tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57680758878203016342024-02-21T12:18:48.095-05:00MargeBloga rescue dog's journeySamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146649374510678844noreply@blogger.comBlogger467125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768075887820301634.post-69948958209414006652024-01-27T17:06:00.009-05:002024-01-27T17:08:43.580-05:00Little Dog, Big Feelings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcViNiUyODzQFsSz7dY-7pIJwdUmUrNvjtsxgxrbrwnBQyIRpyLDX61YK-yQvJDyEtF9Hlqpe_HmY4GJgWGlXHM-lm1Oe1iFqHs6D4yH0wz75ZR6Vx__h-pC9Vjk_zmZIwWDc-DtW7M9QUu_EDdDv3sKMpfFZI8EP__4V0xwYVEzl_P4_Pzvfs8GEKvGXX/s2400/20240126161334_IMG_6048.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="2400" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcViNiUyODzQFsSz7dY-7pIJwdUmUrNvjtsxgxrbrwnBQyIRpyLDX61YK-yQvJDyEtF9Hlqpe_HmY4GJgWGlXHM-lm1Oe1iFqHs6D4yH0wz75ZR6Vx__h-pC9Vjk_zmZIwWDc-DtW7M9QUu_EDdDv3sKMpfFZI8EP__4V0xwYVEzl_P4_Pzvfs8GEKvGXX/s320/20240126161334_IMG_6048.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p>Since I've last written on this blog, I've had 7 dogs come to stay with me, Red, and Andrew. Most were fosters and did not come with the intent to stay. A couple I adored, a couple gave me panic attacks. Over and over, though, the sadness that came with seeing them move on was never enough to make me wish that they hadn't left.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Enter Lil' Mama. She came here as a temporary foster who needed a place to crash for about two weeks, but I extended our foster timeframe when she readily made herself at home in our humble abode. This is the only dog who did not leave when they were supposed to. The only dog that I voluntarily kept longer than what I had initially committed to. I just couldn't bear to bounce her to another foster home if I could make her next stop her forever home.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Yes - I know what you are thinking. No, it isn't likely. She's got someone who applied for her, who'll be meeting her after her dental is done next week. And while (amazingly) she's probably the best fit out of all 7 dogs who have come, I think it's possible that there may be someone out there better for an elderly, hard-of-hearing Dachshund mix who sleeps most of the day than we are.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>So, I got to thinking.. this short-legged mutt came here, will likely stay a month-plus before we part with her, and truly touched our souls forever. Moreso than any of the others. She also taught me something that I'm not quite sure I could have learned without her.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>She taught me what I AM really looking for.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>I started my search thinking I wanted another young cattle dog mix to do sports with. Red is perfect, so why not get two of him?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>My search has now evolved into thinking very differently. That perhaps I won't get another dog at all. Or, if I do, that that dog may need to be more like Marge than they are like Red.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>There are two reasons why another high-octane sports dog is not the right choice right now. One, I barely have enough time to show my current dog, who is in his prime and is happy to play almost ANY sport with me. Two, it will absolutely crush Red for me to bring home a dog who is as emotionally needy as he is.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Some friends have, in the past, definitely insinuated that a "Red" type dog was the wrong way to go. I disagreed with them. I couldn't see it. I needed to experience it. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>But, the truth is.. I liked having two dogs when I had Marge and Red.. not Red and Red.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Red doesn't want to play with other dogs indoors. He doesn't want to be bothered. After all, he lived with an old dog. That's what she taught him. And she was VERY good at teaching him that.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>So if someone should come to stay here for good while Red is around (which I hope is a very long time), it won't be another Red. It'll be a Marge.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>A plain, dare I say "boring," even-keeled dog who is content hanging with you -- from the foot of your bed.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>A dog that doesn't react to other environmental stimuli like dogs and wildlife. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>A dog that can just as easily lay on the couch and wait for you to come home as they can play some casual dog sports.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Red and Lil' Mama coexist almost in the same way Marge and Red did. Out of all the fosters who have come here, she's had the most free range out of any of them. I have no concerns about having both dogs on the couch with me or feeding them in the same room. They walk well(ish) on a leash together.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>It's such a familiar dynamic. It almost feels like I'm in a time machine.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>So, maybe I'll get another dog. Maybe I won't. I'm stressing less about it these days for sure. I'm trying to enjoy my sweet dog Red to the fullest and also make sure that whoever he shares his house with gets us as close to that perfect dynamic duo that I got to enjoy for six years.</p>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146649374510678844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768075887820301634.post-37296059829232393812022-09-07T22:26:00.006-04:002022-09-07T22:26:31.261-04:00The Grief Paradox<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7I-hskB5pDOZG6LlSNsYtc6X4MGfiER2iA9L6f8-Icjssk53Q0ByMmX3Z2nVUzkGDPL8rcVOkFnpREtrMstgekAH-SS-hF9RRvDfJJiUo5cUKEPBmCK3Nvj3mOKyWrq98GdloztAV7asxr3vMJz1sxxwWDw2cs_WDr2xmoCYVC0XaugNAcPvh_2rjBw/s2400/20220602195101_IMG_4438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="2400" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7I-hskB5pDOZG6LlSNsYtc6X4MGfiER2iA9L6f8-Icjssk53Q0ByMmX3Z2nVUzkGDPL8rcVOkFnpREtrMstgekAH-SS-hF9RRvDfJJiUo5cUKEPBmCK3Nvj3mOKyWrq98GdloztAV7asxr3vMJz1sxxwWDw2cs_WDr2xmoCYVC0XaugNAcPvh_2rjBw/s320/20220602195101_IMG_4438.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Honestly? Grief's weird.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>You can have a semi-normal few hours, maybe a workday that isn't half bad, partake in a hobby you enjoy or just get a tiny bit excited about something fun coming up in the days or weeks ahead. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>And then WHAM! There it is. Again. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>And you are leveled. Again.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I am fortunate to be relatively inexperienced in this realm. I've lost animals and people that I've cared for deeply, but my prior benchmark for a big loss was as a teenager when "my" childhood horse passed after a 3-day illness. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I had truly terrible coping mechanisms at the time, mostly from not talking about it; I didn't have many people in my life that would understand how a nearly 40-year old horse dying would affect a 17-year old me. At the time, I thought that nothing in my life would ever compare. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>It's true - this doesn't compare. This is in some ways actually better (read: yes, laying in bed moping but NOT laying in bed moping for literally an entire month), and in other ways much worse. Aside from the obvious point of Marge being *the* individual that literally sculpted who I am, the whole process.. is just different.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Life goes on. Sometimes I want it to speed up. Sometimes I want it to freeze.</div><div>Responsibilities continue. Sometimes they're a welcome distraction, other times it's difficult to get through them.</div><div>People surround me. Good people. Understanding people. Sometimes I want to repeat the same stories over and over again to any one who will listen and sometimes I want to keep it all in to myself.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I think this all just goes along with being a much more complex human now in my thirties than I was in my teens, but I had no way of knowing that it'd be different until I was in the trenches again. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I wrote a lot about that loss when I was younger. One line stands out, reflecting on the many lessons learned from that old horse. Keep in mind that this happened just a year before I got Marge. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>"When you come along someone who needs your help, you just might be able to change both their life and your own with a little bit of time and effort."</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We sure did set that lesson into motion, didn't we?</div>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146649374510678844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768075887820301634.post-52260174210162039782022-08-31T19:27:00.003-04:002022-08-31T19:28:28.807-04:00You Can't Go<div style="text-align: left;"> It's funny. <br /><div><br /><br />People love to say things like "she'd want you to be happy!," alluding to the idea that I should go and do all of the things Marge loved to do with Red.</div><br /><br />I'm not so sure if that's completely true. <br /><br /><br />If you knew Marge, you knew there wasn't really an ounce of selfless "go-on-without-me" in her. She wasn't like Shadow from Homeward Bound laying in the ditch telling Chance and Sasyy to leave him so that they could escape and have a good life with Peter. Except for very few occasions, Marge wanted to come and Marge wanted to be involved. (Whether she still wanted to participate as fully as she used to is a different story, but generally, she had a good time on our adventures and we moderated them as she aged).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Minnewaska State Park is on fire. The park is closed. The fire started Saturday, I believe, or at least that's when it hit the news. The day Marge died.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Minnewaska holds a special place in my heart. We've had a handful of really memorable hikes there, including a long hike last year at the end of the 2021 Trail-A-Thon.</div><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLWmKd6sssAZOpyosgqje7IXDK605q9_sYPvJTdHvwQ0bPOXDlbFLsZInNwPxPw_vCr7izx2J8udgR2QnAJSlDjGuRguPEmdEZ7oUFIj046c0jIHLQiXa55mD1xpUamZhtm4kM63X8Wyj7oC3EDfnthx6kQTjZd1iImE5CPWWWPbqBeXV9SST73-tWQ/s4032/20211031_134705.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLWmKd6sssAZOpyosgqje7IXDK605q9_sYPvJTdHvwQ0bPOXDlbFLsZInNwPxPw_vCr7izx2J8udgR2QnAJSlDjGuRguPEmdEZ7oUFIj046c0jIHLQiXa55mD1xpUamZhtm4kM63X8Wyj7oC3EDfnthx6kQTjZd1iImE5CPWWWPbqBeXV9SST73-tWQ/s320/20211031_134705.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p>I remarked to a couple of people, those who REALLY knew Marge, that it was her way of telling us, from where ever the hell she is right now, that we aren't allowed to go back there for the time being.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>I smiled at the thought.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>I like that narrative better. It fits her more.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>An earthquake hit northern New Jersey, not terribly far from where we finished our 2020 Trail-A-Thon.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Stay out of there, too.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>If something wild goes down in Acadia National Park..</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>..then I know she means business.</p>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146649374510678844noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768075887820301634.post-16952690534218414212022-08-29T15:43:00.002-04:002022-08-29T15:44:25.156-04:005173 Plus 2<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVe_vTFntz6r4biUXCiP7xTr5uY1Sk9lCp5rFtXLok4XOxGMRQgL37uwzG5-ONHdbsC84rnGbKh5veboyMHFA7UXN3vOFexkpduJSOQNGUNxL3q9qpZa2DZHdVaOsScCjG1TccmA7AFyHOfWDBBp8xZZFl0rEe2MGRg-nydyuB1GU6lc2g8BvTahIbA/s2400/20220603171935_IMG_4471.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="2400" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVe_vTFntz6r4biUXCiP7xTr5uY1Sk9lCp5rFtXLok4XOxGMRQgL37uwzG5-ONHdbsC84rnGbKh5veboyMHFA7UXN3vOFexkpduJSOQNGUNxL3q9qpZa2DZHdVaOsScCjG1TccmA7AFyHOfWDBBp8xZZFl0rEe2MGRg-nydyuB1GU6lc2g8BvTahIbA/s320/20220603171935_IMG_4471.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p>To be perfectly honest, I have been mourning Marge a long time. I don't think there was any way I was going to get through this unless I had done so, honestly.<br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p>The first time was when she was nine years old and I was about six minutes away from Red's foster home, on my way to meet him. I pulled over near a baseball field and bawled like she had died, even though she was right there in my backseat. Part of that was anticipating the potential big change of adding another dog into my life, but there was definitely a part of it that acknowledged that she was getting older.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The next time was when she earned her obedience Companion Dog Excellent (CDX). I knew that she'd never, ever set foot in an obedience ring again, since we hadn't trained Utility and had no plans to start (she was already around 12 years old when we got the CDX). My boyfriend ran into Qdoba to get us lunch and I sat in the car and cried. I was by no means a big obedience person but it felt like the beginning of the end, in a way. That it was one volume of our story wrapping up. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>After that, I distinctly remember one time when we had come back from Hacklebarney State Park, probably in 2020. She was laying in her grey Sealy bed. I went over and although she wasn't outwardly in pain, I felt her hip flexors spasming. I cried because I knew that what I needed to do was take her on easier, less rocky hikes.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Of course, her Rally Championship last year. The saddest title I have ever earned, because it meant that a show career that spanned more than a decade had come to a close. