Sibling Rivalry

We had a case of sibling rivalry last night.

Holly has a crate next to the puppy pen where she can go while I am cleaning the puppy box.  She had already taken her rubber chicken into the crate, to "mother" while away from her pups.  Holly had also taken the rubber chicken into the whelping box while she was in labor waiting for the real thing.

Yesterday Holly took the squeaky fish downstairs and carefully added it to the whelping box.  Ron figured that would be OK as he knew I would start adding toys to the box soon.  While fixing dinner we heard barking and growling from the basement and I dashed down to see what was going on - I assumed that Fernly or Josie and sneaked downstairs to see the pups and Holly was warning them off.

Nope.  Holly was "washing" the squeaky fish, while the other pups were crawling around the box and getting in her way.  She kept moving the toy, perhaps trying to get a response from it, and the pups kept following.  Every time they got too close to the rubber "puppy", she would bark and warn them away.  Of course they don't hear yet, and wouldn't understand the warning anyway. Wonder what was going through her spotted brain?   I removed the toy to return to the family room, and Holly settled down to clean and feed her furry pups.  Guess we'll hide the fish until the pups are older.

Puppy Names

Off to training today at the MNDOT Training Center.  Hope it's a worthwhile workshop, as my desk is covered with "must dos".  It's Audit Time, which makes things so much more hectic!  That means no coming home this noon to feel Holly and check the pups.  Ron can fill in for today.  I hate to miss that right now though, as the spots are coming through and the pups are changing so quickly!

Patterns are looking great on the pups and they have such beautiful faces.  Liver girl now has visible skin spotting too and it appears that she has big spots and an all over pattern too.  She looks to be the most open marked, but that may change a bit as the spotting is so much more obvious on the black puppies.  Several of the pups have exceptionally nice markings, none have messy marked faces, and none will be too dark, although one is a bit more colorful than the others.

This weekend I should start getting hearing responses.  Once I know the hearing status the pups will get their names - I've decided to use "coffee names".  Folgers, Sanka, Maxwell (house), etc.  This was my mother's suggestion.  I think we may have used coffee names once before, but that would have been many years ago. I like using a theme, and have gone through many many themes over the years!

Another Morning For Coral

Each morning when I go downstairs, I wonder if Coral will be having Another Morning . . .  Although I am not wishing her away, it would be my preference that she die peacefully in her sleep, either snug in her crate or laying on the sofa beside her beloved Ron.  Poor Coral is increasingly frail, and the combination of mammary tumors, chronic kidney failure, arthritis, and just plain old age are taking their toll, but with the help of pain killers she seems to be relatively comfortable.  At least I hope she is comfortable, but Coral is not a complainer, so I don't know really know that for sure.  Her large expressive eyes look sad, and I wish I knew what she was thinking and feeling . . .

Coral sleeps hard, but can still see and hear, and when I call her name she looks up and with a bit of effort struggles to her feet.  Another Morning.  She comes out of her crate walking stiffly, with her head down and her back arched, but when I talk to her she wags her tail, although her wag is very low now.  She waits for me to take her collar and I help her out the door and down the 2 porch steps, and walk her out to the dog yard, my hand still under her collar.  She appreciates the support, especially on the steps, and stumbles a few times as we walk.  I'll leave her outside for 10 minutes, although she wouldn't mind being out there longer.  The outdoor smells are one of the things she still relishes and she comes back to the house slowly, sniffing as we go.

Fortunately the other dogs are kind to her.  The boys sniff her a little, but stop when I ask them to, and surprisingly Fernly shows respect and gives Coral plenty of space.  Josie and Holly pretty much ignore her other than a simple greeting of nose touches.

Coral rests on the dog bed while I write this as the sofa is increasingly hard for her to conquer.  When Ron comes down he'll invite her up to sit with him on the sofa, and help her if necessary.  Later he'll walk her around the block if she still wants to go.  It takes them awhile, but Coral still looks forward to her walks, so she can sniff as she goes, and think about squirrels and rabbits and all the other interesting things she is still aware of.  She'll spend much of the day on the sofa, with frequent trips outdoors.

It's time to feed dogs, and so far Coral's appetite is fine and she still enjoys her meals.  Her weight is good and her coat is still nice.  When Coral stops eating we will re-evaluate the situation yet again, but for now it seems Coral is ready for Another Day, and will face it calmly and with grace.

Back To Work

Back to work.  Another four-day weekend is history, and unlike past years it didn't include any dog shows.  Didn't accomplish as much as I'd hoped, but did do the things that needed to be done, and actually relaxed a bit.  Relaxed!  Slept until 7:00 AM, didn't wash up or get dressed until after 10:00, listened to a couple of Linda Fairstein mysteries on the iPod while cleaning house and walking dogs, played on my computer, and had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner with mom & Ron (eating out this year).  Took Argus and Fernly running several times, something that Fern especially appreciates, and admired the babies a lot!  Because I did a turkey yesterday we'll be doing leftovers all week.  Time to try out some of the recipes that I've been saving.

