When His Family Is Away, Flat Brutus Will Play!

And Play I did! Flat Brutus here folks, ready to fill you all in on my BIG weekend! While my family was on their "Earlventure," I had plenty to keep me busy. Those nice people and fur faces at the Funny Farm were gracious enough to take care of me. Mom told me that if I behaved, and used good manners and didn't have any accidents that I would have a great time....and boy, oh boy, was she ever right! I must have been SUPER good, because Courtney and Sadie Lou took me to my very first Agility Trial hosted by Medina Swarm. It was a blast. So much fun that I can't wait to do it all over again! They say pictures are worth a thousand words, so let me show you how much fun I had!

Welcome to the October Medina Swarm CPE Trial! This was my view for much of the day. Oy, we must have gotten up really early to get good ringside seats.

Here I am at the judges briefing....this is what you do before you have to run the course. I paid close attention, and my good friend Jenn explained the big words that I didn't understand. She is really experienced in the ring and really boosted my confidence!

After the briefing, I found my friend Riot the Border Collie. He's much to young to compete yet, but when his time comes - watch out world! He gave me a great pep talk and calmed me down a little. We did some breathing exercises to help me focus. He told me that his mom, Amanda M. would be there for me if I needed her during my run.

Then it was time for my run! I LOVE the tunnel! 3-D Brutus has NOTHING on my tunnel skills...look at the energy and fervor with which I'm exiting the tunnel. Bring it on Baby!

Next were the weave poles, and let me tell you....this is no territory for beginners. I've been working for months on perfecting my technique. Smooooooth like butter!

Then I headed to the dog walk. Note the precision on my contact with my feet in the yellow paint. A definite must in terms of safety and qualifying! Thank goodness Amanda P. was there to tell me to go easy. I don't see yellow so well (being color-blind and all).

Then it was just a mad dash to the tire followed by the finish line. I was out of breath, my muscles were trembling, but the end was in sight. Riot was right, without Amanda M. there to cheer me on, I don't know if I would have made it!

Once my run was complete, I was a bundle of nerves. I didn't knock any bars down - it was a nice smooth run. But, was my time good enough to Q? Then, the results were in....I rushed over to the computer to view them myself - the anticipation was killing me - I thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest....

YES!!!!!! Hip Hip Hoooooooraaaaaaay! A qualifying run and a 1st place finish! Blue and a Q....LIFE IS GOOD!!!!!

After so much physical exertion, it's very important to regroup. That starts with a healthy, well-rounded lunch. Smelled delicious, and tasted even better. (Don't worry mom, I got all 4 food groups covered: cheese, turkey, donuts and carrots with dip!)

Even tho' my run was over, Courtney told me that we still had lots ahead of us. Fizzer looked awfully darn comfy in this chair, so I thought I'd join her for a little snooze. Had to recharge my batteries for a big afternoon! By the way, Fizz is a very excellent snuggle buddy, and never takes up too much room!

After a little shut-eye, I decided to check out what else there was to see at the Trial. A favorite of mine were these awesome tuggie toys handmade by my friend Jean. She is the owner of 3 Jacks Bakery and she makes OUT OF THIS WORLD Puppy Treats!

Then I went for a visit with my good friend George. He is a beautiful yellow lab, and he sure does have a lot to say! He also has a gorgeous smile (he must brush a lot, right mom?). I made sure to thank George for letting me borrow his mom, Amanda P., during my agility run. It was his first time too this weekend, and he rocked!

Next, it was on to my duties as a worker. Here, my new friend Amanda E. (sheesh, there sure are a lot of Amandas to keep track of around here) is teaching me how to be a "Gate-keeper." I had to let all of the dogs and their people know when it was their turn, and I had to tell the workers when to raise the bars as the dogs got taller. Good thing I'm a good reader with a big Bark!

Amanda said that I did such a good job I could fly solo as the "Gate-keeper". Wonder if I get a badge for this?

Next, it was back with the Amandas for some seriously important jobs. First, Amanda P. taught me how to time. It wasn't easy to work the stopwatch without opposable digits, but I soon figured it out. Gosh were some of those dogs fast!

