The List... 2012

It is time once again for my yearly dog goal list. My instructor Donna Rohaus said it was good to make lists so that the tangible is right there in front of me. I like crossing off our accomplishments. It gives me a great sense of pride. The goals that aren't crossed off just make me work harder to do so. This year I have included ALL dog related goals, not just agility. So here I go with the list for next year...

1. Finish Piper's AKC MACH.

2. Finish Seeker's AKC MACH and MXF.

3. Finish Seeker's USDAA MAD.

4. Make a bigger dent in Seeker's USDAA ADCH.

5. Finish Seeker's ASCA ATCH.

6. Start Gem's serious agility and herding training.

7. Run Piper in CPE and reserve that venue just for HIM.

8. Have Seeker ready to run N/N Border Collie trials by summer.

9. Have Gem ready to debut in agility by Splash & Dash's USDAA trial in September.

10. Have Gem make her AKC debut at the Border Collie Nationals in October.

11. Do more nosework with Ceilidh because she LOVES it!

12. Get PTs on Kasey, Brenna and Tweed for Karen at the BCSA National.

13. Herding trial both Seeker and Gem at BCSA Nationals.

14. Win the Janet Larson Award for most versatile dog at the BCSA National with Seeker.

15. Step up Seeker's obedience and rally training so he will be ready to compete at the BCSA National.

16. Finish Piper's RAE.

17. Do more therapy visits with the boys.

18. Work on Gem's obedience so she can also take her CGC and TDInc tests when she is old enough.

19. Continue working through Ceilidh's reactivity issues with the exercises I was taught.

20. Spend more individual time with each dog.

Photo by Louis Ruediger

I am going to be very busy next year.... But they are SO worth it! Life is too short to live with regrets... Their lives are even shorter and while all the titles they will have earned won't matter when they are gone, what will count is the quality time I spend with each one while they are here...

Hug your furry ones and Have a Wonderful Holiday Season!!!

jan

Reflections 2011...

As we near the end of 2011, it is time for my yearly accounting of just how this year played out. We definitely had our ups and downs. For me and Piper, there were successes and failures which were all learning experiences. I am disappointed in myself for not obtaining his elusive MACH title and only getting 3 QQs the entire trial season. But I am infinitely proud of him and his accomplishments, especially at the AKC Nationals where he had 2 clean runs and 1 run with 5 faults when we miscommunicated. What is more amazing is that only days before leaving for the National, he was diagnosed with uveitis in both eyes and could have lost his vision. Running at the National was a gift. One that I am thankful for... He spent most of the trial season not feeling well with various, but persistent ailments, but never once did he quit on me. He is my inspiration and I love him so much for showing me ( a dyed-in-the-wool obedience person) just how fun agility can be.

On the bright side, we finished his ASCA ATCH as well as his AKC Master Excellent FAST title. He is my Gamble dog! He absolutely loves that distance work and yelling at me when I am incorrect. He is an absolute joy to run and partner with, and I am truly blessed that he puts up with me. At times, I feel that I am failing him when I flounder as a handler, but he honestly doesn't care. It is all about stepping to the line and having a great time!

Seeker came into his own this year. He had a very good year which began with siring his first litter of puppies with Pip... 7 beautiful babies, 4 of which I keep close tabs on and love hearing about their escapades. Loki, Brenna, Inga and Karma are such joys and I am a proud grandma!

In agility, he did quite well earning 8 QQs this year and qualifying for the 2012 AKC Nationals, which unfortunately, we won't be able to attend because of the distance. He now has all of his points for his MACH and he too, needs those pesky QQS. He also earned his very first USDAA Super Q with a 2nd place and is close to qualifying for USDAA Nationals, but alas, we won't be going there either as they are also out West... We still need 3 Standard legs and a Pairs leg for his MAD in USDAA and he needs 30 Elite Gamble points for his ASCA ATCH. We need to work on distance work as he is not as comfortable as Piper is away from me. But he did complete his AKC Excellent FAST title, which proves he CAN do distance work. He is getting faster and more confident in agility and is so much fun to run!

His herding training is back in gear and I hope to have him ready to trial next summer. I also want to get his obedience and rally training back in line too. For sure, I want to trial him at the Border Collie Nationals next October. Goals are good... 

I have had my ups and downs as an agility trainer and handler this year. But I have made great strides from what a foul-up I once was as a handler. I still make mistakes and I will always be a work in progress, but I know that I CAN do this. When I first started training Piper I never thought I would get to the levels we have obtained. But we have done well and I am still evolving in my quest to be a better handler, but aren't we all? I will always remember watching Linda Mecklenberg run Steeplechase semis at the USDAA Nationals in 2010 with one of her young dogs... I think it was Wonder. As I sat in the stands, Linda did an absolutely human error as she front crossed herself into the jump upright, knocking the whole jump down. Hence the realization that even Linda makes mistakes! We all do and it is how we handle them that determines our future successes. At times, this lesson is difficult for me to learn as my friends are earning their MACHs and more MACHs. At some point, it became about the Q and not about the fun which made it NOT fun any longer. Point taken... It has to be about the FUN! Ego aside Jan...

Although it may not have been the year I envisioned when I made my list for 2011. Something that Donna Rohaus suggested I do so I have something tangible in front of me. Thank you for that Donna. As I cross achievements off the list, it gives me a huge sense of pride and accomplishment. It doesn't matter if I achieve the whole list or only one thing on the list. As they say, it is about the journey, not the destination. At times, it is easy to forget that. But only one thing really matters... stepping to that line with that dog and watching their sheer joy when they run.

So, it is once again time for me to make the list for next year... I will once again write down my goals for 2012. Whether I achieve all of them or not, remains to be seen. If nothing else, it will be FUN! Stay tuned!

Giving Thanks...

There comes a time when you have to take a look at your life and count your blessings and be thankful. When I was recently injured, it was incredibly difficult for me to see past the present, the near future and accept the end of my yearly agility goals. I didn't reach the 3 major goals... which still saddens me, but I learned from the failures, relished in the successes and enjoyed the time with my dogs and my friends. No... Piper still does not have his MACH. No... Seeker didn't get his MAD, ATCH or finish his MACH either. But Piper competed at the AKC Nationals and had 2 clean runs when we thought he would lose his vision from uveitis just days before the competition. He also completed his Master FAST title and earned his ASCA ATCH. Seeker completed his MX, MXJ and XF and his USDAA Master Jumper title along with getting his very first Super Q and a 2nd behind Mary Ellen Barry. Not too shabby...

I am thankful for many things in this life of mine. At times, we all get too busy and forget to be grateful. I am thankful that I have a husband that loves me and our dogs and "tolerates" my dog habit. I am thankful that we have a roof over our heads, food on the table and a warm place to sleep at night. I am thankful that we both have jobs in this relatively unstable economy. I am thankful for my small family... my Dad, sister, brother-in-law and my nephew... and of course my furry nephew as well, Golden Retriever Archer. I am thankful for my friends, both dog and non-dog who listen to me brag and complain about my Border Collie kids and their escapades. 

