We are off to the races!

Well, those races being regionals :) I'm really looking forward to seeing the newbies in the regional ring for the first time!! So proud of our group - and we have a great time together. Seriously the best group ever. I've got a Box of wine ready (for real)!!

I've been pretty zen about the whole weekend. I'm happy to be running K .... I'll leave it at that - grateful, happy and humbled by his spirit. And my Gyp, well she is my little Gyppie-Girl ... ... I'll be kissing that sweet little face of hers every time we step to the line with her.

Jolayne and I are also donating a gift basket in memory of Tag and Jane ... Beer and wine that have meaning for us ... I am pretty sure there will be some tears.

I think this wine says it all.

Yellow was the name of Tag's favourite toy - and also the colour he always wore.

Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.

- Theodore Roosevelt

she thinks my tractor's sexy

she thinks my tractor's sexy :: 21/52, originally uploaded by sarah ....

Via Flickr:
Gyp's friend Flash prides himself in being a lady's man. Gyp thinks he's a dweeb.

---
This is our friends Sheltie, Flash, and their Kids Tractor they have for their new Grandbaby ... come on, it makes a great pic :)

The more I learn, the less I know.

RE-ENACTMENT: The city slicker-stick wielding-Vegetarian is losing her mind. Look out, she's gonna snap!

Herding hurts my head. It is an addictive and way-to-fun sport ... "just one more time and I think I can get it right." I'm never left satisfied, which keeps me coming back for more. Like everything I do - I'm on the constant quest to do better. Damn you Gyp, why did you have to like this sport so much! Damn me - why I am such a curious person who never is satisfied and wants to keep learning new things. 

Gyp waits patiently for her turn.


"Sorry for not being a better stock handler Gyp, I'm trying, but I'm a city girl!"

Herding is THE MOST DIFFICULT thing you will ever try with a dog - atleast in my experience. Jane did JRT trials - which where all pretty much based on the instinct of the dog with very little training - either they wanted to kill the prey, or they didn't. Jane wanted to kill it. I've done bird and field work with Kaleb at a beginner level and hunting for real (I don't shoot, Pete does - I just do the training) ... the animals that are prey, that K hunts are alive, BOOM BOOM, then they are dead ... one less thing in the equation. Now I can focus on the dog and me. And when we train, the birds are either A) dead or B) in the form of a Dokken or Bumper. Very difficult in its own right, just like the Open Field trials of Retriever Trials, Herding also takes an a whole other level of pushing dogs limits and having them work against instinct at times. We are no where near either of those levels in bird or herding training. Not sure we ever will be - but boy do I love the journey!!



I like to think Agility is my forte - it's where most of my energy and time is put. I am pretty sure I don't suck as bad at Agility as I do at herding. But if I put it in to perspective - my first year of training Agility with Jane 10 years ago was laughable ... oh man I must have looked like a fool. My poor dog. So I get the learning process, and that fact that I only know what I know, and I don't know what I don't know - how's that for a philosophy. Now I look like a fool again, my poor dog!! Crap, I'm seeing a pattern. Thank goodness for wine.

For those familiar with Agility and wonder what herding is like ... or those that do both, tell me I'm wrong ... I'm at an Agility Trial ... I'm running a planned course, I'm up next, I've walked it in my head, I feel confident with my dog, we walk onto the course ... then all of the sudden out of no where untrained, out of control beasts are out there the course and now I have to run my dog, stay on the path all while watching the pack and trying to navigate them around at the same time. It's awful, dreadful and really FUN!!!!


OMG COULD YOU FRIGGIN IMAGINE!!!

Pretty sure the saying don't quit your day job applies here ...
but Gyp and I are enjoying this part time job :)

Gyp clips

it's been a while since I've posted much about Agility :) Here are a few clips of Gyp from the weekend, we ran one day at the trial - I was SUPER pleased! Regionals is next weekend and we are really looking forward to it. It's always a great time.  That's all. Don't feel like writing more than that ... watch the Vid instead :) let me  know what you think!

Anyone home?

Its been a while since I posted and I have some big ideas that haven't made it here yet, so I'll leave you with this ...

We walked the dogs over to our new place and I think they approve!! Gyp REALLY wanted in there, she would run to each door and stand there waiting to go in, but we don't have a key yet :) we walked the neighborhood and its a 1 minute walk to the coulees where the dogs can run, a 5 minute walk to more open spaces and a 10 minute walk takes us to a nice park with a lake an there are lots if great walking paths. I think it would be about a 20-30 walk to the river but we haven't tried that yet. The house is still under construction and we move in July.

Happy Monday

19/52 :: open wide, originally uploaded by sarah ....

let's attack the week, like Gyp attacks the hose!

Today she would be 13

I'm in tears as I write this, today would have been jane's 13th birthday and I can't quit thinking of her and crying. I can go through a few days without crying but I make up for it on a day like today. Sometimes I miss her so much it literally hurts deep. I know nothing will bring her back, it's been 2 months without her and I still miss her like crazy - life is different now. Isn't this supposed to get easier?

In honour of her birthday we are going for DQ ice cream, something we did every year for her birthday ... Do have one for her today if you can!!

Here are some photos I rounded up if her favourite pass time ... Fishing ...

For the dogs ...

We bought the dogs a house. I hope they like it ... across the street from the Coulees, parks and pathways just around the corner, no main floor carpeting ... a dog run off the garage for doing their business.
(Though we bought this house for them, Pete assures me we are never getting another dog.)

It's our first big kid house ... We are a tad excited!

2 worlds collide

This weekend my comfortable agility world and the newer scary herding world collide. I have a seminar in each. Saturday I'm training with Terry Simons in his international handling seminar ... Its our last instruction before Regionals which is less than a month away. Then Sunday Gyp and I put away the fleece tug toy for real some Sheep ... Louanne is hosting a herding clinic in preparation for our trial in June. I'm looking forward to both, it should be a fun weekend for both Gyp and I!! Here's hoping both of our brains can handle it ... Well I have more faith in my dog than myself ... :)