Border Collie Mom

Obedience vs Agility

2012-01-27T19:54:00.003-06:00

I've been toying with the idea of training one of my dogs for the obedience ring. Probably Jake since his hips won't support an agility career and he deserves a chance to do something. But this weekend has really put a damper on that idea.
We are in Nashville at a show that have both agility and obedience. And the difference between the two is striking.
At the agility ring, people are laughing and talking. Someone leaves the ring after a particularly nice run and people clap with genuine happiness for them. "Good run!" "Wow, what a great front cross after [obstacle] six!" And for the people that didn't do so well "Sorry about the bar, but wow, was that a great run otherwise!" or, "dang him for popping those weaves... especially when you had such a good run going!" The participants (both human and canine) are having fun, visiting, laughing and cheering one another on. Sure, there is competition, but it isn't mean spirited.
But the last two days, I've passed through the obedience area, and it is like there is an evil spell around them. The people are stressed and no one was cheering others on. The tension level was palpable. All during the day as we walked from the agility ring or outdoors back to the crating area, people were practicing their obedience work in the middle of the aisles-all with very stern expressions. Even at the hotel, we were rudely interrupted by the sound of someone tossing their dumbell down the hallway at 6am to get ready for today's show. AND, it might be my imagination, but I think that there is WAY more poop than normal being left behind, and I'm blaming it all on the obedience people (even though I have no evidence to support that).
Anyway, these last few days have made me change my mind about obedience- I just don't have it in me. One of two things would happen... either I would start being rude back to all the cranky folks, OR, I would turn it into a big joke and say/do something entirely wacky.
Either way, it wouldn't be pretty.

Christmas in July

2012-01-20T06:01:00.002-06:00

Due to everyone's busy schedule, our doggy-friends could not find a time for our Christmas party until last week. Then, when the day arrived, we were snowed and iced-out. So when the day finally arrived (last night) it seemed like Christmas had been months ago. Nevertheless, we kicked up our feet and partied like it was... Christmas! And no one knows us like our doggy friends- almost every gift was dog oriented, or was something we could use at a trial or trip to a trial.

One of the more popular gifts at my house was the Rabbit flavored treats. I know how popular rabbit is with my guys, and here was a whole bag of it that did not require catching, nor did it have hair! I'm sure Jake was marveling at the wonder as he scarfed them down.

Another item that I was particularly taken with was this pin:

It is handmade and (though you can't tell from my photo) it is dimensional. If you are interested, I tracked down the artist and she has a page on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/jamieguevarra?ref=top_trail I guess they are pretty much one-of-a-kind, so if you see something you like, grab it while you can!
Anyway, I had so much fun with this group of friends, it reminds me that we should not wait for a special occasion to get together. Especially in winter we seem to get more housebound....Do yourself a favor... call a group of your friends and meet somewhere for dinner, or lunch... or something. But don't wait. You could be missing out on a whole lot of fun!

We're back...

2012-01-16T16:03:00.002-06:00

This weekend, we attended our first AKC agility trial since Thanksgiving. It was in Chicago, and it was snowing, bitterly cold, and way too far to go for a 2 day trial. But like a junky without their 'fix', Maggie and I made the drive and broke our winter hiatus. The courses were not difficult, but had some unusual twists and turns which was a welcome change.
The trial was also attended by an AKC rep who shared some changes we should expect to see with AKC agility in the coming months. First, the new, shorter length chute is in effect... wow, do dogs pop out of that baby quickly. Next, beginning in July, AKC will be providing awards based on the number of Qs in a single event (taking away the all-or-nothing stigma associated with the double Q). Every 25 Q's in Exc B will be an additional "title"... bronze, silver, gold, and (I think) century (?) for 100 Exc B Qs. This was interesting to me, because I am one of those people that will leave on Sunday if the first run is an NQ- in the past, there has been no real reason to stay for a second run once the double Q is unattainable.
As a side note, it appears that there are still a few people very upset about the removal of the "multiplier" in AKC.* By removing the multiplier, there is more emphasis on consistancy and less on raw speed. And in my opinion, it was, for the most part, a good decision to get rid of it, as some people were pushing their dogs to the point that it was unsafe, just to take first place and get that multiplier. And besides, in many areas, the competition is so stiff that only a fraction of a second separates the top three dogs in a height class. Anyway, the point is that I am always in shock when people get so emotional about stuff like this and get rude- which at least one person did at this trial when the subject came up.
Finally, (and I have almost NO information about this) the AKC is discussing the addition of more new games besides the Time2Beat. The rep said that she knew of 2 that were being discussed- one that will be for the higher level dogs and another that will be open to everyone (like Time2Beat). Aside from that, she didn't share any information.
Meanwhile, our first weekend back was okay- Maggie ran great, I tried some new moves we have been training, which we are clearly not ready for, so we lost 2 Qs unneccesarily... but hey, it isn't about the Qs... it is about being out competing with my best friend.

*Previously, the AKC would 'multiply' your time points by 2 if you took first place, and 1.5 for second place. This was abolished in 2011.

Favorite Cup

2012-01-07T08:42:00.006-06:00

It is funny how we get a special attachment to some things and they carry emotions far beyond what their physical presence would inspire. I'm that way with this cup.

I bought it at Herrod's department store in London, on the way home from a deployment. I had just spent months living and working in a tent and sleeping on a cot, so the fragile, graceful design and the gold accents seemed just the thing I needed. I don't remember what it cost... it was foreign money and I had not been able to shop for three months, so I didn't really care- though I doubt that it was expensive.

But it isn't the history of this cup that makes it my favorite. It is the thin bone china and the gold on the cup that really affects how I feel.

Because the china is so very thin, coffee does not stay warm for very long. And because there is so much gold, the cup cannot go in the microwave- so it never goes to the car with me, or sits on the counter while I am doing some task. Therefore, I only use this cup on days when I'm staying home and have a fresh pot of coffee brewed, that I intend to sit down and savor.

Today is one of those days. No work, no agility, just me and a hot pot of freshly ground Starbucks coffee. And my favorite cup. Ahhhhhh.....

Thankful for even the NQ's

2011-12-06T22:03:00.004-06:00

I just watched a youtube video about a former agility dog that was retired after being hit by a car. She now uses a wheel chair but still has her spunk. (here is the link if you would like to see it: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-713416?ref=feeds/latest) Anyway, after watching the video, I thought about how our runs are numbered, and we may not get to choose when the last one will be. And I thought about how this team would love another run together, even if it was an NQ (non-qualifying).
Maggie and I are on an agility hiatus until New Years when we resume with a USDAA trial. And when we enter the ring for our first run, we will do it in honor of Zip and all the dogs that have retired before us. And though I've never been good at New Year's resolutions to lose weight or stop cussing, I'm going to do my best to keep this year's resolution; and promise to be thankful for every run... especially the non-Qs. And if I can be thankful for the runs that Maggie made an error on, just maybe I can be thankful for the ones that I screw up, too.

Me, Border Collies, and personal space

2011-12-01T05:13:00.002-06:00

I always think that people have something in common with the dogs they choose. Either they look like the dog, they have common traits, same silly quirk- SOMETHING. However, I've never found my commonality with border collies. They are sleek, fast, athletes. I'm not. However, I finally found one thing that we have in common. All of the border collies that I have known have a really big personal space bubble. They seem to want to keep everyone and other dogs a certain distance away unless they are very comfortable with them. Not at all like big hunting breeds that will bound toward one another and get face-to-face. I understand this, because I too, like to have a big distance between me and the next guy. I don't want to stand close, I don't really care for people that touch me when they are talking, and unless it is a BIG occasion, keep your hugs to yourself. It isn't a measure of how much I like someone, it is a measure of space alone.
So imagine my horror when I walked to my seat on the airplane to find that I have been seated next to a women who is so LARGE she clearly cannot contain her body in her own seat. Normally, when seated next to a large person, I ask them to put down the arm rest. While it does not create a real barrier, it at least defines my space. I didn't bother to ask her to do this, because her body was 2/3 in her seat and 1/3 in mine, and the arm rest would have had to bisect her kidney (or something). So I did the best I could, scooting to the far edge of my seat and sitting on one hip. Nevertheless, her thigh/hip/abdomen flab, RESTED ON MY LEG. Occasionally, she would adjust in her seat and it seemed that every time, more of her came onto my lap. Furthermore, her chest was so big that it brushed the seat back in front of us- so she had no place to put her arms. One of which, of course, also came into my seat area. In an attempt to avoid as much as possible, I turned my head, shoulders, and one leg to the aisle. And, since I was in the next-to-last row, everyone brushed against me on their way to the bathroom (yuck). But the REAL topper was when the guy across the aisle got up, not once, but THREE times to get in the storage over my seat. Yes, make that picture in your head and you will understand my concern. I almost asked him his name because it didn't seem like I should be that intimate with a stranger.
Anyway, I managed to survive the ride, but I’m still holding onto the creepiness of it. I guess that is a dog trait I need to work on- shaking it off and moving on.

Temptation and Obsession

2011-10-23T09:09:00.005-05:00

When we began agility, it was just a fun hobby to take up one night a week at our local training facility. As I've mentioned before, we had no plans to compete. However, times changed and we did, and I have to say it has been a lot a fun. Not only the agility, but the really nice people that we meet at agility events. And while most of my family would already say that I'm obsessed by agility, I don't mind taking a few weeks off here and there to relax at home, clean the agility junk out of my car, etc. After 2 or 3 weekends off, though, I get anxious to get back to it. We normally take off from Thanksgiving until mid February... mostly because there are no shows locally, and it is a worry to travel during the dead of winter, often driving back in the dark on Sunday night.

But something happened this week that might change my opinion and tempt me to enter some of those Dec and Jan trials.

On the AKC website, you can see the top 5 agility dogs of any breed for free, or download the top 25, 50, or 100. About a year ago, we downloaded the top 100 and in July of this year, a friend downloaded the top 50, and we didn't make either list. I wasn't terribly surprised, because there is really tough competition in Border Collies. While Maggie is fast, we regularly compete against two or three who are even faster, so when they "Q" they normally capture the "multiplier" points- extra points given for 1st and 2nd place finishes. However, these "multiplier" points stopped earlier in the year, but I didn't think about how dramatically this would affect the rankings. Early this week I checked the AKC website to see if our good friends Kathy and Johnnie were in the top 5 Border Collies for next year's Invitational (2012). Johnnie is freakishly fast and they are a great team. They have been invited to the 2011 Invitational, so I expected to see them at or near the top-so I only pulled the "free" top 5.

However, I was STUNNED at what I saw.

My own little (Tulla) Maggie was in the top 5. At first, I thought this meant that she was in 5th place, until someone pointed out that they are alphabetical, and that you have to pay to see the actual rankings. I quickly coughed up the $4 to find out that Maggie is actually in 3rd place.

While this has clearly left me ecstatic, it has also created a dilemma. I don't think I can hold onto this while taking off two months during the winter. It has created a monster in me... how far do I want to drive in January? How much snow will there be in Chicago in Feb? Ahhhhh!!! The temptation to chase this, is killing me.....

Variety

2011-10-09T16:15:00.006-05:00

We just returned from an Agility trial in Peoria, Illinois. First, I have to say a little about their trials. They are a small club and hold their trials at their own property. The standard and fast courses are run on a long and narrow area next to the building, and the jumpers course is behind the buiding and on a little bit of a hill. Everyone always complains a little about the hill, but really it isn't too bad. Of course, I have a dog that does not require me to run to every jump, so maybe I would feel differently if I had to actually "run." Anyway, the people are always so warm and welcoming, and there is no reason to hurry. It was a very relaxing weekend- especially when the weather is as nice as it is this weekend. It was so very different from the 660 dog trials where everyone and all the dogs are stressed and in a hurry.
Anyway, several people asked me about Sarah's dog Reba. They would ask, "is she a rescue?" and then something like "I can see that she's part border collie, but what else do you think she is?" The funny thing is that Maggie's heritage is pretty much unknown, but Reba has a long (and distinguished) pedigree. Yet people always question her breed, just because of her color.
That's one of the things I like most about this breed; what makes them alike isn't their coat, their ears, or their color. What makes a border collie a border collie, is that working/herding ability, not their appearance-making for some pretty stark variety in appearance. Putting Maggie and Reba next to one another really makes this point... I'm not sure I know of any other breed that has this much variety.

Six more months 'til spring

2011-10-07T07:09:00.004-05:00

This happens to us every year... August is hot and we say "let's leave the pool open later" even though almost everyone in the midwest closes on Labor Day. So we postpone winterizing our pool and, like the weather looks at the calendar, there is a cold snap and it is much too cold for the next few weeks. We shake our heads and say "yep, summer is over" and we set aside a Sunday afternoon to drain the filter, put antifreeze in the lines, and put the cover on the pool. Before we do, we let the dogs in for one last swim- because they will jump in no matter how cold it is.

Then, a few days or a week later it is back to 80 degree days. This weekend we expect highs in the mid-80s with full sun. And a pool that is covered with a tarp. If I were not leaving town for an agility show, that tarp would be coming off, I'll tell you that!

Meanwhile, I have a countdown clock in my head, counting the days/weeks/months until we can open the pool again. Maybe we should move further south....

Happy beginnings

2011-10-04T12:58:00.003-05:00

This weekend I had the pleasure of seeing a rescue placed in his forever home. A few weeks ago, we got a photo from a shelter of a red and white border collie that had been relinquished by his owner at 9 months old (too hyper- a border collie puppy- really?) A few days later I picked him up from the shelter in the middle of nowhere. The volume of barking was indescribable, and I can't even begin to guess how many dogs were on the other side of the wall. The red and white boy was led out on a rope and he stood still and silent as other dogs charged at their crates, snapping his direction. Clearly he had shelter shock, but you could see that his eyes were still lively. His coat was dry and dirty, and his skin sprinkled with fleas and flea dirt. He cautiously loaded into my car and I delivered him to meet with his guardian angel.. his new foster mother. Two short weeks later I saw him again as he was delivered to his forever home, to a family that I know will give him the love and attention (and training) that he needs. In that two short weeks, his foster family had already removed some of the fear, as well as all of the dirt and smell, and gave him a new beginning.
Today Gibbs is playing with his new family, eating a healthy balanced diet, learning to walk on a leash and to come for a treat. He will probably get brushed, and petted, and talked to in soft and gentle words. He will probably play with a toy that was bought for him.
This warms my heart and makes my life full.

It isn't all his fault

2011-09-27T18:47:00.002-05:00

First of all.... I decided to start blogging again. Several people mentioned lately that they enjoyed reading it (though I can't imagine why) so I've decided to pick up my virtual pencil and begin again. Second, it may surprise you to know that this, my first post in many months is not about dogs.
Lately when I look in my email or at Facebook, I am bombarded with messages about what a bad job the president is doing. Now before you get up in arms, please know that I did not vote for Obama, and I am just as unhappy with many of the issues of our country as anyone else. However, to blame it all on one man is unrealistic.
What made America great is the work ethics, the perserverence, and the sense of responsibility that previous generations brought. Today, many Americans want to do as little work as possible, get instant gratification, and blame it on someone else when things don't go right.
So, before you blame it all on the president, ask yourself some tough questions to see if you aren't also at least a little bit to blame. Have you cheated a friend, a co-worker, or a stranger? Have you ever cheated on your taxes? Do you yearn for a get-rich-quick scheme? Have you bent the rules when filing an insurance claim, or a reimbursement at your work? Are you really teaching your kids about the value of hard work? And are you willing to give a little more than you are required at your job, to your spouse, to your community, to your church?
It is easy enough to sit back and blame this all on one man or even blame it on congress... but we need to recognize that to repair this will require us all to give up on some things and to work harder than before, just to stay the same. If we are not willing to do that, then perhaps we are to blame as well.

A New Chapter

2011-03-02T05:41:00.002-06:00

We had so much fun at agility that we immediately entered every local show. At first, we did not travel, in fact, I thought that we never would travel for a show. We would enter whatever shows were local, but that was about it. Maggie and I continued to improve, and she read my signals like most people read books. Unfortunately, I do not learn as fast as she does, so we continue to have small mistakes when I give her mixed information. But more than that, her entire demeanor changed to the point that I forgot she was ever anxious or afraid. But the following spring, I was reminded.
We were at an outdoor trial at Purina Farms. It was nearing Easter so there were many little kids at the main building, but not too many at the agility ring. However, at one point, when we were taking a short walk around the area, a group of 4 or 5 little kids ran up. One of the older ones yelled "look! It's Fly!" (I suppose he thought that Maggie looked like Fly from the movie Babe). With that, the whole group came running straight at us. I could feel my panic begin, there was no way to head off all these kids and this was exactly the kind of situation that I had feared the most in our fearful days. It was why I never took Maggie out unless I could avoid people. I looked down at Maggie to give her a "heel" command and try to walk the opposite direction, even though the kids were very close. But when I looked down, her tail was wagging and she was actually looking right at the nearest child with a totally relaxed face. I was in shock... I couldn't believe that she had changed so much, so fast. It was more than I had ever expected.
Today, I can (and do) take her almost everywhere. There are a few people that she will shy away from, but there is no great fear associated with it... she will just lean away as she walks past. But I can't really blame her, there are people that I feel the same way about. We continue to trial in agility, and hope to continue until one of us has to retire. It has changed both our lives... not only did it heal Maggie's fear, but it brought us a huge network of friends that I cherish and that I would never have met otherwise. It takes up most of my free time and most of my disposable income, but I love every minute of it, counting the days to the next lesson, next trial, next seminar.
This is the final chapter in this story, but hopefully not the final chapter in Maggie's. And someday, years from now, like Murphy wrote the first chapter of Maggie's life, Maggie will likely be the first chapter in the life of another dog, and who knows where that story will take us. We'll just have to wait and see.

