Jest Another Day in Pear-A-Dice - Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm in Alberta

[perchie.girl]

 

[drumstick diva]

 

[scottcaddy]

My Dear Tara, That was one mighty fine 1,000th post!
Scott

 

[getaclue]

 

[CanuckBock]

Heel low:

Glad you like the 1,000 post!

Getting into the groove for spring a ding ding...DONG!

How would I know it's spring...lookit these legs...really...I mumbled something to Rick about "how?" and he showed me...

Nice and clean...not!

She's cute but no less dirty!

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And they like to SHARE it too!

Son's bin marked by Emmy ​

So past spring is a ding dang dirty time, things are good.

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Started to move some of the birds to summer digs.

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Moved the Ruddies and the Australian Black Swans...

Know why I know it is spring...all the RACKETTE coming outta them paired up birdles ​

The one pair-Pearl & Piper...Pearla-Girla is laying another clutch--she's produced another three.

One egg on the bottom left thar​

So Ruddy pair on left, One pair of Blacks on right​

Another spring time thing a ding...Rick gets the waterfall and pond up and running...no easy task either.

One gets older, you work smarter and use what you got to help out​

And there are always the inspectors that inspect the processes

Perched precariously on the edge...I always say, dogs gotta fall in the pond at least ONCE a season!​

Rick has the water feature in the middle and now he's about to fill her
Note inspectors on either side...

Rick even installed the dog drinking fonts (my goldfish spitters!)​

As with every year, new improvements to simplify and upgrade the whole system...


So last drop in conformation was Tuesday March 22.

Here are the girls in the back of the White Winter Bus
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Took some clicks of the facility fur yah guys to see what we see...

Conformation building outside


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Conformation inside

Emmy thought the "cut out dogs" were worth investigating

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Emmy going inside..."What, again? I thought we already did this a few times?"​

Lacy the lovebug is doing nicely...now if my son can get her to stand for examine, and not have her think it is HUGGY Time...all the ding dang time...we'll be OK at the dog show...we did some run silly around the Ram Pasture on Sunday together to remember what we use to do...oh like back in 2001! Time flies when yer having fun, eh.

So I now know what ACDs are entered in the show the girls are going to in April. Parker is the female that was a puppy girl at the November show; she's another Australian import and is going with her lovely owner...and the other dog is a male where I have known the owner since way back in my Cattle Dog Canada Club days. Never seen the male (duh...too many years, even dog years gone by now) and it should be very kewl to touch base with another oldtimer in the breed from years back.

At the show this weekend which we did not go to, there were six ACDs on Friday (3 males, 2 females, & one specials male) and seven entered on the Saturday and Sunday (3 males, 3 females, & one specials male). Wow--awesome to see that many ACDs entered at the shows!

Parker's owner says she did not do anything on the Friday but took first female on the Saturday and Sunday. Yee Haw for the Aussie born dogettes, eh!

The Boy came for Saturday turk-dinner and cake...and to practise some conformation with the girls. He played with Foam Dome and watched Dad fiddle more with the pond. Lines were frozen but not for long. Rick got the pond filled and the fountain and spitters up and running.

Those be his feets and that be Lace-a-lot a pouncing on the toy he's tossed fur her
Em's about to do pouncing of her own...on HIM!



Told the boys on Sunday that it was ORANGE veg day...butternut squash, yam and carrooots a toots!​

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Both my boys have B-Days around the same time...so cake was in order...eaten first of course...whilst we all still had room fur it. And turkey neck...what a combo, eh!

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On the Saturday, Rick and I went to...

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I can barely tolerate it for a mere few hours...but Rick wanted to go and that be that.

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I can't shut out the negatives I see everywhere's...never could turn my mind off. While we were waiting for Rick's friends, stood and watched a driver lose it. People using the crosswalk in front of a buffet...driver was laying heavily on the horn like "come on already" and I am thinking..."Beauty of a spring day & that alone should make you happy...so where's the kindness, the tolerance...the respect for a pedestrian?" Blast of a horn still ringing in my ears...I guess it is what it is... FIVE HUNDRED pedestrians are collided with each year there...as per this sign I clicked a pic of. Good gack!

Gees...really?​

Always over joyous to return home to Pear-a-Dice, eh. The only place I ever really truly wanna be.

March 27, 2016​

Doggone & Chicken UP!

Tara Lee Higgins
Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm, Alberta, Canada

 

[CanuckBock]

Heel low:

Quick news type flash...and it is the kind that never sells papers (good news, eh!).

Today, showed Emmy and Lacy at their first Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) dog show as senior puppie females and my first show entered in like a dozen (or more...eek!) years.

