with love, Madison

A Giant Schnauzer on Weekends and Water

2012-02-05T19:07:00.000-05:00

It's another February in Fort Lauderdale, we need rain even though water is all around. Some cities in South Florida have a rain deficit of almost 8 inches. And this is not supposed to look like the desert.Water, water, everywhere ...

Sunday night Man-Dad thought it was going to rain, so they stayed in for the Super Bowl. Looks like it's a dry weekend, though, which is good because a Super Bowl party in Florida means everyone outside, around the grill.

QRCode ... and that's not a dog name!

2011-11-14T20:45:00.001-05:00

Hey dog bloggers ... you know that H-Mom is now a busy, busy lady. When Madison was little, they hung out together all the time. Madison was lucky enough to be a "gallery dog" and loved hanging out on Las Olas. H-Mom had lots of time for blogging and walking and taking photos of doggie-stuff to share with doggie friends.Well today, Man-Dad took Madison all the way out to H-Mom's office for a visit. Madison got to go inside and say hello to everyone. Then she waited in H-Mom's car and got to ride home with her. How cool is that?H-Mom works on all kinds of web stuff now, just just dog-blogging. This is one of the projects that she contributes to ... she even made the QR code tonight and wants all kinds of people to check it out and leave comments and lots of dog bones (stars?) and say wooohoooo!

PS: dogs! have your people find the "pets" section and get some early Christmas shopping done!

Halloween Worm Parade

2011-10-29T11:46:00.000-04:00

Last night we had torrential rains in Fort Lauderdale. Seriously, we had flash flood alerts starting at 10pm and had to go out with the golf umbrella at 11:30 for the last walk of the night. It was pouring.

We were lucky this morning that the rain let up - we did our usual early morning dog park outing. But things were weird there. It was deserted, even though we were about a half hour late. H-mom was walking around, not paying much attention, and then she had this sensation that the sidewalk was moving.

Thousands of worms, encouraged by the high humidity, were on the sidewalk, moving east on a mission. A Halloween parade, for those who hate worms.

Worms don't actually come up after a rain because they are trying to breathe. They can live underwater for weeks. Super-saturated air makes it possible for worms to live above ground, and they can move without dehydrating. They breathe through their skin, so it must stay moist. Worms will "migrate" to new areas after a heavy rain. Here are some worm facts, if you are interested.

Madison figured it was best just to stay on high ground.

If that wasn't enough worms for you, here are more. It might make you a little dizzy (apologies). Madison was unimpressed. They obviously don't smell like dog treats.

Watching the Breast Cancer Walk

2011-10-09T10:44:00.007-04:00

It's a rainy, rainy weekend. Yesterday H-Mom didn't even get out of bed to take Madison to the dog park. Lazy in the extreme. This morning was drizzle only, so we got a good hour. Breakfast was even a bit of bacon grease drizzled over Madison's bowl of kibble to make up for the boring weekend.

This time of year, a dog has to dance between the raindrops!

When we got home, we sat on the patio and watched the brave walkers in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 5K. It was pouring on them, but they were wearing pink and walking with enthusiasm!

This is the outlook for the rest of the day: GREY. Madison is on the sofa, and she's staying right there.

Want to see what we've been doing?

2011-10-02T22:52:00.001-04:00

Working! (That's my man-dad!)

Life is Good -- all the time

2011-01-25T09:54:00.004-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-11T09:49:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday, Heartdog!

2010-07-09T12:33:00.006-04:00

Today Madison is two years old - it's quite a Barkday!

Man-dad made this photo card for Madison, but he couldn't quite bring himself to carry doggie-cupcakes to the dog bark.

BOL. Men, says H-Mom.

This is kind of cool, and it came from Dogster:

Dear Madison,

Woof woof!

We want to wish you a very Happy Birthday full of love and joy and tail wagging. We are thrilled to be able to celebrate it with you!

Madison will be profiled today with other birthday doggies on Dogster's special Birthday Stroll.

Since it's your birthday we want to give you something special, so we have given you 25 Dogster bones and one vote of 5 Paws! Dogster loves you!

Sincerely,
Your Friends at Dogster

25 Dogster bones and a 5-paw vote? Now that sounds important!

Facebook & more

2010-07-05T22:20:00.003-04:00

H-Mom is really busy with her job now. She still hangs with Madison a lot, of course, and does the late night walk and all that kind of stuff, but she is on her computer all day a work - writing, editing, surfing - and so she usually doesn't even turn her laptop on.

So, Madison is busy with other stuff too. The dog park with Man-Dad every morning. Chillin' with the teen-H and her friends ...

and then we come to FACEBOOK, and what happens when you give a group of teens some cameras and a very tired dog:

How completely undignified and embarrassing. I mean really. But then again, they could have painted a moustache on Madison's face ...

YES. This photo is all over Facebook. Sigh.

How fast does THIS THING go?

2010-05-10T20:53:00.004-04:00

You would be surprised, actually.

Madison found this turtle by the lake at the dog park. The thing is, turtles are not afraid of giant schnauzers. Not even a little bit.

They just turn into giant rocks. And they wait it out.

When the coast is clear, you should see them move. With their stupid looking legs and their stubby little tail wagging like a propeller. And then, PLOP right into the water.

Too bad Man-dad missed getting the photo of Madison jumping into the water right after the turtle. But you see, turtles can sink like a lead weight, and giant schnauzers, luckily, do not.

Life is busy!

2010-04-10T22:04:00.003-04:00

H-Mom has been seriously AWOL. From HERE, I mean, not from Madison-time. Man-dad has been taking Madison to the park almost every morning, but when he can't - because he is busy now, too, REALLY REALLY busy, then H-mom gets the car and heads to the dog park at the pre-dawn crack of the new day.

A really really good run, a tug with some buddies and some time lounging in the grass and dirt makes the rest of the day okay, no matter how busy everyone is.

Life is busy, but life is good.

You know how often we don't get to the dog park? We can't remember the last time!

We know about 20 regulars at the dog park. And that is probably being very generous with our estimate. So we are wondering, with all the dogs in Fort Lauderdale, and considering the possible alternatives to the dog park, what is the percentage of lucky lucky dogs in our city. Lucky dog-park dogs, that is.

What's your guess?

Cool slab of concrete

2010-02-25T22:15:00.003-05:00

Forget it when it's hot outside, but on a cool morning, the balcony is the perfect place to air out a giant fur coat. These cool Fort Lauderdale days are working for Madison.

Road trip

2010-02-22T21:15:00.003-05:00

We went on a road trip - the three of us, Man-dad, H-Mom and Madison. Madison rode in the back of the truck, sniffing all the really different things out the windows.

We made two cool stops: Clyde Butcher's photo gallery and the Skunk Ape Research Headquarters. We were looking, but we didn't see a Skunk Ape. Don't say anything because Man-Dad believes. He really does.

There was no swimming though. Guess why?

Chilly Friday Swim

2010-02-19T22:49:00.000-05:00

It's been pretty chilly in South Florida. The iguanas are dropping like flies - literally falling out of the trees, deep in a state of cold-induced suspended animation. Not many left. Manatees are hanging out at Port Everglades, looking for artificially warmed waters. Lots of dead fish washing up and weird weird weird sighting of great white sharks and other fish not usually found in Florida waters.

What a winter we have had.

Not much swimming for Madison either, because even though SHE doesn't mind a little chill in the water, Man-dad and H-Mom opt out of standing around with soaking wet pants legs by the dog lake.

But today ... it was a great day. Even though it was only in the 50's, Man-Dad took Madison to the lake. It was awesome. A little lonely (not many brave dogs like our GERMAN girl), but awesome.

H-Mom is missing Madison

2010-02-10T16:32:00.000-05:00

So she figured out a dog-friendly little web to weave on the WEB today!

She just posted an album of all kinds of AWESOME pet catalogs on the Catalogs.com Facebook page. And she put a whole bunch of links with excellent merchandise (lots of health care stuff! Madison needs Comfortis and Heartguard refills!) with the most used pet care related Catalogs.com savings codes.

Go to Facebook and Fan the Catalogs.com page. Click on the "Special Offers" tab and see all the cool work she did today.

Isn't that nice of her? She even found something special for Madison. What could it be?

What could be BETTER than a job where you get to cruise online catalogs and SHOP?

Next step: how to get Madison's gorgeous face on a catalog cover!

(But this little guy is PRECIOUS isn't he?)

H-Mom is already working some angles. Stay tuned!

Scarey teethes

2010-02-04T20:20:00.000-05:00

Man-dad sent this photo to H-Mom on her phone. She couldn't figure out what it is.

It's easy though, huh?

It's Madison's choppers. She is sleeping on her back with a smile on her face.

