I posted a short snippet about this on Facebook yesterday, but wanted to more completely gather my thoughts where I could elaborate a bit more.

I haven't been trialing much over the past year, or so.  Several reasons why, but mostly because Jet's getting older, and I'm between dogs.  I always vowed I wouldn't run him into the ground, even though he might disagree with me.  I was working him in the yard a couple of weeks ago, and he felt different to me.  Not slower, per se, just harder.  Like he was working harder than he used to work.  It wasn't all that easy to notice, but because we have been so close over his agility career, I just could feel it.  Those who have had to face the retirement of an older dog probably know what I am saying.

I made the decision that he would no longer run in the regular classes, but run only in perferred JWW, and only occasionally.  It wasn't an easy choice, that's for sure.  I cried a lot.  He is, and has been my constant agility buddy, and to set that aside was a pretty big pill to swallow.  I have been coming to terms with it.

When you know that your beloved partner's career is entering the last phase before complete retirement, you also want every single run to be fun, and exciting, and you want to soak up every second of those last, precious few runs.

We chose not to enter Prineville for a couple of reasons.  The aforementioned, for one, but also because Ty has been having some trouble with his back, and we didn't feel a weekend of agility for either of them was all that necessary.  Plus, we are working on the Doberman national, and really wanted to put our effort/time into pushing through that order.  There were other reasons, as well, but that's the long and short of it.

Robin told me about a week ago that the club had been approved to run the TTB demo, and we wanted to see them, so we decided we'd go for the afternoon, do the demo, and have dinner with friends.  We wanted a nice, relaxing afternoon.  A break from the Doberman national, and a dip back into agility.  We were looking forward to it.

We got there, said our 'hellos', and then took the dogs to the field for a little fetch, and warm up.  The weather was superb.  85, light breeze.  Very nice.  Really looking forward to that demo.

Right before we went in to walk the course, someone I know came bounding out of her motorhome, just pissed off, BIG time.  We were planning to park behind her, and when she came out, I asked, "is it okay with you if we park behind you?"  Instead of answering me, she angrily thrust a computer in my direction, and said, "you know agility well, look at this and tell me if my dog missed the last pole."  I started to do it, then she murmured, "fuckin' judge."  I stepped back, and said, "I'd really rather not."  She said, "just look at it for me, and tell me what you think."  I said, "I didn't come here today to get sucked into someone else's drama...I'd really rather not."  Before I could finish my sentence, she turned on her heel, and stormed off.  Kind of left me stunned.

I found it interesting that agility, or any leisure activity, would cause anyone to become *that* pissed off.  Then I reminded myself it used to mean that much to me, too.  At that moment, I realized how far I'd come, and that I was able to walk away from another person's drama made me feel great.  It also made me realize that I really have slayed that dragon.  I'm sure this gal won't be warm and fuzzy about me, but it really wasn't about her, at least not from my perspective.  I have a choice to get drawn into another person's drama, and I made the choice to say 'no'.

I feel really great today...and really proud of myself.

A dear person once told me that she has no problem walking away from a conversation when it turns negative.  I wondered how she did that.  Now I know.  I feel empowered, happy, and successful.

I had spent 5 days feeling really pumped up about my new lifestyle change, and feeling really incredible, physically speaking, and that one moment where I said "no," was the moment I chose to keep my momentum up, and stay positive, vs. letting someone else steal my joy.

One word:  LIBERATION!

I have had an interesting morning, and not in a good way.  Today I was reminded that racism is alive and well in our world, and it really offends me.

Generally speaking, I find bad people in every race.  I find good people in every race.  I don't think the color of a person's skin is a pre-requisite for human failing anymore than I find blonde hair a pre-requisite for human failing.

Today I found out that some I know, and have thought well of in the past, has racism in his heart, and it has been extremely difficult for me.  He claims he has friends that are people of color, and that he's not a racist, but his behavior in the last week would certainly confirm the contrary.  How did I find out?  Through his telling of an extremely racist 'joke'.

I have never really cared for jokes that poke 'fun' at people of color.  It's probably one of my hot buttons.

