The new 1st dog--and the public's right to comment

Image by mrs.McD via Flickr

The furor over Bo, the Portugese Water Dog puppy who has moved into the White House, continues in dog blogs across the internet. I read a number of dog blogs, but I've only permitted myself to comment on a couple, including Horst Hoefinger's posts at Dogster's For the Love of Dogs blog.

Yesterday, Hoefinger posted:

“However, when President, then Senator, Obama made the decision to announce at a public news conference that the family was looking at shelters it changes everything. Their private decision was no longer private, they invited the public in.”

The craziness of this statement takes everything I learned in journalism about public figures and the rights of the public and turns it on its ear. When I learned those things, the idea that the PUBLIC had a right-to-know was much more narrowly drawn than it is today--and the idea that the public had a right to vote on personal actions of public figures didn't even come up. Public opinion was important--but not definitive. Public figures could still preserve SOME privacy regarding solely private affairs. Hoefinger's post prompted my comment:

"Huh? How exactly? If the situation were reversed, would YOU let total strangers force your hand or narrow your choices in this decision? Would this furor even be happening if he’d promised the kids a gerbil or a goldfish?

"The US President is a public figure–which makes the public privy to a lot of stuff they normally wouldn’t know about the guy. Still, just because we are treated to a day-by-day of a lot of his moves doesn’t give us counselor status. Just because a public figure discusses a decision his family is considering does NOT ‘invite the public in’ to the decision-making process. We don’t get to vote on where he sends his kids to school, which color ties he picks…or what kind of family pet they choose and where that pet comes from.

"How incredibly presumptuous to think that public interest groups should even be invited into the discussion, much less that the president should listen to the viewpoints of thousands of strangers with their own agendas above the interests, needs and preferences of his own family regarding their family pet!"

In the previous day's blog, Hoefinger's post and the comments it generated (mainly) expressed their angst that the Obamas didn't select a shelter pet. But I'd like to highlight here one of the smartest comments I've seen about the entire discussion, from a person I've never met who signed herself PoundHoundMom. This comment was so sane that I'm going to quote it:

"My first dog was named Bo and I got him at a shelter. I loved him dearly and have missed him every day for nearly 4 years.

"That said … come on people, get over this Obama should have gotten a shelter dog. He promised his **daughters** a dog, not the entire country. This is a personal decision and for crying out loud, he’s the president of the United States. Exactly when is he supposed to go to a pound and pick out a dog? And think about it … even if he did choose shelter dog, can you imagine the people who would crawl out of the woodwork with lame ass stories about how it’s their dog?

"People, a dog has a home. Two little girls have their wish. Perhaps they will have many dogs in their lifetime and perhaps they’ll adopt from a shelter.

"But for now, two kids and a dog have begun a wonderful life together. Don’t take it away from them with stupid talk about how disappointed you are that the president didn’t adopt from a shelter."

He promised his daughters a dog, not the entire country. Man, I wish I'd said that! Very well done, PoundHoundMom.

For those who can't tell the difference--there are bits of info we receive each day which are FYIs, little things which we can use or disregard in our daily life but over which we have no decision-control-power. They will happen as noted without our input. There are also bits of info we receive which will not progress to the next stage unless we do something--vote, express an opinion, take action. When I shared with my parents that I'd bought a new car, I was giving them information so that they'd recognize me when I drove up in a green VW 412 instead of an old blue Monte Carlo. I wasn't asking them what they thought about VWs, 412s, or even whether I should buy a new car--I was merely giving them a bit of FYI about something that was going to happen regardless of their input.

President Obama was giving us all little FYIs in his announcements and updates about the choice of the family pet--this was something that was going to happen. It was not notice-of-need/right-to-vote, or even notice to express an opinion. Sure, the public expresses its opinions, all the time. But there's simply no right-to-vote--or even a legal right-to-comment--granted by the US Constitution regarding every little thing our President does, including his family's choice of a pet.

