Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Canine Sense - Did You Know

Check out these articles by Dr. Stanley Coren (BC, Canada) Canine Corner

Friday, September 25, 2009

Shaymus & Lynn - Doing Agility Too!

Lynn and Shaymus!!! Not only going strong in Flyball, but also Agility. Another team racking up amazing results.
how high can he jump!?Here I am mom!
Attention!!! What more could one ask for?

Thanks for sending me these pics Lynn, and to Brian for capturing the essence of our shelties.

Read more...

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Our Sudbury Show Travels

5 shows in 4 days really taxes you, but does allow you and your dog(s) to stay in the groove of the whole show scene. This was the Sudbury & District Kennel Club with the 5th year of the Purina Puppy Classic being held on the Saturday evening. To qualify for this special event, the dog must have won at least a Best Puppy In Group in the previous year.

It was, SO, nice to stay in a hotel .... and NOT a tent in the rain!!! Clean bedding, dry towels, TV all the comforts of home. The weather was warm, mostly around 20C, and sunny throughout the whole event. What a nice change from many of the summer shows this summer. What more could we have asked for?!

View of the main grooming area, Mike sitting watching Chinook on the table.

This was the 1st indoor show for our Chinook, and while some dogs will get a bit uptight with the louder noises, walking over the large Zamboni area grates, and just the general noises that go with equipment being set-up on cement, we were pleased that none of this phased her. We will also cringe, when unexpectedly the loud speaker will come on, and it just so happen on the Friday, right when I had Chinook on the table and the judge was preparing to go over her! She stood fast, we waited out the announcement, and carried on if nothing had happened.

The volunteers setting up for the Purina Puppy Classic with the gifts and ribbons on the tables.
On the table with the 1st of 3 judges to go over Chinook

Each Group is judged by 3 different judges, selected from licensed judges, permit judges and long-time breeders. The assignments remained a secret until judging time. Each judge scores each dog with those scores being added together to declare the placements. They had 2 rings going at the same time to move the evening along, and our Group 7 was one of the 1st groups to be judged. YEAH!!! How many times does our Group 7 end up being last in these types of events??!!
Our Group 7 entries, 3 shelties and 1 Bearded Collie; all the shelties are owner-handled!

Awards handed out in order from 4th to 1st, and then we prepare to do one last go around for the crowd. I was quite surprised to see the turnout of spectators for such a show held in a small town just outside of Sudbury.
Another 2nd place win for us; our BPIS Ch Shelamo Changing Winds won 2nd place 2 yrs ago.

After downloading the camera pics, I realized we really didn't take as many as I thought of the goings on at the show. Gotta be more prepared and on the ball next time. We used Sunday as a travel day, stopping in the early afternoon for some of the local french fries.

This was the view of the Ottawa River from behind the Chip Pit.

I was watching the landscape as we drove home and really didn't see much of the fall colours, but as we got closer to home there were more maple trees, and thus more colour. Right across the street from the Chip Pit was this maple starting to turn. It seems the fall colour is later this year, maybe as a result of our recent 'hot' weather?? Can you see that little yellow sign on the white fence??? I zoomed in from across the street and here's what it read.

Men @ Work & Play

Distinctive Gifts for Distinguished Men

As we continued on from the Chip Pit, the home-bound traffic was starting to build. Many sections of the highway were under construction, (economic infusion of work/money?) along with several bridges. This is the 1st of several that were on single lane traffic lights ... a waiting game ... it's hard to see but the line of cars behind us go almost to the hill you can see in the background! The traffic tie ups set us back a good hour, hour and a half.

We arrived home to a scrumptious pot roast dinner and double layer chocolate cake, all cooked by our 'Kennel Manager', Mary-Anne. Thanks MA ... certainly a nice treat after the drive; and to know our dogs are in good hands.

Read more...

Monday, September 21, 2009

Sudbury Show Results

Mike and I left last Wednesday to attend the Sudbury Dog Show and especially for the Purina Puppy Classic that was on Saturday night. This was the 2nd time in the 5 years that Purina has put on this event that we qualified for.

We had a super time, met some sheltie breeders for the 1st time, and a great gentleman set up beside us from Wisconsin, showing a Keeshond. In playing catch-up today, I only have time to post our show news ... pics of our trip I'll do over the next couple of days.


