Hi everyone :)
I have just a quick announcement; I was recently asked to create a blog for our puppy raising group. I helped create it but I'm not going to have much to do with writing. Anyway, the address is www.firstcoastpuppyraisers.blogspot.com. Loooong name, I know. Please check it out and follow our puppy raisers!
Thanks,
Al
Peace, Love Joy :)
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Friday, July 27, 2012
Obedience and Working Doggies
Last Monday was the first time Joy and I had been to Puppy Obedience in a while (since, before our trip)! We were definitely due for some training. Instead of our usual meeting place (the mall parking lot), we had class in a beautiful place called Bird Island Park.
It was also a special class because Jen from Southeastern came to do a special training session with us!
She taught us some great things about scavenging, not that we would know anything about that, right Joy? *cough cough*
Anyway, we have been practicing what Jen has taught us. Joy's improving...for the most part...
Today, we had a small outing but it turned out to be a great experience. We were hanging out for a while in the mall in Daytona (waiting for the car to finish up in the shop). All of a sudden Joy just stops and gives me a pathetic look. She has started doing this recently and it's her way of saying she has to go out.
"We're kind of far away from the entrance," I said.
"We can't risk any accidents- pick her up and run!" says my mother.
"She's like 50 pounds!"
"I'll take your stuff, just go!"
So, what do I do? I pick up my 47 pound dog (Hooray for dancer muscles) and I speed walk toward the entrance. This may seem unnecessary but Joy gives you two "stop and stares" before she just GOES. It's like she operates on a three-strikes-you're-out basis. Only it's like: I'll-give-you-two-warnings-and-if-you-don't-get-me-to-some-grass-then-I-WILL-POOP.
You think I'm joking but, sadly, I'm not.
So, as I'm speed walking, I'm trying to also avoid the staring and snickering faces. Turns out that wasn't so difficult because Joy was BITING MY FACE. Seriously? I'm trying to get you to some grass and you're going to start teething? On my face? Now?!?!
I had just about had it, when we turned the corner to the food court and what do I see?
A dog.
Well, that was it. I promptly execute a right-a-bout (my vocabulary is becoming limited to training commands) and tell my mom, "There is a dog. I am putting her down!"
As we drew closer to the doors, and the dog, I notice something. It's not a dog. It's two dogs. A beautiful Golden Retriever and an adorable Black Lab. Interesting, I thought. But I had more important things on my mind than why there were two dogs in the mall. Because right then, I had to get my dog out of the mall.
The funniest part was when I was almost at the table, the people and dogs saw us and there was an overall chorus of "Leave it. Leave it! Leave it!!!" from all dog handlers.
Lo and behold, she evacuated her bowels swiftly and neatly (There's an inside joke there involving Cascada's Evacuate the Dance Floor. Please don't ask about it.) once we reached the grass and we were able to return to the food court and eat lunch.
Joy and I sat at a table on the end closer to the dogs and as we ate, more and more dogs arrived! Soon, there were seven or eight! When Joy noticed them, she was stone still. I think this was the first time she had seen actual, working Guide Dogs. She was staying in a good down under underneath my chair but I did hear her let out a small whimper.
Some of the people with the dogs noticed Joy and started smiling. Then a man who was obviously a trainer came over and asked about her. She was thrilled that FINALLY someone was paying attention to her. We asked about their organization (New Horizons) and he said they were having a group outing and these dogs had just been matched.
Joy did get to have a controlled greet with one of the dogs, which was really nice because I'm pretty sure if she didn't, she would have exploded.
Today was a great experience for her to see how to act when there are other working dogs around and I think she learned a little from the "grown up" doggies!
Peace, Love, Joy :)
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| Waiting to begin... |
Anyway, we have been practicing what Jen has taught us. Joy's improving...for the most part...
Hey, look! It's Gordon!
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| Ms. Joy needs to take a lesson from her brother about ignoring what's on the ground in front of you... |
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| Retrieving yet another object from Joy's mouth |
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| Group Picture! |
Today, we had a small outing but it turned out to be a great experience. We were hanging out for a while in the mall in Daytona (waiting for the car to finish up in the shop). All of a sudden Joy just stops and gives me a pathetic look. She has started doing this recently and it's her way of saying she has to go out.
