Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

L to R:  Pepper, Lucky Lucy, Maxie

Here's our very first doggie posed Christmas Card!  I sent it out to family in magnetic frames, and to the dog's teachers and friends in a big card.  Of course the question was "Where's Willow?"  All I can say is Willow doesn't do agility and didn't attend the trial where the photographer was.  I posed the dogs I had with me.

Christmas was fun.  Jonathan came into town, we gathered at Audrey's house Christmas night with all the usual peeps.  I made a double batch of Seafood Gumbo, Audrey made her Oyster Dressing and Sweet Potatoes, other people brought salads and desserts.  Yum!   Then Nathan, Jonathan, John and I all went to see Hobbit II 3D the next night (John's treat).  The dragon was the most awesome ever, but my assessment of the movie was . . . . .  too loud, too long, with too much dragon, and too many orks . . . . . and 28 minutes of previews).  They overdid everything.  I had to make earplugs with my napkin to survive the high decibels.  Movie theatres seem hell-bent on making the populous deaf.
 
New Year's Eve . . . after 15 straight years of partying around a bonfire in our yard, writing our resolutions on a cabbage leaf, and all jumping the fireline and walking the labyrinth at midnight, we didn't do anything this year.  The energy just wasn't right.  The lawnmower broke so we couldn't vacuum the leaves nor even see the grass labyrinth, John pulled his back and was (still is) moaning with acute pain, my knee prevents me from walking much, Schuyler had the flu, the kids all had young people plans, and Laura's sister, Julie, came to her house to get some rest (she's going to have a baby in 25 days or so and is exhausted). Besides which, it drizzled all day and evening in 45 degree weather. Everyone hunkered down at home.  We all talked on the phone, though.  Audrey and I made sure to be talking together at midnight, and I went outside with towels and wiped the wet dust off my car, with fireworks exploding everywhere, so numerous it sounded like a 3 hour air-raid! And fireworks are illegal in Baton Rouge!!!!!!!!

John and I sat on the front porch sipping hot chocolate, discussed our resolutions and pretty much agreed on a direction for our new year, health being a top priority, financial stability,  family & friends, of course. Following our passions, enjoying each and every day.  And then, of course, being useful,  minimizing stress, etc.

His passion is astronomy, mine is my home, my dogs, and recording audio books for Librivox. 2014 will be interesting for both of us because there's not enough time in the day to learn or do all we want to learn or do, and that's a very good place to be.

Today was the LSU/IOWA game at noon (we won), and Laura made it over for cabbage and black eye peas!  I'll build a fire tonight in my newly repaired fireplace, and we'll look for a new series to watch on Netflix while we recover from our injuries.

My best wishes to everyone out there, and I'll now share my favorite recent fortune cookie wisdom with you: 

"Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out."

Upwards and onward!

Port Allen Agility Trial

Maxie, 6 runs,  3 Q's, 2 1st places, 1 2nd place, 54 MACH points, 6 videos
Lucky Lucy, 6 runs, 0 Q's, 6 videos



L to R:  Pepper, Lucky Lucy, Maxie

Well, I got what I asked for at this trial,  a few Q's.   And a surprise bonus -- some wonderful doggie portraits!

Maxie Q'd all 3 of his Standard runs and NQ'd all 3 of his Jumpers runs!  No QQ's for us this weekend. Oddly, all of his Jumpers runs were 1-3 seconds over course time - that's very odd, because on all of his Standard runs he made good time, 17, 16, and 21 MACH points with 2 1st places and 1 2nd place.  He mostly walked his weaves, though, and back-jumped 1 jump because I mis-cued him.  I held my own, not ever getting lost on course, but he's not yet back to his old self.  Will he ever be? After his last run we visited the on-site chiropractor who popped several vertebrae back into place and I heard a big crack which she said was popping his sternum back into place.  OUCH!  But she did NOT confirm the vet's assessment that he has any compressed disks!

Lucky NQ'd all 6 runs, and never once made course time.  She ran clean twice, but made lots of errors between the other 4 runs.  There were pretty parts to each run, though, and she never once stopped on top of the A-frame to survey the arena and never missed a contact!  I have got to get her into some open-air trials and under-roof matches where she will run fast.  I'm convinced she just hates under-roof agility.  Where are the matches?

Pepper was a superb crate mate the whole weekend, walking on a loose leash, not barking or whining when Maxie left the crate, hardly ever bolting out of the crate, and not even trying to lift his leg on arena posts and other dog's crates as at previous trials.  He is maturing very nicely, encouraging me to begin training him more than casually.

The best thing that happened at this trial is some new photographers that were taking group shots in front of a green screen, then letting you select your background.  First time I've had any of my dogs sit for a professional photograph.  I bought the CD @ $50  (only because they took about 30 pics and gave permission for me to use them any way I want).  I will have lots of fun learning how to extract the photos from the green background and add in my own.  Above is one of many shots taken.  I will be mining this field for individual portraits, for of course trying to pose three dogs at once is difficult, and there are often shots with one dog that looks great while the other two are looking away, etc.  What fun!

Another good thing, my son and his wife Allison, stopped by Friday noon and got to see Maxie's first run, a fast and solid Q.  Here we are at my crate space, with Pepper probing Nathan's ear with his ant-eater tongue.

Another thing, we learned that the Port Allen arena has a wireless mike system, and Wi-Fi, and will make these available to us for future trials.  I don't have to bring our equipment anymore to call the FAST points.  I can stream Librivox files between runs and relax.  I also got tutored a bit by our Trial Secretary on how the runs are scored and score sheets printed out.

Maybe the best thing of all is that John, using up 3 days of his vacation, worked his tail off the whole 4 days, beginning by supervising the new professional movers in loading and offloading of the trailer on Thursday afternoon then helping Nedra and me set up tables and hang signage around the arena, then showing up at the arena by 6:30 every morning, being in the ring at every course change all three days, filling and tamping holes (which a dozen or more competitors thanked him for profusely, or came up to me and praised him to the skies) and being the last to leave every night helping the arena guy with the injured hand water down the dirt, and organizing the equipment for pickup Sunday after the trial was over.  It felt great for me and our dogs to have him near and feel so well supported.  He was my hero.

Unfortunately, our Ring Steward decided to "economize" on volunteer concessions tickets this year, consequently she gave John only 5 $1  tickets per day, not counting Thursday!  Just enough for one small hamburger and fries per day.  As a result, not for the lack of food (because we brought or bought our own) but for the principle demonstrated, we are both less inclined to bust our butts in future.

Upwards and onward!

