It's a Beautiful Day For a Birthday

Today is my birthday, the second one I've ever had.  Unlike hoomuns though, I'm not like a two year old tot.  No, dogs age much differently from hoomuns.  If you take a look at this cool age chart you'll see that I am now a Young Adult, similar to when you were about twenty-three.

 If I weren't a dog, I might have graduated from college by now, moved into a home of my own, found a job and maybe even started a family.  Let me tell you, being a dog is so much better!  I get to run out by the river early almost every morning, I get plenty of fresh water and delicious food that I don't have to ever go to work to buy, I never have to pay a bill and... I get to live with  my mom forever!

Birthday Sunrise

Lot's of cool stuff has happened since I was born.  I've made a ton of friends, some I've met and others I haven't yet.

I have hiked up trails, kayaked on the water, swam in the water with my safety vest on, eaten a gardenful of carrots, ran the track at the middle school and played with all my friends at camp.  I love holding paws with my mom, getting my footpads massaged with shea butter and chasing balls.  Yup, anything that includes running after a ball is a real winner with me and I've learned to play soccer and am a fairly accomplished goalie.

I could tell my mom was stirring up something special because, well basically ANYTHING with peanutbutter in it is special to me.  I had no idea what she was making though so imagine my joy at discovering it was a birthday pupcake for me!  Yup, that's right.  It's a combination of applesauce, oatmeal and peanutbutter all mixed up and baked into a delicious little bundle of complete yumminess, just for me.  She frosted it with peanutbutter, added a few treats on top and then placed a carrot stick in the middle.  Oh my goodness...  birthdays sure do taste good.

Later today Mom is taking me shopping for something called a present.   She explained that folks like to celebrate birthdays by giving someone something meaningful, so I'd like to use my new "young adult" boldness by asking each of you for a present too.  In celebration of turning two, I'm asking that each of you do two, not one but two nice things for someone else today.  It can be as easy as looking a stranger in the eye and wishing them a terrific day, or calling someone you haven't connected with for awhile and letting them know you miss them.

As wonderful as my pupcake is, knowing I was able to help spread some goodness around today would be even better.  Ans so, believing that you'll do your part, get started now and lets all make this a most wonderful March 19th EVER!!!

Loves & Licks,
Stella

From the Vaults ~ The Chronicles of Stella

March 9, 2018

So today Mom said I learned an "Important Lesson"  It went down like this... No rain or snow or ice to contend with on our walk this morning, just sunshine and fog.  The fog is kinda fun because you don't get much notice of who'll you'll be meeting next along the trail.

I came upon the most wonderful treasure, a really cool, really big stick.  Much larger and heavier than any I've ever discovered before.  I was trying my best to figure out a way to carry it but it was more unwieldly than I'd expected.

Suddenly, out of the fogs mist appeared my good friend Angel.  I love Angel and Mom enjoys chatting with her mom and dad, giving Angel and I time to goof around and catch up on each others latest adventures.  Angel quickly saw my dilemma and picked up one end of the stick, keeping her head down low enough that I was able to hold the other end.  Together we carried that big stick down the trail together while the Parental Units proceeded to laugh and laugh at us.  Mom laughed so hard that the photo she took turned out all blurry.  The lesson I'm supposed to have learned is that good friends can help to ease our burdens.  I have no clue what a burden is but I'm guessing its just another word for "big stick".

Loves & Licks,
Stella

The Chronicles of Stella: Tri-fecta ~ a run of three wins or grand events......

The Chronicles of Stella: Tri-fecta ~ a run of three wins or grand events......: Yup,  I'd say today is a grand, grand, grand trifecta kinda day!  After a stretch of pretty lousy, rainy, sometimes snowy couple of w...

Tri-fecta ~ a run of three wins or grand events...

Yup,  I'd say today is a grand, grand, grand trifecta kinda day!  After a stretch of pretty lousy, rainy, sometimes snowy couple of weeks, today is BEAUTIFUL!  Because of how pretty it was this morning, and maybe because she was feeling a tad bit bad about cutting our walks short in the snow, Mom surprised me with not just one but three walks!

I love to explore and sniff my way along the river, but I also adore the lake in the middle of our town, and the track at the middle school is a grand place to throw the ball and chase it.  Today we hit all three spots and I had such a wonderful time.  I didn't even mind having to be on the leash at the lake because I can go leashfree at the other two spots and run to my hearts content.

The sun was shinning the entire time with no cranky clouds trying their best to cover it up.  Everyone we me along the way, those with two legs, four legs and even those with wings all seemed to have smiles on their faces.  The sun is very powerful indeed and has the ability to make folks happy.  It sure made me happy!  I even spied, with my two little eyes, a couple of flowers popping their heads up to see if the snow was indeed really gone.

