WOW!!! This video looks just like our house for Christmas….Check it out!
I hope it gives you all a smile!
I hope all of you get to spend the holidays with family (2 and 4-legged) and good friends and that all the happiness of the season is in each of your homes!
Sue, Kris, and the MYTDOG’s!!!
Everyday I try to remember how lucky I am to have such wonderful friends and family in my life and try to live each day to it fullest. Though I try to be good to family, friends and everyone I meet, I know that I have moments of not showing my appreciation and care and may not always be as intuative to needs or emotions as I should be. As hard as I try, as a human, there are always moments that I can fall into that ”its all about me” and not realize the moments that I am letting pass me by un-noticed or unappreciated. Its the curse of being human.
Occasionally the news will report on something other than the war, tragedy, disappointments, and the bad news and will offer me an example of ”someone” that sets the example and reminds me of the kind of friend, family, person…..human….I want to be. This happened when Kris sent me an article she found on the internet.
http://www.dogsinthenews.com/issues/0107/articles/010730a.htm
I am reminded what unconditional love and loyalty truly is when I read stories like this and I strive, to be as pure and true as our dogs can be. How many times don’t we come home after a rough day just to be greeted by a wagging tail and nudge by a nose? Even in our crankiest moments, our dogs are there. They dont take their needs or “feelings” into consideration, they dont hold grudges for our shortfalls, hurtful actions or words, and they are never “to busy” to listen or be there for us in our worst moments…….they are always there, devoted and willing to do what they can to protect us…even if its just from some sad feelings. Isnt it amazing that we can be so lucky to share our lives with them?
My dogs may have never saved me from a gator, pulled children from a burning building, fought off a shark in an attack or even fought off an intruder but they have given me more than I can sometimes put into words. They have given me a greater awareness of who and what I want to be. I want to be that loyal friend, the one that loves and listens without judgement, the person that uses my senses and not eyes to see, the person that notices and appreciates the little things like a ray of sun to lay in or simple meal prepared by a friend, the person that gives and is unconditional in my defense and support of those I love and care about…….I want to be like my dogs!
Roger Carras once said:
”Dogs have given us their absolute all. We are the center of their universe. We are the focus of their love and faith and trust. They serve us in return for scraps. It is without a doubt the best deal man has ever made.”
Thank God for our dogs…… Sue
So you read that word and wonder, “what is that?” or “My dog won’t get that” or even “Is it just one more thing to worry about?” It seems like there is always something coming up that is the “latest” concern in our dogs health, but being educated is the best way to combat any concerns or risks that we and our pets may face so I thought I would take the opportunity to share some information with you all.
This past week I made stops at several vets offices to visit and share information about MYTDOG, our training and I always take the opportunity to try and learn something. During this visit I decided to ask about Lepto and whether there had truly been any cases in the Des Moines area. Its interesting that I got several “no’s” and even some vets and techs that didnt express much concern of it occurring in this area but at 2 vet offices I was told they had had confirmed cases of Lepto in multiple dogs and one human client had even tested positive (YES, humans can get Lepto too!!). The one office indicated that there was a commonality that the two dogs had been swimming in a pond in Johnston…whether that is truly where it was contracted is unknown but it is always good to be aware.
I have had several differing opinions on whether vaccinating your dog for Leptosirosis is effective or suggested so I recommend assess the exposure risk (see the article below) and you speak with your vet to help you make the right decision. The important thing to know is that even if you choose to vaccinate, it is NOT 100% protection because there are several strains of the leptosires and your pet may get one that the vaccination does not cover. However, I have been told that a dog infected can test positive for several of the leptosires and if vaccinated, it may keep the illness from being as severe because it has given them protection from some of the strains. Again, please talk to your veterinarian and ask them what they suggest you do….THEY ARE THE EXPERTS IN YOUR DOGS HEALTH!!!
The facts below come from the CDC’s (Center for Disease Control) website. They generally deal with human disease but because Lepto is a disease that can be shared between dogs and humans, they do provide a good bit of information to help you understand the illness.
