A Breakthrough!

Since I've joined a gym, the dilemma has been getting home to let Z out and exercise her, then feed her, make sure she's done her "thing" and then bundle her back up again in the crate while I go work out.

I feel guilty having her in the crate all night (granted, she's sleeping), all day while I'm at work, then AGAIN while I'm at the gym. A couple times I've blocked her in the kitchen for short periods of time, but the last time I did it, I didn't think it through...took her down to Crystal Lake and threw a stick in the water for her for half an hour, then came back (she DID pee) and threw her in the kitchen. Well, when I got back she'd emptied her bladder on my floor - but, it was the linoleum floor so that was better than on the wood. Anyway, that put the kibosh on leaving her out for a while (even though it was my fault :).

Well, since my foot's been hurting (I accidentally did a 10K a couple weekends ago) I haven't been walking her; merely throwing the ball in the yard for her all the time...she didn't get much play-time in yesterday before it was time to head to the gym, and I was feeling guilty, so I left her in the kitchen - "blocked" in with 2 of my cheapy Ikea chairs. I took the rugs out and put her dishes up (the less the temptations the better) and left her a rawhide. I got back in an hour and a half to a busily chewing dog and a clean kitchen!

I was VERY proud of her. She is almost 11 months old (this Saturday marks the official date) but nonetheless, it's a bit nerve-wracking leaving a puppy out in the house - albeit a small part of the house - while I'm gone!

Anyway, I just realized I never posted her 10-month pictures, so before she turns a month older (and therefore I have new ones - yes, I'm "that mom") here are some images of my pretty girl...

(The last one is the image my mother thought HAD to be entered in the fair back home...so we'll see how it does. Yes, I realize it breaks the omnipresent Rule of Thirds - but let's be honest, rules are meant to be bent, if not completely broken, right?)

Horsin' Around...

While I watch one of the myriad of episodes featured on 2007's Shark Week, I'm sipping a beer and recovering from my gym workout today.

In addition to bench, flys (flies?), incline press, and abs today, I've added 2 new leg machines (for inner/outer thighs). Whew! Even with the addition of horseback riding into my exercise regime this summer, those things kicked my...legs...today.

Also, I'm working a lot harder (able to work harder?) on my arm muscles, so it's an all-over makeover :)

So, why all the working out - as well as the addition of the new machines - you might ask? Well, I need to strengthen everything for rehab in order to be able to run again...and the inner thigh machine is strictly for the 2 horse shows I have coming up in the next 2 weekends...well, ok, to be honest, if I'm working the outer thighs, I need to balance, but mostly I'd just like to have the leg strength to get good rides out of my mounts this weekend (and possibly next).

Yes, I'm riding TWO horses at the Crow Wing County Fair...my new horse, Ky, was so well-trained back in the day that even after sitting - unused - in a pasture for 4 years, he's doing VERY well with flexibility and collection. (Not to mention being steady as a rock and taking his leads consistently.)

I'll also be riding Joon, my mom's horse, even though it's been Mom who's been riding her for over a year and getting her in shape enough for me to even think about bringing her into 2 english classes. She's doing much better - still not consistent with giving me her leads right away, but I'm confident that even if we don't do everything correctly we'll still have a lot of fun.

The last time I did this much riding was the summer I came home from Spain and lived at Mom & Dad's while I job-hunted online(via dial-up, no less). It's a lot of driving, but it's fun and the weather's been great - so getting to relax on the lake isn't bad, either!

Hopefully I'll have plenty of non-geeky pictures to share after this weekend's events...oh, and another thing - Mom thought I needed to enter some photography as well. Should be interesting. I want to have fun and get back to my horsey roots, and then I'm looking forward to an Oof-da Taco (in essence, a walking taco on a fried flatbread-type shell). YUM.

Hasta la later -

A Horse! a horse, My Kingdom for a Horse!

Since even before last fall - when my horse was put down at the ripe old age of 27 ½ - I've felt horseless. I hadn't used Kamell (the old boy) in a few years because he was retired, had a bad leg, etc.

