Park Day Bingo

We finally have our first park day Bingo ready

OK now here  is the embarasing part.  Mom has no printer and is not good with photo shop so you will have to imagine that the top column across is X'd.

First we followed our friend Gizmo's great blog by email.

Then we visited Lincoln park, its a 9 minute walk from our home and we go there all the time.  This time we remembered the camera and made a special trip with Ping in her bike basket.  

We found someone flying a kite.  Its hard to see but we swear that is a kite in the air.

The park has our nearest body of water, actually it has several, its kind of a swampy area, Ping enjoyed checking out one of the ponds.  Since its an out of the way section of the park she got to walk around off leash which she enjoys, her brothers are more apt to run about too crazily and so never go off leash.  Ping however, stays right by our side and never ventures more then a few feet away.

When we got home we easily spotted a squirrel, in brother Weasley's mouth!

 Now if it only it wasn't raining like crazy this weekend we could take a few more trips to the park!

Queen Victoria-Dog Loving Monarch

Who was the most dog crazy monarch in the entire history of the dog loving British empire?  A serious contender would be Queen Victoria, and today is the 194th anniversary of her birth.  

As a child Victoria's exalted status led to extreme isolation, and as such her only real friends where her dogs.  Victoria's most favorite dog was her spaniel Dash who was her constant companion.  After her coronation Victoria returned to the palace and gave Dash a bath. When she decided to marry Prince Albert it was partly due to his fondness for Dash, and Dash's for him.  When Dash died in 1840, Victoria had this inscription placed on his grave.

Here lies
DASH
The favourite spaniel of Her Majesty Queen Victoria
In his 10th year
His attachment was without selfishness
His playfulness without malice
His fidelity without deceit
READER
If you would be beloved and die regretted
Profit by the example of
DASH

Dash was certainly not Victoria's only pet.   Throughout her reign she was surrounded by pets.  Including ponies, parrots, goats, and donkeys.

However dogs where always her particular favorite.  There where greyhounds:

Terriers:

Collies:

Spaniels:

Pugs

Pomeranians:

and many others

When the Queen was on her death bed one of her last requests was to have her Pomeranian, Turi, with her.

How to Teach a Pug to Fetch

Now our mom is aware of her limitations, and she is not much of a dog trainer to be sure.  I guess you would call her and dad a bit.....permissive.   She does like to teach us some tricks though.   Now Weasley liked to chase toys but was dead set against bringing them back, here is how mom taught him to fetch.  (Yes many dogs fetch naturally, but not all of them).

Supplies Needed:

One energetic pug and one ball

One  bag treats and one clicker 

 Step 1: Present the ball to the pug and when the pug looks at the ball click and treat.

Step 2 Place the ball on the ground and click and treat when the pug looks at it, approaches it, and finally touches it.  Very gradually increase the difficulty requiring the pug to touch or mouth the ball before you click and treat.  You can also start to roll the ball at this point.  Remember work slowly and ensure success for your pug.

Step 4 Once your pug is consistently running towards the ball and touching it.  You are ready to throw the ball.   Click and treat when your pug runs to the ball and touches it.  At this point they don't have to bring the ball back.

Step 5 As soon as your pug starts putting their mouth on the ball and picking it up click and treat big time, with a jack put ( a couple of little treats).  Before long your pug will be chasing the  ball and returning it to you.   Fetch!

See the video below to see Weasley fetching away in our back lot.

Black and White Sunday-Ping and Mom

In case your interested I have started a new blog, not to replace this one, but  to write about vintage.  From now on I am going to divide my posts between this blog and the new one.   Its called The Old Fashioned Way.

Movie Time!

We are all ready in our pug notes sweaters for Star Trek: Into The Darkness

Now if only pugs were allowed in theatres!

Grain Free Coconut Strawberry Cake

May is national strawberry month.  

The perfect month to make  a strawberry cake for a May birthday baby like Ping.

Grain Free Coconut Strawberry Cake

2 1/4 cups coconut flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp honey
1 1/4 cup milk 
1 egg
1 cup diced strawberries, plus more for top
1 cup low fat plain yogurt

Preheat oven to 350.  Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and coconut in a medium bowl.  In a separate bowl or large measuring cup whisk together the oil, honey, milk, and egg.  Mix the wet ingredients into the dry and fold in the strawberries.   Bake 30 minutes until cooked through (cake may be crumbly as that  is what I tend to get with coconut flour, but the dogs wont mind).  To frost the cake I drained the yogurt in a cheese cloth lined sieve for a few hours to make a thicker and then spooned it over the cake and topped with a few strawberries.

We had a little tea party for mother's day and Ping's birthday and I made some human friendly recipes too, they are on my new blog The Old Fashioned Way which is going to be about vintage things.

Ping's 10th Birthday

We were so excited when after a rainy Saturday and an a gloomy looking Sunday morning the sun came out for Ping's birthday party day.

 Ping got this adorable dress from Pugpossesed.  I think its her best outfit yet.


She also got a Linden Line designs Victorian bell collar 

 and this cooling mat, thanks to Dip Dip and the Bridge who wrote about theirs.

 We went on a bike ride in the park

watched TV

 and had a tea party with treats for dogs and people

 In other news I started a second blog, The Old Fashioned Way, its going to be about retro things, mainly vintage style clothing and old movies.   Its very much a work in progress and I don't really expect anyone to read it or to put to much content on it, but if you are interested in that kind of stuff you might want to check it out.  This will continue be my primary blog but I think it will be fun to write a little more about vintage.