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| That Amorphous Something that I Want |
| 03.31.04 (1:46 pm) [edit] |
Wish I knew what I want. I feel on the verge of something. Some big paradigm shift about to occur.
Maybe a legitimate romance?
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| Looking Back on Horoscopes |
| 03.29.04 (3:55 pm) [edit] |
I mentioned recently that I thought it might be interesting to look back on horoscopes to see if they really worked out that way.
I thought, every day people of any of the signs of the zodiac die, and awful things happen to them. Conversely, really wonderful things happen to people but every Cancerian on the planet cannot possibly win the lottery on a particular day.
But, I was poking around in one of my tarot books and found a method of determining what card applies to an individual in a particular year. I computed mine for the year that Joseph died.... and got the Death card. The Death card doesn't mean "death" as much as it means the death of a situation and a radical change. Which, clearly, that year was for me.
While this year, my card is The Hermit, Appropriately enough, since I have locked myself away.
Joseph's card for the year of his death was the Heirophant, represented by the number 5, a turning point number. The Heirophant is all about authority, and traditional medicine (which failed him).
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| Wouldn't it Be Interesting to Read Horoscopes |
| 03.27.04 (10:13 am) [edit] |
From the past? I wish I could locate a site where I could punch in a particular date in the past and see what my horoscope had to say about it armed with the knowledge of how the day reeaaaallly went.
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| BACK UP!!!!! My New Secret Weapon |
| 03.26.04 (6:26 pm) [edit] |
Have you ever thought about how you would get a dog to "back up"? It is not a natural motion, but it is useful when competing in dog sports, notably, Rally -O.
I have a new secret weapon. Popcorn. Previously, I have taken a 6 foot lead, wrapped it under belly like a sling so puppy doesn't "sit" and with puppy against a wall, said "back up" while trying to get puppy to understand that I want backward steps. It has not been fun for either of us.
I have tripped upon a new technique to get the idea across. My dogs love popcorn. It is not bad for them. I pop a mini bag and sit on the couch. I get lots of attention. I say, back up and toss a kernal. She backs up, she gets popcorn! Repeat until popcorn gone. She has fun, she gets treats, she learns new command painlessly.
I get to watch her gymnastics as she spins about in clear air to grab a bit of popcorn. It is like watching a big hairy ballerina spinning in mid air. Most fun.
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| And the FLIRT fest Continues |
| 03.26.04 (5:47 pm) [edit] |
One more thing! That guy in the post office??? He nearly broke his neck this morning in order to wait on me. (You have to love a guy who will break his neck to wait on you.....) And OH MY G-d BECKY did he flirt! What am I doing this weekend... Oh, a dog show? When? ANd on and on. Then he says, I will have to bring in a picture of my dog. I say, what do you have? He says a sharpei. I say, OMG! I used to show Sharpei! He says REALLY???? AND on and on. Then I ask him his dogs name. And he told me and I cracked UP.
His dog's name is "Chub".
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| Some Really Good Things That Happened Today |
| 03.26.04 (5:35 pm) [edit] |
I was talking to a vendor, who really screwed up some advertising for us. Picture this: 4 online ads. Two incorrect addresses. 50% Failure rate. So I called the guy, and said you know.... I don't know how your business works, but when I screw up on something, I try to figure out a safety net so it doesn't happen again.
Apparently, I was tactful yet firm enough. The guy agreed that I was right. He will fix the problem and let me know when it is done.
I ran out of toner for our printer during tax season last year. It essentially put us out of business for a day. Not to mention the huge amount of additional fees to have it rushed in overnight. It was a really bad day. Now, when one toner cartridge is used up, I put the backup in and make the phone call to order a new backup. And so on, for all other supplies.
So boss was teasing me because I bought a career pack of letterhead. I won't run out for awhile. He said, " I bet we will never run out of toner or paper ever again".
I said " you know, you should give credit where credit is due. When I screw up, I figure out a way to prevent it ever happening again.
He said, you know.... I have noticed in the last month that you are really on top of your game and I appreciate it. You have really been on top of your game. Thank you.
I was blushing.
Then, when I got home, I found in the mail a card from a friend. I opened it and cried. It was a silly card, one of those funny cards about dealing with stress. But the fact that my friend took the time to send a card snail mail.... it touched me deeply.
Which brings me to this evening (almost had a space there, poodle is resting her head on the keyboard). I am really very tired. But I don't want to spend the whole weekend cleaning, grooming, doing laundry. The living room got a quick vacuum, Colin got a bath and a blow dry. The bathroom got cleaned and rearranged. In the corner of the bathroom is a massive basket dish garden that one of our clients sent to us this week. Boss said I could take it home. Little does he know he is sentencing the whole thing to death. But, I want some Feng Shui in each room. So I cleaned, and took a bath, and lit some Yankee candles in various places. The bathroom is the only clean room in the house, and Colin is the only clean dog in the house, but that is a lot to accomplish on a Friday evening when it is so much easier to flop on the couch.
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| Anxiety, Settlement, Boss Saving my Butt and other assorted sundries |
| 03.25.04 (5:29 pm) [edit] |
I skipped out of dog school meeting tonight. Too tired, too filled with anxiety.
