Dog Showing Once Again

Yesterday, I found myself somewhere I hadn't been since August...a dog show! Mackenna's shoulder surgery is healing and getting stronger so we decided to go to Albany, Oregon for a small show. Rose and Chaos were signed up for Junior Showmanship. We expected Cato to be the only Norwegian Elkhound in the breed ring since our friends dropped out the day the show closed due to not hearing that anyone else had signed up.

Well, Cato wasn't alone in the breed ring!

A bunch of out-of-state folks decided to show up, eight dogs on Saturday and seven on Sunday! That many Elkhounds rarely show up anywhere unless it's a specialty show. Boy, was it fun seeing them all.

Hubby took the Saturday shift. It was a great day! Rose and Chaos placed second in Jrs. Mackenna took Cato into the breed ring and won: Winners Dog, Best Winners and Best Opposite Sex! He ended up with a couple more points toward his championship, too!

We split kids and dogs, yesterday. He did the morning shift. I took the afternoon one! By the time Mackenna, Cato and I arrived, the place was pretty empty. Hubby and Rose were finished so they left Chaos with us and headed to Mass nearby.

Unfortunately Sunday wasn't as good as Saturday results wise. Rose didn't place. Cato was Winners Reserve (no points.) Just what happens with dogs. But still a fun day. Though a long one.

Oh, and our breeder has another set of new puppies. Astra, who Mackenna has shown both in juniors and breed, had her second litter! I can't wait to see pics so I can share them with you!

Have a great Monday!

Going to the dogs!

Available in June

Do you like dogs? Do you have a dog? I'd love to feature your dog on my Facebook page. Info is at the end of this post!

I may be a crazy cat lady, but I love dogs, too. I'll be honest. I wasn't really a dog person until we adopted a Norwegian Elkhound named Chaos in 2008. We'd had dogs when I was a kid, but they were more my mom's dog not ours. But Chaos arrived, 2 1/2 years old and settled in that first night without a hiccup. It's been smooth sailing with the most perfect dog ever for us.

We now have a puppy living with us, Cato, who is Chaos' grandpup. Her daughter, Tango, gave birth to him in September. He's full of puppy and boy mischief and a lot of work, but so worth it!

Although Chaos was a champion showdog, she'd had a litter of pups, been retired from the ring and was ready for life with a family (i.e. us!) We knew nothing about the dog world, really dogs in general, so never even thought to change the AKC paperwork to our names.

In 2009, we were at a picnic put on by the Puget Sound Norwegian Elkhound Association in honor of all the dogs they rescued. At the same location, the AKC was hosting a breed day. There we met a Siberian Husky breeder who suggested my oldest look into dog 4-H. We figured 4-H was for farm kids, but we found out that the county where we live has a huge dog program for obedience and confirmation.

Mackenna with "Astra" in San Diego

My daughter, Mackenna, got hooked on dog showing. A year later, she competed in her first AKC Junior Showmanship competition and soon she was handling other people's dogs in the Breed ring. My youngest, Rose, didn't want to be left out, so last year, once she was old enough to compete, she started showing dogs, too.

Needless to say, I've spent many hours—okay, days—at dog shows. Writers find inspiration in different things, for my newest release from Harlequin Romance, THE MAN BEHIND THE PINSTRIPES, I found it in the four-footed-fur-covered cuties and dog handlers dressed in nice suits.

My heroine Becca Taylor took the blame for something she didn't do and paid a high price when she was eighteen. Now, she has put the past behind her and is focused on her goal to be a full-time dog handler. She doesn't want anything or anyone to stand in her way. But one person is messing up her plans—Caleb Fairchild. He runs his family's skin care empire and wants to put an end to his grandmother's obsession with dog showing. That means getting rid of dog handler Becca ASAP.

 Here's the actual blurb from the book cover:

His pinstripe suit is normally his armor…

Becca Taylor has worked hard to overcome her troubled past and start a new life. But when Caleb Fairchild marches into her life, the instant attraction between them is the last thing she needs!