 

Pepper's Conformation Qualities

Pepper, March 2013, 17 months old

At the recent Monroe trial I met up with some Papillon folks who show in Conformation.  Dawn graciously offered to assess Pepper's conformation qualities.  I trotted him back and forth, she watched with a professional eye, and made an informal assessment. 

I got home and stacked him, which he does beautifully from just the few weeks conformation training we had way back, then I took a bunch of photos.  He was so patient! This one is my favorites.  Here's what Dawn saw:

• A bit long in the body
• A bit tall at 11 3/8", though not a fault unless over 12"
• Ears set a bit low
• Nose a bit long
• Stop a bit shallow
• Great back leg placement, straight and strong
• Good front leg alignment, turned out just a bit
• Good bone structure
• Nice long legs, dainty yet strong
• Beautiful markings
• Nice coat and full ear feathers
• Correct weight for his size, 8#

Some judges are looking for the longer body and longer nose, Dawn said, and don't mind the higher height.  She says I could try to show him.  I doubt I will, but it's nice to know and I'll probably keep him intact awhile longer. 

He grows more and more handsome in my eyes as he gets older (now 17 months).  And what I like most, he is getting more hooked on me and more receptive to training.  With Maxie being my biggest heart throb for so long and so attuned to me, I am having to make a conscious effort to gush as much affection on Pepper as I have always done to Maxie.  It is making a difference, I think, in how Pepper interacts with me.
In case you're wondering, that's a frosted glass table he's standing on, with azeleas both over and under the table.  I thought that was kinda cool.  Here's a few more shots I like:

.

Upwards and onward!

Monroe Agility Trial March 1, 2, 3 2013

Maxie: 4 runs 3 Q's 1 QQ, 3 2nd places, 30 MACH points, 4 videos
Lucky Lucy: 4 runs, 2 Q's, 2 3rd places, 6 MACH points, 4 videos

Left BR Thursday at 1:30 planning to arrive West Monroe before dark.  Oops, before I got on I-10 I noticed my gas peddle was flopping around.  I whipped into Firestone, they did a “curb side” check and sure enough, the pin holding the pedal onto the shaft had broken.  They rigged up a nut and bolt to get me going.  That put me 1/2 hour later on the road.  Didn’t bother me.  Uneventful trip, beautiful drive, little traffic.



RV park at the IKE Convention Center.  I'm on the left.

First time RV’ing at the IKE Center, a vast asphalt parking lot with no shade, no beauty, little grass to potty the dogs, and a 4 minute hike to the arena from my spot up close to the back.  Arrived, picked a spot way back by the grassy area, backed in, leveled the RV, then discovered the electric was 50V, which I didn’t have an adapter for.  S#%T!  By the time I went looking for a 30V it was pitch dark and no night lighting whatsoever.  Running around with my flash light, I found most of the boxes were locked down.  I finally found a 30V connection open close to the arena, then leveled the RV in the dark in 35 degree weather.  So much for picking my favorite spot!  And with all my strength I could not open the water valve, so I did without city water all weekend. Somehow, none of that stressed me out either.
 

Only 2 channels came in on my dinky little AIR antennae, but I got to watch Jay Leno for a change.  He’s gotten funnier over the years.  I opened up my couch and used it as a bed for the first time.  It’s so comfortable, I fell asleep watching TV and woke up there in the morning!  But I noticed the RV walls got cold. Heater worked great after I directed all the vents towards the center of the rooms – they were all facing the floor.  Heater ran almost continuously with temps ranging from 28-55 all weekend (4 days), and used up about 3/4 of my LP tank.   Also learned I don’t need to bother with connecting up the water line.  1/2 tank is plenty for all my flushing needs, and I bring 4 gallons of drinking water for coffee, cooking and dogs.

Our crate space -- daytime home for 3 days.

It was too cold to set up my outdoor yard, and since the arena was far away I set up my crate space indoors. It’s easy as pie to set up if all you do is drive up, level up and plug in. Yahoo!  (But first, be sure you can plug in.)

Now, on to the trial: I only got in for Friday and Sunday, so Saturday I just hung out and tinkered. Dogs ran tall to small all weekend, making Lucky the 6th dog on the line in each class, and Maxie was second to last! Only one ring, which went smoothly and Tanya Lee, Trial Sec, says it goes just as fast as with 2 rings if the judges nest the courses properly.

GOALS SET/GOALS MET:
Maxie:  1 QQ, at least 20 MACH points, and running weaves/got my QQ plus another Q and 30 MACH points, but no running weaves which helped cause his 4th clean run to be 3 seconds over time.
Lucky Lucy:  1 jumpers Q, 1 standard Q, at least 5 MACH points, and running weaves/got both Q's and 6 MACH points, but no running weaves.
Pepper:  better leash behavior, off leash sit/stays in arena at practice bar, attentiveness to me, ease with other people and trial environment/got all except better leash behavior.

Theresa and Breeze, a tiny sheltie

FRIDAY:  Maxie QQ’d with 2 2nd places, placing that high only because Breeze, who usually beats Maxie by 10 seconds or so and working on his 4th MACH, got pulled.  The little 8” sheltie took off from the start line walking– by the 3rd obstacle Theresa picked him up and pulled him out for the weekend – they’re supposed to compete in Nationals in 2 weeks.  She reported he had given a yelp at the practice jump just before his turn.  Musta pulled something. How heartbreaking is that?  Lucky Q’d in Standard by 5 seconds despite walking her weaves, but scratched in Jumpers by walking her weaves plus a refusal in a threadle and taking the table twice. Someone just had to comment that she doesn’t have a good “work ethic”.  I guess that means she lacks drive?  Another chimed in saying I’ve slowed both Lucky and Maxie down by demanding perfection, over-practicing, and not making it fun.  That’s all such bulls#%t, I hardly practice and don't demand perfection, but I wish they’d apply their “make it fun” standards to encouraging me.  I’m going to follow Joe’s advice (who had overheard their comments) –  “Don’t listen to anybody.”

Found out that some clubs comp the runs of their Trial Secretary, Chief Course Builder and Gate Steward, confirming what a few of us have been thinking/talking about recently -- It’s too darn much work to expect key positions of a trial to be filled by volunteers for free, especially when trials are netting thousands of dollars.  We are outgrowing our "hobby" status.  AKC trials have CUSTOMERS who expect competent SERVICE for the thousands of dollars they spend each year.

Tanya Lee studies her club's new tire.

Saw a breakaway tire for the first time, and several of us studied how it worked, with electromagnets holding the bottom sections together. The tire did break apart for several dogs, but Judge Mary Mullens didn't fault that because nobody was sure how to set the tension.  It's clear, several dogs do nick the tire.

