tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22768370569264479062024-03-13T12:04:50.552-04:00Confessions of a CorgiThe life and times of a college student and her dog. And other stuff.Estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07157481532428694636noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276837056926447906.post-23689127515539347902010-01-09T21:07:00.003-05:002010-01-09T21:21:43.002-05:00Back to the cold*sigh* I'm back in Ithaca. It's been a glorious 3 weeks of warm weather (I'm talking 80 degrees nearly everyday), spending my days at the barn, riding horses all day, eating my mom's home cooking, all that good stuff. But now I'm back! Time flies by so fast :( The only good part is that I get to see Winnie again! I came back this morning and was reunited with my crazy little Corgi this afternoon.<br /><br />It's been snowing pretty much nonstop here in upstate New York. It's currently about 10 degrees F, eep! Winnie, on the other hand, is definitely enjoying the snow...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/S0k4VUDCBSI/AAAAAAAABxY/tVeD5yYlL8o/s1600-h/IMG_4488.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/S0k4VUDCBSI/AAAAAAAABxY/tVeD5yYlL8o/s320/IMG_4488.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424929164954305826" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/S0k4VGmEYjI/AAAAAAAABxQ/1tpEJ4E1dJg/s1600-h/IMG_4482.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/S0k4VGmEYjI/AAAAAAAABxQ/1tpEJ4E1dJg/s320/IMG_4482.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424929161343164978" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/S0k4UyGeKTI/AAAAAAAABxI/g-uOuSqcAvs/s1600-h/IMG_4475.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/S0k4UyGeKTI/AAAAAAAABxI/g-uOuSqcAvs/s320/IMG_4475.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424929155841927474" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/S0k4UuXOHwI/AAAAAAAABxA/e4WxgXRP6XM/s1600-h/IMG_4473.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/S0k4UuXOHwI/AAAAAAAABxA/e4WxgXRP6XM/s320/IMG_4473.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424929154838437634" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/S0k4UfYRbQI/AAAAAAAABw4/LcTBvtDD-k4/s1600-h/IMG_4465.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/S0k4UfYRbQI/AAAAAAAABw4/LcTBvtDD-k4/s320/IMG_4465.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424929150816316674" border="0" /></a><br />I hope you all are staying nice and warm, wherever you are!Estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07157481532428694636noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276837056926447906.post-58560961787614281342009-12-16T00:21:00.004-05:002009-12-16T00:30:14.458-05:00Totally MIAHey guys! So sorry this blog has been dead for a while. School got nasty :(<br /><br />It finally started snowing this past week. It's been a pretty warm winter overall (thanks, global warming!). Winnie got to experience her first real snowfall! She has been to Big Bear before (a ski resort in Southern CA) but it doesn't really count because it's mostly man-made snow :) She's never experienced the real thing before!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SyhvWNK2d7I/AAAAAAAABwY/82QzOVy0GOY/s1600-h/IMG_4452.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SyhvWNK2d7I/AAAAAAAABwY/82QzOVy0GOY/s320/IMG_4452.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415700979196000178" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Note the snow and ice stuck on her chin/whiskers :)</span><br /><br /></div>It's been a crazy fall semester. I realized that I've been in 6 different states this past month! NY (where I'm now, obviously), NJ, CT, MA, MD, and PA. And they've all been horse-related, hah. This past week has been insane --> FINALS WEEK. Ugh. I have my last final on Thursday and I'm going home, YAY!<br /><br />Winnie will be staying here in Ithaca with my friend and the entire pack- Ava, Hansel/Juneau (the Shelties), and Brandt- remember them from this summer? :) I hate to leave her here, but she'll be a lot happier staying here rather than flying back and forth from NY to CA. I know she'll have a good time- it's me who'll miss her! We won't be able to spend Christmas together :( Thankfully I'll only be going home for 3 weeks. I'm so ready to actually get a full night's sleep!<br /><br />I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL holiday break :)<br /><br />Some pictures for your viewing pleasure...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SyhvVhClQ3I/AAAAAAAABwQ/Tv6Q7ucCfYo/s1600-h/IMG_4433.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SyhvVhClQ3I/AAAAAAAABwQ/Tv6Q7ucCfYo/s320/IMG_4433.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415700967350158194" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Pig on a pig</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SyhvWXaystI/AAAAAAAABwg/C_7d2Ek9YNk/s1600-h/IMG_4441.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SyhvWXaystI/AAAAAAAABwg/C_7d2Ek9YNk/s320/IMG_4441.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415700981947216594" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">O hai. I can haz a treat?</span><br /></div>Estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07157481532428694636noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276837056926447906.post-32683664726482771432009-11-19T10:35:00.003-05:002009-11-19T10:38:37.008-05:00CorgiButts contestGibson of Corgi Butts is holding another contest in honor of gaining 100 Followers!<br /><br /><a href="http://corgibutts.blogspot.com/2009/11/100-followers-giveaway.html">Click here </a>to enter to win a custom blog heading or a custom illustration of your dog :)Estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07157481532428694636noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276837056926447906.post-58755532800598088992009-11-18T19:28:00.004-05:002009-11-18T19:31:18.831-05:00AKC Star (sort of...)I got an email today saying to "look for Winnie in this issue of your AKC!"<br /><br />It turns out that her photo was one of those displayed in a thing called "<span class="title">Photos from YourAKC Readers". The general theme seems to be a dogs-at-the-beach sort of thing. I honestly can't remember when I ever submitted a photo of Winnie, but hey!<br /><a href="http://www.akc.org/enewsletter/yourakc/2009/slideshow/page7.cfm"><br />Click here</a> to see her photo. It's in Row 4, Column 3 :)<br /></span>Estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07157481532428694636noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276837056926447906.post-73922156921494840542009-10-24T20:21:00.008-04:002009-10-25T20:15:26.205-04:00Mission Squirrel: SUCCESSWinnie has finally fulfilled her lifelong dream of catching a squirrel. Twice.<br /><br />No joke!<br /><br />On Thursday she actually caught a squirrel in the Arts Quad. In the squirrel's defense, it was either a) really really stupid or b) slightly injured and thus unable to run fast enough. It might've been a combo of both, since the squirrels here tend to be pretty smart about avoiding or not avoiding potential threats.<br /><br />Anyway, Winnie managed to catch it. And then she let go...and started herding it!<br /><br />Uh, yeah. She started herding the squirrel. This is where the whole "the squirrel is an idiot" comes into play- instead of just running up a nearby tree, the squirrel decided to instead run in circles. Winnie decided it would be fun to herd it and bark at it...*roll eyes*. After some time Winnie got bored with this squirrel who was making a half-ass attempt to run away. Eventually it just ran back up a tree.<br /><br />Then on Friday night, we were back on the Arts Quad when it was really dark and slightly rainy. Winnie managed to find another squirrel, although I wonder if it was the same one from the day before, since it too was slow and slightly stupid.<br /><br />Anyway, the gist of it is that Winnie caught a squirrel. Twice. And the squirrel(s) didn't die. Which I'm slightly relieved about. They are kind of cute. At least, when they're not dropping acorns on your head when you walk under a tree.<br /><br />Today we had graduation for obedience class. Today was admittedly one of Winnie's worst obedience days. She broke her sit/stay and down/stay numerous times and her heeling was pretty bad. Despite that, she did better than the other dogs and scored a 1st place (and a nifty little trophy). Hah. Not too deserving since both she and the competition kind of sucked today, but who am I to complain? :P<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SuObrfpLgPI/AAAAAAAABvc/P8kGsqF2mtw/s1600-h/IMG_4115.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SuObrfpLgPI/AAAAAAAABvc/P8kGsqF2mtw/s320/IMG_4115.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396327950050885874" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SuObrlwW1wI/AAAAAAAABvk/ZF2y6ZPz-eY/s1600-h/IMG_4118.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SuObrlwW1wI/AAAAAAAABvk/ZF2y6ZPz-eY/s320/IMG_4118.