The first trial

2011-02-27T10:47:00.000-06:00

After only three private lessons, our trainer suggested that Maggie join in a regular class. In retrospect, it was the perfect idea… Maggie was so hyped by agility, that a bomb could have gone off near her and she still wanted to do a tunnel or jump. So the strangers in the class gave her no stress, she focused on the obstacles alone.
There were other people in our class that had their own issues… a big weimaraner that was more puppy than dog and another rescue, a schnauzer, whose apprehension of strangers was probably worse than Maggie’s. Together we took lessons and they soon talked about competing. I repeated my original idea that we had only done this to improve Maggie’s social skills, we had no intention of competing. In addition to that, Maggie was a tall, stringy border collie with a thin tail… I was not sure that the AKC would even provide us with an ILP. But as the weeks got closer, and my classmates began talking about their first trials, I began to think that perhaps this might be fun. There was a local show that I planned to visit, but something came up and I never made it. I pushed the idea back again. One night after class one of my classmates brought out a camera and a ILP (PAL) application. She said “if you don’t send this in, I’m going to” and that night we took the required photos. I can’t say that I was really all that anxious for the result, because I had not yet become addicted. But a few weeks later, the envelope arrived with her AKC certificate. As it turns out, the next show in town happened to be scheduled on my 50th birthday. We entered.
I doubt that I will ever have a more memorable birthday. Maggie ran great for a Novice A dog, and we took home two 1st place ribbons. But more than that, it turned a corner in Maggie’s mind. There were many strangers there, strange noises and strange smells. At first she retreated into her fear, but when I took her to the practice jump and then onto the start line, she forgot about her fear-it pretty much disappeared into the air.
And from the first run, we were as addicted as any junkie.

Remember when?

2011-02-03T19:03:00.004-06:00

This cold and snow has me missing warm weather. I thought I would throw these out as a gentle reminder that we are on the downhill slide to summer. (please hurry)

Part 11, the Teeter

2011-02-02T17:30:00.001-06:00

Choosing which of my dogs I love the most is like asking me which of my kids I love the most. I could not possibly choose. However, I must say that Jake will always have a special place in my heart… perhaps because of the way he protected Sarah or the fact that he has suffered such hardship, yet continues to greet the world with such happy enthusiasm. About a year after we got Jake I started looking into taking him to nursing homes. He is not only good-natured, but always very gentle when I ask him to be. He would be completely unfazed by wheelchairs, loud noises, or even hands that might pet too hard or grip too tight. And, he would fetch tennis balls for hours, each time gently returning them to your hand. I figured that some older person in a nursing home could benefit from the interaction. I started looking into getting him certified for pet therapy, and found out that the first step was to get him some formalized training. I found a place not too far from home and enrolled him in the next beginning obedience class.
Jake loved it. He loved getting out, he loved the attention, he loved the treats… and we had the best time together. And he was very easily trained. In fact, by lesson four or five, I was beginning to see a competition-worthy obedience dog. He is one of those dogs that heel by looking at the handler’s face the entire time, rarely looking at where he is going. He stays in heel position like we are have Velcro holding us together. And even his long sits were getting better.. he was now up to several minutes and his hips were much improved.
The lady that was teaching the class complemented us on how fast we were progressing and suggested that we consider agility as well. She also taught agility and had an indoor agility ring next to the obedience area. I longed to give it a try, but I knew that Jake’s hips would not allow him to do it.
We also talked after class about Maggie, who, by this time, was becoming overcome with anxiety when introduced to strangers and strange places. And, as she got worse, I took her out less, compounding the problem. The trainer suggested that I bring her and let her try agility… that perhaps putting her to work would help. It took a while for her to convince me, and I made an appointment for a private lesson, because I was too nervous to bring her there with other people around.
From the first moment, she was addicted. At the first lesson she was jumping, doing tunnels, and running the dog walk. I couldn’t remember when I had seen her so happy. We scheduled a second private lesson and I went home. The following week on our way to the facility, Maggie began screaming when we got near the place. Not a scared scream… more like the kids in the “we’re going to Disneyland!” commercials.
About halfway through the lesson, the trainer suggested that we work the teeter. She explained that she would keep Maggie from jumping off by holding onto her if necessary, while I encouraged her to the end. I said “but you don’t understand…no one but me can grab or hold Maggie. I have to muzzle her at the vet… she gets so frightened, that I’m afraid she will bite you.” In true Caeser Milan fashion, the trainer said “That was before; this is now… she loves agility and her mind will be on this, not on the past. As long as you stay calm, so will she” And sure enough, Maggie went up the teeter, the trainer put her arm around her to guide her to the end and Maggie never blinked an eyelash. And as that teeter tipped, Maggie’s life and mine, changed forever.

Part 10, Jake finds a home

2011-02-01T05:33:00.001-06:00

Some of the first applications for Jake were from homes in the St. Louis area. However, even without the home visit, I had already decided that they were not going to be good homes for him. I suppose because he is not a traditional-looking border collie (and at the time I think we said that he was probably a mix), the really good applicants were looking at other dogs, and not Jake. And the ones that wanted Jake did not meet my expectations. But I was patient, knowing that the perfect home was out there waiting for him, somewhere.
I began doing some general obedience with him, and gradually began increasing the length of time that I asked him to sit. In the beginning, I was happy with 20 seconds, but we were working up to over a minute. Some days we would take a walk, but even a short walk would leave him lame a few hours later. He wanted to run and play with Maggie, but we really had to limit the running especially, or he would be almost unable to walk the next morning. We continued to visit the vet and talk about his hips and his strength. We also discussed the complications and cost involved with hip replacements; and we talked about keeping his weight low so that someday he might be a candidate for removal of his femoral head when his hips finally gave out. But, he did remind me over and over to keep him moving… keep pushing him as far as I could without causing him any pain or lameness. And so we kept working on walks, a little farther all the time, and sitting… a little longer every time. I tried to get him to swim, but he was terrified of the water, so it just wasn’t worth the trouble.
By the time Jake had lived with us for 3 months, his coat was becoming more shiny, and he was gaining strength in his hips. He was now able to play with Maggie, though I would have to intervene if it got too crazy. He was becoming a great little dog; yet most of the applications that arrived showed interest in one of the other dogs, and not Jake.
In the fall, we headed to the Kansas City area for the rescue reunion. Once a year the rescue invites everyone that adopted a dog for a get-together. Obviously, I would take Maggie to see her foster family and some of her littermates. I took Jake along for the ride and maybe drum up some interest in getting him adopted. I also took my daughter who was about 16 at the time. We stayed at a nice hotel that had a patio door that opened to a courtyard, making it easy to take the dogs out. A little after midnight they whined to go out, and she offered to take them both. Armed with poopy bags and a flashlight, she went out. Not long afterwards, she returned crying. A truck with several drunk young men and driven up to her. One got out and was walking toward her, making lewd suggestions. Maggie hid behind Sarah and cowered, but little Jake turned into an attack dog. She said that Jake lunged at the end of the leash with all his might. She said he growled and barked and foam flew from his cheeks. She said that the young man stopped in his tracks and returned to his truck saying something about a vicious dog. And as soon as they had gone, Jake went back to his happy-go-lucky self and finished his potty trip.
As soon as she told me the story I realized how foolish I had been to let her go out. And how Jake had likely saved her from who-knows-what. And I knew at that moment that I owed him a debt that I could never repay…but I promised him that I would never stop trying. And on that day, in Independence MO, Jake found his perfect forever home-ours.

Part 9-Jake looks for a home

2011-01-31T06:12:00.004-06:00

Jake's photo from the shelter

At first, I did not think that Jake would fit in well. I’d never had a male dog and it just seemed… well… wrong. I had some preconceived notion that he would mark… he didn’t. I thought it would be hard to housebreak him… it wasn’t. I thought that he would not be affectionate…he was. In fact, almost everything I thought was true about male dogs was untrue about him. Within days, he had figured out just how to creep up onto the sofa in super-stealth mode so that I would not notice. He would snuggle on my feet at the computer and follow me everywhere.
I scheduled a vet appointment for him, first, to make sure he was healthy and also to arrange for his neuter surgery. I assumed that he would be apprehensive about walking into any place that smelled like a vet or a shelter, but he marched right in with tail wagging-like a politician running for office. He still does that, too… stops by to say hello to everyone, even jumps up and peaks at the people behind the counter. Anyway, we got in to see the vet and we talked about what a great little dog he was, and what bad shape he was in. His coat was dull and thin, and he had very poor muscle tone. His rear legs and hips had virtually no muscles and if you put your hand on the top of his hips when he sat, you could feel popping and uneven motion between the two sides. And the poor guy could only sit for a few minutes before he would flop over into a puppy sit. He just lacked the muscle strength to sit normally. The vet suggested that he had probably been enclosed in a small area for so long, that he had not developed any muscles in his hindquarters. But his hips were so unstable, we also considered that perhaps he had such bad hips that maybe he just didn’t want to run or jump. So they took him back for a few x-rays.
The results of the x-rays were staggering. His hips were not good, but not terrible like we thought they might be. The bad part was that his little body was just riddled with pellets. The vet said that they sometimes see dogs, especially hunting dogs, with bird shot from a shotgun. But these were not the little BBs you would see in a case like that. These are pellets from a pellet gun, and they were in multiple areas of his body. Since then, between x-rays and checking him over, we’ve found about 2 dozen. Quite a few are in his hips, some in his legs and feet, front shoulders, chest, even one in his ear, and in his tail. And since they were all healed by the time I got him at 6 or 7 months, he must have been a little pup when someone did this to him. To this day, I get choked up thinking about the cruelty this little guy had experienced.
We scheduled his neuter surgery and he pulled through like a champ. While he was out, the vet removed three or four of the pellets that were near the surface that seemed to be bothering him. When I went to pick him up, he was his usually charming self, unfazed by the surgery and making his rounds with the employees, saying goodbye. What a ham. It was going to be very difficult to let this boy move on to an adoptive family. But we took more pictures and I updated the website with more information and before long, applications began to arrive.

Part 8. Jake.

2011-01-23T16:23:00.000-06:00

Maggie remained healthy and stopped eating foreign objects, so our trips to the vet were few in the coming months. But the episode had left her quite wary of strangers, though, especially those that she thought might pick her up or put their hands around her like an examination. Despite my continuing to take her into public and despite the fact that I never reinforced this behavior, it continued to grow worse. Her fear grew to the point that I stopped taking her into public, and I worried that she would eventually snap at a stranger. It was also about this time that I realized how much she counted on our little cocker spaniel for support. When Maggie was a puppy, she would walk alongside Mopsy, holding onto her big flowing cocker ears like they were a security blanket. I thought it was cute and so I never stopped her. I knew that if she ever actually hurt Mopsy, the old cocker would take her down in an instant. She might look cute, but this little girl was tough. Anyway, I realized that she really was being used as a security blanket and when the “blanket” wasn’t around, Maggie was much more apprehensive. But it wasn’t all that important to me, they went together with me most of the time, anyway. Besides, it really was very cute. : )
During these months, I continued to stay in touch with the rescue that Maggie came from and on occasion, they would send an email asking for help with a home visit, or a transport. One day, an email arrived that asked for help with a transport on behalf of another rescue. There was a young guy in Stillwell OK in a shelter that found a home in Chicago and he needed a ride to St. Louis, and a place to spend the night. Other Mo-Kan volunteers got him as far as Rolla, and I picked him up from there. Such a sweet little boy named Jake. He was a smooth coat and had very little muscle mass, especially in his hindquarters. He had one ear up and one down which gave him a mischievous look and he was wearing a cheap collar in which someone had poked an extra hole to make it big enough. If you closed your eyes and imagined a homeless dog, Jake would fit the picture.
Nevertheless, he crated easily and rode carelessly. When he got to our house, I quickly took pictures and emailed them to his adoptive family. “Oh. He doesn’t really look like what we thought. We were hoping for a high-drive agility dog” was the response I got via email. Are you kidding me? They were going to change their mind about a dog that they rescued from a shelter based on one snapshot! I called them and said, “No problem. If you are not jumping up and down excited to have him, then I won’t bring him to you.” The reply was “we will take him if we have to, but no, we are not excited to have him.” I hung up… probably not very politely.
Not only was I angry at these people, but it made me realize that all rescues are not the same. This situation would never have happened with Mo-Kan. There is no way that a transport would have been initiated without the adoptive family having a lot of information about the dog, and them being certain it was the right thing to do. And no way would someone who volunteered to transport get “stuck” with a dog. But stuck we were.
So Jake became our first foster dog. I was surprised how gentle and sweet this shelter dog was. It was clear that he was not accustomed to living indoors (he had to learn to climb stairs) and he had NO obedience training. He was a few months younger than Maggie, and they quickly became best friends. She would even hold onto his ear now and then. And we posted Jake’s picture on Mo-Kan’s website and began looking for his forever home.

Part 7

2011-01-22T19:47:00.002-06:00

Despite the fact that she was still pretty small and that she had swallowed a mechanical pencil (or at least a large part of one) the veterinarian suggested that we “wait and see” rather than immediately go after it. He said that dogs will often pack stool around objects and then they pass on through. But to play it safe, I was to look for the object in her stool, and she would go in every day for an x-ray to track the progress until it passed.
I was very thorough, closely examining each little poop that she passed using latex gloves bought especially for poo examinations. Each little piece was carfully picked up, looked at and smashed, even though I was looking for an object several inches long. And you could tell the days that the pencil reached a place that hurt, and the days when it was “free flowing”… those were the days Maggie acted like a normal puppy. And every day we went in for her x-ray and they would report the progress. And each day she got more and more reluctant to go in. She started balking at the door and by the time she had a few x-rays, I could tell that she was becoming really fearful of going back with the tech. Just for the record, I don’t think that they were really mean to her or anything, it is just that she was young, it was scary, and I’m sure that my own anxiety made it worse. Day after day, we watched the progress of the pencil until one day… it… was… gone. Gone! Didn’t show up the x–ray! And to this day, I have no idea when or where she passed that pencil. I was so thorough on my poop check, I will never know how it got past… or passed.
It was also during this time that I learned something very important about my pet’s medical care. Since Murphy passed, I had continued to do research on auto-immune diseases in dogs, because the cause had remained a mystery that I felt obligated to solve. On one of our “pencil” visits, I mentioned to the vet that I was convinced that Murphy had acquired a particular tick-borne illness that led to the auto-immune. He said “no, if it had been that, we would have seen joint pain and her getting lame before it got that far.“ I was speechless. Murph had been in multiple times in the preceding months with joint pain and lameness, but had seen a variety of vets… never this one. And by the time he saw her, there were pages and pages in her chart about her most recent visits, and I suppose he never turned back the pages to the visits for her joints. I didn’t talk to him about it… there was nothing he could do at this point, and there was no reason to make him feel bad. But I did learn two good lessons about animal care. The first is about consistency with your vet. Now we schedule all of our visits with the same vet, no more taking whatever vet is available at the most convenient time for me. The second is that I have vowed to take an active role in the research for any pets I have with a serious or continuing medical issue. Not that I suggest that I am smarter than my vet, only that I have a lot more time to dedicate to research. No vet can do as much research for every animal in their care as I can for just one dog. And while I was relieved to finally find a probable cause for Murphy’s illness, it was very sad as well, to realize that this was something that would have been curable had it been treated early on.
I’m so, so, sorry Murphy-girl, that you suffered needlessly.

Part 6

2011-01-20T17:36:00.001-06:00

“Oh my. What did you do?” This was the greeting I received from our vet, the one that we had begun to see exclusively during Murph’s illness. He came around the corner with a big smile on his face, but shared with us that he was a little afraid when he saw our name on his schedule, thinking that the other dog was sick. He grabbed the puppy and laughed at her, marveling, like we had, how much she looked like Murphy.
We had learned a lot (through certainly not enough) about raising puppies in the years since we got Murph and I was dedicated to making sure that she was properly socialized. We went to puppy school and she was the star. Walking on lead, sits, downs, stays… she was smart and eager to please. She played with the other puppies but was reluctant to have strangers pet her. After she knew someone for a while, she would accept a treat, but was uncomfortable being handled. We went to Home Depot and Lowes a couple times a week, even when we didn’t need anything, just to get her out. She was a little on the shy side, but nothing for me to worry about. Most of the time the little cocker would walk alongside her and provide her with confidence. I exposed her to every possible environment that I could think of… well except a crate of course.
One issue that she had from the beginning, and still has today, was an unwillingness to eat. She was tall and lanky and old folks would tell me she had worms. But no matter what I bought for her, she would not eat. Pretty soon I was buying the most expensive dry food I could find, and then I was buying freeze-dried raw diet which I had to reconstitute with hot water. I tried gravies and pastes. I even replaced her food bowls (she did not like seeing herself in the shiny steel bowls-still doesn’t). I would write emails to the rescue group about her eating disorder and it wasn’t until I’d mentioned that I was now sitting on the floor with her and feeding her by hand that someone finally kicked me in the butt. “Knock it off” I think was the advice I got. “You are creating a monster. No healthy dog will starve themselves” and “pick up her bowl of food after 10 minutes… she will be hungry by the next meal.” It was one of the hardest things I had to do, but I did it. Ten minutes after I put the bowl down, I picked it up. Next meal, the same thing happened and I began to worry. But after missing two meals, she was happy to have a meal and while she didn’t “scarf” it down, she did eat it.
And so it went, eating fine for a few days and then skip a meal. One day, she skipped a meal and then a second meal. While this normally would not have concerned me, she just didn’t look well either. She was about six months old and we were accustomed to her crazy antics. One of her favorite “games” was to race through the living room and use the back of the sofa as a springboard to jump to the floor and continue racing. (Looking back, I can’t believe how I spoiled this dog) Anyway, she not only stopped eating, but stopped racing and jumping and her little face just looked sad. So we made a vet appointment for that day and drug her sad little face in. Our vet tried to reassure us that everything would be okay, but after the last year, I could not help but panic a little. “I’m sure it’s nothing big, but let’s snap an x-ray just to be sure” And he took my little baby with him while we waited. What seemed like an eternity went by when he returned, not with Maggie, but with an x-ray. He put it on the viewer and said “I have no idea what this is, but it looks like she ate something” Looking at the x-ray I saw a mechanical pencil that I had recently “lost.” And it didn’t take a radiologist to see that it looked bad for my little girl.

