Thursday, October 1, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
What is a grand-dog?
Steph's dad, Chuck, loves Bailey. We really think he might love her more than we do. By the way his eyes lit up the first time we saw her, you'd think Steph had delivered Bailey herself. Since then, we've received regular calls and text messages checking in on, as he puts it, "the grand-dog." It is very cute. And frightening! If this is a measuring stick, he might kidnap our children when we have them. He certainly won't want to let them out of his sight.
Love at first sight
Proud Grandpa
Chuck, His Girls, and Bailey
Big Yawns, Total Adoration
The Perfect Food/Water Dish
White Fluff Is Scary
The proceeding blog happened several weeks ago:
Bailey made a new friend, but she had to really try. On the way home from Emily and Lance's wedding, we stopped in Daytona to see some some of our friends. Not Daytona Beach, mind you, but Daytona. Past the world famous Cabbage Patch, out in the country. Literally. Their neighborhood is called "A Quiet Place in the Country." That's a little wordy, if you ask me, but the good folks of Daytona didn't request my help in naming the neighborhood. So, Bailey's getting her first visit to farm country.
Our friends,Beau* and Shelly, of A Quiet Place in the Country fame, have a 1 year old Vizsla named Coppitt (named after Big Coppitt Key in the Florida). Coppitt is large and in charge. Well, large at least. She's really a beautiful full grown specimen of her breed, and made little Bailey look tiny.
As Shelly came out to greet us, Coppit followed....until she saw Bailey. As soon as Bailey made her presence known, Coppitt put on the brakes like a 100 foot T-Rex had stepped into her driveway. As we learned in the blockbuster sensation Jurassic Park, T-Rex can't see you if you aren't moving. I'm assuming Coppitt's seen the movie, because she froze as if the white fluffy beast that is our Bailey wouldn't notice her if she was perfectly still. Of course, Bailey isn't a dinosaur, and both can smell and see, so she quickly ran over to Coppitt to play. Our little socialite was eager to make her first four legged friend. Coppitt, however, has some sort of anxiety disorder. She freaked out. Every time Bailey would come close, she would back away. At one point, as everyone laughed, she crawled into Shelly's lap to get away from Bailey. This went on for at least ten minutes. Bailey tried to get close to sniff Coppitt, and a shaking Coppitt would do whatever it took to avoid letting her get within licking distance.
One of the most endearing traits of Westies is that they are persistent (which, consequently is one of the most annoying traits as well, but we'll stick with endearing here). The more Coppitt ran away, the more Bailey insisted that they were to become friends. Eventually, Coppitt gave in. I can understand this, as it is my typical reaction. They started playing. Coppitt taught Bailey chase. Bailey taught Coppitt that she is never "it" by running under the car as a safe place.
They played and played. Coppitt taught Bailey all sorts of stuff. How to use the puppy door. How to run around the yard. How to push through the bushes. How to worry the people that you'll fall in the freezing water. Bailey repayed Coppitt for all of the lessons by stealing her toys and run under low objects so that Coppitt would bump her head.
It was great fun to watch them get more and more comfortable with each other. By the end of the play session, we were sure that they had bonded and will be friends for life. One of the things we really wanted was to have a social dog that we could take anywhere. This was one of the first signs that she was exactly what we wanted in that regard.
*If you're in to fishing (or know someone who is), check out Beau's venture: My Fish. It's an angler assisted fisheries management site. It's a pretty neat effort towards conservation by sharing experiences with other anglers.
Bailey made a new friend, but she had to really try. On the way home from Emily and Lance's wedding, we stopped in Daytona to see some some of our friends. Not Daytona Beach, mind you, but Daytona. Past the world famous Cabbage Patch, out in the country. Literally. Their neighborhood is called "A Quiet Place in the Country." That's a little wordy, if you ask me, but the good folks of Daytona didn't request my help in naming the neighborhood. So, Bailey's getting her first visit to farm country.
Our friends,Beau* and Shelly, of A Quiet Place in the Country fame, have a 1 year old Vizsla named Coppitt (named after Big Coppitt Key in the Florida). Coppitt is large and in charge. Well, large at least. She's really a beautiful full grown specimen of her breed, and made little Bailey look tiny.
