We're Back

We got back today from our weekend getaway to Canmore/Banff to meet Pete's sister who was there for a conference. It was a great weekend, albeit we saw all kinds of weather. We dropped Zack off at Hot Dogz Kennel on Friday morning. It was the first time I had left him at a kennel and I did have a few anxious moments.

This was him as we left. I don't think he knew what was going on although he was soon running around his kennel so we then just left him to it and got on our way. It was really hard for me to leave him.

It was a great place tho, he had a dog flap where he could go outside to a dog run and his own bed in his kennel.


Once I was away from Lethbridge knowing Zack was in good hands we had a great weekend. Did lots of walking around Banff/Canmore. The scenery was just stunning and changing all the time due to the rain/snow/sun that we had. There were quite dramatic skies at times.

Banff Springs Hotel was really stunning although we didn't stay there. Big money required!!

We stayed at Rimrock Resort which was lovely and woke up to snow this morning.

After having a wonderful breakfast in Banff, we headed home this afternoon to pick Zack up. Surprise surprise I guess Zack made friends with a white Jack Russell called "Buster" when he was in the kennel. They were playing together when we arrived to pick him up. He was having a blast with that little Jack. I think Zack lives life to the fullest even if it is in the kennel. I wish I had his attitude towards life. It made me feel alot better knowing he was having fun when we were away that's for sure. I was relieved and glad to be home. Zack wiggled his way into the house tonight so I think he was happy to be home too.

Weekend Away

So tomorrow Pete and I are off to Canmore/Banff for the weekend to meet Pete's sister who is from Abbotsford. Thought we would be going for a wonderful spring break in the mountains now it seems like it's going to be a winter break instead. 20cm of snow is forecast tonight. I can't believe I am digging out my snowboots again when it is June 1st on Tuesday.

Our friends who own Dylan the Labradoodle usually take Zack but they are away this weekend as well. I have Zack booked into Hot Dogz boarding kennel. This is a first for me and Zack. I have a knot in my stomach about leaving him but I am sure he will be fine. The kennel seems very nice and the lady seemed caring. Still, I am sure when I drop Zacky off tomorrow morning I will have my heart strings tugged. It's only til Sunday - I have to keep reminding myself of that. I am such a worry wort when it comes to my animals and wished I could relax more. My husband is the opposite and is truly mellow (or he hides it well) so he helps calm me down when I do get myself in a tizzy over Zack (like the hair clip incident). Zack will be just fine I am sure and he will enjoy the new environment with all the other dogs to look at.

I will probably have blogging withdrawals this weekend and will have to catch up with everyone's blogs when I get back on Sunday evening.

Bless Him

I know I blog every week about Zack after daycare, but when I was getting his supper ready tonight he couldn't even keep his eyes open while he was standing there in the kitchen bless him.

Going, going....

Gone

I am sure Zack's batteries will be recharged soon enough and he will be the Energizer bunny again LOL!!! He is so adorable - I just love him and his funny ways.

Zack Says....Whoo Hoo!!

Daycare today!!

Agility Class #4

Last night we had agility class #4. It was a cool, showery evening but the rain held off for our class which was great. We learned a few new moves that would be required for the agility and one of them is working from the right hand side. It sure feels awkward at this point as Zack and I have only worked rally obedience mostly from the left side. It will be good to get him to work from both sides that's for sure. I will definitely have to practice for myself more than for Zack as I am so uncoordinated.

Also we started using the pringle lids last night for the "touch" command. Zack seemed to catch on to that pretty good.

Zack frustrated me at times in class tho as his nose was just glued to the ground and not even food or his tug toy worked to get his attention. I know it is a new place and it is to be expected. I don't know if it's the gopher smells or all the dog smells but Zack loves them and pays no attention to me!!!! It is a good challenge tho and I have to remember to keep it fun, fun, fun, for Zack out there.

Before & After

So far so good with respect to Zack and the infamous hair clip feast. He has enjoyed me fussing over him these last few days, following him everywhere (as I have been the poop patrol) and loving the extra rice mixed with his food. Fingers crossed I think we may be in clear by now.

