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Friday, August 31, 2012

The party...

We had fun celebrating Ryder’s and Kori’s birthday yesterday. Kia baked them a cake, and when I got home we made special dog cookies for them.  It was my first time trying this recipe, but the collies must have approved, because they were glued to our sides while we were making the cookies.  And with six collies, in a small kitchen, that made it a bit difficult!  (difficult, but funny)  The recipe was posted on my blog a few days ago, but I’ll copy it here, for anyone who wants to try it.



Homemade Dog Biscuits with Peanut Butter & Bacon

•1/8 cup bacon grease
•2 cups whole wheat flour
•1/4 cup ground flax
•1/4 cup wheat bran
•2 tsp baking powder
•1/2 cup natural peanut butter
•1 egg, lightly beaten
•3/4 cup water

Instructions:

1.Preheat oven to 325° F
2.Cook bacon until crispy. Drain on a paper towel.
3.Pour the bacon grease into a glass measuring cup.
4.In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, ground flax, wheat bran, and baking powder.
5.Crumble the bacon, once cooled, and stir into the flour mixture.
6.In a microwave safe bowl, warm the peanut butter. Approximately 30 seconds.
7.In a medium bowl, lightly beat the egg. Then pour in the peanut butter, water, and bacon grease. Use a fork to whisk together the wet ingredients until completely combined.
8.Make a well in the dry ingredients, and pour in the peanut butter mixture.
9.Stir until combined.
10.Knead lightly in the bowl with your hands.
11.Lay down one large sheet of parchment paper, roll your dough onto it, then lay another piece of parchment on top. You'll essentially have a dog treat dough sandwich. See the video for tips.
12.Roll out to 1/2 inch thickness.
13.Lightly spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
14.Cut shapes out of the dough and place on your prepared baking sheet. Gather the extra dough, knead into a ball, and repeat the process of rolling and cutting until there is no more dough.
15.Bake for 15 - 18 minutes.
16.Turn off the oven and leave them there to cool for 2 hours or overnight.

Storing - These homemade dog biscuits will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. They will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Yield - Using a 3 inch bone shaped cookie cutter, you will get 18 homemade dog biscuits.
Tips & Techniques
•Ground Flax - Flax has so many wonderful health benefits. Learn more about using flax in your homemade dog treats, with our Cheesy Flax Squares recipe.
•Choosing Cookie Cutters - Because this recipe uses baking powder, these peanut butter dog biscuits will puff up some during the baking process. Because of that, you will want to choose a dog cookie cutter that has simple shapes. The puffed cookie will not show the same amount of detail as another dog treat recipe.
•Crumble Bacon - After the bacon is cooked and cooled, it's time to crumble. Instead of doing this by hand, one tiny piece at a time, break your bacon into large pieces and place in a plastic zip-lock bag. Then easily break and crumble the bacon inside the bag with your hands. This saves time and greasy fingers! :)
•Bacon Grease - Pour the grease into a glass measuring cup, as opposed to a plastic one, because it will be very hot. You can make these homemade dog biscuits even more special by using the entire amount of bacon grease, instead of just 1/8 of a cup. If you choose to do this, do not add the full amount of water. Depending on how much extra grease you have, add the water 1/4 cup at a time. Continue adding water, up to 3/4 of a cup if needed, to make the dough combine.
•Choice of Bacon - If your dog loves bacon, but needs to keep his homemade dog biscuits on the healthier side, you can use turkey or low-sodium bacon for this recipe.
•Peanut Butter - Once you have warmed the peanut butter, try to work quickly adding the other wet ingredients. The reason is that the peanut butter will start to harden, and it's much easier to combine everything while it is still quite warm.

When we made these last night, we didn’t have the flax or bran, so we just added an extra ½ cup of the flour.  The collies didn’t mind one bit either!

Since the collies had cake and cookies, we didn’t give them their Frosty Paws.  We told them that it would be their birthday weekend, and that we would continue the celebration tonight with a trip to the dog park followed by Frosty Paws.  They did get their presents, but we gave each collie a present, not just Kori and Ryder.  The dog training facility where we go for classes has a little store.  They were selling antlers, and the large antlers were on sale for only $6 each.  Petsmart was selling smaller antlers, for $15 each, or $20 for the large antlers.  So we bought a bunch of the $6 antlers, and everyone got one.  Kori and Ryder each got a new toy, but with the excitement over the antlers, they didn’t care about the toys. 
Waiting for their cake



Ryder and Kori are sad, because they had to wait for cake, while we took pictures.