We only took our new Ch, Chinook. She had 3 shows left she could be entered in before turning 1 year of age. On the Thursday there were 2 shows and she won Breed and Best Puppy In Breed in both of them. On the Friday was Best of Opposite and BPIB. On Saturday now @ 1 yr old, under Shirley Limoges she took a Group 4th.
Chinook, Group 4 th

In the Purina Puppy Classic, with 4 dogs in the Herding Group, she came 2nd.

Sunday was our travel day home, and TG we did as it was a slow slug through Ottawa bound traffic with several single lane areas due to all the highway & bridge work.

Read more...

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Three Years Sept 16th - Our New Home

Sept 16th it will have been three years since we moved into our new home. Our move was prompted after our township amalgamated with the City and the dog-kennel by-laws were not coming together to allow us to do what we wished. It took us close to 4 years to find a township which had good kennel by-laws, a property that was large enough, along with enough frontage ... the list goes on. Luckily, we just had to move 20 mins south and west, thus staying in close proximity for our clients, our family & friends and also our vet.As you can see we had many of our friends & family join in this special day. As much as I dislike knowing another year has gone by, it was also my birthday.
In the yellow apron is my mother's husband Wilf, next behind is husband Mike, then me, my sister Karen, my mother; in front good friends Charlie & Leta and Liz. I think Mary-Anne took this picture as here's another one with her on the far left.
We now had some major tasks ahead of us. Besides painting, changing light fixtures, new h20 system etc .... we had to have a new septic system put in and then revamping the yard/driveway, basement door, carport area, all to accommodate the outdoor kennel area.
This is what a full blown septic looks like before it's covered in soil.
Our blue merle puppy helping with the sanding!
and just having a ball!!!

In an effort to level the ground from the back towards the front/side after the septic was complete, it just seemed one more job kept being added on to the renos.
As we dug down in the carport a new door needed to be put in for proper access to the basement. Further digging down in the carport, the hydro type poles that were there as supports were all rotten, and of course, not at all good for dogs! So we had cemented in poles put in.Here we go again ... more digging & levelling, new additions & stairs, had to be made to the front door entrance. You can see I have a lot of work to do over time to create a decent flower bed.
Finally the digging was done, the gravel was in and hopefully NO more MUD! That Sept through to early November was one of the wettest falls we've had, and it certainly seemed worse when you're trying to dig and move dirt. We're now into early November.
Now it was time to start moving the dog pen panels from the old house. At the new house we were still in the progress of putting in a doggie bathtub, rewiring to handle the heavy duty blowdriers, painting the basement floor and putting in the rubber style baseboards to make cleaning easier.We moved in 'officially' November 10th, TG it didn't rain that day ..... dogs were moved in Nove 11th, in the RAIN!!! ..... and .............

guess what happened November 20th??? It SNOWED!!! The dogs certainly thought this was GRAND!

Many thanks to all who helped us make this move possible. Certainly an added task when having to set up home for not only humans but also dogs.

Our front entrance as it looks today. Still a work in progress.

Are we happy we moved ... you betcha!

Read more...

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Shaymus - A Ball Crazy Dog

Just received an email from Lynn Cuthbert who owns Shaymus. I wrote 2 weeks ago about a Flyball competition I saw on exiting the Carp Market. Well they were there, and what a summer they've had so far - SIX new TITLES!!!!

1. CKC Novice Standard
2. CKC Novice Jumpers with Weaves
3. AAC Starters Standard
4. AAC Starters Games
5. NAFA - FD-Ch (Flyball)
6. UFLI - TF111 (Flyball)

Advanced and Intermediate Agility so far:

1. Advanced Gamblers - Leg 1 - 1st and Best Run AAC
2. Intermediate Standard - Leg 1 - 1st and Best Run
3. Intermediate Jumpers with Weaves - Leg 1 - 1st and Best Run

He has one more intermediate CKC event on Oct 10th.
Congrats Lynn on such success!!!!

Read more...