That's because she is dreaming about going to the dog park with Man-dad. And maybe finding something really really good for rolling.

Getting S*&T-faced with Man-Dad

2010-02-02T21:03:00.000-05:00

A picture is worth 1000 words. One million words. One billion words.

What HAS Madison been doing with Man-Dad? Hanging with the guys, being wild. Getting down and ... uh ... dirty.

That's our girl, with farm-dog genes through and through. Bred to herd the cattle, guard the livestock and rustle the chickens.

Yep. That's our girl.

Everyone smiles at her and backs away now. Even the other dogs are a little hesitant to rub shoulders with her.

Squirrel Obsessed

2010-01-28T22:38:00.000-05:00

What's a walk without stalking a squirrel or two.

Madison is of one opinion and H-mom is of another opinion completely. The squirrels? They have their own point of view, which they don't hesitate to share from a safe distance up the tree.

Prizes? This lonely pooch says YES!

2010-01-28T22:17:00.000-05:00

H-mom entered our blog into a cool contest for dog blogs. Even though she is gone all day now, maybe her great writing and my beautiful face can win me some PRIZES to keep me busy while I am being lonesome. That would make me feel better.

So vote for the "Madison" blog right away! Here is the "magic code":

2wR2f

And here is the info that we got which is how H-mom found out about the contest that made Madison think that a whole PILE LOAD of prizes would make her feel just a little bit less lonesome:

VOTE for "withlovemadison" by going to the homepage www.TrainPetDog.com and entering the above voting code in the voting box and clicking on the Submit button.

We need at least 50 votes to qualify for Round 2. Boy that's a lot.

But ... Madison has lots of empathetic dog pals, who know how terrible it is to be lonesome, and who might just think that it is really cool for her to maybe win some prizes. We would even share!

This is my life ...

2010-01-21T21:05:00.000-05:00

ahhhhhhhhhhh .... laying at the feet of H-Mom while she sits on her laptop.

Even though she is GONE all day. And we really miss her. And I follow Man-Dad around, like his shadow, making sure that HE is not going anywhere.

H-mom is so so busy

2010-01-19T22:23:00.000-05:00

Madison has been hanging with Man-dad all day during the week. He is such a good dad. He gets up early and takes Madison to the dog park. And then he walks around outside with her. And he gets her breakfast and lets her sleep on the Stearns & Foster while he works on his computer.

H-Mom gets home at 6pm. Really, a bit later. It makes Madison all mopey during the day, but really excited when she comes home.

H-Mom is working on a cool consulting gig. In a week or so, she'll know if it is a real JOB job. Like a full-time permanent one with benefits and everything.

And H-Mom is kind of sad about not being home and doing all her creative stuff, and writing all day and hanging with Madison, and even bickering with Man-dad.

Change is good. We just have to keep on telling H-Mom that.

OMDog. It's still raining.

2010-01-09T16:12:00.000-05:00

Artic Blast

2010-01-09T09:13:00.000-05:00

Fort Lauderdale - all of South Florida - is in the icy grip of an arctic blast. Thank goodness Madison skipped her last appointment at the grooomer and is sporting a thick and curly Schnauzer coat. This weather is glorious for a giant black dog, at least when the sun is shining.

But today? Plummeting temperatures and rain all day. Dismal.

What to do, but lounge. Mope. Make long sad sighs.

While our dog park floods, sitting deserted and very very chilly.

Madison, the Aggressive Menace?

2009-12-25T12:06:00.000-05:00

H-Mom is just burned up.

Yesterday, Madison was called an "aggressive" barker by one of the dog park regulars. There is this movement on to remove the dogs that make noise. Yes, DOG noise. It's called "Bark Park" last time we looked, and H-Mom is more than a little miffed.

Madison is a rabble rouser, a wild child, a "come let's play and be crazy this morning" kind of girl. She likes a rumble in the dirt with her buddies the Rotties, with lots of yapping and flashing of teeth, followed by a companionable ramble to the water bowl and some side-by-side sniffing or charitable tandem gnawing of the chew-toy.

But, aggressive? We think not. Madison has never bit, growled or attacked another dog. In fact, she has been aggressed upon, to which her response is a submissive belly to the ground and happy "I give" tail. And then a retreat to H-Mom.

Aggressive, we think not. If she was, you'd know it. Eighty pounds of Giant Schnauzer, with pearly whites and excellent muscle mass would not be a meek opponent.

She's a lover, not a fighter. And a bundle of energy that will happily round up the dog park dogs in the absence of a herd of cattle.

Tolerance and community? There's trouble in the playground.

Check it out: Even Chilled out Miami Dogs Bark

Dogs Bark, even Chilled-out South Florida Dogs

2009-12-25T12:04:00.001-05:00

Dogs Bark, even Chilled-out South Florida Dogs

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After School Nap

2009-12-15T19:48:00.000-05:00

Sometimes when the teen-human gets home from school, she heads straight to bed. And sometimes, she just hits the deck.

Madison is almost always willing to stretch out and share a couple zzzz's.

There is nothing like a giant, bear-sized paw as a pillow.

Angels on our shoulders

2009-12-10T12:39:00.000-05:00

We, on the other hand, had something of a hellacious weekend.

(That is on the other hand from Madison's brother, who was strutting his winning ways ...)

Picture this, another normal and ordinary Saturday morning, 7am, and Madison and H-Mom are on the way to the dog park, driving our well-traveled route along a neighborhood 4-lane street, divided with a grassy median.

Like a bat out of that proverbial h-e-l-l comes a silver car, blowing right through a stop sign from a little residential side street.

And crash. H-Mom's car was on its own, rolled onto the roof, then back over again, and H-Mom just remembers the world getting really really really small, and screaming "Madison" "Madison" "Madison" over and over, until the car stopped moving. That is H-Mom's car, the white one, on its side, right where it came to a crunching halt.

It took a second for H-Mom to realize she was able to move, and she started shouting "get me out of here, kick out the window" to the people who were running over. And she looked in the back of the car, trying to see Madison, and hoping NOT to see Madison, all at the same time. H-Mom was afraid that Madison was under the car, or laying in the street.

It was horrible. You can imagine. One of the bystanders helped H-Mom climb out the back window of the Explorer. She has no idea how she managed to twist herself out of the driver's seat and through the wreck.

She was just saying the whole time, "Where is my dog?" "We have to find Madison ..." and some of the bystanders started to walk around looking for her, and some even got in their cars to drive the neighborhood.

The police got there and couldn't believe that H-Mom (standing up) was the driver of the sideways car. And H-Mom was saying "Find my dog ... put it on the police radio ..."

She was getting frantic. She had to sit in the ambulance and then Man-dad came racing up in his truck. Calls were made to friends from the dog park, and some of our dearest, dearest, dearest friends came to the accident scene and then started cruising the streets, looking for Madison. Then two Fort Lauderdale detectives, in an unmarked car, said that they would keep an eye out for Madison, and drive around a bit. The fire truck said they would drive back through the cemetery down the street and see if Madison was tucked up there.

It was amazing. About 45 minutes later (H-Mom's sense of time is pretty fuzzy here), there was a radio call to the police on the scene that Madison was found.

Man-dad got in his truck to go to the location, not knowing what he would find.

The two detectives found Madison sitting on the train tracks, the BIG train tracks, about a mile away, just barking. They called her, and she came over to them.

When Man-dad got there, she was sitting next to the unmarked police car, just waiting for him.

Madison appears to be fine, five days later. No worse for wear, a little jumpy, but already back to her routine. H-Mom is bruised and scratched, and finding glass in her ears ... and totally exhausted by the trauma of it all. But we are home and alive.

And for that, we have to thank our angels. And our incredible friends. And the neighbors. And the most incredible Fort Lauderdale police and fire departments.

What happened to Madison? We don't know if she got thrown out of the car or if she ran out the busted windows. And how she navigated street traffic, and why she finally stopped running and sat down. It is all rather unbelievable.

And H-mom is so thankful that Madison is okay. But, she laughs, Madison is no "RinTinTin."

What about pulling her out of the wreck by the shirt sleeve and licking your human's face until help comes?

This story is missing a lot of parts, and should be so much longer, but it always, thank goodness, has a decent ending. And a very special place on the sofa. For years and years to come.

Hug your hounds. Kiss the ones you love.

We are so proud! Wow!

2009-12-09T11:57:00.000-05:00

Madison's brother is so handsome! He is amazing! We are so excited to hear (from his phenomenally proud parents) that Max has earned his AKC Championship,with a "Best of Winners" and "Best Opposite" at a show in Kansas City this past weekend.

Here is a photo of Madison's beautiful brother, with so many thanks for sharing his exciting news with us. Max lives with his humans Terry and Alma, check out their Web site for plenty more gorgeous dog moments.

