Even Dogs Go Grey!

As you can see by the date, these are photos from a while ago. That's Cinder on the edge of the pool. When we're in the water she gets anxious and runs around the rim. Every so often she accidentally/on purpose falls in. My daughter has trained her to swim to the ladder and climb out.

Every once in a while Climber allows us to take a photo of her. In this one, I realized how old she was getting by the greying of her muzzle and eyes. She'll be 12 in September.

Cinder loves to pose for the camera. My daughter can get her to do anything. Here, she took a snap of Cinder on the pile of snow at the edge of the driveway!

There's a mountain across the highway from our community that, in winter, is prime for sledding. We take Cinder with us and she accompanies my daughter up the mountain, then runs beside her as she slides down. Sometimes she lets my daughter win!

Garden Guard Dog

My father has been working the garden plot in the back yard. Each year he sows his garden then lovingly tends it through the summer and takes great pride in the harvest. We eat potatoes from the garden at least until December. The beans we can and freeze. The peas don't last.

When I was about three years old my Great Auntie Jenny told me that I had a wonderous gift that, in the future, would give me moments of such joy that I would share it with others, just to spread the joy. She then proceeded to teach me how to raid the pea patch.

To this day I only eat peas out of the pod, fresh and uncooked. I'm not sure if it was a gift, but it certainly gives me much joy to raid the pea patch. So much so that when my daughter was three, I taught her how to sneak in and steal the peas and eat them. Oddly enough, she only likes to eat fresh peas as well. I guess the frozen and canned ones just pale in comparrison.


The dogs have the run of our entire yard. They can go anywhere they want. They can, and often do, accompany us as we putter about the yard. Even into the pool area, which for safety reasons we have fenced off from the rest of the yard, is open to them when we are in the pool.

The only area of the yard that is off limits to the dogs is the garden. They know it, and, though often tempted by the neighbours cat, do not jump the small fence that is the garden's perimeter. Whenever my father works the garden the dogs lay at the gate, guarding either the garden or him.

Hey Missy Green Paws!

I mowed the lawn today. Cinder climbed onto the back of the ride on mower as I was trying to start it and barked. This is a new thing for her. Usually she keeps her distance from the mower even when it's parked and turned off.

She chased after the mower until I was done the back yard. Her feet are green from running through the fresh cut grass. She looks so funny.

Next time I cut the grass, I'll take a picture of her feet.

What a Novel Idea!

Last year I bought a beginner agility set so that my daughter could train Cinder to weave through poles, run through a tunnel, etc. Cinder likes to keep busy. It's deep in her genes. We like to make sure that she is kept stimulated, because we know that is how she is happy. She must be happy with us. She has yet to attempt to jump the pathetic excuse we have for a backyard fence. While all our neighbours are either chasing down their "Houdini" hounds or building six foot height fences, we repaint our 3 1/2 foot fence each year.

But what's obvious to anyone that owns a Border Collie is that they are bred to herd and they are happiest when doing so. I'm glad we took the time to teach the bunnies that Cinder means them no harm when she pushes them back onto the straight and narrow. They play so happily together in the bunny exercise run that it's cute.

Yesterday, Tayler, my daughter, had a blazingly brilliant idea that she was going to teach Frisco, our dwarf bunny, to hop a mini agility course! She trundled him into a mini harness and took him outside to get him accustomed to being on a leash. And did he ever take to that nice big yard! He hopped every where, pulling the expendable leash to its limit.

Cinder, of course, was in attendance to ensure Frisco didn't get too far away, never taking her eyes off him for a second. That's intense!