Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Another Test Clip...

Featuring Echo!

Cat Update (Mostly)

I haven't posted in a while, much less about the cats. I have good news and bad news.

The bad news is that Thyme went missing the weekend of the last trial. I have know idea what happened to her. The both of them were disappearing during the day a couple of days before.

They were allowed out in the back yard at night, but they had been doing that for about a month or so. Thursday before we left for the trial, the cats were gone all day but came back before agility class in the evening. That was the last time I saw Thyme. :(

The good news is that Echo has really come around. She is very vocal and loves to be petty and can be very insistent about it. She is such a cutie.

She likes to sit up on her back legs and have me scratch her head. Dork.

Anybody have tips for photographing black animals?

We did end up entering the trial in Elk Grove this weekend. Wish us luck. Tru could potentially get her S-TN-N, S-NJC, O-NAC, O-NCC, and TG-N! If she gets that TnG Q, she will get her Novice Versatility! Hopefully I can pull through for Blue and nail some bonus lines and maybe some Platinum Regular runs. I watched the videos from the last couple of trials again and it's all my poor timing on the lines. Did I mention that we only got one Platinum Reg in Jan? That leaves us with a need for a final two crazy fast Regular runs. And five 20 point bonus Qs for SS qualification. Pressure!

Next week is spring break as well, yippee! I need to do a post with the two projects I have finished so far in sculpture class.

UDAC NADAC Jan. 30-31, 2010

I remember writing about this trial last year. Blue got like, one or two Qs, I think, lol. That was trials were we were just out of it for the most part. One more trial after that and we got back in sync somewhat. Sirius was also moved back to Novice, and started Qing more. I think that was the first time I put a trial vid all of Siri and my mom up.

Now to this year's trial.

All the dogs did pretty well Saturday. Blue Qd 3/4 runs. She had some smokin' Regular runs. One was 5.47 yps and the other 5.51 yps. I hope those end up 100+ DRI runs. We will know in a couple of weeks if the new software they were talking about on the NADAC group is up. Truly did good and got one Q in Jumpers. She's still green and I'm still not completely used to her so there were mistakes made by both of us. Sirus had an amazing Regular run and Qd that. She was pretty awesome all day(excluding her first run, lol). The only bad thing that happened on Saturday was that Blue got hurt during her last run. She started to slow down and limp. We looked at the vid and could see where she most likely hurt herself. Her right front buckled under her in between two jumps. I really don't think it's anything serious, but to be safe she was scratched from Sunday's runs.

Ditto everything I said about Saturday for Sunday except results. Truly Qd 2/3 runs, a Jumper and a Regular. Sirius Qd nothing, but was pretty up most of the time on her runs.

I was soo glad to be back doing NADAC after not trialing in it for a month, lol. I was having NADAC withdrawal. We have two weekends in a row coming up in February, one of the reasons I didn't want to risk Blue running on Sunday. Oh, have I mentioned yet that my mom is gonna try to qualify Sirius for NADAC Champs? Well, she is. She's got the life time points and just has to get the requirements for the year.

On a non dog related note-Echo has been letting me pet her some more. Cats are silly. She really likes being pet, but doesn't want you to reach at her, haha.

Random Cat Update

I realized I haven't posted anything about the cats since we have gotten them.

Well, they are getting bigger, and friendlier. Thyme has gotten really, really friendly, towards me at least, haha. Thyme was always more out going than Echo, but I think feeding from hand a lot has helped. Echo has even warmed up a tiny bit. They are still as cute as always. Thyme loves to be pet and even purrs before you touch her, haha. They kinda know their names now and will come out when you call. I need to get some more photos.

They have "moved out" of their house, and seem to be enjoying an "upgrade" to the shed. They were fenced off in the side yard garden, but became more adventurous a couple of weeks ago. About the only place they have explored in the backyard is the shed.

Photos Galore (and a Video, and USDAA trial)

We have been on a couple of non agility trips(and one day of trialing) the past few weeks and that means lots of photos taken. Winter break also gave me some time to go through all my photos and clean them up while taking still more, lol.

Photos of the cats.

Random other photos of the dogs I found from 2009.

We went out to the desert for New Years. The weather was actually really nice.

Some video. My mom said it was boring, lol.

Photos.

We got to camp on a beach at Camp Pendleton. They let the public in on certain weekends after you pay for a permit. You're only supposed to have two dogs, but oh well, lol. They are also supposed to be on leash as well, but we are rule breakers! Truly ran off once to chase a pelican. She loves to watch and chase birds. This time she ran crazy far and wasn't listening and then couldn't hear she was so far away. We had to go really far and actually get her.

Blue and I did our one day of a USDAA trial. Qd 1/3 runs. Standard was really my fault for being a fail close handler. What I am wondering is if the wing jumps have something to do with her back jump. I was a little close for her, I think, but that coupled with the fact that she had to get closer to me because of the wing might be what drove her back over it. Oh, I love when I stop Blue, you can see me talking to her. I am so bad about that, lol. She also had a fast table, which has been something difficult to get out of her recently. She did good in Gamblers, Q and 3rd. That was the only thing I expected Blue to Q in, and she did got it. I walked the Jumpers course planning to run with her, but just stood where there where no jumps at the bottom of the course and realized that it could work for distance, haha. I just was like, I'm doing it, no reason not to. I don't have any goals in USDAA with Blue. I think I might be claustrophobic on the agility course, lol. The wings on those jumps and trying to walk the course where everyone is just a little unnerving. I always feel like I'm gonna trip on a wing. I was waaay more comfortable when I got out of that, lol. We didn't Q, but she did get some good distance work in. For Blue's first time in PIII, she did well.

