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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.
I've got goats on my mind 'cuz July–August is Sonoma County Fair time. The goats from Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery in Sebastopol, California, show off their bah-eauty and charm every year at the fair.
Redwood Hill Alpine doe Jambalya was the 2007 ADGA Alpine National Champion! You can see her here with Jennifer Bice, the wonderful human in charge at Redwood Hill.
Redwood Hill makes lusicous, gourmet goat milk yogurt and kefir as well several kinds of delicious artisan cheese.
My dog-ma and I visited Redwood Hill and met some goats and the humans who work with them. Dog-ma went on the creamery tour while I took a nap.
Goats and dogs don't go on the creamery tour 'cuz we'd shed hair all over the place — which is beautifully clean, dog-ma sez. I did get to meet Jennifer Bice. She's very nice, as is her sister, Sharon Bice. Everybuddy there is nice. Dog-ma sez they take time to answer all your questions when you take a tour.
We also got to go to their Certified Humane dairy farm. (We'd found the tour schedule at Sonoma County Farm Trails.) Dog-ma ewed and ahhed over the sweet and happy goats while I went nutz over the earthy smells. My nose kept me so busy that I didn't even notice I was waiting for dog-ma. I must've counted about 300 goats of the breeds Alpine, LaMancha, Nubian, and Saanen!
Last summer, the goats were entertained by The Ditty Bops — a Western swing, ragtime, gypsy-jazz duo band from LA. Their performance got YouTubed.
Abby of The Ditty Bops introduced the band as she got ready to play "Wishful Thinking" outside the barn. She said: "We're here at Redwood Hill Farm with Trinity and her lovely group of goats. . . . We would really appreciate if you could, uh, limit your consumption of our garments till after the song."
The Ditty Bops also performed inside the big barn. In the following "Walk or Ride" vlog, two goats showed Amanda their interest in joining the band:
I really like Redwood Hill goat milk yogurt. As a dog, I don't eat dairy often, but my Ani Siamese adores the plain yogurt and has a spoonful frequently.
My dog-ma is understandably addicted to the artisan goat cheese and is furever reconsidering which is her favorite. Lately it's Camellia, their award-winning Camembert-style goat cheese. It's so soft, buttery, and delicious.
Humans are 'spozed to enjoy this wonderful cheese at room temperature, paired with sparkling wine, Sauvignon Blanc, or Pinot Noir. But dog-ma's so crazy about Camellia that she often lacks the patience to pair it with anything.
For a dog like me, it wouldn't be too déclassé to lick good goat cheese off my paw, but I thought you humans avoided this practice.
Photo credits: RH Farm
"Teresa Tudury channels Ethel Merman," said Ani Siamese as we listened to Ms. Tudury's song "Goodbye Philadelphia." What a singer, say I! "Who could ask for anything more?" quipped my Ani, an erudite young rescue kitty (photo below).
What Ani wants is to meet the tomcat whom Teresa Tudury sings about. Tom and Teresa live in Occidental — in west Sonoma County, northern California. Charming Tom never comes inside. He just hangs out, appearing as if he'd like some loving. But, nope, Tom has his feral ways.Tom isn't totally feral, though. Feral cats run when they see us, and have to be trapped to take them to the vet or relocate them. Nice organizations exist to humanely trap and then release feral cats after spay/neuter. Adult feral cats are often returned to their old habitat; many would have a hard time living with humans. But a lot of feral kittens get placed in permanent homes.
People who do trap-neuter work are needed to help reduce the feral cat population and give cats a better quality of life. There are more than 60 million feral cats in the U.S. — a staggering number. The homeless U.S. cat population is close to being as large as the population of U.S. dogs with homes, which is 70-some million!
West Sonoma County has a special non-profit group called Kitty Committee. "Head cat" is Laura Comyns. Dog-ma first talked to Ms. Comyns when the group was getting ready for an annual rescue of feral beach kittens on the Sonoma coast.
Kitty Committee volunteers not only find homes for feral kitties, but they also network and act as liaisons with rescue and foster groups, people who find feral cats, local veterinarians, the Humane Society, and organizations like Forgotten Felines that do spay/neuter. Paw-leeze visit Kitty Committee's website to learn more and to support this small group of people with big hearts.
Forgotten Felines of Sonoma County helps feral cats in the county and beyond. This nonprofit org has about 200 volunteers, and the endorsement of animal control agencies. They spay/neuter feral cats; manage feral colonies; remove colony cats who are adoptable; provide food assistance to people caring for colonies; and educate the public about feral issues.
Forgotten Felines practices what's called TTVAR-M feral cat control: "Trap, Test, Vaccinate, Alter, Return and Maintain." At the Forgotten Felines website, you will find feral cats you can adopt and a lot of info!
Lenny Bruce Peltier is a dog who lives in a cabin at Grimes Creek, outside Boise, Idaho. He doesn't go on the road to sing with his traveling lady guardian/owner. Lenny Bruce sings at home.
Lenny Bruce knows more about American folk and roots music than just about any dog alive. His lady is travelin' folk legend Rosalie Sorrels, who turned 75 this year and is one of the first ladies of American folk song. His guardian lady is so impawtant that UC Santa Cruz set up a Rosalie Sorrels Archive in recognition of her contributions to American culture as a songwriter, singer, and storyteller.
Ms. Sorrels is a favorite at Kate Wolf Memorial Music Festival and a former resident of Marin and Sonoma counties. Many roots music lovers know that she was friends for 55 years with the late singer/songwriter Utah Phillips.
Dog-ma told me Rosalie Sorrels was in Petaluma on July 12. She sang Phillips' song "Starlight on the Rails" — the opener to her tribute album, "Strangers in Another Country: The Songs of Bruce 'Utah' Phillips," due out August 5, 2008, on indie Red House Records.
In an NPR interview, Rosalie Sorrels described her music as "a way to take sorrow and turn it into a thing you can hold in your hand and throw away." She has also said, "People create folksongs because they need them to get along with life and the stuff it throws at you."
Life has thrown a lot of interesting people her way. Many of them in turn find their way into the wonderful storytelling that's a trademark of the Sorrels performance. There are Utah Phillips and Kate Wolf, of course. Other names in a long, long list include Hunter S. Thompson, Ken Kesey, Malvina Reynolds, Jack Kerouac, Phil Ochs, and Kate and Anna McGarrigle.
Storytelling is fundamental to folk music 'cuz it is music that has been passed down largely by oral tradition. Listening to all these stories and songs is how Lenny Bruce Peltier got so smart.
