Life Is Good

Another FCI video

Pretty cool video, comparing the top two teams in Large Dog Individual Standard Agility at FIC, 2012. Wow.

Inspired! (plus FCI video)

What an inspiration it was, watching the USA Large Dog Team win the FCI World Champion Team Jumping yesterday, in the Czech Republic.  WOW!!!

This is the course they ran:

And here is a video of the USA Team running.  It shows our large dogs in this order:
TCAM (Silvina Bruera), Solar (Daisy Peel), Icon (Channan Fosty) and Rev (Tori Self). 

Aren't they grand?



Only the top three scores were added for the final total, so Solar's refusal at the tunnel did not effect the outcome.  FIRST PLACE!  out of 32 countries.  AWESOME.  I must say there was some wicked-good competition, too.  USA won by hundredths of a second.  I'm totally impressed with the caliber of speed and handling prowess at FCI.  Those are some tricky courses. 

After watching the FCI runs, I was anxious to get to our agility class last night.  We didn't make it to our Tuesday class, so "crashed" the Thursday evening group.  We got to work on the Grand Prix Finals course from the Western Regionals.  Riff was splendid.  Although I had to make some corrections in my handling...(as always!)....he was very fun to run. 

So much so that I really looked forward to going to our practice time at the Leap Dog field this morning.  Riff was happy to be back, too! 

"Put your camera down!  Let's get going!"

We worked on a Mecklenberg one-jump collection exercise first.  He worked easily from 16" to 26".  Then we did a serp/threadle exercise, on a series of jumps that had been set up in a sort-of-circle, for just that purpose.  Our serps are looking good these days...and after making a couple of corrections with my position/timing on the threadle, Riff rocked those, too.  Yay! 

After a short break, we worked on adding some speed to his DW and A-frame.  That might've been a good exercise to do first (heh heh), but we got 'er done.  I ran as fast as I could. He did his best, and looked really happy!  We were pretty tired after all that.

 

Luckily we had a few minutes left, so we could take our usual walk/trot laps around the outside of the field, for our "cool-down," before getting back in the car to drive home.  We'll be heading out again, in a couple of hours.  This time we'll meet the ECS nosework group up in Windsor, for some training.

 

Ever onward! 



Birthday Ramblings

 Awwww...
Wasn't that just a few years ago?  (Hahaha!)   Remember this saying:

"Youth is a gift of nature.  Age is a work of art."

 

Yeah!  Feel good about it!  It's astonishing, in fact, how excited I feel about getting older.  It's like reaching some sort of milestone.   I wonder what's next? 

 

Looking over the old family photos makes me think about buying a nice road bike.  Something a little closer to the ground than normal, perhaps...since I'm pretty sure everyone who rides a bicycle falls, sooner or later.  I've been broken enough this year - don't want to do that again!  Bet I could find a bike with a low frame and big fat tires.  And a basket for picking up plants at the nursery.  Wouldn't that be nice?

Of course rollerblades are out of the question.  Shoot.  I always meant to get around to rollerblading - it looks like so much fun.  Or skateboarding!  The huge long boards the kids use nowadays look a lot safer than the old bit-of-fence-nailed-to-roller-skate-wheels that we used to fool around on.  But of course the whole idea of skating is...       Well, let's just say it's a bit late for that one.

Maybe I'll get back to riding horses.  I miss them A LOT.  Maybe I could find a nice wide older horse that won't let me fall off....?   The problem with that idea is I couldn't keep him in my backyard.  I'd have to find a pasture...and a truck...and a trailer....etc.etc.etc.  

But I wouldn't mind buying a new pair of cowboy boots. 

Showing Tater Jim in a reining contest.
Sliding stop!

Whatever is in the cards, I have a feeling that this year is going to be good.  I'm pretty sure Riff and I will get back to agility trialing one of these days.  He's such a good dog, and he's running very well in class, and at practice. 

 

Must admit there's still a little voice in the back of my head that says "Wouldn't you LOVE to have a nice young sheepherding dog?"   Those darn sheep are pretty fun to push around....and the herding dogs look like they're in seventh heaven. 

