Paws In The Sand

Goldie loved Valentines day! Well I don't know that he knew it was Valentines day but it was exciting nonetheless!  Any holiday celebration usually meant things to be unwrapped- which he loved, extra special food smells-which he adored! and there was always the chance that at least some of it would fall on the floor while cooking or that it would end up in his food bowl - which it did !! :)  Holidays meant treats for Goldie too and his own unwrapping to do. He was usually correct on both counts. It also usually meant more time with us, longer walks and games. Every year that Goldie was with us he brought hubby and I a Valentine day card!. Hubby usually got up first and let Goldie out in the garden and fed him, then brought me up a mug of coffee and Goldie would follow proudly carrying Valentines day cards in his mouth, ever so gently, ever so proudly, head up, tail aloft.  Of course we did not get our cards right away - oh no Goldie needed to do at least tw...

We are putting up our Christmas tree today. I love putting the tree up and decorating it  with all the tree decorations we have used for years and added to throughout our married life as well.  Of course when we had Goldie he thought this was a great cause for excitement!  His face said it all - why was a TREE - that looked like a TREE but didn't smell like a TREE coming in the house ! There was a lot of sniffing and tail wagging !  Have to admit we had some qualms about it the first year as well, without going into too much detail, he was a male dog and trees were his fave choice to errr relieve himself !!  Anyway I recall that first year when he was just over a year old we had a little talk and told him that this Tree was a special tree,  unlike any other and not to be peed on. ....  Well you know what.... he never did. What a good boy he was.  He did love to "help" us with the decorations though and his tail wagged so fast w...

Missing Goldie a lot today, I don't know why in particular this day....missing him with a smile. Maybe its the Autumn leaves he loved to wade around and jump into, a big goofy look on his face!  Maybe its meeting so many dogs today at the Farmers market.  Maybe its digging in the autumn soil, without my "helper" digger by my side but remembering the echo of that particular form of fun and games! Maybe its the way the sun shines through the yellow and golden leaves right now and recalling how much our Golden boy loved this time of year. Cool enough to be energetic and fun. Warm enough for long walks and then after, cosy evenings by the fire. Maybe its the memory of his soft warm fur and his melting eyes and his huge loving heart. Maybe its the amazing thrill and excitement in his whole body when a lead was produced and the promise of a walk was near, even though we had only been out two hours before! Missing our road trips where we go for a drive just anyw...

Goldie loved to play games and he loved to eat! When we were looking for toys for Goldie the Dog Kong toy seemed a great combination!  Kong Classic Dog Toy, L, Red, Unpredictable Bounce Honestly this Kong toy kept him amused for hours. We found it so useful for when he was a young dog and although he would crash out after a walk, his energy levels revived before ours did! Much as we would have liked to spend all the time playing with Goldie, there were other things in the house, at work, dinner to prepare etc you know all the chores we need to do that we also had to get on with. Also we like dot leave him with something to do when we had to go out and leave him in the home for a couple of hours. So we needed something to keep that active mind of his interested and busy while we got on with other essential work. We had no experience of Kong toys so at first we just gave it to him as it was. He was very excited and spend a good time chewing it but it held up very well to hi...