Life Can Turn on a Dime

The Flame that burns twice as bright,
Burns half as long

Jimmy 05/10/2007-04/17/19

MACH PACH2 Fine Creek's Sharp Dressed Man
 RN HT MXB MJB MXP6 MXPS MJP7 MJPS PAX2 OF T2B

It is with a crushed heart that I tell of the loss of our Jimmy
on Wednesday morning. Only 12 days earlier he received a diagnosis of Hemangiosarcoma.

One of Jimmy's many nick names was "The Boss". He stayed in charge right to the very end,
passing away shortly before the vet came to ease his passage.

Jimmy was so much larger than life, a boisterous, funny boy who always had a lot to say
and he said it loudly! His personality ran to the intense and this made him an excellent
agility teammate for many great years. He loved that game and he gave it his all.

He was an avid television watcher and could pick out an animal character even if it was only a cartoon. He would quickly lose interest when nothing but people filled the screen.

He was the most intelligent dog I have ever had, understanding a huge vocabulary of words. But he was an even better communicator with his eyes. Whole conversations could be had watching the
expressions in his beautiful, bright eyes.

I will forever miss gazing into those windows of Jimmy's mind and soul.

To Anne his breeder, thank you for giving us one of the best highlights in ours lives.
Jimmy was one of a kind. I know you are grieving for him as well.

To Jimmy himself I say : As you journey across the Bridge, please know that you made our lives
so much better and that you are and always will be incredibly loved and incredibly missed.
That will never end. Keep an eye out for your brother Wilson, he won't be far behind.

Ready to Rumble!

It was a beautiful day yesterday and we spent as much time as possible outdoors. Jimmy decided it was time for a game of chase and extended "the look" to Cedar to get things going. It worked!

Fort Jimmy

Jimmy has a favorite chair. It's a recliner that lets him watch the TV and also keep an eye on the kitchen. This morning while vacuuming, I threw the dog bed up onto "his" chair to get it out of the way as Jimmy was outside. He barks to come in, I open the door and then go back to vacuuming. At some point I turned back around and this is what I saw.....He's such a character!

Three's Company!

Three Dog Night

I couldn't decide whether to call this post Three Dog Night or Pinwheel as they both fit. Since it is winter and we've just had a significant snowfall I went with Three Dog Night.....

Snow Day!

Well, as this is my very first post of 2019....Happy New Year!

Yesterday "a bit" of snow was predicted and we got almost a foot! Since it doesn't happen all that often, it really is rather fun and of course, a great photo op!

The Weekend Report - Retirement

It's been a very long time indeed since my last weekend report. We have attended a few agility trials over the summer and fall but not like past years. Wilson still comes along so it's only one day a weekend and not as often. It's a lot for him and I wouldn't want to over do it. Now, why I never reported on those trials is just the same ol', same ol'...I've been letting this blog slide. However, I did want to report on Jimmy's most recent trial because it is his last. At 11 and a half, he's beginning to show signs of aging. He has a hard time keeping the bars up and it seems his depth perception is causing it. He is also a bit hesitant getting on the contact equipment. Whether this is due to vision or a bit of arthritis, I'm not sure. His heart is definitely still in the game, but I just don't want to take any chances with him getting hurt so I made the tough decision to retire him this past weekend. After such a long and reasonably successful career together, it was a very emotional occasion. I shed quite a few tears knowing these were our last competition runs together. We will still play the game in lessons where Jimmy will be free to jump four inches and we can avoid the contact equipment.

The trial was at that farm I love so much in Reva, Va. It was a gorgeous day which helped ease the melancholy.

Of course I got video!

This is our Jumpers run and was a bar knocking disaster. It convinced me I was making the right decision.

   


Standard came next, and I almost thought we might run clean, but a bar after the weaves and also the very last jump both went down.



One of the really great things was that Wilson was along for the ride. He has been Jimmy's travel companion to each and every trial and he was there for the very last one. Look at that perfect blue-sky day!

I could not have asked for a better teammate. Jimmy loved the game as much as I did!

MACH PACH2 Fine Creek's Sharp Dressed Man RN HT MXB MJB MXP6 MXPS MJP7 MJPS PAX2 OF T2B

We celebrated our many years of fun with a cake that evening. I think the cake decorator's hand writing left something to be desired! LOL!

Just Jimmy

Jimmy tends to be camera-shy but the other day he gave me a few moments of attention and I snapped away........Hard to believe my sweet boy and long-time agility teammate is 11 and a half!

Menage A Trois!

