The "wildlife" portion.....

This afternoon we went for two nice walks through our forest. Most of the snow has gone now and we found some interesting sights. There have been a lot of moose out there this winter, along with the usual number of deer. A number of areas appear to provide safe areas from the elements for spending some time resting or feeding.
This tree is owned by Pileated Woodpeckers! I've been lucky enough a few times to watch one at work here. The "shavings" just fly off the tree. These birds should have concussions!

Early this morning, we had three deer beside the house. While two moved into the bush before I could sneak around and get their picture, this one stayed to watch me for a while.

Now, a little warning for the picture below....it is meant to be be informative, or of interest to many people that may never see something like this. So, here it is - moose poop and deer poop!

Of most interest to us, we rarely see so much of 'both' in the same areas. This picture shows the difference between the two, the deer at bottom corner, the moose at top. Deer and moose do not normally live or travel in the same areas. There was just so much together, we are wondering if the deer are staying in the 'moose areas' for safety. There have been a large number of coyotes and wolves this winter, travel has been easy for them. We're just guessing, it is very odd, and I'll have to inquire with someone from MNR perhaps.

The Shelties...The Oldies...

Aren't they just too cute for words?! "Back row" CH Fairisles Whitegates Powerline "Storm" CD CGC St.John Ambulance Therapy Dog, Whitegates Diva CD CGC St.John Ambulance Therapy Dog, "Front" is Keepers' Jess RN TD a rescued dog.

Storm turned 15 in January and has been a visiting Therapy Dog for 9 years. He had 2 legs on his CDX when he developed a shoulder problem and was 'retired'. Diva was a bouncy little spitfire and left us at 13 1/2, four days after Bear. It was a difficult time. Jess came to us from B.C., a rescue, and has quite a "before" and "after" story. She has been visiting at a local nursing home (with Storm) for nearly six years now. Jess has a story on a rescue site for those interested: www.mistyisleshelties.com/rescue.html Jess is No.4 on this site. I am a big believer in things happening for a reason, or fate, or serendipity, or whatever you prefer to call it. We've had many dogs 'come to us' over the years, certainly when we were not looking or expecting to bring another dog into our lives.

Jess was so eager to go out and "work" when I would take the other dogs out, I decided to try Rally O with her. She loved it! So once again, we applied for a PEN# from CKC. Jess earned her Rally Novice Title in one weekend and was quite a hit as a little 13 1/2 yr. old. Like Storm, she also had a problem shoulder so I could not continue with her due to jumps. I decided to try her tracking and again, she surprised me. She loved it and she was good. So you know the story...we were on our way...

Jess earned a Tracking Dog Title at 2 months short of 15 years of age. Pictured with us is judge Dawn Sanderson from Thunder Bay. Although we haven't checked into this, we think it is possible that Jess is the oldest dog to earn a TD title. She started to learn tracking at 13 1/2 yrs.

Dogs In Canada Magazine requested her story for the January 2010 issue: www.dogsincanada.com/jesss-story-an-old-dog-learns-new-tricks

Jess' Story has been inspiring other dog owners to keep working with their older dogs, or like Jess...begin to do something with an older dog that is fit and still wants to 'get out there'...and tracking is a perfect venue for this!

Bear and Jewel - Puppy Mill Rescues

I had planned to just add our dogs that have been involved in tracking, but Bear and Jewel were so special, I couldn't leave them out.....and there IS a tracking connection, of sorts! B and J came from a puppy mill closure in Sault Ste. Marie. This was one of the few where the owner was actually convicted and all dogs were removed. There were over seventy German Shepherds in depolorable conditions in the home. B and J were brother and sister, and almost five years old. What you see in this picture is after a long time with us and in good health. Yet, it is obvious how deformed their legs are, as they grew up from puppies in a cage. They limped continually for some time, and they came with serious ear problems that could never be completely resolved. THEY WERE THE MOST LOVING AND SWEET DOGS YOU COULD EVER IMAGINE. No idea why. They just sucked up every bit of love they could. We never expected them to even live to ten years of age.
They actually left us within six months of each other, Jewel one month short of 12 and Bear 12 1/2. We were so lucky to have them for so long in our lives.
The tracking connection! I was able to find out a very little about them when we adopted them.
With the help of Donna Brinkworth (Spiritdance) who was in Thunder Bay at that time, she was able to TRACK down their roots and find the original breeder in the U.S. I was able to contact her, and found out a lot about B and J's background and breeding. This is how I "met" Donna, and although we've still never met in person, she will always be a good friend. The breeder, like most others, had no idea 'her' pups went to a puppy mill. Another amazing thing came from this...a well-known sire way back in their background was also in Spooks' background. Fate?

