Class rules.

Let me start off by saying that I LOVE my agility class and teacher. I can not imagine not being in a class, nor having with a less awesome teacher. But some things just make me SO angry. Rather than name specific situations (Because my classmates may find this, and Criminal Minds says that "The Internet is Forever") I am going to lay out the rules I try to go by and wish others would too.

1. This is my big one. WATCH YOUR DOG. Do not allow your dog to run off and be obnoxious. Do not allow your dogs to distract others. I think most of this rule for me comes from having and training a Dog Aggressive dog (Boomer) . I had to watch her like a hawk and it drove me CRAZY when people let their dog get in her face. That is a good way for your dog to get hurt. When not running, I prefer to keep my dog within three feet of me.If your dog is running about, it isn't learning. Not only that, it is stopping others from learning. Also, my dog is 60 lbs, and although not what I would consider reactive, she does not like dogs in her space. She can HURT them without meaning too. She has a very clearly defined personal space, and her body language clearly says, GET OUT.  Dogs that don't read that are the problem. Honestly, I likely make her space issues worse because I tense up when dogs get too close. This is leftover from having Boomer.
2. Dropping treats. Get a bait bag, get an apron, where something with pockets. I don't care if you hold them up your nose, don't drop them. There are several reasons, one of which being that I don't want my dog eating your nasty beggin' strips. It is also very distracting for there to be treats littering the ground.  
3. Clean up after your dog. If your dog pottys on the field, scoop it. Most trainers provide not only an exercise area, but also a scoop in case of accidents. Don't ignore it, because someone will end up stepping in it. That's gross. 
4. LISTEN. If the trainer says do this, DO IT. Don't be inventive, don't think you know better. You don't. There is a reason you are paying your trainer all that money. Especially in Agility, thinking too far ahead can get your dog hurt.
5. Do your homework. I am just as guilt of this as the next person. Sometimes weeks get to busy but if you want your dog to succeed in whatever you are doing, you have to work at it. 

That's about it. I could go on, give personal situations but I won't. I am trying to keep this anonymous. 

In other news, I fixed my sewing machine... sort of.

Suzy FRIGGIN Homemaker.

Ok, let me start off by saying that I am a "creative person". I knit, I needlefelt, I take pictures. I do NOT sew. Never ever. I DO have thousands of pictures in my mind of things I want to make. Soooo.... I broke out the sewing machine. Originally, I just wanted to make Lola a cool coat. Is that too much to ask? I don't think so. So I did it. No more than 1 inch in a straight line.

Fancy, yes? No, not fancy at all.

So, I didn't put the sewing machine away. It just SAT there. TEMPTING me! Fiend, it KNOWS that anytime I touch it death is imminent. My bobbin gets tangled, It ends up with large amounts of sadness. Sad sad sad sadness. Despite that, I once again sat down in front of this device of torture. I have an addiction, a bad one. I love collars. I luuuuuuuurve them. So I made one. And it turned out OK. See?

Again, see?

Little bit more fancy. Yes?

So then I took it ONE step further. I wanted a martingale. I WANTED one. Yes, she already has a ton but none like THIS!

 

So, I guess the machine did not explode. I am making more collars tonight. Wish me luck. By the way, all collars made of things found around the house!

Foothills 25/52

Foothills 25/52
Originally uploaded by agilestandard!

My lack of inspiration now seems to be in shambles about my ankles. I LOVE my shot for this week and I have plans for the next few weeks. I don't know why I was so uninspired, but I am now fully back at it.

Check out my photostream for some other shots that I am VERY happy with!
Also, new photo posting format, What do you think? Please vote in comments. 

Practice makes perfect.

