Traveling Vizslas: The La Quinta Queens

Wayne had meetings scheduled during the last week of April in Dallas, and mom and dad needed some maintenance done on their Foretravel at the repair center in East Texas. It was a perfect opportunity to take a family road trip in the motorhome.

As always, Zuzu and Tootie were eager to go for a ride in the motorhome. We headed out of suburban St. Louis on a dreary, cloudy Saturday afternoon (springtime in St. Louis is rarely consistent or predictable) making our first stop in this shared rest area of both east and westbound traffic.

Zuzu and Tootie weren't impressed with this first stop. Hoping, I suppose, for a plethora of squirrels, rabbits, and enticing scents, they instead discovered amid the constant drone of traffic on the highway, a small strip of soppy, muddy turf and the absence of any wildlife.

Tootie's expression captures perfectly her opinion of this Missouri rest area. "You've got to be kidding! Can we go now?" Yes, Tootie, you can get back in the motorhome and return to the warm, soft bed.

The trip was rather uneventful (always a good thing when traveling in a motorhome), and after spending the night in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Wagoner, Oklahoma, we arrived at our destination in Grapevine, Texas. Shortly after settling into the campsite, some afternoon thunderstorms started to roll in. This was a new experience for our thunder-phobic vizslas. Not many places to hide in a motorhome during a thunderstorm. You know when the storm is very close when Zuzu begins yawning and then panting. She paces nervously, looking for any confined spot to crawl into.

This time, though, she behaved more like a cat climbing on the sofa and walking along its back until finding a wide spot to lay across. The thunder was quite a distance away, but still close enough to make her a little nervous. Thankfully, her nails had just been trimmed and she is very gentle when climbing on furniture.

Climbing on the back edge of mom and dad's sofa in the motorhome was bad enough, but when Tootie found mom's favorite leather chair to be a nice spot to curl up and take a nap, we lost complete control in our traveling vizslas. "It's a good thing mom's not here to see this!" we uttered again and again. But, having spent the first four years of their life in a confined, inhospitable space in a puppy mill, we tend to give Zuzu and Tootie a lot of latitude. Life is not only good, it's better when resting on a warm, soft, cushiony surface.

We also hoped, if mom and dad were here to see their behavior, that they, too, would find it difficult to say no to Zuzu and Tootie staring up at you with their adorable brown eyes.

Once we returned to St. Louis at the end of the week, it was time to pack the rental truck and head back to Sugarloaf Key. We made the trip in tandem, Zuzu and Tootie riding comfortably in the car with me while Wayne bounced and vibrated annoyingly down the highway in front of us in the pathetic rental truck. I insisted that we break the 24 hour trip into three days of driving, which meant two nights in a motel. Our first night was in a fleabag motel in north Georgia. No frills for $60, but it was pet friendly.

The second night we splurged and paid $70 for a spacious room at the La Quinta in Ft. Pierce. "Wow, what did this cost?" Wayne exclaimed as we entered the room. When he learned that is was only ten dollars more then the room at the discount chain motel, he became a La Quinta fan. It's safe to say that our vizslas became fans, too!

 I dubbed them the "La Quinta Queens" as they curled up on the comfortable queen bed wrapped in the down-filled comforter. They didn't move all night leaving me with just a strip of bed with no covers. Once again, we found ourselves saying, "just like the puppy mill" as we listened to Tootie snoring into the night.

Oh happy morning! Zuzu and Tootie had a very restful night after their 8 hour drive. I, on the other hand, was grumbling while searching for coffee.

The drive from Ft. Pierce to Florida City can be stressful and frenetic with traffic building as you pass through the suburban cities of Broward and Miami-Dade counties. But the stress and tension of the turnpike fades away once you reach the top of the Keys and make the descent down the Overseas Highway towards Key West. Connecting each little island village are bridges across turquoise-blue waters offering sweeping vistas of the Gulf waters to the north dotted with mangrove islands and the open waters of the Atlantic to the south.

Mile marker 17 and the yellow blinking light. Home. And welcoming us home was a fantastic arrangement of fruit, flowers, and beverages thoughtfully placed by our great friends Michael and Layne. They kept an eye on our house, tended our pitiful garden in our earth boxes, and even mowed the lawn just before our arrival. Thank you both!

Just as Zuzu and Tootie hopped on the bed, and Wayne sat down to relax, I was eager to peek in the truck to see how well the cargo survived the trek. This, of course, led to unpacking the truck and moving furniture up and down the stairs. It was a lot of work but, in four days we would have most everything in its place and we would find ourselves relaxing on a beach at Snipe Point with Michael, Layne, and Cheyenne. 

Stay tuned.