Well, the equine gods have smiled upon me and presented me with my very own, very LARGE new horse!

(This post has been interrupted by a very important team meeting...)

Time for Change...

As I alluded to in yesterday's post, times are a-changin'. I'm no longer 18 (insert mental humming of George Burns here) and my body tells me this every day; I'll be seeing my high school buddies in Crosby for my 10-year high school reunion next weekend...and I'm thinking of getting a tattoo.

Boy, I sure hope my grandma's not reading this blog...

While I was in Miami (at SES) a couple weeks ago, I visited Miami Ink - just to look around...well, also to see if those guys'd be willing to sell their art (in order for me to bring it back to MN to have some INFERIOR tat artist re-create it)...the answer was, of course, "No." Figured so, but thought I'd give it a whirl - the only reason I didn't get it done right then and there was because I just don't think a tattoo should be an impulse purchase.

*Sigh* Besides, Ami wasn't working that day :)

So, a diamond is forever...but it can at least be passed from person to person on down through the generations. Now, a tattoo, on the other hand, THAT'S forever - forever imprinted on YOUR body. Period. If in the back of your mind you're thinking "but I can always get it removed with that laser thingy if I get sick of it", think again. No one's going to do that - I hear it's a very painful, long process and there are no guarantees they can totally rid the skin of the ink.

Anyway. The point is - it's a permanent thing, and you better be damned sure what you want and that it's relevant to you today, tomorrow...forever.

For anyone who knows my mother (or if - God forbid - Mom, you're reading this) I'd say a) don't tell her and b) I'm merely CONSIDERING it. I've thought about it off and on over the years, but have never found anything I'd want imprinted on my body...but I think I've found "the one"; now it's just a matter of getting used to the idea of FOREVER.

To quote Mötley Crüe, "...nothing stays the same / now it's time for change / not tomorrow, but today..."

Of Legs, Life and Love

Random Thought: Remember when people used to keep diaries and keep them locked up in a safe, secure location so NO ONE could ever read their deepest, darkest secrets? I think I kept a "journal" while I was in Spain...every once in a while I'll take it out of the closet and re-read my thoughts, frustrations and ideas. Now I just put them out for anyone to see. My, how things change.

Speaking of change, I also remember the good old days of being able to lace up the Nikes and head out for a 5-mile run and not think a thing of it. Now I struggle to walk my dog 2 miles without my IT band sending stabbing pains up and down my leg. Very frustrating.

Oddly enough, Lil' Z has been favoring HER leg (her left front - just like me!) the last few days so we've both been taking it easy - yesterday she was doing much better but I took her to the park and threw the stick for her in the water for quite a while ... then forgot about why I was exercising her that way and threw it a couple times up on land - she came back limping. Dangit. Needless to say, between that and my chiropractor appointment yesterday we didn't go for a walk this morning. (And, because I can't NOT put a picture of her here:)

But, that's life. Children definitely DO get older, as Stevie Nicks pointed out. Other than the leg (and some obstacles I'm surmounting at work - no need to delve into that here) I'm pretty happy with my life right now. Things are, overall, VERY good!

I'm heading home (i.e., to visit the 'rents) tomorrow after work and won't return until the morning of the 4th...sounds backwards but I need to save vacation plus I wasn't sure about being there for over a week. The 10-year high school reunion is the following weekend -I'm actually looking forward to it - so I'll be heading back up for that. It'll be fun to talk about being single & carefree amidst all my married-with-kids friends :)

Some people might think, "Aren't you worried about what people will think of you still being single while everyone else is married?" I say, HELL NO! I wish they were all single like me so we could go back to having fun - no offense to those who have a) husbands / wives; b) kids; c) all of the above.

I just don't see myself getting into any of that for a while...I love my life just as it is too much right now! Maybe someday I'll change my tune; for now I'll bask in the warmth of being "selfish" and cruising through life without a (major) care in the world.

