…two for the show! Two Beardies bathed and dried, ready to head to Acton tomorrow. I have just about all the grooming stuff packed, trophies are in the car, and I even remembered to shave my legs [LOL].

Fingers crossed, as tomorrow marks the debut of Fiona and Mom in Maine (sounds like a children’s book).

The weather is supposed to be great, and we look forward to visiting with those that can make it.

Off for some tea…

Val
Fee and Trav (are we there yet?)

I’ve decided that living in this house and my body are very similar — I never know when there will be plumbing problems; things that are supposed to work, don’t work as well; there is always something that needs to be fixed; there are a lot more creaks and groans than there used to be; and it takes a LOT more money to make the outside look presentable!

Val

Wow, my human baby is 24 today!! Seems like yesterday I had 3 little ones under 5 years old [LOL]. Not sure I would want to do it again, but then when you are younger, you just do what you have to do.

It seems like I was more settled in my 20’s than my kids are. I think that’s a sign of the times. There is so much more for kids to do
these days, and everyone has a career, it seems that they all grow up a little later. Probably averages out, considering people live longer!

Glad I don’t have to party with him, (not that he would want his Mom hanging out with him and his friends) -my head is getting so stuffy and all I want is a nap!

Val

Exhausted, but back [LOL]. Fee is glad to be home, and has been laying in her hole outside and now has muddy feet. All is right with the world I guess.

For Fee it was trial by fire. I picked a good thing for her first show [LOL]. Drive for hours and hours, go to a strange place to sleep,
into a building with lots of barking and clanging crates and other noise. Stupid Mom.

BUT….. she did ok in the Sweepstakes class, winning a 3rd place. It was a large class and she was the youngest. One of Trav’s breeders showed her, so I wouldn’t aggravate my leg and hip too much (that place had the WORST cement floors!). At a specialty your ring is twice the normal size! And they want you to go around it twice as much [LOL].

Anyway, by the afternoon class (again the largest with her the youngest in it) she just had too much. I think she ended up 5th or so.

So, the next day is just a regular dog show. Regular rings,etc., so I am taking her in. She was SO tired and the noise!!! People with little yappy dogs that leave them to bark all day and clang around in their crates should be on permanent poop patrol! Fee was so scared of all the noise by ring time I wasn’t sure if I could get her in there! But I got out the chicken and DIBS, and played, played, played with her outside the ring. We went in, and the judge looked at her right away. When it was our turn for examination, Fee did her little grunting thing again. She did great when the judge went over her, and we even managed a “down and back” ok. Fee was, again, the youngest and least experienced. There were 5 in the class (which I hate because they give out 4 ribbons. That means someone is left out!). She moved dogs around and we were last… oh well. Then she asked us to go around one more time. Well, I looked at Fee and said “Let’s go!”

She did great! We were then moved to 4th! Yea!!! Not 5th man out!! So she got her 4th place ribbon. I thanked the judge and let her know that it was Fee’s first show weekend. (It never hurts to let them know and is a way of saying, “Consider us when she is older.”)

So Fee’s BIG JOURNEY wasn’t too bad. She won placements both days, won a toy and $14.00! She also got LOTS of nice comments, so that was nice to hear. We are a little biased, but thought she was one of the nicest Beardies in the class. When she gets a little more experience, we should do better.

I am working on trying to get back into the swing today, but don’t think I will get too far. Maybe just the “sw” part [LOL].

Val
and Fee…thank doG I am home!

Enough already!

Finally had 10 minutes to sit down and relax before I start drying Fee. She was running around, after her roll on my bed, and I kept hearing this funny noise. She came into the living room, laid down on the dog bed, and I heard the noise again. Something was bothering her, because when I heard the noise she would jump up and run around again.

I looked at her closely and there peeking out from her tail was….. no, it couldn’t be! My hair brush!! When she was on the bed, rolling around, her tail must have flipped inside my suitcase (which was closed but not zipped, since I am not done packing), caught the brush, and she had been wearing it ever since.

