That says it all.
Bados, Mintz, and Appley got to go for racing & practices last weekend down in Redding. It is warmer & sunnier there. I hate cold rain. I also love chasing the lure.
I did not do anything to deserve being left behind. She didn't want to take 2 dogs just to practice; she also wanted to have another dog to compete in case no one else was around on Sunday.
Well, I have NOT been DQ'd from LGRA yet. I admit that I have interfered with Bados (maybe a lot) but with others just sometimes & only a little. I could have run & might have run fair. As it turns out Appley did not run fair. In the 2nd program, Appley chased Gemma.
Apparently Gemma went into heat Monday. Appley has a good nose, I guess; maybe he should try "nose work". Actually all the boys were posturing more than usual. I am glad I have been spayed & don't have to put up with such crap.
To sum up the weekend: There were 7 Silkens Saturday, but only 2 on Sunday after Appley's DQ & Poppy turning up lame after the end of Saturday's races. Teddy won both days (of course). Bados managed 2nd both days; that was a surprise. Phoenix is very speedy.
Mintz, the big, goofy Greyhound, got to travel down for practice. He had a blast, but tore up some stuff in the van being frustrated at not competing. I would not have done that. Hrumph.
Sunday afternoon Mintz competed in a match race. The Scottish Deerhound had never lost a race & his owner thought this would be fun; J agreed, and so did the Saluki & Afghan owners. Each entered a hound. Yes, Greyhounds are the fastest breed, but Mintz WAS retired after JUST a year of racing. One of them could have been faster than this particular Greyhound. That was not the case. Basically Mintz smoked them from the gate and won convincingly despite a stumble near the finish. The Deerhound was maybe 10-20 ft back, then the Saluki, and the Afghan brought up the rear.
J is proud of Mintz but she also worries that having done this was a bad idea - in the big picture - because he is very sore & limping again. This is probably just from over exerting himself. I expect he'll be fine in a day or 2. He's just a bit of a woos once there is no sqauking lure in the area.
I am pissed at being left behind, but I guess I had fun staying home, too. Rob & I spent lots of time together. He took me on lots of errands. He also spoils me (I am his favorite).
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Monday, November 26, 2012
Quirky Run 2012
What a wonderful weekend - well, for me anyway. J took Bados & I for 3 days of lure coursing. I LOVE coursing. Just seeing those white bags fluttering gets me excited. I know that they are just bags, but the chase, planning, & capture are still fun.
J had talked about bringing Mintz, too; but then discovered that it was AKC + ASFA Silken specialty. She has not registered Mintz with AKC. Thank goodness. I think she would have made me stay home to keep Appley company; that would not have been FAIR. Maybe she would have decided to bring us all, but I doubt it. She thinks that's a lot of leashes when Rob is not going to be there to help; and Appley doesn't really course so he would have only been along for the ride.
Before continuing with the tale, I will apologize to my fans. J was lazy and did not video ANYTHING. Loser. What kind of publicist is that? She makes excuses (Rob's absence & few extra Silken owners to hold the camera), but I bet she could have managed something - maybe get someone else to release me or something. Anyway, I apologize to you all because I performed very well.
Friday the course was mostly on the upper field with a short foray down below. I ran most of the way in the prelims which made J very happy, but on the finals I lost it in the sun. I had stopped to stalk & missed it in the grass. I thought they had stopped it trying to draw me from my 'blind', but no. It had gotten past me. How embarrassing.
Bados had a good day friday & won the FCh Stakes. Unfortunately, in the BOB run, Ell's lead got tangled & stuck. Hearing Ella's Mom call out & not having Ella run confused Bados. He turned back, but they didn't stop the lure & Ella got free. That didn't look good. Even though the rest of his run was nice, Ella's was just as good. She won BOB. He should not have let himself get distracted.
On one run Saturday the course was long with big loops in both the upper & lower fields. I lost it for a while again, but this time I found it as it approached the finish and dashed back for a capture. While I was celebrating, though, the lure zoomed off again in reverse! (J shrieked, but I did not get any line burn). That really got my blood racing, & I tore after it. I think it reversed about 1/3 of the course before the operator got it to stop - some sort of malfunction. Perhaps the judges were impressed by that end run, because I got qualifying scores for both runs - well, at least from one judge, and those were high enough to make up for the other judges lower scores!!
Bados ran well on Saturday, but one judge really scored him oddly low on his prelim. One had scored him highest, but that judge scored him last by like 4 points. I have no idea what she saw or didn't see. The course was really long, maybe she thought he was lagging too much at the end. His 2nd run was nice & scored well, but so was his Dad's. Kam won the FCh Stakes. Bados was bummed, but what can you do.
Sunday was a similar course pattern to Saturday but not as long. Knowing the basic pattern, I rocked and easily got both qualifying scores on both runs from both judges even though I did a bit of stalking. More ribbons for me. J thinks I deserved a bigger prize, but she is biased. Yes, I won singles 2 days, but I was the only ASFA single.
Maybe Bados was upset about Saturday, but - whatever - on Sunday he sucked. He took huge short cuts & even tried a 'prediction' at the end of the last run, but he did not do it with my flare. He came in last & deserved it. J was bummed; she wanted a chair (the BOB & high point prizes).
I am sad to hear this is the last Thanksgiving event there. We always have fun at Hollister. The weather was beautiful & warm; the grass was soft; and the field is huge. Our friends Ella, Cayman, Kamiah, and Garis were there. It was a good weekend - at least for me. I just wish Appley or another single had been around to get my wins against competition.
J had talked about bringing Mintz, too; but then discovered that it was AKC + ASFA Silken specialty. She has not registered Mintz with AKC. Thank goodness. I think she would have made me stay home to keep Appley company; that would not have been FAIR. Maybe she would have decided to bring us all, but I doubt it. She thinks that's a lot of leashes when Rob is not going to be there to help; and Appley doesn't really course so he would have only been along for the ride.
Before continuing with the tale, I will apologize to my fans. J was lazy and did not video ANYTHING. Loser. What kind of publicist is that? She makes excuses (Rob's absence & few extra Silken owners to hold the camera), but I bet she could have managed something - maybe get someone else to release me or something. Anyway, I apologize to you all because I performed very well.
Friday the course was mostly on the upper field with a short foray down below. I ran most of the way in the prelims which made J very happy, but on the finals I lost it in the sun. I had stopped to stalk & missed it in the grass. I thought they had stopped it trying to draw me from my 'blind', but no. It had gotten past me. How embarrassing.
Bados had a good day friday & won the FCh Stakes. Unfortunately, in the BOB run, Ell's lead got tangled & stuck. Hearing Ella's Mom call out & not having Ella run confused Bados. He turned back, but they didn't stop the lure & Ella got free. That didn't look good. Even though the rest of his run was nice, Ella's was just as good. She won BOB. He should not have let himself get distracted.
On one run Saturday the course was long with big loops in both the upper & lower fields. I lost it for a while again, but this time I found it as it approached the finish and dashed back for a capture. While I was celebrating, though, the lure zoomed off again in reverse! (J shrieked, but I did not get any line burn). That really got my blood racing, & I tore after it. I think it reversed about 1/3 of the course before the operator got it to stop - some sort of malfunction. Perhaps the judges were impressed by that end run, because I got qualifying scores for both runs - well, at least from one judge, and those were high enough to make up for the other judges lower scores!!
Bados ran well on Saturday, but one judge really scored him oddly low on his prelim. One had scored him highest, but that judge scored him last by like 4 points. I have no idea what she saw or didn't see. The course was really long, maybe she thought he was lagging too much at the end. His 2nd run was nice & scored well, but so was his Dad's. Kam won the FCh Stakes. Bados was bummed, but what can you do.
Sunday was a similar course pattern to Saturday but not as long. Knowing the basic pattern, I rocked and easily got both qualifying scores on both runs from both judges even though I did a bit of stalking. More ribbons for me. J thinks I deserved a bigger prize, but she is biased. Yes, I won singles 2 days, but I was the only ASFA single.
Maybe Bados was upset about Saturday, but - whatever - on Sunday he sucked. He took huge short cuts & even tried a 'prediction' at the end of the last run, but he did not do it with my flare. He came in last & deserved it. J was bummed; she wanted a chair (the BOB & high point prizes).
I am sad to hear this is the last Thanksgiving event there. We always have fun at Hollister. The weather was beautiful & warm; the grass was soft; and the field is huge. Our friends Ella, Cayman, Kamiah, and Garis were there. It was a good weekend - at least for me. I just wish Appley or another single had been around to get my wins against competition.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
New Movie Release!
This was a good week.
J had vacation; so after returning from Boofest, we drove over to Eagle Crest in central Oregon near Bend. It's beautiful high desert with mountain views and the scent of Juniper in the air. There is also property nearby where J hopes to build a house someday. Down hill from this lot is a wide track along the Deschutes River with an escarpment on the other side (and further along a fence, but that is out of site).
We get to play off leash! Bados & I race & tag along the track then cut down by the river, then back across the track & up the escarpment. Zoom, zoom. Mintz plays with us a little, too. He is faster & a bit intimidating at almost 80 lbs, but I can stop & turn MUCH faster. There are rocks, underbrush, and broken branches off the track so I have the advantage there as well.
Our Pit/Border Collie friend Lucy came with us one day. She is crazy about sticks & chews big branches to bits; I don't get it. She'll also leap into the river to retrieve them. I'm impressed how she can swim so well against the current & everything, but I'm not going in over my head! Once the water is around your chest it starts to get too cold, but I love wading & splashing.
OK, I know you are all waiting for the news alluded to in today's title. "On Her Silken's Secret Service" is being released on youtube today. Having time off, J was able to help with this. We took clips from my work at NWFest, Boofest, and one day up at Roy. There is some good footage including one flip. I talked her into making BOTH a short movie to music & a 'trailer' for it. Having been 3 events, there was too much for just a 'trailer, but the these are often more fun to watch.
Sadly, J is back to work tomorrow. We will be back in rainy Portland spending much of the day alone at the house. There are 4 of us still, but Luka's scent is still around. I miss her.
J had vacation; so after returning from Boofest, we drove over to Eagle Crest in central Oregon near Bend. It's beautiful high desert with mountain views and the scent of Juniper in the air. There is also property nearby where J hopes to build a house someday. Down hill from this lot is a wide track along the Deschutes River with an escarpment on the other side (and further along a fence, but that is out of site).
We get to play off leash! Bados & I race & tag along the track then cut down by the river, then back across the track & up the escarpment. Zoom, zoom. Mintz plays with us a little, too. He is faster & a bit intimidating at almost 80 lbs, but I can stop & turn MUCH faster. There are rocks, underbrush, and broken branches off the track so I have the advantage there as well.
Our Pit/Border Collie friend Lucy came with us one day. She is crazy about sticks & chews big branches to bits; I don't get it. She'll also leap into the river to retrieve them. I'm impressed how she can swim so well against the current & everything, but I'm not going in over my head! Once the water is around your chest it starts to get too cold, but I love wading & splashing.
OK, I know you are all waiting for the news alluded to in today's title. "On Her Silken's Secret Service" is being released on youtube today. Having time off, J was able to help with this. We took clips from my work at NWFest, Boofest, and one day up at Roy. There is some good footage including one flip. I talked her into making BOTH a short movie to music & a 'trailer' for it. Having been 3 events, there was too much for just a 'trailer, but the these are often more fun to watch.
Sadly, J is back to work tomorrow. We will be back in rainy Portland spending much of the day alone at the house. There are 4 of us still, but Luka's scent is still around. I miss her.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Boofest
Yippee! We went on an excursion this weekend & got to run every day! I also met a few of my fans & made a new one who had not seen me course before. A successful weekend.
Friday morning when J got home from work, both humans finished packing up the car, & we hit the road: both Rob & J with Bados & I. It was close to a 12 hr drive down to Gilroy, CA.
Appley stayed behind to keep Mintz company. With Luka gone so recently, it would not have been him alone with the pet sitter. Not that Lisa isn't nice (she gives us tons of special treats), but the house feels empty without another dog in it when one is used to a pack. Appley was upset not to come, but it's not like he enjoys showing or racing, and he won't even try to course (the Momma's boy won't go that far from J).
Bados was not feeling his best on the drive down and puked a bit in the back. This was probably psychosomatic. Last time we drove to California he got REALLY sick in the car; I think he was justnervous about getting sick again. He is such a softy. I just ignored him & watched other cars out my window. Being able to watch helps to pass the time.
After arriving at the hotel near bedtime on friday, we had to get up early Saturday so Rob could meet Rick Wolpin for a bicycle ride. Hmm. Maybe Rob could get a kid carrier & take me along sometime. Showing is not really my favorite thing.
At UKC shows the 'Altered' classes are at the end, but here the 'Companion' class is near the beginning. Both mornings I was distracted by all the scents in the ring; J made the mistake of trying to use bait. She's a slow learner. By now she should know that that will not help her. Yes, she gets my attention, but that doesn't mean I will just stand there & pose like she wants or trot calmly at her side. I know too many ways to knock that treat out of her hands. TeeHee! Anyway, I still managed to eke out a victory over my pal, Moto, on one morning. He won the other day. It's nice to share the wealth. vbg. I won some nice treats & a squeaker. J was happy about the ribbon.
This is what I think of ribbons: (this was my 1st ribbon, not this weekend; J rarely tries such photos anymore)
Bados' BIS class is not until the end of the show. Maybe he got stiff lying around all day after being in the car all day on friday, but he did not step out real well in the ring on Saturday. I think his feet might still bother him a bit after the pad cuts & wasp sting between the toes earlier this month, too. He denies it, but every now & then I catch him limping. He stops as soon as J turns his way, but sometimes she catches it. She scratched him from the races Saturday afternoon because of this concern - she wanted to be sure he could course the next day. She gave him some arnica & rimadyl saturday night to help reduce any inflammation.
Anyway Sunday he did better. He earned an Award of Merit in the show and a 3rd in the ASFA FCh Stakes. He looked good, but two others did better. His turns were not all super sharp. He claims that he was being careful with his pads; I say maybe. He could be getting lazy. I mean - he may not understand "string theory" like I do, but he knows that they are plastic bags
Saturday afternoon I got to practice straight racing. Fun, fun. J made me wear a muzzle so I could not grab the tail, but I gave it a good try. At the end after J leashed me & picked up the lure, I remembered my trick to roll over forwards & push backwards with my head on the ground to get the muzzle off. HAH! I leapt up & snatched it! The lure was mine . . . for a second anyway . . . but I got my feet tangled in the line with my jump and could not run with it. Oh, well. You have to try. : )
Sunday I got to course Singles. This was an easy one; the course was basically a figure 8. When I came to the cross over, I just stopped & waited for it to come back. It made one turn further out that had me second guessing, but I was not fooled for long. This was all right in front of the judges so I thought they might 'get it' - understand how my strategy is superior - but no. J says one had some insight gave a qualifying score, but the other gave me a 20. 20? That's almost insulting. Did I run home to momma? No. I should probably tell J not to bother checking the scores. It only frustrates her. It's not like I care what they think. If I did, I'd play by their boring rules.
Tonight we are back home. Appley was jumping with happiness when we arrived; Mintz just about bull-dozed everyone trying to get close to Rob & J for some affection. Boys.
Friday morning when J got home from work, both humans finished packing up the car, & we hit the road: both Rob & J with Bados & I. It was close to a 12 hr drive down to Gilroy, CA.
Appley stayed behind to keep Mintz company. With Luka gone so recently, it would not have been him alone with the pet sitter. Not that Lisa isn't nice (she gives us tons of special treats), but the house feels empty without another dog in it when one is used to a pack. Appley was upset not to come, but it's not like he enjoys showing or racing, and he won't even try to course (the Momma's boy won't go that far from J).
Bados was not feeling his best on the drive down and puked a bit in the back. This was probably psychosomatic. Last time we drove to California he got REALLY sick in the car; I think he was justnervous about getting sick again. He is such a softy. I just ignored him & watched other cars out my window. Being able to watch helps to pass the time.
After arriving at the hotel near bedtime on friday, we had to get up early Saturday so Rob could meet Rick Wolpin for a bicycle ride. Hmm. Maybe Rob could get a kid carrier & take me along sometime. Showing is not really my favorite thing.
At UKC shows the 'Altered' classes are at the end, but here the 'Companion' class is near the beginning. Both mornings I was distracted by all the scents in the ring; J made the mistake of trying to use bait. She's a slow learner. By now she should know that that will not help her. Yes, she gets my attention, but that doesn't mean I will just stand there & pose like she wants or trot calmly at her side. I know too many ways to knock that treat out of her hands. TeeHee! Anyway, I still managed to eke out a victory over my pal, Moto, on one morning. He won the other day. It's nice to share the wealth. vbg. I won some nice treats & a squeaker. J was happy about the ribbon.
This is what I think of ribbons: (this was my 1st ribbon, not this weekend; J rarely tries such photos anymore)
Anyway Sunday he did better. He earned an Award of Merit in the show and a 3rd in the ASFA FCh Stakes. He looked good, but two others did better. His turns were not all super sharp. He claims that he was being careful with his pads; I say maybe. He could be getting lazy. I mean - he may not understand "string theory" like I do, but he knows that they are plastic bags
Saturday afternoon I got to practice straight racing. Fun, fun. J made me wear a muzzle so I could not grab the tail, but I gave it a good try. At the end after J leashed me & picked up the lure, I remembered my trick to roll over forwards & push backwards with my head on the ground to get the muzzle off. HAH! I leapt up & snatched it! The lure was mine . . . for a second anyway . . . but I got my feet tangled in the line with my jump and could not run with it. Oh, well. You have to try. : )
Sunday I got to course Singles. This was an easy one; the course was basically a figure 8. When I came to the cross over, I just stopped & waited for it to come back. It made one turn further out that had me second guessing, but I was not fooled for long. This was all right in front of the judges so I thought they might 'get it' - understand how my strategy is superior - but no. J says one had some insight gave a qualifying score, but the other gave me a 20. 20? That's almost insulting. Did I run home to momma? No. I should probably tell J not to bother checking the scores. It only frustrates her. It's not like I care what they think. If I did, I'd play by their boring rules.
