Lots of exercise !!!!

Ever since I was young pupster I have always loved chasing shadows. I know, it seems odd but it is something I like to do. Mom make funny shadows on the wall or the floor with her hands and it is always fun to chase them. Well, the other day mom found this thing called a laser light and she thought she would buy one and see if I liked it. Boy oh boy!!!!!!! I LOVE that thing. Mom stands half way down the hallway and I run from one to the other and back again chasing it. We played for near half an hour non stop and boy did I need to lay on my air conditioning vent after that!!!! I get as much exercise chasing that little red light as I do on my treadmill, only this is way more fun. We even played out in the garden with it last night and believe me, my fur was a flying as I raced around the garden chasing that thing. I chase the fire flies too.....but they tease too much, one moment they are there and the next they are gone! Here I am on my favorite vent by the front door, it's the best spot because the tiles are very cool and I can look out the window and see when my dad is coming from work. Oh, I nearly forgot ! I have to say a big thank you to Latte we tried your Cheesy Carrot Crunch Redux Cookies....mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm!!! I really really love those and it's a good thing I was doing so much running around because I had four of them!!!! Mom is going to try another recipe on the weekend - I can hardly wait. She will have to find a better hiding place though, because I found she where she put the carrot munchies!!!

Another day

Mom and I went for a walk this morning, the wind was blowing and is wasn't quite as hot as it has been. We went a different way today and the grass was very long, in fact so long I could hide in it!! Of coarse, I just had to jump in it...what I didn't know was that all those grass seeds would stick to my fur - how bothersome was that! When we got home mom had to give me an extra long brushing to make sure there wasn't any of those seeds hiding. That is the one draw back to all this fur, it is like being a swiffer duster on legs......and mom is always telling me "to leave the garden outside". What she means is, I like to lay on the pine bark to soak up a little sun in the morning, but when I get up and come inside there is often pine bark stuck to my fur and mom is always picking it up off the carpet. Here I am after I had my brushing. I also found the neatest blog today while doing a little paw surfing. It is Latte's blog and there was some of the best recipes there for we four legged's. Yum yum, mom wrote down some of the recipes and she is going to make some for me to try this afternoon - that also means an extra mile on the treadmill to work those calories off..... but it's worth it!!!!!! I will let you know what I think of them tomorrow. Woof woof to all!

Happy Sunday

Mom, dad and I went for a car ride today and I took them PetSmart. We had a great time there as it was dachshund adoptions day. Aunt Bergetta (where my doggie mom and dad live) also breeds dachshunds so I spent my first six weeks with them. I was quite happy to go and say hello and do a little snuffle talking. Mom got a little sad though, one of the dachshunds had wheels instead of back legs, it certainly didn't stop him wizzing around. Mom also met Freddie - he was a very old dachshund and she said you could tell by just looking in his eyes that all he wanted was a cuddle and to be held. She wondered why such an old dachshund was up for adoption. We also had a look at the cats, the fish and checked out the all the new leads and collars. Oh, and mom made me wear that silly hat.....everyone said how cute I was but I wasn't very impressed.

A doggies dreams

Mom and Dad went to look at RV's today, they are not going to buy one, they just wanted to look at one and dream a little. Personally I think they should get one, that would be like the biggest on going car ride in history!!!! Wow wow wow.....would I ever love that. I dream of visiting lots of places. Of coarse I wouldn't have a yard to run in but just think of all of the cool parks we could go to, all the wonderful smells and the other doggies I could meet. We could go to that place called 'the beach' that mom is always talking about. She grew up near the beach and misses the salt air. I don't know what that is, but mom says it smells so good. My goodness I can't stop my tail wagging with excitement just at the thought of it. Mom really liked this one RV called the Melbourne, not only because it was a really cool RV and has lots of room, but is was named Melbourne which in the capital city of Victoria, a state back in Australia. Mom actually lived there for about 7 years. Mom says there was a perfect spot for my bed under the table and a big comfortable seat for me too complete with a latch for my harness to snap on to. The only drawback is there are no air condition vents on the floor, mom says they are all in the roof. I could live with that though. I guess sometimes we doggies and humans can share the same dreams.

