We have been busy!

It's been forever since we wrote a blog post, but that doesn't mean we haven't been busy. I attended my fourth Tellington TTouch class in Pflugerville, Texas, in early June. And, I leave on Friday for my fifth class - at the beautiful Icelandic Horse Farm in Vernon, British Columbia.

Since I can now work with paying clients, I have a business name - All Creatures TTouch - and, as of this morning, my own website, All Creatures TTouch Behavior & Training. The website is definitely under construction, but I hope to have basic information available in the very near future.

I have also pulled together an editorial calendar so I can post here regularly. The day-to-day details tend to pull me away from the computer. And I have found that being tied to a desk (I gave up my laptop for a new Mac desktop in January) isn't nearly as convenient as I had hoped. Maybe I can supplement with another laptop very soon ...

The dogs are healthy and happy. The week I returned from my Texas training, I drove to Kansas to collect a new rescue girl, picked up as a stray in the western part of the state. I cannot thank Airedale rescue volunteers enough for helping with transport, vetting, and grooming of this little one, named Joan Jett (JJ) in honor of the little town where she was found, Jetmore. JJ has been with us for a month now and is slowly coming around. She is extremely timid and untrained in all manner of living with humans - using a leash, pottying outside, walking through doorways and on varying indoor surfaces. I'm thankful to be available to work with her this summer, to help her learn confidence and to embrace the world around her. It's a slow process, but she is teaching me, too - as have so many wonderful canine teachers - to go slowly, with presence and with an open heart. As Ram Dass says, "Be here now." She is learning and then we backslide and then we learn again. One of my teachers and mentors, Kathy Cascade, sums it up like this: "It's about moments, not minutes." So JJ and I try to focus on the moments. JJ is listed on the national Welsh Terrier rescue website, WTCARES. She will stay here with me a while longer, but soon she will be ready for her own loving forever home.

The dogs and I thank you for reading our infrequent ramblings and for being our friends. We are grateful for your physical and your online place in our lives and in our hearts. And so I leave you with a couple of photos from our recent mornings outdoors. Oklahoma weather is being kind to us this summer. We have had more than a few mornings of absolute coolness and beauty in the midst of what is normally stifling temperatures 24 hours a day this time of year.

Blessings.

Barn Hunt fun - (Nearly) Wordless Wednesday

How many photos needed before we can get a good group shot of four terriers? Well ...

WHEW!

A fun day in the barn!

I mentioned last week that we planned to attend our first barn hunt over the weekend. We did and it was so much fun!

I should have packed the car Friday night. I didn't and that meant getting up early to get everything loaded - crates, treats, water, bowls, leashes, harnesses, towels, first aid kits. The dogs definitely have more stuff than the humans! We hit the road just before 7 a.m. Carson, of course, sat up for the entire drive, watching me intently with her little black eyes. Marley was calm and quiet from his position at the rear of the Outback. We arrived just in time for the judges seminar, where we learned the specifics and all the dogs were introduced to the rats - both in cages and in the tubes used during the actual hunts. Both Marley and Carson went nuts over the rats; it was hard to lower their intensity once they saw and smelled them.

I ran each of the dogs twice in the introductory event (RATN), which was allowed since it was a fun match and no ribbons were being awarded. Marley was one of the first dogs "up," and he was promptly disqualified for marking a hay bale. Oops! Carson didn't find the rat first time out either but, honestly, in both cases handler error (me!) was more to blame than anything else. In barn hunts, as opposed to earthdog trials, you can actually talk to your dog. Once I got the hang of that, both dogs did a much better job. They found the rats the second time around and had a blast doing it! They didn't have to climb or tunnel at the intro level, just release them and find the tube with the rat in it within 60 seconds. Four other terriers and their humans were there. We have known one another for years and had a great time.

Carson works the rat after choosing the right tube!

Barn hunts are open to dogs of all breeds and sizes. Besides our six terriers, there was a cocker spaniel, a boxer, two Rhodesian Ridgebacks, dalmatian, wire-haired dachshund, and several other breeds. Perfect way to spend a brisk Saturday morning. Carson and Marley slept most of the rest of the day. I guess all that barking and jumping wore them out. I know it did me!

Mud dogs!!!

