tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32057085963259587242024-03-12T22:12:47.197-07:00Cooper Party of FiveK Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09707349311942770791noreply@blogger.comBlogger109125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205708596325958724.post-57509885302709135112011-02-21T13:58:00.000-08:002011-02-21T14:05:45.847-08:0010 Minutes of Cry-BabySo, I'm in Jeff City, MO getting ready to take the MO Bar Exam tomorrow. On the 3 hour drive down here, I was feeling sorry for myself and angry at the world (unusual emotions for me), so I decided to allow myself 10 minutes once here to whine and complain, then get back to work. This my whine forum. So here goes...<br /><br />Puppy mills all over the world are pissing me off. That people can't see the need for compassion towards an animal that was created by humans, is totally reliant on humans, and is relentlessly forgiving of our flaws is so sad. I typically think people are inherently good, but I do judge people for their inability to feel empathy for an animal. People think animals don't have human emotion, but you only have to spend a week, a day, in our home to see that isn't true. To see my dogs anxiety when I cry, to see their shame if they have an accident in the house, to see their joy when a toy or leash comes out. How can people not see that?<br /><br />Puppy mills are the reason Gus is the way he is. Why he was so afraid when he came to live with us for 2 months. Why, when placed in his new home, he was so fearful as to break through his leash and run and run and run until no one knows where he is. Why, even if we find him, he won't trust us to approach him and take him home where he can be taken care of. The two months he spent being loved and cared for in my home are nothing compared to the two years of neglect and indifference he learned at the puppy mill.<br /><br />And then no one seems to care. I've heard more times than I can count that he was just a foster, not my dog, etc... I'm not sad for me, because he wasn't my dog, I had no future with him. I am sad for him. That he is out there in the cold and scary wild, a place he has never been before, dealing with coyotes and cars and all other sorts of things he has never seen before. That he may very likely die afraid and alone, not in the loving arms of someone who cares about him. That if he trusted anyone in the world, it was me, and this is where he has ended up. How can I not do anything I can to help save him from the situation he is in?<br /><br />I'm frustrated with the dog lovers in Colorado. I expected a community of people to come forward to help find him, but the response has been small. Only a few kind people have come out to look for him. I couldn't imagine a lost dog, especially a Berner, being lost in Kansas City or within a few hours and I wouldn't go out to volutneer to help look for him. Am I so busy I don't have time to do that? That instead of going out for lunch one day I couldn't go look for an hour? Instead of watching tv at night? Instead of staying at a dog show all day, even after my dog is finished showing? I know I would want people to help me look if I lost Jackson, Hilga or Lemon. I know I want people to help look for Gus. <br /><br />Today driving out of Sedalia, I saw two dogs running along side of 50 highway. Were they lost? Probably not, they were probably farm dogs. SO I didn't stop and pick them up. Maybe I should ahve. I did call the Sedalia Animal Shelter, who told me they didn't do that and to call the Sedalia Animal Control, who said said their Animal Control person wasn't in today and to call the neighboring county, who said they don't have Animal Control so they coulldn't do anything, so I called the Animal Shelter back, who said, well... hopefully the police do something. To which I just about screamed. Its not that the world isn't helping, but that it seems to fighting this effort every step of the way.<br /><br />Last summer in Sedalia, when Jackson won his major, the day was pretty much ruined. It was pouring down rain outside, we were in the motor home, and there was a lost dog running around on the fairgrounds. A beagle mix. When we talked to the show chair and told them a beagle was lost on the fairgrounds, they were so concerned and told us to bring him in. When we came in dripping wet with a mix, they didn't want to take him. We would have taken him to the shelter, but it was closed and we were in the motor home and didn't live there. One lady actually suggested we let it loose again outside. One suggested the reason I was being so insistent was because we lost (we didn't even lose). Finally, one lady, who had an ounce of compassion, said better not just let him go, one got hit by a car last time we did that. And these are dog people... what does that say?<br /><br />At the vet on Thursday, sitting in the waiting room with all three dogs, a little dog was hit by a car out in front of the clinic. Someone came in carrying the dog, a very gruesome sight, into a room, but it was obviously dead. The driver didn't even stopped. I felt sad for the dog, and sad for Gus, as that is one of fates he is looking at.<br /><br />I have to take the bar tomorrow, enough said about that one.<br /><br />I have to leave my job for the rest of the week to go out to Colorado, and I think this must feel similar to leaving your new born child alone for the first time.<br /><br />I think that is it. No more feeling sorry for myself. Back to bar prep.K Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09707349311942770791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205708596325958724.post-81947124219516978712011-01-21T16:07:00.000-08:002011-01-21T16:30:19.241-08:00Going PoliticalI thought it was about time to post some emails on the blog that I've posted on various listservs I'm on. Most of these emails are responses to fear generating posts regarding the HSUS and puppy mill legislation. Nothing frustrates me more than people in the purebred dog world getting caught up in a fear campaign promoting the idea that if we allow protective laws now, next we won't even be allowed to own/breed dogs. It is a ridiculous concept, that if followed strictly, would prohibit any legislation on any topic. Anyways, here are my recent rants...<br /><br />During a discussion regarding the recent Missouri Prop B, it was requested that someone address the negative parts of Prop B (as no legislation is perfect). My response was, as follows:<br /><br />The entire text of the proposed legislation can be viewed at the following web<br />address:<br /><br />http://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/2010petitions/2010-085.asp<br />http://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/2010petitions/2010-085.asp<br /><br />Issue #1-- Spiral Effect<br /><br />From my perspective, one of the biggest issues leading the opponent argument has<br />nothing to do with this legislation or the language contained within it. The ag<br />lobby is very strong in Missouri (and this includes puppy mills, but more<br />significantly beef, pork, and chicken commercial farmers on a larger financial<br />scale). While puppy mills have obvious objections to the legislation (they have<br />to actually take care of their breeding dogs and possibly reduce profitability),<br />there is objection from the ag lobby as a whole, who fears the spiral effect.<br />They don't want to see any legislation (even reasonable legislation) because<br />what comes next? Next will it be the commercial meat producers who are<br />regulated? Next will it be the reputable hobby breeder who is regulated? They<br />are leading a fear campaign based on the concept that this is the first step to<br />Missourians losing their rights to own pets and eat meat... a concept that is<br />in no way based on the language in the legislation.<br /><br />Issue #2--Limit of 50 Breeding Dogs<br /><br />"Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person may have custody of more<br />than fifty covered dogs for the purpose of breeding those animals and selling<br />any offspring for use as a pet." (sec.4)<br /><br />The issue with this part of the statute is that it picks a random number, 50,<br />and makes that the highest number of breeding dogs a person can own. What about<br />the imagined puppy miller who has 300 dogs, 300 kennel assistants, and 20<br />million dollar facilities? While that is an exagerrated example, it is possible<br />that an owner could provide reasonable care for 50+ dogs. However, legislation is typically intended to work for the rule, not the exception. Lucky for the puppy<br />millers, there are plenty of loopholes around this requirement. Some of the<br />loopholes I've heard (not sure how legit they are) are multiple addresses can be<br />given for one facility, breeding dogs can be owned by different businesses set<br />up through whomever is convenient (puppy miller's daughter owns 50 breeding<br />dogs), in-tact dogs aren't neccesarily breeding dogs, etc... However, despite<br />legitimate opposition to this part of the legislation, I can't imagine that this<br />measure would affect a reputable breeder.<br /><br />Issue #3--Care For Dogs<br /><br />3. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any person having custody or<br />ownership of more than ten female covered dogs for the purpose of breeding those<br />animals and selling any offspring for use as a pet shall provide each covered<br />dog:<br />(1) Sufficient food and clean water;<br />(2) Necessary veterinary care;<br />(3) Sufficient housing, including protection from the elements;<br />(4) Sufficient space to turn and stretch freely, lie down, and fully extend his<br />or her limbs;<br /><br />(5) Regular exercise; and<br />(6) Adequate rest between breeding cycles.<br /><br />This applies to breeders having more than 10 female dogs for the purpose of<br />breeding, so could potentially apply to a reputable breeder. In my opinion,<br />most reputable breeders will not (should not) have a problem with #1, #2, #3 or<br />#4 as their dogs live in the home, are fed and watered every day, go to the<br />vet when they're ill, and aren't crated 24/7. # 5 may be a problem, as regular<br />exercise requires "unfettered access" to an outdoor run. I would argue<br />that this is truely intended for dogs living outside of the home in cages; but<br />to be fair, the legislation reads the way it does, so that is a legitimate<br />opposition. #6 requires litters be limited to 2 in an 18 month period. I<br />believe that goes along the same lines as the AKC or BMDCA requirements (can't<br />remember where it comes from) that a bitch shouldn't be bred more than two times<br />in a row, with one resting period.<br /><br />The other argument here is that the standards are too high. The requirement for<br />clean water requires water be free of debris in the water bowl (grass blade?