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!



























Meet Ceilidh!

This beautiful face belongs to Ceilidh, pronounced "kay-lee" for those of you who aren't familiar with Gaelic. She turned 6 this past November. She is the absolutely most intense little creature I have ever met. I love her to pieces! Although there are times that she sorely tries what little patience I have left. Due to her health problems, she doesn't do agility, except for NADAC Tunnelers. Ceilidh is epileptic and has been since she was under a year of age. But that doesn't seem to slow her down. Her epilepsy is under control with a variety of medications. Her regular vet and her neurology vet work together to keep her on an even keel. Not an easy task with a dog like her. Ceilidh is impulsive, high strung, sensitive, hypervigilant at times, reactive and... like the Energizer bunny, she keeps going and going and going... When everyone else wants to take a time-out, Ceilidh is still sitting at the back door wanting more. But that's okay, we're used to it by now. She can drive everyone a little nuts at times, but we wouldn't have it any other way.

     She is a herding demon who earned her PT at the Border Collie National in 2009 and up until last year, she loved to play flyball. But when her seizures increased after class, her neurology vet put the skids to the flyball. She is now learning to track... something I have no patience for, but she loves. I know people who LOVE to go tracking. To me, it's like watching paint dry. But because Ceilidh enjoys the nosework, I pull up my big girl panties and deal. When the weather is rainy and sloppy like it has been most of this Spring, we play nosegames in the house finding cookies in the livingroom.

Living with an epileptic dog has its challenges. Her seizures are difficult for us to watch, knowing she is aware of what is happening, but she isn't able to control her own body. We've lived with her with this disease for most of her life with us. We had hoped that there was some other reason that she was having this seizure-like activity when she was younger, but unfortunately, the final diagnosis was epilepsy. In the hopes that we can help other dogs, she became part of the epilepsy study for Border Collies. I only find it a shame that her breeder declined to participate even after I offered to pay for the blood draws and mailing of the samples. I would do anything in the world for Ceilidh to not have this disease. Having her blood drawn and sharing her pedigree with the study is the least I can do to further research. We've learned a great deal about the disease. Ceilidh is a study in herself. She was put on venison food, because after intensive research, I found that venison was the least reactive protein for seizures. She gets no processed food, nothing smoked or aged, no beef. We recently added buffalo and salmon to her menu with success. Our lives revolve around her medication schedule. She is not a low maintenance kind of girl. Most people would have given her back to the breeder. I only thought about it for a brief, fleeting moment. But this is a home that is able to deal with the meds, the visits to the specialist, and the constant vigilance over every aspect of Ceilidh's medical life. This is a forever home no matter what the challenges are...

She is a love bug. Not a mushy lap dog, but more of a "I need to be near and touching you" dog. I fight her for leg space every night on our bed. Finally, we compromise somehow and fall asleep. Amazingly, she's never on the hubby's side of the bed. She liked it better when I worked midnights I think. She had my side all to herself. I love her intensity and her focus when she chooses to use it. I love her sense of humor and how the Princess rules the boys. She's still trying to decide how she feels about Duchess Gem. I think Ceilidh likes being a big sister. She just doesn't like the sharp teeth and "in your face" puppy stuff. Gem will grow out of that and she and Cei will be BFFs... as long as Gem understands just who the Princess is in the house. And that is and always will be Ceilidh. <3 <3 <3 





Murphy's Law and how it pertains to my life on an almost daily basis...

So... interesting title huh? Well, it is absolutely the truth. My life comes under the heading of 'Whatever Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong". Cases in point... The Saturday after Gem came to us, I thought it would be a good idea to help the hubby mow grass. Our yard was so high, I was waiting to get a nasty-gram from the township about it. So after my agility trial, I came home and started weedwhacking the yard while he mowed. Because it was so high, after whacking weeds, I followed him with the mulching mower to get rid of some of the chunks of grass. The dogs view these as a delicacy and will wolf them down to only throw them up again in short order. All was fine until I moved a piece of lumber to mow under it, only to knock the lumber off of its perch and into my head. This intelligent move cost me a trip to the ER in an ambulance, an IV, Zofran, a CT of my neck and head, 3 staples to close the wound, a mild concussion and major embarrassment. Bah... Not one of my more glorious moments in life. Okay... I didn't get to go to my agility trial day 2, but it was a rainy day and I didn't miss anything I suppose. And yes, I called off work Monday because I had a migraine and needed to see the chiropractor to put my neck back where it belonged. Sheesh...

Flash forward a few days... I end up with a wicked sinus infection that has gone awry and have to take 2 more days off of work. Sad thing is, I don't get sick days. I don't work, I don't get paid. That in itself... bites. So Thursday and Friday are spent breaking fevers, popping decongestants, cough medicine and antibiotics. Only bright spot was my staples were removed 2 days early. Woo... hoo...  By Saturday, I feel semi-human and hope I can actually run agility without passing out. Quite a task I'll tell you. I make it through my first few runs without keeling over and by the end of the day, I don't feel too bad. I am surprised by this... By Sunday, I feel just about normal, with the exception of my sinuses as usual. The boys did well, Gem got socialization and we had a good time.

