A Sure Sign it is Spring Time

Aside from the massive amounts of wildflowers because of the rain, another sure sign is the fact that the coyotes are very active. I took the dogs for a walk early this morning and about 25 minutes into the walk, there one was behind us. Normally I don't really worry about them because they usually warn you they are around by yipping. Not so today. This coyote was in stealth mode and it was until Sara was alerted that I turned and saw the coyote about 25 feet behind us. It was pretty bold. The dogs chased it off but the darn thing came right back. Finally after the second time the dogs chased it off it remain gone. We walked about another 1/2 mile and I noticed the way the dogs were walking with me (they encircled me) that something was odd. I turned around and there was another coyote trailing about 25 feet behind us. Again, very stealthily. I was a little shaken but thought it was interesting the way the pups protected me. I just find it a little odd that the coyotes are being so bold when the water and food is plentiful after this rainy season. Time to go back on the look out.

The Trials and Tribulations of a Hunt Test With Grady

Prep work-We practice, we praise, and we practice some more. We think he is ready. He does what he is suppose to in practice. We work diligently to prepare him for the next level. Everything works as planned. Okay then, let's enter that Master Level test and see where we are.

The Day of the Test-We are up early. Feeding the dog. Taking then out for their bathroom break. Do I have the blank gun loaded? Water for the dogs in vest? My nerves are on edge. What will he do today? Can't eat...oh well, after.

At the Line-The moment of truth is about to come. Did the training really sink in? Will he mess up the other dog? Will soon find out.

They Are Off-The brace has begun. The dogs are on there own now. Training, corrections, opportunities are gone. It's up to them. Just don't let me screw things up.

Fifteen Minutes In-So far, looking good. Found a back course bird. Grady handled it great. No problems. Maybe this will be our day.

Into the Bird Field-Bracemate goes on point. Grady gets his honor. Things are looking good. Again I think, maybe this will be our day. My fingers are crossed. All I need is for Grady to stand through the shot and not go until I tell him. Can he do it. Okay, he is on point. We shall soon see. He's holding. I work the bird....bird flies away...gunners shoot...Grady stays through the shot....wait no, there he goes. He left on the downward trajectory of the bird...AARGH!! At least he retrieved the bird to my hand. We need to find another bird so our bracemate can get an honor. Well, he found another bird. Will he hold this time...quick answer no. Again, I can only say at least he retrieved to hand.

Postscript-You think you have trained the behavior you want in your dog but they are beings too. Apparently they have minds of there own too. Oh well, back to the training drawing board.

Great Weekend

What a great weekend. I went out on Thursday and just got back today. I was able to get multiple days of training in AND enjoy our annual VCNC Fun Field day. What a great turnout we had. People seemed to have a blast. I also entered Grady in his first Master level hunt test. No pass but mostly because of my ineptitude in the handling arena. No worries though, he is young and enjoys the work.

The above picture is my friend Mary's dog "Retro". He had just come out of the field and was cooling himself off in the tub.

Our annual Vizsla Club of Northern California Fun Field Day is going to be held on Saturday. Looking forward to it. Trying to prepare for the upcoming Field Trials and Hunt Tests. I really enjoy the Fun Field day. It's a laid back way to practice with the dogs and hang out with others who like to do the same thing. The dogs think it is doggy Disneyland. I don't tell them any different.

Writing

Funny thing about writing, it takes practice. When I first started thing blog, I felt like words flew off my fingers. It was nothing for me to have at least one entry a day. Then, for some reason, I stopped. Don't know why but getting back into it has been more difficult than I thought. Seems like I got caught up in the whole facebook thing. It's a lot easier to type a few words into the status bar and move on. But what I realized is, facebook is like fast food, convenient, easy, and filling but has not substance. At least writing on a blog feels more like I have to think about what I am doing or saying. Regardless if any one is reading, it feels better and more useful to me. In some ways therapeutic.

San Francisco Photo Shoot

Today was a great day. A group of us went into the city and shot pictures of the graffetti art, mostly in the Mission District. It is truly amazing how much graffetti art (stressing art) there is. Apparently most of this is very well know. We were also fortunate enough to be at a place where there was a Ceasar Chavez parade. The above is a photo show of some of the pictures taken.

Grizzley Island Hunt Test Weekend

With all the depressing news that's out there, it's great to have my canine companions to realize what is important. Having fun can be so simple really. I am grateful to have them in my life to remind me.

