My Four-Legged Brother and Sister and our GIVEAWAY!

When I heard that Juice Plus+ was conducting their Spring Conference in Phoenix, AZ I was stoked! Not only could I attend the conference, visit my family, meet some incredibly inspiring people but I could also write the entire trip off when we do our taxes next year! Cha-Ching! That was so 1989 of me. Who says, "Cha-Ching!"? Before I get to my four-legged brother and sister, I would like to give a shout out to The Grommom way over in Oahu and to the SuperShegan out in Washington. These two women inspire me to live a healthier lifestyle everyday; it was such a pleasure to have FINALLY met them.

Meet my four-legged brother, Kaiser!

Such a handsome puppy!

He is probably the sweetest dog on this planet. I know what you are thinking, "You haven't met my dog", "Who is she to say her dog is the sweetest?", "I bet he's not as sweet as my Fido! Oh no, he's not." Well, it's my blog and he's my four-legged brother, so there! ;-) Kaiser may be getting old, roughly 11 years old, but if you are at all familiar with Weimaraners, you know he still has a lot of puppy left in him. His back end is starting to droop a little bit and it's becoming harder for him to get up from a sitting or lying position but the second his pool toys come out, it's as if a switch has been flipped and he's a two year old puppy again. Kaiser-butt had never been around babies or young children until last June when we flew out to Phoenix before going on to Kauai. At the time, Logan was about 8 months old and crawling. It was as if Kaiser had a sixth sense-he was so careful, calm, and gentle around Logan. What's even more surprising is how protective he is of Logan. My parents, like any smart person living in The Valley of the Sun, have a pool. When Logan is near the pool deck, it is a rule that he must be holding someone's hand. On this last trip out, when Logan was on the pool deck, holding someone's hand, of course, Kaiser would flank the other side. If Kaiser could have, I'm betting he probably would have held Logan's other hand. When Logan was sitting on the pool deck dipping his feet in the water, Kaiser would stand behind Logan with his head just over the little guy, I'm sure he was ready to grab him if the need arose. We all believe that if, God forbid, Logan had fallen into the pool, Kaiser would have gone in after him. This dog just has the sweetest heart, kind and gentle spirit, and happy-go-lucky attitude. It's hard to see him getting old but when he looks at us with his wide, open mouthed grin, we know there is plenty of life left in him.

This is Tasha!

The shadow from the umbrella is annoying but she's a pretty girl!

She is the newest member of my parent's pack. Tasha is about 5 years old and she is teeny-tiny by Weim standards, she only weighs 42 lbs.! Her build resembles more of a Vizsla. My parents adopted Tasha almost a year ago; she was very timid and meek. Now, she has definitely come out of her shell and will jump on you just to get a hug, she's so sweet. But, there is one thing Tasha HATES! Cats. My parents happen to have three cats that torture her endlessly. Tasha-girl is constantly on guard just in case a cat gets too close or tries to sneak past her. When she is stalking one of the cats, her eyes get really big, she moves very quietly and is sure to tread ever-so lightly on her dainty little paws. This little pup is also really great with Logan. She came from a home with small children so she had some training in that regard. However, Logan definitely gave her a refresher course in the joys of toddler-hood. He climbed on top of her as if she were a horse, a mini-horse I suppose. He yanked on her ears and poked her in the eyes and gave her hugs. She just sat there are took it like a champ. We recently learned of  the possibility that Tasha has a tumor in her front, right leg that would require amputation. But, in true Weimaraner fashion, she hasn't slowed down a bit. That's the thing about these Weimaraners, they are so stubborn. Reminds me of a certain human I know. :-) I will be sure to keep you updated on Tasha's prognosis.

Upside-down Tasha!

Weimaraners are called Velcro-dogs because they love to be as close to their humans as humanly possible. Well, Kaiser and Tasha are no different. Tasha loves to snuggle in bed under the blankets. Kaiser on the other hand will just plop his 90 lb. rear-end in your lap. Then, he'll give you his puppy dog eyes as if to say, "Please don't make me get up!". My parents have been very fortunate to own four fantastic Weimaraners, two of which have unfortunately crossed over the Rainbow Bridge but they both had long lives filled with love. Hogan was the calamity...he always had a cone on his head. And Jake was just happy to have a warm bed, food in his tummy, and someone to give him a gentle belly rub. I will have to dig up some pictures of them, they deserve their own separate post.

Velcro-dog Kaiser

Tasha stalking a cat.

Okay, now that I am on the verge of weeping over my keyboard...have you entered our GIVEAWAY yet?  

Wiggle on,

Jenny :-)

Lady of the Flies

Spring in North Carolina has arrived! Well, it actually (unofficially) arrived a few weeks ago with temperatures

in the 70s-80s. Flowers and trees are blooming. The grass needs to be mowed. Birds are singing and bees are buzzing.

With Spring comes a few nuisances. First, the pollen. Here in the South, it is disgusting. It literally will turn you white, silver, black, or Pepto-Bismal pink car (yes, there is such a car driving around my town) a bright yellow. Gross! What looks like yellow sidewalk chalk coating everyone's driveway is, you guessed it, pollen. I remember our first Spring here; mid to upper 70 degree temperatures was perfect weather for wide open windows in the house. A yellow dusting started to form on my white window sills and because I am from Michigan, I had absolutely no idea where this yellow stuff was coming from. Sure, there is pollen in Michigan but nowhere near the amount we experience here in NC. Slowly, yes I am blonde, I put two and two together. Thankfully, no one in my immediate family suffers from seasonal allergies to the point of needing to keep the windows closed all spring.

When I'm home, my car is in the garage. This car is not mine. http://www.wral.com/lifestyles/healthteam/story/1261521/

The other thing that is a bit of an annoyance is the flies. Because Heidi is constantly knocking at the knob to go out and jumping on the door to come back in (two seconds after going out), the door is continuously being opened and closed allowing a fly or two in the house. There really isn't much Heidi is afraid of but flies are definitely one of them. When there is a fly in the house, Heidi is such a WEENY! She becomes incredibly clingy, I guess they are called "Velcro-Dogs" for a reason.

Velcro-Dog

A few weeks ago I was painting the kitchen. It was a beautiful day out, mid-70s, a gently breeze stirring the pollen around a bit more to torture the poor, allergy stricken people. Hence, Heidi in and out...ALL. DAY. LONG. A particularly large fly made it's way into the house. This scaredy-dog was constantly under my feet. When I was standing on the ladder, she was laying at the foot of it. Our kitchen is not that big but every time I moved, even if it was to move the ladder two feet over, there she was at my hip. It didn't matter that the fly was not even in the kitchen. She knew it was somewhere in the house and she was worried!

Hiding under the table. The fly won't find her there!

She never lays on a hard surface. Desperate times call for desperate measures!

I guess I can't really blame her, though. Dogs have an incredible sense of hearing...when they want to, I should note. She may not hear me tell her to "leave it" eighteen times but she can hear a fly buzzing on the other side of the house. Truly, the sound of a fly buzzing by my head is annoying enough and my sense of hearing is no where near Heidi's. However, for a dog her size, with tremendous speed and agility, it is beyond me as to why she is so afraid of a harmless fly. Nonetheless, my ego is slightly elevated every time she seeks my protection! What's more baffling to me is that when a bee, hornet, or anything else with a stinger is around, she will jump up to try to catch it in her mouth! Really, Heidi? Weimaraners are smart dogs but if Heidi were a real girl, she would be the one in class with a ton of book smarts but really lacking in the street smarts department.

What silly something is your dog afraid of?