Packing has been going well, everything we don't need right away is in a box. Hobbs is relaxing, but he still gets a little worried when both Robert and I walk around putting things in boxes. We went to visit a friend of Robert's this weekend, and stayed in their little mobile home along with the 7 people in their family and the 5 other guys besides us who came to visit. Why so many people? They decided to all get together after being apart, some of them for over 4 years. Brian (the one we came to see) has been living in Florida for the past couple years on a mission for our church, and just returned home about a week ago. They stayed up all night gaming and being super noisy and Hobbs slept through all of it. He had his one little corner of the house and stayed there, out of the way, the entire time.
He did get to meet their Golden Retriever/Border Collie mix (that dog has no off switch) and was ok with her....tail up but no hackles. After being around her for a while we decided to let them play out in the back yard. Hobbs did great! They mostly just chased eachother in circles but the only time Hobbs was a little freaked out was when he would stop fast and she would jump over the top of him! But I think that would freak any dog out so I wasn't too worried.
I am working with my leader (and hopefully my CFR soon) to get him to be better and I am seeing some improvements. There was mention of possibly neutering him but I am crossing my fingers that they don't because he is litteraly the perfect dog other than this one issue! I really think he will be a better dog if he says intact until he goes back. I haven't seen much hormonal issues yet but I don't think I am going to! I would also really love to see him become a breeder! On the upside to being neutered, he won't be an international donation option anymore....I don't think so anyways.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Back to UTAH!!!!
Robert and I both hate it here in Bakersfield and have been planing for quite a while to move back to Utah in may of next year. Why may? Because that is when our lease ends on our apartment. Well he has been looking for a potential new job for when we move and yesterday was offered a job. He was offered a $6.50 an hr raise plus full benifits (we have no benifits right now) so he accepted the job. So what does this mean for us? We get to move NOW! We are planing to move a couple days before thanksgiving and then he starts back at his job the monday after thanksgiving.
I am soo EXCITED I can hardly stand it! I am not looking forward to packing or the actual move at all, but it is a necissary evil to get us living where we want. We will be closer to both of our extended families, and will be able to save money. Not to mention have some peace of mind in the health department! Hobbs is a little worried with all the packing, but I am hoping since we will be doing this for days and days he will get used to it and it wont freak him out as much. I am hoping he likes the snow and cold (I don't) because he is going to be living in it now not just visiting!
It will be so nice living closer to my family and not having to spend a ton of money every month or two to drive or fly back up to visit! We are so greatful that we will be able to save money and plan for a aniversary vacation rather than just a stay at a hotel. We will have the money to go visit my sister in Washington for the first time! Get Ready Jenetta we are coming! Robert is super excited to start at a new, bigger, company where he is not the only thing holding up the company!
Here is the progress on our packing so far....Hobbs was helping
I am soo EXCITED I can hardly stand it! I am not looking forward to packing or the actual move at all, but it is a necissary evil to get us living where we want. We will be closer to both of our extended families, and will be able to save money. Not to mention have some peace of mind in the health department! Hobbs is a little worried with all the packing, but I am hoping since we will be doing this for days and days he will get used to it and it wont freak him out as much. I am hoping he likes the snow and cold (I don't) because he is going to be living in it now not just visiting!
It will be so nice living closer to my family and not having to spend a ton of money every month or two to drive or fly back up to visit! We are so greatful that we will be able to save money and plan for a aniversary vacation rather than just a stay at a hotel. We will have the money to go visit my sister in Washington for the first time! Get Ready Jenetta we are coming! Robert is super excited to start at a new, bigger, company where he is not the only thing holding up the company!
Here is the progress on our packing so far....Hobbs was helping
Moving back to UT!!!
My husband and I both hate it here in Bakersfield and have been planing for quite a while to move back to Utah in may of next year. Why may? Because that is when our lease ends on our apartment. Well Robert has been looking for a potential new job for when we move and yesterday was offered a job. He accepted the job! So what does this mean for us? We get to move NOW! We are planing to move a couple days before thanksgiving and then he starts back at his job the monday after thanksgiving. I am soo EXCITED I can hardly stand it! I am not looking forward to packing or the actual move at all, but it is a necissary evil to get us living where we want. We will be closer to both of our extended families, and will be able to save money. Not to mention have some peace of mind in the health department!