In a previous post I did say I would show a picture of Zack's newly "plucked" coat. Here it is

Before

After

He is definitely more red coloured than he was before and feels alot smoother too.

I am just on my way out to take Zack for a run and we have another agility class tonight - whoo hoo!!

Distraction for Me This Time

To take my mind off of Zack eating my hair clip yesterday and worrying about what might happen in the next few days, I finished the picture I was doing of him. It is in chalk pastel - which are like chalk pencil crayons. It is a much softer effect than paint. I haven't used them much as they are very different than paint to work with. Here is my first attempt.

Zack seems to be just fine this morning and is enjoying the extra rice rations he is getting. The poop patrol continues.

Stressed. Why?

Why do dogs eat what they do? I can't get Zack to eat his dog food without coaxing him on any given day, so why does he eat things he shouldn't? I came home from lunch today to find that my cat must have knocked my big plastic hair clip off the counter and Zack had eaten half of it and there were bits all over the floor.

Now I am paranoid he is going to get a blockage or rip his intestines as it moves through. He seems fine right now and there is no point in getting an Xray at this point, but will probably end up at the vets if he starts to show any signs. Of course, if something is going to happen it will happen on the long weekend coming up. I am super stressed over this as my old Cavalier Riley did the same thing when he was young and the piece of wire (from a fake plant he ate) took 5 days to come out!!! At least he didn't have to have surgery. Hopefully, Zack will be lucky too especially because of his senstive bowels - I hate the thought of him having surgery of any kind. I always seem to end up with dogs that are "high maintenance health wise". Why?

I am going to feed him lots of rice to try and bulk up his stools to coat whatever is inside him and see what happens. May be he chewed the plastic into small enough bits - the wait and searching poops is on!!!

Peace

I love doggy daycare.

A tired Zack is a quiet Zack.

Agility Class #3

Zack's agility class was lots of fun last night even though Zack's focus was in and out with me. He had a couple of terrier moments barking when he thought he could see off a truck that lost some of its load and then a couple of dogs from the boarding kennel that were let out to exercise got his attention. When I got Zack's focus he got really into his tug game which was great and his "give" command is getting better. We also walked on a lowered ramp and plank last night for the first time. It didn't seem to phase Zack, he just trotted right along. He had no nerves so that is a good sign of things to come I hope. I was really pleased with him anyway.

For a moment Zack couldn't take his eyes off of a svelte, good looking red head. He went over in his usual manner, rolled on his back and showed her what he's got (which isn't much Zack - snip snip) and then moved in with the kisses. He had his eyes on a lovely Hungarian Viszla. Cool dog.

Puppy Picture

I came across this picture of Zack when he was about 4 weeks old that the breeder sent me.

A face only a mother could love, ahahah!!!

The Hose

Zacky was fascinated by the hose today.



Then realized he could get a cold drink.

Big Dog, Little Dog

Zack is truly a big dog in a little package. He doesn't realize he only weighs 18 pounds and thinks he is a Great Dane the way he muscles his way into playing with the big guys.


Tonight, Zack's best friend Dylan the Labradoodle is coming over for a BBQ with his human family.

Dylan is so well behaved and is a true gentle giant. Zack goes nuts if I say the name "Dylan" so I have to wait til Dylan is actually walking up to the front door before I mention to Zack that he is coming over. It is so cute how Zack gets so excited.

The Little "Plucker"

After taking Zack out for a good run off leash last night and the fact he was panting quite hard, I thought it was about time to strip his coat for the summer so he will be cooler. It doesn't take too long and I just "plucked" away at his coat in the back yard. He looks alot better and his coat is actually less wiry. I start at his head and work my way down his body. It truly is like plucking a chicken, hence I use the term "plucked". I am sure it is not a correct term in the dog world but that is what I have always called it. Zack doesn't seem to mind me "plucking" away and seems to enjoy the attention. I always leave his face scruffy tho as I love his whiskers.

When Zack has been bad, I often hear my husband calling Zack, "you little plucker!".

I will post a picture of the new and "smooth" Zack in the near future (the battery in my camera is dead and I forgot to charge it).

