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Now, Take Good Care of MY Baby
2007-09-21 17:14:00
Here's the good news - Dax is fine. The bad news - her vet couldn't save the tooth. It was cracked all the way down, exposing the root, so what was left had to be extracted. Poor Dax - she must have been in quite a bit of pain and was truly pathetic last night.Golly is in surgery today to remove two growths. The vet isn't worried about them but wants them gone. As is usual before surgery, Golly was not allowed anything to eat after 7 pm last night, but I had to give her her blood pressure medication at 6:00 this morning. Golly really enjoys her food - REALLY enjoys it. I am not her favorite person at the moment. It will take quite a bit for me to get back into Golly's good graces because she holds a grudge for a long time. Hope told you about our vet's associate - it turns out that he's having some medical problems of his own, so that may explain his demeanor yesterday with Dax. Today was another story, though. The Golly Force was strong today - he melted into Golly's big bro...
More About: Baby , Care , Good

Take good care of my baby
2007-09-20 18:00:00
It will be a miracle if I have any fingernails left at the end of today. Dax is at the vet's, having dental work done. I'm always petrified when my dogs have to go under anaesthesia.It doesn't help that a) it's my fault, and b) I think Dax's vet's associate, who did her take-in this morning, is afraid of her.It's my fault because I let Dax help me vacuum. I know I said I wouldn't, but she enjoyed it so much. When I noticed she had a bloody mouth, I thought she just bit her tongue. Instead, she has a slab fracture of a premolar. Her vet's going to try to save the tooth. I hope she can. I think the other vet is afraid of her because he didn't so much as touch her this morning. In the past, with our other dogs, we've handed them over and he carries them. Today, he brought out a kennel lead and had me put it on her. He didn't even lead her away, he called out the guy who cleans kennels to do that. Not a great confidence builder. Later, on my way to work, I drove by the anima...
More About: Baby , Care , Good

This is why you get a dog tag
2007-09-18 22:23:00
We had an unexpected visitor in the shop this afternoon. This is Indi. I went outside for a minute and found her wandering in the alley behind the store. She came with me very happily. She was panting like crazy and obviously lost. She walked rather slowly, especially for a big dog.I found out why when we got inside - her front paws were both ripped up and bleeding. We gave her some water and rinsed off her paws. While I was getting the water, Fran was able to call Indi's home because she was wearing a tag. Her mom came, with leash, within 10 minutes of our call, ready to take her to the vet.It turns out that her family had new flooring installed today and the workmen left the backyard gate open. Indi, a perennial hunter, took off before anyone knew. I don't know how long she'd been wandering - but she was delighted to be caught.Please get some identification on your dogs! I'd be delighted if you ordered a tag from us, but that's not the point. Get one. Put it on your dog. One ...

First Fun Match
2007-09-17 23:02:00
I've hesitated to start matching Dax in Novice Obedience. She's been wonderful in class, but I had absolutely no confidence whatsoever that she would perform similarly in a different place. My skepticism has good justification - I can't walk down the street with Dax at heel. She's a wild child everywhere but at home and in class, either agility or obedience.At some point, however, you have to either fish or cut bait. So I went to a Fun Match on Saturday.I was shocked. She was wonderful. Everyone around was absolutely charmed by my beautiful, bewildering Bully Girl. If it had been a Trial, we would have qualified. Her heeling was impeccable, her Recall a speedy thing of beauty. Shame on me of little faith!

