Tournament Time

After work today, Jake, Sneek, and I will be traveling to St George for Stampede's Winter Warm Up. MSM and her pup will be traveling with us. The E is packed to the rim. I gotta take a photo and post it next week. I must have rearranged it 10 times...

I probably won't be updating my blog.

If you just can't wait till Monday to see how the team did, - check out our teams blog
Utah Tail Blazers Flyball Blog. It will be updated during the weekend.

I am really excited to see our green dogs hit the lane. Really, I am just excited to go some place WARM - lol

Good Luck UTB - drive carefully, run clean, run fast, and have fun. Oh yea...i will take a win or two also ;)

Lists

I love keeping lists. They help keep me organized and help me not to forget things; usually.

They are usually handwritten in a little notebook I keep in my purse

My only problem, is when I have more than one list going. Right now, I have four - LOL
One is a packing list (which is actually typed but by time tomorrow comes it will have handwritten scribbles all over it), one is a Thursday grocery list, one is a Thursday errand after work list, one is a Friday Lunch errand list, and one is a list for once I get where I am going.

OH GOD..I have 5 lists!

Generation Y

I just received this email and it had me roflol

- The Silent generation, people born before 1946.

- The Baby Boomers, people born between 1946 and 1959.

- Generation X, people born between 1960 and 1979.

- Generation Y, people born between 1980 and 1995

Why do we call the last one generation Y?

I did not know, but a cartoonist explains it eloquently below . . .

WW - Iz feelz Nakid!

A gift from the Kitties

We help to care for two outdoor cats; Jinga and kitten. Kitten started showing up in November 08. He/She looks just like Dharma - so we let it come and go with Jinga. I want to capture it so I can take it to get fixed; but I think it's the cat breeders down the street. Not that they take care of it or anything....

Anyway, they brought us a gift yesterday. Billy found the gift on the steps leading to the house from the garage. He thanked the cats and then cleaned up the mess.
Here was what was left of the gifts when I got home

And here are the gift givers;

Next time, a mouse would be sufficent to show us your gratitude...

RIP birdie. Sorry

Garage Flyball

I decided to work with the dogs in the garage last night.

We focused on flyball. I have been totally slacking with training Sneek. Mostly because - well it's a long long story. let's just say I let my frustration get in the way ;)

I can't just take Jake and Sneeko out to train...I need to include Zoe and Maddie too.

Zoe has a box turn!!!!!! Ok...more of a ramp turn. I could not believe she was getting all four feet on the ramp! She does have an issue with skipping the first jump after her turn. But that is ok - we have years to work on it. I like giving her exercises to stimulate her mind and her little pooch body...

And then there is Maddie - what an athlete she is! She is so focused and so willing. Her drive - OMG! We must have done this exercise 20 times and she was so pumped. yea - I know it's not perfect. She looks up at me on the ramp, low without a prop etc. But hey, for a backyard flyball star - we have tons of time for perfection.

But most of all - Zoe and Maddie enjoy the training. They have a blast.

Here are two videos of Miss Maddie.

Birthday Celebration

We celebrated the puppy's 1st birthday last night.
I think she enjoyed her pizza
I really don't know her actual birthday. I was just told she was born in January.

In fact, I don't actually know the exact date any of the dogs were born on; except Maddie's.

I just take their approximate age at time of adoption and count back to get the month. Then I choose a date; usually a date that I can remember or has some significance.

Jake's birthday - we celebrate on March 23rd
Zoe's birthday - we celebrate February 23rd - my parent's anniversary
S'neek's - we celebrate on January - 21st my Grandpa's birthday
Maddie - born on October 26th

So, we have some birthday's coming up. Guess we will be visiting the Dog Bakery once a month for the next little while.

I don't think the dogs will mind a bit...

WW - Happy Birthday S'neeko!

I'z havs z Beak!

Seez me poor noze???