Next trial is in a couple of weeks. NADAC, yay! It's taken me forever to finish this post, haha. I started it on Jan. 3rd.

Catching up on the last few of weeks...

Well, we went to the a Ford Bronco meet up and off-roaded, had an agility trial, got some new furry family members, and had another agility trial.

We attended Bronco Daze in Borrego Springs for the second year. My mom and I got to the campground Friday, separately from my dad and brother because of school, and ended up waiting around for them to get back from a ride that went longer than expected. They rode for about seven hours, I think! While my mom, Blue, Truly and I were locked out of the trailer, Sirius was locked in and cried while we tried to find an open window or something. Eventually, we found a top window that was open, and my mom drove the car around and I got in, by standing on the roof of the car. That was our major adventure.

On Saturday, we went on another long ride, and it was beautiful. We drove through some gorgeous canyons and washes, saw a water hole and a empty pay phone on a cliff. Yes, a pay phone. I have some pics from that weekend here. I got some nice photos of the doggies.

Well, the next weekend, we had a NADAC trial! I tried quite a few bonuses with Blue, thus her 4/10 Qs. Only 2 NQs were not bonus line attempts. But, most of those attempts were actually pretty good attitude wise. At least I felt that way. We have been working on a moving wait, Blue decided she liked down better on Friday, before the trial. I don't even know if I am using this right, but I think it helped lower the barking/frustration after Blue went off course. It doesn't seem like she's taking that as a punishment or anything, just a "We are laying down, okay." I think my mom has been trying to get me to do this with Blue for years though, lol.

She had a gorgeous TnG bonus attempt that, with her mess up actually flowed easier, haha, that didn't completely get captured on video. I think that was her best bonus try of the weekend. It was soo smooth. Also, we did not get enough Chances for our NATCH-4. One more, next trial. Oh, and one of Blue's Regular runs from that last trial had a 100+ dri, so 5 more for a Platinum Speed Star.

Truly did well at her re-debut in stuff with contacts(and to a lesser extent, jumps). She Qd in TnG, and held all her contacts, and didn't miss a discrimination(well, I pulled too hard on one and she pulled off, but came back and did the right one). I believe that I saw she had the fastest Nov. Weavers time, another Q. One more for her WV-N! She also Qd in Tunnelers, and tried quite a bit of distance on that run. I was happy with the distance that the baby dog got. She did not Q in Reg., but didn't run around any jumps. Yay! She missed a tunnel/DW discrimination that Blue didn't even get, lol. Truly will be running a full NADAC trial in Dec. even though I said I wouldn't till next year, but she is doing so well. I will back off at the next couple after that, though.

Sirius got 2/5 Qs on Sunday, one in Regular and one in Chances. She got her OCC with that Chances Q!

Okay, we got two new fuzzy family members this week. Two kittens that came from my school's nursery and landscape department. Someone dumped mom as she is clearly a domestic cat, guessing by her behavior. She had four kittens and has been a great mom. She is very sweet and loves being pet, but her kittens are pretty much feral. I have been going with tuna the last couple of weeks, trying to get the kittens to associate people with good things. Well, I ended up capturing one on Tuesday. She had been so depressed, we decided to get another. We now have two new kitties. We haven't had cats in two years, lol. The brown tabby is Thyme and the black one Echo. Thyme is a little more laid back than Echo. They are both female. Here are some pics for yah.

Weee! Another agility trial. AKC, bleh. I need to stop entering because I really don't care much for it and this weekend only made me more apt to stop. Only Blue ran. Truly will have her AKC debut on Dec. 26th. Two friends are getting married and I wasn't planning on entering that trial, much less with Truly, but thought, "Aw, what the heck?", we would probably go down to the trial anyway.

One. Knocked. Bar. Gosh, when did she become such a bar knocker? Uh, after she got hurt and started practicing at 12". Oh, on that turn to the tunnel from the weaves, I randomly woofed there while walking, lol.

Started off real nice, well, both her runs did. lol, at Blue's table. Dork. Um, yes, I messed Blue up at the end. Yay, for trying to go to the thing you see that starts with a "T."

Most non-Blue and I incompatible opening ever. I fail at handling this stuff, it was so my fault, but aren't most mistakes? Did good on the rest of the course though.

Yay, for not being able to figure out where the table is and pulling Blue off the jump. I always say that I have trouble finding the numbers on AKC course maps. I guess I couldn't even find the obstacles while on the course. I didn't run the end like I walked it for the most part. When I have weekends like this in venues other than NADAC, I always feel discouraged. I am thinking I wont enter any more AKC after the one in Dec. I am also considering not going to the Sheltie Nationals, but we will see what happens with the time comes. I think I'd put the money towards NADAC Champs and Superstakes training, as that is where my main goals are.