Halloween Howler Agility Trial

Costume Contest

This time last Sunday I was driving home from the Training Troop Halloween Howler Agility Trial.  It was a  bittersweet weekend for us.  That weekend marked the end of Cookie and I's agility days... for a while anyway.  But, what a great weekend for us to end on.

I'm not sure if the weekend went as well as it did because of my attitude towards the trial or because of all the training we did this summer.  Maybe it was a little of both.  I went into the trial thinking that we would just have fun as this was going to be our last trial.... and for once we did have fun.  No meltdowns from me and we even managed to get 2 qualifying runs (Q's for the non agility folks out there)!

Saturday we ran 4 courses.  Our gamble course was awesome.... We had lots of points in the opening and Cookie stuck with me.  We only missed the final obstacle in the final gamble.  I was really happy with the final gamble Cookie came back to me and I was able to send him over the line back out to find the second obstacle.  It was a nice start to the weekend!

Our second and third runs of the day were standard runs.  As always he struggled with the table.  Not sure what the deal is with the table there.  We are successful in practice but for some reason I can't get him to do it there.  A couple ideas I have... make the table harder in class so that he is set up to fail.  Also, I am thinking of seeing if I can hook up with the Training Troop group in the spring to practice with them a couple times....  As you can see from the video of our Standard Run he's coming along nicely.

Our last run of the day was a Jumpers run...  Half way through the course I was thinking "OMG we might actually do this!"  I was so afraid I was going to get lost and mess it up because I was so excited. I was even more excited when we finished the run and I found out that Shannon had taped our run.  You can check out the video of our Jumpers Run.  I love Shannon's YEAH at the end of the video :-)

Sunday we had 2 more standard runs.  They were much of the same... no deal with the table.  The other thing I really need to work on is weave entrances.  Not Cookie's entrances but mine.  I noticed lots of times I set him up funny so he misses the entrance to the weave poles.  Once I back him up and start with with a proper entrance he gets them no problem.

Our very last run of the weekend was a Snooker run.  I love snooker... every trial we go to I always think that is the run that we might Q that weekend.  This was a really nice snooker course and Cookie had been running well all weekend so, I felt pretty confident going into the run.  As you can see from the video of our Snooker Run we also got a Q in Snooker.  I was thrilled to come away from the trial with 2 Q's and some other really nice runs (minus the damn table).      

You see, Cookie only has one other Q in our agility career.  The very first trial we went to in the summer of 2011 he got a gamble Q.  So to get 2 in one weekend especially when I wasn't even thinking we would get any was pretty awesome.  We have been practicing steady since joining Go Dog Go a couple years ago and trialling very regular since summer 2011.  We are ready for a break... and I am simply too fat to chase my dog around right now :-)

Lastly, a quick thanks to all the Go Dog Go gals for all their help.  I know I wouldn't have gotten this far if I was with a different group.  Plus, you guys have helped me through lots of meltdowns and tough times in the last year...  See ya in the spring trials!      

Doesn't he look thrilled about his costume?!?

What's Up with Cooker and I

Cookie and I had an awesome weekend this past weekend in Calgary.  He did our final agility trial before the baby comes.  You will all just have to wait until I am able to collect all the "stuff" I want for my blog :-)  I was really excited to find out that Shannon taped a couple of our runs so I will have video to post!  They also had a costume contest... I'm trying to figure out who took the pics at the trial.  So if anyone knows please let me know so I can hook up with them.

For now you are all just going to have to be satisfied with the post from the Coffee with a Canine Blog.  I submitted this a while back and it was just posted.  Obviously Dan isn't doing too much golfing these days!  Enjoy...

Coffee with a Munsterlander!!

Fall Fun Match

Fall is by far my favourite time of the year.  I just love the cool mornings, warm afternoons and the colours!!  I would have to say the colours are my favourite... there is just something about fall pictures that I love.  Even though fall leads to winter (yuck) I look forward to the season every year.