Hobbs is a little worried with all the packing, but I am hoping since we will be doing this for days and days he will get used to it and it wont freak him out as much. I am excited to be going to a new puppy club where the leaders actually care and follow the rules and teach puppy raisers what to do with their puppies before they give them a puppy! Lol sorry, lots of pent up frustraition towards my club here. I am hoping Hobbs likes the snow and cold (I don't) because he is going to be living in it now not just visiting! Now I will be closer to my Patriot and soon, hopefully, I will be able to have him come live with me!
Hobbs when I told him he had to live in a cold place!
Hobbs is a little worried with all the packing, but I am hoping since we will be doing this for days and days he will get used to it and it wont freak him out as much. I am excited to be going to a new puppy club where the leaders actually care and follow the rules and teach puppy raisers what to do with their puppies before they give them a puppy! Lol sorry, lots of pent up frustraition towards my club here. I am hoping Hobbs likes the snow and cold (I don't) because he is going to be living in it now not just visiting! Now I will be closer to my Patriot and soon, hopefully, I will be able to have him come live with me!
Here are is the progress on our packing so far....Hobbs started getting in the way so he got some pictures taken too
Hobbs when I told him he had to live in a cold place!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
I think we have a bit of an issue....
Hobbs has been very unwilling lately to go near dogs. Well it isn't a recent issue, from the day he got off the puppy truck he has been hesitant to greet other dogs, including his brother Hal who is in our same club. I have been going to Petsmart to let him just be around other dogs and lately he is VERY unhappy even walking past another dog who is in the same isle as him. We have had many good experiences at the store. With some dogs he gets more comfortable and will start to sniff back and wag his tail, but that is the extent of his interest. But one really young lab puppy (like 3 months old) was trying to play and jumped up on Hobbs so his paws were on his back. Hobbs ran backwards and then nothing I did would get him anywhere near the puppy again!
At puppy meetings he will let other dogs sniff him but holds his head and tail (I know that is a sign of dominance) up and doesn't move like he really would prefer the dogs not touch him. Recently his hackles have been raising slightly when a dog bigger than him, or one that is really excited and wiggly, comes to greet him. I just ignore it because I know that hackles are more a sign of adrenaline than of agression.....right? Like I said in a recent update Robert and I couldn't get him to sit close enough to brother Hal to even get a good picture of him! I thought it was because Hal was COMPLETLY out of control but now I am wondering if it is something else. I haven't been forcing him to say hello to other dogs and he isn't corrected at any time while he is saying hi.
The reason it is really starting to worry me is that the other day while on a walk we went past a house with a barking dog (we were on the opposite side of the road) and Hobbs REFUSED to walk next to me! He was walking really close behind me almost on top of my heals. When we came back past and I was between him and the house with the dog he was fine, a little distracted but otherwise fine.
Hobbs is and always has been fine with our other dog Dodge, they play and are just fine with each other. Though we do have to stop the play quite often because they get out of hand being rough.
I am super worried that this is going to turn into a huge issue! I don't know if it is something I am doing, but he has been like this from day one and has only recently been getting worse so I don't think it is me. I really, really, don't want this to escalate into something more serious....such as aggression.
At puppy meetings he will let other dogs sniff him but holds his head and tail (I know that is a sign of dominance) up and doesn't move like he really would prefer the dogs not touch him. Recently his hackles have been raising slightly when a dog bigger than him, or one that is really excited and wiggly, comes to greet him. I just ignore it because I know that hackles are more a sign of adrenaline than of agression.....right? Like I said in a recent update Robert and I couldn't get him to sit close enough to brother Hal to even get a good picture of him! I thought it was because Hal was COMPLETLY out of control but now I am wondering if it is something else. I haven't been forcing him to say hello to other dogs and he isn't corrected at any time while he is saying hi.
The reason it is really starting to worry me is that the other day while on a walk we went past a house with a barking dog (we were on the opposite side of the road) and Hobbs REFUSED to walk next to me! He was walking really close behind me almost on top of my heals. When we came back past and I was between him and the house with the dog he was fine, a little distracted but otherwise fine.
Hobbs is and always has been fine with our other dog Dodge, they play and are just fine with each other. Though we do have to stop the play quite often because they get out of hand being rough.
I am super worried that this is going to turn into a huge issue! I don't know if it is something I am doing, but he has been like this from day one and has only recently been getting worse so I don't think it is me. I really, really, don't want this to escalate into something more serious....such as aggression.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Job possibility
So tonight Hobbs and I went to Petsmart to sit in on a puppy class. No I am NOT a crazy petsmart stalker, it was for Hobbs' benefit! He has gotten really quite bad about meeting other dogs and its to the point that he won't walk past one in an isle at petsmart. So we joined this class of 3 dogs (there were supposed to be 6) and he made lots of progress just being there and then playing with one little lab puppy. Just so everyone is clear, I didn't really participate in the training as that involves treats and such. The only treats he got were for practicing "come". He is defiantly a boy though! There was a little intact female lab there and any time we were standing near her Hobbs conveniently went totally deaf and wouldn't do anything. Lol so we stayed away from her and then he was fine.
