happy birthday baloo!!

baloo turns 4 today.

fiesta cluster dog show

at this point, alex had been in the ring 2 times and

was letting me know she was ready to go. she had

voiced several complaints and finally just began to

look perplexed that we weren't really doing anything

productive, yet weren't making any moves toward the

exit.

alex with her favorite chicken

alex is nearly 18 months old, but she still loves her

toys. here she is with her latest obsession - a rubber

chicken. she searches for it at night and

takes it to bed with her.

portland dog

lost in thought

fun at cynosport games

baloo's annual romp through the lure course

at the cynosport nationals last weekend

dog tired with sock monkey

smiling dogs on the beach

excursion

first trip to the field with alex was a success. we camped,

just alex and i. if she weren't such an outstanding watch

dog i'm not sure i would have had the courage for solo

camping so close to the AZ/MX border.

as it were, i didn't worry at all. we slept in

the back of the truck (camper shell) and alex woke every

couple hours. very quietly she would sit up and

look out the windows for about 10 minutes, then settle

back to sleep. never a false growl or bark, she was

confident and brave. she knew exactly how to do her job.

random plop down in the sun

first in field

alex went to Las Cienegas National Conservation

Area with me to monitor the recently transplanted

black-tailed prairie dogs. her first trip to the field,

she's a natural and a stellar guard dog.

thanks for the great party, Grandma!

happy birthday alex!

birthday cake courtesy of grandma Lin

occasionally, baloo and alex break out in song...

keeping watch

turn your face to the sun

and the shadows fall behind you

                       ~maori

fun at dog beach, san diego

alex and baloo took to the beach like...

well, like fish to water

rearview baloo