For anyone who saw a few weird posts that were in no way related to dogs, those were on purpose. I had to turn in some work for a class, but I have no word processor on my computer, so I typed everything into the blog and turned it in like that. Ahhhh modern technology.
We were up at Lost Lake this past weekend and it was a blast, per usual. I only got one run in, but it was a good one. I've got to slow them down a tad until we get a few more miles because the speed is a little much, especially throwing it at London all at once.
Eve has continued to be awesome in harness, and she behaved beautifully the whole weekend.
Mr. Mystery Monster came home last night! He hailed from Pennsylvania (but is out of Kenny and Lori's kennel) and he has already seemingly adjusted perfectly. He's so damn sweet. I'm already sold on him, and I have good reason to believe he's going to be an incredible asset. His puppy name is Coty, but I'm thinking he's a Roman.
Good news on the Siberian front. A great MUSH member and owner of Oak's brothers will be leasing May and Jop for the season. I'm happy about it because that way they get plenty of training AND racing. I'm still him-hawing about Tune and Bruce. I could lease them out together or keep them and run them with Beaver. Star could possibly go with them to make a 3 dog. We'd still have Brother and Oak. I haven't completely made up my mind on that second chunk of dogs....still chewing it over.
I'd like to get 3 days in this coming weekend. Next weekend (22 and 23) is the training run at Kalkaska. I'm looking forward to the good ole All Seasons and a nice dip in the hot tub!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Sunday, October 2, 2011
it's a white flag, it's a stop sign, it's the last long drag on a marlboro light...
Six runs in and I already feel like this season is off to an awesome start!
Beyond the run at the Vineyards, our official start was September 24. That morning I ran on the road with the rig and used Tune and Heini in front of Rachel and London. It was my first time driving London and I was immediately blown away. We did 2 miles on the nose.
I loaded up that afternoon and headed up to Gary's, mostly to get London some truck experience. I ran teams that night and again in the morning on just a quick quarter/half mile loop.
We did a lot of sitting last week....it literally rained all day, every day, but we have certainly made up for it this weekend! I've had the main team out three times and everyone else got out at least once. Friday night (in the rain!) I ran the main team, minus London (just in case something happened between the almost darkness and not being able to stop; didn't want to put him in a bad situation), led by Heini and Bren, and then a full Sibe team with May, Star, Jop and Oak.
Got my butt outta bed Saturday morning and ran the full hound team (London included), led by Bren and Fred, then another full Sibe team led by May and Jop with Brother and Star in back.
THEN, this morning (Sunday) I...you guessed it, ran the full hound team, led by Fred and Rachel (both were GREAT), and used Tune and Fox in front of Brew and Eve to ease Evie into rig training. She drove like mad! I was really impressed.
Busy, busy! I might be able to get out Wednesday night, and other than that, I plan to run Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Lost Lake. We started with a shaky two miles, went back down to one mile for a few runs, and they really got their wind. This morning we did two absolutely no problem, so I'll probably stick to all two-milers at Lost Lake.
Beyond the run at the Vineyards, our official start was September 24. That morning I ran on the road with the rig and used Tune and Heini in front of Rachel and London. It was my first time driving London and I was immediately blown away. We did 2 miles on the nose.
I loaded up that afternoon and headed up to Gary's, mostly to get London some truck experience. I ran teams that night and again in the morning on just a quick quarter/half mile loop.
We did a lot of sitting last week....it literally rained all day, every day, but we have certainly made up for it this weekend! I've had the main team out three times and everyone else got out at least once. Friday night (in the rain!) I ran the main team, minus London (just in case something happened between the almost darkness and not being able to stop; didn't want to put him in a bad situation), led by Heini and Bren, and then a full Sibe team with May, Star, Jop and Oak.
Got my butt outta bed Saturday morning and ran the full hound team (London included), led by Bren and Fred, then another full Sibe team led by May and Jop with Brother and Star in back.