Tonight we are back home. Appley was jumping with happiness when we arrived; Mintz just about bull-dozed everyone trying to get close to Rob & J for some affection. Boys.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Luka
Well, I haven't written in a while. Things have been weird & stressful for all of us. Bados disappeared for awhile on an excursion that I am not supposed to discuss; and Luka was getting sicker again. She died on Tuesday.
Luka had started limping again, was weak, and panting more. J thought it was all pain, but she was also short of breath. Now we know that the tumor had spread to her lungs. J had been expecting that, but was thrown off by the resumed limping. Tuesday she stopped eating in the morning. J & Sherri (our vet) came up with a more aggressive treatment plan for her pain; but she did not seem to be getting any more comfortable. Near bedtime J tried to took her out for a short walk; she did not 'get busy' and was very unstable. After they came back inside she got all panicky and tried to go hide in corners. J got her to lie down and tried to listen to her heart & lungs with a stethoscope. Her breathing was so loud & labored that J could not hear her heart. Then she stopped and looked calm. J said Luka was dying; she was right. Her heart rate was in the 40s; she took a few more breaths as her heart slowed to nothing.
We were all in a bit of shock. J cried. Even Rob got choked up. They wrapped her in blankets & laid her on a futon in Rob's office. She looked peaceful.
The next afternoon they took her body away. The vet did an autopsy. Her lungs were full of tumor, & this had hemorrhaged into the pleural space between the lung & chest wall. That's what killed her so quickly. J says we'll get her ashes back.
This weekend we are going to Boofest; that will be a good distraction from her absence.
Luka had started limping again, was weak, and panting more. J thought it was all pain, but she was also short of breath. Now we know that the tumor had spread to her lungs. J had been expecting that, but was thrown off by the resumed limping. Tuesday she stopped eating in the morning. J & Sherri (our vet) came up with a more aggressive treatment plan for her pain; but she did not seem to be getting any more comfortable. Near bedtime J tried to took her out for a short walk; she did not 'get busy' and was very unstable. After they came back inside she got all panicky and tried to go hide in corners. J got her to lie down and tried to listen to her heart & lungs with a stethoscope. Her breathing was so loud & labored that J could not hear her heart. Then she stopped and looked calm. J said Luka was dying; she was right. Her heart rate was in the 40s; she took a few more breaths as her heart slowed to nothing.
We were all in a bit of shock. J cried. Even Rob got choked up. They wrapped her in blankets & laid her on a futon in Rob's office. She looked peaceful.
The next afternoon they took her body away. The vet did an autopsy. Her lungs were full of tumor, & this had hemorrhaged into the pleural space between the lung & chest wall. That's what killed her so quickly. J says we'll get her ashes back.
This weekend we are going to Boofest; that will be a good distraction from her absence.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Newman Lake
Newman Lake is a LONG way from home, but what a fun weekend we had!!
Although Bados had a small pad injury the previous weekend at Roy (along with most other racers!), J decided to drive up to Newman Lake as she had been planning. This was for coursing after all, and that is our favorite family past time.
Kam, Cayman, & Garis were still nursing pad injuries, so Jackie did not drive up; plus Jane & Iola were tied up and could not bring Tootsie & Lego over to play. Only Karen Sanders had both time & healthy dogs (Sky & Nike) to join us. She & J decided to drive up together in Ivan. This made the long drive more crowded than most weekend excursions, but it was much less crowded & much shorter than the cross country trip. No problem. I could still convince the others that the window seat is MINE.
The field was beautiful green grass and HUGE. I think less than 1/2 of it was used for the courses. There were some sports goals that the people made a point of staying far away from, but this was easy with so much space. The soft grass was so nice on the paws! The morning was cold but it got up to the upper 60s or low 70s in the PM. Yummy.
There were not many entries at all. 2-3 courses each for RR & Cirnecos, 1 Silken threesome, 2 Saluki, one Afghan & one Whippet. I had 4 or 5 singles competitors. Despite this Saturday CRAWLED by. I am not sure how it took ALL DAY to complete the runs. True: there were equipment issues that ultimately had them switching from drag lure to continuous loop. True: they did AKC CAT testing in the middle (only 5-6 dogs). BUT honestly! We were not done until dinner time.
After the 1st run, Nike had 2 points over Bados & Sky was not far behind. Unfortunately, Bados then STEPPED ON A WASP. Seriously, the klutz. There was a bite between his toes. J gave him Rimadyl & Arnica, stuck his foot in cold water, & put some anti-sting stuff on his foot. He had stopped limping & competed in the final. Despite the sting, he ran well, but he could not make up for being behind Nike.
The one toe still looked swollen & bruised on Sunday, but he was not limping in the morning. After the prelims he & either Sky or Nike were tied. The other was just one point behind! Very tight. Unfortunately, Bados initially was limping when they finished the prelims. Nothing new, it was the stung foot bothering him. J was torn up about what to do. To scratch or not to scratch . . . She repeated her treatments from the prior afternoon and waited until the last second to decide. No limping en route to the start . . . so off they went. Bados coursed beautifully, and eked out a win over Sky followed by Nike. That made Bados a Provisional ASFA FCh. Pretty cool; but J is so proud of him it is just disgusting. I mean, he already had the ISWS FCh and then LCM - what's the big deal?
I had lots of fun and have some new fans. In the big open fields there was lots to consider when evaluating possible turns. I managed to stalk & pounce at least twice on each run. The wife of one judge told J that she thinks the judges score me "wrong". She thinks I deserve more credit for my 'focus' even though I don't blindly chase. What a wise woman; she has great insight.
Another person said she wanted to take me home, but I think I'll stick with J. We have a good time together.
Next week: LC at Roy!!
Although Bados had a small pad injury the previous weekend at Roy (along with most other racers!), J decided to drive up to Newman Lake as she had been planning. This was for coursing after all, and that is our favorite family past time.
Kam, Cayman, & Garis were still nursing pad injuries, so Jackie did not drive up; plus Jane & Iola were tied up and could not bring Tootsie & Lego over to play. Only Karen Sanders had both time & healthy dogs (Sky & Nike) to join us. She & J decided to drive up together in Ivan. This made the long drive more crowded than most weekend excursions, but it was much less crowded & much shorter than the cross country trip. No problem. I could still convince the others that the window seat is MINE.
The field was beautiful green grass and HUGE. I think less than 1/2 of it was used for the courses. There were some sports goals that the people made a point of staying far away from, but this was easy with so much space. The soft grass was so nice on the paws! The morning was cold but it got up to the upper 60s or low 70s in the PM. Yummy.
There were not many entries at all. 2-3 courses each for RR & Cirnecos, 1 Silken threesome, 2 Saluki, one Afghan & one Whippet. I had 4 or 5 singles competitors. Despite this Saturday CRAWLED by. I am not sure how it took ALL DAY to complete the runs. True: there were equipment issues that ultimately had them switching from drag lure to continuous loop. True: they did AKC CAT testing in the middle (only 5-6 dogs). BUT honestly! We were not done until dinner time.
After the 1st run, Nike had 2 points over Bados & Sky was not far behind. Unfortunately, Bados then STEPPED ON A WASP. Seriously, the klutz. There was a bite between his toes. J gave him Rimadyl & Arnica, stuck his foot in cold water, & put some anti-sting stuff on his foot. He had stopped limping & competed in the final. Despite the sting, he ran well, but he could not make up for being behind Nike.
The one toe still looked swollen & bruised on Sunday, but he was not limping in the morning. After the prelims he & either Sky or Nike were tied. The other was just one point behind! Very tight. Unfortunately, Bados initially was limping when they finished the prelims. Nothing new, it was the stung foot bothering him. J was torn up about what to do. To scratch or not to scratch . . . She repeated her treatments from the prior afternoon and waited until the last second to decide. No limping en route to the start . . . so off they went. Bados coursed beautifully, and eked out a win over Sky followed by Nike. That made Bados a Provisional ASFA FCh. Pretty cool; but J is so proud of him it is just disgusting. I mean, he already had the ISWS FCh and then LCM - what's the big deal?
I had lots of fun and have some new fans. In the big open fields there was lots to consider when evaluating possible turns. I managed to stalk & pounce at least twice on each run. The wife of one judge told J that she thinks the judges score me "wrong". She thinks I deserve more credit for my 'focus' even though I don't blindly chase. What a wise woman; she has great insight.
Another person said she wanted to take me home, but I think I'll stick with J. We have a good time together.
Next week: LC at Roy!!
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Roy Racing & Not
Well, I am pissed. My weekend was definitely short changed.
There was racing at Roy. Straight yesterday and Oval today. Did I go???? NO.
Ok, yesterday I got to go . . . but not today. AND we were in the little Audi, not in Ivan the InPhenite Sprinter. That is definitely 2nd class transportation. Even with just Bados & I, we are cramped in the back seat. Also we do not get the x-pen 'yard' to stretch out in. It's just not the same.
J did get annoyed at me yesterday, too. During my 2nd practice run, I was just sure that it was going to turn. We have only ever coursed in this field before . . . I stopped, planning to stalk, but J ran up behind to leash me. I was having none of that & trotted forward every time she got close - and as the lure would start to move again. Finally I determined that there really were no turns (BORING!) & ran forward to kill the lure. That's always fun. I love to shake it & carry it it around. Oh, well. J was annoyed today & would not let me 'practice' again.
Bados raced & came in 5th for Straight racing. J was disappointed. It had to do with which races dogs were in & the point system. It's not like anything was done incorrectly, but the point system in combination with the 'wave' did not favor him.
Today was worse. He had a good shot at earning the last FRACTION of a point that he needs for an Oval Championship, but he had a small pad injury after the 1st race & also seemed to favor the opposite front foot. They came home after that race. She is bummed; Bados doesn't understand why they couldn't stay (he wanted to keep running), blah, blah, blah. Winning is not everything. There is something to be said for style . . . .
There was racing at Roy. Straight yesterday and Oval today. Did I go???? NO.
Ok, yesterday I got to go . . . but not today. AND we were in the little Audi, not in Ivan the InPhenite Sprinter. That is definitely 2nd class transportation. Even with just Bados & I, we are cramped in the back seat. Also we do not get the x-pen 'yard' to stretch out in. It's just not the same.
J did get annoyed at me yesterday, too. During my 2nd practice run, I was just sure that it was going to turn. We have only ever coursed in this field before . . . I stopped, planning to stalk, but J ran up behind to leash me. I was having none of that & trotted forward every time she got close - and as the lure would start to move again. Finally I determined that there really were no turns (BORING!) & ran forward to kill the lure. That's always fun. I love to shake it & carry it it around. Oh, well. J was annoyed today & would not let me 'practice' again.
Bados raced & came in 5th for Straight racing. J was disappointed. It had to do with which races dogs were in & the point system. It's not like anything was done incorrectly, but the point system in combination with the 'wave' did not favor him.
Today was worse. He had a good shot at earning the last FRACTION of a point that he needs for an Oval Championship, but he had a small pad injury after the 1st race & also seemed to favor the opposite front foot. They came home after that race. She is bummed; Bados doesn't understand why they couldn't stay (he wanted to keep running), blah, blah, blah. Winning is not everything. There is something to be said for style . . . .
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Fear of Death & Fun with Cupcakes
Well, J completely let me down last weekend. True she worked overnight both Friday & Sunday, but she could have typed for me on Monday. She just whined that she was too tired. Fine. Doesn't she realize that I have my image to maintain?
Being tired did not stop her from taking Luka to the vet. Luka would not eat Monday morning. J even mixed raw meat in with her kibble & canned food mixture: no good. OMG, it smelled marvelous, but J would not let us have any. Owoo. : (
J got all panicky that Luka was going to die soon - that maybe this was the sarcoma becoming active again. Unfortunately, it is true that her time with us is limited, but really she is doing amazingly well. Shoot our Gandhi died within a week of his osteosarcoma diagnosis, I think. Anyway, after a trip to the vet followed by lab work & a urine analysis, they put Luka on 2 different antibiotics. She's eating again, but she is not 100%. She limps a a bit in that bad front leg again, and her rear legs are getting weak. She slipped trying to jump into I-van this morning. Of course, J was upset again, but Luka got over it fast.
Except for that incident, we had fun at the "Sighthound Sundays" playgroup this morning. Greyhounds Charlie & Minnie were there with their people & other sighthound family members. Thor the Whippet came with Minnie. I like to play with Thor; he is just my size. Charlie's Irish Wolfhound 'siblings' were there, too: Ferguson & Slevin (likely misspelled). It was weird for Eleanor not to be with them. She had been just a few months older than me but died during surgery earlier this year. She got malignant hyperthermia. That's very scary; it could happen to any of us.
Wow, there is way too much death in this note. I will change topics.
This afternoon J took Mintz & Bados out to a party in the country. I don't know why she didn't pick me to go. In my absence, though, Mintz pulled a neat trick I showed him. J doesn't always latch the gate into the front seat well and if you nuzzle the handle it can be opened! She was walking Bados to introduce him to a puppy at this farm, but had left her carrot cupcakes in the front seat. Oops. ; )
She did not realize that I had been training Mintz. No more carrot cupcakes. He made a big mess, though, which is poor form. There are icing foot prints all over the floor & driver's seat. It is better to have the cupcakes just 'disappear'; this confuses people more.
Being tired did not stop her from taking Luka to the vet. Luka would not eat Monday morning. J even mixed raw meat in with her kibble & canned food mixture: no good. OMG, it smelled marvelous, but J would not let us have any. Owoo. : (
J got all panicky that Luka was going to die soon - that maybe this was the sarcoma becoming active again. Unfortunately, it is true that her time with us is limited, but really she is doing amazingly well. Shoot our Gandhi died within a week of his osteosarcoma diagnosis, I think. Anyway, after a trip to the vet followed by lab work & a urine analysis, they put Luka on 2 different antibiotics. She's eating again, but she is not 100%. She limps a a bit in that bad front leg again, and her rear legs are getting weak. She slipped trying to jump into I-van this morning. Of course, J was upset again, but Luka got over it fast.
Except for that incident, we had fun at the "Sighthound Sundays" playgroup this morning. Greyhounds Charlie & Minnie were there with their people & other sighthound family members. Thor the Whippet came with Minnie. I like to play with Thor; he is just my size. Charlie's Irish Wolfhound 'siblings' were there, too: Ferguson & Slevin (likely misspelled). It was weird for Eleanor not to be with them. She had been just a few months older than me but died during surgery earlier this year. She got malignant hyperthermia. That's very scary; it could happen to any of us.
Wow, there is way too much death in this note. I will change topics.
This afternoon J took Mintz & Bados out to a party in the country. I don't know why she didn't pick me to go. In my absence, though, Mintz pulled a neat trick I showed him. J doesn't always latch the gate into the front seat well and if you nuzzle the handle it can be opened! She was walking Bados to introduce him to a puppy at this farm, but had left her carrot cupcakes in the front seat. Oops. ; )
She did not realize that I had been training Mintz. No more carrot cupcakes. He made a big mess, though, which is poor form. There are icing foot prints all over the floor & driver's seat. It is better to have the cupcakes just 'disappear'; this confuses people more.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Late Post, Iron Hound
I apologize to all my fans.
The delay in posting is a combined fault by both J & myself. Of course, mostly, J's fault.
We got home late Sunday - (actually earlier than I expected) - and then J had to get to work early on Monday and take Luka to the vet after work. She was too tired to transcribe for me; perhaps I need to hire a secretary. J pretends to be my publicist, but she doesn't really do a very good job; and she didn't have the camera out once this past weekend.
Oh, well. I confess to not doing much to encourage J to video or to type out my blog for me. I have not been feeling my best. Bados gave me the plague. OK, not the plague, but I have not felt well this week until yesterday or today.
At least I never got as sick as Bados was. Bados got sick en route to California for the Iron Hound competition. He started having watery and ultimately blood-tinged watery diarrhea in I-Van driving to Mt Shasta last thursday. Yuk. That did not smell good. Even though he does not walk while pooping, it managed to soil several pillows & was all over his tail & leg fringe. Disgusting. I had to curl up in a corner far away from him. He was so miserable.
Things seemed to slow down after we got to Mt Shasta (where we stay with Max, Bert, & their people), but he was definitely still not well. Friday morning J took him to a vet in Mt Shasta. They couldn't find a certain source, but they gave him SQ fluids because he was so dehydrated & started metronidazole, a dewormer (just in case), and something for nausea. No more runs, but his poop was not 100% normal for a few days.
Of course, as soon as his poop improved, I started to feel bad & crampy. I am proud to say I never lost control & was able to get J's attention for a walk when needed. I was not as bad off as he had been, thank Dog!
On Saturday, Bados straight raced OK. For better or worse, J included me in the racing. I could not contain myself. He & I were in the 1st race together. I had a great start, but when he passed me I felt compelled to interfere. What can I say . . . the spirit moves me. J was pissed & scratched me even though no one called a foul. She thought it was pretty obvious; I thought I was subtle. Oh, well.
Bados came in 4th. Not bad for him with tough competition. I think he even beat his dad - but that was a fluke of the wave & small field, I think. They did not actually run against each other.
On Sunday, J did not enter me for Oval racing. Fine. But - honestly - that game is the easiest! I KNOW where the lure is going. It is so easy to get there 1st since the other dogs follow it around while I can just run across! She did let me practice. The 1st time a 'teased' her & ran around after a short stalk. That was fun, but by the 2nd practice, I was beginning to feel a bit iffy and tried to lure the operator into letting me catch it early or with out running. This did not work. J tried to catch me and I just kept inching ahead toward the lure as she came up behind me. The lure operator would move the lure ahead as soon as I moved forward, so I managed to LURE J to trot all around the oval. TeeHee.
Oh, Garis won, and Bados came in 3rd - which is very good for him in Oval racing.
On Monday, Bados was feeling mostly back to normal. He came in 2nd by 1 point to Yuu-Ga in Open. Garis won Field Ch. I was really not feeling well (that GI stuff. Thanks, BadAss) and could not motivate very well. I stalked a little, but was just not into it. J scratched me from the finals.
