Caught in a Time Warp

Yes friends, Ziva and I feel as if we have been caught up in a time warp.  How could so many days have passed us by since our last post to her blog?  We believe aliens must have control
over the passage of time and the speed of which it passes and have really been messin' with us of late!

Since I really can't remember all that we have been up to since our last post how about if I just
give you a hit and miss of activities, events and funny moments and toss in a few photos along the way.

All righty then I must begin with the fact that Miss Ziva has certainly been learning about patience of late as I have been fairly busy transcribing the minutes for several Town Council Meetings and Worksessions for our island government.  Ziva has a hard time understanding
the need for mom to sit at the computer for hours on end listening to people drone on and on
about really boring stuff.  She has noticed that not once did they mention bully sticks, treat treats, go for a ride, go for a walk or let's go potty.  So needless to say, she is not amused.
Numerous times she has deposited toys on my keyboard, climbed into my lap or whined at the door even though she had just been out not 5 minutes before, just to try to get me out of my desk chair and in a much better position to pay 100% attention to her.

Ziva demonstrating how bored she is with me typing by staring out the office window.

Oh there was something noteworthy that happened a week ago last Friday.  Traveling down the island in our Jeep we were hit by a teenage driver who was driving down the center turn lane to try to avoid all the the island traffic.  Ziva was in the back seat and thank heavens was not hurt.
Fire Department and EMS arrived along with the sheriff's deputy.  The boys were cited for wreckless driving, their vehicle as well as ours needed to be towed.  A neighbor was kind enough to come get us and take us home.  It was very unnerving as well as inconvenient and we are still driving a rental car while waiting for our Jeep to be repaired.  But I'm extremely happy Miss Ziva was not hurt,her hammock style back seat cover kept her from being thrown to the floor and actually she enjoyed the attention of the local firemen!

Ziva also can now add a Bikers for Babies Festival to her socialization list.  The Yucatan Beach Stand and Grill here on the island hosted a benefit Sunday before last so off we went to check out all the amazing motorcycles and do a bit of people watching while walking around our island business district.  As always she was a hit with all those in attendance and it was kind of cute to see some of the big ol' burly bikers in their leathers and chains getting all weak in the knees making over a red dog!  I also want to mention that all the loud rumbling of Harley pipes didn't phase her in the least so guess all the early socialization and many situations we've put her in since we brought her home has paid off

Ziva imagining herself as a biker chick!

Ziva also has done a little shopping since we last checked in.  She had been particularly good and on her best behavior the other day so I told her we would go shopping for chew chews.  We hopped in the rental car and headed off island pointed in the direction of Paws, Claws and Tails one of her new favorite stores.  They now know her by name and of course present her with a treat when she comes in so why wouldn't it be a favorite destination for a spoiled rotten pup.

The Mother of All Chew Sticks!

It didn't take long to pick out some enticing goodies, hop back in the car and zip on home so Miss Z could settle in with the mother of all chewies!  I do believe the crazy thing was at least a foot and a half long but it sure didn't take our girl long to whittle it down to size.  She sure loves her chew sticks, but they are well worth the price since all of our furniture has managed to survive the wrath of a new pup. 

I can't forget to update you on Ziva's Classes at the Southwest Florida Professional Dog Trainers Alliance in Naples, Florida.  She is in the process of attending classes to provide her and me, her human, with the knowledge and tools needed to pass the Delta Society's requirments to be a Therapy Dog, at which time we will become team members of the Paws for Love Team in conjunction with the Humane Society Naples.  We are learning a lot due to the great guidance of instructors Jeannie and Tiffany, who seem to have the patience of Job.  Patience, perseverance, consistency and love need to be practiced on a daily basis.  With those things in mind I hope we can make our way through our training and be better citizens because of it, both human and canine and make a positive difference in the lives we touch.

Well I'm looking at my beautiful Vizsla lying on her bed next to me and am sending forth gratitudes into the universe for every single moment she has showered me with uncondtional love and puppy kisses.

Until next time ... May the soulful eyes of a canine show you true love

It Can't Be Friday Again!

Ziva and I have no idea how Friday managed to roll around again so quickly.  We have been a bit lax in the photo taking since I, the human half of this dynamic duo was a bit busy with
transcription work this week. 

Ziva and I have managed daily walks encountering all sorts of island wildlife (and that includes
humans!)   She has enjoyed one of her favorite pass times which is digging holes on the beach.
We could possibly get her a job with the Department of Environmental Protection by digging to monitor the island's water table on a daily basis.  It's about time she goes to work to make money for bully sticks, those things are expensive.