We have had a couple of days of rain here in northeastern Oklahoma. The moisture is very welcome, what with a couple of years of drought and all. It will take a good amount of time and rain for the water tables to refill, even though the past few months have been "wetter" than normal AND the Farmer's Almanac is calling for a wet winter:

          "Winter temperatures will be slightly colder than normal, on average, 
          with precipitation and snowfall a bit above normal in Oklahoma and 
          north of the (D/FW) Metroplex." 
          (www.almanac.com/weather/longrange/zipcode/74010)

So it's all good, right? Mostly. Rainy weather means the dogs can't (or won't, in Blue's case) spend as much time outside, getting fresh air and exercise. It also means the one who adores the rain (Carson) spends more time in her crate drying off. I was thinking about all that in the morning when I decided the terriers needed some running around time in the yard as I got dressed for work. Moments later, I began to hear the banging noises. Getting closer to the back door, the noise seemed to be shaking the entire sunroom. Open the door, call the dogs. Nothing. Nada. Grab a jacket and head out: There they are, in all their glory. Up to their eyeballs - no exaggeration - in heavy, wet, Oklahoma red clay with a bunch of torn-up grass thrown in for good measure. Trying their best to dig under the lattice surrounding the sunroom. Their goal (prey)? Probably toads or field mice. They tend to ignore the toads who perch on the steps on late summer evenings but maybe the allure of digging for them is just too much to resist.

By afternoon, when these photos were taken,
the sunshine made them a little less "huge."

 Of course, all this happens when I need to leave for work in, oh, say, five minutes!



Race inside, grab a towel and slip into garden clogs. Hope the jacket will somewhat protect my clothes.

Evidence of Marley's participation
in the digging!

Marley is easy. Offer him a treat and he's willing to give up on the digging. I wrap him in a towel and hold him - feet facing out - as far from my clothes as I can. Bonus: let's consider this a workout for my biceps! 

Carson, of course, isn't so easily swayed. Her entire nose is covered in clay. It's hanging from her ears, her furnishings, her tail (how did that happen?). And it's a game. Get within two inches and she takes off at a full run. I remind myself I adore her, keep from looking at my watch to see how late I now am, consider my wet hair will only get more curly standing in the rain, and take a deep breath. Several minutes later, she is mine. Yay! Sorta ... My black and tan terrier is now a definite shade of barn red and smelly - wet dog, wet earth, WET. I carry her the same way as Marley and toss her into her crate, hoping she keeps at least some of the drying clay inside the crate during the day. I close the back door and head to school.

A little aside about Carson: She tends to get distracted and forget what is important (to me, obviously, not to her). When I return home after work, her crate not only has dried clay, is also has a little gift since she forgot to "take care of business" while she was busy digging to the other side of the county. Sigh ...

The next half hour was spent cleaning crates. This is the view from inside Marley's crate, as I was wiping up dirt. On a positive note, dirt doesn't usually "stick" to hard terrier coats; it tends to dry and end up on the floor. I'll spare you a glimpse at Carson's crate, however!








In the afternoon sun, the culprits were happy and playful. I filled in the holes as best I could (what, exactly happens to dirt that there is never as much to put back in a hole? I will never understand that!).

You can see from this photo that Marley is just happy to have me home, to be out in the sun and is secure in the knowledge that the treat wagon will soon visit. The ringleader, on the other hand, wouldn't stay away from her beautiful creations, so she was relegated to "hard time" in the run. I don't know about you, but I honestly don't see one smidgen of remorse on her face!

The next few days are supposed to be dry and sunny, which will give the ground a chance to dry out. I can only hope we won't repeat this scenario too many times during the months ahead. Happy Friday and a wonderful weekend to all.

"April showers ..."

Our rainy weather continues. As any dog-person knows, that means laundry and mopping goes up exponentially. We certainly can't (or shouldn't) complain; after close to two years of near drought conditions, the moisture is critical to the state and the region. What has happened at my house, however, is that nothing but red clay and pasture weeds have survived the lack of water, which makes for a nice "mess" in the yard. At least the weeds keep the clay - wet or dry - somewhat in place!

Here's a peek at what red clay looks like. As we traveled to a tennis match yesterday, the ponds, lakes and rivers in the area are simply a wet/liquid version of this. As you can imagine, the pigment is strong and, once your clothes or carpets are stained, there is little chance of ever getting it out.

Our temperatures are heading lower again today as well. Lows in the low 30s are predicted for again tonight, so we will refrain from actually putting tomatoes, peppers, herbs and strawberries in the ground for a little while longer. The dogs would love to have tomatoes and strawberries available for their personal picnics, but I don't think that would be very prudent, do you?

