My personal best today!

by winecountrydog

I had my PERSONAL BEST DAY today since major life-saving spinal surgery!

A lot of humans had a personal worst day, sorry to hear. That was 'cuz of the record single-day drop of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Today I did two things dog-ma and I thought we'd never see me do again in my doglife:

• Stand up on my hind legs and do my wave dance with my front paws.
• On my own, carefully jump out of the backseat of dog-ma's car.

Dog-ma was in awe and got a wee teary. She started to tell me not to stand on my hind legs, then thought better of it. After all, doing the wave has been impawtant to me since puppyhood. Humans love to watch and wave back.

I'm almost eleven years old, and the wave is still truly one of doglife's great pleasures. But dog-ma won't be allowing me to do it much, I can tell you that.

I tend not to paw-write about landmarks in my recovery. Dog-ma and I have been trying to get our minds off pawsonal trauma and drama. I mean, we're exhausted from worrying about me. Every time I have a setback in controlling my muscles, or have a day where I'm doggone tired or off my food, dog-ma gets that "911 look" in her eyes. Then I think, "Uh oh, I'd better get better before dog-ma goes over the worryin' edge again."

Dog-ma has dutifully protected me throughout my journey to mobility. She has lifted me at least 500 times. I don't jump up into a car or bed; I get lifted. Dog-ma sez that her biceps are the only things better off than before.

Except fur my rear leg muscles: They're better, just as my vet surgeon (Russ Gurevitch DVM) predicted they would be. My hindquarter muscles are really rebuilding. At the same time, the rest of me has gotten skinny. All my nourishment is going into helping atrophied muscles and nerves. Dog-ma sez I look like Popeye in the behind region.

While I'm on the subject of muscles and personal best, I have to say that dogs show great muscle strength in the sport of weight pulling. We corgis admire them.

The International Weight Pull Association (IWPA) promotes the sport of dog pulling through organized events.

The purpose of IWPA is to promote the working heritage of all dogs. The IWPA also promotes a program to keep your dog in good physical condition with a constructive outlet for canine competition.

Dog Pulling is akin to a tractor pull. Dogs compete to see who can pull the most weight 16 feet. They pull a wheeled cart on an earthen surface, or a sled on snow. The handler has no contact with the dog during the pull, so it is up to the dog's willingness to pull. Safety of the dog is of paramount concern. Since IWPA's organization in 1984, no dogs have been hurt in competition.

Our fellow herders, the Australian Cattle Dogs, are really good pullers. Finn was the first Australian Cattle Dog to attain a Weight Pulling Championship in the history of the UKC.


Other canine breeds do great weight pulling, too. Check out pullers like the Mastiffs, including Bullmastiffs, and also Old English Mastiffs at Devine Farm.

And paw-leeze read good articles about this dog sport. I like the article at Pet Tech Transport. I always like the articles and photos at WorkingDogs.com: See the article "Australian Cattle Dogs Excel at Weight Pulling" by ACD lover and author Teressa Keenan.

Splash Dogs and Carolyn Wonderland!

by winecountrydog

I saw Splash Dogs dock jumping at the 2008 Sonoma County Fair on July 26! This is a cool sport for us dogs. It gives us a chance to show off strength, confidence, speed, and all-around canine athleticism while competing to see who can make the longest jump.

The Splash Dogs' humans set up a 40-foot-long dock and a pool. The dogs stand on the dock, one at a time, waiting until their handler tosses a toy in the direction of the water.


Dogs leap out over the water to try to catch the toy. They're not required to retrieve the toy. Scores are awarded by measuring the jump distance using the Splash Dogs Ruler.

I'm going back to the fair with dog-ma for the August 3 Splash Dog finals. I heard from Ursula Kinley of Crazy K9s that we might get to see a Welsh corgi competing!

If you dogs want to dock jump, here are some tips for getting started:

• Begin by teaching your human to throw you a ball or toy in shallow water.
• Learn how to catch a ball or toy while you're in the water.
• Practice jump height and strength on dry-land hurdles.
• Remind your human to throw the toy in the air to practice your technique.
• Keep the practice and jumping events fun for both of you; don't get growly.
• If you're not getting enough praise and rewards, sit-stay and refuse to jump.

As a dog, I wasn't allowed to go to other fair events. So, after sneaking a peek, I left. Dog-ma stayed to enjoy the performance of Texas rock/blues powerhouse Carolyn Wonderland, who was joined by keyboardist Cole El-Salah and drummer Eldridge Goins.


This is dog-ma's enthusiastic review.

"When Carolyn Wonderland played the fair's 2008 Sonoma County Blues Festival, she rocked seasoned festival goers to a new level of awe. Wonderland's intense delivery had our seated crowd on its feet. Just when we thought we'd seen it all, she set down her guitar, picked up a trumpet and took us to New Orleans.

Wonderland plays lead guitar and sings — and she's a heckuva songwriter. Six tracks on the latest CD Miss Understood are hers.

Progressive Radio once said, "If you put Melissa Etheridge, Chrissie Hynde, and Dick Dale in a blender and hit puree, you'd get a pretty potent mixture called Carolyn Wonderland."

Not good enough. It's like this: If you brought back Janis Joplin, and she could play guitar like Jimmy Page and Alvin Lee, then you'd be getting close to a description. You'd have to throw in some Billie Holiday, Muddy Waters, Aretha, and a handful of other great artists to get closer.

Who's going to believe all this about a petite, red-headed woman from Texas? Bob Dylan, for one. That's why Dylan asked Wonderland to come jam with him in Houston."

You can follow Wonderland's tour schedule and catch up with her in Washington or Oregon this August. She'll also be at Sings Like Hell in Santa Barbara, California. Or you can go to Hell to see her — Hell, Norway, that is.

Paw note: Dog-ma sez to say thanks to Angela Strehli and KRSH superman Bill Bowker.