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!

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!

Watson Wins the Breed

I am thrilled to report that our Watson went BOB today at the Badger KC show in Madison, WI for his first breed win (other than 2 group placements in puppy matches). It was an exciting way to cap off our National Specialty week, and I was glad we were home in time to show since I have joined the Badger KC.

We didn't do anything in the Group, though we had a good time showing. I felt Watson showed pretty well, especially considering he is not used to waiting so long (as is the case in a large group). He was a little antsy by the time the judge went over him, but not too bad. I was also pleased with my handling, in that I made several conscious choices in the ring that I might not have had the presence of mind to make a few months ago. So, progress is being made.

Thanks Sue and Sharon for coming out to cheer today (and for the bday cards). A very special thanks to the other member of "Team Watson," Michael, for his help, support and love and for being such wonderful unpaid kennel help! Last, but not least, thanks to Watson, who personifies "happy" during his every waking moment, for such a nice early bday present!

Long Time No Blog-- National Recap

Today seems like a great day to blog... Why? Well, we just returned from a terrific week in the Poconos, on the shore of the Delaware River, at the Clumber Spaniel National Specialty!

We had a VERY enjoyable week. I drove out last Saturday and Sunday, starting out from Wisconsin Saturday, staying at my folks' on Saturday, hooking up with Roe and Gordie in Michigan and driving the rest of the way behind them on Sunday. This made the trip a little easier and meant good company on the rest stops! We arrived late Sunday at the Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort. Monday offered some nice "down time." Tuesday, I showed Wooster for the first time ever in the Veteran Sweeps. We didn't win, but we did have a great time! Wooster was a trooper-- he just kept looking at me as if to say, "I don't know what we're doing, but I'll do whatever you want." Truly, this is a day I had been looking forward to since Wooster came to us in 2003!!

Wednesday I attended the International Symposium, including presentations by Dr. Keller of OFA and Pat Craige Trotter. Dr. Keller was very informative on the subjects of hips and elbows, and both speakers offered a great deal of food for thought. I skipped out on most of the afternoon presentations to help out with blood draws for the DNA Bank and PDP1 testing. Very productive for the Clumber Spaniel Health Foundation, as we banked nearly 20 more dogs. Thank you to all who participated-- your participation in this important project not only takes care of health testing that-- hopefully-- you would do anyway, but also can help other Clumbers down the road by making your dogs' DNA available for research purposes.

I picked Michael up at the Allentown airport on Wednesday. We ended up having a very enjoyable dinner with Cindy and Bill. Then Michael started washing dogs. Poor Woo was the first victim on Wednesday night, in preparation for the National Specialty on Thursday.

Thursday, the dog washing (and grooming!) continued. I showed Roe and Gordie's Tess in a large Open Bitch class. We didn't place, but I thought we showed well. Wooster and I again had a good time showing in the Veterans' class, and Watson enjoyed himself in the Breed ring-- apparently, I was just along for the ride.

A particular highlight for me of Thursday night's banquet was watching Michael collect Wooster's award from the club for his Senior Hunter title, earned in Fall 2007. They both worked SO hard for this award and make such a great team that I had really been looking forward to that moment! We enjoyed seeing all of the other new titleholders honored as well. Another highlight was the arrival of Chris Paige, in the guise of the Duke of Newcastle (as seen in Francis Wheatley's painting "Return from Shooting") who toured the banquet hall with two of Patty's Lothian Clumbers.

Friday we enjoyed another day's showing. Unfortunately, we found no more success than earlier in the week but once again had fun trying. While I prepped for the show, Michael earned a new title of his own: "Champion Packer." I had procured 2 additional crates (and crate pads) earlier in the week, and we also had his luggage, which was not in the car for the trip out. He may never let me travel unsupervised again!

We finally left the hotel late Friday afternoon. I can say with confidence that I would highly recommend the Shawnee Inn for a future vacation (or as a dog show site!). It is by far the most beautiful location we've been to yet for one of these events.

Most importantly, we saw many old friends and made some new ones, human and canine, during this week. This is truly a highlight of my year, and I look forward to this one chance to converse face-to-face with so many people that I only "see" via email for the rest of the year. We were told, courtesy of Club stalwart and founding member Bryant Freeman, that this was the largest EVER gathering of Clumber spaniels. I can easily believe it. I filled a great portion of the week meeting and greeting the people and the gorgeous dogs, and I am already looking forward to next year!

What to do on the coldest day of the year?

We've decided to stay in. Does anyone disagree that this is a wise course of action when the mercury is below 0 and the wind chill is even colder? I doubt it...