I had mentioned a couple weeks before to the trainer that I had previously worked as a trainer at Petsmart and that is why it was ok for me to sit in on the class. Well after class the trainer asked me where I was working now and I told her "the book store". She asked how much and I told her "two days a week" and she said that they may be looking to hire a part time trainer! So right off the bat I told her that I would be moving around May of next year but that I was interested all the same. So she is going to talk to her manager and see what he says! I thought I was sick of training at Petsmart but the idea of going back is super exciting to me. Not getting my hopes up yet though because it probably won't happen. It was very flattering though that she could tell right off that I know what I am doing. Hopefully all will work out for the best whatever that may be.
I had mentioned a couple weeks before to the trainer that I had previously worked as a trainer at Petsmart and that is why it was ok for me to sit in on the class. Well after class the trainer asked me where I was working now and I told her "the book store". She asked how much and I told her "two days a week" and she said that they may be looking to hire a part time trainer! So right off the bat I told her that I would be moving around May of next year but that I was interested all the same. So she is going to talk to her manager and see what he says! I thought I was sick of training at Petsmart but the idea of going back is super exciting to me. Not getting my hopes up yet though because it probably won't happen. It was very flattering though that she could tell right off that I know what I am doing. Hopefully all will work out for the best whatever that may be.
Job Offer!
So tonight Hobbs and I went to Petsmart to sit in on a puppy class. No I am NOT a crazy petsmart stalker, it was for Hobbs' benifit! He has gotten really quite bad about meeting other dogs and its to the point that he won't walk past one in an isle at petsmart. So we joined this class of 3 dogs (there were supposed to be 6) and he made lots of progress just being there and then playing with one little lab puppy.
I had mentioned a couple weeks before to the trainer that I had previously worked as a trainer at Petsmart and that is why it was ok for me to sit in on the class. Well after class the trainer asked me where I was working now and I told her "the book store". She asked how much and I told her "two days a week" and she said that they may be looking to hire a part time trainer! So right off the bat I told her that I would be moving around may of next year but that I was interested all the same. So she is going to talk to her manager and see what he says! I thought I was sick of training at Petsmart but the idea of going back is super exciting to me. Not getting my hopes up yet though because it probably won't happen. It was very flatering though that she can tell I know what I am doing.
Hopefully all will work out for the best whatever that may be.
I had mentioned a couple weeks before to the trainer that I had previously worked as a trainer at Petsmart and that is why it was ok for me to sit in on the class. Well after class the trainer asked me where I was working now and I told her "the book store". She asked how much and I told her "two days a week" and she said that they may be looking to hire a part time trainer! So right off the bat I told her that I would be moving around may of next year but that I was interested all the same. So she is going to talk to her manager and see what he says! I thought I was sick of training at Petsmart but the idea of going back is super exciting to me. Not getting my hopes up yet though because it probably won't happen. It was very flatering though that she can tell I know what I am doing.
Hopefully all will work out for the best whatever that may be.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Hawaiian Party
Hobbs and I had a great time at the Hawaiian dinner party yesterday. Though we didn't win the trip to Hawaii :( There were quite a few people there (many of them blind or visually impaired) but I didn't see any working dogs. I found out that one of the guides working in Bakersfield, a golden retriever named....ummm something with a "B" had to be put down last saturday. The lady who told me was very emotional about it so I didn't push to find out why and if the dog was old or young. So maybe there will be a new dog coming out to work in the heat here. Fingers crossed it isn't a black dog!!
Hobbs was an angel as usuall though he is getting a little obsessed with saying hi to people. He stays calm but has started watching people "just incase" they come over to say hi. Other than that not too much to update about.
Hobbs was an angel as usuall though he is getting a little obsessed with saying hi to people. He stays calm but has started watching people "just incase" they come over to say hi. Other than that not too much to update about.
Friday, October 19, 2007
In Memory....
I got the following story as a forwarded email and thought I would share it with everyone. I thought it was adorable.
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Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:
Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick. I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her. You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.
Love, Meredith.
We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office.
A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had. Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, "To Meredith" in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, "When a Pet Dies." Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:
Dear Meredith,
Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away. Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by. Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I am wherever there is love.
