SnoutBeagle

New Year's Eve 2009 dog wash

2009-12-31T22:39:00.008-06:00

First the backstory.

We have a new community dog park, Estabrook, that held a Halloween costume contest. Diesel, Marvin, and I entered. Diesel and Marvin were Thing 1 and Thing 2 and I was the Cat in the Hat. Lucky for us we won second place! Our prize was a gift certificate to a local dog wash and coffee shop, Community Bark in Bayside.

On to today ...

There is no better way to start a new year that with clean beagles. Off we went to Community Bark. With our gift certificate we were treated to two SelfBark dog washes for Diesel and Marvin and an espresso drink each for Mark and I.

It was very well organized and the beagles weren't too awfully tortured by the experience. They even had "blueberry facials."

A very happy 2010 from Mark and I and the Blueberry Beagles!

Glad tidings 2009

2009-12-25T20:05:00.000-06:00

A blessed Christmas to all and may 2010 bring bountiful love, joy, and laughter.

Love, Jackie, Mark, Diesel, and Marvin :)

A woolly bear blessing

2009-11-04T11:29:00.006-06:00

Last night I couldn't fall asleep. This doesn't happen often at all, and when it does I have little patience. Things have been going so well for what feels like a long time. But last night a skeleton came out of the closet and tapped me on the shoulder to let me know it may be time to conquer a new (and specific) challenge – something I've been more than happy to keep locked away for five years now. I may be forced to grow and it won't be comfortable at first. I may even procrastinate a bit more.

So I tossed and turned and turned and tossed.

At 1AM I got up to use the bathroom. Marvin had been in his crate sleeping in the living room and when I went back to the bedroom he followed behind me. (Mark was snug on the couch after having fallen asleep watching TV so I left him there to snooze.) Now, keep in mind dogs don't sleep on our bed. They take up too much room with the stretching and bed-hogging. It was a pact Mark and I made right from the beginning.

But last night I couldn't resist. I needed comforting. I picked Marvin up and put him next to me. He curled up like a woolly bear caterpillar, let out a deep sigh, and lulled me to sleep with his breathing.

Exactly the comfort I needed.

...

Please note the similarities:

Woolly bear caterpillar (photo courtesy of all-creatures.org)

Marvin, complete with bands of color, like the caterpillar

A creature unlike any other

2009-09-10T12:01:00.003-05:00

Marvin goes from Point A …

… to Point B.

Attitude

2009-06-25T16:21:00.003-05:00

Lucky us!

2009-06-07T19:33:00.006-05:00

Today we are celebrating two years of Marvin. Happy Adoption Day, young man! Thank you for all the smiles you've put on my face.

Mmmm ... brussel sprouts ...

Diesel, Mark, and I joined Marvin for a long walk through the woods. Long enough that he was happy to collapse in his chair once we got back and snooze away the rest of the afternoon. Until it was time for supper anyway.

Do I hear kitchen noises?

BREW Beaglefest 2009

2009-05-26T19:35:00.006-05:00

Diesel taking in the view from dog aunt, Wendy's, lap.

Leave it to my beagle boys to hop up on the tables to "assist" with the volunteer and adoption info! Actually, I wouldn't have expected anything less from our little BREW alum, Marvin ...

... but Diesel? Diesel, you are usually a four-paws-on-the-ground kind of dog!

Marvin chooses which gift basket he'd like to bid on.

Marvin, if you were helping with the raffle why didn't we win?

Marvin with his friend, Nicole, the BREW volunteer who did our phone interview as we were going through the approval process. Nicole and I definitely connected!

And finally, Marvin spending quality time with his foster mama, Toscha. Toscha not only rescued and named Marvin (after her grandpa!), she's BREW Midwest's co-director which means she rescues LOTS of beagles. I can never quite express how much we love Toscha!

My favorite photo from the day. Loving these big-hearted, happy little hounds ... that's what it's all about.

Diesel's second CPE trial

2009-04-23T09:17:00.010-05:00

CPE trials – what a fun way to spend quality time with Diesel! This last Sunday we entered a trial in Round Lake Beach, IL. We entered three classes – Wildcard, Standard, and Jumpers, all Level 1.

Below are videos of our Standard and Jumpers runs. Standard was my favorite despite the fact that we had 33 faults (!) due to a blown contact on the dog walk and going well over time. But you'll notice Diesel is bouncing around and excited which is why it's my favorite run. When I saw the judge, also a beagle mum, in the hall later she even pointed out that he did great with no sniffing and lots of enthusiasm. I'm glad we made a good impression – it's not all about winning ribbons!

I'll add more stories later, but for now here are the videos.

Standard Level 1

Jumpers Level 1

The scene when I returned from the grocery store

2009-03-26T20:02:00.007-05:00

Strange because I didn't think we allowed beagles on the furniture!

So proud of my tri-color boy

2009-03-24T18:59:00.015-05:00

(An update – at long last!)

Shortly after we adopted Marvin back in June of 2007, I felt that agility would be a good match for he and I so we've been taking weekly classes since October 2007. I enrolled Diesel in three or four 8-week sessions too, to be fair and to enjoy the same sense of teamwork with him as well. But Marvin, in my mind, was my "agility dog".

When Diesel performed the obstacles I was never 100% sure if his speedy scuttling up and over was him showing crazy enthusiasm or if he was scurrying quickly because he "just wanted to get them over with" because he was a little scared. Between that, and the fact that Diesel tends to be a bit insecure and overwhelmed in crowded situations, I just never imagined him being comfortable at an agility trial. So Marvin remained my "agility dog". Marvin is fearless and Marvin is definitely agile.

As my regular readers know, I've also been assisting agility classes for nearly a year. Before doing this I hadn't really taken the idea of competing in a trial all that seriously. After all, I have beagles. Although we've worked through any distractions at our regular hall, my "agility dog" can get very distracted in new environments. Read that as sniffing. He sniffs in new places. And once the sniffing starts his brain turns off to everything else.

But, as an assistant, the trialing bug began to bite. I registered with CPE. I studied their March premium, reading every word, for three weeks. Finally I decided I would take Marvin to a run-through at our main hall and if I could call him off of any potential sniffing on a regular basis, I would send in the entry form.

Well, it didn't work. My speckled boy was way over his threshold in this exciting new place and once we were out on the floor he surfed the perimeter of the room, nose to the ground, even squeezing his flexible body between barriers and getting to the other side of the ring. I couldn't call him back. I could only guide him back with his collar, where he would do maybe two or three obstacles with me but then take off sniffing again.

That's alright. The trials can wait. I'll focus on bringing Marvin to more run-throughs in other locations until we're on the same page.

Except the bug had bitten and the trial was in less than a week.

Diesel.

That Monday I brought Diesel to class with me after six months off. He remembered everything and he had FUN! Sure, he was a bit slower on the weaves as we hadn't practiced in a while, and, yes, the teeter is still a bit scary – but this is Level 1 CPE. No weaves and no teeter.

I overnighted my entry form. Diesel was now my "agility dog". Sure, there was the chance that he would sniff in a new environment but I was much more confident he'd stay with me. The night before the trial Diesel and I went to a CPE run-through and I practiced as though we were at the trial. I kept him focused nearly constantly with hand targeting and tricks and "watch me" and rewarded him with treats. Our first time on the floor he sniffed a little to the point that I felt that if we "Q"'d he'd make me work for it. But our second time out he was a star!

...

Trial day arrived. Alarm went off at 4AM and Diesel and I were on the road by 5:45 to drive the hour and 20 minutes to the trial. I wasn't the least bit nervous – in fact I was grinning from ear to ear with excitement – until 10 minutes before we arrived. It quickly passed as I entered the building and was greeted by some of the friendliest people I've ever met in my time around dog people (this is why CPE is such a perfect venue to start trialing). I tucked my crate and chair alongside the ring barrier for a perfect view and went to the car to retrieve Diesel.

We walked through the door and he was shaking. Scared beagle! I immediately sent him through a series of tricks and cues treating him with super high-value snacks for being so brave. He relaxed right away and had a great time playing. I breathed a huge sigh of relief as I could tell that he trusted that he would be okay. I was so proud of that alone.

Since it was our first trial I and I didn't want it to be too overwhelming for either Diesel or I, I only entered two classes – Standard and Colors. The higher levels of Standard were first so I tucked Diesel into his crate and I settled in my chair to watch the action.

...

The rest of the story I will tell through photos, with a heartfelt photo credit to follow …

Standard – Level 1

Colors – Level 1

The trial was a huge success – second place in both classes we entered and two qualifying scores! Way to go, Diesel, my hero!

...

I was treated to another huge bonus. One of the Monday night students whom I've known since she was in beginning agility with her little pug, Gus, decided she wanted to see what a trial was like. Just as the first class of the day was starting, Kris and her husband, Scott, arrived. I had a feeling, but I wasn't sure, that Kris is a photographer. As you can see above she brought her camera and generously captured our entire experience. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world, not only to have these treasured photos, but also to know that I now have two new cherished friends. Thank you ever so much Kris (who's last name I'm purposely not posting because I'm not sure how she'd feel about that :)

How they differ

2009-01-31T22:25:00.003-06:00

Dinner: One raw turkey leg per beagle. Almost a pound and a half each. BIG treat. A very light dinner tomorrow night.

Marvin finishes his turkey leg in approximately 20-25 minutes. He means business. He's a professional carnivore.

Diesel works on his turkey leg from 5:30-8PM. I finally trade him for a little piece of beef heart, scooping up his "left-overs" with a plastic bag to be finished tomorrow.

They were sleeping soundly, happily digesting, until they heard Mark take the cheese out of the fridge. Despite the full tummies, apparently there is always room for cheese.

May your day be merry and bright

2008-12-25T16:06:00.004-06:00

Angels in the snow? I'll let you decide!

I hope all of you dreaming of a white Christmas got your wish. If not, please e-mail me your forwarding address and I'll be happy to send some of our white stuff your way!

To all my dear blog readers, I wish you the happiest of holidays and the brightest 2009!

Love, Jackie, Mark, Diesel, and Marvin
xo

Fairly unaffected

2008-12-13T12:57:00.007-06:00

Finally, and as promised, here are the results of Marvin and Diesel listening to Snoop and Macie on the computer. They've heard fellow beagles online before so I was quite sure what to expect. They didn't surprise me.

First Marvin watches Macie:

Hmmm, we've got head tilts. Just what I thought. And he wanted to climb onto my lap.

Then Diesel "watches" Macie:

Diesel! You've left the room! Marvin chomps away on his Nylabone, unaffected by the event.

Then I try to peak their interest by listening to Snoop:

Pfft. Nothing. Disappointing indeed, especially compared to the results that River's mum got from her pack while watching Snoop! (River's mum and sweet Sasha are in our prayers ... Sasha sang in the video.)

Oh well, we tried!

Snout plowing

2008-11-24T11:13:00.003-06:00

I heard on the news last night that by the early morning hours there would be snow on the ground.

Sure enough. I peaked out the bedroom window at 5:45AM and there was snow.

Not tons of snow but definitely measurable. And enough to make me grumble under my breath at the fact that the first real snowfall of the season had to happen on a Monday morning. Monday morning when I have garbage to take out and other miscellaneous Monday things to attend to besides my typical before-work sort of stuff. Oh, and I had to find my snow boots. And the snow brush for the car ... is it in the car? ... and grab the shovel out of the garage on my way back from taking out the garbage. Grumble, grumble. You know – everything is Just. So. Difficult. on a Monday morning.

So ten minutes behind schedule (really? just ten?) and it's time to take the beagles out for our early morning walk.

Finally, I had my chance to appreciate the falling snow. It was coming down at it's heaviest on our walk I think and the neighborhood was quiet and lovely and coated thick white. Diesel tugged ahead (he loves fresh snow). Marvin pranced his Lipizzaner stallion gait at my side looking up at me, blinking back the snow falling in his eyes. Snow doesn't deter him from looking-looking-staring expectantly up. He knows he's got me trained to toss him a treat when he prances so fancy.

We get to the yard with the long row of evergreen shrubs. This is a favorite area for snouting and peeing and eating inappropriate objects (bunny poo) and other beaglesque activities. This morning it was snout plowing. Marvin buried his snout in the snow and pushed the snow along in a pattern. He did it again and again which led me to believe it wasn't random, but perhaps he was on a scent. Tail starts wagging and Diesel's interest is peaked. Yep, there's something there.

I'm fascinated when they know something I don't and I watch and watch. Suddenly POP! out hops out a little voll (or mouse? too quick to tell) leaving the assumed safety of his below-snow burrow to high-tail it out of the beagles' reach to the cover of the hedgerow.

I'm left with two astounded hounds and a huge smile on my face. Okay, maybe snow on a Monday morning isn't so bad after all.

Fashion forward

2008-11-18T14:42:00.009-06:00

Today is my most wonderful friend, Wendy's, birthday.

Happy birthday Wendoline!

Wendy isn't working today and as a special treat she's taking the beagles to the dog park this afternoon. It's the coldest day of the season so far. Being the grand dog aunt she is, Wendy decided to share her scarf.

Diesel thought is suited him fine and felt quite fashionable.

Marvin, it seems, thought something entirely different.

Oozing cute

2008-11-17T14:13:00.006-06:00

I came across this today and it has to be one of my favorite beagle videos ever! (Video posted on YouTube by YaletownYuppie.)

When I get Diesel and Marvin in front of the computer, I'm not only going to have them listen to the Dughallmor Beagles' "Chase the Treat" video, but this one as well.

Let the howling and head tilts begin …

Lunchtime practice

2008-11-14T14:56:00.005-06:00

I ran down to the basement when I was home for lunch today for something or another. These days the beagles join me for most of my visits downstairs because that's where good things happen.

We usually do a send-ahead jump ("Go Jump") or two while we're there, just to continue practice working away from me.

Today I was struck by the way the sunlight streaming through the basement window glowed behind Marvin's alert ears, as well as cast a long shadow in front of him.

…

Diesel flies onto the scene.

Marvin flies too.

A breath of fresh air

2008-11-05T16:37:00.004-06:00

Election Day: November 4, 2008.
Unseasonably high temperature of 73° with sunny skies.

A perfect day for a perfect outcome. I don't know about you, but I feel refreshed, recharged, and inspired. I had no idea until last night that I would feel so emotional and overjoyed. Let us remain united. We are more similar than we are different.

Sharing secrets

2008-10-13T16:50:00.002-05:00

Remedy

2008-09-16T14:48:00.002-05:00

Ailment: Overall lack of enthusiasm towards one's job; general feeling of sadness, possibly hormonal; disappointment at waning sunlight in the early morning hours; undesirable feeling having nothing to look forward to and fear that feeling may last forever.

