Hunting Lizards

How do two Vizslas from Missouri pass the time in Florida, land of no squirrels or rabbits? Well, they chase and hunt lizards, of course! These quick little creatures have grabbed Zuzu and Tootie's attention. Now if they could only sink their teeth into one. Helas, they are just took quick for Zuzu's sharp eye. The robellini palm in the yard is a veritable "Disneyland" for Zuzu and Tootie. Well, probably more for Zuzu than Tootie. The Tootster will chase lizards for a couple of seconds before finding a nice shady spot under the palm to rest and snooze.

Below, Tootie is getting into the act of chasing those little critters. Too bad their keen noses can't fit into the cracks of the rocks.
Zuzu is amazed that Tootie has devoted more than thirty seconds to the hunt! In this picture, you can see Zuzu's tail. This is unusual since it is always in constant motion. We normally just see a brown blur as it quickly wags from side to side. Happy dog!
Can you find the palm tree climbing Viszla? I'm sure this action is not programmed in their genes from Hungary!!! One must adapt to the local prey, though!
And now it's time for a rest for Tootie. We'll leave the serious hunting to Zuzu. I'm sure she'll share her catch if she happens to grab a lizard. Unlikely, but not impossible with Zuzu's persistence.
This is how we spend our Saturday afternoon on Sugarloaf Key. When's dinner?

The Sweet Life on Sugarloaf Blvd.

Zuzu and Tootie have been in Florida for six weeks. We arrived on Sugarloaf Key on Friday, February 19, 2010 and they have settled in comfortably. They enjoy the relaxed and laid back lifestyle of the Keys. Tootie usually wakes up around 6:00am and will either ask to go outside for a quick pee or will settle back into her bed. She's probably trying to get Zuzu up, but she will have none of that until daybreak. We have learned that Zuzu is afraid of the dark. Or, more specifically, afraid of the night. We are lucky to have her in the family room in the evening with us, but she usually retires just after sunset to her den in the master closet. Tootie, however, has no fear of the dark and will occasionally explore the yard with confidence during her last trip out before bed. So, in the morning, Tootie waits patiently for Zuzu to get up and make her appearance after daybreak, usually between 7:00 and 7:30am.

After a quick romp on the bed seeking free back and belly rubs, it's off to the yard to potty before breakfast. After breakfast, Zuzu and Tootie usually sleep in the office while we work, and will occasionally lie in the sun on the driveway or sidewalk along the house. We usually take them on a walk down the path to explore new smells, look for cats, and chase birds.

Sometimes, we take them for a ride in the car, especially if we have an errand to run. They will ride along to the Summerland Key Post Office, make a quick trip to the Winn-Dixie on Big Pine Key, or take a drive into Key West to visit the dog park near Higgs Beach. All you have to say is "bye-bye in the car" and they are in it and ready to go!

During the day, we usually leave the front door open so the girls can go down into the yard to sleep in the sun, hunt and chase lizards on the wall near the dock, or simply survey the land and Sugarloaf Blvd. from the front porch.

And by the afternoon, they retire to the lanai for more sunshine as they await the 5:00pm dinner bell. After dinner, it's time for another walk down the path and some romping and playing in the yard before sunset.

While the past six weeks have not been free of setbacks, challenges, and frustrations, Zuzu and Tootie are making excellent progress as they continue to gain our trust and live their new lives.

Boca Chica Dog Beach

One of the best beaches in the lower keys for dogs is on Boca Chica Key. Down the road next to the Shell filling station on Big Coppitt Key is a long stretch of beach behind the Naval Air Station. It isn't a typical Florida beach. There's a lot of seaweed and very little exposed sand, but the water is shallow and the waves are gentle. It's best to arrive early in the morning, especially during "season" as it can become rather busy with dogs running off lead and people hanging out at the beach. We choose a Sunday morning for Zuzu and Tootie's first beach experience. The weather was on the cool side, as it has been for most of the winter in the Keys, the water was blue and calm, and we had the beach to ourselves.

Not feeling completely confident that Zuzu and Tootie won't stay near if they were off lead, we kept them on flexi leads giving them 20 feet of room to explore. Zuzu quickly took the lead. She's our explorer, adventurer, and hunter. Tootie was content to bring up the rear and follow her sister's lead.
There were a lot of new smells. Some more odiferous than others. And there were some new strange sights, too. Zuzu was excited to see the shore birds...if only she could run out to get them in the water, but that would mean tromping IN the water. Zuzu's not quite ready for that, yet.
All in all, they had a great time. They met some other dogs. One was a female blue weimaraner who had boundless energy. She only stopped for a second to say hello to our girls before running off down the beach in search of hidden treasure.

White Street Pier

We are gradually exposing Zuzu and Tootie to new experiences down here in the Keys in an attempt to break the monotony of their daily routine...

Tootie wakes up around 6:00 a.m. go outside to do her business. Zuzu will not stir from the master bedroom closet until daybreak, which is has been pushed to 7:30 with daylight savings time. After taking care of business outside, Tootie runs back to her warm bed in the closet next to Zuzu and waits for daybreak, which is when Zuzu will get up to go outside. The girls will sometimes jump into bed and "attack" us with kisses and beg us for belly rubs. While outside, one of us will prepare their gourmet breakfast which consists of brown rice and carrots, chicken thigh meat or raw beef, egg, and cottage cheese. After breakfast, it's off to either the bed or the lanai for some rest before heading out to the dock for lizard patrol. Zuzu will go for a walk (we will take Tootie if we can convince her that it will be fun and that we may see a few cats!) and then they both will spend the rest of the day going from the dock to the lanai to the bed...

