Supernatural Fiction Readers discussion

Hello everyone, on the 'what are you reading thread' I saw quite an interesting discussion forming about dogs, dog breeds, dog genetics, etc. I thought there seemed to be alot of interested dog people here so maybe we can support our own thread.

I wanted to ask Alice fae how her Sheltie is doing since she last commented about the dog being in the hospital. Hopefully all is well.

Also, you commented that your Sheltie seems to need a job. My girlfriend has two shelties and has the same problem. She keeps them busy doing Agility trials and it has helped a lot. Plus, they all have fun!

Great idea, Laura! I'm a dog person. I have had dogs all my life & they've always been my very best friends, more like family. (I grew up in the country as an only child.) We currently have 4; 3 Jack Russell Terriers (JRT) & an English Pointer. Last year, we had to put down the very first JRT we ever got, Munchkin. He was 19. It was very tough.

About that time, my daughter's boyfriend rescued a 4 month old English Pointer bitch, Lily, from some morons who bought her & tried to keep her in an apartment. They thought she was a 'bad' dog, but she was just energetic & spending all day in a cage with no attention drove her nuts. Anyway, she was given to us to find a good home. We did, ours. She's a practically perfect puppy now that she has some room to run.

Our current oldest JRT is Harley (Short for Harlequin (theater mask) or Harley Quinn (Batman) depending on who you ask.) who is 12. She got stomped by Cutter, one of my wife's horses last year & lost her left front leg. She's doing well as a tripod, although Marg won't do agility with her any more. She used to be very good at it.

Amber is actually a Parson terrier, the AKC name for the JRT. She's 5 or 6 now & is within days of being the same age as my daughter's Australian Shepard mutt, Molly. Raised together, they act like sisters, usually bickering. Amber was Molly's chew toy for years, but Amber is very tough & horribly vicious with cats, rabbits & such. She got most of her lower lip chewed off by a coon she cornered under a brush pile, but looks OK now. She regularly wins champion at the races, too.

Pixie is our youngest JRT & the only wire coat. We have to clip her since she doesn't shed her poodle-like hair. Her main job is being Lily's chew toy & constant companion.

No doubt about it, our dogs are spoiled rotten in a lot of ways. They all sleep with us or where ever they want. We don't have anything resembling good furniture, so if you drop by, don't wear anything dark that is nice. It will get white hair on it that's tough to pick off.
;-)

Jim, I think ALL households that have a dog who's inside at all have the same dog hair problem! Our current dog, Princess, sleeps in a dog house on the porch (and has a big outside dog pen), but she's indoors enough to shed on most of the living room furniture. Her mother was a purebred beagle that our dentist kept for breeding purposes; but she and her littermates were fathered by a neighborhood mutt (it wasn't an officially sanctioned union --just one of those wild, illicit flings :-) ), so were given away instead of sold for big bucks. We took her in to provide a home for her, and she's about seven years old now.

I can talk about dogs all day but then I sort of do that. I have raised Australian Shepherds for over 40 years - the kind that work livestock. Besides reading, it's my "thing" in life. If you are interested in seeing them this is my website. (not trying to sell you a puppy! Tried to make this site historical as this is a relatively young breed actually developed in America, not Australia and has only had a breed club/registry since 1957) http://users.htcomp.net/slashv

Neat site Terri & obviously a lot of work, although a labor of love, I'm sure. I glanced through some of the pages & plan to read more later. (There is a picture missing at CH Nielsen's Holly II on http://users.htcomp.net/slashv/70.htm)

I loved the coloring of Martin's Red Fudge, but Slip was really cool, too. I saw on the AKC site that they're supposed to have naturally bobbed or docked tails, but it looked like I could see some short ones in your pictures. The pictures are small & the dogs have a lot of hair, so I couldn't tell well.

Oh & the AKC web page now has them under 'Herding' not 'Working'.
Here's Working:
http://www.akc.org/breeds/working_gro...
Here's Herding:
http://www.akc.org/breeds/herding_gro...

