Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Dock Diving and Knives…not a good mix

After thinking long and hard what I should make this post about, I came to a decision to tell you about dock diving practice this past weekend.

Oh, I know. I could be telling you all about our club’s big event coming up this weekend. Or about Spud’s bout with a near heat stroke. Or about the way Hoppy has started waking us all up at 3:00 every single morning.

But when you hear about our last practice, you’ll understand why I chose this topic. There are no photos, just a good story. So sit back, grab a cup of coffee or some kibble to munch, relax, and read.

Our Sunday afternoon practice was in a very nice subdivision with a big lake. One of our members is a resident there and has the dock reserved for us one Sunday each month. That resident is always there to help with practice. (We call that wrangling.)

This particular afternoon, he had to leave early for a family function, so my mom drove over there (about 90 miles) to finish wrangling the practice. Of course, she took Spud and me with her. Hoppy stayed home with our dad.

Our practice is divided into two groups, and the first group left around 2:30, with the second group not schedule to be there until around 3:00. So that gave my mom some time to play with Spud and me.

We were having a great time. She took us both out on the dock and just let us jump and swim for fun. Then she put me in my crate and did some dock diving with Spud.

Just before 3:00, I saw a big white van come driving into the lake area. I wondered, “Who is that? Is that the second group of jumpers? Do they have a good looking hot guy lab?”

Well, the van pulled over very near the dock and a little old lady got out. And I mean old. Now, my mom is old (in my opinion), but this lady could have been her mother almost!!! She didn’t say anything to my mom at first.

Spud had just done another jump and had swum back to the shore and was walking around to get back on the dock.

All of a sudden, that lady starts yelling at my mom, “I didn’t think dogs were allowed off-leash in this subdivision.”

How dare her yell at my mom!!!! I started barking and barking, “Hey, old lady, leave my mom alone. She’s not hurting anyone.” But no one paid any attention to me.

My mom, ever the diplomat, talked very nicely to the old lady and explained that we had the dock reserved, and that the dogs do not run all over. The dogs just jump off the dock and run right back up on the dock.

But that lady fussed and fussed and fussed at my mom…talked really ugly to her. I barked, “Spud, bite her!” But Spud would never do that. He’s such a wimpy weenie. Doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. I tell you, if I had have been down there by that dock, I would have given that lady a piece of my little chocolate mind!

The lady finally took her fishing stuff and walked over around to the other bank and began fishing.

Now, while this scene was going on, the second group of jumpers came up. They didn’t know what was going on and just stood there watching. Everyone seemed happy that she was finally gone…or so we thought.

When my mom let me out for another jump, I wanted so badly to run over to her and bark and growl at her. I just stood there glaring at that little shriveled up old woman. But then I started jumping and forgot all about it.

My turn finished, and it was another dog’s turn. I was back in my crate again. So was Spud.

Then it happened. What did I see!!

That old lady walking back to her van and getting something out. What was it? I looked and looked real hard to see. Was it another fishing pole? Or bait bucket? Or tackle box?

No, it was a big butcher knife!!!!!

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OH MY GOD!!! She had a big knife and she was waving it at my mom!

I started barking and barking and barking so loudly. My heart beat so wildly, and my paws began to sweat. I was literally a caged animal wanting out to protect my mom.

I barked, “NO, NO, not my mom! Not my mom!”

I scratched and scratched at the bottom of my crate trying my best to escape. I scratched so hard my paws ached. But I didn’t care. My mom needed me.

All I could think of was getting out of that crate and jumping on that lady and biting the heck out of her hand.

I heard the lady say to my mom, “See this? This is what’s going to happen to any dog who comes near me.” And she kept waving that knife at my mom while she was talking.

“Mom,” I barked wildly, “Mom, knock that knife out of her hand. Knock that old coot into the lake. Get her, Mom. You can take that old biddy.”

But my mom would never do anything violent. The old lady finally walked back over to her fishing stuff on other bank.

Whew! That was close. The new dogs continued to jump, and my mom worked with them helping them. This went on for about 30 more minutes.

I was beginning to settle down and think it was all over. But no. Not with that knife-wielding crazy old bat.

She picked up all her fishing stuff and moved right over beside the dock.

WHAT? WHAT’S UP WITH THAT!!! There’s no way the dogs could possibly walk back onto the dock without going right past her.

She was trying to get one of us dogs to come near her so she could stab us!!! Her goal was to kill a dog!! NO WAY, GRANNY!

My mom again, very nicely, asked her to please go fish back on the other bank so we could continue jumping. She told my mom, “You have the dock. Jump if you want to. I can fish anywhere on this lake and I want to fish right here.”

Then she pulled the knife out again and said, “And if any dog comes near me, this is what’s going to happen to them.”