Yesterday I signed a settlement acceptance from one of the parties to a lawsuit that has been festering for nearly 4 years. I would have thought that I would be doing the happy dance. But I have been so beaten up in the battle that until the money is in my hands, I won't believe it.
I have had another attorney handling one aspect of the case. I have never met this person. I have never agreed to this person's fee because it has never been discussed. Today, I took a look at the docket to see if a critical filing had been done. Due to the sensitive nature of the case (could you see yourself looking at the probate docket of your spouse?) I have avoided looking at it. Unlike the civil action, which I view nearly daily.
This experience has heightened my awareness of keeping our clients in the loop. Only because of what I do am I able to stay on top of things and see what should be done next or what should have been done a long time ago. I found such an item. When I confronted my civil attorney, the answer I got was "check with your guy'. So I did.
His response shocked me, amazed me, and touched me deeply. Understand we are knee deep in work. My desk is nearly out of control. We have the usual workload and some 275 - 300 tax returns, personal and corporate to prepare. He has worked for the last 8 Saturdays. We are both tired.
So I buzzed him and asked when he got 5 minutes that he call me back. He said come back now. I did. I told him what I had discovered. I told him what I thought. He said I was absolutely right, but that he would file a different pleading that I had not heard of. But his sounded better than mine. Then he told me to go do it.
I said that I didn't want it to come before my work, that I would do it after hours. I said I didn't want to take advantage of him, that I would keep track of my time. He said, don't worry about it. He said "get the file transferred over here before you get screwed. Stop what you are doing and do a stipulation for substitution of counsel."
We don't have such an animal laying around so I had to write it. I wrote a Stipulation for the Resignation and Substitution of Counsel and Registered Agent. He said it was good. I prepared the cover letter. I cleared that with him, signed it, copied all to file and mailed it.
The whole time I was thinking how damn lucky I am to have found boss. How tomorrow he will find something to give me grief about to lighten the heavy emotional afternoon that we had today. How I know, and he knows I know, and I know he knows I know that he loves me like a member of his family
Then I put the file containing the probate of my husband's estate in my desk drawer right beside me. How bizarre is that.
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| Lacy Meditates on the Beach |
| 03.23.04 (1:37 pm) [edit] |
[image]SusanofPudlin_7090 73613.jpg[/image]
Remember I told you that Lacy, on the command "ZEN" will roll over and meditate? Here is proof that I am not making it up.
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| Cell Dogs, Dumbells, Training, Etc. |
| 03.22.04 (7:26 pm) [edit] |
Greetings:
Today is Monday. On Monday I am delighted to watch Cell Dogs on Animal Planet. I have a deep desire to participate in a helping role in Cell Dogs. Everyone benefits. It is my favorite television program.
I have 3 dogs, two poodles and a mixed breed girl. The MB is very talented. I do include her in training just so that she continues to feel like she is learning new stuff.
Both of the puds are at different levels. Lacy is ready to move on to "Open" dog classes. The classes involve picking up a glove (from amongst 3) doing a drop on recall, and going over a high jump to retrieve a dumbell and returning.
During commercials, we work on various portions of the training. For example, she is ready for me to be "away" from her for the 3 minute sit and 5 minute down. (For the record, this Cracks my sister UP! She loves to see who can resist getting up while Mom or Dad is out of sight)
Lacy is solid on sits and downs as long as I am in sight. So during class, I have begun to place myself behind (sidebar, she stands beside me, head on my thigh - I tell her I love her too.) the pole in the center of the ring. I am there, yet out of sight. At home, I put her in sit stays and am around the corner in the kitchen. This will build confidence. Colin is not ready for the separation, I put him where he can see me, even when she cannot.
During commercials, we goof with the dumbell. I say "take it". She does, she gets a bit of boiled chicken breast. We spent Cell Dog commercials with her RACING around, dumbell proudly in mouth and me CLICKING like CRAZY - the neighbors must think I am certifiable. Get OVER it. I am teaching my girl her next thing.
Cell Dogs was WONDERFUL! There were 2 standard poodles in a women's prison, CIW - California Institute for Women, where they had a dog show. They got to show what they had been able to teach the dogs, in the hope that other Cali prisons would pick up the program.
With G-d as my witness, please, give me the chance to help with this amazing program. I get a decent settlement, I am so tuned into getting this program into every prison. I want to help. I want to share with inmates my knowledge of dog training.
The theme song: Help me now- a cell dog is your best friend...... etc. I want to help.
[image]SusanofPudlin_7090 73613.jpg[/image]
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| My Amazing Sister |
| 03.19.04 (7:31 pm) [edit] |
My sister and I belong to a secret club. We are the only two members. We have a secret handshake, and we are joined together at the heart.
We were both widows at the ripe age of 42. We came from a family rife with disfunction. Each holiday was punctuated with a visit from police. There were physical abuses. There were incidents of other abuses too horrific to mention.
We two came out of this after losing our beloved brother, strong to the point of tempered steel. With no model, we both managed to find love and success in marriage. Not just on the surface. I speak the language of my sister's soul. I know that she loved and was loved by her husband. Six years later, when reading her Tarot cards, a mutual friend was reduced to tears by the love they shared.
As I said, we were both widowed at the fine age of 42 years. She, two years sooner than me. Perhaps the pentultimate plan was for her to be able to teach me what to do. What not to do.
