Made my own agility course

Agility class last night was crazy! Our class is very large this session, with people and dogs at various levels of training. The only course we ran was pretty long and somewhat confusing to many of us so our instructor took time to help us through the parts we were having trouble with. Ceilidh and I ran first and sort of made up our own course because I could not remember the printed course! I included most of the obstacles, though! (Our instructor does not put numbered cones out during class - we should not rely on the numbers, but our memory. Didn't work for me last night!) But I guess I was so convincing that no one said anything. Either that or our instructor thought I'm a lost cause. That could be it...

French Bulldog Jamboree!

Dax and I were at the French Bulldog Jamboree outside Durham, Ontario last weekend. She watched the proceedings with fascination - not entirely sure what was going on. She was just as happy I forgot her costume at home.

But she loved watching the fish off the dock.

Beautiful Lake Wilder - steps from our cottage.

We stayed in one of the cottages on the lake.

Not my idea of fun

So Hope's in the Canadian wilderness and I'm minding the shop. I certainly don't mind - she's done it for me more times than I can remember. But I question the term "vacation" for this trip. I talked to Hope about an hour ago and she was checking Dax for ticks. (She'd applied the anti-everything stuff, but was still checking!) Not my idea of a fun trip. I'm just a city girl, I guess. My idea of a good time is lying on a deck chair having a waiter bring me a refreshing fun rum drink. Not traipsing around the woods (in any country) being assaulted by dive-bombing mosquitoes and smaller equally nasty bugs you can't even see! But that's just me...

You can't get there from here

A frustrating morning! I'm getting ready for Dax's and my road trip to the French Bulldog Jamboree in Ontario. And, according to all of my up-to-the-minute, wonderful techno-toys - you can't get there from here. My two-year-old GPS is only good in the States, and can't be updated. And my astonishingly smart phone is pretty stupid, too. Apparently my carrier thinks that the world ends at the border.
I guess I'll just have to go the old-fashioned way. Point to point driving directions from one of my favorite websites. Isn't it amazing how quickly the world changes?
Back when I was in college (lo, these many decades!) I drove Chicago to Maryland with only a road map. No cell phone. No MapQuest. No TripTik (no AAA membership).
Now I feel "naked" without the GPS. I think this'll be good for me - getting lost can be part of the adventure!

Roc's New Most Favorite Toy EVER!

It's natural that our dogs test the products we buy for our business. Our shop specializes in things for little dogs, and our dogs are all little! The newest toy we've acquired is the Tuffy Flappy. Roc went crazy for it! The instant I tossed a couple on the floor, Roc made a beeline for the smaller one and wouldn't let go! He holds it, squeaking it, shaking it, and wiggling his tail! Too cute. We've never seen him stay attached to a toy for so long! He's still carrying it around today!

Full schedule

Isn't it interesting how perceptions vary? If you'd asked me, I'd have said I rarely go anywhere or do anything. Some friends stopped by the other day and mentioned they rarely see my car parked by the house, that I'm never home.
So I got to thinking about it and realized it's true! The reason we're six months behind watching the shows we've taped (still in the VHS dark ages) is because nobody's ever home to watch them. Between work, two nights a week of training, trials, and actually fitting in some socializing - this middle-aged spinster is lucky enough to be constantly busy.
And the next month looks terrifyingly packed! I'm looking forward to all of it, but the schedule's jammed. I leave for the Frenchie Jamboree next week, followed by an agility trial the weekend I get home, we're getting ready to move the business, and our club's Obedience Trial is right after that. I'm lucky I remembered to squash a haircut in there.
While it's absolutely true that life hasn't turned out the way I expected it to when I was a teenager, I think I'm doing a fairly good job of making lemonade and enjoying every drop.

Crunch Time!

Do I or don't I? Sign up for the next 8-week session of Agility Classes, that is... Ceilidh is never going to compete, given her heart condition. She can never get too close to other dogs, given her tendency to snark at anything on four legs. I'll always have to keep her away from people who don't know what to expect when they lean in for a greeting (many sloppy Boston Terrier kisses on the face). I'm going to have to think up new and creative ways of holding her interest when it's not our turn (otherwise she goes sniffing and picks up any piece of lint on the mat). And I'll be playing with varying degrees of pain (hip bursitis is nothing if not persistent). But ... Ceilidh loves Agility class so much. And there are lots of people who appreciate Ceilidh for herself and gladly accept those wet kisses. So, I'll sign up for next session. And try to remember the Alleve.

By any other name

On Sunday we went to the Museum of Science and Industry.

We were there to see the Harry Potter Exhibition.

We also marveled at Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle.

Neither scientific or industrial, but great fun!

Fun and caring people!

Dog people are the best! Since Dax is recuperating and resting, Ceilidh and I went to our Agility Class by ourselves last night. Everyone asked how Dax was doing. Thankfully, she's feeling better and I was able to share that with our classmates. The little brown "bowling ball" was definitely missed! And she missed out on some good work on rear crosses! I think I may have the idea - the rear cross is something that has eluded me for as long as I've been taking classes! We'll keep practicing, because it certainly doesn't come naturally!