Remedy: Lunchtime visit to two beagles complete with boundless tail wags; leash up beagles for special walk through the woods (never mind this may put you back to work 15 minutes later than your lunch time allows); soak up the beagle enthusiasm towards anything and everything they encounter, as well as the sunshine, warm breeze, and fresh air; look up at the blue sky through the trees and consider looking up more often; promise to take the beagles' lesson of living in the moment with you throughout the rest of the day.

Prognosis: High probability of a bright afternoon. Smiles and laughter likely. Beagle enthusiasm, floppy ears, and general sweetness may be addictive in some.

All ears

2008-08-15T09:13:00.004-05:00

On the road

2008-08-13T09:59:00.008-05:00

He really should be a comedian with the way he makes me laugh. :)

Photo credit: Dog aunt, Wendoline

A pleasant surprise

2008-08-08T16:01:00.005-05:00

I visit Beagles on the Web at least a couple times a week to keep on top of all things beagle and check out the Daily Digital.

Just now I noticed the Tails of Interest section on the home page includes a story titled "The Hazard of Being a Beagle". How funny, I thought, another beagle hazard ... what could it be? Imagine my surprise when I clicked the link and it took me to Diesel's sore French moustache post! How cool is that? We've hit the big time!

Thanks to Caron, Beagles on the Web's fearless leader! I imagine she had something to do with this. :)

...

P.S. Diesel's moustache is healing nicely – no longer sore or red, but a nice rich black (sans the fuzz, that will take a little more time).

Brotherly love

2008-08-07T12:14:00.008-05:00

First, they size each other up.

Then, in for the attack.

One down ...

then the other.

...

Ringside seating available daily.

Hazard of being a beagle

2008-07-31T19:17:00.008-05:00

Diesel has a sore French moustache. You know that cute little dark bit just under his nose on his upper lip? That's his French moustache, and typically it's black and covered in peach-like fuzz. He wore it out on our Tuesday morning walk though and now it's hairless and sore.

It was strange really. We were just a little way into our walk when we stopped to investigate some brush on the side of the road. The beagles sniffed and sniffed some more – and then there was a shift in Diesel. We carried on, but he had his nose to the ground persistantly sniffing in a very direct path. He didn't stop and start, he didn't swerve from side to side – he kept a steady, straight-as-an-arrow path ahead sniffing the ground at the pace we were walking. Even stranger was the fact that he kept doing it once we were back in the house. The kitchen floor, the hallway floor, my shoes. I was puzzled.

He must have been following the trail of a creature that had taken our path before. I suspect a coyote, as we had actually seen one in the neighborhood in the last two weeks. But I won't know for sure because Diesel didn't tell me.

What do you mean … "sore French moustache"?

Hey, is that a fettucini alfredo noodle you have in your hand?

Can I have the noodle please? Why don't you just give it to me?

NOOOOODLE!!!!!!

…

Diesel tried every trick in the book to get that noodle … everything from sit-ups, to left and right circles to targeting the camera. After I got my photos he had the noodle. And then another.

Notes from another Week 8

2008-07-23T09:05:00.002-05:00

"Week 8"s are rather exciting in our little world of agility adventures. Each session at our training hall is eight weeks long and the last week always holds extra challenge and excitement. As a result, big smiles and feelings of accomplishment abound.

This session I've been assisting the beginner agility class the hour prior to Diesel and my intermediate class. My assisting evolved out of the idea that I can't really afford to have both pups involved in agility classes on an ongoing basis. As an assistant I receive a 50% discount on our agility classes which is wonderful, but, even more so, it feeds my addiction. Seems I can't quite get enough and it doesn't matter if I'm running my dogs or not. I just like to be around dogs, especially in an agility setting. And new situations are always an opportunity to learn.

I will admit, as an assistant, I stand on the floor feeling a bit like an impostor at times, mainly when I'm playing more of a teaching role as opposed to merely setting bars or helping set up/take down the course. But here's a cardinal rule to comfort the new assistant: I will know more than someone just starting out in agility so I will always be able to help in some way. Besides, I'm assisting an instructor, therefore part of a team hopefully providing well-rounded instruction. And it's not like anyone is going to get hurt following my advice. I have a friend, Jen, who teaches novice motorcycle racing classes. We compared notes on how sometimes we feel like impostors – enthusiasts posing as people who know what they're doing. Obviously, since we are doing what we're doing (Jen teaching/me assisting) we've been considered qualified by someone who is qualified. It's tempting to be hard on ourselves though – to feel we need to know everything. Of course Jen does have the added pressure of someone potentially getting hurt. Agility, while it is an adrenaline rush, just doesn't have that kind of risk thankfully.

After just eight one-hour sessions I've seen dogs in my beginner class go from being terrified of a tunnel to running through it with gusto. I've seen new handlers allow themselves to trust their dog's abilities off-leash and beam when they complete 12 obstacles together as a team. It's that stuff that got me addicted to doing agility in the first place and it's heartwarming to watch that come alive in the students, both human and canine.

Another eight week session starts this upcoming Monday. This time I will be assisting both beginner and intermediate (while Marvin and I take our first advanced session on Wednesdays – Diesel is taking a session off). The thing I'm most looking forward to, besides seeing a new round of beginner dogs, is watching how "my" first set of beginners moves into the next level and watching their enthusiasm and confidence grow.

I owe a big thank you to Dave, my instructor who's now retiring, at least for now, from teaching. If it weren't for his knowledge, enthusiasm, and gentle, confidence-building style, I may not have become as hooked as I am. If I can bring even a little of his gift to my assisting, I know my students will be okay and I will always credit him for that.

…

As for Diesel and my Week 8 intermediate class – what a blast! The boy was on fire! We ended the session on our highest note as a team. Diesel was motivated and stayed with me, enjoying what the course had to offer. He took the A-frame in a style he created a couple weeks ago ... ran up the up, jumped the peak, and ran down the down. I was satisfied with my handling after a couple runs (and the addition of a crucial front cross, thanks to the advice of instructor Melissa) and the course felt smooth and efficient. Our last of four runs we ran at breakneck speed :) leaving both Diesel and I panting and smiling and wanting more.

Again, here I sit, glowing at the thought of it. Agility class just has that effect on me.

("And guess what?", the new assistant whispers, hoping no one will hear, "Thoughts of entering a trial keep popping back into my head ...")

Recap: BREW Beaglefest 2008

2008-07-22T16:36:00.006-05:00

Earlier this summer, June 7 to be exact, Diesel, Marvin, Mark, and I drove to northeast Illinois to attend BREW Midwest's annual Beaglefest. BREW is the rescue group we adopted Marvin from just over a year ago – on what day, you ask? June 7! Which means this year's Beaglefest was held on Marvin's one-year adoption date. What a way to celebrate his first Gotcha Day! A happy coincidence indeed.

Last year, Beaglefest was held in May and we had just become an "approved family" through BREW's home and phone check program when we attended. We had seen Marvin online and thought him a handsome boy. We met him for the first time at Beaglefest, and, well, once meeting him, how could we resist? He worked his magic and came to live with us less than a month later.

Beaglefest this year was a much-anticipated reunion for us. We caught up with Nicole, the BREW volunteer (now my friend and fellow Whole Dog Journal enthusiast) who did our phone interview; Kate, the volunteer who came to our house for our home check; and, of course, Toscha, Marvin's foster mom. The following photos are a brief recap of this year's festivities …

Diesel is never completely comfortable in large crowds, whether they be crowds of people or dogs. He was our little shadow for the day.
(Please note the lovely collar, handmade by Patience!)

Marvin, on the other hand, can't get himself in the middle of the action fast enough. Who owns who here?

Just when Marvin thought he had one pinned, he gets charged by another.

And the motive here is …?

Checking in. Good boy.

Under the picnic table, hoping we drop our hot dogs.

Time for a stroll and a sniff.

Marty – a lovely beagle/boxer blend.

Surprise!

A tender moment between Diesel and dog dad.

Marvin, captive at last.

Diesel found a quiet haven in the climbing gym.

And then it was time for agility practice!

Diesel surveys his surroundings.

Marvin – now you see him, now you don't.

A family photo with Toscha, Marvin's foster mom (and BREW Midwest's co-director). Marvin is named after Toscha's grandpa and I think our bluetick boy will always hold a special place in her heart. We love Toscha.

…

This photo, taken on our drive back to Milwaukee, was just the beginning of a really long night. We arrived home in the middle of a storm that would bring us five inches of rain in three hours, with about the same amount the following night. For the first time in the ten years I've owned our house we had water in our basement. We were up all night both Saturday and Sunday nights wet vaccing to keep the water in check and moving all that stuff I should have thrown out years ago. We were very fortunate compared to some, especially since it initiated a good basement clear-out the following weekend (with more yet to go!).

If it weren't for this little blip on the screen I would have posted our Beaglefest photos the day after the event. I apologize for the delay. ;)

Sun spot snooze

2008-07-17T09:02:00.003-05:00

Two-on-a-mat doesn't happen often at our house, but it looks like a thin sliver of sun and one bed was enough to push them over the edge to snuggling.

National news

2008-07-16T09:48:00.015-05:00

Another happy NBC Today Show feature that made the application of my eye make-up rather difficult this morning (original story and video can be found here) …

Dog gone! Lost beagle back after 5 years, 850 miles

Rocco’s owner is now 11;
‘I was scared I’d never see him again,’ she says

By Bob Considine / TODAYShow.com contributor

Five years ago, a heartbroken 5-year-old girl from Queens, N.Y., was hanging posters for the return of her lost beagle. Today, after years of wishes, little Natalie Villacis has been miraculously reunited with her beloved dog Rocco after he resurfaced some 850 miles away in Georgia — proving that every dog owner can have their day.

“I was actually scared that I was never going to see him again,” the now 11-year-old Natalie told TODAY’s Ann Curry on Wednesday. “I literally said, ‘I will probably never see him again.’ ”

Cristina Villacis, Natalie’s mother, said the family was shocked to get a call last week from a shelter in Hinesville, Ga., informing them that their long-lost pup had been found after half a decade. Thanks to a microchip implanted in the dog, an effective form of permanent identification, Natalie’s greatest hopes had been realized.

To help fill the aching void left by Rocco, the family got another dog a year after the disappearance — Bonita, a poodle from Ecuador. But even another wagging tail in the household could not fully erase Natalie’s heartache. “She got over it, but she was always wishful that he’d come back,” Cristina Villacis said. “She’d always make wishes.”

A surprise call
Although she was barely a pup herself at the time, Natalie had no problem remembering the joy of getting a new puppy named Rocco. “I was really excited,” she told Curry.

But one fateful day in 2003, after just two months in the Villacis household, the beagle slipped under a fence and ran off.

The family searched high and low, checked with neighbors and local authorities and posted flyers. But the only thing that remained of Rocco was his little red toy — and the memory of the joy he brought Natalie.

“She was very devastated,” Cristina said. “She kept his toy. She had a scrapbook with his picture.”

Then, on July 5, while Natalie was at a block party, the family received a call from Liberty County, Ga., Animal Control.

“We were so surprised,” Cristina said. “At first, of course, we thought, ‘It’s the wrong dog. It can’t be.’ But I think the turning point was when they said, ‘His name is Rocco.’ Right there, we said, ‘OK, it’s ours.’ ”

When her mom told her the amazing news, Natalie just “cried hysterically,” Cristina said. “She actually wanted to go to Georgia to pick him up, but the ride back was too long.”

A long leash
Natalie’s father, Jorge, and older brother, Nick, flew down to Georgia to pick up Rocco and drove the dog back home in a rental car.

“I was so choked up when I saw him,” Nick said. “It was a very nice moment, just to see him. He was doing well. He looked well-kept.”

Randy Durrence, supervisor at Liberty County, Ga., Animal Control, said Rocco had only a cut under his left eye and a spot behind one ear to show for his years on the road when he was brought in by someone who found him at a local military base. After the dog was scanned for a microchip, which Durrence says is “normal procedure,” he gladly made the call to the Villacis household.

“[Jorge] said he had been missing for five years,” Durrence said. “My understanding is that [Natalie] ran off into the bathroom and started crying right away. She is a real animal lover.”

How Rocco actually got all the way to Georgia from New York remains a mystery.

“Somebody must have taken him there; I honestly don’t think he walked there,” Cristina said with a laugh. “It’s OK, as long as we have him back.”

Durrence said no one came to claim the dog before the Villacis family, and that no one called to report this type of dog missing. But whoever it was that looked after Rocco over five long years has the lifelong gratitude of a little girl in Queens.

“Too bad we couldn’t meet them or see them,” Natalie said wistfully.

…

The New York Post also did a wonderfully sweet story and video covering Natalie and Rocco's heartwarming reunion, followed by an appropriate message regarding the importance of microchipping.

In a single bound

2008-07-10T17:04:00.006-05:00

Marvin is always up to something. What is his newest exploit?

He's gotten himself expelled from doggy day care. Yes, expelled!

While we were away in Door County, Diesel and Marvin spent a day and a half at day care while Wendy was at work. When I saw her name on my cell phone's caller ID Friday afternoon, I knew it would be a beagle update since she would have just picked them up.

"We have a situation." (Insert two-second pause which felt like five minutes.) "Don't worry, everyone's okay," Wendy said. (Insert huge sigh of relief.)

"The day care people don't think Marvin should come back anymore."

Gulp.

The first thing that crossed my mind was that he played too roughly with the other dogs. He is a rough and tumble kind of animal ...

But that wasn't it at all.

Marvin, our vertical dog, figured out how to jump the four-foot gates! He jumped the gate to the enclosure that he and Diesel were in and then proceeded to jump the gate that separated the lobby from the front entrance. If someone would have entered the front door he could have run away ... and that is where the problem lies. They don't feel that they can ensure his safety if he can so unexpectedly hop the gates, therefore Marvin and the day care are no longer a good match.

When Wendy told me that was the reason I just had to laugh, although I was a little shocked. So entirely Marvin!

The owner of this daycare is very nice – in fact I haven't spoken to her about this yet and I would like to hear her take on the situation. What I especially liked about this place was that you could check on your pups via web cam. One day, while at work, I captured this screen grab.

Note the speckled beagle practicing his vertical techniques at the back gate. It was only a matter of time.

Dramatic pixelized close-up of offending speckled beagle.

In all honesty we don't use doggy day care on a regular basis anyway so we weren't stuck in a tight situation. The good news is there is a brand new day care opening up next Monday right between my work and home. Actually, it's an overnight pet service that is expanding to day care and the owners of this place are very nice as well. When I tour their shiny new facility next week I will be sure to keep them well informed of Marvin's talents. Hopefully they are equipped to handle a pogo stick type of dog!