Ryder: “I think there’s a number we can call, to report this terrible abuse!”





Kori: "I think making us wait like this is beyond animal cruelty!"



Finally!


(they did not get to eat the entire cake, everyone was allowed just one bite)



Thursday, August 30, 2012

Dogs and ice cream!

For the Dog Days of August - today's theme is ice cream! 


Laddie enjoying his ice cream!





We miss you Lad! 

(We didn't normally give him ice cream, but this was towards the end of his illness, when we were trying to make every day special for him.)

Happy 1st bithday!

One year ago today, three special collies entered our lives.  We waited years before breeding our first litter of collie puppies.  And we waited, excited and hopeful, throughout Abby’s pregnancy.  We felt the puppies moving, and tried to imagine what they would look like, if they were boys or girls, rough or smooth.

Then a few days before Abby’s due date a hurricane hit the East Coast.  It hit our town particularly hard, and many houses on the beach were destroyed.  There was flooding, and we were left without power for days.  To stop looting of the destroyed homes, the National Guard was called in to patrol the area.


These homes were just a 1/2 mile from us


 



I read that the hurricane caused many pregnant women to go into labor early.  Our Abby decided to join them.  So there we were in the middle of the night, trying to deliver our first litter of puppies by candlelight!  Abby pushed for a while, and finally a little face appeared.  But the puppy was stuck!  And then the worst happened, Abby broke the sack. 

All that was visible was a little nose, and a little mouth with a tongue sticking out.  My sister thought the puppy was dead.  But we had to act quickly, to save the other puppies.  So my daughter and sister began packing everything we would need, as we prepared to take Abby to the animal hospital.  I remained with Abby, to keep her calm, and as I was sitting by the whelping box, the little puppy cried!  The puppy was still alive!

So we raced to the animal hospital, my daughter sitting in the back with Abby.  Abby tried pushing a few more times, and was able to get the puppy’s head and one arm out.  My daughter was able to get the rest of him out.  He was a bit blue by this time, so my daughter rubbed him with towels, as I continued to drive down the highway.  He was a little sable and white, rough male.  Since this puppy was born in the car, on the way to the animal hospital, he was immediately given the name Ryder.

Ryder

We arrived at the animal hospital, and they too were without power.  They had some lanterns, so the veterinarian helped deliver the rest of the litter there on the floor, on a pile of blankets.  The next puppy born was a smooth, sable and white girl.  She was born without her sack, completely blue and stillborn.  The vet tried to revive her, but it was too late.

Next came another smooth, sable girl.  She was born alive, though smaller than Ryder.  Ryder was the largest puppy, he weighed 12 ounces.  The little girl was given a few different names, but we finally decided on Kori.  After a little more time, a final puppy was born.  The fourth puppy was another boy, another sable, rough boy.  He was small like Kori, and weighed 8 ounces.  Which is still a healthy weight for a newborn puppy.  We named him Luke.


Luke


Kori, Ryder and Luke

While losing the one little girl was very sad, we couldn’t help being happy that we had three healthy puppies and a healthy mom.  We bundled them up, and took them home.  We watched them grow, and waited for the day when they would first open their eyes.  We laughed in delight when they began playing and when they discovered how to bark and growl.  We completely fell in love with our puppies. 

Kori (left) and Ryder (right)

Kori


Ryder

Ryder, Luke and Kori

Luke, Kori and Ryder
Little Luke


We had originally planned on keeping just one puppy.  We found the perfect home for little Luke.  The family had lost their elderly collie a few months earlier.  And after speaking with them we discovered their collie was distantly related to ours!  The family had two little boys, who were so polite and gentle around the puppies.  They loved Luke and it was decided that he would be their puppy.  While letting him go was heartbreaking, we couldn’t  have asked for a better home.  They take him everywhere, and he has two best friends.  The family also allows Luke to use their computer to send Ryder and Kori emails, to let us know how he is doing!  This one came today –

Dear Ryder and Kori,
Happy Birthday! Hope you had a fun summer. I went on two vacations – camping in New Hampshire and a week at Grandma and Grandpa’s house in Michigan – I had a blast on both trips and was an extra good boy on both trips everyone was proud of me. My kids are planning a small birthday party for me. You can tell Kathleen that I am getting my AKC registration for my birthday.