Holly now has a bed outside the whelping box, a big quilt that she can nest in.  She keeps the pups clean and fed, but decided that she'd had enough "togetherness" and needed to be able to get away.  She did take the rubber chicken to bed with her though!  If she was one of those bitches that carried her pups around she'd have a few pups with her, but thankfully she does not.  The whelping box under the heat lamp is a bit warm for Holly, and not "cozy" enough, so this works fine for all of us.

Fernly visited a couple of pet stores on Saturday and was so funny.  Because she's such a bugger about jumping up (just as Argus was as a pup), when people ask to pet her I request that they tell her to Sit and give her a cookie.  She added a hand shake to her routine, all on her own, and when they tell her to sit she does, and offers a paw.  Always gets her a laugh.

Back to work.  Gotta start budgeting my time again now.

Six Days Old

Six days old, and all is well.  Holly is a terrific mom and the pups are always immaculately clean and well fed.  She's eating three meals a day now, and thinks more often would be even better.  She's also starting to linger for awhile when she goes through the family room on her way outdoors, even took the time to jump on the sofa with Ron for just a second yesterday.  Boredom will be setting in soon.

This is the second time around for the EZWhelp whelping box and it's doing the job again.   The rails keep Holly from accidentally leaning against or laying on a puppy.  The liners that came with the box were useless and kept coming loose and getting bunched up, but the new Dry Mate liners are great.  The backing works well to keep the liner flat and discourages Holly from trying to dig it up, plus it's large enough to fit under the corner legs of the rails which also helps to hold it in place.  The additional bath rug is for Holly and pups to lay on, but Holly prefers to lay in the opposite corner which is not under the heat lamp and is a bit cooler.    When the pups aren't nursing, they move over to the area under the light for some extra warmth.

Spots are starting to show faintly on the black spotted pups, and their face spots are already quite visible.  Most of the pups will be marked like Holly with big bold markings and attractively spotted faces. It's hard to see anything yet on the liver girl, as the skin spotting on livers is not as distinct and it takes longer for the spots to come through.  She appears to be more open marked (rather than colorful), and has a cleanly marked face.  Every time I stop to visit the pups I roll through their coats, looking at their markings!

Pups got their nails trimmed yesterday, or at least most nails got trimmed.  It takes good light and lots of patience to trim 112 nails on squirmy pups!  I use a human nail trimmer on babies since the nails are so small and thin.  BUT they are sharp and pointed, and very hard on mom's undersides when the pups knead her breasts to get the milk flow going.  Wish it was as easy to do Holly's nails.  She's been difficult about her nails, and of course I did not want to wrestle with her while she was pregnant (and my broken hand made it even more difficult).  Jess trimmed her nails twice, but they look pretty crummy now, definitely too long.  It embarrasses me, but so be it.

I'm surprised to still be getting puppy inquiries this time of the year, but thankfully not for Christmas pups (with one exception).  Most are from people who recently lost an older Dal and are looking for a new puppy.  One inquiry is from a couple who lost an elderly liver boy they purchased from us as a puppy, and are looking to adopt a sweet tempered adult liver male.  Hope I can find them one!

Let's Not Forget About Fern

Fern playing The Foot Game

The "big puppy" continues to make my life interesting.

I can visit the "little pups" every few hours, pick them up to admire their beautiful faces and how quickly the nose trim is moving, and am constantly amazed at how fast they are growing.  Holly appears to have plenty of milk and is a very attentive mother, so the babies are all clean and plump.  I check them out whenever I feel like doing so.

The big puppy however DEMANDS my time.  Fernly is quite the character and has turned everything into a game.  If I sweep she plays with the broom, if I try to read she drops toys on my lap, when I tell her to sit she offers to shake hands too, and when I am working in the kitchen she taps my foot so that we can play The Foot Game.  I pretend to step on her foot, and she taps my foot with her paw, leaps away or mouths my slipper.  Hopefully I don't regret this game, but so far she has only carried, never chewed, my slippers.

With my hand finally healed we are back to training, doing lots of show stacking in a variety of places.  Because she was a foot mover, it took some patience, but things are going well.  She's very sound and well put together, especially for such a baby, so it's fun to stack and admire her in shop windows when we are out walking.  (So what if the people inside think I'm crazy!)  Fern needs to get back to class too, as she sometimes still startles and barks at new or unusual things - and at odd things she does not understand, like boots and high heels.  She's incredibly visual, so she notices absolutely everything.  It was tough to take her places when I was one-handled, as she gets so excited, but she did get out, just not as much as I would have liked.  We'll be making up for that.

As a companion Fern is doing great.  Excellent in the house, plays with her toys, good in a crate, perfectly house trained.  She's pretty good on leash too, although last night when walking in her first snow I thought I would lose my arm.  She LOVED it.  Because she's not bothered by the cold, I'll find a place today where she can run off leash in the snow.  I particularly appreciate the fact that she comes really well off leash, something I still reinforce by always having a pocket full of extra tasty treats.

