June  2007

WOO HOO - This is so COOL!!! 

Bianca can't write the newsletter this month, so it's MY turn to put my thoughts down for the world to see!!!  I am WESLEY, Bianca's little brother.  Yeah, I'm a year younger, but I'm the one that got all the looks and personality in the family! 

Bianca will be back in next month's edition.  Everyone's been going on and on about Bianca and her knee.  She got some kind of goofy sounding broken thing.  Hold on... let me check with my mommy Tracy and see what it was again...  ....  ok, it's cranial cruciate ligament rupture (she said it's like ACL tear in a human).  Anyway, I guess it's itchy, and I'm sure she'll share all the gory details next month.  You may recall when I had surgery she put some pretty embarrassing pictures of me in the newsletter!!!  I guess I could include pictures of Bianca with her huge leg bandage, but you know, this edition is going to be all MINE!!  ok, ok... mommy said I have to tell everyone that Bianca has her operation and is doing really well.... 

So, if you really like MY newsletter, let me know (my email is thecutewestie@2westies.com )!  Gotta run, the cat just walked back and I need to give her a good sniff!

                                                                                                                                            Wesley

 

 

 

Summer time!

Yep, surfs up and my friends Woody & Daisy love to hit the waves on a long board.  It sure looks like a ball and I'd love to be with them because I've sniffed them both and they smell really good. 

But seriously...  there are some SUMMER dangers out there.  I'm sure Bianca will want to tell you all about them next month - she's way more serious than I am. 

What I love most about Summer are all the critters in the yard to chase and all the great things to sniff.  Some of them smell really good and some are really stinky, which means it's time for a good roll to try to keep some of that stink with me! 

Mom says I need to ask you all to share your summer adventures with us (with Bianca, not me.  She's already telling me not to get too used to this.)   So send your vacation photos to bianca@2westies.com

 

 

The Fun Never Ends for Alex!!!

Big thanks to fellow terrier mom, Joan Castell for sharing all the great fun her JRT, Alex, has! 

 

Earthdog and Lure Coursing
Submitted by Joan Castell

 

Are you looking for another fun activity to do with your dog besides agility, herding, obedience, tracking or rally?  How about Earthdog or Lure Coursing?  You need a terrier or dachshund for Earthdog but any sound, healthy dog can do lure coursing.  Contrary to what many people might think it’s not only sighthounds that enjoy chasing a lure.  My corgi, Breezy, has done it at camp every year and absolutely loves it.  This year we found Mike and Lauri Stromberg who have a course set up in their backyard and welcome any breed of dog to try it.  Alex, my Jack Russell, gave it a try this spring.  He ran a little, then went off to sniff and pee, then ran a little more, then went off, etc.  Patti Jo’s Ty, on the other hand, can’t get enough of the lure and her mixed breed, Monk, really enjoys it as well.  Gail has run 2 of her goldens and Mary has participated with her labs.  It’s really amazing to see the dogs stretch out and run as fast as they can.  Lauri operates the lure and Mike is a photographer so I have him to thank for the excellent shot of Alex.  For more information go to www.lurecoursingfanatics.com.

          For those of you that aren’t familiar with Earthdog it’s all about the dog going through an underground tunnel and “working” the quarry once it gets there.  The tunnels are man made and the quarry is rats in a cage which is separated from the dog by bars.  Working the quarry refers to scratching, barking, biting, digging; whatever the personal style is for that dog as long as the judge can hear that it’s happening.  Alex has practiced at JRT fun days a couple of times but this past weekend was his first AKC sanctioned event.  There are 3 levels; Junior, Senior and Master.  Intro to Quarry, which is not a titling class, is also offered and allows the dogs to get some practice.  This is not something most of us can practice at home!  Judging is based on the time it takes the dog to get to the quarry and how long they work it once they get there.  It is pass or fail with no other scoring or placements involved.  You always drop them 10’ from the entrance to the tunnel and there has been a scent trail laid from there to the quarry.  In Intro, the tunnel is 10’ feet long with one 90 degree turn.  They are allowed 2 minutes to get to the quarry, 30 seconds to start working the quarry and then have to continually work for 30 seconds.  Things change dramatically in Junior.  The tunnel is 30’ long with 3 turns and they only have 30 seconds to get to the quarry.  Once there they have 30 seconds to start working and have to continue for 1 minute.  On Saturday Alex passed Intro to Quarry with no problem – he loves to work the rats!  The longer tunnel in Junior gave him a little trouble.  He went 10 seconds over time getting through it.  The judge was great.  She said “I want to pass this dog so bad”.  She let him work for 2 minutes or more because she so enjoyed watching his enthusiasm.  On Sunday we were joined by Patti Jo and Ty.  Both boys were stars in Intro – Ty got through the tunnel in 4 seconds and Alex in 3!  Since Ty hadn’t been there on Saturday he was a little baffled by the long tunnel and went 11 seconds over time.  He worked for the full minute that is required and would have passed if he had made it there within the 30 second limit.  He’s got the idea now!  Alex, having done this the day before, knew exactly why he was there.  He launched himself into the tunnel, stopped somewhere on the way to bark, then continued on and got there in 10 seconds under time.  He qualified and earned his first leg towards the Junior Earthdog title!  (By the way, Alex is 13 years old!)  We all had a blast and can’t wait to do it again.

 

 

 

 

Ab Fabs

Absolutely Fabulous Canine Accomplishments!

Please send your accomplishments to Bianca@2westies.com. 

 

 

 

Murray MACH 5!

 

Ok... so smelly Cairn Terrier Murray got a MACH 5 recently.  Yes, it's a big deal.  Yes, I only have 8 of the 750 points needed for MACH 1.  But you know, I actually saw Murray jump and he doesn't jump any higher than I do.  Look at this picture.  Yeah, that's Murray and he's barely clearing the bar.  I get in trouble for not jumping high enough and yeah, I make the bars fall down when I jump (sometimes!!), but look how low Murray jumps, come on! 

 

Murray's 'mom' Ruthanne really likes me and gives me really good treats and she smells really good all the time!  Murray doesn't smell the best, but his sister MacKenzie is very nice to sniff.  (Scott doesn't smell so great all the time either.  Maybe its a boy thing.)

 

OK... mommy says I have to be nice and say CONGRATULATIONS to Murray....  ok, whatever...  I'd rather have a belly rub, or a treat, or a something stinky to sniff, or...