I was just sitting in my own little world (recovering from my lovely agility weekend which DID include lots of volunteering), totally ignorant to the fact that the topic of volunteering has become apparently quite heated.
My question is what is there to get upset about - either you do or you don't and everyone probably has their reasons and life goes on...does it not?
Upon further thought, however, I think my attitude comes from the fact that I hail from the incredibly generous and civic minded state of Minnesota. Many folks I'm sure would volunteer regardless of monetary contribution, regardless of guarantees of entry in a random draw trial and regardless of a yummy free lunch. That attitude seems to run rampant around these parts but for those of us who aren't quite as giving with our time, there are obvious things clubs can do to "encourage" participation:
*Kind and organized club and/or trial committee are key! My past few agility trials have been of the wonderful type of volunteer experience -- appropriately scheduled jobs that agree with my running schedule, not an overwhelming amount of jobs, fun and friendly club members who are eager to help with questions and explanations for newbies, good lunch choices (don't forget your vegetarian helpers!), beverages available, proximity of kenneling area close to ring so you can just jump in an set bars if you are hanging out, easy-going yet efficient judges. These things all make for a pleasant experience.
*Worker exemption for random draw trials! This is a no-brainer. If you are having trouble getting enough volunteers, do a random draw with some guaranteed spots for workers.
*Vouchers are nice...however, not necessary. It is unusual nowadays to receive vouchers for work for the most part. They are great, but realistically, I tend to lose them or forget to turn them in with my entries, etc. That said, still a great perk.
*Non-heinous judges. I already mentioned nice judges, but it bears repeating. No, I haven't had much experience with nasty judges but it really sticks in your mind. Even if I love their courses, I'm certainly not going to push to work where they are judging. Just silly things for example, as a scribe a few weeks ago, I had a judge actually give me a "test" of calling out the right thing when she stuck her hand up for a refusal, wrong course, table fault or what have you. It was not really in a funny way and left me in a sort of pissy mood. Yes, I probably overreacted, but simply ask the scribe if they are comfortable with all the calls and go from there - no need to put people on the spot. Later in the day when I was bar setting, she made a big production of resetting a double I had put back up and said "this is how I want it done!" Okay, one of the cross bars on the ground was seriously half an inch from where I put it. Really?? Picky much?? That said, most judges are perfectly wonderful to work with and very appreciative.
Likewise, things that put me off are pretty much the oppostive of what I listed that I like. I was at a trial a few weeks ago where two members were constantly bickering and yelling at each other the entire day. It wasn't directed at me but it creates a very unpleasant atmosphere. Remember why we are out there - the love of running your dog. It is supposed to be a fun thing. If I want to hear yelling and complaining, I'll go back to my day job!
Clubs that are terribly disorganized (despite being full of nice people), are very exhausting to try and work with...not much you can try and do in those situations aside from trying to give some tactful advice and see if they'll take it. No, I won't jump to volunteer for them and will take my chances of not getting into the trial.
Overscheduling - the worst offense!! I'm not one of those sane people who only trial with one dog. I have multiple dogs to exercise and I need to occasionally go to the bathroom and eat and drink and it would be nice to be able to chat a little with friends. There was a trial years ago that literally scheduled my mom every second of the day that she wasn't running and even tried to schedule her when she was running! Do you think she hurried to work for them again in the future - no!! I've heard some trials hesitate to only schedule people for a few things during the day, preferring to load them up on individual days so they don't have to buy so much lunch. Okay, not doing yourself any favors by pissing off your volunteer base - rethink your strategy! Obviously I'm more than willing to do multiple jobs during the day but please use some common sense. Yes, I'll stay late to work in Novice/Open when I finish running my own courses early in the day but don't do that to me every day of the trial.
Here are some situations that prevent me from volunteering:
*Out of town trial - things are already a little more stressful and I may be traveling with an entire van of dogs that need exercise or I don't know what to expect as far as lay out of the land. Generally after the first time I go, I'll likely volunteer for the next time.
