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

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!!!