The Days of Johann - an agility dog!

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Wow, and I thought I'd been through a lot!
2007-11-28 23:44:00
We were reading our doggie news today and found this - a pup in the UK that recently recovered from surgery to remove his the 40th pair of underpants he had eaten.Taffy, the 18-month-old springer spaniel, has also eaten 300 socks, 15 pairs of shoes and a key fob to a car. It seems that this is the first time that Taffy had to have surgery, however, because all the other items passed through. A miracle, I would say.I also have to say, what??? I bet cleaning up that poo was a colorful experience. I wonder if they had to get a second mortgage just to pay for all the extra undies. I sure hope they had insurance on the little guy. He should get a job cleaning up at a lingerie store.Ok, now I'm just being silly. Because the reality is that bowel obstructions in pups are very serious matters - things can go seriously wrong very quickly. And the pups need immediate medical care if they begin to act like they are in pain, begin vomiting unusually, or have a poor appetite. Some pups have a r...
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A little bit techie!
2007-11-28 23:10:00
Yes, I'm just a little bit techie, probably enough to be dangerous, but definitely enough to get by in the World.Mum and I love little gadgets - I like my clicker, the kitties love their lazer pointer, and Mum loves her SoniCare toothbrush. I guess these are gadgets, maybe not techie, but definitely gadgets. And Mum loves to give gadgets that fit with what her friends and family like and like to do. Here's a fun idea for the techie at heart!It's a ultra-small, personalized hi-speed USB thumb drive. At first we thought, oh, just a another thumb drive. But personalized makes much more fun, and the best part is that you can order just one if you want, or more if you want. No minimum order, no set up fees. You pick the color, one of the standard logos or upload your own and that's it, in 1-3 business days you've got it in your hands.You could give Personalized Flash Drives with all kinds of pup pictures on it, or you could upload a bunch of music to give to your music loving friend...
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The 12 Dogs of Christmas!
2007-11-28 17:35:00
We thought you would enjoy these great 12 Dogs of Christmas gift ideas! From DVD's to books - it's dogs times 12!12 Dogs of Christmas DVD12 Dogs of Christmas12 Dogs of Christmas PaperbackTwelve Dogs of a Canine ChristmasDo you know the history of the 12 Days of Christmas? Seems there is quite a bit of controversy surrounding the famous song. Check out Snoops.com article for a great explanation of where it may or may not have originated.

The human bed!
2007-11-28 17:22:00
I love my Mum's bed.Nearly everyday Mum and I get up at 5:00 AM, work until about 11:00 AM and then we take a nap, because we are usually up until 11: PM. And we have to take a nap.But the best part, is that I get to take that nap in my Mum's bed. It's soft, it's cuddly, it's big and it has my Mum in it. We get to cuddle. And she rubs my sore muscles until I fall soundly asleep. Sometimes in the sun, which is great this time of year when it's cold and windy outside.Just before Mum adopted me, she got a new bed. One of those mattress and box springs that are real high. She loves it. But sadly mattresses don't last forever and she definitely kept the one she had before way, way too long.I hope she gets one of those tempurpedic mattress sets next time she gets a bed. They have those for pups too, and they look like they would be so comfortable. They mold to your body, and support all the right places. Sounds like a little slice of heaven to me.Wait a minute, what time is it? Oh,...
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Street Dogs!
2007-11-27 16:35:00
StreetDogs Traer Scott, the acclaimed author of 'Shelter Dogs,' has published a new book - a collection of mesmerizing black-and-white photographs of stray dogs she encountered in Puerto Rico and Mexico."Street Dogs" aims to draw attention to the needs of abandoned dogs. Most are former pets and are friendly and eager to reestablish human relations. Scott found these dogs working in tandem with rescue groups, and many have since been adopted by US families. Scott's fascination with shelter and stray dogs began when she rescued her first stray while on her honeymoon.Learn more about Scott and her new book in an article recently published by the Christian Science Monitor.
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Heirlooms!