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396327951691601666" border="0" /></a><br />We also showed off one of her tricks- backwards circles- and won a squeaky toy, which was promptly ripped just moments after we won it from her constant tugging.<br /><br />She had a grand ole time running around the fenced-in agility arena during the post-graduation party.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SuOcuqi71zI/AAAAAAAABvs/gAgNEQt9adI/s1600-h/IMG_4113.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SuOcuqi71zI/AAAAAAAABvs/gAgNEQt9adI/s320/IMG_4113.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396329104028718898" border="0" /></a><br />And...it seems as though my pictures are finally uploading! Here are some pics of Winnie on the campus Arts Quad. I had planned to upload these earlier but wasn't able to until now:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SuOcvYD6y4I/AAAAAAAABwE/tf1azSM3Krw/s1600-h/IMG_4084.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SuOcvYD6y4I/AAAAAAAABwE/tf1azSM3Krw/s320/IMG_4084.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396329116246657922" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SuOcvFSHCtI/AAAAAAAABv8/OL5zlmpIhC8/s1600-h/IMG_4082.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SuOcvFSHCtI/AAAAAAAABv8/OL5zlmpIhC8/s320/IMG_4082.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396329111205907154" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Winnie at Ezra Cornell's statue. Some visiting tourists saw this and also wanted to take a picture of Winnie next to the statue for their friend who is a Corgi lover, lol!</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SuOcu4AcSZI/AAAAAAAABv0/I5fvxcnemfc/s1600-h/IMG_4085.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SuOcu4AcSZI/AAAAAAAABv0/I5fvxcnemfc/s320/IMG_4085.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396329107642141074" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Small dog, large campus</span><br /></div>Estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07157481532428694636noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276837056926447906.post-57731452889583466522009-10-11T23:20:00.004-04:002009-10-11T23:30:44.874-04:00*Grumble*For some odd reason, I'm unable to post new pictures on this blog. I took a couple pictures of our agility course today, as well as some pictures of Winnie running around the Quad. And I can't put up any of them, argh!<br /><br />We'll have to make to without them, I suppose :(<br /><br />Today was the 5th week of agility (technically our 4th, since I had to miss one class a few weeks ago). We are now doing all three contact obstacles (dog walk, A frame, teeter) at half-height and all the other obstacles (chute, tunnel, jumps, etc) except for the weave poles.<br /><br />We are now doing short sequences of about 6-7 obstacles. Winnie is doing GREAT at her contacts. Ideally I would like to spend more time working on running contacts using the Sylvia Trkman method, but obviously I don't have that kind of time or resource at the moment! Still, she's showing wonderful enthusiasm and drive, as well as control, for all the obstacles. The only time she screws up is when I screw up with my handling (go figure) or she gets distracted by some treat that fell on the floor next to an obstacle.<br /><br />Since I also volunteer as an instructor for obedience/agility at our local 4H club, I use the time to have some extra "solo" agility practice on Monday nights using their equipment. Last Monday I was able to work with Winnie on serpentines using lead-outs and changes of hand. I really want to try those <a href="http://agilitynerd.com/blog/agility/courses/steve/BoxDrills.html">jump box drills</a> from <a href="http://agilitynerd.com/">Agility Nerd</a> to improve my handling...<br /><br />Boy, this is one boring post without any pictures. I should probably get back to studying. Sigh.Estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07157481532428694636noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276837056926447906.post-76041497894061673812009-10-02T11:24:00.003-04:002009-10-02T11:31:27.110-04:00Miss SeptemberA couple months ago Gibson's mom from <a href="http://corgibutts.blogspot.com/">Corgi Butts</a> started a <a href="http://corgibutts.blogspot.com/2009/08/corgis-with-blogs-2010-calendar-contest.html">calendar photo contest</a> in which we got to submit photos of our lovely Corgis to be selected for the 2010 calendar. I immediately sent it a gazillion photos of Winnie, and we were one of the lucky 12 to be chosen! You can see the other winners <a href="http://corgibutts.blogspot.com/2009/10/corgis-with-blogs-2010-calendar-winners_01.html">here</a>. Winnie is Miss September!<br /><br />Here is the winning photo:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SsYcrX8_SoI/AAAAAAAABvU/i-YlMjpjtrY/s1600-h/Winnie+039.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SsYcrX8_SoI/AAAAAAAABvU/i-YlMjpjtrY/s320/Winnie+039.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388025535685151362" border="0" /></a><br />I can't wait until our calendar arrives in the mail. A big congratulations to all the other winners! Your photos look GREAT :)Estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07157481532428694636noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276837056926447906.post-35542173341156718152009-09-27T16:45:00.002-04:002009-09-27T16:54:10.888-04:00Agility, exams, and flusHi guys! Sorry I haven't posted much in a while. I tried to post something last week but it wouldn't let me put up any pictures, so I pretty much gave up on that.<br /><br />I've been somewhat bogged down with prelims (midterms). I had 2 prelims this past Thursday, one of which was Organic Chemistry. Need I say more? Tomorrow I have an Animal Nutrition prelim that I should be studying for. Except instead I'm blogging. Sweet.<br /><br />I also got a big sick this past week. I woke up with a sore throat and congestion/mild headache early this past week. Thankfully our school's hospital confirmed that it wasn't swine flu, which has been spreading around our campus like wildfire. Eep.<br /><br />On a dog-related note, we had agility class again today! I had to miss class last week because of something else I couldn't miss. Today we learned the chute and a low-set teeter. Winnie did great with both of them, and we ended the class with short sequences of about 3-4 obstacles, including a full-on chute. She shows so much enthusiasm for agility- I'm so happy that we have the opportunity to finally learn in a class setting!<br /><br />My 2x2 weave poles are sitting in the corner of the living room. I have admittedly not been spending much time with it. I simply have not had the time to train Winnie with it, which really stinks. I do have fall break coming up in 2 weeks, so hopefully I can do some weaves with her then.<br /><br />Sorry I have no pictures this time. I forgot to bring my camera to agility class!Estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07157481532428694636noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276837056926447906.post-67623139454964442322009-09-22T21:58:00.001-04:002009-09-22T22:01:31.757-04:00Two words<span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Organic. Chemistry.</span><br /><br />Blarggghhhh!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/mbc/lowres/mbcn174l.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 366px; height: 400px;" src="http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/mbc/lowres/mbcn174l.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07157481532428694636noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276837056926447906.post-17992107799453120952009-09-13T18:02:00.005-04:002009-09-13T18:23:44.587-04:00Cornell CompanionsThis weekend was screening weekend for <a href="http://www.vet.cornell.edu/services/companions/index.htm">Cornell Companions</a>, a pet visitation program here in the Ithaca area. Volunteers visit various facilities with their animals (mostly dogs, but we do have cats, birds, and the occasional llama!)- nursing homes, correctional facilities, hospitals, centers for children with disabilities, etc.<br /><br />I thought it would be awesome to participate with Winnie, since she's here with me now. The screening sessions took place over a span of two days- Saturday and Sunday. Incidentally, I also happen to be the administrative assistant of Cornell Companions. I recently got the job a couple weeks ago for some extra cash. It pays a decent amount (for a low-effort job, at least) and I only have to work a couple hours a week from my own computer. This weekend was awesome because I got paid for several hours' work even though I worked on my own homework most of the time! All I really did was greet people, check them in, and tell them what forms to fill out. Good stuff.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Sq1suTQvi7I/AAAAAAAABuo/MHo32E5FTNk/s1600-h/IMG_3901.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Sq1suTQvi7I/AAAAAAAABuo/MHo32E5FTNk/s320/IMG_3901.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381076672477891506" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">My work station this weekend. Excel sheet, forms, scientific papers for me to read (my homework), and dog treats for Winnie. Oh, and an apple.