The important thing is not to fear what can make our dogs ill, but to do all we can to educate ourselves and keep our dogs healthy, active and happy!
Remember, MYTDOG may be your trainer but we are also here to help you be the best owner and partner to your dog so keep you informed of things I learn on my daily MYTDOG outings!
Take Care,
Sue
check out the CDC’s website at: http://www.cdc.gov
Everything about the Music City Championship was HOT….the weather, the competition, the sites and sounds, the nightlife….but probably the HOTTEST favortite was the Dockdogs Celebrity Challenge! The top 8-Pro finalists and a few lucky Semi-Pro dogs were selected to be matched with celebrities to compete in the Celebrity Challenge. Kris and I had seen the list of potential celebrities and immediately crossed our fingers to have Tanner matched with Katie Cook, the Co-host of CMT Insider and Correspondant on Nashville Star. Grant reeves, CEO of Dockdogs, informed us all that matches would be done randomly (though we all chuckled knowing that there were one or two pre-arranged matches for “starstruck” owners with son certain Outdoor Channel hosts! 
) so we all waited in the heat under a canopy, celebrities on one side, owners on the other, for the pairings to be announced! As the names were read I grinned from ear to ear as I heard the announcement….. “Tanner will be handled by Katie Cook!” !!
I walked up to introduce myself and Katie was very friendly and really seemed excited to be there and be part of this event. She was accompanied by her mother who was also super sweet!
As handlers, we were give about 15 minutes to spend with our celebrities to teach them “everything”…. about our dogs and how to handle them, how to throw, the rules, the routine and they didnt even get a practice or even step foot on the dock until the competition!
I was worried about Tanner getting Katie dirty (she was wearing a white outfit) or her being upset about getting wet but she was gung ho and jumped right into wanting to learn all she could and do the best job possible. I thought it was cute that she was worried about doing a good job for Tanner and I….. just goes to show how done to earth and great she was!
I wanted to make it as easy as possible for her to have time to get the toy thrown well for Tanner so I had her down him at the 20′ mark (instead of using the whole dock). Before they jumped, Katie walked through the routine, making Tanner down and bonding with the Tan-man. The fact that Katie is a HUGE animal lover and owns dogs herself, definately helped her pick things up quickly.
On the dock, Katie was successful in getting a sit, a darn good throw and a great jump of 19′ 7″ from Tanner. For the second jump, Katie and Tanner came to the dock sitting in second place. Katie got Tanner to do a solid down and tossed a big throw for Tanner to leap to a 17″ 8″ jump that brought cheers from the crowd and a fist pumping the air by Katie. After all was said and done. Katie and Tanner had finished a fantastic 4th place!
Thanks to Kris (who says I always get the fun jobs and she’s lost in the shadows) we were able to have footage of our time with Katie both on and off the dock. As a thank you to Katie, we offered her an Honorary Team MYTDOG membership with a team t-shirt, sent her some video and the offical results from the event. We hope she wears her TEAM MYTDOG shirt proudly….maybe she’ll even send us a picture someday! Tanner hopes she will give him a shout out on CMT! LOL
We want to recognize Katie’s charity, Happy Tails Humane in Franklin, TN. http://www.happytaleshumane.com/ We took time during our trip to visit this shelter and I was VERY IMPRESSED with the fact that ALL of the dogs they have are in foster care homes and the cats are all free to roam the facility and appear not only very healthy, but stress free and happy. A very impressive organization!
We hope we have the good fortune to return to the Music City Championship again next year and hopefully get to particpate in the Clebrity Challenge again…….Tanner said he wants his handler Katie Cook, back so they can win it next year!
I want to congratulate all our members that competed in the 2008 DD Nat Championships this past weekend in WI! (I also want to thank those that attended to support the club/team that did not jump dogs…..Leesa, mandy, stef and competitor family members….your being there meant so much!!). I also want to recognize Kris who, though she could not be there, called-texted and did all she could to stay in the loop and share her support for the team. It just wasnt the same with ya Kris!!
