Individual Time

(Cottonwood, AZ) Mike took the girls on a hike around the park and on their return they walked through the area of the campground where we like to stay. And what do you know but someone was just leaving. So Mike raced back, got the car, drove down and parked it in the empty spot. We then got the RV ready and moved down to our home on Quail Lane. What a relief!

We had no plans for today so we decided that it would be a good day for individual walks for the dogs. So Mike took off with Slugger and about 20 minutes later I took off with Boogie.



I can never figure out the trail system here so I just let Boogie choose the route and I followed him. Mike kept his phone handy as last time I set out on my own with Wazzu here in December we got lost and I had to have Mike come find us.

Boogie and I were having a great time enjoying the beauty of the area, the beautiful birds, and some really nice people we met on one of the trails. Other than the sounds of the birds and the water it is really quiet up here. I was having a great time getting to spend some alone time with Boogie.



We came upon a pile of logs which I thought would make for a nice photo opportunity. Even Boogie is getting used to the fact that when you walk with mommy you have to stop and pose for pictures!






Quite a while later as we were doing a little wading in a nice swimming hole, Slugger and Mike appeared. Boogie was so excited to them. Slugger of course loves swimming after sticks but Boogie isn't into swimming. So he'd just stand in the shallow water waiting for Slugger to get back with the stick and then he'd try and steal it.



At that point a big game of tug of war would take place.



Then Boogie would bark and bark as Mike would get ready to throw the stick in the water once again.



Trying to get Boogie to continue on our walk without Slugger was another game of tug of war. I'd pull hard on his leash to get him to come with me and he'd pull the other way as hard as he could to try and go with Slugger. This part of the walk wasn't quite as pleasant!

When I got home to look at my pictures, I found this one. I have no idea how this picture got snapped as I know I didn't take it on purpose. But as I looked at it I thought it was kind of interesting. So here it is for what it's worth....



Debbie
3/31/08

New Weaves

(Cottonwood, AZ) It's the weekend, so you know what that usually means...agility. And this weekend is no exception. This trial is held at a park that is entirely fenced so it is a great place for novice dogs. And it's a very pretty setting too.



This weekend however, if you didn't know where you were, you'd think you were in Las Cruces. It is very windy. The temperature is in the mid-70's but with the wind it is a tad chilly today (Saturday).

Today was a full day with six runs. Wazzu and I bowed out of the first run...Hoopers. While they were running Phase Four, which did seem much better than Phase Three, there was still no way to make a flowing course out of it. There was no way I wanted to start out the day demotivating my girl. Mike and Sparkie tried it and while they did it all correctly they were one second over time - in Open. Tough...

Jumpers was next and Sparkie showed her stuff getting first place in a very competitive class of dogs. Wazzu had the fastest time of all dogs in Novice but somehow she knocked a bar. But it was still a great run! Slugger wasn't into running this morning so he was way over time. What a silly guy.

The girls both had great first Regular runs and they each got 1st place. They each had one tiny mistake in the second run - Wazzu missed a dogwalk contact and Sparkie missed an A-frame contact. She was flying...literally!

Chances was hard. And while Wazzu did the first hard part really well she just couldn't quite get the second hard part. But she really did try hard. Sparkie on the other hand made it look quite simple. Show off!

We finished the day (just barely before dark) with Touch N Go. It was a really fun course and both the girls Q'd easily. Sparkie didn't get a placement as the clock didn't start on her run. So she got a No Time but was clearly fast enough for a Q.

The interesting thing about today was they had a new set of weave poles out in the field for everyone to try with their dogs. NADAC has just started allowing 24" (spacing) poles. The regulations before required 21" - 22" spacing. At the end of the day they were going to vote on whether or not to use them in the ring tomorrow.

We had each of our dogs try it. Wazzu did 12 weaves the fastest she's ever done them and it didn't seem to bother her back one bit. Sparkie too was extremely fast and seemed to have a much easier time getting through the weaves. Slugger even did all 12 with relative ease. Needless to say, we voted a big Yes!



