Life with the Obies: September 2012

First photo of and with my Vino Rose!

We adopted little Vino just one year ago today!!!! Just like Yadi, we found her on PetFinder.com and were extremely lucky to find purebred pups needing new homes. We knew we wanted a girl (simply because we can't stand boys' red rockets) so we asked to see pictures of all the females (she was in San Antonio so we didn't get to meet her before we got her). We decided to take the runt of the litter because we wanted her as small as she could be. We felt we missed some of the puppy-ness with Yadi since she was so massive when we got her (even though she was 11 weeks old). Vino appeared pretty big but figured if we got the smallest, that's as good as it could get.

When we finally picked her up at the airport, we were so shocked at how tiny she was! She was MUCH smaller than she appeared in photos. Poor girl was terrified (rightfully so). But she was greeted with such love!!! We instantly fell in love with her and showered her with affection.
We brought her home to meet Yadi and although Vino wasn't sure of the giant silver horse, Yadi LOVED Vino. But by the end of the night, Vino was past her fears of Yadi and the two were cuddling.
And thus their inseparableness started. Ever since then, the two have been obsessed with each other. I think Yadi sees Vino has her baby. She's always concerned as to where she is, always wants to lay with her, and is constantly cleaning her. These two love each other more than I could ever describe. They only sleep if they can be cuddled up together. They wrestle and play together in the house. They chase each other in the yard. They are too adorable!!!!

Vino is our angel. When we found Vino, it happened quickly and I thought "Oh gosh. Am I really ready for this horrible puppy stage again? Yadi JUST exited that stage of potty training, teething, tearing things up, training, etc. She was a terror and I'm about to do it all over again without giving myself a break???" But that was totally not the case.
Vino was the perfect puppy and now, dog. When we brought her home, she had one accident (pee) in the house. Later that night, she saw Yadi hit the bells to go outside and it just clicked. She went over, hit the bells, we let her outside and she peed. And never looked back. She was potty-trained in 24 hours! No joke. Vino has NEVER pooped in our house...even to this day. (She has had a few pee accidents, but not from not being trained. They were either in front of the patio door because we didn't hear her ring the bells or get to her in time. Or it was from being excited/scared. After she was spayed, she had the unfortunate (but common) problem of having a weakened bladder sphincter so sometimes she piddles when excited or scared.)
She was also the perfect puppy in that she didn't teeth. Yadi gnawed on our hands, feet, ankles, couches, shoes, anything and everything. Vino NEVER bit us. Never ripped apart toys. She didn't chew toys as much as "gummed" them (but with teeth). Still to this day, Vino has not destroyed a single toy. Never bit anyone when playing.
I told ya, perfect puppy!!!!!!!

She has grown SO much in the past year:

Top: Vino's first night with us
Bottom: The girls just a few days ago

Top: Vino's first night with us (already learned sit)
Bottom: The girls today
(You can see Yadi has grown too but she was only 5 months old when we got Vino)

Top: Vino during her first week with us, barely even reaching the top of the couch cushion
Bottom: Vino today, head almost as high as the top of the couch

Top: Vino right after we picked her up from the airport (just shy of 15 pounds)
Bottom: Vino today (53 pounds)

