Waterfront

Today we had a few errands to do in Seattle so we decided to go down a little early and walk along the waterfront and have lunch. It was the perfect day to do this as it was in the lower 80's which made it very pleasant along the water.

While walking along the pier we noticed a fire boat out in the water. It must have been practicing or something as we didn't see any fire. The mountain range in the distance was so pretty.



Further down the piers we came to a nice little outdoor restaurant where Mike had same really wonderful Fish N Chips and I had some very delicious Scallops and Ceasar Salad.

From where we were sitting you could see the Seahawks Stadium, the Mariner's Stadium, a ferry, and if you look closely in just to the right of the stadiums you can see Mt Rainier.



We really had a great time. I hope we have the chance to visit the waterfront a couple more times while we're here this summer.

Debbie
5/31/07

Wet & Warm

Not much going on this week.....except swimming, swimming, swimming.

Slugger is continuing with his swim therapy. He looks forward to it every day - since it's the only thing he gets to do all day. He is using his leg a little more each day and has nice form. Slugger really concentrates hard on swimming to the toy.



He loves getting the toy even if it means sticking his head in the water.



This toy is good because it's small enough around that he doesn't swallow too much water.




However when the gets back to the other end of the pool he doesn't want to give the toy back - he wants to take it out of the water so there is always a little bit of a struggle each time.



Sometimes it is a little bright though!




Since the weather is nice and warm this week, Mike decided it was a good time for all the dogs to go swimming. Sparkie will swim a minute or two if daddy asks her too but it's not her favorite activity. And Wazzu only likes to swim if it's her idea - and it's never her idea in a pool.

But quite by accident we found that Sparkie really loves to swim if her buddy Quickie is in the pool at the same time. They looked like twins swimming around together in the pool. As long as Quickie was in the pool, Sparkie would just swim and swim with no inclination to get out at all.



They were each swimming for a different toy and never interfered with the other one. Sparkie liked the little bone toy and Quickie had to have the tennis ball.



They really were quite the pals and did this over and over for quite some time.



When Wazzu saw Pounce and Lindy swimming and having so much fun she didn't want to be left out. So she got in the pool all on her own for the first time ever, did one lap, and then got out. Well that's certainly an improvement for her!



She even got a tennis ball - shows what happens when other dogs are getting praised for something!



Then Sparkie decided she'd like to try swimming with Lindy. It turns out they are a great synchronized swimming team. They each have their favorite toy. Quickie is patiently waiting for everyone to get out of his way so he can get his ball.



They each successfully got their toy and back they go - in perfect formation of course.



Finally the coast is clear for Quickie to do his favorite dive. Wazzu is very impressed!



So all six dogs got to do some swimming a few times this week as it was a great way for them to cool off during our little streak of warm weather.

Of course after getting wet it is very important to get dried off!



Debbie
5/29-30/07

The Day Before Blast Off

Mike got up bright and early to take the girls on a quick hike before all the last minute details needed to be done for the trial.

Karen and I did a huge Coscto run while Mike and Steve worked around the house and yard. Mike had to get the RV moved to a neighbor's house before everyone started showing up. By the time Karen and I got back there was quite a start already on the "tent city" that errects at each agility trial.

The day went by very quickly as we were very busy. The girls were out in the yard most of the day while people where coming and going and getting all set up. Wazzu absolutely loved it. She had a great time greeting each person as they came to set up and really enjoyed being part of a nice pack of dogs just roaming around the yard.

Slugger was bored as he'd been left alone in the crate all day. No swimming today as Mike was busy from morning until night.

By the end of day, Wazzu was one happy but very tired puppy. I too was happy as I'd actually been able to help some and got to see some people I hadn't seen since last summer.

I'm looking forward to a very fun weekend.

Debbie
5/25/07
PS Happy Birthday Asami!! We love you so very much and are looking forward to seeing you in a couple months.

Lucky Seven

The day started out gray but not too cold and with no precipitation! But the grass was still pretty wet so we started out in the sand for a Touch N Go double shot. Wazzu was pretty tired as she had given me a lot the last two days. But Touch N Go is her favorite event of all. So off we went. I'm not sure why, but after the first two obstacles I decided to run silent. It worked just fine - I actually couldn't see any difference in Wazzu's running at all. Wazzu was great and hit every contact at a good speed and came in 3rd and 5th in a very large and competitive 20+ Elite class.

Sparkie was by far the fastest dog in the first round but she missed two of three contacts. But by the second time around she seemed to have remembered the yellow rule hitting all her contacts and came in 1st place.

The double shot really took everything that Wazzu had left. She was one tuckered puppy. Here you can see that for yourself. Wazzu hates cuddling. So when she climbs up next to me and falls sound asleep you know she is really worn out.



