Park and Bark Awhile

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-12T10:23:00.002-04:00

Time sure flies by....

2011-09-21T09:26:00.000-04:00

Where has the time gone? When I came to the blog this morning I found my last post was almost a year ago announcing the birth of our Australian Shepherd Jessie Jane. Life moves so fast. I thought about this blog because of a contest Dogs Naturally is hosting. So thank you Dogs Naturally for reminding me of my blog :)

I promise there will be more posts to come, updates on our lives, and sharing of natural health for our beloved canines.

To check out the contest Dogs Naturally is hosting go to this site Dogs Naturally Social Media Madness Contest. Be sure to also check out their great blog and magazine too.

Blessings~ Angela and the aussie flock

The puppies are HERE!!!

2010-10-25T13:06:00.000-04:00

We are going to be enlarging our family with a new little bundle of fur. Go here and see photos of the parents and the entire litter. We are so happy we will be adding a new little sister for Baylor from Dawn and her family at Revelaire Australian Shepherds.

With a new puppy brings many different ideas and thoughts. I have started to make a list of all the items we will need to have when she comes home, where to set up the crates, and trying to find co-workers to work my shifts for a few weeks so I can make sure everyone, two and four legged, get into our new routines.

Our first areas of focus will be getting her on a raw diet, potty training, making the transition for Baylor as easily as we can, setting our routines, and socialization. Although this will be a big change for us, the new journey is exciting.

Blessings~ Angela and the aussie flock

Hiking

2010-10-18T15:37:00.000-04:00

Baylor and I have been enjoying the beauty of Fall by spending many hours hitting trails. I have always taken my dogs on trails but just for a short hike. There is something so peaceful and soul stirring spending time on these trails with my Baylor. I love the tranquility of the woods, the smells of the season, the little noise Baylor's paws make on the falling leaves, the beauty of the changing seasons, and they way you can "feel" the weather. One could say we have been bitten by the hiking bug.

Last Friday a dear friend invited Baylor and I to join her gang on a 6.8 mile trail. Our longest hike to this point had been 4.5 miles but I was excited to get to spend this day with my dog and my friend. We drove the hour to the park, finally found the marker leading onto the "orange" trail, unloaded the three dogs, and started in.

I am sad to say our day was cut short by an injury to Truffles who tweaked herself on a very steep incline two-thirds of the way into the trail. Thank the good Lord we were close to a Nature Center and were able to hitch a ride from a very nice dog person back to the car. I realized through this I really need to do some learning about trail and hiking safety.

We are making plans for a 22 mile hike next year with the dogs so I have a feeling I will be sharing more of our trail adventures here on the blog.

Blessings~ Angela and the aussie flock

What an honor...

2010-10-14T09:32:00.000-04:00

Baylor was featured on Bark-n-Blog this month! This blog is spoken through Shadrach the Neo Mastiffs voice and is a great source of information about natural health care for dogs. Shadrach is loved by Veterinary Naturopath Dr Kim Bloomer who is a professor at Kingdom College of Natural Health.

Blessings~ Angela and Baylor

What we have been up to...

2010-10-06T23:29:00.000-04:00

Life commitments has kept us away from the blog. 2010 has been a rough year for my family but I am grateful for many special blessings that have came along the way.

Last week was my birthday and I was blessed by friends who shared my special day with a long, wonderful 4.5 mile hike and then a swim in the lake for the dogs afterwards. Nothing can take the worries and stress away better than watching dogs playing, smelling, splashing, and rolling. Baylor thoroughly enjoyed himself and slept the entire drive home.

Blessings~ Angela and Baylor

A few links of interest.

2010-09-02T13:37:00.000-04:00

Been a "ruff" week here. My husband has been sick, again, so working on the blog has been on the back burner.

Here are a few links to share:

Mowgli is a naturally reared Golden raised by my friend and classmate in the Veterinary Naturopath program.

Please head over to listen to this weeks show on Animal Talk Naturally titled The "Ewwwww" Factor, "Holistic Pet Food and Raw Feeding with Dr. Kim and Dr Jeannie

For a great source of natural health news go to this site Natural News

And last but not least is a great video Vaccine Zombies

Have a great weekend.

