Poodlebugs

Hemi Gambles~

2011-10-09T20:01:00.004-05:00

And gets a hard one! Way to go Hemi! (Notice the outstanding teeter performance, too!)

Z is for....

2011-08-31T06:04:00.008-05:00

ZOOMANIAC- Though, had I followed my original plan of study, I would currently be a ZOOLOGIST, off studying penguins in the Antarctic, or bengal tigers in Africa. However, after taking my first zoology class under the MOST boring and annoying professor on the planet, I quickly realized that I would never last another 15 required classes under this same professor- so I switched my major. (No, don't ask, you don't want to know. In fact, when I told my parents, I think they cried a little.) But, just because I chose a different path for my life doesn't meant that I lost my love of animals- well, except for domestic cats and spiders.

Y is for.....

2011-08-30T05:55:00.000-05:00

YOUTHFUL. "You are only as old as you feel" as the saying goes. I choose to only be as old the girl in this picture. I also choose to be as skinny, tanned, and energetic as that girl, too.

Do you think it will work? (Nah, me, either. It was worth a try, though)

X is for....

2011-08-29T06:51:00.000-05:00

X-RAY CODER. Yes, I know, it's really Radiology (or, in my case, Interventional Radiology), but the X was so hard anyway, and this way I didn't have to *cheat* by shortening a word like "xtra". I have been coding radiology reports for most of my adult life. I enjoy the work. The job? Well, let's move on to Y, shall we?

W is for.....

2011-08-27T05:42:00.000-05:00

WITTY--yep, those who know me enjoy my sense of humor. A friend of mine told me her husband doesn't have a Facebook page, but logs into hers just to see what witty, or humrous thing I've posted lately. I have inherited my sense of humor from both my mother and my father, so I received a double dose. They both have their own odd quirky sense of humor- Mom's is dryer than Dad's, and I have been lucky enough to pick up (and learned to appreciate) both types. It's funny how I tend to get along btter with the yankees than most of my southern counterparts because the dry sense of humor from up north is not lost on me!

(yeah, I know, you thought I was going to say "Writer"--but really, wouldn't that have been too easy?

V is for....

2011-08-26T20:35:00.003-05:00

VOLABLE.

U is for....

2011-08-25T16:54:00.008-05:00

Well, there were days this week when I thought U might stand for UNEMPLOYED- but that is not the case. (at least not at this time.)
I have, however, always been UNPREDICTABLE. Some may like that quality about me, some may not, but it is who I am. After all, who else would go so far as to put blue food coloring in the Thanksgiving gravy?

(yeah, that didn't go over so well.)

Almost done- V, W, X, Y and Z.... check back to see what thrilling (and unpredictable) adjectives I come up with to describe myself!

T is for......

2011-08-24T08:49:00.003-05:00

TALKATIVE. This was really no surprise, was it? It runs in my family. Each child in the family had to fight for their turn to talk- and the middle child normally won that battle. When she moved out, my own talkativeness kicked into high gear, and the DH is still waiting for it to die a natural death.

Funny thing is, now that I have left the house, my father has taken up where the children left off. The bad part is that he has nearly 50 years of talking to catch up on. Poor Mom.

S is for

2011-08-23T06:52:00.000-05:00

Standard Poodles! (of course)- Yes, I know, I've already done poodles, but this a subset of the previous letter.

Love this picture of Hemi- look at that concentration! (If only he would concentrate this hard on teeters!)

My girl Hershey and the Hershey Kissmobile! Sadly, the Kissmobile has been retired. Somewhere we have a photo of Hershey in the driver's seat. Wish I could find it again.

Boo- Being a model for our line of custom braided leather leashes and collars-

www.Leashes-Unleashed.com
(Yes, it's a shameless plug, but it's MY blog and I can do that if I want to!) Seriously- go check them out, they're great!

And, Kyra- one of her many days spent in the "cone of shame". She chews her feet off, and we have to put the cone on her. Poor thing, if only we could keep her feet from itching so bad!

Those are my 4 favorite standard poodles. They add so much to my life, I can't imagine life without them!

R is for...

2011-08-22T19:50:00.001-05:00

Refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready for a new work week? Not hardly!

Q is for

2011-08-20T06:15:00.001-05:00

Quixotic. That's your word for the day. Now--go look it up! Go! Now! I'll meet you back here on monday morning for R. Have a great weekend!

P is for...

2011-08-19T06:31:00.000-05:00

Poodle Fanatic. You could say I am *passionate* about my poodles. Here are a few photos of the objects of my affection. Enjoy!

O is for

2011-08-18T06:00:00.002-05:00

OPINIONATED.

I don't hold back, and I have an opinion on EVERYTHING. Just ask me! No topic is too big or too small.

Politics? I'm a conservative, tea party, the less government the better kind of person.

Doodling? This should come as no surprise- I'm against mixing breeds intentionally just "because". If you just HAVE to have a doodle- call a poodle rescue organization, that's where most of them end up. (And, by the way, most of them DO shed!)

Rescuing vs. breeders? Here's a hint- YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE! Yep, that's right! If you want a rescue dog, or a shelter dog, GREAT! Good for you- go right out and find the dog of your dreams. However, if you want a pure bred dog, also GREAT! Go out and find the dog of your dreams. Where I have issues is when someone tells me that I should get a rescue dog instead of purchasing a purebred. Whatever happened to MY right to own a purebred? Because we do obedience, agility, and dabble in conformation I like knowing what I am getting. When I get a dog from a reputable breeder, I have a fairly good indication of the dog's build, temperament, and future health. Is it 100%? No, but to manipulate a well-known phrase "Shelter dogs are like a box of chocolates- you never know what you're going to get." When you have a goal in mind with your dog of choice, the more of a leg up you have, the better.

I could go on for pages and pages and pages, but I think you get the idea!

N is for

2011-08-17T08:46:00.002-05:00

Narrator- With my love of story telling I feel I become the narrator of many stories. It is my pashion.

By narrating, I can step out of my own life, and see it from a distance as well as the life story of another.

I am the vessel through which others' stories get told, and that is a great responsibility.

M is for

2011-08-16T08:37:00.000-05:00

MACABRE

Bwuahahahahaha

Based on my fascination with Halloween, Stephen King, and all things spooky and scary, no better M exists for me!

L is for.....

2011-08-15T08:53:00.000-05:00

LITERARY

I love to read, I love to write, I love the smell of an old book. My parents taught me to read at a fairly young age. "Hop on Pop." Loved it. Read it to them so often that, at times, they briefly regretted teaching me this wonderful skill.

Reading is a respite, a chance to get away from the humdrum of every day life. When I read, I can spend time on a dessert island without getting sunburned. I can enjoy the view from a helicopter despite my fear of heights. I can visit exotic lands without fear of the local cuisine.

Reading is not only an escape, it's a way to continue to learn and grow, regardless of you age, interests, or physical condition. You can read virtually anywhere; on a plane, on the bus, in the doctor's office, on the toilet.

There are few things that are as fulfilling as a new book!

K is for

2011-08-13T08:50:00.000-05:00

Karen's sister.

(yeah- taking the easy way out today!)

J is for

2011-08-12T06:00:00.001-05:00

JINXED.

Anyone who knows me well knows this!

At the grocery store, I will always pick the SLOWEST line! One afternoon, there were 2 lanes open at the small neighborhood market in the tiny town we lived in, one person in each line- one woman had a cart overflowing, the other had about 20 items. Seems like an easy choice, no? Wrong!

This woman first put some cheese, milk, and cereal on the counter that she paid for with WIC (Women, Infants and Children).

She then put a few other items on the counter that she paid for with her food stamps. She then paid some steaks with a check. Once these three orders were completed, her cart was empty, but she wasn't through.

She asked for a pack of cigarettes. Now, at this small grocery store, the tobacco products were kept in a separate room at the back of the store. The checker had to lock her register, walk to the back of the store to get the cigarettes, then check the woman out. She paid for these cigarettes with a debit card.

Sound like enough? Nope. She wasn't done yet. She asked for yet a DIFFERENT pack of cigarettes. (lather, rinse, repeat). For these cigarettes, she paid cash.

After what seemed like an hour, she was finally done.

And believe me, this is not an isolated incident. There are times when, relaying the events of my day, a family member will shake their head and proclaim. "Only you."

So, yeah. I'm jinxed. Remember that next time you decide you want to go anywhere with me!

I is for.....

2011-08-11T09:23:00.002-05:00

Incandescence! Okay, so not really, that's just the sun reflecting off beads of sweat on my skin. For I, there are so many, really, it was hard to choose one.

Impatient- this is probably the biggest for me. I have zero patience, and it shows. I don't like waiting in lines, I don't like chaos, I don't like processes that aren't streamlined. This probably gets me in trouble more than anything else. I am a product of the "instant gratification" generation.

Intelligent- unfortunately, I think this helps to feed into my impatience. I do not deal well with people who are, shall we say, have zero common sense. I have a baseline of intelligence level that I expect people who hold certain jobs to possess. For instance, if you are working at a cash register, you should be able to make change. Period. Anything less than that and you should be doing something else. If my total is $3.01, and I give you $10.01. I expect you to be smart enough, without a machine telling you, that I get $7.00 back. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen.

Imperfect- of course then again, aren't we all? The difference, is that I am aware that I am imperfect, and while I might strive to reach that pinnacle, I choose to not beat myself up when my flaws come through. I embrace them, study them, and search for ways to improve upon them. This is actually harder than it sounds, and I fall flat. But, that doesn't keep me from trying.

Finally

I stands for....I. As in, self. I am always true to myself. One cannot give anything of value to others until they learn to be true to oneself.

Now, on to think about J.

H is for

2011-08-10T08:19:00.003-05:00

HOT. HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT!

When the morning LOW is 85, and this is the reading on the temperature gauge in your vehicle, you know it's hot! Today marks day 40 of straight 100+ degree temps here in DFW.

Maybe H really stands for Hell? Maybe that's where we are?

Come on fellow Texans, say it with me! "I will NOT complain about the cold this winter!" (if winter ever gets here!)

G is for...

2011-08-09T08:10:00.000-05:00

GRATEFUL. With the world in so much turmoil, I thought I should take a step backwards and take a look at the things I am grateful for, because I do have so many.

I am grateful to have a wonderful husband who loves me. (Come to think of it, G could also be for Gene!)

I am grateful to have 4 wonderful dogs who, although can at times be difficult (Kyra, did you chew that bandage off AGAIN?), keep me on my toes, and find a way to make me smile on a daily basis.

I have a job, and in this economy, that is no small thing.

I also have food to eat and a roof over my head.

I have a big circle of family and friends! I thank and love you all.

F is for....

2011-08-08T17:15:00.000-05:00

Frustrated. That's it, frustrated.

E is for.....

2011-08-06T00:01:00.000-05:00

Entrepreneur. Yep, DH and I are selling custom, handbraided leather leashes. This all started a few years ago when my favorite leash, a 2' black and gold braided leather leash, finally went to that leash heaven in the sky. In our search to find the original vendor, all we were able to find was empty internet space. So, my DH took the leash apart and tried to figure out how it was made. He discovered it was much easier than he had anticipated, and bought the materials to make me a new leash. Since he had to buy an entire cow hide, enough for about 30 leashes, he decided it was more economical to make them and sell them to others. And, all I can say is "WOW!" They are the hottest thing going around here! Now, if we can ever get our website up and running.....

D is for.....

2011-08-05T19:26:00.003-05:00

Yeah--you weren't really surprised were you? I didn't think so! I don't remember life without dogs, and it's not a life I want to even think about. Anyone who owns a dog will understand--they aren't just fuzzy things that eat and poop. (unlike infants, but that's another story) No, a dog is a companion- a security system- and yes, even a teacher. Not to mention, they REALLY LOVE my Daddy!

