Sydney

we picked up Oz from quarantine this morning

he was so happy to see us after 30 days! the people there came out to say goodbye; they're really nice. he made some friends. we walked him around the neighborhood and went to a few pet shops to pick up some odds and ends. we didn't bring any of his stuff from california since it would have been blocked by customs.

he's getting used to the house. the back of the house is all glass, side to side and floor to ceiling. it looks onto our porch which overlooks the yard, which is on a small cliff over the park and has a view of the sydney CBD (downtown skyline - about 1km across darling harbor). Oz keeps staring out the window; he's not used to the view and the trees in the yard are blowing. all sorts of new sounds and smells have him hyper-alert. i can't wait 'till he sees his first fruit bat. they like to fly along the cliff at night.

people's reactions have been funny. there are no miniature huskies in australia. there are huskies, however. so he gets a lot of attention. we took him furniture shopping and people in the showroom all had to come by to pet him. there was a little boy who was normally scared of dogs but Oz is so stuffed-toy-animal-like he just *had* to pet him. Oz is really soft, too.

he's back to shedding like crazy. his breed sheds all the time but explodes twice a year. in the spring and the fall. when he blows coat in the spring is like nothing you've ever seen. enough fur comes off him in a day to build a second dog. we're talking pounds of white fur (his undercoat). the fall shedding is nearly as dramatic. he had just finished his spring shedding 2 weeks before coming here. after arriving in australia, his body immediately adjusted to this new time of the year. and now he's blowing his summer coat after only 6 weeks. no summer for Oz or me, this year. skipped right over it.

he's up again. and time to cook some dinner.