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What is up with this crazy blog site? NOTE TO EVERYONE.... if you are actually signed in (I always forget!) and you input the 'word' they give you to type in the window, hit submit and get this stupid "sorry" msg....just hit 'submit' again. It has always accepted my msg once I hit 'submit' the second time. Hope this helps...seems every site has its little cliches...URGH!

Christmas Eve

I'm slightly out of order here but I'll be happy if I can just get these holiday entries up by the end of January! lol

Christmas Eve

Logan, Sarah, Theo and Sharayah feasting on Pizza!

There's one in every crowd! lol

Mr. Muscle lowers the turkey into the brine.

Sharayah and Theo did a lot of cooking today in preparation for tomorrow's dinner. They marinated the turkey, overnight, in a brine (in Theo's cooler). I've never had a brine turkey before. I was very curious about the whole thing. The brine smelled wonderful! (PS: it was delicious!)

All Is Calm...

This Christmas will go down in my memory as one of the nicest in several respects. I was so fortunate to have Sharayah and Theo make the big Christmas dinner spread. And, thankfully, Logan and Sarah were able to spend most the day with us all and it was such a quiet, peaceful experience full of warmth and joy. Of course we always miss the family members who are separated by miles and they were in our thoughts, but we so enjoyed this special day. Here are the gifts that served as the proverbial 'cherry' on the delicious sundae that was my 2009 Christmas experience.

Warm, fuzzy flannel jammies from Mom and Dad Boyce will keep me from frostbite during this brutally cold winter we are having. I should wear them when I go out to shovel the sidewalk!
Bryan and Sharayah made certain I got a Toblerone bar sized for a giant! Sarah snuck a pedicure stone/brush tool in my stocking as well which was an unexpected surprise.

Theo was my Secret Santa! He found the one, very specific, wallet from Espe I had requested. Not sure if you can see the image but it is a dog riding a motorcycle. I love it! Thank you, Theo. How many Tin Box stores did you have to scour before you found it?

Bryan made certain to spoil me with many of my favorite things even though we said we were not going to exchange gifts this year. He's a sneak! He always selects the most thoughtful cards and this year's lived up to his reputation. He also gave me two CDs: Keith Urban's "Defying Gravity" and the newly released, Lady Antebellum. He spied a dog trick training book w/DVD that is the most clearly demonstrated trick training video I have come across. Can't wait to try it out on my dogs. He also picked up the 2010 Dog Annual periodical. Last year, Linda bought it for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a terrific resource that serves the entire year long. I suspected I was going to have to go out and purchase it for myself this year but my hubby beat me to it. It was a big surprise and it was all I could do to keep my nose out of it for the remainder of the day. lol Bryan has also instructed me to select a mini note book for Christmas but we will see. Not certain the budget will allow just yet as we are still trying to finish the bsmnt. Maybe for my birthday? Anyway... It was a fabulous Christmas...one I will look forward to repeating in 2010. Love you, Bryan! Any Christmas spent with you is a wonderful day.

They Did What?

I love teaching my clients to exercise their pooches on the treadmill. Surprise and doubt are the initial reactions but I've yet to meet a dog I could not convince to participate and, generally, come to love the treadmill. The proof that dogs instinctually need to exercise is when these dogs often come to 'request' - via whining/barking/pacing - a run on the treadmill. Below are Alexi and Sasha taking their turns on the treadmill. With our winters, I don't know how people properly provide exercise and instinctual migration required by dogs. I told one client who owns a husky, a dog more than adequately equipped to run in sub-zero temperatures, "He may very well be equipped for these winters but humans are not. How long will you last in -30 weather? You'll likely catch your death if you spend any time at all out there." He runs his husky daily on the treadmill and the dog is happy a can be.

From A Wonderful Friend...

My first Christmas Gift of 2009. I couldn't wait! Beautifully wrapped, as usual.

A package of calming Green Tea and a gorgeous Harmony bracelet. A 'dog' pen with a nifty 2010 pull-out calendar (so cool!) and puppy stationery block.

The red star ornament found its rightful place at the top of our new Christmas tree.

Thank you, Linda. You know me all too well. Hugs!

Christmas Shopping...

has been a relaxing event this year. We finally talked Bryan into drawing names for 'secret santa' Christmas. He was always reluctant because he loves to see the tree with all the presents and the looks on people's faces when they get that truly 'awesome' gift.

Thankfully, that is all behind us now. I sound like such a scrooge. But with everyone grown up with bills of their own and the economy like it is...it just makes good sense. Personally, I wish we had always done the 'draw-names Christmas'. I think we could have saved some ill-spent dollars and perhaps drawn upon other aspects of the season to make it special. Oh, well. Perhaps that is a lesson for the next generation to pass on to the grandkids.

Anyway, shopping took me all of 3 hrs to complete and it was virtually hassle free. Surprisingly, when faced with a daunting line-up at one shop, I did not find myself instantly annoyed and fidgety. That is my usual reaction to line-ups but I contend the reaction is due to always being subject to a tight schedule. Not so this Saturday.

Today, I filled the stockings with a variety of goodies and put the gifts under the tree. I'm looking forward to a relaxing holiday. Sharayah and Theo have offered to cook dinner (they've already done all the grocery shopping) so that is an extra nice treat. I'm so looking forward to the day I don't think I've been this excited for Christmas in a very long time.

My Doggie Clients

Here are a few of my Pack Rules clients with a brief description of their 'issue(s)'. Now you know what I do when I'm not blogging, lol.

Alexie is just over a year old. She's dominant/anxious but making gigantic progress! Due to her owner's diligence in abiding the behavior modification program, Alexie has not bitten her owner since they began the program. Once they complete the program, I will be recommending 'sniffer school' for Alexie. She is from working stock and needs a serious job! She is a beautiful Shepherd.

Sasha is a barely one year old Sheltie and Alexie's 'sister'. She is a bit more submissive than she needs to be but overall, a very balanced dog that has benefited from participation in the program. We will be working to increase her food drive.

Springer is a 4yr old Havanese and his mommy is creating my website! He suffers from front door excitement (barking/jumping up/submissive peeing) and severe separation anxiety. I will be seeing him tomorrow to teach him how to exercise on his mommy's treadmill. This will help tremendously with the anxiety. He made huge progress during his first session... enough to leave his human pack members speechless. He is super eager to please and very 'soft' in training. He reminds me a lot of Tucker.

This is George and she is only three months old in this picture, although she is getting close to 9 mos now and you should see the size of her. This picture was taken the day I met her. Her parents called me to help with overall puppy excitement, submissive peeing and toileting issues. We also worked on beginner recall. She is doing well and has the perfect parents for her as they take her camping and hiking in BC during vacation and she gets daily runs with her short-marathon mom. They did well in choosing George's breed (boxer) as well as her temperament. It is one of those rare - matches made in heaven. She's completed the program and I will be seeing her when her parents get their treadmill.

*NOTE: Please do not attempt to put your dog on a treadmill without consulting a professional. If done incorrectly, the dog can suffer injury or develop fear of the unit.