Gidget Has Moved In!!! by Freddy and Kaede

Gidget just appeared out of nowhere. Goodness knows what they were thinking but our humans brought her home. That's right. They brought her right into my house. They let her walk on my grass. They even gave her food from my magic cupboard. 

If you don't know who she is, well Gidget is a nuisance. She's six months old, wiggles around all over the place and she just plain got in the way. Look at this picture. That's Gidget standing near me. Don't you think she looks annoying?

I'm the big handsome Ridgeback on the left. Gidget is the dopey looking one.

She slept in a crate and cried the first couple of nights she was here. Sometimes she peed on the floor. Can you believe it? Our people just quietly wiped it up and took her outside. That's when I would come inside. She kept trying to kiss me. Here is another picture of her trying to look cute. Well, I have to admit it. She was cute and after a couple of days I quite got used to her being around.

Gidget looking cute.

 When we were in the house Gidget had to stay in the kitchen and family room because she couldn't be trusted. I already told you she peed on the floor? Well, I'm telling you again. She peed on the floor!!

Here I am ignoring her in MY backyard.

 If you notice, you will see that there are no pictures of Gidget taken with Kaede. Oh boy, oh boy. Gidget wasn't even allowed to sniff Kaede. Oh no. Kaede gave her that evil stare of hers with that weird blue eye, growled in her direction and Gidget would run as fast as she could in the opposite direction. I'm a bit more subtle. I just would wander into another room where Gidget wasn't allowed and sleep. Gidget was active so we went to dog park a lot. When we were there Kaede played with Gidget a lot and I did too but as soon as we got home she was sent back to the kitchen and got the silent treatment from us. A couple of times, though, I let her come up and lay next to me in the sun. She wasn't that bad really. Once I got to know her.


One day at the dog park a dog named Tater was there with his people. They are people who love Rhodesian Ridgebacks and had always wanted one. That's when our lady human told them about Gidget. Seems Gidget was only visiting. Did I hear right? Visiting? Hmmm, I was liking the sound of that. She's a rescue? She's a rescue and adoption applications are being accepted for her. Wow. My lady human was telling them how good Gidget was. Ha! She peed on the floor remember. But I wasn't going to draw it to anyone's attention if it meant she was going to live with them. They were talking about 'procedures'. They were stroking Gidget and she was being all cute and cuddly the way puppies are. 


A few days later our lady human and Gidget went for a walk and Gidget didn't come back. My lady human said that Gidget was last seen happily laying on Tater's bed and chewing on one of his bones. Tater sounds like a pushover to me!! Then both of our humans took down her crate, packed up her silly squeaky toys and her bed and drove away with all that in the car. Then they came home and washed the kitchen floor and got rid of ALL EVIDENCE that Gidget was ever here. Today we got this picture in the computer.

That's her. That's Gidget with her new friend, Tater. She doesn't look so bad after all.

 They said she's happy and Tater likes her. Well, Tater is still a youngster himself. Of course he likes her. And they will get to go on long walks and go to dog park and to the beach. Wow, good for Gidget. I think I liked her after all.


Gidget Has Moved In!!

Kaede here. Gidget came and ruined my life. Then she left. The end!!

Freddy's Exciting News

I have some pretty amazing news to tell you all. My man, who you have heard me talk about many times, decided to try an 'experiment'. He likes to ride his bicycle and he wondered what would happen if I went with him.

He didn't know that I was just going to love it to pieces. The first day we didn't go far. He walked beside the bicycle and I walked beside him while he held our leash. Well, let's face it, anyone can do that!! But he thought it was pretty darned good that I could walk next to a bicycle that he was rolling along so I let him praise me. After we walked around a bit he started to ride. Well, that was different. Walking next to wheels is not the same as walking next to legs. For one thing they go faster and I like that. I have very long legs and the people don't so we always go too slow for me. This bicycle business, I liked it a lot.

We rode down a hill and through a park that had grass in case I ran off after a squirrel (which I would do!!) and my man fell over or something. Then we went home. He was very pleased with himself that he had taught me how to walk next to a bike!! Please refer to my second paragraph - it's not rocket science - walking next to a bicycle. But, my woman human was all excited and he was all excited so I let them praise me to the skies then left them to it and went to have a nap.

That's not me, of course. But it's my man and my woman and their granddaughter showing off their matching helmets.

Now, he takes me all the time with him and we go on much longer walks. I love it. I get 'exercised' and so does he - that's a good deal, right? We don't have to go on the grass any more because I don't run off or run into the wheels, I trot along beside him at a respectable distance and watch the world go by. It's nice to spend time on my own with my man. It's nice too to do something that Kaede isn't pushing her nose into. She's not invited on a bicycle. Only me.

The only thing my man doesn't like is when I stop suddenly. And I stop suddenly every time we go out. You see, it's my bowels. Clockwork. And when a boy has to go a boy has to go.


The end.

Freddy Talks About the Beach

The beach. What can I say about the beach. It is the best place on earth probably. You can get dirty and smelly and there is always something to investigate. It's just plain wonderful.

