I have always said I would never travel far for an AKC agility trial. Well I am eating my words. Marley and I are venturing to Monroe, LA this weekend for 2 days of AKC agility. Just want to play and see what she does.
I have decided that Marley will no longer do agility in a class setting. It's detrimental to her psychologically. She's a very sensitive dog and she deserves a mom that will stand up for her! So I am. We will do privates and will work with KK at the same time. Marley was so happy on the field today. A totally different dog than last Tuesday!
KK is trying to bark when Marley is running agility at private lessons. You can bet that will be short lived. I will not tolerate barking. She can be alert and watching but she better be quiet.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
RETIREMENT
I have been contemplating retiring Marley from agility for the past several months. She's a gamer. Doesn't do well in practice but usually does pretty good in trials. We may have our bobbles but Marley always has fun.
I hate that I am even considering retiring her at age 4. She's running in Masters in USDAA and Excellent in AKC. She has her CD and RA and RN in AKC. Plus her CGC.
The reason I'm even at this point is that we have encountered the most aggressive, out of control dogs I have ever seen in the past few months. At one trial, a dog was lunging and snapping at every dog it passed. The handler drug the dog still snapping onto the course and preceeded to run the dog.. IN PAIRS, no less. I could not believe the judge didn't excuse it. The handler acted like nothing was out of the ordinary.
Marley is a super sensitive dog. She completely shuts down when she's around barking and lunging dogs. I deliberately crate her off in a corner at trials where it's quieter. I take her out frequently and let her explore without other dogs around. If someone crates their barking dog near me and doesn't cover the crate, I will do it for them. How in the world people can sit and let their dog bark constantly is beyond me! I may let my dogs have lots of freedom in the house but I DO NOT ALLOW BARKING. My dog should bark to alert me if something is amiss, not just bark for the hell of it.
My dog shouldn't have to suffer because other people have out of control dogs. People have made some very derogatory remarks about Marley over the past years. I have decided I will return the favor. So if you have an out of control dog, I will point it out to you.
All that being said, I haven't decided to retire Marley officially, but I am seriously considering it.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
REMEMBER EVERY RUN!
As everyone knows, agility is a great hobby of mine. No, I don't have aspirations of earning a ADCH, MACH or being on a world team. Don't get me wrong, an ADCH has crossed my mind, but that's not why we do agility. We do agility because we enjoy it and it is an excellent outlet for Marley's energy.
My greatest joy is knowing that the dog I run came from a kill shelter and I saved her life the day I went down her kennel row. Yes, she has had some problems but those issues are a distant memory. I no longer worry that she might get 'snarky' with another dog. I don't have to grab her at the finish line and drag her by another dogs because she has issues. I don't have to completely cover her crate to block her view of other dogs because she is reactive. I see that all the time at trials and I actually feel sorry for the dog being put into a situation where it feels it has to react. I wish more owners would recognize the fact that their dog has issues and work on those issues.
Yes, I run a dog that has bilateral HD and painful feet at times. But rest assure, Marley is under the best veterinary care possible. I monitor her daily and minimize her training and trialing. Based upon her diagnoses, her career will likely be short. But I will remember every run I have with her! Good or bad. Just the fact that I get to run with such a fantastic dog is amazing! I may get upset with her performance at times, but I am enjoying every run. She may not Q or place, but Marley doens't know that. She just knows I am happy with her at the end of our run and that's why she does it. FOR ME!
Recently I decided to get another performance dog. Going to a breeder crossed my mind, but rescue is where my heart is. Once again, the dog I adopted came from a kill shelter. I love that my dogs are so different looking from every other breed running agility. The gate steward always knows Marley's name after the second run. Who can forget a blue eyed, blonde??
We have already started Kalea-Kate's training at 16 weeks old. She ran a full size dog walk with a hit contact her first night. She will be a fast learner and I am excited to have a puppy to train. I will continue to train Marley as long as she wants to continue to run.
Ribbons and placements are fun but running with your dog is the real reward! I will REMEMBER EVERY RUN I have with Marley!