Bleeding all over the agility course
2007-09-14 23:12:00
You guessed it! My thumb accidentally got between Ceilidh and her Latex Soccer Ball last night, before our agility class even started! Ceilidh's tooth and my knuckle intersected - not bad, but it made a nice gouge. I usually end up with a lot of little scratches but this time there was blood. Enough that I put Ceilidh in the pop-up crate I bring in the building so that I could wash my hands and try to stop the bleeding. (Of course, I didn't even think to put bandages in the training bag.) Ceilidh was looking up mournfully through the mesh while I held a paper towel in place before class, not knowing what was happening, just that it had something to do with her ball. Consequently she wasn't even interested in tugging on it during class, when I wanted her to! But, surprisingly, she had some pretty good runs! Her weaving was exceptional (for Ceilidh) and there was very little sniffing. No, I'm not willing to risk life and limb next week!
More About: Agility

Weights and measures
2007-09-12 23:37:00
A customer and I were talking in the shop today and he was reminiscing about some trouble he'd gotten into several years before. I don't know exactly what it was, but I got the definite impression he'd gone on an "enforced vacation." And then he looked at me and said "Please don't judge me by what I did when I was young and stupid."And I told him that my yardstick for measuring people is how they treat their dogs. I hadn't really thought about my answer before it came out, but I've decided I like it.
More About: Weigh , Weights

What a weekend!
2007-09-10 21:21:00
If I were the type to get teary, yesterday I would have. My obedience club honored me with the AKC Outstanding Sportsmanship Award. It was a total shock - I'm sure I gobbled like a turkey!The occasion was our annual club picnic. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day - great weather, wonderful food, a chance to get together with our two- and four-legged friends. We always hand out the Club and Class awards at the picnic, so I got my camera ready for the awards presentations. I knew something was up when Fran took the camera away from me, then Mary Ann started reading this speech about the award and how this person deserved it for all the things she does for the club. At some point I realized she was talking about me! I was touched and honored. Thank you to the AKC and the North Shore Dog Training Club.
More About: Weekend

I'd like to thank.....
2007-09-10 21:08:00
Johann for awarding us the Blogging Star!
More About: Hank

Dax the Huntress
2007-09-07 21:01:00
Ceilidh and I had an uneventful evening at Agility class last night: we drove to class in Rush Hour traffic (honestly, when is it not?); played with our beloved Latex Soccer Ball while we waited for the Beginning class to finish; warmed up a little; TUGGED on the Latex Soccer Ball before our first run (tugging - yeah!!) which, by the way, was spectacular!; practiced our spins, touches, give paw, dance, lie down, etc., etc., etc., while we waited and waited and waited for the other dogs; Ceilidh no longer interested in Latex Soccer Ball, just want treats and so did only mediocre on the second course. And then drove home in the much faster traffic.Ceilidh crashed on the couch and I started to unwind. We had to wait for quite a while last night - lots of weave poles and consequently lots of restarts - and Ceilidh requires a lot of attention to help her maintain at least some focus and not try to eat all the spots off the floor at class. All this as a preface to: DAX the Mighty Hunt ress...

Boston Fresh Roasted Terrier
2007-09-06 21:03:00
Ceilidh loves basking, too!
More About: Boston , Fresh

Fresh baked French Bulldog
2007-09-05 21:46:00
Dax loves lying in the sun.
More About: Baked , French , Fresh , Bulldog , French Bulldog

Great place to meet guys!
2007-09-04 22:14:00
Take notes, all you single young ladies wishing to meet Mr. Right! I found the perfect hunting ground!Last Friday I went to the Cubs game. Because I love the Cubs, baseball, Wrigley Field, it was my day off, and what the heck!As it turns out, not a great day to watch Cubs baseball. But a great day to watch people. A significant proportion of people at Wrigley Field are on the move at all times. It may be true of other stadia, but Wrigley is the only one I know for sure.The seat in front of me was occupied by a pretty young woman, all by herself. Three different guys struck up conversations with her. In the row in front of that, two young women found two young men. I'd recommend to women in the market - to to a ball game! Go by yourself, or with one girlfriend. Connections were being made all over. Except on the field. The Cubs lost miserably.
More About: Great , Meet , Guys , Place

