Updates!!

ARGH, where does time go???

Due to popular demand, the official update on Moose:  Moose is now Cooper and he will spend his life with Sara, his adopter. Yes, she is the girl that met him at the fundraiser. She has a roommate who has a young husky dog named Shout and when I took Moose over there, he took one look at me, then he was gone in a flurry of teeth, fur and wrestling with his new sis. They both were smitten. Sara was smitten and honestly, I tried to say goodbye to the boy, but he wouldn't; he was too intent on trotting around after his new Mama and playing with Shout. PERFECT PLACE for him! Exactly where Moose/Cooper should live.

Otherwise, my summer is winding down as I am back to work next week. I am dreading being away from my dogs all day- I've been home for 3 months after all with my sick leave then summer holidays. But, such is life and we'll all adjust.

The ratties are great. Yes, they are RATS. And, I love them!  I am making them a new cage; a giant grotto that likely will help me expand the family a little. I already added Dru, a black rat who is just a little doll. She fits with the other girls so well. Honestly, their temperaments are likely tiny dogs. They LOVE people, they love socialization and are highly trainable. I can't wait to clicker train some tricks! hehe

The dogs and I are great! I worked a weekend at Rebecca's and they were in heaven, running around, chasing, digging, enjoying the space. Then, they got a weekend at Bec's while I hung out at a Leadership Camp for young people. They had fun and I was inspired about the next generation. There are some super stars growing up in this province and it gives me hope!

In light of the fact that I ended last school in such a difficult position (sick leave, essentially due to stress) I have made some big decisions in the last while. The most recent one is to take a step back from the rescue. I love New Hope and the work they do, but I personally need a break. So, that is huge for me as I have been involved pretty much since I arrived here. I think the time away will be good; I will be able to re-find my passion for dog rescue, perhaps. And, at the end of the day my focus is on getting my thesis done, creating a better, more stable and normal routine for the dogs this fall and making sure that I stay healthy! I'll miss it, and I'll miss the variety of dogs who have come through my doors over time. But, a break and a rest is good sometimes.

That's all for this morning; I promise pictures and stories about the dogs soon. I definitely have some to tell!

Travelling this weekend.

A little update on the flood situation from my friend Robin at The Year of the Chocolate Bunny. Robin posted an update and stated that she, Tim and Alex got out of the house, as did all 3 dogs. They were also able to save their cats, but not their sugar glider or their rabbits.  They have managed to find a new place to live, but they are not able to keep three dogs there (just two!), and they have to rehome their cats. It's very sad to think they have to give up Bubby, their newest dog, saved recently from the Humane Society. And, give up their cats. They are starting over from scratch, so any kind thoughts and messages you could send them would be appreciated. They've been through a great deal over the last six months, and I suspect this is a devastating blow; the house they were in is scheduled to be torn down due to chronic flooding they were never informed about and all their possessions are still inside the mouldy house.

Anyway, I am away this weekend, working for the Ministry of Education, doing some training in preparation to mark provincial exams this summer. I have been hired as a Exam Scoring Leader for a grade 7 Reading Assessment. It's a good gig, pays decently well for a teacher and it's just a week out of my summer. I enjoy it, as I see it as Professional Development and I learn lots from the experience. Plus, I've met lots of other great teachers from around the province and it's a good chance to get away!

The dogs are with Rebecca this week, and I learned the Sophie got into mischief very shortly after arriving there. Bec hadn't adequately closed her crate, and she escaped and was loose in the dog room so she figured she could eat quite a bit of another dogs kibble. End result? Peroxide and Rebecca needed to clean up the yard after Soph. I suspect Sophie now fully understands "DON'T COME OUT OF YOUR CRATE UNTIL INVITED, EVEN IF THE DOOR IS OPEN!"  I love that Rebecca sends them home a little better trained than they left, but I do feel bad that she misbehaved. At least Ringo and Murphy had to be woken up this morning! Phew, to that one! Spike apparently is having a blast running around and exploring the yards.

I have to admit, I am enjoying being away, staying in a nice hotel (it's all expenses paid!) and having the bed to myself. I do miss the dogs, but it is nice not to have Murphy sleeping as close as possible, or Sophie snoring in my ear.  I will be hunkering down tonight with my research but it's alright; it's quiet and I have no distractions here. Tomorrow, I head home and back to the reality of life with 4 dogs (thank goodness one will eventually move out!) and work on Monday.

