Frisbee Fun

Yesterday I took Zack's frisbee with us on his walk. At first he didn't want anything to do with it.

But then he was off, although no matter how hard he tries Zack cannot catch his frisbee he always chases it until it hits the ground but when it has snowed this happens.....

Zack didn't care tho



I don't think Zack has clued in that you shouldn't scoop up a frisbee full of snow !!! He got quite the white head and icy beard LOL

Basically this is how Zack runs with his frisbee - haven't a clue how he sees where he is going.

Snowy Day

After enjoying a week of above freezing temperatures and snow melt, today we were back to -15 degrees with a heavy snowfall warning in place.

Zack was very pissed off that he had to wear his winter woolies again including those dreaded boots. However he soon forgot he had them on when we got to his favourite field where he can have a run. It was snowing pretty hard when we started down the trail.


Zack wasn't the only one with boots on today luckily I had my boots on too and as I was just walking along the snowy trail I heard a loud crack and down I went through a puddle under the snow that I couldn't see.

I regrouped and carried on down the trail when there was another crack and then the whole thing just collapsed including me!!! This is the hole I made!!! LOL.

Crikey, I looked around to see if anyone else saw me - it was quite comical really one minute I was up, the next I was down.....I swear if dogs laughed Zack was bent over in stitches laughing at me.... he had that look on his face - I just know he did LOL!!! Luckily the camera didn't get banged or wet. I continued on with our walk (off the actual trail this time) even though I was friggin freezing by that point as I just wanted Zack to have some fun and exercise.

Zack being Zack he kept on running and running and running. He makes every walk so enjoyable when it is so cold out...what we do for our dogs eh.

I have more photos of our outing in the snow and will post further blogs of our snowy day out.

We Let Her Go

Last night was very hard as we finally made the decision to let Cuddles go. We had noticed she was getting worse and it has just been the hardest thing to make the decision. I still second guess myself but I didn't want her to suffer. She had been diagnosed with kidney trouble and just after Christmas we found out she had cancer.

This was the last picture I took of her.

I had her 14 years and she was a great cat and I will miss her very much. She was given the injection in my arms at the clinic and she slipped away peacefully. God Bless little Cuddles.

A Nights of Firsts

Monday night Zack and I had our next Rally class. It was our first attempt ever that we did the whole class "off leash" and I must say I was quite suprised how well Zack did. The first half of the class Zack was great. When heeling Zack actually had his head up and looked at me alot of the time right where he should be - I was super stoked. This is a first. We did 360 degree turns left and right, about turns,and stationary moves etc. etc. We did spirals and serpentines - it was great. At the end we had a set of signs (kind of like a mini course) and Zack was pretty good. I screwed up on one of the signs and had him sit when we should have continued forward LOL!!! The second half of the class Zack was also good but he had moments where he was unattentive, would lose focus and wander a little but then I would get him back and he would be great again. He is lots of fun to train although keeping his focus is a big obstacle. I try keep very upbeat and happy and probably sound like a right loony when I am training but I have to do what I have to do to keep Zack having fun.

Today anyway I am off work and Zack and I will be braving the 90km per hour winds for our walk. Lethbridge is under a wind warning. There is never a happy medium it is either the deep freeze and snow or the wind - I don't know what's worse!!! Blimy I can't wait for spring.....

Snuggles

They are always hugging each other.

Agility Lesson

Zack had a refresher on his agility lessons this weekend. It was lots of fun. There were three stations set up with a different instructor and we rotated so got to practice on all three which was so great. Zack had moments where he did really good and then moments where he did really bad. He tends to follow me rather than go straight and he missed the tunnel a couple of times, but he did do it in the end and I was pretty happy with him. My handling needs to improve and I wish I could find something that would motivate Zack a little better. I will have to work on that. I can't use all the really yummy goodies like weiners or rollover as it upsets his stomach and that is not something I want to screw up just for the sake of it, so I will have to ponder and may be trial and error as to what I use. All in all tho it was a great couple of hours. I sweated like a pig so I must remember next time just to wear a T shirt!!! LOL

Where's Zack?

Normally in the snow Zack stands out but the bushes make for great cover.

Training

Last Monday evening Zack and I started another rally class to get ready for our next level of rally obedience. My goal is to enter Zack into the trial at Medicine Hat at the end of May of this year. We shall see if we get there.

