Bark, Fetch, Run!

Puppies, Puppies, Puppies!

2011-05-30T05:51:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love some puppies?!

The last couple of months have brought a couple different puppies into our circle of people.

The very first lovable lump of fluff was Buck. Buck is an English Shepherd brought home by my mother- and father-in-law back in March.

I've only met a handful of English Shepherds in my life, so it was quite interesting to think I might be related to one! He is a BIG boy too... I think when we brought him home at about 15 weeks he was already almost 30 pounds. Two months later he is all leg and all bone, and I would guess he's gained at least another 10 or 15 pounds.

He came and stayed with us for a week shortly after he came here. What a smart boy... he picked up commands very quickly and never tried any naughty puppy stuff after we corrected him the first time. And no accidents in the house the whole week either!

Jade and Buck at the local park during the week he was with us... you can see how big he is compared to Jade. Also, this was during the "I'm not so sure about this new dog!" phase before Jade accepted Buck, haha:

Buck was put on sheep while we had him and he did pretty good with that as well, especially considering he was only about 16 or 17 weeks old. The first time in was the typical puppy/first-time-on-stock behavior where he ran around nipping and barking somewhat:

I promise the session wasn't as bad as that picture looks, the shutter just happened to capture a crazy moment! The second time in with sheep after a break, you could clearly see that his brain turned on and he was thinking about what he was doing or what he was supposed to be doing, started getting out a little farther and wasn't chomping and such. So the instinct is definitely there... I'm not sure he'll ever become a sheepdog but who knows.

The next new puppy in our circle is Babs. Babs belongs to one of our good friends, she is an American Bulldog. What a tank... she might not have been very tall when she came home, but she is completely solid- I believe she weighed in at 35 pounds at four months old!

Unfortunately the weekend that she stayed at our house was rainy and not very nice, so this is the one picture I got of her before she had to go. She lives two hours away, so we haven't seen her since, guess we'll just have to go visit sometime!

And now for the most exciting puppy addition... MY puppy!!!

We don't have a name picked out for her quite yet, but she comes home in FIVE DAYS!!!! Ahhh I'm so excited. She's a little bit of a hellion, she's got quite a bit of attitude. I got to go meet her about a week ago to pick out which puppy I was getting, she was feisty for sure.

I keep coming up with new things that I'm most excited about... having another dog, training another dog, training another sheepdog, the socialization process, the fact that she'll get daily exposure to sheep when we start working her, her fantastic bloodlines, the fact that being a smoothie will make her easier to clean after outings... the list goes on and on!

She'll be a little unusual looking (compared to what most people perceive as a Border Collie)... she'll probably be smaller, lots of ticking, black and white tri, brindleing in her tri-points, and God-willing some uppy-ears! So I can't wait to hear what kind of breed guesses I get for her ;-)

I can't wait!!!!! Lots more photos- and a name- to come!!

Life Is Weird...

2011-01-22T11:36:00.000-08:00

You never know what life is going to throw at you.

For instance, never in my life did I think I would be involved with a pointer rescue. Nor did I ever think I would be fostering one myself!

I got started with Great Plains Pointer Rescue by taking photos of my coworker's foster dogs to help them find an adoptive home.

First there was the very handsome Teak, who was adopted within two weeks. Teak, along with another Shorthair, was dumped from a pickup truck on a gravel road somewhere in Nebraska.

Then there was Stanley, who was also adopted within two weeks. Stanley was a stray in NW Iowa... he had excellent manners and more than likely was an escapee, but when no one claimed him, he came to rescue.

Currently, there is Sawyer. Sawyer is about 3 years old and is an English Pointer who has probably been hunted quite a bit, as he showed up with a lot of brush scarring. He spent a couple months in a shelter in Kansas, and is doing great in his foster home. Sawyer is a happy-go-lucky guy with lots of energy... he runs and runs and runs and runs at the dog park. But, he always checks in with mum to see what's up. Sawyer has been living here for the last month or so and is still looking for his forever home!

...And he's beginning to figure this 'play' thing out, too!

And perhaps the cutest of the fosters, Bonnie and Clyde came to Ames and were quickly adopted. Bonnie & Clyde are English Pointer x Brittany mix puppies, although we don't see much of the Brittany in them. What a couple of cuties!

Bonnie was the puppy that I fostered. Weighing in at five pounds, she is a feisty little dog! Lots of energy and lots of spunk. Since she was so little when she came, she hated being outside so she needed a little sweater. And she got to turn into a little kangaroo puppy when we were outside for longer than a potty break:

But, since she was so stinkin' cute, she didn't last long in our foster home, she was here for about a week. At least I have some pictures to remember how cute they were!

Jade really enjoyed having Bonnie around... they played bitey-face a lot.

I sure can't wait til my puppy comes in May/June!! This was a nice puppy-refresher course... :-)

2010-12-26T18:38:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays!

You'll Love This

2010-09-24T06:03:00.000-07:00

Fall in Iowa

2010-09-19T15:36:00.000-07:00

So far September has been a pretty cool month... more photography this month than in August anyway! This month I've spent two Saturdays at Iowa's Living History Farms. (If you're ever in the Des Moines area with some free time, y'all should make sure to check out this living museum!) Good thing I spent two days there too- once two weeks ago, a beautiful day, and again yesterday for the 5th Annual Photography Day. Yesterday was a blast, but we were dodging rain all day.

