Awesome rally video and vacation photos

I would complain that I need a few days to recover from my vacation but that would seem, well tacky. So I won't mention it. I promise. I will complain that we couldn't get back to pick up the dogs in time today so I have to wait until tomorrow morning. Seems wrong to be home without them. Very, very wrong.

Check out the new awesome blog I found while surfing my facebook: Roscoe I just love the video of him in the Rally ring. Go check it out. Look how happily he works! I really cannot stress just how much I LOVE IT! And a side note that he is at the show I missed this weekend. I know I can't do everything but sometimes that frustrates me.

And for those interested here are a few photos from our family vacation. Don't say you weren't warned.

Here are my kids in a hippos mouth.

In the pokey with the evil emperor Zurg.

Loading up on sugar. Because it's obvious they NEEDED some.

Logan riding the "Everest" roller coaster. (yeah that was me in the other seat)

Kendra posing with her favorite show poster. (And who doesn't love positive reinforcement for kids?!)

Posing with the boat from Forrest Gump, The Jenny. (yup, named after our Jenny's namesake, Forrest's girlfriend)

I'm not sure where my kids get their penchant for drama.

Really, I have no idea.

And of course we met Pluto. You didn't think I could go a whole vacation without taking a photo of a dog do you??

BTW, Disney doesn't have near enough Pluto stuff to buy. Just saying. And yes, my 12 year old son and my 14 year old daughter are both already taller than me. (Happy Birthday Kendra!!!) This was my 5th trip to Disney (the kids 4th) so if anyone has any questions feel free to ask. Believe it or not my husband is addicted to the place. I feel like I could work there at this point. We always stay on property and this time we stayed at Fort Wilderness. My highlight was a horseback trail ride on a red roan named Romeo. I forgot how sore it makes me the next day. (totally worth it tho!) These aren't the best pics from the trip, just a few of the ones we have uploaded so far. It was pretty warm but not unbearable. One day was spent at one of the water parks.

Tuesday I am going to try to get a good photo of the 3 dogs together. Jack has an appointment that morning at the groomer so he will be all kennel defunkified. He always comes home fluffy and smelling much more pleasant. I will bathe the girls myself tomorrow. I'm sure they will be thrilled. Once in a while I bite the bullet and do Jack myself but my back and neck are already not happy with me due to the rollercoasters, so I'm taking a pass. Plus they are able to dry him which I can't do here. Fortunately he loves them so it is a fun day for him. He has fun and I get back a clean happy dog, a nice win win situation! Wish me luck on the photo.

Consistency & Persistence Pays Off When Training Your Dog

Consistency & Persistence Pays Off When Training Your DogIf the rules change from day to day, the dog becomes confused. He needs toknow how to consistently earn reward and avoid punishment or he will give upresponding. The good trainer is consistent and always uses the same commandfor the same behavior. Most dog owners teach the dog that the command"down" means to be in a prone position.

The Maine Event

"The Way Dog Shows Should Be"

August 27, 28, 29, and 30th. Outdoors

Join the Mid-Coast Kennel Club of Maine and the Central Maine Kennel Club for 4 days of dog shows at it's new location. (1 year only) The Cumberland Fairgrounds, 174 Bruce Hill Road Cunberland Maine. 4 All Breed shows, 4 Obedience trials and 4 Rally trials all in one great location.

Spectators are welcome for free. FREE!! Vendors on show site. No dogs will be allowed left unattended in vehicles please.

Wordless Wednesday

And now, a word from our sponsor.

OK I don't really have a sponsor. But if I did, I would want it to be Primal Pet Foods. It is a raw diet that is ground (the bones) and has all the veggies already added. Perfect for non-food prep types like myself that worry about getting the right balance. They also sell grinds ready to add to other ingredients as well as yummy grain free treats. They have many formulas to chose from too. (duck, pheasant, lamb, beef, etc. you get the picture) Check out the free loot they sent me for being their 100th fan on FaceBook. I love free loot!!!

The black thing in the back is a t-shirt. (sorry I couldn't display it better) Yummy treats, some info brochures for my training kit to pass out, some coupons and stickers. One of the stickers is now on the back of my vehicle, and another is on my training box. My local supplier is The Loyal Biscuit Co. I really like the nuggets for small dogs because they are in easy to thaw and serve in 1 oz sizes. Tho recently I found the patties pretty easy to use if you need to split them up. Jenny is currently getting a half a pattie per meal. It is easy to thaw one at a time for her. All of my dogs love the Primal foods. I admit I don't feed it year round since I get free venison in hunting season, (which I have to add stuff to) but it is my raw of choice for buyers unsure about feeding raw because of the prep involved. And they do batch test their food for salmonella for those concerned about that as well.

