Staying indoors today

Today, much (all?) of Arizona is getting high winds. Back in Canada when this happens we worry about white-outs in winter, downed trees, and blowing debris which of course, can be extremely dangerous causing accidents, downed power lines and creating property damage and occasional deaths. That happens in AZ too but most of the trees in the desert are not nearly as tall and as large as trees in Canada.  Mind you, if a tall Sahuaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) happens to fall on you, it will kill you because of its weight and the sharp thorns. Instead of white outs, we get 'brown outs" which are dust storms and they can be as dangerous as white-outs when you're driving.

High winds in AZ stir up dust - a LOT of dust - because most of the state lies within a desert and where we happen to live is in the middle of a desert area. The largest dust storms, Haboobs, are forces to be reckoned with.(NOTE: we are NOT getting a Haboob today but take a look at the video to see what one is like.)

September 6th, 2012 Phoenix Haboob/Dust Storm from Mike Olbinski on Vimeo.


Today, we (I) decided against going for a walk and remaining indoors instead.  Wimps?  Uh-uh. While the picture below (taken from our backyard) just looks like they are clouds, they're not.  There are clouds high up but all the stuff at the horizon is dust and the dust is completely obliterating our view of the distant mountains on the R side of this picture.

Why avoid a little dust?  Well, here in AZ, wind storms do a lot more than stir up dust.  They do an excellent job of blowing bacteria and contagious fungi around the air.  During and shortly after the storms, people - and dogs and other pets - are likely to breathe in the contaminated air.  What we do NOT want to inhale are the Valley Fever fungi (Coccidioidomycosis) which can cause serious health issues - fever, chest pain and coughing, among other signs and symptoms. And it is very, very expensive to treat.  Dogs comprise the majority of Valley Fever cases in animals. In 2011 there were 16,472 human cases of Valley Fever statewide, out of a population of  6,553,255. Peronslally I have know of a dog in our neighbourhood that contracted Valley Fever as well as two Vizslas owned by one of my clients in California and two people I know who live in or visited AZ have also inhaled the fungi and have the disease. So on this high winds day, we have opted to stay indoors and snooze and play games.  Better safe than sorry.

Miska's treasures

I suppose the truth really is that Miska is a scavenger although I prefer to refer to her as having a great nose.  She really does have a great nose and is a terrific hunter so I never know what she will find - and bring back to me. On a couple of recent walks in Arizona, she found some bones, 2 femurs and a scapula, which look like they are from wild burros.  We don't have deer in the area - at least I have never spotted any - but we certainly have wild burros and spotted a couple when I was walking the dogs.

Miska with her scapula

Miska guards her treasure from Tyro

Burro femur bone

Wild burros are the descendants of burros released by old time gold and silver prospectors who didn't find these minerals in the area north of Phoenix and so abandoned their animals. These animals surprised everyone by surviving in the desert.  They are now protected on public land and have no natural predators. Sadly, some of them have been deliberately shot and killed by stupid people with guns - a section of society which abounds in Arizona.

Not the usual bird

We get some unusual and not so unusual birds in Arizona as this state is a haven for birds migrating both north to their breeding grounds in Canada and the arctic in spring and south to their winter homes in Central and S. America in fall.  Our ponds in our local community park attract quite a few different species of water fowl.  This year was no exception as we spotted a number of species we hadn't seen before in this locale.  And my dogs do what comes naturally to them - they pointed.

A closer look at the bird - most likely a Great Egret judging by its yellow beak.  There were 4 of them hanging around these ponds for a couple of weeks and now they are gone.

Group point

Tyro, Miska & Diva all locked on point

Sylvilagus audubonii - desert cottontail

This is what my Vizslas were pointing.  See how well these AZ desert cottontail rabbits blend in with the surroundings.

Local wildlife

Arizona is the only state in the United States where parts of the only four deserts in North America can be found: the Great Basin, Mojave, Chihuahuan, and the Sonoran deserts. The Sonoran desert is the largest in AZ and is very rich in plant and wild life.  This means walks with the dogs can be very, very interesting.  Here is a sample of the wildlife my dogs and I have encountered (not always close up, TG) on our walks throughout Anthem AZ & environs.