Monday comes and I'm ready to start the week again. The hubby comes home Sunday night sick. I don't just mean a little sick, I mean really SICK. I want to call him an ambulance Monday morning but he refuses. "I'll just go to the Quick Care." Okay... In the meantime, my 15 year old washer dies a quiet, untimely death. Now, I am due for a meltdown and this happened to be the impedus to open the floodgates. I don't handle Mother's Day well since my Mom died almost 3 years ago, but I held it together rather well I'd say. Until then... I sat on the floor in the basement in front of the dead washer full of sopping, wet clothes and cried hysterically. Eventually, my hubby comes looking for me and I tearfully tell him how much I want to quit working to stay home and take care of him, the dogs and the house. We know that isn't a possibility, but it doesn't stop me from wishing for it. I pull myself together, throw the clothes in a basket to take down to my Dad's house and go back to bed for a couple more hours. I should have stayed in bed. Hubby goes to the Quick Care and as I'm down my Dad's house wringing out the wet laundry, my cell phone rings. It's the hubby... the Quick Care PA is sending him by ambulance to the ER because he is dizzy and has a temp of 102.5... Someone shoot me now. I say okay as cheerfully as I can, then after hanging up, I have meltdown #2 for the day. I proceed to call off from work... again because I have no idea how long I'll be at the ER with him. I have no idea if he'll be admitted or if I'll get to bring him home. ARRRRGGGGGHHHH!!!!!

I am blessed to have wonderful friends. I get in touch with two of them, Karen Rose and Julia and they agree to take baby Gem for a few days. This... breaks my heart. Although I know that at the current time, I can't cope with a 10 week old puppy and crisis after crisis. So I pack her bag and her crate and send her off with her Aunties. I grab a quick shower then head to the ER to see what the verdict is for the hubby... Luckily it was bronchitis and not pneumonia. I get to take him home where he sleeps until almost 11pm, wakes up for a bowl of cereal and then goes back to sleep until the next morning.

However, the craziness is not nearly done for me. Hubby's vehicle is still at the Quick Care. The grass is once again high and I have a dead washer that needs replaced immediately. Since I was already off, I enlisted the neighbor to help me with the lawn, enlisted my Dad to drive to pick up hubby's vehicle only to find it with an almost empty gas tank....GRRRRRRR...., drive to the pharmacy and sit for 40 minutes to get hubby's prescriptions, then head off to Lowe's to find me a washing machine. A FB friend recently wrote about losing her mojo and having to pay for a speeding ticket. At my age, I am invisible to men, which I accept. But I am buying an appliance here, not looking for a date. The salesman seems to find me invisible until after the pretty young things are taken care of and he doesn't have a choice but to wait on me. Great... I don't care at this point. I NEED A WASHING MACHINE!!!!! So I pick out my choice, a Whirlpool Cabrio, and ask if they have it in stock and can I have it tomorrow. DING! YES!!! At least something has gone right today. I finally drive home with the hubby's RAV full of fuel and my credit card straining a bit from this unexpected expenditure. Ah well...

Luckily yesterday went better for us all. The big dogs are enjoying their break from Gem and although Seeker misses her, Piper is very happy that the little beast is not here. Ceilidh is indifferent I believe. I miss her bunches and can't wait to get her home again. The washing machine arrived early enough for me to play with it and wash a couple of loads. LOVE IT! And Gem is having a blast at sleepaway camp learning about kitties, gardening and playing in water. Hubby is on the mend and I went to work.

Glory forbid that I could go a day without Mr. Murphy today.... Hubby called and is missing his cell phone. His Droid 2 cell phone... I know what I'll be doing when I get home from work and before I go to agility class tonight. But Gem is coming home from her vacation after class and once again I can't say enough about how wonderful my friends are to me. Now, if only I can get through the rest of the week without a visit from Mr. Murphy. If bad things run in 3s, then I'm done... no really... I'm done. Guess we'll see how it goes... as so it goes... But there is a bright spot! There is agility this weekend!!!!!!

Meet Piper!

This is my amazing Piper... I can't tell you enough how much I love and admire this handsome boy. His intensity and focus, along with his sweet disposition, make for a wonderful combination. Although he wishes he was an only child. Unfortunately for him, he came into the wrong household for that. Which is why he has been rather put out by the newest addition with the razor-sharp teeth. "His Nibs" as we fondly call him, is not a fan of puppies, whether they be boys or girls. He is not amused by the endless energy, jumping in his face and generally invading his personal space. But as Gem grows and the puppy teeth are replaced by adult teeth, he will become more tolerant. Gem has already felt his wrath with a sharp correction made by him for her jumping in his face yesterday. He gave me an apologetic look as if to say "You know she had it coming Mom". And in all honesty, she did. He left her alone then as she did him. Smart girl... Piper was bred by Cheryl Jagger Williams out of her Andy and Maggie... a multiple repeat breeding with pups doing wonderfully in various venues.

Piper is a star and he'll be the first one to tell you so, after me of course. I couldn't have been more proud of him at the AKC Nationals. Although we didn't make it into the Challenger or Final Rounds, I thought 2 clean runs out of 3 was pretty darn good. His times weren't blistering, but they were consistent. I can see his 8 years on Earth beginning to catch up to him. But since we aren't headed for World Team try-outs, that's okay with me. We still have plenty of agility to accomplish, including those last 9 QQs for his MACH and his last 40 points in Regular Elite for his ASCA ATCH. In truth, all I really care about is that he has a grand time running. It doesn't matter whether we Q or not, each run is a gift.

He is the first dog that I have trained in agility to this level. Something I never thought I would do. He has forgiven me all of my mistakes, will give me what-for on the course should I be wrong or late with direction, but overall, he cuts me a break... for the most part. I am and always will be a work in progress as a handler and trainer. Each dog teaches you something and I believe each one comes into our lives for a purpose. Piper has been a patient teacher and taught me to truly love and enjoy agility, almost as much as he does. There's no denying his enthusiasm for the game when he walks into a building and greets everyone with his normal "WooWoo, I have arrived". I am truly blessed to be his partner and I love him beyond words. Thank you Piper for the journey... We still have miles to cover... Courses to run.... Fun to have... And lessons to learn... And I'm so glad I'm doing it with you... 66 titles and counting... <3<3<3