THEN, this morning (Sunday) I...you guessed it, ran the full hound team, led by Fred and Rachel (both were GREAT), and used Tune and Fox in front of Brew and Eve to ease Evie into rig training. She drove like mad! I was really impressed.
Busy, busy! I might be able to get out Wednesday night, and other than that, I plan to run Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Lost Lake. We started with a shaky two miles, went back down to one mile for a few runs, and they really got their wind. This morning we did two absolutely no problem, so I'll probably stick to all two-milers at Lost Lake.
Monday, September 12, 2011
i could get a broken jaw from being in a fight, i know it's evening when day turns to night
Got some miles on the monsters! We ran up in Manistee on Sunday, Sept 11. The trail was not quite 2 miles, which was perfect anyway because it was warm and we hadn't been out yet.
The host kennel ran first so I could ride along and see the trail. Her team did well and her new leader is a nice little female - not too far away from Rachel, I don't think. We each only brought one team, so I went next. It was heating up fast, so I took water and stopped I think four times (only watered once) to be extra cautious.
The whole point of going up there was to scout a new trail that's been put in at a winery called Douglas Valley Vineyards. It was SUCH a neat spot. The trail's just in and around the apple orchard, so there was plenty of gee/haw work. It was a lot to ask of the first run, but they all drove great and everyone came in happy. I had Heini and Tune in front, Rachel in the middle and Fred and Bren in wheel. I've got to get Bren down a little before I really start putting miles on her. It'll probably be another two weeks before it's cool enough, so we've got time.
The good news? Thanks to the hard work of the host kennel and some positive reviews, GLSDA has slated a dryland RACE (!) there for November 12 and 13. I'm pumped. I've never even done a legit dryland, so I've got to make sure everyone's up to speed and ready for that weekend. A reason to train hard right from the get-go...I like it!
And the title....it's a line from a Proclaimers song. Look that shit up.
The host kennel ran first so I could ride along and see the trail. Her team did well and her new leader is a nice little female - not too far away from Rachel, I don't think. We each only brought one team, so I went next. It was heating up fast, so I took water and stopped I think four times (only watered once) to be extra cautious.
The whole point of going up there was to scout a new trail that's been put in at a winery called Douglas Valley Vineyards. It was SUCH a neat spot. The trail's just in and around the apple orchard, so there was plenty of gee/haw work. It was a lot to ask of the first run, but they all drove great and everyone came in happy. I had Heini and Tune in front, Rachel in the middle and Fred and Bren in wheel. I've got to get Bren down a little before I really start putting miles on her. It'll probably be another two weeks before it's cool enough, so we've got time.
The good news? Thanks to the hard work of the host kennel and some positive reviews, GLSDA has slated a dryland RACE (!) there for November 12 and 13. I'm pumped. I've never even done a legit dryland, so I've got to make sure everyone's up to speed and ready for that weekend. A reason to train hard right from the get-go...I like it!
And the title....it's a line from a Proclaimers song. Look that shit up.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
it's almost perfectly legitimate
We’re back at it. Training updates will be coming shortly. If I don’t manage to run monsters this weekend, I’ll aim for next Thursday, September 8.
If you’re curious as to why I don’t ever bother posting over the summer, it’s because I’m always drunk. That was a joke. I’m not always drunk. Sometimes I’m just buzzed.
Fine, fine, I’ll stop.
But anyway, just to reestablish who I am and who exactly you might be, here we go. I’m still Annie – and by this I do not mean that I’m “Annie the Non Mover”. As for you? I’m stumped….but I know this much: you’re at least mildly interested in occasionally reading about what goes on in this crazy kennel of mine. And see, if your interest is only intermittent and rather lackluster, then why in the world would I write more often than that? My sporadic posting, motherfuckers, it’s entirely your fault.