Have a good day.

Your “baby” brother – LUKE a.k.a. the Lukeness Monster

I think it is so sweet, that they have Luke write the emails.  And I love that his family kept his name, as they could have changed it to anything they wanted.  But the little boys, Matthew and David, thought he looked like a “Luke.”

We decided to keep Kori, and were half-heartedly looking for a family for Ryder.  But after his rough start, almost losing him, and then having my daughter save him, we didn’t want to let him go.  We finally made the decision to keep him too, and had to turn two families away.  We just couldn’t part with him.  And he has grown up to be a beautiful, sweet boy.  And Kori has grown up to be a character.  She is sweet like her brother, but she has a tendency to get herself into trouble.  And Ryder, usually follows along with her plans. 

So happy birthday to our wonderful puppies, we hope to celebrate many, many more birthdays with you both!

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

A Not so Wordless, favorite picture and cookie recipe kind of post!

So this post is going to cover a few things.  It's Wordless Wednesday, and for the "Dog Days of August," we are suppose to post our favorite pictures.  In keeping with my last post, I also want to add another great recipe I have found for dog cookies.

Wordless Wednesday/Favorite pictures of my dogs -




My favorite picture of Baby Kori

My favorite picture of Baby Ryder



My favorite picture of Abby, Lad and Holly

My favorite picture of Ryder and Kori

Another favorite of Ryder

And another favorite of Kori



And a couple of my favorite pictures of Scarlett






My favorite picture of Abby and Thor (Scarlett's brother)


Bourbon Garlic Liver Recipe

Ingredients:

1 lb of Liver (calf, beef or chicken)
1 tsp Garlic Powder (or more to taste)
2 oz Bourbon (dog variety - meaning less than $10 a qt.)
water
2 qt Saucepan
foil covered cookie sheet

Rinse liver and place in pan, cover with water and sprinkle in garlic.  Slosh in bourbon and bring to a simmer.  Simmer gently for 15 minutes and then turn off heat.  Let stand for 20 min. to infuse liver with the maximum bourbon flavor.  Remove liver, drain, and place on foil lined sheet.  Place in oven at 200 degrees for 30 min.  Turn off oven and leave in 10 more minutes.  Remove and let cool.  Cut into small pieces.  Enjoy!

Monday, August 27, 2012

How the cookie crumbles

Collies love cookies.  But then, all dogs love cookies, and to be honest, so do their human companions.  The problem is that most of the mass produced dog cookies are currently being made with some pretty unhealthy ingredients.  In recent studies, it has been found that the same chemicals used to manufacture embalming fluid, jet fuel, pesticides and disinfectants are in our dog's cookies!  Also, found in many dog foods and cookies is Ethoxyquin, which is so toxic that it is prohibited from human consumption.  And it has been discovered that Pentobarbital, the drug used for euthanasia, is in our pet’s food.  I'm sure you are wondering, how did that get in there?  The companies mass producing these foods and cookies are buying their meat from slaughterhouses and from animal shelters.  The research is out there, for anyone who wants to investigate just what is in the cookies they are feeding their beloved dogs, and why as a result, cancer is on the rise in our pets.  This is just one article written on the subject:

I was shocked to see that Milk Bones and Pup-peroni, which my dogs love, are on the list of dangerous dog treats.  And you may have heard that many dog treats are made in China, and are actually killing our dogs!  Add to that all the recalls on pet food and treats, and choosing a brand of dog cookies for your best friend becomes pretty frightening. 

I decided that there is only one solution.  I’m going to begin making my own dog cookies for my collies.  Each week, I thought I would share some of the recipes I have found, in case anyone else would like to try making them for their own dogs.  If you do try making any of these cookies, please come back and let us know what your dog's thought of them!


Sell-Their-Soul Liver Cookies

Ingredients
 1 lb. raw liver--chopped into smaller chunks
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup flour (white, unbleached, or whole wheat)
1/4-1/2 cup water
1tbs. garlic powder
Optional:
1-2 eggs (this will make a more cake-like texture)

Preparation

Line a jellyroll pan (big cooking sheet with small sides) with aluminum foil. Spray with Pam.

