Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Flying the Friendly Skies

Well, let me tell you a story about a little girl named Sierra that just had to fly in an airplane....Our Mumsie went on a bye-bye and she didn't take any of us! Not one! We saw her pack up a bag and we saw her take treats and water and then....none of us!!!!! WHAT? WHAT IS THIS?

"WHERE ARE YOU GOING MOMMY?" I had to ask, being the littlest Griffindale......



Well, she came home wiff a familiar doggie smell on her and then, she showed us the pictures and told us the story!



Ah my griffindale babies......Roy Al, Jack-Jack and Mis Lola.....Remember that all you furkids came to Mumsie on a big plane (oh yeah, that metal birdie in the sky) well, I had to help another Tenkiller Airedale get to her new home. I had to go to Logan Airport and pick her up. See here she is with a friend of ours, that nice lady who has met each of you at the Continental Airlines Cargo Hanger. She was just as nice to Sierra. Roy Boy, she is an all black Dale just like you.




Now, Mumsie was very happy to see Miss Sierra looking so good. She had NO (absolutely DRY) accidents in her kennel, she chewed up some of her newspaper but that's ok. We had some kibbles and some water, because just like you guys, she was very hungry. I watched her gobble up her kibbles in no time at all! Then we had a nice walkie to stretch her bones a bit. After all, she'd been in her kennel since early morning and that is not part of her routine! Then we got loaded into the car and ready to go!







Sierra was not having any part of getting back in her kennel, but neither was Mumsie....I wanted Ms. Sierra to stretch out and relax for a while. Now that she had food in her belly and could relax a little bit, I could tell she was very happy! She her happy face here......





Mumsie, she is very cute! She looks like Roy Boy and she has a white spot like me do...she would be lots of fun to play wiff. How come she didn't come home wiff you?




Well, good question Miss Lola Belle....see, first of all, Sierra has a BIG JOB to do. She is going to be a Service Dog for a lovey lady named Allison. Allison needs Sierra to help her do some things in her life because Allison uses a wheel chair to get around. Sierra can be a big help to her by getting things for her and helping out around the house. So, that is the first reason......the second reason is that Mamma Sherry told Mumsie she can't keep her, no matter how cute we all think she is, she has a forever home that she is going to. Just like you did, Miss Lola. Your forever home is here with Mumsie. Right?



Yep, that's right Mumsie, I understand now. Too bad though, she would have been fun to play wiff.

And you are so right Lola Belle...I think you and Roy and Jack would have LOVED her very much. But we had to hit the road and get going to Maine!






So here we are, on the road. It was a nice drive because the weather was good and it wasn't at rush hour. It was about 80 degrees and the windows were down (Sierra loved the breeze in the back of the car! - ALL THOSE SMELLS!!!!) We had very little traffic once we got out of Boston and on our way North, through NH to Maine. Did I tell you that Sierra is going to be with some trainers too?


No, what are Trainers, Mumsie? Who are they?


Well, the trainers that Sierra will work with are two very nice people. There is Miss Caitlin and her husband Martin. Caitlin will train Sierra and Martin will help her. They have a nice kennel in Maine and have agreed to help out Miss Allison by training Sierra to do what is necessary as a service dog. This is Caitlin and Martin with a doggie that stays at their kennel.




Ah, and there is the Portsmouth Bridge......a landmark that tells me we are getting closer to MAINE! By the way, Miss Sierra has been napping for most of the ride and she is just a love. Lola Dale, I'm sure that you remember Miss Sierra from Mamma Sherry's house...did you remember her smells?

Yeah Mumsie, that was my fwiend at Mamma Sherry's houwse...I wemember Miss Siewwa! I would surely have liked to seen her and say hello and sniff butts and stuff....did she smell me in the car Mumsie?


I'm sure she did Princess. And then in a few more minutes...WE ARRIVED at our meeting place. We met with Martin who was going to take Miss Sierra to their kennel and start to train her and get her to Miss Allison. Isn't this exciting stuff?


This is the Route 1 sign, just a few more minutes to go!!!And then we pulled into the parking lot and met with Martin in the back where there were very few cars. We had plenty of space to let Miss Sierra out to walk some more, go potty and say hello to her next new friend. She and Martin had one more leg of the journey to make for the day.




This is the Trading Post from Route 1, we went in the back......past the big sign
And here is Miss Sierra with Martin and walking with us. We chatted about blacks and how Mumsie and Daddy came to decide we wanted Airedales and then how we found Mamma Sherry. We talked a bit about what good doggies you Airedales are and then a bit about their kennel - Pet Haven. They have about 30 doggies a day come stay wiff them for day care! They are busy! Anyhow, we let Miss Sierra feel some grass under her toes and try to potty. We loaded up her kennel in Martin's car and then......they went bye-bye on the last leg of Miss Sierra's very long day.


Walking with Martin...

A little quiet time in the grass....See her beautiful spot just like yours, Lola? She is a beautiful little girl, too, just like you. And very sweet, Mumsie got many kisses from Miss Sierra.

And then Mumsie's job was done, it was time to say goodbye to Miss Sierra so she and Martin could get to their final destination. Poor Sierra had such a long day of travel but she was a trooper - that little pooper looper! She got in Martin's car and I gave her the fleece we had and the hand leash so Martin could stop with her if he needed to. She looked tired but was still such a good girl. Martin was very kind and was happy to have Miss Sierra in the front with him for their journey. At least Miss Sierra won't be lacking attention or loving care.....seems everyone is bewitched by her sweet personality!