More on Vino and her little personality

Alcohol : Vino loves it. Any kind. She is true to her name. While Yadi runs to a corner to hide from the glass, Vino is drawn to alcohol, especially wine. I will make a drink and the moment she comes inside, her ears perk up, her head lifts to get a better sniff, and she BOLTS to where I am. She KNOWS when alcohol is present. (And I'd be lying if I said I never shared. Not often at all, and I give her one or two laps in my drink (and I'm that disgusting person that drinks after her dogs) but that's it. I'm not an awful person so shut it!)
Softness Addict: Vino is addicted to anything soft. Her favorite toys are stuffed animals. She just walks around, carrying them in her mouth. She loves to walk around flinging them up in the air and lay down and fling them around her bed. She also loves beds and blankets. If there is anything soft around, she will find it and curl up into it. We do not allow the dogs on the furniture but occasionally, the back bedroom is a "treat" for them (we allowed them in there after their spay so we could feel them moving (ie. licking/biting) their incisions so we allow it very rarely). The moment she gets in that bed (or any bed or couch if allowed at others' houses), she melts! Like, literally lets her body go and melts into the softness.
Car Rides: As with Yadi, she is a perfect car rider. For the first few minutes she likes to gaze out the window. Then she'll lay or sit down and relax the rest of the ride. But she ALWAYS lays and sits on Yadi. Even if there is room for her on the seat, she prefers Yadi. And Yadi doesn't mind one bit.
Outdoors(wo)man: Vino is true to her breed in that she's a hunter. She has caught many birds and squirrels just being confined in our fenced backyard. Thankfully she doesn't eat them. Just runs around flinging them about the air like it's a toy. She is always, always, always on the lookout for game and loves to point and chase them.
Vino not only hates wildlife, but also nature. She loves to eat sticks. Like, no joke consume them. She also thinks it's her job to shrub our bush/tree. She will climb in it, grab a branch in her mouth where it attaches to the trunk, and gnaw it off. Not too sure why. This same bush/tree thing grew flowers. At first, when the flowers were just a few, she'd jump up, rip the flowers down, then shred them to pieces. When the bush bloomed with too many and was COVERED, she got smart and just ripped down the entire branch and them ripped the flowers apart. Not sure what her beef is with flowers. You'd think she'd love them because she's such a sweet little girl. Wrong!
In general, Vino loves being outside. She's content to spend all day out there. She loves to just lay in the sand or what little grass we have and bask in the sun, just watching the world around her. We joke around that we should have named her Dora....as in Dora the Explorer. We go to any park or someone's house and Vino would rather walk around the perimeter or around the trees just sniffing and exploring. When we go to the river, she disappears into the woods to explore (and comes back with scrapes all over from crawling through everything.)
Water: When we got Vino, we tried to get her to love the water. But she wasn't having it. It wasn't for quite a few months, in March, that she finally just dove right into the water at the dog beach. From then on, we couldn't keep her out of it.
I lay out in the backyard a lot and the dogs refuse to go inside if someone is outside. But this leaves them very hot. So we bought a small $10 plastic pool from PetSmart for the dogs. At first, it was a giant water bowl for them but Vino quickly learned it was a pool. You could always find her lounging in the pool or splashing around playing with a ball or sticks.
Tail: Vino's tail never stops wagging. Well, I take that back. It stops when she's hunting. Otherwise, it's wagging. Even when she's scared, it's tucked under her, wagging. Even at the vet, when they stick the thermometer in her asshole and she's still wagging her tail. She could be in a dead sleep and all you have to say is her name and her tail is wagging before she even opens her eyes. And when she wags her tail, her entire back end sways from side to side. She's ridiculous...but oh so cute.
Beast: Vino is a beast. She's not very tall but she's close to 55 pounds and rock solid muscle. She is like a puppy body builder. Muscles bulging out all over her legs.
She's also freakishly fast. I've never seen a dog run as fast as her. And she's so incredibly agile when she runs. She reminds me of the vampires in Twilight films. She can run so fast and dodge trees and dogs so easily. In a split second she moves her body around them. It's insane. Yadi is pretty fast and Vino runs circles around her!
Vino also has a ridiculous standing vertical. She jumps and jumps high. She can jump and look over our 6 foot tall privacy fence. No joke.
Daddy's Girl: Vino totally prefers Nick over me. I'm not sure why because he's more allergic to her so he clearly neglects her more than Yadi. He's always loving on Yadi and cuddling with her. Vino, not so much. He pets her...and that's it. I feel so badly for her!! But regardless, how much Nick neglects her and how much I love on her, she loves Nick a lot more than me. (I guess it's okay....because that crazy Weim is up my ass all the time. Not sure I could handle both of them).
People: Vino loves people. Not like in a normal dog way but she's obsessed with people. Her tail never stops wagging but when she sees people, her entire back end sways, with force, from side to side. She loves nothing more than attention from people. If she walks by you and you just put your hand on her, she stops and won't move until you remove that touch. If you sit on the ground (since she isn't allowed on furniture) she will be in your lap before you're even in a full sit. She just melts into people's arms and laps and there's nothing she loves more than an open lap.
Food: Vino is not motivated by food as Yadi is. I will admit, we slacked with training her since we did not do training classes with her. We felt the classes were more for US to learn to train her. I'm not saying she isn't trained, because she is. It was just a slower process than Yadi. Vino knows the basics: sit, watch me, down, stay, wait, leave it, speak, shake, up, pay dead, roll over, etc. She can finally walk (and run) on a leash without pulling. But training her was more difficult. Not being motivated by food, we focus on praise. She hates to be in trouble and will do anything to make you happy. But that's where it was hard. She does not like to make eye contact. For some reason, she sees eye contact as a negative thing and thinks she's in trouble when she has to look at you. So training her took longer but she is a good pup and well trained now.
Skittish: Yadi is not afraid of a single thing. Vino, however, doesn't like thunder or loud noises. She doesn't necessarily hide during a storm, but she likes to be in tighter places and near us. She usually places herself in the L of the sectional on the floor.
Vino is also hesitant of the garage. Her three monsters live in there: the vacuum, the wet/dry vac, and Nick's street bike. She will not walk to the open garage door without waiting a few minutes to make sure the vacuums are not coming in or the bike isn't starting up.
Non-Velcro: Weims and Vizslas are known for being what they call "velcro dogs" meaning they are needy, clingy, suffer from separation anxiety, and just always where you are. That is Yadi to a T, (with me). The moment you move, Yadi is up and ready to follow you. Yadi is always in the same room with us. Vino, on the other hand, doesn't care where we are. She would sleep in the living room if we let her. She's content to be outside by herself all day. She is so independent and the furthest from Velcro you could get.
Miss 'Tude: Vino now gets an attitude with Yadi and sticks up for herself. Yadi used to steal things from her all the time. Vino would just allow it. She has finally had enough. When Yadi comes to take her bone or toy, Vino growls as a warning and something snaps if she doesn't back off. Thank goodness! It's now to the point where Yadi doesn't even try. She's learned her place lol.
Adorable: Vino is just naturally adorable. No matter what she's doing, how she's laying, she looks absolutely adorable.

Vino is my little baby. I love that girl to death and nothing makes me happier than cuddling with her. I don't think we can ever get another Vizsla because no dog will EVER compare to her...her intelligence, her adorableness, and her perfectness. As with Yadi, I'm obsessed with with my pup!

Here are some photos of Vino from the beginning to present: