Camp Days for Maggie

photo credit

  Last week Maggie went to camp at Don O'Brien's Kennels for on-leash obedience training. She'll be gone from home for about 2-3 weeks. I will get my training when I pick her up. One week later and life at home is very different without Maggie who's my pal, my buddy, my lovebug of 45lbs of velvety, huggable flesh. No words can describe the feeling of missing a very big part of my life. I know Maggie will be back so, I'm OK with it. Her training will have a positive ripple effect on the lives Maggie will touch. I know it's a short term sacrifice for a long term benefit to have Maggie be a well mannered and obedient dog. 

  The camp Maggie went to is about a thirty minute drive south of Sacramento, CA. It's in the country outside a small town called Wilton. Our ride to camp took about 2 1/2 hrs. Maggie slept the whole ride there. 

We crossed two bridges. The 2nd bridge we crossed I remember crossing as a child and seeing the Navy ships docked in water storage. After the bridge we saw mountains in the horizon, but continued on flat land freeway driving.

  We changed several freeways and passed orchards, dry corn fields, green cornfields, farms, cattle, and other rural venues. Maggie slept contently. I drove on singing loudly to George Strait songs like: If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin'). Maggie, we've gone country!

After we turned off the last freeway and proceeded onto the country roads we passed more orchards, horses, and vineyards. 

Thankfully Google maps shows photo images with their directions. I was able to visualize where I suppose to be ending up!

It's here on the right.

  We entered the long driveway. I parked and Don's wife Barbara O'Brien greeted us. I went inside and chatted with Don & Barbara in their kitchen about Don's training philosophy and other things. After our talking we went to get Maggie out of the car. She wagged her wiggle butt excitedly. Don walked her into the kennel. I had brought a bag of toys, but Don informed me that Maggie was here to learn, not play. She wouldn't be needing those toys. He let her keep one toy for the first night only. Oops on my part! I did leave Maggie a blanket from home and a tee shirt of mine to remind her of my scent while we were parted for the next 2-3 weeks. 

Don filling Maggie's water bucket in the kennel.

Curious Maggie watches Don fill the water bucket.

Hey, wait a minute. Are you leaving me?

Maggie with her curious neighbor.

photo credit

  The facilities are very nice. Maggie's in a controlled indoor environment with a wonderful grassy area outdoors for training. Don walked me around the place. It turns out we had the rodeo in common. I, being the spectator, and Don being a participant in team roping. He showed me his back forty where he had his horses, cattle, and team roping practice area. 

Yep, I walked right up to the cattle in the pen.

  O-Brien humor!

  While Maggie is at the O'Brien's for obedience training only Don also trains dogs for off leash hunting. I was able to see both the O'Brien's trailers for team roping and for hunting. I'm a country girl at heart, but living the city slicker life so, this was a wonderful treat to see and hear all about these outdoor lifestyles. 

 Inside team roping trailer; the horses go in the back right past the loo!

Don training in the field for hunting

photo credit

  Don also has a beautifully restored 1954 Chevrolet Bel Air auto.

  

 

   The Youtube of Don O'Brien's Boarding & Training - Wilton, CA  shows a bit more about the facilities, but it can't share the feeling I had when I left. I had a feeling of being part of their family while at the same time enjoying myself in the candy store too. Maggie is going to be loving her country stay! It's all about experiencing new things, new ways of living, and meeting new friends whether of a human origin or of another animal species.

   At Don O'Brien's Kennels I found kindness, caring, humor, knowledge, and professionalism. I know Maggie is in terrific hands. She's not just another dog at a kennel, but a part of the O'Brien family for a short while. Until her pick-up date I will rest knowing she'll be just fine in Wilton,CA. My reward and hers will be Maggie having the skills needed to be a well-mannered & obedient dog. 

Update: Maggie's doing great at camp. I talked with Barbara O'Brien who stated Maggie's a real sweetheart, even tempered, and a pleasure to work with. Her routine is the usual eating twice a day, several training sessions daily, as well as potty outings with some outdoor running around & play time. Maggie's happy. What more could I ask for, but the knowledge that my special loved one is doing great at camp having fun while learning? 

Meanwhile: Maggie's half-brother Jake (same dad, different mom) who lives in Vermont just went to camp for 4 weeks. Jake will undergo both hunting & obedience training at his Vermont camp: Kirby Mountain Sporting Dogs. I imagine his dad Vince will be missing his buddy too. Flipside of the coin is I'm sure Vince will have a big smile on his face after he and his dog learn the skills needed for a successful best buddy system both in the field and at home! I know I will be sporting a big smile with my Maggie girl when she's home!   George Strait sang it well in his song:  I Cross My Heart.

