Recently in tess Category

A Christmas gift for Tess

By Donna Littlejohn on December 11, 2010 8:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

I took Tess sheepherding for the second time in her life on Thursday.

Our initial visit to the sheep herding ring in Long Beach run by trainer Jerry Stewart was in late summer, so I was afraid she'd forgotten all about it.

But she virtually trembled as we drove onto the property and would not take her eyes off those sheep the entire time we were there, whether she was in the ring or outside. She rocked.

Me, not so much. Handlers have to walk backwards a lot so eventually I tripped over a wayward sheep and went sprawling, hitting the ground in a cloud of dust. I'm sure I gave the sheep a good laugh.

Below are pics of some of the other human students and dogs in the ring:

Later in the day, we went to the dog park where Tess had to be satisfied herding the "sweater set" (small dogs).

Not quite as good as a sheep. But it'll have to do until we move to a farm or ranch.

Read about our first sheepherding experience in an earlier post that includes more details about the training site.

What are you giving your dog for Christmas?

What are you thankful for?

By Donna Littlejohn on November 25, 2010 3:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Happy Thanksgiving to you all, human and four-footed creatures alike! I trust you're having a wonderful day remembering the blessings of the past year and anticipating the year ahead.

I started out the day by taking Tess and Cowboy on a two-hour hike overlooking the ocean, joined also by a friend from church. What awe-inspiring sights we have here in the South Bay!

It was sunny and 41 degrees at 7:30 a.m. when we began our descent toward the water. Because my hiking companion and I both had other places to be later in the day, we didn't make it all the way to the shore. But even so, the two hours of enjoying God's creation and each other's fellowship -- and watching the dogs have such a grand time smelling all kinds of new smells -- made for a wonderful way to begin a Thanksgiving day.

The dogs were especially thrilled to catch sight of two wild rabbits who bounded across the trail as we hiked. We also saw (and heard) all manner of birds. The ocean views on this cool but bright sunny morning were spectacular.

Meanwhile, Annie the cat, while she couldn't come along of course, was having some fun of her own as we left the house: She was bouncing around outside around the porch, in full play mode, invigorated by the cool morning air.

And by the way (sort of), did you know that there were dogs who came over on the Mayflower?

So what's on your list of things you're especially grateful for this day? Did your pets get any special (but safe, we hope) treats from the big feast?

I'm thankful to all of you who do so much in the animal rescue and adoption field, caring for the animals that have no one special to look out for them. The work is hard, often heartbreaking -- and never ending, it seems.

I'm also grateful for all of the good, giving and responsible pet owners out there, making sure their animals are fed well, exercised, vaccinated, licensed and microchipped, and, well, simply loved well.

As for those Thanksgiving pet treats, here are some ideas for how to turn some of those leftovers into goodies for your dogs in the coming days. Your dog will love you! (Lean turkey, without bones or skin, also can be "cubed" and frozen for tasty, healthy dog treats, according to my veterinarian.)

Below are some more photos from our morning hike. And I came upon this verse from the Pslams today that I especially enjoyed pondering:

O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great. Psalm 104:24-30

Tess was ready to go.

Oh, the sights.

Oh, the smells!

A very good day.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at South Bay Pets & the Daily Breeze.

On to Christmas!

How would you describe your pet -- in only 3 words?

By Donna Littlejohn on October 20, 2010 3:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) |

Cowboy:

Handsome

Pensive

Underconfident

Tess:

Sweet

Obsessive

Possessive

Annie the Cat:

Funny!

Happy

Overconfident

The new dog door

By Donna Littlejohn on September 12, 2010 6:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) |

Our old dog door had seen better days -- and about a year ago I'd lost the locking/closure panel and could not find a replacement online (dog door sizes have apparently changed over the past decade and a half).

Doctors Foster and Smith had a summer sale last month and I picked a new one up for a $40 discount and very little in shipping charges.

It's very nice. But the dogs are stumped. They know not what to make of the thing. It's the same thing we had before (basically), but it's, well, different.

Neither Tess nor Cowboy could be coaxed to use it at first.

But Annie the cat?

She was the first one out, lying smugly in the backyard as the dogs looked out at her. Annie the Cat = 1; Dogs = 0.