Yes, if there are no dogs in Heaven, I don't want to go!

C is for.....

2011-08-04T07:29:00.004-05:00

IS FOR..............................

Anyone who knows me will not be surprised by this one at all:

CHATTY!!!!!!!! Yes, I love to talk. Maybe it's because growing up with my sister K, I had to fight for my turn. Breaking into any conversation K is a part of takes impeccable timing. Not to mention, you have to be able to switch topics with the speed of a cheetah. Such rigorous training in my early, formative years has had a profound impact on me. I am thankful, however, I did not also become as adept at flailing all parts of my body in different directions while telling a story. I can, if pressed, talk when my hands are tied behind my back. (not that I've tried.) K, however, would be silenced. (How do you think we got a word in?)

Now---off to work!

B is for......

2011-08-03T00:02:00.000-05:00

BOOKWORM

Yep, I admit it. I love to read. My dream day is sitting on the beach reading a book. I have learned to keep my book collecting to a minimum. My favorites are, by far, my Stephen King books, especially the signed/numbered limited editions. (And, with SK coming to this area in November- perhaps I can get some signatures on another book?)

This one has sentimental value to me, a German Bible

Thanks to Mom & Dad for that Garage Sale Find!

A is for.....

2011-08-02T00:10:00.003-05:00

Agility Addict.

Hello, my name is Patti, and I am an Agility Addict. Unfortunately, there is no cure for the addiction, there isn't even a treatment for it.

At least, it's an addiction that doesn't spill over into something worse. Just a reminder of what my agility addiction is all about:

Alphabet in August

2011-08-01T17:37:00.002-05:00

A is for Apple?

So, my friend to north has talked me into doing the "Alphabet in August" challenge. Starting tomorow, and taking a letter a day, I must come up with a word or phrase to describe me. The good news, we get Sunday to rest.

If you would like to see how Kelly does with this same challange, please feel free to check out her blog as well. Should be exciting!

http://myoldnewhouse.blogspot.com/2011/08/alphabet-in-august.html?spref=fb

Feel free to join me!

(untitled)

2011-04-26T21:46:00.003-05:00

NYC--Phase II

2011-01-12T15:16:00.001-06:00

I left off last post at Kelly's house Friday night. We returned home late from her parent's house, and were soon off to bed. Unfortunately, my peaceful slumber never came. It was, instead, interrupted by a nasty stomach bug that had me up several times in the night hurling up pizza guts. The worst part, is that I was still queasy when we left Kelly's house to head to the airport. I could only hope that the queasiness would dissipate quickly. I was wrong.

I settled into the back seat, and attempted to NOT think about being in an airplane, and being nauseous. As one might expect, I was unsuccessful.

When we arrived at the border crossing, Kelly dutifully handed our passports over to the crossing guard who had 1 questions, "Where do you know each other from?" We found out rather quickly that "we're friends" is NOT an appropriate answer. In my feverish state, I think I remember him reaching for a gun, but I've been informed that I was mistaken. He simply asked, more sternly, "WHERE. DO. YOU. KNOW. EACH. OTHER. FROM?" When Kelly replied "through our dogs", this answer satisfied him and we were off. (I think he was probably just a wee bit bitchy about working the border at 5 am, but I could be mistaken.)

We made it to the airport, onto the plane, to NYC, and to the hotel without incident. At this point, Gene encouraged me to curl up on the bed and take a nap. However, in my weakened condition, I felt it was best to keep moving- for if I were to lay down, I likely would not move the rest of the trip. I was determined to push on.

First on our list was the statue of liberty. It had not occured to me, when making my decision, that seeing this beauty would require an airplane, a NY taxi driver ride, a subway ride, a ferry, and 3 miles of walking. NOT the best option for someone with a stomach ailment.

I was a little shocked when I first saw her, and knew my fever had spiked. This is NOT how she looked in all those photos I've seen!

I also don't remember her pointing at me, and I certainly thought she was bigger! I was MUCH relieved to find out that the above masculine creature was NOT the statue I had traveled so far to see!

This is more like it!

In the original of this photo, Lady Liberty and I share a similar skin tone. Photoshop made me look happy, and healthy. And, yes, she IS as tall as I thought she would be!

After a second ferry ride with a hot dog vendor directly behind us, and another 3 mile hike back to the hotel, it was definately time for a nap. Gene and I both settled in, and slept for several hours. As I had feared earlier, I would not rise from this spot the remainder of the day. Since Gene's NYC bucket list included Rockefeller Center at night, I encouraged him to go and enjoy without me- just take plenty of pictures so I could live it vicariously through photos. He obliged, and I've only posted a few of them here!

This is the *The* Christmas Tree.

TWO Tickle me Elmos..in ONE block? I think this is one of the 7 signs!

More Christmas trees and lights.

Red Christmas Trees!

He also took a stroll through Time's Square.

The Hershey's Store.........

Right across the street from the M&M's store.

Sunday morning greeted me with more strength, and less queasiness. I was determined to make use of what little time we had left. After a breakfast of 3 bites of a bacon/egg/cheese biscuit, we were off to Ground Zero.

As we walked around the ginormous hole in the ground left by those B*stards, we came across this memorial

on the side of THIS fire station. I knew that Ladder Co. #10 was close, but I had no idea that they are, literally, on the opposite side of the street.

Next, it was off to do some shopping. We first went by Saks, but based on the line outside- we figured they were doing credit checks to see if you were even ALLOWED inside the doors. We opted to take a photo--and move on.

Next was FAO Schwartz.

No credit check required--just a high credit limit!

When we stopped at one intersection, and found a ferrari dealership on one corner

and a Maybach dealership on the other corner

We knew we were here:

And, if you've ever spent more than, say, 5 minutes in NYC--this sign is funny. If you've spent the night at a hotel NOT on Park Avenue, but just around the corner from Broadway? It's hysterical.

One of the lovely churches we came across--right in the middle of mass, so we thought it might be a *little* inappropriate to go inside and take photos.

Another of the lovely churches.

Gene got a Chicken Gyro from a street vendor for lunch. I opted for....a Mountain Dew.

We had our lunch right by the Fox News studios. If we had hit this area earlier, we could have been one of those nerds outside, waving at the camera.

The Hershey store in the daylight.

And, the M&M's store. (Which, I might add, was NOT open on Sunday- although the Hershey store was.)

Ah, one of the most elusive creatures in NYC, captured on film. Sightings are few and fleeting, so I wanted to document this one. What am I referring to? The purse vendor, of course! Most of the purse vendors we saw had their loot in a bed sheet slung over their backs like Santa. They would display the loot briefly, always ready to gather the sheet and make a run for it.

And, a last bit of humor I found. There was a private drive on one of the streets that we had to hike to/from the subway station. Evidently, this is how these types of disputes are handled.

All in all, it was a pretty good trip! I hope that we will be able to go again, but this time spend longer, and have zero illness while there.

You're going WHERE? WHEN? Are you Crazy?

2011-01-11T13:18:00.002-06:00

MARGARITAVILLE???????????

No, Canada---the Great White Way!

The short answer is...Yes, we ARE crazy! But, that's how WE roll!

It all started when the DH decided he needed some more frequent flyer miles for 2010 to be upgraded to gold, or platinum, or something. So, he suggested we take a short vacation before the end of the year. Okay. Cool. Sounds fun!

It was at this point that my friend Kelly (Wave and say "Hello" Kelly) said, "You should come visit ME!" Sounds like fun, right? Going to visit a friend? Close to the holidays? SURE! Except that THIS friend lives in Canada. Yep, that's right, that country just south of the North Pole. Since this was already Octoberish, there were not many open weekends before the end of the year. We found a mutually agreeable weekend in December. 2 weeks before Christmas.

Plane tickets bought, dates confirmed, and the adventure began. We went through airport security in Dallas, and while we didn't have to be groped- or go through the x-rated machines, it was requested that I remove my shirt. (Okay, so I had on a sweatshirt with another shirt underneat, and they just wanted me to remove the sweatshirt, but still!)

Because of the fact that a.) people are too stooped to understand the meaning of "1 carry on and an additional personal item", and b.) the airlines are too lame to enforce same rule, the overhead compartments were full before we boarded the plane, causing us to have to gate check our carry-on. What they failed to tell us, was that the gate-checked bag would not be waiting for us at the gate during our layover in Chicago, but would be placed in the belly of the beast, and we would have to go to baggage claim in order to retrieve said carry-on. Oops!

Upon landing in Chicago, I waited inside the airport while Gene went to baggage claim, retrieved the bag, and then returned through security. Luckily, the line for security was short on that Thursday afternoon.

We arrive in Buffalo where we were accosted, er, greeted by Kelly and her Dad. (Hi Dad!)

When we got to Kelly's house, because of the proximity to the North Pole, the dense cloud cover, and the late date, it was nearly dark. By the time we deposited our luggage, greeted the schnauzers, and loaded up for our first glimpse of Niagara Falls, it was dark. DARK DARK DARK DARK DARK. (I don't think the moon reaches Canada)

Our first glimpse at the falls! Niagara Falls, NY is in the background.

The Canada Falls---not quite as impressive as the American side, but still lovely! ;)

They heard that the Americans had invaded, and were nice enough to provide mood lighting for our viewing pleasure. (When you only get 3 tourists during the month of December, you go out of your way to make them happy!)

After a lovely Italian dinner of baby seal alfredo and whale blubber gnocchi.....(okay, not really). It was Italian, and it was awesome. We headed back to Kelly's abode where we settled in, chatted for awhile, loved on the dogs, and then headed to bed to get an early start.

After a breakfast of Non-Candian bacon, eggs, pancakes, etc., we headed out for a view of the Falls during daylight hours. The fog and the mist is incredible!

The layer of frost, ice, and snow on EVERYTHING!

During the summer, the viewing platform below is open to the public. Not sure WHY it isn't in the winter! Hrmmm.

Me and Kelly, in front of the Canadian Falls, being pelted by frozen rain. (Despite Kelly's firm belief that if her image is captured on film, her soul will be stripped from her body, she graciously allowed me to take 2- count them 2 photos of her.) Kelly was such a trooper to endure the bitter cold/rain to stand and stare at something that is practically in her backyard. Something she can enjoy during NICE weather.

I found this sign amusing, and wonder if it was REALLY necessary. If you're stupid enough to not know that climbing over the railing (especially an icy one) could result in a plunge to an icy, watery grave, then, well, that's just nature's way of putting a little chlorine in the gene pool.

Evidently, the Canadian interpretation of the this sign is a little different than the American interpretation. Darn Canadians- they don't do ANYTHING right!

We were informed that this hung in the middle of photo is a Scow- abandoned many moons ago when the crew of the scow feard for their lives. I guess they didn't *really* have to worry about going overboard, did they? I think it was a Garbage Scow, but Kelly argued with me.

We then loaded up in Kelly's little 4-door Speck and headed to wine country! Niagara-On-The-Lake. What a beautiful little town. It reminded me of the Hallmark Christmas stories that take place in a small country town, where everyone knows each other.

We got a nice little Christmas present while there. They can do that in little towns!

Of course- furniture in this small town was a bit more........rustic.

I found this sign interesting. I mean, really. Who adds sugar to beanie babies anyway?

We found out quickly that we did NOT have the appropriate attire for Canada. Far from it! No one told me I needed a moose hat!

At the end of an afternoon of shopping, we stopped in the historic "Prince of Wales" hotel for a hot toddy, where we posed for a group shot.

We spent our last evening in Canada at Kelly's parents house, eating pizza, and learning all about Kelly's deep dark secrets! (I can be bought!) We were to be at the airport for a 5:30 flight to New York City for the second phase of our vacation. The NYC adventures will be chronicled in another blog post!

Hemi does YOGA!