<br />drool?). Granted, that is a legitimate concern based on the reading of the<br />legislation.<br /><br /><br />When it comes down to it though, this legislation is not intended to pass out<br />misdemeanors to hobby breeders whose dogs live in the house and are pets first.<br />There is actually language in the statute that specifically excludes hobby or<br />show breeders with fewer than 10 breeding females. It is intended to regulate<br />puppy mills. I can't think of any reputable Bernese Mountain Dog breeders in<br />Missouri who have more than 10 breeding females, so the numbers of reputable BMD<br />breeders that this legislation will apply to are VERY few and far between<br />(athough I could be overlooking someone). If there is one, then granted there<br />is a risk that some day they may be inspected and the inspector will find a<br />blade of grass in a water bowl and they might then be charged with a<br />misdemeanor. A very low risk with very minimal consequences. In my opinion, a<br />very low risk for a great reward.K Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09707349311942770791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205708596325958724.post-42470276764460293842010-12-28T13:11:00.001-08:002010-12-28T13:15:47.487-08:00Xmas Part 4: Gus<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQR6xGslyHV4KK0IANYfHOiSgVlWVWd3Zv7mpD7BImGGlKflfVMoTicf7SRwKd8gaaMPY5D19t3Dbi-Z98SN15yZz8oCkIzX33depP6GuRe40Uydz6TDrXxdUo2pXRZ7s9Bxw5lJ2xJ_8/s1600/29.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555844788515995698" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQR6xGslyHV4KK0IANYfHOiSgVlWVWd3Zv7mpD7BImGGlKflfVMoTicf7SRwKd8gaaMPY5D19t3Dbi-Z98SN15yZz8oCkIzX33depP6GuRe40Uydz6TDrXxdUo2pXRZ7s9Bxw5lJ2xJ_8/s400/29.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiknLbMhREdyA8sXfydc4HqpgR39DB8Ne1lq76qQsXUsIkqVaQRoLMcd_myTRf76jl6L3KJcQXifMehA3MFISLWQ7XsEWVr-1MebmJHgDJXrYptOTpYAiQHPziKhttYpRDqGYShJu1l7uI/s1600/30.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; 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MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555844636607886722" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm2WEyPGSuiOfUNR_-j8mFngGL10E4n52YpCcBulBbwHAAtIU-cE0o8xQSZA_ahbq8jWDn8L5CTdNhg9_Od6fWhncXIyXYSGC7T8_tQxK9pB_JNphOHANaGELWqRy9LjhbhyphenhyphenCfaC8nFNU/s400/31.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYb_uJ249EcQVCHomFkYn6ropsjfSH3F1f6Ux9PP0Bbef1FaC3h-5lGpBx1I9k0ev7Neg89P_8YX9ymHzceFhyphenhyphenUXjWsaxokoJFHdVtOI6vccD4zdIsWJwUMZTp9v1Zn1SYg1GU_XPeZd8/s1600/24.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555844630701673138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYb_uJ249EcQVCHomFkYn6ropsjfSH3F1f6Ux9PP0Bbef1FaC3h-5lGpBx1I9k0ev7Neg89P_8YX9ymHzceFhyphenhyphenUXjWsaxokoJFHdVtOI6vccD4zdIsWJwUMZTp9v1Zn1SYg1GU_XPeZd8/s400/24.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghB4qBGwwNd0HXuZX-nG53uAhfaoTDqwyQEwLcE49twJftyqhH9rby_AJayIwiMhEL500jZUzADYju3sxKnEXhFGoNnPDbeXgsU9QFLljwR8Z-PHtbEV9C6UrP3zi7APygLL-nrN7mgRQ/s1600/20.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555844622411235442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghB4qBGwwNd0HXuZX-nG53uAhfaoTDqwyQEwLcE49twJftyqhH9rby_AJayIwiMhEL500jZUzADYju3sxKnEXhFGoNnPDbeXgsU9QFLljwR8Z-PHtbEV9C6UrP3zi7APygLL-nrN7mgRQ/s400/20.JPG" /></a> </div></div></div></div></div>K Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09707349311942770791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205708596325958724.post-70747302452044209162010-12-28T13:06:00.000-08:002010-12-28T13:11:38.314-08:00Xmas Part 3: The Presents<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH1I5QkCUZ4943uEu6pTnKzLmu9HZSoBddfl-tViqWd5YFqejALRDnoNr1Gy6XhQ9oyvxLk4QI0Su8fZ23nb4QxM9sLdGYbDmL9Ay5lNMPSAq2coW8qmLXWE7-Un9qzxBS9EOlV8tHC1w/s1600/28.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 360px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555843794770208258" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH1I5QkCUZ4943uEu6pTnKzLmu9HZSoBddfl-tViqWd5YFqejALRDnoNr1Gy6XhQ9oyvxLk4QI0Su8fZ23nb4QxM9sLdGYbDmL9Ay5lNMPSAq2coW8qmLXWE7-Un9qzxBS9EOlV8tHC1w/s400/28.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1AZ5Y0CUTJ_Dzj4UhH7erz06SBRI-nMIKp6mGI5SebJ-fBECK-8WbfWu6N758XLLKGzIwW30EmhYmRXsSdtNt0zWk_d0vb7BYBfeNXlOZx0CfOHWHNEOwJnqpUgiLPoivKz-XcY38qA/s1600/27.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; 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MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555843398823819058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNFaUpHa1_3ujS4DvRjj3Gl_oCcw1xRIefL2_veB7GMNx90M9FSQqRq05g641XFVpeFPZNXk6d1QKoECM6vUWwrNgx9zfQuwGIT2rnrVsL-hWPTzkGB3lKbBZCO0Ms7X4RDjrdT8ogpJE/s400/25.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1MF7T1mTidJbpXvxZLWDozzz-6u_Go0L6n3zTkTD-kj_Kx8pryl8RKpHhrqpFKWNf_K-tksbsCNkxP8aVsuLZwN3Wc0a68KFK6R_JyBhTpzl8aYHRIDW0h-Rsvv5yrQCg71qNa4rb-Jo/s1600/23.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555843393817104130" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1MF7T1mTidJbpXvxZLWDozzz-6u_Go0L6n3zTkTD-kj_Kx8pryl8RKpHhrqpFKWNf_K-tksbsCNkxP8aVsuLZwN3Wc0a68KFK6R_JyBhTpzl8aYHRIDW0h-Rsvv5yrQCg71qNa4rb-Jo/s400/23.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiPm9yFuopQLi7V-AErJaYhYjUTzbLVCjgAJX504gTDTS4lLMMPy-EijPW3hjny87xKMfTqRhJdle89_aH2AkSEcF6_4MXxHcFkKKrKY6SrdaaF3h6XGCF85dBgz6i9TNaaS8OKX9tjUI/s1600/22.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555843390258387346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiPm9yFuopQLi7V-AErJaYhYjUTzbLVCjgAJX504gTDTS4lLMMPy-EijPW3hjny87xKMfTqRhJdle89_aH2AkSEcF6_4MXxHcFkKKrKY6SrdaaF3h6XGCF85dBgz6i9TNaaS8OKX9tjUI/s400/22.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfRPr33u6Vcik2CJjbpZjhRutbqvQyMzAadnhQ6fdMzg2Yr8RNipLuRALG6uVFyV4FWYYgIpHdcqm7Tnbaf2foneJ1orGIobi8-NeaV3vq81PkmA_7YW9j7tJLh39w6e7TruUHlpgUmrM/s1600/21.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555843386502318290" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfRPr33u6Vcik2CJjbpZjhRutbqvQyMzAadnhQ6fdMzg2Yr8RNipLuRALG6uVFyV4FWYYgIpHdcqm7Tnbaf2foneJ1orGIobi8-NeaV3vq81PkmA_7YW9j7tJLh39w6e7TruUHlpgUmrM/s400/21.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>K Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09707349311942770791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205708596325958724.post-7988373134572616062010-12-28T12:25:00.000-08:002010-12-28T12:34:58.232-08:00Xmas Part 2: Jackson Helps Chris Open His StockingChris has quite the helper as he opened his stocking this year. Here is the photo series of Jackson double checking all of the gifts to make sure Santa hadn't accidentally put one of his presents in Chris's stocking.<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555833123991707666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1EKGslPGrJb9Uyu-89graXfOOZz2DAEPW2xp9zy6fydiOdzJxzi2xV5WRCb5MZA7p4_z5JA66JItnu6h21J7WuEUVvRZ66FraedSrBBcwWQ2qYH7lik23Lq7p_-2nUDEedX5JDKw2IM/s400/9.JPG" /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQx2hUho-hz9m-hNRn23B5RR-YdCfen1bsdwuDTEozml0wUgDTeCONmpSYnoggRISsVdfUDHAtGgieyAHattxev7xck3IqI0RFgbMXHDnR16M2Zkh3ZsjFQtaK9ZA6g1grLFsB0W57fE/s1600/13.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555833730316512434" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQx2hUho-hz9m-hNRn23B5RR-YdCfen1bsdwuDTEozml0wUgDTeCONmpSYnoggRISsVdfUDHAtGgieyAHattxev7xck3IqI0RFgbMXHDnR16M2Zkh3ZsjFQtaK9ZA6g1grLFsB0W57fE/s400/13.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrENEwKKsVn7dDzkEoJHrntCbifluFJva1adGhIQEhyRhnA-5JQRQBwIZwfjP7QVi_3etj9utrTRQa86LYUbflZ6XhdMFvA4U9Cg0P1Ntva2fiUaAnLVtYSaH3eBkRbb5AcjfLbuqCi0U/s1600/12.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555833134758056658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrENEwKKsVn7dDzkEoJHrntCbifluFJva1adGhIQEhyRhnA-5JQRQBwIZwfjP7QVi_3etj9utrTRQa86LYUbflZ6XhdMFvA4U9Cg0P1Ntva2fiUaAnLVtYSaH3eBkRbb5AcjfLbuqCi0U/s400/12.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfhyphenhyphenA2BrnRVHnnRW0_YiJncgeow_R4S9pUweTY0PZxYX_LDVbW3L3AxHBJwuyZBmgrxJkf2Y9_yivp2eJXMGvmqTIRNHzD6mcwN_kGBQm7C8pG1GRMjbYmsa4ZQBpJi4XoCicWkxxr74/s1600/11.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555833127331027026" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfhyphenhyphenA2BrnRVHnnRW0_YiJncgeow_R4S9pUweTY0PZxYX_LDVbW3L3AxHBJwuyZBmgrxJkf2Y9_yivp2eJXMGvmqTIRNHzD6mcwN_kGBQm7C8pG1GRMjbYmsa4ZQBpJi4XoCicWkxxr74/s400/11.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV8-xdGW6weg1Ja52NSDEiqYFisnDxAtyqGX7XzgjYuRY-xAE3Mko9D3BCodyy9MeqslQ0eO0R0Cc6R-Y71bL8FDsa77xw88VhtPehCOFZrVsSusMLmZaRmsphDD2pN-woXhSTwjA22sc/s1600/10.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555833123644490914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV8-xdGW6weg1Ja52NSDEiqYFisnDxAtyqGX7XzgjYuRY-xAE3Mko9D3BCodyy9MeqslQ0eO0R0Cc6R-Y71bL8FDsa77xw88VhtPehCOFZrVsSusMLmZaRmsphDD2pN-woXhSTwjA22sc/s400/10.JPG" /></a><br /><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbt_2kdKLeWu2RllUzJfDwN9LwJsgKJCSfG3x4qiJtH_gqdWEqX0clE3xH-5IXOt3RaBV0pykC2Exo9ETgtB4hve348OXCET5gN79km1jN7URwBE9wehb-vc8fZQlXLAwTzG6jFwSEb5Y/s1600/8.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555833118337313058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbt_2kdKLeWu2RllUzJfDwN9LwJsgKJCSfG3x4qiJtH_gqdWEqX0clE3xH-5IXOt3RaBV0pykC2Exo9ETgtB4hve348OXCET5gN79km1jN7URwBE9wehb-vc8fZQlXLAwTzG6jFwSEb5Y/s400/8.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoKf9FWrjKdGc1dXH_i3MXQvqCkYSXeLA8AEERIv8E6hfaPSNtRD8XNcXIruchY-73zDhfrVzoSUSlVuMzrAmhXltKBtWEjx-c5EhwiceH140Qzp7SW1FMy-9SP8XTYe4D5E3XYovxEZA/s1600/14.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555833735778604226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoKf9FWrjKdGc1dXH_i3MXQvqCkYSXeLA8AEERIv8E6hfaPSNtRD8XNcXIruchY-73zDhfrVzoSUSlVuMzrAmhXltKBtWEjx-c5EhwiceH140Qzp7SW1FMy-9SP8XTYe4D5E3XYovxEZA/s400/14.JPG" /></a><br /></div></div></div></div></div>K Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09707349311942770791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205708596325958724.post-48377236099992354322010-12-28T12:18:00.000-08:002010-12-28T12:25:36.625-08:00Xmas Part 1: Initial Stocking Excitement<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555831607508164258" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyS2HSJzu-ElzG1JHbTkVeHMPP07-axVWURXI7q4U5hKBDNMGyDk3T8qXV4B2x7KedThugP3HBYS_Q8TL8LAGgIR0zieaLGTEIwe9B6fufWU95GFZfj7IkAqBTQYZaVpWHq5S5DwgTyu8/s400/1.JPG" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555831622239360002" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVwj36090NsDHWp79iZo6zRr_ZOxJ7f2_92oDXO0LjiCxUTVmkZWD4oqhoE5VKxM4xoG9NYAHo3g94fsfShOHTmXE8uFjCpKf_Uf6Mq6SY5hq13CQCN-lPfyXGAXOcKgytQwqmzGptFcc/s400/3.JPG" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555831613344017234" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNkPVFYNRsloMFhLOf9W1AHPHLlzHpXxL9z4ob47wnFKgLKCPNssiRzray2BEHiCj-9urObOoDl-556C-ihN5Lil7nihCjt0KEjMgiFvoedOFCF9H2sMBTYXZuSsU07B6hHWOoVdoYucQ/s400/2.JPG" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZZZW54NBBIXXZQzrneebY4fujV0YzOSknn8cQw6aBQxtzQUrPdSo7nk1PgyK0oQkFtfrLkpMQDo3Qe4H4fJ1v-NtrBzGUs2EVEYl24rJs6WD8GRKBSJFDsZ0XgNxZvgfSGJp9-XilPc/s1600/5.