The Rat Pack

The dogs normally move as a pack. It's a rare thing to see them all take off in different directions. This photo is representative of what happens when I open the back of the truck. All excited bolting down the path with happy tails and ears.

And this is about 1.8 seconds later. See them there ... waaaaaaay down the path?

Eventually they resolve into milling which allows me time to catch up. They circle round for a bit in the grass and bushes to wait for me. I know they are waiting because as soon as I catch them up they carry on down the path at pace while checking to be sure I am following. Archer is the most diligent about confirming my whereabouts.

Leeloo ... not so much. This is a common occurrence; her racing to catch up to the group because she got distracted by some smell and didn't realize we were still moving.

Esme is pretty good about sticking close by, she doesn't like to be more than about 50 feet away from me and is pretty good about checking to make sure she can see me. Of course there are times when she has too must play catch up!

It's nice for me to be able to count on them sticking together, I rarely need to holler for one to return to the group (usually Leeloo). Although occasionally when we run into a lone dog and their person walking in the woods it can be quite intimidating to see this bunch barrelling across the field!

The Fly

A walk in the woods and fields in the heat of the day makes for very tired dogs. Add to that their very helpful assistance while I mowed the lawn, watered the garden, planted some annuals and hung out the laundry and you end up with 4 utterly exhausted dogs.

Prior to our walk I meant to spray the dogs with fly repellent but forgot. So, while we walked, some medium sized sort of harmless flies buzzed around the dogs and didn't bother Leeloo, Raimi and Esme one bit. Archer spent almost the entire time doing this:

He was totally convinced that a fly was on his tail and *chewing it right off*. See how harmless they are? These are not the Tiny Bitey Flies ... the walk would have been even shorter if that had been the case.  

Leeloo also had some dark passengers but paid them no mind. They were just hitching a ride.

Eventually she had a roll and they either took themselves to more stable grounds or got squashed beneath her light wheaton bulk.

I can't imagine a fly, or anything, can get through this coat so as far as Esme is concerned flies don't even exist.

Raimi noticed one or two but that was probably only when they were walking on him, if they just landed and prayed he simply ignored them. Or it could be because he spent so much time disappearing at high speed into the fields they never had a chance to really get a good grip. He's that teeny weeny little dot right in the middle there. Bye Raimi.

Thankfully when Archer finally got into the truck this expression resolved into the happy grin I am accustomed to seeing on the little guy. I promise I won't forget the fly spray next time ... Scout's Honor.

A Home of Our Own

What was happening a year ago? Well, on this Monday a year ago I was packing my trailer and preparing to leave Calgary forever. It was an easy decision to leave but hard one knowing I was leaving behind all my friends and Ridgeback connections. I'll be honest, I don't miss Calgary one bit but I do miss the people who stayed behind.

This was also the weekend that all the puppies from Halo's last litter went to their new homes. I'll post some recent photos of the litter - if you are Ella or Gracie's Mom and Dad I encourage you to submit!  I know they are doing great but everyone wants to see how they are growing up. Well, I do anyway! Here's the bunch just before they all left for their new homes ...

And now this is Tikka. She lives in BC with her family and is a very lucky girl to have such a fabulous backdrop to her life. She is maturing beautifully, is the perfect weight and will be an absolutely stunning mature Ridgeback.  

Hunter also lives in BC. He is in the interior and is likely enjoying some warm weather also. He is a great hiking companion and is also looking incredibly fit and well taken care of - he is also going to mature beautifully.

Rio lives in Calgary and just like Archer and Leeloo she can't pass a log without chewing on it! She is certainly growing into a gorgeous girl!

I did have a photo of Odin but I can't find it. Just imagine a boy version of Leeloo only taller with more leg. How is that possible ... oh, it's possible! Odin, assuming he one day grows into his legs, will end up a lovely big boy with a heart of gold.

Here's a cute one of Archer I found from when we were on the road to Nova Scotia. He is lying on his back just beyond Raimi's giant head. You can see his little nose poking out beside Raimi's ear. What a little cutie pie! He travelled so well, I was extremely proud of my little troops.

As mentioned I don't have 'recent' photos of Ella in Yellowknife or Gracie in Calgary but I know they are doing great. I hear from them occasionally but I know they are busy - especially Gracie's family with 3 kids! And by recent photos I mean within the last couple months - I certainly don't expect to hear from people every other day, or even every other month, but often owners will drop a line to let me know they are still doing great and to show off their wonderful Ridgebacks. I am very pleased with how consistent this past litter is - they all seem to be right on track with each other as far as growth spurts. They uniformlyly maturing at a slow but steady pace which I prefer to a puppy who looks mature at 8 months old - they can end up coarse and over done as adults.  I love how clean and smooth they all look - it puts them in a good way to be just right when they stop growing.

