End of Summer

Hi Eve,

I spent today at the State Fair. I took 469 photos while I was there. I went by myself, so there are no shots of me screaming on a ride, or nestling on one of the many colorful benches with friends and strangers alike (Jill would approve of the benches--they are all freshly painted in high gloss primary colors--very nice).

I shot a lot of different pieces of jewelyry both at the 4-H and the crafts buildings, as well as the fine arts building--I asked permission in each building just to make sure it was okay (it was, as long as the photos were for my own personal use).

I shot every sign I could find, advertising food on a stick. I went into the food building for the first time in my life--wow was that scary. It was hot, super crowded, and did not seem to have very much uniquely MN food in it. I passed through, shooting what I thought was fun, and left.

I shot all the extreme rides, too. The machines themselves fascinated me! They were brightly painted, extravagant pieces of cable and steel, both mobile and stable, and apparently vastly entertaining. The operators have been at it now for 10 days, working on the 11th, and to a person they were bored out of their minds. Maybe next year I will shoot them on the first day, and then again on the last day.

I shot the crowded streets, holding the camera over my head as high as possible. I'll go back, after the fair is over, and shoot the same streets again. I meant to go back and shoot them in the evening or after dark, but I never made it.

I shot all the agricultural buildings, and some of the animals. I took several photos of the world's largest boar, who was sleeping. His testicles hang out like a tumor, and they are easily larger than my butt. He's 4.5 yrs old, and I am not sure if he's intact to promote his size, or if he is of breeding stock, or what, but really, he was rather gross. I also shot an obese woman, who was observing one pig in a separate pen, all by herself. It isn't a great photo (I was discreet in taking it), and I would never publish it as it is unflattering. Also, I have no idea who she is, but the image of her in a pig barn, observing the livestock was sad. Is she thinking about becoming a vegetarian? Is she wondering about her next snack or meal? Is pork her favorite meat, and she was admiring what would eventually be someone's dinner? She stood there for a long time, and given her size, demeanor, and outfit, I imagine she was self-concious...self hating...self destructing.

This little piggy was the only one I found that was awake.

And as I made my way back up north to the exit closest to my house (and the pet center) I stopped in the Eco Experience building--easily one of my favorite places at the State Fair. This is the wind turbine mounted to the ground, outside the building. It's only 123 ft tall, so not one of the big monster turbines you see driving across country, but still an impressive height when seen up close.

And of course, I ended my day the same place I started it--at the Pet Center. Inside, I am pleased to say, I learned that even MN dog people are sensitive to including our furry friends in the MN State Fair gimmick (the stick is a rawhide, so the whole treat is safe):

One last note--early in the morning as I was enjoying my coffee and mini donuts, a young couple walked by, therapy dog in tow. She was a black lab, and appeared to be in training as both adults were able bodied and looking fit and trim. I whipped out my camera after shaking off the sugar crystals from my fingertips, but alas they were already too far away for a clear shot; the dog was on their far side from me.

I love the State Fair. I hope Paisle and I are able to attend next year too (aside from my solo trip, of course)!

Freedom from the helmet!!!

Dear Everett,
Ansel is finally free of his helmet, after 5 weeks, 3 days!! We are so happy for him. He's pretty happy too.

All good spoiled pooches need a spa day, after such a trying time, right? Here he is after his manny/peddy, ears cleaned, coat shampooed (with Galileo between his feet--Paisle's legs are behind Ansel as she is eyeing the toy): Enjoying a good role in the grass: And at long last, all three together. Yes, this is a forced picture as they are all in a sit stay. Hopefully in the future, there will be less forced triple pooch photos, but we'll see.

Stacks of Good Intentions

G and P, waiting for me to throw the rope. Notice how G has grown!
Dear Everett,

Where does all the time go? There have been so many changes recently, and yet so much remains to be done. I have all kinds of tasks, responsibilities, even just plain old chores that have yet to be addressed. So I thought to list them here, in the hopes I'd be motivated to check them off my list.

