HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TOU

I can’t believe it; my puppy is now 1 year old. Wow! It seems like yesterday when the breeder emailed me to tell me that puppies were on the way and that started a series of dialogs between me and my husband as to whether we were ready for another dog or not. Well obviously we decided that we were and recently we celebrated her first birthday.

Her presents included a beautiful choke color with pink rope intertwined, a pink tag that says “Her Majesty”, a new pink lead, a new food bowl, and la piece de la resistance – a brand new orange bumper.

Pictures to follow

My little girl is growing up

OH MAN! That was my first thought Thursday Thanksgiving morning when my husband asked “Who’s bleeding?” On the floor were a few drops of blood. I hoped maybe one of the dogs had hurt their paws but I knew the truth. Sienna was in heat. Here we are about to leave for several hours on Thanksgiving Day and Sienna is in season. We were afraid that first of all she would bleed everywhere and secondly that she would either try to get out or some amorous male would try to break in while we were 100 miles away eating turkey.

I have never had a female dog that wasn’t fixed, but I can’t show her if she’s fixed and obviously can’t breed her if she’s spayed, so this was all new to me. I called my friend and Sienna’s trainer, Mary, and asked her about a million questions. We found out that this would last about 21 days (thank God I’m not a dog, 3 days is bad enough) and that like most females her hormones would probably be out of whack and she might do things that she normally wouldn’t do or forget how to do things that she normally would do.

Since she went into heat on Thanksgiving Day, we did make shift diapers for a few days using little boy underwear – boys because there is a place for her tail – and baby diapers, but after having to wash the undies multiple times in 2 days (let’s just say, it took awhile for her to get the whole potty and wearing diaper thing down) I decided it was time to buy some disposable diapers. Disposables are expensive so we ordered some pants online. So now she is decked out in little jeans that have a hole for her tail. She is putting up with them pretty well but I think I can speak for both of us when I say; we will be soooo happy when this is all over.

Show 3

Show 3 – the results are in. Luckily this show was nearby (Monroe), so we didn’t have to travel far and didn’t have to buy lunch at their ultra expensive food stands. I mean really, since when is a hot dog and chips supposed to cost $8.00? Anyway, it was a pretty typical show for us. Sienna was the only girl in her class, now she is in 9-12 months, so of course, two days in a row we got the blue ribbon for being the only dog in the ring. But again, when we went up against the older girls, we didn’t stand a chance.

This time though, I’m not sure it was a “puppy” thing. I think it was a “color” thing. . When I told the breeder that I wanted a “deadgrass*” female she tried to discourage me by saying that even though judges shouldn’t be partial to one color or the other, they often will pick the darker brown dogs as winners. And boy was that apparent this weekend. Both judges, both days loved the dark brown chessies. Sienna is considered a “light brown” but when you compare her to the brown or dark brown chessies, she’s pretty light.

On Saturday we felt pretty much invisible to the judge. We walked into the ring, I started to stack her and she told me to go around the ring. Then we stopped and I started to stack her again and the judge was right there, I really didn’t feel like I had adequate time to stack her up right. The judge quickly went over Sienna and then told us to do our down and back. As soon as we came back, she gave us our blue ribbon and out of the ring we went. I thought Sienna did pretty well this time but when we went back in to go up against the other females, she was less focused and even kind of jumpy. Anyway, the judge gave the ribbons to the other girls in the ring and we walked out empty handed.

Sunday judge was much better. We entered the ring and we went around and then I stopped to get her stacked up. He gave her a pretty good once over, really checking her teeth, coat and body. She did great in the ring this day and I really hoped that we would have a chance. That and something new happened; there was a younger girl this time. She showed in the 6-9 month, so when all the bitches went back in the ring, we were not at the end of the line! We still didn’t win, but I felt like we had a fair handshake this time since the judge was much more attentive to all the dogs.

So for those of you who don’t know how a dog show works, I will try to explain it in the way that I understand it. Now, I am no expert and am still trying to learn how all of this works but here is my explanation. (Experts, please feel free to correct me)

First of all you are judged by age and by sex. Boys go first, they are called dogs. If there are any 6-9month pups they are up first, followed by 9-12 month, 12-18 month, then open dogs (dogs a year or older). Then the winners of all of those groups go up against each other to win Best Dog. Then, it’s the girls turn, they are called bitches. When the winners of the girls go up against each other, the winner is called Best Bitch. Ok, now the Best Dog and Best Bitch go up against dogs that already have Championship titles and that is where you win Best of Winners. I believe this is also where you get Best of Breed. I am not entirely sure of all of this because we have only won our age group (not to hard when there isn’t any competition) and then gone up against the other bitch winners where we have yet to win. Someday…………………..