Part 5 - Maggie

2011-01-08T20:03:00.002-06:00

Our hearts ached to the point we thought they would break. This dog had been such an intrinsic part of our lives that none of us could imagine a home without her. The kids and I wept almost daily. Thank goodness we had a second dog, and the little black and white cocker served as tear catcher more times than I can count. And though I was the first to say that we could never replace Murphy, it was clear within the first weeks that we needed to fill this gaping hole with another dog.
A week or so later I decided to begin some research. I would have gladly gone back to look for the farmer that sold us Murphy if I had any idea where to look, so I began to Google “Border Collie Missouri.” My plan at this time was to spend a couple months of research to find Murph's breeder or another good breeder, then maybe get a puppy in about 6 months or a year.
I tried my best to locate “John” but I had little to go on, and it is highly unlikely that he was advertising on the internet anyway. And it seemed that no matter what I typed into Google to refine my search, the number one hit was “Missouri Kansas Border Collie Rescue.” I’ll be honest… I never even clicked on it once in the first week or so of searching. I don’t know why, but for some reason I thought there would only be old, mixed breed, or problem dogs there. One day I did a Google image search-since I had been so unsuccessful doing a web search for text-and up popped all these beautiful dogs… some young, some old, rough, smooth coat… a smorgasbord of BCs all tagged by Missouri Kansas Border Collie Rescue. So I picked one and clicked on it.
The link had landed me on the “success” pages of Mo-Kan’s website and the stories that I read of dogs that had been pulled from shelters or found wandering without a home filled me with emotion. And I read the stories of the people that fostered them, renewed their health and their spirits, and the stories of the families that adopted them. Again, I am struck by my own ignorance, I didn’t have a clue about the wonderful work a rescue organization does. Once I had reached the bottom, I took a deep breath and clicked on the “available for adoption” button. And silent tears filled my eyes as one of the little faces filled my monitor.
Her name was Tulla, and she had been born shortly after a good Samaritan caught her mother running loose, just four days after Murphy died. She had five littermates, all of which were cute, but it was Tulla that held my attention. She had a split face, almost exactly the same as Murphy’s except in mirror image. Her eyeliner didn’t curl up as far at the corner, and she didn’t have a blue merle kissy spot. Other than that, they were mirror twins… her paws, her legs, her rough… they all were the same as Murph’s, down to the pattern of black freckles on her front leg… again, as reflected in a mirror. The shock of it was overwhelming. I called my daughter out to look, and she immediately burst into tears. The little pup WAS Murphy for us.
I immediately began filling out the application and struggled with the question “is there a particular dog you are interested in?” Obviously there was only one, but I didn’t want to look like a crazy person, so I put “any of Freckle’s pups, but ideally Tulla.” I don’t know what I would have done if they had said that Tulla had been spoken for. I suppose I would have taken one of the other pups, but in my heart, I knew that I had to have her. Any other pup would have given me the feeling that someone had taken MY dog. Fortunately, though, our application was put in the “pending” stack with Tulla’s name on it.
Obviously, the pups were still too young to go to their new home, and the rescue has the job of checking up on the applicant. I was not worried about them calling the vet… in the last few months we had become regulars there. During the times that Murph was hospitalized, I would go by three or four times a day just to sit next to her. I would even take books and read outloud, so that she could hear my voice. Even my elderly mother would go over and visit, sitting on the hard floor next to her crate, so they knew us as devoted owners. Besides, the treatments and tests for Murph's extended illness had been quite expensive… surely we were one of their best customers. It was the home visit that concerned us most-so we worried and we cleaned-hoping to make a good impression (like someone would say, "I'm sorry, your house is too dusty for our dogs" ). When the volunteer stopped in to interview us, we showed her photos of Murph in the pool with the kids, pictures of family vacations, even pictures of her opening her Christmas presents. We talked about obedience training and Murphy’s brief exposure to agility. And then she asked the question that would surely ruin us. I could feel sweat erupt from my forehead when she said “do you crate your dogs when you are gone?”
I don’t know what I said. I danced around it and then I gave some non-answer like… “we have never needed to.” I think I mentioned the kitchen baby-gate set up, but cleverly left out the oak cabinet chew-a-thon. I didn’t know if she was suggesting that this was a good thing or a bad thing, and I didn’t want to wreck my chances at getting this puppy by guessing wrong. You would have thought I was on “Millionaire” and Regis was saying “is that your final answer?” The volunteer thanked us for our time and left, saying that she did not make the decisions, she only reported what she saw to the board who made the final choice.
The waiting was pure hell. But within a few days I got an email that said we were approved for adoption, and to contact the foster home to work out the transfer … of Tulla.
I know it sounds crazy, but somewhere deep inside, we all felt like Murphy was coming home.

Part 4 of I-don't-know-how-many

2011-01-07T21:10:00.001-06:00

Murphy turned out to be an ideal family dog. She was the kid’s constant companion, climbing the ladder to the top bunks and then leaping the 6 feet down onto a pile of toys. She would swim with them for hours… in fact I would have to put her in the house for a break or she would wear her pads raw patrolling the pool. And if one of the kids swam underwater for too long, she would jump in, swim down until she could grab their arm and drag them to the edge of the pool.
Outside the pool she was a good babysitter as well. She knew the kids by name and I could send her to get them. Whether they were in the basement or playing in a neighbor’s yard, Murph would track them down and give them a little bark that meant “Mom said come home right now.” Kids, being kids, they would often ignore her. But a Border Collie, being a Border Collie, will not be ignored when told to gather the flock. If another bark or a bump didn’t get them started, she’d give them a little nip on the ankle, which could not be ignored. Then I would hear little feet running into the house and someone crying “Murphy bit me!” We’d always go through the same routine… “Did she tell you to come home? Did you listen? It’s just a little scratch isn’t it? Well good. Then maybe next time you will come home the first time she tells you.”
And even without the twelve hours of sheep herding, she did become one of the sheepdogs of Herriot stories. She could and would go anywhere with me. We took a leash for other people’s comfort, but Murph never needed one. We would go for walks and I could leave her on a stay outside a store or restaurant to wait. We even went to the elementary school where we took Kim Lewis books about Border Collies and read them to the class. Murphy would stand quietly to be petted, even when a class of 20 third graders were doing it. I can’t imagine how she kept her herding instinct in check… you know that she wanted to gather them.
She did have the instinctual herding drive and she wasn’t always able to control it though. One evening we had a small group of people from church at our house. One of the gentleman was older and used a walker to get around. As we would move from one room to another, he would naturally be slower than the rest and more than once I caught her getting ready to give him a little ankle nip to encourage him along. And when people would stand around and chat, Murph would sometimes bump into them ever so gently at the back of their knees, causing people to take small steps forward without thinking about it. And before long, we would all be in a tight little flock in one corner while she laid in the center of the room and just watched… waiting for us to get unruly.
As the kids got older, we bought a camping trailer so that we could take the dogs along on family vacations. Murphy enjoyed the long walks at campgrounds and especially catching Frisbees… if I had been a better thrower, we could have been competitive, because there was almost nothing she couldn’t catch. One summer we took the camper to South Dakota and we played Frisbee every day. Not long after we returned, however, Murphy began to limp a little. Nothing big-most people couldn’t even see it. But I saw it, and I assumed that I had worked her too hard on Frisbee or that she had stepped in a hole. She was only about nine years old, and had always been healthy. I kept her pretty trim because she was such a jumper… I assumed it would go away in time.
Over the next few months I had her examined multiple times. Most of the vets could see a little issue, but no one was very worried. They all said that after all, she was an active dog, and she was 9, so what did I expect but a little soreness once in a while. As the months progressed, she seemed to age right before our eyes. She limped more, she tired more easily. She didn’t have the energy she once did and she just seemed like a different dog. Another vet appointment and another “well she’s getting older” diagnosis.
One morning it was markedly worse. She clearly was ailing, and I just didn’t believe it was aging. We went to the vet again, and again saw a different vet. The practice that we use has a lot of different vets, and we always saw whoever was available first, so we rarely saw the same vet twice. This time, though, the vet we saw took Murph’s condition a little more seriously and started by drawing blood. The news was bad, and additional tests brought only more bad news. Murphy had an auto-immune disease, and her body was attacking its own blood cells. We did every treatment that we could, she received blood transfusions and massive drug doses. Over the next months she would improve for a while, and then she would slip. I spent countless nights sleeping on the floor beside her, in case that was the night she decided to quit fighting. One morning she seemed to be improved and went outside to potty on her own. She came back in and curled up in a spot of sunshine.
And from that spot, on July 31, 2004 Murphy crossed the rainbow bridge.

Part 3 of I-don't-know-yet

2011-01-06T17:31:00.002-06:00

Looking back it is embarrassing how ignorant I was. I thought I was super dog-savvy… I could identify most breeds and even tell you something about their personality and their history. I had read all of the James Herriot books so many times I could recite portions. And somewhere in my mind I thought about the Border Collies that Herriot wrote about and called simply a “sheepdog.” And I dreamed of the stories he told about the sheepdogs that would follow their master into the local pub and wait patiently under the stool while they drank their pints and swapped stories. What I didn’t think about was the 12 hours of sheep herding that the dog had done that day which tired him out enough to take a nap in the pub. Goodness I was ignorant and had just done something that was incredibly stupid. I bought a dog on a whim. And not just a dog, a high drive Border Collie from a breeder that raised them for cattle. I was bringing her home to a house in the city with a medium sized yard and two little kids. She was unsocialized and I had no idea about her health. Hell, I didn’t even know John’s last name. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
But my ignorance didn’t stop there. Back then I didn’t believe in crates. I didn’t even call them crates; I called them CAGES. And no one that really loved their dog would put them in CAGES, right? But at least I was smart enough to know that she couldn’t run loose in the house while we at work and school, so I penned her in the kitchen using two baby gates. Somehow in my pea-sized brain this was waaaaay better than a cage. We had recently remodeled our house and the kitchen had brand new cabinets and vinyl floors. Really it was a pretty good place to “crate” her. (ha) I would leave her with a few toys and a bowl of water and it always looked the same when I came home. The toys would be moved and some water would be gone, but that was about it. I would always come home and tell her what a good girl she was.
Many months later I was on my hands and knees looking for something that had dropped and I noticed that the bottom edge of the cabinets were rough. Apparently all the days when she was penned in the kitchen she relieved her boredom by chewing on the wood. Some places the wood was shredded, and in others just dimpled. To this day tiny holes from her baby canines and dents from her adolescent ones remain a permanent part of my home. Of course you have to lay on the floor to see them.
I took her to obedience class just for fun. I never expected to compete with her- back then Border Collies were not recognized by the AKC and if they had such a thing as an ILP* , I never knew about it. But it is sort of a shame, because she was really good. She was one of those dogs that watched the handler all the time, staying in perfect heel position even when I tried to trick her. She had several different “finish” methods… the traditional move to heel position on handler’s left, the “around” the back to end up in heel position and she was even working on the “swing”… a move where she would jump into the air, twist around and land in heel position. Frankly, I was not comfortable with the method to teach this at the time which amounted to jerking up on your dog’s choke collar and then stepping into them when they jumped up. Because back then, we didn’t use treats in the training ring. Or toys. We just jerked them around by the neck until that ended up where we wanted and then we said “good dog!” But Murph was forgiving and she went willingly along. And I guess my “good dog!” was enough for her, because she learned quickly despite these archaic training methods.
But even if we had wanted to compete in obedience, there was one other huge obstacle besides her registration-the wretched “stand for examination.” This is where the handler leaves the dog on a stand-stay and the “judge” walks by and gently places their hand on the dog. The dog must stand quietly without moving and allow the examination. For some reason, Murph HATED this. She would stand perfectly still for as long as I asked, until the judge came up. And then she would cower… she would shrink, close her eyes, whine, and do anything except move her feet from the spot she was told to stay. And I felt so bad for her… I could feel her anxiety. And I did what any good mom would do… I comforted her. “Poor Murphy… it’s okay… you’re a good girl… nothing to be afraid of… gooood girl.” And week after week of training this went on, and she got worse and worse.
Then, one night, one of the fellow trainers said something to me that totally changed my relationship with dogs from then on. Something that was absolutely brilliant and at the same time, stunningly obvious. As I sweet-talked her while she shook with fear he said to me “you do realize that you are training her to do that, and that you are rewarding that behavior, don’t you?” What? Training her? Rewarding her? And then I realized, week after week she heard… “blah blah blah Murphy blah blah good girl blah blah good girl” Yikes, I had taught her to behave this way as surely as I had taught her to play dead when I said “bang.” And on that night, my pea-sized brain grew a little and I took on a new role in my dog’s life. Beginning the next week, Murphy had a new no-nonsense handler which didn’t allow that kind of behavior. It took a while to change, but certainly less time than it took to create the problem in the first place. And while I can’t say today that I am a good dog trainer, I am certainly much better thanks to the frank words of a fellow trainer a long time ago.

*Individual Listing Privilege. This is a number issued by the AKC to purebred dogs that do not have registration papers. The owner provides pictures of the dog along with a description of why they believe the dog is a purebred. The AKC then decides to agree or decline the application. In 2004, ILP was replaced by PAL- purebred alternative listing which is essentially the same.

Part 2 of I-don't-know-yet

2011-01-04T16:17:00.000-06:00

We stayed to watch a little more of the rodeo, but it was clear that the puppy was afraid. She was afraid of the little string around her neck, afraid of the noise, afraid of the smells. She was even afraid of me. Fortunately, she was not afraid of the kids… I suppose she identified with them, and she trotted alongside them as we worked our way back to our car parked in a nearby field.
On the walk to the car, she would occasionally poke her nose into the rough stubble of weeds and grass in the “parking lot” and take a long intake of air. And it was clear that she would love to dig for whatever it was that smelled so good. Eventually we found our car and once again her fear returned. She did everything she could think of to escape before we loaded her in… thank goodness that the little baling twine collar and leash not only held but didn’t choke her. Once in the car she found the only place that she felt safe was sandwiched between the car seat back and my son’s back. He had just turned 6 and already had a soft spot for animals… both figuratively and literally in this case. As we left the fairgrounds, we could still hear the announcer at the rodeo arena introducing the barrel racing contestants, and following one of the rides he said “and if you were wanting to pick up one of John’s pups, you are too late, they’ve all been spoken for!”
We arrived at Grandma’s and unloaded the little sleepy kids and little pup. We knew better than to let her off the string yet and we encouraged her to walk into the house. It was clear that she had never seen stairs and never been inside a house. She wanted nothing more than to crawl under the car… a trait she continued to display most of her life when she got a little frightened. Through the years I often worried that her life would end under a car; fortunately that fear was never realized, yet she always saw it as some kind of refuge and more than once I had to get on hands and knees to insist that she came out. And more than a few times I had to scrub black axle grease off the top of her head and off the tips of her ears.
After a bowl of clean water and a dish of dog chow she seemed to settle in a little. Grandma was willing to let the little pup sleep indoors, or even in bed with us, but not so willing to allow the fleas that she brought with her. So, poor little pup had to endure a flea bath and later a powder on her first night with us. Looking back, it was a horrible beginning to a relationship. Thank goodness that she saw the kids as her refuge from this adult human who yanked her from her mother and everything she knew and then subjected her to multiple traumas.
By the next morning we were able to create a collar for her by punching a few new holes in one from Grandma’s collection. She bonded quickly and easily with the kids and I had no fear of her taking off, so they would take her out many times a day, and almost every time she made a little potty. People asked how we housebroke her so quickly, but the truth is she never needed to be-she came to us preferring to do her business in the grass.
Because we had no plans to get a dog, we obviously had no name either. We tried on names all day but nothing seemed to fit. The show “Murphy Brown” was popular at that time, and when it came on that evening, the kids called the dog “Murphy Black and White” and the name stuck. Though everyone assumed Murphy was a male, because we associated the name with Candace Bergman, it always seemed like a good girl’s name to us.
Murphy immediately bonded with both the kids and chased them through the grass and up the gravel roads of Grandma’s house. By Sunday afternoon, they were all tired, dusty, a little smelly, and two of them ready to head home. All but Murphy, who once again put on the breaks at the thought of going IN the car. But once in, she quickly established herself between David’s back and the seat back again and seemed content. I prayed that I would not have an accident with them like this, and we began the drive home.

Maggie's Story. Part 1 of I-don't-know-yet

2011-01-03T18:57:00.004-06:00

MAGGIE’S STORY

She was a semi-rough border collie… classic black and white with a split face. Her black parts were sleak and shiney, with a big white ruff around her neck that was prefect to bury your face in- to muffle a laugh or dry a tear. The very tip of one ear was blue merle… the only merle spot on her whole body, and we called it her “kissy spot.” On the white side of her face she had a thin line of black that formed a perfect eyeliner which even curled up at the outside…. in the style of Gina Lollobrigida. She was patient, sweet, gentle, quiet, fast, protective, and smart. And her name was Murphy.
It may seem odd to begin one dog’s story with a description of another dog, but to fully understand Maggie, you have to first know Murphy. Murph was our first border collie.