2010-09-06T15:56:00.010-05:00

On perusing some of my photos of Hemi, I was impressed with his vast versatility of yoga positions. I thought I would share some of my favorites here!

This is his modified "Savasana" pose- the canine version of the corpse pose.

This pose was somewhat unsuccessful the first time, and he has not attempted it since:

"Parsva Bhuja Dandasana" or "Dragonfly". This is what that pose is supposed to look like:

Here, Hemi has perfected the "Karnapidasana" pose- or "Ear Pressing Pose". This pose is known for increasing blood flow to the brain. I wonder if it helps?

Here we have a better view of Hemi's execution of the "Karnapidasana."

The canid version of "Anantasana" or the "Couch pose". This pose is unique in that you will notice that the dog's back is facing out, whereas the face is close to the couch.

"Supta Baddha Konasana" aka "Reclining Bound Ankle Pose". We affectionately refer to this as "Hogtie" position.

Here is Hemi's interpretation of "Pasasana" or the "Noose" pose. The execution is not flawless, but I will give him an A for effort!

Here, Hemi chooses to hide his face so that his execution of the "Salutation" pose is not seen.

Here, Hemi is in the relaxation phase of yoga in his "Kurmasana" pose, or the "tortoise" pose where he curls in on himself, and his eyes disappear behind his ear.

Gene helps brace Hemi while he learns the "Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana" pose- or "Rotated half-moon". This one has been difficult, and still requires embracing from either Gene or I in order to hit the position properly.

"Viparita Hemiani" aka "Legs on table" pose.

Hemi is caught trying desperately to enter the "Paripurna Navasana" pose, or "Full Boat" pose. He is obviously still working on it.

Hemi's favorite pose (and the first pose he learned) would be "Urdhava Kukkutasana" or "upward cock pose". This pose is a beginner's level pose that can start any dog on their way to yoga.

Another difficult pose: "Yoganidrasana" or, "GeeIgottapeea" pose.

In Hemi's execution of "Krauncasana" pose, it looked too painful to get a full photo of him, so I just chose to capture it from one angle.

Another version of "Supta Baddha Konasana"... obviously his favorite position.

Hemi's knowledge and use of his Yoga poses is amazing, and I believe it helps him keep his Chakra centered. His use of meditation is helping him overcome his anxiety over the dogwalk and the teeter, so we keep going. I hope you enjoyed this trek through Hemi's yoga routine as much as I did!

Spider spider on the wall?

2010-07-16T11:03:00.003-05:00

So, about once a month, Kyra will start chewing on one (or more) of her feet. We will put some Gold Bond powder on it, put a child's sock on the foot, and tape it up. We've been through this so often, we have about 5 pairs of socks so that we can keep a clean sock on her foot until she quits the chewing.

She started up again Wednesday, and I followed usual protocol- powder and sock.

Last night, the sock was wet, and she was digging at it, and we went to change the sock. There was a slight odor, much like wet dog foot smell, and she was limping on it some. Pulled the sock off, and found this:

A very swollen, raw, hot foot. We examined carefully, but found no evidence of a bite, a cut, a blister, a sore, nothing. Shaved the foot as close as possible without injuring her. Washed and scrubbed the foot, put fresh Gold Bond powder on it, and put the sock back on. She has left it alone pretty well all night, but checked this morning to find this:

More raw, more red, more swollen, warmer, and notice the blood spot- and an additional pus-type spot . Wiped off with cool damp cloth, and we have an appointment at 1:30 today to see the vet. Keep your fingers crossed that it's nothing serious! :(

More updates as they become available.

A day at the lake!

2010-06-12T14:05:00.007-05:00

Today we took Hemi to the lake for the first time. We knew the other 3 poodles were not that "in" to the water, but Hemi has always been up for trying new things, so we thought we'd give him a shot. He wasn't so much into the "swimming" aspect, but he LOVED running back and forth in the water. I stood on land with the camera, and he would RUN out to Gene, hopping through the water, and then turn and RUN back to me. He had a blast! I took nearly 100 photos, but will not post them all here! (just a few of my favorites) I think they do a very nice job of showing the pure joy he felt! Enjoy!

That photo ^^ was actually after the swim, a little bonding time with Daddy!

Looks like there will be many more visits to the lake for Hemi! Besides, it's a GREAT way for him to run off some steam!

ATCH Kyra-Boo Houdini

2010-05-23T18:50:00.004-05:00

Today, Gene and my brown-eyed girl, Kyra, finished their ATCH in grand style! Kyra had always been a velcro dog, but thanks to some patience and a wonderful trainer and mentor, Kyra and Gene learned to embrace distance work, and become increasingly proficient at it! Thanks Pamela!

It was great to finish such a great title at home, and with most of our local dog friends and many of Kyra's fans ringside! And a special thanks, of course to Judge Judy! Providing some wonderful courses, encouraging words before the run, kind words after the run, and most importanly, SMILING for the photo op!

So....how many more legs for ATCH II?

SBM seeks MAH for long term relationship!

2010-05-08T18:53:00.004-05:00

Boo is putting an add in the local paper seeking an agility handler with some Skillz! He has been working so hard for me this weekend, but I keep making a little mistake here and there that have cost us a Q. Friday, he got a bonus Open FAST Q that he didn't need. Today, he got his first Excellent FAST Q! I was so proud of my boy! He has not had the best luck with contacts- but we have been working to make him more successful. The send bonus for yesterday AND today were basically the same- the open bonus was teeter/tunnel- the excellent bonus was teeter, tunnel, jump. I got not video from Friday, but was lucky enough to get his FAST run from today on video:

The standard course was one of the ugliest, crunchiest, tightest, ugliest (oh, said that one already) course I believe I have ever seen! As I sat and watched the 8" dogs take the numerous off courses, and then the 12" dogs, and then the 16" dogs, I came to the realization that if the little dogs had problems with it, I was most likely screwed.

I watched the "big name" handlers each bite the dust one after another, and began to dread doing this course! Given the fact that the total Q rate for this course was about 10%, I didn't really hold out much hope. There was the sheltie eating tunnel in one corner, the tight turn after the ONE spot where the dogs could really stretch up and gather some speed, the backwards triple that seemed OH so inviting, and the triple threat of dogwalk, A-frame, Table coming out of the tunnel. During the other jump heights, the crowd began mumbling the words to "Another one bites the dust" as dog after dog after dog fell prey to "the course from Hell!"

Given all of that, I have to say, I am VERY pleased with my boy's run. HE executed FLAWLESSLY, and didn't become a victim of the many traps set up on the course. We were near the end, and Boo gave me the most wonderful A-frame he has ever given, and I didn't have the extra waiting time I usually have to cross to get the weaves. Unfortunately, I was out of position and tried hard to correct it, but just couldn't. The judge didn't call the first refusal, and we were still alive, but I just couldn't get him lined up. The result was a NEARMISSQ, and it is on video. I am VERY proud of this boy, and can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it is NOT an oncoming train! It is a bucket full of Q's!

Here's hoping tomorrow brings MORE Q's!

AUSSOME ASCA weekend!

2010-04-22T20:05:00.003-05:00

Three runs from this weekend- the 2 best, unfortunately, were not caught on tape. The first 2 are Boo, the last one is Hemi's jumper's Q. (The first video includes a special message from Mike!)

Boo finished the weekend with 5 out of 10 Q's, a 1st place, a second place finish only .02 behind first, and was runner up high in trial! I couldn't be more proud of my little man!

Hemi is doing the dogwalk consistently in class, or has the last several weeks. He is not hesitating and requiring zero assistance from Gene to do the dogwalk. Hopefully, sometime soon, that will transfer to a trial setting. When it does- LOOK OUT AGILITY WORLD!

Tea Party 4/15/2010

2010-04-15T21:57:00.000-05:00

Tea Party tonight: This was a large banner they had up for everyone to sign. This will be rolled up and delivered to Washington, DC

One of may favorite photos:

How true THIS is!

Where old meets new---the times may change, but the message still rings true today:

Then there are the *new* messages!

Hey....some of us OWN poodles!

And...inventive new products!

DAWG turns 25

2010-04-11T20:08:00.001-05:00

Texas' oldest agility club continued it's 25th anniversary celebration this weekend. I decided to share some of the photos I took while I was there:

First, a group shot of the wonderful Veteran dogs in the Veteran's parade:

A few of our Members' dogs:

Buster

Vrai

And, Baron

I LOVED this look:

And..Flurry:

And, I found this shot humrous...

Happy 25th Anniversary to DAWG. I have only been involved a few years, but it's not only the oldest agility group in the state, it's the BEST!

NO!

2010-04-10T19:18:00.001-05:00

I had an interesting conversation with some friends today regarding the use of the word "NO" and it's uses in dog training, and the conversation was interesting enough that I thought it should be shared. It started as we were discussing a dog that has a tendency to sniff on the table during an agility trial. We all agreed that, with the particular dog, stress was the major factor. It was brought up that the usual tendency for someone who has a sniffing problem, is to utter the word "no" at a trial, and expect the dog to quit sniffing and become MACH material immediately! This seldom works. The conversation regarding the reason this doesn't work went something like this (author retains the right to paraphrase and/or alter the exact conversation in order to make delivery of said message more effective):

B: Let's play a game of trivial pursuit.
M: Sure
B: What piece of a WWII mess kit was referred to as a pus blanket?
M: Hrmmm.. Bread?
B: No
M: Napkin?
B: No
M: Crackers?
B: No

There was a lag in the conversation as we started at B, waiting for more information. None was forthcoming.
I googled this, and even called my Dad- a career military man- to try and glean the answer to no avail.

So, what does this prove? I have given my 3 best answers, and have offered other behaviors, and still do not know what the correct answer is. I also do not have enough information to answer the question. All I have is "no".

When it comes to dog training, I'm not about what works, I'm about what makes sense to me. This makes sense to me. Dogs learn best (as we all do) when the information provided is black and white. Simply teaching the dog "no" can make them stop one behavior, but doesn't provide them the information they need to perform the correct behavior, and this can cause undue stress on the dog.

What does a tired dog look like

2010-01-16T20:10:00.000-06:00

After a long day of agility?

Kinda like this:

Dancing with my DAWGS

2010-01-15T15:20:00.003-06:00

What could POSSIBLY be more fulfillling than spending time with the furry ones you love? Nothing I can think of!

2 videos from a recent ASCA trial.

Hemi in Elite Jumpers:

Boo in Elite Jumpers:

What a great weekend!

Saturday Videos

2009-12-06T15:03:00.002-06:00

Too tired to type a full blog entry, but here are 3 videos from Saturday's runs. The dogs are REALLY having some nice runs. If only the handlers can get focused and quite making boneheaded mistakes, we'll be rolling in Q's! A NICE Standard Q from Boo and Kyra, and Hemi's "also ran".

Poor Hemi- he is still so immature and easily distracted, so many of his runs are awesome save 1 or 2 spots. When he can focus for a full minute, the runs are UNBELIEVABLE! Look for this boy to be the family's first MACH dog!

Nature/Nature everywhere!

2009-10-03T17:40:00.005-05:00

I have been remiss in updating my blog, and vow to try and catch up in the next few weeks. I have lots of photos and videos to upload!
For my first update, I thought I would upload some photos from the last 2 weekends. Enjoy!

First is the Japanese Gardens in Fort Worth:

My personal favorite--Begging Koi!

A good close second:

A water snake:

Chief and his photographic skills! (At least he took the lens cap off!)

Dallas Arboretum!

2009-10-03T15:00:00.000-05:00

Weekend number 2, we went to the Dallas Arboretum. We took 250 photos, but I have not included all of them here, but a LOT of them! Please enjoy them as much as we enjoyed taking them!

Dew on a yellow rose:

Metal butterflies:

A black crow bathing in a shallow pond:

Bird of paradise?

Not sure if this is a bee, or what? He was solid black!

