I'm back!

Well, it has been months since I've last posted and felt its abouttime I get back on here and commit to being a blogger. Lots has happened in my life and in Sophie's and I hope I can recount some of it here for you.

My life in a nut shell: This past fall I became a full-time student. Back in school after having a rewarding career as a flight attendant for 6 years. I needed a change. So I am studying to become an animal halth technologist (commonly refered to as a vet tech...or to dumb it right down, a nurse for a veternirian.) It's a very intensive 2 year program and I an in my 2 term or year 1.

Watch for more posts coming soon! Next up...Sophie's allergic reactin scare

Sophie: a Super Dog in the making?

Last Wednesday night, Sophie and I had our last beginners agility class. It was only a 5 week course and we are starting the next level right away.

During the 5 weeks, we worked on clicker training, shaping behaviours with clicker training, targeting objects, and a basic introducing to most of the agility equipment (tunnels, chutes, jumps, tire jumps, dog walks, a frames, and a wobble board.) By the 4th classes we were able to do 2 or 3 obstacles together. On our last class, we practices 2-3 obstacles together then joined all of them. There were 11 in total, 7 tunnels, an a frame, and pause table, and a dog walk. It was set up to be very basic and by no means did anyone or their dog do great, but we all had fun. We did it twice each. The first time Sophie and I went, she did really well, but stopped between obstacles to rub at hear gentle leader which I left on her. The second time I was told to take it off her, and well....her concentration went as well! But like I said, all-in-all I think she get a wonderful job!

Beach Day

Last Sunday, I went to Grand Beach, one of the best beaches in Manitoba. In fact, it was once voted in the top 10 beached by playboy! But of course that's not the reason I'm talking about the beach. The real reason is, I took Sophie with me. It was her very first time at the beach. In the past I had tried to get her into water and to like it, but with not much success. I knew if only I could find a beach and encourage her to follow me in to the water. By the end of the day she went into the water a few times, all on leash. She didn't protest but she wasn't overly eager to get wet. All in all, I think she did an amazing job and I am so proud of her.

(Sophie and I posing for the camera in the water)

(OK, everyone out of the pool!)

The only thing that didn;t go our way, were the flies. Sand flies. They bite...a lot! No one was exempt, especially not Sophie. We ended our day a few hours earlier than planned becasue everyone was getting eaten alive. Oh well, part-in-part of summer I guess.

Canada Day

July 1st is Canada Day and the parties can be epic! There are of course fireworks coast to coast to celebrate our fine country. This year was no exception. I went to the Forks (locally meeting spot where 2 rivers converge together) to watch the fireworks. I took Sophie with me.

Now here I will just add a quick side note. Every year, dogs run away during fireworks. This is from fear of the loud noises and large crowds. The noise is very loud for a dog and may hurt his ears. Or he may get scared and become traumatized or bite someone. Always take precautions with your dog during fireworks and know how your dog handles different situations.

This being said, I know my Sophie. She has no fear to noises and does well in crowds. She got lots of attention from people - until the fireworks started of course! And she actually watched some fireworks herself, seemingly curious as to what the bright loud lights in the sky were. Near the end when the finally was at its loudest I gently covered her ears to muffles the sound a bit. But all-in-all she was an amazing spectator!

Happy 143rd Birthday Canada!

Paws in Motion 2010

(Sophie, ready for her 1st Paws in Motion, sporting a fashionable Winnipeg Humane Society bandanna)

On Sunday, June 27, I participated in the Winnipeg Humane Society's annual walk-a-thon called Paws in Motion. Sophie and I walked the longer walk of 3km all around the Assiniboine Park. There was easily over a thousand people there with their own four-legged friends in tow. Everyone got along superbly and had a great morning.

(during the walk)

The event ended up being a huge success for the Winnipeg Humane Society. They claim it was their best year to date.

(after the walk, by the Lyric Theatre in Assiniboine Park, where there was prizes, contests, and live music)

Mother Nature was also on our side with a warm day. The thunderstorm predicted held off until about 1:30pm, a good hour after the event ended.

