Earthdog

People have been asking me how Earthdog works. Most of the time we do earthdog it is done back in a forest or someplace that isn't accessible by spectators. But in September 2008 we did a test on Whidbey Island, WA where spectators could see...although from pretty far away.

My great friend, Shari Madamba, took Boogie and I to the tests that weekend and used my camera to try and get some pictures. Thanks to Shari, I can show you some pictures and explain a little bit about earthdog.

First, we all gather to listen to the judge explain how the test will run, where we should meet him on the property, etc.




Then they put all the dog's names in a hat and draw them out two at a time to make partnerships. That day Boogie was paired up with a Westie. When it was about our turn we went out to the meeting spot and waited for the judge. What a beautiful place to play!



When the judge arrives we walk just a few feet before letting the dogs off leash to run off and do their hunting.



The dogs are required to find a false den (meaning a den with no rats), check it out and move on without barking. Barking is an indication that there are rats (or some other varmints) there. It is usually a hundred to a few hundred yards away. Boogie loves the hunt up. He runs around as fast as he can looking for a den. During the hunt up the judge will tell you to call your dog back a few times and they must mind and return to you. As intent on finding the den as Boogie is, he always come running back at top speed.



The hunt continues and the dogs must then find the real den....meaning there are rats there. Don't worry, they are behind bars and in a cage so they can't be harmed. When the dogs find the rats, they must indicate to their human that they have found the rats. Here Boogie found the real rats (see the tail and bottom sticking out of the ground) and is barking like crazy. So I know he has found the rats for sure!



After both dogs have found the rats and indicated so, then both dogs are picked up and must hide their eyes while the rats are moved from the front of the tunnel to the other end of the tunnel. The rats will be placed down in the tunnel, again behind four dowels and in a wire cage where they are safe from harm....unless Boogie is playing the game! I've never heard of another dog ever getting in to the rat cage but I suppose it's possible. Here the dogs are hiding their eyes and the gal bending over is getting the rats out of the tunnel to move them to their next position.



While one dog is down in the tunnel trying to find the rats and subsequently working the rats (meaning barking or digging at the rats) the other dog is tied to a stake and must "Honor". This means they must be interested in what is going on but they can't make a lot of noise or yank at the end of the chain. Here Boogie is starting the Honor as the other dog is being placed on the ground. Boogie is good at honoring except when the other dog is first let go. He barks loudly for a second and then is very nice and quiet.



Then the dogs change spots. Here Boogie is getting his turn to go down into the tunnel to hunt for the rats. There are false turns (leading to a dead end or back out to the above world) and false dens (rat bedding but no rats). The dogs have 90 seconds to find the rats. Normally Boogie makes it in about 10 seconds...he is fast!



After "working" the rats for 90 seconds (or in Boogie's case, until he eats all four dowels in half and eats through the wire cage...bad boy!) then you must be able to lift open a lid, reach in, take your dog out and put their leash on them. Here you can see a very happy Boogie being taken out of the tunnel as the judge marks down Boogie's score.



After a day of being a ferocious hunter looking for hidden rats, Boogie then continued his hunting ways and found a little boy with pizza! Even better, he conned this very nice boy (Shari's son Shawn) into sharing the pizza with him. What a perfect day. Friends, rats and pizza!



Debbie
(many thanks to Shari for all the pictures)

Breaking News!

Introducing: CHAMPION Sunkist Shake Rattle And Roll RA, ME, OA, OF, NAJ, O-EAC, S-EJC, S-TN-E, TG-E, WV-E, HP-E, S-OCC, CGC, TDI, VX (aka Boogie)





That's right! Today, even though Boogie needed just one point, he scored another three point major to become the newest Champion in the Sunkist line.

We are so proud of Boogie. In the very beginning of his career he didn't like conformation showing at all. But the second he met Alison Miller, our groomer and handler, he fell in love with conformation. Okay, so he discovered girls and really fell in love with showing off for all the little girls in heat. But whatever the case, he showed beautifully every time for Alison.

Before I continue, let me apologize for the quality (or extreme lack of quality) of today's pictures. It was very dark in the building and you weren't allowed to use a flash. Also, I am very shaky these days. So the combination of the two didn't make for very good pictures. Just pretend you're in an earthquake. I'll post the professionally taken picture as soon as it arrives.

