Happy New Year 2008!

It has been nice having Dennis home all week since Christmas. We have done quite a few walks with the dogs; so we all have been getting the good exercise we needed! We got to take a walk with Nandy (that is my new name for Nancy and Andy as when I try to say their names fast that is how it comes out!) and their doglets. I want to borrow Murphy because he is the perfect dog to walk with shelties. He can get them running yet is so careful with them. We also took a few walks this week with Lisa and Tony (can shorten their names into anything fun?) and their crew. I loved when we are walking with so many dogs and you can hear people whispering "they have seven dogs." Haha Poor Zen didn't get to come to any of the walks as she is in season; we just took Pax, Hex and Hob-b. I figured even if Hob-b is pregnant she could use the exercise. New Years itself was uneventful other than the fact that we actually stayed up to midnight! Ha!


Resolutions for the New Year:

• the normal get in shape and shed some pounds! We have actually started early (5 days ago) and Dennis and I are on a Low Carb diet to get a quick start on losing some weight. Nothing like good old Atkins to get the weight flying off. (don't worry boys and girls we still eat our veggies; we just totally cut out sugar, alcohol, bread, potatoes and pasta!)
• We are trying to take more walks with the dogs to not only get ourselves in shape but also the dogs! Hex has two months before Crufts so that is a priority to keep her fit while we are slowing down on agility training due to the mud. I am also going to take her back swimming once a week just for fitness.
• As always try to enjoy my dogs for just being them. Not to get carried away with winning this or that competition as those wins are just fleeting moments in time; my everyday life with my dogs is my biggest joy.

I haven't done anything agility-wise. I will get back in the swing next week if the weather holds. We are still watching and waiting for Hob-b to show any signs of being preggers. I wish she would fatten up so that I could be sure! Oh well; time will tell. Zen is now on day 9 of her season; hopefully we will get a breeding towards the end of the week. Last time she bred on day 14, 15 and 16. I am praying that the breedings go as easy as they did last time. Watch this space!

When Dennis and I were out in town before Christmas I was looking at the books in the charity shops ( my favorite past time!) and found a great dog book for ONE POUND! I have already started it and it makes me cry reading it; which I guess means it is hitting a spot in my heart. Anyway, I can pass it on when I am done and see if anyone else feels the same as me. There are people out there that I see competing with their dogs and I just want to shake them to get them to see how hard their dogs are trying for them. Yet they are never satisfied; always complaining about the dog and their so-called mistakes. I don't know if reading this book would help though as sometimes people are just not ready to see.... Anyway, I am only into chapter three so I will let you know if the book continues to be a good read. The book is called "Bones Would Rain From The Sky: Deepening our Relationships with Dogs" by Suzanne Clothier. If nothing else for me it was certainly worth the cost of one pound for the first two chapters!

So here is a silly short and loud video clip of one of our walks. Just to be clear, Tony is yelling at Billy the Bastard dog for trying to run away as usual.... not the shelties! hahaha Between the plane overhead and the shelties barking it looks like a crazy walk! But really they all settled down eventually; it is just takes about the first 1/2 mile for them to burn off the excess energy!