"We're kind of far away from the entrance," I said.
"We can't risk any accidents- pick her up and run!" says my mother.
"She's like 50 pounds!"
"I'll take your stuff, just go!"
So, what do I do? I pick up my 47 pound dog (Hooray for dancer muscles) and I speed walk toward the entrance. This may seem unnecessary but Joy gives you two "stop and stares" before she just GOES. It's like she operates on a three-strikes-you're-out basis. Only it's like: I'll-give-you-two-warnings-and-if-you-don't-get-me-to-some-grass-then-I-WILL-POOP.
You think I'm joking but, sadly, I'm not.
So, as I'm speed walking, I'm trying to also avoid the staring and snickering faces. Turns out that wasn't so difficult because Joy was BITING MY FACE. Seriously? I'm trying to get you to some grass and you're going to start teething? On my face? Now?!?!
I had just about had it, when we turned the corner to the food court and what do I see?
A dog.
Well, that was it. I promptly execute a right-a-bout (my vocabulary is becoming limited to training commands) and tell my mom, "There is a dog. I am putting her down!"
As we drew closer to the doors, and the dog, I notice something. It's not a dog. It's two dogs. A beautiful Golden Retriever and an adorable Black Lab. Interesting, I thought. But I had more important things on my mind than why there were two dogs in the mall. Because right then, I had to get my dog out of the mall.
The funniest part was when I was almost at the table, the people and dogs saw us and there was an overall chorus of "Leave it. Leave it! Leave it!!!" from all dog handlers.
Lo and behold, she evacuated her bowels swiftly and neatly (There's an inside joke there involving Cascada's Evacuate the Dance Floor. Please don't ask about it.) once we reached the grass and we were able to return to the food court and eat lunch.
Joy and I sat at a table on the end closer to the dogs and as we ate, more and more dogs arrived! Soon, there were seven or eight! When Joy noticed them, she was stone still. I think this was the first time she had seen actual, working Guide Dogs. She was staying in a good down under underneath my chair but I did hear her let out a small whimper.
Some of the people with the dogs noticed Joy and started smiling. Then a man who was obviously a trainer came over and asked about her. She was thrilled that FINALLY someone was paying attention to her. We asked about their organization (New Horizons) and he said they were having a group outing and these dogs had just been matched.
Joy did get to have a controlled greet with one of the dogs, which was really nice because I'm pretty sure if she didn't, she would have exploded.
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| Joy meets Piper, an 8 year old Service Dog |
Today was a great experience for her to see how to act when there are other working dogs around and I think she learned a little from the "grown up" doggies!
Peace, Love, Joy :)
Friday, July 13, 2012
Day Seven: A Whale Of a Tail
Today we went to the National Aquarium in Baltimore! This is an absolutely incredible and huge aquarium! It is definitely worthy of the name. Instead of boring you with me going on and on about different fish that I like and their natural habitat and other nerdy things, I'll just show you a couple of pictures of Joy.
She really loved looking at all the animals!
Oh, I've been meaning to say this for a while but I never had any pictures: Joy is losing LOTS of baby teeth! She wants to show you all her big girl teeth.
Something really cool happened to Joy today. Well, really, all of us. The National Aquarium has a great dolphin exhibit. They put on a little showcase/training session. We caught the 3:30 show and really enjoyed it!
After the show my mom and I walked around and looked at the jellyfish. My dad kept Joy because she was sleepy. We were halfway through the exhibit when my mom got a call. It was my dad and he told us to get over to the dolphins- NOW!
So wehurried ran over to the dolphins where we found out that Joy could visit with the dolphins for enrichment. I walked her up and down the side of the tank and the dolphins sort of swam about. Then, one of the dolphins, the youngest (Baylee), finally noticed Joy. Then they all went crazy, chasing Joy and staring at her! Joy still hadn't seen them though...
Finally she saw the funny looking swimming animals.
We had quite an audience snapping photos and videotaping the cute puppy/dolphin shenanigans. Eventually the trainers had the area closed off to the public (Except for us!). It was an absolutely incredible experience and we will never forget it!