Vizsla Gang at Canine Country

Zuzu and Tootie experienced Canine Country last August when we met up with Val and Susan and their vizslas. Canine Country is a facility that is tantamount to an amusement park for dogs. With over 200 acres of farmland divided into fenced sections, members can let their dogs run and run and run, or they can practice retrieving in the lake, or hone their agility skills on the agility course. To learn more, check out their website at http://www.caninecountrykennel.com 

During this recent trip to St. Louis, we once again met Val and Susan at Canine Country. Val brought her three vizslas and Susan and Paul brought their three. Our girls joined the group along with a half a dozen more vizslas already there. It was quite the sight; red dogs running everywhere.

Zuzu and Tootie enjoy running and exploring. They eagerly leapt out of the car to sniff along the fence line ignoring the vizsla party happening down by the pond. After realizing that we left them to join the other group, they came bounding down the hillside towards the gang. Dash, one of Susan and Paul's dogs, loves Tootie. In fact, he may be obsessed with her. Captivated by her beauty he followed Tootie everywhere repeatedly trying to demonstrate his admiration of her. Tootie was polite and patient with Dash (Zuzu not so much) as she relied on us to put a halt to the amorous advances.

Down by the pond, the vizsla pack was enjoying the water chasing the retrieving dummies.

After a brief swim and some play, we gathered the group and headed up towards the upper fenced in pasture for some serious running.

Once inside, the boys were running circles around everyone. Tootie found comfort and protection in Wayne's arms as Zolt? Dash? Ready? Not sure which one ran behind.

The boys were in constant motion. To grab your attention, they would occasionally body slam you, running into you at full force and then dash off in the opposite direction. Zuzu kept her own pace sniffing and checking out the tree line while Tootie hung close to us.

A vizsla puppy arrived and was eager to say hello to Tootie. She was a sweetheart full of puppy energy.

We continued our walk around the perimeter of the pasture. Here, Zuzu and Tootie are sticking close to Wayne while one of the boys was running by.

I think Zuzu and Tootie missed out on learning how to be a dog while in the puppy mill. They certainly weren't socialized at a young age and have just recently developed a stronger trust of people. Experiences such as these are great opportunities for them to observe dogs at play.

It was a picture perfect spring day albeit a bit on the warm side. Zuzu and Tootie, having just come from the southern tip of Florida, were accustomed to the heat and paced themselves. The warmer than usual temps, however, quickly caught up with the other vizslas all running to and fro during our walk around the upper pasture. They eagerly ran down towards the pond to cool off.

Dash wouldn't give up on Tootie.

The gang jumped in the water and chased the retrieving dummies for a while. One of Val's dogs was more interested in the goose nest on the island, and then began swimming after the goose in the water. It was a futile attempt catching the goose as it repeatedly flew and landed ahead of the swimming pursuer never in harm's way.

The dogs were slowing down after running and swimming. Val's dog, Ready, was giving Wayne a little love.

"Do we have them all?" someone shouted and we began counting dogs.

Tootie saddled up to Wayne, Zuzu wasn't far, we had our girls and they were ready to take a nap.

It was a great morning at Canine Country. Zuzu and Tootie are looking forward to their next visit!

St. Louis Vacation

Zuzu and Tootie quickly settled in at the house. While they love traveling, whether by car or motorhome, they equally enjoy relaxing around the house, preferably on something soft. Perhaps they spent the first five years of their life sleeping on a hard surface with a bit of straw tossed here and there. Not anymore. They now have two soft dog beds, a pad for the car, and our bed. Once at the house, Tootie had to try out the leather recliner. As you can see, it's the perfect width for her with just the right amount of cushion.

They also like their dog bed, which they share. Whoever gets on it first gets the soft, cushiony middle leaving the edge for the latecomer. In this case, Zuzu got on it first leaving Tootie the edge. I guess the saying is true for dogs, too...if you snooze, you lose.

We were in St. Louis during spring storm season, which didn't please our storm phobic vizslas. They have become more courageous during a storm retreating to a confined space within earshot of us. A year ago, they would seek shelter, alone, in the bathtub or try to crawl behind the toilet. Here, we emptied the floor of the small linen closet for Zuzu who is tucked in the back leaving just enough room for Tootie to look out for any potential danger.

When it wasn't storming, Zuzu and Tootie spent their mornings and afternoons chasing squirrels. A rarity indeed chez nous in the Keys, these furry little creatures kept Zuzu and Tootie's attention for hours on end. They intently watched as the squirrels ran from branch to branch and tree to tree. It became an obsession for Tootie.

Squirrel hunting wasn't confined to the backyard. There were plenty to chase with Wayne in tow at Lafayette Square park. It's a great time of year to see the park with the flowering trees in bloom, and to run from tree to tree chasing squirrels, of course.

