Wow, An Agility Weekend

When we travel I always take a blanket with. One, hotel comforters are gross. Two, if I am staying at a nice hotel I hate leaving a shit-ton of dog hair everywhere. Don’t like being that person.

 

Every time we go I remind myself that I need to get a new travel blanket. The one we have is fleece, which is fine for me and fine for Bella but upsetting for Kate. She hates static and since she cannot just stand up and move around like a normal dog and insists on shuffling everywhere she gets very….charged. It’s entertaining when the lights are off. Fourth of July without the traffic and drunks. However, she seems to think that she is being corrected by some unseen force and then doesn’t want to move on the bed. Or does so with her eyes all a-squinty.

 

For Bella, though? Good camo.

 

One must be fashionably matchy while napping

 

Kate was thrilled to have a fleece-free couch.

 

Which was also sort of matchy

 

It’s a little odd that the only pics I took of Bella this weekend were in the hotel room. Maybe there will be some agility ones of her?

 

Lots of Kate and airborne Charlie bears

 

Lots of Kate and Frisbee

 

Which she is horrible at but OMG! FUN! THROW IT!

 

Lots of Master William with stuff on his face

 

See this look?

 

That’s Portie for “Why do you hate me so?” It’s very similar to the Border-ish Collie version but with slightly less angst.

 

Bella and I had a smashing weekend. We have not touched a piece of agility equipment in 6 months so there was a little bit of a Weeeee! factor going on, but whatevs, it was fun as hell. Bella has never been a fan of collecting. This weekend? Holy cow! Her stride length was approximately 40 feet or so. :)

 

The only thing she NQ’d in was Colors. Or as I like to call it: Stupid Fucking Colors. She also placed in everything except Snooker because we went for the low point straight tunnel. She was having so much fun zooming around that asking her to wrap, wrap, wrap would have broken her little heart.

 

And, bonus Fudge because A) his name is Fudge and B) he is the bestest behaved dog ever.

 

Seriously, he makes Kate and Bella look like hooligans!

Bellaphant

All Kinds Of Trotting

Me?

The globe kind.

 

I have been sitting on airplanes and showing my passport to a kajillion people and repeatedly saying, “no, I do not have any fruit” and in the middle of all that I had a little time to spend with my dad and see a bit of southern Spain. Thusly…

 

 

 

If you have a chance to go, please do so. Awesome. California weather with friendlier people. Olives and cured meats to die for. Nom!

 

I did not take my camera with.

 

I know!

 

I am not a landscape photo person. Didn’t feel like lugging it around and worrying about it, etc. I can’t decide if I regret that decision or not, but cell phone pics will have to do.

 

 

The girls?

They had the not so fun kind of trotting.

Of course most people don’t enjoy leaving their dogs, but I have not had to worry too much in the past. They place they go is great. They have been going there for years – comfy with the environment, etc. Something about this trip, though. I was really uncomfortable about leaving them.

 

Apparently, I am psychic, but only when it comes to gastrointestinal distress.

All-knowing when it comes to the poop shoot.

 

They must have gotten a bug somewhere. Didn’t seem stressed at all, just runny. And one day Bella didn’t want to eat. That was a first. And, a little alarming to hear when I am on the other side of the planet. The daycare was great about keeping me updated – got my daily runs email. They were a smidge thinner when they got home but seemed otherwise fine. They just like to keep me on my toes, I guess.

 

I love older dogs, but I am not a fan of aging dog worries!

 

Internationalwho?

Let’s face it, I am a CPE person. We are a little less European and a little more Midwestern, don’tcha know.

Our “International” is generally followed by “House of Pancakes.”

Unless, I suppose, you count the occasional nacho bar at a trial as international? I think it is a rule that when you put jalapenos on something it becomes international even if that thing you are putting it on is Velveeta? I don’t think they are big on canned cheese in Europe but I do feel confident that the Costco 5 gallon can of chili contains no horse meat. That’s European. You USDAA people eat horse meat at your trials? Maybe it would help with all your unpronounceable handling maneuvers? I had a raw pork sandwich in Germany once. I can do that because I am gastrically a badass. I don’t think it helped with agility, though.

I got your backside right here!

Also, you should probably stop taking your vitamin D and calcium. You watch those videos of the international people running the international dogs on the international courses? You probably Facebook your agility friends about them. Discuss the moves. The speed. The turning every which way. Me? I just yell at youtube….

Stand up!

Good god what is with the hunchy Europeans? I didn’t know osteoporosis was so rampant in the old country. Probably Obama’s fault.

Practicing ketschker handling. Not comfortable facing her dog


Can’t we just go eat something?


If you haven’t noticed, I don’t really care about training handling moves that I can’t spell or pronounce. Bella and I are certainly in the twilight of our agility teams’ career. We just go an occasionally screw around now. Maybe if I get another agility dog at some point I’ll go back to caring about training. I actually wasn’t going to participate in this Dog Agility Blog Event Day at all. I mean, at this point, even calling Bella an agility dog is about the same as calling Velveeta cheese. I figured, however, that I would use this opportunity to ask the international agility community a favor. More specifically the European agility community. See, Americans think just about everything you do is The Shit. Well, maybe not WW2 or the whole David Hasselhoff thing, possibly Bjork, but everything else, yes. Pastries, hair removal, agility moves. It’s all you.

