*New Ch* Acadia State of Mind

Staten at 13 weeks

Staten finished his championship today in Kentucky with 3 majors.  I had shown him to 7 points with one major, but then he blew coat and looked like a teenager (which he was) I knew that he would be ready to show again after I had moved, so I sent him to be shown by my friends and professional handlers, Nick and Joel.  With them he won 2 more majors and a few single points to finish his championship.

He is the 2nd champion for his mom, Cassia.

12 months

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Carolyn Arvidson 12/17/1930-1/12/2017

The day I “got the call” the movers were at my house packing for our move to Idaho.   It was not completely unexpected, but at the same time, it was.

In October my sister and mother took an “epic trip” across the country visiting friends, family, historical sites, and national parks. Mom, of course, began her journey in CT and took the train to Philadelphia where she joined my sister and they began the drive: final destination- Seattle, WA.  My farm was the 1^st stop on the journey which took just over 2 weeks.

At 85 mom seemed to be in fabulous health.  She was mentally sharp, lived in her own home without any assistance, had plans for the future, and appeared that she would live forever.  My sister had no reservations about having her as a co-pilot.  Not to worry, this story will not prove my sister wrong- she wasn’t.  Mom proved to be a very able navigator and driver- and an overall great traveling companion.   This trip was a huge success and both mom and my sister had the “trip of a lifetime”.  Some of the highlights involved visiting sites of historically family significance, such as ,The Gallup House my mother’s mother’s birthplace and childhood home in IA, and a church in Deer Park, WA that my mother’s grandfather helped establish.

Upon reaching Seattle my mom commented that she was a bit constipated- well, ok, they just spent 2+ weeks in a car.  Once home, mom went to visit her doctor about the persistent issue- although she continued to attend dinner parties and luncheons.  In November her doctor sent her to the ER, where she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Colon cancer.  That was November 16^th, and the decline was rapid.  I did get to visit her in both November and December- both times she was in the hospital, and both times we did get to enjoy each other’s uninterrupted company, although not under ideal circumstances.

How lucky that our mother didn’t experience prolonged suffering.  When my mom and sister took their trip, they had no idea of the pending troubles.  They were able to enjoy the trip without sadness and grief.  I am a bit jealous of the time my sister got spend with my mom, but I am So Thankful that they took that trip together.  I am so Thankful that my mother got to see these family places, and visit with family along the way.  As always, I am SO THANKFUL that she is my mother.  Mom, I love you more than tongue can tell and words can write.

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A testimonial for Post # 500

I have to give props to Ivy's wonderful breeder, Cadie Pruss, who I just learned will be relocating with her husband, Mike, to Idaho. I spent two unforgettably pleasant afternoons on the Prusses' beautiful sheep farm in central Pennsylvania, as idyllic a setting as I've ever experienced. Those visits were also memorable for my having been surrounded by a group of the most affectionate and well-loved dogs imaginable, a testament not only to Cadie's breeding skills but to her own generosity and kindness. Those qualities are evident in this photo from her blog of her with four of her champions, Liza, Cassia, Dove (Ivy's great-grandmother), and Genna. I'm willing to bet that getting four Shelties to smile simultaneously is something only Cadie could have pulled off.

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A New Adventure awaits in Idaho

Cadie, Mike, the Acadia shelties, Rosie the Vizsla and Emine the Kangal are moving to Idaho. Mike accepted a great job working for the Forest Service on the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest and I will continue to work for the Natural Resource Conservation Service in Nezperce, ID. 

Acadia shelties have called Pennsylvania home for the past 17 years, since moving from the great Southwest (Arizona). I have continued to meet and enjoy so many wonderful people who value well-bred dogs, and I really consider myself lucky to have had so much success here.  As I prepare for this move, I am reminded of how much I missed the people and the local dog community in Arizona, and I am already missing the mid-Atlantic dog community, but I find that “dog people” are a good group and there are nice people everywhere. I am looking forward to meeting the wonderful people of the northwest.

Pennsylvania is a state I hope to return to- and as such, we are not selling the farm. We did, however, sell our sheep. That was so hard on me. We have been breeding Katahdin sheep for almost 16 years- and it was a hard day to see my flock of ewes go to a new farm.

On to a new chapter…

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Congratulations Penny on being chosen as Member of the Month

http://www.pawsitivetherapy.com

MISSION STATEMENT

The PAWSitive Therapy Troupe is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to sharing registered therapy dogs with individuals in a wide variety of health care and educational settings--bringing comfort, support and encouragement through the unique healing power of the human-animal bond

Congratulations Penny.  You are a dedicated member of the Therapy Troupe, and also the Acadia shelties family.  Tess, Gracie, and Show Low all came from Acadia. Kate is the granddaughter of Show Low. 

