I don't really even know how to describe the hole that losing Koira has left in my heart and in my life.
Monday, October 12, 2020
Koira Martini Girl CGC MBDCh FMX CA TF RATI IRONDOG December 2007 - August 2020
Koira was happy and enjoying every minute of every day right up until the last. Hemangiosarcoma is a horrible disease, and we had to say goodbye abruptly, and well before I was ready.
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
ONYX 20,000 Points
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Over the summer, Ptera became my first dog to earn a title plaque with 20,000 points, which is the ONYX.
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We spent the year racing as much as possible, and chasing points. Ptera loves racing, and loves flyball. This year has been slow so far, with just one tournament in January, and nothing planned for a few months. (If the Covid-19 thing keeps ramping up, we may not have any tournaments for longer. At least one in our region has already been cancelled.)
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But, we had already decided to take the year off a bit, and do less traveling. We are hoping to go to a California tournament this year to run with Hot Rod Hounds in their own region, since they have come up to run with us quite a few times.
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I'm hoping this year is going to be a great one of stepping back, working on our training and just enjoying doing things like hiking and training new fun things.
Friday, January 17, 2020
January Snow
We got snow this week.
The forecast said we wouldn't, but at 3 am our power went out, and when I got up in the morning, there was enough snow to decide to stay home rather than risking the roads, especially with a winter weather advisory in effect all day.
With the power out, once it was light, the best thing to do seemed to be taking the dogs out for a walk. We often walk in the forest just across the road from us, owned by a timber company, so it seemed like a good destination.
Koira is 12, but feeling young and spunky most of the time. (You can see her wearing a Marco Polo radio tracker in these photos, because she went missing for 5 days over the summer and we're not taking chances.)
Neither of the girls likes the snow much in and of itself, but they are always up for a hike as long as they don't get too cold.
They both really enjoyed catching snowballs (I ran out of cookies). It does chill them a bit, but we were close to home.
We were out for about an hour, and the girls were ready to be inside and warm next to the fire by the time we were done. It also started snowing pretty heavy right as we got home, so it was pretty good timing.
With the sun peaking through the clouds, and a mist over everything, the lighting was amazing.
The forecast said we wouldn't, but at 3 am our power went out, and when I got up in the morning, there was enough snow to decide to stay home rather than risking the roads, especially with a winter weather advisory in effect all day.
With the power out, once it was light, the best thing to do seemed to be taking the dogs out for a walk. We often walk in the forest just across the road from us, owned by a timber company, so it seemed like a good destination.
Koira is 12, but feeling young and spunky most of the time. (You can see her wearing a Marco Polo radio tracker in these photos, because she went missing for 5 days over the summer and we're not taking chances.)
Neither of the girls likes the snow much in and of itself, but they are always up for a hike as long as they don't get too cold.
They both really enjoyed catching snowballs (I ran out of cookies). It does chill them a bit, but we were close to home.
We were out for about an hour, and the girls were ready to be inside and warm next to the fire by the time we were done. It also started snowing pretty heavy right as we got home, so it was pretty good timing.
With the sun peaking through the clouds, and a mist over everything, the lighting was amazing.
Monday, April 22, 2019
Koira Iron Dog
Koira earned her Iron Dog title (ten consecutive years racing NAFA flyball) this past fall. At the most recent tournament, we were awarded her official title plaque.
My awesome friend had her photo studio set up at a dog show, and let me use her set up to get these awesome photos of Koira with her plaque before we tore down at the end of the weekend. I don't normally shoot with flash, but Koira didn't seem to mind much.
This is the first plaque any of my dogs have earned in any sport, and for it to be Koira's Iron Dog means so much. I'm hopeful that Ptera will be earning a plaque-worthy title this year as well, but I don't know that it could possibly mean as much as this one.
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My awesome friend had her photo studio set up at a dog show, and let me use her set up to get these awesome photos of Koira with her plaque before we tore down at the end of the weekend. I don't normally shoot with flash, but Koira didn't seem to mind much.
