Added a new park to MY collection

Yesterday we went for a LONG Sunday drive and discovered a new park to add to MY collection. I pee'ed in it - therefore it is MINE - that is the Reilly rules. MY new park is called Village Creek State Park and it is HUGE - bigger than all MY other parks. It has 33 miles of walking trails, two lakes, cabins you can rent, a golf coarse, tennis courts, baseball and soccer areas and even an equestrian center (we even saw some of the BIG dogs that live there - I think they had sore throats though as Mom kept saying they were horse!)

Mom LOVED this park, it is very hilly so you have to go up hills and down gullies, there are little creeks running all through it and lots of little bridges.













Here we are on one of the many bridges and then on another bridge way up on the hill - can you see us with Mom waaaayyyy up there. There was LOTS of steps to climb up and down and we all got a real good work out by time we reached the first lake.













And here are some more of the steps we climbed. The path in places sort of clung to the side of the hills and there was some pretty steep drops but Mom says we were like mountain goats and very sure footed. We had the best day and only discovered a little bit of it and can't wait to go back there when it is all green and pretty. Be sure to click on the pictures to see them bigger - it gives you a better look at all the steps.

Black and White Sunday

Get you dancing paws on

We saw this posted over  at  "Talking Dogs Blog" and just had to share. We love the Pharell William's song Happy and he has done a doggie version - it is so darn cute !

Mr Denny Limerick

The Great and Powerful Oz wrote a limerick just for me (I think I gave him a headache while writing this one).

For those that don't much about me - I am a bit afraid of things - okay I am A LOT afraid of things - okay of everything. If Mom moves something to a different place in the house I go crazy telling it off. By time my Dad comes home from work I have forgotten who he is and bark at him with my stranger danger bark (from a safe distance of coarse) It takes me about half an hour before I remember him and will go for my cuddle because one thing I do love is my cuddles.

Thank you Oz - my limerick is perfect :) Don't forget to visit Oz if you want your own limerick

There once was a Dweeb named Denny,

Who had a few fears...okay, many.

He goes a little bezerk,

When dad comes home from work,

Until he remembers who dad is again-y.

Can you believe it!!!!!!!

Mom actually let every doggie think WE made this mess - can you believe that !!!! Well let me tell you - WE DIDN'T - SHE DID !!!!! We were just sunning ourselves when Mom decided to  ready the pots on the deck for planting and doing a bit of tidying up. Well as you can see - SHE went all Edward Scissorhands on the bushes ! SHE trimmed back the gardenias and rosemary which got a little burnt with the ice and frost over the winter and we  had nothing what so ever to do with it - although the Dweeb is looking kinda guilty as he is known to graze on greenery.

Then she went completely crazy tipping whole packets of wildflower seeds  into the pots (to attract the butterflies and hummingbirds she says). We were like - Mom that is too many seeds in one pot - but would she listen to us - NOOOOOO.  She did finally slow down and smile - why you ask - because she noticed her Mom's Rose (this is the rose she got to remember her Mom)  It is covered in new growth and look how red the leaves are.... there are even little flower buds on it already! Now we just need Ms Spring to stop playing hide and seek and come get busy working on warming things up - we have veggies to plant lady...... and we need Mom not to play mean tricks on us anymore!

Wordless Wednesday & National "Some Doggie" Day

Ranger is having a "Make up your own holiday day" so we decided to make it a  "Some Doggie Did It Day".  This is when ALL bad things (for one day only) can be blamed on that mysterious "some doggie" that appears in all OUR homes from time to time and gets US all in trouble!!! But as a special gift to all of you today we are giving you each a "Some Doggie Did It" - get out of trouble card - it can only be used once though so use it wisely!