*Multiple ring trial when I'm running dogs in all different levels. You know you will have conflicts, you know you will miss walk throughs and be short on time for walking dogs and it is sometimes tough to pitch in during these situation. Usually though I'll get that Novice or Started dog into the upper level soon enough and will be back on the volunteering train. Yes, I should sign up for setting up or tearing down in those situations...I'll work on that!
*Higher stress events - Nationals, Regionals, Invitational. I need to concentrate on me and my dog and suck it up if the trial runs slower due to lack of volunteers.
That about says it. My feeling on chronic non-volunteerism is that people are people and they will do what they do. If I can't control it, I'll ignore it and worry about myself. I've met people that are such stressballs they think they can't do anything but sit and obsess about their runs for hours on end. Obviously, those people would do better to settle down and set some bars but they may need a few years under their belt before they reach that conclusion!
Drina, my little agility star
Drina did everything with flair...
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
Kickin' it at home for my 10 week birthday
HOUSE PARTY!!!!
Yard Party
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| Mom said no jility tonight cause she is all red and hot from the weekend...must suck being so white. Might as well celebrate my 10 week birthday and make her scream...it is funny when she yells. |
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| I start all cuddly and sweet looking to draw her in... |
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| Don't you just want to squish me up?? |
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| Aren't I irresistable?? |
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| First I take up my strategic position up high... |
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| Then I recruit the assistance of that old guy... |
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| Full frontal assault on the enemy keen sandal!!! |
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| Pillage the toy quarters... |
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| Strategic position #2 kitchen headquarters |
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| Death to plastic - militant tree huggers unite! |
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| Spy on the native people to observe their weaknesses before the strike...operation aborted for now... |
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| Big bro is starting to think I'm okay... |
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| Probably cause I shared my best stick with him... |
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| My sister Dare is my hero. I want to be just like her someday. She gets all the best toys and runs really fast and barks really loud. My sister even lets me play with her and bite her ears...she is the best. |
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| This is me negotiating with my mom to let me on the couch. She said "no" so I just jumped up on it when she wasn't looking. It is cute how she tries to tell me what to do when she knows I've got her wrapped around my little dewclaw. She'll learn soon enough. |
Friday, June 3, 2011
Kamikaze alert!
I've had a few glimpses of what type of agility partner Swift will be when we begin our training and trialing career. These are frightening and scary visions. The puppy seems to lack one little necessity for self preservation - FEAR!!!!
This morning, as I prepared the crew's breakfast at the sink, I have 3 food bowls lined up that I am mixing various things into before I put on the Irish's gear (must wear snoods so as spaniel ears don't slop in their food). In order to put on their snoods, I have Brag and Dare get on a step stool so I don't have to bend down to put on their head accessories. Well, Swift immediately decided the step stool is somehow connected to eating so she began bouncing all around the stool as soon as I got her. Today though, she tried something a little more bold. She went to the top the step stool (where usually she just sits there and looks cute until I'm done preparing the meal) and all of a sudden, she took a flying leap at the food bowls which were still about a foot taller and a foot lateral of her (picture a red tri-color, smooth coated wombat). Obviously she didn't make the jump onto the sink but she landed quite gracefully on the floor like a cat on all four feet from quite a long fall. It doesn't shock me that a puppy would do such a thing. What does shock me though is that instead of freaking out about the incident or deciding not to climb onto the stool again, Swift gets this look on her face like "YEEESSSSSS...IT WAS ALMOST IN MY GRASP! ADJUSTMENTS FOR NEXT ATTEMPT...10 INCHES HIGHER AND 5 INCHES TO THE SIDE... AND THEN ALL THE FOOD WILL BE MINE!!!"
Then of course there is the part where she is not appropriately afraid of Brag after he put a huge hold in her head last Saturday. She loves to do little "drive-bys" and he just looks at me and shrugs and asks me why I did this to him. Poor guy.
And there is the flying monkey routine when escaping her xpen and launching onto the couch. Doesn't seem to matter how many times she falls backwards while attempting, she keeps coming back for more.