Now, how to get it off?! She ran for her crate and hid. I pretended to do something in the kitchen, and she ran and hid in that crate! Every time I got close she would run again. I HAD to get that off. I followed her into the bedroom, and then crawled into her crate as much as I could (not a pretty picture for anyone coming into the room!) It was dark (she has a small Vari-kennel that she loves — she likes caves) and small and every time I managed to get some of the hair off, she would shift and it would get caught again. This is a round brush, and hair can wind right around those bristles. As I expanded my vocabulary, I very carefully kept easing hair off of the bristles, trying to keep the brush high enough so that it wouldn’t catch again!

I think she may be missing a little hair, but there were finally only a few strands left and I gave it a quick yank and it was off. I am exhausted [LOL].

Now if we were trying to get her to do that, it would never work!

Of course now she won’t come near me to get her hair dried, so I will have to figure out a new trick to get her near the grooming table. I hate it when my dogs are smarter than me!

Val

The dogs were outside enjoying the spring weather while I was cleaning the living room. I let them all in, except of course Miss Fee, who requires an engraved invitation, hand delivered. I went outside, calling her name, but couldn’t see her. Small moment of Panic!

Then I looked towards the fence at the front of the house and there in the MIDDLE of the bushes was Fee. She was stuck!! She had gone in and somehow gotten herself into the middle of the thick limbs and couldn’t get out. Once she saw me, she started pulling and struggling and then popped out!

She was covered in pine needles and looked a little scared… that bush attacked her!

Poor thing — last summer and fall, she could fit right inside there and hide with no problems. Growing up is not all that much fun. She can’t fit under the end table or the rocking chair anymore. To fit in the closet she has to bend her body and her tail sticks out. And now this!! She hopes that things improve!

Val
www.avalonbeardies.com

Ok, I know Trav has been in testosterone land, but I have NEVER seen this before! They just had their dinner, and he cleaned his bowl, then peed in it?!!!!

That’s one way to make sure nobody takes your stuff!

Val

It’s really quiet here with Trav off visiting. He usually takes toys outside and Fee steals them, but she looks confused when there are
none out there.

Mac has no one to bark at him. I think he likes that, but he does wonder where the Pest is. [LOL]

It’s always interesting to watch the dynamics when one of them is not there. Fee would like to fill his shoes, but is too busy bothering Maddie and running around with giant sticks.

Fee reminds me of her great-great-grandmother (not sure if I got enough “greats” in there) Cher, our first Beardie. Cher loved sticks, but her passion was more to the tree limb length, the longer the better. Fiona seems to have that as well. I was afraid she was going to hurt herself with one, so I broke it, but she loves those biiiig loooong limbs.

Been busy trying to clean up after such a long weekend. I may have found my dining room table…YEA!

Val

We are tired but had a great day. We took Fiona and her half brother Rocky (Donbarlen’s Rocky Coast) to their first match today. Smaller than a show and used to help train your dogs, it gives you the feel of a show without the points (or pressure [LOL]).

Rocky has never done any of this before and while I have worked with Fee, it was her first time in the ring. Rocky did a great job and loved seeing everything. Grandpa Pat did a fine job handling him, and they only had a rocky moment(sorry couldn’t resist) when the judge wanted to feel him over. His mom said don’t let strangers touch you! So we need to work on that a little, but he shows lots of promise. He moves very nicely!

Fiona was the perfect princess, giving me everything I asked of her (as long as I kept the chicken coming). She got Best of Breed and then won Best Herding Group Puppy!

It was fun and tiring, but very much worth the experience.

I will have some new pix on my website soon.

Val

It was Traveler day today. He got brushed, had a bath and then went to York to visit his boy Rocky. Boy did he have fun!!!!

Traveler took to him right off, and “talked” the entire time [LOL]. He just did his “growly” talkie thing the whole time they played. They raced and ran and bounced and possibly wore each other out, although Traveler wanted to keep playing [G].

Then I got to work with Rocky a bit, and see if wanted to be a show dog like his Dad. He caught on pretty quickly (at least to the hand with the chicken [LOL]) and shows some real possibilities. He looks a lot like Traveler as well, so it will be fun to watch him grow.

Rocky is a typical bouncing Beardie, but did very well to settle down when it was “work” time. Once he figures things out, he is going to do very well. He is silly as well, and was more than happy to show me his tummy. What a boy!

Val
and a tired Traveler