Wordless Wednesday (Jan. 2007 - 3 months old)

TOY TIME

Today I thought I’d tell you about a few of my toys. I’ve built up quite a collection. You might even think that I’m spoilt, but some of these toys are hand me down toys from the first Goldie that lived here, and others are birthday and Christmas presents or from special trips to the vet when I was given something new to distract me from chewing my stitches.

All my toys have names, because when its play time my humans tell me which one to fetch and we then get to play with that one. Mum even has a special toy box for me to keep all my toys in and she swaps around what I get to play with and she leaves toys out for me to play with when I am home alone.

BONES. One of my first toys was this red bone.

 

I also have lots of white bones around the house and garden that I can really chew on without breaking them up into bits. When I was little and went to chew on anything my humans would say "No" and put one of these white bones in my mouth (or my soft rope toy below) for me to chew. This seems to have worked because, apart from shredding a bits of paper that I found at my eye level (paper is a toy - right?), I’ve never chewed any furniture, clothing, shoes or other things inside things since I have lived with them – only my toys and my bone.

After I have my dinner at night I often chew on my white bone and the plastic roughs up to clean my teeth. I can even get mum or dad to hold it for me if I take it to them!

Then there are the toys I CHEW, TUG AND FETCH like this rope that I got for my very first Christmas. I've actually destroyed quite a few of these ropes, but you get the picture and when I shred them so there are no knots left they then get me another one and I start again.

I also have one of those long black rubbery cow things that you have heard other dogs woof about.

DIGGING TOYS Well digging isn’t really a toy but I was given my very own sandpit when I was a puppy to try to stop me digging in the garden. Instead I learnt how to dig deeper and faster, but now I know better and I only dig where I am allowed to dig.

BALLS – little balls, big balls, tennis balls, hard balls, soft balls, a real leather football (which wasn’t so round after I got to it!) and my food ball (one of my many favourites as I LOVE FOOD). The biggest ball I got to play with was a Swiss ball (the sort humans use for exercise). They rolled it at me when I was a puppy. I ran away and then barked so much they laughed at me and did it again, but I showed them… I learnt to run at it with my mouth open, even though I can’t open my mouth wide enough to bite it! Now it is back where it belongs – but I keep my eye on it.

I’ve learnt to how to look after my toys while I sleep.  

 Am I sleeping with one eye open

or am I awake with one eye shut?

 

TOYS WITH THINGS INSIDE Like this soft fabric cube I was given when I was a puppy. Is that a beak I see? Sometimes there is food inside, and sometimes I still find toys!

There are also FOOD TOYS with yummy things inside like my Kong (smoked fish and peanut butter are my favourite fillings) and my “Food Ball” (which I roll around the house to get the dry food out).

FETCH TOYS I’ve never really liked chasing tennis balls – I will fetch it once or twice but then I get bored and leave it for my humans to fetch, but this if my floating beach toy and I’ll retrieve it as often as they throw it into the water. I can be a retriever sometimes!

NOISY TOYS These are usually the plastic ones that squeak, but I also have some stuffies that used to make noise.

A new present with paper to shred too!

I’ve never met one a noisy toy that I can’t bite on enough times that it eventually stops squeaking or making noise – but for the first few days all anyone hears is squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak,

squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak…

Then there are the FREE TOYS like my rattles (cardboard tubes with biscuits inside for me to shake and get out)

and my sock (an old long wool sock that mum put a tennis ball inside and then tied two knots) which bounces, and she throws it for me to chase and we play tug, plus I chew the knots on its tail and toss it up into the air! I really like this toy.

I also found my own free toy when I was a puppy. It is their watering can and I still carry it around the garden, and wrestle with it. They throw it and it skids along the concrete drive for me to chase. It must be pretty tough because I haven't managed to chew through it yet and I know my jaw is strong enough to bite through and break up real cow leg bones.

