New Dog Crate on Wheels

I haven't blogged in the last 10 days because my person has been very busy studying, test driving and talking about getting a new dog crate on wheels. We have an old sedan which is a very dull car and not convenient for taking me places. I have to sit in the back seat and wear a seat belt (which I cannot stand) otherwise I try to drive the car myself.



After much boring discussion about reliability, engines and mileage we finally have our new dog crate on wheels - a Honda Element. It even looks like a dog crate, all silver and boxy.

Here I am checking out the back and smelling the new car smell. The back seats fold up to the sides, the way they are now, or come out entirely. There is plenty of room for my crate and all the things I need for tracking, rally and freestyle. Barbara says there is even room for more crates so if we get another dog ( I hope soon) there will be room for him to go with us too.



The inside is lined with rubber. Even if I drool it won't matter!





I am so glad that she got this for me but I really don't understand why it took so long. I have only two questions. What fun places can we go to in this car? And how fast can we get there?

Farmers' Market

I've been pretty busy lately. On Sunday I practiced Freestyle and last night was Drill Team practice. Today when Barbara came home from lessons, we went to a little Farmers' Market. It was fun to go there. Lot's of people admired and petted me. Most of them didn't know that I am a Gordon Setter so she had to explain what I am.

There are lots of tents with all kinds of food inside. Most of the tents have vegetables and Barbara bought boring stuff like lettuce and peppers.



One tent had all sorts of jams and jellys in jars and baked goods! I am very interested in baked goods and my nose was in overdrive with the delicious smells. It was late so most of the baskets were empty but we still found a nice apple spice loaf.



It was hard to control myself around all those delicious treats but I was polite. It was most disappointing that I did not get to go to the tent with the cheesecakes. I think that she was afraid that the smell of cheesecake would be so overwhelming that I would jump up on the table and start feasting.



There is a bigger Farmers' Market in town but I can't go there because they ban dogs! This is blatant discrimination and Barbara refuses to buy so much as a string bean there.

My Mohawk

Inspired by my spaniel friends, Hero and Big Pupi, I thought that I would try to grow a mohawk. They look very cool with theirs and it seemed to fit in with my new tatoo and scar that I got when I was spayed. You can just see the start of it in this picture.



Unfortunately Barbara did not think that a mohawk was a great idea since setters are supposed to have sleek, smooth heads. So out came the stripping knife and off came the mohawk. Then she gave me a bath and you know how I despise them.



Barbara was not very sympathetic since she believes it is part of her responsibility as my special person to take care of my skin and coat. This means baths and grooming. Ugh! I think my coat is quite fine as it is. In fact the other day at the dog park a woman was admiring my fur and said that she wished that she had a head of hair like mine!

Then next photo I have to blame entirely on Stanislaw! Barbara thinks he looks so cute in his snood that it gave her ideas. Since I have started some raw meat additions (which I love) to my meals she thought that I should have a snood too. It seems that my Gordon Setter ears are perfect for collecting raw meat on the ends.



Now I have to wear this contraption on my head if I am going to eat anything raw. Even though wearing it means I am going to feast you can see from my expression that I am not loving it.

My New Boyfriend Henry

I am always up for a trip to the dog park and I am always on the look out to add new boyfriends to my pack of admirers. So when Barbara said that we were going to go to the dog park to work with one of her students I was very excited.

Henry is a 2 year old Labradoodle that was just recently adopted to a wonderful family. I don't think he had the proper socialization when he was a puppy because he is very sensitive and he never really learned to play. His new person was concerned that Henry didn't enjoy himself at the dog park. Since I have excellent play skills and clear body language, Barbara thought I was just the dog to bring Henry out of his shell.


Henry came into the park but didn't interact with the other dogs and only wanted to sniff around. If other dogs came near him, he walked away.



I came up to him and we sniffed politely at the side of the face. Notice my low, sweeping tail wags and curved body position. I would never be so rude as to come straight on to another dog's face and stare at them.



I gave him a play bow so that Henry would know that everything that I was going to do was all in fun.



Then I lay on the ground to make myself as non threatening as possible and to do a little flirting.



Finally Henry realized it was ok to play with me. We had a few excellent chases and even a little chew-face game. His person was so happy to see his tail wagging. We had such a good time that it even gave Henry the confidence to go up to some other dogs. I think that Henry is going to be a social butterfly after a few more dog park outings!

But flirt that I am, I was not satisfied with one new beau. I also attracted the attention of a young male Brittany named Truman who seemed quite taken with me.




I was a little concerned that after my spaying operation boy dogs wouldn't be so attracted to me. Fortunately that is not true. I guess when a girl's got it, she's got it!!

Coby

Last Wednesday Barbara drove me to K9 Kindercare, my home away from home, because she was going to visit family in NY. I wanted to go until I heard that she was flying there. I have no desire to sit in a crate in the belly of an airplane. She picked me up this morning and I could tell that she had been with my cousin Coby since her suitcase smelled of Cockapoo.



