Chase Goes to PetSmart

On Friday evening I had an errand to run. Realizing that Chase hadn’t been out much in the past month, I decided to take him along. It’s been very cold here for most of January, often below zero for days at a time. Bandit has been to dog training school and an obedience trial. Cayenne [...]

Australian Cattle Dogs and 8 State Kate Book Featured on The Dog Show on January 1st

Those of you who have Valley Access TV in Minnesota and Wisconsin can tune in to channel 15 on January 1st to watch “The Dog Show” with Donna Chicone. The breed feature on this show is the Australian Cattle Dog. Louanne Brooks and I will show 11 ½ year old Pete (blue) and my dog [...]

The Dog Show

On Tuesday, Bandit and I were filmed for “The Dog Show”, a local TV show with host Donna Chicone. Bandit’s breeder Louanne and his 11 ½ year old grandfather Pete appeared with us in a segment on the Australian Cattle Dog.

Send article as PDF to

Snow Day!

It’s snowing here in Minnesota this morning, the first snow to stick here this year. The dogs are all excited, jumping up and down, even though there isn’t much. They love to run and play in the snow! Instead of just wondering if the roads will be bad for commuting to work tomorrow, or worrying [...]

My New Quilt Wall Hanging

I want to show you the quilted wall hanging that Michelle made for me. It has photos of nine of the dogs and cats that have shared my life over the years. It was designed before Cay joined us and includes:
Top row: Kate, Bandit, and Chase
Middle row: Nike, Pippi, and Marble
Bottom row: Rainbow, Rusty, and [...]

Bandit’s 5th Birthday

It’s getting late here, but I can’t go to bed without mentioning that it’s Bandit’s 5th birthday today. The only red ACD puppy for miles around, he found me just minutes after my old ACD-X Rusty died.
Bandit, aka Hillhaven Bolt Outof the Blue HSAs CD RA, is good at everything–obedience, Rally, agility, herding sheep, herding [...]

Cay’s 4th Week of School… and Chicken Thieving Again!

I’m so proud of Cay. It’s fun to see her finally, gradually come out of her shell. I have been working on teaching her the “silent down”, in which I tell her to sit, then lure her into a down. Eventually, she learns to anticipate that the next move from the sit will be a [...]

Cay’s Toenails and Celebrating Razzie’s 13th

On Saturday I took Cay to the local groomer to get her toenails clipped. That is one thing that we still have trouble with. I have tried doing one nail per day and taking it slowly, but it never seems to get done. I work on touching her feet at bed time and other times [...]

Bandit’s Eye

We went to the vet to have Bandit’s stitches removed today. I was amazed again at how well the vet had stitched up the skin over Bandit’s eye and how well it has healed. As the stitches were being removed, I felt very fortunate that Bandit’s eye wasn’t injured. It was such a close call, [...]

Give Me a Hug, Give Me a Break

My friend Sarah in Virginia rescued Chase from a violent man who was going to shoot him for chasing sheep. When Chase first came to live with us, he discovered that he could get my undivided attention when I was, ah, sitting on the toilet. When I’m the only person around, I don’t usually latch [...]