AAAAWWWW Mom

Mom went the Doctors this afternoon and afterwards her and dad went to a big store called Target. Well.... mom came across this hat and although mom doesn't like clothes on us furrbies, she gave in for this, she said it would keep the sun out of my eyes, but I think it was because it had kangaroo on it and it had the words 'let me outback' written on it. She says it makes me a honorary Aussie.....what ever that is. And of coarse, she had to take photo's!! She also said I was lucky she didn't get me the matching doggie t-shirt!!!! I would of been sooooo hot in a T-shirt but mom knows that so I guess the hat is okay. She also got me the biggest rawhide bone to chew on and a new tug toy that me and dad can play with. My mom just loves me so much.....and don't tell her because we don't want her getting all soppy, but I love her heaps too!

Reilly Words

Mom came across this cool website that lets you enter words, then it jumbles them up to make these neat little signs. Of coarse she had to do one about me and she is going to use it one one of those scrapbook page things she spends a lot of time doing. Mom hasn't been well today, that thing called arthritis has been really hurting her. That is when she needs me the most. I will snuggle up next to her and let her stroke my head and that seems to make her feel better. We went for a little walk in the field this morning, she let me run and just waited as it was hard for her to walk, but I had a good time sniffing and I even chased a ground squirrel back down into it's hole. They are very cute but they do like to dig. We have some that have dug under the concrete by our back step and the cheeky little things even drink out of MY outside water dish!!! I chase them back into their holes when ever I see them.
This afternoon I did four miles on my treadmill, I love trotting along on that. Mom thought this was a funny photo because my feet looked like they were going really fast. They weren't though because mom only sets it to a nice walking pace. Well, I need to get back to mom......she needs to pat me some more......hope you all had a great day.

New Friends

I wanted to share a picture of my new blog buddies Deacon and Essex. My mom says they are Collie Dogs......they look like big shelties to me!!!!! Mom loves collies too, and her brother use to breed them back in Australia. Mom was very happy today, she sold some of her painted items which meant I got to help with packing. I am an expert at scrunching paper and towsing with it so when she got it ready to pack the items, I pounced!!! I did a very good job of shredding it for her....but for some reason she didn't seem to appreciate it and had to get that vacuum monster out to suck up all my little bits I had carefully spread all over the carpet. Then I had to crawl inside that big box.....but you know when you hear that one word said in that certain tone "REEEIIILLLLY" that you had better sit back and give the mom the beautiful sad eyes look. It works every time - well almost!!! Anyway, she got it all boxed up then we went to the post office over at the air force base. I like going there and today the guard patted me and said what a cutie I was......oh shucks!!! as if I didn't already know! I guarded the car while mom went in and sent the box away. Then we drove back home again. It is very humid again today so I think I will go around the house checking that all the air conditioning vents are working. An hour snoozing on each should be enough time to tell unless of coarse mom wants me to play fetch with her....I could probably rouse myself enough for that.

New Friends and Scrapbooking

Hey hey hey.....I do love it when new friends drop by so welcome to Key West Collies -Essex and Deacon. Mom says collies look a lot like me only bigger. Actually a lot of people mistake me for a collie because I am rather bigger then a regular sheltie. Mom says it because I come from a good working stock gene - what ever that means! I thought jeans were just something you had a good scratch against and a place to leave all that itchy loose hair! Yesterday we got up early and went for our normal walk and it was soooooo great. Mom actually trusts me now, and when we reach the field behind our house she lets go of the lead and I can just run and run. I always come back when she whistles though - that was the deal. I could only run if I come back when called. Moms can be very strict sometimes! We practiced for about a week first before she really trusted me. Mom would take my extra long lead (30 feet) and let me run on that and she would whistle for me to come and when I did and sat by her feet, she had some Zukes treats. The last few days we have been practicing without the lead. She was very impressed with me because even when I saw a bunny and wanted to chase it .....when she whistled I still came back. Mom is not one to be messed with so I came running and it helps that she has those yummy little treats !!!!! The rest of the day was very humid so mom decided to make some scrapbook pages for other humans with furry buddies. Of coarse I supervised (from under the table while laying on the air conditioning vent). I gave her the paws up though on each one and think she did a pretty good job, although they would look better with MY picture on them!!!