Last Sunday Go Dog Go held a fall fun match.  Being that it was on a Sunday Cookie and I were able to attend.  It was our first fun match and I really enjoyed it!  It was fun to get out and to do some full agility courses without feeling like we were under the pressure of a trial.  I've really struggled with Cookie this summer training outdoors.  I'm not sure if it's all the smells at the new training field or if he's just extra naughty!  Many classes I left totally discouraged because he spent the entire lesson running away doing his own thing.  So, it was nice to end the summer sessions on a positive note at the field.  For the most part he stuck with me during the fun match.  When he did decide to spend some time sniffing he came back quickly.  I also enjoyed having lunch with the group afterwards.  There are lots of awesome people in the group and it had been awhile since I saw some of them.  It was nice to catch up!

When Amanda brought out her camera I couldn't resist asking her if she would take a couple quick fall photos of the Munster.  He maybe naughty but he's so cute!  I think he looks so handsome with the fall colours behind him.  Thanks for the photos Amanda!  I love them...

Ultrasound

Back in the last week of August Dan and I went for our ultrasound....  I have been putting off writing this blog until I had my followup appointment with my doctor.  This appointment finally happened today.  So now that I have the "everything looks good" from the doc I thought I would share the pics.

This is as close to a profile as they could get because the baby was too big!

Foot

This picture totally creeps me out... I think it belongs in a horror movie.

Leg... kicking which seems to happen ALL the time now!

My favourite pic... Baby peace sign :-)

It was really cool to see the baby.  The little guy / gal was really active the whole time they were doing the ultrasound.  Lots of kicking and squirming and swimming around.  This seems to the the norm for the little one... I can now feel the baby all the time.  

As you probably guessed we didn't find out what sex the baby is.  Dan wanted to know and I didn't.  I'm really excited that he agreed to let me have this surprise.  There are so few real, good surprises in life and I like the fun of not knowing.  I can't wait to meet the little one and to find out what we are having!  Our due date is officially January 12th, 2013.

Goodbye...

For those of you that haven't already... Meet Nilo.  Many of you close to Dan and I know that we fostered Nilo this past spring for Windy City Canine Rescue.  Nilo originally came from Cuba... you can read about his journey to Canada here.

From the moment I saw his sweet face and read his story on the blog I was in love.  Really, who wouldn't love a dog with that kind of spirit, and that goofy grinning face?  The hard part was convincing Dan that we would be the perfect foster home for Nilo.  Little did Dan know when he agreed to be a foster home that I was madly in love and wanted him for my own.

I can't really remember how long we had him for but we had a blast with him.  Nilo and Cookie loved each other and were perfect playmates.  Nilo was a fantastic lap dog, and would spend hours lounging on the couch with us.  He seemed to be the perfect fit into our home as our second dog.

There was only one problem... Nilo did not get along with my Cockatoo.  One night Nilo grabbed the parrot and would not let her go.  Honestly if Dan hadn't been home Ali would have been done.  For those of you that know how much Dan dislikes my parrot it was a miracle that he saved her life.  With a heavy heart I contacted Windy City and let them know that Nilo could not stay and we would not be able to become his forever home.

My heart was broken when I said goodbye to the cute Cuban Refugee.  Dan and I didn't talk much about giving him up but I know that Dan had become attached to him and was hurting as well.  I couldn't even write about him or post pictures of him without crying.  It was terrible!  A short time later Nilo was adopted into the perfect family where he would be with no children and a lady that was familiar with the breed and wanted to work with him.  It was the perfect fit and I was thrilled that at long last he had found the forever home that he so deserved.

Fast forward to a couple days ago.... I was contacted by Windy City to let me know that there had been some trouble with Nilo.  I found out that he had bitten someone.  I don't want to fuel any of the rumours that have been travelling around social media sites so I will ask you to read about Nilo's final days here.  Again I had to say goodbye to the dog that I was so in love with.

To me having a dog, or any pet for that matter is a privilege not a right.  A dog should provide unconditional love and devotion.  In return the dog's owners should love them, care for them, and protect them no matter what.  When Nilo broke his side of the deal by biting someone his new owners had a very difficult decision to make.  In the end they chose the path that would protect Nilo from being euthanized in a shelter, put in a crate (which he HATED) and shipped back to Cuba, or ending up in yet another home where who knows what would have happened to him.  Sometimes keeping the owners end of the bargain and protecting the dog means that a very difficult choice has to be made.  I can't imagine what Nilo's owners were going through during his last days.  I applaud them for making the choice they did even though it was not the easiest path to go down.  

