Old timey dog show

On several obedience discussion groups it was brought up that the upcoming obedience trial in St. Louis was akin to the dog shows of yore due to the huge entries. I've not been in the sport long enough to regail such memories, however it was a treat to see the enormous classes and watch some really amazing teams. I do not envy the judges their long days and how to score such talent.
Moto and I were unspectacular this weekend. I let him down in Rally - one a handling error that cost us 10 points on Saturday, and another a handling error from the judges perspective which cost us another 10 points. In Wildcard it was Mr. Moto who was unspectacular, lagging quite a bit and not paying attention. In general, he hasn't learned that we are a team the whole time we are in the ring. I was grateful for the learning opportunity and looks like we'll be doing Rally until I see improvement. I was hoping to have him ready for the Sheltie Nationals next year but now I'm unsure about that. This handler gets too greedy and Moto really needs lots of time to mature. Heck, he may be FOUR before he's ready for the ring. The good thing, though, was he is not stressing and Kathy said his tail wagged the entire time in the ring. That's good!
Pinch, on the other hand, had a fantastic weekend. I was so glad I brought him. He was held by many, walked by a few, met tons of dogs and in general was a great little traveler. I was worried about him squealing in his crate and he uttered nary a peep all weekend. He peed and pooped in new places and was thrilled by all the new sights and sounds. Kathy says I'm right on track with my training so I'm very happy about that.
The two-room suite at the hotel was awesome. I felt like a princess. The pups had ample room to have many good games of chase. I was particularly grateful for this opportunity with a pup as he really needed the room to run after being cooped up all day at the dog show.
While I would have loved some ribbons, I went for the learning experience and learning I got. I give our weekend an A.

Off to the shows!

Bags are packed, crates loaded. Bringing a puppy to a dog show is like bringing a baby: there's chew toys, lots of extra crates and lots of interesting new toys that he won't see until Moto and I enter the ring. Hopefully this will keep him quiet while we're in there. I bought a fancy new soft crate for Pinch, the kind with shades that can be rolled down so he can't see out (again, hoping this will help keep him quiet while Moto and I are competing).
I'm nervous as this is my first on the road dog show in years. We are just in Wildcard Novice but it's our first step towards "real" competition. I'm also nervous about driving in St. Louis rush hour which is never pleasant, but everything is especially scary since the car accident.
On the plus side I am SO excited about the entries! The B classes are huge with 40+ dogs in each class. I can't wait to see who shows up, and am looking forward to seeing many great dog/handler teams.
Then there's our hotel. When I booked it I'd asked for a first floor room. When I re-confirmed I was not on the first floor. Dog show people like first floors because it's hard to schlep all our stuff and dogs up and down stairs and elevators and avoid it at all cost. When I asked why, the clerk said I had such a low rate there simply weren't any rooms at my rate on the first floor. When I said I would be flexible about the room (hey it's just me and my dogs, I don't care if there is just 1 bed or multiple bed) he said he wanted me to be happy and booked me a 2-room suite! Complete with coffee maker, fridge and micro. Life is good!
I'm clueless how Moto will do. These will be near perfect ring conditions so it will be a good test to see where he is at. I'm also looking forward to exposing Pinch to show conditions and traveling with these two. Moto and Pinch are best friends and should enjoy being on the road together. It's reminiscent of the Dusty and Shiloh days. Only thing different here is Dusty has always loved to snuggle and demanded Shiloh the puppy be in his crate with him. I'd purchased a large crate and the two used to cuddle together at the shows. I think Moto would be the same way but his sheer size would demand too large (translation: expensive) a crate to accomodate the two.
I hope to have a glowing report after the weekend. My goal with Moto is that he remains focused and gives a good effort in his Wildcard runs. We also have Rally Novice to do in case he needs reminders of what his job is. My goal with Pinch is that he enjoys travelling.
Off we go - ROAD TRIP!