2007-11-27 16:07:00
Mum has one heirloom from her Grandmother, it's a wonderful old clock that sits on the mantel of our fireplace. It's an old one, a windup, and Mum loves and cherishes the clock, even though she doesn't wind it anymore - it has the most horrendous bong, and really interferes with Mum's phone conversations and makes me bark every hour. BOL!Neither one of us is the type to keep a lot of things around - I have one toy I love (which Gracie destroyed the other day, grrrrr); and Mum has a few things around that she keeps from friends and family that she feels keeps her connected with them.Our neighbors have an amazing Howard Miller grandfather clocks, that has been handed down through their family for generations. It has a beautiful bong to it, it almost sings. Of course I bark at that one too. Maybe a better clock for me would be one of those cuckoo clocks - they usually have birds that announce the time, and I really love birds. But I'm sure I would bark at that one, as well, but at...

DVR Alert: WTHR, Channel 13 in Indianapolis continues their investigation i
2007-11-27 14:20:00
WTHR, Channel 13 in Indianapolis aired a story last night investigating an Indiana Puppy Pipeline, visit their site for more information, and watch the video!Their investigation continues tonight, November 27th at 11:00 PM, with an undercover story of dog auctions in Indiana.For more information about puppy mills, read my previous post.
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Keeping warm!
2007-11-27 14:00:00
It can get pretty cold here in Indiana. Right now, we are still training outside (even though we are skipping this week because of a three day trial this coming weekend).I have a nice fur coat coming in for the Winter, but it's kind of an effort for Mum to keep warm when we train outside, or even inside the barn.Mum always has some nice fleece blankets on hand for my crate at trials. But she's been shopping around this week looking for clothes to keep her warmer. She ordered a nice down jacket this week and has been looking around for some nice fleece - hopefully some that doesn't pill or collect a whole bunch of doggie hair. She came across this site that she thought was interesting - Carefree Casuals, and really liked this fleece jacket. And seems they are offering free shipping on any order over $50 - and 30% off any three pullovers.Of course the jackets must have pockets so Mum can keep my treats really close at hand, BOL!!!Note: This is a sponsored post.

A happy tail from the Virginia Puppy Mill seizure!
2007-11-27 12:32:00
November was a big month for pup rescue in the Virginia area, as over 1100 pups were seized from a Virginia Puppy Mill, and sent to shelters all up and down the East Coast.But thanks to hundreds of good Samaritans, the pups have been cleaned up, cared for and put up for adoption - and hundreds of other good Samaritans have welcomed many of them into their homes, forever.The Washington Post has a great story about one of the pups. This is Barbara Grewe and Gerti. Gerti was adopted from the Montgomery County Humane Society, a shelter that took in over 160 of the Virginia Puppy Mill pups.As with all rescues of this nature, both pup and their new adoptive families will have new, wonderful, and very challenging days ahead as both begin to adapt to their new living situations. These pups have never been socialized, or free from their cages. They have never seen a toy and don't know how to play. They have never walked on a leash and have no idea about potty training.They will have a lot o...
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Addicted to sports!
2007-11-27 11:41:00
Yes, I'm addicted to sports, what guy isn't? I love agility, so wish my Mum would get me on sheep again, love playing ball, get high on a really good sprint race, and if I could, I'd probably even work on my golf swing.So what is it about this addiction, why am I addicted to sports? Is it the competitiveness, the endorphin rush, the high I get after a good chase?Many may attribute it to a working dogs need to have a job. And with the lack of the job I may have been born to do, I've turned my motivation toward sports. In this day and age, with the lack of real farm jobs, real work for dogs, many working dog breeds (and those with mixed working dog heritage) have turned their bred given desires toward dog sports. And many have gone happily.Dogs with jobs are the happiest dogs on the planet. They have a purpose, fulfillment, exercise, and they know what they are supposed to do. Throughout history dogs have served man in an incredibly wide variety ways, from herding, guarding livest...
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A quote...
2007-11-27 11:40:00
"Old age means realizing you will neverown all the dogs you wanted to." - Joe GoresFinally someone just said what Mum has been thinking. For years, Mum had cats, and she really loves them. She had them because she traveled so much and it just wasn't fair to have a pup. But the year that she started working for home and realized that it may be a more permanent thing. She ran right out and found me.Now, she's not only a cat lover, but she's a dog lover too. Many people said to Mum when she got me, 'I thought you were a cat lover.' Mum just responded, 'nope, I'm a animal lover!'After a couple of years with me, she adopted Gracie. Now Mum isn't a hoarder by any means, but just loves having dogs. Loves the way we learn, loves teaching us, loves the differences in us, loves caring for us, and absolutely loves having fun with us. But often wonders if two is enough.So when she found this quote, it really hit home. We bet many of you feel just the same way...