The best part of LHF's Photography Day was getting to play with different toys from the Nikon, Tamron, and Canon booths. I got to tool around the grounds with an SB-600 external flash, a 35mm lens, and a 55-300mm telephoto. After playing with those accessories, I definitely need an external flash! What a difference!

The flash made shots like these happen:

The last photo probably isn't quite where I would have wanted it to be, but considering I had the flash to play with for less than an hour, I was pretty happy with what I got!

I won't bombard you with too many pictures, but just wanted to share a few more pictures from yesterday...

The weather here in central Iowa (for the most part) has been absolutely beautiful! Perfect fall weather, which is a well-deserved treat from the awful heat of this summer. Great weather for playing outside and documenting rural life on the farm...

...and a cute puppy to end on!

Our State Fair Is A Great State Fair

2010-09-02T13:39:00.000-07:00

Well, we survived the month of August! Got a lot of really great photos, I think September will be another great photography month.

The Iowa State Fair was wonderful as always... hot, busy, crowded, and awesome. I ended up going down three times- the first day was the stockdog trials. Kind of like Albert Lea, we didn't do all that great... I keep thinking 'I should've done this' or 'I should've done that' but the bottom line is I don't think we were really ready for Iowa State Fair level. I think we were fairly out of our element too... there were a lot of distractions, I think I can remember the beeping of some big machine moving around. Anyway, we penned, and that was it. It was a good pen though! Oh well... better luck next year.

I hate shooting in the arena where the trial was held, I didn't take very many pictures of that trial, but only four out of the ones I did take turned out:

In other news, I just launched a blog page for my photography, hoping to gain some clients, gain a lot of experience and practice, and start making some money from shooting. Visit my new site! JaderBug Photography

I took a lot of photos during the ISF, I think with the remainder of this post I'll just unload a bunch of them!

We helped some friends from the Iowa Draft Pony Hitch Association prepare for the show...

The same night as the IDPHA show was also the Percheron/Clydesdale show...

On the final day of the fair was the farm team competitions...

...and some of my other favorite photos from the fair... many more in my 2010 Iowa State Fair set on Flickr!

Tiny, a Hampshire boar was the runner-up Big Boar, weighed in at 1166 lbs!!

Of course, I was in love with him :-)

PS- Gris got to come too :-)

Only 341 days until the next Iowa State Fair!!!!

Water & Sheepdoggin'

2010-08-13T18:37:00.000-07:00

Wow! Three blog entries in the same month?! No way!! I deserve a cookie...

On Wednesday, the twelve inches of rain in three days finally caught up with us, resulting in massive flooding around Ames. I'm not sure what the crest levels were of the Skunk River and Squaw Creek that run through Ames, but I know they broke the records from the floods of 1993.

To give y'all some perspective, this photo of Jade was taken on Sunday:

...and this is the same park on Wednesday:

This is 13th St, which runs a block south of my home, at the height of the crest of Skunk River:

Gris isn't real sure what to think of all this water...

The flooding has gone down quite a bit, but it left it's fair share of damage... Iowa State's basketball court in Hilton Coliseum was floating in five feet of water on Wednesday.

Anyway, in less soggy news, time to post pictures as promised from last Saturday's sheepdog trial. Our run wasn't very good, the sheep were way too light for our level of training, I think these sheep would've been better in a field trial rather than an arena trial anyway.

This is about how well our run went:

Darn thing just laid down on us twice (I thought it had died the first time!)... we received a rerun, but our second group of sheep, we had a lamb jump through a fence and leave the arena, that was about enough for us. Same lamb did that to several different people too. Jade had some really fantastic moments of brilliance though, I was pretty proud of her!

The trial wasn't a total loss... I got some really fantastic photos and was able to pay for my lost entry fee by selling photos.

This is Ginn... she's a 10 year old Border Collie, a wonderful worker who won the ranch class. Smooth coated ticked red tri with uppy ears and a fantastic worker... she was perfect :-)

This is Spot, another excellent worker. He was tied to the ball hitch of a truck, and every time Jade walked by, he'd kind of wake up and give her the "Hey baby!" eyes (Jade was in heat)...

Duce, Ginn's littermate... also a wonderful dog and worker...

There were also a lot of really great Kelpies at this trial too! The few Kelpies I've seen are kind of maniacs, but the Kelpies at this trial almost make me want one of my own, they were really wonderful workers...

Buddy, a 7-month old Border Collie/Australian Cattle Dog mix on his way to rescue... his owners got rid of him for chasing cows and killing baby chickens... people are dumb. Anyway, Buddy is a wonderful young dog, great personality and a lot of potential. I'm a sucker for BC/ACDs!!!

Sassy, my trainer's Aussie... I LOVE this picture...

Dot

Sweep

Well, that's all I have until next time, which will probably still be again this month. Lots going on this month, as I said earlier... this weekend I am shooting at a Schutzhund trial, should be lots of fun! Then, of course, the Iowa State Fair... Non Stop Fun!!!

There are many more photos of the flooding and the sheepdog trial on my Flickr page... check 'em out! :-)

Conspiracy Theory

2010-08-09T16:02:00.001-07:00

Not sure where I found this, but it's been lurking on my desktop for a while, had to post it :-)

August Is Here!!!

2010-08-07T20:43:00.000-07:00

August, by far the best month of the whole darn year, is finally upon us dear readers.

Why is August the best month of the year?? Well, first of all, it is the month of my birth, so that already pretty much makes it the best.

Also, this is about the time of year that Iowa sweet corn is at it's best... Gris loves our Iowa gold as well...