I finally finished the book "Pet Food Politics" by Marion Nestle. Not only is it in in depth look at the pet food recall, it is a scary look at the food chain in our own country. While some of it is dry reading, there are many gems of info throughout. It will change the way you look at our food resources both for our pets, and for us. Well worth the read in my opinion.

Here is Jenny waiting (not!) for her lunchtime snack. (and yes I realized I have been inadvertently chaining bad behavior from her with the jumping up, ooops!)

I am going on vacation soon so my posts may stop for a short spell. (not saying exactly when for security reasons since I do sometimes take breaks on here for other reasons as well) Do not be alarmed. I will return. The dogs will all be having fun at their favorite kennel Perry Greene. I hate to say this because I am a huge fan of the owners but it is for sale. So anyone looking to buy a boarding kennel and business on the Coast of Maine check it out. Not only is it a well established and thriving business, it is a historical landmark in the Chinook breed. I would consider buying it myself if it didn't entail moving my kids into another school district.

When I get back I have an idea for a series of training posts. I'm not going to give away my idea just yet, but I think it will be fun. Stay tuned!

Other peoples dogs.

While picking up dog food this evening I ran into my two God children, or God dogs as it were. (both very wonderfully behaved akitas) Here are Nani and Tomo keeping an eye on the Rover while their mom picks up some food.

I kinda like this one. It's very "Which way did she go?". Or maybe "You keep an eye on him, I'll keep an eye on her".

This is a friends german shorthair pointer, Gus. He is super sweet. I couldn't get any pics without the red eye and for some reason my computer won't let me save any pics I try to fix right now. (it is very annoying) He has quite the collection of rubber chickens.

And here are Sasha and Sammy. Two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels I am working with. I admit that I have no shortage of really nice dogs in my life.

And in case you are looking for your own nice dog in the mid-coast Maine area, check out Lucy. A lovely and super sweet pibble. She was spayed today at our clinic for one of the local shelters. FMI on how to adopt her check out their website at www.crarl.org She is about 2 years old, 65 lbs, and was given up by an owner who couldn't keep her. (Sorry, I do not know why.)

I got a better photo but because I couldn't crop it was forced to use this one. She is way cuter than this photo shows. I guess I need to figure out my software.

A Beautiful Memorial

Check out the beautiful vase made by a client that lost his dog this year. He was a pitbull named Mr. Puppy. He even grew the Dalia flowers himself. I just had to share. I just wish my photos were better. They really don't do his work justice.

Wordless Wednesday

It's all fun and games until someone ends up in a cone. (OK I saw that on a t-shirt and thought it was funny. No dogs were injured in the making of these photos.)

Boatyard dog update

The Boatyard dog demo went well. They were worried that Casey might not do much for them because she was off and on all week during training. But she did ok and got to show off a few skills she learned under their tutelage.

(practicing on the dock before the event)

The other dog we brought was Lovey, a medium sized shepherd mix who only has 3 paws. A birth defect left her with a short leg and a missing paw. She does have a pad on the stump though and having only 3 paws doesn't slow her down in the least. She walks on 3 legs most of the time but will use her forth on grass and other soft surfaces. She came into the shelter as a stray so we don't know her history but she seems to love everyone, hence her name.

Posing during our main street "parade". (we didn't know we would be the only parade participants until that morning)

Casey makes a friend.

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I also learned that Casey was found after having given birth in a cemetery while carrying one of her puppies to a nearby home. It totally fits with her temperment. She is very sweet and gentle and loves kids.

It was a beautiful day, sunny but not to hot which was a nice change from the horrendous amount of rain we have been getting this summer. I think it was a great event and lots of people met the dogs. Hopefully it will pan out into a home for them both. Lovey was the perfect collector of many donations for the shelter as well. (Yes a 3 legged dog might get the pity vote but whatever works I say!)

To see this years contestants check out this link: http://knox.villagesoup.com/commbriefs/story.cfm?storyID=170924

I couldn't find an online story about the winner but it was the puggle, Panco Villa who was very cute. (I'll post it when it comes out.) He did a routine that included some surfing. Very talented!

And a look back at Truman, last years winner. http://www.maineboats.com/print/issue-102/boatyard-dog-102 An update on him: He was adopted by a boatyard person (boatbuilder) who saw him in the magazine but was returned after a year for being to active. Fortunatly someone who knew him through the boatyard he was living at came and adopted him. He is doing fabulous in his new home. (I just love spotlighting him because no one expects a HOUND to win training competitions.)

