Foster Update + A Cautionary Tale

I'm sure you've all been wondering...whatever happened to that sweet, yet very rambunctious hound we were fostering?  Well, after a couple training classes to establish a stronger relationship and understanding between dog and human, Holmes has transformed from that lovable Tasmanian devil to....well...a MORE lovable, slightly less devilish dog.  So, in case you haven't figured it out yet....we failed as foster parents, because in the end we ADOPTED Holmes!  The truth is, we have fallen for him...especially my hunnie, who has found his new best bud.  You can't help but fall in love with his big floppy ears and those dark melancholy hound dog eyes.  You can't help but laugh when he gets a new squeaky toy and just squeaks and squeaks it like its the coolest thing in the world.  And you can't help but smile to see the Holmes and Georgia together, whether playing or napping, like best buddies. 

 

Now to my cautionary tale--
One morning last week, I could hear the dogs tussling through the house as I lay in bed trying to sleep. This is standard doggie behavior and never malicious, but when I heard Holmes give a high pitch yelp...a sound not of excitement, but of pain...I jumped from bed to see what had happened. At first I thought Georgia was biting his mouth and wouldn't let go, but I quickly realized the reason the dogs weren't separating despite my efforts to break them apart was because Holmes had gotten his lower jaw twisted in Georgia's collar and was stuck. I calmly tried to pry his long skinny jaw from her collar, but after he panicked and struggled to free himself, I realized he was strangling Georgia (the dog of all dogs, the princess of the house) and her lips and tongue were turning blue and her body was becoming limp. I screamed at Holmes to "relax", and in my own panic that she might be dead, I began to cry. Thank goodness I had enough sanity in that moment to grab the meat scissors from the knife block and cut Georgia's collar off of her. She slowly took in a few breaths, Holmes licked her face to comfort her, and a couple minutes later she was breathing normal, walking normal and even wagging her tail for a treat. This was a close call, and after searching online, I realized that this is not as unique an event as I thought--many dogs have rough-housed and gotten themselves into this predicament, and unfortunately if the owner wasn't around, many of those dogs have died. Thanks to the invention of the Break-away collar, incidents like this can be prevented. A breakaway collar is designed with a safety clip that releases if caught or tugged on.  

 

Georgia's arrived today and I now feel confident that we've done everything we can to prevent her from another strangulation incident.  See here for more info.  Like I said, Holmes and Georgia are back to normal, playing and wagging their tales like nothing ever happened.  My hunnie and I are so thankful to have these silly dogs in our lives and only want them to be happy and safe.

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Blizzard in the Desert

When I think of blizzards here in this little desert town, usually what comes to mind is that yummy soft serve ice cream with Oreo cookie pieces swirled in...you know, the kind from the Dairy Queen?  Imagine our surprise when on Tuesday night my hunnie and I got blizzard warning notices on our cell phones, and then yesterday walking out of St. Francis's church--after a the celebration of life of my hunnie's family friend--imagine our greater surprise to see a slushy snow falling from the sky.  Snow in this desert town isn't unheard of, but usually it stays within the realms of the mountain peaks.  Not yesterday.  The blizzard came, it snowed, it melted...and then it snowed again last night!  We woke up to a magical, slightly snowy desert wonderland in our backyard.  The dogs, after having been held up indoors all day yesterday, were excited to get out this morning and chase each other around the yard. 

I'm giddy with excitement, not only about the snow but also about the Ragnar Del Sol race, which I'll be participating in with 11 former co-workers tomorrow. I'll be running nearly 19 miles, with the final leg being my longest/hardest...7.6 miles uphill.  But, after running a marathon through the hills in Sedona, this shouldn't be too tough. 

 

Hopefully after this weekend I'll have more time to post some recaps of the last month. Can't believe we're nearing March already!