However, what probably trumps my birthday, August also brings us the Iowa State Fair!!!

If you are anywhere near Iowa from August 12 to 22, it's your civic duty to come and experience the Iowa State Fair. It's probably one of the best things on earth and I look forward to it every year, usually try to go two or three times.

There's tons of things to see at the State Fair...

...including the world famous annual Butter Cow...

...and pigs...

...and horses...

...and big pigs (i.e. Big Boar contest)...

...and old tractors...

...and rides on the midway...

...and some baby piggies...

...and competitions in the old and brand new Pavilion...

...and did I mention there will be piggies there?!?!!!

Anyway, this year's Iowa State Fair is a little more special than usual... this will be our first year competing at the Iowa State Fair Stockdog Trial. I won't lie, I'm kind of nervous about it. Another thing I am excited about is having my camera down there... I didn't have my camera at this time last year, so that will be pretty fun. I am thinking about going down for my own personal photography day for one day during the fair.

There are a couple other things going on as well, one of which I am excited about photographing is the Iowa Hundesport Club's meet on August 14th... I think Schutzhund is an incredible sport and I can't wait to go and learn more about it... it doesn't hurt that all the dogs are extremely handsome as well, can't wait for those photographs :-)

I spent the day at a sheepdog trial today... will post pictures and details soon.

Happy Shooting!!

Lessons Learned, Life Goes On

2010-07-23T06:43:00.000-07:00

Wow, been super busy lately... lots of stuff going on! Dog sitting... sheepdoggin'... trialling... photographing... whew! No wonder I haven't had any time to blog! We had another guest Border Collie come to stay with us a while back... Lady is not quite a year old and she was lots of fun to have around.

It took a day or two for Jade to get used to having another dog over, but after that they played with each other quite a bit. I took them to the baseball fields near my house and they were running around and having a blast... it was an interesting dynamic because Lady preferred the Frisbees while Jade would rather chase a ball, seemed strange for two dogs to be chasing after two different objects. Kind of shows the independence of Border Collies... or at least these two dogs!

By the end of the week, we had Lady pretty well tired out though!!

Over the 4th of July, we had an ASCA trial at my herding trainer's house. It was the first ASCA trial that we've been to, we had a blast! Jade earned her started titles in sheep and ducks, and one leg of her open ducks title. I think it's safe to say I'm hooked on this trialing stuff!!

Jade over the weekend... wish she would have looked at the camera for this, but I am no competition for the ducks that were in the pen behind me.

We have three trials planned for August and I can't wait. One is a county fair trial in Minnesota, another is an AHBA trial near Omaha, and the last of course is at the Iowa State Fair. Can't wait, they're all going to be fun. Working hardest for the Iowa State Fair, most nervous about that one.

In other Border Collie news, Jade and I made some new friends... finally, a Border Collie enthusiast that's my age! Chico is a rescued Border Collie, and he and his mum have recently discovered herding. Chico's mum, after their first time on sheep, excitedly said, "Well I guess agility just went right out the window!" which I just love.

Until next time...

Check, Check...

2010-05-26T19:46:00.000-07:00

Is this thing on??!

It'd be nice if I ever updated this blog, or even wrote in it :-)

In short, we've been busy with this and that.

After my last post, we were sheepdoggin' for two weekends in a row- the first was a judging clinic and the second was our *first* *herding* *trial* *ever*!

I have to say, I was pretty excited about the AHBA trial, at which we received our first herding title! We had a morning run and an afternoon run, placing second and first respectively. The first run went really well, and the second I didn't think we did well at all, we couldn't get the sheep out of either the take pen or the free-standing pen. Somehow, though, we got it done.

Jade received a bag of sprinkle cookies for her good job as a sheepdog :-)

In other news, Jade received a couple new toys as well... including this super cool octopus guy. A dog toy distributing website used a photo of mine without my permission, and offered me a gift certificate as an apology. So Jade reaped the benefits, she freakin' loves this thing.

Several weeks ago we had a guest staying with us... meet Lucy!

Lucy is an Australian Shepherd puppy that we puppy-sat for a week. Very cute... she'd make a really great agility or herding dog. She was lots of fun, but quite a bit different than Jade was as a puppy! It was very interesting having a puppy-training refresher, a lot more work than I remember. Makes you take your adult trained dog for granted!

I may look cute and innocent... innocent for the most part anyway...

Not sure what the weather is doing in other parts of the country, but it's heating up here in central Iowa! Seems like we just plain skipped spring and went right into summer around here. Which, after the rotten winter we had, is a nice refreshment!

The dogs are loving it, especially Jade who keeps trying to go swimming in the river when I take her to get a drink at the local park. So a friend and I took Jade and Jax to another local park with a lake, the lake had actually flooded over the trail we were on. Didn't matter to the dogs, they loved it. Neither dog was really interested in swimming... Jade loves playing in the water but she has no interest in going deeper than her feet can touch.

Managed to get some good pictures of Jax, but only because the water slowed him down enough for the shutters to catch him :-)

Well, hopefully it won't be another two months before I write another post... thinking I have some things to talk about in all actuality.

PS- A few weeks later and Lucy's ears have taken off like a rocket ship! I love an Aussie with uppy-ears...

The Times, They Are A Changin'...

2010-04-06T07:18:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how or when it happened, but Spring is upon us! Finally! Jeepers this was a bad winter.

All that snow had to go somewhere, and Jade did a pretty good job of finding it...

