Trip to the beach

I took the boys to the beach last weekend.  It was the second time I've been since I lost Amber, and it was also Ricky's second visit.  I was a bit hesitant, as he doesn't have a proper recall yet, but as there wasn't anyone else on the beach at the time I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and let go of his lead.  There was no way I was taking that lead off because the little bugger is so fast, it's the only way I can catch him if he doesn't want to be caught.

Ricky had a great time. Geez that boy loves to run.  He went off exploring, and once he got to the end of his comfort zone (which was a fair distance), he turned around and came back to me.  Was pretty happy with that.  Rusty just trots along at his own pace, sniffing and peeing on whatever he deems appropriate at the time.  He's never far behind me.

Funniest thing for the trip was Ricky chasing seagulls (just like Amber used to).  Seagull took off over water ... Ricky followed in hot pursuit.  Oh dear ... what the?  What do I do now?  True to his "big dog" persona, he worked out that to get out of the water he needed to jump over the waves.  He then promptly shook himself off and rolled in the sand!

Home improvements?

I don't think so ... but Ricky does.  Little bugger has ripped a great big chunk out of my lino.  Not happy!  This is the second spot that he's decided to "improve".  The other spot is much, much smaller than this and is easily hidden with the toy box.
I did have plans to replace the lino, but it seems that he wants me to do it sooner than I had planned.

Heart clear at 10 and a bit

I'm a very happy mother today. I took Rusty to the SA Cavalier Club Heart Clinic, and Rusty has been pronounced heart clear again, at the age of 10 years and 2 and a half months.
At the age of 6 months, the Rickster didn't need to go, but when we were at the vet a couple of weeks ago, he said that Ricky's heart sounded good.
The picture of Rusty was taken this afternoon after we got home from the heart clinic.

The places you need to go to escape

Now, this is a sight I thought I'd never see - Rusty in a crate of his own voilition.
Rusty has never been comfortable in a crate. He hated being in them at agility trials with Amber, but was a lot happier once I got the puppy pen. He didn't feel as constricted I suppose.
Imagine my surprise when I found him asleep in the crate! I suppose you have to resort to these things when you need some time out and just want to escape from the puppy.

Let me out!

Aw, come on ... let me out ... I'll be a good boy, I promise (snicker).

Because of the Ricky factor and Rusty's arthritis, I've had to resort to canine massage for Rusty. He was getting acupuncture for the arthritis, but because Ricky keeps jumping on his neck, the acupuncture wasn't effective any more because the location of his pain didn't have a corresponding acupuncture point. Anyway, to keep the ratbag out of the way to allow the therapist to do her stuff, Ricky has to go in the puppy pen. Ricky's not a fan of the puppy pen, especially when there's fun and interesting stuff happening on the other side of it. Rusty says "deal with it little dude".

It's cold and I just want to keep warm

I don't like this cold weather. It's no good for my arthritis. That, combined with having to put up with a puppy jumping over me, well, it's just no good for this old boy's bones. But I'm very toasty and warm here at the moment. Mum's got the electric blanket on, and she's covered me with the blankets and doona. Ahhh, beautiful! Don't know about the pink though - it isn't very manly.

Blue dog

Ricky really does love this little blue dog. He takes him everywhere. Quite frequently he can be seen (and heard) running up and down the hallway, Ringo (that's the blue dog's name) in his mouth, shaking the crap out of it and having a lovely time. Out of all the toys he has ... and trust me when I say that's quite a few ... Ringo is the one he plays with the most.

Cuddles without moving

This is a good sign. Ricky was on the bed first (at the other end) and then Rusty decided to climb up on it too. He even stayed there when Ricky came down to where he was lying for a cuddle. It makes a Mummy very happy when she can see her boys are getting on well together.
This photo is taken in my computer room. The puppy pen in the background is there to protect the curtains from little teeth that like to swing from them. The pen is also long enough to stretch around my desk so that inquisitive puppies can't get to cords. In effect, I can pen myself in so that I can do what I need to do :-)

Settling in well

Ricky is settling in well. He loves his toys and loves to play. He still hasn't convinced Rusty that playing is a good idea, but it's not for want of trying. At least Rusty isn't running away anymore. I can't believe how patient Rusty is with Ricky.
Poor Rusty, he should be enjoying his twilight years in peace, and I've gone and got him a Ricky. Ricky jumps all over him, pulling his ears and hanging off every bit of available fur on poor Rusty's body. The funny thing is that Rusty puts up with it. There is no way I would have ever picked Rusty as being such a tolerant dog. When I've looked after friends dogs in the past, Rusty has been particularly nasty, and I haven't really liked his behaviour. It was also one of the reasons I wanted a female, as I didn't think he'd cope with another male. Boy, was I wrong. It's almost like Rusty knows that this little whipper snapper isn't going away any time soon, so he puts up with it. He does give Ricky a telling off when he needs it though.
Here's a picture of Ricky enjoying some 'special time' with his favourite toy, Ringo, the little blue Rogz dog.