When we start having puppy visitors, all the extra socialization will be good for Fern, but she'll probably be too rough to interact with the pups, especially since she's inclined to clobber the other dogs with her foot!

Am I happy with Fern?  Yes indeed.   She pleases my eye and makes me laugh - that's what I love about good Dals.

So Much To Be Thankful For

It's amazingly easy to feel sorry for ones self and to dwell on all the things we don't have.  A better job, a nicer house, a bigger income, more education, better health for ourselves and our families, more savings or a bigger pension, better looks, more smarts, a newer car, more disposable income, a wealthy family, and so it goes.  So many things it would be nice to have, but things that are not essential, and probably wouldn't make us happier anyway.  There will always be things that we wish were ours, but never will be.

How fortunate most of us are!  We have freedom, families, friends, homes, jobs, and health.  How amazingly fortunate we are and how much we have to be thankful for!  So many people have far less, and so many of them probably appreciate what they have far more than we do.  It's good to have a day to think about all that we do have!

Big Day

This is a big day for the pups as they will have their dewclaws removed this afternoon.  The entire litter will be packed in a large styrofoam box with towels and a hot water bottle and take a trip to Inver Grove Heights Animal Hospital for a visit with Dr. Annie.  Each pup will receive a checkup at the same time.  It only takes a few minutes per pup and they will sleep quietly all the way home.  Holly will stay behind to take a well deserved break, and for some reason the girls never act very stressed about the process.   If I took her along she would be much more agitated so she'll stay behind as usual.  Because the whelping went smoothly and Holly had strong contractions to expel all the placentas, it will be safer to leave her home.

All the pups appear to be doing well and are gaining weight.  Last night I sat down in the box and examined them carefully, to be sure I could tell them all apart.  They started their Neuro Stimulation exercises last night and I needed to be sure that I could identify the pups well enough to be sure that each pup got handled appropriately and did the little routine only once.  Click on the link below if you're curious about this.
Neuro Stimulation

These exercises are not the only handling the pups receive of course, but most of it is gentle handling.  They do however have additional "stress" that includes getting their blanket changed (it's great fun to watch them sniff a new surface, even at 2 - 3 days of age) and getting their nails cut - that starts tomorrow.

To the party who inquired about possibly obtaining a deaf pup - fingers tightly crossed that we have no deaf pups, BUT if we do I never place them.  Never have, never will.

All Is Well

Holly and pups are doing well!  She's settled into motherhood and is very attentive without being obsessed.  The pups are clean and well fed but we can actually get Holly to go outdoors without dragging or carrying her, as we sometimes have to do the first day or two, and she'll get out of the box to take a drink of water.  She does insist on eating in bed, so we'll humor her for a couple of days.

Pups get handled several times a day for the first week or so.  I don't actually weigh them, but I check their body tone and their skin elasticity to be sure they are not getting dehydrated.  One of the old whelping books refers to a healthy puppy feeling like a glove with a hand in it, while a pup who is not thriving feels like an empty glove.  Very good description.

I don't put colored collars or rick rack on the pups to tell them apart, as they all have distinctive eye, nose or ear markings.  In this litter where the nose trim is done on all the pups except one, it's a bit harder and I'll have to depend on ear & and eye markings a more heavily.  Nice problem to have though.   I want to be able to identify each pup by the time they go in tomorrow for Vet Checks and dew claw removal.

Puppies! Good News - Bad News

More Good News by far!  Pups arrived last night, between 3:00 AM and 7:00 AM.  Big strong active pups that were quick to catch on to nursing.   We've got 7 of them, 2 boys and 5 girls.  One of the black girls is an incredibly cute triple-patch - both ears and one eye.  All are doing well, as is Holly.

The Bad News is that there are only 2 boys, and both of them appear to be black-spotted.  I did this litter because I wanted a liver Argus son for me.  I'm a bit bummed there are no liver boys, but so be it.  Most people would be thrilled to have mostly bitches.  Maybe I'll get my boy next time, if there is a next time.

4 of the 5 girls are also black spotted, which is also a bit disappointing.  Oh well.

Holly's temperature was normal on Saturday night, but was on it's way down Sunday morning.  The temperature drop means that pups will follow - eventually.  Her "due date" was 11/20/2012 +/- 2 days.  The plan was to take turns checking on her Sunday night, but when I went down at 10:00 PM I decided to get my sleeping bag and pillow and spend the night with her.  My old bones did NOT appreciate it, and I'm stiff this morning, but it was good that I stayed close as the first pup came at 3:00 AM.  Holly was an easy whelper, with vigorous pups and strong contractions, but is still fussing over the cords a bit too much.  She cut several too close and I had to tie off most of them to prevent the pups from bleeding, not an easy thing to do by yourself (Ron was asleep).

Nose and eye trim is very good, and many of the pups were born with complete pigmentation.  One thing we will not have to worry about at least, but I can never relax and enjoy pups until I am sure they can hear.  Argus has done good hearing numbers, but this is Holly's first litter.  Fingers crossed!