</span><br /><br /></div>Anyway, I was at the vet school checking people in from around 8am to 3pm both yesterday and today. Since I was also participating as a potential volunteer, I had to get Winnie screened as well. I brought her with me today and screened her in the morning- and she passed! The screening test is basically a more relaxed version of the AKC's Canine Good Citizen Test. Winnie did really well!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Sq1stiqfQVI/AAAAAAAABuY/Gxyn5iehpIY/s1600-h/IMG_3890.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Sq1stiqfQVI/AAAAAAAABuY/Gxyn5iehpIY/s320/IMG_3890.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381076659432538450" border="0" /></a><br />Since I couldn't exactly go back home during the screening session (I had to check people in as they came for their screening appointments) Winnie sat next to me the entire morning/afternoon and acted as the unofficial Cornell Companions Ambassador.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Sq1st7tJreI/AAAAAAAABug/T4p4x760-QE/s1600-h/IMG_3900.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Sq1st7tJreI/AAAAAAAABug/T4p4x760-QE/s320/IMG_3900.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381076666154593762" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Sq1tKfHTTaI/AAAAAAAABvI/J_8Nuc--xlE/s1600-h/IMG_3908.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Sq1tKfHTTaI/AAAAAAAABvI/J_8Nuc--xlE/s320/IMG_3908.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381077156695854498" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Winnie "guarding" the gates to the screening room.</span><br /><br /></div>I used this as a training opportunity. She has gotten incredibly good at her "Leave It" command over the past few weeks (living in an apartment gives more opportunity for barking). I worked on keeping her calm and ignoring the other dogs, which she did fantastically.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Sq1svDnrQ6I/AAAAAAAABu4/3g-iJLqR850/s1600-h/IMG_3904.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Sq1svDnrQ6I/AAAAAAAABu4/3g-iJLqR850/s320/IMG_3904.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381076685458981794" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">I was really pleased to see her relax and even fall asleep a bit in this new environment.</span><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Sq1suzYkRUI/AAAAAAAABuw/mRmaKAHEEMs/s1600-h/IMG_3903.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Sq1suzYkRUI/AAAAAAAABuw/mRmaKAHEEMs/s320/IMG_3903.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381076681100641602" border="0" /></a><br />Although almost all of the screened animals were dogs, we did have one bird- a cute Senegal Parrot. While the parrot and her owner/handler were in the other room during the test, Winnie took the opportunity to sniff out the bird cage.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Sq1tJ2qewkI/AAAAAAAABvA/JrFZGwE9GiE/s1600-h/IMG_3906.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Sq1tJ2qewkI/AAAAAAAABvA/JrFZGwE9GiE/s320/IMG_3906.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381077145837552194" border="0" /></a><br />Since she's more of a high-activity dog, we got placed in the <a href="http://www.vet.cornell.edu/services/companions/Facilities/Lansing.htm">Lansing Residential Center</a> and the <a href="http://www.vet.cornell.edu/services/companions/Facilities/MacCormick.htm">MacCormack Center</a>. A nursing home wouldn't be a very good fit for her, hah.<br /><br />Lansing is a correctional facility for youth females who have committed less severe crimes, and MacCormack is a high-security correctional facility for youth males who have committed more serious crimes. I'm really looking forward to going to MacCormack because it's the only facility that allows the dogs and facility residents to interact and play off-leash.<br /><br />With Winnie's previous reactivity issues, I never thought I'd be able to do something like this with her. She has improved so much over the past year or so, and although she is still a work in progress, we're definitely progressing.<br /><br />I'm really looking forward to our first visit in a couple weeks! I'll be sure to take some pictures while I'm there.Estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07157481532428694636noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276837056926447906.post-49116944537292127552009-09-06T14:36:00.006-04:002009-09-06T23:14:08.088-04:00Finally an agility dogHello everyone! Sorry I haven't updated in so long- something called 'school' took my time away from the computer, can you believe that?<br /><br />So far classes are going well..but I know that in a few weeks I'll be loaded with work and studying, eek! Thankfully, I have been able to arrange playdates 1-3 times a week with Hansel and his mom. Sometimes we go to the dog park, other times we let them run around the Arts Quad...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SqQGw_gk66I/AAAAAAAABuA/nZyY0YjRqFs/s1600-h/IMG_3864.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SqQGw_gk66I/AAAAAAAABuA/nZyY0YjRqFs/s320/IMG_3864.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378431293738773410" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Aw, jeez, Mom..seriously?</span><br /><br /></div>...and Winnie and I started agility classes today, YAY! I'm so happy to have finally started, since the summer classes got canceled and I had to wait an extra 1-2 months.<br /><br />Needless to say, Winnie totally ROCKED at the first class. The instructor introduced us to the basic equipment- standard bar jump, tire jump, pause table, shortened tunnel, chute (without the actual chute), and a dog walk (only the flat part). Winnie did each obstacle without any hesitation while some of the other dogs struggled to go through the tunnel or get up on the dog walk. Our homework for this week is to work on getting them to follow our hands as well as teach them how to target- both of which we already happen to know, hehe. But I suppose there's always room to practice more!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SqQF2rI_RjI/AAAAAAAABtQ/f5041lHCULk/s1600-h/IMG_3852.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SqQF2rI_RjI/AAAAAAAABtQ/f5041lHCULk/s320/IMG_3852.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378430291838715442" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SqQF27K7bLI/AAAAAAAABtY/jpEfWBmilTg/s1600-h/IMG_3853.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SqQF27K7bLI/AAAAAAAABtY/jpEfWBmilTg/s320/IMG_3853.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378430296141819058" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SqQF3Q6pN8I/AAAAAAAABtg/eppbTRaZl6Y/s1600-h/IMG_3854.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SqQF3Q6pN8I/AAAAAAAABtg/eppbTRaZl6Y/s320/IMG_3854.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378430301979097026" border="0" /></a><br />If anything, I spent more time (and treats) getting her to focus on me. She has had issues before with getting overexcited and overstimulated around dogs, but to my pleasant surprise she did an amazing job today! Before the class started I did some short heeling patterns with her (mostly going straight and doing a lot of left turns) to get her attention on me, which she did really well. She was very focused on me when there were dogs in front and behind her (we were in a line taking turns to use the obstacles). Most of the time, I managed to keep her in the heel position while walking around the ring. Only during the middle of the class did she start getting distracted by the treats that had fallen on the floor. Towards the end I managed to keep her mind off the floor by running around and asking her to go through the obstacles, LOL!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SqQF32wpkfI/AAAAAAAABto/cSZ1x3Mh9wM/s1600-h/IMG_3855.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SqQF32wpkfI/AAAAAAAABto/cSZ1x3Mh9wM/s320/IMG_3855.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378430312137724402" border="0" /></a><br />I'm super proud of what we accomplished today. She has gotten so much more confident around other dogs, and only rarely does she get overstimulated by them (e.g. if she saw another dog, she would rush toward them (WITHOUT any aggression) and sniff/meet and greet).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SqQF4QLJ2FI/AAAAAAAABtw/32ye1J8pUzg/s1600-h/IMG_3859.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SqQF4QLJ2FI/AAAAAAAABtw/32ye1J8pUzg/s320/IMG_3859.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378430318959777874" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SqQGwUuI89I/AAAAAAAABt4/eIRpnqjIk2g/s1600-h/IMG_3862.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SqQGwUuI89I/AAAAAAAABt4/eIRpnqjIk2g/s320/IMG_3862.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378431282252936146" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">We stopped by a small pond for a quick drink on the way back to my apartment.