After chasing one across the grass towards a tree, they can't quite decide which way it went. Zuzu thinks it straight above, but Tootie thinks it went over there.

After dinner and a walk, evenings were spent on the sofa or on the bed by the sofa catching up on some sleep. Here, their uncle Mike and aunt Amy dropped by for a visit. Zuzu is obviously enjoying the attention.

Zuzu may have been getting all of the attention from uncle Mike, but aunt Amy didn't forget about Tootie.

Our dogs sure got accustomed to hanging out on the sofa. They are not allowed on the sofa at home, but we figured the rules could be bent a bit at grandma and grandpa's house. Not sure what Tootie is doing below. She's hanging off the sofa with her back feet on the floor, not the most comfortable position, but it didn't take her long to fall asleep and begin snoring.

Happy vizslas resting after a busy day chasing squirrels.

More to come...

Trip to Saint Louis

Life on Sugarloaf Key this past winter for Zuzu and Tootie has been one of routine, and being creatures of habit that we have discovered them to be, they are most comfortable and at ease with the expected. Their daily routine, however, would soon be interrupted with an adventure, a road trip to St. Louis. 

We are extremely lucky to have adopted two dogs who not only simply enjoy car rides but also love to travel as much as we do. The shortest jaunts in the car excite them. The mere mention of "bye-bye in the car" triggers fits of body twisting and dancing from Zuzu accompanied by gleeful barks from Tootie as they impatiently wait for us to gather our wallets, keys, water, and, the most important item of them all, dog treats for the car hidden in a small cardboard box or empty paper towel roll.

One Friday morning in early April, Zuzu and Tootie quickly surmised that a long trip was eminent as we were stacking duffle bags, pillows, the cooler, dog food, their beds, and bowls by the door to be packed in the car. This wasn't going to be a short car ride to Big Pine Key. No, we were going to St. Louis via Naples, Florida where mom and dad's motorhome sat all winter long on their pad in the RV park. We offered to bring it back to St. Louis for them so they could prepare for their 40 plus day motorcade adventure to Alaska this summer.

For Zuzu and Tootie, a trip back to St. Louis in a spacious motorhome was most welcome. They seem to prefer riding on the bed looking at the passing scenery out the motorhome window over the cramped quarters of the Honda Element. 

They have also learned that rest areas are treasure troves of new scents and sights. Each time the motorhome decelerated entering a rest area along the route, Zuzu and Tootie would emerge from the bedroom eager to exit and explore the new rest area. It's hard to believe that it was only a year ago when they would cautiously and nervously leave the motorhome to check out a rest area during their first motorhome trip to the Northeast last August. Now, the noise from the semis and the freeway doesn't phase them; they are much more interested in smelling and marking their new territories than to be bothered by the background noise.

In the morning of our second day I received a text from Edie saying that she was heading south on I-75. She was wrapping up a long road trip returning home to Sugarloaf Key after spending several weeks in Colorado. Along for the ride were Tyson and Bart, two of Zuzu and Tootie's closest friends. We met up in a Wal-Mart parking lot in a town south of Atlanta where our paths crossed.

It was great to see Edie, Tyson, and Bart, and the reaction of Zuzu, Tootie, Bart, and Tyson seeing each other in this strange, unfamiliar place was priceless. 

Edie was so happy to see the girls, and they were equally excited to see her. 

With dogs leashed, we set out in search of patches of grass along the perimeter of the parking lot. Not quite the same as our dog walks on Sugarloaf, but still enjoyable.

Edie looked great, not too haggard after driving from central Colorado, and Tyson was enjoying his first cross-country road trip.

Tootie, Zuzu, and Bart checked out this patch of grass before leaving their marks for the next dog.

Bart was happy to see Wayne as he unabashedly nestled against him for a tummy rub...

while Tyson soaked up the sun and stretched his legs.

With the excitement of the reunion past, the dogs settled into a relaxed state while we visited. You know Bart's content when he can find something to chew on with complete focus.

It was soon time to continue our trips, Edie heading south to Tampa and us heading north towards Nashville. We said our goodbyes and got back in the motorhome where Zuzu and Tootie settled back into their spots on the bed.

The next, and last day of travel, Zuzu and Tootie must have sensed that we were approaching St. Louis for they moved up to the sofa closer to us and kept a watch on the passing scenery.

Zuzu popped up to look out the window during a brief traffic jam on I-64 in East St. Louis. Tootie must have thought there wasn't much to look at as she remained curled up on the sofa.

Until we approached the Mississippi River. I would say they were happy to be back in St. Louis, but Tootie's expression wasn't too convincing. Her mood, though, would greatly improve once she discovers the squirrels in mom and dad's backyard. 

Stay tuned for more Vizsla adventures in St. Louis!