Nine years of love!

Today is Maisy's 9th Gotcha Day - the anniversary of the day she came to live with me for good in 2007. I barely took any pictures of her as a pup, and most of the ones I have a over-exposed and/or blurry. Here's a somewhat decent one of her... but of course, it doesn't even begin to express how adorable she was.

Goodbye 2015, Hello 2016!

Well, hello blogging friends! It's been awhile. Despite that, blogger informs me I'm still averaging 250 hits a day. What? Well, hello! It's nice to know people are still finding their way here. Let's do a quick recap of the year, and look forward to the year to come, shall we?

Maisy
The Reactive Champion namesake, who is really not all that reactive anymore. She does backslide from time to time, especially if we haven't been doing much. For example, she might lunge and bark at the pet store if it's been awhile since she's been exposed to other dogs. But other than that (oh and that broken rib last fall), she's been doing great. We didn't go to a single trial this year, but who cares? We've gotten lots of quality ball-throwing time in, and that's all that matters.

My 2016 goal for Maisy? More hikes!

Lola

Darling Lola. I am surprised by how much I like basset hounds. They are sweet, but stubborn. Couch potatoes, but with plenty of energy. Cuddly, but mischievous. Don't let her get bored or she'll steal something of yours! Probably toilet paper or paper towels or whatever else you left to the edge of a counter. And if she manages to escape the yard, well... good luck!

Lola's 2016 goals include developing a good recall, a drop it, and maybe even some loose leash walking. We'll see how ambitious I actually am...

Pyg

I have to tell you, I have never, not for one minute, regretted adopting this dog. I'm glad I went for it, even though he became available right after Maisy had been terribly ill (and financially wiped me out. PS, have I mentioned how grateful I STILL am to all of you all?). But Pyg is just the BEST DAMN DOG. He is sweet and cuddly. He's playful. He's funny. He is up for anything. He gets along with EVERYBODY. Seriously, I love watching the way he will adjust his play style to each new dog he encounters. He is a seriously cool dog.

I'd like to work on getting him competition ready. (Finally!) Nothing fancy, just level 1 rally/novice obedience. And failing that, I'd love to get a good stay on him.

Napi
Oh, Napi. Napoleon has two settings: complete sweetheart, and complete asshole. (I tried to come up with a non-sweary way to describe him, but really. He's just awful.) I also completely love him. He's a pain to have around other people and other dogs, immediate family excepting, of course, but I swear he loves me more than the other three dogs combined. He just fills up my heart and I cannot imagine my life without him. It would probably be quieter.Napi is reactive, I guess, but that doesn't seem like the right word to describe him. He's reactive-PLUS. He's not really all that anxious, at least, not the way Maisy was. It's more like he's got, well, a Napoleon complex. He's comfortable around our house, and that's all I really need from him.

My goal for Napi this year is to work on crate games and/or the relaxation protocol. He absolutely loses his mind if I try to train another dog, and he can't handle having his crate door closed. I need him to learn just enough impulse control that I can put him somewhere safe while I'm busy.

On the Home Front
2015 was a pretty great year. I did get to meet my Guatemalan mother-in-law, which was fantastic! My Spanish really grew in leaps and bounds. Now I sound like a confused three-year-old instead of a confused two-year-old. The secret to learning another language is to speak it and not care if you sound stupid. I truly cannot conjugate anything beyond present tense, and I often mix up estar and ser, and I have less vocabulary than my dogs probably do, but you know what? It doesn't matter. You can communicate a lot with just the basics if you put yourself out there.

I started grad school in September (Master's of Social Work). I'm doing an extended three-year program, so I've only got two classes per semester this year and the next. I've been able to get a pretty good work/life/school balance down, which has been really nice. The downside is that I don't really want to be in school for three years, but it's gone okay.

Denise Fenzi continues to suck up my spare time/winter break... Last year I think I edited three books for her? I can't even keep up with that mad woman/ferret. She's truly a productive monster. I am honored to work with her, and flattered that she has been working around my grad school schedule.

My personal goals for 2016? I should probably say "blog more," but I KNOW that's not going to happen. My husband and I have (tentatively) agreed to train for a 5K. I have a love/hate relationship with running, so we'll see... I do want to hike more, and hopefully even squeeze in a backpacking trip with my friend Laura. I also have a love/hate relationship with backpacking. I want to speak Spanish more (we're hoping for a trip to Guatemala next fall/winter). I also have very good intentions of listening to the weekly Tara Brach podcast, meditating more, and getting back to yoga regularly (grad school life, yo).

Anyway... would love to hear what ya'll are up to! Drop me a line in the comments, yeah?

Happy Gotcha Day, Pyg!!

I have had Pyg for TWO YEARS now! I can't believe how fast the time has gone!

You know what else I can't believe? That no one else wanted him!! Pyg was in rescue for FIVE MONTHS, since the time he was a PUPPY - and no one wanted him! He had to fly clear across the country to find his forever home!

