PJpupp:

Rickie Roo: Why volunteer? Why Not? If you volunteer at a dog show you get the best seat in the house and the show runs smoothly. 

Gigi: Or if you volunteer for a rescue group, you can help the needy animals.

LC: Volunteering is fun. You get to meet lots of people and help out. It keeps dogs like me too busy to get into trouble.

PJpupp: Yep, that’s what our mommy says. 

LC: What does “volunteer” mean?

PJpupp: To do it for free ’cause you want to.

Rickie Roo: Mommy always says, “If it’s for free, it’s for me,” but I didn’t know she meant volunteering. I thought it meant she likes getting free stuff.

PJpupp: Well, she does like getting free stuff, but she feels it’s important to help out – at the dog shows, at the rescue groups, at the local schools and libraries. We volunteer a lot ’cause it’s fun.

Gigi: We make postcards for the Pet Postcard Project and earn food for hungry rescue dogs. That’s lots of fun.

PJpupp: That’s right, Gigi! Last year you earned 32 tons of Rachel Ray Nutrish dog food for the spcaLA and 10,000 meals of Halo Purely Pets for Animals Rule Placement Foundation. You’ve earned a lot this year too, just by posing for pictures that mommy makes into postcards and sends in to earn food for the rescue dogs.

Gigi: We also volunteer to do dog agility demos sometimes. And PJpupp dresses up like Mrs. Bindergarden, who goes to kindergarten, and I ride my skateboard and Roo shows the kids how we can work a doggie gumball machine and other tricks. 

PJpupp: Yes we do, and we have fun doing it! Our most recent demo was at the spcaLA Mark and Brian Adoption Day event. All our friends from i Love Dogs were there, too.

Rickie Roo: Well, I wanna volunteer to be a cookie taster at the dog cookie company.

LC: Me too! Me too!

PJpupp: I know you would do an excellent job doing that. It seems you Rat Terriers are never full.

LC: Can we volunteer RIGHT NOW?

PJpupp: I don’t know … let’s go ask!

Check out our new PM2 Dog Agility Team page!

PJpupp:

LC: I was in my first REAL dog show!

Gigi: We were very proud of you, LC pie. You did awesome.

LC: I got my first dog show ribbons! FIRST PLACE, just like you and Rickie Roo! I’m trying to be a champion just like you, Gigi!

Gigi: Don’t forget that there are lots of agility champions on our team, including PJpupp, Magi, Perry and Beau. I’m not the only one.

LC: I know that, but you are the sweetest one, so I want to be fast and accurate on the course but sweet like you off the course. Mom says I have a long way to go to be as nice as you.

Rickie Roo: Did you know you earned three titles at your very first trial?

LC: I did? WOW! I’m super cool now! Three titles at my very first real dog show!

Rickie Roo: Yep – Now your fancy name is ARIS Legacy Up Up and Away, CGC, CL1-H, CL1-S, CL1-F. But we will still just call you LC, LC pie or even pie pie.

LC: I had fun! I tried to run and jump just as fast as you do, Rickie Roo.

PJpupp: The most important part of being at an agility trial is having fun, LC.

Gigi: Yeah, mom says that all the time.

Rickie Roo: But it’s not fun if you don’t go fast and WIN.

Gigi: You might be right about that.

LC: I was so happy you came out of retirement at that show, PJpupp! You really showed me how to have fun at a show.

PJpupp: I had a great time. I’m 13, so I only did one run a day, while you did five runs a day.

LC: I was just barely old enough to compete. I had to be 15 months old, and I was 15 months and 9 days old! We got lots and lots of ribbons – how many do you think we had?

PJpupp: Mommy stopped counting at 125.

LC: I got my first official dog show photographs too!

Gigi: The nice people at photography by M let us post some of the photos they took here in our blog – isn’t that awesome?

Rickie Roo: If people want to see all the different dogs in the trial, they can go to that website and look up WLAOTC CPE in the Gallery. They will see us all over the place!

LC: HEY, did you remember I had another first? I was on the NEWS!

PJpupp: Yes you were! Earlene invited us all for pupilates class, and the news was there.

LC: Here’s the link where you can see us on TV – we are on the Dog Pilates, Massage and Hot Pool Therapy, Dock Dog Training and Dog Swimming Lessons segments.

PJpupp: Don’t forget that you had your first calendar photo shoot at the Poppy Preserve, too!

LC: I’ve had photo shoots before, but this was my first time at the Poppies. That was fun!

Rickie Roo: Hey, did you remember that you and I tried tracking for the first time? Mau Mau, our 24-year-old house kitty, snuck out of the house during the bad rainstorm, and mommy was so worried. She looked and looked and looked for him and then finally someone suggested using us dogs to track him. Since we don’t know any of that stuff, our friend Bogey showed us how it’s done. Following the scent of Mau Mau’s bed that Mommy showed to Bogey, he took us all around our neighborhood and finally found Mau Mau! You and I were there to help him.

LC: That was cold and yucky. I don’t know if I liked that “first.”

Rickie Roo: Well, you liked your first-ever agility seminar!

LC: Yes, I did! I got to do agility all day long and I learned lots of stuff from Elicia Calhoun. I even got to do half of your class the next day! It was super fun.

Rickie Roo: We did a demo for Redondo Beach’s Paws in the Park, too… but I think you might have done demos before.

 LC: Are you kidding? I’ve been doing demos since I was a little puppy. I’m a big dog now!

Gigi: If you call 13 inches tall and 11 pounds “big,” I suppose you are a big dog, LC.

 LC: One day I’ll be as big as you – you just had a birthday and you are 9 years old now!

 Gigi: I had a first – a birthday duck! He was rubbery and squeaky.

LC: I like your duck a lot.

Gigi: Don’t forget you did your first live interview as a doggie diamond model, and they chose YOU to wear the $3 million Amour, Amour collar by ilovedogsdiamonds.com!