I’ll have more professional days, worry not. The occasional post is guaranteed to have depth and breadth. There might even be entire passages where I forget to insult you, my not-so-loyal reader. That being said, this is your annual warning – if you can’t handle receiving only a handful of venom-laced posts a month, or if you think “sarcasm” is a jerk’s excuse to be an asshole, then this blog is better left unvisited; mostly because you’re entirely right about the latter and the former is my proven track record.
I do suppose that’s it for now. The dog animals are acting crazy with the cooler temps…today stayed around 75. In the mornings until nearly 8 a.m., the temp keeps lower than 50. Dear the 2011/12 season, here goes everything!
And dear you, come again. Or don’t.
If you’re curious as to why I don’t ever bother posting over the summer, it’s because I’m always drunk. That was a joke. I’m not always drunk. Sometimes I’m just buzzed.
Fine, fine, I’ll stop.
But anyway, just to reestablish who I am and who exactly you might be, here we go. I’m still Annie – and by this I do not mean that I’m “Annie the Non Mover”. As for you? I’m stumped….but I know this much: you’re at least mildly interested in occasionally reading about what goes on in this crazy kennel of mine. And see, if your interest is only intermittent and rather lackluster, then why in the world would I write more often than that? My sporadic posting, motherfuckers, it’s entirely your fault.
I’ll have more professional days, worry not. The occasional post is guaranteed to have depth and breadth. There might even be entire passages where I forget to insult you, my not-so-loyal reader. That being said, this is your annual warning – if you can’t handle receiving only a handful of venom-laced posts a month, or if you think “sarcasm” is a jerk’s excuse to be an asshole, then this blog is better left unvisited; mostly because you’re entirely right about the latter and the former is my proven track record.
I do suppose that’s it for now. The dog animals are acting crazy with the cooler temps…today stayed around 75. In the mornings until nearly 8 a.m., the temp keeps lower than 50. Dear the 2011/12 season, here goes everything!
And dear you, come again. Or don’t.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
and I had a feeling I could be someone
This is how fetch works:
Annie grabs a ball from the truck. Why does she keep the tennis balls in the truck? Because it’s the one spot that’s secure from all monsters; they haven’t learned to open the doors. Yet. Annie then whistles.
All monsters stop whatever they’re doing and swarm around Annie. They love her dearly, but at this moment, they could easily become confused and devour her out of sheer excitement.
Annie grabs the chuck it. She rarely throws the ball with her own arm because, honestly, and she hates to admit this, but she kinda throws like a girl. Either way, the monsters tear off in pursuit.
Well, correction….Freddie, Connor and Elsie take off in hot pursuit.
Saint chases Connor.
Eve chases Saint.
Keytone chases the group and Petunia chases Keytone.
Fox wants the ball, but is a learned doctor and can’t be seen chasing something so meaningless.
Busy follows the commotion, knowing they’re all nuts, and sometimes openly wonders why Lori would send her here to live, for an entire winter, with this group who is so clearly ape-shit-crazy.
Brennan legitimately tries to comprehend the rules and procedures, but gets confused and sometimes brings back sticks or a leaf instead.
Heini lies in wait until she can snatch the ball, at which point she’s overcome and carries it in circles, calling it her squishy.
Brew is usually too busy batting his eyes at butterflies to notice anything at all.
Artie always, unwittingly, plants himself as an obstacle; he’s regularly run over.
Rachel just runs laps around everyone because she’s pretty sure that’s the whole point.
Despite this mass of seeming confusion, the ball is (usually) returned to Annie for another round.
****
From here, we’re going to assume Freddie gets it, mostly because Elsie is fat and Connor is…..he lets her win. Shut up. So, Freddie heads back towards Annie who then begins to encourage the monster.
Eve now looses her focus on the fat blob of Saint and suddenly, earnestly believes that everyone should stop moving and that no one should be near Annie or deliver anything to her. Not even a ball. Not even during fetch. When anyone runs by, Eve tries to bite their face off. Don’t worry, she’s mostly unsuccessful.
