A Different Sort of Adventure

I recently tried my new bike carrier recently and took Bella and my rarely used Mountain Bike to a very exotic (ha! ha!) place right next to highway number 1. Like under 25 yards away from it. In my defense a small river separated us from the highway and it was late in the evening and I live in Iceland after all.

Considering the photos were taken around midnight I'm not sure I should say the lighting conditions were crappy, but it explains the blue hue.

Anyway, I biked 2 miles on a dirt rode with Bella unleashed and I haven't seen her this genuinely ecstatic for a long time. She ran like around the little devil she is, running some distance in front of me and stopped to sniff and enjoy the scenery before running off again. She ran alongside me and looked at me with pure joy in her face.

I'm glad she had so much fun because I love mountain biking and have been wanting to do this kind of biking with her for over two years but due to physical constraints and not having a bike carrier I haven't been able to. I'm not ready for more than dirt packed roads but we'll get there. I'm healing fantastically!

On a worse note, after getting home tonight from biking in the neighborhood I saw an announcement that a foreign guest judge will be judging Tracking tests for the German Shepherd division in early July and that other breeds are welcome to enter. My competitive side really really wants to enter but I'm not sure we'll be fully ready by then. Too many challenges, so little time! We'll see what we can do, at least I can observe the test if I fail to be ready.

Starting Again

I have been a bit lazy with the camera in the past few days. The days fly by so quickly that I never get to do everything that I want to do.



I did attempt to sign me and Bella on a 10 week course in Obedience this summer but it was full. Maybe a spot will open up, maybe not. It doesn't look like there will be a tracking course for us either.

More excitingly, my physiotherapist assured me I would be biking this summer and encouraged me to give it a go whenever I felt I was up to it. So I went on a 2 minute ride on Monday with no bad results. So today I went ahead and took Bella with me on a short 5 minute jog.



She looks very calm and stoic in these two pictures but in fact she was running back and forth whining because she was so excited to go.



As expected she still pulls like a freight train. I need to put effort into breaking that habit if I am to allow her to bike with me this summer. What's more exciting is that now I finally have a car that can haul bikes which means I can also find biking spots where she can be off leash. I've dreamt about that for several years now.

What a fantastic summer this will be!

Party Sunday

Yesterday we celebrated my stepdaughter's eight year old birthday with family while she was with us this weekend. Bella put her party hat on and as usual was the life of the party as the photographic evidence reveals.

After the arrival of the first guests Bella is already overwhelmed. She wore her bell collar while they arrived but I then removed it as soon as everybody was there. Bella was in fact so distraught with all the guests (all 7 people!) that she laid down on the middle of the floor or roamed around like a bird with a broken wing and I ended up closing her in the hallway to be alone. She was really relieved.

The photo below was taken after everybody had left. She hurried into "our" sofa and was just out of it for the rest of the evening, looking super worried if there was some commotion from the kids.

I may not have a party or a family dog, but she more than makes up for it when we go out and find her element.

I really can't wait for my health to improve so me and Bella can continue doing those things we love and enjoy. I recently got a new car that I can use to haul my mountain bike and my dream is to take Bella to the outskirts of town next autumn and bike on the trails with Bella off leash.

My sacrum bone is super loose and if I push myself too hard I limp something awful (as in, can barely walk). That's how today is after yesterday's birthday preparations. I've reached a point where my physiotherapist is working on containing the condition but she keeps telling me she's going to fix me after baby is  born. Here's to hoping she's right! 

I believe that after this round my babymaking days are over! In fact I keep telling my fiancé that if I ever get the urge again I'm rather getting Bella a doggy brother to bully.

Racedog

Yesterday afternoon, after a busy day cleaning the apartment, me and Bella went out for a bike ride. I didn't know what hit her but she was craaaaazy, running like she was late for the last meal of her life.

We went so fast that there was no time to catch us on camera. Instead we had a small photoshoot during a pitstop.

Mr. Bike seems a little tired.

After the pit stop I thought we would relax a little but Bella took off like a rocket and my leisurely afternoon bike tour was like a thundering race down the homestretch. Bella didn't even have time to bathe in the awe people we meet have for her shoes.

When we got back home in record time Bella's victory lap was a little lacking:

Gimme a sec here!

Of all the things we conquered, the new blue shoes were the true victims of Bella's terriorism on the track:

 

From riches to rags?

Afterwards, I felt I had to get to the bottom of this transformation Bella took from a terrier to a greyhound. 

Is the furry Lady a greyhound in terrier disguise??

I soon realised that while I had been cleaning the whole weekend a certain someone had been taking advantage of the iPad. I carefully peered over the edge of the sofa to oversee what Bella was looking at inbetween her naps.

Ponies??

Then it suddenly dawned on me that this was Belmont weekend where Union Rags won with a photo finish! Bella had secretly been following the Triple Crown trail without letting me in on it. Sneaky little iPad stealing dog!

Union Rags's Photo Finish

AP Photo/David J. Phillip

Reykjavík Fashion

Me and Bella have never been afraid to stand out of the crowd, first with our backpack and as of today we have biking shoes.

Sporty for sure and they even match our bike trailer! Bella was dancing to begin with and launched herself forward over any obstacles at home like a steeplechaser.

Once outside, she made sure to look lika an old pro, the envy of other dogs. We even overheard one woman tell her son how nice shoes "the dog" is wearing. Of course blue isn't Bella's colour (which even my fiancé pointed out) but with the trailer as the main accessories, she rocks the colour anyway.

Once we got home we had to admit that we were a little tired, especially Bella, after biking to baby Magnus's daycare and back home. It has also been really super hot this past week and the owner is overdue on stripping the overcoat to sport a summier look.

Yay! Backyard agility with homemade equipment!

