There's a Fungus Among Us

I'm back! I flew home from my business trip last night. My final connecting flight was rather terrifying but it all worked out. Jimmy brought Cleo to the airport to pick me up. Saying she was beside herself with excitement to see me would be a gross understatement. She practically threw herself onto me, pinned me down in the front seat while sitting on my lap with both paws on my shoulders while trying to make out with me. I could barely breath and all Jim could do was laugh. I was home!!

Cleo was like velcro all night and today after work we got to go for a well needed mom and dog child run in some fields.  The pic above is her locking up on point on a ground hog hole. Here's another angle. The pic is rather crappy since all I had was my celly.

A couple of weeks ago she caught a ground hog here and threw it all around. When I finally released her from point she ran around like she had been fired out of canon. That is until she found the giant mushrooms. She slowed down when saw the first one and literally jumped two feet in the air. I don't know what she thought they were but she sure was taken by surprise. After I stopped laughing at her I quick grabbed my I-phone and got a quick video of her checking them out. 

 

It was awesome to get to spend sometime with her tonight and I'm pretty sure she felt the same way. I missed her bunches. 

Home is Where the Dog is

That's a poor quality picture of me saying goodbye to Cleo when I left on a business trip the other morning. I'll be gone for a total of 5 days. Actually, I hope its only 5 days. My fingers are crossed that this stupid hurricane doesn't force me to spend a night in some airport somewhere on my return trip home. But when ever I have to travel I miss that dog something awful. Don't get me wrong, I miss my kitties like crazy and my Jimmy too. But its her antics and warm snuggles in the morning that make me always miss home a little bit more.

I do have to say that my company puts me up in some super cool places though. This is the pic I snapped while eating my breakfast this morning in Arizona.

But I'd give anything to have a little doggie love. I spend every return trip home feeling that I would just give anything I have to snuggle her and see her wag that short little tail. It warms my heart knowing that when I get home she will be velcro'd to me for a day or too. So will the cats. My first few hours home when I return will be spent with the pets jockeying each other for position to receive there snuggles and love. Oh how I miss my little family unit when I am away. I'll stop whining now since I really am in a swank resort with paradise like scenery and cold margaritas.

As an aside, I spoke to Jimmy today and he had Cleopatra out on a duck search this morning. He said she searched for a solid 15 minutes and then brought the duck back. I thought it was GREAT news! Yay Doggie. We have a few more weeks of prep left then its time for the NAVHDA UT Test. He has also been working on her steadiness with some pigeons and she is making good progress.

P.S. I miss my Cleopotamus!! My spotted dog love!

P.S.S. I lied when I said I was going to stop whining.

P.S.S.S. I think that last P.S.S. was the wine talking. :)

Cleo Gets a Pedi...Well Sort Of

I took Little Ms. Sassy spots over to PetSmart tonight to get her nails ground down. You would think we feed that dog miracle grow at the rate in which her nails flourish. Getting her nails ground down seems to be the way to go for her. There's no pinching when clipping, no chance of us nicking the quick, and when she gets pissy I'm paying someone else $16 to deal with her crabbiness. I'd refer to that as an epic win.

Cleo on the table - So far so good....

Cleo under the dremmel.

After the first foot things started to go down hill. The groomer moved to the front foot and Cleo realized she could mess with her. So the groomer had to call in reinforcements. Hilarious.

When we finished we did our normal PetSmart perusing. That typically includes a cruise by the Birds as well as her other favorite the Guinea Pigs. You can click on this link to see her first reaction to these little pig pigs. And no pet store shopping trip is complete without a decisively chosen dog toy and a biscuit from the cashier. Today Cleo got a big purple ball with a rope!

A Little Redemption For a Spotted Someone....

So last weekend Cleo kinda bombed. Aside from a perfect duck drag she failed to stay steady, she didn't whoa and she chased birds. It was like she lost traction and regressed. So frustrating. So this week we went back to basics and did allot of steady work with pigeons. I'm happy to report it paid off!

 
Jim and Bob had Cleo out on more pigeons today in NJ and she did so much better. Which makes Jim happy which inadvertently makes me happy. And besides, Cleo got to do what Cleo loves the most which is find birds.

