Another Holiday Bites The Dust

What a lovely Thanksgiving we had!  Ron & I loaded up Sparkle, food & wine, and drove over to pick up mom & pies.  Then we met Jess along with Letty, Meribel & more food at a Park & Ride in Wisconsin and drove to my sister's.  Jess's partner Don was having dinner with his daughter's family, nephew Davis is overseas for a couple if years, and nephew Eric had dinner with his friend Lisa's family, so we were a smaller group this year, just Gram, Ron & me, Jess, sister Kris & her husband Bob.  Eric and Lisa joined us later for pie, so Jess & Lisa had a chance to meet.  It was a typical doggy holiday with the three Dal puppy girls, Kris's Rat Terrier LD (that's Sparkle & LD in the picture, with Letty chewing a corn stalk in the background), and her huge new dog Maxx who is most likely a Lab/Great Dane cross.  Kris calls him a Great Dab.  Huge dog, but very sweet & amazingly sound & athletic for such a big fellow.

Because my sister cooks at a nursing home, she is super organized, and everything runs so smoothly.  She says it's easy to cook for 6 when you are used to cooking for 40!  I guess.  We joked that none of us needed to have our food pureed either - some of the nursing home residents get their food pureed - hard to envision turkey & dressing served that way!

Everything turned well - I don't remember a better Thanksgiving dinner.  Plenty of leftover cut up veggies (we always stand/sit at the bar in the family room and enjoy wine with veggies & dip while waiting for the turkey to cook) and some cranberry sauce too.  I'm baking a crustless pumpkin pie (made with egg substitute & condensed skim milk) and plan to enjoy more pie than I can manage on Thanksgiving.  Am going down to check for turkey or turkey breasts on sale - the only thing about not hosting a holiday dinner is no leftovers - and I love leftover turkey.  So much you can do with it.

Sparkle did very well other than a little bit of crate fussing when we first took off.  She settled in well, though her eyes were pretty bugged out when Letty & Meribel joined us.  She made friends quickly though and was soon part of the group.  We took the pups for a couple of off leash walks across the farm fields and around the out buildings, and they had a wonderful time racing & wrestling with one another & their cousin LD.  Letty even found a freshly killed rat, which she thought was a particularly exciting find!  The Great Dab is varminty and leaves the evidence laying around.

The girls were exhausted when we got home, but had to sit and get "sniff over" from Argus, Watson, Josie & Coral.  Coral was very pleased to see Letty again, which continues to amaze me as she normally has little time for pups.  She does like this one!

Progress

Sparkle has settled in nicely and learned some of the important rules. 

• Do your business outside.
• Be quiet when you are shut in the dog yard for a few minutes.
• Wait without jumping while your food is prepared
• Sleep quietly in your crate at night.
• Do not bother Coral when she is sleeping.

Next we will work on riding quietly in the car, and she'll get lots of practice when we go to my sister's for Thanksgiving!   A long weekend will give us a chance to visit Petco, go for walks, cut nails, and do lots of short car trips.  Because Letty comes home tomorrow, there will be LOTS of time for wrestling too.

Missing Letty

Missing my Letty Girl.  She's such a funny little elf and makes me laugh, plus I love looking at her cute face, beautiful spots, and wonderful gait.   She's just so asthetically pleasing to my eye and I catch mayself smiling when I watch her.  That's Letty and her neice Meribel sleeping on Jess's couch.

Sparkle seems to be well settled in here and acts quite at home.  Not sure Watson & Argus are very happy about it, as she is quite the pest, but they're putting up with it, especially Argus who is endlessly patient.   When Letty comes home it will be a madhouse around here, but they will have each other to harrass and the big dogs will get a break! 

Am a bit concerned about what will happen to the yard if I let them have the run of it.  The grass stood up well to Letty, but not sure that a muddy yard can survive two of them.  Last weekend's snow will soon be gone, and the yard will be wet and vulnerable, but colder weather can't be too far behind!

House-training is going well and Sparkle seems to have caught on to the idea of going in the yard rather than on the deck, and we are gradually getting her used to doing her business in the dog pen rather than in the yard.  She's adjusted well to our raw diet, as pups always do, and after my bad-things-happen-when-you-yell-in-your-crate demo last night, she slept through the night without a fuss.  We did a bit of stacking after she explored the basement, and this evening I hope to take her for a short car ride - and convince her that shouting is NOT acceptable their either.  Maybe a lead walk around the block too, if there is any daylight left when I get home from work.  She's got a lot to catch up on before she starts her Puppy Class in 10 days!

Another New Puppy? What Was I Thinking?

What was I thinking?  Why did I think I wanted another puppy as we go into winter?  Ron has taken it all in stride and never even said "I told you so" as we took Sparkle outdoors 150 times yesterday.  But we're surviving, and Sparkle has been pretty good so far.  The adults have all been great with her, even long-suffering Coral.

Ann arrived with Sparkle & Baci (Baci just along for the ride) on Saturday in a snow storm (I am so not ready for winter!).  The pups were a bit overwhelmed by everything  as this was their first long trip.  Fortunately Ann has been working on housetraining, which is NOT easy with 5 pups, and the two girls were pretty cooperative.  They all went along when I took Argus out to the training center (not an easy trip as the roads were crummy) and got some extra socializing. 

We opted to walk down to Luci for dinner rather than braving the roads again, and saw a multi-car accident right in front of the restaurant.  We had a particularly good meal though - maybe Ann brings the same kind of luck that Laurie does as we always get great food and awesome service when she is here!  The pups slept with Ann in the guestroom, so we all got a good night's sleep.

