Don't let this innocent face fool you...

Indeed... this innocent face can wreak havoc in a heartbeat! But don't ya just LOVE that face! Gem is settling in quite nicely here at Applegarth. Housebreaking has begun and as you see by the grass in the picture, our efforts are being undermined by her love of tall grass.  With so much rain and not enough time, our normally mowed yard is currently a hay field. Gem loves it. Her favorite thing to do is run through WET grass, then roll in it until she is soaked thoroughly. She and Seeker have something in common. He loves to have a good roll in wet grass, mud, snow, field turf or any other surface he sees fit. I am beginning to believe that Gem was a tiger in a former life... stalking through the tall grass, then jumping on an unsuspecting victim. Today, that victim was me several times. My pajama pants took the brunt of the assaults and she has added holes to the ones Seeker did when he was a puppy. Yes, my pajama pants are a good 4+ years old, but they are that comfy. Now they are that full of holes. Time to retire them I suppose.

Today we also had a bit of a breakthrough with Ceilidh. Yesterday, the stress of the last few days finally took a toll with Cei having a seizure. She hasn't had one since January, but with the addition of Gem and the upheaval in the routine at the moment, she was primed to have one. After consulting with her neurologist, we opted to put her on an anti-anxiety medication for a few weeks until Gem is older and bigger. I don't like that we've had to do this, but for Ceilidh's well-being we must take the edge off of her emotions. This medication has done just that. She is using the thinking side of her brain now and not the reactive side. I even felt confident enough in how I read and understand her to take the girls out in the yard together. Gem is very appropriate with adult dogs. Ceilidh got caught up in Gem's antics in the tall grass, leaping and sliding, barking and decapitating dandelions. Gem played bowed at Ceilidh. Ceilidh reached a paw out to thump Gem on the head and the chase was on. Ceilidh zipped through the yard with Gem in hot pursuit. I stood by very carefully watching Ceilidh's reactions to change. It never happened.

This weekend Gem will attend her first, of many to come, activities, namely agility trials. She went with us to class last night where she watched attentively, was hugged, kissed and cuddled to the max. Her feet never hit the floor. She took it all in stride. The adventure continues...

The new addition... aka What was I thinking?!

Well, Handhills Jewel aka Gem arrived yesterday on a flight that was 45 minutes late due to thunderstorms AND with the cargo ramps closing not once, but twice due to lightning. A rather auspicious entrance for such a small being. Although a little wilted and wet, but none the worse for wear, she happily wagged her tail as they presented us with her crate. What a darling girl! 

She is everything that Vickie said she was... bold, outgoing, social, fearless... in short, perfect.

What I didn't bargain for was the 3 older dogs rather intense reactions to the new arrival. Piper, who is a notorious puppy hater, acted just as I thought.. growled, postured, showed teeth and started packing his bags. Memos have since begun in earnest from him about Gem's lack of decorum. Ceilidh had the most intense reaction... growled, postured, targeted, showed teeth and was overall a major bitch. And due to her epilepsy history, hypervigilance and stress level, her neurologist has been consulted. Seeker was somewhat puzzled at first, but settled down quite nicely today into his big brother role. While Gem is appropriate with the adult dogs, Seeker was very appropriate with her, unlike Piper and Ceilidh. He doesn't allow her to jump in his face, but she trails after him through the yard, adoration on her little face. Thank you Seeker... I hope that it is just a matter of time and Gem growing up for things to settle down. Fingers crossed...

Here comes the "What was I thinking?!" part of this. Its been over 4 years since we've had a puppy here. Seeker was relatively well-received by Gage and Ceilidh, but he and Piper had issues once Seeker lost his puppy license. Gem has been accepted by only Seeker, which I have to be okay with for the moment. I expect once Gem grows up a bit, loses the razor sharp puppy teeth and kisses the very ground that Piper trods upon, Piper will come around. Ceilidh? Well, I just don't know yet. What was I thinking? I know exactly what I was thinking... Piper is 8 years old now and by the time Gem is ready for competition, he'll be 10 years knocking on 11's door. It was time to begin raising and training the next generation. But for us, it won't be an easy or uneventful road I'm afraid. And in truth, I didn't think it WOULD be easy. They are 3 very individual personalities and temperaments which handle change in very different ways. This, I would venture to say, is a HUGE change.

Piper hates change in any way, shape or form. Change for him is something as simple as Spring cleaning which disrupts the normal flow of things. Ceilidh is also resistant to change, even moreso than Piper. Hard to believe, but it's true. Seeker is the go-with-the-flow boy at our home. He sees change as a new adventure. Gem? Well, we'll have to see how she feels about change as she grows up. I hope she is as pliable as Seeker, enjoying each new adventure whole-heartedly. She already has more frequent flyers miles than anyone in the house for sure.