I wish I could tell you who won the Iron Hound, but I am not sure. There is debate over whether the "top" Iron Hound placement for the day should be the dog with the highest score for prelim & finals - or the dog who WON the Best of Breed. Depending on that ruling, the title could go to either Yuu-Ga (1st in Straight, 2nd in Oval, 1st in LC Open) or to Garis (1st in Oval, 2nd in Straight, 1st in FCh AND BoB). Yuu-Ga had a higher score after the Prelim & Final - but for him to win the LC day in terms of the Iron Hound doesn't quite seem right after Garis beat him for BoB. I am curious to see who won the title - but I am not sure what I will think of the decision. Sigh. There is much less drama if one just runs in Singles as I do.
The delay in posting is a combined fault by both J & myself. Of course, mostly, J's fault.
We got home late Sunday - (actually earlier than I expected) - and then J had to get to work early on Monday and take Luka to the vet after work. She was too tired to transcribe for me; perhaps I need to hire a secretary. J pretends to be my publicist, but she doesn't really do a very good job; and she didn't have the camera out once this past weekend.
Oh, well. I confess to not doing much to encourage J to video or to type out my blog for me. I have not been feeling my best. Bados gave me the plague. OK, not the plague, but I have not felt well this week until yesterday or today.
At least I never got as sick as Bados was. Bados got sick en route to California for the Iron Hound competition. He started having watery and ultimately blood-tinged watery diarrhea in I-Van driving to Mt Shasta last thursday. Yuk. That did not smell good. Even though he does not walk while pooping, it managed to soil several pillows & was all over his tail & leg fringe. Disgusting. I had to curl up in a corner far away from him. He was so miserable.
Things seemed to slow down after we got to Mt Shasta (where we stay with Max, Bert, & their people), but he was definitely still not well. Friday morning J took him to a vet in Mt Shasta. They couldn't find a certain source, but they gave him SQ fluids because he was so dehydrated & started metronidazole, a dewormer (just in case), and something for nausea. No more runs, but his poop was not 100% normal for a few days.
Of course, as soon as his poop improved, I started to feel bad & crampy. I am proud to say I never lost control & was able to get J's attention for a walk when needed. I was not as bad off as he had been, thank Dog!
On Saturday, Bados straight raced OK. For better or worse, J included me in the racing. I could not contain myself. He & I were in the 1st race together. I had a great start, but when he passed me I felt compelled to interfere. What can I say . . . the spirit moves me. J was pissed & scratched me even though no one called a foul. She thought it was pretty obvious; I thought I was subtle. Oh, well.
Bados came in 4th. Not bad for him with tough competition. I think he even beat his dad - but that was a fluke of the wave & small field, I think. They did not actually run against each other.
On Sunday, J did not enter me for Oval racing. Fine. But - honestly - that game is the easiest! I KNOW where the lure is going. It is so easy to get there 1st since the other dogs follow it around while I can just run across! She did let me practice. The 1st time a 'teased' her & ran around after a short stalk. That was fun, but by the 2nd practice, I was beginning to feel a bit iffy and tried to lure the operator into letting me catch it early or with out running. This did not work. J tried to catch me and I just kept inching ahead toward the lure as she came up behind me. The lure operator would move the lure ahead as soon as I moved forward, so I managed to LURE J to trot all around the oval. TeeHee.
Oh, Garis won, and Bados came in 3rd - which is very good for him in Oval racing.
On Monday, Bados was feeling mostly back to normal. He came in 2nd by 1 point to Yuu-Ga in Open. Garis won Field Ch. I was really not feeling well (that GI stuff. Thanks, BadAss) and could not motivate very well. I stalked a little, but was just not into it. J scratched me from the finals.
I wish I could tell you who won the Iron Hound, but I am not sure. There is debate over whether the "top" Iron Hound placement for the day should be the dog with the highest score for prelim & finals - or the dog who WON the Best of Breed. Depending on that ruling, the title could go to either Yuu-Ga (1st in Straight, 2nd in Oval, 1st in LC Open) or to Garis (1st in Oval, 2nd in Straight, 1st in FCh AND BoB). Yuu-Ga had a higher score after the Prelim & Final - but for him to win the LC day in terms of the Iron Hound doesn't quite seem right after Garis beat him for BoB. I am curious to see who won the title - but I am not sure what I will think of the decision. Sigh. There is much less drama if one just runs in Singles as I do.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Silken Celebration
OMG. I am exhausted. I've had so much fun the last few days.
Friday was not fun, but it was busy. J gave everyone a bath. I am not particularly fond of baths. However, baths were necessary because J had entered Bados, Appley, & I in the conformation shows (aka beauty pageants) at the Silken Celebration on Saturday. J kept trying to fluff my coat to make it look fuller & curly. Blah, blah. I am simply svelte. In this house, it is the boys who are fluffy. When Appley is wet, it is easy to see he is a touch chubby; but when he is 'fluffed', this can be mistaken for more coat.
Saturday we were off to the shows. These get pretty boring most of the time, and I don't particularly like being poked & prodded by the judge. There was also something in the grass near the entry that just smelled heavenly. I wanted to roll in it, but J would not let me.
I wish I could give a good report on the show, but J really let me down here. I TOLD her that she needed to mark class placements in her program, but she loaned it to someone else & then forgot about it. How am I supposed to know all the results? I was locked in an x-pen off the field & behind some vehicles.
For the ISWS show I think that Winner's Dog was Allagante Winsome Riviera (he is Bados' nephew) and that Winsome Peppermint Patty was Best Puppy & then got Winners Bitch or Best of Winners - something like that. Damn, I wish J had not lost her catalog. J is no help in remembering because she was in LA LA Land after Bados won ISWS BEST IN SHOW!!!! She was beside herself.
In the UKC class that afternoon, Bados was defeated by Tootsie (Allagante Hot Tamale) in the Gr CH class; that is the more common outcome. Tootsie is very good at the beauty pageant stuff. She went on to win Best in Show for the afternoon.
How did I do? well, Claudia's Mikey had won Best Male Companion for the ISWS show and the Campbell's Moto had won Best Altered Male for the UKC show, but I behaved myself despite some distractions for the Altered/Companion Best in Show classes and pulled out both wins. The UKC judge was very flattering to both Moto & me. The judge implied maybe we should not have been neutered, but honestly, I am thrilled not to have to put up with those cycles & miss events.
You will have to rely on someone else for more show details. J is useless on that one; no help to me at all.
Sunday was straight racing. J actually let both Appley & me compete! Appley was Appley, and won the turtle award; Bados was just above mid pack. I think if we had a longer, flatter yard at home Bados might do a bit better. We do more jumping up the 'tiers' on the hillside & then just short spurts of speed when playing. Oh, well. C'est la vie.
J scratched me before the last program; she was afraid I might interfere with Bados as were were in the same race. Hmm. I don't know; it would have been very tempting.
BTW> Teddy, of course, won. He is amazing. My pal, Lego, came in second right behind him. Then Murphy, I think. J says all the results were posted by Terri Campbell.
Today was Lure Coursing. This is Bados' & my favorite. Most of the dogs had REALLY good runs in the prelims & it was very tight, but somehow they managed not to have any ties after the finals even though most dogs ran well. Bados finished out of the placements; I hear he cut a lot of corners.
Hudson, who is visiting from NYC, ran beautifully both times and managed the tight end turns very well despite being a big boy. He won and (I think) finished his ASFA FCh!! Actually I think he got his straight racing Championship on Saturday, too. I guess it was a good trip. vbg.
Cute little Nova got 2nd place. I think the remaining placements went to Meggie, Sahara, and Tootsie - but I am not sure of the order. Hey, if J forgets to write stuff down for me; it's hard for me to keep it straight; I've got other things on my mind.
I ran in Singles as usual. The prelims was a blast! I managed to figure out the route in 2 areas & lie in wait for my 'prey'. J was thrilled that - despite my brilliance - I ran enough to get a respectable score. In the final the lure operator was messing with me! He kept altering the speed of the lure to keep me guessing. I never got far enough ahead of it to stalk. Sigh. Oh, well. This made J very happy because I had a 'qualifying' score for the day. Now she is pissed at herself for not entering Appley in singles as 'filler' - so that I would have a win against competition. Even at my most clever, I score better than him.
They gave me a "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" Award. Cool.
Now it is definitely time for bed!!
Friday was not fun, but it was busy. J gave everyone a bath. I am not particularly fond of baths. However, baths were necessary because J had entered Bados, Appley, & I in the conformation shows (aka beauty pageants) at the Silken Celebration on Saturday. J kept trying to fluff my coat to make it look fuller & curly. Blah, blah. I am simply svelte. In this house, it is the boys who are fluffy. When Appley is wet, it is easy to see he is a touch chubby; but when he is 'fluffed', this can be mistaken for more coat.
Saturday we were off to the shows. These get pretty boring most of the time, and I don't particularly like being poked & prodded by the judge. There was also something in the grass near the entry that just smelled heavenly. I wanted to roll in it, but J would not let me.
I wish I could give a good report on the show, but J really let me down here. I TOLD her that she needed to mark class placements in her program, but she loaned it to someone else & then forgot about it. How am I supposed to know all the results? I was locked in an x-pen off the field & behind some vehicles.
For the ISWS show I think that Winner's Dog was Allagante Winsome Riviera (he is Bados' nephew) and that Winsome Peppermint Patty was Best Puppy & then got Winners Bitch or Best of Winners - something like that. Damn, I wish J had not lost her catalog. J is no help in remembering because she was in LA LA Land after Bados won ISWS BEST IN SHOW!!!! She was beside herself.
In the UKC class that afternoon, Bados was defeated by Tootsie (Allagante Hot Tamale) in the Gr CH class; that is the more common outcome. Tootsie is very good at the beauty pageant stuff. She went on to win Best in Show for the afternoon.
How did I do? well, Claudia's Mikey had won Best Male Companion for the ISWS show and the Campbell's Moto had won Best Altered Male for the UKC show, but I behaved myself despite some distractions for the Altered/Companion Best in Show classes and pulled out both wins. The UKC judge was very flattering to both Moto & me. The judge implied maybe we should not have been neutered, but honestly, I am thrilled not to have to put up with those cycles & miss events.
You will have to rely on someone else for more show details. J is useless on that one; no help to me at all.
Sunday was straight racing. J actually let both Appley & me compete! Appley was Appley, and won the turtle award; Bados was just above mid pack. I think if we had a longer, flatter yard at home Bados might do a bit better. We do more jumping up the 'tiers' on the hillside & then just short spurts of speed when playing. Oh, well. C'est la vie.
J scratched me before the last program; she was afraid I might interfere with Bados as were were in the same race. Hmm. I don't know; it would have been very tempting.
BTW> Teddy, of course, won. He is amazing. My pal, Lego, came in second right behind him. Then Murphy, I think. J says all the results were posted by Terri Campbell.
Today was Lure Coursing. This is Bados' & my favorite. Most of the dogs had REALLY good runs in the prelims & it was very tight, but somehow they managed not to have any ties after the finals even though most dogs ran well. Bados finished out of the placements; I hear he cut a lot of corners.
Hudson, who is visiting from NYC, ran beautifully both times and managed the tight end turns very well despite being a big boy. He won and (I think) finished his ASFA FCh!! Actually I think he got his straight racing Championship on Saturday, too. I guess it was a good trip. vbg.
Cute little Nova got 2nd place. I think the remaining placements went to Meggie, Sahara, and Tootsie - but I am not sure of the order. Hey, if J forgets to write stuff down for me; it's hard for me to keep it straight; I've got other things on my mind.
I ran in Singles as usual. The prelims was a blast! I managed to figure out the route in 2 areas & lie in wait for my 'prey'. J was thrilled that - despite my brilliance - I ran enough to get a respectable score. In the final the lure operator was messing with me! He kept altering the speed of the lure to keep me guessing. I never got far enough ahead of it to stalk. Sigh. Oh, well. This made J very happy because I had a 'qualifying' score for the day. Now she is pissed at herself for not entering Appley in singles as 'filler' - so that I would have a win against competition. Even at my most clever, I score better than him.
They gave me a "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" Award. Cool.
Now it is definitely time for bed!!
Monday, August 20, 2012
Fun at Allagante
On Saturday, J took Bados & I out to Allagante for some practice runs. Frankie, Nova, and Buttercup were there, too - along with all the Allagante dogs, of course.
Nova was a bit tentative running with faster dogs, but she may be getting the idea. Buttercup was not interested at all until her mom waited at the end to catch her rather than helping to load at the box. I guess she'll be just like Appley & only race if her mom is waiting at the end. Frankie & Nike ran great (as always).
Bados ran well most of the time, but he really need to work on getting out of the box faster - then he would not have to struggle to catch & pass the leaders - that's not always possible with fast dogs. The last practice he got frustrated & snapped at Nike when passing. That was a 1st for Mr. Focus. NIke had been really annoying earlier up at the house, but I hadn't noticed him irritating Bados. Maybe he did. Who knows . . .
I ran by myself. I confess that I get snappy when I'm passed; it's just so frustrating to be passed when you are running your fastest. Anyway, it's still fun to chase the lure. Plus, when running alone you get to bring the lure back to the start. I brought it all the way back after all 3 practice runs..
A neighbor came over with his "rat"; I mean his overweight Jack Russell. J had me on a leash when the man picked up the Jack Russell and stuck it in my face. I think this was supposed to be an introduction, but the "rat" snapped at my face. I lost it & snapped back. Geez, the man acted like I had started it!! Everyone else who saw it knew that it was not my doing. Well, I didn't get a tooth on the rat, but I did get J's hand as she whisked me away. That was embarrassing. At least I didn't snap hard enough to break the skin. Her hand is OK.
The next day J took Mintz & Appley to a UKC show down in Albany, OR. Our friends Lego, Patty, Maggie, River, Tootsie, & Breezy were there. Lego had earned a Grand Championship the day before. Some other dogs that I know slightly were there, too: Teddy, Poppy, Cobweb, Moto, Cooper, Xerox, Summer, & Gemma. But I wasn't there. I am sure I could have won Altered Breed, Group, and maybe even Altered BiS - but no - J didn't take me. Mintz & Appley split it; each won Altered Group once. Neither won BiS, but I think that's because they were doing the judging in a very screwed up way.
Each of the 2 judges only judged 1/2 of the groups represented for each show - alternating for the 2 shows. Well, the judge who had selected best of the sighthound group was not the same judge for BiS. Not surprisingly, this judge did not pick the sighthound (Appley v Mintz)- which she had not selected as Best in Group (in the other show). The Bulldog won both shows - hmm, the same BiS judge had picked 'Best' for that Group. According to J, she heard the BiS judge ask where the Greyhound was when he did not appear in the BiS ring; she was surprised & disappointed to learn that the other judge had not picked him for the Group. Oh, well.
Nova was a bit tentative running with faster dogs, but she may be getting the idea. Buttercup was not interested at all until her mom waited at the end to catch her rather than helping to load at the box. I guess she'll be just like Appley & only race if her mom is waiting at the end. Frankie & Nike ran great (as always).
Bados ran well most of the time, but he really need to work on getting out of the box faster - then he would not have to struggle to catch & pass the leaders - that's not always possible with fast dogs. The last practice he got frustrated & snapped at Nike when passing. That was a 1st for Mr. Focus. NIke had been really annoying earlier up at the house, but I hadn't noticed him irritating Bados. Maybe he did. Who knows . . .
I ran by myself. I confess that I get snappy when I'm passed; it's just so frustrating to be passed when you are running your fastest. Anyway, it's still fun to chase the lure. Plus, when running alone you get to bring the lure back to the start. I brought it all the way back after all 3 practice runs..
A neighbor came over with his "rat"; I mean his overweight Jack Russell. J had me on a leash when the man picked up the Jack Russell and stuck it in my face. I think this was supposed to be an introduction, but the "rat" snapped at my face. I lost it & snapped back. Geez, the man acted like I had started it!! Everyone else who saw it knew that it was not my doing. Well, I didn't get a tooth on the rat, but I did get J's hand as she whisked me away. That was embarrassing. At least I didn't snap hard enough to break the skin. Her hand is OK.
The next day J took Mintz & Appley to a UKC show down in Albany, OR. Our friends Lego, Patty, Maggie, River, Tootsie, & Breezy were there. Lego had earned a Grand Championship the day before. Some other dogs that I know slightly were there, too: Teddy, Poppy, Cobweb, Moto, Cooper, Xerox, Summer, & Gemma. But I wasn't there. I am sure I could have won Altered Breed, Group, and maybe even Altered BiS - but no - J didn't take me. Mintz & Appley split it; each won Altered Group once. Neither won BiS, but I think that's because they were doing the judging in a very screwed up way.
Each of the 2 judges only judged 1/2 of the groups represented for each show - alternating for the 2 shows. Well, the judge who had selected best of the sighthound group was not the same judge for BiS. Not surprisingly, this judge did not pick the sighthound (Appley v Mintz)- which she had not selected as Best in Group (in the other show). The Bulldog won both shows - hmm, the same BiS judge had picked 'Best' for that Group. According to J, she heard the BiS judge ask where the Greyhound was when he did not appear in the BiS ring; she was surprised & disappointed to learn that the other judge had not picked him for the Group. Oh, well.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Mintz Update
Well, life was pretty boring this week. No excitement for us pups what so ever. Sigh.
I guess I had a better week than Mintz &Luka; both went to the vet. Luka just had a follow-up chest x-ray. She had been having chemo therapy for her osteosarcoma and has an occasional cough. It's more of a gag really; probably laryngeomalacia or something. She had this even before the osteosarcoma, but it could be slightly worse now. The vet & J just wanted to make sure that the subtle change in her cough was not actually a lung metastases of the sarcoma. Her lungs look good. No changes, yeah!
Mintz got to go on an excursion down to Oregon State University. He had those large toes on his R rear foot & walks oddly on that foot sometimes. Dr. Radcliffe (who spoke at Silkenfest) had recommended Dr. Linda Blythe as a Greyhound sports medicine specialist. Unfortunately, Dr. Blythe is not working in the clinic now, but she recommended one of her OSU colleagues. Mintz said that even though Dr. Blythe was not working, she came to meet them at the clinic. Mintz was very flattered. J enjoyed speaking with her about Greyhounds in general.
