No thanks, I’ll wait here for you

Posted on April 27, 2014 by annieriecken

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As we were leaving California, Chico and I stopped by to see Jimbo and his dog Buddy one more time. Buddy is bigger than Chico and Chico can be nervous around Buddy. Buddy has started having seizures and everyone is a little nervous around Buddy these days. When we got to Jimbo’s house, Chico declined to get out of the car and instead spent most of the afternoon in his crate in the car. The door was open, he could have gotten out anytime he wanted, but he just decided to remove himself from an uncomfortable situation. Is that a smart dog, or what?

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Following US Route 6, more or less

Posted on April 25, 2014 by annieriecken

US Route 6 goes from Provincetown, Massachusetts to Long Beach, California (though the last section of it in California was renumbered by the state) and I decided to follow it, or at least sections of it, on the way home. Even bought a tour book called Stay on Route 6.

We stayed the first night in Ely, Nevada. On the way out of town I saw what looked like a good place to walk a dog.

Outside Ely 1

No visible “No Dogs” signs, and no one else around.

Pretty super for both of us.

outside Ely 3

That’s my boy, way down the road, being his own boss for a few minutes, sniffing or running as he pleases.

We made it to Grand Junction, Colorado that night.

The next day, we went on towards Denver, using a mix of the interstate and Route 6. A real treat was crossing the continental divided via Loveland Pass, at almost 12,000 feet. Part of the route goes past ski areas with slopes so steep I couldn’t imagine sliding down them on slippery sticks. But I’m a timid cross-country skier so maybe my perception is also a bit timid. The slopes I speak of are not in the picture below, but they didn’t seem too much different in steepness.

It was definitely still winter up there.

It was definitely still winter up there.

In Denver, there was some work to do to my car (backed into a tree and damaged the tail light on one side. Ooops.) and I stayed for a few days, visiting a friend who lives on a farm south of town. Then it was back to Route 6.

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Denver Dog Wash

Posted on April 21, 2014 by annieriecken

Again, I’m on the road and posting not only irregularly, but out of chronological order. Chico and I are headed east and we spent a couple days in the Denver area while I got my tail light cover replaced. Fortunately, I have friends in the area and Chico and I were able to spend lots of time south of the city, on a 90-plus acre farm. But we also spent plenty of time in the dirty city. After seeing how dirty I was every evening, I kept an eye out for a you-do-it dog wash.

This morning I found it one in a strip mall:

P1030233There’s a small shop, a few self-serve tubs in the back, and a small grooming business.

The tubs are behind the wall that is in front of Chico. He's been bathed at this point, and he's being a trooper to hold this sit because all he wants is out of there.

The tubs are behind the wall that is in front of Chico. He’s been bathed at this point, and he’s being a trooper to hold this sit because all he wants is out of there.

The whole thing went pretty well until the blow drying which, today, seemed to be real torture for Chico. Once he started snapping at the dryer hose, I just quit while I was ahead, half-dry dog or not. It wasn’t cold out. I didn’t have enough treats or enough time to work through that issue today.

It cost twenty dollars to wash my forty pound dog, not too bad an indulgence.

 

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Davenport Landing beach

Posted on April 15, 2014 by annieriecken

It took weeks, but we finally got directed to a beach were dogs are welcome and there are not thirty-five dogs running around. The beach on Davenport Landing Road calls itself a “family friendly” beach, and that family must be dog friendly because I couldn’t find a sign anywhere saying “no dogs” or “dogs on leash only.”

Davenport 1

Down to the beach,

Down to the beach,

for some runnin' and sniffin'.

for some runnin’ and sniffin’.

We walked towards those cliffs,

with sniffing,

with sniffing,

place

and climbing.

Until it was time to go back the other way.

For once I got a head start on Chico and could take a picture of him coming *toward* me.

For once I got a head start on Chico and could take a picture of him coming *toward* me.

