Taking It Easy

Well cyber paw pals, Dad spent the entire week at home and did stuff around the house.  It was nice to have him around, though it did interfere with our usual nap times.  It is one of the big tourist weeks in Key West, and Dad doesn't like to have to deal with all the traffic, especially since there is a lot of road construction. 

Essex Resting On The Couch

Below is a video that our breeder Mom, Lil, made of a bunch of our relatives at play at Holmhaven this June.  If you click on the picture it will take you to the video.  Dad was trying to get the You Tube link to work, but silly Dad had problems.  BOL 


 

Click on the Picture to Watch Holmhaven Collies at Play

On different note, today is the eight year anniversary that Herricane Wilma.  Essex says that a lot of things changed because of that storm.  Like all the carpet was torn up and thrown out.  Essex kept Dad sane while he was throwing stuff out that was damaged due to the storm surge.  Below is a picture of the pool that used to be in our backyard.  Sherman never saw the pool as the gremlins were at work while Essex, Sherman and Dad were all asleep back in September 2010.  Those pesky gremlins made one side of the pool burst open and all the water came rushing out.  The black line to the left of Essex marks how high the flood water came up on the pool

Essex By the Pool

Dog Speed,

Essex & Sherman

Memories and Waiting on Isaac

Today a good man crossed the rainbow bridge.  The man was the first on the moon, an astronaut and an aviator.  He did much to make Americans proud and we are sure he is watching over his two sons.  We can see him chatting with his father and playing with the dogs that waited for their hooman to cross.  We thank him for giving us a moment in time when the world seem to stand still and hold it's breath.  We will never forget it.

We know many of you are wondering about us.  We are going to hunker down in our home.  The storm shutters are up and the yard is clear.  We are six feet above sea level, and the storm surge is predicted to be only two feet.  We have sat through category one herricanes and tropical storms before.  Essex sat home alone during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 until they finally let Dad go from work and he made it home through flooded streets.  Then there was rain from Herricane Gustave and Tropical Storm Fay in 2008.  We aren't fond of this time of fear, but Isaac is storm we believe our best course of action is waiting out at home. 


Projected Path of Isaac

This morning around 530 – 600 we went for our walk.  We heard the rumbling of thunder and he checked the radar weather map in cyber paw space before our walk.  When ever we start going east or south, we can see flashes in the sky and hear the rumble.  It reminded Dad of a slow steady artillery barrage.  Dog Dad thinks of Grand-Paw and the Hurtgen Forest.  
  
We will keep post tomorrow as long as we have power and access to computer lines.  Don't worry, we will be careful. 

Dog Speed,

Essex, Sherman and Dog Dad
 
   

Remembering Herricane Andrew

Let's take a trip in the WABAC Machine.  The dial is set back to 1992, the place Homestead, Florida.  (Great Great) Great GrandPa Rex (Holmaven Golden Rex) is only five years old.  (Great Great) Grand Pa Jason (Holmhaven King's Gold) and his brother Bobby are not even born yet.  People who read our early posts will remember the pawsome letters Great Uncle Bobby sent to Essex and Deacon.  As for our kindly Dog Dad, he is stationed half way across the world in South Korea.


(Great Great) Great GrandPa Rex

Hurricane Andrew from Wikipedia

Around 5 PM on 24 August 1992 Andrew decimated the city of Homestead, Florida.  In it's wake people died, the emergency services were maxed out.  Many pilots where Dad is stationed are worried about their family and friends living in Homestead.  Dog Dad wasn't overwhelmed with news coverage, as only CNN covered the story.  At the time it was the costliest Herricane of all time.  It was later surpassed by Katrina and Ivan.

When Dad moved to Florida in 1997, the damage from the Andrew was still visible in the city of Homestead.  He heard stories from co-workers.  Dog Dad has a great respect for the forces of mother nature.  He will not knowingly put the pack in harms way.  Tropical Storm Isaac promises to shake things up but we should be safe in our home.

We'll post tomorrow about Isaac.

Stay Safe and Dog Speed

Essex & Sherman

Reading Palm Fronds

Essex has lived in Key West since December 2003 and Dog Dad even longer.  They have seen tons of coconuts, but never before have they seen this strange green growth coming from a coconut.  At first we thought it was an alien space ship, right out of the twilight zone.  Dad, chuckled and told us it was a baby palm tree trying to grow.  It sure is amazing to look at cyber-paw pals.