Until the next entry...

The World is my Bane

Ever have one of those days that's just the WORST DAY EVER but it's only 7:30am? Yeah, today's one of them.

Let's forget the fact that yesterday I had to head to the chiropractor's for a thorough working-over of my IT band / glute (which has left me bruised, battered, and in pain)...but around 3:30 this morning, Zada decided she wanted to be REALLY loud about getting comfy in her crate, which went on 'til 4am when I finally relented & got up to let her out. Turns out all she wanted to do was head outside and lick the grill. Awesome.

Then, the thermostat isn't working in my house - the blowers were on for HOURS last night (which I didn't notice) but the thermometer never moved even though it was FREEZING in there. So I'd shut it all down before going to bed- didn't want the system to overload or something. Regardless, at 4am it was hot in my room so I fiddled around with the damned thing and it finally seemed to be working.

That left approximately 30 minutes to toss and turn before the alarm. There's more but it's wearing me out even e-complaining about it all...when I got into work, one of my co-workers asked me the somewhat-rhetorical "how're you today?" and I answered in truth. His reply: "Well, the day can only get better from here."

I almost clocked him.

On a brighter note, it IS Wednesday, which means I'm halfway through the week and that much closer to relaxing. Wait. I have to mow my lawn, fold "bushels" of laundry and pack for Miami. *Sigh* Nevermind.

Bienvenido a Miami

At the behest of my team lead here at FindLaw, I'm speaking at a Search Engine Strategies conference in less than 2 weeks.

Well, I was accepted as a presenter after she sent them a mock-up of what I'd be talking about...but either way - whoa.

The place: Miami. The event: SES Latino '07. I went last year, too - the inaugural run - but as a mere attendee. This year, I get to wear a special badge and might even get to "hang out" with the likes of Nacho Hernandez from iHispanic Marketing Group.

Last year, it took me a while to warm up and start chatting away with everyone - in Spanish, of course - mostly over Googlitos (Google's version of Mojitos) at the big soirée, so hopefully this year I'll just jump right back in where I left off. Should be fun, to say the least! And...as much as I adore public speaking (NERD!), I'm uber-glad I'm presenting the 1st day so I don't have to drive myself nuts WAITING for my session.

Well, that's about it for right now - of course I'll write more about it when the time comes...in the meantime mediocre stories about my dog will have to suffice.

Proud Mama

Being a 'single mom' is hard work, and oftentimes frustrating (because of the amount of time involved and happy hours missed) but when it all comes together and your little one offers up a 5-star performance, it makes it all worthwhile. I'm referring, of course, to my furry baby, Zada (also fondly known as Lil' Z, Zadar or "Hey Buddy")...

Yesterday, I attended a couple of Memorial Day activities - brunch at my aunt/uncle's home in Circle Pines and dinner in Rosemount at a friend's house. I brought Z to both, and tied her out for the brunch (they live by a 2-lane road and I was nervous about her wandering) but the 2nd one (a housing development in a quiet area) I let her loose and they even let her in the house...she was SO good! She even outperformed the 8-year-old hunting Lab (highly trained, from what I was told). I was SO proud.

She had quite the day and was just as amicable as ever - plus I received many compliments on her impeccable behavior.

I'm short for time (lunch break!) but here are up-to-date images of her:

This was after about 2 hours' worth of ball-throwing at my friend's house...in the 80-degree humidity. She FINALLY laid down for a brief respite before dropping the ball at my feet again :)

Ciao for now!

I'm Sore from Kickball...

That's right. Sore from participating in a 3rd-grade schoolyard game - granted, I'm not 9 anymore (closer to 29, therefore officially OLD), but I shouldn't have to take a long, hot bath and then stretch for 30 minutes just to be able to take my dog for a walk!

Ok, it's not that bad...but I'm definitely feeling it. See, with me, the debilitating muscle pain sets in 2 days AFTER the activity. So, the day after kickball (yesterday) I thought, hey, not too shabby for an old gal...and then I attempted to get out of bed this morning. Wowzas.