Blessings~ Angela and Baylor too...

Training Challenge

2010-08-27T09:17:00.001-04:00

One of my favorite dog trainers is Susan Garret of Say Yes Dog Training. I love to read her blog and watch her amazing talents on the videos she posts. Go over and read/watch today's post "Can You Do It In a Box?" After watching I want to know if your dog will sit while you are doing a headstand :).

Have a great weekend all...

Blessings~ Angela and the aussie flock

Animal Talk Naturally

2010-08-24T19:45:00.001-04:00

Don't miss an amazing opportunity to hear Dr Patricia Jordan discuss issues surrounding vaccinations with two of my professors, Dr. Kim Bloomer and Dr. Jeannie Thomason, at Kingdom College of Natural Health where I am pursing my doctorate degree as a Veterinary Naturopath. To access the show, which will air Wednesday August 25th at 2:00pm Eastern time, click here.

Quote

2010-07-07T06:00:00.003-04:00

"Don't be afraid of the space between

your dreams and reality. If you can

dream it, you can make it so."

- Belva Davis

Doggie Recalls

2010-07-05T06:00:00.001-04:00

One of the most important command a dog should know is to come to his owner when called. When Baylor was a baby we worked really hard on his recall. I made it a game, used high value treats, and worked on it daily. I would hardly get the first part of his name out before he was turning on a dime and flying back to me. I loved watching him run back to me, ears flopping and tongue flapping. This was one area in his young life he excelled.

As he has aged, I have been lax in reinforcing his recall. Just last week in an open field he was on the scent of heaven knows what and totally gave me the finger when I called him. This did not settle well with me, not just because he ignored me, but because this could be a matter of life and death. Luckily he is always loose in safe areas and he came on my second "come".

Susan Garrett one of my all time favorite trainers has just this week started writing on her blog on the topic of recalls. She has posted a video with homework here to start working towards a dynamite recall.

Baylor and I are going to start working everyday on his recalls during our two mile morning walks. What do you do to ensure your recall is not ignored?

This photo is from winter but I love his expression and enthusiasm.

Blessings~ Angela and the aussie flock

Balance

2010-07-04T19:03:00.001-04:00

I have always been a person who does not keep items that are not useful. I have recently been reading and putting into action many of the steps minimalists are writing about in their blogs. I came across this posting today in my Google Reader and wanted to share.

One thought at the end of the posting is creating balance in our lives. I am finding the balance in my life looks a lot different than it did a few years back and even six months back.

Have a wonderful Fourth of July!!

Blessings~ Angela

Quote

2010-07-01T06:00:00.002-04:00

“I cannot believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be compassionate. It is, above all to matter, to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all.”

~Leo Rosten

2010-06-25T16:12:00.000-04:00

Over the last few weeks I have found strength in myself from others offering simple, yet deeply touching encouragement to me. From the article Ten Simple Ways to Build Each Other Up I found this quote:

“You need to be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their successes, and encourage them in their pursuits. When we all help one another, everybody wins.”

~ Jim Stovall ~

What if we started offering words of encouragement to build others up instead of tearing them down with words or actions of negativity? One never knows where these positive interactions could lead.

Blessings~ Angela

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-23T07:00:00.003-04:00

Quote

2010-06-22T05:30:00.002-04:00

"What lies behind us, and what lies

before us are small matters

compared to what lies within us."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

On a Journey...

2010-06-21T14:51:00.000-04:00

I have been away from the blog for awhile now. This has been a time of challenges, soul searching, and change. Hard decisions have been made in my life which has led to a process of simplifying all areas of my life.

I have asked myself over the last year "What fuels my soul?" The path I was following did not give me the peace I needed to feel in my life.

This blog will be a way for me to work through the changes I am making, a place for me to write my thoughts, and hopefully gain some insight to myself. While I am scared to search myself in such a public manner, I am excited to see where this journey will take me.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2009-12-25T20:00:00.002-05:00

Macie

2009-04-30T11:10:00.004-04:00

With my the heaviest of hearts I write to tell you my dear Princess Macie has made her journey home this morning.

Rest well my sweet friend. We love you.

Blessings~ Chris, Angela, and Baylor