Also, on the way home Jim stopped in Tannersville, PA and picked up some ducks. Since Cleo is testing for her NAVHDA UT test in a month or so we need to get her out on duck searches as much as possible. We taped up some ducks and headed over to a local pond tonight to give it a shot but as soon as we arrived so did the rain and lightening. So we un-taped the ducks to Cleo's disappointment and resolved to enjoy some wine instead. Jim has since solicited the help of his brother Bob and they will be conducting duck searches first thing in the morning. Fingers crossed....Cleo has a lot of ground to cover in the next couple of weeks for this test.

As an aside, I would like to point out and share with you what I woke up to this morning. It filled me with so much hate. Please see below.

This is the first shoe casualty in months!! I only got to wear them 3 times!! I was so mad at her. I would only refer to Cleo all day as the spotted monstrosity....trust me it's a well deserved nickname. Bad Dog!

Fieldwork: The Saga Continues

Once again we ventured to New Jersey this morning to train with Bob Corsaro in preparation of Cleo's NAVHDA Utility Test. The test is coming up quick! There is about 6 more weeks to train until it's showtime and the deadline is fast approaching. Jim and I arrived a little early this morning and we got the chance to watch two 8 month old DK brothers train for their NAVHDA Natural ability test. We first saw the pair when they were only four months old so it was a blast seeing their progress.

The first pup up was Chase who is pictured above with his owner Anthony and his daughter. When we showed up he was in the process of working on a pheasant drag so I didn't get the opportunity to photograph him in action. But I will say that he did a real nice job. For an NA test it always seems to be the track that gets people in trouble. Bob started these pups off weeks ago tracking dead pheasants and today they graduated to live ones. They are well on the way to their big test day which is the same weekend as Cleo's UT test in September. I did however get to tag along and watch Chase on some planted quail. See the pics below.

Chase's brother and litter mate Boss had a good day of training as well. I was at least lucky to see Boss complete several tracks before heading out to find some quail.

In the picture above Jim and Frank Hulsman use two leads attached to a live pheasant to drag it out into the field for Boss. The leads ensure that Jim and Frank's scent stay off the area where the bird has been drug.

Above is Richard Rojo, Boss's owner giving him praise after successfully tracking the pheasant. Once Boss did well with the pheasant being drug on the lead Bob had Frank and Jim release the bird without any leads. Working together they straddled the pheasant as it ran along just like they will do in the actual NAVHDA NA test. Boss had no issues and found the pheasant rather quickly. I also got a chance to watch Boss work the field, see below.

Cleo also worked the field today with mixed results but before any of that occurred Frank helped us out with a duck drag.

Jim instructing Cleo to "track".

Cleo on the return

 Cleo had a flawless duck drag today which has been consistent for her. However the wheels came off the cart in the field. We've had issues getting Cleo fully steady. As my father would say it's been an albatross around our necks. As soon as Jim released Cleo and instructed her to hunt em up she took off like she was fired out of a canon. She found her first bird, pointed, and then crept when she should have been steady. Agh! So aggravating.

On the second bird it only went more down hill. She found the bird, pointed, crept and then when the bird flushed she ran halfway across the field after it. The word that comes to mind is frustrating.

Her last bird she did better. She pointed and held and when the bird flushed and flew Bob and Jim were close enough and she didn't run.

It's almost like she regressed over the past couple of weeks. Today is without a doubt the worst she has done in the field in a really long time. Bob called Jim on the way home and Jim is going to take her back up tomorrow along with some pigeons. I guess its time to start reinforcing her whoa command. I will say that when we came home Jim put her on the table and worked whoa with her. She did great. We put a pigeon on a string and she did phenomenal. All I can say is what the heck Cleo?! I know you can't have a good day everyday so we will be back at it tomorrow! Stayed tuned for updates and be sure to check out Cleo's facebook page called Adventures of a German Shorthaired Pointer.

What's that AWFUL smell?

Someone has a stinky hiney.....

Fishy bottom....that's what Jim and I lovingly call that awful smell that occasionally emits from Cleo's butt. It's awful, and rare but it's a sure sign that someone needs to have their anal glands squeezed.  Until a few months ago I naively had no idea what anal glands were or let alone they would ever need to be expressed. Although this is a horrid subject I never knew anything about it and thought I would discuss it since I couldn't possibly be the only one. Besides...it's kind of funny in a really gross way.

