Chesney's First Title

This morning, Chesney acquired her third leg of Rally Novice A in obedience, securing her first ever title! Yesterday morning, she got an NQ for her exercise. She was very distracted and not really paying much attention to me at all. Who knows why dogs do what they do. It might have been that I was really nervous, or that she did not like the mat on the floor, or that many of her friends from agility were there and she thought the whole thing was a social event. What ever the reason, she was much more attentive today while we were in the ring. She did not want to do her call forward finish right again today, though she did it great while we were practicing. And, I think I directed her wrong on one of the exercises, but we maintained a loose "j" shaped lead throughout most of the course and she pretty much kept her eyes on me. We have a lot of work to do this winter, because the next division, Rally Advanced A, will be done all off lead. Right now, we have three upcoming agility trials to work towards, and she is coming along very nicely in class. At our last class, she got ahead of me and actually turned back to look at me to ask"where do I go now" rather than just running amuck like she used to. This is all very exciting and I am very much enjoying the bond that we are strengthening between us. Chesney is an awesome dog!

Emin's afternoon at the "spa"

Tomorrow morning I will be riding my 29 year old Arabian gelding, Rocky Ridge Emin, in the parade at the Fair Grove Heritage Reunion. This will be his eighth appearance. I look forward to the festival all year long. It's a great time to visit with friends that you sometimes see only once a year. It's a time to browse all the wonderful craft booths that have invaded town for the weekend. And I cannot leave out the delicious corn on the cob at the Corn Shack and the cheesecake on a stick! Lots of family activities, demonstrations and music. It all gets kicked off this evening with the "75th Annual Pre-Festival Wiener Roast, Hootenanny and Shoot-Out" at the Sharp Ponderosa east of Fair Grove. Had a sad moment in town this afternoon though. Saw all the high school kids out setting up for parking and got a little teary-eyed because my son, Tyler will not be here for any of the festivities for the first time since we moved to Fair Grove 16 years ago. As most of you know, Tyler moved to Texas in June for college and is living with his Dad and family. Between the responsibilities of his job and school, it was just not possible for him to be here this year. It just will not be the same without him! I will be sure to eat an ear of corn for him and check out to see who has pulled what prank on which teacher in the dunking booth!

Little Orphan Annie Oakly update

Well, Tuesday was a very sad day for me. I made a decision to end the life of one that I had been successful at trying so hard to save. Annie was beginning to grow into an absolutely beautiful cat. This picture is older and I regrettably did not have any more recent ones of her. However, be it the fact that she was bottle raised by me and had no interraction with other cats as I did not want to put her with any of my other cats until I could test her and know she was disease-free, or that she just had a mental problem since she came so close to death. I don't know, but Annie was becoming increasingly more aggressive towards me or any other human. I never once in her short life heard her purr, but she consistently growled and pinned her ears at everyone. In the last week, she had attacked and bitten my finger while I was trying to pet her and then Monday night attacked and left some pretty good scratches on my hand when I reached in to get her food dish to refill it. All this from a 3 pound kitten! What would she have been like when she was a full-grown cat? It was suggested by several that I just put her out in the barn. I feel that it was more humane to end her life this way, than to put such a small, young and inexperienced creature out on her own where she would be very likely to get hit on the road or eaten by another animal. In a way, I feel like I let her down if it was non-socializing with other cats that was her problem. But I also feel that I gave her a very good chance at what could have been a wonderful life with me. I guess God had a plan for her, regardless of whether or not I understand it. She will be buried in my "pet cemetery" with the other cats and dogs whom have passed through my life, and I know that despite her temperment, that I did and will always love her. Enjoy your life beyond the rainbow bridge little Annie.

Chesney's newest "outfit"

Chesney is modeling her new bandanna. Her Mom bought it for her at Cider Days on Walnut street today. She'll be stylin' it at the Fair Grove Heritage Reunion next weekend. Chesney really enjoys going to the festival. While Mom browses all the craft booths and samples the delicious food, Chesney gets to meet all sorts of new friends. Anyone who knows Chesney knows that she loves everybody and never misses a chance to make a new friend. If you've never been to the Fair Grove Heritage Reunion, it is an awesome craft show, with lots of great food, family activities, music, and demonstrations of old farm implements. It all kicks off next Saturday with a parade at 9am. By the way, I will be riding my 29 year old Arabian gelding, Rocky Ridge Emin, for his 7th or 8th parade appearance. I'll post pictures after next weekend.

Agility Class

Chesney had a great night at Agility last Wednesday! Her Aunt Lindsay came to watch her and recorded some of her practice runs. Our instructor, Valerie, said that the course was designed for excellent dogs and had some really interesting turns to negotiate. Of course, on the second half which involved a very sharp u-turn, Chesney couldn't stand it anymore and ran off course to one of her very favorite people, Cindy! Cindy is known for her treats and Chesney just loves her. This video is from the first half of the course.

Saturday, Chesney and I went up to Pomme de Terre lake to visit our friends Lindsay and Jay and their children who were camping there for the weekend. Chesney got her first experience riding on a boat and swimming in the lake. She was not especially impressed about the swimming part, even with her life jacket. She pretty much attached herself to me while in the water. I got her a floatie cushion to sit on , which was ok as long as she could lean against me too. She was also not impressed when anyone in the boat jumped into the water, especially when I did. Lindsay thought she was going in after me, but she just couldn't bring herself to jump in on purpose. Those handles on the dog life jackets come in very handy for putting a small dog down into the water! She seemed to like the actual boat ride though. The campsite was fun too. She jumped right in the camper and made herself at home and enjoyed laying out in the grass near the campfire while those hamburgers cooked. All in all, I think she really enjoyed herself, but was definitely ready to come home and get some rest and recover from her big adventure.

Little Orphan Annie Oakley

Meet Little Orphan Annie Oakley...A big name for such a little girl! But very fitting..she's an orphan and she's also tough like Annie Oakley. I just hope she's tough enough! Annie and her brother and sister were abandoned in a plastic tub outside the front door of the clinic where I work almost two weeks ago. They were flea ridden and Annie appeared more sickly than her siblings. Several of us at the clinic have cared for the trio: I took on Annie, and another technician took on the other two. Annie's sister was adopted out last Friday but her brother passed away on Sunday. On Saturday, Annie developed the diarrhea that had already begun to affect her siblings and her appetite became decreased. A course of medication and probiotics was begun on Monday, but she seems about the same, and just doesn't seem to be able to sleep curled up and comfortable like she had been doing up until the weekend. However, she definitely has an opinion about the baths she gets to clean up and soothe her little bottom! She growls and spits and looks genuinely annoyed with my deciding she needs a bath. As you can imagine, I have become extremely attached to this little girl. I only hope that she keeps on fighting because I know she will be an absolutely beautiful at if she gets to grow up! Keep her in your prayers!