Look what Lily brought home last weekend!
Our baby Lily and her trainer/our daughter Catherine are training and showing in Agility at our local AKC dog club.
Lily is a real goof ball so for her to get a ribbon is a big deal! We are so very proud of her! Catherine, you're getting our goof ball under control!
Congrats and love you both!
Mom
Meet Tuey (pronounced "Two-E)!
Our friend Erica has a new pup, now only four months old. He came to meet our pups and spend a couple of days while Erica is out of town.
This image isn't the best quality since it was snapped while the pups were moving around quickly, but it's so cute! Tuey and our Elsa are meeting for the very first time. Elsa is such a sweet gentle dog. She's so happy her tail is only a blur while Tuey is stealing kisses.
They'll be great friends!
So sweet!
Photo credit goes to Catherine.
Lois
Teddy stayed with us for nearly two weeks while his mom, Erica, and our daughter, Catherine, were cruising through the Panama Canal.
Teddy is a great retriever. In fact, Teddy the Border Collie, is a much better a retriever than our Labrador Retrievers.
Anyway, I put Elsa inside and let Teddy retrieve for awhile.
Even the unicorn survived, but looks much better after a trip through the laundry with Tide and Laundry Sanitizer.
All the best,
Lois
Look who brought home a blue ribbon yesterday!
Our baby Lily with her trainer/our daughter Catherine performed a qualifying run at the AKC Trials yesterday! We are so proud of them both!
Photo credit goes to Catherine.
Love you,
Mom & Dad
Happy 7th Birthday, Elsa!
Elsa had a birthday party at our dog club yesterday!
Thank you, Catherine, for the cake.
Photo credit goes to our friend Susan Ball.
We are SO proud of our baby Lily and her trainer, our daughter Catherine! Lily has just achieved her first Qualifying Agility Run at our AKC Queen City Dog Training Club.
Lily is now on her way to achieving Agility titles. We are sure her great, great, great Aunt Penny is looking down from doggie heaven and proudly wagging her tail!
Here's the video of the run:
All the very best,
Lois
That's Elsa, the most precious friend anyone could have.
Last week after a doctor appointment I didn't feel so well so took a nap. Sweet Elsa was right there with me making sure I was comfortable and loved. They just know, don't they, when you don't feel well.
What a sweetheart! That dog is so very special.
All the best,
Lois
That handsome Border Collie on the left is Teddy. The pretty Labrador Retriever on the right is our Elsa. The little character watching from the top of the image is our Lab Lily.
Teddy is visiting us again this week while his Mommy, our friend Erica, is traveling.
Teddy just loves to retrieve toys. Every time I take the pups out, he brings me a toy and drops it at my feet for me to throw it for him. All goes well until I do throw it and Teddy tries to return it. That's when our Labs, who are supposed to be great retrievers, step in and say, "Nope, not gonna do this" and they take the toy.
To play fetch with Teddy for a few minutes, I have to put the Labs inside.
Kids! *sigh*
:),
Lois
The pool is open at Erica's home and our pups are thrilled.
The Labs are Elsa (in the pool) and Lily. The Border Collies are Teddy, center, looking at Tilly almost out of the picture on the right.
Soon it will be time for dock diving for the pups. I hope they get a chance to compete this year! Our Wendy did so well a few years ago that she was invited to Nationals in Orlando which is quite an honor.
Summer! Yay!
All the best,
Lois
I'm reminded I should always read directions before assembling my Labrador Retriever.
Wendy is out cold and snoring in a living room chair.
Life is tough.
All the best,
Lois
We feed our four pups a raw diet that we prepare ourselves. We've done this for more than 20 years now so all of our dogs have had this diet since they were just a few weeks old.
That's Erik's dinner above. You see a chicken back (sometimes it's a neck) and ground hamburger (sometimes it's ground chicken or turkey, never pork). What you don't see under the chicken is a half tablespoon of chopped veggies and oatmeal as well as supplements and medications that our nearly sixteen year old boy needs. All of the food is human grade, purchased at local grocery and meat stores.
The first question many people ask is about salmonella and/or other problems with feeding raw. Yes, those would be problems for us humans, but not for dogs.
So, that's what our canine athletes eat for dinner. For breakfast, the meal is about the same, except a raw egg including the shell replaces the chicken back.
We are very careful to wash our hands after handling the raw ingredients in these meals. Also, we have a specific small part of the kitchen counter that we use only for dog food preparation. This area is away from/across the room from where we prepare human meals.
Of course, our pups get some of our food, too, but not things that can do them harm such as onions and chocolate.
All the best,
Lois
Catherine took Elsa (pictured) and Lily to the dog club yesterday to play on the agility equipment. Actually, they were there training, but the pups think of it as playing. They have so much fun!
Thanks for the image, Catherine.
All the best,
Lois
We Wish You A Happy and Healthy New Year!
From Elsa and her siblings: Erik, Wendy, and Lily
And Elsa's humans: Catherine, Kjell, and Lois
Our pups have two Border Collie friends, Teddy and Tillie, with whom they spend a great deal of time.
Sometimes they are all at our home, sometimes they are at Teddy and Tillie's home. Here Elsa and Lily are playing in the pool at Teddy and Tillie's home.
Thanks, Catherine, for sending this image and video.
Love,
Mom
It's Back to School Time!
Here's our little Lily at the dog club preparing for her Agility II Class.
Look at that big smile!
Photo credit to our daughter/Lily's trainer, Catherine.
Sweet!
Love you,
Mom
Lily takes her job as Back Yard Monitor very seriously.
For long periods of time she sits on the patio and carefully surveys her domain, making sure no bird, butterfly, or other scary creature invades our space.
Should that occur, she is quick to chase off the threat.
She is very good at her job.
;),
Lois
These are just a few of the professional images of our Elsa taken by Game On Agility Photos at a recent dog show at our AKC club, Queen City Dog Training Club.
Such fun!
:),
Lois
The neighbors may think I'm nuts when I lean out the back door an call to Lily, "Lily! No fishing!" Lily is fascinated by the goldfish in our pond. Above you see her holding her froggie stuffy toy. Only once have I seen her drop a toy in the pond. It took quite awhile for her to get it out and I don't think she has done it again.
Thanks go to Daddy, Kjell, for the images. :)
Happy Winter....
Lois
Catherine, Elsa, and Lily spent the weekend at a dog show again. Lily goes along for socialization, Catherine and Elsa participate in the Agility Trials.
Elsa is collecting qualifying runs that transfer into points toward her titles. She is doing an excellent job and we are so very proud of her and her trainer/our daughter Catherine.
Congratulations!
Love you,
Mom & Dad
As a very proud Mom, I'm sharing images of ribbons that Team Elsa (Our Five Year Old Labrador Retriever Elsa and our Daughter/Elsa's Trainer Catherine) brought home from the past two Agility Trials.
The ribbon above is for "High in Trial." Each of our pups (except baby Lily who isn't competing yet) has received at least one of these during his/her career.
We are so very proud of Elsa and Catherine! :)
Love you,
Mom and Dad