Herd training on ducks! LOL! I've herded ducks, so it makes sense, but it just reads really funny next to the cows. Your description of it was great, though. We saw how Molly, Erin's mutt that is partially Australian Shepard, turned on to herding. It was incredible. We kept trying to keep her from herding the horses & couldn't. Then one day Speedy, a cantankerous old pony, wouldn't come in & Marg told Molly to get him. She herded him in perfectly. She was happier. It was really stupid of us to get a herding dog, even a mutt, & not let it herd.

I glanced through some of your stuff on whether or not to get this breed. Very good. Marg always used to interview & lecture people before she'd let them buy a JRT, too. People don't understand how much energy breeds have & needs to run off. Lily can & will run all day - needs to, really. While Marg was gone on vacation & I was working, she was bouncing off the walls with just our 1/2 acre back yard, the house (we have a dog door) & Pixie to keep her amused. She has to get out & run around our small farm a dozen times or so to settle down.

As one site says about the English Pointer, "If you do not provide enough mental and or physical exercise they will become high-strung and distractible and can become neurotic and destructive." I've always thought every bird dog I met was kind of a bird brain (aka 'distractable' &/or neurotic) anyway, unless it's one of their fixations. One of our German Shorthair Pointers loved tennis balls & would point them out, even when sealed in a can in a closet with a closed door. It was uncanny & quite amusing at times. At others, it was just a complete PITA.

I'm enjoying reading about all your dogs!

We have a 7 year old Standard Poodle, Casper. He is a smart, amiable, fun loving buddy and we really enjoy having him in our home.

I totally get the dog hair comments! We use to have two Belgian Tervueren which shed like crazy.

Thanks for the heads up on the missing picture, Jim. I'll let the gal who does the site know. I am not computer savvy enough to do it myself - I just send her what I want and it appears! My dogs all have either very short natural bob tails or a very short dock. Working dogs in a breed with this much coat don't need something else to collect stickers and burs - and mud and snow. My dogs are not AKC registered - by choice. But that is another story. I know the JRT is also not the dog for everyone. People should research a breed before they get one and so many do not and the results are so sad for both the dog and the people.

I am also a dog person having had one or two most of my life. Jasper is back home tonight and I realized this evening by googling Rimydryl that it was/is the problem. He had taken it off and on for years for his arthritis. I never realized it had so many dangerous side effects 2 being liver damage and kidney damage. I am so mad at myself. Fortunately I am always very prone to give tiny doses since I take them myself.

Laura, My Mom and Dad had poodles: Patti and Peter, Daisy and Johnny and later Milly and Willy. I used to take Daisy to the groomer for Mom. I have had Shetland Sheepdogs most of my life. Jasper is my 6th one but I am switching over to Poms as the smaller dogs are easier for me to groom and care for now.

Mom also had German Shepherds before Dad bought their first poodle. I found it to be hard work walking them enough.

Terry, your site really is good. Whether you did the coding or not, there's a lot of work there.

I totally understand not needing an extra sticker collector! How long should their tails be? I guess I wasn't clear in my question. It's of interest to me because it is a point of contention among JRT owners & between the AKC & JRT Club, as well. I always thought the 'long enough to be a handle' was a good standard for JRTs. Long enough to pick them up or out of a hole, but not so long as to get bitten up in a fight.

I can understand not registering with the AKC or other breed specific registries. I've seen too many breed standards cause horrible problems; specifically narrow heads in Dobermans & Collies, underslung legs in German Shepards, & hip displacia in almost every large breed & some medium sized ones. Irresponsible breeders are at least partially responsible, but I think the registries & clubs could do more to stop it. Maybe not. I don't know, but I don't like the end result.

Alice Fae, I'm glad he's back. It's a balancing act with any of those drugs, isn't it? I don't really know much about it since Marg is Dr. Mom for everyone.

Oh, Jim, I get your question. The Standard of course says no longer than 4" but that is because natural bob tails can be any length (even 3/4 tails) so it allows for some variations in a natural bob. However the custom is to dock them very short so that they pretty much appear tailless or with just a nub. There is no preferred tail set (how they carry the tail) so if it is not there at all that solves that problem!

