Stormtrooper Penny!!

Sorry I haven’t updated this page in a while, it’s because we have been working on our Halloween costume and it is finally done!  Although we are still working on Big Brother Trey’s costume.

 

This was Mom’s first build of this type.  The body is EVA foam so I can move around and helmet is fiberglass, Mom’s first ever sculpt and cast.  I’ll try to come back and post more detail and of the trial and errors on this costume later.

 

Stormtrooper Penny Stormtrooper Penny Stormtrooper Penny Stormtrooper Penny Stormtrooper Penny Stormtrooper Penny Stormtrooper Penny Stormtrooper Penny Stormtrooper Penny

Slow Feed Bowls Review

Big brother Trey is a speed eater, when there is food in a bowl you hear a vacuum turn on and I hate vacuums! To keep the Hoover in check Trey has to eat from the bowl pictured below. The bowl does work, it slows him down and reduces the risk of bloating (although he never has bloated). The only down side I could see is the amount of food that can go in the bowl. Trey gets 2 cups of food in the morning and at night, this bowl might hold 1 cup more, but not much more than that without defeating the purpose.

Pros:
Works!, it slows them down
Cheap
Non-skid rubber on bottom

Cons:
If your dog is a chewer it wouldn’t last (plastic)
May not work well for dogs that get more than 3 cups of food per feeding

Price:
Approx $7 from Amazon.com

Recommend:
Yes, for non-chewers. I would not recommend for poor eaters for prevention. Why not you ask? I am a poor eater, as in I don’t always finish my meals or tend to skip meals, this bowl only made eating more work so I wasn’t very motivated to eat with this bowl.

Suggestions for Manufacturers:
How about a metal one for chewers?

Side Note:
The Kyjen company had come out with some new slow feed bowls that look like so much fun! They have lots of designs and colors, you can see them on their website Kyjen.com. If we ever need to get another one they are on my list.

Trey's Slow Feed Bowl

Trey’s Slow Feed Bowl

Trey's Slow Feed Bowl

Trey’s Slow Feed Bowl

Clear Creek Trails Expansion Plans

Clear Creek Trails Expansion Plan

Clear Creek Trails Expansion Plan

Won’t this be great when it is done? It looks like this section of trails with be 12.5 miles, however the overall plan is great! Right now, all they need added is a trail between the Cloverdale Trailhead up to the Oak Knoll Trailhead on Muletown Road or the Placer Connector Trail in that same area. If that connection is made you can go from the Clear Creek Trails all the way to Whiskeytown. Although I imagine they will have issues when it comes to crossing Clear Creek on Placer at the Veteran’s Memorial Bridge, it’s not really built for pedestrians.

So when it is done, who is up for a day hike?

Hiking

Hiking

Doggie Slickers (Rain Coats) Reviews

If you go out hiking/walking/running in the rain or snow you really should get a slicker (its also nice for potty time too). My pink one was purchased from Petco a few years back so we don’t remember the price and we just can’t remember where Trey got his yellow Dickens brand slicker. Both are pretty much the same quality wise the only difference is that Trey’s has a pocket on back. Here are my thoughts, overall it accomplishes what it was made for, keeping me mostly dry during rainy day hikes and mostly dry during potty time on rainy days.

I feel I should explain what I meant by “mostly dry during rainy day hikes”. Perhaps it is because I am very fit with a big chest and small waist (I would be a hot human!) but this coat slips sideways on my constantly while hiking. I have to admit on hikes I am running all over, up and down hills and jumping every which way so I really test the fit of anything I wear. The chest strap on this will not stay in place, it slips back towards my waist area so Mom just straps it back by my waist while hiking. However if I am just going outside for a quick potty or a walk on the leash the coat doesn’t slip as far to the side or as often as it does when I am running like a mad women.

The design does have some strong points, it’s nice that it doesn’t hug the body so rain just rolls off the coat instead of rolling down the side and onto my belly, but that is where the good design stops. First on the down sides is the rear strap that is supposed to keep the coat down on windy days, this is the biggest downfall. First the strap on Trey’s broke after a few uses, mine lasted long but was well stretched and useless before it broke. Trey also has a complaint about the rear strap, he says it is very close to his manly bits so on some males that may be an issue if you choose to use the strap.

As far as additional useless features there is a hole on the base of the neck for a leash to go through, perhaps this would work with a short neck dog, but for my neck, it is no where near my collar and putting the leash through would cause the slicker to ride up. If you are built like me and need to wear a leash with this it just has to go through the front with your face so it might cause the neck part of your slicker to not fully protect your neck. The second useless thing is the pocket on Trey’s slicker. Putting anything in the pocket (if you had something that small) with weight would cause the slicker to shift side to side unless you have a wide back or put something like paper in there.