Yesterday, I cried
2007-08-30 21:29:00
One of the most heartbreaking aspects of breeding dogs was brought home to me yesterday. FrogDogBlogger Carol lost one of the two puppies her beautiful bitch Sailor had about two weeks ago. I avidly followed every antic of Sailor and her babies - couldn't wait for Carol's next post. And then the little boy, always smaller than his sister, began to fail. Just from reading her entries, we knew that Carol was putting her heart and soul into trying to save that little boy, even as she tried not to fall in love too soon.We don't often hear about the wonderful, responsible dog breeders out there - the ones who work to better their dogs, both in health and temperament. The ones who actually lose money on every puppy, but are committed to their dogs and their hobby. The ones who get up every hour or two to tube-feed the puppy, making sure he has every chance in the world.I don't have what it takes to be a good breeder. I know that about myself. And I admire tremendously the people who d...
More About: Yesterday

Dogs are evil. Our neighbor said so.
2007-08-28 18:00:00
After work yesterday evening we needed to take some pictures of a dog in the Active Dog Harness. Ceilidh is usually our model of choice - her very short fur shows off products beautifully, she's a solid mass of muscle, and the fact that she's obsessive/compulsive/ADHD/nuts means that as long as you hold her toy, she'll look where you want her to.So we were in the front yard, because it was shadier and better for taking pictures.I should mention at this point that we live in a community that prides itself on diversity. Over 30 languages are spoken in the homes of the students at a local junior high school. Every year our town holds a "Festival of Cultures" that draws dozens of ethnic groups, hundreds of participants and thousands of festival-goers. The relevance to this story?The neighbor who lives two doors east of us, who is of Western Asian descent, came over to talk to us while we were taking pictures. He's seen our dogs many times, of course, but we're usually on our way so...
More About: Dogs , Evil

Wild Weather
2007-08-24 17:11:00
Ceilidh and I didn't make it to Agility class last night. You might have heard about the severe storms in the Midwest? Well, yesterday was more severe than even we hardy Chicagoans were able to take in stride! There were two lines of storms that passed through the area yesterday. The first was about 3:30 in the afternoon (while I was out running errands) and the second all evening. There were some wind gusts up to about 80 mph with the first line, and we were under a tornado warning. And I think we had a couple of inches of rain with the second line of storms. I had thought that the second line would be gone by the time I would leave for class, but the storm was going in the same direction as I would be going. I tried, though! The streets were flooded on the way to the expressway, which is only a few blocks away. But there was very little traffic when I merged onto the Edens Expressway. I soon found out why! The expressway was flooded just past the next exit. Traffic was stopped at...
More About: Weather , Wild

Rejecting Warhol's 15 minutes
2007-08-23 18:11:00
In the continuing saga of my life going from boring to bizarre - I got a letter yesterday from the Judge Mathis television show. They apparently comb through the small claims court filings and contact the people whose cases they think would make good television. I guess it does have many telegenic elements - especially my gorgeous Dax! I don't think I'll call Judge Mathis' producer - I filed the claim to get my day in court, not in the spotlight.
More About: Minutes , Utes

She's fallen off the veggie wagon!
2007-08-21 21:34:00
I took Ceilidh and Dax to the vet for their annual visit last Friday. Ceilidh is a solid mass of muscle and pretty perfect in every way. (Okay, her teeth need some additional attention, brushing-wise. But I dare you to come and stick your finger in an unhappily-squirming, really-don't-want-this Boston Terrier mouth. With all those lovely Boston Terrier teeth in that so-strong-you-can-swing-me-around-by-my-t oy Boston Terrier jaw.)Dax, on the other hand, has gained a couple of pounds. She's a bit round at the moment and needs to lose it. French Bulldogs, I'm told, gain weight very easily, and the three months we've missed agility haven't helped. But the poor girl doesn't seem to have her nutrition facts straight! For the last week, Dax has rejected, refused to eat, even spits out! her vegetables. This is the girl who would forego hotdogs for lettuce! Her favorite munch was carrots! We used celery as her focus/tug toy in agility class! And now she won't touch the stuff. Last nig...
More About: Fallen , Wagon