Fred has now reached Annie and is finishing up some last minute obsessive circles. She’ll drop the ball a few times, pounce on it, spin and repeat. Annie looks on and says “thank you” when Fredly finally refocuses.
And now enter Elsie: she’s adorably impatient and all of that bullshit nonsense makes her crazy. She’s not sure who taught these monsters to play fetch, but her teacher was a helluva lot more thorough (and dark).
At this point, Connor (speak of the devil) trots up, troubled by the delay but ready to put everything back on track and right all the wrongs known to man. Annie doesn’t feel like reaching down to grab the ball from Fred, so she asks Connor to do it for her. “Sir, get that,” she’ll say. The Black Monster of All Things Wonderful will then grab the ball….either from the ground or from another dog’s mouth. No big deal. He will then, with both elegance and grace, offer it to Annie. She will accept. Then, she will throw it again.
If Connor so impressively taught Elsie how to play, then who, one may ask, bestowed this knowledge upon Connor? Who worked tirelessly for weeks and months with a new, shiny Black Baby Monster to turn him into a bundle of black, fetching obsession? Who tried to convince him not to ingest mother’s cat that one fateful afternoon? Oh, that was beside the point. But anyway….who could this person of myth possibly be? I mean, she sounds vaguely familiar, but I just can’t be certain.
Now let’s rewind and say Elsie gets the ball. She’ll bring it directly to Annie (remember, education is everything), dropping it about five feet in front of her. Connor will then swoop in from behind and deliver it to Annie’s hand. Teamwork at its fucking best. If anyone else attempts to look at/take the ball in this process, they will lose a body part.
Rewinding once more to a world where Connor gets there first: he’ll trot directly back to Annie, gleefully, and literally, running over anyone dumb enough to get in the way of a 100lb monster. Sometimes he’ll stop and frolic in the snow, or tall grass, or water, or lily pads, or something else not remotely on the way to His Beloved, but it’s Him, so she just doesn’t care. When He reaches Her, the ball will be given. She might accidentally drop it or he might place it in the wrong spot. She’ll simply ask him to “get that” and he’ll pick it up like the true gentleman he is.
So, that’s what fetch is. Annie falling in love with The Black Dog all over again.
Annie grabs a ball from the truck. Why does she keep the tennis balls in the truck? Because it’s the one spot that’s secure from all monsters; they haven’t learned to open the doors. Yet. Annie then whistles.
All monsters stop whatever they’re doing and swarm around Annie. They love her dearly, but at this moment, they could easily become confused and devour her out of sheer excitement.
Annie grabs the chuck it. She rarely throws the ball with her own arm because, honestly, and she hates to admit this, but she kinda throws like a girl. Either way, the monsters tear off in pursuit.
Well, correction….Freddie, Connor and Elsie take off in hot pursuit.
Saint chases Connor.
Eve chases Saint.
Keytone chases the group and Petunia chases Keytone.
Fox wants the ball, but is a learned doctor and can’t be seen chasing something so meaningless.
Busy follows the commotion, knowing they’re all nuts, and sometimes openly wonders why Lori would send her here to live, for an entire winter, with this group who is so clearly ape-shit-crazy.
Brennan legitimately tries to comprehend the rules and procedures, but gets confused and sometimes brings back sticks or a leaf instead.
Heini lies in wait until she can snatch the ball, at which point she’s overcome and carries it in circles, calling it her squishy.
Brew is usually too busy batting his eyes at butterflies to notice anything at all.
Artie always, unwittingly, plants himself as an obstacle; he’s regularly run over.
Rachel just runs laps around everyone because she’s pretty sure that’s the whole point.
Despite this mass of seeming confusion, the ball is (usually) returned to Annie for another round.
****
From here, we’re going to assume Freddie gets it, mostly because Elsie is fat and Connor is…..he lets her win. Shut up. So, Freddie heads back towards Annie who then begins to encourage the monster.
