Lucy's New Life

Today is Sunday and I'm sitting with my coffee this quiet morning.  The sun is shining, just a perfect morning.  I just finished walking the pups.  Now Ralphie is sleeping on one side of me and Lucy is sleeping on the other side of me with her small puppy head resting on my leg.  Life has been great with my two fur babies.

It's amazing how far Lucy has come in the past two weeks here.  She definitely knows she is a part of our family now.  She loves Ralphie so much and you can see she looks up to him for guidance many times.  For example, the first time I walked Lucy she was like a wild spastic animal at the end of the leash.  She was jumping, pulling, not enjoying what's supposed to be a fun thing to do.  She never had a walk before.  Two weeks later with Ralphie's lead, Lucy walks much better and she so loves her walks.  She still pulls a little, but the Lupine harness is a big help.  In time she will be walking nicely like Ralphie.   But at least she's not jumping around like a wild cat at the end of the leash.  She now has a schedule which I think is very important in a dog's life.  She now knows she gets a walks a few times a day..she knows when it's breakfast and dinner time...she knows she will be going to the dog park every day...she knows she has her own comfy bed but knows she sleeps in my comfy bed at night...she knows she has a cool refreshing pool to swim and play in...but most of all she knows she has a loving home where she is cared for and has the best big brother ever...her mentor.

Gosh...I just love my Ralphie and Lucy...how was I so blessed to have these two that truly love me unconditionally!

Two Better Than One?

I announced to most people I know that Ralphie has a new sister, Lucy.  I received mixed reactions from "that's great!" to "are you crazy?"  I know many of the Facebook Vizsla people have 2, 3, and even 4 Vizslas, so it's really not a big deal for them to hear of the addition other than all the flubbering of how cute she is.  But a lot of my friends think of the extra work, extra cost, extra time, extra craziness, extra hassle, extra responsibilities.  So is it all worth having two dogs?

I've had Lucy for about 10 days now.  Day 1 & 2 I was second guessing my decision...how crazy I am to get another Vizsla.  Is Lucy going to interfere in Ralphie's perfect life?  Is Lucy going to cause a total ruckus in our quiet home?  Well, yes Lucy has changed Ralphie's life for sure.  Ralphie is no longer a bump on a log.  She plays with him, keeps him moving.  Sure Ralphie needs to share our bed with her, which he doesn't seem to like, but oh well he'll get used to it.  There's plenty room for all of us.  In the morning when I'm busy getting ready for work, Ralphie and Lucy are wrestling and playing have a good time burning all their stored nightly energy.  And yes, Lucy causes a ruckus in our house.  I forget about all the Vizsla puppy energy.  Is it worth it?  Yes.  She makes me laugh so much.  In one week she found her real home.  She found all the love she needs.  She found a brother.

So is 2 better than 1?  Yes, yes, and yes.  I feel quite lucky to have found her.  I know she's enjoying her life now.  I know she's being cared for like she should be.  Love.

My big boy and little girl.

Meet Lucy!

Ralphie has a new little sister!!  Meet Lucy!

Lucy is 6 months old who had to be re-homed and we were the lucky ones to get her.  My inspiration for Lucy's name is the famous red-head Lucille Ball.  I loved her ... perfect name for my little red girl.

Lucy is 36 pounds and Ralphie is 70 pounds.  At 6 months old Ralphie was 50 pounds.
I'm thinking Lucy will be about 45 pounds as an adult.

And the adventures begin...

A Sister??

Recently I've been thinking of getting a sister for Ralphie.   I'm not sure if it's my imagination or not, but Ralphie seems lonely since Ollie passed.  He never played with Ollie, but just having the company of another pup in the house seemed to make him happy and amused at the same time.  So I've been on a search for the perfect breed for me and Ralphie.  Recently, I've been on Petfinders and other adoption sites almost every day.  I've been watching the different breeds, big and small at the dog park.  What breed would be best for us?  Sometimes I think another small dog like Ollie, a Yorkie or maybe Pomeranian or maybe Chihuahua.  Then I think about medium size dogs like a Brussels Griffon or maybe Wheaton Terrior or maybe a Bull Terrior.  I never looked at giant breeds like a Great Dane though.  I know a giant breed would not be a good fit for Ralphie.  So after looking and looking, I always find something "wrong" with that breed.  I've come to realize no breed can match the Vizsla!

