Puppies, friends, mentors

Mark Thorson photo


Not necessarily in that order...

It has been a week of all, with the highpoint being this morning at the o'crack o'dawn.

Beautiful Polly presented seven pretty blue babies to the world.

She was bred the week that Kim and I were road tripping to SoCal. Casper saved his best for this litter. Stunning patterns in blue, black and white.Add the monstrous bone from Polly and I think this will be a fun litter to watch.

I have whelped out, on my own, three litters of Scotties and two litters of Goldens. I have assisted with kiddings and foalings. However, this was really different. Very short cords make it near impossible, if not impossible, for the pup to be completely out with the cord still attached. That means that the pups also are likely to need a bit more stimulation, and a higher risk of mortality. Scared me. A lot!!

Mark was in the whelping box delivering pups and Kim sat out of the box stimulating pups. They worked quite well together; in sync with the needs of Polly and all the babies. And, they were on three days of very little sleep. Impressive.

Polly wanted an audience. She was not pleased if any one left the room. We saw that the day earlier. She was digging a hole to China in the backyard; I think she might have known it was the most populated of countries. She simply wanted a bigger audience!!

In the end she proved to be quite the doting mama dog. She was literally dripping milk, so when I left all seven were fat and sleeping, with Polly curled around them ready to nap.

Thanks, Mark, Kim, Jason, Alta, Polly, and Casper. What a ride it was.

G2

Winner's Dog and Best of Winners

and I am tired. AFTER a nap the dogs will all get ice cream and then a run in the field/mud.

Winner's Dog

and the two of us, together, are in the points. The Lilac/Carbon litter took both WD and WB and Shea went on to BOW. Even though Ms. Butter was "in season" her brother minded his manners and we managed to get a pro picture taken of the two together. I hope the pictures don't take as long as the SoCal pictures...

The only thing I was sweating was the fact that there were no mats on the floors. There was a bit of slippage at the first turn, but then again the Nugg butter was not trying to jump wrinkles.

Happy camper, I am, and he is going to go for take out ice cream. Happy...but cheap.

G2

Pre-show and sunshine

This is a show weekend so there is plenty to do, but it is also a fantastic, sunny day. What to do, what to do...

I gave Nugget his bath and dry. He looks pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. But the sun is out, and I just couldn't stand staying in the house. My yard and field are mud pits. So I loaded him in the truck and headed to the park at the ferry dock. Lot's of nice straight side walks for practice and nice manicured grass for relief. There is also a covered area that is raised; perfect for stacking! Add to the mix, dogs and people, and it is ideal.

Well, except for one thing. The groundskeeper. He drives around in his gator, and adores my dog. And it is mutual. The man cannot keep his hands off Nugget, and Nugget wants to be the co-pilot. It has been a while since we have seen him, but the Nugg-butter doesn't forget. So much for "down and back" practice. The fact that the dog was all clean and spiffy didn't help much either. Then the guy said it. The words that make me squirm. sigh. First he said, "I just can't keep my hands off this dog; he is so beautiful." Yep. I ate that up, smiling. Then it happened: "He is so soft and shiny." The shiny I will take, but the soft, not so happy about. Nugget is still working on his big boy clothes, so that will account for some of the still softness. I love it for the cuddle factor. His white feels like rabbit fur. It is wonderful. But, it is not correct. Therein lies our problem. It is so Cardigan in the way that it, surprisingly, sheds dirt and water. But too soft. Will I ever get to the point of NOT cringing, and considering that softness a compliment? At any rate, the keeper dude didn't catch the cringe as he was too busy baby talking the dog. Nugget, too busy trying to climb into the gator. We parted ways after him thanking me about ten times for bringing the dog down. And reminding me that at the Port "we are very dog friendly; come say good-bye before you leave." We walked. We sat in the sunshine. We came home. Hmmmmmmmmm.

So I grab Kate. Unbathed. Not a lot of coat. Brindle points. We head to the park. 'Twas a test. Kate is adorable. She is just not as eye catching. We park in the same spot. I wear the same clothes. We walk the same path. Nothing. Groundsman looks up, nods, and goes back to his weeding. We go closer. I now realize that he never even looked at me as he told me about this other dog he saw about an hour before. Looked a little bit like my dog in that it had short legs too. But he was a Cardigan Corgi show dog that was fourteen months old. How old was MY dog? I smiled and asked if I should run home and get dog number three. (I just couldn't resist.) Instant sun burn.

After a little bit of edumacating, he quietly asked:

"Are you going to bring the other one back?"

Perhaps.


G2

Temporarily Forever

Life with dogs.

I was just sitting here quietly reading the news when I heard the familiar happy panting and thumping of a dog quietly playing. (ONE dog playing. When two or three dogs play it gets quite loud.) I look over from the monitor and it's Nuggie bug. He is playing with a piece of rope; happily sending it into the air, and catching it by pouncing on it like a cat. He is in his own little world. He suddenly becomes a little puppy again. The other two are asleep on the couch. It all makes me smile.