The mom ladzy picked my up a new crate. That new rowdy puppyz broke mine during her attempted escapez. Mom ladyz gots me a medium but it waz 28.5 inches talz. Mom ladzy thought it wouldz be tall enough forz mez...Mom ladyz thought wrongz.

We uzed the new crate at flyballz yesterdayz. Well, I havz some impulze control izzues at z practize...Iz bark A LOTZ . And wellz, I keptz hitting mez noze on the topz of crate.

When the mom ladzy got in her car, she notized my beak...Shez feelz bad, but it no hurt - believze me, she tried to see if it hurtz me - but it doesn't. Andz I breathing fine.. Mom ladyz sayz if the swelling doez not go downz, she taking me to see the vet - NO! Iz get the swelling downz mom ladyz, - Iz promise!

Needlezz to sayz, crate waz returned and Mom lady wentz back to the size that works best for mez

Duck, Duck, Goose!

I was going to save this for a WW, but I can't
I just love this shot!
Can you guess which toy I have in my hand??
The ball of course!
And yes, the snow melted and we have grass!

Yummy surprise!

So, I came home last night and there was a package at my door. A BIG box...

I did not order anything and then saw the return address was from my sister, Lori.

I opened the box and YUM YUM! Her, my niece, and my brother-in-law sent me some goodies!
They sent Synder's sourdough pretzels (the ones you can't get in Utah), some chocolate, some Starbucks coffee, a new coffee mug, more chocolate and some low calorie twix bars(?? lol). I got a cute little card and my niece wrote a sweet little note in it. I almost cried!

No reason for them to send those things to me. They did it just because. Wasn't that the sweetest?? Our Mom did stuff like that all the time. Our Mom taught us the "just because" little things mean the most. Funny, the things we carry on from our Mother.

Thanks again, Lori, Scott, and Hadley Ann! You really made my day.

And here are some recent photos of the Family from New Year's day celebrating Lori's birthday. They went to Fast Eddie's, one of my old hangouts in Illinois...Loved that place on Sunday!
The family and friends

Russell, Ed, and ScottAnd I just had to include this one because my brothers face had me ROFLMAO....
Typical Russell shot....

So, now you WANT a Lab?????

So, a puppy pit bull was too much for you...Too much work, too much energy, too big, too hard to train, chewed too much, peed too much, you were allergic, too __________(fill in the blank)

Now,you want a Lab. It would be so much easier than raising a Pit Bull Puppy?????? You think a full breed lab will be smaller than your disposable Pit Bull (honey a full lab weighs from 50-80 lbs. Your x pit bull is about 53).. You think a lab won't chew (hmmm whose fault was it that your glasses were chewed up? Not the dogs) A Lab doesn't need exercise? A lab won't have potty issues in the house? A lab would be easier to train (from personal experience you have that backward lady). Oh wait - you want a large breed guard dog - Yea...A lab fits that roll - LMAO And getting one from a BYB for would certify that she will grow up to be a great dog and not have puppy issues. ROFLMAO Sure,a doggie door is a great idea - just make sure you flipping get a fence put in first - UGGGGG Sure, a lab can stay in the cold storage or be locked in the basement. They aren't a family dog - LOL

Maybe I should be grateful you aren't considering another Pit Bull. Yes, in some ways a lab would be easier for you. Lord knows, your aren't responsible enough to have a Pitty in your home. That dog would be the next headline if you let it run loose like you do your perfect designer 7 lb dog. Or let your kids "throw" it off the couch and break a leg...

Yes, we still have our "foster" Neeko. No, she isn't available to you. You would be the LAST house I would place a dog with...

Sure, I feel bad for your hubby - I understand why he gets sad when he sees your X dog. She has turned into a beautiful, wonderful, LOVING, athletic, non chewing, not peeing in the house, and sometimes - well behaved dog. She did not come that way, you know???? Too bad you gave up on her before you realized her potential. Too bad you did not listen when I shared my experience to wait it out - that puppy hood doesn't last forever.


And one more thing - No, you can't have her back! So, stop dropping your hints...