Our first trip to the beach was probably the best. There weren't many people there because it was windy and people don't like it when it's windy. Our people unhooked us from their leashes and Kaede and I ran like the wind, jumping up and down, bumping chests and sniffing and smelling and running wild. She even ran into the water but not me, no siree, not this boy. I  don't like the water!!

After that first time we went to the beach nearly every day. We weren't allowed to be free anymore because the people were there. Lots of them. Lots of dogs too, walking along with their people, and lots of birds flying low. I don't bother much with birds but Kaede likes to chase them if she can. I kind of walk along at a nice leisurely pace with my man while Kaede and her lady go ahead of us and put their feet in the water.

 One day we met some fishermen. My man is interested in doing that so he talked to the fishermen and he was told they catch something called a Pompano. That's a fish. This person is sitting staring at the water hoping a fish will  jump up into her lap.

Here is a picture of the beach where we walked and walked.Don't you think it is just super?


I know Kaede thought I would talk about the beach a lot but no. I really want to tell you about the squirrels. There were millions in our backyard. That was the most fun thing in the world. The beach was good but the squirrels? Nothing better than chasing a squirrel up a tree and barking at him with my deep voice and scaring him to pieces. Nothing!!



Here I am on the back deck keeping an eye out for squirrels.

It didn't matter where I was or what I was doing (except eating of course) I knew when there was a squirrel around. I would rush outside barking my head off and chase that squirrel up a tree and sit under that tree to make sure he didn't come back down. Sometimes I almost climbed the tree myself. I did this six or seven times a day sometimes. I never got tired of treeing squirrels. Sometimes my people would try to make me stop but nothing could stop me. -people sure do make a fuss about being woken up in the middle of the night!! Even people who love you.



The best tree in the whole world.

I love, love, love this tree. Want to know why? Because it is in the backyard of the Florida house and the squirrels eat this. That's right they EAT THIS fruit. If they want to EAT THIS fruit they have to come into the BACKYARD, into MY backyard. Then I  get to bark and chase them. So, you can understand why I Love, Love, Love this tree. 

St Augustine loves Freddy and Kaede

It's true. St. Augustine loved us. We, Freddy and me, were treated like, well...like people.



We are on the bridge looking at the 'old' town of St. Augustine.



Almost every day this is what we did. First, our people would talk to us and say stuff like, "Walk? Kaede want to go for a walk?" "What about you Freddy? Freddy want to go for a walk?" Well, it was kind of embarrassing so Freddy and I would jump around all excited and they would leash us up. We figured that's what they expected so we did it every time. Danced the 'happy' dance for them.

Off we'd go through the streets where our house was and then over a bridge. The bridge was very long. My lady and I were both a little bit nervous about the bridge because it had a part where we could look down and see the water and I thought my paws would go through. They never did. One day some bells rang very loudly and we had to stop while that scary part of the bridge went up and some boats floated under. We just sat and waited.

On the other side of the bridge was the old part of St. Augustine. The streets are very narrow and there were always lots of people walking around. Lots of them stroked us and made a fuss about my blue eye. I like that. Freddy was popular because everyone seemed to know  that he was Rhodesian Ridgeback and I guess people in St. Augustine like those kinds of dogs. I like him too but, jeez, I'm very cute.

Walking through those skinny streets was lots of fun. There was lots to look at and see and so many really fabulous smells. After walking for a long time our people would take us somewhere they could sit down and drink or eat and Freddy and I would wait patiently at their side. Oops, ha ha. You know I meant to say that Freddy would wait patiently at their side. There was always too much going on for me to do that. I had to look around and check everything and everybody out.

Here is a picture of a restaurant we went to a lot. One of the people who brings food and wears a uniform said we were her favourite regulars. Ha! Regulars. Pretty cool.



This is the restaurant where we were 'regulars'.



While our people eat and drink the uniformed people bring us our own bowl of water. There were other doggies sitting at tables with their people but I was not allowed to go over to them and play. I could only look.



Freddy lounging, me not lounging. outside a restaurant.



When our people had finished their food it was time to walk back over the bridge to our Florida house. After a rest our people would put Freddy and me in the back of the car and we  would go to the BEACH!! I loved the beach. More about that later. Or,  perhaps Freddy can tell you about the beach when he writes. He's right beside me itching to get his paws on the computer. :)

Kaede Went on a Trip Too

Hi, it's me Kaede. I'll just continue where Freddy left off. Except for one thing. The reason I squish up in a small corner in the crowded car is because Freddy stretches out his very long body and takes all the room!! There, I said it.

Anyway, my trip was pretty much the same as his so I won't tell you about that. I'll start where he left off.

We are on the beach. The beach is really beautiful. There is so much sand and the smells. You can't keep up with the smells. They are everywhere. Lovely smells. Smells of birds and bird poop, feathers, bits of human food, fish, everything all in one spot. My nose was going crazy. My lady and I are pretty good friends, you know, so she is always with me. I keep myself close to her and make sure she holds on tight to my leash so she doesn't get lost. We like the water. The water moves in and then it moves away. It was hard to tell where it was going to be. Suddenly your feet are covered in water, then they aren't, then splash, the water was up to my face almost. We ran and laughed (yes, I laugh!!) and kicked up the sand. 