New friend on the way

2009-11-26T21:53:00.000-05:00

Madison's boy buddy at the dog park is getting a new sister! It is really cool and Madison is pretty excited too. It all happened when some friends came to the dog park with a pretty little aussie who was being fostered. She was already spoken for, but she inspired a "aaaaahhhhhh we might love another dog" comment from H-Mom's friend.

So we got a connection and the word got out. That maybe we had some friends looking for an aussie girl. And then H-Mom got an email about a female aussie, who is now 8 months old, who was returned to her breeder because the family couldn't keep her any more. And, of course, H-Mom's friend fell in LOVE with the aussie, who is named Cricket. And the friend was emailing and phone calling and photo exchanging ... and now ...

(PS we just want to say: that is a very responsible breeder, always willing to take back one of their puppies whose family doesn't work out, and connecting with lots of resources to rehome an older dog!)

Bo is getting a sister! She is coming from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale, with a meeting set up in Orlando on December 11.

H-mom thinks that this is REALLY REALLY cool. It's like doggy destiny. You see, Cricket was born on her new Man-dad's father's birthday! And she is meeting her new family on her new Man-dad's brother's birthday! We think that means she was MEANT to be with Bo and Candy and Jack. It's sad that her first home didn't work out, but BOY is she going to have a wonderful new family.

And Madison is really excited to have a playmate to add to the fold. What fun the three of them are going to have.

Cricket is eight months old, but here is a photo of her when she was 7 weeks. Isn't she just the MOST precious thing in the world?

FL Owner Shocked After Dog Consumes More Than 100 Nails And Survives | AHN

2009-11-26T21:50:00.001-05:00

FL Owner Shocked After Dog Consumes More Than 100 Nails And Survives | AHN

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Dad's the best

2009-11-11T10:49:00.000-05:00

H-mom is at school. Again. Madison is hanging with Man-dad.

And this is starting to really rock. Today he went shopping, and got some steaks for dinner.

And check this out.

See, Man-dad rocks.

Seriously.

Terrible terrible terrible week

2009-10-30T11:07:00.000-04:00

Madison is on strike. She didn't eat (almost) for three days. Barely drank a thing. Wouldn't sleep, just stared at the door. At the dog park, with Man-dad, she laid in the dirt pit and studied the park gate. Madison has been depressed, out-of-sorts, mopey and sad.

What's up?

H-Mom has gone back to school. She is studying to get her CIW, so she can be a certifiable Webmistress of the Internet. Now, this is a good thing.

But not for a dog, who has been attached to H-Mom every day, every minute, almost, since she first came to live here one year ago.

It's been a rough week. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, H-Mom is gone all day long. Argh. Wait until she finds a "Job" job ...

Can Madison vote for that thing called "Freelance From Home?"

A whole bunch of siblings

2009-10-17T11:14:00.001-04:00

We went out to visit the puppies, who are now 4 months old and wiggling, tumbling bundles of fur. Madison was very patient with her little siblings, meeting each one of the five still waiting for the their new homes.

One at a time the little brothers and sisters came out from the puppy kennels and Madison kept looking like "you mean there are more of these things?"

Go Bears

2009-10-08T13:20:00.000-04:00

I love Brian Piccolo, and I want you to love him too. Man-dad loves Brian Piccolo, he wants me to love him too. It's all about the Bears.

Why isn't there a team called the Schnauzers? The Chicago Schauzers. The Green Bay Schnauzers. The Minnesota Schnauzers. The Super Bowl Champion Schnauzers.

Water conference

2009-09-30T21:39:00.001-04:00

Out of earshot of the humans, there was business to be done. Important business.

This gives us the WILLIES

2009-09-23T19:56:00.001-04:00

House-infesting brown dog tick becoming resistant to common pesticides, UF experts say

House-infesting brown dog tick becoming resistant to common pesticides, UF experts say

Yesterday, H-Mom was sitting at her desk and felt a little tickle on her ankle. Not a Madison whisker, not an errant doggie beard. It was a tick and it was looking for breakfast.

Makes you itch for days.

Busy busy

2009-09-19T09:37:00.001-04:00

We have been so busy around here, in an un-busy kind of way. H-mom is writing for Demand Studios, which has her concentrating on things other than Madison's blog. So even though we are quiet, H-mom is doing "doggy" things. She has been writing on a lot of dog-related topics, which is kind of intriguing, in a minute kind of way. Lots of her little articles are on the Web, at eHow. It's cool, and it pays. That keeps Madison in ocean fish flavored dog food and marrow bones.

She has done articles on flea eggs, dog heart murmurs and Omega 3 in dog food. On demodectic mange, pad injuries and grapefruit seed oil. Not earth shattering news, but she is WRITING. And after the dog park, which always includes a really good long swim, Madison is more than happy to lay under the table, her head on H-mom's foot and dream encouraging dreams.

In the dark of the morning

2009-09-03T13:33:00.000-04:00

This is cool. It's Madison's new job. She leaves the condo in the deep dark part of the morning and walks with H-Mom up to the corner.

Then she patrols. Back and forth, sniffing, snorking. And watching for the school bus. This is what it looks like. It's loud and large and kind of stinky in a school bus sort of way.

And when Madison spots the school bus, she turns abruptly to the other direction and watches for the teen-human. She stands on alert. This is serious business. And when the teen-human comes around the corner and the convergence of Madison's beloved best girlfriend and the school bus is complete, Madison and H-Mom head back home. The bus driver always hesitates for a moment and shouts hello to Madison. And Madison wags her whole rear end - just take care with my teen-human.

Upstairs, Madison goes to the kitchen to wait where she gets a biscuit and there is time for a quick snooze before heading to the dog park.

Bad timing

2009-08-31T13:26:00.000-04:00

This is the result of terrible timing and failing to make a right turn, even KNOWING that it is a Sunday morning. The dog park will wait, but will Madison?

A train got there before H-Mom did.

And that had Madison waiting in the car, at the gates, with blinking red lights. For 35 minutes. Torment.

Port Everglades is one of the U.S.'s busiest seaport, serving as host to more than 5300 ships every year, from cruise ships to containerized cargo ships to petroleum distribution hub.

Containers are transported to Port Everglades by truck and by train. The trains move very slowly at the end of the line - loading and unloading - and in no particular hurry. It's important business, but the trains can be profoundly aggravating for a dog-park bound pup and her chauffeur.

The deep harbor port started as a point for farmers to ship their goods. It was developed in the 1920's, and was intended to enhance trade between the U.S. and Cuba. In 1929, the port rail system was linked to the FEC, and the port welcomed its first cargo ship.

Night fountain

2009-08-21T10:58:00.000-04:00

Late summer nights are perfect for lazy walks. The sun isn't blazing and the pavement has cooled down.

Madison likes to sniff and snork leisurely, making certain that everything is in order.

The fountains are the best, good for a beard rinsing.

Best buddy Bo

2009-08-16T22:31:00.000-04:00

Madison has a new very best buddy. They made friends really fast, both of the herding persuasion. The two have a finely tuned appreciation for a fast-paced combination of wrestle, wrangle & run.

And they take turns being the herder and the herded. Although Madison looks more like a black sheep than Bo looks like a German bovine. They barely stand still unless stalking - then it's like a "Mexican" standoff. Quickly ended with an airborne body slam and an ankle-biting race around the dog park.

A good 20 minutes with Bo is like running the triathalon for Madison!

Others might try, but lately, it's been the Madison - Bo show. It's great to see him pull up to the dog park in the morning. It makes Madison's day!

Premier Guide Miami: 2nd Annual Topel Wine Tails Calendar, which Benefits the Healdsburg Animal Shelter

2009-08-15T09:46:00.000-04:00

This is intriguing. Is your pooch a wine dog? a connoisseur of note? appreciative of a fine red? grab your camera and get snapping!

Premier Guide Miami: 2nd Annual Topel Wine Tails Calendar, which Benefits the Healdsburg Animal Shelter

A Chihuahua's tail - Dunkin's facebook friends

2009-08-15T09:41:00.001-04:00

We didn't know this little celebrity was flying into OUR airport this morning, or we would have organized the pup-arrazi! Is this cool or what? From Texas to sunny south Florida ... this dog lucked out that's for certain!

A Chihuahua's tail - Dunkin's facebook friends

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Incoming

2009-08-13T21:16:00.000-04:00

The dogs have a great game at the dog park. It starts with one, taking off with a sudden inspiration of the zoomies.

Another joins in. The chase is on. The pack takes off.

They circle, they run, one is the "rabbit" and the others are in a mad dash.

This is best accomplished on the grassy side of the dog park, where the lawn is long and wide and the obstacles are few.

But it is manageable on the lake side, in the gritty sand-dirt, speeding along the fence line, weaving madly to miss the picnic table.

