Re-Thinking (or over-thinking?) the Show Meltdown

I am now thinking that Scout was having some neck and/or shoulder spasms on Saturday. A couple of folks at the show and at least one on the blog asked if she seemed to have any pain in her neck - and after she came out of the ring, we could not find any spots that seemed painful to her. Of course, cardis are such stoic little creatures, they really don't want to show when it hurts.

The next morning, a handler who had heard about Saturday but didn't witness it said that she thought Scout was holding her head differently when she saw her walking into the building Sunday morning. Then in the ring Sunday (video here), Scout had to gallop a few times to keep up with Cheryl - especially at the turns. This is unusual for her, and I think she may have still been having issues.

Today I had her chiropractor take a look at the videos (Scout and Cheryl went on to Roanoke VA from Greenville yesterday) and she thinks there may be something going on there. Dr B works with Cheryl too and is going to call her for more info and hopefully give her some ideas on what we can do go give her some relief.

Calendar Dogs

I had forgotten until I saw a display at the dog show, but the 2010 calendar with the pic of S&S (they are Mr and Ms May) is out now! I had to buy a copy. I see it is also for sale on Amazon.

And to be just totally obnoxious with my new toy, here are videos of hotel frapping and wallering. Forgive me - the new will wear off soon, I'm sure.

UPDATE on the weird ring behavior: After the show site cleared, we took Scout back to ring 11. Cheryl took her down and back and around and she flew around the ring like the good show dog she's supposed to be. Not a bit of hesitation or concern. This makes me think that it was not something physical about the ring - more likely a smell or something else in realm of things they see but we don't. I saw the judge later in the day and apologized to her. She said that Scout was not the only one spooked today. She judged pems after the cardigans and she said several of them acted strangely too.

Also, as soon as we got out of the ring we checked her from stem to stern for anything physical and found nothing. She and Spencer have been frapping non-stop this evening.

Not our finest moment

As a kid in my house, Saturday evening meant "HeeHaw" on tv, a countryfied version of "Laugh-In." One of my favorite parts of it was a sketch where they sang:

"Gloom, despair and agony on me-e!
Deep dark depression, excessive misery-y!
If it weren't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all!
Gloom, despair and agony on me-e-e!"

We are at a show in Greenville, SC this weekend. Today Scout went in the ring and did something I have never seen her do before. When judging was over, I was singing that song.

Scout has never lacked in the confidence department. She is one tough, spunky girl. She is a red bitch in every sense of the word.

So what the heck happened here? (The link takes you to YouTube. I don't want this clip haunting me on my blog, so I am just posting a link. The drama starts on her down and back, about 1:15 in.)

The behavior continued for the rest of the time she was in the ring. Once she got out of the ring, everything was fine.

Wonder what tomorrow will bring?

Deja vu all over again

Today at lunch I ran out to get the oil changed in the Element. I pulled into the bay, and the guy looked in and asked, "Do the kids ride in that cage?"

Spencer gets a cookie

Oh - I now have the tool to overload my blog with cuteness.

New toy

Guess what I got today? I changed fruits.

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Inkjets, Dog Biscuits and Good Works

This made me smile and add www.lasermonks.com to my Favorites:

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My run-in with the law

Had an odd experience last night. About 10:00, I had a craving for my favorite Sonic Drive-In drink, a diet coke with lime. There's a Sonic just down the street, so I hopped in the Element and took off.

For the few of you out there who have not figured out that the Element is the ultimate dog car, let me explain how perfectly my 36 inch crate, on a platform, fits in the back of the car. There are even tie downs in the ceiling to secure crates. Here's a shot my setup when we were headed home from the 2008 Specialty.



OK - back to my story - I went to Sonic, got my drink at the drive thru, then headed back to the house. I had just settled down to watch a movie when I saw a police car pull up slowly in front the house. He shines a spotlight down my driveway, then backs up and pulls in my driveway.

I jumped up and turned on the porch light and opened the front door as the officer comes up on the porch. Of course, Spencer and Scout are going ballistic. I go out on the front porch and the officer says, "Maam, do you have a small child in this house?" I say no, and then he asks, "Were your dogs in that cage in your car when you went to Sonic?" Again, I said no and I'm sure I was looking at him with a very strange look on my face.

Then he asked, "Is there a doll in the cage?" I said no, but there is a frog and a tomato in there. Thinking back, that that must have sounded odd. (Those familiar with us know that Showfrog is our faithful travel companion. The stuffed tomato was a prize Scout won at an agility trial, and it stays in the crate as well.) He said that they had received a call that I had been driving with a child in the cage and he had to check it out.

By this time I am headed towards the car to open the hatch and show him what was in there. Of course, the car was locked and I didn't grab my key on the way out, but he shined his flashlight in and was satisfied that I was not some crazy lady hauling kids around in my "cage." Ok - he probably still thought I was crazy, but not criminal. He apologized and left.