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This is the first plaque any of my dogs have earned in any sport, and for it to be Koira's Iron Dog means so much. I'm hopeful that Ptera will be earning a plaque-worthy title this year as well, but I don't know that it could possibly mean as much as this one.
Thursday, April 18, 2019
Holi Beach Trial Run
My latest post was sharing the (frankly fabulous) photos we got of our dogs doing flyball box turns accented with Holi powder.
We did take a beach trip the week before to try to work out some of the kinks of shooting with this material, preparing for the final flyball shoot.
My fabulous teammate Fiona humored me by meeting me at a beach way too far away from her house and then by getting covered in powder handling all of the dogs. Holi powder is really, really bad for camera equipment, so she basically had to do all of the dog and powder stuff- because once there was a little powder on the dogs, it was just everywhere.
Koira even came along to the beach to help with this. She thought it was a pretty stupid waste of a beach trip, broke a chuck-it in half with one chomp, and mostly ignored what we wanted her to do, but I love this shot I ended up with of her.
Ptera got the fully-engulfed photo, which I think turned out great. There was a steep learning curve both with shooting and with applying the powder, so the photos we got I think turned out great.
Flight demoed his cute jumping form and total lack of retrieve, going after the toy over the log each time only to take off towards the dunes, drop the ball somewhere, then come try to get powder all over the camera. He is cute, and sweet, but man, someone needs to train him or something.
Angus, Fiona's dog, I think had the best powder effect of all the dogs. This shoot really has that almost flame appearance that I really like in Holi shoots.
Overall, it was a really fun day, with a very steep learning curve. Our photoshoot the following weekend wouldn't have gone nearly so well without this afternoon spent at the beach!
We did take a beach trip the week before to try to work out some of the kinks of shooting with this material, preparing for the final flyball shoot.
My fabulous teammate Fiona humored me by meeting me at a beach way too far away from her house and then by getting covered in powder handling all of the dogs. Holi powder is really, really bad for camera equipment, so she basically had to do all of the dog and powder stuff- because once there was a little powder on the dogs, it was just everywhere.
Koira even came along to the beach to help with this. She thought it was a pretty stupid waste of a beach trip, broke a chuck-it in half with one chomp, and mostly ignored what we wanted her to do, but I love this shot I ended up with of her.
Ptera got the fully-engulfed photo, which I think turned out great. There was a steep learning curve both with shooting and with applying the powder, so the photos we got I think turned out great.
Flight demoed his cute jumping form and total lack of retrieve, going after the toy over the log each time only to take off towards the dunes, drop the ball somewhere, then come try to get powder all over the camera. He is cute, and sweet, but man, someone needs to train him or something.
Angus, Fiona's dog, I think had the best powder effect of all the dogs. This shoot really has that almost flame appearance that I really like in Holi shoots.
Overall, it was a really fun day, with a very steep learning curve. Our photoshoot the following weekend wouldn't have gone nearly so well without this afternoon spent at the beach!
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Holi Flyball!
We've been busy, and have been doing a lot since our last post. The most exciting thing is probably Flight debuting in flyball, and earning his Flyball Dog title. He still has a ways to go, but I think he'll get there eventually.
One of the most fun things we've done was a photoshoot with our flyball team. Photos with Holi powder and dogs have been getting popular lately, especially for disc and agility photoshoots, and I had been wanting to do some Holi powder flyball shots- and finally talked my flyball team into getting together to have some fun with it.
The results ended up better than I hoped! For most of these photos, the result was completely captured live through the use of powder, though the shots of Flight and Angus were composited by a flyball teammate who happens to be a graphic designer. All photos were taken by me, with the exception of the one of Flight, taken by aforementioned flyball teammate.
This actually ended up being pulled off by just three of us, with five dogs between us, as our boxloader had other plans that day, one of our teammates was on a cruise, and one is still trying to survive the first year with a baby, and isn't quite back into the flyball swing of things yet.