The best of times

2008-07-07T15:22:00.014-05:00

The last two weeks were a whirlwind of excitement and happiness as Mark's Mum and her boyfriend, Kim, flew over the big pond from England to visit us! It was hard for Mark and I to believe they hadn't met the beagle boys yet, but the last time they flew over the pond was September 2005 – a whole three and a half months before we adopted Diesel. Marvin was a just a twinkle in our eyes way back then.

Mum and Kim very much loved their beagle dog grandchilds and the dog grandchilds very much loved them. There were extra morning walks to the gas station to get a newspaper and lots of extra pets and kisses between the eyes.

…

So Mum and Kim arrived two Sundays ago and, since that day, time flew and so much fun was had. We did more in those two weeks than Mark and I attempt in six months!

We had a grand reunion dinner with my mom and dad, sister and brother-in-law, and niece and nephews at a favorite new restaurant we discovered on the river.

…

We explored Door County for four days. This time the beagle boys stayed home under the loving care of their dog aunt and uncle, Wendy and Shane. They were very happy boys.

In Door County, we lounged and shopped in Fish Creek.

Contemplated what to do next in Baileys Harbor …

Took a ferry to Washington Island for the day …

where we spent time with ostriches …

said hello to a brown bear named Honey …

fed adorable goats …

had coffee at our favorite island coffee house, Red Cup …

skimmed stones and posed for photos at Schoolhouse Beach …

had lunch – and of course beer – at historic Nelsen's Hall …

followed by a chaser of Bitters – oooeeee!

We are now officially members of the Bitters Club and are recorded in the book.

After the Bitters, we climbed 156 stairs to the top of the lookout point before heading back to the mainland.

Once back in Gills Rock at our friends' wonderful cottage we rented, we toasted Door County with red wine.

…

On our return to Milwaukee we continued to eat, drink (including a brewery tour), and be merry. This sorbet Mum and I had for lunch one afternoon was unforgettable!

We also had visitors – Wendy, the beagles' dog aunt, and her mom, Nancy.

After some talking and laughing, the girls did a silly dance.

…

Fourth of July weekend we spent in Chicago. The first night we stayed in Elmhurst, outside of Chicago, enjoying an evening with a friend of Kim's and his family. Kim and Colin did a four-mile run on the morning of July 4. To our surprise, the family had a beagle so we felt right at home!

And then on to Chicago where we walked all around …

as well as soaked our feet at Millennium Park …

and napped under skyscrapers.

…

And then the visit was over as quickly as it began when we took our beloved family back to O'Hare for their long flight home.

On to looking forward to our next visit – this time Mark and I going to England.

Thank you, Mum and Kim, for making the trip. We loved having you! xxx

Dead squirrel eater and wet nose

2008-06-24T16:39:00.002-05:00

Quick (gross) Marvin story:
Yesterday the boys and I started out on our morning walk when I saw our neighbor with the fenced yard outside. Since I had taken the day off of work I stopped and asked her if I could release the beagles in her yard to run around with her two black labs. There really wasn't much running around – more snouting the new turf and eating salad (grass).

I lost sight of Marvin for a good couple of minutes so we started to look around for him. There is a section of the yard that's overgrown with bushes and weeds and that's where we heard his jingling tags. No amount of calling would get him out so I ducked into the brush, dodging mosquitos as I went, to discover him chomping away on something dead. When we made eye contact he realized I meant business as I called him and he slowly made his way out to the yard still holding the dead thing. It was a decomposing squirrel – and it had to go. I carefully pried his jaw open without touching his prize and to the ground it fell. I had my neighbor hold his collar as I took a garbage bag and picked it up dog poop-style. Ewww eww ewww. As he was rather obsessed with the overgrown area after that and the dogs weren't really interacting with one another anyway, we left and took our walk.

Once home, Marvin scurried off to hide under their window seat. When he started to make a regurgitating sound I shuffled him outside in a hurry. He sat out on his tie out, not doing a thing, so I let him be for a bit. Ten minutes later I visited my boy and there he was, head hidden under our outdoor fireplace guarding his fine pile of regurgitated squirrel. Ugh. I was actually thrilled that he had done that and that the pile was rather huge because I felt comfortable letting him back in the house again and even more comfortable knowing that was no longer in his little body. So I got to pick up dead squirrel a second time in the same day. Dogs and their vices.

Quick (sweet) Diesel story:
Now that the weather has warmed up I'm wearing shorts on our dog walks. I've noticed since working with the boys to walk "close" that Diesel walks very close. He tucks himself so tightly to my left leg that I feel his body brush the side of my leg, and sometimes my heel bumps him and I feel bad. But the best part is, while wearing shorts, I also feel his lovely wet nose touch the side of my bare leg. He was walking especially nicely by my side at lunch today and the wet nose touched my leg many times. I smiled the entire walk.

No. 100 and today I'm beaming

2008-06-19T10:28:00.009-05:00

Marvin at BREW BeagleFest 2008.
Photo credit: My friend, Nicole's, friend, Jayne.

Welcome to the 100th post on my SnoutBeagle blog! I started the blog just over two years ago as a means to journal Diesel stories. Since then we've gained a Marvin and I've made blogging friends – BIG thanks to Dogs with Blogs! Who would have thought? Thank you all for checking in on us and your kind, much-enjoyed comments.

…

Marvin and I had not been to agility class together for three weeks. The first week I took Diesel instead. The second week we were still cleaning up water in our basement after ALL THAT RAIN. And this week I wasn't feeling well enough to want to attend our Monday class. Well, last night was a beautiful evening. I was feeling back to my old self and I had a hankering to run around an agility course with Marvin.

I e-mailed the Wednesday night instructor and asked if we could pop in to her advanced class last night to do a make-up class. It was a go! Admittedly I was nervous because we've never gone to a higher level class than our intermediate, but I knew a couple of the students as well as the instructor so we went for it.

Unfortunately, I thought the class started at 7PM but it actually starts at 6:50. I had reserved the ten minutes "early" we arrived to walk the course, but those ten minutes "early" actually put us there just in time. The instructor had set up one course with 15 obstacles which we all ran first. Then we did three (or four?) smaller exercises using parts of the same course. Finally we ran the entire course again. It was set up really well and I enjoyed all our runs a ton.

Our first time out Marvin was in snouting mode. The instructor suggested I run with him on leash to keep him moving before he did too much sniffing. He seemed to get the hint as halfway through I dropped the leash and we were back on track and focused (the leash knocking all the bars as we went!). The instructor made the comment "He's a typical beagle!" when he was snouting (which she had said before when Diesel and I had her for beginners class). That makes me even more determined for her to see what we can do when we're on track as a team. In all honesty, even though both boys are prone to beagle-mode at times, for the most part I feel we've accomplished a great deal in the focus department.

Snouting wasn't an issue for any of the smaller exercises. Marvin enjoyed the runs and was looking to me for more. Since I hadn't had the chance to walk the course I felt I could have definitely done better in my handling tactics. Oh well, next time!

Finally, the last run ... the same as the first run. Back to Jump One and Marvin found the floor rather interesting once again. I started before he was "with" me so I asked for a restart. This time I took my time getting us on the same page ... and once we started Woweeeee!! The boy – suddenly motivated like crazy – flew over the jumps, took the tunnel from a distance and did the weaves faster and more perfectly than he had ever done. The advanced students ooooed and ahhed as he mastered those weaves (not kidding!) and I gleamed from the inside out. Another tunnel, the A-frame (my handling still klutsy here) and a string of jumps. He was so excited he barked over the last three jumps and I couldn't have been happier.

We left class and I was impressed as heck with my bluetick boy. All the students were so friendly and supportive and laughed with me when I laughed at myself for doing a silly handling maneuver. The instructor was helpful, positive, and gave each student individualized suggestions. Not only that – I have a feeling we made an impression on her. She probably now sees more than a beagle sniffing the ground when she looks at Marvin.

What a great evening and today I continue to beam.

Diesel's comedy routine

2008-05-26T20:30:00.008-05:00

Last Monday night was the last class of an 8-week agility session where I brought both Diesel and Marvin – I ran Diesel in the first class, advanced beginners, and Marvin in our ongoing intermediate class following.

Since it was Diesel's last class, Mark came along armed with the camera. Diesel and I had four runs, this one – our last – was by far the most comedic and entertaining:

We can't be sure, but we think the combination of beagle nose and food-memory worked in tandem, causing the back track over the A-frame. Apparently Melissa, who's standing behind the A-frame, had slipped Diesel a piece of hot dog earlier and, well, a beagle's food-memory will rival the memory of an elephant any day.

We all laughed and it was clear to me why I love agility class!

These last few weeks I'd been bringing both pups to class, Marvin had been a needy child during Diesel's class. I tried letting him run around in the fenced area outside but he barked and let it be known he wanted to be inside. I put him in his soft crate near my chair with one Kong but once he finished it, he chirped and scratched at his crate even though I had it covered. I finally figured out I'd have a quiet and content Marvin if I brought three Kongs stuffed with hot dog and cheese pieces mixed in non-fat plain yogurt and then frozen. It took him 20 minutes to get through one frozen Kong and the three were perfect timing for Diesel's hour-long class. Diesel, bless his little dog heart, was an angel during Marvin's class following. Granted, he was probably tired, but he was happy to curl up in a tight, quiet dog ball in the crate. No Kongs necessary – poor boy.

Marvin and I didn't have our best night but it was still fun. He found a really yummy treat on the floor by the A-frame on our first run, so he scouted the floor more that night than he had in many weeks. (Of course! We had the camera there!) This was the best of our three runs:

I guided him more than necessary through the weaves because that's the area he found his distracting treat and it took forever to get him back the first time. The power of the snout.

One sly dog.

The patient one waiting in the wings.

...

This next 8-week session will be interesting indeed. I'll most likely be swapping between Diesel and Marvin week-to-week for intermediate. And for beginners? It looks like I'll be assisting the instructor! More to come ...

Acknowledge, accept, and move on

2008-05-24T09:44:00.003-05:00

In my Tuesday evening yoga classes our instructor reminds us frequently to clear our minds of passing thoughts. If a thought persists and occupies our mind, she encourages us to acknowledge the thought, accept it, and then move on to be open to our practice. I spent the last week doing just this after an experience I had last weekend. Yes, it took nearly a week to let go.

I've only gone to two agility trials to spectate and I've never entered a trial to compete. Our agility instructor keeps us students well-informed of when upcoming trials will be in our area and encourages us to go watch so we can see what a trial is all about. He suggests we don't bring our dogs and, although I've never asked specifically why, I would imagine it's so they don't make a hectic situation for the people/dog teams entered even more hectic with visiting-dog-excited energy.

The first trial I spectated was a four-day AKC event, held indoors at a large local soccer arena. It was indeed a hectic environment with crates lining every possible wall and tight corridors with many coming and going dogs and handlers. Definitely not a place for a non-trialing dog to be.

The second trial I spectated was a three-day AKC event, held at a dog training club outside of town. A man who lives in my neighborhood with two bearded collies he trains in agility belongs to this club. He's suggested I join the club more than once as it's a more economical way to continue with agility training (as well as obedience, etc.) rather than taking classes over and over as I've been doing. I thought going to this agility trial would be a good chance to catch up with him at his club and have a look around, as well as watch agility dogs of all levels in action.

And it was.

The trial was this last Saturday and it was a sunny, semi-warm day. I enjoyed exploring the event and grounds with my neighbor. The trial was held outdoors and there were two rings. The entire area was fenced and along the fence, surrounding the rings, were lots of portable shade tents set up by the trial entrants with crates, folding chairs, and rugs underneath. There was plenty of space to move around and spectate. It was a nicely organized and well-presented event.

My neighbor made me feel right at home, introducing me to entrants and trainers – he seemed to know everyone!, explaining which classes were in each ring and talking me through the order of the obstacles, and all around encouraging me to take the leap into entering a trial. After all, Marvin and I have been training since last October. He felt we would be competitive in a novice class, although we both agreed an outdoor trial probably wouldn't be the place to start for my scent hound.

I had no plans (or time really) to go back to spectate on Sunday, but my neighbor encouraged me to stop back for a short while if I could manage it, and this time bring Marvin. We both felt he could use the experience of a trial environment too. I figured there would be no harm in it as we could stay easily on the outskirts and out of the way, plus we were invited by a club member.

As we drove onto the club grounds Marvin excitedly chirped in his car crate as he sometimes does as we get close to our agility class or the dog park. Once unloaded, his nose was sniffing the air and the ground at practically the same time. He chirped some more at this sensory overload but responded when I asked him to focus on me. There was promise so we walked to the fence and entered the trialing area to look for my neighbor.

We walked the grounds and I heard some people comment on his handsome ticking and I smiled. Marvin stayed "with me" for the most part. People walking by with hot dogs on plates were the biggest distraction for my chow hound. We met up with my neighbor and he commented that Marvin was doing well for his first walk around such an exciting environment. He was. I could tell that he was excited though and would occasionally chirp a bit, but still, when I would ask for his focus or for him to walk close to my side he minded ... of course rewarding him with treats didn't hurt!

My neighbor stopped and talked to person after person, introducing us as we went. Again, I felt at home and welcome. No one was at the warm-up jumps so we thought we would give Marvin a chance. I had taken him over a jump on-leash prior to meeting up with my neighbor but quickly left because I didn't want to get in any one's way. Now I was with an entrant – and a club member – and I felt a bit more empowered in being there.

Almost at the warm-up area, my neighbor stopped to talk to two women, each with a Golden. One of the Goldens and Marvin started barking at one another. I don't know who started it but Marvin began pulling at the leash to go meet the Golden. They barked and barked and my gut told me it would be best to move on to the warm-up jumps and allow my neighbor to catch up, which he did. Having all the faith in the world in Marvin and I, and I feeling empowered by the faith, my neighbor told me to put Marvin in a sit-stay and send him over a jump. I put Marvin in a sit-stay. I *removed the leash*. I moved forward to the jump. The second I released him he didn't take the jump. No, he didn't. He bolted, off-leash, out of the warm-up area and rushed one of the Goldens who apparently followed us to the warm-up area and were waiting their turn.

I only remember bits and pieces from this dreaded 30-second experience. The woman with the Golden Marvin rushed said "What is it with today? This is the second time she's been rushed!". She said this as she gently kicked towards Marvin to back him away from her dog. The woman with the other Golden stood there saying over and over "This is not cool. This is not cool. ..." Over and over. She sounded angry and hateful and I wanted to disappear off the face of the earth. In the meantime Marvin playfully danced around the first Golden, dodging my advances towards him, until I caught him and pulled him back to his leash, still laying in the warm-up area.

