August??

I know time goes by fast but, WOW, last month flew by me! A quick recap of August: Apollo earned a couple more points towards his CH. Zap picked up 2 points in Canada (thank you Kara). Truly and Zap finished up some rally titles (Truly RA, Zap RN). The Wachusett KC gave out beautiful title ribbons. I will try to get a picture soon. Siena has few more MXJ and MX legs....alas no double Q's yet. Truly is adjusting to open and after crashing the triple seems a little too cautious lately. Apollo is staying fit with daily biking alternating with lots of wide open running in the fields. He is a retrieving maniac alternating between chuck-it and the bumper. Zap tags along to our field workout since he is still too young to bike.
Our plans were finalized this weekend and we will be moving to our new house by the first of October. We are excited and thankful! The new house is on nearly 4 acres....it's mostly woods so our usable yard won't be any bigger, BUT the house is large and there will be plenty of room for family and friends to come visit. ;)


Zap and Apollo....wide open spaces

Zap making sure the camera is pointed in his direction!

Apollo waiting for the ball

Zap's first points!

Back to Work and Summer Happenings....

Employment is a blessing. A heartfelt thank you to all of our family and friends for the support, prayers and good thoughts during the past year.

We got back to dog shows in July and it's been a blast! A recent glimpse at the August calendar makes me smile as well. EVERY weekend is filled in.

Here is a quick re-cap of our July adventures:

July 4th weekend agility trial at AK9C. Siena was side lined (felt strange not running her), but Truly stepped up and did us proud. She earned her NAJ with first place in each class!

July16~18 was Rally with Zap and Truly up in VT. What a weekend! Great friends, lovely hotel room, delicious food (thanks to my roomies!) and lots of ribbons for all! Can't wait to go back next year. Zap and I stepped in the ring for the first time together..... this boy has a very bright future. He Q'd both days in Rally novice with high scores (99 & 100) which earned 1st place on Saturday and 2nd place on Sunday! Good boy Zap-A-ROO! Truly made quick work of the advanced courses both days with scores of 98 and first place Friday and Saturday! Truly prefers agility, but she indulged me and my silly rally game. Highlight of the weekend, however, was seeing Emmie (Zap, Apollo and Truly's mom) in the veterans ring. She looked beautiful and won Best Veteran! Congratulations Kara and Emmie!! It was also wonderful to watch my friend's handsome border collie puppy in the conformation ring. Jet, the BC, picked up 2 more points towards his Championship...I believe that puts him at 5 points! Congratulations Sharon and Jet!!

July 23 & 24th~Apollo went to his first conformation shows since last fall and did very well! The first day he went Winner's Dog and Best of Winners for his first point!! The second day he took a Group 4 from the classes!! I was at a seminar that weekend so I kept getting exciting text messages from Kara as the day progressed....,,really wish I had been there to cheer him on! Thank you to Diana Mason PHA for presenting him to perfection and to Kara for sharing such a special boy with us!

Congratulations to Kara and her parents, Duane & Jean on their new Grand Champion CH SunKissed Emerald City, Casa! Check out this handsome boy at: http://www.sunkissedgoldens.com/casa.htm

Looking forward to our August shows.

Truly & Zap with their agility and rally ribbons

Emmie and Kara

Apollo home from his wonderful weekend

Apollo's First BOB win!

Agility Fitness Isn't Just For the Dogs

Today starts week 3 of my run/walk program. I am tempted to repeat week 2 because I still feel like it's enough of a challenge. Or I could try the increase that the third week presents and cut back if it's too much. I've been feeling a tiny bit faster on the agility courses I run which means I'm getting where I need to be for us to work better as a team. At our last agility trial, the beginning of April, I felt out of shape and it showed. I was slow and unable to create the path I wanted for myself. Siena is forgiving and saves my butt often, but that's not her job. Truly and I are just starting out as a team and I almost ran into her at that trial in jumpers because of poor timing and sluggish running. We owe it to our dogs to bring our best selves to the game. Just like we prepare them with training, warm-ups and maintaining their fitness level so should we. Time to look in the mirror and be honest! It's safer for us and our dogs to be at a decent fitness level. Getting frustrated can be a catalyst for amazing change!