We got the schedule confused and thought we were the last group of four breeds in the ring today. So we ended up arriving much later than we normally would. Alison was a little frantic when we arrived as she was very worried we wouldn't be there in time. When we found out we were on the late side we felt so relieved that we hadn't cut it any closer. Too scary.



We were in ring 10 today which was handy as it was right in front of Alison's set up.



Boogie was supposed to be up against another dog in the Open class but he didn't show so our opportunity to get the single point (which is all we needed) was gone. We were all a little nervous at this point but still felt a bit confident as Boogie was really "up" today. I don't know why, but when he woke up this morning he was zooming around the RV like a pinball. He showed extremely well just as we suspected.

Finally it was time for Boogie to go back in the ring with the other winners and specials.

It's hard to tell from my blurry picture but Boogie was really moving nicely.

Now around they go together.




Standing pretty for the judge as she passes by.




Okay, I had a picture of CH Shorty (as Mike calls him) in front of the sign but it was super blurry. So you'll just have to imagine a super cute dog in front of the sign. Yippee!!




Booogie's Conformation Career Highlights:

Four majors, including one Best of Breed.

Reserve Winner's Dog at the 2008 Border Terrier National Specialty.

Three times he advanced to the Group round. Once as Best of Breed, and twice in Puppy Sweepstakes where he placed one time.

A 5-point Reserve Winner's Dog in his very first show which was at one of the largest shows (over 4,500 dogs that year) in the country, Palm Desert. At that same show he was also entered in his first Rally competition.

A 4-point Reserve Winnner's Dog at a very large show in Scottsdale.


That's my boy!!



I couldn't end this post without thanking our breeders Harriet Haydon and Meg Ikard for entrusting us with sweet LBD. They have been so very supportive and helpful throughout Boogie's short but eventful life. Harriet has been so encouraging and helpful with all this conformation stuff. She has very patiently listened to all my disappointments and elations during this process. Conformation is such a different ballgame than the performance events that we are so used to that it was very foreign to us most of time. But Harriet patiently answered all our questions....that I'm sure we asked a dozen times over. And huge thanks to Harriet for not only helping us through this process but also getting us hooked up with our awesome handler, Alison, who Boogie absolutely loves...as do we.

Debbie

2/7/10

Dog Mountain

Probably our most favorite state we visited this past all was Vermont. In fact, Mike really wants to move there. If only it were closer to Washington!

I think there are three reasons we loved it so much. 1) It is absolutely beautiful. 2) It's the home of Ben & Jerry's. Mike loved the tour and we all loved the ice cream he brought back to the RV for us! 3) It's where Dog Mountain is located.

Dog Mountain is the most incredible place we've ever visited. If you are a dog lover, your life isn't complete until you've visited Dog Mountain. We discovered the place truly by accident. When we checked in to our RV park in August they gave us a flyer about Dog Mountain and said it was right across the road. Talk about good luck! There are so many special things about Dog Mountain, I'm not sure where to begin.

Dog Mountain is 400 acres of beauty and the best tribute to dogs anywhere. It was dreamed up and brought to reality by artist Stephen Haneck and his wife, Gwen. Stephen started out as a wood carver and eventually wrote children's books and created many other pieces of art as well.

When you first approach Dog Mountain, you notice many dogs carved out of wood. The gate has a couple dog carvings to welcome you to this piece of paradise.



All around the property are "dogs" watching over the property.



Everyone is encouraged to bring their dogs with them when they come to visit. On the property are miles of trails for hiking, a pond for swimming, an agility ring, a cute store where you can purchase a variety of items, and most notably, the Dog Chapel.

In this photo, you can see the store and chapel in the background. You can also see the pond (to the left) and agility area.





Below is a photo of Boogie swimming in the pond and a view of surrounding area.

Stephen and Gwen have two black labs (they have other dogs as well that don't participate) that help greet anyone who comes to Dog Mountain. Boogie and Wazzu both enjoyed the company of the labs. Boogie enjoyed playing a game of chase....(Boogie is the small brown dot in the lead)





....a little wrestling.....




....and some swimming.....(one lab swimming right next to Boogie while the other one watches)



Such good friends!