Mixed results: with Mintz's new injury from a few weeks ago, the OSU resident & vet student could not help but focus on THAT foot. The good part of this is that they discovered another injury from that accident. He tore his iliopsoas muscle up near his hip. On their exam this bothered him more than either foot, even though the injury was not as visually obvious as the cut foot. They recommended PT at a place in Portland.
Mixed feelings: although they did find the muscle injury & refer MIntz to PT, the OSU folk never addressed the original foot problem. J is quite irked that the vet that Dr. Blythe had recommended she make an appointment with NEVER joined them - just the student & surgical resident. It was late (& J was post-call) by the time she realized that that vet was really not going to make an appearance. Now she is annoyed at herself for not asking to speak with that vet before leaving.
This weekend we were supposed to go down to race at Cottage Grove, but that has been cancelled. I hope J finds something else interesting for us to do.
I guess I had a better week than Mintz &Luka; both went to the vet. Luka just had a follow-up chest x-ray. She had been having chemo therapy for her osteosarcoma and has an occasional cough. It's more of a gag really; probably laryngeomalacia or something. She had this even before the osteosarcoma, but it could be slightly worse now. The vet & J just wanted to make sure that the subtle change in her cough was not actually a lung metastases of the sarcoma. Her lungs look good. No changes, yeah!
Mintz got to go on an excursion down to Oregon State University. He had those large toes on his R rear foot & walks oddly on that foot sometimes. Dr. Radcliffe (who spoke at Silkenfest) had recommended Dr. Linda Blythe as a Greyhound sports medicine specialist. Unfortunately, Dr. Blythe is not working in the clinic now, but she recommended one of her OSU colleagues. Mintz said that even though Dr. Blythe was not working, she came to meet them at the clinic. Mintz was very flattered. J enjoyed speaking with her about Greyhounds in general.
Mixed results: with Mintz's new injury from a few weeks ago, the OSU resident & vet student could not help but focus on THAT foot. The good part of this is that they discovered another injury from that accident. He tore his iliopsoas muscle up near his hip. On their exam this bothered him more than either foot, even though the injury was not as visually obvious as the cut foot. They recommended PT at a place in Portland.
Mixed feelings: although they did find the muscle injury & refer MIntz to PT, the OSU folk never addressed the original foot problem. J is quite irked that the vet that Dr. Blythe had recommended she make an appointment with NEVER joined them - just the student & surgical resident. It was late (& J was post-call) by the time she realized that that vet was really not going to make an appearance. Now she is annoyed at herself for not asking to speak with that vet before leaving.
This weekend we were supposed to go down to race at Cottage Grove, but that has been cancelled. I hope J finds something else interesting for us to do.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Some like it hot
Some like it hot - but this may be a bit much. It was over 100F on Saturday.
We Silkens have more hair, but I think we tolerate the heat better. Mintz & Luka pant & pant. It is a little cooler in the basement, but not tons - it is a daylight basement and gets afternoon sun on the 'daylight' side. Oh, well.
J & Rob put fans all over the house. They freak Luka out but definitely help. If J makes Luka lie down by one, she will begin to relax after a while.
Sunday was not quite so toasty. J took Bados & I to a practice down in Junction City, OR. We had not played with that group before. I think all those people usually course AKC. Anyway, they were very welcoming to J. A few Afghans, Whippets, Borzoi, and Greyhounds were there. Because the Greys were there, J was sad that Mintz's foot is still bothering him from last weekend (it is getting better, though).
The cool thing about there lure was that it was reversible! No one waited at the far end of the field for catching. As long as we didn't catch it at the end they would start it up going the other way. What a fun surprise the 1st time I ran! I had begun to raise my head & fan out - anticipating a turn - when it stopped & started going back the opposite direction! How sneaky!! I zoomed back down to the start to catch it.
The 2nd time they had me run with an older Whippet. This confused me at first because they released him late and then he only ran part way. I continued toward the end of the field, but could not decide what to do. They mixed up the direction a couple of times in short bursts to throw me off. I'm not sure what I did to get them moving it again, but I got in a good sprint & capture both in mid field & near the end. I'll need to think about how to manage that reversible lure if we go back. Very tricky . . . I love it.
I was so HOT when I was done. It is hard to be a very dark brindle on a hot, sunny day.
Lots of panting! Bados was panting a lot after his runs (respectable & speedy), but I think I was worse. We drank lots of water - pausing for more panting, and J kept trying to spritz me with water which I find annoying.
The fans were on, so it was cooler inside Ivan than in the sun; but it was still better to get Ivan's engine started & the AC on. Bados & I slept all the way home.
We Silkens have more hair, but I think we tolerate the heat better. Mintz & Luka pant & pant. It is a little cooler in the basement, but not tons - it is a daylight basement and gets afternoon sun on the 'daylight' side. Oh, well.
J & Rob put fans all over the house. They freak Luka out but definitely help. If J makes Luka lie down by one, she will begin to relax after a while.
Sunday was not quite so toasty. J took Bados & I to a practice down in Junction City, OR. We had not played with that group before. I think all those people usually course AKC. Anyway, they were very welcoming to J. A few Afghans, Whippets, Borzoi, and Greyhounds were there. Because the Greys were there, J was sad that Mintz's foot is still bothering him from last weekend (it is getting better, though).
The cool thing about there lure was that it was reversible! No one waited at the far end of the field for catching. As long as we didn't catch it at the end they would start it up going the other way. What a fun surprise the 1st time I ran! I had begun to raise my head & fan out - anticipating a turn - when it stopped & started going back the opposite direction! How sneaky!! I zoomed back down to the start to catch it.
The 2nd time they had me run with an older Whippet. This confused me at first because they released him late and then he only ran part way. I continued toward the end of the field, but could not decide what to do. They mixed up the direction a couple of times in short bursts to throw me off. I'm not sure what I did to get them moving it again, but I got in a good sprint & capture both in mid field & near the end. I'll need to think about how to manage that reversible lure if we go back. Very tricky . . . I love it.
I was so HOT when I was done. It is hard to be a very dark brindle on a hot, sunny day.
Lots of panting! Bados was panting a lot after his runs (respectable & speedy), but I think I was worse. We drank lots of water - pausing for more panting, and J kept trying to spritz me with water which I find annoying.
The fans were on, so it was cooler inside Ivan than in the sun; but it was still better to get Ivan's engine started & the AC on. Bados & I slept all the way home.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
LC @ Roy (& a scary story about Mintz)
Although there were some low points, this was a FUN weekend. J (with her Mom who is in town) drove Bados, Mintz & I up to Roy for coursing.
Sometimes when we go to Roy we stay both Friday & Saturday with Lego, Patty, & now Maggie. I love that because their place (aka the Stetson Inn) is fabulous. The yard is huge, & those guys are fun to play with. Unfortunately, J wanted to stay in PDX friday night to watch the Olympic Opening Ceremony. That looked pretty boring to me: a bunch of people parading about. Then on Saturday we stayed at the "Stetson Inn", but Lego & the gang went up to spend the night with Tootsie. This was confusing to me, but it had to do with Tootsie's person needing a ride down for Sunday. Oh, well. The event ran very late on Saturday so we would not have had much time to play anyway.
For coursing on Saturday, I ran a fair bit of the course & didn't manage to stalk at all. It was not a continuous loop, and I find it harder to determine where the lure is going with the drag lure. My fans were disappointed, but J was optimistic that I might earn a 'qualifying score'. Whatever, I managed to figure it out on the second run & 'tagged' the lure after stalking at about 3/4 through the loop. I 'tied' with Chino, but neither of us had 'qualifying scores' so J was disappointed. Whatever.
Bados got off to a mediocre start in the prelims, but he got his act together & coursed super in the finals. He didn't win or anything, but he pulled from middle of the pack into a tie for 3-4-NBQ. He coursed even better in the run off & earned 3rd place. I will let the humans post the full finish order somewhere. I forgot the details. Actually, I wasn't really paying attention because I was worried about Mintz.
Mintz? Yes, Mintz. I know I pretend not to care about him, but I do a little. Anyway, in the prelims he was looking great until he made a short cut when the lure was turning at the far end of the course. Being speedy, he got so far ahead of the lure that they couldn't get it ahead of him as he came down hill into a coming into a tricky turn. This should only have resulted in his taking a wide turn, BUT the irrigation sprinkler was (at that speed) nearish the side of the field. We all held our breath as Mintz tried to brake & turn but seemed headed for the sprinkler. ( I was watching from my little window in Ivan). Then suddenly he was on the far side of the sprinkler; he had managed to duck underneath it. It took mere seconds but seemed like forever. Even more surprisingly, after a short pause, Mintz kept moving and came around the far end of the sprinkler to complete the course. Whoosh.
At first he seemed completely OK, but J scratched him immediately. Walking him more, he would alternately favor one leg rear leg or the other. J gave him a Rimadyl - which seemed like a good idea, but then he started to have bleeding & clear bruising between 2 toes on his left rear. Maybe he hit it on the sprinkler? The foot is even more sore & swollen today. J is worried. She cleaned it, applied antibiotic ointment, gave him Tramadol, & tonight has put a splint on it to help him keep weight off those toes. He is miserable. If it looks bad tomorrow she may take him to the vet.
Well, I have written a lot so I'll be quick in my Sunday report - I am sure humans will post details to their web lists. BoB was Garis, who earned his FCh today. Bados earned 2nd after a run off with Nike. Nike stepped on the line & may have a line burn; hopefully this will not turn out to be as big a deal as Mintz's injury.
I had a blast & got my toes on the lure during both runs! I managed to predict & stalk twice on the prelims. The finals was good, too. Of course, J was busy checking on Mintz & never remembered to get the video camera. Sorry, fans; no new movie.
Until next week . . .
Sometimes when we go to Roy we stay both Friday & Saturday with Lego, Patty, & now Maggie. I love that because their place (aka the Stetson Inn) is fabulous. The yard is huge, & those guys are fun to play with. Unfortunately, J wanted to stay in PDX friday night to watch the Olympic Opening Ceremony. That looked pretty boring to me: a bunch of people parading about. Then on Saturday we stayed at the "Stetson Inn", but Lego & the gang went up to spend the night with Tootsie. This was confusing to me, but it had to do with Tootsie's person needing a ride down for Sunday. Oh, well. The event ran very late on Saturday so we would not have had much time to play anyway.
For coursing on Saturday, I ran a fair bit of the course & didn't manage to stalk at all. It was not a continuous loop, and I find it harder to determine where the lure is going with the drag lure. My fans were disappointed, but J was optimistic that I might earn a 'qualifying score'. Whatever, I managed to figure it out on the second run & 'tagged' the lure after stalking at about 3/4 through the loop. I 'tied' with Chino, but neither of us had 'qualifying scores' so J was disappointed. Whatever.
Bados got off to a mediocre start in the prelims, but he got his act together & coursed super in the finals. He didn't win or anything, but he pulled from middle of the pack into a tie for 3-4-NBQ. He coursed even better in the run off & earned 3rd place. I will let the humans post the full finish order somewhere. I forgot the details. Actually, I wasn't really paying attention because I was worried about Mintz.
Mintz? Yes, Mintz. I know I pretend not to care about him, but I do a little. Anyway, in the prelims he was looking great until he made a short cut when the lure was turning at the far end of the course. Being speedy, he got so far ahead of the lure that they couldn't get it ahead of him as he came down hill into a coming into a tricky turn. This should only have resulted in his taking a wide turn, BUT the irrigation sprinkler was (at that speed) nearish the side of the field. We all held our breath as Mintz tried to brake & turn but seemed headed for the sprinkler. ( I was watching from my little window in Ivan). Then suddenly he was on the far side of the sprinkler; he had managed to duck underneath it. It took mere seconds but seemed like forever. Even more surprisingly, after a short pause, Mintz kept moving and came around the far end of the sprinkler to complete the course. Whoosh.
At first he seemed completely OK, but J scratched him immediately. Walking him more, he would alternately favor one leg rear leg or the other. J gave him a Rimadyl - which seemed like a good idea, but then he started to have bleeding & clear bruising between 2 toes on his left rear. Maybe he hit it on the sprinkler? The foot is even more sore & swollen today. J is worried. She cleaned it, applied antibiotic ointment, gave him Tramadol, & tonight has put a splint on it to help him keep weight off those toes. He is miserable. If it looks bad tomorrow she may take him to the vet.
Well, I have written a lot so I'll be quick in my Sunday report - I am sure humans will post details to their web lists. BoB was Garis, who earned his FCh today. Bados earned 2nd after a run off with Nike. Nike stepped on the line & may have a line burn; hopefully this will not turn out to be as big a deal as Mintz's injury.
I had a blast & got my toes on the lure during both runs! I managed to predict & stalk twice on the prelims. The finals was good, too. Of course, J was busy checking on Mintz & never remembered to get the video camera. Sorry, fans; no new movie.
Until next week . . .
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Human Grandma's visit & parties
Oops. I forgot to post last weekend. Sorry.
Honestly, though, nothing really happened. J & Rob did take us to an off leash area on Sunday, but it wasn't the field we usually go to & none of our Sighthound friends were there.
This week J's mom, Genia, arrived on Wednesday. This is good; she is an easy mark for treats. Luka is not even very afraid of her (Luka is afraid of almost everybody). Of course, Luka has known her for about 9 years now. It takes Luka time to warm up to people. Genia also really likes Appley. Perhaps she has a soft spot for the more timid souls.
J had parties on both friday & sunday. Friday was neighbors & a few other friends; sunday was her work colleagues. The people sat on the patio, and J set up some x-pens to extend our yard so that we could watch the people. Unfortunately, I could not reach the tables; their food smelled enticing. Today some of the CRNAs that work with J brought their children. These are small, clumsy humans with smaller vocabularies; kind of like puppies. Big & small people all seemed most impressed by Mintz; there is no accounting for taste. He is huge & excessively friendly; I guess that's appealling. OK, he is handsome, too, but he could show a little restraint.
We also got to go to the "Greyhound Playgroup" today. There used to be only Greyhounds, but now the Greys are outnumbered by other sighthounds. Minnie (Grey) and Thor (Whippet) were the only other dogs today - not counting the lab who lives nearby. I really like Thor; he is just about my size. Mintz was enchanted with Minnie. He thought she was pretty hot. Bados & I played & fought & raced about. Thor joined in the racing bit. Between this & the parties, I am exhausted.
In the future, I think I will write on Mondays. On weekends that we go to events, J gets tired & doesn't want to help me blog. I can't really do her without her as I can't type. No opposable thumbs.
Anyway: Mondays for the blog from now on. I'll remind you next weekend after we get m=back from coursing at Roy. That should be a blast!
Honestly, though, nothing really happened. J & Rob did take us to an off leash area on Sunday, but it wasn't the field we usually go to & none of our Sighthound friends were there.
This week J's mom, Genia, arrived on Wednesday. This is good; she is an easy mark for treats. Luka is not even very afraid of her (Luka is afraid of almost everybody). Of course, Luka has known her for about 9 years now. It takes Luka time to warm up to people. Genia also really likes Appley. Perhaps she has a soft spot for the more timid souls.
J had parties on both friday & sunday. Friday was neighbors & a few other friends; sunday was her work colleagues. The people sat on the patio, and J set up some x-pens to extend our yard so that we could watch the people. Unfortunately, I could not reach the tables; their food smelled enticing. Today some of the CRNAs that work with J brought their children. These are small, clumsy humans with smaller vocabularies; kind of like puppies. Big & small people all seemed most impressed by Mintz; there is no accounting for taste. He is huge & excessively friendly; I guess that's appealling. OK, he is handsome, too, but he could show a little restraint.
We also got to go to the "Greyhound Playgroup" today. There used to be only Greyhounds, but now the Greys are outnumbered by other sighthounds. Minnie (Grey) and Thor (Whippet) were the only other dogs today - not counting the lab who lives nearby. I really like Thor; he is just about my size. Mintz was enchanted with Minnie. He thought she was pretty hot. Bados & I played & fought & raced about. Thor joined in the racing bit. Between this & the parties, I am exhausted.
In the future, I think I will write on Mondays. On weekends that we go to events, J gets tired & doesn't want to help me blog. I can't really do her without her as I can't type. No opposable thumbs.
Anyway: Mondays for the blog from now on. I'll remind you next weekend after we get m=back from coursing at Roy. That should be a blast!
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Fun at NWFest
This weekend was a blast! Well, Saturday & Sunday were a blast. Friday I sat at home with Appley, Luka, and Mintz while Bados went on an excursion with J. Boy, have we heard a lot about that from the big-headed BadAss; we may never hear the end of it . . .
He & J went to the NWFest Conformation Show. J had not expected to be able to be at the show as she was supposed to work. Iola had agreed to show him for her, but in the end she made it to NWFest just before the show started.
Not only did Bados manage to win his American-bred Class & Winners Dog (which earned him an ISWS CH). He went on to win Best of Winners, Best of Breed, & Best in Show. I think Karen Sander's Sky was Best Opposite, but Bados was too busy bragging about himself to give any details. I point out to him that he necessarily won BIS by winning BOB as this was a specialty show with no other breeds represented (while I had to beat other breeds to get my 2 Altered BIS rosettes last weekend at the UKC shows), but this does nothing to reduce his swagger. BISS RBIS, ISWS CH, ICKC Int'l CH, UKC Grand CH Allagante WindSpirit Barbados ISWS LCM SRC. Thats a lot of initials; I probably got the order wrong.
Saturday was more fun for me - and, if Bados could set his ego aside, he'd probably agree. Bados went straight racing; Appley & I got to practice. One time I pulled the lure back with me about halfway. It squawks and is fun to play with. After halfway there is lots of resistance; but, as long as I don't shake it too much, J will help but still let me hold on to it while we finish walking back.
