Just like a William Wegman Dog

Baloo is one of those dogs, like the weimaraners in William Wegman's famous photos, that will just sit and pose no matter what sort of thing I put on her head. I am out of town this week and missing Jazz and Baloo!

Backyard Life

This weekend we're mostly enjoying ourselves in the back yard.

Spring

A beautiful Saturday morning, in the backyard, in the shade of the leafiest biggest tree. Baloo decides to wriggle and roll next to a tennis ball in the sun. Jubilant. Jazz sits under the shade tree, chin between her paws. We are each taking it all in, this gorgeous, lazy day.

Baloo's Quote of the Day

"He is my other eyes that can see above the clouds; my other ears that hear above the winds. He is the part of me that can reach out into the sea. He has told me a thousand times over that I am his reason for being; by the way he rests against my leg; by the way he thumps his tail at my smallest smile; by the way he shows his hurt when I leave without taking him. (I think it makes him sick with worry when he is not along to care for me.) When I am wrong, he is delighted to forgive. When I am angry, he clowns to make me smile. When I am happy, he is joy unbounded. When I am a fool, he ignores it. When I succeed, he brags. Without him, I am only another man. With him, I am all-powerful. He is loyalty itself. He has taught me the meaning of devotion. With him, I know a secret comfort and a private peace. He has brought me understanding where before I was ignorant. His head on my knee can heal my human hurts. His presence by my side is protection against my fears of dark and unknown things. He has promised to wait for me... whenever... wherever - in case I need him. And I expect I will - as I always have. He is just my dog." - Gene Hill

Baloo's First Show

On Saturday, February 23 Baloo competed in her first agility trial. It was my first one too. We arrived early and set up Baloo's crate near a few of her classmates and under a big shade tree. I had thought about buying a canopy tent and ground mat, but decided to "rough it." It all worked out, we met a nice young lady who had two american eskimo dogs and was happy to share her shade with us. As the trial got underway, I ran Baloo around in the nearby soccer field and worked through our nerves. We really didn't feel too nervous though, we were just planning to have fun. The first thing we had to do was wait in line to get Baloo measured. We waited behind several other dogs. When we got to the measuring table, the judge started to measure Baloo and realized she was so tall it wasn't necessary. She let me know that Baloo is easily taller than the highest jump category in "Performance" competition. Therefore, we don't have to get measured 3 times, we don't have to bother with any measurements at all. It wasn't long before it was our turn to compete. The first dog was on the line around 8 am and Baloo's run was around 8:30. I could tell she was super excited, she wanted to run. When I put her in start position and let her go it was as if she saw a rabbit on the other side of the field. She ran like she was shot from a cannon. Across our ring (no obstacles taken). Through the neighboring ring where elite level competitions were going on. Luckily she ran during a break between dogs, I would have felt so bad if she ruined someone's run. She may or may not have ran over the A frame or a jump. She finally stopped running when someone asked her to sit for a treat. All the while she ran her ears were streaming and flopping and she was full of excitement. Who are all these people?! Have they come to watch me?!? Look at me, I'm fast!! As she ran, I ran also. After her, yelling "BALOO!" I tried to whistle for her, but it's not easy to whistle when you are desperately trying to get your dog's attention.

Once I collected Baloo we ran around a bit and then Baloo got to rest in her crate. After a couple times in and out of the crate Baloo wasn't as eager to get inside. Good thing it's a big crate, I would crawl in too and Baloo would go in to join me (that's us in the crate in the photo). As the afternoon wore on Baloo was actually pretty content to rest in her crate. It was a long long day. Baloo's second and final run, in the Gambler competition, was about 4:30 that afternoon. By then, she was more subdued. But even then, as I let Baloo go she became fully excited and into her run. This time, she stayed with me in the ring and jumped a couple jumps I asked her to jump. She added a few obstacles that are her favorites, then did a few more that I asked. We didn't get a "Q" but we learned some valuable lessons in our first trial, we made new friends, and we had fun!

