Halloween - Fractured Fryday Hairy Tails

We are participating in Murphy and Stanley's Fryday Fractured Hairy Tails.  The rule is this post needs to have one key phrase in it.

Here is a Story By Hailey.

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It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon of a long weekend. I was having a great time with my cousin Emma when Lady came to the kitchen with a special black box.

As she started pulling costumes out, I knew there was no turning back now. It was Halloween time, and we were going to have to amuse Lady by modelling a bunch of stupid costumes.

We hope you have enjoyed the pictures of the other torture the last week and a half more than we enjoyed posing in them!

Here is our official Halloween picture for 2014

Hmmmm, is Lady trying to say something by her choice over who is angel and who is devil?

Happy Halloween!

Halloween Count Down - Bee Ready! Lee

Lee expressing how she feels about being dressed up - 2014

Phod trying to escape - 2012

Halloween Count Down - Geisha Girls

Cousin Emma - 2014

Hailey - 2012

Halloween Count Down - In the Water

Phod's first costume - 2012

Emma and Phod - 2014

Mischief Monday - A Haunted Week

This was a low mischief week. There were no deer to chase, no missing toys, nothing destroyed. There was a little bit of obsessive barking on Friday (when Lady was working at home and on Skype consults) because they were repairing our road. Lady got to use the "hush" command she has been working on and it worked beautifully.

The biggest mischief was on Sunday when after stacking wood for an hour, the humans decided to decorate for Halloween.  Lady would like to say her idea of Halloween and the Man's idea of Halloween are very different. They Lady likes "cute" Halloween and the Man likes make your skin crawl and make you want to pee your pants Halloween. Now that we live in the country and get NO (as in zero) trick-or-treaters, Lady would happily not do anything. However, in spite of this, and in spite of the fact we live on a private road with like 8 houses and only 2 children, they decorated.

Here is what they did:

Last year we had out the hearse, this year the vampire

The front porch

Phod checking out the cemetery

Is Halloween a big deal in your house?

Black and White Sunday - Halloween Count Down - Clowning Around

Hailey - 2011

Precious is Back

After 2 searches for Precious, Phod had resolved that his Precious was gone. He accepted the other chuck it ball as his new Precious.

On Thursday morning, I had the dogs out for their walk around the yard (this is our second walk of the morning after our long walk first thing). On this walk, Lee is on leash and Phod plays chuck as we walk around our property.

I had thrown the ball and Phod was off in the bush hunting it, when Hailey starts to do crazy dog in the leaves. She was running in circles and she is spinning me around. I am laughing and getting very dizzy.  As she stopped spinning, I look down and there is Precious. It must have been under the leaves and when Lee and I were spinning we kicked it up.

Phod had found ball 2 and was heading toward me. I reached down and picked Precious up and say "Phod, look it is Precious."  I wish I had my camera because Phod's eye lit up, he immediately dropped ball 2 and came running over to take his Precious back. He was the happiest boy ever.

Phod and Precious BFFs reunited

Feline Friday - Halloween Count Down

Nin - 2012

Halloween Count Down - Emma Has Some Fun

First, we would like to say we are shocked from the tragic events that took place in Ottawa yesterday. I (the Lady) work in Ottawa, not downtown, but I drive through the downtown everyday. Canada is not a country use to events with gunmen and it is very upsetting (I got nothing done at work other than read twitter yesterday).

I would like to thank the solider, whose life was so casually taken, for serving our country. My thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time.

Thank you to all the first responders who did their best to keep everyone else safe. 

Ottawa will be strong. We will not let terrorists take away our freedom. Many Canadians have already made the ultimate sacrifice for this freedom, and we their ancestors will do the same. 

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Now, on to a fun distraction from the horrors that can be the real world - Emma in a costume.

As a witch

As a warewolf

Wordless Wednesday - Halloween Count Down

Outside - 2013

Roo - A Great Toy

While I was away, I had approximately 20 minutes in a TJ Maxx. This is not very much shopping time for a Canadian in the US, but it was better than nothing. My favourite part of TJ Maxx (and Winners in Canada, they are owned by the same company) is the household and pet area, so this is where I spent my time.

I tired to resist getting something for the pups, but I couldn't help myself and I bought them a kangaroo. I wish I had taken a picture of Roo before giving it to the dogs, but after 30 minutes of play, Roo looked like this:

Roo was a wonderful toy, who was much loved, and they had a great time playing with it.

Tugging Phod

Lee sniffing Roo

More Tugging

Lee watching Phod play

Mischief Monday - Precious Runs Away

If you read the blog regularly you will be familiar with Precious, Phod's favourite ball.

