RIP JoJo

It is with great sadness I am ready to announce the passing of my heart dog, JoJo.  She was the hippie dog to her last day, spreading peace, love, and happiness to everyone everywhere she went.  I had her from 5 years old to 11 years young, and can never be grateful enough for those nearly 6 glorious years.

She was diagnosed with a possible tumor in her urethra when a blood clot showed up in her urine at daycare with no other explanation, and then a mass started growing on her toe.  She was grumpy with Zenzi and Dolce approaching her whenever she was laying down, not just her usual sleep startle.  Walks hurt so much she was panting within seconds, and she flinched if I even lightly touched her hips.  No more hip scritches, and she started not eating, because of the pain meds that were making life bearable for as long as possible.  I knew it was time, my girl never wanted to be on drugs, and was suffering.

She went in our home, experiencing her first true relief from the pain in years, and then dozed off to sleep peacefully.  I felt something, wind that wasn't wind, brush my left cheek as she crossed the rainbow bridge, and I knew she was gone.

Run free, my best girl.  Though I cry to write this, my heart rejoices having known your love.

Phoney Jonie, Alabama racetrack

Born:  September 19th, 2003

She came home perfectly (intuitively on her part, I'm sure) trained for all occasions.

JoJo

November 11, 2008 - October 16, 2014

Social Rehab at the Laguna Beach Dog Park

The Laguna Beach Dog Park (LBDP) is my favorite dog park in the area.  The setting is lovely and interesting, excellently groomed, and the people are always on top of their dogs.  The dogs, for the most part, are excellently socialized.  It's a wonderful place to go.

Zenzi and JoJo have been going here and there ever since Zenzi was old enough.  They always have a good time.  Zenzi follows JoJo's example, and is fine with other dogs off-leash.  Zenzi actually doesn't really care about the other dogs or people, she is only thinking about...

... BALL

Anyways, I used to take Dolce once a week to try to work on socialization.  I gave up on the idea.  He wasn't ready.  He was just over threshold and not learning or enjoying himself.  It was flooding, and not useful.  Lately, he's been SO MUCH BETTER on his walks, I decided to give it another go today.

Since food is banned in the dog park, I couldn't use treats to help him over the initial reaction to the environment.  So I brought my handy dandy "butt blaster" (Spray Shield citronella dog fight spray) and hoped that would suffice when paired with praise and petting...

... It did.

Dolce was initially off his rocker when we arrived.  A combination of reactivity, excitement, and anxiety.  Luckily, the place wasn't very crowded at all, and the small dog area was completely vacant.  So we went in there to absorb the place in peace.  Dolce did calm down after some initial fuss, and was getting sniffy and curious and polite, so we entered the big dog area with everyone else.  He was never off-leash for this excursion.  His greeting skills leave much to be desired.  Until he can master them, I don't trust him off-leash.  Now a lot of people will criticize that him being on-leash in an off-leash environment is a huge no-no.  99% of the time, I'd agree with them.  Dolce is just... Special.  So long as I was careful with my leash handling skills, it was not an issue.  The only time he felt tension on the leash was when he made a bad decision and required restraint (initiating a chase after another dog inappropriately, getting snarky if greeted, etc.).

Dolce's initial greetings were iffy.  He'd sniff, but he couldn't be sniffed.  He would snark, I would spritz the air behind him, and we'd be on our merry way until the next opportunity presented itself.  Mostly, we hung out on the perimeter and watched.  I'd praise him heavily for looking at the doggies playing, and give him his favorite scratches whenever he checked in with me.  He wasn't over threshold enough to not enjoy these things.  It was plenty of space for him to feel safe.  I was feeling better and better about my decision to bring him.

