Sometimes (most times) I feel like Facebook doesn’t give a very even picture of an actual event. For example, this weekend…

Friday, Key and I loaded up in the car to head up to Camano Island, Washington (north of Seattle) to do a nosework (NW3) trial. This is our second trial in the last three weekends (in other words, of the last three weekends, we’ve done nosework twice.) That MIGHT be a little too much for me.

[Explanatory note: It’s impossible to say which trials you might get into, so you basically have to enter everything within a reasonable distance and take your trials where you find them. To start off this year, for example, I got into the first three shows I entered and have been waitlisted for the last four.]

The traffic was absolutely hideous. Google gave the drive at 4.5 hours; it took us more than 8. We arrived at the hotel tired and grumpy and stressed out. [Note: I don’t know what lunatic Google talked to, but when we drove back first thing on Sunday it took 5 hours with 1 coffee break and 1 potty break (like normal people and dogs.)]

I’ll leave out a various details about the hotel, but my recommendation is to give the Best Western in Mount Vernon a pass (unless you enjoy being double charged and slogging through a lake/mud puddle trying to park.) We tried to do a little birding around Skagit WMA, but other than a lovely Northern Shrike, we didn’t see anything too exotic (the place is lousy with Bald Eagles and Tundra Swans, though.)

Saturday morning we got up early to arrive at the show site. It was a nice, modern school that provided lovely bathrooms (never to be understated), adequate parking (also nice), and a good potty area. Oh, yes, and searches too.

It was that last part that was the problem.

February 1-2

To better illustrate the meltdown that happened on Saturday, I’ll move back two weeks to the trail we attended February 1-2.

Experienced dog friends will look at the above diagram and know just what was what. For my non-dog friends (who, inexplicably, are still reading) this is a diagram of the various searches. You can see the search order, the number of hides, and even a rough layout of the rooms.

On January 1, the NACSW changed the rules slightly. It’s not worth going into, but let’s go with I was excited about them. The most exciting change, for me, was that if we got a “no” (meaning I misread Key and called “alert” when there wasn’t anything) we could keep searching instead of leaving in defeat. Additionally, for the first time, any given search could be “blank” (meaning that there was not odor in the room.)

The day started with an interior search. Key does really well with interiors in practice, but I seem to fall apart with them in competition. It almost never helps when interiors are the first item. Key worked well, but we searched the room and he wasn’t giving me a strong “alert.” There was one area that he seemed interested in, but I couldn’t tell if he was searching for crumbs or scent. After a while, he seemed to settle on sniffing a media center, moving up and down it. I called, “alert” and was told “no.” At this point, I was stumped and called finish, thinking maybe this was a blank room. What I later figured out was that this was a classic “pooling odor” problem. The scent was being moved around by the heating system; instead of staying in a “cone” around the stool, the heating system was blowing it around the room and it was (like snow) drifting up against the media system. If I had helped my dog by doing a 180 and having him search what was in BACK of him, he probably would have got it. But we had already passed the stool twice. Thus, a wrong call. But, as I consoled myself on the way back home, I had finally learned what pooling odor was.

Next, we went to the exterior searches. This is easily our BEST event. And whenever there is a photographer there, my cute dog gets the best pictures.

Next was the true blank search of the day, vehicles. This ended up being a frustrating search not because Key didn’t nail it, but because of his dopey handler. Key walked in, took one sniff at the vehicles, and appeared ready to leave (clue 1). We toured around the vehicles, where Key gave every sign of searching the walls (clue 2). We got to the last vehicle and Key sucked into the wheel well of the vehicle, gave it a sniff, and turned to me. It wasn’t a strong alert, but it was within his normal scope. I called it, and was told “no.” So, knowing now it truly WAS blank, I called finish. Later, I learned that dog #3 had nosed that wheel well and thereafter, every dog had alerted to that area. Thus, I learned that dogs need to be trained to NOT alert on dog slobber. If this confuses you, just consider that the first areas of training are having a dog find things in a box. The box is used by the whole class. Thus, in addition to finding things, the dog learns to associate other dogs’ slobber with reward. The same thing sometimes happens with dogs finding the little “tins” we hide scent in, regardless if they have scent or not. They smell the metal and alert. But, again, I learned something and knew we’d go home and train for it.

