The Journey

Happy Friday! Thank you to everyone for all the kind thoughts, words, and healing vibes. Brutus is feeling a little better, medicine seems to be working. He's also really enjoying having home-made meals (who ever thought boiled chicken could be so interesting) and lots of snuggle time. Hoping that he'll be back to normal tomorrow so that we can still compete in the trial we entered this weekend. One step at a time though, for now...

Since it is such a common theme in my posts, most of you have learned more than you ever knew (or maybe wanted to know) about dog agility. Likewise, I have learned not only about agility and dog training, but a little more about myself in working with Brutus these last 8 months. Here is a wonderful video that pays tribute to the relationship between handler and dog. We often joke about our dogs training us - as opposed to the other way around - but there is a truth to that. Ironically enough, our animals can teach us a lot about being human.

Whether you know anything about agility or not, please watch - there are some lovely thoughts expressed within the video. It'll take a few minutes of your time, but I promise it will put a smile on your face, as well as something to think about over the weekend until we return (hopefully with a fully restored Brutus). Enjoy!

Under the Weather

I have all sorts of things lined up to post - a few more contest entries (dogpile & sit-stay to name a few), the second installment of our teeter build, new agility photos... Unfortunately Brutus is feeling a little under the weather and just doesn't feel up to helping. He's had the poo sickies since Monday, really ugly & not getting better. Think he picked up a nasty bug somewhere in the line of duty (he's around a lot of other dogs between tagging along with me, training, and shows). Not to worry, as we now have some medicine from our vet to make Brutus feel better real soon. Since I don't feel right posting without his valuable input, please pardon our little hiatus while Brutus re-cooperates. Hope to have him back in tip-top shape within the next day or two, but I know the Brute would appreciate any positive thoughts you can send our way!!

Mango Minster Entry

I'm SO bummed. The new photos I was hoping to use for Brutus' Mango Minster entry never came (despite being promised by the professional photographer). Drat.

Thankfully I had a plan B. No one will be surprised by my entry, since we talk about agility so often. Without further ado, here is Brutus' entry for the "Sporty Dog" category:

What a good sport! Bulldogs certainly weren't built for jumping/climbing, but Brutus doesn't let that slow him down! I picked this photo not just because it caught him floating mid-jump - I chose this shot for the look on Brutus' face. We'll never beat the Border Collies and Jack Russells, but we have fun every time we go out on course. Brutus is just happy to be flying around, making people smile. He might not be "good" at the sport in the big scheme of things, but he certainly is a good sport about giving it his best!

There you have it, Mr. Mango! Can't wait to see how Brutus fares - you never know where one might end up once in yours & Moose's hands (paws)...

The Tale of the Teeter: I'm SO Board (Bored?)

Anyone who follows Brutus' facebook page already knows that we've been working on a project here. I have a nice little agility course in my basement, where Brutus and I practice between lessons, or retreat to when the summer temperatures are too warm to train outside. I already had made several jumps, as well as several other common agility obstacles: tunnels, a pause table, a tire (it's actually a hula-hoop hanging from the rafters) and a chute (a short tunnel with a collapsed fabric sleeve at the end). Not a bad set-up for a basement!!

As we are starting to move up to the next competition level, there some new obstacles we now need to learn that were not required in the most novice courses. Brutus was really not a natural on the weave poles, and I was lucky to find a bargain on a competition-quality set of those to add to my little course. The other new obstacle is the teeter-totter, which is basically a see-saw the dog runs across to tip. He learned the basics of the teeter easy enough, but we'd gotten to a point where I felt I needed to practice it more to have his teeter good enough in competition.

PVC pipe is a do-it-home agility builder's friend, and I finally found a reasonable pre-cut base (with minimal assembly required) so that I could add the teeter to my at-home training. The base arrived in the mail late last week, so I all needed was a 12-foot long board to use for the top. Easy-peasy, right??

So good ol' Courtney (who had bravely volunteered to help) and I headed out to the local big-box hardware store on Saturday. Two blondes walking around in Home Depot buying construction materials and PVC. Talk about sticking out like sore thumbs....

We navigated the store uneventfully, picking up our parts, some paint, and the board - at least until the HD employees assumed we were nuts/helpless. Like two ladies might bring down the whole store if we did things ourselves.... really! This guy came running when he saw us getting down our own lumber:

After graciously turning down over-zealous help from more than one other HD employee, we headed out to Courntey's car with the supplies. The board fit, but barely - we had it all the way to the front windshield as it took up the entire interior length of the truck! Here's the view to my left:

And looking into the back of the truck. Sadie Lou (who came along for moral support) was not happy to lose her usual spot to a hunk of lumber.

Once we made it back to my house with the goods, the next problem was getting the board down into the basement. My stairs have a tight turn in the middle, but we thought we could finagle/finesse it around.

Courtney & Sadie Lou worked the turn from the top end of the stairs...

...while Brutus kept an eye out for trouble down around the corner at the bottom end. Hey, Brutus! You're looking the wrong way - you're supposed be be watching the board!!

Unfortunately, it was (literally) an inch too long to fit. Just look at where the ends are in the two photos above - so close and yet so far from making it around the corner. Grrrrr..... The plans called for a 12 foot length, so we didn't want to cut it. Now what??

