Where has the summer gone! Cape Cod & other adventures...

This is probably the longest I have ever gone between blog updates and so much news to share.  We spent the summer vacationing, traveling from Cape Cod to Alabama, competing in dog shows and agility trials, visiting with friends and enjoying many of the pups we've bred in addition to our own girls.  There was also a major health scare with Savi, who has recovered completely, that I will share once the blog is up to date.  The summer included show wins, agility titles, legs and placements and great times with the dogs for all the Grayhart family. We were fortunate to have a number of Grayhart pups come visit and loved having them here.

Now that the weather has gotten cooler and the fall is almost upon us, we have switched gears and started field training, planning our fall show schedule which includes our favorite show, my club, the Garden State Weimaraner Club Independent Specialty, that is also hosting the Weimaraner Club of America Eastern Futurity and Maturity and gearing up to breed Jam.  Weekly agility classes are a highlight of our week as both Jam and Savi, along with their handler, continue to improve.

Here are a few pictures from our annual Cape Cod holiday and we are blessed to be able to spend two weeks in this beautiful place.  The dogs consider it heaven!

 Savi is our star swimmer and retriever!

 She loves to swim and impatiently waits for us to go for our multiple walks/swims each day on the Cape, and will even run down to the marsh with the bumper in her mouth.

 Presley, above, spent the summer with us at Grayhart boot camp, learning to swim and just having a great time!

 The gorgeous view from our deck.

 Plenty of room to run through the salt marsh.

 Presley, below, pure joy!

 A favorite activity for Jam and Trixie is squirrel hunting in the decayed wood pilings.

Cape Cod 2014

Savi doing what she loves most!

We just returned from a fantastic two week family vacation in one of our most favorite places in the world, Truro on Cape Cod, MA.  With four dogs in tow, we had an incredible vacation doing many of our favorite activities. We hiked, cycled, whale watched, toured the Dunes, ate amazing seafood and took the dogs on daily run at the beach and in the salt marsh.  Traveling with four dogs takes much preparation and organization but we are experts at taking them with us on our annual family holiday and make it work beautifully.  Stay tuned for more photos of our trip and tips on traveling with your best friend(s).

Morning Marsh runs

There is nothing like waking up and being able to take the dogs on a fabulous run in the marsh just steps from our rental house. The house is on a salt marsh that is part of Pamet Harbor which leads to the Cape Cod Bay.

   Savi loves to swim and cannot wait to get down to the water.

 Below, a resident Great Blue Heron, who we saw quite a bit of during our stay.

Trixie on the move...

 High tide makes for beautiful views.

 View of Pamet Harbor and the Yacht Club.

 Chipmunk hunting is a favorite Weim activity!  Jam pointing a critter and then the three girls with a team effort but no, they did not catch the chimpmunk.

Cape Cod 2013

We had a fabulous two weeks on Cape Cod, exploring, hiking, cycling, swimming, shopping and eating amazing local seafood, especially lobster...it truly is our slice of heaven.  The dogs had a blast, running in the marshes, on the beach and Savi loved swimming and retrieving in the marsh and bay.  They enjoyed meeting new people and shopping with us in all the dog friendly shops.  Our girls are amazing travelers and it feels just like home having them with us on vacation.  I really enjoy photographing the dogs and sharing their adventures.  

Daily hikes in the salt marsh are fun, give the dogs and people plenty of exercise!

 Truro is our favorite spot on the cape with rolling hills, salt marshes and fantastic bay and ocean beaches.

Running through the hills and swimming after ducks!

The dogs settled into our new routine there pretty quickly and with much planning and packing, we were well prepared to make their vacation with us an easy one.  It is important to make sure when traveling with pets that you not only have their food and depending where you go, water, extra leashes and ID on their collars, but all kinds of medications (check with your vet) and first aid supplies (vet wrap, hydrogen peroxide, super glue, etc) in the event of an illness or accident. We always carry anti-diarrhea medications and antibiotics.  Also, check to see where the nearest vet and emergency animal hospitals are located.  Since Cape Cod is also known for its ticks, we make sure to apply Frontline or Vectra to the dogs a few days before we leave to give them adequate protection.

