Guitar Hero

(Woodinville, WA) We rocked it!

Shari, Shawn, and James....my "other" family (and family is super important to me)...came over to celebrate my birthday. What better birthday present could there be than to play Guitar Hero with my little buddies.

Oh man, was I out of my league! But I think I was having the most fun.



I was on bass guitar, James played lead guitar, Shawn played the drums, and Shari sang.

Shari won't like this picture but I figure it's okay since I don't like this picture of me either. But had to include it as it's the only picture I got of Shari singing. And by the way, she did a great job...always getting like 99%.



James was a guy of many talents. He sang for a few songs too.



But I'm thinking Shawn was the star of the show. He is an amazing drummer. I could listen to him for hours. If I ever have a band (okay, so those days are over), I would hire Shawn to be my drummer for sure!



When we were done with Guitar Hero, the boys hid Boogie's scent so Boogie could show them his Nose Work skills. I'm really not sure who had more fun....the boys or Boogie. Shari and I had a great time watching them all have so much fun.

I know Boogie would like to play with them again any time!

Thanks to you all for the great "birthday".

Debbie
8/31/10

Mojo

(Redmond, WA) For the past three days we've been at an AKC dog show in Redmond at Marymoor park.

First thing Friday morning Boogie and I entered the Obedience ring ready to show what we're made of. We'd been practicing our sit and down stays as that has been our only trouble at the previous shows.

From the very beginning it was obvious Boogie was showing signs of ring stress. This was shocking to me as I've been nothing but positive with him in the ring. But who knows what goes through their brain. It wasn't like he was sniffing the ground or being preoccupied with things outside the ring. He was just avoiding looking at me and walking very slowly.

We made it through although certainly not well. He did do absolutely perfect on his sit and down stays....but needless to say, we didn't pass.

Off he went to do agility. He was perfect in his first run of the day which was FAST, getting first place in Excellent. But when the next run came (Standard) he did three obstacles then just stopped, looking worried and licking his lips. Run over.

So in Jumpers Mike had a plan. Since Boogie does about three obstacles before getting worried, Mike made a super short course of three obstacles from the start to the finish line. They did those three, really fast, then partied big time with his favorite ball and cheese. Day over.

Saturday was even worse in Obedience. He wouldn't budge....literally. He wouldn't even look at me no matter what I did. So I did a very nice healing pattern, just as the judge called it. I was awesome....problem was, this is a team sport and my teammate didn't want to participate. So I didn't bother to stick around for the sits and downs. No need to stress him any more.

Right then, I decided to pull him from Obedience on Sunday. So we headed over to agility. Today he was really happy in the agility ring. Like yesterday, we again got 1st place in FAST earning his Excellent A FAST title. Same thing in Jumpers, also earning his Jumpers with Weaves Excellent A title.

In Standard he was running fast and furious. Third obstacle to the end was a tunnel....but Mike accidentally said tire. Boogie screeched to a halt looking around, saying in a frantic voice, "but daddy, I don't see a tire". In AKC that is a refusal so no Q. But they recovered quickly and finished the course perfectly. Bummer.

That was the first time Boogie has ever competed head to head with his dad, Higgins. Higgins ended up winning the class, and looking great, with a time nine seconds slower than Boogie. Darn those refusals.

Sunday he did very well again. Mike was so happy saying "I got my Boogie back". Nothing better than that. Boogie has found his mojo again!

Debbie

8/27-29/10

It's Ours

(Arlington, WA) Even though we had some really sticky moments with this transaction, against all odds, we were able to close today on our new (okay, really really old) house.

After picking up the keys, we all - for the first time - went to the property. Wouldn't you know, it was raining. But even the rain couldn't dampen our spirits.

So while Mike worked outside taking down the gate and some fencing, the dogs and I stayed in the house.

The dogs were so excited. They ran around the house a million miles an hour checking out every nook and cranny. It was so fun to watch them having so much fun.

But after about five minutes they decided they were bored. But they couldn't lie down...there weren't any pillows or furniture....oh, what's a poor dog to do.

