My latest agility trial!

Weekend before last, we attended a USDAA trial in a new location at a horse farm near Canton.

We hadn't entered on Saturday since they didn't have Snooker on that day (for me). And it was a very good thing we didn't because it rained, and rained, and rained, all day. The trial was outside on grass and those poor folks were soaked to the gills!

It was still raining on Sunday, but by that time they moved the trial into an open air horse arena with the oddest flooring we've ever seen....a combination of carpet bits and sand. Have to say it may have been different, but all of us dogs loved running on it!

This was a small one ring trial, so Mum only entered me in Snooker on Sunday, and entered Gracie in Standard and Gamblers. Well Gracie had her two runs before me and sure to her 'modus operandi' at new places, she was pretty unfocused. She came back to Mum every time, but Mum had a lot of trouble getting her to do more than three or four obstacles in a row and she would run off a couple of times during her runs. But, DOG, was she having fun!

There was a wall length mirror on one wall of the arena, and Gracie would stop and look at herself one or two times during the runs. Folks told Mum she was admiring herself, but Mum knows Gracie better; she thought it was another dog she could play with, goofy sis.

Snooker was the last event of the day and Mum knew we had to go for it, yet again, to try and get that SQ we need. Many folks had pulled from the trial so there were only about four 16'" dogs and one 12" dog running. And they are all very good, young and speedy.

Mum and I went for four of the five reds with a 7, 6, 5 and 4. It was nice and flowing, a couple of tunnels, six weaves and the rest just one jumps. I ran really, really well; nice and speedy, until Mum came up to the red after the five and got too close to it, so I refused it. She did the same thing on the 2 going into the close and yes, I refused that one too. (That's the result of my current Gamble bubble problem.)

I finally went over those jumps but the refusals cost us some time...time I needed to get through the tunnel, six weaves, tunnel closing and the buzzer went off as I was going into the last tunnel which would have given me 53 points. So I ended up with 46.

That gave me second place in the 16" class. No 16" got the SQ, it went to the one in the 12" height that got the 53 points.

So for the eighth time, I got second place in Snooker going for that elusive SQ. Mum counted up my Snooker Q's and she thinks I have a total of about 12 now. So when I get the last SQ, I may also get my Snooker Champion (maybe even the Bronze, depending on how much longer this takes) title at the same time. (Friend, Elf, will know more about those metal titles that Mum knows :).

The nice thing is that lots and lots of our new friends ran up and told us what a great run it was...and that they are certain we'll get that SQ soon. Mum felt really good about her strategy too, and if not for the two refusals, we would have had those 53 points. We also know we'll get it, since I'm running really, really well, just a matter of time. Mum was super proud of how I ran this run, super proud!

Next trial may be in August, or we may take a day and drive three hours up to TN for a day in June/July...not sure yet. But I am ready!

Wordless Wednesday!

Oh, I think Columbia needs to sign me up!

Book Review: The Patron Saint of Lost Dogs by Nick Trout

You may remember the book 'Tell Me Where it Hurts' by Nick Trout. Even though it was published back in 2009, we remember reading it a few years ago. We got it from the local library and really enjoyed it.

Now Nick Trout has released another book that we highly recommend.

"The Patron Saint of Lost Dogs' is a really quick, fun and entertaining read. And no it won't make you cry (since I've been asked that a lot lately :).

'The Patron Saint of Lost Dogs' will make you giggle on occasion, wonder what's around the corner, and in the end say...awwwwww. It's a feel good book, through and through."

It's the story of Dr. Cyrus Mills, son of a long time, small town, well respected vet in a fictional town in Vermont. After inheriting the veterinary practice following the death of his father, Cyrus takes over the practice with one goal in mind...to get the heck out of dodge.

But the lives of dogs, cats and those in need takes over, Cyrus' endearing, caring and concerned nature takes over, and he learns that life in a small town has it's advantages with both two and four leggers; and maybe, just maybe you're really home at last.

We think you'll enjoy the book! It's a recommend for your summer reading list. Get the 'The Patron Saint of Lost Dogs' on Amazon, or get the Kindle version!

And, thanks to the nice folks at Hyperion (click to read an excerpt) for sending us a free copy of 'The Patron Saint of Lost Dogs' for reading and reviewing!

Split nails hurt like heck!