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555831634938002434" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZZZW54NBBIXXZQzrneebY4fujV0YzOSknn8cQw6aBQxtzQUrPdSo7nk1PgyK0oQkFtfrLkpMQDo3Qe4H4fJ1v-NtrBzGUs2EVEYl24rJs6WD8GRKBSJFDsZ0XgNxZvgfSGJp9-XilPc/s400/5.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLIH34Tp4VbgsSNZf492VV0QQvm5b5pCX_jKhl9fJIgrcEJVUR2layzU8f9DZGgwDFtpBr6c5FKi0RKWkV-kYIR2ijxoQRC54SZX07cQctCVO055td4ASwM9J6tQzci9u-f9B9D4C4Jx8/s1600/4.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555831626021806402" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLIH34Tp4VbgsSNZf492VV0QQvm5b5pCX_jKhl9fJIgrcEJVUR2layzU8f9DZGgwDFtpBr6c5FKi0RKWkV-kYIR2ijxoQRC54SZX07cQctCVO055td4ASwM9J6tQzci9u-f9B9D4C4Jx8/s400/4.JPG" /></a><br /><div> </div></div>K Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09707349311942770791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205708596325958724.post-34320432452510643702010-12-28T12:15:00.000-08:002010-12-28T12:18:25.684-08:00GusBelow is a photo of Gus, our first BARC foster and most recent Berner foster. He is a puppy mill turnover as a result of Prop B passing in Missouri. Most likely, we will see a lot more Berners being turned over to rescue as a result of the new legislation. But, for the Berners that is great news! Gus is a sweet guy who is still getting use to being loved on and the daily happenings of a house. He is progressing quickly though, and his absolute favorite thing to do is snuggle on the bed. More pictures to come later.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32-F5EpWGwPfrUISgerhctYpDLpMsSGVlCPySHGzb5ZV0zq_tYmqZJVwLD9i3HV4V4ZYYuuP3s3qHIFitG21enGUfPfKHKmO9eEb7YC83XHpY6hJBQc4ms8Uzb4yEWtfYjOMV7x8ikys/s1600/1.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555829598196300274" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32-F5EpWGwPfrUISgerhctYpDLpMsSGVlCPySHGzb5ZV0zq_tYmqZJVwLD9i3HV4V4ZYYuuP3s3qHIFitG21enGUfPfKHKmO9eEb7YC83XHpY6hJBQc4ms8Uzb4yEWtfYjOMV7x8ikys/s400/1.JPG" /></a><br /><div></div>K Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09707349311942770791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205708596325958724.post-380463768246445702010-12-28T12:08:00.000-08:002010-12-28T12:11:37.566-08:00More Kitten Pictures<div>The kittens have been adopted. I dropped them off on a Friday afternoon and they were adopted within 3 hours. They were very cute, so little surprise there. Jsut thought I'd post some more cute pictures to remember them by!</div><div> </div><div> </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQusICQWMn94Zdr48aYsuLF8R3mhpQwav2SVA9aZhB76GnFfUJS4CT61GH2LIxEvm8MIQH7Jc3azW1oeUPtEl9R8yhqUOqueUQzXsnUUwqkT4Ac47fX7rOsn_YTLfVvNqI9I9ic8Tf80/s1600/K2.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555828207164337794" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQusICQWMn94Zdr48aYsuLF8R3mhpQwav2SVA9aZhB76GnFfUJS4CT61GH2LIxEvm8MIQH7Jc3azW1oeUPtEl9R8yhqUOqueUQzXsnUUwqkT4Ac47fX7rOsn_YTLfVvNqI9I9ic8Tf80/s400/K2.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5juUXgdqoJckNGq1A9mnRXm9ZURj7UiMrfTZ9jI-NE-xzFeBeBQCrVha8D0crbRB81SdHyNeZ9Sg-w5-2I_pDc_m69jsdVPTPKrj0oK2MixI1hEARtjNEdW3MW3S-_ylbX8iAmIKQwgI/s1600/K1.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555828200928892098" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5juUXgdqoJckNGq1A9mnRXm9ZURj7UiMrfTZ9jI-NE-xzFeBeBQCrVha8D0crbRB81SdHyNeZ9Sg-w5-2I_pDc_m69jsdVPTPKrj0oK2MixI1hEARtjNEdW3MW3S-_ylbX8iAmIKQwgI/s400/K1.JPG" /></a><br /><br /></div>K Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09707349311942770791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205708596325958724.post-24395915549598468002010-12-28T12:02:00.001-08:002010-12-28T12:08:50.050-08:00HBMDC Tracking EventI'm a little behind on the blog, so I'll upload a few pictures today. Last month we attended a tracking seminar with the HBMDC. It was a lot of fun, and definitely something we're intereted in doing with our dogs in the future. Pictures of the seminar:<br /><br /><div align="center">There were puppies there to socialize and play with:</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwLdSnpnNpq-hmOI78uxkFAUEFWA0u7WTfEkqF9NHesXXfeApCDnOZX1w8MKsVscCq0_MTDsb13rCnIOkfvDPMlqqX094CcOJ0OA9TmIFwNjT8_ZNgvKYhj29VsBXovbmPEUqdrG_yoQ/s1600/3.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555826459411254946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwLdSnpnNpq-hmOI78uxkFAUEFWA0u7WTfEkqF9NHesXXfeApCDnOZX1w8MKsVscCq0_MTDsb13rCnIOkfvDPMlqqX094CcOJ0OA9TmIFwNjT8_ZNgvKYhj29VsBXovbmPEUqdrG_yoQ/s400/3.JPG" /></a><br /><div align="center">For a while I thought Jackson was a tracking genuis until he ran straight past the end article, and I realized he just wanted to pee on the haybale that happened to be 10 feet past the end of his track. He may stick to obedience for a while.<br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr87yfvkSNadK7GSszMXcc-wab_fmU_Wu0BADji8YbxnC-Upzr67yBckzBhdVLdaj5xlBIfyFpyyzTtw5H_1k9U8NErBR2AC8LMJRbAnMEyyOEtlDn6z5nICRup9A3oewrOQpEYricjck/s1600/2.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555826453854274882" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr87yfvkSNadK7GSszMXcc-wab_fmU_Wu0BADji8YbxnC-Upzr67yBckzBhdVLdaj5xlBIfyFpyyzTtw5H_1k9U8NErBR2AC8LMJRbAnMEyyOEtlDn6z5nICRup9A3oewrOQpEYricjck/s400/2.JPG" /></a><br />Lemon is actually our little tracking genius, or she will be with some training. I think it is a good activity for her to do with Chris. She always has her little nose on the ground sniffing out something, so perhaps this is something she will persue in the future.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwfjScAaBuZBT_Dnl65o0J_j0P-icQDJwoSzW6lJEXiSFRoAPL7bU77yNbL7I3344UQblm4Ona-0gZbQM-W9EGI9m-vzo0xGVe1N6ZUKaDp8IybsoV1h-xWkx1EkNSiEKo9chlqavNLnM/s1600/1.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555826448958977698" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwfjScAaBuZBT_Dnl65o0J_j0P-icQDJwoSzW6lJEXiSFRoAPL7bU77yNbL7I3344UQblm4Ona-0gZbQM-W9EGI9m-vzo0xGVe1N6ZUKaDp8IybsoV1h-xWkx1EkNSiEKo9chlqavNLnM/s400/1.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /></div>K Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09707349311942770791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205708596325958724.post-48527387281672299582010-11-16T19:26:00.001-08:002010-11-16T19:32:29.166-08:00The Dog Ate My....Today Lemon found a wonderful cardboard tube to chew on. I say it was Lemon... Chris claims it was Jackson, but since he doesn't take the time to write the blog and I know my boy would never do such a thing, I can almost certainly say it was Lemon. What was unfortunate was the contents of the tube... It just so happened to be my certificate as a licensed attorney in the state of Kansas, signed by the Kansas Supreme Court judges. The dark spots in the picture below are teeth punctures. I had brought it downstairs last night for it to be framed for my new office, never suspecting Lemon would see an opportunity. Oh well, these things happen. It is still better than the time she chewed up my favorite shoes.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdTnL2MJ5PcTzgvgJi1Eejv6-lF5LslmtVmExCDXgTc7CayKj-ZWh_t8BBd0fMFf6F3_O6JOlf6xmJNngsSRpEufVt9I3WST14nFzLmvFNkaZpxSS8SoV2XJamR4v8NOhi45Q6P_XTvo4/s1600/Supreme+Court.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540355337059151906" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdTnL2MJ5PcTzgvgJi1Eejv6-lF5LslmtVmExCDXgTc7CayKj-ZWh_t8BBd0fMFf6F3_O6JOlf6xmJNngsSRpEufVt9I3WST14nFzLmvFNkaZpxSS8SoV2XJamR4v8NOhi45Q6P_XTvo4/s400/Supreme+Court.jpg" /></a>K Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09707349311942770791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205708596325958724.post-47296818015248607802010-10-16T22:44:00.000-07:002010-10-16T23:06:24.026-07:00The Kittys Are Here!I picked up our two new fosters, tiny and cute little kittens. They're probably only 4 weeks old, barely weaned. They were drywalled into a house and skinny, but they're happy and brave little things. They haven't so much as winced at the Berners. The Berners are a hoot. Hilga is pretty chill about the whole thing. Jackson LOVES them, and we have to watch him closely or else he could love them to death. He wants to lick them and sit close to them. He would love to be a mama, poor guy. Lemon is afraid of them... little 1 pound tiny things. Chris is convinced they hissed at her and the fear is warranted. I can only roll my eyes at our 80 lb baby.<br /><br />Our bad news is that Lizzy was placed yesterday, then 5 hours later I got a phone call saying it wasn't working out. Her adopter was an elderly man who certainly had the heart for her, but wasn't physically capable of handling her. Sad and somewhat traumatic for Miss Lizzy Bizzy, but she is back safe and sound in our house tonight. Tomorrow a slightly younger couple is coming to look at her, so hopefully that goes a bit better. Fostering through an all-breed rescue is much more stressful than the Berner rescue. At the Berner rescue, our chair is also a breeder, has experience placing dogs and with a low in-take, she is able to be choosey and place dogs in the dogs best interest. At an all-breed, part of what they want to do is move dogs. Despite my reservations about the adopter because I ddn't think he would be able to physically handle her (which turned out to be right on), they still went through with the adoption. We may end up fostering only cats through this rescue. The dogs take a lot out of me... I don't think any homes are good enough for Lizzy.<br /><br />Pictures of Hilga and Jackson with the no-name kittens (notice Lemon isn't to be seen, hiding somewhere...):<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAv8Jfhaez8J52PsvwMqVNp7BqdhumY1ahvp_50e57dl16H-yuRdNvNZ1nb6NseraItaPFqKQbSVX6f9maPUphEwbS9AmYenZaX3FM5W1MjTH56Ol2zcJ4S9_xhR3XkakA2VhWkPbMqH4/s1600/10.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528889452699342274" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAv8Jfhaez8J52PsvwMqVNp7BqdhumY1ahvp_50e57dl16H-yuRdNvNZ1nb6NseraItaPFqKQbSVX6f9maPUphEwbS9AmYenZaX3FM5W1MjTH56Ol2zcJ4S9_xhR3XkakA2VhWkPbMqH4/s400/10.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTGhhpzicxfDu9zuySvQiWvMQ26ymja5xYNK3RMoApwaciKc-LHcu6Tq44V64AlNWMEJFKGkVvNirAc7qx-_NoKZx4Ie1UGmCQefXt_n0QWGRYIpAyNliSN5TaSUd8Junhco6P6FumthU/s1600/9.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; 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MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528889432706297202" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrD9scXVHbKXd6LK08wKs4GFi18wURvXw-xR32l48mBxhy6i7HU2sgsfkVg_lRDLiZP6bNr6kZ3WO62c402Cfs_DKPt89AgFghwce5UKkr8gDf5W8zg0C3MlD6mNx3BJOMFKywFmUziRs/s400/7.