The dogs did fabulous, even Flight. The box was actually shooting powder out (only in the thruster behind the dogs, of course, not into their faces where the ball is loaded), which could rightfully have scared any of the dogs. Especially Flight, who is weirded out by fans and heaters. But while they were all a little confused about the set up, for the most part, they were fantastic- and Flight did better than I thought possible.
I really am thrilled with how these photos all turned out. Our team may be small, but we are fierce, and this project really brings that to light, I feel.
I did have a little fun with some photos of Flight and Ptera, and composited the two of them together into one, which turned out great.
Koira is still enjoying retirement from flyball, and while she was there this day while we put the shoot together, she stayed in the house while we worked with the young dogs, so no photos of her with Holi powder doing flyball.
One of the most fun things we've done was a photoshoot with our flyball team. Photos with Holi powder and dogs have been getting popular lately, especially for disc and agility photoshoots, and I had been wanting to do some Holi powder flyball shots- and finally talked my flyball team into getting together to have some fun with it.
The results ended up better than I hoped! For most of these photos, the result was completely captured live through the use of powder, though the shots of Flight and Angus were composited by a flyball teammate who happens to be a graphic designer. All photos were taken by me, with the exception of the one of Flight, taken by aforementioned flyball teammate.
This actually ended up being pulled off by just three of us, with five dogs between us, as our boxloader had other plans that day, one of our teammates was on a cruise, and one is still trying to survive the first year with a baby, and isn't quite back into the flyball swing of things yet.
The dogs did fabulous, even Flight. The box was actually shooting powder out (only in the thruster behind the dogs, of course, not into their faces where the ball is loaded), which could rightfully have scared any of the dogs. Especially Flight, who is weirded out by fans and heaters. But while they were all a little confused about the set up, for the most part, they were fantastic- and Flight did better than I thought possible.
I really am thrilled with how these photos all turned out. Our team may be small, but we are fierce, and this project really brings that to light, I feel.
I did have a little fun with some photos of Flight and Ptera, and composited the two of them together into one, which turned out great.
Koira is still enjoying retirement from flyball, and while she was there this day while we put the shoot together, she stayed in the house while we worked with the young dogs, so no photos of her with Holi powder doing flyball.
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
Our January Video
Our video from January.
I've been spending the past month recovering from hand surgery, which makes posting difficult. But I have so far been keeping up on our one second video every day.
I've been spending the past month recovering from hand surgery, which makes posting difficult. But I have so far been keeping up on our one second video every day.
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
Week 2
Our one second videos from the second week of the year. How has the new year been treating you so far?
Monday, January 7, 2019
Monday, December 31, 2018
Tuesday, December 25, 2018
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas! Hope it is a wonderful day, however you spend it.
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| And to all a good night! |
Monday, December 10, 2018
Happy 11th Birthday, Koira!
Koira had a relaxing day at home, celebrating by stealing an entire box of Christmas cookies (luckily dog cookies!) off the counter while I was at work. Because old dogs can do what they want.
Here's to many more years!
Here's to many more years!
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Wednesday, November 28, 2018
Koira Iron Dog
Koira came out of retirement for a weekend in November for a chance at earning the Iron Dog title. This title is awarded to dogs who earn at least one point for ten consecutive NAFA years.
Along with thirteen other dogs in our region, Koira came out to this early November tournament, the first tournament in our region for the 2019 racing year, and earned the Iron Dog title.
Tons of people got together to make this happen, including a stellar team put together of all Iron Dogs.
Koira is back in full retirement from flyball. This is the last flyball title she will earn, though we may try our hand in some other sports at some point.
Koira turns 11 in a week, and debuted in flyball in January of 2010, earning just 7 points in her first tournament. We closed the flyball book with a whopping 5 point total for her last tournament- and over 10,000 points in between!
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| Our Iron Dog team line up- all these dogs earned Iron Dog together |
Along with thirteen other dogs in our region, Koira came out to this early November tournament, the first tournament in our region for the 2019 racing year, and earned the Iron Dog title.
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| She may be slow, but she sure is happy! |
Tons of people got together to make this happen, including a stellar team put together of all Iron Dogs.
