SURFER GIRL

Yup, it was back to the Beach. Terra (and Miss Hayley of course) had enjoyed her first beach experience so much, we decided to go back a day later. Our summer here has been so cool and rainy that we've decided to take advantage of every actual summer-like day we get this summer. So Collette and the two girls and I boarded the subway and went down to Lake Ontario

On this day there was a fairly stiff breeze off the Lake so we were getting pretty good swells on the first beach the we went to, the offleash area at Kew Beach, for our fellow Trawnaites. The fenced in area is pretty rocky, and I actually don't like letting the dogs go to that beach, the slippery rocks can make it dangerous. But just to the west of the big rocks is a little gravel beach that is much easier for them to get to. It's a bit shallow here as well, so the waves were not breaking to their full potential

After playing at Kew for a bit, we moved east along the boardwalk to the big, unfenced, offleash beaches over at Balmy. Not only are these beaches much nicer, with fine gravel and sand, they are in deeper water, so the waves were really breaking here. In fact, the drop off was much closer to the beach than it had been two days earlier, the big lake was really pounding that day.

Miss Hayley is not overly fond of this kind of surf. The few times that she will swim, she will only do it if the water is very calm and still, and not too deep. Part of this, I think, is because she swims with her head completely flat on the water, her chin right on the surface. Any little swell will go right over her head and she is not too happy with that. Terra does not seem to have these issues. Not only does she keep her head high as she swims, she is just plain fearless. Miss Hayley is not very ball focused; Terra is, and no amount of water will keep her from snaring her prey.

It was fun to watch Terra figure out the whole surfing thing. She learned to time the waves so she could duck her head to get the stick or ball or whatever it was I was throwing. Once she snagged her toy, she turned her back to the waves and rode them in, paddling just enough to steer, riding that wild surf like a true California surfer girl.

And although Miss Hayley is never going to be a surfer girl, she is beginning to appreciate having her very own water sheep to herd along the shore.

And although Hayley is quite happy to herd Terra along the beach, there is no way the old girl is going to pursue the crazy puppy as Terra crashes through the waves to go surfing once more.

So, another successful day at the Beach. Check out the video to see more of Terra's surfer girl adventure. Maybe it's time to buy her a board and perhaps a new collar: Four Legged Gidget

Surfer Girl from Victor Kellar on Vimeo.

TERRA'S BEACH DAY

Well, it was only a matter of time, of course. Before we took Terra to one of Miss Hayley's favorite destinations, the Toronto Beaches. We know Terra loves the water. No, not loves the water, becomes psychotic in the water. In a previous post, I've referred to water (to this point, just the water in her pool) as Terra's border collie crack. But now, at six months old and, finally, a summer -ike summer weekend in Toronto, it was time to take her to the really big pool .. that being, Lake Ontario.

So we loaded up both our girls and headed off downtown to the Beaches. In the video a the bottom of this post, you'll see a bit of the journey. Terra has been on the subway before, but only one stop; this journey is significantly longer and includes two different trains and a bus ride. Terra has never before been on the bus, but she handled it, and the long subway ride, very well. Aside from needing to bark at another dog on the train .. but hey, it's all a learning experience.

So there was little doubt that Terra would like the water, but would she swim? Miss Hayley loves the water, but she is not a swimmer. If Collette or I are swimming she will come with us and in very calm water, that does not suddently drop off, she may swim out a couple of feet to catch the ball, but that's about it. Even when herding water sheep, Hayley cannot be enticed into allowing her feet to leave the earth. Terra, at this stage, was an unknown quantity.

Well, there really should never have been a question. Although Terra was a little cautious about going into the water (caution being a border collie character trait, I would say) it didn't take much coaching. We started her on a beach that was shallow and didn't have much of a drop off. Still, this is Lake Ontario, and there were waves but it did not take much encouragement .. and a tennis ball, to get her swimming, even if it was just for a few feet.

So, we have a swimmer. Which works for Miss Hayley .. her very own private water sheep. Yay.

The nice thing about the Beach, aside from that whole giant lake thing, is the social aspect. The girls always meet friends. Like Cane, a friend from out local dog park.

And new friends, like this sweet Lab puppy, about three months old, that Terra decided would make an excellent hand to hand, death match opponent. It's that kind of magical thing that happens between puppies, they look at each other and this communication happens in an instant: Wanna play? Sure, do you? Then it's all legs and tails and teeth. Or, in Terra's case: I'll lie on you and dominate you till you show me that you can play too then they're off to the races .. or the mixed martial arts cage.

After the wrestling, it was back to the lake. This time, stick in hand, it was not difficult to entice Terra to a little dog paddling .. what did you expect, the butterfly stroke?

