Too Many Fishes?

Enantiopus sp "Kilesa"

Although the name of my blog is "Gone To The Dogs or Something's Fishy", the fish seem to get short changed here.  I need to remedy that!  I've been putting a lot of time and effort into the fish tanks for the past month, and everything is looking good.  If you maintain a tank (with gravel vacuuming and partial water changes) you almost never have to take down and redo a tank - unless you want to.  Maintenance is the key to keeping the work manageable too, and a regular schedule of water changes keep the fish and tank healthy.   Most of my tanks have at least floating plants, which also helps with water quality, but of course requires some lighting.  Many of my tanks have rooted plants although none of my tanks are as beautiful planted and maintained as those of the hobbyists who are into landscape gardening.  I don't have any high output lighting and I don't use CO2 in my tanks. 

Someone asked me at the fish club meeting last night how many tanks I had.  I wasn't exactly sure as I have tanks set up all over the basement, but only one upstairs in the kitchen.  Although I have a heated fishroom (so the tanks there don't require auxilary heating) many of the tanks have overflowed into the rest of the basement!  When I counted this morning I discovered that I had 46 tanks set up, although 2 do not yet have fish in them.  They range in size from the 2.5 gallon tank that houses the newest babies - the Haps whose mouthbrooder mother was recently removed to rejoin her fellows in a larger tank, to the 55 that contains a family of Thorichthys meeki (Firemouth Cichlids).  Several tanks have just one fish, as my my Puffer Edd, the surviving Ctenopoma, and the largest Purple Gudgeon live alone, and one of the Labidochromis caerulus "Yellow Lab" females is in a tank by herself with a mouthful of eggs or fry (see yesterday's post).    Most of the tanks hold breeding groups of fish I hope to spawn or family groups with adults and fry, while others hold "retired" fish that I have spawned or given up on.  Two tanks are "widow tanks" with a mixture of fish, often retirees.  I keep my fish as long as they are healthy, and have a lot of elderly fish still taking up tank space.  I consider them pets, although only the elderly Puffer Edd has a name.

The fish pictured above are amongst my favorites.  I am growing out three youngsters and was fortunate enough to obtain two more from their breeder last night, so I will have a nice colony.  Hopefully they will spawn for me.  More on them later.

Ranting On Rescue

Must be a snarly time of the year, but I have to admit that I am sure getting tired of all the Rescue Rhetoric.  Seems that is all I see & hear these days.  When a Facebook posting appeared about rescue dogs being "good enough" for George Clooney, thereby inferring that if they were good enough for HIM, certainly they should be good enough for ME, that was the final straw.    Good for George Clooney, and good for the Animal Rights people.  Isn't that just fine?  Let's all play right into their hands and eliminate purebred dogs (and eventually all companion dogs).  We should all give up our purebreds, and descend on the shelters to select a homely mutt from an unknown background, with unknown health and temperament issues.   If it's a puppy we will have no idea how it will grow up to look or act or what issues it might have.  We won't even know where it came from since Rescue Dogs are being shipping in from other countries because Rescues sell.  Yes, SELL.  And we will be better people because of that.   Yeah right.  As one person noted on Facebook, many people adopt shelter dogs because it makes them feel better about themselves.  Had never thought of it that way, but I think she is absolutely right.

As for me, I love looking at beautiful purebred dogs.  I love knowing how my pups will grow up to look and act.   I know that responsible breeders do the appropriate health testing on their breeding stock, select the parents with care, and raise and socialize the pups properly.  Many of us devote our lives to doing just that.

If you prefer shelter dogs, that is your right.  Those dogs need home too, but don't infer that I am somehow a bad person because I admire purebred dogs, and not just Dalmatians.  A beautiful, sound well-bred dog is a feast for my eyes.  A really good one still sends shivers up and down my spine.  My father used to call me a Dog Snob.  He was right!  I still am.

Me, A Snack Lady?