</span><br /><br /></div>We have agility on Sundays and beginner obedience on Thursday nights. I don't doubt that she already knows basic obedience, but I signed up for the class in order to get her used to working around an overstimulating environment (e.g. hyper puppies). I'm hopeful that each class will benefit the other!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SqQGxc7UFTI/AAAAAAAABuI/WpomIJGe3oI/s1600-h/IMG_3866.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SqQGxc7UFTI/AAAAAAAABuI/WpomIJGe3oI/s320/IMG_3866.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378431301635544370" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Snoozing after a hard day in class.</span><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SqQGx5XF_YI/AAAAAAAABuQ/ZA5iW5tLOLE/s1600-h/IMG_3867.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SqQGx5XF_YI/AAAAAAAABuQ/ZA5iW5tLOLE/s320/IMG_3867.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378431309268254082" border="0" /></a>Estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07157481532428694636noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276837056926447906.post-11436513144189890432009-08-26T23:34:00.006-04:002009-08-26T23:54:25.920-04:00And so the year beginsClasses finally start tomorrow! It's kind of bittersweet. The nerdy part of me makes me happy that I'll finally be doing something productive now (it's been a lazy 2 weeks in the lab...my boss is on vacation, heh), but the other side of me knows I'll actually have to start studying soon, LOL!<br /><br />Wally is doing well; he loves his time outside of his cage and he and Winnie are getting along just fine.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpX_ndtjNRI/AAAAAAAABrw/kPn2GcRRfj4/s1600-h/IMG_3751.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpX_ndtjNRI/AAAAAAAABrw/kPn2GcRRfj4/s320/IMG_3751.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374482783792215314" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpX_m61ltwI/AAAAAAAABro/tCysvM42NaU/s1600-h/IMG_3724.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpX_m61ltwI/AAAAAAAABro/tCysvM42NaU/s320/IMG_3724.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374482774430693122" border="0" /></a><br />I've learned that rabbits like to do five things:<br /><br />1) Chew<br />2) Dig<br />3) Hide<br />4) Toss<br />5) Scratch<br /><br />The great thing about rabbits is that it's so easy to keep the entertained- in a very cheap way, no less! All you really need is a cardboard box and some scissors. You can cut a hole in it to make a burrow, stuff it with hay/shredded/paper, or just let them chew it or toss it. You can't get cheaper than that!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpX_n3rgHCI/AAAAAAAABr4/77hdLaYOQ0A/s1600-h/IMG_3768.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpX_n3rgHCI/AAAAAAAABr4/77hdLaYOQ0A/s320/IMG_3768.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374482790762945570" border="0" /></a><br />Wally is personally not a big fan of digging or tossing items, but he definitely loves to chew and eat his hay! I made a little hay box for him today. I took a regular cardboard box and cut little shapes on each side, then stuffed it with hay. He enjoys pulling it all out and making a big mess in the living room, haha.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpX_oKCnZNI/AAAAAAAABsA/lhPyM0TWuhw/s1600-h/IMG_3781.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpX_oKCnZNI/AAAAAAAABsA/lhPyM0TWuhw/s320/IMG_3781.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374482795691730130" border="0" /></a><br />I also used a small cardboard box (originally containing modeling kit materials) that came with my organic chemistry book set. Who knew organic chemistry could actually be useful? Hah!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpX_ouRl_iI/AAAAAAAABsI/YFqAF2uILjU/s1600-h/IMG_3791.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpX_ouRl_iI/AAAAAAAABsI/YFqAF2uILjU/s320/IMG_3791.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374482805418229282" border="0" /></a><br />In non-rabbit related news, Winnie is becoming a little star on campus. Almost everywhere I walk, people ooh and ahh over my little Corgi, haha. I think Winnie reminds a lot of students of their own dogs and pets back at home. Sometimes it's just nice to see a furry face amidst all the stress of studying and exams! Tonight there was an event out in the Arts Quad, and Winnie got quite a few belly rubs and ear scratches from a few freshmen.<br /><br />We're both settling into our new apartment well. I think I'm finally starting to feel more at "home", if you know what I mean!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpYCh3T85EI/AAAAAAAABsw/Jkp0OjUM70w/s1600-h/IMG_3649.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpYCh3T85EI/AAAAAAAABsw/Jkp0OjUM70w/s320/IMG_3649.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374485986119836738" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpYCgwU6jPI/AAAAAAAABsY/Fml-QSx69LU/s1600-h/IMG_3654.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpYCgwU6jPI/AAAAAAAABsY/Fml-QSx69LU/s320/IMG_3654.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374485967064960242" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpYChM19WNI/AAAAAAAABsg/N7pEbSquWcc/s1600-h/IMG_3660.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpYChM19WNI/AAAAAAAABsg/N7pEbSquWcc/s320/IMG_3660.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374485974719748306" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpYCgaRb5hI/AAAAAAAABsQ/xd2fVNpvGsE/s1600-h/IMG_3653.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpYCgaRb5hI/AAAAAAAABsQ/xd2fVNpvGsE/s320/IMG_3653.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374485961144788498" border="0" /></a><br />I'm also very excited to finally enroll in agility classes this fall. Now that summer is over, a new set of obedience/agility classes will take place. We'll be in both beginning obedience and beginning agility (you have to take obedience if you want to take agility- their policy!).Estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07157481532428694636noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276837056926447906.post-67970836899218425702009-08-23T20:46:00.008-04:002009-08-24T00:55:28.715-04:00Meet WallyMy roommate and I got a bunny. Yep, a bunny.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpHkTwj-cYI/AAAAAAAABqU/LRUvPNoBdWg/s1600-h/IMG_3666.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpHkTwj-cYI/AAAAAAAABqU/LRUvPNoBdWg/s320/IMG_3666.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373326858534154626" border="0" /></a><br />Don't worry, it wasn't really an impulse decision or anything. My friend, the one who made me the <a href="http://winniethecorgi.blogspot.com/2009/08/edible-winnies.html">edible Winnie cupcakes</a> for my birthday, had a rabbit named Coconut (or Cocobutt, as she affectionally calls him) that she just didn't have the time to take care of.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpHkS6GU3aI/AAAAAAAABqE/l3kSLYF_zwA/s1600-h/IMG_3663.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpHkS6GU3aI/AAAAAAAABqE/l3kSLYF_zwA/s320/IMG_3663.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373326843914280354" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpHkUE1x9wI/AAAAAAAABqc/-NQigRlAQoA/s1600-h/IMG_3669.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpHkUE1x9wI/AAAAAAAABqc/-NQigRlAQoA/s320/IMG_3669.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373326863977543426" border="0" /></a><br />My friend is a 3rd year vet student who was somewhat forced to take in Coconut from her mother's friend who has brain cancer..,and you just can't say no to that kind of situation! Unfortunately, she also has a fennec fox and other animals in the house--the bunny wasn't getting enough "out-of-cage" time and such, but she didn't want to put him on Craigslist or give him to just anyone. That's where I come in. I (and my roommate) had been wanting a second animal for a while (not necessarily a dog, but just a second animal). Ferrets were out of the question because they're too much work, like young puppies that never grow up. A rabbit seemed pretty ideal. And there you have it- the timing and situation was perfect.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpHmHVEzQvI/AAAAAAAABrU/3ISogYAr9es/s1600-h/IMG_3694.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpHmHVEzQvI/AAAAAAAABrU/3ISogYAr9es/s320/IMG_3694.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373328844020466418" border="0" /></a><br />She dropped him off today. He got to explore his new surroundings and seems to like it. I named him Wally after the robot Wall-E in the movie. He's a very sweet little rabbit, a good "first time" bunny. He's calm, has no issues using the litter box, and is good with being handled and having his nails clipped. He is about 3 years old and most likely a cross-breed.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpHmH2qaRgI/AAAAAAAABrc/yLEFo4Xh6PY/s1600-h/IMG_3706.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpHmH2qaRgI/AAAAAAAABrc/yLEFo4Xh6PY/s320/IMG_3706.