Puppy Training

I am SO enjoying having a baby dog in the house right now. He brings happiness into the household with his puppy antics. He loves learning and literally begs to work. I'm looking forward to a private lesson this weekend with Kathy and Gary to see if I'm on track with him and of course get their training tips and advice.
One new thing I've been doing with him is the precursor to scent work, and also helps (in my opinion) grow his problem-solving skills and puppy IQ. Besides that, it's a blast to do. I have a series of tiny tupperware bowls. First he learned that one bowl has a treat in it. Then I'd add two bowls, one of which had the treat. We've gone up to 4 and he has to look for it. I saw an article from Connie Cleveland in the current issue of Front and Finish and it looks like I can evolve this game into the article search when he gets older. I haven't read it thoroughly yet but it looks like a fun way to teach article work to a young dog. It's so much fun to see the pleased body language Pinch gives me when he finds the treat. He just thinks it's the funnest game ever.
Moto is coming along in his heeling work. I'm anxious to see what he will do in St. Louis. We haven't trained as hard as I'd like due to bad weather and Shiloh's health. On our side is the fact that Moto doesn't do well with lots of training anyway. I still believe his big huggable self is in my life not to be the OTCH I hope he might eventually be, but to do the therapy work which seems to be an innate part of his personality. I find when the chips are down that hugging him is the best comfort I can get.

How do you know when to say good-bye?

Shiloh took a turn for the worse last night, and was up and vomiting throughout most of the night. Just his saliva, no food. When we did finally get to sleep the thunderstorms rolled through, more vomiting, which woke up the puppy, who had to potty. Shiloh and I both were limp rags through today. I am stumbling-exhausted, fuzzy-thinking.
I called our vet and updated her and we had "the talk" about it being up to me now about making the quality of life decision. I'm not convinced Shiloh is ready to go, but on the other hand I don't see much fight in him either.
He can eat, he can poop but is that quality of life? He is deaf, his rear legs give way and my active OCD barky dog is just a shadow of his former self. He does have some moments such as his nightly teddy bear obsessive chat, but most of his days are spend in a deep sleep or just wandering aimlessly in the yard.
We can still up his meds 2 more times, and the vet said there is some other medicine we can add to hopefully help bring him back. We will try those things of course.
But - if they don't work - he is so young. How do you know when it's right or fair to let a beautiful young dog cross the Bridge? Is he suffering right now? It is very hard to tell.
I just hope that Shiloh gives me some sort of sign either way. I'll mortgage the house if he wants to live. I just need to know what the right thing is to do.

Getting a New Groove On

Adding a new puppy to the pack wasn't as hectic as I'd anticipated. In fact, it's been amazingly smooth. I don't know if it's because we have two younger dogs for Pinch to play with, or that his personality fits in with the pack, but things are rolling along very nicely, thank you.
What needs tweaking is the training schedule. Training two dogs at one time - for me anyway - is challenging. Pinch seems to need to work immediately upon awakening. He's alert and hungry. And he's a puppy so we're not talking a big investment of time, just little short sessions that are a complete blast. I showed hubby his "tricks" htis morning - utility signals (lured with food) and that he's learning some verbal commands without a food lure (right now just the sit but the down is coming along), heeling a few steps with a food lure, the "watch" command and he can do the nose to hand touch verbally. Erik asked if he's advanced for his age and I don't think so. He just likes to learn so I'm just doing what he seems capable of.
I was disappointed not to go to puppy class last night - stoopid storms made travel unsafe - as I really need a bit of structure and an agenda to follow. Now I have to wait two more weeks dangit!
But I digress. Training schedule. So Pinch gets trained right away, and if the weather is good then it's Moto's turn. Or vice versa. Sometimes I put Pinch in his crate to watch as Moto gets trained. Pinch screams and claws at the crate but his "lesson" is to learn it's not always his turn. I love those mornings as we're all trained by 6:00 a.m.
More often than not though the weather hasn't been nice so little Pinch gets trained as it can be indoors and easy and I struggle to find time for Moto. Moto is entered in Wildcard Novice in a few weeks. I'm anxious to see where we are at and how prepared he is to enter the ring. I really, really want to have him enter a "real" obedience class at the Sheltie Nationals next year. But to do so, he'll need to have been in several shows previously as there is no way I want the Nationals to be his debut.
So, I need to get a new groove on. Once I can reorganize my training schedule, hopefully I can get back to exercising regularly too. When you get to be my age, WHOA do things deteriorate fast! And the gravitational pull in later life seems to be a bit stronger. I'll just leave it at that.

