HOBIE'S WORLD

Website to Share

After all this time, I just found this website and want to share it with all of you. This is the website of Ann Yerevanian, the wonderful lady who gives me my massages. I didn't even know she had her own website until tonight. I just finished looking at every page and got so excited because now you all can see, first hand, how special this kind of treatment is for your favorite furry friend.

It brought a big smile to my face because as I watched the video of her giving the canine massage, I could feel her kind, gentle, soft and loving hands on the dog. (I'm thinking the star of that video is my friend, Storm.) I know how good that feels! Oh, I wish it was me in that movie. I didn't get my massage this week because Ann wasn't feeling well. Now my parents will be leaving on vacation in a couple weeks so I'll have to wait an extra week before my next appointment. Oh, my, how will I manage?!

In the meantime, when you have a chance, go to Healing Hands Canine Massage and see for yourself why I love my visits to the Animal Healing Center (where Ann works). I love this lady!

A Tail of Happy & Sad

Well, first of all - I'M BACK! My family has pretty much recovered so we are back in business. Everyone has returned to work, doing yard work, golfing, sailing, cooking, cleaning, etc. Must be feeling better. It was a nasty sickness that took over our house AND our office. No one was safe; not even our client from San Francisco who came to visit, went back home and got the bug. Here's hoping all that is behind us now! I'm happy to be back visiting with all my blogging friends!

A very sad story from San Diego this week; actually Solana Beach, which is just north of San Diego. I'm sure you've all heard about the man who was fatally attacked by a shark. There he was, 7am on Friday morning, taking his first "ocean" training swim of the year with his triathlon group. Suddenly they heard him yell "shark, shark" and saw him flailing in the water. They got him to shore, but there was nothing they could do. He bled to death. Isn't that just a horrible way to die! But, you know what, he was doing something he loved to do so I guess there's some solace in that.

It turns out that the man who died was 66 years old, Dr. David Martin, a retired veterinarian from Solana Beach. He started the "All Creatures Animal Hospital" in Del Mar, CA. I know where this is because my puppy obedience classes were held right next door in the parking lot. It looked like such a friendly place with really cool graphics on the front of their building. He was very well known in the North County (what we call North San Diego County) as a loving care giver to animals. He was a top competitor in his age group in triathlons and very well known in triathlon circles. In fact, my Aunt Camilla swam with him at the Boys & Girls Club pool in training because she's also a triathlete.

Needless to say, it has hit the community hard. Shark attacks are not common in San Diego so it's pretty scary. The North County beaches were closed all weekend, although you could go in if you wanted to. I think most people heeded the lifeguards, and respected the tragedy suffered by Dr. Martin, and stayed out of the water. My dad is a surfer and he says he will keep surfing and sailing. You can't keep a true waterman out of the sea.

Sending heartfelt condolences to a man who cared so much about us animals.

Down for the Count

Sorry I don't have a new entry here for you, but my house has been sick - very sick. Both my dad and mom have been sick all weekend. So, we're all just resting right now. We'll be back soon, hopefully tomorrow. Have a good week!

Canada Going to the Olympics

Congrats to Team Canada on their 1-0 victory over Mexico last night in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. The win sends the Canadian Women to the Olympics in Beijing this summer, along with the US team. My cousin is a member of the Canadian Team (#12) so we have much interest in watching this team and their success. This victory was huge because Canada hasn't sent a team to the Olympics in 24 years, and the women have never qualified. These ladies have really been working hard for the last several years with the Olympic Games in mind. Looks like it's all paid off. Way to go team! For further team information go to Canada Soccer and read all about this team and, in general, soccer in Canada!

Happy Monday

It's the beginning of a new week and I hope it's a good one for everyone. I'm off to work today after a really fun weekend. Had a great party for my VBF on Saturday night. The whole family came and we watched NCAA basketball, went to the park, had some good pizza (well, the humans did), and played a little "rock band". My VBF, Abbie, was here and she was more interested in my dad than me. (Note: see the photo!) She can't seem to get enough of him when he's around. There's something about my dad - all the dogs just love him. I think they can sense what a kind heart he has towards all living creatures. Anyway, we had a great party and my dad loved every minute. Tonight I'll be laying in front of the TV to watch the NCAA "Big" game. I don't really have a favorite as all my teams are out. Tomorrow night I'll be in the same place and watching the NCAA Women. A friend of mine has a niece who plays for Stanford. So, just for that reason, I'll be pulling for the red team. (Plus Candice Wiggins went to school in La Jolla - always got to pull for the hometown folk!) That's it for today. Hope this finds all my blogging friends doing well. Enjoy your week!