A bit further down the beach we met a yellow mixed breed and his person. At first he and Chico stood about ten feet apart and looked at each other, tails gently waving. Then they turned and each went about his own business while the woman and I chatted. I get so excited that Chico is doing well with other dogs, and I don’t like to put a lot of attention on them – the combination makes me not get pictures of these successful unfamiliar-dog-encounters. But they are happening with increasing success and increasing frequency. Seems that travel is good for this dog. Yay.

 

 

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Tourist Chico

Posted on April 11, 2014 by annieriecken

On the way to Sadie’s house (where we went on the way to a USDAA agility trial in Dixon), we drove over the Golden Gate Bridge. It was clear and nice and Tuesday, so there was some room in the parking lot on the north end and I stopped and played tourist.

Can you tell that I am a novice at selfies?

Can you tell that I am a novice at selfies?

The view area is surrounded by a three or four foot tall rock wall, and while there is ground about eight feet below on the far side, it sure doesn’t look like it. Especially if you are only a four footed guy less than two feet tall.

When I first I lifted Chico up to take a look, and he was pretty unsure – he pressed against me and I got this arty shot.

IMG_20140401_134014_674

I like it.

Though there were high clouds, the views were great. Here’s Chico, sniffing the breeze:

As usual, views don't impress him. For Chico, the important data is gathered with his nose.

As usual, views don’t impress. For Chico, the important information is gathered with his nose. And, in this case, his mouth. He’s facing the wind and kind of tasting the air. He probably knows what they had for lunch on that freighter.

 

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At the market

Posted on April 7, 2014 by annieriecken

On the way to last week’s trial, we had dinner with Chico’s friend Pepper and his person, my old college pal, Sadie. We walked to the market for supplies and while Sadie shopped, I managed the dogs.

Pepper spent his time watching the porch of the store, waiting for Sadie to come back.

Pepper spent his time watching the porch of the store, waiting for Sadie to come back.

Chico seemed to wonder what was wrong with Pep.

Or am I anthropomorphizing?

Or am I anthropomorphizing?

Pepper was quiet (I heard that sometimes he gets so upset at Sadie leaving him with someone else that he whines and barks), but so intent on watching the entrance to the store

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that I finally went up on the porch and sat in a chair. Pepper watched to doors and so did I, but he let me know Sadie was coming before I saw her. They’re so smart.

Chico likes Pepper, just about as much as I’ve seen him like any dog. Since that day Chico went to Point Isabelle with Pepper he seems to be more likely to have successful encounters with unfamiliar dogs. I remember reading some research results indicating that dogs are able to model behaviors. Perhaps on that Point Isabelle day Chico was ready to receive and he saw how Pepper handled dog encounters (endlessly and relentlessly cheerful and happy to meet someone new) and learned from it. Or perhaps it was something else he and I have done that makes it easier to have a social life of his own.

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Good walk in Santa Cruz

Posted on April 2, 2014 by annieriecken

It’s been devilishly difficult to find places in Santa Cruz County to walk Chico off-leash. A friend of a friend told me about a place on the western edge of Santa Cruz where dogs are welcomed, both on leash and “under voice control.”

Antonelli pond sign

Across the street is an entrance to Natural Bridges State Park.

Natural Bridges sign

The pond takes up most of the land trust land, the area is tucked in between commercial buildings, the state park, and a farming project.

The pond takes up most of the land trust land, the area is tucked in between commercial buildings, the state park, and a farming project.

The pond isn’t that big, but it’s possible to walk all the way around it.

Chico at a pond overlook.

Chico at a pond overlook.

We met a couple other dogs, both friendly and agreeable to Chico. That's my good boy, more social every week.

We met a couple other dogs, both friendly and agreeable to Chico. That’s my good boy, more social every week.

It was kind of cloudy and cool, I didn't think Chico would go in the water on such a day.

It was kind of cloudy and cool, I didn’t think Chico would go in the water on such a day.

I was mistaken, and he got in a good wade.

antonelli pond 7 Antonelli pond 6

Then we went to do some errands, and I saw this (not so) lovely sight in the plantings at the Safeway parking lot:

Eeeuuuww. What a place to empty the cat box. And people complain about dog owners not picking up. Maybe many don't, but this is just icky and equally if not more unsanitary. There, that's my soapbox rant for the week.