It's my belief jokes are the coward's way to express an opinion.  Instead of just expressing an opinion outright, jokes can be used to make a point, and they come with a back-door exit strategy.  If your 'joke' doesn't land on someone who finds the humor in it, you can 'exit' the joke by saying, "it's just a joke, I was only kidding."  That's the coward's way.

For what it's worth, if you have a racist joke, don't tell me.  I won't take kindly to it, and will probably tell you I don't appreciate it, and I will probably be 'in your face' direct about it.

The *BEST* recipe, provided you like rice pudding.  Been making it for a while, and it's dee-lish!!!

Aroz con Leche:

4 C water
1 C long grain rice
1 t. salt

Put the above ingredients in a large sauce pan, or dutch oven.  Soak overnight, or at least 4 hours.

3 C milk
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 T vanilla
1 egg

Mix the above in a bowl, and set aside.  Heat the rice/water/salt to boiling over medium high heat.  Once it reaches a full boil, reduce the heat, and let simmer until almost all the water has been absorbed.  You'll want to see just a bit of milky colored water seeping out from the bottom of the rice, when you move the rice away from the bottom of the pan with your rubber spatula.  If it has started to stick on the bottom of your pan, you have let it soak up too much water, and you have to start over.  This is the temperamental part!

Once the rice has absorbed the right amount of water, pour the milks, vanilla and egg mixture into the rice.  Turn up the heat to medium, and stir constantly until it just starts to bubble.  Turn down to medium heat, and continue to stir constantly for 5 minutes.  It should have thickened somewhat, and be the consistency of somewhat runny pancake batter.  Remove from heat.  Lay a tea towel over the pan (careful not to let the towel dip into the pudding, and put the lid on top of the towel.  The towel will catch the condensation vs. having it build up on the lid, and fall back into the pudding.  Let it sit in the pan to cool for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, remove the lid, and tea towel, and stir it well.  It should have thickened quite a bit more.  Re-cover with the towel and lid, and let sit for another 30 minutes.  Remove the towel and lid, stir again, return the towel and lid, and put it in the refrigerator.  Let it cool in the fridge for two hours, and transfer to a plastic storage container.  Continue cooling overnight, or at least 8 hours.  When you serve it, sprinkle just a bit of cinnamon on top.  It's delightful.

 

You know, things sometimes happen without you having a clue as to why.  Sometimes you never find out.  Sometimes you can make some guesses as to the 'why', and other times the 'why' changes as you go along.

I head off to the last day of the specialties - we missed the prior days because I'd gotten so sick the weekend before, and lost two days of production.  When that happens this time of year, it really rattles my cage.  The production schedule is so full, losing two days was a really bad thing.  Because of the lost days, we chose to only go for the one day of the specialties vs. two.  I was disappointed, but my paying clients were more important than my desire to sit and watch conformation for two days, so we gave up one day, I hired a girl in to help, and we powered out a HUGE order, just in time to make the truck!  That meant we could go to the show for one day.  Fair enough.

When I went, I fully expected to return with a sable puppy.  Sylvia Calderwood had offered me the opportunity to take a sable male she said reminded her of me, and that she thought I would like.  We came to an agreement, and I was under the impression I would bring him home from the show.  Well, the day came and went, and she never made mention of the puppy.  She was really busy, so I didn't bother her about it.  I figured she must have decided he wasn't going to make it, so I let it alone.  At the end of the day, Jan offered me the bi-black boy.  Since it was apparent I wasn't going home with the sable puppy I thought I would be going home with, I took Jan up on her offer, and off we went with the bi-black puppy in tow.

The next day I emailed Sylvia and inquired about the sable puppy.  She said several people wanted to grow out one of the puppies from this litter, so she let him go elsewhere.  It kind of broad-sided me, but I don't know how the minds of others work, so I just said, "okay," and let it go.  I must have misunderstood.

So, back to the bi-black puppy from Jan...

We just couldn't come up with a name.  Jan wanted us to use the "time" theme, but we couldn't come up with anything we liked.  So, we kept soaking on it.  We came up with a few names, and some were cute, but nothing in the desired theme.  My favorite was Mistybrook's Black Gold, "Slick", but "Slick" has been done in the agility world before, so while I liked it, I just didn't want to be a copy-cat, so back to the drawing board I went.  We couldn't keep calling him "puppy, puppy..."

