The Peas

These two are always cuddled up together. Instead of calling them my "kids" I've resorted to calling them my "peas"

They often sleep in the strangest of positions

But they are always together, always touching.

I think it's just the sweetest thing in the whole world. It makes even my frost-bitten heart melt.

Now what did I do with the other one? I swear there were three here at one point. . .

Poor Pocket

It's been a long time since I've posted. Partly due to the fact that nothing super interesting has been going on with us lately and partly due to the fact the my computer had been at a stand up desk for awhile and standing and typing a post after a long day of work was just too much sometimes.

Since the last time I posted, the dogs and I have been sitting around doing a whole lot of nothing. And I think that we are all the better for it. Last summer was crazy busy with classes and with sniper being around and I think that we all deserved a break. The kids really seemed to enjoy the quiet walks around the neighborhood and the "sleeping in" on our days off. I really enjoyed saving some money on gas and having afternoons/evenings free.

Things have been really crazy this past month and our lives have turned upside-down again. . .but now that it's over and we are getting settled again, I think that things will be even better than before. But getting back to "settled" can be a bit of a challenge and my dogs don't like change to begin with, so I think that we are going to have a few challenges in the next month or so.

The first challenge is getting our place set up in a way that is comfortable for the kids. We've already had one accident with poor pocket misjudging the spacing between two objects and falling in between while trying to jump the distance. Pocket came running holding up her back right leg and screaming like crazy. Luckily she didn't bite me while I tried to examine her! She had full range of motion in that leg and no obvious sore spots and no bones protruding. I figured it was just a sprain and gave her some pain meds and put her to bed. She woke up seeming normal today. She is using her leg most of the time, but still picks it up if she wants to run around. I'll give her some meds the next few days and she should be completely healed soon. Poor Pocket!

Officially Diagnosed!

I picked sniper up Sunday afternoon from the kennel and he immediately hopped into the car through the open window. At first I thought it was cute and that he really wanted to go home but once we got home it was obvious that something was wrong with him. The right side of his face looked "lopsided". I emailed the kennel thinking that maybe he got stung by a bee, and they confirmed that there were wasps near by. I gave him a benadryl and hoped that he would sleep it off.

This morning, it was obvious that something more was wrong. The entire right side of his face looks like it "fell off". He seriously looks like he has Bells Palsy. I took him into the vet and he immediately said "your dog has neurological issues" I wanted to say "Duh! he is a Malinois!" but I knew what he meant and was slightly glad to hear it wasn't just me imagining things. We checked everything over carefully just to make sure that it wasn't an inner ear problem or something else. We found nothing other than the obvious. The vet thinks that he probably ran his face into the kennel door or something. He said that it should take about a week or so to heal.

 

His ear is the only really obvious thing in this photo, but if you look closely, you can see his eye too. The drooping continues down his face and affects his lips too. He is acting completely normal other than the excessive drooling. He is having a hard time catching a ball and biting down for a game of tug, but he doesn't really seem bothered by any of it.

I hate to say this, but he looks absolutely adorable all droopy! It's hard to imagine that this makes him even more lovable than he already is! Finally his outside appearance matches his goofy personality!

Best Disneyland Trip Ever!!!!!

I just got back from the best Disneyland trip ever!!!!

Luckily for me, I have dog kids, and not people kids, so when I leave, guess where the dog kids go:



Ok, they didn't stay in the crate the entire time I was gone. They are lucky enough to stay with grandma and grandma's house is nicer then ours, so when the house is empty, they stay in the crate. Not sure why they are so good for grandma, and not for me. . .must be the copious amounts of treats that they get while visiting!

After a quick, albeit delayed, flight, we were in DISNEYLAND!!!!!



We had a super awesome night hanging at House of Blues and singing karaoke



Disneyland itself was perfect! We rode 4 rides in under two hours!!!! Then we got stuck in line for an hour at the break-down king of Disney: Big Thunder Railroad. But the rest of the rides that day were fine and we were able to enjoy the park and the rides without getting bogged down in long lines. We even had plenty of time to do a little bit of shopping.



