MADOR STORY Chapter 4 - Vacation in Croatia

After long planning and organization, we left home on the 8th August 2004 to have a two-week-vacation in Croatia - of course with Mador. We travelled together with our friends who had their two dogs with them too: Liza the agility champion Hungarian Vizsla and Mamusz the pumi, the future agility champion 1 month younger than Mador.

We lived an appartment near the Paklenica National Park entrance in Starigrad, North from Zadar, where the owners were happy to have dogs around. I expected to have a garden to be closed and Mador will have a good time at night, but to my greatest surprise the fence was not fully finished so Mador "had to" stay with us for the nights. The following would probably be no news for many of you who live together with leonbergers but at home the dogs live strictly in the garden, so I made the following discoveries: leonbergers (based on Mador's behavior) walk at night causing the floor to creak, snore, sniff, RÖFÖG like pigs (really), sometimes they drink splashing the water loudly, they wag their tales knocking on the door, and they check out periodically if everyone is o.k. by sniffing into our face when we sleep, if no reaction, they lick on the face, and if still no reaction, they put their paws on our hands... now then we really must give them a half-sleepy cuddle...

The first couple of nights I woke up about every two hours: oh the poor little dog must surely go out. I woke Mador up from his sweetest dream, we walked out half sleeping and got back to sleep. Then I realised I could sleep calmly since Mador is not the little puppy anymore, he can sleep during the whole night (from midnight till about 8 a.m.) By the end of the vacation I did not wake up on his late-night checks and started to sleep enough.

The sea was about two streets away but we heard about a lonely bay with just a few people so most of the time we spent the days there. At home earlier, I have bought Mador water toys (AquaToy) that do not sink due the special material they're made of: a sausage and a ball, both had great success. In Croatia you can swim your dog in the sea unless otherwise signed (we saw no such signs). We were at the far end of a bay, the sea was flat like a lake. Mador had no problems at all with the salted water, he swam like he'd done so in your whole life. Holding his hair or toy, he would save me out from the water, even when surrounded by people, just like a future water-rescue dog should behave. My greatest experience was watching Mador from below the surface while he was swimming: it is a wonderful sight, his golden hair floating around him, rhytmically walking on the water powerfully with his legs, his head always above the surface.

.......

During our stay we were lucky with the weather, brilliant sunshine, so I paid special attention not to overheat Mador: I created him a place under the parasol to dry and have a rest. Consequently, my dear husband Laci had no shadow so we bought another parasol. When I laid down, Mador bended over me and I made some photos from an interesting angle. When we got tired, we slept on the beach.

...

One evening we went to the beach at sunset, the sky had wonderful colors, the setting sun painted everything in golden and red.

.....

In the evenings, Mador and Mamusz were playing and running, "fighting" for toys, it was a pleasure watching them.

One day we made an excursion about 80 kms from us, to the Plitvice Lakes making part of the World Heritage. There are 16 lakes on around two square kilometers, connected by waterfalls and small rivers, the water has a fantastic turquoise-green color. In the National Park we marched by foot and used autobus and boat: this was the very first time Mador ever used these vehicles, he laid down at my feet and calmly left the captain and the other passengers step over him and carress him.

.

This has been a wonderful vacation!

© Mador.hu