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I would enjoy finding out how things are going for every one with there loving dogs. I love to hear about, share and talk about the fun activities you are having with our dog.

well i gave buster his first hair cut the other day  he did fantastic! didnt squirm or nothing....i think he was just more terrified of what was going on lol. but he looks good :D he isnt panting in the house anymore so that's good. going to get him licensed with the county soon. we got an annual lake pass so that i can take them to the river a lot and take them on the trails. so we will be having quite the eventful year. our little tiny pet shop on main street is moving to a bigger location in february so we are super excited about that! so now instead of being hidden back in a corner they will be out on main street so hopefully they will get more buisness since its just a lady and her dog that run the store :D

most states require by law to have your dog licenses within your county. you can buy a one year or a 3 year (3 year being a way better deal) but in order to get that you have to have the 3 year rabie shot which doesnt come till 1 year of age. so for his first year you will have to get a 1 year license within your county. dont know what your state laws are but i would look into it. you dont want to get fined for not registering your dog with the county. spayed/neutered dogs are WAY cheaper to license compared to dogs that are still intact. like where i am its only 25 dollars to license a neutered dog and 100 dollars for an unaltered dog.

Yes it is pretty much the same pricing here in Canada for the licensing. I do not mind paying this fee because at least here in my community the fee goes back into doing good for other dogs. There is a huge fine if you do not have the licensing, and it is also a way that our community monitor the number of dogs in a home. In my community you can only have 3 dogs. If you have more you have to have a breeders license and if they come out to check your breeding facility they can check for puppy mills. If you have sled dogs and a full team you have to get a different type of license, because these are not pets but working dogs..

It is the weekend! What is everybody up to this weekend? We are headed out to our agility training and both Khia and myself just love to agility. Enjoy your weekend!

just got back from our second river trip. took the neighbor and her little chihuahua and they ahd a blast. saw their first kayakers and they stopped to say hello and buster even jumped up on the kayak! i think i will be taking him out on a kayak in the summer to see how he likes it. was a nice fun trip :D pictures soon!

Sound like lots of fun! Our waterways are all totally frozen at this time of year. We just got in from our early morning walk and it was cold but lots of fun. It snowed again last night so Khia really enjoy the new fallen snow. Yesterday we went to Khia's agility class for the first time after a 4 week rest over the holidays. She never even missed a beat she did a wonderful job and her tail was wagging the whole time. Today I am planning a couple more romps in the snow and maybe I will get some new pictures to post.

Thanks Courtney for the information about adding the apple cider to your dogs water. I read about it on the internet. I like that it helps to stop yeast build up in your dogs digestional track. Too much yeast can cause infections. I added 1/2 teaspoon yesterday and again today. My girl has no problems with it in her water and even seem to drink a little more water then usual.

that's good. it will keep her nice and hydrated :D my dogs also drank a bit more water than usual i think they like the way the vinegar makes them feel. glad your girl didnt have a problem taking it :D like i said its a natural antibiotic and is fantastic for dogs and humans!

You did not mention about the natural antibiotic but I know it reduces the yeast in a dogs system and this will aid in the controlling of Epiphora (tear staining) flaring up. This is important to me because Epiphora (tear straining) in common in the American Eskimo which is 1/2 of Khia's mix.

I just posted a new picture of Khia laying in the snow.

ooo i will go and look at her new photos :D

Check out Khia's short video just posted on her catching the Frisbee.

she is so darn cute! i was thinking of getting buster a frisbee cuz he is a pretty good jumper. i might pick one up from work tomorrow and see what he thinks of it

This is a scary time of year for dog owners in our area. It is Coyote mating season and when they mate they are more dangerous. Most to the animal they would hunt are hibernating so dogs get taken for food. Not too far from us a chocolate lab was taken. All kinds of cats go missing and these coyotes are hunting in packs. The mating season starts about the middle of January and run through until the middle of March so you really have to be more than just on guard.

If Buster loves to run and play ball he will love to play frisbee. Yes, you must get him one. The hardest part for me is throwing the frisbee straight. Khia has no problem catching it in the air.

omg that is so sad to hear about the lab! that's why my dogs stay in doors where i can keep watch. if they go outside i go out with them. that poor dog. i hope things go ok for you and khia. keep good watch on her.