A relaxing day

After my birthday yesterday, I am just having myself a relaxing day. Mom made me my own hamburger cake, which I must say I thoroughly enjoyed last night. Today it is extremely humid so we are just having a Sunday at home. I did help mom pick the winner for a giveaway she was running over on her blog. She does quite a few giveaways and I always help pick the winner. She prints out all the humans name, then attaches a cookie to each one. She then puts them in a big bowl and I get to pick one. After that, she always gives me three cookies as a reward. I sometimes wonder how she would cope without me around - who would bark at the rabbits, chase the ground squirrels, pick giveaway winners, take her for walks and give her something to do combing my fur!!!! Luckily, I plan to be around for a long time so she won't have to worry about that.

It's my BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wooo hooo.......I am 1 year old today, time seems to have flown by. Mom got up really early while it was cool so we could go for a long birthday walk. And because it's my birthday she let me have the run of the lead, so I could stop and sniff at trees, light poles and everything. Normally we are in training mode and I walk 'politely' by her side but today I was in sniffy heaven. I got to see a bunny and barked and woofed at it. I also met some other dogs and we snuffled talked and I just had the best time. When we came home I "vent sitted" for a while to cool off then mom gave me a big brushing as we were going to Petsmart. Oh, and mom made me wear this silly hat while she took some photos. Dad, mom and I then got in the car....wow I love car rides and off we went to Petsmart. I told everyone it was my birthday and I got extra cookies!!!! Dad bought me this cute little back pack for my birthday. We are going to a place called "The Rocky Mountains" in Colorado....mom says it's a long way and we will stay in a hotel overnight when we get half way there. It took dad a while to find a good furry friendly place to stay, but he did. Mom says in the mountains there is lots of places to walk and we will be staying in a cabin right by the lake and have it all to ourselves. Best of all, there will not be not one of those noisy boxes that dad stares at for hours......so there will be LOTS of Reilly time. I was so proud of my backpack I wore it all around the store and everyone said how cute I looked. Then we came home and dad and I went to play tug outside. I love it when dad plays tug. Mom has this thing called 'arthritis' and it makes it hard for her to play tug, but dad really towzers with me and that it the best!!! Of coarse mom had to take more photo's.

A car ride day

I had myself quite a busy morning. My human sister has some car trouble - she ran out of gas!!!! How silly was that!!!! Dad got some gas and put in it but it wouldn't start so he called some place called the "AAA" to come and tow it to a repair place. That all happened last night. This morning I had supervise mom and sister and make sure they went to the right place. They quoted way to much for the repairs so we had to go to some other places and ask for these 'quotes' things. Anyway, sis finally found a good place and then she had to get the car towed from one place to the other. Of coarse I was making sure everything was right......after all, cars are very important to me, they take me to the park and the pet store so my humans need them specifically for this purpose. Then we had to take sis to work and finally we came home and I could relax and spread out on my nice cool vent. You know, I really wonder sometimes how my humans would cope if I wasn't there to organize them.

My mom luvs me!

Another hot day here so when mom went out she had to leave me home in the cool, but when she came back she bought me the best treat!!!!!!! She asked the butcher at the grocery store if they had any marrow bones and they did!!!!!!!! He even cut it in two pieces for me so I could get to that yummy marrow. Mom popped them in the microwave to cook them and here I am guarding them with my life until they cool down. Shhhhh, don't tell anyone but I fell asleep while waiting, some guard dog I am huh!!! Mom thought they looked pretty gross, obviously she has no concept of gross, gross is having a bath with shampoo!!!!! Not a bone. She let me have one and has put the other in the refrigerator for tomorrow. She says listening to me gnaw on it is like listening to fingernails on a chalk board. I have no idea what that means but if it tastes as good as this bone, it can't be bad.


The other great thing that happened today, I got accepted to "Dogs With Blogs". I was so happy I ran in circles woofing for the whole neighborhood to hear!!!! Number 926 - that is me!!!! I have also blogged a little with Ricky, he is one cool dude with one cool blog!!! You should see him in his life jacket when he goes kayaking! I also love his ears....I wish mine had stood up like that, they did for a long time but them flopped back down again!!!!! Well I need to go and make some plans, it is my birthday on Saturday and I am going to be 1 year old. Mom and dad said we will do something special and mom is going to make me a hamburger cake.