Most raw meat with ground up bone that comes in "chubs" has organ meat in it, hearts, liver, gizzards, (which are muscle, not organs). From what I've read, Dals are not to have organ meats. So, is it best to grind my own meat without the organs and also feed the raw pieces of meat on the bone, or occasionally give them organ meats? Also, can you say other kinds of meat that you give your dogs other than turkey and chicken? Thanks, Jen

Jen asks about organ meat for raw fed Dals.  Most "recipes" for home prepared raw diets, as well as most commercial raw diets contain a significant amount of organ meats.   Because organ meats are much higher in purines than most muscle meat, we tend to stay away from them when feeding Dalmatians.  Purines are the "bad guys" when it comes to urate stones, and are associated with an increased risk of stone or excessive urate crystal production.  Although the average Dalmatian will not become a urate stone former, the purines from organ meats are definitely a risk factor and one that is best avoided.  Because organ meats ARE nutritious, we substitute eggs with the perfect protein and no purines.  We purchase the chubs of plain ground turkey and use ground primarily for mixing with veggies and supplements.  Ground meat really isn't necessary otherwise as long you feed some poultry parts with a fair amount of meat (like thighs).  Most chicken parts come with a bit of organ meat attached and I do not remove that, but don't normally add organ meats.  Heart is NOT and organ meat, but rather a muscle meat, so I do feed some heart.

Met up with Lisen & Jerry last night to pick up Eddie for the shows this weekend.  Because Jerry's political views are very similar to my own, we had an excellent discussion on the Iowa Republican Caucus taking place that very day. 'Nuff said.    Also a rather nice meal at Perkins.  Don't laugh.  I generally like eating at Perkins and miss it when we are not doing dog shows.

Tonight I have to pick up supplies for my new job as "snack lady" for Minnesota Aquarium Society meetings.   A cooler full of soda and bottled water, and a box full of the unhealthy snacks that people insist on eating.  Don't suppose they would appreciate my selling snacks complete with a lecture on soda pop and junk food and it's relationship to obesity . . .

Still Ranting

My posting yesterday was certainly timely. Facebook contained terrible puppy pictures by someone who should know better - they certainly send the wrong message. Puppy pictures should show a puppy in a square stack, the way a dog would be stacked in the show ring. I firmly believe that Facebook can be educational - but sometimes newer people are getting a faulty education. Better no pictures than bad ones. If you can't get stacked shots, settle for cute "pet shots" of the dog sitting or playing or whatever. Same holds true with pictures used in breed magazines - if you got a bad picture of a nice win, do NOT use that picture. How hard is that? Advertise the win but use a picture from another show if you need to advertise something. A really good stack with a neutral background works perfectly. There is nothing to be gained by publishing a bad picture - and there is no point in embarrassing the judge who gave you that nice win.

And then, a forwarded posting about a Dal or Dal mix who needed a home. One posting suggested the dog was a Dal/Labrador cross. It was a white dog with no eye trim, and skin spotting, small ticky skin spotting with very few colored hairs. And a Pitt Bull head. No way was the dog either Dalmatian, a Labrador, or a combination there of. The speckles were NOT Dalmatian-related spotting. No way. Repeat after me "The presence of ticking does NOT mean the dog is a Dalmatian".

Tomorrow - answering a food related question.

Dog Shows, Fish Kids & Pet Peeves

Where did my weekend go?  Seems as if I was just anticipating the second of two 3-day weekends and now all I can see ahead of me is a busy 4-day work week.  Obedience class tonight, on Tuesday an evening trip to Owatonna to meet old friends Lisen & Jerry for dinner and pick up Puppy Eddie for the upcoming dog shows.  Fish club meeting on Thursday, and dog shows this weekend.  I'm not showing anyone this weekend, but most of the entry will be Argus kids, including Pauli.  I'm stewarding both days (see below), probably starting rings at 8:00 AM.  Dal judging is late both days, so hopefully my rings will be done in time to watch the Dals.  1900 dogs entered and only 6 Dals.  We obviously need more Dals and Dal exhibitors around here! 

Breed (conformation) judges often judge up to 175 dogs in a single day, and it's important to keep things running smoothly so they can stay on schedule.  25 dogs an hour plus time for pictures makes for a busy day.  Stewards give out the arm bands, get the exhibitors in and out of the ring, in their correct classes and in a timely fashion, put out the ribbons, mark their catalogs (but only the judge can mark the official Judges Book), move the tables in and out of the ring for examining small breeds, call for clean up if needed (especially in Cocker Spaniels for some reason), and answer exhibitor questions.  Some judges are great fun to steward for, while others are anything but.  My favorite judges on the panel happen to be the ones who are judging Dals and the Group, so unfortunately I can't steward for them this weekend.

New Years Resolutions this year included eating better and wasting less.  I already blew spending less time on Facebook!

