TGIF

Hi. It's Bailey. Thank Goodness its Friday .. moms watching the baseball game on TV so I decided to sneak a peek and check out whats she's been writing about me on this blog. :) I hope everyone has a great weekend, and remember to enJoy everyday to the fullest... ! Sweet dreams...

*YAWN*

Video Friday: weaving & baseball games

We're going to start a video friday series.. since Bailey has so many home videos he would like to share with you all!! Plus, its good timing since our camera is currently still out of order...

First off, here's a video of Bailey performing the "weave" trick. If you listen closely and ignore my voice, you can hear him grunting, his way of telling me "now how many more do I need to do to get that treat?"

..

And I recently dug up this video for all the baseball fans out there. We can't wait until this year!!!! Go Giants!

sneak peek fashion show

Not sure what you guys all think about dogs and clothing, but I think.. if the dog doesn't mind - then why not?? . I've found that its pretty hard to find any type of clothing (especially halloween costumes) that fit perfectly on those long bodies and short legs... so when I do see something like a banana costume with a corgi model on the tag, i gravitate towards that because i know it will fit better. I always have bailey in a jacket if its raining outside and if we are going on a walk or to the dog park, well , because those low bellies just track up everything!

 I really think bailey would make a wonderful dog clothing model.... he has that "look" ... i call it FIERCE!

Take a look down this catwalk & clothing guide ...
*hip music plays in the background*

First up, here is bailey tasting the clothing to ensure proper quality. Corgis should only wear the finest materials! I think this shirt is bailey-approved! *OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH*

Secondly, we must ensure that all clothing does not restrict any corgi from eating. That would be a big no-no! See how great he is eating... fabulous! nom nom nom

Third, the piece of clothing should not interfere with playtime. Look how he is able to stretch his arms forward! :) *thumbs up*



Fourth, the item of clothing should also keep a corgi warm. Look how that fuzzy fleece jacket just hugs him all over!!







The article of clothing also needs to be stylish. What corgi wouldn't want to walk out in public with this jacket!!! *OOOHHH ... AHHHHHH!!!!!*

 The corgi must always be happy in his outfit, just see to the left, that smile of pure joy! I think bailey could star in the doggie version of baywatch, don't you think so? *clap clap clap*

Finally, the piece of clothing ought to be pratical of course (not that the previous ones were not...)! .. and it must fit perfectly like this awesome orange raincoat!!! *oooohhhh ahhhhhh*







There are a couple of other items in bailey's "closet", but well that might be another page or two... hahahahahah, but does not wear them everyday. Do your corgis wear clothing?

if bailey could talk... what would bailey the corgi say?

Do you ever have those moments where you wonder what your dog would say if he could say something??? I get those moments almost every day, and here are some I’d like to share. Maybe you can relate:

1. Scenario: I’m getting up for work at 6am, Bailey’s in his bed, motionless but eyes are open.
What Bailey would say: “Is it already 6am, mom? Can you hit the snooze for another 10 minutes?” or maybe he’s pondering “Hmm.. what’s for breakfast today?” or “*YAWN* What is that bright light…….*blink blink*”

2. Scenario: I just arrived home, and open the door.
What Bailey would say: “Mom!!!! I’m so happy to see you!!! And I missed you a lot, and let me show you how much energy I have….”

3. Scenario: We just got home from the dog park. Bailey has that look in his eye of avoidance at all costs
What Bailey would say: “Don’t you dare. I am not dirty!!! I don’t need a stinkin bath!!!” or “I wonder if I’d fit under the couch just about now…”

4. Scenario: I take out the vacuum, broom, swiffer, hair dryer, etc and attempt to clean the house
What Bailey would say: “#@%^@#^125@@##%~! get that intruder out of here.. no one cleans in my house!!!”

5. Scenario: I go over to pick up his poop at the park and Bailey looks back for a split second
What Bailey would say: “What the heck are you doing mom?? You are so weird!!!”… and then he runs off embarrassed… (I wonder a lot if Bailey thinks i embarass him).