Proof that we were both there!

The water lillies were slow to open up:

Sailboats on White Rock Lake:

Dew on the leaves:

Pink roses:

Wishing Well:

Water Fountain:

Inside a "Sod Home":

Never could find a placquard about what these are:

Butterfly:

Bumblebee hovering:

Bumblebee and a butterfly"

Gecko: (No, he didn't save us any money on our car insurance)

Pumpkin hut:

Corn and straw horse:

Ornamental Peppers:

Happy Birthday!

2009-03-31T17:31:00.002-05:00

Today, our darling little boy is 2 years old! NOW can we act like a big boy?

So close

2009-03-08T18:03:00.004-05:00

And yet, so far away.

Boo has officially been pulled from competition until Fall. He has a nagging shoulder injury that he just can't seem to shake. The sad part, is that he was so close to getting his AXJ, needing only 2 q's. He and I had finally begun to click as a team, becoming more consistent. The courses this weekend were nice, flowy, open courses. Great for the big dogs. (Something that doesn't come around often.) On a brighter note, Hemi had a really great run in Jumpers with weaves on Saturday:

It was his 4th Q, and Gene decided to go ahead and move him up, before he got too used to only doing 6 weave poles. He's not doing standard yet, because we're still having some issues on the dogwalk and teeter. Kyra is now 1 Q away from her MX. She should have been able to get that leg this weekend. Saturday, Gene and Kyra were doing well, but Gene pulled her a little wide on the weaves, causing her to miss the entry. Sunday, he handed her off to me. In JWW, she was moving very slowly and with me losing my brain a couple of times on course, she didn't Q. In standard, poor girl spent the entire run wondering where her Dad was.

Of course, there's always another dogshow!

Here are the courses from this weekend.

Once, Twice, Three times a Q!!!!

2009-02-21T18:15:00.005-06:00

All 3 dogs got 1 Q today- not bad odds. First came Kyra- She was really slow, just barely making time for a whopping ZERO MACH points. However, she acted "off" all day, and Gene pulled her from standard because of it. Not sure what the problem was, but she did drop some major chalupa's (her 3rd set of the day) immediately after being pulled from the course. She is acting fine otherwise, so we're hoping it was just a tummy ache. We'll see what happens tomorrow. Following is her jumper's Q:

Boo's JWW run was good..until his Momma got lazy. We had made it through the hard parts, and I let my guard down. (And my dog). Pushed him out around a jump, and cost us the Q. On the up side, in standard, Momma was back on track. We managed to Q-- slightly over time, but being Excellent A, I'm allowed. That was his standard title. 2 more Q's for that jumper's title. Who'd a thunk I would have a standard title on ANY dog before a jumper's title? Tee Hee.

The last run of the day for us was Hemi in JWW. It started off a little rocky, but he finished strong. This is his run, and Q.

So, 3 good, solid Q's from today. Tomorrow is another chance to improve on that score. It's also the first chance for Boo, AND me to get our first MACH points... EVER!

Happy Birthday to me!

2009-02-20T16:03:00.004-06:00

Yes, it's my Birthday today. I am now 29.99 + tax. But, age aside, it has been a really good day. First, I got the following gift from my DH.

The book is one of a limited printed set that never went on sale- Stephen King simply gave them to his friends/important people. Why did Andrew sell his copy? Dunno- don't care!

At work, one of my lovely co-workers and CN's (Cubie Neighbor) spent 2 days making me this cake:

So, all in all, it's been a pretty nice Birthday! Another year behind me!

Happy Belayed Valentine's Day

2009-02-15T19:21:00.004-06:00

Kyra decided she couldn't be outdone, so decided that today she would offer Gene a double Q. Her JWW run:

And, her standard run:

So--out of 10 runs this weekend, we managed to pull out 5 Q's. 50% Not a bad haul for this couple. Hemi is slowly improving with each run. Once he gets his head together, he's going to be great!

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T15:55:00.003-06:00

Agility competitors are a superstitious lot. I think this is true for most all athletes. You have lucky Q shirts that competitors will wear day after day after day. That lucky leash that your dog Q'd on for the first time. I would even bet that there's more than 1 pair of "lucky agility undies" out there.

I would guess I'm no different. Upon arriving at the arena this morning after a 1 hour drive, getting to the restroom facilities was a top priority for me. Inside, someone had decorated one of the stalls like this:

Weighing my options, and counting the number of heads waiting in line for the "lucky stall", I decided that the need to empty my bladder was more important than waiting on the magic toilet at this point, so I chose to use the only open stall at the time. The one at the far end. The one with the broken door that doesn't close all the way. The handicap stall.

Our first run was in JWW. Someone must have told Boo that it was Valentine's day. Since we all know how much Boo loves his Momma, he decided I needed something special. So, he focused and managed to pull out a JWW Q this morning with a first place! WAHOO!.

Subsequent trips to the lavatory brought with them a great quandry. Do I contnue to use my own, personal "lucky" stall, or do I risk it and use the club proclaimed "lucky stall". After much debate with myself (and more than a few odd looks), I decided to continue using my own personal "lucky stall".

In Standard, Boo managed to once again pull out a Q with a first place!

Poor Gene, there was no lucky stall in the men's room. Because of this, Kyra got 1 Q in JWW with a 3rd place, and Hemi took the "walk of shame" after the first 2 jumps.

I will have to watch closely tomorrow and keep Gene out of the ladies room!

First Day Back at Work

2009-02-02T17:20:00.004-06:00

Today was to be my first day back at work, having discussed the start with my boss nearly a month ago, I didn't expect any issues.. It should be an easy transition, since I have worked there before, and have been doing some "moonlighting" as well.

I decided I would start my work days at 7 am. While I am not a morning person, I hate afternoon traffic even more. It is much safer for all involved if I get up early and miss traffic driving home.

Being slightly OCD about being on time. (For anything) I arrived at the office at aprpoximately 6:45 am. I had already received an e-mail from my dear friend Vici telling me which lovely cubicle was reserved especially for me. I decide today is going to be a good day, since the doors are NOT locked when I arrive. (yeah!)

I locate said cubie with no problem. (Because I had been there before.) The desk contains a CPU, a Monitor, a phone, and desk chair. That's it. I look around, and notice a few desks that are empty (or at least appear to be) so my first mission is to pilfer (aka steal) supplies from these desks. This amounts to a trash can and broken tape dispenser.

6:49 am- unpack, and realize there is not a plug in for my alarm clock. Once again, pilfer through unused desks and *obtain* a power strip

6:59 am- turn on computer and attempt to sign on

7:00 am- realize that I do not have enough information to log onto the desk top

7:01 am- locate Team Leader (TL), and find out that boss is off that day. Inform TL of my sign on problem.

7:03 am- TL calls Computer Geek (CG) to tell her that I need a sign on. (CG is not in yet, so we wait.)

7:15 am- make a cup of hot tead and scour empty desks once again for supplies

7:20 am- realize I have a calendar in my car, and leave to retrieve it

7:30 am- hang calendar on cubie wall with the help of a push pin donated from fellow co-worker

7:35 am- inform friend and cubie neighbor (CN) that I am unable to sign on

7:40 am- Sign onto desktop with CN's sign on. (Thank you CN!)

7:40:39 am- Get to second screen of log in- and use my own- and wait

7:42 am- still stuck at screen #2

7:45 am- go to the bathroom- to waste time-

7:50 am- return to desk to find computer has timed out and is "locked"- requiring CN's password- again

7:51 am- still stuck on screen #2

8:00 am- attempt to call mother- get answering machine at all phone numbers

8:10 am- switch from ice tea to water

8:20 am- do some research, find out that it takes me EXACTLY three spins in the desk chair to get dizzy. Debate furthering research to see how many spins until I puke. Decide puking on your first day back is not acceptable

8:30 am- find out that private e-mail is blocked on work computer, but porn is not

8:31 am- find out that computer is too slow to download porn

8:35 am- start a grocery list

8:36 am- realize I don't need anything at the grocery store

8:45 am- call sister to inform her of the numerous job opportunities at the office

8:50 am- notice that someone has stolen the bulbs from my cubicle light fixtures

8:55 am- sign on the chat board, only to find new computer is also to slow to load it

9:00 am- discuss interesting radiology report with co-worker, and the pros and cons of coding on a post gender- reassignment surgical patient

9:12 am- discuss the need for a pre-break in order to make sure that break time is used to it's full capacity, and the draw-backs of not planning ahead

9:15 am- call Mom again, reach her this time. Discuss the finer points of my day up to now

9:30 am- TL comes by to check status of computer- still stuck on screen #2

9:45 am- TL comes by once again and advises me to go home until problem solved

9:46 am- leave CN a note, and drive home

So, 3 hours later, I had done exactly ZERO work. Here's hoping day 2 runs a little smoother!

Making a deal with the devil

2009-01-25T17:47:00.004-06:00

Agility addicts are such superstitious beings. You'll often here, "This is my lucky Q shirt!"

Anything that happens before, during or after a run can be taken into account. For instance, one might think, "I got a Q the last time I wore my blue silk undies". So, and agility addict might wear those same silk bloomers until it's effectiveness wears off.

Favorite shoes, leashes, socks, even treats.

One of these days- I'll find that magic pair of undies, or socks, or treats, so that the Q's will start rolling in! But, since I don't have that---I have my friends!

2009?????

2009-01-11T09:46:00.006-06:00

How is your 2009?

For me, so far, I have to say- not a big fan! If this continues, 2009 may go down in history for me as the year that I bought my vet a new Mercedes. (Or would she prefer a Hummer? Or a swimming pool? A house on the beach? Retirement?)

All of this started last year, near the end of October. Kyra had a cyst on her shoulder that was getting larger. Plus, she has had this little mole on her eyelid that, according to the vet, was a melanoma. Details of that surgery have already been chronicled, so I'll not bore you with further details of that. I will mention, however, that in doing the pre-anesthetic work-up, they did a urinalysis and came up with some *odd* results. They did an x-ray of her bladder, and an ultrasound. Both of which showed nothing. They went ahead with the surgery but wanted to check the urine again. That was done shortly before Christmas, and was still off. Because it was not normal, the vet wanted to recheck one more time.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is where all this shit started. (bad pun- you'll get it later. Just go with me, I'm sleep deprived!)

Hershey was due for shots, but I had decided that with her age, I would prefer to do titers. I had previously discussed this with the vet, and we had both agreed that this was a valid course of action.

We also noticed that Hemi has what appears to be a cavity on his tooth.

This past week, Hershey went from drinking like a camel to drinking like a fish- which resulted in potty runs every 2-3 hours. Regardless of time of day or night.

Off to the vet we go, knowing that this drastic of a change can be serious. After tests, it was determined that Hershey was not diabetic (yeah!) and was not in kidney failure (yeah!), so that only leaves cushing's disease. However, in order to diagnose that, we'll be reguired to perform yet another pricey test.

Meanwhile, it's time for Boo's shots. Since we travel to so many dog shows, we really try to keep their vaccinations up to date. We set a date for this past Friday and take in Boo for his vaccinations, Hemi to have his tooth checked, and a urine sample from Kyra for a final recheck.

We had noticed a tapeworm in Boo over Christmas and had treated with an over the counter wormer, and are instructed by our vet that we had wasted our money, so she gave us something else to treat him with. But, other than that, Boo seems to be healthy. (Knocks on rather large piece of solid wood.)

The vet was unsure whether or not Hemi had a cavity, and said it can only be diagnosed positively with a dental x-ray, and that he does need a cleaning on his back teeth. She refers us to a specailist for this. (oh, goodie!)

