DIA DE LOS MUERTES FESTIVAL

On Saturday we went to the Dia De Los Muertos festival in Oakland and it was a blast! I brought Norman along (I left Kaya at home to keep Zoey company) and he had a great time too. There were tons of people, good food, good music and lots of interesting things to look at.

Many of the booths were not selling or promoting anything, they were just beautifully decorated with colorful art, fresh flowers, sand and rock designs.

It was challenging to get pictures of Norman looking up at things. He wanted to spend most of the time with his nose on the ground looking for stuff to eat and when I kneel down to take his picture he comes over to kiss me.

Though he did enjoy the ponies. We had to joke that he was just hoping he could snack on their poop. I know it's gross but he always tries to eat the horse poop on our hikes.

And this moving sound-making spider did capture his attention. He was both worried and intrigued by the odd creature. Outside the picture, there were dancing screaming witch dolls too which he did not even notice.

In fact, he could not stop wondering about the spider when we tried to get him to pose for a picture with my sister-in-law in the booth next door.

And there were cool cars. Who doesn't love cool cars?

Norman tried to make friends with a couple Zombie babies and a giant rat.

Hello giant rat friend.

This zombie baby surprised him when it gasped and snarled.

But this zombie baby was receptive to kisses.

And Norman got plenty of attention from admirers. There were lots of kids at the event so he got to lick a lot of tiny fingers and one lady was so enamored with him, she scratched his butt while he sat on her lap for about 5 minutes. It made me smile that she was all dressed up but didn't care that he was getting her outfit covered in hair and dirt while she knelt on the ground with him. She sarcastically (I think) asked how much I wanted for him and though I don't normally get preachy about rescuing dogs, I did have to tell her there are millions more like him who are waiting for homes. I didn't get any pictures, but here he is smooching my sister-in-law.

And finally we sat down for margaritas while we watched the crowds go by.

Overall it was super fun but then I always enjoy a day out with my guy Norman.

Related Posts:
Kaya & Norman Do San Francisco Pride!
Kaya & Norman Celebrate the 4th!
Peaks & Paws Dog Festival

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

What are you doing to celebrate?

Here are these two modeling their Halloween collars...

Oh, and this one too...

Related Posts:
The Walking Dog
Wordless Wednesday: Happy New Year!
Kaya & Norman Celebrate the 4th!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY: FISHEYE TAHOE

dog on a log

beach life

go for it

dock dogs

see ya 

Related Posts:
Wordless Wednesday: Fisheye
Wordless Wednesday: Artsy
Wordless Wednesday: Dock Dogs

NORMAN SWITCHES TEAMS

After I wrote this heartfelt post about how much Norman loves and adores the big squishy couch by the window, I've been proven wrong about his dedication to that special piece of furniture.

Lately he's been spending a lot more time on the other couch. I couldn't really figure out why. It's more firm, it spends less time drowned in sunlight, it's not as deep and it's not covered in a soft blanket.

But his rules of adoration still apply. He still likes to go upstairs for a nap when Kaya and Zoey go outside. He'll ditch a delicious new bone to go lounge on the couch. And it's still a colossal effect for him to get off it, even if it's time to eat, go out or go to bed.

So what gives? Why the sudden abandonment of his bff piece of furniture? I think I've figured it out. For a while I was sitting on the couch by the window a lot but lately I've switched to the other couch because it has better support when I'm working on my laptop. So it seems Norman is just a momma's boy at heart. Any couch I like, he likes.

Though he hasn't abandoned the original couch altogether so I've come to the conclusion that Norman just loves couches. And now I can feel a lot less guilty when I am ready to get rid of that eyesore of a couch!

Related Posts:
Norman's Silly Habit
Norman's Love Affair
Pairs

WE ♥ CHEESE!

Kaya and Norman are huge fans of these Himalayan cheese chews for dogs. Other than kneecaps and the odd raw bone, these are the only chews they enjoy. They've vetoed antlers and everything else I find to be unhealthy. So I'm really glad they're a hit! They can last a long time and come in different sizes. Sometimes I just give them the small dog ones for an after dinner snack.

A lot of the time, they chew on them for a while and come back to them later. Unlike their icky kneecaps that they have to eat outside, these don't stink to high heavens or leave a greasy crumbly mess everywhere so they can eat them inside and I don't mind having a couple lying around for them to pick up when they want it.

It's funny because sometimes I give them a nice big brand new chew but they drop it on the floor and look at me like I'm evil for not presenting something better. And later I find them chewing on the thing for hours like it's the best ever. Other times they graciously take it from me and chomp away.

Funny thing, it says on the package that if you microwave the tiny leftover chunks, they puff up and your dog can finish them safely. It works! They double in size and get really lightweight but hard like a giant-size Cheeto. The dogs love it even more this way but they eat it really quick!

I love that they're healthy too! The fat content is less than 1% and they're grain-free. The only ingredients are yak and cow milk, salt and lime juice. Plus they never go bad and no, they do not have to be refrigerated so I keep a bunch on hand. I have no idea why, but they seem to like the lighter color ones better. 

Has anyone tried these? Do your dogs like them?

Related Posts:
We Are What We Ea: Part 2
Wordless Wednesday (Video Edition): Can I Haz It Plz??
Puppy 101: Hot to Hold a Bone