LC: You and Rickie got to be in the interview, too! You guys looked so pretty in the diamonds.

Gigi: It’s the diamonds that look good. Wait until you get a real professional photo shoot in them – it’s super fun and you earn LOTS of cookies!

PJpupp: Can you think of any other firsts you’ve had lately LC?

LC: Nope. I might be able to, but first, I need to take a nap.

PJpupp: Sure thing, LC. Sweet dreams.

ACTION PHOTOS: Photography by M
 

Gigi: You are good at chasing your tail, PJ.

PJpupp: I don’t mean REALLY chasing our tails, I mean running around a lot.

Rickie Roo: I don’t have a tail to chase.

Gigi: I do, but I don’t chase it like PJpupp does.

Rickie Roo: LC doesn’t have a tail, either. But Hobo does. Does he chase his tail?

PJpupp: No, he doesn’t, and I’m telling you I did not mean that all of us are chasing our tails. I meant that we have been keeping very busy.

Gigi: We go to lots of dog shows. Sometimes mommy gets lost and drives in circles. Is that what you mean?

PJpupp: Forget it. Why don’t we tell everyone what you’ve done since that rainy day at Contact Point Agility?

Gigi: Wow, it’s hard to remember that far back. We collected over 200 pounds of ribbons for RibbonRecycling.com, and right now I’m the spokesdoggie for the Pet Postcard Project. My friend Stormie the Poodle and I are gonna earn food for animalsrule.org and communityschild.org. Community’s Child has a food bank and they give food to over 30 senior citizens a month who need food for their doggies. Animals Rule will use the food for all the dogs they have there in rescue. The ribbon recycling lady will send the ribbons we collected at the DART trial (from all the members there), and kids who are participating in events at therapeutic riding facilites will get them and love them.

PJpupp: That’s great! You are really trying to help those that need it. Do you remember that you saw Mommy and Kokomo in the Family Home Farm Magazine? How cool was that? Why don’t you tell them how the team has done in the dog shows?

Gigi: I think we went to the Hollywood Dog Obedience Club’s AKC trial right after that one.

PJpupp: Yes, you did. Do you remember how you did?

Rickie Roo: I DO! I DO! I did great!

Gigi: Roo, you must be confused. You were okay, not GREAT. Mommy said at that trial our team only had a 75-percent success rate, and usually it’s about 94 percent.

Rickie Roo: Maybe I’m thinking about the show after that – the Belgian Tervuren Club’s Pawso Robles event.

Gigi: That’s the one where our pals from i Love Dogs had a booth right next to us, and TJ came and watched us compete.

Rickie Roo: OH yeah, I was AWESOME there!

Gigi: No you weren’t, you were okay. Mei and Beau were awesome, ’cause they earned another championship, a MACH2 and Magi was awesome because he double Q’d (qualified) all four days, and Tripled Q’d on one of those days.

Rickie Roo: I was awesome, too!

Gigi: Not really. Kokomo Q’d in every class she was in, and so did Chili Dog.

Rickie Roo: Well then, how did I do?

Gigi: Both you and I only Q’d in 60 percent of our classes. But mommy gave us cookies anyway.

Rickie Roo: I know I was awesome at some show. What show was it?

PJpupp: I bet it was the DART USDAA Agility Trial that was in March.

Rickie Roo: OH YEAH! That’s it! I won the Steeplechase and got a check!

PJpupp: Mommy always likes it when you win checks.

Gigi: I got a check, too!

Rickie Roo: But I was faster than you, so I got a bigger check.

Gigi: That’s okay as long as one of US wins, and not some dog who’s not in our family.

PJpupp: I hear that all of you did great in Performance Grand Prix, too.

Gigi: Yes, mommy was very happy about that. She said we needed our Performance Grand Prix Q’s so we can qualify to run at the Nationals.

Rickie Roo: And I won Performance Grand Prix at the DART USDAA 4 star event, too. And at that event they had teams, and my team, RAT ATTACK, won the bronze medal!

PJpupp: The PM2 Pack did great at that event. Your team got third place, Magi’s team, MUTTNIFICENT, earned fourth, my team Giddy Upp Midnight Storm got fifth, and Beau’s team BEAU BOLTS earned 13th place. All of us Q’d for the Nationals. Oh, and I won the Steeplechase and Magi got third place, so we brought home checks. Since it was Magi’s 10th birthday, mommy was VERY proud of him.

Rickie Roo: Now Gigi, Magi and Mei are all set to go to Kentucky for the Cynosport World Games this fall!

PJpupp: Yes, that’s true. But before that you are going to Texas, Utah and Colorado. And before that, our little Miss LC Pie will be in her very first REAL dog show at the West Los Angeles Obedience Training Club on Mother’s Day weekend.

Gigi: That sounds like fun! Will we be chasing our tails again?

PJpupp: No, not really. But to mommy, it will feel like you are.

PHOTOS: Deborah Davidson-Harpur

Rickie Roo: We had LOTS of fun at Contact Point Agility Center!

Gigi: That’s in Fillmore, Calif. It’s in the middle of an orange grove!

Rickie Roo: And next to a creek – that you can go swimming in if you don’t get cold easily.

Gigi: We did teams! We love teams!

PJpupp: Do you mean USDAA’s Performance Versatility Pairs teams? The event where you run five classes and see which teams are the best?

Gigi: Yep!

Rickie Roo: It was fun! Usually we know who we are going to team with before the event, because mommy calls our friends and sets up dog show play dates.

Gigi: But this time she only did that for Magi – he got to play with his friend Just Emma, who is an English Shepherd, and her mommy, Kathy Lofthouse.

Rickie Roo: Gigi and I were put in a “draw” and got paired up by the show secretary with other dogs who sent in for a draw.

