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