Three Sunkist Generations

Today we went to visit with our friend Billie.  We haven't gotten to see her for a long time so I was really looking forward to spending some time together.  As it turns out, there was another person there with her border terrier that is related to Boogie.  Boogie’s dad is that dog' s grandfather.

We knew that with four dogs running around, it would be impossible to keep them  from running over me.  So we put gates all around me to protect me from being part of the racetrack.

Boogie, Book’n, and Luna all had a great time playing with each other.  Book’n and Luna are great friends but they were very nice to let Boogie play with them.  On the other hand, 2iggie felt a little left out as all the other reindeer wouldn't let her join in the reindeer games.

She was a very good girl though and waited until they were done with all the silly border terrier games and then she had fun running around with whoever still had energy.

Lisa, who owns Luna, was nice enough to use my camera and take pictures of the play date.  From left to right: Luna six months, Book’n 2 1/2 years,  Boogie 4 1/2 years.

By looking at these dogs you'd think it was a really hot day out.  It was 54.

Book'n and Boogie

After they'd had a chance to wear themselves out a bit, Mike tried to do some agility.  While he is used to running four dogs at a trial, it was a new experience to try to run four at once.

2iggie showing off for the three borders.

Of course you can't have a get–together without trying to get a family Christmas picture.  It was quite trying to get all three of them to sit still at once.  Boogie is a pro at having to pose for pictures so he sat still the entire time.

First theywere able to get Book’n and Boogie.

Then they managed Luna and Boogie.

Then finally, after much effort, they were able to get all three.

Book'n, Luna, Boogie

We really had a great time.  Wouldn't it be nice to have more days like this.

Debbie

Disappointment

I really don't understand people.

I started selling Girl Scout cookies the very first year I was eligible to be a Girl Scout.  I don't remember how old I was at the time, but I'm guessing I was near the end of grade school.  At that time, there really wasn't much to selling Girl Scout cookies.  You just went door-to-door.  People opened the door and when they saw your uniform they knew exactly what you were doing.  You didn't really have to say much.  They would just ask what kinds you had available, what the price was, or they'd say they were on a diet.  There really wasn't much in between.

Even at a very young age, I figured out that the customer is always happier if you give them more than what you promise.  That lesson carried over well into my sales job 20 years later. I always told my staff not to oversell.  Always hold one thing back even if it is something small.  If people get something they don't expect, they are happy and impressed.  But if you leave off one little thing, no matter how well you did everything else, they are disappointed.  While today, I was disappointed.

 We went to a fundraiser for the Arizona Jack Russell Terrier Rescue.  Boogie and 2iggie were honorary JRT's for the day.  And I'd say they represented them well. We went to this event one time before (of course without 2iggie) about three or four years ago.  The second we drove in the driveway, Boogie knew exactly where he was.  Their memories are amazing. I wish I had a fraction of their memory skills. But that's another story.

Since I go out so seldom, I was really looking forward to this event.  I had e-mailed back and forth with the organizers to find out exactly what would be happening and when.  Racing was to start promptly at 9 AM.  So we arrived about 10 min. early.  The only other people there were the people setting up the event.  As it turns out, they didn't start racing until 10:15.

Boogie had never done this event before but we decided to let him try today.  I'm sure you've seen it on TV.  All the dogs are required to wear muzzles (Boogie has never in his life worn one), then they are put in to a small box while they wait for everyone to get loaded up.  Once all the dogs are in place, the fronts of the boxes are opened at exactly the same time and the dogs rush out to chase a lure down the straightaway while they negotiate jumps.

When they first put a muzzle on Boogie, he was so busy watching the races that he didn't even seem to notice.

When it was his turn, Mike carried him over to the boxes.  I think he thought there would be a rat in there as he was anxious to go in. 

It only took him half a second to realize there was no rat in the box.  At this point, he was thinking this was a pretty dumb game and proceeded to immediately tear off the muzzle.

Fortunately someone noticed and they held up the race while his muzzle was put on… much tighter this time.

However, now that he knew there was no rat the box he wanted nothing to do with going in there.  It took Mike and another guy a bit of time to get Boogie stuffed into that box.