New brother

Ricky arrived at his new home on 13 June 2009. If I said Rusty was happy to have a new little brother, I would be lying. Rusty wasn't sure what hit him. He stayed still and next to Ricky just long enough for me to take the photo and he was off. In fact, the next photo in the sequence is Rusty hopping off the pillow.
Ricky did all the right things when they met - the little play bow, rolled over onto his back exposing his belly, that kind of stuff. Rusty wasn't having anything to do with him, and literally ran away each time Ricky came anywhere near him. Admittedly, Ricky is what can only be described as "full on". There are only two speeds with this pup - flat out, and stop.

Puppy picking trip

For my next puppy, I was looking at getting another female. I had the pick of 2 girls in the litter - Gidget (tricolour) and Flo (blenheim). Linda had been sending updates of the girls, and she'd also uploaded a couple of videos on You Tube. It was when I was looking at these videos that another puppy took my eye ... and it wasn't a girl. When I mentioned that I was interested in "Mack", Linda suggested that perhaps I should get on a plane and come for a visit. The puppies were now 6 weeks old. So, I wangled a day off work and jumped on a plane to visit. Wasn't actually in the budget, but it was the best thing that I did.
As a result of the visit, while they are incredibly cute, I decided that Gidget and Flo weren't really right for me, but Mack seemed like a good future agility prospect. He is outgoing, happy to play on his own, happy to play with others and is keen to explore and try things. While I liked the name, I wasn't 100% sure about it. I've always wanted a dog called Sam, so I asked him if he'd like to be called Sam. Well, let's just say because of the reaction I got from him he's not called Sam. So it was back to the drawing board.
Back to Adelaide I came, armed with photos of puppy to show friends. Lots of suggestions from people, but nothing really seemed to suit him. It wasn't until I was watching TV one night just after the visit that it came to me.
I'd been watching an episode of Lost, and there's a character I like called Richard. I then watched a program called Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections (Richard Hammond is one of the Top Gear hosts). The following night I was watching Castle, and the main character is Rick Castle. Hmmm. I'm getting a theme here. Ritchie ... no, don't quite like that. How about Ricky? Bingo!! Ricky he shall be.
The photo here is me holding Ricky and he's 6 weeks old.

Only child again

In his own way, I think Rusty enjoyed being an only child again. It wasn't until I lost Amber that I realised Rusty really had been living in Amber's shadow. I'm sure Rusty loved all the extra attention he was getting, but I did notice that he was a little subdued. Rusty and Amber never really played all that much together, but they were obviously wonderful company for each other. Rusty has been deaf for a while now (probably since early 2008), and I think he used to rely on Amber to be his "ears". Now that she has gone, I think he's feeling a little lost.
I had been telling Amber that she was going to get a new little sister to boss around, and she'd probably be coming home in the middle of June. I think when push came to shove, Amber didn't want to have to share me with anyone else, so she decided to move on.
Rusty has 5 weeks to enjoy being an only child, then he'll have to deal with puppy mahem.

Farewell to a princess

Montal Amber Dallas ADX JDX SDX SPDX GD

(Amber)

26 October 1999 to 8 May 2009


Career highlights:

• 3rd place Open Agility, 2005 NSW Cavalier Club Agility & Jumping Trial;
• 2nd place (Excellent Jumping) and two 3rd places (Excellent Agility and Excellent Jumping), Pedigree Autumn International Festival, Adelaide, 12 March 2006;
• 4 x 1st places in one day against all height categories, Noarlunga City Obedience Dog Club Agility & Jumping Trial, 18 March 2006;
• In 2006, Amber was the first cavalier in South Australia to obtain both Agility Dog Excellent (ADX) and Jumping Dog Excellent (JDX) titles;
• 3rd place Master Agility and 3rd place Master Jumping, 2006 NSW Cavalier Club Agility & Jumping Trial;
• 2nd place Master Jumping, 2007 NSW Cavalier Club Agility & Jumping Trial;
• 2nd place Open Agility and 2nd Place Master Agility, Papillon Club of Victoria Restricted to Height Agility & Jumping Trial, 16 February 2008;
• 2nd place Master Agility, 2008 NSW Cavalier Club Agility & Jumping Trial;
• Amber obtained her last title, Strategic Pairs Dog Excellent (SPDX) on 13 December 2008 at the tender age of 9 years, 1 and a half months.

