Santa came - even for Mr. Cash!

Santa did not disappoint the goldens! Despite the rowdy behavior of late, presents were delivered for the furry kids in my house.

Mr. Cash, Sophie and Jesse all received stuffed ducks with Santa hats on - that honk! If you were not already aware of this, please take note... HONKING toys are the very best toys on the planet!

Sophie promptly took the hat off her duck. She felt strongly that ducks should not be wearing hats.

Jesse thought that Sophie's plan was a good one and made quick work of her duck's hat as well...

Mr. Cash had is toy in private and has managed to keep the hat. He is a metro sexual puppy - he likes accessories!

See... accessories! Isn't he the cutest?!?

The kids also got giant hedge hog toys. They also honk so they also rock :)

Santa also delivered an A-Frame and a new tunnel. That would be Santa:AKA Grandma & Grandpa for the A-Frame and Mikey for the tunnel!

We had a wonderful holiday and hope that you all had a blast as well!

Happy Holidays!

Thought it was about time to share the 'good shots' from our holiday card shoot :)

Jesse - being the perfect pet as always... put the hat on and she turns into a statue instantly! What a good old gurly she is!

Sophie - though rather disgusted with the idea of WEARING the hat, she thought that holding the holiday toy was quite good and tried to smile with it in her mouth. If only we held the dumbbell that well in obedience...hmmmm...

Cash - Mr. Serious for the pictures...but the minute I put the camera down ~ look out! He's a holly terror the last few weeks. I guess that feeling better and gaining weight equals behaving badly! This is a very serious situation - Santa may not come for Mr. Cash if he continues down the naughty path!

Photo by my wonderful and patient Momma - Carol Durr

Cash, Lora, Jesse and Sophie in the front.

Hope this finds you all happy, healthy and done with your shopping!!!

the bed buddies

Jesse - doing what she does best...cuddling! Poor Mikey - he's working way too hard lately :(

At least Jesse had time to nap with him :)

SANTA!!!

My good friend Rocky stands in for Santa every year at our local feed store. All the locals bring their kids, dogs, cats and various other barn yard creatures to have a photo taken with Santa. We joined in the fun this year...

Left to Right: Sophie, Jesse, Santa Rock, Mr. Cash

Thanks to the crew at AGWAY in New Egypt for hosting this awesome photo opportunity :)

Looks like I should've asked Santa for a new pair of jeans!

First snow!!!

It wasn't much, but the first snow to fall and stick began last night about 7:30. It is so much fun to see how a puppy reacts to this monumental event in life. I still remember Jesse's reaction - she went out into the snow, threw herself onto the ground and began making her version of snow angels! Then there was Sophie - quite the girly-girl when it comes to weather! She took one look at the cold, white ground and wouldn't leave the porch! Both the girls now enjoy the snow - though it is in Jesse's GENES to be exuberant about it - after all, she hails from upstate NY, home of the killer winters!

So, the new guy...well, last night, Cash went out the door and threw on his brakes so fast I thought he was going to slide right off the porch! He then cautiously walked down the steps and into the grass - nose to the ground investigating the cold, white blanket that had appeared. Then he looked up at me and realized there was more 'white stuff' falling from the sky! Cash went ripping around the yard doing his 'chomp-chomp' thing, no doubt trying to catch the flakes as the fell! He was so cute! Too bad it was too dark to take pictures!


This morning we did manage to get a few pictures. They aren't great due to the light and the lightening speed at which Cash was ripping around in the snow.


He is SOOOO good at stopping his madness for a quick photo op! He always says the same thing...

"What happen? It wasn't me! I a GOOD boy!"

the shots that didn't make the cut...

I've been working on taking pictures for our holiday greeting card over the last few days. These shots did NOT make the cut, so I thought I would share the funnies...

Sophie says, "Momma - PLEEEEEEZE don't make me where the stupid hat!!! Can't you see you are killing me???"

Now - this is cute - but we've got better so this shot of Sophie and the candy cane didn't make the cut...

Cash says, "YESSS! New tug toy!!!"

Jesse says, "Momma, why don't you have the camera? I'm looking right at ya, take the picture already!"

And da momma says "I AM smiling! This is so much fun, just can't wait till next year!"

