Doggie Daddies, BBQ, and Flannels

June 19, 2017

It’s Fathers Day in the U.S. of A. A day to celebrate good o’l Dad and lavish him with praise, gifts, and hugs while he slaves over the BBQ attempting to satisfy his primal urge to ~~drink a lot of guilt free beer~~ feed his family and ensure their very survival. After a day of hunting at the local butcher shop dad will season up his ~~kill~~ purchase, put on the gaudy apron one his kids gave his last year, throw the fatted cow (or chicken or fish or all three) on the coals (or propane depending on his heating preferences) pop open a frosty beverage and “get it on”.

There is nothing more American than these Father’s Day rituals except of course Mother’s Day and Apple Pie. And Old Glory, rodeo, and baseball. Oh and white picket fences and Levi’s jeans. OK, well sorry Dads there are plenty of things more American so I guess we just need to work harder…

Meanwhile, Kali and Kloe wanted to wish all the Doggie Daddies a very happy day. Any Dad worth his cook’s hat has a flannel shirt in his closet. As a tribute to all of you Kali and Kloe dawned one of their own Dad’s flannels to pose for this picture.

Happy Fathers Day!

Good Citizens

June 10, 2017

“The family that obeys together stays together”. At least that’s what we say around the Golden K. OK, we might not actually say that but maybe we’ll start.

Earlier this Spring Kloe participated in an obedience training program conducted by a local group affiliated with the American Kennel Club. Since the time Kloe was a pup Holly (mostly) and I had been working 1:1 with Kloe using the training skills we learned from a private trainer we hired when Kali first arrived from Taiwan. We felt Kloe needed more socialization and structure so Holly enrolled her in the program. ~~Kali had been getting a little sloppy~~ I had become sloppy with Kali so I decided to enroll her too so that we could all go through the program as a united pack. The family that trains together remains together. Maybe we’ll start using that phrase too…

Both girls flew through the program with flying colors. Eventually…

When we arrived for the first session our “girls” entered the building with guns-a-blazing! They announced their arrival with a lot of robust barking. Kali: “Who are all these dogs and why don’t they run away when I bark at them?” Kloe: “Who are all these dogs and why won’t you let me off my leash so I can go play with them?” All the other dogs: “Who are those two loud mouths?”

After a couple of weeks both girls settled in, Kloe realized she was there to work and gave Holly her full attention for most of the 55 minute sessions. Kali was the star pupil. I wasn’t surprised. Most of the other dogs were pretty young because this is the class that is intended to follow the Puppy class. At eight years old Kali was the the Geriatric Granny of the class but I was none the less proud of her. The trainers and other owners watched and smiled as Kali pranced around the room listing to and responding to my every command. In Kali’s mind a command, regardless of who it is directed at, means a treat is not far away which has made her very trainable.

At the conclusion of the seven week course the trainer told us about an upcoming AKC Good Citizens Certification test that would be available for the members of the class. This test is comprised of ten behaviors the dog has to demonstrate. They are relatively basic behaviors such as sit, heel, stay, etc. They are also tested on distractions, walking through an area crowded with people, and so on. They must score 10 out of 10 in order to be certified. AND, there can be no treats used or on the owners body while they are being tested. Rutt Roh…!!

So last Sunday Kali and drove to Jamestown to take the test. I was a little apprehensive because Kali still gets a little anxious when new dogs are around. Kali on the other hand was Kool, Kalm, and Kollected and when it was her turn performed all ten behaviors without issue (and notably with out treats).

Kali will always be my precious Golden Kali with or without any certificates or awards. On the one hand this test was not a big deal and changes nothing. On the other hand this test reinforced, at least to me, three years of development anD growth for Kali and I as a team. So I will mail the paperwork to get the official certificate from the AKC to commemorate Kali’s accomplishment. It will be framed and proudly hung in a place of distinction at the Golden K. For me it will mean a lot. For Kali it may only serve as a reminder of the day she did everything asked of her, on command and as described in the AKC good citizen manual, without receiving one treat.

This ribbon will have to do until the official certificate arrives. I wonder where I can buy a golden frame?….

Face Lift for the Golden K

June 3, 2017

The Golden K had a bit of a face lift last week. 33 dead pine trees were cut down at their knees. They never saw it coming. But we did.

When we bought the property there were already 16 dead pines. Over the past year – mostly during early spring – another 17 bit the dust. Bark Beetle dust that is. The beetles bore their way into the bark of the pines and the pines, after five years of drought, can’t produce enough sap to fend them off. It’s evident from red dust protruding from the bark instead of sap. You can almost see the trees dying in front of your eyes. The death starting at the very top and quickly working its way down to the lowest needles.

Fortunately we still have 107 Pines and plenty of Oaks and Cedars and the 33 now removed pines will hardly be missed in the landscape and organic fabric of the Golden K.

The crew was here for five days and there was a lot of chain saw action to say the least. Much to Kloe’s chagrin. When you live in the mountains the sound of chain saws is as natural as the chirping of the birds or cockle-doodle-doing of the roosters. Kloe has literally grown up listening to chain saw noise. Maybe it was the proximity of the saws cutting down our 33 trees or perhaps some sound beyond our audible spectrum that bothered her. Whatever it was Kloe was very agitated when the saws were buzzing. Kali, not so much. Except for thunder nothing seems to rattle Kali.

Kloe survived the week and The Golden K is better off with the 33 dead 100 foot plus matchsticks. If you’ve never experienced the sound of a 120 foot tree hitting the ground you are really missing something. There’s a certain majesty of something that big and heavy hitting the ground with a massive thud and bounce! On one of the falls I was about 15 feet behind the crew member making the cut. After it was on the ground he turned around. I told him that I knew he does it all the time but for me it was so awesome to see and hear this massive piece of mother nature hitting the ground. He grinned and told me that it never gets old for him. Every time he still feels the rush.

So 33 dead trees and a chunk of change later the Golden K is a safer place. 33 fewer matchsticks in the event of a fire and 33 fewer chances of a giant child of nature falling on our house, or God forbid one of us or The Girls.

So at the end of the day ( a term I dislike but use here any way) our small piece of the forest was thinned for the greater good and as we look out over it, or under it as the case may be, we continue to feel blessed with our romantic perspective of life at 3100 feet.

It’s relatively easy to get them on the ground. It’s the clean up that takes time (and $).

Kloe is freaking out – can you keep it down with the chain saws?!?

Boss Lady Holly declaring the job is officially done.