Going Back

Yes, Boogie has been practicing a lot and he is getting very good at backing up.  But that’s not what I’m talking about.  More on that in a minute.

The dogs all did really well at the trial this weekend.  I loved the trial site as we could park so close to the rings.  I could see without anything in my way!  (Sorry for the glare lines in this picture...took it through the window.)  The trees were so beautiful too.

Sparkie only missed two Q’s.  And both of them were while trying for the bonus line.  So close too.

2iggie is really starting to have more confidence and therefore is picking up speed.  She even beat Sparkie in a couple runs. 

Boogie seems to get more driven all the time.  He’s really running fast.  

He missed four Q’s this weekend.  Two were due to that darn Superman cape (it’s still for sale if anyone would like to buy it) and the other two were handler errors.  But he did earn his Versatility NATCH-3 today.

While Wazzu has only been doing two runs a day recently, it looks as though retirement is getting closer.  She really is feeling less and less confident on the dogwalk all the time.  And I think going up and down the ramps is very painful for her.

On her first run of the weekend, she did the dogwalk but extremely slowly and did not look happy.  It was the second obstacle of the course and once she finished that, she ran fast and smooth and happy…  even earning an Elite Chances Q.  But on her second run yesterday and her first run today, she refused to go on the dogwalk.  So for her second round today, we switched her to Hoopers…  which she has always hated.  But at least there were no dogwalks.

She started out super slow because as I said, she hates Hoopers.  But then Mike started running around being really silly and she thought it would be fun to chase him.  So she ended up having a good time.  So we will no longer enter her in Touch N Go.  She still really likes to have a turn but finding a class she can do is getting much more difficult.  I’m thinking we will cut her down to one run a day.  We will try Chances and just take the “chance” that there’s no dogwalk.

When the trial was over we drove 90 miles east to Grant, New Mexico.  Just as we got off the freeway the check engine light went on.  Mike spent a couple hours doing some diagnostics on the engine and finally found the error code.  However, when he looked it up in the book, that particular code was not listed.  Of course!

Our planned route tomorrow takes us way out in the boonies through many mountains.  Certainly not safe to do that with engine problems.  So it looks like we’re going to have to backtrack 90 miles back to Albuquerque.  Big bummer.  Hope we can make it back and find someplace that can get this fixed in a day or two.  Lets hope they can get us fixed for good this time…  not just for a few days.

And finally, congratulations to Bushwhacker for becoming the PBR’s (Professional Bull Riding) bull of the year!  Which rider won the title?  Who cares.  For me it’s all about the bulls.

Debbie

Don't Eat the Cookies!

Yesterday the vet called to say the fungal test on Boogie came back negative.  That’s a good thing.  The bad thing…  She still has no idea what the spots are.  So she is going to treat it as though it’s a deep bacterial infection.  Now we have an ointment to put on the spots twice a day and he is to take an antibiotic twice a day – both for two weeks.

In January, on one of the major networks, there’s going to be a show called the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge.  There is an event called the Incredible Weave Pole Challenge.  All dogs, no matter their height, compete against each other.  As you’ll see, the winner this year is a Jack Russell called Major.

So this morning, Mike comes back to the RV and tells me that Boogie is competing against the Incredible Weave Pole Challenge winner.  So I knew right away, the best Boogie was going to get was second place.  Imagine our surprise when Boogie gets first place by over 2 seconds!  Neither Mike nor I saw Major’s run but I’m going to guess he must’ve had a bobble.  Boogie is a good weaver…  but not that good.  But still, it’s now in the record books.  J

Have any of you ever eaten mold?  Recently, I got in the habit of having a 2:00 AM snack.  I would eat it in the dark so as not to wake up Mike.  The first couple nights they tasted really good.  The third and fourth night they didn’t taste good at all.  Not only was the taste bad but the texture seemed really odd.  I thought something must have happened to my taste buds as I knew I really liked these cookies.  The next day, I really needed (okay, wanted) a snack midafternoon and there was one cookie left.  So I got the cookie and a big glass of milk.  Just before I took a bite, something caught my eye.  I looked down, and the entire top of the cookie was thick with mold.  Eww!  No wonder those cookies hadn’t tasted good…  they were all moldy!  Besides the disgusting taste and texture, I guess they were OK as I didn’t get sick.

You’d think that would make me stop eating cookies.  No such luck.

Debbie

Mystery

On October 3 we were in South Dakota for the afternoon and overnight.  While there, Mike took the Monkeys on a three hour hike....most of it off leash.