Gone, but never forgotten
Run free little one - there are no weavers in heaven.
[Photo by After FX Productions]

The night before

This is one of the last photos I took of Amber. It was taken the night before she died. She was beautiful and loyal to the end. She passed away peacefully in her sleep, several hours after this photo was taken, saving me anguish of ever having to make that one decision all pet owners dread.

Biscuits at Nanna's

Amber and Rusty like visiting Nanna because she always gives them a home made doggy biscuit. And being the good doggies they are they always take the biscuits and sit on the lawn to eat them.
This photo was taken less than a week before Amber passed away.

Come on, let's play fetch

Rusty has always been my fetch monster. When he was younger, he would play fetch 24/7 if you'd let him.
In years gone by, if ever I got down on my knees (like to do some gardening) this was obviously an invitation on my part for me to play fetch with Rusty. No sooner had I dropped to my knees and there would be a ball there for me to throw. Not necessarily conducive to getting work done, but there you have it.
Where in the past it was a bit of a chore to throw the ball all the time, in his later years it's nice to see him still want to play on occasions. It's definitely on Rusty's terms though. As he's got older, arthritis has set in, and he doesn't tend to want to play as much any more, and play sessions are definitely shorter. I actually treasure these little play sessions now. Sometimes, he'll act like a 2 year old ... and then he remembers that he isn't. He went through a period of not playing at all, and then I discovered the small tennis balls. Because he also doesn't have his full complement of teeth, I think he may have been struggling a bit with the bigger toys. Since I've got smaller ones for him, he's been having a great time!

Not to be outdone

Rusty is also good with the toy rats. He's just not as proficient at skinning them as what Amber is. But he'll still have a crack.

How to skin a rat

A toy rat, that is. I've lost count of the number of toy rats that Amber has skun over the years. She could be sitting demurely on the couch and you could squeak a rat, her ears would prick up and she'd go crazy until you gave it to her. She would then guard it for ages, giving it lots of attention in the process and removing it's fur. This picture shows the best job she ever made of one. She's actually removed all the fur and the plastic carcass is sitting in the front of the pic. She didn't want to give up that bit of fur between her paws though.

Watching and waiting

Amber always fancied herself as a hunter. She would spend many nights outside, just sitting ... watching the top of the fence line. Those damn pesky rats would run across the fence and torment her - they knew she couldn't reach them. When she saw one, she would bark like crazy, which isn't always a good thing at 2am. The little minx would come inside when I called her to go to bed, but she'd sneak back out again.

Please

... let me come out and do agility. I've been a good girl, I've had a rest and a sleep and I'd really like to play again. How about I give you sad puppy eyes? Will that work?

Leave me alone

... I'm trying to sleep. Rusty has always been one to find the comfy spots, although I'm not sure that this spot was as comfy as some of the ones he usually finds. He'd disappeared and I couldn't find him, and when I finally did he was lying behind the lounge with his back against the wall under the curtains. Strange little fellow.

Sydney 2008

In September 2008 the NSW Cavalier Club changed it's trial to be held in the evening, rather than during the day. Amber and I weren't going to go this year, but with the change to an evening trial, we decided to give it one last shot. It was a beautiful balmy evening, and the trial was even more relaxed than it has been in the past. Same story as previous years though - no quallies. This year we came 2nd in Masters Agility. Was really happy with this because at nearly 9 years of age and a heart murmur, this is a stirling effort. I'm glad we made the trip and Amber got to see all her friends for one final time.

Another Nationals

No photos this time, but August 2008 saw Amber and I head back to Melbourne for the 2008 Agility Nationals. The Friday was Games, and this is where I held out hope for passes for the weekend. Unfortunately, for one reason or another things didn't work out that way. For the rest of the weekend we had some wonderful runs, but we were either over time or disqualified. In fact, some of our best runs in Masters Agility were those we were DQ'd on. It was just fabulous to be able to attend an event like this and not have to organise it!

I may not have many teeth ...

... but I can still kill a tennis ball. Rusty has always loved tennis balls. Only problem is that he could destroy one in under a couple of minutes. These days, with 10 less teeth than he should have, he can still manage to decimate them ... it just takes him a little longer. He's pictured here after one such destruction attempt, amongst the carnage.

