so.. the year has come to an end and i have to admit that i have really lapsed in my daily writing. I do apologize to those loyal readers and for one of my reolutios, i will try to do better. Now. I have many things to be thankful for. I have had a blessed year with health and happiness for my family, but also for the dogs, which many of you care about. Tanner ended the year number one and did it in grand style. In california he was Select dog with me on the end of the lead. He won several regional specialties and took a group 1 at the national dog show which many of you saw televised on tv Thanksgiving day. That was a thrill for all of us. He now ends his extensive show career with me showing him occasionally. I am really looking forward to having some real fun with him.
Ii wish all of you very blessed and Happy New Year. talk to you soon.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Raining cats and dogs
So here it has been raining. Raining
and raining. Floods, evacuations and blackouts. Fortunately we have been fine. Our house is on higher ground. The lady's biggest problem was keeping us all dry and clean. The man on the other hand was worried about our pool. Day after day the pool level was over and above the side. T night he would come home and pump the water down to keep it under the rim. Well, the last day he forgot. He forgot he was pumping the pool and pumped it way down. He came down and said the rain had stopped. How did he know that? Well. He pumped the pool so low that he needed now to out the hose back it and fill it backup. So when everyone else was bailing out their basements and flooded houses, we were filling up our pool with the hose. Only us,
and raining. Floods, evacuations and blackouts. Fortunately we have been fine. Our house is on higher ground. The lady's biggest problem was keeping us all dry and clean. The man on the other hand was worried about our pool. Day after day the pool level was over and above the side. T night he would come home and pump the water down to keep it under the rim. Well, the last day he forgot. He forgot he was pumping the pool and pumped it way down. He came down and said the rain had stopped. How did he know that? Well. He pumped the pool so low that he needed now to out the hose back it and fill it backup. So when everyone else was bailing out their basements and flooded houses, we were filling up our pool with the hose. Only us,
Friday, September 9, 2011
Saying goodbye
Where do I fit in here? I don't know. I came here just a baby. I am the son of the big dog. The people seem to like me. I made friends with the others pretty easily. Just not him. I was leery of him and he wanted no part of me. I tried to figure out what my role was, where to fit in. Looking back I took some risks and made some mistakes.
My first thing was to focus on the man. He was often outside with us. He would pick up toys and toss them around. No one paid much attention, but I figured out that if I licked up what he threw and brought it back to him, he would throw it again. It was a game. It was fun and it was something him and I had together. This was going to be my niche, being his friend. I would get him to like me best since everyone else like my dad best.
I grew up. I grew up big, bigger than my dad. I started going to the shows and did really well, but still second fiddle to dad. How was I going to change this? So I made my move. I challenged him. I figured I was bigger, I could take him. I walked up to him all puffed up and in my fiercest growly voice said I was there and was going to be the new king here. Well dad wanted nothing to do with this and answered me back. Then the lady intervened, very upset with both of us. But... Dad was put inside and I was put in the pen. And that was where I stayed when he was around. We lived separate lives. I was not allowed near him. My big calculated move had backfired. I was not going to be #1 after all. So I began to refocus on the man. I knew he loved me and I wanted to have some p,ace here. I had an old toy tire that he and I would p,ay with. He would roll it out and I would bring it back to him. We would do this for hours. I loved this.
After a while I thought I could make another move. I was in my pen and everyone was out, even dad. I began to climb the fence to get to them. The lady saw me and screamed NO... But it was already too late, I was over, but not really. On the way down I got stuck. My back leg was caught in the fence. I panicked and yanked it really hard, ouch that hurt. I could not put any weight on my leg. She was so upset. It looked like I messed up again.
I got better , but not 100%. She took me to the vet and I just knew it wasn't going to be good news. I also knew that being a show dog meant I needed to be healthy. So now what? In the car we drove for hours. We eventually met up with people that the lady knew. They seemed really nice and they had a girl dog that seemed afraid, but not of me. When everyone seemed like tit was time to leave, I didn't know what to do. Bt the. The lady took my tire, the one I played with the man with, and put it in the other car. So this was it. I hopped in and began my new life.
My first thing was to focus on the man. He was often outside with us. He would pick up toys and toss them around. No one paid much attention, but I figured out that if I licked up what he threw and brought it back to him, he would throw it again. It was a game. It was fun and it was something him and I had together. This was going to be my niche, being his friend. I would get him to like me best since everyone else like my dad best.