The County Fair

It was 1994 and I had been looking for a blue merle Aussie for about a year. Aussies had only recently been recognized as a breed by the AKC and I was excited to have one of these beautiful working dogs. But either there were not many Aussie breeders in Missouri at that time or else I traveled in the wrong circles, because I just never found one and had given up on the idea of getting a new dog.
In the fall of that year we went to rural Missouri for a weekend visit with Grandma and it happened that the local county fair was that weekend. For those of you that have never experienced a real county fair, there isn’t really anything else that compares. Sure, there are carnival rides, but that isn’t where the heart of the fair is. First, there are the competitions… baking, sewing, art and agriculture. Future Farmers of America (FFA) members will parade their shiny black angus or bold charolais calves, trying to earn that coveted blue ribbon. And no one is concerned that these freshly bathed and brushed entries may be the entrees at next year’s fair.
There is always a "Miss County" pageant for which girls have prepared for months. Decorated coffee cans sit near cash registers at every gas station, feed store and restaurant throughout the county asking for "votes" with your loose change. And the daughters of the owners of those businesses always have the advantage as mom and dad remind the patrons to vote for their little sweetheart. The girls show up at the fairgrounds with their hair in intricate updos, wearing southern-belle style ball gowns-often made by mom or grandma-in the hope of winning the rhinestone crown and getting their photo on the cover of the county paper.
The ladies from the Baptist church sell pies and the Lion’s club men BBQ. The Job’s Daughters have a ring toss game, and the High School principal and some of his friends play their guitars on the main stage while people from the audience get up and sing a song or two. And we all know one another… maybe not well, but well enough to say things like “isn’t that Maude and Ed’s granddaughter? When did she get braces?”
But my favorite part of the fair, and that part that attracted us this year, was the rodeo. Not like PBR (professional bull riding) but real rodeo. Calf roping, team penning, barrel racing… real rodeo excitement provided by our neighbors. We settled into our seats early with our BBQ and some goodies from the band bake sale and waited for the rodeo to begin. As they unloaded the calves and cattle from the trailers into the arena, three slender dogs jumped from one truck and began helping sort the cows and load them into the right chutes so that they would be ready.
Team penning, an event where three riders on horseback separate three cattle from the herd of 30 and push them into a pen, was first. At the county fair, the cattle are numbered and three numbers are drawn at random. Also, one of the riders had to be a woman. I don’t know if these are the real rules or not… I’ve never seen a team penning outside the fairgrounds, but that is the way they do it at the fair. Once the cows had been penned or time ran out, the cows were driven back to the end of the arena to begin again. Often, these black and white bullets were turned loose to drive the cattle back and people in the audience often applauded. After the last team ran, the announcer thanked the owner of the dogs and said “if anyone else was as impressed with John’s dogs as I was, they might want to stop over here by the booth, because his favorite stock dog, Lucy, brought her litter of pups with her. And you might be able to talk John out of one or two if you have a few dollars to spare.”
“Oh Momma, can we look? Can we just go take a look at them?” I knew that it was probably a bad decision, but I said yes and we went to take a peek at Lucy’s pups. Five wiggly little balls of black and white fur were in the cardboard box lined with straw. John said he’d take $40 if we wanted one. They were all pretty much alike except for one… a split faced female that caught our interest. They were wormy, dirty, smelly, and adorable. The forty dollars was out of my hand before I even had a chance to think about it. I didn’t have a leash with me, but John threw in a yard of baling twine for free.

Cold.Hard.Cash.

2011-01-02T19:08:00.003-06:00

People often ask us what we win when we do agility, and are very surprised to hear me say "a ribbon... maybe a rosette." They always follow up with "you don't win any money?" ... like I forgot about that part. No, no money... just a ribbon. And if we make even one tiny mistake, we don't even get the ribbon. Most people can't understand that we do this for fun.

However, this weekend we participated in an agility match sponsored by USDAA, rather than AKC. They gave out ribbons as well (just flat ones, not rosettes). But, to my delight at the end of the day Sunday I found out that Maggie's second place finish in the Steeplechase event didn't earn a ribbon, but an envelope with $25! Maggie's first paycheck. I wonder how she'll spend it.

she's gone...

2010-12-21T06:15:00.003-06:00

I have been very busy with Christmas preparations, so I have not been keeping up with the blog, but I wanted to offer a quick post on the status of the puppy. Despite the fact that all of my friends were betting that she would stay with me, I passed her along to her new family on Saturday.
I miss her happy little face and wagging tail terribly, but I know that she is in the right place. Her new family is looking for their next performance dog and Killian should be able to fill that need nicely. As happy as I am for her and her new family, I'm still just a little sad for us.
But I have the perfect cure.... now that the snow is melting, I'll be doing dog-poop patrol. That should remind me why we don't need another dog.
Happy journey little girl!

Dogs in Hats

2010-12-09T06:16:00.006-06:00

I'm the kind of person that frowns on dog coats. Not the kind that are genuinely meant to keep a dog warm when needed... I understand that some breeds just cannot handle the cold. And the Old Duck (Mopsy) has coats for the winter... at 16, I don't want her spending any energy on keeping warm. I'm talking about fashion coats. Like their fur isn't pretty enough? Anyway, you would think that this dislike for coats would travel on to other parts of the dogs anatomy, but it doesn't. For some reason, I love love love putting hats, headbands, scarfs- you name it- on my dogs and taking their picture. Though I have to admit, it isn't really about making them look better... quite the contrary. It makes me giggle to see their silly faces-looking at me like I'm killing them. It reminds me of when my kids were little (especially Sarah) and I'd buy them a new outfit and they HATED it. But, I made the kids wear it anyway, and I don't want anyone saying I give preferential treatment to the dogs, so, bring your little furry heads out here... I have HATS!

Ree, especially hates hats. But unlike most dogs which immediately paw them off, Ree gets paralyzed. You can pose her in any way and she won't budge. Except for her eyes which roll at you.

The old duck won't wear a hat. Go ahead, give it a try. She'll rip your face off.

We gave the puppy a go at it. Maybe her future home will want her to wear a hat too, so might as well get her introduced to it.

See? equal opportunity. Love the kids as much as I love the dogs.

Dave! bring the dog over! I've got some great santa beards for you guys to try on!

Killian remains...

2010-12-05T11:19:00.004-06:00

Despite several people saying that they planned to apply to adopt Miss Killian, there have been no new applications. I can't believe that people are not begging for her... is it the holidays and that people think they are too busy to deal with a puppy right now? Is it her mixed heritage (Aussie/BC)? Because as far as puppies go, there is probably not a better one out there. She has such a great disposition (always happy), she is a quick learner, and she is cute as button. I know that the right family is out there for her... but why are they taking so long? Don't they know how much it is going to hurt me to let her go? And it will get worse every day she stays here. Oh, please, where ever you are, your perfect little puppy is at my house.

More pictures...

2010-11-20T21:21:00.003-06:00

Okay, I'll try to wean myself off of the picture taking, but I swear, you cannot take a bad photo of this puppy! She is such a doll.

I mentioned in an earlier post that she wrestles with Ree a lot, I have to separate them every so often, just to give them both a break. But every day she gets faster and smarter, so it won't be long until Ree has her hands (paws) full. Well, if she stays with us that long.

I think this is a cute picture of them playing together, but honestly the only thing I can think of when I look at it is "why don't you put the camera down and clean your yard!"

Does it get any cuter than this? I don't think so...

Growing FAST!

2010-11-19T13:55:00.005-06:00

She's only been with me one week, but Killian has changed a lot in that time. The first few days she was content to nap and lay on my lap. But now that she has found out that Reba will run from her, she is no longer willing to be a lap dog.

She seems to be getting faster everyday, and Ree manages to keep just out of reach of those sharp little teeth. Of course, Reba could easily outrun her, but it makes Killian happy to think she's catching up, so Reba plays along.

Next, Killian tries out her best sheep-herding moves on Ree... Sorry little girl, but Ree knows all about that and your best stalking poses have no effect on her... Poor Ree will let the pup catch her once in a while, but you can tell she doesn't really enjoy it. She will let Killian maul her for a while and even bite a little... but once those teeth sink into Ree's ear or leg, Ree gives her a quick reprimand and Killian is back to her best behavior... for a little while.
Killian is still available for adoption through http://www.mokanbcrescue.org/. While the posting says that we are no longer accepting applications, we would still be willing to consider a new applicant that wants a working or performance dog. Though it is hard to promise how she will be as an adult dog, she appears to have a lot of promise for someone that is looking for an agility or herding dog. She would probably even make a nice therapy or assistance dog. Anyway, if you are interested in her, hop on over and fill out an application.

A few more before it's over

2010-11-15T05:39:00.005-06:00

Well it looks like there are a substantial number of people interested in Miss Killian, because the rescue has stopped accepting applications. Some lucky family is going to get a really great dog... and I hope it is a home where I can watch her grow. I'll try to take a few pictures of her every day until she goes to her new home, because she is so cute, I just have to share.

Evil, evil dog

2010-11-13T18:02:00.004-06:00

This adorable little pup is Killian, and she is up for adoption from Missouri Kansas Border Collie Rescue, the same group the introduced me to Maggie and Jake. I am JUST FOSTERING. (wait, let me repeat that) I am JUST FOSTERING. But this evil little thing is wagging, and yipping, and yawning her way into my heart. The first day I had her, she mostly napped and looked sweet and innocent. By the end of the first day, she was racing around the back yard, wrestling with Ree, and even drug a big tennis shoe a couple feet before we noticed and traded for a toy. She is going to be very bold and tough. I have to stop the bigger dogs from playing rough with her, but she has never even whimpered... she gives it back to them as much as she can.

Anyway, please apply to adopt this little gal before it is too late and I have to keep her.

http://www.mokanbcrescue.org/

look for "Chrome" ...that is her real name, but for some reason, I call her Killian instead.

Thank you Missouri voters

2010-11-03T06:48:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, voters in Missouri passed legislation that is aimed at large scale breeding facilities. Is it perfect? No. Personally, I wish the restrictions were much tighter and the penalties greater. What disturbed me the most were the special interest groups that were flooding the media and the internet with false accusations. Many people in agriculture thought that this would somehow apply to farm animals, even though the proposition clearly spelled out "dog" in every legal way.
People on both sides of the issue continued to spread lies and exaggerations, while very few actually read the proposed legislation.
Sadly, the bill did not pass in a landslide... I was really hoping that Missouri legislators were going to get a wake up call about how Missouri feels about puppy mills. However, many people who are against puppy mills voted no, after hearing the scary and crazy propaganda like the ones that suggested if a crumb of food fell in your pet's water bowl, you would go to jail. I think many more people would have voted yes if they had just taken the time to read it, line by line.
At a recent dog show, a fellow agility enthusiast suprised me by saying "I do not back the legislation... I don't think the government has any business telling me what I can do with my dogs." Thankfully, I recovered from my shock fast enough to tell her, "that is probably what Michael Vick thinks as well."
As long as we have puppy mills, dog fighting, and people that mistreat their animals, we need legislation to limit the abuse. Thanks Missouri voters for getting us a step closer.

The Border Collie National Specialty (agility)

2010-10-22T18:45:00.005-05:00

We just finished FOUR long days at Gray Summit (Purina Farms) at the Border Collie Specialty.

Tuesday we were fortunate to be part of a seminar with Ann Braue and we learned a lot. There were a lot of really good dogs in the class... I sort of felt like a C- student. But we got an A+ for paying attention and trying.

On Wednesday we came prepared and dressed for indoor agility, only to find out that the trial had been moved outdoors. Many of the exhibitors believed that the floor was too slick for their dogs, asked, and got permission from AKC to move the trial outside. I have mixed feelings about this... there has been plenty of discussion on the status of that floor since way before last date to withdraw, so people could have withdrawn.. or, they could have changed earlier and allowed people to enter that wanted to be outside. On the other hand, it would have been terrible to withdraw from your National Specialty and not be able to run. I do have to admit that some of the dogs running were extraordinarily fast and would have had trouble with traction unless they changed the way they run. In fact, there was some slip-sliding on the grass until the sun evaporated the dew. As it turns out, the weather was spectacular, and it would have been a crime against nature to be indoors the last three days, so running outside was wonderful. But some people thought that this was a training issue and that dogs, especially border collies, should be smart enough to adjust to the floor and the trial should not have been moved. I didn't really care, but I was getting pretty tired of the drama.

I did spend quite a bit of time talking to obedience, rally, and conformation exhibitors, all of whom had nothing but praise the facility, to include the flooring.

Okay, enough about the floor... hurray for sensible send bonuses in FAST!!! There were a substantial number of Qs on Wed and Fri (Thursday's was pretty difficult). But I did find out that FAST is a little different for a field of Border Collies. If you wanted to earn a ribbon, you had to do more that qualify, you had to max out the available points.... and whoever did that the fastest, gets the ribbons. That is different than a mixed-breed show where few (if any) people max out the points.

Overall we did quite well... two first place on Wed, one third on Thurs (our low spot of the week) and three second place runs on Friday (triple Q!) And the only handlers beating us were Ann Brau or Ann Zarr, (both world team members) so we cannot complain. One of my friends gave me some good advice about it too. "Maggie is a once-in-a-lifetime dog that will give her all for you. Enjoy her every time you trial and train and play." (good advice from a real pro)

Dear AKC,

2010-10-17T08:36:00.003-05:00

Dear AKC,
Please review the criteria for qualifying on the Fifteen and Send Time (FAST) game.
thanks,
Me and Maggie

I am fortunate that Maggie is one of those dogs that works well away from me. Not because I planned to be able to do the send bonuses in FAST, but because my trainer warned me early on that I would never be able to keep up with her, so I'd better train her to go on without me so that I could take shortcuts. Even so, many FAST send obstacles are just crazy. They are nothing you would normally do or train for, and they seem to confuse many of the dogs. As a result, the number of qualifying scores is miniscule. Last weekend I belive that there was only one dog on Friday that qualified in excellent, two on Saturday and none on Sunday. How many people will continue to enter under these statistics? What has happened is that some people use FAST for a "training run" and go out there to work whatever issues they have with their dog with total disregard for the course, not even trying to qualify.
This past trial had several issues... while the bonus sends were not the most difficult we have ever seen, they were poorly planned in many ways. Some of them were not worth many points, so you had to really struggle to get enough points OUTSIDE the bonus to qualify. They lacked a normal "flow" so we were asking dogs to change directions in ways we would never ask normally. And finally, the start line was placed 20 to 30 feet from the nearest obstacle. This was done to aid the manual time keepers for starting the clock, but created a nightmare for most teams.

Plus, there is no consideration for small dogs, so the send bonus is the same for a tiny toy breed as it is for a large fast dog. What this means is that the little dog may have to take 20 or 30 strides into the "send" where Maggie takes 4 or 5. A big fast dog may land 1/2 way to the next obstacle just by virtue of momentum alone.

As an example of the disregard given to the FAST event, I spoke to an AKC rep at a recent trial about a small issue and she said "it's only FAST, who cares about FAST?" I'll tell you who cares, any of us that paid the SAME entry fee as what we paid for standard and jumpers.
So AKC, can you please review the rules for FAST and see if you can make some changes that will allow judges to create some more realistic challenges that will allow a few more people to qualify?
Thanks.

I love this dog.

2010-10-10T19:06:00.003-05:00

I sure do love this dog. We've just spent another long weekend doing AKC agility. We had FAST runs all three days (first time we've run FAST in months). Maggie Qd in 7 or her 9 runs... we had a dropped bar in Sat std, and we failed the send bonus in Sunday FAST (it was a very bizarre FAST course, but we'll cover that later). The trial was at the new Purina Event Center in Gray Summit. Everyone has been talking about the floor for months, so obviously we were a little (okay a lot) apprehensive. Friday Maggie ran pretty tentative, putting in a few extra steps here and there. However, she was able to complete the send bonus in FAST, so she wasn't just tip-toeing around. In jumpers I got a little freaked out when I could hear Maggie's toenails scrambling on the flooring, but she seemed to be running only a little slower than normal. By Sunday, she seemed to have her own method of dealing and she was moving out at near her normal speed.
But this weekend taught me a lot...
#1 Some people hate change so much that they are unwilling to be open-minded.
#2 Some people gave up on their dogs too soon, and didn't give them a chance to learn and adjust.
#3 Some people will use any available excuse for their dog to avoid admitting it is a training issue. ("the color of the floor made him break his stay")
#4 Some people were afraid that their dog would not accomodate and get hurt. Some of these people left and I applaud them. Some stayed, and I can't understand that- if I thought Maggie was going to get hurt, we would have been gone in a heartbeat.
#5 And, some people (like me) learned that their dog is way more flexible, more forgiving, more able to adjust, and better trained than we'd ever thought.
Which brings me back to the beginning. I sure do love this dog.

(and thanks, Liz, for the great picture)

Mizzou Family Day

2010-09-26T09:32:00.007-05:00

It has been a bittersweet weekend. We make the 2 hour drive down to Columbia for what will be our last "Family Weekend" Mizzou game. We were glad to be able to see her, because her asthma has been acting up, and she is notorious for trying to ignore it until she ends up in the emergency room. And so we didn't have to rush home, we took all three dogs and crated them in her apartment (along with Sarah's dog, Ree. Yikes!)

Since there were only 2 of us this year, we went out to lunch and then walked to the stadium.

Our seats could not have been farther from Sarah's seat if we had tried. But text messaging worked, so we were able to "talk" during the game.

The Tigers played well and the game was well under control in the first half. (First touchdown after a fumble, 8 seconds into the game-that had to set some sort of record.)

We went back to Sarah's apartment for pizza and then we hugged goodbye and made the drive home. I can't believe how fast these four years have flown by.

Mixed feelings...

2010-09-19T09:41:00.002-05:00

I have such mixed feelings about this time of year. The weather has changed enough that it isn't really summer any more, and we need to close the pool (yuck). Even though I know that there will be more nice hot days, we just never seem to use it again after Labor Day. Even Maggie isn't excited about jumping in. In a few weeks, I will be happy to see the leaves falling and crisp cool mornings, but for now, I'm still sad to see summer ending. If it were not for football season starting, I would be really bummed.

Maggie and I have a couple weeks down time before we have a trial. When I scheduled it, I planned to use that time to clean house, start packing away the summer stuff and start hauling out some fall clothes and house decor. But for now, it still feels too much like summer....

An alternative view...

2010-09-10T10:47:00.005-05:00

Warning.... this post has nothing to do with dogs or dog agility!