This morning (Sunday) started out okay but rapidly turned very windy. Bars were flying off during runs and the timers kept being blown over. Chairs were blowing on to the course along with people's hats, papers of all kind...it was nasty. One dog that I know of got a Q even though it didn't finish the course correctly. The judge ruled that the dog had done the difficult parts of the course but because bars were blowing over, a hat blew into the weaves as the dog was trying to weave, etc. there was just too much distraction.

Tunnelers was first and both girls had fabulous runs. Weavers was just a matter of minutes later. We'd seen this course before and it was tough. Very few dogs did it correctly. Even dogs that are notoriously great Weavers dogs were messing up. Sparkie had trouble too. And even though she was able to re-group she was just over time.







Wazzu and Slugger both Q'd easily. Slugger even beat course time by 10 seconds! So now who are our Weavers dogs?

By the time Regular started, the wind had picked up to super strong strength. Poor Sparkie was running really nicely but seemed to have a tiny problem in each run which kept her from Q'ing. Wazzu on the other hand was back to her consistent self and easily Q'd in both runs.

Finally it was time for Chances! By now the wind was blowing so hard it seemed like trees and cars were blowing across the field. In reality; chairs, hats, jump bars, white boards, and the like were blowing across the field. But the wind wasn't our problem...the course was our problem. This was just way too hard. Only two Elite dogs Q'd. Neither of our dogs were included. Everyone agreed that this was the hardest Elite Chances course they'd ever seen. In fact, everyone wanted a copy of the course so they could work on it during classes.

Slugger came really close to getting the Chances Q but the wind scared him at one jump and took his concentration away. Other than that he did it all correctly.

Wazzu topped off her good day by getting an easy Jumpers Q. Poor Sparkie continued her rough day and after missing the fifth obstacle she and Mike just left.

As we were leaving, they had just emptied the cooler which meant there was a big ice pile. This was a huge bonanza for Boogie as he loves ice. Ice would be a great treat for him if it didn't melt so fast in my pocket!



We couldn't get the little guy to leave. What a jackpot!



We were wishing it was a little warmer so the ice would melt faster and we could get moving. We finally had to pick him up and carry him away as he just wouldn't stop eating. Silly boy.



We were all just glad to get out of the wind and get on our way. Today was our shortest drive ever after a trial. In less than ten minutes we were at our next destination. But all the spots in our favorite area were taken. Fortunately there were spots available in one of the other areas of the park so all is good.

Debbie
3/29-30/08

Fun Run

(Scottsdale/Cottonwood, AZ) Boogie was all excited for his agility lesson with Billie this morning…until he got out of the car and realized how hot it was. I thought Wazzu was a wimp in the heat - but Boogie takes the cake. Nine o’clock in the morning and he just runs over to the shade of a tunnel and lies down. We were just doing one obstacle exercises and he’d run over and lie down in the shade between each exercise.

(See, I really am wearing shorts early in the morning!) Look at my little buddy driving toward the obstacle with enthusiasm.




I learned a lot about teaching discrimination and individual obstacle performance and I can tell you we have a lot of work to do. Boogie’s little mind really had to think this morning. I’d say out of 20 tries of different exercises he only got it right once. He was so determined…to do it his way. We kept trying to set the exercise up so that he’d be successful but the darned little guy kept going way out of his way to do the wrong thing. We’ve definitely got a lot of work to do!

Then it was time to head up to Cottonwood for an agility trial. It’s a good 20 degrees cooler up here than it was down in Scottsdale. The dogs are all happier but it’s back to jeans and long sleeve t-shirts for me!

When we arrived they were in the midst of a two ring fun run. One ring was a Novice Regular course and the other was an Elite Jumpers course. Of course Mike ran Sparkie in both rings - and she was great!

I decided this would be a great place to let Boogie try his very first fun run. The main goal was to see if he could pay attention to me in the ring versus running out of the ring to play with all the dogs that were ringside. Before going in I warned everyone that he may zoom out of the ring to play with their dogs.