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373328853036582402" border="0" /></a><br />I have to admit, I was really wary of how Winnie would be around him. She has a very high prey drive and she has tried to chase after wild rabbits before. To my pleasant surprise, Winnie was great around Wally! Just a couple sniffs and following around, and that was that. Wally's not fazed at all by Winnie either. I think they'll be just fine!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpHkTSqBUhI/AAAAAAAABqM/IudJGnHmaEw/s1600-h/IMG_3664.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpHkTSqBUhI/AAAAAAAABqM/IudJGnHmaEw/s320/IMG_3664.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373326850506445330" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpHlfYDsAyI/AAAAAAAABqs/2WBmvSHb10s/s1600-h/IMG_3680.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpHlfYDsAyI/AAAAAAAABqs/2WBmvSHb10s/s320/IMG_3680.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373328157626336034" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">*yawn*</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpHlhPYq26I/AAAAAAAABrM/0J4RKYfxhLY/s1600-h/IMG_3691.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpHlhPYq26I/AAAAAAAABrM/0J4RKYfxhLY/s320/IMG_3691.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373328189658160034" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpHlgnZp14I/AAAAAAAABrE/3fPSbaiSVkQ/s1600-h/IMG_3685.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpHlgnZp14I/AAAAAAAABrE/3fPSbaiSVkQ/s320/IMG_3685.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373328178924869506" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Winnie is staring at the romaine lettuce, not Wally. She has taken a liking to them...</span><br /></div><br />The best part is that Wally came with literally everything- his cage, food, litter, treats, toys, I mean <span style="font-style: italic;">everything</span>. He is quite a spoiled little rabbit, minus the attention that he wasn't getting enough of!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpHkUjBH-7I/AAAAAAAABqk/mijlR9XhsQI/s1600-h/IMG_3676.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpHkUjBH-7I/AAAAAAAABqk/mijlR9XhsQI/s320/IMG_3676.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373326872078187442" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpHlfn4yC5I/AAAAAAAABq0/KV2b5mw9kqM/s1600-h/IMG_3682.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpHlfn4yC5I/AAAAAAAABq0/KV2b5mw9kqM/s320/IMG_3682.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373328161875561362" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpHlgFntqcI/AAAAAAAABq8/nr--rBLhAyc/s1600-h/IMG_3684.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SpHlgFntqcI/AAAAAAAABq8/nr--rBLhAyc/s320/IMG_3684.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373328169857034690" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Winnie stole some lettuce from Wally. This is her "nom" face, haha.</span><br /></div>Estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07157481532428694636noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276837056926447906.post-37441931895077321642009-08-21T23:18:00.004-04:002009-08-21T23:38:16.234-04:00Don't worry, I'm alive!Hi everyone! Sorry for being MIA this past week. I only just got Internet in my apartment yesterday (would it be bad if I said that not having Internet really really sucks? LOL).<br /><br />I moved into my apartment this past Sunday. Winnie and I have adjusted pretty well, except for the fact that There. Is. No. Air. Conditioning. In Ithaca, where it's rather humid, not having air conditioning during the summer can get pretty nasty. I bought a tower fan and 2 smaller fans, so it's not too bad. I'm still on the lookout for air conditioners on sale on Craigslist.<br /><br />Here are some pictures of my new place. My roommate's moving in tomorrow (yay) so I finally won't be so lonely anymore, lol! It's crazy how different an apartment is from a dorm.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/So9lPoLxNUI/AAAAAAAABp8/LSGaV1kdFr0/s1600-h/IMG_3622.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/So9lPoLxNUI/AAAAAAAABp8/LSGaV1kdFr0/s320/IMG_3622.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372624199635514690" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">First of all, you actually get closets. Large closets.</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/So9lPLf8gkI/AAAAAAAABp0/kqDhpgRWjzE/s1600-h/IMG_3621.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/So9lPLf8gkI/AAAAAAAABp0/kqDhpgRWjzE/s320/IMG_3621.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372624191935513154" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">You also get bigger beds.</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/So9lOl4PQwI/AAAAAAAABps/B14IerNOQ_A/s1600-h/IMG_3620.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/So9lOl4PQwI/AAAAAAAABps/B14IerNOQ_A/s320/IMG_3620.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372624181836858114" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">And couches, yay! (the other one is not shown)</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/So9lOFtszwI/AAAAAAAABpk/rfOt0EyX_bk/s1600-h/IMG_3619.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/So9lOFtszwI/AAAAAAAABpk/rfOt0EyX_bk/s320/IMG_3619.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372624173202722562" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The kitchen. For someone who loves food and cooking/baking it's smaller than I would like, but it'll do. And yes, that is Winnie in the background</span>.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/So9lNgimixI/AAAAAAAABpc/PEl9gsun5aE/s1600-h/IMG_3618.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/So9lNgimixI/AAAAAAAABpc/PEl9gsun5aE/s320/IMG_3618.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372624163224062738" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The dining area. The windows on the right lead to a nice, large patio! Too bad it's unusable for most of the year because of all the snow...</span><br /></div><br />And there you go, a tour of my apartment. I have some cute pictures of Winnie from this past week, I just don't have my camera with me at the moment. I promise to put them up on Monday!<br /><br />Anyway, aside from working in the lab and such I've been taking Winnie around campus, mostly North Campus because it's close by. North Campus is where all the freshman dorms are located. It has a lot of nice grassy areas, and Winnie has been having a blast peeing on every single lawn.<br /><br />We did meet some deer face-to-face the other day! It was Winnie's first time seeing deer. She and I stared at a doe and her 2 fawns for a good minute or so before they took off. It was like a nasty staring contest! And of course, Winnie tried to run after them when they ran...silly little turd!<br /><br />Speaking of North Campus, today was Move-In day for the freshman. I remember myself being in their place exactly last year. Frantic parents and students rushing around with maps...asking students for directions...trying to lug all their items into the dorms with 20 people crammed into one elevator...<br /><br />Boy, I'm glad I'm not a freshman anymore.<br /><br />Classes start on Thursday the 27th. I just got my booklist today. There goes another $250-300 down the drain. Sigh.<br /><br />Winnie's whining at me. I think she needs to pee. Good night, everyone!Estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07157481532428694636noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276837056926447906.post-34616481674925713392009-08-15T10:04:00.004-04:002009-08-15T10:15:03.625-04:00A curious encounterWe encountered a caterpillar on our walk this morning.<br /><br />Naturally, I ran back inside to grab my camera, LOL.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SobCOq4xiUI/AAAAAAAABpM/grjiSDzbwvs/s1600-h/IMG_3606.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SobCOq4xiUI/AAAAAAAABpM/grjiSDzbwvs/s320/IMG_3606.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370193162972268866" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SobCOdFW04I/AAAAAAAABpE/KOiBzcmKy14/s1600-h/IMG_3605.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SobCOdFW04I/AAAAAAAABpE/KOiBzcmKy14/s320/IMG_3605.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370193159266947970" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SobCPKNBUUI/AAAAAAAABpU/DHAmqEFD7-Y/s1600-h/IMG_3607.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SobCPKNBUUI/AAAAAAAABpU/DHAmqEFD7-Y/s320/IMG_3607.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370193171378688322" border="0" /></a><br />I kind of expected Winnie to pull off something silly, like bark and try to paw it. Unfortunately (or I should probably say, thankfully) she found the caterpillar super boring and moved on with her sniffing.<br /><br />In other news, I'm moving into my new (as in, actual-non-subletting) apartment in approximately 45 minutes! I have all my stuff ready and packed in boxes. Right now I'm enjoying my last hour of cable in my current sublet. I'm going to miss watching the Food Network every evening...