Officially spring - sheep are nude!!

Now it REALLY is spring - the wool sheep were shorn this am & look quite funny in their "nudity". We also have 3 "hair" sheep - Kathadins, who do not have real wool. They do not get shorn but shed blobs of hair/wool. I like the wool sheep a tad better but it is getting harder and harder to find anyone willing to shear sheep. And I admit freely, *I* don't want to!

It is supposed to get quite cold tonight so we will make sure the sheep come in. It may require work by Hokey as I suspect they won't want to come into the barn again for a while after the shearing. We worked out today that Klara, currently our oldest sheep has to be at least 14 years old.

I put the shedding blade to the horses this am as well so we had hair everywhere! The donkeys won't shed for at least another month and then, they do best with a rubber curry grooming.
Deb E, figuring she inhaled her daily dose of fiber today with all the hair in the air!

From Hokey:
Oh yeah, I bet they will need the Hokester to get those sheep into the barn. Nothing like freshly shorn sheep to be a bit spooky. Good thing Deb has a GREAT herding dog to help her. Man, I am just indispensable!
And, do I need to point out - it is Monday and NO CHEMO!!!!

Good week!

This has been a good week! The weather was decent most days so all the dogs got mile long walks while Hokey and I also got in some tracking. A friend laid a nice half TDX track for him on Thursday and he did quite well. It is great when you can swap tracking laying with people and get your dog to new sites.

The grass is growing like crazy - EXCEPT in the duck pen where I really want it to grow!That would figure of course :). Oh well, rain today so hopefully that will stimulate some growth or I can throw some more seed out there.

I felt badly that a lovely snake I had come to know got run over yesterday. I think it was a red factor garter snake though I should look it up. Very attractive, good sized snake and with a stub tail from some previous accident. It tended to be a bit snotty when I would move it while mowing, etc but it was so attractive I didn't mind. Cars and snakes don't mix well.
Deb E

From Hokey:
Yeah, I got to track in a really neat new area - even got to work through some woods. I am hoping to be totally fit and ready for next Sunday when I get to track in Texas.

All three of us Tervs, me, Dani & Queezle, are going to the Terv Natl. It is the 50th anniversary so it should be fun. I want to be a big star but it will be tricky. Deb is getting 25 yr member recognition & Dani is in the Top Ten Tracking Dogs Invitational. So, I really need to shine at something. I am still not totally comfortable with my dumbbell but I think I am ready to blow everyone away in tracking & agility.

I couldn't do duck herding unfortunately as there was a conflict with tracking. Hopefully my sister Flame will be a big star there.

Ok, gotta go practice my mental preparations (that means take a nap!).
Hokey

Spring colds

I am guessing it may be partly allergy associated but I always seem to get a bad cold in the spring. Usually the week of the Syracuse shows but it is later this week. I hate having a "fuzzy head"!

We are working away diligently on Hokey's tracking & also an exercise program to make sure he is in top shape. He loves getting the extra long walks & tracking is one of his favorite things to do. Yesterday we did some mini VST tracks at out local schools. Kate was home for the weekend so I had her lay Hokey's track while I laid one for our friend Maura & her Terv, Malibu.

We aged the tracks 3 to 4 hours & during that time the wind came up. Both dogs did very well, even in the tricky & difficult spots. You can start crossing your fingers (and any household paws) now for Hokey at the tracking tests at our National in 2 weeks. It would be great if he could do well - it is already fantastic that he simply gets to go to Texas!
Deb E, off to heat up a corn bag for my head!

From Hokey:
Yes! I was SO good on my track! My only problem was the playground where Kate took my track onto & over a wooden platform. I was not at all sure that was right & I wanted to simply duck under or around. I never lost the scent though & Deb helped me by encouraging me onto the wooden thing. I think that was cheating myself! Luckily Kate is one of my favorite people so I won't hold it against her.

We had Dani's birthday on Saturday - she is now 11!!! We all got some steak & roast beef so that was cool. Dani likes to point out that she is the best AND the top dog in our house. I tell her obviously her age is showing with her senility since *I* am the best! I only do that when I can run & hide somewhere.

Deb is feeling sick so I have to go take care of her. Actually Dani & Tia are the best nurses so I just supervise them!
Hokey

New Goals

I had hoped Hokey would get a CDX leg or maybe even two at the Syracuse shows but no such luck. On Friday when he ran out to get his dumbbell,grabbed it, turned & took about 2 steps back to me when suddenly he leapt into the air, throwing the dumbbell. He was definitely NOT playing with it - it looked like he got an electric shock! We never figured out what happened & he did the retrieve over the high jump (different area of the ring) just fine. He did not want to go near that area of the ring so I pulled him for the weekend.
It seems he has connected the dumbbell to the problem but we are working through it. (His teeth, mouth, etc are fine). I am putting peanut butter on the bar and letting him lick it. That was going fine. Then Queezle came over and, hoorah for sibling rivalry!, he grabbed the dumbbell and ran off! So maybe he will get over this quickly.
We are planning to head to our Natl in a couple of weeks - the 50th one for Belgian Tervurens. So today we were out tracking and he did a wonderful job.
Deb E

From Hokey:
Man, that was awful with my dumbbell! I love that thing but whatever happened was downright spooky!I wish I could blame another dog somehow or maybe the cat - yeah, I bet the cat was behind this! I will bet he booby trapped my dumbbell at home on Thursday night. Probably jealous of how great I am doing!

Oh well, I LOVE the peanut butter therapy. I may need it for a long, long time :))

And today I got to work my ducks AND go tracking! Doesn't get much better than that. I went by the clinic but just to pick up tick stuff for our trip and to get weighed. NO chemo!!!!
Hokey

EXCELLENT!!!!

From Hokey:
WOOHEE!!! Can you say EXCELLENT?!!! Cause that is what I truly am!Today I jumped, ran, hit my contacts, earned 66 points (I only needed 60), did the send, was STILL 5 seconds under time when I finished AND got the last leg for my Excellent FAST title!!! I am now excellent in all three of my agility classes!!! OH and I got FIRST place!!! My cousin Ticket won her FAST class too!

Deb says no more FAST for me though. She figures 2 classes a day will be plenty for me & she knows I don't like having to go away from her like you have to in FAST. Still, this was cool as this was my only agility class she entered me in this weekend.

I gotta tell you, there were tons of hot Terv chicks (OK, so a couple of them are my cousins but still)watching & I think I blew them all away. This was my title so I got a big blue rosette for first place plus a pretty baby blue rosette for my title AND I got a cute sun squeaky toy. I had a hard time between the star & the sun but since I am the light of Deb's life, the sun seemed appropriate.
Oh, oh - I also got my very own hamburger on the way home!!!!
Yeah, Hokey is The Man!!!