I went crazy. “Mom,” I barked, “Get her, Mom, get her! Don’t take that crap. Knock her lights out, Mom. Or let me out so I can get her.”

Oh, I soooooo wanted at that old lady. If I could have gotten out of that crate, someone would have been fishing HER out of the lake!

But my mom just stopped the practice, and we all left. I gave that old bag a glare and a couple more barks as we pulled off.

Follow up to the story: My mom filed a report with the security people, and they were supposed to go get her or talk to her or whatever.

But let me tell you this one thing: that lady better stay over on her side of town. If I ever see her again, just call me CUJO!

See you on the dock,

Sally, the Captain of Team 3 Dawg Flite

Proud member of Dixie Dock Dogs

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Meet my other brother and my sister

Y’all thought I just had two brothers, didn’t you. Spud and Hoppy. Well, I actually have three brothers. One of them is a human brother. His name is Brian. He and his wife, Kim, came to visit me the other day. I really, really, REALLY like Brian because he plays with me…throws balls for me and is cool. Here is Brian with our mom.

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Don’t they look just alike! And not only that, but they act a lot alike. Kim is always saying how much alike they are. (Kim and Brian have been married for five years.) Brian and Kim live in a town called Suwanee. It’s about 40 miles from us.

Brian and Kim have a Boxer named Heidi. I really like Heidi also, but sometimes when we are together, I get a little rough for Heidi. We Labs like to run and retrieve and play rough. But Heidi likes to play nicely with her toys. I don’t care I still love Heidi.

This is Heidi, Spud, and me back on Easter of 2008. Brian was playing with us.

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This is back when we all went to Bark in the Park at an Atlanta Braves game. Brian and Kim and Heidi went with us. Here are Brian and Kim with Heidi sitting on Brian’s lap.

When Brian and Kim left to go back home the other day, I overheard him talking to my mom and saying that they would be back soon and we would all go to the park to play. COOL! YIPPEE!

Now, I want you to meet my sister, Bonny. She lives in New York City, so I don’t get to see her very often. Neither does my mom, and that sometimes makes her sad. Bonny has lived up in NYC for nine years. My mom still hopes that one day she will move back down here, but I’m not sure when or if that will happen.

Last week, my mom went up to visit Bonny. It made her very happy to see Bonny again. It had been a year since they had seen each other. Here’s a photo that they took of themselves up on Bonny’s apartment building overlooking the river and the city. (Bonny lives in New Jersey right on the river.)

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Bonny is really cool, too. She likes to play with me also, especially when I was a little puppy. I remember when my mom and dad brought me home, it was December. I was just a little 8-9 week old puppy. Bonny came home that year (2006) for Christmas, and she played and played and played with me. I loved her to death and didn’t like it when she went back to New York. This is Bonny with me that Christmas.

Maybe one day Bonny will move back down here closer to us. I hope so. So does my mom.

Well, that’s my human brother and sister. Now you know my whole pack!

See you on the dock,

Sally, the Captain of Team 3 Dawg Flite

Proud member of Dixie Dock Dogs

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Summer stuff and more TV appearances

It’s been a busy summer. My mom and dad have been super busy getting ready for our club’s big dock diving event later this month. You wouldn’t believe how much work is involved with putting on a dock diving event: getting sponsors, putting out publicity, schedules, ordering supplies. They are either on the phone or emailing about the event all the time.

The event is called The Fishing Creek Outfitters Throwdown.

FCT logosmIt’s going to be a lot of fun. People are coming from all over and bringing their dogs.

Spud and Hoppy and I have some cool stuff to show off at the Throwdown. We have new name plates for our travel crates. Hoppy and I used them at our last event, so I only have photos of those name plates, but Spud has one also.

I was so happy when they came in the mail. Kind of makes me feel like a celebrity with my name on my dressing room door.

And speaking of celebrities, Spud and I were on another TV news story. This one was with a TV station up in NE Georgia. My mom took us over to Lake Hartwell to meet with the reporter. It turned out pretty good. Being on the PR circuit for our event is cool!

Here’s the clip of this news story.

And…guess what! I heard my mom talking to my dad and she is going to be on something called a “Morning Show” at a television station. She’s going to talk all about Team 3 Dawg Flite and Dixie Dock Dogs and our event. Now, how cool is that!

The only problem is that I heard her talking about how she was going to take one of us with her…and guess who that is. Yep. Spud! He gets to go and be on that TV show. I think the Captain should go. But my mom said Spud would do better in the big TV studio, and I guess she’s right. Sometimes big noisy things inside a big room scare me, and nothing scares Spud.

So, he’ll get to be the star that time. I guess it will be another day at daycare with Hoppy.

See you on the dock,

Sally, the Captain of Team 3 Dawg Flite

Proud member of Dixie Dock Dogs