It would be totally awesome sausage if you would start a new trend of only using 4 weave poles. I don’t want to push it, but entry side being optional would be pretty cool, too. We would call them “European poles.” We could even narrow that down to the country that started the great new trend.

“If our club got those crazy new Austrian poles we could have 12 second standard runs, too!”

Thx

One thing we have mastered, though? That thing even the CPE people do?

Jump wrapping


Look at how close she is to it!

Wrapping jumps almost better than eating stale tortillas

February Bug(s)

Hoverfly with fancy pants

 

Also, perished Earwig.

Found while dusting my office at work. Much easier to fuss with lighting when subject does not move unless moved.



If you mention to coworkers that you are doing a bug project they will totally point out every dead bug in the building.

We should really sweep more.

Double Digits

Ten tomorrow!

 

Ten!!

 

Sooo weird. I was 32 when I lucked out and got the bestest dog ever. Two jobs ago. Three states ago. Fives homes ago. A lifetime for some. Hopefully half a life time for her.

 

I am so not someone who celebrates dogs’ birthdays. I have, however, told her for years that she can have cake when she’s 10. Technically that is not until tomorrow, but seeing as they don’t normally consume cakey like things, I pulled the party in to Sat morning to give myself 2 weekend days to deal with assplosions should there be any. One needs to be prepared for these things.

 

She was surprisingly nonchalant about the whole thing. I think she was trying to play it cool. Not get her hopes up in case she heard me wrong.

 

Did she say I could have “cake” or “Kate?”

 

 

She gave the cake thing a shot. Who wants to lick Kate, really?

 

 

Since there were no what-the-hell-are-you-doing’s…

 

 

Kate was not having it. No. I couldn’t, really.

 

 

Not supposed to touch stuffs on plates. Not interested in being felonious on this beautiful Saturday morning.

 

 

Not everyone concerned with the rules

 

 

I did talk Kate into a piece via spoon.

 

 

Eating off of a spoon is apparently OK.

 

 

Yes! It is!

 

 

It’s so funny how their personalities show in the way they wait. I had to ask them to hold on a sec while I got focused on the spoon.

 

Bella? No prob. Could sit there all day. Cake won’t leave her sight, but totally cool with waiting.

 

 

Kate?

 

“Why do you hate me so much?”

 

 

HAHA!

 

And since it’s old fart day and the oldest fart in the house is home all by her lonesome I was forced to do the dumbest thing ever.

 

Ask an Aussie if they would like some cake.

 

Um…duh!

 

 

Myka had her elevensies BD not too long ago. Last month, I think. I don’t think she had cake.
Bella shared.

 

And just 'cause it's funny...note the little brown-nosed photobomber. Just keeping tabs.

Am I That Boring?

 

That is the hood of my car in the pic. I asked them to lay there while I opened the car up, put camera away, etc. Bella is not blinking. She is napping in the park like a homeless person.

 

WTH?

 

Do dogs get mono?

 

Our whole Sunday saunter was filled with...

 

 

And a little of…

 

 

Couldn’t even be bothered to be that into squirrel watching. Kate didn’t even bother to turn her head!

 

 

They are starting to freak me out a little. Bella has always been pretty ho-hum about leash walks. She doesn’t understand the point of them. I think having a leash on offends her a little. Sort of like putting training wheels on your 17 year olds' bike?

 

She has never, however, napped in the park.

 

Barely keeping her eyes open.

 

 

Tired little old cocoa bean.

Softening Up

Bella and I have a lot in common. One of those things used to be sleeping habits. Neither of us could stand being touched while sleeping. Large comfort sleep bubbles. Want to cuddle while awake? Fine. Time to actually sleep, though? You get on your side, I stay on my side. If you cross the line I will address it.  See you in the morning!

 

Now though? She's close to being referred to as clingy. Even just six months ago she would not have tolerated this...

 

 

She would have frowned at Kate, held a look of disgust for about 4 seconds and then moved. She even sleeps up against my back now. She is still polite about it, it's just weird.

 

And, every month in the email newsletter from the place they do daycare and boarding at they do a list of the dog birthdays for that month. The dogs are listed by age starting with the youngest. Bella was second to last this month. Moving on down the list.

 

She's not that old, but I suspect some of that is like 50 not seeming that old to me anymore now that it's not that far away!

 

At least my hair isn't getting all crazy and I haven't started sleeping in the car.

 

 

Kate's not car sleeping yet.

Totally fights even if completely exhausted from being at daycare for 6 days.

Can't. Sleep. If. Not. In. Bed.

 



 

Kate will not age. No slowing down. No crazy hair. No extended naps.

 I think that Kate will just fall over one day and that will be it.

 

When her batteries run out.



Does She Look Like A Niners' Fan?

 

HAHA!

 

Nope, she doesn't care for football, either.

 

Note the little shadow on the left side? It's attached to something.

 

The high speed kisser

 

Poor Bell. This is one of those Kate behaviors that I encourage just because it's funny. Bella gets that look as soon as she hears me say, "Where's Bella?!"

 

 

I don't know why the stacking. She probably doesn't know either, though.

 

I waited until the game started to take them for a walk. Hoped it would be quieter at the park. It was.

 

Grass eating in peace

 

.

 

Do you not want to just pinch that face?!

 

The more I mess around with the macro stuff, the more I realize that the world is covered in spider webs and random hairs.

 

It's kind of gross, really.