The Young Ones

Mary-Ann Sontag October 27, 2021

My dogs are neatly divided by age groups right now — I have two veterans (Harper and Sparkle), two young dogs (Capella and Pozy) and Claire in the middle. This is a great mix for me.

You have heard a lot about Capella lately…

Yes, Capella is like a Pot o’ Gold — consolation from the Universe for everything. Capella was also ready for fall shows…

I have already paid for this photo but have not received it — so I feel okay about using a watermarked version. Capella at 7+ months, first points.

Pozy was not. That doesn’t mean anything. It is normal and expected that dogs are ready to show at different times, based on things like coat and physical development and mental readiness.

Pozy (Major x Daisy) suffered a bit when we had the two litters — how could she not? She was only eight months old when life came to a screeching halt as 10 + 10 puppies arrived.

But she was a solid puppy and is bouncing back just fine.

Pozy is brilliant — a quick and eager learner, and showing an unusual aptitude for agility, which thrills me. But seriously — everything she is doing now in training is going well: Obedience, tracking, agility, draft, scentwork. She is my kind of dog — a do-everything-well dog. I absolutely adore her.

Sometimes I worry that it might seem that everything is all about Capella — just know that it is also all about Pozy Clarkia (and Claire and Harper and Sparkle).

Love is like that — it just seems to go on and on and on and on…

Fall

Mary-Ann Sontag October 24, 2021

I love this photo of Sparkler, Ruthie (Major x Sparkle)…

This is Ruthie’s Bright Star niece, Suki, who is keeping an eye on the neighbors up there in Alaska…

Suki’s littermate, Zuber, has recently grown both legs and ears!

Growth is definitely in spurts and pieces, isn’t it?!

This is Bright Star Tobie — it looks like his ears have also had a growth spurt…

I noticed the same for Capella recently — her ears just seem a bit bigger.

No worries! Their heads will catch up.

rePete notes that his ears are perfect.

Happy Sunday to you. I hope fall is lovely — wherever you are.

When 1 + 1 = Community

Mary-Ann Sontag October 20, 2021

This is my happy blog place — celebrating accomplishments and community.

Wildflower Zeus and one of his humans, Penny, were in their first ever dog competition — Scentwork — and it went well, obviously! That is so wonderful but even more — Zeus is doing this because he teamed with his sister, Buttercup, to bring their humans together.

Penny shares, “Georgia's mentoring has made all the difference in my life. With her help, I'm continuing to grow and learn and find new ways to engage with Zeus that I never dreamed I was capable of.”

There are many ways for a dog to have an interesting life and to develop a close bond with a human but I am partial — I think a positive training relationship offers incredible benefits to dogs and humans, and Penny’s words capture that for me.

We need to acknowledge and honor Team Buttercup, who welcomed Team Zeus into the Berner Community. Georgia is a trainer, and her skills with people and dogs are bringing out the best in this Wildflower team. I am so very grateful to Patty and Georgia for the kind support and friendship they have offered to Team Zeus.