A Story that ends well...

A few weeks ago my sister called and said, "I'm ready."  "Eve is ready."  A year ago, she lost her 15 year old BC mix named Molly.  Such a sweet dog and a huge loss.

I contacted friends and we found a nice 8 year old cattle dog.  Trish and Eve were excited, went up met him and brought him home.  After just a few hours at home, both of them knew it was not a match.  They wanted to like him, but he really wasn't the right dog for them.

It was heart breaking.  I told them, not every dog is a match.  Take him back.  Someone will love him.  He is in a GREAT rescue and they will understand.  Trish was asking, "what is wrong with me, why isn't this feeling good?"

It is my belief that you should not have to live with an animal if you don't mesh with that animal.  We have these guys for so many years, why live with someone you don't really love and waste years wishing for something different.

Though lots of tears, guilt, and wondering if it was them, they took the little cattle dog back to the rescue.  The rescue people were wonderful and the little guy is still looking for that forever home but is in a good place (this rescue is one of the best).

In the meantime, they decided to take a break from looking.  Wait they said.  I'm like, "ok." 

My sister comes down Saturday for a "hang out by the pool" day.  I say, "Wanna run up the the shelter and see what they got?"  Off we went.  I felt a little guilty for going without Trish's wife, but not so much that I wanted to stay home.

Walked in at 11:15, and picked out a little dog immediately.  You see, at 11:00am that morning, shelter workers placed a little pug in one of the runs for adoption.  She had been picked up as a stray, spayed on Friday, and put in the kennel on Saturday morning.  She had not been placed on the web.  On either side of her were 80 pound bullie breeds jumping and barking.  She sat in the middle of her kennel on a small towel, looking scared out of her mind.

"Let's pull her out!"  I say ever the optimist.  Trish called Eve to give her an update.  Eve has that bad flu and didn't want to drive down, but said to go for it.  So we did.

So this little cutie is now living with my sister.  After spending just a few minutes with her, Trish started laughing and giggling.  Trish said, "This is the one, I never felt this way about him (the cattle dog).  I'm in love."  I was skeptical and kept asking questions.  The little pug was still scared, but seemed to come out of it the longer she was with us.  She seemed distracted, but then would run back and crawl into our laps wagging that curly q of a tail.  After a while, Trish says, "there is no doubt in my mind.  I want this dog."

As Trish left to go home with her sweetie, I tried to give her advice, "Ok, the next few days are really important.  Give her boundaries.  Don't allow too much freedom.  If you don't want her on the furniture, this is your chance."  Trish says, "she can sit in the chair, but I think the couch will be off limits."

A few hours later I called to see how it was going.  "She is sound asleep on the couch between us.  We love her."  Ahhh.  She has those two girls wrapped around her little piggywiggle of a tail! 

My work is done.

A week has gone by in a Nyquil haze...

Left for LA last Wed evening.  Met up with friends, some of whom were getting over a cold/Flu.  By Friday evening I knew something was up.  By Saturday evening I knew I had the cold.  Sunday morning I woke up and felt worse than I could imagine. 

I'm thinking, "What am I gonna do, I feel really bad?!"  (there might have been a few moments of me feeling really sorry for myself...self pity...woe is me...etc.)

Laura, a woman of action says, "Vici, you are not going to magically appear in your bed at home.  Get up, take a shower, we are headed out to the show.  Now!"

Oh lord.  I did what she said and the woman was amazing.  Packing up our entire camp and driving me home.  I owe her huge!

At home, my husband did what he could and gave me Nyquil.  Now a few days later, I can look back and thank goodness for having a such a wonderful friend. 

Of course, now she has it...pretty much everyone in our traveling group has it.  Yuck.

Lov'in Little Fin

 Today I had a little discussion with Fin.  I set up a tunnel, dog walk discrimination and explained that we were going to work on going to the dogwalk.  Here's how the conversation went.