If you read any of the postings on Facebook you will see that not everyone agrees with the outcome.  I have know many of the Windy City girls for a number of years.  I am proud to call them my friends and I know that they would have done anything they could have for a different outcome.  In the end not every rescue animal can be saved.  I spent 8 years in the pet industry and worked with numerous rescues.  Sometimes tough choices have to be made and someone has to make them.  In the end the best interest of the animal always has to come before the emotions of the humans involved.  

  

Goodbye sweet Nilo.  My heart aches saying goodbye to you twice.  I know that you were loved and taken care of right until the end and that means a lot to me.  Wherever you are now I hope you have found the peace and happiness you deserved.

One Last Cabin Weekend

This past long weekend Cookie and I took a road trip up to my mom and stepdad's cabin for one last visit.  It was a weekend of lasts :-(

One Last Roaring Fire

One Last Stroll Over the Bridge

One Last Creek Swim

We also went for one last quad ride... however I was riding so no pictures.  You will have to just take my word for it that it was awesome.  The cabin is located just through the Crowsnest Pass down Tecumseh Road.  The scenery is breathtakingly beautiful.  

We have had the luxury of visiting the cabin numerous times in the four years that they have owned it.  It has become one of my favourite places to be as it is pretty, quiet, and relaxing.  The memories that we have created there are ones that last a lifetime.  We spent Christmas there in 2011, a couple thanksgivings and easters and countless weekend "camping trips".  I may not have been able to go up as much as much as I would have liked but the times I did were a ton of fun.

One last last for the weekend.... Our last Tecumseh hike.  The Munsters love running around and "hunting" for things.  These pics show mom's three munstys hunting for something that was at some point in the tree and in the stump.  I'm sure whatever it was had left ages before the crazy dogs arrived.  It makes me laugh how city-slicker Cookie stands staring at them because he has no idea what has gotten into them....   

So what's next.... A new location in the pass, even closer to Lethbridge, and possibly a Bed and Breakfast!  The new place will be much larger with extra bedrooms and bathrooms.  I say it is perfect that they are expanding their retreat in the mountains at the same time Dan and I are expanding our family!  Although I was sad driving away from Tecumseh I am excited to start a whole new set of memories at the new place!

Cookie is Going to be a Big Brother

May 10th... Dan's Birthday....

I woke up in the early early morning hours with a start.  It was like an epiphany.... ""Holy crap I'm late!"  I quickly did the "math" on my cell phone calendar and realized that I was a week late.

I didn't want to say anything to Dan until I was 100% sure so I got ready for work, and went about my day as normal.  The only difference was I must have checked the dates on my calendar at work at least a dozen times.  Coming to the same conclusion each time...  anyway I looked at it I was a week late.

For Dan's birthday we had decided that we were going to meet all of our friends at Mojos Pub for beer and wings.  The plan was for everyone to meet there after work.  Because I'm the last one to get off work I was the last one to be heading over.  I decided that I need to confirm my suspicions before heading over so I stopped at the drugstore on my way.  I got home peed on the stick and before I had even put cap back on to "let it sit for two minutes" it was positive!

Shock and excitement was the only way I can describe how I felt.  We have not been preventing or planning for a few years now so for it to happen out of the blue like this was unexpected.  Of course I'm sitting at home alone with no one to tell except Cookie.  He was thrilled!!!  We sat on the floor for a few minutes to discuss his impending status as Big Brother.  We hugged, I cried, and he licked my face.  Of course being a dog I could have told him that we were sending him to "a farm" and I probably would have had the same reaction.  LOL

I headed over to Mojos for what was probably my longest night in that place EVER!  And, trust me us ladies have had some long night there with the guys.  Of course I couldn't drink so I got teased about that.  A couple "you're not drinking, you must be knocked up" comments were made.  To which I wanted to shout out yes I am knocked up!  I figured that would be a bad way to let my husband know he was about to be a dad.

