Unexcused Absence

Ok, I'm just going to admit it.  School supplies, picture books, and garage sales have taken over my life and therefore I haven't had time to blog (hence the lack of posts in over a week).  Many of you already know from Facebook, but I am the lucky recipient of a brand new job!  Come September I will be teaching Kindergarten!  This will be a bit of a change from my crazy life as a substitute teacher, but it will be a much welcomed change.  Not only will I be tying lots of shoes and offering tissues by the handful, but I will probably also be fairly sporadic in my blogging.  But don't you worry, Athena will be just as spoiled as ever AND I plan to tell lots of Athena stories to the class.

Over the weekend I took a break from school supply shopping and we attended an especially fun event with our flyball team.  We all dressed up in our best Flying Underdogs attire and marched in the Freemont Street parade with one of our favorite local pet stores, Green Dog Pet Supply.

Athena practiced her manners in front of dogs, kids, horses, and lots, and lots of people.  It was great preparation for her Canine Good Citizen test which has finally been scheduled for this coming Saturday the 10th (fingers crossed that she passes)!

There were so many highlights to our fun outing, one of which was all of the time we got to spend with this totally adorable puppy (she will soon be up for adoption through MCAS):

Puppy Frankie, Athena, and their friends Roo and Henry all had a blast together and even got to share some doggie ice cream treats after the parade.

Henry even won 3rd place in the dog costume contest!

Before we started flyball, Athena's only friends were her daycare buddies.  Now she has lots of flyball friends to hang out with!

Do you live in the Portland area and want to give flyball a try?  We'd LOVE to meet you and your dog and I'm sure Athena would be up for showing you her flyball skills.  Check out our flyball team, the Flying Underdogs, for info on starting a flyball class.

Pitlandia in Portlandia: Green Dog Pet Supply

Last week we popped into Green Dog Pet Supply in the very popular Beaumont Village in Northeast Portland.  To be honest, we went into the store two days in a row.  On the first day we visited the store because we were having lunch close by.  The second day into the store we brought Athena with us, and boy did she get some major attention from all of the staff!

Green Dog Pet Supply specializes in environmentally friendly pet supplies for dogs and cats.  They also carry many products made locally in the Northwest.

B and I went into the store just to look around, but of course we couldn't resist picking up a few new things for Athena:

The store had a display of dog friendly water bottles and collapsible bowls including some that we mentioned in a previous post about our hunt for a doggy water bottle.  So, we made our final decision on the perfect water bottle and bought the H2O4K9 Stainless Steel Bottle & Bowl.

While walking through this very spacious store, we stopped to check out the large selection of collars and leashes.  One of the women working in the store asked us if we had ever seen the Ruffwear Flat Out Leash.  She told us about all of the amazing features of the leash including its ability to be worn around the waist for a hands-free walk!  We didn't purchase this leash until our second time into the store because we wanted to go home and check out some online reviews about it before purchasing.  Check out our review of this leash which is our new favorite walking tool!

Our final purchase at Green Dog Pet Supply is one of my most favorite dog purchases to date!  I have been wanting to get Athena a raincoat to wear because our beautiful weather in Portland is about to change rain.  I really wanted to get Athena the Ruffwear K-9 Overcoat, but at $65 I wasn't quite ready to get it (yes, I know it's crazy that we spent $80 on a doggy backpack but can't think to spend $65 on a coat!).  The owner at Green Dog Pet Supply showed us the DoodleBug Duds Water Resistance Coat which is made in Oregon and was only $35 (plus 25% off) for Athena's size (her size is Tweeny).  We loved this coat for its velcro closures which make it so easy to put on (Athena doesn't do so well with things that we have to put her legs through).  We also loved that this coat is water resistant, is lined with black berber for warmth, and has multiple safety reflective strips.

We think that Athena looks pretty cute in her new raincoat!

Overall we were TOTALLY impressed with this amazing local dog supply store!  The staff were extremely friendly to us and did all that they could to make Athena feel loved while in the store.  The selection of products at Green Dog Pet Supply are of the highest quality and it's a bonus that many are made locally.