I am thankful for Piper... the senior statesman of the house now... His joy and happiness never more apparent than when he is running agility. He's quirky, serious, goofy, focused, smart and at times independent, all rolled into one fabulous creature...I am blessed to be his partner and friend. I hope some day that he will stop growling at Gem and learn that he will never be an only child... <3   

I am thankful for Ceilidh... the wild child... Her joy lies in chasing tennis balls and sheep, but not necessarily in that order. She is sweet, silly, driven and a wonderful big sister to baby Gem. Her reactivity has made progress and she has become more focused on doing the right thing in the last several months. She is still and always will be reactive, but we have made progress with help from Patricia McConnell. <3
 

 I am thankful for Seeker... He is a wonderfully complex individual that never ceases to amaze me. He's sweet, loving, intelligent, strong, driven, silly, clownish and the absolute Border Collie gentleman. He produced a beautiful litter of babies which are loved by their people. The next time, with the right girl of my choosing, a Seeker son will stay here.<3

I am thankful for little Gem... Gemstone, Gemmie, Gemmiedoodle, The 

Gemster, The Sprite, The Elf... A little ball of energy, stubborness, focus, stamina and unending curiosity. Her life and training journeys have just begun. And I am in for a ride I am sure...<3

Where life's journey takes me next is happenstance. Is it planned, ordained or just plain luck... who knows? But I am just thankful to be taking this journey with people and animals that I love and love me right back.

Happy Thanksgiving to all... and don't forget to remember to be thankful for all of your blessings.

All in the family...



Seeker, Jenny, cousin Brynn, breeder Terri, Dandy & Tempo

 We haven't done much travelling this year for agility except for the AKC Nationals back in early April. When we found out that several of Seeker's siblings would be competing at an AKC trial in Port Jervis, NY, we decided to make the 6 hour trip to join them. I haven't seen Seeker's breeder Terri Florentino in at least 2 years, so this was an opportunity to work on Qs and visit with everyone. It was bittersweet for Linda Husson, the owner of Seeker's littermate Dandy and brother Tempo, as their sire Token died suddenly and unexpectedly only a few, short months ago. Token's legacy of agility success lives on and his star is shining brightly in these pups!

Seeker had a stellar weekend earning his first triple Q on Sunday with placements in FAST and Standard and a Q in JWW! He earned double Q #7 and is now just 81 points shy of the needed 750 for his MACH. The courses were tough on Saturday, but Seeker earned some points and a placement in JWW. He imploded on the Standard course, but many experienced dogs did too. It was wonderful for Terri and her husband Ed to see the Meg/Token pups running agility in person, rather than through video.

Also joining the party, was Lynn and her husband Chris with Seeker's littermate Jenny and cousin Brynn. Lynn and Jenny ran in Novice on Sunday, only their second trial ever and did quite well with placements in Standard and FAST. Lynn did a fine job of running Jenny, no matter what she says!

Missing from the party was brother Quid from the repeat 2009 breeding as he was exposed to kennel cough a few weeks earlier and was still quarantined. We hope he can join us another time. With luck, we can all get together again in the future...

Uncle Piper and I had a tough go on Saturday, with an 0 for 3 day. But Sunday, he earned Master FAST leg #9 with a placement and he got a Q in Standard. Unfortunately, he imploded on the JWW course, but I used it as a training exercise working on my handling skills, especially rear crosses! Both boys found the packed dirt footing difficult on Saturday with bars down and slipping and sliding. And I was tremendously off in my timing having not trialled in several weeks. On Sunday, we all found our groove and finished well. Piper still needs 8 QQS for his MACH and Seeker needs 81 points and 13 QQs for his...

We hope that we can make this a yearly trip and that next time more of the clan can join us! There are several sisters also running agility that we hope will come next time and really make it all in the family!

The "dog" days of summer... pun intended!

 Time for the dog days of summer at Applegarth... The dogs love their baby pool and I am happy to be the lifeguard and chief pool refiller. Piper isn't fond of getting his feet wet or digging in the pool like the others, but does love getting sprayed with the hose. Hence the wet look at left...

Ceilidh absolutely loves getting in the pool and digging, biting and playing in the water. That is her annoyed look since I called her name to take the picture. Pffftttt...

Seeker is also a water baby in the pool. He loves to dig and bite at the splashes. And because of that, he is banished from lakes and ponds since he got coccidia two summers ago from pond water. Not to mention he came very close to water toxicity... Goofy boy. His fun with water is now confined to the backyard and the baby pool... Dock diving is NOT in his future.

Gemmie discovered water was actually fun as long as there is no shampoo involved. Her first time with the baby pool had her running and barking in big looping circles around Seeker as he played in it. I picked her up and tossed her in. Once she realized that was fun, she dove in with gusto. Now, she takes her turn with Seeker, but if he tries to horn in on her fun, she gives him her best toothy face and grumbles. When he growls back at her, she apologizes, but stands her ground. They are too much fun together!

I'm sure they will have more days of the pool before the cool days of autumn take hold and the pool goes back in storage til next summer. Until that happens, I will continue my lifeguarding, pool filling, hose spraying and refereeing Clan Applegarth and their pool time fun!

A QQ drought ends... finally.

The last time Piper and I had a QQ was back in April... a very long time ago in the world of agility. If I wasn't making handling mistakes, Piper was dropping bars.  This past weekend, we came close twice, but on Friday, he dropped the a bar at the first jump in JWW after qualifying in Standard. On Saturday, he off-coursed in JWW after qualifying again in Standard. I was rather disheartened and upset with my handling and our performance as a team. I was not going to go back on Sunday... but I did. Good thing too... Piper earned QQ #12 and we ended our dry spell. He even did it with placements! WOOT!

Not to be overlooked, Seeker finished 2 titles and earned 2 QQs of his own... MXJ and XF have now been added to his accomplishments. He needs a bit over 100 points and 14 QQs for his MACH.

Here's to hoping the QQ rain continues...

Dogs of the past... Gage

Oh my sweet Gage... He was my salvation after all the horrible things that happened with Lyric. I wasn't even sure that I wanted another Border Collie, but one look at his darling puppy face made me rethink that. He was ADORABLE and I was in love! At that time in my personal life, I was undergoing some major changes. My parents had decided that they wanted to retire soon (didn't happen right away) and I needed to find a job as my Dad wanted to sell the business. I was okay with that as his business was 7 days a week, 14 hours a day. Not for me... So I went back to something I knew earlier in my life... Emergency Medical Service. And this is where Gage's name comes from.... He was named after a TV character on the 70's show Emergency! and I thought (and still do think) that Randy Mantooth was the bomb. Lol! More about him later... So Gage it was and it suited him perfectly.  A little quirky, fun-loving, handsome and sweet, he was Johnny Gage in a furcoat. The one ear up, one ear out to the side just added to his personality and cuteness factor. He helped me heal from all the trauma we had endured with Lyric.

He was an active puppy and at about 7 months of age, he starting limping consistently on his right front leg. He was diagnosed with OCD in his shoulder and would need surgery to repair it. He also had a retained testicle which required him to be neutered as well. We were referred to a specialty clinic in OH for his surgery. And I am so sorry that we went there... Something drastic happened during Gage's surgery and they did their best to hide it. But one look at his bill and we knew something was up. Being in EMS, I know first line cardiac drugs when I see them. All we were told was that "his heart slowed down a bit" during surgery. Not likely with the meds that were used on him. Somehow, Gage's brain lacked oxygen at some point. We gave them a bright 9 month old Border Collie puppy and got back something much less... Even though we knew he had surgery, something just wasn't right with him now. His personality and capacity for learning had changed. Within 3 months, he had his first seizure... These would plague him the rest of his life.

At 14 months, we almost lost him to acute hemorrhagic gastritis. But through all of this, he remained sweet and sunny, always a tail wag or smile for everyone he encountered. I'd like to say that all was well from then on, but it wasn't. He had a chronic problem with his tummy and diarrhea which was partially solved by yogurt and enzymes. It would be years later that he would be diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. We spent a great deal of time trying different food and med combinations on him. He ate rocks and other things which didn't help matters either.