That evening, Boogie was sleeping upside down (as usual) and I noticed a black spot on his skin.  It was on the inside of his back leg near where it meets his tummy.  It was about the size of a quarter but not exactly round....a tiny bit oblong.  It felt rough, like coarse sand paper.

I had never seen anything like that and was pretty worried.  I called an emergency vet but they said not to rush in unless he had trouble breathing or stopped eating...that will be the day!

A few days later, I noticed another spot exactly the same on his front leg.  Then five or six days later, another one on the other front leg.  Then last Tuesday I noticed on on his knee.

So first thing this morning, after arriving in Albuquerque last night, we got him in to see a vet.

The vet's reaction:  "I've never seen anything like that!"

So they took a scraping and took some hair samples.  It will be about a week before the results come back. The vet fell in love with Boogie (of course)!  Then Mike had Boogie do all his tricks and they kept calling people in to see the tricks.  So he got to do them over and over, which he enjoyed as they kept giving him treats.

Here is a picture of the smaller spot on his front leg.

If you have any ideas, let me know.

Debbie
Oct. 24

Movin' West

It was nice to leave the tolls and bumpy roads of Oklahoma. The following day we went through the "sticky uppy" part of Texas....it probably has a real name...and that's probably not it!  Then just squeaked into New Mexico for a night to a place called Tucumcari. The dogs didn't like it. If you went off the pavement it was just all stickers.

Then today we made it to Albuquerque. For the first time in almost a month, 2iggie and Boogie got to be off leash in the great outdoors.

There is a gate behind the RV park that leads to hundreds of acres of desert land. Mike took the two Monkeys (that would be 2iggie and Boogie) and let them run free in the desert. 2iggie stayed fairly close but ran and ran. Boogie headed for the ONE bush in the entire area and laid down underneath. I've never had a dog that gets hot so easily.

There was a little rise in the land and 2iggie went running over the knoll. By the time Mike got there, 2iggie was nowhere in sight. Mike called Boogie and as he got near Mike, he stopped and his nose started twitching, and then he took off like a shot.....right in the direction of 2iggie.  Mike gave him quite the treat when he got home to thank him for finding 2iggie.

Speaking of Boogie being fast. Here is his run in the Finals of the NADAC Championships. Out of 1,665 runs at the Championships, only 58 qualified as 100+ run indexes. Boogie had one of those.....it is in this run.

Since this was the last run of the Championships for our dogs, Mike decided he could suck up the pain in his knee and try to go for it. Here they are!  (If you click the four little arrows in the bottom right, it will play a full screen.  It seems a little blurry to me when you do this thought.)

Notice the great distance Boogie does too.

Here is Sparkie's run....she got 1st place in this run.

Debbie

Slow Going.....Fast Going

We left Springfield, IL Wednesday morning for our trek west. Unfortunately we only made it a few miles before the RV started losing power every time we came to the slightest hill. So we had to drive on the shoulder all 31 times we got to an incline.

We made it to Springfield, MO but it wasn't safe to go any further until we got the problem fixed. Long story short, the following afternoon/evening we spent five hours at a repair shop. Most of the time was just waiting. Actual repair time....about 15 minutes. So now we are one day behind schedule. Fortunately we have time to spare on this trip.

Today we drove to Oklahoma City with a very smooth running RV. Phew!

But Oklahoma isn't our favorite state. We had to pay over $25 in tolls and the roads are the third worst we've ever been on. I wonder what they do with all that money....it certainly isn't spent maintaining the roads!

The results came out for the 100+ run indexes for the Championships today. There were 1,665 Regular runs at the Championships. Only 58 of those qualified as 100+ run index. Boogie had one of those! His was in the Finals! What a speedy boy.

Debbie

Visit

Mike had another really nice visit with his Dad today. We were both extremely grateful that he was so kind to make the trip out to see us.

Mike made a nice pancake breakfast for everyone this morning before his dad had to head back home.

Bob was never lonely while visiting us. It seems like he had at least one dog visiting him at all times.

Slugger loves all people and was elated that someone came to visit him.

And Sparkie loved lying next to (okay, on) Bob. Until the phone started buzzing in Bob's pocket. I think Sparkie thought her insides were vibrating. She kept cocking her head back and forth. It really was quite cute.

We were sad to see Bob leave but were truly happy he came to visit. It's always very special when we get to see him.

