Wilmington Kennel Club Indoor Show

obviously after Saturday and Sunday's performance, Jasper and I need more work. His heeling was good and so was my footwork. He knows all of the exercises in Open A. But he succomed to stress and shut down on the retrieve on the flat, retrieve over the high, and broad Jump. I need to do more proofing and find men to be distractors.

At show-n-go's, class, and training places, he performs all of the exercises and does well. Once he is in the show ring, his tail goes down and you can see he is stressed. I was quite surprised to see how stressed he was. Of course it didn't help that the night before I was in the emergency room with my mom. She had taken an extra dose of medication for her Parkinson's at the same time taking cough syrup with codeine. Once the meds wore off, she was ok. I got to bed at 12:30 and got up at 4:00.

Our next show is in August.

Baby Robins

For a while, I witnessed two Robins diligently building a nest. It's on top of the outside light which is right next to the bay window. Recently, the eggs hatched and the babies where sprung. What a faithful mother. She works hard for a living. Feeding those babies nonstop with fat, juicy worms. What exhilaration I get from watching them. Soon, I will set up an exercise pen . When the babies leap from the nest, the pugs won't try to play with them.

Happy Birthday Jasper

One adorable pug boy just couldn't wait to devour his birthday supper, salmon & broccoli. After posing patiently for a picture, Jasper inhaled his scrumptious pumpkin cupcake just like a Hoover vacuum. This guy lives for food. Good thing we walk at the park everyday and train. It keeps his physique buff. He's definitely fit as a fiddle and struts with pride like a peacock.

Once again I couldn't just buy Jasper gifts. Sidney would have felt unloved. So they both got a bully stick and plush toys.

Sidney wants to say that he loves his brother with all of his heart. Jasper is his best buddy. He loves to wrestle and use him for a pillow when they nap together.

Jasper is now 8 years young.

Oriole's Show N Go

Jasper knocked my socks off. His attitude and self confidence were phenomenal. In between exercises, I focused on using my voice to praise him and I had him do several tricks.

Last week I finished reading "That Winning Feeling" by Jan Savoie. She writes about motivational tools, goal setting , self talk, visualization, relaxation, affirmations, and attitude adjustments. It had a profound affect on me, my training, and Jasper. This week, I'll begin her second book "It's Not Just About The Ribbons".

I also came across a flower essence called Ego Builder. I used it on Jasper and myself one hour before we went into the ring. It works.

June 6th and 7th, Jasper and I will be showing in obedience at Wilmington Kennel Club's Indoor Show. We'll be entering the Open A Class. I'm so psyched. I now have the tools to deal with ring nerves for him and myself.

More Socialization

Today I had a great opportunity to expose Sidney to more strange people, sounds, and objects. Every year the first Saturday in May is Old Dover Days. People dress as they did in Colonial Times. On The Green, Vendors set up. Sidney was confident and enjoyed his outing. He got exposed to:
*Real native American Indians dressed in their full costume (including hearing their music)
*Teepee
*Civil War Infantry
*Cannons going off
*Man dressed as a Knight
*Martial Arts Demo
*Generators
*Man carrying a bazillion balloons
*Man in a strange hat
*Many people of all sizes, shapes, colors, ages, and costumes
*Fire trucks
*Horses
*Band Marching in Parade
*Walking on a loose leash in a crowd
*Everyone wanting to pet and feed him

Hey if I could sew, I would have dressed him in a tricorner hat with colonial duds on then entered him in the pet parade.

WKC Lums Pond Show

I ventured out into the sweltering heat to watch friends compete at the WKC Dog Show at Lums Pond. After snapping some photos of my friends, I ventured around the vendors area. I found a stylish pug pin and a snappy camouflage harness for Jasper.


Below is York (German Shepherd) and Jodi. They qualified in Utility B. It's their second leg.




Below is Spirit (Sheepdog) and Ann. They earned a first place and New CD Title on Saturday.



Below is Nicky (Pap) and Jeannine. They got reserve in breed on Saturday.

My Beloved Gateway

This afternoon my heart was broken once again. Gateway left this Earth and is now with his beloved Bunny in heaven.

He was a gorgeous broken black & white mini lop. I fell in love with him the moment I saw him. I adopted him through the House Rabbit Society. He lived in Virginia where a girl could no longer keep him. We set a date for the two bunnies to meet hoping they would hit it off.

At first Bunny did not know what to make of him. It took about 5 weeks of introducing them each day for them to finally bond. She fell madly in love with him. She would present herself to Gateway for grooming. Gateway would take his cute pink tongue and lick her head and ears. She just loved it. I would find them in numerous places snuggling together. I marveled at their relationship. Bunny often told me that Gateway was the best gift she ever had. If only all human couples could live in peace and harmony as Bunny & Gateway did.

Gateway loved the pugs as much as they loved him. They would sniff each other's noses. So cute to watch.

Gateway loved his blueberries, bananas, carrots, oranges, timothy hay, oxbow pellets, and raisons. Anytime I was in the kitchen or opened the refrigerator door, Gateway was like grease lightning leaping into the kitchen. When he heard me come home, he would come running to greet me. He would make this endearing sound as he approached me. He loved living cage free. Oh, how I am going to miss this special boy.

I was honored and blessed to take care of Gateway. God has so blessed me with all the pets he has entrusted to me.