Sunday, January 20, 2013

There's nothing like a romp in the park! ...

GREETINGS FROM JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA!
Hello there to all my friends around the globe!
Please note that this is a LONG post, with many photographs!!!
  I am posting these photos for the benefit of the friends who joined me in the park yesterday.
Thank you for your patience... please enjoy them... :)
(TOBY: The joy of a romp in the park)

After a sweltering week,  we welcomed in cooler, rainy weather on Friday.  The heavens opened and it showered buckets! We held our breath to see if we would, indeed, have a window of  "walking" opportunity on Saturday.  As if by magic, the rain eased up for a few hours.  We seized the moment.

Let's allow the pictures tell most of the story...

 Above: Toby knows that a car-ride means FUN!!!
The doggie-park is about 5 minutes from our house.
 On arrival, the boot is opened to reveal two excited Goldens.  We take a moment to 'try' and calm them down before they are allowed to exit the boot of our vehicle.  It's a difficult job.  Today, I handed the responsibility over to Robz...so that I could take photos...
She's a great vet student and dog-trainer.
 Above: Good manners must be entrenched: Wait! Behave, and only then we'll let you run free.
Although the grass is long, the park is really beautiful at the moment
 Some residents have taken great care to ensure that the birds are also considered. 
Thank you to all those who work so hard to keep it clean and to make this place so wonderful for our community and its dogs  ...
 Although Aunt Tam' is getting old now (12 years), she visibly comes to life in the park.  Somehow her 'arthritis' disappears during these visits.  She is still such a pretty, quiet and gentle soul and loves to meet new friends...
"Hello there, you're new?  I'll say hello first while Toby is distracted."
 A sniff here; a "point" there:
a dart to the bush; a backward stare...
 When Toby's on a running role, there's nothing stopping him!  His internal braking system seems to fail him.
I love the above picture.  If you look carefully, you'll notice the signs of his conflicting intentions - the front half of his body is trying to 'stop' while the back part is still in full gallop. LOL!
 Above: TAMMY - not bad for a 12-year-old.
(She's momentarily cured of any latent arthritis)


Above:  
A beautiful, cherished photo of my other daughter, Miss J.  
Tammy has always been Miss J's dog.  She trained her, nurtured her  and spent hours grooming her during her developmental years.  The long-standing bond between them is palpable - even though Miss J is absent most of the time. The demands and unimaginable working hours required of a young doctor mean that time shared together is extremely limited.  Time with TAMMY is therefore super-special!
 Above: Tammy and Toby wait patiently for their special friends to arrive...

Then suddenly the celebrations commence.
Below: 
Abbey and Hoby arrive for the joyous reunion...
 "Hello, hello, hello!..."
 Below: Other friends arrive. Little Abbey (young, guide-dog in training) shows submission to Jonty.
 Once the preliminaries are complete, it turns into a canine whirlpool of activity.
 This is the time for Aunt Tam to settle down and survey the action ...
  Below: Hoby, Duke and Abbey... full steam ahead!

Now for some special pics' I promised to post for our new park-buddies...

 Above and below: Isobel and Jonty.
 Below: Darryl practicing Hoby's recall, with Portia observing the action...
 Below: Portia comes running back to her mom...
 Below: The longest tongue in the business - TOBY looking on...
 Time to put that tongue back where it belongs and say a friendly 'Hello!'
 TOBY: "Phew, that was hard.  I can let it all hang out now..."
 Below: Isobel, Carl, Jonty and Portia...




 The perfect recall...
Unfortunately all fun comes to an end.  It's time to get our things together and go home.
...UNTIL NEXT TIME!
Below: Abbey, Hoby and Darryl

"COME TOBY!"


...BECAUSE WE HAVE THINGS TO PREPARE:
In the next few days, our excitement and anticipation will escalate.
A new Golden puppy will be joining our ranks.
We look forward to welcoming our new puppy. Tomorrow's behavioural assessment will finally confirm who the little puppy will be.  It could be Aurora, it could be Belle.
My gut feel at the moment is that it will be...