...and when she did find it, she decided to pound the life out of it. Not so much in anger, like the rest of us would have, but probably more out of sadness that snowtimez were gone. However, that means puddles were around, and those are fun too!

Needless to say, we headed straight for the dog wash (aka Best Invention Ever) after this. I certainly couldn't let this Jade-shaped monster back into my house...

Spring brings other fun things too...

...like PUPPIES...

Oh hai... my name is Miss Kitty!

Unfortunately not MY puppies though. My trainer had a litter of Aussies- I'm not bringing any of them home with me, but he's keeping little miss Reba, so that's just about as good as getting my own puppy.

Don't lie... you know you want me.

My cousin-in-law got an Aussie puppy too... his name is Tex.

But I'm not from Texas.

Not sure Jade knows what to think of all these puppies!

Plus, another cousin-in-law got a puppy over Christmas... Mr. Baxter

I only LOOK sweet and innocent...

*Sigh*... all these puppies everywhere and none to call my own! I suppose a good way to keep puppies off the brain is to move somewhere else. Which we did. And we painted a whole bunch of rooms, which I've been wanting to do for YEARS!!

So of course I had to have a green office. A great color, and a great backdrop too... :-)

You're tiring me out, lady.

There's a lot of great things about moving from an apartment into a house... like having my own laundry... and having lots of space... and having a back yard... and exploring the new neighborhood!

Our new local park beats the pants off our old local park!!!

I'm developing a love of hiking, so you can imagine how psyched I was to find a park just down the street from us full of trails and woods and a river, etc...

Jade pretty much loves it too, and seems to have found her new element.

There's also a cluster of baseball diamonds near us that make a great Frisbee/ChuckIt area :-)

Even if my dog can't catch... or jump...

But, it's great just to have a back yard to play in too :-)

Happy Easter!

Pet Portraiture

2010-03-05T19:18:00.000-08:00

Meet Raider!

A friend of mine asked me to shoot her dog. So I took him out into the woods and shot him. Over and over.

And while he was still running around, I took him out to the prairie and shot him some more.

Them pointers are tough snots! Just wouldn't stop running!

Raider is about the same age as Jade. He was lots of fun to be around- just ran and ran and ran and ran! While we were walking in a straight line, Jade pretty much watched him, sometimes chasing after him but mostly watching Raider zig zag all over ahead of us.

He had fun, and he looked a little crazy doing it.

This was a ton of fun... maybe this will lead to some sort of side-job. Getting paid to take pictures of dogs... I could get used to that :-)

Where there are sheep...

2010-02-10T06:07:00.001-08:00

Campanile, Iowa State University, 1905, originally uploaded by Iowa State University Library Special Collections.

...you will find sheepdogs. Vintage picture from Iowa State's campus when sheep were still grazing on Central Campus, accompanied by a sheepdog. You can probably imagine how excited I was to find this picture! :-)

More ChuckIt, and some Rally...

2010-02-05T18:30:00.000-08:00

Finally got to get outside and play with the new ChuckIt products. Every bit as awesome as I knew they would be, of course.

The bumper was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I had this assumption that this is more of a retriever/water retrieval toy, and since Jade doesn't really swim very often, I didn't think it would be a toy for us.

Boy was I wrong! Jade absolutely loves this toy. It is really easy to throw- grab by the knot at the end of the rope, swing, and toss!

Just another really great product from Canine Hardware. :-)

The Amphibious Disc performs exactly as the old one did, except it flies a little smoother, and photographs a little better :)

The weather continues to be cloudy and dreary here in Iowa. Pretty annoying, the forecast says cloudy, cloudy, cloudy. Getting really old. Had some warmer weather and some sun last weekend, wish it would happen more often.

Better weather means more running time...

...and better photos too...

In other news, Jade and I will be competing for our second leg of Rally Novice A next weekend. Hoping we do alright, it's been a while since we've done any competition. Jade is studying hard...

Thanks, ChuckIt! !!!

2010-01-25T16:53:00.000-08:00

The folks over at Canine Hardware have increased their awesomeness in my eyes once again.

In December, I entered a photo contest on Canine Hardware's website for a chance to win some ChuckIt! merchandise. Also in December, I wrote a blog entry about how much we love ChuckIt! products. Well, we didn't win the photo contest, but an employee from Canine Hardware found my blog and decided to thank us for the write-up by sending us some toys! Sweeeeet!

We were able to choose what toys we wanted- I requested a new Amphibious Disc and the Bumper toy, the only toy we don't have that I was interested in getting.

Unfortunately, the weather has been beyond nasty this winter (it was snowing horizontally today and interstates were closed due to white-out conditions, which caused a 40-car pile up) so I challenged myself to an indoor photo shoot.

First I requested a new Amphibious Disc since our old one is pretty rough looking. So, the new one is here and in reverse colors...

Didn't get many pictures of the new disc as I have a No Frisbee In The House rule. However, to show why we needed a new one, new and old comparatively:

However, we can play with the bumper in the house, and it's lots of fun. Jade likes to sit and chew on it, though she doesn't do very much damage to it. Tug is popular too, of course. Not sure that this made-for-water toy will see much water since we don't go swimming much.

Oh and regarding my ChuckIt! post, I forgot about a toy we have. We also have the ChuckIt! Boomerang. No, it doesn't boomerang back to you, but the dogs love it. I've taken it to the dog park before and it's usually a pretty popular toy. A few weeks ago when we went out to play I took the Boomerang, Flying Squirrel, and Amphibious Disc with us. Jade was sooo excited about the Boomerang that she didn't even look at the other two toys... she absolutely loves it.