Eventually, much to my amazement, Dolce was greeting other dogs appropriately.  He sniffed, even from face to face, and allowed himself to be sniffed.  If he felt overwhelmed, he would make himself smaller instead of explode, and I'd get him out of there, praising all the while.  When he discovered that retreating didn't make the other dogs hunt him down, he gained confidence.  He became at ease, and even started to lower his tail.  He really liked this little chihuahua girl, and he tolerated a Boston terrier puppy brilliantly.  The chihuahua rolled over onto her back, and he sniffed her, then they play bowed, and chased each other around a bit.  The Boston kept saying hi over and over, and Dolce learned to greet gently of his own accord.  He even invited the puppy to chase, but they were interrupted by a big, white, fluffy dog.  Dolce snarked at this dog, I spritzed the air, we retreated, and Dolce immediately approached at a polite curve to greet the big, white fluffy dog.  They greeted nicely, and split peacefully.

I stood there with my jaw dropped.  I praised Dolce heavily, of course, but with my mouth wide open.  Dolce successfully greeted 3 off-leash dogs today.  Dolce was HAPPY to be in the dog park with other dogs.  Dolce played with the chihuahua.  Dolce invited another dog to play chase.  There must have been something magical about this chihuahua, because Zenzi liked her, too, and chased her around a bit for fun.

JoJo, of course, stuck to the perimeter, sniffing and marking.  She hammed up all the people and got lots of love and attention.

We left on a total high note.  Zenzi was just finishing playing with the chihuahua, Dolce had just greeted the big, white, fluffy dog, and JoJo was leaving a couple who had been petting her thoroughly.  Dolce was getting eager to go play with everyone else, but we left to make sure he wanted to come back for more.  Today was a glorious day. :)

JoJo & Zenzi

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday dear JoJo,

Happy birthday to you!

Today is my dearest JoJo's 10th birthday.  Ten years ago today, my best friend, my heart, was born.  To honor her, I took her to her favorite place, the Laguna Beach Dog Park.  Since Zenzi has been so much better in daycare, I decided she was old enough for her first go.  I was so apprehensive, but look!

She sniffed, allowed herself to be sniffed, went off on her own, engaged other dogs (a tiny bit), and even approached people -- including men!  She played ball with a guy who had a ball, but his dog ran off, disinterested.  Zenzi was an eager substitute!

Introductions ~JoJo

Howdy, everybody! :)

I know I'm late to join the party.  My apologies for my tardiness, but what a wonderful day!  It's so sunny, warm, and relaxing here.

The youngsters have already mentioned me here and there.  That's fine.  I just wanted to let you know a bit about me, and they can carry on.

I was born to a track in a state called Alabama as Phoney Jonie.  I was a terrible racer, had absolutely no interest in competing whatsoever.  World peace is my greatest wish.  I finished 7th out of 8 dogs in my first race, then 7th again in my second race, and the 8th dog had even less interest than I did -- he didn't bother to run at all.

From the track, I was rescued, transported to a state called Michigan, and put in a foster home for a rescue group called REGAP, where I got the nickname, JoJo.  I really enjoyed snuggling with my foster Mom and my foster pals.  We all got along great!  I was adopted about 6 months later by a nice young couple.  I had decent food, a home, family... it was great!  When my human parents stopped getting along, though, my Mom had to give me back to the foster mom.  I didn't mind too much, just tried to make sure everyone was okay.

A few months after that, I was five-years-old by this time, my real Mom came and met me.  I loved how she smelled, and I leaned into her to let her know how much I appreciated the hip scritches!  Her nails are nice and short, so it doesn't hurt my sensitive skin to get really deep ones. ;)

My Mom has taken me to lots of places.  We lived at a house and an apartment in Michigan for a while, and when we were at the apartment, I got to roam in this beautiful dog park.  I loved meeting everybody human and canine alike, but what I really loved was exploring nature!  If a fight broke out, I made sure to interrupt it so everyone could just get along.  Dudes, seriously, life is too short.  Make love not war.

A couple years ago, Mom moved to a state called California to live with my new Dad.  I miss my Mom 2 and first Dad, as well as the fenced in yard they made for me and my sister, Kibeth (RIP), but I do NOT miss the winter.  No flowers to smell, no warm grass to lie in.  Definitely not as good as it is here!  I've walked in the ocean, run in the sand, and even broken up a few fights at the dog parks here; though we don't tend to visit those as often here anymore.  So much anger and hate from the people and the dogs, it's just not a good place to be and fill yourself with peace and happiness.