So yesterday I was on the phone with my son discussing my second dog dilemma.  We talked about all the different breeds that I considered.  As I'm talking, he says, "OMG Mom, there is a 6 month female Vizsla on Craigslist that needs to be re-homed."  Rarely do you see a Vizsla on Craigslist!  It's only 6 months old...it's female...Ralphie would love a sister...she needs a good home.  How perfect!  I sent a text to the owner immediately and we were texting all day yesterday with questions and answers and cost.  By mid-afternoon we both agreed I can pick her up today. But.....I sent my last text to her around 8pm yesterday evening to confirm the time with a couple of additional questions.  No response.  No text this morning yet either.

Maybe she's had second thoughts or waiting for a better offer.  The owner has three children, maybe she's thinking twice about selling her children's puppy.  I'm sure it would be sad for the kids to see their puppy go.  I think about it and it makes me feel guilty that I'm taking away their puppy.  But the owner tells me she feels they're not giving the time to the pup as they should.  She's busy with the 3 kids, let alone a pup.  She says they're busy and not home a lot.  The Vizsla breed is not for everyone.  

With all that said, I think this little girl will get so much attention with me and Ralphie and will be a much happier pup.  Today is a big day... we will see if this little girl is meant to be.  Will Ralphie get a little sister today?  If it's meant to be, it will be.

Good Bone Hunt

I've been on the hunt for the healthiest, safest, most delicious bones for Ralphie.  Although Ralphie loved rawhide bones, I stopped giving them to him because I've heard some many bad things about them, choking and not digestible.   So what do I give him that he would love just as much?

The Nylabone was highly suggested because it's safe.  Ralphie loses interest in this bone probably because it's not natural and not tasty.  He'll chew it for a few minutes and then pushes it aside.  This is not the bone for Ralphie.

 Ralphie loves this smoked flat bone, but I just heard that it's not safe because it has sharp splinters which can be dangerous when swallowed.

Ralphie likes the marrow bones sometimes, but the marrow is too rich for him and throws up.  The last time I gave him this type of bone, he turned up his nose and walked away from it.  I'm always scared to give him this kind of bone as I remember our family pet, Sandy, a Springer Spaniel-Irish Setter mix got this type of bone stuck on her jaw.  My dad had to take her to the vet to get it sawed off.  With that said,  I stopped buying these kind of bones for Ralphie.

The raw lamb shank bone was highly recommended by the guy at the Dog Lovers store.  He promised me that Ralphie would absolutely love this bone.  It's fresh frozen and raw, just what dogs love.  Not Ralphie.  I gave Ralphie this bone raw, he sniffed it and walked away.  He had no interest in this bone.  So I thought I would cook it a little to bring out the flavor...again sniff and walk away.  He didn't even try to chew it.  I guess Ralphie isn't like the other dogs who love these.  This one is a no-go.

Then I got this one...a hoof dog bone.  He likes it!  And they're actually cheap too!  I have no idea if they are safe or not.  I haven't heard much about them, but I do know they're natural.  Ralphie chews and chews this bone like a crazy dog.  LOL  This one is a "yes".
However, I still need to find more options.  I will keep buying these bones, but I don't want him to get bored with just one kind of bone.  I need to find more options.   So the hunt continues.

Happy 3rd Birthday Ralphie

It was an amazing day with my big boy Ralphie!  The added plus is I had today off from work to spend the whole day with my birthday boy.  Today was all about Ralphie!  He's one remarkable boy who's always there for me, loves me unconditionally, and most loving.  He deserved to have an incredible day of birthday fun!

I started the day by baking him a cake.  Then I packed some treats and lunch and we headed to the beach for some swimming and ball fetching.  We took a walk around the park and then more swimming.  Afterwards we went to the Dog Lovers store to pick up some treats and bones.  Came home and took a nap.  Then we headed to the dog park and all of Ralphie's friends were there, although he didn't play much with them.  He did have fun running and fetching the ball again.  We stayed for about an hour, came home and it was spa time for Ralphie.  I bathe him and he just loved all that pampering.  Afterwards he had birthday cake, chewed his new bone and now he's out cold.  What a fun-filled day!

Happy Birthday Ralphie!!  You are the BEST!!!