I continue to see many FB posts about stopping the building of the "ground zero" mosque. I also know that many of you feel very strongly, and I don't intend this to completely change your mind, but I would hope that it gives you an alternative view.
First, the "ground zero" mosque is not actually at "ground zero" but at 51 Park Avenue, several blocks away from the twin tower footprint-far enough that you cannot see 51 Park Ave from "ground zero." Second, the building will not be a "mosque" but a community center. Preliminary plans call for it to be an interfaith center that will have an Islamic prayer room-sort of like a YMCA or Jewish Community Center. Prior to 9-11, there was a space at 45 Park Ave that served as an overflow mosque, but that building was damaged, and no longer serves Muslims in this area.
Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, 120,000 Japanese-Americans (mostly US citizens) were forced from their homes and imprisoned in "war relocation camps." It wasn't until 1988 that then-President Reagan made a public apology and a minimal financial restitution for this. German-Americans suffered as well. During WWI, the Red-Cross excluded anyone with a "German-sounding" last name, and the Alien Registration Act of 1940 restricted the movements and property ownership of hundreds of thousands of German Amercians. In Minnesota, a Lutheran pastor was killed for praying with a dying woman in her native German language. Did we learn anything?
In a related act, a Florida church threatens to have a Qaran burning this year on September 11. What many people do not realize is that a large portion of the Qaran is actually the very same Old Testament that Christians use. It isn't until after that book of Malachi that the book diverges. (However, much of the story of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph is there as well).
Finally, I'd like to remind everyone of the Murrah Building Bombing in Oklahoma City. One of the most poignant memorials (for me) is a stature of Jesus with his back to the site of the tragedy with the inscription "Jesus Wept" placed there by St. Joseph's Catholic Chuch. What many people do not realize is that Timothy McVeigh was raised Roman Catholic and attended daily mass with his father at Good Shepherd Catholic Chuch in New York. What if the people of Oklahoma City had blamed that act of violence on his church and on his faith rather than on the warped violence of an extremist murderer? Would people have fought that statue, too?

Gone

2010-08-25T21:12:00.004-05:00

Gone... gone... gone.

I miss both of those little blonde girls so much I can hardly stand it.

Here is their apartment:

For the record, it is nicer than home, so I can't really blame them for leaving. What I don't understand is why they didn't take me along!

One more week...

2010-08-14T08:37:00.003-05:00

...well, not even a week- just a few more days actually-until the baby heads back to school. I really miss her when she goes, the house isn't as lively, there is no one to discuss things like "America's Next Top Model" or whether or not you should match your eyeliner to your outfit. But this year, there is even more to miss because she takes the little blonde girl back with her.

She is a total pain-in-the-butt.... always has to be in your face, wants to know what is going on, eats things that we are not going to talk about, jumps in your bed 20 minutes before the alarm goes off to lick your face, de-stuffs toys and leaves the stuffy spread equally throughout the house, and jumps in the pool every freaking time she goes outside. Yes, I'm sure going to miss her, too.

Happy Birthday Maggie!

2010-08-05T19:53:00.005-05:00

Maggie is having quite the week. First, her big MACH on Sunday, then a wonderful party on Monday out at Purina. Then, today, she celebrates her birthday!

As you can tell, until someone breaks out the cookies, these puppy parties are a little dull. Cheer up kids, Sarah's coming with the treats!

But poor Jake just can't seem to get it right with the party hats. Careful there buddy, you'll poke someone's eye out!No matter what, you are all pretty cool to me. Happy Birthday big girl, enjoy your extra goodies!

Our big day...

2010-08-04T18:34:00.017-05:00

On Sunday at the Gateway Agility Club of St. Louis trial in O'Fallon IL, Maggie earned her Master Agility Champion Title. It hasn't been that long since we realized that getting this prestigious title would even be possible, and I could hardly believe it was happening.

You can tell from these photos that Maggie is the one that did all the work... I don't think I ever appreciate how far I am able to work from this little dog to save me countless steps. My role in this has been pretty simple... point her at the right thing and stay the heck out of her way!

By the time we got to the final jump I had completely stopped breathing. While I don't remember much of our run, I do remember this moment. I remember thinking... "all we have is one last jump as long as she doesn't knock the bar.... and Maggie almost NEVER knocks a bar, so this is our moment!"

But what would a moment like this be without friends to celebrate it with!

In fact, there are a couple of friends that I have to say thanks to. First, a HUGE thank you to the the people at Missouri Kansas Border Collie Rescue who were Maggie's first home... and especially the McVeys, her foster family, who were the first people to show her love and kindness. Thanks to Kim Berkley at Dog Sports at Kim's in Caseyville, IL. When we first met Kim, Maggie was afraid of her own shadow, but Kim saw Maggie's potential and taught me how to bring out her best. Kim gave us the very best foundation training and prevented me from making big mistakes.

Starting from the left in this photo, our friend Sue who also trained and runs a rescue dog. She has been our cheerleader from the beginning, and knows the extra difficulties of working with a dog with "history" and the extra pride is watching them overcome it.

Next, our best bud Carol who started at the same time as us and we've been through everything together. Carol is the one who convinced me that Maggie should compete in agility. She actually filled out the ILP application and took the pictures to get Maggie's AKC number. We trial together, we train together, we laugh together, and sometimes we even cry together.

Anyone in the agility world knows the next person.... Joan is a premier handler and has taken us to the next level. When we started agility, we would watch Joan from the sidelines and admire her handling techiniqes. Before long, we were taking lessons, and now I'm honored to call Joan a friend. She always knows the right thing to say to cheer us up when we make a mistake, and she is always the first one to say, good job!.

Last, but not least is Chris, and I can't say enough good things about her. When we began, Novice agility was always the last to run, and with a 24" dog, we were usually one of the last dogs there. By the time we ran, it was only Carol and I left. Except for one experienced handler who would stay and cheer us on... that was Chris. From our very first runs she has been there to applaud, to cheer, and to laugh with us. But more than that, Chris always brings some extra fun to the trial and helps us to remember that it isn't always about the titles, or the times, or the points. Sometimes its just about being with your friends (2 legged and 4 legged) and making some memories together.

There are many more people to thank, but this has gone on long enough. So I'll wrap it up with just one more thing.

Thanks Maggie girl.... you are a one in a million dog and you've brought me such joy. If not for you, I would have missed a lot of good times and not met a lot of fun people. Here's to a long agility career for the both of us!

We still miss you big girl...

2010-07-28T21:49:00.005-05:00

We first met Murphy at the Reynolds County Fair. We watched a demonstration of some great herding dogs before the team penning event and the announcer said "for any of you that were impressed with that, Bob has a litter of Fay's puppies over here and you could probably talk him into selling you one!" We went over just to look.

A few years before I had been in an obedience class with my cocker, and a fellow classmate had a border collie. It was my first exposure to the breed and my heart would speed up when Ritzy would leap high into the air, spin, and land at heal position when her handler said "finish." I knew then that one day I would own one of these crazy aerobatic wonders, but I hadn't expected to find one in the back of a pickup at a county fair.

The pups were all cute, and I had no idea what to look for in a BC. But when that split face looked up at me, I knew she was going home with us. She was undersocialized, skinny, and full of fleas and I loved her from the first instant. She loved the kids as much as they loved her and she wanted to be where they were, whether that meant in the pool or in the top bunk of their beds. Except for one chewing incident, Murph never gave us a moment's trouble. She was the world's best babysitter, and she would jump into the pool if she thought someone was under water too long. She was a frisbee maniac and I could take her anywhere, without a lead, and she would behave without incident.

Unfortunately, her life was cut short and we lost her at about 10 years following a battle with an auto immune disease. We fought, she fought it; but it was a battle that wasn't to be won.

Six years ago this week Murphy passed over the rainbow bridge, and I miss her as much today as I did then.

I love you big girl... please wait for me, I can't wait to see you again.

A day to remember

2010-07-06T07:12:00.016-05:00

Those of you that know me probably know that my mom is in her late 80s and suffering from short-term memory loss and dementia. She is currently living with my brother, but she is still physically able-bodied for a woman her age. So this weekend I had her over to play in the pool. It has been years since I've gotten her into a swimsuit, but she used to be a great swimmer, so I wasn't too concerned. As expected, instinct took over and she could still swim well. But more than that, we had fun laughing and goofing around in the pool, just like old times. I don't know if she will remember it, but for several hours, she acted like her old self. She and Sarah had "kicking contests" keeping the raft going straight instead of turning.

Of course, no pool party is complete without the addition of several dogs. (It is easy to see why we call Reba "the buttinski") I tried to get some more fun pool photos of her jumping in the water, but I just couldn't seem to get the timing right.

But after a few failed attempts, I managed to get this one of Ree and Sarah jumping together. But what is with that nose pinch? If Ree can jump in without pinching her big nose, you should be able to as well!

It's a WINNER!

2010-07-04T07:59:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to Tookie for winning this completely biased contest! The fact that I have a taste for one of Tookie's winning magarita's had nothing to do with this choice... maybe.
I'll have another contest in a few weeks in honor of my Maggie-Girl's birthday.

Swimtime and a surprise!

2010-06-27T19:01:00.016-05:00

There are few days that rank up there with agility trials, but today was one of them. Maggie has always been a swimmer, but until now, she had to make do with me, doing the dog paddle. This summer, her new best buddy Reba, swims along side her for hours on end. Reba's first time in the water we went slowly so that she wouldn't be afraid, but this little dog had no fear. She took to the water like a duck takes to.... well.... she really likes the water.
She's actually more crazy than Maggie and will hop in for a lap or two when you let them out to potty. She will even hop on the raft and "surf" to the opposite side of the pool.
I am trying to convince myself that riding that raft, with the bumps and twists from the water gives her better balance and muscle strength for agility. I totally made that up, but if the tippy boards help, then this certainly would, wouldn't it?
Anyway, we had a great day in the pool, and I very carefully took my camera into the water to get some shots of their splashing. I managed to get a few good shots without getting too much water on it... I've posted a few of them here.

So, in honor of a glorious day in the pool, I've decided to have a contest. The contest is easy, just send me a comment that would go in Reba's or Maggie's "talk bubble (right now it points to Ree, but I can adjust it to Maggie, or both to fit your entry). Make sure that you put something in your entry to tell me who you are, because next Sunday (July 4) I'll pick the best entry, and send you a $20 gift certificate to Helping Udders, OR, make a donation of $25 to the dog rescue of your choice. I'll put the best comments in the talk bubble and post them here on Monday.

Good luck and Happy Summer!

Agility consumes me

2010-06-25T05:31:00.002-05:00

Though we looked forward to the Paducah KY show with much anticipation, it wasn't meant to be. We love the venue at Paducah... great surface, they keep the air conditioning fairly cool, the people are very nice... we even like the hotels! But on Thursday evening shortly before we went to bed, Maggie and one of her agility friends, a big Weim nearly twice her size had a collision and Maggie came up on the losing end. After a quick scream, she tried to scramble to her feet, but she held the right rear leg up close to her body and would not try to put it down. I thought perhaps it was minor and that she would "walk it off" but no doing. The next morning she was still reluctant to put weight on it, and she had a difficult time getting up.
I was terrified that it was an ACL tear, but a local vet examined her and said it was a strain in her hock and would probably heal in a couple days. While I was glad to hear her injury wasn't serious, it was no fun to go back to the show site and pack up all of our stuff, without even getting one run.
On the way home, though, it made me think about how much my life has changed in the past 2 years. Almost all of my free time and most of disposable income goes to agility. Almost all of my friends are from agility, and a day doesn't go by that we don't talk about a show, a practice, or run, or even a specific handling method. It also made me realize how much of my life is dependent on the fragile legs of my partner.
I'm not saying it is a good thing, or a bad thing.... but it does make me think about it.

my new favorite quote

2010-06-14T22:09:00.002-05:00

I saw this quote on a T-shirt the other day, and I probably don't have it exactly, but you'll get the point...

The real joy in agility is stepping to the start

With your best friend by your side,

Not in crossing the finish, victorious over others.

I made a point to think of this on every run this weekend and how lucky I am to go to the start line with such a great friend. And I hope I remember this before each run for the rest of our days.

Goodbye sweet boy

2010-06-08T19:54:00.003-05:00

A good friend had to make the decision to say goodbye to her best friend this week. Perhaps one of the finest agility dogs that many of us will ever see, one of Dustin's many achievements was representing the US in the World Championship in 2001, shortly after the attack on the World Trade Center. He entered the ring to cheering crowds from every country.

Unfortunately, Dustin had already retired by the time we started agility, so I never got to see him compete, but I've seen video clips, and I've seen him race through tunnels, just for the fun of it, even though he was old enough to be curled up on a crocheted afghan. Despite being very sick from chemo, he would trick us all into bringing him every treat from every store north of the Panama Canal. We were like groupies trying to get the attention of some rock star, opening ziplocs and unwraping packages of buffalo, chicken, liver, heart... you name it. And after we would beg him to eat them, hoping that it would be OUR treat that he would eat, he would turn up his nose and go for the Pupperonis. Bless his heart... I'm still not sure it wasn't an attention-getting game, and he played us all.

He became like a fixture at agility events and you could count on him to swagger through and give you a wag and maybe honor you by napping at your feet. It won't be the same without him.

But if Dustin's life has done nothing else, let it serve as a reminder to us all that some day our teammate will retire from agility and leave us. So the next time they break a stay, leap over a contact, kick up their heels and go for some free-style agility on the course, remember that it is all about spending time together and having fun. That little green ribbon isn't all that valuable in the grand scheme of things, and you won't be able to measure your love for him/her by counting them. Remember that when you are on the course, you are out there to win the ribbon, and your dog is out there to win your love. Show him that he already has.

Goodbye Dustin, thanks for teaching me stuff. I hope that you find the Pupperoni stash.

It's swim season

2010-06-03T19:40:00.007-05:00

It's that time of year... actually, it is past that time of year, but fortunately, Maggie can't read the calendar. We had to repaint the pool this year and we have been waiting for 5 or 6 sunny days to get it done... and it took until last week to get them. So we are a few weeks behind on pool opening. The hose went in yesterday and the water is still about 4 feet down from the top. But that won't stop Maggie and it only took one word- "okay" and she was in the water. Her "shadow" Reba wasn't quite so sure. But after lifting her down to the shallow end where she could still touch the bottom, she got her fearlessness back and the next time Maggie jumped in, Reba took off after her, swimming like she'd been doing it all her life.
She quickly realized that she liked swimming and she was chasing Maggie all around the pool. She even tried dragging the jolly ball around for a while (which is a lot of work for a beginning swimmer.)
By the time we convinced them it was time to get out and dry off we had realized that we've got a second water crazy dog on our hand. I think we will be struggling all summer to keep them OUT of the pool.

Memorial Day

2010-05-31T16:28:00.002-05:00

I have so many thoughts about today, Memorial Day. We have so much to be thankful for in this great nation... our natural resources, the visions of our founding fathers, the callused hands and aching backs of the immigrants that came to our shores for a new life and made our land better by being here... and more, much more. But perhaps nothing is so precious to our country as the brave warriors who have left the safety of their homes and families to go into harm's way on our behalf.

I wish that I had the words to express my gratitude, but so many others have said it so much better than I ever could. One of my favorites:

"We sleep safely in our beds only because rough men stand ready to visit violence upon those who would do us harm" [author unknown]

Thanks to the rough men and women who stand somewhere today, ready to "visit violence" upon those who would harm us. You make our life more peaceful, our homes more safe, and our country stronger.

Reba Redhead

2010-05-29T11:58:00.007-05:00

School is out and Sarah and Reba have come home for the summer- to my great happiness, and Maggie's disdain. It isn't that Maggie doesn't like Reba, it is just that Miss Reba has no "off" switch. Not even a "pause" or a "give me a sec." I guess Maggie was like that at one time, but honestly, I don't remember it.
She remembered where the dog toys are stashed and can clean the entire basket out in a few minutes. Her favorites are the deer antlers which she leaves laying right where a person would step on their way to the bathroom at night.
She has been very good about giving respect to the old cocker... one glance from a cloudy eye and Reba backs off or lays down. She's given Jake a little trouble now and then, but the minute she tries to herd him with a nip to the foot, he lets her have it and then she avoids him for a few hours. Maggie on the other hand, isn't so assertive, so Reba nips her ankles, pulls her tail, even gets in her face and laughs while Maggie is offering her most menacing growl and toothy snarl. Somehow Reba knows it is all bluff and play bows and swings her butt into Maggie's face. Eventually, she will tire, and leave Maggie alone for a few minutes. But as soon as Maggie goes ANYWHERE, Reba is right beside her. You can almost hear her "where ya' goin'?" "want to play?" "whatcha' lookin' at?" Maggie pretends to ignore her, but I think she sort of likes being the leader now and then, so she takes Reba for a walk-about.
One thing different about Ree than my dogs is that she likes to watch television. A recent NatGeo special with cows mooing really sparked her interest. Since we know she enjoys TV, we wern't surprised to see her glued the TV watching her namesake. I wouldn't even be surprised if she started singing along.

ASCA Agility

2010-05-18T05:29:00.005-05:00

There are several different organizations that sanction agility trials and they all have their own rules and quirks. Normally, we trial at only AKC events, but this past weekend we had our first experience with Australian Shepherd Club of America (ASCA) Agility. I have to begin by saying that this trial was out of the ordinary for any club. After days of rain, and continuing rain during the trial, the ground was saturated, making an extraordinarily muddy course. Obviously, this in not the norm for any organization. However, I will try not to let the course conditions color my opinion of this experience.

I have mixed feelings about ASCA agility.

The courses seem to be designed for speed with huge looping turns and long straight ways. It appeared to me that the standard course times (the time you are given to finish) was shorter than in AKC- meaning that a slow dog would have a difficult time finishing the course in time. For us at least, it was much easier than AKC because speed is never a problem. Also, ASCA does not call a "refusal" meaning that the dog can stop, look away, or even go around an obstacle as long as they are taken in order. I would never make it through those long straight runs without it, because Maggie will stop when she is 2 or more jumps ahead of me and encourage me to catch up. In AKC, that is a refusal, so we would be eliminated.