WW - Miss Maddie's turn

All they do is sleep

I spent yesterday afternoon working from home. Working from home today too.

All the dogs do during the day mostly, is sleep. I already assumed that is what they did. I really haven't spent a day working from home in a while. It is interesting to observe their behavior. Maddie is curled up in the corner of the sectional. Jake is upstairs on the spare bed. Zoe is on the third step going up stairs. Neeko - well she is sitting erect in the Xpen - whining on and off. I will not/can not go get her out. It's killing me. But she has to get use to it..I peek my head in once in a while and boy do I get the stink eye. The way she looks at me sometimes, makes her look like she has a little pitty or terrier in there somewhere.

Zoe, about every hour, feels the need to come over, paw at me and start barking. It's not her potty bark - it's her "hey I am here Mom. Show me some attention bark." Maddie likes to get up every once in a while an check in, giving me her big bully kiss, but mostly she stays in the living room on the couch. Jake doesn't do much - stays on the bed and gets a drink once in a while.

I notice if the dogs start barking - Neeko starts in and I hear the x pen walls shaking.

There are kids riding skate boards up and down the sidewalk and making tons of noise outside. Neeko is going NUTS! And of course the others are now starting in. I am just going to sit here and ignore it..Sit on your hands Ann,,,,,,She is calming down now...Did not last too long

I have to admit. I really like working from home. But if I did it everyday, I don't know if I would like it so much.

Solution 2 cont...

Well, I am home and she is safe. No blanket pulled and no blood. Whewww....
I know it doesn't mean it won't happen, but still...

We have some work to do - I know.... Gotta get me the book called Ruff Love.

Funny, Billy has acted all tough about it - almost like he does not care. But guess who just pulled up in the drive way to check on Neeko??....

Solution #2

So, I met up with Cynthia and borrowed her X-pen cover.
It looks like this. I am worried about the metal...So, I put it inside of one of the blankets.
Why? Heck I don't know. She will probably try and pull the blanket thru today - well Billy says she will. But that top isn't going anywhere..

I left her with two kongs and a bully stick. I left her a tug with a tennis ball too - but i doubt she will even notice the tug. She whined when I left the house this morning...

I am going to go home at lunch and see what is going on.

I pray to GOD she stays safe..PAWS CROSSED!

What to do

So, after Friday's incident, I had to do something to contain Neeko yesterday while we were at work.

I left her in the front room alone. I puppy proofed the room. I took the x-pen and made it into a rectangle. I put that in front of the opening between the kitchen and the front room. I figured in order to get out - she would have to jump into the x-pen and then back out. I also put a baby gate on the kitchen side just in case.

Billy called when he got home from work. She stayed in the room - no damage - but she took two #2's in the room and he wasn't happy about it AT ALL. He pretty much said - figure something out or off she goes ;( But, he has said that about all the dogs during puppy hood and when he is upset. Poop is no problem in my book - better than coming home to a hurt puppy. But I am not him and he is not me.

I am going to email Cynthia and see if i can get the top for the X pen. Maybe secure it down with bungee cords or something.

Score - Neeko - 3 Me - 1

Not a favorite moment of the day!

That is what I came home to yesterday. Yes, I was freaking out..There is blood on the carpet on the left hand side too.

First thought was "fudge" well not that word, but the other one. Second was "can I make it to the vet in time".

I grabbed Neek out of the crate. I immediately looked into her mouth thinking she must have ripped a tooth out. There was just so much blood! Nope - nothing. I checked her body over. I saw dried blood on the top of both paws. Then I looked at the nails - also lots of dried blood. I am thinking she was trying to claw her way out of the crate. All the bleeding had stopped by time I arrived home. She seemed to be walking jumping and running fine - so I did not take her to the vet.

what to do...what to do.. No plastic veri kennel - saftey issue. No x pen (you know what she can do) and no wire crates (again saftey issue). There isn't another room I can put her in - she is a puppy still and enjoys the game of destroy and urination...I can leave her in the front room with a baby gate. But putting up a baby gate may not work as she would just jump it and proceed to try to get to Maddie. We are going to try this Saturday but block the gate so she can't jump over. I can't leave her with Jake and Zoe - they both tell her where the bear poo's..Plus if her and Zoe start playing that will just aggravate Maddie - and I don't want her to be so frustrated that she destroys something in the family room and hurts herself in the process.

