Priceless-Herding

Sunday I took Syd for a herding lesson (well, she took ME for a lesson!) and I took Biscuit and Avery along to see if either one of them had any interest. When they were about 4-5 months old, I took the puppies to a herding clinic, and Biscuit tried to climb over and under the fence to get OUT of the pen. No thank you! No sheep for Biscuit!
So Sunday, I was speechless when Biscuit went in the pen, went right up and told those sheep to get out of that corner and move it!

At the end of the afternoon, it all boiled down to

Two year old running shoes (clearance on Amazon.com): $59.00
Cheap "who cares if they get muddy" jeans: $30.00
One sweet, tired, happy, content, never-opened-his-eyes-the-entire-100 miles home, Biscuit:

PRICELESS!!!!

Now I just hope the weather will stay acceptable so Biscuit and Syd can keep going to lessons on the weekends. The Biscuit definitely approves of the sheep now!

New Champion in Real Life

Avery's New Champion show photo arrived in the mail today. It was quite an event getting this photo, as everyone was cheering wildly for Grandpa Harry in the group right next door. Avery was much more interested in the goings-on over there than in standing pretty for her picture. So, at least she's got all four feet on the ground-even if they aren't exactly where they should be, she's standing up, and she's looking alert (although I think she's pouting too).
But it was kind of funny to get the "pretty show dog" photo today, since just last night, I caught this photo (horrible quality, but it was dark, and I only had the phone for a camera), showing the Avery that I know and love. The Real Avery, right here, ladies and gentlemen! How that can be a comfortable way to sleep is beyond me, but it seemed to work for her!

And there you have it!

A Birthday Visit with Brecon

We had a nice visit with Brecon for his first birthday. Friday night, a few days late, but still lots of fun! I showed up with a cardboard box filled with birthday goodies, and we let Brecon open his own gifts. Here's a short video of Brecon making quick work of the cardboard box!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoQFhYNyQXY

Then a fun surprise for Brecon! Miss Avery came to play! Wahoo, those two were like a whirlwind around the dining room table, around the back yard, through the leaves, and back again. Brecon was the perfect loyal subject, bowing to The Princess quite appropriately. Avery has all the boys trained *very* well. :-)

Slurp, slurp! Brecon got plenty of cookies during the visit.

And then the best part of the whole visit.... Momma Syd! A very happy reunion. If anyone said that dogs don't remember their puppies, I'd say they are dead wrong. From the second Syd walked into Brecon's house, she was instantly in full play mode with her baby boy. She and Brecon used to play and play and play when Brecon was a puppy. Apparently, they still share the same love for romping.

It's uncanny how much Brecon looks like Syd. Complete with giant tongue and goofy smile, he's definitely his momma's son!

We did have a heart-stopping moment, Syd and Brecon were running in the back yard, and they disappeared around the side of the house. It was dark, and what we didn't know was that somehow, Elaine's gate was open on that side of the house. ACK! I got to the side of the house just in time to see two white tail flags trotting down the sidewalk. Well, at least they stayed on the sidewalk! Unfortunately, they were heading directly toward a pretty busy street in a college town. I got to the sidewalk, hollered in a happy voice something like, "Come on, do you want a cookie, let's get in the car good dogs yay for you let's go syd brecon BRECON good boy whheeee let's get in the house" and then I ran for the front door. I mean, of course I only gave very clear, level-headed instructions to the dogs (vbg). Thing 1 and her loyal sidekick Thing 2 turned tail and came running right for me, probably because they thought I was crazy and they were going to miss the big show, and they were both jumping at the front door to be let inside before I could turn the knob. W.H.E.W.!!! What good dogs. :)

Thanks for letting us come play, Elaine and Brecon. Elaine said that Brecon whined for a while after we left. I'm sure he wanted his momma to come back and play some more. Because the dogs had such a great time together, we're going to plan to get them together more often.

Happy First Birthday, Brecon and Biscuit!

Can it already be their first birthday? Surely not! I remember it like it was yesterday, the early arrival of the two best puppies in the world.

Happy First Birthday, Brecon and Biscuit!
I remember how naked the puppies were, no hair on their feet or bellies. They looked more alien than canine, and they spent most of their first couple of days in the warming box. I put them with momma Syd every two hours, because she was still groggy from the unexpected c-section.

I wasn't sure what kind of mom Syd was going to be. She accepted the puppies right away, even though she wasn't quite sure about their newborn squeaks right at first. Within a couple of days, Syd was in full swing of motherhood, and she did a great job, even when Brecon was sick.