Thought I would go to work this afternoon for a half day, but with Holly fussing over cords I guess I'll stay home, just to be sure.  I need to make sure she can manage the pups and keep things in order anyway.  And maybe I can take a nap too.  Hah!

Dew claw removal scheduled for Wednesday,

Done!

Oh, so glad that is out of the way!  Now I can go on with life for a while longer, leaving the Attorneys to work this out.  At least I hope they work this out.

Argus enjoyed riding along and staying in a motel.  I could have stayed with friends but decided a motel would be better, the same one I stayed at the weekend my car got hit by the motorcycle, what seems like so many years ago.  I needed to exorcise a few evil spirits, and drove the accident route for the first time since it happened, going through everything step by step.  I've done this route in my mind a million times before, but have not actually driven it since the accident.  Thought I might be spooked but I wasn't, actually slept well the night before, and was just eager to get it over with.

Had a very nice dinner with Meg, Mike & Laura at a genuine Chinese Restaurant, something we never do at home.  We go to Thai, or Vietnamese, or Cambodian, or Laotian Restaurants.  Am sure we HAVE Chinese Restaurants here, but I can't think of any.  I suppose it's because we have large SE Asian population and so many individual ethnic groups.  Unfortunately, I left my leftover Mongolian Beef in the refrigerator at my motel. . .  It sure was good, as was the company.

The drive was easy and I left the Interstate to drive highway 14 in southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois, where I always feel as if I have stepped back in time.  A battered winding road that passes through very old small towns that have not yet been "improved" by urban renewal.  Delightful, and lovely weather too.

Argus was his perfect Motel-Dog self, and although I brought the soft-sider crate into the room for him while I went to dinner, he would have been OK had I left him out.  He just sleeps, never barks when left, but it's not safe to leave a dog loose in the room when you are gone, no matter how well behaved or experienced the dog may be.

The Deposition went well, and I really liked my Attorney who I met for the first time.  The suit had originally been filed in Cook County but I had requested that it be moved to the county where the accident took place, so I had spoken with an attorney from the original law firm, as well as another attorney from this firm when the case got assigned to them, but this was my first visit with my actually attorney, who was chosen by my insurance company.  I had not realized that insurance companies used private attorneys in these cases.

We discussed the accident, worked out a map of the accident site area, went over the police report (which I had never seen), and she explained to me how to handle questions.  The Deposition itself took about an hour, during which time the plaintiff's attorney asked me many many questions, but I felt comfortable throughout the whole thing. My attorney had reminded me that its much easier to do these things when you give honest answers, and she was right, of course!  It all went well until the very end when the plaintiff's attorney shook my hand, the one I had so recently broken - OUCH!  My mistake.

So now the legal process continues.  Because the other driver was "impaired", which is presumably the reason for his poor judgment, my insurance company does not want to settle for anything of course.  If they don't settle, we go to trials.   I don't even want to think about that for awhile, and knowing how slowly the legal process moves, that's a long way up the road.  At least now I am quite sure that I CAN get through that too, if I have to.   Fingers crossed very tightly that I don't have to.

Let's Just Get This Over With

Off to Illinois today.  Finally. It's Deposition Time.  Time to experience one more part of the legal process that I would really rather know nothing about.  Something I've been dreading, but also looking forward to.  I just need to have it behind me, rather than having it hanging over my head, lurking in the back of my mind just waiting to pounce.  3 1/2 years ago a drunk on a motorcycle hit the side of my car when I was making a left-hand turn.  Not a good idea to try and pass a turning car.  When asked if I was going to sue him, my thought was that he was guilty of poor judgement, had caused an accident, and had suffered enough.  No, I was not going to sue him.  I just wanted this behind me.   A year later he sued ME.

Amazing how long this whole process takes, but it's finally here.  At least the deposition time is here. I spent the first year after the accident trying to put it out of my mind, and the next 2 1/2 reliving the details, filling out reports, trying not to forget anything.  Today I will re-drive the route I took that day, refreshing my memory, perhaps (I hope) exorcising evil spirits.  Tomorrow I will meet with the attorneys for both sides, mine selected by my insurance company.  Then, what will be will be.

Argus is riding along with me as my personal Therapy Dog.  He can't hold my hand through this, but he's great company, and always knows how to make me laugh.  And dinner with Meg, Mike & Laura gives me something to look forward to.  Haven't seen nearly enough of them this year.

I will get through this.    Wish me luck, please.

The Ugliness Continues

The ugliness continues, and it's absolutely amazing. I am totally blown away by the responses of the losing side in this election, or at least some of them.  I never realized how much bigotry, racism, and hated still existed in America, and I am particularly upset that the flames are fanned by those at the top who COULD make a difference if they chose to.  What's wrong with these people?  And the party is blaming everything except their platform - they seem incapable of accepting the fact that women and minorities do not want to be second class citizens, and the middle class is tired of the income disparity and the erosion of their purchasing power.  No doubt they will continue to do all they can to block the President's efforts to get this country back on its feet, just as they did during the previous four years.  I'm so proud of my fellow Minnesotans for voting like Minnesotans again, except perhaps for the 6th District, but they may be space aliens rather than real Minnesotans.

