Gig Harbor/Shelton Weekend Show

Bob's Rally Score

Rally Novice Course-Saturday

Next time I will read the fine print - for some reason I got the impression that this was an indoor show - well it was for some of the conformation events but not for obedience and rally.  Needless to say I got the "stink eye" from Jo.  Saturday was a gorgeous day with the temp around 77.  The rings for obedience/rally were located in the back of the fairgrounds, next to the sky jumpers take off and landing and the motorcycle park.  Luckily, these did not prove to be too much of a distraction for the beagles.
Jo went into the Rally ring 1st and other than lots of sniffing by Bob they got a qualifying score for Rally Novice (96) and 2nd place. Not bad for a beagle outdoors!
Bob Rally Novice
 
Brew and I were next and while he was doing lots of sniffing as well I thought we had a good run until when the judge called everyone back into the ring and he didn't call my number.  Right there, I knew that I must have missed a sign and thus NQd.  Sure enough, I had blown right past the sit/down walk around sign that was located right after the figure 8 weave.  This is no excuse but the sign was located off to the right and not directly in the path so when I came out of the weave all I saw was the sign at the end of the ring (a left turn).  In the future, I guess I will have to start counting the sign numbers to make sure this doesn't happen again.
Brew Rally Novice

Both beagles already have their Rally Novice title but practice makes perfect!
The beagles were also entered in Obedience Novice B for the first time.  Yes, we were going to attempt off-leash activities with a beagle outdoors (I can hear all you beagle owners saying "Have you lost your mind!").  Bob's turn in the ring did not go so well and after an attempt at the stand for exam when he decided to sniff his way out of the ring, the judge very kindly asked Jo if she wanted to be excused which Jo very promptly replied YES!  We have to laugh because the score sheet says "not under control - NQd". 
Bob Novice Obedience Part 1 Click on picture to watch video

From AKC Shelton Sep 25-26, 2010

Bob Novice Obedience Part2 - Click on picture to watch video

From AKC Shelton Sep 25-26, 2010

Here is the big surprise, Brew qualified (182.5) and got 3rd place (so what if there were only 3 dogs that qualified- I got the ribbon that says 3rd LOL!)  While Brew was not perfect, I think he did pretty well for a beagle outdoors.  In fact, I think his off leash work is better than on leash work.  For the sit and downs, he was between two large dogs but he stayed right there with only an occasional sniff here and there and a look around.  Will post video later.

Rally Novice Course-Sunday

Sunday turned out to be very wet and the rings were soaked.  The Rally course was redesigned to avoid the lake in the middle of the ring.  Both beagles qualified -Brew got 89 and Bob 87.  So again, we qualified but no placement ribbons.  The score sheet had lots of marks off for slow to respond (str) and poor sits.  I ended up redoing the 1,2,3 sign because I couldn't remember if I had done the 2nd step correctly and then the judge marked me for another redo on a 270 left because Brew ran out in front of me past the sign so I had to call him back.  I guess the judge took that as a redo.

Bob Rally Novice Sunday

Brew Rally Novice Sunday



Bob and Jo then entered the Obedience Novice ring.  While they still NQ'd they at least made it through all the exercises except they were excused from sit/down stays.  On the recall, Bob decided running outside of the ring would be more fun.  Brew and I also NQ'd - on the heel free when the judged yelled Fast, Brew decided it was time to run past me and out of the ring.  The judge was nice and let us do the recall anyway.  So I sat Brew down, left him, walked to the end of the ring, called him - Brew took off running toward me but about halfway through decided that whatever was near the gate was more interesting so off he went out the ring (well the stewards were ready this time and caught him).  Both beagles were very interested in the stewards area since they both ran that way or maybe it was the gate to freedom that attracted them.
Brew Novice Obedience Part 1- heeling, figure eight, heel free exercises