My favorite things include:  lying in the sun, eating breakfast and dinner, getting treats, playing with my little sister, Zenzi, and going for walks in the local parks.

I'm nine-years-old now, and I can tell that life is a slower pace at this age.  I really like to just nap in my soft, warm bed all day long.  Sure, I emerge for walks and meals, maybe to say hi to the family here and there, spread the love... you know?

Wishing you all love, peace, and happiness!
~JoJo

P.S.  Some of you were worried about me and my dental procedure on Monday.  I'm fine, but thanks for the good vibes!  I could feel the love all the way. ;)

Trying something new: From the point of view of the DOG - Being spayed ~Zenzi

Zenzi here.  Just wanted to let you all know I'm alive... barely.

Yesterday started off like any other day.  We walked, we played a little, it was totally fine.  Then Mom put me and big sis JoJo into her car without breakfast.  - Where are we going for training? - I wondered, sure that's why we had been neglected the morning meal.

We pulled into the parking lot at the V-E-T's (whatever that is, I don't care for it much!).  I was really scared.  There's this guy who works there, he has a thick, black goatee.  He's never been mean to me, but I don't know, he kinda reminds me of a grizzly bear.  I'm suspicious.  Anyway, big sis JoJo waltzes right in like it's no big deal.  I sat my butt down on the cement just outside the door.  - Uh uh.  I'm not going in there! - I thought loudly.  I even pulled at my leash, but Mom beckoned me in, so I obliged her.

BIGGEST MISTAKE EVER.

The goatee man tried to take me into the back room where they drew my blood last week. - No thank you! - I thought as I planted myself.  Mom took the leash, and I felt a bit better knowing she'd be with me, so I walked politely, like I know how to do.  Next thing I know, goatee man points into a large kennel, and Mom locks me in as big sis JoJo walks off with goatee man through a door to another room.  The tall guy, I think he's the leader of the V-E-T, starts talking to Mom.  She seems a little nervous, but she's not obviously upset in anyway.  Then do you know what happened?

SHE LEFT US.

I was in this crate thing for hours.  Just sitting there, hungry, thirsty, watching the action.  Everything before the "spay" as my Mom calls it is kind of a blur now.  I got an IV that gave me fluids and helped me not be thirsty.  Then I got some sleepy medicine, and all I remember is waking up, back in my kennel.  I was really loopy, but there was a nice person there with my bunny toy.  That was nice of them.  I felt safer having my bunny toy with me.  It smelled like home, like my brother Dolce (who always tries and FAILS to steal it from me... hah!), like Mom...

Eventually, Mom remembered us and came back for us.  I was really happy to see her, but I couldn't show her like I usually do.  I had this terrible pain in my belly.  Whatever happened while I was asleep, it hurts a lot!  Stupid humans.  What did I do to deserve this?  Big sis JoJo acted like it was no big deal, but she had a similar patch on her front leg like I had on mine.  Something happened to her, too.  That she wasn't so upset about it made me feel better about whatever happened to me.  JoJo is so strong, she acts like it doesn't even hurt!  Though she says they messed with her teeth and they feel all clean now, they didn't cut her belly open and sew it shut.

So yeah.  I've been "spayed."  I'm coping as best I can.  I still love food, which apparently, is a good sign.  Mom always gets a big smile when I eat.  Duh! Mom, I always like to eat.  Don't ya know by now?  I try to lick my wound, but Mom tells me "Leave it."  She's pretty firm about it, but... it hurts so bad!  After I eat, this food must be super amazing, because I feel better for a little while, and then I get another boost at the next meal.  That's awesome!  Some relief from the pain.

This isn't, like, permanent, is it?  That would suck.  I like running, jumping, playing fetch... definitely not up for those things with this cut in my belly.

