Jennifer came through. Not only do we have some great Os shots (say that three times fast), we got a picture with RoxiToo in the frame! On with the show!

First we have our dynamic duo waiting to be judged for Breed. They are both beautiful. RoxiToo has a wonderful frame. Look at that wide front set and you can just see how thick her rear is too. Nice girl.

In this next shot, Os displays a small portion of his otherworldly powers and it reflects in his eyes! He is saying, "Today, Best of Winner's, tomorrow, The World, HAHAHAHA!"

Next Oscar shows that he has known how to, and been able to, trot all along. He was just making it interesting for us.

Finally, this shot shows off just how big Oscar is becoming. I STILL don't think that he is carrying all the mass that he will someday. Everytime I see this dog he is 5 pounds bigger.

Wish us luck in Perry!

Well, we had a big weekend.

Thirteen points were awarded over Saturday and Sunday and the Morrigan family took nine of them including all the bitch points. Oscar and Chocolate got their second majors. Oscar needs one little point to get his championship. RoxiToo beat ChocoDiva on Sunday and got another two points. RoxiToo only needs a major to finish.

Jennifer handled Chocolate and Oscar on Saturday but handed Oscar over to Gary Sheetz on Sunday. Jennifer said Oscar took to Gary immediately and showed wonderfully. Oscar is entered for Perry so we hope he finishes. Lilly won reserve to Chocolate on Saturday. Lilly was there on Saturday and not Sunday. RoxiToo was there Sunday and not on Saturday. I never did see Sandra. Jennifer said that RoxiToo is gorgeous and that several people commented on her. I can believe that. Pictures are sure to follow.

Sherman was in attendance and won Best In Show on Saturday. It was the largest win by a mastiff ever. He defeated 2600+ other dogs. He looked really great, was not heavy, and moved brilliantly. Congrats to Sherman's crew.

When Oscar finishes, I think I will put Jennifer on Lane. That won't take long!

Until we get some other pictures, you will just have to check these out. The first is Tug exerting maximum effort. His eyelids are REALLY heavy. The next is Dena Drozdoff handling Ron Frushon and Susie's, Rodie (Caledonia's The Road Is Dark). Why this dog doesn't win everything I have no idea. Regardless, I think I want to use him for Lexus.

Bath Day! When I get home today it will be bath time for Trojan, Lilly and Rex. Rex is especially slimy! His front legs get covered in drool and then pick up dirt. The boy needs another bath and today is his day. They all need a nail cuttin' so that will be in order too.

Rex is in great spirit and has really settled down. Roxie plays with him a little and he gets real interested when Trojan and Lexus wrestle. Rex seems like a big puppy that is just learning what it is like to be a dog. His favorite toy is his food bowl. He barks at it and caries it around. He will even get it rolling and then chase it. I was real proud to see him tear across the yard yesterday. He still hasn't hit a fast Trojan run but Trojan's power is amazing. You can really see muscle gains in Rex's rear legs.

Well, it has been a week and I have gotten over this little incident. Last Wednesday, I let Trojan, Morrigan and Lexus out for lunch. I do this everyday and we walk down to their 'bathroom' about an eighth of a mile from the house. About three quarters of the way there I noticed Morrigan staring intently into the bushes on the West side of the road. I thought nothing of it and turned to till Lexus to catch up. I turned back around just in time to see the deer jump up about a foot in front of Morrigan's nose. The deer took off and Morrigan was right behind it. Then something amazing happened. Trojan jumped OVER his mother to take the lead. It was the most athletic thing I have ever seen from a dog. While I was impressed with his power I was still screaming ‘NO!’ and ‘COME!’. Of course, both of my well trained dogs ignored me and were quickly out of sight. I could hear them crashing through the undergrowth and then silence. Neither dog ever barked.

I had grabbed Lexus when she came rushing up. Working under the theory that one in hand is better than two in the bush, I ran her back home and put her up. Then the search began.