We have watched each other through the last six years... I was blissfully ignorant of the black abyss that widowhood represented for two years. We have hacked at each other with sharp implements. We have reached out to hurt each other. But our love for each other (and I do question her for continuing to love ME) has superceded all of this. We have come out of this with the perception that the light at the end of the tunnel, in this case, may not be the train.
We have walked through the shadow of the valley of death. We are (excuse me, graphic here) fucking nigh on to invincible. We have experienced the loss of our brother, the loss of our father, the loss of our husbands. We banded together to help our mother leave this mortal plane a mere two years ago. We now are iron jawed angels.
I am relieved that she is the elder. I am relieved that I know I can always turn to her. Even in my shittiest moments, when I have been as ugly as sin, she has loved me. Even when she dissapproved of my hateful, despicable behavior, she addressed the behavior. I know truly that she never stopped loving me.
I am so fortunate to have her. I only pray that I am gifted to predecease her. Living without her is something that I cannot bear.
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| Colin and the Ladder, Poodle Fabric, and Messages |
| 03.17.04 (7:01 pm) [edit] |
Tonight is Colin's night for school. He is coming along, though still does not turn inside out to please me like Lacy does. Toward the end of class, we tried out a new activity for the dogs. We put a PVC ladder flat on the ground and led the dogs through it. This teaches them to be aware of where they put their feet. This is a lead in to agility, where they have to touch certain "contact" spots for the exercise to qualify. We did VERY well on the ladder. We also did very well on stand for exam -with me going out "about" 6 feet in front of him.
He did very well on the 2 recalls that we did. He broke the stay the second time, but it was probably my fault for saying "ok", which is his release word to the assistant when she directed me. It confused him. He is forging a bit on heel. However, off lead, with a cookie, he did great. His returns are both improving. His heeling is not bad.
He is a good boy and I love him dearly.
I got home today to find a package from dear sissy. Filled with sections of poodle fabric! TRALALALALa!!!!
Got a phone call from one of my fav trainers. She had heard about the pedantic one with the slide rule and yardstick.
She will find out when my original trainer for that class will return or solve the problem. At any rate, I am pleased that she cared enough to call me, that she respects my position, that something will be done without me having to withdraw or get all dramatic. I have not much energy for drama anymore. AND my sister is right. If it is not fun, I am not doing it. Speaking of sister, she is prepared to come down with a brand spanking new case of whoop arse if she made my dog class not fun anymore. Sister is so delighted to see me involved in life after being a recluse for so long that she is not sitting too terribly well with someone interfering with that. Personally, I would not want to tick her off by treating ME badly. I remember it from Kim Sheene in the seventh grade. Sister took on Kim's twin sisters for me. She would not hesitate to do it again.
And about that message: I took a book off the shelf. The Complete Guide to Dog Training ( I know, what a shock) I have not read it in years. I wanted to read it again, to fine tune Lacy's entrance into Open training. Inside the front cover was a greeting card....
From the Dogs -
inside: What more could any dog want than to belong to a terrific mom like you!
Happy MOTHER'S DAY
It was signed (with a few letters backwards) Bennie, Jasmine, & Candy.
Benny and Jasmine both died shortly after he did, in 1999. Candy died in 1997. The day that Candy died, Benny and Jazzy sent me a dozen roses. The poor guy followed me all over Home Depot ( I worked at HD for 11 years).
This, is proof positive to me that if I listen very very closely, he is with me. He is right there for me. Now my job is to make him proud of me. I miss him so much that it physically hurts.
If I got tbucks for every post that I did with tears streaming down my face........
I may SEEM to write this for those who are present and accountable.... but I also write for those who read my heart. And I miss my mom too.
So now another day.
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| Trial Delayed Again |
| 03.17.04 (1:47 pm) [edit] |
As many of you were aware, I was looking forward to going to trial very soon.
It is delayed. Again.
It will all be alright. Eventually. I hope.
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| Next Week, I am bringing a Tape Measure |
| 03.16.04 (7:17 pm) [edit] |
Apparently my instructor for Lacy's Tuesday night class is having family transportation problems. I certainly "get" that.
The individual who took over the class, about whom I have complained before, is making me nuts. She makes huge assumptions about me, and my dogs. She nit picks. Now - I assure you, if I am going for perfect scores, I can be wrapped as tight as the next anal retentive. But, I have indicated to this individual on a number of occassions that while Lacy is a wonderful girl, I don't expect perfect scores. Lacy has Addison's disease. Lacy's disease is controllable with medication. However, stress would not be a good thing. Lacy came into my life to remind me to appreciate "every Lacy day". For without her medication, she would surely die within a week.
Lacy loves to learn, and will do anything and everything I ask. I could enter her in a weekend show and finish her with a CD -(companion dog) title. The certificate does not show scores, only that she finished. In Lacy's case, that is more than good enough.
This person once again, tonight, found reason to chastise me over a judgment of inches. NOT my dog's performance, mine. Seems that she is the arbiter of what "6 feet" is. Next week, I am putting a tape measure in my pocket. When she starts giving me the 6 feet crap on the stand for exam, I am going to run that tape to my dog. I know what 6 feet from my dog is.
For the record, if she is all that and a ham sammich- how come we never work off lead???? The answer my friend is that her dog cannot do it. She does not want us to see that. Lacy is one third of the way toward her title. This lady's dog disqualified in her first match. You do the math.