Woe to the human caught in an unprotected position during the mad chase.

The humans have taken to yelling "INCOMING" to alert each other to hurtling, hairy hazard.

Once in awhile, they hit the ground like bowling pins. Score: human 0, dogs 1

This morning, Peter did an intricate dance step, avoiding total collision and wipeout. Kaylee circles around from the left, Yogi ditches under the park bench, Lexic right behind him and Madison is blur of a head on the far right.

No humans were wounded in the documenting of this episode of "Incoming."

Sorry no photos

2009-08-04T22:19:00.000-04:00

There will be no documentation of Madison's little adventure this morning. H-Mom was too boiling to whip out the camera and snap away. Although the photo ops were plentiful.

In addition to being "The Forager," Madison is "The Greeter."

At the lake this morning, there was a commotion up at the gate. A giant yellow lab and two black labs coming in. One woman in and the other out. Two ball-obsessed pit bulls going out. And even though every dog in OUR party was way down the path, happily enjoy the water, fetching toys and swimming and behaving, Madison was "Greeting."

H-M0m had her in eyeball range, watching her goofy bouncing welcome dance, keeping a bead on those two perked up black schnauzer ears.

Then there were no more schnauzer ears. Two black labs. One golden lab. The tail end of two retreated pitties. And no Madison.

H-Mom shouted. MADISON. And she headed up to the gate, anxious, just a bit.

MADISON.

No ears, no Madison.

And then, there was Madison on the WRONG side of the fence, deep in the scrubby brush along the ravine on the other side of the path.

Looking intensely sheepish. Looking guilty and kind of beggin' forgiveness, but also kind of delighting in the adventure.

She either swam out into the lake and doubled back around the entry fence to make her escape, or squeezed out in the confusion of comings and goings.

H-Mom struggled to lean over the fence, fished Madison's collar loop from the crush of snaggled tropical brush and marched her, from the RIGHT side of the fence, all the way to the front gate. It wasn't pretty.

In other words, Madison is in the dog house for a couple days.

Run baby run

2009-07-28T10:22:00.000-04:00

Madison is definately NOT the quiet one at the dog park. Or the calm one. Or the low-key one.

She is the barker, the wrestler, the runner, the queen of the dirt pile.

That's my farm dog. I wish I could give her a week in the country, with cattle to herd and fences to jump and chickens to tease and fields to explore. Maybe one day.

In the meantime there is the dog park, THANK GOODNESS for the dog park. Here is the face of a tired dog on the way home. I guess we get it done.

Take us to your leader

2009-07-27T15:13:00.001-04:00

Nick, the long-legged rottweiler, loved this chewed-in-half, only-a-shell-of-its-former-self, purple ball so much that it was very kindly given to him by its previous owner.

This rejected, almost dead toy has provided hours of fun. It's not just a good toy, or a great toy, its the best toy. How does it always happen that there is one thing that all the dogs love, and it's not necessarily the thing that is the newest or most expensive?

This morning, Coach, Nick's person, came up with a novel method of walking with the purple half-ball from the car to the dog lake.

It's a gazoo-helmet, too!

Naptime

2009-07-20T10:06:00.000-04:00

MOVE over MADISON!

H-mom wants some naptime too!

Good to be me

2009-07-15T17:37:00.000-04:00

H-mom has been rather ABSENT on here lately, neglecting Madison's blog and ignoring all our blogging buddies. No photos, no stories, no little dog tales.

(Although, truth be told, she has been spotted trolling through blogs at 1 am, even if she doesn't leave comments.)

But, what is bad for our readers, is actually GOOD for Madison.

H-mom has been so dedicated to writing lately, and sitting with great earnestness at her laptop. She is cruising from site to site, networking and working and writing. Cool.

And because this is what she does when we get home in the morning, she has been letting Madison play at the dog park for almost two hours every morning. Can you imagine. This is sheerly and utterly exhaustingly fantastic. It might be partly motivated by procrastination, but Madison will take it.

Talk about making friends. Talk about play time. Talk about spoiled.

This is the coral shore at the dog lake. The lake is fresh water, and because it's man-made, it has been dug into the coral rock that is the foundation of all of South Florida.

Last week, someone broke the gate at the dog lake. The Snyder Park maintenance guys took it apart and sent it out to be repaired. This is what came back. What is wrong with this picture? Hahahahahaha even the dogs are laughing. Some genius welded the latch back onto the post upside-down. Now everyone closes the gate with a bungie-cord that was donated by a savvy dog owner.

This is Spot. Spot is tennis-ball crazed. He sets the ball on the edge of the lake, barks at it forever, then PUSHES it into the water and jumps in after it. He does this over and over. The other dogs don't even give him a second glance anymore. He is definately in his own little, doggie-A-D-D kind of world.

Every morning is a really really good morning. A serious game of tug with Taylor rocks, too.

One year!

2009-07-08T23:35:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday, El Lobo's G Litter!
Madison wants to Party!

Don't call me a runt

2009-07-08T11:50:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow Madison will be one. H-Mom had to go pick up a new six-month box of Advantix and she put Madison on the scale at the vet's office.

Sixty four point 3 pounds.

That's her one-year-old weight.

Hmmmm, she's IS on the little side, isn't she, commented Man-dad.

A little runty, responded H-Mom. An athlete, a dancer, a lean schnauzer, not quite so giant.

Maybe she needs more food, said Man-dad.

But she is not hungry, countered H-Mom. I'll give a bit more, but she leaves a bit in her bowl as it is.

I bet if she didn't go to the dog park for a month, she would gain weight, Man-dad observed.

Not a great idea, H-Mom interjected.

Well, who you calling "runty?"

Any girl who can sprawl across the queen-size Stearns and Foster like Madison deserves better than "runty." She makes the bed look little.

(H-Mom is distressed that the bed looks sloppy. This is Madison's "oversheet" though ... so that she can take a good nap after the dog park.)

H-Mom is in the kitchen this afternoon, working on something.

Put some extra calories in those, would you?

Red white and blue

2009-07-04T12:43:00.000-04:00

Cover your ears. We hear there will be some booming in the skies tonight!

Morning walk

2009-06-27T09:02:00.000-04:00

Two more mornings before Madison's stitches are out. Two more morning of long walks.

This little guy almost got a piece of Madison on the Riverwalk this morning. It's not a good photo: it's a little translucent land crab, waving his nasty pinchers right at Madison's beard!

And then ... look! The gates were open.

Madison got to stretch her legs. She chased a few balls and ran in circles. It obviously felt good.

Wandering around Fort Lauderdale

2009-06-25T08:25:00.001-04:00

This morning H-Mom and Madison headed out for another long meandering walk, before the heat settles in. The first destination was the lawn bowling court at Florence C. Hardy Park. H-Mom was hell-bent on breaking the law ... Madison could use a leg stretch. The lawn bowling grass is short and clean, and the court is completely fenced. No dogs allowed, but at 6:45 am, H-Mom thought, a 20-minute romp at an easy pace would be non-destructive.

Too bad the park was locked up tight, with chains and padlocks. Secure. No romp. We think it is to keep the homeless out of the little park house and off of the benches and the planters.

Plan B.

H-Mom took off for a long walk, headed down to Davie Boulevard through the huge grassy park and then took a diversion through a winding side road. This is where the hefty population of Fort Lauderdale peacocks live.

These birds are huge. Madison was astounded, intrigued, a little apprehensive. H-Mom kept a good grip on the leash, thinking that a flock of peacocks would inflict more damage - both physical and psychological - than a ornery mockingbird.

She would have gotten better photos, like a shot of seven of these huge birds sitting on the roof of a little stucco house, but she was a little apprehensive herself. Better not to get too close. We don't think they are particularly friendly.

Hanging in there

2009-06-23T21:18:00.000-04:00

Our walks are getting longer. Madison is better by the minute. H-Mom is amazed at how quickly youngsters heal. And she is being pretty good inside too, even with the lack of a good dog-park morning.

We'll make it. H-Mom is really good at planning interesting walks, and we've done short ones, medium ones, and today, a long-ish one.

Tonight we made it out between rain storms. We walked west along the Riverwalk, which was paved and landscaped in 2007. It's a beautiful brick walkway that meanders along the New River, where the mega-yachts dock and the water taxi picks up passengers, hopping from bar to bar.

The sun was setting and the bridge for the Florida East Coast Railway was up. It goes down according to a timer, which blasts twice to give boats a five minute warning. It's a busy rail crossing for trains in and out of Port Everglades, and a popular train-spotting location.

We circled around and headed home. We got dive-bombed by some of those crazy mockingbirds again. H-Mom was trying to photograph one, but was busy protecting her head. She told Madison to go ahead and snap one up, if she could.