Learning frustrated him, so I stopped trying. He was happy just being Gage. He was content to hang out and just be with us. He loved his floppy frisbees. He was not your typical Border Collie in energy or activity level. But that made him a GREAT therapy dog. It took us 3 times to pass the test because although he had the temperament, he just didn't have the skills. He barely passed the last time because he just couldn't do the stay away from me. The tester moved me a bit closer, probably feeling bad that this was our 3rd time trying, and he managed to stay there JUST long enough. I cried when I was told he passed. This was finally something he and I could do together. Something none of the other dogs did. He wasn't an athlete or herding dog. This would be his place to shine.

Shine he did... He so enjoyed visiting nursing homes and their residents. It was not long after that I had heard of dogs being used as "reading dogs" for children with reading disabilities. This was tailor-made for Gage. He adored kids and they him. I found a willing teacher in the school district I attended when I was younger. We got the principal on board and the "Read To Me" program was born. He so enjoyed going to school to see "his" kids. He worked with one group from the time they were 2nd graders. He was a calming presence in the room... not judging, just enjoying being read to, hugged, brushed and kissed. I was pleased that the kids felt as if I was just an extension of Gage and they were comfortable with me too. Sometimes, the kids were inhibited with adults, but with Gage, I was no longer an adult... I was Gage's mom and that was okay.

Gage was also a huge comfort to my mom when she became sick. Several times a week, I would bring him down with me to her house to visit her. He loved his time with Grandma. My mom adored, as she called him, "the lop-eared ginny whimper", and he adored her. We brought him to visit her the day before she passed away. She had become basically unresponsive, but the moment we laid her hand on his black, soft, shiny coat, her eyes opened wide and she smiled, trying to say his name. She passed away in her sleep early the following morning.

In January of 2009, after an ice and snow storm had blanketed us again with a layer of ice underneath the snow, Gage was running across the top of the back yard. His feet slipped out from under him and he came down with his full weight on his right elbow. He laid there crying as my husband got to him and helped him back up. He held the leg in the air and limped back to the house. At first we thought he was just cold and got a stinger. But as he warmed up, I could feel the fracture and my heart sank. My vet was called and off we went. Gage fractured his ulna, about 2 inches from his elbow. My vet decided to try and cast him to give the leg time to heal. But Gage developed complications from this and eventually the fracture came apart again. He was referred to the Pittsburgh Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Clinic for surgery.

Dr. Anthony Pardo decided the best course of action would be to pin the fracture. Gage was home the same night. This was also the time that Gage's Angels came about... I had managed to get a credit line with Care Credit for Gage's surgery that covered it and his other medical expenses at PVSEC. It was alot of money but I also knew that we just needed to take one day at a time. Many of my friends new about Gage's plight and about the surgery. As my husband drove down to pick him up after surgery, my friends were calling in their credit card numbers to help with his expenses. When Bob went to pay the bill, it was significantly less, but we had no idea what had happened until we took him back for a re-check. That's when we were told that friends had contributed funds towards Gage's bills. Gage's Angels was born. I couldn't have asked for any greater gift than my friends and their love for us and a little black and white Border Collie.

After several months of rehab and healing, Gage was doing fairly well. He was back to doing therapy and reading visits and thoroughly enjoying life. But a bit over a year after his fall, he came up lame again. He was diagnosed with an infection in his elbow. After two courses of antibiotics, he was still painful and limping. Dr. Pardo is a wonderful, caring vet and surgeon. He examined Gage and had a grave look on his face. He said he hoped he was wrong, but he thought he knew what the problem was... Gage had a nerve root tumor going to his spinal cord. He carefully probed his right shoulder and could feel a very small mass. Without a CT scan, which Gage couldn't have because of a heart murmur he developed, he couldn't be certain, but he was about 95% sure that this was what was wrong.

I take Dr. Pardo very seriously. He told us what to expect and we cried half the way home. If this is what it was, the cancer could progress quickly. It did. This type of cancer is difficult to diagnose and most of the time, it's too late to do anything about it. Most of the time, if it's caught early enough... the treatment is amputation. But usually, the limping is diagnosed incorrectly as an orthopedic problem. But Gage's cancer was already affecting 2 of 3 legs. There was nothing to be done except control his pain. This was in April 2010.

In May, he was able to visit his kids at school one last time. The kids did not know that this would be the last time they visited with their beloved reading partner. I did my level best to fight back the tears in front of the kids. We took pictures and Gage got cuddled, loved, brushed, kissed and hugged. No reading was done that day. At the end of the visit, he was truly tired, but very happy and content. His last job was completed.

By June, we could no longer control his pain and he was maxed out on his pain medications. We made the sad decision to release him from his failing body. On June 9th, the last day of school, Gage went to the Bridge where he is whole and healthy and playing once again. His ashes grace a shelf in the dog room where his therapy tags, bandanna, photos and newspapers articles are also kept.

This school year, Seeker picked up where Gage had left off as a Reading dog... He was working with Gage's kids, now big 5th graders, and they embraced him with the same enthusiasm they did Gage. I had photos of them made from the day of Gage's last visit and the kids treasure them. I was so worried that the kids wouldn't want or like Seeker. But I didn't need to be concerned. Seeker has his own way of being and his enthusiasm for life is just as infectious. And he has Gage by his side...

As I've said before, I believe that dogs come in to our lives for a specific purpose and reason. Gage's lessons were easy... He taught me peace and love all over again. He taught me patience and tolerance. He taught me to laugh at myself and enjoy every moment of life. All valuable lessons... all lessons that I keep with me as I do his love and his memory.

I miss Gage... I miss his comical expression, his concentration as he chased merrily after his flippy, his sweet kisses and snuggles and his easy-going nature. RIP sweet Gagey... and thank you for just being you...

If Gage's story has touched you, please consider giving a donation to the National Canine Cancer Foundation in his memory...


Photo by Cindy Noland... Noland Dog Art

Gem and the sheep...

Little Miss Gem was taken to sheep for the first time last weekend. WHOA NELLIE! She went bananas when she saw them... My friend was working her own dog when I brought Gem to the round pen. She strained at the end of the lead, stood up on her back feet like a meerkat to see over the tall weeds, and barked excitedly. I took her away for the time being.  Ay yi yi...

When it was her turn, she was put on a long line, for her safety and well as the sheep. She wanted so badly to rush in and give chase to these creatures. Nope... however, her wildness made one of the ram lambs exit stage left by crashing the gate. Oh boy... I think I have my work cut out for me. I plan on taking her up again soon and I hope with each exposure, the novelty will wear off. I hope... Video to come...

Dogs of the past... Lyric, a sad tale...

Lyric.. came into my life in 1997 right as my mother-in-law passed away after fracturing her hip. My husband needed the distraction. I had co-owned another dog with friends and that dog, was diagnosed with Addison's Disease. With her having major crises too often and not yet stabilized, my friends decided bringing a new replacement puppy in would be a bad idea. So I offered to raise her through her formative weeks and months and then we would decide what to do.

Lyric, a beautiful, smart, driven blue merle girl jumped in to our lives with all 4 feet. As a puppy, she was problematic and bossy at times, but after having Border Collies for so many years, I felt it was just a phase and that I could train her through the rough spots. The problems were many, and back then I just didn't realize the depth of them. And the escalation of those issues would bring her downfall...

By the time Lyric was 9 to 10 months of age, she had already begun challenging my alpha female for her position. Zoe, a sweet, yet intense, focused dog didn't take her very seriously, nor did I at that time. But in many subtle ways, Lyric began taking over and it wasn't until she was gone, that I realized the horrible impact she had on the other dogs in the family. 