Debbie

Day After

Boogie woke up bright and early as he didn't want to miss his first run.  He was really liking this routine of doing agility every day!

Around noon, Mike's dad arrived from Dayton, OH to visit us!  This is always a delight and very special to us.

Bob was really popular with the dogs.  I think every one of them ended up in his lap at one time or another. I hadn't realized Slugger turned his head when I took the picture. Sorry about that.

It started raining midday and hasn't let up once. So I didn't get a picture of Sparkie with her Champs awards but I did get a picture of the awards the dogs earned.

Oh the final standings came out. Sparkie ended up 4th overall and Boogie was 5th overall. Absolutely astounding considering the circumstances. I'm so very proud of Mike and the dogs.

Debbie

Champs Are Over!

What a day.....what a week!

Both dogs did great in the morning run. Sparkie got first place! And I forget what place Boogie got… But I know he ran clean.

Mike was feeling relieved as it was now over and he could rest his painful knee.

But just a short time later, they announced who made it into the Finals. Both dogs made it into the Finals! Wow!

Sparkie was the first to run but the pain showed in Mike's knee. He was behind and Sparkie had an off course. But she was running super fast.  Mike was so proud of her.

Mike really sucked it up big time for Boogie's run. It was a beautiful run. Fortunately there was a large portion where he could send Boogie out and didn't have to run much.  Totally clean...and fast!  He got second place… running faster than quite a number of the 16 and 20 inch dogs.  What a finish!

When everything was over, they announced many awards. Sparkie was sixth overall in Lifetime 100+ DRI runs. The easy explanation for that is that there are only five dogs in the world that have earned more "super duper fast runs" than Sparkie.

The awards that you see in the front of the below picture are those given to the winners of each overall division. We didn't win those.

The ones you see in the background are Special awards and behind that you can just make out the ribbon wall where they post the ribbons for the winners of each round. We got many of those.

Sparkie earned three of these Special awards. I'll try to get a picture of her with all her awards in the next day or two.

Mike and four dogs have been sacked out for a few hours now. Boogie is wide awake running around wondering when his next run is going to take place!

Debbie

Good Try

The day started off well with both dogs running clean.  Sparkie got 3rd and Boogie got 6th.

Even though Boogie ran fast and clean he just doesn't have the stride that the larger dogs have.  He is being placed with 16" dogs (he is a 12" dog).  But I am extremely proud of him.

Sparkie ran clean again in the evening round but Boogie had about four seconds of confusion in one part and then he knocked a bar.  So our guess is that will knock him out of the finals.

In any case, they are having a great time!

Mike took some pictures today!  First is the Coliseum where the courses are being run.

There are windows all around the top which make very large light spots on the course. Today there was a light spot from the base of the A-frame out about three feet. One dog went running full speed into the A-frame. Poor dog never saw it. I don't know how that dog didn't break its neck.

Across the street is "Barn 14". The regular crating is in an outdoor covered arena. But with the wind it's pretty nasty. So in Barn 14 they have stalls you can rent for $50. Most people have their stalls all decorated up. Ours is totally bare.

The raffle is in that barn as well.

They post the top eight placements and ribbons on a large wall when the scores are figured out for each run. Here is one....Notice Sparkie's ribbon!

Here is one of Boogie's ribbons!

Here are the awards that will be given out at the end of the Championships.

Sorry...that's all I can do at this time.

Debbie

Cutting It Close

At the end of day one, Sparkie was in fourth place overall and Boogie was in fifth.  Interestingly enough, Boogie seems to be in a really tough division.

The first run today went very well.  Both dogs were clean!  Boogie beat Sparkie by three seconds!  Yet Sparkie came in third and Boogie came in fifth.  Go figure!

Second run of the day, Mike's knee was really acting up again.  He just couldn't be where he needed to be and both dogs had an off course.

No live stream for me again.  I must say, I am extremely bored and very frustrated knowing there is so much fun going on and I'm not able to see a bit of it.

Mike and Sparkie had a really close call today.  He was puttering around working on the RV and I asked if he shouldn't be over at the coliseum.  He said he still had plenty of time.  I just had a feeling his timing was off.  I told him he better get over there FAST.  So even though he didn't believe me, he and Sparkie hightailed it over there.  There got there exactly in time for their turn.  Phew!

Poor 2iggie is bored out of her skull.  And she knows the other two are getting turns.  Poor 2iggie.