As I was looking at puppy pictures posted to Facebook, I wondered if this might be a bad thing.  One would hope that if a well known breeder is posting puppy pictures, they would be good pictures.  Some are awful pictures of poor quality pups, but others are terrible pictures of what might actually be nice puppies.  Why would you post pictures where a puppy is standing out at the elbow with crooked front legs and cowhocks?  If you don't know what pups should look like, you shouldn't be posting pictures - actually, you should not even be breeding a litter.  Posting pictures of gross structural faults is anything but educational, and they encourage newcomers to assume that is perfectly OK.  It is in pets, but certainly not in show dogs.

That Pet Peeve is right up there with calling any mixed breed dog with freckles a Dalmatian cross, or worse yet a Dalmatian.  Dals are not speckled, they are spotted.  Purebred Dals have distinct spots, not fuzzy freckles.  They may have some small markings mixed in, but they are basically SPOTTED.   Dal crosses have smaller indistinct spots, but many other breeds can produce those same markings.  The small indistinct spots are found in many breeds and are called ticking.  A dog with ticking is not necessarily part Dalmatian.  It may be part Pointer, Springer, Cattledog/Kelpie/Blue Heeler, part Pitbull, Boxer, Beagle or Terrier.  Ticking is does NOT necessarily come from Dalmatians.

I finally took the female Haplochromis sp "Dayglow" out of the tank where she was living with her youngsters.  When frightened, she was still gathering them in her mouth for safekeeping (Haps are maternal mouthbrooders), but they were getting much too large for that and she could no longer close her mouth.  I was never quite sure how many there were, as even when some were out feeding, others were hiding out in the safety of her mouth.  On Saturday I caught her by surprise, dipped her out of the small tank, and put her back in with the other adults.  I was surprised to find 10 large robust fry, who are doing just fine without their mama.

Pleased with the success, I spent about two hours catching one of the female Labidochromis caerulis "Yellow Labs" who was also holding eggs/fry.  She was incredibly hard to catch and I had to take all the furnishing out of the tank to catch her, but now she's in a small tank by herself and will hopefully be successful too. 

Breed Specific Legislation

Please take a moment to read this interesting blog posting.  We ALL need to be aware of the issues involved here . . .

Pittbull Problems - OUR Breed Could Be Next

Worth Sharing!

A Mouthful Of What?

Baby fish?   Have had a lot of fun watching my female Haplochromis sp "Dayglow" tend her batch of fry.  These Haps are maternal mouthbrooders, which means that the female gathers up the freshly fertilized eggs in her mouth and keeps them there until the eggs hatch.  And beyond.  This is my first batch of Haps, so am not sure how long this behavior continues, but it's great fun to watch.  When I realized that the female had a mouthful of eggs (called "holding"), I netted her out and put her in a tank by herself.  One of the options is "stripping", forcing the female to spit out the eggs which are then hatched artificially, but I preferred to try it the natural way.  The fry have been coming out to feed for several weeks, but when the female thinks there is danger (such as when I siphon out the tank and add fresh water), she still gathers them up in her mouth for safekeeping.  They are so big now that she can't completely close her mouth when she is protecting them.  Too funny.  I suppose this weekend I will try to catch her when the fry are all out and feeding.  It's been great fun to watch, but I'm sure she will be pleased to get back in the much larger tank with her Cichlid peers.

One of my other Cichlid females is also holding, one of the Yellow Labs (Labidochromis caerulis), but I have been unable to catch that wretched fish.  I have a smaller tank set up for her and her family, so will have to take all the filters and rocks out of the big tank this weekend so I can catch her and move her out.

Yellow "Lab"

Fun with fish!

I Own Dogs & Occasionally Sell Puppies

Call me old fashioned, but I can't get used to the idea of being contacted about "adopting" a puppy and being asked about my "adoption fee".  Although we rarely have a litter, when we do I SELL the puppies to new OWNERS.  Not "pet guardians" or "pet parents".  Dogs are not little furry people in need of parents - they are dogs in need of responsible caring owners who will raise them to be confident, well-adjusted, well-mannered dogs.  I do not charge an "adoption fee" - that may be what you pay when you get a dog from the Humane Society or other rescue group, but when you BUY a puppy from a breeder you pay a Purchase Price.

I am very concerned about the goal of many Animal Rights groups to take away my right to own a dog or breed a litter of pups, and feel some of the current language plays into their hands.  If you doubt that, go back and look at my posting on the goals of PETA.

Retraining My Blogging

Three days without posting and I could not even remember my Blogger password.  Not sure why I find time to blog on workdays, but not on weekends!  Password taken care of now, but no time left to post.  Lot of happenings, lots of picture, no time.  Guess I'll have to concentrate on catch up this week! 

