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!

Finicky Cats

This morning two cats decided they did not want to finish breakfast. Instead one went over and licked the dog bowl. I'd added a little goat's milk to that one to soften up the kibbles. The other disappeared to see if there was food elsewhere in the house. He'll soon be back disappointed.

Of course, this means the hunger pains that hit around lunchtime (they eat three times a day) will start a little earlier unless I give them a snack (a bowl of something to self-feed.) I do mix up the foods and brands they get so they don't get bored, but I wonder if they do this on purpose in order to get a snack. But that would take concerted effort, one I haven't seen since my old three (two of which are no longer with us) rallied against Chaos after we adopted her. Or maybe they're picky and finicky because their cats. That's much more likely.

I just hope they don't expect lunch at 9 am today!

Have a great Wednesday!

Chaos and Spirit

I was worried enough about Chaos' visit to the neurologist, but things got more complicated when Spirit wouldn't leave me alone yesterday morning. This was different than her normal I-want-rubs attention seeking. It took me about to a minute or so to realize something was wrong and she needed to go to the vet. Fortunately the place where Chaos was going also has a 24 hour emergency animal care section so Spirit went with us.

Two four-footed-kids seeing different animals at the same time.

Chaos ended up having an MRI and a spinal tap. Each test was to rule out scary, icky things for her having seizures. The results were good. It's looking more and more like epilepsy but we have to wait for more results. She won't be showing at the Rose City Classic, but that's okay. We just want her to feel better. The medicine she's on is keeping the seizures at bay! We just have to figure out if her dosage is right over the next week or so.

Spirit is very sick. She has chronic renal failure and her blood test shows her numbers have gotten worse. She also has a bladder infection and high blood pressure. On top of that there's something weird going on with her spine. She gets to go to our vet today (and tomorrow and maybe a few days after that) for IV fluid treatment. Poor baby. I feel so bad for her. But I'm hopeful we'll get this all figured out so she feels better soon.
 
Not how I expected things to go yesterday, but oh, well...what are you going to do? It's part of what happens when you have furbabies. Especially ones who are getting older.

How was your day?

Where has the week gone?

Anyone else feel like time is speeding up? The week has flown by. Granted it's been busy with a big solar system project for Rose and proposal writing for me!

I also think I need to submit Chaos to that dog shaming site on Tumblr. Last night she outdid herself by getting into a box I've been preparing to send to a soldier we adopted. Early Christmas treats for her! She had herself quite a feast. Bad, bad doggy!

If you've wondered about adopting a soldier, there are lots of programs out there. I went with Soldiers' Angels because it has a lot of resources and support for newbies like me. They also have teams where you can just write letters or do a one-time care package so lots of ways to support our troops! Though I never thought it would be my dog causing me so much trouble. LOL!

Well, I need to get the kids up and to school.

Hope you have a great day!

Dominated

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My world is so dominated by my four-legged furbabies it isn't funny. I was up late writing (my afternoon and evening were spent shuttling kids around town to various sports and activities), but up an hour before my alarm was set to go off because of my dog and cats, who were hungry. Of course, I could have rolled over and gone back to sleep, but instead I got up and fed them.

At least now I can get some more revising in before it's time for swim practice! What are you up to today?

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!

Beauty's Fault

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This pic was Chaos last night! After Mackenna and I arrived home from the Cascade Hound Show, she put her grooming bag on the ledge of the cutout between our dining room and entry hallway. Beauty, our 10 month old kitten, was very intrigued by the bag and trying to reach it when we left with dog in tow. We were off to have dinner with my parents to celebrate Father's Day.

When we returned later that night, Chaos kept going into the dining room. I saw her put her paws on the table. Mackenna went to investigate.

Turns out little Beauty had pulled a bag of dog treats out of the grooming bag and put them on the dining room table. Not sure how she managed to do this given she's quite small for her age, but when it comes to food she seems to have super power ability. Thank goodness she didn't eat all the treats. That wouldn't have been good.

Chaos must have smelled something in the dining room and was attempting to reach them. Mackenna found the dog with the plastic treat bag in her mouth and an even bigger mess on the floor from the stuff she'd knocked off. I've been using the table as a catch all for things lately.