Key NAILED the next two searches, which happened to be container searches, which is what we had been struggling with and have been spending a lot of time on.

He searched every box and gave a strong, clear alert when there was scent.

The day ended with a second interior search, which was a locker room. Key did great, ignoring some sound and floor distractions. His handler, however, missed an alert as he entered the room because she was concentrating on where she would go next and took her eyes off her dog. Bad handler. But Key found the other hide (technically, he found both, he just didn’t get REWARDED for both) and was happy.

It was an unsuccessful weekend in some ways, but I felt like I had learned a lot and had things to come home and train on.

Thirteen days pass

Then I re-entered this chaotic mess I am currently calling life. I’ve trained Key exactly once.

Back to this weekend

So, for the last two weeks I’ve THOUGHT a lot about training my dog, but what I’ve DONE is paint and go to work. While this makes some areas of life successful, it doesn’t do much for dog training.

Saturday morning, after the miserable drive of the day before, I woke up pretty groggy. Too much driving added to an unfamiliar bed. We headed out to the trial on time and I gave myself a lecture about how we were here to have FUN (dammit)!

Full disclosure, it was a LONG day. Most trials try to get over by about 3:30-4. This one was still going on at 5. When we finished our last search, I left without staying around for the awards, the judge’s de-briefing, or getting a photo of the layout. I’m hoping I can get it from one of my friends, but we’ll see.

The day started out with a (blank) vehicle search which was oddly reminiscent of the one the weekend before. From there we went into a container search that was on slick floors with plastic boxes and a distractor. It wasn’t pretty.

Unfortunately, after these first two searches, I became very discouraged. Key was working SO well, and I was just not doing my part. I was tired from the day before… and from painting on a deadline… and from life. The destructive comparison with other teams and handlers began and I cried. I called a friend, who gave me a little pep talk, reminding me that Key didn’t care as long as he got treats. She reminded me of where he had “come from”, barking and men and people in hats and black dogs; now, he calmly walked past all of those because he trusted me (and I had treats). She reminded me that I was always free to leave.

The pep talk did the trick, and we stayed for the rest of the day. For once, our interior searches were right on the money. While I don’t 100% know we got everything, we didn’t get a “no” and Key’s handler allowed him to (correctly) solve at least one problem. If we got all hides, that will be our first pass in interior. [Note: Key actually has his 3rd level element titles in everything BUT Interiors. That’s how bad it’s been.]

We finished the day with an exterior search where I called one hide; I’ll be interested to see if we got that right. He actually gave “small” alerts in two other spots, but I (still) think those spots were odor drift.

Update

Thanks to a friend, I got the NW3 map.

The first vehicle was blank. The container search was an inexplicable mess. I honestly can’t remember how we did on the second vehicle search. Key DID finally get an interior Q (yeah!). And that exterior was as we called it. So… three good searches (of 6).

Also, thank you everyone who has already commented. It’s great to hear other voices (instead of just my own) say things like:

NW3 is a hugely different set of problems. It’s not uncommon for teams that sail through NW1 and NW2 to have a hard time. In fact, having a hard time with NW3 is the norm. Don’t beat yourself up over it. Just enjoy the time with your dog. And remember, there is no rule that says you HAVE to go to a trial just because you got in! ~ B. Stone

And…

You are on an amazing journey with an awesome dog. You laid out all your stumbling blocks and all the stuff that went beautifully. The importance of your post is that you are understanding this game and that is the true work. It really is about the journey, not the destination. You are a great team. ~ D. Stillinger

Conclusion

We have a trial in mid March, so that gives us some time to train (and not just in an imaginary way.) Then there will be at least a couple months break. I’m getting SO close to the end of painting crisis. And yes, there are things happening after that (still need to write that blog post…) But a break is on the horizon.

And I have THE BEST DOG IN THE WORLD.

Before you start wondering, this is not a kinky post; it’s a dog post. Specifically, about my dog.

Today Key and I got up VERY early and headed over to Bend (yes, again) to attend a Barn Hunt. (No rats are harmed.) So early, in fact, did I get up, that I saw this sight as I headed over the pass to come down onto the high desert.