Love, God
This is one of the kindest things I've ever experienced. I have no way to know who sent it, but there is a kind soul working in the dead letter office of the US postal service.
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I know everyone who has experienced the loss of a beloved pet and friend will love this story!
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Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:
Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick. I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her. You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.
Love, Meredith.
We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office.
A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had. Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, "To Meredith" in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, "When a Pet Dies." Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:
Dear Meredith,
Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away. Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by. Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I am wherever there is love.
Love, God
This is one of the kindest things I've ever experienced. I have no way to know who sent it, but there is a kind soul working in the dead letter office of the US postal service.
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I know everyone who has experienced the loss of a beloved pet and friend will love this story!
GDB puppies video
I found this on Myspace video's and thought it was super cute! It is kinda long though so you may not want to watch the whole thing
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Finally!!
Today I finally got the video and picture from Calliope's graduation last December. The original got lost in the mail, and I haven't tried to request one until last week. GDB is so very helpful to us puppy raisers, this once again reminds me why I raise for this school.
It was so good to see the graduation video (even though I think I sounded really dumb) and remember what a cold day it was to be standing outside at the SF campus. I think my then Fiancé almost froze to death lol! The picture I think turned out great as did the other one taken with my cell phone. I am already crossing my fingers (well half of them anyways) that Hobbs graduates in one form or another so that I can be part of another graduation.
It was so good to see the graduation video (even though I think I sounded really dumb) and remember what a cold day it was to be standing outside at the SF campus. I think my then Fiancé almost froze to death lol! The picture I think turned out great as did the other one taken with my cell phone. I am already crossing my fingers (well half of them anyways) that Hobbs graduates in one form or another so that I can be part of another graduation.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Update to Puppies and Parents post
I have updated my puppies and parents post so check it out. I finally got a picture of Patriot's dad Klondike and it could be a picture of Patriot they look so much alike! and just in case the link doesn't work here is what I mean:
Update
So I haven't updated in a while so here it goes.
Hobbs is doing great! Getting bigger and better every day. I am yet to see any hormonal "problems" though he is starting to get a little people distracted. Little being the key word there because the only time he gets overly excited is after I tell him it is ok to say hi to someone. But he does look at people walking past us and gets a little excited just incase they stop to pet him. Up to this point I have just been letting him stand up while people are petting him as long as all four paws stayed on the floor. I think now he is old enough to stay sitting. I can't believe he is almost 7 months old already! I guess they all grow up sometime.
We tried to go to our puppy meeting on monday night but never saw anyone. The group was going to catch a bus at this intersection that has 4 of them, but I kind of think we sat down at the wrong one. We got there about 5 minutes early, and drove around for those five minutes to the different bus stops to see where the other puppy raisers would show up. Finally it was time for the bus to come so we just picked one and sat there and waited....and waited....and waited. Finally about ten minutes later a bus drove past on the opposite side of the road, but I couldn't see through the windows of it well enough to see anyone. I am really sad Hobbs didn't get the opportunity to ride the bus but I am really sad that no one in the club called me once they saw I wasn't there. That is kind of typical for this club though.
Yesterday Hobbs and I went to the Bakersfield Center for the Blind and volunteered for about three hours. It was so much fun! They were super busy getting ready for a big dinner and auction they are putting on so no one told me what to do, so I did whatever! Hobbs and I went around and said hi to a bunch of people and I told one lady all about GDB because she was looking into getting a guide. No one else there had dogs, so they were all very excited to meet Hobbs. I never realised how happy and funny the blind community is! They kept me laughing the whole time I was there! I am going to their annual Hawaiian dinner on saturday night and hopefully I win the drawing for the trip for two to Hawaii. Keep your fingers crossed for me! Hobbs says he wants to go too....I don't know what to tell him. GDB puppies aren't allowed to go to Hawaii are they?
Sorry no pictures today, maybe next time.
Hobbs is doing great! Getting bigger and better every day. I am yet to see any hormonal "problems" though he is starting to get a little people distracted. Little being the key word there because the only time he gets overly excited is after I tell him it is ok to say hi to someone. But he does look at people walking past us and gets a little excited just incase they stop to pet him. Up to this point I have just been letting him stand up while people are petting him as long as all four paws stayed on the floor. I think now he is old enough to stay sitting. I can't believe he is almost 7 months old already! I guess they all grow up sometime.
