(Las Cruces, NM) We are so happy to be starting the year off with sun coming in the window. While it’s still really cold outside, the solar heating we get through the window is a life saver. All four dogs were in the sunbeam the minute the sun arose – and so was I.
We also woke up to a message on our phone. Wouldn’t you know, now the guy says he can’t work on our RV on Wednesday after all. Argg. After many phone calls it was determined that he could do it very early Thursday morning…our last chance as we must leave Phoenix by 10am at the latest in order to get to Palm Springs in time. We’ll get to Palm Springs much later than we’d hoped but at least Mike won’t have to drive all night.
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “You are what you eat.” If that’s the case then I am definitely hot chocolate. I’ve had more hot chocolate the last couple weeks than in the last couple years combined. And I even got to drink it out of a very cute little mug with a picture of a border terrier on it that looks just like my sweet Boogie. (Thanks Shari!) Too fun.
This afternoon Harriet came over to get Boogie all spiffed up so he’ll be ready for his first conformation show this weekend. Oh my gosh, he is one handsome boy! As he grows, he looks more and more like his father – which is cool because I think his father is one very handsome dog.
After getting Boogie all “purty”, Harriet then went over my handling. Oh gosh, Boogie may be a good looking dog but I’m not at all confident in my ability to show him off. I didn’t do many things right but I was so thankful to have Harriet give me some tips and guidance. Who knew there were so many little details – I just hope the judge can look past all my blunders and see my amazing little Boogie!
Then Harriet helped me with our Rally. I am SO glad she helped me with this. She gave me some really good advice about things I had no clue about! Shoot, I could have blown it just because I was doing some things wrong. One thing is really clear – I’m going to have to practice without the dog as my footwork isn’t correct.
I’ve never been one to get nervous. But I’m beginning to think that there is a first time for everything…and this just might be it for me.
When we were done with all that, Boogie got to play with his sister Mimi. I know for a fact that Boogie loves that more than anything. They chased and chased and wrestled for a couple hours. I’m sure they would have played longer if we had let them – but it was time for Boogie to come in so that Mike and I could learn how to brush him properly before going into the ring. I think we at least understand that part!
Mike then went and picked up some pizza so we could all have dinner together our last night here. We really enjoyed the nice conversation we had with them over dinner. Meg and Harriet are just so nice to us. We truly can’t thank them enough.
What a nice start to the new year!
Debbie
1/1/08
Showing posts with label Las Cruces. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Las Cruces. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Monday, December 31, 2007
To Heat or Not to Heat..
(Las Cruces, NM) In the late morning we got a call saying our part had FINALLY come in. I guess Overnight Service now means you send it on Wednesday and it gets there on Monday. Go figure that one!
Anyway, we packed up the RV and drove to the repair shop. They started working on it the minute we pulled in. But after putting in the new part, the unit still didn’t work. Turns out it was really a different part that was not functioning…and of course they didn’t have that part in stock.
So all we ended up with was another big bill…and still no heat. We then called a service guy in Phoenix who says he has the required part in stock. So we made arrangements to leave Las Cruces at midnight on New Year’s day and drive all night so that we can be in Phoenix for him to fix it on Wednesday.
Maybe, just maybe, we’ll actually get heat in a couple days!
Debbie
12/31/07
Anyway, we packed up the RV and drove to the repair shop. They started working on it the minute we pulled in. But after putting in the new part, the unit still didn’t work. Turns out it was really a different part that was not functioning…and of course they didn’t have that part in stock.
So all we ended up with was another big bill…and still no heat. We then called a service guy in Phoenix who says he has the required part in stock. So we made arrangements to leave Las Cruces at midnight on New Year’s day and drive all night so that we can be in Phoenix for him to fix it on Wednesday.
Maybe, just maybe, we’ll actually get heat in a couple days!
Debbie
12/31/07
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Passing Time
(Las Cruces, NM) Since it’s Sunday we know there will be no part arriving today. So the plan for the day was to just stay inside and try to soak up some of the nice solar heating we were getting.
The dogs are being so good about all of this. But we can tell it is wearing on them too. Wazzu has always loved the cold but being cold 24/7 is really hard on her arthritic joints. She’s having trouble keeping her food down and just doesn’t act happy at all. Poor girl.
Since it’s been so long since the dogs have gotten out to do anything, Mike decided to take a couple of them on a walk. So he took Sparkie (who is about to burst with energy) and Wazzu (hoping to brighten her up a bit). That meant I was home with my boys.
I took this opportunity to clean out a couple drawers. How is it when you do that you end up making a huge mess. The drawers may be clean now but the counters are strewn with stuff that I don’t know where to put. Hmmm, guess I’ll put it all back in the drawer. I wonder why I even bother with that little exercise.
I guess the boys and I will just watch some football…under the blankets!
Debbie
12/30/07
The dogs are being so good about all of this. But we can tell it is wearing on them too. Wazzu has always loved the cold but being cold 24/7 is really hard on her arthritic joints. She’s having trouble keeping her food down and just doesn’t act happy at all. Poor girl.
Since it’s been so long since the dogs have gotten out to do anything, Mike decided to take a couple of them on a walk. So he took Sparkie (who is about to burst with energy) and Wazzu (hoping to brighten her up a bit). That meant I was home with my boys.
I took this opportunity to clean out a couple drawers. How is it when you do that you end up making a huge mess. The drawers may be clean now but the counters are strewn with stuff that I don’t know where to put. Hmmm, guess I’ll put it all back in the drawer. I wonder why I even bother with that little exercise.
I guess the boys and I will just watch some football…under the blankets!
Debbie
12/30/07
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Cold and Wet
(Las Cruces, NM) As is getting to be a familiar tune…no part today. I don’t know why I would want heat…could it have anything to do with the fact that it got down to 16 last night?! That’s downright cold in my opinion!
We decided to run a few errands since the stores were open. We went to the mall here in Las Cruces – not a huge mall but it has heat! I figured since we have a big show coming up next weekend I should get my haircut – since I shouldn't wear a hat at the show.
I asked the people at the front desk for the hairdresser that had the most experience with curly hair. I told them my reasoning and explained in detail that I didn’t want a crappy haircut (sorry Mom – I did actually use the word crappy!). My first clue of trouble should have come when I got back to the lady's station and she said "Oh my, this is REALLY curly hair."
I should have known I was in big trouble right away as the lady sprayed water all down my back. Yup, all four layers of clothing that I was wearing were completely soaked all the way down my back. So much for being warm.
I was in a hurry (sitting isn’t good) yet this lady must have cut each hair individually. She shaved way too much and shaved it too short. The part she cut isn’t shaped at all – it’s horrible. I’m guessing I won’t need another haircut until this summer when we return home as it’s so short. But I’m sure I’ll get another haircut after a while just to see if someone can shape it at all. Good thing I have lots of hats…this might even be a good excuse to buy some more!
We had planned to do more shopping but I was freezing since my back was sopping wet. Maybe we’ll shop some other time…who knows, I think it’s been almost a year since I went shopping in a mall.
Meg was so nice and invited us to go along to a party she was attending this evening. It was an informal dinner and all the people were dog people. As it turned out we knew almost all of them – a few we only knew by sight but we knew exactly what dogs they have and what their names are…dogs weren’t invited though. Ha ha. But it was a great mix of people and there were a couple really good storytellers that kept all of us both entertained and laughing. How nice of Meg to include us in this fun evening.
Debbie
12/29/07
We decided to run a few errands since the stores were open. We went to the mall here in Las Cruces – not a huge mall but it has heat! I figured since we have a big show coming up next weekend I should get my haircut – since I shouldn't wear a hat at the show.
I asked the people at the front desk for the hairdresser that had the most experience with curly hair. I told them my reasoning and explained in detail that I didn’t want a crappy haircut (sorry Mom – I did actually use the word crappy!). My first clue of trouble should have come when I got back to the lady's station and she said "Oh my, this is REALLY curly hair."
I should have known I was in big trouble right away as the lady sprayed water all down my back. Yup, all four layers of clothing that I was wearing were completely soaked all the way down my back. So much for being warm.
I was in a hurry (sitting isn’t good) yet this lady must have cut each hair individually. She shaved way too much and shaved it too short. The part she cut isn’t shaped at all – it’s horrible. I’m guessing I won’t need another haircut until this summer when we return home as it’s so short. But I’m sure I’ll get another haircut after a while just to see if someone can shape it at all. Good thing I have lots of hats…this might even be a good excuse to buy some more!
We had planned to do more shopping but I was freezing since my back was sopping wet. Maybe we’ll shop some other time…who knows, I think it’s been almost a year since I went shopping in a mall.
Meg was so nice and invited us to go along to a party she was attending this evening. It was an informal dinner and all the people were dog people. As it turned out we knew almost all of them – a few we only knew by sight but we knew exactly what dogs they have and what their names are…dogs weren’t invited though. Ha ha. But it was a great mix of people and there were a couple really good storytellers that kept all of us both entertained and laughing. How nice of Meg to include us in this fun evening.