Now, I heard at least one painting friend groan, “Oh, Tara, not another hobby.” Yes, guilty. We’ve been struggling at our current NW3 level (nose work) and a friend suggested trying something else for a while to build our bond. Key loves to chase squirrels and the occasional cat; we won’t get into all the things he’s consumed in the rodent family. So, I thought barn hunt might be a nice thing for him.

Unfortunately, I was completely unable to locate any kind of practice in the local area. So, after watching a few videos and glancing over the rules, I decide to enter him in an instinct test ($10) and then volunteer for the rest of the day to see what it was all about.

Thus we packed up our gear and made the three-hour drive to Bend at 5 in the morning. (Yes, in case you are wondering, I AM questioning my sanity.)

Once we got there (and woke up Key behaved in an exemplary manner. While he did not pass, he definitely found the whole thing fun. The problem was that he was actively working to find clover, birch, and anise; the rats were FUN, but he thought he had a different goal. (Could it be possible I have trained this dog?) He was such a good dog that when he kissed up to the judge (literally) she gave him the epithet above. Now, remember, this is a dog that when I first got him would bark and lunge at everyone (particularly men); and today, kisses for all! I was so proud.

Key ended up playing three times, then practiced being a good car dog while I worked as a scribe in the more advanced levels. Each time class broke, Key got a nice long walk around the property (beautiful) and by the end of the day, both of us were visibly tired.

I have no pictures of our endeavors, but I did bring out my camera for the last class I scribed, which was a masters class.

Between 2-5 rats (and an equal number of blank containers) are hidden somewhere in here. You can see a canister with a rat in it on the first level of the far bales.

It was fun to watch, but it was the dogs that were the real fun. Dog people will know what I mean when I say it’s fun to watch a dog work.

This little gallery seems to be the pure bred dogs, but in the lower levels there was a wide array of mixed breed dogs. I think it’s just a coincidence that the ones I photographed were pure bred. But as far as working styles, each dog is an individual. Obviously, the terriers were bred to do this, but they showed their independent streak. Ciaran captured my heart when he cleared the area of rats, but would not go into the tunnel. And you could see it wasn’t because he was scared of it… he just didn’t want to! I think I might look good with a Glen of Imaal Terrier… Or a Border Terrier… Or…

Am I going to pursue this further? I don’t know. I hope to write tomorrow about some new art developments. And I’m really wondering if I want to put more time and attention into another hobby. On the other hand, Key had a good time!

If you walk up to any person who regularly works with animals and ask them, “Do you know about [insert name of animal here]?” they will almost inevitably demur with something that sounds like, “I know a little.” There is a reason for that, and I’m the example.

While I started “late” into dogs (19), it was an intoxicating drug and I’ve spent many hours training, practicing, and basically fooling around with dogs. I did dog agility and even became a judge. I’ve taught agility. I’ve taught a 4-H group. I’m currently into nose work with Key. As a few of you may know, I owned and ran a self-serve pet wash for seven years.

Over the years, I’ve had rescues. I started out with Sean, my lab. Then Pierce, a schipperke;  Ginger, a mix; Finn, a sheltie; and now Key, a mix.

Over the last eighteen months, I’ve fostered four dogs, (Toby, Dawson, Sanya, and Blossom (the last very briefly).)

In short… I like dogs. 

However, I’m no expert. I’m not even a talented amateur. I’m more of a dilettante. When people ask me for dog advice, I refer them to a competent, certified trainer. I am forever recommending taking a dog to some class or other. I’ll even google answers for people.

I am NOT an expert.

So, you’d think I’d know my limitations.

I’ve recently discovered… not.

***

I’ve wanted a corgi for years. Essentially since I was 19 and discovering which kinds of breeds might be out there. Recently, I’ve been “liking” a bunch of corgi pages and rescues on Facebook thinking a second dog might be in my future. I’ve also been talking to some breeders, but a puppy is at least 2 years out.

Then the other day, a cute little face filled my screen. It was for a rescue I had not heard of before, Corgipalooza. It said they were looking for a foster home in the Portland area. I went online and filled out a foster application.

