Snow!

Andrew brought the boys to the dog park yesterday to play in the snow. We needed Finn to burn off some energy before our dinner guests arrived. Andrew was able to get some awesome shots of the dogs, including a gorgeous face-on picture of Miko! I think this brings our total of good Miko pictures to about 4?

A good day was had by all :)

Sigh...

We need to remember to have the kitchen doors closed at all times...Finn ate half a container of honey...

Doin' some learnin'

Just finished reading two of Stanley Coren's dog books: Why Does my Dog Act that Way? and How to Speak Dog. Both were super interesting reads and now I'm obsessively analyzing both dogs' every ear twitch and tail wag. We still have so much work to do on training Finn and it's nice to have a better understanding of what he's saying and feeling.

Here he is feeling fat and sassy :)

Starting 2012 off right!

We recently discovered that Finn had learned how to open the cabinet where his food is kept and has been eating right out of the bag whenever he pleases. Now we know why his once-lovely waist has bulked up despite our attempts to adjust his meals and treats.

So, Finn's 2012 is starting off with a lot of exercise to get him back into shape! Andrew took him on a 1.5 hour bike ride this morning with a stop at the dog park. We're going to try to fit in a run each day (in addition to his regular walks/dog park visits), and go back to using vegetables and fruits as treats when working on training inside the house.

Nomming on a watermelon last summer

Post-Christmas hangover

Finn and Miko had way too much food and fun this weekend. This is the two of them crashed out by the tree after everything has been cleaned up and put away.

Notice Miko giving me the stink-eye? He hates having his picture taken.

Our friend Miko

This is Miko, our old man. We adopted him from the SPCA in June 2009 when he was eleven years old after meeting him at an open house event at the Vancouver SPCA. He was so affectionate and well-behaved; we couldn't believe that someone had given up such an old, sweet dog but we felt very lucky to have found him.

Miko was the perfect first dog for us. We both grew up with our family dogs but neither of us ever had sole responsibility for a pet before. With Miko there was no basic training needed: he was an old hat at sit, down & speak; he already knew how to walk nicely on- and off-leash; and most importantly for me, no potty-training required! He loves going for walks but doesn't demand a whole lot of exercise. Quality time doesn't require toys or balls or sticks; all Miko wants is to lie down as close to us as possible and get pats.

Our biggest concern with adopting an older dog was his health. Miko was very overweight when we adopted him, and as a result his spine and back legs were under a lot of stress. Over the past couple years we've been able to get him down to a much healthier weight, but his back and legs will probably never fully recover. His main issue is getting up once he's laid down, and stairs give him trouble when he's tired. But he can still run in short bursts, and we've gone on long walks and hikes - slowly, of course. Other than this, however, Miko is in perfect health!

We truly recommend adopting an older dog for those looking to be first-time dog owners. Miko was the perfect introduction to dog ownership for us. We had to learn a lot about responsibility and routine, but we encountered very few of the frustrations that can come with a more energetic and untrained dog. Like Finn, for instance...

Missing the summer days

Finn & his best buddy Dougal (rottie) & Castro (mastiff cross pup)earlier this year.

I miss summer at the dog park. It gets dark so early now that we're lucky to get even 10 minutes at the park before it gets spooky. On the weekends we try to spend a couple hours each day at the park but it's so cold! At least the weather has been holding up for the most part and it's been a dry December. The park turns into a total mud pit when it rains and fewer people take their dogs there. Finn always looks so sad if we arrive at the park and it's empty. He is such a dog's dog :)