Using either a blender or a food processor, add liver and blend until liquefied. Then add remaining ingredients, moist ones first, blending as you add. The entire mixture should be the consistency of cement although if you add eggs, it will be thinner. Spoon mixture out into pan and spread as evenly as you can.

Bake for 30-45 minutes at 350 deg. Is done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Test several places because the mixture is so thick, it's hard to spread evenly.

Remove from oven and cut in small squares. Cool and peel foil off the back. Separate pieces and put in freezer on a cookie sheet until hard. Then freeze. These will keep for several days in a cooler or even in a very cool room or show site.  Thaws in the microwave in just a few seconds.


Homemade Dog Biscuits with Peanut Butter & Bacon

•1/8 cup bacon grease
•2 cups whole wheat flour
•1/4 cup ground flax
•1/4 cup wheat bran
•2 tsp baking powder
•1/2 cup natural peanut butter
•1 egg, lightly beaten
•3/4 cup water

Instructions:

1.Preheat oven to 325° F
2.Cook bacon until crispy. Drain on a paper towel.
3.Pour the bacon grease into a glass measuring cup.
4.In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, ground flax, wheat bran, and baking powder.
5.Crumble the bacon, once cooled, and stir into the flour mixture.
6.In a microwave safe bowl, warm the peanut butter. Approximately 30 seconds.
7.In a medium bowl, lightly beat the egg. Then pour in the peanut butter, water, and bacon grease. Use a fork to whisk together the wet ingredients until completely combined.
8.Make a well in the dry ingredients, and pour in the peanut butter mixture.
9.Stir until combined.
10.Knead lightly in the bowl with your hands.
11.Lay down one large sheet of parchment paper, roll your dough onto it, then lay another piece of parchment on top. You'll essentially have a dog treat dough sandwich. See the video for tips.
12.Roll out to 1/2 inch thickness.
13.Lightly spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
14.Cut shapes out of the dough and place on your prepared baking sheet. Gather the extra dough, knead into a ball, and repeat the process of rolling and cutting until there is no more dough.
15.Bake for 15 minutes.
16.Turn off the oven and leave them there to cool for 2 hours or overnight.

Storing - These homemade dog biscuits will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. They will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Yield - Using a 3 inch bone shaped cookie cutter, you will get 18 homemade dog biscuits.
Tips & Techniques
•Ground Flax - Flax has so many wonderful health benefits. Learn more about using flax in your homemade dog treats, with our Cheesy Flax Squares recipe.
•Choosing Cookie Cutters - Because this recipe uses baking powder, these peanut butter dog biscuits will puff up some during the baking process. Because of that, you will want to choose a dog cookie cutter that has simple shapes. The puffed cookie will not show the same amount of detail as another dog treat recipe.
•Crumble Bacon - After the bacon is cooked and cooled, it's time to crumble. Instead of doing this by hand, one tiny piece at a time, break your bacon into large pieces and place in a plastic zip-lock bag. Then easily break and crumble the bacon inside the bag with your hands. This saves time and greasy fingers! :)
•Bacon Grease - Pour the grease into a glass measuring cup, as opposed to a plastic one, because it will be very hot. You can make these homemade dog biscuits even more special by using the entire amount of bacon grease, instead of just 1/8 of a cup. If you choose to do this, do not add the full amount of water. Depending on how much extra grease you have, add the water 1/4 cup at a time. Continue adding water, up to 3/4 of a cup if needed, to make the dough combine.
•Choice of Bacon - If your dog loves bacon, but needs to keep his homemade dog biscuits on the healthier side, you can use turkey or low-sodium bacon for this recipe.
•Peanut Butter - Once you have warmed the peanut butter, try to work quickly adding the other wet ingredients. The reason is that the peanut butter will start to harden, and it's much easier to combine everything while it is still quite warm.