That's all.

G2

Hair, hair, everywhere

Yes. I have corgis. Three of them. What a lot of you don't know is that I am also allergic to dogs, cats, horses. I choose to ignore the allergies and be miserable, rather than live without my dogs and be much more miserable. So I choose one of the hairyest breeds of dog that I can find. Not to be mistaken for the dog I am most allergic too, however. THAT prize would go to the Dobie, Dalmatian, etc. Short and oily hair leaves me in a giant hive; and yes, I once had a Dobie as well. I am a glutten for punishment, I guess.

At any rate, I have these three stumpy dogs that cannot seem to get their shed times synchronized. They all sleep with me. Two vie for pillow space...with the youngest seeming to have dominated as of late. As a result I have a chronically sore throat and sinus infection, and, worse, am always pulling hair from my mouth, ears, eyes, bedclothes...

One morning I was getting corgi snuggles and looked across the "bedscape" to find a gazillion little hairs standing up across the linens. (Did that make sense at all?? It looked like a toddler's head after rubbing a balloon across it.) And I had changed the sheets about four days before. When laundering them I had emptied the lint trap twice as well. I got out the lint brush, the masking tape, then the vacuum. At that point a light went on. Satin sheets! Yes!

All who know me would know that the last thing I need satin pillowcases for is my coiffe. snicker. Just the thought cracks me up. Nuggets? Hmmmm, I might have to think about that, but mine? No. OK, now I need to take a break while I run to the bathroom as my chuckling is getting out of hand.

OK. Back.

So, I go to Ross and pick up some nice, shiny, ooooo silky, satin sheets. Niiiice. I will be able to just brush the hair right off! My throat and nose are already thanking me. I can't help but smile as I change the linens. Sa-weet!

Then I go to bed. They feel smooth and nice on my body. Not bad on my face either.

Until the dogs join me for bed.

Poor Nugget. He took his spot on the spare pillow and began to slide. Into the closest low spot. yeah. That would be my head. Twice. He climbed back up and then laid there, trying to relax with this look on his face (note the parking brake):



He finally gave up, temporarily.


However, several times in the night I awoke with a thump to the head.

Back to flannel pillowcases tonight. (And unruly hair. snicker)

It seemed like a good idea at the time.

G2

First sign of spring

ARGHH!!!!

Chaos rules

yet again at Casa de Galena.

The Nugg-butt is back home.

After a rather exhausting drive to Vancouver, WA and back (around 200 miles each way) we are back together and creating havoc.

Everyone wants to know if he has changed. It is hard to say, since he left a changed little dog, having, hopefully, sired his first litter. Time will tell, and I will not. :X

With that in mind, when I picked him up it was pretty funny. He was brought from the dog area and I think he thought he was going to work, or for a walk. His eyes were on the handler until I called to him. He then came running over whining, but NOT peeing! YES!! (However, he was very excited to see me, if you get my drift. NOT OK!)
Andy called him back and Nugget gave him an excited kiss. It was quite apparent that he does, indeed, bond with his charges. That was very nice to see. Andy said he was sad and missed me the first few days and then easily settled into the routine. He hung with mini flat dogs (whippets) and his best buddy was a Rhodesian Ridgeback. Andy, while unable to get him in the ring due to lack of competition, was able to work the Nugget-butt through his fear of big dogs. I could not be happier. He is fat, hairy, and quite sassy. Definitely more hormonally driven than he was when he left here. However, that could have easily happened here as well, just due to age.

The worst part of the drive home was the first five minutes. He laid down, and whined. And whined. And whined. I have no clue what that was about, and around the time I was ready to pull over and yell, he quit. He hasn't done it since. Perhaps he was telling me the woes of boot camp. Perhaps he was telling me he missed me. I haven't a clue but it sure was irritating.

As we turned the corner to head for home Nugget got VERY excited. I thought he was going to drive his nose through the vents. The salt air? Perhaps. Mud flats? More likely. When we pulled into the driveway he erupted, as did the dogs in the house. I have no idea when he had last pee'd, but I tried to get him to go before we went in and he was having none of it. 'Twas a tri-color reunion the likes of which I may never see again. I wasn't sure whose body parts attached to what body. I got them all outside and noticed that he was also very happy to see Kate. Delighted. Beyond words. Also NOT OK!

By now my token brown dog in the field was nickering and calling her wayward pup/foal to visit. I was beat, having had a mere three hours of sleep the night before, but the animals come first, so out we go. Besides, they have been crated for the past seven hours so a run might buy me some nap time! After some Windy nuzzling it was time to run and fetch and do other doggy things. Poor little Nugg-man couldn't keep up with his sibs and, with tongue hanging to the ground, collapsed less than half way through a normal pasture outing. Hmmmmm....

