PICTURES AS PROMISED!

Back a few posts ago I mentioned that Hobbs was a permanent resident and Calvin was visiting to work on his RN and CD.  Well here are pictures of the comic book kids!  They are related back somewhere, Hobbs is a Lymmy/River kid and Calvin is a Glitter/Trigger kid...Glitter is out of Sky and River is out of Sky.  You figure it out and let me know.  :-)

Calvin followed by Hobbs on the chase

Sniff sniff

Hobbs (l) and Calvin (r)

Hobbs and Calvin - Hobbs tied to the fence, Calvin practicing a sit stay.

Happy Hobbs and Serious Calvin

 

 

 

Hobbs (l) and Calvin (r)

A Watched Pot

You know the old saying.  I'm actually hoping that Lolli does not begin labor until Monday.  Sunday night at the earliest.  The longer she keeps puppies baking the better.  The car is packed and we are on hot standby as Clara would say. 
After puppy fun Spice, Hope, Calvin and I head for Minnesota.  Hope has been adopted and I'm meeting her new owners on Friday.  I'm so tickled that someone has adopted Hope-she is the rescue with the limited vision and I was worried that she would be passed up because of that.  Of the original 9, that leaves only one left to go to a new forever home-Gem.  Spice is entered in beginner's novice, Calvin in rally novice and novice obedience with the plan to come back with one BN, one RN and one CD.  Yep, we dream BIG around here! 
Auntie Peppi will be here to kennel sit, I shall say a prayer for her sanity. Keeping straight who goes where in the kennels and in the crates, who can and cannot run with each other, how much of this and that they eat and in the case of the geriatric kids, who gets what meds.  Maybe I should have left her a bottle or two of wine...

Until next time...

Oh my achin' butt

Too much driving!  However my sore rear end resulted in Maverick getting to Minnesota to his new foster/possible adoptive home and Rudy to his foster home in Illinois.  And since we were already in Dubuque, Spice and Calvin got run thrus on obedience at the Petsmart there.  Looking good is all I can say--fingers crossed for Bloomington in November!
Harvest is in full swing on the farm.  It makes for very noisy days between the combine, the tractors moving grain wagons and the dryers going at the bins.  The dogs are all pooped out from "helping" while I was gone today.  Trace was a brat (or brilliant because he would have had to have learned it from Glitter) and un-wove the bottom of his kennel door to escape.  Thankfully he doesn't go anywhere and is savvy enough to stay out of the way of the farm traffic.  I wonder if I ran an electric wire on the bottom of the kennel if that would keep him from being a houdini, and would that work for Glitter too...hmm....
At least Charlie has stopped digging in his kennel, perhaps my last threat worked, or he is just tired of digging to nowhere.  :-)

Until next time...

KIT

I spent some time today and got all of the burs taken out of Kit, did a little trimming on his feet and de-whiskered him.  His time away pretty much set back the coat growth again, so winter shows are probably going to be out for him.  If he grows back and gains weight maybe he can go and play in the show ring in 2012.  Here are a few pics of him post de-burr.  (Ignore the date stamp on the photos--apparently those need to be set--that is where reading the manual would come in handy.)

THE RETURN OF KIT

After five plus weeks on the missing list--Kit returned home last night.  I had a call from a family on a farm 2 miles north and 3 miles west of me.  It seems Kit had wandered in three weeks ago and had become part of the family, following dad around doing farm chores, playing with the kids and generally  making himself to home.

He is covered in burs and needs a bath badly but other than being a bit thin, again, he is fine.  I am beyond happy to have him back home.  His return is a true blessing from God and a lesson for me once again in faith.


Until next time...
 

YEP IT'S GERIATRIC CENTRAL

As of next weekend I'll be adding another oldie moldie to the pack.  Temporarily of course.  It's a lovely old gal named Willow who will be here as a foster for MWCR.  Poor baby has to travel all the way from MO--more info on her after she arrives and settles in.  Let's see...how many more bottles of glucosomine will I be needing...

Until next time...