Anyway. This is all in the forefront of my mind because in approximately 15 minutes I'm heading out for the Walk for Animals in Golden Valley. Every other year (this will be my 5th) I've run it - but not this year. Too out of shape, too many problems with the IT band (for you non-biology people out there, that means Iliotibial band, and you can read more about my symptoms of IT Band Syndrome), and now too dang sore from kickball.

(Of course, I was voted MVP for that game, so that's something I'll always have with me...)

Well, it's about that time - I raised enough money by walking around asking "do you have a dollar?" at work in order to get the T-shirt. Gotta love "free" T-shirts!

A random thought: I read my personal "tagline" on a napkin this morning - "Dare to be Feisty."

Love it!

Hasta la later - - - oh, and HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO!

Puerto Vallarta Beachfront Condo

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In addition to the 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, the Plaza Dorada condominium boasts a kitchen/dining room, living room, laundry (both washer and dryer) within the unit, a balcony overlooking the ocean and weekly maid services. The entire building - Plaza Dorada - is a "gated" community, with access strictly limited to registered guests.

This beach vacation rental is offered to you for your vacation stay by appointment through the owners only. Take a closer look and book early, the 'popular' winter months - December, January, February and March - fill up quickly!

For more information about the condo, please email us.

It's Finally Summer...?

It would seem that summer is here at last in Minnesota - maybe. Don't pack up all the winter clothes yet, because the last time we were teased with an 80-degree day, we ended up having an inch of snow a week later. I guess that's not true, since last Saturday was quite warm and we're still enjoying the nice weather.

One thing the warmth is good for is tiring out your dog. I can definitely tell when it's hot to be wearing a constant fur coat because Zada doesn't take very long to tire out. Dani and I took the dogs on the Helping Paws Run & Romp yesterday in Shoreview, and it was gorgeous for us but the dogs' tongues were lolling halfway to the ground. Again, with working line German shepherds (or any other high-energy dog) that's a good thing :)

She was very good with all the other dogs / people around, so that was a relief...she still doesn't listen very well or heel as nicely as I'd like, but overall, she's coming along nicely (and I'm a bit too demanding with an 8-month-old pup sometimes).

However, right now I'm debating on whether or not to take her and Hogan to the dog park this afternoon...last weekend, she started back on her rough/loud "attack play mode" again, and while it's not harming anyone, per se, it's not appropriate, either...plus people freak out when they see a 50-lb German shepherd puppy "coming after" their dog. I don't want to be THAT GIRL at the dog park...again :)

So, we'll see. Maybe we'll just go for a nice, long walk on the parkway and then park it under a tree somewhere and watch the world go by. That's nice to do, too.

No new pictures yet...I have a couple of her, but nothing important enough to make me head downstairs, get the camera, hook it up and load them. Feeling pretty lazy today, actually.

That's about it for now...I should probably get going and exercise my dog :)

Long Time no Blog...

Life continues on as usual in my neck of the woods...I seem to be distancing myself from blogging, so I'll try to make a conscience effort to spam the internet (as my team lead, Julie, would say, "make the internet cry") with more random, useless information.

Lil' Z (as I fondly call her) continues to grow and develop...my little furry baby is now 51.5 pounds as of last Wednesday (at dog obedience). She is not yet 8 months old...so I can only imagine at what weight she'll tip the scales when it's all said and done.

We started Level II of the obedience program I'm in - that was last Wed. There are 2 dogs (and 3 owners) in this class from my last one, and I thoroughly get a kick out of my friends, the couple with the English bulldog puppy. (Who, by the way, at 5 months old outweighs Z by 4 pounds!) We're going over some of the basics from Level I and honing the details...but Zada is coming along QUITE nicely, I must say. We're still working on "heel", but I hadn't been very consistent with that one so considering I just started knit-picking today, she was responding with excellence.

(Right now she's laying on the kitchen rug snoring away...)

