Memorial Day Agility Trial

Well, we had a four day agility trial this weekend which was absolutely a blast.  I am thoroughly enjoying running a speed demon like Gyp.  I was really pleased with how she ran, but I was especially pleased with her contacts.  She has improved ten fold from what she was doing at the last trial.  I can now leave her and trust that she will hit the contact.  She is also reading me more and has really tightened her turns, although there is still some work to be done on that front.  I also found another hole in the training.  Gyp's weave poles need some work... okay, lots of work.  She popped quite a few times this weekend and missed a number of entries.  So, that is my project for the next couple weeks.  We almost got double Qs both Sunday and Monday, were it not for the last class.  Sunday, I had issues - tweaked my ankle on the way into the ring and couldn't run.  Today, she didn't see the broad jump and hit it.  Still, I am absolutely thrilled with the runs!  Today in standard, she was 27 seconds under time and in jumpers was way under time, with a 24 second run.  I am so proud!

And then there is Tika, who didn't run this weekend.  She just hung out at the trial, since she is very pregnant.   She is due two weeks from today; I can't wait!  I took these pictures at the farm last week and had to share.  Yet again, I'm very proud of my girls.  Tika will go in for an xray to count the puppies either this Thursday or next Monday.  Will keep everyone posted.

That's it for now.  Gyp is barking in her sleep behind me, and Tika is passed out on my bed.  I think I'll go join them in taking a nap before work.

great day at the farm

It was an absolutely stunning day today at the farm.  Finally, the skies were blue and the sun came out, resulting in a nice, warm day.  There was a slight breeze to keep it cool, but I was finally able to enjoy a day in a t-shirt.  YAY!!  

Anyway, I have been working at the farm a few days a week doing whatever Shauna needs me to do.  I have done some sheep work, including worming and vaccinating and the all exciting foot trimming, which was yesterday's task.  I trimmed about 90 sheep's feet... wow, 360 feet.  No wonder I'm a little sore today.  Anyway, besides foot trimming, I have been working on fencing our new pasture.  The fence was terrible, so I spent 1 1/2 days pulling fencing up and retying it onto t-posts.  Then I spent another day completely refencing, mostly on one side of the pasture, but wherever it was needed.  That was today's job.  Here are a couple pictures of the farm...

and the pasture I was working on.  I kept the sheep with me to graze throughout the day.  They were happy, and so was Gyp because I took a few breaks throughout the day to work her.
Anyway, since Tika is resting up being pregnant, she has decided she is the queen of the 4-wheeler.  I won't let her run with it, so she gets to ride instead.  Although she would prefer to run, she seems pretty content to stake her claim on the vehicle.

By the end of the day, both girls were tuckered out.  Tika passed out on top of the 4-wheeler, sprawled across the seat, and Gyp found a comfy spot on the grass in the shade.  I couldn't resist the pictures.

I love this one... Tika was trying so hard to stay awake, but she was so tired and started dozing off, just long enough for me to snap this shot.

Gyp, on the other hand, didn't even try to stay awake.  Here she is, peaceful as can be.  Wouldn't it be nice?

puppies!

Well, it's official.  Tika's pregnant.  She is due the first full week of June and boy am I excited.  Dad is a gorgeous blue boy Shannalee has, named Kohlman.  He has phenomenal structure, tons of drive, and an absolutely amazing temperament.  He has a lot to offer, and I don't have enough time to rave about him so, for now a couple pictures will have to suffice.

I'll update everyone on the rest of my going on in a couple days, but for now I have to run.

Warm weather

I forgot to mention. It was an absolutely beautiful day yesterday. It was sunny and warm - simply stunning! Today it's pouring, but still... I have seen the first sign of summer and am SO excited! Bring on the heat.