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Every time I left Acadia National Park, I thought for sure, "this is our last time here." She proved me wrong a couple times, but this past visit, in May of 2022, I knew it. I felt like I had barely gotten her though the trip in one piece, since she had been lame a week before and was starting to get a little pickier about her food.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>And then this summer.. slowly, a wave of nostalgia began to come over me. I started taking more solo walks with her (even though she had always gotten some). I started looking through old photos, piecing together old pictures with recent ones taken in the very same places. Even re-created an old photo from 2008 of her sitting out in the field. A then and now, of sorts.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>It's pretty wild to think about her being gone. I'm still not quite sure I believe it. Maybe I never will.</p>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146649374510678844noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768075887820301634.post-34544180983740483962022-08-27T22:00:00.000-04:002022-08-29T13:38:27.367-04:00Day 5173<p> I made the call around 10AM Saturday morning.</p><p>After speaking to the oncologist, I finally felt certain that there was no reasonable path forward. I had tried for a week to bring her appetite back with prednisone but all I got was a really thirsty dog who was wasting away. </p><p>She was weak and getting weaker. A part of me wanted to wait, selfishly. After all, she gobbled up her cod dinner just the night before. Another part of me couldn't bear to see her become any more of a shell of her former self.</p><p>We stopped at McDonald's on the way over. Andrew ran inside, and I sat in the back seat with the dogs. </p><p>I thanked her. Told her I loved her.</p><p>On the ride over, Red curled up next to her and Marge put her head across his back. One of my favorite things that they did on road trips. </p><p>My mom and sister pulled up at the vet's office beside us. I brought Red over to their car, and they entertained him with a frozen Toppl in thr back seat while we went in.</p><p>Marge got out of the car after her first round of chicken nuggets and promptly squatted down to poop. It was solid.. not always a given with her, especially not lately.</p><p>She then sniffed the tree nearby. She looked happy to be doing it. She hadn't been interested in much of anything the past couple of weeks, so I stood and let her do her thing. I couldn't deny her. </p><p>We entered the office. It was quiet. They ushered us straight in to the room on the left. They had a nice thick towel down on the floor, but I brought my blue plaid blanket for her, one that had accompanied us on so many of our trips. I wound up leaving it with her. </p><p>She laid down readily. She was tired.</p><p>Our vet marveled at her and all she did in her life, and how she was healthy throughout all of it, aside from her GI issues and a little back pain. She did such a good job in that moment, as weird as it might be to say.</p><p>We fed her some more chicken nuggets before she was sedated, and then off she went, peacefully, with her head on my left leg.</p><p>We brought Red in. He seemed more concerned with comforting us. He's such a good, sensitive boy. He tried so hard these past two weeks to help, I know it's been hard on him. </p><p>And then off I went, with several glances back, to move forward without her. </p><p>I am broken and tired right now. And I'll have more to say. But for now, I wanted this all in one place. </p><p><br /></p>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146649374510678844noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768075887820301634.post-1554305540245995182022-08-17T21:23:00.003-04:002022-08-17T21:23:40.058-04:00Day 5163<p> Day 5163.</p><p>That's how many days have elapsed since Marge first set foot into my home and into my life.</p><p>She's resting quietly in her bed now, at 7:11pm. I just picked her up from the veterinary hospital, where she spent most of the day.</p><p>An enlarged spleen was found on ultrasound. We're awaiting biopsy results. The options are not good. Most likely, lymphoma or mast cell cancer. Less likely, an infection. Even though an infection sounds like it would be good news, a tick-borne illness would likely require such long and high doses of antibiotics that we've agreed may not be the best choice for a dog with an already-sensitive GI tract, especially one in the state she's in now.</p><p>Friday, she was a mostly normal 15-year old dog.</p><p>Today, she is tired. Sedated, still, from the meds and stress of the day. But tired.</p><p>The days ahead do not look as though they're going to be easy for me.</p><p>But I am trying to be as strong as I can to make them easy for her.</p>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146649374510678844noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768075887820301634.post-50118533584152866002022-07-24T12:08:00.008-04:002022-07-24T12:11:44.316-04:00Still Around<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivNvY0w8jBLAC5Ao3nAXy2Edo4-UtVkJX9WujQjsMMEg35r_hgLeabqKuiq3y5i6w1ulmzLoBrx8FI8lNi2AW37AuAmPNjQ0bB2Q6Z6csi6M8Fm4GpNnpG_l6ng4cj4FB8lU24cOzs5APWr7VXJVcT65Ticz0V3lXjp296M5vHMCL84FI6CE7ZJ46q9A/s2400/20220723121715_IMG_4562.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="2400" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivNvY0w8jBLAC5Ao3nAXy2Edo4-UtVkJX9WujQjsMMEg35r_hgLeabqKuiq3y5i6w1ulmzLoBrx8FI8lNi2AW37AuAmPNjQ0bB2Q6Z6csi6M8Fm4GpNnpG_l6ng4cj4FB8lU24cOzs5APWr7VXJVcT65Ticz0V3lXjp296M5vHMCL84FI6CE7ZJ46q9A/s320/20220723121715_IMG_4562.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Howdy. It's been like three years since I've written on here. I can't even access the Photobucket account associated with it, despite multiple attempts.<div><br /></div><div><br /><p></p><p>Lately, a wave of nostalgia has hit me, I read through all my posts, and there's a little itty bitty piece of me thinking of reviving this blog. I found it strangely comforting to read through all of our old adventures and see pictures from so many years ago.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Marge is 15 years old. She retired from Rally Obedience last year, after earning her AKC Rally Championship. We stopped doing agility a year or two before that. She had earned her MACH2 a few years back. In Obedience, she earned her CDX title. We tried to keep going in Nosework, but she doesn't seem to really want to do it any more.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Marge's golden years have truly been golden, filled with lots of hikes (including 4 trips to Acadia National Park, one about two months ago) and cheerleading Red as his dog-sport career has gotten into full swing. She's slowing down a bit, now, though these ridiculous and excessive temperatures aren't helping.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>I know that I am entering a new phase of Marge's life where she is becoming an old dog. I don't think she's going anywhere just yet, but I do know she physically and mentally can't do what she used to do any more. Often, this means making the choice between changing my plans, leaving her behind, or taking the dogs on separate adventures on the same day. It's tough. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Yesterday I didn't have to make that decision, the weather made it for me. The whole fam went out for a stroll along the river, wading around and not really hiking very far due to the heat. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>For some reason, I love this blooper I took on my camera.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6X-6gapeN1nNcX8V-W_Baq2BUcwcC6_x-KJgxXCobAUuvOXROK-SfsRURCeDaqPPZbnDG1yKbFESLgUGoyTs0-cYtAHiFHOMTts0A6oGfphyTMeFPCk0dGWjAiC4v9hatw8QtOOEelhftNqUnq0fZZP16pW-gW4UUh2oLoAEs0cKYS6Dxx-f0fn-BqQ/s2400/20220723123909_IMG_4575.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="2400" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6X-6gapeN1nNcX8V-W_Baq2BUcwcC6_x-KJgxXCobAUuvOXROK-SfsRURCeDaqPPZbnDG1yKbFESLgUGoyTs0-cYtAHiFHOMTts0A6oGfphyTMeFPCk0dGWjAiC4v9hatw8QtOOEelhftNqUnq0fZZP16pW-gW4UUh2oLoAEs0cKYS6Dxx-f0fn-BqQ/s320/20220723123909_IMG_4575.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p>I am acutely aware of how lucky I am that it took until age 15 to reach this stage where we have to go a little slower. That's one and a half, even two lifetimes' worth of living for some dogs. But I am still having trouble with it.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>I don't know what my point in writing this is, but I guess in and of itself is the point of writing, isn't it? </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Maybe you'll hear from me again soon, maybe you won't. Today, I felt like writing. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>I hope, even if she's now old, that her relative good health and mobility continue and she can continue making memories with me.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Even if they're a little different than before.</p></div>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146649374510678844noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768075887820301634.post-10438665463767765672019-12-09T09:41:00.002-05:002019-12-09T09:41:50.720-05:00On My Soapbox.. Again<div>
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<i>Red, still in MS.</i></div>
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(Giving the same preface I always give... I am a supporter of responsible breeders as well as responsible rescue/rehome efforts.)</div>
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There is a blog post going around called "Dog Trafficking: A Multi-Million Dollar Business." Google if it you want, I'm not posting the link here. It was written in 2016, but seems to have gained some ground on social media over the past couple of days. It brings up some concerns about the exchange of dogs from the southern USA to the northeast USA. It also holds special contempt for Greg Mahle, owner of "Rescue Road Trips" who transports dogs in this pipeline and makes money doing it.</div>
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If you know me at all, you know that I support <b><i>ethical</i></b> rescue. My own preferred version of ethical rescue includes the following.<br />
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<li>I do not support "adopt don't shop." </li>
<li>I do not support the idea that every dog is rehabilitatable and should be placed in a home. </li>
<li>I absolutely acknowledge that there is a lot of bad and a lot of greed in rescues. Most importantly to me,</li>
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<li>Some rescues don't hold dogs long enough to get an idea of temperament, leading to some of the situations you see on the news about dogs just attacking "out of nowhere"</li>
<li>Some rescues adopt dogs right off of transport to unsuspecting owners, leading to the dogs getting returned when the adopters realize they've bitten off more than they could chew</li>
<li>Some rescues fly dogs in from faraway lands, sometimes carrying serious diseases, sometimes claiming they're "meat dogs" when realistically.. no one stops to ask why so many people in Eastern Europe or Asia are eating purebred Golden Retrievers</li>
<li>Some rescues go to auction and spend thousands of donation dollars to save one dog and subsequently line the pockets of puppy millers, therefore keeping the cycle going</li>
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Et cetera. All of these things may help an individual dog, but do much more harm than good for dogs over all, in my opinion.</div>
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Most of the people sharing this blog post would probably nod along in agreement with my points above. So.. if I feel this way, what could I possibly have to say in opposition to this blog post?</div>
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Welp. Frankly, I've read the post a couple of times and have arrived at the same conclusion over and over. There is an important message in this post, but that message is buried deep under a ton of vitriol that vilifies adopters and makes outrageous claims with little supporting evidence. This all, therefore, negates any positive message the post might have about the problems with the system.</div>
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I repeat. This blog post calls people who adopt southern dogs and people who feel good about moving them up here <b>gullible</b> and <b>brain dead.</b> At the surface, you can see why I might be offended by that statement, as an owner of southern dogs myself. My second southern dog was not at all any kind of do-gooding impulse purchase. He was acquired by me with a ton of careful consideration, after scoping out both purebreds and mixed breeds, adults and puppies. He was in foster prior to my acquisition of him, and the rescue group and foster were both happy to answer my extensive questions and let me dictate how the meet and greet went. I'd likely work with them again.</div>
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However, realistically, I do not need or care about some blogger's opinion on where my dogs come from. I've been at this stuff a little while now. So what's my <u>real</u> issue with this?</div>
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Well.. people have similar things to say about those who acquire backyard bred dogs. Or dogs from the meat trade. Or puppy store dogs. Or doodles. Or whatever's the latest pet buying craze that people disagree with. And while some or all of the things they say might be valid points of concern, they are presenting their concern in the completely wrong way.<br />
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Okay, so maybe you do acknowledge there are some problems with acquiring a southern dog, or a $5K designer dog, or a BYB dog, or whatever. Do you think that <b>calling people names</b> is going to help them say "oh, okay, that's a good point, let me work with you and find a better breeder or better rescue group next time?" All that shaming does is piss people off and turn them away from you. It doesn't make them your friend, it doesn't make them respect you, and it therefore neglects to solve the perceived problem at hand because it doesn't change their mind. </div>
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And then there is the other stuff spewed in this venomous post.. the claim that the southern overpopulation of dogs is a mythical fairytale, and some vast majority of the dogs pouring north are doing so under false pretenses.</div>