We had a wonderful Christmas weekend and everything ran smoothly except when the washer stopped working, but we got that fixed too for now.  Saw the whole family, at least the ones that still live in the area.  Dogs had a great Christmas as well, and got lots of extra attention.

Err On The Side Of Caution

A friend from work gave me a large bag of dog treats that her dog could no longer eat because he is/was in kidney failure.  I was glad to accept them, knowing they would be much enjoyed.  Until I read the label on the bag of chicken jerky.  Waggin' Tails sounded familiar.  I checked the bag and saw that the treats were made in China, and quickly Googled the name.  Yep, my memory served me well (for a change).  The treats went into the trash and I explained to Ron why I was throwing them away.  Please check out the following link . . .

FDA Warning On Chicken Jerky Dog Treats

Because there are no regulations concerning the pet products industry in China, all imported food and treats carry a significant degree of risk.  You probably remember the contaminated pet foods from just a few years ago.  Dogs and cats died then and they are probably still dying now because owners are not paying attention to these issues.   Please read the labels on the edibles you purchase for your dogs, especially on the dog treats which are a hugely profitable business.  Rawhides too, can be risky.  Be sure they are MADE in the USA, not just packaged in the USA.   Many of them come from South American countries, and there have been many warnings about those too.

Many people scoff at these warnings and disregard them.  That's up to you.  I only know that my friend's 10 year old mixed breed dog ate these treats, as well as the inexpensive rawhides that are always imported, and is in advanced kidney failure.  Dogs that age should not die of kidney failure, and I will always wonder if the treats might not be involved.  I won't be taking that chance with my dogs. 

Plenty Of Time To Worry

Got up early 'cause I couldn't sleep, even though I was tired.  One of those "worry nights" where the concerns that are manageable during the day seem overwhelming at night.  Mostly money concerns this time of the year, but also worries about what the new year will bring for senior members of my family

Why do I always spend too much at Christmas?  Why don't I budget and do a shopping list rather than depending on impulse buying, and why do I always find something I like better later on, but never return the original gift?  Why didn't I order one of Ron's gifts earlier?  It will not arrive in time for Christmas.  Why did I order other gifts so late that there is no time to get a replacement on an order that was filled incorrectly.  Who did I forget to send a card to?  Who did I forget to buy a gift for?  Why didn't I mail one of the gifts earlier so it would get there for Christmas?  What will all the Christmas lights do to my electric bill?  Do I have everything I need for Saturday's family get-together?   Why didn't I get the bathroom wall paper up last summer?  Will my mother be able to manage the stairs?

What if I can't find replacement filters for the humidifier?  Will I have to buy a new one?  Can I afford it?  What's the worrisome noise my car is making?  Will it be expensive to fix?   Where am I going to find the money to get whatever-it-is repaired?  And how much longer can I wait without getting that brake job done?  Now that the car is paid for, will it be nothing but trouble?  Was the bigger-than-average water bill worth it?  Will the trees and lawn survive the drought?   If we ever get snow will my back and shoulders survive shoveling, and will Ron insist on overdoing the shoveling?  How's his heart anyway?  Why doesn't he eat more carefully?

How many more years will we be able to do Christmas this way?  Will mom be able to stay in her apartment?  Is it time to think about assisted living?  How much vision has she really lost?  How much longer will she be able to walk with a cane or walker?  Will Ron still be able to house sit/dog sit next year?  How IS his heart?  What does the future hold for him?  Will I ever be able to sell this house or will I just have to walk away from it?   Where will I get the money to maintain it with no raises in sight, and everything going up, especially my house payment because of property taxes.  Why are the Republicans willing to let us suffer just to "get Obama"?  Why do people buy into that?  What's wrong with them?  How will my Agency, City, State, Country survive this economy?  Why can't politicians vote with their hearts rather than doing what their party tells them to do?

An hour later, after several cups of coffee, the rest of the cinnamon bread, numerous dog kisses, and being entertained by Letty's antics, I feel much better.  I can't change the past, or predict the future, so I'll enjoy the day, the holiday season, my friends & family & dogs.  We'll let the worries take care of themselves . . .

No Time

To Do -

• Finish cards
• Finish shopping
• Finish wrapping
• Finish putting up lights

Enjoy the Holidays!