(Note: Anything I say next is not a complaint about either Corgipaloosa or the dog, Bandit.)

The very nice founder, “S”, contacted me and after an interview, it sounded like I might be the right foster stop for a dog coming into rescue with possession issues. Bandit had come from across the country and had lost his home for biting a child. It was a typical story, all too familiar to rescue. Bandit needed some time to decompress and get months of being in lockup out of his system.

I cleared my schedule and Sunday drove up to pick him up. And he is ADORABLE. Just the sunniest, cuddliest dog. Totally acts like he wants nothing more than to be your friend and everyone else’s. After we got home, the walks commenced. We got in four walks as well as extensive hanging out in the backyard.

The “trouble” started innocently enough. Bandit picked up a stick and brought it to me. So I thought he might fetch a tennis ball. I went into the house to get one and threw it. Now, Key will bark at the ball. He will run toward it. But fetch? No. However, Bandit LOVES the ball and it was HIS! He went from 0-60 so fast. Honestly. No growling, no warning, just BAM! Key gave up and Bandit STILL went on. I grabbed a house and squirted and that was the end of that. No one was hurt and it seemed like no hard feelings. I went into the house and picked up EVERYTHING that might be a toy or possession.

About 5, Key went into his “dinner time” routine, so I went into the kitchen to prepare food. I took down a can and my next stop was to kennel up Bandit so nothing bad would happen. But before I could get there, BAM! Bandit was on Key and this time made the first look like a squabble. I was able to splash some water from a nearby glass and end it. Bandit went into the kennel. I fed everyone and afterward kept everyone where they were because I needed to do some food prep. Then I noticed Key was bleeding.

While I’m sure Bandit just meant to drum into Key that it was ALL HIS, he had raked Key’s face and opened up a cheek. So, we went to the emergency vet and poor Key has a shaved leg, shaved faced, and three stitches. Sigh.

In both instances, I was very startled by how quickly and quietly Bandit had attacked. It is clear that he has been taught NOT to growl, which is a shame because it’s the first warning for a dog.

The next morning (Monday) I got up and loaded up the kids and we went for a long hike before work. I was a little nervous about leaving everyone together for the day, so I kept them apart for the day, rotating each dog in and out at breaks. When I came home at lunch, I noticed Bandit was fence fighting the next door dogs, which was clearly not as relaxing as I had hoped.

That evening I was unloading the dishwasher (no food) and Bandit again went after Key. Quietly, quickly, and ruthlessly.

I had been in touch with Corgipalooza, but between this incident and the fence fighting, I was very concerned. Not just about Key, but that this might not be a good foster for Bandit, as he needs time to decompress.

This morning (Tuesday) I took the kids for another long walk and also was able to talk to “S” from the rescue. We talked about some ideas, including a basket muzzle, completing banishing Bandit from the kitchen (a hot zone), and allowing Bandit some alone play time. “S” said she could put Bandit in another foster, but she still thought we might be a good fit.

So, this evening I  took Bandit out to a fenced area and chucked the ball for him. And he loved it. The only reason we stopped was because of the heat.

I also got a basket muzzle that he’ll wear when in more unsupervised situations (thinking moving between rooms and getting outside in the morning). And treating the kitchen like boiled lava for him, because it is indeed an area that causes him to harass Key (another small incident this evening, but much shorter).

What gets me about the situation is that I thought I could do this, no problem. Only to find out that I don’t know nearly as much as I thought I did. So, I’m back to training wheels and feeling like an idiot.

So what else is new?

I’m tempted to start off this blog post with an apology for the length of time since my last post, but I’m afraid I can’t really be sorry. So much is going on that any day I get dressed is a small victory. I am making progress on various areas of life, but I’m afraid that much of it is just too tiring to talk about.

Tonight’s post is just to break the “radio silence” and give an update about various things. I have some photos to make it more interesting.

Key

Last weekend, Key got his NW2 title. He was wonderful, but his handler was more than a little scattered. Still, a title is a title!

This weekend I chose to putter around the house because we have several big weeks coming up, including two nose work weekends. Key is delighted to report that puttering included an exploratory hike in Silver Falls State Park which was covered in snow.

Snow?

Yes, my friend.