In conclusion, we can't thank Canine Hardware enough for giving us these great toys. I can't wait to get outside and really utilize them. Despite feeling like the Ice Queen of Narnia, I am confident that the weather will eventually turn around and let us go out to play, and of course get some great photographs.

THANK YOU CANINE HARDWARE!!!

New Year, New Projects

2010-01-09T13:20:00.000-08:00

Photographic projects, that is.

On Flickr, I am a part of two groups that are designed to challenge my photographic skills. One, a larger group called "52 Weeks for Dogs" and the other, a small group called "Themes and Challenges".

Had some fun with Jade's first 52 Weeks pictures, recruited the help of a mini Border Collie. The photo that made it into the group...

A few others from our little 'photo shoot':

In the other group, Themes and Challenges, we have a new subject every week. This week, appropriately, was "Good Intentions." So here are our Good Intentions/Resolutions.

More walkies! We get out to run around a lot, but we're going to log some more leash time this year.

Meditate the Mediums: I want to branch out and use some more mediums in the artwork that I plan to start again. Haven't done much art throughout college, something I'm going to pick up again.

And speaking of doing more art, I'm going to finish my cheetah pointillism I started a year or two ago.

And in the world of Kitchen, I am going to use some of the more random ingredients that are living in my kitchen. I've had this molasses for a while, but haven't used it at all. Gonna find a recipe or two for it!

Along with not buying so many books (maybe!), I'm going to read all the ones that I have!

Next week's T&C's theme is a challenge: Movement. I'm a little nervous about it... I feel like I don't know my camera enough yet to fully utilize it in order to fulfill this challenge. Not surprisingly, I received a similar individual challenge for the 52 Weeks group-- I have a wide range of pictures of Jade, but missing are movement shots. I'm going to utilize a slower shutter speed to complete this challenge, if I can figure out how to do that!! :-P

Aside from the two groups I'm in, I'm starting another project with Gris the Gilt. She's going to pop up at least once a week and have her very own 52 Weeks. Kind of a personal challenge, but it's going to be fun.

Happy New Year!!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T23:14:00.000-08:00

Hopefully you've all been good this year so Santa brought you good stuff! Jade has been a good girl, so I decided to try my hand at homemade dog biscuits.

They were a lot of fun to make... this was my first endeavor of this sort and the second time in my life I've used a rolling pin and cookie cutters. Had no idea how they would turn out, but Jade was eager nonetheless:

Fortunately, Jade really seems to like them!

Jade got a Loopie from Santa, just so happens its a piggy, so it fits in with the half-dozen or so other toy pigs she has. I may have something to do with that.

She really enjoyed it... with seven squeakers and an oinker in the middle, I think it would be hard not to enjoy. She managed to play with it by herself for a full ten minutes before she decided she needed our assistance.

Otherwise, the weather has been pretty crappy here lately, so I've been keeping myself pretty busy baking. I have several pounds of Kringla dough ready to bake, soon they'll be done and I'll be guiltily enjoying them. Delicious!

Anyway, I hope this Christmas finds everyone in happiness and in health, and with their friends and family. Still weather depending, but hubby and I may be spending our first Christmas together in our apartment with Jade and Lacey. Either way great fun and good food will be had by all!

Product Review: ChuckIt!

2009-12-17T18:38:00.000-08:00

Let's get this straight... We Love ChuckIt!!!

ChuckIt! Products are super fun... easily one of my two favorite dog toy brands. This company makes dog toys to fly, fetch, float, among other super fun activities. We have their Flying Squirrel and Amphibious Disc, both of which Jade loves. The disc floats through the air very well, as well as in the water. I find the throw-to-catch ratio between Jade and I is pretty good with this toy, it flies fairly slowly, and Jade can jump up and pluck it out of the air.

Jade sporting the most popular way to wear the Amphibious Disc...

and two from this week:

Jade likes the Flying Squirrel more than I do. Don't get me wrong, I still like it, but Jade loves it more. Rather, she likes to attempt to kill it by shaking it ferociously. She pulled a little bit of stitching out, which I suspect why it doesn't fly as easily as it used to. With such an odd shape, it is somewhat strange to throw, but the dogs love them nonetheless.

Attempts to kill the squirrel are often futile, though it does get a good smashing

If solo attempts at killing the squirrel do not succeed, you can always recruit a friend...

Lastly, if all else fails, attempt to drown it. Will undoubtedly be unsuccessful, but try it nonetheless!

I find they are very durable, though Jade isn't a very rough chewer. The disc is a little tattered on the inside, but that's probably because I play tug with it, same with the squirrel.

On to the rest of our ChuckIt! toys... specifically, balls. We love balls! (had to say it!) ChuckIt! makes a wide variety of specialty balls- we currently have the Ultra Ball (orange), the Whistler Ball (blue), and Erratic Ball (green). They also make balls from recycled rubber, balls that glow in the dark, and small and large sizes for different sized dogs. The Ultra and Whistler that I own fit into the ball launcher. The launcher is *WONDERFUL* if you get tired of bending down to pick up a slobbery, nasty, dirty, slimy ball, as well if you have a wussy girl throw like me and can't throw the ball very far. ChuckIt! makes several sizes and types of launchers.