Sure would be easier to do the latter, if there was more time to complete the former.  My life is currently a madhouse, primarily because I am so busy at work that I'm exhausted when I walk out of there each afternoon.  Finally told my supervisor that I could NOT continue trying to keep up both jobs, given the current volume of work going across my desk.  My own duties, those I inherited when JoAnn retired (I inherited her complete job), the extra work required to complete those duties in the new system, and the fact that the accounting system continues to run so much more slowly than the old one.  Just amazing that we would spend all that money on a system and all that time on training to be stuck with something that takes forever to complete the various processes.  ARGH.

The only blessing is that moral is very good, better than I can ever recall, in the agency, the office and our unit.  I attribute much of this to our Commissioner and our CFO who exemplify the concept of Servant Leaders.  Our CFO in particular has done a really good job with management, stressing teamwork, and the fact that we are all in this together.  No more looking over our shoulders, and a lot more working together.  I NEVER in the past would have requested help, but I've been told on several occasions that if I need help just ask.  I did.  If I could just pass off some of the time-consuming, repetitious duties that are part of every job, it would sure make a difference.  We'll see.

Dog Shows On-Line

I enjoyed watching the Eukanuba (sponsored) dog show on streaming video on my computer Saturday and Sunday evenings.  Thought the quality of dogs was wonderful in most of the Groups, and the Group judging was uniformly good.  Loved 6 of the 7 Group winners and could have been happy if any of the 6 had gone Best in Show, but was absolutely thrilled to see the win go to my all time favorite Poodle, a gorgeous black Standard called "London", handled by one of the nicest professional handlers in the business.  Great fun! 

One of these years, IF they ever select a decent judge for Dalmatians, I'll go down and compete.  Generally have at least one dog qualify for the show (this year we had several) but the breed judges for Dals are such downers.  Breed results from this year confirmed my suspicions.  The BoB dog is a nice one, but some of the award winners were pretty marginal indeed, and there were no livers in the final lineup - despite the fact that the quality in livers was good.  Have to say there are very few foreign judges I would waste my money to show under.  The British judges generally come up with questionable selections and most of the Canadians are totally incompetent.  While there are certainly poor American judges (way too many, in fact) the percentage of poor Canadian judges seems to be much higher and they seem to be far more political.

Sparkle is now up in Canada, living with the Pella family for awhile.  She'll have a lot of fun for the next couple of weeks while Patti and kids are home on vacation.  She'll be back eventually, and looking for a home.  If you would be interested in co-owning a show dog, keep her in mind.  She's going to do well in the ring and I would love to show her, just don't need another dog body around here.

Letty was at loose ends yesterday, missing Sparkle, but enjoyed a trip to PetCo and a chance to run off leash for awhile.  Told her she had better be totally house-trained now, because everything got scrubbed yesterday, and all the rugs will be washed this week as we are expecting company on Saturday.  Tonight her cousin Meribel comes for an overnight, so Jess & Don can attend a Christmas party.  Because we got the backyard cross-fenced yesterday, it will be easier to keep the girls from tearing up the yard.  Good timing on the nice weather, and the ground being thawed enough for pounding stakes.

Still a lot to get done before Christmas, but no way to take any time off work.  My desk is buried in parcel files that need to be handled.  It used to be that the two weeks over Christmas and New Years were a bit slow - sure hope they are slow this year so I can get caught up, but I'm not expecting that to happen.  I can do the work required for my two jobs (inherited JoAnn's when she retired) but not the volume, primarily because the new accounting system continues to run so slowly.  I will be oh so ready for a couple of three-day weekends!

Picture Perfect

Love this picture of Meribel!  Jess brought her by for pictures yesterday, and we got good shots of her, Letty and Sparkle.  Meribel's sister Amery was the pick of the girls from the Cruise/Penny litter, but Meribel was a close second and is maturing well.  She's very together for her age, and although she's got more color than we'd prefer (a few too many spots for my taste) her depth of color (the intensity of her liver coloring) is fabulous, and with a short shiny coat she really looks good.  "Fancy", we call it.  Meribel is very fancy.  She also has the wonderful dark eyes that are extra nice on livers.  We took this particular shot because Meribel also inherited her mother Penny's beautiful neck and forechest.  So far so good.  This one does look like a keeper.

Meribel came along at just the right time too, as Jess & Don needed a little "therapy dog" to help them get through the loss of German Shepherd Pepper who recently died of cancer.  A funny, cheerful, extra-cute puppy is definitely good for the soul!  The elderly Shepherd Simmie really like Meribel too, so it's made things easier for her as well.