I'm bored, now. Really really bored.

2009-06-22T09:20:00.000-04:00

This recuperation stuff is not for Madison. She has been trying to be good, taking it easy and resting a lot. But she is kind of like a horse, chomping at the bit. Ready to roll. So what if her belly is shaved from here to there, she feels like strutting it at the dog park.

It's going to be a long long week, before the stitches are out next Monday.

H-Mom is adamant. No dog park: no agility jumping, no dirt-wrestling, no swimming.

Even a quick lunge for a lizard or teasing squirrel is being discouraged. H-Mom has been walking Madison like she is a tottering little old granny. Slowly.

This is getting old.

There is no such thing as a chew toy that will keep her busy for a week. (Although this is a really really good one.) Any ideas?

Friday Spay Day

2009-06-19T11:16:00.000-04:00

No dog park for Madison for a week or so. Today is "spay day." Kind of like D-day for the pup. She will be one-year-old next month, and has made it this far without going into heat. Her vet said that her teeth are all set into the bone so that we have given her much benefit of maturing and hormones.

No food or liquid after midnight, so it wasn't fair for a trip to the dog park this morning. H-Mom and Madison enjoyed a "historic walk" instead. This is what they will be doing for the next week. Gentle walks, as long as Madison is comfortable and healing.

We are hoping to make it happily until we can get back to the dog park. Better to have ten days of recuperation than 3 weeks in heat twice a year.

Still, it's kind of a sad day, and H-Mom and Man-dad and especially the teen-human all feel bad for Madison. She is going to get lots of treats while she gets better. We are stopping on the way home from the vets to buy her some cuddlies.

Mango bombs

2009-06-10T15:22:00.000-04:00

This is disconcerting. The little park, now formally named "Stoner Park" (H-Mom laughs. What kind of name is that? Visions of naughty teenagers abound.) , now has mangoes thumping down around our heads. The trees in the park are heavy with ripe mangoes, huge fruit, and they hit the ground with regularity.

Madison is vaguely interested. It is much more exciting to hunt lizards and sniff dead branches. H-Mom is considering protective head gear.

The smell of the rotting mangoes is sickeningly sweet. We don't eat them, confused and a bit put-off by the odd flavours of pinecone sap and citrus.

P.S. The beautiful little rottie girl has a new mom! She is now named "Nolly" (which we all hate, but WHATEVER) and Coach is keeping in touch to make sure that her new home is a good one! We think Coach really misses her. Maybe he will find another little rottie to take care of!

Red in the morning

2009-06-04T00:13:00.000-04:00

This is the second part of the saying. Our rainy weather continues. The forecast is holding steady, and it doesn't look pretty.

Now we have "red in the morning," which H-Mom believes means "dog walkers take warning."

With a little garlic please

2009-06-02T22:05:00.000-04:00

With just a little history lesson, we know that the Germans had a great affinity for things French. And that's my girl, my German with the beard and the innocent face.

Who has taken a liking to a little snail-crunch for breakfast. She nips them off the retainer wall, off the fountain edge, off the brick walkway.

And the sound of the grit in her giant schnauzer-size chompers gives H-Mom the shudders.

It's bad enough to inadvertantly step on them, after a rain, but to actually hear their death-by-canines is blood curdling.

H-Mom is so grossed out. And a bit concerned, seeing as they are uncooked and au natural. Salmonella? Worms? Pesticides? They just can't be good.

So now H-Mom and Madison are both watching for the snails, with different agendas: Madison is quite a sneak at the smorgasbord.

Anyone want a baby?

2009-06-01T19:33:00.000-04:00

This little girl - we all think she is a rottweiler - was found on Saturday night, behind a warehouse in Miami, just wandering around.

Someone dumped her. We are guessing that she is 5 weeks old, if that.

Peter picked her up from his friend who rescued her, and she spent Sunday night with Lexie and Yogi.

This morning she came to the dog park, and Coach took her home. So she'll stay with Nick for awhile. Nick is a rescued Rottie, who is now in charge of Coach.

Coach said he would get her to a vet, and buy her some puppy milk, and raise her, and housebreak her, keeping her until she is old enough to go to a forever home. He is going to let Rottweiler rescue know that he is taking care of her.

Well. Our money is on Coach KEEPING her and becoming her new Dad. But then, he has fostered before, and he has his hands full with Nick.

So if anyone wants a new baby, just let Madison know.

Madison even kind of wanted to keep her - she is so cute, she was SUCKING on Madison's beard and Madison was very gentle with her, and let her stand between her legs and jump up on her.

But H-Mom told Madison that there will be NO BABIES in this condo.

Sailors heed this

2009-05-31T20:18:00.000-04:00

After weeks of rain, the sky tonight is calm. Is the end in sight?

Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red in the morning, sailors take warning ...

the giant schnauzer is sleeping. She got a surprise stop at the dog park this evening. After being dictated to by the rumbling skies, it was nice to catch a break in the weather and let loose. She ran with abandon, and now is happily asleep. Noises in the kitchen cannot even roust her. This is some serious fatigue.

Maybe a quick stop at the "DP" in the afternoon is a good plan?

What to do on a rainy weekend?

2009-05-30T16:22:00.000-04:00

Nap.

Do errands. (Like take the crate to the storage space. You have to get in the car and drive to get there. It was something to do, at least.)

Nap.

Nap some more.

Don't feel bad for Madison. She has always preferred sleeping on the floor. She will snooze on the sofa for a minute, move to her to cushion for a moment. But the really good zzzzz's are taken spread out on the cool tile right by the door to the air-handler closet. There's a nice kind of breeze there, which works out well for a warm-bodied sweetheart like Madison.

Because I'm a really really good girl

2009-05-26T10:50:00.000-04:00

Madison heard that there was a conversation, kind of a revelation, discussed.

Madison doesn't go into her kennel anymore. She hasn't for weeks. And she hasn't been put in her kennel for almost two months.

She is a quiet sofa-sleeper. She gets up very elegantly, stretches out and snoozes gently. She is not a rowdy house dog. She is on the charm school, sweet behaviour plan.

She has grown up markedly, no longer chewing and behaving very well. She understands "place" which is a leopard spotted cushion in the living room.

Besides, the humans are condo dwellers. Square footage comes at a premium, notes H-Mom. And the four of us are living in just under 1200 square feet. There is no wonderful place for the kennel, which is the largest size kennel they make, of course.

And now it is folded up, leaning against the bar, waiting to be put away, indefinately.

H-mom feels kind of like it's putting away a crib. Kind of sad. Kind of risky. And certainly a sign that real puppy days are waning.

So it looks like the kennel is going to the storage space.

Why Goofy, as H-Mom Aserts?

2009-05-21T21:40:00.000-04:00

Well, first, this was supposed to be a WALK. Find large dry palm frond, and look what happens. No more walk ... H-Mom can wait, thank you very much. Madison has better things to do.

This stunt is called "grass roll" and it is best done with a prop, like a big crunchy palm frond.

Practical applications: WAIT

2009-05-19T10:30:00.000-04:00

Madison gets up with H-mom at 5:30, to get the teen-human up and ready for school and out the door. She leaves a few minutes before the slow and tired and sleepy teen-human, and walks with H-mom up to the corner to make sure that the school bus waits. WAITS. Madison understands that command. "WAIT." She is a great help at sitting patiently and keeping the bus in line. The bus and the teen-human connect at about 6:10.

Then back up to the 19th floor, to watch the sun rise from the balcony door.

The dog park doesn't even open until 7am.

Can you imagine the torture of that WAIT?

The mayhem and pure joy of the following 2 hours has already been well-documented. Madison runs, swims, tousles, chases ... it's all a dog can do to fill the time with enough silly behavior. Madison's new nickname is "Goofy." H-mom will address this later.

It's home by 9am.

And then it's naptime. All day long. Snoozing, stretching, relaxing.

H-mom will just have to WAIT until Madison feels like moving.

Sticky green hitchhikers

2009-05-12T22:00:00.001-04:00

These little things are nasty. They are flat and green and sticky and they were just looking for a lovely bearded face to get all tangled up in.

They are called "Beggar's Lice," which is a sickening name and very appropriate. H-Mom apologizes. This photo is the aftermath. It looks like cat vomit. Our apologies also to all the cats. We don't even think that cats could make this disgusting of a hairnest.

Enter Madison.

She could hardly make it home she was so distressed, biting and rubbing and trying to get the little hitchhikers out of her paws and her legs. And her beard and her moustache. So not right.

It took H-Mom an hour with the fine tooth comb, and the world was right again.

Where to walk? Down the middle of the highway?

We hate these things.

