Spring Fling: Our Warm Weather Walking Essentials

As I write this, it is a balmy 37 degrees outside and the forecast calls for snow, but you know what they say, March snowstorms bring April....something.

Despite this week's cold temperatures, a 64 degree high last Saturday was a sure sign that Spring is (finally) on its way. Still, even a promise of an afternoon high can still mean morning walks are brisk, breezy, and sometimes rainy (like we need more moisture after all this snow!). Below, the things we're loving to stay cute while staving off all the April Showers!

1. Barbour Bedale Jacket

To say I am obsessed with my Barbour Bedale jacket would be an understatement. This brand's equestrian-inspired waxed jackets have long been a favorite of British royalty, spotted on everyone from Duchess Kate to Princess Di and even the Queen Mum herself! They are a perfect light Spring layer on brisk days, and the optional zip out lining and snap on hood make sure you are armed for any sudden transitional weather changes. The price tag is daunting, but with trendsetters such as Olivia Palermo making them stylish for streetwear as well as sweatpant-clad strolls, I know I will be getting enough daily wear to make the investment worth it!

The unisex "Bedale" style has been spotted on everyone from Prince William & Kate Middleton to Olivia Palermo

2. So Low Yoga Pants

I first fell in love with So Low's super soft foldover yoga pants at a small store in Boulder, Colorado while I was still in high school. At the time, the brand was a small start up (designed by the owner's sister and fellow Colorado native), and I was thrilled to find the pants worked well on my athletic legs and hips without being too large in the waist (the clever foldover waistband allows you to adjust the fit and rise with ease). Since that day, the brand is booming, and now the pants can be found at major retailers such as Bloomingdale's as well as at solowstyle.com.

3. J Crew Leopard Print Baseball Hat

6:30am walks mean two things: sun in your eyes and less than perfect hair. A baseball hat is the obvious answer, but since I am not what one would call an avid sports fan, I feel a little silly representing a team I know nothing about. That's why I'm so excited about the recent rising trend of pretty baseball hats, especially this fun leopard one from J Crew. The shape may scream sporty and casual, but the print is 100% girly and fun!

Practical and cute for the Spring sun!

 4. For Holly: Weatherbeeta dog blanket

I would be remiss if I didn't mention what Holly will be wearing during our transitional weather walks! We love our equestrian-inspired pup coats, and the Weatherbeeta rainstop windbreaker is a personal favorite for days when it is a bit chilly and rainy. It's got a bit of fill to stave off early Spring breezes, and the rain resistant material ensures that she stays warm and dry. As a bonus, she can match my parent's horse and donkey, and the only thing we love more than equestrian-inspired coats is matching ensembles!

There is a possibility I oversold how willing Holly is to walk in the rain, even in a cute jacket :)

Until Next Time, Darlings!

Happy National Puppy Day!

Hello Darlings!

Today is our most favorite of all Holly-days, National Puppy Day! Don't forget to snuggle your favorite pup today, and be thankful for all the joy they bring you each and every day! My friend sent me this very cute article  about all the reasons dogs are so great in your life, but I thought I would take this opportunity to name some of my favorite things about pup ownership not listed!

1. Your dog will not complain about participating in silly activities with you.

One of my most favorite things about Holly is her zest for life. No matter where we are or what we are doing, she is happy to just be invited along. She is willing to wear matching outfits, participate in over the top holiday activities, or take a 2.5 hour road trip to a wedding between people she has never met! I dare you to find a human that flexible, or who looks as cute as Holly does in a travel hoodie after hardly any sleep:

Holly was my loyal travel companion from New York to the Rocky Mountains for my friend's wedding!

2. Your dog doesn't judge you on your appearance.

I must say, my poor mother and all my friends (and likely most of the people in my immediate neighborhood) are appalled by the state of unwashed, un-makeup-ed, un-cuteness in which I quite frequently leave my apartment to walk Holly. I sleep in my yoga pants and old tee shirt so I can roll out of bed, throw on an old pair of sneakers, and be out the door walking Holly as quickly as possible in the morning. It's often not until I see the concerned looks on the faces of the other humans forced to interact with me that I wonder if perhaps I should have considered brushing my hair. But Holly is so happy and playful on our walks, why would I want to waste a second of our time together primping? Our quality time together is not at all diminished by my lack of makeup or matching socks, and I am more confident and comfortable showing my concealer free face in public as a result (sorry, world)!