Once I mastered timing, it was on to learn how to scribe with Amanda M. This is a little tricky....you have to watch the judge and listen, as you record the faults during a run. I didn't like that so much, I think everybody should get Q's! Then I had to write down all of those lightning fast times.

Here I am, back at the computer...this time I'm helping Julie and her dog Blitz score. We take the scribe sheets, enter all of the data, and then the computer does it's magic and spits out the results. Again, I tried to tell Julie that I was watching, I think everyone should Q, but, she explained that life isn't fair, and sometimes you Q and sometimes you don't. I told her that I would give her lots of chocolate if that meant everyone could Q.....and she said "Hmmmmmmm, let me think about that!"

After all of the hard work, and given that it is flu season and all, it's very important to remember to sanitize your paws periodically.

And then...oh, then.....my favorite part of the day......the Howl-o-ween Costume Contest!!!

This is my new friend Abbey in her very festive T-shirt. It had ghosties and the word BOO all over it! Everyone kept telling her she had nice "Boo's"....then they would laugh, so I did too.

Here we are getting our costumes on.....That's Sadie Lou in the white, and Fizzer in the black.

And of course, there was me in all of my fabulous-ness....can you guess what we were???

A FLOCK OF SHEEP! Complete with our Border Colloe Riot to watch over us - I'm right in front of Sadie (in case you couldn't see me). We seemed to have a shedding issue with our costumes, but no worries....we won 1st Prize. That's two big wins for me today!!! Wooo-hooooo go ME!!!

As a reward for all of my hard work and good behavior, I was allowed to choose a treat from the candy dish....that took longer than anything else that I did all day. So many choices, so many choices. (Don't worry mom, I brushed extra long before bed that night.)

And there you have it! My big agility weekend.....I feel so good about my debut, and can't wait to do it again in November! I worked hard, played hard, ate well, volunteered a lot and met lots of great new human and doggie friends!

For more information on Medina Swarm Agility or Jean's delicious 3 Jacks Bakery Treats, please see the links to the left (and NO, I'm not a paid spokes-dog, just super appreciative of all that I was able to enjoy this weekend!)

This is an exhausted Flat Brutus, signing off.....until next time!

More Introductions! Foxy & Holly Get A Great "Relocation" Package!

Greetings from the Funny Farm!

Today we are taking a break from the K-9 Clan and their antics to introduce a few of our donkeys and to make a very BIG announcement!!

Drumroll please........barrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....

Foxy (aka "Lady Foxglove") and Holly (aka "Happy Hee-Hawlidays) are getting a new family! Congratulations to the Reinbolt family on their new additions! Along with their new human mom, dad and two sisters, Foxy and Holly are also getting two K-9 brothers (Jake and Winston) and two 100 pound potbelly pig brothers (oh gosh, how rude of me to not know their names - eek)! Get ready girls....lots to learn at your new home! Foxy and Holly won't be far from us, just a few miles up the road, and they'll be relocating in the middle of October....do you think they'll still be able to hear the hee-haws from the Funny Farm at their new homestead and send replies??

CiCi also has a new family....the Manganos - Happy Birthday Jenn! Cici will remain at the Funny Farm, as her family doesn't quite have enough space for her at their place. Cici's mom is "Ranch Hand Jenn", who'll you'll see regulary here on the blog! Cici also has K-9 siblings....they will be properly introduced in a post in the very near future!

The following photos were taken during one of the Reinbolt's recent visits. All credit goes to Sydney for her fabulous photography skills!


Cici (aka "She Sells Seashells): "Oh shucks! Is today the photo shoot?? I totally forgot...give me a minute to primp!" Ugh...I really need to get to the salon....this fuzz is out of control!!!"

The soon to be Reinbolt Girls....Holly (lighter brown) on the left and Foxy (darker brown on the right.

Rosa (Foxy's mom): "Pardon me, but it's hard work keeping up this girlish figure of mine.....CARROTS!!!!!! Oh, sorry.....CARROTS, NOW!!!!