Sneakers on, watch set, iPod playing.....Game on!

This is the program I follow:
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml?act=AFC-SocialMedia&Property=CoolRunning&Sport=Running&PageType=Content_Articles&Emp=TO&PostType=Profile_Link&Site=C25kfacebook&Dy=8_11_09&Note=C25kfanpagelink

Happy Mother's Day

It's a quiet day around here so after my run/walk and biking with the dogs I spent some time updating my blog. After sitting for awhile though I just had to get back outside to get some agility training done. Worked threadles, cueing the backside of jumps and wrapping. Also, worked on back crossing into the weaves. With Siena I also added more distance with her teeter contacts. Even added some layering.

This week I officially start training weave poles with Zap. He is 16 months old and I'm curious to see how quickly he picks it up. Gosh he is growing up to be a handsome, eye catching boy.

The "Broadway" litter turned 6 months old yesterday. Parker will be starting Therapy dog classes soon and I couldn't be prouder! Thinking of these 3 puppies always puts a smile on my face :) No updated pictures of them for today, but hopefully soon.

Molly Girl

I can't help being sad today....
Molly would have been 5 years old. Although I have a lot of wonderful memories of her this time of year brings me back to all the pain. There are times I still feel like I failed her. I know in my head this isn't true, but in my heart there is a void. The void left by the loss haunts me at certain times, I respond with tears, anger and sadness. Fortunately, I have people (dogs too ;) who help me out of the moments of despair. Grief may wear a different robe with each appearance and with different individuals. As we learn from one anothers grief we grow in our capacity to handle our own.

Happy Birthday Molly Girl. Your short stay with us was a blessing and we will never forget you.
SunKissed Starr's R Forever "Molly" 4/10/05~4/29/09

Catching Up

Writing has been difficult for me lately. Not sure exactly why but numerous times I have logged on to type a new post and it remained blank.
Attending a seminar yesterday with Kara ignited a spark in me. The seminar titled "Learning To Objectively Evaluate The Golden Retriever" was everything I hoped it would be. Some lecture time followed by hands on. Key points I personally took from this presentation:
~Educate your eye: find the ideal outline first then evaluate the dog by section. I love this point because I do this automatically when I look at a dog.
~Educate your hands: Put your hands on as many dogs as possible. Especially ones you are interested in. Pictures aren't enough! See many litters and sit in on evaluations when possible.
~Stack puppies early and continue weekly. Stack in front of a mirror to get a good look at the outline.
~Play show photographer: Take pictures every month of a growing puppy (stacked, from the front & rear) and keep them to refer back to.
~Watch out for extremes: Think moderation for everything (coat, tail carriage, length of neck etc.)
~Retain natural desire & ABILITY to do the job: Retrievers should have a STRONG desire to retrieve PERIOD!! This is a huge pet peeve for me. Why in the world would one breed a golden retriever that shows absolutely no desire to retrieve??? Why in the world would one breed a golden retriever that didn't have the ABILITY to retrieve??
I have read the standard many, many times; however, it is now front and center on my fridge!

"Broadway" Litter update: They turned 4 months old on March 8th!

Parker was here for a few weeks in February for some training and to let Jamie acclimate to his new job. What a great puppy! Zap misses his little buddy and their early morning play sessions.

Molly is a beautiful girl. Bob got to see her at the pet store last week and he was thrilled that she seemed to recognize him. She is with a family that adores her and will be starting basic obedience classes soon.

Bounce is growing right before my eyes! I see him weekly and am so impressed with his puppy heeling! I'm going to try to get a picture of him in action this week.

Bounce (red boy) waiting patiently for his class to start

Molly

Parker (green boy) & ZAP!