Have you ever seen a dog wearing a yellow bandana before,
and if so, did you know what it meant?  I never had before so I learned something new.  It's kind of hard to do the right thing if you've never had it 'xplained to you so now, you know too.  Just remember that like a traffic light, yellow means "caution" and be extra careful.



Today I'd like to talk about balls.  I have to admit, I'm smitten with them, perhaps even a teeny bit obsessed.  I LOVE to play fetch and I haven't yet met a person who can play as long as me.  The hoomuns throwing the balls always wear out before me.

 My favorite outdoor ball is my glow-in-the-dark Chuck-it ball.  Its a blast to play in the dark and mom just shines a flashlight on it for a second or two to charge it up ~ no batteries required.  Just imagine watching this glowing ball flying through the dark and then getting to run and scoop it up in my mouth.  I swear it even tastes better when it's all lit up.

The Chuck-it ball is great for outdoors but it's gotten me in a little bit of trouble indoors. Knocking stuff over always seems to  result in the ball being put up high, too high for me to reach and that's no fun.  Finally I found the perfect solution.  The pet store had these cool guys in lots of colors and they can be thrown indoors without hurting anything or anybody. 

They feel great to chew on too and we all know how important that feature is.  If you have a pup that likes to play catch or soccer inside the house, this is the ball for them and you can tell them I highly recommend it.  It even just bounced right off Ozzy, my feline brother, and didn't seem to bother him in the least.  Almost magical, huh?

Well, it looks like Mom is getting ready to take a nap and as gifted of a ball player as I am, I also just happen to excel in nap-taking too!
Here's to a lovely, sunny, fun filled day and a peaceful, well deserved afternoon nap.

Loves & Licks,
Stella

Feeling a little bit guilty

Lets talk about weather...  We are currently on our next to the last day of the first month of 2019 and so it is still officially winter.  What's it like outside your window?  Sometimes I pay attention when the news is on tv, and sometimes I'm far too busy planning my next attack against the household cats.  The last few days though I've been really listening closely because for some folks, its colder and nastier than anything I've ever experienced.

 I live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest but I have cousin dogs in Canada and just outside Chicago.

Have you seen the type of weather they are
currently experiencing.  Down right frightful!  I hear those pups have to wear special booties on their paws in order to go outside or they could get frostbite on their toes.

Biting is not allowed in our family and truth be told, it's not a nice thing to do so I think we can all agree, no one's got time for that1

Early yesterday morning when we headed to the river to walk, our world was covered with magic dust or as my mom calls it, fog.  It was so thick and wonderful that you could hardly tell what was ahead or behind you which made walking in it a delightful adventure.  We've certainly walked in fog before but yesterdays should have won a prize for the best ever.

There was also a thin layer of frost on the sand which makes it all  kinda sparkly and you could feel a crunch under each foot step.  That's a feeling and sound I really enjoy.  We haven't seen a single snowflake this winter but I've been promised a river walk if any ever begin falling from our skies.

By afternoon the temperature was up to 55 degrees, the sky was a most glorious shade of blue and the sun was out, shining brightly.  It felt heavenly!  Maybe you also noticed that it's staying light longer into the evening and getting less dark in the early morning hours too.  You realize the importance of this, right?  More hours to walk, explore and play.  Major whoop!

Which brings us back to my feeling a bit guilty.  As I wear my cute little red jacket, I hope other dogs in colder places have coats to keep them warm.

When I return to my nice cozy home I hope that all the other dogs get to come inside too and find warmth and love surrounding them.  As I snarf down my breakfast and lunch I hope that all animals, everywhere have plenty of food to fill their bellies and a soft spot to lay their heads.  By the way, I wish those very same things for all of you!

Loves & Licks,
Stella

Willow Grove Found Treasure

Are you still celebrating the New Year?  The cats and I talked about it and decided we wanted to celebrate each and every day, all year long.  Doesn't that sound like a grand idea?

Today was our first river walk in 2019.  We were the first ones into the park, in fact, the Park Host hadn't even unlocked the gates yet when we pulled up.  I guess you know that means we were the first ones to put our pawprints in the sand too.  That's always an amazing feeling.

 It was still dark when we hit the beach but Mom had her flashlight and we wanted to have enough time to walk as far as possible.  I'm not real clear about exactly why a flashlight is important but I'm starting to get the idea that Mom might not see as good in the dark as I do.

