25 February 2010

Happy 9th Month Birthday!!

I can't believe how time flies.  It seems like only yesterday that we brought our little pup home for the first time.

This picture is compliments of Kim Ratigan. It was taken when the pups were about 6 weeks old.  Kim is an artist and also 'mom' to Zoë's dad, Suede.  Please visit Kim's blog. Thanks for the photo Kim, we love it!!!

And for all you hardcore Zoë fans out there, this Saturday will be super special as we're taking her to meet Suede on Saturday - weather permitting of course!  We're really looking forward to seeing Suede and Zoë together again.  We'll have a ton of pictures, I'm sure.

I hope to be posting a few blogs highlighting Zoë's favourite things.  Something for everyone to look forward too.  Great news, huh??

As a side note, I have to announce our little cousin, Alice Alexanne. Congratulations to Valerie and Andy!

Happy 9th Month Birthday Zoe-Zoe!!!

16 February 2010

Cooking Picardy Style

Hmm...I guess someone is really on the mend.  Tonight while prepping for dinner, I grated my thumb (along with the asiago) and it bled like crazy.  I hurried into the bathroom to 'triage' myself and while I was gone....a certain pup ate my recipe and half of my grated asiago!!!

There is really not too much that this crazy spaniel *won't* eat - it doesn't have to be food either.  In the last couple of months, here is a mere sample of what Zoë has consumed:
  • half a Swiffer dust cloth
  • various gum wrappers
  • two bills
  • a report draft
  • a variety of magazine pages - she seems to prefer Business Magazines
  • pieces of newspaper
  • toilet paper (yes... from the roll)
  • part of a pen
  • part of a pencil
  • various slippers
  • snowflakes
  • duvet down
  • toy stuffing
  • bandages and Band-Aids
  • a piece of soap (this ended up being the most unsavory item)
  • an ATM card (just mangled beyond recognition)
  • dish towels (just pieces)
  • paper towels
  • sticks, sticks and more sticks
  • woodchips
  • tree bark
  • dried leaves
.... and anything else she can sneek by.  I'm sure that they've opened up Shark bellies that have less items!!!


15 February 2010

"Honey, Quick!! She's got the pork loin!!"

Despite having an Olympic-size cone around her neck, our little thief snatched a cooked pork loin off the cutting board last night.  I know, pork is not good for dogs, but tell them that!!!  She took a bite that to me is reminiscent of Discovery Channel's Shark Week.  It was comical watching Kypros chase her around the house in hot pursuit of his pork loin! 

Yesterday, we bit the proverbial bullet and removed the bandage, but kept the cone on her.  Today, we took her out for a walk, so we removed the cone as it is hardly aerodynamic.  Since she hasn't been at her incision at all today, we think her preoccupation with it is gone...Fabulous!!!  We've left the cone off her, and now, she's doing one of her favourite activities after a nice walk - chillin' on her favourite chair:



14 February 2010

The Picardy Blues

Wednesday was a snowy day here in Mississauga.  I took Zoë up to the leash-free anyways because she absolutely loves the snow.  The visit was uneventful for the most part, but then, when I was getting ready to leave, I noticed some blood on the snow.  It was then the job of me and another Joanne (another regular) to figure out which dog it was coming from.  Guess who?  Yep, you got it!.  She was completely oblivious and wasn't limping, but blood isn't good.  So,  after a quick triage job (thanks Joanne!!), I took Zoë down to her vet.  On exam, she actually sliced herself on the back of her front leg and actually nicked a tendon.  Afterwards, the vet was unsure what she cut herself on as there was no debris in the wound at all. 

We were sent home without a protective cone as she was so good at the vet they were pretty sure that she'd leave the bandage alone.  Hmmmmm......

Those of you who have the pleasure having a dog/cat are now nodding, knowing that $$$ are involved. This is what $300 and change gets you: 



Thursday was pretty much uneventful, we had one very unhappy puppy.  She spent the best part of the day working on removing her bandage.  

The vet told us that he had put on a bandage that was supposed to taste awful.....with the disclaimer that *some* dogs don't mind it.... of course Zoë loved the taste!!  She basically worked the bandage off the incision.

We decided to put the protective cone on her that we had kept from her spaying.  This was very unsuccessful as Zoë MacGyver'ed it off using a variety of techniques - including using a slipper and a North Face boot.  It is scary how smart she is!!  So....

Off we we went to the vet first thing on Friday morning.  They rebandaged her, gave her a new cone and some antibiotics.  This cone is so large I'm sure she gets satellite reception!!  Here's a little peek (check out the little blue pawprints):


So, 14 days of antibiotics + 1 brand new cone - no leash free park = one very upset pup. 

Happy Long Weekend Everyone!




09 February 2010

Mouse treats and Best Buddies Reunited!


What a great couple of days at the park! Last Friday, there must have been about 17 dogs! Zoë had an absolutely fabulous time running and playing with the other dogs. It's actually fun to watch the doggie friendships develop. There are some dogs that she really doesn't interact with at all and others that she runs to greet.

Yesterday, Zoë and I arrived at the park before everyone else. Off she sent at full tilt to see if any other dogs were there. When she realized that she was alone, she took off, nose first. Zoë is a real hunter - usually its for dog treats and the occasional piece of toast! But, what did she find? From a distance, I looked over and saw that she had something in her mouth. I knew what it was - a dead mouse!! Ugh!! Many of the other dogs at the leash-free have come across one of these, but never Zoë. She's usually oblivious - until now! Quickly I pulled out a treat and called her over. She trotted over. I could see a little mouse foot hanging out of her mouth. I prayed that she'd take the treat. She did. I grabbed the frozen mouse, put it in a poop bag and threw it away. Zoë didn't care and moved on to a nearby tennis ball. We often see these unlucky rodents in the park as there are hawks in the area, along with the occasional cat out for a midnight stroll. Every once and a while, these little victims are left behind and found the next morning by the dogs. Great!!!

Today was a particularly great day for Zoë. A dog she hasn't seen for 4 months showed up at the park. I recognized 'Athena' immediately. She is a 1-year-old Doberman, incredibly friendly and playful. Athena and Zoë would play together non-stop last summer. There could have been a dozen other dogs at the park, but they never bothered with any others. I would say that they were the best of friends. Once the dark winter nights came, we stopped going to the park after work and Zoë's friendship with Athena was put on hold.

Today, I was so excited to see Athena. She has grown into a sleek and beautiful Doberman- but still the quirky, playful 'pup' she always was. I recognized her when she jumped on top of one of the picnic tables - that was such an 'Athena' thing to do. I called out to Zoë to come over and see Athena. Once they saw each other it was amazing! After a little sniff to confirm identities, you could actually see the joy on their faces as they basically took up where they left off - rolling around, playing, running together and when exhausted sitting side by side. At many moments, Athena reached out her paw to touch Zoë when they were just sitting relaxing. Being the bigger of the two, Athena would always come to Zoë's rescue and today was no different! When a more irritating dog was harassing Zoë, there was Athena, standing over Zoë protecting her. They really are the best of friends!!