Gator

I've come to realize that Royal is part alligator.

See the resemblence?

That's Royal on the bottom.

During his first week home, our trainer gave him the name 'furry alligator' because of his tendency to snap.....at fingers, noses, toys.....anything really. And although he hasn't bitten anyone or anything in months, the name has stuck. He'll always be my 'gator'.

But it wasn't until summer that I realized just how much 'gator' Royal has in him.

Despite his rocky introduction to swimming, Royal has taken to the water like....well....a gator.

He absolutely loves it....we literally can't keep him out of the water.

Royal was born to be a gator.

Don't Mess With Momma

We recently discovered a baby deer living in some tall grass just outside my parents' backyard.

Normally, its a peaceful little plot of land by the lake. Not a bad place for Bambi to grow up.

But on Memorial Day weekend.....not so much.

This is what happened when Momma came to check on her baby and realized three Vizslas had moved in next door......

It was a standoff.

We were shocked that the normally skittish deer would approach two hunting dogs. Two dogs who, in their 3 short years on this earth, have caught and killed rabbits, possums, and a raccoon.

But this momma was undaunted. She approached the fence and gave Colt the evil eye.

Colt replied in kind.

And where, you ask, was my puppy during this showdown?

Laying on the porch.

'What....did I miss something??'

Learning to Swim: Success!

After our first (unsuccessful) attempt at getting Royal to swim, I decided to purchase a life jacket....for my dog.

Please note:

(1) Yes, I am aware most dogs instinctively know how to swim

(2) I used to think clothing of any type on a dog, especially a sporting dog, was ridiculous.

(3) I am making an exception for the life jacket only. There are no rain slickers or winter sweaters in my dog's future.

(4) The life jacket is totally adorable.


And, laugh as you may, the life jacket helped give my puppy the courage to jump off our dock and into the lake.



And he hasn't gotten out since.


Seriously.....we can't keep him out of our pool or the lake. He absolutely loves it.



And while I only managed to keep my puppy in the life jacket for about 10 minutes, it was $8 well spent.