will be by to visit all of you soon!