Spelunking they did go - without us!

Yesterday Mom and Dad decided to have a date day - without us - can you believe that - they ABANDONED us and went ADVENTURING without us! Seems Mom recently read about the Blanchard Spring Caverns which is about two and half hours from where we live. Now what kind of place is it that it doesn't allow dogs - REALLY - a worthless place we say. By now you know MY Mom loves bridges - well she also LOVES caves (definite troll tendencies we think) and any time she finds ones she can visit - off she goes - spelunking.

Now this cave system is HUGE and Mom and Dad only went on the short tour which was an hour and half - the long tour goes six hours! It is really well set out and quite easy to navigate we even had quite a few elderly people with walking canes and they did just fine. The lights turn on as you go through each section and highlight some wonderful displays.

They call this the opera boxes

One of the two amphitheaters on the short tour

Mom said she liked the Opera Boxes and also the Battle Ship best of all - it is always fun the imagine shapes in the rocks. This particular cave is also home to five species of bats - they live nearer to the one and only open natural entrance and YES Mom and Dad did see a couple flying around - Mom thought they were so cute. To get down inside the cave they had to take an elevator down 289 feet down and then go through specially sealed double doors - they do this to keep the temperature and moisture levels just right.

The Battleship

The Jellyfish

One of the prettiest areas was called the soda straws - these are all tiny straw like structures that hang from the roof and there was like 87 gazzillon of them.

Soda Straws

Soda Straws

Mom and Dad also went to check out the actual spring that created the caves and can you believe Mom said we would of loved the walk to see it!!!! They also found a wonderful restaurant built right above the river and had the most wonderful lunch there - need I say by time they got home - our dinner was late !

Blanchard Spring

Blanchard Spring

Thank you to Barking From The Bayou

We recently won some awesome Natural Balance Dental Chews from the guys over at Barking From The Bayou. We have had the vegetarian ones and totally loved them. The ones we got today were chicken and sweet potato with mango and also some duck ones. Sadly because of my poultry allergy and Dweebs sweet potato allergy we can't have them but we are going to do what we do with all treats we win and can't have and donate them to our local human society because we KNOW the doggies there will absolutely love them.  Big thanks to Barking at the Bayou - you have made us and lots of other pups happy today :)

Dancing Rabbit Trail

Yesterday we went to MY Crowley's Ridge Park to check out some trails we have never been down and it was totally pawsome! We checked out the Dancing Rabbit Trail (and no - we didn't see any rabbits let alone any dancing ones :).  The trail was actually named after a Indian Princess that lived there long long ago and her name was Dancing Rabbit. Here we are at the beginning of the trail and crossing the first of the many bridges which of coarse Mom loved - I think we crossed 8 in total.





















And then we came across it! A suspension bridge - Mom wasn't sure how we were going to like it as it was about 20 foot above the ground and moved with every step but we just jumped up on it and crossed it like the adventuring pro's we are. Mom said it had a weird wave like motion but we didn't even notice it.





















Of coarse Mom just groaned when we reached the other side and came across this sign - "LOOP" - well we all know what that means - it is double dutch and means 'let's get lost again!' And the "moderate" which is the way we went - well it was moderate if you were a mountain goat !!!!  We can only say that sign was lucky to be standing after we returned on the loop because Mom was mighty tempted to karate kick it - luckily her legs were too tired !





















This is one of the easier parts of the trail - now you are probably wondering where Dweeb is? Well we have a system when out exploring - I the INTREPID one is always out in front. Mom with camera in hand is always in the middle and Dweeb is always last - bringing up the rear. He likes to watch Mom find the easiest footing and follow her - what a wimp!





















And check out this super cool fungi we came across - it was snow white and looked like either coral or snowflakes clustered together. It was only growing on the one log and we didn't see it anywhere else at all. Remember you can click on any of the pics to see them bigger.













By time we made it back to where we had parked the car near the Wishing well - we were all ready to jump in and have a nice cold spa. The lake below is the one they empty every year and fill up the next year for swimming.





















Just a note about Mom - she has been going crazy the last few days taking us adventuring everywhere. See Mom is working on the philosophy of  'do it when you can' because these last couple of months have been pretty rough. She has a few good days when she feels great and then wham out of the blue something irritates her IBS and she can barely drag herself out of bed because the pain is so bad.  But we have had absolutely beautiful weather and Mom has been feeling great so we are not wasting a moment of it.