An Alien Spacecraft or Baby Palm Tree?

Essex is Busy Reading Palm Fronds.

We are watching tropical storm Isaac.  Dad keeps muttering something about the "Love Boat," we think he has went a little wacky.  Essex on the other hand is reading palm fronds to find out what Tropical Storm Isaac will do.   She predicts that we should watch the weather channel.

In the meanwhile, stay tuned, same Collie channel, same collie station and we will let you know what we are going to do.

Sherman Stays Tuned

Dog Speed,

Essex & Sherman

Collieween 2010

We hope everyone had a Happy Collieween. Once again there will be all kinds of little children wandering our streets.

This Collieween we are keeping an eye on Herricane Tomas out in the Caribbean Sea. The words major herricane send even trolls and hobgoblins running for cover. We hope that every person and paw will be safe, but we think Tomas has other ideas. Tomas sure looks like a witches brew and we hope that Tomas has no tricks in store for us.

Projected path of Herricane Tomas

Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanograpy Center

Dog Speed,

Essex & Deacon

Wilma Plus Five

Dog Dad and Essex were remembering Wilma today and yesterday. A lot has changed at our home since then. Her and Dad barked about stinky carpets, all the stuff they had to throw out.

They remarked on how things have changed for us. How the back fence had to be replaced, the pool bursting, the new counter tops, tiled floors. The looked at me and asked what we the best change. A smile came over their faces, when they said "Why the best change in our home was having you, Deacon, joining our family.

Dog Speed cyber-paw pals,

Deacon

2008 Review

We wish all our cyber-paw pals a barky New Year. We hope 2009, the Year of the Ox is much better than 2008. We look forward to a pawsome 2009. For us 2008 was a star-crossed year. We went through some of life’s rough spots, but there was some good things too. Now the Key West Collies recap 2008.
= = = = = = = = =

18 January – We head on an emergency road trip north to Ohio.
20 January – We play in the snow for the first time.

Essex the Snow Queen

21 January – Grand Maw crosses the rainbow bridge.
22 March – Great (Great) Uncle Bobby Crosses Rainbow Bridge.

Great (Great) Uncle Bobby

23 March – The Dog Hero of Santiago, Chile: An unknown dog pulls another dog from a highway after it was struck in traffic. We first see the story in December.
29 April – Sun Halo over Key West.
10 June – One Year Blog Anniversary.
26 June – A huge tree limb crashes down during big storm by Grand Paw’s House.
15 July – Our 100th Post.
2 July – Gomer and Opie start drive for Gemi’s surgery, which is a success.

Gemi

8 August – The beginning of the # 1 Cousin saga.

No 1 Cousin

13 August –Cash, a German Shepherd, is reunited with her hooman Mom and son. Cash guarded the skeletal remains with her Dog Dad for about six weeks.
18 AUG – Tropical Storm Fay passes over Key West and the Collies.
7 September – Hurricane Ike evacuation.
9 September – We meets Deacon’s previous family.

Deacon at his previous home.

10 September – German Shepherd dials 911 and saves his dog dad.
26 SEP –Hooman rescues his dog from the jaws of a shark.
27 OCT – No 1 Cousin not coming to Key West.
12 NOV – Oorvie crafts a Collie Clock for us.
15 NOV - Grand Paw admitted to the hospital.
30 DEC – No 1 Cousin tells us he found furever home.
31 DEC – We find out Grand Paw is getting worse. He won’t be to his house to live any time soon.
While it has been a tough year on us, we faced it as a pack and weathered the storms. No matter what happens, we look forward to 2009.

Dog Speed and may the Great Dane watch over you always,

Essex & Deacon

Silver Lining

We hope every-paw and hooman stay safe from Herricane Ike. We are really worried what is happening in Texas.

We evacuated to Orlando, FL on Sunday and stayed at hotel with a wonderful walking area. There was a pet friendly park in barking distance. We walked on our leash there and found interesting things to sniff.

Deacon at the Hotel
Essex at rest

Tuesday Dad drove to St. Augustine for our surprises. First we stopped by the home of Oreo & Snoopy. Those two were Essex’s favorite Angel Paws Park paw-pals as a pupster. They left in December 2005 and it has been almost three years since she had seen them. Essex uncharacteristically wagged her tail and jumped on their Dog Mom. We went for a long walk and visit.