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3 Day Weekend + 2 Dogs = Busy Busy

Things are super busy around here, but I wanted to make sure and post a quick update.  If you've been sitting on the edge of your seat waiting to hear our decision on Holmesy, get comfortable because you'll be waiting awhile.  We haven't yet figured out what the future holds for him, but we know that he will have a warm, safe and happy place to live until a permanent decision is made.  What's holding us back, you ask?  Well, let's just say he's a big part of why things have been so busy.  As I mentioned, he is a pup of 1 and 1/2 years, and when you have a puppy there is never a time when you don't need to be in training mode.  You have to be consistent.  Not to mention, having a puppy has brought out some new behaviors with our other dog, Georgia, such as hoarding toys and chew bones.  So on top of it all, we are em"bark"ing on another round of training with Georgia.  Nonetheless, the dogs have a great time playing with each other, and my hunnie and I are having a great time watching them be silly.  Play time with the dogs has not been without casualties though...Mr. Beaver was torn to shreds over the weekend, and this morning Mr. Snowman also got the axe. 

 

Believe it or not...the demise of Mr. Snowman was the doing of Georgia, NOT Holmes.  Remember that hoarding behavior I mentioned?  Well, Georgia doesn't really like toys...she just doesn't like for Holmes to play with the toys.  So as a result, some toys have literally been torn to shreds to prevent Holmes from having too much fun.  We are working to resolve this by teaching Georgia a new command: "Leave It". 

Alas, the future of dog toys is somewhat bleak in our little blue house.  The dogs enjoy playing tug of war with the toys, and sometimes they take turns chewing apart the toys.  I think it comes from the pack mentality of working together to kill prey.  So you can't blame them right?  Nah...I don't, although my heart sort of sank to see that the happy little Mr. Beaver was no more.

 

Anyways...in other news, my hunnie and I finally got a day off together on Monday, and were able to get away for the day to visit some other parts of this great desert state (thanks in large part to our dear friend Shelby who was willing to watch the canine club for us).  We had a great time, but I have to admit that between a 3-day weekend and 2 doggies I have NOT had much time to keep on my marathon training.  I've been running quite a bit (and was able to squeeze in some great workouts while on a business trip in Denver last week), but the distances have been shorter than I would've liked.  I'm now down to the last two weeks of training, so its time to start tapering anyways.  My biggest worry right now?  The flu is just rampant down here, so I'm doing my best to just stay healthy--by eating healthy, getting lots of sleep, and keeping active.

 

Oh and before I forget, did I mention that my hunnie and I are headed to Vegas this weekend for my mom's birthday? This is my first time doing "The Vegas", and let me just say I'm super excited. All I have to do now is find a doggie hotel for Holmes, who cannot be trusted alone for 3 days.

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To Foster or to Adopt, That is the Question

We're an active bunch...my hunnie, Georgia and I.  We jog, we hike, we hunt.  So recently when a friends' facebook status popped up with the picture of a dog and the statement "Desperately in need of active foster family," my hunnie and I did some research and some talking and found that it might not be impossible to add one more active member to our household.  If you are unfamiliar with animal fostering, let me fill you in.  As communities rescue more and more animals (either from abandonment or just flat-out bad homes) animal shelters are reaching their maximum capacity.  When shelters fill up, there aren't many options left for the animals...even if an animal shelter is a "No-Kill" organization, it can be very hard on the animals and the shelters' volunteers as more and more animals are rescued.  In the midst of the efforts to find a permanent home for the pets, many shelters are using the community to "foster" an animal--the animal is placed in the care of a person/family, where it receives shelter, food, and companionship until an adopter is found.  One may not realize it, but fostering an animal is a way to give back to your community, to volunteer your time, your friendship (and your finances) to help another living thing.

So Sunday night, in 20 degree weather, my hunnie, Georgia and I drove across town to meet the "desperately in need of active foster family" dog.  Introducing Holmes.  A rambunctious, coonhound pup of about 1 1/2 years.  Let me just say, they were NOT kidding about the activity level of this dog.  Imagine the Tasmanian devil in hound dog form!  Not gunna lie, I am pretty convinced that no level of human activity (except for maybe the Air Force Pararescue training) could wear out this little guy.  Needless to say, he's fitting in great, and Georgia seems to really enjoy having a pal (who, as you can see, is equally as cute!). 