After we left the aquarium we drove over to Charm City Cakes (the bakery behind Ace of Cakes). It's closed except for reservations but we still got a quick picture! Can you tell we really like cake?
Well, this was the final leg of our...long...legged...journey. That's sounds weird.
Tomorrow morning we head back home, all the way to La Florida. We have had the BEST vacation and Joy has learned SO much.
Peace, Love, Joy :)
She really loved looking at all the animals!
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| Yay, aquarium time! |
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| Joy meets a turtle! |
Oh, I've been meaning to say this for a while but I never had any pictures: Joy is losing LOTS of baby teeth! She wants to show you all her big girl teeth.
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| Ignore all the food stuck in her teeth... |
Something really cool happened to Joy today. Well, really, all of us. The National Aquarium has a great dolphin exhibit. They put on a little showcase/training session. We caught the 3:30 show and really enjoyed it!
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| Waiting for the shoooow... |
So we
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| One dolphin turned upside down in a desperate attempt for Joy to notice her! |
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| Stiiiiill not noticing... |
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| Oh, hey there. |
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| Joy tried to give them a kiss! |
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| Running along with her new dolphin friends. |
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| Bye! |
We had quite an audience snapping photos and videotaping the cute puppy/dolphin shenanigans. Eventually the trainers had the area closed off to the public (Except for us!). It was an absolutely incredible experience and we will never forget it!
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| Right before we left (I can't believe I twisted my foot like that, ugh.) |
Well, this was the final leg of our...long...legged...journey. That's sounds weird.
Tomorrow morning we head back home, all the way to La Florida. We have had the BEST vacation and Joy has learned SO much.
Peace, Love, Joy :)
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Day Six: The Museum To End All Museums
So, today we spent the entire day in the National Museum of Natural History. This is the BEST. MUSEUM. EVER. At least it is in my opinion. Unfortunately, we didn't take any pictures. Also, there's not much to say besides: we looked at cool stuff and Joy slept for the most part.
Wait! I take what I said back, we did take one picture (that isn't super blurry).
She's such a sweet girl!
Peace, Love, Joy :)
Wait! I take what I said back, we did take one picture (that isn't super blurry).
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Peace, Love, Joy :)
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Day Five: George Washington and Cupcakes
Today was a very exciting day for Joy & Company! We spent the majority of the day at Mount Vernon, the home of George and Martha Washington. Joy was enthralled by all the different sights and smells! Also, it was very casual because leashed dogs were allowed on the grounds of the estate. Joy liked the special privilege of getting to go inside our first President's mansion, though. By the way, she was super well behaved, again. We all agree that she is getting better every day.
Oh yeah, and did I mention there were sheep???
Now, these are not your average, run of the mill sheep. These are Mount Vernon sheep. If you have never heard the noise that these sheep make, then you are missing out on one of the great wonders of the world. It's sort of a cross between an old man coughing/yelling and a dying walrus. You would agree if you have heard these sheep.
So, after Mount Vernon, we drove over to Georgetown Cupcake!!! They have their own reality show called DC Cupcakes! I can't stop using exclamation points!
I got a Vanilla Birthday cupcake: vanilla cake with buttercream frosting, I really don't like chocolate. My mom got the Chocolate Birthday cupcake and my dad got a vanilla cupcake with cream cheese frosting. We also got extras to eat later, a chocolate ganache and a cookies and creme! I think we're going to bust into them pretty soon...
The verdict? The cupcakes were super moist and the frosting was sweet and amazing! A+! Now, I've got to go, those cupcakes are calling me...
Peace, Love, Joy :)
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| Joy and I outside the Mansion |
.JPG) |
| Ta-da. |
Now, these are not your average, run of the mill sheep. These are Mount Vernon sheep. If you have never heard the noise that these sheep make, then you are missing out on one of the great wonders of the world. It's sort of a cross between an old man coughing/yelling and a dying walrus. You would agree if you have heard these sheep.
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| Joy is all ready for the tour! |
So, after Mount Vernon, we drove over to Georgetown Cupcake!!! They have their own reality show called DC Cupcakes! I can't stop using exclamation points!