As usual, J had set up Ivan with a large 'paddock' off the side door. I completely messed with J's head by breaking out 3 times. Once I even made it to the track just as they were preparing to open to starting box, but someone alerted the starter & they stopped. Sigh. Someday they'll let me race again. Anyway, it took J several times to figure out my escape routes. My favorite was learning to open the low sliding window. It has a screen, & she had opened the glass slightly for ventilation. AHA! It was very easy to slide both further open. The window is not tall, but I am small. : ) J was mystified about how I had escaped. Unfortunately, someone saw me sneaking through when I tried again. That spoiled my game. J closed & locked the window.
Garis won (no surprise there). Bados was down at 9th I think. Being all egotistical about Friday's big win, maybe his head was not fully in the game. I don't remember the rest of the placements, except that Hudson - who came all the way from New York - did well & earned his SRC. Maybe if they let me compete, I'd pay more attention to the results.
Today was Lure Coursing, my favorite! Doing Singles instead of open allows me to focus on strategy. I got some good stalking in, and J was pleased that I still got 'qualifying' scores, finishing 4th. Chino won Singles. Whatever; judges just don't 'get it'. Did Chino manage to get a paw on the lure before the finish? No, but I did; I almost always do. Oh, I managed one escape from Ivan's paddock, too! J had not been careful enough locking the gate; I was able to push the bottom corner open.
D'Artagnan finished 1st in Open & then BoB (against Kamiah who is FCh). His humans are very proud. There was a 4 way tie for 2nd-NBQ. After the run off the result was Nike, Bados, Frankie, then Sky. All of the scores had been really close all day. There was one really sneaky, sharp turn. The dogs that got that turn best are the ones that ended up on top.
A Basenji & Mintz (Greyhound housemate) also won BoBs. Ann Chamberlain was concerned that it was too hot to run Mintz for BiF. J wasn't sure, but she's always cautious with his old foot injury. She decided not to run him for BiF. Mintz is miffed, but, when no one is looking he may be favoring that foot a tiny bit.
When we went up to the house for awards, Luka fell in the fish pond. She loves to lie in shallow pools & had not realized it was so deep. This completely freaked out both Luka & J, so we did not stay much longer. That was OK, because Hudson & D'Artagnan were being too flirty with Appley & I - and Appley is a boy! I put those boys in their place, but they were still annoying; so I did not mind leaving.
He & J went to the NWFest Conformation Show. J had not expected to be able to be at the show as she was supposed to work. Iola had agreed to show him for her, but in the end she made it to NWFest just before the show started.
Not only did Bados manage to win his American-bred Class & Winners Dog (which earned him an ISWS CH). He went on to win Best of Winners, Best of Breed, & Best in Show. I think Karen Sander's Sky was Best Opposite, but Bados was too busy bragging about himself to give any details. I point out to him that he necessarily won BIS by winning BOB as this was a specialty show with no other breeds represented (while I had to beat other breeds to get my 2 Altered BIS rosettes last weekend at the UKC shows), but this does nothing to reduce his swagger. BISS RBIS, ISWS CH, ICKC Int'l CH, UKC Grand CH Allagante WindSpirit Barbados ISWS LCM SRC. Thats a lot of initials; I probably got the order wrong.
Saturday was more fun for me - and, if Bados could set his ego aside, he'd probably agree. Bados went straight racing; Appley & I got to practice. One time I pulled the lure back with me about halfway. It squawks and is fun to play with. After halfway there is lots of resistance; but, as long as I don't shake it too much, J will help but still let me hold on to it while we finish walking back.
As usual, J had set up Ivan with a large 'paddock' off the side door. I completely messed with J's head by breaking out 3 times. Once I even made it to the track just as they were preparing to open to starting box, but someone alerted the starter & they stopped. Sigh. Someday they'll let me race again. Anyway, it took J several times to figure out my escape routes. My favorite was learning to open the low sliding window. It has a screen, & she had opened the glass slightly for ventilation. AHA! It was very easy to slide both further open. The window is not tall, but I am small. : ) J was mystified about how I had escaped. Unfortunately, someone saw me sneaking through when I tried again. That spoiled my game. J closed & locked the window.
Garis won (no surprise there). Bados was down at 9th I think. Being all egotistical about Friday's big win, maybe his head was not fully in the game. I don't remember the rest of the placements, except that Hudson - who came all the way from New York - did well & earned his SRC. Maybe if they let me compete, I'd pay more attention to the results.
Today was Lure Coursing, my favorite! Doing Singles instead of open allows me to focus on strategy. I got some good stalking in, and J was pleased that I still got 'qualifying' scores, finishing 4th. Chino won Singles. Whatever; judges just don't 'get it'. Did Chino manage to get a paw on the lure before the finish? No, but I did; I almost always do. Oh, I managed one escape from Ivan's paddock, too! J had not been careful enough locking the gate; I was able to push the bottom corner open.
D'Artagnan finished 1st in Open & then BoB (against Kamiah who is FCh). His humans are very proud. There was a 4 way tie for 2nd-NBQ. After the run off the result was Nike, Bados, Frankie, then Sky. All of the scores had been really close all day. There was one really sneaky, sharp turn. The dogs that got that turn best are the ones that ended up on top.
A Basenji & Mintz (Greyhound housemate) also won BoBs. Ann Chamberlain was concerned that it was too hot to run Mintz for BiF. J wasn't sure, but she's always cautious with his old foot injury. She decided not to run him for BiF. Mintz is miffed, but, when no one is looking he may be favoring that foot a tiny bit.
When we went up to the house for awards, Luka fell in the fish pond. She loves to lie in shallow pools & had not realized it was so deep. This completely freaked out both Luka & J, so we did not stay much longer. That was OK, because Hudson & D'Artagnan were being too flirty with Appley & I - and Appley is a boy! I put those boys in their place, but they were still annoying; so I did not mind leaving.
Monday, July 2, 2012
I'm a Champion!
Finally, J will transcribe for me so that I can blog! Have I told you yet that I am a Champion as well as being a Super Spy & Superstar?
The weekend was very busy and managed to alternate between boring & exciting. J drove Appley, Bados, Mintz, & I to the UKC Washington Classic. The plan had been to leave early Saturday, but J learned that our group was to be 1st in the ring after Jr Handlers. We would have had to leave by 5:30 & have no traffic to be sure not to miss it. This meant we left Portland Friday after J got off work & after rush hour.
We did not reach Hotel Stetson until after 10pm. OK, it is not a hotel. This is where Lego, Patty, & Maggie live with Iola Stetson, a few Irish Terriers, a German Shepard, a Miniature horse, a pony, a donkey or 2, and some chickens. It is loads of fun to stay there & play in the yard, but J made us go inside pretty quickly. Mintz could hear Iola & Lego still up & made a fuss whining until J let him go check it out (he & Lego are buddys). Nothing was really going on & finally the 75 lb baby agreed to come back & go to bed.
Saturday morning we were up early & off to Argus Ranch. In addition to our pack & Iola's three, Tootsie, River, Breezy, and Superman were there with Jane Taylor; Sky & Hillevi were there with Karen Sanders. Meg, Demi, Jarreau, and Kali were there with Claudia Cullison & Julie Lechuga, but they did not show until Sunday as their owners had to work ringside. On Sunday Poppy, Summer, and a new girl, Sasha (or Pasha?) were there with Teri Campell & her friend Ed. We missed Teddy, but he has hurt a toe & is being forced to rest.
I will not pretend that I can remember all the details of who won what. I think that with the 4 shows, Hillevi, Tootsie, & Bados (my BadAss housemate) all won a Best of Breed. Tootsie probably 2; she is like that. Toosie & Hillevi also won Best in Group on Saturday, but neither won BIS.
Bados lost Group to a Pharaoh Hound on Sunday, and that dog didn't stay for the BIS competition. Too bad Bados couldn't stand in for him. Isn't that what 1st runner up in the Miss America Pageant is supposed to do if something happens to Miss America? Oh, well, it doesn't matter: Bados is already feeling awfully proud of himself because he managed to win all 4 champion classes and earn his UKC Grand Champion title. Maybe I am proud of him, too.
Now, the Altered classes were pretty exciting & kept J very busy. Appley was in Adult male; I was in Adult Female: then she would have Karen Sanders show me for Best of Winners while J handled Appley. Then J would run get Mintz for Altered Adult Male Greyhound. As he was the only Greyhound she would then get someone to show either him or a Silken for Best in Group. I beat Appley 3 out of 4 times. In group I always finished over Mintz, plus 2 out of 3 times I also beat the handsome Pharaoh hound. Which put me in for Altered BEST in SHOW twice, which I WON TWICE!! All those wins made me an Altered Champion! I may be the first female Silken Altered Ch. Rio was the 1st male, but I cannot remember if another bitch has done this yet.
I should mention Mintz again. The big lure crazy, klutz has no clue what to do in the ring. He kept looking out across the large field for things to chase; he couldn't figure out why he had to trot around so slow and why the ring was so small. He just wanted to keep going & go faster. Anything outside the ring was more interesting, and yet somehow he managed to WIN GROUP (over Appley & a Pharaoh) & Altered BEST in SHOW for the last show. J is so proud, but he is clueless.
This is bad news for Appley, who HATES showing. With no other Altered Greys competing, Mintz will need to win Group to get his wins against competition. With this taste of victory, J will probably drag Appley out to be Mintz's competition. It could be a toss up who gets a Championship 1st between Appley's cowering from the judge & Mintz's trying to charge out of the ring. I'll get to watch the entertainment from the sidelines. : )
So long until next weekend & NWFEST.
The weekend was very busy and managed to alternate between boring & exciting. J drove Appley, Bados, Mintz, & I to the UKC Washington Classic. The plan had been to leave early Saturday, but J learned that our group was to be 1st in the ring after Jr Handlers. We would have had to leave by 5:30 & have no traffic to be sure not to miss it. This meant we left Portland Friday after J got off work & after rush hour.
We did not reach Hotel Stetson until after 10pm. OK, it is not a hotel. This is where Lego, Patty, & Maggie live with Iola Stetson, a few Irish Terriers, a German Shepard, a Miniature horse, a pony, a donkey or 2, and some chickens. It is loads of fun to stay there & play in the yard, but J made us go inside pretty quickly. Mintz could hear Iola & Lego still up & made a fuss whining until J let him go check it out (he & Lego are buddys). Nothing was really going on & finally the 75 lb baby agreed to come back & go to bed.
Saturday morning we were up early & off to Argus Ranch. In addition to our pack & Iola's three, Tootsie, River, Breezy, and Superman were there with Jane Taylor; Sky & Hillevi were there with Karen Sanders. Meg, Demi, Jarreau, and Kali were there with Claudia Cullison & Julie Lechuga, but they did not show until Sunday as their owners had to work ringside. On Sunday Poppy, Summer, and a new girl, Sasha (or Pasha?) were there with Teri Campell & her friend Ed. We missed Teddy, but he has hurt a toe & is being forced to rest.
I will not pretend that I can remember all the details of who won what. I think that with the 4 shows, Hillevi, Tootsie, & Bados (my BadAss housemate) all won a Best of Breed. Tootsie probably 2; she is like that. Toosie & Hillevi also won Best in Group on Saturday, but neither won BIS.
Bados lost Group to a Pharaoh Hound on Sunday, and that dog didn't stay for the BIS competition. Too bad Bados couldn't stand in for him. Isn't that what 1st runner up in the Miss America Pageant is supposed to do if something happens to Miss America? Oh, well, it doesn't matter: Bados is already feeling awfully proud of himself because he managed to win all 4 champion classes and earn his UKC Grand Champion title. Maybe I am proud of him, too.
Now, the Altered classes were pretty exciting & kept J very busy. Appley was in Adult male; I was in Adult Female: then she would have Karen Sanders show me for Best of Winners while J handled Appley. Then J would run get Mintz for Altered Adult Male Greyhound. As he was the only Greyhound she would then get someone to show either him or a Silken for Best in Group. I beat Appley 3 out of 4 times. In group I always finished over Mintz, plus 2 out of 3 times I also beat the handsome Pharaoh hound. Which put me in for Altered BEST in SHOW twice, which I WON TWICE!! All those wins made me an Altered Champion! I may be the first female Silken Altered Ch. Rio was the 1st male, but I cannot remember if another bitch has done this yet.
I should mention Mintz again. The big lure crazy, klutz has no clue what to do in the ring. He kept looking out across the large field for things to chase; he couldn't figure out why he had to trot around so slow and why the ring was so small. He just wanted to keep going & go faster. Anything outside the ring was more interesting, and yet somehow he managed to WIN GROUP (over Appley & a Pharaoh) & Altered BEST in SHOW for the last show. J is so proud, but he is clueless.
This is bad news for Appley, who HATES showing. With no other Altered Greys competing, Mintz will need to win Group to get his wins against competition. With this taste of victory, J will probably drag Appley out to be Mintz's competition. It could be a toss up who gets a Championship 1st between Appley's cowering from the judge & Mintz's trying to charge out of the ring. I'll get to watch the entertainment from the sidelines. : )
So long until next weekend & NWFEST.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
apologies
I said I would blog on Sundays, but J is failing me!
J complains that she is too tired to transcribe & has to work too early tomorrow. Fine. Of course, she says that; she does not have news of her own accomplishments for today. Hrumph. She swears she will post tomorrow and also send an alert to let my fans know that missing today as al her fault.
Whatever . . .
J complains that she is too tired to transcribe & has to work too early tomorrow. Fine. Of course, she says that; she does not have news of her own accomplishments for today. Hrumph. She swears she will post tomorrow and also send an alert to let my fans know that missing today as al her fault.
Whatever . . .
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Life in Portland
Hello, World.
Life back in Portland is so boring compared to life on the road. I am looking forward to some more road trips and hope they happen soon.
J says that there is one next weekend to a UKC show, but I don't really like shows. Most of the day is spent sitting in crate or pen. You have to stand still for a long time, let strangers poke you, and then trot about in circles. I much prefer coursing & lure practices. Sigh. That's OK, we will probably stay overnight at the "Stetson Inn", aka Lego & Patty's place. Patty is so much fun to play with now that she is half-way grown up. She is as tall as me now.
I did get to go out on one excursion this week, but it was not very exciting. J let me come with them to Luka's appointment for chemotherapy. I am their moral support. The vet tech & receptionist always give us treats, and Luka won't take hers or drops them so I get extras.
Luka's treatment got cancelled again because her white count is still too low. No one is sure why it has not fully bounced back after her last chemo. It has been more than a month now. J is worried both about Luka & about scheduling more appointments. The clinic hours are limited, & J's work schedule is not that flexible. She ends up volunteering to work extra overnight call so that she has the next day off, but this is exhausting and she can't always make schedule changes that work with the available appointments. Anyway, Luka seems to feel OK even if she doesn't play as much as she used to. Besides, when she does play, J stops her from running; she is afraid the bad leg might break.
That's all for now. Hopefully, I 'll have more interesting stuff to report on next week!
Life back in Portland is so boring compared to life on the road. I am looking forward to some more road trips and hope they happen soon.
J says that there is one next weekend to a UKC show, but I don't really like shows. Most of the day is spent sitting in crate or pen. You have to stand still for a long time, let strangers poke you, and then trot about in circles. I much prefer coursing & lure practices. Sigh. That's OK, we will probably stay overnight at the "Stetson Inn", aka Lego & Patty's place. Patty is so much fun to play with now that she is half-way grown up. She is as tall as me now.
I did get to go out on one excursion this week, but it was not very exciting. J let me come with them to Luka's appointment for chemotherapy. I am their moral support. The vet tech & receptionist always give us treats, and Luka won't take hers or drops them so I get extras.
Luka's treatment got cancelled again because her white count is still too low. No one is sure why it has not fully bounced back after her last chemo. It has been more than a month now. J is worried both about Luka & about scheduling more appointments. The clinic hours are limited, & J's work schedule is not that flexible. She ends up volunteering to work extra overnight call so that she has the next day off, but this is exhausting and she can't always make schedule changes that work with the available appointments. Anyway, Luka seems to feel OK even if she doesn't play as much as she used to. Besides, when she does play, J stops her from running; she is afraid the bad leg might break.
That's all for now. Hopefully, I 'll have more interesting stuff to report on next week!
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Paws Across the Border and other things
This past week was pretty boring compared to our drive across the country & back with Silkenfest in the middle. I know I complained about the long drives being tedious but I was either hanging out with our little pack in Ivan or looking out my window at the changing countryside. Not much happens when I look out the windows at the house. Here I just see the occasional squirrel or mail person. If dogs go by, we make sure to run out & bark at them. That livens things up a bit, but it is still pretty quiet.
It is good to spend time with Luka, our older Greyhound pack member. She is doing great. Had I mentioned she has an osteosarcoma? She is very stoic regarding pain & does not complain about things like that, but she had started limping in February. J & Dr. Swarmer (one of our vets) diagnosed it immediately. Dr. Swarmer thinks J has bad karma or something since Gandhi died of osteosarcoma last year. Anyway, Luka is doing so much better than Gandhi did. His pain got out of control quickly, but Luka's symptoms have responded really well to the treatments. She rarely limps at all anymore & still has a good appetite. It's hard to believe that she is still not expected to live very long.
This weekend J took Mintz, Appley, & I up to a Silken gathering in Washington. Appley is an almost 7 yo Silken; Mintz is a 3 yo Greyhound who has no clue that he is a freakin' giant. He has no sense of personal space, but I guess he is OK. She left Bados at home (yeah!). Bados usually gets to go EVERYWHERE because he shows, races, & courses well (but tediously on task - he does not think about it at all). Anyway, it was fun to leave him behind for a change.
Friday we went as far as Iola's place in WA. The drive was longer than usual because of traffic, but we were still there before dark. Little Patty has grown up a lot; she is almost as tall as me now. We had a blast dashing about the big yard. Mintz & Lego really hit it off, too. They kept surveying the perimeter together. Iola also introduced Sugar Magnolia; she is just 9 wks old. Iola calls her Sugar; but I think she looks like a Maggie, or Magna (like the Magna Charta!).
On Saturday morning we drove up to Jane's property in Monroe, WA. I had to wait in the car, but I hear it is nice. From there we drove to pick up Barb Solga near Sedro Wooley. I had expected her to have Claire with her, but no. Apparently Claire is having her cycle. I am SO glad I was spayed; I'd hate to miss out on the fun because of crap like that. Although I hear some enjoy it, I think having to raise puppies might get tedious, too. Anyway, I was sorry Claire could not come.
