Death of the funky chicken

Let me just begin by saying it was NOT my idea to purchase this toy. But, my husband seemed to think it was a good idea. That is, until he was taking a nap over the weekend and woke up to THIS unique noise going off for 10 minutes straight:

I really couldn't stop laughing. If I hadn't been laughing, I would have been strangling that awful chicken to make the noise stop. Luckily, as I predicted, Captain took care of killing the chicken for me, making short work of the toy.... first it was the toes that went, one by one:
And then the feet:And finally it was a headless bird:We gave it the old trashcan funeral when he pulled the squeaker out and there was nothing left but a purple bikini.

Phew, all that chewing can really be hard work. Time to stretch.

Monday surfing

I can't really say I'm much of a You Tube surfer, but every now and then I like to add some videos to mix things up. Here's one I found that made me smile- something about the big green field, the beautiful dog, and his response to the whistle:



(Video from YouTuber wwwmagyarvizslalu- website here- in Swiss I think but lots of great pictures!)

Maybe we can train Captain like that some day! For now, he's pretty busy being a puppy...

Also, here's another You Tube video that's great for a laugh:



Happy Monday! Isn't it easier getting through the week with these great dogs to come home to?!

Weekend adventures

Saturday after picking Captain up from O'Paws, we headed over to a birthday picnic in Golden Gate Park. Another one of our friends was also having a birthday celebration this weekend, and she and her husband had rented a grill site. A great way to spend a sunny Saturday!

Captain of course made friends with every dog he met. I unfortunately missed the photo opportunity when Captain's new friend, Bear, stole one of the bases we were using for a game of kickball- which began a new game of chase and tug.
Meatball (the little white dog below) didn't want to play with the big dogs:This looks like trouble...
Luckily he only made one attempt at the food (for the spinach salad- who knew?!) but after a quick reprimand kept to the crumbs on the ground and stayed off the table. He's not really a counter-surfer, but if you drop it, it's fair game!

Sunday we did a little walking along the Embarcadaro for Fisherman's Wharf Sunday, when they close down part of the road and everyone is out and about to enjoy the day! Captain, as usual, found another dog to play with along the way...
... and some more pigeons to point out...
Later, it was time to sleep off all that excitement...

Vizslas and Vizslas and more Vizslas, oh my!

Friday we took Captain to the wonderful O'Paws, a doggie daycare and bed & breakfast that has a wonderful preference for our favorite pups.This picture doesn't even capture the half of it- 15 or so Vizslas, of all different ages, roaming around what feels like a very nice hotel/home for very nice dogs. It was my husband's birthday and we wanted a day & night out on the town - we're up to about 3.5 hrs leaving Captain alone, but that's about his limit right for daytime/evening alone time. When we first took Captain to O'Paws to meet the pack, he was pretty hyper and had to learn his place, but he fit right in and when I came to pick him up Saturday morning, he gave me a quick greeting and then went right back to playing, as if to say, "Oh, hi mom....it's you...." He didn't want to leave! We will definitely be back. Hey, I'd even go just to watch all the beautiful Vs- it really is a sight! Captain's new home away from home... I'll feel like he's getting a treat whenever we go away and can't take him with us. They take them to great off-leash parks all over the city, so not only do they get to rest in a very nice condo, with a backyard, they also get their energy out running all around outside. Very fun.

More pics from the weekend to come.... Golden Gate park and more! And with the new camera!

Hot Hiking!

Sunday we made the trip over to the East Bay for a very, very, very hot day of hiking (90+ degrees!) in Sunol Regional Preserve. It's a great park, and good for the pooches, but man, was it a hot day! We made sure Captain stayed hydrated, and he munched on a cup of ice the whole way home. Despite the heat, it was a fun day, and a good place to go hiking too!

Captain had his first encounter with cows... and tried to do his best tough guy bark. Luckily the cows weren't buying it...

Moooo! We had fun hiking, but next time we'll check the weather first!

Spoiled Stylish

A little peacefulness to start off the weekend... Captain sleeping away in his stylish new bed. It's a Bowsers bed, comfy and soft and just perfect for Vizsla naps! (By the way, love how the company has nothing but Vizslas modeling all over the site... I'm such a sucker.) He immediately collapsed on it after we picked it up from South Paw.

Puppy Party!

Last night we had some puppy friends over for a little party. I got some special treats for the boys- you may remember Taz, the adorable Aussie Shepard ala BFF weekend, and our new friend Kona, a little labradoodle. They had so much fun playing!

After playing for a while, they all enjoyed their special treats:

Taz was the only one who actually licked the icing just like it was an icecream cone!

We had a little 'Rocktail' party.... our friend had some trouble singing with a Vizsla crammed between him and the microphone, but I think the pups enjoyed our Rock Band!

We love puppy parties!

Gone the way of the Wubba

So much for 'indestructable' toys. I think we should rename him "Captain, the great destructor!" Luckily it's only been his toys (and his bed, and magazines) that he's gotten into... knock on wood. In any case, these more 'durable' toys- the Wubba and Tuff toys have lasted longer and are great toys, but don't be fooled- they can be torn apart too!

It wasn't me

This morning I decided to wash Captain's bed cover. I left the inner cushion on the floor of our bedroom and then got to work-and the rest is history.

If this isn't a "Really, I'm not guilty" look, I don't know what is...

 

 

 

I swear, he really is a good dog! Here are some other recent shots:
(Oh, and by the way, Captain apparently didn't get the memo that he's supposed to be tired after the neutering surgery. Nope. Full speed ahead. And that's why we love this energetic breed!)

Losing his...

Well, he finally lost 'em. That's right, after delays due to kennel cough and then pneumonia, Captain was finally ready for his neutering appointment yesterday. We took him in to the San Francisco SPCA, which has an awesome new building including a Spay & Neuter Clinic. The people there were great and he was well taken care of. I also really appreciate their sliding pay scale, which definitely helps in today's economy. Anyway, Captain came home a little dazed and confused, but is recovering well. We did have to fight back laughing as he bumped into things with his protective cone on- he really doesn't like that thing and was none too happy when we put it back on before bed.

In lieu of pictures of that fun adventure, I'm posting a video of our neighborhood's newest Vizlsa pup..... I remember these days! We actually met this little girl a few weeks ago and Captain had a chance to play with her a bit. Here she is at a puppy social- looks just like Captain did!



Now I know why so many people said to cherish the puppy days- they grow so quick!