ADULTS AVAILABLE

I have two adult male rough Collies available pending being neutered.  This is where my breeder side wars with my non-breeder side.  I have had to push myself to make decisions based on a few facts:  not every dog is supposed to be in my breeding program; not every dog wants to be the member of a large pack of animals;  I can only keep so many dogs that are not part of my breeding program.  Would I love to keep every dog that comes into my home?  Yep!  Can I or Should I? Nope!  So with a heavy heart I offer up two wonderful dogs that will bring unending joy to another family:

Harold is a 3 year old sable and white rough boy.  (His birthday is 9/4/08). He has his RN and U-RO1 but I have found he is pretty much stuck at that level.  This makes him an excellent companion dog as he is obedient and knows well the basic commands of life-sit, down, stay, come and he walks like a dream on leash.  He is also pretty good off leash and has learned to come to a whistle with about 75% accuracy.  He is a Collie though and will chase anything that zooms past him.  Harold loves kids and does well with other dogs except extremely over the top dominant males.  He runs with my other boys, both intact and neutered and is fine because they are not looking to cause trouble.  He is good with cats too.  Harold is housebroken, crate trained and a well behaved house dog.  He loves to play with toys, especially tug and fetch, and will cuddle up for a good snuggle.  His one bad habit is his barking.  It's one of those annoyingly high pitched barks and he does it when I leave him in the kennel or out in the yard and walk away where he can see me but can't be with me.  If he's out alone, he's fine.  It's only when he can see me and would like to be with me that it's a problem.  Harold is up to date on vaccinations, is heartworm negative and on monthly preventative and microchipped. 

Kit is a nearly 5 year old tri rough boy.  (Birthdate 12/23/06).  He is a fairly recent addition having been acquired in late May this year.  Kit is very bright and learned quickly, he is housebroken, crate trained and can be found snuggled up on my bed more often than not.  Kit arrived with some medical issues.  He had a very bad hookworm and whipworm infestation and was grossly underweight.  The worms are gone and he also has had a clean panel of bloodwork. He is also heartworm negative and on monthly preventative as well as being microchipped.  However, Kit continues to have weight issues.  I have tried various foods including cooking for him and he is still only 61lbs on a frame that should be 70 lbs.  Since he is physically healthy on vet exam and testing, I feel that neutering him to see if having a shift in his hormones, is the next step to getting him completely back to normal.  Since I cannot show nor breed a neutered boy, Kit will be seeking a new home.  Kit is so loving, very gentle and craves attention.  He is a velcro dog, so he will need someone that likes having a shadow following them around.  He is good with kids and other dogs as long as they don't attempt to be aggressive with him.  Cats are an unknown so I am saying, no cats for Kit.  He has no formal obedience training but is great on a leash and I think a fun obedience for the home class or even an agility class would be a great thing for Kit.  Kit would probably make a good 4H dog as long as the family is willing to put time into his grooming.  And here is the negative about Kit, he has a soft coat.  It requires brushing a minimum of once a week and for a companion dog I would recommend keeping it shorter.  NOT SHAVED, just trimmed shorter so that he is not so prone to picking up things and getting tangles.  Unlike Harold who you can run a brush through once a month or whenever he picks up a burr or stick and it pops right out, Kit's hair will pick burrs and turn them into knots. 

If you would like information on either boy please contact me via email at:  k9krazy10@msn.com or by phone at 563-927-1430.  I do require references as well as a signed contract for purchase.  Both Harold and Kit will be ready to go upon being neutered.

JAM IS SICK

Jam is sick.  My best friend is sick.  It pains and embarrasses me to admit that in his time of need I can't help him by myself.  It's been 11 months since I last worked and I just don't have the money to take him to Iowa State University's Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center.  He needs a neuro and ophthalmology consult and while I could take him into Cedar Rapids for the eye exam, it's actually less expensive if I do both consults at ISU.  I scheduled Jam to be seen at ISU on Monday Aug. 29 and am going on faith that I'll be able to pull it off.

The folks at Minnesota Wisconsin Collie Rescue have been so supportive and Deb has put together a website for Jam that tells about his problems and also asks for donations towards his consultations and possible tests and treatment.  Pushing embarrassment aside I publish that link below.  Your prayers for Jam would be greatly appreciated, he is my rock and it's heartbreaking to see him so not himself.

Jam's Medical Expenses

Judy

AND THE ANSWER IS...