So yeah. I can tell I'm going to be spending most of my time keeping Swift safe from herself when we actually move to obstacles in the future. She reminds me a bit of Dare who has many of the same freaky traits...like the time she plowed into the dogwalk full steam and forgot to run with her legs so just bounced off with her chest. That made a huge noise and HAD to hurt but she kept right on trucking. Or like how Dare would keep doing the teeter tall end first instead of approaching from the end on the ground like dogs are supposed to! Thank god Brag has some common sense...wish he would pass some along to these insane girls of mine!
This morning, as I prepared the crew's breakfast at the sink, I have 3 food bowls lined up that I am mixing various things into before I put on the Irish's gear (must wear snoods so as spaniel ears don't slop in their food). In order to put on their snoods, I have Brag and Dare get on a step stool so I don't have to bend down to put on their head accessories. Well, Swift immediately decided the step stool is somehow connected to eating so she began bouncing all around the stool as soon as I got her. Today though, she tried something a little more bold. She went to the top the step stool (where usually she just sits there and looks cute until I'm done preparing the meal) and all of a sudden, she took a flying leap at the food bowls which were still about a foot taller and a foot lateral of her (picture a red tri-color, smooth coated wombat). Obviously she didn't make the jump onto the sink but she landed quite gracefully on the floor like a cat on all four feet from quite a long fall. It doesn't shock me that a puppy would do such a thing. What does shock me though is that instead of freaking out about the incident or deciding not to climb onto the stool again, Swift gets this look on her face like "YEEESSSSSS...IT WAS ALMOST IN MY GRASP! ADJUSTMENTS FOR NEXT ATTEMPT...10 INCHES HIGHER AND 5 INCHES TO THE SIDE... AND THEN ALL THE FOOD WILL BE MINE!!!"
Then of course there is the part where she is not appropriately afraid of Brag after he put a huge hold in her head last Saturday. She loves to do little "drive-bys" and he just looks at me and shrugs and asks me why I did this to him. Poor guy.
And there is the flying monkey routine when escaping her xpen and launching onto the couch. Doesn't seem to matter how many times she falls backwards while attempting, she keeps coming back for more.
So yeah. I can tell I'm going to be spending most of my time keeping Swift safe from herself when we actually move to obstacles in the future. She reminds me a bit of Dare who has many of the same freaky traits...like the time she plowed into the dogwalk full steam and forgot to run with her legs so just bounced off with her chest. That made a huge noise and HAD to hurt but she kept right on trucking. Or like how Dare would keep doing the teeter tall end first instead of approaching from the end on the ground like dogs are supposed to! Thank god Brag has some common sense...wish he would pass some along to these insane girls of mine!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Newest AgileIWS member!!!
Meet Swift!
If you can't tell (and lots of people can't so don't worry), she is a Border Collie. Additionally, she just happens to be perfect! :) Swift is funny (hysterically so at times), deadly cute, super smart and quite a naughty pants (like every night from 7p to 1030p...her designated crazy shift). I got her locally from Rising Sun Farms up in Stacy (she has lots of really neato dogs) and I just happened to fall in love with the parents when perusing available litters and got recommendations from people I trust so there you go - a new baby for me!
Swift absolutely cracks me up and there are so many different aspects to her personality. Part of her is absolutely angelic -- no accidents in the house since the night I got her, sleeps through the night, every night, walks on a leash wonderfully, thinks her meals are super yummy, loves people and kids and other dogs (except for one sweet puppy she was a complete bitch to this weekend - arg), hasn't met a toy she doesn't love, etc.
Then there is the pure evil side of her...I'll call her Mift (or Miffed as the case may be). Mift has lungs...very powerful lungs. She uses them whenever absolutely everything isn't going her way. Mift also has cat-like climbing skills and hasn't met a gate or xpen that she couldn't scale. Mift has also been evaluating a hostile takeover of the couch. Nothing will deter her from her quest of sofa domination. Currently Mift is in the prelim phase where she runs a million miles an hour and then levitates in the air only to find herself hitting about an inch below the landing pad and falling back on the ground but she knows with persistence, she will prevail. Continuing on the kitty theme, Mift likes to run underneath the couch and then pounce out like a cobra at any clueless dogs that may be walking past. Then when they growl at her, she runs top speed across the living room, circles back and dives back under the couch to continue the assault.