Next came two Weavers runs. By now the grass was dry and the clouds were clearing a bit so we moved back to the grass. While Sparkie had been doing well all weekend this was her turn to shine. She had a blazing 2nd place run and with that she earned her Versatility NATCH-7. They stopped the trial and let Mike and Sparkie take a victory lap which Sparkie absolutely loved. As they exited the ring they got sprayed with silly string. Sparkie didn't really understand this at all. She thought everyone should have sprayed cheese!

In the second Weavers run Sparkie was even more impressive and ended up getting first place by over three seconds! She is really becoming quite the weavin' dog. Too bad there aren't more opportunities for Weavers!

Wazzu tried really hard but just couldn't quite make time. I think her lungs may be bothering her a bit as she was really wheezing at the end of each run. But everyone said she looked so happy out there that we continued to play.

Finally, we had two Tunnelers runs to finish off the three day weekend. This is always a fun way to end the weekend and this was no exception. Everyone was really cheering each other on so the mood was very festive. Lots of razzing took place which made it that much more fun.



Wazzu had a lot of fun and did the best she could but wasn't fast enough to keep up with the leaders. Even so, we did get two Q's out of it. Sparkie got a fourth place Q in an extremely competitive class. There were some really awesome performances that were very fun to witness.

It was a fantastic weekend. Even though Wazzu and I both got pretty tuckered we wish all agility weekends were three full days - Sparkie seconds that motion! It is just so much fun being around so many great people and dogs. And the competition this weekend was really top notch which made it even that much more fun. From what we've seen in our travels the PNW has by far the toughest competition. That's not to say other places don't have good dogs as we've seen some great ones. But the field isn't as deep anywhere else. In other words, other places may have a couple really good dogs in a class whereas here you'll see seven or eight dogs that all have a chance to take 1st place on any given run. It's not uncommon for the first few places to all be within less than half a second of each other. Now that makes for a fun weekend.

So congratulations to all the amazing teams we saw and competed against this weekend. It was such a pleasure to be back in the company of all the teams we've grown up with in this sport.

And once again, a HUGE thanks to Karen Hunter and Mega-Dogs for putting on such a wonderful trial. We're already looking forward to next year....only 363 days to go. Darn, if next year wasn't a leap year we'd only have to wait 362 days! Oh well, the countdown begins!

Debbie
5/28/07

Soggy Fun

This morning we woke up to rain. It wasn't raining all that hard (although it had rained most of the night) so they started out running Jumpers on the grass. Even though it wasn't the best way to do it I decided to run the course with no front crosses as I didn't want to take a chance of falling. And while I always like Wazzu to run fast, I was hoping she wouldn't go full out as I didn't want her to fall either. Dogs seem to be pretty good about knowing what they can and can't do so I wasn't too worried. Just before we started our rain the skies opened up and it started raining hard. But Wazzu was amazing! There was one place on the course where the jump was as flat as I've ever seen. As we were running and I saw her heading to that jump I thought there was no way in the world she would ever make that jump. To my complete amazement she somehow contorted her body around and did it perfectly. Most of the dogs up to this point had just gone around the jump as they couldn't make it. I was so proud of my Wazzu Puppy. One dog later they decided to stop the trial and move the course from the grass to the sand. Up to this point only about 10 dog had run. They did say if anyone wanted to run in the grass they could do so and then they'd move to the sand. In addition, Any dog that had already run and didn't Q could re-run in the sand. But any dog that chose to run in the grass now would not get a re-run. Mike and Sparkie decided they'd like to run in the grass. This course had a very difficult box and they decided to give it a try. They did really well but at the most difficult point Sparkie pulled in - just like all the others that tried had done. But it was a great run.

When they moved the course to the sand there turned out to be an additional challenge. The course was built around a large tree in the corner of the arena! This certainly made the course more challenging but especially made the box more challenging. I'm not sure but I don't think anyone got the box.

The rain continued to fall all day long so we were in the sand the entire day. But it wasn't raining nearly has hard as last year - heck, there were no puddles or rivers!

Next we had one Regular run. It was interesting too as this course was also built around the tree. This additional challenge was indeed a challenge for many dogs. Wazzu seemed to know the course even though I forgot to do crosses I had planned and I didn't seem to be in position many times. Wazzu wished I would just get out the way and let her do the course! Despite my troubles, Wazzu was brilliant and got Q3. Mike and Sparkie had no trouble with it at all and easily Q'd - in fact they were brilliant and came in 1st place by eight seconds!



The next two runs were Chances. The first one was fun and didn't seem too difficult until you factored in the tree that once again was now part of the distance challenge. Many dogs had trouble there and lost their Q in that spot. Sparkie did it flawlessly without an extra movement of any kind. As you can see, Sparkie doesn't have any problem clearing the bars even at seven years of age.