A blog? Well, that's different. We write, we put our bits of opinion and info out there, and if comments are permitted to the blog, then we're INVITING comment. So if Barack Obama blogged about his family's pet considerations, and asked for input, things would be different. Since I'm blogging about this, you're more than welcome to comment on *my* thoughts--as long as you're willing to leave your name and stand up for your opinions (no anonymous comments, please.)

It's high time we remember that an FYI from a public figure isn't an automatic invitation to comment on their actions, express our opinions or expect that we get a vote.

NY State Assembly puts anti-tail docking amendment on its agenda

Anti-tail docking legislation comes and goes in NY state; this year, it looks like the NY Assembly reps who want to attempt to pass this legislation have begun early and are making some headway.

The amendment currently in committee in the NY State Assembly is A07218, or Amd S365-a to the NY Agriculture and Markets Act. The
summary of A07218 and
full text of the amendment can be found at the NY State Assembly website. The amendment will make it a misdemeanor punishable by a $500 fine to dock the tails of dogs except by a licensed veterinarian, for medical or health reasons.

From the summary for the amendment:
"SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS: Section 1. The agriculture and marketslaw is amended by adding a new section 365-a: Any person who cuts thetail of a dog for reasons other than to protect the life or health ofthe animal is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not morethan five hundred dollars. Any person who shows or exhibits a dog whosetail has been docked or altered, at a show or other exhibition, is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable as above. Any dog owner who is injuredor damaged by a violation of these provisions may institute a privateright of action in the supreme court of this state, to obtain redressfor such injury or violation. The provisions shall not apply to any dogor person who is the owner of any dog whose tail has been certified asdocked, cut or altered prior to August 1, 2009."

However, the language of this bill falls short in several areas.
-- it does not describe how an owner is to be 'certified' that his dog's tail was appropriate docked prior to the effective date of the amendment
-- it places the burden of proof that the dog's tail was appropriately docked on the person in possession of the dog; instead, the burden of proof should rest on the state to show that the dog was INappropriately tail-docked. Effectively, owners of dogs with docked tails are, under this amendment, guilty until they prove themselves innocent.
-- the language is unclear whether the proposed $500 fine is for each occurrence, or for every dog with a docked tail found in the person's possession

In the summary, the authors/sponsors of the bill list fiscal impact on the state as 'none.' However, this bill will dramatically affect people who come into the state of NY (and spend money in the communities they visit) to show and exhibit and trial their dogs in conformation, obedience, agility, tracking, terrier trial and field events. Whether you have an opinion about the appropriateness of tail-docking or not, this restriction has the potential to seriously impact tourist and visitor revenue in those communities state-wide who host dog show and trial competitions.

Responsible pet owners and dog fanciers should express their opposition to this amendment directly to the members of the NY State Assembly Agriculture committee (contact information below.) Put "Oppose A07218" in the subject line of any emails you send to the committee members, or write those words on the envelope of any hard-copy communication you direct to the committee members. Remember--be direct, stay on point, and stand up for your dogs and your right to provide safe and informed care to them.

In order to directly contact a NY State Senator or State Assemblyperson on the Agriculture committees, check your representation on this list of committee members taken from the American Dog Owners Association site:

NY State Assembly Agriculture Committee – 2009
Committee Chair - William Magee
Assembly District - 111th
Counties Represented – Madison, Oneida, Otsego
Albany Office – LOB 828
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) – 518-455-5807
E-Mail – MageeW@assembly.state.ny.us

Marc Alessi
Assembly District – 1st
Counties Represented – Suffolk
Albany Office – LOB 419
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) – 518-455 -5294
E-Mail – AlessiM@assembly.state.ny.us

George Amedor
Assembly District – 105th
Counties Represented – Montgomery, Schenedtady
Albany Office – LOB 426
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) – 518-455-5197
E-Mail - AmedorG@assembly.state.ny.us

Michael Benedetto
Assembly District – 82nd
Counties Represented – Bronx
Albany Office – LOB 919
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) - 518-455-5296
E-Mail – BenedeM@assembly.state.ny.us

Marc W. Butler
Assembly District – 117th
Counties Represented – Otsego, Herkimer, Fulton
Albany Office – LOB 318
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) – 518-455-5393
E-Mail - ButlerM@assembly.state.ny.us

