With the Total Rottweiler Magazine deadline a week or so tighter than expected this quarter, I’m a little overscheduled for the next few days. And I don’t like it one bit.
Since there are not that many APDT trials close by, I’ll almost always enter a trial that is less than two hours away. Unfortunately, the trial this weekend means three straight trial weekends right in the thick of getting the magazine finished.
To add to the fun, despite the beautiful weather we’ve had all week, it’s supposed to snow this weekend.
We weren’t able to get to class, so Freya is a bit under-prepared. Not a crisis yet but it may be for next week’s trial because jumping and backwards heeling are still not pretty.
I’m sure we’ll get through it. The magazine will make it to the printer and Freya and I will get through March’s trials. We will NOT be doing any trials in April!
I haven’t written about Freya’s quest to regain her girlish figure lately, mainly because she is stuck in a position that is all too familiar to many of us: the dreaded plateau. Since she is not gaining weight, and was only slightly overweight to begin with, I have tried not to worry too much about it even though I am puzzled as to why she’s not losing weight. Here are the past posts, if you didn’t get a chance to see them the first time around:
She’s been keeping pretty active, but we probably haven’t been compensating enough for the rainy days (way too many of them this summer) when she didn’t get enough activity or the fact that we opted to take a break from group obedience classes for the eight-week session that just ended last Saturday.
Either that or Dan is feeding her a lot of extra treats when no one else is looking (I really don’t think this is the case, though, since there’s really been no change in the normal treat consumption and buying frequency pattern)!
The possibility of hypothyroid is always in the back of my mind, but Freya has been tested once and found normal (low-ish normal, but still normal). I’m not sure I want to spend the money for another full thyroid panel when she’s not showing any other symptoms related to hypothyroid other than the stubborn poundage.
So I am glad to see a very complete weight loss article in the September issue of Whole Dog Journal magazine. Even though the magazine hasn’t arrived yet, as a subscriber, I have access to the articles via the magazine’s website, which is a much-appreciated feature. I’ve just had time to skim the main article, and while much of it is information I’d already learned from a post at Dolittler earlier this year, there is other helpful information that is new to me.
I’d like to take a moment to plug Whole Dog Journal, if I may. It’s the only magazine for which I currently pay for a subscription. It is subscriber-supported and carries no commercial advertising. The focus is on natural dog care and positive training. I don’t consider myself 100% natural or a purely positive trainer by any means, yet I still find this magazine one of the most valuable dog resources available.
I have no connection with the magazine other than being a satisfied subscriber from the first issue to the present. Give it a try if you haven’t already.
(NaBloPoMo | August ’09: 19 of 31 | 75% Challenge: 207 of 274)
Axel update! His first show will be on January 30. I won’t be there to see my aspiring butterfly in his AKC debut. I’m a little bit sad about that, but it is really for the best as he will show much better if he’s not looking around outside the ring for me. Plus I will be visiting my parents, who I don’t get to see nearly enough, and who are also half an ocean and half a continent away from the show site.
Now on to the shameless promotion promised in the title! I’m helping with a new Rottweiler publication, Total Rottweiler Magazine. I didn’t think I would ever get involved with another periodical. In some crazed and illogical unconscious attempt to prove that I do use what I learned in j-school, I’ve been newsletter/magazine editor for a couple of different clubs, and copy editor for another niche magazine. Some of those experiences were fun. Some sucked the life out of me.
I guess everyone is allowed to change their mind now and then, though. Total Rottweiler Magazine is off to a good start and I’m happy to be involved! If you are reading this and even remotely interested in Rottweilers, please consider subscribing or perhaps buying a single issue to check it out.
Now that Axel is almost officially a show dog, I have to shamelessly promote him, too. Here’s the ad I’ll be running in the magazine (sorry, it’s a repeat if you are reading this on LiveJournal).
If you click on it, the full sized version will show up (at least I think it will). I tried to make it almost a “teaser” since his show debut takes place after the ad deadline. The magazine is a quarterly, so hopefully by the time the next deadline rolls around, I’ll be able to list him as a Champion!
How neat is that? The author has a website, Big Kid Science, and apparently there are a few other books in which Max continues his space travels.
On the Big Kid Science site, you can view pages from the book. Max's human companion is Tori, a young girl. For me, that makes it even better to have the central young character female and interested in science. Oh, and having a Rottweiler for a beloved pet!
The books have a lot of scientific facts and activities in addition to the fanciful story of Max's space travels.
I wish there were a few kids of the right age in my circles to gift with these books, but right now there aren't any. Perhaps I should buy them for myself! I also wish that one of my current dogs was more suited to therapy dog work. I miss being a therapy dog handler, and I'd love to be able to get involved in a program like Sit Stay Read! or any of the programs that use therapy dogs to promote literacy.
Speaking of dogs going to outer space, how about looking at an Earth dog from outer space? This is a portion of one of those satellite views that are a feature of all the popular mapping programs now. I am convinced that the dark blob at the edge of the walk is one of my dogs, probably Axel.
This concludes today's off-the-wall topic: Rottweilers, you and outer space!
