Memorial Day Weekend

It is hard to believe that we began the month of May with temps   in the 30's and are ending it in the 90's!  We made a quick transition from winter to summer!   The puppies and I had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend at a friend's lake cabin south of Duluth.  We have so many wonderful memories of Princess, Dee Dee and Elvis swimming in the Great Lakes, so I was eager to teach Scarlett and Zak to swim.   I held Scarlett's collar for about five seconds and she took right off!   Zak was more tentative.  He desperately wanted to get the stick but couldn't muster the courage to get his nose wet.  My friend tossed him in once at the end of the dock and he paddled to shore; a look of abject terror on his face.   He didn't let her get near him again!  He loved the water though, and I have no doubt he'll be swimming by the end of the summer.

Scarlett learns to swim!

 Zak has been limping on and off  the past few weeks so I took  him for an Xray on Wednesday.   I expected to learn he had a bad sprain or maybe had sustained a hairline fracture when he jumped off the bed a while back.   Unfortunately, the news was much worse than either of those things.   Zak has a  condition known as premature growth plate closure, which occurs  most often in short-legged breeds.  I am waiting on a second opinion, but we are  almost certainly facing at least  one surgery; quite possibly  more.   It was a devastating  blow and has turned my summer  upside down.  The timing is  especially bad, as we had looked  forward to some summer fun, after a long, cold winter.   The hardest part will be keeping Zak quiet.  His favorite 'toy' is a chipboard mailing tube and I have accumulated quite a stash, thanks to a co-worker who works part-time at WalMart.  I'm hopeful that they will keep him happy and entertained in his post-operative recovery.

 

Yunker Farm Dog Park

Spring has been slow to come this year as is so often the case in this part of the world.  But we have gradually been warming up, and the mud at the dog parks has been drying up.   We enjoyed about a week at the Midtown Dam park (the closest, and our favorite) in April before the rains came and flooded it.   Since then, we've been going to the Yunker Farm Dog Park which would probably be our favorite, if it weren't so far away.    We have met some great people - and canines, too! - at both parks.   One night recently, we met a great young couple, Jake & Jade, and their two dogs, Eleanor and Rigby.   It turns out that Jake is a talented photographer, and he took these great shots of my puppies.

Photos by Jake Blotter Photography

Zak and Scarlett are extremely friendly and sociable with other dogs, no matter what size, breed or temperament.   We usually go to the 'big dog' side because corgis are really 'big dogs with short legs'.  They do seem to gravitate towards other dogs in the 'herding' family ... Australian shepherds, border collies, shelties, blue heelers.   Scarlett can keep up with the big dogs very well and often is the the first to get the ball or stick or whatever toy has been thrown.     Zak enjoys playing with the other dogs too, but he enjoys the people even more.   He is particularly drawn to men, and one night recently had a great time playing with a young boy (10-12 years old) who had long legs and let Zak chase him for a solid 30 minutes.  I don't know who had more fun!   I enjoy the dog park because I know when we get home, the puppies will be tuckered out, I'll have the rest of the evening to myself and we'll all sleep well.

Sleeping arrangements

We cycle through various bedtime routines that are established by the dogs; not me.  Currently, Princess and Scarlett start out sleeping with me while Zak prefers his kennel.   But about half way through the night, everyone switches places.   Princess gets restless and jumps off the bed and goes out to her bed in the living room.   Zak starts whimpering, and after a trip outside to go potty, comes into bed with me.   And Scarlett finishes out the night in her kennel.   I can't have Scarlett and Zak on the bed at the same time because they would play rather than sleep.   This picture was taken about 3 a.m. during one of our middle-of-the-night switcharoos.

Zak and Scarlett experienced their first thunderstorm this week.   They were unphased by it.   I'm so eager to take them swimming for the first time.   They've waded into the Red River a couple of times and did well, so I'm hopeful that they will acclimate to the lake and learn to enjoy it as much as Princess, Dee Dee and Elvis did. 

Marching through Mud

I never got this dirty in Alabama!

It's that season we call 'early Spring' .... the time of year when you spot the first robin, observe daffodils pushing through the soil and exchange down parkas for canvas jackets.  In Minnesota we eventually experience all of those things, but first, we have to endure the season of mud.   Melted snow pools over the yet-frozen ground, potholes wreak havoco on your shock absorbers and sidewalks turn into skating rinks.   We won't see anything green for at least a month.   And for corgis, the season of mud is especially nasty.   Short legs and plump mid-sections are destined to drag the dirt wherever they travel.

All clean and shiney! 

After a brutally cold winter with far too few trips to the park, I was eager to get the puppies out for some exercise.  So last week, we made two trips to our  favorite dog park near the midtown  dam.   The first time wasn't bad. There were  a few puddles, but it's a large  area and most of it was still covered with compacted snow.  The puppies had a blast; especially Scarlett.   They ran with the Bassett Hounds, the Golden Retrievers and an assortment of mutts.   Scarlett practiced her herding skills and kept up with even the largest dogs.

You track it in .... you clean it up!