Monday, September 14, 2009

A Great Weather Weekend To Enjoy

On Saturday, Mary-Anne, Marylou and myself headed to the Carp Market not only for some shopping, but to sit and update my obedience lesson. A job I've just not gotten around to for a good year now! Arriving around 9am, don't we meet up with one of my sheltie clients Jan, and her 2 friends!She was there last week too ... this is beginning to be a real popular sheltie place ... I hear Kim was there and so was Penny! We grabbed one of the picnic tables, (most of them still wet with dew that needed drying off) and took up residence for close to 2 hours. As the sun came over the steeple of the barn, oh, my was the sun ever nice and warming! I could have sat there all day!
It's already starting to get busy! Marylou and I didn't leave without some of the Hudson's Corn ... the new batch this week is called "Vision". They say with the late corn season we'll be feeding this year up till the end of October! MA & ML picked up some Thai food for lunch, and we headed back to ML's to eat it as the wasps were getting a little pesky by this time. Before leaving, Marylou wanted to show us Harley's frisbee out-takes! This is the 1st shot I captured as he was going out of the frame.

Getting better, but he's further away from me in this shot/throw. There goes Sadie on the 'round-up'!
Much better!!!

Read more...

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Mentor - Kerry Proctor

I wrote back in June about the loss of my sheltie mentor Kerry Proctor.

I've had the pleasure of reconnecting with Janet Douglas (Dunisla) a good sheltie friend of Kerry's this past week. She owned a stud dog of Kerry's, Ch Arhope Bold And Gold CD and it was through seeing him @ the Kars Dog Show in the summer of 1988 that I ended up meeting Kerry and purchasing my 2nd sheltie, Arhope Dunisla Call Me Sibeau CDX, since I was a child.

Sibeau & OG (Golden Hylite's)
When I met Kerry she wasn't showing any more ... it was Diane Biggar of Kendale Collies & Shelties that she sent her dogs out with. Jan was able to find 2 show pictures for me to have, and I'm very grateful as I don't have any.
Kerry & Wolf taking BPIB in 1985, Kars Dog Show

CC&SSA Specialty Nov 1986, 1st place Stud Dog Class
l-r Diane Biggar with Wolf, Kerry Proctor & Janet Douglas with 2 daughters.
Wolf was a Am Ch Roymane's Sportin' Life ROM/C grandson

Read more...

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Sept Labour Day Weekend - SO NICE!

We couldn't have asked for a nicer ...warmer, sunny!!! labour day weekend here in Canada's Capital. We've all thought there would be no summer, and although most of it's been cool and raining we've got a touch of it now.
Friday evening we went to our local pub, The Old Mill in Ashton. We enjoyed our dinner on the back balcony, basking in the sun. http://www.chapsparanormal.ca/chaps/Ashton.htm we've heard that friendly George still comes around, however we've yet to 'meet' him.
Saturday morning we got up bright an early so we could hit the Carp Farmers Market to get some Hudson's Corn as they sell out early. We're having a summer end family BBQ on Sunday, and this is just one of those food items is a must have this time of year. We each had a cob for dinner, just to make sure it was good! Can only describe it as candy-on-a-cob! Ummm, Ummm GOOD.View of the outdoor vendors. That's Mike in the red shirt carrying 2 bakers dozen of corn! There's also an indoor area which is in the building on the left.
This is one of our prime spots for puppy socializing when it opens in the May. No young ones to take this time.
There was a Blood Donor Mobile there also. We exited through one of the far back gates by the curling arena and what do we see ?? x-pens, small shade tents, crates ... dogs?? yes!! So what's going on? We stop and ask and are 1st told 'it is a dog race' ... what do you mean? 'Flyball' ... shucks, just no time to stop; am sure one of our dog's, Shaymus, owned by Lynn Cuthbert must be competing as she's been all over obtaining titles this summer. I'll be anxiously awaiting an email!
Several more stops, a few yard sales and as we head home, at the Ashland Farm there is a horse jumping show. This competition was not that of what the Ian Millar's would be showing in as there was also pony jumping, plus the course had much smaller jumps. BTW we aren't more than 30min from our Captain Canada's home town of Perth! This past winter Jill Hensewood gave a seminar here.
I pulled off to the side of the road and captured a few riders go through the course. A view of the far pony ring and field of horse trailers. Check out the style of these young competitors. Not that I know a whole lot! In my younger years I owned a 1/2 Arabian, retired barrel racer so I only knew what fast, and on-the-spot turns were like.
This looks like good form to me.
Same as these next 2 riders.

Last horse & rider I stay to watch is this grey. Nice check of the line to the jump.
Looks good over this jump.
Opps!!
PS .... Can't wait for the corn feast tonight!