Okay, enough of that. This last weekend I entered Sasa, Grady, and Duna in a hunt test. Sasa doesn't have her junior hunter title yet. She was too busy getting her conformation championship. Now that that is finished, I wanted to get the junior hunter title too. Sasa is from my second breeding of Mik and Sara. I don't own Sasa. She is owned by Eddie and Susan. Susan gets a little nervous in the field so she asked me to handle her which I gladly did. It is always fun to watch these guys do what they were bred to do. Amazing really...Sasa didn't disappoint. Our biggest fear was that she would make a mad dash back to her people. Thankfully, she is comfortable enough with me (and in love with finding birds) that she stayed with me. She is very birdy and hunted liked a champ. She passed both days with good scores. Two more passes and a new junior hunter will be added to the Red Dawn Clan. Both boys also had really good runs. They both have their junior hunter titles but aren't quite ready for the next level. But given how well they both did, they are not far off.

Above are a picture of Eddie and Sasa, Walter and Rusty (friends of the Red Dawn Clan) and the pups on a run after the test.

Baseball-America's Past Time-What a Sad Statement

I remember as a kid, watching ballgames with my grandfather. What a time that was. The game seemed to have an innocence about it. It reminded me of summertime and playing catch with my friends. Now what do we think about when the word baseball comes up? Steroids, tainted records, and frauds. Now don't get me wrong. I am not naive enough to think that the stars of yesteryear were saints. Baseball players mirrored society as a whole. They ranged the whole spectrum. Today's baseball players (probably can be stated about all pro athletes) represented all that is bad about our society; greed, cheating, and selfishness. There was probably some of this decades ago but because the money is so great now, there are more kids (and kids' parents) who want to make it big like there favorite stars and will do whatever it takes to make it. What kind of role models are these guys? I know, many of these athletes say they don't want to or shouldn't be considered role models. They are right. But if they truly don't want to be role models, then don't sell your jerseys or likeness. Hearing that Alex Rodriguez took steroids was the final straw for me. As far as I am concern, none of these guys are clean. All I know is that I am angry that these guys (owners, management, and players) took some of my fondest childhood memories away from me. Greedy bastards, I wash my hands of you!

Grizzley Island Wildlife Preserve

Grizzley Island Wildlife Preserve is made up of approximately 84,000 acres. It is the largest continuous estuary in the U.S. It is a beautiful place that where you can see all kinds of wildlife. It is also a place that allows the dogs to run and their owners to bird train them. Today, I took the opportunity to do just that. I was to meet friends of mine at 10 to work on training Grady for his next level of hunt test. I actually got out there at about 8:30 this morning to run the dogs a bit before hand. While we were out there, we saw a group of Tule Elk (they are a protected species) and the above pictures series are the show Dixy reaction when she first notices them.

It was interesting to watch these animals. In the top picture, you can see that there is one elk in particular that appears to be the head guy. We they took off after, he stayed back to make sure we weren't going to come any closer. Nature is really an interesting thing. Something I wasn't aware of, these animals lose their antlers. The dogs found one on the way back. It was huge and heavy. If the dogs had their way, they would have used it as a chew bone.

After all the running and treasure finding, we started our bird training. Below are a couple of pictures of Grady on point. As you can see from the second picture, I was a bit of a distance away from him. He held until I got there. All-in-all, his training day went pretty well.

Also, all-in-all, it was another great day in the bay/delta area.

Devoted to Our Canine Companions

It's has been a while since I have posted anything. Perhaps because I have been lazy or lacking in anything meaningful to say. Today, however, I felt compelled to write because I was saddened by a story I read about a woman losing her beloved dog, Paco. After reading the story, I was moved by the obvious devotion this woman had to her dog and the devastating pain she is feeling from losing him. I don't even know this woman but do know that I would like her a lot because of the love she exhibited to Paco. So devoted and loving in fact that she named her business after him and he is the image on her website. One thing I can say, I gave extra hugs to each of my pups and realized how grateful I am that they are in my life. The thing about pups is that they love you unconditionally. I love that about them. They are safe creatures to give love to because you know they won't take advantage of it. We truly are lucky to have them in our world. And I hope when the day comes that I lose one of mine, I can reflect on all the good things they brought me.

