Last week, I took the week off for a staycation.  I am at a point in my years of service where my vacation time accrues quickly.  We can only carry or hold a certain amount of days in our PTO bank.  Once we reach the limit, we no longer accrue time.  I know, real nice problem to have.  🙂  So rather than lose it, I decided to use it.  Mitch had to work all week, including Saturday and Sunday.  When you are married to a self-employed HVAC tech, you begin to hate the summer.  The pups enjoyed having me home all week and it gave me some time to get some small projects around the house done.  I would have liked to have tackled the backyard, but without Mitch’s help, it was a moot point.  We have lots of work to do to get the back yard looking nice.  I am hoping the Fall will bring us weekends with nice weather so we can get a few things done before the winter approaches.

During my week off, Ziva, FKA Gal With A Gun, got her first bath, well her first bath by us anyway, I am sure she had one at some point in her life.  She did well and now no longer has that kennel stink, which is fantastic. 

She looked pitiful once I was done and she soon forgot about the evil water sprayer monster in the bath room.

She had her monkey toy and bone to comfort her, so all was right with the world. 

Pippi is a pro at bath time and handled it like a champ.  She never once tried to get out of the tub.  She knew it would be over soon and that she would have a yummy treat waiting for her when it was over.  She loves wet towels anyway so she enjoyed attempting to dry her self off.

She relaxed on the couch until she was dry.

Cueball needs a bath too, but he is too heavy for me to lift into the tub so I need Mitch’s help.  I am hoping Mitch will be home next weekend so he can help with giving Cueball a bath.  We need to get some doggie pools so we can have bath time outside. I do miss the large deck/patio we had at the old house, it made bath time for the pups a breeze!

Ziva continues to do well.  She is a pretty good meet and greet dog.  She loves people, is good with kids and is good with other large breed dogs.  She has a high prey drive, though.  She, like Pippi, has an issue with any small, non-balanced, fluffy dog.  She lets out a deep bark and then wants to go after them.  We have to be really careful, as we do not want to give the wrong impression to people about greyhounds.

She has two meet and greets under her belt and will be attending many more with us over the years. 🙂

And another first for Ziva was a wine trip.  We took a trip to Cooper Vineyards yesterday afternoon after our meet and greet.  It was a beautiful afternoon and a perfect way to spend a lovely Saturday afternoon.  This winery is very dog friendly and has a lovely tasting room and wrap around deck with seating.  We packed a small lunch and bought a couple of bottles of wine to enjoy. 

Cueball is starting to get shaky leg after standing for too long, so he spent most of the afternoon laying on the soft blanket.  The girls were up and about quiet a bit scoping everything out and ready for pets from nearby folks.  They always draw a crowd!

The outside tasting bar was just steps from us.  Made it very convenient when we needed a refill.  🙂

Cueball was content just to rest.

Ziva thinks wineries are fun!  She says, what is not to like? We get pets from lots of people and mom and dad gave us several pieces of the “good cheese” as a treat.

She also received her official ID collar this week.  Hot pink is her signature color.  Nothing else fit for this Diva!

We have had a few visitors so far this summer.  Starting in reverse, our most recent guest is Dexter. 

He is a two year old hound who was adopted through the Second Chance Prison Program.  We are doggie sitting for the week while his mom and dad are at the beach.  He is one of the calmest two year old hounds I know.  He has fit in well.  He reminds me a lot of our Booyah.  His stance, curved back, horse like trot, J curled tail with a white tip and he is a follower and lover.  He loves people. He must be where people are.  He is not satisfied with being with other dogs unless people are there too.  He is so sweet.  We have enjoyed having him and will miss him when he goes home on Sunday.  We hope he comes to stay with us again soon!

Cueball and Dexter enjoy looking out the big bay window watching the world go by.

Ziva has enjoyed having another young hound to play with.

But, I think he has worn her out a bit.  🙂  They both love toys.  If he gets a toy to play with, she must have that toy, even if she has a gizillian other toys to choose from. 

We are still working on her manners.  She is a Diva, big time! 

So long as Pippi had a spot on the couch, she was content.

I am ready for my pedicure mom.

Pippi and Dexter had one trait in common.  They are both the backyard fun police.  Muzzles were a must. 

We can’t figure out why but all the hounds love this spot in the yard.  The mulched up leaves must feel so good when the sunshine is out.

We lucked out with nice weather, in the 70’s, on Wednesday and Today so we spent some time enjoying the great outdoors too. 

Back inside after enjoying a beautiful day, Cueball finds his comfy spot.

At the end of July, Mitch’s brother Mike and his family came for a visit.  It is always nice to see his family.  We all live so far away, it is a treat when we can get together.  They stopped to visit with us for a few days while on their way to D.C. for their family vacation.  We got to see two of our nieces and one of our nephews.  Mike’s oldest son is in Kansas in college so he wasn’t able to join us.  We mostly spent time at the house since their stay was so short, but on Monday, we took the kids to Maymont Park and then had lunch at Strawberry Street Cafe.  Both were a lot of fun.

The first stop at Maymont was at the Dooley Mansion.  No tours on Mondays, so we just admired the outside of this historic home. 

The kids young and old enjoyed feeding all the animals at the petting zoo.

We enjoyed walking around looking at all the wild life and kids enjoyed climbing rocks.

We enjoyed the scenic view of the falls.

Mike and Mitch.

We all had a great time and look forward to seeing them again in November.

Early in the Summer and in early Spring, we doggie sat Ms. McGann.  She is a sweet girl and gets along well with my pack. 

She loves the big bay window too, but she prefers to sit and watch the world go by.

She likes toys too and enjoys just pulling the stuffing out.  The green frog was her first victim.

She has a big crush on Cueball and follows him around like a lost puppy.  It is quiet cute.  She won’t be pleased with me that I told her secret.  Her mom and I tease her about it.  😉

They enjoy playing in the yard together.

And while I was going through these old pictures for the blog, I found this one of Maggie.  This is one of the last pictures that I took of Maggie.  We doggie sat Ms. McGann the weekend before we lost Maggie.

The pain is still incredibly deep.  Monday of this week marked three months.  I still can’t believe she is gone and September is approaching, which I am dreading.  Her Gotcha and Birthday are in September, and I know it is going to take a lot of strength to muddle through, but life goes on and so must we.

I do hope everyone is enjoying their Summer.  If the weather stays like it has been the last days in Virginia, it will be great!  I am over the hot and humid days! 🙂

On July 16th, we celebrated Cueball’s 10th Birthday! 

It is so odd for me to say that he is my eldest hound. The words just don’t seem quite right.  For the almost six years we have had Cueball, his birthday has been celebrated with his brother and best buddy Booyah.  I am sure Cueball doesn’t know any different but it was a little sad for me.  We treated the pups with Frosty Paws to celebrate.  One of Cueball’s favorite treats.  He could have a frosty paw daily if we allowed him too.  🙂 

Cueball is a hound who makes us laugh every day.  He has always been a goof.  He loves everyone he meets, is very social and is my most laid back hound.  He is sweet, confident and independent.  As he has aged, his black ticking has become more pronounced.  I guess it is how the white hounds age, since we can’t see their gray hairs.  🙂 

I think he enjoyed his special treat!  Of course he got lots of love too. 

Pippi seconds the daily frosty paw idea.

This was Ziva’ first frosty paw.  She got brain freeze for a moment, which was quite cute, but she soon learned to take it slow and before we could get a good pic of her with her treat she had already finished and was on to cleaning everyone else’s bowl.

A very Happy Birthday to our one of a kind hound!  We love you very much Cueball and we look forward to many more wonderful years with you.