Ten Years Ago Today

Ten years ago today, I got an early morning email from breeder Linda that six puppies, all with nice markings, had been born. Ten weeks later I came home with Shiloh and the rest is history.
When I awoke this morning and realized it was his birthday I immediately was reduced to tears. Not much of a celebration as deafness, injury and illness has reduced my rock star dog to a shell of his former self.
As I began making the morning meal for my six-pack a wonderful thing happened: Shiloh got a tug toy and threw it at my feet, demanding a game. I haven't seen this since his illness. We had a good game of tug complete with his usual vocalizations (this dog can talk like no other). Not wanting to overdo it I resumed making breakfast and he watched, alert and tail wagging. It's been a long time since I've seen that.
After breakfast and his treatment given he needs to sit upright for 10 minutes and have his throat massaged. Previously he's lain in my arms like a limp rag. This time, he sat completely upright on his own with me just supporting him under his arms. He looked around the entire time. The big change is because we upped his medication yesterday....WOW what a difference. I hope this continues. It would be wonderful to have my flamboyant boy back.
I should have been giving Shiloh a birthday present, but instead he gave me one. Dogs are just so wonderful that way!

Fireflies

I'm extremely grateful to all who have called, emailed and given hugs while we struggle with Shiloh's disease.  Dog people are just the BEST!
As with Sunny, my childhood dog who is featured in the book "Tails From Beyond", I am blessed with support from the Other Side:
During the worst of it when I was up practically all night with my very sick dog, at one point I looked out the window into the night.  There was a blinking light, so very pretty, in an unusual spot.  It wasn't the airport, it was in a different direction.  While I was trying to figure out perhaps if it was a plane, the firefly took flight.  It was sitting on the screen.  So beautiful.  But I am a doubter of Signs sometimes, and I said to myself Self, I would like something more significant if this really is a Sign.  Went downstairs to turn on the radio and lo and behold, Paul Simon's song "Father and Daughter" comes on the radio - just the final chorus:
I'm gonna watch you shine
I'm gonna watch you grow
Gonna paint a sign
So you'll always know
That one and one is two.....
And there'll never be another father
Who loves his daughter
The way that I love you.
Even from Heaven, Dad lends his comfort.  I am so moved by this act of love.
Next day the drug arrives.  Shiloh is showing signs of improvement.  We are not out of the woods yet, but we are making our way.
Thanks, Dad.  I love you too.

Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down

My absence from this blog is for the saddest reason - Shiloh began vomiting a few days ago.  Rushed to the vet fearing a blockage only to find out something far worse:  he has a rare disease called Myasthenia Gravis.  It affects the esophagus, causing it to enlarge, and also affects the muscles, particularly the rear end.  At this writing he has lost the ability to swallow and his rear end is failing him.  Medication is on the way but has to be ordered and delivered.  It could arrive as early as this afternoon or it could be a few days.  This medication - while it has proven to be effective - takes a minimum of 1 week up to a few months before it builds up in the system and starts working.  We are now in a race for his life.  Meantime we are to feed him soft food and then he is to be held upright for 10 minutes while we massage his throat to help the food pass the esophagus.  If the disease does not kill, aspiration can.  I have a call into our vet suggesting a feeding tube.  This might be a logical option.  But, there is nothing we can do to help his rear end control.  He is deteriorating rapidly and can only walk a few steps before his rear gives out.  I hope the medication arrives quickly and I am not forced to make a Quality of Life decision.
This morning I woke up so angry as I looked at all my dogs:  Dusty 15, healthy for his advanced age but a bit senile with deteriorating eyesight; Shiloh with a horrible rare disease that causes great suffering; Blitz with his awful disease which is slowly disfiguring his body.  It is so unfair that God has given me 2 wonderful dogs and then said "here are two rare diseases so you can watch your dogs slowly suffer and die."  I took Pinch and Moto outside to walk it off - Pinch is just the best puppy and watching him romp you can't help but smile.  And I know now why God send Moto to me and that is he is to be MY therapy dog.  As I sat there, head buried in my hands, Moto did what he does best and that is come up and quitely lean against me, offering his body for comfort.  Hugging that big furry body and accepting his earnest doggie kisses is the best therapy that I know of. 
Having a tiny puppy during a time like this can be difficult but I am grateful for the happy diversion of watching him explore and see the world for the first time.  Our puppy training sessions are joyful and I am thankful he is in my life.
We have a long hard road ahead.  I pray I do what is right for Shiloh.  But on the positive side - if it does take effect he can have a complete recovery and go on to live a normal life.  I just hope this happens in time before too much is lost.