Tag Archives: boxer

Throwback – Red Ball

Some people think anything more than a few months old is ripe enough for a Throwback Thursday post. Those of you who have seen my posts know I usually go back decades. Oh well, the price of age ;) Today is different, I’m going to go back almost exactly 2 years. The picture at the top of the page was taken on the 8th of August, 2014.

Notice the red ball? Little Fiyero, somewhere around 4 months old in that picture, loved that ball. It was his favorite toy and he constantly wanted to play. He’d push it against my leg and growl, letting me know he wanted me to try to steal it, and once taken, throw it. This could happen any time of day or night. He loved it. Continue reading →

Throwback Thursday – Brady and the Kayak

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We got our first dog/Boxer, Brady, just a few months after we got our first kayak. Needless to say, the two went together. There were few times when we used the kayak together that Brady was not a passenger. Brady loved being with us but did not love the kayak and made this known by trying to climb into my lap or jump overboard when it got rough. Sometimes he had all four paws on the edge! Of course it wasn’t always easy dragging the 90 lb Boxer (100% muscle) out of the water when he was most prone to fall in, that is when it was very rough.

Elliot did better in the kayak, though he would occasionally get very clingy. A few times I tried to go out solo only to have Elliot swim out to me. We also went double while someone else was watching him only to have him escape and swim after us – we were already over a half a mile away! (Away = off shore) Continue reading →

Weekly Smile Week 8 #weeklysmile

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Weekly Smile #WeeklySmile

At the last minute I decided to change my smile. I’m sorry, but today’s smile will be bitter sweet.

I haven’t posted in a few days and so, of course, I’ve been having few views. Half way through the day I noticed a spike. Curious I looked and someone had gone through the pictures of my last Boxer, Elliot Carter McDonald (yes, he was named after the famous American composer who was still living when Elliot was born). I didn’t think anything of it, people do pick up old posts. Only later I saw someone had gone back and looked more. They also looked at some other puppy posts, like of baby Idina and baby Fiyero. But it was mostly Elliot. Spread out over 5 hours someone kept coming back and looking. Some of the early puppy pictures were viewed 14 times. All in all, I had half again as many views as my previous top viewing day, and it was all one person.

I couldn’t resist. I had to go and look. So I went through the pictures one at a time. I wrote a narrative along with the pictures. The each have a sentence or two about him. The post was a memorial. So I read all of the words and remembered. For a while last night I had a large smile on my face while I had a tear in my eye. OK, not one tear, but many. Elliot had an oversized personality and was in many way like a child. His end came far too early and way too sudden. But this morning I will continue to remember him and keep with the smile part. Continue reading →

A Smile a Day – Day 16 – Dogs and Kids

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Going through some old pictures I came across the picture at the top of the page. This was taken in the summer of 2006. We were at a place on Cape Cod that took dogs. Some friends stopped by for the afternoon with their 2 kids. As I was showing them my newest camera, an Olympus E-1, the kids were playing with our white Boxer, Brady. It’s funny because nobody realized i had taken a picture until I sent them this. I like the picture because it can be any kids and any dog, it does matter. It is the play that is the same.

A Smile a Day – Day 4 – Lazy Dog Fetch

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I’ll admit that little makes me smile as much as my furry family members. A few weeks ago I posted a video of my Boxer Fiyero chasing a ball down a hill in the woods. It’s one of his favorite games. He also likes to catch the ball. Sometimes he will combine the two activities. He will sit at the top of a hill. I throw the ball. He catches it and then drops it so it rolls to me feet. We repeat. I call it “Lazy Dog Fetch”. It’s hard to see the actual catch in this 8 second video – if you repeat it you may, uhm, catch it.

(Click here is you don’t see the video)

Here is the chasing through the woods video – it’s 38 seconds and set to music, something i now call “Gravity’s Playmate”.

(Click here if you didn’t see the video)

Yes, it is my dog, but something about watching him play brings a smile to my face. How about you? Do like to see the enthusiasm dogs can bring to their play?

Throw Back Thursday Photo – 10 Years Ago Today – Diane and Brady

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OK, I’m not sure of the exact date, but this picture was taken sometime during the first two weeks of November 2005. Brady was almost a year old at this point. He was our first Boxer. He was great dog. I may do a post on just him someday. But for now I hope you enjoy this picture of a mother’s love for her child, even a furry child ;) (No, he isn’t that tall, she’s holding him)

Gravity’s Playmate

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When Fiyero was 8 weeks old and came to live with us, I’d roll a ball up the drive and have him chase it as it came back down. He quickly figured it out and started to carry it up himself. Then he did it with hills in the yard. Now he goes into the woods and rolls them down very steep hills. He can entertain himself for hours that way. Of course if Idina is around he plays with her and he still likes me to throw the ball, but Gravity is one of his favorite playmates.

I took some video with my phone today. My phone has an ultra wide angle lens. It is useless for anything except panoramic pictures, but it does a great job with those. The problem is you can’t tell how big or steep the hill is. It looks small in the video. Still, it’s kind of fun.

So here it is, Gravity’s Playmate.

(If you don’t see the video below, please click here)

The Conversation

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I was out walking my white boxer, Brady. It was a dark evening, but I felt that there was no place safer than a small town. Besides, Brady was pretty big and could be intimidating if you didn’t know him. As I was heading back, walking down a road with no houses or street lamps, a large, older car pulled up beside me. It was dark, but my guess was an early 1970s Cadillac. This happened in 2006. The driver rolled down the window. I couldn’t see her very well and had no clue who it could be.

“Do I know you?” she asked.

“I’m not sure,” I answered. “What’s your name?”

“Oh, I know you,” she said. “You went to Georgetown.”

“I’m sorry, you must have me confused with someone else,” I said. “Good evening, I must be on my way.”

“But you did go to Georgetown, didn’t you?” she asked.

“No.” Continue reading →

Photos from Cape Cod – Late February 2015

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Last year was our first winter with the cottage on Cape Cod. We visited quite often even though it was a much colder and snowier winter than usual.

And then there was this winter.

Remember my post about the Foss-McDonald Glacier? If not, go back and take a look. Yeah, it was that bad. Continue reading →

Elliot and Sushi Dance – Video

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Early in February of 2014 we lost our Boxer Elliot Carter McDonald. yes, he was named after the famous American Composer, Elliott Carter. Only a little over a month later we lost our Shih Tzu, Sushi. Sushi had heart issues that became much worse after Elliot passed away.

Today I discovered this video. I had recorded it almost exactly 5 years ago – we brought Elliot home on Valentine’s Day. Elliot was just a little thing. He was sometimes able to entice Sushi to play when he was this size,though later he couldn’t. Continue reading →

Trent's World (the Blog)

Random Ramblings and Reviews from Trent P. McDonald