Rottweilers Ate My Laptop

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

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

Almost forgot to show the proof!

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Freya finished her UKC Rally Obedience 1 title back in November, but I never did finish discussing our performance at those two trials. I should still do that before I’ve blocked a less-than-stellar performance from my memory.

But enough about the missing play-by-play. I forgot something really important: visual proof that we got the title!

Here’s the official certificate:

Here’s our bit of the New Titleholders section of UKC’s website:

I will get to the details of the trials, but probably not until later this week. Axel’s heading back to the shows tomorrow, so we all need to spend some quality time together tonight!

(NaBloPoMo | January ’10: 3 of 31)

Saturday Freya: still on break

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I normally attend a group obedience class with Freya on Saturday mornings. We are still on break for the holidays, though. Since we skipped the last class of the previous session so I could watch Axel from afar as he competed in Rally Obedience at the Christmas Cluster, we have been off for three weeks.

Class starts up again next Saturday and it’s not a moment too soon! Three weeks off in winter is just a little too much downtime, since we don’t have as many opportunities to play or train outdoors. Rottweilers don’t seem to mind the cold, or at least my Rottweilers don’t mind it. This week’s single-digit temperatures don’t seem to faze them at all, except that they can’t pick up frozen Jolly Balls. I’m fearing frostbite and hypothermia because they don’t want to come in, and I’m the only one that seems to be suffering any ill effects from the extreme cold!

I’m still hoping that we will be ready for an APDT Rally Obedience trial on January 23-24. Freya’s attitude and performance in our first class back from break will give me some idea of whether we should shoot for that trial, or for one on February 6-7 instead. Both are at locations where we’ve trialed and/or trained before so at least the grounds won’t be unfamiliar to either Freya or me.

I haven’t been doing any training to speak of during the break. We have done some quick reviews of stationary rally exercises in the kitchen before meals, but not every day. On the days that weren’t too frigid, we did some heeling practice on the back walk before and after potty breaks. I should have done a little more with Axel since he will be trialing again next weekend, and I will do a “real” training session with him tomorrow. On Monday, we’ll go on a brief road trip to get him back to Julia, and then he’s off to shows in Texas and Florida. It is nice that at least one family member will get a vacation in some hopefully warmer spots of the country!

(NaBloPoMo | January ’10: 2 of 31)

New year, new decade, what else is new?

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So a shiny new year and a shiny new decade is upon us. I don’t feel too shiny and new myself, and it’s been a long time since I’ve tried to trick myself into thinking that January 1 and a clean slate are in any way synonymous. And despite this month’s NaBloPoMo theme, BEST, I’m not quite ready to say “Let’s have the BEST year EVER in 2010!”

That sounds a bit pessimistic, but I actually am planning for good things to happen in the coming year.

We’re enjoying a few more days of Axel’s company as he spends his winter vacation here at home. As you may already know, he’s just one major away from his AKC championship. There will be no majors at his first stop in Texas, but he is entered in Rally Obedience trials both days, and may be able to finish his Rally Novice title there. Next stop will be the Winter Classic clusters in Brooksville, Florida. The breakdowns are posted for the first cluster, and four of the five days are majors for Rottweilers. So think good, winning thoughts for Axel this month, please!

Freya will also be working on her Rally Obedience titles. She earned her UKC URO1 in November, but I don’t feel that she is ready to compete off-leash for her URO2 yet. So we’ll be working on the novice level titles in other registries: APDT and AKC.

So, you say, those are the dogs’ goals! Yes, sadly my dogs are more motivated than I am, or I am more motivated for them than for myself. Or something.

It’s true that my own goals are not as well-defined as my goals for the dogs. Professionally, 2009 was a year of just trying to stay alive, and thankfully, we did. I admire those who can still formulate long-term goals in the midst of treading water, because it’s not something I found myself able to do. Along with everyone else in the country, I’m hoping that as the economy recovers, so will our business and our ability to plan for the long term and the big picture. Even more so as I get closer to retirement age!

Personally, I want to do more with my blog and website. Hold me to it, will you?

So. What are you hoping to get done in 2010?

(NaBloPoMo | January ’10: 1 of 31)

Update roundup

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I may have failed spectacularly in completing NaBloPoMo for November ’09, but I am just a few posts away from completing Jenni’s unofficial NaBloPoMo 75% Challenge for 2009. I may not have accomplished as many things this year as some others, but at least I’ve written something readable (usually) on more days than I haven’t!

While I was failing to finish off the month of November in style, and procrastinating at starting the month of December (I opted to forego daily posting, seemingly a good decision so far), a few things happened that some of you might be looking for updates on.

First, I want to thank Di for keeping me updated on Mary Wild. For those who haven’t been visiting here long, Mary Wild is a Missouri dog handler whose criminally negligent actions in regards to her clients’ dogs’ comfort and safety caused the heat-related deaths of seven of them this past summer. I am sad to see the news that Ms. Wild’s trial has been postponed yet again, this time to June 3, 2010. The wheels of justice turn way too slowly sometimes.

The Dog Press is also posting updates, and it was most disheartening to see the rumor confirmed that Ms. Wild is still showing dogs.

The wheels of justice turn way too slowly for humans, too. A motion to dismiss reckless homicide charges will be heard on January 5, 2010 in another case that I’ve been trying to follow. Motorcyclist Anita Zaffke was killed in May when she was struck from behind while stopped at a traffic light by Lora Hunt, who was painting her fingernails as she drove. As I’ve said before: all for laws prohibiting texting while driving, but apparently due to the extreme stupidity and lack of caring of some humans, they are way too specific.

I know a motion to dismiss is just standard procedure in the legal process, but in a case like this, it’s so disgusting to even think that a death like this could be “dismissed” in any way.

In what is probably a final update to the office squirrel story, the building knocked down its nest while I was on vacation. JR yelled at the maintenance man about the murder of possible squirrel babies and such, which is somewhat out of character for him. I suppose it was inevitable that the nest was removed; it wasn’t very attractive from the standpoint of the building managers. It does not appear that there were in fact any squirrel babies, and the squirrel was spotted soon afterward building a new nest in a safer location (not to be disclosed this time) and being fed on the second floor deck. He? she? did have a full 15 minutes of fame on television and in the newspaper, something that many of us humans have not achieved so this is at least an okay, if not a really happy, ending.

Photos have been ordered for Freya’s new rally title. Very disappointed there were only a couple of action shots of our team and not looking very good either, might I add. One shot is like a “don’t do this, tight leash bad, loose leash good” poster. No reflection on the photographer, though! It’s all on me. Photos are also on the way for Axel’s latest points. As soon as I get the releases on all of the aforementioned pics, I’ll post them to our gallery. I’m all about protecting intellectual property rights and giving proper credit, and I will never be the one complaining about reasonably priced photos (emphasis on reasonable).

(NaBloPoMo | 75% Challenge: 273 of 274)