Cassie & Zena - 19 August 2011

Hello, Friends - I just don't know where all of the time has gone but I just wanted to share a photo of one of the wonderful playdays I had with my friend, Zena. Zena gets to come over and spend the day when her parents have errands and appointments over in 'the valley' (Eugene).

We run and chase, sit and sleep, play with our toys, and repeat it all over again and again and again. What FUN!!

You can come over and visit anytime you want, Zena!!

Hugs to all, Cassie

Kiss Me. I'm Irish!

It's OK to pretend we're Irish on St. Patrick's Day. We pretend we're GOOD on Christmas, don't we?




Dear Uncle Chris,

I just wanted to say that I hope you had as wonderful a St Patrick’s Day as I had! I had a ball even though Mommy & Daddy make me wear these silly things on special days. Erin Go Braugh!

Love, Cassie

Cassie's First Snow

Dear Uncle Chris – I just wanted to wish you a very Merry Christmas and tell you about my very first snow day. We awoke the Tuesday before Thanksgiving to all of this wonderful, cold, and wet white stuff all over the place. Mom & Dad said it was something called ’snow’ and they let me romp and play in it for awhile. I really liked running and stopping very fast to see it fly up and around me. WOW! This white world is nothing unusual for my brother Gavin, but we usually miss it when we’re traveling in warmer climates. You’re a lucky boy, Gavin!


I’m also sending you a picture of me with my absolutely favorite toy, my wubba kong. When the liquid sunshine hits here a little too hard, I can always have fun and get my exercise playing fetch with my wubba. I can even shake it just like it’s a squirrel and usually do just that on each and every return trip. I really am one lucky little Westie.

Hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

Sending lots of hugs your way,
Cassie

Reunion with Uncle Chris

Dear Uncle Chris –
I just can’t tell you too much that it was GREAT to see you again! It’s been almost exactly one year since you let Mom & Dad adopt me and it’s been a good year. I’m definitely spoiled to pieces (especially by Daddy and treats). Yes, I promise to loose a little of that extra weight. Little neck rolls aren’t good! Mom is taking your lessons to heart; so I know I’ll be spending more time on the grooming table.

I had so much fun visiting with you at the Chintimini Dog Show in Albany. Seeing Zoe WIN and meeting Sara was incredible. I think I even paid attention when I watched some of the Obedience and Agility trials. We’ll see if I decide to practice what I saw. ;-)

Here’s a little photo from Saturday. It’s easy to tell who just returned from a vacation basking in the sun and who has been rusting in the northwest. Oh well… Our time will come again in June!


Hugs, Cassie

January at Alamitos Bay & Pismo Beach, CA

Ohhhh... Beaches in January! Here are two more California places for our list: Alamitos Bay (near Long Beach) and Pismo Beach (on the Central Coast). We couldn't have asked for better weather! Even the oncoming storm was absolutely beautiful.

[It's amazing that a little cell phone took these pics. 'Somebody' forgot the real camera. ;-) ]

January in Carpinteria, CA

Oh Boy! Oh Boy! I got to meet my cousin Oliver at Carpinteria Beach in California. What fun we had playing at the beach and at Uncle Roy's house. Mom, Dad and Aunt Anne had their own version of fun but it had something to do with a strange liquid in a bottle and some munchies.

Cassie's First Christmas

Dear Uncle Chris – It’s been too long since I wrote to you but my life has just been a whirlwind of activities and travel. I know it’s a lame excuse but it is a valid one. Mom just can’t seem to sit down long enough to get my pictures in order. As you’ll see, I wasn’t standing still long enough for the camera to catch up to me. I think I’ve been renamed ‘Blur’ among other terms of endearment. Hopefully you’ll accept this very belated Merry Christmas. I just know that you’re having a wonderful New Year.


We traveled to my Gramps and Grandma’s house in Southern California for Christmas. Just about everyone was there including my 6-month old darling niece Eden. She came all the way from Tennessee just to see the clan that gathered over the holidays. WOW!! I had fun opening my very first Christmas stocking and was just a busy little girl playing with all of the goodies that just kept coming and coming.

There was so much movement, that we’ve also put together a little movie (on YouTube) that you might enjoy. It’s open to the world; so feel free to share the link if you like. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l1PpIpm9pQ

Happy New Year! Sending lots of hugs your way,
Cassie


PS: Daddy talks about you almost every day. He just can’t thank you enough for allowing me to become part of their family. Gee… I must be doing something right. ;-)

Halloween in Florence

Hi again Uncle Chris – Boy was it a hot time in Florence yesterday! The Old Town merchants had a wonderful Halloween party and I got to participate. Everyone was dressed in their finest costumes and given treats up and down Bay Street. Many places even had treats for ME! WOW!!

You know that I'm really not a little devil but my costume certainly did make folks smile and point. I don’t think that any other 9-month olds had as much fun as I did.