But it was too challenging for Wazzu. She handled the tree portion of the course just fine. But our downfall is layering. In this case there were two jumps only inches apart and the dogs were to take the out jump. Wazzu always wants to be close to me so she took the inner jump. Oh well, she was really happy so I couldn't do anything but laugh and make her think she was the smartest dog around (which of course she is!).

To me the next Chances run seemed more doable for Wazzu. And sure enough, she did it like she knew the numbers. She was moving fast and loved the ending as you can see in this picture as she takes air over the A-frame.



Everyone was soaked and very cold but we had one more quick run to do - Hoopers. I wasn't worried at all about this run as we've Q'd in every Hoopers run we've ever done. It's not my favorite class but it is an easy Q. Wazzu was one of the first dogs to go so I hadn't watched anyone else run. We went through the course easily and now it was just three straight jumps out. So I took off running as fast as I could when out of the corner of my eye I noticed Wazzu taking an off course hoop. Darn, I never noticed that hoop! Had I looked to see what the dog sees as I was walking the course I could have easily kept her on course. Bad mommy - good Wazzu.



Mike and Sparkie made it look really easy and came in 1st place by three seconds. Sparkie loves jumping and even though she doesn't need to jump on a Hoopers course she jumps anyway just for the fun of it.



Now it was time for the Luau! Karen always goes out for the evening dinner party and of course this year was no exception. It started out with a costume contest for both people and dogs. As always, quite a number of people really got into the contest and the outfits were absolutely fabulous! Next there was some Hawaiian style entertainment that everyone was talking about the next day. But of course the highlight was the food! There was a roasted pig, fried rice, scalloped potatoes, fresh fruit salad, a mixed potato & macaroni salad (my favorite), and numerous deserts. Everything was truly delicious. Karen really goes to a lot of work for this dinner every year and it is the highlight of the weekend. The circus tent came in very handy and was appreciated by all. Thank you so much Karen for such a wonderful evening!

I didn't actually attend the dinner this year as my legs were giving me a little trouble. But Mike went and came back later with a plate full of food for me and filled me in on all the activities. He was very impressed and had a really good time.

Aloha!

Debbie
5/27/07

Mega-Dogs

We have a number of trials that we really enjoy each year but this one is probably our favorite of all. This is the Eighth Annual Mega-Dogs trial and we have been fortunate enough to attend every one of them! Even though Mega-Dogs is a club of just one person (Karen Hunter) and three dogs, they always put on a truly fabulous trial. We have LOTS of great memories from over the years - and expect to gather a few more this weekend.

The weather today was perfect for the dogs. Not too warm for them – not too warm for us people either. Okay, it could have been warmer for me – but I’ll sacrifice for Wazzu.

My friend Shari was set up right next to us so we were able to visit quite a bit. You know someones a true friend when they lie down with you to visit!



It was fun to get to see Ozzie and Shari run as they haven't competed much for a couple years. They had some very nice runs. Shari brought her newest dog Slick along too to watch. He’s not used to this type of atmosphere but he did pretty well. Wazzu loves Shari, Ozzie, and Slick so she was very happy to see them all. Here are Slick & Ozzie waiting for Aunt Debbie to give them another treat!



Sparkie and Mike had a very nice day. Mike’s whole goal today was to be happy with Sparkie. And he did a great job! First was Touch N Go. She had the fastest time but just missed a contact (clearly). Even so Mike celebrated with her very nicely. Then came a very difficult Regular double shot. Only three dogs Q’d in both runs –Sparkie and Wazzu were two of them. Sparkie was very fast and very consistent. 34.50 and 34.43 – can’t get too much more consistent than that! She got a Q1 & Q3. Wazzu got Q1 in both runs. Next was Chances. Sparkie and Mike had by far the smoothest run of any of the dogs – at least that what many people said. But unfortunately she uncharacteristically knocked a bar. Again Mike celebrated very nicely with her. The last run was Jumpers. Sparkie and Mike had a nice run and were .80 out of first.



Wazzu was happy for four out of her five runs. The fifth one was my fault. In Touch N Go she was really fast and happy – she loves TNG. She ended up coming in 2nd in a very large and competitive 20+ Elite class. I was very proud of her. The Chances run took place in the hottest part of the day and she had been napping. So I got her up and got her wet which made her really frisky. Then I got out some freshly fried lamb liver which she goes bonkers for. She was ready to go and there were just four dogs in front of us. Since I’m in charge of scorekeeping all weekend someone came and asked me a scoring question. I should have said I’ll be in after our run. Buy it is just automatic reaction for me to want to help. So I went in to see what I could do. So since I'm now ignoring Wazzu she goes and lies under the table. When I got her from under the table she was feeling neglected. We got out there just in time to go to the line. I could barely get her to leave the line. She literally walked. It's hard to get any distance when she's walking. So after two obstacles (and already off course) we left as I couldn't get her to even walk anymore! Bummer. She ran nicely in Jumpers and got Q4. So it was a good day for both girls. But a little hard on me as I had to be up a lot!