In hindsight, I sure wish I would have had this on video - or at least some still photos. Boogie was PERFECT. He did every single obstacle correctly, he ran with a lot of speed and drive, he did his "lefts" and "rights" like a pro, and best of all he never once lost his focus on me or the course. And there were a great group of people supporting us when we finished. I am so excited! Funny, this morning I was so discouraged and now I'm definitely optimistic.

Then it was our turn to try the Elite Jumpers course. This looked really hard - as it should for a novice dog! He was great! He did some really hard moves and only once did he turn right when I said left - but he didn't go off course, he got right back on track and finished the course perfectly. Wow, he is one smart little puppy!

I know he has a lot to learn...as do I. But I think with some good instruction and a lot of time on equipment, he has the potential to be a great agility dog. Now if I can just learn to be a good handler!

Debbie
3/28/08

A Little Down Time

(Scottsdale, AZ) For three days we just hung out at Westworld. It was 88-89 degrees each day. So we’d get up at 6:30am and take the dogs right out to the polo field for a nice morning romp before it was too hot. Yup, we had to go out that early to beat the heat – and even then it was shorts and t-shirt weather…even for me! We’d always have the whole field all to ourselves.

While this isn't a great picture, I love it because you can see how happy and involved Wazzu is with the morning activity.



Slugger is intent on this tiny ball we found. The outside was all stripped off - I'm not sure at all what kind of ball it used to be.



Here you can see Sparkie carrying it. I'd say it was about half the size of a tennis ball.



Boogie just loved running all around. It was big trouble when he'd get the ball as he doesn't ever want to give it back.



They really enjoyed just running around the field together. It's hard to see Boogie, but he's there, right behind Slugger.



But by far the most popular game was Boogie and Wazzu wrestling.



Look at those pearly white teeth on the little guy.



Wazzu is so good with him. He's always the one that starts it and she is so nice to comply and play with him.



Of course you always have to take time to eat a pine cone!



Imagine our surprise when we got out to the field Thursday morning to find all these huge trucks and many guys out there starting to set up these huge tents. They said they’re setting up for a big motorbike week. You should have seen the golf carts they had. They looked exactly like golf carts except that they had outfitted them with these huge off-road tires and shock absorbers. I was wanting to buy one like this for my friend Shari – how cool would that be!

In the evenings, just before dark, we’d head back out to the field for another big run. But this was always a popular time of day and there would be a number of dogs out there chasing balls and romping around. The field is HUGE – probably at least 500 yards long and 200 yards wide. So there is plenty of room for a number of dogs to be playing and not come anywhere near the other dogs…

…Unless Boogie is out there. He is the most sociable dog I’ve ever seen. He wants to play with any and every dog he sees. And he can see really well for sure! He takes off like a shot and runs the length of the field to go play with the other dogs. So far he hasn’t met a dog he doesn’t like nor has he met a dog that doesn’t like him. All the dogs out there are big dogs – as big or bigger than our big dogs. Yet they all play much nicer with Boogie much nicer than our dogs do.

People on the other hand do nothing for Boogie. He doesn’t even acknowledge they exist. Everyone thinks he’s so cute and they reach down to pet him and off he goes. The surest way to get Boogie to go the other way is to reach down to pet him. I’ll bet not one of the last 100 people he’s met have gotten to touch him at all. I’m guessing therapy work is not going to be in his future!

Wednesday, to break up the hot day we took the dogs to our favorite juice bar called, In The Raw. If you’ve followed our blog for long you’ve heard of it before as we come here whenever we’re in town. It’s a human and doggy bar/café. They only have outdoor seating and of course we always choose to sit by the doggy fire hydrant fountain.

We ordered each of the dogs their own shake which is served in a stainless steel doggy bowl with paw prints all over. Boogie of course gets the little size bowl – which he thinks is not necessary at all. Everyone except Wazzu likes banana so they each get the Banana/Peanut Butter shake while Wazzu gets the Peanut Butter/Carob shake.



Someone had left part of their muffin on a table and the birds thought this was a clear invitation.