<<Drum(stick) type roll please!>>

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Emmy took Best of Breed, Best Puppy in Breed, Best of Winners (netting herself her first major and TWO points towards the ten in total she requires for a CKC Championship title!), and first in Senior Puppy females. We have a mitt fulla ribbons to show for it and TWO points of the TEN required to put CKC CHAMPION in front of her registered name!

Now not to be outdone, Lacy came in second to her Aunt Emmy by taking Reserve Winners.

Both dogs were perfect angels and Lacy was sweetness of wag tail with Emmy being more reserved but respectable AND there was one handler that commented that Emmy just seemed to "float" in the show ring. This of course makes me beam because at my age, I never feel like I could move to make anything float...unless of course it was something like I have fallen down and now I feel my soul FLOATING off from my worldly body kinda floating??

My son showed the Lace and I showed the Emmest. I went on to show Emmy in Group (the Best of Breed dog does that) and whilst we did not place in the Herding Group (some long haired, groomed typed herders did and all very well deserving of course!), we did get to go in twice for Group since once for Emmy winning Best of Breed and then again for the Best of Group for the Puppies (there were THREE Senior Puppies entered in Australian Cattle Dog breed and that would be Emmy, Lacy and a male that was professionally shown by a hired handler and not his owner). While it is not like riding a bike, showing a dog that beats a hired handler for someone like myself is always a notch in my tally of "OK, not too shabby for an old haggy lady!"

So round of applause for them two girlies we love...Emmy takes the big win, Lacy comes in second, and I get to say that the old time Mother and Son showing team has had one heck of a GOOD DAY, eh!

We do this all over again tomorrow and the next day. All I really know is whatever happens for the next two days. Whee hee hee...what a day the first one has been! If we do nothing more, the first show is just that, the girls FIRST dog show and what a wonderful joy that can go down as!

Doggone & Chicken UP!

Tara Lee Higgins
Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm, Alberta, Canada

 

[drumstick diva]

Mazel tov - Congratulations !!!! I just knew they had to win - I knew they were top bloodlines and that you really knew how to raise them as well adjusted cattle dogs. Whoppee!!!
And yes beating a handler is quite a feather in your cap (okay really Emmy's) I am so proud of my er, uh, I mean YOUR Babies

I'm not sure of Canadian KC rules but, once Emmest is finished, she would be in the specials(champion class) class I believe - giving Lacey a chance to win points.

 

[perchie.girl]

congratulations big time I used to show my Arab at shows and I could never beat a hired trainer...

deb

 

[CanuckBock]

Mazel tov - Congratulations !!!! I just knew they had to win - I knew they were top bloodlines and that you really knew how to raise them as well adjusted cattle dogs. Whoppee!!!
And yes beating a handler is quite a feather in your cap (okay really Emmy's) I am so proud of my er, uh, I mean YOUR Babies

I'm not sure of Canadian KC rules but, once Emmest is finished, she would be in the specials(champion class) class I believe - giving Lacey a chance to win points.

Absolutely the same for CKC...the Specials move up and let the non-specials jockey for championship points so they can then be specials too. CKC Championship requires the ten points which require two majors and I believe under three different judges (so you could not max out on the top five points per day and do that twice to get the dog a CH...you need three judges, ten points and two majors--majors are I believe two points, so you cannot one point it all the way to ten points either!).

BUT and a big one I do have...the funny thing is while Alexander and I were ring side, a judge (and sorry, I was glazed over with happiness so you could have knocked me over with a feather literally!) stopped on her way to a rest break I would figure, she stopped to admire Lacy with the waggy tail and boy she really did gush and seem to bond with the red wonder girl....so DD, we might find that the judge we go under tomorrow is this lady and well...that could well mean it is LACY's day tomorrow...

I already told the Son, I want Lacy to win tomorrow...I won't fudge up Emmy and I will never cheat and hold her back by not trying but wink wink and nudge nudge...if Lacy just so happens to ace it over Emmest...don't say I never pondered it happening...LOVE BUG may have her day and she is, after all a dog and you know the saying, every dog has...well you know it!

Quote:

congratulations big time I used to show my Arab at shows and I could never beat a hired trainer...

deb

You got that right Deb...

Just placing over one of these professionals always has me wince that even if your beasty don't win something important, a judge placing an owner handled critter over the professionals...well that ROCKS in my boat too. Heh heh heh...sometimes the blind dumb owner loved and handled ones do get to shine...

Better get some shut eye--the girls have long ago had their well earned suppers and gotten some blinky blink shut eye...

Oh yeh, I e-mailed their breeder the news...woot woot woot...happy dance indeed!

 

[Wisher1000]

Oh, Tara! How wonderful! I have tears in my eyes, I'm so happy for you. I know your heart is swelling with pride for your two girls, mine is and I have never even given them the first ear rub. A hearty and heart-felt CONGRATULATIONS to you all - Em, Lace, you, Rick, the boy, and even the breeder - you all deserve it.