The ubiquitous cottontail rabbit; they are everywhere & I mean, everywhere! Anytime my dogs spot or smell one, it means coming to a dead stop while they point it.  The thing is, most of the rabbits just stay put! Even if I yell at them to move along, they don't.  Sometimes it means my arms get yanked off as dogs try to go in different directions when they encounter these critters.

The ubiquitous Gambrel's Quail.

These quail are very plentiful - like house sparrows back in Ontario. We have them rousting in a tree at the front of our house. Their melodic call can be heard early in the morning and throughout the day. They are forever dodging traffic to run across roads.They are much prettier than Bobwhite quail.

Bobcat (pic source: http://louisfranklinjonas.blogspot.com/2010_03_01_archive.html)

March 25th was the first time I spotted a Bobcat - in the country club - where sightings have been seen before.  The coloring confused me because the one I saw was quite a dark rust color but I understand their hues can vary. I wondered at first if it was a coyote or a fox but the lack of tail, the small ears and the saunter were clues to me that this was something different, i.e., not a coyote or fox. And it certainly was NOT a mountain lion. It smelled and saw us and decided to move away and wandered across the street and into a wash.

Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus)

Wild burros

Javalina - a collared peccary (source:http://www.gatewaytosedona.com/article/id/379/page/1)

And then there are rattlesnakes.  The dogs & I haven't actually seen one on our walks but when I was on a house tour yesterday with Hubs, we did see one (sans dogs, TG).  It's pictured below and it's a Western Diamondback rattlesnake.  Hubs took this photo and was far too close to it for my comfort.

Wintery weather

After enjoying temperatures in the mid-80's last week, a winter storm from California blew into Arizona last night with some badly needed rain.  Today it also brought something we rarely see in the Phoenix area - hail.  It didn't snow in our locale but higher elevations throughout AZ  are getting snow - LOTS of it.

Diva checks out the frozen pellets

The putting green covered in hail

Diva checking things outside the yard

Happy Campers!

We just returned to Ontario after a 6-month stint wintering in Arizona. Our welcome home was inhospitable: rain, sleet, ice pellets, very chilly temperatures, and strong winds. Quite a dramatic change after the mild winter and early warm spring I was told this province had.

After 4 days of traveling in the van from Arizona to Ontario, our dogs had to endure yet another 2 days being cooped up in our Ontario home due to the foul weather.  But better safe than sorry as a few new trees came down during the wind storm so I was thankful I didn't venture out into the woods.  Finally, the winds subsided and it warmed up ever so slightly on Sunday.  I went to get their blaze orange collars and bells and from that point, the dogs just got so excited! They remembered what this meant. Walkies!!  Actually, "runnies", not walkies.

Apart from several trips to the dog park in Arizona, our dogs' main exercise has been brisk, long leash walks - for some very important reasons.

1. Dangers of cactus everywhere and I mean everywhere! (at least where we live)
2. Very strict leash laws in Maricopa County
3. Huge fines and court appearances if charged for being off leash
4. Potential dangers of coyotes, javalinas, bobcats, and rattlesnakes depending on the time of year and location of our walks.

So imagine their excitement at the prospect of going for a run off leash!  Let's go, let's go, let's GO mom!  Admittedly, I was rather nervous even though I've taken them for runs in our woods for years and years.  I guess I was worried they would be so smitten with being free, that they would quickly disappear into the woods onto fresh scents they hadn't smelled in months.  At least when I walk them on leash, I always have them under control.

To ease my feelings, I did a lot of short recalls while they were in close proximity and this helped.  However, Diva, now almost 2, disappeared twice. The second time she disappeared in the same area and didn't return right away when I blew the whistle and called her name. I called and called. Note to self - work harder on her recalls!!!  Finally she emerged carrying a deer leg in her mouth.  Well, what a coincidence! Miska did exactly the same thing - found a deer leg the first day after our return from Arizona last year! (See http://varazsvizslas.blogspot.com/2009/02/miskas-trophy.html) Like mother, like daughter!  At least I know Diva has a good nose and has already proven herself to to be a good hunter.  Now Diva has to prove herself on her recalls.