I really like all the balls that we have, but I especially have to rave about the Whistler ball. Jade often takes off running before she sees where I am throwing the ball, turns around while the ball is right above her, then I have to go find where it lands. No more with the Whistler! Jade can hear it when it is flying through the air, and she knows that it's airborne. No more attempts at training my Border Collie to do a blind retrieve. Although she's pretty good at a directed retrieve...

The Whistler Ball

The Ultra Ball

The Erratic Bounce Ball

All in all, we give two paws way up for ChuckIt! brand toys, aka Canine Hardware. We love them, and can't wait to see what's coming down the pipeline for this awesome toy company. There are a number of other products that I didn't talk about here... be sure to check the rest of their products on their website! Go buy, use, play!

Before You Buy

2009-12-04T09:58:00.000-08:00

Don't let a cute puppy face sucker you in... do your homework!!

When you're looking to add a dog to your family, there is nothing more important than doing your homework first! There are a ton of things to think about...

Is this the right time to add a dog/puppy? Both seasonally and in your life?
Can you afford to buy/feed/train/vet the dog?
Are you prepared to care for this pet for the next 10-15 years?
Have you done your homework to decide what breed/size/mix is best for your family?
Are you willing to put in the training and dedication it takes to have a well socialized and well behaved pet?
Do you know what to look for in a good breeder, and how to avoid puppy mills and back-yard-breeders?
Would you be willing to skip the puppy stage and get an adult dog? If the answer is no, you may not be ready for a dog, you may just want a puppy.

Once you've gotten a good bearing on the above issues, it's time to start looking for your new best friend. There are plenty of people out there who say "Don't buy! Rescue only!" Well, I'm not one of them. Both avenues work for different people. I have nothing against shelters and rescues, I know many wonderful dogs that came from those situations. However, if you're looking for a dog for a specific working purpose, you need to find a responsible breeder. Get in contact with your local kennel club- they can usually help you locate someone who works with your chosen breed and are usually willing to help you get in contact with a number of breeders.

After you've found some breeders to talk to, it's time to ask the right questions. What are the right questions? The following is a list of questions I've come up with that I've been using for my current search for the perfect German Shepherd puppy/breeder.

What breed or dog-related clubs or registries do you belong to?
This question is to gauge how active the breeder is within their breeds. It's important that the breeder be involved, whether it's a breed club or an activity club. For instance, a breeder belongs to the American Border Collie Club, a breed registry, and the Iowa Herding Dog Association, an activity club.
How long have you been involved with your breed? How many years have you been breeding and how many litters have you produced?
The longer the breed involvement the better. The number of years they've been involved with the breed as an adult is really important. The number of years they've been breeding should be less than the total number by several years. If the breeder is producing more than 1-3 litters per year, look elsewhere. If they're breeding their females more than once a year, look elsewhere.
What activities do you participate in with your dogs?
How active is the breeder with his/her dogs? Are they working the dogs, doing what they were bred to do? i.e. Border Collies should be working, hunting dogs should be hunting, etc. They should be proving their dogs can do their job. This is important even if you only want a companion- shows breed stability and ability. Are they doing well in their venues?
What are your breeding goals for your dogs? Did you have any specific goals in mind for your current or next litter?
The breeder should have a clear-cut goal of what they want from their dogs. How are they trying to improve the breed through their program? Through this litter? What qualities do their dogs have that the breed cannot do without? Are they sticking to accepted criteria other breed enthusiasts accept/use?
What age do your pups go to their new homes?
The benchmark to send puppies home is anywhere from 7 to 12 weeks. Puppies should not leave their litter or their mother before 7 weeks. If a breeder is sending puppies home earlier than that, look elsewhere... those few weeks are crucial for the puppy's social skills with other dogs. The ideal age is 8 or 9 weeks.
How do you determine their level of drive? Would you be able to help select what amount of drive would be appropriate for us?
This is really important if you're not sure what type of personality you're looking for. A responsible breeder who knows what they're doing will know enough not to send the quiet puppy who sits back behind the rest home to a household full of noisy energetic kids, and anything else. They will be able to guide you with your selection and make the best fit for your family. A truly responsible breeder is not afraid to turn away potential buyers if their puppies would not be a good match for your family.
What do you expect from your puppy buyers? What kind of homes/jobs do your pups typically go to?
Generally, responsible breeders are going to want their puppies to go to a home that will be active with their dog, and will take the time and energy to train their puppies. There's no really black-and-white answer to this question, that's entirely the breeder's preference. Try to avoid anyone that has a "whatever" approach, find a breeder that is interested in staying in contact and more or less being active/involved with the pup's life.
What kind of socialization do you do with your puppies? Where do they live?
There is no such thing as too much socialization!!! This doesn't just apply to the breeders. The more puppies are exposed to, the better off and more well-rounded and well-adjusted they'll be! The puppies should be exposed to all kinds of different noises, surfaces, people (especially children!), and animals, as many and as often as possible. Raising puppies is hard work, this is something that weeds out the less responsible breeders.
What lines do your dogs come from?
This is more important if you have a better idea of what you're looking for, or want a dog for a specific purpose. Many breeds have a working line and a show line. The working line is almost always a better choice, unless you're showing in the breed ring (not something I advise.) Working dogs are usually more well rounded with far less health problems. For example, I am currently looking for a working-bred German Shepherd- this means I am looking for dogs that come from East Germany or Czechoslovakia, which tend to be healthier and have better temperaments, and I am staying away from American-bred lines, which have poor temperaments and health.
Do you have any health guarantees for your pups? What kind of health certifications do you have on the parents?
Find out what health issues are common in your chosen breed. Do not buy from any breeder that doesn't test for these issues in the parents. Guarantees can be tricky, especially for disorders such as hip dysplasia (HD)- genetic HD can be guaranteed against if the parents are ruled to be sound, however, approximately 70% of hip dysplasia problems are environmental, whether it is caused by poor diet, too much/improper exercise, excessive jumping or running before a year of age, etc. The breeder should at least offer some sort of health guarantees. If the puppy does end up having some sort of health problems, the breeder should be willing to offer all or some of your money back, and/or offer to replace the puppy from a later litter.
Can you send me references to previous puppy buyers?
If the breeder is unwilling or hesitant to offer referrals from past puppy buyers, look elsewhere. If they have nothing to hide and nothing to be ashamed of, they should readily be able to offer references, with the permission of the contacts, of course. Ask previous buyers if they are happy with their dogs, with their selection, with the 'customer service' from the breeder, what they do/don't like about their dog and the breeder, if they would recommend purchasing a puppy from the breeder.
What questions can I answer for you?
The breeder should ask many questions- they should want to know about you and your family, your living arrangements, and how stable your situation is. They may want to know if you live in an apartment or have a yard or other means for your new dog to get the exercise it needs. Will you be moving in the foreseeable future? Have you had experience with this breed before? What is your history with dogs in general? Do you have children or other pets that the new puppy would have to compete with for the attention/energy it needs? Why do you want this dog? A responsible breeder cares where their puppy ends up and in what kind of home- if you are not a good fit for the breed/puppy, they will tell you.
What is the price you charge for your puppies? When do you expect your next litter?
Price is an important part of getting a puppy- don't buy a dog you can't afford. A breeder that performs a lot of health tests and guarantees, that is very active with their dogs in competitions, is going to place a higher price tag on their puppies. Don't go more than you can afford, but at the same time, avoid someone that is asking too little. As far as the next litter, make sure it's in a time frame that is reasonable. If there are going to be any major changes in your life around the time the next litter will be ready to go, it is probably best to wait for a future litter.

