January 31, 2012

Ranger zaps off-leash dog walker with shock gun

"A Montara man walking two lapdogs off leash was hit with an electric-shock gun by a National Park Service ranger after allegedly giving a false name and trying to walk away, authorities said Monday."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/01/30/MN921N0LQT.DTL

I'd say this was just a *little* excessive for someone walking two small dogs off-leash!

It's a good reminder to us all - make sure your dog has a solid recall so you can quickly snap their leash on if a ranger/sheriff approaches you at a park.

January 30, 2012

Banana & Peanut Butter Frozen Yogurt!

We were buying yƶghund frozen yogurt treats for Riley at Pet Food Express, but were not too happy at the $2 per treat price tag! My mom suggested we make our own, so she found us a recipe online and Riley absolutely loves it! The cost-per-treat when you do them yourself is only about $0.30. Here is the recipe we used:

Banana & Peanut Butter Frozen Yogurt for Dogs

Yields 24 servings
  Ingredients:

- 32 ounces greek yogurt
- 6 heaping tablespoons peanut butter
- 3 medium bananas

In a blender or food processor puree together all ingredients. Distribute evenly in two 12-cup silicone muffin pans (or alternatively standard metal muffin pans in which the cups have been lined with paper cups for easy removal). I highly recommend the Sur La Table Nonstick Standard Muffin Pan. Freeze for 6-8 hours until firm and transfer to a freezer-safe storage bag or container.

http://pink-apron.com/2010/07/banana-peanut-butter-frozen-yogurt-for-dogs/

We used greek yogurt instead of the plain, fat-free yogurt that the original recipe calls for. If you freeze the yogurt as we did inside paper muffin cups, you will have to set the pan on a cookie sheet filled with hot water for a few seconds to get the yogurt cups to come loose so you can bag them.

I think this would also be great to freeze inside of a Kong for teething puppies!


January 26, 2012

Vizsla Water Zoomies

Riley always tends to go a little nuts around water and gets what we like to call the "zoomies" or the "crazies". Here is an example of her typical reaction to water. This was filmed on a hike this morning at Santa Teresa Park. :)

January 24, 2012

Riley - antique style

I edited this pic Reuben took today in an effort to make it look like some of the old black & white Vizsla pics I've seen on the internet. What do you think? :)

"Hyper"

I am SO tired of hearing people call Vizslas "hyper"... especially because most of them don't even own a Vizsla. People say all the time "Oh, you have a Vizsla? Aren't they really hyper dogs?" NO! They are not "hyper".

Hyper (merriam-webster definition):

    1: high-strung, excitable; also : highly excited
    2: extremely active 
 
High-strung (m-w):
 
    1 : having an extremely nervous or sensitive temperament 
 
If you have an "extremely nervous" Vizsla, that is the product of bad breeding and not the norm. Yes, Vizslas are an extremely active dog, so I guess 1/2 of the definition of hyper is true, but they are not (and should not) be high-strung. Does Riley need a ton of exercise? Of course! Is she out of control all the time? Definitely not. Most people only see her out and about running around like a lunatic... but that is how she exercises. It's difficult to pry her off your lap at home and aside from the occasional cat chase she tends to be pretty laid-back in the house. I guess only V owners know the truth... the V is NOT "hyper", but definitely needs to burn off energy to be a happy pup at home. :)
 
Now, having said all that, I would not recommend this breed to anyone who is not willing/able to get their butt off the sofa and exercise their dog for 1-2 hours a day minimum.  
 
 

January 23, 2012

5 months! Hike @ Santa Teresa

Riley is exactly 5 months old today and she is becoming quite a little lady... errrrmmm... tomboy! She went on a hike with Reuben today in the Santa Teresa hills and here is a link to a video of her running like a crazy V and having fun:





January 15, 2012

Nail polish

I painted Riley's nails with OPI polish while she was asleep. My husband is mortified, but I think it is adorable. I told him that Riley can be girly and tough!

19 weeks old!

Our baby is 19 weeks tomorrow (4 3/4 months old) and she is growing both physically and in maturity level. Our first search and rescue training was yesterday. We played a few "find me" games and she did very well! Today was the V walk at Point Pinole and tomorrow we are going to the beach. Life is busy with a Vizsla!

January 12, 2012

Pointing

Riley loves to point at birds in the yard and I was FINALLY able to get a pic this morning!

January 7, 2012

Growing up

Riley @ 9 weeks and at (almost) 18 weeks. She's getting so big!!!

January 5, 2012

Vizsla - dating chaperone?

A picture is worth a thousand words... here you see my sister and her boyfriend attempting to cuddle...

Kong Wobbler

We're trying out the Kong Wobbler as our new method of feeding Riley. We hope it will provide some more mental stimulation and keep her active little mind occupied!

January 3, 2012

Slobber... @_@

I've noticed recently Riley has started frothing at the mouth when she gets really excited and is running. It's not very "princess" like, but that's okay, we still love her. :P I'll have to get a pic of it to post. It's pretty funny when it starts getting stringy and hanging out of her mouth as she runs.

I can't wait until the weekend! It seems like my weekdays are spent just surviving the mundane, everyday stuff, but the weekends just whiz by with our off-leash adventures. Riley has given me a new appreciation for my days off!

January 2, 2012

Beach day

Riley had a fun day at the beach - digging for sand crabs and playing with other doggies. She's passed out on her bed now. :)

January 1, 2012

New Years V Walk!

Riley had a wonderful walk today... she even shared a stick with the big dogs!