On Point

No, no, no. Not that kind of point!

[Dancers from the Nutcracker Ballet on pointe. Photo of the Pacific Northwest Ballet Company from the Seattle Times website].

This kind of point!

[Erie in a beautiful point while out hunting.]

Erie has had very limited bird work but we took her out this weekend and you would never know it. She did very well and is just stunning in this photo.

"Until Every Child has a Home"

This song gets me every time. This shouldn't happen. I wish it didn't. "Until Every Child has a Home."

Happy Birthday Erie!

One year ago today Kezza and Budha had seven puppies. I wasn't supposed to get one, but since Kit had only expected Kezza to have five, and the "extras" were girls (my kinda-sorta preference; I wasn't too particular), after some discussion with Judy (Budha's owner) I moved up from the bottom of the wait list to the top of the list with this litter (since I was committed to showing and doing other performance events). One year ago tomorrow, Kit emailed me and told me the good news.

Erie got salmon brownies for her birthday. I tried to make her a birthday hat but I wasn't sure how to attach it to her head properly so it didn't work out so well.

[Erie sitting in front of the couch and behind her "table" with her salmon brownie resting on a platter. She is wearing her birthday hat and basically has the cutest expression ever on her face.]

[Erie grabbing her brownie off the "platter"- an upside down dog bowl.]

[Dropping the brownie. You can kind of see the hat better in this photo. It has fallen over her eyes though!]

[Dropping the brownie. "Oh, right, I can't chew it all at one time."]

[Sitting on the floor with her head turned as she tries really hard to keep the brownie in her mouth. "Thanks Mom!"]

Happy Birthday Erie. Hope you have many, many more!

Lucky Us

[Cami in front of a holiday background. This photo was taken just about three weeks before she died. In it she almost looks kind of worried. I was trying to get her to put her ears up for the photo so I asked her if she wanted a "cookie." Maybe she was concerned she wouldn't get one! Her appearance is a far cry from what it became just two short weeks later.]

I've lost a dog before. But this is different, perhaps because Cami was different and a one of a kind dog.

I've been going back and perusing books trying to find some advice on a concern I'm working through with Erie. I've been rereading Patricia McConnell's The Other End of the Leash. If you love a dog and don't know who Trisha McConnell is, then you are missing out. If you have a dog that you don't love, go buy her book. Like yesterday. She's amazing and her advice can help you with a vast array of behavioral problems with dogs.

I read through a section tonight where she describes her relationship with her dog, Luke, and felt that it beautifully described how I feel about Cami. Trish is a writer, so let me share her eloquent words rather than awkwardly paraphrasing:

"I love all of my dogs so much that it hurts sometimes. But as much as I love each of them, it is different with Luke. I fell in love with Luke right after I got him and am still hopelessly in love with him now. Luke is that one-in-a-million dog that most people never get, even dog trainers and breeders who've known hundreds of dogs. Every once in a while, someone will come up to me in a seminar and start talking about their Luke-equivalent, a dog who is so special that they can't talk about him without getting tears in their eyes. Maybe you had one once, too, a dog full of such goodness that your heart swells within your chest when you think of him. Maybe you have one now. I hope so- lucky us."

Patricia McConnell, The Other End of the Leash, pg. 187 (emphasis added)

I really love Erie, a feeling that is attested to by this blog, my Facebook status updates, my general conversation, and the amount of time I spend on her and with her (I spend a lot of money on her too, but any fool can spend money on their dog; sadly, many don't). Anyone who is forced to listen to me speak regularly knows that she is as important to me as anything in my life is. But as much as I love her she has a long way to go before she carves for herself a Cami-sized space in my heart.

I'm young. I haven't really had that many dogs. I'm looking forward to decades worth of dozens more dogs. I hope I find another Cami. If I do, I will be incredibly blessed. But if I don't, well, lucky me anyways.

Where is Erie?

This comfort loving puppy is in her bed, of course.

[Cave bed sitting in front of the awesome pink crate, apparently without a dog in it.]