Our breed is young - original parent club (Australian Shepherd Club of America) incorporated in 1957 and started a registry in 1972. AKC was not interested in these farm/ranch dogs. Then when ASCA became the largest single breed dog registry in America and one of the largest in the world they suddenly decided they "wanted" the breed and started registering them without a stud book. It has had a huge negative affect on the breed IMO. They did the same thing to the Border Collie although they were already in the Miscelaneous group, no one with working BC's registered with AKC. We fought it - the BC's fought it but nothing you can do to stop someone from registering a breed. A single breed dog registry like ASCA can only do so much to preserve a breed but at least they only have one breed to protect and understand what it is.

Jim wrote: "Alice Fae, I'm glad he's back. It's a balancing act with any of those drugs, isn't it? I don't really know much about it since Marg is Dr. Mom for everyone."

It sure is a balancing act and I messed up. I should have asked for blood levels to be run but didn't think about it. Guess I am getting too old to care for doggies since I sometimes have a hard time to remember my own meds.

I like long tails on dogs so they can wag them lots. I used to know a woman who bred Skipperkees (black Dutch boat dog) and was sad to learn that sometimes when they docked their tails too short they died. The breeder told me about it. They originally started docking them as it kept them from getting their tails caught on the barges they were on in Holland.

The Shetland Sheepdog is not supposed to have a "gay" tail. That means one that curls over the back but I much prefer that and when I got pick of the litter that was the one I chose. He was the best dog I ever had. When I was in England I bought a book that told all the standards for Shelties.

Don't beat yourself up, Alice. Sometimes those things are unavoidable. We do the best we can with what we have & sometimes it's just not enough.

On the tails, I always swore I wouldn't have a dog in this house with a 'table sweeper' tail, then I got Lily. Tails don't come much more destructive than hers. It is long, thin & she tends to slam it back & forth so that it cracks into everything, often with very painful sounds & results. She'll catch me on the leg occasionally & it feels like someone hit me with a whip. The coffee table gets swept clean all too often.

Well, I didn't have much choice. The poor thing had 5 homes in the first 5 months of her life. She hit our house & settled in as if it was her own, sprawling on my bed just minutes after checking the place out. My daughter was amazed.

I tried to find her a good home, not just because of her tail, but because of her needs. She's a purebred, although we don't have papers, & she points out birds all the time. She wants to go hunting & we don't. After 2 weeks of calling & emails, I thought I found her the perfect place, a private game farm just south of Louisville with a couple who had an aging English Pointer. They offered to come pick her up, but when I insisted that I wanted to bring her down & wanted visiting rights, they suddenly found a different dog. Hmmm... Makes me think they weren't honest.

After that disappointment, I just gave up trying to find another home. She'd been with us over 2 weeks & settled in too perfectly, so I wound up with her as my dog since I was too soft-hearted to get rid of her.

Some dogs just know when they are "home" and we have to adjust. LOL

Jim wrote: "Don't beat yourself up, Alice. Sometimes those things are unavoidable. We do the best we can with what we have & sometimes it's just not enough.

Thanks Jim, Terry has helped me with this too. Lily sounds very cute. I don't recall ever having a tail sweeper dog but we must have had them. Sounds like when we got Pookie home. I had a new chair and she was only a small puppy but she jumped right on it and it was her chair from then on. I had to put plastic on it and then a doggie chair cover on that.

I took a walk with the camera & dogs this morning. I posted them on FB.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...

Not just dogs, but there are some good ones of 2 of ours.

Alice, I was talking to Mom this morning & she has 2 older German Shepards. They're both on medication for arthritis. Blake is on Rimydryl, but after giving her the recommended dose for a few days, she slowly cut back & is now giving her 1/4 pill each day. Apparently that's all she needs to feel good & everyone has noticed how much perkier she is.

Rimydryl didn't do anything for Kate, so Mom switched her to something else that begins with a 'P', Pervocix or something weird. (Sorry, but she wasn't sure & I wrote down what we sort of thought it was, but now can't read my writing.) Kate is doing well on it, though.

There are a lot of non drug things out there. I use products from http://www.springtimeinc.com/ , a friend uses their horse products and I have taken their people products. Quality is good. I use their Fresh Factors on older dogs and the Joint Health every day on a female who had a shoulder injury four years ago and surgery but they said she would always have arthritis. She is a little bit lame at times but it has not gotten any worse. I also used both on a dysplastic dog and he never went lame and lived to be 14.

