Val (right) and Susan (left) left their significant others and four legged red dog children and escaped the cold, snowy St. Louis winter to spend a sun-filled warm and tropical weekend in the Lower Keys with us and their foster children. When Zuzu (back) and Tootie (front) were rescued from the puppy mill in November 2009, Val fostered Zuzu and Susan fostered Tootie. These first five weeks in their foster homes were formative. Val and Susan were most likely the first humans to show them love and affection. In their homes, they discovered there was much more to life than living in a pig crate in a barn.
It has been five months since they last saw Zuzu and Tootie in St. Louis when we all had a Vizsla play date at Canine Country with Val's pack and Susan's pack. This time our girls had the chance to show Val and Susan their new life on Sugarloaf Key.
When Val and Susan walked through the front door, Zuzu and Tootie recognized them instantly. Their tails were wagging swiftly and they were doing the Vizsla dance twisting their bodies and dancing on their paws. Happiness. Excitement. Joy. It was like Christmas with gifts, toys, snacks, hugs, and kisses. Happy dogs.
Friday morning was pretty laid back. Val and Susan adjusted to Key West time. Zuzu and Tootie showed Val and Susan around the yard, and then everyone hung out on the lanai reading and watching the iguanas sun themselves on the dock across the canal. By early afternoon we were ready for lunch. Hogfish Bar and Grill on Stock Island was the destination. Fish tacos and a hogfish sandwich on the dock made for a delightful meal with friends. After our late lunch, we looked at the boats in the marina and picked up some Key West Pinks from Fishbusterz to add to our pizza tonight. We fed the the girls, took them for a walk around the bat tower, and then headed north to Big Pine Key to see some Key Deer and get some ice cream for the apple pie. After dinner, Zuzu and Tootie joined us in front of the TV for a movie and dessert. A great end to a great day.
Saturday was a bit more action packed. Zuzu and Tootie wanted to show Val and Susan how cool Marvin Key is. So, off we all went at 9:30am to catch low tide at Marvin Key. Zuzu and Tootie are excellent skippers watching for boats, birds, and sea life during the fifteen minute boat ride to the Gulf's edge.
Boat beached and anchored, we all hopped off and followed Zuzu and Tootie as they led the way. It was a beautiful day for a walk on the sandbar.
Val and Susan enjoyed looking for critters in the shallow water while Zuzu and Tootie walked ahead with Wayne.
Looking back towards Sugarloaf Key, Val and Susan were enjoying their barefoot walk in the sand far, far away from the snow and ice back home.
Just ahead of them, looking north towards the real Marvin Key and the Gulf of Mexico, Tootie began dancing around Zuzu, egging her on to chase.
This is what makes the trip to Marvin Key worth it. Happy dogs running, playing, and chasing each other on the sand and in the water.
These random bursts of energy don't last long when it's just the two of them, but when their four-legged friends are out here with them, especially Bart, they can run and run and run up and down the beach in continuous chase.
We walked through the shallow water to the edge of the channel to see if Tootie and Zuzu would show Val and Susan how well they can swim. They needed some encouragement and Val graciously volunteered to brave the cool winter Gulf water to coax Zuzu and Tootie into deeper water. They didn't take the bait. They simply watched with four paws firmly planted in the sandy bottom as Val swam and called them into the cold water.
Odd for a Saturday morning, we had the sand bar all to ourselves. We enjoyed the solitude of the deserted key soaking in the sun and the panoramic view before heading back towards Sugarloaf Key.
On the way back, we stopped by our crab pots to see if we had any stone crabs waiting to offer us their claws. We had a few crabs in each trap, some with no claws, a couple with only one, and several with both claws waving wildly at us as we opened the lid of the trap. We only take one legal claw, throwing the crab back with its other to defend itself. With seven claws in our bucket we headed back to our dock.
That afternoon, we headed into Key West for a bicycle tour of Fort Zach Taylor and Old Town and lunch at Turtle Kraals where we relaxed and ate fish tacos on the top deck overlooking the Historic Seaport.
Saturday night we joined Val's friends who were camping at the Sugarloaf KOA for barbecue and listened to Howard Livingston and his Mile Marker 24 Band play. It was a perfect evening to end a fantastic day.
Sunday morning we joined Edie, Kimberly, and Deb with their dogs, Bart, Tyson, Oakley, Hooligan, Jack, Diesel, and Woody. Zuzu and Tootie have walked with the pack before and wanted to show Val and Susan how well they do off lead on the closed road to the quarry and loop road.
They were able to witness Tootie's confidence as she trotted along with the pack, and they saw Zuzu's nervousness and fear as she made attempts to lure us off the road down paths into the mangrove. Zuzu has a fear of bicycles and groups of people approaching her. On previous walks, she has darted down side trails with us quickly following her to bring her back to the road. Today, Val assured us that she would rejoin the pack if headed down one of her familiar escape routes and we didn't pursue her. On our way back, Zuzu ran back to the safety of the quarry while we all walked back towards the bridge. Val reassured us that Zuzu would look for us once she could no longer hear us. It seemed like the longest couple of minutes, and it was very difficult to continue walking away without Zuzu. But, just as Val said, Zuzu could wait no more and came running after us seemingly saying "Wait, don't leave me!" We all praised her and showered her with warm pats and hugs. She darted off a few more times and each time we continued down the road without her. Again, after a little time, she came bounding down the road towards us enjoying this new game of hide and catch up to the happy crowd. Thank you Val for your reassurance and wisdom. You taught us more about Vizslas and how to help reinforce Zuzu's growing confidence and trust in us.
It's a 2 mile round trip trek from the car to they ocean. We took our time and at the halfway mark let the dogs cool off at the swimming hole.
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| Edie talking to Wayne, Val, and Susan with Tootie and Bart |
Past the quarry, there's a trail leading to a small "beach" on the ocean. At low tide, a good portion of the shoal is exposed, and the water is the perfect depth to cool one's paws.
Here, Val is appreciating the intricate osprey nest. While at the beach, Val was treated to the sight of the osprey returning to the nest with a fish as its mate circled above. Oakley, to her right, was more interested in the blue man-of-wars that didn't make it out with the tide.
And Susan inspected the sea life in the crevices of the shoal.
We made another stop at the swimming hole where Edie held her canine friends' attention as they waited for her to pull more treats from her bag.
After our long walk, we noshed on crab cakes and stone claws before taking a quick boat ride out to the ocean. Zuzu and Tootie were first in the boat, of course. Once back at the house, it was time for Val and Susan to gather their things and head to the airport. Zuzu and Tootie went along with us to the airport to say good-bye. They were very happy to see them and saddened to see them go. Thank you Val and Susan for taking time from your busy schedules and families to spend a long weekend with Viszla children, Zuzu and Tootie, and us at our home.