Hard to Believe it is Winter

Here it is, January 18th, and the weather is like a spring day. It was a little cool when we first went out (arrived at 7:30) but nothing like it should be for a winter day. By the time we left, it was sunny and 61 degrees. It felt like a spring day. I love this weather but can't help but worry about why it is this nice. We desperately need rain and are way behind our normal rainfall totals for this time of the year. January and February are supposed to be our rainy months. I don't think we have had more than half an inch during this time. This is the second year in a row. If we don't get some soon, it will be water rationing time. Oh well, in the short term, I will just have to enjoy it.

Another Industry's Hand is Out for the Bail Out

I was reading through the CNN website and saw the headline, Porn industry seeks federal bailout. The first thing I did was check to see that I was not diverted to another website such as "the Onion.com". Nope, I was at CNN alright. So the next thing I did was read the article. No way this could be serious. I wanted to see what the joke was. Well, the joke was on me (or us taxpayers). Larry Flint (Hustler) and Joe Francis (Girls Gone Wild videos) were trying to make the case of how important the porn industry actually is to the US and of course they should be bailed out. That made me doubt the article that much more. How could they actually go to Congress with a straight face and ask for the money. Then it occurred to me...they have to have pictures on many of the members. How else could they possibly bring this up? Further commentary by Campbell Brown said it best, Leave it to Joe Francis and Larry Flynt to show the absurdity of the bailout. Let me just say this, if they get it, I am going next. I would require far less to get me through this tough time and once I am through it, I will be a strong contributor to the economy again.

Did My Civic Duty-Jury Summons Has Been Completed

So today I fulfilled my civic duty by standing by for jury duty all day. This is only the second time I have been summoned since living in California (1991). Was not selected to even sit in the box to be questioned but did get to sit in the courtroom watching the jury selection process. Quite interesting really. Not only the questions asked of each potential juror but also the variety of folks who are summoned. The group was definitely a microcosm of society as a whole. Some of the folks really impressed me with there thoughtfulness and their desire to do the right thing. These folks seemed to truly want to do the right thing and give the individual a fair trial. Then, of course, there was the folks on the other end of the spectrum. I would hate to have any of these folks sitting on any jury that would be judging me. Fortunately, the folks that probably didn't represent the best and the brightest were excused by the attorneys. It really was an interesting process. Wow....

7:30am...37 degrees..Yea, Let's Go to the Beach!

Everyone else was busy today so it was the dogs and me off for a walk. I am an early bird. I was up and out of the house by 6:20am. It was cold here in Antioch. The thermometer read 33 degrees. Brrr! I could not find my gloves anywhere. No worries, my mind said. It will be much warmer at the beach. Well you can see from the title of the post, not by much. But I am stubborn. We went on the walk anyway (I got no resistance from the dogs by the way.). The tide was going out so plenty of shore to walk on. I couldn't imagine getting caught in the tide today. It actually was a beautiful day. The sky was clear, the sun did not hit the water directly so the lighting was soft. I had the chuckit and tennis ball knowing Dixy would pester me the whole way if I hadn't brought it so there was plenty of ball throwing and Dixy running. Unusual, I know. Dixy does have the occasional dilemna. She asks herself, am I a tennis ball chaser or a bird dog. The above picture shows her trying to sort this question out. She is focused on the birds but hasn't quite committed to the task and still has the ball in her home.

Finally, instinct takes over. She drops the ball and it is off to chase the birds. I do believe she chased these birds for a good half mile before she returned. But not before she picked of the tennis ball from where she left it.I took this picture of the seagull because I really like how the bird was perched on the rock and the rock was surrounded by water. The bird was able to soak up the sun yet was set away from the dogs.
Here you can see Grady was not as deterred by the water as the bird my have thought. He is doing his best at sneaking up on the bird.

In addition to all this, I was able to find a bunch of really cool sea glass. Not only did I find great shapes but I also found some really cool, unusual colors. Again, it was another of those days where I am just so grateful to be in the bay area.

Grady STINKS!