Another bath day...

Cash and the girls all got baths today. Things went fairly smooth - until Cash got out of the bath and went running crazy through the house - rolling all over the place!

An intelligent owner would stop the madness, not grab the camera... but he is so cute when he's being naughty!
What happen? It wasn't me! I a good boy - just sitting here all pretty and clean :)

Didn't want to go there.... but....

Ok - so I didn't want to turn this blog into the story of Cash and his intestinal issues, but here we are starting the 5th month of the "issues"... He has had these "issues" on and off since July 15th. The assumption at this point is that the "issues" are caused by food, but they come and go, so who knows.

This week finds us working our way back onto dog food after a very bad weekend that resulted in the loss of about 5 pounds and the little guy being restricted to a diet of only canned pumpkin. As you can see, he looks pretty scrawny these days :( But so far, so good as we work on this transition to food. Lets keep the fingers and tails crossed, shall we?

Sophie's HVGRC Golden Only Trial Results

Lets do good news first...

Sophie and I entered FAST for the first time this weekend. We were entered in Novice B and took FIRST place on Saturday and THIRD place on Sunday. Nice job considering I didn't have a clue what I was doing! Thanks to Mardi & Clyde for your advice on this game!

This is video of our FAST run on Saturday - First place with 66 points and 24.78 seconds.

This is video of our FAST run on Sunday - Third plae with 52 points and 26.56 seconds.

And now the not quite good news...

In our Open standard and jumpers runs things were not quite as joyous. Sophie had a bit of the sniffies on both days and in both courses. No Q's but I had fun and learned a bit more about how to handle my girl. As I reviewed the videos, there were some really nice moments in there...

This is video of our Open Jumpers run on Saturday - NQ

This is video of our Open Standard run on Saturday - NQ

This is video of our Open Standard run on Sunday - NQ

THis is video of our Open Jumpers run on Sunday - NQ

This was our last trial of the year - and it was such a nice way to end the year! Golden Only Trials RULE! HVGRC did a great job of organizing the trial. And the weather could not have been any better!

It must also be said, that I love my GOLDEN Family :) Fast-Traks, Pine Run, and all the 'adopted' members...you ROCK!!! The support and the kindness offered by all of you was appreciated more than you know. It is so nice to be a part of such a diverse and amazing group of people.

And to the 'adopted family' team of Bill Gates and Cider - thanks so much for taping us all weekend - you did a great job and we enjoyed talking with you so much! I hope our paths cross again soon! Cider is awesome!

Pictures from the National by the wonderful Karen Hocker Photographers!!!

All pictures in this post were taken by the wonderful and amazing Karen Hocker Photography photographers :) We love them very much - partly because they take great pictures of dogs in action, but also because they (Karen) helped to make Cash a part of my world :) Karen is Cash's co-breeder and owner of his momma - Flyte.

The pictures were taken in Warwick, RI at the GRCA National in September.

First we have Sophie on the return from her Retrieve over the High in Open. Nice hold on the dumbbell!

And over the jump to get back to the momma! Nice work little girl!

This picture is from one of her Open Jumpers runs at the National. She looks so happy and determined to me here! And I love the fly-away ears!

Thanks Karen and Kris for taking such beautiful pictures of my girl :)

the threesome...

Photo by Jill B. Newman

Here's a picture of my threesome from earlier in the month at the Garden State Golden Retriever Specialty.

Left to Right - Jesse, Cash, Sophie

Mountaineering

This is "Durr Mountain" - fondly named by my boyfriend Mike. It is the pile that was created after the pond was dug this spring/summer. It is leaving - one truck load at a time, but while it's here - it's fun to climb - and good exercise for the dogs!

We are the conquerors!

Back on the ground - Cash had just eaten a mouth full of dirt so I think that is why he looks 'less than happy' in this shot...
Behind us is the pond that created that mountain :)

Beautiful Autumn Afternoon

Took some fun pictures of the gang today. It was such a great afternoon to be outside with them.

First, we have Cash showing off how good he is at the tunnel now. Anyone remember the first picture of him in a tunnel? He was so tiny then - now he actually ducks his head to get in!