From there we went on to Ferndale. Did I mention it had started to rain? At first it was just a sprinkle, but at some point it became full on rain. I don't particularly like the rain, so it was OK with me to wait in Ivan while the people ate some food in the grocery's cafe area.
After the people ate, we went on to Hovander Park (J may have misspelled that). It was raining, but we got to go to a large off-leash area. What fun! Appley looked miserable being wet, but who cares; he won't melt. I toyed with Mintz, who J kept on leash. <evil grin>
There were lots of Silkens to play chase/tag with (Natasha, Charlie, Roman, Patty, Lego, Tootsie, River, D'Artagnan, Kira, Chloe, Gambler, Nessa, Morgan, and ? I am forgetting the names of some dogs. Patty & Peter had brought 2 more dogs (I think) from Corvalis, and Dawn had a dog with her from Canada. One of Nessa's pack mate's was there, too. Am I forgetting anyone else?
We came home last night. Bados pointed out that it had not rained in Portland. God, he can be annoying. Plus today Bados got to go oval racing. What did I say before? He gets to do EVERYTHING. I would love to oval race!!! J won't let me because I ALWAYS get to the lure first. Other dogs just run in a circle. Why? If you cut across to the finish, the lure will pull right to you. Shoot, in a full oval, you can run backwards along the line & get to it even faster. You just need to stay a bit to the outside so that on-coming dogs don't crash into you.
It is good to spend time with Luka, our older Greyhound pack member. She is doing great. Had I mentioned she has an osteosarcoma? She is very stoic regarding pain & does not complain about things like that, but she had started limping in February. J & Dr. Swarmer (one of our vets) diagnosed it immediately. Dr. Swarmer thinks J has bad karma or something since Gandhi died of osteosarcoma last year. Anyway, Luka is doing so much better than Gandhi did. His pain got out of control quickly, but Luka's symptoms have responded really well to the treatments. She rarely limps at all anymore & still has a good appetite. It's hard to believe that she is still not expected to live very long.
This weekend J took Mintz, Appley, & I up to a Silken gathering in Washington. Appley is an almost 7 yo Silken; Mintz is a 3 yo Greyhound who has no clue that he is a freakin' giant. He has no sense of personal space, but I guess he is OK. She left Bados at home (yeah!). Bados usually gets to go EVERYWHERE because he shows, races, & courses well (but tediously on task - he does not think about it at all). Anyway, it was fun to leave him behind for a change.
Friday we went as far as Iola's place in WA. The drive was longer than usual because of traffic, but we were still there before dark. Little Patty has grown up a lot; she is almost as tall as me now. We had a blast dashing about the big yard. Mintz & Lego really hit it off, too. They kept surveying the perimeter together. Iola also introduced Sugar Magnolia; she is just 9 wks old. Iola calls her Sugar; but I think she looks like a Maggie, or Magna (like the Magna Charta!).
On Saturday morning we drove up to Jane's property in Monroe, WA. I had to wait in the car, but I hear it is nice. From there we drove to pick up Barb Solga near Sedro Wooley. I had expected her to have Claire with her, but no. Apparently Claire is having her cycle. I am SO glad I was spayed; I'd hate to miss out on the fun because of crap like that. Although I hear some enjoy it, I think having to raise puppies might get tedious, too. Anyway, I was sorry Claire could not come.
From there we went on to Ferndale. Did I mention it had started to rain? At first it was just a sprinkle, but at some point it became full on rain. I don't particularly like the rain, so it was OK with me to wait in Ivan while the people ate some food in the grocery's cafe area.
After the people ate, we went on to Hovander Park (J may have misspelled that). It was raining, but we got to go to a large off-leash area. What fun! Appley looked miserable being wet, but who cares; he won't melt. I toyed with Mintz, who J kept on leash. <evil grin>
There were lots of Silkens to play chase/tag with (Natasha, Charlie, Roman, Patty, Lego, Tootsie, River, D'Artagnan, Kira, Chloe, Gambler, Nessa, Morgan, and ? I am forgetting the names of some dogs. Patty & Peter had brought 2 more dogs (I think) from Corvalis, and Dawn had a dog with her from Canada. One of Nessa's pack mate's was there, too. Am I forgetting anyone else?
We came home last night. Bados pointed out that it had not rained in Portland. God, he can be annoying. Plus today Bados got to go oval racing. What did I say before? He gets to do EVERYTHING. I would love to oval race!!! J won't let me because I ALWAYS get to the lure first. Other dogs just run in a circle. Why? If you cut across to the finish, the lure will pull right to you. Shoot, in a full oval, you can run backwards along the line & get to it even faster. You just need to stay a bit to the outside so that on-coming dogs don't crash into you.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Last long drive
I did not blog on my birthday. I was 3 yo yesterday. Happy Birthday to my other Starry siblings.
We got an early start to drive from Ogden to Redmond, Oregon.
J got off the interstate shortly after leaving Idaho. This took us through some beautiful landscape via John Day & Dayville by the Fossil Beds. There was no traffic so we made great time and managed to beat Rob in arriving with Luka, Mintz, and Appley from Portland. He had had to work until early afternoon. It was great to see them all, especially Luka. She appears to be doing as well as when we left. There is some fur growing back where she had the radiation burn & her tail looks OK, too. It is just hairless near where they had to amputate the end. Hopefully that hair will grow back as well.
Our friend Lucy & her owner Brian joined us for dinner; they live in Bend.
Today we walked up to 'the pasture' in Eagle Crest Resort where they had had an off leash area, but they have turned this back into a horse pasture. We could not play there. Even better though, J took us to her lot near the Deschuttes River. We always get to play off leash there. Bados & I had a blast rough housing and running up & down the dirt path along the river. Mintz took an inadvertent dip in the water when wading. He hadn't realized it drops off pretty fast. We went down to the ford where there is no drop off. Luka waded in & lay down as usual. It was a good day!
This will conclude my daily travel blog, I think. From now on I will try for weekly blogs on Sunday nights. That way I can report on weekend events.
I'd better remind J to wish my siblings a happy belated birthday on the wind hounds list . . .
We got an early start to drive from Ogden to Redmond, Oregon.
J got off the interstate shortly after leaving Idaho. This took us through some beautiful landscape via John Day & Dayville by the Fossil Beds. There was no traffic so we made great time and managed to beat Rob in arriving with Luka, Mintz, and Appley from Portland. He had had to work until early afternoon. It was great to see them all, especially Luka. She appears to be doing as well as when we left. There is some fur growing back where she had the radiation burn & her tail looks OK, too. It is just hairless near where they had to amputate the end. Hopefully that hair will grow back as well.
Our friend Lucy & her owner Brian joined us for dinner; they live in Bend.
Today we walked up to 'the pasture' in Eagle Crest Resort where they had had an off leash area, but they have turned this back into a horse pasture. We could not play there. Even better though, J took us to her lot near the Deschuttes River. We always get to play off leash there. Bados & I had a blast rough housing and running up & down the dirt path along the river. Mintz took an inadvertent dip in the water when wading. He hadn't realized it drops off pretty fast. We went down to the ford where there is no drop off. Luka waded in & lay down as usual. It was a good day!
This will conclude my daily travel blog, I think. From now on I will try for weekly blogs on Sunday nights. That way I can report on weekend events.
I'd better remind J to wish my siblings a happy belated birthday on the wind hounds list . . .
Thursday, June 7, 2012
So long to friends
The day was a mix of sad and something else, maybe anticipation. We left behind our new pack but will soon be seeing Rob and the rest of our home pack: Luka, Appley, and goofy, enormous Mintz.
First we left Rio & Lydia in Salina. Did I mention Bados is a clumsy dolt? After waking this morning he went to jump off the bed and somehow managed to scratch Lydia's eye, although he swears he did not step on her head. Both he & J hope that he didn't manage to scratch her cornea or something; that usually heals quickly but can be very painful & irritating in the interim & sometimes needs antibiotic ointment. Rio is worried, but Lydia's husband was coming to pick them up, so she won't have to drive. Lydia promised she would see an ophthalmologist if this didn't get better by the time she reached her home town.
From there we drove toward Grand Junction, CO. The only excitement en route was a hail storm outside of Denver. Barb was driving, & Mini felt very stressed. Cars were parked under any overpasses on the interstate. Looking for cover we got off the interstate and tried gas stations, but cars were already huddled under cover around the pumps. The best J & Barb could do was to park very close to a building with a slight overhang. This managed to keep big hail off the windshield. Luckily the bad weather didn't last long. Within about 15 minutes we were on the road again.
After arriving in Grand Junction, Barb picked up a rental at the airport & the humans moved her luggage to that car. Bados & I said good bye to Mini & Gilbert. I don't have to struggle for a good spot by my low window anymore, but the drive is lonelier without them.
We continued on to Ogden, UT. J had hoped but not really expected to get this far. We were in the car almost 16 hours today, but tomorrow it should take us less than 12 hours to get to Redmond where we will meet up with Rob & the pack. I've missed Rob most plus Appley and, of course, Luka. and maybe Mintz, maybe not. He is awfully big and has no since of personal space.
First we left Rio & Lydia in Salina. Did I mention Bados is a clumsy dolt? After waking this morning he went to jump off the bed and somehow managed to scratch Lydia's eye, although he swears he did not step on her head. Both he & J hope that he didn't manage to scratch her cornea or something; that usually heals quickly but can be very painful & irritating in the interim & sometimes needs antibiotic ointment. Rio is worried, but Lydia's husband was coming to pick them up, so she won't have to drive. Lydia promised she would see an ophthalmologist if this didn't get better by the time she reached her home town.
From there we drove toward Grand Junction, CO. The only excitement en route was a hail storm outside of Denver. Barb was driving, & Mini felt very stressed. Cars were parked under any overpasses on the interstate. Looking for cover we got off the interstate and tried gas stations, but cars were already huddled under cover around the pumps. The best J & Barb could do was to park very close to a building with a slight overhang. This managed to keep big hail off the windshield. Luckily the bad weather didn't last long. Within about 15 minutes we were on the road again.
After arriving in Grand Junction, Barb picked up a rental at the airport & the humans moved her luggage to that car. Bados & I said good bye to Mini & Gilbert. I don't have to struggle for a good spot by my low window anymore, but the drive is lonelier without them.
We continued on to Ogden, UT. J had hoped but not really expected to get this far. We were in the car almost 16 hours today, but tomorrow it should take us less than 12 hours to get to Redmond where we will meet up with Rob & the pack. I've missed Rob most plus Appley and, of course, Luka. and maybe Mintz, maybe not. He is awfully big and has no since of personal space.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
So yesterday I failed as a blogger, but this was all J's fault since she left me with Barb & Lydia when she went out with her friends Raj & Robert (and their son Rafael). Earlier in the evening she did take Bados & I to their house which had a nice backyard. We got to stretch our legs & romp, but then she dumped us back at the hotel to be babysat by Barb & Lydia. Fine. I dissed J in the car today & did not sit in her lap when she was in the back seat.
We had started yesterday morning leaving Gettysburg around 0830. Our departure was slightly delayed by a disagreement with the hotel over $100 charges for 3 towels used by Barb & Lydia to dry their dogs (& themselves) after they got muddy in the rain. Geez. This was ridiculous because they had been responsible by washing them outside & not in a hotel tub AND they had gotten rags from housekeeping to wash Rio, Gilbert, & Mini. They had used the towels in question to wash themselves. Ultimately they agreed to refund $50 dollars, but it is still bull poop. Barb plans to continue to fight this, but yesterday morning we just wanted to get moving.
Ivanetta gave us some grief getting onto I-70. She did not direct us the same route as we had come in. Passing through Hagarstown, MD, we kept missing turns because they did not have both highway and local street names posted on the street signs and Ivanetta only gave highway numbers. J was getting testy by the time we hit interstate.
Driving to Louisville was uneventful and the countryside was lovely. The hotel that Raj had recommended was great and had lots of grass for them to walk us. J spent the night at her friend's house & came back for us (and Barb & Lydia) in the morning. The drive to Salina today was also uneventful, but the hotel is a bit shabby. Lydia is watching TV, and Barb is trying to finalize details of her return to Phoenix. Rio, Mini, & Gilbert are sleeping; Bados is fighting sleep as he gazes adoringly at J; he's such a goof.
Well. Internet access sucks here. I need to free up some band-width for Barb. Goodnight!
We had started yesterday morning leaving Gettysburg around 0830. Our departure was slightly delayed by a disagreement with the hotel over $100 charges for 3 towels used by Barb & Lydia to dry their dogs (& themselves) after they got muddy in the rain. Geez. This was ridiculous because they had been responsible by washing them outside & not in a hotel tub AND they had gotten rags from housekeeping to wash Rio, Gilbert, & Mini. They had used the towels in question to wash themselves. Ultimately they agreed to refund $50 dollars, but it is still bull poop. Barb plans to continue to fight this, but yesterday morning we just wanted to get moving.
Ivanetta gave us some grief getting onto I-70. She did not direct us the same route as we had come in. Passing through Hagarstown, MD, we kept missing turns because they did not have both highway and local street names posted on the street signs and Ivanetta only gave highway numbers. J was getting testy by the time we hit interstate.
Driving to Louisville was uneventful and the countryside was lovely. The hotel that Raj had recommended was great and had lots of grass for them to walk us. J spent the night at her friend's house & came back for us (and Barb & Lydia) in the morning. The drive to Salina today was also uneventful, but the hotel is a bit shabby. Lydia is watching TV, and Barb is trying to finalize details of her return to Phoenix. Rio, Mini, & Gilbert are sleeping; Bados is fighting sleep as he gazes adoringly at J; he's such a goof.
Well. Internet access sucks here. I need to free up some band-width for Barb. Goodnight!
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
apologies
FYI:
this is J writing, not Gita. Gita insisted that I apologize to her fans for not being available tonight to transcribe for her. I 'abandoned' her at the hotel (with Barb, Lydia, and all the dogs!) while I have gone out with friends in Louisville, KY this evening. My apologies.
this is J writing, not Gita. Gita insisted that I apologize to her fans for not being available tonight to transcribe for her. I 'abandoned' her at the hotel (with Barb, Lydia, and all the dogs!) while I have gone out with friends in Louisville, KY this evening. My apologies.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Racing
J rarely lets me straight race anymore. Although I did DQ in coursing (nothing BAD, just bad enough to get 2 dismissals within 6 trials), I have not been DQ'd from racing. Sigh.
The field was pretty large, 27 dogs. Bados & Gilbert both ran well. Bados finished 8th, and I think Gilbert was 10th. Rio was 18th - which doesn't sound so great until you remember he has been sick recently. Our friend Lego finished 5th! That's super. NW hounds Hillevi, Sky, Nike, Kam, Garis, & Cayman were here, but did not race. Just one practice. They all looked good. Maybe Karen & Jackie felt they were tired after such a busy weekend on top of last weekend.
I got 2 practices. The first felt great; I got to catch the lure at the end, gave it a shake, & started to bring it back. Wahoo Woof! The second time I paused initially to make sure there were no turns or curves as in some other events. Nope. Another dash to the finish! What fun; I wish J would let me try to race again. The last time I raced all I did was air snap when a dog passed me right at the finish line. Wouldn't anyone want to do that?
Athena was there today, too. We met yesterday. We could be sisters, but are not closely related. She is very slightly longer & lighter in color & my head narrower, but the resemblance is strong. Our own owners kept doing a double take. I found the clue resemblance a bit disturbing. Was she really a double agent sent to take my place? Probably not, but you never know. We played a bit, bt then I ran back to Ivan.
This morning many people had been loading cars in the parking lot & checking out of the hotel. They planned to leave directly after today's straight racing; we decided to stay one more night in Gettysburg & leave in the morning. J went to dinner with other lingering Silken fans; then they went on a ghost tour. Sahara got to go with Jolene, but we all had to stay in our room. None of the people saw any ghosts, but Sahara says she did near General Reynold's death house. They also saw a memorial with an Irish Wolfhound statue. Cool.
The computer keeps freezing, & J is tired. I will let her stop transcribing for tonight.
The field was pretty large, 27 dogs. Bados & Gilbert both ran well. Bados finished 8th, and I think Gilbert was 10th. Rio was 18th - which doesn't sound so great until you remember he has been sick recently. Our friend Lego finished 5th! That's super. NW hounds Hillevi, Sky, Nike, Kam, Garis, & Cayman were here, but did not race. Just one practice. They all looked good. Maybe Karen & Jackie felt they were tired after such a busy weekend on top of last weekend.
I got 2 practices. The first felt great; I got to catch the lure at the end, gave it a shake, & started to bring it back. Wahoo Woof! The second time I paused initially to make sure there were no turns or curves as in some other events. Nope. Another dash to the finish! What fun; I wish J would let me try to race again. The last time I raced all I did was air snap when a dog passed me right at the finish line. Wouldn't anyone want to do that?
Athena was there today, too. We met yesterday. We could be sisters, but are not closely related. She is very slightly longer & lighter in color & my head narrower, but the resemblance is strong. Our own owners kept doing a double take. I found the clue resemblance a bit disturbing. Was she really a double agent sent to take my place? Probably not, but you never know. We played a bit, bt then I ran back to Ivan.
This morning many people had been loading cars in the parking lot & checking out of the hotel. They planned to leave directly after today's straight racing; we decided to stay one more night in Gettysburg & leave in the morning. J went to dinner with other lingering Silken fans; then they went on a ghost tour. Sahara got to go with Jolene, but we all had to stay in our room. None of the people saw any ghosts, but Sahara says she did near General Reynold's death house. They also saw a memorial with an Irish Wolfhound statue. Cool.
The computer keeps freezing, & J is tired. I will let her stop transcribing for tonight.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
SF Coursing!
What fun! Today I finally got a chance to show my stuff.