They're off!  Well, all the Jack Russells were off anyway.  Boogie spent a second looking down at the ground for the rat. If you look closely you'll see Boogie in the back right of the picture, smelling the ground.

It only took that split second for Boogie to realize the lure was moving.  And he was fast.  He made up ground on those Jacks.  He thinks they should start having this game at Border Terrier events.

On his second (and final) turn, you can see the Jacks left immediately while Boogie and the other first time dog on the left are still in the box.

But once he is out, look at him digging!  He was fast as he caught and overtook them!

2iggie couldn't play that game as she would never fit in that little box and she also couldn't fit into little hole at the end that they have to run into.

They only did the races for about 10 or 15 minutes and then they moved on to lure coursing.  There was a charge (per person) just to get into the event and then you had to purchase tickets to play the games.  Mike bought quite a number of tickets so that the two youngsters could have a good time all day long.

Wouldn't you know, the very second they started lure coursing, it started to rain. Boogie was about halfway through his first run when it started hailing very hard.  He didn't even seem to notice.  It hailed so big and so hard that cars were white....looked like it had been snowing.

At that point, the line got too wet and wouldn't go.  So they had to stop the lure coursing for about half an hour until the hail and rain stopped so they could dry the lure line.

Boogie was a maniac!  This lure coursing is set up in a rough circle, completely fenced with five foot tall orange fencing and numerous jumps and obstacles the dogs must navigate on their way around.  (The fencing  makes picture taking difficult.)

It's hard to tell in the picture but Boogie was barking like crazy all the way around.

As you can see, he is really moving!

2iggie got in on the action as well although she was hilarious.  The lure operator was used to running it the speed of a Jack Russell.  As you might imagine, 2iggie is much faster than a Jack.  This guy could not figure out how to keep that lure in front of her.  But she didn't seem to care.  She ran right by the lure and just kept running the course as fast as she could.  She did this on all three of her turns.

We had many tickets left and wanted to do more when they suddenly just decided they were done and were going to break for lunch.  There were hamburgers and hotdogs as well as some cookies.  I swear, a cookie made of concrete would have been softer than these cookies.  Talk about a tooth breaker!

The next event was supposed to be the one I was really looking forward to.  It's called Tunnel Vision.  It's like the tunnels they have underground for Earthdog except these are above ground and one side is made of plexiglass so you can watch the dogs as they race through the tunnel to find the rat.  But no.  No such event was taking place.

Another activity that was to take place was pictures with Santa Paws.  After about a 45 minute wait, Santa finally appeared.  So Mike got in line with the dogs.  He was the fourth person in line.  You would naturally think that your turn would be fairly soon.  But they couldn't get the camera to work.  As they fiddled with that, more and more Jacks came and stood with their friends.  It wasn't long before Mike was about number 20 in line.

Based on all the time we had already sat around just waiting, then having events not even taking place, Mike was in no mood to wait around for pictures.  So unfortunately, we will have no Christmas pictures again this year.  In addition, we have many tickets that we are unable to use as all the events are either done or did not happen.  Had we known they were not going to have so many of the events, we certainly wouldn't have purchased so many tickets.

The dogs certainly did have a great time at the things they did get to do.  But I was extremely disappointed with the event.  So now we are back to the lesson.  Give people more than what is promised, not less.  We will not be returning.  Too bad for them as we always donated a lot of money via the entry fee and tickets.

It was a long six hours for me to lie in the car.  It's just no fun being so cold for so long.…  And bored much of the time.

On a completely different subject.…  I hate bad people.  I know hate is a very strong word, thus I use it very sparingly.  I hope someday they all get what is coming to them.  And I hope it inflicts more harm on them than they inflicted on their victims.

Go in peace and love.

Debbie

On the Run

Another absolutely gorgeous day!  Sunny, upper 70's, happy dogs.

Boogie was perfect again today….another 6/6.  That is super great considering there was a Chances run today!

This picture may not look like much but it is actually very telling.  When he has his hind end really low in the weaves, it means he is going really fast.  He was really pushing it today.