(there were also many kiosks, selling pet products, or giving out samples, or information on services)

Amongst all the dog, I was shocked and pleased to see another white boxer. Not only another white boxer, but he had an uncanny resemblance to Sophie. So uncanny, in fact, that I had to do a double take to confirm it wasn't Sophie! You be the judge by these photos.

(Sophie (on the left) looking at her male like-alike Bono (on the right))

(Bono, Sophie's twin!)

(currently best photo I have of Sophie's standing physique)

I wish I could've gotten better photos of Sophie and Bono together, but all the wanted to do was box and wouldn't stay still together (go figure!) What do you think? Do you think they look similar?

I manager to raise over $400 for the cause. I'd like to thank all of my supporters: those who pledged money and those who lent me moral support.

The Myth of the White Boxer

When one thinks of the boxer breed, they don't think of a white coloured dog. Boxers, by definition, are muscular, medium-sized, short-haired dogs with a smooth coat in either fawn or brindle with or without white markings. That is the ideal boxer. However, some boxers will have an access of white markings, or even be completely white. Any boxer with white markings covering more than one-third of their body are called a "white" Boxer. This colour marking is not rare. Genetically, when a flashy boxer is breed to another flashy boxer, approximately 20–25% of the litter produced will be considered white. (flashy refers to the amount of white on the body - typically face, chest, legs. It cannot exceed 1/3 of the body's colour or it is outside of the breed standard)

(Flashy boxer with her pups. Notice how 2 of them are also flashy, while one has little/no white, but the 4th is white)

(This boxer is considered a "white boxer, because it has more than 1/3 white covering it's body)

The white boxer is not an albino. Albinos have a complete lack of pigment and their eyes are red. White boxers have an access of white in their coat. Most white boxers will have some colouring to them, either in coloured patches or in light or dark spots. Also, they will have brown-coloured eyes.

(Here's another white boxer pup, with just a little coloured patch around one eye - like the dog from the Little Rascals!)

As for health problems, a white boxer can easily get sunburned easily or have sensitive skin and/or allergies. The extreme piebald gene, which is responsible for white markings in Boxers, is also linked to congenital sensorineural deafness in dogs. It is estimated that about 18% of white Boxers are deaf in one or both ears.

In the past, breeders often euthanized white puppies at birth because they are disqualified from conformation showing by the breed standard, and are prohibited from breeding by every national Boxer club in the world. They can, however, compete in non-conformation events such as obedience and agility, and like their colored counterparts do quite well as service and therapy dogs. Today, most breeders place white puppies in pet homes with spay/neuter agreements. They are the same as any other boxer in personality and make excellent pets.

Always be leery of someone advertising "rare white boxers for sale". Typically this is someone out to make a quick buck, and will try to charge a higher price for this so-called rare colour. Reputable breeders will charge less for non-showing pups or pups with spay/neuter agreements, not more!

My Sophie is pretty much all white. She has a black nose with dark spots around and in her mouth. There are some lighter spots on her ears and some even lighter spots on her belly. She does get sun burnt easily and everything shows up on her, from blemishes, to scraps and cuts, to mosquito bites. One thing I'm very grateful for is that she is not deaf. Her hearing is just fine - excellent in fact when I get cheese from out of the refrigerator!

Agility

Last night, Sophie and I had our very first agility class. We have already been introduced to some agility equipment before in my beginner's obedience class, but this was a real agility class. We worked on clicker training and we were introduced to the bar jump, the tire jump, a wobble board (very short see-saw), and a tunnel. It was all very fun and exciting for the dogs as well as the handlers. Sophie did great once I got her attention but keeping her attention is hard. She liked the equipment, but she was very strung-out over the other dogs, which is normal for her on leash. We'll see what the next few weeks bring.

For those of you who may not know about agility, it is a dog sport in which the handle and dog must work as a team. The course is set up like an obstacle course, complete with jumps, tunnels, see-saws, etc. The handler tells the dog by verbal and non-verbal cues which piece of equipment to go on, jump over, or go through. The dog with the fastest time with no mistakes wins.