We tried to go to our puppy meeting on monday night but never saw anyone. The group was going to catch a bus at this intersection that has 4 of them, but I kind of think we sat down at the wrong one. We got there about 5 minutes early, and drove around for those five minutes to the different bus stops to see where the other puppy raisers would show up. Finally it was time for the bus to come so we just picked one and sat there and waited....and waited....and waited. Finally about ten minutes later a bus drove past on the opposite side of the road, but I couldn't see through the windows of it well enough to see anyone. I am really sad Hobbs didn't get the opportunity to ride the bus but I am really sad that no one in the club called me once they saw I wasn't there. That is kind of typical for this club though.
Yesterday Hobbs and I went to the Bakersfield Center for the Blind and volunteered for about three hours. It was so much fun! They were super busy getting ready for a big dinner and auction they are putting on so no one told me what to do, so I did whatever! Hobbs and I went around and said hi to a bunch of people and I told one lady all about GDB because she was looking into getting a guide. No one else there had dogs, so they were all very excited to meet Hobbs. I never realised how happy and funny the blind community is! They kept me laughing the whole time I was there! I am going to their annual Hawaiian dinner on saturday night and hopefully I win the drawing for the trip for two to Hawaii. Keep your fingers crossed for me! Hobbs says he wants to go too....I don't know what to tell him. GDB puppies aren't allowed to go to Hawaii are they?
Sorry no pictures today, maybe next time.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Pictures, Pictures, Pictures!!!
Ok, well not in this post but Robert and I just got over 300 pictures printed and in an album. We have had over 600 pictures on our computer from before we were engaged until now. We went through a website company called Wink Flash where you upload your pictures and then order them. They are sent to you as actual pictures on photo paper and everything! Right now they are having a special where each 4x6 print is 6 cents instead of the usual 12. It is so great to have almost all our pictures in an album so we can easily show them off. The reason we only got 300 instead of all the pictures is that our wedding and my bridal pictures are for some reason not the right quality to be printed as 4x6's. So we are going to get them printed up somewhere else.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Kind of a Disapointment :(
Why is it when you get super excited about something it ends up not being all you expected and that kind of ruins it for you?
Yeah my "lesson" wasn't that great. It wasn't that much of a lesson even. There were about 7-8 of us riding in the ring, and one at a time the instructor would have us work on the hunter course that was set up. On the other hand I did get to ride and had a pretty good time. I rode a horse named Cash who was very dark, almost black. Unfortunately I totally forgot my camera so I have no pictures. He was a nice horse. I am guessing kind of old because he seemed stiff and had lots of lumps and bumps on his legs. I got him moving relatively well, but it was a constant effort. The instructor basically told me that I wouldn't be jumping so I could just work on whatever during the lesson. Kinda boring but ok because I needed to just get used to being back on a horse.
One thing that made my lesson just not that fun is that fact that it, once again, reminded me of how much of my confidence I have lost. The thought of jumping next week scares the crap out of me! It used to be that I couldn't stand the flat stuff and now my heart is in my throat when I even ask for the canter! That one has an explanation.
The one and only time I have actually been bucked off was at Lochearn when I was schooling the horse Baroness. She was being kind of iffy and I didn't feel comfortable putting someone on her if she was going to be bad. I warmed her up and then asked her for the canter and she kinda scooted forward and then humped her back. So I swatted her and then asked again for the canter. That is when she blew up and did a rodeo horse buck. I remember asking for the canter and then I was about 2 1/2 feet in the air above my saddle and about one foot to the side. Then I somersaulted towards the ground landing on my hip/lower back. My head slammed into the ground and I apparently laid there for several seconds before I jumped up and started screaming a the horse. I thought I had just jumped up immediately. Turns out I got a slight concussion from the fall, and a permanent fear of asking a horse to canter. This fear was only compounded while I worked for Banner Farms this past spring. They have maybe two or three sane horses on their farm and I was not riding any of them. The ones I did ride all had a habit of humping their backs when asked to canter. Digger was the worst! He is a 17 hh (that means his back is 5' 6" tall!) Thoroughbred gelding, who would actually give a little buck every time he went into the canter. A buck on that big of a horse is terrifying!
So now I am making it worse for myself every time I ride because I tense up and clamp my legs on the horse so it jumps forward when asked to canter anyways! Maybe next time will be better. I just need a sane horse like the one I was on yesterday to rebuild my confidence......and no more falls!
Yeah my "lesson" wasn't that great. It wasn't that much of a lesson even. There were about 7-8 of us riding in the ring, and one at a time the instructor would have us work on the hunter course that was set up. On the other hand I did get to ride and had a pretty good time. I rode a horse named Cash who was very dark, almost black. Unfortunately I totally forgot my camera so I have no pictures. He was a nice horse. I am guessing kind of old because he seemed stiff and had lots of lumps and bumps on his legs. I got him moving relatively well, but it was a constant effort. The instructor basically told me that I wouldn't be jumping so I could just work on whatever during the lesson. Kinda boring but ok because I needed to just get used to being back on a horse.
