I’m a super duper fan of Silly Buddy (did you know he’s a real dog? Hi Buddy!), in fact all the collars I own have been made by Buddy’s mom. So when I got wind of their new Spring Bow Tie Collection I was so excited to share it with you.
The colors are so bright and fun – perfect for springtime weather! I’ll take one in every color please.
You can fetch your own Silly Buddy Collar HERE. And just in case you are wondering…..the ladies can totally rock the bow tie look too! 
Last night I went to my agility class, and guess what?
I mastered the catwalk!
It’s actually quite fun once you get the hang of it.
So this is what it feels like to be 4′ tall, I could definitely get used to this!
In the wee afternoon hours as the sun begins to set I’m always reminded that my time outside for the day is coming to an end.
In a panic I realize I only have a few short hours to finish up my outdoor adventures.
There are important things to smell outside and the days just never seem long enough.
And more importantly I must get all my sniffing in quickly before my outdoor jungle succumbs to Dad’s lawnmower! The horror!
Have you met my friend Minnow?
He’s a super talented painting pony who also happens to be one of my bestest friends (I know him!).
And it’s because of my bestest pal Minnow that I get to go to super cool events like the Brandywine Point to Point Races and watch horses race through terrain and over fences at lightning speed. Super cool right?
But, do you know what else is cool? Super Heroes. And this little Super Hero loves to work the crowd at super cool events where horses race through terrain and over fences at lightning speed.
I mingle with the ladies.
And draw in the crowd with my sleek look and awesome cape.
I even get the laughs when I bust out my stunt helmet for my death-defying tricks.
And just when they think theres no more, I bust out the big guns and amaze everyone with my big finale “bang” trick. It’s a tough job, but someones got to do it.
xoxo,
This Sunday, April 1st (weather permitting) I will be attending the Brandywine Hills Point-to-Point Races in West Chester, Pa with my pal Minnow the Painting Pony. If you are unfamiliar with what a Point-to-Point is, it’s essentially an amateur horse racing event meant for fox hunting horses in which they race over fences.
Neither Minnow nor I have been to a Point-to-Point before, and although they do feature races where ponies are eligible (ridden by children) we won’t be there to race.
Instead we’ll be entertaining the crowds in the Children’s Activities Area from 11 – 3:30pm. So if you are in the area on Sunday make sure you stop on by my booth and visit! Gates open at 11am and tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for children. You can check out more of the events I will be attending this year on my calendar.
P.S. I promise to jump through my hoop way better than this if you come to visit me!
On Monday I decided to take a break from every day life and head to the beach with some of my pony pals. We took a two hour ride down to Cape Henlopen in Delaware for a little romp by the seaside.
My pal Boomerang was so excited to get to the sand that he couldn’t even make it all the way to the beach before he excitedly began to roll around in it. He certainly knows how to have a good time, doesn’t he?
Boomerang and Blitz (the two pinto’s in the front) have the ocean in their blood – their parents (just like my pal Minnow) were born wild on Assateague Island in Virginia. They seem to feel right at home on the beach.
I may not have the ocean in my blood, but I was extremely excited about my trip to the beach.
This is my super excited crazy run that I do when I can hardly contain my excitement.
My ponies had a super excited crazy run too!
In fact it was so exciting that “Super Ammo” made an appearance!
“Super Ammo” really enjoyed protecting the beach from intruders – but wind & super capes don’t always mix.
The wind threatened to pick me up and blow me away!
Good thing my mom and the ponies saved me though – or I may have drifted out to sea.
Eventually I decided wind or not, I wasn’t going to let it spoil my trip to the Beach.
The “leash law” kept me from venturing too far out to sea, which is a shame because I had my inner tube packed in the car for just this occasion! Inner tube or not though, I had the best time at the beach with my friends and I’m counting the days until we can go back again.
Any other sea loving dogs out there? Or know of any other good dog beaches I could visit? I’m thinking I should take some surf lessons next time too! Yay!
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For those of you that follow me on Facebook, you probably know that I recently have started taking agility lessons. While being an agility loving Dachshund isn’t a new concept, some might think that due to my short legs and long back that agility might not be the sport for me. But lucky for me, my mom believes that being active and fit are more important to keeping me healthy in the long run than making me sit on the sidelines. Agility might not be for every dog out there, but for me it is one of those things that keeps me motivated to run my little tushie off and keep the middle of my “hot dog” from touching the ground.
So with my start into the World of agility, mom decided to help me build a set of my very own agility jumps for the back yard. Lucky for you I made sure we documented the entire process so that you too can build your own backyard set!
