Cloud Chaser

Mikaela in her Ruffwear Cloud Chaser jacket.

First Raw Hide

Mikaela chewing on her first raw hide.

Roadtrip to Solvang, CA

We went on a roadtrip to Solvang, CA with the poochie girls. My point-and-shoot camera has lost its auto-focus. I still took photos with my cell phone. Not the greatest resolution.

Cutie Pie

Mikaela had a nap on my lap today and made plenty of cute faces. Unfortunately the photos came out a little blurry as I used my cellphone to snap away.

Nap Time!

The poochie girls sharing a good spot for a nap. Since Mikaela can now get on the couch by herself, Mackenzie has had to share her favorite napping spot.

Resting between rounds

The poochie girls have been active all morning. Chasing each other, play fighting, chewing on toys... And then the calm silent rest that follows morning play time just before the afternoon schedule.

The cardboard boxes in the background signal another move. Mikaela is quite convince that all those boxes are giant doggy chew toys. Apparently a plain old box is more fun than shiny colorful puppy toys.

Happy Mother's Day Grandma!

From the Granddogs!
(with a little help...)

Toys toys toys

Every night I put away all the puppy toys and every morning Mikaela spreads her toys all over the floor. She's a multitasker: she plays with a couple of toys all at once, rotating toys every 30 seconds or so. Then she gets bored with all of them and picks out a new combination of toys and starts the whole process again.

Running around on grass

We took the poochie girls to a park overlooking the ocean in Palos Verdes. The ran around and wrestled while we layed in the green grass and stared at the blue sky for a few hours. Given the climate around here, there aren't many public parks with pristine grounds with green luscious grass.

Our day in Palos Verdes

Comfy?

Another blurry photo from my cellphone... She was so comfy sleeping in my arm! I couldn't quite stabilize my free hand while taking the photo. Too bad.

Vet

The vet was delayed and we had to wait for about 30 minutes. Luckily I brought a few toys and the poochie girls were happily entertaining themselves. Right before the vet came in, the two of them had a short nap. Mackenzie found a sunny spot by the window while Mikaela chilled on the tiled floor.

Santa Monica Boardwalk

We took Mikaela on her first long walk by the beach. She handled the noise and the crowd very well. Mackenzie acted as her body guard and made sure the little one was safe. Mikaela spent quite a bit of time smelling the flowers while Mackenzie looked on.

Santa Monica Boardwalk

Duck envy

In Mackenzie's world, car rides and chasing cats don't rank very high on her favorites list. Mackenzie goes nuts for a few things: tennis balls, birds, peanut butter, walks by the ocean, hiking in Forest Falls and walks by the Venice Canal.

The Venice Canal is a neighborhood of expensive houses built on a man-made waterway. It has cute bridges connecting the different section and a concrete path that follows the water. What makes it exciting for a bird dog is the numerous birds that populate the canal, primarily ducks. And Mackenzie loves ducks!

Venice Canal

Hot day at the beach

We went to the beach in Malibu again this weekend. Unlike last week, the weather was warm, make that hot! Summer time hot.

Mackenzie did her usual beach rounds: chasing birds, going for a dip in the ocean, etc. Mikaela was braver this week and even went into the water. We had a picnic on the beach and I even packed a thermos of tea... It was chilly last week!

Once the weather got too hot, Mackenzie dug a hole in the send and we helped them create a doggy heat-busting habitat. Mikaela was so happy to share an activity with her big sister.

1. Dug hole in sand to cool off
2. Got humans to use beach towels as sun shields
3. Portable hydration device in proximity

J also made a puppy shelter for Mikaela while she had her post-lunch nap. We left the beach earlier than planned. Mikaela was content to stay at the beach given her shaded napping spot. However the humans were baking in the sun and so we left.

Napping in the shaded habitat

First hug

Mackenzie wasn't impressed with the new addition to the poochie girls clan. There's was quite a few growls while Mikaela tried really hard to get attention from her new big sister. We were so happy to catch the two of them embraced in their first hug. Mackenzie has since taken to protecting and sheltering the puppy.

Protecting the little one

Bear hug

The little monster has been contained!

Earlier this week I ordered a Precision Pro Handler Exercise Pen from Petco.com. It arrived this afternoon, much earlier than I had expected. The little monster is now contained within the walls of her new exercise pen. And I finally can get some work done without constant interruption.

She is now limited to a space of 4 feet by 4 feet. No more stepping on her toys, no more tripping over the puppy. I like that it folds flat as I don't intend to have it setup permanently in one spot.

Mackenzie is finally getting some rest while the little one gets to play in her pen.

