Bennie

There is a cute puppy running around my house. His name is "Benny" and he is visiting until someone falls in love with him and whisks him off to an adoptive home.

I don't know much about Benny. I believe he came from a shelter West of here, an owner surrender. He appears to be at that gangly adolescent stage that Labradors tend to live their entire lives in. I don't know his parentage. The guess seems to be border collie/hound. Maybe he's border collie/Labrador. Anyway, he's a cute black and white medium size bundle of legs and tail and questing nose, probably seven to ten months old.

He's very gentle for a puppy that age. He doesn't mouth at all, so far. Benny is respectful of the cat and the other two dogs without being frightened or intimidated. He likes everyone he meets. When trying to get your attention, he is very tempted to jump up on you or at least paw at you, but he is working on that. He does well on a leash, for a puppy. Benny has little or no recall, but, again, he's working on it. He has mastered "sit" and "down" in a couple of very short lessons. He doesn't get fetch yet, but can see there are possibilities.

Inside, he hasn't had an accident or destroyed anything yet. He stayed in his crate nicely overnight. He doesn't understand that people food doesn't = puppy food, but he's working on it. When opening the car door or crate, Benny tends to rush off and so the concept of "wait" is being introduced. Benny has a wonderful "off switch." Each time I've come to my computer, he has curled up on his bed and dozed off. Puppies often are prone to car sickness, and Benny is no exception.

Anyway, that is my impression after 24 hours. If you are interested in Benny, check out http://www.broandtracy.org/broandtracy/index.shtml Benny is the smooth-coated dog at the bottom of the page.

Swimming!

The dogs love chasing sticks and getting muddy.

Weasel bounds off the edge of the bank and quickly gets the stick, then Z-dog stalks her and steals it from her. There is lots of barking involved, and mud. Then they come up to me to deliver the stick and shake all the mud off onto me and bound off back into the river.

Sometimes Weasel goes far afield to avoid her stalker.

And, sometimes, she prevails.

Some Days You're Hot and Some Days You're Not

Alas, I did not do well at flyball practice today. We were practicing a potential "B" team, with Dusty, Gizzy, Spoiled One and Spoiled One's Partner in Crime. Well, first we tried the line up with Dusty, Gizzy, Partner in Crime and Spoiled One. Gizzy is a cute little orange cattle dog sheltie mix. She probably runs about a 6 second run. Partner in Crime runs closer to 4 seconds. Partner's handler kept releasing too soon and having way early passes. So we switched Partner and Spoiled One.

I used to be good at passing with Spoiled One. Really. Not today. Spoiled One was passing Gizzy way early, when she was still on the jumps. Gizzy would end up veering completely out of the lane to avoid a potential collision, and it wasn't her fault - I kept passing way to early. And I knew it. And I tried to fix it, but I kept doing it, over and over. It was so frustrating, because Gizzy needs to keep her confidence up and being railroaded by the two biggest, most rambunctious dogs on the team isn't the way to do it.

I'm so frustrated with myself. I think I've gotten used to Spoiled One automatically slowing and adjusting for the oncoming dog. Gizzy is just so much smaller, he wasn't bothering to adjust for her. And, I just couldn't get out of the rut of making the same mistake, over and over. Hopefully, I can get back in the right zone again. Maybe, if I change my release point to the 3rd jump, instead of the first.

On the positive side, another dog, a little cattle dog/border collie (I think) was really showing some speed on recalls! She even beat Weasel a couple of times. Now, if we can get her to have the same drive to the box, she ought to be a little speed demon.

We may be going to Hurricane! I really hope so. At a U-FLI tournament, we can run the green dogs in singles and pairs and reduce the stress levels on their handlers. In a NAFA tournament, it's all or nothing, and we may not be able to field two solid teams with alternates, yet.

What Rescue is and What Rescue Isn't

I had one of those annoying email conversations with someone. They want to find a good breeder to get a border collie puppy from. They're doing their research. They know what they want. Wonderful! I suggest to them that they go to a few herding trials and network with the people there to find out where their dogs came from and what they had to say about the breeders. I also said I couldn't recommend any local breeders because I didn't know much about them - both my dogs are rescues.

Then, I got the email back about how the person is sick of people looking down on them because they want to get a puppy, not a rescue. And then he gives me the big ole' rationalization speech. You've heard it: All the dogs in rescue are border/pit mutts, there aren't any puppies, they all kill cats, they won't be good pets because all rescued border collies are chicken-killing, kid biting, vicious cat eating monsters that would be absolutely unacceptable for a pet home. They need a puppy so that they can train it up right, blah blah blah.

It's so frustrating. If you want to buy a puppy, buy a puppy - but don't feel obligated to rationalize that choice by spreading lies, ignorance and misinformation about rescues!

a.) There are purebred, registered dogs in rescue. I know several people who have acquired them.
b.) There are puppies in rescue. That's where mine came from.
c.) Most rescues have a perfect temperament for a pet home. Both of mine came from the pound. They live with cats, compete in events, and are around children. You have to train them, of course, but you have TRAIN any dog.

I don't know why people want so hard to believe that any dog in rescue must be defective, or undesirable, or have something wrong with it. Most rescue organizations don't have time or funds to scrape up the unadoptables - they're skimming off the cream of the cream of the adoptable dogs. I'm not sure where people think the dogs in rescue came from, why they would be so profoundly different than the dogs that come directly from breeders. Do they think rescue dogs materialize with the morning dew? Rescue dogs come from breeders, just like all dogs do.