Full contingent

May 2008 saw the 3 of us head to the Riverland for their inaugural agility trial. Rusty had to come away with us as the usual doggy sitters were visiting little sis. Rusty is happiest in his own 4 walls, but he coped remarkably well on his trip away from home in the tent. I have come to the conclusion that Amber works best when Rusty's not around though. We were DQ'd in all of our runs. Never mind - it was a lovely weekend.

Melbourne - February 2008

February saw Amber and I head off to Melbourne for the first time. The main purpose of the trip was the Papillon Club of Victoria's restricted to height agility trial. The K9 Agility Club also held an agility and games trial in the evening. The Saturday was a HUGE day for Amber. At the Papillon trial, we came 2nd in Masters Agility on an NQ run, but the highlight of the morning would have been the qualification and 2nd place we got in Open Agility. Open isn't Amber's strong point, as she doesn't necessarily like working at a distance, but with the right course she can do it. This was one of those courses.
After a little down time in the middle of the day we headed back for the evening trial. The highlight for the evening was that Amber got her Excellent Snooker title (SDX). We crashed and burned in everything else that evening, but I can't say I blame Amber. It had been a long day. The picture shows Amber having a well deserved rest late in the evening. I think at the time I took the picture she still had one more run left. Needless to say it wasn't a good one as she was very sleepy. Definitely a good trip and one worth making.

Chief cheer squad member

So, what does the chief cheer squad member do when he comes along to an agility trial with us? Sleep of course! Here's Rusty doing what he does best in most of the photos I have of him ... sleeping.

Sydney 2007

September 2007 saw Amber and I head off to Sydney again for the NSW Cavalier agility & jumping trial. Even though we haven't got any quallies in the past, I've been pleased with the way that Amber has performed because I don't think travelling is the easiest thing for her to cope with. Anyway, this year, we were disqualified in our first 3 runs - Master Agility, Open Agility and Open Jumping. I was a tad despondent, as Amber always does well in agility as it seems to be her forte. She's not the fastest cavalier, but I was pleasantly surprised that we came 2nd in Masters Jumping this year. So we got to bring home silver. Woo hoo! Amber was also pleased as she got a new ratty to play with, and she can be seen with her "prize" in her mouth above.

2007 Nationals

The first day of the Nationals, which was Games, was our best day. We managed to get our Novice Strategic Pairs Dog title (SPD) and also our first pass in Excellent Snooker. We crashed and burned in Gamblers, but it was a fun day. Unfortunately, we weren't as successful for the rest of the weekend, getting disqualified in 4 of our runs, and being over time and/or having faults in the other 3. We didn't even win anything out of the losers box, but we did win one of the raffles. I was pretty excited to win my very own set of weave poles, although Amber wasn't too happy about it.

Nationals cavalier contingent (minus one)

Eight cavaliers competed at the 2007 Agility Nationals in SA in May 2007, and 7 of them are pictured here. It was a great weekend, albeit a hectic one. All the blood, sweat and tears that went into it on my part was definitely worth it. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Would I do it again? Never.

Ruby, ruby, ruby

2007 was a busy year for us as I was the chairperson for the 2007 Agility Nationals held in SA in May. Our abode hosted several cavalier agility enthusiasts over the weekend of the Nationals. At one stage there were 4 owners and 8 dogs in all 4 colours, and I'm pleased to say that all dogs got along famously. Here's a photo of the ruby contingent - Amber, Henry and Rusty.

Ruby to Tri?

Ever wondered what a ruby cavalier would look like as a tricolour? Well here's a photo of Rusty, looking particularly fetching as a tri. It was cold, and he was keeping warm :-)

I'm a hunter, and I'm clever

Amber fancied herself as a hunter, and on occasions she managed to catch something. Here she is with a bird that she managed to catch. She caught a few birds in her time, but those pesky rats that ran along the fence always managed to elude her.

Sydney 2006

September 2006 saw Amber and I head off to Sydney again for the NSW Cavalier Club agility & jumping trial. Again, no quallies this year, but we came home with 3rd place in Masters Agility and 3rd place in Masters Jumping. Amber is again wearing her bronze medallions and displaying her sashes. She's pictured here with Riley.

ADX & JDX

Amber was the first cavalier in South Australia to get an ADX and a JDX. The day she got her ADX was particularly special, and I will always remember it. It was 18th March 2006. We were sitting on 3 passes with another 2 needed to get an ADX, while we needed another 3 to get a JDX. Not only did she get the 2 required passes for her ADX that day, but she came 1st and was the only qualifier in each class. To top it all off, she also got 2 jumping passes and came 1st in each of those as well. And in one of those she was also the only qualifier. So, a very special day for me and my princess - 4 first places in one day, 3 of them being the only qualifier, and a title to boot. I was on cloud 9 for a very long time after that. Amber's JDX came at the next trial. She can be seen in the picture celebrating in style ... enjoying cheesecake. That was memorable in itself. Her nose went down into the bowl and she didn't bother coming up for air until it was all finished!