What does that mean?

Here she is on her way back in from the patio:

On to fall -- any good South Bay dog events coming up? Dog news to report?

By Donna Littlejohn on September 7, 2010 4:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) |

So here we are, at the end of summer. Already.

There are a number of events coming up that we'll be posting about shortly. But let us know if you're involved in something our readers should know about, just in case we've missed hearing about everything. One thing we did learn about is a drill by the Torrance Animal Disaster Team on Sept. 18.

cowboy new 1 again[1].jpg And a new beginning dog obedience class starts on Sept. 25. The classes meet at 8:30 a.m. Saturday (first class is owners only, no dogs) for 7 weeks at Dino's Pet Shoppe (formerly Kritter Korral), 1724 Palos Verdes Drive North (at Western Avenue), Harbor City. You can register in advance at the store or on the first day of class.

Some of you have sent me some pictures I'm going to post also. If you have pix of your animals you'd like us to share, send them in to me -- donna.littlejohn@dailybreeze.com. We love seeing and hearing about readers' pets.

Anything new to report about your dogs or cats (or other pets) from over the summer? Did they learn any new tricks? Take any classes? Discover any new canine sports or hobbies? Earn any new ribbons or awards? Training successes? Failures? Goals for the coming year? Special problems you're working on?

In the meantime, here are a couple new photos of Cowboy & Tess.

Yeah. I know. You couldn't wait to see them again.

cowboy tess new[1].jpg

I'm still thinking about therapy dog work with one or both of them and more herding with Tess.

About these photos: We were visiting a friend last weekend in an assisted living facility, sitting in the building's sunlit library. Tess passed some of the time while we talked by washing Cowboy's ear.

cowboy new 1[1].jpg

A sheepdog's rendezvous with destiny

By Donna Littlejohn on July 29, 2010 11:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

That would be Tess. Meeting sheep. And herding sheep. For the first time.

I've been off work this week and after returning home from spending a few days in the Cleveland National Forest at our church family camp, I decided to finally take my border collie sheep herding.

So off we went to Jerry Stewart's All Breed Herding training site in Long Beach, a piece of leased land off the Del Amo Boulevard East exit from the 710 (Long Beach) Freeway.

Stewart's a champion trainer who trains dogs and their owners in the art of controlling livestock -- a skill that requires both mental strategy and physical agility (not to mention a good sense of humor).

(See more photos on the jump; Stewart can be reached at 714-968-7051.)

Tess did well, but I have to say the star of the day, among us first-time "newbies," was Finn, a 4-month-old smooth-coat border collie.

From the start, Finn seemed to pick it all up quickly, focused on the sheep who were brought into the ring with Finn's owner (below) being coached and guided by trainer Scott Gallagher.

Continue reading A sheepdog's rendezvous with destiny.

Downey dog walk: spring 2010

By Donna Littlejohn on April 25, 2010 5:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

From big dogs to little dogs -- and everything in between -- Saturday's annual spring dog walk at the Country Inn Downey seemed to draw a record crowd of people, kids and, of course, dogs. (See all the posts that include photos from previous walks.)

My dogs, Tess & Cowboy, have been participants in these walk-a-thons since fall '08 and I always enjoy seeing how the residents take to the dogs -- and how much the dogs love all the gentle attention they get when they visit.

The walks were started in summer 2008 by Manuel Guevara, the activities director at the assisted living home, as a way to get residents up, out and moving more. Offered three times a year -- summer, spring and fall -- they've become quite the affair, with numbers of participants growing each time.

Manuel teaches aerobics at the Lakewood YMCA and several of his students come with their dogs. A local church helps out with the logistics of the walk and many of the Country Inn residents invite their families and friends to attend and bring the family dogs. Some Herbalife representatives were on hand for this walk and conducted a free raffle.

But the interaction between the residents and the dogs is always the highlight of the event.

One thing I've noticed is how the dogs always seem to get residents to open up and reminisce about their former beloved pets. The man below told me all about Brutus, a dog assigned to him when he was in the military and who came home with him after his discharge. Brutus -- all black and 3/4 German shepherd, 1/4 Lab -- was never more than 12 feet away from him, he told me.