Clifford W. Crouch
Assembly District – 107th
Counties Represented – Chenango, Broome, Delaware, Ulster
Albany Office – LOB 450
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) - 518-455-5741
E-Mail - CrouchC@assembly.state.ny.us

Francine Delmonte
Assembly District – 138th
Counties Represented – Niagara
Albany Office – LOB 553
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) - 518-455-5284
E-Mail - DelMonF@assembly.state.ny.us

RoAnn M. Destito
Assembly District – 116th
Counties Represented – Oneida
Albany Office – LOB 621
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) - 518-455-5454
E-Mail - DestitR@assembly.state.ny.us

Gary D. Finch
Assembly District – 123rd
Counties Represented – Broome, Tioga, Chenango, Cayuga, Cortland
Albany Office – LOB 320
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) - 518-455-5878
E-Mail - FinchG@assembly.state.ny.us

Tim Gordon
Assembly District – 108th
Counties Represented – Columbia, Rensselaer, Greene, Albany
Albany Office – LOB 529
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) - 518-455-5777
E-Mail - GordonT@assembly.state.ny.us

Aileen M. Gunther
Assembly District – 98th
Counties Represented – Orange, Sullivan
Albany Office – LOB 435
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) - 518-455- 5355
E-Mail - GunthA@assembly.state.ny.us

Stephen Hawley
Assembly District – 139th
Counties Represented – Niagara, Orleans, Genesee, Monroe
Albany Office – LOB 531
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) - 518-455-5811
E-Mail - HawleyS@assembly.state.ny.us

Barbara Lifton
Assembly District – 139th
Counties Represented – Cortland, Tompkins
Albany Office – LOB 555
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) - 518-455-5444
E-Mail - LiftonB@assembly.state.ny.us

Peter D. Lopez
Assembly District – 127th
Counties Represented – Greene, Otsego, Delaware, Schoharie, Ulster, Columbia, Chenango
Albany Office – LOB 429
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) - 518-455-5363
E-Mail - LopezP@assembly.state.ny.us

Alan Maisel
Assembly District – 59th
Counties Represented – Kings
Albany Office – LOB 528
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) - 518-455-5211
E-Mail - MaiselA@assembly.state.ny.us

Margaret M. Markey
Assembly District – 30th
Counties Represented – Queens
Albany Office – LOB 654
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) - 518-455-4755
E-Mail - MarkeyM@assembly.state.ny.us

John J. McEneny
Assembly District – 104th
Counties Represented – Albany
Albany Office – LOB 648
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) - 518-455-4178
E-Mail - McEnenJ@assembly.state.ny.us

Bob Reilly
Assembly District – 109th
Counties Represented – Albany, Saratoga
Albany Office – LOB 452
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) - 518-455-5931
E-Mail - ReillyR@assembly.state.ny.us

Peter M. Rivera
Assembly District – 76th
Counties Represented – Bronx
Albany Office – LOB 826
Albany, NY 12248
Telephone (Albany) - 518-455-5102
E-Mail - RiveraP@assembly.state.ny.us

Linda B. Rosenthal
Assembly District – 67th
Counties Represented – New York

NEW YORK STATE SENATE AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE
Darrel Aubertine - Chairman - email: aubertin@senate.state.ny.us
William Stachowski - stachows@senate.state.ny.us
Catharine Young - does not appear to have email - Albany fax is (518) 426-6905
Velmanette Montgomery - montgome@senate.state.ny.us
Neil Breslin - breslin@senate.state.ny.us
David Valesky – valesky@senate.state.ny.us
James Seward - does not appear to have email or a fax!
George Winner - does not appear to have email - Albany fax is (518) 426-6976
Michael Ranzenhofer - does not appear to have email or a fax!

Those STATE SENATORS without email addresses have a comment form on their web pages which can be accessed through the list of senators
http://www.senate.state.ny.us/senatehomepage.nsf/senators?OpenForm

Personal Inconvenient Truths

Maybe global warming is Al Gore's inconvenient truth--but for me, inconvenient truth is much more personal and immediate. Lately, life seems to be a series of small PITs--personal inconvenient truths.

