Aubreys first blog !

Muzzled Pit Bull Attack

What a surprise.

As we were walking towards the bus stop in Morges this morning, a pit bull broke loose from her owner and went straight for Telly's neck. The dog was muzzled but managed to get a mouth grip on Telly who was leashed with Tigger. Pulling Telly way was fruitless so I gave the pit bull a good rib kick which did nothing. I then recalled my soccer days as a fullback defensive player and gave the dog a powerful kick which sent him over the top of the dogs. Before we could get to safety though, she came right back at us. Two more kicks and once again we were momentarily free.... and then she was back on her.. Finally the owner arrived and between her, Diana and me we got the dog pulled off. I have never seen such focused violence in a dog. I had harsh words with the owner ..."ie. you should never bring a dog like that into the city...in fact you should put it down.." She apologized profusely saying she was gentle, especially with kids and just didn't like other dogs, thus the muzzle..Yeah right...a perfect pet to keep your children in line...

The dog was vaccinated fortunately and it looks like we excaped with only minor injuries. Diana's hand was bloody and bruised, and was treated at the pharmacy and my foot is badly bruised. Telly and Tigger both seem okay, albeit a bit frazzled by the experience.


It was tough being so close to such a negative destructive energy.This dog attack was a real downer and a bit depressing. We sure do miss our friends from Colorado. Brenna and Aubrey are a bit homesick, missing their friends immensely. They feel out of place and are trying to find activities to do after school. This is a tough transition for them. Reality is, as our friend Sue said, that whereever you are, the mundane details of life eventually settle in.

Yet, the weather is warming up, the views are spectacular, and we have (knock on wood) gotten through the colds! And get this, Aubrey was asked for directions and she gave them accurately and in French. We're so proud!

Clear Skies

February has been a month of low cloud cover. I find myself forgetting that I'm living in the Alps with beautiful mountains and lake views. Well finally we had a some clear skies! I quickly snapped some shots from our balcony. It sure makes me 'hungry' for Spring and Summer. We're hoping to cash in on some winter sports but have been playing round robin with some cold bug that's keeping us grounded. This time it's Aubrey fighting a fever and cough.

With these constraints, Brenna, Tigger, Telly and I settled on a bike ride along the lake to neighboring Morges. It's a 5km jaunt and the dogs really enjoyed the run. One exception was my attempt to ride up a shiny ramp in a lake side bike park with Tigger and Telly tethered to my waist...To my surprise, the ramp was covered with a transparent layer of ice, and Tigger and Telly went into a major tail spin.. I felt the the 80 pound tug and next thing I knew I was stalled, spinning out, and then sliding back down the ramp...we ended up in one big pile!

Once in Morges (check out the old sail boat), we found a cozy coffee shop where we all warmed up with hot beverages. Even the dogs were served a fresh bowl of water! We then strolled the pedestrian road which is a virtual marketplace every Saturday. We picked up some freshly baked pizza which hit the spot. On our 'ride' back Tigger, who is terrified of water, surprised us with a jump in the lake as she decided to check out a not so friendly swan... Tigger lost and was soon back on shore...had she had a tail, it would have been tucked under !

On the home front we're about 80% moved in and starting to think about doing some travelling...A quick trip to Italy is probably next on the list. I think we'll skip the olympics and hope for some sunshine on the Mediterranean.

Cheers!