Things are still on for Sparkle to go up to Canada for awhile.  She goes in for a rabies shot today, and we'll meet up with the Pellas tomorrow in Duluth.  Looks as if the weather is cooperating - fingers crossed.

Christmas Surprises Can't Wait

Last night there was a looonnnggg list of chores on my To Do List, but as is so often the case I got side-tracked.  Ron had picked up my main Christmas gift, and because the store only had a 10 return policy (for immediate replacement) he wanted me to "try it out" to be sure it worked the way it should.  Although I personally prefer Christmas surprises, I was pretty sure this would be under the Christmas tree anyway, so it wasn't actually a surprise.  A new Nikon Coolpix L120 camera, the one I had decided on since I've been very satisfied with my current Coolpix, it was supposed to reduce red eye, got good reviews and has a wonderful long zoom.  Had considered a fancier camera with more bells and whistles, but I really do NOT need another hobby and this one should do what I need it to do.

Unfortunately, it does not totally eliminate "red eye", a real problem when taking flash pictures of liver Dalmatians, but it definitely reduces it (see above).  This I can live with, although I guess it's time to learn to Photoshop red eye, since many otherwise good shots get deleted because of the distracting eye glare.

The trees DID get decorated though, the real tree with traditional ornaments plus many of my Dal ornaments, and the porch tree with fish ornaments - courtesy of Ginger, of course - and a few of the bulkier Dalmatian ornaments.

Feelin' Groovy, No, That's Gloomy

I thought the weather was getting me down, cool & gray are not my thing, but I realized this morning that it's really the fact that I am not going to Eukanuba, an invitational dog show being held in Florida this weekend.  www.eukanuba.com. 

Don't even recall how the darned show got started, especially with a dog food company's name - when Pro Plan is actually more supportive of dog shows than any other dog food company.  After a number of years being held in California, it's back in Florida this year.  Dals never get good judges, and have an English judge again this year - and last year an English dog won under the English judge, leaving a bad taste in MY mouth, since English dogs are often much larger than the American standard calls for.  But the Specials entry is 43, and it sounds as if lots of people are just going to watch as well.

Dogs qualify by various means, winning a Best in Show, placing well in the breed rankings for the previous year, finishing their Grand Championships, etc.  Argus and five of his kids qualified for this year, so we could have gone, but the judge did not appeal, this is an incredibly busy time at work, and to be honest I don't have the money.  It would have been an expensive trip, and now that Argus no longer has co-owners and I am paying all his bills, there's no way to fund all the little extras - or in this case BIG extras.  With pups to show in the spring, I need to watch my $$$, such as they are.

Because the Republicans continue to refuse to tax those who can actually afford it, those of us who actually CAN'T get stuck picking up a bigger part of the bill.  My house payment goes up almost $100.00 next year, due to the huge increase in property taxes.   I'll be lucky if I can continue to make my house payments next year . . .  I can understand the wealthy people who vote Republican - it's in their best interests to do so, unless they actually have a conscience, but I sure can't understand the lower and middle class people who do.

Hmmm, that did NOT help with the gloominess either.  Guess I will go play with Letty.

And Good Luck to the Argus kids who WILL be showing at Eukanuba!

Letty's Back

Letty's back and she got a good report card for manners.  Took her about 10 minutes to settle in with Alana & Mike, and just a bit longer with Brodie who was thrilled to have a house guest.  Remembered her house manners, good in a crate, and didn't embarrass me!  It's nice to have her back, but it WAS a lot easier with just Sparkle over the weekend.  Two pups this age certainly increases the activity in the family room!  Weather permitting, Sparkle goes off this weekend to spend some time in Canada.   Looks as if I will be doing Christmas Eve day here, so it will be easier with one less resident pup, since Jess will be bringing Meribel along.

Need to get Puppy Eddie entered at the January shows, and have to figure out a time to go pick him up so he can stay with Jess for a few days and get some training.  Meribel will probably come here during that time - still playing Musical Dogs.

Obedience went well last night and I'm really pleased with Argie's progress.  Each class sees him much improved in one area or another.  Last night it was his sits.  We've been working very hard on straight sits, as he has a tendency to swing in slightly toward me when we stop.  It would be so much easier if I could just explain to him the concept of "straight".  It IS amazing what they can pick up though.   My footwork is much improved, but I've been working hard on that, even walking patterns without the dog.  Proper footwork (by the handler) makes a lot of difference in a dog's performance. 

ARGH! I just wasted ten minutes fighting with the html coding for this page. Finally deleted the whole thing. Sometimes the pictures go up so nicely and the text formats the way I want it, while other times nothing seems to work. There was a time when I could have figured out the coding problems, but do so little of it now I'm obviously out of practice.

The Oldsters, Josie, Watson & Coral

It was a Letty-less weekend as she went off to camp with Alana, Michael and their Dal Brody.  Again she was suspicious at the start, settled in quickly and fit in well.   She's definitely a bit slow to make up to strangers, but settles in quickly.  Hopefully as Letty increases her circle of friends, she'll become quicker to make new ones.

Sparkle did well on her own and enjoyed her trip to a new pet store.  Argus filled in as puppy entertainer, but will be glad to give up the duty, I'm sure!   One more puppy class on Thursday and then she's off to Canada for a month, assuming all the pieces fall into place for the trip.  Letty can do Sparkle's 4th lesson, and then we'll concentrate on Christmas!

Finally got the lights on both trees, the artificial one on the porch, and a small live tree in the living room.  Checked the old 100-light string before decorating the porch tree and all worked fine, but by the time I had the lights on the tree 1/2 the lights no longer worked.  Hate it when that happens!  By then it was too dark to look for a bulb that may have fallen out or worked loose. 

The inside tree has red LED lights, nice and bright and cheerful.  Tempting not to even put on bulbs, but I suppose I will.  Maybe I should decorate the porch tree with the assortment of fish bulbs, gifts from Ginger of course,  The doggy ornaments don't always get used, but this year they will as I will have company on Christmas Eve day - weather permitting.

Deat By Vaccinosis

ALL Dog Owners Need To Learn The Dangers Of Excessive Vaccinations

Please take a few minutes to read the information on the link.

An AKC STAR Puppy

Letty graduated from Puppy Class last night and that included running through the test for the AKC STAR Puppy Program.   Pups do a series of exercises that include a recall, sit, down, walking on leash, giving up a treat, jumping over some low jumps, running through a tunnel, and allowing the owner to handle feet, tail, etc.  Letty did well, and it was great fun to watch her classmates perform.  Amazing how far some of them have come in six weeks!   I was very pleased with how well Letty did.  It was a terrific class, lots of fun, and Letty learned so much and developed a lot of self confidence.  I'm sorry it's over!

Unfortunately, most training schools have classes for pups up to the age of 4 months (when starting) but they are not eligible for the next level until they are 6 months old.  Letty is now 5 months old so will be sitting out for awhile.  I need to find places to take her every week to keep up the socialization.

She goes camping at Alana's this weekend.  We'll miss her, but it will give me a chance to put some extra work into Sparkle who also did well last night in her second week of class.  While Sparkle did her 6:00 class, Letty stayed quietly in her crate and watched all the activity - good dog, Letty.  That's another thing dogs need to learn.   While Letty was in her 7:00 class Sparkle fussed a bit but was not as bad as I expected, and she spent part of the hour being tended by one of the Pet Junction employees.  More useful socialization as Sparkle got to "help" at the counter!

Never Say Never

Please check out this interesting article on vaccination!

Puppy Camping is starting to fall into place.  One spot for a few days this weekend, and multiple weeks in Canada with kids over the Holidays.  Have to decide which dog matches each "spot" the best. 

Have to admit I would prefer to have Letty home for Christmas though!   Just amazes me how sappy I am about this silly little dog. Never say never! I have always vowed that I would never keep a dog with a higher tail, and certainly would not keep one that wasn't bold and fearless in all situations.   Letty flunks both.  Her tail is much better thank goodness, but it will never be perfect and I accept that.  And she still prefers to be handled by me and a select group of "special friends".   She's been that way from the age of 4 weeks, so I guess that's who she is.  She is not a "pet me" dog with strangers, and prefers that they just leave her alone.  She's fine in new situations and gets along well with other dogs, just has no interest in being handled by strangers, unlike her father and most other Argus kids who consider everyone a friend.  Have not had a Dal like this for many years, although it used to be quite common in the breed.  But she is so darned pretty, so great around the house, and so much fun to work with, I don't see her leaving any time soon.  Sigh.  I must be getting soft.

What Was I Thinking?

What was I thinking?   Why did I think I could socialize two puppies in December, while working full time, keeping up a house, preparing for Christmas, working Argus in obedience, and tending 4 adult Dals and almost 40 tanks of fish?  While laying in bed this morning, planning my day, it suddenly occurred to me that I might be crazy!   Is this what it feels like?