From the first day he was here, something told me he wasn't mine.  I don't know why.  I think because I knew he was the puppy Tricia had been the most interested in, and I (and Jan, too) thought she would take.  Several breeders at the show convinced her the tri boy was the one to take.  She took their advice, and the tri boy went off to be with her the day before I took the bi-black boy.  So, she has her puppy, and I have mine.  The week following his arrival, I just couldn't get over the feeling he was just a visitor.  I just didn't see him as 'my puppy'.  Probably because I knew, deep down in my heart, that he really wasn't what I needed.  I really need a girl, and I really want a sable girl.  I would have been okay with a blue girl, because that is my next quest, but I really wanted a sable girl for my next puppy, and I had my heart set on getting one from Jan.  We'd been talking about it for a long time, and it's where my head was.  That things sort of flip-flopped, and I now had the bi-black - a puppy I felt really belonged to Tricia, I was taken aback.

At any rate, I finally talked to Tricia.  She is concerned the tri boy will be too small.  I measure my boy, and he's right where he needs to be.  He should be a nice size.  Probably 15-1/2, maybe a tidge more.  Perfect for a boy!  After Tricia and I talk, and after I talk to Jan, it's concluded that Tricia should have this puppy.  It's really my idea.  No one pressured me, I just felt it, and made the offer.  Jan and Tricia make arrangements re: the switch-a-roo, and I tell Tricia that Denny Daffron is driving through Portland, and that I could meet him, and give him the puppy for the trip back to Utah.  Too convenient!

One things leads to another, and within the hour, I'm off to meet Denny near Biggs, puppy in tow.  I meet up with him, we chat, and he's off.  He's got a little motorhome.  Cute, if not a little older.  I get to see Reese's mom - very cool.  She's a doll.

ANYway, after I give the puppy to Denny, who's on his way back to Utah, where Tricia lives, I head home.

I expect the puppy to find Tricia sometime the next morning.  The morning comes and goes, and I hear nothing.  So, I call Tricia.  She's heard nothing.  Finally she hears from Denny.  He's broken down, somewhere in northern Utah, on a hot, steamy road.  Denny has COPD, and he's having a hard time breathing, plus he's got the puppy to watch, and his two dogs.  He waits over 2 hours for a tow to Brigham City.  Tricia finally is able to leave Provo, and she heads out to meet up with Denny, and get the puppy.  When she arrives, Denny is in bad shape from the COPD.  She is so worried about him, she takes him, and his dogs, and drives him home to Liberty, which is about two hours from her.

Thank goodness he is feeling better.  Phew...

Tricia falls in love with the puppy the instant she sees him.  So, he's where he needs to be, Denny is finally home safe and sound, and I'm awaiting my sable female, which, if I'm not mistaken, is cooking in one of Jan's bitches as I write.  :-)  I guess we'll see.  If there's nothing for me, I'll wait for the next litter, and the next litter, and the next litter.  And if that doesn't work, I'll breed my girl, and see if I can get something out of her.

So, the bi-black puppy saga comes to a conclusion, he's safely with his new mom, who adores him, and my sable bitch saga continues!!!

It's been a while since I last posted.  Have been extremely busy with the business.  Lots of orders this time of the year, and we had a few doozy orders to squeeze in, too.  From a dog stand-point, it's been quiet since the puppies left.  Apparently too quiet, since we now have the bi-black boy back here.  I didn't want another boy, and I am a tried and true sable girl, so it was a rather large leap.  He's a nice puppy, and it's a nice opportunity, so I chose to jump on it.  The challenge will be keeping he and Jet from killing each other, but we'll see how it goes.  Could be interesting.

He's settling in well.  Seems happy in his pen, which is good since he can't have run of the house yet.  He's a good eater, likes water, and is finding his way around our large backyard.  I'm sure in some part of his developing brain he remembers being here before.

No problems.  He slept through the night last night, and is just happy and confident.  He's a sweet puppy.

Well, I just had my first experience brushing the coat of a Sheltie bitch who is blowing coat after having a litter of puppies.  Two words - HOLY COW!  You've heard of a blood letting, right?  Well, I dare say this was a hair letting.  I have never seen so much hair come off such a small dog, with a seemingly light coat.  Unbelievable.