Rescuers aren't trying to scam or guilt you into taking an inferior dog. They have no monetary interest in unloading a dog on you. They can't afford the liability of adopting out an unstable dog. Most rescue organizations do charge a fee, but that money goes back into the fund for redeeming dogs from the pound, paying vet costs, and such. Foster homes don't get a penny. Any legitimate rescue organization insists that you return the dog to them if it doesn't work out, and offers support and counseling on adjusting to life with your new dog. In fact, it is more difficult to get a dog from rescue organizations as they will do a much more thorough screening process than most breeders.

The emailer expressed concern that they knew what they wanted, but you wouldn't know what you were getting with a rescue dog, like you would with a puppy. That is absolutely backwards. Look at the rescue sites, like Arizona Border Collie Rescue. There is a great deal of information about each specific dog, its energy level, sociability, personality, age, health, habits, training, etc. With a breeder, you will at best get speculation that since the parents didn't exhibit any health problems, it will probably be healthy and a nice dog. They can't give you much hard information about the specific puppy, they can only speculate and hypothesize.

Rescue isn't going to the pound, picking out a dog and hoping for the best. It is way beyond that.

Eagles SUCK!

The Philadelphia Eagles have signed the criminally psychopathic animal abuser Michael Vick. Any money you spend on their merchandise, any tickets you buy, any time you tune your television to a game they are participating in, even if he isn't on the field, you are giving money to this sick, depraved individual.

Of all of the potential players they could have signed, they chose to rain money, power and privilege on the guy who electrocutes his pets for fun. Why? Because he runs a little bit faster?

Eagles suck. I have no respect for anyone who would sign him, anyone who would train him, anyone who would set foot on the same field with him, or anyone who would broadcast or watch a game he receives some of the revenue from.

If we want standards, we have to set them. If you can do what he did, and come back to be lauded and praised, what exactly would you have to do to cross the line?

Bad Doggie

The Crime:
The perpetrator:

Practice, Practice

Another day of flyball practice in the beautiful back yard of one of my teamates. The dogs did reasonably well, but there weren't many people there, it was hot, and, well, we kinda screwed around a lot.

The dog's didn't mind. There was a chuck-it involved.

What I like about that picture is that all of the other dogs are just blurry swirls, but Spoiled One is clearly riveted by the tennis ball with a demon glint in his eye. It kind of sums up my monster perfectly - well if you could add sound. Got to have the barking. Anyway, that is all for this post. I will try to take better pictures, but, like, my camera has been a doggie chew toy, been dropped on the tile floor several times, and other adventures, so no guarantees.

Http://www.weaselpuppy.com

Alas, Poor Bally (Ode to a Basketball)

Oh, cruel and unkind fate that casts aside hours of joyous barking and pouncing with one small pop and hiss!

Bally came into our household from Walgreens several years ago. Initially, it appeared like any other basketball, except for it's glow in the dark quality. Many, many objects from Walgreens and Walmart and PetSmart have made a brief appearance in our lives. Fuzzy or squeaky, bouncy or tuggy, they are loved, not wisely but too well, and soon the bits and pieces scattered in the living room are a grisly testimony to their fate, seldom even lasting long enough to be completely unwrapped or earn a name.

I have tried things labeled "tuff" or "indestructible" The labels lied. I have frantically assembled the bits of many a "for powerful chewers" to make certain no big parts made it into the dog.

But, Bally was different. I don't know why. Despite it's seemingly venerable inflatableness, Bally persevered, nay, thrived. Joyously, Bally would bounce around the living room on rainy or too hot days, rappelling off walls and furniture with Spoiled One and Weasel in hot pursuit. I had seen Bally cornered so many times, but, always, somehow, it slipped past the teeth and claws and went once more into the breach.

Until today.

http://weaselpuppy.com

Cutie Holly

No, I didn't get a new dog. Miss Holly is a dog in rescue that I am fostering. Actually, I just have her on weekends, for now. She is a little chubby black tri aussie, incredibly cute little dog. Holly arrived at my house earlier today and within a few hours seems to have settled in as one of the pack. She has exhibited no tendency to eat the cat or assault her doggy siblings, and is very sweet. Both Spoiled One and Weasel have messed with her in the expected fashion, play solicitation and/or posturing. She hasn't accepted any play invites, yet.

She's a very quietly interactive dog. Holly hangs out in the same room, laying behind the chair or underfoot, occassionally checking in for an ear skritch. She's already responding and doing behaviours for treats, though she has that initial reserve some aussies have. Holly walks nicely on a leash, shows no cat aggression, and appears to be retaining her housebreaking. So far, she seems to have a good off-switch, settling nicely when I am on the computer or reading. She's also a bundle of fuzzy wuzzy cuteness.

My evil plan is to drag her out and about to meet more people and dog sports people so that someone will fall in love with her and give her a permanent home, but this weekend is just for getting to know her and chilling out.

I'll give another update on her when I get to know her a bit. If anyone is interested, the application for her can be made through Bro & Tracy. http://www.broandtracy.org/animalwelfare.shtml (Holly can be found a little ways down on the page.)