I believe the Best of Breed then goes to Best in Group, then the winner of that goes to Best in Show. So as you can see, it takes a lot of work to get that far. On top of those titles they are others based on breeders and such……one thing at a time!

*Chesapeakes come in various shades of colors. Deadgrass is a light color like a Golden retriever, Sedge is a reddish color and then there is the brown color. Of course all these colors can vary as well, Sienna is considered “light brown” but it seems to be close enough to “deadgrass” that dogs that are darker seem to be preferred.

It's GO time!

I just pulled an all nighter and it had nothing to do with alcohol, bars, despressed friends,or triple features, it had to do with 1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9... little brown, curly, squealing, puppies!



Someday I want to breed Sienna. I have never been around when puppies have been born before and I thought that this is something that I should do before I have a very pregnant dog about to birth many puppies. So when my trainers’ dog was bred, I asked if I could be present when the puppies are born. She said “absolutely!”

This past weekend I got to feel the puppies inside mama and my trainer, Mary, informed me that on Tuesday she would have x-rays so as to get an idea as to how many puppies we could expect. Mary called on Tuesday to say that it looked like there were 7 puppies but maybe 8 if one was hiding. She was thinking that it would still be a day or two before Reilaigh would go in to labor. Since this is the 2nd time she has bred this dog, she had a pretty good idea of the pre-labor signs to look for but was also going to take her temperature in a day or two because if her temp drops that is a sure sign of the beginnings of labor.

I was getting anxious so I called on Thursday around 12:30pm and left a message asking how Reilaigh was doing and if she thought it might be happening soon. About 15 minutes later, she called to say that she thought Reilaigh had just had a contraction. Mary wasn’t sure just how long we had but was pretty sure it wasn’t going to happen for a few more hours.

Since I had time, I came home, got my stuff ready, ate lunch, tried to take a short nap (since I figured it would be a long night) and finally decided about 2:20 that it was time to go. Around 4pm I showed up with a grande non-fat latte (for me) and a caramel macchiato (for Mary). We then sipped and waited. And waited. And waited some more.

It was grand central at Mary’s since she is part of the parent club and the next night was the Harvest festival. She had some how ended up in charge of the cake walk so people were calling constantly as well as some very anxious puppy friends waiting to hear news of puppies. Around 8pm, she received a call about the cake walk and Reilaigh, who wouldn’t let Mary out of her sight all day, came and sat right next to me. When she got up, signs of labor were on the floor – ewww! So we hustled her back to the bedroom where the blankets were and waited.

About an hour went by and nothing had happened yet (except for some uck and ooze) so Mary decided to take Reilaigh out for a potty break and I took one too! When I was done, I looked outside to see Mary and Mike (her man) gathered around Reilaigh and Mary said “we have pup number one”. Man I missed the first puppy!!!!! Oh well we brought Reilaigh back in, cleaned up her pup and gave it to her.

We thought that once the first pup came that the others would quickly follow. Well…….pup two took another hour and 20 minutes but it was cool because I caught him in a towel. Now we had 2 boys.

She gave us a bit of a scare because I guess once they begin having puppies, you should get at least one pup an hour. Well over two hours went by as we waited for pup 3. She finally came out around 12:30 not breathing on her own so Mary worked with her and she started making some noise and moving around. Then it seemed like no time and pup 4 was on its way, yeah, another girl. Then in less than an hour another girl, pup 5. Then we waited and worried as another 2 hours passed. Finally another pup came but this one didn’t have a chance, so pup 6, a boy, was still born.

Mary gave Reilaigh a shot to help her with the last puppy (remember the x-ray said 7) and left to take the still born pup out. Seconds later I was catching pup number 7. This one, like pup 3 was very water logged and not thriving like some of the others and I was alone. I tried to do some of what I had seen Mary do but was very relieved when Mary came back. Pup number 7 was fine – whew.

Well we were thinking we were done, though it seemed to me that I could still feel a puppy in her belly. So at around 5am I decided that it was about time for me to go home. Mary went to make coffee and we were chatting about an upcoming dog show when Reilaigh started acting like she was going to have more, surprise! Around 5:15 one more boy and 5:30 one more girl were brought into this world. So much for seeing 7 on the x-rays!

I finally left around 6:30am and Reilaigh was done and Mary and I were exhausted. It’s hard to pull an all-nighter and go through the stress of birthing puppies but it was worth every moment as each new little brown curly life entered into this world.

Don’t put that in your mouth!