Jim wrote: "Alice, I was talking to Mom this morning & she has 2 older German Shepards. They're both on medication for arthritis. Blake is on Rimydryl, but after giving her the recommended dose for a few day..."

Hi Jim, Well, Jasper was on it for years with no ill effects but I guess it just finally got to him since he is getting so old. I have noticed that Shetland Sheepdog are more sensitive to drugs than other dogs are. He was given a different drug a few years ago when he could barely walk and had a super adverse effect to that one. I called the vet immediately. On google I even read that people were taking Rimadryl for awhile but it was called something else.

Terry (Ter05 TwiMoms/ MundieMoms) wrote: "There are a lot of non drug things out there. I use products from http://www.springtimeinc.com/ , a friend uses their horse products and I have taken their people products. Quality is good. I us..."

Jasper has lost almost ten lbs possibly as a result of the kidney problem and he is moving very smoothly right now. So at least something is working better. He felt well enough today to take a "chewie" away from Georgia! He has not wanted one of those in years.

Super, Alice!

I went out for a walk yesterday morning & got some good pictures, if anyone is interested.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...

Those are great, Jim. Where do you live? (not stalking you - just wondered what part of the country. LOL)

LOL! Thank you. I live in Frankfort, KY, Terry. (I did set my profile to private because of some stalkers. Apparently a lot of young, mid Eastern girls wanted to friend me at one time because I was fascinating. Right... )

My little woods (about 5 acres) is becoming tamer all the time. I have paths all through it & am slowly killing off all the invasive species in it, as best I can. I've planted back native grasses in a meadow area that I cleared all the honeysuckle & multifloral rose out of. I put some boards across stumps so we have benches. We all love to wander through it. Even the horses wander through on their own at times. The dogs see to it that it is kept clear of most small animals, unfortunately. A few squirrels, chipmunks & rabbits are around, but are very wary.

That made me laugh. Your place sounds great. I loved the pics as I always love nature. I live on 32 acres in Texas - there is one other home on it (friends) and I live in a grove of Live Oaks. No grass (well it has all died everywhere here due to the drought) under the trees which is great - no yard to take care of. It's back off the road and so quiet I love it.

Our house is set up where we can see far too many others. If we had put the house up, it would have been different, but that's life. At least we have a spot to retreat to.

We've been really lucky with the rain this year. For the past month or 6 weeks, rain has been scattered thunderstorms only. We've gotten more than our share. The next county west, where our hay man is, they're running 3 weeks behind on the second cutting due to low rainfall. Nothing like what you poor folks have been going through, though. We had that in 2007. I can do without it. It costs too much. Not just hay, but it's so hard on the wild life, fields & trees.

Last night, I almost choked the poor lawn mower - a little John Deer LA125 that I use to mow the fence lines & lawn with. I'd just done the fence lines a few weeks or a month ago & almost couldn't get through the thick, lush grass. I am NOT complaining!

Jim wrote: "Super, Alice!

I went out for a walk yesterday morning & got some good pictures, if anyone is interested.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s......"

Enjoyed your pictures Jim, thanks for sharing. I have most of mine at Flickr but do not know how to create the link to get you there.

Terry (Ter05 TwiMoms/ MundieMoms) wrote: "Those are great, Jim. Where do you live? (not stalking you - just wondered what part of the country. LOL)"

A friend on goodreads told me I was being stalked and DUH, me I did not even realize it, what can I do but laugh? Then I got majorly teased by a new friend when I started following his reviews but didn't friend him.

What I fear is being hacked. Ever been hacked? Now that is scary.

Terry (Ter05 TwiMoms/ MundieMoms) wrote: "That made me laugh. Your place sounds great. I loved the pics as I always love nature. I live on 32 acres in Texas - there is one other home on it (friends) and I live in a grove of Live Oaks. ..."

Lucky you, 32 acres! How nice! We had 19 acres in Texas but here only 1 or 2 but lots of Ponderosa pines. I guesstimate about 100 of them. My aspen just put out a new runner so I am very glad about. We just had a big storm go around us so I didn't have to get off like I thought I would. We sure need it as now the fire danger is down from Extreme.

