Sunday, August 10, 2008

Clumbers in Paradise

Whew!  Clumbers everywhere!!  We just returned from a margarita party chez Sharon H.-- and we had a great time (thanks, Sharon!).  When we first started this little tradition, we had only Kipper; Sharon had Rita, Mr. PJ and Goldie; and Sue R. had Jasmine and Devina (and maybe Pearlie Mae).  We had about 6 dogs between us.  We're now up to 11!!!

11 dogs in one backyard makes for a pretty rowdy time.  Wooster and grand dames Devina and Goldie wisely hang out on the deck with the people (and the food!) most of the time.  The many younger dogs--  Mr. B, Winston, Fanny, Watson, Seamus, Daphne and Gibson-- frolic in the yard.  Pearl Mae splits her time, mainly hanging near the picnic but occasionally heading to the yard to give the young guys "what for."

Sue provided the tunes (what else but Jimmy Buffet) AND an opportunity to try out her new Margaritaville margarita maker.  Loved it-- it even has its own carrying case, so it is pretty portable (albeit rather heavy).  We partook of that great traditional Mexican food, pizza-- Glass Nickel, of course-- which complemented the margaritas perfectly.

How delightful to end our too short weekend hanging out with friends, watching the dogs play and enjoying some casual drinks and conversation.  Even better is the fact that ALL of the dogs are now tired-- and (most importantly) quiet.  Wish we could do this every night!!  Truly, the Clumbers were in paradise, and the humans not far behind.

Thanks Sharon & Sue for a great evening!

Friday, August 8, 2008

Catching Up

Lots of doggie stuff has happened since I blogged last...

Watson earned another BOB at the shows in West Bend, WI at the end of June. The breed judge was WAY behind that day. Coupled with a rain storm around mid-day, we didn't finish the sporting group until around 7 pm or so. This made for a long day, but...Watson made a new friend, a 10-year-old boy who was sitting with his mom next to us at ringside. Watson "introduced" himself immediately, as he always does, and I chatted for about 15 minutes while the little boy was petting Watson, when suddenly the kid said, "I have a great new name for your dog!" I said, "What's that?" and he responded, "MegaWats!" As any of you who know Watson will know, this is, indeed, the perfect nickname for him: "MegaWats" has just about the brightest and most outgoing personality of any dog I have ever met! It also goes perfectly with his "supersuit," which is bright blue with silver stars. Only a kid would come up with this, but it is perfect and it has stuck!

About a week after that, on July 3, Gibson came home! (No, I'm not changing the name of my blog just because he's a Field Spaniel.) He is pretty darn adorable! (Check him out at : http://clmbrlvr.googlepages.com/gibson%27spage. Even more pics and info at: http://www.calicofieldspaniels.com/See_Field_Spaniels_files/Gibson.htm.)

The next day, he had his "well puppy" exam, and everything looked fine. Hours later, we were at the e-vet with a suspected UTI or bladder stone. Still not sure exactly what happened, but suffice it to say that he is fine now AND has been added to our doggie health insurance (I thought surely doing that within a few days would have been fine, but apparently not; next time, I will add the dog before they get to our house!).

Gibson has been fitting in well. He is much quicker than the Clumbers, so Watson has taken to sitting in the middle of the room wating for Gibson to zoom by and then swatting him with one huge paw. Even Wooster has been playing nicely with puppy (closely supervised, of course). The big dogs only get a little cranky when Gibson gets TOO enthusiastic, and sometimes they do have to "tell" him to stop chewing on their ears, or things like that. Overall, however, everyone is getting along well, and we couldn't be happier with the way the "pack" is shaping up!

We have finally worked out the logistics of going to the dog park (with more dogs than leash holders) too, and have been enjoying the occasional trip. I'm impressed that Gibson already has a GREAT recall. Even though the park is completely fenced and he does range a bit further than the Clumbers usually do, it's great that he usually keeps us in sight and comes back at a run when called (well, sometimes we need to call more than once, but not usually).

Gibson is a very enthusiastic little guy, and we're delighted to have him. You can look for him in the show ring soon, shown in BBE by Kylie Hirschy-Sievert of Calico (one of Gibson's co-owners). He is also training for the field and making good progress with retrieves and quartering drills. He is going to be dynamite, just like his daddy, Bogey!

Last weekend, we had a little health scare with Wooster. Doggie health insurance may sound silly, but those e-vet bills add up, folks! Happily, after spending lots of time at the e-vet (Michael stayed there w/ him on Sunday night), our vet advised that there seems to be a GI bug going around, so that's probably what he had (funny how the e-vet didn't mention it...). He seems like his old self again, which is a great relief.

Michael & Woo continue training for Wooster's Master Hunter title. Look for them in the field very soon!