When I was reviewing photos, I laughed out loud as I came across this one. Knowing Biscuit now, I should not have been surprised to find him like this as a newborn! Reading back through old blog posts, I found one (at one week old) where I described Biscuit as being the one wearing the lampshade at a party. Wow, who knew I had predicted so accurately!

The boys grew quickly, and everything seemed to be going so well. Healthy, happy puppies and mom were my only request.

I've never seen faces sweeter than these two boys.

Then the eyes opened! Hiya, Biski!

And then the bottom fell out of the world. Baby Brecon was sick, and the vets were not optimistic. Xrays showed a large mass, could have been an enlarged heart, fluid, or other problem. Twice daily trips to the vet for supportive therapy, tube feeding, and no sleep for me for a couple of weeks. Brecon was a trooper, and he fought the good fight. Dr. Becker calls him the miracle puppy to this day. :-)

Biscuit has always been a good sleeper, Brecon's illness did not set back The Biscuit.

Soon the boys were experimenting with "real" food. Guess who was first to the bowl?

Digging in!

Biscuit got fuzzier and fuzzier, almost as fast as he got cuter!

The boys learned to love the snow, and they played outside lots with their cousins (Kitty in the front).

Before I knew it, it was time for Brecon to leave. He and his mom had a great relationship, and Brecon is a mini-me, and he reminds me so much of Momma Syd.

Thankfully, Brecon did not move far away. He lives with his Mom Elaine, and this fall, he came to stay with us for several weeks. I'll get to see him this weekend to wish him a Happy Birthday in person. I understsand Elaine is taking him to the Three Dog Bakery for his barkday!

Brecon is healthy, happy, and you would never know how sick he was as a baby. He continues to be sweet, inquisitive, and "bouncy" as Elaine describes him.

Biscuit is still living with me. And he's still a great sleeper! :-) He has a way of stealing your heart... ...even when he's finding his way into trouble!

Biscuit would still love to have his very own family, and be the Center of the Universe for a special person or person(s). But for now, he's my special boy, a puppy who is so happy every morning, bouncing out of his crate, running to greet every other dog with his back side wagging furiously. He lives every moment to the fullest, and with great gusto!

For those not on Facebook, Biscuit is featured in many photos from our Fall Photo Shoot, starring momma Syd, cousin Avery, and The Biscuit. Handsome boy, Biscuit is quite photogenic, and a camera ham to boot! Here's a link to the album:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=96354&id=1501999749&l=5453f54cf0

Happy First Birthday, Brecon and Biscuit. And thank you, Syd and Mick, for two very special boys!

New Champion

CH Hurrikane Have Mercy*

"Avery"

Baby Avery finished her championship on Saturday with a 4-point major in Springfield, MO. I'm very proud of Avery, she was not too sure about all this dog show stuff when I started taking her to classes as a baby. But she quickly learned that dog shows = good treats, and that's all she needed. Now, Avery starts her canine pogo stick jumping when she sees the leash, and she's very happy to jump into the van to go on a ride. Good girl, Avery!

It seems like just yesterday she was born, amidst all the chaos of an unplanned c-section. I can't believe that in just a few weeks (for the girls, just one week til the boys have their first birthday!), it will have been a year since my beautiful, sweet, sassy puppies arrived and became the very first "Hurrikane" Cardigan puppies in our home.

*pending AKC confirmation

Sisters Reunion Videos

I drove to Tulsa yesterday to show Syd and Kane in TDAA (teacup) agility. Avery went with us. Courtney was there from Dallas to run her dachshund, Thor, and Franny came along.

The two sisters recognized and/or liked each other immediately, and they were wild playing with each other. It was a bummer they had to be on a leash, but they made the most of it!

The first meeting, wild girls dashing around inside the dog club building.

Sorry for all the wind noise in this second video! We thought we might be just a slight distraction inside the building, so we took the frapping outside. This is the third play session between Fran and Avery.

Paw It Forward

Biscuit receieved a package from Magic at Daybreake last week. Thanks Magic!!!! From one fwuffy red boy to another, it was a very exciting day for the Hurrikane crew! So please envision Biscuit in this photo, instead of his mom who had to stand in because Biscuit was, um, "unavailable" for the photo shoot (or he was soaking wet, rolled in dirt, crusted with Darby slobber, and happy as a clam!). Thanks for helping out, Momma Syd!