Eeeuuuww. What a place to empty the cat box. And people complain about dog owners not picking up. Maybe many don’t, but this is just icky and equally if not more unsanitary. There, that’s my soapbox rant for the week.

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March 15 USDAA trial

Posted on March 29, 2014 by annieriecken

The third of our three-weekends-in-a-row going to trials thing might have been a wee bit too much for me. On Saturday I got lost on two out of three courses, then went back to the hotel and laid down for a second at 4 PM and pretty much didn’t open my eyes again until 7 the next morning. Then I found myself a bit “wobbly on my pins” (to quote a friend’s father) and withdrew from competition. Wimpy I know (my dad always said unless we had a fever, we weren’t too sick to do X, Y or Z), But I just couldn’t imagine trying to run anywhere that day.

Here’s our Pairs run from Saturday. On the whole, we look pretty good. I did get lost in the middle, and Chico took up the time by going off course, but we finished the whole thing and in many parts we had good flow. In retrospect, I wouldn’t put him through the weave poles a second time, it didn’t get us anything and only got him all wound up. He hates it when I break the flow of a course.

In the Jumpers run Chico misses three obstacles. Numbers two and three he missed because I sent him out toward them, but stopped watching him or the obstacles and just ran, so he did what he’s supposed to – he chased me. He missed one more obstacle, close to the end, and that’s because I didn’t, as they say, support him until he committed to the jump. The rest of it is pretty nice.

Again in Standard trouble with the weave poles, but our best effort all day at those. An off course where Chico goes to the table a second time, but when I review the footage, that’s totally my fault, I headed that way.

It’s incremental sometimes, but Chico and I are getting better at this. I’m thinking that a session with a track coach might improve my running (I don’t look so agile to myself when I watch my runs. In fact, I look a little gimpy some days.). Maybe some samba lessons to help me turn with my hips.

Or maybe some “jump and turn” stuff like Vergina Schadenfreude in her OMG handling style. Which, I believe, could be really fun and maybe helpful to try. Happy Dogs Agility in the LA area seems to have done a little day of OMG and the results look fun.

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Great article on traveling with your dog(s)

Posted on March 26, 2014 by annieriecken

I’m a pretty regular reader of the Whole Dog Journal and they recently posted a great article about traveling with your dog.

I especially like the way the writer differentiates between ‘dogs allowed’ places and ‘dog friendly’ places. The two are worlds apart.

Here’s a link the the article. Interesting, complete, and written by a thoughtful dog owner.

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Dog Beach Day

Posted on March 25, 2014 by annieriecken

Chico and I were down by the lighthouse in Santa Cruz today, walking in Lighthouse Park. A woman with two dogs passed us, then instead of walking along the ocean on the footpath like most folks do, she disappeared down some stairs to the beach. When I looked, she had walked right past the two signs reading “Dogs on Leash Only” to join about twenty-five dogs romping, leash-free, on the beach.

I watched for a while, and it seemed like the dogs were friendly with each other, and the owners seemed on the whole to be tuned in to their furry companions, so we went on down those stairs too. And I figured if that many locals were doin’ it, we didn’t stand much chance of getting in trouble.

We walked the whole beach. Chico had a great case of the zoomies, dashing in circles around me until he was bright-eyed and winded. And after Chico told one dog (firmly, but politely) that he didn’t want to play rough with the gang, the other doggies left us alone. Heck, they were having so much fun, they had no time for a grumpy guy like Chico was being.

Then we met Scout, the Beagle, at the far end of the beach. Not for some time has a dog said so clearly to Chico “Hey dude, let’s play!” And, in his limited and sort of socially clumsy and LOUD way, Chico did play.

And I had a chance to positively represent dog owners and pick up someone else’s dog’s poop from the beach. Jeeze, no wonder the town is in the middle of a hot debate about dogs’ access to almost everywhere. If your dog poops deep in the bushes, OK, maybe there’s no reason to retrieve it, but leaving it on the beach? Eeeuww.

Anyhow, a happy time was had by all and maybe next time I will have my camera with me.

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