Baloo's Quote of the Day

All knowledge, the totality of all questions

and all answers is contained in the dog. Kafka

This photo of a three legged brindle-colored mongrel was shot in the small community of San Martin Tilcajete, about half an hours drive from Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico. One of the best places in Oaxaca to find alebrijes - fanciful, colorful wooden folk carvings.

Baloo named Good Dog of the Month!

Baloo was recently named Good Dog Agility Club's January/February Good Dog of the Month. What an honor, but she hasn't let it go to her head. Big sister Jazz still gets to eat first in the morning. Here's the website posting:
Baloo is a happy-go-lucky, 22-month-old Rhodesian ridgeback. She is new to the sport of agility, and the confidence she has gained in a short time has been amazing to see. Once totally panicked by tunnels, now they are her favorite obstacles. With her patient, calm demeanor, Baloo aspires to be a therapy dog, and especially would like to someday help children learn to read – she even raises money for charity on her own blog. She was so proud to finish Beginners class and insisted on wearing her ribbon around the house. She plans to enter her first event in February – Baloo is truly an awesome dog.
http://www.gooddog.org/

Baloo's Quote of the Day

"I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive." - Gilda Radner

Baloo's Quote of the Day

"No matter how little money and how few possesions you own, having a dog makes you rich." Louis Sabin

Baloo's Quote of the Day

"Outside of a dog, a book is probably man's best friend,

and inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." - Groucho Marx

Baloo's Quote of the Day

Happiness to a dog is what lies

on the other side of a door. Charleton Ogburn Jr.

GoodDog Competition Weekend

The GoodDog Agility Club had a competition last weekend. There were lots of dogs, lots of ribbons, and lots of Q's! I am finally learning some of this dog agility lingo and am meeting a lot of fun people who love their dogs and whose dogs love being athletes. Like Deuce, the budding young athlete pictured here. Little Deuce is a one year old jack russel terrier. He's still too young to compete (U.S. Dog Agility Association rules stipulate a dog must be at least 18 months), but is already learning the importance of hitting his contacts. Deuce was so cute as he crouched down on his yellow practice board, all intense. He may be a puppy, but he's serious about his sport! Baloo could learn a thing or two from Deuce, she tends to sail right over her contacts.

For the weekend events, I had the job of chief ring steward. That's a fancy title, my job was to make sure all the jobs in my ring were covered by the show volunteers. It takes a lot of effort by a lot of people to run an agility competition. Simple things like taking the dog leash from the start line where it is dropped by the handler to the spot where they finish; keeping score as the judge calls out points or signals faults; someone to make sure each competing dog checks in and is at the start line ready to go; and several people to reset jumps when needed. Watching the other dogs all weekend made me really want to get in on the fun. Although Baloo is not ready for the "standards" competition - the competition that involves all of the obstacles - I do plan to spend the next month preparing her for the "jumpers" and "gamblers" competitions. Jumpers involves lots of jumps, weave poles and tunnels (no contacts or teeter totters - where we need to improve) and the gambler competition is a course where the handler decides which obstacles to do (therefore we can avoid those obstacles that we may have problems with). Next show is in early January, can't wait!

Morning Hikes are the Best!

At 16,500 acres, South mountain park is the largest municipal park in the world! Imagine that, and only a couple miles from my front door. It sure is a beautiful place to be on a gorgeous day in November. Baloo and I started our day there this morning, along with hundreds of bikers, hikers, their dogs, and a few horses. Even though cars and trucks lined the road leading to the Pima Canyon Trailhead we only passed an occasional hiker on the quiet trail. We hiked along Beverly Canyon Trail for a bit, before walking along Pima Wash and finally returning to the trailhead via National Trail. I’m scoping out the plants for interesting subjects to draw. Already thinking about my final botanical illustration project - although I'm a good couple years away from finishing my courses and officially starting my assignment. Bursage, brittlebush, creosote, palo verde, ironwood and saguaro cactus dominate the rocky landscape of South Mountain. We watched a curve billed thrasher enjoying a sunny rock. Baloo’s nose was in overdrive, discovering who knows what about the dogs who had hiked before her and something about the fresh horse manure on the trail really appealed to her senses.