Debbie
12/29/07
Friday, December 28, 2007
From Bad to Worse
(Las Cruces, NM) Yesterday we noticed that every once in a while the water pump would run for a second even when we didn't have the water on. This morning we figured out why....we have a leak due to frozen pipes. As Mike was investigating he found out that in addition to that leak we have a number of pipes that are frozen. Oh I sure hope none of those crack when they thaw.
We're officially tired of this entire fiasco. Mike checked on the part again this morning but still no luck. They said they'd call and get the tracking number and see where the part might be and call us back. So much for overnight service!
Unfortunately the sun wasn't out much today so we didn't get much solar heating. But the few times the sun did peek through, Slugger and Wazzu both made a mad dash to the dashboard.
We're beginning to wonder if we'll ever get Slugger down from there. He has always loved sunbathing....he just never realized he could do it indoors! He's thinking this is a great discovery!
At noon Boogie had his re-check with the vet. She was very happy with the way the surgery site was looking. He was given the all clear to play and to stop wearing the life ring. Boogie liked that news but still wasn't happy to be at the vet office. We weighed him while we were there and he just continues to grow - he's up to 17 pounds! If he's not careful he's going to catch up to Sparkie.
This afternoon Harriet and Meg taught me how to handle Boogie in the conformation ring. Oh gosh, I'm really out of my league here. Good thing I have six whole days to practice! I think I need more like six years.
Harriet then groomed Boogie a little bit - which he didn't much care for. But he did like the major play time he got to have with his sister, Mimi, afterward. While Mimi and Boogie were tearing the house down, Meg and Harriet helped show me when I would need to be in each ring and how things are going to work. I feel like a kindergartner going to my first day of school but walking into the high school instead.
While in the house I also got to have a peak at the cute little puppies. They're a whole 18 days old now. Mike made the comment when Boogie and Mimi were playing that maybe we need to get a puppy to play with Boogie. Music to my ears! But shucks, I think these cute little guys may all be spoken for already.
Well, the work day is totally over and we never heard back about our part. This is getting old really fast. So much for next day delivery - at this rate it may be next spring delivery. And with weather like this, spring can come none to soon!
Debbie
12/28/07
We're officially tired of this entire fiasco. Mike checked on the part again this morning but still no luck. They said they'd call and get the tracking number and see where the part might be and call us back. So much for overnight service!
Unfortunately the sun wasn't out much today so we didn't get much solar heating. But the few times the sun did peek through, Slugger and Wazzu both made a mad dash to the dashboard.
We're beginning to wonder if we'll ever get Slugger down from there. He has always loved sunbathing....he just never realized he could do it indoors! He's thinking this is a great discovery!
At noon Boogie had his re-check with the vet. She was very happy with the way the surgery site was looking. He was given the all clear to play and to stop wearing the life ring. Boogie liked that news but still wasn't happy to be at the vet office. We weighed him while we were there and he just continues to grow - he's up to 17 pounds! If he's not careful he's going to catch up to Sparkie.
This afternoon Harriet and Meg taught me how to handle Boogie in the conformation ring. Oh gosh, I'm really out of my league here. Good thing I have six whole days to practice! I think I need more like six years.
Harriet then groomed Boogie a little bit - which he didn't much care for. But he did like the major play time he got to have with his sister, Mimi, afterward. While Mimi and Boogie were tearing the house down, Meg and Harriet helped show me when I would need to be in each ring and how things are going to work. I feel like a kindergartner going to my first day of school but walking into the high school instead.
While in the house I also got to have a peak at the cute little puppies. They're a whole 18 days old now. Mike made the comment when Boogie and Mimi were playing that maybe we need to get a puppy to play with Boogie. Music to my ears! But shucks, I think these cute little guys may all be spoken for already.
Well, the work day is totally over and we never heard back about our part. This is getting old really fast. So much for next day delivery - at this rate it may be next spring delivery. And with weather like this, spring can come none to soon!
Debbie
12/28/07
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Sun Beams
(Las Cruces, NM) Oh gosh it is cold! The RV was 37 today when we got up this morning. Can you imagine what it would be if we didn't have two space heaters going all night!
At least when the sun came up we could start getting some solar heating through the front window. The dogs figured this out immediately. You know it's cold when Wazzu wants to be in the sun. She was up in the dashboard from the minute we got up until the sun went down - only coming down a couple times to help me have a snack.
Slugger figured it out pretty quickly once he saw Wazzu up there and he joined her right away. He too spent the better part of the day there.
Boogie isn't one to get cold but later in the day he decided to see what this sun bathing was all about. I don't know, maybe he was tired, but he didn't get all the way up there before falling asleep. What a silly puppy - he stayed this way for well over an hour.
Finally he made it up there and had the place all to himself for a while. He enjoyed watching the other borders take turns going out in yard.
For us today was a waiting game - waiting for a call from the shop to say that our part had come in. We were sure the call would come any minute. But by 4:00pm we hadn't heard a word so Mike called to check on the status. You guessed it - no part. They assured us it would be here tomorrow. Oh no, it seems like I've heard this story before.
To help you understand how cold it is....we were going to have some peas with our dinner tonight. So Mike put some water in a pot and then poured in some peas. He looked into the pot a minute or so later and it was all frozen into a solid lump. Guess he should turn the burner on quick!
Okay, so I'm really hoping that tonight will be the last night of this mess!
Debbie
12/27/07
At least when the sun came up we could start getting some solar heating through the front window. The dogs figured this out immediately. You know it's cold when Wazzu wants to be in the sun. She was up in the dashboard from the minute we got up until the sun went down - only coming down a couple times to help me have a snack.
Slugger figured it out pretty quickly once he saw Wazzu up there and he joined her right away. He too spent the better part of the day there.
Boogie isn't one to get cold but later in the day he decided to see what this sun bathing was all about. I don't know, maybe he was tired, but he didn't get all the way up there before falling asleep. What a silly puppy - he stayed this way for well over an hour.
Finally he made it up there and had the place all to himself for a while. He enjoyed watching the other borders take turns going out in yard.
For us today was a waiting game - waiting for a call from the shop to say that our part had come in. We were sure the call would come any minute. But by 4:00pm we hadn't heard a word so Mike called to check on the status. You guessed it - no part. They assured us it would be here tomorrow. Oh no, it seems like I've heard this story before.
To help you understand how cold it is....we were going to have some peas with our dinner tonight. So Mike put some water in a pot and then poured in some peas. He looked into the pot a minute or so later and it was all frozen into a solid lump. Guess he should turn the burner on quick!
Okay, so I'm really hoping that tonight will be the last night of this mess!
Debbie
12/27/07
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Mason's and Heat Don't Mix
(Las Cruces, NM) Last night was so interesting. As you'll recall, the heater got the house to about 63 before going off. We had turned the heat up hoping it would come on. But it didn't, so we went to bed. The three big dogs slept in a bedroom with me and Mike slept on the couch in the living room with Boogie tucked away in his crate. Mike needed extra blankets as he was cold so he got some out of the RV.
About 2:00am, Slugger woke me up crying and crying. When I got the light on I noticed that Slugger was standing in the middle of the room with a huge tongue, Sparkie was panting like crazy, and Wazzu was plastered against the door. I was sweating to beat the band. About that same time, Mike came down the hall to see what was wrong. As he opened the door he was overtaken by the heat.
I guess during the night the heater decided to work! Before going to bed we had turned it down to 70 - which was fine for the entire house except for this one room. It was fine with me as I'd rather be hot than cold. But at that point Slugger and Sparkie went out into the living room to sleep with Mike (we had their beds there for them). I left the bedroom door open since it was so hot. A couple hours later I was really cold.
This was all just too funny. Mike thinks we're jinxed when it comes to heat now!
Mike got up really early to feed the dogs and get on his way to Texas to get the RV fixed. The dogs then got back on their pillows and we all slept a little more.
A few hours later Mike called to say that the service people had looked over the RV and said everything looks fine - it just doesn't work. Exactly what Mike had found when he looked it over. So they were going to call the manufacturer of the unit to see if they had any ideas on what may be the problem. Turns out we need a part that will have to be shipped from the manufacturer. Mike opted to pay to have the part shipped overnight.
So at 3pm he drove back and parked the RV at Meg's house and headed over to Harriet's house to pick us up. In the meantime Harriet had returned home along with her four border terriers - one of which is Boogie's dad and one is Boogie's sister. It was a little interesting with eight dogs there even though there were plenty of separate areas for them to all play.
We can't say how grateful we are that Harriet let us stay at her house. Meg and Harriet are both the nicest most gracious people you could ever want to meet. We are so lucky to have met them and gotten a puppy from them. I could go on and on about how conscientious they are with their puppies and how good they are to all the owners. They truly love each one of them. We're absolutely positive we couldn't have found better or nicer breeders anywhere!
Anyway, we got back to Meg's and are once again settled back in our cold tin can. It's supposed to be 22 again tonight. Brrrr. But at least we can look forward to being all fixed up tomorrow!
Debbie
12/26/07
About 2:00am, Slugger woke me up crying and crying. When I got the light on I noticed that Slugger was standing in the middle of the room with a huge tongue, Sparkie was panting like crazy, and Wazzu was plastered against the door. I was sweating to beat the band. About that same time, Mike came down the hall to see what was wrong. As he opened the door he was overtaken by the heat.