Dead birds, live birds, birds, birds, birds. Why did I choose a bird dog again? Originally when I first decided that I wanted to get a dog of show quality I thought that I would get a Golden Retriever but then after some research I realized that Goldens are EVERYWHERE! And for good reason, they are beautiful and loving. They make great family dogs and live to please their humans. Well, I knew I preferred larger breeds. I didn’t know much about Chesapeakes but since I have a ½ chessie, ½ chocolate lab I thought, I would check out Chesapeakes. It didn’t take long for me to realize that Chesapeakes are so cool. Some of the traits that I love about my chessie mix are the traits that are often associated with Chesapeakes; loyal, protective, hard-working, ready and willing to please and energetic. They were specifically designed to be hunting water dogs; they have webbed toes and a double coat which allows them to stay warm in the cold Chesapeake Bay waters. They are a relatively young breed, started in the early 1800’s. They have Newfoundland in their heritage along with a few other hunting breeds, possibly Coon hound, or perhaps English Foxhounds*. They are known for their drive and determination to get the bird and bring it back to their owner. In my opinion, I think they are GREAT dogs and even though neither my husband nor I are hunters, I am hooked on the breed.


Newfoundland around 1920's



My original plan was to show Sienna. I thought, how fun, she and I will run around the ring and we’ll get all kinds of conformation titles and it will be great. I also liked the fact that they are not as well known over here on the west coast, since the breed originated on the east coast. So that meant less competition and being a beginner, I still think that was the right choice. But since I have had Sienna I have learned even more about the breed and what they are capable of.

Like I stated earlier, neither my husband nor I are hunters. I have no interest in hunting. But Chesapeakes were bred to hunt water fowl. And even though Sienna has never hunted, the instinct for her to retrieve birds (and bumpers) is amazing. I realize now that to not let her do what she has been bred to do would almost be a crime against her breed. We had a gathering with several chessie owners a few months back and even at 7 months I could hardly hold her back when she knew there was a bird for her to find and retrieve.

So now I am planning on doing much more than just conformation, I plan her getting hunt titles as well and I might even let her go duck hunting once in a while (with friends of course because I have no plans to start hunting - but I think my husband likes the idea of getting a rifle.)

For more information on this breed go to this website and click on “Historical Discussion”.
*http://www.cbrs4me.com/chesapeake/sindex/sindex.html

The ugly truth

Politics!!! There everywhere!!! Churches, offices, schools, and yes even at dog shows.

At Sienna’s first dog show I learned that puppy Chesapeake’s don’t win over the adult dogs. Ok, I can live with that, I really didn’t expect her to get her championship title at her very first show. So when I saw that at the next show there would be 4 puppies, I was excited because that meant she might have competition, therefore earning points towards her champion title. Unfortunately the other 3 dogs were all boys. So again we were in the ring, alone, another blue ribbon but no points – you don’t become a champion without points. You don’t become a champion without competition. Winning in her class does mean that she does get to compete with the other female dogs that win their classes, but like I said, puppy chesapeakes don’t usually win against the adults, so I was a little disappointed that she wasn’t going to gain any points. I don’t know about Sienna, but I pretty much felt invisible in the ring as we brought up the rear. I felt like the judge only glanced our way out of obligation to look at all the dogs.

I have also found out a few things about showing. One of the reasons that I went with the Chesapeake breed was low maintenance. I didn’t want to dock any tails or pin any ears and I certainly didn’t want a dog that had prettier hair than me. (I don’t even like to do my own hair, I can’t imagine grooming my dogs hair for 2 hours before each show – ug!) Any way, I have found out that they are not as low maintenance as I originally thought – that is if you want to win!!!!! Chessies are known for their thick curly coats. Well during the summer time in moderate weather like we have here in the Northwest, they don’t really develop the coat they need to be a winner – ah but you can force it. At one show one of the owners was backcombing her dogs coat (my trainer says that’s a big no no) but guess what – her dog won that day! Another owner took her dog outside and in her back yard; she would soak him with cold water everyday. While his coat did look beautiful, it just wasn’t what he would look like had he just been left alone. I have been told on several occasions that I am to make my puppy spend the nights outside in order to develop her coat. I guess if you are driven enough and have the competitive spirit you’ll do whatever it takes to win. Don’t even get me started on situations where your handler and the judges are good friends…………….

So her next show is in November, she will be 11 months old. What am I going to do about her coat? Well, since we live near water, and they are water dogs, I plan to take her swimming on a fairly regular basis to get her winter coat to come in. I can’t do anything about her body filling out, that is something that will have to happen as she matures but hopefully she will get some points this time.

It’s so wonderful to get the opportunity to try something new. I have enjoyed so much learning about training and showing, obedience and hunt tests and it really has given me a good idea as to what direction I want to turn. At this point Sienna will probably be the first and last dog that I ever show……at least I say this until she starts getting some points and my competitive side kicks in……..

You call yourself a champion?