Today I was sitting in my room working on some stuff and glanced over at Erie's bed, surprised to see that she wasn't there. I leaned my head around my doorway to see if she was in my other room (I live downstairs with my own living room, bedroom, and bathroom, and share the kitchen upstairs) and didn't see her out on my extra bed. I called her name and all of a sudden the dog bed just a few feet away from me jumped! She didn't come out though so I told her to stay while I took a picture. She really is in there but she is so small that you can't tell by any lumps or bumps and there's not a nose, tail, or paw in sight!

Don't you just love the Harry Potter blanket covering her crate? I feel that it is only appropriate that she have a Harry Potter blanket, given her namesake.

I miss Cami a lot; my heart is still broken and I can't properly explain how glad I am to have this girl as I grieve for Cami. She makes it a little easier.

Ornament Swap . . . Life Is Better

[Christmas ornament with a little white bone, with a Santa hat draped over the right corner. There is a heart-shaped picture frame set into the bone, kind of like how an arrow would be for Valentine's Day, and hanging from the heart is a little Christmas gift with a short message]

My ornament is perfect! A perusal of my blog shows how important my dogs are in my life; I blog about them more than anything. Amanda did a great job.

The ornament reads "Life is just better when I'm with my dog." Really, how perfect? And it was even wrapped in this adorable little snowflake and snowman box. I've got to find the perfect photo of Cami to go in the frame.

Thanks Amanda! I can't wait for the tree. You can head on over to Evelyn's blog to see what everyone got.

Wait- I thought we were going to the Planetarium

Last week we (Tonks, my friend Shawna, and I) went to go see Harry Potter. Due to parking issues and stuff, Shawna and I decided to take the train instead of drive. We were going to the theater at Gateway Mall, with the Planetarium. As we got off the train and were walking towards the theater, we saw that they had put decals over all the signs that had the name of the station- normally it's "Planetarium" but for a little while at least it had become "Platform 9 3/4."

You can't tell in the photo but the decals are huge and also include the castle and grounds. It was fun. And the movie was absolutely fantastic. Best one yet, as are all of them. They all keep getting better than the last.

I have a lot to be Grateful for . . .

But this week I've just been thinking about Cami. That dog alone is enough reason to celebrate this day of Thanksgiving.

But there is more. Welcome to a small sampling: Cami, Erie, Jacoba, friends, school, study-time, scholarships, a job (or two!), Harry Potter, books, movies, Surivor (haha), comfortable housing, family, warm clothes, a reliable car, computer, CSI, my roommate, The USA, that I have enough for my needs, the Scriptures, Jesus Christ, Church, Christmas is coming!!!, my dogs (did I mention them? :), blankets, . . .

I am a very blessed person.

Improvising

My friend Shawna was here visiting this weekend so we could go see Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Harry Potter. I'm very glad that she was here when I had to put Cami down. It helped a lot. Now that she's gone home, Cami's loss feels much more potent. It's hard.

Erie kept trying to play with Shawna's boots. She was obsessed with them; we continually found her chewing on them. Shawna went to put her boots on one time and found this:

[Close up shot of two boots- the deep "cowboy" kind-

on the carpet with a red kong toy in the left boot]

I think that Erie was hoping that if she couldn't actually play with the boots that she could still "kinda" play with them. Good improvising.

Ornament Swap

Evelyn at Hanging by a Silver Lining is currently hosting an ornament swap. Our ornaments were shipped today so why we're all waiting together to see what everyone gets, you should check out her blog, as well as my swap partners blog at Family of Shorts.

They both have entertaining, fun, and sometimes emotional blogs about their respective young families. I'm new to reading MamaShort's blog- just since I became her swap partner- but I'm enjoying it.

Head on over, check them out, and I'll keep you all posted about the results of the swap. Looking forward to it!

A Very Good Friend

Cami

May 1999-November 2010

"It goes to show we can never tell the happiness in store when we bring home the dog nobody else wanted . . ."

Shortly after the death of my first dog, Camas, in October of 1999, I was ready for another one. Not finding the "right" dog at the local shelter, my dad and I drove up to a larger city about an hour north and checked our their shelters. I got to the county shelter about 30 minutes before they closed.