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| The BIG Talk |
| 03.15.04 (8:11 pm) [edit] |
Boss and I had "the TALK" today. The one where I said, look, I am going to trial in less than 4 weeks.... how do you want to handle this?
He got teary eyed. He seems certain that there will be a second settlement, that I won't have to go to trial. He is in a better position to know than I am. He tried to make light of it. I said "listen, no matter what way this goes down, you know I had no input in the timing and I have to be there. That being said, you know I am not going to leave you in the lurch."
He said: I have been thinking about getting someone else in here to help to get up to speed during tax season.... but it is hard. I hope that you know that I need you to help get your replacement up to speed on what you have built.
It was an emotional afternoon for both of us. We both choked. He had to make light of it. So did I. The truth is that in less than 20 days, it is very likely that I will be training someone to utilize systems and software that I have made my own. That has been one of the things that I have been very proud of. The other is the relationships that I have developed with our clients.
I mentioned to one late this afternoon that she may see the end of my involvement in the coming month. I was honored to hear that my shoes would be impossibly tough to fill.
Throughout my tenure with boss, I have worked on a manual for my eventual leaving. We have from the beginning acknowledged that this eventuality might happen. I have worked to cross reference and footnote the minutia of my daily tasks.
This is going to be tough.
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| Lacy's Newest Trick |
| 03.15.04 (5:36 pm) [edit] |
Remember I told you about the meditating dogs in "Good Boy"?
I wanted to teach Lacy to "meditate". She just did the command on her own for the first time. Here is how it works- The command is "Zen". I say, Lacy Zen. She lays down, rolls on her back and holds her head back, eyes closed. It is about the cutest thing you have ever seen.
By the way, her mantra is "boof".
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| Swollen Cerebellum and Eight year olds Peeing |
| 03.13.04 (5:17 pm) [edit] |
I am fascinated by how people find my blog. The reference I made to shaving my friend's head when the chemotherapy kicked in has generated a bunch of traffic around POODLE! Some other individual typed in "8 year old girls peeing" and got to me. Who knew! I bet once they read a couple of entries that they go on to the next shaved girl site as fast as their one handed typing can take them.
But paws down, the truly weird Google award goes to the the person who typed in "poodle bleeding" and got me. I suspect that they meant "poodle BREEDING", but one never knows.
Re: swollen cerebellums - I got a call from my frantic friend Carol, whose "adult" son spent 4 days in hospital because he drank so much that his brain swelled. She caught him in yet another huge lie, and is VERY distressed. So I went over, we talked - or she talked and I listened to the same rant I have been hearing for months... and then we went out to get a burger. She got trashed, I drove so didn't drink and I tucked her into her condo and came home.
The earlier part of my day was dedicated to training, followed by a new HAIRCUT and HIGHLIGHTS! I LOVE it!
I have added to Lacy's repetoire a trick I saw in the movie "Good Boy" - a must see for anyone who loves dogs. In the movie -the dogs "meditate" on their backs. So I have begun to teach Lacy meditation. The command for this trick, (I decided) is ZEN.
So now, when she shows me her tummy, she gets a stay command followed by "GOOD ZEN" - "Good Zen Stay". I also began the drop on recall, which is an Open activity. In the drop on recall, you call your dog, and then when the judge signals - you get your dog to drop to a down from a run. Then you call them in the rest of the way. So it is actually 2 recalls and a drop from a movement. Tough.
Colin is doing well on the left return. He is a happy little boy. He is clearly forging in heel, but we can fix that.
All in all, another Saturday goes too quickly with me not getting anywhere near what I wanted to get done completed. But - I was a good friend. I was a reasonably good dog mommy. And in the end, that is what I will be remembered for, not whether my bedroom had dust bunnies the size of elephants.
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| Breaking It Down - You CAN tOO! Share with me your successes. |
| 03.12.04 (7:04 pm) [edit] |
Many of my friends and family have expressed that they felt they could not train their dogs to do those things that I get my dogs to do.
You can too. What I do, what any trainer does, is break down any "trick" to its most finite component.
Let's take "Sit". Start with your dog on a lead, (you may call lthis a "leash"). Have small treats close by. Tell the dog to "sit". While you are saying "sit", gently but firmly press on the area above the hips, while putting the treat in front of, and above dogs nose. The SECOND that butt hits floor - Go POSTAL - GOOD SIT!!! Happy Birthday celebration!!!
Repeat- LOTS.
Use your dogs natural inclinations to help you "train". For example - she barks - you say "GOOOOD speak!!!" and treat. Toss in a chest rub. Do a happy dance. Before you know it, your girl will be "speaking" on command.
This is not brain surgery.
You will find that you enjoy your dog(s) much more if they are well behaved. Getting that first AHA! moment for your dog(s) gets them closer to learning other behaviors that will make them calmer, and safer, and better pets.
That will mean for me, AHA moments.
Please share your dog successes. I LOVE them! I live for them. You may have ancient mixed breed dogs. You may have a new puppy. I open my heart to you. I LOVE dogs and the owners that love them, I love knowing that I may have helped to keep a dog in a forever home.
Let me know, ask questions. I will find an answer if I don't know it. I have LOTS of doggie friends. And I mean it. GOOOOOOD owner - Gooooood question.