Cynosport World Games

Baloo and I went to the Cynosport World Games at Westworld in Scottsdale today. We arrived early and walked around. There was a lot to see! Dogs everywhere. We saw several rhodesian ridgebacks, plus lots of typical agility sport dogs like shelties, australian shepards, border collies, a couple boxers, jack russel terriers, a couple italian greyhounds, yorkshire terriers, and plenty of mixed breed dogs. I wondered how Baloo would do at the Course A Lure this year. Last year Baloo didn't understand what she was supposed to do and was terrified of the tunnel, unsure about the tire, and not too crazy about the fake squirrel thing she was supposed to chase. This year was completely different. Baloo was so excited to chase the lure, she ran off after it lickity split, through the tire over the long jumps, through the tunnel around the bend and all the way to the end. She was still excited afterward and nearly dragged me along the ground as she kept trying to go after the lure again. After her run we walked around a bit more. We saw some of the frisbee competition and watched the herding dogs scramble after four sheep. We sat in the shade and watched a little free style - from what I could tell, that consisted of the dog doing tricks to music. We also watched a little bit of flyball, where the dogs run after a ball in relays, at a very fast and excited pace. Baloo received many complements, she is so calm and well mannered. Then we went back to the lure course for one more run. Baloo was even more excited and very fast. She ran the course in only about 18 seconds! We didn't stay around to see if she won a ribbon for her exceptional time. It was hot out, and the star was beginning to drag. Phoenix has been above normal temperatures the last few days, and unfortunately today was no exception. By noon it was pretty close to 90 farenheit. Baloo had really wanted to watch the final agility rounds where the best of the best would compete - she was looking forward to picking up a few tips. But it was too hot, so we called it a day - a really great day!

CYNOSPORT GAMES WEEK

I snapped this picture of Baloo in the grass, I love the way her ears flop and curl.

Baloo is an "advanced beginner" in agility class and has picked up where she left off over the summer. Last week we learned a new move and command, "wrap". Wrapping is used after a jump, the command is to call your dog back around the jump to prevent a reverse jump.

This week we don't have class because the USDAA CynoSport Games are in town. The events begin Wednesday at Westworld in Scottsdale and it promises to be a lot of fun. There'll be agility rings, frisbee, flyball, herding, lure coursing. I am looking forward to entering Baloo in the lure coursing event. Last year she was terrified of the course and the tunnel especially. This year I think she'll burn up the course, racing after the little fake squirrel in record time. We'll see in few days.

October Joy

October has arrived, and Baloo and I are grateful for that. The weather in Arizona in October is perfect. Cool mornings and evenings and sunshiny warm afternoons, usually with a breeze. Agility classes have started up again, but Baloo missed her first two classes because of a schedule conflict (my schedule conflict...she was free). This Wednesday will be our first class after the long summer. We've hardly practiced and will certainly be rusty. I know she's eager to start. I put her weave poles out the other day and she enthusiastically weaved the poles and then ran over to pounce on her long teeter board (an old board centered on a short stack of bricks, initially intended to help her with her fear of all things moving, tipping, and banging). In the next few days I'll study my latest "Clean Run" magazine issues - great tips about course memorization in the last issues. Course memorization is an area I was having trouble with as we started to run sequences at the end of our beginner class. I'll need to learn some tricks and train my brain. Baloo has matured since beginner class. She weighs about 71 pounds and has really filled out. She is still having some confidence issues. I am hopeful that by re-engaging in agility class, her confidence will grow again. She is pretty confident on our walks, but around the house there are a few things that keep her spooked. In the back yard, blowing leaves and branches in our large tree are somewhat distressing for her. We have a canopied gazebo area in our yard and when the canopy flaps and blows it can send her flying. Indoors, Baloo has a lot of fear of kitchen sounds. Probably because of the lack of cooking that goes on - she's not used to it, ha! In the morning, she will not come in the kitchen to eat until I'm away from the sink. Dish washing and water bowl filling send her cowering. I know there's a fully confident dog in there somewhere, we'll just keep working on it. We are excited for new challenges and loads of practice. Agility classes, fun runs, competitions, dog shows, Cynosport Games - there will be a lot to write about in the coming weeks. Welcome Back!

