Hot Times and New Friends in Arizona!
By Emma the White Dog
Hi friends!
Can you believe it is August already? Here it is in Arizona, and it sure has been hot! But as always, Dad and I have been busy doing things and experiencing Arizona in the summer. I’m even adding a brand-new feature in this post that I hope everybody enjoys!
Uninvited Backyard Visitors
Our first story is about some unexpected visitors to our backyard: a mama bobcat and her two kittens. They recently arrived and absolutely fell in love with the small patch of green grass back there.
Mama bobcat
bobcat kittens playing and chilling out
They really enjoyed playing in our yard as well as just relaxing and chilling out… I guess that’s what little bobcats do! But soon, they were hanging around at night and first thing in the morning—right when Dad usually sits on the patio with his morning coffee. Mama bobcat staring directly at us definitely discouraged us from our regular rituals. And as Head of Security around here, it pretty much upset me!
Dad checked with Gemini AI, which suggested using motion-activated sprinklers to discourage them from living in our yard.
Emma supervising assembly of the sprinklers
Emma by the set of 3 sprinklers Dad set up
That worked great! Quick bursts of water from the sprinklers made their play and resting areas much less fun. The bobcats moved along, and now we can enjoy our backyard safely again.
Back on the Trail
Speaking of our routines, Dad recently completed some physical therapy sessions because one of his legs was really sort of sore on our walks. Unfortunately as a human he only has 2, whereas we dogs have 4! And as you know, we take a lot of walks—they are pretty important to both of us!
Emma checking Dad in for his last appointment
Dad is a lot happier and feeling much better on our walks now, which means our daily desert patrols are officially back in full swing.
Curbside Concierge Service
Our next adventure is a bit more calm. We do a lot of our shopping from home now! Dad orders things on store websites, and then we just drive up while a nice attendant brings everything we ordered right out to our car.
Emma with the nice attendant
This all pretty much started back during the COVID times, but it worked so well that we just kept doing it. It makes life so easy for Dad to get what we need, and I always enjoy greeting the friendly folks who bring our bags to the car!
Something New: Meet My New Friend
We meet lots of new people and dogs on our daily walks and outings, so I thought it would be fun to introduce some of them to you in a new feature called “Meet My New Friend”!
Meet My New Friend: Ozzie
Emma and Ozzie
This is Ozzie! He is lots of fun and maybe just a little bit “crazy.” I think maybe he was named after that pretty crazy rock music guy, Ozzy Osbourne?
In the summer, Ozzie goes paddle-boarding8 with his dad on a lake up in Wisconsin!
Ozzie on a board looking pretty cool in his life vest
Ozzie looks super cool out on the water, and he even invited me to join him, promising me my very own life vest! Dad says we will “think about that”… but it sure sounds like fun!
Dogs and Water
Ozzie’s lake adventures got me thinking about dogs and water. Humans always talk about the “dog paddle,” but do all dogs naturally know how to swim?
Well, it turns out that not all dogs are born swimmers! While breeds with webbed feet and long legs take to the water naturally, heavier dogs with short legs or short snouts can actually sink like bricks and definitely need a life vest. Plus, while some dogs live for a big splash, others—like me—prefer keeping our white paws safely on dry land. Whether a dog is a superstar swimmer or a lounge-by-the-pool type, safety is always the most important thing!
With love and wagging optimism, stay paw-sitive!
Emma 🐾
Have a question for me? I’d love to hear from you! Email emmathewhitedog@gmail.com, and I might answer it in a future blog.
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