I do hope that spring is arriving in your part of the world. I managed to sleep through another thunderstorm last night, complete with hail. At least no tornado warning this time! We are also arriving at the end of the spring tennis season; another two weeks and we will be done. That will free up quite a bit of time to return to working with Blue, Carson and Marley on recalls and general manners. My hope is the weather will also begin to cooperate and we can spend some quality time together in the days to come. We do have a resident mockingbird in the backyard to likes to dive bomb anyone who irritates her. There have been years when she would actually sit on the fence of the run to intimidate Carson and Blue. Thankfully, that hasn't been her m.o. this year!

Another Wild Oklahoma Night

I can say, without question, that Carson may be an earthquake dog, but she's no storm dog! She, along with Marley, Blue, Cara and I all slept through last night's tornado warnings sometime around midnight.

Tonight, as I watch news reports about the storms, I am thankful we are safe and our little home and community are intact. And my prayers are for all those who were in the path of one or more of last night's show of weather force.

Nighttime Wanderings, Another Update

According to Earthquake Track, we have now registered 11 earthquakes since the middle of the night on Monday/early Tuesday. The strongest was 4.3 magnitude, recorded yesterday. The most recent was also the smallest, at 2.8 magnitude, recorded earlier this morning. At our house, the dogs were too busy splashing and digging in the yard to notice, if they felt them at all.

And so we go on ...

Nighttime Wanderings

So, I guess I have an earthquake detection dog. That's what I'm going with if I want to put a positive spin on Carson's escapades last night. If I want to be just totally objective, it was a heckuva a long night with Carson pacing and me trying - unsuccessfully - to get some sleep.

About 12:45 this morning, Carson started doing her circle dance in her crate. She was sleeping there because she wouldn't settle or stay put when it was time to go to bed last night. We have a deal: she stays on the bed and sleeps and all is well; she wanders and she goes to her own bed. The circling continued off-and-on (mostly on) until I took her outside at 6:45. Then, as perusing Facebook, I noticed friends in both Oklahoma City and in Tulsa commenting on earthquakes overnight and their own dogs reacting to them. Hmm. Maybe that was it ...

USA Today ran an Associate Press release this morning that reported several earthquakes confirmed by the U.S. Geological Survey beginning at 1:45 a.m. All were centered northeast of Oklahoma City. A geophysicist from the USGS said three earthquakes had been confirmed, with a possible fourth under investigation. The largest was 4.3 magnitude and was centered near Luther, about 51 miles west-southwest of where we live.

Was this the cause of Carson's nighttime walkabouts? I don't know. After being at the tennis courts from 2:30 until 9 p.m., all I know is that I was tired and I didn't feel anything. I do know animals are more sensitive to these kinds of shifts that humans and I am certain my animals are more sensitive than I. Carson seemed to be the only one in our house who noticed, if that is indeed what kept her on the move all night. All I know is that I need some beauty sleep today!

7:52 pm: Latest reports say we had six total quakes today, beginning sometime after 1 am and ending just after noon, CDT. I hope tonight is calm and earthquake-free.
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In the interests of learning more about Oklahoma earthquakes and their cause(s), I recently read parts of a March 26, 2013 report released by a University of Oklahoma seismologist's research which concluded that injection wells used by the oil and gas industry caused the state's largest earthquake on record. That was November 6, 2011, near Prague (OK), just over 35 miles from here. Thanks to Johnna Klukas for alerting me to updates and news reports!

According to the report, which was published in geoscience journal Geology, the quake was the largest to date resulting from injection and disposal wells. These types of wells are used to "recover oil from depleted wells or to store toxic waste fluid produced during drilling." The November 2011 quakes in Prague were on a fault line, as well as an oil field with heavy production in the 1950s and 1960s and fitted with injection wells  in the 1990s. It has been reported that more than 1,400 earthquakes occurred in Oklahoma in 2011, making it the most seismically active year on record. Even so, the state presently has no plans to limit or change injection well activity in the state. In fact, the state's official seismologist says there is no link between the wells and the increase in earthquakes. Of course, Oklahoma has a large oil and gas lobby and must protect its interests, so that comes as no surprise. I can only hope the two groups will come together at some point in the near future and proceed in the best interests of ALL Oklahomans - canines included!