Classic Thumbprint Peanut Butter Dog Treats

Ingredients:
•2 cups whole wheat flour
•1/2 cup rolled oats
•2 tsp cinnamon
•1/2 cup peanut butter, creamy
•1/2 cup chicken broth, low sodium
•1/2 cup water
•1/2 cup strawberry jam, sugar free

Instructions:
1.Preheat oven to 325° F
2.Whisk together the flour, oats and cinnamon.
3.Place the peanut butter, chicken broth and water in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 15 seconds. Stir together the warm peanut butter and liquids. If needed, microwave again for 10 to 15 seconds. Stir again until all of the liquid is incorporated into the peanut butter.
4.Make a well in the dry ingredients.
5.Pour the peanut butter mixture into the dry ingredients and stir, using a fork, until a dough forms.
6.Lightly spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
7.Using a tablespoon sized cookie scooper, scoop out rounded balls onto the prepared baking sheet.
8.Create an indentation, and flatten each cookie.
9.Bake for 15 minutes. Leave the peanut butter dog treats in the oven, once it's turned off, to cool.
10.Once the dog treats are completely cooled, place the jam in a microwave safe container.
11.Microwave for 10 seconds. Then stir the jam. If needed, microwave for another 10 seconds and stir. You want a smooth liquid consistency.
12.Using a 1/2 teaspoon, gently spoon the jam into each cookies indentation.
13.Let the jam cool completely before moving the dog treats.

Storing - These peanut butter dog treats are delicate with the addition of the jam. First, they need to be stored in a single layer as the jam does not harden completely. Once in a air tight container, like a freezer bag, they can be kept in the refrigerator for one week. Store them in the freezer for up to four months. These gourmet dog treats will keep fresh longer without the jam middle. You can bake the cookies, not adding the jam, and keep them in the refrigerator for up to two weeks and in the freezer for up to 6 months. Then before you serve, follow the last four steps of this recipe.

Yield - Using a tablespoon sized cookie scooper, this recipe will make 30 dog cookies.

Tips & Techniques
•Jam or Jelly - This dog treat recipe will work best if you use a jam with little or no fruit pieces. You can use any flavor of fruit jam, but make sure that it is sugar free. Our dogs do not need all that excess sugar in their treats. The jam will set rather quickly once it is poured into the cookie. Depending on how quickly you are able to work, you may need to reheat the jam to a liquid consistency to be able to pour it into the cookie with ease.
•Artificial Sweeteners - Using sugar free products can seem perfectly harmless, yet there are ingredients to learn about. Our dogs should never ingest the artificial sweetener called Xylitol. This is most commonly found in sugar free gum and candy. However, do a double check of your sugar free jam, to ensure it does not contain this ingredient. The sugar free jam I used for this dog treat recipe contained polydextrose, maltodextrin and sucralose. These have not been found to be harmful to our dogs.
•Homemade Fruit Jam - If you are still concerned about artificial sweeteners, by all means, you should make your own homemade sugar free fruit jam. Look for recipes that use a "no sugar needed" fruit pectin for the binding and thickening agent. Some of these recipes also contain honey, but since honey is a natural sugar, and will eventually be a very small amount of the end jam product, it would be an acceptable ingredient. When choosing a recipe for homemade jam, be aware that some use white grape juice. Again, although tasty to us, grapes are on the list of foods poisonous to dogs, so you would want to substitute apple juice instead.
•Microwaves - All microwaves are different, and some have more power than others. The microwave directions in this dog treat recipe are a starting point. You may need to use less or more time, depending on your appliance.
•Peanut Butter - We used creamy peanut butter for this recipe. You might be able to use chunky peanut butter, but due to the texture of the cookie, and the need to make an indentation and flatten the cookie, we highly recommend the creamy variety.
•Broth & Water - To make these peanut butter dog treats even healthier, you could substitute the chicken broth for water. You would add a total of one cup of water, instead of half water and half broth. Or, you could use all chicken broth, or switch it up and use half and half chicken broth and beef broth. Whether you use all broth or not, look for the low sodium variety to keep these treats extra healthy for your dog.

Since so many dogs love the taste of peanut butter, you are sure to find a keeper in these peanut butter dog treats. They are also a great treat to make as gifts. Your dogs friends and their parents will think that you're a dog treat baking whiz with these delightful little gems wrapped in peanut butter.



Friday, August 24, 2012

Our collies...

Rough collies are easily recognizable, as just about everyone knows Lassie!  They are beautiful, sweet and loyal dogs.  They are easy to train, and excel in obedience, herding and agility, but then, so are the smooth coated collies.