Lyric was a natural, gifted athlete and talent. She was a dream dog on sheep and picked up agility exercises with abandoned fearlessness. She was easy to train. but was beyond overly attached to me. To the point of severe separation anxiety. It wasn't until much later that we found out the Lyric's mother had come from a BC puppy mill breeder down south. This would be a major factor in the events to come. As easy to train as she was, she was becoming increasingly difficult to live with at home. She was bossy and bratty, but rarely showed that side to me. All I heard were the complaints from my husband about her behavior and attitude. Unfortunately one day, I finally got the message. I had Lyric at an agility class. I put her on a sit-stay to do a lead-out and she broke. She did this time and time again and I patiently put her back in the sit where I had left her. Because I was not allowing her to do as she wanted, her frustration level exploded and as I sat her for the 7th time, she leaped straight up and bit my face, drawing blood. I was shocked at the second it happened, but then I grabbed her by the collar and put her down. As my lip and cheek bled, I connected a leash and took her straight to the van and home. It was that day that her behavior began spiralling out of control.                                                                                                                                                      

By the time Lyric was 2 1/2 years old, she was strong, muscular and becoming increasingly more dog aggressive as time went on. She was controlling the house like a sadistic drill Sergeant and had the other members of the household walking on eggshells... all but pack leader Duncan. He did his level best to keep a lid on Lyric's behavior. We honestly didn't realize the scope of it until it was almost too late. She respected him and didn't push Duncan in anyway. In return, he gave her respect, but even that wasn't enough for her.

On May 31, 2000, I had the dogs out in the yard to potty before I took Lyric to agility class. On that fateful day, and for reasons unknown, Lyric unprovoked, attacked and almost killed Zoe in the yard. It took me and broom and every ounce of courage I could muster to get Lyric to release Zoe as she savaged her. It was at that very moment that I was very afraid of Lyric and knew I could no longer manage her. After a quick call to my vet at his home, I gathered a bleeding, shocky Zoe up in towels, after Lyric was crated, and met him at the clinic. He asked me what I wanted him to do and I told him to save Zoe and then in the same breath, I asked him to euthanize Lyric the next morning. Zoe was a mess. She had 70+ bite wounds in her neck and throat as Lyric would release and re-grip over and over. Zoe's ear was ripped wide open as well as her face. And she suffered bite wounds on her her right front leg and foot where Lyric ripped her to the bone. She was in shock from losing so much blood and we were at risk of losing her. But fortunately she responded to the IV fluids, stabilized and was sutured where she could be sutured. Her neck was bandaged in thick gauze, but the light never left her eyes. She was a fighter and this was not going to defeat her. I took her home after several hours of treatment as she would be better off recuperating there. Now came the hard part... telling my husband what had happened as he was at work through the whole ordeal.

Lyric still wanted to kill Zoe, so she was banished to a crate in our finished basement for the night. I didn't sleep... I couldn't. I could only come to the stark realization that Lyric was not safe and never would be and that euthanizing her was the only answer. I couldn't make her someone else's problem. She couldn't be re-homed safely. She was past that now. So as the hours passed into morning, I put Zoe safely away and spent some time with Lyric. We had a fun game of fetch and did some weave pole work. Then we packed her into the van with Zoe safely in a crate and took them back to the vet. Zoe was having some complications, mainly swelling and needed to be checked. And it was time for Lyric to go...

Euthanizing Lyric was one of the most traumatic and difficult things I have ever done in my life. I walked her up the hill behind the vet's office and that is where I said goodbye to her for the last time. She went gently and peacefully and whatever demons that drove her were gone now. I carried her down the hill, close enough for Zoe to be able to limp to and allowed her to see that Lyric was gone and no longer a threat to her or anyone. It was the first time Zoe had relaxed in a very long time. Then we took Zoe home to heal, both mentally and physically, which would take a very long time. Lyric was cremated and her ashes are on a shelf in the dog room.

I never realized the impact this would all have on me. I had "friends" stop talking to me, publicly criticize me and out and out be nasty to me once the word got out that I had euthanized Lyric. People who live in glass houses should not throw stones... and until you have lived in my house with my situation, I wouldn't be too critical. After about a month, my other dogs began to relax, once they realized Lyric would never be back. That is everyone but Duncan. For the first time in Duncan's life, he would have behavioral issues which lasted for several weeks. I am not a dog, and I try not to make them human, but I do know that they grieve. And I think that maybe, just maybe, Duncan felt as though he failed both Lyric and me. But then, that would make him too human I suppose.

I NEVER blamed Lyric's breeder and it took everything I had to contact her and Lyric's co-owners to let them know what had transpired. I found out later that Lyric's dam had been bred by a woman who was a notorius BC puppy mill breeder who scurried away in the night like a rat when she was tracked down and that Hazel had been in 4 other homes before Lyric's breeder bought her. She was only told that she didn't work out. That wasn't even the half of it. Hazel was sold trained for a tidy sum, but Lyric's breeder was never told any of the problems with this particular dog. Several of Lyric's litter had aggression issues and Hazel herself was sold on because she was causing problems with the new owner's other dogs. It wasn't her dogs that were causing the problems, but Hazel. And in the end, she was also euthanized for severe aggression. The apple didn't fall far from the tree it seemed. Although Lyric's sire was a darling, sweet boy, the bad genes from the dam wouldn't be overcome.

It was several years later, on our way to bring Piper puppy home, that we met with an animal communicator at a freestyle competition in NY. Some are believers, some are not, but this man told us things that he shouldn't possibly have known. I harbored incredible guilt about euthanizing Lyric. But she spoke up first and told him to tell me that she was sorry and that she understood and that she loved me for setting her free. Believe what you will. I do. That day gave me peace for the first time in 3 years. I was then able to think about the good times and let go of the sorrow and guilt that I had. And it seemed, Lyric had too. 

It things had been different, Lyric would have been a grand old lady now. But I believe that dogs come into our lives for a reason and to teach us something about them and ourselves. Lyric's lessons were harsh, but I learned them well... They are our greatest teachers...  All we must do is open our hearts and minds. <3

                                                                                                                                         

                      

Ceilidh and Reactivity...

I got the honor and pleasure of attending a Patricia McConnell seminar over the weekend. Her topics were Dog to Dog Reactivity and Play! Play! Play! for her talks. I have heard the Play! seminar before at the 2009 BCSA National Specialty in WI, but I enjoyed it just the same again. This time though, she talked at length about Dog to Dog Reactivity or as I call it Dog Aggressiveness. Not politically correct I fear, but it is what it is. Enter Ceilidh...

Ceilidh is horrendously dog aggressive. Oops... reactive. She is what Patricia calls a "silent runner". She doesn't go crazy, bark and screech at the top pf her lungs when she see another dog, but she freezes and glares, her body very stiff and tense. This came on gradually. When she was a young dog, this problem didn't exist. But slowly, with the help partially of the irresponsible neighbors and their ill-mannered dogs, she has gotten worse. And I will be the first to admit guilt in all of this. As Ceilidh is epileptic, we were definitely more indulgent with her as she grew up, mainly because we never knew what could put her into a seizure. Every seizure burns brain cells. We try to keep them to as low a number as possible. But in doing so, we turned Cei into a BRAT.

Case in point... She grew up with my sister's Golden Retriever Archer. They played together as youngsters, but now, she'll attack him given the opportunity. Why? I have no idea. She seems to get along with other Border Collies. Is she prejudice? She runs and plays with my friend's neutered boys Sputnik and Darwin without a hassle, but both boys know how to deal with her. As do her housemates... She and the boys are the best of friends. She likes Gem for the most part, as long as Gem isn't being an obnoxious puppy. But other breeds bring out the worst in her. She stalks my cousin's old female Lab if she is out in the yard next to ours. That old girl is smart enough to not get too close to the fence. We try to not let that happen.

I have spent most of Ceilidh's life managing her and her behavior. Apparently, I have done a very good job as most people had no idea just how reactive she really is. But it is a constant, very tiring job at times. I can no longer walk her in the neighborhood because she goes ballistic when other dogs bark. I'm not asking for miracles... I just want to be able to enjoy her more. Enter Patricia...

