Yes I've read your emails and heard your comments so here they are in all their glory, Sadie and Max!!
I love the way they prance and pounce through the water with such determination and speed. All that matters in the moment is retrieving the toy...or in this case...the flip flop...and being the one to bring it back to shore and get the "good dog" praise.
When we went to the veterinarians last week, they remarked at what a beautiful and shiny coat they have, such healthy dog fur and skin. Of course we had given them a puppy bath the night before but I have to say they really do have amazing coats.
We've been really lucky too, not a single flea or tick even with all of our adventures into the woods to get to the gulf of mexico for their swim. Of course we use Advantix but I've heard people say their dog still gets fleas....of course that makes me start singing that song from the commercial....there ain't no bugs on me, there ain't no bugs on me, there may be bugs on some of you mugs but there ain't no bugs on me.
On this day at the beach we took a break under the shade of the mangroves. Sadie and Max took advantage of the time to really roll in the sand and get as dirty as possible. It worked! They were caked in sand by the time they finished rolling around.
I've cleaned things up around the blog a bit, gave it a fresh new look. The header is temporary and I'm working on a new design I hope to share within the next month...I have to fit it in with my other projects! We hope you enjoy the look of our new home as much as we do!
Max was the victorious one this round! Congratulations Max. The really weird thing about all of this is that when we play with a ball or the Cuz in the house, Max LOVES to chase after it but rarely brings it back. Typically, Sadie gets frustrated with him, runs over and takes the ball from him and brings it to us then looks at him as if to say "you are suppose to bring it to the humans if you want them to throw it again dummy"
Yet in the water, Max wants to be the one to bring it to the humans. He wants to be the winner!!
Once back on dry land the great debates begins over who gets to bring the spoils to the human for the next round of "retrieve the flip flop"
Its hard to see but in their mouths is a black flip flop that we used for a toy for them to retrieve in the water. No matter who gets to it first the other will grab on and help bring it ashore.
Even when they reach the shore they both still hold on, wanting to get credit for retrieving the object, sharing the victory all the way!
Thats Sadie with her head under the water looking like she is snorkeling. Actually in a way she is, she has reached the toy first and in her rush through the water she has pushed it down under the surface and has to retrieve it, its all part of the game!
You can see the water flying from Max's back legs as he kicks hard to try to catch up. They are very competitive but do a great job sharing.
Max is in the back, Sadie is in the front. They are looking back at Ken waiting for him to throw the toy into the water so they can chase after it. Two wet and happy dogs!
Sadie and Max started playing in the water, presumably to determine who would get to claim victory and bring the toy back. They were moving so quickly and honestly I don't think I could have snapped this shot if I was trying but the title says it all so perfectly. You can see the water flying from Max's paw on the other side of Sadie's face. Don't feel bad for Sadie, she has been on the giving end of the slaps just as many times.
When we went to the beach, we didn't intend to let them play in the water but it was so warm and the LOVE the water so we let them and they never hesitate to jump right in.
We didn't bring their usual toy so we used the first toy they learned to retrieve from the water, a flip flop! In the second photo you can see the splash of it hitting the water as they bound through the surf to chase after it.
Occasionally they will see a fish jump from the water and chase after it too....
A rare photo of Sadie and Max together! Typically they have far too much energy to hold still for a photo at the same time.
We were on our hike through the woods and stopped to have a drink and take a photo, Sadie is in the back, Max is in the front.
What is it with dogs in cars and the need or overwhelming desire to stick their heads out the window? Its not like they teach this in puppy preschool yet everywhere I go, I see cars with dogs hanging their heads out the window. There are even websites and blogs dedicated strictly to showing dogs in cars. Typically I don't allow them to put their heads out the window because I'm afraid they will get something in their eyes or fall out of the car. However when these photos were taken we were moving about 10 miles per hour following a construction bulldozer on a back two lane road. I thought the risk was minimal and they throughly enjoyed it!
In a rare appearance together! Max on the left, Sadie on the right. Again that isn't a ball in her mouth its her tongue!
You can really see the difference in their height in this photo, Sadie is about four inches taller than Max, his tail is twice as thick as hers. Her legs are long and lean, his legs are short and muscular. They really are more than brother and sister, they are best of friends.
Everywhere we go people ask "what are they" (they are dogs of course) "are they related" and when we say, "brother and sister from the same litter" the next question "what are they mixed with? We like to make up funny answers. The truth is we just don't know and we probably never will and I'm ok with that, why can't other people be?
Left to right: Max, Ken, Sadie
My sweet innocent puppies play rough! Yes thats cute little Max showing his big bad teeth to Sadie as they determine who will walk away with the "toy" The thing is, he wants his orange Cuz, she wants the tennis ball and they both think the other wants their toy...time for a throw down puppy style!!
Sadie thinks she is getting the upper hand when Max falls to the ground but really, its his little plot to just lay there and bite her....
He is up again and they are both wanting their dog toys. Who will win?
And then they realize their "human" is watching and they stop and look all innocent. Look at Sadies (right) face, it looks like she is saying "He started it Mom"
Isn't the back yard lovely? We had a weed that took over a section of the back yard and flower beds, we won't use a chemical to kill them because the dogs like to play in the back so we use a natural weed killer that is puppy friendly but a weed killer. So in the mean time, our back yard is a big sand pit, there are a few stragglers left that need to be treated again and then we get ready for new sod in the spring and mulch and flowering plants in the flower beds along the house. Its quite a project and honestly I don't really like yard work that much but it had to be done, the back yard was looking like a jungle.
We still need to cut back the bougainvilleas and if you are familiar with bougainvilleas you know they are quite beautiful to look at but have long sharp thorns. They are starting to choke out the lemon tree and I need lemons more than I need pretty thorny flowering bushes.
I love to cook using the lemons from the tree and this year we only have about a dozen lemons. Luckily my neighbor only uses about two or three from her tree the whole season and has invited me to pick some from her tree, as long as I take the ones from the top where she can't reach. She is 80something and about 5'2" tall. I went over and asked her to show me how high she could reach and then I held up my arm for a visual. When I reach my arm up, anything above my elbow is out of her reach. LOL she is so sweet, the neighborhood gossip but sweet.
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