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Johann, but you can call me JoJo (YoYo)!
2007-11-26 21:16:00
Yes, I have an unusual name. I don't think Mum or any of our friends have ever heard of a dog named Johann . So how did I come to have this wonderful name bestowed upon me?Mum loves classical music (if you hadn't guessed already). You see when she was young she played the flute, was pretty good at it too. And when she was to choose her profession in life, she chose playing the flute. We'll dream on little girl! To make any money in that line of show business, you have to either be a bad girl, a really gorgeous girl, or be incredibly lucky or know 'people'. At that time, Mum didn't have any of those things going for her - even though she is making me tell you she wasn't bad looking by any means. There you go Mum.Since she loved classical music, she decided when she adopted Wolfie, my kittie brother, that he was going to be named Wolfie (short for Wolfgang, of Mozart fame). Well, then she adopted Wiggy, my other kittie brother. And decided to keep the trend, naming Wiggy, Wiggy ...
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In honor of the biggest online shopping day of the year!
2007-11-26 20:57:00
In honor of the biggest online shopping day of the year, I thought I would share with you some of my, and Gracie's, most favorite dog and dog lover gift ideas! And now we present...My favs! NozToNoz X-Series Soft Dog Crates Affordable Agility's new "Travel Jump Set"Good Boy! Whole Dog Journal Magazine Obtrack Skrylle Dog Coats Grizzly Salmon Oil for Dogs Sports Dog Gift Basket Grizzly NuTreats Sheepy Octopus TugAnd now for Gracie's pics! ToughChew™ Dog’s Nest ®-High Lofting Polyester Fill Earthdog Hemp Adjustable Collars Bark’n Boots™ by Ruff Wear Water Trapper Doormats Dog Breed Keychain - 11 Breeds Dog Catcher Treat Jar Multipet®Santa Loofa Dog Toy Christmas Henrietta Chicken Toy Control Unleashed ...
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Working from home!
2007-11-26 20:56:00
Working from home is really great, but sometimes it can be a real drag. Don't get me wrong, I like the fact that Mum and I don't have to go anywhere (except when we go play), that we can save money on gas, that we don't have to get all dressed up. Well, she doesn't have to get dressed up. Me? I always look top dog!But it can get pretty monotonous, and it can get very tiring; especially when we end up sometimes working all the time, and it seems like we are never away from work.We love our work, but every now and then, and it's remote, Mum thinks it would be good for her to go work somewhere else - not another company, but just another location. Somewhere, of course, where they have Internet access, phones, maybe TV's to keep up on the news - like those virtual executive offices. They could come in real handy when Mum has to meet with clients from out of town, instead of meeting at Starbucks where it can get kind of noisy. And it would be a lot less expensive than having our ow...
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Happenings around the Dog Blog-o-sphere!
2007-10-30 12:14:00
We've been catching up today with some of our blogging buddies and wanted to share some great bytes of info!Our friend Spencer has his likeness on an original art card by his friend Robin from Art for Critters. The card is in their Ebay auction of original art cards to raise money to help the displaced animals in the California fires, near where Spencer lives. If you’d like to help out a good cause you can bid on the cards.The ASPCA has launched a brand new ASPCA Online Community for discussion boards, and it's loaded with lots of other amazing features! You can do all sorts of things there, create a pup page, participate in live chats with experts, post pics, butt sniff in the forum and loads more.The new film MINE : Taken By Katrina explores how tragedy intensifies the bond between human and animal and is told from the perspective of original guardians, rescuers, and adoptive parents of the voiceless victims of Katrina. These individuals are all connected by two things...
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I'm sweet!
2007-10-30 12:09:00
My new friend Lacy LuLu tagged me the other day and said I was sweet! Thanks Lacy LuLu, you are sweet to say that!Mum thinks I'm kind of sweet too, and she likes to give me sweets when I run agility, or do tricks for her, or be a good boy. Which I always am of course, BOL!!!!We know some pretty sweet pups and people too, and think they deserve this great honor:CasperCassidy andTish
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Our little dream!
2007-10-30 11:33:00
Mum has been thinking a lot about a new place to live. Our house is great and we love it here, but we sure would like a little more land - a place to have an outdoor agility ring, maybe even an agility barn, some woods, a stream, pond, maybe a place for sheep - you know get back to nature!We found a great website that has loads of house plans, from English Cottage House Plans and Small Ranch House Plans to our favorite - Log Cabin House Plans. Yep that's what we would like a little cabin in the woods. A little two story, 'cause we like to sleep with some fresh air, room for an office downstairs, and a great room for all our toys, with a nice fireplace.We'd like one a little more updated that this one of course, but you get the idea! What's your dream home?Note: This is a sponsored post.