I guess during the night the heater decided to work! Before going to bed we had turned it down to 70 - which was fine for the entire house except for this one room. It was fine with me as I'd rather be hot than cold. But at that point Slugger and Sparkie went out into the living room to sleep with Mike (we had their beds there for them). I left the bedroom door open since it was so hot. A couple hours later I was really cold.
This was all just too funny. Mike thinks we're jinxed when it comes to heat now!
Mike got up really early to feed the dogs and get on his way to Texas to get the RV fixed. The dogs then got back on their pillows and we all slept a little more.
A few hours later Mike called to say that the service people had looked over the RV and said everything looks fine - it just doesn't work. Exactly what Mike had found when he looked it over. So they were going to call the manufacturer of the unit to see if they had any ideas on what may be the problem. Turns out we need a part that will have to be shipped from the manufacturer. Mike opted to pay to have the part shipped overnight.
So at 3pm he drove back and parked the RV at Meg's house and headed over to Harriet's house to pick us up. In the meantime Harriet had returned home along with her four border terriers - one of which is Boogie's dad and one is Boogie's sister. It was a little interesting with eight dogs there even though there were plenty of separate areas for them to all play.
We can't say how grateful we are that Harriet let us stay at her house. Meg and Harriet are both the nicest most gracious people you could ever want to meet. We are so lucky to have met them and gotten a puppy from them. I could go on and on about how conscientious they are with their puppies and how good they are to all the owners. They truly love each one of them. We're absolutely positive we couldn't have found better or nicer breeders anywhere!
Anyway, we got back to Meg's and are once again settled back in our cold tin can. It's supposed to be 22 again tonight. Brrrr. But at least we can look forward to being all fixed up tomorrow!
Debbie
12/26/07
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Merry Christmas
We wish each of you a very Merry Christmas.
Unfortunately, we didn't come across any place to get a Christmas picture taken of the dogs this year. So our Christmas picture this year is a picture we had taken while we were at the agility Championships back in September. It was amazing that Boogie stayed still for the picture as we hadn't taught him the command Stay yet. But he was very good and never moved a muscle.
Meg was really nice and invited us to go with her to a friend's house for Christmas lunch. There were 21 people there and all were seated at one table - now that's quite a table. The people were all extremely nice - and how kind of them to let us join in on their family meal. It was especially nice to have a warm meal in a warm house! A huge thanks to Meg and her friends for including us today.
When we got home Boogie was happy to get out of his crate. But he was still tuckered and very cold. Here he is all curled up trying to stay warm.
Mike has to have the RV in El Paso, TX early in the morning. To avoid us all having to get up so early just to sit in the car all day waiting for the RV to be fixed, we went to Harriet's house about 8pm to stay for the night. We weren't in the way as she was away visiting family for Christmas. We're sure lucky to have friends who take such good care of us.
Sparkie never likes lying on the floor as it's too hard so we put her sleeping bag on the couch. She crawled right in and went sound asleep. She was so happy to be warm. As a side note: Most doggy sleeping bags are only made for small dogs. But a friend of ours in WA makes these beds and we had her make a large sleeping bag especially for Sparkie. It's been a bit hit with Sparkie.
When we arrived at the house it was cold as the heat was off since no one had been home for a few days. We turned the heat up to about 68 and the heat came on. But about an hour later the heat suddenly turned off - the temperature in the house was about 63. We turned the heat up a little bit thinking maybe the thermostat was just off a bit. But we couldn't get the heat to come back on. Oh no, we're jinxed.
Oh well, it's still warmer than the RV! No complaints from us for sure!
Debbie
Christmas 2007
Unfortunately, we didn't come across any place to get a Christmas picture taken of the dogs this year. So our Christmas picture this year is a picture we had taken while we were at the agility Championships back in September. It was amazing that Boogie stayed still for the picture as we hadn't taught him the command Stay yet. But he was very good and never moved a muscle.
Meg was really nice and invited us to go with her to a friend's house for Christmas lunch. There were 21 people there and all were seated at one table - now that's quite a table. The people were all extremely nice - and how kind of them to let us join in on their family meal. It was especially nice to have a warm meal in a warm house! A huge thanks to Meg and her friends for including us today.
When we got home Boogie was happy to get out of his crate. But he was still tuckered and very cold. Here he is all curled up trying to stay warm.
Mike has to have the RV in El Paso, TX early in the morning. To avoid us all having to get up so early just to sit in the car all day waiting for the RV to be fixed, we went to Harriet's house about 8pm to stay for the night. We weren't in the way as she was away visiting family for Christmas. We're sure lucky to have friends who take such good care of us.
Sparkie never likes lying on the floor as it's too hard so we put her sleeping bag on the couch. She crawled right in and went sound asleep. She was so happy to be warm. As a side note: Most doggy sleeping bags are only made for small dogs. But a friend of ours in WA makes these beds and we had her make a large sleeping bag especially for Sparkie. It's been a bit hit with Sparkie.
When we arrived at the house it was cold as the heat was off since no one had been home for a few days. We turned the heat up to about 68 and the heat came on. But about an hour later the heat suddenly turned off - the temperature in the house was about 63. We turned the heat up a little bit thinking maybe the thermostat was just off a bit. But we couldn't get the heat to come back on. Oh no, we're jinxed.
Oh well, it's still warmer than the RV! No complaints from us for sure!
Debbie
Christmas 2007
Monday, December 24, 2007
Christmas Eve
(Las Cruces, NM) Our family always has our Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve. So Mike and I were trying to decide what we should have. Due to our heating problem, we can't use the oven. I was having a really hard time trying to figure out what we could have for Christmas dinner that didn't need an oven. I couldn't think of any traditional Christmas dishes that didn't use the oven. So we ended up having scrambled eggs and hashbrowns. One of many disappointments for the season.
Poor dogs - they didn't even get a Christmas. I'm sure this was okay by Wazzu as she finds Christmas very stressful. Sparkie however loves Christmas as she enjoys opening everyones presents for them! Slugger enjoys having so many people around. And poor Boogie - not a very nice first Christmas for him at all.
While we didn't have any special gifts for the dogs we did give them something to chew on. We gave Wazzu a nice big bone but as you can see she wasn't impressed one bit.
We figured Boogie wouldn't lick himself if he had something to chew on so he got to have his life ring removed for a little bit. I think he enjoyed that as much as he enjoyed the beef trachea.
It's been a few days now since Boogie's surgery and today was the first day he'd been able to figure out how to sleep in his favorite position. Well at least we had one victory today!
Besides being very cold, I was a little sad today as for the first time in many years, our entire family was getting together for Christmas. Well everyone was there except us. Due to Boogie's surgery and, as it turned out, the bad roads - we were precluded from being home as well.
Temps are getting colder each day....and while the days this time of year are the shortest, they are seeming very long to us.
Debbie
12/24/07
Poor dogs - they didn't even get a Christmas. I'm sure this was okay by Wazzu as she finds Christmas very stressful. Sparkie however loves Christmas as she enjoys opening everyones presents for them! Slugger enjoys having so many people around. And poor Boogie - not a very nice first Christmas for him at all.
While we didn't have any special gifts for the dogs we did give them something to chew on. We gave Wazzu a nice big bone but as you can see she wasn't impressed one bit.
We figured Boogie wouldn't lick himself if he had something to chew on so he got to have his life ring removed for a little bit. I think he enjoyed that as much as he enjoyed the beef trachea.
It's been a few days now since Boogie's surgery and today was the first day he'd been able to figure out how to sleep in his favorite position. Well at least we had one victory today!
Besides being very cold, I was a little sad today as for the first time in many years, our entire family was getting together for Christmas. Well everyone was there except us. Due to Boogie's surgery and, as it turned out, the bad roads - we were precluded from being home as well.
Temps are getting colder each day....and while the days this time of year are the shortest, they are seeming very long to us.
Debbie
12/24/07
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Brrr
(Las Cruces, NM) It's just getting colder! Fortunately Meg had a couple little space heaters that she lent to us. I can't imagine what we'd do without those!
When we awoke Saturday morning the temperature in the RV was 47. Can you imagine how cold it would be without those space heaters going 24/7? I don't even want to think about it!
Talk about a true Three Dog Night! In our case though it just turned out to be a two dog night as we only have two dogs that like to sleep under the covers. In fact, it doesn't matter whether it's summer or winter, Slugger and Sparkie both insist on sleeping under the covers. Wazzu won't get on the bed no matter how hard you try to coax her. And Boogie sleeps in his crate.
It's much colder on the floor and we were worried about Boogie getting cold especially since he just had surgery. So we put an electric heating pad under his bedding to help keep him from getting too cold.
It's so cold during the day that Mike doesn't even want to venture out to hike the dogs. So we've just been staying inside huddled around the space heaters.
Little Boogie has been having trouble figuring out how to rest well as his head can't reach the floor with his life ring on. So Mike was nice enough to put his foot under Boogie's chin to hold his head. Finally Boogie could rest well.
Glad someone is resting well!
Debbie
12/22-23/07
When we awoke Saturday morning the temperature in the RV was 47. Can you imagine how cold it would be without those space heaters going 24/7? I don't even want to think about it!