Ann & Baci left for home on Sunday morning.  Fortunately, they drove out of the snow & ice pretty quickly and made it all the way home.  The first day/night with a new pup is always the toughest, and we all survived.  Ron was good natured about the addition and took over puppy duties when Argus & I ventured out for a run (for him) and new shoes (for me).  Because the puppy has excellent control, it's hard to know when she really needs to go out, so she gets taken out a lot and occasionally pees.  It's almost easier to housetrain a baby pup who pees each time you take it out!  But we got through the day with no peeing in the house - and a lot of fresh air!  Bet the heating bill for Saturday and Sunday will be as much as for the whole rest of the month!

Because Sparkle is used to being crated with another dog, we had some crate issues and several "discussions", but got past that too and she slept through the night, by herself in a crate in the kitchen with Josie and Coral.  We're on our way!  Ron is in charge today and I hope he keeps a close eye on Sparkle as she is just as likely to chew a rug as a dog toy.  We're spoiled by Letty who is not destructive and keeps herself amused with dog toys.  This one will need some supervision for awhile.  Each puppy is a new adventure!

Sparkle will likely be available in the future to the right home on a co-ownership.  I'd like to show her, but she does not have to live with me, so if you might be interested in co-owning a showdog, let's talk.

Puppy Antics

From my Facebook posting yesterday evening -

FREE TO GOOD HOME. Former Puppy Prodigy, now turned Life Of The Party. Letty has been a quick study at Puppy Class, catching on to everything amazingly fast. She's gone from cautious about other dogs, to determinedly friendly and MUST meet and play with all dogs. Tonight on the recall, when I called her and the trainer dropped her lead, Letty took off racing around the ring, saying hi to each dog as she passed it, and staying just out of my reach. When I finally tackled her, I'm sure I was red-faced (but laughing). It's always been funnier when OTHER PEOPLE'S dogs have done that.

Letty got way too stimulated yesterday evening, like a kid on a sugar high.  I could see it in her eyes.  Although I'm pleased that she is now comfortable with other dogs, she is having just a bit too much fun at school.  Rather than concentrating on her math, she's always waiting for recess.   Time to work a bit more seriously at home.  She knows sit and down quite well, but it's time to work harder on stays so that she learns to concentrate for longer periods of time.  Lead walking is fine if there are no distractions, but like her father she misses nothing, and always notices things that she wants to check out.

This afternoon Letty goes to stay with Jess & Don for a few days.  She'll have a huge yard to race around in, and Meribel to run with, so hopefully won't drive them TOO crazy.  Ann will be arriving with Sparkle tomorrow, possibly bringing sister Baci along for the trip as well.  Sparkle will get a few days to settle in here without Letty, and I can start her training.  We'll be taking her to lots of new places over the next few weeks, as the socialization that is not done by 4 months can not be made up.

Argus has ringtime on Saturday, and Ann will ride along with us.  Pet Junction is a good place to socialize pups, so while Argus and I are working, she can walk Sparkle (and possibly Baci) around.  Weather permitting, Jess may join us for a bit of extra socialization and possibly some puppy pictures as well.  I haven't seen Meribel for a few weeks, and Jess says she is looking good.

Thanksgiving will be at my sister Kris's house, pups in attendance.   I'll probably pick up Letty then, assuming Jess has not sent her home in a box before that.  Am sure we'll reminisce over the Holidays spent at Kris's or my brother Al's (before he moved to CR).  Everyone brought dogs, and they all had a wonderful time too.  One year we had two Labs, two Dals, two Westies, a Foxhound and a Rottweiler.  Now THAT'S a mixed pack!  Kind of a doggy family!  This year we'll meet Kris's new dog, a Lab mix who has settled in nicely with her Rat Terrier.



And Suddenly, Cold!

"Can someone PLEASE get her out of my chair?" Argus asks.  Letty certainly keeps things lively around here.  The big dogs take turns playing with her, and they will all share their crates, beds or chairs, but you just know that sometimes they wish her gone.  Things are a lot more peaceful without a puppy, but a lot less entertaining!  She's currently out doing laps in the yard while the big dogs share a collective sigh of relief.  Of course she will come back inside jet-propelled because it's only 16 degrees here right now and that only serves to stimulate young dogs.

Puppy class tonight, Letty's 5th lesson, and I'm looking forward to seeing what we will teach the pups and how we will teach it.  These very modern methods are particularly interesting to this old-fashioned dog trainer. 

Sparkle is already signed up for the puppy class that begins in December.  Now, to get her here!  There's a possibility of snow on Saturday, but we'd all prefer rain.  We need some precipitation in the ground before it freezes, or there are going to be lots of trees, shrubs, perennials and lawns that do not survive the winter.  Friday should be warm (relatively warm given it's the second half of November) but Saturday is ???   Assuming things go as planned, Letty will be at Jess's this weekend and I may miss her reaction to the first snowfall of the year.  I'll be notably bummed by that!

Hopefully USPS does a good job with my fish today.  They are supposed to arrived Express Mail, and I will pick them up at the Post Office.  Paid for a heat pack, so hope the shipper did a good job of packing them . . .  Tanks are ready and waiting.

Update On Mariah

Hard to believe that's Mariah shown here with her owner Kay.  She sure changed!  And she grew legs!  No longer looks like she is running down hill.  Honest to gosh, she went through some homely stages, but it looks as if she ended up a very attractive girl.  Pups normally go back to being what they were at 6-7 weeks, but I sure wondered about this one.  Mariah went to Kay with the agreement that she could be shown, if the right things happened.  They did!  How exciting!  Kay loves her, and Mariah gets to be a special dog, exactly what all good dogs deserve.

Argus has been such a good sire.  I'm really delighted with the quality of his kids, especially his lovely daughters.  Although Argus has not been used very much, he already has 17 champions and is a Register of Merit sire.  Three more and he will be Register of Merit Excellent.  I presume Mariah will be one of those champions.

New puppy coming on Saturday, weather permitting.  Ann is driving Sparkle up - she says its her practice run for driving to the National in Tulsa next year.  Hope the weather co-operates.  Shipping would be just fine with me, and faster for the dog, but it will be fun to see Ann again, and the guestroom is ready.   Am hoping she will also bring Baci, the lovely black-spotted girl she is keeping.