When Mike finished working, we all went outside so the dogs could investigate the yard a little bit. They were having a blast. I'm excited for the day the property is all fixed up properly and we can move in so the dogs can just roam and play to their hearts content.

It was a good day. Oh yeah, and it was my birthday!

A friend of mine made me this beautiful cake. Have you ever seen a more beautiful cake?



Oh, and it wasn't just beautiful...it was just about the best thing that has ever gone in my mouth.

If any of you ever need a fancy cake, let me know and I'll refer you to Tallant House. She has won many awards for her cakes....and currently is in first place for Best of Washington wedding cakes. She's been in the top three for a number of years now. Her specialty is wedding cakes although she makes cakes for all occasions.

Someone had placed an order for little S'Mores cakes. This is what Mike saw when he was over at her house. How very clever is that!! And from what I've been told (by those who ate them) - they were fantastic! Of course!



A big thanks to Judy Tallant for such a tasty birthday cake....and all the other wonderful goodies she makes me throughout the year.

(For those wondering what else I got for my birthday.....Mike got me a bag of Cheetos Cheese Puffs....yup, that's all. Don't tell him, but that didn't really compare to the cake!)

Debbie
8/26/10

Need a Smile....

(Woodinville, WA) It's always a good day when I get to spend a little time with Boogie's puppies. They are really starting to get around now. And they are biting much harder and with determination too!

And now that the puppies are moving around more, Boogie is beginning to think they are even more fun. So many people didn't believe me when I told them that Boogie would be a good daddy. But I think you can all see that he is a Champion daddy...in more ways than one.

When we first arrived, Boogie and Weezie got to have some adult fun....oh, not that kind of fun. Well, not because they didn't try! I can't believe that Weezie is still flirting with him - and of course Boogie is happy to oblige. They must really be in love, these two!

They were running around so fast that not only was it hard to keep up with them with our eyes but it was impossible to get a clear shot. So here is my super blurry shot for the day.




After Weezie was completely worn out, she was put in the house so Boogie could concentrate on his puppies. But at first the puppies had no interest in him. They just wanted to eat the herbs.



They make really quick work of these herbs. And it sure gives them really nice breath!



They aren't taking long at all to follow in Boogie's steps....look at this dirty little nose. Well, it's a good start but I think Boogie needs to give her a few more lessons!



Finally one of the puppies noticed this big lens pointing at her. She was very inquisitive and had to come over and check it out.



That got boring very quickly so then she had to use me as a mountain for awhile. I had a fun time with that game until puppy got bored and went to play with Boogie.




As soon as the puppies caught sight of Boogie they all came over to see him....they're all there....one is underneath trying to snatch a drink. Good luck with that little guy!



Boogie was really having a great time with the puppies....as were they with him. Quite a few times I saw him doing big play bows. Unfortunately I never caught it on camera but it was just way too cute.



Never once did Boogie even give them as much as a cross look. Nor did he ever jerk away.



Even when they tried to drink from him, he'd just lean down and lick them.



Finally I was able to get them to ignore Boogie for a few minutes so I could get some individual pictures.

Ah, nothing like your first tennis ball.



Or, your first sprinkler. Huh?!



Puppy 1:




Puppy 2:



Puppy 3:



Puppy 4:



Last time we visited we couldn't get the puppies to calm down at all. But today the puppies had gone to work and had a lot of visitors. I'm thinking we just might have a chance today.

So a little more play time with Boogie.



Or is that chew time!



Talk about a patient dog.



Weezie (the mom) doesn't even let them chew on her like this.



Three down, one to go.



Oops. Where did that one go?




Guess Boogie better go find him while these three start the puppy pile.



Found him. Sweet little Junior looking up at his Papa.



Gosh, could he be any cuter....or maybe I'm biased. Nope, he's downright cute.



Finally, Boogie tuckered them all out.



The feisty little girl just isn't quite ready yet...



So peaceful looking.




How is it that puppies can be so cute?



Well, they are all completely out so I guess this is the end.



Debbie
8/24/10

Thoughts

(Woodinville, WA) Not a lot has been happening recently....which is not a good thing for me as it just means I have a lot more time to think about things. I call it "busy mind".

