Tag: eating out

B’Arc & Brew 2015

On By ajthespringer
B'Arc and Brew
A.J.’s first brew festival: B’Arc & Brew 2015

Yesterday A.J. went to his first brew festival: B’Arc & Brew at Highlands Hollow Brewhouse. This is an annual event to benefit The Arc, an organization that helps people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Greg and I got to sample some beers (a great joy for Greg, who doesn’t actually like beer), and A.J. got to meet a lot of dogs. A.J. was great, very well-behaved and super friendly with all the people and dogs. It was a fairly small event, but we all had fun. Okay, A.J. and I had fun. Greg was a little hopeful when he spotted a raspberry beer, but it turned out to taste like beer and not raspberries.

A.J. Turns Three

On By ajthespringer

July 27, 2015

Yesterday was A.J.’s birthday; my little boy turned three years old. Well, technically it was his two-year adoption day. We’ve had this crazy springer in our house for two full years. Wow. It’s amazing how much we’ve been through in those two years.

We decided to go out to dinner to celebrate. I fed A.J. his dinner about half an hour before we left for the restaurant. I fed him a tiny bit less than usually, knowing Greg would feed him from the table at the restaurant. (Something I still don’t like, but I’ve given in on that at restaurants. Not at home though, absolutely no handouts are allowed directly from the dinner table.) Because it was his birthday, Greg fed him even more than usual from his dinner, and because it was his birthday I didn’t put up too much of an argument.

A.J. was (of course!) very well-behaved during dinner. When we were done we took him to a nice big play field right by the restaurant. It was a little hot out, the temperature was in the mid-80’s, but I let him run like a crazy dog for about 15 minutes. When we first got there the field was covered with crows. A.J. took care of that right away.

After about 15 minutes I could tell A.J. was looking for water. We had some in the car, so we headed back. We gave him his drink then we went home.

Thirty minutes later A.J. was still panting like crazy. He’d lay down, then get up and stand there and just look at me. I’d go to him, pet him for a little while, then go back and sit down. We did this a few times until A.J. went outside. I was getting a little worried about him as time went on, so I followed him outside.

I  guess now is when I should mention that I’m absolutely paranoid of bloat. It happens quickly, and dogs die from it all the time. I always wait at least an hour after A.J.’s meals before I take him for walks or let him run around a lot. On this occasion I didn’t do that, so as he’s lying there panting and wandering around for 30, 40, 50 minutes, I’m watching him very closely, hoping we didn’t kill our dog with kindness on his birthday.

I’m happy to say that he’s perfectly fine. His breathing finally calmed down after about an hour. Paranoid dog mom can relax and enjoy her three-year-old.

A.J. Goes Out for Coffee

On By ajthespringer

January 30, 2015

We went for a long walk this morning. We first walked to the park where we met up with our friend Denise. A.J. was very happy to see her – he jumped up on her. After that he went back to being on a mission and we walked along the river to a local restaurant and coffee shop. It was cold outside, but the sun was shining so it wasn’t uncomfortable to sit outside with a cup of coffee. A.J. and I sat down while Denise went in to get the coffee. A.J. was such a good boy. He started to cry a couple of times when he saw dogs, but otherwise he did great. We were away from the front door, but a couple of people walked by us specifically so they could pet him. He loved it; he likes being the official greeter.

Denise and I sat and talked for quite a while, A.J. being a good boy the whole time. He even relaxed enough to lie down. When we were done we walked back along the river. Denise and I had a great time, and A.J.  walked nicely with us, not causing any problems at all. We went back to the park where we walked Denise to her truck. We stood and talked for probably another 15 minutes, A.J. standing there quietly the whole time. (He did start to shake at one point, I think he was seeing squirrels. But overall he behaved really well.) We left Denise and walked home, going a total of about 7.5 miles.

And the sun was shining the whole time.