We have a show tomorrow and Sienna is now in that awkward phase of puppy hood. I love her no matter what she looks like but even I have to be real. She is 8 months old and her legs are too skinny and her ears are too floppy for her narrow snout. Chesapeake’s are known for their broad chests and heads. Sienna is just narrow and gangly. I have even had people asking if she is a wiemaraner because her ears are so big and floppy.




I realize that the judge will realize that he is judging a puppy and not an adult therefore she should not have the qualities that an adult Chesapeake should have but still……..




I wonder if she feels like I did when I was a teenager, all out of proportion, going in for school pictures. In fact she looks a little like I did in my 7th grade photo.

Our first show!

Well, we survived! I was nervous but Sienna acted like a pro, you would have thought that she had been in the show ring a thousand times. She walked in, put her game face on and showed her stuff.

She was the only one in her puppy class so of course she won but I have no doubt that she could have kicked puppy butt had she gone up against any other puppies. (No I'm not biased).

She was so ready that she stacked herself and had no issues with the judge going over her. She ran at the perfect pace and stopped right on cue.

When she went up against the other females I thought she did great but she was up against some older girls with lots of experience and walked away with only the experience.

I did all right too but was pretty nervous throughout the whole show, I took lot’s of deep breaths and let Sienna lead the way!

Watch for our next show, where I know she will do great!

Ready or not here we come!

Our first show is Saturday and after months of training, we hope to do well. Of course, it is my first show and Sienna's first show so just about anything can happen. We’ve been working hard and practicing everyday. I’m pretty sure I’m more excited than she is!



Look for my next blog in which I will be letting everyone know just how well she did.

There's something about "Busy Bee"

If you’ve seen the movie “Best in Show” you are familiar with “busy bee”. If you haven’t, then here is a brief synopsis. “Busy Bee” is the toy used to entertain and calm one of the dogs entered into the show, a beautiful wiemaraner named Beatrice. Well the parents of Beatrice are a conflicted couple who cast their neuroticisms on their poor dog. So when “busy bee” goes missing, the couple get into a huge argument and the wife storms off to find “busy bee” by terrorizing the hotel manager and then a pet store clerk. Meanwhile, Beatrice calmly remains at the show. Busy bee obviously means more to her mom and dad then it does to her.



So when we first brought Sienna home, every toy she had we referred to as “busy bee”. Then at a show, we found a 3pack of busy bees and of course had to buy them. The first busy bee, met with a deflating death quickly as all 3 dogs were fascinated with the busy bee and played tug-o-war with it. I then learned that “busy bee” truly has magical powers.



If you have watched dog shows or been to one, you will see the owners/handlers using treats to keep their dogs calm and obedient. Well during the process of getting the dogs properly stacked, often times the owner/handler will put the treat in their own mouth until they are ready to give it to the dog. Sorry but gross! I love my dog but I don’t want her treats near my mouth. So as incentive for her to be calm and focus, we will be using “busy bee” The magical powers of such a stuffed creature are beyond me but if it works, then hey, why not!

Poops, peeps, and Kool and the gang

When you were (or perhaps still are) a parent of a young person, did you ever find yourself saying some pretty weird things? I know I did and it usually had something to do with potty time. Well I find that now, as a puppy parent, I have resorted to using terms like “poops and peeps” as part of my everyday language. For example, I will come in from the dog run, praising her for going poops AND peeps, yea! Or I will say something like, “come on Sienna, let’s go outside and poop-poop-sha-poop!” Or singing to the tune of “Ladies night” by Kool and the Gang – “Oh yes, it potty time and the feelings right oh yes, it’s potty time oh potty time.” And then there is the squeal of delight that I exclaim whenever she does her business. For an observer this must be a strange thing but as anyone who has every potty trained a human or animal, success is worth the embarrassment and bizarre behavior!

(Sorry no pictures this time due to the content of the blog)

Ready, set, win!

I'm so excited, I just entered Sienna for her first dog show. It's all coming together and I know that she is going to do great! We've been going to classes and learning great things now it’s time to show her stuff. I have great confidence in her, I’m sure she will do a fantastic job, I’m more worried about me – I hope I don’t mess it all up!

Simple Pleasures

The problem with simple pleasures is that because they are simple and take very little work, they tend to be looked over. As humans we tend to over think things. We think that in order to have fun we must spend tons of money and plan for years. We're always saying we're too busy or we have too much to do in order to relax or have fun. I think we could learn a thing or two from our pets.



Pets find pleasure in the simple things, a nap, a game of tug of war, or keep away, getting fed, running on a wheel, chasing a ball, meeting new people, taking a walk, going for a swim, etc. They don’t need to think or plan, they don’t need to spend a lot of money, they just do what interests them.