CALVIN AND HOBBS

It's a comics explosion here on the farm!  Hobbs came to become a permanent and much missed blue dog a while back.  Hobbs will be out as a special in 2012 and my first attempt at getting a Grand Championship.  He is a gorgeous, big boy with floating movement and a headpiece to die for.  He is also a velcro dog and while I thought he was bad about being sucked to me before we started obedience training, he is worse now.  I'll take it for now, it will make getting that RN this fall easier and I'm sure once he figures it all out he will get off my feet so I can remain upright.
Calvin is joining the Maiwae gang as a temporary resident while his mommy takes care of some medical stuff.  He too is a blue boy, big and as Deb likes to say "rather Jam like".  Calvin is better known as Ch. Anstett's Rising Star.  He needs one leg to finish his RN so we'll do some polishing up and get that finished while he is here.  Calvin will be an intermittent addition so...fingers crossed...he'll get his CD next year.
On a sad note for me and me alone, Beijing goes home this weekend.  I miss him already, he is a good boy and we have had a fantastic ride this year, RN and HT on my end, his TT with mom Sahra, and we will get him back out in 2012 for that CD.  With puppies coming soon and Sahra and John's move, along with the seemingly limitless bad stuff happening here in the past couple of months, I had to table it.  I just have not been in the mood to work with him.  I tried to keep him but dang it! John didn't "forget" he was here!  
More news on arrivals and departures to come...
Until next time...

FALL

Yep it's fall.  Harvest has begun and the shoot is back in prep for the cows going bye-bye.  The air is crisp, but warm this week which is a good thing.  I am dedicating this afternoon to dog baths.  This may be the last time for outdoor dog baths and I want to get everyone clean before winter.  Once we have to move bath time inside only dogs that are showing get a bath.  My back just can't take doing them all in the tub.  Speaking of tubs, I love my booster bath.  It has saved me countless hours of back pain. :-)  Earlier this year I even hooked up the hot water faucet from the basement and in the spring we had warm outside water. 
This morning I dedicated to getting a few groceries in the house and a quick run to the Goodwill in Independence for a drop off.  More dog laundry on the line drying and after a short break I'm moving fencing again.  I have a couple of panels and doors to repair (thank you Glitter--that'll do) and need to move where the doors are for winter.  Fingers crossed I can still use the 2 yards down below once the snow flies.  Snow...ugh. 
Outta here to enjoy this lovely fall day.
Until next time...

AWCA

In going through the dog's info last night I found that Spice and her son Reid now have enough points to qualify for the AWCA's Versatility Certificate!  AWCA is the American Working Collie Association, a wonderful group that promotes the versatile working Collie.  AWCA has titling programs in versatility as well as social dog, therapy dog and backpacking just to name a few.  I guess I had better pick up a new black ink cartridge so I can copy the certificates and get my point slips sent in.  Now to tackle the CCA's versatility award program...

OUR FIRST HT!

I am pleased and proud to announce the first Maiwae HT dog!  Yesterday at Camp Bandy in Amherst Junction WI, "The Baby" earned his second HT leg!  Otherwise and now known as Int/Ntl Ch. Maiwae's Allstar Singular Sensation, RN,HT,HIC.  Huge thank yous to his co-breeder/co-owner Sahra Jola of Allstar Collies for her dedication to training and trialing Reid.  And to John Wentz of Big Yellow Boots Stock Dogs who put his own blood, sweat and tears into training Sahra and I to train our dogs. 

REID - New HT!

HIC

Yesterday I loaded the car up and we went herding.  Did a little subtraction/addition work at the Jola household and Sahra and I were off with 6 dogs to the Collie Club of Minnesota's Herding Instinct Certificate testing.  It was held at Joanna Yund's place and I give her top grades for her set up and her livestock.  The sheep were perfect for entry level dogs and some very lovely puppies that Denice Gray brought.  And no, I did not stuff one of them in my coat to bring home, tempting as it was, love that sable boy...
I am very pleased to announce that Spice, Declan and Reid all passed along with John and Sahra's crew of Bryce and Musca.  Amy supplied a few of the Oak Knoll Collies and I got to watch pieces of Lyra, Gibbs, Booth and Gideon perform.  Gideon was fabulous, that boy might not heel, but he sure herds.  :-)
Reid and Bryce were entered today in a herding trial up in WI, Sahra was off to that by herself as I had to go to IL to place of the rescues in his adopted home.  Matt now has a home and kids of his own.  I'm still waiting on results of the trial .
Amy Ross took some great photos and video and I've bootlegged both to post here.  Thanks Amy!
REID 
SPICE
DECLAN

"DECLAN"     Oak Knolls Riverton, HIC

"REID"     Int/Ntl Ch. Maiwae's Allstar Singular Sensation,RN,HT,HIC

"SPICE"           Int Ch. Oak Knolls Pumpkin Spice, RN,TT,HIC

                                           
Spice is Reid's mom.  I'll be breeding Declan to Spice in early 2012 for some more awesome "do it all" dogs!

Until next time...