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I am <i>sure</i> dogs are stolen and imported by unscrupulous rescue groups, but I have a hard time believing it is a significant percentage of the dogs coming up from the south. I have seen some of the claimed-mythical overpopulation for myself. Spoken to many people, including Red's former owner, who live there. Visited the shelter Marge came from. I have seen intact male dogs wandering with my own eyes on nearly every trip I've made to the region. I have read the Facebook posts where people in places like Mississippi say "my girl had a litter and I can't keep the puppies, someone come get them." The south has dogs that people in the Northeast want. Houndy, labby, herding mixes. You may question how well local organizations and their north affiliates are helping to curb these unwanted litters, and I'd say that's a valid thing to look in to. But, if you're going to make a claim that most of these dogs are actually offshore fly-by-night imports bred specifically for resale, who are run through shelters to get transported north, <b>I WANT HARD PROOF </b>because that's a pretty big, different claim.</div>
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<i>(As an aside - I am going to get flack for this, but I personally feel that this guy, Greg Mahle, is filling a niche. People in the north want dogs. The south has dogs. Greg Mahle makes money moving dogs south to north. He is not a rescue hero, he is some guy filling a transport void that would be filled by someone else if not him. If the media wants to make him a celebrity, I couldn't care less as long as it's not in an adopt-don't-shop, anti-breeder manner. </i><i>I think neither positively nor negatively of him.</i><i>)</i></div>
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It very likely would make for a better dog-owning America if the only dogs available were purposely bred animals that people had to wait in line for. It would certainly be better for the dogs as there would be no unwanted animals then, no impulse purchases, no animals to save and no animals to "save." I do think that would require a drastic change on how the pet "industry" in America as a whole operates, which would have consequences more far reaching than just "the Smith family has to wait for Rover to be born". Until that utopia occurs, though, the question remains, despite the posts clamoring to END THIS and END THAT. Americans want dogs, want them now, and everyone is talking about where <b>not</b> to get one, and not talking about where <b>to</b> get one. </div>
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In the current climate, hobby breeders are an <b>excellent</b> choice but cannot meet America's demand for dogs in full and even if they could, some prospective pet homes are unwilling to wait on waiting lists. Commercial breeders are the antichrist and now.. moving unwanted mixed breed dogs from south to north is no good, either, and wrought with conspiracy and disease and greed and and and. </div>
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So what do we do? Do we just sit around and complain about all of the things we disagree with, or even if we don't have all of the answers, do we attempt to educate-by-example without name calling and truly, earnestly help people make decisions that better align with our own morals?</div>
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I know what category I fall in to.</div>
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I personally feel that the people who "do their homework" with regard to dog acquisition didn't arrive to that point by accident. They met a "dog person" (be it someone involved in good breeding, good rescue, or both), got to know them, wound up admiring them and their mindset, valued their opinion, etc and did more research. </div>
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They did not arrive there because a blogger on the internet got snotty over where their dog came from.</div>
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146649374510678844noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768075887820301634.post-89067342227224599512018-11-26T08:25:00.001-05:002018-11-26T08:25:55.801-05:00On My SoapboxIf you get your dog from a reputable, responsible breeder, I will support you. I will not push an "Adopt Don't Shop" agenda or accuse you for being responsible for dog overpopulation or full shelters when those things have nothing to do with you.<br />
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If you get your dog from an reputable, responsible adoption or rescue group, I will support you. I will not tell you that a puppy from breeder is always a better choice or claim that adult shelter dogs all have behavioral issues and are not safe for a family.<br />
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If you compete with your dogs in the myriad of activities that organizing agencies have to offer, I will support you. I will not accuse you of exploiting your dogs for prize money or green ribbons or "forcing" them to do something for someone else's enjoyment.<br />
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If your dogs are beloved pets, couch potatoes, hiking partners, fetching buddies, I will support you. I will not share images of grossly overweight animals to allude to the idea that a healthy, happy dog kept as "just a pet" is somehow inferior to a show dog or working dog.<br />
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If your dogs are working to better our world, or the worlds of their owners, through service, livestock tending or guarding, sledding, hunting, police work, or any of the other things they may have originally been bred to do, I will support you too. I will not make claims that having dogs spend a lot of their time outdoors is mean, or carry on about their work being dangerous.<br />
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I'm really tired of the divisiveness. Yeah, the Greyhound thing started this. Meme after meme being shared on Facebook, on either side of the argument, about all of this so-called "abuse" going on. Too many people pushing different agendas when really, they each want the same thing: to own their dogs and share the life that THEY want to share with them.<br />
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Just because I may opt to give my dogs the type of life they have, doesn't mean that it works for everyone or every dog.<br />
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We are too quick to use the word "abuse," I think. A show dog or working dog that spends its entire life doing show dog things or working dog things is not being abused. While far removed from the duties of the average American pet, please remember.. having dogs just so we can dress them up (yeah, I do that), spend thousands on pet food (yeah, I do that too) and paint their nails funny colors (OK, this one's not me) is a relatively new thing.<br />
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Likewise, a slightly pudgy pet dog or a dog who is a certified couch potato is not abuse either. Remember.. not everyone has the time, money, or desire to hunt with their beagle or herd with their Border Collie. If the dog has a roof over its head, food and water in its bowl, adequate vet care, isn't engaging in destructive or dangerous behaviors and is loved by whoever takes care of it, why are you being so quick to get on your soap box? All you will accomplish is swaying those "pet people" to believe you're a snob rather than having them ally with you when the dog breeding legislation pops back up.<br />
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Maybe I wouldn't give my dogs either of those lives. Maybe some people feel that either or both those things are wrong. But.. it isn't <i>abuse</i> and it doesn't require any legal interference.<br />
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Abuse is somebody choking the show dog when it doesn't perform or overfeeding their overweight dog to the point that it cannot walk normally due to excess weight. Go ahead, get involved <i>then.</i> Let the existing laws do their work.<br />
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All you people who gasp every time you see a male dog who still has all his parts (*owned by someone responsible who isn't going to make him meet up with the random pretty girl dog down the street) - guess what? If dog breeding wasn't a thing, and every animal ever put on this green earth was spayed and neutered, then we'd eventually have no more dogs (or at least not enough to meet demand), and definitely no more dogs bred to serve specific purposes. <br />
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And on the flipside, if everybody got their dog from a breeder and shelters weren't a thing then we'd have no homes for some of the truly lovely shelter dogs that are capable of many of the same things their purebred counterparts are. Not to mention, we'd possibly not have enough responsible breeders to meet the public's needs and you'd see an uptick in backyard/puppy mill-type operations. Maybe those "rescue people" will find themselves suited well to a purebred dog one day. Maybe they won't. Just because someone does not choose to get a purebred dog doesn't mean they don't support and stand by them and their purpose.<br />
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I am ambivalent about Greyhound racing. I do not know enough about it to completely decry it and tend to think that if there was widespread abuse, we'd see it and hear about it. I do think the industry provides a ton of well-adjusted pets once the dogs retire and I take in to account the fact that 100+ rescue groups opposed the ban. I do think that a percentage of people voted on a quick snap Yes or No decision without doing research and weighing the pros and cons. But that isn't what this post is about.<br />
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What this post IS about is understanding that some people do things with their animals that I'd never dream of doing. Just like I do things with my animals that some others wouldn't ever dream of doing, either.<br />
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And that's OK. Short of true physical or mental anguish... leave each other alone. I love my mutts and think they're both pretty fantastic. They suit me and my lifestyle well. BUT, I have loved, admired, or worked with purposefully bred dogs, shelter dogs, working dogs, family pets, and everything in between. Support each other and learn about each other rather than trying to pass laws about things that you might not know everything about. Educate the people around you on your ideals for animal ownership but let them make their own decisions.<br />
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There's room for everybody.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146649374510678844noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768075887820301634.post-24967784453521453622018-11-06T09:19:00.002-05:002018-11-06T09:19:42.217-05:00Double TroubleI had a very informative private lesson with Red yesterday, getting him ready for the beginning of what I hope to be a very successful stint in the Obedience and Rally rings. I was told that I have talent on my hands with him, by someone who is one of the leading obedience people in my area.<br />
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It has basically led to me redefining heel position for both dogs. I TAUGHT them both to forge. I got away with it with Marge because she always had a tendency to get laggy in competition, but with Red, it's pushing him in front of me and causing us to flub up really simple stuff. He isn't being "bad" - he doesn't understand the criteria!<br />
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The prescription: several small sessions a day "doodling" and getting both dogs comfortable in *real* heel position. Doing lots of set-ups so I form the correct picture in their heads of what "heel" looks like. Of course, I took it upon myself to use these exercises for Marge, as she was home and comfy in her bed when I had Red out at the lesson, but since I want to bring her out for her CDX next year.. it's worth doing.<br />
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So far, so good.<br />
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It's fun (albeit sometimes stressful), having to juggle Red, Marge, Obedience, Agility, Rally, and (for Marge) Nosework plus a real life. Still, I don't think I overdo it with them. Just a couple of weeks ago, they were out at about hiking all over the place. Trails that I didn't know Marge could do - yet she made it all the way up and all the way down with no issue.<br />
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Maybe I'll actually revive this blog and start posting again. At least I know that 2018 will not go by without at least one entry!Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146649374510678844noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768075887820301634.post-50406688789547839272017-05-02T23:20:00.001-04:002017-05-02T23:20:34.413-04:00I Flew The CoopI had been obsessively searching Petfinder for weeks. <br />
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Hours. I mean, to the point where I was probably spending more time scrolling mostly aimlessly at dogs I had no intention of adopting than doing much of anything else. Addicted, maybe.<br />
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I had spoken with breeders, met and inquired about available 8-week olds, and honestly.. it didn't feel right. Bawling and thinking about how Marge was going to hate me if I made an 8-week old come live with her outweighed any ounce of joy that I had about the thought of bringing home a second dog. (Nothing against breeders at ALL, so please don't take it that way. I just couldn't bring home an infant this time around.)<br />
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I finally mustered up the courage to submit an application for a Cattle Dog named Luke available through a rescue in NJ. We met him, and I was lukewarm on him (no pun intended), but after literally two weeks of having the application open and filled out on my computer, I decided that I'd at least give a meet and greet between this dog and Marge a shot.<br />
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It wasn't meant to be. The day I submitted my application, Luke was adopted. And honestly, it was OK. It wasn't the right dog for me, and I was trying too hard in my brain to think about why it was good and why it would work.<br />