Agility Beginner Class Graduation

Graduation Day (June 6). Baloo’s most challenging course started with a couple jumps, the dog walk, a tunnel, tire, more jumps and a chute, the table, weave poles, another tunnel, jumps, a-frame, and the final jump. Baloo is talented. She loves running a course and definitely has the potential to compete in the future. The big challenge will be for me…can I excel at communicating to Baloo when we are running a course? When we ran our graduation fun run, it was evident that I was the one who needed practice. An agility course can be challenging to remember. How timely that in this month’s “Clean Run” magazine, was a great article offering tips on how to memorize obstacle sequences. Baloo is so fast, I will need to learn how to send her along the course with minimal running on my part. Obstacle name recognition and the commands to move left, right, or here will be critical in our training. But Baloo is multi-talented and I believe I can also be trained, so we are excited for the next class in the fall. Until then, we’ll have the weekly fun runs to look forward to. Since the summer is a slow time for agility practice, this will be a good opportunity to explore Baloo’s other interests, like social issues, current events and blogging.

JUMP!

photo by aggieB !

At Mill's End

Oh what a beautiful morning in Tempe, Arizona. The temperature couldn't be more perfect, especially for a day in May. Baloo and I are downtown, at Mill's End cafe and creperie. I had a delicious crepe, filled with turkey, provolone, tomatoes and mushrooms, along with a cup of coffee. I'm glad we decided to vary from the usual Sunday morning routine, breakfast at Wildflower Bread Company. I really like going there, but this morning we walked along the lake and the exercise was good. We got a chance to practice our running stamina and there's always people fishing, biking, running, walking - it's just a good place to get a Sunday morning started. We saw a great blue heron perched alongside the lake bank and Baloo was very interested as it flew off with great, slow flaps. I like watching the rowers skim across the water.

Baloo is a perfect cafe dog. Especially with the exercise beforehand, she calmly sat by my side for the first hour or so and now that we are into our second hour she has laid down next to my table to watch the finches and sparrows patrol the tables for crumbs, and cyclists and walkers coming and going. She is quiet and watchful. We are quiet now, but in only a couple hours we will be at home with the television volume loud as we cheer on the Phoenix Suns. Go Suns! This is your year to beat the Spurs and go to the top!

Dragon boat races at Tempe Town Lake

This morning Baloo and I went to downtown Tempe to walk around the lake. We were pleasantly surprised to find that the Dragon boat races were going on. We sat for a while to watch and several people came up to pet Baloo. That was good, she is getting more used to people coming up to her and doesn't seem to mind. We met two women from Canada who were going to row in the competition. They told us all about their dogs back home, being attended to by dog sitters. Another woman complimented Baloo on her very calm disposition. She was so impressed that Baloo is so well mannered. She asked if I've thought about getting Baloo involved as a therapy dog. I said I might. I think the kids and adults alike would enjoy petting Baloo's ridge and she's never hyper. She has to get used to a lot of things first, but she seems like a perfect candidate for service work. There's a group called Gabriel's Angels that connect therapy dogs with work. I think Baloo would also like to be a dog that helps kids read. We'll work on getting her prepared to work, maybe by the time she's two she'll be ready for a job.