The urinalysis on Kyra comes back. She has more debris in her urine than urine. She has crystals, red blood cells, white blood cells, epithelial cells and her pH was too high. The vet thinks she is trying to develop bladder stones, and would like to get another ultrasound of her bladder. She also mentioned she would like to change Kyra's diet. When I began to cry and throw myself on the floor, she decided it was okay, we wouldn't have to do that. (I have finally found a dog food she can tolerate. I refuse to change it now!)

Friday night, Hemi begins to pace. Knowing that he has no off switch, and if he isn't ready to go to bed, he can be a pest, we tell him to lay down and go to sleep. I awaken at midnight to the lovely aroma of diarrhea. Poor Hemi had to go out. And then again at 3. And then again at 5:30. This continued throughout the day on Saturday, being reduced to only a few drops of liquid, since the poor fellow got no food.

We decide to make an entrance at our agility club's holiday party, but don't stay long. Between Hershey requiring a bladder void every 4 hours, and Hemi requiring a bowl evacuation every 2-4 hours, we weren't sure what we'd come home to if we left early, much less if we stayed for the entire party.

We get home, and everyone seems to be doing well. For a couple of hours at least. Then, Hemi begins to vomit. Since he refused all food, even treats, all that came up was water. He also began to pant and belch. Off to the emergency vet we go.

3 hours later, we leave with a handful of drugs and a CD with x-rays on it. These to be exact. (And, for the price we paid for the x-rays, they should be rimmed in solid gold!)

After a fecal test, bloodwork, x-rays, and a bout of bloody diarrhea in the back, the vet decided that Hemi has giardia. He got several injections and oral medications to help calm his tummy. We get home, feeling better and more confident. Let all the dogs out, and Kyra now has diarrhea.

Gene calls the emergency vet about getting medication to treat Kyra, since we were told how contagious giardia is. We were told they would not do that without seeing her. Oh, yeah. Another $700?

I've had enough of 2009. I'm done. Anyone with me?

Now, excuse me while I go steam clean my carpets.

Success, Silliness, and Second chances

2009-01-04T19:03:00.008-06:00

This weekend, Hemi and Boo were both entered in obedience and/or Rally. Glen Rose is a large show that has conformation and obedience. Boo did Rally on Saturday (which Gene failed to tape) But, we did manage to get a Q out of it. Which, is nice, since one of the stations called for a "back up three steps". a move I have not taught him yet. Because of that, I'll take my green ribbon, and my sucky score. Hemi did Rally on Saturday. Gene looked at the course, mumbled something under his breath about "he's never even done that before" and took Hemi off to the side to teach him 3or 4 of the signs. Both dogs Q'd, but it was certainly nothing to write home about. The best part, is that the AKC doesn't put the scores on the title certifications. Today, we went out and had a few, bobbles, so to speak:

Check for yourself:

I will spare you the rest of the performance. After we slunk out of the ring, a steward came up and told us there was a problem with the score sheet, and we needed to re-run. Since we were going to get a new score, too, I decided to go for it. Maybe *I* could remember how to do the stations this time.

Boo's second shot at Rally:

That run gave us a 93 out of a possible 100, and his 2nd Q in Excellent Rally!

Novice was full yesterday, but Gene was able to enter Hemi in Novice B today. His bright spot is, by far, his recall:

Considering the fact that we still haven't found a good place to train, and the amount of practice in obedience has been somewhat slim, his heeling didn't seem to be too bad:

With his Q, Hemi received his Novice Title, he is now:
U. Ch. Tintlet Grab Life by the horns, CD.

I also saw the first corded poodle I've ever seen in the flesh:

Both dogs were also CERF'd on Saturday, and were clear.

All in all, it was a nice weekend! Until we find a place to train obedience, it may be a while before we enter another obedience trial.

A Christmas Holiday

2008-12-25T20:56:00.000-06:00

I realized over this holiday, that sometimes there are traditions that we don't realize are traditions, until they aren't there anymore. That realization hit me several times this year.

The first such incidence was at the Candlelight service Christmas Eve at my parent's church, the church I grew up in. It had always been standard that, during the candle lighting ceremony, the congregation would sing "Silent Night". It has been very much a part of my Christmas. This year, the new music director at the casual service decided that he had another song he preferred. A song I didn't recognize. There was much grumbling amongst the congregation, myself included. A Christmas tradition by the way-side.

Another such instance occurred when I arrived at my mother's house. I mentioned the cookies and party mix that she always made for us. Mom greeted me with a suprise look and a comment on how she didn't make cookies or party mix for the kids this year. Needless to say, I didn't believe her. After much whining (and crying and a small temper tantrum that any 3 year old would have been proud of) Mom produced the usual bags of cookies and party mix. However, I realized that this was another one of those unspoken Christmas traditions.

There are other traditions that we know about, that we discuss openly. Virtually every year, once presents are open, Mom looks around, surveys the damage, and then will ask someone if we got a specific present. It is at this point that Mom realizes that she has forgotten to wrap someone's present. This year, it was some Petit Jean bacon, something we can't get locally.

Another such tradition is when Mom watches someone open a gift and utters the phrase, "There's a story behind that". This year, it was Dad's "Mental Memory" gift. Since all of Dad's gifts (or most of them) seemed to pertain to memory of some sort- the computer, blackberry, etc., This was Dad's *mental memory* gift.

One of Mom's *gag* gifts this year, was the present she received from Hemi and Boo. Pictured here, you can tell from Mom's face she was quite pleased with their gift of choice.

There is also the fairly new tradition where Dad "picks" on one of the dogs. This year was Hemi's turn. (But, let's face it. Hemi's a pest and deserves every bit of picking he gets!)

Of course there is always the tradition of placing a bow ontop of one (or more) of the dogs' noggins during the present opening ceremony. Such as these 2 from this year:

One Christmas tradition that I'm sure is common in most families, is the pre-lunch nap.

And then, invariably, someone has a little too much to drink:

In the end, being with family is about renewing old bonds:

No matter how old I get, some things just never change. Kyra will ALWAYS beg for food:

The table will always be festive:

And there will always be that photo that is worth a thousand words:

All in all, it was a lovely Christmas. The dogs are worn out, and haven't moved from the assigned places on the floor since arriving home. There are more photos to share. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed being there and taking them!

Group shot of the puppies:

Hemi's favrotie spot at Grandma's:

Another group shot:

I hope you all had a ver MERRY Christmas!

A Merry Christmas Massacre

2008-12-19T12:36:00.000-06:00

I thought I should blog about a horrible, scary trend I've been seeing around my neighborhood. It seems that people are getting these big blow up lawn ornaments. You've seen them, Santa, a penguin, reindeer. Lots of hot air, and a bulb inside.

Imagine, however, being a small child. You see Santa in your neighbor's yard, all blown up. Then, the next morning, you go outside to catch the bus, and you see this:

Or this:

Or this:

That has got to be traumatic, don't you think? It looks like there has been a Christmas Massacre!

Merry Christmas!

Happy Trolls to youuuuu!

2008-12-16T19:12:00.000-06:00

So, over a year ago, I got hooked on something called "Yahoo! Answers"

http://answers.yahoo.com/

***WARNING! Signing up for this free website is addicting, humbling, and maddening. The level of maturity shown in the question are enough to drive any normal human insane. Enter at your OWN risk***

This site is full of teenagers (must be 13 to join) and numerous adults that ACT like teenagers. If you hang around for long, the trolls will find you.

Some trolls are sometimes teenagers with nothing better to do during summer break, and ask inflammatory questions like "Is it normal to have sex with my dog" just to see if they can reaction out of you.

The more disturbing type of troll, is one that has disagreed with you because of a piece of advice you have given them, and decide that they will destroy you no matter what. These insane people have been known to create an account with your name and picture on it, and go around pretending they are you. They will also search through questions and answers you have asked or answered, and report them in an attempt to have your account suspended.

I was the target of such a troll today. Actually, it's quite flattering to think that I am that important to someone that they devote so much time to me. I have never before had a stalker. If my stalker/troll should find their way here, please give greet them warmly. For, their life is so sad and meaningless, that they must pick on others in order to make them feel good about themselves.

So, Merry Christmas Trolls!

A day in the life of Hemi

2008-12-14T19:10:00.000-06:00

He hasn't been to agility class since 2 weeks before Thanksgiving due to a variety of things. We had BETTER have class Wednesday, or I'm going to cut the lock on the gate, take him up to her door, and beat on her door until she comes out and HAS class with us. Why? Here was a recap of mine and Hemi's morning:

Gene leaves, and Hemi is standing over me. Staring at me. Waiting for me to get up. I get up, and of course all of the dogs are happy. Hemi shows his delight by grabbing Boo's leg and tugging on it. "Hemi, no!" So, He jumps on Hershey. "Hemi, no!" He rolls Kyra "HEMI NO!" He stops and looks at me, his head cocked slightly to the right in a "what did I do" type look. (If you own a dog, you KNOW the look I'm talking about!)

So, I move groggily to the couch and turn on my computer. Hershey is laying on the floor, Kyra on her black pillow, and Boo on the couch next to me. Hemi? He comes out of the bedroom with a sock. His prize. "Hemi, no!" and I take the sock away. He trots into the kitchen, and then into the dining room where the crates are. He make an investigative sweep of both crates, just in case Kyra (the canine hoover) missed any crumbs. (Which, has not happened in the nearly 2 years of his life, not sure WHY he would think it would happen now!). Trots back to the living room, and disappears into the bedroom. Emerges from the bedroom with the partner to the first sock he brought to me. "Hemi, no!" and I take the sock away from him.

Boo begins to beg to go outside, so I let Hershey, Hemi and Boo all outside. Hemi begins to scream and chase the other 2 as they scatter like roaches to get away from him. The older dogs try to find their spot to potty. Every time they stop, Hemi hits them at full speed, pushing them out of the way. My backyard sounds like there is a dogfight going on. I open the door to look out, and what do I see? Hemi is running in circles in the back yard. As fast as his little legs will take him. Around and around and around and around. (reminds me of the last 10 laps of the Daytona 500). The older dogs are trying to position themselves behind trees and the corner of the house in order to protect themselves from the silver bullet.

Once they've had enough, I can see Boo begging me to let him in. I open the back door and he darts for the door, only to receive a body block by Hemi, nearly rolling both of them. They manage to both scramble into the house. Hershey gives me a look of relief, as she wanders off to finish her pottying in peace.

Once inside, Boo curls up on the couch next to me. Home base. He's safe from the PEST. Hemi begins to trot through the kitchen, through the dining room, up the hallway, into the living room, a loop around the coffee table, and then back to the kitchen. I sit on the couch thinking to myself. "Here he comes. There he goes. Here he comes. There he goes". After about 6 or 7 laps (I lost count). He goes to the water bowl, gets a drink of water, and then takes the long way back to the living room and up on the couch. Settling in for a long winter's nap. (FINALLY!)

So..if Pamela tries to cancel classes tomorrow night. I might just cut the lock on the gate and leave Hemi in her yard!

Living with Kyra

2008-12-01T20:31:00.000-06:00

For those who know Kyra, you know how she loves her food. She has gotten into more trouble than I could ever have imagined. From Kyra, the things we have learned are:

1.) ant bait of any kind is not toxic to dogs.
2.) aluminum foil does not fluoresce on an x-ray
3.) pot pourri does not change color in the intestinal tract. (It does, however, lose it's fruity smell)
4.) silk flowers also do not lose their color in the digestive tract.
5.) dogs don't digest caramel, or candy wrappers. If a dog swallows a snack-sized snickers bar whole, the peanuts and chocolate will digest, the wrapper and the caramel will be regurgitated some days later. Whole. No teeth marks. No fading of the wrapper.

I came across another dog on the internet that could give Kyra a run for her money! It's one of the funniest stories I have ever read. For those who don't know Kyra, read this story, and imagine this dog being a big brown poodle,and Voila'- you now know what it's like to live with Kyra!

http://littera-abactor.livejournal.com/7748.html

A Dog's Life

2008-11-24T08:55:00.000-06:00

You always hear about living "A dog's life", like it's a BAD thing. So, I got to thinking about it. How bad, really, IS a dog's life? Let's take a tour of Kyra's normal daily routine, shall we?

