My older girls, Molly and Missy are doing well. They enjoy going out everyday and exploring. Molly wants to stay out for hours but her age is catching up with her and she has to come in the house frequently to cool off. Missy will go out for just a few minutes and then she wants back in. Missy has never been an outside dog, however she has decided that at age 14, she loves to get on the agility equipment.
Marley is having a left hip replacement on August 5 so I have been letting her play outside everyday. Just letting her run and play and be Marley because she will be on crate rest for at least 8 weeks and I want her to have freedom now.
Kalea-Kate has been sick for over a month now. She was diagnosed with Campylobacter infection shortly after the Monroe AKC agility trial. She was still puny and had additional labs drawn and then got a tentative diagnosis of Addison's Disease and then she tested positive for ehrlichiosis. After a week on steroids and 4 days of doxycycline, she still isn't better. She is going back in for more lab work. I'm so worried about her and just want her to get better. I am so thankful that my good friend has been able to take her to her vet appointments since I just started my new job and can't get time off.
I'm very happy in my new job but drama from the old job seems to follow me. Trying my best to keep my head up and let the drama roll off my back, but it's hard. I just want to be left alone to live my life, the way I want to live it.
On a happy note, a friend and I went and got tattoos a few weeks ago. It's my first tattoo and I love it!!
The last month has been full of changes for me. On the professional level, an opportunity to teach at a college presented itself. It was the perfect timing for me. I was ready for a professional change and I took the job. Only my closest friends knew how unhappy I was where I was working. And only they knew what were the precipitating factors in my decision to leave. When going to work causes you to cry, it's time for a change. I'm so thankful the right job came along when it did and I absolutely love being in the collegiate world. I have already learned so much in my first 2 weeks and am very excited to be where I am. Who knows, maybe I'll pursue my PhD??
I also learned the hard way these last few weeks who you can trust and who your real friends are. I have been hurt so bad by people who were 'friends'. Once I left my job, people came out of the woodworks claiming to be 'concerned' for me. These same people never had the time of day for me before. One girl (who claims to be a devoted Christian) had the audacity to start a nasty, vicious rumor about me that I quickly addressed with that person. It was completely made up and why a grown woman would sink to that level is beyond me. I have had to resort to blocking former colleagues from my Facebook to just end the drama. Even with blocking people on Facebook, the rumors still seem to get back to me. I don't know why people can't leave me alone. I have been gone over a month from my previous job, so why I still seem to be the topic of conversation I just don't understand. It's time to move on folks!!
The only person who can change your life, is you! And I chose to change mine!
We went to West Monroe, LA over July 4th weekend for a 4 day AKC agility trial. We noticed on the way down that KK wasn't her usual wild self. I chalked it up to her toe and the antibiotics she was on. She had a great trial. She did the table everyday! She jumped off once but I got too close to her while she was on the table and she doesn't like that.
She ended up with 4 Q's: 2 T2B, 1 Master FAST and 1 Master JWW. The rest of her runs were just 1 thing from Q-ing. Mostly errors on my part. KK did have one run where she had a 2 y/o moment and she just randomly took obstacles. I had to scratch her from one run because she just wasn't herself. All weekend she was a little slow and her weaving was very slow for her. She even popped out once which she has never done in a trial before.
After we got home, I took her to the vet and she has a GI infection. So she's back on antibiotics and I hope she bounces back soon. She's still sleeping a lot and not playing. She has a NADAC trial next weekend, so I hope she feels better soon.
My friend and I were watching all the 20in dogs run and got to wondering how many of those dogs had MACH's and how many years they had been competing. There were 30 20in dogs entered in Masters. 13 of those dogs had at least 1 MACH (43% of the dogs). 17 or 59% of the dogs had been competing for 5 or more years. One dog had been competing for 9 years. 10 or 34% of the dogs had been competing at least 3 years but less than 5 years. 2 dogs or 7% had been competing 2-3 years.
My sweet baby KK, who is just 2 1/2, has been competing for 16 months off and on and she's holding her own in all Masters. She's just a baby dog in a sea of MACHS!!
I have finally officially scheduled Marley's Total Hip Replacement. Originally scheduled for last week, we had to reschedule her surgery due to the fact that the surgeon we wanted would be out of town right after her surgery. So after many emails trying to get the surgeon I wanted, she is on the books to be evaluated on August 4th with surgery first thing the morning of August 5th. She should be hospitalized 2-3 nights and then be discharged home for 6-8 weeks of recovery before being seen back at Columbia. After her recheck, she will begin rehab.