Yes, the sweatshirt is PINK! I tired my hardest to find a grey one. . . but there were no grey mickey sweatshirts. The flip-flops are a navy blue and are actually sturdy and comfy. I spent as much on these two items at Disneyland that I spend on an entire year of clothes! But a $40 sweatshirt and a $10 pair of flip-flops is actually quite reasonable for everyday life (for most people anyway!) so I figured it was ok for me to splurge!

This was, by far. the best Disneyland trip ever. But more than that, it was a nice break from normal life. It was nice to get away from work, and the kids, and just hangout with friends without having to worry about anything but having fun. I think that this needs to be an annual trip!

Poor Abby

Something happened to Abby's ear. She came up to me at work today asking for some attention. I mindlessly petted her head and tugged on her ears. Her ears are a bit dry and scabby due to old/healed fly strikes, but today, I felt a giant scab. When I looked, I found this



I was horrified and appalled that something like this would be on my dog and I wouldn't notice it. I immediately started picking at the scab and trying to figure out what happened to her. After scrubbing and examining it I came to the conclusion that something (or some one) bit her. There is a very tiny hole on the underside of the ear that looks like it might be from a tooth. . .a TINY tooth. . . there is only one creature in the house that has teeth that tiny.



I'm lucky that Abby is so easy going and oblivious because if she wasn't I would have some major small dog fights on my hands. Pocket HATES Abby. Everything that Abby does annoys Pocket. And if I'm not watching, Pocket will growl, snarl, snap, and apparently bite Abby. In some ways I don't blame Pocket, Abby is almost 3 times her size, and Abby is goofy and bouncy and doesn't understand boundaries. It would be like us living in a house with a 15 foot tall toddler - not fun! But Pocket is still not allowed to behave like that! Biting your sister is just not allowed in this house! I guess I'm going to have to be more vigilant about watching their interactions. . .

Poor Abby. . .

Family Photo - Lets Try This One More Time

My photo goal this year was to get a family photo with all the kids behaving themselves and looking at the camera. . .but sometimes I feel like I'm playing referee trying to keep the peace between the girls.



Pocket! Keep your tongue in your mouth!



Abby! Don't instigate! You girls better behave or I am going to separate you!



ABBY!!!! Leave. Your. Sister. Alone!



Thank you!

And poor Mole, such a good boy, gets so frazzled between my yelling at the girls and so desperately wanting the treat in my hand.



Sometimes I wonder if we are ever going to get a good photo. . .



Well, at least everyone is looking. . . even if no one is smiling. . .

And Here We Are Again

It's the end of one year and the beginning of another. This time of year always brings a lot of hope and a little bit of sadness. I read a great quote about New Years by Bill Vaughan: An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves. I feel like a little bit of both this year. 2010 was filled with a lot of downs, and only a few ups, but those ups were pretty amazing. I'm a little worried about what 2011 will bring, but I am still hopeful that it will be better than 2010.

People all over the place are writing down their new years resolutions. Some include exercise, eating better, spending less $$; but among my circle of friends the resolutions come more in the form of training goals. Goals that they will try and achieve with their dogs - these are also known as titles. Earlier in the year, I blogged about titles and that we (meaning Abby and I) don't need titles to show the depth of our training or our relationship, but this year might bring one. And I will be proud of the both of us if we get one.

But my actual goals for 2011 don't include titles. There is no training plan laid out. I'm not even sure what phase of training we are in on our old plan - phase 5 maybe??? My only real plan for 2011 is to hang out with my dogs more. I know that seems silly as all I seem to do is hang out with my dogs; but most of our time spent together in 2010 was spent driving to classes, or trials, or fun matches, or to hiking/training spots. I don't want to drive so much with my kids this year. I want to enjoy our time together doing the little things that they love to do - walk around the block, have breakfast at a cafe, go to the beach, sit in the reading chair, etc. As my kids continue to get older, I want to ensure that they are having the best time possible. And if that means fewer classes and more vacations, then so be it. Or maybe, more sick calls into work and more day trips! Regardless of how it eventually works out, I want us to be having a great time for as much as we can of 2011. And my goal for myself is to take as many photos as possible. Ideally, we would have one awesome family photo, but even if we only end up with a few out takes, that would be ok too.

For now, we say good bye to 2010 and all the tears (both of joy and sorrow) that it brought. But I think that Brooks Atkinson said it best, Drop the last year into the silent limbo of the past. Let it go, for it was imperfect, and thank God that it can go.

