Happy New Year! And I hope you had a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, or Joyous Kwanzaa. "Happy Holidays" is such a generic greeting, that I prefer to be a bit more specific.

Today, M made swedish pancakes (crepes) at her parents' place for brunch. And there was scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausage. Good stuff! Loki and Cassie had some, too. Freya stayed home, since she's a bit (lot) less laid back (read: more energetic) and might have gotten underfoot of the parents.

Times are tough, but that's also when people should support each other most. So I've made small donations to two food pantries and two animal shelters. This way I'm taking care of myself and those close to me (which you have to do, first), as well as doing a little something to help the community.

May you have a safe, happy, and prosperous year!

I'm not sure if anyone looks (or will look) at this blog anymore, but I' m ready to start posting again. The biggest reason why I stopped is because I've been really busy on two fronts lately: work and school. Both of these have something that requires attention: deadlines. Luckily, school (assignment) deadlines are not an issue anymore, because I'm finally finished (at least for now). I now have a master's degree, which is good for two things. The first is as resume material. And the second is not feeling like I haven't accomplished enough academically. This doesn't mean I can stop studying, because my field is constantly advancing. But it does mean that I can set my own deadlines with regards to study. Yea for me! :)

It's been too long since I've posted, but in my defense I've been busy .. with work, school (I'm in a Master's program which I will hopefully complete this year), more school (a welding class at the local community college), and yet more "school": I just completed the work-with-a-mentor/externship portion of Animal Behavior College's dog trainer certification program. Now I have to finish the 10 hours of volunteer work training dogs at a local shelter, which is a requirement of this program, and then take the detailed final exam.

I really enjoyed the externship portion of the ABC curriculum, and in fact I am still assisting with my mentor's group dog training classes, even though it's not required anymore. Anyway, she wrote some cool things in the "Additional Comments" section of the evaluation report she had to send in:

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‹Her master› has a natural, calm demeanor when it comes to working with dogs and people.

‹Her master› had an extremely good attitude that followed his intense enthusiasm.

‹Her master› is one of the best students I have had the honor of training.

I believe in time, ABC would benefit to hire ‹her master› as a mentor trainer.
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I really like that last comment :)

M and I did the eight mile walk around the woods this past weekend. With the dogs, of course. I had her take the dogs for a minute, so that I could take a picture of her, the pups, and the trees. It was a beautiful day, if a bit cold. The trees, with their leaves changing color, were a sight to see.

For those who think it's just a "dog eat dog" world:

Dog saves owner, but dies trying to rescue cat

Disabled woman suffers third-degree burns in Wisconsin house blaze

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. - After a disabled woman’s cat started a house fire, her specially trained dog came to the rescue, then died trying unsuccessfully to rescue the cat.

Jamie Hanson said her 13-year-old dog Jesse brought her artificial leg and a phone she used to call 911.

“She got me outside and then she heard the cat upstairs and she went up there to get the cat and she wouldn’t come back to me,” Hanson, 49, said at a news conference Monday at Aurora Sheboygan Memorial Medical Center, where she was being treated for her injuries.

She received third-degree arm burns in the fire Sunday night at her home in Rhine, south of Elkhart Lake. Both pets died.

Hanson, who lost a leg in a car accident three years ago, said she was on the couch watching television when the cat ran over the back of the couch.

“And he jumped onto a table that had a candle on it and tipped it over and lighted the artificial plants on fire,” she said.

Hanson said she fell off the couch and was unable to get her artificial leg from the table, “so my dog got my leg for me and went and got the phone and brought the phone to me so I could call 911.”

© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Okay, yes, the woman was stupid to have a lit candle in the house when she was disabled. If I ever get another dog, maybe I'll call it Jesse.

Rolling around is fun! [Loki loves to roll around, too, especially in grass.]





Three doggies, romping in the woods.



A couple of weeks ago, M adopted two-year old Cassie from a shelter. Last weekend we took all three dogs for a walk in the woods. Cassie is a mix, part Jack Russell Terrier, and part Spaniel. She is small, high energy, can jump very high, and loves to roll around, just like a Jack Russell. But she has the soft, wavy fur and colors and markings of a Spaniel. She's very lucky to have M as her mommy.

This is bandit. He's the neighbors' fourth dog! He's a five-month-old Australian Sheepdog. He's very friendly, and will supposedly spend most of his life on a ranch in Oklahoma. I haven't seen him for a while now, so this is probably true. Freya loves to bark and go fence-running with him. She misses him a bit, and still looks for him every time she goes outside.

I spoke too soon. Bandit is back! Now Freya can run the fence and bark happily. Until I bring her in to quiet her down, that is. And Bandit has a pretty loud bark for his size, too!