Puppy Play Date

 Rusty, MoriDog #167

Rusty, on  the left, is a failed foster puppy. That's not a BAD thing! It just means that his foster family decided to keep him for ever. Both of Henley's cats are failed fosters, too.  So we set up a play date with Henley and Cricket (another MoriDog) to get in some socializing for Rusty. He was great--stayed with the big dogs, did whatever they did. 

 After a little run time, Rusty was ready for a portrait. And here we were thinking about his parentage. He's a rescue, so we'll have to wait for the DNA results to be sure. But it looks like Labrador and...something else. His long legs and tail, and deep chest suggest greyhound, or maybe Great Dane. His hobby is digging in the yard.

Go, Giants!

Clancy, MoriDog #166

Clancy's wiggly nature belies his 11 years. I really thought he was a puppy! He has been with his new family for just two weeks, since his previous human entered assisted living.

Henley approves of Clancy's new collar--Orange and Black to show support for his favorite Giants. Clancy loves treats, and his special skill is making everyone feel good!

Trail Buddies!

Gentle Giant

Theo, MoriDog #165

Theo is an American Akita, distinguished from the more commonly seen Japanese Akita by their larger size. 

Henley, at 80 lbs, is often one of the bigger dogs on Mori Point, but as you can see, Theo is nearly half again his size, and all friendly muscle. (It's ok Henley...size doesn't matter!) 

Theo was the first of 7 puppies born one night. Next morning--Surprise! Two more brothers! He is obsessed with the squirrels who hang out on the levee.  He knows he can't catch one, but he feels that he MUST try.  His hobby is waking up raccoons along the golf course. He can't understand why they are sleeping in the daytime, so when he smells one, he barks his wake-up call. In a kind, and gentle way, of course! 

Glamour Pose!

Dutch Treat

Pepper, MoriDog #164

 

Pepper is a Dutch Shepherd, the first of her breed on MoriDogs, and she is indeed a treat. Found in a DUMPSTER with her littermates, she shows only the tiniest bit of residual shyness from her difficult start in life. But she has so many excellent qualities! Her superpower is that she understands human language very well. She knows her favorite toys by name; Pelican, Lamb, and Ball. She is super gentle with them, and never destroys them. (Henley could learn a LOT from her in this area!) Pepper is also very tidy, and always puts her toys away in the basket. 

Little Dogs Dream Big

Claude, MoriDog #163

A friend of Henley's human was dogsitting Claude, and they came to share a MoriWalk. It turned out to not be much of a walk, because the Mori Point trail was seriously overgrown, and Henley got a tick on his head before we even got to the first trashcan. So we stopped for a photo-op at the frogpond, brushed everybody off, and did a neighborhood walk instead. Remind me to send an email to GGNRA about this!

Claude is 15, and was named after his human's grandfather. Even at this advanced age, he still loves playing, walks on the beach, and the wind on his face. (particularly through the car window) He hates baths and stuff touching his ears. He thinks he is a Great Dane/Pit Bull mix. 

Another Yellow Labrador on the Block!

JuJu, MoriDog #162

Juju was a 70th birthday present to her human. They had been without a dog after the passing TimberWoof, who was MoriDog #112. As Henley's neighbor, Juju has been watching him from afar for a couple of months. She needed to wait for all her shots before she could finally play with the big dogs. Henley was extremely patient, and allowed all of the usual puppy antics without complaint. She doesn't have the huge puppy-feet that Labs sometime have, but her ears are already full-sized, and velvety soft they are!

 

Somebody's Got to Watch the Wild Things!

 Fior

MoriDog #161

Fior (Italian for "flower") is named for one of her human's favorite opera characters. A rescue of Chihuahua/Pomeranian type, her life's work is to watch for wildlife. In the mornings, as shown here, she prefers the wooden walkway on the Old Mori Road trail, where she observes rabbits. At home, Fior waits till dusk, and then takes up the surveillance at her dog door.

When one of her neighbors comes home from work each day, she gives Fior a treat. Though this generous neighbor lives some distance down the street, Fior has the ability to detect the opening of her garage door, so as to not miss a snack opportunity. She doesn't react to other garage doors. 

If Fior were an opera singer, she would be a Soprano.

It's All About the Ears

 Jesse
MoriDog #160

First of all, I must apologize for the lesser quality of the image. Rain was forecast the day Henley and I encountered Jesse, so I didn't bring my usual camera. My iPhone X just doesn't do the job you usually expect on this blog!

Jesse is a Chocolate Labrador with an unusual characteristic: His fur is THE softest I have every encountered beyond that of a tiny kitten. If you see Jesse, be sure to indulge your fingers in the velvety smoothness behind his ears. He likes to be the one who gives permission for this. He is not aggressive at all, but has a bit of "cat-like indifference." You can see it in his photo. As I stood chatting with his human, Jesse indicated that he would like to be recognized, and he appreciated the extra-long head scratching I gave him. An athletic dog, his human reports that he can catch a ball on the fly at 300 ft. Jesse dislikes puppies, but has excellent doggie manners. He and Henley had an appropriate greeting and butt-sniff.