MACH Olivia, Luther's Vacation and a pup-date!!

Lots of stuff going on and I have finally found the time to blog all about it!!

Yesterday morning I got a joyous phone call from Barb Miller to say that Olivia got her MACH!!!
Thank you Barb for "dreaming BIG" with our "Little Dream"!!And for some more news...
On Saturday, Luther flew to Phoenix, AZ. There he is visiting Renay & Jon Crooker and Karen and Shannon Wilson of Sunspark & Kantasia for the winter! What a lucky dog - his humans left behind here in New York wish we could be snow birds too!

Traveling with Luther was Bart, the boy puppy from Snickers x Dallas. He is officially known as Visions Royal Fortune and will be residing in AZ. For now he is the last pup to leave. I may be looking for a show home for Miss Spot once she is back from her Boston vacation with Katrin, assisted by Julie.

The girls we have kept are...Visions Red Sky At Night, aka "Sailor"

andVisions Sapphire Seas, aka "Sea-Sea".

Updates -Olivia, Emma, Snickers

I need to find time to update my website...

GO TEAM OLIVIA! Olivia got her CD today!! Barb thinks she got extra points for being cute as she much prefers agility to obedience.

Unfortunately, Emma is not pregnant. I am disappointed. Our plan is now to breed Snickers to Dallas when she comes in season. She is due to come in at the end of the month. Snickers lives up to her name of Sweet Treat - she is so sweet her bones must be made of sugar. Combined with Dallas' phenomenal temperament, I am very excited at this pairing.

Olivia HS!

Olivia, Visions Dream A Little Dream with a gazillion titles, now has a new title to add on to the long list! Barb Miller finished her HS yesterday with a 95 and HIT (all breed)!!

Olivia gained her first two legs at the National, with placements & a High Scoring Cardigan in the all breed trial!

I am so proud of this team!!

Good girl, Sabrina! More letters for Luther! Pretty Olivia!

Since Sabrina needs a new career in her mid-life, I decided to do obedience with her as well. Using a cookie just confused her as she has been programed for 6 years to stack & bait for food. Manually putting her bum on the ground was retaliated by dirty looks from the princess and an instant stand. So, last Monday I brought Sabrina to class so she could watch from the confines of a crate. Then I let her watch Luther & I practice later in the week from the confines of the dog yard. I then took her out... and she rewarded me by heeling & SITTING perfectly ... better than Luther!! She is now enrolled in the next beginners class that starts next week.

CH Visions I Have A Dream CGC

Luther graduated his beginners class tonight! First we did a pre-novice test, followed by a CGC test. Of course, he passed both.

He received lots of compliments and made many the new admirer. Next week we can start the club's rally & intermediate class. All I can say is I am having loads of fun as well.


Barb Miller sent me this beautiful portrait, photographed by Cheryl Prehm. It was taken at a Cappy Pruett herding clinic. On the left is her elegant Luca, and Olivia is on the right.

Another title for Olivia!

I just got this email from Barb Miller:

No surprise Olivia likes APDT Rally-O as much as everything else she has tried (it is a party just for her after all!). She finished her RL1 title today with a score of 209 and a 2nd place. She lost a run-off to my cattle dog on time alone! The fact that she earned all 3 legs in a row with scores over 195 means she gets a certificate of merit, too.

Way to go Team Olivia!!

Yes, it is Olivia!

We just watched "Dogs 101" on Animal Planet where they featured the Pembroke. Olivia is the Cardigan running in agility with a rear shot to show off her tail and a cute head shot.

Thanks Animal Planet for using our girl to show the difference between Cardigans & Pembrokes.

Possible Olivia sighting on Animal Planet

It seems that Miss Olivia *may* have a small cameo in Animal Planet's "Dogs 101" - the episode featuring the Pembroke (and wonderfully enough, the Vizsla*). Barb Miller sent me an email saying that her herding instructor was watching the episode and there was a little shot of a Cardigan to compare and she said it had to be Olivia. Barb then remembered that Animal Planet did tape Olivia last year at an agility trial.

I scanned Animal Planet for the next few days and it seems that this episode will be aired again on Sunday 1/18 at 4:00 pm EST. I have set the DVR to record it. Hopefully we can see if it truly is our "little girl" or not.

* Side note: For those who do not know, Olivia & Luther, and the rest of our "Dream litter", were orphaned at birth and raised by a Vizsla. For this we are forever grateful.

Now for the photos...

Olivia loves her sheep!


Look at the sidegait on this girl!

You Go Girls! Barb & Olivia...

I got this email from Olivia's mom, Barb Miller, on Saturday...

"Olivia earned herself a new herding title today! We went to an AHBA trial where we train and she earned her JHD (I think) with flying colors! Her first run was really nice and the judge's comment was "Cool Dog!" Hee,hee! I didn't stay for ribbons (it was freezing!) so I don't know what the second judge (my teacher....) had to say.

JHD is the equivalent of AKC's PT title. It's a pass/fail herding test. I agree - cool dog!"

Then we got the update yesterday...

"We had a good time at the USDAA agility trial - glad we weren't herding outside today!!!!! Olivia got her first Master's Q - in Snooker. We left early to try and beat the bad weather home."

I so give you performance people loads of credit to go out and "do your thing" no matter what Mother Nature has in store for us. Personally, I am too much of a wimp.

My hat is off to you Barb for everything you have done with the "Little Girl"!

You can visit Olivia's page on my site here.