Talk about a true Three Dog Night! In our case though it just turned out to be a two dog night as we only have two dogs that like to sleep under the covers. In fact, it doesn't matter whether it's summer or winter, Slugger and Sparkie both insist on sleeping under the covers. Wazzu won't get on the bed no matter how hard you try to coax her. And Boogie sleeps in his crate.
It's much colder on the floor and we were worried about Boogie getting cold especially since he just had surgery. So we put an electric heating pad under his bedding to help keep him from getting too cold.
It's so cold during the day that Mike doesn't even want to venture out to hike the dogs. So we've just been staying inside huddled around the space heaters.
Little Boogie has been having trouble figuring out how to rest well as his head can't reach the floor with his life ring on. So Mike was nice enough to put his foot under Boogie's chin to hold his head. Finally Boogie could rest well.
Glad someone is resting well!
Debbie
12/22-23/07
Friday, December 21, 2007
Boogie Won't Drown
(Las Cruces, NM) Little Boogie is not a happy camper. He cries often and looks really sad. Fortunately he sleeps a lot too. To top off the pain he is in, his ego is hurt a little bit as he has to wear this pretty blue "life ring" for a couple weeks. Such a sad little face.
While I am staying home taking care of Boogie, Mike is taking the big dogs out on a hike each day. It's really cold so they are trying to do their hikes at a brisk pace. Slugger thinks this is very tiring.
All seemed fine when we went to bed Thursday night. But in the middle of the night we got very cold. As it turns out the heater stopped working (this is just one day after Boogie's surgery). When Mike got up in the morning he tried to fix it but he couldn't find the problem. Everything looked okay - it just wouldn't work. So no hot water and no heat!
Mike called all around but everyone is off for Christmas (people sure start celebrating early!) and won't be back to work until the Wednesday after Christmas. Unfortunately the temperature is in the 20's at night and the 40's during the day.
It's only been one day and I'm already tired of being cold.
Debbie
12/20-21/07
While I am staying home taking care of Boogie, Mike is taking the big dogs out on a hike each day. It's really cold so they are trying to do their hikes at a brisk pace. Slugger thinks this is very tiring.
All seemed fine when we went to bed Thursday night. But in the middle of the night we got very cold. As it turns out the heater stopped working (this is just one day after Boogie's surgery). When Mike got up in the morning he tried to fix it but he couldn't find the problem. Everything looked okay - it just wouldn't work. So no hot water and no heat!
Mike called all around but everyone is off for Christmas (people sure start celebrating early!) and won't be back to work until the Wednesday after Christmas. Unfortunately the temperature is in the 20's at night and the 40's during the day.
It's only been one day and I'm already tired of being cold.
Debbie
12/20-21/07
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
In Stitches
(Las Cruces, NM) We met with the vet that was going to operate on Boogie and immediately felt so much more at ease. She could immediately see the problem and knew just what needed to be done. And even though this is a rare condition, not only has she seen it before, she has done the surgery successfully.
Meg, one of Boogie's breeders, was there with us for the initial appointment. And before we even got out of the exam room, Harriet, Boogie's other breeder had joined us. Talk about support!
The vet was really nice and offered to let all of us watch the surgery. Mike opted out before the offer was even out of her mouth! Mike faints just at the sight of x-rays. In fact, once when a vet was moving Sparkie's leg around and Sparkie screamed, Mike threw up and had to leave the room. So watching a surgery was out of the question!
Boogie was given an initial injection to make him groggy - and after about 15 minutes he was wondering what the heck was going on. He was then given another injection and he was out pretty quickly after that.
He had no idea that he was being shaved in preparation for his surgery.
Then he was taken into the operating room and got all hooked up and tied down.
While they were getting everything ready I kept a close eye on the monitor. He had a nice steady heart beat.
But as soon as the surgery started (I'll spare you those pictures) his heart rate shot up sky high. They stopped, adjusted the anesthesia, and waited for his heart rate to come down somewhat. It was still really high but they seemed happy with it and proceeded to continue on with his surgery.
The vet said the surgery went very well. Phew. What a relief. I have no problem watching any kind of surgery whether it's on my dog or someone elses- in fact, I always find it very interesting. But I have a really hard time during the recovery period.
He actually did okay but like usual he had some interesting ticks while coming out of the anesthesia. For about 20 minutes he did an excellent Ray Charles imitation. Everyone got quite a kick out of that.
After a couple hours we took him home where he was not a happy camper at all the rest of the day. It's going to be a long night...good luck Mike!
Debbie
12/19/07
Meg, one of Boogie's breeders, was there with us for the initial appointment. And before we even got out of the exam room, Harriet, Boogie's other breeder had joined us. Talk about support!
The vet was really nice and offered to let all of us watch the surgery. Mike opted out before the offer was even out of her mouth! Mike faints just at the sight of x-rays. In fact, once when a vet was moving Sparkie's leg around and Sparkie screamed, Mike threw up and had to leave the room. So watching a surgery was out of the question!
Boogie was given an initial injection to make him groggy - and after about 15 minutes he was wondering what the heck was going on. He was then given another injection and he was out pretty quickly after that.
He had no idea that he was being shaved in preparation for his surgery.
Then he was taken into the operating room and got all hooked up and tied down.
While they were getting everything ready I kept a close eye on the monitor. He had a nice steady heart beat.
But as soon as the surgery started (I'll spare you those pictures) his heart rate shot up sky high. They stopped, adjusted the anesthesia, and waited for his heart rate to come down somewhat. It was still really high but they seemed happy with it and proceeded to continue on with his surgery.
The vet said the surgery went very well. Phew. What a relief. I have no problem watching any kind of surgery whether it's on my dog or someone elses- in fact, I always find it very interesting. But I have a really hard time during the recovery period.
He actually did okay but like usual he had some interesting ticks while coming out of the anesthesia. For about 20 minutes he did an excellent Ray Charles imitation. Everyone got quite a kick out of that.
After a couple hours we took him home where he was not a happy camper at all the rest of the day. It's going to be a long night...good luck Mike!
Debbie
12/19/07
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
East and Rest
(Tucson/Las Cruces, NM) Monday we had a very nice and, thankfully, uneventful drive from Tucson to Las Cruces, NM. After getting all set up, the dogs enjoyed running around a nice large fenced yard.
Boogie was sure he could find the gophers.
When I told him he shouldn't be digging he looked up and said "it wasn't me!" Right Boogie. Whatever you say.
Tuesday morning we took the girls to the really good chiropractor here in Las Cruces. She fixed both girls up nicely and they were to rest for the day. Wazzu thought that was a fine idea but Sparkie thought it was for the birds!
We ran a few errands while waiting for Boogie's consultation with the vet. Plans got changed so Boogie and we didn't get to see the vet today after all. We'll see the vet just before surgery that is scheduled for sometime tomorrow. That will work just fine.
So other than practicing a little bit of agility and rally with Boogie, we didn't do anything today. We're just waiting...... The dogs all think that this sitting around doing nothing is not fun at all. You'd think they never get to do anything. Poor doggies.
Debbie
12/17-18/07
Boogie was sure he could find the gophers.
When I told him he shouldn't be digging he looked up and said "it wasn't me!" Right Boogie. Whatever you say.
Tuesday morning we took the girls to the really good chiropractor here in Las Cruces. She fixed both girls up nicely and they were to rest for the day. Wazzu thought that was a fine idea but Sparkie thought it was for the birds!
We ran a few errands while waiting for Boogie's consultation with the vet. Plans got changed so Boogie and we didn't get to see the vet today after all. We'll see the vet just before surgery that is scheduled for sometime tomorrow. That will work just fine.
So other than practicing a little bit of agility and rally with Boogie, we didn't do anything today. We're just waiting...... The dogs all think that this sitting around doing nothing is not fun at all. You'd think they never get to do anything. Poor doggies.
Debbie
12/17-18/07
Monday, November 12, 2007
Meet the Family
(Las Cruces, NM/Tucson, AZ) This morning we took the girls to the chiropractor. The chiropractor here in Las Cruces is the best one we've found other than our favorite, Dr. Brandy. Wazzu has been feeling so much better since our visit last week so we decided to bring Sparkie along as well. Both girls really needed the adjustment! Sure wish we could find more good chiropractors around.
When we got home, Harriet came over with Higgins (Boogie's dad) and Mimi (Boogie's sister). I had been wanting to get some family pictures while we were here so now it was time for the great photo shoot. While we were getting ready we let Boogie and Mimi out in the big yard to play. And play they did! They chased each other all around the yard every which way they could. Boogie loves playing with Mimi as he can run and run and not get flattened like when he plays with the big dogs.
Now we just had to try to get them all to stay still at the same time. I had a great time trying to get some good pictures of everyone. Actually, everyone else was in charge of arranging the dogs and trying to get them to stay put - all I had to do was take the pictures. I definitely had the easiest job and although these are not the best pictures they are still some of my most cherished ones.
Meet the family!
From left to right is Tess (Boogie's mom), Boogie, and Higgins (Boogie's dad). I think it's cute how Boogie and his dad are both sitting exactly the same (not necessarily pretty - but the same).