I had in mind that I wanted a puppy but due to a parvo outbreak in the area the shelter was refusing to release any puppies. With hardly anytime to look, I imagined that I would not find the right dog for me that day. Just when I had about given up, my dad said "Look at this one, she's part heeler (Camas had been a heeler), and she's the only dog not barking." I looked and I'm convinced I fell in love at first sight. She was very emaciated but calmly sitting further back in her run, looking a little unsure of her surroundings. I was immediately drawn to her apparently sweet demeanor, her pointy ears, and the freckles on her nose. Taking her out and talking to staff, I discovered that she had been picked up as a stray and not recovered by her family and that she was as sweet as she appeared. They thought she was about six months old. I had no time to adopt her that day as they were closing, but I was sure I wanted her, even in that short time (in comparison, it took me three six hour visits to decide which puppy I wanted from Erie's litter).

I had to return on Tuesday as the shelter was closed Sunday and Monday. On Tuesday, my entire family went so everyone could meet her. As the parent I lived with, my mom took care of all the adoption paperwork, but my dad actually bought her for me. I had to return again the next day to pick her up after her spay as the shelter wouldn't release dogs to homes in different counties without altering them first. And I brought her home.

And I was never sorry for one single minute.

Cami and I participated in 4H for years. She was excellent, winning many Champion and Reserve Champion ribbons in both obedience and showmanship. Cami was with me for high school and was part of my "project" to earn my State FFA Degree. She was a fantastic companion dog and older "sister" for the guide dog puppies. With her, I learned almost everything I know about dogs, and much of what I know about behavior. She was an excellent teacher, but I do feel so sorry for her that she fell to that role! I loved spending time with her; she was the sweetest dog whose favorite thing was to calmly spend time with you. She was polite beyond belief and loved everyone she met.

When I moved out of my mom's house and then later went on a mission and to school in Hawaii, I hoped that Cami would live long enough for me to graduate so I could spend more time with her. When I graduated last December, she was still doing great as I moved in with my mom.

Last June I took Cami and Jacoba to the vet for annual exams and rabies vaccinations. I had the vet check out some lumps I had found in Cami's neck. The vet aspirated them and tests showed that she had lymphoma. Everyone who knows me knows how much my dogs mean to me. I love that dog very much, but I do not believe in going broke to pay for chemotherapy that may give my dog six more months, and especially not with an 11.5 year old dog. I chose to put her on prednisone and nothing else. Her tumors shrunk, she ate well, loved walks, and playing, and was continuing to enjoy life. When I moved to Utah in August, she came with me and continued to do well.

About two weeks ago, she started slowing down a little bit and not always wanting to eat. Last Friday she became lame on one of her rear legs (we do not know if this was related to the cancer, the prednisone, or something else completely) and didn't want to walk if she could avoid it. Over the next several days, she progressively lost more mobility, didn't want to eat without much encouragement, and just in general wasn't very happy, not even getting up to greet me when I came home. A childhood friend who really wanted to see Cami was arriving for a visit on Thursday so I made the decision to wait to put Cami to sleep until Friday.

Yesterday morning I let her go. I miss her. She was a very good friend to me and a very good dog. I am so grateful I was able to spend the last year with her and be with her as she became too ill to go on. Most people spend thousands of dollars on chemo and hope for six months. I skipped the chemo and still had five months. What a blessing!

The picture at the top of my post is just before I took her to the vet. She doesn't look very happy; she looks tired. It's kind of sad, but helps me to know that I made the right decision. And she still looks cute.

Its hard to lose something you love so much. But for me at least, the best way to move through it is to . . . move. To keep doing things. So yesterday after I got home from the crematorium, I took the red dog for a run and then went to see Harry Potter (tickets had been purchased weeks before; otherwise I might not have). I'm going to be okay because I know that I did everything I could to make sure she knew I loved her. If she didn't know that, then no dog ever did.

"For one moment, our lives met-our souls touched." ~ Oscar Wilde

New Blog Address

Okay peeps, I want to change the URL on my blog to match the name. How do I do that? Do I create a new blog and then import all the posts from this one? If that is what I do, do I have to reformat the blog or will it import everything?

Or is there another, totally different, way easier method to do so?