CEO Caleb has learned the hard way not to suffer fools and to be careful of whom to trust. Why should Becca, gorgeous as she is, be any different? But he can't help but be drawn to her, to want to get close to her. So when her secrets are blown out into the open, betrayal seems inevitable. Unless the truth can start to crack the iron walls he's built around his heart.…

Do you have a dog? I'd love to feature readers' pups on my Facebook page, so if your game, please post a pic here with a brief description/story/whatever about your furbaby. I'll then take that info and put your dog on my timeline. The page is public so I'm hoping anyone can post. If not, use the contact button above, and I'll give you an email address to use.

Thanks!

Chaos

Yesterday did not turn out as I expected. Not unusual around here, but this time our dog, Chaos, lived up to her name.

She had a seizure in the morning. According to the vet, a Grand Mal seizure.

To say it was scary doesn't really explain how helpless and terrified we felt when this was happening. Fortunately hubby was home. He was with Chaos when it started and yelled for me.

As soon as she stopped seizing, I phoned our vet and off to the animal hospital we went. Tests, x-rays—all normal. They didn't feel medication was needed at this point, but we were encouraged to make an appointment with a neurologist. She has one on Tuesday.

At the Animal Hospital

A second big seizure happened last night. This one was worse than this mornings, lasted longer and had a longer recovery period. And this time the two youngest kids were with her when it happened. They were terrified. Rose especially. Hubby wasn't home, either.

Fortunately, the same vet we'd seen earlier in the day was still at the animal hospital. A change of treatment was ordered. They were going to be putting her on two medications now. So as soon as hubby arrived home, it was back to the animal hospital to pick up a bottle of pills, then off to a 24 hr Walgreens to feel another prescription. It was almost midnight when we got home.

Life for Chaos has now changed. She can't be left alone in the house if no one can watch her. That meant sleeping in her crate last night not on our bed because the vet is worried if she has a seizure she could fall off. She was not happy about that, either. But once the medicine is in her system, she can go back to her old ways.

Many dogs have epilepsy. It can be controlled by medication. But the vet is concerned because she said most dogs show symptoms between the ages of 2 and 6. Chaos is seven-and-a-half. We'll see what the neurologist says. We'd appreciate any prayers and good thoughts for our beloved Chaos. She is such a sweetheart of a dog. We want her to feel better!

Happy Birthday Chaos!

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Today, our beloved Chaos turns seven! She's now considered a veteran and can go back into the breed ring at dog shows even though she's been spayed. Mackenna can't wait to show her there, even though they've been doing Junior Showmanship. (They placed 2nd yesterday at a show in Redmond!)

While the cats are at home with a housesitter (and doing well, yay!), Chaos is here with us in Sunriver having a blast. She's been going for lots of walks. We went geo-caching yesterday and she came face-to-face (well, within twenty feet) of four deer. The hunter instinct in her (Norwegian Elkhounds are used to hunt moose) went into overdrive. I've never seen her ears stand so straight or such a perfect stack. It was really cute.

Right now she's on a nice long walk with hubby while the three kidlets do a two-hour trail ride. They've been wanting to go horseback riding for a while now. After an early morning at a dog show, bike riding, geo-caching, walking and tennis, they let me sleep in so I have a nice quiet house all to myself! I'll head over to the stable when they're coming back in, but hubby's been sending me pics of them heading out!

Here are some pics of Chaos from the time we adopted her when she was 2 1/2 years old. She's such a great dog. We really lucked out when I called the PSNEA Rescue Coordinator looking to adopt a Norwegian Elkhound who needed rescueing and we ended up with one of her dogs. But she felt we would be a good fit and it's been a perfect match.

Fresh from grooming

Go find your own to play with!

Not feeling well.

Hiking Mount Hood with daddy

Chaos and Yoda - the early years

It's not staying, right?

I hope you enjoy your Monday! We'll be spoiling our birthday dog with lots of love, treats and walks. Maybe we can find her some more deer to look at, too!

Chaos Has a Feast

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Animals like to eat. Some, like cats, are smart enough to stop eating when they are full. Others, like certain dogs whose name begins with a C and ends with an S, don't know when to stop and will eat until they make themselves sick. Literally.