Suddenly I remembered that there are some small vents within the glass block of our basement windows.

Maybe the board is small enough in cross-section to fit through one of these teeny windows... So back outside we went with the lumber.

It was a tight fit (not even 1/2 inch to spare)...

... but we got it in!

WooHoo!!! Cause for celebrations both the inside

.. and from the outside!

Hooray for small victories!! It didn't look like much like a teeter yet (at least not to Brutus)...

... but at least now we could finally get on with the construction! All hands (and paws) on deck!!

Ironically, the board turned out to be almost an extra inch longer than we needed (biggify the next photo to see) - we COULD have shortened it to fit down the stairs. Oh, well - it's in now!!

Even though he wanted to help initially, Brutus soon became bored (board?) with all the measuring, marking and assembly.

The base was already together, so in no time at all we had a working teeter!! Here's the finished construction, just needing a few coats of paint for a non-slip surface:

Brutus bravely tested out the teeter, giving it the honorary first tip, up

and over!

That being done, we called it a day. Not bad work for two blondes, a Frenchie and a Brittany. Well, actually Courtney did more of the work than anyone else. I ran around looking for tools, Sadie napped and Brutus just stuck his flat face in the middle of everything and hampered our efforts!

Now you'll just have to come back to see the final product, painted and ready for action (and hopefully in a shorter post!). Brutus has a lot more fun in the next post, so tune back in for the final installment of the Tale of the Teeter!! A big THANKS to Courtney and Sadie Lou for helping us build!

Lazy Sunday

It's been a dreary day... Ugh. Snow all melted in 45F temperatures. Now just wind, rain, sogginess & lots of mud. A day not fit for man nor beast in the great outdoors. Not surprisingly we all suffered a little lack of motivation....

Isn't that what Sundays are for, after all?

Over the River & Through the Woods

But it wasn't to Grandma's house we were headed. Nope, this was a hike Brutus and I were invited on the day after christmas - that's shortly before the ice age started here in Ohio.

It was a clear, only sort of chilly day, and the dogs were stir crazy from being cooped up during all the holiday commotion. So when Courtney called and said she was going on a "little" hike with and a few of her dogs and another friend (Teresa), Brutus and I jumped at the chance to go along. It required a short drive to get to the trailhead, so Courntey volunteered the Funny Farm mobile (notice the license plate).

Five dogs and 3 humans (that's 26 muddy footprints if you are counting) headed out into one of the trails of our lovely local park system. Don't be fooled by the milage on the sign - that's not the only trail we were on!!

Courtney brought along Jaeger, Taz, Winston, and Sadie Lou (our Princess teammate from agility), so it was quite the pack activity. The best part was to see a little black bulldog trucking along with all the Brittanys and a lab, holding his own with no problem!

That's Teresa leading the way with Courtney's dogs Jaeger (the lab) and Taz.

Courtney with Sadie Lou (on the left) and Winston, bringing up the rear.

I don't know if it's possible when doing a loop trail, but I think we walked uphill for 2+ hours of our "little" hike (now also referred to as the "O'Neill Death March")!

Yikes!! This is serious terrain!!

You know it's steep when they build stairs in the woods....

Thankfully I had decided to use a harness on Brutus, as I think he towed me up some of those inclines. Two hours into the hike he was still going strong, while I started to fear that I would have to start using some of the survival skills I've "learned" from watching those shows on Discovery channel!!

A rest stop?? How long is this "little" hike going to be??

(notice the black dogs stick together)

All kidding aside, it was a great way to spend the morning, not to mention burn off a good chunk of those holiday-induced pounds. Brutus really did amaze me, as I expected to be carrying him somewhere along the way (talk about adding to my work - nothing like toting a 25 lb bowling ball with legs through the woods...). But Brutus just kept on trucking, even surprised me by venturing into a few of the streams.

Why did we have to have water dogs for our hiking partners??

Everyone else is going in, so Brutus decided it wouldn't kill him...

The Result: unhappy, wet Frenchie!!

Brutus walked on his tip-toes trying to stay as dry as he could!!

Phew! Made it across! Now which way?

OMG!! There was a bridge?? Why didn't you tell me?? I could have drowned in that raging current! (FYI, it was about two inches deep)

My only real complaint is that I had to pay so much attention to where I put my feet (lots of mud, tree roots, puddles, rocks, ect. along the many, many inclines) that I missed out on much of the beautiful scenery! We attempted to organize some group photos of the dogs, but trying to arrange 5 dogs was quite the task (especially since Winston is terrified of cameras!). I'm tempted to make a "how many blondes does it take" joke, but why make fun of myself, let along Courtney??

No surprise that Brutus was the first one ready for pictures!

OK, Taz is already sitting. Jaeger, you come over here...

Now Sadie Lou.. wait... where did Taz go??

Oh, now poor Winston is behind the bench hiding from the camera...

That's is the closest we got to a group photo!! All five dogs are in there, just some coming & some going (count heads/tails if you don't believe me!!).