So, for now, we will take one day at a time. We will socialize, socialize, socialize the daylights out of Gem in hopes that she will be able to embrace each new situation happily and as stress free as possible. We will pray that Ceilidh comes around with time... We will also pray that Piper unpacks and decides that Gem isn't an alien sent to take over... And as for Seeker, well we'll pray that he remains the even-tempered, doting big brother that is set to teach Gem all about how wonderful a good roll in wet grass can really be...

The grandpuppies and other musings...

Well, Seeker has done his parents proud, both human and canine, with the arrival of 7 beautiful puppies... 4 girls and 3 boys. I have dubbed them "The Magnificent 7" and that they are. At this point, 5 of them are going to performance homes, mainly agility, with 2 of the boys left. I have to say that I love each and everyone of them and it is truly a lovely, balanced litter. Coat type is still up in the air for a few more weeks, but no one seems to care much about rough or smooth, which is wonderful. You can absolutely limit yourself if you ONLY want a rough or a smooth and miss out on a great puppy. I have to say that I am partial to fur, but the smooths have grown on me since Seeker's breeding to sweet, smooth girl Pip.

Many people are curious as to why I opted to not keep a puppy from this breeding. Well that is easily explained. I had been watching another breeding with amazing parents before this opportunity presented itself. Our upcoming addition, Handhills Jewel, aka Gem is of a breeding that I couldn't pass up. As this is Hanna's last litter, I had to make a decision. Keeping one of Seeker's puppies was not on my radar at this time. Seeker is young and honestly I just wasn't ready to keep a pup from him to continue the legacy. That however doesn't mean that I wouldn't have if the circumstances would have been different. If Hanna had 7 boys and 1 girl instead of what she had (7 girls and 1 boy), then a daughter from Seeker would have been in the offing. But with the arrival of Gem, I have options... Options are good.

After having 3 adult BCs in the house for the last year, adding Gem will be a challenge. Piper is not known for his tolerance of puppies, just ask Seeker who still bears the scar on his lip. Piper sent out memos about Seeker on an hourly basis, I swear for the first year of Seeker's life with us. I'm hoping that Gem, being a girl, will make Piper more tolerant. Piper would like to be an only child, but that isn't happening. Ceilidh? Well, that's a crapshoot at the moment. She loved Seeker, but he's a boy. I don't look for her to make issues, especially if Gem is appropriate with adult dogs, which I know she is. As for Seeker, he LOVES puppies... any kind of puppy. Some people find that odd for an adult, intact male. I just find that so Seeker...

What's wonderful about the grandpuppies is that they are a legacy... of Meg, of Token, of Seeker... I'll be able to keep an eye on 4 of them. Three will be in OH and one will be near in PA. Their futures are an open book with so much promise. One, Karen's black and white girl, already has a name... Brenna. It means brave in Gaelic. Only time will tell what they will bloom and grow to be. It's all so exciting and awesome! I can't wait to see what the future holds!!!

Four of Piper's AKC Nationals Runs...

My friend Julia is a wiz! at videos and editing, not to mention a wonderful singer and song writer. I gave her Piper's runs from the Nationals and she once again did a great job putting them to music... Raiders Of The Lost Ark by John Williams is a favorite of mine. So, I hope you enjoy our runs. We had a great time! Thank you Julia for sharing your talents!!!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dukI6347zQ

A Rose By Any Other Name...

People are often curious as to how I come up with the names for my dogs... Registered names are a joy for me to figure out, but I often buy working Border Collie puppies and am faced with the challenge of 15 letters/spaces allowed by the working registry. My kennel name comes from King Arthur lore, of which, I am a big fan. Applegarth was the estate that Arthur gave to Merlin for retirement. Since then, I have tried to name the dogs Arthurian names...
Kastle... Applegarth's Joyous Garde... Lancelot's castle
Duncan... Applegarth's Chivalrous... always a gentleman
Zoe... Ivyrose's Milady Applegarth
Lyric... Merlynn's Ballad Of Applegarth
Piper... Applegarth's Wandering Minstrel... aka Bagpiper
Seeker... Applegarth's Quest For The Grail

Jessie was simply that... as she was a glorious mix of Sheltie/Border Collie and Golden Retriever...
Ceilidh is EyeSpy Ceilidh because none of the other Border Collie registries were active when she came along and her parents were not AKC registered.
Gage was named when I changed careers after my Dad decided he was going to retire and sell his business. Culleymont's FF/PM Johnny Gage came to be after my childhood hero from the Emergency! TV show from the 70's.
Now comes Gem... Handhills Jewel will be her registered name with ABCA as well as AKC. Her call name will be Gem. As I have to register her with AKC via the Open Registration process and no other BC registries exist any longer, The Crown Jewel will be implied. AKC does not allow name changes from the Open Registry or so they told me. You think they would given their stand on money. ;-) So Handhills The Crown Jewel will only exist in my head.

