Fun at the Park

We finally got a nice day so we packed up the dogs and headed to the park.

Stephen Jordana Slick Pita

Hershey

Kant

Slick

Pita

Echo

Happy dogs!!!!!!!

Fun in February

February 5th, after spending the day shopping at the Scrapbooking Expo in Portland and a late lunch at Chevy’s, Heidi, Lee, I and all our scrapbooking supplies new and old with our weekend bags loaded in the van we headed to Lincoln City for a weekend of scrapbooking with Brenda and friends. Brenda did a great job of organizing this weekend and got us a perfect house right on the beach, well right on the beach after a long set of stairs.

We arrived at the house Friday evening and did not have to leave until Sunday. We got a lot of scrapbooking done between time spent with friends,

great meals, a walk on the beach,

trip to the local scrapbooking store, and even a little sleep. We had to make at least one trip to the beach

because there were tide pools straight down from the house and

Heidi had never seen tide pools.

And of course I had to have our weekend documented in the sand. I got over 30 pages done which involved about 6 months of pictures. I am already looking forward to next year.

The next weekend, Kant, Echo and I traveled to Elma Washington to compete in the Rainer Agility Group’s Sweetheart Trial Valentine’s weekend and Hershey came along for the drive. The blue dogs and I had a great weekend. Kant got 2 jumpers closer to her NATCh only 5 more to go. Echo earned her first Open Q in Hoopers, Q’d in all 4 Novice Regular classes, and finished to titles Outstanding Novice Tunnelers and Outstanding Novice Weavers. I know I am sounding like a broken record but Echo is a blast to run and each time we go to the line we become a better team.

February 20th and 21st was the CAT NADAC trial and Jordana took Saturday off work to come run and I was planning to run both days. But one of the judges that was scheduled to be there got hurt at the last minute and was not able to come so I was given the opportunity to judge my second assignment and of course I jumped at it. I had to pull all my runs and Jordana got to run all the dogs, Hershey, Kant, Pita, and Echo, in the ring I was not judging which turned out to be Regular and Chances. Jordana did very good with all the dogs, had a great time, and learned a lot!!

January

January was pretty quiet with no dog competitions, just practices; Birthdays – Gary, Shon, and Suzie; and a visit from Mom and Aunt Judy. And the PT Cruiser finally grew up and became a Dodge Grand Caravan with so much room.

Suzie hosted a birthday dinner to celebrate Gary and Shon’s birthdays. It was a wonderful dinner and time spent with family.

Look how tall Shon has gotten, stand tall Papa Gary.

Kacy loved blowing out the candles and Suzie was happy to keep lighting them.

Auntie Jane and Kaya enjoying a good book.

Happy Birthday Papa Gary!!

Great times spent with Mom and Aunt Judy!

My first NADAC judging assignment was this month and I had a great time!!

2010 is off to a great start!

The end of 2009

Where does the time go…

It is already mid-April and if you looked at my last post you would think we have done nothing since our Bandon trip right before Christmas. But that would not be true!

Christmas Eve

I had to work Christmas Eve but got off a little early to go to Corvallis and make a stop at my friend Anne’s Open House! Anne runs Border Creek Border Collie rescue and I so admire her for all the work she does for those border collies. I have always wanted to help but with 6 dogs of my own my house was pretty full. After we lost Casey in November it made me want to help even more so we decided to foster a dog for Anne. So I brought home Linguini, a five month old Border Collie.

Now off to McMinnville for the family gathering at the Leathers. I am not sure where this past year went but it went fast and I realized that I had not seen any of the family since last Christmas Eve. Kacy and Kaya are growing up so fast and it is so wonderful to see such happy young families!! It was a great surprise to see Salva Jr. (who will always be Baby Salva to me). I spent less time taking pictures this year and more time visiting. I made everyone give me their address and birthdates since I have so lost track of all that information. I am making my first resolution for 2010 to be a better Aunt and Sister!! What a great start to the Christmas Holiday!!