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZSs6AlHTWHmjywU4yWNPHYPEeJm24s4lWGWYUXRmzKGF-01Av1Dxgl7N3AZxBGuXlCrHO0E7QoHavQvyBWD3KSTAHIhl02uKFws1kxZqA_IWluggoBch3AobMLJLKHOk4ITYVeu1plgQ/s1600/6.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528889429860581746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZSs6AlHTWHmjywU4yWNPHYPEeJm24s4lWGWYUXRmzKGF-01Av1Dxgl7N3AZxBGuXlCrHO0E7QoHavQvyBWD3KSTAHIhl02uKFws1kxZqA_IWluggoBch3AobMLJLKHOk4ITYVeu1plgQ/s400/6.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS-eomxpSS17WkJhzFCFmfAlcf7lm3VVgYufOCzFZ41866oC-snbnDGOIKGCOM97WEAiDOWX6dLiZGE1mrpUDmfosEeACvymKNHerflJ3bcZQV_fdBjk1I76oafeTtqypV63zn2pL-om8/s1600/5.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; 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MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528888246483592626" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTDoH0EvcEd8gHCxwsvHDq51QtWl_CG7qGz-XeNoz2JmEpx0exTREJ-v_ePzOAQJA4TINRTFZhvDxEzXLhH4zCwfTX25U-4Wq4yNTK1GyzbOAUkZuh767bX37Fm6gKm1epWjtXDdo9NV0/s400/3.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdw2n2OII5Iw3wON1Z_BlTRx4aUZbtiwbruJkcURiPirQWN9skuMxlGpc4rd_U6liRqmQj3OyV7KjEQuXuBKXpnZ8_bwNotj2M2O3vVNL2ZhzuCsenr31P9wnZatoRovVW8FI2KOZ0_58/s1600/2.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528888245914897762" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdw2n2OII5Iw3wON1Z_BlTRx4aUZbtiwbruJkcURiPirQWN9skuMxlGpc4rd_U6liRqmQj3OyV7KjEQuXuBKXpnZ8_bwNotj2M2O3vVNL2ZhzuCsenr31P9wnZatoRovVW8FI2KOZ0_58/s400/2.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVe8diFeNc5usNsIOkqiQD5toAJMFRGMxLyRM7PKlTUkq4BH7fnvJ1zAlG2LH7JuEGb9bY1ta990HVzjrcEpdrsX2Z_fFYFY_Wty2AHZBEYc0O-j1lKONf2Jv07rZLueMqYMSA5XKz9Q/s1600/1.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528888234213885234" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVe8diFeNc5usNsIOkqiQD5toAJMFRGMxLyRM7PKlTUkq4BH7fnvJ1zAlG2LH7JuEGb9bY1ta990HVzjrcEpdrsX2Z_fFYFY_Wty2AHZBEYc0O-j1lKONf2Jv07rZLueMqYMSA5XKz9Q/s400/1.JPG" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>K Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09707349311942770791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205708596325958724.post-27816482986215939992010-10-03T18:02:00.001-07:002010-10-03T18:29:48.074-07:00Powell Pumpkin Patch<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrsJXheBzAjuWzhMKpzp622tyXz0GCtwmqHNI2bxZb-yHJ29V7UZsef4IyvhVwYqb95DAWClakWC9oDZX4DD6MAYpBW7J7FVwxBV_7QM5EtzzCUIcTQqxDmMuF4ij6qVIgD7xnbG6ikg4/s1600/With+Their+Pumpkins.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523996989420752818" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrsJXheBzAjuWzhMKpzp622tyXz0GCtwmqHNI2bxZb-yHJ29V7UZsef4IyvhVwYqb95DAWClakWC9oDZX4DD6MAYpBW7J7FVwxBV_7QM5EtzzCUIcTQqxDmMuF4ij6qVIgD7xnbG6ikg4/s400/With+Their+Pumpkins.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFMYOdaPD7OB64sC2ebtOlOMV5HZObQTFICI0tMZMTsiuuFPpQP3TA0hfumFt127l6s8233s2R21DC1Hg487aXytDkrNLo1Fuz00o0D5H4MWIJuHcFxgwA0RiAzRtnja0xda0DDcs79iY/s1600/Lemon+with+Gourd.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; 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MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523993698717592034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf45zrjIDw2JnZQ0QWrfX8gll3_rPWJ4ffgzKMZ-c8q8v7_iO4U1_feDA55hjF6tpJSCNNhyphenhyphene1ls3S9bUfEklCAkatIVlCd-jVGb8-ky-N2rwHAjtIAZYhhX3BfrZthspS4J__Eh30b9c/s400/Jack+Searching.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiatFW7u1c5FgbrUaN_tMBchuL8N00JhuMF0doFPySjG1ISLxfhTIqb4JpVsz1MkJc_eJx23lCnTZewV0bqtDlL6vfCYNBrI8GKlGEGYM6tDmuhkghYe3qI3hQVh7pfscCERUGUBJPjIEU/s1600/Jack+and+Chris.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523993667769741922" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiatFW7u1c5FgbrUaN_tMBchuL8N00JhuMF0doFPySjG1ISLxfhTIqb4JpVsz1MkJc_eJx23lCnTZewV0bqtDlL6vfCYNBrI8GKlGEGYM6tDmuhkghYe3qI3hQVh7pfscCERUGUBJPjIEU/s400/Jack+and+Chris.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwMZwn0B2D-T5Hh2-X5WaRnt2Ye8vPmdGNtpwrWNBvofqmUJQk98ARp_qTNKZEXGBIbSnkpTxwawy5MajQN9uUBPsgGKCietr6199M8EWcTmIxxGBI0wXMd7sJMb0-hkmqfyOXcSr9DDc/s1600/Chris+and+Lemon.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523993614519633714" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwMZwn0B2D-T5Hh2-X5WaRnt2Ye8vPmdGNtpwrWNBvofqmUJQk98ARp_qTNKZEXGBIbSnkpTxwawy5MajQN9uUBPsgGKCietr6199M8EWcTmIxxGBI0wXMd7sJMb0-hkmqfyOXcSr9DDc/s400/Chris+and+Lemon.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpTcIsv5jBcZWFXcsZtRso0Kst6612F9eWh5piBfLZIp3g1K40mBZnniK1Q6OPYJogY5WAgECR-9t3In9akl77wSn5k2-p5DUQdlzlTrs8accdhL4IFjP9CLnqsSBmIrkCefR4ofs8kLg/s1600/All+5.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523993608353803970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpTcIsv5jBcZWFXcsZtRso0Kst6612F9eWh5piBfLZIp3g1K40mBZnniK1Q6OPYJogY5WAgECR-9t3In9akl77wSn5k2-p5DUQdlzlTrs8accdhL4IFjP9CLnqsSBmIrkCefR4ofs8kLg/s400/All+5.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ0IuPJeEiET8Lu6CEmWvenQz4R31siff0-MMDYyxgcn0JwgOTQ9t4l6gBLWQsgfYT-8qacUNowSTcF2hDLnTbRnLMLGCraageVl16DimXNPXv0SknNpP_HV-UjazT0uJAcdWqGC4H8R0/s1600/All+3+with+Pumpkins.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523993596820614610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ0IuPJeEiET8Lu6CEmWvenQz4R31siff0-MMDYyxgcn0JwgOTQ9t4l6gBLWQsgfYT-8qacUNowSTcF2hDLnTbRnLMLGCraageVl16DimXNPXv0SknNpP_HV-UjazT0uJAcdWqGC4H8R0/s400/All+3+with+Pumpkins.JPG" /></a> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>K Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09707349311942770791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205708596325958724.post-32919223937217444182010-09-29T13:26:00.000-07:002010-09-29T13:32:57.525-07:00Goofy BernersLast night was Lemon's first obedience class. She is just starting the beginner's class, the same one that Jackson started a little over a year ago. Strangely enough, there are 3 Berners in her class! There are also 3 shelties and 1 malamute. Last night was mainly a talking night while our teacher gave us information and a what to expect chat. Looking around the room, I was almost in stitches laughing. All three Berners were in a class Berner pose, lying on their backs, back legs spread wide open, front legs flopped over to the side... making themselves right at home in class.<br /><br />Lemon was a good girl for the most part. She was very flirty with the boys, but at the time of year that can hardly be helped. She also was a bit of distraction during the overview chat as she kept doing her somersault (I just realized I have no idea how to spell that) thing she does into my lap. She looks like she is stretching with her elbows on the grounds, butt in the air, head in my lap. Then the butt starts wiggling and it gets higher and higher until she flips it over, landing on her back, facing the wrong direction, often stuck in frustrating positions that are difficult for her to manuever out of. I'll have to video it sometime. Anyways, a good trick to show everyone her first night of obedience!K Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09707349311942770791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205708596325958724.post-24027578613780834902010-09-23T22:05:00.001-07:002010-09-23T22:07:52.323-07:00Temperment TestingSo grateful for our Hilga-girl. Tonight Lizzy needed to be tested to see if she could go to a home with other dogs. I figure if a dog doesn't like Hilga, they pretty much won't like any other dog. Hilga is slow moving, calm, happy to see another dog but not desperate to approach, a little weary of growling, but still wagging. Couldn't ask for a better helper in figuring out our fosters and their personalities.K Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09707349311942770791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205708596325958724.post-47075616373047151352010-09-22T14:09:00.001-07:002010-09-22T14:16:22.948-07:00Our House Guest, Miss LizzyWe recently started fostering for Animal Haven, and Lizzy is our first foster through that organization. I picked her up last Saturday, and hopefully she will be in her forever home by the beginning of next week. She was a puppy mill mama, so it is slow going with socialization issues. But, she is an absolute darling, loves to snuggle and get loved on. She is considered a "big girl" at 20lbs. Its fun having a tiny little dog around the house for a while.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZ-okxXZja7bTTC_3uVIF_J5cXvLU4gt1rI1XZN8k288ULepEZ6PwZAvKWlKf1c9sSwLioTyjCWRM-PA9SHGUNx2WuTY9O52xNorh_jhR9v9PA3Fj7K-HpsZTZkC7-RRhnJDxLYKOzy0/s1600/Lizzy+6.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519849339040950338" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZ-okxXZja7bTTC_3uVIF_J5cXvLU4gt1rI1XZN8k288ULepEZ6PwZAvKWlKf1c9sSwLioTyjCWRM-PA9SHGUNx2WuTY9O52xNorh_jhR9v9PA3Fj7K-HpsZTZkC7-RRhnJDxLYKOzy0/s400/Lizzy+6.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7PORSBihaem3UHgRxQzqYKegTUifyJFoMM5qcplu_Dh07y2xjfQVJ03z77GxGsyqGHvteNs60xo9CRtIIJDKfwShHFBcNE1-aduHPY-DVqe70TxlT-ktWCVe8OoRlXStqkkgbBYxkgdg/s1600/Lizzy+5.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519849317892946770" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7PORSBihaem3UHgRxQzqYKegTUifyJFoMM5qcplu_Dh07y2xjfQVJ03z77GxGsyqGHvteNs60xo9CRtIIJDKfwShHFBcNE1-aduHPY-DVqe70TxlT-ktWCVe8OoRlXStqkkgbBYxkgdg/s400/Lizzy+5.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiigtC_eq67-L5PDlR3rGKK4QLAiil-J7ow-WFyXRivb4FR0XoFgICGt_OOa1ScshRw2F023QSBMq25NqV-xKGQ-GUcjTTB4XEb3vwC9FDeZG6xg5gXu9YopAZxmO6E0VZHV763Y3nWcUw/s1600/Lizzy+4.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519849299316067346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiigtC_eq67-L5PDlR3rGKK4QLAiil-J7ow-WFyXRivb4FR0XoFgICGt_OOa1ScshRw2F023QSBMq25NqV-xKGQ-GUcjTTB4XEb3vwC9FDeZG6xg5gXu9YopAZxmO6E0VZHV763Y3nWcUw/s400/Lizzy+4.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG0JvKXklJKR-JWmFTpDQn_YU8QfOMSAuv8Bw3iOvmynxLrEOuyQ__BJd20MkLlufDeapo0vcNBEFm-5ZhN21Yo7tWh4heV0EsgMDOA_NHJzUxR4Zp7kWhgOKkvswnzD3DFFNRidi2y54/s1600/Lizzy+3.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519849292070427666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG0JvKXklJKR-JWmFTpDQn_YU8QfOMSAuv8Bw3iOvmynxLrEOuyQ__BJd20MkLlufDeapo0vcNBEFm-5ZhN21Yo7tWh4heV0EsgMDOA_NHJzUxR4Zp7kWhgOKkvswnzD3DFFNRidi2y54/s400/Lizzy+3.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcCwqXZOzq9VwKmEFq4fO8WjnwI4z6dT6SvJ-UMEVTsKHWPsGYFcpUa9aCrNL9lM2wmFLW66OfCybd9mx5iYkjwuK7P6JbEvejB5MAyYsdp8uqEOcokYgEQ015Ni0yYdsjWmXYvnSsCIk/s1600/Lizzy+1.