I know that as humans our lives are more complicated than those of our pets but we need down time too! When was the last time you just took off and went to the park or snuggled up with a good book and a cup of tea, when was the last time you took a nap? Better yet, when was the last time you threw a ball for your dog or took a string and played with your cat?





Next time you are feeling overwhelmed, stress-out or anxious, don’t take a Xanex, look to your pet – they seem to have perfected the art of simple pleasures.

BIG DOG

I want to be a BIG DOG too!



Sienna is the small dog right now while Abby and Rudy are referred to as the “big dogs”. Well, in my experience, there isn’t anyone who didn’t want to grow up fast and be a big dog or kid or whatever your species may be.

Rudy and Abby are big dogs. Rudy weighs 90lbs – all muscle too- and Abby is about the same – not all muscle. From day 1, Sienna has wanted nothing but to be like her big brother and sister. She wants to play rough like them, she wants to play with their toys, she wants to swim as far as Rudy and chew on big bones like Abby. She even tries to eat with the big dogs, even though she has her own puppy food. She had to have a big pillow just like them too (she kept peeing on her little one and we got the hint). I just think she doesn’t realize that she isn’t a big dog too! YET!

STAY!

STAY! This is the new command that Sienna learned at her last puppy class. But what does is mean to “stay”. Does it mean to be stagnant and not move forward? No, it means to be still and quiet, be patient while you wait for your next command.

In our fast paced human life, I believe that most of us have forgotten how to “stay”. We are on the go so much of the time that all of a sudden we look back and say, “How did I get here and where was I going?” There are times in my life when God has told me to “stay” and I turned a deaf ear and kept on going. Fortunately God has a way of telling me again and again until I relent and say “OK”, I will ‘stay’ and listen to what it is you’re trying to tell me.” It is in those times when I “stay” that I learn the most. I turn my eyes toward my Heavenly teacher and I wait for my next lesson.

This blog is dedicated to my step-mom, Sue, who learned to “stay” and took the time to love her husband, her children, her extended family; she took the time to stop and listen to the Lord even when she wanted to run and say “la, la, la I’m not listening”. She will be missed.



7-25-1941~4-17-2006

4 legged personalities

Pets are great because you can have such a variety of personalities. I had a cat once, Mr. Holland, who was basically a big mop. He would lie around and let you pet him all day if only you had the time. He was about as laid back as cats come. The reason I picked him was because the second I held him in my arms, cradled like a human baby, he fell asleep. That was all I needed to fall head over heels.



The cat we have now, Alley, is just the opposite. She’s high stung and flighty and will only let you touch her under her terms. But when she feels like being petted, she’s pretty sweet.


My husband brought to the marriage 2 human children, a rottweiller, a turtle and a cat. This rott, was no ordinary rott. He was 150 pounds of pure muscle and about the scariest looking dog I had ever seen. But he turned out to be the nicest, gentlest, dog I had ever met. Yes, he looked the part of the menacing beast but the truth was, he was a wonderful, loving dog that would have died first before intentionally hurting anyone in his family. He is dearly missed.



Now Rudy on the other hand…….there is a Saturday Night Live skit with Mike Meyers and Nicole Kidman where they play kids on a play ground. Nicole is a typical little girl playing with her doll while Meyers plays Philip the Hyper-hypo who is restrained to the play ground equipment with a bungee cord type leash. Rudy IS Philip. He has been hyper since day one and only recently when compared to a puppy does he seem remotely calm. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, he’s our “special boy”.


I did not name Abby but her name couldn’t have fit her any better because it rhymes with crabby and flabby. Now it’s not really her fault, she has a thyroid problem, but she is definitely the crabbiest dog in the house and let’s just say we were a little shocked when we took her to the vet last fall to find out that she was about 25 pounds overweight. Yikes. She’s now on a diet and has lost some weight and we are very proud of her. She also has a sweet side that she pretty much reserves for those that are closest to her and that sweet side makes her a wonderful pup.


Sienna is a lover and a trickster. She actually hugs us and of course loves to give a million kisses to express her affection and it is so sweet, I hope she never grows out of this phase. She is a trickster because she loves to play games. One of her favorites would be “Gingerbread Man”. You know the game where you chase, she runs, and says, “catch me if you can!” It’s cute to be an observer during this game but not so much when you are the involuntary other player.


She is turning out to be so cute and so sweet in so many ways that she balances out our hyper-hypo Rudy and our crabby, flabby, Abby! All of our dogs are special in their own ways and we wouldn’t want them any other way.

Growing pains

Why can’t puppies stay little and cute longer? I picked Sienna out at 5 weeks; she couldn’t have weighed more than 10 pounds, probably less. She was fat and fluffy and had bright blue eyes. When I picked her up at 8 weeks, she had grown so much, but of course was still very adorable, she weighed in at 16 pounds. At 11 weeks she was getting so big that I wasn’t sure how much longer I could carry her and I found myself wishing that she could just stay little a little longer.