Christmas Day

Christmas was pretty quiet. Jordana is not up before the sun anymore to open presents but she did get up earlier then usual. Stephen came over to open presents with us in the morning before he went with his family. Jordana and I surprised him with a telescope, that had some assembly required but who needs to read directions. I asked and asked Jordana what she wanted for Christmas and it was all practical stuff…a rechargeable battery unit and a bigger memory card for her new camera. And a shadow box of Casey which I did not want to do for Christmas because I knew she would cry and cry she did which of course made me cry. I got something I have wanted for a year since Christmas Eve last year and seeing Suzie’s wall of pictures; I got two black shelves to hang in the hallway for family pictures. I have been collecting black picture frames all year and now I had shelves to put the frames on so I had Dad help me hang them when he arrived. I am thrilled with how it turned out, most of the frames are in need of pictures and I have requested some and am printing others but I did have a few. We had a great day and a good dinner then Jordana had to go to her house sitting job, Dad had to go home, and I had to collapse; which of course I could not do since I had a 5 month old Border Collie that needed to go for a walk. Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

First snow of the year

Almost a white Christmas just missed it by 5 days. It started snowing while I was at work but then changed to rain and disappeared typical for Oregon. Then right before I headed home it started snowing again and continued in to the evening. The dogs LOVE the snow. They would stay out there until they become pupsicles if I let them. Dad called and said he got 5 inches of snow in McMinnville we did not get close to that, ours just barely covered everything. But it was still snow.

2009 ended quietly with just me and a houseful of dogs but it was a Year of Many Changes

2009 started out slow and steady. I decided to start my NADAC judging training this year and headed to Moab Utah in May for my first clinic. Moab was amazing and I had a great time and the clinic went very well and I became a NADAC judge that month. I had my first assignment in January 2010. I am still working for the Oregon State Treasury, 24 years now. And I am still competing in agility and herding with Kant and Echo and we earned several Qs, titles, and awards with great teamwork and fun.

The Graduate!!!!

It seems like just yesterday that we were celebrating Jordana’s graduation from High School and getting her moved to Western Oregon University but it was 4 years ago. She went to WOU to be a teacher but 2 years in to school decided that was not where her heart was. She continued to stay committed to finishing her college education and graduated June 2009 with a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (BIS) degree. I can hardly believe my baby is a college graduate. I am so proud of her and what she has accomplished!!

There was no doubt in my mind that she had actually graduated but because she chose not to walk in the graduation ceremony then we had to wait for the diploma to arrive in the mail. It was a very exciting day with that beautiful diploma arrived; I wanted to open it right away but waited for Jordana to come home and be the one to open it.

In October 2008 Jordana got a job at PetSmart as a cashier. Being a cashier she could not sell or deal with the animals so she got trained in Pet Care so she could work with the animals. Before her 6 month anniversary she was promoted to Lead Cashier. Jordana was asked to become a Dog Trainer to cover the maternity leave of the Lead Dog Trainer and Jordana jumped at this great opportunity to do what she thought she wanted to do for her career. Jordana is having a great time teaching dog classes.

What is next? Who knows when you are 23 years old! Right now she is enjoying just going to work, not being in school anymore, and spending time with Stephen.

My hope for her is that she lives each day to its fullest with a smile on her face and her dreams lead the way.

This year was busy, filled with great trips and times with friends and family. Jordana and I are healthy and happy. Our only tragedy this year was losing Casey.

We are looking forward to 2010 and all it brings.

December in Bandon

With Christmas being so hectic and Jordana working the day before and the day after and me dying to go on a road trip and Doreen asking us to come visit I decided to take some days off from work and take Jordana and the dogs to the beach. Doreen is the most gracious hostess!! She had just gotten back from a long trip to the east coast the day before we arrived. But she welcomed us with open arms and an open house. Doreen’s house sits directly across from the Face Rock State Park.

Bandon is about a 4 hour drive from our house. We had a very uneventful drive. Just before hitting Highway 101 I spotted a couple of Bald Eagles sitting in a tree over a river,

of course I had to turn around to get pictures and then we passed the elk reserve and we were not disappointed by the showing of elk.

And geese and even some ducks and more elk.

