you've really got a hold on me

Two smileys that describe my life right now.

One that means, “I’m starving and we’re having spaghetti tonight so I’m happy as fuck,” and the shark one mainly.

..........
I let the girls out tonight. Story of my life. It was a good time. Super quick. I fed them and they were only loose for about 10 minutes. I had just gone for a run and was tired anyway, so I just wanted to let them stretch their legs and have a few minutes of excitement.

I don't know what it is about those girls, and this isn't even going to make any sense, but I just love them. Just watching them move and working them. They're incredible.

Tomorrow some people are coming out to take a gander and learn a little about the sport, owning/running a kennel, etc. I love to talk, so of course I'm ready for it. Short and sweet tonight. And I thank you kindly.

and truth be told, i'm lying

No dog news tonight. I was coaching Girls on the Run, so the monsters were already fed when I got home. I know that my grandpa let the little girls out tonight. I probably should have gone out and handled them a little bit, but I was hungry. Hahaha don't think I'm a terrible asshole.....he's been in the kennel all day. No one is dying for attention.

Oh, wait...that's something semi interesting. The groups. Everyone is put into groups by ability/who they get along with/just so we know who we're talking about without having to say everyone's name allllll the time.

23 dogs.
The girls (Fred, Bren, Heini, Rache, Tune, Keytone, Fox).

Then there's Busy...my grandpa calls her "the other dog." When it comes to everything BUT running, she's one of the The Girls.

Brew is in his own group. Sometimes my grandpa calls him Buster or "the male."
Sometimes Joppy and Brew are together.

Kuz and Them: Kuz, June, Roary.

The Little Girls: May, Star (Joppy).
But usually that group, as far as training at least, is just May and Them: May, Star, Oak, Brother.

Joppy, as mentioned, is sometimes one of the Little Girls, but she's usually a loner or with Brew because I use her in either group.

Then there's the house/yard dogs, aka Connor and Them: Mr. Monster, Monroe, Elsie, Saint and Arty.

And little Beaver dog is in her own little world.

You know what this makes me wanna do? PLAN TEAMS FOR NEXT SEASON. Holy shit balls. That will happen soon.

he smiles politely back at you, you stare politely right on through

Ears bleed so much! Fox ripped her ear on the fence and by the time I had put everyone away and cleaned it a little bit, it honestly looked like she had attacked and attempted to kill me, but that I avoided death by leaping into a pool of blood and swimming around just for kicks. Ugh.

The funny/worse/terrible part is that she lives with Keytone....and Keytone is now also covered in blood. Seriously, multi-racial blood-fest in my kennel tonight.
Anywho, she'll be fine...just a little sore. And she'll look like a bad ass prison survivor for the rest of her life. What a hardcore monster.

Also, who the hell knew that Rachel was an obsessive pacer from hell? Lordy. I'll never be able to keep weight on her. But she is rather fond of her chain. I think Heini and Bren dislike theirs very much. A-kennel building I will go.

prototypical non-conformist

Let's see: five weekends from the past few months that I'll never forget....in no meaningful order.
And the title is from a Say Anything song. It doesn't get much better than that bullshit.

Kalkaska this year. Because our training worked.

Tubing with the sister. Because it was a Wednesday night.

Finnishing Chute of Badassery Party. Because it was technically canceled, but we rocked it.

Indian River. Because we won money for the first time ever.

Pudding shot night. Because who knew they were even possible? Or that they fucking rock?

Every weekend involves either beer or dogs. Some both.

...............
In case you're wondering, Busy is not in heat. No where near. Kenny and Lori will be home April 1 (!) so I'll probably just take her up there that weekend. Rachel, too? Still deciding. Probably.

I think tonight is a great night to go to fucking sleep. Early. Most nights are. It just sounds lovely. Say Anything, anyone? Oh hell yes.

there's....something on the wing...some....thing

An idea: Six things I wish I'd never done.

You know, if wishing I’d never done those six things helped in some way, this might be worth it. But it’s not.

Well god damn, aren't I in such a charming mood tonight?

Suppose I could list six of the most influential dogs in my life.

1. Kuzin. Because he ran like a stubborn SOB, but that dog would drive through hell and back without making a poor choice. He allowed me to realize that I COULD train dogs well enough to beat the shit outta anyone.

2. Fox

3. Freddie

4. Keytone. Because they were the original "the girls" for an entire year together alone. I can't say they started it all, because Kuzin started it all, but they started everything I have now.

5. Heini. Because this season wouldn't have happened without her. God damn. When Freddie quit that day, I actually cried. Heini took over from there on out and made everything okay.

6. The Pretty. Because he's everything a monster should be. Because I'm more proud of what I've done with him than anything else I ever have.



...........
This is the current ability of my brain to function. I'm tired and I'm never a pleasant tired.

Must check to see if Busy is in heat. Must learn subtraction to see how many months ago November was. Must call Tim to see if he'll take her in the near future.

Must check to see if Rachel is anywhere near coming into heat. Fuck math. Must decide if I even want to breed her yet. Must say no to Rachel puppy. Fuck.

Must figure out what the hell is wrong with Connor's feet. Must might maybe require medication. Must find and learn addition to see if I can afford. Must afford. Fuck.

Must get rabbies shot for Fred and Keytone. More math. More money. More fucking.

Must stop eating fresh for lunch to save $12 a week. Must stop calling Subway, "eating fresh." Just realized I did math. Fuck.

Must put weight on Petunia. Must not make it sound as dire as a "must". Must buy different wormer to see if that helps. Must buy thing. Fuck.

Must get Elsie into shape. Must join dog park and Air Dog club because I really fucking want to. Must involve money, I'm sure. FUCKKKKKKKKKKKK.