Brew Novice Obedience Part 2- recall exercise

BELTING IN CHASTITY

Meet Miss Chastity. Her eyes look different, right? True, they do not match but there's more. She cannot see.
Oh.
Well.
Chastity is a D-O-L-L! And, she has a home now.
No, it's not here; we're at our limit.
But, small world that it is, especially when one participates in animal rescue AND social media...A friend I've never met but have crossed paths with in the world of adoption, foster, transport, etc. has (as it turns out) moved out of state, to Iowa of all places. Well, he saw Chastity's photo after inquiring about special needs kitties. And both he and his fiance' were smitten by the year old kitten.
Here's how it's going so far:

Chastity has been spayed and is up to date on stuff, thanks to Benld Adopt-A-Pet, http://www.benldadoptapet.org/ . I brought her home with me on Thursday. She was going to stay at Forever Home Feline Ranch http://www.felineranch.org/ for a week and a half if need be, but we were able to do a reverse transport http://sites.google.com/site/animalrescuetransport/who-we-are thanks to the Hancock County/Quincy rescue team that runs each week. Her new family will meet her tomorrow and she'll settle in for life.
Right now she's in temporary quarters, sharing space with our cats but kept away from them as they don't appreciate visitors!
If you ever wonder if it makes a difference that you are involved or that you donate or support rescue - look at this sweetie from time to time. You know, had she been turned out on her own, she would have wandered without hope or help. Who knows what would have become of her.
Envision her - safe, happy, cozy - that's how her life will be.
Happy endings do occur in a world where people are connected in ways they never imagined. Think about how you can connect and make a difference. Think about letting one life, one other being, know that they matter. Do it.

Jo gets in the RING @ the Wentachee show

Yes, I know this is a shocker but Jo finally decided to show Bob herself. And as I predicted Bob did much better in the ring with Jo than me. We entered in three events on Saturday in Wenatchee- Beginning Novice Obedience B, Pre-Novice Obedience B and Rally Novice B. Jo showed Bob in the Obedience ring and I showed Bob in the Rally ring, but she is studying the signs and next week will take Bob into the Rally ring as well.

This was a challenging show on two fronts - 1) an outdoor show - need I say more with a beagle and 2) The beagles had had no training or practicing for the last two weeks prior to the show while we were on vacation. Instead they had been on their own vacation at the Hiltz's place having a blast running around playing with all their beagle and whippet friends. I guess Bob took a liking to Abby and Brew thought Sophie was pretty cute.

In the Obedience ring:
In Beginning Novice Obedience B, there were 5 dogs. Jo and Bob (#1851) took 2nd place with a score of 193.5 of out 200. Brew (#1852) and I took 3rd place with a score of 191.5. Beginning Novice Obed is basically all on lead except for two variations: on the sit stay you drop the lead and then walk around the whole ring and the recall is off-leash from 25 ft away. Jo had to go out first (although I had ask that they switch us but I guess the stewards forgot to do that). Luckily, Jo had watched the Beg Novice A group so she kinda knew what was going to happen. The judge was very friendly and helpful.

Bob & Jo Beg Novice Obed

Janet & Brew Beg Novice Obedience


The 2nd event was Pre-Novice Obedience - the exercises are all on lead plus group sit and down stays. Before the group exercises, both beagles weren't doing too bad (Bob lost 16 points and Brew lost 8.5 points). Although, I think the beagles were getting tired as their performance was better in the Beg Nov Obed. There were 7 dogs competing in this group.
Bob and Jo got a 124 out of 200. The group exercises were their downfall. Bob hasn't had much experience with these exercises. On both the sit and down stay, he got up so he lost all the points for those exercises (60 of them) and he tends to whine especially in the down because it was 3 mins long. He kept looking at Jo saying are we done yet and where is my treat. I'm suppose to get a treat after every exercise, what is wrong with you people? Brew was great as when Bob got up, he just stayed in place. Go Brew. Brew got 3rd in the Pre-Novice group with a score of 191.5. Hmmm, that score looks familiar, well at least Brew and I are consistent.