This list is by no means the only questions you can/should ask breeders- ask anything you want, there's no such thing as a trivial or stupid question. Most responsible breeders will be ecstatic if you ask a boat-load of questions, it indicates your dedication to finding the right dog, and shows that if you care enough to search for these answers, you will care enough to provide a wonderful home to their puppy.

Doing your research and looking at a number of breeders will help you make a good decision on your next dog. Remember, don't ignore red flags! If something sounds or feels wrong, listen to your gut- either debunk the issue, or move on. Pick out a breeder that will help you, and a puppy that works well for you and your family.

Happy hunting! :)

Pictorial: Denver In A Nutshell

2009-11-30T10:09:00.000-08:00

Tim and I went on our honeymoon last week... we went to Denver, Colorado. Had a really great time... saw several museums, a zoo and animal sanctuary, among other things.

These are some of my favorite pictures I took on the trip. Here, there, and everywhere. Enjoy!

How Silly is Your Dog?

2009-11-07T22:20:00.000-08:00

Mine are pretty goofy.

I took Jade hiking today with a friend at a state park. What a beautiful day! Seventy degrees in November! Unfortunately, I left my camera (new!) in the car (bummer!) so I didn't get any fun pictures. Will definitely take it with me next time though!

How do you know if you're living with a Border Collie?

If you're hiking in the middle of a forest, and she manages to find a tennis ball!

I thought I was going to pee my pants laughing at her.

Jade is very goofy, as you can clearly see.

She sometimes gets confused about which way she is or should be running...

This is my favorite from the weekend... I put all the dogs in a down/stay, moved back, and yelled, "COME HERE!" Their expressions are priceless.

One, Two, Three!

Synchronized running... they're all in exactly the same stride, and exactly the same lead :)

The end!

Oh... I have a silly cat too, her name is Lacey :)

Dog Shows Harmful to Man’s Best Friend

2009-11-03T05:56:00.000-08:00

The following is an editorial that I wrote for a class I am in. Far too long to be a true editorial, but here it is in its full version.

Two years ago, I brought home a Border Collie puppy. Although I have had Border Collies my entire life, Jade is my first dog as an adult and a vastly different experience. I am amazed at the world she has opened up for me, igniting a whole new passion I never knew was there. Along with my four years of Animal Science at Iowa State, the last two years I have been learning from anything I can get my hands on- reading books and articles, attending dog events, taking classes and competing in obedience with Jade, and working sheep with her. In my exploration of anything canine, last spring I came across the BBC documentary “Pedigree Dogs Exposed.” The documentary, which exposes a darker side of the dog show world, led me to a summer full of research into the subject. As I delved into the topics presented in the documentary, I realized that many people have no idea what is really going on under all the pomp and circumstance of the dog show.

The development of the dog show and the kennel club during the 1870s has been the top contributor to the destruction of many of the dog breeds we know and love. Many dog breeds were created and their stud books closed around this time. Because no new genes are being introduced, several of these breeds have been severely deteriorating over the years due to defect, deformity, and disease caused by inbreeding. Defect arises when dogs are no longer bred for their original purpose- they lose their natural abilities and what makes them special. With pheasant season right around the corner, there are not many Iowan hunters who would use a show-ring bred pointer to help him find his quarry, nor would a rancher depend a show-ring bred Border Collie to work his herd; these instincts are severely diluted, or simply no longer there. The legendary Rin Tin Tin would whimper to see what the show-ring German Shepherd has become- their deformities include a severely roached back, droopy rear end, and hocks so wobbly and bent they are commonly described as “half-dog, half-frog.” These ring bred German Shepherds are often stricken with crippling hip dysplasia as young as 5 years old. Lastly, disease runs rampant in many breeds, one of the biggest concerns being cancer. Fifty-four percent of Flat-coated Retrievers, 45% of Scottish Terriers and Bernese Mountain Dogs, and almost 30% of English, Gordon, and Irish Setters are afflicted with cancer, among many others.

