Focus and Life

I take Ceilidh (4 year old Boston Terrier) to Agility Class on Thursday evenings. She loves it! I love that she loves it! Last night was the second week of the session, and there were lots of new dogs for Ceilidh to obsess about. She has an attention problem (the vet says if she were human she'd be diagnosed with ADD). Poor little thing gets nervous and anxious, wants to say hello to the people, some of the dogs, but most of all wants to run and jump. And vacuum the floor. It's taken a couple of years, but with a lot of patience and practice, she'll leave those spots on the floor for a treat from my hand!

And when she gets focused, she's amazing!

Spring at last

Today was the first day of really nice Spring weather. No one enjoys the sun more than my French Bulldog, Dax. Whenever we have a sunny day she finds the brightest patch in the backyard and sits, eyes closed, with her face to the sun. When the temperature was below freezing, this would last about two seconds before she would look at me accusingly. Like it's my fault that winter happens.

Today, she sat in the sun and enjoyed it. It's not exactly warm and balmy, but the parkas stayed in the closet. Dogs are really wonderful at enjoying the little things, aren't they?

At last - some dog stuff

My Griffie Roc and I have now entered the Open A ring three times in Obedience competition. He finds new and delightful ways to NQ (not qualify) each time. The latest was the most fun - knowing you're already sunk only 10 seconds into the performance lets you relax and enjoy.

The first exercise is "heel off lead." If you're not into the arcane and exacting world of competitive obedience, just know that the dog's supposed to stick like glue to your left side. And every time you stop, he's supposed to sit - glued to your left side.

We enter the ring. The judge asks if I have any questions as he leads us over to the start line. I don't, he wishes me luck, and off we go. The judge says "Forward." I say "Roc, heel!" and the clock is running. Roc is adorable, wagging, sticking like glue to my left side. The judge says "Halt." We halt, Roc's butt drops like a stone. Beautiful.

The judge says "Forward;" off I go, "Left Turn," no problem. "Slow." I sneak a peek at Roc to see how he's doing. He's not there. I look around. No Roc. He's still sitting at the first "Halt." Heart drops, glance in panic at judge. Call dog. Dog stays sitting. Call dog again. Dog sits. Judge says "Exercise finished."

At this point, I know that our day is a waste of the entry fee - so we might as well get some experience ("Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want") and have fun. The judge, however, has a look on his face that reads loud and clear "This is going to be the longest five minutes of my life."

So, we proceed on to the other exercises: Figure Eight, Drop On Recall, Retrieve on Flat, Retrieve over High Jump, and, last but not least - the Broad Jump. Roc executes every single one - like a champ, like an obedience competitor, like he's actually heard the words before. As we leave the ring, the judge shakes his head and says "Well, he can do the work."

Yes, he can.

Still not really dog-related

So this evening, I'm half-listening to the TV, and I hear a story about Jessica Simpson. Apparently she's not ready to adopt a child right now, but she's considering starting an orphanage in Mexico. So I'd like to ask - is she waiting until she can get Pick Of The Litter?

Starting out.......

Well, I've fretted about what my first, immortal post should be.
I've decided to go for the profound.

My Philosophy of Life: (stolen from a novel I read, enjoyed, and forgot the title of)

Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.