Hallowe'en Contest Winner!

October 24. 2016.

CONGRATULATIONS!  



OMG!  Can you stand it?!  How original!

Thank you Tabitha and Matt for sending in this hilarious pic of your two gangstah dawgs!  They received a gift bag with K-9 and human treats!

For our Thanksgiving/Fall themed contest, smply decorate your dawg(s) and enter to win a $50.00 gift bag!  To enter, simply e.mail your photo(s) to: soniatheobalds8@gmail.com.  Draw will be held November 15th.  Let us know your dog's name, age, breed, etc. and permission to post on FB and our blog.   

Thank you for following our blog!

Zuma and Sonia.

Me and My Friends (Random Dog Thoughts #2)

October 18. 2016             

Aaah, Ya got any breath mints?

Do you think she's gonna be a while?

Can you spare a Cheerio?

I love it when we go out for a drink.

Let me show you my tricks!

Ooh Baby!  You're one of my kind!

Can I get your number?

Sidewalk chillin' with a cool Chihuahua x.

(He's adorable, but I just can't get that big handsome brute 

of a Dane out of my mind).

It's nice to stretch out with your Boxer buddy.

And hang with this handsome Catahoula, 

he's pretty easy on the eyes.

And this big black German Terrier.

And Gigi, she's a mini me!

And a Party Girl.

But .... then .... there he is again.

Ever feel like someone is watching you?

Thanks for checkin' in!

~ Zuma.

Four Days To Go for the Hallowe'en Dog Costume Contest!

October 17, 2016

Yaaaah!  Only four days to go until the judging for our "Blogtest" (aka Blog Contest).  Yeh, I made that word up.

Anyway, send us a pic of you and your dog or just a pic of your dog in your best Hallowe'en outfits (and tell us a little about your dog) to: soniatheobalds8@gmail.com

Best Hallowe'en Outfit Categories:

Funniest
Scariest
Most Original

Prizes:  

Each category winner will receive a gift bag of goodies for you and your dog, each one valued at $50.00 or more!

Mobile Veterinary Service!

October 17, 2016



Last weekend at PET FEST we had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Matthew Pisani who has recently opened CROSSROADSMOBILE veterinary clinic in Asheville.  We need to establish a relationship with a local veterinarian, so we made an appointment for him to come to the Park last Thursday. 

Mobile Veterinary units are an excellent solution for many:  having a problem transporting your pet to the vet?  Problem solved. Crossmobile will come to you!  No more spending your time stuffing whining, uncooperative cats into cages, no more stressed out pets 'cuz this friendly Doctor will make your pet feel relaxed at his/her own home.   And think how impressed your husband will be when you tell him you had the dog castrated right here in the driveway!

The Crossroadsmobile Unit is brand new and fully equipped with x-ray, a pristine surgery room, lab equipment and everything else a regular veterinary hospital carries.  It's an immaculate facility.





Zuma required a Health Exam for Therapy Team Evaluation.  She was welcomed and immediately hopped right into the mobile hospital!  We had Zu's vaccinations updated and also they ran some bloodwork (the results were done "in house" and I had them when I left), Dr. Matthew took a fecal sample and microchipped her. Everything looks great.  Zuma was very happy about the whole thing and, in her usual stoic way, didn't make a peep.  In fact she was delighted she was allowed to sniff the whole place out.

Dr. Matthew's wife is a Veterinary Technician, they work together.
Good Karma.



Why yes, there's my thumb in the corner of the photo.



The whole experience was very relaxing and positive.  After all, it's all about bedside (kennelside?) manner, right?!



#MobileVeterinaryClinic, #Crossroadsmobileveterinaryclinic, #Dr.MatthewPisani, #PetFest, #AshevilleOutlets, #NorthCarolinaVeterinarian, #GreatDaneDogs

PET FEST and CRITTER MAGAZINE

October 15, 2016

               

Last Sunday morning (October 9) we went over to the Asheville Outlets Mall to have a coffee and walk with Zuma.  It's clean and bright and new and we can walk in the sun or shade.  Usually it's not very busy on Sunday mornings, but that morning there were dogs everywhere.  We were told "Critter" magazine, partnering with Asheville Outlets, was holding an event for pets and their families. In their recent publication, I found the ad for the PET FEST which states: "A portion of proceeds from the event will benefit community spay/neuter and rescue transport programs.". Giddy up!  We're in!  

There were several rescue booths, lots of doggie goodies to purchase, an action-packed Ultimate Air Dogs Competition featuring some of the country's best high flyin' canines as well as the Critter Magazine Cover Dog Contest!  We met a Veterinarian with a mobile unit and made an appointment (see next blog). 