I have not yet formally declared I am adopting G.

I have not written the blog I said I would, about how I am a crazy dog lady.

I have not written Ansel's blog, either.

I have not called Fred to talk about my new fence.

I have not posted any of G's photos on his adoption web site.

I have not sent thank you's for my birthday celebration.

I have not created the sample collar charms for the upcoming charity event, Cirque des Chiens.

I have not run since the race. Thankfully, I HAVE been both blading and biking.

I have not weeded the garden.

I have not called my dental insurance, about my bill.

I have not complained to US Bank, about the HSA forms from May.

I have not ordered a new collar for the A dog, nor P.

Work has taken over the majority of my alloted 24 hrs a day. From the work perspective, the next 2 months (or to be more accurate, through Nov. 5th) will fly by all on their own. And in that same time frame, we are taking 2 Obedience classes, possibly training for another triathlon, and hopefully fostering again?

Now that G is used to our morning routine, there is no such thing as sleeping in--he is the most reliable alarm clock available! Every morning at 4:30, plus or minus 2 minutes, G sounds off that he'd like to go outside. I try to ignore him sometimes, like when it's raining and I know we cannot go blading, or when we were up late, or when I am too sore or tired or unmotivated to get out of bed. It never works. His complaining increases in volume the longer I wait to open his crate, and the guilt forces me to the kitchen to free him. I have to wait until he is quiet before opening the door, but never once have I successfully taken care of his needs, and returned to sleep.

Where is my silver lining?! Tomorrow will be a brighter day.

The Great MN Get Together

Hi Eve,
You probably don't remember the State Fair from last year. It started (and ended) shortly after we moved in to our new house. This year, 2008, the MN State Fair played a big part in our house--Beannie was part of a select group of pooches to attend the fair and show off their skills.

Now, in your early years, if I had known better, we would have had you in any type of obedience club or gathering that would take dogs of questionable (read: mixed) parentage. Unfortunately for you and me, I was not that aware of the opportunities around us--either that or dogs of mixed breeds were not welcome to attend the organized functions back then. It is still true today, that most organized agility functions are for purebreds only, but I am hopeful the gates are loosening.

In any event, we went to the fair today. How, you ask? Well, since the Pet Center is literally one mile from the house, we improvised. I spent a few nights packing and repacking...took test runs both with and without the gear, and finally determined we could ROLLERBLADE to the Pet Center, at the State Fair. So we did. I carried the gear, and Paisle's kennel on my back via straps, had my chair in my left hand (in its collapsable case), and Beannie's leash in my right hand.

It took longer than anticipated to arrive at the venue. We unpacked quickly, set up the crate, shoved Paisle inside, and then helped set up the different agility courses. It was so much fun! I learned a lot about the different pieces of equipment (see saw, tunnels, weights, jumps, etc.) and met a lot of really nice people too.

When it came time for Obedience, Paisle was a rock star. She performed everything asked of her, even after she was identified by the announcer as a Level 1 (i.e. novice) Representative. She moved through the crowds for the meet/greet piece as though she'd been doing Introductions for years, and she'll be 9 months old next week!!!

I am so proud of what she's accomplished, in such a short period of time. Several people asked me how I was able to teach her to do so much, in such a short period, and I honestly replied that it is more her, than me, that has brought us so far. She's so eager to please--training has been simple and more importantly, FUN!

My friend Steve arrived in the early afternoon, and took some photos. There was a shooter there as well, who attended most of the initial meet/greets and warm ups, so I am hopeful I'll receive some photos from some of these folks, so I can post them here. What a day!

I was only able to take a few photos myself. Here is Beannie, checking out some of the stuffed toys and dumbbells that will be strewn throughout the course, as distractions. It's hard to tell, but her head is stuck b/w the back and seat of a wooden bench, on which the toys reside.

And here she is, right before we go in to the show ring for warm ups:

A good experience, overall, and next year I hope we'll do even better. DARE TO BE DIFFERENT!