<br /><br />The other sad news is that I won't have internet until this Thursday, yikes! Time Warner was completely booked until then, so I guess I'll be doing my internet-ing from work for the next few days, LOL.<br /><br />I am really excited to be back living on campus, though! I'll be taking Winnie on a lot of "tours" around the school today and tomorrow.Estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07157481532428694636noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276837056926447906.post-79613624166521309842009-08-13T18:28:00.002-04:002009-08-13T18:35:34.713-04:00How to keep a Corgi occupied<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SoSUel42pqI/AAAAAAAABok/J6flV1ADk-c/s1600-h/IMG_3592.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SoSUel42pqI/AAAAAAAABok/J6flV1ADk-c/s320/IMG_3592.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369579909020034722" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SoSUcShF0EI/AAAAAAAABoM/xbY-renvq4A/s1600-h/IMG_3588.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SoSUcShF0EI/AAAAAAAABoM/xbY-renvq4A/s320/IMG_3588.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369579869460353090" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SoSUd7Egv8I/AAAAAAAABoc/UBkVVzMe154/s1600-h/IMG_3602.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SoSUd7Egv8I/AAAAAAAABoc/UBkVVzMe154/s320/IMG_3602.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369579897526206402" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SoSUdMyx0zI/AAAAAAAABoU/cq5f98zHdJQ/s1600-h/IMG_3598.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SoSUdMyx0zI/AAAAAAAABoU/cq5f98zHdJQ/s320/IMG_3598.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369579885103797042" border="0" /></a>Estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07157481532428694636noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276837056926447906.post-25715091702316998222009-08-11T22:32:00.005-04:002009-08-11T22:37:02.797-04:00Edible Winnie'sOkay, so normally I don't like to make a big fuss about my birthday, but this year I do have to write a blog post about it because my friend, Brynn, made me cupcakes that look like Winnie! She's pretty good at the whole baking-and-decorating-cakes-and-cupcakes thing. It was a complete surprise, and an awesome one at that!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SoIqAM8hjYI/AAAAAAAABn8/YvDPnNVrpRg/s1600-h/birthdaycupcakes.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SoIqAM8hjYI/AAAAAAAABn8/YvDPnNVrpRg/s320/birthdaycupcakes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368899888742501762" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SoIqAmp-mYI/AAAAAAAABoE/Idh-YKnVd4M/s1600-h/birthdaycupcake2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SoIqAmp-mYI/AAAAAAAABoE/Idh-YKnVd4M/s320/birthdaycupcake2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368899895644035458" border="0" /></a><br />Aren't they awesome? They're chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting (in black, tan, and white). The nose is a Reese's peanut butter chip and the ears are made of soft chocolate cookies. The elevated nose is made of marshmallows, but you can't tell because it's all covered in frosting.<br /><br />Sadly, Winnie couldn't eat her self-portrait cupcakes. It would've ended in a nasty trip to the emergency vet...<br /><br />Even for a girl like me who has a huge sweet tooth, they looked too good to eat!<br /><br />I did eventually. Eat them, that is.Estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07157481532428694636noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276837056926447906.post-52328704784480929492009-08-09T21:41:00.007-04:002009-08-09T22:05:12.904-04:00As summer nears its end..It's going to be a sad 2 weeks for Winnie and I. My friend, Hansel's mom, and our other friend, Juneau/Ava/Brandt's mom, are both going to their respective veterinary internships. Hansel's mom is going back to California to do a small animal/clinic internship for 2 weeks, and Juneau's mom is going to Virginia to do a wildlife animal internship for 4 weeks. Hansel is staying with Juneau's mom's husband (yes, this gets confusing, sorry!) for the time being. This means that Winnie and I will be Sheltie-less for 2 whole weeks, yikes! I think we'll manage though :)<br /><br />Tonight the head (PI; principal investigator) of my research lab, Sutter Genetics Lab, invited all of us to dinner and games at his house as kind of an "end-of-the-summer" type of thing. He allowed me to bring Winnie because he has a black lab himself. We had yummy taco salad, homemade ice cream + fudge, and s'more brownies.<br /><br />Good stuff! Lucy, the 1 yr old lab, was quite excited to have a canine visitor in the house. They spent the evening/night chasing each other around the backyard and entertained the rest of us. At certain times Winnie wasn't so keen on having an exuberant young lab constantly pestering her to play. It seems as if her personal bubble has gotten "larger" these days; she gets grumpy and barks if a dog gets too "in-her-face". I don't think Lucy minded it so much, though, as she was quite relentless in her attempts to get Winnie to chase her, lol!<br /><br />It was nice but weird (in a good way, though) seeing everyone in the lab in a different sort of element (i.e. not-consumed-with-research-stuff). On the downside, this means that summer is near its end. I start school on the 27th.<br /><br />Say whaaaaa----??!!<br /><br />I'm actually kind of excited to start classes and see everyone again (I especially love shopping for school supplies, I'm a nerd!) but I know that the novelty will wear off in a week and the stress will hit me like a ton of bricks.<br /><br />Sigh.<br /><br />I'm also moving out of my sublet and into my new apartment this coming Saturday, the 15th. It's bittersweet because I absolutely love my current sublet complex (VERY dog friendly and considered one of the more "luxurious" apartments in Ithaca) but I'm excited to finally be able to have my own place where I can actually store my stuff away instead of keeping them in boxes! However, I've considered moving into Hansel's mom's apartment next year when she graduates from vet school and moves. If you all remember, she currently lives in the same complex as where I am subletting. It'll be an easy move since I can just buy her furniture from her! But that's at least a year from now, so we'll see what happens.<br /><br />Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures tonight for your viewing pleasure. I do hate writing blog posts without some cute pictures of Winnie, so here goes:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Sn9-kmdsCoI/AAAAAAAABnE/MPiJl-YNdGA/s1600-h/IMG_3529.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Sn9-kmdsCoI/AAAAAAAABnE/MPiJl-YNdGA/s320/IMG_3529.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368148448114379394" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Winnie curling up on a comforter (she's doing this as I type this blog post) </span></div><br />Tomorrow starts another week. Hope you all have a good one!Estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07157481532428694636noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276837056926447906.post-79614124468443133952009-08-07T23:54:00.004-04:002009-08-08T00:36:49.633-04:00No longer itching (for the most part)Hi everyone!<br /><br />I just wanted to add a follow-up post in response to all your comments!<br /><br />You guys are right in that I shouldn't get another dog for at least a few years. I think the practical side of me would have eventually kicked it, but for the time being the not-so-practical side of me.<br /><br />I also wanted to clarify- I wanted an adult, housebroken, neutered, sufficiently-trained dog. I never intend to breed dogs, now or ever. I'm just not interested in that kind of stuff! I prefer training and participating in dog sports rather than the whole breeding/conformation thing. Anyway, the ideal dog I was thinking of was a retired show dog from a breeder or something along those lines. And believe it or not, I actually wanted a Sheltie, not a Corgi. I think the great experience I've had with Hansel and Juneau this summer really warmed me up to the breed. I was even considering contacting Hansel and Juneau's breeder to see if she had an adult sheltie available!<br /><br />Anyway, just a thanks to you all for bringing me back to my senses (although I probably would've come back to them sooner or later)! I think I'll stick to my original plan, which was:<br /><br /><em>Enjoy my time with just 1 dog for at least 1-2 years, then start fostering occasionally when I have time (like during Thanksgiving/Christmas break, when I'm free). Then get another dog (preferably a rescue) when I'm a senior or when I have graduated .</em><br /><br />I did feel guilty about wanting a breeder dog for the past few days when I have always told myself that my second dog would be a rescue!<br /><br />Anyway, sorry about all the rambling. I just didn't want to clear the air leave you all hanging, LOL!<br /><br />Someday, when I settle down (uh, yeah...) and get a nice house with a fenced-in yard, I will have my little dog herd with Corgis, Shelties, Border Collies, and Australian Shepherds.....