Happy 13th Birthday, Marley!

Today we celebrate Marley's 13th birthday! Each day is a gift with her and she's goofy as ever.  She is doing well healthwise but she has a little cough when she's sleeping on her back and sometimes runs into things on her blindside. All to be expected but she's gets so excited she seriously bonks her head hard.  I worry about her knocking herself out one day!  She'll get a treat for dinner later on and will celebrate with her sisters!  Happy Birthday, Marley!! We love you!!

Happy 15th Birthday, Hannah!!

Although she isn't technically a Catch A Fire Vizsla, she is part of the family and the reason we continued in the breed.  We celebrated Hannah's 15th birthday on September 5th with much fanfare and gratefulness.  Last weekend we were able to get her photo with her birthday sister and best buddy, our daughter, Bree.  They have celebrated their birthdays together since 2002 when Hannah turned 1!

Dock Diving

Sparrow tried dock diving with her new friends, Savannah and Kora. Sparrow did a few jumps into the pool but spent most of her time swimming while chasing a dragonfly. She had a blast!! Only once did she need to be wrangled out of the water; the other time, just touching the pool sent her back on the deck!!

If your dog likes to swim, give dock diving a try.  You never know, you might have a dock diving star in the making!! 

Enjoy this recent photo of Lily playing golf on one of the courses in Bend, OR.

TEVCO Specialty at Mt Bachelor Kennel Club Dog Show

Marc, the girls and I drove to Redmond, OR again this year for TEVCO's Summer Specialty. This is the third summer the club has held this show at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds in conjunction with the Mt Bachelor Kennel Club.  We began our journey at 8am and arrived at the hotel about 12 hours later. We hit traffic in Fairfield, CA and again at the north crossing of Lake Shasta where they are putting in a new bridge.

Our tax dollars at work. They were building this bridge when we moved from Oregon three years ago. 

Sitting in traffic in 103* heat.

All construction projects have a flag but being this is July 4th weekend, it took on new meaning.

Sparrow was handled by Renee Cooper both days.  She placed 4th in her class at Specialty under Judge Dana Cline. She did not place on Sunday under Judge Jay Richardson.  No points and we are still in pursuit of her majors.  She sits at 10 points - she needs 15 including two majors. 

Marc, David, Daniel and Michele played gold at Brasada after Saturday's show.  Michele drove the cart and took photos. The girls and I hung around camp and visited with friends.  The drive home was uneventful and we were home by 7pm.  The weather over the weekend was much nicer, about 20* cooler.  We had a much better time this year. 

   

Arizona and Woofstock

The girls and I drove out to Arizona for Cullen's birthday and Josh's homecoming from deployment.  While I was there, we took Patriot and Battle to the vet. Unfortunately, Patriot's titre has gone up. Initially it was 1:32, went down at 6 month check up to 1.16 and now a year later, it has gone to 1:32.  We learned that since Patriot's Valley Fever is in his bone that he may never come off his treatment.  Battle's nose continues to be an issue; it is super dry and has split in the area between his two nostrils.  Bree continues to moisturize and some days it looks really good. His thyroid was low normal so we retested. The results were better than last time so the dryness isn't related to his thyroid.  Maybe it's just living in the desert. The vet has a different opinion but finding out involves a biopsy and/or a specific treatment to see if it helps. We will visit the matter again in November.  Hannah handled traveling and the heat well.  I worry about her as she's getting up in age. She'll be 15 in September, God willing. 

We came home from Arizona with a rest day in between arriving and driving to Vallejo for this year's Woofstock shows.  Carri Beaver showed Sparrow; she was 3rd on Saturday and 4th on Sunday in her class.  No points and we are still in search of those two majors.  She sits at 10 points. 

Enjoy these photos from May

Hannah, Sparrow, Marley and Paloma

Sparrow

Paloma

Sparrow

Marley

VCNC Specialty and Supported Entry

Sparrow and I made the drive to Vallejo for VCNC's Specialty and Supported Entry on May 21/22.   It was rainy on Saturday and she didn't place either day.  Thanks to Jessica for handling her for me. The judges were Sandra Olsen and Judy Webb. We'll keep plugging along. :)

Barn Hunt Practice

Sparrow and Paloma tried their noses at Barn Hunting in April while Marc was in Arizona visiting Bree and the boys. Sparrow had tried it at a show in Anitoch in December and did very well; however, on this day her brain was divided between finding rats and chasing birds.  I took Paloma the next day and she was super interested.  The girls need more exposure but this might be something I can do with them . 

Have you tried something new with your dogs?  Dock diving is next on the agenda.  Sparrow was chomping at the bit watching the other dogs jump into the pool.  I'll be calling her bluff one day soon.