I grew up. I grew up big, bigger than my dad. I started going to the shows and did really well, but still second fiddle to dad. How was I going to change this? So I made my move. I challenged him. I figured I was bigger, I could take him. I walked up to him all puffed up and in my fiercest growly voice said I was there and was going to be the new king here. Well dad wanted nothing to do with this and answered me back. Then the lady intervened, very upset with both of us. But... Dad was put inside and I was put in the pen. And that was where I stayed when he was around. We lived separate lives. I was not allowed near him. My big calculated move had backfired. I was not going to be #1 after all. So I began to refocus on the man. I knew he loved me and I wanted to have some p,ace here. I had an old toy tire that he and I would p,ay with. He would roll it out and I would bring it back to him. We would do this for hours. I loved this.
After a while I thought I could make another move. I was in my pen and everyone was out, even dad. I began to climb the fence to get to them. The lady saw me and screamed NO... But it was already too late, I was over, but not really. On the way down I got stuck. My back leg was caught in the fence. I panicked and yanked it really hard, ouch that hurt. I could not put any weight on my leg. She was so upset. It looked like I messed up again.
I got better , but not 100%. She took me to the vet and I just knew it wasn't going to be good news. I also knew that being a show dog meant I needed to be healthy. So now what? In the car we drove for hours. We eventually met up with people that the lady knew. They seemed really nice and they had a girl dog that seemed afraid, but not of me. When everyone seemed like tit was time to leave, I didn't know what to do. Bt the. The lady took my tire, the one I played with the man with, and put it in the other car. So this was it. I hopped in and began my new life.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Weekend in and weekend out
So on any given dog show weekend there are a variety of dogs in the truck. That is what we call Heather's set up. We usually have some Goldens, maybe a few Flat Coats and always some Bernese, like me. These dogs change and go home as they get their championships. but also, weekend in and weekend out there are a few of us that are always the same. I like to think of them as my dog friends. These are like me. They have already earned their championships but also like me in their breed they are considered of excellent quality that they continue to be shown as a "special". That is another dog show term. I am a "special".
Some of my other friends, Nacho, Trader, Rita, Panda and Tuck. Each of them have their own personality and their own needs. Nacho is a big Bull Mastiff. He has no hair so there is very little grooming required, but he does drool and slobber so having a rag around when he is being shown is always a good idea. Trader is an Akita and like Nacho not a lot of grooming. trader doesn't like too many of us and so he doesn't spend too much time with the gang. He is shown by Kevin and than back to hang out by himself. Panda is a corgi. He is small and a bit of a spoiled brat. He gets to hang out with Heather and Kevin I their RV. None of the rest of us get to do that, only Panda. We are a little jealous of Panda. Rita is Chesapeake Bay Retriever. She left us before the summer to have her puppies, I think she will be back when they go to their new homes. Tuck is an Australian Shepherd and like me needs to be groomed before he is shown. Him and I spend a lot of time on the grooming table getting groomed and waiting to be shown. And like MD, Tuck's people travel with him to the shows. Also, like me he wins a lot. Him and I are almost at the same level. I did say almost. I am what they call the "Priority". What shows we go to usually depends on what judges like me the best.
When we all win, everyone is happy, and when we lose which sometimes happens, everyone is sad. But weekend in and weekend out we travel to the different shows doing our best.
Some of my other friends, Nacho, Trader, Rita, Panda and Tuck. Each of them have their own personality and their own needs. Nacho is a big Bull Mastiff. He has no hair so there is very little grooming required, but he does drool and slobber so having a rag around when he is being shown is always a good idea. Trader is an Akita and like Nacho not a lot of grooming. trader doesn't like too many of us and so he doesn't spend too much time with the gang. He is shown by Kevin and than back to hang out by himself. Panda is a corgi. He is small and a bit of a spoiled brat. He gets to hang out with Heather and Kevin I their RV. None of the rest of us get to do that, only Panda. We are a little jealous of Panda. Rita is Chesapeake Bay Retriever. She left us before the summer to have her puppies, I think she will be back when they go to their new homes. Tuck is an Australian Shepherd and like me needs to be groomed before he is shown. Him and I spend a lot of time on the grooming table getting groomed and waiting to be shown. And like MD, Tuck's people travel with him to the shows. Also, like me he wins a lot. Him and I are almost at the same level. I did say almost. I am what they call the "Priority". What shows we go to usually depends on what judges like me the best.
When we all win, everyone is happy, and when we lose which sometimes happens, everyone is sad. But weekend in and weekend out we travel to the different shows doing our best.
Friday, September 2, 2011
It Sucks getting Old
The familiar saying for Bernese Mountain Dogs is "3 years a young dog, 3 years a good dog and 3 years an old dog". Well, I am approaching my 9th year and I am certainly beginning to feel the aches and pains of an old dog.