I'll have to take some pictures to document her growth - also, her reverse-skunk stripe. It's gotten wider and darker, but I'm still awaiting the full-body takeover that eventually will mark her ascent into adulthood...I mean, in regards to color, that is :)

Kozie's Shepherds (where I got Zada) has 2 litters that should be ready to go in a couple weeks.

Tonight will be our 2nd night of Level II, and though I do enjoy going, it'd be nice if it was at a more "decent" hour - since I'm a grandma and like to be home and settling in around about the time I leave for class. Oh well.

Speaking of, it's about that time to start getting ready to head out.

Hasta la later - - -

PS - My new favorite group: The Fray

Dog Park Hangover

So I was the sober cab for a St. Patty's Day fiasco. Mind you, I had a few beers at the beginning of the evening (ahem, afternoon) but next year, I'm going to figure something else out and not put myself through that.

I ended up with a paper cut on my index finger (could've been from earlier in the day, but let me tell you, it started throbbing at the bar), a cut from a butter knife lower down on the same finger, a neckful of mardi-gras beads and a hickey. Yes, a hickey. Evidently Parker thought it would be funny to lean in for a kiss and instead give me something to remember him by...for the next 4 days. I will now have to wear turtlenecks to work this week. Thanks, honey.

Oh, and let me just say, the beads were purchased, not 'earned'.

Yesterday started out innocently enough - with a 5K run/walk (which I walked) with Dani and Tucker. (And Little Z, of course) I figured with a 3-mile walk and that much stimulation (people, dogs, sounds, strollers, etc) my pooch would be more than willing to sleep in her crate whilst I was out at the bar with friends.

Well, let's just say anytime I go out into a smoke-filled environment, I end up with some sort of a hangover - regardless of what I've consumed (or not). So, this morning I was feeling a bit groggy but a mile-long walk cleared the head - and the sinuses - sufficiently.

Today it was off to the dog park with Z - she was so much better today than last weekend. Again, Dani and Tucker were there and this time while we walked the trails numerous times, both dogs were a constant by our sides. Well, mostly :) Whereas last time I saw my dog approximately 30 minutes' worth of the 3 hours we were there, this time she only took off a few times. She was definitely much better with the recall and coming back even when I hadn't tried to locate her. Hopefully the shepherd loyalty is growing!

I even ran into another Crosby alum while I was there - Jessie Blanchard! Crazy. She even owns a shepherd puppy - hers is 4 months and as big as mine at 6 months so she'll have a behemoth on her hands when he's full grown. It was random, but fun.

Zada is currently outside before I put her to bed - she and I are both hitting the sack early tonight because we're beat. Me because who knows and her because of her doggy park hangover...she's been sleeping ever since she finished eating at 5pm. It'll take her another day to get back into puppy mode, but for now this is heaven.

Well, since my downstairs shower is broken, I'm forced to shower upstairs - there's no filter up here, so I'm not too enthused...plus I'll have to cart everything I need from down below so even the thought of it tires me more. (Parker's coming over tomorrow to fix whatever's wrong with the stupid one in my bathroom.)

Once more, I wish I was here again...

(Notice the abhorently crooked horizon line. I recently gave a presentation to my photo club, and this might've been one of the examples of how NOT to do it. But, other than that, I'd still like to be right there.)

Ciao - - -

Zzzzzz...

Let me tell you, it was hard getting out of bed this morning at 4:45. No, that wasn't earlier than usual for me - that's the time I get up EVERY MORNING. Ok, not so much on the weekends, but during the work week. Sometimes, I wake up before the alarm and LEAP out of bed. Those are good days.

Days like today drag on interminably and I think it has something to do with the attitude in which I leave my bed. If I even lay there for 1 minute after the alarm goes off, it can change the whole day. Oh well. This morning it was 5 minutes :)

Muddy season has started - i.e., my backyard is literally a SWAMP and Zada loves tromping right through the thickest puddles/mud. This means when she comes inside, I spend 2 minutes toweling her off, and an additional 2 following her around the house, wiping up smudgy, muddy puppy prints. Doesn't matter how much I clean her...here she is in my yard BEFORE the muck:

(I call the big ears her "Zadar"!)