We were just pulling out of the reserve when we noticed that the elk had gotten much closer so we turned around and went back for some more pictures.

We arrived in Bandon to not the greatest weather on Monday but it gave us lots of time to play games and get to visit.

Tuesday morning the rain was going sideways and exploring the beach at low tide which was at 9am was looking very doubtful so we had some breakfast and played a couple of games and as it got closer to low tide the weather started to clear up. I took complete advantage of the break in the weather and made Jordana go with me to explore the beach.

We pretty much had the beach to ourselves so we let the dogs loose to run and run they did!

They chased waves and sea gulls and explored everything. Jordana and I found some treasures but mostly we enjoyed watching the dogs run and play and have such a good time!

There were lots of photo ops and I put my camera to good use.

We completely lost track of time and had no idea how long we had been on the beach until we finally dragged ourselves back to the house and realized we had been gone for 3 hours!!!

Doreen had wanted to fix a Full Turkey Meal while we were there and that is what we came back to after our time on the beach. Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberries, and salad. What a perfect day! Oh but of course it was not over we still HAD to go to Shore Acres State Park and see the Christmas lights! I LOVE Shore Acres and will go any time I can, it is never a disappointment!

The Christmas Lights this year were phenomenal; there were over 250,000 lights with many moving displays. Now it was the most perfect day!!

Unfortunately our visit was way too short since Jordana had to be at work at 1pm on Wednesday so we were up on the road by 8am to get back. But we had a GREAT time with a great hostess and friend, lots of games, and of course the beach. I am already looking forward to the next visit! Thank you Doreen!!

A Trial and some Birthdays

With a threat of an ice storm Friday night and the WAG NADAC Games Trial Saturday and Sunday I was very nervous. I do not like to drive in snow but ice is impossible. The storm came up from the south and dissipated about 30 miles south of us. So we woke up Saturday morning on Kant and Echo’s birthdays to some moisture that froze but it was not as bad as it could have been. The Trial Chair decided to start the trial an hour later and that was a great decision. Stephen (Jordana’s boyfriend) decided to go with me to help run and take care of the dogs since all five were entered. We were all loaded up and on the road by 8am.

The dogs seemed to like the cooler weather and were very excited to be going to an agility trial. And they all ran great!

The first class of the weekend was Hoopers and all 5 dogs were entered; 3 in Novice, 1 in Open, and 1 in Elite. Stephen ran Slick and PITA in his first ever trial and I did not do a good job of explaining Hoopers so he did not Q with either dog but they did run a great course and all 3 of them were happy. Echo loves Hoopers and finished her Superior Novice Hoopers title with a run that only lasted 18.05 seconds. Hershey was in Open Hoopers for the first time and had a beautiful run earning his first Q of the day. Kant also loves Hoopers and had a great run also earning a Q. Next it was Tunnelers with Stephen running Kant and Echo running with me we could not get a Q with either dog. But both dogs Q’d in both rounds of Weavers; Echo finished her Novice Weavers title with Round 1 of Weavers and a 6.52 yps run. PITA and Stephen had a great run in Round 1 of Weavers but PITA took an off course tunnel. We ended the day with Touch’N’Go; I ran Kant in Round 1 and we Q’d, Stephen and Kant had an off course in Round 2. Stephen and PITA had a beautifully FAST run earning PITA’s first TNG points with a Q and 2nd place!! Echo and I could not get it together for either round so no TNG Q’s for us on Saturday. Hershey on the other hand ROCKED and Q’d in both TNG classes. Everyone went hope happy and tired.

Happy 7th Birthday Kant and 2nd Birthday Echo!!