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Still, I think the experience lit a fire under my butt because I knew I couldn't hem and haw and expect dogs to still be available several weeks later after no action from me.<br />
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The following day, I again went on Petfinder, keeping my search radius so large that I wound up looking at dogs three hours away in Connecticut.<br />
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I saw this.<br />
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<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/marge_2011/media/Red/red1_zpsstfodeip.jpeg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo red1_zpsstfodeip.jpeg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z398/marge_2011/Red/red1_zpsstfodeip.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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I said out loud, "What the [expletive] is THAT?!" He was so cute. A 7-month old Cattle Dog with a perfect description.</div>
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I submitted an application later that night. That was a Sunday.</div>
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I e-mailed 24 hours later looking for a follow up. </div>
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By Thursday, I was on the phone with the rescue coordinator setting up my 3-hour roadtrip with Marge and Louie to meet this little guy.</div>
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Fast forward to Saturday. Six minutes from the foster's house - after a 3-hour drive in my new Ford Escape - I pulled in to a baseball field parking lot and bawled. Why did I need another dog? Marge is still young, still active in agility and picking up speed in obedience and Rally. Would a new dog thwart our plans?</div>
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I went in to that foster's house thinking that there was no way I was coming home with another dog. Not a chance. This dog would have to be perfect, and I'd have to have basically no reservations about his behavior around Marge.</div>
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The rescue group deferred to me on how we'd do introductions. I opted for a parallel walk with NO sniffing or interaction at first, gradually letting them get closer and get their sniffs in. It went fine.</div>
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After walking quite a bit, we turned them loose in a yard. There was no more avoiding it. If it didn't work now, it wouldn't work ever. </div>
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One snark from Marge, then play bows, and then she ran around the foster's yard with this puppy like I haven't seen her do in years.</div>
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We signed our papers, loaded two dogs in the car and started on our traffic-filled voyage home.</div>
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Fast forward a few weeks, after the new-dog equivalent of some kind of weird postpartum depression equivalent on my part (Marge never really had an adjustment period, other than maybe spending a little more time on her couch chair), and I finally introduced Red to the world.</div>
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After a lot of digging and a little stalking on the internet, long story short, Red was an approximately 7 month old Beagle/Cattle Dog mix from Mississippi whose owners sent him to the shelter after they were unable to curb his bad behavior around poultry.</div>
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Rescue put him on a transport truck to Connecticut, which is when I found his profile and decided I had to have him.</div>
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You'd think a leash may have helped with the whole eating birds thing, but hey.. I got an awesome dog out of the whole deal.</div>
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So, without further ado.. this is Northbound Flew The Coop, and he's part of our story now, too.</div>
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<a href="http://s1187.photobucket.com/user/marge_2011/media/Red/20170204_122615_zpsxuwevbk4.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo 20170204_122615_zpsxuwevbk4.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z398/marge_2011/Red/20170204_122615_zpsxuwevbk4.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>
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But don't let that angelic face fool you. This guy is a wild child. He is well behaved in the house, amazing with Marge, and a blast while training.. but he's still got a lot to learn about life in the city. Very different than training a fearful dog. Stay tuned for some training posts about him, particularly as I navigate an 8-week online mentorship with a trainer/behaviorist who I hold in VERY high regard.</div>
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146649374510678844noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768075887820301634.post-38428550371032401332017-04-19T11:02:00.001-04:002017-04-19T11:02:26.769-04:00When Titles Matter More<div style="text-align: center;">
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Marge's MACH is one of the things I am the most proud of from her competition career. Her MACH ribbons, the bar and photos hanging on my wall, and memory of her victory lap and MACH party are tokens that represent all we have worked through to become a successful team. More recently, she finished her CD title, which she probably could have gotten years ago, but I held her back until I felt we were both ready. Same with Rally Nationals. I've qualified for them a few times before, but only entered when I put the time in and knew that Marge would have a good time.</div>
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There are other things I am working on achieving with Marge, too. Since she is now a seasoned competitor, getting her ready for the ring across an array of venues is not nearly as much work as it used to be. I am spoiled in that she is a very easy dog to compete with, in many ways. It sure is fun to look at her official registered name and see the list of prefixes and suffixes that have become attached to it over the years. She is a jack of all trades type. She is not the flashiest, but she gives her best. We've worked hard to form a real understanding of each other and routine for in and out of the ring.<br />
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However.. she is almost ten years old. None of it happened overnight, and I sure as heck wasn't worried about this stuff when Marge was learning to be a normal dog and approach life with joy rather than apprehension.<br />
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It seems that not everyone shares that sentiment with me. I'd like to tell a quick story.<br />
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At a trial I was at very recently, I witnessed a licensed, fully approved judge essentially will a dog and handler team through a Rally course. The judge gave the handler tips on getting the dog to move while in the ring, blocked the exit to the ring multiple times, and allowed the handler to retry stations more than once. She told the handler to blow in the dog's face to get him to move.<br />
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Noble, right? Helping a struggling handler in the ring, who may be a newbie? <br />
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No, I don't think so.<br />
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This was not a junior handler. This was not someone's first dog show. I didn't mention that the dog was stressed or scared out of its mind, completely unable to work, and was NOT in the Novice class - so the handler was not new to this. And guess what? The judge gave that dog the minimum score of 70, allowing it to finish a high-level title, going so far as to proclaim "you're never going to have to do this again!"<br />
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(To be clear, there is nothing wrong with passing with a 70 -- I just feel that this team should have been excused for lack of teamwork, or at minimum given a non-qualifying score.)<br />
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What does that title really mean? Are you supposed to feel good about getting a high-level Rally Obedience title when most other judges would have not only NQ'd you, but excused you from their ring because your dog was horribly stressed? <br />
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Maybe I am being too judgmental -- maybe the dog was elderly or ill and was going to have to stop training, and it was their last chance to compete for this Q -- but I do NOT think you should compromise your dog's well being to that extent to bring it in to a ring, and I do NOT think that rewarding the handler with a Q is the right way to go. As someone who has competed with a dog who used to fear a lot of things, it breaks my heart to see this. Dog sports should be fun for the dog, not just the handler.<br />
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There are other stories I could tell, too -- including what I perceived to be someone poo-pooing me for thinking about holding Red back from his CGC if I feel he isn't 100% ready at the end of his basic obedience classes (for my purposes, the CGC is closer to a barometer on a trial-like performance than it is a measure of community soundness), or, on a similar note, handlers who put dogs in the ring at a young age when it is clear they are not mentally ready for it.<br />
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The first few times that a dog goes to shows might be tough. The first time an agility dog smells horse poop in a dirt arena or an obedience dog goes to a two-ring show might produce some interesting behaviors. I'm not saying every qualifying performance has to be flawless. Not every obedience run is a 200 (none of mine are) and not every agility performance is a blue-ribbon, sub-30 second Jumpers run (none of mine are, either). Dogs will be dogs - they will have zoomies, they will sniff, they'll even take a crap in the ring once in a while. But even in the beginning, and especially in higher-level classes, I would hope that every handler that sets foot in a ring expects their dog to have some level of engagement with them, and is not just going through the motions solely to wrap up a title or get that last qualifying leg. <br />
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When did we forget that our dogs are living, breathing DOGS, animals who have no concept of a CD, an AXJ, an RAE, and the title certificates should be a testament to a great working relationship - not a badge for sliding by on the skin of our teeth, with no regarding for how the animal half of the team feels about it?<br />
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I'm not going to pretend titles don't matter. It IS very satisfying to get recognition on a job well done, or on hardships overcome. But please don't forget about the journey, or forget about the dog, more importantly, in the process.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146649374510678844noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768075887820301634.post-46932126356534137482017-04-11T22:15:00.001-04:002017-04-11T22:15:48.649-04:00HomeAt the end of March, Louie, Marge, Red (wait - who's Red?! Yeah, I haven't formally introduced him on the MargeBlog yet), and I traveled to the AKC Rally National Championships in Perry, Georgia. Marge has qualified for other Rally National Championships in the past, but the perfect situation presented itself this year for us to go. It helped that the competition was in Georgia - Marge's home state, where she came from. Certainly makes for a good story.<br />
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We rented a GMC Yukon XL - an absolutely massive, fully loaded truck. It isn't that we couldn't have fit in my Ford Escape, but this was a lot more comfortable. Yes, I drove it too!<br />
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Marge did great at the competition, with scores of 86, 99, 98, and 97 out of 100. If not for that 86 (a 10-point hit that we suffered was likely my fault) - we would have been 29th out of 148 dogs. Instead, we were 56th. Still amazing. I beamed with pride the entire time.<br />
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The other really special part of this trip was the detour we took on the way home. About 2 1/2 hours to the north of the competition is a town by the name of Ellijay. Ellijay just happens to be where Marge came from before she was transported to New York and I adopted her. <br />
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We wrestled a bit about whether to drive through there or not - it was a bit out of the way - but ultimately decided that we had to. Chances are that I'd never find myself in Georgia, with Marge, ever again. How amazing would it be to say that I took her home?<br />
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Before our tour officially began, we took the dogs to the Chattahoochee River Recreation Area not far away for a hike. How fun! <br />
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Our first official stop was to the Cherokee County Animal Shelter - a open admission, but progressive, shelter. This is more than likely the place that Marge and her litter came through before being pulled by the now abolished Noah's Bark Rescue Group. I went in and said I was there to give a donation, but risked having the shelter staff think I was nuts and told them part of the story after cutting them a check. They seemed genuinely interested to hear about Marge. (They did send me a card thanking me for my donation in MEMORY of Marge week or so later -- yikes! I'd like to think that they meant in memory of her stint there but I know it was just an honest mistake!)<br />
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Before leaving, I went back to the kennels. I knew that I shouldn't have, but I did. It has been about 8 1/2 years since I've been in a shelter, and I guess I forgot how intense the emotions would be. After a bunch of tails wagging at me from behind kennel doors, I couldn't take it for longer than a couple of minutes and went back to the car to bawl. It made the whole thing so real... to think that either of my dogs could have had a setting like that be their final landing spot was a gut-wrenching thought. It was especially tough to think of Marge, given the fear issues that she used to have and other quirks that to this day make her unique, not finding her way to me. I don't mean to give myself a pat on the back, and I am not perfect, but even to this day, Marge is not a normal dog and I truly wonder what could have happened to her if she was in the hands of someone who treated her differently than I have.<br />