When my uncle introduced us to his first smooth collie, I didn’t like the way they looked at all.  I was so used to seeing the beautiful rough coated collie, that at first glance,  a short haired collie looked very odd to me.  Over the years, the Smooths have improved a lot, they are now very beautiful dogs.  I think this is the direct result of our being able to breed smooth and rough collies together.  Unfortunately, in Europe they are considered separate dog breeds, and as such, they cannot be bred together.  While smooth collies are gaining in popularity here in the States, in Europe the smooth collie is on the “Vulnerable Breeds” list.  Which means there are so few of them, that the breed is in danger.

I’ve always known that I would have a collie in my life, one day. (If you’ve read my earlier posts, then you know all about my love of Lassie and the Sunnybank collies)  And the picture I always had formed in my mind was a sable and white or a blue merle ROUGH collie.  But when it came time to choose our first collie, out of a litter of five puppies, my daughter and I chose the only smooth puppy.  By this time, we had fallen in love with the smooth variety of collies.  This was because my daughter’s first junior handling collie, was a smooth collie named Mariah.  Mariah belonged to my sister, and most of her other collies are smooth as well.  So it wasn’t really a surprise that when it was time to choose our first collie, we decided we wanted a smooth collie.  And that smooth puppy boy grew up to be one of the best dogs we have ever known.  We named him Lad, after Albert Payson Terhune’s collie, Sunnybank Lad.

Lad with my daugter

He protected us, he loved us and he made us laugh with his antics.  He was also a clever boy, and learned at a young age, to pick up his dog bowl, and carry it over to us while we were eating.  We could never resist this collie, pleading with his eyes, holding out his bowl, asking us to share.



Lad August 2011

And while Lad understood a large amount of our words, he communicated with us without words, and always made himself understood.  His profound empathy, always ensured that he correctly interpreted our moods, and enabled him to comfort us in times of sadness.  He was everything a collie should be, and he was everything you could want in a best friend.  We lost him last September, when he was only 7 years old.  And we still miss him every day.

Lad September 2011

But Lad is not the only smooth collie who came into our lives.  Five years ago a little sable and white, smooth collie pup joined our family.  Her name is Abby, and she is truly one of the sweetest dogs.  Albert Payson Terhune called his collie, Bruce, “The Dog Without A Fault.”  He also called him, “Bruce the beautiful.”  I think Abby, who is a descendent of Bruce, takes after him.  Not only is she beautiful, she couldn’t do something wrong if she tried.  She is the dog who wants nothing more than to stay by my side.  If I am on the computer, she can be found sleeping next to my chair.  If I am in a room with the door shut, when I open the door she will be right there, waiting for me.  Abby also excels in herding, and could compete in herding events if we lived close enough to any trainers/facilities that specialized in herding.  We took her to a herding instinct test twice, and she earned her HIT with ease.  Since we can’t find any herding facilities nearby, and since she is already a champion, we are thinking of pursuing the new title of “Grand Champion” with her.

Abby 2010

When my daughter’s first junior handling collie, Mariah, was ready to retire from dog shows, she found a new partner in Holly.  Holly and my daughter have an amazing bond, that is clearly visible whenever you watch them in the show ring.  When my daughter moves even the slightest bit, Holly adjusts her own body.  And since we lost Lad, Holly has been taking over his duties as watch dog.  She lets us know when someone is outside our house, or if she hears anything suspicious she lets know immediately!  She has taken on the responsibility of stopping the younger dogs, if she thinks they are playing too rough.  Holly also has a sense of humor, and like Lad, she laughs with her eyes and body.  There is no doubt when you look at her wiggling body , wagging tail and happy face that she is laughing.  Her nickname is “Holly the happy collie.”  Holly is so eager to please, she has also earned her HIT and her CGC.  When Holly turns 8 years old, we are going to enter her in the veterans class at dog shows.  Even though she is a champion, Holly LOVES dog shows.  There is no place she is happier than in the show ring.  So to keep her happy, we will work on her Grand Championship in the Veteran’s class.