Bob & Jo Pre Novice run




Brew & Janet Pre-Novice Part 1


Brew & Janet Pre-Novice Part 2 (camera mulfunction so here is the last exercise)

 
Rally Rally Rally - not one of our better performances. I didn't get a chance to walkthrough the course before hand as we were in the obedience ring when that was going on. So I studied the course map and then went for it. I was afraid I was going to miss a sign since I didn't get to practice and the beagles were not on their best behavior. Additionally, another dog had peed in the ring so that was another obstacle we had to contend with on the course.

This was Bob's first outdoor show so he was more interested in smelling than paying attention to me as well as looking for Jo - poor sits (really out of position), lagging and the handler messed up the 1,2,3 step sign (too many steps) resulted in score of 78 out of 100.

Brew did much better, he got a 92. However, he was completely distracted as well. At one point, another dog outside of the ring caught his attention and I thought it is all over with now - thank goodness the next sign was a 270 and that got us going in the opposite direction of the distraction. Right at the end of the course, I seem to have gotten his attention back and even managed to cross the pee spot without him sniffing (hooray).


Bob & Janet Rally Novice


Janet & Brew Rally Novice B

WHOOSH! Lady exits the house but stays in the neighborhood

Just when we thought she MIGHT be staying, Lady got a wonderful home about a mile from us. She'll live with Rocky, who looks like our Tripp, and two humans, have a similar home to ours and loads of love! We're moping around a bit but it was really "right" and we're delighted for her. They were waiting for a dog to come along and thanks to our vet clinic - there was Lady!

Now, for another awesome dog who has been pulled from the local animal control facility and placed in a foster home for adoption - Dakota! She's a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, age 2, housebroken, friendly as all get-out, and calm when she should be but energetic when she can't help herself! I had her at an adoption recently and was blessed to spend the day with her. She deserves the best. We cannot have her here as she's most likely an alpha - our Harmony Victoria has that slot all to herself. But, wow, she'll be a lucky catch for some deserving dog lover.

So it goes - there's always a dog or cat needing a home and never enough humans around to help them find them or to take them. A friend recently told me I chose a tough area for volunteering. Trust me - it is tearful at times but those tears are both for loss and for joy. I wouldn't trade it, ever, for anything. I hope I have a good 10-15 years left in me to do this! Then I'll be content to have pups and kitties visit me and sit on my lap to be socialized while I nap!

So Much For The Kitchen

It's up and running and the more I use it (and am glad to be able to) the more it suits me. In order to acquaint my husband with where things are we play "You're getting warmer..." Eventually he does find what he is looking for and I am able to uncurl myself and stop the giggling.

This will be a bit of a catch-up blog. Life is getting back into the proper order with both of us finding that being able to move from room to room without knocking into dishes or jars of food (we had 12 jars of beets) makes life together more agreeable. In turn that means we do more that needs to be done so we're out and about more. Would I do the kitchen thing over again? No. I might have done new countertops and an appliance or two but no, not the entire thing. Would I use the same people and would I recommend them? Yes, but. Yes, but I would want to shop local for the countertops. Am I glad it's over? Yes, of course.

On to the wonders of life though! This is a blog about pets, and wannabe pets. Let me return to and stick to the topic.

The week has been remarkable, nothing less. An email arrived from a friend in a town a few miles away. Her cousin, another few miles away, had taken a young, female Lab away from the neighbor's property, not away from the neighbor but away from the property, because the neighbor had moved. Circumstances had recently changed. NOTE: "recently" is not 3 years - the actual time the dog had been ignored. He must have forgotten he even had a dog you think? No, he was going to come back for her and have her killed. Granted, she has heartworm but whose fault is that? OK, I'll get off his case and on to the remarkable stuff. The email arrived and the cousin and I were connected. I sent out a plea for someone to take the dog. Success came from the people for whom I do transport. They are 2 1/2 hours away. They had checked with a Lab rescue in one of the Chicago area suburbs and that group was willing to take the dog, treat her for heartworm and find her a perfect home. In three days a dog went from not knowing love to being loved by countless individuals. She will live on, happily, and rewarding all of us by celebrating her life fully with whoever becomes hers.

