Sheltie Family Picture Outakes

Posted on February 11, 2009 by admin

So, I thought that Layla’s “wait” had come along far enough to test it out on some group pictures. I was wrong. LOL Here’s some of the outtakes.

Setting everybody up….

“Did you see her drop something?”

Hmmm…wonder what I’m missing behind me?

Woops! We’ve lost someone…..LAYLA!

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Wait, wait, there she is! She’s back, but not for long…

Layla says: “I’m outta here! I’ve got much better things to do than sit and wait for you to snap my picture.”

We’ve obviously got a ways to go before she’s going to make group pictures an easy task again. LOL

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Wordless Wednesday 02-11-09 “Coming and Going!”

Posted on February 11, 2009 by admin

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done!

It’s Good to Have Friends

Posted on February 7, 2009 by admin

So, we went for a walk yesterday and Penny found this hole in the snow. I don’t know what it went to, but the series of pictures that I got just cracked me up!

Refocusing…Again

Posted on February 3, 2009 by admin

After wallowing around in a pool of my own disappointment for most of the day yesterday, I was brought to my senses by the dogs running and playing in the sunshine (and mud) in the yard. They weren’t disappointed at all by the fact that I’d cancelled our trip. They couldn’t have cared less. LOL They were enjoying the day. It was just what I needed to refocus my thoughts onto being grateful for what we have, not focusing on what we don’t have.

1. The fact that my husband can’t reasonably take vacation time off work right now isn’t something bad, it just means that he still has a job, (which is something to be grateful for, not begrudge).

2. Even though we didn’t get to actually compete at the Nationals, I need to focus on the fact that it was a nice accomplishment to meet the qualifications.

So, a big thanks to my 7 happy, muddy dogs for reminding me of what a great life we have!

Nice Weekend

Posted on January 26, 2009 by admin

We’re home, and we had a really nice weekend at the agility trial. Raven finished her Novice FAST title, and probably would have qualified in her Ex JWW class too, except for the fact that I forgot she was running in Excellent and nearly missed her turn. I realized my mistake in time for her to still be able to run, but it was rushed and I think my mistake made her nervous from the start. She had a refusal at the first jump and then she went on to finish the run nicely. I was really pleased that she was able to recover that well. I think the year off has helped her alot.

Zoe and I still didn’t get that last Excellent FAST leg that we needed for her title, but that’s ok. She’s still running well, and we’re having fun. I did alot of thinking over the weekend about whether or not I wanted to continue to compete with Zoe in AKC and try for a MACH II, and I think I’ve made my mind up that it’s just not worth it for us. Zoe’s going to be 9 in June, and it took us a good solid two years worth of trialing to get the first MACH, and I just don’t think I want to be pushing her that much as she approaches 10. Not that she’s ready to retire by any means! I just think we’re going to switch over to another venue for now. DOCNA is the most appealing to me because the courses tend to be a little more open and flowing, and it also offers alot of options in jump heights as the dogs age. I think it will be a nice change of pace for us.

Layla had a great weekend too. We went back to visit Barbara and Jim at Sheltie Rescue to finish her adoption paperwork on Thurs. night. While we were there she got to play with the two other 4 mo. old Sheltie puppies that are available for adoption as well as Abbey, Barbara and Jim’s own Sheltie girl. Then she got to go play with her friends Tatum and Muffit at Cynthia house. They ran and ran and barked and had a great time. Friday and Saturday Layla came with us to the agility trial and she got to do some attention work in the new place as well as socialize a little. She even did some targeting by our crating area. The biggest thing she learned was how to do stairs. Didn’t take her long to figure out the stairs at Cynthia’s house and at the trial site, and by the end of the weekend, she was prancing up and down them like she’d been doing it for years. LOL Once again, I forgot the camera, but fortunately Cynthia had hers, so when she has time, maybe we’ll post some pictures of the crating setup at the trial.

Going to be a Busy Week

Posted on January 19, 2009 by admin

This week is going to be hectic! We’ve got a bunch to squeeze in before we leave on Thurs. to go to Farmington for our first agility trial of the year. It’s a three day trial, but I’ve only entered the first two days. I’m pretty nervous about running with Raven again. It’s been almost a year since she’s trialed. She was getting stressed out at trials so we took so time off competing, tried to concentrate on our training, and did some fun little demo things to try to build her confidence. I guess it’s about time to see if it’s helped her.