We had to start 1 hour ear;her than originally posted because they 'double-booked' the field with kid's soccer from 1PM. I had never been to a coursing event that managed to end by 1PM; this seemed unlikely with an ISWS record field) of around 50 dogs. I could be wrong on specifics, but there were 13 singles, 3 'flights' of at least 10 dogs in open, 2 Field Champions, and several Veterans. 3 flights! That's a lot of dogs!
I ran Singles. The class is a mix between dogs that course well - but - like to push others for the lure (interference). I think I ran OK. After the prelim, I heard the lure operator complimenting my focus despite my creative approach. I am proud to say I got NBQ - these were judges with an open mind!
One dog certified this morning. Bella. She is Canadian, but she is a speedy, focused girl. She went on to win flight #1 leaving Bados in 2nd place. He had coursed well, but thinks she is too cute for him to worry about not winning.
At some point, think I knew who who had won the other flights, but I have forgotten. After all I was locked in Ivan & his pen. J would not let me watch. Veteran winner was Czar, and FCh winner was Gilbert (Barb F, & Michelle 's dog;- a big improvement over his II performance which had ended in a dismissal.
To top this all off, Gilbert went on to win BoB! WOW, that is huge.
From there we went back to the hotel. We got treated with popcorn & sandwich meats by J's sister, Mom, & nephew. They talked about taking us for a walk, but we ended up stuck in our room. J picked up our ribbons. It was cool to see J's Mom and to meet her sister & nephew. Another walk would have been fun.
There was a performance vet speaking after the awards. J was very impressed; she got references for someone in OR to check out Mintz's foot.
That is all. After winning that big ribbon, I am tired. More to follow . . .
We had to start 1 hour ear;her than originally posted because they 'double-booked' the field with kid's soccer from 1PM. I had never been to a coursing event that managed to end by 1PM; this seemed unlikely with an ISWS record field) of around 50 dogs. I could be wrong on specifics, but there were 13 singles, 3 'flights' of at least 10 dogs in open, 2 Field Champions, and several Veterans. 3 flights! That's a lot of dogs!
I ran Singles. The class is a mix between dogs that course well - but - like to push others for the lure (interference). I think I ran OK. After the prelim, I heard the lure operator complimenting my focus despite my creative approach. I am proud to say I got NBQ - these were judges with an open mind!
One dog certified this morning. Bella. She is Canadian, but she is a speedy, focused girl. She went on to win flight #1 leaving Bados in 2nd place. He had coursed well, but thinks she is too cute for him to worry about not winning.
At some point, think I knew who who had won the other flights, but I have forgotten. After all I was locked in Ivan & his pen. J would not let me watch. Veteran winner was Czar, and FCh winner was Gilbert (Barb F, & Michelle 's dog;- a big improvement over his II performance which had ended in a dismissal.
To top this all off, Gilbert went on to win BoB! WOW, that is huge.
From there we went back to the hotel. We got treated with popcorn & sandwich meats by J's sister, Mom, & nephew. They talked about taking us for a walk, but we ended up stuck in our room. J picked up our ribbons. It was cool to see J's Mom and to meet her sister & nephew. Another walk would have been fun.
There was a performance vet speaking after the awards. J was very impressed; she got references for someone in OR to check out Mintz's foot.
That is all. After winning that big ribbon, I am tired. More to follow . . .
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Silkenfest begins
Today the festivities began.
After taking us for a walk, J moved Ivan in the parking lot so that it was near to the show ring. She put up the awning & X-pens so that we could lounge in style. I think we had the best set up. Another kennel has a Sprinter, but they did not have an awning. Having Ivan is pretty cool. We will get spoiled.
J got distracted by the Longdog Leatherworks vendor. I think Mintz has a pretty snazzy present coming.
The event started with the sweepstakes. Sky (an Allagante girl) swept the puppy sweeps, and my Dad won the veteran's sweeps.
In the regular show, the companion classes were just after the junior handler classes. Erika Lipton's dog Siendo's Copan won best male, and I was against another Lipton pet for best female. I considered air-snapping at the judge when he opened my mouth, poked & prodded me, etc; but I decided to be good . . . I won! Amazing how that works.
The ground was saturated from heavy rains last night and when competing against Copan for Best Companion I got distracted by intriguing aromas in the wet grass and (per J) did not move well with my nose skimming the ground. Oh, well. Best Opposite Sex Companion has a pretty snazzy ribbon & a toy.
Bados was in the Best American Bred Class. He seemed to do OK. No ground sniffing for him, but he only managed 3rd place. He did get a rosette & toy - but mine is bigger.
Later in the show J was chatting with someone along the sidelines, when they started calling Bados's number again. She was confused & asked "49? Really?". Yes, they said, and she ran to get him. J & Bados ran around the ring, & the judge picked somebody else for Reserve Winners Dog.
As it turned out, J was correct & should not have been called, but someone who had been in the class had made some snarky comments to her. J got upset over all this (she hates when dog folk get catty) - not so much by what was said, but that she let it get to her.
Getting upset about being upset creates a vicious cycle. We went for a LONG walk to calm down. This worked until all these nice East Coast Club people kept coming up to make sure she felt OK, & that she did not take it personally. The support made her feel somewhat vindicated, but that does not always help with that whole vicious cycle - upset about being upset in the 1st place. More long walks for us dogs.
With all this walking, unfortunately, we missed the rest of the show. I hear that Tootsie rocked. BoB! Go NW Silkens!
After the show, we were all shut up in our rooms while J, Barb, & Lydia set up the silent auction with the help of anyone else who wandered by. Apparently the auction was an astounding success - like $2500! I am proud of J & Barb for their hard work, and that I agreed to give up some space in Ivan for J to transport auction items.
Lots of awards were given after their dinner, but I didn't get to see any of this. Someone else will have to report for me. J is too tired to give me any details.
On our way out for our night walk, I barked & snarled at a poodle sort of dog, as usual Bados followed my lead. I am not sure why. It startled me, but I guess this was an over reaction. Maybe I was just bored from being in the room for so long. J was irked at us & more embarrassed because her mom & sister have come to see how we do.
Tomorrow the lure coursing time has been moved up due to the large number of dogs entered & a schedule conflict in the afternoon with a soccer match. Hopefully all will go smoothly.
After taking us for a walk, J moved Ivan in the parking lot so that it was near to the show ring. She put up the awning & X-pens so that we could lounge in style. I think we had the best set up. Another kennel has a Sprinter, but they did not have an awning. Having Ivan is pretty cool. We will get spoiled.
J got distracted by the Longdog Leatherworks vendor. I think Mintz has a pretty snazzy present coming.
The event started with the sweepstakes. Sky (an Allagante girl) swept the puppy sweeps, and my Dad won the veteran's sweeps.
In the regular show, the companion classes were just after the junior handler classes. Erika Lipton's dog Siendo's Copan won best male, and I was against another Lipton pet for best female. I considered air-snapping at the judge when he opened my mouth, poked & prodded me, etc; but I decided to be good . . . I won! Amazing how that works.
The ground was saturated from heavy rains last night and when competing against Copan for Best Companion I got distracted by intriguing aromas in the wet grass and (per J) did not move well with my nose skimming the ground. Oh, well. Best Opposite Sex Companion has a pretty snazzy ribbon & a toy.
Bados was in the Best American Bred Class. He seemed to do OK. No ground sniffing for him, but he only managed 3rd place. He did get a rosette & toy - but mine is bigger.
Later in the show J was chatting with someone along the sidelines, when they started calling Bados's number again. She was confused & asked "49? Really?". Yes, they said, and she ran to get him. J & Bados ran around the ring, & the judge picked somebody else for Reserve Winners Dog.
As it turned out, J was correct & should not have been called, but someone who had been in the class had made some snarky comments to her. J got upset over all this (she hates when dog folk get catty) - not so much by what was said, but that she let it get to her.
Getting upset about being upset creates a vicious cycle. We went for a LONG walk to calm down. This worked until all these nice East Coast Club people kept coming up to make sure she felt OK, & that she did not take it personally. The support made her feel somewhat vindicated, but that does not always help with that whole vicious cycle - upset about being upset in the 1st place. More long walks for us dogs.
With all this walking, unfortunately, we missed the rest of the show. I hear that Tootsie rocked. BoB! Go NW Silkens!
After the show, we were all shut up in our rooms while J, Barb, & Lydia set up the silent auction with the help of anyone else who wandered by. Apparently the auction was an astounding success - like $2500! I am proud of J & Barb for their hard work, and that I agreed to give up some space in Ivan for J to transport auction items.
Lots of awards were given after their dinner, but I didn't get to see any of this. Someone else will have to report for me. J is too tired to give me any details.
On our way out for our night walk, I barked & snarled at a poodle sort of dog, as usual Bados followed my lead. I am not sure why. It startled me, but I guess this was an over reaction. Maybe I was just bored from being in the room for so long. J was irked at us & more embarrassed because her mom & sister have come to see how we do.
Tomorrow the lure coursing time has been moved up due to the large number of dogs entered & a schedule conflict in the afternoon with a soccer match. Hopefully all will go smoothly.
Friday, June 1, 2012
A busy day, but not for me
Once again a busy day on our agenda . . . for Bados. It was the usual boring day for me.
It started OK. J took Bados & I for a long walk. We got to see some squirrels & birds. J kept us leashed, but they are longish leashes, and she would run with us so that we could chase them a little. There were frogs, too. At least, J says that is what was making that croaking sound. We went to the side of the pond, but it had disappeared.
When we got back to the room, Bados was forced to take a bath. HAH! It serves him right as he has been having all the fun on this trip. Then he ran around the hotel rooms (through the connecting door to Mini & Gilbert's room with Barb) shaking the water from his coat & leaving wet paw prints on the beds. J had actually toweled him off pretty well, but it was till amusing.
Later I thought we were going on another walk then but J locked me alone in the Sprinter! It wasn't hot, & she did open the vents; but REALLY, that sucked! She said I couldn't stay in the hotel room because the maid service was coming. What were she & Bados doing? They went to a handling class to prepare for the show tomorrow. Geez, I am going to be in the companion class. Doesn't that get any credit?
J came back for me about an hour later; but I drug my feet as she tried to rush me to the other side of the hotel. Why should I make it easier for her? She did sneak me into the very end of the handling class, but I could tell this was just to appease me.
After lunch there was a more advanced handling class. She let me join her & Bados while they watched it, but they did not participate (they had another event on their agenda before it would finish). Cindy Wolpin was sitting near us holding someone's pup who is just over 1 yr. J kept going on about how cute she is. Then the nervous ninny whirled around & bumped into me. I'd had enough & air-snapped at her. J was pissed; she took me back to the room & left me there (cleaning service had been completed). Perhaps I had also snarled slightly. I promise that I did not make any contact. I may be grumpy this week, but I am not mean & blood thirsty.
J took Bados for some health testing sponsored by ISWS. He says they drew blood to check his thyroid, listened to his heart, and looked into his eyes. This confuses me. Our vet listens to our hearts & draws blood from time to time; & he can obviously see well since he courses nicely. I think this is for some registry or something. I guess I don't rate. That's OK - I do not want my blood drawn.
Bados came back to the room after this while J took her video camera to some seminars. She came back before going to dinner to take us for a walk, but it had started raining HARD; so this was not much fun.
I hope things get more interesting tomorrow; I admit to feeling a bit bored & testy.
It started OK. J took Bados & I for a long walk. We got to see some squirrels & birds. J kept us leashed, but they are longish leashes, and she would run with us so that we could chase them a little. There were frogs, too. At least, J says that is what was making that croaking sound. We went to the side of the pond, but it had disappeared.
When we got back to the room, Bados was forced to take a bath. HAH! It serves him right as he has been having all the fun on this trip. Then he ran around the hotel rooms (through the connecting door to Mini & Gilbert's room with Barb) shaking the water from his coat & leaving wet paw prints on the beds. J had actually toweled him off pretty well, but it was till amusing.
Later I thought we were going on another walk then but J locked me alone in the Sprinter! It wasn't hot, & she did open the vents; but REALLY, that sucked! She said I couldn't stay in the hotel room because the maid service was coming. What were she & Bados doing? They went to a handling class to prepare for the show tomorrow. Geez, I am going to be in the companion class. Doesn't that get any credit?
J came back for me about an hour later; but I drug my feet as she tried to rush me to the other side of the hotel. Why should I make it easier for her? She did sneak me into the very end of the handling class, but I could tell this was just to appease me.
After lunch there was a more advanced handling class. She let me join her & Bados while they watched it, but they did not participate (they had another event on their agenda before it would finish). Cindy Wolpin was sitting near us holding someone's pup who is just over 1 yr. J kept going on about how cute she is. Then the nervous ninny whirled around & bumped into me. I'd had enough & air-snapped at her. J was pissed; she took me back to the room & left me there (cleaning service had been completed). Perhaps I had also snarled slightly. I promise that I did not make any contact. I may be grumpy this week, but I am not mean & blood thirsty.
J took Bados for some health testing sponsored by ISWS. He says they drew blood to check his thyroid, listened to his heart, and looked into his eyes. This confuses me. Our vet listens to our hearts & draws blood from time to time; & he can obviously see well since he courses nicely. I think this is for some registry or something. I guess I don't rate. That's OK - I do not want my blood drawn.
Bados came back to the room after this while J took her video camera to some seminars. She came back before going to dinner to take us for a walk, but it had started raining HARD; so this was not much fun.
I hope things get more interesting tomorrow; I admit to feeling a bit bored & testy.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Gettysburg
Today we woke up latish in a crowded hotel room: 3 people & us 5 Silkens on 2 full beds. Definitely not queen size. I got to cuddle between J & Lydia which was a good spot. Bados had been along the side & kept jumping off & up again when he felt like he might fall off. Rio seemed to manage OK near Lydia's feet. Barb got the other bed with Mini & Gilbert.
We drove into Gettysburg past some battle fields & a cemetery around lunch time. The town is older & cute. Many of the buildings were built before the civil war or not long after. There were not many other dogs around. Passers by were very curious about us; some teens wanted to pet everyone (the dogs, not the people).
Barb found a restaurant that allowed us to join them on the patio for lunch. The server brought us some water without our having to ask; she was very nice. Barb ordered us some hamburger that J let us eat it. 3 people from another table stopped for a while to talk. They have a lurcher (black & tan coon hound with Saluki), but had not heard that description before. More nice people, cute photos of the dog.
Back at the hotel J was able to check into our room; we were able to get the room adjoining the room that Barb had gotten upon arrival. That's cool, it keeps our pack together. We also went to the Hospitality Desk to check in. A few of my fans were there & wanted to pet me. I let them.
Jolene had said we could join the big group for dinner back in town, but J said this was not accurate - only service dogs could come. Sahara got to go & another dog, but not a Super-Star-Super-Spy?? Fine. Be that way.
Apparently there were lots of interesting people there. Mike & Kathy L., Loretta I., Gloria, Vicki, Jerri, Pam, both Cindy & Cyndi from CA, Jolene, a soon-to-be-owner Andrew, Barb, Lydia, J, and even Francie & Chuck Stull. I apologize if I missed any names, but I wasn't there, was I? Hrumpf. The people seem to have had a great time. I gave J the cold shoulder when she got back; served her right.
We went for an evening walk and ended up back at the Hospitality Table. I was miffed about not being invited to dinner and admit to being a bit snarky. I barked at a Silken I didn't know & a Husky-type. This got Bados worked up, too, and got him in trouble with J. (teehee, He is sooo easy to manipulate). I was snippy with another Silken, too. At 1st I had thought it was Lego (I was expecting him), but it wasn't. Perhaps I over reacted; J made us go back to the room. Oh, well. If I had gotten to go to dinner . . .
Later we did find Lego as well as Tootsie. Jane & Iola had flown in with them this evening. It's good to see some dogs I already know.
Tomorrow J plans to take Bados to health testing & to handling class. This probably means I have to stay in the hotel room by myself a lot. That's way too boring. I'll have to come up with a plan to make things more interesting <vbg>.
We drove into Gettysburg past some battle fields & a cemetery around lunch time. The town is older & cute. Many of the buildings were built before the civil war or not long after. There were not many other dogs around. Passers by were very curious about us; some teens wanted to pet everyone (the dogs, not the people).
Barb found a restaurant that allowed us to join them on the patio for lunch. The server brought us some water without our having to ask; she was very nice. Barb ordered us some hamburger that J let us eat it. 3 people from another table stopped for a while to talk. They have a lurcher (black & tan coon hound with Saluki), but had not heard that description before. More nice people, cute photos of the dog.
Back at the hotel J was able to check into our room; we were able to get the room adjoining the room that Barb had gotten upon arrival. That's cool, it keeps our pack together. We also went to the Hospitality Desk to check in. A few of my fans were there & wanted to pet me. I let them.
Jolene had said we could join the big group for dinner back in town, but J said this was not accurate - only service dogs could come. Sahara got to go & another dog, but not a Super-Star-Super-Spy?? Fine. Be that way.
Apparently there were lots of interesting people there. Mike & Kathy L., Loretta I., Gloria, Vicki, Jerri, Pam, both Cindy & Cyndi from CA, Jolene, a soon-to-be-owner Andrew, Barb, Lydia, J, and even Francie & Chuck Stull. I apologize if I missed any names, but I wasn't there, was I? Hrumpf. The people seem to have had a great time. I gave J the cold shoulder when she got back; served her right.
We went for an evening walk and ended up back at the Hospitality Table. I was miffed about not being invited to dinner and admit to being a bit snarky. I barked at a Silken I didn't know & a Husky-type. This got Bados worked up, too, and got him in trouble with J. (teehee, He is sooo easy to manipulate). I was snippy with another Silken, too. At 1st I had thought it was Lego (I was expecting him), but it wasn't. Perhaps I over reacted; J made us go back to the room. Oh, well. If I had gotten to go to dinner . . .
Later we did find Lego as well as Tootsie. Jane & Iola had flown in with them this evening. It's good to see some dogs I already know.
Tomorrow J plans to take Bados to health testing & to handling class. This probably means I have to stay in the hotel room by myself a lot. That's way too boring. I'll have to come up with a plan to make things more interesting <vbg>.
St. Louis to . . .
Wow, yesterday was a LONG day.
