Which Is Which?

Everyday when we get to work Amanda has drawn a new picture up on our bulletin board....
This morning it was of me, Tate & Kort :))
Can you tell which collie is which ?

More Agility

Tonight I braved the 65 km winds, & white out conditions on the highway, to make it to Kort's agility class!
He did really well on the course Sarah & Amanda put together. He even took his weaves , popping out of just one pole.
I am persevering in agility as Kort loves it, everything I do, I do to make my dogs happy :))

Kort's 2nd CD Leg

Thanks Amanda !
Look for the leg chewing after the about turn during the off leash heeling....makes me laugh :))

So Proud!

Amanda made me the following video of one of Kort's Novice runs from the weekend.
I did not realize just how awesome he did, seriously!, wow!! I am so proud I could just cry, kidding! :))

Kort's First Trial

It certainly has been a weekend of emotions for me !
I have been, excited, nervous, worried, sad, annoyed, happy, elated,& proud.
DAY ONE : , Morning trial, Kort was awesome, but, on his long sit he laid down to chew his leg as I was walking back toward him!!! Seriously, he couldn't wait 5 more seconds! I thought it was just a fluke, he's never had a problem with stays.(score would have been 190)
Afternoon Trial, he was a good boy, worked well, sat for his stay & got his 1ST CD LEG with a score of 179!! He was also high scoring collie & got a special prize :))
Kort has never liked to sit when I stop, even in rally, we have been struggling with this, so his score does reflect quite a few, "no sits"
DAY TWO:, Morning trial, again, awesome work, but laid down on his long sit. This time I told him he was a naughty boy!, but then I had a meltdown, I cried, I was mad at Kort, but upset at myself for being mad at him! I am grateful for having such great friends. Everyone tried their best to comfort me, but I was questioning myself & whether I was cut out to do dog sports. I take everything so seriously! Amanda had me go walk around until I could bring myself to "talk" to Kort without feeling annoyed. She then went & got him out of his kennel & took him for a walk to visit with people to make him feel better. When I was ready she brought him over to me & I hugged him & told him he really was a good boy.(score would have been 183) Thanks Amanda, I still feel like a bit of a fool for reacting so stupidly!
Anyway, moving on to the Afternoon trial, Kort pulled it all together, sat most of the time, did a perfect recall, chewed on my pant leg on the heel free :)),& stayed for his long sit!!!, even though he shifted onto his hip & I was having heart failure! He passed earning him his 2ND CD LEG!, with a score of 187.5, & a High Score in Novice A !!!! Yeah for Korty!
I am a little worried though about his hips now. Our agility club is bringing in a specialist that does dog evaluations, laser therapy, acupuncture etc. & Kort is going. I will be very interested in what she has to say about him.
We have another trial in 2 weeks in Calgary, with any luck Kort will have his CD before the end of the year.
Kort & I would also like to congratulate all of our friends & their Q's this weekend.
Amanda & Pixel , 2 Novice Q's
Sarah & Kaleb, 1 CDX Q , 3 Rally Excellent Q's & his RE title
Vicky & Claire, 1 Advanced Rally Q
Liz & Lupine, 3 Rally Excellent Q's & her RE title
You all rock!
Last but not least, I would like to thank Dianne ,who owns Kort's litter brother. She came up here from Edmonton for support!! Now how is that for a great friend! We had a blast together & tons of laughs! Someday I will repay the favour & come up to Edmonton to watch Duffy in the obedience ring!

Therapy Dog

Today was a big day for Tate & I, we had our first official visit as Therapy Dog volunteers.
It went just how I had expected, Tate was awesome & made me very very proud. We did not have a big group today, maybe 10 residents, plus some staff members. Oh, we also had 3 other dogs that belonged to some of the residents! Tate took it all in stride & hopefully managed to brighten up their day just a bit :))
I am hoping we will attract a bigger crowd next time as word of mouth gets around , in the meantime we are looking into visiting at a 2nd home, so stay tuned for those updates as well.

