The Paper Shredder

The above 2 pictures were taken on 2 separate occasions my puppy has met the mailman at the door and has shredded the mail. I guess I don't have to worry about identity theft with Finn around.

And each time, my husband was HOME!! He thought he would leave the shredded mess for me to look thru to make sure there wasn't anything important in there. Like I could actually tell. Trust me. Finn is a very thorough shredder.

So. The result is that when we leave and the mail has not come yet, he has to be crated. Of course that rule was in place when the 2nd picture occurred - Matt went to the store and "was only gone 30 minutes" Hmm. A lot of destruction can happen in 30 minutes.

Hotlanta!

Escape from Fay was only temporary. It seems that even some of the outer bands are going to get to us up here in Atlanta - BUT, it may hold off til tomorrow.



We first went to the Atlanta Expo Center to the Cherokee Rose Cluster dog shows. Finn was supposed to show this week-end, but he is just not ready for the ring. He has only been to 2 handling classes and it shows. Entered today were 27 Ridgebacks and the winner of the breed was Adili's American Idol "Spirit" We got Finn some new show collars and leads and then headed back to the room. Photos of the show are here: http://www.pbase.com/deniseeb/cherokee_rose_cluster

After lunch, at the Varsity, we headed to Centennial Park - dogs in tow. Situated in downtown Atlanta, Centennial Park is bordered by the CNN building, the Georgia Aquarium and The World of Coke - to name a few. Dogs got a lot of attention and I was actually surprised at the number of people that knew what breed they were.

For the photos from today, go here: http://www.pbase.com/deniseeb/atlanta__


Finn experienced many firsts this day. It was his first time on a long car ride - and he did great. He also got to eat his first hamburger when we stopped at the Varsity for lunch. Plain burger, split with his brother.

More on Saturday.

GO AWAY, FAY

Hurricane Fay has tortured the state of Florida for 3 days. It just does not want to leave! Right now, it has stalled out over Daytona Beach - where it has been for nearly 24 hours. It has dumped up to 2 feet of rain on some communities. Can you imagine?

Rain, dew and moisture of any kind is a particular, peculiar problem for Ridgeback owners. Those that read this blog and have Ridgies know immediately what I am talking about. Those that have not experienced this wonderful breed, well... the majority of Ridgebacks HATE rain. They act as if it is liquid acid falling from the sky. Now mind you, I have one dog that will swim in the ocean, in a lake, maybe in a pool. But when it comes to getting his precious tootsies wet - forget it.

There are some days he will not go outside to do his business until noon. NOON. That means he has held his bladder and bowel for about up to 16 hours. And then, when he does go out, he acts as if the grass were on fire and he can not get his feet high enough off the hot surface.

And even better are the times that they will both willingly go out in the rain... as long as I go with them. Here I am at 6 am, in the pouring rain, holding 2 leashes as my dogs do their business in the front yard. The things we do for these dogs.

On another note. This was supposed to be Finn's show debut up in Atlanta. We have decided not to sow him based on his inability to act like a show dog in the ring. He has only been to 4 handling classes and he still thinks he is there to play! Although judges can be lenient on pups, why take the chance. But, we are still headed to Atlanta for just a fun week-end.

The Avocado Tree

For 30 years the 40 foot avocado tree in out back yard has never bloomed and has never produced fruit. The family that owned the house planted that tree from it's seed, 30 years ago. They owned the house right up to the time they sold it to us, almost 2 years ago .

In March, lo and behold... BLOOMS on the avocado tree. Blooms. For 30 years, nothing, now, loaded with flowers - mainly at the top, but still loaded.

And then along came the squirrels. Little by little I noticed not so many baby avocados. You see, squirrels love the pits. They bite the baby, eat the pit and then have the audacity to throw the baby avocado away. On the ground. So you can see the destruction they have done. I may have stood in the yard with a BB gun. The dogs may have stood at my side eagerly anticipating a free hot lunch, or at least a good chase. But... they got most of the avocados.

I still have 9 on the tree. Yes. 9 out of probably 150. And they are almost ready to pick.

I can taste the guacomole now.

On a side note. The owner of the house, Ike, passed away in March. Irony? Hmmm. I often tell people that the tree bloomed in honor of his passing.

Preparing to Show

My puppy will make his debut on August 22, 2008 in a show ring in Atlanta, Georgia. He will show the 23rd and 24th in RRCUS (Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of the U.S.) supported shows. It's all pretty nerve wracking since we are taking handling classes and I know just how naughty he is in the ring.

To the right is a poor quality picture of him and my husband in the practice ring Wednesday night. I hope he settles down!

Next week we start his training with a vengeance. Monday night a class with his breeder 9and the one that will show him) Tuesday just me and him, and then Wednesday another class with Ginny. Poor guy won't know what hit him.

Remember to keep checking here as I will try and post updates each night on how we did in Atlanta.