Oh boy, it rained last night....which means it cooled it down this morning and I was able to get mom outside for some exercise. My favorite outside toy is my blue tuggy. It is a rope with a blue heart shaped rubber handle and mom and I play this game where she throws it away and I go and get it. Here I am, waiting first (you must admit I am one handsome guy!!!) then concentrating of the tug watching as mom grabs it from under my nose (that is part of the game too - I pretend not to let her have it) then mom throws it and I am off........like a speeding fuzzy furball. I pick it up and I am off around the garden with it. I LOVE this game.....we played for about half an hour and then we played frisbee for a while and then we played with tuggy again. After I cooled down we went for a car ride....I LOVE car rides !!!!!!!! Mom took me to the pet store and gosh that was fun too. I got lots of pats, free cookies and YES, I showed off a little and did some of my tricks for the humans. For some reason they really seem to like it when I do that. Of coarse everyone said how beautiful I was!!!! To top the morning off, I took mom for a walk and we went to see Franklin, he is my buddy that lives two houses away and he is a corgi. He is very old so we just lay down together and do doggy snuffle talk. My other buddy is called Buddy and he is a rat terrier. My goodness he is one hyper pup.........he just bounds and bounces like a spring and I get tired just watching him!!!!! So I have had a great day and I hope you all do too.

What to do when it's hot

It's already 93 degrees and sooooo hot. I have been snoozing the morning away on my favorite vents, it feels so good when the cool air blows through my fur. My human mom was rather surprised to find I had learned how to completely open the vent by myself! These paws are not just for walking on you know!!! On days like this, spread out on the slate floor - across the vent, is the ONLY place to be......unless my mom is scrap booking then I am in the art room - spread out on the vent, or if she's in the kitchen, then I am on the kitchen vent and at night time, I am on the bedroom vent.......boy ! do I have all the good spots in my house sussed out!!! Oh, mom also bought me a cool bed, its like a water bed and is all squishy. She thought I would like it, but I really am not keen on it........I am a just a vent dog at heart! Mom has been also been working on some scrap book pages for me...she can't help herself, I am just so photogenic!!!!

The indignity of it !!!

You know, it is one thing for me to find a puddle to splash in, or even for me to go and jump in the lake for a swim - that is my choice.... but to be forced to have a bath - could there be anything worse!!!! Sure I get a nice warm water, rubbed all over with 5 towels and then blow dried....but it is still an indignity, especially when mom comes in and take a photo of it!!!!! Apart from that my weekend was just okay...I didn't get to go to the park as the temperatures were in the 90's and for a furball like me, that was just to much. My dad did get up early and take me for a walk while it wasn't to hot. I still had to flop on the air conditioning vent when I came in though. I am not sure what we planning to do this week but hopefully it will be be fun.

Left Behind

Mom and dad decided to go to a place called "The Zoo" and sadly they couldn't take me as it's a human place only - which is discrimination if you ask me, but what's a pup to do? Mom saw this creature - called a lemur, it was just vegging on a log and she said it reminded her of me. I wish I could have met it, as I do like it's fur and coloring and I bet it smelt different too. I don't really understand why there are so many "human only" places and I wish there were more Reilly friendly places - at least I know we can go to the park together and I am looking forward to that. Mom did make up for it though, before they left she made me a special treat. I had a marrow bone which she had cooked for me and then she stuffed the center with cooked chicken - gosh I am almost slobbering just blogging about it. It did keep me occupied as it wasn't easy getting that yummy chicken out of the middle.

Oh boy the weekend is near!!!

I was so excited last night I just about fell over my own feet. My dad was away most of the week in a place called Florida and came home last night. I was ssssooooo happy to see him and he was sssssooooo happy to see me too - he really does adore me. I am thinking as I sit here blogging about what we are going to do this weekend. A visit to the state park and maybe a picnic by the river plus of coarse a long walk sounds very good. Mmmm that also means chicken and I LOVE chicken!!! There are just so many great smells in the park, strange animal smells like deer, raccoon, possum and squirrels. Maybe the BIG dogs.....mom calls them horses will be back now. I have smelt where they live and it's pretty pungent but I didn't see them as they but they were away for the winter. It has been VERY hot where I live and with my coat it's not nice being outside, so I guess we will have to see what the weather is like tomorrow. Woofs to everyone and I hope you all have a great weekend.