Art

I’m not sure I ever reported that my art is in the Wild Women Show currently happening (for another week) at the River Gallery in Independence.

I’m equally unsure if I reported that my piece, “Page 1”, is hanging in the Salem Reads show at the Salem Library.

As far as upcoming news, however, I am delighted to report that my painting, “Loss”, was selected for the Spring WSO show.

I’m looking forward to the Portland convention that will accompany it. #traveloregon

I also have some deadlines coming up that I hope to make, so things are going apace.

Birding

I’ve been doing some birding. Here are some pictures from the last month to prove it.

Grief

Mom’s estate is in probate (it’s just me, so it’s really a formality). Occasionally something comes up and I have to do another round of notifications, but things are definitely slowing down. I’ve met with the lawyers, the money people, and the CPA. In less than two months I’ll do her memorial, which will be another little rite of passage.

People ask how I am doing. I think it’s best to answer this question in the form of a graph.

How sad I feel on any given day.

Generally, I am getting less sad. I miss Mom. I find I miss her advice and the ability to bounce ideas off her. I miss filing away little stories to tell her about my day. I’m slowly finding ways to deal with this. My resilience to stress if very low, which is a problem; something happens and it will take me much longer than normal to get over it. I think that will return, but it will just take time.

Thank you all for your support!

This weekend Key and I went down to Grants Pass for a nosework trial. This will be his fourth trial this year, plus the ORT in January. This time he was competing for a Nosework 2 title.

Saturday sights

We drove down early on Saturday morning because I wanted to volunteer at the NW1 trial in the afternoon (no volunteers, no trials…) We got up early and made several little pit stops along the way, seeing exotic wildlife of all sorts along the way.

We go to the trial site about noon and set up. Key did well in the car (he’s come so far), chilling out in his wire crate with the shade cloth to keep the sun out and windows open. He didn’t bark or guard, he just dozed!

While this was going on, I was a “competitor guide” telling teams when they could round a particular corner and move toward the search area. The 44 dog teams were all so cute, but these teams needed a picture.

We finished up around three and I decided to go explore a little. We drove about 30 minutes to Lake Selmac.

Of course, I did a little birding while letting Key enjoy the new sights and smells.

As you can see, I was particularly entranced with the turkeys.

We finished up and settled into the hotel where Key did MUCH better than his first experience in a hotel last year. Last year he insisted on being a guard dog and barking at everyone who walked by. This time… I brought the crate inside and that was the end of that!

Sunday – Almost!

We woke up on Sunday and took a leisurely stroll around a local park before checking in for the trial.

The Rogue River

And there Key handled himself with aplomb. I was so proud of him I could have burst.

In nosework, there are two basic types of trials: element specialties and “regular” nosework trials. At the element trials, the dog will do four “courses” of the same type; all vehicles, interiors, exteriors, or containers. At a “regular” nosework trial, the dog will do one of each type.

As the dogs move up in levels, more challenges are introduced. So at a level 1 show, the dog is just finding scent. At a level 2, the dog might be asked to find multiple hides and ignore a distractor. At level 3, there are even more hides, more distractions, and a “blank” or odorless room possibility. When they pass level 3 and move up to Elite… well, the sky is the limit.

This time, Key was competing at level 2. This was also a new challenge for me because (unlike at level 1) when we have found all the hides, I have to call, “Finish”. Fortunately, at this level I know how many hides there are (that won’t always be the case!)

And let me say again, Key rocked it!

We started out with a vehicle search. It was pretty basic. There were three vehicles and he had to find one hide. It also happened to be on the first side we searched.

3rd place: Key (American Shelter Dog) – Time: 0:18.78

Next was interiors. Now, this was a new test. There were two rooms. The first room had two hides, then you went to the other room that had one hide. The rooms were classrooms and quarters were pretty tight. I will admit I felt a little anxious!

5th place: Key (American Shelter Dog) – Time: 1:06.87

And that was with getting our leash tangled on table legs twice!

After a bit of a wait we did containers. It seemed like a simple challenge: there was one hide in 18 boxes that were arranged in three lines. But we were warned… there were distractors (think food or toys in some of the boxes.) With this in mind, I reminded myself that when Key find food he DOES NOT LOOK BACK AT ME, which is what he does when he finds scent, because that’s when he gets food.