Commanding Presence

Hi Everett,

This is my favorite photo of The Commander, and the rodent. Not to be left out of ANY possible excitement, Paisle wormed her way into this shot--that's her butt and tail in the lower left corner.

So why do I keep referring to Larry as the Commander? Commander is his rank in the Navy. While working full time, Larry is also in the Naval Reserves, doing his weekend a month and two weeks per year service to this US of A. After 9/11, Larry was called to active duty, and returned to reserve duty after completing his obligation. Now he has his sights on achieving the rank of Captain. Safe trip home, Commander!

Happy Tails

Dear Everett,

Three doggy butts with tails wagging in unison--if only the shooter was skilled enough to obtain all three doggy bodies, including heads, in the shot!

We have passed a major milestone today. Recorded for the first time, Gopher is taller than Ansel. The butts above, from L to R, are Ansel, Paisle, and Gopher. From this angle, it is really hard to see the size difference between this motley crew.

This angle isn't much better, but at least you can see their heads...

And here are the two boys, minus the buffer of the petite Paisle:

Just a note about the A dog's helmet--that is E-collar #3 that he's on, while his ear heals from hematoma surgery on July 23rd. The first one he crumpled after repeatedly bashing into walls, doorframes, me, etc. The second one was replaced after Paisle occupied her time in jail last weekend with the A dog, by chewing on his helmet. I'll post those pics when I do the blog about Ansel sometime soon. This third, and last, helmet should come off for good this coming holiday weekend (Sept. 1st). His stitches were removed this past Friday--same day he received the new helmet. The vet wanted to give the sewing stitch holes a few days protection from his nails before removing the helmet for good.

So yes, now we know...Gopher will be larger than Ansel. His shoulder is higher and his back is higher also. I tried measuring all three dogs at the shoulder, but it's hard to be even close to accurate without the pooches wiggling away, so I opted not to record the numbers. If I have the opportunity to photograph the two boys standing next to each other at such an angle that shows G is taller than A, I will. Who knew I'd spend so many words, not to mention photos, trying to document such a silly detail.... :-)
(P.S. G went to the vet on Saturday and weighed in at 56.5 lbs, so now he is also only 3.5 lbs lighter than A.)

Are you Ready For Some Football?

Hi Eve!

Okay, so you had to go to jail with Ansel, while the Commander and I went to Charlotte to watch the Steelers play Carolina, and again when I went to Miami to attend the Patriots/Dophins game after Hurricane Katrina...and again for the Superbowls in both Jacksonville and Detroit, but not the Superbowl in Atlanta since we lived there at the time. With all this jail time, I can understand why you'd prefer soccer (or at least soccer balls) to football (and footballs).

Hard to see the Commander in the bottom of this photo, proudly wearing his Steelers jersey.
Not sure if I have to obtain permission from the teams or the NFL to post the game shots I took while inside, so I'll forgo posting them...boy was it a fun event! Too bad the Vikings lead the entire game except the last four seconds! The only score that matters is the final score, and the Vikings lost 12-10 to the Steelers.

Should we do this again in the home town, we'll have to better plan the night out as we were scrambling for a place to go, for post-game activities.

The Commander in the House

Dear Everett,
Do you remember Larry? We met him years ago when we were still renting in GA. We've never lived in the same state, but we've remained friends after we met through work. Since he lives in FL now, we've met more in FL than anywhere else. As in the past, Larry came to town for a football game--the Steelers play the Purple this weekend!
Here Dad is explaining the construction of Fred's fence, to Larry.
At the family dinner, with nieces Sydney and Avery--Syd has just finished opening her birthday presents.