Then, we have the little man on the run. I hope that when he is grown he will look a little more graceful while running...those floppy ears are quite a thing to see!

And then we did a little posing... Cash and Sophie on the table - notice, he is bigger than her in height now...and what a nice head he's growing in comparison to the little peanut head of my girl!

and then all three around the table... the light is weird, it makes him look like a little prince basking in the glow with his faithful harem below... HA! Looks are deceiving, aren't they!?!
And finally, the Jesse Dog pops up for a close up and gives the momma a big smile :)

Sophie - Agility 10/26/08 - Willingboro

Today's trouble was all about ME. If I could get in her way, I did. If I get forget my cross, I did. My timing was off and I tried things that we just aren't good enough at to do in a trial. Oh well - at least she counted to 12!

Here is Open Standard - refusal on poles, wrong course after dog walk, refusal of jump 16...

And here is Open Jumpers - wrong end of tunnel, refusal on jump 15, B-E-A-U-tiful weave pole entry and completion...

BTW - does anyone else notice that I need a new shirt? Its one thing to have a favorite, but come on! If I wear this shirt to another trial this year, you have permission to smack me!

Many thanks to Darlene and Oksana for doing a great job running the camera!

Sophie's agillity runs at Willingboro

Videos of the BCKC Trial held in Willingboro, NJ.

We're still working on counting to 12 in this standard run...

and now in jumpers we can count to 12 but we forgot about the rule - DON'T blind cross the momma! OOPS!

Both courses were great fun and I always enjoy being out with the dogs on such a beautiful autumn day! Thanks to Darlene for running the video - you're the best :)

Cash and the pheasant

Today was a busy day. Besides participating in the TDI test with Jesse, the fur kids also went to a WC/WCX held by Garden State Golden Retriever Club. We went to investigate the situation - as this was my first experience with anything "hunt" related.

The Working Certificate/Working Certificate Excellent is a GRCA title designed to show the dogs natural instinct. It requires some training, so I went to today's test to see what was required. I am VERY excited about training for this - I felt just like I did on the first day I ever watched agility. It was beautiful to watch the dogs in their natural environment doing what they were designed to do!

After the land portion of the test was complete, there were pheasants 'left over'. I took one for Cash and Sophie. Sophie didn't show much interest in the bird, but Cash was quite exuberant about this new "toy"!

Cash says - What's this?

Ahhhhh - very interesting indeed!

I think I will carry this around for a bit - feathers are fun!

Sorry for the terrible pictures, but its REALLY hard to take pictures while holding the leash and tossing a dead bird for the pupp!

Looks like I have to make room for another dog hobby...and room in the freezer for some dead birds - YUCK!

Jesse passes her TDI test!

Clever K9 offered another Therapy Dogs International Test today. Jesse was entered and passed with .... well, colors. It wasn't quite flying colors due to some hesitation on the "down" and a slight investigation of the other dog during the "reaction to a friendly dog" - but she did pass and now has her TDI :)

This is what Jesse was made for - sharing hugs and heavy petting with the world!

The blonde-boy turns blonde-dude

Cash is now a skater-dude. It came natural to him as he is the little blondie boy. This very short video is just a hi-light of his new found skill. I'm considering entering him in the X-Games next summer.... his litter mates will be debuting in agility while Cash debuts in half pipe! Do they make doggie helmets and knee pads?

Jesse earns a Rally Novice Leg!

Photo by Jill B. Newman

Random! I entered Jesse in the Garden State Golden Retriever Club Specialty held today in North Branch, NJ. I wanted to support the club, so I figured, what the heck, put her in Rally Novice. I had no intentions of qualifying and haven't practiced ANYTHING with her in, um, years. Yes - I said YEARS.

Jesse was retired from all things "work" almost three years ago due to all her structural issues. She was never a fan of "working" and I saw no point in making her participate in things just because I wanted to. She has been happily warming the couch for us ever since.

But today, she came out of retirement and qualified in her first ever Rally Trial - earning her first ever green ribbon! Big, HUGE deal for my broken dog! And I think she might have even had fun...who knew?

Cash learns to catch

My first attempts to teach Cash to catch treats were on Monday night in Rising Star Puppy Class. We were playing and I thought it was time for my boy to learn a 'manly' activity like catch. He was terrible! Every treat bounced off his head.

