What I won't do for the dogs

I was absolutely run off my feet today. Or at least it feels like it now.

The agility group that Romeo is taking classes with was offering a Halloween photo shoot this morning. So I took the boys out there, decked and bedazzled in their Halloween bandannas. The pictures, what I saw of them on the small screen of the digital camera being used, looked great! They should be printed for next weekend and will eventually be online for little a "Vote for the Best" contest. I'll be sure to post them here when I can.

After being gorgeous super models, it was off to Rally-O for a couple of hours. I worked the boys on a couple of small house-keeping things for the quickly approaching trial in November. Gio has crooked "stands", so when he goes into a down from a stand it is even more crooked. So we have been working on cleaning those up. Romeo just got worked lightly today, some heel patterns and focus work. Then I taught a puppy class. It was graduation day so we played a couple of games and relay races, had some cookies and an off-leash play time. Following that was a beginner obedience class that is taught by a couple of other ladies in the club. And finally, followed by another Rally-O time, where I worked Gio on his Versatility level exercises. He is really coming along nicely with heeling on the right side. Still likes to have crooked sits, so we are practicing along a wall until he gets the gist of it. We're slowly working on his hind-end movement to the right. He has beautiful movement to the left, but it doesn't flow as nicely on the other side. I'm starting with heeling in big clockwise circles, then gradually making the circles smaller and smaller to trick him into moving that hind end of his. Got a couple of really nice breakthroughs today!

After Rally-O, we came home and I put my feet up for about an hour and a half. Then off again to agility! Romeo started his Advanced Beginners I tonight. The first class was dedicated to the tunnel. Building tunnel drive (like Romeo needs any more of that!) and proofing entrance recognition. So a lot of releases to the tunnel from funny angles, then pairing it up with a jump, forcing the dog to fire out over the jump then loop back around for the tunnel. Romeo did really well and thoroughly enjoyed himself! By the end of the night, I could tell he was getting tired, though.

We're home now, finally. Fed, watered, and peed. And it is definitely time for bed!

Crunchy Dog Cookies

I normally don't give the boys hard dog biscuits, try to avoid as much grains in their diet as I can, but sometimes a cookie is a good thing. I am sure to make my own though. They are easy to make, and you avoid all those horrible ingredients in commercial cookies.

Following along with my normal requirements, a recipe must be quick, easy, and have ingredients that I am likely to have laying around the house. I don't like having to go to specialty stores to get ingredients.

Here is a recipe that I found over 10 years ago, I forget where.

1 cup veggie oil OR meat drippings
1 cup milk
1/2 cup water
2 beef OXO cubes OR 2 tsp powdered soup base
2 cups rolled oats
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (white flour works fine, too)



Heat milk, water, oil/drippings, and soup base in a pot. No need to boil, just heat it enough to dissolve the soup base completely.









Combine flour and rolled oats in a large bowl.










Add liquid mixture and mix well.









Press onto a cookie sheet and cut into desired shapes. The dough works well for cookie cutters, so try some fun shapes! It doesn't spread much, so don't worry about it dripping over the edges.








Bake at 300F for 2 hours. After 2 hours, turn off the oven but leave the cookie sheet inside overnight. This will allow the cookies to harden.





I made this batch for my new graduates tomorrow. The kennel and obedience club that I belong to is currently holding a puppy class, beginner obedience class, and Novice rally-o class. Graduation day is tomorrow, so I said I would make up some cookies. But there are lots left over for Gio and Romeo to enjoy!

Wordle!

There's this cool site that will scan your website or blog and make a piece of word art out of the terms found there!



Check out Wordle.net

I'll Show You Mine if You Show Me Yours

My buddy Reilly started a game titled I'll show you mine if you show me yours!

Oh, get your mind out of the gutter. We're talking dog toys here, people! What is your dog's favorite toy?