EDIT: Coolness. Thanks to Ally I now know the easy way. So I'm changing the URL in a few days to (I hope) www.beautifulandtragic.blogspot.com.

It's Blogging Month

And also November so hopefully we'll see a new background and banner in the next few days!

I LOVE This Time of Year

Fall is fantastic, isn't it? I love the cooler weather and the rain. It's so homey. There is nothing more perfect this time of year than curling up in bed with hot cocoa and a good book- my current choice being Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as I'm getting ready for the movie release next month. Don't worry that I just finished it yesterday morning and started it again last night. I love the Christmas Season so much that it's hard to exactly put words to it, and Fall is the beginning of that special time of year, so there is just something special about it too.

So, what have I been up to? Well that question has a many faceted answer and none of them are particularly interesting and there are no pictures to go along with it. Lame, I know!

- I moved to Utah at the end of August. (Actually I do have one picture of this- Erie sitting in the car when I left at 5 am, but it's too much work to load just one picture).
- Started graduate school.
- Stayed with Erie's breeder. Erie was in doggie heaven with all the playtime.
- Drove back to Sacramento to pick up Cami.
- Moved into a new house.
- Showed Erie in the Farmington show. She won her class both days, but nothing else.
- Went to the Relief Society session of conference at the conference center.
- Did some homework.
- Observed some students and did some assessments. Knew I made the right choice as far as what I wanted to do and what to study.
- Tried to do some braille homework and cried because I made the wrong choice about what to study :)
- Loved on Cami. She's still hanging in there.
- Looked (am looking) for a new place to live.
- Showed Erie in the show in Carson City, Nevada. On Saturday she took Reserve to the Major (who happened to be her younger half-sister Selkie) but on Sunday she didn't even take her class :(
- Got behind on homework and am working to catch up on it.
- Loving the season.

And that is kind of it.

How are the rest of you enjoying this fantastic time of year?

Little Red Riding . . . Sheets?

[Erie under the covers on my bed with the sheet draped over her head like a hood and the blanket covering her back. She's looking at the camera.]

When Erie sleeps on my bed she usually sleeps under the covers, even when it's 95*. I don't know what she's thinking. Tonight she managed to get herself so wrapped up in them that it was hard for her to get out. When she finally freed her head, this is what she looked like as she looked up at me. Silly little red dog.

Tutorial: How to Get a Puppy off Your Bed

Step 1: You are moving. What can you get rid of so it doesn't have to be brought along?

Step 2: Oh! I know! Remember how you ordered that big, really cool, expensive bed for the dogs and you somehow ended up with two of them and had to put one in the garage because they just take up so much stinkin' space? Maybe you could get rid of that? You could even sell it and then you would have less stuff to move and more money. Good deal!

Step 3: Wait. Erie might like. Wonder if she'll be able to use it.

Step 4: Better let Erie try it. It might take you a few weeks to remember to let her.

Step 5: Get the bed out of the huge box it's being stored in in the garage. Set it up in the living room and grab some dog cookies.

Step 6: Show the cookies to Erie. Lift up the top of the cave bed and throw it in for Erie to get.

Step 7: Realize that you'll have to do a better job tossing in the cookie because all Erie had to do was stick her head in, not climb to the back.

Step 8: Throw a few more cookies in till Erie realizes how she's supposed to use the bed.

Step 9: Leave bed in the living room the rest of the day. Stare dazedly at your dog on said bed who is being much better behaved than normal as she doesn't want to vacate her position.

Step 10: Bedtime. Place bed in little, tiny, no-room-for-it-space in bedroom because you feel bad taking it from the Vizsla puppy.

Step 11: Go to bed. The puppy will not attempt to get on your bed again. Why bother? You have a hard, flat bed. She has a soft, cushy cave.

[Erie in her cave. She's not very deep in it, but the top part is over her back and part of her head. Her pink crate door is in the frame next to her and she is looking directly at the camera.]

[Zoomed in shot of the previous photo. Erie is more prominent.]

Be sure to try it out at home and let me know how it works for you!

Just Keep Swimming . . .

Erie has had several opportunities now to go swimming. And well, she's never done very well. Until this week!

[Erie just behind Rosie in the pool. Rosie has a ball in her mouth.]