Hugs to all the 'B' litter puppies ... you are all in wonderful homes and are clearly getting the best of care! I done real good picking your forever families! (Pat pat pat myself on the back)

Nothing to Lose

No points for Archer today. He behaved reasonably well but the judges liked Pearl more - she is more mature and showed very well for her Mom and with Archer's losses Pearl finished her Championship! Archer was happy to give up those points because he would do anything for Pearl who is just going out of heat. He started whining his love serenade to her and she was not impressed ... maybe when he's more grown up the girls will look at him a little more seriously! He is so cute.

Next weekend is another show in Amherst and Leeloo has explicit instructions to lose (because she is already a Champion).  See, I put her in Amherst because the show entries closed before the show she finished at occurred - make sense? Anyway, Pearl is unlikely to travel all that way to show for points she doesn't need and Archer and Leeloo are the only class entries ... which is why Leeloo is not to win. Sound silly? Well, when I entered I didn't think I'd be my own competition but I paid my money and I intend to try to get points on the dog who needs them!  Maybe I'll hobble Leeloo ... hmmmm ... either way I won't lose and if Leeloo gets some 'safety' points so be it.

On a happier note; yesterday Zero, who is Archer and Raimi's brother (Halo is everyone's mom), won Best of Breed in a show in New Mexico and then went on to win a third in the hound group. Go Zero! I bred Zero (he is a litter brother to Karma who just had puppies in Alberta) and co-own him with Erin Coogan in Utah (she is Halo's breeder). Zero is doing very well as a Special in the USA and I imagine we will hear more good news about him in the coming months. At least if my dogs are not winning at home I'm winning thousands of miles away!

Love Play

Up at 4:50am. On purpose. Oh yes, I set my alarm for that time.  On the list of top five reasons I'd drag my ass out of bed at an undoGly hour is Dog Show. The other four reasons are: the house is on fire, a dog is puking on my bed, a litter of puppies is being born and the house is on fire.

Our start time at the show was 8am with only 10 dogs ahead of Ridgebacks which meant I had to be at the show just after 7am to get Archer's brain in gear. I got there a bit early since I'd never been to that show location and I didn't want to be late. I dragged Archer inside and we settled to wait for our turn. He was a little stressed having never attended a show without his pal Leeloo to cling to but it's good for him to experience these things without his crutch.

He was a bit of a dink in his class and more of a dink in the Breed ring - mostly because the Specials bitch in front of him is coming into heat and the class bitch behind him is going out of heat. Oh joy for a teenage boy. He didn't know which way to turn. His little pea brain fell into his testicles and it was pretty much game over. No baiting, no stacking ... just ... gurl. Dear oh dear little man ... he didn't win.

Dora Lee, who owns Pearl (the girl who beat Archer this morning) invited us over to her house for a romp in the grass with her other, not in heat, bitch Ruby. Raimi was *beside* himself with glee that here, in front of him, with full and complete access, was another girl Ridgeback that was *not* boring ol' Leeloo. Ruby was amazing and a very good hostess. She and Leeloo sorted out who was the boss bitch (Ruby) and Leeloo contented herself with eating as much rabbit poo as she could while the boys went MENTAL. I mean ... utterly and completely twitterpated.

Raimi knew some girl on that property was in heat but since Ruby is spayed he contented himself with just flirting like crazy. Ruby was happy to oblige, in fact, she went so far as to snarl and snap and roar at him several times. Raimi was in heaven. Everytime he got close enough to poke her she'd lunge and make a big show of being annoyed and he'd just about fly around the tree tops with glee. Then she'd stand and look at him "Do it again, go on, I dare you." And being Boy ... he would oblige everytime. And everytime it was a gleeful poke and the reaction he longed for ... this went on for *some time* until he was exhausted and satisfied himself with sniffing grass and relaxing. Ruby loved every second even though she acted like it was a real headache. Those girls huh?

Then Ruby turned her attention to Archer. Now, Archer has not had a lot of experience with strange dogs. He's a bit of a coward and gets intimidated quite easily, he wants to be the Big Man on Campus but doesn't have the goods to back it up so he often submits when he gets The Stare. I prefer this to a dog who will rise to the challenge since it makes him a LOT easier to live with. Anyway, Ruby was a source of continual interest for him. He was like the shy teenager who has a huge crush on an older woman but can't bring himself to act. He would mostly stay behind her shoulder, away from the roaring sharp bits, and sproing around like an idiot. I wish like heck I'd remembered my camera! The second she'd turn to say "Wanna play?" he'd bolt to hide behind the picnic table. This happened numerous times and it never lost its charm.