PJpupp: I did that once for the nationals, and I had a very nice teammate who was a West Highland Terrier from Pennsylvania. it was fun meeting new dogs.

Rickie Roo: Well, I got to run with Maggie Mae, who is a Springer Spaniel, and her mommy, Janine Martinez.

Gigi: I got to run with Blew, a blue and white Border Collie, and her mommy, Tracy Golden.

PJpupp: How did you do?

Rickie Roo: I was a SUPA STAR! I WON A CHECK FOR MOMMY!!!

Gigi: Yeah, well, Magi and I did too, LOL!

Rickie Roo: But mine was for FIRST PLACE in Peformance Speed Jumping – you and Magi only got second-place checks! (She is so excited about her big win that she starts hopping up and down and wagging her little nubbin of a tail in circles) And mommy says I am a STAR!!!

Gigi: She says that to all of us, Roo.

Rickie Roo: But she MEANS it when she says it to me!

Gigi: Roo, I won more classes than you did. I won five classes, got second place in five and a third place in the PVP relay. I only got third place ’cause it was raining so hard that when I went to go down the A frame, I saw a big lake and told mommy there was NO WAY I was going into that cold water. But mommy yelled at me, “GIGI YOU GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!” and I know she means it when she says RIGHT NOW so I put my ears down to keep the water out of them, tippie-toed down the A frame and then did my best to jump over that big puddle. It was SOOOO COLD.

Rickie Roo: Well, I won five classes, too! And I got four second places so I guess you beat me by just one second-place finish. Hey Gigi, I ran right through that lake puddle at the bottom of the A frame. Trust me – next time, if you just run fast enough, you won’t even feel the water!

Gigi: PJpupp, did mommy tell you that it rained ALL DAY Friday and was really cold and I ran through the puddles like a big dog?

PJpupp: Yes she did, Gigi, and she said that Roo and Chili Dog and Magi did very well, too! I heard that Magi placed in all of his classes, too. He’s a good boy.

Rickie Roo: Did she tell you it SNOWED on Magi?

Gigi: It hailed or sleeted – or someone called it graupel – no one was sure if it was snow, or what. But balls of white stuff fell from the sky and were on Magi and on us, too.

Rickie Roo: That was on Saturday. On Sunday it got sunny. But it was still cold. It was so cold that Chili Dog did not want to lay down on the table ’cause it made his boy parts cold. He would lay down and the judge would count down, “Five, four, three, two…” And then Chili picked up his back end and mommy said DOWN. Chili lay back down, but his parts were so cold that he got up after the judge said “four” when he’s supposed to wait for “GO!” Mommy finally just said FORGET IT and let him go. He ran really fast then ’cause he was trying to warm up his parts! He was so fast he dodged all the raindrops and the hail rocks!

Gigi: I don’t care to run in the rain at all.

Rickie Roo: I don’t care if it rains, as long as I get cookies.

PJpupp: Would you like to run if it rained meatballs, Gigi?

Gigi: As long as they didn’t hit me in the head!

PJpupp:We have to go now, girls. We have a four-day event in Silverado, Calif., that’s called Pawso Robles. We are in charge of the raffle, get to compete AND get to hang out in the i Love Dogs booth, too!

Gigi: That sounds fun.

Rickie Roo: Yeah!

PJpupp: Did I mention that Earlene will be there too, giving doggie massages?

Rickie Roo: EARLENE!!! LETS GO!!!

Gigi: PJ, did you forget that Roo goes nuts when you say Earlene or mention a doggie massage?

PJpupp: I guess I did. Sorry, Roo.  You can see her later today, but for now, just jump in your crate like a good girl and we will drive on over there to set up.

Quick as a flash, all the Ratties, including puppy LC, are in the crates, and PJpupp hops in the car. Everyone likes a massage and a good raffle!

PJpupp:

Rickie Roo: And LC pie had her birthday. She’s ONE now — almost a big dog like us!

Gigi: It was raining on her birthday. But it didn’t rain at her birthday party.

PJpupp: Yes, it rained here a lot. You guys even did a couple dog shows in the rain. We were lucky that it was sunny and warm for the party.

Rickie Roo: I remember one in Van Nuys, Calif., where we had to run through puddles!

Gigi: It was really cold.

Rickie Roo: But then we went to another dog show and it was hot and sunny one day, and windy the next, and on the last day it rained.

PJpupp: I think that was the Driven Dog trial, where Magi earned another championship, and Gigi and Rickie Roo both won mommy checks for their 1st and 2nd place finishes in the Performance Speed Jumping class.

Rickie Roo: Yep. Mommy got us COOKIES!

Gigi: And she got Hobo a new bed. He didn’t even do ANYTHING and he got a new bed!

PJpupp: Hobo watches over you girls all the time. He deserves nice things, too.

Gigi: I guess so.

Rickie Roo: Magi got a big ribbon and had his picture taken with the judge!

Gigi: That’s what they do when you earn a championship. It takes a long time to do that. This is Magi’s third championship in agility. And guess what? Our friends Stormie and Bingo got their championships the same weekend!

LC: Wow, they must have practiced lots and lots.

PJpupp: Magi is 10 years old. That’s a lot older than you, LC. And he’s had a LOT more time to train than you have.

LC: I’m gonna be a champion too — don’t forget I ran in my very first dog show!

Rickie Roo: No, you didn’t.

LC: YES, I DID.

Gigi: No way — you’re not old enough yet.

PJpupp: Girls, I think she means she ran a course in a show and go. That’s an event where the people at Fun Run Agility set up rings and all the equipment just like a dog agility trial, and there are judges but no actual scribe sheets or placements. It’s where you can act like you are at a dog show, but if you make mistakes you can fix them.

LC: I didn’t make ANY mistakes!

Rickie Roo: We think you are doing pretty good, LC pie — you might even be faster than ME! But it wasn’t a REAL show, it was a PRETEND SHOW.

