Dog Eared Book Club: The Art of Racing in the Rain - PREVIEW

HM got a great new book today, called The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein. The story of Enzo, a lab mix who is recounting his days spent with his human Denny, the life they've shared, and the readiness for him to move on to the next life...

She's begun reading it, and is already loving the story. Told from the unique perspective of Enzo, and how he hopes to shape some decisions in Denny's life.

Check out the video trailer:


Full book review to come soon! Stay tuned!

Bark the Vote!

Schmitty, the Real New Yorkie is launching his campaign for us pups to Bark the Vote! He's looking to encourage our humans to get out there, no matter who you vote for..but to just exercise your right to vote! Go get 'em Schmitty!!



We dig his platform! Plus he has a great link to a site that helps dogs in need! Check out his site and upload your pic to become a patriotic pooch!

Daily Awwwwww!

Although I'm not personally a cat fan...HM INSISTS I post this for her... I don't see what all the fuss is about. :o/ Dogs are way cuter!

JRT All-Breed Fun Day

What a day!! The weather was AMAZING!! Soooo summery and warm! OMD! The place was packed with Jacks! BOL!

We got there first thing in the morning, and up first...Terrier Racing! WOW, it was very cool to see the little Jacks that love this sport go at it!!

I got to borrow a muzzle (which is required for all racing for safety), and HM just popped me in the little box (which I didn't like) and off we went! Er, well, that's what supposed to happen...

I didn't really have time to do a training run, so it was a crash course on racing for me! They opened the gates and off the dogs went..I ran out too, but then just looked around at everyone! BOL! I figured out to run to the other end and finally made it down. I ran four times today, and each time was better, I realized I was racing to chase the lure against the other dogs, but I didn't like the muzzle on me so while I was running down the lane, I would stop to rub the muzzle and try to get it off.


There's no video of me, cause HM had to run to the end to cheer me on to run, and she couldn't do both.

Up next was a quick run through of some AGILITY equipment! They were having offical run throughs of the course in the afternoon, so the morning was just to familiarize yourself/practice with the equipment.

HM was so proud, she did a slow run with me on FULL SIZE contact equipment! I did the Teeter, TWICE all by myself for the first time!! I went on the dogwalk, attempted the A-Frame, but wasn't too sure about it.

Up next was something called Barn Hunt. They had a bunch of bails of hay in the barn, with tubes squished in between them. In one of the tubes was a LIVE rat!! So our task was to find the rat! YAY!! Cause that's what I was bred for, HM thought I'd be a natural! Guess what??!! I was! BOL! I sniffed around the barn, and went to directly to the tube with the rat!!


Such an eventful morning! My best buds, Denali and Starr showed up with their human and we had a nice lunch break "tail-gaiting" in the parking area. We sun bathed, wrestled, met some nice Jacks.

The afternoon session had more agility, where we had to sign up to do what they call a Jumpers course. No contact equipment, just jumps, tunnels (and weaves for the more advanced dogs!) So, I got to do a real fun match! The pressure! I was so tired from all the mornings activities. Check out the video...of HM trying to handle the course, and me fumbling through it! BOL! Brandi, we NEED more lessons STAT!!



After my run, HM knew I was done for the day..so we went up to check out the other activities and watch some pups have a good time!

This is a shot of the advanced "Go-to-ground" tunnel (dogs go through the tunnel maze to find their quarry...either a live rodent or a scented toy version).

We all ended our day watching the Lure Coursing event. Denali did the course, and ROCKED it!! Then we watched my buddy Forrest Gump..here's his shot of him waiting his turn, in the water bucket! (he's a Dock Dog!) BOL!

I'm completely pooped, so I'm off for a good long nap! Bark at ya later pups! Enjoy your weekend!

Terrier FUN Day Tomorrow!!

I'm going to a Jack Russell Terrier Club of Canada all-breed FUN Day tomorrow!! They're going to have Terrier Races, Lure Coursing and of course AGILITY!

I can't wait to try the terrier racing!! Here's an example of what it looks like!



This is a picture of Flea, a Seattle area Mannie, who competes in racing.

Hope every pup has a great weekend!!!

[photo credit]

Inspirational Video! - UPDATE

For those of you who watched the video of Lis and her Crested in their final agility run, I am sorry to share that she passed away on Tues eve.

The video of her final run showed us all how precious life is and how the simple joy of running a course with your dog can impact not just hundreds, but thousands of people.
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Get your kleenex box out...HM is in tears over here....
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Lisa & Diva's ADCH Run. It is with great emotion that I made this video to celebrate a great team and an outstanding competitor. It is for Lis' friends, who I know are going to deseperately miss seeing this team out on the agility field together. I have trained with; traveled with; argued with; cried with; laughed with; and learned from Lis' since the day I started in agility. Now I will go on to begin again with a new pup and hopefully I will take with me all the life lessons I've learned from her.

UPDATE: Wire Fox Terrier abuser sentanced!

You remember when I posted about the WFT "breeder" from Quebec who was found to have severely abused and neglected dogs on his property. Here is the latest news sent from the petitioner, Daniela Slon:
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Thank you so much for signing the petition "No Dogs for LaPorte! Sauvons Les Petits!"
Good news! Today, May 6, 2008 - final judgement was given at the courthouse in St. Jerome.

Laporte got $1,000 for each count & 200 hours community service. Plus, three years probation during which he is not allowed to own a dog. After that, he will be monitored so that he will not start breeding again.

Best of All! The red collar dogs are safe. He will not get the dogs back & if he even tries to contact the foster families, he will be arrested.

ALL the media were there. Keep checking Canadian press for updates.

Thank you for your support - Merci Beaucoup! The petition really made a difference. Hopefully it will impact Canadian Law so that we see an end to cruelty and puppy mills.

Best,
Daniella Slon and Axel Wire Fox Terrier

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Canoe.ca reports:

Judge Jean Sirois rendered one of the stiffest sentences possible under current laws Tuesday to Marc-Andre Lapointe who owned a puppy mill in St-Jerome, north of Montreal.

The judge said the attitude of the kennel owner, who wanted the return of his best-producing dogs, played a part in the harsh sentence.

Sirois says Lapointe showed no remorse about his mistreatment of the 97 filthy dogs, mostly fox terriers, that were seized from his bungalow in 2005. Twenty dogs were immediately euthanized.

Check out this link for the rest of the article.

[photo credit]

Soggy Doggy

So it's rainy here today...and looks like it's going to be raining for the whole weekend. So I'm going to try to stay cozy and keep warm. Hope you all have a good weekend!

Are you a Pet Boomer?

Forty-five million strong, the “Pet Boomer” generation (cats and dogs age seven and older) are experiencing many of the same health problems as their “Human Boomer” counterparts. Yet, most pet owners fail to notice these signs, therefore missing the opportunity to pro-actively manage their pets’ health to extend their four-legged friends' lives by years.

Here are a few resources for you to use to learn about the Pet Boomer population:



Check out The Merial/Merch Manual for Pet Health: This manual, authored by 200 veterinarians, is the first comprehensive guide to health care of all pets, especially the Pet Boomer population.
PetBoomer.com: This new Web site is a resource for all pet owners. It offers quizzes, facts, statistics on the aging pet population and is a terrific resource for pet owners dealing with traveling with a pet, pet poisons and emergencies.

Sleepy Sunday