We practiced a bit more on Tuesday and the boy was starting to look like a ball player - catching almost every treat that was tossed to him.

Today when we practiced, he was super! Cash could be a short-stop for the Yankees!

Club flags from the National

The artist in me loved looking at all the club flags hung along the fence line as you drove in to the National site for Breed, Agility and Obedience. I took some pictures to commemorate the Golden Only events that Sophie and I have attended over the years.

So we'll start the journey down memory lane with the GRCA Flag.

No need to recap that event, I'm sure you all remember how stellar our performances were!

Here is the Gunpowder River GRC of MD flag. Sophie and I went to this show in April 2008. It was our first entry in Open A Obedience and we took first place. We also took first place in Rally Advanced B. Great indoor show site - long drive south!

Potomac Valley GRC hosts great indoor agility trials in MD. Sophie and I went down for one day in June of 2008 and took first place in Novice Standard. We also went to their trial in August 2008 - which was a 'golden only' trial and took a first and a second in Novice Standard and a first in Novice Jumpers. This is where we finished our NA. Love their show site!

Yankee was the host of the first day of agility trials at the 2008 National... and for that matter, the host of the National!

We took the dreadful drive to Long Island in February of 2008 for a bumper leg in Novice Obedience. Sophie had a great performance but got weird on the stays. NQ, but really great working class!

Garden State GRC holds an annual specialty in October. Last year (2007) we entered that show in Rally Novice A. Sophie took first place and got a great score for never having practiced Rally before. We also got a really nice plaque to commemorate the experience.

At the Trenton Kennel Club show in May of 2008, NJ Pine Barrens GRC offered prizes for the highest scoring Golden Retrievers in Obedience and Rally Classes. Sophie took the prize for Highest Scoring Golden Retriever in Rally Excellent B.

Some videos of the National

This is video of our first run on Tuesday at the GRCA National. This is an Open JWW course.

Notice the big bad off course tunnel...and the handler's pathetic attempt to deal with it...

This is video of our second run - Open Standard.

Counting to 12 is a skill that Sophie will need to work on for future trials.

Results of the National...

Well, no good news to report. Sophie went 0 for 4 in agility and 0 for 1 in Obedience. It just was not our show!
First agility course was all my fault - I was a head case so she wanted no parts of me.

Second course was a battle of wills - and her's won! Our table down took at good 10 seconds to achieve, and the weave poles were optional in Sophie's world.

Third course was a beautiful up until obstacle 9 and 10 - when a big ugly off course appeared - serious tunnel suckage for the Sofa dog :( As though that wasn't enough, we missed the entry into the poles.

Final course was a big disappointment cause we were very close to getting it right! She got her entry to the poles, but then forgot how to count to 12 - popping out at pole 10. Huge bummer, but the rest of the course was REALLY nice!

On Wednesday we showed in Obedience. I was hoping to bring home a ribbon here, but again, it was not our day! Heeling was poor to say the least - we had a broken sit again for some reason and missed all but two of the halts! Her drop was lovely! Then retrieve on the flat - she must have gone blonde for a moment cause I told her to "take it!" and she looked at me like she had never heard those words before in her life...so she went on my second command, thus NQ. Retrieve on the high was nice enough, but it was already over at this point. Broad jump was a bit odd - she came over, then front, but no sit, then no get back...that was a new one. On the stays, I think Sophie KNEW it was pointless to sit for that long, so she took the first opportunity to lay down - the moment I stepped away from her! She enjoyed her long down, and fell asleep!

Our National experience was not at all what I was expecting performance wise. The kids did behave very well while on the trip, and all three enjoyed the love they got from strangers as they passed :) It was great to see Cash's brother, Trey, and compare notes with Karen - Trey's owner and one of Cash's breeder's. And we enjoyed seeing our friends compete, especially Cash's older family members. Uncle Nikon was very impressive on Tuesday at the GRCA show!

Here we are - all tired out after two days of agility trialing.

Our one shining moment was the Rescue Parade, where Sophie was spot lighted with 50 other rescues. She received her big ribbon and a certificate for participating. It was a nice ending to the adventure of our first National :)