Jasper is asleep on a rug by my bed so I will have to step over him to get in and out. With my balance lately that is not too smart of him.

I've never used Flickr, just FB & Picasso (Google). With FB, there is a link to a public URL at the bottom & Picasso is just as easy, as I recall. You should probably be able to find some sharing link pretty easily on Flickr. That's why it exists - to share pictures. Maybe someone here knows?

Picasso sounds good. I only ended up using Flickr as I was on yahoo and they offered it when they dropped keeping pictures. So I switched over to save my old pictures. In a hiking group here a woman posted her link from Flickr for trails she has hiked and they were wonderful. It was so good some of them were like hiking the trail with her.

I can easily share with friends if I know their email addy as I type it in and they set up an account and then we can share. There has to be a copy and paste there too but I just haven't found it yet.

OMG...a topic on GR that is fun...dogs!

My dog Corley is my bff. Last year, she was interviewed on a site called Pets and Authors, site of Mayra Calvani and her dog Amigo. Anyway, Corley's interview is now on my site: http://www.ElizabethEaganCox.net/id36... if you are interested.

Corley adopted me when she was just a puppy. The adoption agency she found me through was deligthed with her interview and posted it on their site as a "winning tail" of adoption. As a mountain/forest dog, she is keen about warning me of bears and other unwanted visitors, such as coyotes, cougars and raccoons. Just this week, on Tuesday morning, Corley alerted me to a large bear on my front porch, scoping out our front door. Bears have no qualm, whatsoever, about breaking in through doors or breaking through glass windows.

It is because of my love of pets that there are pets in my paranormal mystery novels. One of the supporting characters, a magician, has an Irish Wolfhound named Atlas... For 20 years I shared my life with Irish Wolfhounds. And in another novel, yet another character had a big Lab, named Jester. Oh, and one of the ghost characters had a deer-type Chi named Goliat (Goliath). Cats are also in my novels, in the latest novel... A Ghost at Stallion's Gate... that will be published a little later this year, there are two black cats named Heckle and Jeckle.

Hi Elizabeth, We heard of a couple near the Broadmoor who got trapped in their bedroom as a black bear broke into their kitchen. Their black lab protected and alerted them.

We have had a raccoon coming around..we think its a raccoon and hope its not a bear.

I love it when dogs are in books. An Irish Wolfhound sounds great. I keep picturing an Irish setter but I think wolfhounds are much bigger?

Hi Alice

Irish Wolfhounds are Great Dane size, though in body, longer. Traditional color is gray, but other colors as well. My two lovable boys were: Connor, I showed him for a while in the 1980s, at that time he was the tallest IW on the Pac. Coast. He was 36 and 1/2 inches at his shoulder (standing on all 4 feet), then my next guy was Brendan, he was 36 inches in ht. Both of my fellas were the longer 'rangey' type of wolfhound, long body for running. Connor weighed in at 186 lbs in his prime and Brendan at 175 lbs in his prime. IWs are the ancient symbol of Ireland, and gray is the traditonal color, but they come in many other colors, too. They are known as the "Gentle Giants." They are wonderful family pets provided they are part of a family...like all hounds, a pack/family is everything to them...great around children. When I worked at a school, I took Connor to work. With laws today, that would never happen ;-(

oh... about Atlas, the IW in my mystery novels. Atlas belongs to the magician Alex Blackthorne, however, true to IWs, they adore women, so Atlas is a kindred soul to the main character/sleuth, a young woman named Shannon Delaney. Atlas is prominent in book 1 and makes cameo appearances in book 2. Book 2 also as the Chi named Goliat and a few cats (sorry I won't give out the names b/c it is a spoiler). Book 3 has Jester the lab and a spotted coyote named Emily. Emily was orphaned and raised by Jester (This happens in Calif). The owner calls both of them "Jessem" that way they will both come together when called.


Book 5, which I will begin writing next year, Atlas will have more of a prominent place in the story, since the plot will be, once again, in San Diego where Shannon, Alex and Atlas live.