Call names come a little bit harder at times. But then like Piper, Gem's name came to me and I'm sticking with it... Piper was Piper from the day I knew we were getting him. And then there was Zoe... my Scottish Border Collie with her Greek name courtesy of my Mom. It, however, fit her perfectly. Sometimes my call names have nothing whatsoever to do with Arthurian legend, but that's okay. Ceilidh's name suits her... Ceilidh means celebration or party in Gaelic. She certainly is a lively, party kind of girl... So we'll see if I have chosen well with Gem's name... I am truly hoping that she is most definitely, a crown jewel...

The Chosen One...

Our new puppy has been chosen for us by the breeder. Handhills Jewel, aka Gem, was bred by Vickie and Norm Close in ID. Gem's parents, Hanna and Blaze, both competed at the National Finals in VA last year. Gem will join the family on Monday, April 25th. This was just a breeding I couldn't pass up. Gem, whose litter name is Leah, is bold, outgoing and very social, wanting to be with people. She is a black and white charmer and I can't wait to hold her in my arms for the first time. If you believe in Karma, then Gem is destined to be here. She is the splitting image of our late, great Duncan... with the exception of her full white collar where Duncan's was 3/4 around. More when she arrives!!!!

Agile thoughts...

Well, Piper had a grand birthday weekend at the Mountaineer KC agility trials. He celebrated his 8th birthday by earning QQ #11 and earning his 3rd and 4th MXF legs... all with 2nd placements. Seeker earned his Open FAST title with 1st placements. But he and I have lost each other in Standard and JWW. It could be that I am so concentrating on earning Piper's MACH that he is getting shortchanged. But somehow, I managed to run them both successfully last year in pursuit of Piper's ADCH. Hmmm... It could also be that now at 4, he thinks he knows it all. <G> I know I don't. But whatever it is, I need to train through it and work harder. I need to not become frustrated with him, which at times is easy to do because of his silly light-hearted attitude about agility. He IS trying, but we are just not communicating on the same plane... I'm sure, this too shall pass... But until it does, I have to remember that this is just a game. I'm not trying to solve the energy crisis or world peace. Every run is a gift. It doesn't matter if it is successful or not. I learn more from my mistakes than I ever have my successes... So here's to NOT being perfect. <G>

Just call her Crash...

This morning we got up a little late... After my husband left for work, the dogs and I went back to bed. I rolled over at some point and saw that it was around 9:30am. Oops... We normally feed and give Ceilidh her meds at 9:00am. So, I get out of bed and Ceilidh and Seeker dash down the stairs. As I walk down the stairs, I hear a tremendous "CRASH!" which is the sound of glass breaking. I run the rest of the way down the stairs, through the kitchen and into the livingroom to find the glass front of a display glass shattered. Piper is under the end table nearest the carnage shaking like a leaf. A blood trail leads away from it. It took me a second to figure out who exactly was bleeding... It was Ceilidh. She had a dime size laceration on her muzzle that bled like mad. Thank heaven for my sister, who left work to come and help me render first aid enough to get Ceilidh and myself ready for a trip to the vet. I love my sister...<3 Two staples and one cone of shame later, Cei is no worse for wear... A little less excitement for the rest of the day is in order.

Reflections...

So the AKC National Agility Championships are over... I have to say it was great fun! Even though my primary venues have been USDAA and ASCA over the last several years, I had a blast at this AKC event. While people could be a little over zealous and some could be down right nasty, for the most part, it was a pleasant experience. Listen, if you don't pay your bills by teaching agility, LIGHTEN UP! This isn't neurosurgery, it's a sport to do with your dog for FUN! Okay, enough said about that...

