Scratchings-and-Sniffings

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Furry Scurry this weekend! Posted: 28 Apr 2010 07:53 AM PDT We're participating in the exciting Furry Scurry event this weekend, here in Denver. Yay! By "we" I mean myself (Yvonne), Tom, Miah, Chloe, and Snotface the Ferrett's Mom, Stephanie. (You know Snotface - he's Twiggy's friend.) Furry-Scurry is a great resource for the Dumb Friends League. We found out about it via Bissell, as we're part of their Pack of Pet Lovers. I wrote about that a few weeks ago. Bissell also sponsored BlogPaws - and gave away some outstanding prizes! Tom and I are excited about this because we're still a bit new to Denver, and we want to learn as much as possible about the opportunities to help homeless pets in shelters. Of course, all the members of our team are on the same mind, and know that when we say homeless pets, we don't just mean dogs and cats. We mean all pets - including ferrets and chickens (which I learned about at BlogPaws)! I'm so impressed with the money already raised, and with the generosity of the sponsors. It's truly heartwarming to know the world is overflowing with pet people who want to help. You can help by sponsoring us - just go to our team page and help out. (I expect we'll be swayed to consider adoption... it's about time. Just don't tell the Wabby yet. She's still mad about all the traveling we've been doing.) I'll write more about this, and hope to have some video and pictures, too. Share the charity events in your area with us so we can help you raise money, too. It all begins at home, doesn't it? We proved that with Be the Change at BlogPaws, and we're all about that going forward. You can be the change you want to see... it's all up to us.

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All the Creatures

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Strange stuff from a blog owner Posted: 30 Apr 2010 02:57 PM PDT I never thought that this blog would have lasted this long. I thought for sure that I would have gotten bored writing it by now, but I haven’t. It is the little things about this blog that keep me going. For example the blog post about the hippo and the tortoise still gets hundreds of [...]

Horse boarding Posted: 30 Apr 2010 02:35 PM PDT I had the opportunity to visit one of the largest horse boarding facilities in our area just a few days ago. The owner/operator had an open house for those people who were interested in horse facilities, whether it would be designing them or becoming an operator of one. She gave a nice presentation and tour. When [...]

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The Days of Johann - an agility dog!

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Lava Lake Lamb, oh my! Posted: 29 Apr 2010 05:44 AM PDT Oh, Gracie and I are such lucky pups!!! Before our big move to Tennessee the nice folks at Lava Lake Lamb sent us some of their pawsome new pet treats! The Lava Lake Ranch where the treats are made is located just southeast of Sun Valley. That's where they raise over 500 acres of certified organic hay for winter feeding of the lambs. Being the green dog I am, I love that the folks at Lava Lake Lamb are ranchers and environmentalists, committed to restoring and preserving their land because of its history, its beauty and its biological diversity. Not only can you get their pawsome treats, but they have organic, free range lamb that would be really healthy for your pup too! We saw they even sell half and full lambs, and can deliver them right to your door! Raised with care by their experienced shepherds, their lambs are truly "free-range" and are never given antibiotics or hormones. They spend their days grazing right along with their mothers, in one of the most beautiful pieces of land in the country. Since this is a very large organic working farm, they have lots of BCs, Great Pyrs & Akbash out moving and guarding their herds, and keeping the shepherds company on long nights. As a matter of fact their ranch dogs inspired them to create their new Lava Lake Pet Treats. The treats are made from 100% grass-fed all-natural or certified organic lamb and all-natural potatoes and vegetables, with no hormones or antibiotics, and no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives to flare up my IBS. We love the texture of the treats, little round slice like treats that stay together, but break apart in small pieces, great for agility and trick training. They were very kind to send us two bags, one for me and one for Gracie. They kept very well in the fridge after opening. And Mum was super nice to save one of the bags for us to use at our agility practice drop in class last Wednesday, more on that later :) Thanks again to Lava Lake Lamb for letting us test drive your new treats, we love them!!!