Ceilidh loved Patricia from the minute she met her. All wags, smiles and kisses, she also enjoyed the crowd and being the center of attention. But when the stimulus dog was brought into the room and she saw it, she froze, stiffened and glared at the dog. Poor, sweet Gracie the Greyhound... Ceilidh wanted her for dinner. Ceilidh has a "Look" command, as in watch me, but it seems to only work with movement we noticed. There will be no easy "fix" for Ceilidh. Patricia thinks that some of this is definitely prey driven. Some of it could be caused by her medication. Some of it may be inherent... It really doesn't matter what the reason or reasons may be... I have many months of work ahead of me.

Ceilidh will NEVER be trustworthy with other dogs. She will never be "safe" around dogs she doesn't know but, I can make it better. There is no miracle available for this. I will continue to manage her behavior the best I can. I will continue to not feel guilty about leaving her home with the dogsitter as it is in all of our best interest to do so. And maybe, just maybe I can make things better one baby step at a time... Ceilidh deserves that and more from me.

Dogs of the past... Duncan







This lovely old boy was my Dancing Duncan. This photo was taken about a month before he died from pancreatic cancer, just 2 weeks after his 14th birthday. As I wrote about him after he died, he was my heart, my soul and my dance partner. He was Kastle's son, out of a litter of just 2 boys. He and his brother Flurry turned into amazing legacies of Kastle and Kate. But for the longest time, I didn't want to give him the training and time he so desperately wanted because Kastle was my main dog. But I had a very sage friend, Thank you Shane... tell me to give him a chance to be my partner too. That chance came when Kastle was injured and required shoulder surgery for a rotator cuff-type injury. If I wanted to work a dog, it had to be Duncan. Born in a barn on July 1, 1992, I had no idea the path we would travel then. I just knew that I wanted a Kastle daughter and got 2 boys instead. One of which stayed and one of which headed to OH.

Duncan was a quick, bright and eager learner. He adored me and wanted nothing more than to be with me. I couldn't see that at first. His training came easily, too easily at times, and so we quickly became partners. Kastle, who was out for more than 6 months with his surgery and recovery, was now the one on the back burner. Duncan turned into an amazing obedience dog, earning his CD in both UKC and AKC handily and with placements. He also earned his Open titles in both as well as his UD in AKC. And when Rally came, he earned his RN with perfect 100 scores. He was a perfectionist, always wanting to be right. He had multiple HITs in obedience and earned the right to compete at one of the last Eastern Obedience Regionals in the country. Although we didn't place, he got a score of 199 1/2 in the last round.

It was there that I saw canine freestyle as a demonstration for the very first time during lunch break. I was fascinated by how classic obedience moves along with "tricks" could blend so beautifully to music. The pair that made the most impact on me was a woman with her Rottweiler that performed to Bette Midler's "Wind Beneath My Wings". It moved me to tears and to have a burning desire to try this new sport. We got the opportunity later that same year during the UKC Centennial Shows in Kalamazoo, MI. Pupperoni sponsored a freestyle funmeet on one of the evenings and I entered both Kastle and Duncan. Little did I know where that would take us!

At that funmeet, I met some wonderful people, had no idea what I was doing, but still ended up placing 1st and 2nd with the boys in our division. I WAS HOOKED!!!!! My musical and dog loving backgrounds had found a common place to combine. Who would have thought? While Duncan truly enjoyed the freestyle, Kastle was not as enthralled and went back to his favorite things, which was okay. Duncan and his quiet personality seemed to blossom when freestyle became part of his life. I loved it... Freestyle became part of our everyday training and warm-up for going into the obedience ring. It relaxed both of us and put us in tune with each other (no pun intended <G>). It was that same year in September that we brought freestyle to the Highland Games for the very first time. People were amazed...

One October day, Duncan and the other dogs were out playing in the yard with my husband as I ran errands. The next day we were to leave for a freestyle competition in VA. Duncan chased a tennis ball, cried out and went down, unable to get up again. When I came home, I found a paralyzed dog and a husband sitting on the floor in tears with Duncan cradled in his arms. We had no idea what happened to Duncan and the why was a mystery at first. A quick call to our vet at home prompted a trip there immediately. Duncan was unable to moved his rear end, including his tail. The vet x-rayed his neck, spine and hips to see if he had ruptured a disk. He had not... We learned a very long phrase that day... Fibrocartilaginous Emboli... Duncan had thrown a bloodclot into his spinal cord and was now paralyzed. At that time, not even the vet knew if he would survive. We took him home with us after the vet had given him massive doses of cortisone to reduce the swelling and minimize further damage. And we waited...

Duncan was a proud dog and being dependent for everything was difficult for him. The other dogs rallied around him though as if cheering him on and up. Jessie laid by his side as did his best buddy Zoe. While Kastle kept vigil at night, checking in on him regularly as he slept. I doubt Kastle got much sleep those first few days. But given the quick action of the vet, Duncan slowly began to respond. It wasn't much at first. Sensation in his foot, a tail flick... but it was progress. His freestyle and obedience friends and fans prayed for him and his recovery. And freestyle would figure prominently in our lives.

Freestyle became part of his physical therapy. Once he was back on his feet, he had residual nerve damage in his left rear leg. He had to learn how to walk again, how to find that rear leg and foot, and finally how to adapt to run again, which he did. His tenacity and perseverance was written on his face at each PT session we did. At that time, there were no rehab vets that we knew of in this area. I did his rehab on my own and with the guidance of Kastle's surgeon Dr. Anthony Pardo. I took him to a boarding kennel that had a whirlpool once a week, walked him, did exercises with his legs, put cavalettis down for him to walk over and eventually he made such great progress that we began to heel again. His recovery was nothing short of a miracle. Six months to the day, we competed again with a hometown crowd. There wasn't a dry eye in the place. We were back!

But Duncan could no longer compete in obedience any longer because of the nerve damage. He was no longer able to jump and his promising obedience career came to a screeching, horrible halt for me. I cried. He was my OTCH potential dog and it was all now gone. It was too much for me. But they say, when God closes a door, he opens a window somewhere. That window was freestyle. While Duncan couldn't jump, he learned to use his momentum to spin, twist and do other freestyle moves he had been taught prior to the accident.  And boy, could he still heel! Duncan went on to make World Canine Freestyle Organization history in many ways. He was the 1st Bronze Bar titleholder in both Musical Freestyle and Heelwork To Music, he was the 1st triple Masters level titleholder, he won the Southeastern regional, and was the very 1st Sassy Senior Champion as well,plus many, many more honors. Almost all of his placements were 1st place. He had 4 shelves in the dog room stuffed full of his booty from his wins! He has appeared on Animal Planet and Dogs With Jobs. He was most definitely a STAR!

But true to the nature of FCE, he had another bout 2 years later, which left him with nerve damage on his right side as well. He recovered much quicker, but the damage was done. After finishing his Sassy Senior Championship, I tearfully retired him at the Freestyle Fanatics show to, of course, "Wind Beneath My Wings". We had cake and I was given a beautiful plaque which I still cherish. Retiring Duncan was one of the most difficult decisions I made, but it was what was best for him. A new chapter started in his life, one that he embraced as long as he could still make the trips with us. Also during that time, he competed at the age of 12 at the All Star Tournament in York, PA in Rally Novice. My goal was top ten... He finished 8th, nerve damage and all. Good boy Duncan...

Duncan was not a herding BC. He would go around the sheep once and then lie down by the gate with a pleading look on his face as if asking if that was enough. I knew early on that even though the breeding behind him was great, he was not going to follow that path. And that was okay...