What is even more sad is that the owner was with the lab at the time it happen and there was nothing the owner could do to stop it from happening. That is why for Khia and myself we do not do any wilderness trails in January, February and March.

see i live in the mountains near Nevada and we have a ton of wildlife here and a bunch of dead coyotes and foxes on the roads but i dont know how bad they are here. I take my dogs on walks but i carey tools with me at all times in my backpack. i keep a knife, pepper spray, and a hand gun that is fully licensed. im not thrilled about shooting an animal but if it came down to saving my pets life or mine i will do it. im so sorry that lady wasnt able to do anything. i told my bf about it because he has a black lab that i gave him 4 years ago for his birthday and he said he would do ANYTHING to protect his dog. i am the same way with mine. i would put my life in danger to save my dogs. but that's just how i am lol. i do hope that you guys do not have any coyote problems. i have a friend in Canada who has a white doberman and she has seen a few coyotes watching her house so she has been on the look out and has her shot gun ready lol.

Now you sound like me. I would do anything to protect my dog. But I also trying to be careful at certain times of the year. Once we get into spring mating for Coyotes is well over and the problem is not as big an issue. Because we have serve winter weather food supply runs low and it is hard to find food in frozen ground or ground covered in snow or other animals hibernating. It has also gotten allot worst as the roaming areas for cotoye's is being claimed and being built on so what did they expect the coyotes to do. This is actually a man made problem.

It is kind of scary in our area right now. A coyote was spotted last night really close to our property. So I guess we are going to need to start taking equipment to protect ourselves and Khia on our outings. Yesterday in our area an 8 year old was bitten by a coyote. The authorities have the coyote and it is being tested for rabies. The coyote looks healthy and well so they are hoping there is some underlying sickness and not that the coyotes are seeing humans as a food source. Many people do not realize how terribly stupid it is to feed wild animals.

oh my! yes coyotes can actually be quite aggressive and will actually chase or attack a small child. i was tree'd by 3 coyotes when i was taking a stroll in the woods behind my house when i lived in louisiana. it is good that they have the coyote in hand for testing. they could be running out of food sources and doing anything they can to survive. i hope you guys stay safe.

We do not have a problem with having to be a little more on guard than usual. I think sometimes all of us get laid back because we think everything is safe and then something blind sides you. We still do our usual exercise and runs but are on watch allot more. There are also place that we do not go to at this time of year.

Hey! What is everyone up to? 

we are stuck inside cuz it has been raining for 3 days straight :/

so just got a call from the Blue Ravine Animal Hospital for an interview on wednesday! trying to work 2 jobs now so i can spoil my dogs even more hahahahah. wish me luck!!

Courtney I wish you tons of luck. You would be perfect for that job. You would also have more resources for us here at Designer Mixes.

I have my fingers, toes and whatever else I can cross for you.

 I am cheering for you. I hope you much success in landing this job.

Here I am wining about rain 1 day and you have had rain for 3 days straight. I am sure your puppies are really going to need a big run soon. Hopefully the sun will be out for you tomorrow.

thank you so much! i will let you know what happens after my interview! yea we finally got some sunshine today and we will have more tomorrow with temperatures in the 60's so it will be a big play day for my dogs!

I am really starting to gear up for the agility season. Khia will be starting sanctioned trials in March and going through until November. My goal is for her to get her Agility Gaming Dog of Canada. It is allot of work but we both enjoy it so much. Khia could care less about the title she just loves the games.

that's good that she really enjoys it! i sure hope you guys get that title. sounds like a lot of work for you and a lot of play time for her hahahaha

Yes we are a perfect team. Khia is very strong, knowledgeable and is always does it perfect on what is asked of her. Now I am the one who makes all the mistakes. My trainer will say to me. She did not do what you wanted but she did exactly what you asked her to do. Agility directions are given with body language and not words and my body and brain seem to be in different place sometimes. LOL!

Tomorrow Saturday we have a new pet store opening in our small town. It is a Pet Value and they are going to have all kinds of grand opening specials. They are also going to do pet photos. I am planning to attend it looks like a very nice store.

how exciting!!!! sounds like it will be quite the fun event :D i am taking buster into my salon today to get some pampering done. i started giving him another hair cut that was shorter this time and my clippers died on me so i need a groomer to finish the job haha

We are off to see the new pet store. Tell you all about it when we get back. They have lots of fun things to do see and experience.

cant wait to hear all about it!!!

