INTO "NEW THINGS" THIS MONTH

Winter has been a bit tough here, more snow than expected, colder than expected, and the old Toyota plow truck finally started seriously limping along.  Time for change....a change of vehicles that is.

We were fortunate enough to get an outstanding deal on a replacement, "new-to-us" 1994 plow truck.  K-Lee immediately claimed her seat in the cab and watches the snow bankings.  She's getting good at expecting the end of the push.

There's got to be one in here!

Occasionally, we need to stop and look for moles under the snow.  It's a healthy diversion for both of us.  I never realized how fast those little buggers can move!

Indoor weave poles

K-Lee at the "tunnel"--lots of fun!

 We also added something new to our training.  We enrolled in an "Introduction to Agility" class given by our friend Pat Niswander. We just want to have some fun and  learn things that could be translated to the field.

The introductory "tire"

At home, we continue with Come, Sit, Stay, Heel, Heeling on-leash, and off-leash, Down, Whoa, Fetch, Table, and more.  With the agility mode, we're learning "Weave", "Tire". "Jump" and "Tunnel".  I say "we" because she and I are both learning new things.

Soon it will be spring when we'll start working on birds again.  We're not setting the agility world on fire, but it's just another step in "unwrapping the package" (as my friend Suzi says) of a good, all around versatile dog.

She seems to like the old dodge. 
Perhaps red is her color.

A SIMPLE SOLUTION

Safety for our dogs sometimes means keeping a proper human-controlled environment.  For years, when traveling with dogs, my friends and I would be concerned about the temperature in the back of my truck.  The box of my pickup has a fiberglass top and there are dog kennels inside.  We had a rough idea what the climate was back there, but never knew exactly how cold—or warm—it was in the enclosed body of the truck. Hanging a thermometer in the back just didn't cut it.  Someone would have to get out, open the back to read the thermometer and close it again.  In the process,  heat was either let in or out--depending on the time of year.

 

That problem was solved this year with the purchase of a $9.97  home digital thermometer with a (wireless) remote sensor from our local Wal-Mart store. A  simple one with a large numerical read-out was selected for easy reading.   Using Velcro, I attached the read-out to my dash. (The Velcro allows for easy removal to change batteries.) Next, the sending unit was attached to the inside of the truck box—away from any sunlight.   Anyone can now look at my dash and easily see how cold —or how warm— things are in the back.  I should have done this a long time ago!  

Sending unit in "dog space"

Display is easy to read