Old shirt, no makeup, and Holly's only concern is that there is bacon. Dog priorities are the right priorities.

3. Dogs teach you it's possible to care more about someone than yourself.

People often compare puppy parenting to human parenting, and while I still say being a mom to a human child is the toughest job on earth, I do believe that by having Holly I have learned more about what I will be like as a parent. As mentioned above, I care a lot less about my appearance than I do about getting Holly taken care of and out the door (though this rule does not apply when we are coordinating our outfits, of course!), and I always worry about spending enough time with her, getting her enough walks, and making sure she is happy and healthy at all times! Holly's bi-weekly paw-dicures frequently come at the expense of my own manicures, and there have been plenty of times where I have spent my dedicated "fun" funds on toys and treats for her, but I know that making her happy makes me happy, and besides, chasing a very energetic puppy around on the weekends is hardly manicure friendly!

Being a doggy mommy makes me realize how fun (and exhausting) being a human mommy must be!

4. That being said...dogs also make excellent wing-puppies!

I will admit, a major bonus to having a puppy is they are great conversation starters with people you otherwise never would have met. Through Holly, I have made several very close friends with neighbors and fellow pup parents who have transitioned from people you groggily say hi to while wearing your dirty sweats out on a morning walk to people I actually see in the real world in nice clothes and everything! Holly and I have also developed a very finely honed "wing-doggy" system. When we see a cute boy (and I am appropriately attired), Holly will go into full on playful mode, licking and sniffing and being adorable, and I will put on a mock surprised face and say "Oh my God! She's usually so shy around guys, she's NEVER like this." Which is a lie that I can proudly say has scored us several dates :)

Wing-Holly scopes out the local cuties.

What pup qualities are you most thankful for on National Puppy Day? How will you and your favorite furry friend be celebrating?

Until Next Time, Darlings!

Happy St. Paw-trick's Day!

We hope today brings you a little Luck Of The Irish (even if you are honorary Irish, like Little Holly!)!!

The More Boys I Meet, The More I Love My Dog!

Carrie Underwood had that right! This little gem is courtesy of glamour.com and The Honest Kitchen:

Paw-sitively Fabulous: American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Training

Holly and I have been attending Petco's dog training courses since right after I got her. I love that they provide a safe space for her to play with other dogs (off leash dog parks make me too nervous because of their unpredictability), and over a whopping FOUR six week courses, Holly has made some fast puppy friends and fallen head over heels for our local Petco's trainer. Whenever we visit she insists on dragging me back to see if she is working, which, by the way, is not a behavior typically encouraged in the dog training courses! Holly gets a free pass, obviously, because she is so cute :)

Holly on her First Day of School!

I wanted to highlight the latest course Petco has to offer, which Holly and I have been participating in the past few weeks. The course is a six week prep for the American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Certification Exam, and is offered at Petcos across the United States.

The AKC CGC Certificate is awarded to dogs with exceptionally good manners at home and in their community, and consists of a 10 part test that challenges dogs on some of the more difficult day to day behavior issues they may encounter. Having this certificate can be helpful in convincing apartment buildings (or tricky coop boards) to accept your pup, will circumvent some hotels' no pet policy, and is a first step for animals who want to move on to more difficult training programs such as those required for service dogs, agility, or tracking.

Over the course of the six week class, our trainer worked with each of the individual dogs on each of the 10 points covered by the test, and identified specific areas that needed to be worked on. In order for dogs to receive the CGC Certificate, they must pass the test in all 10 areas--and let me tell you, these tasks are challenging! Dogs must be able to calmly walk through a crowd and past other dogs, be greeted by a friendly stranger, sit and stay for a prolonged period, not react to loud noises or standard grooming, walk loosely on a leash through various turns and about faces, and be separated from their pet parent for a full three minutes without any reaction.