My Aunt Debby and her family adopted Coby from a shelter last Thanksgiving and they adore him. Who knows why he ended up in the shelter because he is such a great dog. I was a bit miffed to hear that Barbara paid a lot of attention to Coby and took him for a walk, played tug-of-war and gave him lots of treats.

Debby had a big picnic while Barbara was there and lots of their cousins came. Coby had a great time playing kickball with all the little kids in the big fenced yard. I wish I was there for that.




What I am most sorry to have missed though, was the feast. I see that they had fried chicken, barbequed pork roast and cupcakes!! Coby was right there in the thick of things waiting for food to drop on the floor and I know for a fact that Barbara gave him some fried chicken. I am so jealous. I get treated very well at K9 Kindercare but they have never barbequed a pork roast for me.





Anyway I am back home now, tired out from playing with my friends at the kennel. I really need to rest up because tonight is Rally class.

Dog Park Fun

Thank you to all who sent good wishes after my spay operation and during my recuperation. I am completely recovered and back to all my activities of Rally, freestyle and playing with my boyfriends. Unfortunately my person has been remiss in posting to my blog because she keeps forgetting to bring the camera when we do fun things!

We went to the dog park this evening before Rally class. My friend Ayla is in the class and Barbara and Sandi thought it would be a good idea for us to run out our silliness before class.



I am having a good sniff with Ayla, Nate, Bing and Minnie. We all get along very well.




Ayla and Minnie running towards me.




I am enjoying the freedom to run around and sniff.


I have been enjoying the photos of all you dogs in the Paw-lympic events. Congratulations to all the medal winners. I am very annoyed that Barbara didn't submit any of my photos. My specialty is the tongue event. I could have been a contender!

Recuperation

My operation was a week ago today and I am feeling great! I was pretty sleepy all day last Friday but by Saturday afternoon I was ready to run around. Unfortunately I am on restricted activity for 10 days - no running or jumping, no swimming, no dog park! This is cruelty to animals. All we have done lately are some sedate walks (very boring) and a little bit of Rally practice.

I wore my T-shirt and was a good girl and did not chew or lick my incision. That meant I did not have to wear the dreaded satellite dish on my head.

They shaved my belly at the vet clinic to do the operation (very nice and cool in all this heat) and I now have a scar and a tatoo!!!



Here is a closeup. I wish the tatoo was in a shape of a dog biscuit though.



All I need now is an eyebrow piercing and I will be a punk rock Gordon Setter.

My Operation

I had an operation yesterday. We got up early, Barbara didn't give me any breakfast (cruelty to animals) and off we went to the vet. They were very nice there, but then I went to sleep and when I woke up I felt very groggy and my tummy hurt. I was spayed. It is an operation so I won't have puppies.

I wasn't spayed when I was younger because Barbara thought that I might do well in dog shows like my mom and dad and some of my littermates. But I really don't like posing at dog shows. It is more fun to do tracking and rally. Performance dogs can be spayed. My mom Misty had 9 of us pups and it was a lot of work for her to feed us, clean us and teach us to be good pups. I think having puppies would cut into my busy social life.

So I'm pretty tired today and I have to wear a T-shirt so I don't chew my incision. It is that or wear a satellite dish on my head. I'm going to rest today and catch up on all my friends' blogs. I'm not looking my best so there are no pictures today.

K9 Kindercare

When Barbara goes out of town she takes me to stay at a really great place called K9 Kindercare. It is a small kennel run by a very nice woman named Terrie. Terrie loves dogs and takes excellent care of all of us when our people go away. I love going there. I miss my person, but I usually make so many new friends that I enjoy myself enormously.



When I arrived I had to sniff everyone and of course they had to sniff me. Terrie has a great group of dogs staying this weekend and she is good putting compatible dogs together so we get along.



I've made a new Brittany friend. We spent a lot of time sniffing all the good smells in the play yard. We are sporting dogs and we must hunt.



Of course my favorite type of playing is splashing around in the baby pools. We have 3 pools to share.



Here I am in control of all the pools!!!



Barbara is at a board meeting of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. They are spending two days discussing things like the best way to educate dog trainers. Now I know this is a very important topic but it must be sooooo boring! She has to sit in meetings all day long and I bet the board doesn't get a chance to play in any baby pools!

I Received an Award!!

Holly and Zac, my Border Collie friends from across the pond, have given my blog the Arte y Pico Award! This is my very first award so I am thrilled. Thanks so much and here are the details about the award:

"This award was created to be given to bloggers who inspire others with their creativity and their talents, also for contributing to the blogging world in whatever medium. When you receive this award it is considered a special honor."