Paw It Forward - Thank You

Mr  UPS man appeared  yesterday afternoon with a couple of boxes and one them was addressed to "Momma Bree and The Cowspotdogs".  Now some of you on facebook will have seen the "Pawing It Forward" campaign where people in  just a random act of kindness send someone something to make them smile and brighten their day.  Well the box that arrived for us was  from our Facebook friend Deborah and her doggies Peanut, Miss Anna, Brady and Alex and it was a "Paw It Forward" Box and gosh it made us smile.  Mom kept mumbling on about how it was one of life's little quirks that when you need a little pick me up - one appears. Oh my dog - there are three boxes of treat for us - we can't wait to try those apple pie cookies and 2 wonderful sheltie stamps for Mom's card making and a bag for Mom to carry all our stuff in when we go adventuring.  Thank you so much Miss Deborah and furbabies - you made our day and we are all smiling and happy :)

Oh My DOG

Look where Dad just booked a vacation for us later in the year  http://www.retreatatskyridge.com/  It is the Sky Ridge Retreat in Eureka Springs and is owned by Jack Hanna. It is also completely pet friendly there is no breed, size restriction and multiple pets are most welcome too. Did you know he has a number of such pet friendly resorts all over the USA. You get you own Cabin with all facilities you need plus lots and lots or room to explore - 140 acres of it. Oh My Dog - I am so excited I can hardly contain my woofs! We will even get a free permit to go and explore the state park next door too and Eureka Springs is one of the most beautiful places in Arkansas.  Needless to say we will be giving you all the details when we go and a full report of all the fun we have. Hey Mom - when is "later in the year - and is that by any chance tomorrow - I can pack really fast?"

Tree Frog and Treats

Yesterday Mom was getting some plant pots ready for planting and grabbed a half a bag of potting soil that had been sitting on the deck (under 3 foot of ice at times) to fill them up - so imagine her surprise as she was scooping out the dirt to see she had scooped out this little tree frog. We had always wondered where they went and how they survived the winter - now we know. These little guys live in our big Boston Ferns all Spring and Summer. Mom filled up a pot just for him and put him back in it as it is still to cold for him to be out yet. She is a bit worried though as he was VERY thin because winter has lasted so much longer this year. We sure hope he survives.

We also got a box in the mail yesterday from Miss Sugar. She had a giveaway of some Alligator Treats and we won two packets. Thank you Miss Sugar - We LOVE these treats so much and they are a regular on on treat list.  Mom isn't so fond of the moist treats as she says they are so stinky she won't touch them cause the smells gets on her hands - she just shakes them out of the packet for us - which is pawsome as she always shakes too many out - score ! They also make dry cookies (they don't smell) are they are super yummy too.

We are also sending P.O.T.P to our buddy Mason - he had a bad bad seizure and they don't think he is going to make it as he can't move or eat now. Please call on by and leave some loving for him and his Mom. Mason was our Christmas Gift Exchange Buddy one year and the postman left his parcel where Mason could find it - and he did - he ate ALL the treats in it before his Mom got home and well as most of the wrappers they were in ! 

The Super Sleuth Boys Were Right!

That Dynamic Duo - the Super Sleuth Boys Frankie and Ernie were RIGHT.  We were so impressed we even made them an award. Mom spoke to MY park manager yesterday afternoon and indeed the Christmas trees are going to be used to help protect all the baby fish and to help with the ph of the water. We are guessing that with this many trees in the water there won't be many fish caught this year  - just lots of caught (tangled up) lines

INVASION on MY park !

It is a lovely warm but overcast day today so we headed off to the park thinking we would enjoy a nice quiet and long walk. Instead MY park is being invaded!!!!

First ......... the ducks and geese  are quacking and honking it up BIG time as they look for a mate. From what we can see there appears to be 5 males for every 1 female and there is lots of fighting going on as they try to impress the gals.  Mom was happy to see Mr Tuffy is back - that is she what she calls the little black duck with the tuff  on his head.  Me - I got so dog annoyed with all the noise  I raced to the waters edge stomped my boots and BARKED at them!  Bawwwaaahhh bawaaaahhh I moved so fast the lead just wiped the dweebs legs right from under him - dog oh dog what a sight - the dweeb on his back - little legs waving in the air as he tried to get up. He is such a rollie pollie dweeb Mom had to help him:)















Second - for some reason they built the police practice shooting range IN MY park so on top of the noisy ducks - there was also sound of gun fire going off. Why they would build a practice range right in the park I do not know... it seems kinda dangerous to us - in fact we were out following some bike trails last year and stumbled straight into it - it isn't even fenced off! Mom won't take us anywhere near that part of the park anymore.

