dog run dog, beans and arson dogs

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So the summer is coming to an end. My brothers and sisters are back to school (jail as the affectionately refer to it as) and it is very quiet at home. I wish it would have lasted a bit longer. Haven't been swimmig in a while because mom says without much rain the pond is probably full of bacteria. The last thing I need is another infection! My eye is slowly healing and Soph doesn't point and laugh at me as much.

I got a new collar from West Leb Feed and Supply. Sam calls me "Olivia" when I wear it but I don't care! Mom says she loves poppies and it is the prettiest collar she has ever seen. I am only allowed to wear it when I am not going to get dirty (she's kidding right?).
Next weekend is Dog Run Dog and we are all participating in the run. The S.A.V.E.S. staff will be riding bicycles and looking for injured or overheated dogs or their owners with Dr. Kim Jones of Stoneybrook Vet. Hospital. I think me and my dad are going to run in it. Dr. Padgett's fiance is visiting from Scotland and I think he is going to run with Doogan! Check out their website for more information and an online registration form.

I love beans. Pick m' right off the stalk when moms not looking. She says their good for me! Some vegetables and fruits that I shouldn't eat though are avocado, grapes, mushrooms, onions, cherry pits, peach pits, and raisins.

There are a lot of plants in the yard that we should avoid, that could kill us. Some of the common ones are Azaleas, Lily of the Valley, all of the Lily family (unfortunate for a young kitten patient at the emergency hospital this week), the bulbs of daffodils, narcissus and hyacinth to name a few. Check out Healthypet for more ideas and helpful hints to keep your best friends healthy.

I was reading this really interesting piece in Bark about arson dogs (yes I can read, Soph helps me with the tough words). So I'm sure you have heard of the insurance company "State Farm is Therrrrrrre". Well an interesting bit on how they use dogs (mostly Labs because of our curiosity, energy, tracking ability, and easy going nature, yea, yea and we train easily being motivated by food!!) to sniff out arson. They explain that it would take a person 17 times washing their hands in order to remove what a dog would be able to detect as arson forming agents. More then 200 arson dogs working today can sniff out tiny amounts of anything from lamp oil to lighter fluid in a crime scene flooded with water, snow, mud, or lots of fire debris. State Farms Arson Training Organization teamed up with Maine Specialty Dogs and the Maine Criminal Justice Department to provide the arson dogs for the insurance company. If you want to read more about the arson dogs check out the article in February/March issue of Bark.
Well hope you have a great week and really hope to meet you at the DogRunDog race on Sunday in Norwich, Vermont. Tata for now