Chattanooga Dog Shows

The Chattanooga dog shows were this past weekend and I was so excited to be showing my baby boy in his first show. A dog cannot be shown "formally" to compete for points until they are 6 months old. Some of the shows have "fun matches" that you can show puppies as young as 3 months so they can begin getting aquainted with the show ring, the surroundings and everything else that goes with being in a dog show. Pappy turned 6 months old on Aug. 25, 2008.
My excitement about getting to show him and getting out of Bristol for the weekend was slowly fading as Friday wore on. Like always, when we are trying to get out of here for a show, something usually comes up, this past weekend was no exception.
I had 2 dogs scheduled to groom Friday morning before getting the motorhome loaded with our food, clothes, make-up, drinks, dog food and of course the dogs. I also had to bathe the Bullies (thankfully, my wonderful son bathed Feather for me!) and the Crested before leaving. Time was slipping by and I had to go to the electric company to get things started on the new house, then over to the realtor's office to get the house inspection paperwork started as well. I hate clock watching, the more time that goes by, the worse my nerves get! We finally got on the road somewhere close to 11 pm (I swear it felt like it was past midnight!)
The drive was uneventful, UNTIL we got to Chattanooga! We got within a mile of the show grounds and the motorhome just up and died! Here we sat, in a parking lot of a big flea market at 4:00 in the morning and that big monster refuses to start! So, we made sure the generator was up and running and just went to sleep until morning when the auto parts stores would be open. Pappy's ring time was 9:30 am and to even think of getting to the ring on time was out of the question, there was no way! So, I just gave in to the thought that he would not be shown on Sat. I was so disappointed, but I kept saying "tomorrow is another day and it just has to get better"
My wonderful husband finally got us up and running and by 10:30 we were parked on the show grounds setting up the ex-pens and settling in. The Cresteds went on at 1:05, but by then I was so disgusted, I didn't bother to get ready to show her. She would have felt my tension and aggravation through the lead and wouldn't have shown well anyway.
Sun, Bull Terrier ring time was 10:10. I got both the dogs "made up" and all of us were ready to go in plenty of time, or so I thought. We headed to the show building at 10:05, there were 7 dogs ahead of us, 3 Staffordshire Bull Terriers and 4 Alaskan Malamutes, so that would have given us time to get our arm bands and get settled down a bit before going into the ring. As we were coming through the doors, I looked across to our ring and saw a Bull Terrier going around!! How was that possible! Judges aren't allowed to start before the posted time! Pappy was the only male entered, so that Bullie had to be a bitch, which meant Pappy missed his class AGAIN! I got to the ring just as the steward was calling Darla in for her class! Thank goodness, Darla was the one I had on the end of the lead, and was able to go right in. I didn't have her squeaky, I wasn't ready at all, but I had to go, the judge was waiting. She took Reserve Winners Bitch, which means 2nd place and showed pretty well for me considering how the morning went. I was proud of her.
When things finally settled down, Pappy got to see his breeder, Vicki and his mama China and his litter sister, Callie-Claire, but I was not a happy camper. He had a real chance at the points both days, if he had gone Best of Winners. So, Pappy's first show will be the Nationals in Orlando next month. It was good to see my Bullie friends and meet Michelle, a neat lady that Pappy's daddy, Jon Coffey owns. The Bullies were all beautiful and I did get to watch the whites show. Lori S.' white girl, Tessa took Best of Variety and went on to a Terrier Group 3 later in the day! Congrats to Lori and the Pooles for that win! I found out later, only 1 Staffie Bull showed up and none of the Malamutes showed up, so between that and the fact that our clock was about 10 minutes off from the motorhome not having power when it died THAT is how we missed the ring time! Thinking of it still irritates me, but......
I'll sign off of this post for now and fill you in on the trip back home tomorrow.
Blessings to you all

Bullies, Birds & 1 Terrier Mix

Today was what I call a typical day in the Crabtree house/grooming salon. Now most folks would look at what I call 'typical' and they would use something like 'crazy' or maybe 'nuts' or they might think of calling the men in the white suits to haul me off to the institution, but alas, it was a typical day for me.

As usual, I did NOT want to get out of that bed when the alarm clock went off, there is no such thing as a snooze button at this house either, btw. To Pappy, my 6 month old Bull Terrier puppy, that noise means breakfast, so, unless I want to hear the barking version of an alarm clock, I might as well not bother with the snooze button. Off I go to get breakfast ready for him and Peggy Sue, the Toy Poodle. This morning was gizzards for them and coffee for me. I was barely awake when Justin came upstairs ready for work and needing a ride! I haven't even had 3 sips of coffee and I have to get dressed and drive somewhere?! For crying out loud! I was not happy about it, but if they don't work, we don't get rent and since he doesn't have his driver's license yet, and I'm the only driver in the house at that time, guess I drew the short straw. I should have let that be an indication of the day to come!