These lovely ladies were representing the Edith Allen Wildlife Sanctuary.  I chatted with them for a while, they were very knowledgeable and informative.  At the Sanctuary they rescue and rehabilitate small wildlife.  

                

One of the rescue groups brought along a miniature horse.  He was quite happy to strut his stuff around the Outlet grounds in all his fuzzy cuteness receiving scratches and admiration for adorableness.
                

This guy was so sweet and friendly, despite being starved and abused and speckled with scars from old, unattended wounds.  He will soon be adoption-ready.  Can't blame him for what people did to him in the past.  He has forgiven.
                

This cute puppy was also available for adoption.
It's a fuzzy photo 'cuz he was 
so happy to be at the party he couldn't sit still!
(Actually, I was so jacked up on coffee 
I couldn't hold the camera steady).

                          

The Boxer Rescue Group hosted a kissing booth 

with an adorable black and white Boxer puppy.

                          

It all started innocently enough.  We'd all just twirled three times and plunked down outside the coffee shop when some people stopped to chat with Zuma and asked us "Are you here for the competition?". We didn't know anything about a competition.  "You should enter the competition!".  So we looked into it and Doug said he'd take Zuma in and we paid and signed up.

                                

There were 18 dogs entered in all. 

 

They went onto the stage and were judged individually.  Some of the dogs performed brilliant tricks.  Zuma walked around the runway, checked out the scene and then realized she could get petted by the friendly stage side crowd.  Then the judges made the announcement and Zuma won!

         Zuma staring at the paparazzi (me) 

while the crowds reached out to pet her!

               

Then she humbly received a huge gift bag full of  goodies, which included all sorts of fantastic doggie items and gift cards!  

The best gift of all is that she was photographed and will be the Cover Girl for the November issue of Critter Magazine!

The event was extremely well-organized,  the sun shone and the Mall was filled with happy dogs and people.  And even a mini equine!  What a fun day!

#CritterMagazine, #AshevilleOutlets, #Dog Show, #Rescuedogs, #BoxerRescue, #GreatDanedog, #North Carolina. 

Looking On The Bright Side

October 11, 2016



We decided to  go for a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway yesterday morning. With all the awfulness in the world (like the destruction caused by Hurricane Mathew, the political debates, etc., plus several dear friends going through difficult life challenges), it just felt like the right thing to do.    

As our car climbed higher and higher, the altitude caused our ears to pop.  We floated in silence along the winding road under a brilliant blue sky, each in our own thoughts, in our own personal warm bubble of quietude.  It felt so healthy to simply breathe in and out and decompress, to wish away all the black pieces of the puzzle and see the bright side.  

The mountains are just beginning to show their coats of many colors.  When I'm in the mountains, the sheer raw magnificance of the landscape overwhelms me, it takes over everything.  And it even makes the crazy debate stuff melt away in my mind.
Doug took this panoramic shot of the magnificent vista.



Some of the best views in the area are at the top of Mount Pisgah. There were scores of people sitting in Adirondack chairs and on the lawns at the Pisgah Inn (altitude 5,721'), known as The Peak of The Parkway.  People were sipping sweet tea and smiling in the sun, soaking in the views, so we stopped to join them.  Her tail wagging furiously, we could see Zu was thinking, "Oh Boy! What a great party!".  She was delighted to be welcomed by all and happily hung out with everybody.  Zuma loves a good party.

We eventually left the Parkway and traveled along the squiggly road to the town of Brevard where we stopped for lunch and enjoyed the fun Hallowe'en spirit displayed by the downtown merchants.  

              

We've had a busy few days and it was good to 

feel the peace and tranquility 
and to know that, looking around us, 
the mountains are still standing strong and that, 

while we all have our hills to climb,
we just have to stray strong and 

things are going to work out. 

For everyone.

#PisgahInn, #PeakofThe Parkway, GreatDanedogs, #friends, #BlueRidgeParkway, #Brevard, #NorthCarolina


          

Hurricane Matthew.

October 9, 2016

It was a dark and stormy night.  Seriously.  And it was really freaking windy.  Yesterday the tail end of Hurricane Matthew hit here; the power went out in the evening and came back on just after 5 a.m.  But, thankfully, we were safe in our tiny house and Zuma was happy to snuggle in between us.  (Any excuse for her to monopolize the king-size bed).  I do believe I appreciated her heating blanket qualities more than Doug.We woke up with stiff backs from arranging ourselves like pretzels around her bulk and she stretched and hopped out of bed fresh as a daisy.