My greatest joy is knowing that the dog I run came from a kill shelter and I saved her life the day I went down her kennel row. Yes, she has had some problems but those issues are a distant memory. I no longer worry that she might get 'snarky' with another dog. I don't have to grab her at the finish line and drag her by another dogs because she has issues. I don't have to completely cover her crate to block her view of other dogs because she is reactive. I see that all the time at trials and I actually feel sorry for the dog being put into a situation where it feels it has to react. I wish more owners would recognize the fact that their dog has issues and work on those issues.
Yes, I run a dog that has bilateral HD and painful feet at times. But rest assure, Marley is under the best veterinary care possible. I monitor her daily and minimize her training and trialing. Based upon her diagnoses, her career will likely be short. But I will remember every run I have with her! Good or bad. Just the fact that I get to run with such a fantastic dog is amazing! I may get upset with her performance at times, but I am enjoying every run. She may not Q or place, but Marley doens't know that. She just knows I am happy with her at the end of our run and that's why she does it. FOR ME!
Recently I decided to get another performance dog. Going to a breeder crossed my mind, but rescue is where my heart is. Once again, the dog I adopted came from a kill shelter. I love that my dogs are so different looking from every other breed running agility. The gate steward always knows Marley's name after the second run. Who can forget a blue eyed, blonde??
We have already started Kalea-Kate's training at 16 weeks old. She ran a full size dog walk with a hit contact her first night. She will be a fast learner and I am excited to have a puppy to train. I will continue to train Marley as long as she wants to continue to run.
Ribbons and placements are fun but running with your dog is the real reward! I will REMEMBER EVERY RUN I have with Marley!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
MARLEY IS 4 TODAY!!
Happy Birthday to my baby Marley Ann! Sweet, blue eyes is 4 today! Her present was a new baby sister, Kalea-Kate. She loves her baby sister so much. The 2 of them play constantly. Tug and chase are their favorites. Marley is so good with Kalea-Kate. She knows KK is smaller and will patiently be the tug post and then every so often she has to have a turn tugging and will drag KK across the room!! I'm so proud that Marley is doing so well with KK and her previous dog issues are now just a distant memory. Marley has turned into a wonderful, happy, well behaved dog and I love her so much. My mom loved her MarMar too and would have loved to see her play with KK.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
2011 REVIEW
2011 was a year of highs and lows for me. I started out the year by recovering from surgery where I had an open wound in my back for close to 2 months. Then I broke my hand and Marley got diagnosed with a chronic lower GI condition all in the same week.
Just 2 months later Molly became very ill and lost 20% of her body weight. Then Marley got bit by a water moccasin and was out of agility for about 2 weeks. Then she had a hip flare up and was out of agility again. During this time my mom was in and out of the hospital. I was at a trial in MS when my mom became real ill and we had to race back to AR in the middle of the nite.
Marley had a severe hip flare up in August and was out of agility again. Through it all, Marley remained a happy girl. Then my mom unexpectedly died and my world fell apart. Then towards the end of 2011, Marley sprained her front leg and she sat out of agility again.
Although 2011 was a rocky ride for me, we had some great moments. Marley finished 10 agility titles, 2 rally titles and her 1st obedience title. She also got her 1st Snooker Super Q winning the entire class and earned her 1st Steeplechase Qualifying round. I wonder what we could have done if we had both had a healthy year.
Molly and Missy are both healthy and happy. They enjoy their daily outings into the woods to explore.
Here's to hoping 2012 is OUR YEAR and things go positively for us.
Just 2 months later Molly became very ill and lost 20% of her body weight. Then Marley got bit by a water moccasin and was out of agility for about 2 weeks. Then she had a hip flare up and was out of agility again. During this time my mom was in and out of the hospital. I was at a trial in MS when my mom became real ill and we had to race back to AR in the middle of the nite.
Marley had a severe hip flare up in August and was out of agility again. Through it all, Marley remained a happy girl. Then my mom unexpectedly died and my world fell apart. Then towards the end of 2011, Marley sprained her front leg and she sat out of agility again.
