Something about worms!

The dogs just love to roll in worms. They even sometimes will argue about who gets which worm. Resource guarding worms!! Here is Spur, happily smeared in worm and drool........

He even drools, then that ends up mixing with worm and........well......ick!!! Thankfully, worm/drool mix doesn't smell too bad and once dry can just be brushed out.

Happy, worm/drool smeared dog..........

Just an amazing story!!

My mom has a big elm tree in her front yard. Some barred owls have nested there in previous years. This year there have been some issues. An owlet fell out a few weeks ago. She was told to take it to Bar Harbor as it might have a broken leg. Well, it was walking on it's legs, so she was sure they were not broken. My friend Laura suggested contacting Avian Haven. Well, their site said if the bird is in good shape, simply return it to the nest.

That was fine, but it fell out again. This time it didn't look good. She put it back, but it came out....... again. She called Avian Haven and they sent an "ambulance" to come get it. Turns out it broke it's wing, probably on the first fall and was really in rough shape. But, they have been feeding it and another barred owlet about the same age was recently brought in and the two snuggle and soon will go with the surrogate barred owl parents they have that have raised many owlets over the years. Just amazing!!! They think it should be able to recover and be released. So cool!!

Anyway, there is more to this story..........ANOTHER one fell out. This time mom said it was big and FIERCE! She left it there and called Avian Haven again. They instructed her to cover it with a towel and use heavy gloves and put it in a box until Mike got home. Then again cover it and use heavy gloves and hold it's feet (talons!!!) between your fingers and spread it's wings to look for bruising. It looked fine and she said the wing span was more than two feet!! It looked good, so the instructions were to take a laundry basket and fill it with pine needles. Then tie the basket to the tree near the hole. But, be sure to wear a hard hat and goggles (since you are only born with two eyes and want to keep them!!! Seriously, they said that to her!!) and then put the owlet in a paper bag so it doesn't screech and attract the parents. Then gently put it in the basket.

They did that!!! And we are now getting updates!! She sees and hears the parents tending to it and it sometimes comes out and she has photos!! It is SO cool!!!! -


This was the next day after putting it in the basket. You can just barely see it's head looking over the left side of the basket and if you look REALLY carefull you can see another owl/owlet in the hole above it (maybe click on the photo and it will enlarge?).....
These were taken today. .........So, if you are driving down the road and see a laundry basket attached to someones tree, don't worry they are not loony. They are tending to an owlet!!!! :D

So little time!

I know, I haven't been very good with blog entries lately. The weather has been FABULOUS, finally, so I am not sitting at this desk much.

I do have some awesome flower photos and farm photos to post, but I have to find time to load them.

Roscoe won the drumming challenge. He was number 3! Silvia was pleased as she really wanted him as a winner. She thinks he's pretty cool!!! So, since I have all her DVD's I asked if I could be upgraded from auditor to participant in her running dog walk class. She said SURE!! Only a few weeks left in the class, but that's cool!!

Off on Saturday to Lo Baker's for a half day seminar on dog walks. So, that should be good/interesting.

Work has picked up in a BIG way. I often have a slightly lesser summer schedule due to teenagers home who can walk the dogs or teachers home, but this year, nope no drop outs and a few additions. I hate to think this way, but I just added a 10 month old. That means "job security". I have several very old dogs and unfortunately that means "job insecurity". Sad, but it's just part of the business. I really didn't have an opening for another dog walk, but this one is in a good location and can be done later in the day as they don't leave for work until mid-morning.

Oi!! It's all good. I am so pleased to be busy and in demand, even in a bad economy.

Roscoe was awesome in dog class last night. Go figure. He can do class outside like a wild man, but outside trials bum him out. Spur, not so into class. It's hard when he worries and slows down and looks stressed in class. I sometimes think of not running him at class, but he very much needs to get used to different equipment and other dogs around him. I just hate to practice slower behavior when he can be so good. He's a tough one, for sure.