I spent much of last night at the Emergency vet with our Norwegian Elkhound Chaos. Her breed loves food. They act like they are starving most of the time and are masters at tricking humans into giving them more to eat. They are also prone to obesity because of these tendencies. We always check with each other to make sure we don't double-feed her. (Yes, we've been tricked more than once!)

When I arrived home after picking up kidlets from soccer and swim practices, the pantry door was open. The one thing I hadn't put into a container when I organized the pantry last week was Chaos' dog food. (I needed to wash what I wanted to store her food in, but got distracted with Easter.) But there wasn't a mess so I thought neither the cats nor the dog had been scavenging in there.

A little while later, Chaos wouldn't eat dinner. This is as close to Hell-Freezing-Over as our household gets. Immediately my daughter who shows Chaos in Jr. Handling was concerned. I looked over the dog and noticed she looked swollen. It was very clear she didn't feel well. Hubby agreed. He checked her abdomen and she started whimpering.

We replayed the last twenty-four hours. The pantry door being open earlier. She'd gotten into the garbage last night and found the ham bone. We thought she'd only had the bone about 3 minutes before we saw it, but who knew what she'd done with it during that time?

I called the animal hospital. A few minutes later, Mackenna, Chaos and I were on our way. After losing so many beloved cats these past months, it was a worrisome wait. I was scared something was seriously wrong with her.

The vet was nice and thorough. X-rays discovered Chaos' problem...she had gorged herself. Chaos hadn't left the pantry alone. She'd had a bountiful feast on her dog food. She was either very careful not to make a mess or she cleaned up after herself. I'm guessing the latter.

I was so relieved that it wasn't something more serious, but I was also annoyed with myself for not taking care of Chaos' food last week. (Want to guess what my procrastination cost me $-wise?) She may need another X-ray today depending on how she acts and what she does, but so far so good. She even wanted breakfast this morning!

I don't know about you, but I'm hoping for a very quiet Friday with time for a nap and no more visits to the vet!

Fair Day 4

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Yesterday was a very fun day at the fair. Mackenna made new friends with other 4-H Dog kids and Showmanship went much better than Obedience had the other day. She and Chaos won a blue ribbon. That was what she was hoping to get so YAY!

We didn't get out of there until 10:30 pm last night. We have to be back at 9 am so I need to get busy. Hubby let me sleep in when I needed to be up two hours ago!  We have to be at the fair until 11 tonight with no break. Hubby will be bringing Chaos by later since she doesn't have rally until later this evening. A long day ahead. I wish it were already over.

What do you have going on today?

Fair Day 3

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Animals have a mind of their own. They can do exactly what you want them to do , and then one day, they won't. That happened to Mackenna with Chaos during Dog Obedience yesterday.  Two things the dog has done perfectly in the past just didn't happen during the competition at Fair. They were big things, together worth 70 points. The same thing happened at the Leader Show back in June.

I've told Mackenna that when you compete with an animal you can't count on anything. They have minds of their own. All she can do is her best and hope the dog does hers, too. But Chaos wasn't going to do anything she didn't want to yesterday, including Stand for Exam (she wanted the judge to give her love instead) or the Long Sit (who knows why she decided to get up when she did and walk to Mackenna.)

A bummer, yes, but not totally unexpected. Norwegian Elkhounds are very intelligent and can also be stubborn. Chaos isn't a very obedient dog to begin with and this part of the training/practicing/competing has always been a struggle.

The silver lining to all this was Mackenna's reaction to what happened in the ring. She was very disappointed. Her dreams of attending State Fair are pretty much over due to the score she received, but she didn't get upset. There were no tears (something common at Fair ) or point blame at the dog. She handed me the score sheet with the white ribbon and shrugged it off. She showed humility and class with her sportsmanship. I was proud of her.

Review and My Dog!

Today's stop on the virtual book tour is a little different. It's at a review site called LASR (Long and Short Reviews.) I didn't write a blog or answers question for an interviewer. Instead, one of LASR's reviewers posted a review of Not-So-Perfect Princess.

