Zendyle's Easter Photo 2011

Good Dog Zendyle

Zendyle is a working dog.  He loves his work and he is good at it.  It’s been almost two years since he arrived from Texas.  I had no idea what his journey with us would be, but I hoped he would want to be a Therapy Dog.  He did. 

Zendyle also loves children, so most of our Therapy Dog work is with children.  Today was our day to visit.  We volunteer at a local hospital, specifically the children’s psychiatric unit.  I always make sure that Zendyle is dressed in festive attire; it helps to brighten the day. 

The kids always want to know how old he is, what he likes to eat, does he have a sister.  He knows how to work a room and reaches out to all the kids.  He loves attention, so being a Therapy Dog is a natural fit for him.  He does not know many tricks…my fault…I really do need to work on that.  He does know to lay down when I say “What are you going to do for me?” He also knows how to do a “Belly Up”…roll on his back with his belly in the air.  He loves to roll on his back so he can get belly rubs!

Today I was telling the kids that he is a working dog and one little girl said “His job is to come to the hospital and visit kids and he is good at it!”  It is moments like these that remind me that Zendyle’s journey really is to be a Therapy Dog.  And, yes he is good at it.

Food

I love food, some people call me a foodie, but I am not so sure I want to be labeled as such.  My journey with food began at birth as I come from a long line of people who love food!  These days, my journey is finding balance with food.  I want to continue to enjoy a wide variety of foods and lately have been reminded of something my Noni used to say “you don’t need to be on a diet, you should eat everything”   I agree!  I also know that she meant to eat everything in moderation.  I decided that this year would be the beginning of becoming my personal best.  Exactly what that meant, I did not know when the calendar flipped to 2011, but I did know it would be true.  I began to consider my lifestyle.  I was eating healthy and I was walking daily (with my dogs), but it wasn’t enough.  I wanted something better for myself. Change….was going to happen. 

The thing about food is that it is essential. You need food to survive.  Food is fuel for your body.  Some people really do see food as fuel for their body….and that’s it.  At times, I wished I was one of those people.  I thought it would be so simple: food = fuel.  I could just calculate how much fuel my body needed and be done with it.  Well, for me it was not that simple…..I love food.  I love thinking about it, I love preparing it and I love eating it.  So, for me it is more than just fuel. 

I grew up eating real food and by real food, I mean food that was prepared in our home.  We had a garden in our yard that grew the most wonderful vegetables and herbs.  Tomatoes so red and sweet that we would eat them like apples.  Green beans that when snapped would squirt a sweet juice in your eye.  Zucchini, summer squash, peppers, cucumbers, basil…..such an array of color.  We ate from the garden, it nourished us.  Meals were prepared from fresh ingredients and we ate simply. 

These days, I find myself thinking of a lot about how my grandparents ate and am taking a page from their book.  Of course, I am making it my own and that’s what this is all about.  Finding the balance, figuring out what works for me.  I think it will be an interesting journey.

The ZKIDS

I have a confession to make….I am one of those weird dog people…I wasn’t born that way…in my prior life I made fun of those weird dog people.   Then I became one of those weird dog people.  It was not planned….who plans these things anyway?  Don’t get me wrong…I always liked dogs, I just never envisioned having one.  Now, I could not imagine my life without my dogs.  So, when did this weirdness begin?  In 1992, a very adorable puppy came into my life.  It was supposed to be a temporary situation.  I called him “Dog” for the first several weeks.  Then I began to think of names, which for me is a process.  I figured that I couldn’t keep calling him “Dog”.  After much deliberation, I settled on Zachary.  So began my love affair with rottweilers and my ZKids. 

Currently, I share my life with Zoleigh and Zendyle.  Zachary went to the Rainbow bridge on 25 September 2004 and Zayne joined him on 30 March 2009. 

I’ve been sharing my life with dogs for almost two decades.  Each of my dogs has taught me something and all have given me gifts.

Zachary…the love affair begins….

As I wrote earlier, in my prior life I was not a dog person.  I liked dogs, but I was not a dog person.  So when I went to my Dad’s house to see the puppies, I had no intention of bringing one home.  I did not know anything about dogs…..less about puppies.  They were cute and soft…but so are some babies.  The puppies were so adorable and my Dad appeared to have his hands full…so I figured I would help him out by taking one of the puppies home…just until he found the right home of course.  That was my intention.  I would not get attached to the cute ball of fur with the big paws.  I was merely volunteering to take care of him…until the right home was found.  I did not name him…that would have been too personal.  I just called him “dog” for a few weeks.  He seemed to follow me everywhere….he was like my shadow…come to think of it, I wonder why I didn’t call him shadow?  Hmm… I should mention that I was unemployed that summer….which may have been the reason I spent so much time with the puppy.   He was one smart puppy….he knew what he was doing….helping me to bond with him.  Since no one was interested in him…I thought I should name him….I really couldn’t keep calling him “dog”.  I made lists and more lists. I think lists are my favorite things to make….I make them all the time.  I made lists of all kinds of names...human names…no real dog names.  There was no “Spot” or “Buddy” on my list.  After endless deliberation, I settled on Zachary.  It was a strong name and it suited him. 

Zachary was a city dog for the first six years of his life.  We lived in an apartment and we walked the city streets.  I knew nothing about dogs and less about Rottweilers.  In some ways, this was a good thing.  I was open to the experience.  I read books, went to classes and observed.  Reading gave me some knowledge, but the real learning occurred every day.  Zachary was a good teacher.  He taught me about living in the moment and how to find joy in each day.  He taught me about people and helped me to see the good and not so good in people.  I was blessed to share my life with him for over twelve years.