Duck leg dinner

2009-05-07T09:35:00.000-04:00

Outdoor World sells these great foam ducks, for training retrieval skills. At the dog lake, the dogs love to swim and bring this wonderful thing back. Lexik launches from the shore and goes after Duck with determination. Nick "land sharks," ankle deep in the water, right under the roots along the shore, trying to get a headstart on the duck fetching. Some of the dogs are happy to jump in and swim along, watching the game. Madison lurks onshore. Her ploy? Grab Duck and eat it. Shake it, kill it, destroy it.

Duck has held up pretty well, with chunks of varying sizes missing from one day to the next.

Today however, the death bell tolled for Duck.

Madison came home with a drumstick. She is such a naughty dog.

H-Mom is looking for retrieval ducks on eBay.

PS. H-Mom is working on a blog about summer grooming. If you have a photo of the perfect summer dog cut that you would like to have published (and she'll put a link to your blog, too, if you want!) just email it to annerosewrites@gmail.com ... she can just use one and she's put herself on a deadline, lol ... Madison is amused.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-05-06T11:37:00.000-04:00

When one door closes, another opens

2009-05-05T10:50:00.000-04:00

H-mom is now a FORMER employee of the art gallery. Things went were things were going (down the tubes) and she was "laid off." Three years was a pretty good gig, but it's time to get motivated on something different.

With timing that is impeccable, today H-Mom's new page is UP! She is now the "Miami Dog Care Examiner" for Examiner.com.

Isn't this cool? She will be blogging for Examiner.com about 4 times a week. That's a lot of little articles, so link to the page, read the blog, share it around ... she needs HITS!

H-mom is NOT paying attention

2009-05-02T11:44:00.000-04:00

H-Mom kind of has her head in the clouds these last few weeks. She is trying to think of ways to make some extra cash, to keep Madison in fancy collars, gourmet treats and smart haircuts.

So. She is going to start selling lia sophia jewelry. There is nothing in the catalog for dogs, though. Madison is disappointed. Not even a bejeweled collar.

And H-Mom is going to start writing a column for examiner.com. She is now the "Miami Dog Care Examiner." She promises to put up a link and let everyone know what it's all about ... she's been writing and organizing and all kinds of stuff.

And this is what happens. H-Mom has Madison out for a long walk, the "Rio Vista Super Walk," she calls it. And H-Mom is not paying attention. And Madison is just kind of happily ambling alongside, sniffing and snorking and taking a shoulder roll into the grass when she can get away with it quickly.

When: ATTACK.

A pair of blue jays flies out of the hedge and goes straight for Madison's hamhocks. Pecking and screeching. H-Mom was startled right back into this world. And Madison snapped her huge chompers into the air and thought that perhaps BLUE JAY would be a good afternoon snack.

Of course, there are no photos. And there is no one to attest that this happened, and that the very large black Schnauzer was accosted by two determined, fearless and noisy little blue jays.

These birds are evil. They are mean and spiteful and totally misdirected. They need therapy.

H-Mom and Madison hurried along. Fortunately, not a feather was disturbed, and Madison had pretty much forgotten and forgiven by the next opportunity for a shoulder roll.

So H-Mom is swiping a photo from the net (thank you google images) and she is apologizing to Madison for not paying attention.

My girl (of the doggie variety)

2009-04-30T11:09:00.000-04:00

PS

2009-04-28T19:30:00.000-04:00

That rant below was our 100th post.

H-Mom is now going to join Madison on the sofa and watch some Animal Planet.

Beaten bullied and zonked

2009-04-28T19:05:00.000-04:00

H-Mom has this paranoid antennae thing going on about pitbulls and pitbull-types at the dog park. Look, some dogs are just not MEANT for the dog park. It's not a given. It's not a right. You might just be better with a long walk on leash.

So this pitbull (OH NO protests the owner, she is NOT a pitbull ... she is a BULL TERRIER ... WTF thinks H-Mom ... A WHAT? a Rose by any other name is ... still a ROSE ... and this was a PITBULL-type and H-Mom is not stupid. A little slow to react at times, but not STUPID.) sorry ... H-Mom digresses ...

So this pitbull comes into the park by the dog lake, where Madison is very pleasantly frolicking with a little mix of some sort, playing tag, playing keep-away, trading the toy and chasing and jumping into the water. And H-Mom looks up and decides that that is that, and calls Madison ... we don't even risk it with the pitbull-types. And this dog runs right up to Madison, t-squares her with its chest and starts biting. And not just play-biting. We mean, like eating a chunk of face, grabbing and gnawing and going for those gorgeous ears. And Madison runs ... and the dog aggresses (OH NO protests the owner, she is not mean) and then the two dogs are in the water where Madison runs to seek refuge from the onslaught and the PITBULL-TYPE pins Madison under the water like a bully-i'm-going-to-drown-and-kill-you and this other lady who we believe must be their FRIEND jumps into the lake and pulls the freakin' PITBULL-TYPE off of Madison and the dee-da-deeee owner is sitting there protesting that the PITBULL-TYPE is not a PITBULL-TYPE (and now H-Mom is wanting to say DON'T THINK YOU ARE PULLING THE WOOL OVER MY EYES ... )

and the other woman is worrying loudly that Madison may not be having a "good dog park experience" and that she needs to end the visit on a positive note ... and H-Mom is like

WE ARE OUT OF HERE

and by-the-way ... if your dog is NOT a dog-friendly type, even if you can't admit that it's a PITBULL-TYPE then perhaps the dog park is NOT THE PLACE FOR YOU.

then we went to Pet Supermarket and grandma Rosalie bought Madison a kong tennis ball toy and Madison is quite content that the dog park is a good place, no problems, no grudges held, and she has been sleeping all day.

Tug of War

2009-04-25T10:57:00.001-04:00

They brought a brand-new green Wubba Kong to the dog lake. It was pristine. Perfect.

Yes, PERFECT. Perfect for a three-way tug of war.

You could hear it straining. Ripping.

It was great.

The two ladies were very good sports. "We brought it for the dogs to play," they insisted.

Initiation of Wubba Kong: accomplished.

Biker Babe

2009-04-21T14:23:00.000-04:00

Sunday, H-Mom and Man-dad usually try to escape for the afternoon for a motorcycle ride and a bucket of beer. They find some cool places to hangout. Flossie's is great ... hundreds of motorcycles, live music and lots of bikers. Great people-checking-out. Leather vests full of patches, interesting hair arrangements, a plethora of bike related t-shirts. You can imagine.

This past weekend, Man-dad had buddies in from Chicago, so they went over there in his truck. And they called H-Mom: get in the car and come over, bring Madison.

Pretty funny. The bi-peds were all in the "cage" ... that's what bikers call the 4-wheel vehicles.

Three hundred motorcycles. Four piece band. A throng of bikers. Nothing phased this girl.

Madison was great. She made friends with everyone, settled in the shade under the picnic table with a beer bucket with ice, her chewbone and a lots of attention. Her dog-job resonated with the biker crowd -- Giant Schnauzers were used to guard breweries in Germany.

Excellent pedigree for a Biker Babe.

Soooooooo Sorry H-Mom :(

2009-04-17T12:52:00.001-04:00

These things are accidents:

Bumping heads
Leaving cupboard doors open at bad moments
Slamming hands in doors
Dropping something on a foot
Pinching fingers in drawers
Splashing hot water in the kitchen
Konking someone on the chin

There are hundreds of them. Followed by "OMG I am sooooooo sorry ... are you okay?"

Well.

Madison had a huge crunchy brown palm frond. A really long one ... eight or nine feet at least. And she was chomping on it, with great gusto, macerating the stem with her giant schnauzer jaws. She has teeth that are something with which to be contended. She can demolish a toy in seconds, strip a beef shank bone in minutes.

H-Mom had what, at the moment, seemed like a great idea: she pinned the frond to the ground with one foot and grabbed the end to pop it at an angle and snap it short and toss it into the lake. For fetching.

H-Mom's grip failed. The frond had surprisingly sharp edges. H-Mom grabbed it again, with intention. Madison's jaws slipped. The frond was suddenly not cooperating with her destruction-by-huge-white-teeth program. Madison was excited. The frond seemed to be fighting back. This was good. Better than good, it was palm-frond-war.

And then Madison CHOMPED down, right on H-Mom's fingers.

There was a scream. And lots of blood. Madison let go of the frond and stopped cold. H-Mom ran to get one of the little green poop bags to wrap her finger tightly. Madison followed sheepishly, the palm forgotten. H-Mom's fingernail is split open horizontally, the tip of her finger gashed.

"OMG, H-Mom, I am sooooooooooo sorry."

These things are accidents.

Not to be confused with dog aggression, dog biting human or any behavior issue.