When she was about 2 months old my husband taught her to run and jump into his arms while he crouched down. At her 20 pound demure little frame this was adorable. Well now she is more than 40 pounds and even though he can still do it, it takes more effort and gets more difficult with each passing day. I try to pick her up everyday just to see if I can but I really don’t think it will be much longer before she is just too big. When she reaches her adult weight she will be around 80+ pounds. All muscle too! Of course no matter her size, she will always be the baby.

Who needs sleep?

Who needs sleep?
well you're never gonna get it
Who needs sleep?
tell me what's that for
Who needs sleep?
be happy with what you're getting
There's a guy who's been awake
since the Second World War
Lyrics - Barenaked Ladies, Stunt



The games puppies play. Why are puppies so fun? It’s because they are so playful and most of the time that playfulness is very cute. MOST OF THE TIME. But not at 1:17am! Sienna has been doing very well in her crate at night. Most of the time she sleeps through the night, but for some reason last night was different. She woke up at a little after one in the morning, so I got up and we ran outside where she did her business. Unfortunately we have an outdoor cat that has been insisting on coming back inside these days and in the process of getting Sienna outside he came inside. Well catching a cat that doesn’t want to be caught can most likely seem like a very fun game for a young pup. Well I finally caught him, put him out but then Sienna wanted to stay out and play with this funny creature that is until he caught her pretty good with his claw.

So here we are; cat – out, dog – in and relived; time to go back into the crate to sleep. We ran back to the bedroom where I give her the command “Kennel up”. She looks at me and takes off running, down the hall, through the kitchen, back to the garage where now it is time to play “catch the dog”. Not a game I felt much like playing in the wee hours of the morning. None the less I caught the little pill, scooped her up in my arms (not an easy task now that she is close to 40 lbs) and put her in her kennel. Where thankfully she realized that it was still night time and after getting her blankets just how she likes them she went back to sleep. Me, I tossed and turned for a while but eventually feel asleep again only to be woken up by you know 5 minutes before my alarm was to go off…………..

My first show by Sienna

My first show.
By Sienna, AKA Miss Sassfire Star.

You may have noticed that my show name is Star, that’s because that’s what I’m going to be very soon, a STAR! I went to my first show on Saturday, it was fun. My mommy and my daddy and my brother were all there and I met a boy named Jessie and he’s pretty cute and I think I like him but he tried to get a little fresh with me and I don’t think I’m ready for that kind of relationship. For fun my daddy put on my show collar and we ran around the ring. I’m too young to actually be in the show but I think I still would have won because everybody tells me how cute I am. I had to pee like forever but I was too embarrassed to go in front of the big fluffy dog so I waited til mommy and daddy put my in my kennel then I peed for like 10 minutes but it felt so good I didn’t care that mommy and daddy were freaking out. Oh yeah, can you believe that mommy and daddy forgot their camera, what goofballs.

Working Girl

We have attended 2 classes so far. Since there are not a lot of Chesapeake breeders in the Northwest, some how Sienna is related to the other 3 puppies in her class. Not only that, her grandpa lives there with his girlfriend, so really every Saturday feels more like a family reunion then work. But it is work even though right now she is still very much a puppy who loves to play, play, play, she is learning a thing or two and so am I.





So when training a puppy there are words and actions that you use to get them to do what you want. Since I am new at this I have to remind myself what they are each time we “work”. One of the things is when we are walking and about to sit, I am supposed to take 3 steps, ending with my left foot, then telling her to sit while pushing down on her bottom with my left hand, pulling up on her leash with my right hand, then patting her with my left while telling her “good girl”. Then when we begin to walk again, I say “heel Sienna” and begin walking with my left foot (right foot will mean something different – I will learn that later). Unfortunately, I am left/right challenged and have been my whole life. So I realized that there is a good chance that I may have messed up my dog because I can’t seem to remember to take off on my left foot half the time and the other half it probably looks like I too am just beginning to walk on a leash, I’m stumbling and pulling and choking and whining. But luckily my trainer, I mean Sienna’s trainer is very patient with Sienna (and me) and with time, patience, and lot’s of practice I may actually get trained, I mean Sienna might actually get trained.

Terrible two

Dogs prefer to run in packs (just like human teenagers). So previously our pack contained a number of 2, well now that Sienna has come along we have a pack of 3. In each pack there is a pecking order. There is the top dog and his followers. Rudy, being the oldest, biggest, having lived here the longest and a male, should be the top dog. But for some reason, every time we bring a younger female in the house, she has him whipped over in no time. So I would say that the pecking order puts Sienna at the top, followed in a very close second by Abby, then there is Rudy in 3rd.


