August 2013 Monthly Recap

It’s time to take a look back over the past month at all the exciting things I’ve done! So just incase you missed it, here are some of my highlights from August!

Instinct Rawboost Treats // Product Review and Giveaway // Ammo the Dachshund

I tested out some Instinct Rawboost Treats from Chewy.com and held a giveaway, which the winners are now posted!

Goshen Country Fair // Dog Friendly Event // Ammo the Dachshund

I took a trip to the Goshen Fair.

Sunday Breakfast // Ammo the Dachshund

I went to Sunday Breakfast with my family.

Product Review: Ruffwear Swamp Cooler // Ammo the Dachshund

I helped my pal Trooper test out Ruffwear’s Swamp Cooler (which is awesome by the way!).

Stonework // Ammo the Dachshund

I got nosey with the new stonework on the farm.

The Dog Pack // Ammo the Dachshund

I introduced my new dog pack pals.

On the Lake with Friends // Ammo the Dachshund

I took my pal Shilah the Husky out on the lake for the very first time.

What to pack when Camping with your Dog // Ammo the Dachshund

I shared the must have items I pack when going camping in the summer!

Dog Friendly Camping in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

I went camping with my friend Shilah in Cape May.

Dog Friendly Dining in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

I dined at some dog friendly restaurants during my trip to Cape May.

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

I had a blast on the dog friendly beach, Higbee Beach in Cape May NJ.

A Car Crashed into the Shop // Ammo the Dachshund

I shared pictures from when a car crashed through the shop where I work.

DIY Dachshund Cork Board via Ammo the Dachshund

I helped mom make a DIY Dachshund Cork Board.

Sleepypod Pendants Review & Giveaway // Ammo the Dachshund

I shared some of Sleepypod’s Pendants and offered everyone a chance to win their own set. You can still enter to win!!

 

Gosh what an exciting August I’ve had! Now we’re getting to one of my favorite times of the year – fall. I can’t wait to see what else I’ll be up to in the coming months!

Don’t forget, if you would like to find out more about my advertising rates and how to become a sponsor, click HERE. Ammo the Dachshund

Higbee Beach – My Trip to the Dog Friendly Beach

The main reason for my camping excursion to Cape May last weekend was to hit up one of the all year round dog friendly beaches, Higbee Beach. I’ve been to the beach a few times before (this was my first trip to Higbee), but every time I went it was either rainy or cold, and I never got to really have a true beach experience.

Be forewarned, my mom went a little photo crazy and took way too many photos of me at the beach – and I didn’t have the heart to leave any out of this post!

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

Even though the day started out a bit rainy, by the time my pal Shilah and I were ready to hit the sand the weather had cleared and at 70 degrees and a bit overcast it was the perfect weather for us dogs to be on the sand.

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

Now as a general rule of thumb I’m usually always kept on my leash when I’m away from home (aside from where I’m let off leash at the family farm). But since mom and dad knew that I wouldn’t get to fully enjoy the beach without being able to run, mom decided that I could be trusted enough to ditch the leash this one time. Now you’re probably thinking by the looks of this photo – that maybe it wasn’t the best idea.

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

But not to worry, I remembered all of my training and came running as fast as I could as soon as mom or dad called. After all, I didn’t want to loose my off-leash beach privileges!

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

Running free on the sand was one of the greatest experiences, I highly recommend it to all you dogs out there! But one other thing on my doggie bucket list was to touch the ocean too….

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

As you can see I was a bit hesitant at first – those waves are quite intimidating!

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

So instead I decided to build a sandcastle instead!

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

I even got to meet some new pals, like this short-legged (like me) Jack Russell. He was very fun to play with – until he peed on mom’s beach chair!

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

Just as I was getting back into my hole digging fun, mom said we need to take some family photos on the beach.

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

As you can see I was less than thrilled!

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

Even my pal Shilah got in on the action with some modeling shots!

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

I’m friends with that beauty right there!

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

After out mandated photo shoot I decided to coach Shilah on her first dip in the ocean.

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

Ultimately I had to show her the ropes, being that I’m much older and wiser!

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

Then as luck would have it I found a horseshoe crab that had washed up on the beach! (Not to worry, no horseshoe crabs were harmed – and this one was not living when I found him)

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

I found him quite intriguing as he didn’t smell like the groundhogs and bunnies I was used to hunting in my own backyard.

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

After Shilah and I full inspected and tasted our horseshoe crab friend, I started to get concerned that he might float back out to sea.

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

And as the waves started to take him back to the ocean I suddenly wasn’t too scared to brave the waves myself.

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

Ok well I was about as brave as you can be without your life vest on!

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

My trip to Higbee Beach was one of my favorite adventures of all time, and you can bet it won’t be my last!

Higbee Beach - Dog Friendly Beaches in Cape May via Ammo the Dachshund

Shilah and I were dog tired after our day in the sand, but we wouldn’t have it any other way!

Anyone else frequent dog friendly beaches? Tell us where it’s located in the comments!Ammo the Dachshund

Dog Friendly Dining in Cape May

Even though I went camping during my weekend adventure, doesn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy some fine dining too!

Dog Friendly Dining in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

So one rainy morning my pal Shilah and I hit up the Blue Pig Tavern for some breakfast.

Dog Friendly Dining in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

I wore my rain gear just in case, but we were able to sit outside under a covered pavilion which kept us nice and dry.