So what is that smell? The one that reminds me of what it used to be like to cross the Cape May bridge into Wildwood, NJ. The one that would make you have to hold your breath as you drove by the commercial fisheries? It's full anal glands. Ewwwww. Every dog has them and they are little pea sized glands located at 4 and 8'oclock on a dogs rear end. These glands enable animals like dogs and cats to mark their territory and identify each other. Hence all the butt sniffing at the dog park. Normally when a dog has a bowel movement the stool is firm and pushes against these scent glands naturally expressing them. If a dog has soft stools the anal glands can get full making for discomfort and well....noxious smells. The problem can be easily solved by paying a vet tech or a groomer to express them.

It's possible to express the glands yourself but in all honesty who the hell in their right mind would want to do something like that? The stuff that comes out can squirt up to like four feet away and although it won't hurt you, it smells so bad that it might as well be as dangerous as napalm in my book. Spend 10 or 15 dollars to get someone else to do it for you. Seriously. It's money well spent.

Full anal glands are a drag. Don't torture your dog by not getting them expressed. We don't have to do it often for Cleo. It's usually right around when she goes into season. She should be going into heat soon so it was no shock she had to get it done today. But for whatever reason when the vet does this for her her butt smells like peppermint for a day or so. I have no idea why but I would imagine it has something to with whatever they do to keep the smell down when expressing. It always makes me think of when you see police detectives or medical examiners on TV when they have to put Vick's on their upper lips when dealing with decomp. Blah!! So gross. So there's the skinny on fishy bottom and that awful awful smell. Pay attention to your dogs rear end and be proactive if they smell like the salmon run. It will save you from the anal glands spontaneously expressing themselves on your carpet or floor.

Check us out and follow our shenanigans on facebook: Adventures of a German Shorthaired Pointer

Cleo vs. Mr. Toad

It's time for some simple math. 80 degrees + light rain = prime time frog and toad weather. Cleo + frogs = pure entertainment.

I let Cleo outside last night and within seconds she spotted a toady hovering near the bottom of the deck. Before I could stop her she was on the ground poised for attack. Luckily Mr. Toad hopped under the deck and out of her reach.

Not to be deterred she ran around to the far side of the deck and army crawled over to where the toad was hiding.

Mr. Toad hopped back out to safety. But for whatever reason Cleo stayed under the deck but continued to try to get the toad with little success. Watch the video's below to see how spastic she is.

Just keep in mind at anytime she could just crawl out from under the deck on the otherside, walk around to the frog and get it. But that would be way too easy.

Cape May Shenanigans

Last weekend Cleo was in Western Maryland at Deep Creek Lake. This weekend she got to spend a few days beaching it at Cape May, NJ. What this really equates to is that she is spoiled....plain and simple.

Cape May is a quiet beach town located at the most southern tip of New Jersey. It really stands out amongst other Jersey shore destinations because it has such a Victorian flair. The Cape lacks the drama, clubs, and boardwalk scene made famous by the train wreck of a show Jersey Shore. What it does have is clean beaches, fun bars, architectural character and woodcock hunting. Cape May, NJ came in second on Trip Advisor's "Best Beaches" in the United States list as well as a highly respectable ninth in their Best Beaches in the world. Click here to see an article on that.

I'm very lucky in the fact that my parents own a shore house in West Cape May and we get to go down on a regular basis. During season you can't take dogs on the regular beaches. However, Cape May does allow you to take your four legged friends to Higbee Beach.

Plenty of birds to chase

Jelly Fish

Higbee Beach is a cool place. It's approximately 1 1/2 miles long and it's located in a 1,100 acre Wildlife Management area where County Hwy 641 dead ends. It's home to some of the best bird watching in the Northeast and there is an abundance of wildlife here. 

Since horseshoe crabs are hard to roll on they make for good barking

Jim and I have heard from more than one person that Higbee Beach is a great spot to hunt woodcock. However, getting information on where and when to go has been tough. We did find out that you can hunt there but only in certain areas and the season is apparently only a few days. I'm gonna have to do a little more research but we would love to get her down there for at least a day or two of hunting this coming fall. 

But as far as the summer goes in Cape May, if you have a dog it's the place to be. 

Higbee Beach is located across from the Cape May Lewes Ferry Dock

Cleo also had a blast chilling at my parents house. Below is a pic of her locking up on point at a rabbit while she is on the back deck of my parents house.

Hunting Rabbits!

The Chase!!

  

Also these have nothing to do with Cleo but here are pics from the back deck of my parents house as a storm rolls in. It never rained where we were but it looked beautiful.

The lighthouse is in the lower left