It’s truly amazing that Abby lets her get away with the things she does, because they are things she never would have let Rudy get away with. Things like; taking her bone, eating out of her dish, laying on her pillow, and playing with her toys. I know that Abby is a very smart dog and I think that she has decided to take full advantage of Sienna’s cuteness to keep her out of trouble. I also think that after what I discovered last night, I have the terrible two on my hands.


Abby and Sienna LOVE meal time, it is by far better than naps, toys, or playing. And after meals they both behave as if they are STARVING still and must….have……more……food. So last night after all the dogs were fed the proper amounts I sat down to do something and realized that neither Abby nor Sienna were around. I went into the garage and there they were. Abby, was opening the lid to Sienna’s food, sticking her head in the bag, taking food out, and dropping it on the floor for both of them to eat. It must be the girl power thing because these two seem to be developing a bond that Rudy is not a part of (of which he seems ok with). One dog can get into plenty of trouble on his/her own; I just wonder what I’m in store for with these partners in crime since they seem to think that if they pair up, they can pull the wool over my eyes and all trouble will be avoided.

Alter ego

Everybody has one. What’s your alter ego? Are you shy but flirtatious in the right atmosphere? Reserved but out spoken when something strikes a chord with you? When does it come out? When you’ve been drinking? Or when you’re in the company of people you are comfortable with? Perhaps it has to do with sugar or caffeine. Maybe it comes out when you’re angry or sad or elated. Whatever the circumstances, everybody has an alter ego.

I discovered Sienna’s alter ego early on. It’s why her show name is what it is.
When naming a dog that will be shown, you have their regular everyday name and then a special show name. Sienna’s show name is Cle Elum’s Miss Sassfire Star. Sassfire comes from her lineage and when I saw that name I knew I had to use it because it suits her alter ego to a “T”. When she is in her alter ego state, she is about as sassy and fiery as can be. This is the time of her day when EVERYTHING becomes a toy, for example; shoes, feet, fingers, pant legs, long sleeves, towels, pee pads, the other dogs, the cat, the chairs, the couch, wires, shoe rack, papers, sticks, garbage, and the list goes on and on. She can be relentless when she is in this mood and it doesn’t matter how many taps on the nose followed by a stern NO she receives, she’s very much like the Energizer Bunny, she just keeps going and going.

When she is in one of these moods, there is really only one thing to do….. put away all things that could be dangerous and wait out the storm. I know that this is very typical puppy behavior but there are times when I think she has thought out her devious little plans and sits giggling just around the corner. Like the other day for example. We had just come in from the dog run and I took off my special dog run shoes and was ready to enter the house. She decided to take one of my shoes and with lightning quick speed run back out to the dog run. Well I can’t exactly chase her with only one shoe and I wasn’t really willing to go out in the run in my socks since this is the main pooping and peeing area. So one footed, I hopped outside to retrieve my shoe (whose the retriever here?) I found her, sitting there with my one shoe and a smile on her devious little puppy face that told me, she knew just what she was doing.

If you’ve watched much TV in the last 20 years you would have to be familiar with “Seinfeild”. A TV show about nothing. Jerry, the main character in the show, had a nemesis named Newman. The name Newman became a way of swearing for Jerry that would clear the FCC and allow him to vent his frustration towards some wrong this character had done him. Sassfire has become somewhat of the same thing for me but in an endearing way. I know that she is a puppy and they do 4 things, sleep (yea!), eat (a lot), poop (a lot), and PLAY! I also know that as fun and frustrating as this time can be it won’t last forever so I had better enjoy it while she is young. But don’t be surprised if you happen to be driving down my street and you hear a slightly loud and frustrated “SASSFIRE!” emanate from my mouth!



A friend emailed me this bit of trivia. Thanks Dave, your sense of humor is always welcomed and refreshing.

"You probably didn't know that "Sassfire" is an old world contraction referring to a condition of heinous flagellants. An example of usage would be . . . "What's wrong with your boy?" "Oh, it's the Assfire." OR "Oh, Sassfire." "

Everybody needs a good nap!

If you are one of those people that say, “I can’t nap or I never nap” YOU’RE LYING! The best years of school were when I was in nursery school and kindergarten and we actually had nap time scheduled into the day. I also had nap time in high school and college; it was called Mr. Whites History class and Sociology 101. When I had my son, his nap time became my nap time and oh how wonderful it was to get an hour of peace, quiet and relaxation. When he stopped napping, I was so sad. You just can’t take your eyes off of a toddler for a nap and not expect him to make you a pretty picture with your favorite red lipstick or see how much toilet paper he can fit in the toilet bowl.


