Black Lab Love

Nothing better than being able to snuggle with your black lab in the morning. Bode 2 is such a perfect dog, thank you Paws for Life.

Big News, we have a new family member!!!!!

After three years of waiting, we finally brought a new dog into our lives. He is a 15 month old male black lab. We found him at Paws for Life in Chesapeake City, MD.

Not to confuse,everyone, but we named him Bode, the same name as our previous black lab. While I don't like reusing family names. Bode suited him to a T. So to differentiate between them our first Bode is Bode, and our new Bode's full name will be Bode Baloo-but we will be calling him just Bode.

He is sweet, kind, gentle and an all around wonderful boy and we are so glad to have him in our lives.

Denise and Popeye

Our beloved Bode died in 2016 and we've been doggless ever since. It has been hard, really hard, but we know that concentrating on Doc and Dallas is the smartest move right now. 

But...we do entertain canines on occasion.

My S-I-L frequently drops off her dog Denise and when she does we call our friends R and E to bring their dog Popeye over for a play day.

It's so nice to have fur babies running in the backyard, even if it is for only a couple of hours.

Bode's Girlfriend

This is a photo of Bode and his girlfriend, Denice. (Bode in background, Denice in foreground) Denice's mom is my SIL. We took SIL to Paws for Life to find a new dog a couple of years ago (that's the same place we adopted Bode from.)

 Poor Denice was a mess- she had heartworms, a mangy looking coat, was very underweight, and she had just given birth to puppies and was only about a year and a half old. Now she is healthy, glistening and so in love with my SIL and Bode.

Note how Bode lays with his front paws crossed, he has always done this and it makes him look oh so very elegant.

Handsome Bode



Bode Arden-Lamenzo

We lost our dear Bella in July of last year, and so we are now parents to just one pup-Bode. We adopted him about 6 years ago from Paws for Life, an awesome rescue in Maryland. About 2 years later we went there again to help SIL Debbie find her new pup, another black lab named Denice.

Anyway, we've always been a two dog family. But I think we'll stay a one dog family for a bit longer. Bode is easy to travel with - loves car rides, and managing one dog is a lot easier.

Bode had a very rough start in life, his previous owner kept him crated so much that he couldn't sit and his rump muscles were severely underdeveloped. For the first couple of years we owned him we was unable to wag his tail. He is also very water opportunistic, he sees even a tiny puddle of water and he is lapping it up which leads us to suspect that he didn't have much water available to him when he was growing up.

Bode is a kind, handsome gentleman and we love him so very much.

Just some random stuff

Last year I bought Bode and Bella these really nice Weatherbeater coats. The one I ordered for Bode was too long, so my SIL shortened it up for us. I think he looks smashing, and when he comes in from the rain much less dog to dry off.

 

 

This is my new favorite COSTCO purchase, Pho soup, so good and so filling. I like to add a handful of shrimp to mine, so the whole meal comes in under 200 calories. So when we went back to COSTCO I was ready to stock up. Not. They seem to have stopped carrying it. Damn, I hate when that happens.

Dear Bella

This past July we lost are little Bella. She was 14, so she holds the record for our longest lived dog, but that wasn't enough time and still too soon. She was a feisty in your face girl and gave Ben and then Bode courage to face all the scary stuff in the backyard, LOL, she was always first, and always the dog that got to sleep in between Gerry and me. She is very missed.

Dog Toys

Our labs, Bella and Bode, love the cloth type dog toys, and they really get our money's worth out of them. I think this once resembled a raccoon, but the kids have torn it from limb to limb. Since they have box full of "nice" toys I gave this one a proper burial in the trash can.

My baby Bella

My darling puppy,  my beloved Bella is going to be 13 years old this November. She's got lots of funny warts and growths, and she can't jump up on our bed at night anymore- so we lift her up- and after she turns around 2 times, she gives a long sigh and settles in between us. Only then can we rest easy. I love my Bella.

WTF, answered.

Yesterday, I posted this photo:

This was our reaction to our vet (whom we normally reall, really like)
saying to us, "Wow, Bella is really getting on in years, isn't she?"

My baby, my Bella, getting old??? No freaking way!

She's still my little princess pup, always.

This is my darling on the way to the vet that night, looks young and perky to me!

Bella

 

Bella is the queen and let no man nor dog forget it!

More on Bella

When Bella joined our family we already had Ben - 130 pounds of gentle Labrador. Bella decided, even though she only weighed 12 pounds when we brought her home, that SHE was now the alpha dog.

And Ben had no choice but to agree.

Bella

My little pup Bella (like her mom) is showing her age these days-a little creaky, some strange little growths popping up, but still my feisty little lab. She was 7 weeks old when we brought her home, and she walked in and took charge.

Bode and Bella in the last snow of 2014

Doc Rocks his first dressage schooling show!

Doc’s first horse show was terrific, huge thanks to Kris Poole – she has had only had 8 weeks to work with Doc: he’d never done dressage and he’d never been to a show! She is a great horse trainer, but she’s got a special talent for mules!

 

Doc’s Intro A and B Dressage tests:

 

http://youtu.be/h-cs1sAA204

 

http://youtu.be/K-R-sIBbxGM

 

He scored 67.50 on Text A, and placed second in his class

 

He scored 66.25 on Test B, and placed first* in his class of 4 horses!!!! Note below:

 

*The Danish system of placing was used to award ribbons, so while he placed first among 4 horses he was awarded a red ribbon because he got between 65 and 70 points (if he’d gotten 70 or more points he would have gotten blue.

 

No pre-show jitters for this mule! Doesn't he look handsome in his new trailer!

Proud mule papa!

 

 

 

Bode

This is our little (100 pound) rescue dog, Bode enjoying his afternoon nap on the sofa giant dog bed.

It's pretty hard to fathom that his previous "owner" kept this wonderful boy crated so much that by the time we got him he was unable to sit (could only stand and lay down) and his hindquarters muscles were undeveloped, he was 20 pounds underweight, he had a massive ear infection, and a variety of skin infections. He also didn't know how to play with a toy or take a treat.

We love him beyond all measure.

Precious little one

We had a little (human) visitor at the house over the holidays and she left behind her sweet headband. Bella, being a very feminine little pup, decided to try it on and a lovely picture she made. (I've returned the headband to it's rightful owner!)

Wordless Wednesday

Bode and Gerry

Frugal Friday

A favorite treat for the pups is an ice cream like confection called, Frosty Paws. Frosty Paws is expensive, I think I paid about $4.50 for a smallish box that contained 4 dixie cup sized treats. One of my favorite bloggers, 7MSN, posted a recipe for Frosty Paws made from yogurt, bananas, honey, and peanut butter. I've been dying to try it but I couldn't decide what I could use as containers until I spied all the empty Smart Pacs of supplement containers my Barn Owner had been saving to recycle- she had about a hundred! All the perfect size for a portion of Frosty Paws. The rest as they say, is history. I made about 30 faux frosty paws for about $8 (bought all ingredients save the honey at Costco) plus I recycled all those cool little Smart Pac containers. And I made my pups very, very happy!

Wordless Wednesday

My dog Bode. I shot this photo through a frosted back door on a very cold, snowy morning with my iPhone.