Time to lighten and go for a run

It's been pretty heavy around here lately with me working hard on Grad School and Sophie working overtime as a canine hoover. However, she's recovered fully and is back to her normal, bratty self.  In honour of that, I decided to take the dogs for a run at "Gopher Heights", AKA, Rebecca's field at The Poop Guys.

My dogs LIVE to go to Rebecca's. I have NEVER had dogs this excited to go to their boarding kennel before. Let me demonstrate the joy a bit... a snippet of video, filmed on the gravel road, just outside Rebecca's place. (Just so you know, I pointed the camera over my shoulder to film as a I crept down the gravel road... there was no danger in the filming of this clip, even if I was driving at the time.)

And, a second clip to give you even more of a grasp on what I live with.. CRAZY, SCREAMING dogs!  This tends to happen for a good 3-4 KM's before arriving. They know when the car points in the direction of Rebecca's that there is fun to be had.

Now, it's really hot out today. I let out Spike's newest girlfriend Maggie for a play and she really didn't want to move too much. But, isn't she gorgeous?? And, she's a very laid back Sophie, so I was tempted to swap them and see if Mag's owners realized, hehe. Something tells me they would know right away, HA!

Isn't she pretty? 

Then, I let the little dogs out for a run in the big field. This includes Murphers, who I like to let play with the little uns occasionally, just so she doesn't forget she's small, like them.  There were the two cutest little black Shih Tzus. And, Santa of course, along with Izzy and Quinn.

I have no idea if that is Chewy or Truck Truck, but he's sure a cutie!

And, Quinn of course, sunning herself before Murphy came along and jumped on her, leading to a game of chase.

As for Spike, I didn't see much of him once he was out... he was zooming here and there, looking for gophers.

Oh, there he is.... 

And, there he goes...

He doesn't really stop moving, unless he wants to attempt to dig a gopher out of a hole. There was none of that today, just running, running and more running.

Poor little Murphy attempted to run with the big kids, but sadly she was separated by a fence.

That's ok, she sure can fence chase!! Look at that turn... I hope that starts to turn into a lovely swimmer's turn for flyball! :)

And, of course, there is Sophie who insisted on doing lots of fence chasing herself, with Murphy and Santa (who moves to fast, let me tell you to get a decent photo!)

Here she comes...

Here she is... yeah for happy Sophie!

And, after all that running, the black dogs needed to cool down.... so the question is, how many Black Dogs can you fit in a tiny pool?

Well, 2 until Sophie forces Spike out...

Tired, tired Sophie girl!

And, last but not least,  Murph with her RIDICULOUS ears!! Seriously, is she a Jack Russell or a German Shepherd??  

Home Sweet Home!

I am back from a weekend in Alberta!  I took Murphy off to meet my parents and their dogs for the weekend, and left Spike and Sophie behind. Murphy wasn't as much of a hit as I would have liked her to be; she was suspicious of my dad, barking and growling at him at times, and poor Buster and Lucy were reluctant to share their home or their favourite people's laps! But, by the end, they were starting to play and work out their issues. Good thing Miss Murph is SO submissive; no fighting for her!! There are pictures to follow, as soon as my mom emails me the pictures (hint, hint mom!).

Spike and Sophie clearly had a great weekend! Sophie limped around abit at the kennel, but she is doing so much better than she did all winter; it gives me great optimism that she just can't handle the cold but will feel better in the summer. So, come fall, I'll take her back to the Vet and get her pain medication relooked at to make sure we are helping her the best we can.  Spike didn't want to come home after potentially killing two gophers (he's being implicated in their sudden and untimely deaths at least). But, once in the car, he was happy enough to be on the way home. Once again, pictures to follow, once I get photos off Facebook. Lucky for me, Rebecca at The Poop Guys takes photos for me so I can see how great my dogs are, without me! Ha!  It's a huge relief to have such a great kennel actually and to know my dogs are doing well, when I am not around.

Murphy's trip to the "Spa"

Alright, we need a little break from the story of Spike SO here's images from Murphy's weekend. I was away on the weekend, and the dogs all found their way to Rebecca's place, my favourite boarding kennel ever. She took photos of how Murph spent her weekend... looks like a tough life my little puppy leads, eh??

She's flying as fast as her little legs will take her!!

What a cutie. I'm amazed at how much bigger she seemed when I got back from the weekend. She's growing like crazy right now!

Look at Penny tug. Funny, the two that are likely to be flyball dogs are not! HA!

Breakfast time!!

Best buds, Quinn and Murphy... otherwise known as the Midgets.

"Wait for me!"