Esme was a good little trooper, she was much more comfortable with the 'strange Ridgeback' than the 'strange Pulis' at my parent's house. She spent most of her time eating rabbit poop with Leeloo and didn't get involved in the rip tide of hormones on display.

We headed back to the show in time for our afternoon class and although Archer was very tired he showed a lot better! He didn't have the spunk and animation of the morning but at least he stood nicely and won the point. Tomorrow is another day and perhaps we can add another, or two, points to his tally. He'll get there - I'm thinking this summer, if he's not finished in the next couple shows, I'll do some obedience with him while he matures and then bring him out again either in the fall or next year. Obedience ... Ridgeback ... I do like to torture myself ...

Sweet Perfection

Okay, so I know this is a Ridgeback blog but since the addition of Esme I feel bound to include her. Someone commented a few days back that Esme probably thinks she is a Ridgeback anyway and I'm pretty sure that is the case. Whenever we go to my parent's house she sees other Pulis and is horrified. She sees her friends The Big Reds and is delighted. She is definitely suffering from some sort of identity crisis!

Now, I can go on and on about how great Leeloo is, or Archer or even the Boy but they have their faults. I know what they are and I accept them. I show them to their virtues and down play their faults, just as with any handler. I don't look at them and only see their faults, I see the dogs I love and will breed to minimize what I don't like and carry on(we hope) what I do like. That is how breeding works.

Except with Esme. I cannot find fault with this Puli. From every angle she is correct. I look at her and think "Perfect." If you read the Puli standard she is every word. She is typey, sound, smart, moves beautifully, is quick and agile, has a gorgeous coat - I could go on and on.  She also brooks absolutely no crap from the Ridgebacks - she may be small but she's a tough little cookie. For those who don't know Esme was bred by and is co-owned with my parents who have Immerzu Puli Kennels in Wallace, Nova Scotia.

I grew up with these dogs. I can safely say I have known dozens of Pulis up close and personal for the better part of more than 2 decades. I have seen many types at specialties and within my parent's own house. I know what a good typey pretty Puli looks like and I know I have it destroying something important in my house right now.

Just a sec ...  

Okay - why do I go on and on about Esme when this is a Ridgeback blog? Well, mostly because she is as much an important part of the pack as the rest of them. She is part of our lives and deeply affects the dynamic in the house. But also because for those of you who don't see the likes of a Puli very often, you are privileged now to be able to lay your eyes on a really really good one.

Love Stinks

Yesterday, while at the beach, I resigned myself to accepting that Leeloo was just going to spend her whole time snuffling through the seaweed. I don't know what she was looking for but I strongly suspected I wouldn't like it. As Raimi, Archer, Esme and I progressed down the shore Leeloo was always about 200 feet back with her nose poking into every bit of flotsam and jetsam she could find. I could still see her even though she was a good way off so I left her to her own devices. As she drifted past me once or twice on her way to some other interesting delight I told her that I better not see whatever she was ingesting at 3am. 

Everyone else was ahead of me having a grand old time chasing, running, playing, sniffing and heaven help me ... rolling ... in the sand.  I would pay for this later.

Eventually Leeloo did come and play a few times but she'd always return to the high tide line to dig through the bits if junk that the water pushed up onto the dune.

Eventually we headed home and I quickly discovered, while sitting in my livingroom, that 4 dogs on the beach bring home only one kind of smell. The kind you do not want in your livingroom. I'm not sure what made this particular beach visit so aromatic but I suspect the real culprit is Esme, although Archer and Leeloo sure have a pong about them as well. Esme rolled in something and although I do not know what it was I sure know what it smells like. Last night I had to move her crate to the door of my bedroom because I could smell the sea *very* strongly right next to my bed.

I was wrong about the time that Leeloo would regurgitate the sea fare. I guessed 3am but under-estimated by 38 minutes. She started with the infamous urka gurka and I shot out of bed, around the corner, to the back door and shoved her outside. While she expelled whatever garbage she'd been unsuccessfully digesting I went to the bathroom. By the time I got out she was waiting patiently at the back door looking at me with bright eyes, "I feel much better now, Mommy." I'm sure you do.  

I found her 'owl pellet' this morning; a very tidy affair sitting on the concrete of the backyard. I looked at it through cynical eyes, thankful it did not end up in my house because however bad the dogs smell on the outside, I don't want to imagine what something that has been *inside* smells. And cleaning it up at 3:42am is not high on my Bucket List.

Ah well, at least while we were there they had the time of their lives ... that's what counts in my book.