Future Domer?

oh my! Our little guy is growing up so fast! Do y'all agree with me that these photos should be brought out in the future on prom night? :)

Note that he is reading a Notre Dame book - He is his daddy's son!

...and then there were two.

My house is a bit quieter and I have shed some tears, my beautiful Fire was picked up by his new mom today. He was happy to see her and happy to jump up into his new kennel. I know he will be spoiled rotten and loved forever... just not by me and that makes me sad.

I am sad that Fire was not destined to stay with me longer, but that is how life is sometimes...

Saying goodbye to Flynn.....

I reluctantly met up with Steve today to return Flynn. I absolutely would have loved to keep Flynn forever! He is a super lover boy vizsla who has that special vizsla magic that you can feel.

Now I keep telling Desi that she needs to give me a boy puppy just like his daddy ;)

Tru Great Ballz of Fire

Actually, his new name should be, "Tru Great No Ballz of Fire" - Fire was neutered on Thursday at the clinic just down the street from Dan's office. It is a new place we are trying out for future use. We were pleased with the outcome of Fire's procedure and feel that we will continue to use them in the future.

If you haven't seen a large dog who was neutered as an adult, it can be a bit of a surprise. When the neuter takes place, the attending veterinarian removes just the testicle out of the scrotum and what is left looks like two pancakes flapping in the wind. Poor Fire!

He came through the surgery just fine and other then a hot ride home (the air conditioning in Dan's Equinox needs a recharge) he is resting comfortably. His new owner is picking him up tomorrow afternoon and it will be her responsibility to continue keeping Fire quiet for another day or two until his incision is a bit more healed up. After that he should be good to go.

Mission Organazation!

For those of you who know Dan and I personally, you know that we are not always the most organized of folk! Well today I have made a resolution, call it a self promise if you want, I will call it a faint glimmer of hope that one day I will be an organized neat freak!

In the crazy, fast paced life that we live (and love) there is not often time to really break each room down piece by piece and organize it, therefore I am making it a goal to get one or two rooms totally in order from top to bottom. This will include a thorough cleaning, organizing of any storage space, adding storage space where/when needed, putting the finishing touches on decorating and any other odds and ends that need to be completed.

My timeline is to finish the entire house before Desi's litter is born (assuming the breeding takes.) Wish me luck on my latest endeavor! I will post photographs of my progress.

Thanks in advance, Meow-Meow

I saw this link on ESPN about the health benefits to owning a cat:

But that's what researchers at the University of Minnesota have determined. Indeed, as reported by the Web site of the Star Tribune newspaper, their study concludes that feline-less people were 30 to 40 percent likelier to die of cardiovascular disease than those with cats.

As much as pooch lovers may want to believe differently, the study determined that dog owners had the same health risks in this regard as non-owners.

So, in addition to being such a wonderful pet for Ethan, thanks for reducing our
chances of cardiovascular disease.

On the subject of felines, Jodi found this hilarious post on CraigsList

Important Dates to Remember...

for Desi :)

Ovulation Date: June 21, 2008
Palpation/Pregnancy Check Date: July 21, 2008
X-Ray Date: August 18, 2008
Whelp Date: August 23, 2008 (this is going to be a tough one... it is my parents 35th wedding anniversary party YIKES!)

Baby Swing - Mom's Best Friend

I remember back in the day when Ethan was just a few months old... he was totally addicted to his baby swing. In fact, he loved that swing so much he just plain wore it out! Dan and I used to joke that "The swing always wins!" Whenever we would put Ethan into his swing, the motion of the ocean would lull him into blissful slumber - It was great!

After we brought Ollie home from the hospital we were desperately hoping that he would be just as swing obsessed as his big brother. The early attempts were not promising. Like the good parents we try to be, we did not give up and viola! Swing love has reached Ollie. He loves to be in his swing just relaxing and watching the mobile move and listening to the music.

Here is the swing he loves - it is from the Rain Forest Collection by Fisher Price. Dan loved the jungle theme and bright colors so it was perfect.

This swing is fantastic and we highly recommend it! One of the features is that it plugs into an outlet instead of only using batteries. We give it two thumbs up!

The Perfect Gentleman.....

....should be his name ;)

We picked up Desi's boyfriend Flynn yesterday from his owner Steve. It is considered somewhat unconventional for the owner of the bitch to get the stud dog and handle the breedings, however it is an option in some cases and funny enough this has been the situation for both of Desi's breedings.

One really nice thing about having the stud dog at our house is that we can really see what their day to day temperament is and how they handle the chaos of living in our house. Flynn has not disappointed us in any way. He handled the long car ride (Ohio to Illinois) without issue even being kenneled next to a ripe bitch in standing heat. He was quiet and slept.

After we arrived home we let him have the run of the house (alone) so he could get the lay of the land. He never jumped up on our couches (though we do allow this), tried to get into the garbage or attempted the ever popular vizsla trait of counter surfing. Needless to say I was impressed.