Gracie and I were zoomin' around the cabin last week with Mum cheering us on, when suddenly Gracie didn't finish her last lap.

Mum went around the cabin looking for her and found her in her 'dug up dirt cool spot' and she started licking at her back foot. Mum looked down and saw blood all over Gracie's pinkie toe.

Mum took Gracie inside to take a look and saw that Gracie's pinkie toe nail was split almost half way down. Ouch!!! Out came the first aid kit, peroxide to clean the ouch, Traumeel cream to numb just a tad and help heal it up. And then she added the dreaded vet wrap.

Mum was able to later look even closer at Gracie's nail and noticed her toe was very red, sort of bruised, at the base of the nail. Which probably means that Gracie got the nail caught and got it twisted too. Big ouch! Since I've had a dislocated toe before, Mum was sure checked to see if the toe was dislocated or broken, just in case. But Gracie didn't show any signs of either.

Over the next few days Gracie had to go out with her foot wrapped up (something she did not like) with one of Mum's socks tied up to her hock to keep it on.

Since Gracie was signed up for a trial on Sunday, we weren't sure she could run, and decided to just wait and see. Mum could always see if she handled Gamblers well (with just jumps, tunnels, chute) and then see how she felt for Standard and hitting some of the contact obstacles.

By Saturday, Gracie was feeling better and even let Mum trim a little off the nail, and dremel a little to make it smoother, so she wouldn't get it caught on anything.

So off we went to the trial on Sunday. A good friend of ours watched Gracie in Gamblers to see how she was handling her toe during the run and neither one of us saw any discomfort.

Mum ran her in Standard and even though Gracie was a kind of unfocused, she took her nice running dog walk like a pro, even hitting the contact! Woo hoo!

Here's a photo of her nail today (it's really dirty since she just came inside from the morning jaunt, and is ready for more dremeling). But it's looking real good and doesn't even bother her if Mum touches, now.

She healed that split nail up really quickly! Split nails can be very bad if split further down than Gracie's, even to the point of having to have a vet take the nail out. So glad we didn't have to go there!

Tree felling day!

We've been keeping our eye on this tree since we arrived at the cabin last April. 

About a month ago, it lost one of it's major limbs. With all the wind storms we get on top of our mountain we started getting a lot of concerns about this tree, especially after one of the storms had 60 mph winds for well over 12 hours. That was a very long night!

A couple of weeks ago the tree fellers showed up and took down that tree. Look at that guy way, way, way up there! You sure couldn't get Mum to do that!

They topped off another tree near our fence line that had been hit by lightening before we moved in. Good guys, they just missed my weave poles!

And there was one other big pine that was leaning toward the cabin, and surely would have taken out the roof if it would have fallen. They barely topped this one off and fell this over 70 footer toward the road. It was very, very cool and felt a little like a man made earthquake. We barked!

Later in the afternoon we had a few remains that needed cleaning up, so Gracie got busy!

"What?!? I'm just cleaning up after the tree trimmers!' ~Gracie

Book review: 'Unsaid' by Neil Abramson

I've got a pretty good list of favorite books of the year, and I just added one!

'Unsaid,' by Neil Abramson, is one of the most powerful, heartwarming, thought provoking, moving books we've read. It will make you dig deep into your relationships and understanding of all animals, whether they are your 'best friends' or the many species of four-leggers you may experience and encounter in your life.

Helene, a veterinarian and wife of David, a high powered attorney in New York, had escorted hundreds of animals to the 'other side.' But when she dies, she haunts and is haunted by the life she had to leave behind, including the myriad of rescues and the husband now charged with their care.

The story centers around Cindy, a chimpanzee who Helena helped teach sign language, and who may hold the key to unlocking the mysteries of animal communication and understanding. When David takes on the case to save Cindy much is learned and garnered about the value of life and the human/animal bond.

We highly recommend this book as part of your planned summer reads, you won't be disappointed!

Get the book on Amazon, hardcover $9.60, or for your Kindle for only $3.79.

Special thanks to the publishers at Center Street and Hatchett Book Group for providing us a free copy of Unsaid to us to read and review!

The new JohannTheDog!

Mum and I are super excited to show off the newly redesigned and improved JohannTheDog.com!!!