Boogie's best playmate while he was here was his sister, Mimi. Here are the two of them....the only time they were ever motionless when they were together.
Here are the four of them together. Left to right - Boogie, Mimi, Tess, and Higgins.
Father/Son - Boogie and Higgins.
Here are the wonderful breeders who were so kind to let us have one of their precious pups. On the left is Meg with one of her dogs, Tess, and on the right is Harriet with one of her dogs, Higgins.
Mimi, Tess, and Higgins:
Boogie on his first attempt at standing pretty. What a handsome boy he's becoming!
Unfortunately, our time here in Las Cruces is now over. After the photo shoot we said our goodbyes and headed out for our trek to Tucson. We're going to Tucson for RV repairs as our leveling system broke a couple weeks ago. We tried to find a place in Las Cruces that could fix it but no one there could do it.
There is a place in Tucson that said they had the skills to fix leveling systems. Many agility people told us this place was huge. This place rivals Wall Drug when it comes to signs along the freeway. Between Las Cruces and Tucson we must have seen at least 50 huge billboards with the name of the business and exit number. As many signs as there were we figured it would be easy to find.
We got off at the correct exit and suddenly there were no more signs. It was a huge intersection and we had no idea which way to go. So we went to the right - nothing. Argg - it is not fun being lost and getting onto small streets in a large RV. You'd think if they could have 50 signs telling you what exit to take, they could have one more sign telling you which way to turn. I guess they need to take another lesson from Wall Drug and learn to have one last sign!
After quite some time made our way around and got going in the correct direction. We finally found it and is is HUGE! It is a dealership, a service center (with over 50 bays), and an RV park. There is also a Camping World there as well. There is a huge wall with barbed wire on the top all the way around the entire facility and rod iron gates that a guard has to open (evening and nights only) to completely enclose the place. It's definitely secure.
The RV park has well over 300 RV spots. Get this - they even have Jacuzzi spots! That's right, each spot has its own jacuzzi! Each space is very long and is a pull-thru. There is a separate parking pad on each site as well. The problem is that the spots weren't level - which is a bummer when your leveling system is broken!
After a lot of work with boards we finally got fairly level. When we got all settled I glanced outside and noticed a very pretty sunset - in every direction. The formations on this one were different than others I've seen. This is the view out the front of the RV.
View out the side.
View in the rear.
The sun is going down and so are we.
Debbie
11/12/07
When we got home, Harriet came over with Higgins (Boogie's dad) and Mimi (Boogie's sister). I had been wanting to get some family pictures while we were here so now it was time for the great photo shoot. While we were getting ready we let Boogie and Mimi out in the big yard to play. And play they did! They chased each other all around the yard every which way they could. Boogie loves playing with Mimi as he can run and run and not get flattened like when he plays with the big dogs.
Now we just had to try to get them all to stay still at the same time. I had a great time trying to get some good pictures of everyone. Actually, everyone else was in charge of arranging the dogs and trying to get them to stay put - all I had to do was take the pictures. I definitely had the easiest job and although these are not the best pictures they are still some of my most cherished ones.
Meet the family!
From left to right is Tess (Boogie's mom), Boogie, and Higgins (Boogie's dad). I think it's cute how Boogie and his dad are both sitting exactly the same (not necessarily pretty - but the same).
Boogie's best playmate while he was here was his sister, Mimi. Here are the two of them....the only time they were ever motionless when they were together.
Here are the four of them together. Left to right - Boogie, Mimi, Tess, and Higgins.
Father/Son - Boogie and Higgins.
Here are the wonderful breeders who were so kind to let us have one of their precious pups. On the left is Meg with one of her dogs, Tess, and on the right is Harriet with one of her dogs, Higgins.
Mimi, Tess, and Higgins:
Boogie on his first attempt at standing pretty. What a handsome boy he's becoming!
Unfortunately, our time here in Las Cruces is now over. After the photo shoot we said our goodbyes and headed out for our trek to Tucson. We're going to Tucson for RV repairs as our leveling system broke a couple weeks ago. We tried to find a place in Las Cruces that could fix it but no one there could do it.
There is a place in Tucson that said they had the skills to fix leveling systems. Many agility people told us this place was huge. This place rivals Wall Drug when it comes to signs along the freeway. Between Las Cruces and Tucson we must have seen at least 50 huge billboards with the name of the business and exit number. As many signs as there were we figured it would be easy to find.
We got off at the correct exit and suddenly there were no more signs. It was a huge intersection and we had no idea which way to go. So we went to the right - nothing. Argg - it is not fun being lost and getting onto small streets in a large RV. You'd think if they could have 50 signs telling you what exit to take, they could have one more sign telling you which way to turn. I guess they need to take another lesson from Wall Drug and learn to have one last sign!
After quite some time made our way around and got going in the correct direction. We finally found it and is is HUGE! It is a dealership, a service center (with over 50 bays), and an RV park. There is also a Camping World there as well. There is a huge wall with barbed wire on the top all the way around the entire facility and rod iron gates that a guard has to open (evening and nights only) to completely enclose the place. It's definitely secure.
The RV park has well over 300 RV spots. Get this - they even have Jacuzzi spots! That's right, each spot has its own jacuzzi! Each space is very long and is a pull-thru. There is a separate parking pad on each site as well. The problem is that the spots weren't level - which is a bummer when your leveling system is broken!
After a lot of work with boards we finally got fairly level. When we got all settled I glanced outside and noticed a very pretty sunset - in every direction. The formations on this one were different than others I've seen. This is the view out the front of the RV.
View out the side.
View in the rear.
The sun is going down and so are we.
Debbie
11/12/07
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Pesky Flies
(Las Cruces, NM) Another weekend is here so back to the agility field we go. This time we took all the soft sided crates that we own - hoping to help keep the flies off the dogs. We're short one crate so we'll have to alternate dogs.
The weather both Saturday and Sunday was very nice...low 80's. They have a hose there so it was very easy to get Wazzu wet before each run...well actually it was easy to find enough water but it was very difficult to get Wazzu to hold still. Good thing leashes are strong!
You know how some dogs are petrified of fireworks or gun shots. Well our dogs could care less about noises. But have ONE fly get into the RV and they all start having panic attacks - literally. They even taught that to Boogie! Argg.
The first couple hours each morning were okay. But after that the flies were truly unbearable. The three big dogs had to rotate between the two large crates. But there were so many flies flying around the crates that they were really scared even in the crates.
To make matters worse, I went back to the car to get something and looked into the crates to make sure everyone was doing relatively okay. When I approached the area, it smelled horrible. I figured the hot weather was warming up all the horse manure and making it stink. But it turned out that Slugger had major potty troubles. Poor guy, he was locked in a crate with all that mess. As you might imagine, this was really drawing the flies. There were so many flies on the crate, you couldn't even see in! Totally disgusting.
We got Slugger out, washed the crate the best we could with limited supplies, and set it FAR away from the car. Slugger had done one run in the morning but was super slow so now that we knew he was sick, we pulled him from his other run for the day.
Wazzu's first run of the day was Jumpers. I thought it was cool enough so I didn't wet her down. Can you believe that Wazzu didn't make Novice Vet time! What's up with that! Silly Wazzu. After that she turned into a different dog. She Q'd in her remaining three runs - including Elite Chances!!
Sparkie on the other hand was in perfect form....literally. She Q'd in all six runs and came in 1st place in every run - except in Chances as there are no placements. I think she was running really fast to keep away from the flies! There were relatively few flies on the course and I don't think the dogs or the people noticed them at all there.
Boogie had fun a couple times during the day playing with an Irish Terrier puppy named Korke. Boogie was about 1/4 the size of Korke but he seemed to on top most of the time with Korke on the ground - which seemed just fine by both of them. They were great playmates. Even though we let them have some good play sessions together, it didn't seem to tire either of them out in the slightest. The rest of the day poor Boogie was covered with flies. They'd land on his nose and he'd go cross eyed looking at them. He'd then slowly raise his nose way up into the air. I'm not sure what his plan was with that.
We were all very happy for the day to be over and we couldn't get out of there fast enough! Mike really didn't want to go back for Sunday. You know the flies were bad if Mike doesn't want to go back after going 6/6 with Sparkie.
In the evening, Harriet came over to Meg's and we all had a very nice dinner together. Meg barbecued chicken on the grill outside and made some other really good food as well. She is a GREAT cook. In addition to great food, we had a really nice time visiting. Boogie and Mimi had a great time too - as usual. Mike thinks we should take Mimi home with us (for good) so that Boogie will have the perfect little playmate. I'm pretty sure that Harriet has no plans to let Mimi go.
Sunday morning I had the great idea to see if Meg would be willing to watch Boogie for the day so he wouldn't have to spend the day covered in flies. Meg, being the great "mamu" (sp?) that she is, was very nice to keep him.
Believe it or not, the flies were even worse on Sunday. Totally miserable. I'm so glad that Boogie got to stay with Meg.
