Thursday, February 21, 2013

Way to go, Pilgrim!

 
The sweet Golden boy has done it!  Pilgrim is listed as Phase 8 on the phase report this week.  Phase 8 is the final phase of formal training that includes all the final testing to ensure that he is ready for his career.  Pilgrim's love for being in public, his joy in learning new things, and his confidence have been shaped into what I think must be the cutest guide dog ever! ;)  I wonder if the tail is still carried high and wagging while he works?

Do well on your "tests", Pilgrim.  I hope to see you soon!



Wednesday, February 13, 2013

40 bags in 40 days


The winter months at home have brought me to detest "stuff" in my house.  It just makes one extra, time-consuming step to clean the house.  I do not mind "cleaning", but I do not care for decluttering and putting away of "stuff".  While the 40 bags in 40 days challenge is found in a general form on many home organization/decluttering websites, it is not always tied to Lent.  The funny part is that it makes sense! 

40 bags in 40 days entails throwing away or donating 40 bags of things (any size, from grocery to black garbage) over Lent.  Since Lent is a tradition of giving up something of value prior to the Easter holiday, it works to tie in beautifully.  I am not catholic, and I don't usually observe lent.  I AM a sentimental person raised by a Depression era mom.  So, I tend to keep and save.  But, in trusting God for the provision of the things truly needed, I should be able to say goodbye to my worn-out high school clothes (is that ridiculous or what?) and the things that I have never used or maybe liked.  

Would you like to join me?

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Growing like a weed!

Esme is growing like a weed.  21.6 pounds on her 12-week birthday.  Hard to believe she has been here 3 weeks already.  Esme is the sweetest, cuddliest little puppy.  She is full of that girly sass, but if you cuddle her close, she just melts.  Esme has had very few relieving accidents (in fact, I think it has been more than a week!).  She is able to go several hours without needing to go out. 

Esme's behavior with L'il M is improving.  She seems to know that she should not be biting... but sometimes her excitement gets the best of her.  The incidents are very few now.  Most of the time, they are just the best of buds!  Both Esme and L'il M had their doctor appointments on Friday.  They weigh within 4 pounds of each other!  L'il M watched with great interest to see how Esme would respond to the vaccination (she, herself, had been very brave).  Afterwards, she kept wanting to hold Esme (which is becoming quite a challenge for her).  Ah, the precious moments of toddler and puppy...

So, what has Esme learned this month?
  1. The "big" dogs should be approached respectfully.
  2. You are not supposed to chase cats  Lesson not yet learned.;/
  3. Do your business outside.
  4. Snow is really fun!
  5. Rice is edible (she really struggled with a bland diet at first!)
  6. The sound "Es-me" means the little black puppy is going to get loves, kibble, or attention.
Now, if only we could get the recurrent loose stools to take a hike...

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Agility Sunday trial update

Last Sunday, Rudy returned to the agility scene.  It went better than I had predicted!  No qualifying scores, but that was not expected. ;)   First class was Excellent Standard- our first time at that level.  It went surprisingly well, with the only fault being that Rudy missed a contact.  I'm not sure which one, but I have a feeling it was the A-frame.  I was sure that we did not make course time, but it turns out he was 7 seconds under SCT (standard course time).  In retrospect, I should have handled him better so that he did not miss that contact (it IS his job to hit them, but considering he hasn't even seen a contact obstacle in 11 months, I should have been a bit more cautious in my handling).  I am very excited that he made SCT, even with being ridiculously out of shape.  I know there is a lot more speed in Rudy when he is better conditioned!

Second class was Excellent Jumpers with Weaves, where once again, handler error proved fatal to our run.  After a series of strategically placed jumps, we encountered a curved tunnel with both entries facing Rudy.  I sent him to the correct entrance, but "left" him before he had committed to that entrance which caused him to follow me resulting in him entering the wrong end of the tunnel (and a NQ).  The rest of the run was beautiful!

I feel confident that Rudy can get his Excellent titles now.  He will get more speed as he gets in shape, and our handling will become less rusty as we focus on agility more in the next few months.  I am so thankful that my trainer has always given me combinations in the past that challenged us to the excellent level.  It does not feel intimidating to me at all!

Next trial, 3 weeks!  Maybe I'll remember to get some video.  :)