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| RALLY - O on Thursday, Rally O! |
| 03.11.04 (2:01 pm) [edit] |
Would make a good song title, n'cest pas? Tonight Lacy and I are going to do Rally O. The course changes each week. The one thing that is consistant is that there is at least one jump. Lacy likes to jump.
In competition there are two types, timed and untimed. The judge walks the course and determines roughly how much time it should take for each team to complete. Then the team that completes with the best time wins.
In untimed Rally, the teams begin with 200 points. Points are deducted for performing out of sequence (a LOT easier to do than one would think), missing an exercise entirely, and tight leads, that sort of thing.
When the AKC begins to hand out awards, the rules will be tighter and the competition will toughen up.
We are doing this for a number of reasons. First and foremost, doing the same heeling exercises every day is boring for both dog and companion. This gives us an opportunity to "mix it up" a bit. The course combines aspects of Agility, and obedience work. That said, I am hoping it will knock off some time for us in agility, by teaching us to communicate better and coordinate our footwork (between us, we have 6 to get mixed up) and will keep us from losing points in the obedience ring by fine tuning our other work.
So high ho high ho, its off to Rally O!
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| Perhaps He does Not Want to Sit on his Testicles |
| 03.10.04 (7:12 pm) [edit] |
I have a stubborn boy. He chooses to not sit in heel position. He rrealllly would like it if I would redefine heel position as a point where he might see the bag of hotdogs on my left side. This is not likely.
My sweet boy does not like to take direction. He likes to call the shots. He would prefer to stand in front of me and gaze longingly into my eyes until I part with microwaved hotdog sections.
My boy is misguided. He has lost sight of who is in charge. This is the interesting part of training. Each dog brings a different set of challenges to the table. He is a boy - that, in and of itself, is different.
If I were to "shop" for the perfect obededience candidate, I would go with a girl. I would start young. I would find a dog not too shy, not too agressive.
But this time, it is about Colin and about me as trainer. My job is to figure out how to make my finished champion care deeply about how to please me. I do believe that it may involve more patience, and tennis balls.
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| Deconstructing Colin |
| 03.09.04 (6:49 pm) [edit] |
I talk about Lacy a lot. She is a loving, funny, thoroughly enjoyable girl. She is not my only dog.
My boy Colin hung the moon. He is officially: Champion LeeFran Flight of Fancy. Soon to be: Ch. LeeFran Flight of Fancy CD.
He melts my heart. He was just up on his grooming table chomping away on Scooby snacks. Once more, I saw a side of him that is just so special. I would assume that the feeling is akin to having more than one child. By that, I mean that you love each child for their "specialness", and you love each child a LOT. But the way you love each of them is intrinsically different.
I love Lacy like a freight train. Lacy is so very different. Because of her disease, because I cherish every Lacy day, because of her sense of humor, and a billion other reasons- Rest assured. I love Lacy.
Colin was carefully chosen for his pedigree. I travelled great lengths to obtain him. I have invested considerable time, energy, money, and heart to "finish" him. He is a champion, my first ever.
I have shown dogs. I got two back to back majors on Candy in the same weekend. Candy was to be my brood bitch. But it did not happen. She died.
Colin is my stud boy hopeful. I have invested my life in him. I have been there when the judge made the final cut, gave him the win, the one that took him over the top. That feeling, that indescribably delicious feeling.....
Now we have moved on. He is beauty and brains. My premise has always been: above all else, do no harm. Many hundreds of dogs earn championships. For me, I want to see beauty AND temperment. Now the tests begin anew. Does he have what it takes in MY corner of the world? The obedience corner? I do believe he does.
I am very anxious to get Lacy moved up to "open" and Colin moved up to novice. Lacy is getting bored (as am I - what with a substitute instructor who makes judgements about my and my dogs abilitiies based on who knows what information) I want Lacy to begin to learn new things, and am looking forward to the 24th when we begin Agility.
Colin is my hopeful boy. I hang a lot of responsibility on him. He has yet to let me down. He is a dream. I will see that dream to fruition.
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| Off to Tuesday night at Dog School- Settling out of Court and Other Delights. |
| 03.09.04 (4:12 pm) [edit] |
I have been reviewing the Events calendar and the show I wanted to attend in Orlando is the weekend prior to my trial. So I am not going to be able to make that one - unless they settle before trial. That became more likely today.
So off we go. Film at eleven.
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| POODLES AND CLICKERS AND TREATS, OH MY!!! |
| 03.08.04 (7:50 pm) [edit] |
Disclaimer for the uninitiated: I enjoy training with, and competing with my standard poodles in obedience competitions. You may exit the ring at any time.
Lacy's agility classes begin in 2 weeks. In the interim, we still get to hang out on Mondays and watch Cell Dogs. Which is our favorite program. Tonight four "would be euthanized" dogs got a reprieve to spend time with a forever home. The Toledo, Ohio prison population has successfully placed 128 rejected dogs in forever homes. That is awesome.
So when we are not in "dog school", we train at home. Earlier, when there was light, I worked with each dog out in front of my house. Colin is so brilliant. He is doing well on heeling and I have begun to trust him off lead. I have incorporated clicker training for both of them.
