2016 : That's a wrap!

Spencer and me

Sophie's diary: 2016 was a whirlwind year. We started off the year with a bunch of agility Qs. Spencer went on the teeter 3 times and got his novice agility title as well as his VCD1 (Versatile Companion Dog 1). But then he fell off the table when the table tilted and he was scared of anything that is wood. I tried to help him as much as possible and he was just a whiner baby. Mom was very upset. But I could tell he truly was scared. Not long after that, mom had a knee injury and we were not doing well in the summer trials.

Spencer going over the triple

Spencer continued to move on in his obedience and got his open level obedience title in June.

Mom worked from home in the summer for 2 months because of her knee injury. At the same time, my older brother Sunny was not doing well. He turned 18 years old on May 15, and about a month of so before that, he could not get up on his own. Mom was very worried and she stayed home a lot. Sunny passed away on June 28th and mom was very sad. It was just me and Spencer and Sunny no longer sat by the pet door and watch the house. I worked harder in watching the house but I could not watch the house and our feline siblings at the same time. Without Sunny watching, they like to go outside. I was tired all the time and was ready for bed before the sun set. I also lost 3 pounds.

Mom had knee surgery 2 weeks after Sunny passed away and we did not do anything for 2 weeks. We were very bored and we could not wait for mom to get well.

Sunny a month before his 18th birthday

We also started back on our morning walk a couple weeks after mom's surgery. It was fun and although it was early in the morning, it was still hot. Mom went back to work the beginning of August and the lunches were over. Spencer and I looked forward to mom coming home in the evenings. Classes continued and we all missed Sunny. Storm had always been a big fan of Sunny and he used to lean on Sunny and rubbed him. He was sad too. Storm had been hanging out with us more and more, he got braver and finally went out the dog door on his own. Mom always tell me that I got to watch out for him, and I got to use my herding skills, a lot of times I had to run him back into the house.

Our agility trials continued in the fall and I got half of what is needed for me to get my Master agility standard and jumpers titles. Mom was a little disappointed when I had a great run one time and got out

Me going over a triple

of the ring, and although I came back in when she called me, the judge had already disqualified me. She was crushed. I finished this year without an agility title. She told me that I have to work harder since I am getting older and will not be able to jump regular height for very long.

In the mean time, mom was trying to make sure that I can qualify for the German Shepherd Dog Club of America Performance Award Merit. I had already fulfilled all the qualifications but that was before she became a member, so they told her I had to get another title no matter what. She was worried that I will not be able to get my Master agility titles so we went to Louisiana in November so I could get my Beginner's novice title. Spencer also picked up one Graduate Open Q. We had a good time eating all the food mom brought and we got to stay in a hotel for 2 nights.

Spencer and mom performing the
 heel free exercise

Spencer and I continued to enjoy each other's company. Mom brought us wherever she went. We had a few fun trips to the dog park and we also went to a couple water park closeouts. We did went to the lake a couple times this year and all in all, I miss the lake and the water. Mom said she would make it up to us.

Thanksgiving came and we had turkey and we went to  an agility trial that weekend. It was a new venue and we had to stay at a hotel. Spencer was still scared o the teeter but he did well on the dogwalk and the A-frame. Our agility trials were finally over by December and I could not wait for the holidays.

Aunt Roxanna came a few days before christmas and Mom packed our bags and we thought we were going to another dog show. But I was surprised that Aunt Roxanna came along and it turned out that we were all going on vacation.

Me and Spencer along the
Padre Island National
Seashore

We stopped in Austin and we went to this dog park with trails that lead to a lake. It was a cold day and I just wanted to swim so bad. I went on a large piece of rock and I just jumped into the water. Spencer followed me after and we had a blast.

We then stopped in San Antonio at the Alamo since Aunt Roxanna wants to see it. She was there about 25 years ago and she did not remember what was inside. We then went on the Riverwalk and had lunch. The people were very nice, they even brought us 2 buckets of ice cold water.

We continued our adventure onto Corpus Christi and arrived in North Padre Island early afternoon. Mom said that we are only stopping briefly because it was late and the sun was going to set. I had never seen the ocean and Spencer and I had a blast.

Spencer and I along the shore of
the Gulf of Mexico

We spent the next day going to different beaches along the Padre Island National Seashore. Since I had never seen the ocean, I did not know that the water was salty, and so did Spencer. We drank like we did in the lake. And one night, Spencer woke mom up at 2 am while we were sleeping, and he had to pee. Mom got me up too and when we were done, we went back to our room and Spencer had to go again. I was so tired of all the swimming and running I went back to bed and mom had to take him out again. We were both so tired on our way back home and it took us a few days for us to recuperate. That's a wrap for 2016, and I look forward to all the adventures with Spencer in 2017.

Our agility ribbons in 2016

Our obedience ribbons
in 2016