this and that

[Gina Heitz <brier@oregonsbest.com>]

HI All -

It's been kind of busy around here lately.  I hope everyone is getting a 
chance to enjoy spring days as they come here and there.  It sure has been 
wild weather in the PNW not spring like....  Or maybe more normal than what 
we have been use to the past few years that we have been the EL Nino <sp> 
weather pattern.

On the health front here at Brier with the dogs all is well -  Both Liberty 
& Lucy cleared OFA last month Dinah was x-rayed this past week and her 
x-rays look excellent.  Sunny was x-rayed because he had an injury and his 
hips look good.  Rhea who lives with Tina and Tony (Sunny' littermate) was 
x-rayed last week and she looks great as well!   The old gals here Kaycee 
and Punch continue to amaze us with their antics and spry little tricks... 
:-)

On the show front Liberty and I went to the International's on Mothers Day 
weekend and she finished her adult title -Yeah!  To her credit she was BOB 
(best of breed - best golden) 2 of the three shows and in the group show 2 
she was group 3.  So that's not bad... :-)))  Was a good weekend...

Lucy has been resting up - training hard - playing, running the farm ( such 
hard work outs for a dog).  She is leaving on Thursday for a whirl wind run 
at both getting her first AKC points and hopefully finishing in 
Canada.  She shows in Spokane Friday, Sat, Sun, then over to Idaho for 
Monday and Tuesday - memorial weekend.  Then up to Edmonton Canada for 
shows Friday, Sat, Sun then back to Washington for shows again Saturday and 
Sunday 7 and 8 June.  Whirl wind for sure... She will be with her handler 
Heidi...   So think Lucy!!!

DiTTo has been training extra hard and is now ready to start running trials 
for her JH starting with a double header Memorial weekend with me along for 
that ride.  So stay tuned for news there too....   But here is a funny 
about her graduation from camp yesterday:

Today we ran her graduation marks, two live shot flyers and a dead bird 
(called a pop and throw). The first mark was about 100 to 125 yards across 
a swim pond with light cover of grass and reeds growing in it - as well as 
decoys were placed in the pond. Her mark (bird) fell just on the edge bank 
of the other side of the pond but still in the water - the line she needed 
to swim (to get straight onto the bird) lead her right into the decoys. And 
she do stop to sniff the flowers, just one sniff and headed onto her mark ( 
I wipe brow and breathe many dogs stop there and bring in the decoy) what 
was so funny though was: The decoys began to follow her (she was tangled in 
the string) no matter to DiTTo she just drug all 4 decoys along for the 
ride to get her bird and on the return brought them back with her without 
even so much as a concern! This is perseverance at it's BEST... :-)

Second bird was easy as pie as was bird three which fell in almost the 
identical place as bird one though the decoys has floated away by then...

So DiTTo graduated today with the honor of being awarded the dog who showed 
the most perseverance! And actually awards were given and she really did 
get that one... BTW she is the odd duck out at hunting school, she is the 
ONLY Golden Retriever - the rest of the dogs are all Labrador's. :-))) She 
sure showed up the labs - several did bring in the decoys and two of those 
dogs are dogs who have much more training than DiTTo - working at a higher 
level than she is. It's so good to have her home...

Sunny and Willow are training as well on how to be spoiled rotten 
puppies!  Sunny will be learning to do what DiTTo is doing now as soon as I 
find time to teach him sit... <LOL>  Willow will make her debut in the show 
ring in June...

So anyway that's what we have been up to and why your not hearing from me 
with any great frequency as of late...  I do hope everyone is doing good 
and that as I said your getting out enjoying spring -  looks like today is 
going to be the newest litters first day out on the grass... As a reminder 
these are Gidget Rolex puppies and they can be viewed at:

Page one: http://www.briergoldens.com/gidget_rolex.htm

Page two most recent: http://www.briergoldens.com/gidget_rolex2.htm

Five weeks old yesterday...

Gina