Hooray, I am back in Virginia!!

After two days in the Honda Pilot and an overnight at a Quality Inn, we arrived back at our condo in Virginia! And, it was raining! I saw no rain in Florida for two months and it was fun!! I got wet and muddy. Mom was not too happy, but most of the mud on my paws got left on the elevator. It is a lot cooler here in Virginia, so I am a lot friskier. I am doing so well recovering from my TPLO that we took the stairs up to our 3rd floor condo and I had no trouble at all. I think Mom and Dad will walk me at one of my favorite places tomorrow...can't wait!

I see suitcases...

Suitcases make me confused. They mean that something is going to happen, that will impact my life. Either Mom and Dad are leaving by themselves or leaving with me. If they leave by themselves, I will be so lonely and sad. But, if they leave with me....YIPPEE! I get to ride in the car, which I love. I have my own seat belt harness which helps keep me safe. I also have my own Ivy bag, which I have not seen for a while, but if that comes out, it probably means that we are going back to the condo in Virginia. We have been gone for about 2 months, so that's what I am thinking.

My Florida Keys Vacation,2009

I am a bit late in putting these up, but I love the Keys!! And I had a great vacation there last month. I am a traveling dog!

A bit more about me

I was born in Madison, Georgia on December 11, 2001. Dad's brother owns my mom, Lily. My mom is a small, short legged yellow Lab and pretty laid back. I take after my mom! In February, 2002, Pam and Joe came to Madison and took me and my sister, Iris to our new home in Geneva, Florida, outside of Orlando. We were not happy Labs. They put us in cages in the back of their SUV and we drove forever. We cried for hours. We were not leash trained and we were really scared when we could not run and play like we had done in Madison. But, when we arrived in Geneva we had a really big yard with lots of grass and lots of woods. We had woods in Madison and we love them! Pam and Joe had built us a really big pen with a wonderful dog loo. So, it was not so bad. But, we soon grew weary of the pen and I learned how to dig out of it. I would dig and Iris would squirm out first, as she was the skinny one back in those early days. Then I would dig some more and make my escape. Then, off to the woods we would go!
Shortly after we arrived, some people started building a house next door. Iris and I would charge through the woods and visit the workers. We left our pawprints on the concrete foundation and the workers did not seem very happy. The workers would leave lots of trash around so we had interesting things to eat, from time to time. And, we would bring presents home to Mom. Iris brought her a screwdriver one day. I liked to bring her water bottles or Wendy's bags. Fun times!
Eventually we became potty trained and allowed to live full time in the house. We loved lying in the sun by the pool or lying on the cool tile floors in the kitchen. But, mostly we loved to play in the yard chasing balls or frisbees or sometimes even deer! Life was good.
Then, one day in June, Iris was gone. Mom and Dad drove her to Virginia to a new home. She now belonged to their son Pete and his wife, Madonna. That had been the plan all along. Mom was going to potty train and teach her some manners, then in the summer, when Madonna was not teaching school, she would go to live with them and be their dog. This was such a sad time for me. I missed Iris so much! Life was crap.
But, Mom and Dad always kept me busy. I learned to actually catch the frisbee in midair and to charge down the driveway with Dad in the mornings and get the paper. I ran EVERYWHERE! I became a Florida Dog! And a traveling dog!
Now that we live in Virginia part of the year, I still get to see my beloved Iris a lot. We don't have the adventures that we once had but we still love a good nap together! I love Iris!

Introduction

My name is Ivy and this is my blog. I have another blog penned by my mom documenting my TPLO surgery, but now it is time that I write my own.
I am a 7 year old, female yellow Labrador Retriever. I live with my humans, Pam and Joe. We have 2 homes; a condo in Chesapeake, Virginia and a house in Tampa, Florida. My folks are referred to as "snowbirds," but they are not birds at all. Occasionally they fly in an airplane, but that is all the flying they do.
Anyway, we have been in Florida for almost 2 months now. I am glad because it was really cold in Virginia when we left in January. We spent a month on vacation in the Florida Keys and now we are at the house in Tampa. They Keys were really cool in that dogs can go a bunch of places with their humans. I got to go to several bars in Key West and had my picture taken at the southernmost point in the United States!
In Tampa I enjoy having my own yard and my own doggie door for my comings and goings. There is a pool but I do not care for it. I love water, but the pool........nope cannot do it. I need a beach! Pam and Joe take me for a long walk, about a mile and a half everyday. This is great exercise for all of us and there are lots of things for me to stop and sniff and pee on. On the walk today we saw a bunch of turtles and even a big alligator! Fortunately, he dove into the water, but he was watching us......kind of creepy. I don't much care for gators.