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We're a PR4!
2007-10-30 03:40:00
This was a very exciting weekend. Not only did we get 6 Q's, but Google updated their Page Rank and we got our first rating.We're now officially a PR4! Much better than we expected for our first rating, fur sure!

Drip, drip, drip!
2007-10-30 02:45:00
After the trial this weekend, Mum rewarded me with a good ole snooze on her bed. I know it sounds funny, but I don't always get to sleep on her bed, 'cause the kitties get all upset, then I get upset, then they get upset. And well, needless to say Mum doesn't get any sleep.But last night (and Mum promised tonight too!) I get to sleep in the human bed. But after last night, I'm not so sure I want to, why? Because of the drip, drip, drip coming from the bath. Mum needs a new Moen faucet, or we all may just go bonkers.Note: This is a sponsored post.
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Agility from a dog's point of view - prepare to get dizzy!
2007-10-30 02:30:00
Oh wow! This is so cool. Many of my Mum's friends have talked a lot about this - what if someone put a camera on a pup while he/she's running, so everyone could all see what us pup's see!Well someone finally did it! Or at least we finally found it! Check this out:Need a barf bag?
More About: View , Point , Agility , Izzy , Pare

Treats!
2007-10-30 02:28:00
Mum's been thinking about making a really, really big batch of doggie cookies to give out as Christmas presents to our buds. Many of our pup friends just loves these cookies, we thought you would like them too!We found this great recipe and wanted to give it a try. We sure would like to have a Hamilton Beach® Mixer to make it easier. A Hamilton Beach® Stand Mixer would work great to get things done fast, doing it by hand is gonna take a little more time, fur sure! Until then...Doggie Cookies2 cups of a mixture of rolled oats, brown and rice flours2 cups sharp cheddar cheese (organic is best!)1/4 tsp. of garlic powder2 eggs2 dashes of warm water, or better yet, some Grizzly Salmon OilMix everything together, using your Eclectrics® Mixer until it forms a nice dough, adding water or oil to get the right consistency. You can press onto a cookie sheet and back at 350 for 30-40 minutes. Or even better, roll it out and use a doggie themed cookie cutter to make individual biscuits - mak...
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AKC and timer malfunctions!
2007-10-30 02:26:00
After the timer malfunction during my Standard run yesterday, I really wanted to know what the rule is for how this is handled.The judge told me that if I decided to rerun, if I nq'd, I basically nq'd, and he was basically right. But lots of my buds told me - no that's not right! You just run for time. There were other AKC judge friends there, so we asked them and really got what seemed like different answers from all three. I'm sure it's because the rules are written a bit vaguely.What happens if I run and knock a bar, or miss a contact, or, heaven forbid, pop out of the weaves, or go off course? We wanted to know, so we looked it up on the AKC website.Now if it ever happens to you, we can all make a much more informed decision. Mum certainly doesn't regret that we didn't run for time by any means. Because no matter what the rules she wouldn't have had me run again since I was sore from the face plant during the run. But, for next time here are the rules, directly from the ...
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Tatoos honoring us pups!
2007-10-30 02:25:00
When I go to an agility trial and look at a few of the two-leggers, I see some really unique stuff. Like the other day I saw one of my bud's Mums with little paw prints on her ankle. I tried to lick them off, but they weren't budgin'.What's this all about - a new fad? Two-leggers getting tatoos to honor us pups? Well, heck yeah! It's not my Mum's kind of thing, but we think it's pretty cool when folks are brave enough to do it, especially when it's in honor of their four-legger.We've seen lots of tatoos; from paw prints, to the names of their pups, cross tatoos, and even nice tatoos of photos of the pups. We're curious, who out there has a two-legger with a tatoo honoring you - the pup?Note: This is a sponsored post.
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November is Adopt-a-Senior Pet Month!
