Fun at the Park

Took Addie to the park today, just for fun. It was HOT so we took it easy, but played around for a while. Played fetch, then ran around on the playground. That's always fun. Man, I love having an off-leash dog! I never worry that she won't come back to me...as soon as I say that four - letter word (coughCOMEcough) she's right back at my side. Anyway, it was a good time, and we'll be up at the park more often!

I forgot a real camera so I took these pictures on my phone. I apologize that they're not the greatest quality. But I'm happy with how they turned out, and that I was able to get some!

BTW....that wall that's behind her in one of the pics? Significantly taller than herself? Yea she scaled that...easily. Can't wait for agility!
And remember to view the pics... click once, then right click and choose "view image"

Groom Week

Yes, Addie got a haircut this past weekend... and yesterday I groomed her Toy Poodle "buddy" Zoe... unfortunately she was a bit matted so I had to take her down with a #4 stainless steel comb. But it is summer, and she runs around on the farm with her Golden Retriever brother. So here's Zoe. Sorry for poor quality, the lighting was bad. Also note her pink toenails...!





















....But it doesn't stop there. Today, I groomed a friend's dog, a Border Collie named Jersey. Of course, silly me forgot to take before pics of these two... oh well. She had a LOT of hair! She was very sweet though. However, I couldn't get her to stand up to take her picture! So here she is lying down.

Haircut 6/20

I groomed Addie this weekend...she was badly in need of a haircut! Unfortunately I had dropped my grooming shears and had to send them in to the company for about 2 weeks so it had been a while since she'd been groomed. But, I got to try out some new conditioner and detangling spray from Show Season which was nice, love the smell!

Anyway, it took a while because she had so much hair. But here are some pics!

(PS: to view the pictures at a normal size, click on it, it will come up really big, then right-click on it and click "View image." It will make the picture a nice viewing size.)



















She also got a new color for summer. (Note the toenails) They're a big hit at our obedience classes, and with random people on the street, or people who come to our house... =)

Addie Makes a Friend

I am currently dog-sitting for a family friend, and Sandy the Golden Retriever is staying with us for the next 2 days. Addie is having a ball...she LOVES other dogs, sometimes to a fault! However they've been playing really well and it's been fun for her. They're tired out and laying on the floor right now resting.
Here are a couple pics.



Oh boy....good thing I'm grooming her tomorrow!

Puppy Photo Dump 1

Baby Addie

Since Addie is over a year old and I've only had this blog for a month, I thought I'd create a few posts about Addie as a puppy.

I wanted a Standard Poodle for over 5 years... and when it finally worked out for me to get one, we found the perfect little puppy from Ali-Ann Standard Poodles. A small, black female that was interested in people and would be good at obedience and agility.

We met the breeder at a dog show when the puppies were just 7 weeks old. We got to watch the show, then meet the puppies. If I remember correctly there were 8 in all; 5 black and 3 cream. And all adorable.

Addie was the smallest black female and was pretty shy... but was cuddly and so sweet.



Well we got her home 12 days later and she was so much fun. Full of energy and life; loved to run around in the front yard and she was such a GOOD puppy! Never chewed anything, didn't have too many accidents in the house. She even learned to ring the bells at about 3.5-4 months of age, and still does it to this day! She loved sleeping in strange positions and being a goofy puppy. She was super smart too (still is) - she learned to sit on my second day of having her.

What's in a Name?

Thought I'd explore the URL of this blog, inspiredaddiction. It comes from Addie's AKC registered name, Ali-Ann Inspired Addiction. However this name is not just some spontaneous creation; there is much thought and history behind it.

First, the Ali-Ann comes from the breeder that bred Addie; Ann Springer. Her kennel name for her Spoos is Ali-Ann - Ali for her foundation bitch, and Ann for her name.

The Inspired Addiction is a bit more complicated. When coming up with a registered name for a dog, often the dog is named something related to one or both of the parents. Addie's parents are:
Ali-Ann Empire Kwik Pik Encore, call name Carmen (mom, white)

Ali-Ann Irish Inspiration, call name Tynan (dad, black)


And I wanted something creative, but something relating either to her call name (Addie) or her parents. I ended up doing both.

The "Inspired" part comes from her dad, from "Irish Inspiration." That's not too hard. The "Addiction" part can be shortened to Addie. Also, if you want to be cheesy... Addie "inspired" the addiction to Poodles. Yay.

So we have Inspired Addicion... encompassing her call name, honoring her daddy, and a short, sweet little phrase that describes her. The perfect name.

Natalie

PS...credits for the photos go to www.ali-ann.com Addie's breeder. And thank you to Ann for helping me come up with her name!

Direction

Changing the direction of the blog a bit... I know, it's only my third post. But I'm indecisive.
I decided blogging in the perspective of my Poodle, Addie, was too much work.
Also I'm making this more of "life and times..." rather than just documenting accomplishments and such, which was the original idea.
Hopefully I'll be able to post some more and really get this blog up and running!
For now, enjoy.