For wear and tear the chest strap on Trey’s appears to be detaching from the coat itself near the pocket, which means it may be dead by the end of this winter if we ever get rain. Also both Trey and I have torn a small hole in our slickers, however the size of the holes hasn’t changed and probably wont unless it snags and could easily be repaired with duct tape (you could probably even find a matching duct tape color now).

Pros:
Keeps my back and neck dry mostly dry
Cheap

Cons:
Cheap construction
Useless back strap
Rides sideways I am really active

Suggestions:
Would be nice they could redesign the back leg straps. Perhaps individual leg straps made similar to the chest strap otherwise don’t bother unless it is really windy.

Price:
Approx $10 from Petco.com

Would I recommend?
Yes… No… Maybe, it’s cheap and it mostly works, if you are just looking to cover yourself during potty breaks or walks on the leash the go for it. If you are really active like me then you might try one, see how it works for your body type. Mom may continue to buy when the previous one is beyond repair but she might consider making me a custom one combining the good features of this raincoat and some of the other types of blankets (she’ll post that if it works out).

A few more notes are that our winters here are not cold, so if you need something that also provides warmth then I would look at other options or you could wear a blanket under this. I am also not sure how well these would work on thick or short necked dogs like rotties or bullies, the neck hole fit me fine, however I have a thinner long neck, so I would strongly suggest short or thick necked dogs go to the store to try it one before buying.

Trey and I in our slickers

Trey and I in our slickers

Trey and I in our slickers

Trey and I in our slickers

Rain Slickers

Rain Slickers

Rain Slickers

Rain Slickers

My Rain Slicker

My Rain Slicker

Trey Rain Slicker

Trey Rain Slicker

Rain Slickers

Rain Slickers

Slicker Sliding Sideways

Slicker slides sideways if you don’t snug up the chest strap

Hidden Beauties of the Clear Creek Trails

I spend a lot of time out on these trails so I thought I would share some sites you can’t see from the road.

This is a waterfall found on the Piety Hill Loop. It can only be seen after we have had a really good rainfall when all the seasonal creeks are flowing, so you probably won’t be able to see it this year. To see this fall you would want to park at the Horsetown trailhead, head across the street. The entrance to trail is right at the end of the bridge next to the Horsetown Clear Creek Preserve sign. You head up the steep hill until you come to an intersection. If you go left you will head clockwise on the Piety Hill Loop, however go straight (counter-clockwise). When you head straight it will take you down a hill, when you start heading down just look straight and slightly to the left out across the gully, you should see this waterfall if it is flowing.

If you continue down the trail, you will go up another hill, then when you start heading down again you will come to that seasonal creek that makes up the falls. If the water is really flowing you may need to get wet to cross it, otherwise if it is barely flowing you can usually step on rocks to keep dry (Hey BLM how about you put in really big rocks, a culvert or bridge? Pretty Please!). Continuing on if you go straight at the next intersection you can follow the seasonal creek all the way up and see little falls along the way.

Piety Hill Loop Seasonal Waterfall

Piety Hill Loop Seasonal Waterfall

Folding Dog Bowls (Review)

Below is a picture of Folding Travel Bowl #3. The #3 is not part of the model number but my replacement number. Hey! I know what you are thinking, “Penny stop eating your bowls” but it’s not my fault! These bowls are great because you can fold them up put them in a small pocket for easy storage. The problem is after a couple weeks of regular use they seem to leak more and more. I can see why they are not completely waterproof, after all they are made of nylon and couldn’t be chemically sealed (I don’t want to drink that stuff!). At first if you load up the bowl with water and leave it, it will slowly leak through and the outside of the bowl will get wet. This is not really a problem if you are on a hike, after all we aren’t stopping for a long time period. However after a few weeks of use the leaks get faster, the problem really seems to be with the thin “inner liner” since the water seems to quickly leak to the space between the inner and outer layers. Mom gets water out of her Camelbak and I have to drink fast otherwise I am licking the liner, I probably only get half of what is poured. The previous 2 bowls I had were picked up at Petco and I think were store brand, this new one is from HomeGoods and is the Outward Hound brand that mom got while she was traveling (check out their pet section along with TJ Maxx for killer deals!) maybe a different brand will help, but here are my thoughts based on the Petco ones.

Pros:
Folds up nicely
Inexpensive (approx $4-$5)

Cons:
Leaks after a few weeks of regular use

Recommend:
No, not unless you really need something that collapses (like me) or you wouldn’t be using it too often. Now I am going to give this Outward Hound one a try and maybe it will change my mind.

I am open to suggestions, but the replacement need to be lightweight and folding. Until then I might continue to suffer with these.