We are currently planning a fall 2010 breeding for Truly http://k9data.com/pedigree.asp?ID=244468 She is a beautiful, smart, talented girl who loves to retrieve! More details to come.

Focus on Fitness & Zap's Homecoming Day

This blog is officially one year old! ;-) I started writing on the eve of bringing Zap home. Here we are a year later and all I can say is that... I LOVE my Zapper!! Training, playing it's all the same to him and he lightens my heart everyday. The timing couldn't have been better for him to come into my life. Thank you to my very good friend Kara for this amazing boy and making this year brighter for us.

Now onto the business of fitness! I need to be in better shape. I have some very high goals of things I want to accomplish and being out of shape is no longer acceptable!!!! Heeling class with multiple dogs has been kicking my butt. Agility training with one dog (let alone multiple dogs) is kicking my butt! I am too slow and I need to head into my fifties fit and trim....end of excuses! Added to my daily hike now is biking. I take Apollo, Truly and Siena at least 3 times per week (weather permitting). I'm not going to paint a pretty picture the first week was hard. Hills are my enemy ;) But slowly I keep working at it and I am starting to see some results.

I have so much more to write about since I've been way behind on this blog, but it will have to wait for another day. I plan to slowly catch up this week especially if the weather gets bad.

The pictures below are of Zap (9 weeks and 13 months)....I get a kick out of his need to ALWAYS have something in his mouth. He's been like that from the beginning ;) I love you Zap!

Exit Stage Left

The Broadway Litter have gone to their new homes. The puppy evaluations last week were the last piece of the puzzle and helped with a lot of the decisions. We decided not to keep the little girl. Letting her go was difficult and extremely emotional. Her new family is keeping her AKC name but has changed her call name to Molly. What an honor for Cadie to have such a special new name. She will be living here in NH and I'm sure I will see her at AK9C occasionally. Red boy (Bounce) is now living in CT. He will be active in obedience and agility. Luckily I will get to see him almost every week before Zap's Tuesday class. Parker (green boy) is living with Jamie in NY. We will be co-owning him and I look forward to watching him grow up. It has been so strange here without the added noise, energy and puppy cuddle time. Zap has been missing them so much that he sought out a corgi puppy to make friends with after class this week. Little "Max" is now his new best friend! Thanks to Max's owner for letting Zap get his puppy fix! Siena has adjusted to her empty nest and has her sights set on agility.

I have to send out big congratulations to a very special friend I met training at AK9.....she picked up her new BC puppy yesterday.... I am so happy for you!



Happy New Year to all and Cheers to "Broadway!"

Missing You

Dad....As a child I remember clinging to your hand sometimes not wanting to let go. Last year on this day you held my hand your last hours and I told you it was okay to let go.

Life is a journey
of sweetness and sorrow,
Of yesterday's memories
and hopes of tomorrow.

You are always with me and never forgotten.

Busy Week Ahead

The "Broadway" litter turned 7 weeks old today! We have a big week coming up. Evaluations tomorrow, vet appt. on Tuesday, baths, nail clipping, feet trimming, and lots of crate training and house training! I have mixed emotions today. It's thrilling to see these puppies growing and thriving. At the the same time it's sad that it's almost time to send them to their new homes. I have to create a new business where I can go around socializing puppies. :) I must admit I have found my passion! Seeing the world through their fresh young eyes is amazing. I have spent hours observing, cleaning, playing, walking, cuddling, feeding, and setting up new interactive play areas for them. At each new developmental milestone it was interesting to watch it unfold before my very eyes. Everything stated in the articles I read was happening in real life with my puppies. I am forever humbled by this experience and will keep these 3 (Peter too) forever in my heart.