Happy Birthday Very Best Friend

With a warm heart and bursting with pride, today I'm wishing my person - my very best friend - a Happy Birthday! I love him with all my heart and know that he loves me just as much. I treasure every minute I spend with him - there aren't enough minutes in the day for the two of us to be together. We are inseparable - we are best friends! Happy Birthday!

Here I Am ...

Hey, sorry I haven't written since Easter. I've been pretty busy, plus I just decided to take a little time off. I was going to write something "foolish" on April 1st, but decided against it. I don't like jokes being played on me, so didn't want to play one on my friends. Right now I'm preparing for my VBF's birthday this Friday. I will have to write something very special to share with you all. In the meantime, just wanted to let you know I'm still here and laying low. See you on Friday! (My mom apologizes for the fuzzy photo - she's still working the kinks out with her new camera!)

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone. I hope you have a beautiful sunshine day with those you love. It's a really nice sunny day in San Diego, just the perfect spring day for Easter .... and basketball! I'm going to watch the USD game and then go to my grandparents for a family celebration. I love a celebration! Even my cousin, Abbie, will be there.
Speaking of my cousin, who by the way is MBDB, yesterday was her 4th birthday. I can't believe she is turning four. I remember when she was just a pup (and a cute one at that), and how I could wrestle her down in a minute. Times have changed and she's all over me. We have the best times though, whether it's hanging in her yard, my yard, or even in my mom's car like last night. The family went out to dinner to celebrate Abbie's birthday, while her and I hung out in the car. We had a blast checking out all the "spring-breakers" walking by. For some reason, they all thought it was funny because her and I were sitting in the front seat - I was driving of course. Hey, what else are we supposed to do when you guys leave us out there? Anyway, Happy Birthday My Best Dog Buddy and many, many more. Enjoy your day everyone! And let's go Toreros!

Well, I'm back and it's night time now. Bummer. USD didn't win today, but I want to congratulate them on a great season. No one gave them a chance at the beginning of the year ... new coach, young players. That's the cool thing - all the guys will be back next year so we can only hope for greater things in the future.

Lastly, I cannot believe what I just heard, but remember my new friend Sara in Oklahoma? Her beloved Aussie, Winston, passed away last weekend from cancer. She lost another faithful companion today, Kodie. What a heartbreak. Both of these dogs were sick but it seemed Winston was the one without any hope. How sad. I hope you will visit her and send her a note. I know she is hurting and needs some loving thoughts sent her way.

One Down ...

Congrats to the USD Toreros for beating UCONN today, in overtime no less. What a shot by Jackson with just 1.5 seconds left in OT! What a game! It was so exciting. It's the first time a team from USD has won a game in the NCAA Tournament. Not bad for a little school from San Diego. Next up - Western Kentucky on Sunday. I'll be laying right in front of the TV with my snacks of choice - water and biscuits - at the ready. USD...USD...USD...

Making Friends

Who knew that having my blog featured on Typepad would lead me to so many new friends. I've had emails from all over the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia! So awesome! It made me branch out and see a whole new world of blogs. There are some beautiful sites out there and it makes me feel awfully special that I was chosen as a feature with so many to chose from! I even made more dog friends - just what I like - I'm on a mission to have the most dog friends on the planet. Thank you everyone for taking the time out to look at our blog and for your kind remarks. I promise to continue sharing my canine life with you!
In closing today, I would like to ask all my "brothers and sisters", and your people, to give each other a big hug today in honor of Sara and Winston. Sara is a new friend we made this week from Oklahoma. Her precious Winston passed away on Monday at just eight years old. She has created a beautiful tribute to her beloved dog on her blog. Keep her in your thoughts when you give your little buddy a bit of lovin' tonight ...