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Our next stop was to the town of Ellijay itself. We drove around it for a few minutes. It had a touristy feel, with antique shops and gift stores and even municipal parking, but it's pretty far away from everything, so I'm not sure who's going there to visit. It was very cute. <br />
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While there, I plugged in what I believe to be her former foster family's address in to the car GPS. I have it because I am good at stalking online (and proud of it). I can admit all of this without any fear of them being upset or anything... because they are both deceased.<br />
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We were taken on some twisty mountain backroads (no dirt roads, though!), and reached a gate to a private road. We couldn't go any further, but my guess is that the house that Marge lived in was just beyond here. Really cool.<br />
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We let the dogs potty in a park back in Ellijay proper before hitting the road again for our first real portion of the trip home. What an amazing experience. My rescue dog from Georgia got to go back nine years later and compete on the national stage before getting to visit her hometown. Very few, if any, people are able to say something like that. Really think about it. Let it sink in.<br />
<br />Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146649374510678844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768075887820301634.post-18817996326172353182016-09-28T20:48:00.000-04:002016-09-28T21:05:35.033-04:00Control Unleashed - The Dog's Idea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well, well!</div>
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I'll skip any forced introduction along the lines of "wow, I haven't written on here in nearly two years." Instead, I'll jump right in to it and say that I attended a Control Unleashed seminar at my dog club this past weekend.<br />
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Those of you who may still be reading this blog and were around in the beginning know that Control Unleashed exercises played some role in Marge's behavior modification training back in the day. Most notably, I remember playing the "Look at That!" game when Marge would go absolutely nuts watching dogs, particularly bigger dogs, zip around at the agility field.<br />
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I got to recount this with Leslie McDevitt herself, which was super cool - especially since I had Marge on-leash next to me, who had little interest in or concern for the environment around her, thanks in part to some of these games.<br />
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Anyway, it's been a long time since I picked up the book, and I mentioned that to Leslie. I really thought that the seminar would be more of a refresher for me, a way for me to silently nod my head and recall my vague memories of reading and using sections of the book. How silly of me. Leslie said that since the book came out, she's had a lot of time to think about things, and I guess amend the way that she teaches them. She wasn't kidding, because the seminar was absolutely mind-blowingly good.<br />
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The premise of the entire seminar was teaching the dog to have a conversation with you about the environment, rather than focusing on the environment alone.<br />
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It started with the concept of teaching the dog to <u style="font-weight: bold;">breathe.</u> I was confused at first by the idea of literally watching a dogs' nose to see if they are taking breaths, but it actually makes a lot of sense. To just breathe, a dog can't be jumping up all over, stress panting, barking, whining, or otherwise being raucous. To be able to sit quietly and calmly, to be able to truly connect with the handler in a myriad of environments, is the foundation for everything else. Drive, interest, excitement.. perhaps that should come later.<br />
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There was a recent blog post that circulated about the idea of dogs being stressed in competition settings. Marge herself likes agility and seems comfortable at trials, but can be barky right beefore entering the agility ring. The gist was that although dogs may appear driven and may appear to love what they are doing (and maybe they do), is it possible that the screaming outside the ring, dilated pupils, nervous pawing, is actually <i>not</i> a good thing?<br />
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Based on this seminar, I'd think that the answer to that question is yes. Seems obvious, but a dog that can't settle ("breathe") may become unglued more easily in a pressure-filled setting.<br />
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After that, the rest of the seminar basically consisted of versions of Leslie's games used to build patterns that reassure the dog and rewards that stimulate interest in the handler rather than the environment. I won't get in to all of them here, but the one I found most amazing was a rendition of CU's "Give Me a Break" game.<br />
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One working participant was called in to the ring with her dog to act as a demo. The participant happened to have her dog off-leash, figuring he'd follow her in to the ring. He didn't. In fact, he went left, he went right, he sniffed.. he went everywhere OTHER than through the ring with his handler, even after being called. Pure avoidance behavior.<br />
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This is something I've struggled with to an extent when I do things like Obedience and Rally with Marge.. although she gives me a good performance in everything she does, it sometimes feels like I'm dragging her around in those two activities, as opposed to agility, where she appears a lot more animated.<br />
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After seeing what I saw, I realized that we stand a good chance of raising the dogs' level of interest and comfort by using predictable patterns and making participation in the behavior "the dog's idea."<br />
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What Leslie did was bring this dog into the ring, fed him a bunch of treats, rewarded him for breathing, for calm eye contact.. and then slowly exited the ring. Once she sat down for a break, the dog eventually looked back up at her. At that exact moment, she took the dog back in to the ring, repeated the same process, and then left the ring again. The eye contact outside of the ring became the dog's cue for "MORE! MORE!"<br />
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The dog who was, at first, completely avoiding the ring was now voluntarily asking to be brought back in. In the span of 5 minutes or so. Entering the ring became his idea, on his terms, and his entire demeanor changed.<br />
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After a while, Leslie not only had the dog sit and breathe in the ring, but also added heeling and other obedience exercises slowly in to the mix before exiting. The dog remained engaged. The pattern was predictable, plenty of treats were had, and the dog was happy.<br />
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It's not a perfect system, since dogs can differentiate between practice settings and trials, but it is a start, and can be easily implemented at match shows. Besides, forming the pattern itself (dog asks to be worked, we go in the ring, do stuff, and then go back to our chair) may be enough to make a dog more comfortable in a trial setting.<br />
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An upcoming goal that I have for Marge is to obtain her Companion Dog (CD) title. She earned her UKC CD several years ago, but in a quest for Marge to be my Novice A Obedience dog, as she has been my Novice A Rally and Agility dog, I'd love to earn her AKC CD, too. If I put her in the ring tomorrow, she'd stand a decent chance of qualifying. However, I've been hesitant to bring her out because of how different it is than agility. Things like the presence of the judge and the lack of feedback from the handler may make it tougher for her. Since a Q with an uncomfortable Marge would not make me happy, I've been very picky about deciding when to enter.<br />
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We have been practicing weekly or bi-weekly with decent success. However, after dabbling with the "Give Me a Break" game as explained above, I'm really excited to continue training and see where it leads us.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146649374510678844noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768075887820301634.post-39141955477067033162015-02-15T07:19:00.000-05:002015-02-16T17:46:35.432-05:00Marge Goes to WestminsterWow, wow, wow.<br />
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A day like this takes me back to my first couple of days of agility trialing, where I was completely neurotic, overprepared and had no idea what to expect. Waking up earlier than I need to so that I can arrive to a trial 2 hours earlier than necessary, packing way more than I need to so I don't stress about running out of treats, wondering how my dog is going to do in the ring.<br />
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Wait, let me expand upon that. Wondering how my dog, my Novice A to MX/MXJ dog is going to do in the ring surrounded by literally hundreds of people at what may be the biggest trial of her life.<br />
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<b>The Days Before</b><br />
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Hype was building around this event. Though trials like the AKC Nationals and AKC Invitationals actually require more than just a pair of Masters' titles to get in to, the Westminster Masters Agility Championship gets tons of press coverage from location and name recognition alone. News articles were coming out all over the country, agility demos were being given on live TV, and this girl was wondering how a dog that used to be afraid to walk around the block was going to deal with the crowds, noise, and excitement of such a highly publicized trial.<br />
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We got a little publicity of our own; our local newspaper featured us in an<a href="http://www.silive.com/eastshore/index.ssf/2015/02/staten_island_dog_will_compete.html"> absolutely awesome story </a>on Friday about our participation, complete with pictures and video. I absolutely loved how they emphasized Marge's beginnings and my attitude about her performance at the show. After getting her growls out early (I mean, she HAS to keep me a little bit humble and growl at the reporter, obviously!), Marge was a total ham during her photo shoot. We didn't have any agility equipment to use, so I set up a pair of cones and had her "jump" through them. <br />
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I got to deliver the newspaper to my customers on Friday with my dog's face printed across the front page. AWESOME. Definitely the highlight of my paper girl career.<br />
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<b>The Morning Of</b><br />
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My clock was set for 4:30 AM. I awoke at 4:09 and decided that trying to fall asleep again was useless. I tried my hardest to not bring things I didn't really need as I envisioned the massive pile of bags splayed across my living room floor 5 years ago at my first show. Treats, water, and crate/bedding in tow, we were off to Manhattan.<br />
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Unloading was fairly simple; part of the reason I wanted to arrive early was to keep things as low stress as possible. We went in, checked in, got my complimentary Pro Plan T-Shirt and goodie bag and set off for the restricted crating area.<br />
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There was plenty of crating space behind the scenes, in a less accessible area of the trial site. There was SO much room that we were in our own row of benches at one point. I didn't want Marge to be completely alone, so I moved her to a row nearby where some other local exhibitors had set up. Absolutely no one bothered us there all day.<br />
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She settled right in on her brand new crate pad.<br />
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We then tackled the next problem.. pottying! The show had a policy that all dogs needed to show a release form each time they entered and exited the building. To discourage people from leaving, they set up exercise pens with pine shavings for dogs to potty in.<br />
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I wasn't so sure about taking Marge out in to the Manhattan streets to begin with, so I give their setup a try. I may be the only person in the history of Westminster to take a picture of my dog with a puddle of pee, but here it is. <br />
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Oh, you want me to pee here? No problem.<br />
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Off to a good start.<br />
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<b>First Run - Jumpers with Weaves</b><br />
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Our first run of the day was Jumpers with Weaves. <br />
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When I saw the course on paper, I was a little nervous. Once I walked it, I thought it was super flowy.<br />
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It started out with a jump to a curved tunnel. Actually, in my case, it started out with a jump to a tunnel-peek-a-boo-tunnel.<br />
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Whaaaaat?! I can't for the life of me fully figure out why she came out of the tunnel. That's not really a typical Marge move, unless the tunnel is wet. My only possible explanation is that she caught a glimpse of me moving away from her to get in to position for number three. A bummer, but the rest of the run was absolutely slammin'. She did turn the wrong way over one jump, but we recovered, so who cares? This run felt really good, especially the end after the straight tunnel.</center>
