Spring Training in Edgerton

Here are some pictures I took of various training sessions.  Because of the fact that I took the pictures, there aren’t too many of my dogs but there are a few.  :) Jake is in the first series and Brita is heeling in the last 2 shots.

 

How many balls were there?!?

I guess I never really knew how many balls Ari had - I just knew that he always had one nearby.  I believe that he would pick up a ball instead of barking because he knew he wasn’t supposed to do that but it was obvious that they were his favorite toys!
So, this spring, in addition to Brita’s hidden toys what started appearing were all these balls…  all shapes and sizes… so I started collecting them and put them in a pile.    
And one day Kobie and Olivia were in the yard hanging out by them so I thought…  hmm..  a photo opportunity!  What surprised me when I looked at them was that Josephine got in the picture with the sign that is over her resting place.
  

The ball we left on Ari’s resting place.

Jake… off leash at last!!

Jake has been restricted to a leash since his surgery and this was his first off leash day. I made sure the other dogs were inside so there were no distractions and he was great... no out of control running like has tried to do in the house. Treats in my pocket kept him pretty close to me!

 

Why do they hide stuff?

From the time Brita was a puppy she would hide things.

Walking through the yard this spring picking up what appears when the snow melts, I regularly would come across toys, stuffed animals, squeakies, etc. half buried under leaves, under pine trees or in dirt.  I knew I would find some new things because her Christmas present disappeared immediately.  As soon as I gave it to her, downstairs she went and out through the dog door to bury it in the snow. Slowly but surely many things disappeared and I knew it was Brita because none of the other dogs ever hid anything. 

Until now… 

Enter Jake.  The slideshow below shows him methodically looking for a place to hide a treasured bone that he found and behind the toilet seemed like a perfect spot to him.  Before he decided on that spot he tried under the bench and behind the bathroom door. He seemed totally oblivious to me taking pictures of him.  After he hid it, he came back regularly to check on it.  I have found bones “hidden” in the shower and toys tucked nicely under my pillows and in blankets.

In Brita’s slideshow, we are in the yard and have discovered a toy which she immediately takes and starts looking for another place to hide it. The first place is just not acceptable so she chooses the pine tree.  When I looked there after she was done, low and behold there was another one already there. Must be a favorite spot!

I have seen them both hide something, walk around a bit and then get it and hide it somewhere else.  What is going through their heads when they do this.  Now the question I have since Brita and Jake have the same mom…  is it inherited?  Hmmm….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Pet Insurance for Jake

I’ve had pet insurance in the past… actually years ago for Josephine.  More dogs, more cost (obviously) and the less likely a person is to have it.  So, it’s been years.  When I registered Jake with the AKC in the paperwork sent back was a 60 day free trial so I thought what the heck I might as well do it.  He was registered on January 22nd – 5 days after he came to live with me and that’s when the insurance began. 

Because the surgery happened during the 60 days I thought why not submit it. 
Well, I got a rejection letter..  sorry.. pre-existing condition.

 

So I went back and look closely at the original video and then took some screen shots…  hhmmm…..  what do you think…  a skeletal leg.  Shouldn’t there be muscle there?  He did have an abscess that was treated but would that cause his hip bone to protrude. 

Then I looked at some shots the day after I brought him home.  He definitely had a hip bone that protruded which could have meant that something was wrong…  more than one person commented about it.

 

Well… it’s too bad the insurance company didn’t talk to the breeder.  I’m sure he would have convinced them that it was not pre-existing since he knows absolutely that it didn’t happen when he had Jake and that he felt no responsibility to pay for anything that didn’t happen there….  hmmmm


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