6. Scenario: Bailey and I in the pet store browsing the aisles
What Bailey would say: “Mom, I really don’t need anything else… let’s just head to the checkout counter for fun so that I can score a free treat” .

7. Scenario: I am watching TV, bailey walks around a bit and plops down facing me, ears twitching and eyes scanning around me
What Bailey would say: “Mom, I love you so much and I hope you know that” or “I’m tired, can I sit on that couch too?!?!!??” .

However, I am glad that they cannot talk. I believe that would be way too strange ……. And probably would creep me out just a tad.  I wonder what Bailey would say about this blog… hahahha.

treats galore and saving with bailey

Pardon us for posting twice in a day, I had these blog posts typed up over the weekend and "lined up" for this week and.. well we couldn't wait!

Anyone else have enough treats to feed all the dogs on the block??  I usually stock up when theres a sale... and bailey's favorite treats are the following, and are bailey-approved!:

1. Baa Baa Q's - 1 lb bag - It's like a dehydrated 100% natural Lamb Lung snack. They are easy to break apart and bailey goes NUTS.  Yes, sounds gross but the dogs love it. Bailey also loves bully sticks and beef tendons.... :). We use lamb lung when we are trimming bailey's nails or combing him!

Where we buy: Pet Club usually on sale for $14.99/bag a couple times a year; otherwise they do have them at Petsmart for a little under $30 (HAH!)..., but if there's no Pet Club near you, I'd recommend purchasing them online from here 1-800-PetMeds ; only $19.99 (we love their customer service, and you can usually find codes online to make the overall cost lower) - and they PRICE MATCH!

2. Wellness Pure Rewards Jerky/Wellbites - Bailey's everyday favorite jerky snack, also 100% natural. Soft and chewy, great for training! Warning: These treats smell a bit funny especially if you buy the fish flavored ones...

Where to buy: We usually buy these at our local mom & pop shop, or Pet Club. We also subscribe to the Wellness newsletter here and they send us coupons for food and treats every month. You should also check your food manufacturer's website to see if they have a club similar to this - they might also e-mail you coupons monthly too! Regular price on these runs about $9/bag - but I've seen them at local stores for as low as $7.

3. Farm Stand Selects Buffalo Jerky - Bailey LOVES these treats. We're not huge fans of Nature's Recipe, but their Farm Stand Selects (R) line looks pretty natural. These treats are made with human-grade buffalo (I've never tried it though...) and bailey goes just about bonkers and drools when this bag opens. It acutally smells like real beef jerky out of the bag.

Where to buy:  Petsmart carries this brand, and at Petsmart I often see a representative promoting the Farm Stand Selects line to customers, and , usually, you can snag a coupon from them for $3 off the treats! Regular price is around $8/bag.


There are so many more treats Bailey loves, but i decided to highlight a few for you. He also loves greenies, milkbones, natural balance biscuits/rolls, bit-o-luv jerky,  zuke's, wild alaskan sakmon treats, etc. And..... Bailey isn't too picky about the treats he gets (although he has a preference for chewy over crunchy). The treats I've highlighted above are highlighted because they are great, 100% natural treats without crap and other bad gas-causing ingredients in them. There are however, many good, natural treats for pets, too many for me to list here. These are just the three that came to mind, and stuff that we currently have in Bailey's pantry (small 3-drawer storage cart we have for bailey's goodies and toys... :D). After all this treat talking, you must wonder if Bailey is overweight. He's at a healthy and lean 33.4 lbs the last time i weighed him. :) The pictures prove it! :)

Also, coupons.com released a bunch of new Pet coupons today, under "pet care". Two of these coupons were worth mentioning. I'm not a huge fan of Purina treats, but at this price, it makes for a great low cost donation to any local shelter!!!

1. Friskies Cat Treats - 2.1 oz bag on sale currently at Target for 1.33, and with the $1 off coupon @ coupons.com , these treats are $0.33 a bag!! Also, if you still have the 01/24/2010 SmartSource coupon insert from the newspaper, you can use the buy one get one free Friskies Party Mix coupon (expiring 4/30/2010), to get one bag free. That means 2 bags for $0.33!!!

