Not A Dog

But a familiar shape, none the less, no?

It's not just co-workers that save bugs for me. I have weird friends that do it, too.

;)

That would be North Bay friends. Thankfully, we don't deal with these buggers on the other side of the bay. I never even saw on when I lived in AZ. Got three delivered to me on ice during a lunch outing, though!

And just for future reference, should a pal of yours bring you chilled bugs in a zip lock they either need to come out of there ASAP or stay refrigerated. The poor little guys started getting moldy! Click on this one to view bigger via flickr. Fuzzy Scorp elbows. Weird!

Restoring Balance

We are all creatures of habit. We all like our routines, our normals. In the morning that is usually collie-ish dogs at one end of the park, labs at the other. Bella is just back to being allowed off leash. The comment was made to me this morning, “it’s nice to have the balance restored at the dog park.”

 

We agree

 

 

Kate needs to make sure the picture taking balance is intact, too.

 

Checking up on me.

 

 

Bella is getting used to the cone now that it’s about time for it to come off. She removed the stitches from the smaller cut on her belly less than 48 hours after surgery so spent the previous Monday AND Thursday at the vets. I was worried sick Monday. Thursday? Not so much. That one was on her. She made her bed and lying in it consisted of a day at the clinic and some staples. Tough.

 

 

We also learned that they were, in fact, just lipomas. It was suspected, but the one with some mammary involvement was a teeny bit concerning.

 

I have always joked that ticking on a dog is like hotel carpeting – hides all the dirt. It also hides stitches and shaves up pretty well. Would you even notice that her shoulder is shaved and has stitches if it wasn’t pointed out?

 

Camo dog

 

 

It’s nice to have a not-so-sad-face dog back. She is happy to have her ball carrying duties reinstated.

 

 

Kate is happy that her life is no longer being ruined.

 

Before And After

The most noticeable of her lump collection pre-op

Now, the princess no longer has a pea

 

It is nice to see her stretched out, though. The first 24 hours were rough for her as she has these 2 underneath and the other is on her right shoulder. Both sides uncomfortable to be on. She was laying down as this weird c-shaped pile of dog.

 

She was very perky this morning and slightly confused as to why Kate got to play ball like normal at the park and she had to follow on leash. The horror! Good to get out and stertch the old legs a bit anyway. Looking forward to not having anything to worry about for a while!

 



What A Difference A Day Makes

Sunday

 

A little ball

 

Fart around with Sister

 

Some half-assed waving

 

Hack up some grass

 

Just enjoy a beautiful early summer day

 

Monday?

 

Dum dum dum duuuuummmm

 

Vets and drugs and poking, prodding, slicing

Tuesday

 

Back to sun worship

 

Just now with more narcotics!

 

Bella had three fatty thingymabobs removed. Besides the normal pain that comes with surgery, she is doing well. I was more worried about the anesthetic than anything else as she has not been knocked out since her spay 9.5 years ago! Two we know are just your run of the mill lipomas. The third, a new one, was right next to a nipple. Even though that appears to just be fat cells as well it is going to be looked at closer due to mammary nearness.

Kate been curious but appropriate. Perhaps wondering about the preferential treatment, but otherwise unimpressed with her sisters’ condition.

I have to actually work tomorrow. Boooo! I hate seeing her like this but take some comfort in the fact that most of her weirdness is drug induced. The one removed from her shoulder seems to be the most tender. At least she doesn't have to lay on that one!

I'm sure she'll be back to normal soon. Fingers crossed!

Wow, An Agility Weekend

When we travel I always take a blanket with. One, hotel comforters are gross. Two, if I am staying at a nice hotel I hate leaving a shit-ton of dog hair everywhere. Don’t like being that person.

 

Every time we go I remind myself that I need to get a new travel blanket. The one we have is fleece, which is fine for me and fine for Bella but upsetting for Kate. She hates static and since she cannot just stand up and move around like a normal dog and insists on shuffling everywhere she gets very….charged. It’s entertaining when the lights are off. Fourth of July without the traffic and drunks. However, she seems to think that she is being corrected by some unseen force and then doesn’t want to move on the bed. Or does so with her eyes all a-squinty.

 

For Bella, though? Good camo.

 

One must be fashionably matchy while napping

 

Kate was thrilled to have a fleece-free couch.

 

Which was also sort of matchy

 

It’s a little odd that the only pics I took of Bella this weekend were in the hotel room. Maybe there will be some agility ones of her?

 

Lots of Kate and airborne Charlie bears

 

Lots of Kate and Frisbee

 

Which she is horrible at but OMG! FUN! THROW IT!

 

Lots of Master William with stuff on his face

 

See this look?

 

That’s Portie for “Why do you hate me so?” It’s very similar to the Border-ish Collie version but with slightly less angst.

 

Bella and I had a smashing weekend. We have not touched a piece of agility equipment in 6 months so there was a little bit of a Weeeee! factor going on, but whatevs, it was fun as hell. Bella has never been a fan of collecting. This weekend? Holy cow! Her stride length was approximately 40 feet or so. :)

 

The only thing she NQ’d in was Colors. Or as I like to call it: Stupid Fucking Colors. She also placed in everything except Snooker because we went for the low point straight tunnel. She was having so much fun zooming around that asking her to wrap, wrap, wrap would have broken her little heart.

 

And, bonus Fudge because A) his name is Fudge and B) he is the bestest behaved dog ever.

 

Seriously, he makes Kate and Bella look like hooligans!

Bellaphant

All Kinds Of Trotting

Me?

The globe kind.

 

I have been sitting on airplanes and showing my passport to a kajillion people and repeatedly saying, “no, I do not have any fruit” and in the middle of all that I had a little time to spend with my dad and see a bit of southern Spain. Thusly…

 

 

 

If you have a chance to go, please do so. Awesome. California weather with friendlier people. Olives and cured meats to die for. Nom!