  

  

The Pursuit of Happiness

 Yesterday Maggie and went for a long walk, but we took a different route. Sniffing the new ground as Maggie ambled along we came across a hummingbird seeking the nectar from a beautiful sticky bush. The hummingbird saw us and flew up above into the trees for safety. If you look very closely in the photo you will see the hummingbird in the center with the sky as its backdrop. Its long beak is pointing upward. Sometimes things we seek are right in front of us, and in us, yet we don't see them; like the pursuit of happiness.

Maggie in front of sticky bush

  Maggie looked up in the tree seeking to find where the hummingbird had flown as I tried to take her reluctant photo. Her intensity in discovering all the new things around her was overshadowed by my obsession to photograph our simple journey. Fortunately, as soon as Maggie got up and we walked on I could tell she forgave me of my human antics. We ambled along letting the sunshine pour down on us. 

  We went past teams of flag-football players playing on the green. Cars parked were labelled with collegiate affiliations. Many alumnus from different colleges all come together for their love of sport on the beautiful sunny day. The new sounds for Maggie of team players & whistles blowing rocked the air amongst the bird's chippings as we went along. 

  As we walked by the mighty oak trees I made Maggie pose with the brown leaves on the ground. Maggie looked all around as she sat there. I wondered what she was looking for as her body kept shifting? Maybe her happiness was just over there to the right or in front of her or to the left? Which way was her pursuit of happiness?

  

  I think Maggie's pursuit of happiness while out and about was anywhere but standing still. She wanted to continue to venture. Her tongue hung out of her mouth lower and lower as we heated up along our walk. It was time to head home. 

  Maggie's a bird dog; it's natural for her to find happiness seeking birds or any new smell on the ground. For me, the pursuit of happiness on our walk was slowing down and marveling at what beauty was around us. Simple things like finding the little hummingbird or hearing people outdoors playing sport and having a great time. I found the pursuit of happiness created the joy within as Maggie and I kept taking that first step towards unknown territory together. 

Handful of Chocolate Love

  Hershey is a chocolate kiss of a English Springer Spaniel pup waiting to go to a good home. Today Hershey is 8 weeks and 4 days old. I received my bundle of love Maggie from his breeder Sharon. When I looked in  Maggie's eyes for the first time I saw something very extraordinary about her. I feel the same way about this special pup. In his eyes I see incredible pawsabilities of devoted love with lots of chocolaty kisses, a great intellect, and a keen nose for sensing things out. Like stated in the movie Forrest Gump "My momma always said, "Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."

  In the racehorse Seabiscuit, at first glance this horse was without potential in the horse racing world. While I have no idea if Hershey will win any fantastic awards as Seabiscuit went on to do, I do believe Hershey will be the number one prize in some lucky person's life. Call it a hunch, an intuition, or just a feeling, this little boy Hershey has huge potential. I trusted my gut when I saw Maggie's photo. I trust my gut looking at Hershey's too. Maggie and Hershey share the same lineage; Ginger & Zack are their parents. Their best qualities come from their genes, their nurturing, and their socialization by Sharon their breeder.

  Maggie as a little pup.

Hershey   

  English Springer Spaniel dogs have the eyes most like a human's. One look in Hershey's eyes touches my soul. His eyes speaks volumes of love, inspiration, joy, and faithful companionship. Now that I have had my Maggie for ~6 months I can say to myself that I was right listening to my gut in choosing her. She has surpassed my expectations. Hershey will do the same with a huge dose of chocolate love included!

  Like a box of chocolates without a label you don't know what you're going to get. No guarantees, but that's the excitement of surprise when you take that first bite and its yummy goodness fills your mouth. Hershey pup will fill someone's face with lots of chocolaty kisses, faithful companionship, and joy! I am so glad I chose my Maggie. She's a ton of loving fun. Today Maggie sends her licks for Hershey's placement in a wonderful home with many pawsabilities for both Hershey and his new owner. I say to Hershey's future owner "trust your gut, this boy is worth it."

Maggie picks this song for Hershey aficionados: Chances Are by Johnny Mathis.

Maggie (~9 months) at the crossing light waiting for the green GO....

  UPDATE: Hershey now lives in Vermont with a very loving family!!!

Maggie's Rainy Day Monday

Just hanging around.....

 Rainy Days and Mondays with the outdoor dog class cancelled because of the rain. Maggie's hanging around with her tennis ball and me. Tonight there's no pulling on the leash, sniffing other dogs, eating pine cones & pine needles before getting caught or munching on treats for good behavior.

"...Funny but it seems that it's the only thing to do
Run and find the one who loves me...." 

  Maggie and I were hanging around on this rainy day Monday with dog class cancelled. Lots of  lovin' to cheer each other up.

Just hanging around....

Just hanging around....

Just hanging around....

Nice to know someone loves me. 