2. Purina Beggin Strips - 6oz package on sale currently at Target for $2.46, use the $1/1 coupon at coupons.com and that'll bring this treat down to $1.46/bag.






Happy shopping... :)

web cam moments

I was curious one day as to what my bailey bear does when I am at work. Well, long story short (and one webcam purchase later), I learned that he does nothing but SLEEP all day. :) just fabulous. We did have a live streaming video channel on USTREAM that I checked on during work, but needless to say it became a real chore to turn on in the mornings.

I also realized that since my camera is out of order, I can take pictures with my web cam at home... like this one. This is a picture of Bailey awaiting me to get off the computer so that we can go to bed. He usually isn't allowed on the bed, but sometimes I give in and let him sleep there if he's just had a bath. Some things that make me hesitant of leeting him sleep on my bed more often is that:

1. He's a rock. He will not move even if you use your foot to try to shift him. It's like trying to slide a 30lb weight across your mattress with one foot... all while half asleep.

2. He might try to jump off in the middle of the night. I don't want him to hurt his back

3. Fur control. I want to limit the amount to fur on me. Everyone knows we find dog fur in our clothes, hair... even food at times.

 4. He might just get used to it, and I do want his crate to be his regular bed spot.

Where do your corgi's sleep?

On another note, Bailey and I are excited that Bailey has invited his cousins over for a sleepover. Should be this upcoming week or the next. Hope you guys are excited!!!

out of order

So... our camera is currently out of order. No pictures. nothing. You would understand how sad that is if you saw my flickr account and the total # pictures I have of Bailey. Anyways, i got a time quote on the repair.. and they give it up to a month. So we'll see. For now, i've been using my old camera that can't do anything but take video..... so I'm trying to see if i can get snapshots of the video to get somewhat of a picture for our blogging.. or resort to using my cell phone.. either way we will get some pictures up!

Also, Bailey is currently out of order too (a.k.a. passed out from being tired). We went to the dog park three days in a row, and the pet store too (just for fun - I like to think Bailey loves shopping just as much as I do). We are enjoying the sunny days were having now, since rain is in the forecast, yet again, for the next couple of days. I love exploring new dog parks. This past weekend we visited one in San Mateo. It was fenced in, grassy, but it was sunny with absolutely no shade and water - but had poop bags and 1 bench and a trash can. It was alright. Thank goodness I had a baseball cap, and a bottle of water. There were also only two dogs on a sunny Friday afternoon (quite strange).We did manage to get nice pictures of Bailey next to some blooming ice plant (we took video, i uploaded it to youtube and then took snapshots of the video!!!). But..... nothing ever compares to Fort Funston or Crissy Beach in San Francisco. We love those big open park areas that allow me and Bailey both to explore together. However, for quick-runs after work, our favorite small dog park is St. Mary's Park. It's fenced-in (not a must for bailey, but keeps my blood pressure down lol), full grass ( i hate dirt-covered dog parks), water fountain (a must!), shade (YES!), and nice dogs & people!.The only thing about smaller dog parks is that dogs are usually the ones who get exercise (not the people), and with bigger ones, people get exercise too!

Oh, anyone else's corgi shedding like godzilla right now? I see fluffballs blowing throughout the house, and Bailey doesn't love to be brushed... so im having to treat him while i comb him, which isn't too easy if you've tried. One hand has treats, the other has a brush, and the corgi, well, is wiggling all around to avoid the brush hand, but at the same time you're trying to get him to stay still so that you can brush him. Once the treats are gone, so is the dog. GREAT.... hahahaha

Have a great week everyone!

Petsmart, anyone?

Bailey and I wanted to share a deal we were able to score at the local petsmart yesterday! Currently over at coupons.com (under "Pet care"), you can print up to two $2 off coupons for these Milkbone Essentials Long Lasting Chews. Petsmart currently has these on sale for $1.99, down from $5.99 with your PetPerks card - so they are basically FREE with the coupon! I went down there yesterday... and it worked! We needed to buy something to fill the $0.02 gap (they gave us the $2 discount even thought the product was $1.99), so we picked up some cat treats for a friend. Baileys now at home hopefully munching away on the chew! The sale on the chews at Petsmart is good through Sunday May 2nd.

