Sick

Sorry for being such an absent blogger....I've been sick....it hit me at 2am Thurs night & went downhill from there! I was so sick that I actually called in on Fri. morning to work saying I couldn't come in! I have been working for 32 years & this is seriously the first time I have called in sick....maybe a record or something!
Amanda & Wendy took it all in stride & filled in for me, thanks again guys!
I could not get out of bed until 5:30 Fri. evening!
However I am back on the mend & feeling like my old self again, whew! Good thing too, the Collie Specialty in Calgary is this coming weekend!

Penguin

Sandy took this test at www.animalinyou.com & it was so like her that I decided to try it......I think I am definitely a Penguin!


Careers and Hobbies
Writer
Herbalist
Journalist
Actor
Designer
Waiter
Gambling
Board games
Reading
Family time

Famous Penguins
Oscar Wilde
Truman Capote
Danny Devito

Now you see it, now you don't. Aggressive yet gentle, outgoing but shy, stable yet flighty - everyone sees the penguin in a different way. It's that black and white thing: the penguin only reveals the side that it wants to you to see. So whether you like this darling-devil or not, you have to concede that it's a fascinating and enigmatic individual.

Penguins are birds condemned to live out their days on the ground. Unable to fly, their excess energy has no outlet save their creative talents and emotional outbursts. Penguins are poetic, artistic, and intellectually gifted, and as writers penguins have no equal.

But, if unable to channel their impulses in a positive way, the resulting turmoil proves damaging to their relationships and careers.

Penguins are deceptively intelligent and are particularly animated when intellectually challenged. They excel at word games and puzzles but are modest about their abilities and are generally underestimated by others.

With their misunderstood personality, penguins find writing an ideal tool for expressing their true feelings. With a natural aptitude for languages, penguin personalities dominate the world of publishing as writers, editors and journalists. A strong sense of drama draws them to the theater and cinema, although unlike typical bird personalities they avoid the spotlight unless they're able to hide behind the characters they play. Once on stage however, they prove to be excellent performers with their multifaceted personalities conveying the full gamut of emotions.

However, a lack of confidence affects their work. Penguins tend to give up on tasks they were otherwise capable of and are often disappointed with their performance. Still, work never dominates their life and they always put their family first.

Can we keep it?.....

This morning I had Kort with me out in the front yard....he kept hanging around the corner of our neighbour's deck for the longest time. I would call him, he'd come to me, look at me, then head back to the corner. I didn't think too much of it at first but then realized something must be there. Well there was, a dead rabbit. When I approached, Kort looked up at me then back down to the bunny & gently nosed it, then he looked back at me again. I went into the house to get a bag to put the poor bunny in while Kort stood guard over his find. He was very anxious as I was putting the bunny in the bag, he kept trying to see it & push my hands out of the way. He followed me to the garbage & watched as I put the bunny inside. He stood around sniffing at the garbage, then ran back into the front yard to the spot where the rabbit had been, then back to the garbage again....It was kind of sad really, Kort was so gentle, I think he knew the rabbit was dead, but at the same time I think he wanted to keep it.....poor bunny....poor Kort.

Just By Chance!.....

Last year I was looking through some collie blogs & just by chance I came across one that had a tri colour female collie pictured on it, & she just happened to be a daughter of "Chip". Chip is also Tate's dad...so I left a comment on the blog & the rest is history so to speak. The owner of the blog was Diana who has Entais Collies in California, check out her blog under my favourite blogs, collieshorsesartlove. Since then we have been e-mailing back & forth & getting to know each other. We have so much in common & even though we have never met in person, Diana has already become great friend!
So, it got me thinking that maybe if I could save some money, I could fly out to see her for my big 5-0 this September! When I mentioned it to Diana she was thrilled. Diana also has a blue merle collie that I have totally fallen in love with, his name is Ty, but I nicknamed him Squishy, cuz when you look at him you just want to squish him! Soooo, this led to Diana saying if I come to California, we could go for Squishy walks, & groom Squishy, & drink Merlot, which we both love. I e-mailed Diana to say it had to be "Squishy Merlot"!
Well Diana brainstormed & has produced the first ever Squishy Merlot! Now I just have to go to California to get it!!!

Winter......

Is only good for one thing......
Growing Coats!......