Third - Campers.....yes can you believe they are in MY PARK!!!! Not only that they had those evil little screaming yelling shrunken humans with them and they were climbing all over MY Fort Cowspotdog and running around like crazy things. The Dweeb stood there shaking every time any of them got with 30 feet of him!

And lastly - MY park is being invaded by dead Christmas trees !!!! We are not sure what that is all about but crates of them have appeared in one my favorite spots. Mom checked out the crates and saw they were from the Home Depot. We have mentioned before that we get annoyed when people dump there old Christmas trees in the lake - now we are wondering if the park people are doing it on purpose for some reason. I will be calling MY park manager to find out what is going on.

A spring in our steps

Mom woke up with a bad headache this morning and we figured we were going to spend the day home - but it was such a bright sunny day she said a walk would clear her head - who were we to argue - so off we went :)  We went to 2 of MY parks and walked and walked  (Mom's headache went away in no time) and after the park we went to the pet store. Not only did our adventure  put a spring in our step but some treats in our tummies - what a perfect way to stat a new season. We also  saw our first turtle out sunning itself and quite a few more just swimming around. Finally - the warmer weather is here!

MY New Tree

So there I was enjoying  a little morning sun
when Mom comes outside and tells me Dad bought us a new tree. I am thinking "great - we need some more shade in MY yard".  Then she comes back with the tree - "WTD - you have got to kidding right Mom - no way is that going to give us any shade!"  Then she tells me it is 4 years old - (that is older then the Dweeb!!!)  She said it is a Chinese Elm and that is won't grow any bigger than it is because it's a Bonsai. Bonsai Smonsai I am thinking -  I just gave her "the look' and said "Mom - you need to feed this thing mega doses of fertilizer or something because it isn't even going to shade my nose"

Baby EVIL Tree Rats and Cabbages

After not seeing a single squirrel all winter - today at the park the evil tree rats were EVERY WHERE including some teeny tiny ones that Mom says are babies - (mmmmm tasty little tooth picks :) Dweeb of coarse just about jumped out of his fur every time he heard one  and was constantly looking up in the trees - he was convinced they were going to jump on his back and bite his ears (wonder who put that idea in his head????)  - really that boy has some serious issues! Mom was all  "awww look how cute they are" - that was until we got home and found squirrels had eaten ALL our newly planted cabbage plants in the veggie patch - suddenly they weren't so cute any more :)  It also proves my point about how EVIL they are - they waited until I was not home to attack our cabbages - otherwise it would of been squirrel for dinner !!!!!!!!

Grrrrrr The EVIL Orbee Ball

Seriously Mom - Payback is a puddle of pee you step in one dark night when you least expect it - I have a long memory !

Daffodils and Crop-dusters

Mom said the magic words this morning "car ride" and we were up and ready to go in the wag of a tail. We went to one of  MY other parks today - Lake Pointsette and even though it isn't green yet - it was still beautiful. The sky was the MOST beautiful blue and it was a nice 55 degrees which for us is perfect walking weather and trust us - we walked and walked, we sat and watched the world go by, we walked some more... we sat some more - well you get the idea :) Then Mom spied a splash of color amongst all the brown and guess what we found - a little patch of daffodils. Mom couldn't help herself - she had to pick jut one flower as it was so bright and cheery.


























