Zuzu's First Thanksgiving

Zuzu had so many firsts this weekend and so much fun!

It all began with the arrival of visitors.  Not a first - but exciting just the same.  Nana and Pop Pop arrived on Wednesday morning.  Zuzu remembered them immediately and didn’t waste a second trying to get Pop Pop to chase her around the house.  Then, the girls had a half day AND Daddy got home from work early.  Nothing makes her happier than a house full of people to play with her.

The cooking began on Wednesday evening.  So many smells!  The kids’ favorite thing is making the turkeys for dessert.  Zuzu didn’t understand why she didn’t get one.

On Thanksgiving morning, Daddy woke up and took Zuzu on her first real run.  He said she did great!  Her only problem was that she figured that since she was running anyway, she must be allowed to chase stuff, so it took her a little bit to settle into a doggy jog.  In the beginning, any time she saw another dog, squirrel, or bird, she tried to run in that direction rather than straight down the sidewalk.  He ran two miles with her, and we thought she’d be tired when she got home.  Not so.  Pop Pop!  Tressa!  Play with me!  Bark Bark BARK!!

She settled down during the Macy’s parade and even cuddled with Tressa some.  Then, we watched the dog show.  She ignored the whole thing, except for the Leonberger.  When he came on the TV she jumped up and started barking and wagging her tail!  I’m not sure if she wanted to play with him, or wanted him out of her house, but she was quite vocal about it.

She behaved during dinner and patiently waited for hers.  Maybe she knew that if she was good, she’d get turkey too.  Daddy made her a bowl full of turkey with some mashed yams.  She LOVED it, of course!  So far, Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday.

The weekend was gorgeous, so she got lots of walks.  Some with Mommy and Daddy, some with Mommy and Daddy and Darby, and some with Mommy and Nana.  (Mommy needed to work off lots of turkey!)

Nana and Pop Pop left on Sunday, but again it was a gorgeous day, so it was time for yard work.  Zuzu got to hang out in the front yard for the first time (tied up, of course), while leaves were raked.  At first she wasn’t sure about the cable tying her to the ground, but soon she realized its limits and just sat in the yard, guarding the world that is hers.  She loved sitting outside, being able to watch everything in the neighborhood.  The funny thing was, she barked less than she does when she’s inside looking out the front door.  Even when other dogs walked by, she just watched!

I thought this morning would be rough for her after everyone left again and the house was quiet.  But Daddy got up early and they went for another run.  He dropped her off halfway through, because she’s not ready for his normal 4-5 miles yet and if she’s like me, she never will be.  She loved it, and it wore her out.  She only cried for a little bit this morning after everyone left, and now she is sound asleep in the front entryway.

Long weekends are exhausting!

ROFL - It's NOT just me!!!

I fell out of my chair laughing, and Jim laughed out loud as well.

This is the message we got from Ron yesterday (Kodi's dad):

The “no-pull harness and 4 point leash” are fantastic. He has become a joy to walk. Even when startled by deer he is in total control, so much so that Joan is no longer afraid to walk him. The connection at the front coupled with the tensioning on the back connection is a wonderful training aid without any yanking on his neck. Having had a compression fracture of my neck from wrestling and the resulting fusion I am very sensitive about yanking a dog around by the neck especially when they are in a full force lunge. He has learned “hold, stay, around, sit, heel and go,go,go free dog” so well that – here is the good part:  Now that I have such a well-trained obedient dog, why not just walk him on a regular harness?

Well, here are several reasons why not to. Wet pavement covered in pine needles, walking downhill on wet pavement covered in pine needles, wet grass covered in pine needles on hill next to road covered in pine needles, person on road walking a Chihuahua with a bright red coat that starts barking at us. Estrela Mountain Dog named “Kodi the obedient one” explodes and launches into the air and master,  sensing the fact that “the obedient one” is much faster than he is and is heading toward a serious face plant tries the anchor approach of dropping to the ground on his knees to slow “the obedient one”. End result, the master is flipped over on his back and is drug across the hill for about 10 yards before “the obedient one” stops and looks back wondering why the master was on his back shouting nasty words at him.

Back to the “no-pull harness and 4 point leash”.

The Cold

Last week, it was cold.  Really cold for November.  Now granted, all of us have lived in the cold before; we lived in New York and Zuzu was born in North Carolina and has even seen snow.  One year in California, however, made all of our blood thin!  Now we are whiny, cold fearing babies.

Zuzu hates the heat, and loves cool weather, but she didn’t seem to remember cold.  In the morning, I would let her outside where she would run with glee, but then five minutes later, ask to come back inside.  She’d come inside for five minutes, then ask to go out again.  This went on for about twenty minutes before I had had enough and didn’t let her back out until the afternoon.

Another new thing that Zuzu had not seen, was our winter coats.  She LOVES my winter coat.  Or should I say, my hood?  It has a black, fake fur rim, that looks and feels just like the cat.  At first I could not figure out why she was following me around the house, until she started jumping up, trying to bite my hood that was hanging on my back.  We had to have a little discussion that that was not okay, and the hood was not Koshka.  

We’ll have to wait and see if she remembers our talk, since all of the winter coats have been put away again for now, waiting for winter to actually arrive.