So there we were, just making our way down the beach when... we saw it... a treasure chest that had washed ashore.  The chest was covered in mirrors and we took a minute or two, considering whether we should try to open it or not.  What might be inside?  My mind began to race with ideas both magical and horrifying.

 It was stuck together pretty well,  with sand lodged into places it didn't belong all along the lid, but eventually Mom was able to pry it open.  We looked inside and it was filled with murky water.  Mom tipped it sideways to let the water run out and then declared that it was empty. Empty?  I could hardly believe my ears.  The treasure chest was filled as full as it possibly could be with hopes and dreams and prayers.  How could she not see?  Someone had trusted this chest with their most important treasures and I could only imagine who that "someone" might be.  I pondered several possibilities but I think the only logical explanation is that it belonged to a little girl pirate.  She had to pretend she was mean and cranky during the day, in front of her men but deep inside she was sweet and loving.  She used the chest to hold the mean, cranky side at night and the sweet and loving side during the day.  It was quite a secret to keep from her crew but of course, completely necessary.  Unfortunately, during a very bad storm, the ship and its entire crew went down.  All of the items onboard were tossed by the seas for years and years to come and eventually, a certain little treasure chest washed up on the sand at Willow Grove... where we left it to be discovered again and again.  I really am concerned about Moms eyesight.

Here's to hoping that this year holds adventures, discoveries and some magical moments for you and those you love.

Loves & Licks,

Stella

Getting closer and closer every day

As we get nearer and nearer to Old Saint Nicks visit, I find myself feeling befuddled.  Isn't that  a great word?  I am perplexed, and concerned about something so near and dear to my heart.. adoption.

See, I'm adopted and several of my friends are too.  All of my brothers and my sister received the gift of adoption and it can be the most magical way of spreading love and increasing the size of your family but... there's also a darker, sadder side to it and I think it only fair that we shine the light on that too.

You see, bringing someone new into your family is a challenge for everyone involved.  There's a lot of getting to know each other, setting rules and boundaries and remembering those rules when you get all excited.  Sometimes you have to learn what you can chew on and what is a no-no-no-no!  Maybe you've never learned how to go potty outside instead of just anywhere you happen to be when the urge hits you.  Sometimes you might have lived with another family before coming to your forever home and the rules have changed. It can be a confusing time and nerves can fray.

Moms and dads experience a lot of changes too when a new family member moves in.  They have to choose a veterinarian and make sure we get our checkups to keep us healthy.  They have to figure out the best foods to feed us, along with learning what things can make us very, very sick.  Gone are the days of being gone from home for hours and hours without making sure someone is available to let us out to potty and spend some time playing with us.  Our job is to make them so happy when they get home that they never want to leave us again!

So please, please take the time to research the type of pup you are considering because some breeds grow really big and some need enormous amounts of exercise.  Trying to match a pup to your family's lifestyle makes for a much happier experience for everyone involved.  No one wants to have to rehome because of a bad match, that would just be heart-breaking.  I know I'm biased but I believe some of the best of the best can be found at your local humane society so please stop by and take a look for your next family member.

And once you've chosen the best pup in the world for you and your family, may I suggest the following list of items I highly recommend.

Stella's Christmas List for New Puppers

1.) A great way to let your folks know when you need to go outside to do your bathroom business, or to chase a wayward leaf in the yard, is bells!  Yes, jingle bells are a wonderful sound year 'round.  They hang nicely from your door handle so that your pooch can alert you without whining or barking, which is way more fun for both of you.

2.) Puzzle bowls are a cool way of encouraging you to slow down and enjoying your kibble, savoring each delicious morsel and making your food much easier to digest.  I've gotten exceptionally good at using my tongue to get every last piece of yummy goodness out of each of the swirls.  I enjoy it so much that I don't understand why my mom doesn't use one too.

3.) Who doesn't love playing fetch?  Using a Chuckit ejector means those thrown balls go so much further, which means I get to run even further and when you are just a pup full of energy, running further is pretty much what life is all about.

4.)  And what kind of ball works best with your Chuckit ejector but a super awesome, glow in the dark, silicone Chuckit ball ~ whoop!  Try as I might, I've chewed and chewed and chewed on mine and have never even left a toothmark on it.  I'm pretty sure that they are indestructible but I keep trying.  They also make a great little noise as they soar through the air.  You might not be able to hear it but I do and that makes it even more special.

Oh, and by the way, all of these  items are all available on Amazon and each are under $10, leaving plenty left over for some treats... because puppies live for treats.

And with that all said and done, I wish you a Christmas filled with peace, joy, magic and maybe,  just maybe, the best friend you could ever hope to have.

Love and Licks,
Stella