Normally the big dinner is on Saturday evening but this year it is on Sunday. Karen got a huge circus tent this year so that we'd have cover just in case is rains. But today people enjoyed sitting under the tent to visit while watching others run.



After the “real” runs were over they had “The Ridiculous Relay.” There were six teams of three. It was pretty ridiculous. Our team consisted of Shari & Ozzie, Mike & Sparkie, and me & Wazzu. In fitting with the weekend's Luau theme, our team name was the Kooky Coco Nuts. Shari had to hula hoop with six hula hoops at one time (she did great!) and then she and Ozzie had to run a hoopers course. When they finished (in the middle of the field) Shari had to take her lei off and put it around Mike’s neck. There were seven curved tunnels in the shape of a long wavy snake – but the tunnels were only each about a foot apart. The handler had to wear flippers while directing the dog through the tunnels. Most dogs kept popping out between the tunnels. But Sparkie ran right through the whole thing really fast while Mike ran backward in his flippers. They were great. I then had to get the lei from Mike and put it around my neck. The last part was two jumps an A-frame and two more jumps. Sounds easy. But there were a bunch of people lined up with squirt guns shooting you as you ran the course. Extra credit was given for creativity so I wore all my rain gear. But Wazzu wouldn’t run as she thought she was in trouble. Some people spray water at their dogs when they do something wrong. Well I’ve NEVER done that with Wazzu but she thought she was in trouble so she wouldn’t run. The people were nice and stopped squirting until she got going a little – then I crossed over so that I was between her and the squirt guns. I'm not so sure about Wazzu but the rest of us had a great time!

There was a massage therapist at the trial today. Since Slugger had to stay in the RV all day we made an appointment for him to get a massage as he loves to be touched. We couldn't take him to the trial site as he would have gotten way too excited so the therapist was really nice and came to the RV. As it turned out, Slugger was so busy kissing her the ENTIRE time that he had no idea he was getting a massage. But he definitely enjoyed his 15 minutes of kissing. Silly Slugger.

Debbie
5/26/07

Rehab

Mike's been busy hiking with the girls, swimming Slugger for a few minutes each day, and helping to get ready for the Mega-Dogs agility trial coming up this weekend.

Slugger is getting a little tired of just being so sedate. But he really looks forward to his short little swim sessions. He really tries hard to get the toy. So today Mike decided to throw two toys as Slugger won't come back until he has every toy in the pool in his mouth. Look how big his eyes get as he tries so hard to get the toy.



He got pretty good at it but at the beginning he would dunk his head all the way under water trying to get both toys. I didn't capture that on camera but I did get him as he started to put his head under.



After a couple tries he was successful.



After getting the toys, Slugger always wants to get out of the pool - which we can't allow him to do for a few more weeks. So Mike catches him by the life jacket and holds him in place as he tries to swim toward the steps.



Even though he isn't using his "bad" leg much yet, he has great form with the other three legs.



The girls aren't that into swimming. But Sparkie will get in the pool with her daddy every few days. While she isn't a very fast swimmer she does have nice form and uses all four legs equally.



She'll swim down to the toy but won't always get it. She doesn't really care about the toy - she's just swimming because her daddy asked her to do so.



Thursday, Karen was swimming her three kids and offered to swim ours for us if we'd like. Slugger, of course, accepted the offer without a second thought. As a special treat, Karen not only helped him swim but she gave him a massage. He loves the water and he loves to be touched. So this was the perfect combination and he quickly fell asleep - with the toy of course!



He says a big THANK YOU to Karen. This is Slugger's heaven. (I just noticed that in this picture you can see the scar from his first two leg surgeries. It was during that time that Slugger learned to love the water.)



Time and swimming are helping Slugger to recover. As you can see, he is occasionally touching his toe to the ground as he walks.



Debbie
5/22-24/07

My Dear Little Gabby

In 1984 while living in Bothell WA, Mike and I went to a pet store to get a couple things for the dogs. While there we saw a beautiful young grey with yellow head hand-fed cockatiel. He was quite the character and for some reason really caught my eye. He was constantly singing and was very tame. I couldn't leave that store without him. Due to his constant singing he had a name before we even got him home. We affectionately named him Gabby. And did he ever live up to his name.

He became quite a companion. He would ride around on my shoulder and sing beautiful songs to me. Gabby loved the two dogs and would sit on them and follow them around the house. He got along great with the cat too.

