Hot Time in the Little Pool!

 I put the hose up into a tree branch so I could turn it on like a sprinker when the dogs went out there.  They weren't too sure what to make of this for a while.  This is Blast deciding whether to 'kill' it or enjoy it.

 Tank loved the water and the sprinkler.  Blast is still deciding.  He loves water and swimming, but I think the sprinkler reminds him too much of getting hosed down when he rolls in something stinky.

 Tank says "bring it on"!  You don't see Trust here as she is a princess and will only walk through it quickly if I force the matter. 

 Blast is happy to take toys out of the water, run off, and back and drop them in to splash.

 And now it's Kiras' turn.  She is definitely wanting to 'kill' the hose and her little brain is churning to figure out how to reach the nozzle.

 The water is nice, but I still need to kill that hose nozzle up there!

 Ahhh, figured it out and up I go!

 I turned it off and popped a few toys in the water so she'd just stay and enjoy it.
It was 33.4 degrees celsius here today and the humidex was 37.  We only did early morning walks and then waited to this evening.  Just quick outs otherwise, a few minutes playing in water....just too hot to be out.

 Tank is loving it...in the shade of the tree, no deer flies here, and just chillin'.  He's standing right under the sprinkler and loving it.

 But the occasional ball is fun too!  Especially when he actually gets it before Blast!

 Blast is once again thinking about that nozzle spraying water up there.  I turned it up just to be annoying.

Now he's just showing off for Tank, determined to reach it.  He did, I had to stop him and turn it off before he ran off with it.  Oh, we're so easily amused...!

Finally!! Trusts' UTDX Frame is Finished!

 David (husband) does a nice job on the frames for the dogs when they get either a TDX or a UTDX Title.  Mind you, it usually takes a year to get them done...Trust earned her Urban Tracking Dog Excellent title in April of last year.  So her frame is now hanging up.  Enclosed is her CKC certificate for the UTDX title, her Rosette from Cross Country Tracking Club, where she earned it, and our presentation photo with judge Marie P. Babin, also president of CCTC.  The copy of her track and her final article, which was leather, signed by Marie, and tracklayer Joseph Weir, below.  There are two pictures of Trust working on the hard surface of the track, and one when we reached the final article and I hold it up for the judge to see.  I love to have these memories framed.  We have them for each dogs' TDX and now for UTDX.  But we have an open house plan, and few walls left to use!  And hoping for more to come one of these days!

Earning the UTDX, was the fourth tracking title, which automatically made Trust a CKC Tracking Champion dog, (she was the 18th in Canada) and my first UTDX.  As this was so special we had a photo studio take pictures, most of which I put on here previously. (In archives, at the right, you can click on 04/24-05/01 (3) and see those.
I just grouped these three framed ones together, the one is her CKC certificate stating she is a Tracking Champion and draped over that is the special medallion presented to us from CCTC.  We were the first club members to receive this honour and it is engraved on the back.
I hope others do something special when they earn a special title, as these are hard earned accomplishments and we should all be proud of our wonderful dogs!

Last Track for a While - Blast

 This morning was unexpectedly "cold" very early, although right now it's nearing 30!
I decided to take advantage of this, as I don't expect (looking at long range forecast) that we will get out again for over a week.  Although I'm really aiming at UTDX with Blast, I've worked a little toward his TDX as well.  Since I only had to cross the road to work in this field, I decided to do so.  Above I'm standing at the 'start' preparing to lay the track, looking into the field.  You can't see the back end of it from here.  It was cut and baled just days ago, no rain, and very short and extremely dry.

 We are on our third leg and going into some bush.  That is not a road in front, it is just dry, dead grass in the field, as much of it is...I had to move up quickly to get in there!

 Part of an old bale in there, which I didn't know when laying, and had to climb over it.  Blast has already gone through.

 He's such a good boy..he waited on the other side for me before moving into the field.  There is a right turn, past the far round bale.

 Blast is 'at' the turn, and checking left before he goes back and commits to the right turn.  There's still tons of field back behind, that I didn't use. 

 Here we've made another turn heading back toward the front of the field.  It's a lovely field, especially when there is some new green growth, which hopefully will return.  There's an open left turn which will pass before the tiny bale you see to the left and we end up near the front.

 Brown, brown everywhere.  He was hot by this time, and I had stopped at his second article to get some water into him which he always fights.  Have to figure out how to convince him it's "a good thing". Track was aged 2 hr.  Final article is way up in front of the tiny bale near the house.

 There it is!  I bet he was glad it was over, although he was still anxious to play with his tug after finding the glove.

 And, of course, take his tug and get up on one of those big bales so he could look so handsome.

This was just a picture from last nights' last walk down the driveway with Kira.  The totally ball-crazy girl!  We didn't have deer flies last night, nor for Blasts' track.  That was a nice surprise. 

Too Hot to Work, Just Walks & Play

 A couple of days ago, Trust, who never plays with "toys" decided to take the Frisbee and not let Blast have it.  I'm sure he was totally surprised, but loved it.  He adores Trust, and for her to tug on the Frisbee with him was really funny to watch.  She shook it and wasn't going to let go, and Blast was a real gentleman, and "let her" rule!  She finally did lose interest, and let him take it.  Very cute.

 Out on a trail walk, Blast never tires, no matter how hot it may be, to play ball.

 On a separate walk, we did a few "David hides" for Kira.  Hard to trick her...he has to throw the ball way, far away, and we tuck him in someplace, behind bushes.  She HAS to get the ball, then runs back to find him.  Above, she is scrunched up, almost running right into him coming around a bush off the trail.

 Yesterday, on a walk with Tank and Kira, a little cooler in the evening and suddenly, off they go!  Kira leads Tank on a huge run around and through the bushes and tall grassy areas, we only caught glimpses of them.

 Finally, Tank pooped out, grabbed an old bone he found, and "stood his stance" just daring her to come back and get him.  Of course, she did!

 She's such a little witch!  He lay down to "protect his bone" so she pushed and shoved, and pawed at him trying to get him up and engage.  She ends up climbing and jumping on him, until he finally has enough.

Final straw, she plopped down on top of him, just after this, and he decided to get up and run.  Off they go again!
Only our early mornings, and later evenings are the dogs active (me too!).  Just been way too hot.  I was lucky yesterday morning, and this morning, to be able to get out really early for a short track each day for Tank and Blast.  This has been the only time we can do any work. Tomorrow morning, it's supposed to be down to 12, so will get Kira out on a track.  Then another week plus up into high 20's and low 30's with very high humidity again.  My training plans for entering tracking tests this fall are so far behind with this heat.  Even again an early morning laid track for 2 hr. brings us up into the mid-twenties.  No rain in sight, we so badly need it.

Wildflowers & an 'Alien'

 Extremely fragrant old fashioned wild roses, scattered here and there, are so pretty.

 Weeds!  Never remember the name, but are actually pretty with glossy leaves, growing around edges of trees into forest...do take over in places, but the tiny flowers are very cute and also are very fragrant, especially early morning and evening.

 This is Goatsbeard, that I originally planted (a small plant) but has also spread well.

 Muskmallow reseeds like crazy with the wind.  Here, on the septic tank bed, all the normally green grass is completely dead and brown.  Muskmallow thrives in hot and dry conditions.

Not wild, hanging in a planter on the deck but needs daily watering.  Weirdest plants I've ever had (Passionflower); saved this one over winter and have another new one on other side of deck, which is more purplish. Flowers last barely over one day and are multi-levels, really quite amazing.