At least on this trial, and this judge, I did not see any difficult handling sequences... no off-course jumps set up to "trick" the dog or difficult discriminations (two obstacles side-by-side and the dog has to do the right one). Though the gamblers courses did seem more difficult than an AKC FAST run, requiring the dog to get some serious distance from the handler to complete the gamble.

ASCA is also less "serious." Now this might be because the only ones willing to run in the mud had to have a sense of humor, but everyone seemed to have a lot of fun. There was joking and kidding, almost everyone pitched in to set up courses, and it wasn't a big deal if dogs ran out of order if someone needed to change running order (a complete heresy in AKC-YIKES!) I liked the idea of having a "high in trial" and "high in level" award. Not only are the ribbons and honor nice, but it keeps everyone there until the end of the day to receive their award (so they can help work the trial). One of the things I did not like was that the judge changed the rules about running times for someone after they didn't make course time and complained. I could understand the judge adding some seconds for course conditions, but to change rules in the middle of the day because someone complained was unprofessional. But then keeping a trial fun/flexible and staying professional is a thin line to walk.

Another plus to ASCA is that you can run more than one per day (per event). In AKC, we have on Jumpers run, one Standard run and maybe one game. In ASCA, we got two of each, so instead of 2 or 3 runs, we got in 6 during one day, twelve for a 2 day weekend.

Overall, I'm okay with ASCA. I would do it again if it were in town and didn't conflict with an AKC trial, but I would not travel all over for a trial. I guess because an ASCA championship title would be much easier (for us) to earn, it didn't give me the same level of satisfaction. But you can't deny that we had a lot of fun!

Agility photos

2010-05-06T05:25:00.005-05:00

Kevin Devine Photography

I buy a lot of agility photographs. Those of you that do agility will understand this... we put a lot of time, effort and money into a 26 second or 42 second run. And while we are at it, our mind is on "don't forget the course" "will I have time for that front cross?" "oh crap, I'm not in the right place" etc. etc. and we never find the time to admire our beautiful dogs. Without the videos and the photography, we might never know what our dogs look like on the course.

Normally I buy a lot of action shots, jumping over bars, streaking out of tunnels. And rarely are these shots in sharp focus. I can't really blame the photographer; agility facilities are usually not lit well, and Maggie's speed can be up as high as 5 yards per second, so it takes some pretty sophisticated lenses to even get a shot. This is one of the few shots I have of her being still, and I just love it. First, it is tack-sharp focus... you can see individual hairs. It shows her nice muscles and shiny coat. But most of all, I love the anticipation on her face... she looks pretty relaxed, but you can see in her face that she is waiting for the end of the 5 second count when she can leave the pause table and head to the next obstacle to jump, climb, and tunnel her way to the end.

I know how much she loves to "go" and how much she hates the "sit and wait" so to see her so patiently waiting when I know that every muscle tensing for that command, makes me realize what self-control she has. And it makes me realize again, what a special dog she is and how lucky I am to have her.

It's been a dry spell....

2010-05-04T18:02:00.002-05:00

I can't believe that there was a time when I updated my blog almost daily... these days it seems that I don't have time to ... to.... well, ANYTHING! (except dog shows.... always time for that).
The last few weeks have held some interesting events. First, Maggie and I have been to a LOT of dog shows, but those priceless double Qs seemed to elude us. We were at near 50%, and we had the same number of Jumpers Qs as Standard, but we couldn't get them on the same day. Then this weekend came and we didn't Q at all on Friday or Saturday. Ouch! We've almost never had it that bad before. I was threatening to quit agility (I didn't mean it though... it was a meaningless threat like when I say I'm never eating chocolate again). Anyway, I guess Maggie overheard me because she had two great runs on Sunday and we got Double Q number 15 - even though I had at least one handling bobble in the jumpers run which she overcame (I love that dog). So I may threaten to quit a lot in the future, maybe it helps with the mo-jo.
More importantly than agility (ha, I'll bet that surprised you.... there is almost NOTHING more important than agility!) my little Jake boy is healing well. Jake, who has always had a taste for fabric managed to swallow a mans tube sock whole and get an obstruction. But thanks to the folks at Webster Groves Animal Hospital, Jake is getting back to normal, albeit with a shaved belly. But for a few days I was a basket case with worry over him.
Hopefully, things are settling back into "normal" now, we have upcoming trials, but we have a weekend off now and then to catch up. Meanwhile, kiss your furry kids today, because you never know when it is time for them to cross the rainbow bridge.

Peace and Quiet

2010-04-05T05:10:00.004-05:00

Sometimes peace and quiet is overrated. Sarah and the new puppy, Reba (or Ree) have gone back to school. Having a young dog in the house again has made me realize how mature Maggie has gotten; though I still think of her as a young dog, she is already 5 years old. And while I appreciate the fact that those years have gotten us to a place where I can count on her to do whatever I ask (sit, stay, come) I had forgotten how much fun a young dog's antics can be. Even a simple trip to the backyard to go potty meant that Ree had to grab the jollyball and race around the yard a time or two. She would play bow to Maggie and Jake, trying to get them involved in a chase, but they are above that, so they snubbed her. And though it wasn't a very long chase, Mopsy would do her best to accomodate and give her a little run now and then. Bless her heart, the old girl still can run pretty quick, but I'm always afraid she'll run into something, so I'd put a stop to it when it got a little rambunctious.
Thanks to a handful of really good friends, Sarah is prepared to get this girl off on the right foot. At this weekend's agility trial, they surprised her with a "baby" shower and everything she needs for a new dog. She's even had a lesson with a professional trainer to give her some ideas on how to begin. I wish I had been this prepared with my first dog.
Meanwhile, I'll count the (quiet) days until they are home again....

I'm a GRANDMA!

2010-04-01T17:14:00.004-05:00

No, not like that. I have a "grand-dog." My daughter Sarah adopted her first dog yesterday, a sweet little sable Border Collie.

Sarah plans to change her name and for now she is thinking "Reba." Mostly because she is a little red-headed country girl that is full of spunk. Plus "Ree" makes for a good name on the agility course.

I'm glad she's Sarah's dog instead of mine, because she tiny and blazing fast. I'm afraid that my old knees would never keep up with her on an agility course.

She's already had two dips in the pool. The first one was an accident, the second one was because the first time was fun. I can tell right now that Sarah is going to have her hands full with this girl, but there will never be a dull moment.

Welcome to the family Reba!

The 2010 National Agility Championship

2010-03-29T08:24:00.003-05:00

I have to start by explaining a little about the jump-height thing (agility people can skip this paragraph.) Dogs jump height is determined by the dog's height at the shoulder. Maggie should have been jumping in the 20" group all along, but we've always bumped up to 24". We've done this for a couple reasons. 1. I hoped it would slow her down and give me a chance to keep up. 2. The team that we practice with 99% of the time also jumps 24" and I'm too lazy to reset the jumps every time we run. Anyway, the National Championship REQUIRED that you jump in your own height, unless you wanted to jump 26", with the competitors for the International team (these are the super-competitive, really fast dogs). I knew we would not be competitive against these teams, many of whom have done agility for years and even earn their living at it-nevertheless, we went with the 26" choice rather than jump 20".
Friday was like a dream come true for us. Maggie ran exceptionally well and we posted good times in both runs despite the fact that we've never run at 26" before. I didn't feel like she was blazing fast, sort of her normal run speed. The Nationals do not use scribe sheets, everything is electronic, so to get your time, you have to go to the area where all the times are posted on computers. Our times looked okay to me, but I had no idea where we stood. After all the 26" dogs had run, the placements were posted and I was shocked to see the "Fast Times" box checked behind our name and a number 6 in front. Against some of the fastest dogs in the Nation... maybe even in the world, we had placed 6th. I thought at first that this was a mistake, and asked someone next to me... "are these placements?" and when she said yes, I almost cried. My little Maggie-girl, born to a homeless mother, rescued by a good samaritan, adopted through a rescue, and then trained by a first-timer (me) had just placed 6th among the best of the best.
I wish that I could finish this story with how well we did in the finals, but my own nerves and handling errors pulled her off course in the subsequent runs. Despite being eliminated due to mistakes, her times were still respectible. Not fast enough to have seen us take home one of those huge ribbons or gain an invitation to the elite World Team, but certainly nothing to be ashamed of, either.
Several strangers at this elite event remarked on how much they liked her and said they were surprised to hear that she was a rescue (it was announced over the PA system as we ran that Maggie was adoped from Mo-Kan BC Rescue) If even one person thinks about going to rescue for their next dog, it would be worth more than any of those ribbons anyway, so maybe we were more of a success than we know.
I can't finish this post without a few shout-outs.
Congratulations to our friend Jeri Frye who finished in 4th place in the finals with her Aussie, Rocket. You two are a wonderful team and a great role model for us all!
Also, I cannot say enough about our wonderful trainers... First, Kim Berkely (Dog Sports at Kim's) who got us started in agility and provided us the very best foundation training. Kim warned us early on how ugly it can get if we don't get the basics down before we move on and that advice has been priceless. She's been with us since the beginning and always been our cheerleader. Second, Joan Meyer (Triune Training Center) not only an experienced world-team member, but a world-class handler and teacher. She has patiently been working with us to make us a better, faster, more reliable team. Just working with a handler of her calibre has been an honor. I think that both Joan and Kim are proud of our performance this weekend, given where we began 2 years ago.
For us, it is back to regular trials, and hopefully earning our Agility Championship (MACH) title before too much longer. But no matter what, this previously homeless dog has given me the thrill of a lifetime this weekend in Tulsa. I love you Maggie-girl!

no time for blogging

2010-03-24T05:28:00.002-05:00

This is the big weekend I've been waiting for. We are off to Tulsa on Thursday for the National AKC Agility Championship. While I don't expect to make it to the finals, I'm excited just to be able to go. My biggest wish is that I don't make a fool of myself.

"butt on the ground, butt on the ground....

looking like a fool with your butt on the ground"

I'll try to post some pictures along the way, because I may never get this opportunity again! Unless of course, I do fall down and make a fool of myself, in which case there will be no pictures.

The way it should be....

2010-03-14T13:28:00.003-05:00

This morning I had the honor of going with a friend to the vet to say her final goodbyes to an old friend. I won't share too many details, because that is her story to tell; but I couldn't help but think that this was the way it should be. The old cat was ready to go, and we gathered at the animal hospital to show our support to both cat and human.

It reminds me of a quote that my son shared with me. One that he found after he lost a friend.

"I have to remind myself that some birds aren't meant to be caged. Their feathers are just too bright. And when they fly away, the part of you that knows it was a sin to lock them up DOES rejoice. Still, the place you live in is that much more drab and empty that they're gone. I guess I just miss my friend. "

Happy trails Mr. Mufasa.

My heart dogs

2010-03-11T21:16:00.002-06:00

A lot of people talk about their "heart dog" as in the dog that they feel they are closer to than any other. They usually feel that they have a special relationship with this dog, or that they love them in a special way.

I've never quite understood that... maybe I still have not found my "heart dog" because I couldn't pick just one of mine and say that I love them more than the rest. I know I post a lot of photos of Maggie and that I probably spend more time with her than the other two going to agility practice and shows. But when I am at home it is Jake that is my constant companion. I can't even go to the bathroom without him following me in. And when I'm on the phone with someone, I'll sometimes catch him watching me like he is part of the conversation. Still, I wouldn't say that I love him more.

If there were to be a "heart dog" in our home, I guess it would be the old girl, Mopsy, if for no other reason than her age. Bless her heart, the years are starting to catch up with her. She's getting lumpy from fatty tumors and her eyes are so cloudy it is a wonder she can see at all. But when you look into those cloudy eyes, you can't help but see the wisdom and the experience of an old dog.

I sure do love the old girl... and I guess we do share a special relationship. We both groan when we get up and we rarely make it through the night without having to pee. Neither of us looks as snazzy as we once did and we're both getting gray. I get a little cranky when people try to take my snacks and I'd love to take a nap in the sun.

Maybe I do have a heart dog, after all.

Spring has Sprung!

2010-03-09T05:31:00.014-06:00

Nothing says spring like outdoor agility! Sure, you could do it in the winter, but we are fortunate to have an indoor facility to practice. So, when we go outside because we want to, that means that spring is here!The only thing missing from this photo is a cold beer....Lovely Miss Madison... isn't she a sweetheart?

Pole Wrecker. Good thing those poles bend or she'd break them for sure. (You can tell the sun was setting, because Addie looks brown instead of her ghosty grey. )

Maggie's happy to see her friends. Especially the ones that carry a pocket full of treats.

"Put me in coach!" Flash is ready for a little agility. For about 15 seconds, then he has to get back to his Jolly Ball.

Auggie was flying through the course at his normal speed... Mach4. Take a little time to feel the sunshine, buddy! And get that tongue in before you land.

Maggie's got to check out Carol's pockets again. Might as well take the jump while she's at it.

I wonder if Addie can get High Def when she turns those ears just right? That's a big girl to be jumping that high!

This is a funny jump... must have caught her off stride. But she can still manage it.

I'll post some more pictures soon. But for now, this is the end!

Stranger in pain

2010-03-07T08:34:00.002-06:00

Last night I took Maggie to the vet. We made a 9pm Saturday appt for her because it is a really not-busy time and Maggie is really deathly afraid of the vet. This time slot gives us time for a little relaxing and give the vet time to put up with her craziness without having to just pop in give her the shots and leave.
Anyway, Maggie did a little better than usual; I have been getting strangers to handle her at agility shows and it seems to be paying off. She's still afraid, but I wasn't worried that she would have a coronary on the table.
As we were paying, a young woman came out of the emergency side of the clinic, sat in the waiting room, curled up and cried. My heart ached for her... I don't know her story, I don't even know what kind of pet she brought in, but I knew that she was leaving without one. Maggie and I walked over, gave her hug and I told her that I understood her pain, that I'd been there. After a few minutes we left, but I could not get her out of my mind. If this had been a human hospital, family would have rushed there to be by her side, to support her in her grief. But because it was "just a pet" she was alone in her pain. After I got Maggie settled in the car I saw the lady at the front desk, paying her bill. I know it has to be done, but it seemed like such a painful thing to have to do at that moment. She was still wiping her face as she stood there.
I don't know who she is, and I'll probably never see her again, but still our hearts go out to her today, knowing that it will be a very painful morning for this woman. But like the rest of us, the pain will fade and the parts of her heart that so dearly loved this animal will come back to life and another animal will find that there is enough love in her heart to welcome them. But also like the rest of us, she will never forget.... not the animal, not the friendship, not the love, and not even the pain. Someday she will see someone in the same position and like us, she will remember the pain of losing that animal friend. And then remember that the joy is so much greater than the pain, so that it is worth the tears and the painful goodbyes.
My heart is with you today, whoever you are, as you grieve.

Damn the random draw

2010-03-05T22:03:00.002-06:00

All of my agility friends are in Chicago for a show this weekend. Maggie and I are staying home. I entered the trial, but it was a "random draw" not a "first received" and I did not make the draw, despite the fact that I volunteered to work AND it is a three ring trial (990 dogs/day!).
Anyway, I'm still feeling sorry for myself.
If anyone can explain how to better my chances in a random draw, I'll buy you a beer!

Memories

2010-03-03T20:16:00.004-06:00

I've been digging through old photos in preparation for a friend's birthday, and I find that some old photos really get me emotional. That was the case with this one. If I close my eyes I can still feel their little hands in mine and smell their sweet hair. Wow, what I wouldn't do for one more day with these babies.

2010-03-01T05:29:00.004-06:00

Digging through an old box of photos, I stumbled across this snapshot, taken (yikes!) almost 34 years ago. It is the female half of my graduating class (go ahead, laugh now, I'll wait).

Okay, now that you've had a chuckle at the size I've my school, I'll continue.

What struck me so much about the picture is that I remember that moment with such clarity. I remember that moment and the fear and anxiousness that accompanied it. We all thought that we needed to have a plan about the rest of our lives at that moment, and we all thought that we were the only one who was feeling this pressure. Here we were at the ripe age of 17 or 18 and the world expected us to be mature enough to make life-long decisions. We were expected to choose a career path, a college, figure out how to pay for it and move forward. Or, for some of us, we were expected to choose a husband, make a home, raise babies. Others found jobs including one who elisted in the military. But the sad part is the pressure we were under to KNOW. What 17 year old kid KNOWS what they want from life? Heck, here I sit at 51 and still wonder!!

And when I look at this group of young women, I am shocked at the potential that was there, that none (or few) of us realized. Most of the girls in my class were good students, we had several that were very competitive academically and the rest were no slouches. Most were country girls who were not afraid of anything and understood the farm-taught-values of hard work and spending Sunday morning on your knees thanking God for your blessings. And now that I look at us on that day I realize that we could have accomplished ANYTHING. We were smart enough, strong enough, determined enough that we could have hit this world with a force that would have been unstoppable.

Instead, we all thought we were the only one that was confused, afraid, undecided, apprehensive. So we made only small reaches that were safe. Not that any of us are big losers... we've all done well for ourselves, but I have to believe that we could have all done much more, been happier, and made a greater impact on our society if we had just known that it was the perfect time to try and to fail. To risk it all when you had so little to risk. To make the leap while the fall was survivable. We had SO MUCH going for us and never knew it.

So, your mission is to grab the ear of every young woman (and man) in your life and remind them of these things. Tell them that everyone is undecided and that is OK. Don't stress over picking a major. Don't think that all the good catches will be married by the time you are 20. Make the focus trying and learning from failures rather than making the focus "pick a path and stick to it." Even if you can't convince them, at least they will remember you 34 years from now.

Lusting is a sin...