So my late summer and fall will be pretty busy with Marley so KK's agility career will be on hold until Marley is able to travel again. But if it means Marley will feel better, it will be all worth it.
After a 2 month break, KK and I ventured to Springfield, MO for an AKC trial on soccer turf. We have only been to 1 class during the break and I have worked her some daily on the table that has become our nemesis. She needed a break to be KK and I just needed a break. Our goals for this trial were simple. Most importantly to have a good time and for her to get on the table without bitch barking me.
Her first run of the weekend was Master FAST. She was a little excited to be back in the ring. She skipped a jump in the gamble but got the Aframe and tunnel. So I reverted to training and got her on the teeter because she has never been a confident teeter dog. Excellent JWW was going great until I slightly turned my shoulders and she came with me and got a refusal. Totally my fault. Excellent Standard she decided she must go take the Aframe again, but she got on the table on the first command. She didn't do her down on the table but she got on the table!!
Day 2 I was totally exhausted as my friend and I stayed up until 0330 talking and laughing. We started with Excellent JWW and it was a beautiful run. KK and I were totally in sync and we Q'd and finally got that Excellent JWW Title at 5.32 yps.
Excellent Standard was going well until a slightly difficult jump series at the very end. I sent her off course and then KK decided to take a few extra jumps. I looked at the stats for that run. In the 8in category, the Q rate was 80% while in the 20in category, the Q rate was 25%. Clearly the faster dogs had more trouble with the crunchy jump series.
Day 3 in Master Jumpers, KK dropped a bar early so I went into training mode and we worked on her distance work. We finished up the weekend in Excellent Standard where she finally got her Excellent Standard Title. Her table was a little iffy but I never receive a gift from the agility gods but today I did. She did give me a few bitch barks but she finished with a great 'go on' and completed the run at 3.4 yps.
It was a great trial for us! Hands down it was the most fun I've had at an agility trial ever. A good non agility friend came with us and we laughed so much everyday that our stomachs hurt. She kept the trial light for me and kept my stress level down. I tend to let my mind wander and get stressed at trials and she kept me very grounded.
Next week we are going to a 4 day AKC trial in Monroe. Our goals will be simple. For Miss KK to get on the table and for us to work on our distance. And to be laid back and have FUN!!
Marley has been having some hip popping and stiff walking. I put her back on daily Rimadyl a few weeks back. I took her in for hip X-rays 2 weeks ago. Her left hip has deteriorated some and my vet thinks we are at the point of surgical intervention. He doesn't want her on the treadmill anymore and added a mild narcotic as needed.
I had her X-rays sent to Columbia for a second opinion. They reviewed them and want to see her. We have an appointment set up for an evaluation with surgery scheduled for the next morning. I can't lie. When I saw the words 'surgery' in print, my stomach turned over. I've always known this day would come and I know it's in her best interest but it's still hard. But it's harder to see her playing and then just crawl under the table and sleep all evening and then hear her hips popping when she gets up. It's hard to medicate her everyday and to restrict her activity when she just wants to be Marley. I just want my best blue eyed girl to be happy and pain free.
KK and I have been on an agility hiatus since we came back from Shreveport in April. I was honestly a little tired of agility and I had been pushing KK so hard, that I decided to let her just be a puppy for awhile. Plus it gave me time to regroup and decide on some training goals for her.
I started her on the treadmill at a brisk pace everyday for 10 minutes. Marley does a leisurely walk for about 10 minutes. I'm trying to keep Marley active and thin for her hips. KK is carrying a little bit of weight and I'm trying to trim her down some.
We ventured out to the agility field last night and I actually got out the weaves and the chute. We did some short sequences and she was happy to be working again...the tuna brownies helped too! I let Marley do some short sequences too minus the weave poles. She was so happy.
Tonight I worked on layering with KK and trying to speed up her contacts. Once again she was a little worker. I need to write out a daily training plan for her and implement it. I know I need to be consistent with her training and her criteria. I did enter her in an AKC trial at the end of June, so we will see how that goes.
Marley wanted to play again tonight. She was so happy and wanting to work. I let her do the chute and lowered AFrame and DW. Some low jumps. No weaves. She will never weave again. I couldn't help but wonder what if. What if she didn't have hip dysplasia? What if I could have kept her healthy? What if I could have done something different when she was a puppy. What if?? But it just wasn't in the cards for us.
Marley is back on daily Rimadyl. She's having some hip popping and taking short steps. She's also slow to get up. I don't want to have to make medical decisions about her. I'm not ready to make those decisions. I don't want her to have to take daily pain meds. I don't want her to be in pain. I want her to be healthy. But is just wasn't meant to be.