We have obedience class tonight - I'm excited because she's really doing well with "sit" and "down". We're not using the commands yet; just getting them to do it through hand signals. She catches on quickly - especially when treats are involved.

Well, I'd best get to work. Since I no longer have internet access at home (temporarily but it feels like forever) I'm forced do blog at work. (Wogging?)

TTFN - - -

One Treat at a Time

At obedience class last night, I learned something very important. It's not HOW you give the treat, it's the actual TREAT YOU GIVE.

I'd been frustrated with Zada's lack of focus lately - ever since returning from vacation, I'd noticed that she was not paying attention to me very well. Our first class back from our hiatus was horrible - she was the worst dog in class!

Well, last night we got off to a rocky start, the instructor could make her do anything and she wouldn't even LOOK at me! I was beginning to think I had somehow ruined my dog. Then, the trainer gave me a handful of her treats - mini, cheddar Goldfish.

Instant focus. I mean, Zada was an entirely different dog. All of a sudden, she was the teacher's "pet" again - she was used as the demo dog throughout the class because she was doing every exercise beautifully. It was great.

Definitely MUCH easier and a lot less frustration to get your dog to do what you want when there is a high motivator. Granted, at some point we'll be weaning the dogs off the treats, but for right now, she's doing everything and is quick and enthusiastic about it. I guess it's going to be Goldfish from now on - until she gets sick of them, that is. (Another couple in class buys freeze-dried liver treats for their bulldog and they gave me some - another VERY good treat that she likes.)

On to other topics - my tan is fading. Alas, no one cares but me, but it's still disheartening to think that a couple weeks ago, at this time I was probably sitting on the balcony sipping coffee and watching people walk/run on the beach while listening to the waves. *Sigh*

Speaking of waves, here's my cousin, Drea, taking a break from shell-hunting to check them out:

Hasta la later - - -

Post-Vacation Stress Syndrome

This has been a long hiatus, but rightly so, since there was no way I was going to update this thing from the beach.

I got to see this every night for 2 weeks:

...and it was glorious. Mom, Dad, Parker and I headed down on Feb 9th to the new condo in Puerto Vallarta (PV) and didn't come back 'til the wee small hours of Feb 25th (in a blizzard). For the first week it was just us 4; the second week we were joined by my Aunt Cindy (otherwise known as "AntC", because she is), her friend, DJ, and my cousin, Drea.

It was very fun and having Drea down there to hang with was cool - seeing as how I can count the number of times I've seen her in the past 5 years on 1 hand. Using like 1 finger. She's the reason I now have a MySpace account, but I'm NOT a junkie. Although, I just got a cool background today :) I'm into animal prints nowadays

Well, since this has mainly been a Zada blog, I should give an update. She's doing well - back from her 2-week 'vacation' at the breeder's where he worked with her every day on basic stuff - leash-work, sit, down, recall, etc. She was GREAT with him; now not so great with me. But, we're working on it.

Took her to the dog park for her 2nd trip (we went before, only 3 weeks after I had her) and she was a bit wiggy at first, but then settled into running EVERYWHERE, chasing after dogs, playing somewhat rough (but mostly getting disciplined by the other dogs for it) and NOT listening to me when I'd call her. By the end of an hour and a half, she was ready to come to me.

Evidently she'd eaten her fair share of snow because she had no less than THREE accidents in the house the rest of the day (this was Sunday). I was very disappointed; I'd thought she was mostly potty-trained...meaning she knew to go to the door at least, but nope. We're back to square 1. Now I watch her constantly and am trying to be consistent and get her back into a routine. We'll be going to a different park this Saturday with Dani and Tucker so hopefully it' won't be a repeat with the peeing in the house afterwards.