A few weeks ago, we finally got her to go in to the pool of her own free will and choice by having her follow her brother, Charlie, but she didn't swim too much. She did a lot of standing on the top step and then jumping right back out and very, very minimal swimming.

[Erie mid-turn. Rosie turned faster than her and took her by surprise. She kinda reminds me of an otter.]

She played with Rosie this week and it took a little patience and some encouragement but she ended up following Rosie in the pool. And eventually she was playing in the pool. And then she was getting in even when Rosie didn't.

[Rosie in front again, still with the toy. They are right by the side of the pool and Erie is just stepping up onto the underwater ledge.]

She wasn't to keen on using the stairs either to get in or out. She dove in from the side, meaning she was fully immersed every time she got in. She also climbed out from the side ledge, quite a feat for a not-yet-very-large puppy. That probably contributed to her total exhaustion that night and the next day.

[Erie still swimming behind Rosie. She is just not as fast.]

Seriously, total exhaustion. The next day was the first time in the five months I've had Erie that I've had all three dogs loose in the house all day with nary a tie down, drag line, or baby gate insight. She was calm and collected and left the other dogs alone. I'm in love with exhausted Erie!

[Erie finally got the toy before Rosie. I threw it for Erie while Rosie was distracted.]

[Erie standing in the yard behind the pool, with a ball at her feet, just daring Rosie to come take it.]

In the last month . . .

Erie has been really cute. . .

This sweet old girl, Cami, was diagnosed with cancer. . .

She hid from the fireworks. . .

Erie won her sweepstakes class and didn't win her regular class at the Monterey Peninsula Vizsla Club Specialty show in Carmel where I handled her myself (scary!) . . .

She got to go to the beach for the first time after the Carmel show . . .

Where she was in turn interested in and frightened by small children . . .

And then decided that she was to good to sit in the back of the car . . .

A trend that continued the following weekend on our way to a show in Portland . . .

Where she won her class both days and took Winners Bitch on Sunday for her first 2 points!

Erie & Charlie

[Photo shamelessly stolen from the Budha/Szari Litter FB page where Liz posted it]

Have I explained about Charlie on this blog? Dog relationships are so confusing . . .

Erie's (dog) mom is Kezza. Kezza was bred to Budha. They had Erie (and six other puppies). Szari is a puppy from Kezza's first litter. That makes Szari and Erie half sisters. Szari is owned by Judy, also Budha's owner. Judy bred Szari to Budha a few months after Erie's litter. Charlie is one of those puppies. That makes Erie Charlie's auntie (on their mom's sides) and his half sister (on their daddy's side). WHEW! Did you get all that? (Even more confusing for me to figure out . . . Kezza's full-sister Stella just had puppies with Budha. I think those puppies are Erie's cousins and half-siblings but I'm not gonna guarantee I thought that out properly).

Anyhow, I met Liz and her family when Erie was just like five weeks old or something, the first time I went to Kit's house to meet the puppies. They wanted a vizsla and were in the process of deciding on breeders and litters. Getting a puppy from that same litter didn't work out but last month Liz and one of her sons traveled to Utah to pick up Charlie. I didn't realize how close we lived until they brought Charlie home and Liz suggested play-dates.

Today was our second one and we went to the mostly fenced but not completely, kind-of a dog park but not exactly grassy field area in the housing development Liz lives in. Liz had a lot going on at her house with family so I was only there for about two hours I think and I believe the dogs ran for about 45 minutes.

I had been really nervous to let them play in this area as it's not completely fenced but Liz and Judy convinced me to try it. I left a long line on Erie and made sure she realized I had her bait bag and let her go. Scary!!! I only had to call her back about five times when she made us nervous by getting to close to the exits (I don't think she realized she was though) and SHE CAME BACK EVERY STINKIN' TIME!!! She did blow one of them by running past me before returning for real but I was such a proud doggy mommy. Erie is, in my opinion, easily the best behaved dog in her obedience class, (as well as being the youngest) but real life is so different than class. All you GDB people aught to understand that. Just like PITs know the jacket means they're working, Erie knows that when we're at class we're working. It is so gratifying to see that training play out in real life situations.