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519849287352673826" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcCwqXZOzq9VwKmEFq4fO8WjnwI4z6dT6SvJ-UMEVTsKHWPsGYFcpUa9aCrNL9lM2wmFLW66OfCybd9mx5iYkjwuK7P6JbEvejB5MAyYsdp8uqEOcokYgEQ015Ni0yYdsjWmXYvnSsCIk/s400/Lizzy+1.JPG" /></a>K Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09707349311942770791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205708596325958724.post-61220807893231319442010-09-14T19:41:00.000-07:002010-09-14T19:49:53.093-07:00Training LessonsLemon starts beginners obedience at the end of September. I slacked off with her as a puppy to focus on conformation, trying to avoid lessons in sitting, laying down, etc... in hopes of having a dog that was easy to handle in the conformation ring. Low and behold, I learned my lesson with Jackson that the better trained your dog is in all aspects of obedience, the better they understand what you want from them, and the better the conformation dog they are.<br /><br />Jackson is now out of the conformation ring (for the most part), and getting ready to very, very seriously focus on getting his first obedience title. Lemon is also working on getting ready for her beginners obedience class. Techinically, she doesn't have to know anything before we go in. But, I think it is very helpful if she at least understands the basics... sit, down, stay, come.<br /><br />What was really fun tonight was training with both dogs using the dumbbell. Jackson and I have worked (not hard enough as it is the most difficult task for him and therefore the least fun) for a year on dumbbell retrieving and he barely will hold it in his mouth still. Lemon is my little toy/retriever girl, so while we started small (her holding it), in her first training session she was already picking it up off the ground and placing it in my hand. To make those strides in the first lesson (versus the first year) is just a reminder of how some dogs have different strengths. <br /><br />But, after taking that teaching approach with her, I decided to try something different with Jackson. I decided that maybe trying to get him to just hold it wasn't challenging enough or didn't convey the purpose (what I wanted him to do) sufficiently for him to understand. So we took a big step. It involved me and him sitting on the floor together, me rolling the dumbbell a few feet away, coaching him towards the "get it", and surprise, surprise... Jackson can retrieve the dumbbell too. It was just a reminder that when you do something over and over again, sometimes it is best to step back and try a different approach.K Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09707349311942770791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205708596325958724.post-80363239182477689222010-09-13T11:58:00.000-07:002010-09-13T12:13:44.818-07:00CH Classique's Original Moonwalker RNAs of September 11, 2010. Love our boy so much and have had so much fun getting that CH in front of his name.K Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09707349311942770791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205708596325958724.post-2785278664745777382010-09-10T13:51:00.001-07:002010-09-10T14:07:22.865-07:00The Eccentricities of a Rescue DogThere are many different qualities about my relationship with Hilga (joined our family at 3 yrs) and my relationship with Jack and Lemon (raised from puppies). There are many times when Chris and I are befuddled by Hilga's quirky actions, whereas we typically know or can determine the source of Jack and Lemon's quirkiness. Even three years into our life together, Hilga continues to retain tendencies that are bizarre to us, and that over time, we've come to accept as just a part of who she is.<br /><br />#1. Bedtime<br /><br />When Chris and I went on a week long spring break, we got an email from our friend, Kate, who was watching the girls and the house. She asked, "is there some kind of word or command that you use at night to get Hilga on the bed?" I responded, "there isn't, but if you figure one out, please let us know."<br /><br />Hilga loves to snuggle, and she sleeps on the bed EVERY single night, and she has since she's lived here. However, every night it is like a brand new, anxiety-worthy endeavor. Chris and I get into bed, occasionally Jack or Lemon will jump up and settle in, and Hilga starts the pacing. She pants heavily, running from one side to the other, sometimes for 20 minutes, before jumping gracefully and gently on the bed. She then sneaks up to either my pillow or Chris's and gives a few sniffs, just to make sure she is in the right bed. How embarassing if she were to fall asleep in the wrong bed? (Not that there are any other beds with people in them here). After she makes sure that it is us in the bed, she lays down, calming immediately and goes to sleep.<br /><br />Chris and I have speculated to great extents what this is all about. For monthes, we tried to sweetly convince her to just jump on up. She won't do it. We tried teaching her a command. She won't do it. We worried that maybe it was painful for her to jump up (but we catch her on the bed all day long). We've finally settled on the idea that perhaps in her former home, she wasn't allowed on the bed. If you know Hilga and what a good girl she is, and how important being a good girl is to her, then it is easy to imagine that even three years later, that idea is still so deeply set within her that it is a moral struggle for her to get on the bed at night.<br /><br />So, every night, for 20 minutes, Hilga runs side to side around the bed. Chris and I ignore her. She eventually jumps up and settles in. Sometimes it is what it is and it is just easiest for everyone involved to let her do it her way.<br /><br />#2. Fear of Pillows<br /><br />This dog is terrified of pillows. Picking it up and moving it will send her scurrying from the room. Adjusting one beneath your head will get you a very wide-eyed look. Did her previous home torment her with pillows? Who knows, but being careful with pillows is one of those adjustments we've made in our lives that we do now without even thinking about it.<br /><br />I'll have to finish the rest of the list later. We love our Fishy-Dishy, and it is intriguing to wonder what she went through in her first three years that shaped her into the beautiful, gentle, sweet girl (not without her quirks) that came to live with us three years ago. But now, off to finish packing for Des Moines dog show!K Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09707349311942770791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205708596325958724.post-45348522604127628632010-09-10T13:45:00.000-07:002010-09-10T13:50:28.371-07:00Lemon-Doodle<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9yo_OYRi9U4LtPhRnUakUCFYW1skoVTyWnctpht042NHuTkNvaO9chJxWjex5X356vvpbRO5l3faUn3hoPzVSfrZBzi7tZbDX8xwYv9RctL_78nDf26vuv-eqWyXbzvj2TN_Ky-kYDUU/s1600/P8140201.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515389513131488066" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9yo_OYRi9U4LtPhRnUakUCFYW1skoVTyWnctpht042NHuTkNvaO9chJxWjex5X356vvpbRO5l3faUn3hoPzVSfrZBzi7tZbDX8xwYv9RctL_78nDf26vuv-eqWyXbzvj2TN_Ky-kYDUU/s400/P8140201.JPG" /></a><br /><div></div>K Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09707349311942770791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205708596325958724.post-48254890765448352972010-09-07T09:28:00.000-07:002010-09-07T09:57:56.669-07:00Swimming Lessons<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc3G8TJitGxeWPWfSbpFQc9ksrAoo3mThN3cjLf2CHKqGeqG3-WWZFFmXxDfOKSTlXCtZGqzJLs_Ued_o3hjllP3bPN0i-9SynN9o8NXjtN5QplD0TC804F97PlB41V50PNxGSbihfPUg/s1600/b1.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514210950133583874" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc3G8TJitGxeWPWfSbpFQc9ksrAoo3mThN3cjLf2CHKqGeqG3-WWZFFmXxDfOKSTlXCtZGqzJLs_Ued_o3hjllP3bPN0i-9SynN9o8NXjtN5QplD0TC804F97PlB41V50PNxGSbihfPUg/s400/b1.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbXfRQt4P6MUhQuclORnNF2k2PHIy9X-Ot3Nt_LP4OB1z5yUXAdDFhW1L_fX1MHwjBnOv5YZPSkAX6Anu_BFTsTU9UGGHH55-t13ldhzbod2W6ha3C1kDFXQtPnhnvbeXUOEaySludxk/s1600/P8010195.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514210979266193122" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbXfRQt4P6MUhQuclORnNF2k2PHIy9X-Ot3Nt_LP4OB1z5yUXAdDFhW1L_fX1MHwjBnOv5YZPSkAX6Anu_BFTsTU9UGGHH55-t13ldhzbod2W6ha3C1kDFXQtPnhnvbeXUOEaySludxk/s400/P8010195.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU20grRdfNsoj-xiCH4SJHr7smH-URedUGsuS_8XFkJ9oVrz3Ysj2AVZ2YK4lVfL9_b4ujuKhOm3kClasPFNv3YvKdkpXqZpZ1vKT9kKoeoDA80nqcY1fM_k9kjs-5RnNNg8BBaGLwtCU/s1600/P8010194.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514210971562088130" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU20grRdfNsoj-xiCH4SJHr7smH-URedUGsuS_8XFkJ9oVrz3Ysj2AVZ2YK4lVfL9_b4ujuKhOm3kClasPFNv3YvKdkpXqZpZ1vKT9kKoeoDA80nqcY1fM_k9kjs-5RnNNg8BBaGLwtCU/s400/P8010194.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGo2I_BDms4mo2hqSItT38wxnLMHQUaC6pWdO5MgRlpoXIYPPrUnanSs9r9sbDxMOBFhFejfK-NZChXxoA6YxGpwCVLb_gitcBCOo8RCmvfeh_p7H0LJgD4gehvViWwMFlx8IT9oCeBus/s1600/P8010198.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514212166347802274" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGo2I_BDms4mo2hqSItT38wxnLMHQUaC6pWdO5MgRlpoXIYPPrUnanSs9r9sbDxMOBFhFejfK-NZChXxoA6YxGpwCVLb_gitcBCOo8RCmvfeh_p7H0LJgD4gehvViWwMFlx8IT9oCeBus/s400/P8010198.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyC0RyDsjq50O_sa4rlq5ZLs9UvdwLtjp_zK4EUvWwZu0Lv_GupdABJAD_IYxqe7oGmXERi9q-SH1a2v8fsVX1HDtic5b1psmXg7pr-HtrduB8Ta1ygEAyvyTmWXTK5190aY01BMjXdcw/s1600/P8010196.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514212152340601938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyC0RyDsjq50O_sa4rlq5ZLs9UvdwLtjp_zK4EUvWwZu0Lv_GupdABJAD_IYxqe7oGmXERi9q-SH1a2v8fsVX1HDtic5b1psmXg7pr-HtrduB8Ta1ygEAyvyTmWXTK5190aY01BMjXdcw/s400/P8010196.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYC6nlkuk5VHclxI8i_mMzdolhuhD7SPFulNlcs20w8o9qM7s7nK6QDN_aNLFS82FMIwP-S31oghbtsBiv-QKfptVEbG_oGoYGfxiwUIRAW49pp_X8Yksb_UfRUv-6BAogDp_aQ9LLrlA/s1600/P8010197.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514212159605243794" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYC6nlkuk5VHclxI8i_mMzdolhuhD7SPFulNlcs20w8o9qM7s7nK6QDN_aNLFS82FMIwP-S31oghbtsBiv-QKfptVEbG_oGoYGfxiwUIRAW49pp_X8Yksb_UfRUv-6BAogDp_aQ9LLrlA/s400/P8010197.JPG" /></a><br /><div>Swimming lessons this summer were exciting to say the least. Of our three dogs, Jackson LOVES the water. He likes to wade and he likes the excitement of swimming, but oh my goodness is he bad at it. At the lake, he paddles with his front feet above water (shallow enough he likely can still touch), making this horrible face, and it is all just a panicky frenzy. But like I said, he loves it. Lemon LOVES water, chasing the sprinkler and hose, getting in the shower, but she doesn't like to get in the lake or pools. Hilga... once, we picked her up in her life jacket, set her up to her elbows in the lake and she froze like a statute, the tide slowly started to carry her out and she never moved, just floated along...so needless to say we've given up hope on her.