Read more...

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Opps! Sorry Jack

Jack, owner of Tic just emailed me ... I made a boo boo in Tic's registered name! Slap me! Should be Shelamo Ticket To Success. Sorry about that Jack ... you've had such a good 'ride' with her already :)

Tic patiently waiting for Jack to return from walking the course

Read more...

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Our Newest Champion

Ch Shelamo Riding The Wind
"Chinook"

At the SD&G show our 11 month old girl was day 1 BOW/BPIB, day 2 BOW/BPIG to finish, day 3 now as a Special went BOB/BPIB over several specials and topped it off on day 4 with another BOB/BPIG including a Group 4th with 16 breeds being represented!

Read more...

Tenting At A Four Day Dog Show - Am I too Old for This?

Hope you're sitting down with a coffee as this post has a lot of photos and stories. Since we had awful early show times at the SD&G dog show this past Fri-Mon Mike & I decided we'd do the camping thing joining up with Penny & her 2 kids. They were able to be a bit higher off the ground & dryer as they had a tent camper ... but hey, a couple of rainy days, a couple of sunny days, we're tough, right ..... not so sure now! We both arrived late on the Thursday, assessed our spots as to where was the best place to set up and got to work unloading. Don't think there was much room left in the van ... it was FULL!

Here's our site as it started to take shape. At least it was warm and not raining! The tent, it was only the 2nd time put up, I did it a year ago, think I remembered how? NO! The instructions say it goes up in minutes .... when does that ever happen? Frustration and exhaustion was setting in getting it up right.
Then you walk down to the washrooms, and see 2 of these motor homes set up and you wonder what you're getting yourself into doing it the tent way.

Friday turned out to be a lovely day, tenting didn't seem too bad. Dinner was always spent together with Penny and her kids, Mike being the chef. Good times were had. Chinook & Rose hanging out together. Chinook waiting patiently on the grooming table.
On Friday coming out of the show ring I run into Pauline (Jack & the 'kids' are there for the agility competition)... her happy face is 'cause she just heard our good show news. You can see the row of vendors and extra grooming tents lining the road.

Jack & Pauline are camping in style too. Their Shelamo "Harmony" is keeping watch out the RV's window.
She is also featured in a silk screen on the back of their RV for every one behind them on the road to view! She's been their 1st super agility dog, now retired.
With the good weather Friday evening we sat around the fire. Penny's Blog talks about how I taught the kids to do marshmallows the RIGHT way .... turn slow in good coals and you'll have a nicely golden brown, gooey treat. They still think Burn, baby Burn is the easier way .... at least they will remember MY way, and just might give it a try next time. Camping in this manner really makes you realize how fast the sun goes down, like around 8pm now!

The rain came late Friday night, drizzled for most of the morning Saturday, but we did get a break late morning with the sun coming out. After we had shown I was able to make it down to the obedience/agility rings to watch Jack & Shelamo Ticket To Success, "Tic", to do their jumpers run. Several newbies realized Jack was a pro at this and were using his expertise for assistance. It's hard to see but his shirt reads "Jack & Harmony" on the top right.
Here's Tic going over one of the jumps. Flat out, in the air!
Tic is SO fast it's hard to follow her and get pictures of her doing the obstacles. Her 1st run was done in 16 sec, with an allowed time of (I think I remember) 40 sec!! She came 1st in her 1st run.

The sun didn't last long ... it started to rain again and did for most of the day. Sunday was much of the same. At least our site had decent drainage. It didn't rain hard, thank god and nor did it rain during our times in the ring. It just came and went all day long.
We showed on Monday at 8:10am, YUCK! At least it wasn't rainy, certainly on the cool side, 6C with everything wet or damp. With Chinook winning BOB & then a Group 4 & BPIG that meant we had to stay to the end to compete for Best Puppy In Show. Take down is happening, items are drying out.
Peter of Pet Supply House is also working at taking down their vendor tent.

This whole road down our site area was FULL of trailers, x-pens, pop-up tents & vehicles .... WOW how fast a show can be vacated.Last item to do, is show in the ring for Best Puppy In Show. Smile Chinook! just one more go around to do and your done for the weekend.

Read more...

Followers

  © Blogger templates ProBlogger Template by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008

Back to TOP