Farley’s Friday

Farley’s Friday: I’m Beating The Pond

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 10 Comments

Farley here,

Who can get through life without friends? Finn, an Icelandic Sheepdog, is staying with me for a couple of weeks.

I told him about my girlfriend, Jessie, and that I’m trying to impress her. She’s an avid swimmer, and I’m not.

Turns out, Finn can swim AND he gives lesson.

Farley's Friday - The Pond

His feet aren’t even toughing the ground. He’s the bravest dog I know. I followed for a second, then turned to shore so my paws touched the bottom. My heart was beating fast, and my hair stood on end, but I was floating.

Puppy steps, but I’ll get there. Finn said we could go to the pond every day until I swim!

Woof Woof.

Farley’s Friday: Are Ponds Dangerous? Part II.

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

Farley here.

Sometimes in life, a dog needs help from his friends. I want to impress my girlfriend Jesse with my jumping-in-pond skills, but I can’t do it alone.

Along comes my pal, Flint. He’s a Portuguese  Water dog, and he’s less than a year old. But he is braver than me. Also, he has ‘water dog’ in his title, so that must mean he is genetically meant to swim.

I put my front paws in the pond. Flint Nudged me. I put my back paws in. He nudged me again.

“This isn’t so bad,” I bark at him.

Flint, Farley in pond

He woofs, then barks in my ear, so only I can hear. “Dude, you actually have to swim if you want to impress the girl.”

I shake my head. No way. I’m not ready for that. Maybe tomorrow.

Flint has an awesome human. She carries cookies, so as a reward for my bravery, I get one.

julie, Flint Farley

Flint may be the better swimmer, but I’m the better sitter. Look how handsome I am waiting politely for my cookie. Now check out Flint. He got too excited and jumped for his. Of course we had to wait until he settled down before we got cookies. Maybe I can trade teaching him how to sit for him teaching me how to swim.

His human is the kind who loves dogs. She’ll do anything for us, including giving us cookies after Flint got her all wet.

Ponds are still dangerous, but not as scary as they were last week.

Woof Woof.

Farley’s Friday: Are Ponds Dangerous?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 9 Comments

Farley here,

My friend for life, Jessie, is staying across the street for a month. That means daily play dates.

What is also means is I have to “up” my game. I’m the cool mountain dude. I chase bears up trees. I face down aggressive deer. I keep squirrels off the deck.

But leaping into a pond where the water is over my head?

Farley and Jessie

I don’t think so. Emily, Jessie’s human, is trying to coax me into jumping in the pond. Just at the edge of the photo you can see a green ball floating on the water. What you can’t see is that it’s floating toward me. If I wait long enough, it will come to me, and I won’t have to get wet.

When the ball gets close enough, I’ll grab it.

Alas, that was not to be. Jessie jumps over my head into the water. She swims to the ball, grabs it in her mouth, swims back, and gives it to Emily. All I can do is wag my tail and look cute.

Why am I afraid of water that’s over my head? That’s a story for another day.

Any ideas on how I’m supposed to impress Jessie if I won’t swim?

Woof woof.

Farley’s Friday: One Dog’s Magical Healing Powers

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 3 Comments

Farley here,

I lay on the cold tile in the basement, my favorite spot when I’m hot, and felt something was wrong. Humans need to be taken care of, and that’s my job. Kristina was in the house somewhere, and I could tell she wasn’t happy.

I trotted up the stairs and found her curled up on the couch. She had a headache. I snuck up beside her and snuggled. I breathed in and out, matching my breath to hers. I shared my body heat.

Farley on Lap

Soon her breathing softened. I sent her my best dog vibes, and they worked. I stayed with her until her headache disappeared, and then she took me out for a 5 K hike. She rocks.

I love my human.

Woof Woof.

 

Farley’s Friday: Dogs and Yoga

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 8 Comments

Farley here,

Did you know I love yoga? Kristina used to do yoga on the beach, and I could run anywhere I wanted for a whole hour.Farley running on beach

Now she does yoga in our house. First she runs on the treadmill – she doesn’t like to run outside with the bears in the area – then she does yoga.

Farley on Yoga Mat

I sleep on her yoga mat while she runs. When she’s done, she wants it back. Ha. I never move, so she does yoga on the carpet. That’s just as soft right?

Later she takes me off-leash near the village so I can run, too. I get my freedom time ever day. We cover 5.5 km. So life is good here.

Woof Woof.

Farley’s Friday: Do all dogs like car rides?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 14 Comments

Farley here,

I’ve just been on a long vacation. Vacations are great. I get to spend time playing with my humans more often, I get to explore new places, and I get to meet new friends.

The drawback? The car. Thirteen hours in one go is just too long. I try to sneak up front, but Kristina won’t let me. My dog bed is tucked behind the driver’s seat, and I have lots of room to move around, but sometimes a dog gets bored and wants to sit on a human lap. The human should then spend hours petting me. What’s wrong with that?

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And did you know not all places allow dogs to enter? Just because the humans need a coffee and a snack, shouldn’t mean I have to wait in the car on this cold and rainy day. The first thing I do is jump to the front seat. I’m thinking maybe I can stay here when we hit the road again.

Farley in Audi

No such luck. It’s back to my bed…Although I should tell you, first I get a walk and some water.

Happy Canada Day to all!

Woof Woof.

Farley’s Friday: Bears and Dogs

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 16 Comments

Farley here,

It’s bear season again, and you know that means. I’m back on a leash. I made the mistake once, only once, of chasing a bear, and now Kristina thinks I’m not reliable when there are bears around.

This guy was in our backyard last year. We’d just come home from a walk, and he was meandering across our grass and over into the neighbours yard.  He’s pretty little, so what harm could he do. He’s giving me a snarky look because I’m barking at him. No chasing though. Kristina has a good grip on my harness.

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But I can still have fun with a leash on. Kristina lets me sneak around the golf course sometimes. This is my favorite hill. Rolling down it is a blast. Then it’s back to Kristina and walking on leash. I don’t know why that’s safer than walking off-leash. But she’s in charge, so what’s a dog to do?

Farley rolling downhill

Woof Woof

Farley’s Friday: I’m Sooooooo Happy

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 8 Comments

Farley here,

Run, bark, swim, roll, chase, and bark some more.

3 dogs on beach

I love the beaches in Victoria, BC. I met new friends, some big, some small. All playful.

Dogs in water

Somewhere along the beach, I rolled in rotting seaweed! I left let beach filthy, but happy. Oddly enough, Kristina didn’t like the smelly seaweed part. Go figure…

Woof Woof

Farley’s Friday: Animals in Need

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 7 Comments

Farley here.

Today I’m worrying about all the humans who have been separated from their pets and all the pets separated from their humans because of the fire in Fort McMurray.

If you haven’t heard, there is a great facebook site connecting people with their pets.

If you’ve lost a pet or found a pet, this is the place to list it. There are cats, dogs, donkeys, horses and even a dragon.

Here’s the link: https://www.facebook.com/Fort-McMurray-Fire-Emergency-Animal-Assistance-1585681045093011/
Thank you to all the wonderful people looking after the animals.

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Woof Woof.