Goodbye 2011...reminiscing about some firsts...

Soon to be 2012 or Twenty Twelve...whichever you prefer...I kinda like the way Twenty Twelve sounds...and another December birthday...mine...eeewww I don't wanna be 51 but since there's not much I can do about that, happy birthday to me...

So here I am reminiscing and thinking about the last 40 or so years of my life and some of the special "firsts" in my life...

My first dog ever...a mini chocolate poodle named Candy...looking back now, I believe she was one of the smartest dogs I've ever known and when I was 12, I knew nothing about training a dog...but she was like a little person that just did whatever I told her to do.




Me, Candy, and my sister Cheryl





My first boyfriend and the first love of my life, Marc...who I later married, divorced, and am now dating again...



Marc - high school 1976



The first time my picture was published in a magazine - Surfer Magazine - this was me playing in the waves on Miami Beach in 1976...

My first hair cut...I always had long blonde straight hair and then I had long blonde permed hair and then I got a hair cut...I was 26 in this picture...oh I wish to be that age again and to look like I did then...

My first kitty named Shagg after the surf shop in New Smyrna beach where I got him...

My first competition dog, my Rottweiler, Jake...a one in a million...so full of life and ghusto and enthusiasm for anything and everything we did...he was a joy to train and so much fun to show...he was my constant companion, my guardian, my best friend...one day he was running and playing and swimming and the next day he was holding up his right rear leg...he died at the age of 8 from bone cancer with a UD and 3 Otch points...it was one of the saddest days of my life.


Jake gets his CD title - notice he is holding his ribbon



My first agility dog, a rescue Rottweiler, Cookie...who in 1995 was ranked by the AKC and the American Rottweiler Club as the No. 1 agility Rottweiler in the country...she was a tough "cookie" and quite a challenge and taught me MORE than I wanted to learn about behavior...but she was a good girl...

The first place I lived with Marc when I moved to Orlando from Miami in 1987 - an apartment in Casselberry, Florida...

The first house Marc and I bought together in Cassleberry...

My first and only wedding...1989

my first Jack Russell Terrier...Pauli

My first border collie, Burn...I got him on Valentine's Day and his registered name was going to be Shepherd's Moon Struck Valentine but I changed it to Shepherd's Moon Fire in the Hole...here he is at 6 weeks...

The first house I bought by myself in 2000 and still live in today with my four dogs...it is the cutest little house...

My first agility trial of 2012 will be the 3-day USDAA trial in Vero Beach...Triumph is on a DAM team with half sister, Legend and half brother, Dapper and for the first time, Burn will be showing in Performance...

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND HERE'S TO A FABULOUS TWENTY TWELVE!





Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my sweet boy Triumph...the last 3 years have flown by...it seems like only yesterday I flew to Texas with a sherpa bag, met Lisa, put you in the bag, boarded the plane and flew home...you never made a peep and have been such a joy in my life from that moment on...




Me and Triumph at the airport in Texas





Triumph x half sister Fable (Sooner x Saga)



Brick and Sooner (mom and dad) and Triumph

Happy Birthday to you!!!!!

so this is christmas...

only in Florida!!!!  Have a very Merry Christmas!

the month of

December...the weather starts cooling off, Christmas and New Year's...and birthdays, Burn, Triumph and mine!

Today is my sweet Burn's 8th birthday...wow, where has the time gone?  I remember like yesterday picking him up from cargo at the Orlando airport...I walked in to the office and heard a puppy screaming his head off...the guy at the counter was VERY happy to see me and so was that little red and white puppy that I thought was a Saint Bernard x Akita mix!!!  I drove straight to my friend Becky's house to ask her if he was a border collie :)))

Always Mr. Serious...even at 9 weeks...

ADCH Shepherd's Moon Fire in the Hole, PT, MX, MXJ

what a difference a year makes!

Last weekend we showed at the USDAA trial in Jacksonville...Burn was a very happy boy to be able to run again.  We were not quite connected in our first class on Saturday morning, but by his second run, which was pairs, we were connected and he ran very well...although I think he ran a bit "cautious" and I felt like I was pulling him around at times...I think he prefers the grass over the hard dirt surfaces these days.  But he ended up with a pairs Q, another steeplechase Q and another jumpers Q...and each time before we ran, I'd think of Quinn and would tell Burn we were running for him...

Triumph had a very good weekend coming home with two master standard Qs, a gamble Q, a pairs Q, and another jumpers Q.  My friend Neta ran him in steeplechase round 1 and while he missed the weave entry and knocked the second to the last bar, they still qualified and made the cut for round 2 - which he ended up winning along with $60.00 cash!  Yahoo!!

While he continues to push his start line, contacts and just will NOT lie down quickly on the table, his jumping continues to improve and so does his confidence with his jumping skills. 

At this trial last year, he was crashing every double and triple jump and his takeoffs for the most part were way too soon!  The only bar he took all weekend this year, was in steeplechase round 1 with Neta.  He did over-jump a couple of jumps but his takeoffs and heights were mostly appropriate...yeah!

oh and I just cannot seem to get a Grand Prix Q on either of my boys...uuuugghhh...Triumph's Grand Prix run was a mess.  Burn had a great Grand Prix run but I guess the judge didn't like his teeter - Neta liked my blind cross but not the call :)

Burn's steeplechase round 1

Triumph and Neta - steeplechase round 1

Triumph steeplechase round 2

Triumph and Krystal pairs - hehe I didn't know Krystal was coming with us on the baton pass until I saw the video :))

And Triumph master jumpers

broken hearts...

About seven years ago, via the internet, I met a woman named Allison...she lives in California.  She loves a red and white border collie, named Quinn...he is a full younger brother to my Burn...he just turned 7 in October.

