The Next Messi?

An afternoon in our alley. Clearly the soccer skills are improving rapidly.  And watch for some actual movement from Enzo!

More of Our Boys

Life with a toddler and a new puppy is certainly not dull. 

We have had simply perfect weather the last two months with bright blue skies without a drop of rain.  At last, on Wednesday, a storm arrived bringing some fantastic puddles.

A walk to the park was aborted in order to tend to this great puddle in our alley.  Enzo took the opportunity to rest.

Of course, yellow boots make puddles much more fun.

Eventually I was able to convince these two to go to the park, where a joint stick collection began.

Enzo loves all of the dogs at the park, big and not-so-big.  He was perplexed, however, by this fellow's tracksuit.

Thursday brought a return of sunny skies, and Enzo was yet again the focus of many a photograph. Luckily, his tendency to stay put for long periods makes him a good model.

I installed sod on our balcony in the hopes that Enzo would do his middle-of-the-night peeing here so I would not have to take him up and down the 3 flights of stairs at 2AM.

Gio was skeptical about my plan.

Being half American, Gio is as confused by this strange apparatus in our bathroom as I am. 

Thursday afternoon brought Gio's greatest dream: an excavator digging a giant hole right in our alley.  The crew was very kind about allowing Gio to help out.

Again, Enzo chose to supervise.

Well, the good news is that Enzo likes the sod....for resting only.  Yes, I was back to carrying him down the 59 steps again last night.  Oh well.

Yes, Enzo is extremely lazy. 

Ciao for now, everyone!  We hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend.

Enzo's first week

Enzo has been here a week now.  I honestly did not expect to fall in love quite so quickly.  He is the most calm, easy-going puppy I have ever known.  Here are a few photos of our week together....

We head to the playground every afternoon, where Enzo prompty falls asleep.

A rare moment of wakefulness!

The 59 steps up to our apartment are a challenge for Enzo, but he is learning quickly.  Going down is another matter....

Asleep again.

Enzo is wildly popular at the park.  He is almost always surrounded by adults and children. 

Gio is always on the search for "big boyzz" at the park for soccer fun.  He lucked out on Friday and found these two adorable French boys who played soccer with him for an hour.

Well....soccer and tickle wrestling.

Enzo chose to spend that hour snoozing. Big surprise.

Not a great picture, but here is a typical Kiev park scene.  Enzo is the black blob in between the two white dogs.

Saturday we went to Pesherk International School to hang out on their playground. Here is Enzo watching Gio and Paolo on the soccer field.

Gio does not quite get the idea of teeter-totters, but has fun nonetheless.

Strolling around Kiev on Sunday.

Sunday we went to check out what is apparently the largest home and garden supply store in all of Europe (think Walmart + Home Depot + Ikea ).  Enzo came along, of course.

Curled up next to Gio's carseat

What kind of dog ignores the spaghetti under Gio's chair?  Topher would be horrified.

How we get around these days- Enzo is not quite ready to walk long on a leash and the heat makes him tend to want to lie down every 5 feet or so.

This has also been a week of observing each other's potty habits.  Both are learning to go in designated spots...with mixed results.

My view when I am pushing the stroller. We get a lot of laughs and smirks out on the sidewalks.  I wonder what the Russian/Ukrainian is for "That crazy American lady"?

I am in awe of the size of these paws...and by how much Enzo sleeps!

One week in and these two are inseparable.  Gio wakes each morning asking for Enzo.  I suspect soon they will be sharing a bed.  Though, since Enzo will probably be about 140 pounds full grown, I may need to switch Gio to a king-sized bed!

Pictures from our breeder....

Our breeder posted this wonderful series of shots of Enzo's first 10 weeks of life with his 16 fellow puppies (two litters born within a week of each other).  It is understandable why Enzo whimpered throughout his first day and night with us- he was trying to find his pack! As Berners are famous for their adaptability, it seems he has already adopted us now as his new pack, following us everywhere and trying his best to herd Gio into corners.  We are curious to know how soon Enzo will surpass Gio in weight.  So far: Gio, age 2.5 year and 40 pounds; Enzo age 2.5 months, 25 pounds.....

http://www.torredovarda.com/albumQRE.html

Meet Enzo!

Enzo has arrived!  Our first day together is shown below.  We were exhausted after our 2AM arrival  but otherwise very happy with our expanded family!

Oops- these are shots from Sunday but I forgot they were on the camera.  I think Gio's obvious attempts at charming this "big girl" are quite funny.

When I arrived in Frankfurt I went to investigate where I should bring Enzo once I collected him from the cargo terminal.  This being a very efficient German airline that prides itself on treating its animal passengers "better than its human ones," I knew Lufthansa would be ready for us.

Two bus rides later (Frankfurt is a huge airport!), I found the Lufthansa "Animal Lounge."  After collecting a massive amount of paperwork they brought out Enzo in his crate for our very first meeting....

Here is what greeted me when I opened the crate. 

He was nervous at first but after the bus ride back to the airport and a big drink of water he began to relax.

Love the eye whiskers.

A bit alarmed at the size of his paws- this is going to be a HUGE dog!

While we waited outside to check-in just before our departure time, Enzo took some time to nap.

In Kiev, our first early morning walk.

Once Gio finally woke up to meet his new "brother," Enzo was already pooped from his late night arrival and early morning wakeup.

Gio was thrilled.

"Opening" and "closing" Enzo's ears was a big hit.

Later we took a walk to the park in our improvised "double" stroller.

And a video of Enzo and Gio: