English Shepherd Hike: June Edition

Everyone had such a great time during our English Shepherd hike May that they immediately suggested that we get our dogs together again for another hike.  Because everybody has a busy schedule, we settled on monthly hikes.  Unfortunately Laurie with Helo and Elvira, and Stephanie with Oliver could not come this time.  However, we did get an unexpected and welcome addition to the June hike. Mary convinced our mutual friend Jenn to come that morning.  Jenn owns four English Shepherds and a Border Collie cross, but only brought Chandler's cousin Nixie and Pace's sister Jure along for this hike.  It was great to see Jenn, because she was one of my earliest mentors in dog ownership and English Shepherds.

Nixie had to stay on leash.

She has a tendency to think I need some teeth paws on management,

Although for this hike I suspect she thought I wasn't doing a good enough job managing the others.

Imagine that!

Once again, the dogs had a great time mingling and sniffing as we wandered up the trail.

Kateri is smiling in this photo.

The chase games started soon after all the dogs became comfortable with each other.  At one point the dogs ran back and forth between the trail and the river.  This involved zooming through the woods down a mild slope until they hit the water about 400 feet away.  I think they did this four or five times before we moved on.

Pace seemed to be having an especially great time because his sister Jure was there.  Although they live in the same house, Mary and Jenn have separate packs and households; Pace had not played with his sister for a while, so the reunion between the two 15 month old dogs was rather rowdy at times.  Unfortunately for Pace and Jure, honorary uncle Chandler was on the job as playground police and broke up anything that looked like it was getting a bit too crazy.  Chandler manages this with his presence and some judicious shoulder checks, as far as I can tell.

Hey...Pace just cut his sister off.

All I'm doing is telling him to cross the trail and ditch in the ferns.

What do you mean Jure looks like she is laughing?

When we got to the dam, a red tailed hawk glided over, catching the thermals in a spiraling pattern.  I was able to get some great shots because we were on the hill that forms part of the dam, while the hawk was circling over the nearby meadow.

Hawk? What hawk?  You were supposed to be throwing my bumper into the water!

Of course the reservoir was the main attraction for the dogs once we got to the waterside.  Michelle was pleased to see that Kateri did try a bit of wading again, although she was not quite ready to go swimming with the other dogs yet.

I don't think Kateri was too thrilled by the steepness of this bank.

...and it doesn't help that Bug makes it look easy.

While the dogs were playing in the water, Patches (somewhat) achieved what seems to be one of his great ambitions.  For weeks he has been trying to steal the sticks and retriever bumpers that Chan fetches from the water.  Chan has fended him off every time, or at least managed to hold on to the opposite end of a very large stick in one case.  On this hike, Patches finally managed to steal the bumper from Jure.  As far as I could tell, Patches was elated.  Jure wasn't so thrilled, but her morale quickly rebounded as our outing continued.

Patches had better not think that this will work with me!

Once again, everyone had a great time (despite playground police and bumper snatchers).  At the end of the hike we set all the dogs up for a group photo.  Our next hike is scheduled for early July.

Left to right: Nixie, Jure, Kateri, Bug, Pace, me, Bridgett, Patches.

A very fun Saturday

It started innocently enough.  One of my English Shepherd owning Facebook friends realized she was close enough to join Chandler and I on one of our weekend hikes.  Stephanie set a day; I asked whether she'd  like to meet just Chan and I, or whether she would she like me to invite all the local ES people.  As far as she was concerned, more dogs were great.  What we ended up with was:

Seven women.
Eight English Shepherds.
One Cattle Dog cross...

...and we all had a GREAT time!

Look at all the cameras in this group!

After introductions, the dogs all got along fabulously.  They trotted and ran along the trail together, sniffing and marking all the interesting spots.

I'm taking point position!

The two tricolors, Pace and Patches, seemed to do some bonding.

Mom calls them the Tricolor Alliance.

There were multiple games of chase.

I'm going to get Elvira!!!!!!

Whee! Running with the pack!

Water loving dogs cooled off in the reservoir.

I give this splash a nine!  Excellent wake too, Bug!

Some who weren't so sure about water gave it a try.

Kateri is my grand-niece. We really have to work on her swimming skills.

Those that didn't like to wade abstained.

Really Oliver, you don't know what you're missing...

For the swimmers there was water fetch!

Patches is trying to steal MY stick. AGAIN!

...and also regular fetch on land.

I think this was more of a stick wrestling match between Bug and Pace...

After three hours of hiking, we all decided we'd like to do it again someday.

This was so much fun!!!!

Bridgett is smiling at you.  She says she had fun too.

2011 Northeast English Shepherd Gathering photos

Spring fling at Goss

Remember that I.O.U?

Here are some photos from that outing at the Goss Property on the 10th. I'm sorry it took so long, but I've been busy with Chandler's lame right rear leg and his treatment for anaplasmosis. To make a long story short, between the doxycycline for treating his tick borne disease and Deramaxx for his leg, Chan's ALT shot up to almost 15 times the normal value range. His appetite suffered, and I was busy trying to get him to eat. Fortunately he seems to be feeling much better since he has been taken off the doxycycline and is getting a liver support supplement. As of tonight, he's being treated with a different antibiotic that will hopefully finish off the anaplasmosis problem.

Our outing included six English Shepherds and two Golden Retrievers. It was a fun day, and Chan had a great time. In fact, he had such a good time that I had no idea he had managed to hurt himself until we got home and he suddenly started having trouble climbing the stairs. Past experience and some video footage suggest that Chandler strained a hind leg muscle while chasing balls shot from the launcher. I feel bad that I didn't notice anything; but he was climbing all over boulders later like nothing was wrong.

But I really LIKE fetch.
It's even more fun when you drop the ball
half-way back and make the humans search for it.

This is Sadie and Ernie.
They're both puppies and like to play.

I did play chase for a little while with Sadie,
but she mostly had Ernie stuck to her ruff.

I also played with Peddler.

Here is another photo of Peddler.

Helo is squinting as I run by and Peddler moves in for a sniff in this photo.
He didn't do much running because he had an injured carpal joint.
Helo is Peddler's sire.

Did I mention Ernie and Sadie really liked to play together?
Ernie was 11 weeks old, and Sadie was around six months old at the time.
Oh yeah, Helo is Sadie's great-grandsire!

This is Mose.
Helo is his grandsire.

We played in the river.
I love water! So did the Goldens; their names are Faith and Paige.

Ernie took his first plunge.

Here is a photo of Ernie and me.

...and this is why Mom had no idea I had pulled a muscle.
I really like to climb onto big rocks.

Catching up: Thanksgiving Cluster

Between work, looking for a new job, holiday preparations, and an ill cat, I seem to be about a month behind in posting. Because of car repairs, other expenses, and a lack of time, Chandler and I haven't been able to attend Nosework classes. There hasn't been much time to practice at home either.

However, we did manage to get to the Thanksgiving Cluster dog show at the Eastern States Exposition Fairgrounds on the day after Thanksgiving. We go every year and have a great time. This may seem a bit odd, considering that Chan is an English Shepherd and the cluster is an all AKC show. To be honest, I am very glad that my breed has largely avoided the diversity depleting rigors of the conformation ring, and would prefer that the English Shepherd is never even a blip on the AKC's radar. When we go to the cluster, Chan largely masquerades as a Border Collie unless somebody directly inquires about his breed.

For me, the draw to the cluster is the shopping. Vendors like Bravo, Clean Run, and Dogwise are there every year. I generally try to budget for a new collar, some treats, and maybe toys or training materials.

Usually I try to meet up with a friend at the cluster. It is always more fun to watch the Agility competitions and peruse all the stuff if you aren't doing it alone. This year was a special treat for me, because it turned out that the woman behind It'za English Shepherds, Vivian, was going to be in the area for Thanksgiving. Chan's dam is an It'za bred dog, and although Vivian has been out of breeding for a while, she was happy to have an opportunity to meet one of her dogs' descendants. We both agreed that the Cluster would probably be the most convenient place and time for us to meet.

Apparantly Chandler and I were not difficult to recognize, because Vivian and her niece walked right up to us on the grass outside the Mallory building. We proceeded to have a great day spectating at the show and talking about English Shepherds. It turns out that Chandler reminds her a lot of his uncle Pen; Pen was her "court jester", and Chandler seems to share some of those silly tendencies, in addition to being similarly colored. Vivian remembered her camera and got some pictures.

