I had to share this!
Posted: October 15, 2012 Filed under: Blogs & Blogging | Tags: diploma, dog, MA Leave a comment »A new dog shame photo was just posted and I couldn’t resist adding it!
(click the pic to enlarge)
Reading with Robbie
Posted: October 12, 2012 Filed under: News | Tags: dog, rob, therapy dog 1 Comment »So Robert was doing his “Reading With a Doggie Friend” gig at the Puyallup library today. It has been a long time since we went there and about a dozen kids were waiting for him. I can’t photograph the kids but you can get an idea from the pictures how much they enjoy this program. He was pretty filthy from rolling around in all the construction debris and plaster dust from our kitchen remodel so I gave him a shower. I can’t get a picture of bathing him because I have to get in there with him and I am sure that any pictures of that process would violate WordPress decency rules. 
The cool shower attachment is available here: Rinse Ace on Amazon. I love how fluffy he looks after bathing but the ring it leaves in the shower is pretty horrifying!
In other news:
The kitchen project proceeds — we are drywalled, taped, mudded, sanded and primed. Painting will take place on Saturday and cabinet installation on Sunday.
Don’t forget about the Holiday Craft Bazaar in Bonney Lake tomorrow, Saturday the 13th.
Related posts about Rob:
http://dunthor.com/2009/06/07/rob-is-a-therapy-dog/
http://dunthor.com/2008/12/06/reading-to-rob/
http://dunthor.com/2011/03/24/rob-duncan-live-at-a-library-near-you/
Gracie is home!
Posted: September 7, 2012 Filed under: Gracie, Lost & Found | Tags: dog, found gracie, lost 11 Comments »Thank you everyone – WE FOUND HER!
I got a call this morning (8:12am) from Marty who drives for Smith Bros Farms. He said he thought he saw Gracie near the intersection of Marine View Drive and Normandy Terrace but he had to leave her to backtrack a block to get my number off one of our signs. I drove down there and called and called, finally I started heading back up the hill and at Brittany Place… I saw her. She was standing on the corner sniffing the air and I stopped the truck and called her name. She turned but looked poised to run, I called again and she ran to me full speed and threw herself on the ground on her back at my feet. I grabbed her, hugged her and quickly pushed her into the truck thru the window where she jumped all over Rob screaming the whole time! Just then Marty pulled up and we hugged like lottery winners!
By 8:36 I had given her a pile of the dog cookies I keep in the truck and we were driving home with her still squeeking, me singing “We got you, We got you” over and over and Rob flapping his tail so hard it sounded like I had an egg-beater running in the jump seat. She is dirty, smells funny according to Rob, and most of her pads are peeled like open blisters, otherwise she is perfect and even still has her collar on. I’ll get her to her vet this afternoon to weigh her and see how dehydrated she is.
Thank you everyone! All those signs, calming thoughts and eyes on the ground made all the difference. Now, time to put a screen-roof on the dogyard.
- Driving home, she is falling asleep already
- there is nothing like sleeping in your own bed!
Lost: last night was Gracie’s fourth night out
Posted: September 6, 2012 Filed under: Gracie, Lost & Found | Tags: belgian malinois, dog, gracie, kitchen, lost, microchip reader, rob 5 Comments »No new sightings yesterday, sigh. I did get two calls with tips and some good suggestions from FB. A woman said to check the For Sale listings on Craigslist. I have G listed in the Lost/Found and the Pet categories but she said her two Belgian Malinois disappeared and then turned up for sale on Craigslist, luckily a friend noticed and called her. She said she went with an animal control officer and a microchip reader and got them back. Then Joe sent this idea:
First map out a series of spokes radiating from the house to the south and west. Load Robbie up with water and drive out to the far end of a spoke. Walk Robbie home, pissing all the way. That way the strength of the scent shows the way home. Repeat for the other spokes.
So, that is what I will be doing today, taking Joe’s more systematic approach.
Thank you Katie & Erika for posting more flyers for me! If any of you would like to print some I added a link to the flyer as a button in the nav bar or in Pages in the sidebar, or here. I don’t know what area she’ll turn up in next so more is better. I am checking all the links in the previous post several times a day to see if there have been any new sightings or ideas. If you would like to help with this, please check Petfinder, PetHarbor or any other shelter any time you have a chance.
One benefit of all this driving around is that it reassures me that she isn’t lying hurt or dead by the side of any of the roads I’ve been on. I am keeping my attitude optimistic and I still keep visualizing that she’ll either be waiting on the porch when I get home or that someone will call and say she is hiding under their deck and would I please come and collect her.
As if having Scott out of town and Gracie lost wasn’t enough, today is kitchen demolition. It has been scheduled so long that I can’t put it off again, besides I have no room to store the cabinets when they arrive on Monday. I moved everything from the cabinets and drawers into the living room last night and early this morning and now that Kevin is working, I can get back to the hunt. Hmm, I looked for an emoticon (a smiley icon) of someone tearing their hair out but I can’t find one. You would think there would be one.
I found this gem while going through all the pictures I have of her. She’s such a nut!
Gracie loves camping
Lost: Night Number Three
Posted: September 4, 2012 Filed under: Gracie, Lost & Found | Tags: burien, dog, formosan, gracie, lost, Normandy Park 2 Comments »Another sighting has her in Gregory Heights heading toward Normandy Park. Both callers have noted that she is the fastest dog they have ever seen and I can’t even imagine how panicked she must be to be running like that. This is her third night outside. 