Those are some big dogs, Elizabeth. Neat, though. The only IW I've ever known was one that was in the vets office I worked in during the summer after my senior year. He was very nice, although in a lot of pain after getting hit by a car. To be nice while hurting so much meant a lot.

Elizabeth wrote: "Hi Alice

Irish Wolfhounds are Great Dane size, though in body, longer. Traditional color is gray, but other colors as well. My two lovable boys were: Connor, I showed him for a while in the 1980..."

Thanks for all the information. I didn't know they were the symbol of Ireland.

I don't believe I have ever known one.

Jim; Oddly enough, the first time I ever met (in person) an IW was at a vet's office, too. I drove a friend, who had a spider monkey, to the vet. The monkey had an ear infection. There we sat in the waiting room and in walks a guy with a big male IW. The IW was there for a routine check up. He sat mext to us and the monkey, Mr. Jingles, was immediately captivated with the dog. Though my friend would not let Jingles reach out to the dog, the IW was amazingly calm in light of Mr. Jingles chatter of excitement. I think I was about 18 yrs old at that time and I was of course very familiar with the IW as an ancient symbol of Ireland and had grown up with the many mythological stories about the breed. I knew that if ever I were in a situation to be a homeowner with a backyard and time to train the dog (in accordance to the monks of New Skete's method) I would get one. I became a home owner at 27 years of age, by the time I was 28, I had Connor, my first of two IWs. All three of my sons grew up falling asleep on Connor. IWs are great TV pillows ;-)

Of course the down side to any giant breed of dog is their short lifespan. Connor lived to be 9 and 1/2 yrs and Brendan 10 and 1/2 yrs. Both died of cancer of lymph nodes... a common problem in IWs.

Some of the funnier episodes in having IWs happened in the course of raising three boys. One son in particular had to be kept a close eye on to make sure he got to where he was going... so, Connor was often sent along with him. Such was the case with a new soccer coach, who was not familiar with our arrangement. I called him to say that Sean (our son) was on his way to practice and that Connor was with him. That evening, after practice, the coach called to say, "Well, Sean made it, but Connor never showed. But by the way, that big dog of his is always welcomed to come to soccer practice...he fetched the wayward soccer balls!"

LOL! Great story about Connor, Elizabeth.

A friend of ours has Lurchers, not quite as big as IW's &, as I understand it, a mix of other purebreds. They tend to live a couple of years longer. I'm not sure if it's the slightly smaller size or the mixing. Probably a combination.

We had a Doberman Pincer who died of old age at about 8 years old & so did a mutt/Great Dane cross we had. I've known Collies to die that soon too. Our first JRT lived to 19, though. Jack Russells are mutts for all they have a breed standard now. I'm sure the AKC's version, the Parson Russell, will be bred into a short life.

G'mornin', again Jim,

I believe the IWs are just too big for their hearts. It seems to me that the heartiest dogs are those that are mixed. After my wolfies died, I knew I needed to downsize. You see, I have a Jeep Wrangler and it's difficult getting two huge dogs into it!

So in spring, the year afer my last wolfie died, I knew it was the right time to get another dog. Living in deep snow country and attempting to potty train a dog in winter, especially in a 3-story home is just too idealistic. So, with spring I went looking for a rescue dog and I found Corley. She is half Lab (her mom) and half Sharpei. The owners of the mother Lab turned her over to a private rescue when she got preg. from their friend's Chi. Sharpei. Truth be told, I would have taken the mom Lab along with her puppy, but the rescue parents could not guarantee how she would be around cats...and we had three cats at that time. I knew my cats would be okay, they lived with dogs... but, it was too iffy and I thanked the rescue parents for being honest about the mom Lab. I heard later that the mom Lab got a really good home. At 56 lbs, Corley is a smaller dog for me. Yet still a good size to be a walking companion... and she does not have to share the back seat of our Jeep, she has it all to herself, or at least as far has her harness and seatbelt will allow. She is smart as a whip, too. I think I have come to realize that a 'rescue' dog is the best breed for me ;-)

Back to work
Elizabeth

Elizabeth wrote: "G'mornin', again Jim,

Hi Elizabeth, I also drive a Jeep Wrangler when I drive. I almost finished with The Peach Keeper and got a kick out of the fact that Willa in this book also drives one in yellow like mine. Its very difficult to get Jasper into it so when we have to get him to the vet we have to use my hubby's truck. And now I have to let him out again ........

