A Happy New Year...

A healthy, happy 2012 to everyone! Whatever your goals may be this year, I hope you achieve them. This year has brought a few changes for us at Birch-Bark Hill, and some highs and lows. Once again, we have lost two special dogs...Jess at 16 and Storm, nearly 17...our last two shelties. We have a number of friends who have also lost dogs this year; regardless of age, they just leave us too soon.

Tank earned his UTD this year, and will now be striving towards that darned UTDX. Our highest point this year would have to be Trust earning her Tracking Champion Title. She now seems to think of herself as a goddess and is acting accordingly...I guess that's ok.

Best wishes to all.

A Special Presentation for Trust!

Trust was presented with an engraved medallion from the Cross Country Tracking Club earlier this month. She was the first "member" dog to earn the CKC Champion Tracking Title. I joined CCTC back in 2000, when Spook earned her TDX there. At that time, no-one else was tracking in Northeastern Ontario, where I live, and it was great to 'head south' two or three times a year and be a tracklayer, or enter tests. We have a lot of fun there, and have made some special friendships. This was an honour (and a lot of work!) to earn the TCh title and being presented with this medallion was such a wonderful award from the Club. As a picture with Trust wearing the medallion was requested for the newsletter, I decided to do something a little special for this. Also, Trust will be ten years old in January. It just seemed right...I wanted something nice for her, and arranged a photo session.

This picture includes her CKC Tracking Champion certificate and her final UTDX rosette, and includes her long line, harness and glove. She completed her fourth track at CCTC with judge Marie-P. Babin, and tracklayer Joseph Weir. Her TD was at CCTC, her TDX was at Sudbury, and her UTD was in Ottawa. Of course, she is wearing her lovely medallion.We did a number of different "arrangements", both of her and the "props". The photo session took about 45 mins. and we had a lot of fun doing this. Trust just loves being fussed over, and was so easy to work with. The two young ladies working on this session had a lot of fun as well. The photographer was Jenny Brunet.I've included an assortment of pictures here...would you believe there were 60 in total?!! I am quite certain that Trust knows she is 'special'...she is definitely a real poser....and so very pretty, too! And she knows it!!

I'm breaking off a piece of cookie for her in this picture when we decided to play around with a few pictures. Although I take a huge number of pictures of the dogs, I have almost none with both of us together. So we played a bit and wound up with a bunch of candid shots. The young lady taking the pictures had not worked with a dog before and thought it was amazing. Of course, Trust is very well behaved, well trained and great with people. She has previously done Pet Therapy work with seniors and is very good in unusal or busy settings.

I just love this dog! I am so proud of her, as we struggled for some time switching from field work to urban settings. I learned so much from her, watching her figure out what was going on with the scent in tricky areas. We had only each other, and one little book, to learn how to become a good working team in urban locations.

The medallion presented to Trust by CCTC will be a cherished remembrance of a very special day when she earned her Tracking Champion Title. And a special day having earned it in the presence of good friends. Thanks to everyone who cheered us on along the way!

And it snowed all day....

A LOT of snow yesterday and overnight! We were trudging through out the back early, and the snowplow guy came later so we could head down the driveway. Kira was out with me before he came, and some pictures are in places where I took them 2 days before with the other dogs.

David and I returned from the afternoon walk down the driveway and into the field with Trust, Tank and Blast. Blast was hoping we'd forget him and he could stay out on one of the snow piles! He always seems to think that when he lies down, we can't 'see' him!!!The west trail into the west side of the forest, same as a couple of days ago, but with more snow today.Kira coming back on trail behind and west of house. It was so beautiful today with the sunshine, and we weren't getting the high winds from the north as the forest protects us.Just popped up for a minute before I run off again!!!If this branch had a point on the end, I swear she'd go out of her way to impale me!The forest was so pretty, with little sunbeams shining through, and some snow falling off the trees.Was that a snowball???!!Heading back up the driveway. So nice when it has been plowed...

The Day After Christmas...

Now this looks more like winter. It's perfect, as everything is sparkling with fresh clinging snow, yet it's only about 4" deep and so all the walking trails, or anyplace really, are open. Very pretty this morning, but rain is being called for then a deep freeze...crazy once again!

This picture is the trail to the west from the house into the forest. Only fox tracks on here this morning.And this is the vacant old barn across the fence on our east side. Always love this place...it's 400 acres of wilderness, where most of the wolves howl from.Heading up behind the house, in front of the back forest. Don't know what, but 'something' sure had Tanks' interest. He could be a show dog!!! Actually he did get one point in his early life, at his first show, but conformation shows were not my interest.Same trail, Trust (the new almost 10 puppy) is racing back to me.Next walk....Blast out in the front field, surveying the scenery atop a hay bale. He's the lookout, should have called him "Scout"...Then Kira and I went back into the forest, following the tracks from the buck to see where he was travelling to and fro. She had jumped up into this tree and all the snow on the branches fell on her. She thought this was fun and was about to try again, but no snow left this time. Oh, well, there's always branches to yank out!!!! And that's where she moved off to.