Sorry for not blogging last night, but J could not possible transcribe while driving, and driving she did.
The morning started like others on the journey. We got to play with Willow, Ruby, Apple, Penelope, & Denati (sp) the Whippet. Barb spoiled us with raw chicken while J tried to convince us to eat our kibble. NOT.
I thought we would never get out of the St. Louis metropolitan area: windy rural roads, then state highways, then interstate by-passes through endless suburbia. This prompted unscheduled stops at a Starbucks (coffee, snacks) in a Barnes & Noble (a gruesome mystery on CD) & a Pet Smart for some needed supplies.
From there it was endless boring highway. Barb was driver extraordinaire until Ivanetta gave some ridiculous route instructions in Indianapolis - off I-70 on some by-pass for about 1/4 mile then right back on. Seriously! I tried to tell them just to stay on I-70, but they listened to the GPS bitch instead. Ivanetta toys with them.
After that Barb had had enough; we stopped to change drivers (to Lydia). This inspired an unscheduled delay at a fast food restaurant as well as at CVS (for supplies that were needed due to days of fast food eating by the humans).
We also had to make an unscheduled stop at a truck stop for some DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid) for Ivan. None of the humans had ever heard of this stuff before so it took some scouring of Ivan's manuals to figure out what the warning indicator meant, what they needed to get, & how to fill the reservoir. A couple random passers-by offered help as well.
Around 9:30PM the decision was made. J took the wheel & got amped up on "Monster" energy drink.
The only stop was for gas. 5 1/2 hours later we arrived at the Eisenhower Inn. We stopped briefly at a Gettysburg campground, but at almost 3am they wanted more than $50 for us to park in a camp site & sleep in the van for a few hours. That seemed steep; so the people decided to continue to the Inn. Had they not had a room we could have slept those few hours in the van for free. Sleeping was tight on 2 double beds for 3 people & 5 dogs, but it was better than having the people try & share our dog beds in the van.
Now we have a whole day in Gettysburg for sightseeing by sighthounds. : )
Sorry for not blogging last night, but J could not possible transcribe while driving, and driving she did.
The morning started like others on the journey. We got to play with Willow, Ruby, Apple, Penelope, & Denati (sp) the Whippet. Barb spoiled us with raw chicken while J tried to convince us to eat our kibble. NOT.
I thought we would never get out of the St. Louis metropolitan area: windy rural roads, then state highways, then interstate by-passes through endless suburbia. This prompted unscheduled stops at a Starbucks (coffee, snacks) in a Barnes & Noble (a gruesome mystery on CD) & a Pet Smart for some needed supplies.
From there it was endless boring highway. Barb was driver extraordinaire until Ivanetta gave some ridiculous route instructions in Indianapolis - off I-70 on some by-pass for about 1/4 mile then right back on. Seriously! I tried to tell them just to stay on I-70, but they listened to the GPS bitch instead. Ivanetta toys with them.
After that Barb had had enough; we stopped to change drivers (to Lydia). This inspired an unscheduled delay at a fast food restaurant as well as at CVS (for supplies that were needed due to days of fast food eating by the humans).
We also had to make an unscheduled stop at a truck stop for some DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid) for Ivan. None of the humans had ever heard of this stuff before so it took some scouring of Ivan's manuals to figure out what the warning indicator meant, what they needed to get, & how to fill the reservoir. A couple random passers-by offered help as well.
Around 9:30PM the decision was made. J took the wheel & got amped up on "Monster" energy drink.
The only stop was for gas. 5 1/2 hours later we arrived at the Eisenhower Inn. We stopped briefly at a Gettysburg campground, but at almost 3am they wanted more than $50 for us to park in a camp site & sleep in the van for a few hours. That seemed steep; so the people decided to continue to the Inn. Had they not had a room we could have slept those few hours in the van for free. Sleeping was tight on 2 double beds for 3 people & 5 dogs, but it was better than having the people try & share our dog beds in the van.
Now we have a whole day in Gettysburg for sightseeing by sighthounds. : )
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Staying with friends
Geez, J is a dope. I could not blog last night because J left her wi-fi hot spot in Ivan. She would not go back out for it no matter how much I stood by the door & stared at her. Hmpf, humans. I gave up & went to bed.
Both yesterday & today the mornings started off lots of fun, and the evenings have been fun, too. We've had yards to play in. The drives were long but Ivan has lots of cushions & each day had a diversion.
Sunday night we had spent with Maire Daugherty (J's friend) & family. That night & in the morning, we got to play in the yard by the lake. This was good, but I was a bit disturbed by the deck, which was being 'repaired'. We had to cross some plywood panels to get from the back door to the steps. Clearly, if any of the Daugherty pets were a double-agent, this could hide a trap door. (I suspected the Conyer bird). The others were oblivious to this risk. I kept an eye on it, and the trap was not sprung.
From Denver we drove to Wichita. Ivanetta (Ivan's GPS route assistant) took us on an excursion off the interstate & onto state highways. It may have been 'shortest' but it was not 'quickest'. On the positive side, we found a fenced park to play in & do some 'business'.
In Wichita we met Lydia & Rio the WonderDog. Lydia's Aunt Jessie & Uncle Jim have a fabulous yard with lush grass. This was great for laps around an oval central garden. At night some feral cats snuck onto the back porch, but I saw them & alerted the others. OK, the cats came on the porch because Aunt Jessie leaves out food, but we made sure they did not break into the house.
For breakfast Jessie made bacon & eggs for the humans. We got to eat some of Rio's special food plus scrambled eggs because he would not eat it. Sweet!
I had not realized Rio & Lydia were joining us. This added another dog AND a person in the back of Ivan. I insisted that Lydia let me sit on her lap; this way I could look out the big window. (Gilbert crowds me by my low window). When J sat in the back, I returned to my cushion by the window & ignored her. But then Bados got in her lap, so I jumped up & pushed him off.
I had reclaimed the seat for myself when the people got out of the car at a gas station. Barb & I had a standoff when they returned, but I finally ceded the seat to her.
We stopped at the Greyhound Hall of Fame in Abilene, KS. The people returned to the car with souvenirs & smelling of Greyhound. 2 retired Greys actually live there. We could not go inside, but we were allowed to play in the Greyhounds' exercise pen.
The last bit of excitement we had was on the back roads approaching Crystal's place outside of St. Louis.
J slammed on the breaks at a light & luggage on the upper platform shifted forward abruptly. Had J not added extra bungee cords when packing Ivan that morning & had Barb not been quick to leap up to push things back up, I am sure there would have been a suitcase on my head! Hmm, perhaps a double agent had loosened the bungees . . . but which of my fellow travelers could that be? Maybe one of those feral cats had snuck in Ivan to sabotage J's packing efforts.
Anyway, Crystal & Sam's property is in the country outside St Louis & is lovely. Lots of space to play & run about. They have a tall, handsome Whippet as well as Silken's Willow, Ruby, Apple, & Penelope. Bados & Gilbert are all goo-goo eyed & tooth-chattery over these bitches. Boys!
They also have ticks. Yuck! The stuff that Vet Sherry prescribed us seems to be working, but Barb found some on Mini & Gilbert; one was on Rio's foot, too. We will stop for extra tick stuff tomorrow.
Both yesterday & today the mornings started off lots of fun, and the evenings have been fun, too. We've had yards to play in. The drives were long but Ivan has lots of cushions & each day had a diversion.
Sunday night we had spent with Maire Daugherty (J's friend) & family. That night & in the morning, we got to play in the yard by the lake. This was good, but I was a bit disturbed by the deck, which was being 'repaired'. We had to cross some plywood panels to get from the back door to the steps. Clearly, if any of the Daugherty pets were a double-agent, this could hide a trap door. (I suspected the Conyer bird). The others were oblivious to this risk. I kept an eye on it, and the trap was not sprung.
From Denver we drove to Wichita. Ivanetta (Ivan's GPS route assistant) took us on an excursion off the interstate & onto state highways. It may have been 'shortest' but it was not 'quickest'. On the positive side, we found a fenced park to play in & do some 'business'.
In Wichita we met Lydia & Rio the WonderDog. Lydia's Aunt Jessie & Uncle Jim have a fabulous yard with lush grass. This was great for laps around an oval central garden. At night some feral cats snuck onto the back porch, but I saw them & alerted the others. OK, the cats came on the porch because Aunt Jessie leaves out food, but we made sure they did not break into the house.
For breakfast Jessie made bacon & eggs for the humans. We got to eat some of Rio's special food plus scrambled eggs because he would not eat it. Sweet!
I had not realized Rio & Lydia were joining us. This added another dog AND a person in the back of Ivan. I insisted that Lydia let me sit on her lap; this way I could look out the big window. (Gilbert crowds me by my low window). When J sat in the back, I returned to my cushion by the window & ignored her. But then Bados got in her lap, so I jumped up & pushed him off.
I had reclaimed the seat for myself when the people got out of the car at a gas station. Barb & I had a standoff when they returned, but I finally ceded the seat to her.
We stopped at the Greyhound Hall of Fame in Abilene, KS. The people returned to the car with souvenirs & smelling of Greyhound. 2 retired Greys actually live there. We could not go inside, but we were allowed to play in the Greyhounds' exercise pen.
The last bit of excitement we had was on the back roads approaching Crystal's place outside of St. Louis.
J slammed on the breaks at a light & luggage on the upper platform shifted forward abruptly. Had J not added extra bungee cords when packing Ivan that morning & had Barb not been quick to leap up to push things back up, I am sure there would have been a suitcase on my head! Hmm, perhaps a double agent had loosened the bungees . . . but which of my fellow travelers could that be? Maybe one of those feral cats had snuck in Ivan to sabotage J's packing efforts.
Anyway, Crystal & Sam's property is in the country outside St Louis & is lovely. Lots of space to play & run about. They have a tall, handsome Whippet as well as Silken's Willow, Ruby, Apple, & Penelope. Bados & Gilbert are all goo-goo eyed & tooth-chattery over these bitches. Boys!
They also have ticks. Yuck! The stuff that Vet Sherry prescribed us seems to be working, but Barb found some on Mini & Gilbert; one was on Rio's foot, too. We will stop for extra tick stuff tomorrow.
Monday, May 28, 2012
ASFA II Day 2, continued
Well, after a few muffled barks & face kisses, I managed to wake J up this morning to finish typing. She wants more sleep, but the sun is shining through the sunlight and I am persistent.
Although the wind picked up in the afternoon, it was never as windy as Saturday which made things more pleasant. Bados had lots of fun coursing while I remained stuck in the car. He finished NBQ (5th) which is pretty good for such a big event. Don't tell him I said that, though. I like to tease him that he might lose those balls if he doesn't start winning.
Barb's Mini did not have a good day. After her brother decided the prelims were a good time to play, she had had enough for the day. Mini saw the field vet (yes, they had a vet at the field who specialized in canine sports medicine - how cool is that!). He felt she was sore along her back & did some therapeutic laser treatments right there. She was feeling better in the afternoon, but the competition was over.
Anyway, I know Karen S. posted some results, I'll just congratulate Bados' dad on his win. That is super.
I also got to watch some of the Best in II runs from the sidelines. They were all beautiful runs even if lacking in creativity. A Saluki won the weekend.
No exhibition run for me, but some of my fans recognized me. I pretended not to care.
It seemed to take forever for the awards to be given & for us to hit the road back to Denver. Mini & Gilbert (with Barb Franklin) joined us for the rest of the trip. Barb as lots of luggage! Well, a lot of it is stuff for the SF silent auction, but it did take some rearranging of Ivan's storage area.
Last night we againstayed to stay with J's friend, her family, and dogs. Maude (their young Border Collie-Rottweiller mix) was still a bit on the enthusiastic side, which made Bados, Mini, & Gilbert a bit tense. Once we got in the back yard & could run around, all was well. I FINALLY got to run around a bit. Lots of zoomies! A bit later Maude got a bit pushy with Mini, who did not want to play anymore. Maude did not back off when Mini got testy and air-snapped a couple times so I just walked between them to break it up. That gave both a second to regroup. All was well again.
Next stop Kansas!
Although the wind picked up in the afternoon, it was never as windy as Saturday which made things more pleasant. Bados had lots of fun coursing while I remained stuck in the car. He finished NBQ (5th) which is pretty good for such a big event. Don't tell him I said that, though. I like to tease him that he might lose those balls if he doesn't start winning.
Barb's Mini did not have a good day. After her brother decided the prelims were a good time to play, she had had enough for the day. Mini saw the field vet (yes, they had a vet at the field who specialized in canine sports medicine - how cool is that!). He felt she was sore along her back & did some therapeutic laser treatments right there. She was feeling better in the afternoon, but the competition was over.
Anyway, I know Karen S. posted some results, I'll just congratulate Bados' dad on his win. That is super.
I also got to watch some of the Best in II runs from the sidelines. They were all beautiful runs even if lacking in creativity. A Saluki won the weekend.
No exhibition run for me, but some of my fans recognized me. I pretended not to care.
It seemed to take forever for the awards to be given & for us to hit the road back to Denver. Mini & Gilbert (with Barb Franklin) joined us for the rest of the trip. Barb as lots of luggage! Well, a lot of it is stuff for the SF silent auction, but it did take some rearranging of Ivan's storage area.
Last night we againstayed to stay with J's friend, her family, and dogs. Maude (their young Border Collie-Rottweiller mix) was still a bit on the enthusiastic side, which made Bados, Mini, & Gilbert a bit tense. Once we got in the back yard & could run around, all was well. I FINALLY got to run around a bit. Lots of zoomies! A bit later Maude got a bit pushy with Mini, who did not want to play anymore. Maude did not back off when Mini got testy and air-snapped a couple times so I just walked between them to break it up. That gave both a second to regroup. All was well again.
Next stop Kansas!
Sunday, May 27, 2012
ASFA II day2
well, today started off looking like it might be a bit more entertaining for me than yesterday. I met a cute black & white boy (Sergei) who wanted to play. By surreptitiously winding my leash between J's legs, I got her to release hew hold slightly. I was off! A few darts & spins to show to my new friend how agile I am & to get him interested in a game of tag . . . ? Unfortunately, J caught me quickly; nor could Sergei break loose. C'est la vie.
Then I was back to being locked in the car - well, it was not really a locked car, but i couldn't escape.
I got to spend some time with Bobbie when other breeds coursed. Cathy Webster & Titus were also lounging n the mini-camper for our social time . So nice.
ooh, sleep is overtaking me (bad blogger!) . . . more in the morning
Then I was back to being locked in the car - well, it was not really a locked car, but i couldn't escape.
I got to spend some time with Bobbie when other breeds coursed. Cathy Webster & Titus were also lounging n the mini-camper for our social time . So nice.
ooh, sleep is overtaking me (bad blogger!) . . . more in the morning
Saturday, May 26, 2012
ASFA II, day 1
Well, today was MUCH better than the last 2. We did not spend the whole day driving.
After arriving at the coursing fields, we located Bados. I admit I had missed him a little. The big goof. He was so enthusiastic to see us. Also, Ziggy's new owner collected him. It's a shame Ziggy won't be traveling further with us; he had been a good travel companion.
The 1st highlight of the day was getting to see Bobbie & her family again. They looked great. J was excited to meet her in person.
The coursing field was very large, but there were lots of burs in the grass to catch on our feet. I think everyone must have got stuck at some point. Mini may get the award for most burs.
It was also REALLY WINDY again. J had extended the awning, but had to put it away for fear it would be ripped off its hinges.
Despite those downsides, there were lots of good runs, but I missed most of them as I had to wait in Ivan - so i will let someone else give the play by play. I can say that in Open the top order of finish was 1st Dior (Hicks/Sanders), then Kamiah (Koski)-Garis (Koski) -Bados (Vookles, of course) -Sahara (Hicks/Sanders). Mini won Field Ch, and Hillevi won Veteran. Dior won Best of Breed for the day, but hurt a foot pad at the finish. I hope this doesn't keep him from coursing tomorrow.
At the awards Mike Leach presented Bados with an award for being #1 Silken with ASFA last year. That's cool, but he had better not get smug about it
It looked like SO much fun out there. This put a sour note on the day. Everybody got to course but me. Grr. No fair. I mean I understand there is no Singles Competition at this event, but you think they might have wanted me to do an exhibition run or something. I mean, I am a little bit of a celebrity.
While transcribing, J is humming the theme to the Spy Who Loved Me: "nobody does it better, makes me feel bad for the rest, nobody does it quite the way you do; Baby, you're the best".
What can I say . . . it's so true.
After arriving at the coursing fields, we located Bados. I admit I had missed him a little. The big goof. He was so enthusiastic to see us. Also, Ziggy's new owner collected him. It's a shame Ziggy won't be traveling further with us; he had been a good travel companion.
The 1st highlight of the day was getting to see Bobbie & her family again. They looked great. J was excited to meet her in person.
The coursing field was very large, but there were lots of burs in the grass to catch on our feet. I think everyone must have got stuck at some point. Mini may get the award for most burs.
It was also REALLY WINDY again. J had extended the awning, but had to put it away for fear it would be ripped off its hinges.
Despite those downsides, there were lots of good runs, but I missed most of them as I had to wait in Ivan - so i will let someone else give the play by play. I can say that in Open the top order of finish was 1st Dior (Hicks/Sanders), then Kamiah (Koski)-Garis (Koski) -Bados (Vookles, of course) -Sahara (Hicks/Sanders). Mini won Field Ch, and Hillevi won Veteran. Dior won Best of Breed for the day, but hurt a foot pad at the finish. I hope this doesn't keep him from coursing tomorrow.
At the awards Mike Leach presented Bados with an award for being #1 Silken with ASFA last year. That's cool, but he had better not get smug about it
It looked like SO much fun out there. This put a sour note on the day. Everybody got to course but me. Grr. No fair. I mean I understand there is no Singles Competition at this event, but you think they might have wanted me to do an exhibition run or something. I mean, I am a little bit of a celebrity.
While transcribing, J is humming the theme to the Spy Who Loved Me: "nobody does it better, makes me feel bad for the rest, nobody does it quite the way you do; Baby, you're the best".
What can I say . . . it's so true.
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