This is getting long...but I do have to show this picture of my little girl helping me pack the night before I left on my trip:

Cute, eh?

Ciao for now...

Outpatient

I would like to report that Zada is doing wonderfully after her spay/microchip yesterday. She was a bit sleepy last night, and since they didn't want her to have a lot of water/food, she was pretty hungry today, too.

A breakthrough has been made with her medications - of course now that she's near the end of the course and there's only 1 left - I threw her antibiotic in with her food tonight, and in her utter haste to wolf down her food, she either chewed it hastily with the other kibble or it went right down. Jackpot!

She has pain pills for her spay, but they're "chewy" and "liver-flavored" so I give them to her as treats.

Here's what we learned up at the Bernier Ranch & Spa this past weekend:

The famous command is "On your bed!" and she's pretty good with it. (Yes, Mom, she does use the bed you gave her for Christmas :) Doesn't always want to stay there if I leave the room, but for a not-quite-5-month-old pup, she's VERY obedient! Also, especially now that she's got sutures and a healing scar, she's not supposed to interact with Mack (the roomie's dog) so whenever they come downstairs, she has to keep laying down, even if Mack comes over to sniff and want to play. She's very animatedly laying down, but she stays down! Very good girl.

Well, that's about it for today, seeing as how Parker's steaks are almost done and it's time for a glass of wine. We're going to be watching a couple of episodes of The Wire, which I got him for his birthday. He's very excited that I'm going to 'get hooked' on this show. I just don't see how something can replace Sex and the City, which, even tho' it's no longer on TV, is still my favorite show ever! Hmmm...a close rival would be The X Files, but I didn't like it when Mulder left.

Ok, that's major digressing...plus I've been informed I need to 'wrap it up,' because the steaks are done. (Hey, he's cooking, he can totally call the shots!)

Hasta la later - -- - OH, and speaking of hasta, one week from today I'm going to be FREAKING OUT because I'm leaving for Puerto Vallarta! Not 'til Friday the 9th, but I'll let myself get out-of-control excited next Wednesday.

The Spay

Today I take Zada in to the vet for a double procedure - she's going to get spayed and microchipped at Heritage Animal Hospital in Maple Grove. I never thought I'd be a person to microchip my dog, but let's be honest, the $45 is worth it if she ever gets lost and there's a better chance of me getting her back.

Tho' I did point out to Mom - who was a strong advocate of getting it done - if she does go missing in The Cities, it's MOST likely because someone kyped her and they're either going to a) sell her or b) use her for baiting a pit bull (or worse). But we won't think of either of those scenarios. (Especially since it'll be that much harder for someone to get into my yard come next week when my fence is finally (?) installed!)

Anyway. She was confused that she didn't get breakfast this morning, but evidently she got over it, since as I type she's curled up in her crate - of her own will, I might add.

This past weekend was her first trip up North to the Bernier Ranch & Spa...she LOVED it. Of course, Mom's Golden, Tesa, loved it, too. They ran and played and ate poop all weekend. Doggy paradise. The latest pictures:






I love the "er?" look.

Well, that's about it for now - tonight and the next few days I'm supposed to keep her "quiet" without much movement...so we'll see how that goes.

Unfortunately, she'll have to miss doggy obedience tonight, but the trainer said I can practice with her dog instead, which is a 4-month-old Mastiff. Should be interesting.

Ciao.

Blogger Killed the TiVo Star

As I sit here updating my iPod with my sister's CD collection (I'm on a run of '80s music - hence the title twist) I can't help but wonder...would I REALLY drive a million miles to be with you tonight?

I'm not sure. I don't have that kind of time OR gas money, let's be honest.

Or, the whole "I'd walk (500, 1,000) miles just to be at your side" idea. No one in their right mind would do that. I'm doing the Breast Cancer 3-Day this summer, and that's about it. And, don't forget that's 60 miles stretched over 3 days; it's not like I'm huffing and puffing my way through hundreds of miles just for a kiss.