MY new Trail

We try to do the rounds of all MY parks as often as we can - it is tough dogervising over so many but I have excellent staff to keep them running. Anyhoo - the other day we went to visit my Lake Frierson Park and noticed they have put in a brand new trail which I of coarse have named the Reilly Cowspotdog Trail and which I actually suggested quite loudly to the park attendant when we called in to get a map of the new trail. We begin with some tree sniffing then off  through the gates we went. Now there are two paths on this trail - the first really wide one goes up through the woods and it is quite steep - nothing four paws couldn't handle - not sure about Mom's old knees but she battled onward anyway.

Do we smell tree rats here

Hurry Up Mom!

Now because this area is so thickly wooded we had lots fun scaring the beezeebeezes out of the tree rats (squirrels) and even spooked a couple of deer! Mom says she has never seen Dweeb move so fast as when he spots a squirrel - he really goes crazy after those little buggers. Mom also hopes we never scare some poor old skunk cause she says she will make us walk home if we do!

SQUIRREL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You go in there - no you go in there !

When we finally reached the top of the hill we stared coming back down and this is where it got really pretty - it was a much narrower path and followed right along the lakes edge. Mom was super happy when we came across this little bridge (for some reason she loves bridges - we think she was a troll in  a past life)

Hope there isn't any trolls underneath this bridge

The toll to cross is a photo ?????

We ended our walk with a stroll along the lake edge and even sat for ages under the shade of a big old tree. It was so quiet - because as usual we were the only ones there. Around here people only go to the parks on weekends - during the week when we like to go we have the whole place to ourselves which means we get to use our invisible leads! And see the color of the lake in the picture - it is mud brown. Lake Frierson is ALWAYS mud brown color as it was built on reclaimed rice fields which have a clay bottom that always makes the water muddy.

Relaxing in the shade - waiting for treats

Reilly - there's water under there !

Going Loopy

This should be a nice little stroll !

It has been the best weather the last couple of days so we headed off to one of MY far away parks again and found all these neat trails we haven't been on before....which of coarse meant we totally LOST. We thought we would check out Spider Creek trail - the sign said  it was a .75 of a mile trail - easy enough - so off we went. Up and down hills, round ledges, down steps, up steps and winding all over of the place before we finally came across a sign that said "LOOP" with arrows pointing both left and right. What a dilemma - which way to go - me I just headed right and Mom and Dweeb followed. Now Mom in all her wisdom figured 'loop' meant the path would just go around and come back to where we started - WRONG! The loop also had paths intersecting it which made it hard to work out if you were still on right path - which we weren't. Two hours later with all of us panting and Mom fearing she would have to carry the Dweeb we finally made it back to the LOOP sign (which Mom felt like tearing down and stomping on - she restrained herself though) Let us just say the .75 of a mile back to the car was the longest ever !

Come on Woman - At least try to keep up !

Really - you need ANOTHER rest Mom!

Shopping Around The World with Bacon and Fozzie

We are joinng Bacon and Fozzie for shopping around the world again - this month we are doing healthy fruits and veggies - which of coarse WE would NEVER eat (well okay sometimes) but that Mom LOVES.

• Apples – What kind do you buy, how many, price per pound. - Last year someone told us about Ambrosia apples and we actually saw them for the first time in the store this year - they cost $4.49 for a bag of 8 and we have to agree - they are simply the best apples we have EVER tried. Normally Mom is a Red Delicious girl and they cost $1.49 a pound. They only had the Ambrosia apples in the stores here for two weeks which made Mom sad as they were soooo good and she scarfed down 3 bags of them in that time.

• Strawberries – How many ounces/pounds and price. - Now we have strawberry plants coming out the wahzoo in our garden but no actual strawberries on them - so we buy them at the store and they are $2.28 a pound

• Carrots – What size bag, price - Mom buys a 2 pound bag of real carrots not those little pre shaped things things and they cost $1.45. She loves them roasted with some olive oil and a little garlic salt.