Unfortunately, we found a food box before we found the scent box and I was not brave enough to, a) listen to the voice in my head that said, “He’s not looking back at you”, and b) Move onto another box and come back if necessary.

So… we didn’t pass. But now we could have FUN! Or even more fun?!?

We finished the day with exteriors. When we had looked at it, it had seemed pretty straightforward, though there were a lot of “items” within the search area. Shopping carts, ball bins, mops, etc. I carefully considered a plan to ensure we searched all the various item (I had been doing this all day, good for me.) Then they announced there were THREE hides to be found. Gulp!

10th place: Key (American Shelter Dog) – Time: 1:22.58

Key found the first hide in a dust pan, which took all my courage to call because in our first trial he had sniffed around one of these just for apparent enjoyment. But it was a “yes” and we trundled on. Key apparently REALLY liked the second hide and I had to pay out twice on that one because we had to go by it again (time sink). I was starting to worry however, because we were getting toward the end of my planned “path” and hadn’t found that third hide. We kept going on the plan and I looped him around a little step stool and his head turned and that was that! I called the last “finish” of the day and pranced off, each of us proud of Key.

I committed a breach of etiquette and did not stay for the awards because I was anxious to get home (work the next day.) But a friend picked up Key’s note sheets and third place ribbon, so we’ll get them later.

The shadow got progressively longer as we made our way up north, but we got home just before dark. And I know I wasn’t the only one who was tired…

But it never lasts…

If you can’t brag on your dog in your very own blog… where can you?

As I told you back in January, I have been training Key in the noble game of K9 Nose Work®. In January, Key successfully navigated his Odor Recognition Trial (ORT) and a few weeks later, a little bit by accident, we picked up a Nosework 1 title (NW1).

“NW1, NW2 and NW3 titles are granted by successfully passing (receiving a score of 100 points) each element at the same trial.”

A few months later we entered an “element” trial and got a leg (but no title) in Vehicles and Exteriors. The fault was entirely mine. On the vehicles, I let a very large motor home freak me out and forgot to have Key search once side, then compounded the problem by not believing him when he didn’t find scent (moral of the story: Tara is a dork.) On the exterior, I just called it too soon; I recognized Key was “in odor” but I didn’t wait long enough for him to find the source (moral of the story: Tara is a dork.)

Frankly it was a humbling trial.

A few weeks ago, Key and I were set to go down to Grants Pass for another element trial, but at the last minute I had an emotional breakdown best not described. I decided to take it easy and not drive around the state to stressful things.

My car, decked out with a shade cloth and Key in a crate with my folding chair and lots of water nearby.

Last weekend, we were able to just drive 45 minutes (not 4 hours) down to Corvallis to compete another element trial, this time Containers and Interiors. It was REALLY hot, which I worried about, but Key couldn’t have cared less. If he had a motto, it would have been “SHOW ME THE SCENT!” Key picked up a L1C and L1E title like it was nothing.

“Element Specialty Titles may be achieved by either achieving a perfect score in one trial, or by achieving two qualifying scores at the same level and element at two different Element Specialty trials.”

Key looks so happy, doesn’t he. I had cheese. That’s the real secret to happiness.

My instructor, Dana Stillinger of Best Friends Obedience and Agility School, Inc. and Doggy Daycare said she wanted to hear about my experiences in the trial, so I thought I’d write this little blog post so she (and everyone else!) could hear all about it!

Day 1 – Container Searches

Key has always like containers, so I wasn’t too worried about this one. What I didn’t count on was floors; Key HATES slick floors so the first search of the day was pretty tough. Key’s little feet were splayed SO wide. But I let him go slow, he settled down, and when we came to the correct box, he said “alert.” The rest of the searches were on other surfaces, so he was quick as can be.

• Tara Choate – Key – Other: American Shelter Dog – 0:22.57 – placement 23
• Tara Choate – Key – Other: American Shelter Dog – 0:15.70 – placement 16
• Tara Choate – Key – Other: American Shelter Dog – 0:06.78 – placement 2
• Tara Choate – Key – Other: American Shelter Dog – 0:11.78 – placement 13

Overall placement – 8th

The only other item of note was that I kept Key on a 6′ leash instead of a long line. I wanted to be able to control where he would go in case there was a lot of boxes. I ended up being surprised that most of the tests had less than 10 boxes. One only had 5 (but the boxes were up on chairs.)