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Time has passed...it's now 7:48pm on Thursday, and I'm FINALLY sitting relaxing with my Bloody Mary (complete with TWO beef sticks) after a VERY long day.

I've been up since 3am, essentially. I don't fall back asleep once I'm awake, and little Zada had diarrhea again this morning - so woke me up to take her out (which is a good thing!). Tossed and turned 'til 5am, then hit snooze before taking her for an abbreviated walk. Fed, watered, etc, she was content to lay at my feet as usual while I got ready in the bathroom.

When I got home, however, it was the start of a whole other nightmare. I could smell it the moment I hit the kitchen - I approached her door with trepidation and as soon as it opened the stench hit me like a tsunami.

I changed my clothes first (I was in a skirt) and bundled up, and then carried her - crate and all - through the house and out into the yard. She had it on her, it was all over her towel, it was on the sides of the crate, the 2 toys left in there...it was horrendous.

Long story short, as I was starting to clean up she crouched to go poo and I noticed she was passing blood. Bundled her up in the car and we headed to the vet - AGAIN. After they waived the exam fee (since I'd just been there on Saturday) I "only" had to pay $60. More medication (and antibiotic to add to the Albon she's taking for coccidia), a bag of bland dog food and waterless shampoo.

Ugh.

Needless to say I've finally put her "new" crate up in place of the old, which is drying down in the basement. It's a Life Stages Wire Cage deal that's easily collapsible/portable. It also has a divider which you can move as the dog grows. So, it's time to switch over anyway :)

Hopefully all this new stuff helps and we can be RID of these problems. I'm just LOVING dog ownership right now. I'd say it can't get any worse but I'm afraid of Murphy's Law.

Well, it's definitely time to go vegg in front of the TV. Parker's coming over after bowling tonight, and I'm giving him his belated birthday gift - the first 2 seasons of The Wire, which he's evidently majorly hooked on these days. (He has no idea I have a blog, nor would he have time - or want to! - read it before said gift opening, hence my boldness.)

Toodles.

A Visit to the Vet

It's time for little Zada's first visit to the vet. She needs her rabies shot, plus I'm having them check out what's going on with her production of...soft serve. So, not only do I "get" to pay for said visit, shot, and any medication she might need, I'm also the lucky one who has to "collect a stool sample to bring in for analysis." Oh, goodie.

She DID cooperate this morning and left a nice one for me, but the thought of having it in my car is disgusting. I just picked it up in my hands and transferred it right to the front seat to get it over with. Kidding.

I guess I'm also one of "those people" that makes a list of all afflictions said dog is undergoing at the time so as not to forget to ask something once I get there. As of right now, besides needing the shot & the analysis of her BMs, she makes this "snarfing" noise sometimes...mostly after eating, so maybe she's not chewing all the way, or something. Also, she seems pretty itchy for a pup - fingers crossed that she doesn't end up with skin allergies like the last shepherd we had.

Also, I'll need to set up an appointment to get her spayed and microchipped (they do it at the same time, evidently the needle's pretty big for the microchip procedure), plus I need more of her dog food - they sell it there.

I feed her Solid Gold, which is what the breeder was feeding her and which is VERY expensive - $40 for a 33-lb bag! Once I get back from Mexico (the breeder's boarding her for those 2 weeks) I'm going to switch her over to Natural Choice, I think. It's still spendier than Purina or Iams, but I like the ingredients better and it's all natural (hence the name).

My mother and sister feed their dogs Purina Beneful, but the main ingredients in that are ground corn & chicken by-products, plus sugar, mega-preservatives and soy - which is a major factor in allergies for dogs. (Although the Natural Choice contains soybean OIL, which must not be bad?) Having a shepherd - they're prone to skin allergies; at least the American-bred ones are - makes me want to be very careful in what I choose to feed her because my old boy, at the end of his life, had skin problems so badly he'd lose almost all of his hair in the summer. Poor guy.

Anyway, it's time to get going...