Like, why do people get upset about such small things. I mean, you may think it is a big thing....but if you think of it in the grand scheme of life, it's really not a big deal at all.

For instance, when someone does an agility run and it doesn't go perfectly (which is often for most of us), then they get mad at the dog. How does this help? Why does it really matter if you Q or not. The dog doesn't know about Q's. Are you doing this for titles? Or are you doing this to have fun with your dog? To socialize with other people? What?

Think about it for a minute. For those of you that do agility, stop reading this post and think about why you really do agility.

Do you know how lucky you are to even be able to go to the line with your dog? I would give just about anything to be able to go on course with my dogs.....even if we "messed up" every run. At least we'd be doing something fun together.

What if you had to stop doing agility immediately. How important would it be then that your dog Q'd on every run?

When I could run, my dogs thought they were perfect on every run. And we partied after each run as though they'd just won the Championships. They were so proud of themselves and so happy....and so was I.

Now that I just watch (when I can even do that), I see so many people that really get on their dogs because a mistake happened. They blame the dog. I could easily see from the sidelines that the dog was really doing exactly what their body told them to do.

Just think about it next time you go to a show. I used to put a quote at the bottom of my emails that said:

"The real joy is in the privelge and ability to step to the start line with your dog by your side, not in the crossing of the finish line victorious over others." Author unknown.

That is more true than you realize.

Since I haven't been up and around doing much, I'd like to share some pictures with you that have either warmed my heart each in their own way.

Look at these two dogs....so content and happy to have a friend to sleep with!

Doesn't Boogie look so sweet just lying next his little friend?



Ha, fooled you all. This isn't Boogie....but you could have told me it was and I would have believed you. This is actually Boogie's litter mate, StevieRay (on the right of course), with his "sister" Emma. He's quite the agility dog too. StevieRay and Boogie are exactly the same on course....run, run, run....but even more....bark, bark, bark.

Emma (on the left) is my hero. She is an extremely talented dog. I get my inspiration from her a lot. You go get 'em, Emma.

For those of you not in the Pacific Northwest, this picture was taken in Puget Sound. If you look closely you can see a Pit swimming way out in the water (exactly like Slugger likes to do) and the big white thing in the distance is a ferry....it carries vehicles from the mainland to the islands...and back.



My best friend has a beautiful property here in Washington that we are fortunate enough to get to visit from time to time. The dogs love it and we love it. It would truly be paradise....if it was warm there year round! Even these guys miss the sun and took advantage of a rare moment of sunshine to get some sun bathing in.



The final picture that was sent to me recently is a gorgeous scenery picture. My very special niece took this picture in Wales.



I'll leave you with the beauty of the last picture and won't tell you about all the other things my "busy mind" thinks about.

Special thanks to Marti, Lori, Shari, and Asami for sharing these beautiful pictures with me.

Debbie
8/23/10

Family Portrait

(Seattle, WA) Today we went to visit the puppies. The difference was, this time we took Boogie!

(Let me apologize in advance for the pictures. I had envisioned getting all these great photos but something is wrong with my camera and most of the pictures came out a bit blurry. Time to get the camera checked.)

So here was the plan. We'd let Boogie and Weezie meet to see if Weezie would still like Boogie. We knew Boogie would like Weezie....he likes everyone.

These two picked up right where they left off. They ran around the yard at break neck speed for quite some time...exactly like they did the other times they met.



Then just as fast as they started playing, they stopped to try and make more puppies. What?! We couldn't believe Weezie was up for that. But she was just as inviting and accepting as when we wanted it to happen. Needless to say, we stopped that action right away - many times. Not posting those pictures!

But doesn't Weezie have a cute little shirt. She has many sores from the puppies feeding so much so this is to protect her a little.



It was obvious that we'd have to separate these two as they both just had one thing in mind. Boogie was heartbroken. He just stood at the back door and cried and cried and cried.



The next part of our plan was to bring the puppies out to let them meet their papa. The idea was to let them play for ten minutes or so until they were completely tuckered out. Then we'd take the family portrait.

