We took our 1st trip to the dog park. This is a dog park at one of the cities busiest parks, Album Park aka Eastwood Park http://www.doggoes.com/parks/texas/eastwood-dog-park-aka-album-park#comment-10807.  Album park is a big well used park with lots of grass and mature trees, something that is not all that common in the desert SW.  Lots of activities go on in Album park and it  has one of only 3 fenced dog parks in the City of El Paso. 

When it was first put in, they placed it in an area of the park that wasn’t used a lot for football or soccer, it was on grass with some shade.  It was very nice with agility equipment built-in.  Part of the reason the section of the park wasn’t well used was it had a tendency to flood and having standing water in the area, not the dog park but right next to it.  Then several years ago El Paso had a 100 year flood and the water was standing everywhere, including the dog park.  Of course being on grass it is sometimes easy for pet owners to “leave” things behind when they picked up after their dogs and unfortunately because of the “leavings” they found e-coli in the standing water in the dog park or that is what they blamed it on anyway.   So they closed it down and then moved it across the path to an unshaded all gravel yard.  So we lost the grass/trees but kept the park. 

I had gotten out of the habit of going to Album park after the dog park closed and then moved so last night was the 1st time I had been to the new location.  I took Banner and her Mini Me Fifi.  Fifi is still working on her socialization, she is afraid of the “brown puppies” at our puppy playtime class and Miss Banner is a worrier so I thought we would enjoy a walk in the grass and then stop at the park for some socialization. 

It was funny they both knew just what to do with the agility course, they had a good time until a pair of young and silly pit crosses showed up with their people.  These youngsters were just too rambunctious for the girls, Fifi ran away from them being a big cry baby and Banner just hid from them.  I am a mean mommy and made them stay in the park.   I played with them on the equipment, that the other dogs and people didn’t seem interested in climbing or jumping.  Several other people and dogs showed up in the park, they were calmer than the wild pair and Fifi began to approach them.  She would not play with them but would follow them around and of course she showed her belly to a 13 year old toy poodle who was about the size of a soda can.  She did make friends will lots of the people.  Banner wouldn’t approach the other dogs but she did eventually calm down and just hang out or climb on the Aframe.   When some younger wilder dogs showed up I figured I’d asked the girls for enough and we left and happily walked around the park to the car. 

My plans for the summer include getting Banner and Fifi out and about more, we missed a lot of opportunities last summer with my work schedule but this year we are going to try to hit a couple of new locations every week.  Our next stop will be “Bark in the Park” at Cohen Stadium http://www.diablos.com/Schedule/UpcomingEvents/tabid/226/vw/3/ItemID/330/d/20100606/Default.aspx, it is also Quartermania so I’m sure the girls will get hot dogs along with their baseball adventure.

Banner and her Mini Me hanging at the park.

Half the year has passed, where the heck did it go?

I figured I’d take up some blog space and reflect on the 1st half of 2011, hey we made it thru the rapture so we are still here to report in.

Since the Poopies were born in December we spent most of the winter at home.   We didn’t make any of the early spring shows that we traditionally attend but that doesn’t mean we weren’t having fun!

In January, Team CCB (Cody, Charlie and Bonnie) contributed the 1st new Solstice title of 2011.  Charlie became Solstice Flying Ace, RN, CGC.

In February we had crazy weather in the desert SW, record-breaking freezing weather, rolling blackouts, frozen pipes, icy streets, not what we are used too.  I guess Mandy wanted us to know what her winters are now like.  Sweet Mandy aka the Fluffinator went to live in Wisconsin with Sharrie and Jake at Highridge with her 1/2 brother Zippy and friends LB and Scooter.  She is now known as Lady or Lady Mandy.

Also in February, Poopie Nog became Rider, he went to live  with Harry at Arylan as Arylan Custom Goldwing and will soon be hitting the show ring with his sister Fifi, Solstice Fly Girl. 

March was pretty much a stay at home month.  We did some training at K9 Funworks prepping for our trip to the CWCCA Nationals and of course it was March Madness!  Spent a lot of time at UTEP watching Basketball.  I also joined Mesilla Valley KC and will be working with their show chair on the shows in October.

In April the Solstice gang  traveled to Houston for the CWCCA Nationals and woo hoo what a good time we had.  Our 1st order of business was to deliver Einie, Solstice Manhattan Project to her new family, Tara and Tim in Houston.  Our second order of business was to pick up puppy daddy Oz, Ch Arylan Mint Proof and get him to handler Sherri Hurst for showing at the Nationals.   We did some “warm ups” at the all breed shows in Crosby, TX (where our breed winner went BIS both days) and then on to the Nationals events.

At the Nationals Frost, Rockie Top’s Flying Snow, passed her 1st two Rally Novice legs earning a 2nd and 3rd place.  We moved on to the conformation events where we started off by cheering on Oz to BOS in sweeps and if that wasn’t enough he was then awarded Winner’s Dog and ultimately Best of Winners at the nationals.  When we moved onto the girls Bailey, Solstice Flying Circus was awarded 2nd place in the large and competitive Bred By Exhibitor class.   We ended the week by sending our last little Poopie, Betty, now Mandy, Solstice Lone Star Amanda on a road trip to her new home with Ann and Steve in PA.

After a brief rest and time to do laundry and re-pack the motor home we loaded up and headed to New Mexico for the High Desert Cluster in ABQ.   ABQ was good to us!  4 new titles were gained on the Solstice gang.  Frost finished her Rally Novice title (with no help from her handler, me, who couldn’t read the signs) and team CBB earned a CD, RA and an RN.  Charlie became Solstice Flying Ace, CD, RA, CGC and Bonnie is now Arylan Flight from Justice, RN, CGC.   Our breed point major broke the 1st two days but Bailey was awarded WB on Sunday for 2 points.  Team Arylan added two titles of their own, both Oz and Chickie finished their Championships on Monday with Mother/Son taking the major points to finish and the Solstice kin was happy about that.

Now we are in June and the 1st half of the year was very exciting for our team.  We are currently doing some obedience training with Miss Dina and getting ready for the Summer Classic in OKC the last week of June.  This will be the 1st time I’ve been to these shows.   Both Fifi and Rider will be old enough to play dogs show and Bailey and Banner will also be looking for points in OKC.

In August I head to Dixon, CA for my fabulous Kennel Club shows, the Richmond Dog Fanciers.  I love going to Northern CA to see all the dogs and people who I only see once a year.  We will start showing again in September and October in NM and then look at the November AZ show depending on time and $$.

So that bring us up to date for the first half of the year and I am looking forward the the 2nd half.