Proud Diva with her deer leg treasure

AZ Diaries

From our home in Ontario to our home in Arizona is about 3,594 km or 2,233 miles (one way).  If we were to drive non-stop, it would take us 35 hours.  Of course, that’s impossible for humans and canines to do in one stretch, so the first time we made the trip, we did it in four days.  Why ‘so long’ you might ask?  Not that we are a ‘little older’, we humans find sitting for 9 to 10 hours produces a lot of stiffness so we set that timeframe as our maximum target per day.  And, once outside of Indiana, there are huge stretches of "nothingness" so planning our itinerary was dependent on locating a pet-friendly hotel that didn’t tack on huge surcharges for dogs and somewhere decent to eat.

Our Vizslas have generally always been good travellers.  Over the past 30 years that we’ve been owned by this breed, only one Vizsla, "Buster", was initially a terrible traveller even though he actually loved being in a car.  Buster suffered badly from motion sickness when we acquired him at the age of 16 months, to the point where just sitting in a car without any motion was enough to produce buckets of drool.  However, with the help of Gravol (an anti-nausea drug), it took about two years to desensitize him so that he wouldn’t drool or vomit on any trips. Eventually, he didn’t need any Gravol whatsoever. Of the six puppies Buster sired, a daughter developed similar symptoms but the owners chose to not deal with it and so she never became accustomed to travelling. But since I compete with our dogs in a variety of venues, they ‘have’ to like going in a car and as puppies, I always introduce them to the car in a gradual way.  So it was a bit of a novel development in our current brood that one dog has developed a car anxiety. "Tyro" had been a good traveller for the first year of his life until our 15-year old Vizsla, "Sasha", passed away. Twice a week up to that point, the two of them would accompany each other on a 25 minute trip for their swims at a hydrotherapy spa in Georgetown, ON.  The car never bothered Tyro but soon after Sasha crossed the Rainbow Bridge, I noticed that Tyro would start to pant after only about 5 minutes in a moving vehicle. There was no drool or vomiting, just panting.  Putting him in the front seat made it even worse.  After discussion with my vet, we tried a drug to see whether he was actually feeling nauseous as opposed to anxious, but the drug had no effect on him. 

So the prospect of taking a dog with a car anxiety on a 3,600 Km road trip was very daunting, especially for him.  But being a dog and not a human, he didn’t know what lay in store and couldn’t fret about it beforehand. However, I seriously considered leaving Tyro behind for our two-month stay with a good friend of mine but in the end, decided that a few days of discomfort would hopefully be more than offset by the prospect of being with his people and getting away from the cold, snowy, and icy Canadian winter for two months.  But, what could I do to make Tyro feel less anxious in a moving car?  Since I shape my dogs’ behaviour and use positive reinforcement, I tried ways of making the car positive.  All the methods I used were only successful when the car was not moving.  As soon as it started to move, Tyro would not accept any treats. 

Then I read about the calming properties of lavender oil in Dogs In Canada magazine and decided to try it on Tyro.  Well, I was surprised and delighted to see it actually had a positive effect!  Sprinkling 3 or 4 drops onto his bedding in the car helped him so much that travelling for 25 minutes back and forth for his hydrotherapy sessions almost became non-eventful.  But how would he fare over the course of 3,600 Km., in a moving vehicle for 9 to 10 hours per day?  Given how much time dogs spend sleeping, I was certain he would not be able to stay awake for an entire day and would eventually fall asleep.