Here's a video that explains AKC's new requirement and shows how the breakaway tire works.

Here’s a link to a collection of YouTube videos showing Scary Tyre Accidents, which I’m sure contributed to AKC’s new rule.

Mary Mullens was the most pleasant judge I've encountered so far. She was gracious, supportive, clear, concise, kept things running smoothly, her courses flowed, she nested the courses well.

Dawn in pink with her new pap puppy, Theresa in green
with her new pap, me in red with Maxie & Pepper.

SATURDAY:
Didn’t make it off the waiting list to run Maxie and Lucky, so Saturday was Pepper’s day.  We hung out all over the place. I had several people hold him while I walked away. We stayed in the bleachers awhile, ringside awhile, alone in the crate awhile, did some heel work, and I worked him off leash in the warm up area.  He sniffed a lot but didn't run away. For those who don't know, this is called "proofing the dog", i.e., desensitizing them to the trial environment long before they ever compete.  It's very important because arenas are very noisy, busy and stressful.   Talked with 2 new papillon owners and we had a little party. Theresa helped me measure him and he's definitely going to jump 12" with his 11 3/8" height.  Sorry, boy, you're going to have to run with much larger, faster dogs.  I hope I can learn to keep up with you.

SUNDAY:  Maxie had 2 clean runs and I really thought he had QQ'd a second time with a 1st place as no other dogs in his class qualified.  Much to my dismay, when the results of the last run were posted, he was 3 seconds over course time.  A first for him. In fact, his YPS all weekend were down, in the 2.8 - 3.2 range whereas he's usually in the 3.25 - 3.8 range.  He seemed to run with nose to the ground a lot, and he never once ran his weaves.  This despite running weaves every day at home for the last week and him begging for more turns.  He sits at the end of the weaves or on the see-saw and refuses to budge.   I literally have to fetch him out of the yard to end his turn. Lucky's Q in Jumpers was icing on the day, with her fastest run time all weekend at 3.68 YPS.

RAFFLE:  Great raffle karma this weekend.
 

Bought my usual $10 worth, got 15 tickets, and put 5 into each of 3 choices.  I knew I'd win the Addidas baseball shoes because mine were the only tickets in the bag.  I tried them on, they fit perfect, and I have been wanting cleats for training in wet grass or muddy conditions, and the leather cover over the tied shoe laces means they can't come undone while I'm running around.  Worth between $30-$60.

My other two choices had lots of other bidders, so I didn't expect to win.  I was surprised, then, to win a WOOF Leash Rack and assorted dog toys in a plastic sterlite tub.  The rack and tub will go in the RV. We chew through toys quickly so those are always welcome.

And while I didn't win the little plush dog bed, I did congratulate the lady who won it and to my amazement she said she didn't want the bed, just the stuff in it.  I offered her $5 for it and she agreed!  Said it paid for her raffle tickets! Willow is sure I brought this incredible bed home just for her, but they all take turns nestling in. It is very very plush and very very soft, unlike the other cotton, terry cloth or velveteen lined beds around my house. Can they really feel the difference?  The bed seems always occupied, even by Lucky who barely fits.  Except for FoohFooh the dingo, who doesn't go for such froo froo.  In 12 years I don't think I've ever seen him go in a dog bed!  He prefers the hard floor.

L to R:  Willow, Pepper, Maxie, Lucky Lucy

And as I write my last paragraph, I look over and see this vision of adorableness -- Pepper and Maxie curled up together.  Whipped my iPhone out and snapped another pic to show you.  Couldn't resist. It reminds me what the lady said who gave me the bed:  "It wouldn't suit my dog" (a mid size dog but not sure what kind), "but is perfect for your Papillons."  She was right! Before this, I would never have gone out and purchased a plush bed or blanket for my Paps, but by gum, they really can tell the difference and prefer plush to plain!!!

 

Another bonus: While packing up to leave the arena, I sought out the manager, told him about the dark parking lot on Thursday night, the locked electric boxes and no water, and he refunded me Thursday night's reservation fee -- $20. More details on IKE’s RV accommodations available on my Trial Site Summaries page.  Got home about 8 p.m. and John had dinner cooking for me -- spaghetti and meat sauce, french bread and a big green salad.  Plus he helped me potty and feed the dogs, and unload the RV.  I was quite tired by then, and really appreciated the warm welcome home!

 

Monday morning I noticed the azeleas had popped open all down my driveway. Picked some for my window sill and used them for Maxie's QQ photo. He didn't much like posing amidst those flowers. Lucky would barely pose. I never could get her ears up and she kept looking at me with those huge brown eyes one is always in danger of falling into, as if to say "how much longer must I endure this torture".

Still have my videos to watch and study, so the trial isn't over yet for me.  I look forward to that, but tomorrow is another Agility Bloggers Event so I have to concentrate on that right now.  I also need to catch up on the 2 courses I'm auditing from the Daisy Peel Online Classroom. Not to mention the rest of my life, which is in a state of complete neglect because it is nowhere near as much fun!

Upwards and onward!

 

Krew Of Mutts Parade

Maxie, Pepper and I had a blast at the Krew of Mutts Parade yesterday. This event is put on annually by the local Capital Area Animal Welfare Society, which rescues and raises funds for their low cost/free spay/neuter program.  It was this event 2 years ago which originally prompted me to develop a booth presence for my dog club, LCCOC, so we could let the public know about the dog training opportunities we offer. Here's how it looks so far:


Maxie left and Pepper right, in my arms, our booth behind us.

I had spent the last 4 days painting our LCCOC logo on all 4 sides of our canopy, and was very pleased with how it looked.  The cost of silk-screening would have been prohibitive, not to mention I couldn't find a printer who would do it, so I did it myself for about $5 using 3 coats of fabric paint. We were one of the only booths with an overhead logo, plus we had so many volunteers, we had to set up an additional canopy to shade all their dog crates!

I only brought the two paps, leaving Lucky, Willow and FoohFooh at home. We were gone all day, but Nathan came by and let them out mid-day so that worked out well.

My plan was to have all the volunteers and their dogs walk together in the parade, a sea of blue shirts, with someone pulling my wagon full of beads, throws and literature, while the other volunteers passed out stuff, with Maxie and Pepper riding in the caboose and me close behind them.  I only saw one other Papillon all day, so my two drew lots of attention in their crate, walking around on leash, but especially in the wagon.