As Shelly came out to greet us, Coppit followed....until she saw Bailey. As soon as Bailey made her presence known, Coppitt put on the brakes like a 100 foot T-Rex had stepped into her driveway. As we learned in the blockbuster sensation Jurassic Park, T-Rex can't see you if you aren't moving. I'm assuming Coppitt's seen the movie, because she froze as if the white fluffy beast that is our Bailey wouldn't notice her if she was perfectly still. Of course, Bailey isn't a dinosaur, and both can smell and see, so she quickly ran over to Coppitt to play. Our little socialite was eager to make her first four legged friend. Coppitt, however, has some sort of anxiety disorder. She freaked out. Every time Bailey would come close, she would back away. At one point, as everyone laughed, she crawled into Shelly's lap to get away from Bailey. This went on for at least ten minutes. Bailey tried to get close to sniff Coppitt, and a shaking Coppitt would do whatever it took to avoid letting her get within licking distance.
One of the most endearing traits of Westies is that they are persistent (which, consequently is one of the most annoying traits as well, but we'll stick with endearing here). The more Coppitt ran away, the more Bailey insisted that they were to become friends. Eventually, Coppitt gave in. I can understand this, as it is my typical reaction. They started playing. Coppitt taught Bailey chase. Bailey taught Coppitt that she is never "it" by running under the car as a safe place.
They played and played. Coppitt taught Bailey all sorts of stuff. How to use the puppy door. How to run around the yard. How to push through the bushes. How to worry the people that you'll fall in the freezing water. Bailey repayed Coppitt for all of the lessons by stealing her toys and run under low objects so that Coppitt would bump her head.It was great fun to watch them get more and more comfortable with each other. By the end of the play session, we were sure that they had bonded and will be friends for life. One of the things we really wanted was to have a social dog that we could take anywhere. This was one of the first signs that she was exactly what we wanted in that regard.
Coppit shows Bailey the pool (Shimene, get out of the picture).
*If you're in to fishing (or know someone who is), check out Beau's venture: My Fish. It's an angler assisted fisheries management site. It's a pretty neat effort towards conservation by sharing experiences with other anglers.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
The Watcher
Bailey has a new au pair. Well, not exactly. She's just a dog-walker, but she's still wonderful, and Bailey loves her. Two days a week, when I'm not home, Christy, the doggie au pair, comes and plays with Bailey, takes her on walks, and generally spoils her.
Why do we do this? I have no idea. Steph feels bad leaving Bailey at home alone that long, so we're buying friends for our little girl. This dog has a nanny, folks, she's enrolled in doggy kindergarten, and I can only imagine what comes next. Is there a dog equivalent of a Florida 529 plan? If there is, I'd like to know, so I can get a jump on it. They say its never too early to start thinking about college. My spoiled little puppy may want to be a scholar one day.
Why do we do this? I have no idea. Steph feels bad leaving Bailey at home alone that long, so we're buying friends for our little girl. This dog has a nanny, folks, she's enrolled in doggy kindergarten, and I can only imagine what comes next. Is there a dog equivalent of a Florida 529 plan? If there is, I'd like to know, so I can get a jump on it. They say its never too early to start thinking about college. My spoiled little puppy may want to be a scholar one day.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Life's A Beach
Last weekend, while staying at the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club for our friend Emily's wedding, Bailey got her first beach experience. Fortunately, we stayed on the beach (No Dogs allowed, and staying in the main part of the hotel would have required sneaking her through a lobby). When we arrived, Bailey hung out on the bed while we unpacked our things. I could tell by the way she was staring out the window that she was interested in checking out that vast expanse of sand. Actually, I think she was trying to figure out how to maim a sea gull, but that's a little less romantic.
At any rate, it came time to go for a walk, and we had to make a choice. Walk on the sidewalk and risk getting caught and kicked out of the hotel, or try out the beach. Naturally, we chose the beach. I was a bit worried that Bailey was going to cover herself in sand, but we went that direction anyway. 
Upon stepping off the boardwalk, Bailey looked like she was in heaven. "What is this soft, heavenly substance, that smells like the remains of dead plankton,?" her eyes seemed to ask. Then she started digging. She dug, stuck her nose in the newly uncovered sand, dug some more. She bounced around, searching feverishly to discover every particle in the region, smelling the air, then covering her nose with more sand. It was the cutest moment she had had so far. It was also a relief to me and Steph. Being the beach lovers we are, we had hoped for a dog that would appreciate all that the beach has to offer. 