Sparkle is already signed up for a Puppy Class that starts the first week in December.  It's hard to socialize pups here in the winter so I decided to get that taken care of immediately.  Puppy class insures that pups get out at least once a week, no matter how tempting it may be to stay home and stay warm!  Sparkle has been living with littermates and will benefit from socialization with pups of other breeds.  Hopefully the weather does not interfere with Ann's travel plans.

Someone asked if the pups still available can go to pet homes or if they must be shown.  That's Ann's call.  Both are very attractive pups, but they do need homes and she may decide not to wait for show homes.  There's a liver boy and a liver girl still available.  You can find her contact information on her blog (check my earlier blogs for the link). 

Puppy Plans

Waiting to hear if "Sparkle" is coming sometime this week.  Sparkle is one of the James/Nati pups in Ohio and she may be joining our family shortly.  She was my favorite pup in the litter, and still needs a home.  Her breeders are keeping the beautiful black-spotted girl, and because we had no one waiting for a beautiful liver girl, Sparkle will be coming here, at least for now.  I normally have people waiting for livers, but this time my reservations are for blacks.  Sparkle has a lovely liver brother and sister still waiting for just the right homes.  Don't you need a pup to sit on your lap during the cold winter evenings?

Because Sparkle has been with her littermates for 12 weeks, I feel it's important that she get some "only puppy" time, so Letty will be going off to stay with my daughter Jess and her Dal pup Meribel.  Letty and Meribel should have a wonderful time racing around the huge yard, and will no doubt sleep very well.  Have to say I am going to miss Letty a lot, but Sparkle deserves some special time.

In December Letty will go up to Canada to stay with Lucy and her family, possibly until after Lucy is bred, assuming she comes in on schedule.  Knowing how late Lucy came in last time, I'm guessing she won't be on schedule this time either, but Letty can go back up to stay while Lucy is down here being bred to Agility star Indie.   I find myself getting very attached to the lovely Miss Letty.  Although I generally prefer Dal boys, this little girl is something special! 

Argus is doing very well in his obedience class and would do even better if I trained him more often!  Now that the basement is all cleaned up, I actually have a place to train.  Not a lot of room down there for heeling, but no excuse not to work on straight sits, fronts and finishes.  It's the little things that make the difference in your obedience score, and straight sits and fronts, and snappy finishes are important.  I've even reserved "ring time" at the training facility for the next two Saturdays.  A big ring with good footing (and no squirrels) is helpful!

I continue to work on the fishroom, getting all the glass tops scrubbed, and the lights replaced on the planted tanks (fluorescent lights need periodic replacement if plants are to grow properly).  The fish are not neglected during the summer, but the fishroom is more appealing this time of the year.  The temperature is always about 78 to 80 degrees in there, which feels very good when the temps outside are in the "ugly range" and my drafty old house feels less than cozy.

Suddenly Monday

A most productive weekend, although half the things on my list did not get accomplished.  Since I was busy for most of three days, the list must have been a bit too long!

Outdoor work is done, except for the gutters that need to be cleaned.  Shall call today and see if I can still get the "gutter guys" out this fall.  At least one of the downspouts is blocked, but since we have had no significant rain since June I keep forgetting!  Still need to water the trees and shrubs, but will continue doing that until the ground freezes.

While cleaning up dead hosta leaves I discovered that the cartoons of people all bent over who say they can not straight up are NOT funny.  Found myself in the same condition.  Ouch.  Can't put off the call to my health plan's back clinic.  Must be some exercises I can do as it's a problem when bathing dogs too.  My shoulders are doing better than usual, thanks to the stretching we do at work every morning, but my back needs some work before snow shoveling season.

Finally, the basement is clean!  Even scrubbed.  Basements in 100 year old houses are not exactly glamorous, and there is no way I could "finish" it and make a nice room down there, but it works fine for raising puppies and keeping fish.  Most of the fish tanks are in the fish room which is insulated and easy to keep warm, but there are others spread through out the basement.  Project for tonight is to prepare a tank for a dozen Dario dario aka "Scarlet Badis" youngsters.  Purchased these on Aquabid and am hoping to be able to breed them.   They're moving into an established tank that currently houses a Purple Spotted Gudgeon. Not sure where he will move too. 

Letty had a busy weekend too, as she entertained her niece Gemma one of the Penny puppies, and then went over to Gemma's
house for a sleepover.  Do little doggy girls have slumber parties?   She obviously had a great time but came home absolutely exhausted, and spent most of Sunday sleeping in the chair!

The handsome boy pictured at the top of the page is Sherman, the patched boy from Argus and Boji, Argie's first litter.  That litter of 8 had 2 patches, plus 6 pups good enough to show.  5 have finished their championships - Ben, Rita, Sam, Nati and Lucy.  A 6th boy also went to a home where we were supposed to have the right to show him.  An agreement is only as good as the people who make that agreement, and those buyers refused to even discuss it once they got the puppy and his paper work.  So there is a very handsome pet out there who perhaps could have been a show dog.  Hopefully, all is going well - but I wish I knew for sure.

House cleaned, dogs groomed, Dog Park for Argus, training for both Argus & Letty, paperwork done for my mother, dinner with her too, files reorganized, lots of computer time (I call that "work" as I am still learning the bells and whistles on the new one), excellent casserole made, what else?  Lots of things crossed off on my list.  I was really anticipating a three day weekend to get caught up (is a person ever really caught up?).

So why is it suddenly Monday? 

A New Puppy?

Letty and Coral

Coral actually seems to like naughty Letty.  She has not been very patient with the last couple of pups who have stayed here for awhile, but this one she seems to be fine about.  She'll actually let Letty sleep with her, and patiently puts up with her silly puppy antics.  Coral at 13+ generally has little tolerance for nonsense.