I'll let you know if I'm still alive in a few days.  The humans put this stupid cone thing around my neck.  It blocked me from getting at my cut, but hey, I'm smart.  I just pulled the damn thing, collar and all, off over my head.  It kind hurt, but I think I broke it so it went eventually.  Mom has one of her T shirts on me now.  I like that it smells like her, but I can't get at my cut!  Ugh.  I have a smart Mom, but I'm smarter...

Stay tuned...

New Things in Zenzi Land

Well, Zenzi's 4 new titles came and made a pretty addition to her collection. :)
Anasazi Dream Catcher, AKA Zenzi NTD, ITD, BB, BN, BI

Zenzi turned 6 months old on the 6th (!!) and so gets spayed and microchipped tomorrow.  Hopefully it's not too traumatizing for the little girl!  She's been so much braver in public lately.  She's getting over her stranger danger warnings nicely.

JoJo will be there to keep Zenzi company.  She's overdue for a dental.

Zenzi starts Puppy Sport class tomorrow, but obviously, will not be present for the first class.  Unfortunately scheduling conflicts with the spay prevented her from attending, but I will be there.  The trainer has kindly offered one of her MACH dogs for me to work!  I'm so honored!  We'll be attending a Control Unleashed workshop with this trainer for Dolce on the 17th.

[BTW, we have 2 new additions to the house!  Budgies AKA Parakeets, two of them, have made their way into our lives and we're really enjoying their cheerful song and beautiful colors.  I'll be starting a blog for them shortly!]

Holiday Reunion

Rick and I flew back to Michigan from the 25th-30th to visit family and friends for the holidays.  It was a wonderful visit.

I left the pack in the trusted care of my mother-in-law and Irvine Pam.  Dolce and JoJo had a great time with MamaMarge, and Zenzi had a wonderful experience at Camp Pam.  Zenzi made friends with Penny, a miniature schnauzer!  Zenzi has not had the opportunity to make friends with other dogs, so this is extraordinary.  Pam reports Zenzi even roughhoused with Penny.  I'm so proud. :)

When we returned the dogs to each other for the first time in those 5 days, the greeting was so exuberant and loving I nearly teared up.  I finally have a pack of dogs who are really attached to each other, love each other, and express that affection beautifully.  It was a sight to behold.  I'm so grateful for the wonderful care my babies received in my absence.

Canine New Year Resolutions:

• Finish Zenzi's house training.
• Introduce Zenzi to agility basics.
• Hike at least once a week with Dolce and Zenzi.
• Walk JoJo by herself everyday.
• The elusive CGC title for Dolce.
• The CGC title for Zenzi.
• Put an Expert Trick Dog title on Dolce so we can apply for Trick Dog Champion.
• Put Intermediate, Advanced, and Expert Trick Dog titles on Zenzi so she can be a Trick Dog Champion, too.
• Prepare Zenzi for the Public Access Test.
• Get Zenzi certified as a Therapy Dog.
• Earn any Novice Rally-O title with Zenzi.
• Earn any Novice Obedience title with Zenzi.
• More doing, less studying of dog training.

Personal Resolutions:

• Daily yoga workout Monday-Friday.
• Run or bike with Dolce a few times per week.
• Wake up early (5:30am), go to bed early (10:00pm).
• Read instead of watch TV to help myself fall asleep at night.
• Look more polished (makeup & hair) for teaching.
• Get to goal weight of 120lbs.
• Less soda and eating out, more water and eating in.

Zenzi's 4th Puppy Class

I'm sorry this is late.  It's been really busy!

Zenzi had her 4th puppy class yesterday.  She was still pretty cautious going into the facility.  While we waited in the parking lot, she decided a steel trash bucket for the nearby poop station was scary.  So we did lots of "Go see!" and she got over it.

In class, we did a lot more socializing, this time with strange objects, Halloween decorations in particular.