But I will wait and see.  My prayers are that the right pup will find its way to me...and to Toby and Tammy.
Thank you to Marycke at QUILLQUEST GOLDEN RETRIEVERS for all your hard work to ensure the health, wellbeing and best development of these beautiful puppies.  
They are all absolutely stunning!
I can't wait to hear which dear little one will be mine...

A final thank you to all my companions who joined us in the park yesterday:
Les, Robz, Miss J, Liz, Darryl, Isobel, Carl
...and all the canine companions too!

"LIVE LIFE TO THE MAX!"

With love,

17 comments:

Molly the Airedale said...

What a fun day and such gorgeous pictures! You do have a very long tongue, Toby!

Love ya lots
Mitch and Molly

How Sam Sees It said...

Love your photos! I wish we could take Monty to the dog park, but his unpredictable snarkiness makes it difficult for us. I don't think he realizes what he is missing out on!

Sam

Millie and Walter said...

Your pictures today are fantastic. The portrait shots, both posed and candid are great. I'm sure your friends will love them. Toby sure has a huge tongue.

Cindy

Piappies World said...

Hello there Toby and Tammy!

We definitely enjoyed your park adventure. You got really pawesome GSD pals.

Toby really got lots of energy and sure had fun zoom zoomies during playtime.

He will definitely keep up with the lil one coming soon. We are eager to find out as we already love Belle and Aurora.

Hugs to Tammy, too!

Love,
Piappies - Fudgie, Princess, Frappie, Mocha, Sugar, Wai-Max, Wai-Pai & Forgie

Brenda said...

I read "dog park" and was picturing what we have here in So. California, but, wow! How fun for you and your dogs. Great photos.

NAK and The Residents of The Khottage Now With KhattleDog! said...

I believe it was Khonfucius who said woo khan tell the fun by the length of the tongue ;-)

What a great day!

Those GSD's are beaWOOtiful -

Of khourse, those GR's are just GReat too -

As fur Princess Aurora - OMD!

Hugz&Khysses,
Khyra
PeeEssWoo: One nevFUR has to apologise fur sharing too many pikhs of US! Just sayin'

MySpecialDoggies said...

Neeli & Elle wish they could have joined Toby & Tammy at the park! We loved the pictures and are awaiting to see who the pup will be and her name.

Woofs
Nadine & goldens Neeli & Elle

Unknown said...

Hi. The pictures of our shepards are beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing. Portia had a wonderful time, all smiles. It was really nice meeting you and the pups, both Carl and I thoroughly enjoyed the chat and park yesterday. Sometimes beautiful moments just happen...often around the furry ones hey?

Val said...

Toby Boy you have one long tongue!! What fun to meet new friends and they are beautiful:) Only a couple more days til you know your answer....can't wait to hear your announcement.

The Life of Riley said...

I enjoyed seeing your photos - thanks for sharing the fun in the park with us.

WFT Nobby said...

So much energy in those photos. And what a treat to catch a glimpse of Miss J!
Cheers, Gail.

Berts Blog said...

Hi Toby, wow, that looks like a fantastic park to play in and you met up with some really handsome/beautiful dogs to play with. We loved every single picture and we are so excited that you are getting a new puppy. WE can't wait to see who joins your family.

Bert

Dexter said...

That is an awesome dog park. I love that all the dogs are well behaved and the owners practice manners and recalls.

Mango Momma

STELLA and RORY from Down Under said...

Caryl, that was a wonderful post. It made us smile right through. The photos were gorgeous. Can't wait to hear who will be joining your family. Isn't it so exciting!
No worries, and love, Carol (and Stella and Rory)

rottrover said...

Beautiful, well mannered dogs!

Tweedles -- that's me said...

Such beautiful photos and what a happy day!
love
tweedles

Unknown said...

So nice to meet you Max! That looks like sooo much fun you had!We have a dog park we go to so Kirby can get lots of fun in too!