But first, Pepper had never ridden in the caboose so I had to do a bit of on-the-spot training.  He looked so adorable misbehaving with his front paws hooked over the edge that numerous passers-by wanted to snap pictures of that, but he quickly learned that he only got treats from Mamma when he sat with both front feet tucked in.  I myself had to resist the urge to reward him for cuteness alone, but the next step would be his jumping out.  Here I am testing his resolve while I reach for more treats.  He is getting much better at impulse control.

Unfortunately, it was unclear when the parade started or where, so we ended up with everyone scattered. Not how I pictured it.  I ended up pulling the wagon alone with my dogs unattended in the back, and no hands for throwing beads or time to pass out brochures. Both sat perfectly throughout the parade, though, demonstrating perfect obedience, and many people made me stop so they could take pictures of the darling pair.  Are they not ADORABLE???? I think Paps look better in pairs.

Pepper left, Maxie right, riding in the caboose.
wearing their Mardi Gras collars and posing for photos.

Only problems I had were the kids demanding I "throw them something" and me with no free hands or time due to the young man behind me who had a large mixed breed shephard dog on a 6 foot leash.  The dog had a long "better to eat you with" snout and kept sticking it in my dogs' faces which of course made me (and them) nervous.  No matter how many times I went back and asked him to keep his dog at a 3 foot distance, he just could not reign his dog in.  No control. No spatial awareness.  Probably no training whatsoever.  If his dog pulled, he moved forward.  He assured me his dog didn't bite, was just being friendly but I didn't care. I eventually managed to put some distance between us, but it was like trying to shake a pesky driver on the highway that insists on riding your bumper whether you speed up or slow down.

That said, nothing bad happened.  In fact, I am amazed every year how hundreds of strange dogs can gather at the event, held on loose leashes by untrained owners, and there aren't many, if any, incidents.

We all came home totally pooped, they conked out, and I began running a fever and coughing my head off.  Today I went to the doctor, got a chest X-ray, and was diagnosed with pheumonia!  No wonder I've been dragging.  Got a shot, antibiotics, and an inhaler and if I don't improve within 48 hours they are putting me in the hospital.

It is also my son's 41st birthday.  My how time flies when you're having fun!

Upwards and onward!

Pepper's 1st Birthday

CC: Audrey, Laura, John, Allison, Nathan, Portia
Dogs: Pepper, Willow, Maxie

Today is Pepper's 1st Birthday.  I picked a pet friendly restaurant, La Madeleine's Bakery, for his party, and called ahead so management expected us.  It lasted about 45 minutes, took no prep time, and worked out great.  Our closest circle of peeps came after work, about 5 p.m.  Nathan secured us a lovely table on the porch, and John started snapping pix with my iPhone.   I bought a fruit tart, and onlookers were amazed how the dogs sat and stayed with the tart under their noses while we lit the candle, sang Happy Birthday, divvied it up onto 3 separate plates, and waited for my "Okay" command before eating.  I put this slide show together in Windows Live Photo Gallery, just to see how that works.  Not so well, as I can't put the slides in the order I want.  (Hit the "REFRESH" button if it doesn't show up the first time you open this page.)





Pepper at 8.5 weeks old.

Pepper at 6 months, with huge ears,
a long nose, and not much fur.

It's so hard to believe I brought Pepper home last January. Seems more like last month.  Where has the time gone? 


I never intended to keep the fat little fart with the huge ears and big feet, just sell him to raise money for my agility expenses and increase the Papillon population in our area.  Did I really need a 3rd agility dog?  When exactly did I decide to keep him?  Don't know.  He grew on us gradually, but neither John nor I would give him up for anything now.

Pepper at 1 year, growing into his ears and nose.

From day one, he just fit in.  Everyone accepted him -- dogs, cats, family, friends.  Going from 2 paps to 3 was no great effort.  No extra crates or beds.  He posed no problems, other than an extra vet visit and some puppy chow.  Of course, there will be training expenses.

It's going to be a fun trip learning more and more about our new Birthday Boy, tracking his progress, training, and reaching for another gold ring.

Lucky is almost 4, Maxie is 5.4, Willow is 10, and FoohFooh is almost 13. And I'm about to turn 66.  Time is flying by.  Will I still be training dogs, running Pepper, at 76? Can I do right by this amazing little guy?  I shall try.

Upwards and onward!

My First Cortisone Shot - for Hip Bursitis

Willow hovers over me and seems more alert and
affectionate since I've been hurting.  Her personality
is noticably different.

I got my first cortisone shot last Monday, after suffering another bout of debilitating hip pain that sent me to the doctor for hip X-rays.  This after a 4 month healing period where I didn't train or trial due to hip pain and an inability to run.  I feared the worst, that my hip joints were deteriorating, but NO, my hip bones appear to be fine.  It's just another bout of Hip Bursitis, this one brought about by repetitive motion picking up sticks and raking twigs for days on end after Hurricane Isaac.  My recent blog post about my new mantra - "Llittle And Often Makes Much", took on a new twist.  While the yard got cleaner, my hip pain got much much worse!

It's been 5 days since the shot, I still have soreness in the hip, I still wouldn't dare run, but I can walk around without pain.  (It's most painful when I first get out of bed or chair, but loosens up after a few minutes.) Doc says I should be able to train and run after a week, and by next week should be able to run my dogs in our Port Allen Agility Trial.  Today I reviewed my blog post from last year on Bursitis and am digging out the Ultrasound Machine to add to my ice pack regimen.



Maxie lies around and waits for Mommie to get better.

Meanwhile, I've hired a young Iraqui War Vet on disability to finish my yard work, in little drips and drabs when he's available, and I'm taking it easy in my TV chair.  Thank God for commercial-free Netflix. Also managed to take a great photo each of Willow, Maxie, and Pepper, gather and fill all the hummingbird feeders, reorganize my pantry and deep freeze, and gather all my darning around me (repairing the dog's stuffed toys, torn pockets, broken zippers, etc). Also got to participate in the 4th Agility Blog Action Day yesterday, which took a whole day. Slow down time can still be productive.



Pepper at 11 months, locked and loaded,
always ready to play.  Those ear feathers
are still coming in.

Took Maxie and Lucky to class last Tuesday, and though I didn't run them, I got a few agility classmates who say they're willing to run my dogs.  And proved again Lucky will run for anyone carrying her ball, Maxie will run for anyone carrying his gizzard treats.  (Why do so many handlers say their dogs won't run for anyone else, or that they can't run anyone else's dogs?????) In fact, both ran like the wind for Sandy, who is younger and runs faster than I do, and handles pretty much like I do.  It was a joy to watch my dogs fly!  A joy to have her declare that my dogs are fast and fun to run. 