Let me explain: (or "try" to) my objective is to catch the dogs doing what I want. I use a combination of body language, tone of voice, consistancy of command, and lots of praise to accomplish this.
Each behavior is broken down into its most finite part. Each success of the smallest part is praised. When the learned behaviours are all there, the parts are put back together. So when you see a TV or movie dog doing a very ornate series of things, you can be assured that they have been doing just what I do, and then putting it together in a series.
So - one of the exercises in agility is a "table" that the dog must jump upon, and stay until directed to the next obstacle. Tonight, we worked on the command for "table" with clicker and hot dog in hand.
Colin will jump from a sit to the tabletop. Paws down winner. Lacy knows the end result, but the table is not quite as familiar to her. Colin views it as a place of safety, what with that being his turf for the first 2 years of his show career.
I remember one show in Fort Myers. Something must have scared him out of his pajamas. I was talking to someone in the lobby. Next thing I knew, he was standing on the person's brochures on the table next to me.
Lacy's experiences with tables is much less than Colin's. She is launching from the couch. That is fine. By the end of the very loud and energetic clicker filled hot dog smeared session, both of them were on the table at the same time.
The remaining thing that has some of my more faithful readers going "hmmm" is the why's and wherefores of the the clicker.
Clickers are a small plastic box with a piece of aluminum in them. When you mash the metal, it clicks. Hence the name. "Clicker training" is a method by which you are more immediately able to communicate to your dog that they have done something right. With the clicker in my left hand, and some practice, the very second that someone's butt hits the floor, I can reinforce the behaviour with a click. That is followed by a praise, and a treat - be it a bit of liver, hot dog, or a toss of a tennis ball. As this develops, the praise becomes a scratch or a pat. Because in the ring, that is all that I can offer... a word of thanks, and a pat or scratch.
But when we LEAVE the ring, Katie bar the door! Regardless of whether we walk out with a High in Trial (never happened to me yet), a trophy for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, a green qualifying ribbon, or a nonqualifying score, the treatment of my dogs is the same. In my eyes they always win. If I fail, I take the hit. They always do their best. They always reflect my ability to teach. We are a team. If there is failure, it is my responsibility. They are always treated like the winners that they are.
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| Lacy and Her Paw Pilot |
| 03.08.04 (4:56 pm) [edit] |
Lacy is the funniest dog I have ever been owned by. Lacy goes out of her way to make me laugh. On her application for entrance into Agility classes, they asked what my dog's personality was like. I answered that first and foremost, she would be the class clown. She also is athletic and eager to please and over the top intelligent, but first and foremost, she is funny.
She will, por exemplo, develop new funny gaits and gallop hell bent for leather all around the ring, smiling. She always has a smile on her face. With her butt merely inches off the ground, she scrambles around in huge circles, laughing all the way.
Lynne asked me how dogs know what time it is, or in Lacy's case, what day it is. Lacy knows what days she goes to school. She also can pick out weekends. Holidays throw her a curve because they are far apart relatively speaking.
The answer to Lynne's question would probably be answered by skeptics as the dog is simply reacting to normal stimuli. For example, Lynnes' dog insists she needs to go out at precisely 7:30. Not 7:20 nor 7:40. 7:30 is the answer. So a skeptic would claim that the dog was fed the same diet, having the same reaction in the digestive tract and that the dog was just very regular.
But here is the truth. The dog simply wants to keep her owner (Lynne) curious. It is not "interesting" to go out at any old time. Furthermore, clearly there are clocks throughout Lynne's house. The dog has learned to tell time. It is just that easy.
Lacy's ability to determine our training schedule is just as obvious. Lacy was present when I signed up for our classes. She was right there when the nice lady at the dog club said "7pm on Tuesday". Lacy simply entered it into her Paw Pilot.
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| Gifted, I have Been Gifted |
| 03.07.04 (6:48 pm) [edit] |
Many die without knowing a moment of the love I have had the privelege of experiencing firsthand. That kiss. That warm embrace. The "I do".
If I were taken this moment from this existence - I am so further along than many. I would go peacefully and complete with the knowledge that I have known love first hand.
I am not finished. My besheert has given me much to do.
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| Griffan and Sabine- Whale Rider |
| 03.06.04 (7:38 pm) [edit] |
While I was having new tires ( BOY ARE THEY PRETTY! ) installed on my car, thereby deleting any hope of getting any bills current and having any fun at all, I went to Borders for the duration.
I found a new zine or twelve that I like. Note to self: begin publishing new zine for the dog obessed with a section for obedience, agility, Rally and Freestyle.
Then, I found Griffin and Sabine. I have a friend who named her dog Sabine after reading this wonderful book.
Today I read Griffin and Sabine and Sabine's Notebook. There is a third book. When I return for the tuneup and other suggested preventative maintainence things, I will read it.
They are magical. They are to books what Whale Rider is to movies.
Then, I began shopping without a clue. The necessary clue being my pathetic bank balance with the new and improved reduction due to tires. Factor in automatic withdrawals for such frivolities such as electricity and water payments. Add to that the superfluos wasted expenditures of auto insurance, health insurance and water bills. Truly, I had no idea how much money I did not have. Of this I was certain, it would not be enough.
A trip to my bank online service proved me right. I have so little to make it to the next paydate as to be absurd. The up side is that I have a freezer full of veggie delights, a half full container of Lacy the Addisonian dog's meds, a boss what that lurves me, a car that cannot be reposessed, a house sans mortgage, and a bunch of paid up services that may be late for another month or so.