The venue had much to be desired and I plan on sending AKC a nice email asking for my $100 stall fee back. It was like a meat locker in the barns and we never did put the dogs in there. Working out of the van was a bit prohibitive, but that's what was best for us and the dogs. We were in the better arena, with the worst footing, but the food was good and the prices were reasonable too, unlike the Expo in Louisville, KY. There the food was too expensive and heavy for running agility... One day of pulled pork for lunch and that was the last mistake I made. A trip to Wal-Mart remedied that. Shopping was wonderful and I'm sure I spent too much money. But, it was worth it. :-)

The courses were challenging, but fair, as was the judging. There was some whining... there's always some whining by somebody, but overall I didn't really hear anything negative about the courses being for "little dogs" or "big dogs". There were traps, but the courses weren't de-motivating and most dogs seemed to be joyously running with their handlers. Isn't that the point?

So I'm hoping that the National remains this direction for one more year. Like USDAA, there are some growing pains to be worked out at a new facility. But all in all, it was a fun weekend spent running with my buddy Piper. What more could I ask? Oh yeah... qualifying Seeker too.

Birthday wishes...

Today would have been my mom's 76th birthday. She passed away on June 5th, 2008. Last year, her birthday fell on Easter Sunday. So, we took 12 balloons (representing 7 gold and 5 white for 75) to the cemetery along with cupcakes. We did a balloon release for her birthday, then shared the cupcakes... Bob, Dad and myself. My friend Megan said that we were smart to distract my mom with the balloons while we ate her cupcakes. :-) I have to agree. Mom always loved to celebrate birthdays.  Sometimes with cake, other times with her award winning pie, but always something. I still have a love of "naked cake". So here's to you Mom on what would have been birthday number 76.  I hope you, Jason and Jesus had a grand party... I miss you so much and think about you every day.  RIP and Happy Birthday Fern Elizabeth Kubas... I love you. <3 <3 <3

AKC Nationals Day 3... Hybrid

Today was a great day... After having Piper adjusted by the on site chiropractor, he seemed to feel much better. He slept like a log, which is more than I can say for myself. Nerves got the better of me making sleep a bit elusive.

But I didn't need to worry or lose sleep. The Hybrid class was tailor-made for Piper. He handled it easily with one little communication problem which was quickly fixed. His time was 30.2 seconds. Not bad for an almost 8 year old dog. I can however, see that his times are slowing a bit. But since I'm not worried about being on the World Team, it's just fine.

So, Piper finished 92nd out of 289 - 20" dogs. Good enough to be in the top third. I couldn't be happier or more proud of him. My heartfelt thanks to Cheryl Jagger Williams for producing this amazing boy. And to Donna Rohaus for her expert instruction. I hope we did you proud. <3

AKC Nationals Day 2... Standard and Jumpers with Weaves

The day didn't start out very well for Piper. He really hasn't felt very well for the last few days and it seemed to catch up with him today. But with a little TLC and a chiropractic adjustment, he seemed to feel better.

His Standard run went fairly well, but he headed for an off-course tunnel because I had my arm out too far. I saved the off-course and called him back to me to complete the missed jump. The rest of the run went without incident.

Jumpers was such fun! I actually did a wrap AND a rear cross successfully. We got a clean run and earned a rosette for our efforts. His time was a respectable 30.58. Good boy Pi!

One more day...Hybrid class to go. We managed to move out of the stall in between raindrops. We have walk throughs at 7 am. We run 14th in 20".

Of bumblebees and daisies...

So last night we went to dinner at Cracker Barrel. I love their country store and could spend hours there. As Bob paid the bill, I eagerly walked around the store to browse.

My mom was a huge collector of bees, daisies and frogs. HUGE... So as I walked around the store, a yellow jacket caught my eye. It was embroidered with bumblebees and daisies and little crystals. I had to buy it. If my mom was still alive, I would have bought her one as a souvenir. So in loving memory of her I'll wear it this weekend as I run with Piper. My mom so loved her bees and flowers, she had decals designed for her beloved yellow and black VW Beetle. The same decal design is on her headstone. Sometimes it's the little things... <3 <3 <3

AKC Nationals Day 1... State tournament

Well, we made it here. Some of the conditions are less than ideal, but we're here. Today is a warm up day for the Nationals on the weekend. It is the ISST tournament pitting state/regions against one another. It's for a sense of state/region pride. Well, I don't think we helped Pennsylvania's cause very much. We received an E in round 1 and had a fault in round 2. But in truth, I'm  just happy to have Piper here and whole.

Shopping is great! Crating, parking and weather bite. The hundred bucks I spent for a stall needs to be refunded by AKC. The barns are bitter cold and heaters aren't allowed. I'm glad I packed the Foggy Mountain turnout coats. Piper practically lived in his today. Rain is forecast tomorrow. Great, more mud. At least we are in the heated building the rest of the weekend.

This was a day to settle down and get a feel for the rings and footing. I did that. We plan to rock it the rest of the weekend. :-)