At 2:30 a.m., the current PIT is that old dogs are as much work as puppies. Maybe more.
Puppies need a strict schedule, but they can usually go 3-4 hours without interrupting my sleep.
Casey is 14 1/2, and his PIT is that he lately he can no longer sleep through the night. Heart dog of mine, he loves to share--and so I am awake, too.

2:30 a.m., when I should be storing up zzz's to make it through tomorrow--instead, after not quite waking enough to get him outside in time, I have cleaned a crate, cleaned up an old dog, cuddled Madison and shooed her outside (as long as we're up, we're ALL going to be up!) Then after settling them both back down again, the PIT that I can't go back to sleep kicks into its own gear.

I'm borderline wide awake, blogging when I should be sleeping. PIT--once awake to a certain level, my body will only fall asleep on its own time. Too many chemo infusions, too many years of speeding through the night on a mix of Decadron and 5FU (say that out loud--yeah, now you're getting it--5FU can be some nightmare drug.) Even meditating didn't let me relax and go back to sleep. I know I should, though--the second shift of old-dog restlessness will kick in about 4:35 a.m. And even if I'm spared more old-dog wake-up calls, the PIT of morning will be here sooner than later.

Okay. If I fold up the netbook, I think I can try to go back to sleep again. And with any luck, maybe I'll catch a couple more hours before the next personal inconvenient truth--morning.

When Casey has a good day ...

Now and then I see it in your tail--
first a steady wag, and then it vibrates with purpose.
Now and then your gait is deliberate, and your eyes are bright.
Your goal is in sharp focus,
and I know that for a few minutes
you've found your tennis ball again.
--------------

Casey had three good days in a row last week.
He took Madison's bone to chew whenever she left it unattended, slept all night long, and tail in full wagging vibration, he brought me his tennis ball.

More important--when I tossed the ball across the living room, Casey remembered that tennis balls exist for him to chase, to bounce upon, to snatch and catch and race back to me so that I can throw the tennis ball again. And when he was chasing the tennis ball, he stayed on task all the way through, instead of losing his tennis ball and forgetting that we were playing.

I love it when his tail wags, his eyes shine, and he remembers how to play.

Traveling dogs (and a cat)

Every trip I make, I remind myself that at heart, I aspire to one-bag travel.

As I wheel my 20” suitcase through Penn Station, slip through a subway turnstile while trying to keep backpack on left shoulder, or toss into the truck my duffel packed for a dog show weekend—along with my briefcase, a purse, and something disposable holding last-minute commuter food—I wonder again if one-bag travel is a goal I'll ever attain.

Sometimes I pack late. Sometimes I don't think things through. Sometimes I don't really know what weather or events to expect—or know, too well, that at my destination I'll require everything from shorts to a parka to business casual khakis. In those cases, even in one suitcase, I end up packing a couple pieces I don't need or don't use.

But one bag is the plan—for me. What gets packed for the traveling animal entourage is another matter (and, often, at least three more bags!)

Each of my English cockers travels with three crates—one for the truck, one for the hotel and one for the show site. All of the crates live in the bed of the truck, so at least i don't have to pack and unpack them after every trip. These days, 14-year-old Casey shares a springer-size hotel crate with my younger bitch, Madison, because the old dog is more likely to sleep through the night in the same crate with his spotted cuddle-partner. They ride in the truck in separate hard-sided airline kennels; the show and motel crates are wire crates and soft-sided nylon crates which fold up suitcase-style. I bring a container of dry food, one gallon (or two) of bottled water, and an ancient sling backpack stuffed with assorted collars and leashes, bowls, buckets, ear covers (snoods), the grooming and first aid kits, my obedience, rally and agility rulebooks and a toy or two. The dogs wear buckle collars with tags, and their emergency ID kits are snapped to whichever crate they're in at the moment.

With everyone retired from the breed ring, I rarely travel with a grooming table, expen or full tackbox these days. My on-the-go grooming kit (pin and slicker brushes, comb, stripper, straight and thinning scissors, stone, toenail clipper and a small bottle of shampoo for emergencies) can take care of most road trips and fits in a small toiletry kit that fits in the sling backpack.