Now that my naughty title has grabbed your attention, here's a photo from a walk this week. Wilson still accompanies us on the shorter works. He was pretty pleased with this outing. His health (and kidney failure) has slipped a bit recently so we are trying to enjoy all the good moments while we can. Wilson has really wowed my vets with how long he's kept going and what a hardy boy he is!

It is an optical illusion that makes Cedar look so huge. He's really only Jimmy's size and much smaller than Wilson.

After Dinner Crazies!

The dogs are always frisky after a good meal. This is especially true of Cedar who is BURSTING with energy most of the day! Last night, he tried his darnedest to get Jimmy to chase him. He zoomed this way and that, until, at last, Jimmy took up the chase!!!

The Best Birthday Gifts!

So yesterday was my birthday. It was a pretty low key day. It was super hot and humid outdoors so A/C was a must! I just pretty much hung around the house and enjoyed the fact that I had all three boys there to share the day. That is a pretty awesome birthday gift given that Wilson has been battling his chronic kidney failure for a full year now. We were initially told to expect maybe 6 months with him at diagnosis and here he is, still plugging along. Such a blessing!

The next birthday gift is a bit more tangible. I still go to agility trials with Jimmy occasionally. That means lugging along gobs of gear. I had been making tons of trips back and forth to the car to get it all set up while I watched smarter folks wheel their loaded wagons in one trip. So this is my other birthday gift....a collapsible wagon. It can hold up to 150 pounds or in this case about 115 pounds of Cardi!

Hello, yeah, it's been a while. Not much, how 'bout you?

Hello there! Yes, we are still out here! I just haven't felt like blogging and the longer I let it go, the less I feel like doing it! I do stay active over on FaceBook. Looking at my blog roll widget, it seems we've lost several bloggers over the past year or so. I guess I am not the only one who is letting it slide.

But, at any rate, here's an update.......

Wilson.....he is still going strong! His kidney failure is of course still an issue but with medicines and fluids, he seems to be holding his own! I know that can change at any time, so I make sure to enjoy each day with him! They are all gifts!

We actually took him for a short ride on our jetski (on a very rare sunny day! It's been a very wet summer here!) to an island in the Potomac. He did great for an old boy!

Wilson's mini-me isn't so mini anymore, but he is definitely Wilson's constant shadow!

Jimmy.....We've still been going to a few agility trials this summer, but with limited success. I think age is catching up with Jim just a bit, and keeping the bars up is not so easy anymore. We are taking a break until October and will do a few of our favorite fall trials. This is very likely our last season before he retires so each trial is a tad bittersweet knowing it is the last time.

Little by little, Jimmy has learned to tolerate and maybe even like Cedar.  They are free together in the house, and sometimes play chase games outside. I have even caught them in close proximity!

Cedar....Well of course, he's been going to training classes ever since I brought him home. At the tender age of just 7 months (back in June), he passed his Canine Good Citizen test! What a good boy!
He is a smart little guy and loves to work. We are making great progress on his beginner agility training. He is going to be FAST!

He has learned the joys of water and will even swim now. He isn't as crazy about it as Jimmy and Wilson, but loves to cool off!

So, all in all, things are good here in the House of Cardigans!  Not much happens that isn't dog related, oh, and LOTS of vacuuming! LOL! I can't promise I'll get back on track with my blogging but at least you know we are still here.....

I'll leave you with all three of my wonderful boys!

Eleven!

Today is Jimmy's 11th birthday! Where has all the time gone?! We told him he was allowed to get old, but, alas, he is not listening too well. It is particularly hard for me to see my agility teammate age. He's still playing the game (he has a trial tomorrow!) but the trials this year may well be his last. We certainly don't want to risk injury. But for today and tomorrow, it's still all about the fun!

It is a nice warm day so his walk included time for playing in the water. That made him very happy!

When he got home we had hot dogs on the grill so he could enjoy a favorite food. Then we moved on to cake and gifts!...........But first there was photo torture!

Followed by even more goodies.....

And of course the official birthday portrait!

Happy Birthday to my best little buddy!!!

Cedar Meets the Fair Weather Cardigan

Several years back, I lucked out and got this neat garden statue in a very realistic Cardigan Corgi. In the winter time, it hangs out in the basement as freezing temps are not great for it. Spring is finally trying to make an appearance, so I dragged it out (it's very heavy!), curious to see Cedar's reaction.....

Hmmmm...It looks like a dog, but it stands SO still!

Why isn't it looking at me?

Jimmy came out to help solve the mystery....

Funny faces on all three!

When in doubt....Sniff some butt!

Does he taste good? Can I eat him?

Once Cedar overcame his qualms and
 decided it made a good teething ring, I put it out of reach.