Nap time! Yeah, right. Nap time for Nugget. After some serious snuggling he fell fast asleep atop me. I didn't want to move, but could not get a nap either. Early bedtime, I am thinking!


I was in bed by seven. (Make note: budget in a bigger bed!!) Nugget on my head. Kate at my shoulder, and Henry at my foot. However, I can hardly move this morning; I don't think I moved much all night. I am incredibly stiff!

But the day begins; back to normal. For now. Nugget is still quite interested in Kate. She should be coming into heat any day. Then the fun begins.

Has he changed? Yes. And no. Ring time on Saturday, or class tonight, may be a better indicator.

For now, I am going to take him out to the field to run. I am going to take some ibuprofen for my back. I am going to clean this house. Anything more is pure bonus.

G2

Henry

Long legged and quite wet about the head.

Henry came into the room yesterday looking like his head had been dunked in the toilet. Seriously.

Upon closer examination I noticed the wetness extended to the ruff, but was mainly face and ears.

Kate!! She came into the room with the biggest smile I had seen in three weeks.

And a very dry licker.

Yep.

Henry had finally consented to a mama dog bath.


Henry usually snarled when Kate and her licker came near him. She had to be content cleaning Nuggie, and only Nuggie. With him gone I have found various places that have been Kate licked. Window casings, sills with varnish gone in spots, furniture. While he looked a bit bedraggled, I was delighted. I only wish he had consented weeks ago. I do, however, understand completely his lack of desire and understanding toward his "sister." She has tried to bathe me as well, and after about 1.5 seconds I run screaming from the room. It is just gross to hear, and even more gross to have to submit to. I do wonder why Nugget puts up with it day in and day out, and wonder if he will still submit once he gets home from basic training. I guess I will know in a day or two.

So a trip to the tether ball should wear her out for now, and allow me a quiet escape for some cleaning and organizing... or perhaps a REAL shower rather than a Kate spit bath. ewwwwwwwwww


Next posting will be back to whatever normal means at Casa Galena. I cannot wait!!

G2

If you were my neighbor

would you think it weird...

if some grandma person was out in her yard

at five thirty on a Saturday morning

doing a happy dance

and proclaiming

quite loudly

"Good"

"Poopy"

"and potty"

"Outside"

??

G2

Gee, thanks, Kim...

OK, in keeping with a challenge set forth by one who must not be named(even though I already did) I am to divulge seven things about myself or my blog subjects.

Here you go:

1. I actually DO have four left feet (currently). One in the closet in the spare room, one in the dining room, one currently attached to my body, and one by my bed. Oh, and a spare in the laundry room. Change that to FIVE left feet.

2. I want to jump out of a perfectly good airplane this summer; with a parachute, of course!

3. My mental health therapist is a motorcycle.

4. I let very few people into my "inner circle" but easily open it to those furred
ones that share my abode.

5. The older I get, the more conservative I become.

6. Dog showing is a "bucket list" thing.

7. I cannot allow myself to think about health issues in my past. Yeah,that is a biggie, and why I only speak of them for minutes at a time and change the
subject. ;o)

G2

So there you go, Kim. sigh

9 years later

and the ball is rolling.

I moved here nine years ago on the 15th of this month. I was just divorced (after 28 years), trying to recover from life threatening health issues, and post bankruptcy with the spouse prior to the aforementioned divorce. I moved here because I could not afford to buy a house on the east side of Puget Sound, for which I will forever be grateful. Here I got my wonderful little house on 1.33 acres. There I might have been able to get a dump...that would almost qualify to be called a fixer...on a tiny lot...between two busy streets. I'm not really sure how I qualified for a loan, but it was likely because of the settlement from the sale of my half of the house the kids were born in to the ex's girlfriend and her mother.

Anyway...nine years later there are a few things that I want to do within, and without, of the house. It was time to refinance. Interest rates are down. I made the mistake of answering a stupid poll thing on the internet and the phone has been ringing non-stop ever since. Oh, how I hate all this stuff! Today I realized how much easier I might make it for myself by getting re-fi info from the folks holding my mortgage now. So I called.

In typical fashion, I had none of my info in hand, as I thought I was calling for information. Not a huge problem, as he had some of it and I could access assessment value and my bank stuff online. Wrong. Bank had Washington state temporarily down while they updated their programming. Oops. I begin to scramble for bank statements. The stars must have been in alignment as I was able to find the information needed immediately. So I gave him enough info to start the ball rolling and the packet should be here in the next four days. I will be able to cash out enough to do what I want to do and still have a house payment that is substantially less than what I pay now. (That amount will still be going out to the mortgage company on principle unless something comes up.)

I can now tell all those folks that are trying to get my business that it is a done deal. That in itself was worth the half hour on the phone and discomfort that I always feel giving out financial info.

I am a happy camper, and Galena Cardigans will soon have more suitable digs.

Oh yeah!!

G2