This little shop makes really good sandwiches and the most awesome smoothies we’ve found anywhere. With house prices going down so much we thought maybe we could afford to live around here. But by the time you added in shakes and smoothies every day for each of us, we’d be right back out of our price range.

After we finish our drinks, we always take a walk around the lake. Slugger loves to bark at all the various geese, ducks, and birds that line the shore. They’re really brave and are always hoping for handouts so it’s rare they move away at all. But I found it impossible to take pictures of them while trying to walk two dogs on leash – that both wanted to go in opposite directions!

There really is nothing special at all about this picture except for the fact it's the only picture I got of any ducks that wasn't blurry.



Here you can see some of the beautiful scenery that we get to enjoy as we walk along the lake. (Interestingly enough, 24 years ago we came extremely close to buying one of the townhouses that you see in the far left of the picture.)



There is a really nice trail that goes quite a ways - Boogie was always running to the nearest shade.



I was hoping to get a really fun picture of Boogie in a tree but the camera seemed to think the background was too bright so the picture didn't come out as I had envisioned at all.



The close up is a bit better...although you really can't tell he is up in a tree.



Thursday afternoon we decided to take a little human-only outing. We went over to the Scottsdale Fashion Center which has grown huge since the time we used to live here. It was always an upscale mall but now is even much more so. I’m pretty sure we were considered “riff-raff” there. But what a fun place to go if you had tons of money! Our big purchase was a really fancy cherry pitter from Williams Sonoma. Now we’re going to have to make sure to go somewhere that has nice fresh cherries. Last year it was Montana – but I think this year it may have to be Yakima.

Then we went out to eat. We just stumbled across a restaurant called Kona Grill and decided to give it a try. We were in there about 15 minutes before we finally realized it was a Hawaiian restaurant. Duh!

We would go back there in a second. Too bad we’re leaving town tomorrow! We really splurged and we each had a drink. This is a big deal for us as we probably each have one maybe two drinks a year. Mike had his first ever martini. It must have been good as he drank it down like it was kool-aid. (Yuck if you ask me.) He offered me a taste but I think I’d rather have a bite of liver. (Another big yuck.) I had my standard (the only alcohol I’ll ever drink) – a Midori Sour. (Good thing a guy tried to pick me up in a bar on a cruise ship many years ago or I wouldn't have any alcoholic drink that I like. That's a whole other story!) I like it though because it doesn’t taste like alcohol. It was so good. My only disappointment was that the glass was small and they filled it almost full of ice so there was very little room for any actual drink. But what they did put in there was very good. They really made a lot of money on our drinks…small drinks, big price.

Neither Mike nor I hold our alcohol very well so we were both feeling very tipsy by the time our food came – which came very promptly by the way. We probably had the best server we’ve ever had at any restaurant…ever. Mike wasn’t happy that I told the waiter that when he brought our check. He said the guy probably now expected a super big tip. But I told Mike that was part of the guys tip. Sure it’s nice to get money but it’s also nice to get a sincere compliment, don’t you think? I think I’d even eat out more often if I could take this guy along to be my server!

The food was super good! They had a huge sushi bar so I just couldn’t resist ordering some sushi. I wish I’d had ordered more as it was the best I’ve had since I lived in Japan. I’d never heard of Maui Onion Soup so I tried that as well and it was delicious. Mike’s plate (meaning all the food on the plate) was the most colorful I think I’ve ever seen. The presentation was gorgeous. And the food all went together so well. Other than the drink prices, the prices there were very reasonable.

I don’t know if it’s a chain or not. But if you ever come across a Kona Grill, give it a try, I think you’ll be in for a real treat. After lunch we were ready to go home but figured we'd better walk around a while to let the alcohol wear off before Mike tried to drive home!

On the way home we made a quick stop at Costco. Okay, so maybe I am easily amused – but this Costco was different than the others I’ve been in. You know if you want milk, you open the door, reach into a refrigerated unit and pull out your milk. Well this Costco has a huge walk in refrigerator room. What’s up with that. It’s 90 degrees out so we’re all dressed in shorts and t-shirts and now you have to walk in this huge cooler to get your milk and eggs. Not me! Mike had to do that – it was way too cold in there for me!