The Birds Know....

You can see how the Spruce Grouse is able to "disappear" into its surroundings. In the leaves in the forest, unless it moves, you can't spot it. They appear at this time of year to clean up under the bird feeders before nesting. Their nests are almost impossible to see in the leaves, but the raccoons almost always seem to find the eggs before they hatch. They obviously know that tomorrow is the first day of spring. The red-winged blackbirds have begun to return as well. We ALWAYS have a snowstorm after they return, spring or not.

Keepers' Maggie-Mae TDX

Maggie-Mae was a rescued German Shepherd. At 13 months of age, she was afraid of just about everything, especially men, loud noises, and quick movement. From conformation background, she had been discarded due to a 'crooked ear'. Pacing in circles when I first saw her, her future looked pretty bleak. However, I place a LOT on dogs' eyes and when she finally paused, looking right at me, I was hooked. It took months for her to settle in, often tethered to me, to keep her from running and hiding. I decided to start her tracking, only as a 'confidence booster' for her, never expecting anything more than giving her a job for both physical and mental activity.

Maggie absolutely loved tracking, developed self-esteem, and became a "new" dog. And she was good! CKC introduced the Performance Event Number Program and I decided to give it a go!

Maggie earned her TD and her TDX the following year, both on her first attempt. Tracking gave her such pleasure and changed her from a dog considered "worthless" by her previous owner into a happy and fun girl. We later found out that Maggie-Mae was the FIRST dog of ANY BREED IN CANADA with a PEN to earn a TRACKING DOG EXCELLENT Title. Maggie-Mae tracking over a rock pile. She loved all challenges in tracking, the tougher the more fun. We miss her very much, she was a very special girl.

Pure joy! After any track, Maggie loved nothing more than to take the article and run with it.

"Look what I found" !!!! Maggie always indicated her articles by lying down with them between her front legs and looking at me with a big smile on her face.

Markgrafler Pali CD TDX - "SPOOK"

We have been lucky to have many wonderful dogs in our lives. I thought 'introducing' a few of them, going back just to the ones when I became involved in tracking, might be appropriate.

Early on, there were two titles available with the Canadian Kennel Club - the TD (Tracking Dog) and the TDX (Tracking Dog Excellent). Our first two (tracking) dogs, Spook and Maggie, earned their titles ahead of urban tracking coming along in Canada.

The photo above shows Spook and I just moving out from the scent pad, on a demonstration track we did at a tracking seminar/workshop. At this time, I had an eye problem and was unable to keep my eyes open in sunlight. I had my eyes closed for the complete track, a TD type track. I had every confidence in Spook, who was a steady worker, and totally trusted her.

Spook earned her Tracking Dog Excellent Title under esteemed judge, Eileen Newman at the Cross Country Tracking Club trial in Southern Ontario. The final third of her track was in a recently manured field...pretty stinky! When Spook earned her TD previously, our judge told me later to trust my dog; I almost hadn't on one corner. That was something I never forgot and never will. Trust and Patience - so important in tracking...

Spook was the greatest dog, my best friend for many years. She was also an amazing St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog. When Spook earned her TDX, three local newspapers covered her story, as tracking was new in this area of Northeastern Ontario. Since then, many of my students have earned titles, and two clubs in Northeastern Ontario are offering tracking trials. Spook earned her TDX many years before CKC accepted Urban Titles in the tracking program, so we continued to track just for fun and when asked to do demos. Spook continued to teach me something new about tracking for many more years and because of her, tracking has become a huge part of my life. I owe her so much.

