Merry Woof-mas!

I had my first Christmas this year, it was pretty darn cool if you ask me! I got to visit and play with my grandma's dog Bea. We played chase everyday in the snow. I love her! My other grandma's dog, Maggie, doesn't like me. She tries to bite me and steal my chew toys but I still try to chase her and play. I wonder why she doesn't like me?

I got lots of neat toys and treats. Mom says I'm spoiled- what does that even mean? My favorite toy is the Invincibles Snake. It makes this cool squeaking noise... I just love to do it over and over...and over. Speaking of that snake, where did it go, Mom?

I hope Santa was good to you, too.

Love, Gibbs

Casey's Memorial Paperweight

I contacted Lowell at Serpentine Glass in Oregon about making a memorial paperweight to remember Casey. The paperweights have Casey's ashes swirled inside. One is for myself and the other is for my parents. They are truly beautiful, magnificent---true artistry. I had tears streaming down my face when I took them out of the box and saw them for the first time. I know that my parent's reaction will be similar. These paperweights are a wonderful tribute to a dear and true friend, Casey.

Here are some photos...

Gibbs the Golden 3.5 to 6 Months

Catch Up

Since it's been such a long time since I've updated the blog, it's time for a giant catch up!



Gibbs is going to be 6 months old on Thursday, December 16th. We're having so much fun together. We still go out on our daily adventures to the park where he can explore off-leash and burn off some energy.

Once or twice a month, we still attend puppy class. We need the extra distractions when we practice our sit/down stays. At home, we do a lot of training. Gibbs has learned to heel on the pot, which will be helpful when we're polishing our heeling. He also is learning the bits and pieces through backchaining to roll himself in a blanket.

Our special puppy, I can't tell you how much we love him in such a short amount of time.

Run Free, Casey

We lost Casey to aspiration pneumonia as a result of his megaesophagus. Words don't even begin to describe our grief and sadness.

Weekend at Grandma's House

This weekend, we took Gibbs to my hometown and alma mater for the annual homecoming parade, football game, and other festivities. It was the perfect opportunity for a variety of socialization and he got to spend some time with my parents' goldens, Bea & Casey. If it weren't for Casey, I would not know how special, in-tune, attentive, loving, and snuggly a golden retriever could be. Because of Casey, I have Gibbs. Casey is such a wonderful dog, he's 12 years and 2 months old. I don't know what the future holds for Casey or how much longer we'll have him here on Earth, but I hope and pray that it is a long, long time.

At the parade, we couldn't believe how mellow and low-key Gibbs was for the entire thing. Marching bands, cheerleaders, loud music, cannons being shot off, people, kids, candy being thrown into the street- you would have thought that he went to a parade everyday. He met a lot of people and got a nice helping of pats on the head.

Gibbs stayed with my Mom and Dad while we went to the football game. He was a little goofy but was well behaved, even for a 4 month old puppy. My mom still said she doesn't want a puppy anymore, Casey and Bea are enough work.

What a grown up puppy Gibbs is becoming. He is getting some tail feathering and some butt feathers. Hard to believe that he's growing so quickly. It won't be long and he'll look like an adult.

A Mushroom Hunting...

With all of the rain we've been having, we've been seeing a LOT of mushrooms growing outside. On Tuesday, I took Gibbs for a walk in the late afternoon. I usually let him drag his leash around as at that time there aren't many people. He usually always runs to catch up when I say "Let's Go" but something had his undivided attention under a small maple tree. I went to investigate and Gibbs was sniffing (or maybe eating???) some small mushrooms. In case you aren't aware, mushrooms can be toxic. We immediately went home and I induced vomiting. Ahh! I gave him two doses 30 minutes apart and no vomit. Grrr. I am a vet school applicant so I'm lucky that I have my vet's cell phone and home phone numbers. I called and he recommended that we wait to do charcoal or IV fluids because if I'm not sure that he actually ate any mushrooms, he'd hate to put Gibbs through all of that. I was on diarrhea and vomit watch 2010 for Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning.

Each and every time Gibbs had a bowel movement, it was solid, no diarrhea. I fed him boiled chicken and rice to soothe his tummy from the hydrogen peroxide. 2 days later, Gibbs is still feeling good. He must not have eaten the mushroom after all!

This afternoon, we went to the park again. Gibbs was on mushroom patrol, he had 1 in his mouth within 10 minutes. *sigh* All of these mushrooms are giving me a headache. Keep an eye out for mushrooms on your walks. If you don't know if it is poisonous or not, assume that it is. If your dog eats a mushroom, induce vomiting and call your vet!

Here are a few photos from a more sunny Thursday morning walk.