Pyg is the most amazing dog I have EVER known. He is universally good with every dog he meets. He can modulate his energy level and play style to match whoever he is interacting with. He loves kids. He is a world class snuggler. He is SO funny. He's clever. I just ADORE him.

Thank you Pyg, for whatever you did to make people not want you.

FUNDRAISING CONTEST: Donate to Prynne for a Chance to Win DENISE FENZI's New Book!!

You guys all know Denise Fenzi, right? Super awesome trainer, founder of the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy, and prolific author? Well, I just happen to edit a lot of her work, and after I do, Denise usually sends me a free copy or two of the book.

She sent me FIVE extra copies of her newest book:

Beyond the Back Yard: Train Your Dog to Listen Anytime, Anywhere (Click here to learn more)

The book is meant for pet dog owners/trainers, but honestly, it offers a pretty awesome "proofing" plan for sports dogs, too. Ian Dunbar gave it rave reviews, and I just really like it.

And you guys remember Ettel and her dog Prynne? Prynne ate... something... that got lodged her throat, perforated her esophagus, and caused her to have a massive chest infection. Well, today her mom got the devastating news that the tear was worse than they thought. Prynne either needed to stay in the vet hospital for SIX MORE WEEKS to heal OR have a very expensive surgery... or be euthanized.

Ettel chose the surgery. And she doesn't have pet insurance. (GUYS, GET PET INSURANCE. HONESTLY, YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN YOU WILL NEED IT.) So, in addition to the bill that Prynne has already racked up, the total is now around $18,000!! Yikes!

So... LET'S HAVE A CONTEST!!! Donate ANY amount to Ettel and Prynne, and then comment either here or on Facebook that you did, along with the name you used to donate. Next week Friday, I will randomly choose FIVE donors to receive a copy of Beyond the Backyard. I will contact you if you're one of the lucky winners (so be sure to include an email address or check back- if I can't reach you within a week, I'll choose another winner in your place).

DONATE HERE!

Project Gratitude: Help Prynne AND Help Katie

In September 2013, Maisy became critically ill. Her care was incredibly expensive, and I could NEVER have gotten through that time without the financial and emotional support from you all. For about a year, I did a monthly "Project Gratitude," where I donated to someone in need, but that petered out because forced giving doesn't feel that good. But just today, I learned about TWO important causes, and I hope you will help out either by donating money OR by praying/sending good vibes/leaving a comforting word for the folks involved.

HELP ETTEL WITH PRYNNE'S VET BILLS
First up, my Facebook friend Ettel. I've known Ettel via the internet FOREVER. Over the weekend, her year old pup crashed. They ended up at the vet medical center where it was discovered that Prynne has a perforated esophagus, which caused fluid to build up around her lungs, and she has a MASSIVE infection. The conservative estimate for her care is $8000!

Go here to donate.

HELP KATIE WITH BILLS RELATED TO HER ILLNESS
Another super important cause. I have internet-known Katie forever, too - maybe even longer than I've known Ettel. Katie is fighting PTSD and depression, struggles I know well. Despite all her hard work, she's hit a run of bad luck lately; she's lost two jobs (and her medical insurance) in the past year, and her funds have hit critical mass. You can read her whole story here. Let's show Katie that world IS a good place, and that it's worth it to keep fighting.

Click here to donate.

Please, sir, could you help my friends?

Is Pet Insurance Worth It?

Two years ago, give or take a few weeks, two things happened:

1. Maisy almost died (twice), accruing a ridiculous amount of vet bills (and THANK YOU to everyone who helped out during that time, I still think of you all with immense gratitude), and

2. I adopted Pyg.

The timing for a second dog was horrible, so pet insurance was at the top of my list for him. Although I did not initially buy insurance for Maisy (pre-existing conditions and all), I did end up purchasing it, almost on a whim, this spring. And thank goodness, because Maisy broke her rib a few months later.

So, is pet insurance worth it?

Financially, I'm not sure. Pyg and Napi are both around $275/year. Maisy and Lola are both just under $500/year. I've filed two claims, one for Lola, for which I received about $50 after deductible and co-insurance, and now one for Maisy's broken ribs, for which I've gotten about $350 back (about half the cost so far).

Emotionally? DEFINITELY. When I knew Maisy needed to go see the rehab vet, I was scared of the costs, but felt pretty confident that it wouldn't wreck me financially. I know that if/when Lola's back goes out, or if Pyg or Napi get sick or hit by a car or in a fight at the dog park or whatever... we'll be okay. The peace of mind is amazing.

Also, our insurance company has been great. We use PetPlan, and I've been consistently happy with the service I've received. With Maisy's claim, all I did was download the PetPlan app, snapped a few photos of the bills, and not even 10 days later, I had cash in hand! Plus, they cover a LOT without needing special riders to the plan, so that's great too.

And no- I'm not being paid to write this. I just love them.

Here's a bonus dog pic:

Maisy's 9th Birthday!

My only regret is that I didn't take more pictures.