Oh.. and if you still have the sunday paper from 2 weeks ago (4/11), there was a coupon in the RedPlum Coupon Insert for a FREE box of Milkbone essentials biscuits when you buy any Milkbone product. If you have one or two of these coupons - and combine this with the deal above, you can get up to two free boxes of biscuits too!

Is anyone interested in us posting future posts like this? I know PATTY is!! Hi Patty, we miss you!

Oh by the way - anyone notice our new header? :)

BBQ with the waste-not boogie monster

What a nice sunny weekend we're having over here in the west coast! We have the strangest weather patterns. A few days of sunshine, a few days of gloomy rain, then a few days of hotness then a few days of thunderstorms. My allergies are going haywire as we speak, and you will have to pardon my spelling mistakes made from SNEEZING while typing.

On this gorgeous sunny saturday, Bailey and I threw a BBQ lunch for one of my close friends. The highlight of bailey's day of course was being allowed to eat half a hotdog. :) I later gave him half a banana to eat in case that hotdog caused the runs, but im glad to say it hasn't. Everything is good and solid! ;). On the other hand, Bailey has this habit of walking by the grill ... a little to close for my comfort, and i bet you he knows it. He likes to play with my blood pressure.... I wonder if our dogs can tell if our heart is in distress?!!? Maybe not because Bailey has caused my blood pressure to rise in many occasions at the dog park and even in the car. He accidentally shifted the car into neutral once and thank goodness we were on a 35mph road and not the FREEWAY - and since then he hasn't been allowed to ride in the passenger seat....

Thinking about BBQing made me think of a funny (not so funny then) moment we had awhile ago. This was when Bailey was still allowed to sit in the front passenger seat of my car, and another reason he doesn't anymore. I bought a hot dog/soda from a store and decided to eat the hot dog in my car. Bailey was in the passenger seat awaiting my return, and noticed this scrumptious hot dog in my hand. I almost always give Bailey some of whatever I am eating (unless its toxic to dogs like onions), and this time was no different. I ate most of the hot dog and gave him a little dog and bun, and wrapped up the remainder of the bun (about half the bun was left - I'm not much of a bun eater). I left the remaining bun wrapped in foil in the cup holder adjacent to the soda cup, and thought - ill just dump that the next time I see a trash can. Anyways, we drove about 2 blocks to the gas station. I got out to get gas, and when i got to sit back in the car, bailey had already had the piece of foil on the passenger seat, unrolled, BUN AND ALL HAD BEEN EATEN, and i was furious. not sure why, except i was worried his tummy would be upset. .... haha but now i look back and i think its the funniest thing ever. At the time, Bailey was probably thinking "what is she thinking leaving that with me alone in this car..."?!?!?. hah. and you know that look they give you when they know they've done something wrong... like "what are you looking at me for like that?, look". hahah.

As I am sitting here blogging this entry, Bailey is under my bed, RELAXING. It reminds me that 1. I need to dust down there because i am highly allergic to dust mites... and 2. why is he down there?!?.. bailey does this every night. He doesn't stay there the whole night, but I think he goes down there to escape the heat, it must be cooler against the hardwood floor, since the rest of the room is covered by a rug. By midnight, bailey moves to his crate for the remainder of the time until we wake up. He's no boogie monster even if he tries to be. :) makes me smile everytime.

Have a great sunday everyone, and never leave your hot dog buns unattended!

short legged dogs unite

Today was the second Saturday of the month, a day that Bailey very much looks forward to. It's the only time of the month in which I make the 20-25 minute/6 mile drive (HAH! - that's San Francisco for you) up to the northern coast of the city. The weather wasn't all too great (gray and gloomy), but it wasn't too bad either (not windy!). So - the day usually starts off with an hour or two of swimming/ball fetching/playing at Crissy Beach, followed by a trek along Crissy field, then Bailey and I usually find a spot to sit on the beach to admire the view of the golden gate bridge.

