Peace in the valley ... or crazy on the prairie

It's a bright sunny crisp morning in Strathmore. I heard the wind blowing all night and worried that my "miles" of greenery, white lights, and big red bows adorning the fenceline would be strewn all over the pasture by daybreak. Fortunately, all is intact and Mrs. Claus is a happy girl this morning.

The crew sounds happy, too. Will and Aspen have been out in the yard for 3 hours already. I let them in every 45 minutes or so and they run around the kitchen and warm up a bit, but head for the door the moment I even hint at getting up to let another group of doggies in or out. Their coats are beautiful already at their young age of 5-1/2 months and with the colder weather, their undercoat is quite thick and plush. I sometimes tease that I'd like to have a dog show outside in the snow as my Aussies look soooo beautiful in a natural setting.

Old Zoey lies up against a large round bale in the farmyard. It's a sunny spot and sheltered from the wind, and affords her a perfect place to keep an eye on the comings and goings. Her old body is so stiff these days, especially with the colder weather, and we feel blessed with each day, week, month, or yet another year she gives us. Stiff or not, her old joints never let her down when she suddenly spies a coyote out in the field. Just moments ago, I heard her loud warning bark and sure enough, she was up like a shot and charging out into the pasture. She knows what her job is and does it well and as I glance out to the south, sure enough there are two brave, if not naive, coyotes trotting through the field along the fenceline, unaware they're about to be swiftly escorted off the property. She'll return in a little while, moving much less slowly on the return trip than she did in the pursuit. I'll probably soften a little and open the door so she can come in and lay in the mudroom to warm up and rest her weary bones. For a Pyrenees guardian dog whose life has been spent outdoors, she has no problem adapting to life inside the house and would probably move right on in if given the opportunity.

Pearl is laying in a spot of snow outside and Will is bark-bark-barking at her, trying to entice her to chase him. Aspen has come up to the door on the kitchen deck, hoping to be let inside. Once in, she's supposed to head to her crate until her feet dry, but lately she hops right back to perch on top of the toy box and hope that her cute antics will make me break a rule or two. I told you Aussies were smart!

Happy Trails ... Theresa

My dogs make me laugh. Sometimes they make me cry, or even swear, but mostly they warm my heart and make me laugh.

Aspen is a silly little clown. In my last post, I shared a photo of her sitting in the toybox. Turns out, that's not just a random happening as more and more, it's the first place she heads to. Climbs up in there, either sits or settles right down, and sometimes even has a snooze perched on top of the toys.

The dogs have a toy that's an egg-shaped rubber vessel covered by fleece with a little sheepie-face on it. It makes no noise when you squeeze it but when you release, it's makes a rather rude sound. We refer to it, affectionately, as the "farting sheep", and the doggies LOVE it. This sheep is usually in the toy boy and when Aspen climbs up into it, she steps on it and as she moves, it makes its' rude noise. It surprises her and she turns her head or lifts up her foot to see where the noise came from. Each time she moves, again erupts the sound. I've tried to capture it on video but of course, she hops out as I approach.

She was in the toybox again this morning. After she hopped out to head to her crate for breakfast, Capri (never wanting to give up any of her limelight) immediately hopped in and looked at me with anticipation, cocking her head, wiggling ... "Look, look at me, Mom! I'm just as cute as her!"

Happy Trails ... Theresa

My Bad

Shame on me. Five months since my last blog entry. No wonder my head hurts with all these thoughts and doggie news stories to share. If you've found me on Facebook, then you know 8 beautiful puppies arrived safely, quickly, and without event on July 7. Though initially hell-bent on having them on my bed, I did manage to convince Belle that the whelping pool was THE place to be. An absolutely gorgeous litter, I had a helluva time deciding which puppy to keep ... so I kept 2. The others are in wonderful homes, locally, in BC, and a few in the U.S. Belle's breeder Nancy has her pick, he little blue girl I nicknamed Bunny who is now Mindy. Nancy is very pleased with her, and I'm sure Mindy will make her debut in the show ring one of these days. Little red merle girl is living in Indiana and will be shown as well. The others are super little tricksters and I've had the opportunity to meet up with a couple of them at weekly puppy classes.

Will, Casselcreek Great To Be King, is staying here with us and has already begun some early training and light exposure to the sheep, and is showing lots of promise. He'll hit the show ring when he's ready, but like most males ... will take a bit of time to mature. He's becoming quite the seasoned farm dog and LOVES accompanying Glenn on morning chores. He's totally enamored with Bridger and really looks up to his "big brother". When they're in the kitchen in the evenings and I peek in to check on them, he's usually snuggled up with Bridger and they're both enjoying a nap. He's not totally perfect just yet, and seems to struggle a little with the house rules ... having swiped a couple of toasted buns off the kitchen counter!

Aspen, Casselcreek Luck Be A Lady, is my pick puppy in the litter, and I am soooo excited to get her out into the show ring in early 2012. She did very well in her first session of puppy classes, and is registered to start CGN classes in January. She came with Capri and I to a few shows this Fall and has easily fallen into the routine of the show building, potty business on a leash, blow dryers, grooming tablets, and sleeping on the hotel bed.

Capri has had another very successful year of showing with multiple group placements, and it looks like she's finished the CKC year in the top 10 for Australian Shepherds in Canada. In May, she spent a month in Wisconsin with my friend Brent Kindred where he showed her in ASCA for a few weekends, put a Best of Breed on her, multiple Winners and Best of Winners, and had her back home to me a new ASCA Champion in just 27 days!

As an ASCA Champion, we were able to compete in the Best of Breed ring at the ASCA Nationals in late September, where Capri earned Premiere Awards in 2 of the 3 pre-shows, and a Premiere at the National Specialty! We had an incredible time in Wisconsin!

With the show year winding down, I've started to have (crazy) thoughts of boarding out my Warmblood and maybe riding again, at least for a few months.

Happy Trails ... Theresa