Rottweilers Ate My Laptop

Rottweilers. Computers. Cameras. World Domination. Not necessarily in that order.

Rottweilers.
Computers. Cameras.
World Domination.
Not necessarily in that order.

It takes a special talent…

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…to fail the shortest NaBloPoMo month of the year!

I have been fighting off an extremely nasty and persistent winter cold all week and I’m finally feeling almost human tonight. I’ve missed several days of work (fortunately nothing earth-shattering happened there), several dog training classes (we won’t know until Freya’s next trial whether this will turn out to be a minor omission or an earth-shattering one), and the International Kennel Club dog show.

And obviously, the last week of February NaBloPoMo. So it goes.

HP love:hate

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That would be HP as in Hewlett-Packard, and as in the printers, not the computers.

Let me start off by saying that I am a long-time user of Hewlett-Packard printers. I have been hugely satisfied with most of the LaserJets and that’s since the Series II era (except of course the craptastic 5L, and that’s really my fault for going cheap). At the office, an ancient 8000N still handles a large part of the day-to-day work and isn’t sucking out our lives with repair or maintenance; it’s still surprisingly trouble-free.

The multifunction printers in my home and my friends’ homes are another story. When they are working, they do perform their multifunctions pretty well. But the problems that crop up in conjunction with new operating systems are a giant pain if you are not technically inclined, and still a pain if you are. I am not one of those people who think that any company should have to support obsolete hardware or software forever. I do think that the time frame of obsolescence as defined by HP is obscenely short.

I was glad to be spared the problems faced by the earliest adopters of Windows 7. The most recent update for full feature software and drivers seems to have worked to fix the problem of a Vista to Windows 7 upgrade that no longer recognized the PhotoSmart C7250 printer. While the upgrade process identified a number of drivers or applications that would need removal or upgrading, the HP drivers were not listed. Why not?

The worst part is that this is a repeat of the same kinds of problems faced by early adopters of Vista. HP drivers didn’t catch up with the problems until well after Vista’s original release date. I also can’t get on board with the idea of no support for a functioning printer that is slightly aging but not yet ancient, and being forced to buy a new one, just to move to a new operating system. If any company’s tech support tells me I have to buy a new printer to replace one that is less than five years old, you can bet it is not going to be a printer from that company.

I haven’t moved to Windows 7 or Mac Snow Leopard yet, and probably won’t unless I’m replacing hardware. We’ll see whether my own HP PhotoSmart C7280 printer is considered obsolete by then. If so, I’m thinking my next printer will probably be an Epson Artisan. Hey, it might suck, too, but at least I’ll be able to print directly on CDs and DVDs with it.

(NaBloPoMo | February ’10: 21 of 28)

These manatees are endangered, all right

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Now that Axel has finished his AKC Championship, I am hoping to get him out to some sieger (German-style conformation) shows this year. One of these days I will get around to writing more about this type of show. I have enjoyed them as a participant, as a spectator, and even as a critique typist, and wish there were more opportunities to attend this type of show in my area.

I won’t lie and say that they are devoid of politics and dog snobbery, but they generally have a more casual atmosphere than a typical AKC conformation show, and you will probably have more of an opportunity to learn about the breed because each dog is individually critiqued from nose to tail for all to hear. In the shows I have been to, many of the judges also take a minute at the end of the class to explain their placements, something I don’t think I’ve ever personally seen at an AKC show.

But for now, the main thing to remember is that food cannot be used to bait the dog in the ring. You may, however, use a toy. And that is where the manatees come in. That was your next question, wasn’t it?

Since Axel finished his AKC championship at the Manatee Kennel Club’s show, I thought it would be cute to have a manatee as his bait toy for sieger shows. Don’t judge me. Since I did not see any manatee toys at our local pet supply stores, I went online to look for manatee toys for either dogs or children. The Wishpets manatee mom and baby looked extremely cute in the picture, so I ordered one. It cost a total of about $20, including shipping. Here it is:

Axel cannot have this. It is way too cute and I just do not know what I would do to him if he were to rip the baby off the mom’s flipper and consume it. When I get around to framing his new champion photo, manatee mom and baby will go into the curio cabinet along with the photo and ribbons from the show. They will not go into Axel’s mouth. Sorry, buddy.

I was also shocked to see that this might have been some kind of limited edition single-parent manatee family. It doesn’t seem to be available any longer at the online store where I purchased it, and another one lists it at $78. Whoa.

The search for a slightly less cute and somewhat sturdier manatee continues. I hope to find one before he actually enters a sieger show!

(NaBloPoMo | February ’10: 20 of 28)

Like father, like son

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Denise just added some of Endy’s show photos from 2002 to her website. Endy (V-1 CH Endy von der Frankentanne, SchH 2, ZTP, BH, TT) was Axel’s sire and when I saw those photos, especially next to Axel’s show photos, all I could think of is “like father, like son.” Wow.

Go and see! Father Endy is here. Son Axel is here.

All three of my male Rottweilers were chosen because of the instant admiration I had for their sires. I should probably not admit this, because in general I am all about the research into bloodlines, titles, health clearances, siblings, progeny, breeders, stud dog owners, you know… everything. But sometimes, first impressions matter. Maybe looks aren’t everything… except sometimes when they are.

(NaBloPoMo | February ’10: 19 of 28)

Last one for a while

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More physical proof has arrived! Click away now if you are one of those who has had enough! We’re still awaiting one more title certificate for Freya, and then we have to go back to earning titles and awards before we can get any more certificates.

I’m particularly happy that Axel earned this title, and very grateful to Julia for trialing him in addition to showing him. I am happy that I was able to teach him the exercises well enough to qualify with decent scores, and even one placement. I am happy that Axel was able to get through the last two legs on packed dirt in a horse arena, especially after he NQd once in the same type of venue.

(NaBloPoMo | February ’10: 18 of 28)