Not only did everyone do very well as individual teams, our club also placed 4th in the club challenge (there are 22 dockdog clubs) behind WI, Chicagoland and Ontario…some of the BIG club in the affiliate system. so we did VERY well for being a smaller club! We hope that many more of you can join us next year for the dockdogs 10 year anniversary to be celebrated at the National Championship in……OHIO!! Plan now and let’s all go and show them the spirit of CLUB 3D and Team MYTDOG!!!!
Now, I will not remember all the accomplishments of our Club competitors but I will do my best to re-cap them here for you: (I apologize if I get any distances or times a little off or forget some of the awards…I will do my best here)
Nate and Zoe– new PB of 14′ 11″ on first jump, improving to a 15′6″ on the second jump in Junior Prelims. Placed in the top 20 dogs
Nancy and Cori- new PB of 15′6″ in junior Prelims. Placed in top 20 dogs. Great sit and drive down the dock!
Chuck and Loki- had a 20′+ jump in master Prelims…….and Chuck didn’t fall in the pool :-)…….. Guess our little bet goes into next year! Loki looks great and will be a contender next year!
Stacy and Daisy- daisy showed Stacy in practice the kind of “pop” she can have and we will build on that next season! She pulled an 18′1″ jump and finished in the third of a nearly 90 dog senior division!
Todd and Fuse-man, loved that sit stay!! Fuse and Todd made huge improvements in their teamwork and he popped an 18′+ jump also putting him in the top third of the senior division prelims! Look forward to building on that next year!
Laura and Chessie- chessie got out of the pool much quicker!! also put up some solid and consistent 17′+ jumps in the senior division prelims! I look forward to seeing this team come together and get the balance of speed with building on the power of the “pop” next year! They were right in the top third or so also!!!
Sean and Jordan-National champ in Speed Retrieve (all were sub 6 second runs). Did excellent in Iron Dog placing first in the BA and SR portions but unfortunately missing in the grab in EV—still a phenomenal showing. Placed 3rd in the elite division. Earned dockdogs rookie of the year award, top rank SR dog in the world,country and zone, earned most exciting team award, won second place in the High Points Chase. Sean had a great nationals and season that will put him to the test next year. Good job jordan!
Eddie and Bogie– bogie competed in elite division prelim and SR. Always a fun team to watch, bogie showed his speed and enthusiasm on the dock putting down some 8 second runs in SR and solid jumps in BA! I can see this dog challenging in SR next year!
Dan and Missy– missy put out her usual big jumps but just missed the elite division finals. Always a good showing by this team.
Dan and Katie- great jumps in the Junior division with a 16′2″ jump and looking more and more like her mom (missy) all the time!
Dan and Kody- great job in the Iron dog placing 8th with some strong performances in BA (22 or 23′), SP (6.5 I believe) and EV (6′6″ I think)
Jean and Lisa- wow! Challengin her sister in the prelims of juniors she pulled out a new PB 16′ and Jean seemed thrilled! We were all thrilled for her too!
Sue and Lucky–lucky competed in both novice and veteran divisions and pumped out consistent jumps and a new PB of 9′3″!! He finished 12th of 34 dogs in novice and put on a great performance in vet with jumps of 8′6″ and 8′10″! Not bad for a boy nearly 10yo!
Sue and Tanner– tanner jumped consistently in the 20+ all weekend in elite and veteran! Tanner repeated for the second year in a row as the Veteran Division National Champion as well as the Gracie Award recipient and #1 ranked veteran in the world. I was both shocked and honored to have been chosen for the Sportsperson of the year award.
We were fortunate to have fantastic weather and lots of fun. Sadly this means the close of the 2008 competition season but don’t forget about our club banquet (potluck style) coming up Nov 15th……details coming soon! We hope you will all try and put this on your calendar and join us!
Thank you all for a great year ….. There are great thing in the works for 2009 already, so be sure to renew your membership for 2009!