My first grooming client was a little Poodle I have been grooming for a while and was no trouble at all, he's very good to groom. In the middle of his grooming, I had to stop and move Chico, our Blue Front Amazon outside, he was screaming so loud I bet the neighbors thought someone was being tortured in here. I go through this about every 2 weeks with that bird, when Bo-Rounds from Bojangles won't shut him up it means he wants outside to sun for a while. We closed his cage door and locked it with the padlock (he can open all the others) and out to the carport he went. He spent the morning out there and tonight I have a tired, but happy and more importantly quiet Amazon. Hopefully he won't start that nonsense again tomorrow, moving that cage is not an easy task.

After the client picked up her little Poodle, I made my way back upstairs to let the "kids" out and see what Pappy was barking about. As I round the corner from the hall, I hear JoJo, the Quaker saying "Pappy, Pappy, Paaa-py", that little green chicken has learned not only how to say his name, but to tease him while he's doing it! Well no wonder Pappy is throwing a fit, from his crate he can hear the bird, but he can't see him, it was driving him crazy! Into his barking mouth goes a peanut butter filled cow hoof and JoJo got a piece of the Bo-Round that I saved for him, after I told him to quit teasing the dog and to settle down, his reply? "Gimme Sugars, mmmm Gooood Sugars" That little green menace knows how to play me and I freely admit it. ;)

I have some errands to run and since I have a little extra time I head out to get those done, off I go to get the dog's treats, grain-free, since Feather has grain allergies and the only place to get those is the pet store, I get there to find they have 4 bags of them left and all 4 bags have different prices on them! Needless to say, I got the cheapest 2 bags and asked them what was the deal, the kid behind the counter looks at me like I'm from Mars and says he doesn't know. Well, I know, I've bought these for quite a while and I know how much they are. After telling him what the price was, 15 minutes later he finally found it in the computer look up, says "Hmm, you're right" tells me how much my bill is, shoves the receipt at me and picks up his cellphone! Oh well, why not?

By then, it's time for me to go pick up my next grooming dog, a little Scottie/Cairn mix named Pepper, that is wound tighter than an 8 day clock, but cute as the dickens and very good to groom even with it being his first grooming. I had a ball playing with him, he's a blast! I think he was on sensory overload with all the dogs here and the birds and the chickens he saw next door, I bet he thought he was at an amusement park! Here is the best picture I could get of him, he would hold still long enough to get a great shot of him.

Before getting Pepper back home, it was time for Pappy to have his lunch, cottage cheese with sliced bananas, he loves it, but he has the hardest time getting all the cottage cheese out of the bowl and in his mouth, it's a comedy just watching him. I took this picture a few days ago, but it could be any day he has cottage cheese, his nose is covered like that every time!

So you see, typical around here is certainly not boring, how can it be when I live with Bull Terriers and demanding birds?? No wonder my hair is getting grayer as we speak.
Oh, did I mention Racy, my Chinese Crested is in season and I didn't get a chance to pick up the stud dog before running out of time tonight? Guess, Racy will have to wait for her "date" until morning.
Good night folks, I'm going to bed and dream about starting it all over again tomorrow! Oh, Joy! NOT
Puppy hugs, birdie sugars and Bullie kisses to you all.

We got the House!

They accepted our offer! We are so excited! We have a busy couple of weeks, probably months coming up now.
We will be moving into the new house as soon as we can, the only thing it needs to move into (besides the obvious calling the utility companies to turn stuff on) are light fixtures. When the previous owners left the took all the fixtures out, not even a light bulb left! Other than the lights, everything else that needs fixing can be done while we are there. We will have to find someone to come out & put up a fence too for the dogs, but until then, we will be installing a couple of those chain link kennels that Lowes or Tractor Supply sells for them.
We will be putting this house on the market, so there will be lots to do here as well, painting, cleaning carpets, landscaping & such. Since my grooming shop is set up in the basement of this house, we will have to move that as well. Robert's family has had a piece of property that was used as a restaurant for a long time, then he used it as a commissary for his catering trucks. It's perfect for a grooming shop, but we have to get all the restaurant equipment out of there first. So as you can see, lots to do before things are set in place & we can get back to normal. I'm tired just thinking about it. But I am looking forward to it all.
I have lots of ideas running through my head about how to decorate the new house, so I've been busy looking online for ideas. I think I'm going to go with a Native American or Log Cabin theme since the house is set in the woods.
Anyway, best get off here & try to get some sleep, I hope to get started tomorrow, cleaning things out & getting things together for a yard sale or two.
Until next time......
God Bless You all & hug those furkids for me!
Angie

Disaster Relief for Pets~DO NOT GIVE TO HSUS!