Mift also likes to look Death in the face and laugh. That's right...she is trying to "play" or taunt or whatever you call it with Brag (the one that put a big hole in her face on Saturday). Granted, it wasn't really Brag (yeah, he shouldn't bite things but he does so I have to be the smart one supposedly) or Swift's fault (duh - puppy!)...more of an unfortunately well-timed event of me carrying in raw food to the house and thinking Swift was across the yard on the far side and realizing only as I hear her screaming next to me that she thought it would be a great idea to race past us on the stairs as I carried in the food. I'm sure Brag saw her out of the corner of his eye and wasn't sure what it was but it was by his food and needed to be bit. There was lots of drama and crying (mostly me) but everything turned out okay. She had a puncture on her forehead and a little cut around her lip and her nose got quite swollen (making her look like a Collie instead of a Border) and has been getting hot packs, betadine and clavamox which have healed her right up. Swift was a very subdued little puppy for the rest of that day but luckily nothing worse occured aside from just scaring me to death. So, wouldn't you think that she might avoid Brag?? At least for a little while? Of course they are only together when I can supervise closely but last night as I witnessed her chasing his tail and racing around his head, I just had to wonder about if she is a suicidal puppy? Should I get her on some anti-depressants?? I thought Border Collies were smart?!? I love Mift though...nothing like a crazy naughty puppy to put some pep in your step!
The big excitement is that Dare finally gave in and played with Swift last night! The puppy saw Dare playing with the frisbee and started to chase her and instead of growling at her, Dare chased her back (at a puppy appropriate speed thankfully) and they raced around the yard like happy idiots for quite a while. Brag (the fun police) had to be banished to the house for unsportsmanlike behavior but it was really a cute moment - I knew they would like each other!! :)
Of course I am getting the usual protest about abandoning the breed my mom and I have bred and loved for over 30 years for a "dreaded" Border Collie. How come this is never an issue if someone has a breed long term and then gets anything other than a Border Collie?? Or, how come it is never an issue if someone has Border Collies and then gets an Irish Water Spaniel? No, I've not gone to "the dark side." Believe me...when you have IWS you already live on the dark side! I've got my reasons, and while I don't feel that I need to justify my decision, here are a few of them in case anyone is interested in what is behind this new journey:
I like Border Collies. Surprisingly to many I'm sure, IWS and BCs are a lot alike in their quirks. They both "notice" things (often to the extreme). Both have to be socialized and socialized and socialized (and then socialized some more) to ensure they stay solid with people and dogs. Also, each breed could be said to be a little "too" smart for their own good (or their owner's good). Both breeds fit my lifestyle. I am an on the go kind of person and I don't like to stay in one spot too long (may border on ADD at times). The older I get, the more hyper I get (scary thought). My IWS will happily do anything and everything with me and I expect my BC will be game for all too. I love the outline of a sleek and athletic BC just as I love the outline of my fit and muscular IWS.
I want to try something new. I love my Irish - love, love, love them however there are aspects of the breed I'm not happy with...primarily GROOMING (yeah - no need to brush the smooth Border Collie!) and health. I recognize that really, IWS don't have any more health problems than many other breeds but the cancer, to me, has really started to be scary. Drina's death in the prime of her life (couple months shy of 10), really rocked my world in a very terrible way. I was so incredibly attached to that dog it was very tough to begin to recover. In reality, there is nothing to say that a BC won't get sick young but I just can't take the same situation. With Brag, I have to push those ugly thoughts out of my head as he gets closer to the age at which I lost Drina. Strangely, there is something about the gleam in this puppy's eye that totally reminds me of Drina when she was a bad little pup. They both have the same type of expression in their face and the self-entitled attitude. If I ever learn to use editing software better I'll post some side by side pictures of Drina as a puppy and Swift for evidence.
And did I mention I'll never have to put Swift on a grooming table and slave for hours grooming her??? Oops, I did - Soooo excited!