Although 2011 was a rocky ride for me, we had some great moments. Marley finished 10 agility titles, 2 rally titles and her 1st obedience title. She also got her 1st Snooker Super Q winning the entire class and earned her 1st Steeplechase Qualifying round. I wonder what we could have done if we had both had a healthy year.
Molly and Missy are both healthy and happy. They enjoy their daily outings into the woods to explore.
Here's to hoping 2012 is OUR YEAR and things go positively for us.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
THE DARKEST TIME OF MY LIFE
I know this blog is title Life with Marley, but really it's a blog about me. I haven't blogged in awhile because my world fell apart on the afternoon of Friday, September 23 at 2pm.
I was putting the last bags in my RAV preparing to take Marley to Louisiana for an agility trial. My dad had come over to pick up Molly and Missy to take them home for the weekend while I was gone. The phone rang and it was the hospital telling us that my mom, who had been hospitalized with pneumonia, was having some respiratory difficulty and some confusion. They wanted to let us know that they were transferring her to ICU. Just minutes later we received another phone call telling us my mom was 'coding' and did we want them to continue a 'full code'? I told them yes. We quickly called my parents' pastor and he left to go to the hospital to be with my mom. We threw my agility stuff out of the RAV, put the girls in and we left. It was a 2 1/2 hour drive filled with shock and tears. The hospital called a bit later and told us my mom had a heart beat back after 20 minutes of 'coding'.
We arrived at the hospital to find my mom on a ventilator and unresponsive. It was a difficult weekend and on Monday, September 26 we took my mom off the ventilator and she peacefully went home to Jesus. It was a painful time but we were surrounded by my mom's many friends and relatives. We had a wonderful turnout for her visitation and funeral. Her funeral service reminded me of the many special friendships she had throughout her life. The message was comforting to me because I know that she was loved by so many.
My girls looked for my mom while she was in the hospital. They ran into the house and checked her recliner and then ran to look for her in the computer room. It broke my heart because they didn't understand where my mom was. After my mom died, we took them to the funeral home. I took them in one by one to see and smell my mom's body. Molly went first. I picked her up and she got excited when she first saw my mom. I put her close and she looked at her and smelled her and then she turned her head back to me. Missy caught on sooner and once she got close to the casket she pulled herself back into me. Marley was a bit more of a challenge. She was a little bit harder to get picked up and get close to my mom. She too got excited when she saw my mom and she immediately caught on. It may sound morbid to some, but for me it helped me. I didn't want my girls to just wonder what happened to my mom, I wanted them to know. When we got home, Molly got in my mom's recliner and tried to bite 2 people who got too close to her while she was in the recliner. Ever since then, whenever we go to my dad's house, Molly sleeps in my mom's recliner.
There have been so many mornings since my mom died that it is all I can do to get up in the morning. I try to put on a somewhat happy face and go about my day when in reality all I want to do is get back in bed and stay there. It has been the darkest time of my life. I have tried to carry on with my life but it is so hard. I have attempted to trial Marley a few times since my mom's death with varying degrees of success. My heart just isn't into it. I hope with time things get better for me.
My mom always looked forward to the girl's blog and I would always call her when one of the girls had been on the computer. Makes me sad that she can't read about her grand dogs.
I was putting the last bags in my RAV preparing to take Marley to Louisiana for an agility trial. My dad had come over to pick up Molly and Missy to take them home for the weekend while I was gone. The phone rang and it was the hospital telling us that my mom, who had been hospitalized with pneumonia, was having some respiratory difficulty and some confusion. They wanted to let us know that they were transferring her to ICU. Just minutes later we received another phone call telling us my mom was 'coding' and did we want them to continue a 'full code'? I told them yes. We quickly called my parents' pastor and he left to go to the hospital to be with my mom. We threw my agility stuff out of the RAV, put the girls in and we left. It was a 2 1/2 hour drive filled with shock and tears. The hospital called a bit later and told us my mom had a heart beat back after 20 minutes of 'coding'.
We arrived at the hospital to find my mom on a ventilator and unresponsive. It was a difficult weekend and on Monday, September 26 we took my mom off the ventilator and she peacefully went home to Jesus. It was a painful time but we were surrounded by my mom's many friends and relatives. We had a wonderful turnout for her visitation and funeral. Her funeral service reminded me of the many special friendships she had throughout her life. The message was comforting to me because I know that she was loved by so many.