Over several weeks I helped Mum redesign and paw out some of the pawsomest products I found on the Internet; from dog agility gear, clothing, trial and training gear to cool dog beds, dog collars and harnesses, bowls, tough dog toys, plush dog toys, interactive and intelligent dog toys and much more!

Go check it out, and remember when you click on one of the links you'll be taken to the store that carries that product for purchasing. And if you purchase through JohannTheDog.com, we get a little commission that helps keep our site up and running and keeps us recommending all the super cool dog stuff we find! Then 10% of what we make we donate to dog shelters and rescues in need!

So be sure and bookmark JohannTheDog.com for all your dog shopping needs!

A few weekends of agility!

Over the past month or so, Mum, Gracie and I have competed in a few USDAA trials!

One in Gainesville, one in Canton, and one in Alpharetta. Since I'm working on my ADCH, Mum hasn't entered me in anything but Snooker and Gamblers for well over a year, as those are the only Q's I need for the title. And since I'm almost nine years old now, she's conserving my energy, like I need that, BOL!

The cool thing is that at the last trial we attended in Alpharetta last weekend, I got the last Q for my Masters Gamblers title, with a super nice run and 2nd place. Out of the past three Gamblers runs, I've gotten two Q's. Mum always knew I was a pretty good gamble dog, and it's really showed in the past few trials.

But now I've been refusing some jumps and other obstacles when Mum is closer to them. And Mum finally figured out why. I've got the Gamble bubble going on...that's the invisible area when Mum is closer to an obstacle that I'm now running around the outside of it, feeling like she's crowding me, BOL!

So Mum's got a plan to help me work more on being fast working closer to her, along with distance, aka more Snooker skills than Gambler skills.

But the cool thing is that for the last four Snooker runs, I've gotten 3 Snooker Q's, mostly 2nd place, but just not the final SQ that I need for the ADCH. I have well over 15 Snooker Q's, which is pretty cool.

Gracie has been improving more and more over the last trials, to the point that at our last trial she didn't run off at all during any of her runs! And for a couple of her runs, Gracie's BC came out in full force....she was focused, super fast, had great distance and made Mum really stay on her toes!

Over the past few trials Gracie has Q'd several times in PII Jumpers, getting her PII Jumpers title, along with her PII Snooker title.

And at the last trial she got her first Gamblers Q. And oh was that run a work of art!!! Gracie almost mowed down the judge she was so focused on the jumps and tunnel. And Mum sent her to a tunnel well over 30 feet away and it was a discrimination to boot! Gracie took exactly the tunnel entrance Mum wanted her to to set up for the next obstacle. What a good girly.

Mum even corrected her on the her final jumpers run, pulling her off a jump and Gracie didn't stress out at all! So Mum thinks that it's finally time to get serious about training a few more things that she feels Gracie can handle now....like the teeter and contacts; so we can enter her in some Standard and maybe even pairs runs.

For years, Mum wanted to run Gracie only in runs that she would be able to run fun and feel more free, and not require her to 'be more controlled' to keep her from stressing. And it's worked. But now they can maybe get down to some business! Yeah!

We're signed up for another trial in a week or so, just one day. And then again in August, Sept and Oct, I believe. Can't wait!

Now we're talking Spring!

Spring has finally arrived on the mountain!

Here is the beaUtiful Dogwood that's right in front of our cabin. We're showing off the underside because it's so tall!

The Cherry Blossom is just beginning to open up!

And, you can see the green slowly making it's way up the mountains.

Another one of the most beautiful Dogwoods just down our ridge.

And who couldn't resist, Gracie, a dog with Dogwood!

Is it winter, or is it spring?

Over the last few of weeks, we're not sure if it's winter or spring!!!

For a couple of weeks the daffodils had been growing and growing and growing. Just about the time they were ready to bloom out (well some of them at least) we got a big unexpected snow!

About four inches, which is fun and we love! But for folks that have to drive the mountain road, it can be very dangerous.

We made it home from a quick trip to town, just as some of the snow was coming down. We got home and one of our new friends called us because she was driving up the mountain over the past few days to take care of our neighbor's dogs and kitty. But she didn't think she could safely make it up there and asked if we would go feed them and check their water.

So the next morning Mum headed out down their long lane and made it to their cabin. The dogs live outside and the kitty has a kitty door. So Mum fed Coco, the lab/chow mix, and Chestnut, the cattle dog/ hound mix, broke the ice up on their water, got the kittie some canned food and they all three were good for the rest of day until their dad got home later that night.