Yesterday morning after dropping dad at work Ziva and I headed to a large dog park to allow her to blow off some steam.  Since the weather was finally warming and the sun was shining
it was a busy morning at the dog park.  Dogs were everywhere.  Short haired, dogs, long haired dogs, slobbering dogs, barking dogs and we can't forget the poopin' dogs!  People, people, people keep those poop bags handy, remember it's your job as a responsible dog owner to clean up after your dog. 

Ziva enjoyed herself until some of the larger dogs started banding together, barking at each other and started the body slamming... that's when she becomes "Ziva the Diva" and politely bows out of the facas and heads for my lap or in the case yesterday the lap of anyone that welcomes her!  She seemed to like the lap of the older gentleman sitting next to me.  It became quite the game to see which other dog owner could lure her onto their laps.  She is a hugger and snuggle bug so it didn't take much encourgament on their part.

Dogs came and went and the chaos seemed to settle a bit so Miss Ziva headed out to find a playmate and of all the dogs there she chose a little white french bulldog named Gator.  They ran and chased and found one of the huge sand pits to dig holes, roll around and wrestle then take off running only to return sliding into the sand pit like ball players scoring a homerun. 

About an hour and a half later I decided it was time to head back to the island and called for my wild child to head toward the gate.  She made me proud by racing to my side with the first call and trotted along with a very satisfied puppy grin on her face. 

After a busy morning at the dog park rolling around in the dirt and being adorned with the sticky slobber of one dog too many you can image the next thing on our to do list.  Yessssirreeee, it was shower time!  And thank goodness this is one Vizsla that loves to take a shower.  She walks right into the shower awaiting wet down, herbal shampoo massage and pulsating shower head rinse off.  She sits for her towel off and then runs for one of her dog beds to burrow under the blankets for a well deserved snooze.  Yes there is a dog in that mass of blankets!

This morning it was another visit to the Friday morning farmer's market here on the island.  It's great socialization time for her for her training.  This morning we were approached by numerous people who showered her with compliments on her beauty, her manners and her attentiveness on me her human.  If only she would remember the last two during her Saturday morning classes! 

Speaking of classes, last Saturday Ziva started the first of several classes in her Paws for Love classes.  It's a great class with 6 students, all different breeds, sizes and ages.  It's going to be a tough class for her since she is only 6 months old but a good class for her to continue learning self control.  Wish us luck as we work our way to being the best mannered, obedient team we can be.

Until the next time ...

Go forth and be responsible dog owners..... make a poop bag part of your daily attire!

It Was The Best of Days, It Was the Worst of Days

Well Sunday was a bitterly cold day for us here in Southwest Florida.  Our thoughts certainly
go out to all the farmers and orange grove owners in the state that will be losing millions of dollars this year due to crop loss which of course will be passed along to all of us consumers in pricing at the grocery stores.  It seems at times Mother Nature can certainly rear an ugly head.

In accordance with the frigid blast we were experiencing, Ken and I bundled up against the
elements (with flashbacks of our winters in Ohio) leashed up Miss Ziva and headed to
the beach.  We figured beach explorers would be few and far between and we were certainly
right about that.  At one point looking both south down the beach and north up the beach there
wasn't a soul in sight so I stepped into the depths of being a bad doggie steward and unleashed the the fired up V dog.  Dogs are to be on a six foot leash while on the beach, but
since we were the only ones in sight I thought, shoot what the heck.  Well let me tell you it was like Miss Z sprouted wings to fly.  She ran like the wind with a great big ol' V smile on her face, ears flappin' and sand a flyin'!  You just can't help but smile when you see a Vizsla so darned happy to be running at full tilt. 

She was running, splashing in the chilly Gulf waters, digging holes in the sand and fetching driftwood, having one heck of a rip roarin' good time. UNTIL dad threw the driftwood one time too many.  Out of no where comes an older couple walking down the beach in the direction the driftwood landed.... UH OH .... well you guessed it... happy go lucky Vizsla decides it's necessary to share her exuberance with the couple walking.  She circles them while doing the famous Vizsla Bounce... the man continually yelling at me to GET YOUR DOG - I SAID GET YOUR DOG, reminding me in no uncertain terms that dogs were suppose to be on a six foot leash.  I then replied that since it was a frigid day and there had been no one within a mile either way of us I had decided to let my six month old pup run for a bit and burn off steam to which he grunted, snorted and walked on grumbling the entire time, I apologized, then rued the day that
non-animal lovers were allowed out of their homes, leashed up Miss Ziva and walked on home.
Nothing like a grumpy old man to take the wind out of your sails.  Yes I was in the wrong to unleash her, however when there had been absolutely no one in the vicinity for as far as you could see the temptation was just too great for us to miss the opportunity to romp unencumbered.  From now on she will be unleashed only in our yard, at the fenced in dog parks or just off our island at an area called dog beach (not nearly as nice a location).