I haven't really done anything with Zack for a few months but he didn't seem to forget his stationary moves. His heeling does need work as I have to keep him up with me, especially as we have to move on to heeling off leash. It has always been a bit of a challenge and I must be patient and only reward him when he keeps up to me by my side. I have a bad habit of luring Zack along and I have to remember to keep my hand up and only reward him at the right time. There were new dogs in class and a couple Zack is familiar with from day care. Bailey the beagle was there and Zack of course lept on her to play as if they were in day care and got a reprimand from the instructor. I forgot no playing in class. My fault completely, but he is so cute how he loves his doggy friends.

Tomorrow morning we start our agility lessons again. Off I went to the pet store today and stocked up on all sorts of treats and goodies for class. Oh boy lots of dogs, lot of jumps, lot of treats - what more could he ask for. Can't wait.

Prismacolor

For Christmas this year I received some Prismacolor Coloured Pencils. A Box Set of 130 different colours which are brilliant. I had wanted to try this new medium for my art and I love them!! It takes alot longer than my acrylic paint to do a picture because you have to apply layer after layer after layer of the colour pencil to build up the right richness of the colour you want. I doodled and practiced to try and get used to how they work and then made my first attempt at a pet portrait. I thought I would do "fat cat" for myself and I am quite pleased with the results.

I used black paper which was a challenge in and of itself, especially seeing where my outline drawing was, but I think I would like to work with the black paper again. I like the effect. This photo is just a scan of my picture the actual colours are alot richer in real life. Now I may just have to start one of Zack!!

Sunday's Walk

Even tho last weekend it was still -18 degrees both Zack and I bundled up and he was more than ready to be chauffeured to the field near my house so he could have a good run. He knows if we just go down the road he gets to sit in the front seat rather than in the back in his kennel.

Once we got there and got out of the car I had to get my gloves on, camera ready etc. and Zack was quite miffed that I was holding him up....

but once we got moving he didn't stop for about 30 minutes even with the cold temperatures and had a blast tearing around and putting on a show.

Zack does great impressions... A Pointer

A Whippet....okay, well he doesn't have the grace or speed of a whippet, but his moment of suspension in the air is pretty impressive LOL

A grizzly bear - my what long claws you have (crikey I think he is in need of a nail trim!!!)

An addict - yep sniffed too much of the white stuff leaving quite the powdery residue round the old schnozel.

Of course the Little Devil always makes an appearance.

Look Out!!!

Zacky is coming

Zacky is coming

Zack's Coat

Border Terrier's coats need to be stripped when they get long (I call it "plucking" like a chicken LOL). You can clip them if you like but it does change the texture and weatherproof qualities. However, Zack's coat never seem to grow. It takes forever to get any scruffiness to him. I love when he gets scruffy and shaggy hair round his face but it seems to take a liftime. I guess I am lucky tho as he is low maintenance and if I had a border that's hair grew fast I probably would be cursing that too.

Zack hasn't been plucked since October 2010 and I was hoping his hair would grow in for the winter for warmth but it has only thickened and not really got any shagginess to it. I am just going to leave his coat for the next little while and see what happens. Probably he will start to look shaggy in May when it is time to pluck him for the summer to keep him cool. LOL. I see other border terriers whose coats look like shagginess on four legs but I don't think Zack will ever get there. I love him just the way he is tho hair or no hair!!! LOL

Catching Some Rays

Aaaahhhh where's the sunscreen!!!

Zack was butt sitting again and soaking in the warmth through the front window this afternoon.

Jogging Buddy

It was one of my new year's resolutions to run a 5km race in the spring and along the way Zack could be my running buddy. I have a proper jogging leash and everything and thought it would be another great thing we can do together. However, because of this god awful weather and icy paths I have ended up at the gym doing my training. Last night I had my first (what I call) my "Biggest Loser Last Chance Workout Breakdown". I struggled for the 30 minutes running and just broke down crying - thinking all negative thoughts - I can't do it, I can't do it. If anyone knows me I am overweight and built like a brick so it is quite the challenge for me to run. My husband is great support as he runs quite a bit and when I got home last night and saw Zack's little face I just dreamt of the day when him and I can jog along together. I know Zack would run forever!!!

One of the reasons I got Zack was that being a terrier he would need lots of exercise and it would keep me moving, but I need to up my anty too. What better motivation than to have a little scruffy terrier at your feet wanting to go out and "have some fun". I just hope this weather improves so we can get out together and I can put Zack's jogging leash to work.

Winter Blues

This past week has been a challenge to get Zack out for a decent walk, the snow, blowing snow, drifts, bitter cold and wind chills have been awful and we haven't ventured too far.

