Ella and Francisco

It was not long after Katya came into our humble home that she needed some medical attention. Katya had a case of puppy pyo (a small staph infection), a little mange around one eye, and a wound on her tail that the vet determined might require amputation of the tip. The treatment for the infection was easy; oral antibiotic once a day and apply antibiotic ointment twice a day to her hot spots on her belly. And the mange required a little cream once a day.
The tail was another matter entirely. The vet initially bandaged her tail to see if it would heal on its own. When we returned a week later, the vet wanted to put her on the antibiotic for both the puppy pyro and the tail. He also advised us that we should give Katya hydrotherapy for her tail; basically, put the tail under running water twice a day for ten minutes. The running water apparently promotes skin growth around the wound. Sounds easy enough but along with the antibiotic ointment and the mange cream, we now had to drag our little girl into the scary bath tub and force her to sit still for ten minutes while we held her tail under the tap, twice a day. Additionally, she had to wear a plastic cone so she wouldn’t pick at her tail or her hotspots.

If dogs could write journals, I would not want to read her entries during this fussy time when her masters seemed to be obsessed with topical creams and bathing her tail. Katya began communicating her displeasure about her medical treament by:

• Dragging her plastic cone across every wall in the house producing a horrible tearing sound
• Using the cone as a means to scoop up dirt in the backyard and bring it into the house
• Jumping into and lying on the ferns and other delicate plants in the backyard, thereby crushing them
• Splaying out spread-eagled on the floor so we couldn’t pick her up and place her in the tub (I call this maneuver her anti-hydrotherapy defensive posture)
• Farting

Ella and I quickly found some toys and activities that seem to put her in a better mood. These include:

• Walks
• Roofball (throwing a tennis ball on the roof and waiting for it to come back down so she can jump and catch it)
• Belly rubs
• The Kong (a little rubber ball that contains a compartment in which we place a treat so she can try and fish it out with her tongue and teeth)

After two weeks of struggling with Katya to avoid surgery on her tail and clear up her puppy pyro and mange we finally took her to the vet today to determine if the treatments were a success. I told Ella before we met Dr. Newton that if it turned out Katya would still require surgery, I could not be held responsible for my actions. I instructed Ella to hold me back, and if need be, to slap the cone on me.

Lucky for everyone, Dr. Newton is an animal genius because the hydrotherapy fixed her tail without the need for surgery. Today, Katya is a healthy, hot spot-free, tail-wagging maniac.

Our family has grown by 16%! We adopted a dog in November from Austin Dog Rescue. It happened one Saturday morning when we decided to check out a dog adoption event in downtown Austin at Lofty Dog. Ella and I had been searching for a dog to call our own for a few months. We had visited the Town Lake dog shelter, the Austin SPCA, and attended events sponsored by Blue Dog Rescue. We liked a few dogs we met but never fell head-over-heels for any one candidate.

From the moment Katya smelled my hand and wagged her tail it was game over. She was all snowy white with a tan colored face that said “Take me home and spend gobs of money on me at Petsmart.” It didn’t hurt that her foster parents, Julie and Brad, did an excellent job of promoting her easy-going and loving personality. Ella remembers that Brad commented on how Katya reminded him of his childhood dog, and indeed, Katya’s personality reminds me of one of our family dogs named Sofia.
We got home that afternoon and filled out the long application on their website. That evening we received an email from the organization director, and later, from Julie and Brad to set up a meet. The following Thursday they came by with Katya and after some conversation, Brad asked “Well, are you ready to take Katya this evening?” We had not expected that we would be allowed to take her that night, and thinking that Ella would want to wait until the weekend I started to stammer out a response. I turned to Ella and before I could say “What do you think?” she was nodding her head and saying “Yes!”. Julie and Brad said a heartfelt goodbye to their foster dog, clearly sad to see her go but happy that she found a home.

That night Ella and I went to Petsmart and purchased a crate, dog food, treats, food dishes, and a few other items. We have been rushing home every night after work since that night to be with our dog. Katya is a mixed-breed Pyrenees/Collie. She is very submissive, loving, and so far has barked only to warn us that our roof ‘possum was threatening the integrity of her new home and family.

We want to say how grateful we are to Austin Dog Rescue for rescuing Katya from the mean streets and to Brad and Julie for caring for her. She has been a great companion and adds a lot of love to our home.

This year for our wedding anniversary Ella and I spent the day at Mandola’s Winery in Driftwood, TX. Central Texas has a burgeoning wine country and we selected Mandola’s because of the beautiful pictures on their web site and they have a nice outdoor Italian restaurant. The winery began only a few years ago so their stock is low and consists mostly of wine made from grapes from other nearby wineries. Eventually they intend to import wine varieties from Europe and in 5 years hope to have their own blends. We toured their wine pressing and maturing facility, learned a little about wine-making, then bought a bottle to enjoy with our meal.