Today has been a very lazy day. This morning I groomed a Pug and a Pomeranian but after I finished those guys I came home to take a nap. Turns out I couldn't go to sleep Instead I got into the pool for the first time this year. Thing is, Lola has to get in some swimming practice. We are headed down to Daytona the twentieth and her swimming is not so good. We are going to Daytona for a poodle meetup. Poodle Palooza to be exact. We went last year and had a  BALL. So much fun. Looking forward to going back this year. As well as visiting with twenty-something poodles we go to the beach. Lola can swim... just not well. She sort of flails with her front half and lets her back end float around randomly. Sorta like this:



Last year, she EMBARRASSED me! A Dachshund was swimming WAY better than my poodle. Ancient Water dog. Duck hunter. I saw several labs laughing at her... all she wanted to do was chase sand. Weirdo. Want some more swim pictures? I will post them just to embarrass her!



and a few from last years poodle palooza!



a plethora of poodles from last year.


Poodle Stampede



I think this year will be just as much fun!

Dirty Poodle

Lola has a dirty nose after some sandbox play in this week's shot for 52 weeks.

New Lens!

Ok, So my new lens came in on Saturday. I like it OK especially for twenty five dollars. The powers that be upgraded it to a 2.5x instead of a 2x. The vignetting though, is HORRIBLE. Like it really sucks. Oh well, that is what cropping is for! I love it because taking a pic of Boomer is now less of a chore.





In other news, Boomer killed a groundhog yesterday. That thing was HUGE! This killing and other recent events have reminded me that the dogs need their Flea and tick meds. I took Lola in to show to the ladies as they love her and the new vet that just started said she needs to gain two or three pounds. How ridiculous. She does agility and is a VERY fit and muscular sixty pounds. Silly man.

Speaking of Agility, Agility tonight was decent. The pollen is just getting to everyone, even the dogs. Lola is doing well on driving to obstacles and getting her contacts. We did some short tricky sequences and she got them fairly well. Lots of fun.

Well... That is all I have to say for tonight. G'night!

Poodle in the Sky.

Lola's 52 weeks shot is up. I had a really difficult time choosing this week. It was a toss up between two very different shots. I suck at decision making.

Anyway, Thar she blows!


Really and truly I just wanted to wait for my BRAND SPANKING NEW LENS but alas, that may not arrive until next week. Curse you postal service!

Since I am not limited to posting just one pic here I shall post the runner up. AKA, First Loser.


No cropping on either picture. SOOC if you will. Gotta love pictures with minimum work involved!

Oh yeah, have I mentioned my NEW LENS. I cannot help being excited, I am new to the world of lenses!

Hiking at Cheaha

We had a very nice hike yesterday. A friend went with me and we took both dogs, as didn't bring a dog for Boomer to argue with. Boomer's dog aggression often limits her activities, so taking her along is great when possible. Especially as she needs to lose 5 lbs. She has NEVER been an ounce over 39lbs her entire life and she is 44 at last weigh in. Needless to say, she is on a diet.



Cheaha is a GREAT place to hike. Lovely trails, great views!



That is the view from where we stopped for lunch. Gorgeous huh? We hope to go camping up in that area soon, but who knows.

One not so cool part of our hike, and this awesome weather, is my allergies. My eyes are driving me NUTS. Constantly itching eyes, a stuffy nose and a soar throat. Yet I refuse to stay inside. Wise choice, no?

No agility this week, my trainer is out of town. I guess that is all I need to share for today!

Ooops! Almost forgot to mention that I ordered a telephoto lens for my camera. Can't wait for it to arrive!!

Agility pics!

Took some agility pictures today. That is about all I have to say. I promise more tomorrow, as I am going hiking with both dogs.

Tire Jump:


Dog walk:


Jump:


and Lola's lovely 2 on 2 off:


Lola does a 2o2off because that is what is safest for a dog her size, Boomer did running contacts. My trainer practically had to beat me to teach 2o2o but I don't regret it!

So we meet again, soap box.