FINALLY after about 5 hours of not drinking and wanting to hurl at the sight of the chicken wings and Krisit's steak I got Dan out of there.

Anyone that has ever purchased a gift for Dan knows he is the hardest person to shop for.  We had just purchased him a membership to Paradise Canyon so he could golf this season.  I had told him that for his birthday we would go shopping the following weekend and he could buy some golf gear that he wanted / needed.  He wasn't expecting to open anything... I had wrapped up the test.  He opened it up and it took a second for him to realize what it was and what it meant.  And then, "You're pregnant?  WOW that's sobering!"  Best birthday present ever!

Critters at the field

All summer a group of us have been heading out to the agility field for an extra practice session on Sunday mornings.  A couple times we have worked on full courses.  More often we have set up stations to work on individual skills.  This summer has been about getting back to basics with Rookie Cookie so I have found these stations extremely helpful.  This last Sunday was especially productive as we had a ton of things to work on from the previous week at Agility Camp.  

We had a couple critter visits at the field this Sunday...

While we were setting up a gamble tunnel station I discovered several VERY large spiders on the tunnel bags.  That was the start and the end of my helping set up that station.  Anything with that many eyes and legs just can't be trusted.  Spiders give me the weenie-jeebies so I didn't get any pictures of the disgusting things.

Shortly after the "spider incident" I noticed a tiger salamandar strolling across the field.  Lucky for him or her we hadn't let the dogs out yet.  So I grabbed him / her and we took the opportunity to get a couple quick pics.      

I have really enjoyed my Sunday mornings out at the agility field.  I'm sad that the summer is coming to an end and with that our Sundays at the field.  One of the reasons I joined agility was to meet new people and to make some new friends.  The group of girls I spend Sundays with are awesome and I have really enjoyed getting to know them...      

Agility Camp

Last weekend was the the weekend I have been looking forward to all summer long.  Cookie and I got to attend the first ever Go! See Spot! Fly! Agility Camp.  Honestly I had no idea what to expect from Cookie or the camp experience.  I must say it far exceeded my expectations :-)

Friday and Saturday featured 7 hours of on course training each day.  I must admit that 7 hours a day in the sun was a lot for both Cook and I.  Cook was a trooper... he hung on to the end and for the most part I felt like he really tried hard to do what was asked of him.  I was a little nervous going into the camp with Rookie Cookie as I didn't know what level everyone else was at.  The teams we were put into were fantastic.  Our team "Twister" was full of starters level dogs of varying skill levels, so I felt right at home.  The team was super supportive and lots of fun.  During the on course training I picked up lots of tips to make Cookie and I a better team.  I'm really looking forward to resuming our regular training armed with some new ideas to hopefully continue to improve.

Both nights we had lectures... I definitely learned stuff both nights.  Friday night Dr. Devall talked to us about conditioning the canine athlete.  I've never really put a lot of thought into warming up or stretching my dog.  I certainly will now.  Hopefully this is a topic that we can touch on during our regular training classes as I will need to learn how to properly stretch Cookie.  Saturday night Kyle Connelly talked to us about Goal Setting and Visualization.  I found this very interesting as I do a lot of goal setting in my everyday life and job but I had never really transferred it over into my agility training.  Sure I had set long term goals and dreams for us but I hadn't really broken the goals down into manageable short term goals.  I think this will really help me feel like we are having success as a team.  It was also pretty cool to hear about Kyle's journey to the 2002 Olympics.

Sunday was a one day games only trial.  It was fun to take all the stuff I learned from the first 2 days and apply it to the trial.  I must admit I looked at the courses differently.  I feel like I planned better for the gamble and the snooker runs.  Although we didn't get a Q I was happy with how the 3 runs went.  From Kyle's lecture I took the advice to set small goals.  I decided that I wanted to attempt the weaves in the gamble.  Which I did and we successfully did them so we repeated the weaves in the snooker.  I was really proud of how we did and the effort that we both put in.  I did have a meltdown because I feel like we may never get a Q again.  I tried really hard to not let Cookie know that I was discouraged and I think I succeeded and he had fun.