Poor Coral will have to adapt to yet another puppy next week when Sparkle comes to stay, at least for awhile.   We're taking one of the James/Nati pups for a try out.  We may sell her eventually, probably on a co-ownership, but it will give us another pup to work with over the winter and show in the spring, and will get a puppy away from her littermates.  A brother was supposed to be coming too, to a performance home, but sadly that seems to have fell through.  I'm really disappointed, as is Ann.  If you're interested in a beautiful, healthy, well-bred, well-socialized 11-week old puppy, there may be one for you!  Leash trained, crate trained, and well on the way to being house-trained.  A show pup, performance dog, and/or companion.

Letty is doing her very best to keep us entertained.  What a character she is!  She's decided that dog bowls should not contain water and does her best to dig it out.  Results in a big mess on the kitchen floor, but a lot of laughter from Ron & me.  Unfortunately, by not correcting it early (too busy laughing) it's become something of a problem.  A messy one.  Oh well, water wipes up easily.

Our friend Patti has offered to take Lucy up to Canada for awhile this winter.  It's a great opportunity for extra socialization, especially with kids.  Patti and her family did a great job of raising Lucy, and a wonderful job of socializing Eddie and Meribel.  I'll miss Letty terribly, but it's too good an opportunity to pass up.  Plus it will give Sparkle a chance to be an only puppy for awhile.

Although it's possible to raise littermates together or raise a puppy with one or both of it's parents, it's very important that puppies get the necessary individual work as well, and leaving home for awhile is very helpful for developing self confidence.   Letty will get away from the "pack" she has always been part of, and Sparkle will leave her littermates behind.  Sounds like a good situation for all of us.

If you are thinking of acquiring a Dal puppy, or of adding a second puppy to your family, remember that Sparkle has littermates available.   You can see pictures and read their story at -
http://dalscowsandmore.blogspot.com/

ALSO, if you plan to donate money to charities for the holidays (we donate to the Food Shelves and to the local Humane Society in lieu of Christmas gifts), please read this first.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/nov/8/help-a-puppy-not-a-lobby/

Whole Stole My (fill in the blank)?

Camera is missing this morning.  Where did it go?  Who stole it?  Who mislaid it?  Must have been me, but how far away can it be?  How can things get lost in a house inhabited by two people, one of which (not me!) is very organized?  WHY can I not remember to put things away, or at least to leave them OUT in plain sight?  After 45 years of driving I have gotten in the habit of putting the keys where I can easily find them - dining room table - and I never ever mislay my glasses, but everything else?  Oops.

So naturally, I just missed a chance at the shot I've been trying to get, Letty digging the water out of the water bowl.  Any kind of a floating speck is an excuse to dig out all the water.  Cute, but a bit messy!  I haven't exactly discouraged this behavior (something I know I will regret later) but I'd really like to get a picture of it before I force Letty to give up her sport.

OK, it's gotta be here SOMEWHERE.  I'll put Ron in charge searching today, and put up with the digging for a bit longer.   I want a new camera, but can't quite afford one right now, so I need this one back.

Obedience class went very well for Argus last night.  I'm really pleased with how well he is doing.  The dogs were popping up like jumping beans on their stays last night, but I was able to go out of sight and Argus never moved a muscle, even when sniffed by cute girl dogs.  Good boy, Argus.  Heeling is getting smoother, attention is improving immensely, finishes are improving, and fronts are very good.  Was not sure how it would work with Argus in a class that does not depend on food incentive training, but he's doing very well.  Our biggest problem is straight sits, but that's only because I have not put much time into that yet.  We need to work on straight sits for a few minutes everyday, so he actually understands what straight looks/feels like.  Rented ring time on Sunday which will help.  So hard to work in the house, or out on the cold dark street.  No, that's a copout, I guess.  We CAN work on straight sits, fronts and finishes in the basement.  Just need to make it part of my evening routine.

There's a big difference between getting an obedience title, and getting it with good scores and placements.  The difference is time spent on the little things, like straight sits, good fronts, snappy finishes and attentive heeling.  If we are to do this, we will do it right.  I need the training as much as Argus does, and I definitely need a better work ethic.  No excuses.

 

Cheeseburgers For All! Or Maybe Not?

Congrats to our friend Meg Callea who had a wonderful weekend in Southern California.  Two new champions including Argus's puppy daughter "Bella" - you saw her baby pictures here last spring.  Bella finished her championship in two specialty weekends from the Puppy Class, with 4 majors including a Specialty Best Of Winners.  Bella's big sister "Tia" from the previous breeding of Argus & Tess earned 19 (of the 25 required) points toward her Grand Championship.   A cheeseburger for Argus!

We spent Saturday at an all day seminar for breeders, sponsored by the AKC Canine Health Foundation.  I'm NOT used to sitting in class from 8:30 until 5:45, but it was well worth it.   Excellent speakers, good facility, nice lunch, and good company (Jess & Stephanie).  One of the speakers addressed nutrition and the epidemic of canine obesity - that at least 60% of American dogs are overweight.  Tragic!   Just as with people, overweight dogs are prone to many health issues, and easily managed health issues can be more of a problem in overweight dogs.  She stressed the importance of what she refers to as "healthy lean", and the fact that we as dog owners and show people need to spread the word.  Many of the orthopedic problems in dogs, like hip dysplasia, are FAR more likely to occur in over-weight dogs because of the stress on the joints of growing puppies.  Pleasingly plump is NOT a good thing.  Fat is fat, too many calories are too many calories, and we are doing our dogs a big disservice by allowing this to happen.

Doing What Comes Naturally

Dory Colman Anderson took this lovely picture of GCh./UKC Ch. "Penny", an "Argus" daughter out of "Nikon" who just earned her CGC.