We became "friends" over the years through our mutual passion for our beautiful red boys...we shared lots of brags, lots and lots of training advice and suggestions, information on diet, pictures, videos, feelings, anything and everything we did with our boys and just everything about them...hundreds and hundreds of emails.

Allison and Quinn competed mostly in obedience earning their ASCA UD and AKC UD titles - recently working toward their OTch title...they had become quite an amazing obedience team and were such a joy to watch.  They also earned a rally novice title and a Graduate Novice title...they played in agility a little as well earning an AKC open standard and open jumpers title. 


Allison emailed me last week to tell me that she noticed Quinn's urine was a dark brown almost a blood like in color and took him to the vet.  He was diagnosed with IMHA - Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia...a condition where the dog's immune system begins attacking its own red blood cells...the mortality rate is very high and Quinn did not survive...

I've never met Allison or Quinn in person but over the years, I came to respect and adore Allison and I loved Quinn as if he were my own dog...

Life can seem so unfair at times and this is one of those times...my heart just breaks for Allison and it hurts for myself...Quinn was such a good dog and was taken way too soon...rest in peace sweet boy...

UKC CDX Shepherd's Moon Quintessential, UD, ASCA-UD,
OA, OAJ, RN, GN

October 13, 2004 - December 4, 2011

below is a poster tribute that Allison put together...

http://www.hemopet.org/





Run free little Quinn!!

sheepies

Today we did something different...something other than agility or swimming or just hanging out being dogs...today we did sheep...

The first time Triumph saw sheep was last January...and he wanted to play with them...seriously, I walked him up to the round pen with the sheep in it and he fell to the ground on his back...when we actually put him into the round pen, the head ewe, sized him up, stomped at him and he actually did a play bow...really????  yes, he really did a play bow! 

The first time Burn saw livestock he was 11 weeks old...he went in to the round pen with a complete stranger, broke them up, got into their faces and tried to bite them!  He was 11 weeks old...

photo by Becky Nicholas

photo by Becky Nicholas

Burn got his PT title at 10 months...he loves it and I'm told he's an an incredibly talented herding dog...but I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing...I didn't 7.5 years ago when I first took Burn out to play with sheep and I don't now...it's too gray for me and I just don't get it...it frustrates me...but both my guys seem to like it...so we do it on rare occasions and I'm thankful to live close to a herding person who is so patient and a really good instructor.

Burn was fabulous today and I so wish I would have gotten his time in the round pen on film...an hour after we got home today, he had a mild seizure...he hasn't had an episode since April 2, 2009, and I so thought he'd never have another...damn it...it's the most heartbreaking thing one could ever experience...you are completely helpless and there is nothing you can do to help your dog...it really really sucks...

Triumph never did go belly up to the sheep today and he acted like a real border collie!!!  Well sort of, he did want to play with the paddle :))  

Triumph...he's such a joy and makes me smile no matter what he does :)

Giving Thanks...

So much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving...my family, Marc, his son, Marc's family, my friends, my wonderful dogs, my health, my home, my job, the list goes on and on...so much to be thankful for not just at the Thanksgiving holiday, but every night when I get in my nice warm bed and go to sleep and every morning that I wake up...so blessed am I!!

We're off to New Smyrna Beach shortly today for the fun day - yeah we get to work on impulse control AND start lines :))))))

I love this quote...taken recently from a Tribute written on Dan Weldon - the young race car driver recently tragically killed in a firey crash...


..."the more you love something, the more it will make you cry, but the harder it will make you laugh and the broader it will make you smile"...

So much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving holiday!

a mixed bag

This past weekend we showed at Dog On It's local 3-day USDAA trial...while we had some really good runs and some bits and pieces of brillance in other runs, we also had some not-so-good moments...

Friday night was jumpers, snooker and Grand Prix...Triumph had a great jumpers run with a Q and a 1st place...

Then we ran snooker earning our second Super Q and a first place...I could not breathe after this run but it was fun and worth it for that Super Q...

Third class on Friday was Grand Prix...I so want a Grand Prix Q but that didn't happen as I left the ring with him after he completely released himself from the aframe and dove into a tunnel...BAD DOG...this of course was after he had pushed his start line and I let him go anyway...ME BAD...I actually deleted that run off my camera!!!!

Saturday morning snooker was first and Triumph earned his third Super Q AND his master snooker title!  Master pairs was next - our pairs partner had the first half and went off course at the baton pass but Triumph ran clean and I was very happy with it - we can do half a course beautifully!!!!!!  No standard Q either day as he took an off course on Saturday into the weave poles and then got a refusal at a jump on Sunday. 

Saturday ended with a nice Steeplechase run earning a Q and a 2nd place with less than a second off the 1st place dog - who is a very experienced, very accomplished, fabulous dog - so I was quite happy with that run!  He definitely pushed the start line and hit the first aframe a little harder than I'd like - notice how I have to dodge the juge at the first frame - and he did over-jump the double coming out of the tunnel, but all in all, I thought his jumping was pretty good...

The gamble class was first Sunday morning...yeah I love that...sat him in front of a tunnel and lead out, turned around and there he was, so we left...boo I hate that!!!!  He gave me a lead out in standard but we got a refusal at a jump and then steeplechase round 2 started out pretty nice but he landed on the broad jump so I decided not to finish the course...jumpers was a very challenging and VERY tight course with very few clean runs...we took an off course at the 4th jump but again, I was very happy with his jumping.

This Saturday we get to go play at an agility fun day in New Smyrna.  It will be very trial-like - guess what we get to work on????!!!!!!! 

THE STARTLINE :)))

Below are some pics taken this weekend by Kristie Moser...so nice to see her and Hemi this weekend...and I found this little decal on my van when I left Sunday...thanks Marc :))



All photos by Kristie Moser



I love this shot!!!