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Scratchings-and-Sniffings

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Coyotes and Greyhounds Posted: 27 Apr 2010 02:10 PM PDT If you read the NY Times this week you may have seen a piece about hunting Coyotes with Greyhounds. The article was in the Sports section of the paper. If this is a sport, where I can find the "Dog Fighting" results for the week? I'm being facetious of course,  but it makes my blood boil to read about this kind of nonsense.  You can read the article yourself if you have the stomach for it. I prefer to come down on the side of Judy Paulson of Greyhound Companions of New Mexico. She calls a spade a spade when she points out that many Greyhounds end up getting injured or worse in this so called sport. Not to mention the poor Coyotes.   Several states have outlawed this activity on humane grounds. They liken it to nothing more than dog fighting in the guise of hunting. Oklahoma, of course considers it a legitimate sport.    It's hard to figure out what can be done about this. The "hunter" quoted in the article seems past hope. I can't think of a politician in Oklahoma who would consider this anything other that a good ole time in the country. Can you imagine James Imhofe, chief climate change denier and senior Senator from Oklahoma, coming down on the side of the Coyote, or the Greyhound for that matter? More likely to sponsor a Coyote Hunter Hall of Fame in Enid.   In the last paragraph the "hunter" decries any opposition to his activities. He is unapologetic about his pursuits and his other bizarre opinions. He's worried someone might pass a law an put an end to his fun. He doesn't have a very high opinion of the legal system and offers that the good lord will judge him when the time comes.    My only words of advice for him- be careful what you wish for.

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The Days of Johann - an agility dog!

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Around the dog agility blog-o-sphere! Posted: 28 Apr 2010 06:33 AM PDT Purina Incredible Dog Challenge The annual Purina Incredible Dog Challenge got underway April 16th & 17th with the Eastern Regionals in St. Petersburg, Florida. Here's a nice little overview video of the event. Winners included: Dee Anna Gamel and Kelsi - Small Dog Agility Debra Willey and Dinah - Large Dog Agility Dee Anna Gamel and Kiz (sheltie) 1st in the 30 weave pole challenge, with Rafael Quinones and Indy (BC) 2nd See all the winners here! June 11th & 12th marks the dates for the Western Regional in San Diego, CA as part of the San Diego County Fair at the Del Mar County Fairgrounds. The finals will be held October 1st & 2nd at Purina Farms - outside St. Louis, MO. See more videos here on YouTube from the St. Pete event! European Open 2011 The UK Kennel Club announced this week that the UK has been selected to host the 2012 European Open Agility Championships. The event will take place August 2-5 at Kelmarsh Hall, Northamptonshire. More info here. AKC The AKC announced yesterday that they have finalized the site and dates for the 2011 AKC National Agility Championships. They will be held April 1-3, 2011 at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, VA. Read more here. If you'd like to get a peak at the 2010 AKC National Agility Championship winning runs, the AKC has uploaded some of the vids to their YouTube channel. See 'em here. The AKC World Team Tryouts for the FCI World Agility Championships being held this coming October 1-3 will be held May 8-9 at the Leatherdale Equine Center University of Minnesota Campus in St. Paul, Minnesota. The AKC will take a team of 12 dogs to the FCI World Agility Championships, to represent the USA at this event. Tryout practice is on Friday, May 7, with the competition held on the 8th and 9th. Judges will be Scott Chamberlain and Mark Sjogren. Agility Vision will be live streaming the event again this year on May 8 & 9. There are several packages available: Live + VOD + DVD $44.99 Live Stream only $19.99 DVD only (preorder) $29.99 VOD only $19.99 More info here. Other stuff The new book Agility Right from the Start is really getting a lot of buzz. We hear it's great and Mum's even going to order this one! If you'd like to get a little preview, here's a sample chapter. We heard from Susan Garrett's email newsletter list that she is working on a new ebook, that includes 60 pages of content from Susan Garrett, Susan Salo and Greg Derrrett. Purchases of the ebook entitle you to a 'ticket' for entry into a chance to win a complete library of DVDs from Garrett, Salo and Derrett. Proceeds of the sales will support the Canadian World Team competing in the IFCS and the FCI World Championships. More info to come, or watch her website for details. UPDATE: Silvia Trkman is planning seminars in the US end of January, first of February 2011 in Florida, Michigan, Minnesota and, I believe, Virginia. Watch her new website for more info. The rumor mill says the Florida dates are: Jan 24-28, 2011.