• motorized hand wrapped in gauze
• mechanical walking/yapping small puppy dog
• Frankenstein head
• black witch's hat with a feathery brim
• bubble wrap strip
• umbrella
• two dome-shaped exercise ball things that are very small, hand-sized

She was a champ about ALL of these objects!  She nose touched, pawed, and knocked over the hand right away.  I was shocked, you could hear the gears, see the fingers twitching.  She thought the puppy dog was a great toy and had no problems knocking it down, putting a paw on it, and trying to wrestle with it.  The Frankenstein head was no threat, either.  She even tried to tug the string it would hang from.  I got her to put her entire snout IN the witch's hat with no hesitation right from the get-go.  She walked on the bubble wrap, and barely flinched when I popped some of the bubbles.  She had so much fun walking on it, she actually AIMED for it!  The umbrella was awesome, too.  She actually ended up POUNCING on it while it was open!  Open, close, back and forth quickly -- no problem.  The true genius of my puppy showed when she learned to put both front paws up, one on each of the dome-shaped nubby ball things.  And Amanda said it might take some time... Yeah, try 3 minutes tops. :)

Then we had puppy play time.  Zenzi just DOES NOT want to have anything to do with hyper, overactive puppies.  She even growled a meaningful, low, brief growl at them when they tried to gang up on her.  I got her out of there and we went off and played on our own.

Dismayed by her dislike of the hyper puppies, I called up Irvine Pam for a play date.  Technically she'd been to Auntie Pam's before; we took her there the day we brought her home to have Pam help introduce her to Dolce.  But it was night time, and we were only there for 10 minutes.  Anyway... We went out to Pam's place that afternoon, and Zenzi met Bella and Lily, a havanese and a maltese, plus Pam's friend, Marileen's dog, Bailey, a peek-a-pom.  The greetings with Bella and Lily went swimmingly (both young adult dogs, 4 and 3 years old), and Zenzi loved on them both instantly.  I was relieved.  The greeting with Bailey was not quite so smooth.  I had tried using a treat to break the ice (as I like to do), but unbenounced to me, Bailey is a food-guarder, and ended up snapping at Zenzi.  Zenzi, to my chagrin, was slightly affronted, but let it roll off as no big deal.  From there on out, Zenzi and Bailey were completely fine with each other.

Pam got her skateboard, and I demonstrated Zenzi's brilliance wheeling it around, and tolerating being hoisted up while I press down on the end with my foot, then crashing it back down (teeter practice, anyone?) and her scampering off only to get back on and look at me as if to say, "That was fun!  Let's do it again, ready Mom?"  We practiced tricks, did a nosework course with some cardboard boxes, and even a little agility jump box work.  Zenzi, of course, did not jump anything at her young age, but enjoyed going over a pole in the grass all the same.  Her nosework was amazing, too.  She found the treat fastest, and had never played the game before.  Pam even put the tray with the treat in a box, then another box over 2/3 of that box.  No problem, Zenzi stuck her snout right in there, bumped the top box off, and ate the treat.

I was amazed by Zenzi's boldness in this interaction at Auntie Pam's.  I had Dolce along, and thought perhaps that gave her some extra confidence.  Though, I really think the environment at Wags & Wiggles, with the daycare right beyond the training room, intimidates her.  Oh, Auntie Pam got out her Ikea tunnel when we were practicing agility, and Zenzi was SUCKED IN right away!  I could believe it!  She waltzed right up to it, then ran through at top speed, turned around to look at me with a big smile on her face before going through it the other way.

Pam keeps saying she's met a lot of smart dogs -- she's raised GSDs all her life, met several of her trainer friends' border collies... Zenzi is the smartest dog she's ever met.

Did I mention Zenzi pooped in class?  She also peed and pooped while playing outside at Auntie Pam's?  She pooped on the pack walk, and peed during IDOGS today, too. What a good girl!  Peeing and pooping in new places, outside, on-leash.  YES.

I got a new camera, and Zenzi LOVES JoJo.