2007-10-29 17:56:00
On my Rescue Me blog the other day we featured a beautiful Golden Retriever who is looking for his forever home.Meet Tobey - an 8-year-old, red-gold Golden who loves being with people and has a seemingly unlimited capacity for being petted. Tobey loves attention and recently graduated from a beginning obedience course.All across the US there are hundreds and hundreds of active, healthy and happy senior pets that are looking for their forever homes. The ASPCA and Petfinder.com are joining rescues and shelters throughout the country during the month of November to help these wonderful (but often neglected) pets find equally wonderful homes.From sources Senior Mutt Match, The Sanctuary for Old Dogs, The Senior Dogs Project, and Best Friends Network here are some great reasons for adopting a senior dog into your family!1. Loyalty, Loyalty, Loyalty!Chances are good that by adopting a senior mutt, you have rescued a wonderful, loving canine from an untimely, unfortunate and unwarranted de...
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Being unique!
2007-10-29 13:55:00
With my unusual sheltie appearance I sometimes get remarks - Where's your coat? How come your nose isn't longer? Aren't you supposed to have more white on your head? But always when folks see me and how I act, they say, yep, sheltie! I know I wouldn't hold up to breed standard by any means, but that's OK, agility is my game and I'm sticking with it.I'm sure two-leggers go through the same thing. But just like me when you get to know them, you find they are just two-leggers like everyone else, right?Some folks want to alter there appearance to look like the masses, even going as far as seeking out places like Miami plastic surgery of Florida. Me? I'm sticking with me, just the way I am, just the way I look. 'Cause I like being unique.Note: This is a sponsored post.
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6 out of 6!
2007-10-29 00:49:00
What an unbelievable weekend! Not only did Mum and I get 6 Q's out of 6 runs this weekend - with three DQ's - but the Colts won again (hey, I do have a little more than a one track sports mind)!We drove back and forth each day, Friday through today, to Lewisville, Ohio, about 20 minutes this side of Dayton for the Dayton Dog Training Club agility trial at Circle G Ranch. That meant getting up way before the crack of dawn and driving about 1.5 hours each way. It's wasn't so bad because we were able to get home by around 4:00 PM, take a quick nap and then some relaxing zooming. And there were absolutely no car accidents, whew!But I have to tell ya, maybe just the best part of the weekend were the smells! Mum says she can still smell the smells. There was horse doo everywhere, along with the really cool horses, and birds were flying all around my crate where I stayed until it was time to run my runs. You guys know how much I just love herding birds. So the minute I got out of my c...

Vote for me!
2007-10-25 01:14:00
Help keep me on the front page of the Bloggers Choice Awards Best Animal Bloggers, vote for me!Thank you in advance for your vote! We sure appreciate it! Woofs, Johann
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A new table for practice?
2007-10-25 00:55:00
During the winter months and the heat of the summer when it's just too hot or cold to get in some practice, Mum has been working with us inside. One of the things we love to work on the most is the table.As many of you know in USDAA it's a down on the table and in AKC it's either a down or a sit, depending on the judges choice for the run.Mum has always taught me and Gracie to go directly down on the table. Just makes things faster and easier.When we practice inside, we practice the table on our ottoman. Looks kind of like this one, but this one is even cooler, 'cause it could double as a toy box, don't ya think? The site that has this ottoman, also has all kinds of home furnishings including bar stools.Mum also uses the clicker with us, clicking the minute we go down on the table. And she sends us from all angles and all distances she can muster in the living room. We just love it and get really wild and fast at it. 'Cause you all know what comes after the click, don't ya! Y...
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Gearing up the USDAA Nationals!
2007-10-25 00:33:00
Loads of my friends are starting to pack their bags to travel to Scottsdale, Arizona for next weeks start of the Cynosport World Games '07 - October 31-November 4! We are really psyched for them.Here's a quick vid from last year - to get you in the mood!We wish all our friends great performances! Mum and I were super excited to qualify for the quarterfinals in Steeplechase and Grand Prix, but decided not to go this year because of my young age. Mum and I have more to do before we ready - heck, we just feel like we're starting to work like a team!Good luck to all who are competing in Flyball, Disc Dog, Dock Dog, and Agility - you are already winners in my book!
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Blogging for the pups!
2007-10-24 21:57:00
From time to time you will see that I have sponsored posts on my blog. Mum and I decided to get involved in some pay per post opportunities to help us earn more money, so that the 10% of our profits that we donate to pup shelters and rescues will be able to go a little farther.One of the companies we work with on our sponsored posts is bloggerwave. We like them and have posted with them a few times. I think they are looking for more bloggers, so if you're interested, check them out!
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