LC: Well, it was real to me!

Gigi: You just have to keep training, LC, and if you do well, you can be a champion like Magi, PJpupp, Perry, Beau and me!

LC: I want to win lots of ribbons like you guys do, Gigi!

Gigi: We win a lot of ribbons, that’s for sure, so many that mommy shipped some of our old ones off to RibbonRecycling.com, and the nice lady there will fix them up to use at therapeutic horseback riding facilities. They were so happy to get some of our old ribbons!

Rickie Roo: I gave them some of mine, too!

Hobo: If I had any, I would have shared them.

PJpupp: That’s okay, Hobo, don’t worry about it. You do lots of other good things, and one day you might have a ribbon or two to donate, too. Remember, you helped get the 10,000 meals of Halo Purely Pets for the dogs and cats at Animals Rule!

Hobo: That’s right! I remember when we went over there and gave the dogs and cats the food. They were so happy to get it.

PJpupp: That’s right, because we all helped get decorated postcards turned into thepetpostcardproject.com and we got the most cards, our rescue group (Animals Rule) got 10,000 meals from Halo, Freekibble.com and The Pet Postcard Project.

Hobo: Also, I joined the group “Dogs Eating People Food for Nitro’s Law.” I’m gonna eat people food every day to help promote the passage of Nitro’s Law in Ohio.

Rickie Roo: I CAN DO THAT!

Gigi; ME, TOO!

LC: ME ME ME ME ME! I LOVE people FOOD!

PJpupp: Our friend Nikki Moustaki is eating dog food every day and making videos of it. Yesterday she ate dog food popcicles! It’s very nice that you dogs want to help out.

Gigi: Nikki’s trying to help to pass a law in Ohio to protect animals. She lives in Florida and New York, so she must REALLY love animals if she’s eating dog food to pass a law in a state she doesn’t even live in.

Rickie Roo: What’s the big deal? I eat dog food every day!

PJpupp: But most people don’t, Roo — so because she is doing that, she will bring attention to the issue.

LC: I don’t have any issues.

Rickie Roo: Yes, you do. You are growling and trying to act like a big dog, and you are a little dog.

LC: No, I don’t! (She growls and gives Roo the evil eye.)

Gigi: Uh, you’re doing it right now, LC.

PJpupp: (Laughs) Yes, you certainly are, little LCpie. You better get an attitude adjustment QUICK. Mommy doesn’t like bad attitudes. She only likes train-don’t-complain attitudes around here.

LC: I like to train…It’s sunny and nice outside today, so can we go out NOW and train?

PJpupp: Sure, why not? Mommy has several things she wants to work with you on …. Are you REAAAAAAADY, REAAAAADY, REAAAAADY?

All the Ratties start to go NUTS. They all know when you say REAAAAADY, REAAAAAAADY, REAAAAAADY, good things are going to happen (BARK BARK)! PJpupp backs up and lets the Ratties out … GO!

If you know rowdy Rat Terriers, you know what happens next. If not, you’re gonna have to use your imagination, ’cause PJpupp and her pals are OUTTA HERE!

PJPupp: Since we last blogged, we have been sooooooo busy!

Gigi: Yep! We’ve been to lots and lots of dog shows and lots of fun activities.

Roo: We went to a REALLY big show and it was right by our house, too!

Gigi: Yes, we went to the AKC Agility Invitational in Long Beach, Calif., early in December.

PJpupp: Mom ran Bogey, the only Tibetan Spaniel in the entire agility portion of the event.

Gigi: I was in the invitational for several years. This year mommy ran Bogey, and don’t forget that Mei ran Beau the Bedlington.

PJpupp: Everyone did great. They did their very best. The courses were challenging. It’s a big deal to be one of the top 5 of your breed in agility in the American Kennel Club. Only the top dogs of each breed get invited to participate.

Roo: Magi got to run, too!

PJpupp: Yes, Magi is one of the top mixed-breed dogs participating in the AKC Agility program, so he was invited to be a demo dog in the finals.

Gigi: I thought he did a GREAT job!

Roo: I watch him on TV all the time!

Gigi: You mean on the computer.

Roo: Yes, on the computer! His run is on the AKC website – Magi is the second dog in!

Gigi: I always know when he is going on, because the sound goes off for a few seconds right before Magi is on. I always think the computer is broken.

PJpupp: You girls forgot to mention that you were stars at the event, too! You not only worked in the Meet the Breeds booth, where the Rat Terrier people had the calendars, magazines and even some ads you were in on display, but you also worked in the i Love Dogs booth all weekend.

Roo: We got to share samples of TJ’s Health Bites with all our doggie friends!

Gigi: It was VERY busy.

PJpupp: I saw you girls were selling sweatshirts and stuff too.

Rickie Roo: Yes, we sold the super-cool i Love Dogs gear! Someone even tried to buy mommy’s jacket, and it was all covered with Gigi’s dog fur.

Gigi: It was YOUR dog fur.

Rickie Roo: No, it wasn’t.

Gigi: Maybe it was LC’s fur.

Rickie Roo. I bet it was. She’s a cuddly puppy.

PJPupp: Well, they are nice-looking jackets, so I can’t blame them for wanting one.

LC: It was NOT Me. I was being good at that event. ‘Cause I heard Santa Paws was coming.

PJpupp: That’s true … He only comes to the homes of GOOD puppies.

Rickie Roo: We are good!

Gigi: WE are not good Roo – LC, PJ, Hobo and I are good. You are NAUGHTY!

Rickie Roo: I was good right before Santa Paws came. I helped our friend Surf Dog Ricochet get some toys for needy dogs and sick children.

PJPupp: That was good of you, Roo. Did you know that our friend Ricochet was honored by the AKC with an ACE Award for her charity work all year long?