My neighbor was totally cool throughout this entire affair. I just wanted to get the h*** out of there. He did encourage me to take him over some jumps, even on-leash, and I agreed simply because I didn't want Marvin to end the experience by rushing a dog, rather than taking a jump. We jumped a jump and the woman with the second Golden yelled to us "Are you in the trial? We need to get in there." I couldn't even answer her, I felt so insignificant, but I understood her position completely and we left the area right away. My neighbor encouraged me not to feel bad or defeated. But I did and there was no going back from that. I wanted to leave.

Just as I was catching my breath, the woman with the first Golden, the one Marvin rushed, called to me. "Lady with the beagle, I want to talk to you ...". I turned to her but couldn't face her so turned around and went to stand at my neighbor's side so he could do any talking if necessary. I heard her say something to the effect that not all Goldens are friendly and it worked out okay because her dog was rushed, but if Marvin would have rushed the second Golden there would likely have been a fight. Almost like I encouraged Marvin to go play off-leash with these dogs. That was so not the case! I felt like a child being scolded. I found words but they were spoken through a sudden outburst of tears and I directed my conversation to my neighbor, not the Golden's owner. I told him I felt terrible, that I should have known that, even though Marvin sat and stayed that he was still excited from barking at the Golden and wasn't nearly relaxed enough to be trusted off-leash. My feeling over-confident by being with a club member and his confidence in us took precedence over my gut feeling of knowing my dog. I made a bad judgement call. To me it felt like a huge mistake.

I know my neighbor was surprised by my tears – and the fact that I couldn't stop! – but I didn't care. I couldn't help it.

So sadly, the result of the experience turned me off of agility. Well, off agility altogether for about a day. But it still has me turned off the idea of competing at all.

Marvin and I love our agility classes. I make handling mistakes. He makes mistakes too, like getting distracted and snouting and, yes, he has hopped the barrier in class before just to get to a waiting dog for a sniff. He rushed a dog for a sniff at a run-through as well at our other training facility. He's quick and takes me by surprise when he does that, but people laugh and forgive his Marvin-ness ... and thankfully he's only done it a couple of times. Marvin has a tendency to come up with a variety of surprises and I would imagine will continue to do so occasionally.

I suppose the fact that these women took this surprise encounter with Marvin without an ounce of humor is what I found so humiliating. I do understand the situation could have been serious and I felt awful, but I felt judged and unforgivable as well. Granted, they were trialing and under their own pressure so I need to keep that in mind. I did find some comfort in the fact that first Golden lady mentioned "this is the second time today she was rushed." At least I'm not the only idiot handler.

So, in the effort to keep agility fun for us, I'm not entertaining the thought of competing anymore at this point. I've never been a competitive person (quite the opposite!) and competing was never our goal in doing agility. Marvin and I will make mistakes. If people take it so seriously, and I don't have the constitution to handle that, where is the fun?

Acknowledge, accept, and move on.

Big Apple = Big Cookies

2008-05-09T14:29:00.009-05:00

An hour before we had to make our way back to our hotel to pick up our bags and walk to Grand Central Station to catch our airport bus, we squeezed in a visit to Canine Styles on Manhattan's east side. I heard about this store and their Web site two winters ago when I saw a teeny chihuahua at our local PetSmart wearing a stylish horse blanket-style coat. I was looking for something similar for Diesel so I asked the chihuahua's mom where she found such a coat. And that's when I learned of Canine Styles.

I had a preconceived notion of what this shop might be like and I wasn't entirely wrong. It was tiny. It was definitely a pet boutique rather than a pet store. And it had a rather small selection of perfect things. I picked up a colorful nylon collar that was just Diesel's style but put it down again when I spotted the inconspicuous $30 price tag.

I couldn't resist the taxi cookies though – one for each beagle. Diesel has a sweet tooth and, well, it doesn't matter with Marvin – treats don't even touch the sides as he gobbles them down.

Needless to say, they'll take a taxi cookie over a fancy collar any day.

Diesel is pleased to see that there are two taxi cookies just for him.

Oh no, here comes Marvin. Might he have to share?

Better claim a cookie before it's too late!

…

Our visit to NYC was wonderful and packed full of exciting adventures. We could have used another day there for sure but that just means we need to go back for more. I'm planning to post highlights and photos on my neglected companion blog, Ten Bests of the Day. I'll let you know when it's updated!

Taking flight

2008-04-29T16:26:00.005-05:00

Tomorrow morning, bright and early, my sister, my 10-year-old niece, and I are hopping on a plane to NYC for a few days. I'm very excited for this adventure to begin and am especially looking forward to seeing New York through my niece, Emily's, eyes. She must be ten times as excited as I am.

I have two bags with wheels, one bigger and one smaller. Ideally I always want to use the smaller one because I aspire to be a light packer. More often than not, reality squelches my aspiration and I wind up taking the bigger one. I can't decide which shoes to take so I need to take many. Tomorrow morning I will be loading the bigger bag in the car.

But before any packing could begin I needed to have said bags inspected. So I called in the Beagle Brigade.

"This seems to be the big bag ...

... yes, yes, very nice."

"Now, what about this one?"

"Hmm, perhaps too small. Dog mum likes shoes."

The inspection picks up pace. All is a blur.

The bigger bag's inspection comes back clean, not to mention more comfortable.

Four feet in a row.

Work is done. Time for a nap.

Four in a row

2008-04-09T17:12:00.007-05:00

Marvin's feet. Sometimes he lines them up in a row.

It doesn't fail to make me smile.

Although Marvin isn't sure what all the fuss is about.

Guest appearance

2008-03-23T09:39:00.009-05:00

Yesterday morning I went outside and I couldn't believe who I saw through the trees …

The Easter Snowbunny!

Since he didn't seem very afraid of my approach, I stepped closer.

He still didn't move so I called Diesel over.

Marvin jumped for joy at the idea of meeting the Easter Snowbunny.

I quieted the boys … afterall the bunny might still be scared away, even though he seemed so very tame.

He's still outside this morning, although the sun from yesterday seems to have taken a bit of a toll on his posture.

…

In all honesty, although it was nice that the Easter Snowbunny paid us a visit, I'll be just as happy when he's gone. It's time for some green grass and daffodils!

Happy Easter!

The second day of spring

2008-03-21T16:14:00.009-05:00

Mother Nature certainly has a way about her.

True, no one wishes for a spring snowstorm – especially one due to bring 9-12" by the time it's through. And just when the snow we had around all winter had almost melted away.

But there are quite a few upsides to today's storm:

As it's Good Friday, we only had a half day of work – so it was almost like a "snowday".

A rather short walk through the deep snow in the woods sufficiently wears the beagles out for the afternoon.

There is great entertainment watching said beagles plow through the chest-deep snow or, even better, bound great heights like deer or elk.

As it is a spring snowstorm, the snow won't stick around for the next three months and we aren't due to get a well-below-freezing drop in temperature afterwards.

This storm could bring us to the second all-time snowiest season on record (is that really an upside?!). (Yes, this season is now officially the second all-time snowiest with 96.9 inches. The record is 109 inches which we will not beat! :)

And, let's face it, it's pretty – very pretty.

I'm glad it's not today

2008-03-16T19:58:00.004-05:00

Last weekend I found out from a fellow dog-walking neighbor that my neighbor from one house down lost her pup of 11 years suddenly to lymphoma a few days earlier. I had a busy week at work but Beth was always on my mind. As the boys and I walked down the alley and past her house on our morning walks, I thought how strange it must be for Beth not to have Bella to take for morning walks anymore.

Finally this weekend I had a chance to get her a card and a picture frame to put a special photo of Bella in. I took it over tonight. Beth opened the door in tears and I knew she was having a bad Bella day. She was a little surprised that I knew as I hadn't seen her since, but seemed glad to have a dog-loving neighbor to talk to.

She reminised and I listened. She told me about Bella's final days and I felt my heart break. She told me how she misses walking the neighborhood and how she would like to do it again but feels it would be too hard right now. She told me how, as the snow is melting, even seeing Bella's poo reappear from earlier in the year is a difficult reminder.

I spent many many years of my adult life not knowing what it's like to love a dog and how deeply connected you become. Today I was glad I now know and understand the depth of emotion. I felt I could really be there for Beth when she needed a friend.

As I walked my short walk home, I took a good look at my surroundings. The neighborhood I see every single day, the houses I pass, the smells, the neighbors' barking Labs ... I took it all in and cherished it. Today is still normal for me. I have the beagles and tomorrow we will take our morning walk.

There will be a day when I go through what Beth is going through and I dread it. I'm just glad it's not today.

The other half

2008-03-13T08:59:00.005-05:00

Most mornings after our early walk Diesel follows me into the bathroom while I retrieve a Kleenex or take care of various other sorts of business. It's his way of reminding me that he still exists so I don't forget to feed him breakfast.

I'm always the first to exist the bathroom. A quick look over my shoulder and I'm greeted with the scene above. It's a compliment to my previous Halved post.

Cute beagle. He melts my heart.

Clicker "how-to"s

2008-03-06T09:13:00.006-06:00

Here is THE best source to introduce someone interested in clicker training to it's benefits and how it works. Karen Pryor is a founder and leading proponent of clicker training, a worldwide movement involving new ways to communicate positively with pets and other animals.

I was introduced to clicker training at the Wisconsin Humane Society in both Diesel and Marvin's Manners Classes, as well as Diesel's Tricks Class. I am forever grateful that I had this introduction so early in my dog-guardianship/training "career" because the whole idea behind it really "clicked" with me (yes, pun intended!). It's scientific and all about reinforcing wanted behaviors and improving communication in a positive way. I kind of geek out on it.

The following article is pulled directly from Karen Pryor's site and the specific link to the article is here.

I just want to add a bit to Tip 1 though, based on what I learned at WHS. The clicker – or the sound it makes – in and of itself means nothing to your dog. To introduce your dog to the clicker you need to "charge the clicker". As mentioned in Tip 1 below, have your dog in front of you, click the clicker once, then treat. Click again, then treat. Click some more, then treat. One click, one treat (teeny treats or your result will also be a chubby dog!). Your dog will begin to associate the click sound with a reward. This is where the fun starts!

Now, enjoy the article ...

Fifteen Tips for Getting Started with the Clicker

By Karen Pryor

Clicker training is a science-based way to communicate with your pet. It's easier to learn than standard command-based training. You can clicker train any kind of animal, of any age. Puppies love it. Old dogs learn new tricks. You can clicker-train cats, birds, and other pets as well. Here are some simple tips to get you started.

Push and release the springy end of the clicker, making a two-toned click. Then treat. Keep the treats small. Use a delicious treat at first: for a dog or cat, little cubes of roast chicken, not a lump of kibble.

Click DURING the desired behavior, not after it is completed. The timing of the click is crucial. Don't be dismayed if your pet stops the behavior when it hears the click. The click ends the behavior. Give the treat after that; the timing of the treat is not important.

Click when your dog or other pet does something you like. Begin with something easy that the pet is likely to do on its own. (Ideas: sit; come toward you; touch your hand with its nose; lift a foot; touch and follow a target object such as a pencil or a spoon.)

Click once (in-out.) If you want to express special enthusiasm, increase the number of treats, not the number of clicks.

Keep practice sessions short. Much more is learned in three sessions of five minutes each than in an hour of boring repetition. You can get dramatic results, and teach your pet many new things, by fitting a few clicks a day here and there in your normal routine.

Fix bad behavior by clicking good behavior. Click the puppy for relieving itself in the proper spot. Click for paws on the ground, not on the visitors. Instead of scolding for making noise, click for silence. Cure leash-pulling by clicking and treating those moments when the leash happens to go slack.

Click for voluntary (or accidental) movements toward your goal. You may coax or lure the animal into a movement or position, but don't push, pull, or hold it. Let the animal discover how to do the behavior on its own. If you need a leash for safety's sake, loop it over your shoulder or tie it to your belt.

Don't wait for the "whole picture" or the perfect behavior. Click and treat for small movements in the right direction. You want the dog to sit, and it starts to crouch in back: click. You want it to come when called, and it takes a few steps your way: click.

Keep raising your goal. As soon as you have a good response-when a dog, for example, is voluntarily lying down, coming toward you, or sitting repeatedly-start asking for more. Wait a few beats, until the dog stays down a little longer, comes a little further, sits a little faster. Then click. This is called "shaping" a behavior.

When your animal has learned to do something for clicks, it will begin showing you the behavior spontaneously, trying to get you to click. Now is the time to begin offering a cue, such as a word or a hand signal. Start clicking for that behavior if it happens during or after the cue. Start ignoring that behavior when the cue wasn't given.

Don't order the animal around; clicker training is not command-based. If your pet does not respond to a cue, it is not disobeying; it just hasn't learned the cue completely. Find more ways to cue it and click it for the desired behavior. Try working in a quieter, less distracting place for a while. If you have more than one pet, separate them for training, and let them take turns.

Carry a clicker and "catch" cute behaviors like cocking the head, chasing the tail, or holding up one foot. You can click for many different behaviors, whenever you happen to notice them, without confusing your pet.

If you get mad, put the clicker away. Don't mix scoldings, leash-jerking, and correction training with clicker training; you will lose the animal's confidence in the clicker and perhaps in you.

If you are not making progress with a particular behavior, you are probably clicking too late. Accurate timing is important. Get someone else to watch you, and perhaps to click for you, a few times.

Above all, have fun. Clicker-training is a wonderful way to enrich your relationship with any learner.

About the author: Karen Pryor is the founder and CEO of Karen Pryor Clickertraining, and the author of many books including Don't Shoot the Dog. Learn more about Karen Pryor or read Karen's Letters online.

Click! happy

2008-03-05T17:01:00.003-06:00

Whoo hoo! Waa heyy! Ahh rooo!

Monday night Marvin and I had a breakthrough. I know I've mentioned more than once that before, during, and after our agility runs my sniffer dog's focus on me and the task at hand has been waning. Even though I tried to remain upbeat (and was sure to keep my attitude with Marvin upbeat) I was feeling frustrated. Well, during Monday's class I finally pulled a powerful tool out of our bag and we suddenly found ourselves on the same page.

Hail the clicker!

I use a clicker all the time at home when we practice tricks or I teach a new behavior. It's attention-getting and very positive feedback for the pups. They hear the click! and know good things happen. They love it and they pay attention.

But for agility?

I did actually think of trying it earlier but didn't act on it because I wasn't sure how to incorporate it into our agility practice. I thought about Silvia's seminar and how she interacted with La using the clicker while she spoke with us. She would ask La to do a trick or a short sequence and clicked and treated. La remained engaged, visibly asking "what's next?" as Silvia continued her lecture.