Below is a letter I received from my friend, Whippet breeder/exhibitor, Sharyn Hutchens, in Lexington, Va. through one of my email lists. Please consider what she is saying and check out the links to read the stories. I have included an excerpt from each story so you can get an idea of the article.
The kennel club I am the Recording Secretary for in Kingsport, TN, donated $500 to the AKC Disaster Relief Fund for the Iowa Flood Relief and we were kept informed about where the money was going and what it was spent on voluntarily, HSUS will not let you know these things even if you ask.
If you have any other questions or want more information on what the HSUS is REALLY all about, please let me know and I will do my best to answer you.
Prayers for the folks in the path of Gustav and Hanna, both human and non-human.
Angie

"With hurricane season upon us and Gustav just about on top of New Orleans, it is critical to get the word out. Three years ago, when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) mounted a gigantic fundraising campaign. They raised $32 million and have still not accounted for most of that money. Serious dog folks believe that most of the money collected by HSUS with the claim that it would be used for disaster relief came right back at us helping to promote laws that are bad for pets and bad for people. Even their on-site work isn't well thought of. Many, pet rescuers who went to the Gulf Coast to help Katrina animals found themselves hindered by HSUS. Record keeping was so slapdash that many pets that were saved, couldn't be found by their owners. Many believe that the pets in the area would have been better off if HSUS had stayed at home. In any case HSUS *already takes in millions* that they do not use in helping animals. They do not run shelters (though a couple of companies they own do have sanctuaries), and in fact they compete with shelters for donation dollars. The AKC has a disaster relief fund now, which is used to support search and rescue dogs and all pets during a disaster. That's where I've just sent our contribution. I am not always a fan of AKC, but they ARE honest about the handling of their money, and when they offer help, it is real HELP -- not a clumsy self-promotional effort.

https://www.akc.org/donations/index.cfm (to donate to AKC Disaster Relief)

In normal times, give to your local animal shelters. They will nearly always use the money for actual animal care. Please investigate any charity you send money to after a disaster, Wait a few days and find an organization based in the area that needs help.
For further information on HSUS disaster relief:

http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/jun06/060601j.asp

"Numerous pet owners filed complaints with the attorney general about problems finding their pets, according to Foti's office. Some owners claim that persons currently caring for their displaced pets are refusing to reunite the pet with the proper owners."

http://www.consumerfreedom.com/news_detail.cfm/headline/3674

"Pets left behind in disasters? The last “big one,” Hurricane Katrina, netted HSUS more than $32 million in fundraising, and an investigation by the Louisiana Attorney General has focused on where that money actually went. (We still don’t know.)"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2006/03/25/AR2006032501002.html

"The Louisiana attorney general has launched inquiries into two of the country's best-known charities -- the American Red Cross and the Humane Society of the United States -- after receiving complaints that they misused some of the millions of dollars they raised in the fall to help the human and non-human victims of Hurricane Katrina."

http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/humane_society_of_the_united_states_under_investigation/

"According to Activistcash.com ” HSUS has accumulated $113 million in assets and built a recognizable brand by capitalizing on the confusion its very name provokes. This misdirection results in an irony of which most animal lovers are unaware: HSUS raises enough money to finance animal shelters in every single state, with money to spare, yet it doesn’t operate a single one anywhere.”"

Or just Google "HSUS misuse funds Katrina"
Please tell everyone you know.

Sharyn Hutchens
Timbreblue Whippets

We made an offer!

They have until Wed @ 5 pm to let us know if they accept it or to send a counter offer.

We finally got to the bottom of the hold up with the Pre-Approval letter from the finance company. Seems the man that we have been working with, the one we worked with last year when we did some re-financing on the house we are in, quit and moved on to another company! From what we can gather, he was still trying to get us the financing, only he was trying to get it with the company he is with now. He called and told my husband he was "emailing a pre-approval letter over as we speak" and a week later, when we didn't have the letter and we weren't able to get him on the phone or get him to return phone calls, Robert finally called the main office number to see what was going on. At any rate, the Senior Lending Officer took over and we had the letter and all the other paperwork we needed to get the ball rolling again, in a matter of 2 days!!

I'm more than a little bit miffed at the first guy for causing this to go on for well over a month now, but I'm glad things are finally rolling now and that no one else has come along and put an offer on the house. The only other thing that could stand in the way fo us getting this house would be a termite inspection that showed the little boogers are taking over. I pray that is not the case, but we'll have to wait and see.

The house is in Bluff City, TN, about 12 miles from where we are now, way back in the woods, sitting on top of a small ridge. Only one other neighbor that shares the driveway, but the house we are looking at is the last one on the road, so people wouldn't be going by the house all the time. To get there you have to drive quite a distance parallel to the South Fork of the Holston River before turning off on the road the house is on. Which is another thing I love about it.

I have never been a "city girl", have always hated being around alot of people all the time, so living here, in a subdivision that is slowing going down hill has been very nerve wracking to say the least, and it gets worse every day. I only hope things work out so we can get out of here SOON!

I will keep everyone updated on what is going on with the house and if we get it, what all we are doing with it, but until then, please keep a good thought and prayer that if it's the Good Lord's Will, we will be moving to the country soon.

I included some pictures of the house that came from the realtor's listing. The first thing will have to be paint, that yellow has GOT to go!

Blessings to you all, until next time

Angie