Wake up early in the morning to pee. Okay, not a great start. I'll give you that one. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am NOT a morning person! Let's move on, shall we?

Next is breakfast. Granted, it's the same old thing, but it's nutritious, a controlled portion, and the best part, is that you don't have to cook!

After another outdoor run, okay if it's raining or cold, I can see that being bad. However, a bathroom you never have to clean? SCORE!

Back inside, stretch out on the couch and take a LONG nap. (Oh, about 4 or 5 hours) I think that more than makes up for getting up early, don't you?

If the humans are leaving, into a crate, on a soft cushion, to await their return. If not, sleep on the couch all day. Either way, SLEEP. Not a bad deal.

Then, wake up, potty outside again (remember, no cleaning!) and then dinner is served. Of course, it's the same thing served for breakfast, but once again, no cooking.

Spend the rest of the evening stretched out on the couch, sleeping, and then one more trip outside to potty before bedtime.

Occassionally there is the fitness training (aka agility) but that is always followed with yet more food. Good stuff, not the pre-packaged kibble.

Let's not forget the time sitting in Dad's lap!

On the down side- there is this hideous outfit she had to wear to keep her from scratching her incision!

I guess I don't see the hard ships of a dog's life. Eat, Sleep, and do Agility. THAT is my goal in life!

Hemi has 4 official Q's!

2008-11-16T20:02:00.000-06:00

Hemi has 1 USDAA Jumpers Q, an ASCA Jumpers Q, an AKC Jumpers Q, and an AKC FAST Q. Unfortunately, I've only got 1 of the Q's on video. I'm sure you see the pattern here! This Video is from Hemi's JWW run with Gene today. He is so much fun to run! I see great things for his future. See if you agree!

Patti Goes Domestic!

2008-10-28T19:37:00.000-05:00

Yep, it's scary, I know, but I decided to get domestic. We had a ton of old T-shirts lying around that didn't fit, or we didn't wear anymore. Not wanting to just toss these shirts out, I put on my thinking cap.

Since we are going to an agility trial this weekend, and it's going to be kinda cold, I decided the dogs needed some better crate pads than what we've got. I dug through the closet and pulled out a handful of shits, and started cutting them up.

Next, I went to to youtube and found this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm83zA5-Yyk

An hour later, I was ready to start sewing.

I pieced together squares that were either like in theme, or in color. I used some fleece as a backing.

Here's the final product

How to choose a table in a busy restaraunt

2008-10-13T15:09:00.000-05:00

Those of you who know me well, know how much I LOVE children. Especially ill-behaved ones that are seated directly behind me during meal time, screaming and kicking the back of my chair. Because of the fact that too much of a good thing is bad, I must make efforts to limit my exposure to such things.

The first step is to survey the area well, making note of all the available tables. It is also necessary to evaluate the tables that are occupied, not only for the general make-up of the guests seated there, but also to estimate the time remaining on their stay.

Open tables must be examined for their value to mothers, especially of young children. Things to take into account are:
1.) Proximity to the bathroom. (young children, I've noticed, pee a lot!)
2.) Proximity to the soda machine. ***this one can be tricky, as some parents will want to be close to the machines, so they can send the kids up for their own refills. Yet others want to be far away from the machines, to keep the children from demanding Coke, when Mom prefers they drink Sprite. Choosing a table between the two extremes is vital.
3.) Ease of use with a high-chair as well as distance from where the high-chair is kept. Parents tend to prefer ailes where the high-chair will be in the way to servers, rather than in corners where the would be unobtrusive.
4.) Booths or tables- booths tend to have a higher value for the parents' ability to pin the child in between themselves and the wall.

When evaluating the occupied tables, you must take into account whether or not their food has arrived, are the consuming alcohol, and if it's a larger group.

All of these are variables in a complex mathematical equation that produces the probability of being seated next to a screaming child, and must be computed within a matter of seconds and without use of a calculator.

Needless to say, I haven't yet perfected the math!

Things I learned Playing Racquetball

2008-10-10T15:34:00.000-05:00

When Gene and I were in college, approximately 3498572683 years ago, we used to play racquetball in the evenings before dinner. Since we recently joined a gym, we decided to give it a shot, since we enjoyed it so much in our younger years.

I realized one thing rather quickly:
We suck!

Among other things I learned:
1.) I don't have to worry about the strings on my racquet breaking, because in order for old strings on a racquet to break- it requires something actually making contact with the strings... (like, oh, say, THE BALL!)
2.) The ball does not come to you. You have to actually move around to get close to it.
3.) The plexi-glass on the wall the door is on is NOT your friend
4.) 10 minutes in a racquetball court for us is more exhausting than an hour on a treadmill
5.) Children will laugh out loud at old people attempting to play racquetball.
6.) *playing* racquetball is all relative. Let's just say that there was no sense in either of us keeping score and leave it at that.
7.) Your own husband WILL laugh at you when you swing and hit dead air.
8.) When the ball hits you in the back of the head, it really hurts! (But, you do NOT see stars like the cartoons say you do!)

Needless to say, we need lots of practice to get back to our college days skill level! (Maybe I'll stick with hanging out in the hot tub! Hard to get injured that way!)

For the first time EVER!

2008-10-06T16:09:00.000-05:00

I started wearing glasses at a young age. In my early teens. As I entered High School, Dad and I went to the eye doctor together to get contacts. As I aged, I found my eyes become less tolerant to the contacts.

when I turned 35, I was told I needed bi-focals. This made wearing contacts even more difficult. When we started obedience and agility, my glasses seemed to just get in the way.

On July 12th, I underwent Laser surgery to correct my vision. While the healing process was slow, the results have been amazing.

Sunday night, October 5, 2008, I experienced something I haven't in many, many years. I was able to swim, without worry of being able to see where I was going, and what was around me.

It has been such a liberating experience!

U. Ch. Tintlet Grab Life By The Horns

2008-09-28T19:41:00.000-05:00

U. Ch. Tintlet Grab Life By The Horns, aka "Hemi"

Hemi finished his championship this weekend in GRAND fashion. Beating out a newly finished AKC champion, and taking a group 1, 2, and 3. He showed very well this weekend, and looked GREAT! (Thanks, Wendy!) After coming home from the show, we went out to take a few photos! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Look at that handsome boy! The sunlight just glistens off his silver hair!

Looking at Daddy

I love this one---he looks so studious and smart! And then, what day of photos is complete without the obligatory agility photo?

Yeah, Hemi! I'm so proud of you AND Gene!

It's been awhile!

2008-09-27T00:20:00.000-05:00

Hemi heads to Denton this weekend in search of his last 2 competition wins for his UKC Championship. In preparation, a friend of Gloria's offered to help get him groomed into a better looking cut than Gene had him in previously. Gene has done wonders in learning so much about poodle grooming in a short period of time, but he will be the first to admit that he is no professional. So, we took her up on that offer.
We let as much hair grow as possible. (Man, I hate growing poodle hair! Almost as much as I hate liver and onions!) Here are some before photos:

Many hours later, Hemi emerges a new man, er, dog. He doesn't even resemble the beast she took in.

I can't help it, I love the Pippi Longstocking look he's sporting here!

So, here's hoping that the haircut will accentuate the positive and get Hemi those last 2 wins over competition so he may join his big brother Boo as a UKC Champion!

Tune in Monday for the results!

Hemi's subtle statement about the teeter

2008-08-20T20:20:00.000-05:00

Don't let anyone tell you that poodles aren't smart, because I have proof. Hemi has had some issues with the teeter, which is not too surprising since he's just started it. Well, our instructor sent us home with her adjustable teeter to get some extra work in. I don't know why, but I think Hemi is trying to communicate something to us about the teeter. What do you think? I offer up these photos for your consideration:

So, really, what do you think? Do you think he's trying to tell us something?

Man, I love my poodles!

How to Give Boo a pill!

2008-08-18T10:06:00.000-05:00

Okay, so rain is FINALLY moving in, and Boo just really stresses out over thunder way too much. When discussing this issue with the vet, she suggested the over the counter stuff first. Great- chewable pills---easy, right? WRONG!

So, I look at the radar this morning and see storms off to the west. To try and make sure that the pills have time to work, I head to the kitchen to give Boo his pills. I try, at first, to hand him the pill- hoping that it will smell like a yummy piece of steak and take it! He sniffs said pill, and turns his head to the side. Shunning the treat offered him. (Which, honestly, I expected.)

So, I dig in the refrigerator for something Boo will eat. He won't touch cheese, or bread, or anything starchy. I finally spy the left over pepperoni. Hooray! Meat! Right up Boo's alley!

I break the pill in half and wrap it in a piece of the pepperoni and hand it to him. He sniffs the pepperoni, and turns his head to the side. Great! Well, he's too smart.

He knows he's being set up. So I decide to take a different tactic. I get a piece of pepperoni without anything to "taint" it and tear off a piece and offer it to him. He pulls his lips back and takes the piece of meat between his teeth and spits it on the floor, sniffs it, then decides it's okay and eats it. To further entrench that it is not a trick, I give him another untainted piece. This piece is gobbled up more readily than the first. Thinking I have him fooled, I hand him the piece with the pill in it. One sniff, and the nose goes in the air.

We stare at each other- me trying to convince him through osmosis that the pill is REALLY good. I can see by the look in his eyes that he is NOT buying it. I do, of course, have 3 other poodles surrounding me that are more than eager to take the meat, the pill or both.

I decide that we've had enough pussy footing around, and decide to go with brute force. I wrenched his mouth open and insert pepperoni wrapped pill onto his tongue and then hold his mouth shut. We lock eyes again- competitors in an epic battle of wills. I pull out all my tricks, rubbing his neck and blowing in his nose. All this is supposedly supposed to make the dog swallow. All it does in this case is make him mad. He appears to swallow, and thinking I had won, I loosen my grip. I am rewarded by the wet and soggy pill landing on the top of my bald foot. The pepperoni, however, found it's way into Boo's gullet.

Another brief session of attempted osmosis gets me nowhere. As a last ditch effort, I put a few pieces of kibble in his bowl and crush the pill into a powder and sprinkle on top of the food. I find some chicken broth and coat the whole mixture.

Giving in to my persistence, Boo nibbles delicately on the mixture, taking frequent breaks to give me that look that says, "don't fall asleep, bitch!"

Now, we can only hope that after all this, the pills will work!

Night Time Agility fun!

2008-06-29T19:23:00.000-05:00

Here's some video of night ASCA trial this past weekend. I hope you enjoy the footage. (Warning, I finally figured out how to put MUSIC with my videos! Opens up a WHOLE new set of possibilities!

First up is Kyra. This was a GREAT Jumpers run!

Some of Boo

Hemi got to play- though he was for exhibition only!

Peek-a-Boo

2008-06-15T13:16:00.000-05:00

Or, would that be, Peek-A-Hemi?

Do you know what happens when......