Me: "So Fin, see how the tunnel is next to the dogwalk.  I want you to do the dog walk and ignor the tunnel"
Fin:  "Ok, tunnel."
Me: Hmmmm.  "Let's not even think about the tunnel, lets just do the dogwalk.  Here, do it from this side.  Good, now from the side with the tunnel."
Fin:  "Ok, tunnel."
Me: "Fin, come here and stand right here.  Right in front of the dog walk.  Now, ready, do the dogwalk."
Fin: "Ok, tunnel."
Me: "oh lord.  Ok, go in the tunnel."
Fin:  "dogwalk!"

Fin digging deep for the turn out of the tunnel.

My little black dog loves to run.  She puts her entire heart and soul into everything she does and has a great time.  Sometimes she doesn't go where I expect, but she always goes with gusto.  Joy, joy, happiness.

Photo credit goes to dog gone digital.

So, I got a call from my credit card company asking me if I was enjoying my trip in Chenni, India....

Friday I was getting ready to leave and the credit card company calls.  "No, no I am not in India making charges at Electronic Stores and purchasing computers and software."  Ok, so now I have to cancel all my cards.  Done. 

Wait.  How do I pay for my hotel.  Go to the bank and get lots of cash...Then leave late for the show in Dixon.  Got there just in time to walk the courses, but not in time to put a hat on or put shoes on.  I am out there walking and can not believe how hot it is.  Later found out it was 97 (this is at 3:30pm).  Find out I'm 12th dog in, get my shoes on, get my hat on, run to the standard ring.  Wait, what was that course?  Figure it out, run the course and knock a frigin bar because I called while she was jumping.  Will I ever learn?

Why no. 

Next run was Jumpers and we got through it.  Mostly nice except for that late RC.  But I'll take it.  Even placed.  Nice way to end an evening.

Back the next day.  Got the fast, but stepped on the line.  Standard, a dropped bar, a barking dog telling me to handle better and a late RC resulted in a nq, but the jumpers was nice.  Just needed to hang out a bit at the end and not miss cue the RC and we would have made it!

Sunday held promise.  A most perfect Fast in the morning.  Didn't go for points.  Just went for a nice smooth course and Fin executed it beautifully.

Standard, not so much.  After the 3rd mistake in as many obstacles I thanked the Judge for his patience and headed out of the ring, Fin barking at me the entire time.  Here I am, every single time we run I tell her what a superstar dog she is, and now I screw up and she nags me the entire way out.  "Bite me!"  oh wait...she did.

Jumpers was easier than yesterday, but I felt I had to babysit the spreads and wasn't able to get up to serp and a knocked bar resulted.  Otherwise, not a bad run (a little wide turn on the final three and she went around second to last jump.  The little naughtypants!

This weekend a wedding and one day of USDAA on Sunday.  Can't wait.

Be careful not to blink cause the weekend went that fast...

Agility started on Saturday and Fin Q'd in Standard with a 2nd place (right behind Ashley and Luka) and got her Standard Masters title.  We also Q'd in Steeplechase, but those jumpers and Gambles eluded us.

There were some surprises for me this weekend.  Running contacts.  Didn't expect that.  We'll be working this week on criteria.  Obviously I've let something slide.  The Out cue I've been working on was ready to be shown to the world this weekend, but when I said, "out!", Fin turned around, looked at me and said, "out, out", I said, "OUT!" while waving my arms, and she looked at me and said, "out, out, out".  She did look over her shoulder, but mostly she bounced in place barking at me.  Back to the drawing board on that one.

Sunday I only stayed for the first two classes and didn't Q.  Had a GREAT BBQ with my family, then back at it on Monday for team day.

My team with Ashley and his young dog Dash and Laura with SpaceMonkey was a fun team with no expectations.  We ended up winning jumpers and gamblers and coming in third overall.  We would have placed better (maybe even won), if Fin had not got pulled into the tunnel vortex during relay.  But Q'ing and coming in third on top of it is pretty darn special if you ask me.

Fin doesn't seem fazed by her medal. She would prefer cookies.

We will try for our ADCH at the end of August.  Hopefully the Jumpers and Gambler Gods will shine on us then.