2018 ended in a bit of jumble. A good jumble (mostly).
After many months of preparation and planning, we finally had out bathroom redone (hooray!). It meant that all of us (two humans, four dogs, and 1 cat) moved into my parents’ basement for a month right after Thanksgiving, but we all survived (and still like each other). The renovation came out beautifully and we are now the proud owners of a washer and dryer. I suppose that’s one of the signs that you’re a true adult – when you get excited for a washer and dryer and the monstrous water/electric bill that comes with it.
Also, I had the opportunity to help a senior dog name Blueberry over the holidays. Blue came to us quite ill and was with us for about 10 days before it became apparent that years of lack of human kindness and being a stray had caught up with him. We sadly helped him pass on and, although it was certainly not the ending we had all hoped for, I’m happy that Blueberry was able to feel loved and comfortable in his last days.
Roo Frank has also been up to some marvelous things! He has been competing in Performance Scent Dog nose work trials and been doing quite well – so far he has earned his novice speed, buildings, and containers titles. He has one more trial this weekend and then we will be giving him a well deserved break until the spring. I can’t begin to put into words how proud of him I am. I have never expected a dog to win ribbons for me (that’s what horses are for, hahaha) and he has exceeded my wildest dog sport dreams.
Sioux has been following in her brother’s footsteps and is starting her nose work journey. But more excitingly, Sioux can SWIM! Roo started swimming at the indoor pool at Canine New England as a reward for nose work and I figured why not give Sioux a try. She is a notoriously bad swimmer, but Lorraine and her staff helped Sioux figure our her body and feel confident so now she is actually going off he ramp and swimming on her own. It’s nothing short of a miracle.
Bella and Clementine are fantastic. Bella has some eye surgery around Thanksgiving but seems to be doing just fine and Clementine is her usual spunky self. They enjoy going to Yappy Hour at Quite Fetching on Fridays and having all the people pet them. It’s really all about the petting for them!
2018 was a year of positive change and turbulence, but I’m projecting 2019 to be a year of more steady, calculated growth. Professionally several things have come together that I’m excited about, and being excited and engaged where I spend between 60-70 hours (and many many brain cells) per week bodes well for other areas of my life. Training with the dogs is coming together nicely, and I hope that after some time off Roo will be up to working on getting his NW1 (national nose work title) this year. Hopefully Sioux will also be trial-ready by fall or at least headed confidently in that direction.
I have one other surprise up my sleeve, but I am hesitant to make it public just yet, so you’ll have to check back in a few weeks… #suspense
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