Bad doggie. Even though it started with a bad kitty!

Dog days

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Glad to know I'm not alone in raising a teenager. I'll leave it at that!

Yesterday was all about dogs. Mackenna didn't show in the breed ring, but she helped our breeder. She also took a puppy for a couple of walks (the puppy won her class, too!) and practiced with a male dog who she will show in the Best of Breed later this morning.

We attended a BBQ and auction last night. I bid on a few things, but didn't win anything. The funniest thing that happened was during dinner. The buffet and tables were on a courtyard patio. Someone had set a plate down on a cement planter edge. A seagull scooped down and stole his hamburger patio!

Today is the final day of the dog show and Mackenna's big competition today...Junior Handling. Their are there girls competing. Fingers crossed she does well.

I'm really glad it's almost over. This is too much dog showing for me. The only thing that made it tolerable was being able to visit my friend and do a little sightseeing. But I'm ready to go home now!

(If I can ever get service on my iPhone, I'll add the pic of Mackenna and the puppy.)

Hope you have a nice Saturday.

Perfect

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I love this LOLcat! I wrote something like this in my lastest synopsis, too! Heros and heroines won't find someone perfect, but they can find someone perfect for them. (Us, too!)

Working hard on the current manuscript as well as reviewing AAs (page proofs/galleys) for my November release. I've cut my required page goal in half in order to have time to read through the AAs, but I hope to have those off this weekend so I can get back to writing only!

I'll be writing in between appointments. Today is appointment day. Chaos has her annual exam and shots. Yoda has his, too. Of course, they go to two different vet offices. Then I have a hair appointment this afternoon.

What do you have going on?

Warm and Comfy

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Isn't that a cute pic! I wish the cats would cuddle with Chaos. She would keep them so warm!

Thanks for your well-wishes for Chaos. She didn't have to go back for another x-ray! YAY! She's back to normal, scavenging for food, as if nothing had happened Thursday night. Annoying, yes, but that's a Norwegian Elkhound for you!

Today is my parish's First Communion Retreat. I'm going to review my notes then head over there to help set up. Last year my youngest attended in preparation for hers. Has it really been a year since then? Wow!

Hope you have a nice Saturday!

Panic!

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I thought we might be down a few cats yesterday when I walked in the house and saw the back door wide open. Chaos, our dog, was on her favorite chair, but no kitties were in sight. I ran outside, but didn't see any cats. My only rational thought was the rain may have kept them inside.

The kidlets had already found Beauty. She was asleep in her bed on the hearth. They said she was a little wet. I wonder if that meant she went outside then came back in. She always tries to dart outside when the door opens, but she's never been out. And I mean ever! So I'm glad she was inside and napping when an open door was in sight.

I dashed upstairs and did a quick search. All cats were accounted for. Thank goodness. I know the door was closed when we left. It may not have been locked though. I'm wondering if the wind opened it. That's happened before. But I'm just grateful all cats and dog were present and accounted for!

We have more snow today. School is starting 2 1/2 hours late. I'm hoping I can convince hubby to drive them so I can write. Fingers crossed!

The Magic Box

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I think I've posted about our pantry aka The Magic Box. Both the dog and the cats wait for any opportunity they can find to get inside. It's their fave place to find themselves locked in. It's happened with the cats, not the dog. She's too big though she wouldn't complain if it happened to her.

Not much to report here. Still feeling down over losing Crystal. I miss seeing her lying on the lambswool pad (called a Wonder Pad) on the foot of my bed or sitting next to me purring. I have to finish up a proposal I was hoping to work on over the weekend, but that didn't happen so the next couple of days will be busy.

The beautiful sunny days have been replaced with overcast skies and rain. That's probably a good thing because I won't be so tempted to head outdoors. I have no excuse but to stay inside and write!

What are you doing today?

More Puppy Pics

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I haven't had time to drive out to see the Norwegian Elkhound puppies in the last two weeks. I'm kind of bummed about that because they are growing so fast. But things have just been too busy to make the drive out there. But the breeder has kept me updated on them and even sent pictures.