Wazzu, on the other hand, decided she much preferred to be the shop greeter. While Boogie and Mike were out playing, Wazzu wondered down to the store and made herself right at home. She would lie in the shop and wait for people to come. When someone would enter the store, Wazzu would get up and run right over to greet them. She then would follow them all around the store, helping them to pick out all the wonderful items that any dog would love! She would help them until she heard another person come in....then she would run over to greet them and help them shop. We couldn't get her to leave! She decided this is the perfect job for her. When the labs came in, the three dogs would lie down together like they had been a threesome for years. The labs, however, didn't get up to do any greeting.....they left that up to Wazzu!

After all the playing and shopping it was time to visit the Chapel. Here you can see the front of the Chapel. The person and dogs are all carved from wood. You can't see it in this picture but the Chapel not only has a regular door for people to enter through, it also has a doggie door so the dogs can enter/leave when they want.




As you enter the Chapel, you immediately know you are someplace very special. Beautiful music is playing and there there are candles burning on an entry table. The pews have ends all carved of different dogs. There are numerous stained glass windows (all show a dog doing some fun activity with their human...such as eating ice cream, playing with a Frisbee, cuddling on the couch, etc.)- There are eight windows in total. The other thing that hits you right away are the walls. As you can see, there are sticky notes and pictures posted on the walls from floor to ceiling!



At the back of the Chapel (or is that the front?) there are more wood carvings of dogs. Hmmm....I don't think ALL of them are carved! Can you find the imposter?

As you enter you can't help but see the walls covered with post it notes and pictures. On the entry table are stacks of post it notes, pens, and push pins. It's obvious that people have planned in advance as there are many pictures posted on the walls as well.

There are memorials and tributes to dogs that are still with us. There is a ladder there so you can put the pictures all the way up to the ceiling. We wrote a tribute to our German Shepherds and another one for our current "kids". But we had a lot of trouble finding a place to put them without covering up someone else's post.

While in the Chapel there was such a feeling of love. It is a very special place...a place all dog lovers should visit if they get the chance.

Debbie
Pictures all compliments of Mike

PS Exactly one month ago today, January 7, 2010, was a devistating and tragic day as Stephen Huneck passed away at the young age of 60.

Wags for Wishes

A friend of ours is the chairman for a huge doggy event in Phoenix called Wags for Wishes. It is a fundraiser to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. It only goes for a weekend yet they raise over $25,000 each year.

There are many events open to the public to do with their dogs. In addition to agility, there is a Disk Dog competition and clinic, herding instinct tests (using both sheep and ducks), a barn hunt (earthdog), lure coursing, Dock Diving, flyball, obedience, rally, Canine Good Citizenship testing, vendors, a huge raffle, numerous clinics on dog sports, pet-related clinics, photography, and more.

We took Wazzu and Boogie to partake in the days activities. To participate in each activity you must purchase tickets. Of course, Boogie wanted to participate in everything! Wazzu thought it was way too hot to do anything....until....she spotted the sheep! All of a sudden it wasn't hot out at all.

So, of course, we had to let her do her job. Here she is making sure the sheep stay together and go where they should.



Then she had to get them to change direction...success.




She was doing so well the guy let her do some herding without him around. Wazzu thought that was the highlight of her day! There is nothing she loves more than getting them back together when they split up!



Wazzu didn't want to leave even though her tongue was down to her knees after 25 minutes of herding in 98 degree weather. She was one happy girl.

While Boogie participated in many events, the funniest one had to be lure coursing. Boogie is good at a lot of things but lure coursing isn't his strong suit.

He started out great, chasing the lure at full speed.



But as he went around the corner, the reel nicked him and that made him mad. So he did what he usually does when he gets mad, he started barking back at it and telling it off.

No matter how many times they brought the lure around, he just stood there barking and barking at the reel.



We had purchased a lot of tickets thinking he would want to do that over and over. We waited about an hour an let him try again but he just ran straight to the reel and started barking. At that point we gave away the rest of our tickets.

We all had a great time and hope someday we'll be able to participate again.

Debbie

Oh Brother!

One of the things I enjoyed most in the past couple years was the opportunity to meet both of Boogie's brothers....littermates.