Zayne…the boy who would not be in Zachary’s shadow.  After Zachary's passing, I knew I would get another dog, but I was concerned that I would compare him to Zachary.  So, I waited.  I waited for over a year until I could not wait any longer.  I missed having a dog.  So, I began my search.  I went online to see what the local rottweiler rescue groups had and there he was....a Katrina survivor.  While Hurricane Katrina brought him north, he was always meant to come to me.  He was larger than life and lived with such zeal.  He had a way of entering a room that managed to captivate everyone.  He had boundless energy and lived a lifetime in his four short years.  He was an old soul, with grace and wisdom he made many friends.   It was clear that he did not want to be an only dog like Zachary was…..so he helped us find Zoleigh.

Zoleigh is my sunshine.  She adores me with all that she has.  She is the dog I can cuddle with endlessly, waits for me to go down the stairs, sits patiently while I prepare her meals…and she is without a doubt, the smartest.  Zoleigh’s world is very small.  She needs it to be.  She’s been with us for almost five years.  We’ve tried many things to help her.  I wanted her to be able to enjoy life as my boys have….to be able to run and romp with other dogs, to enjoy the company of other people.  But, these were my ideas of her enjoying life…not hers.  I finally get it…she does enjoy life…on her terms.  She’s happy being home.  She’s happy with her canine brother.  She’s happy with her family.  That’s what she wants.  I am at peace with it.

 Zendyle is easy going, confident….in many ways the culmination of all my dreams for a dog.  After Zayne’s sudden passing, I was not sure we would get another dog.  Zoleigh is reluctant to accept other dogs, but she was quite bereft after the loss of Zayne, so we looked for another canine brother for her.  We found this Texas native who needed a good home and decided to let Zoleigh see if she was okay with him.  Within minutes of their meeting, she was doing her wiggly butt, happy dance….so it was a go!  I feel so blessed to have him in my life.  He is a certified Therapy Dog who works primarily with children.   Zendyle needs his own “Paw Pilot”  His social calendar rivals some people I know.  I don’t have a social calendar as his keeps me busy enough!

I never imagined having a dog when I was a kid.  I lived in the city and my mom was clearly not a dog person.  Actually…and I know this is hard to believe, but I was afraid of dogs.  You see, there was this shepherd that lived on my street…Butch…he was big and he barked a lot…and I was afraid of him.  Looking back, I feel sad about that.  Butch was probably a great dog, but I did not know anything about dogs at that time.  I wish I did, because I might have enjoyed Butch.  Now that I am an adult, and have dogs, I feel that it’s important for my dogs to be ambassadors…and one way is for them to become a therapy dogs.  So many impressions are made during our childhood.  I believe that a good therapy dog can help create a positive association  with dogs.

I will be sharing lots of stories about my ZKIDS on this blog….some will be past stories as there are many to tell.  I will  also be sharing the continued adventures. 

Change is coming

Change….2011 was here….had been for a few weeks.  I had been thinking about my resolution of sorts.  Not really a resolution, because I see those as temporary and fleeting.  This change was going to be neither temporary nor fleeting.  Ok, so should I join a gym?  What would I do at a gym, treadmill, weights, aerobics?  What gym would I join?  How much time did I have to go to a gym?  I took a realistic look at my situation. I was already spending about ninety minutes walking the dogs.  Did I really have an additional ninety minutes to go to and from a gym and do a workout?  This was beginning to stress me.  I could not forego my dogs exercise, but time was a factor. 


While I continued to consider all this, we here in the Northeast began to experience a very snowy winter. It seemed to snow every other day.  Walking the dogs was becoming a real challenge.  Trudging through snow that was up to my thigh was not fun.  I started to think that maybe I should order some snowshoes.  Now, I have never tried snowshoeing,  but was willing to give it a try.  So, online I go to check out snowshoes.  So many styles and colors.  Hmm….for days, I would check out snowshoes.  Back and forth about the style and color. 


January 25^th…I will remember that day.  My husband was out running an errand and came home announcing he had something for me.  I was not sure if I should be elated or worried.  You see, my husband is a shopper and will often bring things home.  I know, most women would be thrilled, and it’s not that I am not happy about what he brings me, I am just a bit frugal...and we will leave it at that.   He was so excited as he came into our home office.  “Check this out, I got the last pair they had!”  Last pair of what I wondered?  “Snowshoes!”   What?  You bought me snowshoes?  “I was looking online for them”….”yes, I know.”   You see, I would have spent the rest of the winter looking and thinking about ordering them….that’s just the way I roll…I will ponder a purchase forever. 


Ok, so I have snowshoes now.  John gave me a quick how too and said I would be fine.  Really? 

January 26^th…here I go!  Off to the farm I went with Zendyle.  I just knew he would enjoy being my snowshoeing buddy….and this is what I love about dogs….they don’t really tell you otherwise….how perfect is that?  The thing is that dogs really do want to please their human.  It was a clear cold day.  The snow cover was several feet deep at this point and most people and dogs had stopped coming to the farm.  The only people I saw were those who cross country skied or snowshoed (sp).  Zendyle and I had the farm to ourselves….no witnesses to my attempt at snowshoeing I thought.  Putting on my snowshoes was fairly straight forward.  Ok, snowshoes on and poles at my side….one foot in front of the other.   Well, not quite in front of the other, more like a wide waddle of sorts.  Off we went…..meandering though the snow….