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Marge was obviously very uncomfortable ringside.</center>
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The other mixed breed dog in the class had also NQ'd, leaving the 20" mixed breed spot for finals still either of ours for the taking. I watched him run and he was a really cute dog. Not a speed demon, but looked like the slow and steady type.</center>
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<b>Second Run - Standard</b></center>
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The pressure was on for this run. In order to make Finals, you must qualify in either of the first two classes. I was worried more about the teeter than anything. Though I had drilled Marge on her teeter several times over the preceding weeks, I know it is always the first thing to go at a trial.</center>
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The trial site was also filling up with exhibitors. The dog walk was very close to the ring gates, and dogs were falling off because they were looking at the crowds next to them. Kind of scary.</center>
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This is what we had to contend with ringside.</center>
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Even with the volume of people and volume of sound, I honestly thought that if my dog managed to perform the teeter and the table correctly, that we would qualify and make it to finals.</center>
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It was not to be, and that is okay.</center>
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When my front cross after the teeter was botched, I should have re-thought my plan for the A-Frame. When under stress at a trial, my front crosses become sloppy and Marge tends to read my handling less forgivingly. Rear crosses are generally my go-to. But, I thought because there were no very close off-course opportunities near the A-Frame, that we'd be okay with a front cross. </center>
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But we got tangled up together and although Marge got on the frame, she bailed on the ascending side. </center>
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It took a little while for us to recover, but we did, and ended the run with a nice set of weave poles and drive to the finish.</center>
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Honestly, the first half of this run was probably one of the best agility moments of Marge's career. My friends told me that people in the stands were commenting on how fast Marge was moving down the line to the tunnel. My dog is not a speed demon, and compared to a Border Collie, it may not look like she was moving fast at all. But it just felt so intense. Like she was running harder than she had ever run before. And with all of those people around!</center>
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The other mixed breed, too, incurred some faults in this class; he stopped halfway through his weaves to scope out the crowd. So, neither of us advanced to finals.</center>
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<b>After Our Runs</b></center>
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We hung out for a little while after our runs. Though I knew I didn't make finals, I wanted to wait until my class ended and I saw the results just so I could be absolutely, positively, 100% sure. The 20" Finals class wound up consisting of three Border Collies, a Golden, an Aussie, a Portuguese Water Dog, an AmStaff, a Boxer, a Springer, and a Brittany. Not a bad variety!</center>
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I wandered around with Marge a little more. Some people asked to pet her, which she allowed willingly. It then started to get really loud and congested, so we headed back towards the crating area, took a couple of pictures, and started to head out.</center>
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We took a quick picture with Amy and Layla, our friends from the 24" class, who went to finals and wound up 4th overall in their height class! Like us, they started out in Novice A about 5 years ago.. so this success is really special for them, I'm sure.</div>
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<b>One Sour Note</b></div>
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After we packed up to leave, we decided to just carry our things to our car rather than pull the car up. We were directed by security personnel in to the wrong elevator and wound up on the floor at AKC's Meet the Breeds next door in Pier 92. Meet the Breeds was benched, and dogs weren't allowed to leave until 5 PM. </div>
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When they saw Marge on the floor, they told me I was not allowed to leave, mistaking her for a dog participating in that event. Though I tried to explain we were from the agility show and were directed incorrectly, the security personnel kept repeating that they could not permit me to leave. So, if I wasn't supposed to leave and wasn't a part of Meet the Breeds, where was I supposed to go? I got pretty heated pretty quick and demanded a manager. They eventually let us go - the manager was more informed about the agility show than her employees - but we had to ride in a crowded elevator full of spectators. Marge was not thrilled with it, but she was OK. Remind me to not make that mistake next year!</div>
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<b>Closing Thoughts</b></div>
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Westminster -- the whole lead up, the actual show -- was an event of proportions I would have never been able to fathom when I first got Marge. </div>
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The reality is that Marge is more than likely not going to go to AKC Nationals or AKC Agility Invitationals during her career. For someone like me, who has a Masters' level dog that doesn't have those events in reach, Westminster is a really awesome alternative. </div>
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Though I am a little disappointed that we didn't make finals -- it was so clearly within reach -- I am still absolutely thrilled with how the day went. It's kind of hard to explain, but there were so many little moments that just all added up to make it a great experience. </div>
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Things like the little boys on my paper route who used to be afraid of Marge commenting about her making the front page. Things like my Rally students coming to the show and wearing sweatshirts that said "Go Tang! Go Marge!" to honor my and my instructor's dogs. Things like random people asking me in the line for the bathroom how my dog did today or random people coming up and asking to pet her. Cheering on my fellow competitors while Marge dozed off ringside. Or how about Marge banging a teeter in front of several hundred people? I mean, if that was the only agility obstacle she did, it still would have been a massively successful day.</div>
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How did this all happen? Where did it come from? Somewhere along the way, this is who Marge became. This is who we became together. And that -- and the impact that have hopefully been able to have on the people around us -- is the real story.</div>
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And that basically concludes Westminster 2015 for Marge and me. If we are physically, mentally, and financially able, I'd really love another stab at it next year. For now, I will be proud of what we have accomplished together. Because we have accomplished an awful lot.</div>
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Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146649374510678844noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768075887820301634.post-26074751490069693852015-01-31T22:23:00.000-05:002015-01-31T22:23:19.839-05:00TwoI wasn't sure what to call this post, so since as of this hour we are less than two weeks away from the big show, "Two" seemed like a good fit.<br />
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Today, Marge went to her last agility trial before our visit to Manhattan - a UKI agility trial in Colmar, PA. My original plans for this weekend involved a large AKC trial at a very familiar location, but I was unfortunately closed out. The only trial left in our relative area was this one, and boy, am I glad I went! Wonderful, spacious facility and flowy, motivating courses to run.<br />
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I entered three classes with Marge.<br />
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<b>1. Agility (Standard): </b>Marge went right in and knocked this course dead.. with the bars at 16 inches. Only after we ran the course quickly and cleanly did I realize that the ring crew had forgot to raise the bars to 20" for Marge. The judge let me run again, and thankfully, we ran clean again.<br />
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This whole thing was HUGE. The pressure of going in to the ring twice within about ten minutes, running cleanly both times on a course that had contact obstacles, which are admittedly our weakness, was a nice test for both of us. I probably would have crumbled had it been an AKC trial.<br />
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Marge performed her teeter decently twice, and her A-Frame and Dog Walk contacts perfectly. Her weaves were slower in her second run, which of course is cause for enormous amounts of overanalyzing. Honestly, I would have been fine packing up and going home after this class, seeing how well she performed.<br />
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<b>2. Speedstakes (Steeplechase, for you USDAA folks): </b>Super fast, straightforward course. Went in and knocked this one out, too. Got a front cross in, which is always a plus at trials.<br />
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<b>3. Jumping:</b> This course wasn't as challenging as the last Jumping course Marge ran at UKI, but it was certainly still a high level course. I took some risks in this one, including running up the line outside of the second tunnel to set up an easier weave entrance. Did two front crosses, too. <br />
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Her weaves were again slow, which concerns me. I felt her all over and I do not feel any soreness. It's hard to tell, as she sometimes just has those runs where her speed gets pokey and it has nothing to do with injury. I have had her massaged within the past week and nothing came up. Four runs at one trial is the most she has ever done. She may have just been tired.<br />
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Look at all of her loot from the day! It is a rarity to Marge and I to walk away with 6 ribbons from one day of showing.<br />
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Though she had just run four times and was very clearly done for the day, she had an awesome on-leash play session with a young border collie for a solid five minutes just before we left for the day. It was one of those times when Marge decides (and vocalizes through whining) that she absolutely needs to be friends with a dog halfway across the room who she has never met before. Not sure what has gotten into this dog - three qualifying scores on the same day, and then playing with a puppy? Regardless, I was glad to see that she still had some energy to spare when the agility was over with. <br />
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Up next? Some light (and I mean very light) practice tomorrow, particularly on the teeter and table. I will not be jumping or weaving her tomorrow - I just need to get her on those two pieces of equipment one more time. I'm going to take it easy for the rest of the week. We've been walking about an hour every day (a combination of off-leash and on-leash time), but I may scale that back a little bit for this week, too. We'll probably train Sunday and Monday of next weekend, and that'll be it.<br />
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There are more exciting things going on, some related to Westminster and some not, but those will have to wait for another day. For now, I'm following Marge's lead and heading to bed!Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146649374510678844noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768075887820301634.post-18533592591345546962015-01-12T23:13:00.001-05:002015-01-12T23:13:17.376-05:00Day 2389<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am the worst when it comes to aging. I don't like change and I certainly don't like to think about anybody getting ... older.<br />
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Little grey hairs have crept up on Marge's chin. First you could only see them up close and in person, but now, they are prominent. She doesn't have much of a grey muzzle, nor does she have grey eyebrows. Just a little grey goatee.<br />
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When it's gradual and over time, it's hard to notice a big difference from one day to the next. But seeing a picture of Marge in say, 2008 or 2009 compared to now, and it is apparent that a definite aging process has taken place. I did just that tonight and was kind of shocked at how Marge's puppylike appearance has morphed in to that of a mature adult dog without me really even stopping to take a pause. <br />
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Marge is 7. She will be 8 in June.<br />
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All of you passers-by who keep mistaking her for a puppy.. keep doing it. My sanity depends on it.<br />
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Two thousand, three hundred and eighty nine days. It's just so amazing to think that she has been with me for this long. It is a bittersweet feeling, especially on a night like tonight where I am pretty much just sappy out of nowhere. This dog pretty much does everything with me. She has wiggled her way into my social life, my family life, my hobbies. (The exception to that, of course, is Marge accompanying me to the shooting range, since that is neither safe nor Marge's idea of a good time and will therefore never happen!) Seriously, though, the things that Marge used to get left behind for are now a part of her routine.<br />