Sparkie was running nicely again today as well.  Her only problem was on one of the Weavers courses.  The dogs came out of a tunnel, had to make a sharp left into a set of 12 weave poles.  The sun was directly in their eyes when they made the sharp turn and many dogs just didn’t see that set of poles and ran completely by them….the entire length.  Sparkie was one of them.  So she just missed time.

2iggie continued her great speed.  We are so happy that her confidence has picked up so much that she is running full speed.  That’s a problem sometimes as Mike is so far behind he can’t be there to help her know where to go in time.  But they’ll get it figured out.  Fixing teamwork is much easier than trying to “teach” speed.

Wazzu had fun in her Chances run….although she thought she had a much better idea for a good course than the judge.  Her second run was Jumpers and it came in the late afternoon….right in the middle of her nap time.  She did the course correctly but you could tell she was sleepy.  

What a good girl.  And how nice of everyone to give her such a big round of applause when she finishes.  Too bad she can't hear it.  But I can and I really appreciate it.

Debbie

Three Dog Night

Not another song.

Normally 2iggie sleeps on the bed, Boogie in his crate and Wazzu on her bed.  But last night 2iggie took part of Wazzu's bed.  So poor Wazzu had to sleep with her head hanging off.  She was a very good girl to share her bed.

Debbie

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

Work Continues

(Arlington, WA) The work just continues to happen on our property.

Today we had three truckloads of gravel brought in to fix the driveway that was mutilated by all the trucks and machinery that went in and out the last week or two.

We also had quite a bit dumped over a grassy area so it would be easier to turn the RV around.

The driveway should last the winter much better now.

The driveway wasn't done three minutes before Boogie started rolling. It doesn't matter where we go, if Boogie sees gravel, he starts rolling.

Mike bought a chainsaw and suddenly he has become a tree trimmer.  He is really getting this place spruced up.

We have this super huge gigantic (now that's big!) rhododendron just in front of the house. Mike tried to trim it but it is very difficult. He did get a portion of it trimmed and we found some logs and a huge stump underneath.

The dogs had been going under this plant since we moved in. Now we can see what they are doing. They are digging under this log.  Looks like Slugger can just about fit in the hole they've made.

But Slugger didn't do the digging. That was courtesy of Boogie....

....and Wazzu.

Even together.

Normally 2iggie would be right in the middle of the action but today she was hanging out in the sun relaxing. Now that's one big yawn.

Debbie
9/30/10

Ole Super Schnoz

(Arlington, WA)  Ole Super Schnoz is the latest name given to Boogie by his breeder.  I'm so proud of that name.

Today we drove over an hour to get to the Odor Recognition Test (ORT) - birch scent.  The dogs have three minutes to go into a building and search through two long rows of boxes (using their nose of course) to find the box that has the small tip of a Q-Tip dipped in birch oil.

The dogs have three minutes to find and indicate the correct box.  The handler must indicate "Alert", then the judge lets you know if you're correct.

We lined up, I listened to the instructions (while Boogie tried to so hard to be patient), and then I gave Boogie the Search command.  Remember, we need to hurry as we only have three minutes.  Off we go.  ALERT!  Yes, says the judge.  Time:  10.35 seconds.  Ole Super Schnoz is born.  That's my boy.

Unfortunately, there are no awards, no certificates, no nothing.  So I have no picture to show you.  But take my word for it - we were awesome.

So a two and a half hour drive for 10.35 seconds.  What we do for our dogs.

Before going to the ORT we had a fun day.  I actually caught Wazzu walking around instead of lying down.....

....oops. Down she goes.  Guess she doesn't want to be found.

We had the most pleasant surprise today. Shari, Slick, and Ozzie came to play!

All the dogs get along well but it is most special for Wazzu as these are her true buddies from way back. And play they did!

Look! Wazzu is playing! She loves Slick.

And Ozzie too! Looks like a black dog party.

The three amigos. I love it when Wazzu does these huge play bows.

Here they are flirting with each other. Wazzu only does that with two dogs in the whole world.