Oreo is happy to see us.
Snoopy sez Howl-low Essex

Next Dog Dad drove fifteen miles north. Deacon smelled familiar scents and his tail wagged. Something was familiar but he couldn’t place it. Then Dog Dad turned into a strangely familiar yard. Deacon’s jaw dropped when his saw Carol, his previous Dog Mom; her mother; sister Cici and their friend Nancy. Deacon calmly received big hugs and loved the comments about what a big handsome lad he is now. Deacon was in heaven from all that attention. Essex noted Deacon’s behavior and uncharacteristically relaxed, which amazed Dog Dad.

Deacon was well behaved and went around sniffing his favorite spaces in his old home. He charmed them with his calm loving demeanor. They said Deacon was on the way to being a juvenile pup-linquent. As a puppy, Deacon would jump on people, nip and mouth hard enough to bruise the skin. He went through the screen door once and pulled really hard during walks. Once Carol’s Mom scolded Deacon, then the phone rang and when she started talking on the phone, Deacon just started barking back at her! That pup-linquent behavior led to his return to Holmhaven. It was a hard decision and Carol cried all the way to and from Holmhaven. She was upset about leaving her little boy and what would happen to him. When she told Dad that seeing Deacon again brought a sense of closure, Dad thought of his five-cent dog, Pudgy.

Deacon sits pretty for Carol

Dog Dad was proud when they exclaimed what a wonderful Collie Deacon had become. Under the calm assertive leadership of Auntie Essex and Dog Dad, Deacon fell right in line. We met Annie too. Annie is a wonderful older rescue Collie. She plays very rarely but was a pawtastic Collie. Dad was sad when it was time to leave.

Annie posses with her favorite tuggee toy

Annie liked Dog Dad

We could tell on the way back that Dad was thinking of Pudgy and he was glad he took Deacon to visit his former home. When we stopped for gas on the way back to the Orlando, we got a special hug. Life is good, we love our Dog Dad and he loves us.

Essex & Deacon

We Are Safe

Cyber Paw Pals, we are tired but safe. We are worried about our friends in Texas and Louisiana. We had hoped that Herricane Ike was a tropical storm right now, but that did not happen.

We appreciated every comment. It is good to know so many cyber-paw pals care about us. Our house is dry and safe. It is a mess but Dog Dad doesn't care right now, he wants to sleep. We will start cleaning tomorrow.

There was a small silver lining with the evacuation. We got to see Snoopy & Oreo. Then a visit to Deacon's old family. We will have stories and pictures tomorrow. But first sleep and a prayer for those in the path of Ike.

Dog Speed,

Essex & Deacon

We Don't Like Ike

If this was Dwight D. Eisenhower, we would like Ike. Herricane Ike, we no like. Dog Dad is busy getting things together in the house. We can tell he is worried.

We got our hotel reservations in Orlando ready. In the Miami / Ft. Lauderdale area, Jake and JH have offerred to put us up; the same goes for our friend Daru and her Maltese Teacups. Our friend Lucy has said we can sleep over in Valdosta, GA. It wonderful to have friends.

Yesterday and today the Angel Paws regulars got together. We are all worried if we will get to chase and play together again. We are preparing for the worst and praying for the best. Only time will tell cyber-paw pals. But as long as we have our packs, life is good.

Deacon and Frosty Paws at play

Bear sure has grown

Sasha takes a breather

Jake with the football

Deacon & Essex watch the fence line.

Jake and Bear chew the pig skin

P.J. stands at attention

Dog Speed,

Essex & Deacon

Herricane Gustav

We get Dad all settled from Fay and now he is watching Herricane Gustav. Does anyone have an idea how we can get him back to watching animal planet. What happens if you hide the remote at your house? Does you Dog Dad bite your nose if you hide the remote? We would try but that low growl really makes a dog worry about the consequences.

Dad's brudder, Stevie-grrr-Wonder, is suppose to visit us this weekend. We sure hope Gustav leaves us and our friends alone. The Collies and Dog Dad have an uneasy feeling about this one. It isn't as big as Mitch, but the water is so warm. If it hits the gulf, we are worried a monster will awaken.