            


Being an agility camp Cookie and I got to tent it!  Cookie was a fan of the tent other then when I left him briefly alone in the tent... he managed to rip a hole in the inside part of the door.  Thankfully I think it will be easily fixable.  I was glad to have the Munster to tent with... not a big fan of sleeping alone in a tent.  It was also nice to have the Munster under the covers during the cold nights.







All in all it was a fantastic weekend!  I came home with a sun burn, a tired Munsterlander, and most importantly lots of things we can do to improve our skills and to build our bond.  I really hope that this becomes an annual event that we can be a part of for a long time!

Horseshoes and Hand Grenades

I haven't posted about Cookie for ages because I haven't being doing much with Cookie for ages!  That poor Munsterlander has been stuck at home.  Our indoor agility classes ended at the end of April and I didn't get into the swing of things outdoors until the last two weeks.  Our outdoor training has been frustrating to say the least!  So when the 2X4 Trial rolled around this weekend I wasn't expecting much!

On Saturday we started with a good jumpers run  we had 15 faults plus some over time... not to bad considering the first obstacle was the chute.  Stupid chute that one is so hard off the line.  The next two runs were standards.  Uggg STUPID TABLE it's the bane of our existence!!  No deal he won't lay on that table there.  Hopefully once we use a different table at some different venues through the summer he will have the confidence to do the table at that arena.  He will do on the Go Dog Go table so I'm not sure what to do!  I welcome suggestions!  Our last run of the day was a gamble... I totally blew this one.  He did so awesome in the opening... he got the mini gamble worth 10 points which was a teeter to a tunnel (I didn't think he would do it).  The final gamble was 3 jumps... I was so shocked that he went out to the second jumped that I stopped.  Stupid me!!  If I had just kept going he would have come back to me over the third jump and we would have gotten it!  

Sunday started with a gamble... we were a disaster in the opening.  I picked a bad route and we didn't get enough points.  Which really sucked because HE DID THE FINAL GAMBLE!!  Stupid, stupid, stupid me!!  We should have gotten our second gamble Q at this trial.  Not that I'm excited to move up but I'm disappointed that I blew it both times.  We had two more standards which featured the dreaded table... I decided to just have a party when he jumped on the table and move on.  This worked well because he wasn't demotivated for the rest of the run and we had fun at least.  Our final run of the day was a second jumpers.  It was going GREAT until the  last jump.  Damn dog decided he didn't want to do that one.  That one was all dog... so one jump away and we would have Q'd that run!

You know what they say close only counts in Horseshoes and Hand Grenades!!  So no Q's this weekend but a glimmer of hope that we CAN and WILL get some very soon!!!  I think once he starts he will be unstoppable!  At least until we move up a level...

Thanks to Alberta Agility Pictures (on FB) for capturing this pic of Cookie!

Moments of Brilliance... Part 1

As I eluded to in my "I'm Back" post Cookie Munster and I had a fairly busy January agility wise.  Back on the January 14th weekend we headed up to Calgary for our very first Training Troop Trial.  We had a blast!  What a fun group of agility enthusiasts.

Cookie didn't come home with any new Q's (were still stuck at one) but he had a great weekend.  Before heading up I learned that I have to be more fun... that's right no more NFJ.  I really focused on being fun at the start line and getting him excited to run with me.  What a HUGE improvement over his runs in the December trial!  He stuck with me the whole time and I actually felt like I had a dog that WANTED to play agility.  No sniffing, no running away, no stopping, and best of all I didn't have to beg him to go through the whole course.  He did take a poop in Steeplechase... but other then that it was awesome!

This is the third trial in three months and just like the other ones I came home with a list of things that I wanted to work on.  We struggled in the gambles because he isn't confident going out to the obstacles yet.  The table was a big issue all weekend.  For some reason he would not lay down on it.... no way, no deal wasn't gonna happen!  Driving home I figured out I was using the same command I would use at home when I was mad at him and wanted him to lay down.  We've since switched our command and it has been going much better.