Christmas was a hard day for me this year, but being surrounded by family (goldens included) helped to make the day more than bearable. Jamie got to spend a lot of quality time with his pup Parker (aka green boy). Walks in the woods and short clicker training sessions have set these two up for a wonderful beginning together. Jamie will be back next weekend take Parker to his new home. Erik played his new acoustic guitar for us which we all love to hear (new sound for the puppies!). He is a gifted musician. Siena is always by his side when he is playing. I think that's why she loves to sing too! ;)

I'm anxious for tomorrow......wish Bob could go with me for puppy testing. Today will hopefully be the day I get stacked pictures taken of the gang. This puppy stacking is a lot harder than it looks.

Happy Birthday ZAP!!!!

Zap-A-Roo-Puppy doo look at YOU is one year old today!! Off for an early hike in the woods (his favorite thing to do) then making a stop at the pet supply store so he can pick out a toy. Will post pictures of our handsome one year old boy later ;-)

6 Weeks Old!

The puppies celebrated their 6 week milestone by playing out in the snow yesterday! There have been a lot of changes in the past week. I'm trying to get them out to potty after every meal. Siena still nurses them a little, but it's more like a quick snack for them now ;) They are so much more active this week. Twice a day they have the run of the house for about an hour. It's at those times when I set up make-shift agility equipment. One of their favorite play areas is under the dining room table. Over the table legs, under the chair legs, chasing each other through the wooden maze delights them! New additions to their pen include a kuranda bed and a crate. I change out the toys daily so they always have something new to play with. The Christmas present I ordered for them arrived today and I had to open it and let them play. They grow so fast I couldn't wait until Friday! We also had visitors this past week which was fun for all of us. Kara and Donna spent the day with us last Monday. It was wonderful spending time together and having puppy socialization. Jenn and Ann were here on Friday. Siena enjoyed snuggling on the couch with Ann and made sure everyone paid attention to her before the puppies! Jenn was so nice to bring Sam for Zap to play with. The yard was a bit icy so they also had some indoor time to hang out together.

Thanks everyone for taking the time out of your busy schedules to come play with the puppies...it meant a lot to me! And thank you for the very thoughtful gifts!




The "Broadway" Litter's first snow (6 weeks)

Cadie's job is to empty out the crate ;)

Tunnel time!

New bed

The pups taste test the crate

Dining room play-o-rama

Big Blocks for Christmas!

The Week in Review

Having puppies around the holidays, I thought, would be a little stressful. Not so! They are my calming force, they ground me, make me smile and more often than not you can find me immersed in their world. Apollo, Truly and Zap are regular visitors into puppyland (Max not so much yet due to his over active, loud vocalizations ;) Before the weather turned nasty this week the pups took a field trip out to the front porch. It was a gorgeous sunny day and in the afternoon the sun streams on to the porch in a glorious fashion that can't help but lift your spirits. As usual Mr. Red was the first to venture off the blanket with his brother and sister not too far behind. I can now add wood decking to some of the surfaces they have been exposed to. Still, even though the sun was warm we didn't stay out there very long as I didn't want them to get chilled. Last week I took the puppies to my vet for a quick check up and a weigh in so I could worm them. They were all over 6 pounds. The real surprise was Red boy... he weighed 6.2 lbs. That was only .2lbs less than Green boy! Cades was tied with red at 6.2 lbs. Siena was proud to show off her brood to the wonderful staff. Everyone in the office made it a point to greet her first before they dove into the puppy box!

I had a photo shoot with the pups for our Christmas card the other day. It was challenging doing it by myself, but then I thought of people who have large litters and I can't imagine how they get all the puppies to hold still at the same time!! I did manage to get a few cute pictures and ordered my cards yesterday....whew!

Yesterday was Siena's birthday! As a special treat we snuck off to the McDonalds drive thru and shared a cheeseburger. It was nice to have her all to myself for a few minutes. This drive thru thing is a ritual of ours after agility trials. Happy Birthday cee cee, nennie, nennie poo poolata, siena nenna!!!

Zap and I had a humbling lesson on Tuesday. This word was used several times during our lesson: fren-net-ic: (adjective)-frantic; frenzied. :o)

The boy just couldn't seem to get his head together so instead of working on go outs and other fun things it was all basic control stuff. Not what I had in mind; however, my now approaching 1 year old lad needs to slow down and think. At this age not a big deal, and since he picks up things so quickly I have no doubt we will be back on track in no time.