We were going to be attending a NADAC trial in Westminster, CO last May. I didn't know what cities Boogie's brother lived but I knew they lived in Colorado. So I contacted each family to see if they would be interested in meeting at the trial. I knew one brother, Stevie Ray, did agility so I was hoping maybe they would come and compete as well. How fun would that be!

To my great delight, both brothers were able to make it. We immediately all got along so well and spent a lot of time talking about each of our dogs. They all have so much in common....especially Stevie Ray and Boogie. They are like two peas in a pod. They have so many behaviors, likes, dislikes, and personality traits the same. They even look so much alike - and both love their agility!


From left to right are: Debbie & Boogie, Martie & Stevie Ray, Jim & Rowdy.




And here they are in a side view!




After posing for pictures, Mike decided they all needed a treat for being so good. They all thought that was a great idea and sat like little angels - each waiting very politely for their turn as Mike went around in order giving them treats. They loved that game and were very sad when Mike ran out of cheese. Can you tell which one is Boogie?





I'm so glad we all got to meet. What nice people and nice dogs. Jim and Martie are both so very nice. Martie and I have become good friends and keep in touch regularly comparing notes about our LBD's (in Border Terrier circles that's know as "little brown dogs"). Who knew when I starting planning the get-together that I'd gain two more doggy family members and a good friend.

Debbie

Trying to Make a Comeback

Other than being able to do things with Mike and the dogs, the thing I miss most is doing my blog. For me the blog serves two purposes: 1) A way to keep in touch with family and friends, and 2) A great way to have a journal of our travels. I really am very sad that we've missed almost two full years of our experiences - many of which I don't even remember. Not just because my memory is very poor (which it certainly is) but because no one can remember what they do each day after time has passed.

While many of the experiences these past two years have not been good or fun, we have had some good times and milestones. Unfortunately, we also have very few pictures of any of that time since I've been unable to do that either.

Hmm, so what are some of the good milestones or adventures that took place these past two years that I can recall? In no particular order, here are some that I can recall.


Boogie earned his Versatility Excellent Award from the Border Terrier Club of America. According to the website, most dogs earn this at an average age of 5 - 9 years of age. Boogie earned this award at just 18 months 5 days. I've been told that is the youngest ever....but don't know how to confirm that.



Boogie has a new agility/earthdog handler. Last May, Mike had to take over all dog duties. One of these duties was to do the dog sports with Boogie that I had previously been doing. Well, he took over agility and earthdog....he said there was no way he was doing Rally or anything else that had to do with obedience as he doesn't have the patience. Those are Mike's words not mine.

It took a little bit of work but Boogie has adapted to the change. At first Boogie wasn't very confident as our styles are so different. Boogie understood my body language (as that's all he knew) and would do pretty good distance work for me but that didn't transfer to Mike. But Mike is WAY faster than I am and Boogie liked that change. Just now Boogie is starting to get his confidence back. His speed is picking back up and slowly but surely he is starting to feel comfortable enough to do some distance for Mike.

Earthdog is another story! Fortunately I was able to work with Boogie long enough to get his Master Earthdog title. (Here he's staring at the rat cages....including one that he mangled.)



Since he has started partnering with Mike, his earthdog skills have gotten....well, better or worse depending on who you talk to. We think he is MUCH worse. Boogie thinks he is a genius as he has figured out ways to make the game last longer. In his mind that means he is outsmarting us all. In actuality that means he isn't following the rules set by us silly humans. So while it may be frustrating for poor Mike, Boogie is still having a great time.

During the time I was still able to do earthdog, Boogie earned the nickname "Chainsaw". He is quite proud of that name and does everything he can to prove that is an appropriate nickname. When going to work the rats, instead of just barking for the required 90 seconds, Boogie eats the dowels away so he can get to the rats. He then starts ripping apart the wire cage to get to the rats. He can normally do that in less than sixty seconds....thus - Chainsaw. Everyone jokes (or at least I hope it's a joke) that the clubs are going to start charging us a surcharge to enter as Boogie ruins so many dowels.

Unfortunately, Boogie had a mishap during Earthdog in Pennsylvania. He was standing still waiting for his turn when a dog walked up from behind, jumped on Boogie and bit his ear. He was bleeding so badly that he had to leave the test site immediately and go to the emergency room. Turns out a chunk of Boogie's ear was now gone.

After the long vet visit he was exhausted and very still riding home in the car.