Went on a 6 mile hike today with Tanya and her dog Malbec. Within the first quarter of a mile, Grady found the most disgusting stuff to roll in. He covered the entire half top and sides of his back. I could smell him from 100 feet away. Anyone who has met Grady knows what a forcefully affection dog he is so after he rolled in whatever it was, he regularly attempted to get hugs and pets from both Tanya and me. It was a chore to keep him off. I had hoped by him running through the tall, wet grass it would take some of the stuff off. Well if it did, it didn't make much of a difference. Halfway through the walk we came to a water trough. So I picked him up and threw him in. It barely made a dent in the smell. Once we finished the walk, I pulled a gallon of water out of the truck, poured it on him, and then attempted to towel dry it off him. Again, helped a little but not enough. Finally got home and washed him with soap and water. Can you believe the scent is STILL lingering on him. Wow...I don't know how he can be in his own body. I guess it smells good to him. :-)

Another Win for the Duna Man

Well here I am again sending a big congratulations to Christine and John Vermes again. Duna won for the third day in a row. He looked fantastic out there with his handler. What a striking picture they make. Duna now stands at 13 points, two shy of his championship. It is a shame there aren't more shows in the very near future. You hate to stop the momentum. Anyways, this little guy will be finished in no time. Then it is time to let do what he does best, be that wonderful companion animal.

Below are a few pictures from the day.

Grady (front) and Duna (back) in the ring competing.
Christine and Duna celebrating the win.
Duna in Mom's lap. Jean (his handler) giving Duna that thumbs up look.

Red Dawn Duna What a Good Boy Am I Wins for the Second Day in a Row

Duna is a gentle little soul who is packaged in an almost Champion body. Today was another great day for him and his owners, Christine and John Vermes. Not only did he win Winner's Dog and Best of Winners but he also took Best Opposite Sex over a finished champion giving him another 2 points towards his championship. Now he is at 11 and counting. Four more to go my little peanut. Woo Hoo!!

A Good Day-Beginning To End

First off, I need to give credit to Ann for taking the vast majority of the pictures in the photoshow. You will see that the photos are mostly a day in the life of our dogs, with a couple of us humans and how we get to be a part of their simple little world. Hopefully, it will give you the sense of just how easy they are to please. Maybe we can learn a little from them. I know that I always feel a little freer and a little more at peace during the times I am out with them.

Okay, now for the tale of the day. It started out great with Red Dawn Duna What a Good Boy Am I winning another point towards his championship. We are all very excited about that and look forward to a celebration when he is done. After the dog show, we all headed for the beach where we could give the little guy the best present we could think of, a romp with all his extended doggy family. The tide was high but we found a nice secluded spot that provided us with enough room to walk without getting overtaken. Of course, the dogs don't worry about those sorts of silly things. We spent a couple of hours there and really got the pups tired out, which was a good things since there was more fun ahead for the humans. After the long day at the show and then the beach, it was off to Kate and Jeff's for a fabulous evening of good food shared with good friends. What more could we want in life?

Tough Times...Living at the Beach (Seriously)

Today I took the pups back to Fort Funston. We arrived at 7 am. It was just us today. The purpose for this post is not to talk about the beach walk (although it was truly lovely) but to remind me how lucky I am to have a home, job and nourishment. When we were on our walk yesterday, we came upon a fir tree that was decorated with obviously hand-made ornaments. About 50 feet away was an encampment with a tent and fire pit. I remember thinking that the sight of this tree and the tent was somewhat bittersweet. I had intended to mention it on my blog entry yesterday but got caught up in my own life's minutia and didn't. So today, while we were on our walk, I was reminded of this again because there was a fire going which I presume was to keep these folks warm. I had heard that the tent was where a family was staying. Well, obviously the parents wanted to give the kids a somewhat normal Christmas by decorating a tree for them. I was touched by that as well as somewhat saddened. I can't imagine how hard it must be to be a parent, have your family be homeless and still try to make Christmas "normal". I sure wish there was a way that everyone could have what they needed. Naive...I know.

Christmas Day-Brrrr (By California Standards)

When I arrived at Ft Funston for the walk, I sky was full of clouds, the wind was gusting at above 50mph and the rain was coming down. Oh, and it felt about 30 degrees. I may have backed out had I not driven an hour and had 5 very active dogs in need of some exercise. I was there a good hour before the others were to arrive so when the rain and wind subsided a bit, I headed out with the dogs for a pre-walk. Well, thankfully, the rain and wind stopped and the sun actually came out. The dogs and I walk about 45 minutes then headed back to meet up with the others. Wouldn't you know it, the wind and rain kicked up again. Man, was it a biting cold wind. And me without any gloves. None-the-less, we were all up for the challenge (or ready to tired out the dogs) and walked anyway. Fortunately, I know the area like the back of my hand and we walked on a trail that sheltered us from the wind. After about 15 minutes, the rain stopped and the sun came back out. We walked for another hour and a half without another storm. It was a great walk with great people and sweet canines. What a life.