After sufficient treats from the Reinbolts, Rosa begins her gymnastics routine.....under close scrutiny by the international panel of judges, the following results were submitted:

Germany: 8.5 (Good form and synchronicity, costume lacked lederhosen)

Russia: 7.5 (Fine incorporation of traditional moves with modern flair, like "pasture-ized" ice dancing)

Spain: 9 (Big fan of her ancestors, thought her rhythmic ear moves were stupendous)

US: 9.5 (Loved the music, the "down-home feel" of the routine and the hee-hawing)

France: 6 (Didn't think she pointed her toes properly, so nit-picky - it's always the French judge bringing us down!)

Foxy: "Um....hello...excuse me please....mom said you had CARROTS! MORE CARROTS!! Maybe you didn't understand me........CARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROTS!!!!

Foxy to CiCi: "Stop flicking that ridiculous tail in my face! The people think it's cute....not me!!" Ahhhhh...ahhhhhh...ahhhhhh.....chooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo"

Holly: "If I stand here and bat my eyes, the people find me irresistable. I get 'em every time! "

Foxy: "If I only had my binoculars, I could see my new home! Westward Ho!"

Pandora (Holly's mom): "Ha ha ha hee-haw hee-haw! That's a great joke Cici! Stop, stop.....I'm getting a cramp in my cheeks! Ha ha ha hee-haw-hee-haw!"

Foxy: "I heard Pandora laughing....wondered what was so funny....tell me....I'm dying to hear this!

Cici: "An old man, a boy and a donkey were going to town. The boy rode on the donkey and the old man walked. As they went along they passed some people remarked it was a shame the old man was walking and the boy was riding. The man and boy thought maybe the critics were right so they changed positions. Then, later, they passed some people who remarked, What a shame, he makes that little boy walk. So they then decided they'd both walk! Soon they passed some more people who thought they were stupid to walk when they had a decent donkey to ride. So, they both rode the donkey. Now they passed some people who shamed them by saying how awful to put such a load on a poor donkey. The boy and man figured they were probably right, so they decide to carry the donkey. As they crossed the bridge, they lost their grip on the animal and he fell into the river and drowned. The moral of the story? If you try to please everyone, You might as well...Kiss your a$$ goodbye!"

Congratulations again to the Mangano and Reinbolt families! You are very lucky to have such sweet little creatures in your lives!! And, I think you will understand why my motto in life is so often: "Never under-estimate the power of a Hee-Haw!"

Pupcake Packs the Van!

Earlier this summer, Pupcake had a pretty serious problem with his leg (to be detailed in a blog post in the very near future) and started joining me at work every day - he needed nursing care and his bandages needed to be changed every few hours (if they weren't already falling off). After about 7 weeks, he got "laid-off" (meaning that he was finally well and all healed - big whew). But, thanks to Teresa, at least once or twice a week, his services are still needed on an "Independent Contractor" basis. This past Monday, Teresa and I needed to pack the van to prepare for an upcoming show. That being said, Teresa made the call, Pupcake was available and we all began packing the van!

Pupcake supervised from the comfy floor mat outside of the van for the first half of the van packing project. Once we had the front loaded, Pup felt it necessary to institute some "Quality Control Inspections."
"Boy, oh Boy! You girls do good work. Not a wobbly box in sight! Not a cubic inch unused! Fine job!"

Security camera images show Teresa here trying to earn Brownie Points from the Inspector. Hmmmm....perhaps Human Resources should be contacted? They look a little too close for comfort for the workplace!

"Man, oh man!" Watching you lovely ladies load all of these HEAVY boxes has really taken its toll on me. I'm absolutely exhausted. Does the union around here allow for any breaks?"

"Really? It's ok to lay down on the job? Well, if you insist. Couldn't hurt and we'll brainstorm about how the 2nd half should be packed! Yessiree - that's the ticket!"

"And those 3 boxes can stack where you are resting your head, and those 4 bigger boxes can go right where I'm laying. Hey...where's that slacker Courtney....oh, that's right...she's carrying all of the boxes out here for us to see and talk about! You know I'd be happy to help, but without opposable thumbs and all...."

And somehow, magically, Pupcake waved his wand and the rest of the boxes jumped into the van, just as Teresa and Pup imagined they might! Ta-Daa!

Time for a big drink of water and some well-earned Puppy Treats!

Thank goodness Pupcake was there to provide moral support and to inspect our work! We couldn't have done it without him!!!