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Scratchings-and-Sniffings

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The Grumpy Old Lady Gets Her Point Across Posted: 27 Apr 2010 02:49 PM PDT Ok, I'm a cat and as a cat, I don't need anybody. I can be as I am all by myself. But...but...but... I have not figured out how to open the cat food cans, yet. In fact, I have no desire to know how to open the cat food cans. That's what Mom and Tom are for. Seriously. It's their job. How, I ask you, can they do their job if they are not here? When are they going to go through appropriate channels (mine) and ASK first, before they head off to who knows where? I wonder, also, what can possibly be better than being here, with me? I was alone for two days and nights and while I did get the whole bed to myself (as you can see, I really need the room), in all honesty, breakfast was late every day, and dinner...don't get me started! Whatever this "BlogPaws" thingee is...I don't like it. Until they find a way to have it right here, at home, I'm protesting. Until they stay home for good, I'm protesting at the bottom of the stairs every night, wailing my heart out! Ha! I know how to get'em out of bed at 3a.m.!

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Scratchings-and-Sniffings

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A Hairy Dilemma Posted: 27 Apr 2010 02:00 PM PDT I'm kind of a frustrated neat freak. One source of my frustration is that I'm married to an artist with an artist's mentality. Part of her creative process is to leave stuff all over the house. I've learned to deal with that, she compensates for this short coming in many other ways. Another source of mess anxiety is none other than Miles. He sheds all over everything. To make things worse he's a Yellow Lab and our floors and furniture are all dark. Take a look at the photo with the little white hairs on the dark Mesquite floor and Plum colored couch. Enough to make a neat freak cringe.   This morning I went to breakfast with my buds and I noticed that my fleece was covered with little white hairs. When I took the camera out of the case this morning to photograph the couch, there were hairs in the camera case. As I type this post there are even hairs on the computer key board. Hair everywhere.   Miles, of course, is the picture of health and his skin and coat are fine and shiny. Labs, and other breeds, just shed a ton. He may be shedding a little more now that we are getting more day light. I would imagine that his undercoat is on the way out.   What to do?   At Blog Paws I met some folks from an outfit called Furminator. They make a line of brushes and hair care products that are supposed to be a great solution to the hair problem. My friend Sue who lives with Allie, another Yellow Lab that has graced these pages, is a big Furminator fan.    As part of Blog Paws I got a deluxe Furminator in my gift bag. This one has a handy button that ejects the wad of hair that has accumulated in the brush. I find that really handy.    I'm just getting started with my Furminator and I must say I can get a scary amount of hair out of Miles in one brushing. The other day I was outside in the street in front of the house brushing him. It's the windy season here and I was simply ejecting the hairballs and watching them roll down the street. Out of sight, out of mind, right?   Well, one of my neighbors from three blocks east came walking up the street laughing. "I was wondering where this was coming from," she said with a smile.   "I've got birds in my yard using Miles hair as nest building material," she informed me. Nice to know it can be recycled in some way. I wonder if I could use it to tie flies for fishing?   Anyway, my plan is to use the Furminator every day for a week and see whether it makes a difference in the household hair load. Considering how much I get each day it would almost have to make a difference. I'll report back next week on my science project.   Speaking of projects you should see my wife's latest. It's all over the living room. And it has Miles hair on it.

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