If you want to see what makes an author's day, week, year, go here and read the lovely review for my book.  I was just there again and even with a 46 pound dog on my lap trying to get my attention while I try to blog, I'm all smiles!

Comments there count towards the end of tour $20 amazon gift card giveaway. I'll also be giving someone who comments today a set of trading cards.

Now for the rest of the blog...

The cats almost got their wish yesterday. Chaos didn't self-destruct, but she did get out of the backyard without us knowing. Hubby had taken out the garbage in the morning and didn't latch the gate properly.

While I was at swim practice with the kidlets, someone rang the doorbell. Imagine hubby's surprise when it was two neighborhood boys with Chaos. They'd found her wandering around and brought her home! So relieved and thankful to them. I don't even want to think of what else could have happened!

What's going on with you today? Me? I'll be writing!

Have a great Friday!

Fire Alarm

Yesterday while hubby cooked lunch, Chaos started acting very strange. Her curled tail uncurled. She walked around the downstairs as if lost. I told hubby that she was afraid the smoke detector was going to go off. He laughed, saying I was crazy.

Last night the same thing happened when he was fixing dinner. Chaos looked so nervous. And then the smoke detector went off. The dog freaked as she usually does when that happened. She was on my lap, cowering and trembling so much we wrapped her in a blanket. It was heartbreaking to see her so scared. I tried to get her to go upstairs, but she wouldn't budge. It took over an hour for her to settle down. Poor baby!

I started thinking about her actions prior to the alarm going off. I wonder if she smelled something ahead of time or knows when daddy turns on the fan on the stove the chances of the loud noise sounding goes up. Maybe it was simply the noise from the fan. She doesn't like the vacuum cleaner, either. She obviously knew something was up.

It'll be interesting to see how she acts today during meal time prep!

Still dragging a bit here. I hope to get back to more online stuff soon, but right now trying to rest as much as I can when I have free time.

Hope you have a great Thursday. I keep hoping the rain will go away, but it returned again! I want sunshine! What's the weather like where you are?

Spring Break!

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Today begins our spring break! I asked that no alarms be set this morning, but hubby didn't hear me so it went off at the usual time. A bummer since Chaos was still sound asleep. She had a busy weekend at the AKC dog show down in Albany, Oregon. She and Mackenna won both days in the Novice Intermediate Jr. Handler class. That means Mackenna moves up to Open Intermediate! She's so excited.

I told the kids I wouldn't be writing as much this week so we could have some much needed fun. I had a few things in mind. That was before hubby got sick. Now I'm scrambling with a change of plans/activities for us to do. First up, we may force him to see the doctor. Emphasis on force. Sigh...

Of course, it doesn't feel like spring around here. Temperatures are in the low forties with lots of rain. Finn played two soccer games this weekend. It hailed during one of them. The sun did peek out a little this weekend, and it was so nice.

What do you have going on this week?

Anniversary!

I love this! I like eating my salad last so eating dessert first sounds like a good idea, don't you think?

Sixteen years ago today, hubby and I got married. Time sure had flown by! We don't have any plans. It seems celebrating just isn't in the cards for me right now. He came home from NY sick so I'm not even expecting a card. I'll be happy if he remembers! I do know we won't be together today until later.

This morning I'm heading south to an AKC dog show in Albany, Oregon, where my oldest will compete with Chaos in Jr. Handling. We'll be back down there tomorrow, too.

There's a lot of down time so I'll be working on the new book, trying to figure out characters a bit more and filling in the Blake Snyder Beat Sheet which I use to plot and write the synopsis.

Fortunately we're carpooling with another mom, daughter and dog trio so that will be fun. Adult conversation! I sometimes forget what it's like to talk to someone over the age of thirteen unless they are covered in fur and meow.

Hubby gets soccer detail this weekend! The games don't last long so he can sit in the car and sleep. This will be much easier on him than an almost two hour drive each way to the dog show and then however long we sit around for her turn in the ring.

What do you have going on today?

Of all the kittens...

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This LOLcat cracked me up. I have no doubt this is how my older cats feel about Yoda. Just when I think Yoda is settling down a little and growing up, he proves me wrong. Not that I would change his personality for anything! I love him just the way he is!

