An Attempt At (Nearly) Wordless Wednesday

Jax napping in the sun

"Hello, and welcome to Spur's Masterpiece Theatre..."

In Mom's furry hat

My handsome new Little Red Riding Hood collar from the amazing SillyBuddy on Etsy

Better collar shots soon!

Mom thinks it amusing to dress me up in her t-shirts

I am, obviously, less than amused by the whole affair

New Orijen formula is super tasty!

Happy Wednesday!

Trouble Brewing...

Mes chers, my mom has gone off the deep end.  She started collecting stuff over a year in advance for me and now that she has put her name on the list for a little sister Beauceron in 2012, she has begun collecting again for the Year of H pup whom we will accordingly call "Harlot," or "Lottie" for short.  She ordered a PINK WIRE DOG CRATE off Amazon yesterday!!!  Here is what the abomination looks like:

Bubblegum pink, mes chers.  Bubblegum pink.  It matches the little sequined "necklace" she bought for Lottie a few weeks back, too.  Worst of all, Mom intends to set crate up when it arrives and fill it with all the toys she's saving--as if it were a piggy bank of fun!  Fun that I am not allowed to chew on.  Nevermind that she did the same thing for me.  Nevermind that Jax and I got four new toys yesterday.  Nevermind that I have a 33 gallon tote brimming with toys.    Sibling envy starts now!

The Week(s) in Brief

Mom starts her new job on January 31st and has been training two new dog trainers to fill her shoes.  This has given her more free time, mes chers--free time to spend with her two favorite dogs in the world!  So we have enjoyed longer morning cuddles, extra belly rubs, soccer in the snow, agility training and all sorts of awesomeness!  I shall now elaborate a little...
My "Focused Heeling" class meets on Monday night and I did my best.  My teacher's dog, Zarra, is REALLY pretty and I found it very difficult to concentrate whenever she trotted by.  But we are making good progress!
Jax really hit his stride this week in agility class!  Jett's owner helped us get over the roadblock from our last class: the rear cross.  If Mom straddled the pole as instructed, Jax would refuse to go over it.  In fact, he wouldn't even move.  Jett's Mom had my Mom run through the jump WITH Jax and lure him around the pole, toss the treat, and then step back around the pole to finish the cross.  Using our 4 ft tall plastic Noel candle from Christmas, Mom practiced with both of us and we got that mean ol' rear cross down pat.  We even named it--"Turn."  So when the teacher called him up in class to practice, she was pleasantly surprised when he hopped over the pole and made the correct turn on the first try while Mom stood back and directed.  And he stayed happy the entire class!  We both practiced agility the next day with the same success.
We spent the rest of the week playing in the snow.  Jax loves to bulldoze his way until he can push no more and then he flops over and rolls over onto his back and flops like a fish.  I interfered greatly in the remaking of Hadrian's Wall, distracting the slave labor with soccer.
I have also made several trips to Mom's new workplace in an effort to foster goodwill among the new dogs.  I tower above them all like a giant.  But three little dogs can keep a Spur at bay if they wish.  I tried awfully hard to be good and not paw them...too much.  I've been pretty good with not jumping on the sales counter or stealing cookies from the cooling rack.  So hard...
Anywho, we've been quite well and we hope you all are!  Bonne nuit!

What We've Been Up To Lately...

Allo, mes chers!  I have been very...well, busy.  The BeauceMobile required some impromptu repairs and so we all spent some time in at Custom Complete Automotive on Worley.  The good people employed there invited Jax and me to wait inside before Mom could even ask--paws up for a dog-friendly business!  Jax rested in his kennel and I lounged on the tile floor, magnanimously allowing passersby to pet and admire me.  I entertained them with my tricks and my good humor--so much so that I made it onto their Facebook page!  You can see the photos here.  Anywho, the BeauceMobile is up and running, thanks to their efforts.

We had a guest at agility practice today--Sean from Petco!  Jax and I were AMAZING!!!  I showed off my "mad skillz" by running a mini-course of jumps, tunnels, A-frame, and the pause table.  I breezed the chute several times, despite not having tried it in a month or two, and really made some headway on weave poles.  I'd only run them with gates maybe four or five times ever and we only had enough gates to cover the first six poles, relying on just the wires for the end of the line.  But I could still do it!  I began to run them back and forth on my own, trying to earn extra treats.  What can I say?  I'm a quick study;)

Over the past few days, Jaxson has taken a strong liking to Sean.  Sean has a Sheltie at home and so has a soft spot for the breed;)  Jax likes agility but becomes overwhelmed at CCSC when lots of dogs and handlers are working in close proximity.  He does what you ask him to do, but he isn't excited about it since he's worrying where everyone else is and what they are doing.  Mom wanted to keep him happy and bubbly but add to the crowd, so she asked Sean to accompany us.  She showed him how to send Jax into tunnels and the chute and then they introduced him to the UKC swinging bridge.  Jax is an old pro at the dog walk and the A-frame and merrily trotted over them without hesitation.  Mom held the baby teeter and gently set it down while Sead led Jax up it.  They fed him extra treats at the tipping point and pretty soon Jax bounded across as Mom let it fall a little faster.  He is a brave dog!  Jax genuinely enjoyed working with Sean, even on weave poles--his most problematic obstacle last session.  They only ran him six poles and he became so comfortable with them that he ran through them on his own several times as Mom and Sean were removing the gates at the end of our workout.  Needless to say, a banner day for both of us! 

