We Could Rule The World

Knight's Brother Charlie came over today. Last time he was here was way back in July. It's fun to see the two of them back together again :)

It's really interesting how different the two of them grew up to be. Not just in size, but in their feelings toward strangers, their feelings towards new places, and even their volume levels. Knight is everybody's friend. Charlie will dance just out of your reach until you ignore him, then he'll come in for the tongue attack. Knight feels like the world is his castle and any food is food worth eating. Charlie carefully considers even the most tasty food and will most likely spit it back out. Knight is the silence one..... Charlie..... is not hahaha.

But they're also similar in many ways. They both shower you in kisses, both get food in their "beard" whenever they eat, and they're both very handsome little men :) I'm trying to talk Charlie's owner into coming down to the pet expo one day to meet Arrow, the other brother in the litter. I think it'd be fun to have a little family meet up :D

We're Running With Blood On Our Knees

Another great day in the year of 2011! I took the paps down to MD today to hang out with Abby and her two Border collies. Diana wasn't feeling up to coming, so it was just us two with our borders and butterflies. The Borders and Paps both took turns out in the agility yard. All the dogs had a BLAST! 

Now I'm dead tired, Dad said yes to the Silvia Trkman Workshop, so I'm going to call them tomorrow morning and hopefully mail out the check :)

Leap (smooth) and Skye

Showing off the double weave at a non-home setting

Abby took this picture of my handsome little man :)

We Are Free

As of today, I know what I want to do with my immediate future. Immediate as in these next two years of 2011-2012. All throughout high school I've come up with various plans, but this one hit me full force. Like getting hit by a train going full speed. The lightbulb went off, "Woah, That's exactly what I want to do!".

By the end of 2011, I want to have enough credits to graduate high school. ("normal" date for graduation would be May 2012) That means kicking butt with schoolwork for the rest of the winter, spring, and all through the summer.

Fall 2011 will consist of finishing up my last credits and helping out at the local animal shelter once I turn 18. So I can attend the Karen Pryor Academy during their first 2012 session.  I'd have about 6-8 months to finish the course before going to college where I'll study Psychology and Animal Science.

With a sprinkle of different behavioral and training seminars in there. All the while, working with Miss Lils and Sir Knight in various dog sports (with the main focus on agility). I'd like both dogs to have a Ch of some sort before even thinking about getting my next dog. I think it's important for a trainer to prove that they can excel in the area they're instructing and that's what I plan to do.

Of course I need to find some way to fund this brilliant plan lol. Plan, not dream. This is what I want to do. Helping people understand how to work with their canine partners, and opening their eyes to all the possibilities a simple "dog" can teach them.

Update on the Silvia Trkman seminar, the privates are only open to people who are doing workshops with a dog earlier in the week. I'll be talking to my dad tonight to see if I can go to the "Foundation for Excellence" workshopt with Knight and get on the list for a private lesson. All in all it will be cheaper than the two trials I was hoping to attend, so I don't see why he'd so no to trading in the trials for a seminar... We'll see how it goes.

We're Not Cool

So, there is a Silvia Trkman seminar coming up in February down in VA that I'd really like to go to. A private lesson would be my first choice, but she also has a weeks worth of work shops so hopefully I'll get down there for something :)

In other news, we're going to MD this weekend to hang out with Diana and Kallie (ACD), and Abby with Skye and Leap (BCs). Fingers crossed for no snow.

Happy 7th Birthday Lilly-girl!

I wanted Lil to have a seperate post for her birthday so here we go!

Lil didn't have the greatest start to life, She was part of an "oops" litter of 6 papillon puppies and one of the last ones to find a home. My mom found the ad in the newspaper and decided to make the drive out to "look" at the puppies. Part of her had to know she wasn't leaving there without one. A dog-crazy 10 year old craving a puppy only has so much self control.

Naturally my sister and I picked different puppies. She wanted the dark faced sable boy, I wanted the girl with a heart on her head. After a few shed tears mom sided with me. My mom was less than thrilled about it, she had dreamed of a beautiful long haired dog that could easily fit in her purse. What we got was a leggy, hairless papillon that nobody else seemed to want.

Lilly is far from perfect, but she was exactly what we as a family, and what I as a "trainer", needed. She was easily house trained, easy to train, and very relaxed, even as a puppy. She introduced me to clicker training and fufilled my dream of getting into dog agility.

Through her I learned patience, how to build up confidence until it outweighed fear, to work for what I wanted, and to keep working towards my dreams no matter how far away they may feel.

Lilly, faithful guardian of sleeping in, believer in all things meat, master of fear over see-saw, and best friend for all these years. I'm looking forward to many more happy years, words can't express how important having you in my life has been. Can't wait to see what our future holds.

We're Not Looking For Where We Belong

We Are Strong

Today we were blessed with another day of amazing weather so I finally got around to raising the see-saw back up and worked on that with the paps. I LOVE how Knight's see-saw is coming along. Lil was naughty with waiting today haha, I didn't remind her to wait though so shame on me. Both worked just for the magical tail again today :)