</div><br /><div>The first thing we do with swim lessons (thanks to my parents for pool usage), is get them to calm down in the water. Frenzied swimming is never good. So we hold them up against us until the thrashing stops, then they get to swim a little bit. The pool helps us see the problem... that they don't paddle their back legs... at all. Their rears just sink to the bottom while their front feet splash above the water. So Chris will hold onto their front legs while they paddle with their back ones (think little kids doing kicking exercises at swim class). </div><br /><div>All of this really doesn't help that much, but maybe it helps a little bit. And it is certainly fun to participate in (albeit slightly dangerous...I usually leave covered in scratches with possible tears in my swimsuit) and fun to watch. I should have prefaced all of this with the fact that Berners don't know how to swim naturally... they have to be taught (for the most part). That has certainly been our experience. Even after swim lessons... I'm thinking they will probably still have to wear their life jackets in lake water where they can't touch.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN91eOGlL7GXTYmR1t4zn9IJW_vm0flHNDBq1mzjJPtQgRk3NDBt4zobpyzNajvfHwbnuchKm9YPrBu0bb-_VyzexDuYVPiIf-LoCwY6_iuGHR7Me5xL94zgHpt49JZObCUnedSTdjHxs/s1600/P8010200.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514212182657518290" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN91eOGlL7GXTYmR1t4zn9IJW_vm0flHNDBq1mzjJPtQgRk3NDBt4zobpyzNajvfHwbnuchKm9YPrBu0bb-_VyzexDuYVPiIf-LoCwY6_iuGHR7Me5xL94zgHpt49JZObCUnedSTdjHxs/s400/P8010200.JPG" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWBIfn6JkGrUeMB5c6vP5AMYtGOV8lCH2VGBelDaqvIzHTFy2C-RkViYQpm3zTRyXFD9Qxy5sEt0zQyI8ZFvbNb2Ses6uyhmOQRzD4Jp8l-Son7iquvHQP3qFLPs7aJDYEdBVbzkiX-5o/s1600/P8010193.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514210961868355746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWBIfn6JkGrUeMB5c6vP5AMYtGOV8lCH2VGBelDaqvIzHTFy2C-RkViYQpm3zTRyXFD9Qxy5sEt0zQyI8ZFvbNb2Ses6uyhmOQRzD4Jp8l-Son7iquvHQP3qFLPs7aJDYEdBVbzkiX-5o/s400/P8010193.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPekXKxM_5RwRIv_kGBXwYHMWDUPjM6RiEgsMhZ4293JOv9FfvDrCw__HKQqjR6QLbWcbk8HFbG-RdG6s9JfPIXyzxu76Ax7q8bvJo050Rv__ThD7b7d1gb-FfKNJ7-XjomaQ6Ga6dHw4/s1600/P8010192.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514210952399190306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPekXKxM_5RwRIv_kGBXwYHMWDUPjM6RiEgsMhZ4293JOv9FfvDrCw__HKQqjR6QLbWcbk8HFbG-RdG6s9JfPIXyzxu76Ax7q8bvJo050Rv__ThD7b7d1gb-FfKNJ7-XjomaQ6Ga6dHw4/s400/P8010192.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwH4PdcLZG3w1dm65tpoH39onU6urWmu3gOaX4t8knPgjVcaSNtr71QkDHI9RlvsXDA33l57ohDu6EqE69zFjk-IKdz9Xf7hRiBouL9HZBLRiypzAZLHkhFU6tdFb34Gwx57R7HeGGs2s/s1600/P8010199.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514212170654381714" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwH4PdcLZG3w1dm65tpoH39onU6urWmu3gOaX4t8knPgjVcaSNtr71QkDHI9RlvsXDA33l57ohDu6EqE69zFjk-IKdz9Xf7hRiBouL9HZBLRiypzAZLHkhFU6tdFb34Gwx57R7HeGGs2s/s400/P8010199.JPG" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>K Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09707349311942770791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205708596325958724.post-26639202385519388112010-09-07T07:40:00.000-07:002010-09-07T08:57:30.835-07:00Rescue Heartache (with a good ending for one guy)This is a blog I've been procrastinating writing. Chris and I do what we can to volunteer with the HBMDC rescue (occasional transport, foster), but in all honesty, it isn't like there are hundreds of Berners pouring into the rescue every year. This is a testiment both to good judgment on part of breeders and Berner rescuers, and more significantly, a breed that isn't that common. As the breed becomes more common, as they are more often on sale in pet stores and byb, rescue numbers will inevitably climb.<br /><br />Chris and I have had tough fosters before (Polo and Hannah come to mind), but those dogs have been physically healthy (at least healthy enough) when they came to us, just REALLY fearful from lack of socialization. The dog pictured below we didn't foster, all I did was drive him from Wichita to North KC. I spent about 3 hours with this dog, but he is the one that is lingering with me, making me lose sleep at night, motivating me to do more... not because of him necessarily (he gets a happy ending), but because of the class of dogs he represents and how hopeless the situation appears for that class of dogs. <br /><br />His story... Brute (now Sirius) lived with a woman in TN. This woman never treated her dogs very well, and rescuers had pulled dogs from her before that were starving. It begs the quesiton why some people even get dogs? Anyways, woman decides to move, and "asks" her son to come take care of Sirius until he can find him a new home. Son does not do this. Sirius is left tied up in woman's yard, uncared for (except just enough to survive on from neighbors) for the majority of the summer (think how hot it was). <br /><br />Good hearted dog people who also do rescue take him from the yard and he is in horrible condition. Emaciated, COVERED in ticks (handfulls of black tick soot or whatever it is called...unbelievable amounts), but still sweet as can be. They take him home to OK for 2 days, contact HBMDC rescue who is willing to take him. I am taking my bar exam, but follow the emails, volunteer to go pick him up the day after and take him from Wichita to North KC.<br /><br />We did the transfer in Wichita, and I was shocked to see what he looked like. I've never seen a dog in that bad of shape in person. He clung to either car (not picky) to soak up the A/C. When we walked him, he calmly clung to our legs, wagged his tail... to be perfectly honest, I think his temperment was more solid/friendly than any of my 3 dogs who would not be thrilled about getting in a car with a stranger (except for Lemon who would be crazy). <br /><p>On the ride from Wichita to North KC, he laid in the back floor of the truck and didn't move for the whole trip. He never once stood up, didn't look out the window... just laid in the same position, sleeping off and on. Throughout the trip I would reach back and poke him a little, just to make sure he was still with me. When we got to North KC (met a transfer who would take him the rest of the way to Des Moines) and I got him out of the car for a potty break, I was shocked all over again to see what he really looked like. But again, he clung to me while we walked around the grass, and was as sweet as you could ever hope he would be. I was afraid someone would call the police while we were there, but no one did... Hopefully the reason was it was obvious he was on transport, not that people didn't care.</p><p>The pictures below show how thin he was. But there was something about touching his coat that really brought home just what bad shape he was in. His coat was coarse to the touch, sunburned red, and you couldn't touch his coat without feeling the handfulls of grit and dirt, caused by fleas and ticks. However, Sirius was taken to the vet who runs the HBMDC rescue, got healthy, and ended up in a wonderful home. </p><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514182622565037442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOHTPSzPGp74I6h1tipjkpQtKmiXaMBuHJmwZfmVZ8WssmfhZTSdrYkKvoYNVJU8gu1wPo4-ZT8ehZHN_akC2-POtWW38JDYHP5tleeymGVfE4ly9RPxCyLetoKbBPxKcOdEm0jLiZmYw/s400/P7290186.JPG" /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8EHN5aqNVUIz9kmnEjAyGg8OgxlExELVGHc7OmQRU7d1hGCAsa8fgyAVkNa1UvJXfLK7qn7W3PGjt6lktW1mzVyFMZeD9Ez17ieiGJqEFImWeG4p5WTsPPIo5dd_HqWfagUqUnNbWk0s/s1600/P7290185.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514182616494725474" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8EHN5aqNVUIz9kmnEjAyGg8OgxlExELVGHc7OmQRU7d1hGCAsa8fgyAVkNa1UvJXfLK7qn7W3PGjt6lktW1mzVyFMZeD9Ez17ieiGJqEFImWeG4p5WTsPPIo5dd_HqWfagUqUnNbWk0s/s400/P7290185.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8hGrupvaJB5notDRahUqs7xe7OyTlRjrJ2jEtxoy6os4Kb-kpb5dQA26tVuTF8N7Qg8hyphenhyphen4-eWJ7IA2t-3MjsElM1ZhMM9yFvnnOli1a90S1I4ldKzJWore43M9BQfU3kjKFZxV5Fh3w/s1600/P7290183.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514182606551369778" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8hGrupvaJB5notDRahUqs7xe7OyTlRjrJ2jEtxoy6os4Kb-kpb5dQA26tVuTF8N7Qg8hyphenhyphen4-eWJ7IA2t-3MjsElM1ZhMM9yFvnnOli1a90S1I4ldKzJWore43M9BQfU3kjKFZxV5Fh3w/s400/P7290183.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmrcZT3L66uxpTxr3_hHOU-3g0CNw5cloIWLtuzvEabKLGiZgcPpZP9d3nRTbg9D5EcF4yGRtiQ97F81ydcdabtoEWgKxhiXEdHFKP_byLl5vwkOU07tfaBIGJHq8mQ22uEJbX06kKBCY/s1600/P7290182.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514182604343393666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmrcZT3L66uxpTxr3_hHOU-3g0CNw5cloIWLtuzvEabKLGiZgcPpZP9d3nRTbg9D5EcF4yGRtiQ97F81ydcdabtoEWgKxhiXEdHFKP_byLl5vwkOU07tfaBIGJHq8mQ22uEJbX06kKBCY/s400/P7290182.JPG" /></a>Unfortunately, after leaving Sirius in North KC with the vet tech, my day did not end. Chris and I drove to rural MO that evening to pick up the motor home (which had been broken down a few weeks back, different story) from a tow yard. The tow yard was at a man's house, the man wasn't there yet. Chris and I step out of the car, and don't make it more than a few feet before we start hearing dogs barking. I walk to the outside kennel and see two labs in separate runs. They are thankfully well fed and have water, but their runs are filled with feces and... they live in runs. After spending the day with Sirius, I shake my head but remind myself that at least they seem healthy enough.</p><p>About an hour later, a cat comes limping out from the tow yard ("must have been bit by something"), with a foot that has obviously been flattened by something. The cat is yowling every step it takes, and I'm looking at this guy telling him he needs to get the cat to the vet. He dismissively says he will... a certain kind of rural mentality. At that point, I'm looking around and off into the distance at his neighbors in rural Missouri... wondering how far away I am from the closest Sirius, tied up and slowly starving to death, how far I am from the closest puppy mill... 20 mile radius? 10? 5? 1? Probably. </p><p>I don't think the people are bad people by any means, but they have a mentaltiy about their animals that I don't agree with and that I hope will change in the future. I'm not surprised by that... my folks grew up in rural Missouri, and while their perspectives have certainly evolved throughout their lives, when remembering visits to grandparents as a child, it is easy to see that the people in their community continue to have a different perspective on animals. </p><p>I read a line in a book recently that stuck out to me, so much that I just flipped back through the book to find it, and then was surprised at how unremarkable it actually is. But the quote is from a vet in a fictional book, "This is Maine. We have people who still think that taking care of a dog means chaining it up in the backyard and throwing food to it once a day." I don't know anything about Maine, but I do think that expresses the problem. People lack compassion for dogs and their needs, which are both physical and mental, because they don't see dogs as thinking, feeling beings. Those of us who have close relationships with our dogs understand that not to be the case and have a very different understanding of how deeply they feel.