 

Well, pretty soon it will be time for me to take Keeper and Riff out for an evening stroll.  We love our walkies!  Honestly - all I need to do, to be happy as a pea in a pod, is go for a walk with my dogs.  ♥ 

 

Keeps

 

  

ECS Workshop!!

What a way to spend three days.

Scott talks about manhole covers....

Never in a million years would I have anticipated learning so much about watersheds, storm drains and sewage lines!  It was all part of an Environmental Canine Services workshop, conducted by Scott R., from Michigan. 

We spent Friday morning in Howarth Park, working eight dogs through various nose-work exercises...including walking as a group down noisy traffic-filled streets and across various wide intersections.  Riff was great, walking with the group.  Neither traffic nor dogs bothered him at all.  He was also very good at the nosework.  Sweet Riffle Goombah...!    By Friday afternoon we were sitting in a warehouse in Roseland, after touring the neighborhood "outfalls" and reviewing key points regarding water management.  We held "mock interviews" with potential "clients"...and discussed exactly what it takes to get a dog/handler certified for the work.  The requirements confirmed - at least in my mind - that it takes quite a while to train for this kind of service. 

ECS is looking forward to certifying and hiring at least some us as part-time employees by next spring/summer.  They are working on getting contracts in three different California locations....all southern California beaches.  And they're looking for more.  The ECS company believes the west is going to be a great area for expansion in the years to come.  They will pay travel and lodging expenses, in addition to a percent of their contracted hourly price.  I wish I'd asked "What percent?" but for some strange reason, I didn't think of it.  Scott presented a number of "case studies from the field" - from his experiences in Michigan, Maine and California.  Scott is incredibly knowledgable, and super nice...so it seems like a pretty cool project, at this point. 

PowerPoint.  Takes me back to "corporate" / "collegiate" days...

We spent Saturday morning in the biology lab at Napa Valley College...humans taking notes, dogs resting in crates.  Dustin and I stayed with the dogs during the lunch break.  Riff enjoyed getting out for some playtime.  It was a great opportunity to explore all the cool stuff on display in the lab, too. 

Dustin and friend

After lunch we finally went out and about with our dogs.  Scott set up a variety of nose-work exercises on the campus, and I'm happy to report that Riff was very successful with all of them.  Yay!  It was an amazingly long day, though.  And we had homework!  Wowsers.  Thankfully, the homework was fun (a GoogleEarth project). 

By Sunday morning I was TIRED.  Perhaps I shouldn't have gone to that theatre party on Friday night.  Perhaps I shouldn't have spent so long trying to explore GoogleEarth on Saturday night.
;-)  

We didn't have far to drive, though.  We met at a local high school, where all the dogs went through "bucket sample" training exercises in the parking lot.  Scott kept saying "really good" when Riff had his turn, so I felt proud.  Riffle rocks!  After a pizza lunch, the group toured a Windsor neighborhood, during which handlers actually peered down manholes, identifying and counting pipes - both storm drains and sanitation lines.  I'll never look at any neighborhood the same as I did before, after that little tour. 

 



All of the dogs had a chance to look down a storm drain, too.  Some of them were completely unafraid. 

Brave Molly at the storm drain manhole.

A couple of the dogs were cautious when they first approached it.  Riff seemed a bit worried...but only for about 15 seconds.  After that, he was - "Hey, yeah!  Whatever you want!  I'm good!"  Even when Scott started tapping a sledge hammer on a nearby grate, causing the sound to come up through the storm drain...Riff wasn't bothered.  He still did his nose-work exercise, and alerted when it was positive.  Each of the dogs had multiple turns approaching the manhole, and nearly all of them got used to it.  By the time the "manhole session" ended, Riff didn't even mind when Scott slammed the hammer harder on the grate, with lots of noise echoing up the storm drain.  Good boy!

Back home Sunday evening, I was ready for bed EARLY.  Where did all my energy go?  I used to do a lot more than this and still be able to function.  Somehow, not this weekend. 