While that was going on, yet another friend, one who I've never met but is a kindred spirit, emailed about a blind kitten. Can you say "Adopt-a-Less-Adoptable-Pet Week" is being kicked off in great fashion? So, he asked about a kitten and I made a call asking that he be called but also told him of another one available soon. That response and reply came more quickly and he fell in love with her when I sent photos. Count little Chastity as "adopted" as she will be spayed this week and come back here, go to Forever Home Feline Ranch for a couple of days while we make the arrangements to get the kitty to her guy. Did I mention the kitten is an hour from me and the guy is six hours? We do what it takes!

Closer to home, right here actually, we have our very own story developing. We have a 6 month old foster, a femail Pointer/Lab mix who is a beauty. Shiny, sleek, completely black, personable...all right I'm inclined to go on and on but it's all true. We would keep her, with our 5 dogs and 5 cats as she is fine with them. The issue is that the chances of her outliving our ability to give her  wonderful life are really good. Hubby is on the edge of leaving the 60's (his decade not the one we all shared) and therefore it will fall more and more on me to do much of the "stuff" that has to be done. Yes, he's fit as a fiddle and that's now. At this point we have to consider 2020-2025. We could take our chances but if we did we would not have a slot open for a "....Less-Adoptable-Pet". So, this little lady is looking for a home to allow us to help others. She should be able to get one easily, once you (yes, you) are past that she is a black dog - they don't adopt out easily - and she's going to be a large girl.

That's her in the pink collar with our Baxter-boy; he's smitten.

Keep your fingers crossed for us. We're hoping she can get a home and we'll help another, soon.

Thanks Lesley and David

Thanks Lesley and David for taking care of team beagle

The Best Places To Buy Stuff 'Round Here

I've got secrets about where to get the best deals. I don't spend like I used to, but with the creativity I've put into finding what I need (ok, want sometimes), I still get a shopping fix here and there. ;) I will note now, if you are thrift store phobic then stop reading now. You wont like it... but I tell ya sometimes it feels good to slum.


Which brings me to store #1:

Goodwill Outlet (at the end of Casino Rd near Airport Rd- I know I saw one in Seattle once too...).

Oh my this store is something and I think I'm addicted. It's slightly embarrassing. It opened up maybe 6 or 7 months ago I believe, and it sells stuff BY THE POUND. Cheaply by the pound I might add. Now you have to be in treasure hunting mode or else don't waste your time- everything is dumped into giant bins and you have to dig through it (and I will say, some of the characters you come across there are slightly psychopathic- wonder if they think the same of me?) But when you find a pair of designer jeans for $0.75, you will know the high I speak of. So here are the things I recommend buying here:

1) Clothing. The stuff that goes to this store is the stuff that doesn't sell at the normal Goodwill. Think: Originally Stupidly Overpriced (you know you think this when you go to the normal thrift store anymore. Stuff's cheaper at Ross). I have found SOOOOOO much amazing clothing for myself, Jake (less for men unfortunately, far more stuff for women), and the kids.

2) Electronics. Oh you'll die when you see the prices on electronics. I should mention that my children have a tv in their room with a dvd player. I am not the sort of mom that hovers, and so unfortunately we have gone through a shit ton of dvd players. I'm serious. Like at least 10. Seriously. So anyways, dvd players are $2 or $3, they always have them. TV's are about $5 maybe (you wont find that flat screen- but trust me when I say for kids this is good. We put a $500 flat screen in the kids room. It now lives at the local dump. They're not sturdy enough for kids... like mine anyway). (Ahem- just remembered another funny little blog called Shit My Kids Ruined http://www.shitmykidsruined.com/)

3) Furniture? This is iffy, but you can sometimes find great things. I got what appeared to be a brand new highchair for $6. I like to repaint and do random art projects with my furniture, so better on a $5 table then a new one ;)

4) Books. Soft covers are like $0.25 and hard covers are like $0.35. I will give you all fair warning, don't try to buy books when they put out the new bins. People are insane, stand far away.