I did not know that there were other Formosans in the neighborhood but I spotted two in yards during all my driving around and carefully examined them, well, only carefully enough to discover that both were male 
I’ve put notices on Craigslist, The B-Town Blog, The Normandy Park Blog, Pet Harbor and HomeAgain.com. Click the links to read them, print them or to add any other sightings.
I can’t post to Petfinder, all I get when I try to register is a 404 notice. If any of you are registered with them, could you post the picture and info for me?
All the veterinary offices in Burien have been given her microchip number and tomorrow I’ll hit the ones in Normandy Park.
The Burien CARES shelter has been notified as has Normandy Park, If you can think of anything else, please let me know.
Here is the hand-out I made for her. Please post them where you can!
Ten promises to your dog
Posted: August 18, 2012 Filed under: News | Tags: Animal welfare, dog, Dogstuff, freya, gracie, pet, Pet adoption, Recreation, Rescues and Shelters, robbie, Robert, United States Leave a comment »I found these Ten Promises on the Salty Dog website and couldn’t resist sharing. Salty Dog Rescue is the group we adopted Gracie from one year ago. Here is the blogpost if you missed it: Made in Taiwan.
Note to those who have emailed me… Yes, I noticed that they are phrased as statements from the dog rather than as promises to the dog but that is how they have them on the website and I think they are all really good points so I didn’t want to change them, Enjoy!
Ten Promises To Your Dog
1. My life will last from ten to fifteen years. Any separation from you will be painful for me.
2. Give me time to understand what you want from me.
3. Place your trust in me…it’s crucial to my well-being.
4. Please remember: You have your friends, your work, your entertainment. I only have you.
5. Talk to me. Even if I don’t understand your words, I understand your voice.
6. Be aware that however you treat me I will never forget it.
7. Before you ever strike me please remember I have teeth that could hurt you but I do not bite you.
8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, please ask yourself if something might be bothering me.
9. Take care of me when I get old.
10. Go with me even on the most difficult journeys.
Everything is easier for me if you are there…remember that I love you.
And just because, here are some pix of our dogs, past and present…
Gracie is featured on Ravelry!
Posted: August 5, 2012 Filed under: News | Tags: crochet, dog, knit, ravelry, sweater, yarn Leave a comment »
Do you Ravel? I do.
Ravelry.com is one of my favorite favorites. So I was thrilled to receive an email yesterday requesting the use of Gracie’s picture to accompany this dog sweater pattern from Lion Brand Yarn. Click this link to see it on Ravelry: Flower Garden Dog Sweater pattern by Lion Brand Yarn. Here is the original post about the sweater. You can find me on ravelry as idthornell.
So, do you ravel?
The continuing adventures of Camper Bob and Gracie Coleman
Posted: July 28, 2012 Filed under: Health & Fitness, News, Travel | Tags: blog, camping, chinook, dog, dogs, gracie, Nordic Walking, Olympia, pet sitter, pop up, Robert, Taco Del Mar, taiwan dog, tattoo, Travel, Washington Leave a comment »Because we have the good fortune to have a wonderful house sitter, we were able to take the dogs camping this weekend. We like Olympia Campground because it is wooded and close to where we keep Chinook, our boat. We don’t plan dog activities as such, they just lie around, chase pinecones, beg snacks, bark at stuff, really the same things they do at home but it is more fun because they are outside. I spend most of my time inside, this trip I’ve been working on my tattoo-story that I’ll have posted soon. I took a break this morning for some exercise, left Scott and the dogs at the campsite and drove to the state Capitol to walk the trail that circles Capitol Lake. It is partly paved, partially gravelled and busy without feeling crowded. However, it was crowded enough that the only blackberries that were ripe were too far away to reach. All the easy to reach vines were picked clean. I did see lots of tiny ducklings but I am bummed that they don’t show up in the photo, sorry about that. I made an extra loop downtown to lengthen the walk a bit and then stopped at Taco Del Mar to bring home tasty vegan burritos for lunch, yum!
Click here for the official page: Things to see on the Capitol Campus.
Click to see my route: Plus3network.com
Sweater girl!
Posted: December 6, 2011 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: crochet, dog, Dogstuff, gracie, Lion Brand, sweater 3 Comments »Gracie’s first sweater. Here is my M.O., before embarking on any project that requires measuring or knitting, I crochet a model. It is just a faster way for me to see what the pattern pieces need to look like. So, I found a free pattern to improvise on, this time from Lion Brand, and then I used different yarn and the wrong hook. I dunno why, that is just how I cook. Read the rest of this entry »
R U ready for Pawswalk 2011?
Posted: August 26, 2011 Filed under: Calendar | Tags: 5k, Calendar, dog, Dogstuff, paws, rob Leave a comment »
Rob at the 2009 Paws Walk
Rob and I are registered for Paws Walk this year. It is the 20th anniversary for this fundraiser and it is always a lot of fun. Scott will be at the Wooden Boat Show in Port Townsend and Gracie isn’t ready for that big of a crowd yet so I’ll have to leave her home. Paws Walk is a 5k walk through beautiful Magnuson Park in Seattle. The dogs are on leash except for a segment that goes through the dog-park area. There is a vendor area where various pet-related services hand out samples. Volunteers are along the route handing out water bottles and dog treats. If you’d like to walk with us, just drop me an email!
Here is the link to my original blogpost.
To register on your own, here is the official PawsWalk website.
If you’d like to make a donation, this link is his fundraising website.