The kids playing fetch using apples instead of tennis balls with Paisle...the pup was not fooled for long! Sure she ran after them, but she would not pick up the funny tasting apples....
The girls, triumphant in beating Auntie (yours truly) in a foot race, officiated by the Commander. I am so excited for the football game tomorrow! Okay, so football was never really your thing--you were much more interested in soccer. Well, we all have our quirks.... ;-)


Speaking of quirks, this was Paisle's first time meeting Jerome (Nina and Jerome shown here).
For the first time I've experienced, Paisle was afraid of someone. She would not go near Jerome, not even for treats. This is cause for concern, as we are going to be at the very crowded State Fair in just a few days! Hopefully she was just over-tired, or over-stressed from being left at the house while I went to the airport to pick up the Commander. The kids said when they let Paisle out after I'd left, she tried to run down the street in the direction I'd driven...not good.

Multimedia Paisle & Gopher

Hi Eve,

I have fallen out of writing every day. I still think about you daily, and I have the wonderful book Mike made for me of all your photos over the years--sometimes I flip through it before I shut off the light to sleep. You are still part of each day, though I know as time goes by your daily influence will become less and less. That is no reflection on you; it's just the reality of time passing.

There are a number of blogs that I have in my head, but have not yet committed to writing. One is about Ansel, and why he did not make either trip to the lake with the gang. Another is more thoughts on Daring to Be Different, like the number of successful marketing campaigns that have irrelevant spokespeople (or animals). For example, what does a Chihuahua have to do with Taco Bell? A duck, with insurance? A ghekko, with other insurance? The Budweiser Frogs? And so on....

Paisle and G had an interesting afternoon today. We had the opportunity to bring the foster dogs to an outreach program of sorts, where young girls with infants or toddlers handle the dogs and learn basic obedience with them. Because so many dogs have been adopted recently, I thought G might be the only dog there, so I brought Paisle along. She was a hit! And there was a camera there, taping. I have no idea of the purpose of the taping, but since Paisle was such a hit, I was asked to explain how I've worked with her, what we've learned, why I like pit bulls, etc. Too bad the lady taping got me started!! I really got off on a roll, explaining why I don't correct her when she jumps up on me (if she's to be a disc dog, jumping up has to be a good thing), what growth plates are and why I have to be careful not to overwork her at a young age, how easy she has been to train, how the terrier line of dogs are known for their intelligence, blah blah blah.

I think her crowning achievement was the young lady who spent most of the brief time we were there, with Paisle. She's afraid of dogs, and pit bulls in particular, because of family history with the group known as pit bulls. After a short time, I was called away on the phone (work) and when I returned, this young lady had Paisle's leash. Hoping to break the ice, I demonstrated Paisle's ability to respond to hand signals. It worked! Paisle and her new friend were off and doing commands with precision. She even had the Bean do a few recalls. She said over and over again, that she loved this dog. It was really fun.

Gopher did really well with another girl not so hot on dogs. It took a few tries, but she had G doing sits, downs, sits, downs...one of the instructors called it doggie push ups. What a hoot! Because he opens his big maw and engulfs entire hands, most of the girls were afraid of giving him treats. One realized she could drop them for him on the ground--good problem solving!

When I learn more about the video and where we might see it, I will post. The person taping asked if I minded--I said the more positive media we can have on the breed, the better!

Missed Our Casting Call

Hi Everett,
I made a serious tactical error last night. Paisle's Obedience school, TCOTC, had an open call for dog models. Come to the school, bring your pooch, learn a tiny bit about dogs in advertising, and have your pets photo taken for free. We went.

There were 54 dogs total, though some folks had multiple dogs, so less than 54 people. The wait was long--a few hours--but time passed rather quickly as humans kept their pooches happy with toys, tricks, and general drill practice. Paisle was SO WELL BEHAVED! It was a good test of how she'll be when we're at the State Fair on the 26th. We practiced our sits, downs, verbal and visual signals, stays, waits, and watch me. But here's the error--I DIDN'T BRING ANY TOYS.

The photographer came out of the photo room after a while, and gave us a run down on her clients, and what they seek in doggy shoots. Many times a casting call goes out for specific things, like a dog that can "scratch on command." Black dogs are almost never selected, as they're so hard to photograph. Many breeds are not selected, such as Rotties, German Shepherds, Am Staffs, and Dobermans, as advertising is not willing to take on any possible negative connotation.