The RULES!You have to pick FIVE blogs that you consider deserve this award for creativity, design, interesting material and also contribute to the blogger community regardless of language. Each award has to have the name of the author and a link to his/her blog to be visited. Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given him/her the award itself.

Award winners and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of the "Arte-y Pico" blog so everyone will know the origin of the award.

I've chosen the following blogs to receive the Arte y Pico Award:

The Life of Royal. Royal is a young Australian Shepherd who is one of my boyfriends. He's learning a lot of new skils and blogs about his training.

Momo and Pinot because they have such lovely photos of their beautiful faces on their blog.

The Association of Pet Dog Trainers conference blog where you can learn all about this important dog training conference.

Dogstar Daily blog which is Dr. Ian Dunbar's site. Lots of excellent dog trainers post there.



So thanks Holly and Zac for the award and for enjoying my blog.

Frosty Paw Failure

I like ice cream so I was very excited when Barbara said that she was going to make me homemade Frosty Paws which is a frozen dessert for dogs. I sat right next to the counter while all the ingredients went into the blender.



I watched very carefully as she poured the mixture into the paper cups hoping that Barbara would spill them on the floor.
Then they had to go into the freezer and I had to wait.



You can see that I am very interested in the little cup when it cam out of the freezer.



I am licking my chops in anticipation of frosty paw deliciousness cooling me off on this hot, humid day.



Here I am turning my head away in disgust. She must have done something wrong because it tasted awful!!! It was supposed to be delicious and it was a revolting mix of bananas and yougurt! I am crushed.



My person is supposed to be a good cook but you would never know it from that yucky mess.

Freestyle Practice

This week I got a chance to practice Rally and some Tracking. This morning we got together with some of our friends to practice our Canine Freestyle routines.



I had a bath yesterday (UGH!!) so I am looking particularly shiny today. I am waiting for my turn to go in the ring. We are finishing up the choreography for my routine and we've added a zig zag where I switch back and forth from heeling on the left side to heeling on the right side. It is not that hard to do and I get lots of string cheese while I practice, so I enjoy it. Unfortunately, Barbara forgot to give her camera to someone to take photos, so there are no pictures of me working!



This is my new friend Rhiannon. She is a 2 year old Chesapeake Bay Retriever and is just starting freestyle. She and her person are heeling around the ring while we all try to figure out what would be the best music for her performance.



I like freestyle because I get to show of how well I move and get to do some fun tricks too. Once the routine is finished, and I've practiced it, we will post a video.

Selkie's Anniversary

Today is a sad anniversary. One year ago today my big sister Selkie died. It was very unexpected as she had seemed very healthy up until she woke us up at 2 in the morning in great distress. It was a horrible thing called a spontaneous pneumothorax which meant her lungs collapsed. Even though Barbara rushed her to the emergency vet and then to the vet school, they could not save her.




Selkie was a very special Gordon Setter. She was smart and silly and very confident. She loved everyone she met especially little kids. Selkie was very opinionated and was in charge at home. I was only allowed to play with her toys if she let me (which wasn't often) and sometimes she stole mine. But she was fun to play with and was excellent at chasing.



Selkie and Barbara did Rally and Freestyle competition together. They had a great bond and I know Barbara still misses her very much. I do too.

After Selkie died our friends in the Drill Team made a donation to the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine in her memory. There are two bricks there dedicated to Selkie and you can view them here

Another Boyfriend

A girl can never have too many boyfriends. Royal is a very handsome young Australian Shepherd. I think he is very cute. I've known him for awhile but it was nice to have a chance to hang out with him in the dog park.



We had a good time sniffing each other in rude places and of course I behaved in a very flirtatious manner. Barbara thinks that I acted like a brazen hussy but I was just having fun. I did not post some of the more risque photos since impressionable puppies may be reading this blog and I do not want to shock them with R-rated material!!!



I love to be chased and Royal was happy to oblige me by chasing me around the park. You can see that we wore each other out.



I hope I get another chance to play with Royal soon.

Lake Fun

It has been so hot here this week that we haven't been able to do anything fun outside. We go for walks but then I run back in the house to get air conditioned. This morning Barbara got me up really early. I did not like it first because I need my beauty sleep but when she said that we were going to Jordan Lake I was very pleased. We had to get to the lake early before the jet skiers took over the beach we go to.

Here I am inspecting the beach for interesting junk. Sometimes if I am lucky I find a nice smelly dead fish. No such luck today.


I race through the shallow water as fast as I can go.



Even though it is 7:30 am the sun is strong and it is already getting hot. Fortunately the water is lovely and cool.



I like to go out to get sticks and bring them back to shore.





It was a fun way to start the day and use up some energy. We got back to the car and Barbara realized she had forgotten to bring a towel to dry me off so I dripped water all over the car on the ride home. HAH!! I had a big breakfast, played with my stuffies for awhile and am now ready to go back to sleep!