On a much more cheerful note, we're celebrating Como's TD - Tracking Dog title.  Como is from the Argus/Nikon litter that included GCh. Penny and Ch. Charlie.  She went off to Pennsylvania as a puppy to a "tracking home" with Phil.  This was the first of what we hope will be many tracking titles.

On another cheerful note, Jana received Holly's CHIC number, for the completion of all her health testing, plus her entry into the Complete Dentition database.  Holly's pups are due in a bit less than two weeks, so this weekend I get to scrub the basement and set up the puppy pen and whelping box.  Trying to decide if I want to do an x-ray so we'll know how many pups to anticipate.  I don't normally do that, but don't normally do Ultrasounds either, and I did one of those this time!  

We Did It

I don't think there is enough coffee to keep me awake all day.  Sat up way past my bedtime following election results.  Was pleased that Minnesotans voted like Minnesotans this year, and defeated the Marriage Amendment so strongly supported by the Catholic Church.  Hopefully the Tea Party mentality will slowly disappear from this state, but unfortunately MB will probably continue to fan the flames - even though her constituents finally appear to be waking up.  Just not quite enough of them yet.

The level of animosity on FB last night absolutely astonished me.  I expected some of the ugly, mean-spirited comments but a few normally mild-mannered, seemingly-civil people really surprised me.  I sincerely believe that my Democratic-voting friends would have lost far more graciously than so many of the Republican-leaning friends - some of who are probably now ex-friends, if they unfriended me last night.  So be it.

I continue to feel that the major problem with this country is the animosity and hatred.  IF we could put down our swords and work together, we could accomplish so much more . . .

Undecided? Really?

Is anyone STILL "Undecided"?  Hard to believe that anyone would not have made up his/her mind long ago on how to vote on all candidates and issues.  After months of being bombarded by ads that were entertaining, offensive, encouraging, disparaging, positive, negative, informative, factual and outright lies - how can anyone not have decided long ago?

I came down this morning and turned on the radio expecting to get news without political ads. Silly me.  Apparently if there is money to be spent for ads, the stations will be glad to accept it, and if anything there were more ads than on previous mornings, although it sounds to me as if they contain more last-minute-lies.  Then I heard that one candidate was campaigning in New Hampshire this morning, and a Facebook friend in Texas noted there were campaigners outside the polling places down there.  WHAT?

Either I've forgotten that we've always had ads and campaigning on Election Day, or things are even more screwed up than I thought.

Please remember though, that no matter who wins the races, both the local races and the national ones, we will prevail.  We'll still all be Americans, and the American Spirit will live on.

Fun With Fern

Having such a good time with my puppy!  Fernly is turning into a really cool dog, fun to take places and extremely entertaining to live with.  Far less mischievous now too, and much more trustworthy.  I no longer feel as if I have to watch her every single minute, although we are careful not to give her too much freedom. She needs to earn that and still assumes everything is a toy, something that must be carried around and played with.  Last night it was the strainer that goes over the floor drain in the basement, full of dried aquarium plants and algae (from water changes).  Found the strainer, along with dried up green stuff, on the dog bed in the family room. "Perhaps" it wasn't Fern who brought her prize upstairs, but . . .

I've been trying to take Fern running off leash as often as possible so she can burn off some energy.  A tired puppy is a good puppy.  I tried the Dog Park last week, and although she enjoyed it, I decided she was not ready yet.  Like Letty, Fern loves to be chased, but unlike Letty she can not yet turn sharply and come up running.  Fern's fast, but not very agile at this gawky, leggy age.  She would encourage dogs to chase her, try to corner too fast, do a double somersault, and end up on the bottom of a pile of dogs.  That made ME nervous, but she was determined to be chased.  Guess we'll wait until she's able to stay ahead of her pursuers, or decides on a new game.

On Saturday we went to Hidden Falls Park which is fairly empty this time of the year. I had a pocket full of high-value treats, so we worked on recalls too and she did really well. Fern had great fun chasing sticks and racing around with her squeaky hamburger.  She particularly enjoyed running through the leaves that were arranged in concentric rings.  I've heard of Crop Circles, but Leaf Circles?  We checked out the falls which I assumed would be dry, but apparently it's spring fed, and Fernly had fun racing up and dog the creek itself, splashing in the ice cold water.  We were joined by another woman and her huge Goldendoodle "Yogi".  We had a nice chat while the dogs played - but am so glad I was not the one who would have to get the mud, leaves and sticks out of the Goldendoodle's furry coat.  Love my Wash And Wear dogs.  Fernly was a bit spooked by the huge furry dog at first, but they quickly became best buddies and she burned off a lot of energy playing with him.

The weather wasn't perfect, but my dog and I had a wonderful time.

Is It Time Yet?