But.. let me back up. My physical issues didn't start as I got older. My big issues happened when I was a young mother running around the backyard. After my second round of babies, I remember it like it was yesterday, we were all in the backyard enjoying a beautiful day when the man pulled up in the driveway. All of us ran to meet him like we always do and I led the way. Suddenly, I felt something snap in my knee and I couldn't use my rear leg. I was in a lot of pain and my lady was worried for me. She quickly got me settled down and tried to assess my injury. I could tell she was concerned because we went right off to the doctor. He confirmed what she had feared. I had torn a ligament in my knee and needed to have surgery. This was no easy undertaking. The surgery was done and I came home. Leg shaved and in a cast and pretty much immobile. This was going to be a long and hard comeback. I was made to stay still. My lady walked me on a leash and than made me lay back down on a blanket. But.. when I began to feel better, keeping me still was harder for her to do. I wanted to go out and play and be my old self again. But I listened to her and did what she wanted me to do I eventually healed and was almost good as new. But what is typical with these sorts of injuries, just like in humans, once you do it to one side, the likelihood of doing it to the other side increases. And a few years later it did just that. The other knee.. Well this time I wasn't as young. My lady was afraid of the surgery. So instead she hoped that I would heal on my own. I did, but not 100%.
So. now the knees hurt all of the time. The one with the surgery and the one without. I walk very slowly and won't run up the hill anymore. I prefer to just sit by the door and watch everyone else run around. And even though I am very careful, sometimes the young ones get out of control and hurt me. Calley did that very thing last week. She accidently ran into my shoulder and now that hurts. The lady was upset, but I know Calley didn't mean it. She was just being herself.
Sure does suck to get old.
But.. let me back up. My physical issues didn't start as I got older. My big issues happened when I was a young mother running around the backyard. After my second round of babies, I remember it like it was yesterday, we were all in the backyard enjoying a beautiful day when the man pulled up in the driveway. All of us ran to meet him like we always do and I led the way. Suddenly, I felt something snap in my knee and I couldn't use my rear leg. I was in a lot of pain and my lady was worried for me. She quickly got me settled down and tried to assess my injury. I could tell she was concerned because we went right off to the doctor. He confirmed what she had feared. I had torn a ligament in my knee and needed to have surgery. This was no easy undertaking. The surgery was done and I came home. Leg shaved and in a cast and pretty much immobile. This was going to be a long and hard comeback. I was made to stay still. My lady walked me on a leash and than made me lay back down on a blanket. But.. when I began to feel better, keeping me still was harder for her to do. I wanted to go out and play and be my old self again. But I listened to her and did what she wanted me to do I eventually healed and was almost good as new. But what is typical with these sorts of injuries, just like in humans, once you do it to one side, the likelihood of doing it to the other side increases. And a few years later it did just that. The other knee.. Well this time I wasn't as young. My lady was afraid of the surgery. So instead she hoped that I would heal on my own. I did, but not 100%.
So. now the knees hurt all of the time. The one with the surgery and the one without. I walk very slowly and won't run up the hill anymore. I prefer to just sit by the door and watch everyone else run around. And even though I am very careful, sometimes the young ones get out of control and hurt me. Calley did that very thing last week. She accidently ran into my shoulder and now that hurts. The lady was upset, but I know Calley didn't mean it. She was just being herself.
Sure does suck to get old.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Irene
All night long the wind and the rain howled and raged. We laid on the floor listening to the furniture outside getting thrown around. One chair even ended up in the pool The people were upstairs sound asleep. Couldn't they hear what was going on outside? Certainly there would be no dog show tomorrow. But what were we thinking? There is always a dog show.
The dog show is never cancelled. It seems that nothing stops the show from going on. Even last year when a blizzard was coming, we loaded up the car and headed for the beach area where the blizzard was headed, but where the dog show was being held. As the storm headed right for where we were going, the lady was optimistic that it would be OK. We stayed in a hotel that was better suited for the summer time than the cold winter. After the first day of shows, I heard the lady talking to the man about maybe she had made a mistake, maybe she should head home. But he said it was too late. The storm had already begun and we would be driving right into it. So we stayed. The hotel was right across the street from where the show was, but certainly the show would be cancelled. Everyone said so. The snow began to pile up. We made it back to the hotel to settle in and batten down the hatches. During the night the power went off. Surely this was not a good thing to happen. No heat, no electricity. Now what? Well what do you think we did? We went across the street to the dog show. While the town was bracing for evacuations and setting up temporary shelters, we were at the dog show.
We waded across the street to the building. The snow was up to my chest and my lady's waist. But we trudged through. I guess there was some comfort for her to be with people of the same mindset. and trust me there were a lot of people at the show. All of the dogs just looked at each other and thought the same thing. Our people are crazy. We rolled our eyes and shook our heads.