Lacey has been here for two weeks and one day.  She needed her nails trimmed, and I noticed globs of hair collecting under the raised floor of the pen she shares with her puppies.  I figured today would be a good day.  Thankfully, I knew enough to know that grooming her outside in the backyard was wise, and let's just say that was an understatement.

She couldn't have been better.  When I do nails, I sit on the floor, and put the dogs belly up, between my legs.  They know they must be still while I trim their nails.  I prefer to do nails somewhere other than the table, as I want the table to be a happy place for the dogs, not a place they dread.  I wasn't sure how she would feel about the belly up position, but she was wonderful.  Once she knew what I was doing, she just layed there and let me trim her nails.  They were longer than I like, but I'm a bit on the obsessive side when it comes to nails.  The minute I can hear tapping on the wood floors, it's time.  Generally, that's anywhere from 5-7 days.

ANYway.  After I did her nails, I noticed some mats between her rear legs.  I suspect with all the fussing the pups do when they nurse, they must have been the culprits.  I contemplated brushing them out, then decided she was going to blow all that coat, so why bother her with brushing them out.  I just cut them out.  Easy enough...!

Of course, after I removed the mats, I got a look at her slipper feet, and decided that she needed a foot trimming.  I'll admit I'm not a pro at most trimming yet, but I do a very nice foot.  I dare say they look superb!  Did a litle hock trimming, too.  Much improved.  But, with me, when one thing looks better, everything else looks worse, so I decided she needed a throrough brushing, not just a quick one.  Put her on the table in the backyard and went to work with my pin brush.  Well, the pin brush was no match for the volumes of hair coming out of her, so I decided I'd do the first pass with the undercoat rake.  Just a few minutes, I thought.  Well, it was a LOT of minutes!!!  The only word I can think of to describe the amount of hair coming out is 'shocking'.

After we got the big stuff out, I went through her with the pin brush.  Incredibly, the hair just kept coming.  I don't think I could have done it enough, but at some point you have to just stop.  Ty carries a ton of hair, and when he blows coat, it's something to behold, but he can't hold a candle to what came out of this girl today.

Of course, after I did all that brushing, I looked at her ears, and I just couldn't resist the urge to clean them up a bit, too.  So, I did...Jan/Diane, sorry if I didn't do a good job.  Since she's finished, and will likely loose most all of her hair, I figured "what's the harm?"  I didn't take off much, but rather just cleaned her up a bit.  The good news is it was another set of ears to practice on.  Cliff cleaned the inside of her ears, too.  Got a little bit of brown out, but that's pretty typical.  I get a bit out of my dogs, too, especially Ty who seems to find dirt just about anywhere he goes.

I could have done more, but I figured she had had enough, and I really needed to get back to some other things.  I put her down.  When I looked at her, I was pleased with my work.  I said, "now you look like somebody owns you," and I smiled at her.  I may be mistaken, but I think she smiled back.  :-)

We are coming into our last weekend with the puppies.  It has been a good deal of fun, and a real learning experience.  I have really enjoyed it.  Cliff, too.  On the one hand, I will be sad to see them go, but on the other hand, happy to have them safely back in Jan's hands.

The thing that most surprised me is how much personality they have at such a young age, and just how different they all are.  While they have changed a lot, many things have been consistent from that first day here.

The blue merle boy is a wonderful, all around boy.  He's confident, curious and really seems to have his legs under him.  He has those darling, short little hocks that we all love so much.  He's pretty, too, which never hurts.  :-)  He's an easy keeper.  He doesn't fuss, you can trim his nails without a struggle, and in general, he takes most everything in stride.

The blue merle girl is big.  She has been the biggest in the litter since day one.  Last night Jan mentioned that she is probably going to be available to a pet home.  She is very sweet, but a little less confident than her blue brother.  They are five weeks old today, and I know much can change from day to day, so the fact she doesn't yet have her feet under her, doesn't mean she won't, it just hasn't happened yet.  She remains the one most concerned about new noises.  To my surprise, she did really well on a new surface last night.  We put them on the smooth concrete floor of the garage last night.  It's slippery, and it's the first slick surface they have been on.  Everything to this point has provided a lot of traction.  I expected her to have a bit of trouble, but she took it all in stride.  I was pleased.