I realized I've been losing Marvin the second we left our seat and stepped out to the agility course. So the minute it was our turn and we took the floor, I clicked a brief moment of eye contact, then treated. Marvin's ears perked and there he was ... all attention on me. "What's next?" he visibly asked and I smiled from ear to ear.

So we played the Close Game (thank you Katherine ;), which is basically heeling (but doesn't the Close Game sound much more fun?!). We walked a couple paces, Marvin glued to my left side watching me with anticipation. I stopped. His butt plopped. I clicked and treated. And we did it some more. We made it all the way to our first obstacle without so much as one sniff and we were both happy as can be!

Believe it or not he was hyped enough that once we started our run he stayed right with me, looking for direction. I found myself suddenly free to practice my handling techniques knowing that I had a dog who was engaged and running along with me! It was incredibly fun. I even got to practice my RFPs (Reverse Flow Pivot, isn't that a lovely name?) over and over again to the point where it actually made sense.

The boy got a world of praise and a jackpot of treats at the end of that run, and all the runs following. We played the Close Game back to our seat and I was proud as punch of that pup and myself. We connected.

I have goosebumps just thinking about it. :)

Diesel's teeth: a great result

2008-03-02T09:47:00.006-06:00

We're very happy with the results of Diesel's teeth-cleaning-day at the vet.

When I went to pick him up on Monday afternoon he barely offered me a wag, he so wanted out of there. Since the office is only about a half mile from our house, we typically walk to our routine vet visits. So the minute we stepped outside Diesel was directing me home by foot. It took a little convincing to let him know that we needed to load ourselves in the car this time.

He wasn't totally himself that evening, still feeling some of the effects of the anesthesia, but he did as well as can be expected. He had an appetite (of course, we're talking about a beagle here), but we took it slow – giving him half of his supper at the usual time and then, once we were sure his system was handling the small amount of food okay, the other half about three hours later.

He was tired too. We caught him sitting on the edge of the window seat looking out the window with his eyes starting to close. We convinced him to hop down so he wouldn't fall asleep sitting up there and then fall.

After a good night's rest he was back to his old self the next morning, bouncing along on our early walk and attempting to kill Marvin once we got home.

It was indeed a good result. We've never seen his teeth this clean.

After. Super, super clean.
(It seems whenever you see healthy dog gum photos at the vet or online, the gums shown are just pink. Both Diesel and Marvin have black pigmentation on their gums.)

Another after – he loved this photo shoot. Umm, no.

Before.
I wish I would have taken better before photos. This is probably the best I have (from the Toothbrush Attack post).

I am even more of a dog dental health advocate now that we've taken this step and seen the results. It only makes sense to take care of their teeth as part as their overall well-being. Also, not that Diesel ever had really horrible doggy breath before, there was still some noticable odor. Since his teeth have been cleaned there is no odor at all. Not at all. I think that says something.

Diesel smiling pretty.

Overview: Silvia Trkman seminar

2008-02-27T16:40:00.014-06:00

I promised a recap of my day auditing Silvia Trkman's seminar!

I'm not sure where to start really. My intentions for attending the seminar were perhaps unique to most attendees – or perhaps not.

Why did I travel the distance I did to attend this seminar, even though I found out about it too late to be able to secure a working slot? Why, even though I've only been involved in agility just over four months and have never entered a trial, did I make the trip?

I consider myself a newbie in the world of agility, training, or even the dog world in general (having adopted Diesel only two years ago). I love our agility classes and I don't see an end in sight. I can't say my goal is to compete and, although I suppose that would be a natural result, it's not my focus. I just enjoy the unique interaction with my pups, I enjoy watching our relationship grow, I enjoy figuring out "what makes them tick", I enjoy seeing them feel proud of themselves, and I enjoy feeling proud of us as a team. Because of all of this, I very much connect with Silvia's overall philosophy. She inspires me.

I wanted to meet her (and La!) and be motivated to further my relationship with my pups. And of course I learned a thing or two about agility as well!

Agility dog Johann and his Mum attended the two-day Masters Level Handling and Problem Solving seminar the days prior to my Novice seminar. They have some very well-put-together notes from their experience here and here. Many of Johann's mum's notes mirror mine so I will cheat a bit and direct you, my dear, small group of readers, to their site. Their blog is very popular so I'm sure they would welcome more company.

There is also a very nice recap here, written by Cat on her experience at Silvia's Slow/Novice seminar in New Hampshire.

From my own novice perspective, I have a few more notes to add on the agility front that feel specific to us and our level of training:

Offer as much information to your dog as possible – both verbal and through body language.

Repeat commands as your dog is running the course to keep him engaged. This goes against the "run silent" training exercise we did in class a few weeks ago, but since Marvin seems to be letting his nose drive him lately, more feedback from me as we go might be very helpful and make me more interesting to him. Nothing wrong with saying "here, here, here" repeatedly if it helps your dog. I thought it was great how Silvia directed La by calling "La, La, La ...". "Marvin, Marvin, Marvin ..." doesn't have quite the same ring!

Call "here" to change direction before naming the next obstacle, i.e. "here, tunnel". Don't depend on just the obstacle name to direct, offer the extra information in advance as well as an extended hand to direct.

In training, if you find yourself confused (forgot where to go or off the correct line) don't stop/try to figure it out/spin all around (oh, I know how to do that!). When you know you are lost, carry on to complete the next obvious obstacle, reward your dog, and start again. Running and then just stopping tells the dog that agility is confusing and not all that fun. You also loose the connection to your pup and off he may go sniffing because he doesn't know what to do.

Before starting a run get your pup hyped up by playing, doing tricks, anything that gets him excited and motivated to work with you.

Use a happy, excited, animated voice when you are running the course. Running with you on the agility course should be the most FUN thing for your dog. If your pup does start sniffing or is distracted, be boring. Dogs interpret "Marvin, Marvin, Marvin, here, Marvin, Marvin" over and over again in an excited (in my case desperate) voice to get them back almost as praise. Best to just keep running and (hopefully) he'll see how fun you are and catch up to run along. If that doesn't work have someone else lead him back to you and start the happy, excited running again.

Don't wait for your dog. Keep up the pace and keep moving forward.

If you have the choice, choose a front cross over a rear cross. The rear cross is easier for the handler but more difficult for the dog. A front cross gives your dog more information and is "flashier" keeping your dog connected and interested in what you are doing.

Consider teaching "turn" or "left" and "right" so you have an increased directional vocabulary to give your dog more information.

Consider training the cik/cap method of wrapping a jump, which was really interesting to see in person. She demonstrated with La "cik, cik, cik, cik ..." while La took many tight jumps in a row to the left, as well as "cap, cap ..." to the right.

Also, Silvia's approach to teaching puppies or new dogs agility, is to teach many of the elements used in agility without using any of the obstacles. Teach directional commands, teach wrapping tightly and circling objects, teach tricks (lots of tricks!) that increase back-end awareness. Once you have these basics, going on an agility course is simply running with obstacles along the way. Learning that this was her approach made me wish I had made myself available to attend the puppy seminar the next day. I think I would have learned a lot of great basics I could have passed on to my pups.

...

I guess that's about it. As I had read her entire Web site already, and she's very generous with the information she provides on her site, I can't say anything Silvia discussed on Saturday really took me by surprise. But seeing her work with people and their pups was indeed inspirational. She was gentle and forgiving. She offered suggestions openly and criticism thoughtfully. She was down-to-earth, yet motivating.

My sincerest thanks to Silvia for making the long journey that took her away from the rest of her pups to offer her wisdom to us. And again, huge thanks to the members of QCDTC for making me feel completely at home and opening up their amazing facility to us.

At the end of the seminar many people brought their dogs to Silvia and asked if she would pose with them for a photo. Since I didn't have any pups accompanying me, yet still wanted a photo souvenier, I asked if she'd take a photo with me. :)

As I often do with my camera, I turned it towards us, put my arm out, and "click!". Unfortunately La heard interesting kitchen noises just as I clicked and turned away (can't blame her). And I was a bit too shy to ask to take another photo ... oh well!

What a great day!

Fasting

2008-02-25T10:04:00.007-06:00

A 12 hour fast is not a beagle's idea of a good time.

This morning at 8:15 I took Diesel to the vet to have his teeth cleaned.

Shortly after we adopted him in January of 2006, Mark and I thought we would like to have his teeth professionally cleaned. Although the foster group we adopted him from thought he was close to a year old because of his playful, puppy-like demeanor, our vet pegged him at closer to 2 or may 2-1/2 when we adopted him. I tended to agree because since he's been with us he's had an amount of brown-yellow tartar present on his back teeth. So today we're going to "start from scratch" and can hopefully forfeit any more procedures like this if we keep up with the daily brushing.

Back to the fasting.

As of 8:00 last night Diesel was not to have any more food in preparation for the anesthesia. I gave both Marvin and Diesel their Greenies early but that didn't keep Diesel from giving us the evil eye for not giving him another Greenie at the time he normally has one – after their final walk for the night. He eventually curled up in his crate defeated and probably holding a grudge.

This morning Diesel woke up shortly after I did and went right to the counter where the Greenies are kept. Drat! He didn't forget.

Thankfully getting ready for our morning walk distracted him and off he, Marvin, and I went. As soon as we got home I went into the bathroom for a shower. Typically I give them breakfast and brush teeth before my shower but this morning I needed to hide. The pleading, questioning eyes were killing me. I'm sure both pups were quite certain I was losing my mind by forgetting their breakfast altogether.

The rest of the time I was getting ready for work Marvin sat in the front window and Diesel watched me from his crate, eyes never leaving me. If I was out of his sight he would put himself in my general direction, in beagle-rug fashion, just in case his presence would jog my memory that I had yet to feed them.

I'm quite sure he was starting to question my integrity and/or my qualifications.

Time for us to leave and he full-body wagged in his typical style when I reached for the leash. Happy little guy in the car. Immediately suspicious when we pulled up in front of the vet's office. Shaking like a leaf in the waiting room. Not fun for a beagle. Not fun for a dog mum.

I'll be glad when 4PM rolls around so I can take him home to the comfort of his familiar routine.

*It's only 10AM and the vet just called saying everything went very well and Diesel's resting now. Great news!*

Roadtrip!

2008-02-24T12:07:00.005-06:00

I arrived back home at 11:45 last night from a two-day roadtrip to Cincinnati (15-1/2 hours roundtrip – it should have been no more than 14 RT except for the blasted ice storm between Indianapolis and Cincinnati on Friday).

I audited SILVIA TRKMAN'S NOVICE/OPEN AGILITY SEMINAR at Queen City Dog Training Club yesterday. I type in caps for good reason – it was a BIG DEAL!

Since discovering Silvia through Barby and Xsara's blog, I've been an avid fan. Seeing her in person, working with people and their dogs, further solidifies my admiration for her – she's a kind and gentle soul who has the best interest of dogs in mind. Her passion is undeniable and inspiring. And what a treat to meet the darling La and seeing her love for working with Silvia.

I hope to put together a synopsis of my experience later today ... I have many notes and videos to sort through.

Check out one of Silvia's seminars if ever you have the chance. Or at least watch some of the tricks videos on her Web site.

Also, I can't say enough about the folks at Queen City Dog Training. I couldn't have felt more welcomed or better taken care of yesterday. What an amazing (and fortunate) group!

Feb. 27: I finally finished my overview of the seminar ... you can find it here.

With puppy-like wonder

2008-02-17T11:01:00.004-06:00

What is going on with our weather this winter? The forecast for today called for rain and mid-30° temperatures until noon, switching over to snow and falling temps this afternoon and beyond. We have the potential to get another six inches to add to our snow collection by tomorrow morning.

You might be interested in a little trivia. In a typical winter season, Milwaukee sees around 35 inches of snow. Last winter we had it easy, with a meager 26 inches. As of this moment, pre-afternoon snowfall, we are at 76 inches this season. The record, set in the late 1800s, is 109 inches. If we get our predicted six inches of snow today, we will be in fifth place for the all-time snowiest winter season for our area.

So there you go. It's been pretty non-stop.

Just as they predicted, the beagles and I were walking in pouring rain this morning. The 34° temperature actually felt rather warm considering what's been typical lately. We were still surrounded by snow banks on the lawns but the road was in a condition I can't say I've ever seen before. There were intersections in our neighborhood that were covered in a good six inches of standing water. There were portions of the road (mainly the middle, where we concentrated our walk) that were clear, just wet. And there were big sections of road that were best described as a giant flat icecube. You couldn't always tell where the icecube sections were by sight, so it was a soggy, slow-going walk.

Still, despite that, it was amazingly pleasant being in the elements because 34° felt warm. Go figure!

As we rounded the corner that would take us back home, we approached the circular manhole cover that Diesel checks out fairly regularly. There are three holes in it about an inch in diameter that he like to press his nose into and breathe and snort deeply (this is one of those moments where I pause, imagining what he might be experiencing).

This morning Diesel passed the cover over completely but Marvin found it intriguing. Rainwater and snowmelt were rushing over it and the three little holes turned into mini-vortexes. Marvin tried to press his nose to each hole, but just as he got close he jumped back as the wet whirlpools deterred his attempt. Over and over he tried and over and over he pulled back, tipping his head and perking his ears in wonder. The vortexes created water bubbles and those were fascinating too. He went to sniff a bubble and on contact it would pop puzzling him all the more. His brow furrowed, he gently pawed the whirling vortexes, and all his attention was forward, focused on this fascinating phenomenon.

I could have watched him all day, just as he could have likely stayed there all day in his fascination. But I convinced him to join me and we finished our walk, the beagles and I. Once home, a towel-down and the typical after-bath zoomies ensued.

...

Fast forward a couple hours.

I pulled a chair up to the kitchen counter to search the dark reaches of the cabinet's top shelf for baking soda and vanilla to complete my list of ingredients for banana bread. As I stood on the edge of the chair intent on my search, I felt a presence on the chair with me. There appeared Marvin, in a perfect sit right behind me. Same perky ears, the same curious expression I witnessed outside. Except this time he was wondering what it was I might be doing.

I love this dog. His curiousity might require more understanding on our part or make him more of a challenge occassionally, but it's so a part of him. He fascinates me as much as the world fascinates him.

Dear Marvin, I encourage you to forever live your life with a sense of puppy-like wonder. And you can teach me how to do the same.

Toothbrush attack

2008-02-16T17:49:00.017-06:00

For the last four months I've made it a goal to brush two sets of beagle teeth every morning. Yes, every morning. It used to be a once-in-a-while thing until I had a change of heart after doing some reading.

