Aww, We're Blushing!

The Food Lady at "Three Woofs And A Woo" has been kind enough to lay a blogging award on on us! Wow, I don't know what to say. Id' like to thank:

• My Mom for having me. Well, Dad, too. I do believe he had a hand in it.


• My boss for deciding to upgrade his camera and selling me all his used equip. I'd like to thank him even more for not asking for it back when he decided to not really upgrade.


• All the irresponsible people out there that don't fix their pets and end up producing Bella's. Also, those kind folks that get divorced and leave their Kate's at the Humane Society, 'cause, you know, when you get divorced you are not allowed to take your dog with you.


• Wait. Maybe I shouldn't thank those people. No, no, that wouldn't be right. Not Right at all. Spay and neuter, people! And furchristsake, if you can't plan past 3 months don't get a dog! A-holes!
  
  Am I hearing music? Yes? OK, on to my blog picks!

Well, my first pick would be Three Woofs And A Woo. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to do that, though. I fear that we may create this never ending circularity of back patting that may cause the universe to implode. So, in the interest of saving the planet, I will leave TWAAW in spot 0. Yes, 0 comes before 1.

1. "Lassie, Get Help" Louisa's great blog about just about everything. One of those blogs that actually makes you learn things. Although, being a lazy blogger and lazy blog reader, I would appreciate the occasional post that is just pics of your dogs with maybe some small words thrown in. Thanks. :-)

2. "Mike's Birding & Digiscoping Blog" Great bird photography and equipment info. I aspire to Be Like Mike, as my bird photos usually end up being unidentifiable blobs in trees.

3. "JumpFast" Agility blog (and some other dog sports). I love the videos. Perfect learning tool for me.

4. "ChiendogBlog" Found this via Lassie, Get Help. Absolutely stunning dog photos. "His photos online" aren't too shabby, either!

5."Paws Off Course" Border Collie, agility, great young photographer. What's not like!

Miss Kate

That would be 'miss' the verb, not 'miss' the noun. :-)

Yup, miss here, too.

Look at those perfectly pointed tootsies. At least she shows some style...some form...Most of the time...

It must have been something in the air yesterday 'cause Bella, who can normally catch a ball with eyes closed and pants to the wind...thuslyHad an off moment or two herself

I love these happy dogs!

And this last one just because I love the little leftover paw tornadoes. Someone is haulin' butt!

Slow On The Photo Front

We were at a trial this weekend. I lugged all the usual cam equipment and never took it out of the bag. It was 105° on Saturday and there was no way on earth I was going to sit in the sun taking free pics of other peoples' dogs! I suppose it's a good thing, because I took the camera to the DP on Tuesday only to realize I didn't put the battery back in it after charging for my trip!

There was someone crazy enough to sit out in the sun taking pics. Although it is his day job. :-) These were taken by Dave Mills of (appropriately named) "Dave Mills Photographic Arts"

The More Things Change

The more they stay the same...

Bella (c. 2003)Bella (c. 3 hours ago)Baby ChewieBig girl ChewieDang, she was the cutest baby evah! Right? Now she's just a big ol' scary stair lurker

Although, she does have a history of stealthy behavior :-)

The Kate Whisperer

(Someone's been watching Nat Geo!)

If you are going to take on the responsibility of having a Kate in your home, you must be sure the Kate knows who the leader is. You can start with simple domination techniques.

Oh sure, she's going to act like she doesn't care. What she is really doing is challenging your leadership. You may need to move on to more drastic measures. See that? I'm just using my paw to bite her like her mom did. Just really quick. Not hurting her, I swear.

If she continues to challenge (ignore), you need to put her on the ground.

She may struggle. It's OK. That's what we want to see. She is just releasing all that negative energy (napping).

And, see, what you end up with is a calm, submissive dog (who still ignores you).

Anybody else wanna get whispered?

More "Firsts"

We had our first USDAA trial this weekend. Bella had her first: USDAA Q, USDAA 1st, weaves in a trial, teeter in a trial, sister at the trial with her. They all went well. Well, as well as can be expected. :-)

We had 3 Q's, 1 first, 2 seconds and a third. She was weaving like a seasoned champ. First time on the teeter resulted in a fly-off, but it was an OK one in my book. The teeter was about 4 inches above the ground when she decided she had been on it long enough. Ha! That's OK. Better than leaving because of fear. All other screw ups were totally me-based. Meh. I figure since I'm the one paying all the bills it's my right to blow a front cross if I so choose. So there.

And I have to mention Kate. She did nothing all weekend and that's the best news yet. She was such a trooper. Not so much as a whine when I took Bella out to run. Just hung out like a champ. And since her just being cool is much more of an accomplishment than Bella getting though a Jumpers course, this post is for Kate, my almost normal dog. Love ya', Lump!

Why the long face?