Something New

Tonight was my first night as Amanda's "assistant" at her dog training classes! It is a "Mind Your Manners Class" so it is basically people who want to have a well mannered pet, not those who are going into formal obedience.
It was tons of fun & very interesting to see things from a "trainer's" point of view. Amanda is a natural at training dogs & I find it rewarding to listen & learn from her. I have always enjoyed interacting with people , & if they happen to own a dog, even better!
Tonight's lessons were to learn their names, the dogs, not the people, they already know their names! This sounds so basic, but it is amazing how many dogs do not listen when their name is called! Next they learned to down, to leave it & not to grab for food, to come when called, & to not jump on people. It was surprising how fast the hour went.
Thanks for giving me the opportunity Amanda, I'm already looking forward to next week!

Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down

Kort & I started the next level agility class last night & as it increases in difficulty I now know where we are & what we have to do to improve......
Thumbs Up......
Kort is finding the weave pole entry about 8 out of 10 trys with increasingly difficult angles
He is solid on his start line stays
He is very focused on me & even though he is off leash & there are 10 other dogs loose , he sticks with me
He is very food motivated & will try many behaviours to get his reward, also a thumbs down!, see below
We are both enjoying the experience & looking forward to continuing

Thumbs Down.....,
Kort is very food motivated & will try many behaviours to get the reward, this can be a problem as he doesn't stop to look or listen to me for direction, he just does things on his own..
Kort does not like to jump,
He does not look for a jump ahead of him, he'd rather go around if given the opportunity
I have 2 left feet!!, I just can't figure out my "turns", my problem, not Kort's !

All & all things are looking good!

Go Figure!

I don't know how this one snuck up on me, but, I want a flatcoat!!!!!! Lethbridge is like flatcoat heaven, & I just keep looking at them, & I totally want one someday!! Sarah said I could totally own one as you have to be a goof ball, & Liz said that you need a sense of humour! I am a goofball & have a sense of humour...hurray, I pass the flatcoat test!
Of course I'm going to be picky & wait for a liver, which apparently are more rare then the blacks. I would get one from Liz Saunders who has the "Blazingstar" flatcoats, if she'll sell one to me! I have seen Liz's dogs first hand as I am not only in classes with Liz & her dogs, but most of the other flatcoats in the class are also from Liz, except for Kaleb who is from Prairelight, & Roxy who is from Affinity kennels.
The following pictures are of Liz's dogs that she graciously allowed me to use for this post!
thanks Liz!

Girls Rule !

Back Off Pinocchio.......this bed & these toys are now mine!

Weekend Visitor

This weekend Pixel gets to stay with us! She is Amanda's Cardigan Corgi & she is tons of fun & Kort just loves her......
I "stole" these pictures from Amanda's blog...the top one was taken by Wendy, & the bottom two were taken by Sarah.

25th Anniversary

The Collie Club of Canada is having it's 25th Anniversary this year. They have requested pictures from all previous winners.....my Drake took an Award of Merit there in 1992, he was 2 & a half yrs. old.....Kort will be 2 in May.....here is Drake's picture from his win, you can see from the picture why I think Kort resembles Drake so much!

Dog School

Tonight was Kort's final obedience class for this session.....it is so amazing how well he is doing. When I think that he just started classes last year, & just how far he has come, I am so proud of him. We still have to work out some "bugs", but it won't be long before we are ready to trial. The last time I competed in obedience was 1998 when Drake got his Am. CD! Tate did Rally, but not obedience, so I am looking forward to doing it again.
Kort has challenged me more then any other collie I have owned. He has made me a better trainer I think, although I am still learning from him.
I am looking forward to 2010 & all the possibilities that wait for us, in whatever we try.

New Year Walk

Today 6 of us got together, with our dogs, to go for a New Year's Day walk at a local dog park. We had 11 dogs with us in total! The dogs all had a blast & we got some great pictures as well. Wendy has a brand new camera & I would have to say it works very well!! Thanks Wendy for always taking pictures of the dogs.....
Here is a shot of "some" of our group...we had all 11 dogs together, but a few of them exited before Wendy could get the picture......

Here's my favourites of Tate & Kort......

Good Times, Good Friends

As I have gotten older I have come to realize that friends are just as important as family. They are there for you when you need them, & keep you in line if you need to be! I am so happy to have such wonderful friends here in Lethbridge.
Last night I had a group of friends over for New Year's Eve, just us girls. We played games, talked, laughed , & just enjoyed each others company.
Here we all are, minus Sandy, who had left a bit earlier in the evening, just being silly & being friends. Oh, Kort also thought he should be in the picture!
What a great group!