In early May of 2006, Duncan began having spells of confusion and disorientation. He was dropping weight and was having difficulty eating and keeping meals down. He was diagnosed with a mass in his pancreas and 2-4 months of his precious life left. I wondered if I would know when the time was right, and I did. We sent him to the Rainbow Bridge on July 16, 2006 just 15 days after his 14th birthday. His death took a large piece of my heart. But after giving myself time to grieve, Piper and I went back into freestyle in honor and memory of Duncan. He will always have a very special place in my heart and memory. And some day I hope to continue our dance once again...

ATCH Piper!!!

Our road to the ASCA Agility Trial CHampionship has been a long one... As I don't travel to do ASCA agility, we only go to several sets of Buckeye Australian Shepherd Club trials in OH throughout each year. At the May trials, Piper needed only 40 Elite Regular points to finish his ATCH, but we had a bar down, which is rewarded with only half the regular points, 5 instead of 10. That left us needing 5 points this past weekend for his championship.

He had a beautiful run, on a challenging course. This judge, Jason Meeks from TX, doesn't believe in free rides in any of his courses. So, for those who think ASCA is an easy venue and not worth their participation, I would advise you to try it! Piper conquered the course in 37.37 in the 20+" class earning first place for his efforts. I couldn't be more proud of my Pi-Man!!! For the rest of the weekend, he had a free pass... He didn't Q in the second round of Elite Regular, after his ATCH. He merrily off-coursed himself through a tunnel 4 times with a huge grin on his face. I couldn't help but laugh. Eventually, we got back on course and finished.

One more challenge met... Now, to finish that AKC MACH before the end of the year!!!! YAY PIPER!!! I LOVE YOU BUDDY!!!!

Piper and our struggle for Double Qs...

Well, after another weekend of agility and no QQs since April, I am getting discouraged. Sometimes it's me, sometimes, it's Piper, but no matter what, it still means we are at 11 QQs and holding, and holding, and holding... This past weekend, he blew himself off-course in Standard on Saturday, but I didn't help him out either. On Sunday, he dropped a bar in Standard, which I learned was because his lower back had seized up. He was having problems tucking his rear feet when jumping. I had Kim, the massage therapist, work on him and he ran a beautiful Jumpers run, taking 4th. His early morning FAST runs were right on, so I had no reason to believe he was having any problems. His Back On Track jacket has helped him immensely.

I have to keep a positive attitude and just know that this is an adjustment period for both of us. We have done great things in agility together. We have lots more to accomplish. I worry that I may push him too hard. I worry that the cataract he has in his left eye will cause problems before we can finish his MACH. I worry about alot of things I probably shouldn't worry about.

His times are slower, but neither of us are getting any younger. He still absolutely adores the game, is in condition, and bounces back from a trial weekend without too much difficulty. Those are all things that greatly matter to me. It will come. We are a great team, me and Piper. And I wouldn't have it any other way... After that, who knows? The sky is the limit as long as he wants to play the game...

Dogs of the past... Zoe

This intense little girl is Zoe. Named by my Mom, she was bred by Eve Marschark out of her NEBCA Champion Spin. After Kastle, I always knew I would go back to Eve for another puppy. But I had no idea what I was getting into with this little girl. I brought her home at 11 weeks of age and she walked into the place like she owned it. Full of confidence, she took over in days. This was a very serious puppy, who had no time for unstructured playtime. Everything needed to have a purpose as far as Zoe was concerned. She became a bit of a puzzle to me at first... She was nothing like Kastle, all full of fun and play. Here was a true working class girl who needed a real job. And luckily, I was able to find that for her.

At that time, I had a closer place to go herding and for lessons. I had known Alison for years prior as she had done obedience with her Border Collies at one time. But she fulfilled her dream of buying a working farm and having her sheep for her Border Collies to work. Alison and I were fast friends and I used to take both Kastle and Zoe there for lessons. Later on, I took them down to help out and learn practical work, not just trial prep. It was a wonderful time in the early morning fields, heavy with dew, with sheep on the hill and the dogs ready to go. Zoe was a workaholic... She loved every last minute of stock work.

Alison had several trials there and the first year, I ran Zoe in Novice/Novice, but worked the set out pens all weekend for the rest of the classes. During one afternoon, the threatening rain came as promised and as it pelted down, we moved the sheep into the pens to wait until it let up. The pens quickly filled with mud and soon, you couldn't tell what breed Zoe was as she did her job. Covered in mud and thoroughly enjoying herself, she ran along side a quad runner that had come up to bring us down the hill. The grin on her face said it all. This was what she was meant to do with her life. It took me 20 minutes to hose her off to even get her into the van and at the end of the weekend, she required 3 baths to get her clean. But she was happy...

She did enjoy one other activity and that was frisbee. Not on a competitive scale and not with a real frisbee, but with her favorite Gumabone frisbees with the bone on top. She would chase a frisbee endlessly, always bringing it back by the bone carried in the side of her mouth. If she had to flip it over, she would scoop it up, toss it right side up, then bring it back by the bone. There was no other type she would go after. We have one sitting on her shelf with her ashes.

Zoe was bred once to Kastle, which produced 4 beautiful puppies... 3 girls and 1 boy... Kelsey, Kaylee, Kali and Kap. We did not keep one as we had people on a waiting list for 2 years wanting puppies. We figured we would repeat the breeding at a later time, but that sadly did not happen. Not long after Zoe had the pups, she was diagnosed with Discoid Lupus. Luckily, it wasn't genetic in nature, so the puppies were fine. But Zoe was not... We did our best to keep her happy and healthy, but ultimately, complications set in. Zoe herded sheep for the last time 2 months before she died at the age of 13. She had lost most of her vision and had developed inoperable liver cancer, but she could tell where the sheep were and she could hear me as I talked to her to help her keep balance on them. It was such a precious moment in my life...

She was diagnosed with the liver cancer 17 months prior to that last herding outing. The vet gave her 6 months to live, but she showed everyone. She lived for 19 months after diagnosis. She died almost 7 weeks to the day when we lost Kastle. She seemed to give up after his death. And the day came for us to help her cross the Bridge. I miss her wry sense of humor, one that not everyone understood. I miss her work ethic and I miss her sweet kisses. But most of all, I just miss her. She taught me so much about the world of herding. For that I will always be in Zoe's debt. That'll do Zoe... That'll do...

Dog of the past... Kastle

Kastle by Heydorn Photography


This handsome lad is Applegarth's Joyous Garde aka Kastle. He was bred by Eve Marschark out of her Rin by a dog named Lad. His lines go back to Pulfer's Shep/Nan and he was the foundation of Applegarth. Born on Halloween in 1988, his birth day said a great deal about his personality. Always a gentleman, but forever a joker, Kastle was my first purebred Border Collie. His first name was spelled with a "K" because there was a Golden Retriever in obedience that was Castle with a "C" for sandcastle at that time... Of course, I had to be different and he was named for Lancelot's castle, Joyous Garde. Kastle was the light of my life along with Jessie.

When Kastle came home, Jessie decided that this youngster could take her place as soon as possible. Content to hang out at home, she was pleased to have a replacement as my dog training subject. He was chosen at 4 1/2 weeks of age mainly because he retrieved a piece of crushed paper and sat front. Huh?! Mine! A friend tried to steer me towards the traditionally marked available girl, but there was something about this chubby little ball of fur that called him to me. And it was SO the right decision!