From my research into raw feeding, I found out that dry kibble doesn't have the teeth-cleaning properties clever advertising has always told us. In fact, quite the opposite. Once I started imagining eating dry crackers and then not brushing my own teeth for two weeks, it seemed entirely disgusting to me to not brush the beagles' teeth at least once a day, especially since we were back to feeding all dry kibble again (Diesel had a reaction to his raw chicken diet ... we'll try another raw option in the future).

So toothbrushing is a morning ritual for the three of us. Marvin finishes his breakfast first so he's the first to sit in front of me waiting his turn (yes, he does wait for me!). Once the brushing starts he makes a game of trying to kill the toothbrush, but with two hands I pretty much know where in his mouth to stick my fingers so the toothbrush wins the game.

By the time I finish with Marvin, Diesel is waiting. He's such a patient and still little dog fellow. It's a pleasure.

...

This morning I had the camera in one hand as I was brushing teeth. The toothbrush didn't stand a chance!

First Marvin, happy that, today at last, he can chew the toothbrush!

Dental mayhem.

Then Diesel realizes chewing the toothbrush isn't such a bad idea.

Tug-of-war is more like it!

(Look at Marvin in the background ... what a face :)

...

The toothpaste was gone anyway and the new tube came with a new brush. It was the perfect day to have some fun!

Dog dissing in the kitchen

2008-02-14T09:17:00.015-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

I woke up to find this as the wallpaper on my iPod Touch this morning!

That husband of mine was busy after I went to bed last night. This is my favorite kind of surprise and he's so good at catching me off guard with them. On our first Valentine's Day after he moved to the U.S., I went out to my car to go to work and he had filled the entire front seat and dashboard with little red and pink heart-shaped stickers with loving Valentine sayings on them. I was so taken aback by the sweetness of it all I cried! I love you BF!

...

On another note, this morning I scurried off to our kitchen at work because of a rumor going around that a vendor brought in a giant cheesecake.

As I was filling my plate, I realized my presence started a dog conversation, beginning with Uno's win. That was all fine and good but then one work friend disappointedly mentioned that her husband is lobbying to get a dog.

The room was filled with gasps of horror. "A dog! You can't do that!" "Too much work, you'll be stuck home forever!" "All the poop to pick up, forget it!" "Way too high maintenance, you'd be better off with a cat."

On and on they went.

Guess what. I used to feel the same way. Exactly. And not even that long ago. But then suddenly some wires in my brain crossed or the planets aligned or something ... and I got my priorities straight.

So I proudly stood tall and said out loud to my dog-dissing friends, "My dogs are my life! They are my whole world (and my hubby too, of course, but that's understood). I take them to agility classes twice a week and I might be assisting an obedience class an additional night a week. They are my social life and that's the way I like it. My life is ALL DOG!"

After I stopped talking I stood there, taking in their semi-bewildered facial expressions. And then I said something to the effect that I'm sure that seems crazy to some people but that's just the way it is with me.

I offer no apologies. I'm sure you understand.

YES!!

2008-02-12T22:05:00.006-06:00

... or should I say AHH-ROOOO?!!

That judge knows where it's at ... and so did the crowd!

Go Uno!

2008-02-12T15:49:00.000-06:00

Uno jogs on a treadmill inside the Pennsylvania Hotel in New York.

My fellow beagle-loving friend, Katherine, sent me an e-mail announcing that Uno, a lovely 15-inch beagle boy, won Best in Group last night at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Apparently this sort of thing never happens. In fact the FOXSports article Katherine forwarded me actually says this: Westminster has presented best in show 100 times and a beagle has never won. In fact, no beagle has even won the hound group since 1939 — that drought is 483 years, in dog years.

Hooray for Uno! Hooray for beagles!

He also won Best in Group during the AKC/Eukanuba Dog Show, which we did manage to see on Animal Planet. If I were a judge, all winners would be beagles.

But then I'm a bit biased.

Breaking the nose barrier

2008-02-12T12:05:00.000-06:00

Beagle noses are special things. They elicit from me all kinds of emotions and feelings.

Appreciation: Known fact – the most important part of the beagle is the nose. The nose is how they get their work done ... the work they were created to do. If I am to love a beagle, which I do, I am to love the nose – for better or worse. Besides that, the beagle nose has plenty of aesthetic appeal – ridiculously large and wet poised at the end of a kissable snout. What's not to appreciate?

Wonder: Many, many times I've stopped in my tracks to watch the beagles on a sniffing frenzy. What are they experiencing? From watching various dog programs on the Discovery Channel and National Geographic, I've learned they don't smell a "stew" of smells at once, rather they discern one scent from the next from the next all at the same time. That's something us humans just don't experience. So I watch them and imagine what it must be like.

Joy: Mark and I have used the noses in countless games of hide-and-seek, jumping, weaving, and all sorts of fun training. It binds us and bonds us. Oh, and those noses love to work and play for treats.

Finally, not to finish on a negative note, but it cannot be denied ...

Frustration: It's true, the nose can tend to take over at times when I, the human who paid for that agility class and really would like to get the most out of it, just doesn't appreciate.

...

Marvin and I started our second 8-week session of intermediate agility last week and, in all fairness, no one can expect the first class to go all that smoothly. New dogs, new people, new smells to become familiar with. By the second week of a new session you can expect things have calmed down a bit and it's back to having fun running the courses.

Apparently I've lost my charm or my treats have become boring as the last two weeks of class have been punctuated by Marvin snouting before, during, and after each of our runs. Remember those videos I posted mid-January? I feel we've gone backwards in the focus department since then. Granted, a beginners session which takes place just before our class also started. Those beginners drop a whole lot of treats and Marvin makes it his personal mission to clean the floor. Thank you class-before-ours – you've provided me with a new challenge! I know, I should be grateful for the "opportunity", but I really just wish they'd clean up their act!

Honestly, I blame myself for this blip on our agility screen. We haven't been doing nearly as much focus work outside of class as we did in the warmer months (seriously, our snow and negative temps are not giving us a break). Nor have I switched my choice of treats. And last night when the sniffing started during our runs, occasionally I stopped trying to get his attention and found myself watching him do what he was doing. That is until I remembered I was in a class, wasting people's time.

So we've got some work to do, Marvin and I. Which really just translates to a chance to spend more time together and build our relationship. If only the weather wasn't making me so LAZY lately!

In many ways I do think Marvin and I make a great agility team.

Even better if I could just break the nose barrier.

6-pole weave practice

2008-01-31T16:26:00.000-06:00

This is Marvin and I in our basement practicing weaves.

One weekend I got creative with PVC and made weave poles and a jump following a really great do-it-yourself link I found online. So now we can practice whenever we want to. I have enough PVC to build a 12-pole set but I don't have enough basement ... that is unless I get serious about cleaning the basement. So we'll stick with our six poles for now!

I also have enough PVC (and enough basement) to build a second jump so hopefully we'll be doing two-jump drills soon.

Halved: a video outtake

2008-01-30T12:16:00.000-06:00

Over the weekend, when Mark and I were in our computer room, we looked out to the hallway to see half of Diesel staring at us. He was still ... just resting and watching us, no movement at all outside of the occasional blink of his eyes.

Mark commented that the scene was worthy of a photo and I, too, had the same thought. Diesel has never been a fan of the camera. When it appears he inevitably walks away, apparently thinking we are about to steal his very soul with the mechanism pointed in his direction. Knowing this, we quietly removed the camera from the desk and it's case ... never making eye contact with Diesel, being as stealth and unconcerned as possible so he wouldn't catch on.

Luck was on our side as Mark aimed at the beagle but, wait, what? oh no! it was set to VIDEO! We lost our chance ... or did we? We remained calm and deliberate, changed the camera setting, and managed to get one slightly out-of-focus shot (see previous post) before the beagle was on to us and left the scene.

My favorite part of this blooper, the part that made me write a post about it, was Mark downheartedly saying "oh, now he's wagging" as though once the wagging starts the entire universe may as well explode ... it's so ALL OVER for us.

Halved

2008-01-29T12:07:00.000-06:00

Half of Diesel, deep in thought.

...

Speaking of thinking ...

Thank you to our beagle friends, Jazz and Dixie, for presenting us with our first ever award ... the 'Thinking Blogger Award'. Their reason was because of our wise decision to join DWB. You don't receive awards everyday so I believe it was a wise decision to join indeed. :)

Here are the rules attached to the Thinking Blogger Award:

1. You must write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think. (No squirrel or cat blogs, they'll just make you hungry.)
2. Acknowledge and link to this post.
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote.
4. Tell your humans to fork over the treats!

Since it's all about thinking, I would like to pass on this award to five rescue dogs. Think about it: There are so many homeless dogs deserving the chance of a loving, forever home. Diesel and Marvin were both strays taken in by rescue groups and we were fortunate enough to find them through petfinder.com. I can't imagine their fate if it weren't for the selfless people involved in their rescue and fostering.

So, with rescue being the common denominator, my picks are:

Velcro, the Australian Cattle Dog (we just met yesterday!) – she's a lovely shade of orange. I love orange.

Eddie, Bella, and Peaches – thank you for stopping by our blog and adding us to yours! AND you have a link to BREW ... Marvin is a BREW beagle.

Graham and Tilly, with memories of Prince – I've been silently lurking on your blog, discovering you through Patience. My husband is from Leicester so I love reading your posts from "over the pond".

Daizy and George – new blogger! Their mum rescued me via e-mail from tearful morning walks with two crazy, tugging beagles – a great friend. Plus she's currently fostering a young beagle boy as well as caring for her beagles and pug, Taiki.

Jake (he doesn't know us yet either!) – nice agility links on his blog ... a very handsome and talented Lurcher from Scotland.

By the way, you won't hurt my feelings if you choose not to participate (it required me to do quite some thinking to compile this list of blogs!) ... I mainly wanted to acknowledge you, fellow bloggers, and thank you for rescuing your pups.

Let the truth be told

2008-01-24T10:29:00.001-06:00

Okay, Marvin really isn't a football fan. And I'm not just saying this because Green Bay lost (which was unfortunate).

Like our friends who left comments on the post suggested, it was the green headband that looked so very charming on the boy that inspired me to take photos and tell a story. That, and the fact that I might impress my sister and her family for posting about the Packers because they *are* true football fans!

The truth is Marvin did wear the headband around his neck throughout the duration of the game. However, he was curled up in a tight dog ball in his crate in the bedroom the entire three hours we had the game on TV in the living room.

So now you know. You can't necessarily believe what you read on the internet. :)

Who would have thought?

2008-01-20T17:37:00.000-06:00

Marvin is a Packer backer!

He spent the day patiently waiting for kick-off and supporting his team by wearing his warm neck wrap.

We can't quite figure out where he got this interest in football. Neither I (his dog mum), his dog dad, or Diesel follow the game.

Diesel wonders what all the fuss is about.

But between all the hype on the local news and Marvin's spirit, we've got our eyes glued to the NFC championship on TV. It's -1° at Lambeau Field. How do they do it?

Go Green Bay!

6° and dropping

2008-01-18T12:40:00.000-06:00

This morning before the boys and I ventured out for our earlier-than-early walk, the television said it was 6°F. Do you believe that? That's not the worst of it though as it's forecasted to be a high of 4° tomorrow and 8° on Sunday (today is going to be a whooping 22°). I won't even mention the lows, but I will tell you there is a minus in front of the numbers.

Diesel is surprisingly tolerant of low temperatures (except when a paw freezes) but Marvin, having virtually no body fat and a thinner coat, wants nothing to do with the cold early walks. He did all his business within three minutes and planted his feet, only to walk again when I turned back in the direction of the house. Diesel and I dropped him off and took our regular walk. I think Diesel liked having his dog mum to himself because he walked very nicely at my side checking in frequently to see if I might be interested in handing him a treat or two. And of course I did.

Once home, breakfast was eaten by all and, as I got ready for work, the beagles settled in to a dog's life:

Tighter dog balls couldn't be had. Marvin (top photo), in an attempt to cover himself up, buried under his mat on the dog pillow. It didn't work all that well so I helped them out by covering them with their car towels.

It's almost 1PM and I'm about to run home for lunch. I bet they haven't moved a muscle.

We're learning together

2008-01-16T12:21:00.000-06:00

Last Monday (January 7) Dog Aunt Wendy came to agility class with Marvin and I and she brought her camera. What a lovely surprise! She took videos.

First run. Oh, things were looking good. Marvin ran enthusiastically and was full of wags. (Never mind the missed contact on the A-frame, oops!) We arrived at the final set of three jumps. "Easy!," I thought, but Marvin was more interested in the treat in my right hand than following the lead of my left hand over the jumps. What I love is how he's so focused, even if it's on the treat. He's right there with me. We finished to applause in the end. Now, look at me at the very end walking back to our seat, ditching the beagle. He's sitting there wondering what to do next! Note to self: Be as attentive to the beagle as the beagle is to you.

Second run. My favorite. We were instructed to run silently ... no verbal direction, just body language. We all discovered that our dogs ran the best this way. Dogs are masters of body language. Note to self: We will do best if I keep my mouth shut! :)

Third run. We ran the course in the reverse direction. After some initial snouting beagle-style it turned out to be our best run. But did you notice all the hub-bub after Marvin did the A-frame the first time? Yes, that was me forgetting what comes next. I remember thinking "forward cross, I need to do a forward cross after the A-frame, before the next jump." Little did I realize I already did the forward cross automatically ... a classic case of thinking too hard and not trusting my instincts. Note to self: Believe in the beagle. Believe in myself.

...

So nothing was clean, but I've been watching the videos over and over again for clues on how to improve my handling. Marvin knows the obstacles fairly well, it's up to me to communicate clearly and in a timely manner.

But in watching the videos, what actually stands out to me the most is that the boy is having fun.

Mission accomplished!

The wumpus

2008-01-08T14:33:00.001-06:00

The transformation to a swan

2008-01-02T12:21:00.000-06:00

Jazz and Dixie's comment about sleeping dog poses on our last post reminded me of a small set of Marvin photos I haven't yet shared. Typically Diesel and Marvin sleep in the classic dog ball pose, a.k.a. the beagle bagel. Because Marvin is a long and narrow dog he has the ability to contort a bit ...

Marvin, resting in a classic dog ball.

When disturbed, a swan appears to better survey the surroundings yet still rest head on own hip. Mark dubbed this "swan dog".

Swan, as seen from above.

Swan – direct side view.

We've never witnessed Diesel transform to a swan. I don't think he has the build to allow such contortion – certainly not a fault. Even with weekly yoga classes I wouldn't be able to perform such a feat myself.

Starting a new year ...