We had a wonderful dinner out last night to celebrate Michael's birthday. Thanks to Sue, Sharon & Bob for celebrating with us. We now highly recommend Brasserie V. The food was French-themed and awesome. Sampling my Tagliatelle Bolognaise, not only was the pasta NOT overcooked (a frequent problem when I order pasta out), but the sauce was flavored and cooked perfectly. I couldn't have asked for a better meal on a chilly night. Michael reported he enjoyed his Steak Frites very much, and our friends seemed to enjoy their meals (Moules et Frites and Pork Tenderloin) also.

Tonight we'll be supping on some short ribs that I found in the freezer this morning when the "we aren't going anywhere today" mood struck. Thanks again, Mom & Dad, for keeping the freezer stocked with beef that we enjoy throughout the year! Keep it coming! It was especially nice not to have to run out to the store in this weather even though I didn't have anything special planned for dinner in advance.

We are so thankful today for the fenced-in backyard, where we are able to let the dogs out to run. Even with their fur coats, they're not staying out too long!

Stay warm!!

Spring (Oh How I Wish) Thaw

Well, maybe it's not THE Spring Thaw, but it's better than no thaw at all. Our gutters have been dripping all day, which is a good sign that some of our ice dams are beginning to thaw. Sure hope it stays warm enough to melt most of them before it gets cold again!

We sure took advantage of the warmer weather. I started off the day with a visit to my honorary nephew (4 mos. yesterday). They have a new pet supply store near them, so we took the baby for a walk up there. (I had been informed via cell phone that we were OUT OF DOG TREATS! A travesty! Hence...) The store, Nutzy Mutz & Crazy Catz, is run by a woman who recently rescued a live chicken from a Wisconsin landfill. (See the original Capital Times story here. As an aside, the chicken, named Consuela May, was treated by one of our favorite veterinarians, who now focuses on Chinese veterinary medicine. You can visit her online here. I recommend her highly, especially for canine acupuncture, which we have used for Wooster.). The shop sells only super-premium dog and cat food, along with high quality dog and cat toys and treats, and an amazing selection of fun collars and leashes. Very nice. And I was able to acquire the necessary bribes-- I mean, treats-- for the boys.

After that, we took a long overdue (due to inclement-- read, COLD-- weather) trip to the dog park. We've all been going stir-crazy in the house. The Clumbers love the cooler weather, even though I'm longing for sunshine and 80-degree days. They frolicked around, sniffing, meeting other dogs and even-- gasp!-- playing with each other. What a joy to watch their antics-- being unable to live in the moment is a common human failing that is completely unknown to dogs. They had a great time, and therefore, so did we. We're all a little worn out! The dogs are resting now. Despite the warm-up, a hot bowl of chili sounds like a grand idea; I think we'll stay in for dinner.

Looking forward to another dog park visit tomorrow...

Happy New Year

Happy 2008!

2007 ended on a high note, or several. First, we finished Watson's championship (see my last post). Major kudos to Watson!

Although we were busy in December, we managed to take the last several days of the year off, to be with family in Michigan and generally recharge our batteries. Mission accomplished! I can't believe we're back to work tomorrow, but even if the next couple of days are busy, it'll be a short week. Can't complain about that.

We had friends here for the New Year's Celebration. Thanks, David & Craig, for making the drive again this year. We had a fairly low-key evening, with dinner at home, then a brief trip out to the bar for the countdown.

Typical Clumbers, Wooster and Watson rang in the New Year, most likely, by sleeping through it. But they were glad to see us when we returned from our celebration. As always, Wooster did his best to look hungry, even though he had eaten just before we left. Good try, Woo!

I kept pretty busy throughout 2007, and I'm looking keeping up many of the same activities, and also looking forward to learning new things in 2008. I've been enjoying re-connecting with classmates and former colleagues this past year via LinkedIn. I'm looking forward to getting back into the ring with Watson, which should be a great learning experience, and I'll continue working with the Clumber Spaniel Health Foundation and the CSCA's legislative sub-committee. I'm also interested in getting back to my flute and using some other skills and taking on activities that I haven't done in a while. Not that these are New Year's Resolutions, by any means-- just things I'm interested in pursuing in 2008. I think it's going to be a busy year!

We are also looking forward to the CSCA's National Specialty, to be held in the Poconos this year. The setting promises to be an unusually beautiful one (this does not generally appear to be among the criteria for choosing a site), and we have enjoyed attending these events the last 5 years or so. Maybe we'll see you there...