All in all we had a fun weekend, made some improvements, and set some goals for the March trial.  I decided that I would skip the February trial.  This will allow us to have 8 solid weeks of practice.  I know we are going to go to the March trial and ROCK IT!!!  That Munster will get himself some Q's and ribbons that weekend!

I'm Back....

Sorry I've been kinda AWOL with the whole blog writing.  I actually set myself a goal to write one post per week in 2012.  I wrote one in January... so far I am off to a stellar start :-)  In my defence we had some internet issues.  I was all excited (and actually had time) to write my blog about our agility trial the weekend of January 14th last Friday.  I arrived home after our agility seminar to write and guess what?  No internet at our house.  Hmmmm....

Rewind 7 months...

Dan calls me at work to let me know that we are trying a Shaw PVR for free for six months and as an added bonus our internet bill will go down.  Sounds good to me.  The only thing I say is... "make sure you cancel the Shaw PVR before the 6 months is up.  I don't want to pay for Shaw and Bell".

Fast Forward 6 months....

Our Shaw bill arrives and the bill is ginormous!!!  Why you ask?  Well they charge one month in advance for the services so we are now paying for Shaw internet and Shaw cable (and Bell satellite).  So I nag my husband to cancel the Shaw for a month, because that's what a good wife would do.  Another month goes by.

Last Friday January 27th....

After receiving our 2nd extra large Shaw bill (and maybe a couple arguments later) Dan takes the PVR to Shaw and gives it back.  So Shaw comes that afternoon before I arrive back from my seminar and shuts off the cable.  Literally Shaw was at our house within hours of Dan dropping off the PVR.  Turns out when they shut off the cable outside they screwed up and also shut off the internet.  GRRRR  Don't worry they didn't shut off the internet bill... just the service!

Today...

Shaw FINALLY gets around to coming today to re-hook up our internet!  How is that for customer service?!?  When we turn off the service they damn near beat Dan home to unhook.  Yet, they screw up and shut off the internet and it takes almost a week to come back and turn it back on!  So tomorrow I get the job of calling Shaw to complain about my crappy service.  I better get a free month of internet!

5 Munsters and a Shar-Pei

Cookie loves Dan's new Grinch blankie!

We had a very Munster Christmas and a Yappy New Year!!  

Haha I crack myself up.

I can't believe the holidays are officially over.  I always find that they go by in such a blur as they are so busy.  Tonight is the first night I had time to sit down with a glass of wine to post what we did over Christmas.  

We had a fantastic Christmas.  We had the opportunity to spend Christmas and Boxing Day with 3 out of our 4 sets of parents... a huge feat for us.  On Christmas Eve we travelled up to my Mom and Rob's cabin located just through the Crowsnest Pass.  We were so lucky that Dan's Dad, Art, and his wife Laurie were able to come to the cabin on Christmas Eve as well.  So we ended up with my Mom, Gwen, her husband Rob, Art, Laurie, Dan, and I.  We shared Christmas Eve and Day with Cookie Munster, Chance, Steele (Cookie's Dad), Jules (Cookie's Mom), Mocca (Cookie's brother), and Sam (Art & Laurie's Shar-Pei).  Yup you read that right... we had 6 people and 6 dogs in a 600sq ft cabin.  Thankfully they have a good size chunk of land that is fenced so they could run of some steam.

Meet Sam the Shar-Pei....

....Poor guy was outnumbered
no wonder he was looking over his shoulder!

 We did all the normal Christmas stuff, open presents, cook the turkey etc...  

Grandpa Chance
The original Munster

Momma Jules

We also had an awesome fire on Christmas Day.  The weather was amazing, it was quiet, the setting was beautiful, and the wine was delicious.  Couldn't have asked for a better Christmas Day!!!

Dan stoking the fire

The boys...
Art, Dan, and Rob

Boxing Day we headed to my Dad and Carol's house in Sparwood.  We had an awesome second Christmas.  As always Carol cooked an AMAZING meal.  We were spoiled as usual with tons of fun presents... my favourites were a theatre style popcorn maker, and Cookie and I got a spotbot pet stain clean up machine!! 

All in all Christmas 2011 was great.