Wow, it's been a while. I don't have a lot of time but feel the need to give a brief update.
I got a border collie! She is 6 years old, and comes fully trained. Gyp is an AMAZING agility dog and I am really looking forward to competing with her. I'm actually considering trying out for the world team with her this year. Should be fun. There are a couple pictures of her a couple posts back but I will post more soon.
Tika's doing well. She is up in Idaho right now, visiting Shannalee. I miss her like crazy!
I have been staying very busy with school, particularly since our department head is trying to screw up our animal science degree. He wants to combine all of our hands-on production classes (where I have gotten so much experience with sheep, cows, pigs, etc.) into one class with limited to no hands-on experience. It's funny, he thinks you can learn how to care for animals without doing anything. So, a group of us have been fighting it, and there has been a lot of drama - ironically enough, mostly amongst the faculty. We have a meeting next week with the associate dean of the college and we will find out what the faculty thinks of the proposal as well. If they do mess up my program, I may end up moving out of state.
I was also awarded the Undergraduate Teaching Fellow position next year. This is basically the head TA of the class. The best part of it is that I get paid! YAY!
Let me think what else... my ankle is doing great. I've been keeping up with my exercises, unfortunately, I got rear ended Saturday driving home. Some stupid girl was texting while driving and forgot to watch the road. She never even slowed down. The really bad part of it was that I was stopped at a red light with at least 5 cars in front of me for a minute before she hit me. I went to the doctor yesterday with my friend, who was in the car with me, and he said we have some of the worst whiplash he has seen without broken bones. Great...
Oh, but my favorite news... I will be moving in a couple weeks because I found a new apartment. It is a really nice basement apartment with lots of land, so I can have my agility equipment up here. It is back in some trees in the fork between two rivers. The driveway is a dirt road. Oh, and the manager is fantastic. I'll post some pictures when I get moved in.
That's it for now. Gotta run.

I love animal science!!

I decided I couldn't resist a post about my long, learning filled couple days at the farm (and school).
For a little background.... I am a teacher aide for a sheep production class at USU. Part of this class is to spend the night out at the farm doing lamb watch - taking care of ewes and lambs and fixing any problems that happen during the night. The students go out once every other week or so, but I am on call Tuesday and Thursday nights. On Monday after class, Doc McNeal (the professor) asked me to take on an extra "assignment" as a favor. He wanted me to check on some sows that were due to farrow on Tuesday, so I agreed. Then, the farm manager asked if I could help care for a couple sick lambs by feeding them every four hours throughout the night. Again, I didn't think this would be a problem because assuming the first two feedings went well I could delegate the feedings to the students.
Anyway, I went out Tuesday evening to feed the lambs (went without a hitch) and check the sows. Low and behold, the sow had two piglets already. Throughout the night, I ended up running between the pig barn and the sheep barn to help lamb/farrow seven lambs and 14 piglets (yes, 14 from one sow). In addition to this, we had two ewes prolapse - one was a semi-minor vaginal prolapse which I could easily stick back in and fix. The other was a full rectal prolapse, forcing us to cull the ewe immediately. Anyway, all of this turned out to be an AMAZING learning experience - first of all because I have never worked pigs before so I learned all about farrowing and what is required (for those who don't know, you have to clip the umbilical cord, dip it in iodine, give an iron shot because piglets are born iron deficient, and cut the wolf teeth). I also got to do prolapse repairs which are always good practice. I was at the farm until 5:30 am this morning and got up to go back to the farm at 6:30 am, then studied for an exam which I took this morning.
Tonight I went back out to the farm to check on the piglets and the second sow. She had already had four piglets, one of which had a severe injury to its side. She was missing the skin on one side of her rib cage so I cleaned and bandaged he up and will check on her in the morning (I can't do anything else right now).
So, long story short, I am extremely thankful for the animal science program at the college. I think it provides an ideal environment in which to learn... seriously, where else do you get the chance to farrow, lamb, and fix prolapses all in one night? This hands on learning is FANTASTIC!!!
Now, I'm off to bed - I just hit 48 hours with 1 hour of sleep. Ah, the life of an agriculture student. I'll let everyone know about my exciting news tomorrow... yes, I have a secret.

Physical Therapy

Just a quick note before I run to sheep class...
I went to physical therapy today and they are so pleased with my progress that I get to cut down my visits to once a week with a couple days at the gym each week. I got a couple extra home excercises to work my knees and a bunch of exercises for the gym. I am so excited because this really gives me the motivation I need to get back in shape. YAY all the way around!!!