The beach from Bailey's perspecective. Looks like a sea of sand.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
LDtL: Tebow Edition
They say dogs and babies are the best judges of a person's character. Despite the gushing from every college football analyst out there about what a great person Tim Tebow is, I have to believe that there is something lacking. I offer two bits of evidence. Crying babies (granted, he had just sliced their private parts), and this:
Just like her parents, Bailey hates Tim Tebow. I was reading the latest Sports Illustrated, she took one look at it, and ripped the cover off. Guess who was on the cover? Yep, ole' number 15 himself.
The first thing she did was rip his face off....literally. Wow!
...moving on to chew up the uni.
The aftermath. Bailey doesn't take kindly to the "Gator Chomp." She probably gets that from her mom. There was a story about a five year old several years back, but this blog is strictly PG rated, so it won't be told here. Just let it be known that neither Bailey, nor Steph, will tolerate that kind of behavior.
Just like her parents, Bailey hates Tim Tebow. I was reading the latest Sports Illustrated, she took one look at it, and ripped the cover off. Guess who was on the cover? Yep, ole' number 15 himself.
The first thing she did was rip his face off....literally. Wow!
...moving on to chew up the uni.
The aftermath. Bailey doesn't take kindly to the "Gator Chomp." She probably gets that from her mom. There was a story about a five year old several years back, but this blog is strictly PG rated, so it won't be told here. Just let it be known that neither Bailey, nor Steph, will tolerate that kind of behavior.
I Love Trips
One thing we've quickly realized about Bailey is that she is perfect for our lifestyle. By that, I mean she loves to travel. It doesn't matter if it's a quick trip to the store, a ride around town, or a 6 hour road trip, she has been nothing but happy to tag along.
The funniest part happened on the way home. The more comfortable Bailey gets, the more she wants to push the limits of what she's doing. On the way up, most of the sleeping occurred in the carrier. Towards the end, she started napping on Steph's lap, and finally, in Steph's arms. On the way home, however, she decided to explore new sleeping places. She started in Steph's arms, while I was driving. 
After a while, we switched off drivers and Steph took the wheel. Bailey decided that her vantage point would be better if she climbed up Steph. She took her position on Steph's chest by the window. About two minutes of looking out was all that it took for her to fall over asleep. She collapsed in Steph's arms and started snoring. Next thing we know, in her ever restless state, she has climbed up on Steph's shoulder and has her head on the back of the seat.
This didn't last long either, and Bailey nuzzled her way down Steph's back, rear end still up on Steph's shoulders, and fell asleep upside down, completely squished between Steph and the seat. How she found this comfortable is beyond me, but she stayed like that for a good half hour. Strangest thing I've ever seen, but amusing, nonetheless.
Well, this past weekend, we discovered that the six hour road-trip worked. Based on the little time we'd had in the car thus far, I figured she would sleep a lot. After all, she's a girl after my own heart, and something about the perfect purr of an engine puts me to sleep. Whether we would need to stop every hundred miles for bathroom breaks, have enough playtime, or any number of other things were unknown to us.
We get in the car and go. She visited both of us (the carrier opens on both ends, and conveniently fits between the two front seats, making a tunnel for her to walk back and forth between us), then passed out. Big surprise. One thing that impressed me is that she limited her food and water intake, as if she knew that doing so would cause her to need to stop less, thus making her a better travel companion. I've traveled with a lot of people and animals in my lifetime, and I have to say that very few got this concept. Old men are the worst. Bailey is the best. No whining, no going in the car, just napping, playing, and watching the open road go by.
The funniest part happened on the way home. The more comfortable Bailey gets, the more she wants to push the limits of what she's doing. On the way up, most of the sleeping occurred in the carrier. Towards the end, she started napping on Steph's lap, and finally, in Steph's arms. On the way home, however, she decided to explore new sleeping places. She started in Steph's arms, while I was driving. 
After a while, we switched off drivers and Steph took the wheel. Bailey decided that her vantage point would be better if she climbed up Steph. She took her position on Steph's chest by the window. About two minutes of looking out was all that it took for her to fall over asleep. She collapsed in Steph's arms and started snoring. Next thing we know, in her ever restless state, she has climbed up on Steph's shoulder and has her head on the back of the seat.
This didn't last long either, and Bailey nuzzled her way down Steph's back, rear end still up on Steph's shoulders, and fell asleep upside down, completely squished between Steph and the seat. How she found this comfortable is beyond me, but she stayed like that for a good half hour. Strangest thing I've ever seen, but amusing, nonetheless.
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