My how time flies!

Okay, sorry about the long wait in between blogs but life has been busy!  Riki and Rebel were at Petsmart a week ago and all went well!  They were model citizens and seem to get right back into the groove of the house quickly.  This time they came home with no leftover food so it must not have been THAT traumatic for them!!!  Gizmo was very happy to see them again, that's for sure.

Taz got to have a one-on-one session with Shirley from D&S Dogs of Course on Wednesday.  We started to work on teaching him how to jump 22 inches properly.  I can tell you that I have my work cut out for me with this boy!  Running softly, not challenging him so he can actually think.  I wonder if I can apply this to flyball as well?  If we get a practice this week, I will definitely try!

I was off this week so that meant that the dogs had to supervise my every move.  This made for very little sleeping time as we were busy working around the house.  Taz got to go to doggie day care twice this week and he did well both times.  Venessa said he was not playing but he was walking around amongst the other dogs.  This is a HUGE improvement from last year!  He will continue to go, about once a month if Ken can drop him off.

Sunday was the New Hope Dog Rescue Walk-a-thon.  The organization raised over $6,400!  Way to go guys!  Pepper and Taz joined me on the 5 km walk.  I thought that for surely Taz would have problems.  Running people, hmmmm he does not like.  Bicycles, he does not like either!  Dog walking beside him who is not Pepper... that went well!  Three quarters of the way through the walk, Taz actually went nose to nose with Manix (a big foster) and it went really well!  No snapping, snarling or lunging.  I was quick to praise Taz (should have had treats and a clicker on me) on every good interaction he had with another dog.  The power of a pack of dogs walking is HUGE.  I could see Taz grooving with the dogs around him.  He might not be up for playing with every dog out there, but I can definitely tell that when we start walking with Flash (his brother) and Zoey (Flash's housemate) we can make it work.  I am hoping that Flash and Taz will become closer and play the only way that brothers know how!

This coming weekend is the River Runners flyball tournament.  Taz is not running in this one, I am aiming for him to debut in the fall again.  A year and a half off will do him some good.  We have been able to solidify him on his job.  We just need to get him comfortable passing a dog.  There always has to be something to work on!  Look for us in the racing lanes at Warman!

Street Cat is at PetSmart....

These next two weeks see the foster cats from Street Cat fill up the cat area at our local PetSmart.  This means that for this week, Riki and Rebel will be living in a very spacious kennel for the public to see in hopes of an adoption.  It would be so good for these two to find their furever home(s)!!  If you get a chance, slip out to PetSmart and check them out!  These two are good with cats and dogs.  Rebel still reminds Taz that he does not like to be chased and believe it or not, Taz does back off!!

Over this past week, Riki, Rebel and Gizmo had run of the upstairs during the day.  The only thing that they got into twice was digging in one plant.  Well it was more like pawing the dirt out.  I have since moved the plant to higher ground so that their little kitty paws can not get into trouble.  Also someone.... not mentioning cat names here, managed to knock over Gizmo's food container (which sits on the floor).  The three cats all had a good feed of food.  Not too much funny looking poop in Riki and Rebel's litter box so I do not think they got much of Gizmo's food.  Needless to say, three cats were not fed their supper that evening just to be on the safe side.  They were all happy, however, to eat breakfast the next day!

What a Rush!

Our adventure to Lloydminster starts with the decision Friday night to wait out the horrendous storm that hit Saskatchewan.  Winds up to 100 km/hr.  Reduced visibility due to blowing snow.  All made for terrible driving conditions.  A teammate decided to travel that Friday night.  It took her 4 hours to get there.  The trip normally takes 2.75 hours.  We decided to leave first thing Saturday morning.  That meant getting up at 4am to pack the SUV to be at another teammates house for 5am.  There is safety in numbers and three of us decided to travel in a caravan.  It took us 4 hours to get there.  The roads were all iced over, of course.  Graders were out around 6am taking a little bit off of the roads.  The winds were much better but still terrible.

Racing started at 10 am instead of 8.  River Runners and KAOS did not arrive until closer to noon.  Pepper brought me the ball each heat.  We had tonnes of clean runs on both days.  Her tummy got the best of her in one race when she left the lane to go get the morsel under the chair we had passed!  By 2pm, all the dogs seemed to be feeling tired from the drive.  After the races, we all proceeded to the hotel, fed the animals and sat down for dinner at 7pm.    Good conversation while eating good food made for a great end to the night.  Ken was out by 9:30pm and I shortly followed suit.

The drive home was uneventful.  The roads were nice and dry.  What an interesting start to the racing season!

The foster kitties had the run of the upstairs all weekend long.  Ken's sister came in to feed them so they got see someone they haven't seen before.  They played shy of course but I believe their tummies got the best of them.  Everything in the house seems to be in one piece. All of the plants survived.

Countdown is on...

The count down is on for Pepper's first flyball tournament of the year.  Lloydminster here we come!! Pepper will be running on an all girl team with Abby, Bandit, Rage, Holly and Heidi.  Racing position does not matter for Pepper.  Taz is coming along for the ride.  No sense in leaving him home alone.  The sounds and stress of the building does some good for him.  He will be safe in his crate!  It will feel good to get into the racing lane again.

With that being said, Gizmo, Riki and Rebel will have run of the upstairs for the whole entire weekend.  I do hope my plants survive!  Spider plants are fun things to play with!!  Now to line up someone to come feed them.  You can not have hungry kitties you know!!

I am also excited that the premium for the D & S trial (Let the Dogs Howl at the Full Moon) has come out.  I quickly printed it off last night and only got it part way filled in.  I will finish it off tonight and put it in the mail tomorrow.  I am definitely planning my flyball tournaments and agility trials carefully.  I plan on sticking close to home for agility trials.  It does not yet pay for Pepper and I to travel.  Maybe next year we will get to the Easter Bunny trial!