The next test came with Ethan... How would Flynn react to a crazy toddler and a house full of his uber annoying toys? Add to that a newborn who likes to cry and a nekkid kitty... Flynn handled it all in stride - he truly is a perfect gentleman and has impeccable house manners. He does not chase the cat - he does point him and when he isn't looking, the cat stalks him LOL! He goes into his crate easily and does not make a peep or carry on. This is unlike Fire who is more then happy to continually remind us that Desi is in season and that he knows about it. Does anyone have some ear plugs??

Keep your fingers crossed and think puppy thoughts for our Desi Devil!

Up up up they go!

Desi's progesterone levels are going up.... it looks like Tuesday or Wednesday will be the day :) That would give us puppies on or about August 27... Can we say yahoo!?!?

Please keep your fingers crossed!

Bananas about Bananas

Most of you who know me, know I don't like bananas. At all. I'll peal one for Ethan, but that's about as much as I'll do with them. Saw an interesting article over at the Economist about them:

The Once and Future Banana

Interesting to note how economics can drive out genetic diversity, not unlike the hoof problems Thoroughbreds are experiences (witness Big Brown and his bid for the Triple Crown).

Potty training a very stubborn toddler

Eeeeek! What happened to my original post?????

Post Father's Day Thought

If I had told myself 5 years ago how cool 3 year olds were, I'm sure I would have thought I was crazy. Ethan is so much fun! Even when he's moody/defiant (in as much as that little angel could be), it makes me chuckle inside.

Newborns are cute in their own right, of course, and now that Oliver's smiling, he's starting to get more interactive and more fun.

How did we get such cute and wonderful children?

Go Oranje

Gotta love how the Dutch are playing The Beautiful Game. Exciting on offense,
very creative play and amazing finishing. I'd love to see Ruud come play in
the States - he'd have as much impact (on the field at least) as Becks. Not going
to happen any time soon, though...

I remember watching Edgar Davids creative attacks in 98 and have rooted for them since. Ajax has been one of my favorite clubs for a while (add the fact that John O'Brien played there to seal the deal).

Go Celts!

Not that I follow the NBA much, but I'm rooting for Boston (or is it against
Kobe?).

Sidenote: Is there anything more mis-labeled in sports than the NBA's
"20 second" timeout?

Day 2

... and the marriage date has been set ;)

We start testing on Friday, keep your fingers crossed.

Just to tide you over, here is a photo of Desi and one of her pups from her last litter

Let the countdown begin!

Desi did it again.... she came into season early. I have been suspecting something for a few days and today was the start.

Time to make a few phone calls and set up her arranged marriage to Flynn. Keep your fingers crossed!

I will keep you updated.......

People who dump dogs.....

make my blood boil! It is especially heartbreaking to see old dogs dumped. Apparently this is the way some people say thanks for being my dog, but I no longer need you.

There is a 13 year old intact vizsla bitch in California at a high kill shelter. WTF? This kind of dumping is the worst kind.

As most of you know, Dan and I handle vizsla rescue for northern Illinois. We are lucky in that our local breeders take responsibility for the pups that they breed so most of the dogs who come our way were originally purchased at a pet store (Happiness is Pets), were strays from the shelter or who came from a crappy breeder who does not take responsibility for the dogs that they breed.

Here is a list of excuses I have gotten from people who want to turn their dog into rescue:
- "He has bitten all of my kids, plus me and my husband so he needs to be in a different home"
- "I can't exercise him"
- "He has a heart murmur and I can't afford the medicine"
- "I can't keep her because of personal reasons"
- "I can't afford to keep him."
- "I bought her as a companion for my other dog and we don't want her anymore"
- "I am getting a divorce"
- "We are having a baby"
- "We bought her for the kids and they are back in school so we don't want her anymore"
- "We are moving and don't want to take him with"

The list goes on and on. My absolute favorite (insert sarcasm here) is the poor old girl who was left at the dog park. What a cowardly thing to do.... people who do this are asshats!

This type of thing does not just happen in vizslas, it happens in all breeds and in all animal/pet industries. It is just sad.

I understand that not every dog (insert any pet in here) works in every situation. I just found a new home for one of my personal dogs. What I have a problem with is people and breeders who are not stepping up to the plate and taking care of their responsibilities.

Happy Father's Day to the two best daddy's I know!

First off, I would like to wish my dad a very happy father's day. He is the best kind of dad a girl could ever want. He is kind, patient, understanding and wise.

He has taught me many things....
- How to cover every speck of ice cream with Magic Shell.
- How to not stress about the little things.
- How to enjoy eating breakfast while reading the newspaper.
- How important it is to have a great stash of bathroom reading material.
- How to fight for what I want.
- How to love my kids unconditionally.
- How to always put family first.

I love you Dad!

Secondly I would like to wish my dear husband a very happy father's day. He is the best kind of husband a girl could ever want and the best kind of dad for our two boys. This is his fourth father's day with Ethan and his first with Ollie.

