The Boys on the Beach

Last weekend, Kelly, Lucky, Rufus and I headed down to the Oregon coast near Manzanita, Oregon. We left on Friday, and spent a good part of the day driving. The boys were quite patient, and spent the time napping and looking out the window, thinking doggy thoughts.



We arrived that evening just at sunset. Although it was cold and rainy, we none the less piled out of the car and headed down to the beach. The boys immediately took to tearing around and generally enjoying the open space and the roar of the surf.



Rufus in particular seemed to find the chill damp air particularly invigorating.



All this romping and and running about left everyone pretty pooped...



After a good night's sleep, the boys were once again ready and rearing to go. We headed down, and the weather, usually so grim on the Oregon coast this time of the year, obliged by turning crisp and clear.



One of the great things about the coast is that it is rife with pieces of driftwood perfect for throwing. They boys soon discovered this, and I found myself tossing sticks for them again and again.

Wufus in a Winter Wunderland

The weather around has been frightful, but Rufus finds playing with Lucky so delightful... So when we decided to load up and go, Rufus said "let it snow, let it snow, let it SNOW!"

Ok, all cheesiness aside, Kelly and I got snowshoes for ourselves, and outdoor gear for "the boys" and headed up into the mountains this past weekend. Both dogs LOVE the snow, and as soon as we put their jackets on them and let them off leash, they took to tearing around and generally having a bang up time.




Next, we each put booties on our respective dogs to prevent the ice and snow from shredding their pads. Rufus in particular was less than thrilled about putting on his....



He was still gung ho about the snow, but had to work on getting the whole "running with these weird things attached to my feet" thing down...



However, as soon as he had a chance to practice a bit, he and Lucky began tearing it up again...



We all set off tromping through the forest. The dogs started out romping off through the drifts.




Over time, they figured out that it was much less work to let me break trail for them.






As the afternoon wore on, the snow began to come down more and more heavily, and I think the boys started to run out of steam.



It was started to get dark, and we decided we had better head back. Before we returned to the car, Rufus and I stopped to play a little "Catch the Snowball"



Rufus had a fantastic time, and stopped to pose in his new duds before trotting off into the fading light.

Rufus and Kelly on the Couch

Rufus curled up behind Kelly on the couch the other evening while she worked on a needlepoint gift for a favorite aunt.



Kelly unexpected propositioned him for a smooch, which took him aback.



However, after a moment of consideration he obliged her...

The Boys on the Bed

I was over at Kelly's house one chilly evening recently, we came into the bedroom to find Rufus and Lucky curled up on the dog bed together.



This looked so comfy that I decided to join them...

Rufus's First Birthday

Yesterday was Rufus's birthday, and we had some of his friends over to celebrate. Rufus got all dressed up for the occasion, and this inspired his best friend Luck to look festive as well.

Rufus made the rounds greeting his guests...

...before settling where Kelly could scratch his ears.

Later in the evening, he settled down to enjoy his gift while Lucky looked on enviously.

Finally, after the guests had gone and the wrapping paper had been cleaned up, he drifted off into a deep, satisfied asleep.

Puppy Love

Rufus has a crush on my girlfriend Kelly that is (almost) as strong as the one I have on her... These pictures are a measure of how much he trusts her. He would not let *me* hold him like this (or at least not without a lot of struggling and grumbling).

The Amazing Skidboot



This is just one example of how dogs can be such an positive force in your life... For more information, check out www.skidboot.com

The Continued Adventures of Lucky and Rufus

A couple of evenings ago, Lucky and Rufus snuck onto the couch (where they know they are not allowed), and Rufus kept watch while Lucky caught a few zzzz's.

Rufus Meets Thruga

On a recent jaunt down our hallway at work, Rufus bumped into Thruga, a beautiful brindle American Pitbull puppy. She and Rufus hit it off immediately. Rufus was more interested in chewing on Thruga's toys than in playing with Thruga, but relented after it became clear that Thruga was more interested in chewing on Rufus...

Kelly and I Give Our Dogs a Little Lovin'

In a fit of affection for Lucky, Kelly pulled him onto the couch for a cuddle. I thought this a great idea and did the same with Rufus. Neither dog found this activity as fun as we did...