Sadly, they aren't nearly so fast for me.  I slow them down.  Need to address that issue one day soon.  I still need a running coach.  And my instructor says I sound angry when calling out obstacles.  Do I?  I'm certainly not angry in the least, but do I need to sound more cheerful?  I've got to look into that. 

Always more to do. Always room for improvement. Never enough time.

Upwards and onward!

Hattiesburg Agility Trial - August 2012

Maxie: 4 runs, 2 Q's, 1 3rd place, 41 MACH points, 4 videos
Lucky Lucy: 4 runs (3 clean), 1 Q, 5 MACH points, 3 videos

Despite surviving a tornado, locking myself out of the RV, only 3 Q's in 8 runs, and my most embarassing moment ever at any trial, in retrospect I am moderately pleased with our trialing weekend.  The RV's maiden voyage was mostly successful.

I left Baton Rouge Wednesday afternoon to give myself time to set up the RV and rest up before competing on Thursday. We had a very pleasant day and evening and all of us slept well.

Pepper, at 10 months, was excited but not nervous, and a great companion for Maxie.  He received many compliments.

Thursday, dogs ran small to tall and the FAST class went first (which I didn't enter), so Maxie's 1st run wasn't until around 9:30 a.m.  I didn't have to get up at the crack of dawn until Friday, when he was the 4th dog on the line at 8, and even after the stress of being caught out in a tornado Thursday afternoon, I felt fine on Friday. Here's the video composite, with commentary (missed one). I'm still not satisfied with the audio, which sometimes cuts out.  Since both dogs are running the same courses now, I decided to put identical runs together for comparison.



In every run, Maxie ran the course in less time than Lucky, ranging from 1 to 10 seconds faster.  Odd considering the difference in their stride and leg length, and Lucky's strength.

Maxie ran well, only popped out of the weaves once out of 4 runs, and I pulled him off the second to last jump on another run.  2 errors out of roughly 80 obstacles.  His time was good but he had some stiff competition, including one Welsh Corgi, Stella, who smoked all the other 8" dogs every time by several seconds.  Lucky handled well and only made 1 mistake in 4 runs, she was reasonably focused, but again she didn't make course time 3 out of 4 runs.  Her weaves were slightly faster this weekend.  She walked less and ran more than previous runs.

Saturday I woke up with my shin muscles very sore, probably from my struggles in the tornado on Thursday.  I could barely maneuver my legs, was off emotionally, and it turned out to be a horrible day.  I hadn't entered my dogs, just planned to hang out to cheer on and video our novice competitors (our club has generated many new competitors this year, more than ever!)

My most embarassing trial moment to date: 

Ken and Casey on the start line Saturday,
Novice Standard

Ken, a new friend and enthusiastic club member, at his first trial, was 4th dog on the line early Saturday morning, his 2nd Jumpers run ever. I left my dogs in the RV and and ran to the arena to watch and video him. I was near the start line, camera running. Ken took a long lead out as we had practiced.  When Casey broke her start line stay, Ken headed back behind the1st jump to sit her again.  Before I knew it, confused on the rules myself, I yelled "NO, KEN, NO", the judge blew the whistle and disqualified him for "Outside Interference".  Shocked at this unfolding drama, I begged the judge over and over to give him another chance, it wasn't his fault, it was all my fault, etc.  But she said 'NO, SORRY, NO, BOTH OF YOU CAN LEARN FROM THIS EXPERIENCE, BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME".  Incredulous! 

I thought that was such an unfair ruling for a Novice A handler.  Punish me, not him.  Take away my last Q, whatever.  That would have somewhat assuaged me but nothing worked.  After he left the ring, I was unconsolable.  Ken told me later he would have led out again past the jump and been disqualified anyway, but that doesn't excuse my outburst, nor my confusion about the rules.  I left the arena, cried all morning, almost threw up several times.  Of course , nobody from our club had gone over the start line rules with him, Ken hadn't read the AKC regulations, and I hadn't reviewed the rules in 2 years!  Conclusion, something needs to change.

Reviewing the rules is something our dog club should do with every novice competitor.  Maybe as my penance, I should write those up in layman's language for us to hand out to our newbies, and to remind myself of the rules.

Secondly, nobody in our club had measured Ken's dog, so he's been jumping Casey at 20" all year long in practice. The VMO measured her at over 22", which required her to jump 24". She managed to do it, only knocking 3 bars, but barely cleared the rest. They Q'd 5 out of 10 runs the whole weekend, but the surprise height change was quite a shock.

Every dog in our club intending to compete in agility should be measured by the time they enter Advanced Beginner level.


Next trial I'm entered in is our own in Port Allen, just 4 weeks away.  Til then Lucky is enrolled in Monday night Competition class, Maxie is enrolled in the Tuesday night Competition class, and Pepper in the Wednesday night Intro Class.  Lots of Agility going on.

Upwards and onward!

Maiden Voyage of my new RV - Hattiesburg

New puppy, Pepper, lounges on the couch
of our dream RV, as we head to Hattiesburg.

Heading out to Hattiesburg (about 3 hours away) for our first trial since April, this was our first time on the road since bringing my new RV home from Florida last May.  I have spent the past 3 months working out every minute detail for comfort and utility for me and my dogs.  I knew I'd have a few more kinks to work out, but OMG nothing of TORNADO magnitude!  I filled the tank, and drove the whole trip at 65 mph, so next time I gas up I'll be able to calculate mileage at that speed, hoping it exceeds 8 mpg.  So far, my plan is unfolding.
 
Once there, I parked on a slanted slab so dreaded by my previous experience in Hattiesburg with my pop-up camper, but a different wheel base and my home-made leveling boards worked perfect to level the unit and keep her stable.  Still good.  I set up my 32' x-pen yard at the RV site, with my lattice skirt along the RV wall, and found that the lattice needs to be cut down 1/4" more to clear the door.  Humm, at my house it clears fine, but I'm not on concrete.  Maybe there's a dip in my yard. I marked the lattice and sawed the excess off when I got home.  I hit one pot-hole on the way home that made 2 drawers and the kitchen door fly open, but that just served to help me figure out how to bungie them shut in transit.  I timed complete set up in 2 hours on Wednesday afternoon, it was easy work, and every preparation was working great!

Lucky Lucy is comfortable on the bench,
while Maxie (who can't be seen) chose
to lounge in the open crate at right.

