Our Big Win!

I'm so proud of my Meg.

At the second last trial of the year in these parts Elmingo's Prime Suspect (Megan) WON the Puppy Stake at Mountain Valley!

I couldn't resist posting this picture of Meg and I. It's probably one of the nicest that I have.

Since the trial season is over, we're spending our time with some light training and hunting.

Next weekend is the big Dovetail Kennels Pheasant hunt and shortly thereafter it will be time for Meg to head south for the winter.

I'm going to miss her....

Noula - The New Star

This is a picture of a friend of mine, Margot, who, over the years has owned several Irish Water Spaniels. I met Margot, 11 1/2 years ago at Handling Class. I was learning to show Logan and Margot was teaching the ropes to Claire. Over the years, Margot has done obedience, conformation and field with her Irish Water Spaniels. For years Margot has been telling me how adorable Irish Water Spaniel puppies are and when Libby had her first litter this year, I went off to visit and was instantly "sucked in" by the IWS charm. Yes, Margot, they are adorable.

Margot kept one of these puppies and her name is Noula. Noula is also known as Noulie and affectionately called "Noodle". Whatever we call her, Noula is a doll and was the hit of training this past weekend. Below are a series of action photos of Noula's first swim and water retrieve.

This picture was taken of Noula on Saturday at training. She puddled around and spent a great deal of time at the line watching "the big dogs". She found it all very interesting and was very intent on watching what all was going on.

These next pictures were taken on Sunday when we trained at a local quarry.

Check out that water entry!!! Go Noula Go!!! Go Noula Go!!!

Amost there......

Got it...what a proud puppy and she turned right around and brought it back.

And away we go....let the games begin.

There you go Margot. Won't be long before she's ready for Master Hunt and maybe Field Trial???

THE BIRTHDAY BOY!

Happy Birthday Buddy!

Better late than never!!! On June 25, 2009 my Logan turned 12 years old and I felt it fitting to celebrate this milestone.


So....I bought a Birthday Cake, some party hats and brought them along to the Mountain Valley WC's Tests at Christie Lake Conservation Area.


Once we all had a piece of Logan's cake, I made sure he got a corner piece!



Although Logan is blind, he is in extraordinary condition. He is happy and in good health. We walk everyday and he swims and retrieves bumpers with my other two dogs. He is my couch buddy and an all around good boy.


I'm already planning Logan's 13th Birthday Party for next year!

Meg's First Trial

If Marcy says she's been lazy about blogging I don't know what to say about myself. I have really been bad about keeping up to date.

Well, Meg went off to Dovetail Kennels in early May to start her formal field training. So far, so good. She is getting along well with everyone. She sailed through Force Fetch and Collar Conditioning and is now on 3 handed casting. She is getting stretched out more and more on her marks and is just tremendous in the water.

So after 4 weeks with Sandie we decided to enter Meg in the Longpoint Retriever Trial Puppy Stake. Pete Ferin handled Meg while I was at another Stake with Jett. I managed to run over to the Puppy Stake in time to watch the land series. Pete did a great job and in the end came up with a 4th place finish! The picture above is Pete and Meg walking to the line for the first mark.

Pete's pretty happy handling Meg. He adores Meg and she's quite fond of him. They make a nice pair. I have to keep reminding him that Meg belongs to me!

Flyer Day!

Just before we left to come home we had one last Flyer Day. I handed Meg over to Sandie and told her to "have at her" while I helped Pete with the flyers. This was Meg's very first flyer. She was extremely excited and had a great time. She also learned that she couldn't be pulling people all over the place and that "sit" means "sit". Meg had a wonderful time in Alabama.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

We spent our first weekend in Alabama attending the Montgomery Field Trial which is held annually in Greensboro, Alabama at the State Cattle Ranch.

The Cattle Ranch is a very interesting place. It is, in fact, a prison and the inmates take on the job of gunners at all the stakes. The Cattle Ranch used to be a fully functioning self sufficient enterprise. Catfish ponds, farming and cattle were the mainstays of the workings of the ranch. The size of this place is unbelievable.

The inmates here are pretty much "lifers". These are not petty thieves. They got to the cattle ranch because of good behaviour and are model prisoners.

There are no fences, no guards that you can see and cars and people drive through the property at will. Nothing holds the inmates in. If they wanted to go, they could. Interestingly, they don't.

The former Warden of the Cattle Ranch is a dog person and trials his dogs. You could book time to train your dogs on the property, pay the inmates to throw for you, and invite the warden to come along and train. It all worked out very well.

About a year ago, the Cattle Ranch was sold to Forever Wild, a conservation group. Their mandate is to return the property to its former state and create a large scale habitat to support wildlife conservation. The Cattle Ranch as it was no longer exists however, the actual "prison" is still intact and inmates do live here. There is no more farming but you can hire the inmates to work for you.

During a break in the action we took Jett and Meg and let them have a swim in one of the ponds on the property. They certainly had a blast. Meg loves the water and so does Jett. I love watching them play and have fun. They really get along very well together.

Not only did the girls have fun, but our Canadian contigent did extremely well in the Qual on this particular weekend. Lorne Langevin won, Dan Devos got 2nd, Peg Willibond got 3rd (honorary Canadian), Connie Swanson got 4th. Pretty much a clean sweep.

We're Baaaaacccckkkk!

Well, our Alabama training trip is over for yet another year. This year I took 2 dogs with me. Meg and Jett made the trip while Logan spent the 2 1/2 weeks with my sister.

This was a big trip and primarily my goal was to acclimatize Meg to life with the pack at Sandie and Allan's because when they get home from Alabama it will be time for Meg to go in for training.

Jett is an old veteran but Meg is totally "green" to the whole atmosphere and I must say the experience didn't faze her one little bit.

