Friday, January 27, 2012

Hopes.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Don Cheadle... It's all your fault...

I'm not happy with Don Cheadle tonight. He's a good actor - lousy dog sitter. No, what happened is not really his fault, but being mad at him is easier than being mad at Ray. Izzy fell in the pool while Ray was on watch. Apparently tonights episode House of Lies was quite engrossing...

We take every precaution to keep Izzy safe. She's never supposed to be on the pool deck without supervision, especially at night. One second is all it took. She was outside, alone. Its a cool but beautiful night here in Florida. The living room door was open to the pool deck while Ray watched Mr. Cheadle perform some new amazing consulting wizardry. Consultants... Its all smoke and mirrors, really.

Anyhoo... Izzy, not being of fan of Mr. Cheadle apparently, decided chasing her semi flashing ball (having not recovered from last nights dunk yet) in the dark would be much more entertaining. Ball careens toward the pool edge; Izzy in her enthusiasm chases too eagerly; doggie in the drink... It was a full swan dive. Soaked head to toe. Izzy knows how to swim. She was taught at an early age before she lost her sight, thank goodness. She swims like a champ...a pissed off champ, but a champ none-the-less.

Two good things happened. Izzy knows how to hurl herself out of the water and her Safety Turtle did its job, screaming a ear shattering alarm that I am sure was heard in Alaska. thanks Safety Turtle. Don... Cool it on the antics.

http://www.safetyturtle.com/


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Monday, January 16, 2012

Wiggly Giggly

It's a sweatshirt day for all here in southern FL today. Izzy models her "tough girl" look - Ray's idea of cute. At one time she had a matching collar and leash, but she ate them while sitting in Ray's San Francisco office a couple of years ago.  His puppy-sitting skills were limited to head pats and farming her out to someone else to watch. Thank goodness for Peggy and Jessica!! He is a much more attentive dad now that he is retired.

Izzy says "thank you Amazon.com" Today her new noise-making toy arrived, Wiggly Giggly bone for small dogs.

http://www.amazon.com/Multipets-Wiggly-Giggly-Whimsical-Polyvinyl/dp/B0002ARX6W/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1326568982&sr=1-1

I really don't know how to describe the sound it makes - sort of a whistle and a honk. I'm sure it will completely annoy the neighbors if it becomes her favorite. Uh oh... She's still on probation from the dolphin coffee-klatch.

It took a few minutes for her to investigate the new sound, but soon she figured it out and we had quite a rambunctious game of chase. The sound is motion activated. We'll see how durable this thing is. Blindness has not slowed down her search and destroy instincts. Izzy is a terrier and strikes fear into the heart of all new toys. If she lived in Toy Story, all of her toys would hunker down in the basket, to hide; Buzz and Woody taking turns keeping them safe. Last night she dropped her flashing/noise making ball into the pool... It made noise all night and had to be hidden under a pile of pillows so we could sleep. Finally tonight the battery died. Izzy's basket currently has a few tennis balls; all in various stages of ruin, a very flat stuffed squirrel missing a tail and it's squeaker, a very well loved Nylabone dinosauer and one rope toy perfectly intact (note to self, not a winner).   To Infinity and Beyond...

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Golden night!





Izzy has her Golden Globes glow on tonight. She has definite favorites!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Friday, January 13, 2012

Thursday, January 12, 2012

The sushi bar and Helen Keller

It's 1AM. Izzy is restless, as she often is when Ray is traveling. A board meeting in San Francisco has taken him away for a few days. She hears something outside. We sit on the patio. 70 degree weather reminds me why we moved to SWFL. A splash. Izzy's head cocks. Generally her first reaction is to bark. Not tonight. First she listens with her one functioning ear (yes, not only blind, she is also deaf in her left ear from a juvenile bout of allergy induced ear infections). Poor girl. She is almost the Helen Keller of dogs.

Another splash. A pod of dolphins has decided to belly up to the sushi bar that is our backyard. Izzy let's out an ear shattering bark. Apparently she must compensate for her deafness and bark LOUDLY! Reminds me of my mother in law, but that's a post for another time.

Another splash and another bark. This time it is answered with a dolphin cackle. Kekekeke. Izzy seems amused, turns in a circle and returns the call with her own arf arf arf. The dolphin responds again. They have been at it for five minutes when lights from the neighbors house turn on. Uh oh. I realized I am being a very bad neighbor allowing these shenanigans. The neighbor steps outside and I apologize profusely for Izzy not using her inside voice.

Another splash, bark and cackle. The neighbor laughs. He goes in to get his wife. They haven't seen dolphins since last winter. This is a real treat. As we stand in our back yards in our pjs, moonlight spilling onto the water, I wonder if Izzy knows how content we are watching and listening to her dolphin chat.

Ok, she can talk. She's not Helen Keller yet...

It's now 1:30. Night night.





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad.

Location:SWFL

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Beginnings - today my heart broke

January 10, 2012 Today is my first entry. Being new to blogging, bear with me as I get my sea-legs. Izzy is going blind. Quite suddenly. As a four year old, super-hyper Parson Russell Terrier it was quite a shock to us the day we noticed she was not catching a ball as marvelously as she had used to. To any terrier, ball chasing is Nirvana. It is a part of their genetic makeup. Izzy could catch a tennis ball mid air, even when it approached from behind. A quick twist in the air, her open mouth anticipating success... Whompers. Ball caught. Again mom, again? A trip to her regular vet transitioned into weekly pilgrimages to the Vetrinary ophthalmologist. Bad news is never easy to hear. Sudden Onset Cataracts. There is no cure. She will soon be totally blind. As we help her make this transition into darkness, sharing what we learn from her will help us cope. Your participation with comments and suggestions will be appreciated. I learn something new from her everyday. Izzy is adapting to her dark, shadowed world much better than I am. Her spirit never wavers. Even as she strains to see the ball, cocks her head to hear the bounce of the rubber ball on the wood floor, she does not give up. She turns in circles sometimes standing directly over the ball and still cannot find it. My heart broke tonight as I threw her favorite rubber ball; a mini orange and blue rubber ball sized perfectly for her tiny mouth. I bounced it on the wood floor, to make a sound she could hear. Running, she crashed into the fireplace, splattered on the floor and without missing a beat turned to me. Come on Mom, throw the ball! She always has a positive attitude and a smile on her face. Her blindness will not slow her down. We may have a few more bumps and bruises to heal, but I believe we will continue to have a happy dog. My mission. Find mini toys for blind small dogs.There are plenty for big dogs, but none for small mouths. If I can't find them, I will make them. I am a Zen Entrepreneur.

Location:SWFL