5) Toys. I promise your kids wont die if you buy them used toys- wipe them suckers down with some bleach water and let the kids go at it. I am picky, but plastic is plastic. If it's beat to shit or is missing pieces it's a no (to Eli's misfortune on occasion). I have found a light saber and a blaster that probably didn't cost $1 together- this was an hour after Eli was panicking in Target that I wouldn't buy him the $30 light saber in the toy section (it was the same EXACT one), all models of plastic noisy things that kids like and are normally at least $20 each, I just today got Eli this Robot that was OVER $100 last Christmas at Target (probably cost me $1- that bitch was heavy), we've gotten tonka trucks, train sets, etc etc etc.

(Found another cool blog with a story on "the bins"- read here: http://www.chic-steals.com/2010/04/goodwill-outlet-store-aka-bins.html)

It's not glamorous, but damn it's kinda fun.




Store #2:

Dollar Tree!!! (They're everywhere!)

I looooooove me some dollar tree! I shit you not, I go 2 or 3 times a week. If you've never been to dollar tree, you are spending too much on stuff you shouldn't be spending too much on. Now I'm not talking any old dollar plus store- I go into those occasionally, but I always return to dollar tree. Here are the things I regularly buy there:

1) Candles. They burn slow, they don't stink, whatev. I bought some at Ross the other day and lit them all, and the Ross candle was dead by the end of the night, but the Dollar Tree candle was burning strong! I will sometimes branch out and get candles elsewhere, but this is my go to place for stock candles.

2) Cleaning products. Oh hallelujah it is so much cheaper to buy cleaning products at the dollar store. I get basically everything there for cleaning minus garbage bags (you just really don't want to skimp on garbage bag quality).

3) If you have animals, they have animal stuffs- food, collars, toys etc etc.

4) Light bulbs, batteries, tools, that sort of thing. Superglue! I desperately needed superglue the other day and was about to buy it at Albertsons (God I hate Albertsons with a fiery passion, avoid shopping there if possible). It was $5 at Albertsons for a one pack, and next door at Dollar Tree it was $1 for a three pack.

5) Kitchen towels, utensils, foil, tupperware, etc etc.

6) Holiday things! Just spent $20 getting everything I need for Halloween. I will be back to stuff stockings during Christmas and buy all of my wrapping paper, tape, etc there.


Did I mention they have pregnancy tests? I've sure been through my share of those puppies. I'm going to start telling people we're Catholic.



And good golly you wouldn't guess what I saw there the other day? Go on guess.... warming lube! I was trying desperately to find a photo online to post here, but instead I found this review on yelp for dollar tree:

"What about warming lube? That shit costs more than cocaine if you go to Target or The Leather Den. You want to know how much it costs at Dollar Tree?

A FUCKING DOLLAR! I SWEAR TO GOD!"


Now a last note on Dollar Tree- I have thus far been a snob and not bought food there. I was speaking to the lovely sales girl yesterday though, and it turns out that because they are corporately owned and operated that everything has to follow protocol (not like some of these tiny dollar stores with expired food- barf). I may go out on a limb and see what I see for food next time I'm in- I did notice they had Oreos last time I was there... :)


Store #3:

Target. Ok gahhh, I've heard a bit about them supporting some anti-gay agenda. I am quite annoyed and hope they fix this problem quickly. I did some research during the last presidential election about which companies supported liberal politics and which supported conservative politics so I could buy accordingly, and I remember Target supporting liberals so this is like a punch in the face! I don't want to put my face down and pretend I didn't hear anything, but I do like Target :( Anywho, assuming you can stomach spending money there any longer, here are the things that are priced best at Target:

1) Paper Products: Toilet paper (I like Charmin Ultra Strong!), garbage bags, Target Brand diapers (they are as good as Huggies and better than Pampers imho), diaper wipes (only Huggies wipes for us- they're much thicker than any others). Paper towels if you must, but also remember it's not too hard to use a rag instead and save a bit of garbage. One cleaning product you might buy here over Dollar Tree is laundry soap (but still get your dryer sheets at Dollar Tree). I normally go for either Arm and Hammer concentrated or All Free and Clear. If you have infants, please stop wasting your money on Dreft and just get All Free and Clear. It has no dyes or perfumes in it. Problem solved.