New Snow on Christmas Day!

Christmas Day brought a 'somewhat' unexpected snowfall...flurries were predicted, but the system stalled and what started as a light snowfall ended up to be very signficant by the evening. I have to go out early today and take a few photos as it is unbelievably beautiful. The temp. went above freezing and it was wet, so absolutely every little thing out there has snow stuck to it and it is glistening.

This is Blast, Tank and Trust on our first early walk heading out of the east field, across the driveway and over into the west side. Even early the small pines in front are being weighted down.Further into the west field, looking back towards the house. Snowfll much heavier now. It's hard to believe only a few hours ago, everything was bare...clear of snow.David and Kira beside one of the larger spruce trees at the side of the field. Skies are very dark, but it is nice and mild.The snowflakes were the strangest shape yesterday, either big and boxy, or looking like large white butterflies flitting downwards. David was tossing snowballs up in the air for Kira.I couldn't figure out what was wrong with my timing to take pictures of her jumping up to catch the snowballs. Finally I watched, and he was throwing them so high, she had to sit and wait for them to begin to come down. At least her timing was good. I gave up on these. We enjoyed a few walks though yesterday. For years we've looked forward to our Christmas Day Dog Walks, but hard to believe we used to take eight to nine dogs at once on these. Miss those old days and miss those old dogs...

Our buck has moved in...

Well, it looks like we might have a permanent visitor here! Our lovely little buck has rubbed off his antlers, within two days of his first visit. I wish we could find them, they were so lovely, but it's pure luck, no matter how hard you might search, to find them. He showed up three different times on Christmas Eve Day, and would watch me...watching him...from the window. He's pretty brave, or...not very smart - not sure, as the dogs don't seem to pose much of a threat to him.

When he has slurped up any bird feed on the ground, he licks around the bottom of this feeder. And tipping it brings out more, of course.

You can clearly see in this picture where the antlers were!He is such a beautiful fellow, counting the 'points' on his antlers the other day, he is three or four years old. He doesn't seem "hungry" as he is in great shape, but I think he has just found an easy place to find readily available 'extra' food here at the feeders. We are not trying to encourage him, it is difficult to take the dogs for walks into the forest and not have to worry about running into him!

More, please!!!

Looking for Santa?

OK, so he's not a reindeer! A beautiful young buck on Thursday morning at the bird feeders, as I was about to take dogs out. Luckily, I checked all the windows first! The day before a doe in great shape on the other side of the house. I took a lot of pics. but through the window, so not many worthwhile ones.

Notice the lack of snow!!!!!! A couple of weeks ago we had a huge dump of snow - other pics. on here previously - up to my knees. It was horrid, our first real snowstorm and lost ALL our walking trails. I'm actually very happy to have it gone and able to walk dogs all over again. Today began with a light snowfall, which is fine, very pretty, no problems.He has seen me in the window, but still hung around for a while around I finally had to make a noise to send him on his way. I had to take the dogs out as I planned to go into town.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, A SAFE AND HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON TO YOU, FAMILY, FRIENDS AND ALL YOUR 4 LEGGED VARIETIES OF BUDDIES.

Kira and her "sticks"...

Walk in the forest today, there's still some snow in there, the rain has removed it everywhere out in the open. Kira was driving us nuts with her log, branch, and stick hunting and running into us. We decided to "trick" her....that's pretty much a joke!

We were about 1/3 of the way through here and she had just dug up this one, about 8' long and was swinging it around. David took off running down the path, and she just cued in to this, paused, and was gone in a flash. I ran off behind, and we prevented her from running back for this one. Of course, she momentarily found another.....This stick was balanced up on a couple of knobs on this tree, above the level we felt she would be able to get it...let alone even find it to begin with. She had been way ahead, and ran back, scented it above her and up she goes. This dog does not know what "quit" means. Such a tenacious little she-devil she is!

It was a lovely day for walks though, we did three separate ones in the forest, for her, Blast, and Tank and Trust together. We're all pooped..time for a 'toes up' as my friend, Eileen, would say...

Kira in the Forest

Yesterday, we took all the dogs for a forest walk in the afternoon. So nice back there, haven't been in for a while. There's been lots of action...deer, fox, bunny, lots and lots of overlapping tracks.