Demonstrating greeting a friendly stranger with Uncle Alex!
Just kidding--they aren't actually allowed to give the friendly strangers kisses :)

Did I mention that all of these must be completed without treats? As soon as we heard no food rewards were allowed, we knew we were in BIG trouble. Unless there is a treat in my hand, Holly pretends she doesn't even know her own name (little stinker). That, coupled with our move and crazy schedules making it tricky to practice for the past several weeks made the practice test last weekend especially...challenging.

Maybe she just didn't want to wear this hat again?

I don't think that we'll be trying for the official certification anytime soon (tests are $10, and you can try twice for that fee before having to pay again). But we did have a blast working on these new challenges, and I found that they really helped with some of the issues Holly and I had in the past. One notable example was her fear of toddlers: on the day we were working on loud noises/distractions, a little boy shopping with his parents wanted to join in on the fun, and stood by while our trainer threw a large metal bowl onto the tile floor. I was sure Holly would panic, but using the skills our trainer mentioned (ok, and treats), she kept all eyes on me and walked calmly past the noise. During our practice exam, a toddler ran full tilt past her, a stroller closely following, and she didn't bat an eye! Even though we may not have passed with flying colors, that moment made me a very proud dog mom!

Until Next Time, Darlings!

Little Holly's Big Move!

Hello Darlings, and sorry for our long absence! Holly and I have a good reason though, I promise...we have been moving to a new apartment a whopping 10 blocks from our old one (what can I say, we heart the Upper East Side)!

Beyond the standard moving stress of packing, cleaning, and clearing out the remarkable amount of stuff I had managed to accumulate in my tiny studio over the past three years, I was very concerned about Holly's reaction to the move. Since she is a rescue, I knew that it could be potentially traumatic for her to see all the changes going on and to be transplanted from the only home she has known to a new and unfamiliar environment.

I was lucky enough to have some overlap in my leases, so I started bringing Holly to the new apartment regularly as I was slowly moving items up and having furniture delivered. I found a bed at Petco for $5 on clearance that I grabbed on a whim so she would have somewhere to sit while I put things together--it was intended as a purely temporary purchase until the official move happened, but wouldn't you know the little miss prefers it to the myriad of expensive (and more attractive) beds I have purchased her in the past! Despite having to work the "magic bed" into my decor (no easy feat), I was grateful to have it during the moving process, since like Holly's crate in the previous apartment, it gave her a home base where she felt safe & secure and could retreat during the chaos.

As long as we had the "magic bed" and her toys, Holly felt right at home!

I was still concerned about the transition for Holly between the two apartments, especially during the actual move of all my items from my old apartment to the new one. I decided to take a week off of work and have my dad help me so we could put everything in place and Holly could get used to the idea that this was our new house. Holly loved having my dad there and "helping" to put together all the furniture!

For the day of the big move from one apartment to the other, I had Holly's regular dog walker meet us at the old apartment prior to the movers arriving and take Holly on a 90 minute jaunt to the park, after which she met us at the new apartment. The timing worked out perfectly, with Holly missing out on the chaos of last minute packing and moving the old furniture out, and arriving just before the truck came to the new place (she especially liked howling at the movers as they brought items in, which I'm sure my new neighbors really appreciated!). 

Watchdog Holly enjoys her new view from the perch on the back of the daybed-turned-couch.

We would not have been able to make the transition as smoothly without Ruff City, who we have been working with for several months and absolutely love. In addition to the super long day of walk, our regular walker came several times during the week when I was home to adjust Holly slowly back into her typical walking routine. On top of that, Ruff City was able work with her schedule so she could continue walking Holly even at our new address! It brought Holly and I a lot of comfort knowing this integral part of her daily routine would not be changing, and I think it has helped to make the change even easier for her. 

We have now been officially living in our new apartment for just over 2 weeks, and Holly and I both feel right at home! 

Holly models our new living room, including custom Chihuahua pillow from Barking Bitches Denver!

Until Next Time, Darlings!