Last year Kori and Ryder joined our family.  They were born on August 30, right after a hurricane hit the East Coast leaving us without power for days.  Abby decided in the middle of the night, while we had no electricity, that it was a good time to have her puppies.  Ryder was the first puppy born, and he was actually stuck during the delivery.  All that was visible was his little nose and mouth!  We were on the highway, rushing Abby to the animal hospital, when Ryder was born, with a lot of help from my daughter.  That’s how he got his name, he was born while “riding in the car.”   We had decided to keep Kori, the smooth girl in the litter.  But her two rough brothers stole our hearts, and we decided to keep Ryder too.  After his dramatic entrance into this world, we couldn’t let him go.  He is just as sweet and gentle as his mother, Abby.  And Kori, our smooth girl is a sassy, challenging collie.  We hope to try agility and obedience with her, as she has a lot of energy and we think she would enjoy competing in those events.  The third puppy in the litter, Luke, went to live with a family who had recently lost their elderly collie.  The family has two young boys, who are Luke's best friends, and he goes everywhere with them.


Finally, a couple months ago, little Scarlett joined our family.  She is a smooth puppy too, and is becoming a beautiful young collie.  We are eagerly looking forward to discovering her talents and watching as her personality develops.

Scarlett 8-19-12

So that’s our family of collies, four smooth girls and one rough boy!

We took Ryder and Kori to the dog park this evening - the park was empty, but they still had fun!










Uh Oh - there be Pirates at the dog park!  :)
























Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Not-quite Wordless Wednesday

This is one of my favorite pictures.  I took this two years ago, at our nearby beach.  It's of Abby, Lad and Holly.  Next month it will be a year since we lost Lad.  We still miss him every day.  He was such an amazing collie, and the truest friend. 

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Sunnybank!

It was so wonderful to be back at Sunnybank, I can't explain how much I love it there, or how much it means to me. Scarlett and I thought we would take you all on a brief tour... Scarlett sitting at the grave of Sunnybank Lad. I have a picture of my Lad, sitting in the same spot, when he was about the same age. So this was a little Bittersweet for me, we still miss him so much.



This is called Champion rock. Directly in front of Scarlett is Gray Dawn's grave. He is one of her great-great...grandsires. (I forget how many greats are in there!) Thane is off to the side, he's another grandsire.






This was the lily pond that belonged to Anice Terhune, The Mistress. It's filled in now, but still remains. And see the white streak on the right side of the picture? Those are ashes of some of the collies that died this year. We found them at each and every collie grave. I think it is a very fitting place to spread the ashes of a beloved collie!
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 This is the memorial stone bench, with a picture of the Master and Mistress and some of their collies.
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The grave of Bruce, "the Dog Without a Fault." I have a picture of Abby sitting here, as a puppy. Bruce was the sire of Gray Dawn, and thus another Grandsire of Scarlett, Kori, Ryder, Abby and Holly! And if you look, you will see more ashes scattered here.
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This is the root cellar, and off to the side are memorials for all the collies that have died since the last Gathering. I wanted to add Lad to the memorial, but didn't know you had to send in the entry ahead of time. So maybe next year. They have a beautiful ceremony where they read the names of all the collies while a bagpiper plays a sorrowful tune..

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I found it fascinating, seeing this root cellar again. I was rereading "Lad of Sunnybank," and Terhune describes in the second to last chapter of the book, how the cellar was built. And he even describes where it was located - behind the barn/winter kennels. The barn and house are gone, but the root cellar is still there! And of course there were collies and collie puppies everywhere!
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 Cute rough, sable puppy!
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 Cute, blue puppy!
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Beautiful Scarlett! She showed like a dog show Veteran!!! She didn't win, the placements almost all went to the fuzzy, rough puppies. But I am so proud of her, she was perfect!
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Scarlett thinks dog shows are F-U-N!
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Thor, Scarlett's brother/littermate!  He is turning out to be a very handsome boy!
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This puppy is a half brother to one of my sister's rough collies. He won best muzzle.
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I don't know these collies, but they looked so cute!
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Tired smooth puppies! The tri's name is Della, and the blue she is using as a pillow is her sister, Judy. They are Scarlett's half sisters.
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It was a beautiful and fun day, I can't wait until next year! I would like to go both days next year. As there are a lot of things going on the first day. Check out this video of the collie, Prosper, collecting money for the Collie Health Foundation!

 https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152012401465251



And I thought I would add this video.  It's actual footage of Albert Payson Terhune, his wife, and the Sunnybank collies at Sunnybank.