JoJo has actually instigated play a few times with Zenzi. O.o

The +R Version of a Correction/Punishment

After watching this video by KikoPup on YouTube, I have decided to eliminate the butt blaster from our training regimen.  I am going to incorporate a whistle instead (read on).  I think they essentially serve the same purpose (at least they do for Dolce), but I always have my whistle on me, and it'll draw fewer horrified looks from onlookers.  [If Dolce had reacted to the butt blaster in a negative way, I never would have used it again.  It simply and strictly redirected his attention onto me in an immediate way that required no training.]

What I do:  when I make a specific, short whistle sound on our walks, he is to turn to me immediately, expecting a fun game of chase in reverse and a yummy treat; when I make the same whistle in the house, like when he barks excessively, he is to come find me and expect lots of pets and praise, play, or even a treat if I have one.

Today is my first official day training this and putting it into practice.  I took Dolce out with one of the greys (separately) on our afternoon walk.  I whistled, and when Dolce turned to look at me, I jogged backward and got out a treat, praising him for how smart he is.  I love that a whistle is a sound that dogs inherently orient to -- even the greyhounds!  So he and Kibeth or JoJo each got a yummy (it seems to work best for me to break the chicken jerky discs into 1/2, then Dolce's into 1/4 -- I feed Dolce one, then the girls get theirs, then he gets another afterward) every time I make this sound.

By the way, these treats seem to be Dolce's favorites for walks.

I've been getting Wellness, Wilderness, and Canidae mushy square treats,

but he always responds best to these lately.

Every dog I work with goes bonkers for them, too.

I just wish they weren't made in China. =/

It seems to have stuck into Dolce's brain after one training session; no surprise there.  The pleasant surprise was that it worked for Kibeth, too!  I'm excited for this, because Kibeth has started reacting to dogs who are acting rudely on our walks.  This will be an excellent management tool for the both of them!

We have our first social hike together tonight.  I'm hoping he'll be a good boy, and our new interruptor will help.  He's been a little on edge ever since we met Twix and Bailey on Tuesday.  I got some Natural Balance food roll (grain-free duck flavor) for the walk to help him cope.  I'll probably bring along some hot dog, too.  We generally don't use the Natural Balance because I hate how it crumbles.  We'll see if Pam's suggestion of refrigerating it prior to use helps!  It's certainly CONSIDERABLY cheaper, and I remember when I did use it, Dolce thought it was puppy crack!

But we already have a dog store in our house...

...My husband feels this way, and I'm hoping others can relate.

I have a confession to make. I am addicted to buying stuff and shopping for my dogs.

I have tried so much stuff, and mentioning in my last post that I just bought the Sens-ation harness is bringing on this post.

Dolce is an unusual shape, just like my greyhounds.  None of the usual harnesses fit them.  I could walk into PetCo, Pet Supply, and PetSmart, and NOTHING would fit them, as far as harnesses are concerned.  The only one that sort of fit was Halti's harness for Dolce.  Like I mentioned, I lost it.  However, nothing has fit my greyhounds, and JoJo HATES wearing a harness.

I got Kibeth Hurtta's Y-harness.  It helps her get up and down the stairs in her golden years, and is the only harness that seems to fit her relatively well.

But seriously, I have tried it all.  Every time something new comes up, I have to buy one, I have to try it. I'm the same way with violin strings.  My clients all appreciate this habit obsession of mine.  My checkbook... Not so much.

I got Dolce the super fancy Walkeez harness, which has fleece EVERYWHERE that the harness comes in contact with the dog's body, including the belly straps!  I was so excited to get him the cream of the crop of dog harnesses.  Unfortunately, his unusual shape causes the fleece around his belly to rotate behind the strap, and defeats the whole big benefit of this harness.  We still use it on hikes, but I'm really bummed.  I could sew it, but I'm no seamstress.

The New Look-At-That Game & HUGE Success!

Hi, guys!

So I just have to share this amazing leap forward Dolce made today...