Gigi: I did charity last year. I earned 32 tons of Rachel Ray Nutrish dog food for the spcaLA from the Pet Postcard Project!

Rickie Roo: I collected towels and kibble for the dogs at Animals Rule by looking cute next to our collection box from Operation Santa Paws.

LC: I looked cute. I must’ve done something, but I can’t think of what I did that was helpful to other doggies.

PJPupp: You were a model for some of the cards that were sent in to the Pet Postcard Project. Your gramma Lynzie made cards with YOU on them.

LC: Was I doing agility?

PJpupp: I don’t remember, you will have to go to the Pet Postcard Project website and see.

LC: I’ve been very busy learning agility.

Rickie Roo: You should spend as much time learning not to poopie on the floor.

Gigi: YEAH!

PJpupp: I gotta admit that’s true.

LC (Hangs her head and looks very, very sad, and then she puts her paws up on her nose and does her “I’m ashamed” look): Why did you say that? Now everyone on the internet will know I did a no-no! (She starts to whine and goes to hide under her blankets.)

PJpupp: LC! Don’t worry about it. All puppies have had some sort of issue or another.

LC: Well, I stayed in the hotel and didn’t poopie even once in the room!

Rickie Roo: Mommy was very proud of you.

LC: That was when we went to San Diego for a CPE trial. I can’t wait until I get to start showing with you guys.

PJpupp: You will make your debut on Mother’s Day weekend, and so will your friend Gidget. The show will be held close to home, mommy is the show chairperson AND it’s our home club: West Los Angeles Obedience Training Club. So it will be a very welcoming environment for a new dog at her very first show.

LC: I wanna win ribbons just like YOU, PJpupp!

PJpupp: The other dogs earn way more ribbons than I do now, LC. I’m old, and they are winning much more than I am.

Rickie Roo: We won more than 100 ribbons at the Performance Dog Training CPE Trial early in January. PJpupp won a ribbon, too. Mei ran her and she was AWESOME.

Gigi: I thought we did very good. Mommy’s student, Rachel, came and she ran Chelsea, who did REALLY, REALLY GOOD.

PJpupp: Mommy is very proud of her students. They are doing very well.

Rickie Roo: I wonder if our teacher Noriko is proud of us?

Gigi: I think so – she’s got pictures of us on her website!

PJpupp: Of course she is, girls. All of the PM2 dogs TRAIN and don’t COMPLAIN and do very well at the agility trials.

Rickie Roo: We eat good food and take our vitamins and try to stay healthy.

Gigi: Mommy says that our dog food and our TJ’s Health Bites are good for us.

LC: PJpupp doesn’t eat TJ’s… she eats premium i Love Dogs Multivitamins with Green Tea and Reishi!

PJpupp: That’s right. I’m old, so I also like the i Love Dogs Glucosamine and Chondroitin supplements.

Rickie Roo: Good thing you got a whole bunch of it from Santa Paws!

Gigi: I got a super-cool new pink bowl with a package of treats!

Rickie Roo: I got a new collar!

LC: I got toys!

PJpupp: Hobo got some big bones. We are all very lucky dogs.

LC: I’m tired of blogging. Can we play now?

Rickie Roo: Yeah, me too!

Gigi: You guys are silly. Blogging is fun!

PJpupp: It might be fun, but I know that young dogs (especially naughty little Rat Terriers) really like to play with their toys, so I think we should wrap things up and go and play with them.

LC, Rickie Roo and Gigi: WOOOO HOOOOOO!!

Rickie Roo: I won my class by more than 6 seconds. I was zoom-zoom-zooming!

Gigi: I won two of my classes and got two second places too, plus a fourth place. I was a VERY good girl, mommy says.

Rickie Roo: Chili Dog was zooming, too — but in a different way.

Gigi: Yep. He was so happy to be able to play after hurting his leg last week that he ran around the field and judge in GIANT circles, running as fast as he could. The crowd thought he was the star of the show!

Rickie Roo: Magi and Kokomo were good, too. Kokomo ran with Mei in Standard, and with Allie in Jumpers, and brought home ribbons! Magi did great too and got ribbons in all of his classes running with mommy.

Gigi: Don’t forget that Mushu ran with Rachel and got a 1st and a 2nd place ribbon! And Bogey was a good boy too!

PJpupp: While they were doing that, I was watching turtles with Mojo at her house. Carla (Mojo’s mom) kept saying something about the turtles being in hibernation but I don’t know what that means so I watched them anyway. In fact, one of them was staring me down for the longest time … Carla says it was a decorative turtle that was lifelike, but she can’t fool me. I may be old, but I know a turtle when I see one!

Rickie Roo: Today LC got to see her boyfriend Flip. He’s a Parson Russell Terrier — he and his brother Edge came by to train on our field. LC just loves Flip, and he loves her, too.

Gigi: Oh, and Gracie the Aussie went home. She stayed with us for two weeks while her mommy had back surgery. Mushu Hu is still here — her mommy is in China doing stuff for a movie. 

PJpupp: Good thing, because our friend Felicity is coming to stay with us with her Toy Fox Terrier, Spender, to show in Conformation at the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship. Beau and Bogey and Magi are showing in the agility portion of the event, so we will have a full house and a fun time!

Rickie Roo: Gigi and I get to go, too!

PJpupp: Yes, you will be joining your friend TJ in the i Love Dogs booth in the agility area of the event. Hobo might come, too!

Rickie Roo: I like TJ. I’ve been trying to teach him agility, but he doesn’t run as fast as one would hope. But he does have an excellent attitude.

Gigi: I wonder if he will even leave the start line next time he comes to class?

Rickie Roo: I dunno. I did my best to get him to move around last time.

PJpupp: I know you did, Rickie Roo, there’s only so much you can take responsibility for when it comes to TJ.

Gigi: He’s a good spokesdoggie, though — remember when we were in a commercial with him?

