The First Real Week of the Year

Well today starts the first real week of the year - meaning back to work and teaching for mom and dad. We did have a great couple weeks off - the weather was actually pretty good for a few days in there and we got out and did some fun walks! Mom took me to our favorite city park a couple of times (she never remembers the camera when we go there for some reason). Dad and mom also took me to the cemetery - some of you might think it's a little creepy and weird to go walking in a cemetery, but this one is a fabulous place to walk - lots of big trees and big areas to wander around in. And unfortunately lots of places to make me pose and not smile for the camera!

On another day we went up to the lake - you know the lake where we went camping back in August. No camping or swimming this time but we did go on a hike.

The water is really low - it's hard to tell in the photo but mom and I are standing on top of a bank and it's about 4 feet down to the ground from there. Usually the water is all the way up to where we are standing.

This is a view from the end of a new trail we discovered.

We have also done quite a bit of backyard agility practice working on some of the handling exercises from Linda Mecklenburg that have been in the last few issues of Clean Run and also just working on speed and faster weaves with harder entries - no video, of course, because mom never gets it together! This week we start our advanced intermediate agility class on Thursday nights. Looking forward to running longer sequences and learning how to handle them. Mom says we are entering our first trial in February (AKC at the barn where we have been going to watch trials since I was a pup). I notice that she hasn't mailed in the entry form yet - I think she's nervous and getting cold feet! Come on, mom, we've been training for a year now and it's time to see what we can do! (I bet she wouldn't be nervous if she knew that I promise to stick with her - no sniffing around - and promise to do the chute!)

When the weather is too cold or rainy we work inside on tricks, etc. We've got a bunch of tricks in the works including backwards circle and rebound. We just saw some excellent videos of these two tricks - one by Sian and one by ChiDaisy.
There are so many good dog trainers posting how-to videos at YouTube! It is a wonderful way to learn new things!

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

Birding in a Cemetery

Mom and Dad took me on a birding trip to a local cemetery this afternoon. Birding in a cemetery you say? Yep, this place is a hot spot for spring migration - lots of warblers and other migrants show up here every May. Part of the attraction is this old quarry pond that I am sitting next to. It is ringed with big old trees and birds love it. On the rest of the cemetery grounds there are lots of old trees - many, many varieties. It's a lovely place to walk even if you're not looking for birds! Good thing, too, because we didn't see many birds! There were more warblers in our own neighborhood than at the cemetery today! We did see a rose-breasted grosbeak, a warbling vireo, and a great-crested flycatcher. Here I am posing on a crypt (I think that's what it's called). Eastern wood peewees nest on this structure every year.
And just to prove that we are indeed in a cemetery, here I am paying my respects to fallen servicemen.


Gotta zoom!

Ricky