Last night, Mom went over to some friends for a movie and returned smelling of cat.  Made me miss my Second Chance kittens!  Mom and I thought we would feature a Second Chance cat or dog on our blog to let you all know what wonderful pets in need of good homes are out there.  Today, we found Lionel while perusing www.petfinder.com:

Lionel is a suave debonair gentle-cat. He has beautiful silky long hair that is a delight to brush. He saunters about the room with a sense of elegance and sophistication and is very respectful of his feline roommates. One of his favorite activities is to watch the shenanigans of the other cats in the room. He enjoys playing around the scratching post (though he is declawed), but most of all enjoys sitting up high on a shelf and moderating the activities. He would do best in a quiet home environment and would love to shower you with his affection. Come meet this sweet, spectacular, stunning guy soon!

More about Lionel

Pet ID: 10121 • Spayed/Neutered • Up-to-date with routine shots • House trained • Declawed

Lionel's Contact Info

Columbia Second Chance, Columbia, MO

• 573-445-5598
• Email Columbia Second Chance
• See more pets from Columbia Second Chance
• For more information, visit Columbia Second Chance's Web site.

Jaxson's New Moves

Oh mes chers.  The Sheltie and the BeagHeeler next door have teamed up to become an unstoppable force...for evil.  I have enjoyed taunting Cricket (the BeagHeeler) since we were puppies because he can give as good as he gets and always bounces back with a protest.  He's a very tough little guy, and speedy to boot.  Not to mention his phenomenal ninja moves.  He is an expert at the elbow or hock grab and has jumped up to snatch the fur at the point of my shoulders multiple times--all at a dead run.  Sunday, however, it became apparent that my dear sweet Jaxson has learned these moves and upped the ante.  He goes right for my long, gorgeous tail!  Twenty-odd pounds of Sheltie bouncing along on your tail slows you down a bit, mes chers--more than enough for Kai and Cricket to gang up on me.  I suppose karma has finally caught up with me...

Beauceron National Specialty 2010

For your viewing pleasure, you can link to the photos from the first ever Beauceron National Specialty here.  My mom and all our friends at Grand Paws and Mes Yeux Vigilants are there.  Since I'm sure every Beauceron looks the same to the untrained eye, you can find our photos by looking for Mom.  She is wearing a burgundy t-shirt in the Journee pics and a green dress in the Specialty.  For any newcomers, I won Reserve Winners Dog (!) in the Specialty and was rated Select (along with my bro, En Theos!) in the more informal Journee.  The good people at Equilibrio Studios took the photos and Mom has contacted them for prices so that we may add to my Wall of Fame:)
I can hardly believe that today is the last day of 2010!  We planned a celebratory hike before Mom went to work but were stopped by thunder and lightning just as we headed out to the car.  All dressed up and no place to go, we decided to train instead.  We worked on our basics--stays, finishes, targeting.  Then Mom put me through my paces with some newer stuff--backing up in heel position and our new, sure-to-please trick: Where's My Dog?  In this trick, Mom wanders around looking for me under and behind things, only to have me run up from behind and stick my head and shoulders between her legs.  We can even walk a ways like this as Mom continues to fret, "Where did my dog go?  I just can't find him!"   We think the kids at Petco will like this!
I also learned how to shut cabinet doors today, generalizing it to the refrigerator door and the front door as well.  I wanted to learn how to open the doors too, but Mom refused.  I don't think she trusts me, mes chers!
Well, Jax and I must get gloriously muddy in the backyard of Faurot before we are subjected to baths at Petco!  A demain!

Portrait of the Puppy as a Grown Up

Portrait of Spur, by Miller Sye

Oui, mes chers--c'est moi!  Incroyable!  I hardly recognize myself.  So disinguished, so regal, so...still.  For those of you yet unacquainted with the talented Miller Sye, I urge you to check out http://www.etsy.com/shop/millersye.  You too can have a little portrait of me for your own edification and pleasure!
Mom searched long and hard for an artist who could capture my particular "je ne sais quoi."  As difficult as it may be for some of you to believe, I do occasionally stand still and strike a similarly noble pose...for a split second!