PJpupp: Yep. That was fun. Let’s go watch ourselves on TV again right now!

Gigi and Rickie Roo: OK!

Way back in 1917, Stubby was a stray dog, wandering around a Yale field where soldiers were being trained for World War I combat. He started hanging out with the guys and was rescued by a soldier named John Robert Conroy.

When Cpl. Conroy found out that his unit was going to France, he couldn’t stand the thought of leaving his buddy Stubby behind, so he wrapped the pooch up in an overcoat and smuggled him aboard his ship. (Back then, the military didn’t enlist dogs, and besides, Stubby didn’t have any training at all.)

In France, Stubby became the “unofficial official mascot” of the 102nd Infantry, 26th (Yankee) Division. When the soldiers went into battle in early 1918, they were super grateful to have the pooch around. Stubby was hit in the leg by a grenade, but did that stop the brave l’il guy? No way! As he got better himself, Stubby kept the other hurt soldiers company and made them feel better, too.

As soon as Stubby had healed, he went right back into the trenches. One time he was gassed, but he used this awful experience – and his super sense of smell – to warn the soldiers of poison gas attacks, saving lots of lives. He also used the pawsome sense of hearing we pooches have to warn the troops of artillery shells headed their way – he could hear the whine before the humans could, so he barked to let the soldiers know they’d better duck and cover.

And that’s not all! Because Stubby was a dog and not a man, he could scooch under barbed wire in “no man’s lands” to get to wounded soldiers. He also single-pawedly captured a German spy! There’s a legend – and I totally believe it – that he even saved a little girl from getting hit by a car in Paris.

At the end of World War I, Cpl. Conroy smuggled Stubby back to the United States. Back at home, the pooch was treated like a rock star, meeting presidents and leading parades. He became an honorary lifetime member of the American Legion, Red Cross and YMCA.

BOL, he even went to Georgetown University Law Center with Cpl. Conroy and became the football team’s mascot. During halftime shows, Stubby would nudge a football around the field with his schnoz. The fans totally loved the pooch.

In 1926, Stubby died peacefully in Cpl. Conroy’s arms. He is buried at the Smithsonian Institution, in an exhibit called “The Price of Freedom: Americans at War.”

I forgot to mention Stubby’s breed. Stubby was what would now be called a Pit Bull. If this hero were alive today, he wouldn’t be able to live on any U.S. Army or Marine Corps base, because the military bans Pit Bulls – along with Rottweilers, Dobermans and Chows.

That makes me very sad, and very mad. I sure hope that in Stubby’s honor – and in honor of all the men, women and dogs who have served their country so bravely, and have loved these dogs so dearly – the ban will be lifted one day soon.

Happy Veterans Day.

PHOTOS: digitaldog.com, ct.gov

Gigi:

Rickie Roo: We saw my brother Burns there. He didn’t do REAL agility, but he did lure coursing!

Gigi: Yes he did, Roo. He’s not as old as you are, so both he and LC had to settle on running the fun “Doggie Do Right” course for non-competing dogs.

Rickie Roo: LC did GREAT! Burns looked good until he made a NO NO right in the ring!

Gigi: HA HA HA, yes he did! He is so funny – he was all proud of himself, but his mommy (our Aunt Jeri) was embarrassed.

Rickie Roo: Our mommy didn’t get embarrassed at this event.

Gigi: How could she? We ROCKED it on the agility course!

Rickie Roo: Yes we did!

Gigi: Mommy was very proud of all of your runs in Performance Versatility Pairs. You did not get eliminated from ANY of your runs. You were a GOOD GIRL and you won 4th place in the Rekoons class!

Rickie Roo: That’s ’cause I’m a star – a Burway star. My grammy Barbie says so all the time.

Gigi: That’s because you ARE a Bur Way Star. You’re from their lines of Rat Terriers, just like your cousin Moxie and your half-brother Burns, who were also at the event.

Rickie Roo: Moxie is REALLY good. She is always ready to run.

Gigi: Yes, they had a good time at the event and it was so fun to see them. They live in New Jersey and we live in California, so we don’t get to see them very often.

Rickie Roo: Magi was a Star, too. He did great and almost made the finals in the Performance Grand Prix. He missed going by just two spots!

Gigi: Well, they can only take so many dogs to the finals, so that’s sad. But weren’t you proud of Chili Dog when he ran in the finals as part of the Junior Handler Spotlight?

Rickie Roo: Oh yes, he and Mei looked super duper. Chili even got a fan club! All the dogs in our section were howling for him, for real. First it was Lexi who spotted Chili out in the ring and howled and howled for him. Then some others joined in, and soon it was a singing party! The nice people from Team Mexico that were sitting behind us wondered what the heck was going on.

Gigi: That was funny. I though that Perry did great with Mei, too. He’s almost 13 years old and ran faster than lots of the much younger dogs.

Rickie Roo: You were super good, Little G. Mommy said she was super proud of you.

Gigi: Well, I’m proud of mommy. She ran with Magi, you and me in a total of 22 runs and only had one run with a mistake – Magi took a tunnel instead of the A-frame in the Performance Speed Jumping Semi Final. She was sad about that, but said it was one of his BEST runs ever! She had three other Semi Final runs and was clear with no errors in all of those. She also got 4th place with Magi in the Rekoons class.

Rickie Roo: I thought our friend Cheers was super good in Rekoons with his handler, Robert Moray.

Gigi: Yes, they were very good. I was glad we were there to cheer them on as they drove with us from California to Kentucky in the i Love Dogs van.

Rickie Roo: Lots of people looked at us kinda funny when we drove past them in that purple van. Even funnier when they saw our friend TJ trying to drive.

Gigi: TJ does NOT have a driver’s licence, so mommy put him in his crate and told him to STAY. And he did.