The new store is gorgeous and totally pet friendly. Lots of great stuff and all at reasonable prices. Very nice give aways as a grand open gift. A carry bag, a dog book, treats, and treats and a photo shoot of your dog. Khia was so well behaviored and loves to pose so they took a few extra shots. I get to pick up the pictures next Saturday. The nice thing is it is not just a dog and cat store it has allot of other animal and aquarium supplies. I hope they do well it will be nice to have a store so close.

oh wow that is great! my fave pet store by me is changing locations (right now they are hidden in a courtyard area) and will be moving out onto actual main street and the facility is a lot bigger so now they will be offering more thigns like photos, training, yappy hour, and adoptions. their grand opening is on wednesday so i will be taking buster to that. we are so excited for this move. will bring them a lot more buisness cuz people will be able to see the store now :D

That is exciting, tell me more about it after you visit the new location.

Did you get to the grand opening of the new location for the pet store?

yes i took buster over there right when it opened. she was happy to see us. the place looks nice! they have agility stuff set up inside for yappy hour events and have a photo area with a local photographer that i know which will be nice to get some good pictures of buster and they can even print them onto a canvas!! she will be having a bigger grand opening once they fully get all their merchandise set up and what not. going to go over there on sunday to watch the puppy bowl on animal planet :D love watching that instead of the super bowl hahaha

WOW! Sounds like a wonderful store and more. I love the whole yappy hour concept what a great way to socialize your dog and to meet and chat with other dog owners. I have never watched the puppy bowl on animal planet but then I am not a big television person. I am going to check it out on Sunday.

Tomorrow is a picture day. We get to go and pick up the picture of Khia's from the new store opening last Saturday. I am hoping to post it sometime in the next few days.

cant wait to see them!

Today we starting to ramping up Khia's Agility games training. I am reallly looking forward to our session. We have an amazing trainer. I am going to go and get the pictures from last we on my way home from training and hopefully get them posted today or tomorrow.  

Agility was amazing today. Khia did 7 perfect runs and I only made 1 error. Check out Khia's new photo from the Pet Valu Store Opening last Saturday.

love the new photo! my mom and I think she is just the cutest little dog!

Thank you so much for saying such kind things.

You have to go and check out new mud photo. I had a blast playing in the mud.

Well what is every body up to? I got to see and be up close with 2 very huge raccoons this morning. They sure are not very friendly. I just wanted to play.

haha yes raccoons are very mean little critters. been busy around here with more work hours since 2 bathers got fired. we are opening up a doggie day care center in the store so i will be helping out to run that. should be a lot of fun just wish we would have gotten the full on doggy pet hotel like some petsmarts have. been painting dogs lately will have to post a photo to show you the dobermans i painted for a few friends on facebook. had a lot of fun doing it.

Nice about the dog day care. I have never used Petsmart for day care for Khia. We use the agility club we belong to. Sometimes I even taken her to day care just so she can have a day full of dog play even if I do not need dog care. You paint how nice is that. I would love to get a painting of Khia maybe one day. I would love to see your work.

We have a nasty winter storm on the way. Khia just loves to be outside when it is snowing and blowing. I just wish I had a beautiful and full coat like she does. I think at times she can hear the snow falling because she asks to go outside allot more when it is snow.

lol that is too funny. must be the american eskimo in her :D we have only had 2 days of rain here and now its sunny but really windy. it was nice having the rain but wish we would have more. i have terrible news!!!!!!!!!!! i am forced to rehome buster. lately he has been barking like crazy at anyone who walks by our window or front door when i leave just the screen door closed so they can look outside. and the other day he attacked one of the seniors dogs who had a broken leg. he tore up the carpet for some reason, it is so unlike him to be acting like this. the landlord said he had allowed us to have 2 dogs (we are only supposed to have 1) but said that buster is starting to cause problems and people are complaining. i told him i was moving out at the end of this year and if i could keep him till then but he said no. i had asked all my friends if they could watch him till then and none of them could because they have busy schedules. this is tearing me to pieces!!!!!! i have had a girl ask about him and if buster was to go to anyone i would really love that she went to her. she lives with 2 other girls and they are all active which buster would love cuz he enjoys his hikes and camping and he would constantly have 3 people around to give him lots of love and attention and she works near i do and said she would bring buster in all the time to see me. and send me photos to show me how he is doing. im so heartbroken right now. it will be so empty in my bed without buster sleeping next to me. or having him curled up in my lap as we watch tv. :'(