Christmas Present: Family Foto Outtakes

ummm. . .this isn't going to be easy:


Well, at least we got everyone's head in:


Looks like Mole and Abby are trying to tell me something:


Let's try a different set up:


Pocket obviously hates this pose:



well, we still have a few weeks left before Christmas. We have plenty of time for more family photo fun.

Christmas Past

Pocket decided to help light the tree up with her alien eyes.

Working with Sean Connery

I have been working with Sean Connery for the past 10 weeks or so. Sometimes it's heaven, and sometimes he annoys the sh*t out of me. I can't help it, I love him, but sometimes he can be so demanding! I guess it's to be expected though. . .

If you know me at all, you can probably guess that Sean is an animal. A cat. A RAGDOLL cat. The most purrfect cat ever. He gets along great with my feral office cat and with my kids. In fact, I believe he thinks he is one of my kids. When pocket stays home, he takes her place in the dog bed line up.



I'm kinda in love with him.

What I am most Thankful for

My Experiment



My snuggler



The love of my life




Each of my kids teaches me something new about life everyday. I couldn't imagine my life without any of them.

New Training Project

I have wanted a new portable dog water bottle for a long time. My old one is great, it's better than a lot of them on the market, but it's plastic and I don't trust plastic long term. I recently saw a super cool stainless steel water bottle for dogs. I loved the design and the durability of it, so I sent the info to a friend of mine who owns a holistic pet store to see what she thought. After a trip to a trade show, she brought this back:



It's not exactly the same thing, but it is pretty close - and I didn't have to pay shipping! The only draw back in this model is the licking-ball (I believe that's the technical term) that the dogs have to use to get the water out. For some, that wouldn't be a problem, but for my dogs, anything new has the potential to be a catastrophe. But because I already bought this, and because I love the idea so much, this wasn't allowed to become a catastrophe. I knew I had to come up with a creative way to get these kids to try this thing out. My great idea? PEANUT BUTTER!

Abby, being a little piggy, LOVED IT!



Mole liked the peanut butter, but wasn't too fond of the rolly-ball dishing out the peanut butter.



Pocket, hated it all. No surprise there.



This is going to be a bit of a project for awhile. I want to try the peanut butter for a few more days, then I will probably move to chicken stock, then eventually onto water. I want them to LOVE the thing before we try it on a walk. I don't want to risk my babies getting dehydrated because they are afraid of the ever-so-slight noise that the licky-ball makes when it is being turned over.

Bath Time

I've been doing a lot of cleaning around here lately - even the dogs didn't escape!

Poor mole is such a great dog. He doesn't complain about the bath, but you can tell he hates it. Now that he is getting older - and brushing is becoming uncomfortable, we will probably rely more on baths to remove the hair.


Abby is very good about baths too. I think part of it is because she got them weekly when I first got her. She had this disgusting habit of licking herself all night - and she would need to be bathed to prevent bacterial infections. She doesn't do it so much anymore, so her baths are less frequent. The latelst bath news is that Abby has settled down enough to take baths by herself! She no longer needs to take showers with mommy!


One little lady escaped the whole bath scene. Can you guess who?


It's ok, though. For some reason, she doesn't get as stinky as the rest of the crew.

Back To Not Sleeping

I sleep terribly most nights - even when I am not having a bout of insomnia. I always assumed that it was the dogs. Ok, it usually IS the dogs... more specifically, it's Abby. I slept with Pocket and Mole just fine for 5 years before Abby came along. Once Abby came into the picture, the sleep has been a bit restless.

Abby is a great cuddler. She curls up right next to you and sleeps in the spoon position with her head on the pillow. She looks so peaceful in this position. The problem is that this is the only position she wants to sleep in. Sure she will sleep for a little bit with her feet stretched out and her nails in my back. But once she realizes where she is, it's a paw to the face until I get her back in her comfy spot.

This has been going on for years. I put up with it because I don't have much of a choice - I can't crate her after all. I was hoping that her deep love of the reading chair would give me some space and a chance to sleep... but alas, sleep still evades me. Or it did until last week.