I have my own PADDLING POOL Sometimes before mum goes out she throws a few of my toys into the water and I have to get them out before I can get in the cool water. She thinks this is a game, but I like my pool empty when I paddle!

STUFFIES I also have lots of soft toys like my grey and green ducks, fabric bones, yellow ducklings (big and small), balls, dumbbell stuffies and other ones.

I’ve found some of my stuffies have white fluffy stuff inside which mum gets upset about when she sees it!

“Duckie” (above) is my absolute favourite toy because he’s so soft, he used to squeak at me, and when my humans get home I run to find my Duckie and take him to them for us to play.

Me in the back garden with Duckie,

my Kong, some chew bones and a ball

I carry my duck around the house and garden until he gets all wet and brown. Then I see him fly… yes he actually flies when mum gives him a bath and he closely circles the washing line as it turns around above him. I take “Duckie” on holiday and he’s so soft I can rest my head on him while I sleep.

Well now that you know a bit more about me I’d like to learn about you so here is my question… Out of all YOUR TOYS which is YOUR FAVOURITE TOY and why?

 

Riley

WOW – what a paw-some first leap into cyber-space!

When Max and his mom encouraged me to start a blog I never knew this would happen. What they did was a huge surprise and so thoughtful, especially as we are all aware how tired Max is at the moment.

When my mum looked at her computer yesterday she got a shock when she read Max had mentioned us in his 300th post. Then when she looked at my brand new blog (which wasn’t even a day old) she was speechless (which doesn’t happen very often!) as she couldn’t believe that so many of Max’s friends had taken the time to visit and to say hello.

I feel very honoured to have so many of Max’s wonderful cyber-friends visit, and words and barks cannot adequately express our gratitude to Max and his mom for their help as we start to add my paw prints to this wonderful doggie bloggie cyber-world.

To all those that visited my first post thank you for leaving comments. I am still trying to comprehend that so many of you have read it. I now intend to visit your blogs to say hello and learn something about each and every one of you!

Thank you again Max – you really are a special dog and are in all our thoughts at this stage in your life. 

For anyone reading this who hasn't found Max's blog yet please complete the circle and visit his blog at MAX

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Now for a little bit more about me…

BEACH HOLIDAYS I love them. I love the sun, running on the beach, playing in the water, the interesting smells, meeting other dogs and the feel of sand beneath my paws. Luckily my family also like going to the beach, and ever since I was little they have taken me to a beach about 75 minutes drive away.

My first week there was when I was only four months old.  This is me and my mum together on the outside couch.

Then dad introduced me to the water!

I wasn't sure if I liked those wave things...

and getting wet was not a good look!

Sniffing things on the beach and trying to look cute is more my style.

As for the standard of accomodation (after what I did to my first bedroom which you might have seen in my first post) well they took my bed (a cardboard box and soft rug) so I could sleep on the deck, but as usual I flet the need to redecorate and throw my toys about!

Of course my plan worked and they let me inside to have a special rest under their watchful gaze. These beach holidays can be so tiring!

As I got older they kept taking me to this beach, and letting me explore and meet other dogs there as long as I came back whenever they called me.

The beach is approx. 3 km long and looks like this.

(the north end)

(the south end)

Dogs are allowed off-leash before 9am and after 7pm in summer. Soon it will be going into winter in New Zealand, so I can go on this beach anytime of day that I want to.

The more I went to there the more I liked it because I got to run and jump and do new things. I even learnt how to shake all that wet stuff off me,

and to retrieve my floating toy. I know that I am a Golden Retriever but liking the water and retrieving are a skills that didn't come naturally to me, but now no matter how many times or how far they throw this toy into the water for me I race into the waves to retrieve it!

 
I even look happy now when I get out of the water.
 

We went there for a week last December, a weekend in January and a weekend in February and this is where I will be next weekend.

Thank you for reading my blog - I hope you have enjoyed learning about my beach holidays.
 
Bye for now,
Riley