 

I did not take my camera with.

 

I know!

 

I am not a landscape photo person. Didn’t feel like lugging it around and worrying about it, etc. I can’t decide if I regret that decision or not, but cell phone pics will have to do.

 

 

The girls?

They had the not so fun kind of trotting.

Of course most people don’t enjoy leaving their dogs, but I have not had to worry too much in the past. They place they go is great. They have been going there for years – comfy with the environment, etc. Something about this trip, though. I was really uncomfortable about leaving them.

 

Apparently, I am psychic, but only when it comes to gastrointestinal distress.

All-knowing when it comes to the poop shoot.

 

They must have gotten a bug somewhere. Didn’t seem stressed at all, just runny. And one day Bella didn’t want to eat. That was a first. And, a little alarming to hear when I am on the other side of the planet. The daycare was great about keeping me updated – got my daily runs email. They were a smidge thinner when they got home but seemed otherwise fine. They just like to keep me on my toes, I guess.

 

I love older dogs, but I am not a fan of aging dog worries!

 

Internationalwho?

Let’s face it, I am a CPE person. We are a little less European and a little more Midwestern, don’tcha know.

Our “International” is generally followed by “House of Pancakes.”

Unless, I suppose, you count the occasional nacho bar at a trial as international? I think it is a rule that when you put jalapenos on something it becomes international even if that thing you are putting it on is Velveeta? I don’t think they are big on canned cheese in Europe but I do feel confident that the Costco 5 gallon can of chili contains no horse meat. That’s European. You USDAA people eat horse meat at your trials? Maybe it would help with all your unpronounceable handling maneuvers? I had a raw pork sandwich in Germany once. I can do that because I am gastrically a badass. I don’t think it helped with agility, though.

I got your backside right here!

Also, you should probably stop taking your vitamin D and calcium. You watch those videos of the international people running the international dogs on the international courses? You probably Facebook your agility friends about them. Discuss the moves. The speed. The turning every which way. Me? I just yell at youtube….

Stand up!

Good god what is with the hunchy Europeans? I didn’t know osteoporosis was so rampant in the old country. Probably Obama’s fault.

Practicing ketschker handling. Not comfortable facing her dog


Can’t we just go eat something?


If you haven’t noticed, I don’t really care about training handling moves that I can’t spell or pronounce. Bella and I are certainly in the twilight of our agility teams’ career. We just go an occasionally screw around now. Maybe if I get another agility dog at some point I’ll go back to caring about training. I actually wasn’t going to participate in this Dog Agility Blog Event Day at all. I mean, at this point, even calling Bella an agility dog is about the same as calling Velveeta cheese. I figured, however, that I would use this opportunity to ask the international agility community a favor. More specifically the European agility community. See, Americans think just about everything you do is The Shit. Well, maybe not WW2 or the whole David Hasselhoff thing, possibly Bjork, but everything else, yes. Pastries, hair removal, agility moves. It’s all you.

It would be totally awesome sausage if you would start a new trend of only using 4 weave poles. I don’t want to push it, but entry side being optional would be pretty cool, too. We would call them “European poles.” We could even narrow that down to the country that started the great new trend.

“If our club got those crazy new Austrian poles we could have 12 second standard runs, too!”

Thx

One thing we have mastered, though? That thing even the CPE people do?

Jump wrapping


Look at how close she is to it!

Wrapping jumps almost better than eating stale tortillas

February Bug(s)

Hoverfly with fancy pants

 

Also, perished Earwig.

Found while dusting my office at work. Much easier to fuss with lighting when subject does not move unless moved.



If you mention to coworkers that you are doing a bug project they will totally point out every dead bug in the building.

We should really sweep more.

Double Digits

Ten tomorrow!

 

Ten!!

 

Sooo weird. I was 32 when I lucked out and got the bestest dog ever. Two jobs ago. Three states ago. Fives homes ago. A lifetime for some. Hopefully half a life time for her.

 

I am so not someone who celebrates dogs’ birthdays. I have, however, told her for years that she can have cake when she’s 10. Technically that is not until tomorrow, but seeing as they don’t normally consume cakey like things, I pulled the party in to Sat morning to give myself 2 weekend days to deal with assplosions should there be any. One needs to be prepared for these things.

 

She was surprisingly nonchalant about the whole thing. I think she was trying to play it cool. Not get her hopes up in case she heard me wrong.

 

Did she say I could have “cake” or “Kate?”

 

 

She gave the cake thing a shot. Who wants to lick Kate, really?

 

 

Since there were no what-the-hell-are-you-doing’s…

 

 

Kate was not having it. No. I couldn’t, really.

 

 

Not supposed to touch stuffs on plates. Not interested in being felonious on this beautiful Saturday morning.

 

 

Not everyone concerned with the rules

 

 

I did talk Kate into a piece via spoon.

 

 

Eating off of a spoon is apparently OK.

 

 

Yes! It is!

 

 

It’s so funny how their personalities show in the way they wait. I had to ask them to hold on a sec while I got focused on the spoon.

 

Bella? No prob. Could sit there all day. Cake won’t leave her sight, but totally cool with waiting.

 

 

Kate?

 

“Why do you hate me so much?”

 

 

HAHA!

 

And since it’s old fart day and the oldest fart in the house is home all by her lonesome I was forced to do the dumbest thing ever.

 

Ask an Aussie if they would like some cake.

 

Um…duh!

 

 

Myka had her elevensies BD not too long ago. Last month, I think. I don’t think she had cake.
Bella shared.

 

And just 'cause it's funny...note the little brown-nosed photobomber. Just keeping tabs.