Awww...What Is That?!

Here's the strangest Animal Control call of last week:

Peacocks in the Park -- absolutely scandalous!

These girls have been seen around the beaches for a few weeks. However, they just recently came to my tiny beach town -- and the residents are losing their ever-loving minds. I'm getting calls about the hens ten times a day. I can only imagine the pandemonium if there was a beautiful -- and noisy -- male running around as well.

Wildlife is outside of my expertise. I contacted the Florida Wildlife Commission (FWC) and was told that peacocks are considered native to the state and we are to just leave them alone. Apparently, this answer isn't good enough for some people and they're pissed that I'm not doing anything.

Fun Fact: Peacocks read signs better than many of our residents

This picture was sent to me by Code Enforcement and I'm still laughing. It seems that the peacocks are tired of being harassed. They were seen heading toward the police department, no doubt to make a complaint to Animal Control. This job is never boring

So, did the peacock story make you giggle? I hope so! It's Awww...Monday, where a group of bloggers come together to brighten the start of your work week. Click around below and see what others are sharing. Thank you Sandee for putting this together each week. Happy Monday! -- K

We're Back

We're back from South Carolina. The AKC Show Committee Seminar was informative and overwhelming. I was given tons of paperwork. In addition to a handout of the PowerPoint, I came home with a bag full of official AKC rule booklets:

• Rules Applying to Dog Shows
• Rules, Policies and Guidelines for Conformation Dog Show Judges
• Dog Show Stewards
• Junior Showmanship
• Rules Applying to Registration and Discipline
• Dealing with Misconduct
• Match Regulations
• Obedience Regulations
• Obedience Judges' Guidelines
• The Steward in Obedience
• AKC Rally Regulations
• Rally Judges' Guidelines
• The Steward in Rally
• Rally Signs and Descriptions

To be honest, it's some dry reading. I'm going to sort out all the paperwork next weekend. And it appears that I'll to have to print out the 197 page 2017 AKC Show Manual myself. Unfortunately, that wasn't included in the ton of paperwork.

I learned a lot at the seminar. I also discovered that there's a lot more I need to learn. Ugh. But all in all, I'm glad I went. I met some very nice -- and more experienced -- people from other clubs. Each gave us a card and offered assistance via email. One woman told me that she had signed up this seminar three times in the past and it had been canceled each time. I guess RK, VP and I were lucky to get in first try.

After the seminar Hubby and I went to my favorite aunt's house. (Love you Auntie!) We spent time with my aunt, uncle, cousins and some friends who moved to SC several years ago. I also got to meet Rosie the White. (I'll tell you all about her in another post.)

On Saturday morning Hubby and I returned to the TD Convention Center to catch part of the dog show. GSDs were in the ring at 8 AM and I didn't want to miss them. I have priorities! Auntie went with us and I think she had a good time. I was able to narrate and answer questions, hopefully making it more enjoyable for her. I love dog shows and it's fun for me to share with others.

It's been a busy weekend and I'm exhausted. I need to unpack and watch Game of Thrones (again, priorities!) before heading off to bed. I have some fun stories to share later, so make sure to come back soon. TTFN, -- K

Road Trip!

True story!

Hubby and I are getting up before dawn tomorrow and driving six hours to South Carolina. Why? So I can attend a four hour seminar on dog shows at the TD Convention Center in Greenville, SC. (Yes, the math seems a little off. Fortunately, I have family there and we're turning it into a mini-vacation.)

This event has a fancy schmancy name: AKC Show Committee Seminar -- Symposium for Show Committees. It's being sponsored by the American Kennel Club, the Greenville Kennel Club and the Piedmont Kennel Club. I hope it's not a waste of time and money. BTW, it's not a free seminar. Did I mention that the AKC doesn't make things easy?

Learn, Baby, Learn!

RK and VP are meeting us in SC to take the seminar as well. We're hoping that this will better prepare us for the German Shepherd Dog Club of North Florida specialty (conformation) shows in April. Topics to be presented include:

• AKC Paperwork Made Easy
• Attracting New Exhibitors
• Communications Between Clubs & Judges
• Event Hearings
• Judging Contracts
• New Programs
• Premium List
• Rules and Regulations
• Show Site Planning
• Superintendent/Secretary Selection

I'm excited. And a bit anxious. I'll share what I've learned when I get back. -- K

Chillin'

Jedi and I arrived at nosework class early last week. We passed the time with a photoshoot. Class meets at a doggie daycare tucked between the freeway and skeezy motel. Who would have thought I'd find this gorgeous backdrop?

I'd tell you all about it, but it's Wordless Wednesday! Hop around below and see what others are sharing today. -- K

Busy, Busy, Busy

Look what came today!

We actually passed the test a month ago, but still . . . I'm so freakin' excited! I keep all Jedi's certificates in a binder, much like I keep all his ribbons in a box. I enjoy pulling them out to reminisce and wonder where we'll a year from now.

Fall is just around the corner and various dog trials are starting up again. I scoured several sites (including Infodog, UKC and BHA) to made a calendar. I wanted to see what was being offered where. I'm trying to see what Jedi and I should do next. It's tough! There are multiple things to do every weekend from October to April.

