Playin' Dirty

Today was a typical day ... I took seven dogs on a Pack Walk through the snow and mud and crossed a couple streams in the process. Seeing Barkley, my all-white Golden Doodle, plop himself down in the first mud patch he came to just made me laugh.

Why are we so hung up on "getting dirty" anyway? I mentioned to a puppy mom (who joined us on our Pack Walk today to take pictures) how the days my kids came home from Daycare the dirtiest were usually the days they were also the happiest. I knew when I picked them up and they had paint on their shirt and glue in their hair that they had had a really good day. Days when they came home looking like they hadn't played all day made me wonder if they were feeling well or if something was going on with them that I should know about.

When I'm out with the dogs (notice I didn't say when they are out with me), I like to go where they want to go and see what kinds of things they like to do. These days, it usually involves things like rolling in the snow, wading in 8" of mud, swimming in a fast-moving stream and smelling deer poop (and sometimes "sampling" it). At FRESH AIR DOGS it's ALL about the dogs! If they're happy, than I am happy. You'll often catch 'em smiling from ear to ear and Diane got some fantastic shots today to prove it. Check 'em out!
http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=155530&id=254035287599&ref=nf

P.S. I "treated" the dogs to a warm shower on the deck after we got back home, then, long afternoon naps were had by all. Perfect!

wysiwyg? usually not ...

Just enjoyed a nice evening out with friends; went to dinner at Wildwoods in Brownville for the first time. A long drive over many frost heaves, but so nice to go to a new place and meet new people and LOVED the lightly onion-battered fried green beans ... WILL go back!

What a welcome surprise to be greeted by the lodge host, Moose, a very mellow, well behaved K-9 friend. He escorted us to our table and checked us all out, then, time for a little nap (until the next batch of guests arrived).
www.wildwoodsmaine.com/About_US.html

On the way home, Russell and I were talking about how, when we meet a dog for the first time, the first thing we notice is what we SEE; the breed, color, size, temperment, etc. It isn't until we spend some time the dog, that we REALLY SEE the dog for who it really is; gentle, playful, skiddish, mellow, aggressive, etc. When we give the dog our time, they show us their personality, their true colors ... who they really are.

It's funny how what once was a little JackRussell-like rescue dog is now Nera ... just Nera, sweet little Nera. And Max, he's not a BIG yellow lab, he's just Max, a real love. And Zoey ... is she a Border Collie or is she an Austrailian Shepherd? That didn't cross my mind ... she's 9; 9x7=63; Zoey's OLD! Or is she? Don't tell her that ... on many of our pack walks, she was the one right out front! And who was always the first one to dive in the water? Zoey, always Zoey. And she never dove in in the usual way, she always flopped right down with one big plop ... no need to jump and roll around and swim, she'd just lay there and enjoy the cool water. (It gets really hot under all that fur, you know.)

It's like that with people, too, isn't it? We meet someone and, without realizing it, our mind assigns the label; short, tall, fat, thin, pretty, ugly, handsome, nerd, hot, plain, black, white, shy, loud, etc. The label usually comes from some kind of comparison to .... ourselves. I've had people say to me over the years, "You're so this," or "You're so that." My response? "Don't compare your insides with my outsides." All you REALLY SEE at first glance is what I show you, an edited version of me, what I trust that you can handle right now. Spend some time with me and I decide if I want to show you more of who I REALLY AM, or not. That said, I always consider it an honor and a privilege when someone (2 or 4 legged) trusts me enough to share themselves with me, reveal who they REALLY ARE ... it's a window to the soul, open to a few. Once I have a little more insight into what makes a person (or a dog) tic ... I can be a much better friend and give a lot more grace. My work? Be a friend to all ... grace, grace, grace ...

All this fun and pay, too!

I bought the book, "Do What You Love and the Money Will Follow" by Marsha Sinetar in 2007. I bought it because I had heard about it somewhere along the line and the title kept rolling around and around in my head. The book sat on my bookshelf, unread, until the fall of 2009 ... perfect timing!

I took the dogs to Peaks-Kenny State today, their first field trip of the year. We hiked several miles in the fresh air and sunshine and spent time playing along the stream and on the beach at Sebec Lake. I couldn't help but think ... I am doing what I love and the money is following!

So much of what I have learned about life seems so backward, but in hindsight makes the most sense. How many years of my life did I work to make money so I could go on vacation and do something I love? Now I do what I love, which brings in money that I can spend on other things that I love. I love that! Love! Love! Love!

Yes, it's always a risk to jump off a cliff and leap into the unknown, but, for me ... it was more of a risk not to.

Let's start at the very beginning ... it's a very good place to start

I've always LOVED animals ... all kinds of animals and had many during my childhood (kittens turned cats, worms, turtles, birds, ducks, bunnies, chicks and even a horse). I used to doctor my cats back to health following any midnight fights and hold funeral services with my friends for dead animals I would find at our family camp in Weld during the summer. I told my mother often as I child that I planned to have a Cat Farm when I grew up; she was always glad I didn't refer to my future venture as a Cat House (why, then, I did not know). One of the most painful experiences of my childhood was having to give away my long-haired coon cat "Who Knows" after my younger sister was diagnosed with asthma and highly allergic to cats (and dogs and a million other things).

We got our first dog, Trapper, a golden retriever and son of the Scott family dog, Bullet, shortly after Russell and I married in 9/1978. It's been one golden after another from that time on ... Jessie (a rescue from the Waterville Humane Society), Lord Dillon of Four K's CD, American Canadian Champion Four K's Jolly Boomerang, Logan (Boomer's grandson), siblings: Franklin and Hannahbelle in 2005 and this year, Barkley (our first golden doodle).

We enjoyed helping out with all the goldens at Four K's Golden Kennels near our home in Farmington and assisting with dog obedience classes. When the owners moved south in 1983, we took over their business and called ourselves Good News Dog Obedience. We taught in several towns throughout Franklin County; Farmington, Wilton, Weld and Dixfield until 1996 when we moved north to Piscataquis County. We have taught group classes at the Penquis Higher Education Center in Dover-Focroft and are now providing both private and group classes at our home in Guilford.

In the summer of 1990 when our children were 6 and 4, we hosted our first "Fresh Air Kid," Alex for 2 weeks, who returned for 4 weeks the following summer with Jay. The Fresh Air Fund [http://www.freshair.org) provides 6-12 year old boys and girls from NYC the opportunity to experience the simple pleasures of life outside the city.] Hosting these kids was a great excuse for me to take some vacation time to spend just having all kinds of fun with the kiddos; swimming, hiking, exploring, biking, picnicing, etc.

Last summer, while on vacation at our camp in Weld, I decided to do something that we've always thought would be a good thing to do in our retirement years; provide a really fun place for dogs to go and have a blast while their people were away for the day (or a week or a month) ... and what would I call it? Only one thing came to mind ... Fresh Air Dogs! A place for dogs to do what dogs like to do and get lots of pampering, too! They enjoy daily pack walks in the woods, get to take a dip in the stream, run and romp and play with other dogs, fetch the ball or stick or rope or tire or snowball, chase eachother around, eat home made treats and sleep like a logdog. There's no time for them to get into trouble as we stay pretty busy and they always have a couple watchful eyes on them (mine) to make sure everyone plays nice. This is the most fun I've had in my whole life!

I guess when I prophesied that I wanted to have a Cat Farm when I grew up, I was just a little off ... a Dog House is just fine with me. I'm so glad Russell and I get to share our lives and love and home with these awesome creatures, they are truly a gift from God!