                        

Thankfully, here in Asheville we survived well but on Tybee and in Savannah (where we spent the winter), it was a bad scene with flooding and trees down, massive power outages and some people were killed in NC.  Hilton Head near Savannah got slammed and the roads may not be open for days.  We met a woman from Hilton Head who told us there are about 10,000 trees down there.  She and her family, like thousands of others, were evacuated from the coast and fled up here where it's high and dry.  The Park is FULL and hotel rooms are nearly impossible to find.  Those poor people, dreading what they will find when they return to their homes.

We want to thank you, gentle readers, for e.mailing and calling to check we are okay.  We feeled truly blessed.

#SylvaMovies, #HotRods, #Mountain Towns

October 5, 2016.

Cherokee was a great base for us last week.  We went for several day trips, had a blast with Zuma walks, kept each other on track with work, met people from all over the place for yard long conversations and exchanges of travel ideas and suggestions.  Ate too much but oh well.  Southern cookin' is good cookin'.  

Hey! Winter's comin' ya'll!  So why is this Hydrangea blooming?

Feelin' bloathish from too many hasty road snacks and visibly wasting away by the minute, I searched Trip Advisor for a healthy meal in Cherokee.  We'd arrived late the day and, feeling a tad peckish, we'd opted to snarf down KFC for the first time in 30 years.  Iiii know.  Not long afterwards we felt like we'd eaten lead-injected salt licks.  It was my fault, my suggestion. Bad one.  Pass the TUMS.  WHY do I eat fried food?  Damn, it was good when I ate it.  I know I can't eat fried food! Whaaat was I thinking?  I'll try it again in another 30 years. 

So, after that, I remembered a while ago I'd been on Trip Advisor researching healthy restaurants and poof!  "Sassy Sunflowers" kept popping up and then, we suddenly passed by it and the lights went on in my brain and I started jumping up and down in the car which was really tricky and I remembered the Trip Advisor recommendations and we turned the car around and we were hooked! We had cold drinks and a cookie the first day and then we went every day while we were in Cherokee.  Fresh soup and salads, scrumptious sandwiches and wraps, decadent baked goods, we were in Heaven.  Here's Doug gettin' all sassy and Zuma flaked out on the deck.

Dog-friendly and people-friendly, we were very happy to be welcomed by the owners, who have a Dane and other large dogs; they loved Zuma and gave her cookies and a fresh bowl of water and didn't mind her lounging like a furry speed bump taking up half the deck with her long spider legs.  We are so happy we met such wonderful people and found a healthy place to eat brunch/lunch. 

One day, we went to the small mountain town of Sylva for an afternoon and walked around.  I'd read that it's picturesque setting is frequently chosen as the set for several films, including parts of The Fugitive.

The people there have a fine sense of mountain humor.

Really, it's not like that at all, ya'll.  

It's beautiful and pristine with lovely homes and buildings and trendy shops and friendly people.

This past spring and summer the upcoming movie "Three Billboards For Ebbing, Missouri" was filmed here.  The film crew "altered" the buildings to make the downtown look like Missouri. Whaaaat?  Give these mountain towns their dues, ya'll.

"Billboards" stars Francis McDormand, Woody Harelson and Peter Dinklage.  Oh yeh, and while I'm on a name-dropping binge, Jennifer Lopez was spotted kickin' around in Asheville with Woody after visiting the set in Sylva.  Just hangin'. 

  
Back to reality.  Nearby, there is a large Native Cherokee site known as Judaculla Rock, where, hundreds of years ago, petroglyphs were carved into a protruding, western-facing stone that is overlooked by the mountains and warmed by sunsets.  

Doug and I had the privilege of discussing the significance of this petroglyph site with a Cherokee Native at Oconaluftee Village (I'm fascinated by Native culture).  He was familiar with the Judacullah rock and feels that it is a map of Cherokee villages and homes.  

The depressions in the rock show at least ten stick people, a winged figure, cross-like etchings, rings, deer tracks and claw prints and yes, I think there is a map-like pattern all around.  Fascinating.  

What do you think???

Nobody really knows what Judaculla Rock represents, but it is a beautiful, humble reminder, a message from the people who lived in that area so long ago. 

It's a shame it isn't protected from the elements 

but perhaps that will come.

Returning to Cherokee, we passed these Hot Rods on the road. Fortunately, they parked for lunch and I was able to skulk around the parking lot to photograph their immaculate vehicles.

Now there's something you don't see every day! 

This car was towing the smaller version which serves as a trailer! 

These folks were part of a Hot Rod Rally.  Quite the culture jolt for us after our past few days of getting back to nature .... 

I guess that's what I love most about this trip.  Every day we are privy to something we wouldn't normally experience.  I am so grateful that we are able to make this journey happen.

#vintagehotrods, #sassysunflowers, #healthy lunch, #great dane dogs, #travel, #Cherokee, NC