Until . . . . . Thursday afternoon, after my last run, with storm clouds gathering, I decided to pack my wagon and dogs and walk from the arena to the RV before it began to rain.  It was a long walk.  About half way, too late to go back, lightening split the sky and it started to drizzle, then rain.  I thought I could make it to the RV so kept going.  Lucky was in harness helping me pull the wagon.  We walked as fast as we could, getting wet, laughing, but with each crack of lightening Lucky's pulling became more eratic and the rains increased.  Eventually I unhitched her from the wagon.  Thank goodness, because within 20 seconds a tornado touched down, knocked me off my feet and flung the wagon 30 feet away.  I scrambled fast to marshall us all to the door of our motor home, but as I rounded the bend saw my x-pens had been knocked down, my table flipped over and there was lots of debris to get tangled in.  And then I realized the keys were still in my purse, in a wagon flung far away.  We were locked out -- in dousing rain and high winds, only barely protected by crouching against the wall of the motor home, which began rocking furiously back and forth.  There was no shelter anywhere else.  No choice, I had to try and reach my keys and get us inside.  I commanded the dogs to "STAY" against the side of the RV, which I figured provided them some protection from wind and pelting rain.  I headed toward the wagon as fast as I could.  Suddenly, it began hailing so hard, blowing almost horizontally, I was knocked to my knees. I had to crawl and keep my head down.  Afraid for my life, I abandoned the wagon idea and took refuge behind my neighbor's trailer -- a little trailer that could have blown off it's chocks and crushed me at any moment.  My prayer was that my RV wouldn't capsize and that my dogs were safer than I was and would stay put where I left them.  I couldn't even see them and dared not call. I was truly afraid for all our lives.  What seemed like 10 minutes later (probably 3) the hail subsided, and I see Lucky skulking my way in the downpour, dragging her leash, and she crawls up under the trailer and extends her paw to me then licks my face.  I grab her neck and melt into tears. Then I see Pepper wandering about, looking for Lucky in the blinding rain, and I call his name from my gut.  He makes his way under the trailer, totally drenched but otherwise unharmed.  Then I notice Maxie is still STAYING where I put him, I begin calling furiously, furiously.  And he makes his way to the trailer, me praying with all my might his leash doesn't get tangled in debris.  He made it.  I have never been so glad to have all my dogs near me.  I unhooked their leashes to prevent them further danger of getting tangled in debris in case we needed to run again.  There was no predicting what might happen next.   When the winds died down, but it was still raining hard, I ventured forth to fetch my keys.  They all followed me to the wagon and then to the RV.  They were all totally focused on my commands, no controversy, total trust but they didn't want to be separated from my side.  We were all drenched to the bone and dripping everywhere.  I no longer cared about keeping my carpets or upholstery clean. Who gives a shit about carpet compared to safety?????  They followed me in, I towel dried each dog as best I could, quickly changed out of my sopping clothes, then put on a poncho and went back out in the rain to fetch my purse, camera case, and dog duffle bag, which were all drenched.  At that point some nice lady walked by saying people and dogs had to head back to the arena immediately for safety, another even worse storm is coming within 5-10 minutes.  Without hesitation I leashed the dogs and we hurried back, and entered an air conditioned arena that was freezing cold to us wet people.  Maxie began shivering so violently I feared hypothermia, and I didn't even have a towel to wrap him in. 

NOTE:  Always carry a big towel in your gear.  Add a hair dryer to my equipment list.

I managed to borrow a towel, dried Maxie off as best I could, and held him in my arms for the next half hour.  Lucky and Pepper weren't so affected by the cold.  The trial stopped.  After an hour and no worse storm happened, the trial re-commenced and we walked back to the RV, where we stayed cozied up the rest of the night. I realized I need a big tub to put wet items in.  A few items in my cabinets were topsy turvy and I made notes for the future.  We learned later, one 5th wheel had been turned around 90 degrees, blown off it's jacks and suffered damage, the brand new little A-frame trailer to my left had collapsed, and other RV'ers suffered minor damage.  Part of the arena roof blew off.  Trees snapped off, and debris was flying all over the grounds.  No one was hurt. We were all extremely lucky.  I managed to salvage all my stuff along the fence line by the next day, and though wet, none of it was harmed. I dare not contemplate how I would have faired in my pop-up,

Next day, Friday, to my great amazement, we all felt fine.  Maxie Q'd one of 2 runs with only 1 problem caused by me to his NQ, and Lucky ran pretty well for her.  I was calm.  I didn't feel shaky until Saturday.

Saturday I wokd up with my shin muscles very sore.  I could barely rotate my ankles, was off emotionally, and it turned out to be a horrible day.  More on the trial-related horrible thing will be in my next post along with a summary of our runs.

Second horrible thing, I was packing up the RV to go home Saturday afternoon, dogs inside, me moving stuff in and out, when the f'ing door locked itself and I was locked out!  Keys were inside.  95 degree weather.  What??????   After recovering from jaw slapping shock, I found my iPhone in my pocket and used it to call 911. They offered to contact a locksmith, meanwhile I went back into the arena to see if anyone could help, but of course the trial secretary was busy recording scores, also told me campus security wasn't on site.  After an hour 911 couldn't rouse a locksmith, but eventually sent a sherrif out to pick my lock.  (They didn't send anyone at first because "we can't pick locks on motor homes, only on vehicles."  I thought fast, and assured them that my Class C motor home was built on a van chassis, so it was just a vehicle  So they agreed to try.)  But this took 2 hours, with the dogs inside and me out in the heat.  At least my dogs were air conditioning, but I wasn't.  I used my time wisely re-arranging the outside storage compartments (which I had planned to do anyway), staying in the little ribbon of shade beside the RV.  But towards the last half hour I was getting hot, parched and while still not frantic, considerably nervous.  Finally I remembered the broken window latch I had taped shut on the drive home from Florida, managed to force the window open and get inside by standing on the handle of my little step laddar, and just as I got my butt in, my feet dangling out the window, the sherrif arrives!  Lucy, I had some 'splainin' to do!

NOTE:  Hide a second set of keys in a magnetic box and put it outside somewhere.  I hear one can purchase a magnetic box with a combination on it.

Made it home without further incident, pacing myself, exhausted and not caring about our agility performance.  Haven't even watched the videos.  I'll assess this when I feel better rested.



Upwards and onward!

Foray Into Conformation

Pepper watching Mommy and keeping quiet.

