In Other News

     Because I have an instagram account for my boy Roque, I now have a TON of photos of him... Which is great because I really haven't taken many photos of my animals recently. Either I'm too busy taking photos of Ashlyn or I'm too busy cleaning the house. One or the other usually makes up the majority of my time on a daily basis.

Rainy Days

   I love rain. love rain. I probably love rain so much because I live in Texas and rain is such a scarce thing here. We can go months at a time without a drop, with temperatures way above 100 degrees some days. So when we have rain, we enjoy it!

Canine Pneumonia ......? Part II

  That weekend was one of the longest of my life while I anxiously awaited the arrival of the test results, and watched my pup suffer the effects of whatever was attacking his immune system. Monday took forever to arrive. And even then the results weren't available until nearly 5pm!

Canine Pneumonia ..... ? Part I

   It was Friday morning the 18th around 10am when I noticed something was terribly wrong with my 2 year old Australian Shepherd, Roque. I didn't even need to take his temperature, or check his gums, or listen to his lungs to know something was very very wrong. It was all in his eyes.

Dog Trainer's Child

   Being raised in an apartment with three dogs I think has affected Ashlyn in some dramatic ways... like the fact that she spends a good deal of time inside of a dog crate...

Last Weekend - Part IIII

   Sunday Afternoon - was the day of the AAAS March Meetup! (Austin Area Australian Shepherds). Hosted at the beloved Action Pack Dog Center's pool, in Round Rock, TX. Also, the evening brought a special fundraiser event for the The Joyful Horse Project in Lakeway, TX.

Last Weekend - Part III

  Sunday Morning - So after a late night out partying with friends, Hubby and I slept in lllaaatttteeee the next morning... Until 10am! Whoop! Yes, I really am excited about a ten am morning. I haven't slept past 8am in a year and a half. I LOVE sleeping in.

Agility Days – Creating Drive, Self Control and Focus

     You don’t have to love competing to love a fast paced, smooth, personal best, run on the agility field. A course well executed by a very eager and driven canine partner is one of the best feelings in the world. I, personally, love taking that feeling to the competition ring where I can put our hard work to the test. There is little joy in having to prod and coax your dog around the agility course. So I’ve got a few tips for you that I know have helped me over the years of training.

BAD DOG - Part II - Jumping

   Anyone who has met my dogs knows that they have a few issues... just like everyone's dogs. Yes, I'm a "dog trainer", but my dogs are not perfect. It's just like the parents that write books about raising children. They may have excellent ideas and theories, their children may be very happy overall. But if you spent a day or two in their home you would soon realize that they were only human and their children were only human. I'll be the first to admit, I am only human and my dogs are only dogs.

Ashlyn's First Easter

   Easter 2011 was at my parents ranch this year, as it is a lot of years. This Easter holiday was particularly special to our little family, as it was Ashlyn's first! She may be too young to understand the meaning of Easter or to join in the exciting Easter egg hunts, but she's not too young to enjoy the attention of many adoring friends and family members.

BAD DOG - Part I - Boredom

    I hear it all the time. "I don't know what's wrong. Every time I leave the house he eats the furniture, or digs in my garden.. He's a bad dog!" Actually no, you're a BAD OWNER. Your dog is BORED out of its mind! Welcome to the BAD DOG series. Over time I'm going to address different behavioral issues that owners face with their furry companions and very simple ways to fix these problems. Today's issue is boredom.

Vote for the Paws!!

    Vote for the pups on Mud Puppies Facebook Page. Roque, August, Mickey and Vegas have all been entered in there contest to win a VIP Paw Pass To Austin Dog Rescue's K9 Karnival! They are all super excited and eager to get to participate in the Karnival.

You Can Stop Growing Now

  I think one of the things I've looked forward to the most is seeing baby girl smile! She's finally able to socially respond and show her happiness, not just her sadness. It's so satisfying and heart warming to see her little face light up when I talk to her or interact with her.

Loving Horses

  
    Growing up loving horses is as much fun as it is good for the soul. There is just something about being involved with horses that is just so addicting, that no matter how much money you have to spend or how much poop you have to shovel, you can't get enough.

Agility Days - ¿Qué manera?

   "¿Qué manera? " is spanish for "which (or what) way?". The question every dog is practically screaming at their handler while whipping around the agility course. The reason the sport of agility presents such a challenge to handler and dog is that question exactly. Agility presents the challenge of conquering the communication barrier between species, between human and dog.

Agility Days - Intro

    This is the first blog entry of many to come. Agility Days. A series that will follow the development of Roque's blossoming agility career as well as the casual fun Mickey and I have reliving his former agility career, the days before his knee replacement. Also, Vegas will be joining us on occasion as she takes on the obstacle course. Welcome to the agility field.

March AAAS Meetup

    Today was one of our monthly Austin Area Australian Shepherd meetups. All of the pups had a total blast. It was a little muddy, but they didn't care. Two new pups joined us today!

Day @ The Spa

   Today we went to the spa! Well, Roque and Mickey had spa treatments anyway. I sadly didn't get the luxury of getting my hair done and manicures. Why is it that dogs just don't appreciate spa treatments like humans do?

Sunny Day at RiverCliff

   
     Finally the grass is starting to come back, the sun was out, the temperature was perfect. It was a gorgeous day and I couldn't help myself. I packed up baby, paws and me and headed out to the ranch.

Snow Puppies

   Once every couple hundred years (or so it seems), it snows in central Texas. This morning was one of those very rare mornings we woke up to find white fluffy powder covering the ground. This year it's even staying on the ground for a couple hours, and it even snowed in the city!