The same thing rings true for puppies. Sienna’s nap time, is my quiet relaxation time. AND I LOVE IT! During this time I can watch TV, read, do a little cleaning, work on the computer, etc. It also gives me a breather from her alter ego and when she is in this altered state, NO ONE rests. So when she naps, it’s Heavenly. Not to forget to mention that when she’s napping she looks just like a little puppy angel.


When puppies and babies are awake they keep you busy; feeding, changing, soothing, chasing, etc. This is probably why the majority of the pictures of my son when he was a baby and my puppy, are usually when they are sleeping. The other reason for taking so many pictures while Sienna is sleeping is because I can’t believe that she can get comfortable enough to sleep in some of the positions she chooses. So when she’s napping, and I am not, you can usually find me with a camera in hand snapping off pictures of my beautiful and quiet puppy angel.




SHHHHHH – don’t wake the beast.

Celebrating the small victories

If you have ever had a puppy or a toddler, you know all about celebrating the small victories. It may be one step forward and two steps back but none the less it must be celebrated.

Praise is a big motivator for humans and animals. And our dogs have pretty much become praise junkies. They finish all their food and they come to us wagging their tails, looking for praise. If we go to the dog park, they come running back to us for praise for each ball retrieved, each butt sniffed, each sit, each stay and so on.

So in an effort to celebrate and praise the newest member of our household, I have taken up giving treats for potty time, along with praise and petting galore. And I think its working. Now when we go outside and she pees, she will run back to me for her treat and praise. So the other day, she was whining at back door, I said “Go outside” She ran through the doggy doors to the dog run, I ran to get her treats and praise be, when I opened the door, there she was POOPING outside. This, my friends, is a victory. And for this victory we celebrated with puppy cookies and praise, praise, praise. For that one moment, she got it! Of course she has since lost it, but at least I know she had it and will find it again.


"Look mom, I poopedid outside"

What inspires your happy dance?

Everybody has a happy dance. Some are subtle head bobs and some consist of jumping up on couches, giggling like a child and putting your head in your hands, rinse and repeat. But what makes you do your happy dance? Falling in love, getting a promotion, a piece of chocolate raspberry cheesecake?

Dogs are no different; they all have happy dances too. Sometimes their happy dances include a simple wag of a tail while others might jump and bark and wag and lick, and sometimes the happy dance may include urination. The causes of happy dances for dogs are usually quite simple. A treat, a walk or ride in the car, a visitor, a ball, a new toy, etc.

Rudy’s happy dance involves lots of jumping and it’s when he gets to go for a walk.
Abby’s happy dance is very calm, a wagging tail and usually when some member of the family comes home.

Sienna’s happy dance is about the cutest dance there is. She jumps in circles, while running forwards, then backwards, then forward again, all the way to her dish. The cause – breakfast, lunch and dinner. Nothing gets her more excited than knowing it’s time to eat.


(I know it's not a picture of her happy dance - you'll just have to use your imagination)

FYI – my happy dance usually involves a trip to Starbucks!

What your dogs’ vice reveals about him

Enquiring dog owners want to know - What your dogs’ vice reveals about him.
Some dogs are chewers, some dogs are barkers, some dogs are diggers, some dogs are destroyers, some dogs sleep all the time, some dogs are excited pee-ers, What your dogs vice reveals about his personality Page 9, next the article about the bat boy found dead in Mexico.

Rudy – was a chewer when he was young and teething but grew out of that stage around a year. Rudy’s vice – barking! If someone walks by he barks, he runs to the window, he runs outside and bark, bark, bark. Other things that make him bark, people who ride by, scooter by, garbage trucks, delivery trucks, mail trucks, someone parking their car, our neighbor going to their door, neighbors getting their mail, someone ringing the door bell on TV (this one really gets me since we don’t have and never have had a door bell), the kids knocking to see who is hogging the bathroom and so on. You don’t want to know what he does when someone actually comes to the door. We have tried to teach him that barking is an “outdoor voice” and sometimes he gets it but mostly he doesn’t. He’s our “Special Boy”.

Abby – chewer of bizarre things. Shortly after we brought her home, she ate a heating pad. Then she ate a pillow that vibrated. She also ate a laundry basket, her kennel, part of the couch, Q-tips, used Kleenex, multiple stuffed toys, bones, greenies, underwear and some other things that are just TOO GROSS to mention.

Sienna – DIGGER DOG. I noticed today that she was out in the dog run for a very long time. It’s not that big of a space and there are no toys out there so I wondered why she was out there for so long. I went to go check on her and she was in the process of digging a huge hole. I figured it’s the first time that she is keeping herself busy without getting in trouble and since the dog run is meant to be a big pooping ground, few holes aren’t going to hurt anything, so I encouraged her new found vice. Now, if she chooses to dig a hole in my garden, well then there is going to be trouble!