Home Schooled

Not sure I like all of Caesar's methods but caught Zack watching!!

Terrier Trio

Zack met two terrier friends at the dog park. They kept nicking his chuck it ball.



Then his stick.






He finally got his chuck it ball back. Geesh darn terriers!!!! LOL

Agility Class #1

Last night was a great evening. The weather was finally lovely and Zack and I had our first agility class. There was a great bunch of dogs in the class, some really big and one little terrier mix smaller than Zack - too cute.

We practiced some obedience and got the "tug" thing going - Zack loved that!! Then we did some running recalls - don't think I am going to be able to keep up to Zack down the road - I will have to get myself in better shape.

Then we practiced the "follow the hand" (not sure what it's called). As Zack is small I tend to bend over alot to feed him. I have got to remember to stand up straight and let Zack come up to my hand as I was told that if I don't a certain Amanda would come after me with the clipboard to straighten my back up (ahahahahaha LOL!!! - Yikes ahahahahah).

The only problem I had all evening was that Zack's nose was superglued to the ground with all the new smells, although he didn't run off after the gophers so that was a bonus. All in all a great class. I can't wait til the next one.

Food Junkie

My cat Asia got her nickname "Fat Cat" because she is a petite framed cat but is built like a sumo wrestler.

As soon as I get up in the morning she is yelling at me for food. I give her her usual one scoop every morning (she is only allowed that because of her weight). After she has eaten a bit of her cat food she charges down the stairs after Zack and starts yelling for his food!!!

Zack has always been a picky eater and eats his canned food off a human plate (that's a whole other blog). However, Asia just pushes her way in and trys to get Zacks food too. It has gotten so bad that she pushes Zack away and I now have to kennel Asia when I feed Zack.


I got home for lunch last week to find Asia with her head on Zack's plate yelling at me for food. She didn't even move when I picked up the camera to take a photo of her, she just continued yelling at me.


She truly lives up to her nickname and I think she has become a definite food junkie!!! I can't give her any more food tho as she is so overweight already.

I think Asia and I are alike in many ways as if I were a cat I would probably look like Asia, and I have the same problem she does - food!!! ahahahaah

Road Trip

Today, Zack and I went on a road trip to Brooks to pick up a dog from the Brooks Animal Protection Society for the Windy City Canine Rescue.



The dog I picked up is called Farrah and she is a cattle dog x. She is a pretty, medium sized dog who deserves a great home. The people at the Brooks Shelter were super nice and gave me Farrah's blankets, toys, etc. to bring back with her so she has something familiar in her new surroundings.




I dropped Farrah off at her foster home in Lethbridge and now she can hopefully enjoy life in a house rather than a kennel and get a new forever home soon. She will make someone a great dog!!

The Terrier Coat

You either love it or hate it. It took me a little while to get used to it since I have only owned Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and a Shetland Sheepdog prior to Zack and their fur was so silky and soft. He is my first terrier.


The pros:

1. I love the scruffy look
2. It is very weather resistant and waterproof
3. No burrs seem to stick to it, and
4. Very easy to keep clean with a quick comb once a week.

The cons:

1. A little wiry (even prickly to some)until you get used to it
2. Should not be "clipped" as you lose the texture of the coat.
3. The coat needs to be "handstripped" to keep it neat and tidy.
4. There are no groomers in Lethbridge that handstrip dogs.

When I first decided on a border terrier I was a little intimidated about the "hand stripping" thing, but I am glad I got Zack because it really hasn't been too hard at all to keep his coat in check. Although this year now he has matured there is definitely more coat there. I kinda like it when he is scruffy looking and as I don't show him, I will probably keep him a little scruffier than one would see a Border Terrier in the show ring.

When he gets older and doesn't like being stripped anymore I will probably get him clipped and he can become a lovely "fluff", "fuzz ball" "wooly mutt" whatever his coat turns out to be (they actually look cute too - but lose their weather resistency). For now I will keep handstripping Zack as he seems to like it.

Zack and I are off on a road trip tomorrow to pick up a new rescue dog for Windy City to return to Lethbridge to it's new foster home.