Penny doing a coaching instinct test.  Hopefully road trials are in her future,

It IS OK To Cry About Dogs

Same title as yesterday, but only because the thought did not get finished when I ran out of time. While talking with a Dal owning male friend about the fact that his first Dal was approaching the end of its life, I reminded him that it was OK for men to cry about dogs, and that he should not be embarrassed about doing it.  That losing a beloved dog was similar to losing a family member.  After his dog passed, he made a point of telling me that he remembered what I had told him, and it made him more comfortable with his feelings of grief.  When Pepper died this week, he posted the reminder to Jess's Facebook page, which touched us both.

I've cried about many dogs in my lifetime.  Dogs I've owned, dogs I've bred and sold, dogs owned by friends, and dogs I've never met.  I can look at a picture of Rob and still cry, and he's been gone for over 11 years.  I recently looked at a picture of Sid who has been gone for several years, and shed a few tears of him.  Each of my dogs has left its own chapter in my heart.

I can't imagine owning just one dog and losing it to age, accident or illness.  To have no dog to come home to, to greet me in the morning, sit quietly beside me, or accompany me on a walk.  I've owned at least two dogs for the past 45 years and sincerely hope that I am always in a position to be a dog owner.  If the time comes when I am forced to live without a dog or two, I will have to fall back on the memories. So many good memories of wonderful dogs I've known and loved.

It's hard to understand the people who say they will never own another pet because the pain of losing them is so great.  Certainly the joy of owning them is even greater.  We go into pet ownership knowing that most domestic animals live lives far shorter than our own.  Although it hurts to lose one, it provides us with the opportunity to know a variety of animals during our lifetime, and each one has its own special story to contribute to our memories.

Coral (13 1/2), Watson (11 1/2), Josie (8) and Argus (6) received a lot of extra hugs this week.  Hard to believe that my youngest adult Argus is already approaching middle age.   Jess's other Shepherd Simmie is 12, old for a Shepherd.  I told my dogs I am not ready to grieve again in the near future, so I expect them to stay healthy.  And when the time comes for another wonderful dog to depart, I will say my Good Byes, shed my tears, and add to the wonderful memories that live in my heart.

It's OK To Cry About Dogs

Yesterday was such a sad day, as everyone was reeling from the loss of my daughter's German Shepherd "Pepper".  Although Jess & Don knew she had cancer, an evil incurable type of cancer, and were preparing for the sad day, one is never really ready to lose a loved one of any species.  Sometimes we lose them suddenly, through accident or illness, while at other times we have a chance to get used to the idea that age or illness will soon steal a special friend.  Jess & Don had a month of good days to share with Pepper, and they made it a special month for all of them.  They had a chance to show Pepper how much she was loved and appreciated, but knew their time was limited. When the end came, it came quickly, following a weekend of fun & games & good times.  They had promised her that she would not suffer needlessly, and when she woke up in pain, with "that look" in her eyes, they knew it was time.   Perhaps that was the best way, if there is a best way.

Those who have never truly loved an animal companion will never understand the grief their passing leaves.  Dogs especially, provide us with love and companionship and make a special place in our hearts, but many people are no less devastated by the loss of special cats, horses, and other companions.  There is a special bond between many humans and their animal companions, and although their loss is devastating at the time, most of us agree that it is well worth the pain because of the joy they bring us during their lives.  We often hear people say they will never have another animal companion because they can't bare the pain of losing it, and I wonder why they would deny themselves all the joy to avoid the pain? 

We go into this knowing that we are likely to outlive any of these companions who join our households.  We love, cherish, and enjoy them during their often far-to-short lives and remember them with loves and tears when they pass.  The memories remain forever.

This is not complete, but the dogs are nagging for breakfast, and I'll give them each an extra hug in memory of Pepper.  They probably wondered about all the extra hugs yesterday, but obviously appreciated the extra time and attention they each received.

A Very Sad Morning

Just a month ago my daughter's German Shepherd "Pepper" was diagnosed with Lymphosarcoma, a fast growing cancer that is always fatal.  At the time Pepper was a vigorous robust 5-year old dog, who always received the best of care, the best of diets, plenty of exercise, and lots of love, the things that normally help to insure that dogs live long and healthy lives.  However, German Shepherds are one of the breeds at risk of cancer and a number of other health issues, and as it turns out Pepper's mother had died of cancer last spring.  Fortunately, Pepper was never bred.

Jess posted this to Facebook this morning,

‎"28 days ago, we promised her we would not let her suffer - today is the day we stand behind the promise. Everyone, please give your dogs a hug."

Just amazing how fast the cancer progressed, from an active healthy-seeming dog with swollen lymph nodes to a dog who will be departing today.  Jess & Don made Pepper's last weeks as enjoyable as possible.  Although I am not a Shepherd fan, Pepper really was a terrific dog, and much loved by her family.  She and her buddy "Simmie" certainly changed my view of the breed.  Because Simmie is 12-years old in a breed that normally does not live to be that age, there is more sadness in store for Jess & Don.  Fortunately, they have Dal puppy Meribel to help ease the pain.

As Jess says, hug your dogs today, and remember why you have them and how much they add to your life.


Jess posted

A Scare At The Dog Park

Faithful Josie

We had a scare on Sunday when Argus was body slammed by a couple of Rhodesian Ridgebacks at the Dog Park.  No malice intended, they just "ran over" Argus, rolled him, but he came up screaming.  Argus was up ahead of me at the time, greeting new arrivals to the park, but the minute I heard the shriek I knew it was Argus.  One of the other dog owners restrained him until I got there, in case he was seriously hurt, so I ran up to find a person sitting on the ground with her arms around Argus.  He was pretty shook up, and full of dirt and sand, but walked back to the car under his own steam.   Palpating him didn't identify any sore spots, so I put him in his crate, gave him a drink, and we went to White Castle for a breakfast sandwich.

I tried to keep him quiet yesterday, but he was having none of that, and he did not appear to be lame.  A little bit slower getting up and down was about all.  I need to work him for a few minutes this morning - we were not very conscientious about training this past week - and we'll see if he's at all stiff on fronts and finishes.  That's the reason I did not do things like this while I was showing Argus.  Couldn't take a chance of him getting hurt then, but nothing is without risk and he loves going to the Dog Park.