Was anyone watching?
2007-08-17 22:40:00
You know how embarassed you get when you trip on nothing and furtively look around to make sure no one saw you take a tumble? Golly did that last night. She was taking a nap on the couch and decided she wanted another perspective, so she started to climb down the little stairs we have by the couch. She missed! I raced over to see if she was OK, but she scrunched down and wouldn't let me touch her. I backed off and she straightened up, shook herself and sauntered over to her new bed of choice. She laid down with her back to the room, totally embarassed. (It's OK, Golly, we've all forgotten!)
More About: Watching

I'll find out if the law is on my side
2007-08-15 22:43:00
Once upon a time, in a different lifetime, I decided I'd go to law school. I'd been out in the working world about a year and thought night school would be a good idea. The first night of class, the first thing the instructor said was, essentially: What are you people thinking? You've decided to study law in the county with the most complex legal system in the world! My career in law school was brief - there was a fundamental difference of opinion. Law School thought it was the most important thing ever in the history of the universe and that tardiness should be punished severely. I thought doing my job to earn money to pay the rent was a higher priority. Silly me.Anyway, that was eons ago. And now I'm facing my first actual encounter (other than jury duty) with that notorious Cook County legal system. I've decided to sue the people who poisoned Dax. (See this post) I know they didn't do it on purpose. But I really believe they should pay my veterinary expenses for the inciden...
More About: Find , Side , The Law

Giant Schnauzer Zoomies!
2007-08-10 19:21:00
I used to think that just puppies went on wild careens in huge circles. Taking Agility classes has proven me wrong. Dogs of all ages sometimes just take off on the "zoomies." The rest of us just hang onto our own dogs, while the owner is flustered and embarassed trying to get their dog back. For the last couple of weeks at class, it's been Annie the Giant Schnauzer zooming around the room. It's amazing watching this huge black dog race around and around, sometimes taking jumps, sometimes leaping over the tunnels and generally ignoring her owner. What's really incredible is that Annie had puppies just a few months ago. A litter of eleven! Wow! Did the puppies suck the gray matter out of Annie's brain? Whatever the case, she's been having a great time! It happened twice last night, with the third zoomie run cut short by our instructor who yelled in Annie's face when she tried running past her. To prevent distractions and another potential crazy run, Annie was last on the final c...

Does it ever stop?
2007-08-09 21:33:00
It's nice to see that I'm not alone - the majority of votes on the poll seem to support my contention that the Swiffer is, in fact, the best invention ever in the history of the earth. Since all of our dogs are short-coated, they don't really need daily grooming. I brush everybody (but Ceilidh) twice a week with a rubber grooming brush and a slicker brush. I don't quite remember why I started using both, but they seem to work together for nice, shiny doggy coats.Golly's coat is by far the most impressive. Lush, thick, glossy black fur, just a bit of white creeping in now that she's 11. And she is the champion shedder of our house. Every time I brush her, you could coat a puppy. I used to think it was seasonal, but I was wrong.Roc and Dax both shed, but Golly puts them to shame. It's like they're not even trying when faced with such a prodigious producer of fluff piles.Ceilidh, however, is exempt from this tirade. She sheds very little, if at all. The reason for that is that ...
More About: Stop

French Bulldog Death Yodel!
2007-08-08 17:51:00
Dax can do it, too!
More About: French , Death , Bulldog , French Bulldog

Pitiful, just pitiful!
2007-08-08 17:41:00
It's been really, really hot around here the last week or so, like most of the rest of the country. The only real impact on us - aside from skyrocketing electric bills - is that Dax (my French Bulldog) can't come to training class on Tuesday nights because the place we train doesn't have air conditioning. When I was doing my research on Frenchies before I got her, everything I read said that the breed is very sensitive to heat and prone to heat stroke. Imagine my surprise when, her first summer, Dax would find the warmest patch of the backyard with the sun beating down and lie there, enjoying it enormously. I thought I had the one Frenchie in the world who loved the heat. It turns out - not so much. She may like it, but she does get ill if she stays out in the heat too long. I did take her to training one hot-but-not-blast-furnace evening and she indelicately "lost" all her training treats and felt generally miserable, even after we got home.I learned my lesson. When the temperat...