<br /><br />*ahem*<br /><br />In the meantime, I think I'll settle just fine with Sheltie playdates with Hansel and Juneau! I go over to their house enough anyway, LOL.Estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07157481532428694636noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276837056926447906.post-28166633526852639782009-08-07T13:50:00.003-04:002009-08-07T13:52:02.726-04:00Bitten by the bugI've been bitten by the bug.<br /><br />The "I-want-a-second-dog" bug.<br /><br />One side of me is telling me that I shouldn't get a second dog when I need to concentrate on my schoolwork.<br /><br />The other side is saying that another adult dog wouldn't be too much of a change, and it would be good for both him (I want a male) and Winnie.<br /><br /><br />Help.Estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07157481532428694636noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276837056926447906.post-22713826688679792602009-08-03T00:05:00.006-04:002009-08-03T07:46:56.422-04:00A whack at groomingToday our trip to the Ithaca Farmer's Market got cut short when Hansel's mom got called in to do an optho surgery (she's currently doing a rotation in anesthesia). She had been hoping not get called in, but alas, she did! I ended up watching Hansel for most of the day.<br /><br />At one point I got really bored and noticed that Hansel's paws were getting hairy. And when I say hairy, I mean <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> hairy!<br /><br />I decided to take my first whack at grooming and started trimming his paw fur with a pair of scissors (I didn't have electric clippers on hand). Hansel's so unfrazzled by anything and everything that I can literally do whatever I want to him and he'll just lay there. Talk about a ragdoll!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SnZjs9Z2A3I/AAAAAAAABmg/8DqY1DsPG_w/s1600-h/IMG_3427.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SnZjs9Z2A3I/AAAAAAAABmg/8DqY1DsPG_w/s320/IMG_3427.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365585630106878834" border="0" /></a><br />For my first time at "grooming", I have to say I did a pretty decent job! His feet are now nice and trimmed. It's obviously not the job of a professional groomer, but I did work for free ;)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SnZjLTE-stI/AAAAAAAABl4/pDvKpdSCO7A/s1600-h/IMG_3421.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SnZjLTE-stI/AAAAAAAABl4/pDvKpdSCO7A/s320/IMG_3421.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365585051809395410" border="0" /><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Paw on the left is half-way done, paw on the right is untouched</span></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SnZjLmpaXxI/AAAAAAAABmA/vRL3FN7OIa8/s1600-h/IMG_3423.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SnZjLmpaXxI/AAAAAAAABmA/vRL3FN7OIa8/s320/IMG_3423.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365585057062477586" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Front paws are done, back paws (which I'm holding) have been untouched</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SnZjMFGWcVI/AAAAAAAABmQ/yp4VyZ4foSo/s1600-h/IMG_3425.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SnZjMFGWcVI/AAAAAAAABmQ/yp4VyZ4foSo/s320/IMG_3425.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365585065236918610" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Hansel models his clean paws.</span><br /><br /></div>Winnie preferred to keep herself away from my scissors. She fell asleep by the window...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SnZjL5ew-eI/AAAAAAAABmI/svpGEAlNcbk/s1600-h/IMG_3424.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SnZjL5ew-eI/AAAAAAAABmI/svpGEAlNcbk/s320/IMG_3424.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365585062118095330" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SnZjsVpFuXI/AAAAAAAABmY/Dtc7s01cWGc/s1600-h/IMG_3426.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SnZjsVpFuXI/AAAAAAAABmY/Dtc7s01cWGc/s320/IMG_3426.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365585619433404786" border="0" /></a><br />Hansel's mom got a nice surprise when she came by to pick him up later this evening. Yay!Estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07157481532428694636noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276837056926447906.post-6910901332428978312009-07-30T22:55:00.006-04:002009-07-31T17:46:38.891-04:002x2 weaves, Day somethingI've done it. I've found the toy. The toy that will motivate Winnie [almost] no matter where she is. The toy that I will now use to teach 2x2 weaves.<br /><br />I haven't been able to do weave training every day, either because I have been busy or because I haven't found the right "moment" to train. Winnie can get really picky when it comes to motivating her with toys. Since I don't want to train 2x2 weaves with treats (they're hard to find in the grass), I've been trying to increase her tug motivation. Unfortunately, her desire to tug is unpredictable. Sometimes she'll be really enthusiastic about tugging and other times she will look at me like I'm crazy if I try to reward her with a game of tug.<br /><br />Outside it's even worse. Once she goes outside she completely loses interest in the toy. She sometimes goes after her chuck-it tennis ball, but again she's very picky about when she wants to chase after it. She prefers to sniff around and/or run and play with the other dogs.<br /><br />BUT...my neighbor has these squeaky soccer balls that she throws for her 2 Yorkies when they're outside. Winnie LOVES these balls and will chase them nonstop no matter where she is!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SnJfjOgw82I/AAAAAAAABlY/A4X1wyHJhrI/s1600-h/IMG_3407.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SnJfjOgw82I/AAAAAAAABlY/A4X1wyHJhrI/s320/IMG_3407.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364455164947264354" border="0" /></a><br />Today I happened to be near Petsmart so I bought 2 of these glorious soccer balls. Winnie went nuts for them, and even as I type she is sitting by her "toy collection" waiting for me to play with her. I don't think she has ever been this excited by a toy!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SnJfix1FhYI/AAAAAAAABlQ/mFQdPq974dg/s1600-h/IMG_3404.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SnJfix1FhYI/AAAAAAAABlQ/mFQdPq974dg/s320/IMG_3404.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364455157247870338" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SnJinSsiuRI/AAAAAAAABlo/MiedkN5Jag0/s1600-h/IMG_3411.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SnJinSsiuRI/AAAAAAAABlo/MiedkN5Jag0/s320/IMG_3411.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364458533324765458" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SnJinA1u9MI/AAAAAAAABlg/_qz3t6y4k7w/s1600-h/IMG_3410.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SnJinA1u9MI/AAAAAAAABlg/_qz3t6y4k7w/s320/IMG_3410.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364458528531477698" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">Staring at the ball from several different angles...</span><br /><br /></div>I did some 2x2 training with her tonight using the soccer ball and we made some nice progress.<br /><br />This is the stage of training we are at now:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SnJfiYs9JqI/AAAAAAAABlI/iZcFwR6r4mA/s1600-h/IMG_3403.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SnJfiYs9JqI/AAAAAAAABlI/iZcFwR6r4mA/s320/IMG_3403.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364455150502880930" border="0" /></a><br />I'm now confident enough to move her training to the grassy area, either to the one in our apartment complex (something I don't want to do because I'd have to carry the poles back and forth from my apt) or in my friend's backyard (ideal, because we already have a set of 6 poles at her place). I want her to start gaining some speed, which she can't do in my apartment because I lack enough carpet space.<br /><br />I'm hoping that by next week or so she'll be able to do 4 straight-up poles from all angles.<br /><br />And that was my nerdy agility blog post for the day!Estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07157481532428694636noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276837056926447906.post-55996957801374912692009-07-27T20:05:00.005-04:002009-07-27T20:17:38.193-04:00NomFest '09Some highlights from the Sterling Renaissance Festival. Dogs weren't allowed on the festival grounds so Hansel's mom watched Winnie for the day.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Sm5Bcm3iymI/AAAAAAAABjw/FREc-zpnyFk/s1600-h/IMG_3173.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 218px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Sm5Bcm3iymI/AAAAAAAABjw/FREc-zpnyFk/s320/IMG_3173.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363296165970496098" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Sm5Bcw_Ef4I/AAAAAAAABj4/xqi96xXwSOA/s1600-h/IMG_3175.