Bright Star McCovey's Excellent Year

This is another birthday update from a Bright Star who lives in an amazing place — in McCovey’s case, it is the Sierras.

The Sierras is one of my favorite places and I have albums of Sierra backpacking photos ❤️ Therefore, I love these photos for all kinds of reasons and am sharing each and every one Valerie sent along with her update:

“This was a huge year for our big guy! It started with a record-breaking winter, and followed with the arrival of his human baby brother who he simply adores.  It was love at first sight for those two.  

As Winter gave way to an incredible Spring and Summer, we enjoyed a reprieve from wildfire smoke, allowing us to make the most of the great outdoors. McCovey absolutely loves the water, and not even the dead of winter can stop him from taking a dip.

Definitely Claire’s son!

McCovey continues to be the center of attention wherever we go. Whether it's a local farmer's market or a hiking trail, he steals the show with his infectious energy and charming personality.

But it wasn't all rainbows and butterflies -- we had a few months after the baby was born where he wouldn't let dogs approach us on walks.  His protective nature kicked into gear, and in an off-leash community with a newborn in hand and snow on the ground, this was very hard to navigate. 

Luckily there is abundant open space here, so we just had to find the places we could adventure safely and freely for a few months. As James has gotten bigger, McCovey has relaxed completely back into his dog-loving self and we're able to socialize again on the busier trails. It's a relief for all involved.

He also made a big jump in stature this summer.  He was previously petite for a male Berner at 85-87 lbs, but this summer he grew both in height and weight, and now sits at an impressive and athletic 105 lbs. His face looks like Claire, but his build really reminds me of Ferguson these days.

We're off to Bend, Oregon this weekend and I'm looking forward to exploring a new place with my 3 boys. They have the snow we're lacking, so we're off to chase it!

Here's to many more years with our big lap dogs!”

I agree — we want to be celebrating these birthdays for the next decade PLUS!

Thank you, Valerie, for the update and beautiful photos.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY McCovey!!! 🎉

Bright Star Birthday Continues

Today we catch up on Tobie, whose adventures in 2023 were pretty amazing! Cheryl sends us this Bright Star Birthday Update:

“This past year for Tobie has been a year full of new adventures exploring new places and special moments with “his people” while at their homes in Oregon and Sun Valley, Idaho.  He has become a great traveler and companion: this year we travelled over 4000 miles in a motor home to visit Banff, Lake Louise, and Jasper in British Columbia.  Greeting all the other campers, along with a herd of elk, and going for short hikes was heaven for Tobie. 

Tobie loves to hike and does incredible off leash on hikes in the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho and the Oregon Cascades.  He loves the water, but only wading till the water reaches his tummy.  He has gone swimming a few times but only when he misjudged how deep the water was.

Tobie is incredibly affectionate and loves to cuddle.  When someone talks to him, especially when telling him how awesome he is, he is beyond contentment.  He is definitely a mountain dog; he loves the mountains and the cooler climate.  When it snows, he will lay on it for hours at a time. 

At home, his job is to stay close to his mom (me) or position himself on one of our higher berms outside, or a picnic table, and survey our property looking for any threats. His bark is “big” and effective at letting the world know he is on duty.  Little does anyone know that he is not a threat; he wouldn’t hurt a flea.

When going for walks, he loves to prance along beside me, constantly looking up at me with a goofy smile on his face. Wherever we go, almost every person we encounter tells us how “gorgeous” or “good-looking” he is. Tobie has captured our hearts and with each year our love for him grows.  He is a wonderful blessing to our lives, and we are grateful to Mary-Anne for this amazing addition to our family.”

Oh My Gosh! What an incredible life for a mountain dog — Thank you so much Cheryl and family ❤️

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOBIE!

Bright Star Birthday and #girlpower

They were so tiny just three years ago.

But they sure aren’t tiny now!

Today we have a birthday update from our Alaska Bright Star, Suki. Linda shares:

“Life in Alaska is good. Suki continues to be the loving, sweet dog that everyone who encounters has to stop and pet. She helps left spirits and provides a reason for us to open our hearts. We meet other Bernese, but Suki is the most beautiful Bernese in Alaska.”

The photos Linda sent tell us about a well-loved (and yes — beautiful!) Berner having an amazing life with her humans (including her special dog nanny, Sue) in an incredible place. Linda said I could pick my favorites to include today — they are ALL my favorites and so I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I do.

Linda says Suki is unbothered by moose.

Wow.

Apparently, the snow does melt!

GORGEOUS — thanks, Sue!

❤️

Note the stick 😂

The dogs in the background look like they need coats!

How is this for contrast?!

I think we need a family trip to visit Suki and her people! Again — WOW.

Thank you to Suki’s family for giving her such an adventuresome life and sharing the photos of that life with the rest of us. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUKI!!!

Birthday Week is a great time to think about sweet — and how sweet is this photo of our very own Girl Scout, Ada, and Wildflower Zeus?!

It is Girl Scout Cookie Season!!! And the best part is that we can order online now — so easy.

Let’s be like Zeus and show Ada some love by ordering our Girl Scout cookies from her online website.

Click HERE to go directly to Ada’s online cookie site — and thanks for supporting our Kaibab Girl Scout!