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Remember when Marge had to be crated when guests came over? She survived a party last month in which 6 people -- 5 of which were GUYS -- came over to visit. A growl here or there, but nothing that anyone couldn't live with. And she got to eat any bits of the 4' hero that intentionally or unintentionally fell her way. A win-win.<br />
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Remember when Marge wouldn't go near horses? She didn't walk or run in to the barn yesterday, but instead wiggled up to Te. Whole butt wagging. She whined like a baby when I led him down the driveway in to his pasture yesterday. She loves the barn. She loves horse poop and horse grain and horse treats, and although she won't go near just any horse, she has struck up a relationship with one, at least, who has made her feel comfortable. There's a sure fire way to know that Quarter Horses are the best horses.. my dog has befriended one.<br />
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Remember when Marge wasn't trustworthy offleash and I had to use that long 20' red line? Haven't taken it out in ages. We don't get there as often as we should, but she generally has full reign of the beach, nowadays. And the field? The field that was a save haven for her during her fearful days is now a place where she goes to sniff every goal post that she can get to.<br />
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Remember when things would occasionally erupt in to chaos, when my dad and my dog weren't at all on the same wavelength? Those days are pretty much gone. And in the uncommon occurrence that they resurface, I have somewhere now that I can run to and get the hell out of dodge.<br />
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It has been such an amazing ride, one that has taken me places I never imagined I'd go. I don't mean performance events, either. If Marge never got another performance title again, it wouldn't matter. That stuff pales in comparison to the bond we've created outside of that environment, out in the real world.<br />
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Thank you for everything, my little MD. I know there is more in store for us. You have shown me that the sky is truly the limit.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146649374510678844noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768075887820301634.post-47641936756601027052015-01-03T21:02:00.000-05:002015-01-03T21:02:27.802-05:00International FlairAs part of our prep for Westminster, I took Marge to a UKI Agility trial today in Bloomsbury, NJ.<br />
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UK Agility International was founded as the United States' version of UK Agility. As such, it contains international-style handling challenges at the upper levels.<br />
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I have been doing quite a bit of out-of-my-comfort-zone handling at agility class (which basically means straying away from rear crosses and doing everything else), but I very seldom put those skills to use in AKC trials. I totally admit to playing it safe for the sake of Q's and, more specifically, QQ's. I want a MACH, and if I get a MACH with meat-and-potatoes type handling and never do anything fancy, I am totally okay with that.<br />
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So, in trying UKI, it removes the "run to Q" element. I am not working on any titles in that venue at this point, and with numbers pointed in all kinds of crazy directions (backsides and wraps everywhere!), it sets the stage well to add in some fancy handling. And by fancy, really all I mean is doing anything but a rear cross.<br />
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If you look back at my list of things to work on that I posted last time, UKI had most of those challenges.. including a weave entrance to which Marge (and my body language, probably) said "HAHA, NOPE". She took the 3/5 jump and 4 tunnel before coming back to weave.<br />
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As such, we did not Q in this run, but a couple of important things happened:<br />
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We did qualify earlier in the day in the Speedstakes class, which is a straightforward, fun, fast course. Those were the only two classes I entered. I wanted to keep it short and fun.</div>
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From a behavioral perspective, Marge did very well at this trial. When we first arrived, she had a mini meltdown because she had no idea where she was. It probably didn't resemble an agility trial at all to her, since the ring was not visible from the crating/waiting area. Heaters were fired up, too, and it took her a bit to get used to the noise. Once it clicked that we were at an agility trial and not the 8th circle of hell, she settled in almost instantly.</div>
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After the trial, I headed to the barn to ride. As I alluded to, Marge is becoming a little bit of a barn dog - at least as much as a Staten Island dog <i>can</i> be a barn dog. No pics from this time around, but here's a pic of Marge hanging out with Te last time she came along with me. She likes the horses, but maintains some distance. She likes their grain a lot more.</div>
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I'll probably do one more UKI trial sometime this month. I'd like to go to an AKC show before Westminster, but I'm not sure it's going to happen. I'm happy with our prep so far!</div>
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146649374510678844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768075887820301634.post-88554839915078824352014-12-08T23:51:00.000-05:002014-12-08T23:51:31.363-05:00Manhattan BoundWow. Been a while, hasn't it?<br />
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I've opened up this window several times since the last time I posted, but I sort of never really knew where to begin. So much has happened, both in my life and in Marge's, that finding a clear topic to post about was a struggle I just didn't want to have.<br />
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So what better way to pick up than to bring up a brand spankin' new endeavor for both Marge and I?<br />
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Marge's entry was accepted in to the Westminster Kennel Club's 2nd Annual Masters Agility Championship. A big deal for our team. A VERY big deal.<br />
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<b>Let me preface this by saying that Marge was not hand picked or specifically selected for this competition. Something that drove me <u>off</u> <u>the</u> <u>wall</u> last year was the incorrect notion, being circulated intentionally or unintentionally, that dogs were hand picked for this. Nope. Marge's entry got there before some other dogs' entries, and therefore, we are entered in the trial. She is no better than any other dog out there.</b><br />
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Anyway.<br />
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It's a big deal for us because...<br />
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<li>We've never competed in a tournament of any kind</li>
<li>We need to travel to Manhattan, the busiest, most bustling borough of New York City (read: holy crap we're leaving our mostly-suburban Staten Island paradise)</li>
<li>We have a shot at being on national television - which is just freakin' cool. </li>
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When Marge's bid for Nationals last year was cut short by too few points and an injury, I decided we needed a different "big" agility goal to work on. It seems that Marge may not have the mental or physical stamina to be on a rigorous trial schedule, and I certainly neither have the enthusiasm nor the wallet, either. Maybe it was just going to be getting titles. Or maybe it could be Westminster.</div>
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And that's about all I'll say about that. I could go in to all of deliberating I did in deciding to enter, but that's boring and excessive so I won't. Don't worry. If I get on some sort of posting schedule again, I am not going to sit here and continually write about how starry-eyed I am about this competition because that would be annoying, childish and hypocritical. But like I said, bringing this up gives me a place to start.</div>
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What I <u>do</u> intend to write about is Marge's agility progress, as I do think we need to kick things up a notch for the next 8 weeks or so.</div>
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A short, dirty list of things we need to work on most are:</div>
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<li>Wraps</li>
<li>Backsides</li>
<li>Across the box</li>
<li>Front crosses of every size, shape and kind</li>
<li>Nasty weave entrances</li>
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We had our first agility practice in quite a few weeks last night. I think we ran really, really well. Marge always runs well when we move indoors for the winter, so I'm hoping that further practice will help to tighten things up.<br />
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I also may venture from the comfort of AKC to try UKI, a new, different flavor of agility with an international flair.</div>
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So, that's where we're at. There's lots of other exciting things that have happened, like Marge performing at public demos, making equine friends, and adjusting to apartment life. Some not so exciting things have happened, too, some relevant to this blog and some not. Hopefully, I'll be able to hit a couple of those topics, too, at some point.</div>
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146649374510678844noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768075887820301634.post-58809096867181163232013-09-05T10:24:00.000-04:002013-09-05T10:24:14.007-04:00Draining Me<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I probably alluded to this in previous posts, but today, it really hit me.<br />
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The truth of the matter is that agility sucked the life right out of me this year.<br />
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I wound up attending a lot less trials than I originally anticipated -- a couple canceled by the host clubs, a few scratched off the calendar due to Marge's injury, and others doomed from the reality of my ever-shrinking checking account. But, despite the fact that we didn't trial nearly every weekend as I had planned, it felt like agility was always on my mind. When does the next trial open? Where's my entry confirmation? What hotel are we staying at? What time are my runs? Where are Nationals going to be? Am I going to have enough points for Nationals?<br />
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Nationals, Nationals, Nationals. That's all this year became to me. A race to the top... or to the bottom, depending on how you look at it.<br />
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Suffice it to say, my thinking has changed quite drastically. It is quite clear that we are not going to AKC Nationals and quite frankly, I'm happy about it. I've stopped entering trials just for the sake of padding my calendar.. because as I was nonchalantly filling every weekend with agility, I was shutting other people and things out.<br />
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I'm over it.<br />
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As of right now, I'm entered in a grand total of three days of agility with Marge for the rest of 2013. That may go up by a day or two after I enter another trial or two. But that's it.
As much as I enjoy agility trials, spending all eight weekend days of a month in a park (or planning to do so) means not getting to keep up friendships (and many of my friends live far away, so the opportunity to see them is not always there), not getting to horseback ride (because I can't really ride during the week with my school schedule the way it is), and not having adequate time for my relationship and my family.<br />
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It also means having to scrounge for money for things that probably matter a lot more, since, let's face it, I work one day a week at a not-so-high paying job and have a little extra cash from my newspaper route.<br />
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I had fallen in to a holding pattern -- every weekend was meant to be spent doing agility. It cannot be that way. Especially when it was being done for all of the wrong reasons.<br />
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I'm in no rush to go back to agility, honestly. I don't yearn for it right now, after almost a month of my dog not running, as I thought I would. In fact, I'm thinking more about other things - like going hiking with Marge. And taking a vacation.. finally getting my ass on an airplane.<br />
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I'm not giving up agility. Not even close. But, I am scaling back. Trialing less seems like the way to go for a while. It'll help Marge's body catch back up, help my wallet catch up, and help ME see that there are other things in my life that need my attention.<br />
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For those that do have the time, money, and correct attitude (and the correct DOG) for heavy trialing: that's fine. Nothing wrong with that. This post isn't supposed to be about how heavy trialing is a bad thing. It isn't. I've just discovered (the hard way) that I am not in that position at this point in time. And that's OK.<br />
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And that doesn't mean Marge is, in any way, shape or form going to be robbed of having fun. No. I want to start to do other things with her in addition to agility. Like taking lots more walks. Going on hikes. Maybe have her accompany me on an overnight non-agility trip somewhere. Maybe dabble in other dog sport activities, too. To be perfectly honest, she doesn't seem to be too terribly bothered by not running agility. Even if I stopped agility altogether (which I'm not), she wouldn't be the kind of dog that'd be really upset about it.<br />
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For me, the phrase "I can't, I have a dog show" isn't how it has to be all of the time. There can be balance between in my life.