Normally when we go to the Beach, we like to end the day by going to The Lion On The Beach, a resturaunt on Queen St. They have a patio off to the side and they are very dog friendly. Not only do they let you tie your dog up to the patio, they provide water for them and usually lots of pets (the hand to fur kind). We weren't sure if Terra was yet up to the task. She would be laying on the street, right by a very busy thoroughfare, with lots of distractions. Well, after four hours of walking, running, wrestling, swimming, even a six month old border collie is willing to relax for an hour or so. Having hand made goodies from the Three Dog Bakery certainly doesn't hurt.

All in all, a very happy successful day at the beach. I'm sure many more to come.

Here's the video, Collette and I and our two girls, cavorting on the beach. Cavorting ... is there a sin tax on that?

Terra On The Beach from Victor Kellar on Vimeo.

IT'S GOOD TO HAVE A SISTER PART 2

Puppy Terra is growing. She is still a puppy, just turned six months old, but a lot of people seem to doubt that. When we are walking her with Miss Hayley, we often now hear the refrain: "Are they twins?" Of course, Hayley doesn't understand that, but I'm sure she would be flattered if she could

Terra is a big girl. She is actually right now a little bit taller than Hayley and weighs about 36 pounds, that's ten pounds lighter than the old girl. And Terra is far from done from growing, I imagine. How big she's going to get, I can't really say. Hayley is a small border collie, even for a female, but Terra seems to be on track to be, physically, some kind of uber collie. Perhaps something primeval, out of the misty jungles of Scotland (OK, I know there are no jungles in Scotland, bear with me here, I'm waxing poetic), a great fierce, giant herding machine ... the Border Collie of the Baskervilles.

No prey is safe from the Border Collie of the Baskervilles

The relationship between Hayley and Terra is improving. Slowly, perhaps, but definitely coming along. Hayley is actually pretty submissive, she will regularly give up water, toys, even food to other dogs. so she is doing that with Terra. In the parks, however, if a dog comes into Hayley's personal space .. like her butt .. she will assert herself. A few years a go she pinned a 90 pound male Doberman who was getting a little too free and easy with his nose. I would like to see her use that kind of dominance with Terra. She is giving up her bed (that being our bed) to the puppy. In the park, if Terra charges her, trying to initiate play, Hayley will put up a pretty weak defense, she waits for me to put the pup in her place. Here at the house, Terra can fall asleep with her head on Hayley's butt, but if Terra looks at her from several feet away, Hayley gives her the snarl. I think it's all about approach. Eye to eye contact. It's a border collie thing.

They are walking very well together, we get many compliments about them and as always, especially in this city which is not always dog friendly, if your dogs are well behaved, sociallized and calm, people will take time to notice them in a positive way.

I know Hayley has been affording a luxury of behaviour that she grants to all puppies. Now that Terra is getting older, I would expect Hayley will become more adamant with her dominance. But it's certainly obvious that Terra loves her "big sister" All of her behaviour is an attempt to illicit play, or snuggle in, dog pack style. Hayley is not wrestling with Terra, she really hasn't done that in the last few years, but she will do her herding/heeling behaviour when Terra fetches. And yes, she has gotten much better at sharing the couch.

Even though, there are times, Hayley is cuddling under protest. I'm sure, in the pic below, she is asking me "C'mon, one little nip, she's right here, it would only take me a second .."

So, this weekend will be a new adventure. Terra's first sojourn to the beach. Blogs, pics and video to follow.

IT AIN'T EASY BEING A FISH .. OR A POOL

My puppy is insane. I have proof.

She seems to have a particular psychosis related to all things aquatic. Again, I have proof. Below, is a pic of Terra punishing her pet fish. I'm not exactly sure what transgression the fish is guilty of. But this may be extreme and unusual punishment.

In the High Court of Boder Collie justice, there seems to be no leniency, or no reprieve. Terra is quite steadfast in her treatment of the guilty fish and really, expresses no guilt whatsoever.

In the video below, you will see Terra's disdain for seafood extends beyond mere fish. Apparently her stuffed squid (know as Calamari) is also in need of a good need of discipline.

Then there is her pool. As seen in previous posts, Terra loves her pool. Perhaps too much. Lately she has taken to splashing around in the pool and barking incessantly. Quite frankly, my puppy loses her mind in that pool. That pool is, indeed, border collie crack To the point, we decided to empty the pool of water, since that seems to be a trigger for her to go totally berserk out in the yard; amusing at my birthday party, but not so fun for us and the neighbours at 7 in the morning.

Of course, like any addict, Terra does not take too well to going cold turkey. Detox can be an ugly experience.

I guess we have Terra well enough trained that she won't vent her anger on us. So the pool bears the full brunt of her fury. Why something just six months old has so much pent up rage I'm not sure. Maybe it stems from the lack of free running sheep in North York. At any rate, if you thought the poor fish had it rough, the pool may now qualify for workman's comp.