2008-01-01T18:29:00.000-06:00

... with Diesel!

Today is the second anniversary of our adopting Diesel. Our celebration has been rather subdued, much like our New Year's Eve celebration last night. We took the most pleasure in spending time with the boys at the dog park, watching Diesel antagonize his beagle brother until a chase ensued. It seems to me we have a couple happy dogs on our hands.

And as I type this, they are curled in tight dog balls in their beds.

Diesel is a blessing to us.

May 2008 bring you many blessings, doggie and otherwise. Happy New Year!

For Angela and Truman

2007-12-26T09:35:00.000-06:00

Hi Angela! (I wasn't sure how else to reach you except here :)

Congratulations on being a guest on beagles-on-the-web on Christmas Eve ... I'd been hoping to see a photo of your boy sometime and there he was! Very handsome fellow!

Diesel and Marvin are wondering what the most central dog park between Kansas City and Milwaukee are so they can play.

I hope you are enjoying your holidays!
Jackie

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-24T07:56:00.000-06:00

Holiday bling: the outtakes

2007-12-24T07:45:00.000-06:00

Dog Aunt Wendy gave Diesel and Marvin "dog bling" as a St. Nick's gift this year. We thought these glittery collars would add a "refined" look to our Christmas card insert we send with the cards. They didn't need antlers or Santa suits as I humiliated them enough with costumes earlier this year.

Don't they look regal?

Bookends

(Jan 01 2008: I was surprised to discover that Diesel and Marvin were guests on beagles-on-the-web Daily Digital again. I sent one of the "bling" photos to Laurie and she posted it during the holiday week. Thank you Laurie!)

As seen through the eye of a fish

2007-12-22T10:14:00.001-06:00

Saturday was (another!) snow day

2007-12-18T12:37:00.001-06:00

Snow snout

Diesel plowing

Pouting and smiling

What's she got?

Two-headed

2007-12-18T12:27:00.001-06:00

The head on the right is not wearing a yarmulke, although it may appear that way. You will also notice two perfect snowflakes if you click the photo to view it full size.

A blog I like

2007-12-14T12:18:00.000-06:00

I was introduced to dooce.com a year or so ago because she occasionally posted photos and entries about her dog, Chuck. Apparently she got some slack from readers for posting about something as trite as *a dog* (heaven forbid these naysayers come across a dog blog!). To spite the naysayers she now includes a Daily Chuck photo. Her photography is amazing and I visit almost daily.

Earlier this week she posted a link to this video. It's a 10-plus minute Japanese short film about a girl Mika and her dog Marimo. This film comes from the compilation of short films named All About My Dog (2005).

Watch it. It's beautiful. It will make you cry but it's worth it.

At the dentist

2007-12-14T11:37:00.000-06:00

This morning I had an early morning dentist appointment. My hygienist and I were talking in between the pokes and prods of dental instruments and, knowing that Mark and I have beagles, she mentioned the new receptionist has a beagle too.

So after my cleaning I went to the front desk to set up my next appointment. The receptionist and I swapped beagle tales.

As we were finishing our stories another patient arrived to check in for her appointment. While I was putting on my coat she asked what kind of dogs we have. She mentioned she has a Bichon who she's hoping makes it to her 16th birthday as she hasn't been well lately. As she told me about her dog and a few of her health problems I could see this woman's heart was breaking over the imminent loss of her long-time companion. I wanted to give her a hug. I wished her my best as I left and in my mind hoped her little dog would make it through the holidays.

Until adopting Diesel and Marvin I could never have imagined how integral a part of my life and my emotions they would become. I wouldn't have it any other way ... even though not everything about this kind of love is easy.

For Mum

2007-12-13T10:25:00.000-06:00

(This post is for Mark's Mum in England lest she forget what her son looks like! :)

Hellooooooo Mum! Here he is! I'm not sure if we've e-mailed you this photo before. Hopefully not so this will be a surprise.

Your handsome son and a goof ball beagle ...

Inversion

2007-12-11T16:11:00.000-06:00

The natural state of Marvin.

Unhappy feet

2007-12-10T12:50:00.000-06:00

Since December began we've had an unusual amount of snow. And, in these parts, snow means a heavy application of road salt.

This is actual text from our city's snow removal policy: Normally, the City does not plow streets unless the total accumulation of snow is three or more inches. Anything less is typically covered by salting operations.

And there is plenty of salt out there with no signs of going anywhere until heavy rains come spring.

Mark and I have a ritual of washing and drying eight paws after our dog walks that involve the city streets (which is early morning and before bed at least). It takes a while, and Diesel and Marvin comply, but it's not ideal.

I've noticed on cold but dry mornings the salt doesn't seem to bother them. However, the typical mornings we've had lately are wet and the roads are covered in a slushy, salty mess. This has a noticeable effect on their comfort. Diesel suddenly pulls a paw up to his body and hobbles along on three legs. When I stop to wipe his hurting paw with my gloved hand he gives me a look that says he wants to go home pronto. Marvin is less subtle. When he's uncomfortable he stops dead in his tracks, front paws forward and braced. He shoots me a look as though I've committed the ultimate betrayal and refuses to budge. I go to his side and, with a gentle tug, pick up the pace and he'll move forward again only to stop within a few feet. Eventually we make progress but it's not been a pleasant few mornings.

I thought yesterday I would remedy the situation by buying the least obtrusive dog boots I could find. I decided on Fido Fleece because they are soft and flexible (rather than the tough Cordura boots I tried with Diesel last winter) and they have a coated sole and toe so they should hold up for at least one winter season.

Last night I had the boys wear the boots around the house and their reaction was the typical freezing motionless followed by high stepping when lured by treats. We tried them outside and they did pretty well considering the newness. Marvin actually finished our brief walk with a normal gait while Diesel did some hopping along on three legs mixed with slow motion walking.

This morning was the moment of truth and it was a disaster. Marvin did "his business" and then braced himself for the long haul. I took him home and continued with Diesel. Diesel perfected a three-legged canter, favoring his right rear leg, just like he did with the Cordura boots last winter. Although he was amazingly fast, it wasn't natural, and I felt guilty.

I wish I had an answer. We have months of this ahead.

Random snouts, Part 1

2007-12-07T14:10:00.000-06:00

While doing shoots with the beagles, they inevitably find the camera irresistible and pop up for a sniff. This leaves me with plenty of close snout shots which I find quite charming.

Most of the time they aren't in focus because they are so unexpected but I would say that puts them into the category of "art". Or better still, "darn cute".

Blank slate

2007-12-06T12:02:00.000-06:00

Diesel, in his downtime, striking the classic "frog dog" pose.

Sunday morning at the window

2007-12-03T10:12:00.001-06:00

I couldn't help stalking the beagles with a camera as they stared out the front window at our new blanket of snow. They don't share the window seat on a regular basis, after all Diesel is a bit claustrophobic. But there was plenty of squirrel activity so their minds were focused on that more so than on the close quarters in which they sat.

Vigilance is exhausting.

Might that be a squirrel in the red bushes? Why, yes, it is.

Agility show-and-tell

2007-11-30T09:35:00.000-06:00

Here are some photos from our beginner's agility "graduation" evening (mentioned in the WauwatosaNOW article I posted yesterday). I debated posting these because the photo quality isn't the best. We've only used this camera outdoors so I should have researched the settings more carefully prior to class before expecting to get perfect indoor action shots. Poor Mark split his attention between trying to get decent photos and watching our runs ... I certainly thank him for his effort!

They may be blurry but I find the colors nice. Besides, they give a general idea of what happened so I've decided they're worth posting. Next time we'll try video!

Patiently waiting as we walked the course

A-frame

Dog walk

Weave poles to tunnel

Tunnel to A-frame – second run

Dog walk – second run

Google

2007-11-29T21:48:00.000-06:00

I just googled "snoutbeagle" to see what would come up. Google asked, "Did you mean scoutbugle?"

Surely I couldn't have meant snoutbeagle. That would just be silly.

Perhaps scoutbugle will stick.

Coverage

2007-11-29T21:01:00.000-06:00

Two Mondays ago, on our last day of beginner's agility, there was a staff reporter for WauwatosaNOW sitting among us. Just as Marvin and I were settling in, she began asking me questions – our names, what breed of dog Marvin is, why we signed up for agility. I admit I forgot about the whole thing until our instructor, Dave, e-mailed me this morning telling me we were "famous".

Here is the story: http://www.wauwatosanow.com/story/index.aspx?id=690974

___________________________________________________

How to keep Fido flying
Programs keep dogs active, healthy during winter
By Lori Weiss
Staff Writer
Posted: Nov. 28, 2007
Jackie Ratcliffe gently pets her multi-colored beagle, Marvin, as she leans down to take a blue leash off his neck.

She points him toward a yellow cloth tunnel that gently winds around a corner.

She soon begins to run toward the tunnel with Marvin on her left side and points to it, saying "tunnel, tunnel" in a gentle voice.

Marvin's black, brown and white speckled body disappears into the tunnel and his face soon appears at the other end and he quickly looks for his owner, who is preparing him for the next obstacle - a jumping bar.

The two challenges Marvin and Ratcliffe tried to conquer are part of an agility sport for dogs.

"By giving (dogs) activities using their minds, bodies, they are much happier," said Patti Muraczewski, owner of For Pet's Sake that has a branch location at Central Bark Doggy Day Care, 6442 River Parkway. "It's nice because it's positively trained. It's something dogs enjoy immensely."

Started in UK
Agility involves dog owners who direct their dogs over a course filled with jumps, tunnels, teeter-totters, dog walks, A-frames and weave poles.

Agility came to the United States from the United Kingdom in the 1980s, and For Pet's Sake began offering agility courses about eight years ago.

"It just took off like wildfire," Muraczewski said. "Agility has become a good portion of what we offer."

Muraczewski said the sport is a good outlet for dog owners, especially in the winter.

"It gives people another activity if they aren't going to the park as often," she said.

Dave Fink, an agility instructor who runs the class in Wauwatosa, agrees.

"We see a big spike in the winter because you can't take your dog outside running and it's driving their dogs crazy," he said.

Fink started his 7-year-old boxer, Sasha, in agility about five years ago.

"I needed something to do with her," he said. "I did it just to give Sasha something to do, to run around and have fun."

There are many older dogs like Sasha who take part in the sport, even though they have arthritis.

"It's good for them to do," Muraczewski said. "It can be a low level and still keeps them active."

Any dog can participate
While it's a popular sport for border collies, any dog can do it.

Muraczewski said mixed breed dogs and even dogs as big as Great Danes are often seen in agility.

"Any dog can be motivated to do agility," Fink said.

That is the reason Laurie Wannemacher enrolled her border collie, Payton, in the beginner's agility class.

"(I enrolled Payton) because he is shy and needed some comforting, and I wanted him to be around other dogs," she said.

Wannemacher said Payton has been better with people since taking the class.

"It's a wonderful outlet for people, no matter what your occupation, to be able to enjoy something like this with your dog," Muraczewski said.

Some try competitions
While many dog owners enroll their dogs in agility classes for the fun of it, some pets move on to trials where they are judged on speed and accuracy.

Even though it takes hard work to be prepared for competition, Fink said it should remain a fun activity.

"If you're not having fun, you shouldn't be doing it," he said.

Lori Weiss can be reached at lweiss@cninow.com or (262) 446-6645.

FYI
Upcoming area agility trials

• Dec. 6 to 9 - Hounds for the Holidays at Uihlein Soccer Center, 7101 W. Good Hope Road, Milwaukee

• June 13 to 15 - United States Dog Agility Association at the Kenosha County Fairgrounds, 30820 111th St., Wilmot

• July 18 to 20 - American Kennel Club agility trial at the Kenosha County Fairgrounds

• Sept. 13 to 14 - USDAA agility trial at the Kenosha County Fairgrounds

FYI
Agility training through For Pet's Sake

• The classes are eight-weeks long, one hour each session.

• Beginners courses cost $115.

• Intermediate and advanced classes cost $95.

• Contact For Pet's Sake at (262) 363-4529 for the next available eight-week session.

Sound sleeping

2007-11-28T12:54:00.000-06:00

Last night I was woken to the sound of a beagle snoring. Loudly. I don't have a good guess as to who it was because I don't know who was sleeping where.

Since we brought Diesel home we've had a well-padded wire crate in our bedroom. Now that we have Marvin, the prized donut bed is moved from the living room to the bedroom each night so they each have a place to cozy up. Heaven forbid they share a bed! Marvin will let out a little growl if Diesel gives his bed of choice a second look. And if Diesel is curled up in his chosen spot and Marvin walks by, Diesel gives him a look of absolute disgust.

Anyway, they change their minds nightly as to where they prefer to sleep ... it's not like the prized donut bed is everyone's favorite all the time, nor is the cozy crate. Whoever comes into the bedroom first picks their spot and that's how the decision is made.

That's why I don't know who was making such a racket last night. The beagles came into the bedroom shortly after I had turned out the light and crawled into bed myself.

All I know is it was coming from the crate. It would have been a much easier situation to remedy had it been Mark snoring and I could have just nudged him with my elbow. Since that wasn't the case, I drifted in and out of sleep until the offending beagle woke himself up and adjusted his position.

Peaceful silence once again ... until the alarm clock went off.

Humbled, but not surprised

2007-11-27T12:55:00.000-06:00

Last week Monday night Marvin and I finished our first 8-week session of agility. It was our intro/beginner course and it went well (really well). Marvin is a goof ball so my gut feeling that he would enjoy trying different jumping and climbing obstacles proved to be right.

We both enjoyed it a lot. I loved seeing the light bulb go off when he figured out what I was asking of him and watching him prance across the dog walk. I felt some frustration at first when he just didn't "get" that he needed to run through the tunnel rather than turn around inside and come back out the same end ... or jump up and walk along the top (okay, we all laughed at that one!). I didn't loose patience or faith in him though. He was doing great. And suddenly, one week he just went through the tunnel. And went through every time after that evening. He got it and I was so proud!

But what I loved the most was the feeling of teamwork. I was so surprised to discover how attentive he was to me. He actually watched me to see what direction I was going to give and, especially once we got moving through a course, he stayed with me and remained attentive on the task at hand. I expected his beagle nose to take over more often than not as I'd stand helpless while he'd flit from this scent to that. Sure there was some of that before we started a run, but if I stayed really interesting to him (read tasty treats), he kept his snouting at bay.

I would be so proud of him after we left class each week that I would play Josh Rouse's song, Marvin Gaye, in the car over and over and sing along as the lyrics repeated "you are a star, you are a star ..." (I'm not sure what the rest of the lyrics are about really – all that mattered to me was to tell him he's a star!). (Funny, I just realized as I typed this that the song I sang to him is named after a Marvin. :)

Everyone in the class, instructors included, were so supportive of all efforts made. It was such a positive experience. And Marvin made an impression of his own ... people started calling him a "rock star". That's my boy!