"Why you waking me up?"  Quinn and Murphy having a snooze in the sun. It was HOT while I was gone.

Nap time!!

All three pups... best of friends!  Murphy, Penny and Quinn.  Murph sure was tired the first day home from Rebecca's. Too bad it didn't last! :)

My dogs go to the best kennel ever!

It's true... I feel SO spoiled to have stumbed on Rebecca, of The Poop Guys! Not only is a great flyball buddy, but she has become quite important in the lives of my dogs. She is my "please, can you let me dogs out for a break and play with ball obsessed Sophie for a few minutes" go to gal, my dog boarder extraordinaire and my "oh oh, what do I do now to train these monsters to behave and run agility/flyball better" gal. Never before have I had the great luck to leave my dogs at a kennel with someone who takes pics of them and has devoted an entire facebook album just to my dogs! That's service!!  Not only that, she picked them up Friday for me, saving me from driving the whole 10 minutes to her acreage Thursday night and delivered them home to me on Sunday, Yup, that's service.

So, without further ado, here's my dogs stay at Rebecca's....

Apparently there was lots of fetching going on....

They also spent time chasing each other around... just like at home! HA!

And, Spike spent time barking at Rebecca to throw the dang ball already!

And, Sophie attempted to bath herself in the still frozen pool...

\

And of course, more fetching through the mud, of course!

Sophie didn't think Rebecca threw the ball nearly enough. She clearly is trying to will the ball to move.

When that didn't work, she tried the puppy dog eyes approach... "c'mon ball lady, through it already... please?"

And, my favourite of Sophie from the weekend... Sophie Mud Monster Extraordinaire...

Spike and Sophie came back tired but happy to see me! That's always nice. And, yes, they are a little on the muddier than they left side, but who cares?  When you have great friends who take such good care of Sophie Mud Monster and Spikey Barkey Pants, what else can you ask for?

But, it's still good to be home!

The Dogs go to the "Spa"

No pictures this post, sorry! It's because the dogs are on a trip...they have gone to stay in Borden for the weekend at The Poop Guys... just the best dog kennel I know in the Saskatoon area. It's all because I am off, doing Scorer Leader training for the Ministry of Education's Assessment for Learning. Fancy name for extreme pain and suffering, but making enough extra cash to pay for two, count them TWO semesters of full-time graduate studies. So, I can put aside my personal feelings and deal with it for the weekend. Not a pleasure trip, that's for sure, but I have to say, they have put me up in the Sandman Inn, in Regina and it is a NICE room. I'll have to get pictures; it's my first ever King Sized Bed. The dogs and I all would fit, too bad they aren't here to enjoy this. I didn't know that the Sandman Inn is actually pet friendly too, so maybe in May, Ill bring them along. I have to admit, half way here, I was already missing my kids terribly. I am happy to have a break, but boy do I miss them.... even if Sophie stinks.

Working 9-5!

I can't believe it's August already!  Where has my summer of  nothing gone? Oh yeah, in a haze of dog training, classes, X-rays and stress with the Soph monster and naps! It's really my first summer I have taken off completely, without taking classes, or working or moving or moving twice. SO, it's been lovely to sit and think and read books and relax and work on the dogs.

That being said, my friend Rebecca is the owner of The Poop Guys. And, she happened to be at an agility seminar and trial over the last week while her partner Colin was away. So, I got asked to step in, and work at the kennel for a little bit. Fun, fun!  Perks for me? New yards to play in, more space to work the dogs and getting to hang out with some pretty sweet pups! My week flew by in a haze of weave poles and fur, but it's been fun. 

Here's Emma, Spike's new girlfriend. She is super bouncy, super sweet and gave kisses to Spike through the fence as he attempted to train yesterday. Very distracting!! 

And, my new true love, Bruce. He can come and warm my feet any night, the big teddy bear! I guess I really do like Labs! He is a pretty simple guy, eat, sleep, play ball. Can't believe how big he is at 10 months of age! I am sure Sophie would love to give up her crown of sole lab in the house just to have this cutie move in!

An attempt to get a photo of Sophie learning to weave... sigh. It's hard to get motion photos of your own dogs, when they aren't solid on the equipment.  Same goes for Spike's two photos; one attempting to weave, one running a tunnel. Not so great in the photo department, but whatever. Gives a taste of what I spent my week doing!

And, a view of the field I have been able to use at Rebecca's all week!  Thanks Rebecca for a fun, enjoyable week... the dogs were great and it was a treat to have more room to move!!