Hello dearies! Finally got my 52 weeks shot for the week. This week I used a bit of a silly theme to convey something I really do believe in. A HEALTHY diet for dogs. Both of mine eat a Raw/Grain free Kibble rotation. The do wonderfully. Dogs are CARNIVORES and if your dog food does not have at least a named meat as the first ingredient it isn't what dogs need. Did you know that most food allergies in dogs can be traced to corn? So WHY are we feeding dogs corn? Beats me. Lola feels the same.


No pupperoni for this pudel! Not that she wouldn't take it if she was offered. I swear I have the least picky dogs on earth. Oranges? Cucumbers? Sure! Bring it on! They will eat ANYTHING. Seriously, they are goats. That does explain Boomer's love of heights... and her horns.

Monday night is alright for... agility. So get a little action in!

Hello again! Monday night is our agility night so I thought I would update for that. Lola was LOVELY. So very good. I was amazed actually. All of the dogs did really well, though the beagle was inclined to sniff. ( He is a beagle...) Once he got over his Clover fixation he was hot to trot! Everybody was super fast, a bit of a problem for the handlers. The clover was slick and easy to slide on. Not good.
Lola suprised me by wanting to play tug. This is a very rare occurrence. Whenever she feels like it, we encourage it. Tonight he object of fixation was my bait bag. The bait bag had her treats and ball in it, so I guess it smelled pretty good. Only issue with this is that the bag wasn't meant to be tugged on. You guessed it. Rriiiiippp! I now need a new bag.

After we finished up at Agility we headed home. Waiting on me was a movie I have not seen. The Fantastic Mr. Fox. Really, really good. You should see it! When I finished the movie I sat down to the computer. Then, in the kitchen I heard a scrabbling noise. Boomer went to investigate before me and when I went in there all I could see was a mouse tail going down the hatch. Lovely. That is life, I consider it whole prey and move on. We don't put out poison, so no concern there.

During all this hubbub Lola was out COLD. She was wiped. I have proof!
This is slutty spoo position number 19. Both of my dogs have VERY hairy bellies... I don't know what that means.

On that note, I leave you! G'night.

I am a 52 weeker!

In my last post, I mentioned that I like to take pictures. Because of this, I joined a wicked awesome group on Flickr called 52 weeks for Dogs. The basic idea of this group is one picture a week for a year. It is located here. One of the reasons I started this blog is because of all the awesome blogs mentioned in a discussion there. Anyway, I want to post my weekly photos in this blog. So... I have to catch it up first. Therefore, this entry will be chock full o'pics! Enjoy!

Week 1:


Week 2:


Week 3:


Week 4:


Week 5:


Week 6:


Week 7:


Week 8:


Week 9:


Week 10:


Week 11:


Week 12:


Now you are all caught up! More words next time, I promise.

Testing 1... 2...

Hi! Seems like a good idea to introduce myself in this first entry, so here we go. My name is Kamie, I am youngish, have two dogs, live in the south and I am female. Hmmm... That seems like too little information. My OCD says that I need a list!
Kamie, in list form:

1. I live in Alabama.
2. I am not a redneck, nor a hillbilly, nor a southern belle.
3. I am liberal.
4. I have one standard Poodle, named Lola.
5. I have one Australian Cattle Dog, named Boomer. ( Feel free to call her Beelzebub)
6. I talk about my dogs... a LOT.
7. I started this blog to talk about my dogs.
8. I do Agility with Lola.
9. Boomer did agility until she pinched her sciatic nerve.
10. I enjoy taking pictures.
11. I have a DSLR camera.
12. This does not mean I take good photos.
13. I frequent both Flickr and Dogster.
14. I love to read.
15. Fantasy is my genre of choice.
16. I have a Harry Potter obsession.
17. I listen to Wrock.
18. If you have to ask, you won't get it.
19. I am a first class nerd.
20. I enjoy music.
21. Except, only good music.
22. I have two horses.
23. I will not often talk about them

I guess that is about all you need to know for now. Another reason for this blog is to share my images. So, Here ya go!