Many of the earlier dogs had left by the time this was announced, but at that point Paisle was the only Am Staff, mix or otherwise, present. In fact, other than a beautiful Mastiff mix puppy, I don't recall representatives of any of the other "Devil Dog" breeds.

Paisle's shoot went terribly. As soon as she walked into the photo room, she didn't like it. It was completely dark, except the set which was simply white paper on the floor with a white backdrop. She didn't like the paper. She didn't want to stay in position. I tried a few sit stays, with treats, to increase her confidence. That worked briefly, but in order to actually shoot her I had to move out of the frame...bad move. Her ears went down, shoulders hunched, and she looked like any typical cowering pooch in a scary situation. I asked if I could do a down/stay, Paisle's strong point, and the lady graciously said yes. Her comment? "Pit bulls are never selected anyway."

I really feel like I not only let Paisle down, but the bully breeds in general. Paisle is cute, spunky, smart, and a great ambassador for her mixes. I wanted to say to the photographer, "Dare to be Different," but I said nothing. I walked out of the shoot, turned in her paperwork, wished the remaining pets/humans well, and left.

I would like to find an advertising or marketing group who will DARE TO BE DIFFERENT! There is a whole section of society with lots of intelligence, integrity, respect, and MONEY that champions these underdogs! I bet if a marketing company has the desire to be cutting edge and willing to take the risk of promoting their clients' products with these fun, energetic breeds, that we could make a difference for that product/concept/image/brand! Isn't that what advertising is all about? Take a risk beyond the norm--try a new angle or cross a line to set the product/concept/image/brand apart from the masses?? Start a trend! Dare to be different!

More Water...the Deep Kind

Dear Everett,

This past weekend, Paisle and Gopher went up north for the second time. Two weekends in a row, frolicking with Trooper and Gus! Jenner was amazed to learn that yes, the Old Man Trooper was playing a game of Catch Me, onshore, with the young pups.

Jenner and I accompanied her aunt, Renie, and her friend Karen up to the lake. Four ladies, four dogs! We had great meals, great conversation, and of course great weather. And I do mean great--thankfully it FINALLY rained though the heavy stuff held off until Sunday afternoon.

But I digress. What I really came to tell you today, was what fun we had in the water. Two weekends in a row, playing on, off, under, and around the dock and boat.

Here are the ladies, Renie and Karen, after proudly paddling themselves around the small bay.

Here are Paisle and Gopher, with me on the same paddle boat (Paisle up in front with me, Gopher in the kiddie seat behind me)

We only went on a short paddle. There were other things to do! Like learn from the master, Trooper, on retrieving balls in the water. Note the students are on the dock, while Trooper is in the water. Then there is the Orka Blue Thing, which does float, but is harder to grab than a ball...
Paisle showing off her retrieving skills which really are very good for an 8 month old, unless the object lands in Deep Water (she still doesn't know how to swim). In this photo, she is looking at Trooper, who is swimming under them at the end of the dock.

Here is Trooper, in the water. It is hard to tell, but he is standing on the bottom with his back feet, and treading water with his front feet, while he waits for the ball to be thrown. Isn't he just amazing!!

And is it just too cute that she seemed to prefer the pink ball? Of course, its attraction was probably the super short nap, which made it harder to peel off--one of her favorite occupations is stripping tennis balls then demolishing the ball itself.

Can you see Paisle here, jumping onto the dock with Trooper? For a while, she went toe to toe with him, chasing balls and retrieving together. Though light in frame he is a tall boy, much bigger than the Bean. Gus, the other crazy fetch dog, is on the dock.
And I don't have a single good shot of all four pups from this weekend, so I will close with my favorite shot from the previous weekend. This is almost the last photo I took as we packed up the dogs and left for home July 27. Left to right they are Gus, Paisle, Gopher, and Trooper.
And then there was the drive home...this is a girl after Jerome's heart...