Arwendnesdays With Arwen the Wonder Dog

Welcome back to our Arwendnesday's With Arwen the Wonder Dog posts, where every Wednesday is devoted to my hyper, wonderful, ridiculous dog, Arwen. 

So there we were: on a walk during a very overcast morning last week, when I noticed this beautiful, snow covered field and decided to take some photos with my little camera.

Then the battery died.

Do over!

The weekend rolled around and we were on another walk on an even more overcast morning when it started to rain. Pour really. And snow. At the same time.

Lovely.

However, in my quest to not be completely boring to you, my wonderful readers, I decided to keep on going and try to take my winter field shot anyway.

That and Arwen was full-steam ahead and the roads were a little icy, meaning that to turn around would probably end up with me falling and breaking a bone on said icy road.

So there we were: Arwen and I reached the aforementioned field and I brought out my (now charged) little camera and proceeded to try and photograph the field, which in the above photo is not really looking like anything special, though I assure you it is beautiful in person.

I heard a "Yip!"

And I looked down...

And there was Arwen, prancing in the snow, thoroughly soaked (and loving it, I might add), and wanting me to stop taking photographs, and throw her some snowballs already!

Catching snowballs is her favorite winter pastime (well, that and eating her, uh, poo when it is frozen, but she's a dog after all, and I digress - with a shudder), and she will catch snowballs until she is panting so hard she has to sit or lie down in the snow in between each toss, or your digits feel like they will never thaw in this lifetime, whichever comes first (my fingers usually give in before she does, much to her disgust).

Notice the preemptive tongue sticking out here, as in between frantic barks that make it sound like I'm torturing her, she sticks her tongue out and tries to catch the snowballs with her tongue, snapping her jaws shut around it with an audible snap (I would think this might hurt, but she doesn't seem to care), and eating the whole snowball with a very self-satisfied smile. She smiles, I've seen her do it.
She's odd, but I love her so very, very much.
...As long as she doesn't kiss me until after I've brushed her teeth about a million times.

and Arwen the Wonder Dog

A Walk With Arwen

Hello! It's me, Arwen the Wonder Dog, here to take you with me on one of my walks. Mommy has nicely agreed to be my puparazzi and photograph me and my neighborhood to show you some of the things I see. I'm not sure about this pose though...I was in a rush to go for a walk and mommy didn't get a good shot of my adorable ears...

Mommy, hurry up! No one wants to see photos of maple leaves in our driveway, they want to see me! She doesn't always listen though...

*sigh* ok mommy, here's the deal, you can take photos of the "pretty sun in the trees" but now you will have to take photos of only me for the rest of the walk!

Here is the organic vegetable garden up the road from us. I don't know if I like this shot either...Does this angle make my snout look big? Anyway, the garden is good for more than just yummy foods, the owner has a little dog named Bailey and we do obedience together a few times a month. I still don't know how to play, but it is nice to be around other dogs (even if she is tiny!)

 Oooh! Here's the next stretch of road, mommy! What's around the corner? Hurry up, I want to see!! Mommy says she loves our country roads. She loves the old cedar and stone fences, and she says she loves how they always wind just enough to block your view of what is coming up, making you want to walk around the next corner, and then the next, and the next, just to see what is around it, even if we've already walked there before.

 Here's another cool part; we get to cross a little bridge and I can (sort of) see over the concrete ledge. I have to stick my nose in between the metal barriers, but we saw a heron here, though mommy was too slow to get a photo of it. I ruffed a bit at it, but it didn't hear me or it would have come and said hello to my beautiful self :)

Here we are after our walk, in the yard where I can smell all of the racoons, porcupines, skunks, birdies and various other wildlife in our yard. We had a bear here a while back, and I still don't like the smell of it, it makes me put my tail between my legs and run into the house!
Still, our walks ARE fun, and i hope you enjoyed this one too!
Until next time,

and Arwen the Wonder Dog

Wednesday's Walks with Arwen

Hello! It is time for another day with me, Arwen the grown up puppy, and my walks in the wilds of Merrickville, Ontario with my human slave, mommy :) Ra-roo, let's go mommy!!
The wolves and coyotes were howling last night, really, really loud, and I think I smell them this way, let's go mommy! I should note that mommy is making us stay on the roads this time as well, as there have been quite a few wild predators around - wolves and fishers too, so we are going to be safe, but, I don't understand! My bark is way scarier than she thinks (anyone coming to the door would know that) and there is NO way a predator is going near my mommy with me around, ra-roo :)
Ooooh this is a good sniff spot, wait a sec mommy....yup, Bill and Luke passed this way not too long ago, and there is supposed to be a bush party soon with steaks and doggy treats galore....
Here is a pretty photo of the forest, mommy loves it, even if the bugs love her more.
Okay, really mom, I know this is pee spot number 2, but I DON'T want it shown in public! Mommy wants me to note that the camera was shaking from her laughing so much - it took me about 30 seconds to be comfortable enough to pee. I'm not laughing, but I AM glad my pee mail was signed, sealed and delivered!
Here's where we turn around *sigh* I wish we could go on forever, but I need some water soon, and mommy's legs are turning slowly to jello...I told her not to work out before we went on walks, Ra ROO!!
Here is a pretty corn field. The corn is already about a foot high. I would love to go off leash there and chase some of the wild critters, but mommy can't let me off leash - one good sniff and I take off for hours, which is dangerous, but fun for me. I have to content myself with our walks and looking at the field. When I go to grandmonna's though, I get to run around like a crazy dog in their backyard, so it's not too bad :)
Another reason mommy likes to go on walks with me is kind of weird, I think. She loves the way my ears bounce when I walk. Often I hear her giggling behind me as she watches my cute ears bounce up and down...here she goes again!
At last! We are home! I sent and received pee mail, looked at some pretty scenery, and made mommy giggle. I am a happy dog! Now I just need to get some water and snuggle, bye for now!