Coco and Chestnut escorting Mum home.

Once Mum got back we got our snow zoomies on!!! What fun!

Gracie, the snow bunny!

Poor Daffies, take 'em inside Mum, they look too cold!

Oh, the mountains were beautiful with snow!

Snow wrestle!

Then the next day or so, the snow was all gone, the sun came out, it warmed up and Gracie got in some sunbathing! Wouldn't Gracie look great on flyer? but not cheap brochure printing for her she's first class all the way!

Gracie says, 'Ahhhh, SUN!'

And Mum saved the daffies!

Dogs, cars and pawsome prizes you can win!!!

If you know me and read my blog you know what a big proponent I am of keeping your dog safe in the car when traveling!

Especially since Gracie, Mum and I experienced a pretty bad accident coming back from an agility trial. back in 2007.

The great thing is that we were all buckled up in our crates in the back of our Rover and came away with only some stress issues with Gracie, a couple of bruised ribs (me) and a very slight concussion for Mum. But we recovered very quickly and even did an agility trial the next weekend!

We hate to think what could have happened if we had been loose in the car. We've heard so many sad stories over the years of agility friends and others whose dogs have been hurt and lost because they weren't secure in the car.

It doesn't have to be!!!!

After our accident back in 2007, we wrote a Squidoo lens - Car Safety for Dogs - that has lots of great info and resources to help you learn how you can keep your dog safe while traveling; everything from dog seat belt reviews (they are not all created equal!), crate recommendations, news, info and lots more. Check it out, we know you'll find it helpful.

Subaru DOG TESTED, DOG APPROVED™ just gets dogs and the importance of keeping dogs safe in cars too!!! Check out Subaru's video and you'll understand why!

The next time you're out looking for a new dog car, we recommend you take your dog, buckle or crate them up in the car you're testing, and take everyone for a test drive. After all,  if every one - two and four legged - is going to be traveling, you may as well test it out before buying! We know Subaru would be more than happy to accommodate you.

Before you head out to those dealerships, be sure and check out Subaru's new Facebook app where you can match just the right car for you and your dog, put your dog in a Subaru, get them a new driver's license and ask Subaru experts all the question you need!

See here's my new GA DL!!! Oh, all the mountain dogs are gonna be envious now! Cool huh? I'm finally legal.

But the best part? Oh yeah!!! Subaru is giving away two pawsome prizes!!! A $350.00 VISA Gift Card and  a $150.00 VISA Gift Card....perfect for outfitting your dog with all the secure gear they need to keep them safe in your car, and pick up some extra treats and toys, too! So get entering, it's easy...just follow the instructions below in the widget, and good luck! You only have until 11:59 pm ET on Sunday, February 24th to enter! These prizes are for US residents only (apologies to my friends north, south and across the ponds), and you need to be 18 to enter. Good Luck!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
This post is sponsored by Subaru and the Dog Tested. Dog Approved™ campaign. We are being compensated for this post. I gotta tell ya, we couldn't pass up the opportunity because you know what big proponents we are about dog car safety, and how much we love supporting any company that cares about dogs and shows it with their products and services!

Hiking Tumbling Waters at Carters Lake!

We woke up to a little unexpected snow on the ground this morning.

Looking at the weather channel last week, Mum noticed that last Friday was going to be a nice day, and the nicest day of the week. So off we went into town to get a new battery for the car, an oil change and a trip to the grocery, but not before we got in a nice hike at a new place nearby called Tumbling Waters!

Tumbling Waters trail is at the northern side of Carters Lake somewhat south east of Ellijay GA, our nearest town. Carters Lake is actually a man-made reservoir fed by the Coosawattee River and Tails Creek. It's a popular recreation area, and also serves as a flood control device and power source to the area.

We took the Tumbling Waters trail because we love falling waters, dipping our paws in the streams and getting a little swim in some clean fresh water from the mountains. We started off at the trail head and quickly noticed that Gracie wasn't feeling completely up to snuff. She's been off and on ever since she got Lyme and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Some days she feels super, some days she just doesn't have the energy she usually has. And that's why she isn't in any of the photos, Mum just didn't want to stress her out since she wasn't feeling her usual self.