•  Green Beans – Do you buy fresh/frozen/canned?  What kind and price. - We like them fresh or frozen - fresh they cost $1.68 a pound and frozen they $1.29 a pound. Now Mom sautes these with some bacon (sorry buddy) and onion and they the best!

• Lettuce – How much per head? - We just tend to buy a head of iceberg lettuce and it costs $1.48. We have never trusted those bag salads since all e-coli scares came out some years back.

• Random Fruit of your choice - Star Fruit - is a star shaped fruit that kind of tastes like an apple x pear flavor - each bite is different it can be kind of sweet or kind of sour - they cost $1.89 each and mom loves them dried. Mom loves hybrid fruits like pluots and apriums and peacharines which are plum apricots mixes and peach and nectarine mixes. They are usually about $3.99 for a box of 12.

• Random Vegetable of your choice. - Spaghetti squash is one of Mom's favorites. For those that haven't tried it - you should. It is a squash - has hardly any flavor but when it is cooked it looks just like spaghetti - it is very weird. You can boil it whole in a big pot or Mom likes to roast it whole. Then you scoop it out and enjoy -Mom has it with butter and garlic salt. Dad has it with Arabiata Sauce.

We agree !

Musing on Monday - Loving and Losing

The Mom is part of a dog group on facebook that has over 7000 members  each person having between 1 - 7 dogs each (many are breeders and have a few dogs) so there is hardly a day goes by when a doggies doesn't cross the rainbow bridge. The support, love and understanding of losing a furbaby is as strong as it is here is blogville. But it got me to pondering over grief  and the way in which peoples deal with it.

Firstly  - There is no right or wrong way to grieve, nor is there any time limit on it. The amount of it differs hugely from person to person. It is sometimes hard to understand why people grieve so much or so little but it is not for us to judge...it is just for us to be there for them. People each grieve differently and THEY are the only one who knows what it feels like for them.

Now our Mom has had a variety of creatures sharing her life ever since she was 5 years old with us doggies always being her favorite. Mom has her own philosophy about furbabies though - see she has loved us all equally BUT she has loved each and every one us in a different way and for different reasons. It makes her sad when people say they will never find another dog like the one they had....or spend time looking for one just like they had because it will never happen. Just as no two people are alike, no two doggies are either, so much depends on genetics, the environment they are raised in, how they were handled and the other dogs or people they interacted with.

We dogs have an amazing capacity to love and we live in the moment rather than remembering the past. Humans too have an amazing capacity to love but they do let memories stand in the way of opening their hearts again and fear having to deal with hurt again but feelings are the very thing that make us feel alive and without them - we are numb.  It is hard to try again and only each individual person will know when it is right for them to try again or if it ever is......BUT I also ponder over  how many times have we all heard people saying  "oh I wish I had done this sooner" or 'why did I wait"  or "I don't know what I was waiting for"

Love is one of the things that grows over time and getting a new furbaby in your life doesn't mean you are going to to forget the last furbaby or love the new one 100% from the moment you get you. You have to give yourself time to get to know it's personality, quirks, habits etc and YES it will be different from your last fubaby BUT you just have to give yourself  the chance to love it in different ways and for different reasons so that love can grow and fill your heart once again.

Loving my baby boy

He's my very special heart and baby boy dog

Oktoberfest

We are not sure why we are having Oktoberfest in September - but any excuse is a good excuse to party to us - especially if there is food involved :)

Viva La Dog Spa Review

19 September 2014

We were recently asked by Viva La Dog Spa to do a review of some of their products. We were sent a bottle of Gold Medal Whitening Shampoo and a container of  Doggie Facial Wipes (We will review those later). Now as you can guess - the Dweeb and I were not to happy about this particular review - not because of the product but because we HATE, LOATHE, DETEST and just plain don't like baths. But being the brave doggies we are (and the constant bribing with cookies)  we stoically undertook the task.

Here are the Basics

• Great for both dogs and cats, Gold Medal Whitening Shampoo is specially formulated to brighten white coats and highlight all coat colors while gently cleansing.