My biggest worry was whether we could handle such an active dog, but now that's been replaced by whether I'll be able to say goodbye to him if he finds a good home.  Would it be so wrong for us to adopt him?  Maybe we were the ones meant to give him the active, loving home he needed.  My hunnie and I were never opposed to adding a 2nd dog to the mix...we had always just thought we'd wait awhile until we found the right one.  Holmes isn't by any means the perfect dog--he tries to sit on the couch and we still have to work with him to ensure he doesn't jump the fence to go sniffing through the neighborhood, but the fact is, he is the missing piece for Goergia and the hunnie, who both are even happier now that he's around.  And that makes me happy.  Of course I would be happy as long as Holmes had a good home, but I think I can really see that home being ours.  I think my Hunnie and I may need to have another talk.

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Citrus Cranberry Crusty Bread

One of the late successes of 2012 was my new found ability to make yeast-bread.  Around October, as the weather started to cool (slightly), I found myself wanting to try my hand at baking REAL bread...but I had always feared yeast. Those little microorganisms are so delicate, and I was afraid my bread would come out flat and dense. Or on the other hand, the dough might rise so much that it would look like a miniature hot air balloon until it exploded (like in the cartoons) and my kitchen and dog would be covered in sticky bread dough. It's an irrational fear...and yet my first attempt at yeast bread, which I nursed for hours and hours one Sunday afternoon turned into a dense, flat loaf.  My hunnie was sweet enough to say that it was "good", and I followed up by saying, "yes...good for a doorstop."  

After a month of feeling defeated (and after getting some tips from my co-workers adorable and very domestic wife) I finally conquered the little yeasties, kneading and baking up some delicious and light rosemary rolls for Thanksgiving dinner.  This 2nd attempt could not have gone more perfectly, and I felt so good about the results that I reduplicated the recipe for Christmas (perhaps I'll post the rosemary roll recipe soon).  As 2012 came to an end, I could feel my yeast-bread (and my confidence) rising, so I decided to try something a little different.  A no-knead bread that you bake right in your dutch oven.  So, as a leap of faith in my yeast-bread skills, and to ring in 2013, I took the plunge on a crusty bread recipe packed with festive, earthy flavors.  The result was a delightful loaf full of healthy goodness.  It was perfect for my pre-run PB&Js and also went really well with goat cheese and salad for dinner. 

Citrus Cranberry Crusty Bread
3 cups all purpose flour + extra for rolling
1 3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon yeast
1 cup water, luke warm
1/2 cup orange juice, luke warm*
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup sliced almonds

In a large bowl combine flour, salt, and yeast.  Stir in cranberries and almonds.  Add water and orange juice and mix until combined and moist.  Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rise for at least 12 hours.  Once dough has sufficiently risen, set oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, and place dutch oven inside with lid on.  Let dutch oven warm in oven for 30 minutes.  During that time, pour dough onto heavily floured surface and shape into a ball.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until dutch oven is warm.  Carefully remove pot from oven, place dough ball inside, and return to the oven with the lid on.  Bake with lid on for 30-35 minutes, until bread has a nice, golden crust.  Remove from oven and let cool on cooling rack. 

