Susan, I live near Olympia, at the southern tip of Puget Sound. Hurricane Ridge is one of my families favorite places to visit. I think you'll like the area very much.

Rich

Oh that's so cool! I can't wait till we are in Sequim (just outside) permanently.

Wow, the new place sounds awesome. Building a new house, cool.

Fernie is about 4.5 hrs south of Banff. Although Fernie is in the Rockies, it is very different than Banff. It is way warmer and wetter here. Lower elevations here and mountains are smaller. Kind of like a mini interior rainforest here (trees not as big as on the coast though). Lots more snow than Banff here and the temps here are more mild.

I have spent some time in the Banff, area though, in both winter and summer. Stunning. Assinaboine is a classy looking peak eh?

Susan,

One of the attractions of Squim is that it is in the rain shadow of the Olympics, and thus gets less rain. The key here is the word "less". "Less" is a relative term. Squim gets less rainfall than Seattle, but it still rains there, and you'll see more than you did in Los Angeles County.

Rich

I only have one agility trial that is really in the "summer", the others are starting to get into the fall territory, so Tessie and I take a lot of classes. We have a minimum of one class a week at either of the two places we train, and occasionally will rent a ring or go to a show-n-go to work a full course (classes generally focus on small skill exercises).

During the week she gets worked 2-3 times over short sequences in the backyard, be it something out of Clean Run or something I dream up.

Any particularly hot/muggy day, we go into the backyard and she flops around in her kiddie pool. She loves that thing more than food. She'll just lay in it and watch the world go by. I bring a good book and sit on a lawn chair just to make sure she won't go anywhere, but I mean, I can go inside and hunt for a towel and she won't even move.

I also try to take her to a nearby (20 minutes?) state park to hike on the trails in the late evening. However, I don't have a car and my boyfriend is working 5 days a week, so unfortunately this has become increasingly sporadic. We power-walk with short sprints for about an hour and a half when we go on these.

I don't take her for walks in the neighborhood much unless it is a VERY nice day. I hate walking on pavement, I know what it does for my back and I'm young! Tessie's getting up there in years and I can't imagine her old bones and joints appreciate the pounding.

And I frequently pull out the clicker and the cookie jar when I'm sitting on the couch and work on silly little tricks during the commercial breaks. Right now I'm teaching her to lay down and cross her front paws -- wicked cute, she looks so dignified when she does it. For someone who competes in a run-around-in-spandex sport, I sure do love "couch training"!

Sounds like you both are pretty active, and do with what time you have to spend together...I think that's cool.
I can't wait for the fall!

Hi Angelique,

I remember you saying Bandit might have surgery this summer. Is that still planned? I don't envy you having to keep that big boy quiet and away from the pool

Hi Sarah, no I didn't have it done ,it was a ear implant to correct his ear from an injury but I would have to take him to L.A and my schedule has been to crazy to plan for that right now.At this time he is swimming everyday and loving it.He has pano now and then (light) but swimming is really helping that big boy's joints.
What's you pooch up to? couch,swimming, running at the park???

I would love to say that my pack and I are lounging around the pool....

But we are busy with certifications and training. Winter is when we lounge a bit.

Jesea passed her IPWDA Basic and Advanced Certification,
Max recertified for mantrailing and has been busy on some searches, the female GSD pup is loving cadaver(only thing is she likes to try and make her own source by chewing on me ) , the male GSD pup has been washed from my program and will go back to the owner for Schutzhund work, the Lab is learning obedience for hunting trials, Rock had surgery on his foot and the contract GSD was diagnosed with a partial ACL tear and will be going back to her owners.

So now I have two empty kennels and will probably keep it that way until my Mali has her pups next Spring and my Bloodhound puppy materializes and is ready to come home (I have a deposit on a pup from Jack Shuler and I think the breeding should be happening soon...YAY!!!)

WOW Carol, you are busy!
I must see picture of your bloodhound pup when you can, I love the breed.We have one in our Club for tracking only and she is a character that bloodhound female,her owner has a GSD as well, half showline, and she princes when she trots,so lady like.I joke with the handler of both dogs and say that the GSD looks like a wine drinker and her bloodhound looks like a beer drinker.