We did finally leave the show after the snow stopped and roads were cleared two days later. It took forever to get home and when we finally did the man rolled his eyes and shook his head. I guess he thought the same thing, dog people were crazy. So on this morning with the weather channel on and the man on the tv telling everyone how to prepare and stay safe during the hurricane, we were watching our people get ready and we knew it was not to be safe but to go tot he dog show. And so we went, the rain was driving and the wind was blowing but we arrived at the dog show with all of the other crazies.
The dog show is never cancelled. It seems that nothing stops the show from going on. Even last year when a blizzard was coming, we loaded up the car and headed for the beach area where the blizzard was headed, but where the dog show was being held. As the storm headed right for where we were going, the lady was optimistic that it would be OK. We stayed in a hotel that was better suited for the summer time than the cold winter. After the first day of shows, I heard the lady talking to the man about maybe she had made a mistake, maybe she should head home. But he said it was too late. The storm had already begun and we would be driving right into it. So we stayed. The hotel was right across the street from where the show was, but certainly the show would be cancelled. Everyone said so. The snow began to pile up. We made it back to the hotel to settle in and batten down the hatches. During the night the power went off. Surely this was not a good thing to happen. No heat, no electricity. Now what? Well what do you think we did? We went across the street to the dog show. While the town was bracing for evacuations and setting up temporary shelters, we were at the dog show.
We waded across the street to the building. The snow was up to my chest and my lady's waist. But we trudged through. I guess there was some comfort for her to be with people of the same mindset. and trust me there were a lot of people at the show. All of the dogs just looked at each other and thought the same thing. Our people are crazy. We rolled our eyes and shook our heads.
We did finally leave the show after the snow stopped and roads were cleared two days later. It took forever to get home and when we finally did the man rolled his eyes and shook his head. I guess he thought the same thing, dog people were crazy. So on this morning with the weather channel on and the man on the tv telling everyone how to prepare and stay safe during the hurricane, we were watching our people get ready and we knew it was not to be safe but to go tot he dog show. And so we went, the rain was driving and the wind was blowing but we arrived at the dog show with all of the other crazies.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Disappointment
It is hard for me to know that I have let her down. I can see it in her face and feel it in her vibe. Today we found out that there would be no babies for me. I was sent to Colorado for a while to be near where the boy was. I was treated like a queen while I was out there and my only job was to come home with babies inside of me. I have let them all down.
After it is all said and done, the girls that stay have one job, have babies. They kick the ball down the road, advance the generation. My mom did it. The Old Lady. She had her puppies and from her came me. I was chosen to carry on the line. She picked me early and I did not let her down. I was great at the dog shows only needing a few to get my championship. I passed all of my health checks. And I have even given her several babies. The problem has been that these babies have not been nice enough to keep. She has tried from each of my litters to keep a girl, but in each case they did not work out. And believe me my boyfriends have been pretty nice.
My first by was a handsome German dude. We traveled far to see him and in the end we kept Secret, but alas she was not to be. The second by was just as nice. From Mexico. Jada came from this litter and once again she was not going to make the grade. Our last boy was a great guy from Canada called Matten, but again the same story. Even though there were five girls to choose from (I think my lady has pretty high standards).
She found this last boy in Colorado which is why I spent some time with our friends out there. He was nice and we got along just fine. I am not sure what happened. Maybe the plane ride was more stressful than we thought. I just know that all of them are devastated. I am sorry it didn't work out this time, hopefully next time
After it is all said and done, the girls that stay have one job, have babies. They kick the ball down the road, advance the generation. My mom did it. The Old Lady. She had her puppies and from her came me. I was chosen to carry on the line. She picked me early and I did not let her down. I was great at the dog shows only needing a few to get my championship. I passed all of my health checks. And I have even given her several babies. The problem has been that these babies have not been nice enough to keep. She has tried from each of my litters to keep a girl, but in each case they did not work out. And believe me my boyfriends have been pretty nice.
My first by was a handsome German dude. We traveled far to see him and in the end we kept Secret, but alas she was not to be. The second by was just as nice. From Mexico. Jada came from this litter and once again she was not going to make the grade. Our last boy was a great guy from Canada called Matten, but again the same story. Even though there were five girls to choose from (I think my lady has pretty high standards).
She found this last boy in Colorado which is why I spent some time with our friends out there. He was nice and we got along just fine. I am not sure what happened. Maybe the plane ride was more stressful than we thought. I just know that all of them are devastated. I am sorry it didn't work out this time, hopefully next time
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