Yesterday he tore across my bedroom. Around and around. Running, jumping, annoying the old cats with each lap. I watched and laughed.

In the afternoon as I was finishing up my RITA reading, he jumped onto my bed and fell asleep against me. No attacking my arm. No pouncing on my manuscript pages. No chewing on my power cord. No karate chopping the older cats. Nothing is sweeter than a napping Yoda!

Then Chaos jumped up to join in the love fest and well, chaos ensued.

No chaos today though! I'm brainstorming new book ideas. I have a few days before revisions on the Christmas book will be back so it's a great time to play with some possible characters and stories.

Anything you'd like to see me write next?

The Only Thing Missing is...

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...snow.

The east coast is getting pounded with snow, and a couple feet is predicted to fall in the Cascades. I wish those of us in the lower elevations of the PNW would also see some of the white stuff.

How's the weather where you are?

Yesterday, I had to exchange son's jacket for a larger size so also picked up some wrapping paper, tags and ribbons on super sale. I also swung by Michaels to buy some Christmas craft supplies on clearance. Now I'm all set for next year!

Today is all about writing. I have to take our dog Chaos to the vet, but after that I'm going to concentrate on the new proposal. Hubby has the week off so I want to take advantage of his being home to get lots done on the proposal, house, etc.

What are you up to?

Sick Doggie

My day has not turned out like I planned. It all started when Chaos wouldn't eat her breakfast. This is a dog who can't wait for her morning feeding time. She'll even try to convince me (if hubby fed her) that she hasn't eaten yet or vice versa. This trick always works when my parents house sit!

Anyway, she wouldn't eat. All she wanted to do was go out into the back yard and munch on grass. I figured she had a tummy ache, but she was acting so strange. After two hours of this, she finally ate and wanted a bone-bone (her usual morning treat.) But pretty soon, she was back to acting strange. I left a voice mail for the breeder because I was starting to feel something must be wrong with her.

We finally decided enough was enough. Hubby called the vet and got her an appointment right away. Mackenna and I took off with Chaos. We found out that she has a bacterial infection in her intestinal track. No wonder she didn't want to eat and was acting strangely! She's got medicine now and orders for a bland diet for the next couple of days.

So relieved it wasn't anything more serious! Now maybe I can get some writing done.

Last Crazy Wednesday of 2010

I can't believe it's already December 15th. The time is just flying by! I've been taking my time researching and writing the new Christmas Magic/Hood Hamlet book, but I need to kick it up a notch. Just wish I could shake this head cold. It still won't go away.

But life is definitely slowing down as Christmas draws closer. This is the last crazy Wednesday of the year! I'm looking forward to a couple weeks off from the running around and teaching. The only thing scheduled next Wednesday is a PT appt. for my oldest!

I'm also checking more things off my To Do list. Last night, I put the final touches on the PSNEA (Puget Sound Norwegian Elkhound Association) newsletter. My oldest volunteered me to be the newsletter editor. Fortunately, they have been very understanding of my other deadlines so no pressure.

Mackenna said she would help me, so I had her take pics of Chaos to use. These are from my iPhone. Hubby told me yesterday the card reader is missing so we can't download pics to any computer!

In this picture, Chaos really wanted a piece of cheese Mackenna was using as bait. She's a silly dog. When she wants something you're eating, she drools!

I posted on Facebook about this weekends' dog show, but not here. Mackenna and Chaos won their class in a Jr. Handler competition at a local AKC show on Saturday. It was their first win. Very exciting.

And our son didn't want to be left out of the winning, either. On Sunday, he won his age group for the 100m freestyle and also beat the A time by two seconds. The A team is used as the state qualifier time so he was very excited!

Okay, better get to work before the running around begins!

Norwegian Elkhound Mowing Lawn

I'll do a Clark County Fair post once things settle down, but a Norwegian Elkhound owner whose son competes with another 4H dog club told me about this clip. It was used on E!'s The Soup. Short, but funny. Check it out!



I need to teach Chaos how to do that!