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| Inside Georgetown Cupcake |
The verdict? The cupcakes were super moist and the frosting was sweet and amazing! A+! Now, I've got to go, those cupcakes are calling me...
Peace, Love, Joy :)
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Day Four: Greetings From the White House!
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Now, I wasn't going to write anything but I will just say one thing. Joy was SO well behaved today! She was absolutely perfect in The White House, all the secret service agents and uniformed officers loved her!
I did tell her to be on her best behavior, though. She clearly listened to me.
Peace, Love, Joy :)
Monday, July 9, 2012
Day Two and Three: This Post Contains Lots of Chinese Food
I know that I didn't do a post yesterday, but I was pretty tired and it was super late. It's also like 9:00 as I'm writing this (the time thingy on these posts are all wacky) and I am EXHAUSTED. So this will contain minimal dialogue.
Yesterday we had a long overdue reunion with our family in New Jersey, a.k.a., our ONLY family outside Florida. We had an absolutely lovely homecooked meal of which I didn't take any pictures because I thought it would be weird.
Today we had lots of sightseeing to do. We took a tour of the Capitol, the Supreme Court, and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Joy was a good girl.
After the BE&P we went over to Chinatown. It's SO hot over here so we got some Italian Ice. I know, Italian Ice in Chinatown, haha. Then the delicious aroma of more Chinese food was too much for me and my dad, so we had to go order some. There's this place that makes the noodles fresh, right before they're cooked and it's AWESOME.
So, food recap. This night I have eaten: 1 Sour Red Italian Ice, 7 steamed dumplings (my weakness), and one huge bowl of fresh noodle soup with pork (^_^) and Chinese vegetables! I am stuffed. But, you know, you can never have too much Chinese food.
Well, Joy is snoring over here and I'm pretty tired too, so I'm going to go. Besides, that's all the pictures I have...
Tomorrow: The White House! Warning: there won't be any pictures because cameras (and about 1,287 other things) aren't allowed.
Peace, Love, Joy :)
Yesterday we had a long overdue reunion with our family in New Jersey, a.k.a., our ONLY family outside Florida. We had an absolutely lovely homecooked meal of which I didn't take any pictures because I thought it would be weird.
"It's so good to see you! What a beautiful meal, can I take
pictures of it for my blog???"
See? Weird.
Anyway, I got in touch with my Chinese side (I am half Chinese, by the way) by taking some lessons from my Uncle about Chinese calligraphy! He is absolutely incredible in what he does and he gave me some drawings! Seriously, he is like the Bob Ross of Chinese calligraphy and painting.
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| Joy likes the fish painting. |
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| Happy, happy girl. |
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| Trying to learn! |
Today we had lots of sightseeing to do. We took a tour of the Capitol, the Supreme Court, and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Joy was a good girl.
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| In the hotel, waiting to leave. |
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| Getting on the Metro, which didn't phase Joy AT ALL! |
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| My dad took like...a thosuand pictures of us on the Metro. |
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| ...Inside the Capitol! |
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| ...Outside the Capitol! (See the fascinating captions I come up with when I'm tired?) |
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| These awesome Zodiac sculptures were outside the Hirshhorn art museum. I'm the year of the Boar! |
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| Doggy... |
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| Outside the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Joy was sooo ready to go home at this point. |
So, food recap. This night I have eaten: 1 Sour Red Italian Ice, 7 steamed dumplings (my weakness), and one huge bowl of fresh noodle soup with pork (^_^) and Chinese vegetables! I am stuffed. But, you know, you can never have too much Chinese food.
Well, Joy is snoring over here and I'm pretty tired too, so I'm going to go. Besides, that's all the pictures I have...
Tomorrow: The White House! Warning: there won't be any pictures because cameras (and about 1,287 other things) aren't allowed.
Peace, Love, Joy :)
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Day One: Joy, I've Got a Feeling We're Not In Florida Anymore
This is going to be a pretty short post, more of an update.