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Sm5Bcw_Ef4I/AAAAAAAABj4/xqi96xXwSOA/s320/IMG_3175.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363296168686419842" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Sm5CzSyTGII/AAAAAAAABko/WMh0u148icg/s1600-h/IMG_3249.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Sm5CzSyTGII/AAAAAAAABko/WMh0u148icg/s320/IMG_3249.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363297655228405890" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Sm5CzN-R7wI/AAAAAAAABkg/5sG6kwsYjqU/s1600-h/IMG_3220.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Sm5CzN-R7wI/AAAAAAAABkg/5sG6kwsYjqU/s320/IMG_3220.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363297653936484098" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Sm5Cy_DI6VI/AAAAAAAABkY/sGGoL_y6qfA/s1600-h/IMG_3217.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Sm5Cy_DI6VI/AAAAAAAABkY/sGGoL_y6qfA/s320/IMG_3217.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363297649930332498" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Sm5BdwRbG5I/AAAAAAAABkQ/_Lwfo33c01g/s1600-h/IMG_3215.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Sm5BdwRbG5I/AAAAAAAABkQ/_Lwfo33c01g/s320/IMG_3215.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363296185674832786" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Sm5BdvHwBWI/AAAAAAAABkI/hBX-GsgY8E8/s1600-h/IMG_3205.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Sm5BdvHwBWI/AAAAAAAABkI/hBX-GsgY8E8/s320/IMG_3205.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363296185365824866" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Sm5BdP2p9tI/AAAAAAAABkA/5XAneyqVSzE/s1600-h/IMG_3199.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Sm5BdP2p9tI/AAAAAAAABkA/5XAneyqVSzE/s320/IMG_3199.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363296176972625618" border="0" /></a><br />Yes, we ate a lot.Estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07157481532428694636noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276837056926447906.post-12111146947817395442009-07-26T00:01:00.005-04:002009-07-26T00:16:56.885-04:00Because everyone needs a coat during the summer...I hope everyone had a nice Saturday! It was super hot today. I took Winnie for a walk to the barn, and unfortunately it turns out that she's scared of horses. A total bummer since I love horses and riding. Looks like we've got some work to do with de-sensitizing her to them! I haven't been riding in a while, but once I start riding again she'll get to familiarize herself with the smell of horse-y boots and breeches.<br /><br />During the afternoon we took the dogs to the dog park for some running and playing...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SmvW9GGArDI/AAAAAAAABiE/NY8yPrEZJ20/s1600-h/IMG_3145.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SmvW9GGArDI/AAAAAAAABiE/NY8yPrEZJ20/s320/IMG_3145.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362616126410894386" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SmvW9BAcQoI/AAAAAAAABiM/GHr8avvzesA/s1600-h/IMG_3146.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SmvW9BAcQoI/AAAAAAAABiM/GHr8avvzesA/s320/IMG_3146.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362616125045359234" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SmvW9sjhv7I/AAAAAAAABiU/q2ZBH0Kr5Jk/s1600-h/IMG_3147.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SmvW9sjhv7I/AAAAAAAABiU/q2ZBH0Kr5Jk/s320/IMG_3147.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362616136735244210" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SmvW9-kfyHI/AAAAAAAABic/CXlMjPzRRNw/s1600-h/IMG_3148.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SmvW9-kfyHI/AAAAAAAABic/CXlMjPzRRNw/s320/IMG_3148.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362616141571147890" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SmvW-dk0MBI/AAAAAAAABik/j5YwoSkEcUU/s1600-h/IMG_3149.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SmvW-dk0MBI/AAAAAAAABik/j5YwoSkEcUU/s320/IMG_3149.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362616149893984274" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SmvXtLfV79I/AAAAAAAABis/ykDpsv5T8PE/s1600-h/IMG_3151.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SmvXtLfV79I/AAAAAAAABis/ykDpsv5T8PE/s320/IMG_3151.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362616952493043666" border="0" /></a><br />(Ava and Brandt went too, but I didn't get any pictures of them)<br /><br />After the dog park we went back to our friend's house and made breakfast for dinner- Belgian waffles, chicken/apple sausages, and scrambled eggs. Nom!<br /><br />It also turns out that our friend had once bought 2 horse-blanket-style winter coats for her dog Ava (who has really thin skin and gets cold easily). She bought them on clearance sale for $8 each at SmartPak Equine. Unfortunately, the 1st one is too small for Ava and the 2nd one is too big, so Ava can't use either of them.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SmvXuO4M_6I/AAAAAAAABjE/nIHw12WLq1o/s1600-h/IMG_3165.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SmvXuO4M_6I/AAAAAAAABjE/nIHw12WLq1o/s320/IMG_3165.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362616970582491042" border="0" /></a>We decided to have Winnie try the smaller one...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SmvXttYjPtI/AAAAAAAABi0/g2oMMTxm1PM/s1600-h/IMG_3153.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SmvXttYjPtI/AAAAAAAABi0/g2oMMTxm1PM/s320/IMG_3153.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362616961591361234" border="0" /></a><br />and whaddaya know, it fits <span style="font-weight: bold;">perfectly</span>!<br /><br />We put the 2nd, bigger one on Juneau, and that one fits her nicely as well. Poor Ava got stuck with 0 coats in the end!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SmvXtxebTSI/AAAAAAAABi8/qWyy8JvoELM/s1600-h/IMG_3161.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SmvXtxebTSI/AAAAAAAABi8/qWyy8JvoELM/s320/IMG_3161.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362616962689748258" border="0" /></a><br />So today Winnie came home with a brand new Weatherbeeta winter dog coat. I'm really pleased at how well it fits her and the fact that it only costs $8! The coat retails for about $30 normally.<br /><br />I had planned on getting her a horse blanket-style coat for the winter anyway (upstate-NY winters can get pretty darn harsh, and Winnie is only used to the CA weather), but this worked out perfectly in the end.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SmvXuev8BAI/AAAAAAAABjM/p9XTxZwIFDI/s1600-h/IMG_3167.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/SmvXuev8BAI/AAAAAAAABjM/p9XTxZwIFDI/s320/IMG_3167.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362616974842790914" border="0" /></a><br />Winnie is now knocked out from a long day and I'm pretty tired myself. I have to get up early tomorrow to head to...<br /><br />*drum roll*<br /><br />...the <a href="http://www.sterlingfestival.com/">Sterling Renaissance Festival</a>! Yay!Estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07157481532428694636noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2276837056926447906.post-31648559101732049182009-07-24T09:46:00.004-04:002009-07-24T09:55:10.254-04:00UpdateI figure 5 or so days is long enough of a "hiatus" before I should make another post, LOL.<br /><br />Winnie has been doing much better- all the swelling has gone down. Now her bottom eyelids are lighter in color, probably as a result of the bleeding. Hopefully it'll turn back to a normal color soon.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Smm8rF-QRzI/AAAAAAAABh0/iiZHn-5AGyE/s1600-h/IMG_3142.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Smm8rF-QRzI/AAAAAAAABh0/iiZHn-5AGyE/s320/IMG_3142.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362024279884973874" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">White-eyed Winnie, Friday morning</span><br /></div><br />In other news, my 2x2 weave poles arrived on Wednesday! Yay! I dropped off 6 of them at my friend's house and kept the other 6 here so that I could work on them with Winnie.<br /><br />Last night I started Day 1 of 2x2 weave training. I don't think I'll move on to Day 2 just yet- I want to build more drive for the poles. However, so far I'm extremely pleased with her progress because I achieved one goal- to get her to accept the tug toy, instead of a treat, as her reward.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Smm8rgZ-kXI/AAAAAAAABh8/U4k4zfO3n_M/s1600-h/IMG_3143.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QSoOzd4kmHs/Smm8rgZ-kXI/AAAAAAAABh8/U4k4zfO3n_M/s320/IMG_3143.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362024286980575602" border="0" /></a><br />I've been trying to increase her tug drive for the past couple of weeks so that I can rely more on toys than treats. Last night I managed to mark and reward her successfully via tugging without her ignoring the toy and staring at me for a treat- yay! I don't have any videos soon but I'll probably take some later and upload them on Youtube.<br /><br />TGIF!Estherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07157481532428694636noreply@blogger.com2