I've owned Catahoulas since 1996 and have been competing with them in United Kennel Club events since 2001.

 

I became an an NALC-certified breeder in 2009. I do not have puppies at this time, and it will likely be several years before I do.

 

I believe in doing something with my dogs--it might be backpacking, varmint control, weight pull, obedience, or anything else the dog shows an aptitude for. I feel keeping the dogs active mentally and physically helps them live long, healthy, happy lives. 

 

Sisu Catahoulas will soon have its own domain. In the mean time, it will be hosted here at uberpest.com.

I am heading out with the dogs to the UKC Premier next week. Because my Jeep no longer has functioning air conditioning, and I am camping the entire weekend, I wanted a way to keep the dogs cool.

 One of the things I HAD to have was a battery-operated or solar-powered option. I'm not sure if I'll have access to electricity, so an AC-powered box fan inside the tent and/or near their crates just isn't going to work. I went to 5 different stores attempting to find crate fans to no avail. I could order some from an online retailer (to the tune of $30 each) but I'm worried they won't get here before I get on the road.

 

It's Earth Day today, and in the spirit of recycling, I'm reprising a few posts on greening your life.

• 2009/03/28--Compost, Road Tripping, Reclaimed Item Dog Bed, and more
• 2009/02/02--Energy and Economics
• 2008/12/11--Fishing Line Recycling
  
• 2008/07/11--The 3 Rs: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
  
• 2008/03/06--Make a Clean Up Bag Dispenser
  
• Make Your Own Gear
• Notes on making gear (including how to reclaim items)

If you have any tips or good links to share, please leave them in the comments section!

 

The Great Lakes Boxers Club is known for its annual community service projects. For this year's project they chose to raise money for the Susan G. Koman Foundation for Breast Cancer Research in a project called Boxers for Boobies.

This has been well received by the club and quickly spread throughout the UKC community. People from all over the US and Canada have been pledging donations based on how their dogs do in competition from January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009.

This past weekend I took Ranger and Beau to Wapakoneta, Ohio (home of Neil Armstrong), for a UKC conformation show. My Dad met us there and showed Beau all weekend.

On Friday, under Judge Laura Frizzell-Soloman, Beau and Dad won Best of Breed and then placed 4th with me handling him in the Herding Group. In the second show, under Judge Sally Sklar, they again won Best of Breed and when I took Beau in for Group he got 3rd of 6 breeds.

Saturday went the other way--Ranger took Best of Breed in the first show under Judge Richard Klatt, giving him his third and final competition win toward his UKC Champion (he is now U-CH J Cross' Currahee). He went on to place 4th of 8 breeds in the Group. I moved him up to the Champion class for the afternoon show and he again won Best of Breed, but was doing all of his tricks except standing still and didn't place, but had a really good time.

Well, I've been busy, even if I haven't posted about it.

 This morning I got up and constructed a new compost bin. I had a 55-gallon drum on a pivot that someone made for me right after I moved. The main problem with it is that there are no handles, so once it got more than about one-third of the way full it was difficult to turn. Since I couldn't turn it, I couldn't mix the contents very well, so they didn't aerate and the compost wasn't a very good quality.

So I used a coupon I had for TSC (Tractor Supply Company) and put it to use buying materials for the bin. I purchased 6 step-in posts for electric fencing ($2.50 each, plus tax). I didn't use metal posts because they're more expensive, harder to put in, need additional fence clips to install, and are a bit overkill for this project. If you have a TON of compost to make, they'd probably be better. I also used 2-foot chicken wire (1" grid). 4-foot would be better, but again, I have a small operation going on here, so it's unnecessary at this time. 2' chicken wire is about $10 for a 25-foot roll, and  4-foot was around $15 for 25'.

This weekend Beau, Ranger, and I traveled to my old stomping grounds of Ann Arbor, MI to compete in Ranger's first "big boy" UKC show (he was show in Non-Licensed Puppy classes in December 2008 for the practice). Despite the snow and having friends help handle the boys did well. I even got to visit with some of my family and had them cheer for us, which was very nice. Beau also competed in the Non-Licensed Veteran class (open to dogs 7 years and older). He did not place, but it was nice to have him out there with so many other dogs who are aging gracefully.

 On Saturday, under Judge Deb Beean, Ranger won Best of Breed by defeating Beau. This was his first competitive win towards his UKC Champion title.

Everyone reading this has been affected by the economic meltdown. I'm no different. My employer—who also provides my housing—has mandated a 15% reduction in energy consumption, along with other cuts. This is divided between fuel (fuel oil for some of the housing and buildings, fuel for vehicles and equipment), and electricity (offices, residences, and all other buildings).

In July 2008 I posted about some ways to save resources because they're good for the environment. At this point I feel it's a good time to give some tips that make not only sound ecologic sense, but sound economic sense as well. These are all things I am currently doing at work and at home to help with the budget crunch.

Ranger is officially a Puppy Head Start (PHS) Graduate! He knows stand, sit, down, in-your-crate, and get-in-the-Jeep. We're still working on come and stay. Also, he offers play bows when he wants something (supper, outside, a toy, treats), so I started clicking for that action. Last night it got a name--curtsy (because bow and down sound too much alike coming out of my mouth). It's very cute, though not really practical. In any case, he likes doing it and he more-or-less taught it to himself.

 I'm hoping to continue on with more obedience classes soon. Tomorrow is Ranger's six-month birthday, so he's officially old enough to do UKC shows for points and titles. Woo hoo! I'm excited for that.

As the year winds to a close I want to thank everyone who has written in or commented in the past year. I don't do this to line my pockets, just to help other folks out, so it's nice to know it's welcomed information.

 Best wishes for a happy and healthy holiday from my family to yours, for this season and for the new year.