Riff, on the other hand, wished he could run a few agility courses....just to top off the weekend! 

 

♥ Keeper ♥ Riff ♥ TRUST

Whenever I see a bumpersticker that declares  "I ♥ My Children" or "I ♥ My Husband!"   I find myself thinking of course you love your kids.  Of course you love your husband...isn't that why you married him?!  Why would you have to declare such a thing on the back of your car, for all the world to see?

I like to think that loving dogs enough to put hearts alongside their names in a blog title is not the same as that bumpersticker.  But....maybe it is.  Life is a bit of a crap-shoot, after all.  LOVE is not guaranteed.  If we find love, is it okay to declare it on a bumpersticker, or in a blog?   

For instance:
When you decide to rescue a dog, you visit all the local pounds a few times, so you can check out the available dogs...yes?  If you find a dog that attracts you, you take him out to the yard and play with him.  After a few play-sessions, you decide whether or not you like each other enough to spend the next how-ever-many-years living together, taking care of each other in sickness and in health, til death do you part, etc etc.   OR you might meet a homeless, lonely dog-on-the-street and just instantly click with him.  Love at first sight.  You'll still be cautious, of course, and check everywhere to make sure he doesn't already belong to someone else... 
It's sort of like dating. 

It's a bit different when you pick a puppy out of a litter.  All puppies are adorably lovable, for one thing....and almost all of them play well with others, because they don't have any negative history.  You're pretty sure you have the best puppy in the world...but you can't really tell if you and your baby will still get along when he's all grown up.  There are no real guarantees.

When you pick a puppy, you're at the mercy of the dog gods.  Although...you probably did a fair amount of research into the pupster's bloodlines and breeder.  Does that count as 'dating'?  If you let yourself be at the mercy of a breeder who picks your puppy out of whichever litter he thinks will best suit you, it may seem more like signing up with a matchmaker than dating.  You can imagine the matchmaker saying "Here he is, darlin'.  Hope ya' like 'im!!"  You anxiously resolve to build a good relationship with your new little bundle of joy.... 

Maybe I'm beginning to understand the bumperstickers. 

Did you actually fall in love with the stranger the matchmaker found....someone you will live with forever, come hell or high water?  Yes?  Wow!   ♥ 

Still head over heels in love with your dog after he's grown into adulthood?   ♥!  You ended up with a good puppy that grew into a GREAT dog.  Woohoo!!! The dog gods smiled on you.  

I love it when the dog gods smile.

Riff and I have had some really fun agility practice sessions lately.  Oh sure, we still make mistakes during every class...but we're finally figuring out how to be a more consistent agility TEAM.  I still have a lot to learn about handling (don't we all)....but Riff seems much more willing to put up with me. 

Three reasons: 
1) The dog gods smiled on us.
2) I'm able to move better these days (like actually sprint! when necessary).
3) I'm trusting my dog.   My dog is trusting me. 

TRUST.  What a beautiful word. 

♥

 

Another Tree

We have a couple of Japanese Maples in our backyard that tend to procreate.  I often pull baby trees up, as if they're weeds.  I pull Japanese Maples, baby Oaks, Dogwoods, Plums and Apples.  Our backyard loves to grow trees.  It's already a 'forest'...but it is determined to be 'More of a Forest'! 
Even in the frontyard, there's a section of dirt that loves to grow baby Chinese Pistachios.  A neighbor once asked if he could come by and harvest them.  "Yes!  Absolutely!  Please!"  We have so many trees...

Some years ago I transplanted a baby Japanese Maple into a new gardening area.  It took off, and is now a lovely tree.  So I planted another baby tree in a wooden box. 

Today my youngest son and I transplanted the tree, now an adolescent, from the box into the ground.  Another backyard tree!  Cross your fingers that we put it in a good spot.  I'm hoping it will show its beautiful red colors in another few weeks...then survive the winter.  Good luck, sweet tree! 

And THANK YOU for your help, sweet son.