On Saturday he enjoyed petting Tess and also holding this little Chihuahua named "Pamela" who was very popular with everyone.

New this year was an effort to pose for a big, group photo. It worked pretty well:

Before the walk begins, everyone gathers in the patio with the residents for a time to check in and get acquainted. When it's time to leave, the residents -- some of whom use wheelchairs and walkers -- head out first, followed by those of us with dogs to handle. Some of the little dogs get lucky and are cradled in comfort the entire way by participants in wheelchairs.

Other dogs are left to walk in the more traditional way. (I love the little rock star hair style below!)

Shown below are "Nacho" and "Moose." One guess as to who's who:

The walk winds through the downtown district, with walkers often having to go single file. Volunteers help with traffic crossings and make sure everyone stays together. Along the way passing motorists will often wave or honk.

Volunteers pull a wheeled ice chest filled with bottled water so no one goes thirsty.

That's Manuel, above, offering a drink to "Pamela," who rode with Patty, one of the residents who used a wheelchair. Below, he asks another 4-footed participant if he wants some water.

Click on the link below to SEE MORE on the jump

Continue reading Downey dog walk: spring 2010.

Downey dog walk: spring 2010, Part 2

By Donna Littlejohn on April 25, 2010 5:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

Once everyone arrives back at Country Inn, Manuel and volunteers grill hot dogs, served up with chips and fresh fruit, for lunch.

The dog below found a special spot beneath one of the tables. In this shot, he'd just stolen and devoured a hot dog from the plate in front of him.

Doesn't he look happy?

All's fair when full plates are left within a dog's "gulp" reach.

Here's Manuel's dog Dynomite slurping up some cold, refreshing H20.

Many, many thanks to Manuel, the volunteers and the residents -- and all the visiting dogs -- for making this grass-roots program such a success. I'm sure it's a lot of hard work to organize, but it has become such a blessing to so many.

Everyone's already anticipating the summer installment of the dog walk-a-thon.

dog walk spring 10 trio outside signs.jpg

Downey dog walk: spring 2010, assorted other photos

By Donna Littlejohn on April 25, 2010 5:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) |

More scenes from Saturday's dog walk-a-thon:

Here are a couple of my favorite pictures of Tess with a group of kids who were quite smitten with her and Cowboy (shown at the left).

Eventually, Tess just flopped right over on her back for a group tummy rub (below).

Color-coordinated pets: Border Collie & Border Kitty

By Donna Littlejohn on March 23, 2010 5:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) |

Tess & Annie are far from cuddle-ready. But they do sometimes get close enough for a quick photo (Tess was already on her way out of this frame, in fact).

« swimming dogs | Main Index | Archives | Thanksgiving »

Daily Breeze reporter Donna Littlejohn has shared her homes with a succession of wonderful, funny, and occasionally difficult canines -- Muffin, Fritz, Ellie, Mercy, Pilgrim and now Cowboy, an Australian shepherd-border collie, and Tess, a border collie. From strong-willed terriers to weirdly obsessed Australian shepherds, they've invaded her world with boundless energy, wet noses, muddy paws and soggy tennis balls. But they've really brought so much more than that -- like laughter and joy, some unexpected life lessons, and more than a few tears along the way.

E-mail Donna at donna.littlejohn@dailybreeze.com.

Josh Grossberg grew up with the usual array of animals: goldfish, dogs, hamsters, parakeets and turtles. He now owns the loudest dog in the South Bay(Video: Rocket the Dog) and is the least popular person on his block. He spends his free time in dog parks, pet shops and always has an extra plastic bag in his pocket just in case. He also has a cat.

E-mail Josh at josh.grossberg@dailybreeze.com.

Recently in tess Category

A Christmas gift for Tess

What are you thankful for?

How would you describe your pet -- in only 3 words?

The new dog door

On to fall -- any good South Bay dog events coming up? Dog news to report?

A sheepdog's rendezvous with destiny

Downey dog walk: spring 2010

Downey dog walk: spring 2010, Part 2

Downey dog walk: spring 2010, assorted other photos

Color-coordinated pets: Border Collie & Border Kitty

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