Then, there's the towel bag—a tote filled with crate blankets, two sheets to cover the bed in the motel, and dog coats. And there's a backpack which lives in the truck bed and is packed with paper products that come in handy at dog shows: a sharp knife, a cutting board, paper plates and cups, plastic cutlery, salt and pepper, spare coffee filters. Already, I'm at three bags for two dogs—without counting a small cooler for snacks, my purse or my briefcase!

Then, last trip, Churro joined the entourage. Churro is the dogs' brand new cat, a big orange tabby who is still a bit too much of an ex-barn cat to be trusted over a long weekend in unsupervised contact with things like vertical blinds. Churro has his own crates—and a litter pan, food container and special food/water bowls. Luckily, he can share the bottled water and his harness fits into the dog's backpack!

I used to travel with five dogs, all their gear, all my gear and a dog show booth setup. I somehow fit a small mixed breed, a Gordon setter and three English Springer spaniels into five crates in a Chevy Citation hatchback (with extra crates for the hotel and show site, a grooming table, tackbox, and a set of utility articles!)

These days, I seem to bring less stuff—but not less work—although I'm only traveling with with two cockers and a cat!

For those of you who aspire, as I do, to one-bag travel, check out: http://www.onebag.com/

One woman, two dogs and two leashes

I am standing on the corner between my 100-year-old city house and the high school park, my urban development neighbor bustling around us and five leashed dogs sitting , waiting for my 'okay, go on' permission No pulling, no jerking ahead or backwards—-five dogs all walk and stop and sit, move forward, sideways and backward as a team, more or less on my left or just ahead of me, with only the occasional 'over here' or 'this way' to remind the youngest to pay attention.

I was younger then--in my city years—-so maybe I was closer to the top of my game. Moving easily along sidewalks with a gordon setter, three springer spaniels and my small black mix, the dogs sat at heel when I stopped or when bikes whizzed past, eagerly accepted pats from passers-by, stopped at corners and waited to cross the street on command. Five well-worn leather leashes—-two in one hand, three in the other—-kept my team within a couple feet of me at all times.

At the park, they would have more freedom. Jazz and Muni, with 100% reliable recalls, could bounce around us playing tag, leashes off and draped around my neck. Taryn and Nola, hard-wired escape artists I trusted only one day at a time, would alternately join the game of tag dragging a leash so that I only had to monitor one of them. Bard the setter would be switched to the long flexi lead to stretch his legs, provoking the tag-play by bouncing just out of reach of whichever dog was confined to the six foot radius.

Switching each leashed dog to the flexi meant downs and stays for everyone. I'd un-drape one six-foot leash from my neck, and clip it to the dog's collar while unclipping the retractable leash at the same time—-then clip the flexi to the next dog, remove that dog's six-footer and drape it around my neck. Happy 'okay', treats for all, and then once again five dogs would bounce in a haphazard circle with me as their center pin. An exercise at the park would be an hour project—and then, collected up on five short leads, flexi stowed in my waist pack, we'd head back home, five dogs of different sizes walking as a team around me.

How did I ever manage to walk five dogs at once, I wondered this morning as I give Madison a 'sit' and send a gentle pop in Casey's direction to get eye contact for a sit signal. Now two english cockers--the old red boy and the young blue roan girl--take me for twice-daily walks on their own agendas. One is busy chasing scents on the 26-foot flexi, and one exercises nose and legs on a 12-foot homemade long line of 4mm orange-speckled climbing rope. Now-aging Casey used to bounce around loose on the 300-foot electronic leash, responsive to the slightest tap on the transmitter I wore around my neck. Meanwhile his partner in crime—-first Bard the gordon setter, then Reuben the gordon setter, and now Madison the english cocker—-would exercise nearer to me at varying levels of skill, safely tethered to listening by the retractable flexi. Bard used the same flexi for almost 10 years, but Reu wore out the springs in four of them while he lived with me. Madison is well on her way to retiring flexis, too—-she's on her second retractable lead in two years.