</p><p>I'm not saying you can never have an outside dog. I don't think it is ideal for the dog as they won't be getting the necessary socialization, however I think an outside dog that recieves daily attention, clean living space, clean food and water and vet attention is okay, and certainly in a better situation than most. I understand that some dogs enjoy living outside. Some dogs are true working dogs, not pets/companions, and so they live outside. If they are being used in the way that they were bred for and are being challenged and mentally satisfied through their work, then I think that is ok.</p><p>I'm not quite sure where this blog is going, other than to get out all the frustrations of the past few weeks. But, I'll end with this story and my response. The Berner-L was up in arms a few weeks ago because a man drove to the mall, left his golden mix and chihuahua mix in the car, they over heated and the golden died. By up in arms, I mean there were threats of a planned seige upon his home... really enraged by what he did. I never responded, but here is what I wanted to say...</p><p>Granted, he made a stupid mistake... perhaps didn't know how quickly cars heated? But I strongly doubt he maliciously brought his dogs to the mall, then left them in the car so they could die a slow death in which they would draw attention to other mall-goers at which point he would be arrested and charged with animal cruelty. The more likely scenario is that he brought his dogs along for a car ride, didn't understand how quickly cars heat up, then was shocked/grieved to find out what happened. At the end of the day, my feeling was that while of course you shouldn't leave a dog in a hot car, at least he cared enough about his dogs to bring them along for the ride. Its a little bit of a sad and jaded place to be (especially since I'm not really the jaded type), but at some point you start to measure people's bad acts towards animals against each other... saying this is really bad, this is kinda bad, this isn't perfect but better than kinda bad, etc... and the whole situation is really overwhelming. It is getting more difficult for me to think about the individuals rather than the situation as a whole, which is much more disheartening. </p><p>But enough negative blogging for the day. Remember that for Sirius, all is well, and that sometimes it is important to look at the individual cases. Even one less dog sitting in that type of situation is nothing but a success. On a happier note, next blog with be swimming lesson pictures! </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>K Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09707349311942770791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205708596325958724.post-31780057290757241982010-08-13T14:05:00.000-07:002010-08-13T15:23:41.493-07:00Bewildering Love TriangleThis bewildering competition, HSUS vs. HumaneWatch and the common love interest, animal lovers, has me totally flabergasted. Of course there are more players, including the agriculture people, the PETA people, the hobby breeder people and I'm sure the list goes on and on. Here is my understanding.<br /><br />You have the HSUS. A LARGE national animal advocacy group (companion and wild). They make a LOT of money in donations each year, hundreds of millions. Some of that money (NOT MUCH) is contributed DIRECTLY to shelter animals in need (maybe 1%). A larger (but still NOT MUCH) percentage (maybe 2%) is spent on employee salaries. The rest of the money appears to go INDIRECTLY to the animals through campaigns, advertising, litigation, legislation, lobbys, etc... To me this is the most beneficial use for the money, because I think it is better to fix the problem then to continue to save the animals that result from the problem. However, the HSUS may not be completely straight forward in fund raising efforts that the money is not going DIRECTLY to that particular otter shown in the video clip. An even larger problems is that there are MANY who suspect (I still haven't discovered the source for this suspicion, adds to the flabergastedness) that HSUS is just another PETA... an animals RIGHTS organization rather than an animal WELFARE organization, with the ultimate goal for humans to lose all rights to animals (no more pets, no more meat, etc...). As I mentioned, I just haven't seen any proof of this myself as ALL of the efforts I've seen from the HSUS appear to be in WELFARE.<br /><br />Next up you have HumaneWatch, an organization of what I can only assume to be the agriculture lobby (but also somewhat deceitful in that they don't come out and say that), that is WATCHING the HSUS with a critical eye and promoting the idea that the HSUS is an animal RIGHTS organization. Today to support that argument, they cited articles on topics such as Ohio legislation which requires NEW farms to provide space for livestock to TURN AROUND (HSUS was involved in the creation of the legislation). That doesn't sound like the end of meat as a food group, but rather a SMALL implementation of BASIC animal welfare. They cited an article in which a judge (at the HSUS's urging) denied hunters the right to hunt a particular kind of wolf in a few states...a wolf that just a few short years ago was endangered and specifically populated for regrowth of the species. Again, it sounds reasonable to postpone hunting for a few years so that when hunting does start up again, there are still sufficient numbers of wolves to keep the species from going extinct. THis group does point out the FLAWS of the HSUS on occasion as well... pointing at complicated number figures that the reader can't understand but the HumaneWatch guarentees to be "unethical", pointing out the difference between the HSUS and local humane society's and blaming the HSUS for any confusion between the two, condemning their use of funds for lobbying efforts rather than individual animal care, etc...<br /><br />Obviously you can tell what side I'm on. I haven't seen any proof that the HSUS is an evil organization that wants to take away my rights to own dogs. All I have ever seen the HSUS do is promote cases and legislation that are focused on animal welfare, not animal rights. Is it possible they have a secret motivation for animal rights? Absolutely it is possible, but in the mean time they are staying focused and raising societal awareness on issues of animal welfare. For that mean time, I'm totally on board (and they have a LONG way to go before we will lose our rights to own dogs). So it sounds like I am pretty straight on my opinion, right? But, this is where we get into the third part of our triangle... the animal lover. <br /><br />I know many people from our dog show world who I respect a GREAT deal who are on the HumaneWatch bandwagon. I think they are pretty smart people and I know they love their animals. So what gives, where is the discrepency? What do they see that I don't? The answer is that I don't know and it is somewhat of a taboo subject...money, politics, religion and the HSUS... so I am not likely to find out anytime soon. <br /><br />Many of them are reputable breeders (not puppy millers), and often the HSUS promotes legislation with puppy mill focus that could end up effecting hobby breeders (although usually hobby breeders are so small compared to puppy mills the legislation overlooks them, so I think it is a fear of the regulation concept). Yet, these are people who are very anti-puppy mill. So what are our good, ethical breeders willing to give up to put a stop to puppy mills? That is a different topic for a different day, but I know they are willing to make some sacrifices. Anyways, I would still love to relaly understand what draws these people to HumaneWatch, and when I find out, I will blog it. <br /><br />But it still begs the question... why do some animal lovers choose HumaneWatch and some choose HSUS? Are people being scared into assumptions promoted by ag lobbiests and HumaneWatch? Afraid of losing their right to own a pet? Afraid of losing the right to eat meat? Afraid of losing the right to breed? On the other side, are they being conned into donating by the HSUS in a belief that the HSUS represents something it really does not? <br /><br />And I think the problem ultimately arises when you have two extreme groups. You have the HSUS which promotes welfare (I'm going to say welfare because I haven't seen evidence otherwise) at the cost of American's rights to make decisions about their own property (legally animals in America are property), at the cost of increased prices and economic effects. You have the HumaneWatch (lovingly referred to as the ag lobby) who don't want their property rights taken away for any reasons, particularly the reason of animal welfare (or perhaps animal rights disguised as animal welfare).<br /><br />I'm starting to discover a life lesson perhaps: extremes are never good. Should animal's welfare suffer at times to promote a better economy and American health? It breaks my heart to say so, but perhaps it should. There is ALWAYS a bigger picture to consider. Most likely if the American economy and health is in a better state, American's animals will be as well. Things tend to work that way. Should American farmers operate under a basic legislated standard of care so that animals are guarenteed minimum welfare goals? Probably, being able to stand up and turn around doesn't seem like much to ask for. I think it is often the goals of extreme organizations to lead their followers into believing that there is no middle ground. But there is always middle ground, room for compromise, room for give and take. <br /><br />So that is the rant of the day. I really need a job!K Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09707349311942770791noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205708596325958724.post-58729588120723132852010-08-10T15:43:00.000-07:002010-08-10T16:11:30.394-07:00Haiti Animals<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/08/06/haiti.animals/index.html?hpt=C1"></a><br /><br />http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/08/06/haiti.animals/index.html?hpt=C1<br /><br /><br />The above is a link to a CNN story on the animals in Haiti. It is a story that is fairly unsurprising... animals in Haiti are recieving vet care from charitable animal organizations. This is obviously beneficial to animals, but also to people so far as their good-producing animals go and to decrease the spread of disease.