But I was his favorite. He would follow me from room to room. In fact, we found out by accident that birds love to sit on the curtain rod when you shower. I later read that they love the water splashes. Gabby sure did. He would flap his wings around and try to lean in to get splashed. He also loved to sleep with me. He would sit right next to my neck and snuggle in. Fortunately, I was a pretty still sleeper.

Boy was I surprised when one evening while lying in bed watching TV, Gabby bit my ear - hard. He'd never done that before. After he bit me a couple times I put him in his cage. The next night - same thing. I couldn't understand it. As it happened, a couple days later I took Gabby and our new bird, Buster, (that we had gotten a few months ealier) to the pet store to get their nails clipped. While they were clipping Buster I walked around the store with Gabby. He went beserk. The guy at the store mentioned that he thought Gabby was in love with Buster. What?! We had been told Buster was a boy.

Well, it turned out Buster was a girl. And Gabby was now in love with Buster - I was not first in line anymore. Sure enough a short time later Buster laid an egg. We were told it most likely wouldn't hatch and if it did it was unlikely the bird would live. Long story short - in their lifetime Gabby and Buster laid six eggs all of which hatched and lived. We hand-fed and tamed each one of them. It was a lot of fun having eight cockatiels.

Unfortunately, when we moved into the RV we just didn't have space for the birds. Plus we weren't sure that they'd be able to put up with all the bumping and bouncing of all the travel. We were so lucky to find a very good home for the birds. We are so thankful for a home where the birds are loved and well cared for.

It was a very sad day today when we learned that Gabby was attacked by a visiting dog and was killed. He was raised around dogs and even lived with dogs his entire life so he didn't know to be afraid of them. We don't place any blame as accidents happen. But nonetheless it is a very sad day. Many tears for my sweet little Gabster - the great birdie dad who raised six wonderful birdie kids.

Sing on little Gabby.

Much love always,
Debbie
5/21/07

Dog Paddle

Wednesday was an exciting day for little Slug-a-bug. He got to go swimming for five whole minutes! He's still not using his leg much at all on land - just a few toe touches once in a while. He didn't use it while swimming either but he sure had a great time retrieving the toy. Who knew a little guy could have so much fun in five minutes!



He once again got to do his five minute swimming session both Thursday and Friday. He gets so excited each day when he realizes it is swimming time. Even with just three legs he is an extremely strong swimmer. We're so glad there is such a wonderful pool available for rehab. Saturday and Sunday he graduated to ten minutes of pool time and he loved every second of it.



We're swimming at the Mega-Dogs pool in Woodinville, WA. It is set up just perfectly for both recreational swimming and rehab. The 19' long, 8' wide and 4'6" deep pool is completely enclosed in a glass pool house. All the doors and the roof can be opened for ventilation and there is even an elevated heater the length of the pool so it stays very comfortable even on the coldest of winter days.



The water is heated to a very comfortable temperature. The water is always crystal clear and sanitary due to the over sized filtration and sanitation systems. We really like that absolutely no harsh chemicals are used in the pool. Slugger always feels so soft when he gets done swimming but never smells like chlorine.

There is ramp leading to the pool which is perfect for dogs like Slugger who are in rehab and aren't supposed to do stairs. There is a very sturdy handrail so that it is very easy for people to get in and out as well. The pool is equipped with a number of swim jets so you can make the swimming as easy or strenuous as desired. There are also tethers for harness swimming. When we used tethers for one of Slugger's rehabs. He was swimming against the jets, which were on at the maximum level, for a full hour without stopping. Now that's a workout! And he loved it!



They also have doggy life vests in every size from XS to XL for your use. And when you're done swimming there is a separate changing room with crates, towels, and driers for both you and your dog. This pool is extremely well equipped and maintained. If you want a nice place for your dog to swim recreationally or to do some rehab give the Mega-Dogs pool a try. Slugger recommends it highly!

Debbie
5/16-20/07

Scary Sheep

We had a lot of fun today doing errands around the Olympia area. During our errands we found a really good bakery. We'll have to make sure to get back there often. After a few errands, we dropped Slugger off at my parents house so they could babysit him. I know grandparents love looking after their grandchildren so we thought they would love this opportunity. Ha ha.

Then we took off for main errand. We've been waiting for this day for a long time. As some of you may know, last summer Wazzu ended up undergoing unnecessary major lung surgery. From the time I found out that she went through all that when she didn't have to, I've wanted to do something special for her. Thanks to Karen Hunter we got hooked up with Chris at Fido's Farm in Olympia who agreed to work Wazzu on the sheep.