Finally, yeah, I'd like to have a competitive dog in agility. I've been super lucky to have had awesome agility IWS that are at the top of their breed in agililty and can certainly hold their own against other breeds at national events and sometimes place and even win. If something happens and Swift isn't able to do agility, she'll still be my baby puppy and I'll be disappointed but life will go on and we will do something else fun. But yeah, I have dreams of handling a break neck speed dog and more than handling, I'm looking forward to training to be that kind of team. We'll see though...right now all I have time for is playing with her and laughing at her antics rather than worrying about the future. My biggest goal with Swift is to just enjoy every moment (and take lots of pictures!). Just like kids, before you know it, they'll be all grown up.
Finally, seeing as how the newest member of my crew isn't an IWS...I need help to come up with an acronym so Swift can fit into this blog. Here is what I've come up with so far:
Integrated Warfare Systems
I'm with Stupid (guess that would be me...)
I Wrestle Snakes
Infantry Weapons Systems
Infant Warming System (maybe if she were drugged...)
Illicit Warped Swift
Insulted When Stopped
Notice the emphasis on warfare acronyms. That seems particularly fitting since I've been wondering lately who replaced my sweet, kissy, cuddly puppy with a determined pirhana!
Here are a few pictures from her short 9 weeks on this earth. Enjoy!
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| Looking like a "big" girl at 9 weeks |
If you can't tell (and lots of people can't so don't worry), she is a Border Collie. Additionally, she just happens to be perfect! :) Swift is funny (hysterically so at times), deadly cute, super smart and quite a naughty pants (like every night from 7p to 1030p...her designated crazy shift). I got her locally from Rising Sun Farms up in Stacy (she has lots of really neato dogs) and I just happened to fall in love with the parents when perusing available litters and got recommendations from people I trust so there you go - a new baby for me!
Swift absolutely cracks me up and there are so many different aspects to her personality. Part of her is absolutely angelic -- no accidents in the house since the night I got her, sleeps through the night, every night, walks on a leash wonderfully, thinks her meals are super yummy, loves people and kids and other dogs (except for one sweet puppy she was a complete bitch to this weekend - arg), hasn't met a toy she doesn't love, etc.
Then there is the pure evil side of her...I'll call her Mift (or Miffed as the case may be). Mift has lungs...very powerful lungs. She uses them whenever absolutely everything isn't going her way. Mift also has cat-like climbing skills and hasn't met a gate or xpen that she couldn't scale. Mift has also been evaluating a hostile takeover of the couch. Nothing will deter her from her quest of sofa domination. Currently Mift is in the prelim phase where she runs a million miles an hour and then levitates in the air only to find herself hitting about an inch below the landing pad and falling back on the ground but she knows with persistence, she will prevail. Continuing on the kitty theme, Mift likes to run underneath the couch and then pounce out like a cobra at any clueless dogs that may be walking past. Then when they growl at her, she runs top speed across the living room, circles back and dives back under the couch to continue the assault.
Mift also likes to look Death in the face and laugh. That's right...she is trying to "play" or taunt or whatever you call it with Brag (the one that put a big hole in her face on Saturday). Granted, it wasn't really Brag (yeah, he shouldn't bite things but he does so I have to be the smart one supposedly) or Swift's fault (duh - puppy!)...more of an unfortunately well-timed event of me carrying in raw food to the house and thinking Swift was across the yard on the far side and realizing only as I hear her screaming next to me that she thought it would be a great idea to race past us on the stairs as I carried in the food. I'm sure Brag saw her out of the corner of his eye and wasn't sure what it was but it was by his food and needed to be bit. There was lots of drama and crying (mostly me) but everything turned out okay. She had a puncture on her forehead and a little cut around her lip and her nose got quite swollen (making her look like a Collie instead of a Border) and has been getting hot packs, betadine and clavamox which have healed her right up. Swift was a very subdued little puppy for the rest of that day but luckily nothing worse occured aside from just scaring me to death. So, wouldn't you think that she might avoid Brag?? At least for a little while? Of course they are only together when I can supervise closely but last night as I witnessed her chasing his tail and racing around his head, I just had to wonder about if she is a suicidal puppy? Should I get her on some anti-depressants?? I thought Border Collies were smart?!? I love Mift though...nothing like a crazy naughty puppy to put some pep in your step!