Eve now looses her focus on the fat blob of Saint and suddenly, earnestly believes that everyone should stop moving and that no one should be near Annie or deliver anything to her. Not even a ball. Not even during fetch. When anyone runs by, Eve tries to bite their face off. Don’t worry, she’s mostly unsuccessful.
Fred has now reached Annie and is finishing up some last minute obsessive circles. She’ll drop the ball a few times, pounce on it, spin and repeat. Annie looks on and says “thank you” when Fredly finally refocuses.
And now enter Elsie: she’s adorably impatient and all of that bullshit nonsense makes her crazy. She’s not sure who taught these monsters to play fetch, but her teacher was a helluva lot more thorough (and dark).
At this point, Connor (speak of the devil) trots up, troubled by the delay but ready to put everything back on track and right all the wrongs known to man. Annie doesn’t feel like reaching down to grab the ball from Fred, so she asks Connor to do it for her. “Sir, get that,” she’ll say. The Black Monster of All Things Wonderful will then grab the ball….either from the ground or from another dog’s mouth. No big deal. He will then, with both elegance and grace, offer it to Annie. She will accept. Then, she will throw it again.
If Connor so impressively taught Elsie how to play, then who, one may ask, bestowed this knowledge upon Connor? Who worked tirelessly for weeks and months with a new, shiny Black Baby Monster to turn him into a bundle of black, fetching obsession? Who tried to convince him not to ingest mother’s cat that one fateful afternoon? Oh, that was beside the point. But anyway….who could this person of myth possibly be? I mean, she sounds vaguely familiar, but I just can’t be certain.
Now let’s rewind and say Elsie gets the ball. She’ll bring it directly to Annie (remember, education is everything), dropping it about five feet in front of her. Connor will then swoop in from behind and deliver it to Annie’s hand. Teamwork at its fucking best. If anyone else attempts to look at/take the ball in this process, they will lose a body part.
Rewinding once more to a world where Connor gets there first: he’ll trot directly back to Annie, gleefully, and literally, running over anyone dumb enough to get in the way of a 100lb monster. Sometimes he’ll stop and frolic in the snow, or tall grass, or water, or lily pads, or something else not remotely on the way to His Beloved, but it’s Him, so she just doesn’t care. When He reaches Her, the ball will be given. She might accidentally drop it or he might place it in the wrong spot. She’ll simply ask him to “get that” and he’ll pick it up like the true gentleman he is.
So, that’s what fetch is. Annie falling in love with The Black Dog all over again.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
...reaching a fever pitch and it's bring me out the dark
Today was god damn near gorgeous and perfect, so I couldn't wait to get home and let the dog animals out. I had Eve, Artie, Elsie, Brew, Fox, Keytone, Fred, Bren, Busy, Rachel, Heini, Tune and Joppy all out for about an hour. We went down into the field for a few minutes, but it was so hot that everyone was sluggish and boring. Usually their antics entertain me, but today was in slow motion haha. We mainly hung around the kennel and they all got to be crazy and play in the pools.
We played fetch for a few minutes...well, Fred and Elsie played fetch with me while everyone else just ran around confusedly. Story of my life.
Fred and Keytone need rabies shots and Eve needs to finally finish her baby dog shots....or, more likely, start them over.
I'm excited to see what I can actually do with Fredly this summer. We shall see if she'll actually swim. I hope little Eve monster will figure it out also. Elsie is patiently waiting for me to get her into shape, forget about the other two noncommittal time-wasters and take her to the lake!
We played fetch for a few minutes...well, Fred and Elsie played fetch with me while everyone else just ran around confusedly. Story of my life.
Fred and Keytone need rabies shots and Eve needs to finally finish her baby dog shots....or, more likely, start them over.
I'm excited to see what I can actually do with Fredly this summer. We shall see if she'll actually swim. I hope little Eve monster will figure it out also. Elsie is patiently waiting for me to get her into shape, forget about the other two noncommittal time-wasters and take her to the lake!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
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.
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.
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