Here it is, another weekend, and we'll be taking the pack out in a couple of hours for a trip in our trusty ol' Presto Dog van in a little while. Our dogs, consisting of three Shetland Sheepdogs (Lyric, Lily & Declan) and a tri-color Collie (Dougie), like when we actually arrive at our eventual destination but two of 'em, Lily and Dougie:

... have a tendency toward car-sickness. This creates a challenge for us in that we don't place the other dogs near these two...just in case.

So, we usually give Lily and Dougie anti-nausea type pill that is supposed to calm their stomachs and make the ride more pleasant...for ALL parties involved. I say "usually" because the last couple of time we went out, Dougie still managed to regurgitate his breakfast, much to the disdain of his fellow travelers.

Our solution to this problem is to "up" his medication. This is, of course, based on the advise of our vet. Lily, who weighs about 20 lbs, takes only one of the aforementioned pills. Dougie, weighing in at a back-breaking 70 lbs or more, had previously been asked to take only one pill, also. Putting our thinking caps on, we thought perhaps, just perhaps, the large dog might require an increased dosage to appreciate his bulk?

We'll let our faithful readers (that's you!) know if this pharmacological intervention was a success or not later today.

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Although we were quite worried about Lyric, our former show dog Shetland Sheepdog (see "Lyric Puts a Scare Into US" immediately below), she's made an apparent complete recovery from what we determined to be a temporary phobia.

Why did she crawl into a phobic reaction to snow/ice? Who knows? But we're certainly glad that she's back, just as effervescent and amiable as she's ever been.

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Life sometimes leads you down paths that are not too rosy. But it's also been said that 99% of the things you worry about never reach fruition. Take the scare we received over the actions of our senior Shetland Sheepdog, Lyric, experienced over the past two days.

Last night, I decided to have a little snack. As is aways the case, in the immediate vicinity was the Presto Dog pack, consisting of Lyric, Lily and Declan, all Shelties, and our tri-color Collie Douglas. Since we have a non-negotiable "share and share alike" policy in our household, I'm always responsible for providing some of what I eat to the horde. So, you can imagine how surprised I was when I called Lyric:


...but she didn't come and join us to share in the festivities.

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If you're a repeat visitor to Presto Dog, you'll know we love dogs. In all shapes and forms, these creatures are God's gifts to us. However, last night was devoted to my other gift from God...my bride.

So, you're probably not gonna see any cute posts about our dogs or how they frolicked around in the snow or yapped at each other or some other happy little event.

The bride & I went to a nice dinner at a great restaurant, had some wine and snuggled.

Period.

Woof.

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Just as I thought! Although the weatherman (& lady) tried to strike fear, trepidation and angst into the souls of all their listeners, I, for one, did not bite. And, as I look out my office window onto the highway and surrounding buildings, my suspicions are confirmed: the "weather event" that was to grind civilization on the Eastern seaboard of the US to a halt was a non-event. A little snow freshened up the environment and a slight coating of ice made things a bit more interesting for commuters but nothing of any import really affected our lives, including those of our three Shetland Sheepdogs and a Collie.

But, let me elaborate on our Collie for a moment. Dougie, as he's affectionately known:


...is impervious to the cold, heat or any weather experienced on terra firma. Although he's a tri-color & therefore has a large black coat, he runs around in the heat like a madman. And, when it's cold out, he lays in the snow while we're out stamping our feet & clasping our sides with plumes of condensation hanging over our heads, just tryin' to stay warm.

My bride is concerned since a freezing rain is now descending upon us. If she takes Dougie out, she said she may have to bring out a hammer & chisel 'cause he'll want to remain out in the inclement weather & probably get iced over so bad she'll have to chip away at the multiple layers of ice that are gonna form on his body!

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Declan, one of our Shelties, has shown what I initially thought to be an affectionate side to his mannerisms; you might want to read on to see why this may not actually be the case.

As I've alluded to in a prior post or two, there's an on-going rivalry between Declan, pictures below:

...and his mother, Lyric:

...as to whom the alpha dog is in the Presto Dog pack. Lyric was the boss for a short period of time but one fateful day about a month later, we contacted our breeded and added Declan to our household. (Lyric came to us 'cause she showed no interest being a show dog and had recently given birth to a small litter, Declan being one of same. After realizing the little guy wasn't show quality Declan was re-united with his mother at the Presto Dog household where an uneasy truce has reigned ever since.)

For some reason, I've always been an "person of interest" to these two dogs. When I'm sitting down, one or the other is always at my feet; if one gets up, the other moves in to take the vacated place as their own. I'm certain it has something to do with their strong alpha dog tendencies.

