Counting my blessings

As the ride continues here, I am trying damn hard to look on the bright sides, of which there are many.


Maggie restored her white blood cells and then some! (this is normal, we hear) so last week Allen took her to Blue Pearl while I was in Nashville for the day. The week's chemo consisted of a pill at the clinic and two take-out doses. While waiting in the Nashville airport that afternoon, unsuccessfully standing-by for two earlier flights, the clinic called. After Maggie swallowed her pill, was observed for a bit to make sure she was "good", and Allen and Maggie went home......a pill was discovered on the floor at the clinic. So very Maggie. The office manager, bless her heart, delivered a new pill which I gave her once I got home. No side effects and Maggie rode along to Little Falls for the USDAA trial, in her management role. This week she had a most excellent CBC report and was given a lower dose of Vincristine in hopes of killing cells without the vomiting. We'll know tomorrow about that.....in the meantime she continues to look good, feel good, and likes the people at the clinic(s). Brad, the vet tech, calls her "babe" which just cracks me UP!

Winn and I got to work with two of our favorite agility clinicians--Stacy Peardot-Goudy and Dana Pike. I had a blast. One of the most satisfying things EVER was to hear that both of them thought we were looking great. It's been so much fun to train this dog, and now when we are at a seminar, it's more practice and fine tuning than learning too much new stuff. Great fun!

On the weekend, Winn ran 11 times at the trial and was 7/10 and also ran in Steeplechase Round 2 (only 8" dog, he won $7.50). This was our most successful USDAA weekend ever and it was a lot of fun. His teeter performance was much improved, and although he didn't care for the dogwalk slats, he agreed to run on them (smile. Such a gamer). He did sleep all the way home--rare.

DDare also rode to Little Falls and was the perfect puppy all weekend! He played with the many other puppies there, made new friends, and was generally very happy. He didn't sleep all night on Saturday, but since I was in bed by 9 pm I was completely understanding at 3 am. And this week he is sleeping until 5:30 or 6 am!! Our puppy is becoming a dog! (ever so slowly) This week he attended his first Puppy FUNdamentals class with Jane Fallander of AGoodDogNow and had a blast. He is confident on "funny" surfaces. He likes to come when called. It's pretty easy to shape behaviors with him. But he will not potty on the rocks....is that homework??

Winn had an awesome herding lesson this week, too. Allen came along and brought DDare to watch, so I have a witness. We worked in a fairly small area since Susane's A course is still wet, and it's really a good area in which to proof all the basic movements. Herding progress has been marked by inches. This week I felt as though we advanced about a foot.

By now, you may be wondering where the non-brightness is. Well......

Kennel cough continues to plague the training school, and although neither Maggie or Winn have gotten it so far and DDare's case was so very mild, it's still worriesome. I honestly don't think that DDare started this outbreak, but since it's impossible to know.....my good friend Becky said "if there is no blame, there should be no guilt" and I am focusing on that.

Fleas. Ugh. In 23 years we have never had 'em. Now we do. And I don't like putting Frontline on the dogs. Now I have. I've been reassured by the vet team that it will be OK for Maggie, and still.......but it was clear that they weren't going to die without intervention.

Potty training. DDare is improving but I still have failed a few times to get him outside. The only solution is to have him crated unless I have 100% attention on him. He likes the crate and it isn't hard to crate him.....I just need to do it before I start (typing) (watching baseball). It is getting better. It is getting better.

So, that's the view this week.