*I warmed my refrigerated OJ for about 20 seconds in the microwave. 
Recipe inspired by Simply So Good. Pin It

A Good Run & A Good Read {Marathon Update 3}

Eighteen miles...yes I rocked it...18.1 miles in 2 hours and 51 minutes.  I'm tired, I'm achy...I lost a toe nail...but I did it.  In addition, I did short tempo runs 4 days this week.  With that I was able to hit a few new records: farthest run, longest running time, and most miles in one week.  How did I do it?  I have to say, being more conscious of my diet really helped.  I focused in on more fruits and less processed food this week.  The night before my run, my hunnie and I enjoyed homemade hamburgers (with a slice of melted havarti on top) and a salad made with greens from our own garden...and a homemade cupcake for dessert.  My pre-run breakfast included homemade cranberry bread with peanut butter on top and low-fat yogurt with blackberries and raw walnuts on top.  I set my run on a "Figure 8" route.  I did 9 miles out-and-back to my car in one direction, and then 9 miles out-and-back in the opposite direction.  This worked out great...halfway through the run, I made a quick stop to the car where I finished off an energy gel, ate a few grapefruit slices, and gargled down some water before I ventured out for the latter half of the run.  Also along the run I munched on a few cubes of Clif Bar.  With this, I physically felt a lot more energized throughout the run.  On the last couple distance runs, I spent at least 60% of the time thinking about how far I had to go and how tired I was.  So yesterday I decided I needed something to conquer the mental challenges of running 18 miles.  To clear my head and keep my motivation up, I let myself escape into the snowy world of "Ethan Frome". 

"Ethan Frome" by Edith Wharton, is a sad romance, set in Victorian New England.  It was one of the reads from high school that I remember actually enjoying.  Its a pretty quick read, so after almost 3 hours of running, I had made it through Chapter 7.  This tactic worked out perfectly...I was so focused on the narrative, and the end of each chapter left me desperate for more that before I knew it, I was nearing the 14 mile mark.  Running for 2+ hours leaves you feeling as though your missing out on the day, but being able to enjoy a good read at the same time made me feel like I was able to accomplish a lot more than just an 18 mile run.  Now I wonder what would be a good read to enjoy during my marathon?

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2012 Run-through {Marathon Update 2}

With 2012 done and gone, I've been looking back on one of the big parts of this last year for me...running.  In 2012 I completed three half marathons (in January, April, & November), two mud runs (one with my hunnie and one with my girls), and a 200-mile (33 hour) relay across the state with 11 of my coworkers.  I was even able to finish the year off strong, with a 16.25 mile run  in 2 hours and 28 minutes last Friday (this puts me right on track for my marathon goal time of 4 hours).  2013 should be another epic year for me, as I run another 200 mile relay and my first full marathon, BOTH in the month of February.

My marathon is on February 2nd...that's one month away people!  I have to admit, I went into my 15+ mile distance runs thinking they'd be pretty easy.  I mean, it's only tacking a few miles onto my half marathon performance, right?  But 14 miles seems to be my wall, and getting past that wall has been tough.  I was able to successfully complete my last two long distance runs, but I felt very fatigued during both of them.  I've determined that I'm probably not carb loading correctly and that in general I'm not taking in enough calories prior to these 15+ mile runs.  This last month of training is going to focus in on finding the right fuel balance to ensure energy to get out and run 4 days a week (including distance runs).  Based on some research, I've found that I need to focus on taking in carbohydrates with low glycemic index ratings: apples, dried dates, pears, bananas, oranges, carrots, 1% milk, and whole grain breads and cereals.  I'll have to make sure that one quarter of my daily food intake is protein: peanuts, black beans, and lean meats.  Things that I'm largely removing from my diet: Christmas cookies (sadly), non-fat mochas, and liquor.  I don't intend to cut cookies and G&Ts out of my diet completely, but they will be considered treats to enjoy one or two days a week in moderation.  During my distance runs (this Saturday is an 18.5 miler) I plan bring 2 energy gels and a few small chunks of a granola bar.  After the runs I need to make sure I'm hydrating quickly and heating/icing any aches and pains.  Also, to lessen the next-day tightness, I will make a point to REALLY stretch out after runs.  I am hopeful that a better runner's diet and more conscientious post-run habits will be just the kick I need to power through this next month.  Luckily I have my running buddy, Georgia Dog, (who always has a smile on her face) to keep me motivated.

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