Bailey is a Dad

It's offical, Bailey is the proud papa of 5 boys and 3 girls. Samantha gave birth to the litter early Thursday morning. Here is a picture of the mother and her pups.

Today is Bailey's third birthday. He has grown into such a handsome dog. We got his and Emma's DHLPP shots today. They are good for two more years on Rabies.

Here are the two together. They are always getting into something. Could not ask for better more loving dogs.

Bailey is going to be a Daddy!

We took Bailey to visit his new mate last Friday. If all goes well we should be having puppies on or about June 23, 2012. My little man is now a stud. He spent 5 days at the home of his girl and now we just set back and wait.

Time Goes By

Time sure fly's by, as Emma will be 4 next month. She is such a beautiful dog. She and her brother from a different mother, Bailey have such fun together. Baily will be 3 in June. These two Golden's frolick, run, and play the day away. It must be great to be a dog. So much to see, so much to smell. To run as fast as you can and then flop down and take a nap. Maybe if I am lucky, I will come back as a dog in my next life. Of course it would be my luck to have an owner than kept me chained and alone. No, I would not want that. My dogs are very spoiled. They are members of the family. Whoever gets to the couch first gets the best seat. We share almost everything except the items that are not good for dogs. They sleep right beside us on the bad and go with us everywhere in the car. We certainly have a special relationship with our dogs.

The woods of North Carolina are a great place to be in the Winter. Now that the leaves have fallen and the brush has died back it is heaven for a dog to run at his or her heart's content. We have lots of deer and every once in a while they chase after one but they never really get close. We took Emma to a Christmas Parade in December and she meet her first horses. I don't think she knew what to make of the giant creatures.

Today is a beautiful cool sunny day and they are outside enjoying every moment.

Big Change

About a year ago I was forced to retire early due to health issues. I was about 3 years earlier than my planned retirement. We had always planned on retiring to the mountains of North Carolina. Earlier this year we started looking. I felt like I was getting too old and in poor health to continue to take care of a home, so we decided to rent. It is a big load off of your mind when you don't have to worry about the A/C going out, the roof leaking, plumbing backing up, etc. We looked at several places and finally decided on a cabin in the mountains. We are in a gated community which limits access to the public. The subdivision is 83 acres with over 3 miles of gravel roads. There is a pond, a creek, lots of deer, wild turkeys, squirrels, rabbits, birds, and even a black bear (though I have not seen her yet). We have a big wrap around porch that is covered in the front. There are no street lights so at night it is really dark and the crickets and tree frogs are deafening and in the quite of the morning you can hear a pin drop. It is much cooler up here (one advantage to getting away from all the asphalt and concrete). There are only 9 homes in the subdivision with 6 being occupied full time. We have great neighbors who genuinely care about each other.

Now Emma and Bailey are in heaven with their new home. They leave and go off exploring for hours at a time and come back home, usually wet, and their tongues hanging out. They always seem to find water somewhere to romp in. I don't have to worry about traffic. They seem content to track the various animals that inhabit the area. They are getting a lot of exercise that they did not get at our garden home. You know the old saying that a happy dog is one who has run to his hearts content.

I still worry about the snakes and animals higher up on the food chain but seeing them so happy gives me a sense of security. I am sure that they will limit their explorations once it becomes second nature. I have always lived in an area where they had to be contained by a fence or on a leash. Their only free time was at the dog parks where they could run and play. There is another dog that lives over the hill and they have to go down and say hello several times a day.

I am looking forward to fall and even winter (actually having four seasons again). They had several good snows last year so hopefully this year will again bless us with the white stuff. October is the color season in the mountains and I look forward to the pallet of mother nature's colors.

It is pretty nice now that I am retired and can enjoy being with my dogs and doing things on my own time. I like to call it retired time, when I want to not when I have to. Don't get me wrong I miss having health insurance and a big pay check but I will be 65 next year and will be eligible for Medicare and my lovely spouse will be eligible for her early social security. I must say this past year has been one of the best and least stressful.

So here's to a new chapter in our lives and the lives of Emma and Bailey as we explore our new home and all of the beauty of nature.

Bailey

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Bailey

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Bailey has been with us a year today.

It was one year ago today that we adopted Bailey. He was about eight months old when he came to live with us. He will be two on June 1. He is growing into a beautiful dog and will probably start to fill out and get his adult coat this year. He has so much energy and I say that he is like a Mexican Jumping Bean. He is very fast and can outrun Emma. They are a perfect pair and would be lost without each other.

We are glad that Bailey came into our lives.

Stuck

I was setting at the computer about lunch time and heard this crying sound. I didn't do anything until I heard the second cry. I went outside and I could see Bailey but could not see Emma. I could hear the crying coming from over by the fence and when I got there I found Emma under the deck stuck and crying for help. She could only get her muzzle out. She had gone under down where the yard slopes down and now she was up where the ground almost meets the deck. Now Emma is a pretty big girl and weighs in somewhere in the high seventys and is very tall for a Golden.

What to do; tear up the deck, get a shovel, call the Fire Department? I finally convenced Emma to back up and turn around and head back down the under the deck to where the yard is farther away from the wood. She was still stuck but after a few minutes of dog power she was able to pull herself out. She was not hurt and just a little dirty from the bare earth under the deck. I don't know if she chased something under or what. I put a big rock to block her from attempting the feat in the future.

October update

October is the month that Megan and Jordan were born. They were our second and third golden's respectfully. They were very special to us and we miss them a lot. Now we have Emma and Bailey to carry on the tradition. Golden's are such special dogs, always eager to please, and are a member of the family. While there lives are shorter than we would like, we have to love each and cherish the time that they are with us. The next time you are snuzzeled be happy for the opportunity.

1 Week Today

Emma's new Kitty has been with us now for one week. She has gained 5 ounces and starting to eat solid kitty food. She is very energetic and into everything.

Look what the Dog drug in!

Emma found a kitten in the back yard this morning. He or she weighs in at 10 ounces. We feel like it must be about 3 to 5 weeks old. So far no luck in finding it's mom. Emma is being a really good stepmom.

Your Dog.

He is your friend, your partner, your defender,your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.

Bailey & Emma at the Dog Park

Barkley's Christmas Greeting

Barkley is Emma's 10 1/2 year old step brother. He belongs to my daughter and son-in-law. He was one of Megan and Jordan's ten pups.

Emma's Happy Tails Story

Please visit Petfinder.com and read Emma's Happy Tails Story.

Emma's new brother

This is Bailey, Emma's new 8 month old brother.

Emma in her jewelry.

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Happy Halloween

Sunday afternoon at the Dog Park

Birmingham, AL has opened a new dog park at Greensprings Park. It is 3 acres fenced for dogs and their owners to run free and be off the leash. Three Cheers for Mayor Larry Langford and the city council for finally making this a reality. There are 2 acres for large dogs and 1 acre for small dogs. You enter through a double gate system. There must have been over a 100 dogs and their owners and everyone got along great. Lots of socializing, sniffing, and running but no fighting. It was clean and no poop was visible anywhere in the park. This is a big plus for responsible dog owners. Now if the other cities in our state would get off their duffs and create more wonderful places for dogs.