Archive for 2009

Little Helper

Preston loves going to pastry shops with mommy. He always waits patiently outside the store.
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He knows that mommy has her hands full with his leash, the coffee and the “goodie bag” from the pastry shop. He volunteers to be mommy’s little helper.

Bonjour de Montréal

Preston traveled across the border to Canada and spent a weekend in Montréal, Québec.
Montreal is beautiful! but at the blazing 85F+ weather, sightseeing wasn’t really Preston’s thing.
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The highlight of the trip for Preston was all the yummy gourmet he got to sample.
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Preston’s lack of interest in sightseeing could be evidenced in ALL of the family pictures.
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FYI:
1. It is about 5.5 hrs drive from Boston to Montreal.
2. Proof of rabies vaccination is needed to travel into Canada and back into the US.
3. Poutine is French-Canadian food made of french fries, cheese curds and gravy. La Banquise is a great place for poutine.
4. Expect a long long line out the door at Schwartz’s Deli. Going early (smoked meat is available after 10am) is strongly recommended.
5. Montreal’s Metro and the Underground City are not dog friendly. Bummer!

Cape Cod

Preston visited dog friendly Cape Cod this weekend.
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Preston’s encounter with a wolf.
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at Provincetown, the tip of Cape Cod.
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Hiking at Blue Hills

Preston went on his first hiking trip since moving to New England. Skyline Trail in the Blue Hills is a fun hike that is only minutes from downtown Boston.
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Mommy and Daddy picked a challenging trail.
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See Daddy’s new OllyDog® backpack? The strap has a built-in poop bags dispenser. How cool is that!
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Happy Birthday!!!

Preston turns THREE today!
His blog is updated to a more “grown-up looking” design.

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Of course there is a birthday cake on his big day. This year, Mommy made him “Apple Crunch Pupcakes” with peanut butter frosting.
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The pupcake is crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.
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Apple Crunch pupcake (Adapted from Kool Dog Cafe)
Ingredients: make 12-14 pupcakes
2 3/4 cups water
1/4 cup applesauce, unsweetened
(mommy made this with a medium-sized apple)
1/2 teasp vanilla
4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 teasp cinnamon
1 cup dried apple chips
(used a fresh apple, chopped to kibble size)
1 tbsp baking powder
1 egg, beaten slightly
4 tbsp honey
(mommy used 6 tbsp, it’s a bday treat!)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease muffin tin with vegetable oil.
2. Mix all wet ingredients (water, applesauce, vanilla, egg and honey) thoroughly.
3. Combine dry ingredients (flour, apple, baking powder and cinnamon) in separate bowl. Add wet to dry slowly , scraping well to make sure no dry mixture is left.
4. Pour into muffin tins. (fill it up, the dough will not rise a lot). Bake for 80 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out dry.
Peanut Butter Frosting
Ingredients:
1 8-oz package low fat cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
4 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix all the ingredients until smooth.
(add confectioners’ sugar and more peanut butter to make it a human recipe!)

New Night-night spot

This always makes Mommy and Daddy smile…

Puggle Preston Goes to Harvard

Right after Preston moved to Cambridge, Puggle Penny told Preston about the Canine Cognition Lab at Harvard University. It is great to know that there are researchers like Dr. Marc Hauser, who is interested in understanding what dogs are thinking ?

Mommy signed Preston up to help with their research. His first session started this week. Preston can not share the details about the research (since it hasn’t been published) but he encourages all the doggies around Boston area to participate. He enjoyed every minute of it and came home with a full stomach!
Preston made Mommy proud for being the first dog tested that could read the owner’s (mommy’s) facial expression. After the study, he was rewarded with a certificate.
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Fresh Pond, Cambridge

Preston is lucky to be a Cambridge resident. His favorite place here is Fresh Pond, a water reservoir supplying the city’s drinking water. There is a 2.5-mile fenced trail around the pond. Dogs licensed in Cambridge can be legally off-leash here (Sorry, out-of-towners!). While no swimming is allowed in Fresh Pond, the adjacent Little Fresh Pond is open to dogs who like swimming. All of Preston’s Californian friends knew Preston did not like the water at all. He could swim but only if mommy was also in the pool. For weeks since Preston started coming to Fresh Pond, he would only stand on the shore and watch other doggies play in the water with frustration. Last weekend, he suddenly walked into the water on his own and started swimming as if he had been doing that all his life. Mommy and Daddy were quite amazed.
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He might not be the fastest swimmer but definitely the cutest one in the pond!

09/25/2009 update: see what Preston’s typical visit to Fresh Pond is like- Fresh Pond

JP Licks

What is Boston’s best ice cream? Preston’s vote goes to JP Licks!
Preston had their doggie ice cream, “Cow Paw”.
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Canoeing on the Charles

Preston might not be a big fan of the water but he is not going to miss out on having fun on Charles River. 
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