Let me start with the entry in the house. I have always lived by the philosophy that, other than a few safety items, you should never child-proof your house. Instead, you should always teach your children. That way you can take them almost anywhere.
Somehow, over time, that same theory has stopped applying to my pets. So, when I walked into my parent's house and saw that EVERY Christmas decoration that my mother owns was out on display, from bells on door knobs to stuffed elves climbing a ladder and a stuffed reindeer on a bungee cord, to a big, beautifully decorated Christmas tree in the middle of the living room, my first thought was, "Crap. My mother has set me up for failure."
Other than a couple of quickly correctable incidents, however, the decorations ended up not being a problem. Koshka only climbed up the inside of the tree once and Zuzu didn't knock the whole thing over trying to join her, and only one ornament was found in Zu's mouth as she was wandering the house that week. And, in her defense, it was a little stuffed Santa that really did look like a dog toy.
Now, moving on, with pictures:
The Pool: She still had no interest! Even with kids and toys and balls and quite a bit of noise and teasing, she chose to just run around and around it in circles, happily watching all of the activity and occasionally yapping.
Family Christmas Photos: It's so much easier when your camera has a timer that beeps louder and louder just before the picture is taken! That made her look almost every time. :)
Joe and Matt: Zuzu had never met Joe and Matt before, but fell in love with them immediately! They also fell in love with her, of course! Being big dog owners themselves (Newfs, a Bernese, and a Border Collie), they liked having her around much more than they ever liked poor little Snickers. They chased and played and wrestled and teased and she slept better at night than she ever had before.
Christmas Presents: She likes them!
More swimming pool: Nope. Not even in the dark at 85 degrees. No thank you!
The Beach: Now the beach was a different story entirely! Apparently, she has forgotten that she was ever afraid of the waves. She RAN towards the water and raced in happily!
Play with me, Joe! Digging in the sand is fun!
Rainy Days: Luckily, we only had one rainy day. The kids worked on the model railroad with my dad. Zuzu wasn't too thrilled, but as long as she could lay down right in the middle of everything without having to move out of the way, she tolerated it.
Not even Nana, bouncing up and down in the water, could lure her into the pool!
Beach Day Two: It was only 62 degrees and empty, so Zuzu was given some freedom! She LOVED chasing the kids as they skim boarded and boogie boarded in the waves. Eventually, people started showing up to the beach and she took off running to meet them and to greet a black lab walking on the sand. She was all tail wags and nuzzles for the strangers. I was quite relieved that there was no barking, jumping, or growling, but she had to be put back on the leash anyway. I didn't want her to scare anyone out for a walk. She didn't seem to mind and still tried to run with whoever was holding the leash and tried to dig her way to China in the sand.
The other thing that she got much better at while we were there, was car rides. She no longer has to be dragged into the van. I think it has everything to do with the beach! She now tries to jump in when she sees the door open, because she doesn't want to be left behind or miss out on anything fun. Even the long trips went okay, with her sleeping most of the way.
So, other than one mysteriously chewed up puzzle piece, the vacation was a success! (Unless my mom and dad hid other destruction from me in an attempt to save their grandpuppy from more scolding.)
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