As you probably know, Coral is approaching the end of her allotted time on earth.  At a bit over 14 1/2, a good life span for a Dalmatian girl, the accumulated issues of arthritis, chronic kidney failure, mammary tumors and heaven knows what else are beginning to take their toll.  Ron is able to get her outdoor enough that she almost never pees in the house, but like so many old dogs her bowel control is a problem, and she often has accidents indoors, generally in her crate in the early morning.  Because she's raw-fed and her stools are small, dry, virtually odor-free, and very solid, this is not as bad as it sounds and it's not difficult to deal with.  If she were senile, or did not still look forward to her "walk" (very slowly, just around the block), or was not still eager for her meals, the decision might be easy, but she still enjoys walking, eating, and snuggling on the sofa with Ron.  The other dogs still respect her, and no one hassles her, so she's safe and seems happy, although she rarely wags her tail.

This morning, after I did the first shift of Holly, Fernly and Josie, I came to let Coral out of her crate.  She opened her eyes to look at me, but did not move.  I offered her one of her favorite biscuits, but she just closed her eyes and went back to sleep.  Was it time?  Should I just leave her for now or try and get her out of the crate?  I opted to leave her for 10 minutes and took Argus & Watson outside without her, and sat down for another cup of coffee.  Then I started over with Coral.  She woke up slowly got to her feet, picked up the previously ignored biscuit, and came out of her crate ready to go outdoors.  I helped her down the steps, she started air scenting for rabbits, and slowly made her way out to the dog yard to join her son Watson, and friend Argus.

Whew!  It's not time yet . . .

Kids And Grandkids - The Doggy Kind

Although my human family is small (a no-strings partner, daughter, not-quite son-in-law, mother, brother and sister and their spouses, and two unattached nephews) my extended doggy family gives me hundreds of connections.

Having bred Dals for over 40 years, with many of our pups going to other show breeders, Paisley dogs and their descendants are found in pedigrees from coast to coast and all over Canada.  It was fun to check out Holly's pedigree and see Winston just a few generations back, a brother to our Morris, and son of Rob and Eloise.  One year at the National we went through the catalog and figured out that something like 75% of the dogs entered probably had some Paisley in their pedigrees.  Such fun to have so many "kids", "grandkids" and their descendants, our extended dog family.  Because of time and space issues, we've never done this on a large scale but we've made our mark and it's been fun to follow the careers of top winning and/or producing dogs who go back to Pooka, or Jocko, or Taylor, or Rob, or Watson, or other special Paisley dogs.

It's particularly fun when a line based on our dogs has gone on to be very successful.  We can enjoy the wins of those dogs and the success of their breeders.  More family!  The dogs have their human connections of course and some of their owners become dear friends, and if the families have kids they are also part of our extended family and we follow them through school, college, athletic events, and higher education.  It's particularly fun with they go on to Vet School!

It's rewarding to follow the careers of the doggy kids and grandkids and enjoy their successes, whether it's championships, Special's careers, careers as top producers, or just their careers as beloved family pets.  I get great satisfaction from the latter stories too, and look forward to the Christmas cards with the family pictures that include the beloved Dalmatian.

Thank you all for enriching my life!

All It Takes Is A Good Dog

Love this gaiting shot of Krash, taken at the Northern California specialty last weekend where he won his 6th specialty Best of Breed.  Krash is an excellent example of the fact that a newbie can show a good dog to exciting wins.  Earlier this year Krash was Best of Breed at the the National, always handled by his owner Jordan.  Krash is Jordan's first show dog and he finished his Championship with an excellent record.  She's put a lot of work into him, also works him in Agility and recently earned a Coursing title.  Jordan also keeps Krash in excellent condition.  Yes. novices CAN win!  All it takes is a good dog, properly conditioned and correctly handled.  (Krash is from the Argus/Aruba litter and is a littermate to our Pauli.)

Had hoped to have a good link for making donations to help the animals in the wake of the Hurricane Sandy disaster.  Please don't be tempted to donate to the HSUS.  Only a very VERY small percentage of the money they receive actually goes to help animals.  Far too much of it lines the pockets (and retirement accounts) of it's managers.

Spent the evening watching hurricane coverage on TV, frosting a double batch of Pumpkin Raisin Nut Cookies that will go into the freezer, and making Porcupine Meatballs for the crockpot  The meatballs smelled so good as they cooked all  night!  A big recipe, so some of these will also go into the freezer.

Lots of emails to respond to, sorry I am a bit behind.  Holly is looking QUITE pregnant already, with at least 3 weeks go go  

Wearing My Other Hat

Wore my other hat this past weekend.  My Fishkeeper's Hat.  Spent Saturday at the Minnesota Aquarium Society's fall auction and picked up some excellent fish.  Fish that will spawn for me, I hope.  They are all settled in their new tanks and I actually spent quite a bit of time watching my fish yesterday.  I'm sometimes so busy tending them that I forget to enjoy them.

The trophy at the right is the Advanced Breeder Award which I got at the October fish club meeting.  It represents 40+ different species spawned, raised, and shared with other fishkeepers.  Not sure I will try for the next level, but there is great satisfaction in learning what is required to breed the more difficult species.  Current projects are Knight Gobies, Purple Spotted Gudgeons, Badis Badis, and Bolivian Rams.