DIY: Build You Own Agility Jumps
The following step-by-step tutorial will show you how to build two jumps for your dog for about $40 in materials (we did most of our shopping at Lowes).
Materials:
*You will also need to either purchase or make your own jump cups for this project. We opted to buy our own jump cups
It’s also helpful if you have a supervisor for this project on hand – if you do not have one I’m happy to lend my services for a nominal fee, you know where to find me.
Next you will need to make some cuts in the 1″ PVC pipe. After measuring and marking your cuts with a sharpie, you can use a pipe cutter or a circular saw to make your cuts.
Cuts to Make on 1″ PVC pipe:
*make sure you are only making your cuts for these out of the 1″ PVC pipe (you will cut the 3/4″ pipe to make the jump poles later)
Next you will start the assembly process – if you prefer to make your jump really secure you can use PVC pipe glue to attach the pieces, but we opted to forgo the glue and just tightly assemble each piece. This way the pieces can be disassembled later or put away for the winter.
Assembly:
1. Create the feet of your jump by slipping the 12″ PVC pieces into the top and bottom ends of your “T” connectors. Then add an end cap to each end of the pipe.
2. Next add the 1 3/4″ PVC pieces to the open end of the “T” connector.
3. Then add another “T” connector to the ends of your 1 3/4″ pipe, make sure they face in the directions pictured above.
4. Add the 50″ PVC pieces in-between your two “feet”.
5. Place your 30″ PVC pieces into the open “T” connector and then add an end cap to the top of each pipe.
At this point your jumps are nearly complete, but you will need to add jump cups to them. You can purchase a set of jump cups
So out of the 3/4″ PVC pipe you purchased cut 4 pieces at 49 3/8″ (or the measurement you took between the poles after attaching your jump cups).
After making your cuts for your jump poles, you might decide to paint the poles. According to the AKC Agility Rulebook, jump poles must be striped for visibility, so who was I to argue with adding a bit of color!
After taping off some stripes on my poles with painters tape and newspaper mom let me choose the color I wanted from the cans of spray paint we had in the basement.
After a few coats of flashy blue paint, my jump poles were looking mighty fine. (You can also stripe your poles with colored electrical tape).
And then after letting them dry overnight, they were finally finished, and they were glorious!
Oh and don’t worry, I only jump a 4″ height for practice – but I had mom and dad make me an extra jump rail for when Trooper comes over to practice with me.
Putting my new agility jumps to the test was the best part though!
Look at me, I can fly!
I’ve created this handy PDF for you to download that has all the instructions you will need to make your own set of DIY Dog Agility Jumps. Happy Jumping!
*These jumps are intended to be used for backyard fun. If you plan to build jumps for competition use make sure you build your jumps to rulebook specifications.
Disclaimer: To the best of our knowledge this equipment is entirely safe, however, we are not liable for any damages or injuries you or your dog may sustain from following these instructions. Use your best judgement when building equipment for your dog – and be safe!
The family farm is such a wonderful place, not only is it home to my magical Painting Pony friends, but it also home to the barn kitties, Spider & Cricket. One of the things that is so great about all my furry friends on the farm – everyone loves each other. I love the ponies & the kitties, the kitties love the ponies & me, and the ponies love everyone too! It’s one big happy family.
Don’t you just feel the love? xoxo,
If I were in charge of filling Easter baskets just like the Easter Bunny I’d fill them with some super cool dog-themed finds! So here’s my round-up of items fit to be anyones Easter goodies! Which one is your favorite?
1. Dachshund Easter Bunny Card from byMMCC on Etsy
2. Jingle Dog Pen from Paper Source
3. Best in Show Playing Cards from Paper Source
4. Glitter Dog from Wish Daisy on Etsy
5. Dog Push Pin from Yum Yum Buttons on Etsy
Lately I’ve been coming in from the back yard looking like I was in a snow storm – covered in a dusting of white.
But not to worry, it still really is Spring here in Pennsylvania – and the reason for my snow storm-ish look lately – the glorious flowers are blooming!
In particular my peach tree in the back yard is blooming!
Now normally I’m not really a “pink” kind of guy, but I have to admit – the flowers are very pretty.
And not only do they look glorious, but they smell pretty good too.
Although, (to be fair) you probably shouldn’t take my word for it – considering I do like to munch on horse poop on occasion.
As much as I do enjoy a good old fashioned snow storm, my spring time “flower petal snow storms” are quite enjoyable too. And it just reminds me of how important it is to stop and smell the flowers on a daily basis, even if they don’t smell quite as delicious as horse manure.