2010-02-28T07:42:00.002-06:00

... but I just can't help myself.
I went to a friend's house for the first time last night (I've been to other friend's houses before, but not this friend's... just wanted to clear that up). Anyway, she not only has a very nice house, beautifully decorated, plenty of room for the dogs, BUT, in her basement, she has rubber matting and her own, private, indoor, mini agility ring. I lusted. I drooled. I quickly ran through my head how I could take advantage of this for myself. Unfortunately, I have not come up with a way yet; so I will continue to lust after her basement-knowing it isn't right-for a least a little while.
I was just thinking, the "normal" woman probably lusts after other people's husbands, jewelry, bank accounts, and stuff like that. I'm probably the only person that lusts after another woman's basement. Surely God didn't include basements in the whole "sin" thing... do you think?

Flying With Dogs

2010-02-22T18:51:00.002-06:00

I continue to be puzzled and even upset with people that fly their pets as cargo. I also continue to hear people say "I flew my dog to.... and it all went well!" Well, let me describe to you the dog that was flying from St. Louis today.
When I boarded my flight, I could see the United aircraft next to us, loading cargo and preparing for takeoff. From the time I looked over, there was a crate sitting on the apron in the rain, wind, and spitting snow. I don't know how long it had already been sitting there when I saw it, but it continued to sit there for the next 25 minutes while workers tossed luggage around it and used it for a table, setting other items on top of the crate. Our aircraft started and other aircraft moved around, with the ground crew donning sound-blocking headphones, yet the poor dog continued to sit in his crate in the noise and the cold. Just as our plane was backing up, I saw the ground crew load the crate onto the conveyer belt to load into the plane. First, when they picked it up, it tilted way to one side to load the opposite end onto the belt. Then, riding the belt up at a 45 degree angle, the dog had clearly slid to the back and was struggling to right himself as the crate was rocking. If there had been any water in there, it surely spilled during this rough ride.
A non-dog lover may not have seen anything wrong with this, because the crate was treated much like any other piece of luggage, except that it was left out in the rain while all of the other luggage was loaded. But it just underlined for me my belief that I would NEVER put my dog in cargo unless our lives depended on it!

More photoshop time wasting...

2010-02-09T19:42:00.008-06:00

I've mentioned before that I love to play with Photoshop. I've never taken a class, so I just experiment to get what I'm looking for. One of my favorite techniques to do with photos is to blur out the background. Now before all you real photoshop people start calling me, I realize that there is probably an action to do this, but I do it myself. I'd like to think it is because I'm a perfectionist, but in reality, I just don't understand actions all that well.

Anyway, the first step is to make a duplicate layer. There are several ways, but easiest for me is to right click on the layer in the layer window and choose "duplicate layer." Next, use the select tool and make a circle, rectangle, oval... whatever best captures the part of the image that you want in focus. Then, delete it! Next, deselect... you can do this on the toolbar, or ctrl d works as well. If you turned off your background layer, you're left with something like this:

Use the Image -> adjustment -> brightness/contrast tool (or any other method of your choosing) to force this layer to be completely white. Next, go to Filter -> blur -> Gaussian blur and get it all smudgy. You will want to turn your background layer back on for this step if you turned it off earlier. The amount you blur will depend on the image size... just adjust until it looks good. Once you apply, you might still want to adjust the opacity of this layer to get it just right. (opacity is on the layer menu, top right).

If all went okay, you have something like this:

Now comes the real fun! Go to Layer -> flatten image. This merges your two layers together. Now go to Filter -> Artistic. Pick any of those options and it will open a new window and a WHOLE NEW WORLD. I won't try to describe them... just play.

Diffuse glow:

This is "Poster edges", which, by the way, looks very different depending on the resolution of the photo that you are applying the tool to. Here is poster edges on a small image and then the same settings applied to a much higher res photo. Click on the second one to see the detail... it almost looks like someone drew it.

Send me some samples of your creativity, I'd love to see them!

I'm sure this bored you non-photoshop folks to tears. Sorry... I'll come up with something better for my next post.

Huh? I can't hear you?

2010-02-04T19:29:00.007-06:00

A few months ago, I shared with you Jake's compulsion to chew off the rays of sunshine from his toy that used to look like a sun. Nothing has changed and he recently de-rayed another sun.

But this compulsion does not end with sunshine. Here is an example of what he did to a bunny toy... "what? I can't hear you?" Poor bunny.

Our friend Auggie's mom just sent Jake a new toy. A cow with an empty water bottle inside that makes a loud crackle sound when he bites on it. He loves this new toy, but almost immediately had to put his mark on it by polling it. (for you city folks, polling refers to removing their horns). And even though I have watched it like a hawk, I noticed tonight that Mr. Cow is now also missing an ear... much like his friend, bunny rabbit. "Huh? Still can't hear you!"

But perhaps the most atrocious of them all is this reindeer, which was one of the dogs' Christmas toys. It is a little harder to see on the reindeer, because on top of missing an antler and an eyeball, the poor reindeer has been gutted and has no "fill" left.

But I can't help but wonder what this is all about. Why the ears/horns/antlers? Why are they removed completely, not just gnawed on. And why only one?

Oh Jakey, I so wish you could talk....

dog people are crazy

2010-01-26T05:31:00.005-06:00

Yes, we are quite crazy, and I have photographic proof of just one element of our craziness.

This weekend, our agility friends (Gretchen and her mom) shared the news that they were "expecting." Usually, that news gives you a few months to plan baby showers and get everything ready for the new little bundle of joy. But for us doggy people, it meant that Sunday, after the show, Gretchen and her mom were driving to who-knows-where to pick out the next best agility dog in the world. With only a few days notice, we had to assemble a proper "baby" shower. Because it was the location of the agility show, the shower was at the Douglas County (KS) fairgrounds in the arena. With metal walls. On dirt. With dog hair flying around. (Hey, nothing but the best for our friends!) Addie's mom managed to find a bakery in Lawrence that would not only bake a doggy shower cake, but be open before 6 am to pick it up before the show. While Gretchen and her mom were running their first run, we set up the party.

We had baby gifts and even an "it's a Girl!" balloon.

We still don't know what the new little dumpling's name is... though I understand that Gretchen and her mom are accepting ideas. The new baby is a black female Schnauzer so if you have any great ideas, post them and I will forward them along.

And if you are ever in Lawrence and need bakery goods, we cannot say enough nice things about Munchers Bakery (9th and Iowa) who not only took this last minute order, but managed to draw a perfect little schnauzer puppy on the top.

Long Goodbye

2010-01-18T15:30:00.007-06:00

Well that time has come again... the day that all parents of college-aged kids love... and hate. We've shipped her off to school five times before.... why doesn't it get any easier? Her car is loaded to the ceiling, we've gone over all the "don't forget to" reminders. The car is full of gas and the tire pressure and the antifreeze have been checked several times. The laundry is done, and we've had our obligatory "last supper" (Steak and Shake). But the goodbye hug is the hardest... you know you want to send them out into the world, but you also want to hang on... for a few more minutes at least. And then, when you see the car roll away, you know that your next few hours will be consumed with praying them safely to their destination.

And to think, we used to think "it will get easier when they are older." Now I realize that it was a lot easier when they were little.

Happy journey little one! Drive carefully, study hard, be safe and don't fall for any of the boys that want to take you from me.

the raccoon story

2010-01-16T07:55:00.004-06:00

Someone posted a story on Facebook about a raccoon in their yard and it reminded me of a story that happened at our house a few years ago. It was a story I didn't want to forget, so I wrote it down. I've posted it here for you.

"Well, you damn well took your time calling me back!" This was the greeting I received from my daughter, Sarah. I saw that I had missed her call on my cell phone and called her without listening to the voice mail she had left. Her tone and her choice of words shocks me and I’m thinking, "excuse me? Do you know who you are talking to?"
She continues, yelling, "I've called your work, your cell, your pager, and your friends trying to track you down!" Okay, this must be something big, because she NEVER talks like this. "There was a raccoon in our yard; I think it bit Maggie. It was tangled in the wires behind the pool pump. Dave [her brother] and I got it untangled and it ran into the front yard." I panicked and matched her volume, yelling back "Do you have any idea how dangerous a raccoon can be! And it might carry rabies! Stay away from it!" She said she had already called the vet and he thought Maggie would be okay. Still, I worried that they had gotten so close to this potentially dangerous animal. So I reinforced the "stay away."
An hour or so later my husband calls my cell phone, "Why is there a raccoon on our porch?" For some reason this struck me as a particularly silly question, so I was tempted to reply with a silly answer like "Because I put it on a sit/stay when I left!" or, “it was on sale at Wal-Mart.” But I didn't, I just told him the story that I had heard earlier, and that I didn't know it was on our porch. I gave him the same advice I gave the kids- stay away. He said, "It growls at me when I walk past it… what should I do?" I said, "Keep your fingers away from its mouth." He said "do you think I'm stupid?" I refrained from answering that one, but I did form a few replies in my head.
I returned to my duties of the day and went to Sam's Club to buy supplies for our upcoming party. A few hours had passed, and I had forgotten all about the raccoon. I was in the liquor section and called home to have Sarah check our supplies. She is giving me the inventory when she stops mid-sentence and begins to scream and sob. Between the screams, I hear, "He's dead. Oh Mama, he's dead!... Oh no. Mama, Mama, get here quick, he's dead!" Between her screams I yell back, "Sarah, calm down” “Who's dead?" "What's wrong?" "Where is your dad?" “TALK TO ME!” But the only reply I hear is "Oh no, it's terrible, he's dead (sob, sob, scream)" I'm thinking, Daddy's dead? One of the dogs? What has happened? "SARAH, WHERE IS YOUR DAD!!?????" More sobbing "I don't know. Mama please hurry" Okay, Dad's not dead, he's just missing. Someone else is dead. “oh, no, oh NO!!” "Sarah, GO GET DARYN!" (He's our neighbor, and can be counted on to help out- like just last week when she let a scary stranger in the house to "check the gas meter" and then realized her mistake. Daryn was there in an instant to keep an eye on the guy.) Anyway, I keep trying to calm her and then I hear Daryn's voice saying "What's wrong?" Okay, good. Maybe he can calm her down and she can start to talk to me. Click. She hung up on me. But that's okay, I'm in the liquor aisle. I wonder how much trouble I'd get into for cracking open a bottle of Vodka.
It turns out that our dogs, Jake and Mopsy (one border collie, one cocker spaniel), had decided the raccoon (turns out it was a baby) was just the right size for a toy, so they played tug-of-war and catch with it's little limp body. But... it's not dead. Husband calls back, turns out he was in the backyard and could not hear the screaming. I find this really difficult to believe, since people three aisles away in Sam's heard it through my phone. He and Daryn decide to put it out of its misery and he picks up a 2x4, Daryn has a shovel. Dave and Sarah immediately stand guard- no one is going to kill this baby on their watch. Sarah's tears dry instantly and she puts on her best warrior face. "Put down the club, and step away from the baby." Greg relays all of this in my next phone call. "Now what do I do?" he says. I tell him to call animal rescue. Click. The Crown Royal looks appealing.
Animal rescue says they will wait until he arrives, but he's got to get the little guy into something secure to bring him out. They warn him against a cardboard box. Fortunately, the raccoon goes willingly into a big plastic bucket which Greg covers with a grate. He takes off for the animal rescue, a 35 minute drive. About an hour and a half later, he pulls into our drive with the bucket, from which you can hear growls and hissing. I question him.. "What did you do?" He said, "The rescue people said it is just a baby, and it isn't hurt, only frightened. We are supposed to put it back where we found it, and the mother will come back for it tonight!" I'm thinking, go ahead, ask me that "do you think I'm stupid" question again, because this time, I've got an answer ready. I'll go along with the advice, but… do we put it back in the last place we found it (inside Jake's mouth) or the previous place (tangled in the pool wires)? Instead, we place the bucket on its side, in the front yard with a pan of water and a bowl of dog food (what do raccoons eat anyway?) This morning, all that remained was an empty bucket and a 1/2 eaten bowl of dog food. But in my heart, I know this isn't the end of the story. I'm going to buy some Cuervo Gold, just to be ready.

Old photos

2010-01-13T20:30:00.004-06:00

For any of you that do Facebook, you are aware that many people are posting old photos of themselves for their profile picture. So, I pulled out that old file of photos and looked for an appropriate photo. I found this lovely snapshot of me in all my teenage dorkiness:

In case you did not immediately appreciate all that is dorky about this, draw your attention to the fact that I am in a JON boat in a BIKINI with my hair in pig tails (I believe that we called them "dog ears" back then to differentiate from pig tails which were braided). To top it all off, I am CROCHETING. I wish I could see the yarn so I could remember what exactly I was making... I think it might have been the granny square sweater. Boy did I look snappy in that!

While I was looking I came across this picture:

A couple of things strike me immediately about this photo. First, the Tyra Banks "America's Next Top Model" pose. Though honestly, I was probably scratching a chiggar bite. Next, I am struck by how much I look latino. I don't ever remember being latino. I do remember that vinyl table cloth, though. We kept it on the table that was on our carport. We ate almost every meal on the carport from about April to October. And before this moment, it never struck me as odd. But perhaps the most interesting part of this photo (and you have to look very close) is what is on the table. Frosted Flakes, coffee cups and Falstaff. That crocheting in the Jon boat is looking more normal....

more "coloring"

2010-01-11T18:00:00.006-06:00

I did these back in December for an agility calendar.

Seriously, I could probably spend days playing with photoshop.

okay, I'll stop and clean house now.

(ha ha ha! I made a funny!)

Photoshop is my 124 pack of Crayolas

2010-01-10T09:53:00.007-06:00

One of my favorite bloggers, Nicki at Borderblog (http://cruzanborders.blogspot.com/) got Photoshop for Christmas and has been posting examples of her "photoshopped" dogs. It reminded me of how much I loved to play with PS when I first got it, so I took some time to explore some buttons I've never used like I did when I and Photoshop first met. And that reminded me.... whoever invented layers and layer masking should be sainted. Or at least get special parking priviledges, or something.

This morning I dug out some agility pictures that I had that were okay, but a little boring and applied every tool that I could find. I don't know if you can EVER turn a mediocre photo into something great, but it sure is fun playing.

Here are some examples of Radial Blur tool:

So don't bother asking me if all my Christmas stuff has been taken down and put away. It hasn't.

: )

Dog Whispers

2010-01-07T15:33:00.008-06:00

I like to think that I know what my dogs are thinking and even what they are talking about. There was a big conversation going on last night and I'll try to translate it into English as best as possible. It went sort of like this:

(J = Jake, M = Maggie)

J: "Hey Maggie, wake up!"

M: (yawning) "What time is it?"

J: "It's about 2"

M: "What do you want"

J: "I smell snow"

M: " WHAT!!"

J: "I can't see out, Mom shut the curtains"

M: "Well, we need to go out and see. Wake Dad up to let us out"

J: "I'm not waking Dad up. YOU wake him up"

M: "We'll wake up Sarah, she'll let us out"

[entering Sarah's room]

"Grrrrrrrrrrr"

J: "uh oh. You woke Mopsy up. You are in BIG trouble"

M: "Sorry Mopsy, I was just checking... to... see if you were warm enough. Yeah, that's right"

J: "I guess we'll have to wake mom up"

Both: [lick, lick, wiggle, wiggle, whine, whine]

Me: "What? What time is it? I have to go to work tomorrow.... What? You need to go out?, okay"

It is at this point that both dogs go outside, not to potty, not to chase bunnies, not to protect our home, but to PLAY IN THE SNOW. Yes. A 2 am romp in the snow. But that is not the worst.... they played out this same scenario several more times during the night. Didn't want to pee or check out anything, just HAD to go out and play in the snow. And stupid me, half asleep, I fell for it over and over. By 4:30 I was awake enough to grab my camera and take pictures of their shenanigans.

Tonight, I'm wearing earplugs.

Worn Out

2010-01-04T05:08:00.002-06:00

A few weeks ago, I struggled with the decision of going to Chicago for an AKC show or staying in town for a USDAA agility show over New Year's. I made the decision to stay in town so that I didn't need to add an out-of-town trip to the holidays and am I glad I did. Yikes, why do the holidays wear us out so? With less time at work, you would think we could work in some time for rest and relaxation but I'm just pooped. And, judging from this picture, the dogs look a little tired as well. But this week it is back to "normal" for all of us, probably for you too.
Take time to put your feet up and snuggle with your loved ones.

Visions of Sugarplums...

2009-12-31T05:21:00.003-06:00

... or maybe visions of ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, pie...

Grandma and Mopsy sleeping off thier Christmas dinner.

Too much holidays

2009-12-30T08:21:00.002-06:00

Maggie and I had an agility lesson last night after almost a month off (we have not done anything since the Tulsa trial the first weekend of December). Maggie was full of herself, racing around the obstacles on her own and jumping up to give me a little nip now and then to keep me going. And I can't blame her, after all of the holiday food and treats, I do sort of look like a sheep! On top of that, it looks like she's put on a few pounds as well, which isn't good for running and jumping. So today, after I get a few errands done, I think we'll head over to our training facility and see if we can't sneek in some practice before this weekend.
Speaking of this weekend, we will compete in our first USDAA trial (we usually do AKC). While USDAA seems like it might be more fun (more runs per day) we don't have as many USDAA trials close by, so that would mean more travelling. And my pesky JOB gets in the way of that. Hopefully we can shake out some of her "happy feet" and get her back a little more normal before Friday.
If any of you feel inclined, the trial is at Vetta Sports in Fairview Heights, IL. Maybe we'll see you there.
Happy New Year!
Lori, Maggie, Mopsy and Jake

2009-12-26T11:55:00.000-06:00

Oh. Oh my.

2009-12-21T16:44:00.004-06:00

Last night we had a little get-together of agility friends and we exchanged gifts. I brought a small assortment of doggie items- nothing expensive-most of it home-made, and was flabbergasted to unwrap this. Under that paper was probably the nicest gift that I will receive this year- or maybe any year. Only a fellow doggie friend can appreciate how a piece of artwork can touch your heart, and this one certainly does. This is the face I see, day in and day out... turned up to my face, waiting for the command, waiting to do what I ask, waiting for me to say "let's go!" While this artist sketched her own dog, not mine, it might as well have been Maggie in the way she drew her soft eyes, the soft feathers around her neck and her ears pinned back out of the way. No photo captures her this accurately, and it makes me want to reach out and touch it.
Thanks Carol and Addie- this will always be a treasure in my home, and you two will always be a treasure in my heart. Merry Christmas!