That's one big bandage...



It just became too much so he had to just curl up in a ball and feel sorry for himself. Very justified I'd say!




Boogie also has been working toward his Championship....that's conformation...or the beauty show as we call it. We don't get to show him much as I'm physically unable to do it (and very inexperienced since I really haven't been in the conformation world since I was a teen). So we only get in a show or two while we're in Arizona. We have a great groomer/handler there, named Alison Miller, shown in this picture.





Boogie really likes her and shows well for her. Boogie has really come to like conformation....strictly because he loves being around all the female dogs, many of whom are in heat!! He is quite the Mr. Studly and really struts his stuff to show off. The more little girls in heat that are at the show, the better he does!

In April, Boogie competed in the Arizona Cardinals football stadium. Boy do you feel small down on the floor in that building. Grooming was done in one of the locker rooms. How fun!



It was also fun because Boogie got a double Major that weekend!



Yes, in case you were wondering, we still do have three other dogs! You might not have thought so with all the talk of Boogie, Boogie, Boogie. Well, that's how the three dogs think too. They think everything revolves around Boogie....poor them.


Overall, they are doing very well too. Both Sparie and Wazzu have continued to enjoy agility and keep racking up the NATCH's. Wazzu isn't up for running that much anymore. We've cut her down from six runs a day (during a trial) to two or three runs a day. Some days she is slow and other days she looks like a puppy again. We let her dictate what kind of day it will be. Wazzu has become totally used to running for Mike and it's just second nature to her now. Since I wrote two years ago, Wazzu has earned three more NATCH's and is only two Q's away from NATCH-14!




Sparkie has been...well, Sparkie. She has eaten a fish hook in Colorado thus spending the whole night at the emergency vet getting her stomach scoped to get the hook out. She has tried to show a rattlesnake who's boss....fortunately when the snake shook his rattle she decided he could be boss all he wanted and she came back really fast when her Daddy called her! She had six stitches in her side when she and Wazzu played a little too rough. It was a total accident as Wazzu t-boned her in the side.

On the good side, Sparkie acts much younger than her ten years. She still loves agility and has earned five NATCH's, five Versatility NATCH's, three Platinum Speed Stars, two Versatility Platinum Speed Stars, an Elite All Around title, and been the #1 ranked Mixed Breed both years since I last wrote. And she is still going strong!




Slugger seems to be showing the most wear. Over the years he had two ACL surgeries and an elbow surgery. One of the ACL legs is really causing him trouble. He limps quite often and doesn't really want to walk much. He much prefers to lie outside and sniff the air while watching the world go by. And he LOVES to kiss anyone that comes near. Most of his days are spent lying in bed with me while the others are all out having fun.

Mike is being quite the trooper as he has to take care of all of us and the RV 24/7. It is quite the burden and he deserves as many accolades as are available since he does this tirelessly while never complaining. He has been able to do a few fun things along the way. He took a self-guided tour around Washington, DC and went to the Smithsonian Museum while there. He's toured many natural ruins, underground caves, national parks, and various other museums around the country. I wish he'd take more time to do these kinds of things but he doesn't like leaving me alone that long.

Not much to say about me that most don't already know. During the past year, I finally got a diagnosis. This sent us back to Baltimore as there are only a couple doctors in the country that can help at all with this very rare condition. I had a number of procedures and a very difficult surgery. None of these helped, and in fact, made me much worse. I'm now in the midst of trying to walk again. It's being a very very slow process with a lot of pain along the way. But the love and support of my family and friends keep me going. Thank you so much to each of you.


I'm really glad to be recovered enough that the dogs are allowed to come into my bedroom. Boogie gives me such great "Good Morning" greetings and kisses. What a way to start each day. And Wazzu stays in my room with me 100% of time that she isn't out on a walk or at an agility event. Sparkie and Slugger come see me anytime I have food....now that's true love!

I used to post everyday....but this post took several weeks to do. Some days I can only write one sentence. Other days I can do a paragraph or two. Anyway, I hope you'll check back often to see what we're up to these days. I'll be posting a few other things that we've done over the past couple years in separate posts....so watch for those.

Debbie
and of course Mike, The Travelin' Trio, and the little tag along (that gets all the attention)

PS In case you haven't seen it, here is our Christmas picture for 2009.