Seven.  A ridiculous number of large dogs in the back of a Chevy Trailblazer.  :-)
So, good news, Maddy made it thru the trip with flying colors, I bless Rimadyl.  She's 14 and very arthritic so I decided it was worth it to put her on as much long term Rimadyl as needed to keep her comfy.  She was positively radiant this weekend.  This is the first trip in a long time that she was able to go on and not be totally crippled after.  Great news, two of the rescue Collies met with their new adopter and so far it's going well. 
Bad news, although it wasn't really bad, Declan did not win any points and Beijing needs more work.  This was one of those rare weekends I can come home and say, the depth of competition in Smooth Collies this weekend was awesome!  There were 9 class dogs and not a bum in the bunch.  Kim finished her girl on Sat. going Best of Winners.  I took the Winners Dog back in with the intent of helping the judge decide to award that crossover major by putting the girl up BOW.  It wasn't hard, the dog didn't like me.  I had to pout about that.  I seriously was bummed, all dogs like me damn it.  Watch out Mario, I'm on a mission here to MAKE you like me.  On Sunday I repeated my handler duties taking the lovely sable WD in for breed, again with the intent to convince the judge that she should crossover that major to the girl.  At least Kori liked me.  He's a pretty nice dog so I added a little spin to my repetoire and purposely didn't pay attention to the judge, asking more than once for her to repeat her request.  Not sure I can go back to her for a while, haha, but whatever, I did my part and the major crossed over.  I like to tease that I put 2 majors on girls this weekend and didn't touch a one of them.  If only this were a career option.  :-)
The weather held except for a downpour on Sat morning, my dogs at home didn't get out, get hurt or die. Josh stopped on Sat. after cattle chores to check on water buckets and topped them off as he promised. I love that kid.  Plus he is educating me on farming and cattle.  I'm not sure where I'll put that info to use at his late date in life.  Maybe we'll herd some cows one day--uh maybe not.
Until next time...

HOW MANY DOGS...

I'm attempting to answer the age old question - How many dogs can you fit in the back of a Chevy Trailblazer?

Yep, the Maiwae gang is off on a road trip to Albert Lea this weekend for some showing and lots of fun!  Declan will attempt the breed ring provided I can find my other shoe.  Beijing will attempt the obedience ring provided I can find his testicular ridden brain.

Much fun to be had by all--report to follow~

WHY IS IT

Why is it...that after 20 years of showing dogs I still forget how much work it is to pack the vehicle?

Why is it...that bathing 4 dogs always feels like it was 8?

Why is it...that I can only find one of my show shoes?

Biting Off More To Chew...

As you can read in previous posts, the garden has been a productive enterprise so far this year.  I've had many salads and fresh veggies and have 8 meals of zucchini as well as 4 bags of diced stuff for stews and such, in the freezer.  There are many blossoms and teeny tiny new ones on the plants so I expect more to come, which means next weekend I'll be forcing, uh giving, away the over abundance.  I gave the whole garden a strong shot of Miracle Grow yesterday, I have a bad feeling about that.  This is the first year in ages I've had peppers that have taken off.  This is a warning and a reminder to myself:  do not plant 4 jalapeno pepper plants.  I have jalapenos everywhere, on the plants, in the refrigerator bin and now strung up in the kitchen window.  There is just no reason to waste a single piece of good food so I "Googled" how to dry peppers.  This method involved me stringing them up and putting them in a sunny window.  Apparently it takes a longer time to dry them this way, but now I'm feeling positively Susie Homemakerish.  I went out on a limb and strung up a bunch of banana peppers too.  There are only 2 plants but again, they are full of veg.  If all goes well and these peppers actually do dry out I'll be able to leave them whole or grind them up for use in soups, stews, sauces, etc. 
I'm looking at tomatoes that if they all ripen at the same time will bury me alive.  In particular the Romas. This is a good thing since they are the base for canning sauces and SALSA!  I wish I could add little maraca sounds to this blog.  Ole!
A bit ago I dried an oven full of herbs and had the chance to use both some of the basil and oregano today.  I had a group of sad looking green tomatoes that would not ripen and were looking like they wanted to rot at any moment, so they are chopped up stewing now with onions and green peppers from the garden.  I have no idea what the mixture will end up as before it is frozen, but it has my dried herbs in it.  I'm thinking of calling it Green Tomato Sauce Base.  At some point this winter when I actually give in and attempt to use it, I'll report back.  I need another trip into Manchester tomorrow as I forgot an important ingredient, and tomorrow my plan is to do a little canning of what I'm calling "Wild Apple Jam".  And I think I may have enough pickling cucs to take a run at some bread and butter pickles.  Say a prayer to Julie Child.
I'm excited to report the appearance of several butternut squash as well--again, if they can get to the right size before this next weekend I'll be shoving them in a bag for my MN and WI friends.  Hmm...I wonder if next year I could double my efforts and set myself up at dogs shows as a vendor...
Until next time...