Those of you on the Gulf Coast keep an eye out on this one. It could become a real pain in the rump. We pray that Gustav mellows out and no-paw is hurt because of it. We hate herricane season.

Essex & Deacon

A Date with Fay

Our friend Tyler learned a very important lesson Monday.

Tyler’s Mom was playing with him and getting things ready for Tropical Storm Fay early Monday. As his Mom is getting things in the car one of the outer storm bands approaches. Tyler waits for the door to open and zooms out the door to his Mom’s surprise. She starts after him and calls his name, only to have her voice silenced by the wind and rain. She can’t see Tyler because of the rain. Tyler decides in his youthful exuberance to keep going in search of adventure. His Mom looks and calls to no avail. Tyler has decided to brave the elements and go on a date with Fay.

His Mom is upset, but knows she can only pray for Tyler’s safety. Tyler merrily romps around outside going farther from home. This rain and wind isn’t so tough, bring it on Fay he barks. So Tropical Storm Fay starts to rain harder, the wind gets stronger; and Tyler is alone and lost. Fortunately Fay was a short storm for us in Key West, lasting around seven hours and the winds not that bad here.

A dazed, tired, hungry, muddy and extremly stinky Tyler wanders into familiar area. It looks like home but nothing smells the same. Suddenly he hears voices and sees people. Tyler runs to meet the hoomans. They rinse him off with a hose and feed him pizza. Tyler greedily devours the pizza, crust, cheese and spicy tomato sauce. A friend of the people knows PJ and calls his Mom thinking it is him. PJ is home says his Mom, but she thinks of Tyler. She asks if the miniature schnauzer has a red collar. Yes says the lady. PJ Mom says I know the owner and will take him for the short while. She doesn’t have Tyler's Moms phone number though.

PJ and Tyler play and sleep together. PJ Mom removes several tics that decided to tag along during the date with Fay. Tyler pays for eating that spicy pizza. The next day Tyler is rejoined with his Mom.

Tyler is one lucky pup and must have had a dog-angel by his side. He is lucky that Fay was not longer and stronger like most other tropical storms. We did notice a slightly different Tyler at the park today. He tends to watch his hooman closer and not stray so far away. By the Great Dane, we believe he has learned a valuable lesson that we hope he remembers for a long long time. A wise dog once told us, dates with tropical storms and herricanes can be a fatal attraction!

Our paw-pal Tyler at Angel Paws today.

PS - Our cousin is now walking. Only five more weeks until Dad's friend can go pick him up. We did find out he is not the light colored one in the lower right. That one is the girl.

Five more weeks and we can't wait.

Dog Speed,

Essex & Deacon

Fay Was Gentle

We are happy to say Tropical Storm Fay has been very very kind to us.

The day started with our early morning walk, followed by second walk around Dog Dad figured when he took us for a walk at 10 AM it would be our last of the day. We stayed in the house watching the weather channel and local news following the progress of Fay. Then the power went out for 45 minutes. We are not sure what happened because the weather didn't seem that bad. We all took a quick nap in the dark. We awakened when the power came back on. We turned the local news back on after awhile. We were able to go for another walk around 5 PM.

We check out the yard afterwards. The only thing we noticed were a couple of palm fronds that fell down. Palm fronds are great to play with.

We hope Fay is just as kind to Jake & JH, Booker, Buster and everyone else she might touch. We really appreciate those of you that dropped a note, prayed and wished us the best of luck. It meant a lot to us.

Dog Speed,

Essex & Deacon

Orion Rising

That is what Dog Dad calls this time of year, "Orion Rising." When we go on our o'dark thirty walks Dad will frequently notice Orion. That means lots of mumbling, the weather channel is on, the herricane sites are visited in cyber-paw space, bags are packed and a lot of praying is done.

We are not sure what we are going to do quite yet. There is a good chance we will be hunkering down in the house. To help in make a decision Dog Dad has several favorite herricane sites. Those of you in the tropics may find these of use:

- The Navy's Meteorology Home Page
click on "Satellite Imagery of Tropical Cyclones (TCWEB)"

- National Hurricane Center Home Page

- Jay's page o'hurricane images

- Weather Underground

- Hurricane Central - The Weather Channel

Dog Speed friends,

Essex & Deacon

Wilma Plus Two

Auntie Essex, why is Dad so wistful?

Deacon today marks the two years anniversary that Herricane Wilma visited Key West! 2005 was a very active Herricane year, so many tropical storms the hoomans ran out of names. That year Key West saw Dennis (July), Katrina (August) and Rita (September) impact us.

Katrina is that the one JH was separated from his first family?

Yes, Deacon. Katrina was only a Category I herricane when it passed Key West. However, it grew into ferocious hurricane that destroyed many places and caused so much anguish too many pets living near New Orleans. Many a dog never saw their owner again. I saw pictures of many stranded pets. JH is very lucky to have found such a wonderful loving home. JH and Jake have a Herricane Wilma stories too.

Did you and Dad stay at home for Wilma?

No, we left while Wilma was a Category V battering Cancun, Mexico. We went north to Valdosta, Georgia to visit Lucy. The weather was calm, cool and sunny. While we visited the storm swung east and damaged areas in southern Florida and the Keys. Over 90% of Key West was under storm surge water at one time. Hoomans paddle boats over the roads, cars caught on fire, and Dad knew people that had over four feet of water inside their homes.

Wow, that is a lot of salt water. Did we take a lot inside our home?

We were lucky though our home only had about four inches (100 mm) of water inside. Home did smell like a kitty litter box until Dad and Bob, our neighbor, pulled up and threw out all the carpet. A lot of houses had mounds of trash outside twice as tall as a collie. Many dogs and people lost things. I lost Tigger and some other stuff, but most importantly I was with Dad. Angel Paws was a mess and it was several weeks before Dad took me over to do fence patrol.

Auntie Essex, did you help Dad?

I kept Dad sane during all the clean up. He’s told me many times that walking me was the only thing that felt normal. That every day thing kept him from feeling overwhelmed. I stayed by his bed for several weeks after we had come back home. After all a good dog can tell when their Dad or Mom needs them.

Dog gone it Auntie Essex, I can see why you watch over Dad.

Deacon, we’ve made Dad feel better. It is time to think of good things like playing at Angel Paws, Hattie and Cassi, chasing squirrels, the taste of cheese and other happy thoughts.

A dog keeps lookout,

while his Dad paddles down a street.

Cars and storm surge. Some caught fire

Lucy welcomed Essex into her home

Pre-Wilma - four-month old Essex with Tigger

Tigger was good to sleep with too.

Essex - Then & Now

Tosca barked a mass tagathon for then and now pictures. Deacon and I decided to break it into two parts with me going first. I was barked on 13 October 2003 and the Great Dane decided I should adopted Dad on 31 December 2003. I was the last of my litter to leave Holmhaven. I've taken care of Dad when he was sick, kept him sane after Herricane Wilma drowned the Keys and I introduce him to all kinds of people. Dad says that I made it easier for people to approach him and talk. You can tell we love each other and he takes care of us. We go on morning walks, spend evenings at Angel Paws Dog Park and we keep him company in the evenings. We get some treats but he doesn't over do it. I am convinced Dad is a Collie kind of guy. Here are my pictures.

Dog Speed --- Essex

My Holmhaven puppy picture

I am about eight weeks old

January 2004 - God's dog toy - a coconut

January 2004 - Collie First Class Essex reporting for duty

June 2004 - Posing for a picture with a stick

My first birthday - October 2004

April 2005 - Taking it easy

December 2006 - With my nephew Deacon

October 2007 - Watching a Cleveland Browns

football game with Dad in Northern Ohio

Collie Herricane Binder

Hi, this is Deacon with important news for all our fans in cyber paw land. It is once again Hurricane season, the time of year to be prepared. Dad has a three ring binder with our medical history, pedigree, microchip paper work, printouts about raising dogs and information about collies.

That binder has come in mighty handy. There was the time Essex caught kennel cough while visiting Dad’s human family in Ohio. The animal doctor had all the information he needed. Dad takes the binder whenever we travel or evacuate.

Back in October 2005, storm surge waters from Herricane Wilma covered over 90% of the island. Essex lost some toys, her favorite couch and our house no longer has wall to wall carpeting. However, if anything happened Dad had all her paper work. Fellow dogs, you may want your Mom or Dad to make you a binder too. That way if you are far from home or have to evacuate for hurricanes like us, you can see a new doctor that can review all your important medical records. Dad is collie smart, but then again we trained him!


Dog Speed,

Deacon