Last week I was house sitting for my mom while she was on vacation. I had the choice to sleep on the couch or an air mattress. Pick your poison, right? I chose the air mattress because it had more room for everyone to fit...even though we all know that regardless of the space, the dogs always sleep on top of you. The air mattress was semi-comfy, despite the fact that you had to blow it up rock hard before bed, knowing it would loose half the air in the middle of the night. But for some reason, I slept better. I think that the dogs slept better too. I didn't wake up four or five times in the middle of the night rearranging everyone so that Abby could get comfy. In fact, there were some times that I didn't sleep with Abby at all. Seriously! She chose to sleep on the couch. OK, she didn't sleep out there all night long, but she still slept away from me for a while. I was proud of her independence and I was happy with my full 8 hours of sleep. I didn't wake up exhausted with dark circles under my eyes. I was really hoping that these sleeping arrangements would carry back over to our bed at home.

Unfortunately I was wrong. Last night was the same as the past 2 years. Tossing and turning. Moving smaller sleeping bodies so I had at least a sliver of bed to sleep on. It's exhausting not sleeping. And I am not sure that I can do this for the next 7 years - the estimated lifespan of Abby. But I also don't see what choice I have.

Wordless Wednesday: Cemetery Walk

Looking Ahead

First let me say that I am not getting another dog any time soon. But that hasn't stopped me from thinking about one in the future.

I have never chosen a dog, well not for me anyway. I have chosen a lot of dogs for other people. . . but that is a very different thing. All of my dogs became my dogs for various reasons but none were for a specific purpose. My next dog will be for a specific purpose: agility, obedience, and. . .??? The possibilities are endless.

I thought that it would be easy to choose a dog, but there is a lot to think about and the first is breed. I know that I need a dog that is physically capable of handling the routine. I also need a dog that is going to be able to mentally handle my life - and by that I mean people, other dogs, cats, children, traveling, etc. I know that I don't want a dog with a lot of hair or one that is going to require grooming. Even with those specific requirements, there are still a lot of great breed prospects. And once I settle on a breed, I then have to decide if I want to rescue or purchase a puppy. There are benefits and drawbacks to both.

I am giving myself roughly two years to sort this all out. I figure it will take about that long to talk to enough people, meet enough dogs, and purchase a bigger car. Plus, it's going to take me at least that long to talk pocket into it.

The Reading Chair

I made the long weekend extra long and spent some time visiting relatives on the east coast. Unfortunately I did not have as good a time as I hoped because I spent most of it in the hospital visiting my grandfather. Since only so many people are allowed at one time, I spent a good portion of my vacation reading a book in tiny, uncomfortable hospital chairs. The entire time I was day dreaming about my old reading chair and vowed to figure out a way to get it back into my life!

Skip ahead a week, lots of pushing, shoving, door removing, and voila! Reading chair parked comfortably (albeit tightly) into my room. I was looking forward to reading in it when all of a sudden, Mole remembered how comfortable the reading chair was and hopped in.


After some time, Abby decided that she wanted to try the reading chair


Then, before I knew it, pocket joined the group


And as you can see, there was no room left for me. . . I was left reading on the floor with Eddie. . . But it was as great book, so I didn't complain too much. If you have never read Water for Elephants - READ IT. It is a great, and easy read. . . and with days like I've had lately, an easy read is necessary!

Mothers Day

I know that some people make fun of people like me - people who think of their dogs as their children. They think that having dogs can't possibly be as difficult as raising children. I beg to differ. Try having something with the brain of a two year old child living with you for 15 years. Imagine having to ask you teenager if he went potty and then walking him back into the bathroom to "make sure". Imagine having to make breakfast and dinner for your children for their entire lives. Imagine being completely responsible for every facet of your child's life - food, exercise, mental stimulation, socialization, etc for their entire life. Now, I am not saying that being a parent isn't tough, I am simply saying that being a good dog parent is also difficult. A friend once told me that I am the first "soccer mom" that she knows. . .and I often feel like that. . .but I enjoy (almost) every minute.

Here are new pictures of my kids:

My smiling old man


Abby still carrying her winter weight


Unfortunately I didn't get any new pictures of Pocket because this



Kept doing this



That was pre-surgery when he was still allowed to run and play. . .post surgery he is doing well - better than I expected. . .but spending most of his time "resting". We can't afford for him to rupture any sutures, so until we get the A-OK from the Doc, he is being crate rested with limited exercise.