Slugger seemed to be feeling fine this morning so we decided to let him play today. Mike ran him (like always) for his first Regular run. Slugger did okay but was really slow and ended up well over time. Mike got discouraged and said he was going to pull Slugger from the rest of his runs. I decided to try to run Slugger and see how we could do. So I ran the next Regular run with him and he even did the distance portion! We ended up with a 1st place 10 point Q! Near the end of the day we ran Touch N Go. He was fairly eager and was doing great. But just before the dogwalk something in the grass grabbed his nose! It was like his nose was chained to the ground. It took a while but I finally got him back on track and he ran fast. But his little sniffing episode took us over time. So he only ended up getting one Q out of four chances for the weekend.
Sparkie continued her amazing running from yesterday and went 5/6 getting first place in every run she Q'd. The sad thing was that in her Chances run (which was really hard) she did the whole entire thing except the very last jump. It was a three jump straight away out of the ring. Sparkie did the first two jumps and then started to turn back to look at Mike and ended up running by the last jump. Big groans went up from everyone. But you still can't complain about going 11/12 for the weekend with all 1st's. Good job, Sparkie!
I made sure to hose Wazzu down before every run. She had a lot of fun and actually ran very well....except for the weaves when she went a little slow. The only run she didn't Q in today was Elite Chances. Darn. She actually started out really well and was running super fast. But one of the challenges was weaves at a distance. Surprisingly she entered the weaves! But she was so fast and happy that she didn't want to spend time in the weaves - so she popped. She did the rest of the course perfectly. Shucks....so close. But 5/6 for the day was really great.
Meg met us outside with Boogie the minute we got home. From what Meg said, Boogie had a great time today. I'm guessing it was one of his favorite days. He got to spend time with six other borders. In addition to that he got to spend time with Meg most of the day and he got to follow her around in the kitchen while she cooked - what could be better than that. And how nice of Meg - she even gave him a bath! When we got home he smelled so good and was so soft. I didn't ever want to let him down but he had places to go and things to do.
We stayed outside playing with the dogs until after dark using every minute we had to utilize this nice fly free yard. So very pleasant.
Debbie
11/10-11/07
The weather both Saturday and Sunday was very nice...low 80's. They have a hose there so it was very easy to get Wazzu wet before each run...well actually it was easy to find enough water but it was very difficult to get Wazzu to hold still. Good thing leashes are strong!
You know how some dogs are petrified of fireworks or gun shots. Well our dogs could care less about noises. But have ONE fly get into the RV and they all start having panic attacks - literally. They even taught that to Boogie! Argg.
The first couple hours each morning were okay. But after that the flies were truly unbearable. The three big dogs had to rotate between the two large crates. But there were so many flies flying around the crates that they were really scared even in the crates.
To make matters worse, I went back to the car to get something and looked into the crates to make sure everyone was doing relatively okay. When I approached the area, it smelled horrible. I figured the hot weather was warming up all the horse manure and making it stink. But it turned out that Slugger had major potty troubles. Poor guy, he was locked in a crate with all that mess. As you might imagine, this was really drawing the flies. There were so many flies on the crate, you couldn't even see in! Totally disgusting.
We got Slugger out, washed the crate the best we could with limited supplies, and set it FAR away from the car. Slugger had done one run in the morning but was super slow so now that we knew he was sick, we pulled him from his other run for the day.
Wazzu's first run of the day was Jumpers. I thought it was cool enough so I didn't wet her down. Can you believe that Wazzu didn't make Novice Vet time! What's up with that! Silly Wazzu. After that she turned into a different dog. She Q'd in her remaining three runs - including Elite Chances!!
Sparkie on the other hand was in perfect form....literally. She Q'd in all six runs and came in 1st place in every run - except in Chances as there are no placements. I think she was running really fast to keep away from the flies! There were relatively few flies on the course and I don't think the dogs or the people noticed them at all there.
Boogie had fun a couple times during the day playing with an Irish Terrier puppy named Korke. Boogie was about 1/4 the size of Korke but he seemed to on top most of the time with Korke on the ground - which seemed just fine by both of them. They were great playmates. Even though we let them have some good play sessions together, it didn't seem to tire either of them out in the slightest. The rest of the day poor Boogie was covered with flies. They'd land on his nose and he'd go cross eyed looking at them. He'd then slowly raise his nose way up into the air. I'm not sure what his plan was with that.
We were all very happy for the day to be over and we couldn't get out of there fast enough! Mike really didn't want to go back for Sunday. You know the flies were bad if Mike doesn't want to go back after going 6/6 with Sparkie.
In the evening, Harriet came over to Meg's and we all had a very nice dinner together. Meg barbecued chicken on the grill outside and made some other really good food as well. She is a GREAT cook. In addition to great food, we had a really nice time visiting. Boogie and Mimi had a great time too - as usual. Mike thinks we should take Mimi home with us (for good) so that Boogie will have the perfect little playmate. I'm pretty sure that Harriet has no plans to let Mimi go.
Sunday morning I had the great idea to see if Meg would be willing to watch Boogie for the day so he wouldn't have to spend the day covered in flies. Meg, being the great "mamu" (sp?) that she is, was very nice to keep him.
Believe it or not, the flies were even worse on Sunday. Totally miserable. I'm so glad that Boogie got to stay with Meg.
Slugger seemed to be feeling fine this morning so we decided to let him play today. Mike ran him (like always) for his first Regular run. Slugger did okay but was really slow and ended up well over time. Mike got discouraged and said he was going to pull Slugger from the rest of his runs. I decided to try to run Slugger and see how we could do. So I ran the next Regular run with him and he even did the distance portion! We ended up with a 1st place 10 point Q! Near the end of the day we ran Touch N Go. He was fairly eager and was doing great. But just before the dogwalk something in the grass grabbed his nose! It was like his nose was chained to the ground. It took a while but I finally got him back on track and he ran fast. But his little sniffing episode took us over time. So he only ended up getting one Q out of four chances for the weekend.
Sparkie continued her amazing running from yesterday and went 5/6 getting first place in every run she Q'd. The sad thing was that in her Chances run (which was really hard) she did the whole entire thing except the very last jump. It was a three jump straight away out of the ring. Sparkie did the first two jumps and then started to turn back to look at Mike and ended up running by the last jump. Big groans went up from everyone. But you still can't complain about going 11/12 for the weekend with all 1st's. Good job, Sparkie!
I made sure to hose Wazzu down before every run. She had a lot of fun and actually ran very well....except for the weaves when she went a little slow. The only run she didn't Q in today was Elite Chances. Darn. She actually started out really well and was running super fast. But one of the challenges was weaves at a distance. Surprisingly she entered the weaves! But she was so fast and happy that she didn't want to spend time in the weaves - so she popped. She did the rest of the course perfectly. Shucks....so close. But 5/6 for the day was really great.
Meg met us outside with Boogie the minute we got home. From what Meg said, Boogie had a great time today. I'm guessing it was one of his favorite days. He got to spend time with six other borders. In addition to that he got to spend time with Meg most of the day and he got to follow her around in the kitchen while she cooked - what could be better than that. And how nice of Meg - she even gave him a bath! When we got home he smelled so good and was so soft. I didn't ever want to let him down but he had places to go and things to do.
We stayed outside playing with the dogs until after dark using every minute we had to utilize this nice fly free yard. So very pleasant.
Debbie
11/10-11/07
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Las Cruces Tour
(Las Cruces, NM) Today was a lazy day - well maybe not lazy - but we didn't do any big outings.
I practiced agility with Boogie...which he absolutely loves! It seems like he's learning things that I didn't even know I taught him. He really seems to be a smart boy.
Mike did some chores around the RV and did a repair for Meg. Boogie hung around outside all day helping Mike with all the chores. He thought it was fun just hanging around outside all day. The big dogs each stayed out about ten minutes before they cried to come in. Boogie thinks they are all pansies!
In the afternoon, Meg took us to a really cool pet store called Better Life. We took Wazzu along as she's been feeling ignored. Hopefully this made her feel a little special. I think if everyone shopped at Better Life, their pets really would have a better life. They only sell top quality stuff - most of which we order through my raw food list. We bought some really good bones that everyone seems to like. I'm hoping these bones will keep them entertained for many hours at opportune times over the next few months.
From there, Meg took us to her new business that she is starting. It was very interesting as was the nice tour she took us on of the area. It was really nice of Meg to take time out of her day to show us around. She's lived in Las Cruces almost her entire life so she really knows the area well.
We knew that pecans were a huge crop here but we didn't realize how many other crops are grown here as well. Just down the street from Meg's house are some huge fields full of lettuce. It just so happened that they were harvesting today. They had these huge machines out there picking the lettuce and lots of guys walking behind the machines making the heads look good and putting them in cardboard cases. It was quite the operation.
Another large crop in the area is chili peppers. Interestingly enough, more chili peppers are grown here for use in making Louisiana Hot Sauce than are grown in Louisiana. I guess they should rename it Las Cruces Hot Sauce! Within just a few blocks of Meg's house are numerous chili pepper crops.
While there were many other types of crops around, the one that I liked was the cotton. It just seems like fruit and vegetables should grow in fields....but cotton, it just seems like that should come off an animal. How can anything so soft grow outside on a plant?!
I guess I won't worry my brain about it. I'll just go pet Boogie - he feels softer than cotton.