So as you can see it was not the canine's fault but the humans .... mine to be exact, that caused the wrath of a grumpy old man to steal our joy.  I certainly hope that man never on a whim does something fun in life, he just might crack that plastered on frown.

Before we left the beach to head across the street and home I did snap a few shots of the girl in action on a frigid day by the Gulf.

She certainly is a charmer, my little red dog, and I love her more each day.  Here's to happy V dogs everywhere and to hopes that grumpy old men will find a moment of joy in their lives before they depart this place we call home.

Until the next time ...  Ziva's disobedient human

Ziva's Graduation Photos

Ziva pointed out to me that I had not posted her graduation announcement from puppy class last week. So to keep her from continually yapping about it, here it is. We are so proud!

Peein' In The Rain

Don't know about the weather in your neck of the woods but here on Fort Myers Beach it's just a miserable Saturday morning and Miss Ziva was not thrilled with her first pee and poop outing.

Not unlike her lightning fast potty breaks earlier this week when the temps were frigid, this morning sports cold breeze, gloomy skies and bone chilling rain. Certainly not the norm for our little strip of sand floating in the Gulf of Mexico. Our local weather gurus are saying tomorrow morning will will be a slap in the face with lows in the 30's and the possibility of it feeling in the 20's or teens with the wind chill! Our little Florida Cracker (anyone born in Florida) will most definitely not find it amusing!

Since our bundle of energy has not been able to burn off steam in the great outdoors so far today she has done her best to get into everything imaginable here in the house. First thing this morning she grabbed my clothes I had laid on the rocker in our bedroom when I got ready for bed and ran triumphantly through the house, she got into the bottled water supply, she took the Saturday morning paper off the counter along with a roll of paper towels and has cornered our big Maine Coon Cat bathing him from one end to the other not inquiring whether he was up for a vigorous Vizsla bath or not! Ahhhhh the joys of owning a V dog! And of course she has trained us dutifully in her short 6 months here on earth. When she acquires a valuable asset, such as underwear, the TV remote or a pair of my reading glasses most times if she cannot bait us into chasing her around the dining room table for a game of catch me if you can she will run to the kitchen, plopping her little red butt down next to the treat container and wait for you to barter with her. Well Miss Z would you like one of these treats in exchange for my pajama bottoms... nope she pushes that treat away with her nose, ok then...... how about this luscious little morsel... YES we have a winner.... treat and jammies are exchanged and everyone gets what they want. Hmmm why do I feel like I've just been hijacked?!

The next concern of the day since our wild child cannot get out to defuse her built up energy is this afternoon she is to show up for her first class of continuing education, at the Southwest Florida Professional Dog Trainers Alliance Paws for Love Therapy Dog Class! Oh heaven help everyone when she blows in the door! We will keep you posted as to the outcome.

As a recap since we last posted... Miss Ziva has been extremely busy with

lots of walks, trips across the street to the beach to dig holes in the sand, scope out the pelicans, seagulls and osprey, a farmer's market excursion, play time with a neighborhood Springer Spaniel named Domino who should really be competing in Frisbee competitions, trips to Town Hall, unwrapping 'Puppy Graduation Gifts' and posing for photos for a birthday card as well as a couple glamour shots. And don't forget our daily training sessions as well as assisting me, her human, while preforming my real job of transcription for Town Hall.

Here are a few photos to bring you up to date on Ziva's week.

Some days you just want to feel a bit Glamorous...

Some days it's the 'MOM I REALLY DIDN'T MEAN TO DO IT' look will work!

Then there is the posing for a birthday card while not amused look.

And then there is taking time to send a photo thank you card for the receipt of a
puppy graduation gift.

And finally after all that activity there is always morning quiet time to recharge those EverReady Vizsla Batteries!

Until next time this is Ziva and her ever obedient human wishing you a weekend filled with fun, laughter and Vizsla love!

A Public Service Announcement to Vizsla Owners

All right listen up folks, what I'm about to tell you could save you all from experiencing stiffness, body aches and a general 'run over by a mack truck sensation'!

This afternoon Miss Ziva came to me indicating she would love to go outside, take care of the customary business and then just play around a bit to let off some steam. Ok I say .... let me

grab my sweatshirt and sneakers (remember we Floridians are experiencing the cold

right now too) and we'll go out and enjoy the golden sunshine along with the brisk breeze.