Kastle gave new meaning to individuality and flair in the ring. Always, he hoped for applause and/or laughter. He taught me all about humility, patience and humor in the obedience ring. His favorite exercise was the gloves in Utility where he would run out to the correct one, pounce on it, then kill it soundly by shaking it the entire way back to me. The crowd loved it. The judges? Not so much... We once had a judge that made me so tense because of her comments about Kastle's antics, that he upped the ante by running the glove over to her, shaking it at her while growling, then smacking her with his tail as he spun quickly to bring the glove to me. I could only smile sheepishly. He then did his go-outs to the ring gating, spun on a dime when I asked him to sit, but every muscle in his body was poised to explode as I signalled a jump in Directed Jumping. Her comment to me was "You know he's borderline out of control!" Ya think?! He also had a penchant for tossing his dumbbell in the air on a retrieve, catching it gracefully, then bringing it back to me only to stage a tug-of-war over it when the judge said "Take it". Kastle would actually grip down so hard on the bar, that he snapped several wooden ones in half. Thank heaven for plastic. It didn't change his zeal however.

Kastle was a "sacrifice the body" kind of dog and this was evident when he and his son, Duncan, chased down a tennis ball at the same time. Duncan, being younger and faster, cut Kastle off sending him careening into a fence post. He had the equivalent of a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder from that incident. He also broke a toe jumping in obedience, a fracture type that my vet said he had only seen one other time. He had his fair amount of stitches, bruises, strains and sprains. He was all boy. Speed gave him a high that was evident by the wild grin and flying saliva. More! Better! Higher! Faster! were his mottos... Applause and laughter only fueled the fire.

He had a soft, gentle side too. He was bred 3 times in his life. The first litter was sadly lost in mid-pregnancy. The second litter produced 2 male puppies, Duncan and Flurry out of a leased bitch. The last breeding produced 4 puppies, 3 girls and 1 boy out of our Zoe. He was a doting Dad with his puppies. He was indulgent, but he could also be firm when needed. I still remember when he laid and watched his puppies out of Zoe for hours with his chin on the edge of the whelping box. Every twitch from a puppy made his head jerk a bit. And God bless Zoe for being so tolerant of his presence. He was the epitome of patience with his youngsters even when they were hanging off of his face with those sharp, needle teeth.

On sheep, he was stubborn and willful. My instructor said he was a tough dog for a beginner to handle. Really?! Clinic instructors shook their heads, but I persevered with his training. I ran him only a few times at the Novice/Novice level, each time a trainwreck. He crossed over on his outrun, wouldn't lie down or take flanking commands and he wouldn't call off the sheep, scattering them around the field. But in training and on the fields he knew, he was letter perfect. At a clinic one time with Jack Knox, I sent Kastle on his outrun to the left. As he neared the balance point, Jack yelled, in his Scottish brogue, "Kos! Lie doon!" Kastle skidded to a halt before he hit balance and looked back at me as if to say "What did he just say?!" Jack asked me what was wrong with that dog... I said he wasn't imported. I got a wry smile from him as I sent Kastle further on and called out "Kastle, lie down!" You could see the understanding in his face as he hit the ground. "Oh... that's what he said..." It was difficult to keep a straight face after that. At a trial in NJ, he was so bad that I had to go out and drag him off the course with a leash. I had 7 offers to buy him that day. Uh... no thanks.

As a therapy dog, none could touch him. His sweet, loving temperament and sense of humor made people readily accept him. Even people who didn't like dogs. At the PT/OT unit at a local hospital, Kastle had a bag of toys we took with us so the patients could toss them to him as he endlessly retrieved them back into their laps. Every now and then, we had a patient that didn't like dogs and didn't want to be there for this mandatory visit. With those cases, he would play with the other patients, then go over and sit by the person who wanted nothing to do with him. He would lean against their leg or wheelchair, then slowly put his head on their knee, with those big expressive eyes of his looking up at them as if to say "I am going to get you to like me." And he did, every time. He would work a toy onto the patient's lap and they would toss it off and you could see the triumph in his face. "See? I knew I could get you to like me!" He once made a coma patient respond, after the patient had been unresponsive for several days. His hand moved on the soft fur as Kastle put his chin on the edge of the bed. The man's family placed his hand on Kastle's head and the man stroked Kastle, the first signs of responsiveness in days. He had a favorite lady at one of the nursing homes that spoiled him rotten. He went straight to her room every time we visited. She invited him up on her bed and would cuddle with him, feeding him treats that she had her family buy for him. And we always stopped by her room on the way out. When she unexpectedly passed away, Kastle was never the same again with his therapy work. I retired him as the joy in it had gone away with her death.

Kastle adored my nephew Jason, a Down's Syndrome child, who spent time at his crazy dog-loving Aunt's house. Kas would endlessly try to engage Jason in games of fetch as Jason sat on the floor. Fed up after awhile, Jason would go and sit on the couch only to have Kastle assault him there with toys. It always made Jason giggle and say Kastle's name in exasperation. As if that would make him go away... Uh, nope.

Kastle died 2 weeks short of his 16th birthday of simply old age. He was too dignified for us to let him deal with his chronic, debilitating problems. He was, as his breeder put it, "An amazing sentient being that just happened to have fur." And that he was... Kastle still holds very special place in my heart and always will. The "Pointy- Eared Wonder" he was and always will be... <3 <3 <3




 

Dogs of the past... Jessie

This beautiful girl was my very first dog after college. This is JJ's Tartan Sunset Lass, AMBOR CD, HIC, CGC, TDI, known as Jessie. Jessie was a Border Collie/Golden Retriever/Sheltie mix that I got from a neighbor's backyard "oops" breeding. She came from a litter of 4, with her being the only female. I had seen the puppies every day on my walk to get the mail. I wanted a dog so badly once I graduated from college, that I didn't really think about what type of dog I really wanted. Jessie was a cute puppy and that's all that counted for me back then. Born on June 8, 1986, she was MY first real dog as an adult. We had Miniature Poodles growing up, but this was truly just MY dog. I didn't know anything about crates or obedience training, but I learned quickly.

Jessie was the puppy from H E double hockey sticks! She chewed everything, destroyed anything and basically wreaked havoc on my house. In desperation, I enrolled her in an obedience class in hopes of having someone help me train her before she brought the house down around my ears! She chewed woodwork and carpets and was the most difficult dog to housebreak. Maybe because of the dirty conditions she was raised in, maybe because she was just a stubborn brat! Finding that class, opened up a whole new world to me and gave me a whole new group of friends... dog friends!

Not exactly a stellar student, Jessie did cooperate at least. But she wasn't really interested in being an obedience dog. I took her to an obedience fun match and showed her for the first time. She won 4th place in her Pre-Novice class and I received a big trophy and rosette. I was hooked. Jessie was not. She saw no point in the whole heeling thing. No point in coming when called each and every time. No point in staying anywhere for any length of time. Her goal in life was to be my companion and house couch potato. Her dream would come true with the addition of Kastle...

But she was a darling dog, with a sweet gentle temperament and personality. She raised my baby ducks so well, that Kastle couldn't work them. She would steal strawberries from my strawberry patch the day before I was ready to pick them. She'd show up at the back door with strawberry seeds on her face. One winter when my sister still lived next door, they left a case of beer on the back porch which froze then began to foam and leak. Jessie was found licking the beer bottles and enjoying every minute of it. She also loved a good slurp of Schnapps if she could beg it. She had a wry sense of humor and never met anyone she didn't like... ever. When I first met the hubby, Jessie was unconvinced that he should be in our lives. She put him to the test every time he came to the house. While Kastle was readily accepting, Jess had to be bought and bought she was... Hubby spent a considerable amount of money on toys and goodies to convince Jessie that he was worthy. She eventually gave in and came to love him. She ended up a true Daddy's girl. What a girl she was...

We lost Jessie to old age about 4 months short of 16 years. She outlived everyone of her littermates as well as her parents. That's what a good home and love can do... Things her siblings and parents sadly lacked. It was an honor and a blessing to love her... She is still deeply missed by us.  

