Our Houseguest

We had the pleasure of Luke's company for a night. He was a perfect gentleman. - Fran

3 to a Chair

This is one reason we have little dogs - more can fit on a chair! Golly (Brussels Griffon) is lying down and Dax (French Bulldog) is trying to fit behind Roc (Brussels Griffon). It's not working.

What we did last weekend

As much fun as Dax and I have playing agility, I do wish we were better at it! I think we're improving, but is it more or less embarassing when your dog goes off to visit the leash runner, the stewards, and the judge when the judge is also your instructor? - Hope

Dog Esoterica

Those of us in the dog world - immersed in training, obedience, agility, and competition of any kind with our dogs - apparently have a secret language that outsiders cannot comprehend. Our practice ring is close to being ready for the public (www.DogsintheRing.com) and we're trying to tie all the loose ends up. One of those ends was insurance. Hope and I have been talking to Shel since our mom was here and he's been handling our business insurance for eons. But when we tried to explain what a practice ring was for, Shel was out of his element. "Can't they do this at home?" Hmmm, nope, no jumps, not enough room, don't want to interact with the neighborhood kids every time. "Agility? what in the world?" You run with your dog through an obstacle course. "Teeter totter? Like kids play with?" Yeah, kinda. "Weave poles???" Um, yeah, the dog goes in between the poles. "Really? Why?" It's the rule. and it's fun. We couldn't figure out a way to explain a "go-out," so we left it at that. A teeter is coming in a couple of weeks and so is a tunnel, but we've got jumps, and we've got weave poles. Our obedience jumps are coming soon too. We're almost there. -Fran

Golly hard at work

We finally have a suitable post for Golly to observe the day's events here at Golly Gear. Hope and I (OK, mostly Hope. I held things.) built a bench that fits perfectly over four small crates so that visitors and their dogs can be comfortable in our office. Two lounge chair cushions provide just the right amount of softness. And there's a Companion Ramp to help Golly reach the bench. Golly looks pretty comfortable, but ready to crack the whip! (Or demand more treats!) -Fran

Genius with PVC

It's truly amazing what you can do with some imagination and some PVC. Hope would never brag about it, but I think my sister is a genius with tools! In just a few days, she's made ring gates and six agility jumps! Well, I did help but Hope did the thinking and most of the work. So, Golly Gear's practice ring is getting there! - Fran

New sleeping arrangements

So my full-size "grown-up" bed was delivered yesterday. (I'd had a twin-size bed since I was a kid, and I was using the same headboard and frame. The headboard had been recovered a couple of times, but still...) Despite the fact that my whole room needs to be re-organized since there's no room to walk anywhere, I think it'll be great for Golly, Ceilidh and me. Eventually. Ceilidh had been sleeping in Hope's bedroom but in a bed on the floor, so it's an adjustment for all of us. Last night Ceilidh stayed on the bed, all night! But Golly is going to need to get used to all this newness. At one point I woke up and couldn't find her! I turned the light on, and she was between the pillow and the headboard. I think she liked it there. Like I said, it'll take some getting used to...