Happy Birthday Olive!

Olive is 1 year old. 

In six months she will be eligible for USDAA agility!!!! Can't wait!

 

Olive lived 5 months with her mom and siblings at Alison's house.  She had a great first 5 months. In fact, that foundation that Olive received there has made her the dog she is today.  I first met her at 4.5 months and she came to live with me at 5 months.

The story of Olive began when I made an agreement with Alison to take her for 4 months for training.  Giving Olive a good foundation and giving me an opportunity to see what the JRT life was like (and whether Tazz could stand to live with another dog) the plan seemed like a good one.  I liked Olive mostly because of her personality.  She was so very much into her people and her ball and I felt I could work with that. I think everyone but me knew I'd fall in love...even my husband who was dead set against another dog, let me bring Olive home for 4 months...... 7 months ago.

We worked on her recall from the beginning.  We are still working on our recall!  The first clue that she might be staying is when I changed her name.  Christened "Roja" at birth, I made the excuse to change her name for training reasons.  I have, for a long time, had a name in mind for a JRT that I might someday get.  Of course I couldn't use that name due to the fact that my husband might think I was considering keeping her. My best bud introduced me to the childrens book, "Olive the Other Reindeer," and that was that. 

She was intense...ok she is still intense.

Loud and enjoys her sun, Olive is not one to hold back on her feelings.

Finding fun even in the most unlikely places.  Olive found a small grape tomato at the USDAA Nationals.  She rolled on that thing for 20 minutes.

We lived through her first heat (my first time with a dog in heat).  Good news, it was a non event.  Ok, at the time it was tiresome, but overall, not too bad.  We expect another heat cycle around May/June.

Olive the other reindeer had to wear silly cloths for me.  She is quite tolerant at times.  Then there are the other times when the inner Terrier comes out.  She has distroyed 4 beds :(

A very happy girl who loves fetch and then a spend a nice long time in the sun.

 

 Sometimes a very dirty girl, always entertaining.

 

 She is so much fun to buy colars and harnesses for, you can actually see them!  I gave up getting special colars and harnesses for the shelties.  They were always hidden.

 

She is always up for a photo opportunity. The poor thing gets really cold as she has hardly any coat, so I have to purchase jackets for her.  She currently has four.  I might be going a little overboard on the whole coat thing.

 



Ever vigilant for the ball to be tossed, she is an exceptional student.  She is learning every day and training is rarely difficult.  When it is, we stop and play and train another day.

 

A happy girl that makes me laugh!

 

Today as I reflect on the past 7 months I realize how my life and the lives of my crew have changed.  Olive sure does mix it up here at Whiz land and although she is still learning about how to behave with the shelties, overall, the experience is making me a better dog trainer. 

 

I am so grateful that Alison took a chance on me.  I am so grateful that my husband agreed to this little venture.  I am so grateful for a fabulous best friend who wouldn't let me pass on this wonderful little girl. I am very grateful for another friend who hooked me up with Alison. I can't imagine a house without this bundle of energy. 

 

Happy Birthday Olive!