The door opened and Boogie was so excited...he was sure Weezie was coming out again! Wait, that's not Weezie, who is this? Boogie was so interested.



He was so curious and very gentle.



Puppies just kept coming. Boogie was just as curious as each puppy came out. When all four were on the ground, he approached them very carefully...I'm guessing he was trying to be cautious not to scare or hurt them.

The puppies were just as curious...but not nearly as cautious!



Just as I suspected, Boogie was the perfect little boy. He was extremely patient and gentle with the puppies. This event was well covered. I took pictures and you'll notice that they're also being video taped at the same time.




We couldn't have hoped for this much. The puppies would follow Boogie around and when they'd catch him....they're so fast you know!...they would gang up on him and chew on his ears. He didn't care one bit.


They would get a good grip on his ear and then shake their head. Good thing they aren't real strong yet. Boogie was so sweet and just let them play with his ears for as long as they wanted.

One puppy decided to be brave and try to feed from Boogie. No problem. Boogie just let the puppy do whatever it wanted.



After about 20 minutes of playing with the puppies, Boogie was feeling his broken heart and went back to the door to wait for Weezie. We've taught him that if he wants something, to put his chin down on the ground. He stayed at this door with his chin down and crying for a long time. Weezie was on the other side crying out for him as well. These two!



So we turned our attention to the puppies. They were very busy. I brought them a new little toy and they thought that was fun for a while. This is the little boy....




....and this is one of the little girls.



What the heck is that?



One puppy needed a more challenging toy and went for the big ball. The puppy punched the ball, growled at it and bit at the big green monster. It was quite the battle.



All these nice toys we have for the puppies and they decide that shoes and shoestrings make a really fun toy.





Of course sticks are always fun too.



Probably the most popular activity was puppy wrestling. They punched, tugged, pounced, growled, pulled tails and tackled for all they were worth. This should make them tired for sure.



Hey, just like when we were kids. Sticking your tongue out at your sibling!



Finally the puppies noticed me lying on the ground. They thought I made a great mountain!



Finally instead of just a lump on the ground, they realized I was a person and I got some puppy kisses. Oh, what can be better than puppy breath!



After all the kissing I got a really nice hug.



I was feeling so lucky when another puppy came over to give me some kisses.



Ouch! These puppies can bite! How did Boogie put up with all this?




And then she called for reinforcement! Boogie....help!!



Remember how I said the plan was to let them play about ten minutes until they were all tired? Well, it's now been an hour and they haven't shown any signs of slowing down nevertheless being tired.

So we all decided that if we fed them they'd have nice full tummies and then they'd realize they were tired. This was a popular plan!



It even brought Boogie away from his door. But he really wanted to help with the eating.



Poor Boogie.



After all this eating, the puppies got thirsty and decided Boogie was the container. We were all amazed at how easy going Boogie was about this. He stayed like this until the puppies nuzzled under and started sucking on .... well, the wrong thing.

He didn't do anything but move a couple feet.



A couple of them didn't take the hint and followed him to try again.



This is when we decide we'd better give them some water.



Boogie decided to go wait for Weezie some more since he wasn't getting any food. One of his little daughters decides to go with him.



The puppies don't seem to understand the ramp yet.



So they just had to wait for Boogie to come back down.



Now an hour an a half has passed since we arrived and the puppies are still going strong. So much for the ten minutes we thought it would take.

These folks have things to do so we can't wait any longer. We have to try to do the family photo even though the puppies don't seem tired in the least.

It was not even beginning to work! The second we'd set the puppies down they would scatter and wrestle.






So we decided just to have people in the picture. Not at all what I'd planned. I took about 20 pictures and this is the ONLY one that even had one puppy looking at the camera. Weezie and Boogie never looked at the camera...they only had eyes for each other.



Just as we were heading toward the gate to leave, I noticed one puppy had finally conked out. So I called Boogie over and had him lie down next to the sleeping puppy.



Well, I got a picture of Boogie looking happy anyway. Maybe they'll let me try again another day.

Debbie
8/17/10