Debbie

Sad Day All Around

Let's start with the better news.  Scores came out for the first round.  While both dogs are way off the lead, Sparkie got 4th place and Boogie got 7th place.  So at least they each earned a ribbon.

They both ran very fast in the second round but Boogie dug out his Superman cape.  Then he lent it to Sparkie.

The live stream still isn't working for me.  I'm not a happy camper.

Then I got some extremely sad news this evening.  Two of Boogie's little puppies died today.  Even though I never got to see or hold either of them, it is heartbreaking.  I've been through this many many times over the years.....but it just never gets easier.  Godspeed Yellow and White.

Debbie
October 13, evening

Frustration

I probably shouldn't do a post right now as I am extremely frustrated. Nothing is working. And they've changed the way you do this blog and I can't figure it out.

Other than that it is a fine day.

Yesterday, Mike and 2iggie did Tunnelers. With Mike still not running, it is very difficult. 2iggie did manage to Q on the second run and was only two seconds behind the very fastest dog!

Since I can't go in to watch the action, I decided to sign up for the live stream. This year it costs money. I see about 20 minutes of a black screen and then the picture finally comes on. I get to see about two dogs before it starts just doing freeze frame. I've been on the phone at least four hours today with the tech people trying to figure it out. All we've figured out is that it works on everyone's computer but mine. Go figure. Everybody else could just go in and watch.

Do you think they want to refund my money… no, because they say their system is working. Well it's not working for me and I'm the one that paid. Told you I shouldn't be blogging right now.

Sharon made a post saying that they would be done about 7:00 or 8:00 PM. Well it's now 4:00 and they haven't even finished the first round. I'm guessing it will be well after midnight when they finish unless the next course is a very short one.

The course looked very straightforward (it was anything but)...and long.  40 or 41 obstacles....very spread out....and of course a mandatory distance line that proved to be extremely difficult.   All the dogs I was able to see, had difficulties.

Mike was able to trot a little bit but just could not be in position to help the dogs in certain places. We have no idea if they called any contact faults, but each dog did have an off course. They both ran very nicely though. Especially Sparkie. She just needed help in one spot and due to Mike's knee he just could not get there. It wasn't a hard spot at all for a healthy person.

So, of course, Mike is very discouraged.  And 2iggie doesn't understand why she doesn't get a turn. As you can tell, the mood around here is well.....

More later.  Back to fight with the streaming....

Debbie
October 13....midday

Ouch

It was a rough day today. All three dogs were supossed to each do two runs of Touch N Go.

But Mike's knee was so bad he could not run at all. Unfortunately in this case, agility is a team sport. And when one of the team members is injured, the outcome is not good. The dogs tried really hard but just couldn't do it without their partner.

In the 28 years we've been married, I've never been able to get Mike to take an aspirin for anything. But he is now taking them every few hours and icing his knee often. So I know this is very serious.

While it's never good to get injured, this was the worst time it could've happened.

Will he be able to compete at all in the Championships? It remains to be seen…

Debbie
October 11, 2011

Trying Again

It’s been over years since I’ve been able to work on my blog.  But I’ve gotten so many requests recently that I thought I would try to do a little here and there.

Most recently, we left home on September 28 to head back to Illinois for the North American Dog Agility Championships.

We had some exciting news on October 6.  Boogie once again became a Proud Papa.

His girlfriend this time was Gidget aka CH OtterEcho Little Marvel.  Here she is just a few days before giving birth.

While most puppies start their life out in a whelping box, these puppies had a Whelping Palace awaiting them.

By the time all was said and done, there was a six pack of girls.  Boogie handed out “cigars” to celebrate the big occasion.

So tiny!

After nine straight days of traveling we arrived in Illinois in time for an agility trial before the Championships start.

All four dogs did very well.  Sparkie went 18 for 20 and earned her NATCH-22!

Boogie went 15 for 20 earning his NATCH-3.

2iggie continues to learn and improve and went 11 for 20.

Wazzu was a crowd favorite running with a huge smile and lots of enthusiasm.  She did excellent going 2 for 5.  What an amazing girl.

Pre-Champs started today.  Only 2iggie competed.  She was excellent in her two runs today.

Unfortunately, about 6-8 months ago, Mike tore the meniscus in his knee.  Since the surgery for the same thing on the other knee didn’t go as well as he would have liked, he decided not to have surgery on this knee.

And wouldn’t you know, he hurt it some more today.  Talk about bad timing.  He waited all year for the Championships and now he’s not sure he will be able to compete.

Crossing our fingers…

Debbie