Apple pie with Granny on Friday.  Excellent pie made with Harrelson apples.  It was even better for breakfast the next day, as she sent the leftovers home with us.  She showed me the pastry cloth and roller cover she used when rolling out the crust and noted that "someone" should inherit it and continue to make pie.  It better go to my sister Kris or daughter Jessica!   Although I love eating homemade pie, I have no interest in making it.  A good casserole or interesting veggie dish is more my thing.

Letty and I did our puppy socializing at a couple of pet stores yesterday.  One of them is also one of my favorite aquarium stores.  We stopped there to pick up some algae wafers, but also came out with a new fish - a Dragon Goby, a long snake-like fish with huge jaws.  He went into a tank with larger fish, just in case he decided to sample his tankmates.  It's never wise to purchase a fish without reading up on it's needs first.  Definitely an impulse purchase on my part, but I'll give him a good home.  My fish normally live a long time and I have a number of 5-7 year old fish.  I need to do some reading though.

A few good puppy homes are still needed for Nati's litter in Ohio.

Progress



Resting with Ron

Good night at puppy class.  Letty was certainly the life of the party, and seems to have totally gotten over her apprehension concerning dogs.  She played with everyone during the puppy play time, and demonstrated how fast & agile Dal puppies are.  When she was chased by the Goldendoodle, Berner, Dane & Bullmastiff, she would turn on a dime, run back at them, and leap over whichever ones were in her way.  Amazing how fast she can corner, and so nice to have the large ring with excellent matting for the pups to play on for a few minutes.

Letty is doing very well on her sits, comes, and even on leash walking.  Thought her tendency to get out in front and PULL would be a problem, but she's catching on.  Much of last night's class was spent on greeting people without jumping up, and pups were rewarded for standing their ground with four feet on the floor, or sitting to greet strangers.  Letty does not jump up on strangers (although the same can not be said for friends!) and is still apprehensive about people leaning over her, but is much better now, thanks to class.  If people stand up straight she is quite comfortable, but if they hover over her she backs up - obviously something we need to get resolved before she is old enough to show.  It's a different personality than I am used to dealing with, and much different than her father Argus who always mugged every person he met (and sometimes still does).

Letty needs to go camping again - any volunteers?

Had a scare last night when the owner of the dog we want to breed Lucy to indicated that he wanted to neuter the dog.  Because Indie is a competition Agility dog, it would be easier if he were neutered - less chance of distraction, but I did not want to do a frozen semen breeding with Lucy.  Although frozen can be successful, and Indie has been "collected", it can get quite expensive, and the success rate is not as good as with natural breedings.  I'd rather take my chances on the weather this winter, and drive her down to Lincoln to do a "dog on dog" breeding, so to speak.  Indie's owner agreed to wait until after Lucy was bred, which is MUCH appreciated!  Now we need to get the plans in place for getting this accomplished.  You can be sure it will happen during the worst weather!

You've seen pictures of lovely Lucy, so here's a video of her intended, running Agility at the National,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8ToOZU_fQk

Too Nice

The lovely weather continues, relatively warm, sunny and dry.  Temps have been above normal for a month or more, and we've had very little train since June.  What started off to be a dought-busting year with rainfall 5" above normal, has switched to another droughty year with below normal rainfall.  The Land Of 10,000 Lakes may end up The Land Of 10,000 Mudholes.  Anyone who does not believe in Climate Change, make that Accelerated Climate Change, should belong to the Ostrich Society.

Lists

I'm a firm believer in keeping lists, a list always labelled To Do.   I have several of them going at any one time, as I don't always remember to carry them between home and work, and sometimes lose them for a few days. The small spiral notebooks that used to be called Steno Pads are my favorites, and there's normally two or three of them in use at any given time.  One of them was labelled Sue's Mind, but whenever I lost that one it gave me a creepy feeling, so now they all remain nameless.  

Am I more forgetful than the average person?  Am I getting more forgetful as I get older?  It's hard to know, but something that I worry about occasionally.  I do know that lists help me stay organized, add structure to my life and help me get a lot more accomplished.  Because I have several time-consuming hobbies (dogs & fish), an elderly mother, an elderly house, a yard, a car, a job, and am always involved in a variety of half-finished projects (such as the bathroom re-decorating that is still not finished), there are always things to do.  At least once a week I re-do one or more of the lists, carrying forward the things that remain undone.  Then the list seems to be nagging me, but eventually those things get done.   The audiology appointment DID get made, as did the dental appointment that was made & kept.  The list reminded me to call Denise to find out when my haircut appointment was - it was in 20 minutes, so I got there on time - but that had been on the list for a week!

"Buy new dog tags" was on the list for weeks, but the new tags arrived yesterday and now the list says "put tags on collars".  We'll get to that eventually!  "Look at comforters" has been there for several weeks and I've been looking but have not found what I want, so it will be moved forward again.  "Buy beef heart" was accomplished and replaced with "cut up and nuke beef heart" (for training treats).  "Sun flowers and gourds" still need to be purchased, but that requires "go to Farmer's Market" first.  "Replace dryer hose" is back on the list as it never got accomplished last winter so it MUST be done this year.  "Train Argus" and "train Letty" will stay on the list for a long time since it is an ongoing "to do", and "cut dog nails" goes on every week, as does "water changes" (in the fishroom).

Although lists are essential for staying on top of things they also give me great satisfaction when I cross items off the list.  There is a list in front of me right now with 22 items, 12 of them crossed off.  The list on the dining room table came home from the office (I jot down reminders during the day) and contains10 items, a few that will be duplicates.  If this is a productive day, perhaps 6 -8 items will be crossed off, but the rest will be there to keep me on track, or nag at me.  Unfortunately, they are NEVER finished . . .