The above photo was taken in Liz's yard after the run. Charlie is quite the handsome guy. We're all looking forward to another play-date soon.

My dog loves me

You can't see me but I'm what she's looking at so intently. When she does remember to offer eye contact she has the most intense gaze ever. Being a 6.5 month old puppy, though, she doesn't always remember.

I saw this on Judy's website last night and asked her for it. It's from the dog show (see previous post). I'm not sure who took it or I'd give them credit. It's Judy's camera! :)

"Best Puppy"

Two weekends ago was the annual four day long "Woofstock" dog show in Vallejo, California. For all you people from here, that's pronounced "Valelle." If you're not from here, go ahead and use its Spanish pronunciation.

The show was Thursday-Sunday, with Erie turning 6 months old on that Saturday, making it the very first day she could be entered in a show. It's also the day of the Vizsla Club of Northern California's Specialty show. Essentially what that means is that within the all breed dog show, the VCNC sponsored extra classes and prizes for Vizslas. There are a lot more dogs at specialties which means more points are up for grabs. The VCNC specialty is one of the largest in the country.

Erie was handled by Judy, the owner of her daddy Budha. She came all the way from Draper, Utah for the show. Judy also brought two of her dogs, Budha and Szari, Erie's half sister (they have the same mom) who just had her own litter of puppies go home a little over a month before the show. She did show both of her dogs but Budha was also here to meet some people who are interested in getting puppies from Kit (Erie's breeder) who just bred two of her dogs- that came into heat within a week of each other- to Budha. There are lots of Budha puppies now, a good thing in my opinion because he is a stunning dog.

We had lots of fun. It was hot and I was tired but I enjoyed spending time with vizslas and vizsla people. So did Erie. The pictures aren't fabulous but neither is my camera!

Judy handling Erie (center) with Kit (owner of the mom and breeder of the litter) handling Zoe (right), Erie's full sister, in the Sweepstakes Puppy 6-9 months bitches class. The puppy on the left (who is cut off) actually won this particular class but because it was the sweepstakes class it works a little differently. I'd explain except I don't fully understand. The gist of what I know: in sweepstakes you don't win points but you do win part of your entry fee back.

Judy stacking Erie. I think this is the sweepstakes class again.

After the sweepstakes the regular show began. These are the classes that count for points. In order to put a championship on a dog the dog must earn 15 points, with at least two majors (a win worth three or more points). The number of points that a win is worth is based on the number of dogs entered (I think- it might actually be based on the number of dogs entered in that show the previous year). Only the Winners Dog and Winners Bitch earn points. This is a picture of Erie in her Puppy 6-8 months bitches class. She won and moved on to the Winners Bitch judging (which she did not win).

After all the regular classes were over, there were a few special classes offered because it was a vizsla specialty. One of them was Best Puppy. There are six puppy classes: Dogs and Bitches in three age groups. The winner of each class is eligible to compete for Best Puppy and Erie won. The professional pictures will be delivered in the mail later but this is a picture of Erie and me with all her "spoils" from winning two puppy classes (she won on Sunday too- this picture was taken right before I left for home on Sunday) and her Best Puppy win on Saturday (Best Puppy was not offered Sunday since it wasn't a specialty).

Before I left we took photos of (left to right) Erie, her daddy Budha, her mommy Kezza, and her litter mate Zoe.

Erie held an excellent sit-stay for these photos. I was so proud. Maybe even more proud then I was of her wins. People were literally climbing over her to get their dogs back in their spot and she just sat there. "Good girl!"

She was exhausted when we got home. I had to hurry up and get ready for church because I was teaching Relief Society that day so she got to stay home and recover while I ran off to give what I hope was a decent lesson given how sun struck I was.

That's all. I'll post her professional photo when I get it. I'm planning on entering her in another Vizsla specialty in Carmel, California in a month. I'd be showing her myself which makes me nervous but it would be a good experience. We've got lots of practicing to do. Best Puppy wins are fun but we want points!

Erie "listening" Really Well

I uploaded this video so that Erie's breeders can come watch it. The rest of you might not find it all that interesting. I was trying to get Erie to play with her jolly ball and instead she was being a little nerd and ignoring me. She was up on a ledge in the backyard and I was filming and there really wasn't much I could do to insist she follow directions and it kinda seems like she knew that.

