Wordless Wednesday: Busy Being Big Sisters

Christmas Cookies for the Pups

I love baking cookies for my pups and for my friends' pups. I thought I'd share a recipe you might want to try.

Chicken ‘N Oats Cookies

2 Cups + 1/2 Cup rolled oats
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 Cup low sodium chicken broth (can use beef broth)
1 Tablespoon parsley

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups rolled oats with salt, broth, egg, and parsley. Once combined, add the 1/2 cup leftover oats.
3. After laying out wax paper, pour out the batter and knead by hand for 3 minutes to firm up the dough. Let the dough stand for 3 more minutes.
4. Roll the dough to about a 1/2 inch thickness and use cookie cutters to cut into the dough.
5. Bake for 20 minutes, with the option of flipping the cookies over for 4 additional minutes for extra crispness.
6. Store in airtight container.

(**Parsley helps freshen dogs' breath!)

Corgis and Christmas Lights

I don't know what it is, but Dally just loves Christmas lights. If we drive through neighborhoods filled with lots of lights, she's wide awake, looking out the window. (Which, if you know how Dally is in the car, that's the surprise. Normally she falls asleep the instant she curls up in her corner once we're out of the driveway.)

Because of this, we love taking the Stump Kids to the Kentucky Horse Park's Southern Lights. It's an annual tradition for Matt and I--we both love the Christmas spirit. And we cannot wait to add our child to the backseat next year so we take all three girls to see the lights.

Happy Howl-O-Ween from the Stump Kids!

Happy Howl-O-Ween from the Dynamic Duo!!

Wordless Wednesday: Sheep Dreams?

Videos from the 2014 National Agility Championships

You saw our disappointing Hybrid run, but here are our other three successful runs from our 2014 AKC National Agility Championships experience:

Time2Beat: Finished 9th



Jumpers: Finished 12th



Standard: Finished 12th

Wordless Wednesday: First Creek Swim of Spring!

Wordless Wednesday: Snow Tennie!!

Wordless Wednesday: Sleepy Stump Kids

Wordless Wednesday: Sooo Bored

Wordless Wednesday: Getting Ready for Christmas!

Stump Kid Link Love

I do "Link Love" posts on my other blog often, so I thought since I had a few dog posts I loved reading lately, I'd share with you.

The Psychology of Dogs-Infographic (DogGeek): This is fascinating! It talks about dogs' most common phobias, their history, etc. Definitely check this out.

Weathering the Storm (Cesar's Way): I'm sure I've mentioned on here before, but LaMesa is terrified of storms. The first rumble of thunder, and she's shaking and wanting in my lap. We bought her a ThunderShirt, and it helped the first couple of times, but she's still scared for a while when storms begin. This article enlightened me that we need to do more calming behaviors when it's not storming (i.e., have her wear her ThunderShirt on sunny days, so she associates the shirt more with calm times, not just storms). I'm definitely keeping this bookmarked.

To All Novices (Full Tilt Border Collies): This blog post has gotten a lot of traction this week. Merinda shared it on Facebook, as well as others in the agility community. Why couldn't I have read this years ago?? I was so intense when I started competing in agility with Dally (like I was when I showed horses). I've since calmed down and started to enjoy the process more than feeling like we have to be #1 all of the time, though there are still times that I catch myself not enjoying the time I spend with Dally and LaMesa, and that has to stop. Everyone should read this, not just novices.

71 Reasons We Need to Save Corgis from Extinction (BuzzFeed): OK, so I don't know if this has much to it that Corgis are going extinct, but you gotta love BuzzFeed for their love of Corgis. This is perfect for your daily dose of Corgi Cuteness. (Yes, that is a medical prescription.)

I hope you enjoy checking out these posts/sites!

Your turn: Share your favorite web finds from the week in the comments below!

Wordless Wednesday: Happy Howl-O-Ween

(Dally's take on NASCAR fans [or when she has a bad handler], specifically Dale Jr.)

Wordless Wednesday: Medalists!

