Nothing like a day at the lake!

Before I write even a word of this post, let me make the obligatory excuses as to why I haven’t posted in so long. It’s my mom! This is her busy wedding season (she’s a wedding and event videographer) and she has been at that computer non-stop. I keep asking her, “Mom, please…puleeze…let me use the computer for just a little while.”

The answer is always something like, “Just a minute, Sally. Go play with your brothers.”

Yeah, right!

Well, this morning I’ve found a few minutes to make another post. I really want to let y’all know how much fun we had this past weekend when we went out on the boat down at Lake Oconee.

The day didn’t exactly start off like such a winner. When we got to the marina, we found the reverse gear on our boat didn’t work. We couldn’t event back out of the boat slip!

So while we waited for the mechanic to come fix it, my mom had a great idea. You know what is all around a marina? That’s right. DOCKS!

So we practiced our dock diving for about 30 minutes while waiting. We actually got a small crowd there watching us. It was pretty cool.

But then the mechanic came, fixed our boat, and we were off for a day on the lake. Here are some photos from all the fun we had when we stopped back in this little cove.

Then there was poor Hoppy. My mom tried and tried to get him out in the water swimming with Spud and me, but he would have none of that. He did, however, have fun watching us.

And for a little while, he actually got in the water….at least a little way.

But then he was right back over to the boat trying to climb in. Poor Hoppy. My mom is determined to get him out into that water one day.

We had a great time. I keep saying this, and I’ll say it forever:

There’s nothing as great as retrieving in the water!

YEE-HAW!!

I like this photo. Hoppy and Spud crashed in the boat on the way back to the marina. They were worn out!

Gotta run. Here comes my mom, and I know she’s going to make me…….. <Uh oh. I can hear her already, “Sally, are you on that computer? You better be off of it by the time I get in there.” Oops, bye.>

See you on the dock,

Sally, the Captain of Team 3 Dawg Flite

Proud member of Dixie Dock Dogs

Technorati Tags: dogs,Labrador retrievers,dock diving,dock jumping,lake,boats,water retrieving,retrievers

How I Learned to Retrieve….well, kinda

I added the “well, kinda” to the title because I never technically learned to retrieve. I was born knowing how to retrieve. I bet that when I came out of the womb, I was retrieving bits of paper or cloth or some of my 12 siblings’ tails or something.

When my mom and dad got home with me, their little chocolate puppy, the first thing they did (after they pulled me out from behind the house plants) was throw a tennis ball for me to retrieve. And retrieve I did.

I remember that day. It was the first time I had ever seen a tennis ball, and to a little 7-week-old puppy it looked H-U-G-E! But I didn’t care. They threw it out across the kitchen floor, and I took off after it. It took me a little while to wrangle it so I could pick it up in my little 7-week-old mouth, but I brought it back to them!

Fee, I’f gah ih in mah mouf!

My mom and dad were really impressed with me. They just ooed and aahed and laughed and acted like I had just retrieved the Crown Jewels.

That was fine with me, because they kept throwing stuff for me to retrieve, just so they could keep saying things to me like, “Good girl, Sally,” “Way to go, Sally,” and “What a dog!”

They are so low maintenance.

Then they would say things to each other like, “Isn’t she cute,” and “Boy, she sure loves retrieving.” Well….yeah. That’s a no-brainer.

Anyway, my point is that it wasn’t long before my mom had her video camera out shooting footage of me retrieving.

This particular video even has my granddaddy in it. He loved to play with me, but he passed away last year. I was very sad.

But on with the show! Little Sally retrieving.

Feel free to ooh and aah like my mom and dad did. I’m used to it now!

Click To Play

See you on the dock,

Sally, the Captain of Team 3 Dawg Flite

Proud member of Dixie Dock Dogs

Technorati Tags: labrador retrievers,retrieving,dogs

My Grandaddy

It's been quite a while since I've posted, but we have been very busy with some not-so-pleasant things. While my mom and Spud and I were in Destin at that dock jumping event, my dad had to go down to Griffin, GA, to take care of his dad who is very, very ill. I overheard my mom talking to my dad on the phone about my grandaddy being in something they called a "hospital."

Now, usually when my mom talks about Grandaddy, she is all happy and upbeat, because everyone loves Grandaddy so much. I especially love my grandaddy, and he really, really loves me. He was up visiting my mom and dad the weekend they went to pick me up from the breeder, back in December, 2006, and went with them. So I've known him just as long as I've known my mom and dad. Here's a photo of me as a little puppy with Grandaddy that weekend.

I really liked sleeping in his arms, because he was so gentle and loving with me and made me feel secure.

Here's a video of me when I was a little puppy. I was only 9 weeks old, and I was retrieving already. In this video, you can see Grandaddy outside playing with me. He thought I was cute!

Click To Play

As I grew older, if he was up here visiting with us on my dock diving practice days, he would always come to watch me practice. He was so proud of me!! He even bought me a special bag with my name "Sally" right on the bag for me to carry my towels, throw objects, treats, and other things I needed.

I always got very, very excited when Grandaddy came to visit. Every morning when I got up, I would run right back to his room and wait for him to get up. Sometimes, if I could nudge the door open, I would run in there and give him a big kiss to wake him up! Here's a photo of Grandaddy loving me just last Christmas. He didn't feel real good, but we didn't know he was getting so very sick.

See how much my Grandaddy and I love each other.

Now I keep hearing my mom and dad talk about how they brought him up here to where we live, but he's not at our house. He's in something they call a "nursing home." And he's getting cared for by some people they call "hospice." I hear the word "cancer" used a lot.

I don't know what all this means, but now when they talk about Grandaddy, they are not happy any longer. Everyone is very serious and somber, sometimes even sad. I know he's up here in Athens (which is very near us), and I keep wanting to go see him, but they won't take me.

But all of this sudden activity involving my mom and dad taking care of Grandaddy is why I haven't posted in a while. I promise I'll post more very soon. I need to post the results of our event in Destin. (I'm waiting for pictures from friends.) Right now, however, we are all concentrating on helping Grandaddy. Please remember him in your thoughts and prayers.

See you on the dock,
Sally
The Fire in Team Fire and Ice
Dixie Dock Dogs