" when I look at my dogs, all I see is greatness"

If you don't read Susan Garrett you probably don't do agility. . . but even if you don't do agility, and you just have pet dogs, you can still find a lot of useful information. One of her more recent posts really resonated with me and I had to ponder it for a bit before I was able to write about it.

One of Susan's dogs was labeled "Deak the Freak" by many of her instructors because of her lack of confidence. But rather than labeling her dog with a perceived limitation Susan took ownership of that issue and spent the time making her better. Susan said it better: I don’t focus on what isn’t there with my dogs, I focus on what is. I take up ownership of anything that can be made better and I spend that dog’s career trying to make it better.

She also talks about how our dog's poor behaviors can be isolated events. But that if we do not use that first event as a wake up call and make the change then ". . . this event becomes a pattern and if you accept this pattern as your reality it becomes part of your journey."

The whole post was wonderful (you really should read it), but the main point of the post was that she refused to become frustrated with her dog's limitations, and that, instead, she chose to work with her dog to become better. "I don’t focus on what isn’t there with my dogs. . ." ". . .when I look at my dogs I can only see greatness.”

As much as I work with Abby, I don't do it because I see greatness in her. . . I do it because I don't see greatness. I see all the limitations and I get very frustrated at times. I constantly underestimate her. I call her all sorts of silly names and I make all sorts of excuses for her perceived limitations. But the truth is that she is a great dog. That despite her previous limitations, she has exceeded my wildest dreams for her. Most of her current limitations are a result of my lack of effort. Seriously. I know that I have been working hard with this dog, but if I actually worked with her like I plan to work my next dog, this dog really would be great. And not just great for the Abby that arrive two years ago, but great for the dog that lives with me today. And I would be that much better of a trainer.

***Totally forgot to mention that Dave Mills took this awesome photo of Abby at our fun match two weeks ago! She was coming off the A-frame and you can see her tail!

Great Class. . . And A Good Lesson

We had a terrific class today. I'm attributing it to my meatball surprise. . .and to a modified training class.

Abby and I got to class the usual 15 minutes early. We used the time playing "find it" - I throw food on the floor and tell her to find it. A super fun game, but Abby isn't quite as good at is as mole so it is usually only fun when she plays by herself. I think that playing the game in the beginning when the rest of the class was coming in, setting up crates, and basically making a ruckus was more distracting for Abby then the people themselves. Once she realized everyone was there, they were already calm and training themselves.

Class started a bit differently this week, the instructor held up signs and we had to do them as quickly and as accurately as possible. This gave Abby a chance to get into training mode far away from everyone else. The class moved into heeling exercises and I decided to move as quickly as I could through the exercises to keep her mind off of the fluffy white mountain moving in front of her. Then came the practice course. Abby did GREAT! She was a bit nervous, but she is always a bit nervous. . .We had some extra time and the instructor said that we could do the course a second time! Abby and I just did the moving exercises the second time. I didn't want to run the risk of her not working, so I thought it safest to just do the easy stuff. But after finishing, I realized that we probably could have done the course a second time successfully. Oh well, one never knows the best thing to do with Abby until after it's too late - and I would rather play it safe and end it after a great run then to push too far and end on a crappy note.

I had a nice talk with one of the other students today; She was commenting on how well Abby looked today compared to last week. She said that she also had a nervous dog, but that she didn't have the patience to work with her, so she works her more stable shepherd instead. I agreed that Abby often tries my patience in training, and that it can be much easier working with a dog without fear issues. But later I got to thinking that working with Abby is often less frustrating then working with other dogs. I think that the main reason Abby does so much more then my other dogs is because I actually train her. And by train I mean breaking down each exercise into the basics, then continuing to work on those basics until they are rock solid. Once they are rock solid, I start all over again in a different environment. I do with Abby what trainers are supposed to do with all dogs. This makes her behaviors more reliable. Whereas my other dogs learn commands and I don't spend the time proofing them - meaning they don't know those commands everywhere we go. Because my other dogs don't have Abby's issues I don't work with them nearly as much. I expect that they can manage the commands that we barely worked on in stressful environments. And because I expect more from them, I am more frustrated when they don't do what I ask. With Abby, the training goes slower, but the result is a more accurate behavior. And when Abby is on in class, she looks better then some of the dogs that have less issues and have been doing this longer.