On Saturday, August 4, I made my first foray into Conformation -- attending a show at the Ponchartrain Convention Center in Kenner, Louisiana with Pepper, just to see what goes on.  Louisiana Kennel Club was the host club, the show was huge, with hundreds of dogs and 10 or more rings.  I only filmed in the small room with 3 rings.  Several dog agility friends were there, some showing, others looking for a mate to breed their dog with, others looking for a breeder to purchase their next champion puppy from.  As it says on the AKC website, "the purpose of a dog show is to evaluate breeding stock."

I mostly went just to investigate the process, and to see the Papillons.  Wanted to see how Pepper compares in appearance to known conformation Paps.  Maybe talk to a judge about Pepper's qualifications.  It was a very bustly place, though.  I never got to show Pepper to anyone competent to assess him.  My own assessment is that he is taller, more long nosed, long legged and long bodied than the others.  He has a mature, statuesque look to him than the others, but it has its own beauty.

I arrived around 9:30 a.m., and the Papillons didn't go into the ring again until 10:30, so I had time to make a few trips to the car, haul in my crate, my chair, my video camera, and talk to a few Pap owners.  As with agility, many of them seemed to know each other, having been on the conformation circuit for many years.  I was, again, a complete newbie.  The doors were plastered with "No Unentered Dogs Allowed", so I was immediately a renegade breaking the rules!  But I had come 90 miles in the rain, I couldn't leave him out in the car in 95 degree weather, and knew I wasn't going to hurt anything, so I got up my gumption, entered, set up my gear in an out of the way place, and prayed that Pepper would crate up and keep quiet, which he did as long as I was in sight.  The few times I disappeared around a corner he began howling, so I stayed close or walked him on leash with me, and nobody threw us out. What a relief!

I positioned us as best I could to video the Paps and handlers.  I must have missed an earlier judging because what I captured was very different from the videos I took later of a friend in the dachshund ring, where the dogs were lined up in a completely different way than the Paps.  Here is what I got.

I saw some beautiful Paps.  I couldn't really tell who won, except when the photographer began taking photos of the "Best Of Winners" and "Winners" category.  One winner looked like a Chihuaha, nothing like a Pap, which confused me.  I found out later from cousin Lois that photos can be taken of different toy breeds on the same table at the same time if judged by the same judge.  Surely, then, I missed an earlier judging of the paps.

Some of the handlers were clearly professionals, others were just dog owners, and I couldn't shake the feeling that the professionals knew the judges ahead of time and were being favored. 
Most of the Paps there were around 8.5-10".  12" is a disqualification fault, but anything under 12" is permitted, though 11" or under is preferred.  I'm not sure of Pepper's height at 10 months but suspect it is about 11".  I need to get him measured.  Lois assures me he has quit growing at 10 months, and his pasterns will drop up to 1/2" at about a year of age.  I dread the thought of running him in the 12" jump height category in agility, where he will be one of the smallest having to jump the highest.

Anyways, I got a feel for the whole conformation process.  It is complicated, confusing, and loud.  There are several categories (Puppy, 9-12 months, etc) , and in each category there is Winner's Dog, Winner's Bitch, Best of Winners, Reserve Winners, Best of Show.  All you do is check the catalog to see where to show up, dress up, fluff up the dog, position them to stand for exam, walk too and fro, walk around in a circle, lure the dog constantly to pay attention to you, leave the ring.  With a few cursory glances and touches, some judge decides who's the best, and onlookers get a second or two to see the lineup of who wins.  Sometimes you see a judge hand out a blue ribbon.  Not much fanfare about it.  And all around the ring are people talking about which dog looks best. I saw no discernable test for agility, obedience or intelligence -- just breeding for looks is not the best plan in my view for designing great breeds.

Behind the scenes, I bet a lot of folks are visiting the winner dogs' crate areas and wheeling and dealing about stud fees and puppies.  I didn't get to see any of that. Maybe another time.

There were a dozen or more vendor booths, and one reason I went was to get a white nylon show leash.  I couldn't find one of those (boo), and nothing else tempted me (yeah)!

One neat thing.  At the Onofrio Dog Shows website, all the upcoming conformation shows are listed, plus all the results from past shows.  Lois was able to go there and confirm who the winners were in my video above, and verify that they were all, as I suspected, professional handlers she is familiar with.  What a magnificent website for those interested in Conformation.  And it's FREE.

Upwards and onward!

Pepper Goes To School



Pepper, Pepper Tu, Pepperoni at 6 months,
in his natural stack.

Pepper attended his first formal class last night - my dog club's Intro To Agility.  He is 7 months and 5 days old.  I had to beg to get him in, as there were already 7 other dogs enrolled, but if not now he'd be almost 11 months before he started, and that would be way late. 

Kay Watson was his teacher, there were 8 dogs in the class and we all had to promise to be organized and stay in line.  It was shades of Maxie's first class 4.5 years ago, all over again.  Same instructor.  Same excitement.  Same results -- Pepper did fabulous.  100% enthusiastic, gung ho, attentive, no fear of the other dogs though he was by far the smallest canine on the line.  His "loose leash" behavior needs some work -- he's more like a "marlin on a line" keeping maximum tension on the leash and running too and fro trying to visit everybody, but that's because I haven't had him on a leash for a few months and he's never been in a class.

With my hip bothering me and unable to, or at least afraid to run, plus the other "components" I'm dealing with (cataract surgery gone awry, death in the family, mother emotionally unstable) I'm sitting out of the advanced classes with Lucky and Maxie for a few weeks more at least, but I felt I could handle an Intro class where we're just introducing one obstacle at a time, I don't have to concentrate much, and there's no running involved.

Several classmates commented that Pepper was a beautiful Papillon, in a "My, what big ears you have" sort of way.  More than that, though, he has completely lost his fat, pudgy, big boned, marshmellow appearance, becoming very long legged, lean and dainty looking, with a fantastic natural stance, his flat headed border collie puppy face which used to make me call him "so ugly he's cute", is transforming into a more high domed head with the deeper stop that Paps are supposed to have, and his coat and feathers are coming in longer and lusher every day.

Pepper (left), Maxie (right)

He's already taller than Maxie, heavier and longer.  I'm crossing my fingers he doesn't exceed 11".  Right now he's about 10.5", and weighs 8 lbs.  My cousin, Lois, tells me Paps quit growing at about 7 months, and that they actually lose 1/4 inch of their height by 1 year of age.  But Maxie grew an extra 2.5 inches tall from 6 months to 1 year of age. But then I was feeding him 1 tablespoon of cows milk twice daily for about 3 months to get him taller than 7.5".  It worked (as well it should since cows milk has growth hormones in it enough to grow a calf to 1200 lbs!)

