Talisman & Totem SportDogs

Baby Scream! 4 years ago Yup it's leap year, once every four years. In honor of leaping, I have made some decisions today about dog training, sports and some of those surrounding those venues. Been hovering on the edge of deciding for awhile on some things, feels good to have landed solidly on the ground. Lost my girl Fflur a few weeks back, have not been able to say the words out loud. Many kindnesses of those who have checked in on me, knowing how much I loved her. Sincerity and true empathy (not the phony crap some pretend) is such a strong, important thing in a person. In honor of Leap year I am saying to you who are all real, you totally rock.  It feels like Spring today, complete with mud. Still  ice to melt, but on 2-29-16, I am feeling like leaping all over the place. Air and  sun are warmer, being able to be outside and train on stock has been  amazing. This morning worked with baby Teg and the Speckled one. Speck has made some progress, loosening...

Winter paid us a visit yesterday. We have had an incredibly mild winter in New Hampshire-watching the east coast further south, get slammed with a blizzard, while we had nothing. Mother Nature likes to play jokes! The blessing of no constant snow like in previous years, is that we don't have to plan life around it. SO much more freedom, especially as it pertains to training the dogs. Working sheep and goats in a big field outdoors, in the end of January into February-amazing for NH. WE had close to 55F in this area for a few days, global warming yes-but still kindly amazing. Milder winter has made our therapy dog visits more possible also, as you never know when planning ahead if a storm may hit. Ffire lives for these, the most recent one a different mode/schedule for us both-she adjusted instantly. So, the "dusting" I guess we were supposed to get yesterday turned into a "snow event" as they like to call it up here. I should have watched the news, to...

Love is not for the faint of heart. Sometimes we don't realize just how much we love someone or something, until the threat that they will be gone soon, or they have gone...hits you. The circle of life can really suck. Never gets easy, losing a person you love, or a good dog.  My old girl, Fflur is not doing well suddenly and my heart is breaking a bit more, each second that the day is long. She has lived in several houses with me, several states...all mark the passage of time and the days of caring and living. Our good dogs never really leave us, but they leave a Mark on our hearts when they are gone.  I have shed more tears today, not since the loss of my Dad-still so fresh. But, life goes on, the circle of life goes on and we all have our living legacy to fulfill. Hopefully when we are gone, someone remembers us and sheds a tear too. I will miss this good dog when I lose her, just as I do the people I have lost.  There is always hope in living and loving and c...