May 16-17, 2009

It has been a "big" weekend here in Pacifica! Ziggy and Tai are two very sweet boys visiting us from Park City, UT. Ziggy is a Dane/Boxer and Tai is a large Lab/Collie mix. In addition, we have been caring for Belle and Zoe, the Retrievers, who are certainly no slouches in the size department. When you throw Vanna the Dane into the mix, the combined weight of the 5 dogs is 475 lbs. Now imagine walking them ALL on-leash at one time... (Hint: imagine wearing moon boots and simply bouncing across the ground, because that's about all you have to do when these guys are pulling you along!)

The gang, plus cute little Mollie the Dachsund, took the requisite Sharp Park Beach stroll and then spent a most excellent Saturday afternoon exploring Golden Gate Park. On Sunday, we took it easy and mostly laid around while the masses descended on the local beaches to enjoy the beautiful, sunny weather and the annual San Francisco 'Bay to Breakers' race. In the late afternoon we trekked up to Pet Smart for some new toys, and then it was off to Fort Funston to play! We Frisbee'd, fetched balls and sticks, squeaked, splashed and [Ziggy] woofed [at the hang-gliders, the seagulls, other dogs...] in joy. It was then time for all to eat their dinner/snacks and head for bed. A very nice weekend all around!

May 1st, 2009

On Thursday evening, the rains returned and our Friday walks were interspersed with sudden downpours. The midday gang headed for Fort Funston during a break in the weather, only to be caught by a quick shower while playing on the beach. Not one pooch was fazed by the sprinkling and, after a vigorous group shake, they trotted enthusiastically back to the truck and its stash of dry towels.

Our afternoon crew's romp through the hills near Fassler Avenue turned into a mad game of chase during another sudden downpour. An especially speedy group of doggies spent almost a half hour running all-out, leaping over bushes, zooming through piles of cedar chips and just tearing across the grassy hillside. It was truly a sight to see! The rain lent a dose of extra silliness to those always-playful pups and our eventual walk home was quite sedate, all tongues lolling. As usual, when it seemed the day would be spoiled by events beyond our control, our cheerful canine friends proved otherwise!

April 17th, 2009

This week has been full of the famous Bay Area weather ups and downs. We began the week with extraordinarily cold temperatures and sandstorm conditions on the local beaches, with gusts of wind reaching 30-45 mph! By the end of the week, the wind had died down and the sun was shining brightly. Thursday and Friday were absolutely beautiful, with shallow, sparkling blue waves to splash in and tons of small birds feeding at the shoreline. A succession of medium-length, fun-filled beach dog walks culminated with a gorgeous 3.5 hour mini-marathon beach adventure for the lucky Friday afternoon crew!

After several weeks of exercise to prepare for the Big Day, the gang was in shape to achieve our goal: a lengthy, Mussel Rock to Fort Funston round-trip trek, with plenty of swimming, ball chasing, and stick fetching along the way! Earlier this evening, five wet, tired doggies (plus Vanna, of course) headed home for dinner and a well-deserved nap.

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