There ain't no gimp on me.....

(Can you hear the song?)

.....There ain't no gimp on me, there ain't no gimp on me - I'm a goin' to the trial on Saturday - there ain't no gimp on me!....

Yee haw - went to practice tonight and was on fire. But, also, did what Mom told me, whew. No gimp, nice weaves, pretty fast - so we are all systems go for the Saturday's trial.

Thanks all, for your kind wishes and advice. We'll talk with ya next week! And know that you all will be thinking of us.

Blast off!

Gimpy?

Well, Mom had never heard the word Gimpy before I came along. And yesterday she found out exactly what it means. Yesterday, I appeared Gimpy. Not too bad, just a little limp/bobble in my gait. But wouldn't you know it, I have my first comeback trial this coming Saturday.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source gimp ² (gimp) Pronunciation Key
n.

1. A limp or a limping gait.
2. A person who limps.

intr.v. gimped, gimp·ing, gimps
To walk with a limp.
[Origin unknown.]
gimp'y adj.

So Mom, massaged me, put ice packs on my left leg, and massaged me again. This morning she did it all over again, and made me sleep in the sun coming through the window. (That wasn't too hard, since it turned freezing here again the past day or so, and the sun felt SOOOO good).

She watched me walk again a little bit ago, and no gimp, no real visible limp. Yeah! Not sure what it was all about, maybe just a little muscle soreness, maybe a little pull. But I'm looking a lot better.

So we are going to training class tonight, only get one run in and then Gracie is taking over the class. But at least I'll get one full course practice in before Saturday. YEAH!!!

I have a title!

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Viscount Johann the Cosmopolitan of Fritterton on the Marshes Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

The April 2007 JohannTheDog newsletter has sprung!

Spring has sprung and so has the April 2007 JohannTheDog newsletter!

Check it out!

Skidboot passes to rainbow bridge.

I was very sad to hear today that Skidboot, the famous dog from Texas and winner of Animal Planet's Pet Star has passed to the rainbow bridge.

He was a talented and loved pup. We will miss him and following his 'career'. We salute you Skidboot!

Skidboot

DALLAS --
Skidboot, a working ranch dog and television celebrity who wowed crowds at the State Fair of Texas, has died. He was 14.

Skidboot's health had declined for several years after he was kicked in the head by a horse and blinded in one eye. He was euthanized Sunday.

The dog, half Australian blue heeler and half "chef's surprise," was buried under an oak tree on the Quinlan ranch of David and Barbara Hartwig.

"What a wonderful life of fourteen years he lived! Never has a last minute, second-thought Christmas gift ever shone so brightly as Skidboot," the Hartwigs said on Skidboot's Web site.

On Christmas Eve 1992, David Hartwig was given the puppy by a neighboring rancher as a last-minute Christmas gift for his wife.

In 2003, Skidboot won the $25,000 top prize during the Pet Star competition on "Animal Planet." That led to appearances on the Oprah Winfrey, David Letterman and Jay Leno television shows.

Skidboot's Web site was flooded Wednesday with condolence messages.

"Skidboot always gave everything he had, a lesson that us two-leggers could learn from," said one message.

"What an amazing Dog," another admirer wrote, "he's in heaven entertaining everyone."

Skidboot learned intricate tricks from David Hartwig. In one of them, he would tell Skidboot to grab the ball on the count of three. The owner would count "one ... two ..." and then recite a series of unrelated numbers before casually adding "three" -- when the dog would sink its teeth into the stuffed ball.

"I'm just very empty," Barbara Hartwig said in Wednesday editions of The Dallas Morning News. "He was something special. He just had a special spirit."

The Hartwigs asked that Skidboot's fans remember him with a donation to an animal shelter.

On the Net: http://www.skidboot.com

Gettin' nervous!

Well I have to say Gracie and I are getting kind of nervous! We have our first agility trial of the season coming up. I haven't done a trial since October of last year, and Gracie has never competed before.

My 'comeback' trial is April 7th. And Gracie's debut trial is April 14th.

We've been practicing hard and doing pretty darn well.

Mom says I'm faster now than I was before I broke my paw - that's good, but makes for different challenges. Gracie is paying lots more attention to Mom when she runs now - all she needs to do is get her weaves down and she'll be in great shape! She thinks she's gonna beat my butt! Ha!

Gracie is staying with Cosmo (and play with the pack) when Mom and I go to our first trial - it's gonna be an 'all about me' day!!!! Mom thought she owed it to me our first day back. And Gracie will have loads of fun.

We may be nervous, but we are real excited too. Can't wait until a week from Saturday!

Flyball and Awesome Dog Videos!

Have you ever wanted to know more about the fast and furious sport of Flyball?

Want to see some of the best, most wacky, fun, interesting, and thought provoking dog videos on the Internet?

Here's your chance. Check out our new Squidoo lenses:

Disc Dog and Herding!

Are you interested in learning more about Disc Dog!

How about herding?

Well we've got a couple of great new resources for ya! Mom and I put together new Squidoo lenses this weekend. Check 'em out:

I'M BACK!!!!

Well it's official! I AM BACK!

Mom signed me up for my first trial coming up on April 7th. I can hardly wait!!!!

We're just going to do one day, because she's also signing me up for two more trials in April. So we're gonna start out a little slower.

I went to training last Wednesday and had a great time. Did everything but the A-Frame - and no hesitations whatsoever. It felt so good to get back in action. I've really missed it.

And Mom and I practiced out in the backyard yesterday too. Did some jumping and some weavin'. Total fun!!! I was raring to go, took a jump nearly 35 feet from her. And it was the right one - BOL!!!

I gotta tell you - sometimes it feels like I've been down more than I've been up in my short life. I sure am grateful that I can still do my favorite thing - AGILITY!!!!