Art for the Animals Auction

I can't believe how far I am behind the 8-ball this year. I almost forgot to mention the Art for the Animals Auction at Watts Hall in Thomaston. (Maine) Going on NOW. This weekend. Check out this link for the online catalog.

http://www.humanesocietyofknoxcounty.org/CatalogAlpha09.htm

It is one of the best fund raisers of the year for the shelter. They have all sorts of things to bid on, from jewelry, to paintings, to rugs, books, and even gift certificates. Literally something for everyone in all price points. If you can, get on over to check it out or view and bid online. One of our big ticket items this year is a signed Jamie Wyeth print. (Seven Deadly Sins ~ Pride seen below) The necklace shown above is by one of our own local jewelers. (By George)

It is a great way to support the shelter and get something really cool for yourself or pick up a gift for a special friend. So Bid! Bid! Bid!

A Boatyard Dog Demo

Just a few pics of the kids and dogs I worked with the other day to get ready for a demo at this years Boatyard Dog contest. Last year we won the coveted Pup Cup. To read the full story check out the Downeast Dog News here: http://dognewsisgoodnews.com/ This year the Youthlinks kids and the Humane Society of Knox County have been invited back to demo a dog, and have some dogs needing adoption in their parade. This means some great PR for the shelter.

Unfortunately due to my new job I only got one training session in with them. Not much considering we had two whole weeks of training last year. Luckily their counselor Caitlin was with us for last years win and has been able to take over the reins. Regardless on how the demo goes, (dogs, kids and a huge crowd, what can go wrong??) the dogs will get lots of great exposure to a large group of spectators which will hopefully translate into interest and possible new homes.

This sweetie is Emma. In person she looks more foxhound than beagle. A walker hound perhaps? (OK I admit I don't know all of my hounds.)

This is Casey. Our top pick for the demo at the moment. Another sweet hound.

The other contenders we had in mind were just to much energy for the kids to handle. Of course Ace was snatched up into a new home before we could claim him to do the demo with. However I do love to show off hounds for training since many people claim they are to stubborn to train. (which made winning with a hound that much sweeter last year)

Think good thoughts for us on Sunday. We can use all the help we can get!

Wordless Wednesday

Playing with my new camera

He is 5 months old and his name is Ace. He is available for adoption at http://www.humanesocietyofknoxcounty.org/ He is listed as a pit/boxer mix but in person he has a very doberman looking nose and head to me. It's a good thing I am at my own personal limit with dogs because there something about this one that does it for me. I will admit that he is a little rowdier than his photos would suggest and definatly needs more training. But he is smart and seems to like to work. I know he'll get adopted fast, I just worrry about him bouncing back for his energy level.

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(The camera is awesome, the operator not to much. I keep using the automatic settings for everything.)

Good bye old friend, hello new

It was bound to happen eventually. My favorite leash has broken. Jenny was in the yard on leash and I hooked it over the gate so I could scoop the yard quickly. I looked over and she was to far away from the gate than I expected so I though the leash had come unhooked. Then I saw the handle still on the gate and a piece trailing miss Jenny. Luckily it happened in our fenced yard and not outside during one of her seizures. In her defense the leash was quite old.
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It was a beautiful thin leather and I got it during the beginning of my apprenticeship. (year 2000) Since having it, it has been used on every dog I have ever owned, fostered or had here for board and train. It has served me well. Unfortunately I haven't seen many other leashes as thin or as supple. I have even had other people drool over how perfect it was. Replacing it will be no easy task. I prefer leather and cotton leashes because many nylon ones are just to wide for me to really like. I have small hands which may be why I like smaller leashes.
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I kept both ends and may try to make something with the leftover. I can't imagine just throwing it away. Obviously it is to worn to keep using as a leash though. I never did seal it with with a leather conditioner. I wonder if I had if it would have lasted much longer than it did?
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My new friend is a lovely red digital camera I got as an anniversary gift from my husband. (15 years!) He knew my old one was dying a slow ugly death. I am still playing with it and learning how it works. I am not exactly a genius when it comes to technology so bear with me. So far so good.


This is Orli, the Loyal Biscuit diva modeling her new collar. She is getting a new baby brother tonight. (a black labrador retriever puppy, stand by for photos in future posts)

An update on the quill dog. The owner canceled his appointment for us to anesthetize the dog to remove the remaining quills in a more humane manner. The told our answering service that "He got the rest of them out". Of course he thought that the first time to. Screw the need to be humane I guess. At least we got some antibiotics into the dog. I faxed his records to his regular vet (out of state) so when he comes to them for a follow up they have all the info. I sincerely hope for the dogs sake he never gets quills again and that perhaps the owner did remove them all. I wouldn't be holding my breath on that score though.