..........I had to help him back up the steps altho he got down them OK. Now I have to turn out the light.

I never thought about a dog being too big for its heart but that does make sense.

I took some more pictures last night. I got a great series of Lily running. The ear action is hilarious.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...

Alice... YAY! Women in Jeeps with their dog(s) Rock!

Elizabeth wrote: "Alice... YAY! Women in Jeeps with their dog(s) Rock!"

YES, I also have a bumper sticker from Forks I am still trying to get it on the the bumper: I was bitten in Forks and it shows a red apple! LOL! Werner liked it too.

I have Huskies I have loved them since I was 3 and couldn't stop at just one. After I rescued one it became two quit quickly. :)

My wife & daughter are part of the Bluegrass Working Terrier Association
http://www.bluegrassworkingterrier.com/
on 17Sep, they're having a meet & I intend to take Lily, my English Pointer. While the meet is primarily for terriers with racing, go-to-ground, barn & woods hunts & such, they've had enough interest from other types of dog owners & are laid back enough that there is enough interest to support classes for 'other breeds'. I'm going to enter Lily in agility & a couple of the hunts. Marg says she might do well lure coursing, as well.

We have a lot of the agility equipment at home. It isn't the best, just stuff I've made up from old scraps over the years. The A frame is too narrow, the jumps are just lowered horse jumps & one of the tunnels is really for kids, but we make do. We've had a couple of dogs really do well over the years & I think it is the most fun of all the events. It's even more fun training - not just the dogs. People are fun to watch. The goats love the equipment & wander up the A frame & across the dog walk regularly. They won't do the teeter-totter, though.

Jim... When I was active in dog showing, after the judging took place in the ring I would go over and watch agility. It is so fascinating and fun to watch the dogs (and their owners) go through the paces. While I never put my IWs through agility, I did course them and being on the recieving of thundering paws was exciting, too. So, the mention of 'bluegrass' begs me to ask... are you in KY?

A lot of my ancestry is in KY... I had a great uncle who raised and trained prize-winning coon hounds. The hounds were 'prized' in the show ring as well as in the hunting circles. I learned from him an old trick that came in handy two years ago when my dog Corley had leg surgery. The extensive medications caused her to become constipated. The vet said it was normal, but after a two days I was looking for a safe home remedy and I got a hold of my KY cousins who informed me that a few small pieces of cooked sweet potatoe would do the trick. Since I am well known for my sweet potato pies, I almost always have a can of them in my pantry. Corley, who weighs btwn 55-60 lbs, readliy ate a few small tidbits after her morning meal. Within two days she was back to normal and I kept her on the sweet potato remedy while she was on post-surgery meds. I told my vet about it and he said a little sweet potato for a healthy dog is good and that he had known about it but did not ususally 'prescribe' it because owners misunderstand and overfeed the sweet potatoes to their dog.

... back to work... when fingers fly typos land ...;-(

Yes, I live in KY now. Taking Lily, an English Pointer, in any of these classes is just for fun. It's not how well the bear dances, but the fact that he dances at all, right?
;-)

We're not expecting to win anything, but it is a good way to work a relationship up with a dog. It's amazing how many little things come to light & how the communication can bloom when you try to get them to do odd things. We do have a bit of an advantage - she's been raised with Jack Russells, so going through a tunnel is just natural & I can get one of them to give her a lead. Still, she's a bird dog & has the attention span of a gnat, especially when a bird or large flying bug goes by.
;-)

Sweet potato for constipation? I'll remember that. Good tip.

Sweet potato and chicken is also good for Gluten allergies in dogs

Welcome Raven. My dog that just died this month seemed to have a gluten sensitivity. I searched for lamb and rice for him. He didn't like sweet potato and wouldn't eat it. Dr. Scot Lewey in the Colorado Springs area says that they have bred wheat to have more gluten in it. He has web pages altho I have not visited them in awhile.

Once upon a midnight dreary Alice



QuotetheRaven wrote: "Sweet potato and chicken is also good for Gluten allergies in dogs"