Troupe Members of the Month - Penny Brcich & Tess and Kate Penny Brcich has been a member of the PAWSitive Therapy Troupe since 1999. She has almost 17 years of service as a dedicated volunteer with a total of six Shetland Sheepdogs. Penny’s current Pet Partners are 3-year-old Tess and 2-year-old Kate. They are faithful visitors at a variety of health care facilities, schools and libraries. Here is what Penny has to say about her partners Tess and Kate: “I have been visiting with my therapy dogs for well over 15 years! Becky (PAWsitive Program President) and I first met at an agility class - we both had shelties named Rosie. I visited at Loyola Pediatrics, Mooseheart Residential School and many other sites over the years with my Shelties Rosie, Rachel, Gracie and Show Low.  My current therapy dogs are Kate and Tess. Kate (smart and active!) is great with the kids at Ronald McDonald House near Loyola Medical Center and at Oak Trace Senior Village, while Tess (fluffy and gentle) is a good Read with Me dog at elementary schools and libraries. She visits with seniors at Villa St. Benedict Senior Village too. It is always a pleasure share my special four legged friends with others, and we hope to continue for many years to come!” On behalf of all of us in the PAWSitive Therapy Troupe, thank you Penny for so many years of devoted service!

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NEW MACH! *MACH* Acadia's Perpetual Motion, MX, MXS, MXJ, MJS, XF, T2B, RA

Janet writes, We had an awesome weekend at the Cocker Spaniel Agility trials this weekend. On Friday, Robbie qualified ALL 5 RUNS (Master Standard, Master Jumpers, Premier Standard, Premier Jumpers, and T2B), earning the final QQ for his MACH!!! He went on to QQ again both Saturday and Sunday - he’s never before QQ’ed more than once in a weekend! In all, he Qualified 9 of 14 runs, and those he didn’t Q were still very respectable runs!"

Maybe he QQ'ed (which means he had Qualified in Standard and he Qualified in Jumpers and Weaves- so he Q'ed in 2 classes in the same day, or double Q'ed) on Friday- and then was so rewarded by Janet's positive response that he decided to do it again.  Or maybe Janet was more relaxed the next two days because the MACH was finally achieved.  It is hard to say, but I know that for me personally, once I have accomplished something I had been striving to do, it seems to come so much easier and I wonder why I had been working so hard.    Congratulations Janet and Robbie.  I am so proud of both of you.

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The never ending summer- the dangers of Heat

I started to write this on July 27 when we had 2 solid weeks of extreme heat and No rain.  I didn’t get it posted and the temps “cooled off” (from 90’s-100 degrees down to high 80’s).   This past weekend it all came back, and with the heat, humidity.  UGH!

All the vegetation here is dead.  The lawn, our garden, our pastures.  This summer has been one of extreme heat and no rain. 

In all of these heat warnings, the news is still reporting deaths of children in cars.  According to one article I read, at least 23 children have died in hot cars this year.  According to the article, this number usually averages 37 such deaths a year.  That is CHILDREN, not pets too.   When I look at my blog and I think, “oh, I have already written about heat” and then I hear of another death, I realize it is worth writing about.  Last night a women told me that she takes her dogs everywhere with her and she carries an extra set of keys so she can keep the car running with the air conditioner on.   That sounds good, but the reason some accidents are “tragic” is because we thought we were doing things right.  

This summer a fellow dog show participant experienced such a tragedy and 14 dogs died in a hot van in Indiana.  The van had an air conditioning unit powered by an extension cord that was plugged in at a hotel where the person was staying.  The person thought the dogs were cool and safe.  Tragically, a circuit breaker tripped, cutting off the air.  A heart breaking, tragic accident.   While I travel to shows with my dogs this summer, I worry about the heat, and try to plan ahead.

The best thing to do would be to leave the pets at home, but that is not always an option.   Make sure to have plenty of water.  Portable Fans are available for travel.  Some small ones hang on the crates, while other larger ones plug into portable batteries.  Cool mats for the dogs to lay on (in their crates while in a car of course) help to move heat out of the body.  Shade- always, always park in the shade when possible. Windshield and window covers help quite a bit.   Lastly, just don’t leave them in vehicles. 

Stay Safe, fall will be here soon. 

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