This is such sad news. When I read your post it made me cry. What a terrible decision you  have to make. I truly hope you can find a caring and loving home for Buster. I am sure Buster will wonder what has happened. Being forced to say good bye has to be extremely tough. Being force to make this decision has to be very, very emotional draining. I am crying with you. Good Bye sweet Buster.

yes i am having a huge breakdown. buster is my pride and joy and i dont want him to think that i dont want him anymore cuz i do and i love him terribly. he is going to think that i abandoned him! i told the landlord that i would put him in dog training classes cuz i get them free at my work but he said no the dog has to go. just when i thought i had found my forever dog something bad happens. this hurts so much. the lady is coming to see him saturday morning so i have a short amount of time to spend with him. :'( they said if i could find another dog that doesnt have behavior problems then i could get one but i just cant replace buster like that.

Courtney I know there is nothing I can say that will make you feel any better so all I can do is cry and be sad with you. Hugs and Love from both of us.

Buster will be leaving me today. :'( He cuddled with me all last night while i cried cuz he knew something was wrong. i dont want him to feel like i just didnt want him anymore cuz i do. i will be sending him with all of his fave toys and bed so he will feel more at home in his new place. she told me she would gladly send me photos and bring him into the grooming salon when he needed a bath or his nails done which was great. so i will still get to see him from time to time. and said that we could set up play dates at the dog park so he could visit with spackle. i have a really good feeling about this new owner. she said she would keep him on the same food too which is nice. i know i will cry when i hand him over and it will be a tough night alone tonight. i will still be on this website and maybe once i move later this year i will think about getting another dog. maybe one i can do competitions with :) cuz they sound fun. i have today and tomorrow off from work so that will give me a little time to hold myself together.

I am here for you and am willing to listen and be there for you as you say good bye to you very much loved Buster.

Khia must know that spring is on the way. She has started to shed. This give me even more hope that warmer weather is on the way. Yes, Yes, Yes!

yea it is supposed to be 70 degrees today but i dont know about that. we have totally skipped winter here in california and its hurting us badly. we barely had any rain or snow. the skii lodges are having a rough season. i hope next year we get are winter back.

This sure has been a different winter for us here in my part of Ontario. Warmer than normal temperature. Lower snowfall then normal. We have had the occasional winter like this in the past then the next winter makes up for the missed snow fall from the previous winter. Khia just loves the snow but the mud will do to. Fun is what it is all about for her. The weather station is saying we have a winter storm on the way. If it starts in the middle of the night Khia will have me up extra early for our morning run because she loves it when the snow is falling. When she gets wet from the snow it makes her coat extremely soft.

yea ive heard of a lot of dogs that love snow. my friend who has a white doberman named Fancy Joye lives in Ontario Canada and her dog LOVES the snow. i was hoping to get snow this year cuz spackle had only seen it one time but we dont get a whole lot of snow where i am. just enough that it will last on the ground for a few hours and thats it. maybe one day i will drive her the hour and  a half to nevada to play in the snow.

Well we are still waiting for our snow. There is a winter storm warning in place for our area. I know it will happen just at the time when everyone has to drive home from work. I think the new food Khia is on is making a big difference her coat is just beautiful. It is so soft and everyone who touches her comments on how beautiful her coat is. Tomorrow is another training day with our trainer and it get hard and hard as we fast approach her first completion of the year at the end of March.

im so glad the food is working so amazingly with her. how long has it been now? im sure you guys will do just great in your agility competition.

Khia is starting her 4th week on my new diet and things are going wonderful. No more allergy symptoms and her energy level is way up and is going to be so ready for my agility competition the end of March. She did 3 perfect practice run yesterday and it is so much fun. It was a real tough obstacle course with lots of contacts and jump sequences but she I hit the mark each run..

