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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

Mackenzie wants to nap

Mackenzie was about to fall asleep for her mid-afternoon nap. I could not resist the temptation of teasing her with a ball of yarn.