Santa and Me

Luther has a small stuffed Santa doll. That and an old bone are his only toys. He will strut around the house holding Santa. He loves to grab the pompom on Santa's hat and give Santa a twirl. It's a happy thing!

Luther's World

Here's a picture Jimmy took yesterday of Luther sitting in the boat at the dock. Luther loves riding in the boat and better yet, retrieving ducks and geese. This was just an expedition to try and locate the Ecollar that Jimmy pulled off of Luther and fell in the James River on Thanksgiving Day. Jimmy's convinced he will recover the Ecollar! I'm afraid that by the time it IS recovered, it will be corroded and we'll need new equipment. Time will tell...

Brandywine Hunt Test

Recently we drove up near Washington DC to take Luther to a Hunt Test. We had him signed up for one Master and one Senior test. We got there about 10 minutes to 8 AM. I hopped out of the car to air Luther and Jimmy took off to find the Senior test site. There I was...with a dog in hand and the Master Test dog was running the course and the Judges were explaining their requirements and I couldn't see any of it because I was stuck with Luther. Luther was the second dog to run. Needless to say, I turned into a bag of nerves. I think Luther knew it, too. Luther nailed the land retrieves. He started off on a perfect line to the land blind and then took a left turn. From there it was down hill. His second land blind was okay but the first had too many errors (my fault) and we were dropped.

Jimmy ran him in the Senior test. His land series was great. He is so focused, he doesn't miss a retrieve on land or water. His entry into the water for all the water marks was perfect...the angle in was great...his blind was right on. So all was not lost since Luther got his first Senior Hunt Test pass.

Luther has continued to be my angel, guardian and best buddy. My chemo treatments leave me tired and sick and he will follow me around like my shadow. If he is at the office window checking out his neighborhood, he'll return every 15 minutes or so to check on me. He smells my breath to judge how I'm feeling. Otherwise, he sleeps next to the bed near me. What a great dog the good Lord has gifted me with. Some kind of special!!!

Tidewater Retriever Club has wonderful picnics. It's good to have relaxation time to visit and catch up with the latest news with fellow members and their dogs. And of course all the new puppies are here for you to love and watch. It wouldn't be an event without running the dogs so you can sign up your dog in one category ranging from Open Dog to the Puppy Class. The club has several large trophies that are given to the first place winners of each respective division. Each winning member (and their dog) is given the club trophy, has a plate with their names added to it, and keeps it for one year. The trophy is returned to the following year's picnic to enhance the fireplace mantle of the next winner! It's a lot of fun especially when the winner is informed that by being the trophy winner, they judge their division test next year!

The day was overcast with a nice breeze and I can tell you that was wonderful and much appreciated for July 14th in Southern Virginia--past Stony Creek in Sussex County to be exact! Just as we were finishing running the dogs, some raindrops fell. We all jumped in our cars/trucks and went on a parade through paved, gravel and dirt roads looking for the food venue. It was fun. We arrived amongst sunflower, cotton and tobacco fields and were surprised to find a nice new building complete with kitchen facilities, a real bathroom, and a large room with tables and 2 flat screen TVs. Just as we went inside, the sky opened up and it poured outside big time. We needed the rain so their were no complaints. All of the food was delicious--BBQ chicken, potato salad, boiled potatoes, green beans and rolls. Plus Banana Pudding for dessert. After dinner, the new winners were announced and trophies were presented.

It was a great day in the countryside. Everyone, including the dogs, had a fun time! Thanks to David Witt and all the members (and there were a bunch of you) who helped make this a memorable day.

Simply The Best!

Sorry it's been a month or so since I last posted. I've had some health issues that took priority. It's great to know that when you need help it's there. Such is the case with Luther. Since I had surgery (colon cancer) and was hospitalized, Jim Elam agreed to keep Luther and train him. We went down yesterday to visit and watch the training. Luther was as glad to see me as I was him. Jim said last weekend the Yadkin River Retriever Club visited his kennels. Jim used Luther as a Demo Dog to demonstrate training in the technical pond in the field behind the kennels. He said Luther did perfect. They are a great team together. I can't say enough about Jim Elam and the training program at Lake Country Retrievers. Luther is smart and talented and Jimmy and I were trying to learn and train at the same time and it just wasn't working out. At LCR, they are professional and hard workers. Each team member is talented and knows their responsibilities and the program works so smoothly. Jim Elam has made Luther the fine athlete he is today! The journal entry says: "Our goal when we got Luther was for me to have a buddy and Jimmy to have a good Hunting Dog. As Luther grew, we recognized that Luther was way more than an ordinary dog. We stumbled along the way with his training. Lauren Hall Koch got Luther off to a great start. The problem was she is in Montana. After trying to move forward, we realized there was so much we didn’t know. Our quest for a trainer brought us to Jim Elam. This was the perfect solution for Luther and us. Jim is about the nicest fellow you’d ever want to meet--and he’s in tune with each dog, it’s talents and shortcomings. Luther would never have gotten his first Master Pass at 2 years and 2 months without Jim Elam. Lake Country Retrievers has the finest, caring team working with each dog making them the best they can be. Jim has even worked with me teaching me handling skills with Luther. Needless to say, I can’t say enough accolades about Jim Elam. It’s a good thing!"