For him, this was probably just another Saturday night. For me, it was a bit unsettling. For minute there I thought I might need to call Penni to my defense and hope that Laura would be writing my pre-sentencing report.

What a day!

We are in the midst of one of the coolest summers I can remember. We had a couple of weeks of really hot weather, but mostly it has been so mild. To have a day like today was in July is truly a gift. In a normal year, by 5 pm it is so hot and humid that it is miserable outside. This afternoon, I just sat out on the deck for a couple of hours with a good book, a glass of wine and two happy cardigans and it just could not have been more perfect. Tonight I have have the windows open and we are enjoying the most lovely cool breeze.

After a long day at doggie day care

This how I find Scout everyday when I pick her up at doggie daycare. They send them to the crate room about 5:30 if the owner has not picked them up. This was Scout at 6:00 when I got there to pick her up.

Now, I didn't just sneak in and make this picture. When I walked in the building, Spencer, in the next crate over, started barking like a maniac. When I walked in the crate room, all the other dogs in there did the same. When I saw Scout asleep all scrunched against the crate door, I went out to the car to get my blackberry, This picture was made after I came back in to the second chorus of barking dogs.

Spencer is wide awake - barking like crazy for me to let him out. It took several shots to get one where his eyes weren't completely scary and blurry from him jumping around the crate. All the other dogs are still going at it as well.

But sleeping beauty is still zonked out.

Now by the time we get home, Scout is ready for her second shift. She is outside patrolling the yard, and probably won't come in until I make her when it gets dark.

Dessert, then off to see Lizzard's puppies

Cherry cobbler, real whipped cream with a touch of the local product (Jack Daniels).
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Lunch @ Miss Mary Bobo's

Sorry, didn't get the pic until everyone finished.
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Inheritance Tracks

As part of my job, I spend a good bit of time on the phone with my co-workers in our UK office. I think anytime you spend that much time even on the phone with folks, non-work-related conversations tend to start up. I have learned all kinds of new things about the UK that I didn't know - like for instance, even though it rains a lot there, thunderstorms are extremely rare. They say that lightning is so rare that it makes the news when it happens. They are amazed that we have thunderstorms so often and that we don't think much about them.

Someone once said that Americans and the English are separated by a common language, and I find that we often have to stop each other in the middle of a conversation when one us drops a colloquialism that the other doesn't understand. This happened the other day when the conversation turned to a certain piece of music and one of the Brits said, "That's one of my inheritance tracks."

"OK - hold the phone - what the heck is an inheritance track? Sounds like one of those peerage things yall have over there." (They love it when I say "yall" - I always have to throw a few redneckisms at them - like "what yall fixing to do?" when I ask about the next steps in our project, but I digress.)

Anyhow - apparently a show called "Saturday Live" on BBC radio asks a variety of people they interview for their inheritance tracks - two pieces of music - the first is one they "inherited" from their family - a song from their childhood which stuck with them, and the second is one they would pass on to their children. Here are some examples from the BBC radio website.

So - last night as I was returning from having dinner with Laura and picking up Scout from Cheryl's house, making the drive over the mountain and through the tunnel, I tried to come up with my inheritance tracks. I cranked up the iPod and found both of them already on there:

1. "Twist and Shout" by the Beatles. While I do have lots of memories of listening to the Grand Ole Opry with mom and dad, and in later life have come to appreciate real country music, I can't say that it really spoke to me back then. On the other hand, I do remember loving my older (by 13 years) brother's collection of 45s. The Beatles, the Box Tops, the Four Tops, The Temptations - these were the sounds of my childhood. "She Loves You" was probably the first song I ever sang (I loved the "yeah, yeah, yeah" part) but "Twist and Shout" was the best - it was fun to dance to.

2. "Tapestry" (the whole album) by Carole King. I'm going to cheat a bit on this one - because I cannot just pick just one song. This could actually be both of my inheritance tracks - because it was one I first came to love as a tween, but has stuck with me through the years. (I have it on vinyl, cassette, cd and iTunes now!) It is also one that I have passed on to a number of girls over the years - it is my favorite high school graduation gift (along with a little cash kicker - you know that's what they really want) for girls - I think it is a timeless collection of chic music.

Ok - so let's hear from everyone - what are your inheritance tracks? Leave a note or post on your blog!

Happy 4th!

The red girl is BOB today in Monroe, MI.

Meet the newest member of our pack

This is Robert, and I love him very much. As I sit here getting a head start on the long weekend, sipping a cold adult carbonated beverage, Robert is vacuuming, humming as he works. When he gets finished, he will go back to his little perch and stay there quietly until it's time to go to work again. And the thought of trying to make me feel guilty while he works and I lounge has never crossed his mind.
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