Koira is back in full retirement from flyball. This is the last flyball title she will earn, though we may try our hand in some other sports at some point.
Koira turns 11 in a week, and debuted in flyball in January of 2010, earning just 7 points in her first tournament. We closed the flyball book with a whopping 5 point total for her last tournament- and over 10,000 points in between!
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Happy Halloween!
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| Monster costumes seemed appropriate! |
Happy Halloween! Are you doing anything fun with your dogs? We did our dressing up this past weekend, so don't have any plans tonight (except to work on brushing out some mats on a new foster dog).
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| Gourds |
We got a little into the fall spirit with Pumpkin Pour Overs, from Honest Kitchen. These are basically little meal toppers that are a gravy-like consistency.
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| They make a fun stack. |
I often add pumpkin or pumpkin powder to my dogs' food, especially when traveling, because it can help with loose stools (which can be caused from traveling and excitement). These are just another fun option.
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| No, I don't have four dogs. But I do prep food for Ptera and Flight for dinner and breakfast at the same time, then put breakfast in the fridge until morning. |
Overall, my dogs were fans of these. They like pumpkin in general, and enjoyed these. The only thing I didn't like much was opening the containers. They say to rip open, but I definitely needed scissors to open them up. They are a fun way to let your dogs get in on the "pumpkin spice" craze of the fall in a way that is safe and healthy.
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| Monsters! So scary! |
Hope everyone has a great Halloween!
We were provided with the Honest Kitchen toppers from Chewy.com in exchange for our honest review, but were not compensated in any other way.
Monday, October 29, 2018
Happy National Cat Day! #chewyinfluencer
Happy National Cat Day!
If there is one thing Theodore Trex wants to get to celebrate, it is wet food. He loves wet or canned foods so much, and it is great, because they are good for him! Feeding exclusively dry food can be dehydrating to cats in particular, because they are so picky about their water. For male cats, this can contribute to problems like urine crystals.
I still feed some dry food, because it is just so easy. And I like putting it into his food dispensing toys so he gets some activity and stimulation during the day when I'm off at work. But we try to have at least one meal per day as wet food.
For October, Chewy.com sent us Pristine grain free cat food, in pouches, for Theodore Trex to try out.
Theo is really enjoying this food, and excitedly mews at me as I open the pouch and pour it into a bowl for him. He is excited enough that he has grabbed the bowl and yanked and spilled it when I go to set it down for him. Silly boy. He always licks the bowl clean, and seems to really enjoy this food.
I like that this food has a great list of quality ingredients, and is a healthy addition to my cat's diet. The pouches are reasonably convenient, which is nice. I normally pour some hot water into the pouch and shake a little to get any clinging bits out- and adding extra water for Theo doesn't hurt.
How does your cat want to celebrate?
If there is one thing Theodore Trex wants to get to celebrate, it is wet food. He loves wet or canned foods so much, and it is great, because they are good for him! Feeding exclusively dry food can be dehydrating to cats in particular, because they are so picky about their water. For male cats, this can contribute to problems like urine crystals.
I still feed some dry food, because it is just so easy. And I like putting it into his food dispensing toys so he gets some activity and stimulation during the day when I'm off at work. But we try to have at least one meal per day as wet food.
For October, Chewy.com sent us Pristine grain free cat food, in pouches, for Theodore Trex to try out.
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| Pristine grain free wet food |
Theo is really enjoying this food, and excitedly mews at me as I open the pouch and pour it into a bowl for him. He is excited enough that he has grabbed the bowl and yanked and spilled it when I go to set it down for him. Silly boy. He always licks the bowl clean, and seems to really enjoy this food.
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| Chunks with gravy |
I like that this food has a great list of quality ingredients, and is a healthy addition to my cat's diet. The pouches are reasonably convenient, which is nice. I normally pour some hot water into the pouch and shake a little to get any clinging bits out- and adding extra water for Theo doesn't hurt.
How does your cat want to celebrate?
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