Sometimes a little vacation is in order

Those that follow me on facebook (www.facebook.com/K9SolutionsDogTraining ) already know that I was away for a couple days with my husband. No kids, no dogs, no special location. I think everyone needs some time away now and then to relax and re-group. We took a trip to Portland for some much needed R&R. We got to sleep in, eat out, and have no timetable to follow. It was most excellent. I even finished a book I had recently started. (Non-dog related for a change.)

On my first morning I looked out our hotel window and saw this:

It is a group of police officers and their K9's. Needless to say I was very excited. I love watching working dogs do their thing. They were practicing some basic obedience exercises. I saw a guy carrying bite work sleeves inside and noticed they were taking turns going into one of the buildings. I'm sure that wasn't a coincidence. They may have also been doing drug training inside as well. Or they may have been testing due to the variety of departments that were there. I got to see them everyday that we stayed at the hotel.

Of course I did have to go over for a closer look one day. Like moth to a flame as my husband said. There were lots of German Shepherds and Malinois. You could hear the barking as soon as you stepped out of the hotel.

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I also got to hit Fetch since it was just down the street from us. I had a great visit with Jessica who runs SOME Pit! who I had previously met at our own Loyal Biscuit store. She is awesome and it is always fun talking to fellow dog lovers. (some call us obsessed but what do they know? VBG) They had some wooden obedience dumbbells so I picked up a new one for Jenny that is more her size than the one I had. I've been practicing with a metal dumbbell but I think she'll find the wooden one more comfortable.

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When we returned I got to try out the new dog wash myself for Jack. After a few days in the kennel he needed a bath. It was awesome to be able to wash him as soon as we got home. Jenny is small enough to do in the tub thankfully. (A big thanks to everyone at Perry Greene Kennel for taking such great care of them both. It is nice having someone you can trust take care of your dogs so you can truly relax while away.)

Heidi was kind enough to snap a few pics of Jack soaking me when he shook. That big fluffy coat sure does hold a lot of water! I had to remove my glasses after this photo.

The wash area is awesome and Jack came out smelling and looking great. I am in LOVE with the blow dryer. It made him nice and fluffy. We finished the bath off with a nice walk and headed home.

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Back to the real world tomorrow. It sure was nice while it lasted.