**** The first two bloggers to leave a comment will receive a Paw It Forward box, and Biscuit vows that he will personally oversee the treat selection and packaging. So leave a comment, and get a box of goodies so you can Paw It Forward too! ****

Syd sez, "OK, I did the smiley thing, now can I eat it??? You promised."

Biscuit and the Hoofie Video

It finally uploaded! Here's the video of Biskie and his hoofie. He's never gotten a hoof before, but Cheryl brought us some from Florida in June, and I finally remembered to try one out with the dogs. I think it's safe to say that Biscuit enjoyed playing with his hoofie!

Biscuit's Great Escape

I was in Houston this weekend, and the dogs who didn't go to Houston went to Camp Kingsbury for the 5 days I was out of town. This was Biscuit's first visit to Camp, and he found his time there very exciting. My dogs love going to Camp, because Jacque and Don's dog yard is bigger than our yard at home, and there are lots of fun things to explore out in "the country."

By Friday, I got a text from Jacque, saying that I would be receiving an email from Biscuit, a "confessional" of sorts. uh-oh. ...

So here's Biscuit's confession:

Dear Momma,

This morning I escaped from the prison these people call a kennel. I hefted my weight on the wall of chain and pushed my way into Momma Syd's run, and out into the yard with the "lifers" (sk-my other dogs who can be trusted to be left out in the yard). I could hear lots of fun and frolicking across the way, so I busted out of the prison yard and made my way over to the house. I met my cousins Lilly and Henry. I wanted them to break out, too. I told them that I knew where Auntie Michelle's car keys were, and that we could go for a joy ride. I was pretty sure that Henry could buy us some beer cuz he looks a lot older than us.

We were planning our fun when Uncle Don came out and caught us. I told him I was "doin nuthin" and wagged my tail and tried to look real cute. He picked me up and I licked him. I was wet and muddy, but it was fun. Now I am in solitary and can't break out. But I am still real happy and waggin my tail.

Luv,
Biskie


Oh Biscuit, what a character! I should have checked when I put the dogs in the kennel, I should have chosen a better room for Biscuit, because I knew there was one run made for good dogs who would never, ever slip under the fence!

Biscuit Hanging Out

Poor Biscuit, a fluffy is just trying to relax and chew on a nylabone. Giz and Momma Syd just had to tell me all about it!

Biscuit and Syd Reunion

Biscuit would like to thank everyone for their efforts in the FREE The Biscuit campaign. It seemed to work, and his is now enjoying some freedom to run and play like a real dog.

He and momma Syd were reunited for a big wrestling match after their separation. These two totally deserve each other, they play so rough. Most of the other dogs decline any offers to wrestle with Syd and/or Biscuit.

Freedom!

Avery enjoying her freedom with a nice lounge in the favorite (and quite well worn) oval dog bed, just hanging out with her nylabone. This photo was finally captured after she did a solo frap session around the house, under all the furniture, zooming everywhere.

Go Franny! Franny Rallies...

We are so proud of Courtney and Franny (Breezy's baby Annie). Today, at the tender age of 7 months, Franny and Courtney had their first Rally trial. Baby Franny came out with a Q, and a green ribbon.

Obviously, Franny was not worried too much, she's flipped over grabbing a tug toy. :-)

Congratulations Courtney and Franny! They have worked hard and Courtney has done a great job training Franny in just a few short months!

FREE The Biscuit! FREE The Biscuit!

For those not on Facebook, you might have missed the horrifying news and the saga over the last 10 days or so about Avery and Biscuit. We had the dreaded parvovirus rear its ugly head. Avery became ill last Monday, and Biscuit was sick by Thursday. It's been an exhausting time, with twice daily visits to the vet clinic to see the pups and get an update on their condition, cleaning the house, bathing the other dogs, and worrying about the health of the other dogs.

I always worry about parvo in young puppies, and I'm probably overly paranoid about it. But Avery and Biscuit are fully vaccinated, they've both been out and about in the world, and we've all been homebodies for the couple of weeks before Avery became ill. It's likely that a day trip to the vet for a shoulder injury was the potential exposure for Avery, and then Biscuit was exposed to Avery. It never occurred to me that my older puppies would be at-risk and contract parvo. But now I know, it can and does happen, and I've heard from many people who have been through the same thing with their older puppies.

So to lighten things up, once Biscuit came home (Monday, a much thinner version of his former self), he began a Free The Biscuit campaign, because he believes he's being unfairly incarcerated. With the other dogs and Olive and Brecon (formerly Mr. Brindle) visiting, I want to minimize the exposure Avery and Biscuit have with the other dogs.

Biscuit's grassroots effort really took off and has support from around the world, mostly because of a slight misunderstanding by other dogs. See, other dogs, like Spencer and Scout, thought the campaign was a FREE BISCUIT campaign. haaa.

So to prevent further confusion, Biscuit has hired Avery as his new campaign manager.

Avery showing an evil grin upon hearing the news of her powerful position of Campaign Manager.

Avery decides that her voice has not been heard, so she decides to start shouting the Free The Biscuit campaign slogan.

Just a few more days and we can consider the cycle broken as long as nobody else gets sick. I'm hopeful, and the other dogs are all doing well so far. All paws crossed that this is all behind us now.

Free The Biscuit! Free The Biscuit! Free The Biscuit!

Wuv Awwiv

Wuv you, Awwiv girl.

(who can guess what the interference is in this photo?)

Guess Who's Visiting?

Brecon, aka Mr. Brindle came to visit the family for a few weeks. He and Olive wasted no time in getting to the serious frapping!

Wordless Wednesday- Trip Home

Avery's First Show

Not to be outdone by her Vallhund brothers, Avery showed in her first dog show Saturday in Flagstaff, AZ. She had some issues with her "stander" and she tried to melt on the table a couple of times, but overall, she did pretty well for a 6 month old puppy. Our judge, cardigan breeder Patrick Ormos, had the dogs on the table several times during judging, so Avery got plenty of "melt on the table" practice! :-)

Avery came away with her first points at her first show. And she reminded Hawk and Jazz that she won a trophy too! She won an embroidered towel from the kennel club. I heard her telling Hawk that he couldn't do anything with his big glass trophy, but her trophy was useful and stuff...

Redeeming Qualities

Some days, Biscuit is lucky he's so cute. The trip to Perry, GA was a very quick trip, but I will admit, Biscuit was a slight pain in the arse for a good portion of the trip. I had Breezy with us, because is in season, and I never gave it a second thought that Biscuit would have any clue about these matters. Suffice it to say that Biscuit was a bit out of sorts and confused about Breezy, which led to him being a bit more needy, and a bit of a whiner. I think it would equate to taking a restless toddler on a long car trip, but I'm just guessing!

However, Biscuit did have some normal, sweet, happy Biscuit moments. He loved running in Janet's yard (pain in the arse moment when he *thought* he was going to tell Scout she couldn't have her own bone, but Scout told him swiftly where to go). He dashed around with Spencer and Scout, and he loved running up the hill and trying to figure out Janet's multi-story deck in the back. He liked going on a walk, and Friday night, Cheryl and I walked him on the fairgrounds in Perry and he got to practice "Walk Up" with a group of geese hanging out. They were just about Biscuit's speed-very slow. And on Saturday morning, Biscuit woke up happy, popping his head up on the side of the bed from his little xpen bed. It was as cute as can be, those fuzzy ears tilted and Biscuit just staring at me.

And then when we got to Georgia, he did settle a bit when he got his own side of the hotel room away from Breezy. Well, he settled when he was getting attention, and he whined when nobody was there to entertain him. sigh.

But. Oh, Biscuit, when you are good, you are so sweet and cute, how can I ever stay mad at you? I know it was tough to be in the car all that time, right next to Auntie Breezy.

Now that we are home, Biscuit and Jasper have decided they are best friends. They are physically complete opposites. But they love to wrestle, and frap. Here is a link to a cute video of the two boys playing and wrestling. I love how Biscuit lowers himself to the ground when he's thinking about trying to run fast. silly dog!

Wordless Wednesday-Rainy Day

Biscuit, 5 1/2 months old

Photo taken solo, just Biscuit on the table, and me with the camera. Here's how it went:
Hey Biscuit, can you please stand like a pretty puppy and let me take some pictures of you?

"You want me to do what? Phhhttttt on you!" OK, so I know it's asking a lot of you to stand like that, but what if I throw some cream cheese into the equation? (note: when taking photos by yourself, stick some cream cheese on the end of a Chuck-It handle, it works pretty well!)

"Cream cheese? Well why didn't you just say so! Gimme the cheese, I'll do anything for the cream cheese!!!"

Good boy, Biscuit, what a handsome boy you are.

"Is this good? Does this angle make my butt look fuzzy?


I think Biscuit did a great job, even with those back toes curling over the stacking box!