As you will see in the video, Terra's little discipline session with the pool went on for a good length of time. But, Terra is still a female after all. And part way through, she suddenly realized that the pool could be used as a lovely hat.

After her brief fashion foray, Terra remembered her mission and, even angrier that the pool tried to distract her with haute couteur, went at it with even more ire.

I should be careful posting these pics. I'm expecting a phone call from Amnesty International any minute now. So I will move on to the video. I have to put a Viewer Advisory on this one. Some of these scenes may be inappropriate for smaller above ground pools.

Aqua Terra from Victor Kellar on Vimeo.

THE GOOD SHIP BIRTHDAY PARTY

Yeh, yeh, I'm a year older. Greyer, crankier, wiser .. OK, only two of those assertions are accurate. I'll let you decide.

Not sure I get the whole point of this "birthday" celebration thing. Sure, another year has gone by. I suppose that means physical changes, more notable once you crank past that half century mark. The only changes I'm aware of at the moment are some new calluses on the palms of my hands. That's from hanging on to the handles of two flexi leashes as two border collies take me for a walk .. no, I mean as I take two border collies for a walk .. I mean .. a run .. I mean .. well, I mean I have two dogs that really like to go out.

But these physical changes are not really anything that one should throw a party to celebrate. It's not like I've grown a third eye, or devil horns, or a leathery lizard crest on the top of my head that flares up whenever I get excited. Now for that, I would throw a party.

So what about the mental aspects of getting a year older. Well, I'm sure in some aspects, the old mental acuity has dissipated. My memory is for sure unravelling like a cheap sweater in a rain storm. I'm having difficulty remembering all the stuff I've forgotten. I suppose I'm somewhat wiser. Not many years go by in which I haven't learned something .. even if it's stuff like: Don't use a really good T shirt to open a stubborn beer twist cap. it creates a hole and pisses off the spouse.

Still, again, nothing to really celebrate. Not like I woke up one day this year and solved the perpetual motion dilemma or figured out how to keep boxer shorts from riding up my private business. And yet, I did indeed have a party. Why? Well, it's summer, there's beer, I get to invite my friends and family, there's beer, I can BBQ, there's beer .. yeh, you get it.

So, one of the real reasons I throw a birthday party here is because my sacred event occurs in the middle of July. When it's hot, and sunny and you can stay outside at night, and you make fun of people's tan lines. In other words, my birthday is a great excuse for a summer party ... but that seems a rare thing in Ontario these days. Not parties. Summer. I do believe that, without anyone telling me, Ontario has moved to the tropics. Because we sure as fuck seem to be getting a rainy season.

My birthday weekend was no exception. Thursday I cut the lawn in the rain. A bad omen. I swear I could feel mushrooms growing around my ankles as I mowed .. and that may make you ask what kind of mushrooms, but I ain't gonna tell you. Friday night my sister Tyna came down. I walked Terra in the rain. Omens, people, omens. I believe in them, but I ignore them. See where that gets me.

So you guessed it. Saturday, day of the party, it rained. No, it didn't rain. It deluged .. I know, it's not a word, but it should be. It deluged all over the fucking place. We had a puddle in the yard that Jacques Cousteau would have made a documentary to film. At one point Collette was bailing water out of it. Yes, my wife was bailing the yard. When I started the BBQ I was standing ankle deep in water. Only time I was at the grille that I needed an apron, a set on tongs and a snorkel.

It was wet. This is the point I'm making.

But I intended to party on. Stood out there at the BBQ in my dive mask and snorkel, border collies paddling by me, sipping beer, pondering whether or not I was in a major shipping lane. But, somehow, the rain stopped. The puddle was transformed into a mud pit big enough for a Woodstock II mosh pit, but the rain let up, guests wandered into the yard, pointing up at the sky and whispering "What's that big bright thing up there?"

More guests showed up, more dogs showed up, a couple of tons of animal flesh was seared and devoured, and empty beer bottles were made into a redoubt to keep any further floods at bay. I decided to pull out my metal fire place. What were once ashes in the bottom had been transformed into more mud. I swear, there were a bunch of half dressed teenagers sliding around in there, flashing the rock on devil horns ... Thanks to a valiant wood chopping effort by our friend Kevin, we did get the fire started.

So we spent the rest of the night, huddled around our fire, imbibing and eating and eating and imbibing and in between courses, working on an ark .. After all, from everything I understand, I'm going to have another of these parties next year.

WE TAKE THE SUBWAY TO THE RENAISSANCE

The Renaissance Fair, that is. Go ahead, chuckle all you want but these events are cool, no matter what you think. There are swords, and falcons, and low cut bodices and men in tights (for Collette) and mead. And swords. Sorry, but that's cool.