Hugs, Cassie

Fall Wardrobe

I've been told that Winter in the Northwest can get pretty cold and wet. Well, I went shopping and now have a sweater and a rain coat. No booties... That's just going too far! You can see that my signature colors have become red and black. Hope you like the fashion show!

Cassie's First Professional Grooming

Dear Uncle Chris,
Friday was a VERY big day for me! I had my very first professional grooming by Bonnie. She came to the house with her mobile beauty parlor and I had the works. She willingly used the Mars Coat King (in lieu of the clippers) because I want to keep my hard coat; she trimmed & filed my toenails; and she used scissors to start my face shaping. WOW! I can even see better now. What a surprise!

It should take a few more visits to get my face up to snuff. Hopefully my hair will continue to fill out because I want to be just as pretty as Momma Haley.

Thought you might want to know that my back has the most beautiful finger waves - something that Grandma would call 'Marcelle Waves'. They are NOT curls but my hard coat actually has waves. Only time will tell if they'll last but I like them.

Hugs, Cassie

Black Hills Westie Party

Unfortunately, most of the action had already ended when we finally had the presence of mind to get the camera. Here we are at Rafter J-Bar Ranch in Hill City, SD near Mount Rushmore. So many folks travel in their RV with their fur children that this seemed inevitable.

PS: MPEG4 format didn't work well. WMV wouldn't load. Replaced with MPEG2.

Cassie Learns to Swim

Okay - We know that all dogs supposedly know how to swim instinctively. ;-) BUT - Scotties just sink because their little short legs aren't big enough to support their body mass in the water.

Knowing that we would definitely be around water during our Summer trip to Tennessee, Bill decided to give Cassie a chance to learn the basics. Gramps's pool in Whittier proved to be just the spot!

Enjoy!

PS: This is a test from our new toy generating a MPEG2 file. What fun!

Cassie's Vacation

Hello Uncle Chris – It’s been way to long since I wrote and I see from your blog that a lot has happened in your world while we were traveling. WOW and Congratulations!! I even see that I have some new half brothers and sisters from Momma Haley. Life is sweet!

To fill you in just a little bit… In August the three of us headed off on 2-month RV trip covering parts of 17 States. While the primary reason for the trip was to see the new granddaughter in Franklin, TN, we had tons of fun all along the way. Eden Grace was just precious and I liked pushing her swing and giving her kisses. Her fur-sister Maggie & I ran and ran all over the house! What jolly fun we had but there are way too many pictures of our time in TN to share here.




Although every place was extra special, here are photos of some of my favorite activities: Climbing through the mazes of rocks & silly pictures at Rock City (GA); Walking along part of the Appalachian Trail (Great Smoky Mountains, SC); Hiking & once again rock climbing around Sylvan Lake (Custer State Park, SD); Being carried in a sling on trails that didn’t allow pets; Chasing seagulls at Illinois Beach State Park; Seeing cousin Brian at Great Lakes Naval Training Center (IL); Just chillin’ in the motorhome; and Discovering that toilet paper can be fun.

I’ve become a regular social butterfly and made both 2-legged and 4-legged friends all along the way. There was cousin Maggie, of course, but we also had a Westie (and Cairn) party in the Black Hills of South Dakota, a long romp with a black lab puppy at Old Faithful, and absolutely tons of playmates at campgrounds all over the country. WOW!!!

You can probably tell by the photos that I’ve grown quite a bit. At 14.5 pounds, Dr. Suzy wants me to loose a pound so that I fit my petite frame a little better. Oh well... I really like my food! It’s nice to be back home and I’ve become quite comfortable on the love seat in the music room even though Mom quickly shoos me off (after taking a picture, of course!). ;-)

Will sign off for now but am sending hugs your way,

Your niece Cassie

Cassie & Sadie Play Date #2

Dear Uncle Chris – It’s been quite some time since I last wrote but things have been quite a whirl wind around here. Mommy & Aunt Vicki went to California to see their Mom and help with her new house. Boy – Did I have a ball being alone with Daddy or what?!?!? Now we’re getting ready for our BIG trip to Tennessee to see my new niece Eden Grace. Two or three months in the RV will be absolutely fantastic because I’ll have sooooo much of their undivided attention!


[I'm in front and Sadie is standing.]


I’ll be laying low for a couple of weeks because I’m having my ‘procedure’ next Tuesday. In the meantime, I’ve been having an absolute TON of play dates to work off some of this puppy energy. My favorite has to be my 2nd play date with cousin Sadie (formerly known as Katie). We all went over to Lynn & Bernie’s house to see Sadie yesterday afternoon for a romp.


Now… ‘Romp’ may be to gentle a word for this get-together. We ran and ran and ran and chased each other all over the house. Then we would roll around on the floor and wrestle before taking short rest times under the coffee table or under one of the dining chairs. Oddly enough, we were so very quiet during all of this playing. We didn’t need to say a word to each other – we just read each others minds and acted accordingly.


We were both VERY well mannered, like good White Diamond Westies should be! It’s a good thing that I wore my red collar (left) and Sadie wore her blue one (right) so that all of the parents could tell the blurs apart!



