Hello, 2023! We’re officially back from our extended furfamily break and ready to roll into another new year. Here’s our behind the scenes 2022/2023 holiday catch up with blog dog Humphrey and Dalmatian DIY. And on the subject of looking through time, we have a little something special to reveal to our furfriends. It’s a new portrait of Humphrey, but there was some magic in the making. Want a peek?
Christmas Fun with Friends
Christmas was our traditional family fun day of ripping and snacking, but this year Humphrey had extra fun! We had one of his favourite neighbourhood furfriends stay with us for a couple weeks over the holidays. The dogs had a blast hanging out and playing together. Keen spotters on our Instagram may have seen her pop up in some of our stories, and there are more of his furfriends in the college below.
Farewell to 2022
2022 was a year of turmoil and huge events for the world, but things were relative calm and quiet here in our little furfamily. No big travels, no major events, no big news. Just lots of love and time together. And really, that’s a kind of nice way to be. Although Humphrey would like to remind us that a few roadies are always great, too. Especially if they involve new places to sniff, dog-friendly beaches, or snacks. Or all three!
Looking back through Humphrey’s 2022 photos for our annual blog collage brought back lots of memories and laughs. And admittedly, a few tears. Time flies too fast. Importantly though, the photos are full of happy Humphrey moments having fun. From special occasions and big days, like his eighth birthday, to everyday activities, he is one very happy lad. And he’s extra happy this year with the freedom to enjoy lots of social interaction and playtime with his neighbourhood furfriends. Life is good in the hood indeed!
Hello to the New Year
It has been a wet and wild start to the year for us here in New Zealand. It’s been a very rainy summer so far, and our hearts go out to Kiwi furfriends, their families, businesses, and communities affected by the recent flooding, slips, and landslides. We’ve also had a few shakey quakey wake-ups, but nothing compared to the devastation currently filling our news feeds from Türkiye, Syria, and the surrounding areas. We hold you all in our thoughts. It’s also a sad but important reminder to check and update our furfamily emergency plans, kits, and records.
Humphrey also got to ring in the New Year for 2023 with his gal pal before she returned home to her family. What a doggone great holiday for him indeed this year! One of the great things about having frequent playdates with friends is that we have extra reasons for make more toys. Competitive but friendly toy battles are a regular event on playdates, and tug toys are once again high on the fun list. Solo Humphrey will never say no to a stuffed squeaky toy either, of course! And all of his visiting furfriends are also very keen to help with treat taste testing and quality control. Classics like pocket-friendly jerky on walkies and simple stock gummies fresh from the fridge are solid favourites, but I do like to experiment and the dogs do like to snack. Haha! Expect to see some fun new toys and treats coming up in our 2023 posts.
Pet Pawtrait Time Machine
And on the subject of looking back and forward through time, we have a unique new photo of Humphrey in our collection. The talented Chris Davis contacted me while setting up Then and Now Pawtraits. He offered to use Humphrey’s photos to create a combination pawtrait of puppy Humphrey and his current adult self, and we’ve shared a crop from the full finished portrait on our Instagram. Isn’t it super cute?
Unfortunately, there isn’t yet a time machine for taking more puppy photos, but Chris was very patient and helpful with suggestions on possible photos and combinations. You can get a peek inside the process of how Chris took one of my old puppy photos and carefully blended it with a current photo in this how it’s made post on Instagram. While you’re there, have a sniff around at some of the other pawtraits and keep an eye out for special giveaways, too. Chris is building his new business, and has offered the special discount code of HUMPHREY23 for a pawesome 50% off current prices for any of our furfriends who would like to have their own custom pawtraits created.
Disclosure: I was gifted a digital copy of Humphrey’s completed Then and Now Pawtrait on a no-obligation basis. Opinions provided are my own and are an honest representation of my user experience. The discount code was an unexpected bonus treat for our furfriends. Woofs!
Gratitude and Thanks
Thank you once more to all of our readers and friends, near and far, for being a part of our blog dog world. I truly appreciate your support for Dalmatian DIY and your long-distance love for Humphrey. For our long time furfriends, thank you also for continuing to keep Oli and Tiger in your memories with us. We look forward to sharing our posts and our lives behind the scenes with you again this year. We wish you all a very happy 2023. Take care, stay safe, and be well. I hope that 2023 brings good things to you and to those you love. Happy New Year, everyone!