Meet Gem!

This little cutie is the newest addition to Applegarth Border Collies. This is Handhills Jewel aka Gem bred by Norm and Vickie Close of Idaho. Gem is out of Vickie's Open trial dog Hanna and Norm's young Open dog Blaze. Both dogs competed at the USBCHA National Finals in VA last year.

After Gage passed away in June 2010, we settled into life with 3 dogs for the first time in a very long time. It was nice to have 3 adult dogs for a change. And it was definitely easier. But knowing that Piper would be 8 years old in April 2011 and pushing 11 by the time a new puppy was ready to go, I began my search. It was a difficult journey. As I have only bought puppies from working lines in the past, I was having a tough go of it this time around. Many working breeders wanted to put stipulations on selling to a "sport" home, which I am considered. They wanted the puppy spayed or wouldn't sell to me because I do AKC activities. It was frustrating since I have had Border Collies for 23 years. I found a few breeders that were okay with selling to a sport home without all the red tape and put myself on their lists. It was my dear friend Megan Quigley who alerted me about the breedings at Handhills and for that, I am eternally grateful! I contacted Vickie, who came originally from agility, to discuss her upcoming litters and to see if she would be willing to sell to a sport home without a spay agreement. She had 2 litters coming up, one from her Gale which had a full waiting list, and one from Hanna, which had space on the waiting list. So I put my name on the list for Hanna... and waited. Who could have known that Hanna and Blaze would produce 7 girls and 1 boy on February 28, 2011 for Hanna's last litter? I had 3rd pick of the girls, after Vickie's and Norm's choices. It was all so exciting! My name was withdrawn from the 2 other lists I was on immediately. It's always good to keep your options open... But I didn't really need to worry about that any longer.

As Vickie knew the litter the best, I gave her some guidelines to what temperament and personality I was looking for and left it up to her. She had her eye on the split-face girl for awhile for us, but when the pup showed strong working interest at 5 weeks of age, she began to re-evaluate the girls. She and Norm were pretty set on the pups they were keeping, so she had 5 other girls to choose from for us. She settled on the pretty little girl she had named "Leah", for her sister, for us. It has been a wonderful choice. "Leah", now known as Gem, is everything Vickie said she is and more. She is social, outgoing, focused, bold, fearless, intelligent and pretty too. A grand combination! Gem loves to retrieve and best of all, she is very bonded to me. She takes life as it comes... loves to travel... and sleeps through the night. YAY!

So what is planned for wee Gemmie? For now, we are just having a grand time watching her grow up and discover new things. For the long term? Well, we'll just have to see. I am hoping she is a versatile BC like Piper and Seeker, excelling and enjoying multiple activities. I would love to get back to competitive obedience. Gem is retrieving a dumbbell to hand. That's a start. I've already had people inquiring as to whether I am planning on breeding her. She has many things to do and accomplish before I even consider that, including passing all of her health and genetic tests, which 2 of them she already has... CERF and BAER and most importantly showing me that she has true working ability and will be an asset to the breed. Everything else will come in time... I can't wait to see what the future brings and all the fun we'll have!

Meet Seeker!



Photo by Jack Powers Photography

 This beautiful black tri-color boy is Seeker, officially known as Applegarth's Quest For The Grail. Bred by Terri Florentino out of her Shebaa's Meg and Linda Husson's ADCH Merlynn Eclipse, Seeker was born on November 9, 2006. I wasn't sure if I wanted another puppy at that time as our late, great Duncan had just passed away in July 2006 from pancreatic cancer. But I put my name on the waiting list and waited... 8 beautiful puppies were born with a division of 4 girls and 4 boys. I had 2nd pick of the boys.

The loss of Duncan, my heart dog, had sent me reeling earlier in the year. Along with my Mom becoming critically ill directly after his loss, a puppy was probably not the best idea. But with 2 medically challenged dogs and only Piper in training, it was indeed time. I kept telling the hubby, if there wasn't a puppy there that we liked, we'd pass on the litter and wait until another time. We made the 6 hour drive to Lake Ariel, PA to see the boys that were left. Linda had chosen her stud fee pick a few days earlier. Good thing too, because I had my eye on that handsome blue merle boy now known as Dandy. I now find it amazing that I really had not looked much at the only tri in the litter when Terri sent updates and pics. I was hoping that the B/W boy would be the one for us if we couldn't have the merle with the black leg. Maybe because of just losing Duncan... also a B/W, I thought that he was the one for us. But as I sat on Terri's kitchen floor with each of the 3 remaining boys, one at a time, I kept going back to the white factored tri boy with the engaging personality. Although the litter was very balanced and even, the other blue merle boy was more interested in my hubby. He was a no... The B/W boy would not engage toys and was very food motivated. That has its place, but I needed a puppy who liked both food and toys. The little tri boy had also taken a liking to me and I guess you could say he chose me. He was the one.

I can't say that he has been easy. There have been many challenges along the way with him. But he is such a steady presence now, that the hard stuff is easily forgotten. Life is a game to him. He is a happy go-lucky character with an amazing sense of humor. Agility is a game, nothing more, nothing less. He approaches it as such, with a lighthearted attitude and sense of fun. Too much fun sometimes, but he is a joy to run. He has been carried off, all 47 pounds of him, three times in his agility career. All three times for clowning above and beyond. He couldn't believe that I would actually do it... each time. He doesn't like to be wrong, but he does like to have fun. He approaches every course with joyous abandon. I love it!

As easy-going as he is in most things in his life, his stockwork is taken very seriously. He has power, presence and talent galore. If he was in someone else's hands, he would be running Open at USBCHA trials by now, but he's stuck with me. I don't think he minds. We get to lessons once, maybe twice a month if we're lucky. Progress has been slow, but we are at least out there trying. He received his PT at the BCSA National Specialty in 2009, which to most working people, means nothing. But it was a nice accomplishment for Seeker, Piper and Ceilidh too. We keep hoping to find some sheep near to work so that we can actually make some progress and lessons can be lessons rather repetitive sessions where we spin our wheels. His instructor felt that he had enough talent and presence to use him for stud. He became a first time Dad on March 29, 2011 after he was bred to my instructor's smooth coat B/W bitch Pip. The "Magnificent 7" are just that... 4 girls and 3 boys. Four of them went to performance homes, 3 in OH and 1 in PA. One of the boys is going to be a companion for a man in Philadelphia that owns a construction business. And two of them have yet to find their forever homes. Fingers crossed that they do.



Photo by Tien Tran



Seeker currently has 35 titles to his name in 3 different venues... Agility, Herding and Rally. I haven't been brave enough to take him off lead to do Rally Advanced yet. I'm sure the clown side of him will kick in high gear and he will leave me in the dust at the beginning of the course. I'd like to get him back into obedience class and get at least his CD too. But for now, agility and herding are his favorite activities and I'm okay with that. Besides his other activities, he took over Gage's Read To Me position at a local elementary school. He had big pawprints to fill as he was working with Gage's kids, but he has done a wonderful job with his usual flair for fun. The kids love him as much as they did Gage. And I'm sure Gage is grinning down at his young protege approvingly. He and Gage had a connection which few could understand. But I knew and understood their bond. Seeker was Gage's buddy and protector. Seeker once stopped Gage from tumbling down the upstairs steps when Gage lost his balance. Seeker barrelled down the steps and pinned Gage against the wall until he regained his balance. Then, step by step, Seeker helped Gage down the rest of the way. If I hadn't witnessed it, I wouldn't have believed it. But that's the kind of dog Seeker is... a leader, a guardian, a protector, a clown, a gentleman and a wonderful example of what a Border Collie should be. I am blessed to be in his life. And I can't wait for more adventures with him!