This Sunday morning I got up at 6 a.m. so I could take Leissl and Raven to run-throughs in Boca.  (Leissl pictured right after a bird plopped on her.)  It was hard getting up so early on a Sunday.  The place we went to was buggy.  There were gnats and mosquitoes everywhere, and it was hot!  The course was nice and it was turned around, so after we ran it once, we ran it backwards.  It didn’t matter, both my dogs were not into it.  Nine-year-old Leissl was just too hot to jump, and three-year-old Raven was not in the mood.  It was Raven, though, who really irked me.  After three jumps, she took off around the course, out the exit, and ran behind some bushes.  She ran all the way along the fence came out and down and ran behind them again.  She would not come to me, and that was a first.  Things didn’t get much better.  I couldn’t get her to finish a course, and she always ended up with running out the ring set-up and my having to get her.

It was not enjoyable.  To top things off, I left my bag of dog paraphernalia there.  So when I go to the dog trial on Friday, I’ll have to pull off the road to go there and get it back.  Joy.

Meanwhile, I have started Raven on the Ruff Love program in Susan Garrett’s book.  I don’t have a halti, though, so need to get one of those.  On the drive home, I wondered why Leissl was standing up in the back seat, and I found out Raven took the whole thing.  She was also growling at Leissl over the water bowl.  This is obnoxious behavior and not exactly unusual for Raven, but hasn’t been this bad in a while.   She seemed to have gotten too big for her britches again.  So I’m hoping this helps.  Something’s gotta give.

I think the upcoming trial is going to be a bust, though.  I just have the feeling from today’s results, it ain’t gonna be pretty.  I also think the location may have contributed something to their strange behavior – a vet’s grounds.  I am sure there are smells and things we don’t see that they sense, which could get to them.  Because both of them were really out there.

When I got home, I put Raven in her crate, and everyone else got to go outside and play in the pool.  They got another big dog icy treat I made the night before with water, a Lemon Luigi’s Italian ice, and bananas.  They liked the chicken broth one I made last time better, but this one, too, they ate.  Then a couple of them threw up.  Fun times in the summertime heat.

On Saturday night, we had a lightning storm, so from 6 pm to 11:30 pm, there was no electricity.  I had to boil water for Luigi’s pasta on the grill outside.  It was really miserable with the heat and humidity.  We stayed outside by the pool till 9:30, and with two candles, tried to sleep after 10 pm.  But with the windows open and people across the street having a loud radio going, it just made the night all the more funtastic.  Luckily, that noise stopped at 11 pm, and the electricity came back on to freeze today’s treat!