Wazzu's most favorite activity of all time has been herding. She totally comes alive when she gets to go herding. All her inhibitions completely evaporate and she becomes a carefree happy girl. Mike and I were both so excited to see her come alive again today! But it wasn't to be.

We were so disappointed and mystified. I don't know if it was the 88 degree heat (today we broke a record by three degrees) or if she thought she wasn't supposed to do anything with someone elses sheep or if at this age she just isn't interested anymore. Chris was super nice to Wazzu and tried everything she could to get Wazzu to interact with the sheep. Chris said that Wazzu had excellent eye and Wazzu did have short stints of herding but nothing like in the past.

We all decided that Wazzu wasn't having any fun (which was the whole purpose of this outing) so after a short time we stopped. We let the girls go romp together in a super large field. Sparkie did a lot of running while Wazzu found a huge tub of water and went and laid down in it.

In case it was indeed the hot weather that was a problem, we are going to come again some day early in the morning when hopefully it will be cooler.

This evening we celebrated Mother's Day with my mom since we weren't with her on Mother's Day - as usual we were at an agility trial that day. We had a really nice visit. Thanks mom for taking care of little Slugger while we were out today. He said he had a great time. He sends you lots of kisses!

Debbie
5/15/07

Pietro's

We left Corvallis very early this morning to make our way to Portland in time for a service repair on the RV. A lube and oil on a car takes just a few minutes. But on an RV it takes hours.

After sitting in the parking lot a couple hours we decided to drive down to Salem to have lunch at our favorite Pizza Parlor - Pietro's. Mmmm, it was worth the drive.

We finally made it to Rochester about 4:30. We immediately hopped in the car and went to Olympia. We had a great time visiting with my parents and niece.

Sparkie thought it took way too long for us to make dinner. So she laid down in an arrow position while resting her chin on a tennis ball.





Silly Sparkie - always has to have a pillow.


Debbie
5/14/07

Happy Mother's Day

We didn't know it at the time but our morning indicated how our day was going to be. The first walk-thru was supposed to start at 8:00am. So we went over about five minutes before eight to find they had already started running. But fundrasiers are very laid back so we got to walk in the middle of the class and then run immediately. It was a little hectic but both dogs handled it just fine, ran very fast and Q'd.

Shortly thereafter was Chances. Wazzu was first to go. She surprised me by doing it perfectly and thereby giving me a very nice Mother's Day gift. Wow, two Chances in one weekend! Thanks so much Wazzu puppy. Then it was Sparkie's turn. She did the first two challenges correctly but they had quite a bit of trouble at the weaves which then gets you off track and puts you out of position for the last challenge. Unfortunately, they couldn't recover. Bummer.

We had a break now so it was a perfect time to call Mom and wish her a Happy Mother's Day. It was great talking with you Mom. I hope you had a great day even though we weren't there with you. Even more, I hope you know how much I love you....not just today but everyday. I'm looking forward to seeing you soon and celebrating Mother's Day with you in person.

Next came the one Regular run for the day. It was HARD!! Not one large Elite dog Q'd. I think that's a first for any trial we've attended. Mike and Sparkie were absolutely beautiful the entire run until the very last jump! Sparkie's time was the fastest of any dog by far. The whole crowd let out a moan as Sparkie and Mike had trouble at the very end. After two beautiful runs that had trouble right at the end, Mike was pretty frustrated. So we decided that I should run Sparkie the rest of the day. Wazzu figured since the course was hard she just would make up her own course right from the start. We did the first jump correctly - but beyond that I truly don't think we did one thing correctly. In fact, we weren't even close! It was the biggest mess you've ever seen! But Wazzu seemed happy the whole time so all was good. We laughed and joked the whole time.

There were only two runs left and fortunately they were the two easiest classes of the day for Sparkie. I felt pretty confident that we'd do well. The first run was Weavers. I decided to run Wazzu first. Right away I knew I was in trouble as Wazzu just wanted to go to her crate. While we were waiting for our turn Wazzu kept doing stress yawns. She had plenty of time to yawn on course too as we were seven and a half seconds over time. Then it was Barkie Sparkie's turn. We started off amazingly. But there was one place you had to cross behind the dog as they went in to a tunnel. I thought she was going in the correct tunnel so I started my cross. But she immediately reacted with me and pulled off the tunnel and entered the wrong tunnel. So from there I just sent her on a huge long loop of tunnels around the outside so she could have a great time. She really got up a head a steam and if her barking was any indication she was having the time of her life!

