Now that I’m back to my regular weekly agility classes (after mom had knee surgery and I had to take a little break) I’ve jumped right back in where I left off and I’m now doing full courses! I’m still a bit of a novice and have plenty to learn, but I’m having loads of fun running the courses!
So what do you think? Does it look like I’m having a blast?!
Disclaimer: This review is brought to you by Mattie & Margot.
Have you heard of Mattie & Margot? If not, then you are missing out my friend. Makers of stylish handmade dog collars, Mattie & Margot carry every color under the sun, and they’re just what I needed to brighten up my summer!
I purchased one of Mattie & Margot’s Mystery Collars (in yellow) and received this sunny Yellow Gold collar – isn’t it happy? With their Mystery Collars you can choose a color range for $16 or let it be a total surprise for $12 – what a great deal!
And because Rachael (the expert sewing machine operator behind Mattie & Margot) knew that us farm dogs always need a back-up collar, she sent along this snazzy Bluebird/Navy Collar too.
I’m still not sure which one I will stink up first on the farm, it’s a tough call.
I was looking so fine in my new collars that my kitty pal Spider got a little jealous. Too bad for her they don’t come in kitty sizes!
But for all you canines out there, I’m sure there’s a Mattie & Margot Collar just for you, they even come in a new miniature size! Which one would you choose?
[Shop] Mattie & Margot
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Every year around June mom and I start training the ponies for a very special trip. A trip to Chincoteague Island in Virginia at the end of July to watch their wild relatives swim from Assateague to Chincoteague during the annual Chincoteague Pony Swim and Auction.
As official pony trainer it’s my duty to help the ponies prepare by learning new tricks so they are ready to perform for their week long stay down there at the Chincoteague Pony Centre.
This year my pal Boomerang will be making his first trip to Virginia to perform, so I had a little chat with him about how he’s supposed to behave properly and not embarrass me.
Boomerang sulked for the rest of the day, what a baby!
Another part of Boomer’s preparation is reading the famous book by Marguerite Henry, Misty of Chincoteague. Things were going well until Boomer confessed that he doesn’t know how to read!
Sigh, it’s going to be a very very long summer!
Learn more about where you can see my pony friends perform at the end of July on the Painting Pony Blog.
Being a Dachshund means that I was born to hunt, most specifically I was born to hunt down holes! So when an opportunity presents itself for some real-life burrowing practice I can’t possibly pass up the ability to show off my skills. After all I am an expert hunter and burrower.
It’s a shame their wasn’t any groundhogs in there, but regardless I just can’t ever pass up a hole!
With my summer officially in full swing (never mind that the official start of summer isn’t until June 21), I know that with the hot days ahead I’ll be itching for some cool treats.
I came across these all natural frozen dog treats from The Bear & The Rat that are made with real yogurt and packed full of probiotics to help aid in your dog’s digestion. With flavors like Banana Peanut Barker and Bacon Peanut Barker they totally have me drooling. (Sadly I’ll never get to taste test these myself though, because my tummy is sensitive to yogurt – but I can live vicariously through you!).
You can fetch your own scoop of Bacon Peanut Barker from The Bear & The Rat.
My Dad loves to go golfing, he says it’s one of his most favorite things to do. So you can imagine my disappointment that dad hasn’t invited me along on any of his golf outings yet. But all that is about to change, because I’ve been practicing….
See, I’m off to find the holes!
You might remember that a few months ago, thanks to all of your wonderful votes, my phrase “My Hero” was selected to be turned into a tag in the Blanket Id Adopt a Tag Collection.
This new collection has been especially designed with breed rescues in mind and is available in the blanket id store! Each tag will directly benefit a Rescue – either each winner’s chosen charity (I chose to support the Coast to Coast Dachshund Rescue) or you can select your own. You’ll find information about all the chosen winners here.
I was so excited when my new Blanket Id tag arrived in the mail!
Since the idea behind this tag collection is showing you care, I decided that I would gift my new Blanket Id tag to my best friend Trooper – so that he can be protected by the Blanket Id services too!
If you can’t tell, Trooper is very excited to be “My Hero” and we couldn’t be more thrilled to be helping one of our favorite rescues, The Coast to Coast Dachshund Rescue.
You can pick up your own My Hero Tag HERE and help a rescue group by raising funds.
I’ve been a regular at the Devon Horse Show, one of the oldest and largest outdoor multi-breed competitions in the United States, since I was just a wee thing. This year was no exception as I couldn’t pass up attending the most exciting night at Devon – the Grand Prix, where horses jump fences over 5 feet high!!
Being at Devon it is customary to be rubbing elbows with some of Chester County’s social elite. Babies and dog are included in this mix….
After I did my fair share of obligatory tail wagging and butt sniffing, I settled in to watch one of Devon’s nightly exhibitions.
And lo and behold that’s when the bandit showed up! Well technically he’s the One Arm Bandit, but he certainly had some exciting bandit tricks up his sleeve (even for one arm).
photo by Chris Nichols curtsy of the Devon Horse Show Facebook Page
photo by Chris Nichols curtsy of the Devon Horse Show Facebook Page
After watching the One Arm Bandit perform I had worked up quite an appetite – so I headed to the food stands to grab some dinner, and also did some shopping along the way.
Devon always seems to have quite the menagerie of items for sale – although this time I came home empty handed despite my protests to bring home this cute little dachshund topiary!
Now here is the part where I tell you all about watching the Grand Prix Jumping into the sunset with beautiful pictures of the fancy horses. But mom forgot to empty her camera and there was no more room to take any photos (I’m pretty sure it was filled to the brim with my cute mug). But luckily the Devon Horse Show Facebook Page had some beautiful shots from the evening (well maybe minus the really cute Dachshund that attended)…
photo by Chris Nichols curtsy of the Devon Horse Show Facebook Page
photo by Chris Nichols curtsy of the Devon Horse Show Facebook Page
Above is McLain Ward and his pretty horse Brewster, who won the $100,000 Wells Fargo Grand Prix of Devon. It was an exciting night, and I’m already counting down the days until next year’s event!
My friends over at Molly Mutt recently came out with a new line of On the Go products made from leftover fabric from their dog duvet cover line.
Their fillmore pouches snap onto your dog leash and holds a roll of waste bags – for easy access. The molly mutt tote bag is available in your favorite molly mutt patterns and is perfect for carrying anything – from groceries to your dog’s toys!
These look like the perfect summertime accessories! You can fetch your own molly mutt totes and pouches HERE.
As some of my facebook fans may have already seen, I had a glorious time over the weekend, and it looked a little something like this:
Oh yes, it was the perfect combination of horse poop, mud, dead animal, and wet!
I was basking in the glow of my dirtiness, and so excited to show mom and dad, that is until the word BATH was mentioned!
“But mom, it’s the perfectly pungent summertime aroma – I know, because I smelled it”.
My pleas were unheard as I found myself in the ponies’ wash stall – it was utter disappointment.
When it was all over I smelled like roses and sunshine……it was HORRIBLE! Oh well, live to stink another day!