Bard was the first dog I put on an electric collar. He responded to it completely, and for several years, I walked carrying two shorter leads around my neck with the e-collar transmitters on the whistle lanyard. Bard and Casey exercised around me, playing tag with each other and reliably listening with at least one ear for the direction words--'over here, boys,' 'leave it,' 'down,' or 'come!' When Reuben moved in, his puppy time spent loose and reliable was only months—-as he grew into headstrong adolescence, he started to ignore the e-collar. After two frantic chases, I put him on the retractable lead to reinforce my status as she-who-must-be-obeyed. Casey stayed loose, listening to his own e-collar while Reuben grew up, and later being a good example while Madison learned words.

But these days, the 14-year-old red dog needs hand signals to see the words he can no longer hear. His old e-collar startles him, rather than guiding him, so these days it hangs uncharged on his crate. Madison is doing much better with skills like 'come' and 'over here' and 'wait' -- I even get the occasional 'sit' at a distance. But knowing the limits of her leash and remembering not to pull me are skills with plenty of room for improvement, and I haven't been out of the hospital or strong enough to give her the e-collar groundwork she needs to understand and respect the tool.

So I'm back to two leashed dogs—-and carefully switching one from retractable leash to shorter leash during each walk. Sits and stays hold them in position for the leash switch this time around. But I have to remember to motion an 'okay' release for Casey; he no longer hears the permission to stop working, Madison will move and start bouncing right away on the 'okay,' while Casey holds his sit or down, watching me expectangly for his 'go' signal.

My leash handling suffered during those years of exercising dogs reliably loose on e-collars. I could never manage two flexi leads, but these days I find one flexi and a shorter non-retractable leash a challenge. My fingers fumble as I switch the leash clips, and I've stopped both dogs more than once by stepping on a dragging long line that slipped out of my hands. I finally put a carabiner clip around the handle of the flexi, so that I can run the handle loop of the climbing rope long line through and anchor it. I can usually still manage to hang on to the handle of the flexi, controlling both dogs by rotating the flexi handle around and using it to give oomph to my line control.

Casey can't hear my reminders to stay close, and Madison would follow her nose off a cliff if the scents were interesting enough. Sometimes when I rotate the flexi handle over my head or around my back to straighten their lines, I tangle a line in my sweatshirt. But the dogs don't seem to notice that I'm no longer the woman who expertly handled a five dog team along city sidewalks on daily walks to the park. We're just one woman, two dogs, and two leashes, moving from place to place more or less in the same direction, one step at a time.

Mi Viejo

My heart-dog puppy is stretched out on the coolmat bed I keep next to the loveseat, sound asleep. I know he's hot, even though it's only 65 degrees--when he's cold, he curls up like a sleeping sled dog or cuddles at my feet.

Casey will be 14 this Thanksgiving--plenty active but no longer the little red demon I brought home during a blizzard, the english cocker puppy who fit into a 100 airline crate and chased tennis balls for hours. He'll still ask everyone he meets to scratch his stomach and toss his tennis ball--but these days, he does finally relax after 25 minutes or so. He's slowed down and sometimes tries to go his own way during our walks. It's no longer safe for him to roam around me free-ranging on his electronic collar--when we're separated by more than a 15 feet or so, he can't hear me. Using his e-collar startles him now; he's more self-absorbed and nose-focused (you gotta use the sense(s) that work!) If he's followed his nose out of my sightline, he gets visibly disoriented when he looks up and realizes he's lost me. So I decided it was time to keep him closer on walks, and reinforce the attention to me that's been standard for most of his life but is slowly losing out to his failing hearing and eyesight.

Given the chance to follow his nose, which has a direct line to his stomach, Casey would always get himself into trouble even as a youngster--only a strong 'Come' command and the reinforcing e-collar kept him safe and close. Now, it's even more important for me to be able to guide him. So outdoors, he's back on a long line so I can remind him where I am, and which way is 'here.' But mostly to others, Casey doesn't look old. Unlike a lot of red dogs, Casey's version of gray is a colort that passes for blonde...and maybe it's causing more 'blonde moments.' Moments of sparkling puppy burst out of his old dog body when I'm least expecting them. He's not too stiff to burst into a run and or surprise me with heel position or a flying leap through my tire or cavalletti--usually because he thinks Madison is getting his share of treats.

