Dabbling in Adventure: Doggie Weekend! (Plus - beekeeping!)

As I mentioned last time, we spent the weekend focused on Dexter.

Saturday: New Harness, Puppies on Parmenter
Now, we should've known better than to take Dexter to PetSmart before going to an event centered around dogs...

He was CRAZY excited. Last weekend Dexter broke his harness - so we needed a new one. We took Dexter in to PetSmart to try on the various harnesses we liked because we wanted to make sure we got one that fit. Big mistake. he was so distracted and wanted to play with EVERYONE. We managed to find a harness (Kong harness - it looks pretty sturdy) and get out of the store pretty quickly.
Then we went to the OccuPaws Puppies on Parmenter event. To start out - we were behind the big group walk. We tried meeting some of the guide dogs in training, but as part of their training I guess they're not supposed to be as social as our little monster, so the trainers were a little hesitant to let the pups socialize with Dexter.
We started the walk and it was going pretty well. Dexter was happy to meet dogs and their owners. Chris and I were happy to trade off going into the participating stores and restaurants - and we even found a few places we'd like to check out again. Then Dex got a little spooked/upset by another dog. And after that a puppy guide dog in training jumped at him (wanting to say hi and play) - that's when he growled and snapped at the puppy and we had to go home. :(
Dexter didn't stop the less-than-wonderful puppy behavior there. While Chris and I were out, he climbed up onto the counter and grabbed my sealed tupperware container of cookies - and ate them ALL. (Chris thinks he was able to jump and knock them off - but I think they were pushed too far back for that.)

Despite that - we still decided to have some fun on Sunday: Dogs on the Square.
Dogs on the Square is a fundraiser for Capitol K9s - the MPD K9 officer program. It was AWESOME.
You get to walk around the square and have your dog participate in different challenges. They were all pretty basic - but some stuff Dex hasn't done before - like go up and down an a-frame ladder (like on dog competitions!) and going through a tunnel and jumping hurdles. He was a CHAMP! He nailed every challenge. (Well, except the "leave a treat" one - Chris had to hold the leash tight to keep him back - but who expects him to leave a treat that someone just puts in front of him??)
One he was SUPER good at was the tennis ball find - one of the MPD officers rubbed a tennis ball in her hands and Dex had to find the one with the smell. He ROCKED it!

Aside from the challenges, the MPD K9 officers also did demonstrations. The dogs are super highly trained - and it was impressive to see them do their stuff up close (although, I NEVER want to experience a take down by a K9 officer - YIKES).

Now - even though it was HOT and humid - and Dex basically refused to drink any water all day - he was the PERFECT dog. He was polite to all of the other dogs. He wasn't overly excitable. He waited patiently in line (well, most of the time) and he only stole one treat. He was well behaved even when we went inside Tabby & Jack's on the square - leaving all of the toys and bones at snout level alone!

After Dogs on the Square, we brought Dex home for some time in the air conditioning. While he cooled off, Chris and I went across town to hang out with our good friends Ryan & Christie - and their adorable daughter Ceci. Ryan and Christie tend their own honeybee hives in their backyard - and this weekend Ryan got new bees! They asked us to come over and help with some of the beekeeping. It was super cool! Chris did most of the helping - and I admit - I'm a little jealous I didn't offer to help instead...

While Ryan, Christie & Chris tended to the bees (they were making sure all of the hive trays were clean, that the bees did okay over the winter and rotating the trays to keep a more consistent/even honey production) I took pictures and played with this adorable little ball of energy:

We painted, played baseball, played on the swingset and played Ring Around the Rosey until I was too dizzy to stand up! It was so much fun! :) We always say that we don't see the Kings nearly enough - and it's always the truth! They're always a blast to hang out with - and we usually end up getting to do some pretty cool stuff with them - like beekeeping. Seriously, did you do anything nearly as cool with your weekend?

Before I hit "publish" and dive into a blog about the Dukan progress (or, rather, lack thereof), here's one of the beekeepers in action:

Until next time - happy dabbling (in adventure)!