Just like at home, we set up crates and dog beds for the dogs in the house and show them their potty area and bring a pooper scooper for clean up.  A few favorite toys, treats and special chews, new knuckle bones from White Dog Bone, kept the dogs busy, especially on rainy days. Another important piece of equipment that we "schlep" with us are the xpens, which we attach to the deck.  Since our rental house did not have a fenced yard, it allows the dogs to hang out with us on the deck or alone while we are home, in a safe, contained outdoor area.  For practical reasons, it works great to put them in when we get back from the beach and they are wet and sandy; you sure do not want them in the house full of sand!

I took a ton of pictures and will continue to share some of my favorites in future posts.

Summer fun on Cape Cod!

Savi giving Jam some swimming advice

 We had a fabulous two-week vacation on Cape Cod with the dogs!  Once we are unpacked, we'll share many of the great photos we took and the fun times.

 Running through the Truro hills.

On the rocks at the mouth of Pamet Harbor and Cape Cod Bay.

Beach babes

Jam and Savi enjoying a romp on the beach.

Time with Trixie

"Some roads aren't meant to be traveled alone."

Are you eating Beach Plums?

The girls love nature's bounty of Beach Plums, which grow all over Cape Cod.

As much as they enjoy eating them, there is danger is this delicious snack, which are okay for humans to eat.  Plums, apples, cherries, and apricot seeds, leaves and stems are toxic to dogs.

Life's a beach

 Trixie enjoying a beach romp to Ryder Beach.  A nice cool day and chance to get our toes in the sand as part of a 6-mile hike from the Atwood-Higgins House, the oldest house on the Cape, from Bound Brook Island to Ryder Beach and then loop back to the house.

 Trixie and her shadow

One of Cape Cod's beautiful beaches

Pamet Marsh - a slice of heaven

Trixie enjoying a run in the marsh, hard to believe our girl will be 8 years old next month, still very puppylike!

 A favorite activity is taking a marsh walk in the late afternoon, with beautiful light and gorgeous views, especially during high tide.

 Trixie and Jam love coming back every year and we only wish Savi could have come but she is off at bird camp.

 Pamet Harbor in Truro on Cape Cod is a very special place and one of our favorite places to visit.

 Lots of critters for the dogs to hunt and places to explore.

Rock Lobster

 What's a vacation without the perfect souvenir to bring home?  Well, during our time on Cape Cod, we made the mandatory trek to one of our favorite stores in Eastham, The Cape Cod Dog.

 I had accidentally left the dogs' indoor toys at home and needed to buy them a few for our vacation. They have a terrific selection of toys and it's always nice to find something we don't already own.

What better memento of the Cape than the iconic red lobster!  This cute Hugglehounds Lobster, has a smile, is made of plush corduroy, has three squeakers and made with Tuffut Technology, a super durable three-layer material designed to hold up even with aggressive chewers.  Time will tell how Weim-proof this toys is but for now, Savi has claimed it and thinks it's just great!

Jam-in at Balston Beach

 A picture perfect day for a hike through the hills of Truro to Balston Beach, which is on the Atlantic Ocean.

 We couldn't imagine that the beach would be empty on such a gorgeous August day,

 The surf was a bit rough due to Hurrican Irene and there was a high surf warning.  The little black dot out in the water is a seal.  We saw a number of seals swimming offshore amid the seagulls floating on the surface.

 Jam loved spending time with us and running along the beach,

 Here I come!

 And what could be better than shorebirds to point...we think these are terns.

 August is considered the best month for observing shorebirds on Cape Cod.

 Jam had a wonderful workout and was quite tired when she joined us for dinner at an outdoor cafe in Provincetown.