I knew where I had last heard them and decided that I would make a big circle. I knew that they would overheat quickly and odds were high that they would head for water. I started with the creek, which was a nice half-mile jog through the woods. (When I was a cop, I caught a lot of bad guys using this same technique. When you are looking for something/someone, get as far out as you think they may have gone and work your way back in towards where they came from. You will be surprised how often this works. Several armed robbers and Burglars will atest to that.) From there I worked my way downstream (North) for another half mile. Yes, I was wet and muddy because I was in a hurry. From there I turned East and came back up to my pond, I walked around the pond and saw no signs of them. I followed the stream that feeds the pond up to a smaller ‘pond’ and there I saw them both belly deep in mud with their tongues rolled out about a foot each. This smaller 'pond' is only about a foot deep this time of year and will dry up completely over the next two months. I had been calling for them both the whole time and I KNOW that they heard me. Morrigan reluctantly came once she knew that I had seen her. Trojan just coward because he knew he was in trouble. They were both exhausted. I finally got them to begin following me back to the house, another half-mile. Trojan never got within 50 feet of me until I had them go into the dog house. Lets just say we had a come to Jim meeting and they have both behaved very well since.

I went inside, took a shower and was only an hour late from lunch. I never did get to eat.

Rex update!

The big guy is doing great. I bet he has put on ten or fifteen pounds since he has arrived. Since I am planning on using him for Roxie and Susie, I have had the two of them in with him. He has his own little harem thing going on. He really hasn't been a problem at all. He does like to put his feet on you so that may be a problem going forward, but I have been working on it with him and he is getting better.

He did lick my left armpit Saturday. I was shirtless while James and I moved our old washing machine onto the back porch so that Laura wouldn't have to do the dog's laundry in her new machine. Anyway, he licked me from behind and I was about to get on to him for jumping up when I realized that he hadn't jumped up. He had just stuck his head up and was able to reach me. He is going to be a big, big dog when he fills back in. I would guess that he is about Oscar size. About 33-33.5 inches at the shoulder and LONG. He has nice feet and good bone.

He and Trojan get along well enough. I failed to place the 'high security' bar across the door to his kennel and he just powered through it Friday night. I have no idea how long he and Trojan were locked in the dog house together. Perhaps all night. I figure Rex can count and didn't want to start anything with Big Momma Morrigan around. Regardless, there was no fight. I doubt they will fight unless there there is a female in season OR I am around. Rex really feels compelled to compete for my affection.

The short version is that he is getting along very well indeed. If I could just get him to 'exercise' his bladder a little farther away from the kennel! As soon as he clears the door the flood gates open. The word odiferous comes to mind.

Heather's boys :)

... and, Jennifer has taught 'ChocoDiva' to 'moon' passing cars...

My friend Diane Becker sent me this great shot of Pounder and Paul Boswell. Pounder recently won the Canadian National Specialty. Would-be-handlers take note how well Paul has Pounder's attention!

Tammie and Maegan's story:

"Wow it was a BIG week-end! And a dream come true for me. I have had hundreds of dogs here due to my rescue efforts. My son and I counted 45 different purebreds and to many mixes to count. Last Oct. Maegan came to live with me. Did I need another dog???? Absolutely NOT! But, Jim described her personality to me and I thought...... this could be the dog I have been looking for and waiting for. I have 10 dogs of my own and right now four foster dogs. I love them all Very much. But I really wanted a dog that I could really share with others. I wanted to share my love for dogs. I wanted to let people see how a dog can make such a difference in your life. So, Maegan and I stated our mission together.... We began walking around town from time to time, but where Maegan really was a star was at adoption days at Petsmart. I would take her on Saturday mornings and she would stay with me for four hours while we tried to find loving homes for my foster dogs. I cannot tell you how many times I was asked "is this dog for adoption". LOL One of the trainers came up to me one week and said "of all the dogs that come here Maegan is my favorite" I thought that was pretty cool! I started training her in a very laid back way, my way. I wanted Maegan to be responsive to me. I just did not want her to be regimented, if that makes any sense. She could not be tested until she was a year old, so we kept working together, visiting people and places. EVERYBODY loves Maegan. This past Saturday our dream came true. We (my husband, Maegan and me) drove to Montgomery AL for AKC CGC and TDI testing We went in not knowing what to expect, everyone was so friendly. We had to wait about 15 minutes, and then Maegan's name was called. YIKS!!!!! The evaluator began with a greeting then we had to walk, turn etc. to see how well Maegan walks on a leash. Through out the evaluation the lady kept saying. ......"Use any command you want to"…… Maegan and I are so in sync that I do not really have to use many commands so I think that through the evaluator off a little. We had to walk, she had to sit, down stay, come etc. When she was to "stay" them "come" the evaluator told me I could put her in any position I wanted too. I told Maegan to sit then down. Well Maegan decided to stretch O-U-T. I asked the evaluator if that was ok, she said, "if you think you can get her to come like that… that is fine" I said "she'll come". She did, without hesitation. Next we had to meet a person walking a dog, greet the person without our dogs interacting, then Maegan had to walk past a bowl of sausages (within three feet), she looked at the bowl but never broke stride. She had to walk though a crowd of people, some on crutches, making crazy noises and sudden odd movements. Then she had to walk while a lady throw a very loud metal bowl and a jogger ran past us. No problem. The evaluator took Maegan's leash and said I had to leave the room for three minutes. I knew she would not have a problem, but I did not expect she would put on a show. While I was waiting I heard laughter and "could somebody bring me my camera". When I went back in Maegan was belly up. When she saw me she rolled back over, I told her to get up (she did) and the evaluator shook my hand. We past, without a hitch. And, without treats and on a regular collar, I was not enen allowed to touch her I could tell everyone was impressed. The evaluator asked me how long I had had Maegan??? I was so proud. The evaluator said that she had certified 100's of dogs and she never had one roll over for a belly rub while the handler had left the room. She asked if she could put the picture on her web site. Maegan is such a great dog! We are best buddies. We plan to make a lot more people smile together. Thanks for reading this. It was a very special time for me and Maegan. Tammie"