I like the temperature outside much better!

Debbie
3/25-27/08

Rats!

(Scottsdale, AZ) We made it safely to Westworld in Scottsdale. It sure looks different than when we were here for the huge dog show a few weeks ago. Instead of every square inch being utilized, it is once again a huge empty polo field with acres and acres of empty RV spaces surrounding the area. Just like we like it!

After a quick romp on the field we left the big dogs in the air-conditioned RV (it's 89 here today) and headed to Billie's for Boogie to participate in earthdog practice. Normally there are five or six people and a total of about 15 dogs. But today there were at least 15 people here and well over 30 dogs. I thought since there was a practice here last week that there wouldn't be many people here. I guess everyone wants to have one last practice before the big test in two weeks.

We were excited for Boogie to show off his new found skills. And he was ready - no doubt about it.



Like always, he zoomed into the tunnel and ran directly to the rats. He immediately started working...yippee. So we started the timer.



But only ten seconds in, he abruptly turned around and just silently laid in the tunnel with his tail toward the rat. HUH?! What's up with that! He just failed. So we took him out and let him watch the next dog from close up to hopefully get him all revved up to work.

We gave him another turn and once again he burst into the tunnel and got to the rats at record speed. But this time he immediately went into the silent death stare. Argg. So we had to help encourage him by taking out a couple dowels so he could get close to the rat.



That worked - he finally started working the rat. As his reward he got to have the rat.



And he wasn't about to give it up!



Well, we've taken a step backwards. We're not nearly so encouraged about the upcoming test now. But Boogie did have fun - and I'm guessing he got full as he didn't just kill his rats - he ate both of them. Quickly down the hatch! Yucky.

After the earthdog practice ended, Billie was really kind and offered to give Boogie and me an agility lesson. She is just so kind! Boogie did really well. I'm so pleased at how well he is doing with such limited practice. I think he enjoys it...at least I sure hope he does. I'm doing everything I can to make it fun for him.

Debbie
3/24/08

Happy Easter

(Las Cruces, NM) It was back to the trial site for our last time this year. I thought I'd show you this shot just because I haven't shown you this view of the field yet. In the background in the left corner of the field you can see the little blue shack where all the scorekeeping is done.



Unlike yesterday, today started out with a major wind storm and it was cold! Everyone was so bundled up it was hard to tell who was who. Good thing people had their dogs with them so we knew who what person we were walking toward.

Today's run order started with Jumpers, Weavers, Jumpers, Weavers. Sparkie was really ready to go this morning. Here's what Sparkie looks like when she's waiting for her release at the line.



Doesn't she look so passive - almost like she's just sitting there enjoying the day. Well, she's a pretty good actress! Here is what she looks like moments later when Mike gives her the release sign.



Sparkie was great in both her Jumpers runs, but still a little slower than normal. I don't know what it is but she is just a little off. Even so she still got 1st during round one, and 2nd in round two.

Wazzu was so happy. She is always very frisky when the wind is blowing so hard. She zoomed around the courses and got Q1 in both rounds. Slugger's first run was fast and beautiful. All the people standing around me commented on how perfect he was during this run. But when we looked at the results they showed him with five faults. Too weird. Mike didn't notice a knocked bar while running and none of us watching noticed a knocked bar. Oh well, no Q but it was still one of his prettiest runs. Unfortunately his second run wasn't as nice as he was just way too afraid of the wind. Poor little guy.

Sparkie Q'd in both her Weavers runs but it was very obvious she wasn't feeling well. She had to restart a set of weaves in each run - this is unheard of for Sparkie. Wazzu also Q'd and got 1st in both her Weavers runs. She was weaving as fast as she ever has - it was like she was playing chase with the wind.

Mike ran Slugger during his first Weavers run. Well, I'm not sure there was any running involved. So I then tried to run him during the second round. I didn't notice any running in that round either. Who knew wind was so scary. And to top it off he stepped on the joint of the weave pole base and it popped up which scared him. He about jumped out of his skin. The judge was really worried about him - thinking maybe the weave base pinched his feet. He was fine...other than being scared of everything in the world at that point.