One thing that made my lesson just not that fun is that fact that it, once again, reminded me of how much of my confidence I have lost. The thought of jumping next week scares the crap out of me! It used to be that I couldn't stand the flat stuff and now my heart is in my throat when I even ask for the canter! That one has an explanation.
The one and only time I have actually been bucked off was at Lochearn when I was schooling the horse Baroness. She was being kind of iffy and I didn't feel comfortable putting someone on her if she was going to be bad. I warmed her up and then asked her for the canter and she kinda scooted forward and then humped her back. So I swatted her and then asked again for the canter. That is when she blew up and did a rodeo horse buck. I remember asking for the canter and then I was about 2 1/2 feet in the air above my saddle and about one foot to the side. Then I somersaulted towards the ground landing on my hip/lower back. My head slammed into the ground and I apparently laid there for several seconds before I jumped up and started screaming a the horse. I thought I had just jumped up immediately. Turns out I got a slight concussion from the fall, and a permanent fear of asking a horse to canter. This fear was only compounded while I worked for Banner Farms this past spring. They have maybe two or three sane horses on their farm and I was not riding any of them. The ones I did ride all had a habit of humping their backs when asked to canter. Digger was the worst! He is a 17 hh (that means his back is 5' 6" tall!) Thoroughbred gelding, who would actually give a little buck every time he went into the canter. A buck on that big of a horse is terrifying!
So now I am making it worse for myself every time I ride because I tense up and clamp my legs on the horse so it jumps forward when asked to canter anyways! Maybe next time will be better. I just need a sane horse like the one I was on yesterday to rebuild my confidence......and no more falls!
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Home Alone...dun, dun, dun!
Hobbs was home alone, loose in our livingroom/dining room for almost an hour yesterday evening and was perfect! He just layed down at the top of the stairs and waited for us to come back! I was soooo proud of him! This will not become a common accorance but I though he was ready for a "Home alone test" and he passed with flying colors.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Pictures....
Here are some pictures I have taken recently
Don't worry I folded his lip under....he isn't really growling.
Just a really cute shot
Laying all twisted on the floor
Robert and i tried to get pictures of Hobbs and Hal together at the last puppy meeting....not the easiest job in the world. Hal wouldn't hold still being close to any dog let alone Hobbs, and Hobbs doesn't like being near dogs who are out of control so he wouldn't even stand close to him let alone sit.
We finally got them to sit nicely for litteraly only as long as it took to take the picture and Robert ended up cutting half of Hobbs' head off. So we gave up and these are the only two salvagable pictures of them.
New puppy in our club "Barron"
His nose reminds me of snoopy's in charlie brown
One of the Dog Parks in Bakersfield. This is where we take Dodge once a week to get all the crazyness out.....for that week anyways
Another shot of the dog park. Dodge is the little black dog saying hi to the greyhound.
Don't worry I folded his lip under....he isn't really growling.
Just a really cute shot
Laying all twisted on the floor
Robert and i tried to get pictures of Hobbs and Hal together at the last puppy meeting....not the easiest job in the world. Hal wouldn't hold still being close to any dog let alone Hobbs, and Hobbs doesn't like being near dogs who are out of control so he wouldn't even stand close to him let alone sit.
We finally got them to sit nicely for litteraly only as long as it took to take the picture and Robert ended up cutting half of Hobbs' head off. So we gave up and these are the only two salvagable pictures of them.
New puppy in our club "Barron"
His nose reminds me of snoopy's in charlie brown
One of the Dog Parks in Bakersfield. This is where we take Dodge once a week to get all the crazyness out.....for that week anyways
Another shot of the dog park. Dodge is the little black dog saying hi to the greyhound.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Startle Barking
So Hobbs has started to startle barked when someone knocks on the door. The first time he was asleep and the knock scared me half to death and I jumped about 3 feet and then he jumped up and barked....just once. I didn't make a big deal of his bark and just put him on his tie-down before I opened the door, just like I always do. I am wondering if the knock just scared him and that is why he barked. But then like two days ago my husband knocked on the door because his arms were full and Hobbs jumped up and barked I didn't correct the first bark but then he kind of half barked (like a little "Woof") and I corrected him and he knew he had done something really bad! So now we have at least one thing to mark on the monthly report as a potential problem. I don't know how to fix it though, and I don't know if they get dropped for startle barking. Any suggestions on getting him to stop this behavior? I do know it is very easy to make it worse by trying to fix it so I may just ignore it and see if that helps.
