Best in Class!

Last night was the last session of the obediance training class that Baily and Macy have been participating in the last seven weeks.  In the final session the dogs are judged on four tests, their efforts scored, and awards are presented at the end of the class.  Of the 20 dogs in the class, 10 went through the judging, the rest decided they weren't ready. 

You needed to get 100 points to "pass" the class, 150 points was a perfect score, plus you could earn 10 bonus points for various extra efforts.  Baily scored 155 and smoked the rest of the class, finishing first!  Whoda thunk it...we were very proud.

The class was great, watching 20 dogs interact each week was very entertaining, and the instructor tried to keep things fun.

Here's some pics.




Baily and Macy size up the competition.




Always a fan favorite here he's working the crowd in the bleachers.




About to begin the competition Macy gives Baily a pep talk (it involved meat)




First up was "healing", the judge would give commands as they walked that they needed to respond to.




Next was "sitting" while the judge tried to distract him.



Baily's best event..."staying" until called.



Bonus points for ending in a sitting position




Final event was "staying" down for a minute without getting up, actually a tough event for Baily.




Here's the competitors waiting for the awards to be announced.  Any doubt who the stud of the class was?




The winner is announced and the fans in the bleachers go crazy




Baily was humble in his acceptance




Best in Class



Suet Feeders



Hairy Woodpecker




Downy Woodpecker and Black-capped Chickadee




A pair of Downy Woodpeckers.



A Red-bellied Woodpecker



Pileated Woodpecker




Common Redpoles




Blue Jay




White-breasted Nuthatch



Baily

A few Baily shots...



When outside Baily always has his head in the snow looking for good sniffs.  Here he just came inside.




De-iced




This is not Macy's old sheepskin rug.



A Dog's Life

Tuesday Baily was relieved of his "bits".  Like any animal his instinct is to lick his wounds; not good for the healing incision and the stitches.  Often for pets to discourage licking a conical collar  is used, not a fun thing.  The vet suggested using a tee shirt to help prevent licking, and Macy was all in...Baily not so much so.  He did sleep through the night with it though.  Here's a few pics.

P.S. Baily is doing fine.

Yes, We Have Snow!

After a slow start the snow is piling up fast.  Snowshoes have gotten a lot of use.  Here's Macy on her way to run some errands.

Baily at 6 Months

Baily is six months old this week.  He's become a big part of our life and brings joy (and some irritation) every day.  He now weighs 42 pounds and still growing.  Big week coming up, Tuesday he spends the day at the vet getting his "wings" clipped.





Oct. 4, 2012

 




Feb. 8,2013

 




Oct. 4, 2012

 




Feb. 8, 2013

 






Just Relaxing

Lazy week, long walks on the lake and cozy fires.

Crossbills

Our feeder which contains fine sunflower hearts has been taken over by both White-winged and Red Crossbills.  They chase the Redpolls, Goldfinches, and Pine Siskens away.  Their food of choice is pine nuts, so they must find the sunflower hearts a good alternative.  First time we have seen them at the feeders here.  Here's some pics of the Red Crossbills, look closely and you can see the crossed bills.

Family Weekend

This past weekend Delaney was baptized.  Lucas, Renee, and Scott flew in for the weekend, so we had a great family get together.



Lucas has perfected the "army crawl" and is covering a lot of territory.  Always interested in what Beckett is up to.




Some cool dude ready to go out for some sledding.




Grandma flirting with Lucas.




Proud Dads




Lucas chatting it up with Delaney.  Lucas is 2 months older than Delaney.




Beckett trying to organize a group shot







Tough to get everyone looking at the camera at the same time.



One very happy Great Grandma.