busy as usual, currently reading Alt-America (David Neiwert)

  • was supposed to watch a couple of my favorite (dog) clients last friday, but their owner missed his flight, so i just went and took them out for a walk. still got paid the full day rate. 😎

    went to go watch a sheepdog trial on saturday morning, which was really cool! talked to several people there, including the lady who owns the farm. saw a couple of people smacking their dogs, though (including the owner), so i don’t think i’ll be doing any herding lessons there.

    saturday evening we had our annual beer party (everybody brings a 6-pack of something to drink, and we throw them all together in a big bucket of ice). the dogs did really well up until about midnight when they started getting cranky, so i turned in early and let my partner watch the party-goers for the rest of the evening.

    sunday was whiffle ball with friends followed by challengers, and oh my gosh, what a movie. absolutely loved the whole thing.

    • Ugh, physical corrections like that make me sick, I’m glad you’re not going to take lessons there even though it’s an awesome set of skills. Truth be told I get a little sick even when the training language used is negative, no matter what certifications the trainer has.

      That said, I’m glad the rest was awesome!

      • yeah… it’s really hard to watch. the most i do is a very upbeat “oops!” or “nope!” with my dogs when we’re training. i do occasionally get frustrated with my barky aussie, but i try to keep it positive as much as possible.