Were is everybody? Would love to hear what is going on with your puppies and dogs.

yea things are pretty dead on these sites. i joined another site over a week ago and there has been no activity what so ever. everything is dated from 2011. i see people adding tons of photos of their dogs but none of them are joining in on that chats. its sad.

Courtney what is going on with this web site? It does not show any of our posts for a 10 day period from February 27. I know we have both posted stuff but no showing and I have written a number of times to the administrator but have heard nothing back. I do not even get emails when there are new posting even with checking that I want emails.

i really have no idea what is up with this webiste. i know the creaters dont seem to be on much....not a great way to run a site if they never visit to see what is going on.....they need to fix this

Hey Courtney I see you also lost a bunch of points too! I sure hope something gets done soon.

Hello! Were is everybody? This spring sure feels like summer to me and I am spending as much time as possible outside sun bathing. I just got a new red tire agility jump to practice on.

i really want to get an agility kit to practice with sookie but that is one thing that is completely new to me. would have no idea. there is a lady here that trains for it but i have to go pick up her business card from pampering pickle. am thinking of volunteering at the vet hospital that is up the street from me to kind of get a foot in the door. the lady really wants to meet me so i might drop in there today before work. hey is anyone getting that really annoying "get a puppy pic" pop up at the bottom of the page? it keeps popping up and its driving me crazy. i hide the pop up but then when i click on another discussion it just comes back.......UGH

Yes Courtney I am getting that annoying pop up Get a Puppy Pic thing too. That is incredible that your are going to volunteer a the animal hospital. I wish we lived closer together I could loan you agility stuff. My hubby builds all my jumps and things for Khia for a third of the price that you would pay at a store. He just made her a great red and white tire jump. Khia I think go stung by a yellow jacket today. We called her Vet and she told us to give her benadryl that should take care of it or if we are still concern to bring her in. Khia is fine now.

oh thats good that she is doing good. bee stings and spider bites can appear pretty nasty lookin on a dog. my bf just build be a jump made out of PVC piping so im excited to try it. he even made it small to fit her size LOL and its pink :D :D next he is going to build me the tire jump using PVC pipe, foam and a hoola hoop!

That is so great! Yes agility is so much fun. I know you are very knowledgeable but remember no matter how much fun you are having to take it slow. It is important you take good care of your dogs joint health. Keep me posted.

So what is every body up to? I love to hear stories and information about what you are doing.

Nobody seems to be posting on this web site any more. This is so sad because it is fun to have other dog owners to talk with.

Has everyone bailed on this site? Would love to hear some updates on you and your dog.

yes i think everyone bailed. i am starting to get pop ups now whenever i log on. things are a tad rough here. money is tight and just found out today that Sookie has luxating patella in BOTH legs. dont know if surgery is required yet. will find out more at the vet on thursday morning. until then she is on strict bed rest (poor girl) i dont know what in the world i am going to do if she does need surgery. but it brakes my heart everytime she looks up at me with those sad eyes and comes up to me and lays her head on my chest and just stands there waiting for me to give her kisses and give her some love and attention.

Please, Please keep me updated on what the Vet has to say. Sookie is so young to be having this problem and it seems just so unfair. We all know life is not always fair. Sookie for sure is in good hands.

very heartbroken to report that Sookie had to be put to sleep yesterday evening. She was having seizure attacks non stop and vet said best thing to do would be to humanely euthanize her. we had a small memorial service by all the people who knew Sookie and they said some very kind words. it brings tears to my eyes just to write this. im just glad i was able to give her the proper love and attention she diserved before she passed. her collar hangs above my bed next to busters paw print. so sad to have a little one go at such a young age and to be plagued with so many health problems. hopefully she is at the rainbow bridge running and playing and having a good time. i miss her dearly.

Courtney your post brought tears to my eyes. It must have been so hard to say good bye to Sookie. Who would have known she was going to have such health problems at such a very young age. Take care of yourself.

Were did everyone go?????????

this site is deffinately diserted

You are so right on that comment. I actually belong to another site which is much more active. I think allot of people got discouraged when problems starting happening and there was no one managing this site.

is there another designer breed site??? i just got a new puppy and would like a new website that is active!

Yes, I will email  you privately.