Folding Travel Dog Bowl

Folding Travel Dog Bowl

Folding Travel Dog Bowl

Folding Travel Dog Bowl

Clear Creek Trail Secret Fitness Course

Here is a little secret about the Clear Creek Trails (at least I can’t find any info on it). If you go to the “Clear Creek Gorge Overlook” trail head and go north on the trail (left from the parking lot) you will hit a series of fitness stations spread out over approx 2 miles. These stations are labeled World Trail and they all are for getting you humans fit. Although up pups can’t use the stations it sure is fun watching you humans try. But honestly us pups just enjoy getting out and the bonus is the trail has lots of access to Clear Creek for taking a dip in the summer.

List of the stations
Warm Up/Cool Down
Isometric Squat
Balance Beam
Step Up Routine
Climbing Wall (not like a rock climbing wall you see in a gym)
Leg Lift
Vault Bar
Inclined Body Curl
Chin Up
Parallel Bars
Jump N Touch
Beam Jump
Push Up
Horizontal Ladder
Hip Rotation
Sit Up

This map was done by my mom back in 2010 it show the different stops, some of the point indicate different turnoffs to the creek or trail heads however you can get an idea of how far apart they are.


World Trail Intro Sign

World Trail Intro Sign

World Trail Warmup Directions

World Trail Warmup Directions

World Trail Cooldown Directions

World Trail Cooldown Directions

The 1st station

The 1st station, the others have obstacles or sorts in them

Beautiful Clear Creek Gorge Picnic Area

Beautiful Clear Creek Gorge Picnic Area

The overlook for the salmon spawning area

Clear Creek Gorge, the overlook for the salmon spawning area

 

Night Time Fun

With these short winter days there is not always enough daylight for a good game of fetch after Mom and Dad get home from work. If you love to play ball this is your winter time answer, the MeteorLight K-9 LED Dog Ball. This thing is so much fun!!!!!!! Have your Mom or Dad turn it on and throw it, it stays lit up with its color changing LED lights making it easy to find at night. Mom and Dad say it is funny playing when it’s pitch black because all they see the ball go out, then they see it floating back to them. The amount of oohs and ahhs you get when camping is enough to keep me playing ball all night.

Pros:
Allows nighttime play
Waterproof
Durable (no sign of wear or tear with two dobies fighting over it)
Size of a tennis ball, so it works with tennis ball throwers
Battery lasts a long time
Bounces (not as good as a tennis ball)

Cons:
One time Dad went for a hard bounce on cement and battery popped out
Can be hard to turn on/off (Mom just steps on it with her heel)

Recommend
YES YES YES, if you love playing ball this is a source of evening/night entertainment.

Suggestions to Manufacturer:
Make more LED toys! Maybe a Frisbee or other fetching toys? I WANT MORE!!

Us pups are always waiting on you humans!

You humans are so SLOW!  Mom let me carry the cell phone in my backpack and turned on the GPS.  You won’t see much of a difference in the map when you compare it to my human Mom’s GPS track because it’s a 4 mile track and I am good about staying on the trail, but check out the amount of time I have to spend stopped waiting for my Mom!  Come on now humans, you really need to learn to use those front lets you call “arms” maybe it will help you move faster!

Take in mind these are 2 different days but same route, also on Mom’s track we had to stop for horses and other dogs but on my track we only had to stop for water.

Clear Creek Horsetown trails hiking Penny doberman

Mom’s GPS Track

Penny's GPS Map

My Map

Clear Creek Horsetown trails hiking Penny doberman

Mom’s Stats

Penny's GPS Stats

My GPS Stats

Clear Creek Horsetown trails hiking Penny doberman

Mom’s Speed/Elevation Stats

Chart of Penny holding GPS

My Stats, look at the time I spend waiting

Hiking Shasta County’s Clear Creek Trails

Let’s start off with showing my favorite trails here in Shasta County (California). I LOVE the Clear Creek trails, these trails are on BLM land and since they aren’t in the city limits they allow off-leash. Here is a link to the BLM page if you scroll down to “Clear Creek Greenway” you can get information including maps. If you have ever been these trails, share your barks with me!

If dirt trails are not your thing or these are too far, Shasta County has a bark-load of trails.  You can find most of these trails listed here on Healthy Shasta’s Website. I will try to review more of these trails in the future.

Here are some screen shots of one of our recent hike.  This particular hike was on the Piety Hill Loop, but we started at the Horsetown trailhead and did a modified loop.  Doing the trail this particular way has so many hills it turns into a bum-barker, you will be feeling this hike if you are not used to hills.

Clear Creek Horsetown trails hiking Penny doberman

Elevation and speed chart of our hike, it shows a couple times we had to stop for fellow hikers and riders.

Clear Creek Horsetown trails hiking Penny doberman

Map of our hike

Clear Creek Horsetown trails hiking Penny doberman

Stats on our hike

 

Penny Hiking the Piety Hill Loop

Hiking the Piety Hill Loop

Excuse the poor photo quality, the camera on the phone is having issues.