But at 3 a.m. today I woke up, riding a new speed wave from the Decodron in yesterday's chemo treatment, Madison opened her eyes, rubbed her muzzle on my face, stretched, and pushed closer to get her morning kisses. Sure, the speed woke me up a couple hours early, but if I'm up, so is my little spotted girl, mi punta nina. We hugged. We cuddled, I got up and moved off the loveseat, heading toward the bathroom with M. ahead of me, bouncing off her crate door, asking to get lifted up, expecting breakfast. I tucked her in and told her 'it's not time for breakfast yet, go back to bed, mi punta." Made my way back to the loveseat and laid down again.

Casey snored on through it all. He's still snoring.

All of the dogs--Taryn, Jazz, Muni, Nola, Bard, Reuben, Madison, and Casey (until tonight) -- always followed my movements around the house. When I worked from home, and moved to get a new bottle of water or cup of coffee, the entire dog posse would rouse themselves and follow, bumping my legs and wondering if there was anything in it for them (food? are we going out? is someone at the door? why are we getting up again?) To do anything that required a lot of moving around from room to room (cleaning, cooking, laundry), I had to put them on long downs, or put them in crates.

My clue that a dog was getting older was reluctance to limit their own beauty rest just because I was on the move. That sleepy-headed "don't get up on my account" look was always followed, sooner or later, by the day when they became completely oblivious to my movements (unless I actually touched them...)

The dogs who grew old in my house before him have taught me the next stage for Casey--he'll start waking and sleeping on his own schedule. On the days when I don't crate him together with M., Casey already protests with that old-dog, I-can't-even-hear-myself bark. He can't hear me telling him to be quiet, and he's not done making noise until HE's done. On his own schedule, he'll settle down and be curled up asleep by the time I come downstairs from my shower.

Today, Casey slept through my early morning speed-rush. When I came back to the loveseat, I nudged him and he sleepily moved up to snuggle. Now he's stretched out at my side, head resting on the loveseat arm that is his favorite pillow, fast asleep again. So unless Madison hears the mourning doves and tells me she's ready for breakfast and a walk, I'll write until Casey wakes up, and then our days will get into motion. First their breakfasts, then our morning walk, then I'll dry the dew off their feathers and put them in crates while I get ready for my own day. My new day. My time used to be controlled by chemo, then work, then radiation, surgery and now more chemo. But while chemo still chimes in, I'm now on Casey's schedule, and we only get up as a group when he sees fit.

My heart dog puppy, my red demon, my cuddler--now truly an old man, mi viejo. Sleep tight, Casey. Breakfast and your tennis ball will be waiting when you wake up.

I thought I'd try to get a picture of Madison and Casey into the blog. Casey is the red English Cocker, 13 years old Thanksgiving 2007, and Madison is the blue roan, 5 years old on Labor Day 2007.

I am the one in the glasses. :)

Casey, CD NA RE

Casey earned his RE (Rally Excellent) title on Thursday, and got his first RAE (Rally Advanced Combined) leg today. He came within a minute of qualifying in Open on Friday, too...that CDX (Companion Dog Excellent) leg is so close.

The only problem is that I don't think he can handle three classes (Open obedience, Rally ExB and Rally AdvB) in one day, for four days in a row. I know I can't handle it...my brain was mush after working him in Open and I blew both of his first RAE legs on Friday and Saturday because I couldn't concentrate.

So from now on, it's the two rally classes, or open...not both on the same day. It will take longer that way, but when I limit us to the two rally classes, he passes and I'm not exhausted. When I try to do all three, I make silly mistakes...miss a station, turn and 'pull' him out of the honor, etc. He can get this title easily, if I just do my part.

God, those letter look good after his name, though. And he had so much fun being at a dog show again. I had fun being at a dog show again...maybe for the first time in a long time.