Doberkids

Practice Night with Baby

Last night was the last Monday night practice for Baby, the irreverent DoberDiva, before Sunday’s AKC trial. You know the one where she just needs to pass to get her CD?

Well. she did the moving exercises so fine the instructor even said she’d most likely do better in the ring than her dog. Eeegads! But when we got to the stays, FORGET IT! She got up on her sit and took a stroll. On her down, she got up and ran to the rodeo stalls to sniff the doo-doo even with her mom (me!) calling her back. Then she went down on her sit, and stood on her down. We practiced for a long time, until I ended up leashing her and starting back from 6 feet away, which won’t wash for the AKC trial on Sunday. But she stayed. Sort of. I had to talk to her along the way to make her stay, the little witch! (Mind you, at home, she does the stays consistently every night!)

There is a practice match on Friday for this very trial, which I am now thinking of going to with the beast in tow since her lack of respect for authority (me) has developed so fine. I am sure she is going to surprise me with whatever she has on her mind, as in a leftover grudge from something I did during her childhood that she’s still has on her payback list. I hope I don’t end up having to pry the clicker out of her nose!

Helen

AKC, Baby

20

May

2008

Snake!

Helen

As if the toad episode weren’t bad enough to end yesterday with, this morning, I woke up to more reptilian horrors.

As I washed the pavers and scooped the poop this morning, Bouchard (yes, again, it’s the Frenchmann) sounded the alarm!

“Snake! Snake! Snake!”
It was amongst the hoses trying to fit in.

I paced back and forth figuring what to do. I didn’t want to have to deal with a snake by the spigot! No no no! But I didn’t want to kill it either. But it was going under the house! That’s when it dawned on me it could end up IN my house! MoG! I didn’t have to kill it! Annie would! I know, you’re thinking Bouchard was the one who sounded the alarm, but he’s not the doer-inner. Annie is, and she did.

Then the rest of the FDSP (today, the S is for snake) got to work parading around with the thing.

Eegads! And I had to pick it up. All three pieces of it. YUCK! Thank goodness for large-sized pooper scoopers!

After I picked up the pieces and put it in the trash barrel with last night’s toad, Bouchard and Luna went looking for more snakes in that hole under the spigot. Now I have to figure a way to close that hole! I wonder if duct tape will work. Hmmm.

Meanwhile, ugh, don’t ask.

Helen

Annie, Bouchard, Trees and Plants

20

May

2008

Bouchard’s Toad Legs After Dinner Snack

Helen

Bouchard got his frog’s legs this full moon night. Actually, they were toad’s legs. Eeegads! Baby and I came back from obedience practice, and by the time I let everyone out and took two minutes to myself, Bouchard had slime all over his face and the back pavers! It was really just gross! I don’t think it was my frog prince. It appeared to be a juvenile Bufo Toad, those horrid creatures! They can kill a dog with their poisonous slime. So I threw a net over it, Bouchard’s mouth was full of foam and so was the ground. I had to rinse his snoot out with water pronto, and keep the others away from the lump of toad. Lump of toad got tossed into the poop bucket and thrown away. It was a lot more traumatic than that, but I’m exhausted, so that’s the story in a nutshell.

Several Kong Destuffing Methods Revealed

Helen

Let’s look at the way a Kong is tackled by three Fort Doberdalians. Scroll your mouse over each picture to get the 411 on each step.

First we have Lilian. She is a flinger.

Taylor is a contemplative Kong destuffer.

Then there’s Raven. Her method is so complicated that we will have to cover it another day when she’s in the mood to share her secrets of Kong destuffing.

Helen

Lilian, Raven, Sky, Taylor

Lilian Un-Freshens the Air

Helen

Lilian left a load of poop…well, actually, this is what I surmised happened. Sometime between the time I left for work this morning and the time I returned for lunch, Lilian farted in her crate and not just air came out. Yup.