...

Last night we started our 8-week intermediate session. A whole new group of people and dogs. A whole new set of potential expectations. Initially it felt like a whole new experience all together and I wondered if we were in over our heads.

I was immediately taken aback when I saw fellow classmates walking the pre-set course before class. What? Dave didn't mention anything about walking the course ... why are they all out there? So we went and followed along, and crap, those six jumps are awfully close together in that weird shape ... I sure hope I remember the order once it's our turn ...

All in all each dog and handler did first one half, then the other half of the course once. It turned out everyone dealt with their own little version of chaos. Mine of course was the beagle nose rearing it's persistent head. I wasn't interesting enough nor were turkey hot dogs tasty enough to keep Marvin focused without breaks of snouting on both of our runs. He did take all the obstacles however, even the tunnel especially enthusiastically. And instead of calling Marvin a "rock star" last night, instructor Melissa called him a "little hound"! Oh no, there goes the reputation!

We'll call it temporary though, as apparently this is typical chaos of a first class. It's all new so who can blame them. It certainly felt very new to me.

So with some extra "focus" homework hopefully our rock star will reappear to the class in a couple weeks.

Of course, to me, he's a rock star "as is".

In motion

2007-11-25T11:15:00.000-06:00

Excerpt

2007-11-25T10:58:00.000-06:00

A random sampling of the goings-on at the dog park over the long holiday weekend.

Waiting for some action.

"Dog Aunt" Wendy saying hello to "the competition".

Shadow.

Square ears.

On the attack. Typical beagle-brother behavior.

Camouflage

2007-11-22T10:24:00.000-06:00

Handsome chappy.

Nothing like a fresh dusting of snow and a bit of camouflage to assist in tracking deer. Since I doubt many deer make it over the 6-foot fence at the dog park, the jacket mainly helps to keep the boy from shivering. We better be on our way!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Giving thanks

2007-11-21T08:34:00.000-06:00

I join the beagles in giving thanks for ... Thanksgiving!

Let me tell you, we all had a hard time crawling out of bed this morning at our workday rising time of 5:45. Once up, I was motivated by the fact that this is the last day of work before having off for the next four days. And having off for the next four days means sleeping until I wake up for the next four days. It's probably still fairly early by some people's standards, typically not past 8 a.m., but the chance to have a bit of a "lie in" (English term Mark brought over from across the pond) is certainly something to be thankful for.

In the summertime on our lie-in days, Diesel is first to get up, not long after the sun rises, waking me with tapping toenails on the wood floor, insistent whines under his breath, and C-shaped tail wags. But on these chilly, dark mornings of late fall even Diesel is snoring away when I make my way out of bed. And on our early workday mornings ... well, I practically have to put treats in front of their noses to rouse them out of sleep and convince them to join me for a morning walk.

Yes, it is a dog's life when I'm ready to head out the door for some fresh air before the beagles even consider their morning stretches. Starting tomorrow I'll have a taste of that dog's life, and it is partially for that reason I am especially thankful for Thanksgiving!

Marvin vows to research pumpkin pie recipes online to ensure a slice in his bowl.

Some people's kids

2007-11-15T08:59:00.000-06:00

Our company picnic was held on a Saturday in mid-September, the day after Mark and I returned from a trip to Maine and New Brunswick. Since our plane was seriously delayed on our return Friday and we didn't actually arrive home until 1AM on Saturday, Mark and Marvin took a pass on attending the picnic and Diesel and I arrived just as most people were leaving.

It's a tradition at our picnics for the adults to hijack the bouncy castle for a while and, since I missed that, Diesel and I took our turn after everyone but Jack, our copywriter's son, had left the castle.

Jack was pretty sure dogs aren't allowed in bouncy castles ... and, in all honestly, I was quite sure of that too. But, well, Diesel "insisted" so we made the exception. Just this once.

Some people's (furry) kids ...

Exposure

2007-11-13T12:14:00.000-06:00

Many thanks to Laurie, founder of Beagles on the Web, for featuring Diesel and Marvin as guests on her Daily Digital today (our archived page can be found here)! I'm a frequent lurker on her site and have always enjoyed the chronicles of her beagle boys, Clayton (huge ears like Diesel), Spenser, and the charming late Scooter. In fact, I would partially credit Laurie's Daily Digital to being one of the reasons I seriously considered adding another beagle to our family prior to adopting Marvin. Many times her photos and stories put a huge smile on my face and thoughts of "we could *do* this!" would cross my mind. And yes, two can be (more than?!) twice the work but definitely a million times the joy.

I was thrilled to see she included a link to our SnoutBeagle blog so perhaps we'll have some more visitors. I love to share our beagle experiences with anyone who's interested in having a look. All part of the turf of being a proud dog mum.

Thanks Laurie! I hope your and Phillip's vacation was a good one.

Narcoleptic

2007-11-05T14:33:00.000-06:00

nar•co•lep•sy (nahr-kuh-lep-see) n. a condition characterized by an extreme tendency to fall asleep whenever in relaxing surroundings.

In the pumpkin patch

2007-10-31T08:29:00.000-05:00

There was really no reason to buy dog Halloween costumes this year. Diesel has his witch costume and Marvin could have worn the lobster suit I bought on clearance post-Halloween last year. Not to mention the option of not putting dogs in costumes this year!

But when I was innocently walking down a main aisle of Target on a quest for toilet paper and pet costumes are displayed on an end cap *on sale*, I kind of lost control of the situation and decided I needed matching costumes for the pair of beagles.

The costumes were put to good use. I had the beagles on their tie-outs in the yard as I handed out candy to our trick-or-treaters last Sunday. They were great yard decorations and the kids loved them. The beagles, especially Marvin, loved the whole idea as well because of the extra attention and petting they got. There was only a momentary disruption when Marvin realized Diesel looked like a plush toy and started gnawing on his costume, causing me to separate them for a bit.

…

Since I had taken these photos for the blog, I dropped a copy off at a local pet store holding a photo costume contest. The chance to win a $75 gift certificate was incentive enough to enter. When I looked at the previously entered photos I realized that Diesel and Marvin were Pumpkins Number 4 and 5. Okay, perhaps not the most original costume around but I do have a matching pair. We'll see what happens.

Boo to you today!

Frustration (via gourd)

2007-10-30T15:39:00.000-05:00

Marvin is a curious boy. Chances are good he'd never seen a gourd before so I thought I'd introduce him to our autumn decorations. Because of his unique reactions to new things, I knew it would make for some good entertainment.

I precariously placed the gourd just out of reach of his tie-out cable. Had I given it to him he would have "killed" it in an instant. (Diesel, in the background, is focused on bigger things.)

First there was some initial examination.

Followed by some barks of varying intensity …

Then some lunging, wriggling, and play bowing …

(Note the intensity.)

And finally, ultimate frustration sets in as the boy stands back, shuts his eyes, and barks at the gourd (and me!) continuously.

Okay. Fine. Marvin, you've had enough. I allowed him a nibble of the gourd and then traded him for a tasty treat. There was peace in the neighborhood once again.

My boy

2007-08-15T15:07:00.001-05:00

Last September Diesel was unofficially titled the dog mascot of the 24th Annual Greg Postles Lake Park Golf Invitational and Picnic Extravaganza by fellow hostess, Tania, and myself. He arrived, he snouted, he made some new friends. He's currently preparing Marvin for the 25th annual event in a few weeks.

Photo by Allyson Bahr.

Aftermath for a star

2007-07-07T16:55:00.000-05:00

Today was Marvin's second-to-the-last manners class. He's still doing very well, although he's brought his interest in heights to class. Last week he realized he could jump up on the chairs behind us lining the wall. Today he did more of the same, this time jumping up, then walking along the row of chairs, back and forth. "Marvin, off"-click-treat time and time again. Despite this diversion, he still walks nicely on a loose leash, even practicing a figure-8 around other dogs while remaining focused on me. While the other dogs circled us, we practiced "watch me" and his attention didn't falter. A beagle knows salmon treats are of a much higher value than any distraction another dog can offer.

There was also playtime today where the dogs could go through tunnels, climb stairs and a ramp, and hop in and out of an empty plastic pool. Marvin handled all of this with gusto. I remember when Diesel was introduced to these things in manners class he was much more apprehensive. What makes Marvin brave and bold also makes him a bit more of a challenge around the house. What makes Diesel more cautious also makes him more calm. We relish their differences.

One thing that must be mentioned is that Marvin has impressed our instructor, Linda, so much that she's not convinced he's a beagle. This is a compliment of rather large proportions. From her past beagle experience, she hasn't seen many retain their focus in class. Marvin, and Diesel both for that matter, make excellent eye contact and tend to remain focused. It must be my choice of tasty treats. :)

With so much going on in class we're both rather exhausted by the time we get home. He earned his blue star by walking nicely on a loose leash and for going in his crate on his own at bedtime the last two nights without us having to ask.

Good boy.

Funny face

2007-07-07T16:49:00.000-05:00

Bedtime surprise

2007-07-02T15:56:00.000-05:00

Last night after Mark and the dog-fellows returned from their before-bed walk and following nightly snack of a Greenie® with PB, I went to tuck Marvin into the crate in the bedroom for sleep. He doesn't particularly like going into his crate but, once in, he curls up immediately and lets out a big contented sigh.

This time I had to give him a little extra push to convince him to go in, and even so he wouldn't go in far. I carefully tucked his tail inside, shut the door, and climbed into bed myself. I heard the contented sigh and knew all was well.

About ten minutes later I heard Mark calling for Diesel. When he couldn't find him he came into the bedroom to ask me if he was in there. I told him no, I just tucked Marvin into the crate. Not convinced, Mark turned on a light and there we saw it … two beagles in one crate, Diesel curled up in a dog-ball in the back and Marvin as a dog-ball in front. Obviously Diesel snuck into the crate and, since I tucked Marvin in in the dark, Diesel went unnoticed. They greeted our surprise with tailwags but didn't stir otherwise. It was a tight squeeze but we left well enough alone and kept them as they were.

At 3:15 this morning I was woken by a quiet growling sound. I figured it was Diesel wanting out so he could sprawl as he does in his prized donut bed in the living room. Marvin, being the sound sleeper he his, didn't stir as Diesel crawled over him.

Until last night, they had shared the mat in the hallway but never curled up in bed together. I'm thinking it wasn't part of their plan. I guess I'll have to pay more attention tonight.

Seeing double

2007-06-19T10:24:00.000-05:00

We took the leap. Now there is not only Diesel, but Marvin as well. Two entirely different, yet in many ways the same, personalities living under our roof. We are now a family of four.

Today is two days short of two weeks that Marvin came to live with us. As much as Mark and I looked at petfinder.com and brewbeagles.org, despite the fact that we passed our phone interview and homecheck with BREW with flying colors, and even though we were well-equipped for our new arrival with a collar and a crate and bowls, the evening he arrived had me feeling nearly panicked with a knot in my stomach. In all honesty, it probably wasn't the best week in my work schedule to bring a new dog home. Thankfully Mark was available to ease Marvin into his new routine. Not until this last Saturday, however, did I truly have a chance to enjoy his company.

Two dogs is an adjustment. Everything about life with Diesel, just Diesel, was perfect. Well-mannered, content napping at home or in his crate in the car (on temperature appropriate days) while we ran an errand or two, we found the perfect blend of companionship and independence in him. We traveled with him and it was great fun – Door County and even South Dakota last summer, making me forever addicted to dog vacations.

Maybe it was the fact that things were so perfect that it seemed we needed more of a challenge. Maybe it's because Diesel is our focus – we, as a couple, not planning to have children – it seemed a waste that we weren't offering our abundance of resources, enthusiasm, and time to another rescue beagle. Maybe it's because Marvin had the reputation of being BREW co-director's most challenging foster – who better than us with our dedication to clicker-training and beagle experience to provide him with a home? Or, for me, maybe it was to protect myself a bit from the emotion I feel towards Diesel. Despite the fact that I am his benevolent leader without a doubt, I have that boy on a pedestal. The smallest thought of life without him brings tears to my eyes, even though, God-willing, we have many years yet to enjoy each other's company. It seemed that if we brought another beagle into our home that perhaps I would realize that, as special as Diesel is, they are all special in their own way and they all have something unique to share. My life can't begin and end with Diesel. The cruel fact is the dogs we love aren't with us on earth as long we'd like.

...

So nearly two weeks have passed and we're all settling in. Diesel and Marvin have warmed to one another after that first week and now break into crazed bouts of wrestling with one play-initiating nip to an ankle. Morning walks jolt me out of sleep with two dogs much faster than with just Diesel. In the first mornings I felt frustration and even tears of "what have we done?!". Each morning following however has found me more accustomed to juggling two leashes, snapping two snouts out of a sniffing frenzy, and keeping my own footing as a beagle dashes into my path. I've even laughed at the insanity of it. That's progress.

The first weekend brought a constant parade of fellow dog neighbors stopping by to greet the new arrival. Marvin, oh how well the name suits him, is a lover and melts into people's arms with an Eeyore-like quality. He's made many fans.

Marvin is also making huge strides around the house. He respects the fact that the living room chairs and sofa are not for him. He has picked his battles on walks and rather than pulling and "chirping" at the sight of birds, squirrels, and rabbits, he's whittled it down to rabbits and the occasional squirrel. He does a lovely food bowl sit/wait. He and Diesel lay out sunning themselves in the front yard on their tie-outs quietly for the most part. He performs many good sits when he greets us because he knows good sits get the attention, not jumping. This last Saturday Marvin and I went to our first Manners class together at the WI Humane Society. He not only impressed me by sitting quietly in the passenger's seat in the Ghia, but he was a star in class. After the first few moments he focused on me and we practiced eye-contact, "sit", "go to your mat", and the entirely new behavior of "down", which he picked up quickly. A fast and willing student!

We have our challenges to overcome though, the biggest will be separation anxiety. Marvin's not a huge fan of being left in a crate (nor was Diesel), yet we aren't close to being able to trust him around the house uncrated yet. Our solution so far has been for one of us to be home non-stop. We have work to do because that's not realistic forever, nor is it in Marvin's best interest. There is also the jumping up on the kitchen table if given the time alone ... but hey, he's a clever and curious boy.

Yes, everyday I wig out at least once at the thought of two. But everyday the adjustment becomes less and the joy becomes greater. They just want to be loved, understood, and accepted. One look at those beagle eyes and we're up to the task.

Diesel wonders if this arrangement is long-term.