Wordless Wednesday: Snow in the Mountains

Or rather, a wordy Wednesday post.

On the Saturday after Christmas, I took off to the mountains with Koira. A friend and her dog came along for the fun as well. We went to a sno park near a popular skiing destination, and took to the trails on snowshoes.

Dogs with snowshoes

Koira wore her brand new coat that I made her. Waterproof and fleece lined, it still wasn't quite enough to keep her warm when we were standing still.

Shivering in her new coat because we stopped moving

I am trying to remember my new policy- get in the photo. I look back on so many adventures and there are not pictures of me. I want to be able to look back on this trip, and other trips, and see that I was there with my dog and with my friends, not just behind the camera.

This road was closed.

Koira doesn't do a lot of off leash stuff with other dogs anymore, as she has become less tolerant of other dogs as she gets older. Ripp is totally easy going and one of the mellowest dogs ever, though, and these two got along great.

Dogs headed back to check in

And seriously, Ripp is about as adorable as it is possible to be.

Ripp posing in the snow

Even though I rarely take shots that don't have dogs in them, some of the scenery was just too amazing to pass up on this trip.

Close up of a snowy branch overhanging the trail

This is probably my favorite landscape shot I've ever taken. I just love the clouds giving texture to the sky, the mountain in the background, the trees covered in snow, all of it.

Looking back on the trail behind us

I don't think Koira appreciated the views much, but I know she enjoyed the adventure.

Heading back to check in

In fact, she kept heading off exploring with Ripp, so lots of opportunities for dog butt pictures.

Off exploring

Mr. Ripp was becoming a pro at posing by the end of the trip.

Picture perfect smile

Overall, we had a great trip to the snow. Despite having to chain up on the drive (for the first time in 10 years probably), despite breaking a snowshoe on the hike, it was an awesome, relaxing, fun way to spend a day. And I can't wait to go again.

Koira, being adorable. Color version of the photo posted on Sunday

Black and White Sunday: White Saturday

We didn't have a white Christmas, but we did have a White Saturday the next day.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve seems like the perfect time to share this year's pictures with Santa.

Caturday!

Glamorous cat

Still looking for the perfect Christmas gift for your cat? Why not stop over at Chewy.com and check out this awesome cat tree? Chewy.com still can get one of these to you before Christmas. 1-2 day shipping is free if you spend $49+.

The Armarakat Cat Tree arrived for our review packed up tight in a box, some assembly required. That said, the assembly was super easy.

All packed up tight

The box includes the parts for the tree, instructions that are easy to follow, the bolts required for assembly, and the tool needed for tightening the bolts. You don't need anything of your own, or any kind of tools, to assemble this tree.

Using the included tool to tighten up one of the bolts

There is a small toy that comes with the tree for the cats to play with.

Martha may be 13+ years old, but she still knows how to have fun

Martha took to the tree right away, crawling around on it, playing with the toy, and scratching on the uprights.

Loving hanging out on the new tree

Theodore Trex took a little longer to warm up to it, and he honestly still doesn't hang out on the upper level at all. He does like sitting on the base and using the scratching post part though.

Both cats getting into the action

Martha is enjoying her new cat tree a lot. She thinks it is a pretty great Christmas present, even if she did get it early.

Smug cat is smug

The Armarakat Cat Tree is even on sale right now for just $38.95, which is such a great price for a cat tree. Between the price (just need another $10.05 for free shipping!) and the free, fast shipping, you can't really go wrong.


We were provided with this cat tree free of charge in exchange for sharing our honest review of the product. We were not compensated in any other way.

WW: Christmas Tree Farm

WW: Christmas Four Years Ago

Our Christmas photo from four years ago

Tasty Tuesday: Wellness Core Protein Bars

This month we had the pleasure of reviewing Wellness Core Superfood Protein Bars for Chewy.com.

When the box came, I decided to let Koira open it herself. She really enjoys ripping into packages, but is good enough to not do it without me telling her to.

She really, really enjoys ripping into packages. I do think that having one canine removed this spring makes it a little harder to get a good grip and rip the package open cleaning, though.

You can see that she goes for the corners until they are weakened.




And then she rips like mad!



When she got the box ripped open, I rescued the Wellness Core package that was inside so it didn't get ripped open. As soon as I snapped this photo of Koira with the package, I opened it up and gave her one as a reward for being such a good box opener.

Then I proceeded to clean up all the little bits of torn cardboard.

The Wellness Core Superfood Protein Bars were a big favorite of Koira's. We got the Chicken and Turkey with Sweet Potato flavor. The bars were firm, and were larger than I would use for training treats. But, they rip pretty easily and were a sort of soft and chewy texture, rather than a dry hard texture like jerky. I liked that, since using jerky as treats can, in my experience, cause lots of coughing as the dog tries to chew and swallow fast and gets the fibers of the jerky stuck in their throat. These protein bars were softer so avoided that and seemed very easy to swallow, but chewy enough that if given in a slightly larger chunk, the dog doesn't just inhale it.

I used the Wellness Core Protein Bars as rewards (bribes) for a quick photoshoot at a local tree farm. Koira was willing to work for them, and since they are a larger treat when they come out of the package, they were easy to use for holding up to get attention, or to toss to get her to look a certain way, because they were large and easy to see. But I could then break off a smaller piece to use as a reward and not have to constantly be digging back into my treat bag or pocket for more. 

Overall, I really liked these treats. The ingredients are great. The dog loved them. The size and texture of the treats works really well for how I like to do photo sessions, being big enough to see and use as a lure, but soft enough to rip into smaller pieces to reward Koira. And big bonus, they are only $6.81 per bag right now on Chewy.com. Absolutely worth the price.