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! 🙂