Merry Christmas to everyone & best wishes for a Happy & Healthy New Year.
I've had an expensive year with home repairs, but the 'important things' remain ok. Cheyenne remains here, pretty healthy & happy at 10 years old. The vet's who have seen her over this past year still guess her age at around 7, which is a bonus. Apache remains in remission - currently dining on 1/4 or so of a whole rabbit 2x a day with rice/lamb boiled together to add his vitamins & suppliments to & about 3 of the baby carrots. Very little grey on this dog yet & no one would ever think he was ill because he remains such a wild and happy boy. Chippewa is healthy, happy, and wild. He's improved so much in the past couple of years, no one would ever guess he ever had the issues he did when I adopted him. These guys make me laugh (& occasionally scream) almost daily.
We've already documented Apache getting his RN title, but there's another one I should mention. Here's a the address for Rally information if you're curious -> http://www.akc.org/events/rally/faqs.cfm
Chip finished his Rally Title at the Cleveland shows with a 95 out of 100. I was very proud of him, as it is a VERY loud show site, and he did pretty well with all the distractions. I was actually more proud that he walked through the vendors with me for almost 2 hours and did not growl, snap, complain about any dog that he encountered & there were tons. He let people pet him, even hug him, and that's been a pretty ongoing issue for him. He's gotten to be a delight to take places (once we get there - he still DOES NOT enjoy car rides). So this year Chip got his CGC early in the year, and now he has his Rally title, and hopefully will get through his CD next year. It is really cute to see a little dog work!
My friend got a new Tri Colored Smooth Collie puppy to replace one that didn't work out (don't worry, don't egg her house, she found Sting a perfect home). A Smooth Collie is one with short hair, looks like she washed him with NAIR by mistake, but he's supposed to look like that! Here's an address for Smooth Collies if you were curious about them -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smooth_Collie
He's adorable, wild, outgoing, confident, and cute, pretty much all you could hope for in a conformation dog. He's funny, but a bit dominant, not aggressive, just snotty. He's learning to work with me, and I will likely begin showing him in the 'breed ring' next year'. It's something pretty new to me, but it's just another type of training & I appreciate the vote of confidence in allowing me to show him.
So, like I said, while the house has me broke, the important things are going well & I hope you can say the same (except for the house making you broke).
~~Merry Christmas!!~~
Trio at the park
My 'Fur Kids', I wouldn't trade them for the world - today anyway
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Monday, December 10, 2007
Ta Dah!!
Ok, I did it - which makes me one of those insane dog people I know, but I did it. I made Apache his own special home made dog biscuits. After all the money I've spent on 'natural' treats, only to find out they weren't natural, it was my only real option!
They smell fantastic, and are completely safe for people (since I know everything in them). No major protein, since he's allergic to most of it. It's a large can of pumpkin, 1 c applesauce, 2 t cinnamon, 2 t ginger, 2t nutmeg, 1 1/2 c rice flour (for his sensitive little stomach), 2 eggs, 1 c oatmeal, 1/4 c yogurt, 1 t baking soda, & a dash of baking powder (although I'm not sure why, they don't really rise) - throw all ingredients together and beat until completely mixed. Plop them down on a baking sheet (if you want to try and shape them into something, knock yourself out), cook at 325 for about 30 minutes, then turn the oven down to 300, and bake until they dry out. It's kind of like making biscotti (you can cook a thin layer in a cake pan, then dump out and cut up to throw back in to dry if you want too). The dogs LOVE them, it makes a lot, but they don't last that long. The house smells pretty good too (unlike the whole liver brownie thing). The rice flour my mother found on a clearance rack somewhere, but I guess I'll need to locate more soon. It seems to dry the bones out really well (I don't think I'd bake regular cookies with it - it's too fine). I'd imagine that they're fine for human consumption, but I make mine VERY VERY hard, and my dentist would kill me for trying them. They work really well in the Kongs, since they don't really break that easily. They even keep Cheyenne busy, and she's a MASTER at busting stuff out of the Kongs!
Anyway, Apache remains in remission (hooray), Chip is still a wild man, Cheyenne is still moving before I can say a command, everything is pretty normal. Since Apache's in remission, he's doing the Solid Gold dog food, with suppliments prescribed and made up. I'm happy they're all just annoying & healthy!
On a slightly personal note, I had my 4th private training session with a Shar Pei client (ok, the owner's my client). The dog is improving by leaps and bounds. She had aggression problems with people and other animals (the dog, not the owner), and we've been working on it alot. She's still not thrilled with other animals, but they seem to be working as a team, and the dog is starting to trust the handler YAY!! I asked the owner if she was pleased as she was leaving, and she said it was the best money she had ever spent...that's pretty rewarding for me. We're not done, in fact just beginning, but the improvement is obvious & makes the owner happy/gives her confidence, which is key. I think everyone should have a dog they can live with & enjoy, plus I think training helps the dog so much.
They smell fantastic, and are completely safe for people (since I know everything in them). No major protein, since he's allergic to most of it. It's a large can of pumpkin, 1 c applesauce, 2 t cinnamon, 2 t ginger, 2t nutmeg, 1 1/2 c rice flour (for his sensitive little stomach), 2 eggs, 1 c oatmeal, 1/4 c yogurt, 1 t baking soda, & a dash of baking powder (although I'm not sure why, they don't really rise) - throw all ingredients together and beat until completely mixed. Plop them down on a baking sheet (if you want to try and shape them into something, knock yourself out), cook at 325 for about 30 minutes, then turn the oven down to 300, and bake until they dry out. It's kind of like making biscotti (you can cook a thin layer in a cake pan, then dump out and cut up to throw back in to dry if you want too). The dogs LOVE them, it makes a lot, but they don't last that long. The house smells pretty good too (unlike the whole liver brownie thing). The rice flour my mother found on a clearance rack somewhere, but I guess I'll need to locate more soon. It seems to dry the bones out really well (I don't think I'd bake regular cookies with it - it's too fine). I'd imagine that they're fine for human consumption, but I make mine VERY VERY hard, and my dentist would kill me for trying them. They work really well in the Kongs, since they don't really break that easily. They even keep Cheyenne busy, and she's a MASTER at busting stuff out of the Kongs!
Anyway, Apache remains in remission (hooray), Chip is still a wild man, Cheyenne is still moving before I can say a command, everything is pretty normal. Since Apache's in remission, he's doing the Solid Gold dog food, with suppliments prescribed and made up. I'm happy they're all just annoying & healthy!
On a slightly personal note, I had my 4th private training session with a Shar Pei client (ok, the owner's my client). The dog is improving by leaps and bounds. She had aggression problems with people and other animals (the dog, not the owner), and we've been working on it alot. She's still not thrilled with other animals, but they seem to be working as a team, and the dog is starting to trust the handler YAY!! I asked the owner if she was pleased as she was leaving, and she said it was the best money she had ever spent...that's pretty rewarding for me. We're not done, in fact just beginning, but the improvement is obvious & makes the owner happy/gives her confidence, which is key. I think everyone should have a dog they can live with & enjoy, plus I think training helps the dog so much.
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