Turtles in the Lake

2009-04-17T11:20:00.000-04:00

This lady was focused, trying to dig a hole to lay her eggs. The dogs were interested, a few barked for a moment and then moved on to more important things, like chasing and playing and swimming. Madison listened to a stern "Leave it," and didn't look back.

She has Esther Williams action to perfect. Water ballet to work out. Moves to synchronize.

Every morning, the turtles plop into the lake when we arrive with the dogs. They hover in the cool deeper water, watching the dog action with the periscope-like heads, diving down and then poking their heads up to see if it is safe to head back onto the sunny little stretch of beach.

Lots of the turtles in our dog lake are Red-eared Sliders, not native to Florida, but well-established populations from released pets. They are semi-aquatic and get their name from their distinctive red "ear" coloration, and from the speed with which they slide off the shore or rocks to escape perceived threats. The large turtles have shells about 10" in diameter. Their eggs hatch in 90 days; hopefully the raccoons and the dogs stay away.

H-Mom had three of these turtles - little ones - when she was growing up in Paris. The turtles lived an arty, European life, floating and diving in the bidet of the little unused W.C. on the third floor of the house. It was a great home, better than an aquarium, with its running water, spray jets and "deep end."

Rediscovered

2009-04-15T20:33:00.000-04:00

Guess what?

IT was out of the tree!

Our little wind storm last night dislodged the TOY and it was laying in the grass at the dog park this morning.

And it is now officially a "Stinky Thing." Which is something that has been left behind at the dog park, abused by the weather, mouthed by countless dogs and generally put through the wringer.

We had photos ... but H-Mom's phone-cam is not sending emails tonight. Sigh.

Dog Park Divas

2009-04-14T11:20:00.001-04:00

Still Water

2009-04-12T21:08:00.001-04:00

Saturday morning, the New River was as still as glass. Usually you can see the tide flowing in or out - here's tide chart. The tide moves very quickly and the difference between high and low tide shows very clearly in the height of the docked boats or the water covering the cement access stairs.

The New River flows into the Intracoastal Waterway, and from there into the Atlantic Ocean. Sometimes you can see a manatee or bull shark, especially if you look down from the 19th floor of our building. The water is quite clear.

The geology of the New River is unique, because it is not truly a "river." The river is not draining fresh water: it is completely tidal saltwater. On a rising tide, the current flows upstream, as far as five miles inland. Twelve thousand years ago, the lower Florida peninsula was a vast atoll, bordered by a coral reef on the eastern side. The New River was actually cut by the tidal flow between what is now the Everglades and the Gulf Stream. As the earth cooled and ocean levels receded, this pass through the coral reef became this unusual river.

Because the river is cut deep into coral rock, it does not silt up, and does not pose the usual threats of shifting sand bars. The depths of the river do not change.

It is very deep, up to 60 feet in places with a minimum draft of 12 feet. It's not unusual to see 150 footers making their way up to the big yacht yards. It also has a few treacherously tight bends, so most of the huge yachts make use of tug escorts to stay safely in the deepest portion of the channel.

Updates

2009-04-10T21:57:00.000-04:00

1. The new dog food we bought is a hit: Van Patten's Duck and Potato. It's almost better than TREATS, so that's really good.

2. A young woman moved into our building. We met her parents in the lobby this morning. They have a 5-year old Giant, at home in Michigan. We are looking forward to running into our new neighbor.

3. Madison is on the foaming yellow pills again, for tapeworm. Super yuck. She will be taking Comfortis again, to get rid of the evil biting fleas that carry the even more evil parasitic worms.

4. Madison swam the length of the lake. Really well.

5. IT is still in the tree.

No Career with the Cubs

2009-04-08T11:40:00.000-04:00

We had a really great toy in the car yesterday morning, a red rectangular fabric float with a long robe attached. Nick, the rottie, jumped right into the back of our car and grabbed it ... made a run for the dog park gate.

There was a phenomenal half hour of play. The dogs were tugging, chasing, flipping, rumbling. This toy inspired comradery and goodwill. The humans were taking turn throwing the toy, the dogs taking turns grabbing it and running circles, chased by the pack.

Then H-Mom grabbed it and stepped back to wind up for a throw. A really good throw.

Whomp.

The thing flipped up to the left, hurling gracelessly. It landed in the scrawny tree just behind H-Mom.

The dogs all ran to the tree. They waited expectantly, but it wasn't coming to earth. Peter and Coach muttered about "girls throwing the toys" and tried to get it down, first with a frisbee, and then with a tool made from four interlocked leashes.

No luck.

This morning, the toy is still in the tree, waiting for our first good wind and rain storm. Rainy season will get here. One morning, the toy will be laying on the sidewalk, waiting for the pack.

And that is why H-Mom never played baseball, softball ... really any kind of ball.

In Up to Her Ears

2009-04-06T19:31:00.001-04:00

H-Mom likes to think that she is calm and collected. Not prone to panic attacks or unreasonable anxiety.

Well, today Madison figured out how to swim. Not just jump around by the shore, act crazy in the shallows and stand waiting expectantly as the other dogs bring in the well-tossed balls and the much-coveted duck decoy.

Today, Madison spread her legs like four algae-covered water wings and struck out for the deep end.

H-Mom was hyper-ventilating.

See, Madison wasn't exactly going AFTER a toy and coming back. Madison was out there just swimming for the joy of having finally figured out how to swim. She was going in one direction, circling awkwardly around (the turning still needs to be perfected) and swimming over to check out something else. She struck out for the middle, with nothing particular in her sights and seemed like she would be just perfectly content to keep going.

Peter said he would go in after her if she seemed to be drowning.

Lois suggested that H-Mom take a valium or something. Translated: relax.

And all this time, Madison was just happily paddling around. Investigating the vast expanse of dog lake, which had been so completely unavailable to her before today.

And she was loving it. And swimming with ever-increasing grace. No thrashing, no panic.

Yes, the one with the pointed ears is Madison. In up to her ears. Over her head.

And no one had to go in after her.

Working: Dockside Ambassador

2009-03-30T23:24:00.000-04:00

Walking along the New River in Fort Lauderale, Madison spends a good bit of time as Dockside Ambassador. She meets a lot of the dogs visiting aboard sailboats and yachts. These dogs all have really interesting jobs. They have lots of stories to tell and they usually make friends pretty quickly.

Like Buster, who Madison made friends with today. Buster is a sea-going Airedale. How cool is that? Buster takes care of his people aboard the motor yacht, "Pointless," which is registered in Les Cheneaux Islands, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Can you imagine how many sea-hours he logs? They were all the way down here, in South Florida, for a five day visit. They docked along the Riverwalk right by our condo.

Boat-dogs have to be pretty versatile. They usually wear a life vest, or stay on a tether or even in their kennel when they are out to sea. They have to be sure of foot, too, so that they don't slip around the deck. They are guard dogs and companions and in charge of lots of things, like watching the weather and making sure that sharks stay off the boat and in the water. They have to be well-behaved in a small space, and get along without complaining in strange places. And know when NOT to jump off. They have to have FOUR sea-legs!

Most Gigantic Tennis Ball

2009-03-30T09:19:00.001-04:00

Madison with Keileigh (Irish Setter), Lexic (Golden Retriever) and Jogi (Gorgeous Black Rescue). Thank you, Peter. That was fun!

Smell the Flowers

2009-03-28T10:54:00.001-04:00

Welcome spring. All the rain is reinvigorating our tropical paradise.

Today the clouds are fighting with the sun. Spring-breakers are spending more time in the bars than on the beach. Tomorrow we have a forecast for thunderstorms all day.

The rainy season is beginning. H-Mom needs to find her yellow slicker. Foul weather gear is a necessity for both boaters and Floridians.

Long of leg

2009-03-26T11:13:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, we went en famille to visit Madison's breeder. Madison was put in her place -- troublesome teenager -- by her mother, Ariel, and played with the sweetest little girl puppy, Happy, from the new litter.

Cynthia said that Madison looks beautiful, but perhaps a little "hocky," which I reported to our doggy-type friends the next morning at the dog park.

Not "hawky," "hocky" I had to clarify. No, not like a giant bird. Conjuring images of pork products. Miss Piggy.

"That must be the thighs, like she has 'thunder thighs,'" someone observed. We all stared with a mixture of appreciation and confusion at Madison's muscular upper legs. She looks like an athlete. There was mention of women who play sports. Swimmers' shoulders. Sprinters' thighs.

"Yes, her butt is getting big," was one comment.

But, no, "hocky," would be large or long in the hock, which is basically the calf, or the lower portion of the leg. Not "calf," as in beasts that need to be tended and herded. Calf. The lower leg, not the thigh.

As in, you have "cankles." Or "those aren't calves, they are steers." Chortle.

