Wordless Wednesday Time to Get Dry and Play with Toys - BlogPaws

I'm so proud my lil Aubry made the Wordless Wednesday!!

Wordless Wednesday Time to Get Dry and Play with Toys - BlogPaws

Great Cause: Name Addie's and Violet's Puppies!

Name Addie's and Violet's Puppies!: WARNING: unbearable cuteness ahead!

ENTER CAMP COCKER'S PUPPY-NAMING DRAWING!
For only a $5.00 donation to Camp Cocker Rescue, you can enter a name in our puppy-naming drawing. You can donate $5.00 for one entry, or for example, $20.00 for four entries (and four times the chance of winning). When you donate via PayPal, please indicate in the "Notes to Seller" box what your name choices are. If you forget to do this, you can email your name choices to ccr.fundraising@gmail.com.

Sup? I'm Eli...

Where do I begin? I agreed to foster a young cocker spaniel back in January, I wasn't sure if I was ready to adopt after my dog Timmy passed away in November. A nice couple found the dog roaming in a river basin, limping but still full of energy. They cleaned him up, got him his shots, but had several cats which this young dog enjoyed terrorizing.

The dog rescue I was working with, Cocker Connection, told me they had not met the dog yet but it sounded like he was about 3 years old and white (although cocker spaniels usually don't come in white). I was shying away from light colors, since my last dog was tan.

So they brought the dog over, he was very handsome and right away I could tell he had a great personality. He did seem younger than 3 yrs old though. I like to say I "fostered" him for about 15 minutes...then there was no way I would give him up. I named him Eli, pronounced EE-lye. It is of Hebrew origin, and its meaning is "high", which describes exactly where my dog fits on my list of priorities.

I quickly learned Eli was most likely around 1 yrs old, potty trained and knew how to sit. He liked to chew, but nothing too destructive. Keeping him tired has been my best strategy at keeping him 'out of trouble'. We go on several long walks a day and he goes to doggy daycare at least once a week, which I highly reccomend if you work a 9-5 job and can't take your dog to the dog park for hours on end. Doggy daycare has taught him so much, and he comes back really pooped.

Eli loves the beach, Runyan Canyon, NPR and he is obsessed with tennis balls. I spoil him, which really shows when people come over to visit and he doesn't listen to a word I say, just looks at me and laughs with his eyes.

We have a great time together, I couldn't have asked for a greater pal...more to come...

Ode to Timmy

So I finally saw Marley & Me on Sunday and I cried like a baby...I'm sooo glad I didn't see it when it came out last Christmas....especially since my dog Timmy passed away in November. It was a good movie, very sad ofcourse. To be honest, I tried to read the book years ago and just couldn't get into it. Its a movie that anyone who has lost a pet can relate to.

I adopted Timmy, a tan/buff cocker spaniel, when he was about 10 yrs young from Sue Kroyer at Cocker Connection. Getting an older 'senior' dog actually worked well for me, I worked a lot, he slept a lot. He only wanted to hang out with me a few hours a day when he was awake. He was house trained and a great dog in general. The vet bills did pile up, which I wasn't expecting, but I got through it...he was well worth it. We had some great times together. I could write a book...oh wait, I kinda did - its on my side bar :)

The movie hit home for me because I only had Timmy four short years and lost him similar to how Marley passed. Really complications due to old age, his stomach twisted and he got bloat, which is very scary. Timmy was fine one minute, then he literally looked like a beach ball the next, and he was in great pain. He survived that night, but it was a rough two weeks after.

When I had to make the very hard decision to put Timmy to sleep, I knew it was the right thing to do and a power greater than me was helping me that day. Now I'm glad I was there with him at the time and he didn't die alone or in pain. They say 'you know when its time'...and you really do.

Not long after I decided to foster a few dogs, which helped me at the time (I highly reccomend fostering if you are not ready to adopt). Then Eli came along...which is a WHOLE other post. I will say this, when Sue told me about him and he sounded like the same coler (tan/buff) as Timmy, I thought 'no way'. I didn't want to replace Timmy. Then I met Eli, who was probably 1 yr or so, full of energy.

Its funny, I always wondered what Timmy was like in his youth, and the first time Eli squeezed out of his collar and leash and charged two large standard poodles across the street...I think Timmy was laughing up in doggie heaven at me..."you wanted to see what I was like as a puppy, here you go..." Oh boy do I have my hands full now, but in a good way!

I'll never forget you Mr. Tim...thank you for all you taught me.

Huntington Dog Beach

Ahhh…it’s another hot (and smoky) day in LA. Contemplating taking Eli to dog beach…although it’s an hour drive for us…usually worth it.

For any dog owners in SoCal…I highly recommend checking out Huntington Dog Beach…

Huntington Beach, CA, with a population of 200,000 is located 37 miles south of Los Angeles and 89 miles north of San Diego. Dog Beach is on Pacific Coast Highway between 21st St. and Seapoint St. in Huntington Beach and offers an amazing mile of beaches where dogs can run off-leash (cliffs also protect against dogs running up and out on PCH – this is a huge plus!)

I wish LA County beaches allowed dogs…I know a small part of Malibu does…but LA really needs an official dog beach like Huntington!
Here are some photos from past beach trips…