Random run-in!

Last week, Chocko and I had just returned home from basic obedience class and after circling to look for parking for a good 20 minutes, we were anxious to get inside and eat dinner.  Mr. Chocko was so tired, he laid down at my feet while I ate (if you could call my cabinet scavenging dinner) and played on my laptop.  My phone rang and it was the hubby reporting back on his fantasy football draft team.  I was zoning out because I could care less   on the edge of my seating, listening to his report when I was distracted with a notification on my facebook wall – it said “I’m outside your house”.  Well I jumped up, hung up on my husband and ran to the door.  Chocko was so confused but when I flung open the door at 9:15 pm, there she was!  Our virtual buddy, Juliana from Peace, Love & Fostering.  This was the 2nd time we’ve met face to face, but it was such a wonderful surprise this time!  And Chocko, despite his tiredness, did some breakdancing just for her.  Always the gracious host he is!

Anyway, here’s a few pics from our encounter!  Head over to her blog and check out her recap of the evening.  Chocko got some good night-cap belly rubs in too so he went to bed happy.

I love this small city and the random run in’s that happen here.  It’s not coined Smalltimore for nothin’!

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A Happy 4th of July

Did you all have a happy 4th of July?  We did.  

We laid very low this year due to the heat and the fact that the 4th fell smack in the middle of a work week.  We were remembering last year’s 4th, with Mr. Knox and Ms. Eve…that was a busy 4th!

This year, we did a bunch of relaxing, lounging, stooping, and people watching.  Oh and some tennis ball chewing…can never do too much of that now, right?!

We barely even got up off the sofa to stick our heads out the back door to check out the fireworks!  That’s okay…sometimes ya just need a day to do some serious stoopin’.  And in Baltimore, you can’t get more patriotic.

Hope everyone enjoyed their 4th just as much as we did!

A Visit to Fort McHenry National Monument

You know how things are just outside your door, yet you need a reason to visit?  Our virtual friends, Ms. M and Mr. B (over at Two Pitties in the City) did a really cool series last spring about being a tourist in your own city.  Well it just so happens that my mom was visiting from NY this weekend.  All the more reason to go out and be a ‘tourist’, right?

In a quick break in the rain, we went down to  visit Fort McHenry.  I often run there, but rarely take it all in for what it is; a National Historical Monument.

The site is at the tip of a peninsula, where the Baltimore Harbor starts.  Here’s a map, sort of…don’t let the cute pitbull distract you from your geography lesson.

Anyway, this landmark, right in the city, is a beautiful place to visit!  It’s a dog friendly mile loop of paved pathway surrounding the Fort to the inside, and beautiful view of the water.  It’s only about a square mile, but its a wonderful escape for me when I feel a little suffocated in the city.  There’s something about green grass and the water that just feels good, no?

Physical therapy for Bodie!

 

Bodie was very interested in the cannons…after all this is (was) a fort!

If you’re ever in Baltimore for a visit (with or without your pooch), Bodie recommends you make a stop at Fort McHenry.  He can’t wait for a picnic when the ground isn’t wet.

He also wants to remind you not to forget your poopbags!

The Big Buddha

This is Buddha.  He is 8 months old.  He is a very happy boy.

He came to us today, after sitting patiently in a kennel waiting for us to get our act together (aka struggling to return Rayven after Hurricane Irene brought her to us).  Before he was waiting in the Kennel, he was pulled from Prince George’s County, where there is a breed ban on anything that could be a pitbull.  Well he certainly looks like a pit bull.  So he was on death row.  But now he’s here!  Horray!

Can you guess what happened after an intro walk around the block with Knox? 

You guessed it.  Let the games begin!  These two young bachelors had no problems at all getting right into playtime.  There was not one ounce of conflict (not that we expected it), but two young boys, you know how they can be.  Confident, cocky, pushing limits…Kind of reminds you of high school a bit.  But anyway, there was none of that here.  These guys acted like good ‘ol buddies. 

Check out those eyes.  Handsome boy, huh?  The picture below really reminded me of Ivy.  Maybe it’s the frog-leg position, maybe it’s that rare Blue Fawn coloring, maybe he’s just a good ‘ol soul like our Ivy Girl.

Buddha just got here today, so we don’t know a whole lot about him yet.  We will be spending the weekend getting to know him, and he will be getting a lot of love since this weekend our neighborhood is crawling with tourists (who miss their own pups) visiting for the Baltimore Grand Prix.  Of course he’ll be getting a ton of love from us too. 

Hope everyone is having a wonderful start to their long weekends!

A new collar for Knox! And lunching in Fells Point

So for Knox’s one year adopt-a-versary, I decided to splurge on a new collar.  It was quite a generous gift for our boy, however he has ‘eaten through’ about 5 collars so far.  See we let him get ‘naked’ at night, sans collar and jingley tags, but occasionally we don’t put it back on when we leave the house.  Left to his own devices, Knox sometimes will find the collar and chew up the buckle.  You would think us humans would catch on…

Anyway we got Knox a super cool, customized collar from Blocky Dogs, meant for “heavy-duty dogs”.  Well Knox fits the bill.  After quite a wait (they take about 2 months to make), it finally arrived.  WE LOVE IT!  We think Knox looks so handsome (Evey thinks so too), and we hope that this is the last collar we will ever purchase him. 

We chose the ‘smaller’ 1.5 inch width, regular flat collar; their most basic collar.  However this is anything but a basic collar!  Check out some of the cool features.

Personalized embroidery with several options of decals (we went with paws, but almost chose the bones, they were cute too!)

Above is the Blocky Dog ‘keeper’, which is cool, and also super durable!

And below is the Tiny D right for the ID tags.  Strategically, this hangs on the SIDE of the neck, not under the mouth.  Which makes it easier for someone to see should Knox ever get away from us.

And possibly a little less intimidating for someone to check out, though all they would get was a wash down of the face, via dog tongue. 

 

 

 

Look, it hangs perfectly all the time, with his name above, and the tags to the side, quite impressed by that actually.  (Seriously, even when walking— all the time!)

We love his new collar!  It is a big stiff at first, and is slowly starting to become more pliable, though it has a ways to go.  This was explained several times to use, and we even received an email with detailed instructions and pictures of how to ‘work’ the collar when we first got it.  Thanks for the new collar, Blocky Dogs!  We love it!

Now, about lunching in Fells.  We visited The Point, where they doted over Knox and Eve.  They both got their own water bowls and were even offered something from their special doggie menu!  Now that Baltimore passed the health code that says it is allowed for dogs to dine outside with their owners, we’ve seen things like this pop up all over Baltimore, it’s awesome!

The doggie menu, on this particular day, included a Veal Marrow Bone, a Doggie hot dog, and a Smoked Pig’s Foot.  Our guys just went with some ice water.  But still, the options were pretty cool!

Here’s Eve working on her down stay (above), and checkin’ out the scene on a bustling Sunday in Fells Point.

See ya next time, Fell’s!