Gio has had many favorites over the years: the Boodah cow, the rubber duckie he stole from his buddy Bailey (it had to go on the shelf because he became somewhat obsessed with it), and tennis balls ... any tennis ball. He will play with anything, but more often than not, he will grab his big sheep when told to get his "baby".


I won the sheep in a raffle draw at a flyball tournament in Lloydminster. Romeo was the one running in the tournament, but when we got home to show off all our prizes, Gio claimed the sheep and it has been his ever since. Poor sheepie has had a couple of surgeries. One of the ears has been amputated and he's had his stomach re-sewn a couple of times now. Romeo can be blamed for the de-stuffing adventures, but Gio is to blame for the tears and ear-loss.

Sheepie in action.

Romeo's favorite toy is the squirrel from his Hide-a-Squirrel game.


The stump that the squirrels hid in is long gone (thanks to Gio and his tugging obsession). But the squirrels are all still alive ... to varying degrees. Romeo is a big fan of anything fuzzy, and the fuzzy squirrel tails are just perfect. He carries the squirrels around by the fuzzy tail, and will lay down and chew on the tail mindlessly. Surprisingly, the squeakers have all survived, but the whiskers have all been chewed off.

Squirrel in action.

DogMark.net Cool Dog Site of the Day

The Sheltie Hair blog has been chosen as the DogMark.net Cool Dog Site of the Day!



Thanks so much to the creators of DogMark!

At the end of October, you will be able to vote for us for the Cool Dog Site of the Month. I'll be sure to post more links to that when it is available.

Homework? Really?!

I haven't had this much "homework" in ages! And I haven't even been working on school work.

Saskatoon Pet Expo is coming quickly, and preparations for it are well under way. Pet Expo is an annual trade-show-like event in Saskatoon. It takes place at Prairieland Park and includes various pet related booths, displays and demonstrations. I love Pet Expo, it is a great time! But this year is busier than ever.

Normally I just participate in the booth and demos that my flyball team enters. Take a couple of shifts, help out with the demos, and wander the trade show for a couple of hours. But my dog life seems to be exploding, and as such, Pet Expo is going to be a non-stop weekend for me! I have shifts for the River Runners flyball booth, the St. John Ambulance therapy dog booth, and the Hub City Kennel and Obedience Club booth.


Tonight I have been making up class sign-up sheets, raffle entry slips, and informational brochures on how to select a purebred dog and how to find a reputable breeder for the Hub City booth, making up the booth and demo schedule for the River Runners booth, and getting all the boys' health forms together and ready to fax off so that they can come and enjoy the fun as well.

*PHEW*

It's not even 8pm and I'm absolutely wiped! But I got MOST of what I had planned finished this evening. Still have to make some dog cookies to take to puppy class on Sunday for the people and puppies that are graduating, and I need to trim Gio's feet up for his therapy dog visit tomorrow.

Now for a trip to my happy place ...

Shop With Us!

I was browsing through CafePress this afternoon and couldn't find the Sheltie items that I was looking for! There are loads of Sheltie items available there, but not quite what I wanted. So I thought, "Fine then, I'll do it myself!"

And now I have a store on CafePress.

So far, it is just a "basic" store. That means that I can only have one of each "item" available. I've designed 3 different images, but I can only put one image on each blank item that they offer. I've tried to make some t-shirts, long sleeved shirts, and miscellaneous items for each image, but you can only do so much as a basic. I will play things by ear and see how sales go for the next couple of months. If sales are good, then I will consider upgrading to their "premium" account, and that will allow me to offer all of the images in all of the available items. More selection for everyone looking for Sheltie paraphernalia! YAY!

I'm also open to feedback! If you like what you see, let me know. Want something else? I'd love suggestions. Have a preference for certain items? Drop me a line. Leave a comment somewhere here on the blog and I will find it. It's the whole supply and demand situation ... if demand picks up, I will supply!

The link to my store is in the left-hand column. It's also right here.



Here are the images that I am currently offering: