Click this link for Hershey's video. He inspired us all as you fought your battle and still managed to do what you loved on the dock. You will be missed and remembered by many.

Yesterday the another great dog in the dock jumping community lost his battle to cancer. This horrible disease has taken far too many lives, much too soon. Chessies on the Dock dedicates this post in honor, and memorial, of Hershey McCarty. He spent his last days doing what he loved with the people who loved him the most. May this loss to the dock jumping community resonate in all of us to embrace each, and every, moment with our furry family members. 

I have made a donation in Hershey's memory to Chase Away K9 Cancer. It is an organization that was started by my friend Cera Reusser after losing her dog Chase to cancer. I have known many friends in the dock jumping community that have lost their loved ones to cancer. With every loss, we grieve a life taken too soon. Every donation made helps to fund research to cure cancer. Please, if you feel compelled, donate to this cause in memory of any pet that you know that has crossed over the Rainbow Bridge or perhaps in honor of a pet that remains loyally at your side every day. May all of your pets be blessed with an abundance of good health and joy. Sage will be wearing her Chase Away K9 Cancer collar as a reminder that there is hope for a cure.

Link to Chase Away K9 Cancer where you can donate, get support, view memorials and survival stories.

Time has been slipping by and I need to catch up on posting. We have been busy girls. Thanksgiving is a time to reflect and be thankful. Why, though, on just Thanksgiving? Shouldn't we be filled with gratitude each and every day? What could be more heartwarming than spending the day with family, the curly girls, and a beautiful meal? It is a time to truly be gracious and thankful. I have been blessed with the most beautiful girls in the world.

"I think I ate too much. Two words, food coma. Well, that, and all of the exhausting floor cruising I had to do just in case a morsel dropped on the floor."

A healthy organically cooked Thanksgiving meal. 

Emmie loves her Grammie soooo much

"Love my Tiffany and in two seconds I'm going to give her a big sloppy kiss or three."

I hope that you all had a wonderful, blessed holiday filled with gratitude. It's the simple things in life that mean everything. May you have something to fill your heart with love and a smile.

As the seasons change and the leaves drop we've been trying to get in as much swimming as we can. Earlier this week we were excited to visit a friend, get in some girl time and explore someplace we had never been before. I am blessed to have friends that encourage me to bring the curly girls along on our adventures. Upon arrival Meadow and Sage immediately jumped out of the Yukon, put their noses up in the air, smelled the water, and ran down to the dock and jumped right in. What a relaxing get away with a good friend, good food, good wine and a little water time for us all.

The curly girls after swimming on a beautiful fall day

Meadow and Sage were excited to swim in the canal and show their skills to the neighbors who cheered them on.

Does it say "Moose Crossing" or "No Wake" on the back? For those of you who guessed "No Wake", that is spot on.

The curly girls, Meadow and Sage, got to swim and the rest of us girls got in a little kayaking. This was the calm, serene jaunt out to much rougher water. Yes, there was water in my kayak, but so much fun.

I discovered this very simple dog bone recipe for those of you who enjoy an all natural fare for your furry ones. I often bake for Meadow and Sage because frankly, I don't want them having the preservatives and they most definitely deserve to have some healthy, divine tasting treats.

Peanut Butter Doggie Bones

Ingredients
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 cup natural peanut butter
1 cup low-fat milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, combine flour and baking powder. In another bowl, mix peanut butter and milk. Add wet mixture to dry, and mix well.

Turn out dough on a lightly floured surface and knead. Roll out to 1/4-inch thickness and cut out shapes. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake 20 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool on a rack and store in an airtight container.

The judge’s verdict:

"Can I eat them all please?"

Brown Eyed Baker - Gone to the Dogs

Happy Autumn

Happy Harvest from the Curly Girls

Sage and Meadow

Sage and Meadow

Sage

Meadow

Lucky Dog Rescue Blog: Picking Up Reece's Pieces

I happened upon this blog and it literally brought tears to my eyes. Without the thousands of people that commit to rescuing animals so many would be left for dead or slow torture.

Lucky Dog Rescue Blog: Picking Up Reece's Pieces: On Wednesday, I received a desperate answering machine message from a woman named Pat in Gulfport, Mississippi. The neighbor's Pit Bull m...

