A Weekend at Dog Camp

Acie and Abbie were so happy to be loaded in the truck and taken to "Dog Camp" (Melanie's parents' house) for the weekend. The dogs always have such a fun time and stay busy exploring the property, helping Melanie's dad with outdoor projects or yard work, and playing in the pond. Here are some pictures to show just how much fun they had.

No matter what Melanie's dad was up to, the dogs were right there to help.

As soon as the tailgate on the truck was lowered, in jumped the dogs - hopeful that they might get to go for a ride.

Abbie just loved playing in the water from the hose and could have continued like this all day.

Dressed Up for Valentine's Day

The dogs are showing off their cute bandannas they got for Valentine's Day. Kyle said they don't like pink, but I think they do.

Something tells me the dogs were tired of posing for pictures by this point. Just look at the expression on Abbie's face (on the left).

The Mischievous Duo

Although Acie and Abbie are a year old now, they are definitely still acting like puppies. A couple of months ago, Acie and Abbie began pulling their dog bed out into the garage when our cars were gone, and used the area to tear open the bed and spread the stuffing everywhere. We never caught them in the act, but we know they were both guilty. They expressed such remorse each time they had to watch the clean-up from inside their kennels, but did it again and again. Eventually we had to replace that bed with a new one, but only after making the dogs go a while without one, hoping that when they got a new bed they might appreciate it enough not to tear it up. Unfortunately they aren't that smart.

When we were both gone one day recently, boredom overtook Acie and Abbie. They dragged the new bed out of the garage into the backyard, tore it open, and spread its contents all over the yard. What a mess!

Summer Fun!

Acie and Abbie have had a fun-filled summer. Before moving to a new house, they spent a week with Melanie's parents at "dog camp". Since the move, they have transitioned very well into the new environment and into being outdoor dogs. We had an invisible fence installed, which keeps them in the yard but off the back patio and out of the garden. It was amazing to see how fast they learned where their boundaries are. The new backyard is nicer than the old one, which means no more mud pits and no more digging, but it is still more fun to play in than the old place. There are cows to look at, a slight hill and steps to climb, and lots of crickets and grasshoppers to eat. Above all, their favorite thing is drinking out of the sprinkler heads and the hose. We are only 5 minutes from Lake Georgetown, but haven't been able to enjoy it yet. The lake is still closed due to flooding early in July. This picture was taken a few weeks ago when we went to check it out. The dogs enjoyed getting to go too!

This is Abbie after being punished for digging around one of our new plants. She went to that spot and stayed there looking so pitiful for about 10 minutes. I took the picture from inside.

Here they are drinking from the hose. We waste so much water with this game, but they are so funny we keep letting them do it. Plus, we are training them not to drink from the sprinkler since we have already had to replace 3 of the heads that they broke.

Puppy Update

We haven't posted pictures of Acie and Abbey in a while, so here are some that show how big they are getting. They now weigh about 35 pounds and are 6 months old. Not sure what that calculates to be in dog years, but we are convinced they are going through adolescence. They have been more trouble lately - mainly since they have found a way to get out of the backyard 6 or 7 times in the last couple of weeks, despite our attempts to barricade the gate and use chicken wire to keep them in. Fortunately, they never go far when they escape. Most days we come home to find them playing in our driveway, or they go next door to get dog treats. Other than that, they have been lots of fun.
Here they are anxiously waiting to be fed.

This is Acie

This is Abbie

Fun in the Yard

Last weekend we bought the puppies a kiddie pool to play in. Since they are mostly lab, we figured they would love water. They weren't too sure about it at first, and needed a lot of encouragement to try it out. Eventually, they learned to like it and now hop in and out of it when they wrestle and run around the yard.




This picture above was taken a few weeks ago. When comparing to the others from this week, it is apparent how much they have grown. They now weigh about 26 lbs.

Acie & Abbie

We decided to name the puppies Acie and Abbie. Kyle liked the name Acie (after Acie Law - Texas A&M basketball player) and we just liked Abbie to go with it. Acie is on the right and looks more like a lab. Abbie is on the left and appears smaller and has more white markings. They both have a touch of brown in their black coats.

They had their first visit to the vet yesterday and did pretty well. We were told they aren't quite 4 months old - only about 3-1/2 months. They are two peas in a pod, and are always together. So far, they aren't potty-trained, so that is our main challenge. But they have learned to sit. We are also working on "stay" and "shake", but it might be a while before we see them catch on. We have already enjoyed them so much and know they will be wonderful pets.

The Puppies are Home!

We picked up the puppies today, which was exciting. They seemed happy to see us, but are still groggy from their surgery today. They slept in the car, and were zonked all evening. We know that once they get back to normal they will be quite a handful. They are so precious!! By the way, we haven't decided what to name them yet.

We've Adopted!

We thought it would be fun to go to the Houston SPCA - just to look! The process of finding another dog would require time and patience. And guess what we found - two adorable puppies who remind us of Brandy. They are 4 month old sisters who seem to be well-behaved and sweet. So we made the commitment to adopt them. They had to stay there to have surgery, so it will be a few days before we can bring them home.