Another Weekend Gone

Breakfast with mom

Monday always comes too soon it seems, but as my life dashes by so quickly the weekend will be here again almost as quickly.  Where does time go?  Why does it seem as if the carousel of my life is spinning faster and faster?  How can we all be this old? 

Hard to believe I have survived six decades - six decades!  That's a lot of years.  I feel pretty much the same as I have for many years, I'm on no medications except eye drops, and can still do the important (to me) things like running a lively Dal around the ring, driving long distances, and keeping abreast of technology.   Taking my mother to breakfast is always a reminder to take care of myself, and to enjoy these things for as long as I possibly can.  It won't last forever . . .

It's my apple!

Friday evening was spent packing and labeling things to take to the fish club auction.  Saturday was spent at the auction and it was a long long day.  When I left at 6:30 there were STILL things to be auctioned off.  Just an amazing number of bags of fish and plants, buckets and boxes of supplies, and tanks large and small.  Most of my things sold well, some extra fish and lots of equipment I am not using, including a large tank.  Not sure that I broke even, as I purchased quite a few fish and a few plants, but the day's entertainment was not very costly overall.  It was fun to catch up with fishkeeping friends I had not seen in some time.    Saturday evening was spent getting the new fish all settled in.  I still have tank space, so many hang out on Aquabid from time to time.

Argus enjoyed another Dog Park Sunday and spent the time running hard with with Huskies and Labradors.  He sure had fun, and it's good for him to run long and hard.  We try to keep all the dogs fit, and we do a lot of walking, but the yard is small and living in the city there are few places where dogs can run safely - and legally.   Although I pay the same taxes as golfers, there is never enough money in the city's budget to follow up on the proposed Dog Parks.  I would willingly pay fees to run my dogs in a safe and convenient park.   A section of the Highland Golf Course would make a fine Dog Park!

Took mom to breakfast and had a nice time.  She really enjoys getting out, and lives on the way back from the Dog Park, so I can pick her up and leave Argus in the car while we eat.  He waits patiently, knowing that Dog Park Sunday always includes a treat for him, either part of my White Castle Breakfast Sandwich or in this case half of the lovely scrambled egg, ham & cheddar in in a Lefse wrap (it's a Scandanavian restaurant and bakery).

Jess and Don came by with Meribel, the little brownie girl who was up in Canada while Lucy was down here to be shown last weekend.  She's very cute, and will help them survive the winter as 12-year old German Shepherd Simmie struggles with age related issues, and 5-year old Shepherd Pepper battles cancer. Meribel's function is likely to be Therapy Dog for Jess and Don I'm afraid, but cheerful happy pups are such fun! 

Such Fun!



Letty and her rubber chicken

Letty and I both enjoyed her first puppy class.  I was a bit concerned about how she would handle all the dogs, but she did well and had a wonderful time, especially during the free time when the pups could run and play together.

I admit to being a dog snob, and I love watching beautiful purebred puppies.  We arrived early to watch the class before us, currently on week 5 of the 6-week class.  Between the two classes there were many lovely pups destined for show careers, as well as a number of obviously well-bred purebreds.  What a variety!  Letty's classmates included a Bernese Mountain Dog, a Standard Poodle, a Cardigan Welsh Corgi, a Pug, and two Goldens.  I noticed a lovely Bullmastiff in the earlier class, and recognised a number of show people in that class.  Each class had about 15 puppies and two instructors.

Our first night was spent working on getting pups to respond to their names, teaching sits, and coming close enough to be grabbed by the collar, the groundwork for coming when called.  Everything was done with treats, small tidbits dispensed by the owners as well as the trainers.  Every time the trainers came by Letty was expecting more treats of course.  We started just the basics for controlled lead walking which will be Letty's toughest exercise as she already wants to be out in front of me, leading the way.  You could identify all the little show pups who were already conditioned to pockets - they know where the treats are kept!  Letty kept free baiting for the trainers, watching them, squaring up, and waiting for a reward.  She handled everything very well and was totally comfortable about the other pups.

The most interesting part was the puppy play time, where the pups were divided into larger/older and smaller/younger groups.  I was given my choice and went with the larger pups because Letty is used to playing with Dals and Shepherds. Right choice.  She was the star of the show, the most playful and interested in other dogs.  We certainly resolved the nervousness with other dogs!  Letty and her largest classmate, a handsome red curly dog who was probably a Goldendoodle, had a wonderful time racing, leaping, and dodging amongst their slower moving classmates.  I suspect that next week the Standard Poodle boy will join in too, but he was just a bit overwhelmed last night.  Like her father, Letty used body language to invite other pups to play with them. 

The last few minutes were spent "passing the puppy", standing in a large circle, greeting the person to our left, telling them our puppy's name and handing them the leash.  We talked to our new charges, gave them treats, and passed them on.   Again, Letty thought that was great fun, something I never expected her to enjoy.

Our instructor is a show/performance person who told me several times how much she liked Letty, and what a great attitude she had.   Guess we found just the right place to train.  Can't wait 'til next week!

Dog School

Monday was Argie's night to start school and he did wonderfully well.  Wish I had a picture of the expression on his face as we were heeling along with a group of silly teen-aged dogs, an "exactly WHY are we doing this?"  kind of expression.  He knows the exercises and did them willingly in class.  Project for this week is working on straight sits and fronts.  Because I have tendinitis in my left shoulder (thanks to the dogs of course, and all the times they have attempted to rip off my arms in pursuit of a squirrel) that will be aggravated by this, Argus is being trained on a prong collar.  Nope, it's not cruel when used properly and we refer to prongs as "power steering for dogs".  Ah, a great topic for a blog post!

Letty on the other hand will be trained on a simple buckle collar.  She's small and still a light-weight and doesn't pull much, but I'll still have to be careful.  Every time I keep a pup my shoulder gives me trouble, so I have to work around that.  Letty knows a number of commands already, sit, down, stay, stand, walk, and come, but we shall see if she remembers anything in the stress/excitement of a class.  I don't normally take my pups to puppy class, doing my socialization at pet stores and dog shows, but we have no more shows coming up and Letty needs more work.