Half of the goodies have arrived!

I've been anxiously awaiting our order from A Dog's Life. Part of our order arrived today via the big brown truck. I will post when the rest of our personalized swag arrives. I love this company! Here's the link to get your own. www.adogslife.net/index.php?rID=19904

Yes, they have white too, I'm obviously partial to red.

Almost too pretty to open

Who needs psychotherapeutic drugs?

Who needs psychotherapeutic drugs? I do, in a double dose, in the form of two brillo butt curly girls!! It turned out to be a beautiful day on Pine River Pond. That's the name I've given our backyard pond, which some have said it's more like a small lake. Nonetheless, it's curly girl heaven and they rule their playground. It's days like this that remind me that all is right in the world.

WEEEEEEE!!

KERSPLOSH!

This made me laugh

Meadow making a wake

Sage looking for her jolly ball that Meadow snagged

Where's Meadow? Both girls are fixated on eating weeds, oy!

Turbo Sage

Pretty Sage

Quintessential Meadow

"C'mon Mom, throw the ball!"

"Love me some jolly ball!"

An exquisite sky to end the day. We are grateful to be so blessed.

Happy Sunday!! This turned out to be such a beautiful day! After enjoying some swim time with two brillo butts I decided to make their favorite treat, peanut butter dog cake. The recipe is quite simple and an excellent all natural treat. I even use these as power bars for Meadow and Sage during dock jumping events. I've modified a recipe that I found somewhere on the internet quite a few years ago. I substitute with what I feel are healthier ingredients than the original recipe. They are so good even the humans at events have accidentally eaten them. Happy baking!!

Yummilicious Dog Cake

Peanut Butter Dog Cake Recipe

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup applesauce

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup honey

1 egg

I add a little more peanut butter, applesauce and honey just for hint more moistness and flavor.

Mix all ingredients. Pour into greased (olive oil works well) square, or round, 8 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes. 

Hand to paw, heart to soul

While this blog is about one team's journey in the sport of dock jumping I would love to hear from any of you other dog owners out there. Sometimes, well most of the time, I firmly subscribe to the notion that our dogs contribute far more to our lives than we do to theirs. There is much to be said for the unconditional love that occurs between human and guardian.

My girls influence my life everyday. Along with warming my heart when they run into the bedroom and dig in their box for a toy that they joyously grab and bring to me like a gift. I laugh at the silly accidental head butt and the roo roos and smiles which make my every day. 

Please share the way's that your dog significantly touches your life or share something they do that illicits an immediate smile? Pictures and posts welcome.

For all of you dog and cat lovers out there. How would you like to have your pets photo on a bag of yummy organic treats or even on a bottle of wine? 

Check out A Dog's Life at www.adogslife.net/index.php?rID=19904. Right now they are offering $50 off of a $99 order through midnight tonight (Tuesday). They also offer free shipping on a $150 order which is calculated before the $50 discount. The discount code is FREELUNCH. 

Thank you to my awesome friend Anna who turned me on to this company! Happy shopping and please feel free to let me know what you thought of their site. I totally dig it!

When Cody and I started A Dog's Life^TM brand dog treats, we set out to make a super–nutritious treat with the finest all–natural and organic ingredients in the world.

No fillers, pesticides, preservatives, yellow number whatever, or any of that yucky artificial stuff. Just honest, fresh, human–grade ingredients like the kind you would find in your own kitchen. We hand–baked these simple ingredients into a biscuit that screamed out "eat me!"

And since we had a dog treat that demanded attention, we figured our packaging should too. That's why each package of A Dog's Life^TM celebrates one of our happy customers. Big dogs, little dogs–everyone deserves 15 minutes of fame.

My smile for the day was to find an old video of Meadow and I that someone had filmed and posted from an event. This was my first time seeing it. Not a bad jump for leaving the dock early. I had just started doing "the chase" with her. To this day you will still see us doing our signature handshake and kiss on the head when I get her set.

We are back in training mode with daily long swims, but to us it seems a lot more like play time. Is there anything better than a Jolly Ball? Well, yes, possibly every other toy we own, but the Jolly Ball seemed to be the hands down winner today.