Just Can't Do Enough

(Las Cruces, NV) I didn't do much this past week, unless you consider taking advantage of IHOP's Free Pancake Day and going to physical therapy three times, doing a lot. It amazes me how I can do so few exercises yet be so exhausted afterwards - and I'm only doing shoulder exercises right now.

Mike took the dogs on a couple of our favorite hikes here in Las Cruces. One is kind of a canyon and it is very rare that we see anyone else there. So the dogs can be off-leash the entire time which is much to their liking.



Much of the trail is rocky but it doesn't seem to bother the dogs at all.



Near the top of the trail is an old mine and in wet times there is a waterfall there. It's so cold out right now that Mike actually saw a lot of icicles there this time.




It's hard to get pictures there to show the beauty and grandeur but it is a very interesting walk.



Then on Thursday, Mike got brave and took all four dogs up to White Sands. It was a perfect day: cool, not windy, and no one else around.




The dogs took great advantage of the day. They played and ran around, up, and down the dunes for three full hours.




They took turns playing with each other. Someone please tell Boogie that he needs to take it easy on Wazzu. Afterall, she's no spring chicken any more.




Quite often all four would play together. They really all are very good friends.




And quite often they have a long game of chase.

It's very rare that Boogie isn't involved in the play.




I just love the beauty of this place. And to see how happy the dogs are playing there puts a smile on my face as well. I hope next year to be able to go along with them.




After a day at White Sands, Boogie actually rested for much of the evening. He normally comes back to my bed and barks non-stop until I get up and have him do some tricks. Boogie loves learning...if only I could think of more things to teach him that I can actually do.

This weekend was to be an agility trial. Saturday went well. The dogs were all very happy and had great results. Wazzu went 2/3, Sparkie went 4/6, and Boogie went 5/6. They all had a good time but it wasn't enough exercise for Boogie and he bothered me all evening. Don't get me wrong, I love doing things with him. But there is only so much I can do right now - and none of it tuckers him out!

On Sunday, Tunnelers was the first run. Sparkie and Boogie were both entered in that and did very well. It was sprinkling and a little windy. The forecast was for 40% chance of rain and more wind. So after one run they cancelled the rest of the trial. Big bummer. It seems to me that trials should be cancelled when the weather is actually bad...not when there is just a forecast of bad weather. Right after it was announced it would be cancelled the sprinkling stopped and the wind calmed down. I looked at the forecast and it had changed to 10% chance of rain for the rest of the day. Winds were to pick up later in the day however.

But when unfortunate things happen we just do our best to make the best of it. So Mike stayed around and did some practice with Sparkie and Boogie (Wazzu isn't interested in practicing). They had a great time as they rarely get to practice. Boogie loves to practice and doesn't get the chance all that often. When it was time to leave Boogie just sat there like a statue. I'm so glad he loves agility so much.

The dogs still wanted to do something so Mike went to a nearby park and they walked for over an hour. The weather was still just fine...no rain or wind. About 1:00pm the winds really did pick up (no rain) and it would definitely not be safe to do agility. But there were very few dogs there today and the trial easily could have finished before 1:00pm. It was just disappointing not to get to do agility today as planned. We definitely don't want to take any chances when it comes to safety. But to cancel due to a forecast just doesn't seem quite right. Oh well, it's not the end of the world and like I said, Mike made the best of it.

The three big dogs are just fine this afternoon but Boogie is being a royal pain. He wants to do something! We just can't do enough to wear Boogie out. It's going to be a very long day and evening.... We are all going to pay as he makes the rounds!

Debbie

2/24-28/10

A Splash of Color

(Las Cruces, NM) I have to do all my computer work with my left hand. This is difficult for me since I'm right handed. I'm getting better all the time but some things are still very hard. I found this out over the weekend as I was playing around with some photos while everyone else was doing agility.

They aren't perfect but the best I could do with the "wrong" hand. It used to be that each picture took about five minutes. But these three photos took me quite a long time. Guess I'd better keep practicing with the left hand....or just be able to sit again!

These are old pictures. I took this one in 2008 a few days after an earthdog trial in Cottonwood, AZ when Boogie was still very excited and sure he heard critters everywhere.




I took this picture in April 2007 during a hike near Sedona, AZ.




And I took this at a red rock hike in Sedona, AZ in March 2008 when my parents came to visit us. (That's not an error on Slugger's front leg...there is a plant there blocking him.)



Debbie

2/23/10

Pregnant

(Las Cruces, NV) Ha Ha....no not us. But now we know what it feels like to be pregnant. We are very excited about our due date. Like any baby, this one may come early. Guess we won't know until the water bowl is broken or filled....oh I don't know. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with water.