Sydney 2005

September 2005 saw Amber and I on our first trip to Sydney. We had a bit of a holiday together, while Rusty stayed with Nanna & Trevsey at home. We were there for a week and 2 weekends. The first weekend we stayed with Linda & Nick. We entered the Festival of Agility and had a run in Open Agility and got our 2nd pass. Quite funny really. Travel all the way to NSW to get a pass under a South Australian judge. Crashed and burned in jumping, and Amber & I also had a run in strategic pairs with Linda & Cleo, which was a bit of fun, with both girls doing what they needed to do ... just not quick enough. During the week we went down to Berry and stayed in a lovey little cottage, then we came back to Sydney and stayed with Marilyn, Duncan & Riley. This weekend was the NSW Cavalier Club's inaugural agility & jumping trial, the whole purpose of our visit. We didn't come home with any passes, but we did come home with 3rd place in Open Agility. The picture shows Amber wearing her little bronze medallion. She is pictured with Duncan (Blenheim) and Riley (B&T).

More parties

OK, birthday party for Rusty as a 6 year old this time. And no, they don't usually eat at the table. Rusty looks absolutely manic and as if he's possessed in the first photo. Amby was being very polite for the photo and sitting back to allow Rusty to finish, but she had already had her fair share of cake.

First pass!

This photo was taken the day that Amber and I got our first pass in novice agility. I was really excited, because we'd been trialling in jumping for longer. The standard course time was 48 seconds and we finished in 39.05 seconds, coming 5th out of 26 dogs.
Our first jumping pass came at the next trial where we came 6th out of 22 dogs.
Amber got her AD on 29 August 2004, and her JD a week later on 4 September 2004.
[Photo by Batae]

Our first jumping trial

This is Amber and I at our first jumping trial at Munno Para in March 2004. I love the first photo of us standing on the sidelines. I'm running through the course in my head and Amber only has eyes for me. It was a pretty good first run. Amber stayed with me, and we finished the course with only time faults. We were placed 8th, but we beat my agility instructor, which was pretty neat. The photos aren't very clear, but they're a record of our first run together and the start of a wonderful partnership that blossomed over the years.

A girl of many talents

Amby was a girl of many talents. Here we are taking part in a doggy fashion parade in 2004. She was a big hit with the crowd, and looked really cute in her bright green hoodie. Yes, I'm a dag for colour coordinating our outfits, but it gave the compare something to talk about.

Agility star in the making?

This is Amber, who was supposed to be jumping over my makeshift back yard practice jump, made from bricks and a broom. And what is she doing? Well, I think there was a tiny morsel of food lurking on the top brick, and well, why would you bother practising jumping when there's a bit of food to be had?
This photo was taken in 2003, which was the year we started our agility training. Our first trial was in March 2004.

He's always been a character

I've never been able to walk away and leave the chairs out from the table as Rusty has a bit of penchant for ending up where he shouldn't be ... on top of it! So if you want to keep your food safe, chairs in please. On this particular occasion there was no food ... only a very big glass of red wine (hic!). Luckily Rusty decided he didn't like the smell of it, so it was safe.
Amazing what you find when you go back through old photos. Did I really have a mobile phone that big???

You can't stop at one cavalier

And then there was Amber. She came to live with Rusty and me when she was 20 months old in June 2001. She had a funny little flat face that I initially didn't like, but it grew on you, and so did Amber. She loved life, and loved everybody, both human and canine, that she came in contact with.

Dogs have birthday parties too, don't they?

Well, this one did, complete with sponge cake made by Nanna. He even got birthday presents. Kids need to get spoiled every now and then ... only problem is it's an ongoing thing :-) Oh, in case you were wondering, the photo was taken in July 2000.

In the beginning

... there was Rusty, a bundle of red fluff purchased from a pet shop (aargh!) in October 1999. Here he is pictured wedged into pillows beside my bed, oblivious to the grief he was causing me at the time. I'd been on the phone making an appointment to take him to the vet for a check up. I'd searched every room of the house, couldn't find him, so went into a mass panic because I thought he'd got out under the fence. Checked every room again, and there he was, in the last room I looked in again (of course). He's always been able to find the comfy spots, and still finds them to this day.