Pawsome Christmas

Hey dere eberyone, it's me Keltic.  Beckett was right, Sandy Paws, I mean Santa Paws brought us some pawsome pressies.  I been too busy playin wid my new toys and eating treats to write before now.

We started out our mornin openin up the pressies in our socks that Santa Paws filled.  He gaves us both some new toys and treats.  Mums included a video of us openin our gifts, she had to heps us just a little bit as I wasn't too sure I was loud to rip dem.

Beckett and Keltic Open their Sock from Santa Paws

Then it was off to Mums family for the big Christmas. There was lots of other pressies, mostly for the peepuls but we got some too.  We gots new bowls and place mats from Mums. I wasn't too thrilled wid that pressie as you cants play wid them and der was no food in dem.  Mums told us she boughted dem a long time ago when de old guy, Tucker, was still livin wid us. At first, she only boughted two sets but den she felt bad about de old guy and went back an boughted anudder set.  We all misseded Tucker this Christmas. 

We gots new stuffies from our neybour Auntie Julie. We also got a big gift of treats from Mums. She says dey is all natural, I don care if dey is or not but dey sure tastes good. I wanted to hep myself but Mums says you cants eat too much of dem.

Me an Beckett openin our big pressie

Me (Keltic) trying to get more treats.

After all the pressies were opened, the peepuls just sort of hung around. They made a big deal bout dis little peepul guy. He smelled kinda good but I wasnt loud to licks him.

Adrian Robert

Later on, the peepuls sat down to dinner but they didnt let us eats wid dem.  But when Mums finished she made us sum dinner. We gots turkey, mashed tater, veggies and gravy.  I luved it all and wolfed it right down. Beckett ates slower den me, he ates his turkey and gravy first, den he ates his taters and veggies. Mums had to keep me out of his plate; I sure was willin to hep him clean da plate.

Our pawsome pressies

So I weally, weally enjoyed my first Christmas. We was so tired when we gots home that's we went straight to our beds.

Oh and I gots one special gift from Mums, an ornament for da tree. Beckett didn't get one cuz he already got one in da tree.

I hopes eberyone had a pawsome Christmas like us.  Hope you all has a happy healthy New Year too!!

Lots of licks, Keltic
(and from Beckett too)

Merry Christmas

And the stockings were hung by the chimney with care; in hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

Beckett and Keltic (and their Mum) would like to wish you all, two leggers and four leggers, a very Merry Christmas. And best wishes for a happy, healthy New Year.

Merry and Bright

Just some shots taken from my family room and front porch late last night as the storm was ending.

 This is a pine tree in the back yard. I don't have a Christmas tree in the family room but you can see this little tree while you're sitting on the couch.  It can also be seen from the sidewalk on the street out back of the yard.

This is the cherry tree in my front yard. I had originally planned only white lights but started adding blue a couple years ago. The pictures don't look as good as the real thing.

This is my neighbour's coach lamp. The first picture is without a flash and for the second shot I used the flash on my camera.

Just finished doing my driveway again and shoveling the deck. It wasn't fun, the snow turned to rain yesterday, then back to snow as the temperatures dropped so it was all frozen underneath.

I like a white Christmas but I think we have enough and some sun would be nice but it does look pretty with the lights and the snow.

Snow Day

Well, today was supposed to be my last day at work before Christmas holidays but since we had a forecast that was calling for 25 to 30 cm of snow, I decided that if the storm hit I would make it a Snow Day. I did bring some stuff home from work yesterday, maybe I'll get around to doing some of it.

The street in front of my house.

So far this morning all we've done is snow-blow my driveway, my neighbour's as well as paths in the backyard for the dogs and shovelled the deck. And let me tell you that was work. The snow is wet and heavy, perfect for snow forts and snowmen. It's still coming down heavy, so I'll likely have to do everything again, if not tonight then tomorrow morning.

Beckett and Keltic enjoyed running around in the backyard and just laying out in the snow. It's not too cold and there's very little wind.

Beckett and Keltic playing in the snow

Now they're napping, tired out from all the romping around but I'm sure they'll be ready to go out and play in the snow again soon. Snow Days are nice when you can stay home warm and dry. 

Wordless Wednesday

Mish Mash Monday

All right Mum,  I said, "Enough".

We Gots Our Mitten

Thanks Mitch and Molly!!!

Sandy Paws?