Phod with Precious

On Sunday, after being away for 4 days, I decided to take Lee for a special walk through the woods while Man and Phod played with Precious. Lee and I were having an ok walk (she was very excited and not the best walker) when Lee paused. I assumed it was because there was a deer or other wildlife, but then I heard the familiar jingle of Phod's collar. It seemed Phod had another idea, to come and find Hailey and I. I am sure he thought I was lost. He had a big smile as he came running up the path to see us. I didn't have a leash for him, but he was a good boy and stayed with me as we walked back. When we got back to the house and Man says "does he have his ball?"  and I say "no".

What happened was Phod had been playing ball. The Man told him to go poop as it appeared he had to and Phod understood this as "Find Lady". He had taken off with the ball, but arrived with me without it. So somewhere in the bush is Precious. After a walk on the path, we are sure it is gone forever. My guess is that Phod took a short cut through the bush to find us and didn't stay on the path so unless he goes back into the bush and finds it, it is gone.

Here is how Phod feels about having to learn to like one of the 10+ other balls we have:

"I don't want a new ball, I want Precious."

Black and White Sunday - Hailey

Sad Week

Remember our friend Huey? We went to the dog park with him and his family a couple of months ago. Huey died this week.

It was a complete accident. Huey was in the yard alone, like he had been a million times before. Huey's people don't know what happened, but somehow he got into the pool and drowned. He has never gone near the pool before.

We are devastated. His family is devastated. It is so sad. As the survivors of an accident that took a dog life, we know there is not point in going over the should have/would haves. All we can do is go forward. Lady says it is a reminder to be careful around water and a reminder that sometimes for no good reason accidents happen.

We were also sad because our Lady left us alone with the Man for 3 night sleeps as she went to a conference near Boston. She returns today. We will report how that went tomorrow.

Take care everyone and be safe!

Phod Can Jump Too!

Phod won't jump on command like Hailey, but he does have his own great moves when the frisbee is thrown.

Outside Tricks

On the weekend, we let Hailey be semi-free, meaning she had her tie out, but was not tied to anything. She also knew the Man and Lady both had cookies, which increased the chances she would listen.

She had a great time running up and down the hill in the backyard (as shown yesterday) and showing off her jumping. She wasn't as sassy as last weekend, as she knew I had the package of cookies in my pocket.  Here she is jumping!

Getting Ready

So high it is out of the frame! 

Another jump

Another one

Taking payment for all her jumps! 

That was lip licking good! 

Wordless Wednesday - Project Hailey - Running Semi-Free

Posing with The Fall Colours

Thanksgiving weekend gave me time to try and capture the dogs with the fall colours.

Here is our best of the 2 of them. Phod was very anxious to get back to fetch and Lee was very anxious to get a cookie!

Here you can see Phod waiting for the frisbee to be thrown! 

After all that posing, Lee went to sit by our scarecrow.

 While I didn't get the shots I wanted, we had a great time!

Happy Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving Monday in Canada. The dogs wanted to help with the dinner by catching us a turkey from this gang of turkeys that often visits our yard. This is the Johnson's. They have been living around our house since spring. The family is dad Joe, moms Thelma and Louise, and at last count 11 babies, who don't look much like babies anymore. Earlier in the spring there were at least 13 babies, so a few have been lost, but overall, the family has done well this year. Hailey would like to catch a turkey to eat. Phod loves to chase them so they all fly up into the trees. As soon as they are up, he leaves them alone.

As it is Thanksgiving we reflect on all we have to be thankful for.  Lady and Man have great jobs. We have a great house, with lots to eat. The pups have lots of toys and treats. We have wonderful friends and family. We are all healthy. We get to spend time with our friends in Blogville. We have a lot to be thankful for.

Today we will count our blessings and then tomorrow we will be back to normal and complaining about stupid little things that are really first world problems! We will try and remember how lucky we are every day and not just one weekend.

Happy Thanksgiving

Black and White Sunday - What is Over There?

Play Time Made Me Laugh

Barley wanted someone to play tug with him. He found our awesome big tug rope made by @kenzieandtroy. Phod did briefly play with him (like for 5 seconds). 

Tendra then found a leg from raccoon and wanted to play tug with it. We had a great game with this little tiny toy (not the lovely tug toy). What silly pups!

In the end, Phod was victorious.

See Beautiful Friday

It is the second Friday of the Month and I am excited I remembered it was See Beautiful.

It is easy to see beautiful these days as the Gatineau hills turn from green to beautiful shades of orange, yellow and red. The colours are not at their peak yet. Here is a sample of some of the trees in our yard.