After our stop at crissy beach, I usually grab some lunch somewhere to go... usually this sushi place nearby. Then, we'll stop by and visit B&B Pet Supplies, where we normally purchase Bailey's Wellness kibble, and then head off to the corgi meetup at Mountain Lake Park. Corgi meetups are pretty loud, and thats because corgis are vocal dogs, in general. However, it was nice and quiet today!We saw Kiko, Jackson, Mona, Nicolas, Cogswell, Micro and their non-corgi siblings Pepe, Figaro, Ember and a whole slew of other non-corgi dogs. We were glad that the weather cooperated with us enough to have a successful meet-up!

When we finally made it home, Bailey received a much needed bath, especially since he was doing a lot of this on the beach (see picture left). =) Look at that gorgeous gray undercoat... fabulous isn't it?

What really amazes me at the end of the day is just how much energy bailey has. He spent a good 1/2 hour fetching balls/swimming in the water, followed by romping around with other dogs at the beach, followed by a 30 minute trek, then followed by a digging session in the sand.. YET he still has enough energy to play with other dogs at the corgi meetup for 2 hours (without resting one bit). If only I could use him as a rechargeable battery for my laptop...

smarty pants with spongey pockets

Corgis, as with any other herding breed, are very smart dogs – like….. extra strength super absorbent orange sponges. =) Bailey was learning commands on the first day he came home. I remember teaching him “sit” at 8 weeks. Now, nearly 27 months old (a little over 2 years), he knows a whole list of tricks (he’d know even more if I spent more time teaching him). Not that he always listens to me, but I know he knows them. So here’s the grand list of tricks.

Commands he knows: Sit, Down, Wait, Stay, Roll Over, Come, Bang Bang (play dead), Crawl, Weave, Stand, Treat on the nose/paws, tunnel, shake/paw, up (on the hind legs), circle/spin, front (stand in front of me facing me), heel, stop, touch, and …. ?

Does anyone have any new tricks suggestions for us? And is anyone else excited that baseball season has started?? we are!

making memories with patty bear

It’s been a nice six months, but Patty, my coworker, has elected to move back to Washington (BOO!!!!) so we decided to go to Crissy Field with her one last time. Patty was originally from WA, but moved to CA to work with us. Barbara, another coworker, joined us on this day as well. We took bailey swimming, went to Kitaro’s for a sushi lunch, then headed over to Mountain Lake Park for the monthly corgi meetup. Patty and Barbara then got the nails done in our neighborhood salon (Jolie’s) while I gave Bailey a much-need bath, and we then went back to our place and watched two movies – Office Space (cool movie) and Best in Show (weirdest movie EVER). It was an awesome, action packed day. Bailey enjoyed some of the snack spread we had on the coffee table during both movies, but was passed out for most of the time from the activities earlier in the day.

We will miss you PATTY!!! :****************************( . Who’s going to save you from the hair dryer now?!?!? Mochi?!?!!??

scaredy cat boo boos

I thought I'd write a bit about what Bailey is scared/afraid of. He's definitely afraid of fireworks. The first time that happened, he hid behind the sofa and would not come out. And if he came out, he would hide in his crate and not move until the next morning. It's not as bad as it used to be, but he still doesn't like to be outside when there are fireworks. Bailey was also afraid of his after-neuter cone. Bailey's also very territorial/scared/?!?!? with certain moving items. He doesn't like trash bags that are blowing in the wind, blow dryers, big piles of dirt covered by a tarp, vacuums, brooms, dusters, RC cars, etc.

As far as health issues go....Bailey has been generally very healthy. We had one bout of tapeworm when he was less than 3 months old. That was cured by one pill. But... the site of that was horrendous. I remember seeing them in his poop one morning, and freaking out. I read about it on the internet before the vet opened up for that day, and checked his bedding. There were little white granules of what looked to be rice (but were actually dead worms that crawled out of his butt hole). I vacuumed them up immediately and tossed the bag away. Tapeworms are contracted via fleas that feed on tapeworm larvae. He definitely got this from the breeder, and has been fine ever since that magical pill that was delivered by the vet via a yummy meatball.

for the love of kids

Bailey is really good around kids. He doesn't mind them running around one bit, and has never attempted to herd them or bark at them. I'm so grateful for that! About two weeks ago, Bailey and I headed over to a coworkers new house for a housewarming party. Bailey was delighted to find out he was invited too!