Hey dere folks and doggies, it's me, Keltic. This weekend Mums took me and Beckett to see Sandy Paws. At least, that's what Beckett calls him. Me, I'm not too sure bout that. Mums gets pretty upset when we's has dirty feet, dunno why then she wouldn't mind someone named Sandy Paws.

Any hoo, we wents in da car to sum place we'd never been too afore. Mums said it was called the Hoomane Soocity, she said dey heps animals wid no home.

We gets in da room and dere's a big chair and dis guy in a red suit and black boots. I didn't see no Sandy Paws.  So now I not sure I believe Beckett when he says that Sandy Paws brings pressies to good dog boys and girls.

Then Mums puts us both up on da chair. I tink Beckett was a wittle nervous but not me and this lady starts squeaking toys at us and dis man shoots a flashy thing at us.  But it was over pretty quick and I gots to meet some other doggies afterwards so it wasn't a bad visit.

Mums is putting up lots of decorations and sneaking stuff in the house saying we can'ts have dem til Christmas. Is dat when Sandy Paws comes?

Mums was very happy bout the picture. She called the guy in the suit Santa, maybe Beckett just got his name wrong. I hope Beckett is right about the pressies.

Lots of licks from me, Keltic and from Beckett, too!!! 

Last Trial

We went to our last trial for 2012 this past weekend.  I only went on Sunday as the trial location is about an hour away and I didn't want to have two drives home in the dark and because there was no Snooker event on Saturday. Beckett only needs (still) two Snooker and three Gamblers for his title of Agility Trial Champion.

We did six events on Sunday, two Standards, two Gamblers, one Snooker and one Jumpers. The only Q we got was in the last event the Jumpers. This course ran really nice, even the parts I thought would be tough. We very nearly had an off course when Beckett almost took the wrong entrance to obstacle 9. I hadn't even seen that as a trap as I was so far away from that tunnel mouth as I had gone up the left side of jump 8.  The allowable course time was 48 seconds and Beckett did the course in 39.81.  It wasn't extremely fast for him and so we finished in third place.

The first run of the day was a five-fault Masters Standard. I can't say it's Beckett's fault as I felt like I was behind him for most of the course, well at least from after the tunnel under the frame.  When I say I was behind, I mean my commands and body cues were late. I could tell as he was barking at me. What is nice to see is how far down the frame and dog walk he is coming with the running contact now.

Beckett's Masters Standard 3

The other Standard run was a train wreck and we got eliminated for an off-course.  Beckett did have two nice openings in his Gamblers but again wouldn't do the main Gambles. In Snooker, we had a very nice opening. Then as we started the close, Beckett missed his weave entry, since it was only obstacle 3 we didn't have enough points to Q.

It was a nice day overall. Keltic got to play with a Sheltie buddy from this summer. Beckett got to play Frisbee between events. And we won a volunteer prize, a rawhide star filled with rawhide treats that Beckett and Keltic will get as part of their Christmas gifts.

So Beckett still needs 5 Q's for his ATChC but now he only needs four more Jumpers Q's for his Expert Jumpers Bronze. So all in all 2012 was quite a good year, he added Master Jumpers, Steeplechase and Master Standard titles to his list of accomplishments.

Go Beckett Go!!

Mish Mash Monday

Let me in, it's cold out here!

Mish Mash Monday

Weekend Trial Results

We had our last trial at Dream Fields for 2012 this past weekend. The morning started out cold and very wet but the rain stopped quite early and it actually warmed up nicely. Good thing, as it was Remembrance Day and I feel bad for the veterans, the men and women on parade and standing vigil on the Cenotaph if the weather is nasty.

We ran 6 events on Sunday, two Standards, two Gamblers, a Jumpers and a Snooker. Although we started off with a great run in the first Standard, it was to be our only Q of the day.

The first Masters Standard had a Standard Course Time (SCT) of 66 seconds. Beckett ran the course in 44.32 seconds, doing 4.15 yards per second. He was not only the fastest 16" Regular dog but the second fastest of all the Regular dogs. Some of the other Regular dogs had the zoomies and some did training in the ring, so not all the times are indicative of what the dog really could do, but I was very happy with Beckett's time just the same. Beckett also got Best Run for the mini Regular dogs (10" and 16").

In the next Standard, Beckett incurred a refusal on obstacle 4; I think either because I really wasn't committed to it or that I had started to turn my shoulders to the teeter. In any case, he came off his line and turned in front of me and I had to send him back to complete the obstacle.  The SCT for this course was 66 seconds and Beckett did it in 48.23 seconds, going 3.98 yards per second. Even with the five faults, it was still the best run as no mini Regular dog actually Q'd this course.