I have an ouchie!!!

I took my human mom for a walk this morning and my silly shoulder started hurting again causing me to limp. Mom has taken me the vets for this before and they have poked, prodded, pulled and x-rayed but nothing has ever showed for what is causing this. It started when I was just a pupster of about six months and every now and again if I play to hard it will slow me down for a couple of days. Rest seems to help it a lot and those awful tasting tablets the vet gave mom - okay so she does wrap it in prosciutto for me so I don't taste it - but I KNOW it's there !!!! I guess I will have to take it easy for the next couple of days and just do lots of blogging. Which reminds me, I found this funny pic that I just have to share. They say our humans often resemble us and oddly enough, like me, my mom also has long thick hair. Check this out and see what you think!

A walk at the lake

Even though it's very hot today, I decided to take my human to the lake, she likes to go there for some 'time out' as she calls it. She finds her favorite bench under a big old shady tree, right near the waters edge, closes her eyes and lets out a big sigh. Me, oh boy I am sniffen here there and everywhere - there are just so many great smells. I don't know why the humans don't appreciate this more - maybe because its harder for their noses to reach the ground ! After a while I came back to keep her company and of coarse being the shutter bug she is, she just had to take a couple of pic. I just gave her that standard looks when all of a sudden I heard this really strange noise that I had never heard before. Man, my head swung round and I thought "What was that?" Human laughed and said, "it's okay, i's just a bullfrog" Of coarse I had no idea what this was....so we got up and went exploring and right there, just close to the shore was this big old ugly brown thing sitting on a branch and just as I reached my nose out it made that noise again a dog gone nearly scared me to death. I just had to bark madly at it then and it jumped in the water and disappeared. I will have to warn my friends in the neighborhood about that thing for I am sure it was actually some kind of lake monster. Sadly though, most of my friends in my neighborhood probably won't ever get to see it, or even the lake for that matter as their humans don't take them anywhere! I am so lucky my human loves me so much and needs my company as she rarely goes anywhere without taking me along.

Car Safety

I just love car rides, they are my most favorite thing after going for walks. As much as I dislike it though, my human is very careful and make me wears a harness while I am in the car. That harness attaches to the seatbelt clip. I can still see out of the windows, lay down and stand up but at least I won't end up like this guy if my human has to suddenly stop!!! Here is some more information I found about dogs in cars and keeping us safe.

Dogs can be a danger to themselves and every other passenger when traveling by car. A dog who is not restrained can become a potentially lethal missile when involved in an emergency stop.

A small dog would be hurled from the parcel shelf at the head of someone sitting in the front like a cannonball. And a larger dog would move through the car with the force of a baby elephant. In both cases, not only would other passengers be likely to be very badly hurt, but the dog would probably sustain severe injuries which it would be unlikely to recover from.
Some dogs jump around the car, others sit on the parcel shelf and others stick their head out of the window. Even the most calm dogs can easily see something that will spook them, and of course in an emergency stop your dog would be powerless to stop itself traveling forwards. You must get your dog used to traveling in the car at a young age so that its sits placidly.

Using a harness in the car is not unkind, and most dogs will actually feel more secure being restrained from constant motion. A dog guard installed across the top of the back passenger seat is a good way to keep the dog in one place without restraint, but better still is a travel kennel rather like a cat cage. If your dog was crate-trained as a puppy, this is ideal to use.

It is safer for everyone if you are involved in an accident that your dog be confined. Imagine a scenario where your dog was free to roam while you were possibly injured. A loose dog could run straight into the traffic and be killed or indeed cause another accident. Also a large breed could potentially hinder rescue attempts for other passengers by being aggressive and protective of you. Some things to keep in mind.

• Keep your dog on a lead until he is inside the car and has supervision
• Discourage your dog from jumping out of the car as soon as you are home - he may do this in a busy area
• Make it obvious to other drivers that your dog is under control when entering/ exiting your car.