Sparkie did well and Q'd in her first Regular run but by her second run it was obvious she wasn't feeling well. After just a couple obstacles she just stopped working and stood still looking scared. Mike coaxed her off the course and got her to the car.

It would be another couple hours before Wazzu and Slugger would each get their last two runs. This is the first time ever in my nine years of agility that I was ready to leave even though we had four runs left.

I've always said I do agility to have fun with my dog. And I truly do have fun when I'm running the dogs - especially Wazzu. And today she was 4/4 with two runs remaining. But I will tell you, even though I enjoy running with Wazzu - it's just not as fun when there is nothing on the line. When a run matters, it is fun...even if we don't Q. But when there is nothing on the line, it isn't nearly as fun...even if we Q.

We don't need any more points as we've surpassed all our goals. And since I've moved Wazzu down to Novice we aren't in the running for any Top Ten awards or other awards. So even when we Q it doesn't mean anything - it's just not all that fulfilling. Now when it comes to Chances that's a whole other story. I get really excited for Chances because it matters. Even if we don't Q, I have a blast. I just love the competition element.

So for the first time ever, we left the trial before we'd done all our runs. I felt a little sad for Wazzu as she was having a perfect day and she was super happy. But it seemed like a long time to wait for something that didn't matter. I'm having quite the conflict with myself.

Friday I had hard boiled a dozen and a half eggs in preparation for Easter. We have a family tradition of giving the dogs an Easter Egg Hunt every year. It's one of their favorite games. And we love watching the different hunting styles of each dog.

In addition to having a hunt for our crew, I put on an Easter egg hunt for all of Meg's border terriers. They had to go in shifts so we ended up having four different hunts. Each dog had a great time and we loved watching the different styles and methods of hunting. It was easy to pick out which dogs would make good tracking dogs.

The split second the hunts were over we said a quick good-bye to Meg and headed off toward Arizona. We'd planned on leaving tomorrow morning but there is an earthdog practice tomorrow at Billie's so we have to leave today in order to get over there in time for practice.

So we drove as far as Wilcox, Arizona which is just over the border from New Mexico. It feels as though we are on the start of the next major leg of our trip. We're going to miss New Mexico as it is one of our favorite places of all. We love the area and we really enjoy getting to spend time with Meg and Harriet. And of course Boogie enjoys spending time with so many of his relatives!

We're so glad that Boogie gets to see his Mamu's from time to time as he really loves them too.

Onward we go.

Debbie
3/23/08

Just for Fun?

(Las Cruces, NM) It only took one run for us to realize that Sparkie wasn't herself. We don't know what is wrong but she's not running nearly as fast nor with as much drive as usual.

There were a lot of the normal cast of folks here this weekend and a fair amount of people that we know from Phoenix came as well. The weather today was very nice. It was in the high 70's but with a nice little breeze - really a pleasant day.

The day started with Regular which meant that Sparkie got two runs right away while Wazzu and Slugger had to wait a few hours before their first turn. Sparkie's first run was clean but she didn't look like herself at all. Her second run she started okay until she was in the weaves (fourth obstacle). She looked really odd - her form wasn't the same at all. By the time she got to the next jump she had an odd look on her face and wasn't paying much attention. She did finish the course but ended up with 65 faults. She immediately returned to the car and went right to sleep. Fortunately she had a few hours before her next run.

Wazzu was happy again today. In fact, in one of her Regular runs she was a little too happy and missed a contact. If the dogwalk is the second to last obstacle she'll sometimes miss the contact as she is so excited to finish. Other than that situation she almost never misses a contact. Even though we had that fault, we still got 1st place in both rounds.

The dog that Q'd in both Regular runs was Slugger! The runs were even fairly difficult for Novice as was evidenced by the fact that there were only three Q's for the entire class in each round. For Slugger to Q in both rounds was really tremendous!