They look like happy bookends.  What a super great playtime it was.

Slugger isn't in to all this playing so much. He much prefers to just watch over the property...

....or sniff the air.

If there was a sunbathing contest for dogs, Slugger could win. He'll do it for hours.

Since we don't live in the house, there is no way I'm going to spend time or money decorating. So I walk in the house today only to find I have a decoration on the bookshelf!

What the heck was he doing. No one else was in the house. He was just sitting there like a statue.

This little guy just never stops entertaining.

Debbie
9/23/10

Smash

(Arlington, WA) Meet Farmer Mike. With five acres to take care of, Mike is becoming a farmer whether he likes it or not! He won't say so but I think he is enjoying it. He is doing a great job, working from morning until night. The dogs and I are extremely appreciative of all his efforts.

After getting all the rocks picked up, the field was still very "fluffy" and rough. So Mike rented a roller to smash down the ground.

The rental company brought it over and gave Mike a 60 second lesson.

Then it was off to work!

In addition to rolling, the machine vibrates to help pack down the ground. Mike thought that part was fun. But he mentioned many times that it was really hurting his back.

Not sure if you can tell from the pictures but this thing is HUGE!

And it sure did flatten the ground.

I was glad Mike thought it was fun as it took him the better part of two days. First he rolled the entire pasture. Then he spread grass seed over the entire area. Once again, he then rolled the entire area one more time.

This is what it looked like when he was done. Not sure if you can tell or not but there is a small brown dot in the field. That is Slugger just sitting there watching....who knows what.

At one point during the week, Mike walked around the yard trying to get out as many of the roots sticking out of the ground that he could. The dogs really enjoyed this activity and did their best to help.

Tugging

Pulling

Eating

I haven't seen much animal life since we moved in. I've heard a lot of squirrels - as have the dogs. But the one thing there is no shortage of are huge spiders and their webs.

I hate spiders! They are making these webs everywhere. Mike won't knock them down as he loves to see how big they'll get and see what they catch. Great.

Amazing how I didn't see any birds around here until Mike spread grass seed. It was like a seed alert was sent out around the city. Suddenly we had birds everywhere. The dogs tried to chase them for a while but gave up as they were totally outnumbered.

The only other thing I saw was a dragonfly. Fortunately he landed as I was having a heck of a time trying to get a picture while he was flying.

But the highlight of my sightings was the pileated woodpecker.  He sure takes a big wind up before banging into the wood.

It was really interesting to see how big a holes he could make.

Speaking of wildlife, 2iggie had a great day today. She caught a mouse, a mole and a platypus. I saw her doing something under the deck that looked unusual. I called her and she brought me a mouse. Great....not!

Shortly after that she took Mike a mole! Yes! Catch all those you want little girl.

In all fairness, she had help with the platypus. Boogie actually caught it....2iggie just killed it. Here it is before its death.

Mike was working in the "basement" - the bins under the RV - and Boogie crawled in, hunted through a big bag full of toys and pulled out the platypus. It didn't last long once 2iggie got a hold of it.

Wazzu doesn't kill animals. I watched her for quite some time today as she was trying to make friends with a mole. She was so patient as it slowly came up and peaked out then dashed back down...over and over.  You can see the little mound of dirt just starting.

The dogs didn't really know what was going on but they knew their daddy was doing lots of digging and pulling so they seemed to want to try as well.

Every time we go outside the dogs dig under this bush. There has got to be someone under there.

I have a picture of each dog under this bush. I can't imagine what is so interesting under there but it must be something good.

Today was the first day that 2iggie discovered the forest. She darted into the forest and was there about 20 minutes before Mike went to find her. She came out sopping wet.

The forest is too dense for people to get through....it's even hard for the dogs to get through. But Mike did cut a path all along the fence line. The fence is on the left side of the pictures.

Of course the days can't be all work....at least not for the dogs.

Sometimes you just gotta take a break.

How does she sleep with her head up?

2iggie

Sparkie

Doesn't he look so grown up?

Wazzu

Slugger

Great few days here at Flapdoodle Farm.

Debbie
9/20-22/10