Visiting Honey

My grandchildren, Barton and Reagan, come to visit for a few days during Spring Break. One day we drove down to Emporia to watch Jim Elam train Luther. Mike Griffith was there training his 3 labs. Mike left a step stool by his truck and I turned to see both kids on the stool looking in and talking to Honey, Mike's yellow lab. My favorite photos are those that capture the moment like this one.

BLUR

Luther is quite a fellow. He has so much go power that when he runs up a hill, there's a dust trail behind him. At his Junior Title test, Luther was the first dog to run. The judge turned and asked the gallery to clap for him (he put on such as show) and told them that the rest of the dogs should thank Luther since he literally blazed a path up the hill to where the bird was. Cover? What cover? Nothing has changed. He gets as excited and focused as ever. That's what this layout is about. Jim Elam has done a fantastic job training Luther and harnessing his energy. Jim coordinates his direction and focus, has him mark, says "Luther" and off he goes! A BLUR!

The Most Important Things...

When Luther was home last, it was what I like to call "A Perfect Day"! The sky was a clear blue, no wind and the sun felt warm and melted on your skin. I walked out into the back yard and Luther walked with me and he laid down beside me. We stayed there without moving for about half an hour. It was only when I downloaded my photos that I saw Jimmy had picked up my camera and captured that moment. It's a good thing.

Lucky me! The majority of any retail "Lab" products I find feature Black Labs or even occasionally the Yellow Lab. Imagine my surprise when I spied these wonderful sandals in the L.L. Bean catalog with Chocolate Labs. The are comfortable and sporty, too. I've half a notion to order a second pair for backup since they are so perfect. ;-)

Luther's a Brother--Again!

It was indeed a thrill to hear that Tess (Luther's mother) just had a healthy litter of puppies. Lauren is careful and diligent about her dog's breeding program and her choice of studs--FC AFC It's All Over Now Baby Blue is an example of her extensive research. He certainly is a magnificent dog! I'm so glad all are doing well. Congratulations! (Wish I could see these cute babies.) The text on the layout reads - "Luther’s Mother, What Can Brown Do For You MH (Tess) was bred to FC AFC It’s All Over Now Baby Blue and their puppies were born on April 16th, 2012. Eight pups--6 chocolates--4 females, 2 males and 2 blacks. Mother and Pups doing well.

Trials & Tribulations

Luther did us proud at his first Field Trial. It was a fair test with great judges. Of course, Jim Elam did his usual first-class job handling Luther! Here's what the text says on the layout...

Friday was an exciting day. Luther was dog #4 and ran close to that order. Luther was the youngest dog in the group. I was a little concerned at first because as spectators and dogs, we were looking straight into the bright morning sun. The later dogs would have the advantage but it turned out not to be a problem, thank goodness. The one thing I have learned in watching these events so far, is that there is an element of luck (good and bad) beyond your control that can affect the performance.

For the land marks, Jim Elam brought Luther to the line and he was perfect! He walked right up there like he owned the place! It was a triple--two birds and a flyer. Jim sat him on his left and said he got a good look at the left and center stations and when he turned his leg to right, his head followed along perfectly and he saw the right flyer station. He nailed all 3 marks, no hunts! He had great lines and did his usual quick grab of the bird on his pivot back! The 3 land marks were followed by a 205 yard land blind. When he was running back from his 3rd retrieve, Jim and the Judges walked over to a holding blind about 25 yards to the right and called Luther there to hand the 3rd bird over. Meanwhile, a fellow in the woods placed the blind at the back of the field near a small tree or bush. Luther took the line and Jim tooted the whistle a total of 3 times. He took each cast perfectly. The last toot he was almost on the blind. He did his land series very well and probably was in the top 3 or 4 dogs at that point. At the end of the land series and blind the field was reduced from 21 to 17 dogs.

The water turned out to be his downfall. The water blind was set up with lots of different surfaces. There were all sorts of grasses and rush in the water. The blind was over 200 yards through a marshy condition and the dogs needed to leave the line, go through some running water and a little swim, then onto a piece of land about
20 yards wide, then swim for a ways and past a very sharp, pronounced point of land with a small cypress tree on the tip and maneuver through a combination of swimming and running water with various grasses to the side shoreline. We knew immediately that Luther's training was not advanced enough for this series at this time. Well Luther made it to the first island and spotted that point with the Cypress and fell apart. He was resistant to go any further. Jim called him in. At the end of the water blind, the field was reduced to 8 dogs. (Luther wasn't the only dog with a problem!)