The big excitement is that Dare finally gave in and played with Swift last night! The puppy saw Dare playing with the frisbee and started to chase her and instead of growling at her, Dare chased her back (at a puppy appropriate speed thankfully) and they raced around the yard like happy idiots for quite a while. Brag (the fun police) had to be banished to the house for unsportsmanlike behavior but it was really a cute moment - I knew they would like each other!! :)
Of course I am getting the usual protest about abandoning the breed my mom and I have bred and loved for over 30 years for a "dreaded" Border Collie. How come this is never an issue if someone has a breed long term and then gets anything other than a Border Collie?? Or, how come it is never an issue if someone has Border Collies and then gets an Irish Water Spaniel? No, I've not gone to "the dark side." Believe me...when you have IWS you already live on the dark side! I've got my reasons, and while I don't feel that I need to justify my decision, here are a few of them in case anyone is interested in what is behind this new journey:
I like Border Collies. Surprisingly to many I'm sure, IWS and BCs are a lot alike in their quirks. They both "notice" things (often to the extreme). Both have to be socialized and socialized and socialized (and then socialized some more) to ensure they stay solid with people and dogs. Also, each breed could be said to be a little "too" smart for their own good (or their owner's good). Both breeds fit my lifestyle. I am an on the go kind of person and I don't like to stay in one spot too long (may border on ADD at times). The older I get, the more hyper I get (scary thought). My IWS will happily do anything and everything with me and I expect my BC will be game for all too. I love the outline of a sleek and athletic BC just as I love the outline of my fit and muscular IWS.
I want to try something new. I love my Irish - love, love, love them however there are aspects of the breed I'm not happy with...primarily GROOMING (yeah - no need to brush the smooth Border Collie!) and health. I recognize that really, IWS don't have any more health problems than many other breeds but the cancer, to me, has really started to be scary. Drina's death in the prime of her life (couple months shy of 10), really rocked my world in a very terrible way. I was so incredibly attached to that dog it was very tough to begin to recover. In reality, there is nothing to say that a BC won't get sick young but I just can't take the same situation. With Brag, I have to push those ugly thoughts out of my head as he gets closer to the age at which I lost Drina. Strangely, there is something about the gleam in this puppy's eye that totally reminds me of Drina when she was a bad little pup. They both have the same type of expression in their face and the self-entitled attitude. If I ever learn to use editing software better I'll post some side by side pictures of Drina as a puppy and Swift for evidence.
And did I mention I'll never have to put Swift on a grooming table and slave for hours grooming her??? Oops, I did - Soooo excited!
Finally, yeah, I'd like to have a competitive dog in agility. I've been super lucky to have had awesome agility IWS that are at the top of their breed in agililty and can certainly hold their own against other breeds at national events and sometimes place and even win. If something happens and Swift isn't able to do agility, she'll still be my baby puppy and I'll be disappointed but life will go on and we will do something else fun. But yeah, I have dreams of handling a break neck speed dog and more than handling, I'm looking forward to training to be that kind of team. We'll see though...right now all I have time for is playing with her and laughing at her antics rather than worrying about the future. My biggest goal with Swift is to just enjoy every moment (and take lots of pictures!). Just like kids, before you know it, they'll be all grown up.
Finally, seeing as how the newest member of my crew isn't an IWS...I need help to come up with an acronym so Swift can fit into this blog. Here is what I've come up with so far:
Integrated Warfare Systems
I'm with Stupid (guess that would be me...)
I Wrestle Snakes
Infantry Weapons Systems
Infant Warming System (maybe if she were drugged...)
Illicit Warped Swift
Insulted When Stopped
Notice the emphasis on warfare acronyms. That seems particularly fitting since I've been wondering lately who replaced my sweet, kissy, cuddly puppy with a determined pirhana!
Here are a few pictures from her short 9 weeks on this earth. Enjoy!
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| With her sistas - sandwiched between the two black and white girls |
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| A little snuggler at 5 weeks (and still is!) |
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| Obsessed with big toys at 7 weeks |
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| MINE!!!! |
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| Playing with mama Spin at 7 weeks |
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| Being a wiggly worm at 9 weeks |
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