On Thursday, the 18th, we drove from Phoenix, AZ to Las Cruces, NM. It was a long but easy drive as the weather was perfectly clear the entire way.

Mike and the dogs had a great weekend. But since I wasn't along there aren't any pictures.

Friday, Mike and three dogs, went to White Sands. My favorite place we've ever been. But to go there, you really need to be able to walk a long distance and walk up steep slopes. Unfortunately, that hat isn't me right now.

The dogs had a great time hiking around the dunes, running and chasing each other. Even though it was a cool day, Boogie kept digging holes and lying down in them. Silly boy.

Had I been at White Sands with them, you would have seen something like this:




These pictures are all left over from pictures I took March 08.




As you can see, the dogs are having a great time.




You might also notice that Boogie is involved in everything.




Then over the weekend, Mike and all four dogs went to an agility trial. Slugger wasn't competing but he didn't want to be left behind so Mike took him along. So I was home alone both days...they came home in the evening each night.

They had a great time. While everyone did well, Wazzu was definitely the star. Mike said she ran as though she was a puppy again. Fast and consistent - even getting a very difficult Chances run. She loves the cool and windy weather. And it was windy! They had to cancel Hoopers because they couldn't get the hoops to stay up. Big Bummer.

I felt like I was on a boat out in the ocean both days. The wind was so strong that, besides the extreme rocking, it made it really loud in the RV. When Slugger got home he was petrified. That meant I had a very close bed partner! Well, that's Las Cruces....but usually not until March. Now they are calling for snow the next couple days. What?!

Is there anywhere in the world that's dry and warm? If so, we can't seem to find it this year.

Debbie

2/22/10

Mike's Birthday Present

Mike is more excited about his birthday this year than ever. Well actually I don't know that he's excited about his birthday but I know he's excited by the present he got himself.

Yes, our family is once again growing. Mike had the opportunity to get a dog that he wanted when he first met it last year. Quite out of the blue, that very dog became available - and Mike was given first option.

I must say, when I said I wanted another dog about a year ago, Mike told me we weren't getting another dog until one of the current ones left. Don't worry, no one has gone anywhere. I guess the rules just changed since he found a dog he wanted.

I can't really complain about that as I got the last dog. But I have a feeling my next dog has just been put off a few more years.

We didn't actually get the dog yet. We're going to be moving a lot the next few weeks and we didn't think it was fair to the dog to get it until we were going to be still for a while. So it will be about a month before we get her. And until that time I'm not going to mention her name or give any details other than those I've just written.

I'll just say that we all went to meet her today and everyone got along with her very well. In fact, Boogie and the dog were immediate best friends. Although Boogie has never met a dog he didn't like...and I think this dog seems much the same in that respect.

Here are a few pictures. In the pictures she looks about Sparkie's size, when in fact she is about half the size of Sparkie.

So, does she remind you of anyone in particular?

I think the next month is going to go slow for all of us as we await her arrival to our household.

Debbie

Arizona Jack Russell FUN Day

Today we took Boogie and Sparkie to a Jack Russell Fun Day.



While all the dogs there were Jack's, ours weren't exactly. So today, Sparkie was a Giant Jack and Boogie was an Honorary Jack. One thing we know for sure....they had FUN as you can see by this happy face!

We started out the morning on the Lure Course. For those of you who aren't familiar with Lure Coursing, it's (in this case) a squarish course with some jumps (in real lure coursing there aren't jumps) where the dogs chase after a rabbit. Well the dogs think it's a rabbit when in fact it's just a plastic bag tied to a small line that goes around some pulley's. I'd say this course was about 100 yards total. Sparkie has participated in "real" lure coursing where she has run a couple hundred yards in a straight line. And another time it was a U-shaped course that was at least 300 yards. She loved it then too.

Boogie went first and caused quite the laughter from the crowd. His style was so different from the Jack's. They went low over the jumps (often knocking them down) and Boogie did huge "boings" over the jump. I didn't capture any of his huge boings on film but he was cute for sure. Here he is going over a jump at a nice trajectory - but still higher than the Jack's.



He was so fast! But the other thing that made him stand out from the Jack's is that he barked the entire way around the course - I know that surprises all of you!




Then it was Sparkie's turn. Needless to say, she was so much faster than all the Jack's. Here she is starting her run. If you enlarge this picture (which you can do by clicking on it) you can see how she is really going hard....look at her facial expression.



And the jumps were so low for her that, while she did have to jump, it didn't even look like she was jumping much compared to the Jack's...or Boogie.

She really banks around the corners.

Near the end of the course were some really low jumps...kind of like speed bumps. I think maybe that was to slow the dogs down but I didn't see them having that kind of effect. As you can see, Sparkie is still going fast...

...as is Boogie.



