Day of Remembrance

Memorial Day, the day of remembrance, I want to remember the dogs that are my foundation dogs – the dogs that taught me how easy it is to fall in love with dogs.  I was a friend with Lucky when I was about 4 years old.  Lucky was a black American Cocker Spaniel and is the reason I have had a love affair all my life with spaniels.  My memories are of going outside in our backyard and looking toward Lucky’s house – the Schultz’s – and yelling “Lucky, Lucky!”  The Schultz’s backdoor would open and out would come Lucky.  We would greet each other with squeals of delight, kisses, and lots of petting on my part.  Oh how I loved Lucky.  We seemed to be in our own world playing together, but I am sure my parents were keeping a close watch because they performed what I believe to be the most essential jobs of parents.  They didn’t neglect me, physically or sexually abuse me, and they protected me from all forms of outside the home abuse.  Lucky – I remember you with great fondness.

Several years later when my family had moved to the country, my father brought home from work an 8-week-old Beagle that we named Itchy.  Itchy and I were the best of friends.  I remember trying to do obedience training with Itchy, although I didn’t know it as obedience.  I just knew that I wanted Itchy to be well behaved.  So, I would take Itchy out for walks and practice the things important to me – walking with me and not pulling on the lease, stopping when I stopped, and starting when I started.  Not bad for a little girl with no adult direction on obedience training.  I still have dreams of being reunited with Itchy.  He definitely stole my heart.

My dogs I remember from adulthood are Maddy (a rescued all American), Sherlock H. Stiles (English Springer Spaniel named for the great fictional deceive, Sherlock Holmes and nicknamed Locky as a homage to Lucky), Molly Dogpaw (rescued English Springer Spaniel named for fictional Cherokee detective Molly Bearpaw), and Sam Spade (rescued Beagle named for Dashiell Hammett’s great detective).   May you remember on this Memorial Day the dogs that taught you all you needed to know about life – the love of a dog.

Why a puppy?

When I got Shadow from a breeder in Michigan, there was a big hole in my heart that only a Springer could fill.  3 months earlier I had lost my 4-year-old Springer Molly to an immune disease and it broke my heart.  I still had two dogs, but they were very independent and not as affectionate as a Springer.  Molly was always waiting for me when I went anywhere.  She would race up, bark, and tell me how much she missed me.  The other two dogs would sometimes barely raise their heads and glance in my direction when I got home.   I needed the love of a Springer.

So now I am getting another Springer and I still have my wonderful Shadow.  Coming home from work, she is sitting at the end of the driveway with her head pointed in the right direction, even though she can’t see.  She hears the car and starts barking hello.  I give a little beep of the horn and she keeps barking hello, while getting out of the way – moving toward the grass and waiting until the car is in the garage.  Then she is at the car wanting to be petted and to tell me how much she missed me and adores me.  It would be hard to top this. 

I had planned to get a puppy and begin agility with it before I knew Shadow was going blind.  I hoped that for Shadow’s last year competing in agility, we would have the puppy with us to watch, learn, and begin agility.   Maybe we would even have a few trials with both of them competing at different levels.  But fate stepped in and it all changed.  What hasn’t changed is my desire to do agility.  It is an exhilarating experience with your dog.  I also love tracking and do plan to take the puppy with Shadow to track.  Just as the puppy would have learned about agility, I believe it can learn from watching Shadow track.  My friend M said she would bring her other beagle Vinnie along with Hank, Master Tracker, and the puppy and Vinnie will learn together.

Last Friday there was a horse event at Twin Towers where we track.  So we laid a long straight leg for each dog.  They both did great and we practiced with them at 20 feet out on the line the way they will need to track for a test.  Both dogs did very well.  It was great for them to be successful after the awful time before tracking that we blamed on the change in weather.  We decided that maybe we need to mix it up for them with simple tracks sometimes so they can be successful.  Here’s William a black and white Springer.  Do you think he might be my Magnum?

Is it the weather?

