Mac Attack!

I got this photo via Facebook :) Leslie and Mac and Ellie went on the Shelter Trek on Saturday. I'm' assuming this was to raise funds for the local shelter but maybe Leslie can fill us all in. I know she checks this blog :)

Isn't he just the cutest thing? I understand he didn't really like being the shark, but I think he's doing much better than when we tried antlers on him at Christmas time for photos :)

My weekend

Last weekend I had a extremely busy trip to Tomah, Wisconsin. There I delivered three Shetland ewes to a new sheep farmer and his wife. They will be extremely spoiled and well taken care of. Something that I'm really happy about as my placements with my 'pet quality' sheep is always of big concern for me. One of my older girls, Lavender is the new matriarch of the trio and she is doing a great job so far. I couldn't be happier.

Also on the trip I picked up a pair of white faced Black Spanish bantams. I'll try and get a photo sometime this week of them, or I'm sure you can Google 'white-faced Black Spanish bantams' and see some images. They are so striking. At the same time as the chicken 'swap' I picked up a gorgeous Shetland ram named Angus. I then traveled to another farm and picked up another Shetland ram named Pogo. Both are fitting in well here and are finding their ranks amongst the senior boys here.

The big news however is that I also took Mac along to meet a great couple that had inquired about Mac. I had honestly almost 20 inquiries about Mac and many of them just didn't 'feel' right or mesh right with Mac and what I felt were his needs. Since last summer Mac has lived with my parents as Oliver and Mac just didn't get along. Mac was never going to be a permanent resident here but sort of just ended up staying for a few extra years. My sister and brother-in-law were also living with my parents as their new house is being built, so Mac was able to really play with all of them and get to know the newborn baby and grow up with him.

My sister also took mac to foundation agility class in Detroit Lakes where I am now also taking Ell, Zoe and Sadie for agility class. Mac absolutely loved it and it made me smile every time he got his collar put on him he KNEW he was getting to go to agility class. But the living with my parents was not ideal for Mac. I felt he spent too much of his time alone and that he didn't' get enough trips out of the house to go places and didn't have enough 'things' to do.

I met this couple in Tomah, where I was doing most of the sheep transactions and they had the weekend to have a trial period with him. I honestly had planned on taking Mac home with me on Sunday, but they called me Saturday night and said he was just the most amazing dog with the greatest temperament and they couldn't imagine not having him in their life!

I was a bit choked up as I didn't get a formal goodbye but was extremely pleased that he was loving the new home and his new 'sister' and the new life. My sister and dad are/were extremely upset he wasn't coming home and they always knew he was looking for a home but they never thought it would actually happen. I told them that it was in the best interest of Mac and we can't be selfish and wish he was still here as he is in a better place for HIM and that is what is most important.

This placing dogs is seriously emotional. I hope it gets better as I get older and have more dogs to place. It was really hard at first with the cattle and sheep but it has gotten easier the more I move out. AND they are livestock so it is a bit different but nonetheless taxing on my emotions.

Mac's new home is great and they are eager to meet me in Tomah again from time to time to let me see Mac and perhaps I'll bring dogs with me so he can play with them! I'm very thankful for such a great place for Mac to live.

Mac's new duties will include keeping the three house cats in line, as well as keeping up to his long legged sister (pictured below) and tackling the new friends at the dog park, as well as Therapy work at the nursing homes and hospitals, as well as some obedience and agility classes to keep his mind always thinking.

Mac with 'sister' Ellie above

Mac with Ellie and new 'dad' Ron

As hard as this placement was, and as much as I knew he was needing a new home, I'm glad I waited for the right home for him. He deserves to be happy! And he is! :) :D :)

GO TIRE!

With my sister working Mac at agility, and Ell and Zoe both now in their second sessions of agility I thought it fitting to get a tire. Well mostly because Sadie is going NEXT to the tire now instead of THROUGH it.

She just needed inspiration!!

I made her down stay and then she HAD TO WATCH Ell, Mac and Zoe and I have so much fun running up to the tire and me saying "GO TIRE" and the three of them (sometimes two at a time) would jump through the tire.

I nearly thought Sadie would have a seizure she was all worked up. Needless to say our down stay didn't work for very long and every time I'd ask Ell or maybe Zoe to "go tire" Sadie would break from her 'wait' or 'down stay' and follow them through the tire and then she'd growl at them as if she was saying "how dare you jump through MY tire!"

She hasn't gone next to the tire since then in our 1-on-1's so I'm hoping that that is all she needed was some incentive :)

Oh and its much easier to run the dogs through the course at home when there IS only one dog jumping through at a time LOL

And NO I will NOT youtube it!

Sleepy Wednesday?

Oliver getting comfy with Grandma

Monday

Well there was no Mitcham Monday as per Sarah's pointing out due to a long day at work and then I had Ell's first night of foundation agility in Detroit Lakes. Mac and my sister Lindsay also are in the class and it was really fun to see Mac out and doing something. he was so excited to be doing something and with other dogs! He slept all the way home and once he got to his home with Grandpa and Grandma he slept the entire rest of the night and ALL night long until my dad's alarm went off in the morning! My dad asked if we could take Mac every night ;)

It was so fun to see Ell doing agility...she really is a natural. Although the tunnel she didn't really like when it was fully extended as the tunnel itself is kinda spongy and soft and she didn't know about that....but it was only her first day.

Oh its outside too! I think that is great as there are WAY more distractions outside and with all the smells and birds and noises and other dogs it really is a good way to start out the dogs. Its in a 6ft high chain link fenced in area so no fear of the dogs getting away. If it rains they do move it inside.

Not much else new on the doggie front. I have Sadie entered in the Fargo agility trial just one day on the 16th hoping for that 3rd leg at Novice Standard and maybe a leg in Open JWW if she doesn't give me the middle finger and go off course again :)

Mitcham photos soon...he doesn't change much any more ;) >:)

Wordless Wenesday