Key Benefits

• Gold Medal Pets with Cardoplex is a REVOLUTIONARY dog shampoo developed to wash and dry your pets faster, so bathing is easier, more enjoyable and less stressful for everyone.  
•  The Cardoplex system is a unique proprietary trade secret that will wash, rinse and dry faster. Whether an owner air, towel, or blow dries the will notice a definite difference. These formulas incorporate fruit acids, vitamins and fast-acting proteins to aid in water sheeting off the pet’s coat quickly and easily.
•  Pro-vitamin B-5 is a moisturizing ingredient that adds luster and shine to the pet coat, as well as thickens the hair, which helps prevent future damage. Other extracts may be used in formulas to condition, moisturize, and protect the coat, and add luster and shine.

Wash Test

• We really like the purple color of the shampoo as it makes it so easy to see where you washed and if you have missed any spot. It lathers really well and washes off easily.
• It really did help to dry our fur a lot faster than normal.
• It has a nice light scent

Mom - I can't believe you are showing this

I'm a soggy doggy !

Ingredients

• Gold Medal is a thick, rich shampoo that cleans, brightens and highlights white coats and dark coats without the use of harmful chemical optical brighteners. Gold Medal base contains special Hydrolyzed Wheat Proteins in a unique hydrating complex that combines moisture-balancing and film-forming properties. These ingredients work synergistically to provide maximum manageability to the animal's coat. Chamomile extract is essential to the formula as a natural moisturizing agent. Gold Medal Shampoo also contains Panthenol (Pro-vitamin B-5), which promotes retention of moisture, improves manageability, adds body and conditions a damaged coat. Panthenol also contributes to a fuller and more luxurious shine.

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

• The shampoo did do an excellent job of whitening our coats and also made them feel very soft and silky. 
• One thing I did notice though is that it really dried out Reilly's skin - now in all fairness he has very dry skin due to his allergies but he looked liked he had a bad case of dandruff after he dried off and was scratching a lot.
•  It didn't affect Denny at all and didn't dry his skin out in any way.

Rating

• Reilly will give this product a two paws rating - it was a nice shampoo but just not good for him with his dry skin.
• Denny will give it a 4 paws rating as it really did make his coat very bright and soft.

Clean and White

The best part of a bath is the towel - I LOVE being toweled!

Disclaimer : Viva La Dog Spa sent us a bottle of shampoo and a container of facial wipes 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.

Loving my boy

He's my very special heart and soul dog :)

A timely warning

Over the last year we have noticed a growing trend for local pharmacies to offer pet medications but there is an issue that many people are not aware aware of - veterinary shorthand for prescriptions is actually different from the one that a doctor uses. Now many medications that are used for humans can be used for pets too - but in different amounts and this is where the problem can occur. For example - Mr Reilly takes a number of different medications for his thyroid and arthritis/pain but when we went to get this at a local pharmacy (something we don't normally do but our vet had run out) they got the dosage all wrong (luckily Mom checked this right there at the counter and told the pharmacist it was wrong)   Sometimes pharmacists who are use to doing people prescriptions are not aware of the different symbols veterinarians use and over or under dosing can occur. So before using an ordinary pharmacist for your pet medications take the time to ask them if they know the veterinary shorthand - ask your vet what the correct dosage should be and check it immediately when picking it up. If in doubt - stick with the medications your Vet provides or go through one of reputable pet meds sites.


Here is some additional information we found on the topic.

http://www.fda.gov/forconsumers/consumerupdates/ucm325222.htm

http://wnow.worldnow.com/story/20559321/warning-fda

Parking in Parkin

Smile :)

We got to add to MY collection of parks yesterday when we went on a long drive to the Parkin Archeological State Park. I peed there - therefore it is now mine - that is rules according to Reilly ! Here is some information about it

Parkin Archeological State Park in eastern Arkansas at Parkin preserves and interprets the Parkin site on the St. Francis River where a 17-acre Mississippi Period, American Indian village was located from A.D. 1000 to 1600. A large platform mound on the river bank remains. The site is important for understanding the history and prehistory of northeast Arkansas. There were once many archeological sites similar to Parkin throughout this region, but they did not survive as eastern Arkansas was settled. Many scholars believe the Parkin site is the American Indian village of Casqui visited by the expedition of Hernando de Soto in 1541, and written about in his chronicles.

Oh - a bridge - we love bridges!

Look - another Bridge

The Indian Mound - hmm looks like a lump in the ground

Shady spot and rest