However, there were some other excitable dogs that were invited too, one by the name of TANNER. Tanner probably had never seen a corgi ever before, and with bailey being neutered, he probably smelled quite girly. Tanner, a un-neutered male, found Bailey quite interesting. To keep a long story short, Bailey spent most of the afternoon telling Tanner off and trying to run away from him. Poor Bailey.

Fort Funston

Bailey and I make frequent trips to Fort Funston throughout the year. We love how much SPACE there is for dogs to run free. One of my absolute most favorite things to do is climb up to the top of the sand dunes with Bailey and sit there and play fetch, or to just admire the view of the coastline. It's just amazing on a clear sunny day! Below are some pictures that we've gotten from this wonderful place. Theres even routes down to the beach, hangliders to watch fly by, and plenty of spots to rest. Also, this park has been the spot where weve shot our last two winning pictures for the mycorgi.com calendar (2008 and 2009). click here to see a list of the winners.


Speaking of the 2010 calendar, back in November of 2009, Bailey and I submitted the following photo, and won again! Bailey is Mr. July 2010. I currently have the calendar on my wall at work... and am waiting patiently for July to arrive!

Wellness New Years Resolution Contest

Back in late December 2009, i entered bailey into a new years resolution contest sponsored by PEOPLE pets. Well.. i submitted a few resolutions, and we won!!! Above is a picture of Bailey's winnings. We also had $300 donated to a local rescue foundation in our name. ;)

announcement of the winner

Happy 2nd Birthday, Bailey!

Bailey turned 2 years old on January 21st, 2010. We threw a birthday party for him and invited over many human friends. I found corgi plates, hats and other supplies suprisingly at the dollar store one day, so I am stocked for a few birthdays now. ;) I baked bailey a doggie pizza (what flour, cheese, tomato paste and some other stuff) and cake (peanut butter, shredded carrots, bananas, wheat flour, baking poweder/soda with yogurt banana frosting), both were recipes that i found on the internet), and created some party games. We played Pin the tail on the Corgi, musical chairs, "guess how long bailey is", all with prizes for the winner. Overall, it was a fun day. Bailey got a bit camera shy when we wanted to sign happy birthday to him. Once all of us started singing, he ran away and hid. Once we assured him that it was ok, he happily blew out his candle (with some help), and ate a slice of cake. yum-oh! Thanks to everyone for attending!

Christmas 2009

I cannot believe that Bailey's almost turning 2 years old. I've been planning a birthday party for him, and it sure will be fun :).

It was only yesterday that my mom had given me stern advice to NOT get a dog, and that she would not care for it whatsoever. Now, she loves to see him when she can (she doesn't tell me this), but when your mom waves hello and goodbye to your dog, it ought to be an indication of loveee and "hope to see you soon"... right?!?!?!

Bailey and I make a Christmas card every year together. In 2009, it was no different. We made two cards this year to spice it up, and handed those out to the family and friends and folks at work.

Crissy Beach w/ Catch

Catch comes out to visit Bailey whenever his mom isn't busy, and we often go to Crissy Field. Catch tries to beat bailey up, but bailey can hold his own. He's always been attracted to larger dogs, and loves to rough around with them. Bailey sure isn't a wimp. ;) Sometimes Catch will bring his older sister Miette with him, for , I think, protection!

SF Giants: Dog Days 2009

In 2009, we went to the San Francisco dog days game with Bailey's buddy Catch and his human. This time, it was a night game, and thank goodnesssssss it was nice and cool! The giants won, and Bailey even got to catch up with his friend he went with last year, Bella. However, I did remember that Bailey pooped twice on the warning track during the pre-game parade. How embarassing!

I made this years outfit from scratch using black fabric and some orange fabric ribbon and some fabric paint. :) Catch and Bailey really bonded on this trip! they will be forever friends (and they're only born two weeks apart! bbear is the older one)