My dogs are ok for the moment. I have tires. I have wiper blades. I have insurance on all issues, up to and including malpractice.
I have to choose to view the glass as a: half empty, b: half full, or C: who stole the other half?
If I lose my sense of humor, I lose everything.
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| Tires Ain't Pretty |
| 03.06.04 (12:16 pm) [edit] |
A neighbor came to tell me what I knew. That my tires were in bad shape. One in particular. So I went to the tire store. New tires, new wiper blades. Good thing I like spaghetti. That is about it. Does not appear that there will be any other bills paid this time frame. But the idea of having my babies in an unsafe car was more than I was willing to bear.
The tire guy said that they were the sort of bad tire conditions that you see an entire torn up tire on the road. That when they went, and they would soon, that I could roll the car or worse. Even changing a flat with a car full of dogs would be something I don't want to have to deal with. So I have new tires.
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| The Light at the End of the Tunnel May Not be the Train |
| 03.05.04 (9:52 pm) [edit] |
It is not official, but I have it on good authority that one of the two players has made an offer. This was expressed in a pretrial hearing that occurred this very day. While it is not as much as I hoped, my intention is to accept it. This will allow me to go balls to the wall (excuse the legal vernacular) with the second (more culpable) party in a court of law.
I called my sister first. Actually, I talked to my boss first, and explained my thinking and asked for his advice. He seems to think that I am correct in my strategy. Above all else, I have been gifted with a second family in my work environment. Should I go to sleep tonight, and not awaken, please be sure to tell my boss and his family that I love and appreciate them. I am not planning to not get up in the morning... but just in case.... Tell him that I am so grateful for him.
Then I called my sister. While it is not "official" I want her (AND ME) to get a good night's sleep - for a change. When I entered into this, I neglected to take into account the toll it would take on those who love me. Where watching me go through this - for those who care about me- was similar to asking someone to endure watching someone you love being regularly keelhauled. It must have been a hideous thing to see. I have lain open and bleeding. I have felt violated. At some point, I forgot that others were involved, that my decision to charge forward enveloped a part of them as well as me. I lost sight of that.
Coming out of this - I am very damn proud of myself and those (like my sister) who have supported me. The amount is not important, what is important is the admission of culpability expressed. I have walked through the darkest alleys, naked and vulnerable. I have had my deepest darkest secrets exposed to public view.
But I am not done. Now that I have set the tone for this - I fully intend to see it through. There will be a trial. It will be the week of April 12th. I will be as prepared as any attorney could hope that their client would be. I will do what I have to, regardless of how incredibly painful it is to review my deposition, I will do what I know I need to do.
I do it for my husband. I do it for my love, for Joseph. What better way to demonstrate just how much I loved him, than this? I demand that a jury of my peers hear how that "doctor" made really bad decisions and attempted to excuse them away. I want to hold his feet to the fire. Explain to people like me why, Dr. Walsh, explain exactly why you did not do the things that you could have, certainly should have, to save my beloved husband's life.
Give me any good reason for your cavalier attitude. Give me and a jury of my peers any reason at all. I bet you cannot.
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| RALLY! |
| 03.04.04 (7:31 pm) [edit] |
Tonight Lacy and I did a run thru and then we entered RALLY..
I have never done rally. Rally is a course where the team of dog and human is directed by sign to perform certain functions. We had fun. You can utilize body language, verbal, any other commands beside food. The stops are different than we have previosly experienced.
Not sure how we did.... but we had fun.
Also, signed up for introduction to Agility. New schedule is :
Monday - Lacy Agility.
Tuesday Lacy Novice
Wednesday Colin pre novice
Thursday Lacy RALLY
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| Colin's First Day of School |
| 03.03.04 (5:46 pm) [edit] |
We had a very good time. I always endeavor to keep school fun for my dogs. I play with them in the ring. It is one on one time for each of them. They don't even realize that the "games" we are playing are teaching them to watch me. Watch my body language, watch my face. Listen to the words I say.
I want them to be able to hear the difference between "Colin COME!" and "Colin Potato!" If they are REALLY listening - to me- there is a reduction in the chance that someone else calling their dog will make them break and lose points.
Early in the class, the instructor pulled us out into the center of the ring. I was sweating. I thought I had done something really wrong. Then she used us as an example because I was doing something VERY RIGHT. Imagine that!
So here is what Colin knows going in to first grade: He knows sit, down, stand, stay, he heels some of the time. He can do a short recall on lead. He knows how to get back so I can do circle left and he is working on circle right.
Now we fine tune. He will learn all the stuff Lacy does. He is still tentative about what that magic word "heel" means.
You should have seen him when we came home. He was telling Lacy all about it. You would think he invented it. And she was like " I KNOW!" I have been in school for years and I know more than you.
To which he replies "do not!"
"Do too! I can do off lead heeling, figure eights, recalls, and I have one leg toward my CD - don't I mom"
"Mom, I want a leg too!"
In due time. In due time.
OK kids.... you both are good students.
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| Who Shot Mary with a Slingshot? Shame on them |
| 03.03.04 (1:33 pm) [edit] |
We have experienced a Hate Crime [url=]http://www.stpetetimes.com/20...[/url] of epic proportions.