These were emailed to me two days ago. I can't believe how much the puppies have grown since our first visit back in early August.

I'm not sure which color puppy this on is (they were colored collars to tell them apart), but the pup reminds me of Grand Finale the first time we saw her(the breeder also received a pup who is approximately 5-6 weeks older than the seven puppies Cassie gave birth to.) 

One thing is certain, the pup now looks like a Norwegian Elkhound with the coloring and markings. When they were little they were mostly dark fur and resembled little bears. (Search on Norwegian Elkhound Puppies in the Blogspot Nav Bar if you want to see them when they were younger.)

And I can't believe how much Grand Finale has grown!  She's lost so much of her dark fur! She used to be the same color as this pup.

Looks like she's found a playmate. Bet she's having fun with the seven puppies!

I'm definitely going to have to work extra hard this weekend so I can get down there to see them this coming week. It won't be too long before the puppies go to their new homes. We'd all like to see them before that happens!

You know what I'll be doing this weekend. Writing is pretty much my life right now. What do you have going on?

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!

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?

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?

Cuteness

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That little kitten is just too cute! One look and I'd be at that kitty's mercy. How about you?

Speaking of cute, my furbabies were definitely pulling my heartstrings yesterday.

First, we had an earthquake. Something was going on underneath Mount St. Helen's. I was in bed lying against the wall when the entire room shook. I've been through enough earthquakes when I lived in California to know exactly what was happening. Not Spirit. She sat and stared at me with wide eyes as if wanting me to make the shaking stop. I only felt the first quake, but given her reaction I think she was aware of both of them. Poor kitty. She didn't leave my side for a very long time.

As you can guess, when I'm in bed either writing or napping, the cats and dog like to keep me company.  Yesterday was no exception. They don't all get along so they rotate who gets to sleep on or by me. It's pretty darn adorable. At one point all the cats napped on the pile of laundry on the bed waiting to be folded. I posted the pic on facebook to see how many cats could be found. Brandy, who comments here, got the correct answer.

We also had some good news on Valentine's day. My youngest's test result came back negative. Huge sigh of relief there. And best Valentine's gift ever.

Today I'm being interviewed as I make another stop on my virtual book tour at Grace Elliot's blog.  Please stop by and say hello if you have time!  Grace writes historical fiction and is a big fan of cats, too. She's also a vet!

Note:  I posted a comment this morning on the virtual tour blog, but it never appeared. I checked back throughout the day, but still no comments appeared. I think the host must have had moderation on and never checked her email. So sorry!  Whenever comments do go up, they will count for the amazon gift card giveaway at the end of the tour.  I'll be at another tour stop on the 17th!

Remember, if you comment at today's book tour stop you're entered to win a $20 Amazon gift certificate that I'll give away to one commenter at the end of the book tour. And if you comment here on this blog post, you're entered to win books. Sorry I still haven't had time to type the titles in. As soon as I'm feeling better I will!

Did you watch any of the Westminster Dog Show?  I was so thrilled to see the Norwegian Elkhound place third in the Hound Group! Very exciting. We were all pulling for him during the competition.

Words

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One reason I like this LOLcat is it fit my weekend perfectly. At one point, I had three cats and the dog lying in bed napping while I wrote. They got along since they were asleep. The rest of the time not so much. But it's always amusing to see how the cats are going to respond to Chaos.

I spent the weekend writing except for watching the kidlets swim at a meet on Saturday morning (and being pleasantly surprised when my friend Amy stopped by to hang out with me!) and attending Mass and going out to dinner with my family on Sunday evening.

The good news from this weekend was the kidlets' performance at the swim meet on Saturday and Sunday. They did awesome. My son beat 3 "A" times. Those are what you need to beat to qualify for state. My daughter improved many of her times and even won a heat! I was so excited for both of them. Now all we need to do is get the oldest's shoulder healed enough so she can swim!

I still have a few more words left to write on the proposal, not to mention the synopsis. I usually have an end in mind with a book when I start, but not this one so writing the outline will be...interesting.

Wish me luck!

What happened during your weekend?

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?