Day 2 – Interior Searches

I was a little more apprehensive about the interior searches because they have never seemed to be Key’s favorite. Little did I know!

Again, I decided to keep Key on  6′ leash instead of a long line (or off leash) because I wanted to be able to control him a little more in a confined space.

The hardest part about this set of tests was trusting my dog. In disconcertingly short amount of time (notice 4-5 seconds for the first three searches) Key would run over to some random object and say “Here.” It was SO short that I had to stop myself from double checking him. But he’s never shown ANY interest in music stands before I would tell myself.

• Tara Choate – Key – Other: American Shelter Dog – 0:05.88 – placement 4
• Tara Choate – Key – Other: American Shelter Dog – 0:05.71 – placement 4
• Tara Choate – Key – Other: American Shelter Dog – 0:04.70 – placement 3
• Tara Choate – Key – Other: American Shelter Dog – 0:46.33 – placement 20

Overall placement – 4th

The last search of the day, though, that was the one that I would LOVE to have a video of. I was SO proud of Key, and I even want to give myself a pat on the back because I think I handled it well.

It was a little room (the whole thing was in a church) that people used to sit or prayer in (they called it the prayer room). Key raced in and quickly made a search of the perimeter. There was one spot that I thought he might be in scent, but he didn’t alert, and as I said above, it’s not my job to double check him (it’s my job to read my dog, in case you were wondering). So on the second round, Key was sniffing and suddenly he caught the scent. And you could see (and hear his deep sniffing) him working the scent. “Okay, it’s here… but stronger there… but it’s up here… but no… but around… but… UNDER!” And he gave a clear alert.

All this time I kept thinking about Dana hollering at me: “Keep the leash out of his way. Don’t just stand there, move your feet! Give him space! Read your dog!”

He was AWESOME. And I wasn’t too bad either.

Today I said goodbye to my cat, Bob.

Bob, 2002

I got Bob from the Oregon Humane Society in the fall of 2001 as a shop cat for my business, Pawsitively Clean (a self serve pet wash in Portland, Oregon.) He was about 6 months old and had been adopted once and returned for “digestive issues.” I never figured out what that meant and never had a problem with him in that way.

Bob, 2005

Bob was a superlative shop cat, if a bit of an instigator. He would greet people and seemed to know instinctively which dogs he could approach and which dogs he should stay away from; the later he would torment by walking near when they were safely hooked up in the wash and unable to get to him.

When I sold the store in 2008, I took Bob with me to live as a civilian cat.

Bob, 2010

While I think he missed the excitement of the store a little, he relaxed into a routine of luxury, willingly sharing home with my other cats (who have since passed on.)

A few years ago, about the time I moved to Salem, I noticed Bob was losing some weight and when I took him in to see the vet, they confirmed that he had gone from a svelte 13 pounds to about 9 pounds. After running some tests, the dreaded words came up… kidney disease.

Bob, 2015

Kidney disease in older cats is very common (both Lola and Bella died from it), but it is not swift killer and a lot can be done to manage the issues (weight loss, dehydration, etc.) Bob has never been a cuddly cat, or a cat who tolerated a lot of interference; I always called him “a very cat-y cat”. So “emergecy” treatments like fluids, pills, and pain killers have never been on the menu.

A few months ago, when I took him to the vet, the term “hospice care” was used. Bob had gone from 9 pounds down to 7.4. The vet told me that when he went into the next “valley” it might be time to say goodbye.

The heat wave that took over the area a few weeks ago has been hard on Bob. It’s hard on many animals, but particularly older animals.

Bob, 2018

He wasn’t eating regularly, and because he wasn’t eating he was getting dehydrated. He wouldn’t purr. He wouldn’t come see me.

No pet owner wants the last day to be the worst day, so today… I said goodbye.

Yesterday I told you all where we went, but today I plan to talk about WHY we went there.