Yep. My current mood is just peachy. Fuck money and fuck math.

well, i think it's hella tight

Day Four: Seven things that cross your mind a lot.


Connor

Miles (as in the actual number on my dogs at any given moment)

My addiction to Coke/Dr. Pepper and how long it has been since I’ve had one (3 weeks, I do believe)

Thoughts of my comfortable bed...THE CAVE.

JG

Dog food...as in which brands I'd rather be feeding.

Money. Always money...and I’m not even sure I know why.

.....
It's Saint Patty's Day! You had better be having a great one, you fools. As for me, I skipped class. I slept in. I worked on the kennel for 4 hours....and I think I'm a fan of the result. Chains? Oh heck yes. The dog houses are temporary (just barrels), but everyone is dry and happy and it doesn't look half bad.

There's a damn half tree/ sapling wannabe in Busy's circle, but she has been very patient and allowed me to rescue her whenever her chain catches. Once I find the brush-clippers...or a machete....that problem will be no more.

Petunia is happy to have some company down there. Rachel complains until I'm out of sight, per usual, but has lived her whole life on a chain, so it doesn't phase her. Freddie is preoccupied digging a mote, presumably to keep her soon-to-be pet dragon animal from escaping. Heini is super fucking happy to be dry and in the sun.....she just keeps rolling around like a puppy. Brennan is a baby and has been pouting, but I find it adorable anyway.

What about Foxer and Keytone you wonder? Well, I don't want to put Fox on a chain at all and Keytone was already in one of the nice, new kennels (with Bren...but I moved Bren), so I left her and tossed Rockstar in there too. I still have a spot (almost 2) left down below, so I might put Keytone down there in the next few days.

Wouldn't it be awesome if I could take pictures and post them? God dammit all to hell I NEED A CAMERA. I had one....but then it landed forcefully on the ground.

Just take my word for it- everything is bad ass. It's hella tight. Promise.

Oh and I wanted to add, Brew is still up in a kennel. He's really rough on chains (a terrible, obsessive pacer), so a kennel is much easier. Six on chains, three in the kennels (plus all the sibes...they're in kennels). I think I like it.

between you and the liqour, I'll take the booze

It was a good night with the girls. It was gorgeous all day so I let everyone loose for about an hour when I got home from work. I've known for a few months now, but today it hit me harder than hell.......I legitimately hate the way everything is set up. The kennel looks practical, but it's more dysfunctional than damn near anything.

The one row of sibes looks good, but the original section looks like hell. Even thinking about it driving me up the wall. It might be tomorrow, or later this weekend, but I think I'm going to throw the girls on chains for a few weeks while I brainstorm and things dry up.

Chains right now would give them more room than their current kennels and will be easier to clean until I figure out what to do. We have plenty of fencing and room for kennels, I'm just not convinced. If I'm this unhappy with them, I think I should at least try chains for a few weeks. The dogs would be so accessible. (SO MUCH MORE ROOM FOR ACTIVITIES)I can always go back to the old way if anyone (myself included) hates it.

Have you heard? Bird is the word AND tomorrow is St. Patty's day!!

she’s seen all the classics, she knows every line

These damn games, but FINE. I'll play along. Nine things about yourself.


I’m more than crazy about JG.

I hate things with texture.

I can’t handle wearing turtlenecks/scarves.

I genuinely appreciate people who are smart enough to be funny.

I eat spaghetti at least twice a week.

I'm only a dick most of the time.

Connor is a gentleman and a scholar - fact.

I want so much matching equipment.

I was shocked to discover that I no longer own a bike. They’re a quintessential part of being a person...who the hell doesn’t have a bike?



...

And I would like to add: Eve is intermittently an excellent fetching machine. Tonight, she was flawless. I plan to capitalize on this and turn her into an obsessive mess soon enough.

if i outlive this, and some do, i shall have only good to say of you

Baby Saint when he was baby sized.

what's an adventurer to do...

Holy hell. I think I might just be terrible at doing this regularly. Well then.

There are more than a few things I can manage to do regularly, even habitually, like day dream, eat Burger King, honk my horn at assholes, feed the dogs (at least six days out of seven), and ponder my summer plans. I should try in earnest to add this blog to that comprehensive list of "Annie's Daily (aw hell...weekly) Bullshit".

I had this grand idea of posting every week. Which turned into every month.....which ended up being twice almost the entire winter. I created this blog specifically to brag about my amazing monsters of lore, so I should probably do that less infrequently, eh?

The almost news is that perhaps I'd like to dabble in weight pull. Honestly though, nothing grabs me like mushing. I really like disc. And I really like UAD. Wp would be fun. A few from this group might really like lure coursing or even a slew of other sports.....but those other sports only bide our time until the temps drop and the harnesses come out.

The season ended a month ago today and I'm ready to start training again. Ah well...disc with Elsie and teaching Eve to swim will be entertainment enough until September.

BUT ANYWHO...race season is over and my life has no meaning.

I think what I meant to say was that A)maybe I'll actually get into the habit of posting, ummm, a lot and B)hopefully this next thing will help me with that. I have this idea. I got it from a friend. I get a lot of ideas from said friend. Here goes nothing:

Day One: Ten things you want to say to ten different people right now.
Day Two: Nine things about yourself.
Day Three: Eight ways to win your heart.
Day Four: Seven things that cross your mind a lot.
Day Five: Six things you wish you’d never done.
Day Six: Five people who mean a lot (in no order whatsoever)
Day Seven: Four turn offs.
Day Eight: Three turn ons.
Day Nine: Two smileys that describe your life right now.
Day Ten: One confession.

Uh oh....some of these are sappy. There's a reason why I didn't name this "sappy shit and sled dogs." Gulp. I refuse to admit anything worthwhile...and avoiding any sort of serious response is something I do actually excel at regularly.