Sunday was a typical Oregon winter day – wet – and we had no problem getting to the trial. We started with 2 Rounds of Touch’N’Go; Stephen ran Kant in both rounds, in Round 1 Kant blew her A-frame contact so Stephen worked it in Round 2 and they had a beautiful run for a Q and 1st place. PITA and Stephen did not Q in their run but PITA had great contacts and was running great. Echo was having a great run in Round 1 but at the very last obstacle decided not to listen to me and take a left in to the tunnel. She listened much better in Round 2 which had the exact same finish and got her first TNG Q. Hershey Q’d in Round 1 with only one more Q to finish his Superior Novice TNG title we could not hold it together to Q in all 4 Rounds but I was so proud of him and how good he ran!! 2 Round of Weavers was next, I was working on speeding Kant up in the weaves but it was throwing off my handling and Kant and I were not coming together as a team we managed a Q in both classes but not with runs that I had hoped. Echo Q’d with a great run, she is my weaving machine! Stephen and PITA had a complete melt down in Weavers. On to Tunnelers with a 125 yard need for speed course; I really wanted to run Kant on this course but I knew her and Stephen would have a blast and they did running it in 19.91 seconds. I told Stephen before he ran that Echo and I would be running the exact same course so he had better run Kant well because Echo and I would challenging them; nothing like putting a little pressure on the guy at his first trial! Echo shot out of a straight tunnel like a torpedo and did not make the tightest turn but we still ran the course in 20.28 seconds just .3 seconds behind her big sister not bad for a Novice dog! We ended the weekend with all 5 dogs in Hoopers. Stephen and PITA had a great running earning PITA’s first Hoopers Q.

Slick started out with Stephen so fast but something happened maybe someone coughed but it was over for Slick, he went to the leash runner and sat in front of her asking to have his leash put back on, the leash runner turned around so Slick went and sat in front of the judge asking her to make the leash runner put the leash back on but when that did not work either he took matters in to his own paws and left the ring, thank goodness he is cute! Echo got a bonus Novice Q. Hershey got his 2nd Open Hoopers Q with the greatest run and finishing that requirement for Champs! Kant also had an awesome run in Elite Hoopers ended our weekend with a Q.

So Kant ended the weekend with 9 Qs out of 12 possible and earning her 630th Weavers points. Hershey was the man with 5 Qs out of 6 and 3 of them were TNG!!! Slick was happy all weekend; he really does not care about the Qs. PITA got 2 Qs out of 6 possible; she needs to stick with one handler. Echo continues to amaze me and Q’d in 7 of her 10 runs, finishing two more titles!! Overall it was an awesome trial!! I love one ring trials!! WAG did it again!

Happy 6th Birthday Slick!

Santa Paws

We have been having record breaking colds here with beautiful blue sky but extremely cold temperatures for us. From the warmth of inside the house the blue sky looks tempting to go outside until you step out there and that wind hits you freezing you right to your bones. I have not been excited to haul out the Christmas decorations and put them up when it is so cold and we have decided not to put up a tree this year, there is just no room in our little house. So I had to do something to get in to the Christmas spirit so I decided to pack the 5 dogs and drag Jordana and Stephen to the mall to have our pictures taken with Santa!

Last week I was in the mall and saw the best Santa all set up for pictures, I found out that on Mondays from 6pm to 8pm you could bring your dog(s) or cat(s) in to have their picture taken. So that was what I decided I wanted to do this year. It is a bit of an adventure to take 5 dogs in to the mall, up stairs, past shoppers, and finally getting to Santa.

Santa and the photographer seemed a bit worried about having so many dogs in one pictures so we decided to start out small and take a picture with Jordana and Stephen with just 2 dogs. Everyone was set up, I said “look”, they did, and the picture was done. I was looking at the picture and Santa reached up to pet the dogs and that was too cute so I had them take that picture and that was the one we picked.

Jordana, Stephen, PITA, Slick, and Santa

Now it was time to take the picture with all the dogs, Jordana, and myself. Santa wanted to know how we were going to do this and we decided Santa would sit in his chair and we would put dogs on both sides, he could hold Echo, and the rest of us will be on the floor. The photographer said Kant could not be on the floor or she would not be in the picture so I grabbed the stool that Santa was sitting on in the first picture, put it in front of Santa and told Kant “paws up”, which worked. Stephen said “look”, they did, we smiled, and another picture done.

Slick, PITA, Echo, Hershey, Jordana, Kant, Traci with Santa

We got quite the gathering of people watching. Santa said this was the most dogs he had in a picture, they did so well. We were in and out with our pictures in less then twenty minutes.

Merry Christmas!