Me, Chandler, and Vivian
(Chandler, true to form, tried to wade in that ornamental pool behind us.)

My friends Jen and Laurie also showed up that day with their ES. I ended up feeling a bit like I was ping-ponging between groups for a while, but Vivian got a photo of this four dog lineup. Notice which dog has broken his sit and is grinning at the end of the line. Vivian says that happened because her niece was squeeing at the sight of four dogs sitting on a bench and staying in place. Personally, I think Chan will take any excuse he can get to be silly. Maybe I've been hanging around Jen and her excellently trained dogs too much. I don't see anything unusual with Chandler staying put and posing when I ask him to do so.

Finn, Nixie, Helo, Chandler

It ended up being a long day. I was there most of the morning with Vivian and Allison, her niece, and then I spent a lot of the afternoon with Laurie and her friend Sandy. My memories of the day remind me of a collection of short films:

...talking about agility as we watch dogs compete.

...noticing that Nosework class has made Chandler's food detection abilities EVEN BETTER, as he'd quickly home in on any treats at any of the vendors or being held by the competitors and spectators. Unfortunately, Chandler did manage to make a stealthy raid on the freeze dried turkey breast at the Bravo booth before I caught on to him. One second he was walking along airscenting, and the next I had to pull him out of the bowl of samples on the table. Very embarrassing.

...Chandler schmoozing Vivian and Allison for pieces of pretzel when we paused for lunch...and then attempting to introduce himself to the person at the other end of the table and those on neighboring tables.

...Chandler finally relaxing and looking happy as we shopped the vendors in one of the conformation buildings. For some reason, he usually wilts in the conformation buildings. I think it may be the added tension in the atmosphere around people showing.

...Laurie, toting a HUGE bag of stuff she had bought as Christmas presents for her dog friends. She was quite glad I had mentioned the show to her, because it was a dog lover's gift bonanza.

...the man at the Dogwise booth vigorously ruffling and petting Chandler while declaring what a great dog he was, and Chandler having a great time despite his tendency to be wary of men. (Woohoo, a good experience with the Y chromosome!) I have to add that the Dogwise people were great. Chandler mooched a drink of water from Sandy next to their booth; he's a messy drinker and splattered the floor a bit. Perhaps they were just happy that it wasn't urine, but they were nice about the accidental mess. Yes, I did buy a book from them. :)

...having somebody ask if Chan and Helo were English Shepherds, being shocked that anybody would know enough to ask, and then finding out that the person was a canine massage therapist who had worked on Chan's cousin Nixie.

...the girl who fell for Chandler while we were shopping for collars. I cautioned her that he was a lot of work and his good behavior was the result of years of training. She offered to train him for me for the next six years. I politely declined. ;)

...running into Michelle and Muffy, who have Chandler's grand-niece. They were showing one of their friends the dog show, and happily paused to point out that Helo and Chan were English Shepherds, just like their own Kateri.

I'm sure there were more moments that I have forgotten. It was a great day to meet new friends and also see some old ones. Hopefully we'll have as good a time next year.

Overdue update- Meeting other English Shepherds

Chandler had a great outing to meet another CT resident's female English Shepherd crew,
Nixie, Finn, Flurry, and Irma last weekend. Also present was chaperone
collie Willie. Despite being a goofy boy, he managed to blend well
into the pack and only got corrected once for uncouth behavior.
(After which he gave many apologies for biting too hard-he must be
playing with too many pit bulls and labs.)

First introductions were to Nixie and Willy in the Southbury dog park,
where it was difficult to decide whether Nixie or Chandler was faster.
My friend observed that Chan was "all boy"..and I had to concur as he was
making an utter mess of himself splashing around and wrestling with a
poodle in a huge mud puddle, much to Nixie's disgust.


Fortunately the mud was soon washed off as we took the entire crew off
on the rear trails to a tiny beach on the Pomperaug River. I'm just
hoping her girls will someday finally teach Chandler to swim a bit
more, as he's mostly a wader. Flurry had a good time retrieving
floating biscuits, however.

Unfortunately the morning ended too soon, as the "girls" had a hiking outing
planned with a friend, and the dog park was getting a bit too full for
the enforcer nature of some of the ES. Both Chandler and I are
looking forward to the next outing.