(Canine Olympics wrap-up to come!)

Wordless Wednesday: It's the BaDonkADonk




Agility Trial: Dally Finds Her Speed Again at Hamilton DTC

So remember my concern over how Dally ran (or didn't run) at the Louisville trial at the beginning of September? Well, I'm thinking that was just a bad, hot weekend with Dally still battling her sore neck. (And I'm hoping that was a single occurrence.) The reason I say that is because she was smoking at Hamilton! She was back to her usual, sassy, fast Corgi self, and I couldn't have been happier!

I love running technical courses with Dally because she can turn tightly and really listens to me. So I wasn't afraid of these courses. However we didn't come away with the two QQs I was hoping for, but that was just because of a couple slight mistakes, one by me and one by her.

Dally's weekend:

Saturday's Standard run saw a fast, happy Corgi, and an even happier handler! However, coming off the teeter I pushed Dally too much for the odd-angled jump. She thought I wanted a backside jump (which we had been working on) and by the time I realized what was happening, it was too late, so I let her take it the wrong way and go on--she was running fast and happy and that was all that mattered to me.

In Jumpers we made up for it, with a nice, smooth run. I was able to throw in a couple of blind crosses that finally looked smooth and fluid! We ended up second with 8 PACH points.

Going into Sunday's Standard, I was determined to not make a mistake with Dally. Unfortunately, she knocked a bar on the jump after the A-frame--I think her stride coming off the A-frame and then setting up for the jump was off. When I saw that happen, we just pushed it and ran. I threw in a front cross before the weaves and then a blind after, hoping she'd stay in them like we've practiced. Apparently she popped out at 10--bad Corg! So we'll be working on those more. It was still a fun course to run with her.

Jumpers she made up for it and we Qd with 12 PACH points. I was actually surprised when she almost ran by one jump, but I caught her in time to push over it. That judge had been picky all weekend, so I figured he called a refusal on us, but I discovered he didn't and was happy to place second to Porter.

We still have quite a few points to accrue for 2014 AKC Nationals. I don't know if we'll be able to get them, but we're going to have fun pushing for it while we do! I'm thankful for every happy run Dally and I have, knowing our time in the agility ring is starting to wane some. As long as she's happy running, I'm happy to run her!

In case you missed it, here's how LaMesa handled those courses: LaMesa Tackles Tough Courses at Hamilton DTC

Corgi Versus the Harness, Round Two

So it's been a little over a week since I started walking Dally in her harness, and we've had progress!!

I listened to what Taryn and Rebecca suggested and when the husband and I took the girls hiking Friday, we had Dally wear her harness. We had to keep the pups on a leash for the first part of the trail, but Dally trotted along just fine with the harness on--she was so excited just to be out some place new (well, it wasn't brand new to us, it'd just been a while since we had been there). Once we took the leashes off, both girls ran around just fine--Dally didn't once hesitate with the harness on.

(As you can see from our Instagram video:)

 Since then we've been going on walks daily with the harness. I have learned that Dally is a creature of habit and feels "naked" if she's not wearing her collar and, thus, will not walk far from the house without it on. So, when we go for walks, her collar is on and so is her harness, but the leash is attached to the harness. There's only bee a few times that she's really acted like she would not walk with the harness on and I've narrowed it down to a few things: it might be "too tight" for her (must not mess up her "plush" coat, as Merinda calls it), it might have moved forward so the girth strap is under her arm pits, and/or I pulled her forward with it.

Don't they look cute in their matching harnesses?

And, boy, let me tell you...she does not appreciate you pulling her forward with the harness on. She will give you a look only an irritated Corgi can give you, like "Excuse me? Who's walking here??"

I stated that I would win this battle, and I think I actually have--and much faster than I thought I would. However, I don't believe we're 100% cured. After all, it's a Corgi's prerogative to keep their humans on their toes.

Corgi Versus the Harness, Round One

If you've been reading my posts regarding Dally's physical issues lately, you know that I'm at the point of trying anything and everything to keep her in one piece and happy.

So when the chiropractor and I were discussing how the disc would have been irritated to a point of being out of place and swollen. The only thing we could think of, besides the jumping off of the bed and couches (like we touched on earlier), was our daily walks.

Mind you, I don't jerk on my dogs. LaMesa wears a ComfortFlex Harness and has for the past two years because she would pull more ahead on our walks. Dally usually just shuffles behind us at her own pace. That isn't really a problem, except for when she suddenly stops to sniff something or go potty. If I'm not paying attention, I don't know she's stopping so I will jerk a little on her leash because of the sudden stop.

So that could be the problem.

So how do we solve that? Pay better attention to Dally when we're walking? Yes...that would help. But maybe it's time to look at her attire.

Dally asks: Does this harness make my badonk look fluffier? Be honest.

She got her very own ComfortFlex Harness, only in the color of a diva--hot pink.

Seems like an easy fix, right?

Maybe for some other dogs, but this is Dally we're talking about. The first week after getting the harness, I couldn't wait to try it on her and take her for a (short) walk. First I fit the harness to her, making sure it wasn't too tight and it didn't rub behind her "armpits." Then I let her wear it around the house for a couple of hours. The next day, I was ready to take her for a walk...

We got to the neighbor's driveway. Yep. Barely a hundredth of a mile. Walking FAIL.

I thought maybe she was still a little sore, so I let her go back to the house, took her harness off and promptly left with LaMesa--she was more than ready for a walk. The next day I tried it again. We maybe got a little further with more coaxing, but that was it.

I asked Merinda about what she thought and her response:

Merinda, the voice of reason.

OK, OK... Yes, I get it. Dally is a diva. She is a drama queen. If it's not the way she wants things, she's not happy. She's a Corgi. But this is a battle I have to win, because I can't walk her with just a collar any more if I'm afraid one pull or one accidental jerk might cause another disc problem.

So what can I do to get her comfortable with walking in the harness? She's been wearing the harness around the house, going into the backyard with it on, etc. I did finally get her to "walk" with me and LaMesa last night by basically leaving her in our dust--LaMesa and I went ahead and Dally shuffled behind us to catch up, all while dragging her leash and wearing her harness. It worked--she made it all the way to our destination on her own while wearing her harness. Then when we went back to the house, I held onto her leash and she ran alongside LaMesa. (Note: We were walking just down the sidewalk to care for Merinda's cat, there was no traffic, and I kept my eye on her that she didn't go into the street.)

But I can't always do that.

Can't we all just walk peacefully and happily, all while wearing a harness?

So, I'm reaching out: How do you teach old dogs new tricks and how can I get Dally comfortable with walking in her harness, on the leash, with me and LaMesa?

Wordless Wednesday: Sisterly Love

Happy National Dog Day!!

So today is National Dog Day...but, in our house, everyday is a dog's day. Trust me...the Stump Kids run the house. They make sure I don't sleep in too late...that I get in my daily walks...and that I keep up on the housekeeping when LaMesa's decided she needs to drag out as many toys as possible.

How does your dog celebrate National Dog Day?

This might come as a surprise to you, but I wasn't much of a dog person at first. I grew up with dogs all my life--my parents bred, raised, and showed Golden Retrievers (amongst other breeds), even having the #1 dog in the nation for a couple of years. I never really had a dog of my own, though. I was more of the house and cat person in the family. That is, until I got to college and I met my friend Julie's Corgi, Riley (aka "The Ladies' Man"). Riley made me fall in love with Corgis, and that's when I decided I must have one for myself.

Now, I can't imagine myself without a dog. Dally and LaMesa have made my life whole (along with Matt, but c'mon now, we know it's all about the dogs...). Sure they can be pains in the butt, and some times it's hard to get much work done at home with their constant attention, but it can be the same with kids. Only these kids, I can throw them outside or lock them in a crate if they bother me too much! (haha)

So, here's the our dogs...and how they make our lives whole. It's Dog Day everyday!