We walked about a mile and came to the bridge over the Tails Creek. Two tails walking over Tails Creek, pretty funny, huh? It was a really nice bridge, very stable which makes Gracie happy.

Here's our view down from the bridge of Tails Creek and the falling waters.

It's somewhat difficult to see, but you can see the upper falls which we hiked to eventually.

It's was gorgeous there, the water was cool, but super fine. I wanted to go for a swim, but Mum thought the water was rushing too quickly, so she let me go in as far as my leash would go, eventually I got a little dog paddle in.

We ventured on and got a few nice photos along the falling waters. 

Oh, I was so ready to jump in there!!!

Hiking back we decided to explore more of the maintenance road area around the lake, armed with our map courtesy of online print solutions through Google print. After about 3 or so miles, it started to cloud up and get cooler with potential rain, so we decided to head back. Just then Mum saw the boat dock and wanted to see how we would like it.

Well, Gracie, true to her fearful form (on occasion) was having nothing to do with walking down that boat dock, but I couldn't wait to explore it. So Mum hooked Gracie up to the post at the entrance and took me down to explore.

You can tell how happy I am with having to sit here for a photo, when all I really want to do is GO SWIMMING!!!!

But Mum wouldn't let me that day. The water looked really green and she had heard about contamination in that lake, so until she could check it out fully, nope, nope, nope was my answer. DOGGONE IT!

It was a really fun little four mile hike. And just as we got into the car it started to sprinkle. Great timing, huh?

There are more trails around the lake that we're planning on exploring this summer, can't wait!

Book Review: Pukka's Promise: The Quest for Longer Lived Dogs

 

It's not often that you come across a book and think, 'this book needed to be written!'

But that's exactly what we thought as we read through the new book "Pukka's Promise: The Quest for Longer Lived Dogs."

As a green dog (with a lifelong healthy, organic and green Mum) we completely related to nearly every chapter in Ted Keresote's new book.

When Mum adopted me back in 2004, it was her mission to bring her healthy, green, organic life to my life, as well. Armed with the knowledge she already had growing up in a healthy family, she still had a lot of research to do to determine the best decisions to make for my healthy lifestyle - from the safest toys, beds, collars and other gear, to vaccinations,  healthy diet and living life in a sometimes dangerous, chemical filled world.

And that's just what she did...she dove in with a vengeance, learning as quickly and thoroughly as possible. Once our blog readers found out we lived a healthy lifestyle they had a lot of questions for us. So many that there were just too many to answer, which is why we started our Raise A Green Dog blog a year or two after I came to live with Mum; to share how we live a healthy life and information we researched over the years.

You may remember the book "Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog," a fabulous book by Ted Kerasote that was published back in 2008 after his first adult dog, Merle, passed away. After experiencing the death of Merle, Ted, like many of us, questioned why our dogs live such short lives.

In preparation for his next dog, Pukka (pronounced PUCK-uh), Ted spent five years seeking answers to why dogs die too young, a question we think about every single day, and one that many of his fans of  'Merle's Door' also asked.

The result is his new book,  "Pukka's Promise: The Quest for Longer Lived Dogs." In the book, Ted shares his amazingly thorough and comprehensive research touching on a wide variety of subjects relating to a dog's life including breeding, spay/neuter, genetics, vaccinations  diet, environmental hazards, cancer, adoption and shelter dogs, and helping dogs live a happier, more well adjusted life.

Ted's quest took him all over the world and from the East coast to the West, touring and investigating shelters, dog food manufacturing facilities, rendering plants, breeders in the US and Europe, humane organizations, veterinary teaching universities and professors, researchers of dogs, wolves and canine diseases and more. He methodically, relentlessly and (we believe) very objectively shares the info he discovered, creating an insight into the 'behind the scenes' world of dogs that many may not ever know about, yet need to know.

You may not agree with everything Ted determines in his quest, we didn't. However, we do believe that it's one of the most important books written about dogs in years...it will open your eyes, educate you, make you think, open your mind, and help you on your quest for answers to help your dog live a longer, healthier and happier life.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Today is Valentine's Day and we want to wish you a heartfelt day with lots and lots of extra lovin' with your two leggers and four leggers! Mmmwwwwaaaaaa!

This mosaic was created with the help of AndreaMosaic, and is made up of 100's of photos of me, my sis Gracie, and my kittie bros Wolfie and Wiggy!