Trust and I are almost blown away...

We did a great urban track today using two locations by crossing a busy 4-lane road. All of a sudden the locations in town are pretty bare! The day was only +5 and the wind was very cold -35 km gusting to 53 km. At times I was blown forward. I decided to age the track just two hours as I felt it would be very difficult with the winds in the open areas and it was a long and tough track. Figuring I'd have to help Trust in a few places (I didn't) she had me running in a couple of hard surfaced areas - I was so impressed with her work ethic today.
We started way back in grass (all grass is dead, newly uncovered) and crossed the interlocking brick walkway into the building entrance. She is just coming up to her first article, a plastic light switch. The track turns left near the corner and stays on grass heading into wind

We move up between trees and she investigates the heating/cooling machinery to the left, then back on the track towards the parking lot.

Normally, this area is completely full and busy, but being Sunday, we had some nice open areas. She is just moving onto pavement.

Trust has found a wood article on a yellow crossed parking line as I head up to see. Her corner is way up ahead.

We have made the left turn and are heading back to the other side of the parking lot. The yellow line shows where she scented around to the right of the track and the blue is the wind.

Trust has tracked around the 'other' side of this car, the track was actually laid on 'this' side of it, but wind is blowing crosswise.

This is a blurry photo, but I left it in to "show the wind". My pants, coat and the tracking line are being blown like crazy. Trust has just moved off the pavement and will be crossing a corner of grass here, then out over another driveway.

She has indicated a little cloth glove in this area, which I am holding up to show our photographer of the day, Tascha.

We have crossed the driveway, and a section of dirty "stuff' on the way to a little lawn area with lots of garbage.

We've made another turn, gone down into a ditch and Trust is helping to pull me up the other side, while she checks out a piece of foam. The orange arrow shows my line rolled up. As I saw we were headed toward the ditch and the road, I collected my line for crossing. That's for safety, but normally your line should not be your concern and just let it drag out behind.

We've crossed the road, moved over a small grassy area, turned right, crossed a driveway and are up on a little island. We will cross the driveway again, another island and find two articles.

The first is another plastic one and the second a glove that our intrepid tracklayer dropped by accident as she was walking....so that was a bonus for Trust.

We're at the "surprise" article and will move up on another island, turn on it to the right, and head out across a longer stretch of pavement. This is another stretch she had me running.

She is headed over to another island; the track runs along the curb, then up on the grass and moving out onto pavement again.

Off the island, crossing a driveway and parking places onto a grass stretch along that 4-lane road. She will make a right turn on here and start moving along to her final article.

She knows she's close! She's working this stretch quickly, and a little to the right of the track, the wind is very strong.

Trust indicates by sitting at the article while I go up to reward her. Trust really enjoyed this track, and I was really happy how she worked it. There were some tricky areas, about 8-9 legs, as one was pretty curvy following islands, and six articles. Trust was really happy with herself!

Urban locations becoming bare...

We tried a "just to see" urban track today for Tascha and Emma. New to urban work, this was the first time out with almost no snow or ice. Wanting to 'see' how Emma worked on the hard surface, with more articles, and extremely high winds, and Tascha wanted to see how well she was 'reading' Emma. As much was 'new' and difficult, we did not age it more than 15 minutes and laced hard surface with tiny, tiny chicken pieces. She ignored most of them.
They have already completed three legs, working on the fourth. The start was on dead grass, up over a hill, along edge of pavement, with a cloth article. Then they turned out across driveway, working along a curb to more bare pavement, and back on grass before making the next turn (above). Emma has just crossed a patch of pavement on her second last leg nearing a plastic article.

Emma's last corner was on grass and she's already moving out towards the final article (leather) on pavement. She had the most problem on her last turn on grass and the transition to the hard surface, but she kept working until she 'got' it! Tascha gave her all the time she needed.

And here is Emma dancing on one leg, ears flying! She indicated her last article and then wanted badly to play with it and chase it. Such a fun little dog!