More Tips
Using a crate that your dog is used to will help your dog feel secure. If you have to use the passenger seat, you can buy harnesses to fit your dog. Always make sure crates and carriers are placed somewhere they will not move around. If you are traveling for more than two hours, your dog should have been exercised before the journey. You should also make frequent stops to allow it to relieve itself and for a drink of fresh water.

Never leave your dog in the car when it is hot. The temperature inside the car can reach unbearable temperatures and it is by no means uncommon for dogs to die of heat exhaustion when left like this. Leaving windows open makes no difference - to be effective this would mean opening them so wide that your dog could escape anyway. Likewise, sun shades are simply not effective enough to prevent intolerable heat build-up.

Please remember - DOGS DIE IN CARS TOO !!!!

A little of my ancestory

I thought I would share some information about where my breed came from, how they developed and what is our most endearing qualities (of which I of coarse....... have in abundance !!!!)

Shetland Sheepdog

History

Shetland Sheepdogs, or 'Shelties' as they are often called, generally resemble the Collie in miniature. Although they are often called 'Miniature Collies' or 'Toy Collies', the Sheltie is actually a distinctly separate breed and was not bred down from the full-size Collie. The breed evolved from hardy ancestors which lived on the Shetland Islands off the northeast coast of Scotland. The Sheltie developed as a hardy herding dog, alert guard dog, and an intelligent and affectionate companion. The breed's attentiveness and his willingness to obey were qualities desired by the crofter and the shepherd alike.

Temperament

Shelties have an intense desire to please their owners and an enormous capacity for love and affection, although they can be a bit reserved or reticent with strangers. They are exceptionally trainable and responsive companions, as well as outstanding learners and workers in obedience, herding and agility events. Shelties raised as pets develop a lasting loyalty to their owners. Shelties are very alert and protective, and will bark to let you know something is different in their realm. Their natural affinity for children make them gentle and loving companions. Unlike some breeds, there is little difference in temperament between male and female Shelties.

We are healthy for you

There are many reasons why we like to be with our humans, but one that often goes unrecognized is the health benefits. Personally, I just adore my human, she loves me, takes care of me.....and yes occasionally spoils me. In return I help her.......she isn't always well and having me around helps keep her calm. The CDC (Center for Disease Control) now recognizes our contribution and a lot of information can be found on their website here

Health Benefits of Pets

Most households in the United States have at least one pet. Why do people have pets? There are many reasons. Some of the health benefits of pets are listed below.

Pets can decrease your:

Blood pressure
Cholesterol levels
Triglyceride levels
Feelings of loneliness

Pets can increase your:

Opportunities for exercise and outdoor activities
Opportunities for socialization

So why not sit down with your fur baby - big or small and have a relaxing pat and cuddle, you health will thank you for it,

Another dog day afternoon

So how did I come to be white your are asking? Okay, so you are not asking that, but I am going to tell you anyway. My doggie mom and dad are both pedigree AKC registered Shelties. My doggie mom is a pretty sable and my doggie dad a handsome mahogany. They both carry a white recessive gene and when two shelties that both have this gene breed there is a high likelihood that they will have one or two white puppies. In my litter there was two of us, one of my sisters was also white. Like doggie mom and dad I am also a pedigree and registered with the AKC, but due to my white coloring I can not be shown (personally I think this is soooooo wrong - but what's a pup to do?) I can however participate in the ACK Agility Trials and this is what I am in training for as can be seen in my picture here. As you can tell, my human mom loves to take photos of me and even puts them all in this thing called a scrapbook. I am not fond of this scrapbook thing, when she doing that she doesn't play fetch with me and she should as I am rather more important then that scrapbook thing. You can see more of the 'Life of Reilly" in my slideshow.....just CLICK HERE

Welcome to Cowspotdog

Hi and welcome to my blog. My name is Reilly and I am a very proud white color headed Sheltie. The inspiration for this site came from a visit to a local pet store (I take my human there every week for some socialization). Another small human upon seeing me declared "look, its a cow spot dog". My human thought this quite funny and so the lable has stuck ever since and became the inspiration for this site. The photo here shows me in all my furry glory. (My human is very snap happy with her Canon Quickshot so get use to seeing me!)