When their turns were over, they each insisted they needed to try again. We could tell they were excited as when we were waiting in line they were both barking, jumping and pulling like crazy. The Jack's were so patient and quiet. What's up with that!

Well I can't deny my dogs fun so I went back in and bought a whole mess of tickets. Suddenly I was their favorite mommy!

This time we decided to wait in line with just one dog at a time. So we took Sparkie first this time and left Boogie in the car to wait. (He's so cute I can hardly stand it.)




Finally it was Sparkie's turn. Look at those muscles!



After they'd each done a few runs we decided to take a break and take Boogie over to the Go to Ground area. Boogie's eyes about popped out of his head when he realized what was happening. He couldn't believe he was going to have more fun!

He started out by barking loudly and pawing at the bars in an effort to get to the rats. Normally the lid is shut during this time but we opened it so I could try to get some pictures.



Look at that concentration.



Here is a great picture showing why they don't use horizontal metal bars in the tunnels anymore. Boogie tried to eat through the bars like he does the wooden dowels. The problem here is that the dogs grab the bars with their teeth and then try to twist their head to break the bars....and just end up breaking their jaws. So as soon as Boogie started doing that we took him out as that just seemed too dangerous. Fortunately he didn't do that until he'd had three or four turns.



He didn't want to be done (when does he ever!) so Mike held him and let him look at the rats. As you can see by the teeth, Boogie wanted to get those rats. But not to worry, the rats were very safe in their cage.



All that barking makes a puppy hot as you can see by his curled tongue.




When we see the curled tongue like this we know it's time to get some water and take a nice long break in the sun.



After a nice lunch break we let both dogs have a couple more turns Lure Coursing. Neither dog was the least bit tired and were actually faster than before. I think they were really getting the hang of things. You think Sparkie is happy? Look at this big smile!




I found it hard to get my timing right as the dogs were zooming around the track so fast. Here I clicked too early - I was trying to get Boogie way up in the air. Oh well.



The weather was perfect for such a great event. Mid-70's, blue sky, good food, a super raffle, prizes, lots of dogs, and really nice people. All around just a great day.

As we were leaving I saw these two Jack's and took a pictures just because I had forgotten to take pictures of any Jack Russells. I should have gotten up and taken pictures when Boogie was in the off-leash play area. There were about 40 Jack's and Boogie. He ran around and played for 30-40 minutes and fit right in...except for his hairdo! Anyway, I liked how this picture turned out.




What a great event put on by a nice club.




I'll end here with this picture. It really has nothing to do with anything - I just like it.




Debbie

Bad Economy and other Random Thoughts

With the huge drop in the stock market the last couple years, we took a huge hit just like many others. Trying to figure out how to raise some money we decided that the dogs would make more money standing on the corner than we would. So we decided to teach Boogie to take the money when people brought it by....and then to give it to us of course.

As always, he was an eager and quick learner.

And so cute too. I think he could earn a good living!




Like any little kid, Boogie has trouble waking up in the early morning. I told him it was time to get up as he had a big day planned....he had to go out and earn money! He just rolled over and said "It's too early".




Like any good Mom, I gave him another ten minutes and then told him again it was time to get up. And like any little kid on a school morning, I got the same response once again. So much for his money raising career.




In the summer of 2008, Boogie entered his first AKC agility trial. It was a three day trial and he was entered in three runs a day. He was amazing, earning eight (8) first place Q's and one run that was 2nd place.




November of 2008 just a day before I was to go in for a back surgery in Kirkland, we went to Lynden, WA for a Rally competition. We just needed one last qualifying score to finish Boogie's Rally Advanced title. I really wanted to finish that title in case the surgery didn't go well. I wasn't feeling real confident even though he had qualified every time we entered. I hadn't been able to work with him recently so was a little concerned this time.

But like always, Boogie was incredible and he finished his title.



Just after Christmas this year, Mike took Boogie out to a park that has ten soccer fields all in a row. Mike put a whole bunch of apple pieces in Boogie's treat ball and let him go. He had to do that just before dark so the park would be empty as Boogie barks at the top of his lungs full blast when playing with this toy.

Boogie pushes the ball with his nose and paws...




and the ball goes super fast across the grass with Boogie close behind....




Boogie is usually going so fast he doesn't notice all the apple pieces flying out of the ball. Every once in a while, Boogie will look up and notice he's three or four soccer fields away. He'll then pick up the ball and bring it back only to set it down and take off once again.




By the time Mike makes Boogie stop, his tongue is all curled and he is panting so hard he can barely stand. Even so, he gets upset when Mike takes the ball away. Talk about great exercise. Only problem is that it takes a lot of space...and no people around to hear all the barking. So he doesn't get to play with his ball very often.

Debbie