Sunday

Starting To Show

Holly is doing well, and is starting to LOOK pregnant, getting wider and a bit rounder of belly.  She sure ACTS pregnant, very "squishy" and needy.  If I raise my voice at Fernly, Holly his the deck and says, "It wasn't me!"  She's hungrier now too, not leaving food in her bowl for later.  Walking her is much easier as she's much less inclined to drag me after squirrels and bunnies.  She certainly fits in well here, and is accepted as one of the gang.

Fernly started to learn the treadmill last night, not because I plan to run her on it yet, but because learning to use it will be a confidence builder.  When I first turned it on she barked at it - Fern's typical response to new things.  I brought Argus down to run on it for awhile and Fern decided that if it meant treats it was not all bad.  Soon she was walking on the treadmill with Argus, sharing bits of chicken.  Tonight she does it herself, just walking up and on the ramp for treats.  We'll work for a few minutes every night and before long she will probably enjoy it as much as Argus and Pauli do.  Have not had a Dal who was a startle-barker before, or at least not in a long time.  It's common in many other breeds, but not something I expect to see in Dal pups - but each dog is different, of course.

Fish Club Auction tomorrow - can't wait!

Better Than Good

Thanks to everyone who expressed concern about the lack of a blog post yesterday.  Nope, none of the things I was worrying about actually happened, at least not yet.  Things are fine here, but not so terrific that it makes me nervous.   If things are going too well, I tend to think, "Gosh, this can't last.  Something bad is sure to happen".  Need to be like my dogs and live for the moment!

This morning is off to a terrific start - RAIN!  Over 3/4 of an inch, the first decent rainfall in 4 months.  This is more than our total rainfall for the past 4 months.  Thank you Mother Nature, keep the precipitation coming, preferably in liquid form.

Dogs were good about going out in the downpour, even Coral, although Watson The Little Prince was less than impressed.  Holly was the exception and informed me that she did not do rain.  My call, Holly.  I dragged her out to the dog yard where she grudgingly complied, while giving me hurt looks about my abusive behavior.

Fern went to Jess's for a bath and nail clipping last week and came back looking pristine.  She's kind of gangly right now, all legs and no body, but with lots of bone and good sized feet.  Her face has always been cute and her head is improving, Very dark eyes, cute heart-shaped nose, and an excellent bite. She still has the things I really liked on her as a baby, including a very nice outline with a level back, flat croup and good tail set, things hard to find in this breed.  She has a huge long side gait - when she can collect herself - and should look very good going around a large show ring - if I can keep up!

Because she is a very intense dog, Fern sometimes still startles and barks at novel things, so needs to continue with the socialization.  Can't leave her sitting at home, but it will be a lot easier to get her out when/if my splint comes off next week.  Both she and Argus will go back to obedience classes then, Argus to get ready to show in obedience nest year, and Fern just for the manners and socialization.

Give Up! Get Up!

At 5:00 AM I knew it was pointless.  Although still tired (am I always tired ?), there was no point staying in bed thinking that I could get back to sleep for an hour. That blessed last hour of sleep, snuggled up in my flannel sheets, savoring the luxury of one last hour. Not today, my dear. Because I'd already been awake for an hour, I knew it was hopeless. Tonite was a Haunted Night.

There haven't been many Haunted Nights this year, and I've been sleeping well until recently, a blessing it seems as most mornings I share an elevator with some poor soul who apparently never sleeps.   I drop off immediately, propped up on pillows, bedside lamp on, some unfinished magazine or book on my lap, with an inch or two of milk still in my glass.  Getting to sleep is rarely a problem.  Staying asleep can be.

How I dread waking up at 3:00 or 4:00 AM, at a time when all problems are magnified and the smallest issues become unmanageable.   I try not to think about anything, absolutely nothing at all, in hopes of getting back to sleep.  Sometimes it works, but at other times a stray thought slips in, and the night is lost.  Again.  Sitting at the computer, coffee in hand, seems to be the best therapy, but now even that is an issue.

One more week to wear the splint.  Will my hand be healed?  Have I been careful enough, or have yard work, housework, dog training, aquarium water changes, carrying groceries, raw food, and laundry baskets put strain on that stupid little bone and kept it from healing properly?  When I took off the splint so I could use my right hand on the computer keyboard was I careful enough with my hand? Surely, if I can take off the splint when I shower, it is OK to take it off occasionally when I just can't BEAR typing with one hand/one finger. Is it?   And what about all the extra strain on my left hand, elbow and shoulder?  Is this what Carpal Tunnel Syndrome feels like?  Is the Bursitis coming back in my elbow?  Will the Impingement Tendinitis reappear in my shoulder?   I've managed these things for years, but now they CONCERN me.