Puppy Cuddles

I’m probably delusional, but sometimes I think she loves me soooo much, and just doesn’t know what to do about it!  

She has the sweetest expression that I’ve ever seen, looking up at me, all full of love, then LEAPS into my lap!  Then, paws on shoulders, hugging.  Then, gnawing on my head and licking my ears.

Someday, this dog has really got to learn how to just cuddle.

Santa is GOOD!!

Walking

Our challenge lately has been walking.  And, though I will regret saying this later, things are getting SO much better.

Her biggest problem is still her desire to meet every other dog on the street, so one of the things that I have started to do is put her citronella collar on when we walk.  As soon as she tugs, I give her a warning ‘beep’.  Only twice in the past two weeks have I had to actually give her a spray of citronella.  And those were during the first two days.

Lately, she has been learning to self-correct.  If she gets to where the leash pulls, she comes right back to me, unless there is something that she really really wants to get to or get away from.

Luckily, the raccoon wandering down the middle of the street was down wind, so she didn’t smell it.  She was curious, but under control.

Unfortunately, the garbage truck heading up the street towards us yesterday was faster than we could walk, and pulled up right next to us with men jumping out towards us.  Zuzu panicked!  Luckily, she tried to run away, not towards the chaos.  Beeper and choke chain ready, I was able to get her a little bit away and have her sit, until she calmed down enough to switch walking directions.

She was prepared today though.  Anytime any vehicle passed us, she placed herself between it and me, trotting along, daring it to attack.  None of them were as big as a garbage truck, but I’m sure she would have faced anything down today, just to earn back her status as a guardian.

Then, I had to chuckle at the lady walking her dog in the rain this morning, with her pretty raincoat and umbrella.  Her tiny little terrier had a rain coat and hat too!  Zuzu and I walked by, proudly dripping.  Hey, we didn’t have our makeup or princess ballerina costumes on today, so we didn’t mind being soaking wet.  And my cute, giant puppy had a nice loose leash as she walked, unlike the well-dressed adorable creature trying unsuccessfully to pull her owner down the street!

Autumn

There are so many new experiences with new seasons.

Leaves:  Zuzu does not understand why they fall off trees, but then just lay still on the ground.  She'll bark and jump at them as they fall, then paw them on the ground and bark more, trying to get them to play.

Cooler Weather:   NOTHING wears this dog out when it's cool.  I can walk her for over an hour and she'll still come home and run and run and jump and chew her toys and toss them in the air and chase them to chew them some more.  She is so happy!

Fog:  I've never seen her walk so strangely as in fog.  She walks slower, but right next to me, tail up, nose up, ears perked, smelling everything and hopping at every noise and smell!  That walk actually did wear her out, probably because she was on high alert for an hour.  She came home and crashed as soon as she was sure we were safe.

Why?

Alright, PEOPLE....I know that Daddy spent two weeks in Las Vegas, but I don't think this was what I needed to see in my bedroom when it was time for me to go to sleep.

How am I supposed to fit on my own bed?

Again, calm puppies and children are great, but MUST nap time occur in the middle of the living room floor, right in front of my computer?

I can't even open the doors to my computer armoire this way, so how do I check e-mail?

And finally, I'm sure in a doggy mind, chewing your rawhide ON my lap is a way of sharing and showing affection, but I don't need soggy jeans.  This is close enough for me!

Back Off, Dog!

Lacrosse

On Sunday, Zuzu got to go watch two lacrosse games out in Fairfax.  It was a gorgeous, sunny day, and she behaved really well.

Hey...wait....is that TRESSA out there?  Can I go too?!!!!

Between the two games, Tressa walked her around the field to meet the team.  Jim followed closely behind....just in case there were any antics, but she did great!

Zuzu LOVES love!

Tressa is still her favorite.

Walking back to the fan section with Daddy.

Playtime with Austin, the Pomeranian puppy.  Austin had to stand on his hind legs while Zuzu was laying down, for them to touch noses.

Zuzu got a short walk during the second game, but other than that and the visit with Tressa's teammates, she just hung out with Jim and me by the chairs.  She did get a little excited anytime she saw another dog, and sometimes barked at them or at Tressa, but other than that was a perfect doggy angel.

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,

As it is not too early to start planning for Christmas, I thought I would go ahead and send you a letter.

First, I would like to thank you again for last year's present. My puppy is amazing!  She is not only a giant furball of love, but is also keeping me physically fit and intellectually stimulated.

With last year's gift in mind, this year could you please bring me a Dyson DC23 Animal Canister? And a steam mop? (One for all hard surfaces, to include hard wood floors, of course.)

Much appreciated.

Now, may I offer you a suggestion?

Have you ever considered having the elves merge with the Dyson and/or Oreck Corporations so that with every gift of a pet, they could also make and include an appropriate cleaning appliance? Just a thought.

Along those same lines, my gift requests for the next few years are as follows:

- 2012:  a boyfriend to visit Zuzu and a carpet steamer
- 2013:  another kitten and a Dyson cordless
- 2014:  another Estrela and a new Dyson upright
- 2015:  a tortoise
- 2016:  another kitten and a lifetime supply of swiffer sheets


Thank you again, and enjoy the holidays!

v/r,

Penny