Zoe’s pretty steady, so running her doesn’t make me nervous, we just have fun! I’m hoping that Zoe can finally get that last FAST leg that she needs to finish that title. Distance work with Zoe has always been a weak point. LOL

Layla is coming along to just get used to the trial atmosphere. This will be her first trip! I think she’s going to do well, (I hope). She’s a really good little traveler on the short day trips that we’ve taken so far.

Rogue and Twist are going to stay home to keep Penny, Lucy and their dad company for the weekend. I doubt that Rogue will be very happy about being left with him, but I just don’t see any sense in stressing her out more than normal in a trial environment, till we can get her medication regulated. If we can get things figured out for her so that she is comfortable at home then we might start taking her on the road a bit again, but until then we’re just slowing things down for a while.

Walking in Winter

Posted on January 17, 2009 by admin

We’ve been walking as much as possible this winter to keep everybody busy. I thought I’d post some of the pictures from our walks. It cracks me up because on nearly every walk, Penny and Zoe end up together, Raven has Layla hot on her heels, Twist and Lucy head off to make their own trails, and Rogue stays with me.

Where Did 2008 Go?

Posted on December 31, 2008 by admin

Well, another year has come and is nearly gone already. I don’t know where the time goes anymore! It’s been a year full of great accomplishments, a big loss, some continuing struggles and new beginnings. Wow, we really crammed alot into a year! LOL

Zoe earned her MACH, to become the first Sheltie in Utah to have that title. She also qualified to go to the AKC National Agility Championship in North Carolina in March, and we’re really looking forward to that trip!

Zoe's MACH chair1 Zoe Carson City 2003

Twist tried his paw at regular obedience this year, and in his first Novice Obedience class, took first place and earned the High in Trial at the Utah Sheltie Specialty! Woohoo, Twist. He went on to finish his CD in September. Now we’re working on moving into Open Obedience!

twist cd

Raven took a break from competing in agility for most of the year, but she did try Rally Obedience at the Utah Sheltie Specialty, and she qualified first time out. She’s entered in an agility trial in Jan., so we’ll see if the break from competition and the training we’ve been doing have paid off. In the meantime, she says that she doesn’t mind just chilling out and chewing on a bully stick.

2008 was a great year for Penny! She got to try out for a tv commercial, and even though she wasn’t chosen, we had a great time! Of course, now she thinks she’s a star and we’re just staff that here to serve her. LOL

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We said goodbye to Jessie this past August. It was an unexpected loss, and she is greatly missed!

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Our attempts to help Rogue overcome, or at least manage more successfully her anxiety issues…continue. The last year has allowed us to meet some wonderful people. I feel really grateful to have found such great support and guidance as we work with Rogue. We hope that 2009 brings more progress for Rogue.

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As for Lucy, she’s enjoyed another year of being Lucy. There’s really not much more you can say. To Lucy it’s not the end of one year or the beginning of another…it’s just a wonderful day to be alive!!!

Lastly, I guess it’s time to admit that the little foster girl, (formally known as Lucy), has found her permanent home, with us. I knew there was a reason we hadn’t done any fostering for several years! LOL For obvious reasons, we’ve changed her name. My husband got to re-name her, and he’s chosen “Layla”. I looked up the meaning of the name and it’s “dark beauty”, so I guess he did a pretty good job, for just pulling a name out of the air…he doesn’t overanalyze naming like I do. Hehe. I don’t know that I’d describe her as a beauty just yet, more of a cutie at this point, but I’m sure she’ll grow into the name.

So, I guess that about sums it up!

Playing in the snow!

Posted on December 15, 2008 by admin

I hate winter, but I love to take pictures of the dogs playing in the snow. Here’s some from Saturday and Sunday. Enjoy!

Magic Muffin Tin

Posted on December 14, 2008 by admin

We finally got snow today. Not that I want snow, I hate winter, but I know we need the moisture. Anyway, before it started snowing today it was the most miserable windy morning, so we decided to stay inside and play where it was warm.

I thought it would be fun to play a game that our friends over at A Dog’s Journey had posted about a while back. I don’t remember what she called the game, but she did a fun video of her dogs playing it and you can find the link to the video at her site: http://adogsjourney.blogspot.com/

It’s pretty simple, you just need a muffin tin, some tennis balls and treats, and you’re ready to play. My dogs have played a few times before, but when we first played the game, I put treats in each of the muffin holes and put the tennis balls on top.

After they’d played a few times, I only put treats in selective muffin holes, and let them dogs use their wonderful sense of smell to find the right ones. It’s fun and easy to play and gives the dogs something to do on a stormy day. Here’s some pictures of the dogs playing…

This is Rogue, patiently waiting till I tell her she can start. Isn’t she a good girl?