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.

Wordless Wednesday: A Stump Kid Christmas Card

Wordless Wednesday: Ferocious Stump Kid Fight

Wordless Wednesday: My Teammate

Catching Up: PACH2 Dally

In continuing our "Catching Up Series" I'm excited to introduce PACH2 Frontiers Honkytonkbadonkadonk RN, AX, AXJ, NF, MXP5, MXPS, MJP6, MJPS, PAX2....aka PACH2 Dally PAX2!!

Through the summer, I was certain we were so close to finishing her PACH2. At my dad's Hoosier Kennel Club trial in June, we struggled to QQ for one strange reason or another each day (three days!). Then we just weren't running well to get those points. It wasn't until the first weekend of August that things came together...barely!

At the Queen City Dog Training Club's AKC Agility Trial August 2, I thought we needed 1 QQ and like 36 points going in. For some reason, Dally just wasn't running as fast as she had been. She earned her PAX2 on Saturday, which was a good day. We actually got a PAX title ribbon (those are rather rare these days)! 

I did the math, and I just didn't feel like we could make the time with the points we needed on Sunday. My friends who were with me knew that I was close, but I didn't make a big deal about it. We Qd in our first run, Jumpers, and then I felt like there was a minor chance. I can't remember now what I exactly needed, but it was something like 18 points going into Standard. I knew we would need to run 46 or under. I pushed her as hard as I could in our Standard run, and she ran with me and ran her little stumps off. She crossed the timer and I looked at the clock--we made it just by less than one second! I was so excited!

First, here's her PAX2 run:

And her PACH2 run:

I am so, so proud of this little Corgi. I never would have thought that we'd have two agility championships, have qualified for the AKC National Agility Championships three years in a row, and just had a blast. She's done everything I've ever asked her to do (well, to an extent...she still doesn't like herding or lure coursing), and she loves me no matter what. I've learned so much by working with her, and she's taught me so much more than I thought a dog ever could.

Our PACH2 celebration included a cookie cake with "POSH2 Dolly"--The SDP has a
tradition of having funky PACH2/MACH2 cookie cakes. Dally didn't care, as you can see.

Dally turned 9 in July, so I don't really know what's up for us in the future. She's getting slower, and she's had a few more physical issues (mostly shoulders) that has added some sped bumps for us in recent agility trials. I'm thinking of starting her in Barn Hunt, while slowing down her agility career to maybe just doing jumpers, so she doesn't have the issues of going down the A-frame or dog walk that has been bothering her shoulders like they have lately. She's not going into permanent retirement, but maybe it's just time to pass the torch to LaMesa and see if she can continue the Stump Kid legacy.

Dally's done everything I've asked, and more, and has nothing left to prove. I wasn't aiming to qualify for the 2015 AKC National Agility Championships in Reno, so that was no big deal this year. We're just going to enjoy the fun ride we've been on for the next few years.

Thanks, Dally-Doodle....the bestest little Corg in the world.