I think being cooped up and not being able to get out has affected me as much as it has affected Zack. Last time I took Zack out after work I nearly killed myself on the ice. It is hard to see when it is dark so early.

To try and compensate Zack gets lots of extra play time with me and my husband but he does eventually tire out. He just loves his rubbermaid box with the pillow on top!!! He is so darn cute.

Making the Bed

Making the bed can be a challenge when you have a 20 pound terrier about

Game for Anything

Zack is always game for anything, so with a new year starting I signed him up for the next level of Rally training. Last year Zack got his Rally Novice Title in one weekend!!!! I wasn't going to do the next level but I have changed my mind and think we will "give it a go". At least it is somewhere to go and something to do with Zack during the cold winter when the weather outside is not so good. Also, something even more exciting, we have new agility classes starting on January 22nd - can't wait for that. Zack will have a blast leaping about!!! LOL Whoo Hoo!!

Upsetting News

I took Cuddles to the vets today to have her checked out again. Another blood panel showed that her kidney function was only slightly worse than before which was good news actually but the bad news shook me up today. Cuddles' white blood cell count now is really low which the vet advised means she has cancer somewhere. Cuddles had already been tested for feline leukemia and she was negative so the cancer must be somewhere else. As you can imagine I am very upset and didn't expect the "C" word. The options were to take her to Calgary for ultrasounds, etc. to see where the cancer is but Pete and I have decided not to do anything further other than keep her comfortable for as long as we can. No matter where the cancer is I would not have her operated on or give her chemo at her age anyway - I don't think that is fair so we decided not to go to Calgary. I just hope I made the right decision as I feel guilty sometimes not doing "everything I can" for her.

Ups and Downs

It has been 7 months now since Cuddles was diagnosed with kidney failure and her liver enzymes were "off a bit". She will be going into her 15th year this year and it scares me. I have had her for 14 years and she has been such a sweetie. Cuddles was doing so well over the last few months, eating, etc. but lately I have noticed she has lost alot of weight even though she has been eating well. She now has "off days" where she doesn't eat and then is sick but then she seems to bounce back and is fine again. It is so hard to know what to do when one day she seems down and the next she is so happy. When do you say enough it enough? I have talked to my vet and she said really there is not that much that can be done other than fluid therapy but that only is a temporary fix before the toxins build up again. Is it worth it? Do we do these treatments for us or for them? I am going to have to think long and hard as to what I am going to do when it comes to that point.

It breaks my heart to even think about it but I know eventually I will have to make the decision when Cuddles' quality of life is no longer worth living. It's hard for me to blog about this without crying but I think Cuddles deserves to be blogged about every once in a while so everyone in the blogging world will know what a great cat she is. As long as her "good days" far outweigh the "bad" ones I will let her be and cherish every minute I have with her.

Dog Bite

Today's walk was definitely not boring. Pete and I took Zack down to Pavan Park so Zack could have a run and it was a beautiful day. We actually saw Zack's agility instructor on our way round and he said hello to her and her border collie, Neena.

On the way back round the other side of the park we saw some dogs ahead so we put Zack back on his lead as the path was narrow. Once we got closer the lady put her german shepherd and labrador on lead as well - except when we got there her dogs went ballistic and even on the lead they were pulling her over. My husband tried to move Zack out of the way and then the shepherd just lunged - I grabbed Zack and lifted him up and as I was doing so the shepherd bit me in the arm and ripped my coat open and got my elbow with his teeth. Thank god I was wearing my winter coat as it would have been alot worse if I had bare arms, but my coat was ruined.


I was a bit shook up and sore - but so glad Zack was not bit as I scooped him up just in time. If that dog had got hold of him it would have been nasty - I don't want to even think about it. If those to dogs were off lead OMG!!

The lady with the dogs really didn't say too much - I think she was shocked her dog bit me and Pete and I just walked away with Zack as quickly as we could.

Thank goodness Zack seemed oblivious to the whole event and just carried on happy as larry the rest of our walk back to the car.

Hopefully tomorrow's walk will be uneventful.

New Years Day Walk

After dropping Pete's sister off at the airport this morning for her flight back to Vancouver, Pete and I took Zack for a lovely walk. There was still a brisk wind, but it had warmed up and we just bundled ourselves up and went anyway.



As soon as we stopped the car, Zack knew he was going for a run - keen, alert and raring to go...



Typical terrier - Zack has to check every bush



every hole



"just in case"



there is a bunny or something in there....no such luck this New Years Day.



But I think he enjoyed his run in the fields all the same.