Enjoy the Good Runs!
2007-08-03 20:26:00
Ceilidh had a good night, last night at Agility class. It would have been a great night, but, well, she's Ceilidh. There were only four of us at class last night, so there wasn't much waiting between runs, and that was great! Ceilidh was a tugging fiend for the first half of class last night! She still won't tug on anything but her beloved Latex Soccer Ball at class (and I have the scars to prove it), but that's OK. We tugged to the start line, where I persuaded Ceilidh to give up the ball so she could run, and we were off! She was focused, attentive, efficient and fast!! Our instructor was even impressed! For the first half of class Ceilidh was tugging my arm out of the socket, but then she shut down... She wouldn't even look at her ball. Go figure.
More About: Enjoy , Good , Runs , The Good , The Go

More of the Lipizzans at Tempel Farms
2007-07-28 18:23:00
If you want to see a slideshow of our visit to Temp el Farms ' Lipizzans, click here.

Blogger Reflection
2007-07-24 20:50:00
Ally at Simply Nice honored us with the Blogg er Reflection Award! And, in the spirit of passing it along, we'll send it to: FrogDogBlogFuzzy LogicGood Bloggie!I should know betterJohann the DogThe Poodle (and Dog) Blog Thank you!
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More pics!
2007-07-20 16:55:00
I've got to figure out how to work this camera! But, this is before work - the kids in typical poses.Here's Roc, waiting for Hope. Ceilidh wants to play. Golly and Dax, looking out the window.

There's all kinds of people in the world
2007-07-17 21:51:00
I was talking to a business acquaintance the other day - someone I haven't seen since we closed the bookstore and took Golly Gear out on its own. He was amazed and astonished that we could actually have a store with just dog stuff. And small dog stuff at that.It made me realize that we're proud members of a global sub-culture: Dog People . There are people in the world who have dogs, then there are us Dog People. We're the people who know that the movie Best In Show had too many glaring errors to be funny. We're the people who know the AKC groups, and that the beauty pageant aspect of dog showing is "conformation" with an "o" not an "i." We know what "performance events" are and we're the ones who take the online quizzes about "what breed of dog is right for you" and invariably wind up with the ones we already own. Most of our friends are "dog friends" - people who enjoy spending time with their dogs and the people who "get it." We can talk about disgusting things during cocktai...
More About: World , The World

The flip side
2007-07-14 18:40:00
This is Ceilidh. Ceilidh has two speeds: full and off.This is off. Enjoy it. Few have seen it in person.
More About: Side , Flip

Ceilidh was brilliant! and then...
2007-07-13 20:43:00
As many of you know, Thursday evening is Agility class for Ceilidh and me. While I've come to the realization that I may never compete with Ceilidh, the class is still fun and it's great for her focus. There weren't many of us in class last night, which was great - more time running the courses and less time waiting. It also allowed us to run the courses more than once. We ran the first course three times, in fact. The first time Ceilidh was hesitant on the equipment, sniffing all the speckles on the floor and not really paying attention. While the other dogs were running, I pulled out Ceilidh's beloved Latex Soccer Ball and we had a tug-fest. (While a 2-inch diameter ball does not have much real estate, my fingers escaped unscathed.) I asked Ceilidh to "drop it" while I unhooked her leash, and she attacked the course! Ceilidh slammed down the teeter! She ran across the dog walk! She flew over the jumps! Ceilidh used centrifugal force in the tunnels! And she zoomed over that las...
More About: Brilliant , Then