What a way to finish!



Then came Chances - the only thing I really care about all weekend. When I saw the first course it looked tough. But I thought we had a chance - although an outside chance at best. We didn't even come close! There was no way Wazzu was going to weave at a distance - not today anyway. Sparkie on the other hand made this course look like a piece of cake. Good for you Sparkie!



Little Slugger tried hard but it was just a little too tough for him. We had our fingers crossed for the little guy but Chances is always hard for him since he's never ever been taught distance.

The moment I saw the second round of Chances my heart sunk. This was not a Wazzu course at all. On the up side, it did look like a pretty easy course for Sparkie. Like Wazzu likes to do, she shocked me to pieces as she did the course like she knew the numbers. The change of direction way out to the boonies is something Wazzu has never done before. But today she did it without even stopping to argue about it. Way to go Wazzu Puppy!

Sparkie was going perfectly and did the hard part with no problem. But I think Mike turned just a hair early and pulled her inside a jump. Too bad. During the Novice walk-through I decided that it was well beyond what Slugger could do so I scratched him from the run. Much better to save his energy for the next runs of the day than to waste it on something he can't possibly do.

The last two runs of the day were Tunnelers. Sparkie and Wazzu were both in very fine form (although Sparkie wasn't quite as fast as usual) and Q'd in both runs. Although if you look at my position, it is a wonder we Q'd. Most definitely saved by the dog here! How she went in the correct end of the tunnel I'll never know.



But as you can see, I was in the correct position after that.



Slugger was sluggish in his first run and missed time. I ran him the second run and this time he was fast enough to Q. Pretty good for the end of a very warm day.

I thought I'd throw in a couple pictures here for fun. Here is little Boogie running.



Did I fool you? This is actually our friend Billie and her dog Klev'r (Boogie's half brother).

And here is Slugger running.



Did I fool you? This is actually Bones - he looks just like Slugger but he is super fast, unlike Slugger.

Well agility may have been over for the day but our day was not nearly over. We got all of us in the car along with Billie and Klev'r (see Mike, I told you we have room for more dogs! tee hee) and off we went to Meg's house for earthdog practice. There were 19 dogs at Meg's house and I swear they all knew what we were doing long before any of them got to come outside.

We got the tunnels all set up, got rats in the cages, and Meg was in place.



Then it was time for the dogs. I think Klev'r went first. They've been working really hard on the recall as it's been impossible to call Klev'r away from the tunnel. With a little reinforcement they had some luck today. I think it was a very helpful practice for them.

Meg was working with Lulu and they were all ready to go.



As you can see, Lulu got to the end and found the rat but she wasn't all that interested in working the rat. So they opened the cage and took all the dowels out so that Lulu could actually get to the rat. But what happened was that the rat actually thought this was good as it could now get at the dog! The rat was lunging at Lulu and she kept getting scared and jumping back. The rat definitely won this round!



Boogie's sister, Mimi, didn't really get the game. Harriet let her go straight in line with the tunnel entrance. But Mimi figured it was much faster to get to the rat by just going over the ground. She quickly was told that was cheating and wasn't allowed to get the rat. Hmmm - foiled!



Eventually she played the game correctly and got her rat fair and square.



Boogie was by far the superstar of all the dogs today. He zoomed into the tunnel, immediately started working the rat, and worked the full required 60 seconds. He was so proud of himself that he started doing laps around the yard with his rat. Mike and I are so encouraged - we're sure he's going to do well at the upcoming test!

While Mike took Billie and Klev'r back to the trial site, we put away all the earthdog equipment and got on to the next task of getting a good picture of Boogie's dad, Higgins. It's not a perfect picture but isn't he a handsome guy.



When Mike got back he started cooking ribs on the barbeque. Meg, Harriet, and I got the baked potatoes and salad ready to go. We had a really great time visiting while eating a very good dinner. I'll tell you, if you want to have fun spend an evening with Meg and Harriet!

What a day! We were busy from 7am until 10pm and every bit of it was fun. We definitely need more days like this.

Debbie
3/22/08