Ellee's FIRST Agility Show

Well itis finally time for Ellee to go to her first agility show.  I applied and got her CPE number and  signed her up. That is the up side---the down side is that she is already 1 and 1/2 years old, old enough to compete AND growing up!!!  The baby puppy is gone..  But I do love this young girl personality.  The show is at our club.  A few weeks ago Marcie gave me a series of class with her as Ellees handler so they would have a chance to work together before Marcie runs her at the agility competition.  Ellee is not the most excited runner--speed and correctness of obstacles does not really worry her!  But I think she could do well. Tulla will also run.  Steele is on a break right now.  And the two little ones just did the TDAA show a few weekis ago, so it is just Ellee and Tulla for one very full day of runs at this show.  Ellee needs to work on her weaves skills quite a bit, but she is pretty good on most other obstacles.  The teeter is OK if she does have to go over it too many times.  And jumps are fine if they are not too high or there aren't too many of them.  So we will go next week and see how it works.  Tulla will have a blast--and I hope she slows down enough to avoid her usual mistakes.  She has the potential to be GREAT!!!  I always hope that this is the TULLA MOMENT!!!!   Check  back later and see how they did??!!!

UPDATE:  SHE TOOK TWO FIRST PLACE RIBBONS AND ONE SECOND!  ((THE SECOND WAS REALLY MARCIE'S FAULT!!!  HAHAHA!    HANDLERS DO SOMETIMES MAKE MISTAKES---BUT this wasn't really Marcie's fault,
Ellee LOVES the a-frame and she just went around a jump to get to it and she did it so fast that she touched the frame before Marcie could call her back to jump the jump.  In the final round she just had fun but was buzzed out when she went off course.  WE HAD A GREAT TIME AND ELLEE WAS BETTER FOCUSED AND DID MUCH BETTER THAN I HAD HOPED---AND MOST IMPORTANT IS THAT SHE QUALIFIED IN HER EVENTS!!!!!  THANKS MARCIE AND I LOVE YOU ELLEE!

Calling the Doctor

Well I made a mistake that caused problems for Ellee--and scared me to death.  I laid some grilled onion ringswrapped in saran wrap on my desk and accidently knocked it to the floor without knowing---and ELLEE ATE THEM!  (not the wrapper)   I called the doctor immediately and was told to give her 5 teaspoons  of hydrogen peroxide (1 teaspooon per 10 pounds of body weight) and i could soak it into a small piece of bread if that helped....if she did not throw up in 20 minutes i could repeat it once.   Onions are DANGEROUS for dogs to eat with many SERIOUS effects.  Fortunately she did vomit after about 45 minutes after the second round.   Our doctors at Animal Wellness  (Michele Hendricks and Kathleen Hutton) are excellent vets who are willing to treat your dog like your family member and go as simple or as detailed as you prefer your animal care to scale.  They refer us to the Animal Care Center on Kemper Road for  after hour emergencies like the onion ring incident.  Either way we get excellent care--the Care Center follows the same philosophy to make sure you are well informed and have the right to make your own choice of care level.  And they both do wonderful medical care.  We do want our animal friends to have good health care in addition to all the love we can give them....so we keep them on pest controllers like sentinel, tick repelers and get the proper exams,including dental care.  FINAL WORDS--ELLEE IS FINE NOW!!!! AND I AM MUCH MORE CAREFUL!!!

Tattle-Tail

Ellee is a tattle-tail. Yes, I hate to say it-- but my beautiful little girl is a 'TATTLE-TAIL!!!  Whenever any of the other dogs has one of her toys, or is winning at tug of war --or any other thing like that--well the barking starts.  She looks at me as if to say, "help me" or "they took my toy" or  "make them give it back" .... and she barks and barks until we somehow resolve it--but I resist giving into her demands.  I try to be fair!  Each of the dogs has a distinct and different personality.  Kodi is always happy and  loving UNLESS one of the other ones gets too close and them he can grumble--but it is all barky noise.  He has gotten stepped on a few times so he is careful. On the agility course, he is happy to do what Marcie asks--he moves steady and does the best he can every time--but he does move a little slower --he is the true tortoise of the   story  of the hare!  Tulla is usually a lady and mommies her stuffed animals.  OR she is holding onto her soccer ball ready to chase it over and over.  If she sees agility equipment she starts spinning and gets very excited!  Tunnels suck her in and her speed sets her up for mistakes but the love she has for the work shows-- she has agility in her heart.   Peek is quiet unless she wants to play fetch with something--and you better be ready to throw it or she BARKS at you! and barks! and barks!  In her highest pitched voice!   On the agility course she is all business--but she doesn't  like to redo the obstacles--she will-but she gives you a look that says "we just did this!"  Steele wants to be loved and petted....he will lean on you and if you stop he will bump you to remind you to pet him.  And if you still wait he will bump you again or lay down RIGHT next to  you!  But you have never seen a dog JUMP so high and so effortlessly over jumps, fences or anything!  He never tries to excape, just jumps in the air in happiness to see you or in a game of play.  Yet on the agility course he can't concntrate on which obstacle is next. Boldly is also very happy to be near you, but doesn't insist on being petted-just wants to be nearby.  When he visits he has his special spot to rest on my bed by my feet and he has his own room where he eats and watches the animal shows on his t.v. while resting on his futon. Ellee is easy going and pretty mellow.  She enjoys loving if you don't overdo it.  She likes agility if you don't get too carried away with it-don't set the jumps too high or run too fast -She does love to climb the a-frame. She is always calm.  UNLESS there is water to splash in!   Regardless of which dog you are petting they are all LOVING and FRIENDLY.  Not a  bad one in the bunch.  They play well togerther and with others.  Some like to play fetch in the water (tulla, peek) while others just like to play in the water--(ellee.)  The boys are more cuddley-pet-me personalities.  In the end, they all love time with people.   And we love time with them!