There she is - the super duper girl, Miss Sierra. Hope you had a safe journey for the last of your travels Sweetie! Wishing you love and much happiness in your new forever home. I'm certain that between Allison, Caitlin and Martin that you are going to be well loved. Blessing little girl as you begin the big job that lies ahead!

Thank you to Mamma Sherry for the love and care and for sharing Miss Sierra with someone in need. Thank you Martin and Caitlin for the care and training of Miss Sierra on behalf of Allison. And thank you Allison - for loving our little girl and giving her a forever home. We are all thinking of you! And we are here to help and to chat with you if you like!

When you are ready to set up your own Dog Blog....so we can see what is going on with Miss Sierra, let us know, we can help you if you like!

Good Luck and Many Blessings to you and Miss Sierra!

Lots of Love,

Mumsie Griffindale

a.k.a. Debbi

Thursday, July 17, 2008

V-V-V-acation! Whoo-hooo!

Howdy my Pawesome Friends! You've been checking in on us! How very thoughtful! We wuff you wotts and wotts!

Wisten up good, everydog....Dis is Lola Dale here....I am growing and getting so smaht my Mumsie can't beweeve it! I don't have any accidents in the houwse, I Listen really well, I can go up and down 24 stairs by myself, and I barkie when I needs to tinkle. Coolio, huh? I had the most pawsitivley pawesome vacation wiff my family and my brothers dale.....Oh my dog! Wet me tewwl you aaaaaawwwwlllllllll about it!




Otay.....firwst Nanny Celeste came to see us on a big metal bird from a place called California..she said it was a long way to fly. But we are so glad she came because the kiddos had not seen her in about 2 1/2 years....




Then not so pawesome for us but they went to a place called Martha's Vineyard on weally big, big, big boat....way bigger than Mumsie n Daddies is. And they went sight seeing....when you see, don't you call seeing 'eyesight'...why did they need to go to Martha's house to do that? Anyway, they took this picture at Gayhead - must be an awfullllly happy place.



Then they went to a pwace we were weally mad about - we being us three dales left at home - they went to .....


Yes, THE BLACK DOG STORE! How dare they go to such a pwace....they din't go to a pwace called the Airedale Inn...I mean weally, its absurd to think that a another BLACK DOG exists....there's weally only Roy Boy, Apache, Willow and a few others from Tenkiller that count so who is this other BLACK DOG? Weee-diculous....and a waste of time......they could have been home wiff ME!!!!!!

Well, then they came home to us and they were all smiley.....we could smell the remnants of that weeee-diculous other BLACK DOG on them...like we wouldn't notice. And then Mumsie put all her stuffie-stuff down and came over to mee and picked me up and said, "Miss Lola Belle, how I have missed you today!" And then, Oh My Dog!, we got to snuggle up on the couch! SCORE! One big one for the puppy dale! See, here we are, all snuggly wuggly.....I wuff my Mumsie. She even let me stay in her lap ALL NIGHT LONG! TOTALLY PAWESOME!




See my brother Jack-Jack, he was very jealousy like of me being wiff Mumsie so much....I guess he's a reall Mamma's Boy and his nose was a little out of joint... Hey can you guys teewl how big I am getting to be? Mumsie says I have the longest leggies ever she's seen....I tell her I'm just a growing girl doing my thingy-ma-jiggy. Well, it gets better....


See then we went to the beach wif Nanny Celeste and the kids and it was pawesome cause we like went everyday....it was weally fun. I am a really gweat swimmy doggie now Mumsie says....





I mean look at my form...I got one ear back in the wind, my leggies are doing the right stuff......and I weally weally wuff the water! It's so cool and feels all comfy on my belly and stuff..... Whooo-hooooo and all that jazz...Mumsie I wuff all the fun tings we get to do!



SPLISH-SPLASH!!!!!!







I made new fwiends too at the beachy.....this ismy fwiend Marley...Marley is a puppy too (but not a puppydale!)


Yeah, and I have better manners and am a better swimmy-er...and I'm younger! Marley is about 6 months old....
Marley did the jumpy thingy....that's bad...she scratched up Mumsie's fwiend wiff her toe nails.....






AND HERE I AM WIFF MUMSIE!!!!!!!





WE HAD THE BESTEST TIME EVER AND I NEVER WANTED IT TO END..... EVER.......
AND HERE I AM WIFF DADDY, TOO. I HAVE PAWESOME PAWRENTS - HUH?





And seeeeeeee me wiff my girlies....
that's Livy on the left and Ally on the right...... I love to be wiff my family and had so much fun learning things like "come" and "heel".....and all at such a fun place....SEEEEEEE no leashy either.......I was a goodest girlie and always came when I was called.


And at the end of play time we nappied on the beachy, me n Mumsie we did. Daddy took this picture of us - sneeky of Daddy, huh?



This is my tired, thinking doggy face. On the boat ride back to the dock....I have to be a good girlie for Mumsie and Daddy.




Then, a few days later, there were these weally weally loud banging noises......OH MY DOG! They hurted my ears. Mumsie took these pictures to tell us Dales all about the noise and where it comes from...Jack and Roy didn't listen very well but I did.....and here are Mumsies cool pictures!




BIG BIG Bang!




Sparkle, Sparkle POP!


So, we scoobie doo's didn't weally get to see those pretty thingys, we were at home twying to cover up our ears....for sure they were vewwy vewwy loud!




And so finally, I got lay down in my grass and take a long nappie.....after my adventures for vacation....... DIS IS LOLA DALE SAYING 'NITE-NITE' I'm going to snuggle wiff Mumsie before bed!

Have Pawesome Dreams Everyone! Snuggles, licky-licks and nose pokies.....
Lola Belle