Debbie
11/8/07
I practiced agility with Boogie...which he absolutely loves! It seems like he's learning things that I didn't even know I taught him. He really seems to be a smart boy.
Mike did some chores around the RV and did a repair for Meg. Boogie hung around outside all day helping Mike with all the chores. He thought it was fun just hanging around outside all day. The big dogs each stayed out about ten minutes before they cried to come in. Boogie thinks they are all pansies!
In the afternoon, Meg took us to a really cool pet store called Better Life. We took Wazzu along as she's been feeling ignored. Hopefully this made her feel a little special. I think if everyone shopped at Better Life, their pets really would have a better life. They only sell top quality stuff - most of which we order through my raw food list. We bought some really good bones that everyone seems to like. I'm hoping these bones will keep them entertained for many hours at opportune times over the next few months.
From there, Meg took us to her new business that she is starting. It was very interesting as was the nice tour she took us on of the area. It was really nice of Meg to take time out of her day to show us around. She's lived in Las Cruces almost her entire life so she really knows the area well.
We knew that pecans were a huge crop here but we didn't realize how many other crops are grown here as well. Just down the street from Meg's house are some huge fields full of lettuce. It just so happened that they were harvesting today. They had these huge machines out there picking the lettuce and lots of guys walking behind the machines making the heads look good and putting them in cardboard cases. It was quite the operation.
Another large crop in the area is chili peppers. Interestingly enough, more chili peppers are grown here for use in making Louisiana Hot Sauce than are grown in Louisiana. I guess they should rename it Las Cruces Hot Sauce! Within just a few blocks of Meg's house are numerous chili pepper crops.
While there were many other types of crops around, the one that I liked was the cotton. It just seems like fruit and vegetables should grow in fields....but cotton, it just seems like that should come off an animal. How can anything so soft grow outside on a plant?!
I guess I won't worry my brain about it. I'll just go pet Boogie - he feels softer than cotton.
Debbie
11/8/07
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Meet Leroy
(Las Cruces, NM) We took Monday and Tuesday pretty easy. Sparkie and Slugger got to take one of our favorite hikes in this area while Boogie got to work on his agility skills.
As you know, they have a lot of border terriers here. Tuesday afternoon we got to meet a new one. His name is Leroy. Is he cute or what?
Harriet came over late Tuesday afternoon to groom Boogie for us. They put him up on this grooming table and got him all hooked up. I think he knew it wasn't play time! He got this sad little look on his face. But overall, he was a very good little boy.
Harriet worked and worked and worked. During this time we had a great conversation and learned a lot. We are so lucky to have gotten a puppy from Meg and Harriet. Besides knowing what they are doing, they are both the nicest people you could ever hope to meet.
After Harriet had worked on Boogie for a while, it started to look like there was more dog on the ground than on the table.
About two hours after the grooming started they presented us with the new Boogie. I'm telling you, if we hadn't been right there watching we wouldn't have believed that the dog they presented to us was indeed Boogie.
In fact, he looks so different, we now call him Leroy. Tee Hee. He used to feel so wirey. Now he feels like the softest little teddy bear you've ever felt. But he looks so old. He looks so different. Mike and I both are sure that if we hadn't seen Boogie go up on that table and we hadn't have been out of sight for one second, we wouldn't believe they gave us the same dog back.
Meg was really nice and made all of us a scrumptious spaghetti dinner. While we ate, Boogie and Mimi had a great time alternating between begging and playing. When it was time to leave I couldn't find Boogie. Oh yeah, that's right, I now own Leroy...not Boogie.
Debbie
11/5-6/07
As you know, they have a lot of border terriers here. Tuesday afternoon we got to meet a new one. His name is Leroy. Is he cute or what?
Harriet came over late Tuesday afternoon to groom Boogie for us. They put him up on this grooming table and got him all hooked up. I think he knew it wasn't play time! He got this sad little look on his face. But overall, he was a very good little boy.
Harriet worked and worked and worked. During this time we had a great conversation and learned a lot. We are so lucky to have gotten a puppy from Meg and Harriet. Besides knowing what they are doing, they are both the nicest people you could ever hope to meet.
After Harriet had worked on Boogie for a while, it started to look like there was more dog on the ground than on the table.
About two hours after the grooming started they presented us with the new Boogie. I'm telling you, if we hadn't been right there watching we wouldn't have believed that the dog they presented to us was indeed Boogie.
In fact, he looks so different, we now call him Leroy. Tee Hee. He used to feel so wirey. Now he feels like the softest little teddy bear you've ever felt. But he looks so old. He looks so different. Mike and I both are sure that if we hadn't seen Boogie go up on that table and we hadn't have been out of sight for one second, we wouldn't believe they gave us the same dog back.
Meg was really nice and made all of us a scrumptious spaghetti dinner. While we ate, Boogie and Mimi had a great time alternating between begging and playing. When it was time to leave I couldn't find Boogie. Oh yeah, that's right, I now own Leroy...not Boogie.
Debbie
11/5-6/07
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Sparkie Causes Celebration
(Las Cruces, NM) This morning we made the short 20 minute drive to the trial site. As expected, it was a small group of people but all people that we know well with the exception of one newcomer. A giant Sparkie showed up!
We really enjoy the Las Cruces trials. One of the many reasons we enjoy them is that they are definitely the most casual and laid back trials we've ever attended. There is no stress at all - none!
In prior years, we've always attended the March trials and enjoyed our time here. This is our first time here in November and we like this even better. The weather is a little warmer and there is virtually no wind - unlike in March when they have to cancel runs due to the strong wind. From what they tell me, it is about five degrees warmer than it usually is this time of year. You won't hear me complaining. The only thing is that since it's so warm they haven't had their first frost/freeze of the year. This causes a couple problems. The first problem doesn't affect us directly. This area has the largest pecan growing crops in the U.S. The shells don't open until the first freeze so the harvesting is getting a very late start this year - they are still waiting. Second, and most concerning to us, is that the flies haven't been killed off. Since the trial is held at a horse site, the flies were abundant. Actually the flies were downright obnoxious.
We worked out of car. Next to the car we had a couple x-pens set up and a crate next to that. We started out in the car and since it was so warm we had to have the windows down with shade tarps around the car. There were never less than 50 flies in the car at one time. Our dogs freak around flies (long story). We didn't have the windows down super far as we didn't want Boogie jumping out - not that he would, but just in case. One time we were out walking the course and suddenly Sparkie comes walking into the agility area. She wasn't near the course but we had expected she'd be in the car. She was slinking toward us as she knew she wasn't supposed to have jumped out of the car. We didn't trouble her as we knew she was spooked by the flies. We tried leaving the dogs in the x-pen but the flies were just as thick there. The only "safe" place was in the crate. But we didn't realize the flies were going to be such a problem so we only had one large crate and then Boogie's little crate. Interestingly enough, the flies didn't go around Boogie at all - just around the big dogs. There didn't seem to be nearly that many flies on the agility field. My guess is because there wasn't horse poo on the agility field but there was lots of it in the parking area - that's because the parking area is in the field where the horse is normally kept.
From this picture you can see how large the field area is. This is a full size Tunnelers course and it looks so miniature on this huge field.
Okay, on to the actual agility! Saturday started with two Elite Regular runs. I loved these courses. They were actually way different than courses we usually see. Very fun! That's not to say they were easy by any means. There were some real traps and some interesting challenges - doable but challenging. Just plain fun to run and fun to watch.
Wazzu did both courses extremely well (although parts of them she did a bit on the slow side)....except when it came to the weaves. She would not weave. The first run she was moving right along until it came to the weaves. She walked so slowly - but that's okay with me. She got to pole 10 and stopped to sniff the ground and just followed her nose out of the poles- she has never done that her entire life. (I later found out the horses had been out on this field for a few days recently - but even so that shouldn't bother her at all.) I had decided that I wasn't going to let her get away with not completing the weaves as I think she is now doing that on purpose. So I took her back and tried again...three times! When weaving forward she'd go so slowly. But one time as I was calling her back to start over she started backweaving and went really fast. HUH?! Go figure that one. Needless to say, we were about a day and half over time! Second round.....same thing. I told Mike that if Wazzu did this the next trial then I was going to retire Wazzu from Regular.
Sparkie's first run was perfect...and fast. A lot of dogs had trouble with this course but Sparkie made it look really easy. That's Sparkie for you. The second round was tough too and Mike didn't quite give her enough direction at one point and she took an off course. This worried her a little and she went into her scared whippet stance but Mike got her going again very nicely. He's done a great job with that the last couple weeks.
Now it was little Slugger's turn to try the Novice Regular course. He wasn't speedy like he can be since he was hot (he'd been sun bathing - his favorite activity) but he did run and completed the course very nicely. The distance portion was a little bit too far for him so Mike had to cross the line but he did nicely and got a five point Q.