When we set out on our 4.5 mile walk today, I decided to try something a little different with Dolce's reactivity.  I also brought JoJo with me, and I think her calmness definitely helped contribute to the idea.  Anyway, I tried doing "Look at that!" with every dog we saw, as soon as Dolce locked in on them.  He got treats and praise and a little mini party until he was no longer interested or focused intently in the other dog.  We would then continue forward until we passed the other dog (always head-on today), at which point another party would ensue, because we survived.  While we were passing the other dog, I would just take audibly deep breaths (calming signal to Dolce).  He picked up on my deep breaths instantly, and would relax with each inhale/exhale, but get a little amped in-between.  When we survived (without a nasty reaction, mind) then woohoo Dolce, the genius, who was polite to strangers of his own species!

Behaviors exhibited:

• mild whining
• quiet "talking"
• low, brief growl
• nervous excitement
• happy excitement

And wow!  On our walk, we encountered about 12 different dogs.  His reaction to each one got milder and milder.  We even pulled over for a runner and her JRT (who was politely running on-leash in heel position), and I had Dolce do a "front."  He got treats every time he looked at the dog as the dog passed us by (within 2 feet!) or if he chose to look at me, and he didn't give a single "bad" reaction!  He acted happy, as though he wanted to go say hi!  I was thrilled.

So yeah, this even worked in our apartment complex!  Which has been the nemesis for him.  Ex:  We saw our neighbor with his an Italian greyhound, who I would LOVE Dolce to be playmates with.  Using this method, for the first time, I got to at least say hi to the dog's owner!

I just wanted to thank all of you for your help, support, and contributions to this process.  We're getting there!

JoJo's ear cleaning day was massively successful!

So, about once a month, I clean JoJo's ears.  Her ears have always been HORRIBLE.  Filled with dried up, black gunk.  Finally, today, we got to have a cooperative session involving the sacrifice of many Q-tips and cotton balls.  I poured the ear solution into her ear while she was lying in the sun.  She let that soak in without fuss.  I then used Q-tips to carefully swirl the gunk up and out of her ear.  Not realizing how wonderful she'd be today, I didn't bother to get a before photo.  So I found this one online:

It was kinda like that, only greyhound-y.

So, here's the gunk that was removed out of both ears...

And here's the after photos!

right ear

left ear

Whew!  I'm so glad that's over.  She was such a trooper.  I think she knew she had to hold still for this to work, and she just cooperated!  It was wonderful to finally get all that gunk out for good.

"Phodography"

I love taking photos of my beautiful pooches.  I'm using the entry level DSLR Nikon D3100 camera I got my fiancé for our first Christmas together.  I'm having  a blast, and he hardly ever touches it.  Works out great!

The Angelic Queen Kibeth

What we lovingly refer to as, "Kibby Cuteface!"

This photo can be seen on the Facebook page for

a New Zealand greyhound advocacy group!

Kibby and Dolce cuteface. :)

Clearly, princess JoJo detests having her picture taken.

This is the best family photo I managed to get.

I'll give you one cute picture, Mom...

... And then I'm through with this photo shoot.

Puppy: Breeder vs. Rescue

Kibeth is scaring me.  She's more playful again with the Previcox, her helicopter tail is back in action; but honestly, she's just slowing down more and more on our walks.  The bloodwork to ensure she's tolerating the Previcox OK came back just fine, so that's a relief.  JoJo also can't seem to keep weight on -- I'm worried it's her kidneys.  Time to think about something happy...

All 3 of my dogs are rescues.  The only animal in my whole life that hasn't been a rescue is our first dog my parents got me when I was 4-years-old.  Sami was a wire-haired fox terrier who was a puppy at a pet store.  I believe very firmly in rescuing, and adamantly oppose backyard breeders, puppy mills, and mass-production of puppies in general.

However, there are tasks for which the risks of using a rescue puppy are a serious consideration.  You don't know what the puppy's first weeks have been like, and they're so impressionable it makes a big difference.  Knowing the puppy has grown up in a wonderful environment its first 8-10 weeks makes for a much more likely candidate for a super performance and/or service dog.  This is what I need my next dog to be.