On the way back to the car we walked through the area is set aside for trailers and campers and saw this cute "Little Free Library" where people can leave or take a book - what a wonderful thing to do on a warm spring evening while camping, to sit and read a book, hear the birds and enjoy the smell of the woods. Mom said she wasn't ready to go home after visiting Lake Pointsette so we headed off to visit Lake Hogue and NO - we didn't mind at all :) On the way there we noticed the crop-duster planes were buzzing the fields  - a sure sign of spring is nearly here if they are getting ready for planting. Mom loved that the planes are daffodil yellow and stopped to get a photo as one flew over us. Don't worry - she had the camera on zoom and we were not really that close to it. Then we went on to Lake Hogue - there was no one but us there and we just sat of the little dock in the sunshine enjoying the fresh air. We had the best morning - thanks Mom :)

My Limerick

Did you see the Limerick that OZ penned for me - he let out my secret !!! I am a sheep dog that is allergic to sheep (or their wool to be more precise)  Thank you Oz :)  If you would like your own limerick go visit Oz for the details.

We also have to make a correction - our Andrea is only 13 not 16 - we blame Dad entirely - he has been saying she is 13 for years so Mom just kinda added a year for all the years he has been saying it.  She is indeed only 13 - she looks older because she VERY tall. 

There once was a Sheltie named Reilly,

Who believed he was esteemed very highly.

Allergies? He has a heap,

And one of them is sheep,

Which makes herding a bit of a trial-y.

A BIG Thank You from Andrea

Dad spoke to Miss Andrea's Dad last night  and he told us that Andrea would like to send a BIG BIG thank you for all the wonderful cards she got - she was thrilled and loves every one of them and she especially loves the photo's of the us doggies that were included.  As you can see she has her very own furbaby - this is sweet little Millie and we know what an pawsome little nurse she has been.

For those that don't know - Andrea is our Dad's niece - she 13 and just before Christmas she had a spinal embolism.

We also have an update on how she is doing. She is now home and having lots of physical therapy. In April she will be going to Phoenix to have some follow up surgery. There are only a couple of neurosurgeons in the whole of the USA  that can do this type of surgery and she was very lucky to be able to get to see one. Basically she has a knot of blood vessels that weren't formed properly in her spine and which caused the embolism - the surgeon is going to try and fix these so they don't bleed again. They also had to remove part of a disk in her neck when they first stopped the bleeding so they are going to do a bone graft to fix that too. This will help her to hold her head up straight again. She still has a long road ahead of her to get to wellness but with lots of power of the paw and prayers we know each day will be better than the last.  

Chewy.com Rewiew - Old Mother Hubbards Crispers

13th March 2014


Today thanks to Chewy.com we are reviewing  Old Mother Hubbards newest treats - Crispers. Now if you haven't checked out  Old Mother Hubbard's you should - they have a huge variety of products to choose from and you can see them here at Chewy.Com.  These new Crispers come in some wonderful flavors and today we got to try the Parmesan Bacon and Tomato    They also have a new range of soft baked cookies and some that are filled with fruit like fig newtons !  There are lots of new flavors so go check them out.

Here's the Basics

• Wheat-free recipe with no artificial colors or flavors
• Baked crisp with real cheese - dogs love cheese!
• Satisfying crunchy goodness
• Made in the USA!
• Available from - Chewy.com
• Cost 6 oz bag  - $5.99
• Chewy's Old Mother Hubbard Page

Taste Test

• We both REALLY loved these....mmmmmm cheese!
• They are crunchy but not not really hard - crisp is the perfect name
• They are a great size - and easily broken into smaller pieces too

Ingredients

• Barley Flour, Oat Flour, Potato Flour, Pea Starch, Canola Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Parmesan Cheese, Bacon, Tomatoes, Natural Flavor

Negatives - Kind of - Sort of - Maybe - Not Really

• None at all - they are totally yummy
  

 Rating

• We are giving these our  5 paw rating - Why 5 paws you ask? - well because my 4 paws are the most IMPORTANT and Dweeb only gets a 1 paw say in the matter :)

Disclaimer : Chewy.com sent us a packet of the Old Mother Hubbards Crispers in return for an honest review.  We were not paid or compensated for our review in any other way and our opinion is  purely our own.

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