My pups are generally what I would call "foolishly friendly" and love all people and most dogs.  The biggest problem I have is to keep them from mugging everyone they meet.  Argus has always loved everyone and all dogs, and most of his kids are like that.  Letty is not wired that way and takes a few minutes to make up to strangers.  I could "feel" that in her body from the time she was 3 weeks old, when it was quite obvious that she had already categorized people as "Sue" and "everyone else".   She's fine about situations and is not sound sensitive, just does not care to have people reaching for her.  The fact that she is so incredibly cute means that everyone reaches for her!  She really prefers her space.   She's the same way about dogs, although has gotten much better about strange dogs.  Letty does remember her friends though and covers them with kisses.  Our goal is to get her to assume that everyone is her friend.  Pups under the age of 4 months are incredibly trainable, so we are working to "modify" this part of her personality.  Puppy training classes are a wonderful tool.

What A Weekend!

What a fun weekend!  Our trip to Kansas went according to plan.  We had a wonderful time, the dogs showed well, and we accomplished our goals for the weekend.   The Specialty was such fun.  Although the Saturday and Sunday shows were in a horse arena with packed dirt floor (fine for showing Dals), the Specialties were in a lovely bright, clean, modern building.  Back to back Specialty shows, morning and afternoon, with reasonable judging, nice entries, lovely trophies, an excellent luncheon, and the weather was perfect!  Friends from as far away as Texas and Canada made for a fun get-together, as many of us will not see one another until the spring specialties or the National in May. 

Our motel was so nice.  We've stayed there before and appreciated the large rooms, comfortable beds, lots of grass for walking and a wonderful breakfast bar.  We were about 20 miles from Lawrence, but traffic was never a problem, and the $1.60 toll for driving an excellent stretch of freeway was OK.  Jess and I even discovered an excellent and affordable Mexican Restaurant with very VERY good Margaritas - or rather Sally Forth, my trusty Garmin, found it.  Off the beaten path too, so the football crowds were not a problem.  We liked it so well we came back the next night with friends!

Letty had a great time as there were other Dal pups her age.  She particularly enjoyed spending time in the large x-pen with her sister Weather and another Dal girl of about the same age.  Letty was great in the motel room, never fussed in her crate, and learned to pee and poop immediately when taken out on lead - an important thing for future show dogs to learn!  Some pups are not comfortable in elevators, but she never missed a step.  The only thing she had a problem with were all the people in  costume who were staying at our motel and performing at the Renaissance Festival nearby.  She did have to stop and stare at some of the very strange looking people!

This was Eddy's first outing and he performed like a star.   I made the decision to show him when I saw him a month ago, but Jess had never seen him before and I'm sure was wondering about my sanity when I decided we would pick up an untrained 11-month old puppy boy on the way to the show, and expect him to be a showdog.  His owner lives in a small town with little access to training classes, but she has trained show dogs before, and while Eddie was staying in Canada last spring he got some good training.  What a little star he was!  He and Jess really clicked, Eddie caught on fast, tried very hard, and was such good little guy.  He did far more than we had anticipated!

Our goals for the weekend were finishing Lucy's championship, finishing Argus's bronze-level Grand Championship, training Eddie, and socializing Lucy.  Mission accomplished at the first show.  Lucy charmed the crowd and the judge, and went Best of Winners for a 5-point Specialty major, her second, and won the Award of Merit as well.  Argus went Select Dog and showed beautifully for a 5 point GCh major (he needed 3 to finish).  Eddie was the big surprise though as he went Best Junior In Sweeps, and Reserve Winners Dog in a major, topping that with Winners Dog for a major at the second show!   Good boy, Eddie!  We took show pictures, of course, but stopped to get some shots of Eddie on the way home.  Such a handsome little guy, and a fabulous temperament too.

Argus started his obedience class last night.  Stayed tuned!

What Am I Forgetting?

We're leaving in a few hours for Lawrence, KS for our first dog shows since last May.  Argus is beside himself with excitement.  Letty is going along too for the socialization - hope I don't regret it!  Jess will arrive about 9:00 with Lucy, and when we pass through Mason City, IA we'll pick up Eddie from Lisen.  Two Specialty shows tomorrow and two all breed shows on Saturday and Sunday.  Judging panel is pretty decent, and we enjoy the people in the Kansas City club.  Meg and Toni and some of our other friends will be there as well, the weather sounds good, and we anticipate a fun weekend.  A winning weekend would be even better.  We'll see.

Our primary goal is finishing Lucy's championship.  She has her majors, just needs 4 single points.  Because the entry is good-sized winning any of the 4 shows will give Lucy enough points to finish.  She's already a Canadian Champion, but we wanted her American Championship too, since she will be the 5th champion from the Argus/Boji litter.  Lucy's family is looking forward to doing a litter this winter and we're hoping that she produces as well as her sister Nati did.

Argus is basically retired but needs just a few points for his Bronze Level Grand Championship, something that was created after he retired, so we might as well try for it this weekend.  If nothing else, he'll have a good time.

This will be Eddie's first show weekend and fortunately he'll be in the Puppy Class.  He can walk on leash but is NOT show trained, and is just as dog crazy as his father Argus, PLUS he barks when excited.  He's never been to handling class or obedience class, so this will be Dog Show 101 for him.  Jess has a good touch with untrained dogs - better her than me!

This is one of the reasons we have dogs, not the main reason but one of the fun things we can do with dogs.  We're off on adventure with beautiful, happy, silly dogs and will spend the weekend with dear friends.  Both Jess and I really need a vacation, so even though this will be WORK, it will be a nice change for both of us.  It's also something that I can share with my adult daughter, a common interest and a sport that we both enjoy.