Mikaela in her exercise pen

See more photos on flickr

Gator Spaniel

Mikaela is all teeth no cuddles. More gator or shark, then puppy girl.

Stairmaster Puppy Style

Training Mikaela to go up and down the stairs. She can go up fine, but needs a little help on the way down. Big stairs for a little puppy girl. Mackenzie is leading by example and is so patient with the little one. Mikaela looks up to her big sister and seems to be asking: "Show me again. I almost got it!".

Buster Cube Envy

Mackenzie loves to play with her Buster Cube. Mikaela never gets a chance to touch it. I took photos of Mikaela looking intensely at the Buster Cube with envy.

Submission

The poochie girls are working on establishing boundaries. Mikaela is very responsive and shows her belly to Mackenzie whenever she does something "wrong".

Mikaela just realized there's a price to pay for touching the red toy.

Mikaela shows her belly to Mackenzie and promises not to touch the red toy again.

Mackenzie versus the Stanley measuring tape

Puppies truly are full of surprises!

I was measuring the space an exercise pen would occupy in our living room, marking the corners with tennis balls. I kept an eye on those tennis balls while little Mikaela was prancing around with a chew toy. Instead of running away with a tennis balls, she started attacking the measuring tape. Barking, pouncing and chasing the metal tip attached to the end of the tape.

All that excitement makes a puppy tired. She's curled up around my feet dreaming of measuring tape battles. This little cocker spaniel will strike back!

Day At The Beach

We took Mikaela on her first trip to the beach with her big sister Mackenzie. She had a blast running around abd smelling everything while Mackenzie dug holes in the sand looking for treasures - i.e. rocks.

On the list of discorveries for today: (1) goofy grass is more bitter and resilient than expected, (2) seashells taste "funny", (3) sunglasses are for humans and (4) the best nap in the world is taken on a beach!

Our little niece Alex conquered her fear of dogs today and became best buddy with Mikaela. Alex even "fed" her with a sippy cup. Mikaela didn't mind it at all.

Day at the beach photos on Flickr

Mikaela

Our little pumpkin came home today!

She's such a sweetheart. She slept most of the way home in the car, then played with her new toys and explored her new surroundings. Mackenzie wasn't impressed with the new addition. There will be an adjustment period.

Photo by Jamie Tyndall

My Review of Precision 24 in. Deluxe Great Dog Crate

DogKennels.com

What We Like About the Precision 24-Inch Deluxe Great Dog Crate

The Precision 24-Inch Deluxe Great Dog Crate is a versatile design suitable to various stages of your dog's development. With a few adjustments, the heavy-duty wire frame conveniently pops up into a sturdy...

Precision 24 in. Deluxe Great Dog Crate

Great Crate for our Cocker Spaniel

PoochieMom Marina del Rey, CA 3/12/2009

 

5 5

Pros: Comfortable, Easy to Clean, Compact, Easy To Carry, Protects Animal

Best Uses: Easy to assemble, Long Trips, Short Trips, At Home

Describe Yourself: Long-time Pet Owner

I have owned a few crates by different brands. This Precision crate is sturdier, nicer looking and has great features. The 3 doors make this crate so flexible. I like that I can remove a door. The rubber pads at the bottom of the crate prevent scratches on the floor and movement of the cage. It's the perfect size for our cocker spaniel.

Three little sisters

This video took a long time to upload to YouTube, but it was all worth the effort. Mikaela and her sisters are so cute cuddling together, trying to find the perfect spot to fall asleep in the wicker basket.

Not in the mood to fetch

We took Mackenzie to Dog Beach in Huntington on our way back from San Marcos, CA. Mackenzie went nuts at the beach just as usual: running around like a puppy, sniffing kelp bundles, pouncing on strangers, chatting with other dogs.. And completely ignoring a game of fetch.

County Line

Drove to County Line and watch the surfers. It looked like a storm was coming from the north. The weather went from warm and sunny to chilly and windy. It didn't rain in the end.

Southern view

Northern view

New addition to the poochie girls clan

After months of researching breeders online and debating the pros and cons of a new addition to our "poochie clan", I came across Jewels Cockers ' website and knew I had found our breeder. At the time I starting corresponding with the breeder, her champion Sierra was pregnant. The pups were born on January 14 and today we met these three little precious puppy girls for the first time.

I initially wanted a black dog, mostly because Sierra - the mom - and her daughter Diamond are absolutely gorgeous black cockers, but upon seeing the litter, the tiny black and tan girl caught my eye and stole J's heart. She was tiny at birth and likely would not have made if it weren't for the constant care of our breeder.

Mikaela - 3 weeks old

Mikaela - 3 weeks old