So one of the adventures to break the routine was to the White Street Pier in Key West. The pier, which is across from the Southernmost Dog Park, resembles a former highway bridge to nowhere, jetting out into the Atlantic. It's a great spot to watch the sunset in the winter months when the sun sets more to the east than in the summer months when its further north on the horizon. There are no crowds, no cats leaping through hoops of fire, no fire-breathing unicycle riding acrobats, no high-wire acts, just a few people, the sound of the waves and of the flights full of tourist leaving and arriving at Key West International Airport.

Zuzu and Tootie were very apprehensive during their first visit to the pier. It took some coaxing and reassuring to make it to the one of the last benches on the pier.

We sat and rested for a while on the bench to give Zuzu and Tootie an opportunity to listen to the sounds, smell the ocean, and further convince us that this was not their cup of tea!
After a five minute break, we headed back towards land stopping for a minute on the beach adjacent to the pier. There were other dogs playing in the water and chasing and retrieving tennis balls. We thought they would inspire Zuzu and Tootie, but they probably thought these dogs were the fools as they quietly observed them with paws safely planted in dry sand.

After a quick walk along the beach and down the sidewalk, we returned to the car. Tootie could not wait to hop back up onto her bed, curl up, and enjoy the sights and sounds of Key West from the comfort of her kennel on wheels. Much to her dismay, we will return to the pier in a week.

Key West Dog Park

Sunday morning, we planned to take Zuzu and Tootie to Boca Chica Key where there's a great beach for dogs along the ocean side of the Naval Air Station. Unfortunately, we had to turn around just before the beach as the Monroe County Sheriff and U.S. Boarder Patrol vehicles were blocking the road. They must have been searching for more Cuban refugees. It's not unusual for them to land on Boca Chica, which is only 90 miles from Cuba, but probably not the wisest choices of places to make land fall on U.S. soil. The Navy probably keeps a pretty good eye on the surrounding waters and skies.

Well, if we couldn't show the girls the beach, we thought a trip into Key West and a visit to the dog park would be the next best thing. The dog beach in Key West has to be the best dog park in the country (at least the best one we've visited). It is located on the south end of the key at the end of White Street across from Higg's Beach. It's large with two areas, a modest pen for the little canines, and a larger, L-shaped pen for the big guys. Palm trees are plentiful, as are the poop bag stations, and there are a few cabanas for the humans to rest while their four-legged friends frolic, play, and visit with their old and new found buddies.

Zuzu and Tootie love meeting other dogs. Zuzu took to the park very quickly. Tootie, however, was a bit more apprehensive and needed some words of encouragement from Wayne.

Zuzu had new territory to leave her mark testing her stamina. Proud of her accomplishments, she came back to the bench to tell Wayne all about her experiences.

After a romp in the dog park, a brief tour of the island, and a stop at the grocery store to pick up dinner, we headed 17 miles back north on the Overseas Highway to Sugarloaf Key for a quiet Sunday afternoon.

This is what Sunday is all about!

A Dog's Life on Sugarloaf Key

We arrived at the house Friday afternoon. Zuzu and Tootie explored the yard, the house, and began to slowly acclimate to their new surroundings. The unfamiliarity of the sounds of cars and motorcycles passing on the boulevard and the Navy fighters flying overhead on their training missions out of nearby Boca Chica Key created some apprehension and nervousness. Zuzu and Tootie were tired from the trip preferring the comfort and security of the walk-in closet off the master bedroom.

Saturday was a new day. The sun was shining, the warm breezes returned from the south, and the girls were well reseted. Off we went to explore the path at the end of County Road 4A, which is the old path of the Overseas Railroad and Highway.

The mangroves provided shade for our trek. Zuzu and Tootie didn't see any iguanas or lizards, but they did see some turkey vultures, sea gulls, and the occasional pelican flying above.

Zuzu and Tootie had a quick drink back at the car before heading back towards home.

A quick stop on the bridge over Sammi's Creek looking out towards the Atlantic Ocean and the American Shoal Lighthouse.

Back at the house, Zuzu and Tootie found a nice cool spot to rest in the dirt below the palm tree.

And then on the lanai for the rest of the afternoon. Life is good.

Trip to the Keys

Wow...it has been a month since our last posting. We all left St. Louis for Sugarloaf Key, Florida on the morning of February 18. Zuzu and Tootie were real troopers on the trip. We transformed the back of the Element into a kennel on wheels where they slept, ate, and enjoyed the passing scenery.

We decided to push on through the night, taking a few breaks at Rest Areas in Florida. After a brief nap in a Rest Area south of Orlando on the Florida Turnpike, we were ready to continue our journey south towards Miami. We took a quick potty break at Snapper Creek Rest Area in Kendall. Next stop, Florida City for fuel before crossing the 18-mile stretch to Key Largo.

It was a cool and cloudy day, not at all a typically warm and sunny Florida day. We stopped at the picnic area in Islamorada on Lower Matecumbe Key for lunch before making the final push to mile marker 17 and home on Starfish Lane.