The First Snow

This morning I woke up to the first snow of the winter. I don't think we will get any more snow today but the weather is supposed to turn colder. Mike was going to work this morning, anticipating a busy day with frozen streets.



The dogs could care less about the snow. Beck did her morning rounds in the back yard and Cassius has yet to make it outside, but can you blame him? Look how cozy he is.

Monday Morning Rainbow & Cassius' New Blanket

This morning I was able to sleep in until 7am and fortunately I was able to see this awesome sunrise with a great rainbow.

Cassius was exceptionally full of energy this morning. I sewed this blanket originally planning on giving it as a baby gift, but I didn't like the way the fabric fuzzed up when it was washed so Cassius and Beck got a new blanket. Cassius has taken to the blanket and is dragging it all over the house and sleeping on it every chance he can get.

Beck goes to a staff meeting

On Thursday I had a staff meeting and I was supposed to volunteer at St.Als after the meeting. So rather than make Beck stay in the car and wait until my staff meeting was over I figured since she is allowed all over the hospital I would take her to the staff meeting with me. She made me so proud. For a solid hour she laid down next to my chair and passed out. Everyone commented on what a sweet dog she is and how well she did during the meeting. After the meeting she did a fantastic job visiting with the patients and staff in the hospital.

Here are some pictures of Beck prepping for therapy work. All of the dogs that come into visit patients must be clean before they arrive. She hates the bath tub but loves going to work afterwards.

Cassius also had a great day on Thursday. I took him to D&B Supply to work on some heeling and to buy dog food. He did a great job and even resisted the distraction of a baby ferret chirping near his face.

The Cutest Nephews

So I might be a little biased but I think my sister's boys are the cutest! My sister sent me a pix message the other day with a photo of the boys dressed up in their post Halloween costumes. My sister loves Halloween too and went to Target a couple days after Halloween to check out the sale items (75% off). Ethan was pretty stoked about his Power Ranger costume and Aidan was delighted about his Buzz Light Year get up.

A Big Day

Although this may not be a big deal for most people Cassius and I had a "moment" today while training. I have been working with him a lot this fall to prepare him for competition obedience trials. Cassius has had a pretty bad attitude about the whole thing for the most part and acts like I probably did when I was a teenager when my parents told me to do something. He does what I asked him to do but has done it so sloooowly that in his own way he gives me the paw. But today was different. We were working on the come command. I placed him in a sit stay in front of our neighbors house and then walked to our driveway, turned around and paused and then said, "Cassius come." In the past Cassius has sloooooooowly walked toward me with his head down or just wandered into the grass, but today he came RUNNING towards me and sat directly in front of me. I flipped out! I was so happy I didn't know what to do. Again, this probably doesn't mean anything to your average every day person, but for me it meant that we have accomplished something and he is finally getting a better attitude about training and working with me. I repeated the sequence and he continued to succeed.
Beck had a great day today too. She and I went to St. Als for the pet therapy program. She wore her new fire fighter bandanna and even demonstrated a trick that is a work in progress (stop, drop, and roll). She is still kind of a spazz, but with time she will settle down.
It was kind of a dog day today. This morning Mike and I walked to the Frisby's house and picked up Dre for some time at the park. Cassius played his own game of frisbee while Beck and Dre took turns chasing down the tennis ball.
Mike worked a lot in the yard today and is close to completing the installation of our new garage door.