DENIED! The dog park is closed!!

Oh, woe is me. And Kirby.

The dog park is closed due to excessive mud, etc. from all the rain.

At least Kevin and I took Kirby to Petsmart. Petsmart is her THIRD favorite place in the whole world, first being home with her family (optimally, sandwiched between me and Kevin like an 80 pound wedge) and second being the dog park. We took her to Petsmart to get a new nail clipper and it actually took us an hour to get back out. She was quite a big hit with all the people who were shopping.

This is no surprise to us, actually. Kirby went to Puppy School at Petsmart. She is always full of joy, that's just how she is...but when we go to Petsmart it's like she KNOWS she's a superstar. LOL. She walks a little taller, she struts a little struttier...she's work'in it! Believe it or not, this blog is not an advertisement for Petsmart. I write this blog to describe the super fabulous life of the biggest, most lovable bear I've ever known: Kirby. But as it so happens today, Petsmart is part of Kirby's story.

Of course, we saw her puppy school trainer, Renee, while we were there. I knew she was near before I saw her...because I saw Kirby's tail go crazy and I watched her lunge for Renee with 80 pounds of puppy enthusiasm. Kirby always lights up and goes ballistic as soon as she sees Renee. She looooves Renee.

Kirby soaked up tons of love, attention, and treats from many shoppers at Petsmart today...including a little boy who couldn't stop hugging her. When we first met him, he was afraid to put his hand too close to her mouth with a treat...and when he left, he was putting his little hand INSIDE her mouth. LOL. He'd figured out she's nothing but a giant love bear. I feel so bad for his parents. I bet they are STILL hearing about how he wants a big dog.

Kirby also got her picture taken with a little boy, who's parents were so impressed by her size and cuteness that they had to have a picture of their son with her. We were all laughing. She posed like the ginormous princess that she is. :-) Big, sloppy doggy smile on her face.

When we got home, we did some gardening in the front yard and took her out there with us. She got some "belly in the grass" time...then I took her in and brushed her....and started on housework. Right now, she's passed out up against the back of our front door. Belly up, legs falling all over, happy sleepy smile on her face. She's tired from all the attention and will probably sleep until the smells of dinnertime wake her up.

Oh, to be a dog. What a life. :-)

Rain, rain, go away...for Kirby's sake!

I'm sure in the years to come, this phase will lessen considerably - but Kirby is ready to bounce through the walls this weekend...and I can't say I blame her. We've had quite a nice bit of rain lately here in north Texas. That's a wonderful thing, actually. We really needed it. But for someone like Miss Kirby, who pretty much lays around on the couch all day and looks forward to her daily trips to the dog park...well, it's disastrous.

Imagine, if you will, an 80 pound freight train of pent up puppy energy. Can you? :-) Come on over and stay with us for a while. LOL. Kirby is so eager to get out and "blow the stink off", as my mother would say, that it just broke my heart this morning when I grabbed my keys and saw that eager, expectant look on her face. She was certain that I was going to pick up her leash when I put my jacket on. She knew this was it...this was the moment she was going to get to go for a ride in the car. Instead, I closed the door behind me as I stepped out onto the porch and tried to ignore that huge furry face that watched me from the window. Oh, how I wished I could have taken her with me.

This weekend, Kevin and I are pretty much at the mercy of this rather large, energetic cow who has stolen our hearts. Since the dog park has been nothing but a rainy, mud pool of goo for the last several days, we're tripling up on the fetch time, the tug o' war time, and of course...belly rub time. It takes a lot to rub that belly. It's bigger than my first car.

She doesn't know it right now, as she walks around our office with a giant stuffed cow in her mouth, but she's going to the dog park tomorrow. The rain has stopped and even if the park is a little muddy tomorrow...that's why we have a shower. :) How do you wash an 80 pound cow/puppy? Put her in the shower with Daddy while Mommy holds the door closed. LOL.

Even if we have completely misjudged the dog park situation and she ends up being covered head to toes in mud, I can't wait another day to see that happy, dopey smile on her face as she runs free with all her doggy friends. Head held high, eyes bright & shiny, tongue hanging out sideways...it's something to see. If she's not chasing or being chased, she's wrestling, drinking ten gallons of water, or getting belly rubs from one of the other doggy parents.

When the Texas summer comes again, I'm not looking forward to having to limit her trips to the dog park. No doubt, air conditioned doggy day care at Petsmart will happen a lot more frequently. Saint Bernards don't handle the heat well at all. But for now, the air is crisp and sweet...spring is almost here...and Kirby has time to romp in the woods at the dog park again.