Dan amazes me as a father....
- He has endless patience.
- He always offers a hand to hold.
- He puts his boys first at all times.
- He works tirelessly to provide what his boys need.
- He plays with the boys like he is still a kid.
- He handles all middle of the night feedings.
- He loves the boys unconditionally with all his heart and soul.

I love you Dan!

Created by OnePlusYou

My Cuties :)

Here they are - Enjoy!

Do lack of photos constitute a bad parent?

So I get a phone call from my Dad yesterday giving me an earful about Ollie getting the shaft. Apparently I have not updated our voice to say, "You have reached Dan, Jodi, Ethan, Oliver and Tru Vizslas"... oops! Sorry Dad, I have had my hands full. He then proceeded to chide me on the fact that I have not taken nearly as many photos of Ollie as I did of E at this age. My Bad! He is so true and now I feel guilty about the whole thing.

Stay tuned for photos from today :0) I need to get back on the Good Mama list!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my dad's birthday..... he is 62 years young! Happy Birthday Daddy!

Here is a photo of us at my wedding a few years ago.

Baby Ollie Update

Life here at Tru Vizslas has been super crazy.... Oliver had to have a very minor surgery on Friday. He was born tongue tied and had to have it clipped. They originally clipped it in the hospital, but did not get enough so we had to have it redone.

We chose Dr. Lochmeuller of Fox Valley ENT. He came highly recommended by our pediatrician.

The surgery itself was 10 minutes long - not bad, but having your newborn put under anesthetic is a bit unnerving. Thankfully Ollie came out of it quick and easy.

Now keep your fingers crossed that we can establish nursing and I can get rid of my pump - I hate that thing!

Tomorrow is the day.....

...that our little Oliver goes in for his surgery. It is a same day, minor procedure, but they will be putting him under general anesthetic. We were informed that it can be tricky to anesthetize a baby so they will be extra cautious. The surgery is only expected to take 5-10 minutes, but we will be at the hospital 4-5 hours.

The surgery Ollie is having is called a tongue clip. He needs this done because his frenulum (the piece of skin that attaches your tongue to the bottom of your mouth) was attached at the very tip of his tongue. This interferes with breastfeed and can interfere with speech down the road. We had his tongue clipped at 2 days old (when no anesthetic is needed) but the doctor who performed it did not clip it back far enough so he is still unable to nurse.

I am pumping and feeding him breastmilk via bottle feeding, but nursing him would be sooooo much easier!

Please keep little Ollie in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow

FireBallZ

The toughest decisions are always the hardest to make...

When I started looking for a third dog to add to Tru Vizslas I knew we needed a girl. I was looking for very specific blood lines and talked to the guy who owned the stud dog that I wanted a puppy out of. We got to chatting and after he found out that I was looking for a dual potential competition dog he offered me pick male out of a litter he had. The mom was litter sister to the stud dog I was interested in. The pedigree was very tightly bred. I made my decision which was "YES!" and then proceeded to call Dan and tell him I just bought a dog.... ooops! :)

Fire came home to us at 8 weeks old absolutely gorgeous and full of talent. He had a lot of point, a ton of style and would retrieve absolutely anything to hand. I was in love!

He came to us potty trained and never chewed anything. Can you say perfect puppy?

We noticed early on that Fire was not the smartest vizsla we owned.... as he grew up we likened him to a football jock. There are only two things on Fire's mind... birds and babes!

Fire went back to his breeder at 6 months for a season of wild bird hunting. He did well, but frustrated his breeder with his lack of focus and childish antics. After about 6 months he came home to us and helped socialize Desi's puppies.

We decided to send him out to a pro trainer for some conditioning and derby work before field trial season started. He developed a very good relationship with is trainer and we left him there to be competed. Fire would make some very large, very impressive moves and yet he was very inconsistent. We were disappointed. We used him as a personal hunting dog and he was not what we wanted....

Fire ended up being over the standard for size and too inconsistent in the field to warrant us continuing to spend money on his training and campaigning him. We then made the heart breaking decision to place him.

He is an excellent dog with a fabulous temperament - He just does not fit in with why we bought him.

I believe we have found the perfect home for Fire... I will know this weekend. It will be hard for me to see him go... he is the dog that loves me best. I feel that it is best for him to be the center of someones world instead of getting the short end of the stick here. I also refuse to be the type of breeder/competitor who owns a ton of dogs who lives their lives locked in crates 23.5 hours a day. So in order for me to keep a pup or two out of Desi's litter this year, we must say goodbye to the big dumb jock.

I miss you already Fire!

.

Tru is coming home!

Just in case you forgot how cute he is.... Check out this mug shot :)

Tru has been at bird dog school with Mark Smith of Remark Kennels since March. Mark has been keeping him conditioned, polishing up his style and working on a couple of issues. Tru has been running clean for Mark and we pleased with his progress. This upcoming weekend is the last Hunt Test of the season. Tru will be at home for a couple of months and then we will send him back to Mark for conditioning and competing this fall.

Knowing Dan, he is counting the minutes until his boy is back!