Dolce could be GREAT.  If he didn't have reactivity and could be confident in new situations, I absolutely believe that with an experienced handler, he could go REALLY far very quickly in any dog sport.  Except maybe frisbee... he has absolutely no desire to even learn to like them.  Completely pointless.  Anyway, since he had a rotten upbringing, we're being held back by his behavioral challenges.  I don't want to go through this again with my next dog, and I desperately want the experience of raising a well-adjusted puppy.  I have many thoughts/theories/ideas how to do it, and I can't wait to try them out.  Not to mention, who doesn't love puppies?

Enter Contact Point Border Collies, a southern California border collie breeder extraordinaire.  I've decided to get my next dog from one of their litters.  Hopefully, out of Bluff or one of her descendants -- I have my heart set on a blue or tri-colored merle.  I'm willing to wait for that special puppy.  If I'm really capable of that, I don't know, I may just be overcome with puppy cuteness when the time is right whether there's a merle or not.

I can't have more than 3 dogs, so it'll be a while, but I like to cope with something scary (Kibeth and JoJo in their senior years) by thinking about the future (border collie puppy -- who doesn't like to think/plan for a puppy!?).  Their pups are about $1,500 and I've already worked out it'll cost about $2,000 to go through all the basic classes.  Twice with the puppy while it's growing up (that way, the timing should be perfect as it grows to progress to the next class).  That means I need to have about $5,000 saved for this puppy (adoption fee, veterinary needs, training) before I get it.  I'm already starting a little stash. :P

What prompted the switch from greyhounds to border collies?  Answer:  Dolce.  He's so much more "me" than the greyhounds.  Don't get me wrong, my girls are PERFECT dogs.  Everyone compliments me all the time, and I love them for so many reasons I can't possibly list them all, nor does English have a suitable vocabulary for such things.  However, I love his zest to train, interact, snuggle, and just "do."  He's so much more oriented toward me, and his unfailing energy is so much fun!  Of course, in typical me fashion, I've been reading like crazy.  I enjoy this dog stuff so much!  It's like I'm a little kid again, except instead of memorizing every book about horses, I'm learning dogs. :)

Meet Bluff, exactly what I want

my border collie to look like...

Kibeth & JoJo Health Update

Well, I haven't updated here in a while.  There's not going to be much more to report on the training of the girls.  Their various health issues makes training near impossible.  We still review the basics everyday with the NILIF way of life, and have switched over to kibble/cans.  Kibeth started having trouble working at raw chicken for long enough, and JoJo needs to have as little phosphorus as possible = cans.

Kibeth was recently diagnosed with Lumbosacral Stenosis (LS).

This means there is a problem in her spine, 

where arthritis-like changes are causing a disk to push upward and press on her nerves.

This is very painful, and only manageable on anti-inflammatories and pain killers.

Asking her to work too much is a bad idea.

JoJo was diagnosed with mild kidney disease last year.

We manage this with diet.

That means no excess proteins and limited phosphorus.

That rules out any extra yummy treats, which kills her motivation to work.

In short... Getting old sucks.  Kibeth turns 10-years-old on October 26th; JoJo turns 9-years-old on September 19th.  All heads turn to...

The path before us is unclear.

Dolce is super smart, having already earned his Novice & Intermediate Trick Dog titles.

However, his past makes being around other dogs a total killjoy.

We enrolled in Sue Myles' Rescue Rehab class, and have seen tremendous progress.

It's only been 3/5 weeks, and we've come leaps and bounds!

However, we're still no where near competition ready, nor CGC passable.

We are allowed to enroll in Sue's advanced class, Companion Dog Basics.

Hopefully, this will be the final piece of the puzzle.

We want to train for agility, rally, obedience, flyball, and freestyle.

Here's hoping!  You can follow our training here: Pawsitive Training Tails

This blog will now keep a pictorial story of the girls' retirement, and Dolce's training.