Next was a very interesting Elite Jumpers course. I was anxious to run the course as it looked like a lot of fun. I was on my way to get Wazzu when for some odd reason (that I still can't figure out) it suddenly popped into my brain that there was no reason to make Wazzu run the longer more difficult Elite courses any more. For quite some time I had toyed with moving her to Skilled so she could jump lower (even though she is showing no signs having trouble jumping) but I didn't want to do that as then she couldn't work toward any more NATCH's. And moving her to Skilled wouldn't help with the weave issue - she'd just have to retire from Regular. It totally dawned on me that I could move her to Novice in all classes but yet still keep her in Elite Chances - the only thing she needs for any remaining NATCH's she could possibly earn. But this way she could still play - and most likely have a lot more fun. Why hadn't I thought of this earlier. I'm still trying to search my brain to make sure this won't cause any problems for us - but I don't think it will unless I'm overlooking some rule that I've forgotten.
So I went over to the scorekeeper to see if it would be possible to move Wazzu to Novice starting tomorrow. She was extremely nice and said there was no reason to wait until tomorrow and changed Wazzu right then and there to be in Novice starting with the Jumpers run.
Sparkie started off the Jumpers run very nicely. But at one point she started to go to an off course jump. Mike was able to stop her in time but this worried her (most people don't realize how soft Sparkie really is since she puts up such a big attitude with all her barking) and she got just a tad bit whippety. But Mike got her going once again and she finished nicely and ended up getting first place.
One thing that has been getting increasingly hard for me is to remember the courses. I have to walk them over and over just to try to remember them - and once in a while I get lost. I quickly noticed on the Novice Jumpers course that I could remember it quite easily - in fact, I only had to walk it once. I did this change to Novice to help Wazzu - but it turns out it is a big help to me too! This type of course is much easier on Wazzu's body as it has more flowing turns (easier on her back) and is shorter. Everyone said Wazzu looked so much happier - and that's exactly what I was wanting. I just want Wazzu to be happy.
The Chances course looked very doable - or so I thought. I knew it would be challenging but I really thought we could do this. Well, most of the dogs didn't seem to agree with me! This was much harder than it looked. For one test there was a large arc of jumps way out around a slightly arced tunnel. The dogs seemed to find this very difficult as the Q rate was much lower than I had expected. As you might guess, Wazzu was one of the dogs that found this just a bit too challenging. Sparkie on the other hand did it nicely, but even she took a look at the off course tunnel before understanding what was really being asked of her. Nice run, Sparkie!
That just left two Touch N Go runs. The Mason family went 100% there going 5/5. Way to go little Slugger!! We did pretty good on paper today. Wazzu went 3/6, Sparkie ended up 5/6 and little Slugger won the prize going 2/2.
We got done nice and early on Saturday finishing somewhere around 2:00. Last year, if you were following our blog/website you saw pictures of the pecan trees with no leaves and the ground flooded with water (on purpose). Really pretty pictures if I say so myself. Well, this time of year the trees are in full foliage and loaded with pecans. The trees form this beautiful arch over the road for a stretch of a couple miles. It is quite a beautiful sight.
We of course had to stop at Stahmann's. This is the store of the largest pecan producers in the world! They sell many different pecan items as well as various flavored pecans, candies, pies, cookies, etc. In addition they sell some really good ice cream. Since it was warm today, we decided to get some ice cream. This was Boogie's first time to have ice cream. His little eyes got so big as he took his first bite. He decided ice cream was really good stuff. It's hard to tell what Boogie's favorite food is as he likes everything! But I've never seen his eyes get so big when he first tasted something like he did with the ice cream.
The pecan farm here is really amazing. The average age of a bearing tree is fifty years old - talk about having to plan ahead! The orchard has approximately 180,000 trees and they produce eight to ten million pounds of pecans a year. It's amazing to me that there is a need for that many pecans each year.
Sunday morning we were off to the trial once again. It was even hotter today than yesterday which seemed to bring out the flies even more. It was pretty much impossible to work out of the car as the dogs were covered in flies. This just seemed inhumane to me so we took three of the dogs and laid on the grass in the agility area. We left the other dog safely in the crate. Before we did that, Sparkie was so afraid of the flies that she crammed herself into Boogie's little crate. Problem was she then couldn't get out. Boogie just barely fits in the crate so can imagine all of Sparkie crammed in there. Had it not been so pathetic it would have been really funny.
Today we started with Jumpers and both dogs had very nice runs. On the first Regular run Sparkie ran the perfect run. There were no bobbles of any kind and she was running fast and confidently. It was the picture perfect run to earn her NATCH-10! Mike is so very proud of her as not many mixed breeds accomplish this. Sparkie is a great partner for Mike. Pretty good since they very rarely have gotten to practice for a few years now.
The rest of the day went very well for our gang. Wazzu ended up 5/5. She seemed to really enjoy the Novice courses and even rose to the occasion and got a Chances Q! Sparkie had another 5/6 day, and Slugger was 1/2. Weavers was at the end of the day and he was well into his nap time. He did the course correctly but was well over time.
To celebrate Sparkie's NATCH-10, Mike got some steaks and cooked them outside on the barbecue, while I prepared a Caesar salad and baked potatoes. Meg and Harriet (Boogie's breeders) ate with us and helped us celebrate the momentous occasion. Meg even bought some sparkling cider (it was super good!) for a nice toast with desert. Sparkie even got to come into the house for the toast. She enjoyed that and as usual was very well behaved. Of course, all the dogs got some steak scraps - that was a big hit for sure! It was really nice to have friends to help us celebrate. It just seems a bit more special when you can share your good times with others.
So pick up your glasses and toast with us! Here's to NATCH-10 Sparkie!
Debbie
11/3-4/07
Friday, November 02, 2007
Boogie Sees Family
(Las Cruces, NM) We left Carlsbad this morning for the trip through Texas on our way to Las Cruces, NM.
Boogie always just sleeps until we stop the RV. But today, when we got about 1/4 mile from our destination he started fussing and crying. Amazing! How did he know we were on the street where he lived for the first 11 weeks of his life?!
I love the gate they have that leads to the gorgeous house - the home of Sunkist Border Terriers.
I guess you could say we are out in the country - but we aren't that far from town. On two sides of the property are huge pecan orchards. The third side is a very large piece of property with horses and cows. Beyond this agility area you can see the large pasture that is next door.
The final side is a house that is located way back from the edge of the property. The field you see here in the distance is entirely fenced and another place where the dogs can run around and play.
The view of the Organ Mountains that you can see in the distance in the above picture is beautiful. What a perfect piece of property. It's also nice and flat so the entire property (three acres I think) is very usable.
There are many fenced areas here which makes the entire property very usable. Here you can see some of the adorable borders that live here. In the distance you can see a pecan orchard.
And what a nice place for Boogie to start his life. He had lots of space, lots of socialization, lots of introduction to various activities such as agility and earthdog, lots of little doggies to play with, and definitely lots of love and tender care.
How nice of Meg to let us stay here during our time in Las Cruces. The yard is totally fenced, there is a nice spot for Boogie to practice a few little agility things, and there is even an RV hook-up. Totally perfect.
We had a really nice pizza dinner with Boogie's breeders, Meg and Harriett. You sure couldn't meet two nicer people - no wonder Boogie is such an amazing puppy! We feel so lucky to have received a Sunkist puppy.
Oh, I forgot to show you Boogie's Halloween costume. He went as the devil dog - however that's just a costume since he really is a little angel. What do you think?
In reality this wasn't really a costume. This is how Boogie looked after his partial stripping this past weekend. Perfect time of year for this hairdo though, don't you think.
Here's Boogie checking out his yard to see who's been here since he left a little over three months ago.
Debbie
11/2/07
Boogie always just sleeps until we stop the RV. But today, when we got about 1/4 mile from our destination he started fussing and crying. Amazing! How did he know we were on the street where he lived for the first 11 weeks of his life?!
I love the gate they have that leads to the gorgeous house - the home of Sunkist Border Terriers.
I guess you could say we are out in the country - but we aren't that far from town. On two sides of the property are huge pecan orchards. The third side is a very large piece of property with horses and cows. Beyond this agility area you can see the large pasture that is next door.
The final side is a house that is located way back from the edge of the property. The field you see here in the distance is entirely fenced and another place where the dogs can run around and play.
The view of the Organ Mountains that you can see in the distance in the above picture is beautiful. What a perfect piece of property. It's also nice and flat so the entire property (three acres I think) is very usable.
There are many fenced areas here which makes the entire property very usable. Here you can see some of the adorable borders that live here. In the distance you can see a pecan orchard.
And what a nice place for Boogie to start his life. He had lots of space, lots of socialization, lots of introduction to various activities such as agility and earthdog, lots of little doggies to play with, and definitely lots of love and tender care.
How nice of Meg to let us stay here during our time in Las Cruces. The yard is totally fenced, there is a nice spot for Boogie to practice a few little agility things, and there is even an RV hook-up. Totally perfect.
We had a really nice pizza dinner with Boogie's breeders, Meg and Harriett. You sure couldn't meet two nicer people - no wonder Boogie is such an amazing puppy! We feel so lucky to have received a Sunkist puppy.
Oh, I forgot to show you Boogie's Halloween costume. He went as the devil dog - however that's just a costume since he really is a little angel. What do you think?
In reality this wasn't really a costume. This is how Boogie looked after his partial stripping this past weekend. Perfect time of year for this hairdo though, don't you think.
Here's Boogie checking out his yard to see who's been here since he left a little over three months ago.
Debbie
11/2/07
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