That just left Tunnelers. This time I decided to run Sparkie first to hopefully get Wazzu a little jealous so that maybe she would be excited for her turn. Sparkie had a gorgeous run and came in 2nd place! Way to go us! It was fun to get to run Sparkie - especially on Mother's Day. It would have been a perfect Mother's Day had I gotten to run Slugger too. Next year, I hope. Wazzu did the whole stress yawn thing again in the warm up area. I learned a very valuable lesson in this run. Not only can people see dogs in clear tunnels but dogs can see people while they are running through a clear tunnel. This tunnelers course was a little tricky as in the middle of the course were three straight tunnels all parallel to each other. You started off by running a straight line down through a few tunnels and then had to make a sharp turn to the three parallel tunnels - the first of which was a clear tunnel. Immediately after getting the dog into the clear tunnel you had to run away from that tunnel to get on the far side of the second tunnel. So Wazzu entered the clear tunnel and saw me take off in the opposite direction. This made her think she had done the wrong tunnel and she came to a stop in the tunnel. By then I had gotten in my next position so she walked out of the tunnel. It took quite a bit of work to get her going again as this was just too much stress at the end of a weekend where she had worked so hard. But I think we just made time and got a Q to end our weekend.

Wazzu gave me everything she had this weekend and she got to do a lot of visiting and playing with friends so that by the end of the day today she was just worn out. Well, she has plenty of time now to rest and recuperate. But it was so fun to see her so happy and fast this weekend. When it was all over she really did want to go home with "Aunt Pat" though. I guess I'm going to have to make some liver treats so I can be as exciting as Pat!

Just before Pat left for her drive home she brought Quinn and Will out into the field for a nice little play time with Sparkie and Wazzu. They all get along so well and even though Wazzu was tuckered she enjoyed being out there watching the other three play with their sticks. I enjoyed not only watching the dogs but getting a little more time to visit with Pat.

Thanks to all our agility friends and their dogs for making us feel so welcomed back. It really was nice. We look forward to seeing you all again many times this summer.

Happy Mother's Day!

Debbie
5/13/07

Back Among Our Agility Friends

It was cool this morning when we got up. Typically a good sign for Wazzu. But what I think made the big difference today, even more than the weather, was that so many of her long-time friends (both human and dog) were here. And while she enjoyed seeing them all, I think she was most happy to see "Aunt Pat" - even before Pat brought out the home-cooked liver. But that definitely sealed the deal!

The first run of the day was Chances! That's really good for us since Wazzu tends to be fastest the first run on Saturday. While it looked tricky, I didn't think it was impossible. Well, I guess it was harder than I thought as out of the whole rather large Elite class only four dogs Q'd. Two of those dogs were the Mason girls!! It was like I really didn't need to be on the course with Wazzu as she took off like a flash and worked way far away with no intention of coming in to me at any point. It was so nice to have broken our long Chances drought.

The first Regular run both dogs took the same off course tunnel. Wazzu thought it was pretty funny and after that started being really silly. Even though it wasn't a Q we had a blast. I just love it when Wazzu starts laughing and thinking that she pulled something over on me. We had such a fun time! When Sparkie did her off course she suddenly realized it while she was in the tunnel and came back and peeked out the entrance with a scared look on her face. Mike convinced her all was fine and she finished perfectly and happy.

The second Regular run Wazzu wasn't blazing but she ran fast and flawless ending up with a 1st place Q. Sparkie was lightening fast - so fast that she did a completely different course than what was laid out. Oops.

Next was Wazzu's favorite class - Touch N Go. She took off like a flash and raced around the course with a huge smile on her face. Sparkie was the very next dog and she too zoomed around the course flawlessly. Mike was sure that Wazzu beat Sparkie - which I think has only happened two - possibly three times in their entire lives. It wasn't even close! Sparkie easily came in first place out of ALL the dogs and beat Wazzu by five seconds.

Jumpers was the next class. Wazzu once again left the start line like she was shot out of a cannon. Not only was she perfect but she was once again having a great time! She came in 1st place in her division and had the 2nd fastest time of any dog in any division! She was really cooking! Sparkie and Mike decided to try the box. They were beautiful! It really was a run of beauty. They completed the box and all they now had to do were the last two obstacles. Oh no - an off course. Poor Sparkie, she had tried so hard and gave Mike her everything. After the error, she got scared and was once again afraid to come out of the tunnel (that she wasn't supposed to be in). Too bad about the off-course as she was both blazing and beautiful.

The last run of the day was the newest class, Hoopers. In this run, Sparkie went just before Wazzu. Sparkie ran perfectly and had a blast. Wazzu immediately followed by running a perfect line and was really zooming around the course with the same smile she had all day. What a great way to end such a fun and happy day.

Poor Slugger had to spend the large majority of the day by himself locked in a crate. He was such a good boy. Even though he was crated so much of the day he was a happy boy as "Aunt Pat" and another one of his old time friends came by for a short visit. Oh he sure loves people!!