Why take away something that gave people so much peace and served to shore up their faith? Why and how can people be so heartless? Is this what we have de- evolved to as a human race?
As a practicing Jew, I am appalled for my Christian friends and neighbors who have lost something that meant so much to them. It is a sad day.
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| Where we are- Where we are Heading |
| 03.02.04 (7:17 pm) [edit] |
Lacy is such a wonderful girl. I have such a great time working with her - she tries SO HARD to make me smile.
Because I showed her so early, she second guesses me on the recall. The recall requires that I put my dog beside me in a sit position, walk across the ring, wait for the judge to tell me to "call my dog" and have my dog come across the ring and sit nice and straight in front of me. At that point the judge will say "finish". I am to give the dog the finish command and with any luck, she will return to heel position.
As you may "recall", at Lacy's first show, she came bounding toward me, and then got - how can we say - distracted. She wandered about aimlessly for what seemed like days. She finally got within skeet shooting distance and the very generous judge gave us a qualifying score.
We work on recalls a LOT. Some days when I say "Lacy COME!" in a happy birthday sort of way, she does come - but then tries to second guess me and finishes on her own. This is the issue with a dog that can balance your checkbook. It never is a good idea to practice "finish" along with "come" for exactly this reason. She apparently read the book.
Now I have had to get real crazy with her to get her convinced that I mean "come FRONT" and after calling her, I have to run backwards. The Happy Birthday sing song to my voice has her convinced we are PLaYING and she bounces off the front of me. I have created a new problem. The solution: when she comes front, reward and get crazy but don't do the usual poodle dance. I need her to not bounce on me.
As I have indicated before, when training dogs, when you get success, quit. Always end on a good note. I got a good front and finish on her. I gave her many kudos. I was asked if I wanted to try it again. IXNAY. We did stuff she is very confident about. We had fun.
People stopped us on the way out to remark about how wonderful she is. I LOVE THAT. She is. She is SO wonderful.
I love dog school. I love Lacy. I love that other people in other classes watch us interact in awe, that they see our connection. She is the best girl ever.
Tomorrow, Colin begins.He will be the best boy ever.
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| Lacy Loves Tennis Shoes on Tuesday |
| 03.02.04 (3:45 pm) [edit] |
The only time that I wear tennis shoes is to go to dog school. Lacy has figured this out. So all it takes on Tuesday (I swear she knows when it is Friday, and Tuesday) is for me to get out tennis shoes. She starts jumping up in the air. Straight up. The dog becomes airborne. She bounces. She kisses me. She spins and grins and gets all upside down. She runs around in circles from me to the place where I keep her lead and back.
Boy am I in for it tomorrow when Colin starts school. She is not going to like that one bit. [image]SusanofPudlin_8948 71340.jpg[/image]
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| Six More Lives Saved - Cell Dogs |
| 03.01.04 (7:15 pm) [edit] |
Tonight was another Ohio prison with a history of 60 successful placements. The 6 dogs placed this 12 weeks - would they make it?
Fortunately, the answer is a resounding YES! A total of 66 lives saved by inmates who are able to turn a disaster of Titanic proportion into a success.
Those who know me, are intrinsically clear on my stand regarding this program. I would LOVE to have a large part in helping Florida dogs get trained and placed. Animal Planet's Cell Dogs program televised on Monday evenings brings me to tears weekly.
Whether the inmates are helping starter dogs successfully complete the training for assistance work or taking rejected dogs from reject to family pet - these people are giving back to society. They are able to step away from the sentence they have gotten to try to save lives. And they do, week after week.
This week was a moderate security prison in Ohio. The dogs were 6 mixed breeds of varying ages. They do a great job of the 12 weeks of training. These are dogs that have landed in shelters for really bad behaviours.
I want so much to applaud these people for the lives they are saving. I want to be a part of a similar program. I think I could help both inmate and a boatload of dogs if given the opportunity here. I want to start a Florida Cell dog program. I am a good trainer. I think I could train people to train dogs. I want to do this. I want to save lives, human and canine.
I want to be able to start a Florida Cell Dog program. Get those people to belly up to the bar, and that is what I will do. That is my goal. That is my passion.
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| Another Task Undertaken, Another Complete |
| 03.01.04 (4:31 pm) [edit] |
I have been procrastinating on THIS one all summer. This is the project: I am investigating a patient list that was sold by one dentist to another. I am doing this for a forensic CPA pal of mine for extra money.
Here is the rub- the computer chose a random list to sample. MY job was to call these people and ask them intimate questions about their dental care and find out if they ever really saw this dentist or was it just a name on the insurance list and they never really did. Or, did they just go to that northern office one time and really they were a patient at the southern office. This is important because the Northern office is the one that was sold.
I put together a database of the list, with the responses. Then I was to go back and re call on 10 more that were answering machines or no answers. It was really hard to get some logical sounding stuff together to explain to these strangers why I was calling.
But I am trying to clear off all the procrastination projects from my plate. Plus, Floyd will probably bonus me out for doing this one so well. And Floyd is having kittens over a situation involving MY boss and I don't want to add fuel to a bonfire. So I did it. I called 10 strangers and got the goods. I can now testify that the list was extremely padded. Now I can have some fun.
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