Val Henry is my friend!

Hey everybody!
Yesterday my mom kept telling me I was going to have fun today! So, she got up really early but didn't get dressed for work - yeah! I got to go in the car with her and no one else. We drove and drove and drove and drove and drove and I finally got tired of all the driving when she said I was going to have FUN so I started complaining a little bit. Come on!! So she stopped after awhile and we started walking on this nice trail. I was totally into it thinking this was my fun, when she turned around and headed back to the car. WHAT?!?! NO WAY! All that driving for that ridiculous walk?!

Mom said it wasn't the fun part yet and on she drove. When we finally arrived, I started to get an inkling about what my fun might be. It seemed like maybe there was some agility stuff way over on the other side of the field from where mom parked (What is *wrong* with her? Other cars where much closer! Does she not understand how to drive and park?!)

Well, I thought my fun was about to begin when mom set up my screen house and then she put me in it and LEFT me. She started going over to the agility stuff WITHOUT me. Boy, did I let her know she was forgetting the most important piece, but despite my wild barks and pitiful howls, she kept walking away.

Well, it took forever and ever and ever and ever and ever but FINALLY she took me out and we slowly began making our way to the agility stuff. I got to go swimming in Auntie Abbie's tub first so I'd stay cool. Then I met a NEW friend! I know she is my friend because she let me do agility stuff! Mom says her name is Val Henry and she is from Austin, TX, I think, she said. I don't know where that is but mom says it's far away and a big place.

Anyway, Auntie Val was really cool. She had my mom and me do lots of jumps. I love jumping but it can get kind of crazy with those bars flying everywhere! Why they don't fasten them in place is beyond me! Auntie Val said I was all about extension and that I needed to learn to compress.

She also said my mom needed to learn to move and to draw straight lines and to stop being so late! She helped us both! That's good because I can tell you, my mom needs all the help she can get!

Auntie Val had me jump into a wall. Well . . . not exactly but she put the jump right in front of the wall, and mom stood at the side finishing a front cross so I could learn to jump and turn and not smash the jump everywhere. And when I didn't send the bar flying everywhere I got a cookie AND my FIZZ! Yeah!

We also worked on some compression grids. The jumps were 6 feet apart. I did some like that at home but my mom wasn't part pf the picture and today she was so that made it harder. But I really concentrated and I finally must have figured it out 'cause everyone was really excited and I got treats and my FIZZ again! Woohoo!

Finally we went back to the jumps and tunnels we had started with. This part was for my mom. The bars were already on the ground so we didn't have to worry about them going flying everywhere. Mom had to learn to move and turn and make straight lines and tell me the right things. She did pretty OK and I liked going through the tunnels and then I went swimming again in the tub and we were done! Whew!

On the way home I was so tired I slept the whole 3 hours and never woke up. Mom took a picture of me. My brain needed to rest!

I can't wait to practice all our new lessons!

Good Night!
ArthurGOOD!

CPE Nationals and Camping!

Hey everybody!
Boy did I have a wild weekend! My mom packed up me, my sister Caper, and my foster sister Firefox and we went to Massachusetts so Caper could play agility at the CPE (Canine Performance Events) Nationals! It was totally not fair that I didn't get to play agility, but I still had lots of fun, until the last night when I had a scary adventure!

It really was a scary adventure, too. I was real tired on Sunday night when we all went to bed, mom and me and Caper were on her side of the camper, foster sister Firefox was in her crate in the middle, along with Auntie Lynn's foster Fly, and Auntie Lynn was on the other side. I curled right up by my momma's head and we all went to sleep. Well, the next thing I knew, I was on the outside, and everybody else was still sleeping on the inside!!! My momma thinks that I must have slide right out of the camper by her head, because after all the excitement she looked and saw that the bungees there had come undone, probably from me sliding out!

Well, anyway, however I got out I can't say, but when my mom woke up and saw I was missing, at first she thought I might be visiting Auntie Lynn, but when she found out I wasn't she got really, really scared! She opened the door to the camper and called my name in a panic and didn't I come right around the camper to see her!?! I was real happy she finally woke up and saved me. I won't saw what I did on my big adventure but mom thinks I must have just curled right up underneath the camper and waited for her to call me. She was so happy that I didn't go anywhere near those cars and campers and things that were all packing up and leaving in the wee hours of the morning!

Mom thinks I probably slid right out before I even woke up because I was soooooo tired from all the fun of camping! Here I am getting ready for bed.
Here I am keeping mom's sleeping bag warm for her!

Caper got lots of ribbons! Here she is showing off!!

And here is a picture of us three doggies having fun while mom packs everything up!

NEBCR Reunion & Agility!

Hiya everybody!!
This past weekend was super fun! It was the NEBCR (that stands for New England Border Collie Rescue) Annual Reunion! I got to go dockdiving and play soccer and lots of fetch and I got to camp with my mom and sister Caper in Auntie Lynn's camper! All my brothers and sisters came with mom and me to the reunion! One of the other volunteers, a nice lady named Caitlin, took lots of pics and said mom could share them, so I hope you like 'em!

First is the best of a whole bunch of tries of a group photo of mom and me and all my brothers and sisters! Dust was kinda tied so he ended up trying to nap instead of paying attention, but the rest of us are, kinda, at least! So, from left to right its Dust, Saga, Lacy, Mom, Caper & Me!

This is sister Caper being tailed by one of the rescue dogs! Mom says she really looks like a portie here 'cause she's holding her tail the right way!

Here is another shot of mom trying for the family photo. Dust and I decided the best course of action was to just play dead, 'cause we couldn't figure out what the heck she wanted! WOL!

Sparkle turned 1 year old on Monday, but she got her birthday present from mom early. It was a toolbox full of toys! She loved them but I thought they were kinda scary at first - they make real tool noises! This is a pic where she is taking a breake from playing with them. You can see the drill and saw. There is also a hammer!

Here I am diving!! Wheeeeeeeee!


























This is my mom and my brother Dust. He's old! But he still is the King.


























Here he is about to get the Fiz!


























I sure have to bring a lotta water outta the pond with me, huh?!




























Here's a great picture of my GrandPaw and Sparkle! He's her person, that's why she is my Auntie.


























Here is sister Lacy, mom, me, 'n Sparkle walking around the pond!




























Here I am running super fast with my cool Ruffwear water fetching toy.


























Soccer Ball!! I haven't gotten to play with a soccer ball for a long time! I almost forgot how to pick it up, but then I remembered!


























Here I am swimming with my cool Ruffwear toy!


























Here is my brother Saga!


























So! If all that wasn't cool enough, after I was done swimming and fetching and running, I saw my favoritest teacher EVER! It was my Auntie Abbie Tamber who gives my momma and me agility lessons! And sure enough, we got to play! The best part was, Auntie Abbie said that it was finally time for me to start doing sequences! That means I got to do more than just one or 2 obstavles in a row! And mom had to learn to keep up and tell me where to go! We had fun and mom and Auntie Abbie said I did a *very*good*job* and they were proud of me!! Yippee! I try very hard to be a *GOOD*DOG*!

And so that was my weekend! Caper got to play more agility on Sunday because she was in Abbie's seminar, but that's ok because I get to go to a JUMPING CLINIC in a few weeks and she doesn't get to go!

Mom says we are going camping again tomorrow in Auntie Lynn's camper (thanks Auntie Lynn!!!) and we are go to MASSACHEWSETTS so Caper can do agility some more. Hrmph! Mom says it's special because it's the Nationals. Whatever!

Well, bye more now!
ArthurGOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!