ME gave me some good ideas and we are going to look into it.

Paws crossed I get inspired today with a workable solution.

favorite moment of the day

Do you have a favorite moment of the day - involving the dogs? One that reoccurs time after time? And don't say when they are asleep - LOL

I will tell you what mine is...It doesn't happen everyday - but when it does - ahhhhh - my heart fills with joy and a wide smile appears on my face. It's a small, minute or two,simple thing.

It happens when I am out (work, shopping, etc) and Billy is at home - meaning the dogs are roaming the house.

I drive down my street and pull up slow to my house. There in the window is usually Jake -he isn't a mama's boy at all - LOL. It's funny - he is like clock work waiting for me to come home. He rests his chin on the back of the couch (or windowsill when couch wasn't there) looking out the window. I stop in front of the house. Then i see three other heads pop into the window - one, two, three. I stay put and watch them for a moment - watch all four bodies wiggling to the right, to the left, to the right, etc. They stay in that position - all eyes fixed on the car- until I move the E into the driveway. I then watch them all leave the window - one, two, three, four. And Zoe begins to bark.

It really is cute and wish I could snap a photo of them.

It really is a special moment to me. yes, there are a lot of special moments with the dogs - but somehow - after a long tedious, stressful day at work - seeing them in the window calms me down and melts some of the stress away.

Love you pups!

My Muffin Man

So, Astrid posted a video of her dogs playing this really cool game. Then Tip Tail tried it too.

Here is my muffin man - he thought he was in heaven when I brought him a pan of tennis balls



The girls - well they got an A for effort. Even the cat tried to get in on it...

I did video tape the girls and they are on you tube. If you click on their name in the next sentences, you can watch if you desire to. Maddie's - I was in the wrong angle and did not get the beginning. Zoe and Neek's is pretty long

We will try again and maybe the girls will show you their stuff on their blog.

what the hell is wrong that I can't get decent coloring in my videos!

WW - Pitball

Finally!

Awww how sweet the site of dogs running!

Finally, we got some soft snow to cover up all the ice left over...So the dogs were able to RUN RUN RUN! It was so nice to take them out to the park. I took Jake Neek and Zoe out to the park and they were zooming all over..I always laugh watching them. They run, scoop snow in their mouth, run, run, scoop snow in their mouth. That is their pattern. needless to say, lots of potty breaks tonight,

Then Maddie , Zoe , and I drove to the tennis courts. Maddie was bouncing all over. And Maddie was actually catching snowballs. So was Neek as a matter of fact. Neek would be running and I would throw her one and she would catch it. YEA! good sigh that she can catch a moving ball , especially if it comes out of a flyball box ;)

Ahhhh..It felt so good to actually get out and let them run to their hearts content. And Zoe going twice - she got such a work out. After dinner, she was out for the night

And how sweet - no bleeding feet!

Lori, yep, told you I would blog about it... :)

Ummmm????

Mom,
tell them to

Spare
ASquare!!!!!!!!!!!

Random views

Christmas Day snow fun
Iz sleeping ma!

What a pretty face you have.....
What gorgeous markings you have. After all, that is how daddy convinced me to bring you home...

It's so warm up here...

Zoe see the birdies?Can you seem them Neeko?
Wez so comfy Mom....

King of the dog beds.....

2009

Happy Birthday to my sister, Lori! Boy, you are sure getting up there - LOL


"Cheers to a New year and another chance for us to get it right"

Oprah Winfrey

Wishing you all a prosperous 2009!
R3K9S