It turns out that one of the benches had been placed there as a memorial to a young person who had passed long before his time (hence the reason for the rose). After realizing this sobering fact, we all paused a little while to give thanks for the lives we share with our friends and family.

Besides the rose, There was a plaque on the bench, and someone had recently left note and some heart-shaped rocks. What a lovely memorial, it brought tears to our eyes when we realized what we were looking at.

We walked on in silence for a while, lost in our own thoughts and enjoying all the beautiful day. The terrain finally had flattened out a bit, and Teresa announced we were almost back to the car. Hooray!!

You humans mark the trail your way, I'll do it mine!

Thankfully Teresa is an experienced hiker and knows the trails well, so there was never any doubt about safely arriving back at the car. Not to say that it wasn't cause for a little celebration, considering we had hiked over 4 miles!!!

Yeah! Signs of civilization!!

Can you imagine how many steps four miles is for a little Frenchie??? And he wasn't even tired! In fact Brutus and I are really looking forward to our next adventure with Courtney and her pack along with "ranger" Teresa. Maybe someday soon things will thaw/dry out enough here to make that possible!

Thanks again for taking us along, hope everyone enjoyed this (lengthy!!) post. I'll leave you with my favorite photo from the trek, and along with our wishes for a wonderful weekend!

Catching up: Mango Minster (Entires, Part I) & Pup Scout Oath

Is it Thursday already?

Yikes, we're so far behind.... Many things I've been meaning to post, so today's blog is part of a general catch-up in attempt to get back on track!!

First order of business, Mango Minster entries. I have Mason's entry ready, and - as suggested by the honorable RH himself - an honorary post-humous entry (although not being judged) for Duncan. I'm still waiting on files of a photo to use for Brutus, so his entry will be in a separate post.

MASON: Sporty Dog Entry

Despite technically being a "sporting" dog by AKC classification, Mason is more of a homebody. Labs are supposed to be water dogs, but Mason never got that memo; you can't hardly push him out the door if there is as much as a spotty drizzle going on. Mason has never done any actual "sporting" (unless you count being an avid Couch Potato as a legitimate sport activity), but is entering this category since he is the embodiment of the consummate good sport about life. In his nearly-12 years, he's taken everything in stride - several surgeries, multiple relocations, some unusual attempts at grooming (we used to shave him to cut down on the fur-tumbleweeds that are produced from the shedding of his undercoat), and even the addition of two packmates (after having been an only child for his first 8 years). Mason is always a good sport in playing with Brutus, letting him hang of his lips & ears, and bite his ankles (all in good fun) in never-ending games of bitey-face.

Moreover, Mason has never held a grudge against me for making a fool of him (to my husband Paul's chagrin). Even before my blogging started, I couldn't resist photo ops of Mason in silly/compromised positions. He's worn various apparel and accessories, having been adorned with everything from St. Patty's day hats, to antlers and pink bunny ears. For his entry, we picked out the most recent embarrassing moment, a batty headband from last Halloween. I like this one because although he sat patiently as I snapped away, you can see the look of boderline disgust on his face. I love the one raised eyebrow! Mason, all I can say is you are DEFINITELY a good sport for putting up with all the torment from me & your little brother Brutus. Thanks for being such a great dog (or as Paul says - The Best Dog Ever)!!

"Seriously??"

DUNCAN: CDIT Division (FEO Entry)

Onto my other "entry". I've picked up a bunch of followers since last fall when my old JR terrier Duncan crossed the rainbow bridge after nearly 17 years with me (to read more about Duncan, check out the memorial post I did for him back in September). Since post-humous entries are not within the contest guidelines, Mango suggested I do a FEO entry (as we say in agility, For Exibtion Only - what it's called when you run just for the experience, not to be judged) as a sort of tribute/reminder of Duncan. This picture is just too perfect, so I couldn't resist. Here is one of Duncan's "finer" moments, which would have been perfect for the CDIT (Cracker Dog Insane Terrier) Division:

In Duncan's defense, this photo caught him mid-yawn, my flash waking him from a snooze he had been taking. Like many of our older canine pals, Duncan was a bit of a grump in his old age (he couldn't hear, and I don't think he could see all that well either), and did have quite a reputation for snarkyness. Still he managed to tolerate the addition of a high-energy French bulldog puppy during the twilight of his days, that having already adapted to living with Mason in a new home as a senior citizen (he had been my mom's dog, spoiled beyond belief). So for those of you who never met Duncan, here is a photo of him from a warmer-fuzzier moment. It was taken only a few weeks before he crossed the Rainbow Bridge just weeks before his 17th birthday. We miss you, buddy!!

Think there is still room for one more item in this post, and far be it from me to NOT include something about Brutus (it's what you are all coming here for, after all).

My apologies to Martine and the kiddlets (Captain & Candy) for not getting this posted sooner, but here is Brutus officially taking his Pup Scout Oath (click the badge above to biggify and see the oath, or visit Martine's blog, I Need a Sugar Fix, to find out more).

I'm really going to have to work to hold Brutus to the vows he took (he tends to be an "It's all about me" kinda guy), but it'll be good for him!! Now I just need to find him a sash and pup scout hat... Or get a lot more proficient at using Photoshop....