Two weeks ago, M and I went tracking with Shadow and Hank.  I asked M to lay a blind track – no markers except at the beginning, so the handler has to completely rely upon her dog.  Shadow was outstanding.  A couple of times I thought she was off, but she refused to get off her track and she was right.  Just shows I need to follow the axiom “Listen to your dog”.  Shadow and I tracked again a couple of days later with a blind track laid by Alan.  Again she was outstanding.  I was thinking that she is ready to get certified – a judge will lay a track, and if Shadow does okay, the judge will issue 6 (or about that number) statements of certification to be submitted when I enter her in a tracking test.  Most dogs don’t pass the first test or even several, which is why you get 6 or so certificates.

So Friday we tracked again with M and Hank.  Friday was mid 80’s, windy, and muggy.  Shadow did okay the first couple of legs of the track, and then she was awful.  She kept her head up and didn’t seem to know where to go.  Hank was also pretty bad.  So is it the weather?  Each change in the season takes adjustment for a dog.  They get used to one way the scent is held in the grass and with the change in season it is different.  Also, there are lots of different smells to distract them.  I think hot and muggy is the worst.  Shadow had a big drink of water before she started, but was really thirsty when we finished.  Dog’s noses get really dried out when they are tracking. I should have had water with me to offer to her when I saw her losing the trail.   I’m going later today, but today is wet, so the scent should be easier to track.  But, that’s easy for me to say because my nose isn’t to the ground.

So here is a picture of the puppies at one week – still trying to imagine which puppy will be Magnum.  

Exercise and Retirement

I plan to be active when I retire so that I can run with my new puppy as well as hike and bike with my grandchild.  Since I am about seven weeks out from getting the puppy, I am working on loosing weight.  Over the last month, I’ve lost 5 pounds.  I am determined to lose and keep off another 10 pounds.  So I have decreased my calorie intake to between 1200 and 1400 per day.  It takes about 1600 calories to maintain my current weight.  I am also increasing my exercise to 300 minutes a week as Bob Green recommends in his book 20 Years Younger.  At work, I am trying to walk about half an hour at lunch, and then ride my bike after work.  Today I hiked for an hour, rode my bike for half an hour between raindrops and went tracking with Shadow. 

So, both the reduction of calories and increase in exercise are important.  I’ll let you know how I am doing.  I hope to start short jogs with Shadow in the yard this weekend.  This will help to get me in shape for agility with the puppy.

Patty asked me what I wanted in a puppy.  I told her and then decided to visit to pick out the puppy.  So I am flying to Minneapolis on June 5^th and coming home the next day.  I’ll then return the last weekend in June to take the puppy home.  Patty has kindly offered to let me stay overnight in her guest room.  Above is a picture of Kelly and her 8 puppies.  Wonder which puppy will be mine?

Puppy for Retirement

Is there anything cuter than a newborn puppy?  My ESS friend Patty in Minnesota just emailed that Mach 4 Kelly had 8 puppies– 4 boys and 4 girls.  She sent a picture of the new mom and puppies.  They are so sweet.  Patty then emailed me and asked what I want in a puppy.  I guess the puppy is actually going to be a reality for me and for Shadow.  I am interested in a male because I think a male will fit in better with my two females.  I am interested in health, temperament, and physical ability for agility.  Color’s my last consideration.  I’ve always had liver and white ESS, but I am certainly open to a black and white. 

I will be rereading “The Focused Puppy” so that I can be prepared for all of the things I should be doing with a puppy to prepare it for being a good companion and performance dog.  

I am excited about Kelly’s puppies.  I believe I have found an exceptional breeder whose dogs are passing on genes for agility.  Kelly’s mother Mach 5 Brooke has just retired from agility.  The dogs are great athletes.  The Mach title before their name represents a title at the master’s level in the American Kennel Club (AKC) for 20 double q’s (qualifying in a standard run and a jumper run on the same day) and 750 speed points.  So Kelly has accomplished 80 double q’s and 3,000 speed points, while Brooke has 100 double q’s and 3,750 speed points.  An amazing accomplishment!  Patty is also an awesome competitor.

I checked the mileage and route to Patty’s house in Minnesota – 13 ½ hours.  A long drive, but well worth it.