So, hi! We left Florida this morning at about 7:00. Joy was SO excited! She lept in and out of the rental car as we packed our bags. Then she did this thing we've dubbed "The Reign of Terror". Basically it goes like this:
1. Joy is completely still.
2. Joy starts to walk a bit.
3. Joy goes insane and runs around the house like she's on fire, slamming into walls and such as she does this.
4. It ends as abruptly as it started.
I'm not sure if other dogs do this or if my dog is just weird...Anyway, I love her just the same.
So, while I was packing, Joy does her Reign of Terror thing. Then she busied a couple of times. And we were off!
After a couple of stops for the doggy and humans to busy, including an interesting detour through" South of the Border", a.k.a. Tacky Tourist Central (NEVER. AGAIN.), we arrived in Maryland (which is where we're staying) about two hours ago. Joy familiarized herself with the designated "busy" area and left her mark by peeing and defacing a couple of shrubs. Not a good doggy.
I had a couple more pictures but they're from my camera as opposed to my phone. ^ And this WiFi is super slow. So....no more pictures for now...
This is a really short post.
I hope I can figure out how to fix this later. We are heading up to New Jersey tomorrow to visit relatives. Talk to you later!
Peace, Love, Joy :)
So, hi! We left Florida this morning at about 7:00. Joy was SO excited! She lept in and out of the rental car as we packed our bags. Then she did this thing we've dubbed "The Reign of Terror". Basically it goes like this:
1. Joy is completely still.
2. Joy starts to walk a bit.
3. Joy goes insane and runs around the house like she's on fire, slamming into walls and such as she does this.
4. It ends as abruptly as it started.
I'm not sure if other dogs do this or if my dog is just weird...Anyway, I love her just the same.
So, while I was packing, Joy does her Reign of Terror thing. Then she busied a couple of times. And we were off!
After a couple of stops for the doggy and humans to busy, including an interesting detour through" South of the Border", a.k.a. Tacky Tourist Central (NEVER. AGAIN.), we arrived in Maryland (which is where we're staying) about two hours ago. Joy familiarized herself with the designated "busy" area and left her mark by peeing and defacing a couple of shrubs. Not a good doggy.
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| Joy loves car rides! |
This is a really short post.
I hope I can figure out how to fix this later. We are heading up to New Jersey tomorrow to visit relatives. Talk to you later!
Peace, Love, Joy :)
Friday, July 6, 2012
Exciting News
Hey there! Joy has been doing super well lately. I can tell that she has really matured (and grown!) in the last few weeks. I have some very exciting news too (hence, the post title) but first, here's some cute pictures of JJ.
So anyway, the exciting news! Tomorrow, my family (my dad, my mom, myself, and Joy) is going on a trip to Washington D.C.! I am soooo excited, we have been before several years ago so I know what to expect. Being a huge history buff, I am looking forward to the museums the most. I know that I'm a nerd but I just LOVE museums!!! I could live in one!!! Especially the Smithsonian museums- oh my goodness. They are like the motherload of all things historical and AWESOME.
Sorry.
I get overexcited when I think about these things. Anyway, this will be Joy's first time out of state and I know she's going to do super well. We leave tomorrow morning and we will be back next Sunday. I'm bringing my laptop and I will try to post every night. So, until then, I will say farewell. And here's a cute picture of Joy being needy.
Peace, Love, Joy :)
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| We were washing the covers of my bed. Since Joy is never allowed up there, I suppose she figured she deserved to at least sit on the covers. |
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| And glare at me. |
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| And take a nap. |
So anyway, the exciting news! Tomorrow, my family (my dad, my mom, myself, and Joy) is going on a trip to Washington D.C.! I am soooo excited, we have been before several years ago so I know what to expect. Being a huge history buff, I am looking forward to the museums the most. I know that I'm a nerd but I just LOVE museums!!! I could live in one!!! Especially the Smithsonian museums- oh my goodness. They are like the motherload of all things historical and AWESOME.
Sorry.
I get overexcited when I think about these things. Anyway, this will be Joy's first time out of state and I know she's going to do super well. We leave tomorrow morning and we will be back next Sunday. I'm bringing my laptop and I will try to post every night. So, until then, I will say farewell. And here's a cute picture of Joy being needy.
Peace, Love, Joy :)
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