I think you’ll see that I’m much bigger now at about 12.5 pounds. I'm the smaller one on the left. My hair is shaping up nicely and I’m starting to look more like a grown-up Westie each and every day.

Sending many hugs your way, Cassie



PS: Sorry for the poor picture quality. Cell phone cameras are nice but really don’t catch all of the action. Oh well….

Cousin, Cousins Everywhere !

Oh Boy! Oh Boy!! Oh Boy!!!

We had cousin company from Hawaii this week - YIPPEE!! Uncle Brian and Cousin Conor came all the way here just to see me!

Not really - They actually started off with the Pac-10 Track Finals at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon. Of course, being the good Ducks that they are, Cousin Megan & her boyfriend Matt joined them for the events. They even included Daddy for the weekend.



Afterwards, they ALL came over to the Coast to be with us. Oh Boy - Did I ever eat up all of the love!!

Oh - How I've Grown!!

I'm just growing by leaps and bounds and was trying to think of just how to show you when I came up with this WONDERFUL idea. I really am quite a lap dog and one of my favorite activities is stretching up on Daddy's chest for scratches and kisses.

When I was little, I barely reached as you can see from my 'just adopted' picture at 9 weeks old and a little over 4 pounds.


Now look at me! Here I am at 15 weeks old and a little over 8 pounds. Boy - Can I ever reach or what? I can kiss noses and ears and a bunch of other pieces. I especially like to gently grab Mom's pony tail, but you'll never see a picture of that because she's usually the one who takes the pictures. ;-)

I'll follow soon with another post. We've had just oodles and oodles of company and I can't wait to share the joy with you.

Happy Mother's Day, Haley!

Dear Momma Haley –
I just wanted to send you a great big hug and a very wet kiss on your very 1st Mother’s Day. You were a WONDERFUL Mom to me (and Piper and Gavin, too) and I’ll never forget you! Have a GREAT DAY!!
Love, Cassie

PS: To Piper & Gavin – I know you’re having wonderful lives and hope that you’ll be sending some new pics so that I can see how much you’ve grown.

Cassie Has Homework!!

Dear Uncle Chris –
School Started Yesterday – and I already have homework. YIPPEE!!


As you know, Mom & Dad started my training very early – almost as soon as I first got to my new home. I liked the clicker, LOVED the treats, and quickly picked up on SIT, DOWN, COME, FETCH and HEEL. STAY and WAIT are still a little challenging because I am just a puppy after all. I can only wait just sooooo long. Unfortunately, I also wanted to focus on the treat bag instead of on my lessons. HEEL particularly became a problem. I was getting out in front and looking at the bag instead of paying attention and looking at Mom & Dad. Oh well…. That quickly came to an end last night when our trainer Gary came for my first private lesson. (Group lessons still have to wait until at least summer school.)


Gary critiqued what Mom & Dad were doing with me, praised them for what they were doing right, and taught them some new tricks for getting better results from me. Gee…. I guess they’re in school too!! We now have some great additions to our daily training routines and I’ve been able to practice outside in the beautiful spring weather.


I guess that at 7 ½ pounds I need to start acting more like a little lady. I’ll save that for on-leash right now BUT I still really look forward to my off-leash romps and runs. WHAT JOY!!

Sending hugs up to you, Cassie

Heather and the 2009 Eugene Marathon

I’m getting bigger!
Well, I weighed in at 6 lbs 3 ozs at my Monday’s vet appointment and have grown even more since then. YIPPEE!! I still have quite a way to go as you can see by comparing my current size to that of my 11-year old friend and fellow Westie Heather. She was so patient with me when we visited at her house last week. But, oh what fun I had! Both of us tromped through the lobelias and rested in their cushiony mat (but not long enough for a picture).

On Friday I had yet another motorhome trip – this time to Eugene for the 2009 Eugene Marathon and shorter races. Dad and Matt (Megan’s boyfriend) ran in the 5k with Dad winning 3rd in his age group and Matt finishing 28th (out of 446) overall and 7th in his age group. WOW!!

Next year I’ll be big enough to actually go see them off and be standing by to greet them at the finish line. I can’t wait!! Maybe the Pancake Man and Fork (Mac the Fork) will run again next year.
Yum Yum!

In the meantime, I know I’m really getting bigger because I can now go down the RV steps without any help at all. Sometimes I try to go right back up the steps just so I can come right back down again. Gee…. It doesn’t take much to make me happy, does it??

Upcoming Events –
School Starts This Friday! Our renowned local animal behaviorist and trainer is coming by just to see me and to give Mom & Dad a few tips on my training. I hope to be starting in his summer school class in June but I also want to get a head start on the lessons. Watch out for updates!

Oh Boy! Visit to Molly & Missy

I got to go over to Molly & Missy's house this weekend. What fun we had!

Molly gave me a great big smooch ...

and Missy put up with my antics.
I even got to take a lap snooze after romping in their big back yard. Oh Boy!! Let's go again - really soon. Okay?