:)

Where do I begin! This weekend was so HUGE!

Let's start with those who have been with us the longest and work our way forward! Catie took Miss Boudi to the Winston-Salem shown this weekend and got the last single that she needs. Boudi now has nine points and only needs her majors to finish. Congratulations Catie and Boudi!

Second, Miss Maegan and Tammie accomplished an amazing feat this Saturday. Tammie called me at 2:30 from Montgomery, Alabama with a ketch in her voice. Not only did Maegan get her Canine Good Citizenship(CGC) title, she also got her Therapy Dog International title(TDI). The TDI title is difficult to accomplish and dogs often have to repeat this test. It is not uncommon for dogs to train YEARS for this title. Maegan is twelve months old! She had also ridden all the way to Montgomery. Not only did she pass but, she also put on a floor show...literally. At one point during the test, the owner/handler has to leave the room and the dog is left alone with a group of strangers. During this part of the test, Maegan rolled over and asked that her belly be scrateched! That is a fairly calm,, relaxed, CONFIDENT girl! The examimner said that of all the dogs she has tested, none has ever done that. They also asked if it would be okay if they put Maegan on their website. How cool is that?! Hopefully Tammie is going to write us up a review of what occurred and I will post it here. So, again, I am offerring congratulations to Tammie and Morrigan's Maegan TDI,CGC.

Therapy Dog International

Good work rewarded!

Lastly, my family is now plus one. Jennifer was kind enough to get up before six am to come to my house with Chocolate and then the three of us rode to the far side of Mississippi to pick up my new friend Rex. His registered name is CH Caledonia's All My EX'S. We met Susie and then went and picked up the dog. Without going into the details, Rex needed a home and I am proud to have him. He is a wonderful sweet dog. He does have some big 'ol ears! I will post a couple pictures of him, but he needs about 40-50 pounds put on him. I took him to the vet this morning and he is healthy except for being mighty thin. He still weighed in at 154. I will post more once he is back in shape. I don't want to embarass the boy! :) He is getting along well with everyone and I do not expect any problems. I thank Susie and Jennifer for their faith and steadfast friendship.

Chocolate working HARD!

Rex and Lex

Potential

The only birthday present poor Trojan got was stung by another bee! The bees like the clover and Trojan loves to roll in it. One stung him at the base of his tail. It obviously bothered him and he chewed it until it bled. I wasn't home and Laura couldn't get him to stop gnawing at it. When I got home I gave him a couple Benadryl and comforted the boy. I cleaned him up and 15 minutes later he was snoring in the middle of the driveway. If you don't have Benadryl at home, YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED IT.

Happy Birthday!

The second litter turns two years old today. Note to self, Roxie has been in season and is coming out of it now.

TUG FLOOD!

The boy is a stud!

Tammie Stevenson (Maegan's Mom) sent me an image of her latest drawing. The title is "Morrigan THE Mastiff." It is hard to express how much I appreciate this. My beautiful girl. I believe it should hang beside LDV's "Mona Lisa". Tammie will have prints available. If you want one, I can put you in touch with her.