Bella wasn't really feeling the agility vibe after our biking but once I had completed a pair of jumps she decided to show that annoyingly silent and overly obedient border collie who was watching from above how we rock agility as well. Nevermind the owner's crouching position, I was being overly leading into the jump. It's a terrible habit! In my defence I have never let her loose in our backyard before and Bella was rather lazy so I had to lead her to almost all the way up to the jump before letting go.

Now our backyard arsenal consists of weave poles, a tunnel and four jumps. This is so much less distracting than going to agility class, I love agility but the stress level it puts Bella at is so enormous that neither of us truly enjoys going... yet.

Bella's Tough Life

Some days are perfect to stay snuggled up in the sofa. Bella knows that sport well.

There was some commotion that required Bella's watchful eye. Yawn.

Of course, the truth is that Bella was having a nice lie in after a bike ride in the morning and later in the day, a walk with baby. We were to feed the horses this morning and the whole family went biking to do the job. On the way back the weather was so nice that we extended the bike ride by quite a bit.

Unfortunately when I shot these photos I forgot to remove the harness or collar. I have three different leashes and two harnesses in use now and exchange frequently! Although Bella doesn't look much like a runway model, I normally try to avoid such fashion disasters as the second photo. ;)

More Spring Please!

I feel that I have had the worst luck this winter. Last week my son got pneumonia and when he got better I started coughing out some intestines. Well, turns out I also got penumonia. Noooo!

However the weather was too good today so I put on a lot of warm clothes and me and the family went out biking. After watching over me being sick she was grateful to get to go out for a run! Below is a photo I took of her after 2.66 km. She was panting something awful but 5 minutes later I think she was ready to go again.

After I was diagnosed with pneumonia I decided that enough is enough. I'm going to stop this nonsense with eating badly and head back to where I was 2 or so years ago. Exercising properly and eating well. It does help that my physiotherapist has worked wonders on me! I'm almost as good as before I fell off my horse. I've already been eating well this week and I feel so energized.

Oh and hopefully the last snow is leaving the ground now! I can't wait to bike more and go hiking somewhere.

Winter Wonderland

This Saturday turned out to be one of those perfect winter days. A little chilly but gorgeous weather and the sun was even out. The days are getting longer now which is a blessing. There's nothing more energy zapping than endless dark during those toughest winter months.

 

Bella was over the moon at being able to stretch her legs and really run. Iceland has such a terrible attitude towards dogs that they are almost nowhere allowed to be off leash and there are only two designated dog areas in the city. Being able to go by bike is the best way to burn off some excess energy.

Bella loves to be able to pick up the pace and above is her 'aren't we going to keep at it??' position. She'll almost sit down, tense up and start whining at me for not being on the move. She's impatient like that. It used to annoy me at first but over the time I've realized that it's just her expressing excitement.

Focused and ready for whatever. Bella is truly my best outdoor partner. This summer I would like to take her biking in the country. More on that later!

Even Pirate Dogs Have Weaknesses

Winter continues here in Iceland and the snow has returned. I am continuously sick and it is getting more than a little annoying. During the snow free days this week with perfect weather and me doing alright I had planned on going out for the first bike ride with Bella this year. To my disappointment, the tyre tube exploded and I had no extras. Argh!


Bella is getting the hang of the hind leg pivoting to the point that she has offered the behaviour a few times on her own with no prompting and no object on the floor. She is offering it pretty consistently with a book although she uses it less and less. It is rewarding seeing the work pay off.


At home, Bella is usually calm and quiet. There is however one or two actions here that really get her riled up, I was playing around with the camera around one of the transitions tonight. Below is a picture of Bella right outside the kitchen, watching what is going on there in the hope of getting something edible thrown at her.

Less than a minute later, the signs of distress are clear and she has moved to the living rooms, what's going on Bella...?

"I don't feel so good right now, what do you want with me?"

....

Ding! Ding! Ding! My fiancé cooking with the frying pan. Without a fail, it makes Bella go into hiding. I think it must be the noise or smell that makes her so upset. There was a time where I would try to coax her into being nearby but she still felt really bad so now I just leave her be. She comes back as soon as we stop using it and start eating. She does the same as soon as we start cutting onion. That one I understand well enough.

Finally, one picture of me, my horse and stepdaughter who participated in a costume competition. We found this ridiculously big sword that we just had to buy and she rode like a true skeleton knight.

Family Biking

Bella threw all my carefully laid out autumn plans in the bin early this week and went into heat. I was braced for it all to start in December but she's almost 6 weeks earlier than I anticipated. We missed our second obedience class but received the notes for the second class and will continue to practice at home.

It hasn't been all doom and gloom in our house though, on Friday my parents came home from a journey to Los Angeles. Me and my fiancé ordered a Chariot bike trailer called Cheetah 2 for them to bring to Iceland. It was an older demo model that was offered at a discount. This venture saved us at least $800 USD.

We have gorgeous Trek FX 7.3 bikes that make biking a pure joy. After getting Bella we soon realized that biking with a dog on a leash was not a compatible thing. Bella had little situation awareness and if she saw something didn't hesitate to try to run in front of the bike or inbetween the wheels. Very very dangerous and very much not the kind of a bike ride we are going to enjoy.

The trailer, so far, seems to solve that problem. Tying her to the handlebars on a short leash means she can't run in front of the trailer and has to be on its side. She once tried to run to the other side by going behind the trailer but had to keep moving forward. The move posed no risk to anyone. We're going to continue to give this a go. I am still very alarmed to the possible risks and will monitor her extremely well to see if this does and will work out for us.

The other alternative that a trailer brings is of course the fact that if it doesn't work out, Bella can be put inside the trailer and we can bike with her risk free. Since it's a two kid model, there's room for her and baby Magnus.

Finally, here's one photo from yesterday morning when we all rode together!