And poor Coral - how much longer does she have?  Are the pain pills helping her? Are the mammary tumors cancerous and have they spread to other organs?  Does her life still have quality and is she really as content as she appears to be laying beside Ron on the sofa in the evening?  Will we know when it is time to say "Good Bye"?  I think I'm prepared, but will Ron ever be?  14 1/2 is a good live for a dog, but it never seems to be enough.  And what of Jess & Don's beloved Simmie?  She's very old for a GSD, but that will not make it easier.  Please, don't let them pass at the same time, and please, not over Christmas.  Time out to wipe my tears and hug Coral.

And what will Ron's MRI show?  He's so secretive about health issues.   I finally asked him if he had PAD, Peripheral Artery Disease.  He confirmed it, and the test results will show how seriously affected he is.  Will he require surgery?  Is he a suitable surgical risk?  Or will he just take MORE pills? And how will he manage recovery if he does have surgery?  In his condo which he only "visits" once a week?  Surely not here with my steep stairs and only one bathroom - upstairs.  And hopefully not while Coral is hanging on.  It's only because he is home that we can still manage her.

And what of Mom?  How much longer can she live alone?  Have I been neglecting her?  Do I need to visit more often?  What if she falls?  Is she eating right?  Should we be pushing for assisted living?  How will we know when we should?  Should I let her take Metro Mobility to her Doctor's appointment or should I take her?  Is she too frail to do these things on her own, or should we continue to encourage her to be independent?

Thank you Jess for giving me no current worries, at least no more than mothers always have. I think worrying must be part of the Job Description for Mother!  But is my sister still working three jobs?  Does she have health insurance?  Did she get her cholesterol checked?  Has she finally stopped smoking?  Are my nephews OK?  And my brother-in-law?  I need to call my sister and check on everyone.  And my brother? Are he and his wife OK?  I wish he'd call me!  And how is Laurie doing?  And Meg?  Are they really OK?

Can I hold out for two more years before retiring?  Will I be ready to retire then?  Will I be able to afford to retire then?  Will I be able to keep up my house payments?  Will I be able to sell the house?  But where will I live instead?  Will the drought end soon?  Will the new trees at the Dog Park survive?  Will Mai Village be able to avoid foreclosure?  Will my car continue to run OK? Will I be able to afford a new one?  So much to worry about.  But behind it all looms The Deposition, the one I will have to drive to Illinois for next month. The one related to the motorcyclist who sued ME when he ran into MY car while I was making a left turn.  How many years ago did that happen?  Will it ever end?  After the Deposition will I think about it more, or less?  I know this is why I can't sleep.  That wakes me up, and then all the other concerns flood in too.  I need THAT to be over with.  Too many things going on right now.

More coffee. Time to send the dogs out.  Hug each one, play with Fern.  Take pleasure in the moment and get on with my day.  It's raining, hooray!

Coursing? What fun!

What fun!  We had the best weekend and tried a new event with some of the Dals - Coursing!  If you know what coursing is, you probably think in terms of an event for Sighthounds - Greyhounds, Afghans, Whippets and such, chasing a "rabbit" (really an artificial lure consisting of white plastic bags) over a course.  It's not straight racing like at a dog track, but rather a 660 yard course with corners and angles.

About 18 months ago, the AKC approved Coursing Aptitude Tests for all breeds, and the sport is really catching on.  These tests can only be offered by Sighthound Clubs, so there are not a lot of tests available yet, but this sport will grow.  It's fun!

We entered Argus, 9-year-old Josie and Argie's granddaughter Meribel.  To complete the CAT (Coursing Aptitude Test) title the dogs have to qualify three times, and because there were only two tests offered, we could not complete titles - but we could start them.   Most Dals have very high prey drive and will chase almost anything, especially squirrels and rabbits, and friends in other parts of the country were running their Dals successfully.  Josie has always been obsessed with critters, and is slim, sound and fit at 9.   Josie's friend Sue Kelly came along to run her on Saturday.

The show site was fantastic with lush grass and secure fencing, and was cropped to an appropriate height by the Lhamas who normally live there.  (This did result in a few dogs taking a roll in Lhama dung!)  Weather was ideal and the Greater Twin Cities Afghan Hound Club hosted a wonderful event, complete with a great $5.00 lunch each day.  And to make it even better, the owner of the site (King's Ranch in Ramsey) also sells raw food, so we came home with 60# of turkey heart, ground turkey with bones, and ground salmon.

There were 125 dogs entered each day, a wonderful variety of dogs including Bassets & Beagles, St. Bernards, Poodles, lots of Viszlas and other sporting breeds, small terriers, Dobes, Boxers, you name it!  And Dals.  The Dals ran even better than we had hoped, and were extremely fast and intense.  On Saturday Jess ran Meribel & Argus, and Sue ran Josie.  They all qualified and are pictured above with their ribbons.  On Sunday Don ran Meribel while Jess filmed, Jess ran Argus and I ran Josie.  They ran even harder and faster than they had the previous day, doing something they absolutely loved.  What a thrill to watch them, it just gave you shivers.  The 660 yard course had to be completed in 2 minutes - the Dals did it in half that time and were so totally focused.

Meribel Coursing.   Take a look at this video.  What fun!