2008-06-11T11:44:00.000-05:00

You leave 2 sisters unattended. And bored? Well, I do. And, I'll let you in on it as well. So, it's Saturday afternoon- the shop is quiet, and we're sitting around staring at each other. Gene decides to go out back to take the trash out, and returns with the statement, "I found a dead body out back". He carries in his hands this poor sickly plastic Army man held together with duct tape. My sister and I looked at each other, and it began. So, here's the news story we came up with:

Duct Tape Killer Strikes Again!

by: L. Laine
At approximately 3:15 am, a dead body was found in the alley behind Dirty Dawgz Dogwash in Mansfield, TX. There was a blood trail leading from the body to teh dumpster where the alleged murder weapon was found.
The victim appears to be a homeless man, dressed in surplus army gear, including worn out combat boots and used black gloves. As with the other victims, the torso was wrapped in duct tape.
Police are currently searching for an extra large female who was reported to have been seen smoking a cigarette behind the strip mall around 2:30 this morning.
The CSI department in Arlington are currently running DNA and fingerprint analysis on items found at the scene.
Detective Brass refused to comment on the ongoing investigation, and there are no known suspects at this time. This is the fourth vicitm of the named "Duct Tape killer." The first victim was 45 year old Randall Lycke found at a local dog park. Victim number 2 was identified as 37 year old Tony Smythe of Grand Prairie, Tx, and was found in the dumpster behind Starbucks. The third victim was an unditified black male believed to be in his mid thirties to mid forties. He was found outside the Dallas Zoo, behind the brand new Moose Exhibit, causing a delay in it's grand opening scheduled in May.
Police are asking anyone who may have information about the murders to please call their anonymous tip line at (817) 555-9110.

And, here are the crime scene photos:

So, keep this in mind. I don't care how old youre children are- never leave them unsupervised if they are bored!

Life's A Beach!

2008-05-01T08:44:00.001-05:00

My darling husband surprised me with 3 glorious days off at the beach! Not just any beach, but Gulf Shores, Alabama (part of the Redneck Riviera). It's a lesser known beach, but one of the prettiest beaches in the world! See what I mean?

The sand is not only white, but soft. It's a really fine grit, and soft on the feet. (No big chunks of shells to poke you in the feet!) If you've ever been to Destin or Panama City Beach, it's the same beach. (Just less crowded!)

When I landed, since Mom & Dad were driving up, Suzanne picked me up at the airport, and I hung around with her for a few hours. She offered to entertain me until Mom & Dad got there, just in case they were later than my flight. As it turns out, I was the last one in town, but that is a post for another day! :) To see Suzanne and her wonderful dogs, go to www.sonicagility.blogspot.com. Suzanne and Sonic are leaving next week to go to Belgium to represent the USA in International Team Agility- we wish them all the luck in the world! Go Get 'Em Sonic and Suzanne! Also joining her is Suzi with Sonic's older brother Jib, and another local agility team of Elizabeth and her pyrenean shepherd Hemi. 3 Great dogs that will represent the USA well!

The view from the Condo was AWESOME! (Not to mention the glorious sounds of the ocean!)

Monday, we spent all day lounging around in the sun. Here's Mom & Dad chilling on the beach!

Tuesday, Dad & I did some deep sea fishing! We had been with this tour before, and brought home more fish from that trip then we could handle. This trip was to be no different. Here's Dad enjoying the view on the way out to the fishing hole!

Here's our fish on the cleaning table- the fish were not as large as our last trip, and about 1/3 of what we caught had to be released, as red snapper was not yet in season. But, it was just as fun to catch them! The dolphins stayed about 2-3' off of the bow the whole fishing trip. Tried to get photos, but was too busy catching fish!

The catch consisted of vermillion snapper, white snapper (Or, blue nose snapper), and trigger fish. The biggest haul was on the blue nose snapper. Dad caught 2 Luna snapper, but since there are not many of those in the ocean, we let them release those. Also, I caught a nice sized moray eel- about 2' long- made a mess out of the lines before we got him up!

There was also a boat that was named after me- and even spelled the same! Tried to convince the owner it was my boat, but with no luck! (Oh, well!)

Day 3 was once again spent lounging on the beach, watching the gulls. Funny thing is, they've been fed so much by humans (a big no-no, btw!), that you can't eat without one of the little buggers eyeing your. (Or worse, squawking at ya!). I had a small bag of cheetos, and this little guy came begging.

When I didn't give him any, he called in reinforcements!

The sandpipers were cool-they didn't care much for the human grade food, but really enjoyed any dead or dying crabs that floated up in the surf!

Now, back to reality. It was a great 3 days, even if I did get a little sunburned on day 3! Thanks to a great hubby!

Bed Bounce!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-04-05T08:05:00.000-05:00

Bed Bounce, as with other activities in our house that we seem to have no control over, originitated with Hershey..."The Queen". It started years ago with just the 2 girls, on Saturdays, when we had a chance to sleep in late. The morning would creep in, and one of us would yawn, or stretch, and Bed Bounce was on!

Bed Bounce consists of the dogs, one at a time (sometimes together) jumping up onto the bed (usually onto the human inhabitants of the bed). Then, pushing off of said human lumps to leap off the other end. This is followed by a pause to see if we are ready to get up and serve breakfast.

Bed Bounce was not embraced by Boo. His preferred method of protest of delayed payment of breakfast is to curl up as close to the mother figure as possible and breath sighs into the ear. But, once Bed Bounce gets into full swing, Boo finds himself on the wrong end of the bouncing, thus joins in with the other two.

Hemi, on the other hand, has taken Bed Bounce to a whole new level! He doesn't just perform the bounce, but his burrows his head into the crook of the male human's neck and proceeds to lick and nudge. All the while the other three are leaping on and off of the bed.

The rules of surviving bed bounce are few but simple:

1.) The fetal position is the safest position- this prevents internal injury when a 40-50 lb poodle lands on the soft spot (full force) of the human gut.

2.) Stay as quiet as possible- if you acknowledge bed bounce, game over, you lose.

3.) Protect long hair- any long hair trailing on the pillow will be stepped on by poodle feet.

4.) Bury your face in the covers- this protects the face from being drowned by one or more of the poodles.

It's best to end bed bounce as early as possible, or better yet, prevent bed bounce by rising early on Saturdays.

Greater Collin County AKC trial

2008-03-30T21:54:00.000-05:00

Well, we thought this would be our big weekend. With all of the "big dogs" in Tulsa, this was a small trial. Both days, we had run and were headed home before noon. Unfortunately, the Q's and MACH points were not as free flowing as one would have hoped. Despite the Q percentage (25% for the weekend- 0% of that for Boo)- we had some VERY nice runs! The blue line with #7 (which should NOT have changed the numbering- not sure why it did)- is closer to where the weaves were set up, not how it was on paper. It did give a much nicer entry off of jump #6.

I didn't get any tape of Saturday's runs, as we've been having battery issues with our video camera, and the battery was dead. A friend taped them, but she, too, had technical difficulties and somehow managed to delete all the runs and photos from her camera! (Story of my life! LOL!) Gene managed to get the JWW runs from Sunday taped. Here is the course map from it. Gene said that the actual built course was different. The weaves were at a more direct line from jump #6 to the tunnel.

2008-03-30T21:40:00.001-05:00

How can you tell when a 7 year old standard poodle has had ENOUGH of a pesky puppy?

Hemi's agility Class- I forget what week!

2008-03-27T20:23:00.000-05:00

The first video is a short sequence involving the A-frame (including touches). Hemi is doing REALLY well, and loves the A-frame! He is also doing well with his start line stays- and following Gene's directions.

The next video is one a short sequence including the tunnel- notice the distance- Hemi is going out to the tunnel- I just LOVE it!

In this sequence, Gene pre-cued the A-frame, and Hemi took the jump in between the tunnel and the A-frame. (Of course, it does help that he was a little bit pattern trained, but I'll take it anyway I can get it!)

This last sequence is Hemi's footwork on the weaves- I just LOVE the footwork developing here! He just shows such concentration!

Aunt Karen's visit

2008-03-27T20:00:00.001-05:00

Well, the poodle crew got a long awaited visit from their Aunt Karen over this Easter Holiday. Hershey thinks that Aunt Karen is hers, and made sure the others knew it.

(The room Karen was staying in is behind the gate!)

However, I think Hemi was by far the most excited to see his Aunt- what do you think?

Easter Agility!

2008-03-23T20:41:00.000-05:00

Well, today was a cold cloudy day with threats of rain throughout the day. Since the store was closed, and we didn't get in the 1 agility trial in the area, we decided to head out to the training property and play some. I wanted to get some photos and some video of all 3 of the kids for the blog, but as with many things in my life, the equipment did not cooperate- the cameras battery died before we got most of the photos we wanted, and the back up batttery lasted long enough for about 2 photos. The video camera's battery was just dead. Period. But, we started with Boo, and we got some good dogwalk photos.
Including this one when the wind caught him, and I thought he was going off the DW again- notice the right rear leg is on the very edge, and the front left toes are curled, trying to grasp the dogwalk! Poor fellow- he finished though, and even got back on!
We got a couple of jump photos- with the cloudy skies, they didn't really come out REAL clear, but he does look happy, doesn't he?
I did some major touch-ups on this one, and it does look better!
Gene pulled Kyra out to play- she was REALLY happy about it! They didn't get breakfast since we headed out fairly early. If we feed them, then get in the car, Hemi gets sick- and Boo gets sick if he has a full tummy and then runs agility. Kyra was ready to eat, and knew Gene had food!

The channel weaves were set apart, and Kyra didn't bother wasting footwork on them!
Gene got out Hemi- look at that concentration and jumping style! He doesn't have any trouble with 12" jumps- let's hope he is a typical poodle and doesn't have any trouble with higher ones. We're a little worried, however, because he attacks everything head on- and doesn't let anything stand in his way- when the jumps go up, will he decide that it's easier to go through them then over them? YIKES!

Another good one of him jumping, AND paying attention to his Daddy- what a good boy!
He is just learning the A-frame in class- but I really like his form- we'll see if it holds as the frame goes up. He leaps the apex, just like a running contact- his touches are REALLY steady- for now.
I loved this butt-scooting photo- it's not in great focus, but it gave me a snicker!
So, all in all, it was a fun day! The furr-kids got to play some agility, and we got to practice a few things that we had been trying to find time to. If only the video camera had been working, so you could see how well the all did! Maybe next time! (Let's see, the next holiday the store will be closed will probably be Thanksgiving- only 7 months away!)

52 years.....and counting!

2008-03-22T13:09:00.000-05:00

52 years ago today, Jim and Betty took that vow that would change their lives.

They would start their family immediately
They would continue to grow closer
And be a role model for their children.
I can only hope that my marriage will be as strong and as happy as theirs has been.

I love you, Mom & Dad! Happy Anniversary!

Hail to the Queen!

2008-03-20T07:47:00.000-05:00

The Same thing happens every day.

Because Kyra and Hemi can't be trusted alone, when Gene leaves in the morning, he puts them in the bedroom with me when he leaves. Boo's DAFM (Distance allowed from Mommy) is so short, that he, too, is put in the bedroom with me.

The Queen, however, refuses to give up her throne.

So, with the three dogs in the bedroom with me, Gene gets in his truck and heads for work. About 15-20 minutes later, from beyond the closed bedroom door, I hear a soft "bfff".

The Queen is speaking to her minions.

So, I open the bedroom door to allow her heiness to enter. She turns, runs back to her throne, and resumes her position.

Now that the other three dogs are awake, there is no sleeping in for me. (I swear, I can hear her laughing at me!)

Splish Splash I was taking a bath!

2008-03-15T23:04:00.000-05:00

I decided to do a "photo essay" on the wet dogs I've seen coming through the shop. Catching the looks, and the personality of the dogs seemed like a pretty fun idea. So, I got out the camera and started clicking away! I started with Kyra- since she was ours, and was a pretty compliant customer.

This Cairn Terrier looked HAPPY to be wet! What a trooper!

The poor yorkies always look like a drowned rat! This one was particularly cute!

This little Maltese wasn't having as much fun, but did try to put her best face forward!

I know I've already got one yorkie photo, but then this little guy came in, and well, you can see that his photo just needed to be taken- and how could I choose between the two?

My favorite (outside of my own dog)- is this Bloodhound mix. (although, you can't tell she's not 100% Bloodhound!)- If you look closely, you can even see the water dripping off of her ears!