This was a small Fair held on the grounds of Casa Loma here in Toronto. For those of you don't live in the GTA (and golly, why don't you? [could it because or our snotty Toronto attitude?]) Casa Loma is our city's castle, built by some eccentric robber baron in the 1900's and now owned and operated by the city. It's a pretty cool place, and there's lots to see, including the architecture and the gardens and it's a quick subway ride away from our house. If you ever come to Toronto (and gosh, why wouldn't you?) you should check out the Castle.

As I said, it wasn't a large fair, but it was pretty cool. Lots of folks walking around in costumes, lots of vendors selling "medival" goods. Did the Middle Ages have credit cards? Was the limit a sack of potatoes and a tankard of ale?

Out in the courtyard, there was a small encampment of knights who would stage duels from time to time. Well, I think they were knights. With the street crime in Toronto these days, they could have been some kind of new gang.

There were some good vendors. Collette was enamoured of the jewellry but ended up buying some really lovely hand thrown mugs. Anyone who knows us understands that when I say "coffee mug" I'm referring to something big enough for a full grown adult to bathe in. What can I tell you, we love our coffee. Collette refrained from buying the jewellry and I somehow, in an example of iron will, refrained from buying any swords or knives.

Wandering around the grounds was a belly dancer and a young lady holding a Harris Hawk. I wasn`t allowed to buy those, either.

Part of the fesitivities was a demonstration/show put on by the Barrie Swordfighting Association. I was born in Barrie. Trust me, in Barrie, you need to carry a big freaking knife.

The show was pretty entertaining. A few duels, some demonstrations of proper medieval sword technique, a little posturing. There was a nice audience interaction segment, a father and daughter called up to duel. The little girl was hilarious. They put her in armour, shield and sword. The first outfit was a tad large, so they found her something more appropriate.

She went after her knight with a a pitbull like tenacity. Clearly, this little girl has brothers. Watch the video, it's a Monty Pythonesque kind of duel.

There was an advertised "archery demo" that took us into a tunnel deep under the castle, under the road to the former stables. No horses there now, and really not an archery demo at all, but a place where you could pay to take lessons. The tunnel was pretty cool though, all damp and narrow and it took you by this huge bank of coal furnaces that once heated the castle. The way Toronto is gowing, we may be all reverting to coal.

Back outside, there were more hawks, more lords and ladies, more knights, and ice cold beer. I know, me finding beer, pretty shocking eh.

All in all, it was a great day, as you can see from Collette's pics. Check out the video, some of the swordfighting was fun and the castle itself is quite beautiful. Now it's time for me slip on a pair of green mull tights, adjust my jerkin and pour myself a big tankard of mead .. um, they do make calorie reduce mead, right?

Casa Loma Renaissance Fair from Victor Kellar on Vimeo.

THE PERILS OF BORDER COLLIE CRACK

When last we left Terra she was in her pool. Well, this new post features her new pool. And as you will see, I shouldn't leave the TV on the Home Improvement Channel, apparently Terra picked up a few tips ...

But the video starts with Terra and her new BFF, Major. Major is a gorgeous German Shepherd, about a month younger than Terra. This is their second meeting but they have since become a regular item, or maybe "going steady". Well, to be honest, this is more like some kind of Battle Royal grudge match or something. Terra pretty much taught Major how to wrestle. When they started, he would just sit on her but she used her long back legs to kick him into submission ... then Terra realized that a month younger or not, Major is a ... German Shepherd. Once he got his wrestling skills down, he was able to pretty easily out power her. So Terra discovered a border collie's secret weapon: Speed. And agility. You'll see some running in this video, but Terra has advanced far beyond that by this point. It's not just her speed, it's her ability to cut sharp corners and to change direction with dazzling speed. Well, to be honest, she is not yet always dazzling. I swear her legs grow an inch over night and it's difficult for her to keep up with the growth.

Then on to the new pool. The pool may be Terra's border collie crack. She goes a little nuts in there, herding the ripples and tossing the water up so she can catch the drops on the way down The problem with that is that it sends her into some kind of soccer-hooligan frenzy. You'll see in the video she has already pretty much chewed the rim off her new pool. We've actually had to put it up when we're not in the yard to supervise her. With water in the pool, instead of having a quiet afternoon in the yard, we get a canine version of Robin Williams on cocaine, just lots of frantic energy and noise.

Her other new fave obsession are squirrels. Birds too. In an open field, birds on the grass are as compelling to Terra as .. well .. beer is to me. Terra saw a squirrel in the back tree once. And she is now convinced that he's there every time she goes out. Maybe he is, but the way she attacks that tree, if he's still in there, he must have rent control.

So here's the little video, just a few random sequences strung together. A technical note: There's about 10 seconds of black at the beginning of the thing. Some day I need to hire myself an editor.

Terra & Major from Victor Kellar on Vimeo.