Next up was the two Gambles, when I saw them I didn't think we had a chance but Beckett actually did all right.  There was no barking or spinning at me (well very little) when I sent him out from the line to the first obstacles and he had no problem at all with the mini which you can see is very nearly the same in both Gamblers.

 In the first Gamble, we got 46 opening points, again I think the scribe missed out some of our points being called but since we didn't Q, it wasn't worth any discussion and even if we had done the main Gamble we would have had enough points to Q.  For the opening, we did the single jump that ended the main Gamble, the four point obstacle twice, the A-frame, the single after the A-frame, the mini, followed by the weaves, then the mini again ending up with the weaves. We had just finished the weaves and were heading for the teeter when the buzzer went. My count has the point total as 51 but maybe my math is off. I sent Beckett out to jump 1 of the Main Gamble and he did the first four obstacles beautifully but then blind crossed me and took the 4 point obstacle. I had tried just moving along the line was going to try a "get out" to send him over obstacle 5, but we didn't get to see how that would work. The best technique I saw to get obstacle 5 was to turn your back to the 4 point obstacle as you called your dog over obstacle 4, then as you backed up, turn towards obstacle 5 and send.

In the second Gamble, I had intended to do tire, the A-frame, then obstacle 2 of the Main Gamble to get to the mini. Beckett decided to do tire, tunnel and I continued on with my plan from there. Neither the judge nor I realized that we had done two obstacles in sequence of the main Gamble, but since we didn't get this Gamble either, no harm, no foul; we just got to play a little longer.  In this Gamblers, I did the mini, followed by the weaves, then the mini again, then we did the single and the four point jump twice and then the single near the teeter. We were just heading to the teeter as the buzzer sounded. I didn't think Beckett would get out to the tunnel. I tried to send him out but he took obstacle 4 instead, that worked out all right as I turned him away from me and he did the tunnel and the second jump and was on the teeter when he bailed from the teeter. I have no idea why he did that at all. Had he stayed on the teeter, I'm sure he would have gotten the Gamble as the other two obstacles were closer to the line than shown on the course map.

Hard to say it wasn't a good trial even though again the Q rate doesn't show it. We got a Q, had two best runs (more toys for the toy box), had the two best Gamblers openings we've ever had and didn't get too much barking and spinning at all. Our distance work is paying off so hopefully it will all come together.

We have an all-day seminar on 30 Dec and I have a working spot with Beckett, maybe there'll be some new skills we can take advantage off.  Keltic starts agility classes next weekend and by next summer I hope to be doing fun matches with him; his buddy Sam is already in the conformation ring. Beckett and I have one more trial in 2012 and then we will all have 2013 to look forward too.

Wordless Wednesday

Mish Mash Monday

5 Nov 2012 - Last day as a REAL boy!

In the News

CTV Ottawa News

And Keltic did have a story to tell!  

Animals in War

November is a time of remembrance for so many who have lost their lives in war and other conflicts. Today I took Beckett and Keltic to downtown Ottawa to Confederation Park for the dedication of the memorial to Animals of War. It commemorates all those animals who gave their lives in the service of men.

The memorial consists of three plaques and a bronze statue of a war dog. The concrete around the memorial is stamped with the tracks of animals (paw prints and horse shoes). In attendance at the ceremony were Laureen Harper, the wife of the Prime Minister,  Mayor Jim Watson, Royal Gallipeau, Member of Parliament, along with RCMP horses and service dogs.  There were very few spectators with their dogs; in fact, one organizer said to me that they didn't expect people to bring their dogs. I actually found that kind of strange, that you would have a dedication to animals and not expect people to bring animals.

Animals in War Dedication

The music I chose for the video was the piece the band played as the memorial was unveiled. Beckett didn't care much for the drums and Keltic really didn't like the horses sneaking up behind him as they walked back to their trailer after the ceremony but it was a good socialization experience for both of them.

Keltic says "Thanks Buddy"!

We might make the news tonight as there were so few spectators with their pets there that we were filmed and photographed by at least two reporters.  And after the ceremony the organizers of a Pet Expo here in Ottawa next week asked all the people who had their pets with them to have our picture taken with the War Dog statue. I'm glad we were able to go to this ceremony since we will miss the Remembrance Day services as we are at an agility trial.

And with the going down of the sun, we will remember them.

Sgt Craig Gilliam

Maj Ray Ruckpaul