Nativity insanity continues

2009-12-18T21:30:00.010-06:00

I would not have recognized this as a Nativity set at first. Or even after that.
Speaking of not recognizing something as a Nativity set, this once took a few minutes also, though you have to love Joseph's beard.... (this one has a cool $188 price tag if you are interested)

Artistic expression, blah, blah,.... I can see a Mary and maybe a Jesus, but what is the other thing? It looks sort of like a bottle opener to me. And what is with the hole for faces. Strange.

I don't know why I included this one. I don't see anything wrong with it... I even appreciate the breeds they chose... baby Jesus is a Golden Retreiver

: )

So are these teddy bears or real bears? How do you know?

Just wierd. Can't come up with anything clever about this except the obvious.

"Always after me Lucky Charms!"

Last and certainly worst of all the Nativity scenes (go ahead, top this one, I dare you...)

For your Christmas "enjoyment":

Jesus, Joseph, and Marty:

No more. I promise.

Nativity Set Abuse

2009-12-17T08:25:00.024-06:00

Sorry for the long time since the last post, I'm hoping to make up for it today with a little Christmas Gift laugh from me to you. But first a confession! I, too, am guilty of Nativity Abuse. First, I have a border collie that keeps watch over the sheep in my big, formal Nativity in my dining room. Second, many years ago, when I was a stay-at-home mom, I subjected my entire family to the abuse when I made them wooden, hand-painted sets for gifts- the little sheep had hearts on their rumps (sorry, I did not know what I was doing-I wasn't getting much sleep).
Anyway, the following are pictures of sets that I have stumbled upon and kept because they made me laugh (or shudder). I believe that each of them was made in ernest, maybe to cause a smile, but not as a joke. Enjoy...

Veggietales. Yes, I understand that this is a Christian-themed children's series, but JESUS AS A VEGETABLE? Come on...
Smores Jesus... don't get too close to the fire!

Christmas in Roswell (famous reported Alien landing site in New Mexico)

Penguins need Jesus too!

Nativity paddle ball? So you WANT to hit the holy family with the ball, right?

Only old SNL fans will understand the Mr. Bill Nativity... Oh NO!

I understand minimalism as an art form, but these next two go too far.

Hooty Hoo! Hoo, Hoo, Hoo's Child is this?

"Were you a good boy this year?"

Yee Haw! It's a Grand Ol' Opry Christmas! Howdy Jesus!

wait... wait.... almost... DING! .... Yes! It's Christmas!

This is perhaps one of the most ridiculous- everyone knows that cats would not have worshipped another cat that had more power than them. They would have gathered to plot an overthrow.

Baby in the bubble... just look... don't touch!

Nativity bean bag toss. Hit Jesus, win a prize!

Martian Nativity?

Look Joseph! He has your big feet!

If you have more, send them to me and I'll add them...

My kind of woman...

2009-11-17T21:21:00.002-06:00

Okay, I'm still flipping through the 100's of old photos. I wish I was doing it on a projector with the whole family so that I could be asking "who is that?" "When were they there?" etc. I have SO many questions.

This photo especially brings up a lot of questions. It is a picture of my mom, I'm guessing around 1960.

The most obvious question is "who goes fishing in a freaking skirt?" But the answer is pretty obvious, too... I guess my mom did... what a surprise. But I have other questions... what did she use for bait? What does it feel like to reel in a bass that big? Who taught her to fish?

But the very biggest question of all... what happened to the woman who would go fishing alone in a skirt and catch a trophy size largemouth on a cheap Zebco reel?

(I miss her)

Lessons from a photo album

2009-11-14T10:12:00.007-06:00

Recently one of my cousins found some (photo) slides that belonged to my grandparents. For you that don't remember slides, in the 40's to the 60's, many people used Kodachrome film which produced film POSITIVES, not negatives. Instead of printing them on paper, they were delivered in little cardboard frames which you put into trays and viewed them using a projector. Holidays meant that someone would haul out the projector and screen and we would all view everyone's slides. So, when my cousin found and scanned some of these oldies, I couldn't wait to see them. And in reviewing them I learned some things, which I'll share with you.

1) Though we probably take 1000's more pictures than we used to, we don't look at them like we used to. When is the last time you looked at your own photos, much less someone elses?

1b) Looking at old photos is more fun in a group where you can say "remember when...."

2) Our parents, grandparents, and even our great-grandparents used to be young and active. And in a blink, we are old and feeble. Remember that EVERY DAY.

3) Though they didn't have "time-saving appliances" they had time to have fun-throw parties, dance, laugh and drink. Sometimes excessively (at least mine).

4) I enjoy looking at these old photos, even when I don't know some (or all) of the people in them.

5) No matter how well exposed, no matter how beautiful, no matter how perfect, I don't care about the vacation photos with no people in them. Even the ones where I knew where they were taken.

6) No matter how poorly exposed, no matter how blurry or crazy, I love the pictures of people I know having fun. I like remembering that their lives were (at least sometimes) filled with joy.

7) My family left a legacy- a biography of their lives in these photos. What will my decendents learn about me (about you) from our photos?

photos- all taken around 1955-60 near Lesterville, MO. Top, my grandmother, Lorraine Pershall. Next, a jeep ride with my grandfather driving and my grandma all the way in the back with their dog, Pal. I have no idea who anyone else is (though that one lady looks CRANKY) The last photo, starting from the left, my grandmother with a haircut I'm sure she hated, Margaret and Harold Baker (owned the general store in Lesterville), unknown lady with a beer, then Margaret Ludwig (my grandma's cousin and the best pie baker in the world) and her husband Henry.

An editorial...

2009-11-11T07:34:00.005-06:00

On the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month of 1918, the terrible slaughter of the First World War came to a formal conclusion. The day we now commemorate as Veterans Day is the quintessential American holiday, growing to honor all of America’s veterans at the urging of a shoe store owner in Kansas. In the almost 100 years since an assassin's bullet took the Archduke Ferdinand on a bridge in Sarajevo, the US military as proven to be an elite fighting machine. In Europe, Korea, Viet Nam, Afghanistan, Iraq and more, our soldiers demonstrate their greatness. But when the fighting is over, we Americans close that door and move on, often forgetting about those brave men and women that fought on our behalf. It isn't that we are no longer proud, it is that our lives move on... and isn't that the ideal end to the fighting? Isn't that what they are fighting for? That we all go on and live in peace, forgetting the violence, the atrocities, the pain, and the suffering. Isn't that the conclusion that our soldiers are working toward when they build the schools and the hospitals? When they re-build the bridges and carry in supplies? Perhaps what makes our military the greatest on earth is not only what they destroy, but what they build. And they make us forget, and cause us to move on.

Today, many of us will remember the fallen at Fort Hood and wonder how this could have happened on American soil. Some will debate whether it was an act of terrorism and the dead and wounded will be called "victims." But I believe that they are casualties of war, the same as those that lost their life in Iraq or Afghanistan. And during that gun fight, Sergeant Kimberly Munley became a member of our military and became a veteran, entering into a war zone. (Thank you Kimberly for your service)

Today, the same as in 1775 when the forefathers of our nation established our Marine Corps, we need a strong and dedicated military. We need to support and remember them, even in times of peace when it is easy to forget. If we do not back them, support them, and honor them, we may all be called upon, like Sgt. Munley, to BECOME one of them and fight for our rights here, on our own soil.

Especially today, thank our veterans. Share a word, a hug, a thought, a prayer. If you feel so inclined, donate or volunteer for one of the many veterans organizations that help them. But at least one day a year, do not forget-REMEMBER.

Happy Birthday USMC

2009-11-10T06:55:00.003-06:00

For those of you that are not aware, United States Marine Corps was founded on Nov 10, 1775, and Marines still celebrate this date today, after 234 years. Today, all around the world Marines will gather to hear a letter written in 1921 by Major General John A. Lejeune, Commandant of the Marine Corps, ordering Marines to take a moment every year to honor the birthday of the Corps. At many of these gatherings, there will be a cake, and by tradition, the first slice of cake is given to the oldest Marine present, who in turn hands it off to the youngest Marine present- symbolizing the old and experienced Marines passing their knowledge to the new generation of Marines. However, in some of the gatherings today, there will be no cake. Somewhere today a Marine is keeping peace in Iraq or searching for an enemy in Afghanistan and won't get the opportunity to share in this tradition. Nevertheless, he will likely take at least a moment of his day in honor of the Corps and the men and women that have his back.

Thank you for your committment to our country and to the Corps, and I pray that next year you are well, and able to celebrate again.

(From Major General Lejeune's letter, November 1921)

"This high name of distinction and soldierly repute we who are Marines today have received
from those who preceded us in the corps. With it we have also received from them the eternal spirit which has animated our corps from generation to generation and has been the distinguishing mark of the Marines in every age. So long as that spirit continues to flourish Marines will be found equal to every emergency in the future as they have been in the past, and the men of our Nation will regard us as worthy successors to the long line of illustrious men who have served as "Soldiers of the Sea" since the founding of the Corps."

God bless you.... carry on.

On the 11th hour...

2009-11-08T19:18:00.003-06:00

...of the 11th day of the 11th month, the guns fell silent and peace began its return to Europe.

"These noble Americans are our sons and daughters. They are our fathers and mothers. They are our family and they are our friends. They leave home to do the work of patriots -- and they lead lives of quiet dignity when they return. Today we send a clear message to all who have worn the uniform: Thank you for your courage, thank you for your sacrifice, and thank you for standing up when your nation needed you most." - George W. Bush, Nov 11, 2008

November Sunshine

2009-11-07T11:02:00.007-06:00

I took my three furry kids outside for some autumn photos in the pretty November sunshine. Their personality always shows up in the group photos. Maggie is always poised ready for the next command. She is always looking for her next job. Mopsy is only looking for the cookies, and Jake, sweet boy, just wants to be with me. So I was a little surprised when I lost his attention during my impromptu photo shoot. I should have realized that the one person he loves more than me was home from school.

I can't blame him though... I miss her too and was just as happy to see her.

From Hell to Hero

2009-11-04T19:58:00.002-06:00

I just got an email about a rescue Pitbull named Gunny that has been entered in an online poll for "World's Most Amazing Dog." His owner has created a video about his life and you can see it on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWcQUsGT_nA

What touches me the most is the reminder that Gunny is not all that uncommon and that there are others, just like him, waiting to be rescued. And if his situation was not already sad enough, there are communities all across the country that want to ban people from owning dogs like him because of his breed. Even here in the St. Louis area, there are communities that have banned "bully" breeds, causing one local citizen to put a bumper sticker on her car saying:

Stop Breed Specific Legislation
Do we really want a law that says race predicts behavior?
(I wish I had the guts to put this on my own car)

Anyway, after you are done watching the video, if you want to vote for Gunny (I don't even know what he wins... dog food for a year or something like that) you can vote at:

http://www.naturalbalance.net/WMAD/videos01.tpl?command=search&db=entries.db&eqskudatarq=1255873123736755862&max=1&eqapproveddatarq=T&raskusort=1&myindex=14&totalpics=155

Whether or not you vote for Gunny is unimportant. But if you care about him and others like him, don't keep that to yourself. Tell your legislators how you feel. Let Gunny's story serve as a reminder to you to speak up and lend a hand.

Once in a lifetime...

2009-10-25T17:48:00.003-05:00

This weekend I had a once in a lifetime experience with a once in a lifetime dog....

We had a four day trial in Paducah Ky. I had been pretty sick earlier in the week and really thought that I was not going to be able to do the trial. But massive doses of meds got me back on my feet and we took off on Thursday morning. To our surprise, we started off with a double Q and two first place ribbons. As the weekend progressed, we were unstoppable... by Sunday we were eight for eight... FOUR double Q's, FIVE first place, two second place and one third. And in the 2nd and 3rd place finishes we were with 1 second of the first place dog.

This kind of thing will probably never happen again. But then again, a dog like Maggie will probably never happen again, either.

I love you big girl!

If I HAD to choose...

2009-10-20T08:13:00.003-05:00

Nicole, over on Borderblog (cruzanborders.blogspot.com) came up with an interesting idea. If you HAD to choose one dog from every AKC group (not counting your current or previous dogs) what would it be? So I decided to give it a try:

Sporting: This is a hard one for me, because I love the spaniels. All of them. But, I guess I'll go with the Sussex Spaniel. Maybe I can keep up with his short little legs.

Hound: I'm not much of a hound person, but Basenji's alway interested me.

Working: Greater Swiss Mountain Dog.

Terriers: Hard to pick just one, because I like a lot of terriers. But I'm going with Miniature Bull Terrier... how can you not LOVE that face?

Toy: Thank goodness that Cavalier King Charles are in the toy group or I would be stuck. I'm not all that crazy about the toy breeds... partly because it is harder to bend down for training and partly because people treat them like babies.

Non-sporting: Shiba Inu. They always remind me of minature akitas

Herding: Sorry in advance to all my Aussie and Sheltie friends, but shaving Mopsy reminds me how tired I am of hair. So I'm going for an Austrailian Cattle Dog.

So, now it is YOUR turn... if you need some help remembering what breeds are in what groups, zip over to www.akc.org and click on the "breeds" tab. That will give you a tab on the left that says "breeds by group" and you pick the groups you want to see.

Mopsy Princess

2009-10-19T16:22:00.003-05:00

You might recall this photo I posted a few months ago of my old girl, Mopsy. This photo was taken after she was freshly bathed and combed out... not a simple task. This is made even more difficult this time of year with the leaves she drags in that get stuck in her hair. And at her age, I admit that I feel bad making her sit through the de-tangling and the endless combing so I have been threatening to shave her down.

Last night I sat down to pick out her tangles and found several HUGE mats with little sticks in them. Instead of picking at them, I just picked up the scissors and SNIP! the mat was gone! So she had a couple little bald spots... she had enough coat to cover it. But then I found another mat and another and before you know it, her beautiful long coat was impossible to fix.

SO, my beautiful little princess now looks like a sheep right after shearing. But she has been anxious to snuggle with me all day. I keep telling myself that she knows I'm sick and is cuddling, but the fact is that she is probably cold....

Sorry Mopsy... we'll let it grow back.

Matchmaker

2009-10-14T07:01:00.003-05:00

Hey Julian!* I think I found the perfect girl for you!

*http://sturmette.blogspot.com/

Breaking bad habits

2009-10-12T08:40:00.002-05:00

Nothing makes you want to rewind the clock and start over like agility. We often leave a course and say "I want a do-over!" Of course, there are no "do-overs" but it sure would be nice just to fix your mistake.
And for those of us that are training our first dogs, how many times have we wished we could rewind the clock to our novice training days and correct bad habits. Our friend Addie had the best contacts in the business and watching her stretch those long legs back to the contact while she leaned forward waiting for the release was a beautiful sight. Notice I say "was." As we progressed and started running for time with a little bit of nervousness thrown in, Addie's mom let Addie slide a little here and there. She would hit the contact, so she didn't lose her "Q," but she didn't stop... she'd keep moving to the next obstacle. Because she was still "Q-ing" Addie was allowed to continue the course. But this bad habit grew and grew until Addie decided that she not only didn't have to stop, she could jump for the highest height, ignoring that critical yellow area on the obstacle.
So Addie and her mom are trying to rewind the clock and insist on contacts and a release, every time- or else Addie leaves the ring... "no stay, no play" Imagine how difficult that is... you've paid for the show, moved two tons of stuff to the show site, waited your turn and then your dog hits the contact, but doesn't stay. You can still Q....and the little devil on your shoulder says "you can fix this problem in training-go on!" and more than almost anything, you want to finish your run. This is the decision that separates the real competitors for those that just complain that their dog never Q's and blame it on everyone but themselves.
On a happier note, Addie got to run her first complete standard course in a long while. She hit every contact! Even though there were other problems that kept her from that Q, it was quite a wonderful thing to see. I'm sure that they have not put this problem to bed forever, but at least they see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Next time, I'll tell you about Maggie's bad habit....

Double Q

2009-10-06T18:41:00.003-05:00

We earned our sixth double Q on Saturday and I've attached the video of the standard run below. At the very end you'll notice a crazy handling method. All of the dogs in front of us had an off course, taking the two jumps after the A-frame. The problem is that they were only supposed to take one jump and then turn. So, I gave Maggie a stay and led out to the point where she needed to turn. It ate up a lot of time on the clock, but as you can see, it worked! A couple of other people eventually Q'd as well, some of them using our crazy technique.

This weekend's agility trial

2009-10-05T19:22:00.006-05:00

This weekend, Maggie and I were at Lake St. Louis for an agility trial. She ran really well, but was beginning to do her start line creep again. She gets SO excited to run, that she does not want to stay where I left her. The problem was compounded this weekend because the club that sponsored the event had fabric covers on their winged jumps, which blocked her vision. So, if I left her on a stay to lead out a few jumps, there were times when she could not see me and she would stand up or creep up until she could see me again, rather than wait for my "okay" to go. We were still running well, but I realized that every time I let her run after that, I was reinforcing the idea that is was okay to do.
Saturday afternoon the club had a new event that the AKC is experimenting with called RAD (Run and Done- meant to go very fast). So I put my money down, led out three jumps, turned around and there she was, creeping up! So I walked back to her, said "wrong! Bad stay!" told the judge "thank you" and walked her right back to her crate. Her head hung low and she was in shock that she didn't get to run the course. But fortunately she's a smart girl, because the rest of the weekend, she stayed on that startline without moving a muscle. It was worth every penny of the $10 entry fee.

(photo from Sunday, click on it to see a larger version and how she tucks her front feet under her chin when she jumps)