• In October there's a UKC nosework trial in Ocala. We need to pick up one Novice Container leg to earn our Novice Nosework (NN) title. We also need one leg to earn our Novice Handler Discrimination (NHD) title. I think both elements are being offered at that trial!
• Rumor has it that an AKC Scent Work trial will be offered in Ocala sometime in December. I definitely want to do that.
• My favorite training site will host monthly Barn Hunt trials starting in October. We only need two legs to earn our Open Barn Hunt (RATO) title.
• There will be several Rally trials nearby in the next eight months as well. I'd love to try for our Rally Novice (RN) title. The Tuesday Training crew has been working so hard on it.
• My GSD club is hosting conformation shows in April. As I mentioned earlier, I'm kinda on the planning committee for that!
• And somewhere along the way the GSD club wants to hold both an AKC Scent and Go and an AKC Scent Work trial.

Holy cow, I can already feel my weekends (and money) slipping away. Oh well, at least I'll have something to blog about. See you at the show! -- K

Awww...Bath Time

My dogs are allowed on the furniture. I enjoy snuggling on the couch while watching Dr. Pol and taking afternoon naps with the A/C cranked up. What I don't like, however, is the dirty dog smell. Sharing living spaces with the dogs requires a little work to keep the stink away. This includes:

• Washable furniture covers
• Changing the sheets often
• A vacuum cleaner that really sucks (I have a Dyson)
• And regular baths for the dogs

I wash the dogs about once a month, more as needed. I have a grooming table and forced air dryer and usually do it in my back yard. However, about a year ago we had a Pet Supplies Plus open up in town and they have a self-service dog wash. It's awesome! For $15 I can wash and blow out both dogs. The store provides all the amenities and they clean up the mess. Hubby went with me last week. Instead of helping, he took pictures. These are the best ones. He was laughing so hard at Jedi's fussing that most of the pictures were blurry.

The raised tub is perfect for my back and everything I need is right there

Jedi is very vocal at bath time. Everyone in the store comes by to

see what's going on. He's howling in this picture.

Roxy watched Jedi get his bath. I'd swear she was laughing at him too!

Ah, clean dogs! Much better. It's Awww...Monday. This is a hop where various bloggers try to brighten your Monday with Awww-inspiring posts. Click around below and see what others are sharing today. A big thanks to Sandee over at Comedy Plus for hosting this hop. -- K

Still Sniffing

K9NWSource has the AKC target odors!

It’s been a while since I’ve talked about nosework. Don’t worry, we haven’t quit! In fact, we’re plugging along nicely. Trainer is incorporating the new AKC Scent Work rules into our Thursday night classes. What does this mean?

• We’ve added another odor -- Cypress (which replaced peppermint). Jedi is still working Sweet Birch (level 1 AKC/UKC/NACSW), Aniseed (level 2 AKC/UKC/NACSW), Clovebud (level 3 AKC/UKC/NACSW), Myrrh (level 4 UKC) and Vetiver (level 5 UKC). Yep, my dog smells!


• We’ve added another element -- odor buried in dirt. Only AKC has this element. All three organizations (AKC/UKC/NACSW) have interior, exterior and container searches as well. UKC and NACSW also have vehicle searches whereas AKC does not.


• We’re practicing handler discrimination. Jedi has to find something with my scent on it. UKC does this too, but they always use cotton gloves hidden in boxes. At UKC level 1, Jedi has to find a box with my glove in it while all other boxes are empty. As UKC levels increase, gloves scented by other people are added to the other boxes. AKC went a different direction. Level 1 is still cotton gloves and boxes. However, as levels increase the handler's scent is put on cotton balls or Q-tips and hidden like the odors.


• We’re learning to pinpoint the location of the odor. During competition a judge can require a handler to point out where the odor is hidden. The handler's guess must be within 6 inches of the actual location. The acceptable margin of error decreases as the competition level increases. Gulp.

Jedi says the odor is in THIS box

The Scent Work Club of Ocala is holding a Scent and Go (same concept as a Show and Go) next month. It's being judged by the standards of the new AKC Scent Work program and is offering all five elements (interior, exterior, containers, buried and handler discrimination). Despite it being on a Sunday (my regular work day) and a two hour drive, I signed up. The club shooting for an AKC Scent Work trial in December and I want to be ready.

The Nosework and Rally Club of North Florida is holding UKC trails in Ocala this October. I'm going to enter. Yes, I plan to compete in both AKC and UKC. They are similar enough that Jedi should have no problem. Jedi's job is: Find odor, tell Mom, wait for treat. I'm the one who has to worry about the rules.

Even more terrifying exciting, the German Shepherd Dog Club of North Florida has received licensing to hold official AKC Scent Work trials. We're working with Trainer to see if we can make this happen. RK and I are already working to put on a conformation show -- do we really need this stress too? Yes, yes we do. We're currently scouting out areas to hold a Scent and Go and a Scent Work Trial. We're also brainstorming on ways to encourage other club members to get involved. Any ideas?

So my friends, keep following. One of two things will happen: I will pull this off or I'll implode. Either way, it'll be epic! Later, -- K