Dog Friendly Dining in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

Shilah was quite excited because this was her first outdoor dining experience!

Dog Friendly Dining in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

Don’t worry though, I showed her just what to do at a fine dining establishment, because a well behaved dog also gets extra treats!

Dog Friendly Dining in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

Shilah at least had the “cute begging for food face” down pat by the end of our breakfast…..she’s a quick study!

Next time we might have to check out the Rusty Nail, as we hear they even have a doggie menu complete with doggie beer! What fun!

Stay tuned tomorrow as I share more of my adventures in Cape May at the Beach!Ammo the Dachshund

Dog Friendly Camping in Cape May

Over the weekend I went on a mini 3-day vacation to Cape May, New Jersey. While the main purpose of the trip was to soak up some sun at the beach (which I will get to in another post), I also got to log some camping hours – which is one of my favorite things to do!

Dog Friendly Camping in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

My friend Shilah the Husky decided to come on this trip with me too – and it was to be her very first camping trip.

Dog Friendly Camping in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

Shilah and I waited patiently for the cars to be packed, and oversaw that everything necessary made it into our caravan (squeaky toys, dog food, and cookies of course).

Dog Friendly Camping in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

Then we loaded up the tightly packed car and made the 2 1/2 hour trip to Cape May, New Jersey.

Dog Friendly Camping in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

We arrived at our dog friendly campsite at Seashore Campsites in Cape May. This campground was a bit more modernized than where I’m used to camping, with activity centers, snack shops, pools and swimming lakes (all of which do not allow dogs to enter), but I did spot lots of other friendly dog campers.

Dog Friendly Camping in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

I even met this friendly dachshund named Theo!

Dog Friendly Camping in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

Most of the campsites were under lots of wooded trees, which made it quite comfortable to camp even in the summer, although the camping areas were pretty tightly packed – making it a little difficult to find open areas for a dog to do his business.

Dog Friendly Camping in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

I prefer a little more of a rustic camping experience personally, but I suppose to my fellow 2 legged campers it was nice to have warm showers nearby. (They can’t rough it like I can!)

Dog Friendly Camping in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

My pal Shilah took to camping quite well considering this was her first experience. I even let her borrow my x-pen to make her trip a little more comfortable.

Dog Friendly Camping in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

Dog Friendly Camping in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

Shilah and I took our camp dog duties very seriously, and we guarded the area from any possible intruders. Ok well maybe guarding isn’t the right word when all we did was stare at passerby’s and wag our tails – but it was fun nonetheless!

Dog Friendly Camping in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

One of my favorite things about camping is getting to sleep in a tent with my family. Something about being in nature is just so relaxing to me.

Dog Friendly Camping in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

Dog Friendly Camping in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

It also helps if you bring a comfy sleeping bag incase it gets chilly at night!

Dog Friendly Camping in Cape May // Ammo the Dachshund

When it came time to head home from our weekend adventure I was sad to go – but I know I’ll be putting up my tent again soon, because this dog loves a good camping trip!

Tomorrow I’ll be back to share some more of the fun I had in Cape May! Ammo the Dachshund

I went on a Barn Hunt

Barn Hunt with Ammo the Dachshund

On Mother’s Day I got to go on a very special adventure with my mom (dad came too). We packed up the car and headed south to New Jersey for a Barn Hunt Practice!

Barn Hunts were created to honor the traditional role of “ratcatchers” in ridding barns and properties of vermin. Barn Hunts are open to any dog, of (almost) any size, type or breed. In a Barn Hunt competition you can earn titles and placements at various levels and degrees of difficulty.

Barn Hunt with Ammo the Dachshund

At this Barn Hunt I met up with my Philadelphian gal pal Liebe, and we were both pretty excited to hunt for some rats! (Especially Liebe who is a city dog – and doesn’t get as many chances as me to hunt for vermin)

Barn Hunt with Ammo the Dachshund

At a Barn Hunt you are required to go through straw bale tunnels and climb over several bales to earn a qualifying mark – all while in pursuit of a rat.

Barn Hunt with Ammo the Dachshund

In the lower levels you are then met with various tubes, some of which contain rat bedding and one that contains an actual rat. Your goal as rat hunter extraordinare is to locate the rat and alert your mom or dad that you have found the correct tube containing it. Once found your mom/dad is responsible for telling the judge you have found the rat – in which case the time will stop (as long as you have completed the necessary requirements of completing tunnels and climbing straw bales too).

Barn Hunt with Ammo the Dachshund

As the day progressed I got better and better at finding my rats. I even began digging at the tubes and making lots of noise once I found the tubes that contained a rat.

Barn Hunt with Ammo the Dachshund

Mom said in the higher level classes I would even have to find multiple rats in one run – making sure to find them fast enough to not run over the time limit, many of which that are hidden under straw and in crevices. Sounds like a blast!

Barn Hunt with Ammo the Dachshund

Liebe (who is just over a year old) even had fun locating the rats and as she gets older I’m sure she’s going to be one ferocious rat hunter just like me!

Barn Hunt with Ammo the Dachshund

I had so much fun looking for my rats, that sitting on the sidelines while the other dogs had a turn was so hard!

Barn Hunt with Ammo the Dachshund

I can’t wait to return again and actually compete in this fun new sport – it’s totally my kind of competition!

You can learn more about the rules of Barn Hunt and find competitions and practices local to you HERE. Ammo the Dachshund