Rickie Roo: We had a lot of fun in our hotel room while Mei, Robert, Jeri and TJ went to Churchill Downs and saw where the Kentucky Derby is held.

Gigi: I had more fun stopping at different places on the way there and back. Can you name all the states we went through on our trip?

Rickie Roo: Maybe. I remember California, ’cause that’s where we started; Arizona, ’cause we stayed at a hotel there; New Mexico, ’cause of the pretty pictures we took on the red rocks; Texas, ’cause we saw the biggest cross ever (and Robert said to mommy, “Hey what’s that thing that looks like a big cross?” and mommy said, “Uh, it’s a big cross”); Missouri, because we went to Meramec Caverns; Illinois, ’cause we were almost there; and Kentucky, ’cause we were THERE and showed all week.

On the way back home, we went to Indiana and through Iowa – where LC might have caught a mouse in our hotel room! – and Nebraska, which looked almost exactly the same in the dark. Then we saw all the pretty Aspen trees in Colorado, the funny buildings in Las Vegas, and then back into California.

Gigi: WOW, Roo. You really WERE paying attention!

Rickie Roo: Yes, I was. And at every stop we gave out some TJ Health bites and i Love Dogs tennis balls to friends along the way: The nice people at the Dairy Queen; the cool waiter at Applebee’s; the friendly people in New Mexico; the nice lady at a scary-looking motel in what mommy called “the middle of nowhere, USA;” the handsome cowboy outside the Cracker Barrel in Iowa; and some really nice old people in Colorado. They all said hi and got goodies from the purple i Love Dogs mobile.

Gigi: Yes, we met lots of people and had very good results at the Cynosport Games, too. How awesome is that?

Rickie Roo: We met people from lots of different countries. I got to interview some. I interviewed dogs from Japan, China, Canada, Mexico and France. Of course, I still have a little bitty crush on Lucky, who is from Mexico, but since I already have a boyfriend, I behaved myself. Mr. Frazier, the Decker Rat Terrier, would not like it if he thought I was busy flirting with Mexican Border Collies at the dog shows.

Gigi: Probably not, Rickie Roo. LC pie’s boyfriend came to the event. Flip, the Parson Russell Terrier, was so happy to see her. And she was quite a proud girl when he made it to the finals and the crowd cheered for him.

Rickie Roo: You don’t have a boyfriend Gigi… how come?

Gigi: That’s ’cause I like to meet lots of dogs, like my teammate Jackson from Virginia. He was one handsome boy and I often saw him ringside when it was my turn to run.

Rickie Roo: My partner Lexi was there to watch me too, with her mommy, who is our Aunt Linda.

Gigi: Yes, she was, as were lots of our Action Rats friends: Dylan and Duncan; Thor and Burns; Peaches and your cousin Moxie; Rebound and Export; and, of course, our teammates.

Rickie Roo: Magi’s teammate Tizzy was REALLY nice.

Gigi: Yes, she was. He was lucky to meet her.

Rickie Roo: Do you think Tizzy is Magi’s girlfriend?

Gigi: No. They are just friends. Magi doesn’t seem to love anyone, other than our mommy and his mommy. Other than that, he likes everyone.

Rickie Roo: OH, you forgot to tell them how we were on the news in Kentucky!

Gigi:You’re right, we were on the news.

Rickie Roo: And besides us, lots of our friends did REALLY well!

Gigi: Again, you’re right, Rickie Roo.

Rickie Roo: Can you say that again?

Gigi: What?

Rickie Roo: Can you say “You’re right, Rickie Roo” again? I don’t think I have ever heard that before!

Gigi: You know what I can say? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! (Gigi laughs and pounces on Rickie Roo.)

Rickie Roo: And I can say it back: GRRRRRRrrrrr! (Rickie Roo pounces on Gigi.)

Gigi: Hey, I can’t blog if you are pouncing me!

Rickie Roo: So what? You’re a DOG! You’re supposed to pounce and play, not blog all day!

Gigi: You’re right, Rickie Roo!

And off they go, pouncing and grrr-ing all the while.

PJpupp:

Rickie Roo: I went to the shows too! I was super-duper fast!

Gigi: Yeah…so fast you flew right off the dogwalk like Superdog. I just don’t understand why you do the dogwalk so nicely at home and at class, but then you’re a crazy dog when we are at a trial.

Rickie Roo: Don’t tell mommy, but I’m trying to keep her on her toes.  If I were perfect all the time, she might put her focus on LC instead!

Gigi: You might have a point. Before you came along I got lots more of mommy’s training time. But to tell you the truth, I like it better now because I can nap in the sun while you work.

PJpupp: And before either of you came, Mommy would take me to class two or three times a week. Now that I’m 12 years old, I only come to the classes that she teaches and watch them. Or if I look like I want to do some agility I will run through a few tunnels and over some jumps just to show I still can.

Rickie Roo: LC pie is learning a lot of agility. She really likes it.

Gigi: Mommy says she’s a lot like you and a little like me too! Spunky and naughty, but sweet and sensitive all in one bundle of joy.

Rickie Roo: Joy? Who’s Joy?

Gigi: Well, we have an Auntie Joy who is an animal communicator, but when mommy says that I think she means we are making her oh-so-happy.

PJpupp: I love our Auntie Joy. Do you know that you can send her messages from your mind and she will get them through pictures, feelings, thoughts and words, and then she can tell your mommy whatever you want to say?

Rickie Roo: Really?? I have lots to say!

Gigi: I bet you do…Maybe Auntie Joy can tell Rickie Roo what mommy wants her to do on the dog walk [snickers a little].

PJpupp: Gigi, I think she can give suggestions, but that doesn’t mean the doggies are going to do what she suggests. But I think she can tell the people what the dog is thinking about certain situations, or if they are hurting in places, and so on.

Gigi: Didn’t Auntie Joy tell mommy where your back was hurting you?