The bi-blue girl is still in a class all her own.  We have worked really hard on the holding and petting, and when the neighbor kids come, I make sure they hold her a LOT.  She has really settled down when being held.  She still doesn't like being belly up, and when layed down on her back, she immediately struggles to right herself.  However, she is really doing much better with being held.  I'm happy to see that.  It has been a struggle with her since that first day, and we have worked hard to help her understand it's not a bad thing.  I think the message is getting through.  :-)

The bi-black puppies are a hoot.  They are, in general, a bit more scrappy.  The plain faced bi-black boy is really fun.  He's the most vocal, and will sort of 'tell you off' if he doesn't like something new.  He will still investigate with the rest of them, and he doesn't lack curosity and confidence, but he's really funny about how he expresses his opinions.  I have always liked him.  I think he's pretty, and I love his little face.  He has nice head planes, and a nice stop, a nice full underjaw, and sweet little eye.

The bi-black girl is just fun.  She's a 'girls just wanna have fun' kind of girl.  She makes me laugh.  She's curious, playful, and confident.  She has been that way all along.  If I were in the market for a bi-black girl, I'd be all over her.  She's really fun, and she's very pretty.  Nice little outline, too.  I like her head, her face, and she has a nice little body.  A little longer than the others, but still very balanced, and pretty.

The littlest in the bunch is the bi-black boy with a tidge of white on his face.  He is all confidence, all scrap, and 'all that'.  He just isn't afraid of anything.  I have yet to throw something at the puppies that he hasn't embraced.  He is my gage.  If he's not interested in something new, I know they are just not ready for whatever that thing happens to be, and I give it another day or two and try again.  When he engages, I know they are ready.  Everyone that comes to visit, and in particular the neighbor kids, want to hold him first.  He's the most playful, and most engaging, and the most ready for whatever you want.  He's very small.

Then we have the tris.  They are polar opposites.  The plain faced tri is just a terror.  He's into EVERYthing, and he's constantly got out his can of whoop ass, ready to start spraying.  His tail is always up, and he's always on the prowl.  I can see him saying, 'step aside, the best part of your day has just arrived'.  Kind of like an arrogant man.  Ooops, did I say that?  :-)  He just oozes masculinity.  If any puppy can part the waters in the pen, it's him.  He's also extremely pretty.  Incredible head planes.  There is a show home somewhere that will be lucky to have him.

The tri boy with the face 'bling', as Jan calls it, is still a bit behind.  He's just not as ready for the world as his brothers and sisters.  He's not afraid of things, he's just not the first one to come on board.  I suspect he'll come on just fine, but he's taking his sweet time about it.  He is very, very pretty.  Beautiful head, also (I say that a lot about these puppies), and the face 'bling' really adds to the overall look.  He is sweet, and also an easy keeper.  He has two brothers that are quite bold, and that may be contributing to him standing back more than the others.  I think he, too, will make someone very happy.  I think Jan said he's the one Suzi Beacham is locked onto.  All I can say about that is 'good eye' Suzi.  :-)  He really is beautiful.

All in all, these are some very pretty puppies.  I have to say 'thank you' to Jan for the opportunity.  I have had a really good time with them.  I have worked my butt off on building them up, and giving them as much confidence as possible.  I hope my efforts pay off for their new owners, whoever they may be.

I hope to be able to see them as they grow up, and start their new lives, whether they be show dogs, performance dogs, or beloved pets.  I think there is a flavor for everyone in this litter.

We will take our last photos this weekend, then no more.  Suzi, I promise to take more photos of your 'bling' boy.  :-)  Thanks to everyone who followed their progress, and wrote to me along the way.  It's been a ton of fun.  I will miss them when they are gone, but I will enjoy having more time for the rest of my life.  :-)

Tri boy with bigger face blaze:

 

Tri boy with smaller face blaze:






Blue merle girl:

Blue merle boy:

Bi-black girl:








Bi-black boy, plain face:








Bi-black boy with the split collar:





 

Bi-black boy, black face:


Bi-black boy, split collar:


Bi-black girl:


Bi-blue girl:


Blue merle boy:


Blue merle girl:


Tri boy, bigger blaze:


Tri boy, smaller blaze: