Fusing of the Nub

It is with sadness that I announce Mesa's nub has fused. :-( It's nothing serious, so no worries there. I was just getting excited because she was learning how to wiggle her nub (her tail that was only 1 vertebrae), and this weekend I noticed that her nub was pointing up, and every time I grabbed it, it didn't move. It's a natural thing, and it doesn't hinder her in any way--she just can't wiggle her "nubbin" any more. Maybe she'll figure out how to just shake her rump...

Training with the choke collar has gone surprisingly well. Mesa doesn't fight me at all when I give it a little jerk. While we're walking along the road, if I need to get her attention back on me and walking, I just have to give it a little tug and call her name and she responds by looking up at me and being right at my feet. I've been using the clicker to reward her when she does this at different times. It just makes me happy that she is easily coming back to me when she's distracted--surely a positive sign for future training.

Dally went to the chiropractor last week and this time was out in 10 places, including some problems in her hip. I've put her back on her iodine supplement with her breakfast and we're just trying to figure out why she's falling apart. She was still happy at agility class at Melanie's on Tuesday, running fast and working well in everything, so it doesn't seem to bother her too much--whatever her problem is.

This week I'm finally going home to the family farm for some relaxation and some pony time. It'll be Mesa's first trip home and her first time running around the house, meeting the horses, etc. I'm really excited to see how she does and how she'll love running around the yard and barn. Dally will get her yearly vaccinations and exam from our vet back home (he's seen her since she was a pup, plus we get good discounts), plus our family friend that does massage therapy has agreed to see her to see what her problem is with her back/hips. I'm hoping the double-up of the bone and soft tissue work will be just the ticket with getting Dally back in shape. Also on Saturday, we are driving up to Lafayette for a CPE trial that I decided to enter for grins and to experience CPE outside of Milford, Ohio. It'll be mom's first experience at a CPE trial, but Mesa will stay with dad and the other dogs due to the fact that the crating will be in a separate building from the show ring (not cool, T&RT).

I should have lots of photos and stories from the weekend. Meanwhile, I'm still working on reading "In FOCUS" and I hope to have it completed after this weekend (I always seem to have a lot of reading time when I go home). Yay for some pony time!!!