Headed back to the house, we did recalls with Kira on the trail. David was up towards the house and I stayed back down the trail. Here she comes, full speed ahead!!!There's always 'something' worth inspecting up on the top of this rock.Kira stole my glove and had run off with it. We had to "trick" her to get it back and David was whacking it against the trunk to get the snow off and out of it....he "thought" high enough so she couldn't jump up and get it....right....lost it again!We spent much of the time trying to get rid of all the branches she was picking up, as she would run towards us either from behind or front and almost knock us down in narrow spots. She has a firm grip on this one and REALLY doesn't want to let go.

The dogs all have him wrapped around their finger...(paw?)...and alway win a tugging match with him.So, if we keep taking "her" branches away, she just "has" to work at removing a live one still attached to the tree.And even better, the giant ones! I never thought she'd get anywhere with this, it was solidly locked in place. She pulled and yelled at it for the longest time, and wasn't going to give up. We had walked on and heard her still snarling at it. To my amazement, although I should know by now, suddenly she ran up behind us with about 5-6' of it. She had bit right through it. So once again, it's dodge the tencious little devil dog. Kira had a non-stop good time out there. Back at the house I was hoping she'd be a tiny bit pooped, but she was still raring to go. I wish I had a fraction of her energy.

Nature can be brutal...

But nature is also amazing! Something must die so that another may live...

What's the chances of ever seeing a weasel in the night, having killed something way larger than he is and dragging it possibly a good distance so it can feed?! These 4 pictures aren't great, but it was 9 p.m. at night out behind the house and I had only a flashlight to watch this and take pictures. The weasel is brown in summer and changes to white in winter..like wild rabbits do. The grouse feeds normally on the ground, nests in the trees at night, and I have to assume the wily weasel surprised it. Weasels are voracious killers, brave beyond belief.I was taking the dogs out when I heard something odd behind the house and went to inspect. When I got too close, he would leave his kill and run large circles around me. He certainly was not afraid of me, and was warning me not to get too close. He's actually very cute and very fast!I backed off and he went back to the grouse, trying to drag it off the pathway. Where he was going, I don't know. He ended up eating and this morning much of it was still there. I might go out tonight to see if he has come back. If not, something else will come along and finish it off. It's just Mother Nature working her wonders.

Our Precious Storm

On Saturday morning, we lost our wonderful little Storm. He would have been 17 in January. Storm brought joy and laughter to so many people, not only us. He was the favorite of all visiting therapy dogs, for 9 years, taught children how to behave around dogs and made them laugh with his favorite toy, "the rat" and sniffing each ones' feet. A beautiful sheltie, with two blue eyes, he caught everyones' attention.

He was a ham in the obedience ring with an "I'm smarter than you are" attitude. And he was! After his second leg in "Open" competition, he knew in training he could be perfect, but in a trial could refuse an exercise and get attention. Storm loved the camera, and enjoyed wearing party hats to have his picture taken. He was the boss of the house, never doing anything to be top dog, the others just somehow respected him. We always called him "annoying" - he was just too cute and funny to ever get truly annoyed with. He loved his walks through the woods with the big dogs until the last couple of years.

With the hundreds of pictures I have of him, I've always loved this one. He will live forever in our hearts, and his breeders', Jo Ann and Terry Pavey.

Jo Anns' favorite memory of Storm is watching him play with and whack his wind-up frog. He was quite the guy.

CH Fairisles Whitegates Powerline CD CGC St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog (extraordinaire).

The BIG Snow!

Well, we had an extremely late first snow this winter..it began on Tuesday night and continued all through Wednesday. Under a Winter Storm Warning for over 24 hrs. and ended up with snow over my knee-high boots. Freezing rain, ice pellets, snow, back to freezing rain and then a huge dump of snow. Not happy here! Considering it was the first snow of winter, we already have no walking paths left, and it looks like January. The dogs LOVE snow, but they cannot navigate well into the very deep and very heavy stuff. We pretty much have only the driveway for walks so am praying now for a few sunny, warm days and rain. Way too early for these conditions!Tank and Blast tried to go down a trail and turned around and came back!Tank still standing on the same trail, wondering where we are going to go...Trust, Blast and Tank on the driveway. David had already cleaned the snow off this section the night before, and drove out in the morning. A lot more snow fell after this.Kira behind the house, was digging out branches and flying through the snow. She seemed to be able to navigate the best of all, probably as she's lighter and just leaps and bounds through.She was hunting for something in here, perhaps heard a rodent under the snow.She made a 'racetrack' around some bushes and trees in this area, so she could actually run through fairly well and 'chase' me with one of her branches. She thinks she's so smart!This was a branch she ran into, actually was attached to a tree, and she seemed to feel the need to punish it when she couldn't pull it out.I just like this head shot of Blast!

And we have more snow falling tonight....