All in all there has been really good news coming in this week from Bob, Jamie and Erik (career/college related). It's refreshing and encouraging!



Looking forward to upcoming puppy visits this weekend and Monday from friends and neighbors!




Truly visits puppyland

4 Weeks Old!

Yesterday was the 4 week mark! Today we start solid food. Siena is spending less time wanting to nurse and who could blame her with all those new puppy teeth!

L-R: Green boy, Red Boy, Cadie

Zap's Day Care

Today was Zap's his first official playtime with the pups (in the pen) . He was so gentle with them that Siena permitted him to stay and quietly play for about 10 minutes. He checked his adolescent energy at the door since Siena will not tolerate such nonsense around her babies! The puppies enjoyed their special time with him and took a long nap afterwards.

Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband!

Hey, guys wake up it's me ZAP!

I love you Uncle ZAP!

Perfect Morning

Here I sit in the new puppy play pen with Siena, her pups, my lap top and a nice hot cup of coffee.
I will never forget this feeling :-)

Happy 3 Week Birthday!

Three Weeks old....WOW! The puppies have been up playing on and off since 6 am and Siena looks ready for a nap :)
Busy day ahead. We are fixing up the puppy room with a big play area! Just cleaned the whelping box and changed the fleece. I had the big dogs out running around while I picked up the yard (they were so helpful with stick duty). Lots of small limbs and sticks fell from all that wind yesterday. We lost power for about 3 hours yesterday morning. Off to do puppy laundry and to train Zap and Truly at a nearby park. Then Bob is headed to Albany to help Jamie load the moving truck.

I'm hoping to get pictures of the puppies in their new play area later today.

Week 3 Happenings...

Development of the puppies week 3 (days 15-21)

~Teeth begin to erupt

~Puppies stand up and start walking

~Begin to lap liquids

~Defecate/urinate with out stimulation

~Start becoming aware of environment

~Start playing with litter mates

Puppies are changing daily! They still sleep a lot; however, when they are awake they are exploring their environment more and playing with each other (which is the cutest thing in the world to watch ;) Erik and Jamie were home for Thanksgiving and we had fun holding, watching and playing with the pups when were weren't eating! Erik brought an early Christmas present for me and the puppies. He surprised us with a mini tunnel and it's been fun to watch the puppies interact with it. I love it!

With all of this increase in activity we will be setting up the big play area within the next few days.

Green and Red boys with BUG

Mr.Red is usually the first one to explore new things

We turned the LR into a big play area Sat. afternoon ;-)

Mr. Green in ON the tunnel

First game of bitey face

Cadie in the tunnel

Can it really be 2 weeks already?

The puppies turned 2 weeks old yesterday! It amazes me how much they have changed in such a short amount of time. Zap had his first puppy "awwww" moment last night. While I was holding purple girl he jumped up on the couch and quietly settled in next to me at the same time resting his nose ever so carefully on my leg next to her! For all of his adolescent gusto and energy to witness such a tender moment from him was very special.

Miss Purple is now officially know as Cadence (Cadie for short ;). Her registered name is TruHeart's U Can't Stop The Beat: http://k9data.com/pedigree.asp?ID=356493

Hairspray-You Can't Stop The Beat Lyrics (partial ;)

You can't stop an avalanche as it races down the hill

You can try to stop the seasons, girl, but you know you never will

And you can try to stop my dancin' feet, but I just cannot stand still!

'Cause you can't stop the motion of the ocean or the sun in the sky

You can wonder if you wanna, but I'll never ask why

And if you try to hold me down, I'm gonna spit in your eye and say

That You Can't Stop the Beat!!!

So the beat goes on with Cadie added to our family. This is a high note for sure compared to this time last year. Time (& goldens) heals....

Cadie pup

Green boy

Red boy