Nick the Rottweiler is still staring at her admiration. "Great gams," he may be thinking. Those are real calves, great stems. Not hocky in his view.

Sigh. Madison is depressed today. She is moping. This will pass.

Just an easy hop

2009-03-23T19:55:00.000-04:00

Madison can now jump into the back of the Explorer. This is wonderful, because at 60+ pounds, H-Mom was beginning to have a difficult time finding an easy place to grab the girl, and an even more difficult time hoisting her into the car in a fashion that was not awkward or ridiculous looking. The valets were starting to snicker.

All sense of decorum flew out the window as soon as H-Mom and Madison started the WWF posturing to get into the car.

But now.

Madison has discovered how wonderful it is to hop up. And she is becoming a "stealth jumper." And she quickly and very very quietly makes herself comfortable. The bed. The sofa. That's a lot of dog to move "off." And she allows herself to be removed very reluctantly.

That's a space-hogger, and even in a big bed, a really big, luxurious Stearns & Foster, three would be a crowd.

Although the teen-human points out that there is only one PERSON in her bed, and therefore room for a dog.

And about the sofas. The Man-Dad points out that those two leather sofas have been a comfortable snuggling zone for three black labradors and a citified coonhound, so why not a giant, well-groomed, family-loving, showgirl?

So we have a compromise: Madison will be allowed on the sofas, but not the bed.

And Madison adds a P.S.

THESE ARE THE BEST. OMG. IF YOU COULD SEE ME GO CRAZY FOR THESE, YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE IT. THESE ARE SO DELECTABLE. THEY ARE SHRIMP! I LOVE THEM!

And H-Mom adds a P.S.S.

Man. These stink to high-heaven. Worse than gym socks. Worse than work boots. If you are eating these, you are definately NOT getting on the bed.

What kind of dog are you?

2009-03-19T15:06:00.001-04:00

There is an interesting list of dog breeds, sorted from 1 to 5, with 5 being recommended for Novice Owners.

Madison is a 1. In a very cool group of dogs for "experienced handlers," and the good company of Akitas, Malamutes and Mastiffs. Among others.

Is she a tough dog to handle? Well ... H-mom is very lucky to be able to spend almost every hour of every day working with her, or knowing that Madison is with the teen-human or Man-dad. And Madison got a great start, with a veteran breeder, a very sweet mother and incredible socialization as a puppy.

But she is mouthy. She is quite a handful. And sassy. And very smart. And she really can cop an attitude.

We are living with two mantras:

NILIF (nothing in life is free)
A tired dog is a happy dog

So ... yes, H-Mom would agree that a Giant is a very challenging puppy. Someone warned that right around 3 years old, they turn into a$$holes (her word not ours!) for about six months. And if you get through it, they are a dream.

We are wondering. What number are you? Does it ring correct?

Dancing is highly recommended.

2009-03-18T12:58:00.000-04:00

Because, look! It rained. And it's still raining! And it's supposed to rain all week.

Who cares if it's wet. And even the grass is swimming. We'll go to the dog park any way, and dance in the downpour.

Rain Dance

2009-03-13T21:17:00.000-04:00

It has been brutally dry in South Florida. We are now in the midst of drought conditions, with warnings about wild fires and water conservation. South Florida has not had this kind of a dry spell since 1932.

On the morning news, residents are cautioned not to pull off the road onto areas of dry grass, lest a hot exhaust pipe set everything ablaze.

The palm trees are still green. And they offer a bit of shade.

There are patches of green around the heads of the underground water systems. Nice for nosing around.

Even a very short walk makes the fountains look more appealing than usual.

Full Moon Morning

2009-03-11T12:34:00.000-04:00

Last night the moon was small, bright and full over our building. The sky was very dark, and the decorative uplighting along the Riverwalk brick path made the fig-wrapped trees look eerily possessed.

This morning, the moon was a huge glowing orb in the western sky. Madison spent her morning workout at a dog park in Plantation, a good bit further from home than our usual hangout. The park is called "Happy Tails Park," and it is beautiful, with a huge grassy lawn and lovely backyard type trees. It is more "suburban" than our regular park, which is more wild and forest preserve-like in feeling.

H-Mom can't quite shake the "cemetery" kind of feeling that the huge gates and memorials and sign stones empart. But Madison loves it there. It's kind of cool, too, that there is a separate fenced and locked area for the training of police canines. They workout there in the evenings, which would be really interesting to watch.

"Bark Park" as Snyder Park is being resodded and is closed for two weeks. No one is complaining, because the park has become not much more than a huge dust bowl. Still, we are all challenged to find an alternate outlet for dogs in need of leg-stretching, all-out rough-housing play time.

It was interesting to watch Madison make her way with a new group of dogs. She took on the role of puppy, bowing and strenuously wagging her little stump of a tail with the sheepish cower of a youngster.

This morning, she was more in the mode of a "regular" already running to the gate like the appointed official greeting committee.

Madison also seems to garnering an inordinate amount of attention from the male dogs. We know she is a natural beauty, but H-Mom is going to do some googling about first heat. Madison is quite the lover-girl and she is more than pleased to roll on her back and submit to attention. H-Mom is feeling like a helicopter parent, admonishing giggling dog owners to "keep your dog from HUMPING my puppy ..."

Giant and Mini

2009-03-10T16:34:00.001-04:00

They seemed to know that they were cousins of a sort. The two schnauzers had an instant affinity for each other. And they lost no time in showing off together, too.

bavarian princess

2009-03-05T16:47:00.000-05:00

H-Mom and Man-Dad met for lunch this week, and brought Madison along so that she could meet Dani, who Mad-Dad discovered is the mom of Diesel, a male Giant Schnauzer from the same breeder.

Dani is so cool. She said Madison looks just like Diesel but much smaller. And she had a gift for Madison - a blue and white bandana with the Bavarian coat of arms. The bandana was sent to Dani by her mother who lives in Germany.

"A Bavarian bandana for a Bavarian dog," she said.

true colors thursday - YELLOW!

2009-03-05T14:06:00.000-05:00

In recognition of True Colors Thursday - YELLOW!, H-Mom started routing through the bins in the gallery, looking for a really good yellow. A dynamic yellow. A truly happy, uplifting yellow. Sunny or golden, it didn't matter.

Which involved pulling out multiple canvases, hefting some big frames around and finding Madison's comb and brush. A proper photo shoot.

Hide Me.

Yes, I agree it's predominantly YELLOW.

Is this all necessary? At this moment why do I feel like a prop
and not the center of attention?
(Monique Laxer, "Golden Sensation," Mixed Media, 40" x 30")

That's way enough. I'm out of here.
(What an unfortunate photograph. Again,
do not say anything about the size of the BUTT.)

I think my butt gettin big!

2009-03-03T12:20:00.000-05:00

So, if you've been following Madison's weight gain chart, you might have noticed that she lagged for a few weeks, which might have been the result of being off her food for a couple days and fighting an eye infection. She was just out of sorts.

The outcome was that her vet gave orders for H-Mom to increase her food from 1-1/2 cups of Wellness/Canidae mix in the morning and again in the evening, to a full 2 cups twice a day. Not only is she growing fast, but she gets a great deal more rigorous exercise than most dogs, and absolutely more than most condo-dogs.

With the exception of a few 'slow' days, Madison has been eating every last kibble. Of course, in a very lady-like manner. No scarfing, snarfing or chowing down. Just quietly, kibble by kibble. And still enjoying liberal snacks - biscuits, dried sweet potato wrapped with duck, blueberry crunchies, a fresh beef marrow bone every few days and a sprinkling of ZEN dog treats.

And now she seems to be growing in front of everyone's eyes.

And MADISON wants to know, "Do you think my BUTT looks big?"

And how come H-Mom keeps humming the Nelly song, "It's gettin hot in here ..."

How inappropriate. Talk about making a girl paranoid. Or something. Now she is talking about having Madison audition for a part in the following music video: the "big butt" part. They could cast a Giant Schnauzer to dance in front of a mirror, suspiciously eying the offending body part.

When it's over 80 degrees

2009-02-28T12:48:00.001-05:00

There is only one place to be when you are a black dog.

Lots of errands

2009-02-27T19:47:00.000-05:00

This week, Madison has been assistant chauffeur, as H-Mom has been driving here and there more than usual for the past few days.

This makes for some interesting quick walks around the parking lots of strip malls, through the car wash and into the bank, among other places. Madison is a willing co-pilot, happy to drink from her bottle of water, and hang her head out the window with the seats folded down and her pink and orange Mexican blanket spread across back of the roomy Explorer.

We have spotted a few interesting things, like this white egret standing on a yellow retention barrier in a murky canal along the highway, poking through the litter floating in the shallow water.

Four months ago ...

2009-02-20T20:48:00.001-05:00