2) Food. Not all food, only some foods. Soda (which I'm not allowed to have anymore, whine), and cereal are the first two that come to mind. Much less pricey here than the normal grocery store. Sometimes if they are out of a product, they'll give you another similar product for something like 50% off (they normally have the little red tags under them). What I do is I'll just do a quick scan down the aisles to see where the red tags are and take a looksee in case the alternative is something I'd like to purchase at half off. Don't ever buy dairy products here- terribly overpriced.


Store #4:

Fred Meyer. There's not a ton of raging deals here, but one close to my heart comes to mind.

1) Salmon. Cheapest place in the world almost ever to buy wild caught salmon. If you buy an entire fish and have them filet it, it's oftentimes $2.99 a pound. You wont find a better deal anywhere else.

Now Fred Meyer will try to suck you in with it's constant sales. These sales are rarely worth wasting your time. I will scan the additional 50% off housewares (if you need house paint, look at the shelf of mis-tints), but don't bother with their overpriced clothes most of the time. You can find kids clothes cheaper. Now *sometimes* they go take an additional 75% off, and this would be the time to dig around and see what you see. I'd say mostly don't waste your time with the overpriced furniture either, and good god don't buy picture frames here.


Store #5:

Ross. This is if you of course can handle the lines, the mess, and the screaming children. Some days I can, some days I can't. Try to use the bathroom before you get there- ick.



Things to buy at Ross:

1) Clothing and shoes and housewares. Obviously.

There's not much else to say about Ross, but something I will throw out there that I've just recently come across is that they have a good amount of organizational stuffs for super cheap! I got this thing that goes under my bed and stores my shoes (freeing up the entire upper shelf in my closet- hurray!), and these other doo dads that hang over your doors and have pockets (in my office I keep my scissors and tape and all that jazz in one of those guys). I never had looked through that stuff before, but I'm nesting with a vengeance and I'm glad I was able to find good prices on such things! They're quite a bit more at Target.


Store #6:

Pawn Exchange. This is a new one for me, but darnit if I haven't found some great deals on things that I've in the past spent ungodly amounts of money on. Namely:

1) Video game consoles, games, and controllers. I bought a Wii controller there a bit ago for $20, and the Wii controller I bought at Target a few weeks prior to that was something like $75 with the nun chuck. No seriously. Games are anywhere from $5 to $20, never more. The reason I've found this all out started the day I was going to light Game Stop on fire. Eff that place. Rapists, all of them. I literally bought a $60 game, and once it was beat a few weeks later I went to trade it in for something else. They gave me $10, and turned around and sold the used copy for $50. That's bullshit in my book.



Anyways, moving on:

2) Musical instruments. Self explanatory. They're in reasonable shape, you don't really need a brand spanking new guitar most of the time. We've gotten some good deals.

3) Tools. I have personally never bought a tool here, but if I needed an expensive type tool, here is where I would go.

4) Vacuums? I just bought a vacuum there for $30 that would've cost me $150 at Target new... works great.




As far as full on grocery shopping goes, I stick with Safeway for many reasons that aren't all price related. They're cheaper than some (Haggen, QFC), but they have competition in their price range as well. The ambiance is nice, the people aren't ghetto (cough Albertsons cough), I like the shopping carts, there's almost always a Starbucks inside... you get the idea. I used to make the random trip to Grocery Outlet (or Ghettoville as Carly and I used to call it about 10 years ago), but even they seem more pricey than they used to be.


I get the feeling I'm forgetting some good places... but this should start you off on your treasure hunting experience! Share any secrets you know in comments!!!