My girls looked for my mom while she was in the hospital. They ran into the house and checked her recliner and then ran to look for her in the computer room. It broke my heart because they didn't understand where my mom was. After my mom died, we took them to the funeral home. I took them in one by one to see and smell my mom's body. Molly went first. I picked her up and she got excited when she first saw my mom. I put her close and she looked at her and smelled her and then she turned her head back to me. Missy caught on sooner and once she got close to the casket she pulled herself back into me. Marley was a bit more of a challenge. She was a little bit harder to get picked up and get close to my mom. She too got excited when she saw my mom and she immediately caught on. It may sound morbid to some, but for me it helped me. I didn't want my girls to just wonder what happened to my mom, I wanted them to know. When we got home, Molly got in my mom's recliner and tried to bite 2 people who got too close to her while she was in the recliner. Ever since then, whenever we go to my dad's house, Molly sleeps in my mom's recliner.
There have been so many mornings since my mom died that it is all I can do to get up in the morning. I try to put on a somewhat happy face and go about my day when in reality all I want to do is get back in bed and stay there. It has been the darkest time of my life. I have tried to carry on with my life but it is so hard. I have attempted to trial Marley a few times since my mom's death with varying degrees of success. My heart just isn't into it. I hope with time things get better for me.
My mom always looked forward to the girl's blog and I would always call her when one of the girls had been on the computer. Makes me sad that she can't read about her grand dogs.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
ANOTHER STEP BACK
Marley has been having some hip stiffness recently. I noticed she appeared stiff after playing outside one evening. She was also 2 or 3 leg walking on the treadmill. I chaulked that up to being smart and finding a way to avoid her treadmill time. The few times we did practice agility over our break, she knocked a few bars which is so unlike her. I can count on 1 hand the bars she's knocked in a trial. So I decided to take her in for a check up on her hips.
Our regular vet did Xrays. Her hip dysplasia has worsened and he feels that her time in agility in short. He brought up surgical interventions. I was so not prepared for that.
After a cryfest that evening, I decided to take Marley for a second opinion. This vet feels that yes, her HD has worsened but that we aren't at a surgical intervention yet. She feels that Marley is suffering from panosteitis in both femurs. She recommended rest and Rimadyl for a week and bring her back for a recheck.
I took both Molly and Marley for some chiropractic/accupuncture treatments. I had that vet look at Marley's xrays. Same thing, the HD is worse. But, she doesn't think Marley has pano. She thinks Marley landed wrong and acutely injured her hips. She did tell me to rest and Rimadyl for a week.
If you have ever had the pleasure of meeting Marley, then you know what a pain it is to activity restrict her! She has gotten the zoomies a few times in the house, but for the most part she's been a good girl!
We are keeping our fingers and paws crossed for good news tomorrow. I just don't want Marley to be in pain. She's such a great dog and she deserves to be happy and healthy. Also hoping that she can return to agility.
Our regular vet did Xrays. Her hip dysplasia has worsened and he feels that her time in agility in short. He brought up surgical interventions. I was so not prepared for that.
After a cryfest that evening, I decided to take Marley for a second opinion. This vet feels that yes, her HD has worsened but that we aren't at a surgical intervention yet. She feels that Marley is suffering from panosteitis in both femurs. She recommended rest and Rimadyl for a week and bring her back for a recheck.
I took both Molly and Marley for some chiropractic/accupuncture treatments. I had that vet look at Marley's xrays. Same thing, the HD is worse. But, she doesn't think Marley has pano. She thinks Marley landed wrong and acutely injured her hips. She did tell me to rest and Rimadyl for a week.
If you have ever had the pleasure of meeting Marley, then you know what a pain it is to activity restrict her! She has gotten the zoomies a few times in the house, but for the most part she's been a good girl!
We are keeping our fingers and paws crossed for good news tomorrow. I just don't want Marley to be in pain. She's such a great dog and she deserves to be happy and healthy. Also hoping that she can return to agility.
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