We watched the birds fly away in fright of me and got wet and ran some more in the sand. It was the best thing I had ever done, I think. There weren't many other people there so our people let us loose and Freddy and I ran as fast as our legs could carry us and jumped up in the air and down again and up and down and bumped chests. When we do that my lady always says that I play just like a Ridgeback. Well, I could have told her that. My mom was half Ridgeback after all.

Then we walked all the way back to the car and Freddy and I were wet and sandy but our people didn't care. They drove us to a place called a Taco Stand where they sat outside and had tacos and beer while Freddy and I laid at their feet and watched the world go by.

This was our first day in the magic place called St. Augustine. I think Freddy and I are going to like this place. There's nothing like snoozing at your ladies feet in the hot sun, your best friend, Freddy, snoozing at his man's feet next to you while the world just goes on by.

Pictures coming as soon as my human person shows me how to put them into the computer without any thumbs.

Until next time,
Kaede

Freddy Goes On a Trip

It's been such a long time since Kaede, my brown mutt friend, or I have written anything I hardly know where to start.

I know. I will tell you about our trip we took to Florida. Our people (who we love madly) packed up the car one day with suitcases. I was getting kind of nervous because I thought we would be left behind. But no. As soon as I saw them open the magic cupboard where our food is kept and put our food in the car I knew. Whereever they were going, we were going too. It was pretty squishy back there with all the luggage and the food containers but we didn't care. Kaede and I hopped up there and laid on our soft comfy beds and had a bit of a snooze.

It's easy to sleep in a car. I just stretch out and get really comfy. Kaede not so much. For some reason she squishes up in a small space.

We drove and drove and drove. We stopped and our people walked us around a bit and then they sat in the car and ate things. We got water. We drove and drove and drove some more until we stopped and went into a room. It was okay because our beds and food went into the room too. Our lady took us for a walk and when we got back to the room she and our man ate their food.

The next day was pretty much the same except I did notice it was getting warmer and our people weren't wearing as many clothes. We all slept in a different room that night.

The next day was glorious. We were in a place called Florida!! We didn't just have a room. We had a whole house with a backyard. Kaede and I ran around the house smelling and sniffing everything and our people made sure our beds were in the perfect spot. They brought all the stuff in and then we went for a walk. It was the best walk of my life!!


This is part of  the backyard. I'll tell you about the squirrels I got to chase later on.


We went to a place called a beach. There was sand as far as I could see. There was also water that I don't like and my man kept trying to get me to put my feet in it but I just wasn't going to do that. Kaede did.



Here we are walking along the beach. Isn't it just beautiful!!

 We walked and walked and walked and walked. It was so nice. The sun was shining on us and the sand was warm on my feet. It was wonderful not being in the car.

We were there such a long time. I think I will have to continue this story because my paws are getting tired from all this typing.

SINGING - by Freddy the Rhodesian Ridgeback

When my man human plays his trumpet, wowzers, something takes a hold of me, right in my heart. I can't help it. My muzzle points to the sky and out of the depths of me comes loud, wonderful music. I just let it rip without a thought for anything else. Always on key, hitting just the right note, singing to the wide open sky. I'm the big guy, the Rhodesian Ridgeback.

Boom,there she is, Kaede,right alongside me, singing her little heart out. She feels it too, the wildness in all of us that has been tamed and calmed.

Together, the music takes us to another time and place. We're not sure where it is or when it was but it's in our souls and hearts and memories. It's somewhere wild and free where we run like the wind, we answer to no one, a place without fences or rules; we run the land living on our guile and wits.


Anyway, have to go now; they are opening the magic cupboard where the food comes from and I don't want to be late. Maybe being free and wild isn't all it's cracked up to be in my dreams. There's a lot to be said for a warm bed and three square meals a day.


Until next time, Freddy.

Afternoon Skiing with the Humans - by Kaede

It's been a long time since I have written about my life. Last time I promised I would tell you a bit about my life when I first went to live with my lady but that can keep. I am pretty excited to tell you about what we do here when it's winter time and there is snow. 

We go skiing. Well, I don't, of course. I run and run and run like the wind with Freddy. I jump on his head, we chase each other through the woods and it is just wonderful. We meet other dogs and greet and sniff them then we run on again.

That's me, see, in the front. You can just see Freddy and our human lady behind me. So much fun.

Once when we were out there, Freddy cut himself really badly on a branch in the woods. Our humans made him wear a t-shirt. I have to tell you, he looked pretty funny. So funny that I thought I would let you all see and decide for yourselves.

See, I was right. I was right. He does look pretty funny.  They posed him like that so they could take his picture. I think they laughed at him too!!

I'm also showing you a picture of me and Freddy with our winter coats on. Don't you think we look beautiful? Especially me. Pretty in pink, don't you think?

That's it for now folks. I'll do better and tell you more about my life very, very soon. Gotta' go skiing now.
Love from Kaede & Freddy