Pet Valu

 We took a trip the the pet store after our run around the pond. Sandi is a regular, spending a fortune on cat supplies. She is well known by all the employees. This, however, can pay dividends for a poodle. Not only did they give Gyp a treat while she was in the store shopping. They gave her one for the rode.

Sandi let her roam the store freely, picking out anything she wanted. She went straight to the foot long Bully Stick and took it straight to check out.

Poodle Saturday

I went to Sandi's spin class on Saturday morning and Gypsy rode along. After class, I let her run in a field across the street. This is a place where all the Labs come for water fowl training. She could care less about that.
I don't want to get my feet wet!!!
She is still very fast.

Poodle(s)

Those of you new to this stupid blog might wonder why Poodle is plural in the title. Really? Is anyone curious about that? You would understand if I used Cat(s) in the title. Heaven knows we have plural cats running around the house.

A few years ago we had a little boy dog. Rim was a great little boy, very playful, we were very excited to have him enter our family. Gypsy on the other hand, was not quite as excited about having a playmate. Rim quickly recognized the fact that Dino was Gypsy's favorite toy and so he tried to snatch it from her all the time. He was always trying to get Gypsy to play and was a bit rough with her from time to time. Not in a mean way. He was just a big pup and was acting like a normal dog. Something that Gypsy is not very good at. This is when I added the (s) to Poodle in the title. Rim grew really fast and became a big boy with a great personality. I always thought he was going to be a special dog. Gypsy just didn't like having him around. She was basically in a state of depression. So, after much soul searching, we decided to let Rim go to another home. 

 It is always really difficult re homing a pet but I feel sometimes it is the best thing to do. In this case it was the best thing for Gypsy. We were fortunate that Rim moved in with a cousin in NC. Here he is, living the good life in Chapel Hill. He is now Ram and we get to see him on occasion. The last time Sandi was visiting Ram was at here side all day long. He has turned into that special dog and still has a special spot in our hearts.

Ram came from a wonderful breeder (friend) from St. Louis. Crossbrook Standard Poodles. We have stayed in contact with her over the years. One of her champion dogs, Violet, just had the litter shown above. 13 puppies total with 4 of them being female. We have the itch again thinking perhaps a female would be to Gypsy's liking?

Gypsy's Friend

Occasionally a local shop owner sets up an oyster shucking station in front of his store. Many locals stop by and have wine, oysters, and fun. We stopped by the other night and visited with several folks and Sandi had her share of oysters. Gypsy met a few other dogs but was very pleased to have a visit with another SP Juno. Gypsy had a great night and events like this make me appreciate living in a small town.

Catching UP

 We have had a busy month. Gypsy welcomes the cool, fall weather. One thing she looks forward to is the annual "Bark in the Park" that is a fund raiser for the local shelter. Hundreds of dogs attend and compete in talent contests, parades, tail wagging contest, and other humiliating things for both dogs and owners.

A three legged boxer dressed up like a lobster?

Gypsy met a little Cavalier King Charles dressed up in a Ravens jersey. Gypsy isn't much of a Ravens fan but enjoyed this little guy.
Go Browns!!

OK, something is wrong with this right? A tutu on a St. Bernard? It would have looked nicer on Gypsy. And her owner seemed to be proud of her.

Yesterday we took a hike in the woods. It Halloween afternoon and one of those days that you don't want to end. Gypsy was really excited to get into the woods.

 It is an absolutely beautiful trail. We usually let Gypsy run off leash but we kept on leash yesterday. She was so excited I think she might have taken off on a long run, sniffing everything along the way. We were in a State Park but it is adjacent to land that guys hunt. Gypsy can look like a deer running through the woods.

Gypsy was exhausted by the time we got home. She crashed out in the backyard in a sun spot, taking a power nap preparing for trick or treating.