The Carpenters

Rainy Days And Mondays lyrics

Talkin' to myself and feelin' old
Sometimes I'd like to quit
Nothing ever seems to fit
Hangin' around
Nothing to do but frown
Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down.
What I've got they used to call the blues
Nothin' is really wrong
Feelin' like I don't belong
Walkin' around
Some kind of lonely clown
Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down.
Funny but it seems I always wind up here
with you
Nice to know somebody loves me
Funny but it seems that it's the only thing to do
Run and find the one who loves me.
What I feel has come and gone before
No need to talk it out
We know what it's all about
Hangin' around
Nothing to do but frown
Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down.
( 1970, 1971 )
( From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/c/carpenters-lyrics/rainy-days-and-mondays-lyrics.html )

Maggie Goes Wild Turkey

  While I work Maggie has the pleasure of taking walks outdoors with Marie of PreciousPetsHomeCare. Marie comes by to break up Maggie's day with some fresh air, a little exercise, and her heeding the basics of nature's call. As Maggie's mom I'm thrilled for Maggie to have such fun with Marie!


  Imagine Maggie's surprise when she crossed paths of a rafter of wild turkeys! Marie was so kind to send me photos while I was busy elsewhere to see Maggie's great adventure. I was thinking perhaps these turkeys should be hiding so close to Thanksgiving.... 


  Life in our little suburban paradise is always surprising. For Maggie, she gets to have adventures seeing new places with someone else besides me. How fun! I feel great knowing Maggie's in loving hands while I'm apart from her.

  I imagine with Maggie's curiosity and with her being a bird dog she must have been tickled pink to see the wild turkeys in her neighborhood. Of the animal kingdom, she sees squirrels, lizards, and lots of other birds on her daily walkabouts, but wild turkeys? Fortunately for her she misses the rattlesnakes, the raccoons and the red-tailed hawks as they fly above. 

  The way Maggie might feel about her new adventures with Marie the dog walker reminds me of that great book by Dr. Seuss; Oh! The Places You'll Go! 

  Looking ahead life is good for Maggie. Mostly Maggie's daily world is full of runners with baby joggers, folks cycling back and forth to work, and the lone walkers. The time she's with me is predictable & comforting for her. Yet, we do mix things up with new adventures together. Now with Marie spending a little time with Maggie she gets a whole new set of stimulus from the loving hands of another. Her world has gone wild turkey!

  While I'm busy elsewhere I'm now comforted knowing my best girl is out having fun seeing new sights like Dr. Seuss' book Oh! The Places You'll Go!:

 "Congratulations!

Today is your day.

You’re off to Great Places!

You’re off and away!"

9 Months

  Maggie turned 9 months old last weekend (10/1/11). We've come a long way together with many changes on the home front. I thank God everyday I have this four pawed bundle of love. Thank you Sharon (breeder) for the best friend I could ever have. One daughter leaves home and Maggie is with me reminding me life is good. Another daughter leaves home and Maggie is with me reminding me life is good. Our family's beloved pet of 8 years passes on and Maggie is with me reminding me life is good. The third change was the most difficult for me. Maggie licked my face through it all. Now it's Maggie & I seeking to get our new groove on with our new pawsabilities. 

  Maggie and I are still in dog obedience classes; Intermediate, Level I. At 9 months I'm told these are the dog teen years. Dog "teens" are easier than human teens. Dogs & humans do have one thing in common in these teen years and it's called "selective hearing". Maggie will look at me as if thinking: I didn't hear a thing you were saying to me. I'll just keep doing what I'm doing. No problem, right? So, when we're in dog class and she really just wants to play with the other dogs instead of learning; I forgive her. Half the obedience class goes by before she settles into learning mode. 

  Life is still good in the wild & woolly teens with my best friend. Maggie still licks me, she still loves to take walks, she still loves to eat, and she still loves to do all the things before teens happened. Her passion for life has taken on a new meaning. The tennis ball is her ultimate friend. She loves to fetch with the tennis ball, but then the other half of her doesn't want to let go of the ball. It just feels so right in her mouth holding it in her loving embrace. It's these funny things that endear her to me.

  Maybe when facing unlimited changes rapid fire we all just need something special in our lives to give us a secure feeling; for me it's Maggie. Maybe for Maggie in addition to me, it's her tennis ball? When I wrap my arms around Maggie and get licked & licked I know I'm OK. I feel very blessed to have my best bud at my side, tennis ball and all. That's the best part; feeling life is good again, and again no matter what we do or what happens to us. At 9 months and onward, life really is good with endless pawsabilities ahead.

WOOF, WOOF....

Click this link:

It had to be YOU....

  Addendum: Thank you Christy for sharing this link with me:

My Dog: An Unconditional Love Story [Trailer for movie]