Tate, Therapy Dog Extraordinaire in the yard before leaving home ......

Tate & I about to go in for our first visit......

Tate & I with Charla the Black Rock Terrace Event Coordinator......

In this picture Tate & I pose with one of the residents & her dog Morris, plus 2 of the kitchen staff that happened by......

Wonders :)

In 8.5 years that I have owned Tate I have never ever seen him sleep on a bed....a dog bed that is!
He sleeps on our bed & on the couch, but a dog bed, on the floor??....no way!!
This morning I came out of the office to find him on Kort's bed in the livingroom....
me thinks he has discovered just how comfortable they are :))

Wow!

What a difference 3 months can make! :))......

Kort after his bath in August......

Kort after his bath today......

Kort ......

My Handsome Boys ♥......

Boring !

I seriously suck at agility these days :( I feel like I am letting Kort down. I have many excuses, but no one wants to hear someone complain all the time, but I just want to say that sometimes I just hurt...seriously. Today was a long day for me, I had a fantastic walk with my friends & our dogs. I enjoyed every second of it :)) I had to bath Tate right after as he goes on his first therapy dog visit next week, & today was my only free day to do him. He took me 3.5 hrs. Then I brushed Kort out for another half hr. Kort gets his bath on Saturday for next weeks trial.
So, I got home about 5:15 & I left the house this morning at 9:45, then left for agility at 7....I know for most this seems like no big deal, but like I said, I hurt, my neck hurts, my back hurts & tonight my wrists & hands hurt, & when I hurt I don't sleep, or I wake up hurting in the middle of the night . See, complain, complain complain !
Anyway, I really need to think more on continuing with agility....as much as Kort loves it, perhaps I am not doing him any favours if I can't get motivated enough to encourage him properly?

Cool Morning Walk

This morning Maureen, Amanda, Wendy & I ventured out for a brisk morning walk with the doggies :))......

I absolutely LOVE this shot of Kort !......

♥ Tate ♥

Thanks for the pictures Amanda !!

Snug As A Bug

Wendy just sent me this picture she took of Perkins at the daycare today...she titled it Snug As A Bug......can you see Perkins nose peeking out from under the blanket !
He approves of the new beds at the daycare :))
Seriously, how can you not love this dog !!♥

Visiting

Pixel is here for the weekend & Kort is very happy :), he has someone to run around & play with & to help him steal things LOL!!
It was so gorgeous yesterday that Brad & I had a barbecue, it was awesome to be sitting outside on Nov 6th!, hope this weather continues for awhile !

Pixel wants you to know that she was just an innocent bystander......

She had absolutely no part in the stealing of the cheese slices !......

Did someone say cookies ?? !!!......

No cheese was harmed/eaten in the taking of these pictures :))

The Barn

Tonight was our first agility lesson in "The Barn." The drive out there was "interesting " to say the least. I had directions, however it was sooooo dark, I couldn't see anything !! I was just starting to wonder if I was going to end up in Montana when I saw the first sign , whew! Also, it was the first time I have driven my new van in total darkness & I had no idea where the high beams were...kinda important, no?
When I got home I sat in the driveway & looked for them, then practiced turning them on & off so they were familiar for next week .

Kort was awesome tonight. He was super focused & did everything I asked. He barely noticed he was surrounded by horses! He still hates the tunnels, & even with Amanda blocking his path to the frame he tried to sneak past her & run up it instead of taking the tunnel ! We are working on the tunnel being a "happy" place & I reward with tons of treats when he takes it. Most dogs LOVE the tunnel, Tate disliked it also.
We did threadles & serpentines & Kort did super !, my handling was also much better . I sucked at front crosses tonight, but I think it was the dirt, running in it was not so easy! I will improve, my legs just have to get used to running in quick sand LOL!

I am glad it was a good night for us, I lack the motivation to go to agility these days. I keep going because Kort loves it & he is good at it. I am always glad at the end of the night that I went, but I wish I was enjoying it more, any thoughts on this problem of mine ! :))