During the day, Wazzu and I spent a lot of time visiting friends we hadn't seen since last summer. I think Wazzu enjoyed it even more that I did. She was really sucking up to everyone. She really loved all the attention from her long lost friends.

After all the runs were finished for the day a bunch of people took their dogs out into the field to play. For the first time in a long time Wazzu was having fun playing with other dogs. She especially enjoyed playing with her old buddy, Quinn. But most of all she had fun playing crazy dog with me. She thought she was so funny - and she was.

After a quick playtime, a number of us went just a few miles down the road to Lynda King's house for pizza. It was so nice of Lynda to invite a bunch of us over for dinner. We all had a good time and then went back to feed our dogs and turn in early to get ready for another big day tomorrow.

Even though we've met super nice people and dogs all around the USA it's really nice to be home among all our friends. Just ask Wazzu!

Debbie
5/12/07

Corvallis Here We Come

After our rather large detour due to Slugger's injury, we left this morning to drive to Corvallis, OR. This will put us back on our planned route - although some of our summer plans have changed to accommodate Slugger.

At first the drive seemed very hard on Slugger and Mike wasn't sure this was a good idea. But once we got on the freeway where the roads were smoother he seemed to find a comfortable position and did very well until we hit Oregon. The road got bumpy and he was in a fair amount of discomfort.

He seemed fine once we got set up at the fairgrounds. In fact, he was quite tired from the trip and immediately fell fast asleep.

We got a good spot for both the RV and for crating in the arena. We're all set for a fun weekend.

Debbie
5/11/07

Ten Long Days

After we brought Slugger home we were told he had to stay still for eight weeks. So we set up a couple crates in the RV so he could be comfortable but contained. As you can see it was a perfect plan - or at least we thought. Notice which dog is on the pillow but not in a crate!



Hmmm, okay not exactly as we planned. Wazzu loves the crate!



And, Sparkie looks pretty happy too.



We didn't want Slugger to have to wear that horrible e-collar so we made sure one of us was watching him at all times so he wouldn't lick or bite his sutures. I took the day shift and Mike took the night shift.

Mike had it tough because Slugger was often sick in the night or couldn't sleep. And it was a long ten days for me as it meant I didn't get to leave the RV the whole time. Of course it was the toughest on Slugger.

This morning we took Slugger to his 10-day checkup and staples removal. All of that took less than 60 seconds. I'm not sure how they could tell in that short of time but they said his knee is looking as good as they'd hoped. His incision looks really good.



We still have to make sure he doesn't lick or bite his incision for the next two or three days. Then I'll finally be free again to go out a little bit - unfortunately Slugger is still on bed rest for quite some time to come. No running or jumping for at least six more weeks.

The biggest problem is that he is really missing his mandatory cuddling. I really think that is the source of a lot of his crying. He keeps asking for on the bed and couch. Poor guy.

Debbie
5/2-10/07

Time to Come Home

This morning we got a call from the surgeon's office saying that Slugger was ready to go home. They said Slugger made it through the night relatively easily with the morphine pain patch. They also said that we have raised a really sweet little boy and they had all fallen in love with him. We were told to pick him up a little before noon. Even though it's only been one day we sure missed having him around.

We got to the surgeon's office about 11:30am. Turns out it was none too soon. Little Slugger had really won the staff over - being the little lover that he is. Four different gals that worked there said that he is a real charmer and hated being alone. (When Slugger is sad he does this very soft, sad little chirping sound.) The sad little chirping really got to the staff's heart so they took turns lying with him in the large cage they had him in so he wouldn't be alone.... and they were all getting kisses of course.

After going over all the discharge instructions with us they brought little Slugger out. He was super sleepy as he'd recently been given a very strong pain medication injection. But he started wagging his tail the second he saw us. His first desire was to smother us with kisses. How sweet.

When they brought him out to us he was wearing an e-collar. This is to keep him from licking or chewing his sutures. I've always hated those collars. I feel sorry for the dogs as they always bump into things and jar their necks. And I feel sorry for the humans as we end up with bruises all over our legs from the dogs bumping into us! But I think it will be almost impossible to move around in an RV with one of those on.

When we got him in the car we noticed that his collar had been chewed up pretty badly. And the part that was chewed was the part that was closest to his neck behind his head. How is that even possible?



It is very jagged around the edge and I was worried this might poke him so I went back in and pointed this out to them. They agreed it could be uncomfortable so they gave us a new collar.

When we got home we decided he would be much more comfortable without the collar. We are so close in the RV that he is just about within arms reach of both of us. So we decided we could keep a close eye on him to make sure he leaves the sutures alone.

Before putting him in the RV we wanted to let him have a chance to potty. The girls of course wanted to check him out right away to see what had happened to their little brother.



The long road to recovery begins now.

Debbie
5/1/07