The atmosphere evokes a Tuscan setting, with lots of Italian folk music and, of course, Sinatra, wafting throughout the grounds. I don’t know if it was because it’s a 40 minute drive outside of Austin or the spectacular setting, but we felt like we had flown somewhere and forgot about work and home for the day. Our dinner was wonderful, culminating in a dessert of Italian donuts with honey (Woohoo!).

As our friend John put it, “Look who’s rockin’ the Austin Winter League flyer!”

Ella and I are playing ultimate Frisbee on Sundays in December, January, and February. This is a fun league started by our good friend Gary who has incorporated many fun elements like food, beverages, and a weekly showcase game that everyone can watch while enjoying the food and the day. Last year’s theme for team names was Classic Rock and Roll. My team was called “Deep Purple Lays”. This year’s theme is the TV show “the Office”. I’m hoping for “Wrestle with Fear” or “So Shall I Plant my Seed in You” or “I Hope It’s Urine”.

In case you’re interested, the web site for winter league is:

http://www.austinultimate.org/winterleague2008/

A new member of the clan has arrived. Our niece Aubrey was born on July 16, 2007. Follow the link to see pictures of the baby girl and her proud parents.

Aubrey Nicole

Crystal, Brian, and Aubrey Nicole

Ready for the Photo Shoot

Tita Ella and Aubrey Nicole

Back in June Ella and I went to Michigan for Eli’s, my father-in-law, 60th birthday party. Myrna, my mother-in-law, organized a secret birthday party at Hong Hua, a great Chinese Restaurant in Farmington Hills. I can attest that my father-in-law was truly surprised. I followed him into the banquet room where he first noticed the immediate family at a big table. Then I saw his eyes widen as he took in the three extra larger tables of additional rowdy attendees, realizing that his party was a lot bigger than he previously understood.

Ella and I had just flown in a couple hours before the big dinner. My mother-in-law warned us not to eat anything that day, and when I get this kind of warning from one of Ella’s family, I take it to heart. The pictures below of each course do not do justice to the deliciousness and presentation of each course. What a great time! My tummy was happy for many months, and severely misses the non-stop entree action of that evening.

The Onion has broken a story that just happens to dovetail nicely with my earlier post concerning the demonic breed of dog known as the pug. According to this highly respected newspaper, the 2007 model of pug is being recalled by the American Pug Breeders Association. Check out the link…

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/dog_breeders_issue_massive_recall

To me, the revelation is not that pugs are defective. I mean, one look tells you that this is not a highly efficient running bio-organism. What floored me was finding out there is an American Pug Breeders Association. Who is dedicating their time to pair up two sickly dogs hoping that their unholy union will usher forth a new generation? And then creating membership cards that certify that they have reached a high level of proficiency in this practice?

My mind is blown.

In any case, be sure to view the slideshow in the article showcasing pictures of real pugs and their defective features. The captions are hilarious!

A couple weekends ago we had our grimy carpets and old vinyl flooring removed from our three bedrooms and the kitchen. In their place we stained the concrete slab underneath, a trendy practice here in Austin. The results: FABULOUS! Now, despite some chilly moments rolling out of bed onto concrete, we have new floors befitting our southwestern locale.

Ella and I spent an incredible two weeks in Mexico City thanks to my Dad, Luz-Maria, and her family. This was Ella’s first time in Mexico and as you can see from the gallery below she made the most of the trip by trying everything: food, drink, sites, and more food. Being the considerate man that I am, I couldn’t let her embark on all these sights, sounds, and food by herself. Especially the food.

 

For the full set of photos check out the entire album below.

This summer Ella and I were invited to a fabulous dinner hosted by our good friends Amber and Imants. Imants is from Minneapolis, so when we met here in Austin we became instant friends, donchano. Whenever we see each other we talk about our favorite Minnesota restaurants, and of course, the Minnesota weather.

Amber and Imants were babysitting doggies that night. They had their own, Murphy, as well as a pug and small mixed breed dog. I became instantly fascinated by the pug, and as the evening wore on, I became convinced this dog was evil. I mean, look at it:

The dog knew I was aware of its evil intentions, so it mesmerized me with its bulging devil dog eyes. Behold the mesmerization:

The dog looked into my mind and after rummaging around realized their was nothing there that would be useful for its nefarious schemes. He released his hold and I snapped back awake just in time for dessert. The other small mixed breed dog was of no help, being intensly occupied by other matters:

Eventually things simmered down and we had a great time talking, eating, and keeping an eye on all the doggie activity.