Hey, I'm blogging!  Ain't that something!  What I've noticed about myself of such easy-flowing words, is that some things are too deep, too confusing, to blog about.  There is, like, a blockage in the brain that won't let you go there. It's a "seeing thru a glass darkly" phenomenon, "running at half mast" in sailing terms, I remember asking a club mate once about a dog of hers that had been run over several years back, and she responded "Oh, I can't talk about that."  When I expressed condolences, she snapped "I WILL NOT talk about this."  Some things are just too painful to process, I suspect this is when we are, or feel we are, utterly helpless to change the outcome of something that is totally unacceptable to us.

Puppy training is one thing it appears I can now wrap my mind around.  I've also been making improvements to my new motor home, and getting my pop up camper ready to sell.  These things are keeping me engaged, and I'll probably blog about them soon!

Upwards and onward!

Port Allen Agility Trial 2012

Maxie: 6 runs, 3 Q's, 1 QQ, 26 MACH points, 1 1st place, 1 2nd place, 1 3rd place
Lucky Lucy: 6 runs, no Q's

L to R.  John, John R, Ken

This was our club's annual agility trial.  It fell on Easter weekend so was a bit more sparsely attended than usual, but it was the best I've been to in terms of comradery and team spirit.  Lots of new club competitors in novice - Jerri, Sandy, Robbie, Nicole, Kimberly, a few Q's among them, and they were all really good sports!  We had lots of volunteers, even from club members who don't do agility. The atmosphere was jovial and helpful.  John took 2 days vacation to serve as chief truck packer/driver and first assistant to our chief course builder.  He left home at 5:45 every morning and never stopped until bed time. Lots of other people helped load and move the equipment around where it was needed, but John and John R. were always there with the judge's maps in hand, pacing out yardage and figuring out where to put each obstacle.  It was a major job and he learned a lot. Ken Lively, a new member whose dog doesn't even compete yet, was by their side every minute.  While one ring was running they were setting the other one.  All 3 worked their butts off. Our club could use about twice as many members to lighten this load. It is really too much to ask of one volunteer course building crew to keep up this pace for 3 days.

I worked mostly behind the scenes, setting up a publicity table with AKC info and easter candy, and several people learned about our club and picked up brochures.  That was satisfying, though with a bit more planning I could have put out flyers on our upcoming Obedience Trial and Match.  DUH!  Less satisfying that no reporters came out and only a brief mention in the Advocate, though I had submitted articles to both the Baton Rouge and Port Allen papers.  Our club was short a 15' tunnel so I brought mine, helped  repair equipment, load and unload the truck, and understudied the Trial Secretary job.  I tried to keep trash and poop picked up, and the bathrooms clean.  Enough little unnoticed things that kept me busy.

Maxie's weekend started out great.  First 3 runs were solid Q's, with placement each run, although he always walked his weaves and only once ran as fast as usual.  The 4th run was a nearly Q with a pop-out at the weaves, but the last 2 runs on Sunday were disappointing, not even nearly Q's, and both over course time - a first for him.  I don't know what happened.  There were lots of burrs in the grass.  Maybe he had a sore foot.  Only other things I can figure is that my right hip was hurting so I was slower myself.  Also I brought the new puppy to the trial, and Saturay and Sunday I left Willow at home, figuring the puppy would give Maxie enough company in the X-pen.  Maybe not having his usual crate mate with him, not being confined in his crate, threw his game. Composite video, with commentary, is below.



Lucky Lucy is a different story.  Her performance was so awful all weekend, I won't bog down this page talking about it.  Suffice it to say, it was her worst trial yet, and will get a separate post.  Will she EVER be a good agility dog?

My crate space, Portia and Laura,
Willow (far left, crated) Pepper, Maxie (in X-pen), Lucky

Visitors: My friend Laura and her daughter Portia came Friday, which ended in disaster when Portia fell in love with a frail little rescue dachshund puppy after holding it 5 minutes, someone told her "this puppy could be yours" without consulting the mom, and she cried unconsollably for over an hour when her mom said no.  Such is the mysterious effect of puppies.  Mom is holding out til summer for an agility dog.  Audrey came late Sunday to wish me Happy Easter.  I felt bad I didn't have more time to visit with her, and she witnessed Lucky's terrible last run.  Trials, taking videos, take up all my concentration.  I've about concluded it's best not to have visitors at trials.

This was Winnie's first visit to a trial venue, all 3 days.  He did great, travelled well in the car, didn't seem the least tense or upset at the noise or busy-ness, not the least intimidated by the big dogs, happy in the X-pen whether I was around or not, had little trouble on leash, and didn't mind various people holding/petting him.  I forgot to take pictures of him there with me, but got one of Laura and Portia in our crate space (above), and one with John holding him at the party, below.  It felt odd telling people his name was Winnie.  Honey Bear did't feel right either.  Someone suggested "Pistol Pete" and he answered to that.  I got home and toyed with Petie, then remembered Pepper, my first Papillon heartthrob. 

I decided to name him Pepper in memory of "the one that got away".  They look a lot alike, and the original Pepper was attacked by a big dog and subsequently died.  So it's possible we have a forever name for this puppy at last -- Pepper, Pepper Tu, Peter Pepper, Pepperoni. Lots of fun baby-talk variations to play with.  He answers to them all, if I can remember to say them.  More training now required, I'm so used to calling him Winnie Pooch, etc.

I took videos of over 200 runs.  Now that so many of our club members run each dog in Time2Beat as well as FAST, Standard and Jumpers, and some run 3 or more dogs, and we have so many newbies, that adds up to a lot.  It will take me about 2 weeks to upload them all to Picasa Web Albums, 5 at a time, sort and label them all.  I won't be able to keep up this pace. Not sure how I'll cut down the number, but I must.

Memorabelia:  Swamp Dog Agility (New Orleans Club) had a party at lunch time on Saturday to celebrate Julie Hill and Smartie's recent win at AKC Nationals, 24" category.  A video of her "speech" is posted on my YouTube channel.

The table was beautifully decorated, with an alligator cake, and a red velvet layer cake, champagne, OJ, gifts and speeches..  Both cakes were delicious.  New Orleans folk know how to throw a party. 

We had a party of our own Saturday evening for our club's 3 recent MACH champions -- Noel/Flash, Cheryl/Emily, and Loralie/Jenny.  3 cakes, jambalya, fruit salad.  No decorations, but so many people showed up that the food ran out too fast for all to get some.  Another club mate was taking pictures, so I didn't take any.  Still haven't seen them, though.  That's why I like to take the pictures, so I know they'll make it into our club's Photo Album.

Upwards and onward,