Collar and leash, check, sit and wait at the door, check, mom exits first, check, waits at the top of the stairs, check and down we go. First stop, just the right spot of grass to do the pee thing, sniff here, sniff there, no poop this time mom. Fine and dandy all toilet issues addressed and here

comes the twinkle in her eye.... She grabs a bit of the outer husk she has ripped off a coconut

she brought out of the Mangroves and away she goes... racing back and forth in the side yard, man can that girl run! Suddenly she stops and does the play bow, followed by that look, come on mom, run with me, run with me, let's play. So of course I start running, back and forth, just not nearly as fast as she travels, I mean really people how could I resist those playful peeks out of the corner of her eye.

After a few laps I start to tire and evidently ran one lap too many. Half way through my last lap the toe of my right sneaker catches in the yard and before I could do anything about it I'm flat out greeting the turf up close and personal face down! My knees, right shoulder and chin hit with a thud. Stunned I just laid there trying to figure out if all my body parts were still attached and movable. I gingerly turned over laying on my back staring up at the most beautiful crisp blue sky and realized there was Ziva standing over me looking down into my face with a look of concern... 'ya all right mom?!' Even though my body was already starting to ache I was proud as punch that my beloved red dog came back to her mom standing at the ready for me to tell her to run get help... I can see it now... Ziva running from house to house telling all the neighbors 'MOM'S FALLEN AND CAN'T GET UP'

She waited until my head cleared enough to wobble to an upright position and walked by my side

to the stairs taking a step at a time until we got up to the porch and into the house. Then to my further amazement she stayed right with me in the house at times laying her head in my lap or placing a paw across my legs to let me know she cared. You have to remember this is from a 6 month old pup.

Well in closing this post, I guess the moral of this story could be - 55 year old women with back problems should not be running and participating in crazy romps with dogs that exert enough energy to power a small town. But ya know what? After the aches and pains disappear in a few days, don't be surprised to find me right back out there acting like a kid again enjoying the glorious sunshine, the swaying palm trees and the unconditional love of my rip roarin', coconut totin' red dog!

Baby It's Cold Outside!

Brrrrrrrrr This morning Ziva and I had to recheck our address to make sure we really did live in Southwest Florida! It was just down right cold here this morning, ok fine maybe not -20 degrees

with a windchill cold, but certainly cold enough to make us semi-tropics residents shiver and shake in our flip flops. It was in the 30's here on the island this morning and for those of us who have blood the consistency of tap water that's just too darn cold!

Ziva's first potty run of the early morning found her taking care of business in record time then

hightailing it back to the front steps, flying into the house and diving under the blanket into the

bed she has in the dining room. With one eye peeking out she seemed to say 'Don't even think about making me go back out there until the sun comes out and the temps go up!'Ziva evidently forgot how cold she was earlier this morning because after much craziness running around the house driving the cats nuts and squeaking nearly every toy she has she was bouncing up and down to head out for some fun in the sun. So me, the ever obedient human of this persuasive V dog, grabbed a hoodsweatshirt and a stick of string cheese (great call back treat), hooked up the bundle of energy and out the door we went.

The sun was out, the frost was off the coconut so to speak and she was ready to run. I do believe if I had looked close enough I would have been able to spy tiny little bundles of energy just popping out of every pore on her body. She was like a Thorough Bred straining at the bit at the Kentucky Derby...TURN ME LOOSE MOM... TURN ME LOOSE!!!

After what seemed like 3 dozen windsprints back and forth along the side yard she headed for her new favorite place, THE MANGROVES! This stand of Mangrove trees are situated between the backyard and the canal and depending on the tides they are either just one big black muck hole or are filled with water up over the ever sprawling root system of the trees. Well guess what, the tide was out and the stinky black mud was calling Ziva's name, 'Come romp in me, come splash and explore!' and being the great explorer that she is away she went climbing up over tangled masses of roots, branches and anything else the tides had deposited the last time around. The first time she ventured in and came out looking like the winner of a mud wrestling contest I nearly had a melt down, but quickly remembered a Vizsla is a hunting dog, they love the outdoors, they love to explore, she is short haired and wash and wear, it's only MUD, stinky mud, but still just mud. So now I just enjoy her happiness and let her go.Making sure she kept me in her sight and sound range she explored for awhile and then joined me on the dock to check out the low water. She stood gazing down the canal filled with much canine satisfaction, she had basked in the sun, chased the wind, explored the depths of the tropical jungle wearing the signs of a successful outing..... after all what's a little stinky Mangrove mud when you are one with nature.....