Other than that Hobbs has been excellent! He is stubborn at times but no where near what I figured he would be by now....but he isn't quite 7 months yet so we will see what happens.
Also, I added links to all the GDB puppy raising sites that I know of but if there are any out there that I don't know of please let me know! Just leave the site addresses for them in a comment and I will add it to the list.
Other than that Hobbs has been excellent! He is stubborn at times but no where near what I figured he would be by now....but he isn't quite 7 months yet so we will see what happens.
Also, I added links to all the GDB puppy raising sites that I know of but if there are any out there that I don't know of please let me know! Just leave the site addresses for them in a comment and I will add it to the list.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Adorable!
This is such a cute little clip!! I hope my dogs are this good with my future children!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_EZDBVuOk4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_EZDBVuOk4
Friday, October 5, 2007
The miracle of my wallet
This is also on my private blog so those who read it bear with me as I repeat myself!
So today at work my wallet was stolen, out of my purse, by a customer!! It was a man with red-ish hair and a scruffy beard, who was really nice and polite. He complimented the store and said that he wanted to bring his wife back the next day to see it. Then he walked over to where Hobbs was tied to a table and started petting him and playing with his toys with him. I watched him for all but about 30 seconds that he was petting Hobbs. My purse was under the table Hobbs was tied to in a separate, smaller room that is used as the break room. I didn't notice until I was leaving work for the day that the wallet was gone. I immediately knew it was that guy as we had had a total of three customers that day and he was the only one who had petted Hobbs (well besides a two year old). I was very upset and angry to say the least!
There wasn't anything too valuable in the wallet; no cash, no working credit cards, the only things of worth were my drivers licence, my ATM card, and a $75 gift card to Charlotte Ruse! So I wasn't too worried, just very ticked that I would have to go through changing everything to protect myself from fraud. Also my guide dog puppy Calliope's ID card was in the wallet, and I wanted it so badly for memories sake!
So I thought a quick prayer that it would be found and more so that the guy wouldn't try to steal my identity, and I went home. After about an hour of stomping around and being angry, I thought about what the guy would have done once he realized there wasn't anything of value in the wallet. He would throw it away right?
Talking out loud I asked Robert if he thought it could still be in one of the dumpsters around the bookstore and he said maybe. So we drove back to the store but decided to walk around the block first before asking the local businesses to let us go through their dumpsters. We walked about 50 feet down the sidewalk and came to a small trash can so we both looked in and then Robert lifted the McDonald's bag that was on top. Lo and Behold there was my wallet!!!
Everything was right where it had been except for the maybe 75 cents that had been in the coin pouch! All of my cards were there, even the one credit card (it doesn't work because it is super old) was still there! I couldn't believe it! We didn't even have to go through that much trash, just lifted up a bag and there it was.
I am kind of hoping the guy comes in tomorrow like he said he was going to and I will take my camera to work and take a picture of him. Then I will post it up on the wall behind the register to warn everyone that he is a thief! I may even rub it in his face that I got the wallet back!
There are just no words to describe how amazed and happy I am that I was blessed to find the wallet.
So today at work my wallet was stolen, out of my purse, by a customer!! It was a man with red-ish hair and a scruffy beard, who was really nice and polite. He complimented the store and said that he wanted to bring his wife back the next day to see it. Then he walked over to where Hobbs was tied to a table and started petting him and playing with his toys with him. I watched him for all but about 30 seconds that he was petting Hobbs. My purse was under the table Hobbs was tied to in a separate, smaller room that is used as the break room. I didn't notice until I was leaving work for the day that the wallet was gone. I immediately knew it was that guy as we had had a total of three customers that day and he was the only one who had petted Hobbs (well besides a two year old). I was very upset and angry to say the least!
There wasn't anything too valuable in the wallet; no cash, no working credit cards, the only things of worth were my drivers licence, my ATM card, and a $75 gift card to Charlotte Ruse! So I wasn't too worried, just very ticked that I would have to go through changing everything to protect myself from fraud. Also my guide dog puppy Calliope's ID card was in the wallet, and I wanted it so badly for memories sake!
So I thought a quick prayer that it would be found and more so that the guy wouldn't try to steal my identity, and I went home. After about an hour of stomping around and being angry, I thought about what the guy would have done once he realized there wasn't anything of value in the wallet. He would throw it away right?
