Winding Down February

Once again we are in the middle of freezing temperatures - one minute you think spring is coming, the next we are in the Arctic freeze. With the combination of cold weather, and working away from home, there is not much in the way of training dogs. May will be here soon, and am planning to go to the Bluegrass with Louanne Twa, and really want my dogs ready. Gin is looking a bit potty these days, due to whelp in later March, so no training will be done on her until likely a week before Bluegrass. With Floss, I try as much as I can to get some more miles on her - she seems to be on an incline in the learning department which is nice - but I always await for that proverbial brick wall in which I hit all of the time with training dogs.

I have decided I may let go of Creed-but jury is still out-in a year's time I will have too many dogs to run once again. Mitch just turned a year, and really like him, and he is a real handsome devil, and Lyn, who is only 4 months old now, but it won't be long and I will be saying she is a year and ready to train, and I should keep a Gin/Don pup. I think a perfect number to run is 2 open dogs, with a nursery dog in the wings or a pro-novice dog working for open competition. But then, I shouldn't put any carts before any horses - the young dogs haven't proven themselves yet, so maybe I shouldn't let go of Creed prematurely. I do think he will do fairly well this year - he does his best to listen, and think if a dog really is your partner, they will do their best for you. I was working him with cattle last week, and was quite pleased with him. I may have to sleep on it.

Laura Hicks and Jaimie Spring asked me to judge their trials in late September - so with their trial, the whole month of September is a wash - from going to Soldier Hollow at the beginning of September, to going to England for the World's (of which I am starting to make plans now, since Gin's rabies titres came back at good levels), there isn't much left of that month to work. So in the meantime, we will work as much as we can, and save a few pennies along the way so that I can take off September without any guilt. Perhaps a sponsor is in order- I wonder. I think Mohawk or Exxon should sponsor me since I have filled their wallets over the last 10 years. Or perhaps Jeep, or maybe Ford. Or Michelin tires. There are endless possibilities. Maybe the province of Saskatchewan will do it. Maybe Broad View Mobile Veterinary Services will do it - hey, wait, that's me.