<br /><br />What gets me about these articles is the comments sections, and I know from experience that I should NEVER read comments, they just make me upset. But the consensus from this round of comments seems to be a rather typical (in my opinion, non-sensical) response that frustrates me. People disapprove of these efforts to care for Haitian animals because they feel that while humans are still suffering in Haiti, ALL efforts should be focused towards people...people first mentaltiy. I understand the concept, but like I said, I think it is non-sensical.<br /><br />People have different qualities and qualifications that make them eligible to volunteer in certain areas. Many of the volunteers on the specific project referenced above are veternarians. Is it right, does it make sense, to say that veternarians shouldn't help animals in Haiti because people are still suffering? There are many human doctors doing NOTHING for Haiti, but because they haven't volunteered for the "wrong" organization (haven't volunteered at all), they don't get criticized. What kind of society do we live in where people have to be defensive of the good and charitable work they do, often defending that work to judgmental people who do nothing, for the simple reason that the judgmental people don't "approve" of how or to whom help is being given. Give me a break. I think there are too many problems in this world and too many many people capable of making a difference (many of whom chose not to) to be picky or critical about who does what.<br /><br />So, this is me rolling my eyes at the invisible commentors sitting at home (not volunteering), criticizing those with their sleeves rolled up in Haiti doing what they can to make Haiti a better place to live (for both the people and the animals). Rant of the day is over.K Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09707349311942770791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205708596325958724.post-16388654326480798482010-07-16T07:55:00.001-07:002010-07-16T07:59:19.354-07:00Jackson's WebsiteNow that Jackson has his RN, CGC and hopefully soon, his CH, he has a website on his breeder's page. Dawn made a beautiful page for him at: <a href="http://www.classiquebmd.com/Jackson.html">http://www.classiquebmd.com/Jackson.html</a>.<br /><br />For other news... I've started working on the 2009 blog to photo book project. It is actually REALLY easy with Booksmart, a program that you can download from one of the photobook webpages. Looks like the "scrapbook" goal may be met after all!K Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09707349311942770791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3205708596325958724.post-79880707323506736712010-07-12T13:22:00.000-07:002010-07-12T14:01:23.968-07:00Exciting Weekend--Jackson Achieves His Goal!Jackson finally achieved his goal this weekend. He got to take a nap above-the-cab with his papa. But more on that later.<br /><br />Jackson and I also achieved another, less significant goal (in Jackson's mind at least). Jackson got his second major this weekend. That means he only needs one more minor point to finish his championship. Then he will be: CH Classique's Original Moonwalker RN, CGC. We've been saving the last minor point in case a major fell through at some show, so hopefully it won't be too tough to put that last point on him. It will, however, be bitter sweet, as I will really miss showing him in conformation. But, it will be on to focus our minds towards the versatility title. <br /><br />Lemon also had a great weekend. Her temperment is just as sweet as can be, and the judge's love her for it. Everytime they come back over the top of her body, she is craning her neck back, face in the air, body wagging like crazy with happiness. The judge on Friday gave her a kiss on the nose he thought she was so cute. In addition to being a bundle of sweetness, she also is becoming a nice conformation girl. On Sunday she took the major reserve, a nice compliment when she is amongst a group of lovely bitches. <br /><br />Congratulations to Mike and Orvis who recieved points on Friday! To Dawn and Patsy who recieved points on Friday! To Gary, Penny and Spencer who took a major (and on a puppy!) on Saturday. And to Layal, who finished Liesel this weekend by taking both majors Saturday and Sunday. The Berner group is great. Supportive and fun. We were thrilled to meet a few new faces this weekend, and had a great time bbqing out with everyone.<br /><br />On Sunday, the atmosphere was somewhat special...for me of course as Jackson got the major, but I think for everyone there. There was quite a crowd of Berner people, being that 26 Berners were entered. But the crowd grew even larger. The Berners were the last group in the ring before lunch, and all the other rings finished before us. Everyone in the building had kind of migrated that way. When Jackson took the boy's major, a big cheer went up. It gave me goosebumps, and made the judge jump a little, but it was such a nice reaction from our Berner friends. When Layal took the girl's major (and Lemon reserve), another big cheer went up and the judge turned and addressed the crowd, commenting on how nice the selection of Berners was at this show.<br /><br />When we all went into breed, she went over the specials and addressed the crowd again, commenting on how nice the dogs were. The big group of spectators was cheering. I haven't seen that kind of thing before at a show, so I was glad we got to be a part of it in addition to getting the major. <br /><br />To explain the photos below... We didn't take any photos of the dog show, oops. But we did get evidence of Jackson's weekend highlight (not the major). Ever since Chris and I started sleeping above the cab (less dog hair), Jackson has also wanted to sleep above the cab. He is somewhat indignant/pathetic that he has to sleep either on the dinette benches, the floor or one of the two twin beds in the back. So he stands on the dinette with his feet on the bed over-the-cab silently pleading to be allowed to sleep with us rather than suffer such a trauma as to be forced to sleep in one of the other options. We have pretty much ignored these pleas for compassion...until Saturday morning.<br /><br />Saturday morning, while Jackson stood with his hind legs on the dinette, trying to climb into the bed above-the-cab (no way he could get up there on his own, poor guy) I promised him that if he won the major, he could go up there. Well, he didn't win the major. But he was beautiful and expressive and tried his darndest, so Saturday afternoon he was allowed to climb up in the cab and take a nap with his papa. A good lesson in enjoying the smaller pleasures in life. It may have been my favorite part of the weekend as well, as it was about the happiest, most content he has ever been. And...I guess the restful slumber did him well as he went on to win the major on Sunday.<br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAbqgCFtJqLB_0yeAdTB17q1fL4Qvei48GoBNa4meSg0TwRvuIumH47SDguV-wep8Kv0zJlMXyndTVicUC7hrsx1vsXWfBuZCwDttR9VXPE4dEy14mgAKqON6PLY0oXKCrZLcXWTJecWU/s1600/Blog+8.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493122577347150978" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAbqgCFtJqLB_0yeAdTB17q1fL4Qvei48GoBNa4meSg0TwRvuIumH47SDguV-wep8Kv0zJlMXyndTVicUC7hrsx1vsXWfBuZCwDttR9VXPE4dEy14mgAKqON6PLY0oXKCrZLcXWTJecWU/s400/Blog+8.jpg" /></a>My two favorite boys: </div><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpmMx2l-_ocwTPPhhpu3gzzpGvMHsMRzhtQHoi-J5bjy5FShbSuXkZ4z6dy26nuLfdGDaP_iTwQ-d3_SLjRJeLCVw6DFEElrzvfHwIA37N56cgb4MurRqgwM-7UZrQ85fYoosKfyt60U/s1600/Blog+7.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493122565433261906" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpmMx2l-_ocwTPPhhpu3gzzpGvMHsMRzhtQHoi-J5bjy5FShbSuXkZ4z6dy26nuLfdGDaP_iTwQ-d3_SLjRJeLCVw6DFEElrzvfHwIA37N56cgb4MurRqgwM-7UZrQ85fYoosKfyt60U/s400/Blog+7.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5YISx_tjbUG4bqP_Rf0xsQzVdQL0bysXnsSsMskMWkx3WS5S5gQAUNMYntmNDcjVLsiRci0R3L3GD1z0141efg24ilYTZWeBiHOlAo8nCGfRk70pT1KYPPfmdZcpOhwWJYVhwM9ZxpI/s1600/Blog+5.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493118754994662818" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5YISx_tjbUG4bqP_Rf0xsQzVdQL0bysXnsSsMskMWkx3WS5S5gQAUNMYntmNDcjVLsiRci0R3L3GD1z0141efg24ilYTZWeBiHOlAo8nCGfRk70pT1KYPPfmdZcpOhwWJYVhwM9ZxpI/s400/Blog+5.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2QtKx0LV5quah_Q1235ipmVfbRt1XJszFTOrQ5d9T-8ROhAJEI2c7s_5gxrXmoJFRIGTV0Bf3caGHzj33MJk12Z5ICt9NYkzZw-B1a_M7z54VdC8ThBfGTinULStNt9UhHdnj95TDwac/s1600/Blog+4.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 354px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493118750802377570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2QtKx0LV5quah_Q1235ipmVfbRt1XJszFTOrQ5d9T-8ROhAJEI2c7s_5gxrXmoJFRIGTV0Bf3caGHzj33MJk12Z5ICt9NYkzZw-B1a_M7z54VdC8ThBfGTinULStNt9UhHdnj95TDwac/s400/Blog+4.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Everyone was very tired after a long Saturday:<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJ6qWfVc6iftOzOoi6jWuf_l3vdjRpEGWyexY31bwP2R1NUlgyP5A0AUm7aKd5eldSrv38oOFVHBND0YlqkMD-YaMAqqU54KhURtnL5N2-cxMr0Bwf-LIWqhs6XlSIGQYQBpynK5WUFA/s1600/Blog+3.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 218px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493118737511600258" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJ6qWfVc6iftOzOoi6jWuf_l3vdjRpEGWyexY31bwP2R1NUlgyP5A0AUm7aKd5eldSrv38oOFVHBND0YlqkMD-YaMAqqU54KhURtnL5N2-cxMr0Bwf-LIWqhs6XlSIGQYQBpynK5WUFA/s400/Blog+3.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2Tdk-ghyphenhyphenLD69KPCg3HLio4PyAMCtMPcLpAGnB-OTlR84s-9QQzBpNWCi0N0JJ6ei9tOtllYFMYCjL5o5dcVn1EvhgYg1K-39jusNnW2BcrFNi-85y5bjouIn16qpYyaYlskupqU962c/s1600/Blog+2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493118735053754674" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2Tdk-ghyphenhyphenLD69KPCg3HLio4PyAMCtMPcLpAGnB-OTlR84s-9QQzBpNWCi0N0JJ6ei9tOtllYFMYCjL5o5dcVn1EvhgYg1K-39jusNnW2BcrFNi-85y5bjouIn16qpYyaYlskupqU962c/s400/Blog+2.jpg" /></a><br />This isn't actually from the weekend, but I thought it was a super cute photo of my girls, snuggled up together:<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2aBaLelC-Pe3TyhyVubGi9GTZ7S2jJENeA1PVxTYV7X1t5TEA8TihQaHmzSb_-RbN_cHa__awFWcX8dzPtKkm8Xs_v631mxIDZsRL_gaOH2d-4YAYUMfET9CeS5kpUHdjfkhQln5lhdQ/s1600/Blog+1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 270px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493118726267811234" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2aBaLelC-Pe3TyhyVubGi9GTZ7S2jJENeA1PVxTYV7X1t5TEA8TihQaHmzSb_-RbN_cHa__awFWcX8dzPtKkm8Xs_v631mxIDZsRL_gaOH2d-4YAYUMfET9CeS5kpUHdjfkhQln5lhdQ/s400/Blog+1.jpg" /></a></div></div></div></div></div>K Cooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09707349311942770791noreply@blogger.com0