We carry on and work through it. I have to remember how bad things were just a year ago. Things are SO much better now!

Lovely photo of The Spur man!

My friend Joy Elliot took this!! I love how she captured his happy face -

Huh, I don't know how to make it smaller. I'll work on that.

Trial report!

First - Laure, Lance and Vito!! I can't seem to post a comment in MY comment section replying to your comment. How dumb is that??? Anyway, um......nope, no stride regulators for The Spur Man. That could just be the thing to never get him on the dog walk again, LOL!! I probably could work them slowly with a plank, but no, I'll work through this. He was SPOT ON this weekend with his dog walks. PERFECT, low hits. Not super fast, though.

Saturday's first class was Novice FAST. He got the bonus, but then the scribe removed it. Judge doesn't know why, says she doesn't remember even though it was only 20 minutes earlier and he is one of only TWO mix breed dogs at this AKC trial. Doi. I didn't argue. He knocked the triple and that kind of bummed him out. Like all weekend bummed, but he pulled it together to Q in all is other runs.

Good little man finally got that last Open Standard leg with a lovely run. Not super fast, he was still thinking of that knocked triple. **Not to self, do some triples at home on occasion.

He won his Excellent Standard saturday, but that was the A division, so not much competition. Sunday I thought he might run faster, but not really. He was good, but not as fast as he was at the NEAT trial a few weekend's ago. Still thinking about that triple? Perhaps. He Q'ed and ended up second in JWW and that was the B division. But, the super fast dogs all NQ'd. It was a HARD course. He was not super fast, but he ran it nicely and confidently.

Roscoe was only entered Saturday. He was a mess. Not at all into it and I pulled him out half way through the course. He just doesn't want to do it outside, plain and simple. He does fine at home and at class, but not at a trial. It's just not something his mind can wrap around. Darn. I hate seeing him that way.

Just some more running dog walk work

At home he is faster and it's causing some different striding. That's running dog walk speak for leaps. "Different striding". He is wanting to do a two strided down and he can't do that! His most comfortable is a three strided down.

See -


I am going to see if I can work through this before running to Silvia for help. Hopefully, we can work it out. He does know his job, I am sure of that, but it is a fine line with running dog walks!

I wonder if it says PITA on my file?

I love my vet. She and I go way back. She was the best vet I ever worked with. She used my technical abilities to the fullest. She knew how to train a tech and make use of one. She and I were a good team. She could send an animal back with instructions on procedures and know I would follow instructions and get it done. Why did I quit? Her asshole husband who had a hand in everything there. I couldn't take it any more. Plus, the clients could be such idiots and my tolerance for that got less and less and I was getting burned out. I miss it, though. I miss the mental challenge and helping the animals.

Anyway, when I call for an appointment I say..."I need and appointment with Dr. Bond, please". Clear as can be. I see only her. I don't know the other vets there well enough and MY vet knows my dogs and knows my skills and together we manage Roscoe well and with reasonable comfort.

Made the appointment. Got a call from Randi later that day asking if I really wanted an appointment with Dr. Bond, because my appointment was with the other vet. HUH??? I clearly stated my wishes. This happened last year and I showed up and stupidly said to the vet who walked in....."Oh, hi, what are you doing here?". Embarrassing as stuff like that just comes out of my mouth, but whatever, I spend a lot of money there I want to see MY vet only. So, this year I should have doubled checked with the idiot receptionist. That's my biggest complaint with the office. THE IDIOT OFFICE HELP!!! OMG, they are horrible. And changing all the time. It is the clinic's worse feature. They can not get good office help and keep them. I don't know why, but it has ALWAYS been an issue and it makes me nuts.

Thank's for Randi. She's a friend, I know her from outside the clinic, and she took care of it and we made a new appointment. I have no patience for such silly things. It doesn't seem like Rocket Science here. Listen to the client on the phone and do what you are supposed to do.

Rich asked me one time why I didn't teach dog classes. I said because the general public would not be happy with my style. "Do it right, dumb ass!!".