Three 45+ degree days later, we went again.   I should have known better.   The snow covered lawn had turned into something that resembled a freshly plowed cornfield.   I gave serious consideration to just leaving.  But there were other dogs there - a few, anyway - and their owners didn't seem to be too stressed.   And Scarlett was pulling at the end of her leash.   So we entered and against my better judgement, I turned them loose.  A large golden was begging Scarlett to give chase and she happily obliged, with Zakki in close pursuit.   Less than a minute later I knew my plans for a quiet evening at home had just been canceled.   It would be 'bath night'.   Soap, water and several large bath towels turned my blackened furballs into cuddly puppies once again.

We can't wait to go back to the dog park.  In May.

Handsome Boy!

I went to a craft show last weekend.     Bought Zak a tie.   It looks so cute on him that I just have to share it! I think he looks very dapper.

Zak is full of puppy playfulness, but when you take his picture, he gets pretty serious and it's hard to get a smile.   We are working hard on obedience these days and he is learning his commands.   He knows 'sit', 'stay', 'down' and 'come' very well.   With those essential ones mastered, we're starting to work on some more fun ones like 'shake' and 'roll over'.    He learned to roll over in about ten minutes.   I pushed him all the way over three times, then he went part way over twice on his own and I pushed him the rest of the way.   After that, he had it!    It's his favorite trick.  

Six Months Old !!

Tomorrow will be the six month anniversary of Elvis' trip to the Rainbow Bridge.   We didn't know it at the time, of course, but as Elvis was leaving this world, another little boy-corgi was entering it.   Today is Zacchaeus' six-month birthday!   He was almost seven weeks old when I got him and weighed less than three pounds!   He was so tiny, so fragile and SUCH a baby.   And  he grew SO fast!   I remember how skinny he was at first.   I was afraid I wasn't feeding him enough and even asked our veterinarian about it.  She assured me he was right on track.   His little mid-section would fill out when he ate; then he'd take a nap and when he woke up he was thin again and noticably longer!   He was literally growing before my eyes!

October, 2013

January 28, 2014

Zak had several growth spurts when he just couldn't seem to get enough to eat!   He is now twenty pounds and almost as big as the girls!  He's happy, confident and affectionate.   He loves to play (especially with Scarlett) but he does have an 'off' button and when he's tired, he becomes a soft and cuddly snuggle bunny.    He lost his baby teeth several weeks ago and now has a beautiful set of pearly white adult teeth.    Zak loves to chew and a cardboard box is his favorite toy!!    Thank goodness for a good vacuum cleaner!

Zak is unphased by the brutally cold winter.   He loves to play in the snow.  He also has the same disgusting habit of eating 'poop-cicles' that most corgis in this climate do.   I'm not as diligent about picking up poop when it's -20 degrees as I should be, so suffice to say - he's had his share!   Thank goodness, he loves to have his teeth brushed!   That poultry flavored toothpaste has him completely fooled!

I think back to those early weeks and marvel at how quickly they went by!   Like a new Mom, I am a little sad that he grew so fast and wish I could cuddle that 4 lb bundle of fur just one more time!  But he is easier now.   He's house broken, he sleeps through the night (most of the time) and he's learning to mind.   I am excited for Spring and look forward to being outdoors more.   Unfortunately, that is still a couple months away!     

Baby, it's COLD outside!!!

 It is a classic January day in the Northern Plains.   The HIGH temperature today is supposed to be around -20 degrees (F) and that is NOT the windchill; it's the actual air temperature.   With windchills down in the -60 degree range, it's a weekend to stay home, make soup and play with the dogs!   They go potty pretty fast when it's this cold, and I give an extra measure of grace for an occasional accident!   I don't tie Princess up when she goes out, but even she is tied up when it's this cold.   She loves to go next door to my neighbors but sometimes they're not home and she'll stand on their back deck and patiently (or not-so-patiently) wait.   I can't have her doing that when it's this cold!



 We had a wonderful Christmas!   Due to Scarlett's illness in December we were not able to travel to Michigan as planned, but my brother came here for four days.   It was his first time to meet the puppies and he loved them (and vice versa).   Zak was all over him; somehow sensing that there was another guy to hang out with!   The four days that he was here were a temporary break from the sub-zero temperatures so we spent a lot of time outside.    It was good for body and soul! 


Zak in a Box

Scarlett is doing well.   She's off her medicine, and her blood will be re-checked in a month to determine if she has Von Willibrand's Disease.   If everything comes back normal, then we'll go with the assumption that she ingested some kind of poison, though we may never know what it was. 

Zak had his 'little boy' surgery on Friday which was kind of an emotional day for me, as I just hate to see him grow up!   He is 18-1/2 lbs now - a pound more than Princess weighed when I got her (at age 18 months).   He is only FIVE months old!   He's not overweight, but is solid and muscular - a very healthy boy.   The worst part of the surgery for him was not getting any breakfast on Friday.  He was MAD!!!  I made him scrambled eggs and boiled chicken that night so hopefully he has forgiven me!  I'm also hoping that is the last veterinary bill for a long while!    It's going to take a while to recover from 2013, but I have no regrets.   These dogs bring so much joy and they are worth every penny I spend on them.



Tim and Zak work on a plumbing project
As you can see, one is doing the work and the other is giving directions