Remember to enter my monthly contest by adding your name and email to my monthly newsletter (You have to sign up for the newsletter first to be eligible to win!!), see the full contest details here.
Arwen and

Wednesday's Walks with Arwen

This is the first in what will (we hope) become a weekly feature with ME! Yours truly, Arwen the wonder dog. Now, mommy says that I have to give credit where credit is due, so we need to say that this feature is inspired by BeadedTail's Saturday Strolls with Sadie, a fellow beautiful blogger dog. Thanks for the idea!
Now, back to business. Walks are serious events, that I try to have happen daily, but when it rains or is too icy or too hot, mommy says it is dangerous and we can't go. Rain makes the gravel roads like sandpaper on my paws, icy roads are slippery for paws and cars alike, and heat is not good for a black dog with a permanently thick undercoat! In those cases I play keep away while mommy tries to play fetch with me. I don't want to fetch! Stop throwing my toys around, I just want to chew them!
Back to the serious walks. I think this way smells good, let go!
Now one thing that mommy always laughs at is "The Pee Spot". There are actually 2 on this route, but mommy is only showing one today. Mommy laughs at me when I mark "The Pee Spot" because: 1. I'm a girl and have to squat, which she says looks funny (I can't help it, I'm being discreet!), and 2. I HATE it when people watch me! I have to turn and look away or I can't do it. It is even like that in my back yard. No one watch okay? Moom! You peeked! Yeesh.Okay, now that I've marked my spot, let's keep going...Here I am on our road, sniffing furiously as I walk. You can sort of see my bushy tail - it isn't as good as Sadie's, but I'm not full Husky. I'm trying though!Sometimes I get a really good sniff and have to stop my furious pulling to check it out. STOP MOMMY THIS SNIFF SPOT IS GOOD!!! I can never seem to remember what was here, even though I stop there every day. Here is mommy wiping some plant fuzz off of my head after I sniffed the spot. She also got rid of a pesky deer fly from my muzzle, thanks mommy!Here is a totally uninteresting spot that mommy made us stop at. No good sniffs here, but she said that a wild cat gave birth to some kittens and was keeping them there by that stone wall, not 6 feet from the road! Fortunately mommy told the person living across the street about it and he has been feeding them and keeping them safe - mommy tried to photograph the corner of the pie plate he put down for them but it didn't show up - he is still a nice guy though!!Now hurry up mommy, we have to make up for lost time after all the stops! Run mommy, run all the way home! Here is a photo of us running, I am pulling her to go faster, but she was laughing too hard trying to take a photo of me running :)We ran all the way home and I had a nice big drink and then, as is custom after our walks, we had a nice big cuddle. Until next week, mommy wants to remind you to sign up for our mailing list to be entered in her contest, she says:
Remember to enter my monthly contest by adding your name and email to my monthly newsletter (You have to sign up for the newsletter first to be eligible to win!!), see the full contest details here.
Take care, I send you high fives and tail wags,
Arwen
and

Thoughtful Thursday - My Own Neighborhood

~What's That You See Arwen??~

~Oooh a Hungry Robin Running through the Yard!~

~And a 2-Egger By the Look of That Belly!~

It was a nice day today, so I thought I would take Arwen for our first dry-ish walk of the year (we haven't been able to go out during the winter as the snow makes the roads too narrow to not get hit by other cars, and the spring makes the roads ridiculously muddy). It was beautiful, just before sunset....the birds were chirping....the frogs were croaking in the swamps....the shoulders were covered in garbage! I couldn't believe it! The day after earth day and I was standing on my country road, surrounded by nature that is covered by trash! I was appalled to say the least. So, I have decided to go out tomorrow on our walk and bring a garbage bag and rubber gloves to pick up as much as I am able to. I think I may do better to bring a wheelbarrow, but I'll do what I can.
Is there anything you can do to beautify your neighborhood? Arwen has decided (well, I have decided for her) that she will not chase the robins anymore!
Cheers