Dreaming About Summer

Well, as the school year begins to come to a close, there is only one thing on our minds...SUMMER! However, right now there are two finals standing in the way. So while I study my life away, Sage sleeps!

Hope your weekend is nothing like mine...free of class notes, thick textbooks, and studying!

Sage's Toy Graveyard

When Sage was a puppy, I was thrilled when she expressed interest in her toys.  I had so much fun going to the pet store and picking out squeaky toys that looked like animals.  It made me laugh seeing her walking around with stuffed porcupines, ducks, butterflies, pelicans, skunks, and even squirrels!  Sage loves her toys! You could almost say that she loves them to death...

Because of the speed at which Sage is able to skin, gut, and extract the squeaky...I have been forced to work on my sewing skills and I'm proud to say that I've gotten pretty proficient.  However, as school work has piled up, so have Sage's dead toys.

Finally, as Sage's toy basket supply became dreadfully low, I decided it was time to pull out the needle and thread.

While I performed surgery after surgery, Sage was nearby pacing back and forth eager to reunite with her favorite toys.  Here are some before pictures.  Beware, they're a bit graphic...

Some toys needed only minor patching...

...but there were some that were beyond repair!

It was difficult being the one making all the tough choices, but we got through it.

And now her toy basket is overflowing!

The only problem is...she's at it again.

Sage Got Her Aggie Ring!

Well, actually I got my Aggie ring, but Sage borrowed it for some pictures.  For those of you who don't know, the Aggie Ring is the most recognizable symbol of the Aggie Network.  Each year, thousands of excited Aggies gather at The Association of Former Students to pick up their Aggie Rings on Ring Day. Make no mistake; this is no ordinary ring and Aggies are very serious about their rings.  I was very excited to get mine, too...along with the 4,000 other students also picking up their rings. Sage and I loved having our family there to celebrate.

We especially loved seeing them decked out in maroon and white (their preferred color is burnt orange)!

Sage got some special attention too while everyone was in town...

All in all, it was a great weekend and I'm so thankful the people I love were able to put their college rivalries aside and celebrate this special day with me! 

Thanks for reading and Gig 'em!

Sage the Exterminator

We're being invaded! It seems that every time I try to come in or out of the door to my house, those darn Mosquito hawks are waiting to sneak inside. It doesn't matter what time of the day either...the Mosquito Hawks are everywhere. Luckily, I have a secret weapon. As it turns out, Sage is a master at catching little critters. Moths, June bugs...and yes, even Mosquito hawks are unable to escape her death grip. We have the catching process down to an art, it's beautiful actually. After one of those stealthy critters gets inside, I quickly spot it. I call Sage over in hushed tones so as not to spook the prey we're stalking. "Sage, Sage! Over here." Sage responds like a pro and comes quickly to my side. After she marks the creature I'm pointing to, she waits. Sage is very patient and will watch and follow that thing all over the house until it comes within reach. Eventually, the critter makes a fatal error by flying too low. Instantly the patient Sage jumps up and with one quick snap of her jaws devours the annoying insect. Like I said...it's beautiful! I guess this is one way to exterminate. Happy hunting everyone!

Play day

 It's always fun to go home and visit my family for the weekend.  I get to enjoy some home cooked meals, free laundry, and my dog gets to play with Izzy.  Izzy is my dad's bloodhound. According to him, she is "radiant."

 Izzy and Sage love to play together.

Apparently the pool was "base" because Sage seemed to think she was safe there...

 But once she left the safe haven of the baby pool, anything was fair game...

Sage loves her Chunk It...this is her second one in two weeks. She better make this one last because they definitely aren't cheap.

 Sage loves to see how many different toys she can fit in her mouth and carry around. She is easily able to hold both her Chunk It and tennis ball. I think she is also trying to guard them from toy stealers...(Izzy!)

You know Sage has had a good work out when she goes to lay in the pool after every couple of throws...

Notice the slobber slowly blowing in the wind...

But after all that playing, Sage still wasn't ready to stop. So we played and played and played... 

...while Izzy slept soundly nearby!

Looks Like We're Hooked!

Well, after much encouragement from some blogging friends and prompting from my Dad, Sage and I decided to check out the infamous DockDogs competition. As it turns out, the Heart of Texas DockDogs club was hosting a competition in Houston this weekend so I loaded up the Sage and some toys that float and we headed to down to Houston. Yesterday the dock was open for practice, so I decided it would be a good idea to check things out before we officially entered.

Sage trotted down to the end of the dock, checked out the water, and knew exactly what she was supposed to do.

She was a natural. So I entered her into the competition and we went home to get mentally prepared her DockDogs debut.

This morning was a little chilly and rainy (contrary to what the weatherman predicted) as we headed to the dock. Sage was entered in the 9:00 a.m. heat of the Big Wave competition. In the Big Wave, the dogs are scored on how far out they jump.  Each dog gets two jumps a piece. After warming up, Sage was looking pretty good for a rookie. On her first attempt she jumped 11' and increased her score to 11' 9'' on her second jump. I was a very proud momma today. Sage was awesome.  Here are some pictures from today (compliments of my sweet boyfriend and self-proclaimed photographer dad)!

Sage's first jump.

Sage's second jump. Check out those ears...

I think Sage would have won the biggest splash contest!

There were all kinds of dogs that participated this weekend, too...

beginners...

divers...

pros...

and just straight up studs!

It was a really great experience and I highly recommend making it out to a DockDog event if you've never been to one before. I promise you won't be disappointed. We are looking forward to Duck Jam in College Station for another chance to have fun and jump far!

Bath Time

Since Sage is an inside dog, I try to give her a bath often.  My little Sage has allergies, which is not as uncommon as you may think, and the vet told me that regular bathing is very beneficial to dogs with airborne allergies. So, Sage gets a bath almost every week.


I haven’t really decided if she hates it or not. Sometimes she seems to enjoy it, while other times I think she is going to jump clear over the fence in the backyard and escape. But either way, she is used to it. She knows exactly what is about to happen when I walk outside with a bottle of shampoo and a towel.


Recently she has even started to play this game where she pretends not to notice I’ve come outside and goes about her backyard patrolling. I call her name and she ignores me. I walk over to her and she is un-phased. It isn’t until I grab her collar that she looks at me as if to say, “Oh hi Mom, have you been out here the whole time?” We then go through the normal routine of shampoo, rinse, medicated conditioner, rinse, towel off, and then she tears around the backyard like a wild crazy animal (which seems to be her favorite part). I then have to wash her feet off again before she comes inside. Then my favorite part of the bath comes into play…snuggle time. It seems that after a bath, Sage always wants to snuggle. I usually sit on the carpet in the living room and Sage trots over with a toy in her mouth. She then makes a couple of circles around me and lies down in my lap. If I don’t immediately start petting her, she rolls over on her back and paws at me with her front paws. After we play a little bit, Sage usually falls asleep with her head in my lap while I do homework. Bath time doesn’t seem so bad to me…

We Love Easter

Sage celebrated her second Easter yesterday and loved every minute of it. She got to meet some new friends...some she liked and some she didn't. The chickens she tried to make friends with were a little skeptical of her intentions seeing as she chased them with drool dripping from her lips, the sheep didn't like her tone of bark, and the snake...well, the snake didn't have a head anymore so they didn't really hit it off either. However, she did meet some dog friends that enjoyed her love of water and a good game of chase.

We also got a chance to enjoy the bluebonnets...

...a lot!

But that's not the only reason that Sage and I love Easter...We love Easter because He has risen!

"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" -Revelation 5:12