She learned to swim, made friends with the pack leaders, Annie and Millie, cuddled up with Sandie and Allan, learned what real birds were all about, experienced the tie-out and riding in the "big truck". Meg is a trooper and did just fine.

The pictures below are of Meg's first time in the water. She loved it. She is now an accomplished "water dog". She just dove right in and couldn't get enough!

Once Meg, got in I couldn't get her out. It was the best fun she's ever had. This picture was taken as I was attempting to get her out. If she could speak I guarantee she'd be saying "Come on, throw me another!!!"

Not to be forgotten, Jett worked really well while we south. I was really happy with her.

I have lot's more pictures and stories to share in subsequent posts. Suffice to say, we had a great time and I can't wait to go back next year.

The Escape Artist

Meg is an "escape artist" and she's loving every minute of it!!!!

Meg is good as gold - when I'm home. She sits and looks at you with adoring eyes with her head cocked on the side but deep down inside a devil is lurking! Meg is very smart and quietly devious.

I feel bad leaving Meg in her crate for too long. I have hired a dog walker who comes in Monday to Friday at 1:00 pm. Jennifer takes Meg and Jett for a walk. When she brings her back Meg and Jett go into the kitchen with chewy things, toys, bones, 2 beds, the whole nine yards. The baby gate gets put into place and life is good.

Or so it was for a while. Apparently the arrangement doesn't sit well with the youngest member of the pack.

I came home a week ago to find Meg sitting on the step, inside the door waiting for me to come home, a piece of toilet paper hanging precariously from the corner of her mouth and her tail wagging furiously. Upon greater investigation, toilet paper was strewn from one end of the house to the other. Jett, looking terribly worried, was still in place on the other side of the baby gate in the kitchen. As nothing was out of place I could only deduce that she had climbed over. Sigh....

Marcy suggested two baby gates, one on top of the other. Great idea Marcy but we didn't realize that Meg was part mountain goat. This did not work either. Poor Jett. Again, Jett is still sitting in the kitchen behind the baby gates. What a good girl. Meg, on the other hand, greeted me at the door with a bra in her mouth. Another sigh...

Today, we tried a different approach. Thinking that maybe Meg felt the need for more space,I blocked off the living room. I gave Jett and Meg the kitchen and hallway. Then we took cardboard and covered the baby gate so that she couldn't climb up using the holes as toe holds. We then took the baby gates and tied them to the stairs so that Meg could not get up the stairs and couldn't knock down the gate.

Once again, Meg made me look like an Amateur! I never knew how much fun and tasty cardboard could be!!! Yup, you guessed it. The cardboard was torn to shreds and littered everywhere (except the kitchen and hallway, where Jett was trembling with worry). Meg, was upstairs asleep on the bed. Meg has very busy days and needs her sleep.

SIGH............ I am sure the saga will continue.

I'm going to send Meg to Doggy Daycare tomorrow while I mull over my options. I'm running out of ideas. I just think she's too young to spend a whole day in the crate.

Did I say that I still love my puppy?????

THE NOT SO PERFECT PUPPY!!!

It's amazing how dogs learn. The perfect puppy, Meg, who is the apple of my eye, has learned how to use her middle finger!!!

We went from being the best little girl who listened and did EVERYTHING on command to the really cute little dog who doesn't listen to a word I say.

Apparently "here" actually means run in the opposite direction with a toy, a bird or anything one can find as fast as you possibly can so that big meany can't catch up to you!!! It has been a very long weekend. What does get into them?

Did I say she was cute???? Just in case I didn't, she is still cute.

Back to the drawing board and the "really really long line"

We're Getting Brave

I'm getting brave.

I just figured out how to post pictures on Canadian Hunt Dogs and I have just officially introduced Meg to the "Canadian Retriever Community". I'm in for a terrible amount of ribbing since I have switched breeds and this doesn't go unnoticed.

I have had golden retrievers for the past 15 years and I finally decided that I wanted a lab.

Meg has settled in famously and she is just a dream. She is funny, smart and gets along with everybody.

We, the goldens and I, are having lots and lots of fun with Meg. Jett and Logan might try to tell you otherwise but I guarantee that they are having the time of their lives with little Meg. Jett finally has a playmate again and they are so incredibly compatible that its great! Logan doesn't seem his age anymore and he's even getting in on the action. Our little Meg has breathed new life into a couple of old farts. Well Jett's not really an old fart, but Logan is - but not any longer!!!

Meg is the hit of doggie daycare and obedience. She has a repertoire of sit, shake a paw and stay. She's working on down but I usually get everything else before the down. Apparently, "down" is going to be a problem. Well, it may be a problem but its very entertaining nonetheless!!

Here's Meg

It has been a while since I last posted and things have changed dramatically since October. Meet Meg (Megan) also known as Elmingo's Prime Suspect.

Meg joined our household a few days before Christmas. I flew out to Calgary to pick her up in the middle of two snowstorms which made air travel very difficult. Our trip home, which should have been a 4 hour flight, ended up being a 17 hour marathon. Through it all, Meg was a trooper. Not a peep out of her.

I have two golden retrievers and this is my first lab and I love her to death. Meg is absolutely the best puppy and the easiest puppy I have ever had.

Meg and Jett have forged a very good relationship and rip and roll around the house playing for a good part of every day. My old guy, Logan, even likes her. He tries to get in and play every now and then. I've even caught Meg and Logan curled up together. It's very sweet.

We started puppy competition obedience three weeks ago and Meg loves it! Mind you, anything involving food and/or treats is a big hit with Meg.

The weather here has been horrible - very very cold and very snowy so that makes things difficult for field training but we manage to get in some work. Meg is retrieving and bringing back bumpers and birds to hand. I can't ask any more than that. She is phenomenal.