Since March of last year, Key and I have been taking scent work classes. The basic idea is that the dog learns the handler wants him to find particular odors, then does his best to find them and get a reward.

Here is a video taken this summer of Key doing a basic “container” search.

Before a dog can compete in a trial, they need to be certified that they can find an odor. Remember that this whole process starts out with just food. My instructor (Dana Stillinger of Best Friends K9) was sneaky and didn’t even tell the handlers when the dogs started learning odor; she just started pairing it with food.

Key has been to a fun match and he is doing really well in class, so I felt it was time to make him official. I looked on the NACSW website, but it didn’t look like an ORT (Odor Recognition Trial) was coming up in my area anytime soon, so I decided to use the trial as an excuse for a little vacation.

Key did really well at the trial, though he surprised me by needing some time to “settle” into searching. Lately he has been doing practice searches extremely quickly, so when we walked up and down the boxes row six times I was nervous. But I KNEW he knew this, so I just did what our instructor said and paid attention to what he hadn’t searched thoroughly and waited for a change in behavior.  Of course, it feels like forever while you are waiting, but we had three minutes to find one box out of twelve.

Sure enough, after a few times through, Key’s nose engaged and he gave a nice, clear alert. I felt so proud. The volunteers and staff complimented him on being “a good little hunter” and “so enthusiastic!” “He really likes this” the judge told me at a break! (Note: “Good little hunter” must be some kind of instructor code because our instructor uses the term too. It must be something they learn…)

Key settled into searching a little more quickly with each subsequent search, and at the end of the day we celebrated a “hat trick” of being certified for all three scents.

Tomorrow I’m going to try to get him registered for his first “real” trial in April. I feel a little nervous about this, but I feel like going out and searching is really the only way we’re going to improve. He’s very good and I just need some seasoning.

Today I said goodbye to my darling Finn.

October 14, 2001 – April 19, 2017

2001

I got Finn from a rescue. His parents had come in during a drug best, and they had gone to a friend of a friend’s rescue. Finn was one of the two surviving pups. How could I not fall in love with that face?

2002

At six months we took these photos so Finn could get his Indefinite Listing Privledge from the AKC. After he grew into his ears, he was a very handsome, long-legged boy. I moved from Portland to Oregon City this year.

2003

Here is Finn at his first agility trial. He got two clears to be in the running for high in trial (at his first show!)

2004

Posing for some Easter photos.

We continued agility.

This is one of my favorite photos of us. I don’t know why.

2005

Along with Ginger, we also hiked and played (Sean was living the high life of retirement with my parents.)

2006

We did more agility. When Finn tore his ACL I decided to retire from agility.

That summer we went camping at Moran Lake, Orcas Island, Washington.

2007

In the spring of this year, the whole family (Mom, Dad, Sean, Ginger, Finn, and I) drove up Drift Creek. I got some of my favorite photos out of the day.

Finn remained ready for his close up.

2008

I spent much of this year sick, though I managed a trip to England (without the dogs). It was a year with many transitions. All I caught was this photo… Happy Holidays!

2009

Still recovering, it was a year we all stayed close to home. We also said goodbye to Sean this year.

2010

There was a lot of hiking this year (mainly at Molalla State Park. We said goodbye to Ginger this year.

2011

Without Ginger, we shifted to hiking Canemah.I started to see a little gray on my boy’s face.

This is my favorite photo of Finn, ever. He’s in the camas at Canemah. I will spread his ashes here.

2012

Still at Canemah. 2012 was my “annus horribilis“. Finn was always there for me.

2013

This is the last year I can find pictures of Finn really running hard.

It was a good year, with stable employment finding its way back into my life.

2014

A thoughtful year that saw the death of my dad.

2015

The beach could still bring up the puppy in my boy.

And of course a roll in the grass.

We moved at the end of this year.

2016

We settled into Salem and started enjoying the parks. We said goodbye to our feline friends, Bella and Lola.

And of course, I brought home Key this year. I’m not sure Finn was ever completely convinced.

2017

And today we said goodbye. He got a big breakfast, treats, and a plate full of whipped cream.

More than any other dog, Finn always just wanted me and my family to be happy and close to him.

He’ll be keeping everyone close in heaven now.