Spoiled

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I love this LOLcat! It perfectly describes not just my four cats, but my dog, too.

When I was up in Tacoma at my class, the kidlets and hubby attended a gathering of Norwegian Elkhounds and their families. Chaos would not go into a kennel. (At home, she goes in for breakfast and dinner, but that's it.) A breeder, who has known Chaos since she was born, looked at Tom and told him he'd spoiled the dog!

Guilty as charged.

I remember rubbing my kittens, Rocket and Spirit, to sleep every day and night. Granted I didn't have kids then. But I still carried Yoda around in my jacket or sweater when he was little and wanted to nap. There are nights when all five sleep with us. We're considering a king-size bed because of it. On Saturday night, the fireworks were scaring Chaos so much she climbed on my lap. I stopped writing, put away my iBook and held her for an hour until they stopped.

Our pets bring so much joy to us. A few rolled eyes and moments of annoyance, too! I can't imagine not spoiling or indulging our fur-covered family members. What about you?

Happy Birthday Chaos!

Our Norwegian Elkhound, Chaos, turns five today! It's hard to believe we've had her for three years. It seems like she's been a member of the family forever.

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Chaos is the best dog ever. I know everyone thinks that about their pets, but she really is. She is the best dog for us. Even if three of the four cats would disagree with that! .....................................................................................................................................
.She wants to do whatever we do whether it's heading to Mount Hood or watching the World Cup on television. She thinks she's a lap dog in spite of weighing 48 pounds. And you really do get used to the shedding. Having a Dyson vacuum cleaner helps!
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Mackenna, my oldest, has been showing Chaos in 4H this year. Chaos is a champion show dog, but in 4H they judge the handler's action not the dog. It's been a great experience for both of them, and she already said she wants to continue next year.

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Getting Chaos has allowed us to be members of the PSNEA (Puget Sound Norwegian Elkhound Association.) We've only done a couple of things locally with the group, but the kids enjoy it so much, we're hoping to get more involved in the future.

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Later today we'll be having a little party for Chaos with some special treats and a nice big bone for her! The kidlets can't wait. I'm sure Chaos will be happy, too!

Friday fun

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Normally it's one of the cats leaving "presents" like the one mentioned above for us. Not this morning. I woke up to something heaving next to me. Since hubby is out of town, I knew it wasn't him. Turned on the light to find the dog spit up something that kinda looked like a hairball. Ick. As soon as that happened, the cats woke up and everyone wanted to be fed. Of course, it wasn't even close to the time for my alarm clock to go off. Oh, well... More time to write before the kidlets wake up.

This morning I'm excited. I'm going to have breakfast with the good friend Elizabeth Boyle who is in town for a librarians convention. I had to ask my mom to come up and help with the kids this morning since hubby wasn't supposed to be gone, and she gladly agreed. My dad is coming and so are my niece and two nephews.

What does your Friday look like?

Champion

I always thought 4-H was for kids who lived on farms. This summer, I learned it's for kids everywhere thanks to a Siberian Husky dog breeder from Woodland, WA.

This fall, my eleven year old joined a 4-H dog club. She's learning all kinds of wonderful things plus having to learn an amazing amount of info on dogs: AKC breeds, physiology, you name it. They also do service projects like adopting families at Christmastime. She's been having a blast.

On Saturday, my eleven year old competed with our dog, Chaos, in the Wiggles and Wags Fun Match. It was the first time they could practice all they learned and be judged. Fun Matches prep the kids for the big event in the summer-the country fair.

The two competed in three events: showmanship, rally and obedience. The day started out better than anyone expected. In Showmanship, she earned enough points for a blue ribbon, then won the Championship (first place) ribbon! Talk about exciting.

Unfortunately, the other two events didn't go as well. Chaos didn't want to sit or stay or do anything asked of her. It was frustrating for my daughter, but they had fun and most importantly learned a lot to help them prepare for the next fun match.

We did meet another family with a Norwegian Elkhound. They got their dog from the same rescue coordinator who owned Chaos. At first Shadow and Chaos didn't like each other, but they warmed up to each other as the day went on. It was fun to see two together.

How was your weekend?