This last photo, I know, doesn't involve a wet dog, but I just couldn't resist that little face! He was a mess when he came in. The owner says he was a yorkie/poodle mix, but I didn't really see much of either breed in him!

I hope you guys enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them. I'm sure I will post more in the future. But, these were my favs so far!

Modified King Cut

2008-03-15T23:00:00.000-05:00

Hershey got a "modified" version of the Mel & Helen King Poodle cut. Didn't have the camera, so got some webcam footage of her on her "Throne"- enjoy!

Finally got some still photos of the "Modified King Cut" Hope you guys enjoy!

While being adventurous, Gene cut Boo down into a Miami cut. He now looks a little like his friend Teddy!

Time Warp

2008-03-13T08:26:00.000-05:00

"It's just a jump to the left....and then a step to the right.."

Yep, let's take a time warp. Many of you have enjoyed watching the newer videos of Boo and Kyra doing agility, and then the training videos of Hemi learning. But, I was looking at some old video last night, and I thought that I would offer up as blog fodder, some old video of Hershey doing obedience and agility. If you watch the agility video with Hershey, it might explain some of my handling problems with Boo. Being able to run a course by reading numbers, and having the time (after or during a front cross) to stop and tie your shoes, really effects the timing of your handling when it comes to running a fast dog.

And this is why Hershey is retired from Obedience. (It's so much easier to laugh at years later!)

And finally, I thought I would upload a video of one of Boo's early tries in agility- just to show that I really have gotten better at handling!

Hemi Starts Contacts!

2008-02-29T08:13:00.000-06:00

Here's video of Hemi's latest class. He is really attacking every obstacle with intensity! They are still doing short sequences, and the little bugger is picking it up so quickly. In between runs, Gene is tugging with him, playing with him, trying to keep him from being over the top while the other dogs are working- it's a full hour's workout for this pup. Even after that hour, Hemi is hesitant to get in the car and leave. He's not ready for the fun to be over.

This little guy is just so fun and so full of energy! He came without an off switch installed.

Weekend brags (or lack thereof) Part I

2008-02-23T20:00:00.000-06:00

This weekend's runs were both good and bad. JWW was first. I moved Kyra up to the first dog in so I would have time to wind Boo down. He does better if he has time to focus. The JWW course, as seen below, was pretty nice flow. It had some spots that really required some handling, but it flowed really well. The weave entry was fast and straight on.

Kyra stepped up to the line, and actually held her stay, which is hard on her. I threw in a front cross before the weaves, but somehow, it backfired on me! She ended up back where she was before, but she managed to save my butt, and hit the weave entry. The rest was pretty easy. I got my first excellent Q ever! (Too bad it wasn't my dog.)

Boo's turn was next. I had learned my lesson with Kyra (or so I thought). He handled pretty well, except for a couple of mistakes that I made. He hit the weave entry, but popped out. I managed to get him back in, and he was very tentative. When he finished them, I was so proud of him, and I wanted to reward him, and the weaves were pointing right at the exit- so I took the opportunity to reward the weaves. Based on how tentative he was, I felt he was not sure what his job was, and wanted to reward the behavior while I had it.

Next up was Standard. It also flowed well, but had a few spots that required some handling.

Once again I moved Kyra up, but Rusty and Maxwell moved up above us. She was really doing well, hit all the contacts, actually did a fast down on the table, and hit the weaves. I ran ahead of her on the weaves, pulling her through, but wasn't watching where I was going. coming off the weaves, I was in her way, and in front of the tire. So, she went around it, ending our run for a QQ. Rusty and Maxwell Q'd, so I told him that since he took Kyra's spot, tht he owes us a QQ- let's hope that's in the mail!

When it came time for Boo's run, I was feeling pretty confident. Here's the funny part. In our last class, we discussed a front cross at the teeter. We were cautioned against crossing too soon, causing the dog to pop off early, or off the side. Well, I crossed the teeter with Boo too soon, and he popped off the side of the teeter- ending up behind me, which threw my cross off, and so I pushed him out to a wrong jump. Our run was done. But, we kept going- he did the obstacle discrimination extremely well. I was very proud. His serpentine was great. Whean heading to the weaves, he pulled off at the last minute, and made a BIG circle. I stuck him back in the wrong pole, and when I brought him back around and put him back in, he got them all- with much less trepidation than the first time. Since we were at the end, we just finished the last three obstacles, me cheering him all the way.

Now, we'll see if his weaves will hold up tomorrow.

All in all, it was a really good day. Thanks to a wonderful instructor, my handling seems to be improving. One of these days, we'll actually get more than 1 Q at a time!

Week 6- Hemi agility

2008-02-21T14:00:00.000-06:00

Well, Mom has been too busy to post anything today, (Maybe too much celebrating her Birthday? Or maybe it's just because she's old?) so I'm taking over. Last night was our 6th week in class, and I'm not too proud to say that the teacher likes ME best! I've made some new friends. There is this really cool Doberman named Blaze, and I love watching him run. He goofs off a little, but he's really strong! We really want to run around and play, but Daddy won't let us. There's another big strong guy, and his Daddy calls him Doodlebugs, too. Daddy is always wanting the two of us to stand side by side. He calls us the "Dueling Doodlebugs". I don't know what that means, but he laughes when he says it, so it can't be bad!

Anyway, enough about those other dogs, you don't care about them! We did a really short sequence, and it was so easy. Daddy throws a ball or a toy for me, and that is just totally awesome!

We did some weaves- I just don't get the point of it, but I do it because Daddy gives me treats. It seems like it would slow you down to much, and Daddy says he likes me because I'm FAST!

Next, we did another sequence that had a tunnel- I love tunnels! Anyway, Daddy threw my toy underneath a jump and I hit the bar with my shoulders. Everybody thought it was funny, though. I have never seen a jump that high, so I didn't know anything other than go under it.

After class, though, I got some bonding time with Dad. I really enjoy class with my Dad. I don't know what I'm doing, but Daddy says I'm doing really well!

After class, I didn't want to get back in the car, but Daddy made me. An hour just isn't long enough! So, I hope you enjoyed watching how good I'm doing in class. It's really fun, especially since I'm teacher's pet!

Until next week! See ya!

"Could it be Magic?"

2008-02-20T07:55:00.001-06:00

Today is a special day. And, for those that know me, know why. My father, my nephew, a friend and myself all share today as our Birthday- I won't tell you how old any of them are, as that is just plain rude.

Dad and the "baby" (me)- wasn't I cute? He's always been so easy! Happy Birthday Dad!
Cody- who had the great fortune to be born on such a WONDERFUL day!

"This one's for you!"

As a Birthday present, my husband bought me tickets to a Barry Manilow concert. For those that have never seen him live, he is FANTASTIC- he's not just a singer/songwriter, he's a performer. He's the only performer I've paid to see more than once. And, just the like the rest of us, he has also aged since the last time I've seen him. I found an old photo of him, back when he was a baby!
Man, remember those days? Feathers, gold chains? WOW!

Now, I know what some of you are saying, "Barry Manilow?" Yes, that's right. Gene spent years scoffing his music, until he took me to a concert in St. Louis. He spent the entire evening saying "I didn't know he sang that, I love that song"- now, years later, he enjoys the concerts as much as I do.

Last night, as we sat in an eclectic crowd of men and women from all ages, a crowd that spanned several generations, we all sang in unison- our own "Kumbaya" so to speak- as he sang favorite after favorite. In order for Barry to play all of his best music, we would have been there for hours. But, he did his best to cram in as many as he could, leading in from one to another without taking a break. All of his best work, "Mandy", "I write the songs", "Copacabana", "I can't smile without you"...the list goes on and on.

He pulled out his lava lamp, and feigned smoking a "funny cigarette", to which he commented that "someone's gonna get a raise!". His ability to sing, play the piano, and add humor to his performance makes it more than just a jam session.

Even at 64 (Yes, he's actually 64!)- he can still play the piano with the same vigor he used to. He move more carefully, leaving much of the theatrics to his supporting staff, but he still doesn't fail to entertain. With a flashy wardrobe and pieces of the stage that disappear and reappear, his show has something for everyone.

If you haven't had the good fortune to be a part of a Barry Manilow concert, you are truly missing out on one of the best performers ever. Make plans to visit the Las Vegas Hilton in the near future and remove your name from the shrinking list of people who have not seen him. Thanks, Gene, for giving me a great Birthday present!

So, all I can say is, "Barry, we love you!"

A Day at the Spa

2008-02-18T20:15:00.000-06:00

Today, Hemi got to spend the day at the "doggie spa" with his Mom and Dad. I hope you enjoy the photographical trip through his day as much as we enjoyed taking them. First, the bath:

Looks real thrilled to be there, doesn't he?

One of these days, I'd like to do a photo essay of the poor, pitiful, wet faces that come through the store. This one is a really good start, dontcha think?
He didn't much care for the big dryer, but he put on his big boy panties and dealt with it! It made drying him soooooo much faster!
Hemi enjoyed the smaller dryers much more- look at the way he is enjoying that "wind blown" look!
Here's the yet to be infamous "Jimi Hendrix" look- This is the face we see after he's been out playing with Boo and has lost his rubber band! I sometimes wonder if he's part sheep dog. (I'll have to check with his breeder on that one!)
He is still not patient with the scissoring, but he's getting there. Can't wait until his chest drops so we can see the Easty/Westy go away!

The finished project! I love some of the lines, and some of his coloring. You can't really see it from this angle, but there is a straight line down the sides of both front legs. The front half is VERY light, the back half is much darker. I also like the ring around the puff on his tail.

He was a good boy for such a long time, he deserved time to just play! Love the way he curls his toes up when he playboys.
This picture was a little fuzzy, but I thought it was cute- ears flying in the wind, strutting, tail straight up. He loves his Kong! The good news, is that the bath DID tire him out!

And, yes, he got his day at the spa, but Boo's day was yesterday. Unfortunately (Or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) it was busy so we didn't get any good pictures of the process. We did, however, get a really good picture of him today after he had been scissored.

Isn't he handsome?

Despite the grizzling around his head, he still has the prettiest male poodle head I've ever seen.

Giving Props!

2008-02-18T11:58:00.001-06:00

Well, I didn't have any fodder for my blog until this morning. The whole story starts about 4 years ago. Boo was in one of his first shows at the Arkansas Kennel Club's show in Little Rock. I met a couple and their adult daughter who were just fascinated with Boo, and informed me that the daughter wanted a standard poodle. Not being a rude person, (alirght, Karen, you can quit laughing now!), I proceed to talk to them at length about Boo, where I got him, and anything and everything poodle.

Not much later than that, the daughter shows up with this little black ball of FUZZ! She had made the plunge and gotten her a standard poodle puppy. We quickly became friends. I mean, how could we not. We had so much in common from poodles, down to the same dietary needs. We started training together whenever possible. She had a very light hand, and this fuzzball began to rule the roost! So, with the help of many of my other *non-poodle* friends, we worked with her, helping her learn how to better handle her little maniac.

So, here we are some years later, and She has not only managed to make a well mannered dog out of him, but she has become the STAR! Obtaining titles in many different venues, including obedience and freestyle.

So, this post is a shout out to Melissa and Teddy as congratulations for their new title of Companion Dog Excellent!

See video of her title, and read more about this AMAZING dog and his AMAZING owner!

http://www.msskodiak.blogspot.com/

Melissa, I am so proud of you. I know that, if you set your mind to it, you and Teddy can and will do anything! Congratulations to a wonderful team!

This one's for the employees of ATX

2008-02-14T22:05:00.000-06:00

Okay, so the video camera's battery was dead Wednesday night for Hemi's regular class, so I couldn't get any new video. So, just so you guys could get your fix while I rounded up some more good agility footage- here's some of the unused footage from Gene and Kyra from Tuesday night's class. I promise, I'll have more good video up for you come Monday, fear not!