Sorry for my annoying voice. Ugghh.

Erie weighs 38.6 pounds today.

Tolerance

Dog Rules

The following is an excerpt from Jon Carroll's column in the SF Chronicle.

"From an internet person known only as Tim, the proud new owner of a newfoundland dog, this list of rules and regulations:

1. The dog is not allowed in the house.
2. Ok, the dog is allowed in the house, but only in certain rooms.
3. The dog is allowed in all rooms, but has to stay off the furniture.
4. The dog can get on old furniture only.
5. Fine, the dog is allowed on all furniture but is not allowed to sleep in the bed with the humans.
6. Ok, the dog is allowed on the bed, but by invitation only.
7. The dog can sleep on the bed whenever he wants, but not under the covers.
8. The dog can sleep under the covers by invitation only.
9. The dog can sleep under the covers every night.
10. Humans must ask permission to sleep under the covers with the dog."

Erie taught her self to burrow under the covers on my bed about two weeks after I got her. Here you can see her nose just poking out from under them.

Amazing Home Remedies

These really work! I checked Snopes and they are for real!

1. Avoid cutting yourself when slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold the vegetables while you chop.

2. Avoid arguments with females about lifting the toilet seat by using the sink.

3. For high blood pressure sufferers, simply cut yourself and bleed for a few minutes thus reducing pressure on your veins. Remember to use a timer.

4. A mouse trap placed on top of you alarm clock will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button.

5. If you have a bad cough, take a large dose of laxatives. Then you'll be afraid to cough.

Stacked Photos

Erie's first dog show is on June 12 in Vallejo, California. It's on her six month birthday, the first day she is old enough to enter!

Her co-breeder (the owner of her dad- you can find a link in my sidebar) is going to be handling her for this show, which is four days long (she won't be old enough until the last two days) and includes a Vizsla speciality- that means that there is, in partnership with the all-breed show, an additional show just for Vizslas (and it's one of the largest Vizsla specialities in the country). I've been taking Erie to handling classes to get her ready for this event and Judy, her breeder, asked me to get some photos of her for her to be able to see (Judy lives in Utah and hasn't been able to see Erie in person since she was seven weeks old).

So I'm sharing them with you too!

I didn't realize how much lip I was holding. A good benefit of photos- I can see what I'm doing wrong!

I go to the same instructor for handling and obedience. She is a professional handler and travels all over the country showing people's dogs for them (and makes a lot of money doing it). She and her husband have shown other vizslas (including Rosie, featured on a recent post on my blog) and have also owned and handled their own vizsla in the past. With that background in mind, two stories that made me happy:

Last night at obedience, Jean says to me, "Gosh she hasn't gone through an ugly or awkward phase at all, has she?"

Then tonight she asks me for the information for my breeder because she is helping someone to breed [their vizsla] and "we really, really like her," speaking about Erie. They're shopping around for males.

So basically, I think my dog is lovely, her breeders think she is lovely, our instructor thinks she is lovely, lots of other people think she is lovely . . .

Will the judges think she is lovely?

Happy Mother's Day!

Erie would like to wish all the mothers (and future mothers) out there a Happy Mothers Day and let you know that she would have loved to bring you breakfast in bed, but she's not allowed out of the house off leash.

(I was astonished at how easy it was to get this picture. I thought for sure she'd sit there and stare at the plate, but that "leave-it" command really seems to have sunk in).

Erie & Rosie Playdate

Erie got to play with Rosie again. It is hard to take pictures of two young (Erie is not quite five months, Rosie is 18 months. I think.) very fast moving vizslas. I deleted a lot more photos than I kept because there was either no dogs as they had moved out of the frame before the camera snapped the photo or they were too blurry with movement.

Here are some of the ones that you can (kinda) see some dogs in. Even though Erie is my dog, in some of these photos I can only tell them who is who because Erie is wearing a collar and Rosie is not.

That's Gerry (I think she spells her name with a "G."), Rosie's roommate.

The look on Erie's face in this photo is hilarious!