Well, we just had to bite the bullet and hope that the lavender oil would do the trick.  And it did for about three to four hours before needing more.  It definitely helped to reduce Tyro’s anxiety but it never completely eliminated it because during the time we were in motion, Tyro never slept. The girls would be passed out in their crates for most of the daily journey, but Tyro always had his head up, eyes half-open for the entire time in the car.  I tried putting a Bowsers Donut Bed in Tyro’s crate, hoping that he might at least rest his head. He came close several times but never chilled out enough to drop off to sleep. So, it was never very long after we checked into a hotel each night that Tyro would pass out cold for the night.

While in the US, I was able to purchase two spray bottles of DAP (Dog Appeasing Pheromone) which has some scientific basis as a calming agent in canines.  I hoped this might be the panacea for Tyro but it wasn’t as successful at reducing his anxiety as the lavender oil. (DAP is available in Canada but only through a veterinarian.) In the end, I hope Tyro agrees that the discomfort of being in a car for the long journey to our winter home in Arizona is worth the four-day drive to be with his people and to experience mild winters!

Below: Diva getting acclimatized to her new home in AZ.

No human furniture yet but the dogs,
Tyro & Diva, have their Bowser's Beds to sleep on.

Diva  (below) exploring the new dog park.

Paws up for winter in AZ

Our hu-mom took us to the dog park yesterday and today. She says we have to leave tomorrow to return home to Ontario so wanted us to have lots of exercise before departing 'cause we will be in the van about 9 hr/day. It was hot, even though the temperature was only 71 deg. when we went out this morning. At home, that would just be warm but because it's so sunny with so little wind, it sure feels hot here. Mom is sad that it's going to be hot all week just as we're leaving Arizona because it's cold and still snowy at home in Canada where we live.

We had a really good time at the dog park and no dogs were mean or growly to Tyro. My mom, Nova, and I (Miska) pointed the song birds because there are no game birds at the dog park while Diva chased a ball or was chased by other dogs or began a game of chase and Tyro just hung out and joined in the chase games. It's a good thing there's fresh water here because we needed lots. Yesterday, a boxer kept standing in the water basin and getting it dirty so our hu-mom or someone else's hu-mom or dad would empty and refill it. It would stay clean until the Boxer came back.

After we got home, we relaxed in the garden by the pool, soaking up the rays. Surprisingly, there are very few flies or insects here so Mom can leave the patio doors open.




We Vizslas had lots of fun here in Arizona. Sure beats having to dress up in winter jackets and sweaters to go outside. Of course we do miss running through the woods off leash but we'll get to do that soon when we get home. Our humans have already been searching for another rental property for next year. This afternoon they are going to view a house that sits on an acre of land - just for us. They are so thoughtful, aren't they? We're keeping our paws crossed!

Finding a pet friendly rental home

Having decided to venture to Arizona meant finding a pet-friendly rental home that would accept 4 Vizslas. Yikes! I know it's hard finding places that will accept animals because there are a lot of irresponsible pet owners out there. I found that most landlords only accept 2 (small) dogs. I had 4 Vizslas I wanted to bring. Would I find the perfect place?

I found a few websites for rental homes but many restricted the number and size of dogs they would accept. Interestingly, when I was able to talk to prospective landlords on the phone and told them that our dogs are show dogs and that they train and compete in obedience events, and they travel with me to hotels & so have to be well behaved - which is all true - that made a big difference. Landlords generally became more open to hosting us and our dogs. Of course, they had to accept my word on face value but it did ease some initial potential resistances. I wanted to be honest with these people about our dogs but I also didn't want to be turned down.

In the end, I found a great pet friendly home in Glendale AZ. It even has a pet door. My dogs are not used to a pet door and quite frankly, I prefer to supervise their coming and going because I want to teach my dogs not to go through a door without permission. I need to know what they are doing outdoors, especially because this home has a pool. I don't have a high opinion of pet doors. I lump them in with Flexis. (I've got my flame suit on, just in case.) I also watch what my dogs do outdoors. I don't want them eating stuff they shouldn't and I also don't want them barking unwarranted. My dogs aren't used to living in a city so I wasn't sure what to expect. It will all be a new experience for all of us. Can't wait to get to Arizona!