The pattern of defect, deformity, and disease is manifested in the English bulldog which in 2008, was reported by the American Kennel Club as the 8^th most popular breed in the US. Originally used to capture and hold livestock for alteration or slaughter, today these dogs could not successfully chase a bull, let alone latch onto one and hold its ground. This dog faces a host of health problems caused by its bred-in deformities: a nose so smashed into its head that it can barely breathe and often overheats; a body so deformed it cannot mate or reproduce without the assistance of artificial insemination; a head and chest too large to pass through the mother’s pelvis for birth and must be born via C-section; a jaw so undershot that it can barely eat. Their digestive system is a mess and gives them a reputation of being one of the most offensively flatulent breed of the canine world. A breed that at its origin held a closer resemblance to today’s pit bull terrier, the bulldog has been so physically warped that it would be extinct within ten years without human intervention or assistance.

Many of the physical deformities found in the show dogs are simply exaggerations of desired physical traits of a breed. There is no question that form follows function in animals. As National Review Online journalist Jonah Goldberg puts it, “dogs were bred to appear a certain way, but the breeders bred for the function, not the form.” Simply put, the function of the dog was put first before its appearance. Things begin to go downhill when an animal is bred for form before function. The wrinkles on a Bloodhound’s face and his droopy ears were originally there to aid in scent tracking, however, the show ring has turned his face into a wrinkled pile of skin, and consequently has damaged his scenting and tracking ability. Patrick Burns, author of American Working Terriers, frequently describes the show ring terrier and its inability to functionally work in the field- since they are not bred directly for function, their chests and bodies are too large to pursue and extract vermin from their dens.

The big picture here is that as humans opt for defect, disease, and deformity through selectively breeding dogs, the dogs end up being innocent victims. Unfortunately, the examples in this letter are only a small sample of the breeds affected. As breeders, owners, and handlers pursue dog show ribbons and thus money from breeding of winning dogs, the dogs take the fall.

I would urge concerned readers to look at dog shows differently, and stop or avoid supporting bench dog shows. If you love dogs and want to see an exhibition of true, natural born abilities and instincts, there are many activities to observe and/or participate in that are much more exciting than watching a parade around a forty-foot ring. Activities such as agility, herding, hunting, Schutzhund (German for protection dog), and tracking trials are just a handful of the many events you can attend without supporting the kennel club-based dog show world. If you are interested in getting a dog, do your homework and research the breeds you would like to learn more about. Look into the health statistics for the breeds and try to avoid dogs that are frequently plagued with health problems. If you choose to buy from a breeder, select one that breeds for a dog’s abilities over appearance. Picking up a mixed-breed dog from a shelter or rescue is a great idea as well, as mutts are almost always healthier than purebreds. Doing your homework and making educated decisions will help you avoid the heartbreak and vet bills of a sick dog. Enjoy your dog, and get active with her!

The three D's: defect, deformity, and disease manifested in one dog

A Little About Me, A Little About the Blog

2009-10-22T19:53:00.000-07:00

Growing up on a small farm in Iowa, I have always had Border Collies. When I was really little, there was Joey. After he left us, we brought home Cody. Cody was a great dog and we loved him very much. His favorite things in the whole wide world were basketballs- even after they got ran over and flattened out by the tractor.

Cody and his favorite basketball

Sadly, Cody was hit by a car and killed while my family was on vacation in the fall of 2001. A hard lesson learned- our current dogs are never out when we aren't able to supervise them.

My dad and I decided that we couldn't wait until the following summer to get another dog- the farm just didn't seem complete without a Border Collie running around. That's where Rocko and Sasha came into the picture.

Rocko and Sasha have been fantastic dogs for us. They never received any formal training, obedience or otherwise, which is something I greatly regret. Rocko and Sasha are littermates as well, another regret. I love them both dearly, but looking back we shouldn't have brought home two pups at one time. They are very polite and well-mannered dogs, despite the lack of training. They are just great farm dogs, who turned 7 this year. :)

Sasha and Rocko, taken in Aug 09

About two years ago, I got my first dog as an adult. Jade has been an entirely different experience for me, and has opened a whole new world and a whole new passion that I never knew was there. Jade has been through several obedience classes, and is on her way to becoming a working sheepdog- just a hobby for now, but hopefully it will become more practical someday.

Jade, her first time on ducks, Sept 09

As I said, Jade has opened a new world for me. Ever since I started looking for Jade, I've been devouring anything dog-related I can get my hands on... anything I can learn, watch, or attend. My book collection has grown tremendously since this bug took hold!

All the learning I've done in the last couple of years has opened my eyes to the amount of ignorance there is about dog ownership in the world. Which is where this blog comes into play. This is my effort to contribute, to help people in their quest to get a dog- to learn what to look for and what to avoid, and some important steps in dog ownership. The blog will deviate a little as well as I see fit, anything I find interesting or anything I may want to share about my own journey through dog-dom.

It's going to be a fun ride!