The last series of water marks were fairly straight forward. I think Luther would not have had any problem with those. So it's back to water work. Jim said he was going to return to basics with him and give him some simple water marks and restore his confidence. Then add to those and get him going again.

We brought Luther home with us after the event. Yesterday Luther had the day off. Today, we took him to three places and primarily worked blinds. He did great. Several were water blinds but much more simple than the one at the Q. We just got back from a long walk. (Walk a hound, lose a pound!)

It's a joy to have him home.
He's been my constant companion.
First and foremost, he's my buddy!

Trying Times

Today was a long day. I met Jim Elam and his team in Emporia at Steve's farm. Mike Griffith joined us. It was very windy, overcast and 50 degrees but felt a lot colder. The dogs did both water and land marks. Luther had a teaching moment that hopefully, will move him forward to being a better Field Trial dog. Here is the text on the top of the layout that explains what happened...

"Not every lesson learned is an easy one. Today was a hard day for Luther. His first land mark was in deep, deep cover. He went straight to the area and couldn’t find the bird. He hunted and hunted. Jim handled him to the area and he just could not come up with it. After more searching, he “popped”. He sat there waiting for direction. Popping is not good so handling him would send the message whenever he was lost, to sit and wait for someone to tell him what to do. Poor Luther sat there and started to whine. This grew louder and it turned into a sound like he was crying. I’ve never heard this sound from Luther! It tore me up. Finally Luther started to come in. Jim put him back in the truck. After lunch Jim ran him again. Luther reran that first mark almost perfectly. The second mark in the broomstraw was super and the 280 yard third mark was just about perfect with a great line. Luther restored his confidence. By the way--it took 2 men searching to find the fallen mark in the cover that he missed!"

Missing My Boy

I think this is my favorite layout of Luther so far. When he was home at Christmas, he was in his bed and turned around to watch me and I snapped his picture. It's a fairly straight forward layout but I did put a Cottage Arts PhotoBlend over the photo to give it a dreamy antique look and used the eraser tool to bring out the eyes. After all, the eyes are the most important element in a portrait. On Friday Luther runs in his FIRST Field Trial Qualifying event. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he does the right thing for Jim Elam and gets through at least the land marks and blind. Jimmy and I are driving down to Rocky Point, NC, to watch him. I'll give you an update next week!

National Puppy Day!

It just came to my attention that there is such a thing as National Puppy Day...and I might have missed this fact but saw it on the sidebar in LinkedIn. Of all the things in the world that have brought me great joy, a puppy is at the top of the list! And, of course, Luther was one of the cutest puppies in the world! (Sorry--just a little biased.) Luther was home last weekend for his Birthday Weekend (he was 2 last Friday) and we had a delightful time. As you can see, wearing a party hat was not on his list of favorite things.

I left Saturday to go babysit my grandchildren and didn't come back until midday Sunday and you'd have thought when I'd walked in the door I'd been gone a year. What a huge welcome from Luther! It does the heart good to be loved that much.

So if you've got a puppy, give it a hug and love it special today--National Puppy Day!

My Buddy Luther

This was a fun project. Rather than traditional pencils and pens, I used my Bamboo Tablet and stylus and drew freehand this picture of Luther from a photo I took on my birthday, almost a month ago. Then I saved it as a .png and placed the drawing on the layout. Here's what the journaling says...

"OK, it took me long enough! I’ve been wanting to draw
or paint Luther since I first held him in Montana.
He just captured my heart! I have a huge emotional
attachment to this dog and I’d like to think he shares
some of that bonding. I’ve been fortunate to have had
some exceptional animals--dogs, cats, horses--that
God has put into my care, and Luther is the icing
on the cake." I love you, Luth!

Winter Water

Jim Elam let me run Luther in the field Friday. Luther did great...I got the lesson! In the winter, most water work stops. Friday was an exception. It was in the mid-40's and no wind. Jim Elam set up a couple retrieves in the training pond and all the dogs really loved it. Brad Slaybaugh was visiting and let his lab run the water test, too. The chamois got a good workout drying all the dogs down afterwards. I was manually focusing my camera and missed the really great shot of Luther jumping off the shore and as a last resort I used it in the background of the layout.

I hadn't seen Luther for about 3 weeks--since he left our house from his Christmas visit. Luther knew when we'd arrived--the sound of my car engine, smell, voices. He was so happy his tail sounded like a loud machine gun hitting the walls of his box on Jim's new dog truck. We are fortunate that our presence does not affect his performance. He's dead serious when there's a retrieve to be fetched. It's like he flips a switch and says, "I've got more important things to do now!" All focused!

DinnerTime

Luther is a Chow Hound! I guess most labs are. He has a 6th sense about what time it is and he lets me know when it is time to eat. I'll talk to Luther and tell him he has to wait another 10 or 20 minutes and he'll give me those melting eyes--so pitiful. Jimmy has a rule about Luther's food...Luther doesn't eat our food and we don't eat his!