Talking out loud I asked Robert if he thought it could still be in one of the dumpsters around the bookstore and he said maybe. So we drove back to the store but decided to walk around the block first before asking the local businesses to let us go through their dumpsters. We walked about 50 feet down the sidewalk and came to a small trash can so we both looked in and then Robert lifted the McDonald's bag that was on top. Lo and Behold there was my wallet!!!
Everything was right where it had been except for the maybe 75 cents that had been in the coin pouch! All of my cards were there, even the one credit card (it doesn't work because it is super old) was still there! I couldn't believe it! We didn't even have to go through that much trash, just lifted up a bag and there it was.
I am kind of hoping the guy comes in tomorrow like he said he was going to and I will take my camera to work and take a picture of him. Then I will post it up on the wall behind the register to warn everyone that he is a thief! I may even rub it in his face that I got the wallet back!
There are just no words to describe how amazed and happy I am that I was blessed to find the wallet.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Pups in my club - Update
So because I am bored here is a list of all the pups in my club here in Bakersfield CA:
Randall MYLB 9/29/06 Baker/Adelaide
Flanagan MYLB 11/29/06 Cubby/Hibiscus
Hobbs MBLB 4/21/07 David/Gabriela
Hal MBLB 4/21/07 David/Gabriela
Barron MYLB 7/5/07 Tiger/Mackie
I just know many puppy raisers out there are interested in where their pups' siblings are so maybe this list will help someone!
As for an update, Hobbs is doing wonderfuly! We went to our puppy meeting on monday night which is when we met the newest member of the club Barron. Such a cutie and is already so well behaved. His raisers deserve it as their last pup was CC'd due to the fact that he was in severe pain and GDB couldn't figure out why! They got him back but it is still hard to go through that! Hopefully this pup will go better. Hal (Hobbs' brother) is still quite a challenge for his raiser, and is majorly getting hormonal which is making all the problems worse. I handled him for a few minutes and it was like having my 100 lb Patriot back! The puppy is soooooooo oblivious to corrections and kept trying to tackle everything that moved especially Hobbs. Hobbs did NOT want to say hi to him at all! Lol he kept leaning away from him like he didn't want to even touch him. Hopefully things go better for her as he is her first puppy and I would hate for him to have to be transfered.
Hobbs' obedience is getting much better and he is finally doing "down" almost every time I ask. He also did about a 3 minute down stay during the meeting and was half way across the room from me! I was so proud and everyone was amazed that he stayed so well. I pride myself on all of my puppies' stays. His is getting a little stuborn but not anything near what I thought he would be by now. Time will tell I guess. As for now I am happy with my angel of a puppy! Sorry no pictures for today but maybe in the next few days.
Randall MYLB 9/29/06 Baker/Adelaide
Flanagan MYLB 11/29/06 Cubby/Hibiscus
Hobbs MBLB 4/21/07 David/Gabriela
Hal MBLB 4/21/07 David/Gabriela
Barron MYLB 7/5/07 Tiger/Mackie
I just know many puppy raisers out there are interested in where their pups' siblings are so maybe this list will help someone!
As for an update, Hobbs is doing wonderfuly! We went to our puppy meeting on monday night which is when we met the newest member of the club Barron. Such a cutie and is already so well behaved. His raisers deserve it as their last pup was CC'd due to the fact that he was in severe pain and GDB couldn't figure out why! They got him back but it is still hard to go through that! Hopefully this pup will go better. Hal (Hobbs' brother) is still quite a challenge for his raiser, and is majorly getting hormonal which is making all the problems worse. I handled him for a few minutes and it was like having my 100 lb Patriot back! The puppy is soooooooo oblivious to corrections and kept trying to tackle everything that moved especially Hobbs. Hobbs did NOT want to say hi to him at all! Lol he kept leaning away from him like he didn't want to even touch him. Hopefully things go better for her as he is her first puppy and I would hate for him to have to be transfered.
Hobbs' obedience is getting much better and he is finally doing "down" almost every time I ask. He also did about a 3 minute down stay during the meeting and was half way across the room from me! I was so proud and everyone was amazed that he stayed so well. I pride myself on all of my puppies' stays. His is getting a little stuborn but not anything near what I thought he would be by now. Time will tell I guess. As for now I am happy with my angel of a puppy! Sorry no pictures for today but maybe in the next few days.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Hobbs and his kitty
Hobbs is absoluty in love with his kitty! He just follows her around and licks her and every once in a while she will play with him and he just loves it! Here is a video of one of their play sessions. I only recorded a small part of the almost 20 minutes they were doing this.
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