PJpupp: Yes, she did. Mommy had gotten a gift certificate for a reading as a birthday gift, so she got on the phone with Auntie Joy. She couldn’t believe that anyone could know anything about a doggie over the phone that they had never met, but you know mommy — her saying is, “If it’s for free, it’s for me!” So she wasn’t going to waste a prepaid session! Joy asked what breed I was and then said to mommy  that I was the most mellow Border Collie she had ever met. Which is totally true. Mommy was surprised because one thing you very seldom hear about a B.C. is that we are mellow.

Rickie Roo: How did she know that?

PJpupp: She just send me a mental picture message saying, “Hi… I’m your new friend, Auntie Joy,” and I sent back the message, “Hi, I’m PJpupp,” and she knew. At least that’s what I think I did. I was chewing on a bone at the same time right by mommy’s feet.

Gigi: What did she do next?

PJpupp: Well, Joy asked if Mommy had any questions for me. She did. She wanted to know why I was stopping dead still right in the middle of a fun agility run and looking at her like she was on crack. She wanted to know why I wouldn’t keep going. Auntie Joy communicated with me a bit and then told mommy that I was hurting. That the discs in my back called L1, L2 and L3 should be looked at by a vet. Mommy didn’t even know what that meant, but she wrote it down. At the time I was maybe 5 years old. Mommy said well, if her back hurts, I wish she’d just lay down or something so I’d know that’s what was going on. So Auntie Joy told me that.

Rickie Roo: But no one ever lays down on an agility course!

Gigi: Hello?? That’s the point, silly. That way mommy would know PJpupp was sending her a message!

Rickie Roo: What happened next?

PJpupp: Well, mommy took me to the vet and I got X-rays. I didn’t really like that too much, but they found out the discs in my back were not so good — L1, L2 and L3, just like Auntie Joy said.

Gigi: That’s weird. I wonder how she knew that when you didn’t even know that.

PJpupp: And at the next show, when I went to do my snooker run, I was running so fast and then my back hurt when mommy had me turn quickly to the weave poles. I remembered what Auntie Joy told me and I looked at mommy, stared her in the eyes, and laid down right there in the middle of the course.

Rickie Roo: What did mommy do? 

PJpupp: She waved at the judge and then she picked me up. While carrying me to my crate, she looked at our friend Carla and started singing a theme from a TV show called “The Twilight Zone.” They were both really freaked out. Then they called Auntie Joy to tell her what happened, and she didn’t even remember that she had told me to do that. How funny is that?

Rickie Roo: I wonder if Auntie Joy would talk to me?

Gigi: Maybe she will. When we leave for Kentucky this week, we will be in the car a very long time. Maybe she can tell you how you will do at the Cynosport Games.

PJpupp: Maybe she can. I sure hope all of you do well in Kentucky.

Rickie Roo: You aren’t going?

PJpupp: No, I’m going to stay home with Mushu Hu and daddy. Mommy says he doesn’t like to sleep by himself. 

Gigi: Don’t  you remember, Roo? It’s you, me, Chili Dog, Magi and Perry competing, and LC Pie and Hobo are coming along too, since they are team security. Our friend Robert and his Aussie Cheers are also coming with us in the i Love Dogs mobile.

Rickie Roo: I remember now. I didn’t know Perry was coming.

Gigi: Yes, he is 12, like PJpupp. But since he lost a lot of weight recently and really, really wants to do one more trial in honor of his brother and littermate Marlowe (who was a top USDAA champion dog and recently passed away), Mei is going to run him in the Veteran All Around Event.  Mei is also running Chili Dog in the Junior Handling Classes. Since Mei is in school, she gets to fly in for the days of the event, so she won’t be in the car with us.

Rickie Roo: I remember now! I get to team up with Lexi, my cousin Surfer Girl’s sister. 

Gigi: Yes, and I get to run with Jackson, a super-nice Border Collie from Virginia.

Rickie Roo: Who is Magi running with?

Gigi: His friend Tizzy — she’s coming from Arizona to compete.

Rickie Roo: [Chasing her tail very excitedly and jumping about] Whoo hoo! My brother Burns and his brother Thor will be in Kentucky, too! And Aunt Jeri!!

Gigi: [Just as excited] Oh, and Dylan and Moxie and Surfer will be there too! [She starts chasing and tumbling with Roo all over the office] And our party boy, Duncan! 

Rickie Roo: And Luka and Letti, too! Lots and lots of our friends! [She starts spinning around]

LC: [Wakes up from her nap and joins in the fun] Woof! My special boyfriend Flip, the Parson Russell Terrier, will be there too! Fun, fun! [She stops and looks around to see if anyone is looking, then makes a puppy puddle right in the middle of the room.]

PJpupp: Oh my…you girls got LC so excited, she made a puddle. You better calm down now.

Rickie Roo: I can’t help it! I’m so excited we are going to see all our friends!! [She jumps on top of Gigi with a big pounce.]

Gigi: Me too!! [She squiggles out, grabs a toy and starts shaking the stuffing out of it.]

Mommy: [Walking into the room] OH, NO! WHO MADE THE PUDDLE?!

Suddenly all the fun stops and everyone looks at LC. Then they all sneak off very quietly to their beds. LC hides in her crate and makes herself as small as can be, with only her the tip of her little black nose poking out the door. The only one left in the room is PJpupp. 

PJpupp: It wasn’t me.

Since Mommy knows exactly who did the puddle but can’t prove it, she just looks at poor PJpupp, who has only had just one puddle in the house in her 12 years. Mommy sighs and gets the towels. Since she is cleaning, there is no one left to type this blog. You’ll have to check in next time to see what happens on the road or at the games.

If you want to learn about our team member Magi, check out the article in the September/October issue of Dogsport Magazine about some of the dogs in the AKC Canine Partners Program.