Had thought Letty would go camping for the month of December, but that did not happen so I have two needy pups - both need more socialization, more time and attention, more training, and more patience on my part.  Both
are good pups, but the two together are challenging, especially now that Sparkle is jealous when Argus or Letty go downstairs for training.   My basement is my "training room" and each puppy as well as Argus gets a short training session every evening.  Argus works a bit of obedience, and the girls work on their basic commands plus do some stacking.  Not really enough room for heeling or gaiting there, but we try a bit of that too.  Now Sparkle has decided that only she should come down there with me, and fusses when the others get their turns.  Not good.  Ron will have to keep her amused until it's her turn, I guess.

Sparkle is teething seriously now, and testing her teeth on a variety of things, so she needs more supervision than Letty who normally just chews on her Nylabones.  Last night I caught her working on the bar stool rung - no, she didn't do all that damage.  This particular rung has been a "favorite" of many pups - that's cumulative chewing!   It's now coated in Bitter Apple.  Just hope she does not try the corners of the cabinets on Ron's "watch" - I use the term loosely!

Anyone want a camper this weekend, or any other time?  Both girls need to get out.  Both are house-trained and good in crates, know basic commands, are easy to feed, but pull like sled dogs on leash.  Good lap-sitters too - warm furry pups come in handy on cold winter evenings!

Economy vs Comfort

COLD weather coming, possibly below 0 temps and highs only in the teens, and once again we wrestle with economy vs comfort.  One of the quirks in this old house is the two furnaces.  The old section of the house (almost 100 years old) has a hot water boiler furnace with radiators, while the addition (about 25 years old) is heated with a forced air furnace, which was just replaced two years ago.  The thermostat for the new furnace is in the family room and the thermostat for the old furnace is only about 12 feet away in the dining room.

Until the weather gets really cold, we primarily use the forced air furnace for heat since it is more economical to run, and because we spend most of our time in the family room/kitchen.  The adjacent dining room stays comfortable, while the living room is cooler.  Upstairs the bedroom (with a radiator) stays cool, which is fine, but the bathroom is a bit chilly.  When the weather get COLD, we use the boiler furnace a bit more, but when the boiler warms up, the forced air furnace cuts back.   Because the patio door gets opened a lot as dogs come and go, the family room starts to feel a bit chilly, and the radiator in the bedroom makes that room too warm.  I do like my radiators, and the old boiler has certainly been reliable for many years, but it is not easy to keep the old house comfortable!

Lots of possible solutions, but all cost money  The new furnace was great investment, and I probably should have gotten a new thermostat for the old one, but that cost money.  Replacing the old boiler and radiators would have been great, but that was money I certainly didn't have.  Having the old section re-insulated would also be a good investment - of money I don't have.  With the increase in my property taxes, I'll be lucky if I can afford to stay here at all, so we'll spend another winter adjusting the thermostats, enduring the drafts, using lots of blankets on the bed and a small heater to warm up the bathroom in the morning. and wearing lots of sweatshirts.  But I will have a radiator to warm up my jacket and dry my mittens, and THAT is nice.   

Monday. Again?

Sitting at my computer, looking through new Facebook message.  All is peaceful.  Then - A scream of agony! Coming from my yard! A dog in great distress!

Boys and pups were out in the dog yard when an earth shattering scream made my hair stand on end. Incredibly loud & shrill & frantic. Up & down the scale. Amazing that it can come from a dog. Sounds like a Wildebeest being torn apart by a pack of Lions. That's Argus. The Rabbit must be in the yard, and he can't get to it. There is NO WAY to quiet him when this happens.

He's back on his chair, and all is quiet again. He's only 99% perfect.  Do wish he would not do this, but that's my boy.  Such a good dog, and his quirks are normally easy to deal with.
 
We had ring time yesterday and worked hard for a solid half hour.  This was the first time I've had his full attention for that long, and he worked really well.   Our heeling is improving rapidly, really good change of pace yesterday, excellent corners, awesome about turns when I remember MY footwork.  Sits could be better, that's going to be our bugaboo.  Fronts continue to be excellent, finishes are much better.  The things he did not know for his advanced class last week are looking good now.  He's learning to back up (but does not like that exercise), pivot, signals are much better, and I can now step back and forth over him on a Down Stay.  (He almost had a heart-attack when I tried that last week - apparently thought I had lost my mind and was going to step on him.)

Much fish work done this weekend and the tanks are looking really good.  Need to dash down and turn a light on in the fishroom, so the Cherry Barbs think it's daylight.  Am hoping they will spawn today.