And here's to finding that balance.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146649374510678844noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768075887820301634.post-3469773315316827362013-08-21T14:55:00.002-04:002013-08-21T14:55:49.045-04:00Nine Days to GoIt's been exactly one week since Marge's appointment. We have 9 more days to go until our next appointment on the 30th.<br />
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She seems to be doing pretty well. I no longer notice any significant limp. However, I'm not sure if she's 100% sound yet on that left front shoulder. Between the fact that her activity is limited (which means I can't truly assess her gait) and the idea that I'm basically looking for something to be wrong, I'm convinced that she is still slightly off. But, I may just be putting that idea in my head.<br />
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We've been very good about following the rules, which include:<br />
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<li>Two short leash walks a day</li>
<li>Avoiding the stairs completely (except for the stairs in to and out of my house)</li>
<li>No strenuous activity like running or jumping</li>
<li>Shoulder stretches</li>
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Of course, Marge occasionally has a mind of her own. While I wasn't home yesterday, I found out that she ran laps around my house right before dinner time. I definitely was not happy to hear that. However, I've taken a decently active dog and dropped her activity level to basically nil.. it's to be expected that she is going to be raring to go. </div>
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My mind continues to wander to our next appointment and what will come of it. Hopefully, I'll be told that she is looking good and can start a strengthening program. However, if I'm told that the resting phase of this is not yet over, I'm not sure what I'll do. I'll likely get another opinion (probably my own regular vet's opinion first). Obviously, we may not be back to really strenuous activities like agility for a bit longer, but I think Marge will go nuts if we can't at least add back in some long walks. </div>
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My goal for Marge in the upcoming weeks is actually not what you might expect it to be. What I would really like most is for Marge to be able to go on a hike with me by sometime in October. Rather than overload on agility trials, I'd really like to spend most of my free time in October with Marge hiking, with some trials scattered here and there. Fingers crossed...</div>
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146649374510678844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768075887820301634.post-66060342597112521312013-08-16T23:36:00.000-04:002013-08-16T23:36:07.270-04:00Two Torturous WeeksWe're a couple of days in to this now, and Marge seems to be dealing pretty well so far with her limited activity protocol. She is spending lots of time in her crate by choice. I think she's actually enjoying having it up on the main floor. When not in her crate, she mills around the house pretty calmly. She is on a muscle relaxer called Robaxin, which may be helping our cause, as sedation is a possible side effect of the drug. Still, I wonder if after a week or so, she'll start getting stir crazy!<br />
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I, on the other hand, am not dealing with the situation as well as my dog is. I am really missing her! The weather has been so beautiful the past couple of days and it plain old sucks that I can't take her for some long walks. I'm trying to make sure that I spend other types of quality time with her instead, like sitting outside with her or brushing her. We also practiced "watch me" and "touch" today, since they are two behaviors that don't really require any physical movement.<br />
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I also worry about how much deconditioning will take place over the next two weeks - muscles very quickly begin to atrophy when not being used, and thought two weeks isn't an extremely long time, I still think it's significant.<br />
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My final worry is how well my family will continue to adhere to our protocol. My dad took Marge for a short walk today, and though it was only a short walk (within our time limits), I can't really know for sure how fast or slow he had her walk.<br />
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As you can tell, I'm worried all around, as I tend to be with anything involving my dog! The next two weeks cannot go by fast enough.<br />
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In the meantime, here is a picture of Marge and Arrow sitting by the cornfields in Quakertown, PA last weekend. Hopefully I'll get a chance soon to write about what may have been Marge's final agility weekend for a little while.<br />
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<br />Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146649374510678844noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768075887820301634.post-90803792514554840272013-08-15T20:29:00.000-04:002013-08-15T20:29:04.215-04:00Rally, Rehab, ReflectionPrior to this whole shoulder-iliopsoas fiasco, Marge finished her Rally Novice title (finally) in AKC Rally. If you recall from her past rally days, most of her time in the ring was in APDT Rally, so it took us quite a while to finally finish the RN title that I knew she could get if I was willing to spend the money on the entry fees!<br />
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We had a Rally trial at our training building last Friday night. Marge has trained very limitedly in Rally over the past year and a half or so, so I'm very happy with our 4th place and score of 97 for her third qualifying score, despite the fact that she is trained through Rally Excellent.</div>
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Here's Marge with her loot.. including an adorable stuffed walrus that I can't wait for her to be able to play with.<br />
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Perhaps most exciting about the night was the fact that a whole bunch of my Novice A rally students went in to the ring for the first time - and qualified! I've been teaching dog training classes for a few years, but nothing has made me more proud than helping these teams get in to the ring. Here I am below with all of my Rally newbies :-)</div>
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As for Marge's first night on a restricted schedule - she's doing okay so far. She had no issues sleeping in her crate, and was loose in the house earlier today with access to her crate (and lots of pillows blocking her favorite spot on the couch). Luckily for me, she seems to be seeking out her crate to sleep, so I'm pretty confident she won't jump up on the couch, especially with the pillows there to deter her. Still, when no one is home for a long stretch of time, she'll probably be crated.<br />
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She gets to go on two 10-minute leash walks a day, which I'm sure is going to help both of our sanity a little bit.<br />
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When I am home, she is glued to me. The next couple of weeks are going to be all about my life revolving around my dog and her care - which, honestly, isn't so hard, since my life has pretty much revolved around her since I brought her home.<br />
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I AM worried about starting school again on Tuesday, since I'll be gone for many hours at a time a couple of days a week and will have to rely on my family members to make sure Marge gets out of the crate but doesn't break precautions. I'm hoping that my classes will end early and that I'll have some time in between to stop home and check on things.<br />
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Her limp is not completely gone yet, but seems to have improved, so hopefully we're on the right track and will be move out of the resting phase on August 30.<br />
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Hopefully, there will be a lot of learning from this experience - not only learning from a veterinary/rehabilitation standpoint, but also an adjustment in attitude, too. Because of how mostly normal she is now, it is so easy for me to forget that this dog, 5 years ago, growled at any one who approached her, could not function in a variety of settings and sure as heck wouldn't be comfortable sleeping in hotels or RVs or near other dogs and people.<br />
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At this point, she has both of her Masters titles in agility, several Rally titles, and an obedience title, too. When I started this journey with her, I never expected any of that. She never owed me a damn thing to begin with and certainly owes me nothing now. Every time I go in to the ring with her, regardless of the result, I need to remember that. Yes, I have goals, but my biggest goal needs to always remain, first and foremost, letting my dog have the fun that she was denied during that year of puppyhood that she spent locked in a crate.</div>
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146649374510678844noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768075887820301634.post-47194733997657203102013-08-14T22:33:00.000-04:002013-08-14T22:33:02.106-04:00HurtMy sweet MargeDog is hurt. Last Monday, after playing really rough and then laying in a crate for a couple of hours, she came up gimpy on her left front leg. She seemed to work out of it for the most part, but I didn't do too much with her the next day in agility class, just as a precaution. <br />
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She seemed fine the rest of the week, so I ran her at agility on Thursday and then at the trial this weekend. No weave pole or contact issues.. and she was running really fast.<br />
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This Monday, I noticed she was lame when she got up off of the couch. She seemed to work out of it somewhat, but not completely. When it continued in to Tuesday and today, I decided to get in the car and take her to a canine PT. My regular vet knows nothing about soft tissue injuries.. so there was no point wasting time and money going there.<br />
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As it turns out, she's having spasms in her left shoulder (one of her Teres muscles, to be more specific). Her iliopsoas (hip flexors) are also ouchy. Basically, her body is telling us to slow down... let her rest.<br />
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For the next two weeks, Marge will be on very restricted activity. No running or jumping. Leash walks will be limited to ten minutes, twice a day. She'll also be sleeping in a crate instead of on the couch (since she isn't allowed to jump up on the couch). We'll also be doing some shoulder and back stretches.<br />
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She won't be running any agility for at least a couple of weeks. We had some trials lined up for early-mid September.. those are likely a no-go. Early October is a better bet.<br />
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She'll be re-evaluated on August 30. If I do a good job keeping her quiet these next couple of weeks, we may be able to start her on some exercises then to get her back in shape. One activity she might be partaking in is the underwater treadmill. That should be interesting..<br />
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She was decently well behaved while she was there.. a bit wriggly, particularly when she was being lasered, but she was in no way aggressive, just extremely scared. My poor girl.<br />
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I'm really sad that this is happening because I hate that my dog is hurt. I also can't help but wonder if I could have prevented it with more proactive treatment.<br />
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Keep your fingers crossed for us that Marge can get back to normal after a couple of weeks...Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146649374510678844noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5768075887820301634.post-84433773507564192122013-08-05T14:03:00.001-04:002013-08-05T14:03:10.412-04:00Bad EnergyAgility trials are stressful places. People often forget basic manners because they are so focused on what they're doing with their dog. In my experience, it's not uncommon for someone to walk away mid-conversation, let a door slam on someone behind them, or cut the line while waiting for course maps or armband stickers. Some of it is pure rudeness, and some of it is the result of inattention and stress.<br />
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A certain level of crazy is to be expected at an agility trial, and to get mad at all of the things I've mentioned above would leave a person in a full-out rage at any trial they attended. However, this past weekend totally exceeded any level of bad energy that I've encountered thus far. It was one of those weekends that left me feeling really discouraged and disillusioned with agility. And I HATE when that happens.<br />
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Every year, this trial has been a particularly noisy, close-quartered trial. I knew that when I entered, but because I had been there before (and Marge had run successfully there before), I thought nothing of entering. This year, however, it seemed infinitely worse. It started in the parking lot (where there are barely enough spots for the number of cars at a 990-run agility trial), continued to the crating room (where people took up extra space by laying down more mats than they needed to), and reached its peak near the rings.<br />
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There were some administrative issues with the trial -- people being entered in the wrong classes, stewards using the wrong gate sheets for a class -- and I think it made people go crazy. There was so much rudeness and franticness that it made the trial very unpleasant.<br />
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The dogs definitely felt it. I saw dogs that hardly ever have any major issues really crash and burn in the ring. My own dog was not immune to it, either, though I think that at least some of her issues were caused by me getting miffed about all of the craze around me rather than worrying about handling her.<br />
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Our first Jumpers run we really blew. My handling was poor and she was high as a kite. The Jumpers ring seemed to be the epicenter of all of the commotion. I didn't think much would faze Marge, given the fact that the ring is comprised of walls on 3 sides, but I was wrong.<br />
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Our second run, Standard, we qualified for 17 points. It was actually quite a nice run. 17 points is our new high total for MACH points in a single run, so I was really happy with that.<br />
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The next day, our Jumpers run was one of the worst we've had in a while. Someone snapped at me prior to my walkthrough and I was really angry about it. For a few seconds, I thought about confronting the person but I decided it wasn't worth it. When I got in to the ring, it started out well enough, but then I didn't call Marge enough on a turn, so she took an off course. Then I FORGOT the course, which led to more off courses, and finally, she took more straight lines instead of making turns. It was bad and it felt horrible.<br />
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Our Standard run was a bit more of the same.. it started out very well, but a hard line after the chute to the weave poles did us in. Then, she sorta semi bailed on the teeter, though I don't think the judge called it. Then, I gave up, which lead to another off course.<br />
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I'm upset that the environment was what it was and I'm upset that I let it get to me. I need to learn to worry only about having fun with my dog and tune everything else out.<br />
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We have one more trial next weekend, then we're taking a break from trialing for about a month. I'm really looking forward to it. We didn't really have any long breaks this year.. we didn't trial every weekend, but we trialed at least a couple weekends out of every month.<br />
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I'm also just about giving up on our goal of qualifying for Nationals. With under 200 points out of 500 needed, school starting in 2 weeks, and only a few months left in the qualifying period, it just doesn't seem realistic. I don't have the money, the energy, nor the desire to trial every weekend with Marge.. and I'm not sure she desires to trial every weekend, either. So, I think it's time to alter our goals some and just think about getting that MACH and having fun at our own pace.<br />
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Over all, Marge has 8 QQ's, 15 Masters Standard legs, 25 Masters Jumpers legs, and 365 MACH points. We're getting almost to the halfway point.. so that's pretty cool!<br />
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Here are Marge and Arrow with their ribbons for the weekend. Arrow had a really nice Jumpers Q on Sunday.<br />
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<br />Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18146649374510678844noreply@blogger.com1