Beach Pics
Friday, June 3rd, 2011 | Dogs, Indigo, Ozzy
Hosting a dog forum in addition to a blog sometimes confuses me. I know I posted beach pics somewhere, but it wasn’t here. So sorry it’s taken me a while to show you pics!
Swissies must approach the water very carefully.
They also like running up and down the beach, but they prefer it to be a game of chase.
Although I’m not entirely sure who is chasing whom.
There are brave Swissies, like Indy, who will venture into the water.
Although it did take her a few days to figure out the waves. In the meanwhile, she got splashed in the face a fair bit.
Ozzy would periodically get bored, and when Indy came out of the water with the ball, he’d try to eat her.
Hmmm, how to get the humans to throw the ball again. Maybe if I keep staring at it?
Yup, that worked.
Ozzy did not go much further than this.
He did like the water, but he never warmed up to the idea of waves crashing on the shore. They freaked him out a bit.
Happy Swissy Girl!
Tired Swissy Boy.
Confidence
Tuesday, May 31st, 2011 | Indigo
As you may have guessed, we are back from Florida now, which is very sad. While it’s nice to be home, it’s sad to be back at work and away from Dan and the dogs. I’ll get over it, though. I just hope the dogs will be happy with their lives now that they are back in boring Downers Grove.
The coolest thing for me last week (other than doing not much of anything all week long) was seeing Indy’s self confidence improve every day and she became more and more comfortable in the water. She started swimming on the 3rd day at the beach, and that was totally unexpected and fantastic! But if you saw her throughout the rest of the week, she got more and more brave each day. She would charge into the water, chase the ball, swim out with me or on her own…and you could see in the way she carried herself that she was gaining self confidence every day.
I’m curious to see how this may change her over time. I definitely need to see about getting her into the water (Lake Michigan, I guess) soon.
I am one proud momma.
How my dogs are awesome, and other things…
Monday, May 23rd, 2011 | Dogs, Indigo, Ozzy
Yes, we are on vacation. And yes, I am posting. I am weird that way. Have computer, have wireless, might as well post!
First things first…Friday was the Long Drive Day. It was supposed to be about 15 hours long, but ended up at 16.5 due to an overturned diesel tanker (and subsequent closed road/traffic jam). This made me realize two things. First, when your Navigon GPS with add-on traffic pack doohickey tries to redirect you, listen to her. (Or maybe your GPS is a him?) They are right. Second, my dogs are freaking awesome. The two of them were so good in the car, I almost forgot they were there. Seriously, I had to check back a couple of times to see if they were breathing. I figured they would be good for at least 6 hours, but over 16? Crazy, crazy good.
OK, so now that I’ve explained to you how awesome they are, I’ll move on to the other things. Yes, they are enjoying the house here on St. George Island. And they are being pretty darn good in the house. We take them for walks, let them play on the beach, etc. Today was day 3 at the beach, and we were initially thinking that today might be the day Indy would go all the way in the water since the surf is calm. After some coaxing, it didn’t seem as if that would happen. So instead, we got the two of them rampaging up and down the beach (extremely good off leash, btw), to wear them out. Then Dan threw a clam at me. Or something like a clam. It still had someone living in it, so I tossed it back in the Gulf. And Indy followed it. All the way in. (It’s not at all deep here, but she could at shoulder height in about 5 feet.) Then I went in and she followed. She actually swam!
Before you ask, no I do not have pictures at this time. Yes, I will be taking pictures. But I do not have a waterproof camera, so I have to be a bit careful.
Check back later! We’ll be here in paradise.
Travel Prep
Tuesday, May 17th, 2011 | Indigo, Ozzy
After a few months of crazy travel for me without dogs (and husband), I’m now prepping for a trip with dogs (and husband). We will be departing in the not too distant future for a week on sun, sand and surf on St. George Island, Florida. It’s been four years since we went to SGI. The last time we went, we had entirely different dogs. Alex, Wulf and Gryffin loved the week on the beach, especially Alex. Alex would body surf the week away, while Gryffin and Wulf would rampage on the beach. I really do hope Indy and Ozzy enjoy it as much as the others did.
But a long road trip means prep. First, we had to find a place to stay. I researched SGI about 7 years ago when looking for dog friendly vacation spots. Then I found a rental company that had advertised pet friendly vacations. They had (have) a great website that shows each rental house, their location, amenities and pictures, plus a specific list of pet friendly homes. Some homes only allowed small dogs, and some only allowed 2 dogs. The rental we used the first year (Gryffin had just turned 1) was a 2 dog only facility, but they did allow us to stay knowing we had 3 dogs. I believe we paid an extra $100 (for the entire trip) for that ability.
After we found the place to stay, we started planning the route. Figuring out how to get there isn’t really a problem, but figuring out the best places to stop with dogs was slightly more challenging. We can’t stop and eat at restaurants with them, and we can’t leave them in the car because of late spring temperatures. So we will likely do fast food stops. But more importantly, we need to consider dog’s needs at our stops – they obviously need to get out and stretch their legs a bit, and they will need to relieve themselves. The obvious choice would be roadside rest stops, but that’s where everyone stops with their dogs. And those dogs are not always in perfect health. I’m sure there are dogs (or have been) with giardia or other communicable diseases, so we won’t stop there unless it’s urgent. Instead, we make our gas stops their rest stops. We look for places that have a decent grassy area that is not too close to a busy street. And, if we can help it, one that isn’t too
busy. Heck, if there’s shade, that’s good too, but it doesn’t always work out that way.
Next, there’s the packing. We are staying in a house that will have many comforts of home for us, but not the dogs. We need to make sure we have their bowls, food, toys and a couple of dog beds. That’s not too hard, as most everything could be purchased in Florida in case we forget something. But it definitely makes the dogs a little happier if they have something that smells a bit like home.
We are packing something new this year – a belly band. Big head Oz has decided that, for the time being, he is a marker. Sometimes inside, always outside. I cannot have him marking in a hotel or in a rental house, so belly band it is! I could not get them in the store to fit a Swissy, so they were ordered online. Lucky for me, they arrived Friday which gave me enough time to make sure they fit (they didn’t list a waist size, only approximate weight) or get my mom to make some before we left. He looks very silly and sheepish, but I think it will do the trick.
So that’s about it on the prep and planning. Now we just hope for great weather, and that Indy and Ozzy will be good truck dogs for 18 hours. Check back for beach pictures!
It’s Bark in the Park time again!
Friday, May 6th, 2011 | Indigo, Litter Mates and Swissy Friends, Ozzy
This will be the 3rd straight year that I will participate in Bark in the Park! It’s Indy’s 2nd time, and Ozzy’s 1st. Please make a sacrifice to the weather gods today so that we don’t get poured on tomorrow. We will be attending rain or shine!
I’m hoping for some fun vendors this year. I know that the new business, Fido to Go!, will be there for their public debut. Fido to Go! is a cool concept. From their site:
Fido to Go is Chicago’s premier gourmutt food truck serving hand-crafted canine cookies & doggy ice creams! Find us out and about at the city’s dog parks, beaches, and special events. We are also available to cater doggy parties and can even provide the games, activities, and photographer!
I’m excited to see the truck in action! I know Indy and Ozzy will be too.
If you’re out at Bark in the Park tomorrow, come find the Swissies and say hi!
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