So, in a classic case of "one-upsmanship," Declan decided that if he crawled up into my lap, he'd be that much higher up in the alpha-dog ratings, at least in his own mind. He'll lick my face and pretend that he's happy where he is, but in reality I feel he's saying to Lyric: "Ha! I'm in his lap and am therefore proving, without a doubt, that I'm alpha in this outfit!"

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Well, here we go again. Weather reports are replete with rumors of snow, icy conditions, sleet and rain heading our way here on the East Coast of the US All this makes for the kind of conditions that make for a commuter's nightmare but fun and play time for our pack of three Shetland Sheepdogs and a tri-color Collie here at Presto Dog land.

After all, the pack revels in being outdoors. Granted, the three smaller ones (Shelties) try to run between rain drops and get upset when the snow gets packed between the pads on their feet while the Collie has shown himself to be impervious to any weather event known to man (or woman). But ultimately they all like goin' out...what dog doesn't? But I digress so let's go back to the snow possible snow situation we may experience.

Only a couple of inches are predicted, but they'll undoudtedly be enough to wreak havoc on anyone driving a car, walking to a train or running for a bus. But, the Shelties and the Collie are gonna love any such intervention Mother Nature may throw at us. We may have to break out the ol' snow shovel and blaze some "habitrails" for the shorter-legged dogs; no such adaptations are needed by the Collie as he's so darn tall we're thinking of putting a snow plow on him to save us hours of work around the ground here at Presto Dog land.

Here's a picture of Dougie, our tri-color Collie, out in the snow last year:

We'll keep our eyes & ears on the news and wait to see if anything of import develops weatherwise.

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If you look over to the left-hand side of this page, you'll see a new item added to the menu titled Dog Web Sites. Clicking there will take you to web sites that are similar in content to Presto Dog's.

Now, we're not ready to "go live" with this update to our site yet (we're still in our beta stage in this endeavor), so the ones you might presently see are just there for test purposes. One of 'em is technology-oriented (Got The Geek), while the other (Netscrapes) is a site I personally use to express thoughts & feelings about life, politics, etc. But in a few days we'll be updating with sites that celebrate the dog.

So, come back & check us out. As always, we're on the move here at Presto Dog!

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In addition to writing about our dogs and posting pictures here on the Presto Dog web site, we also build agility equipment that we sell on eBay. If you're in the market for jumps, weave poles or a combination of these items, follow this link to our little section on eBay where you can find quality items at a discount price.

And, note that we're really, really good at what we do, best evidenced by the fact that we've maintained a 100% satisfaction rating by the customers who've bought our equipment. That's something most eBay sellers desire more than anything else, and we're darn proud to boast of our accomplishment in that area. One of the reasons for our success is that the agility equipment we sell is made with the same care as the items we built and use with our own dogs.

Here's how we started in this endeavor. Several years ago, my bride mentioned I should try to sell this type of stuff on eBay, touted as the world's on-line market place. In my infinite wisdom, I opted not to listen to her until about a year & a half ago. As soon as I constructed a set of three agility jumps & listed them for sale on eBay, as Emerill says, "BAM!" They sold immediately. A two-fold lesson was learned:

It's important to mention that we don't just throw anything for sale on our space; we take the time to duplicate the same item our own dogs use so we know they'll last. Durable & safe, our prototype agility equipment has lasted for over six years out in our yard in all kinds of inclement weather such as wind, snow, rain, etc.

So, check us out by following the link to eBay.

You can also see pictures of our equipment for sale on eBay by following the "Read more" link below...

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Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I'd like to present to you the dogs of the Presto Dog household! These fine dogs are members of the Shetland Sheepdog and Collie breeds. So, here they are in age order, from oldest to youngest!

Lyric takes front and center stage as the senior statesperson/dog in our pack. A former showdog, she's been retired for about six years or so. Also known as the Chief of Police for what she construes as an unending battle to keep the other pack members from barking, running or cavorting too much, Lyric is our most obedient dog. Check out this Sheltie's lovely eyes:

Next in line is Lily. This beautiful Shetland Sheepdog is affectionately nick-named "Hammerhead." She's the one that feels she doesn't have to listen because she's so cute all the time, either resting her head on our laps or using her snout to touch us to let us know she's around when we're eating.

Declan rules. This Sheltie with a magnificent shawl is the alpha dog of the pack, making sure all the other dogs stay in line. He's actually the son of Lyric, but from day one in our house has shown he's the boss. As a previous post has indicated, Deckie rules with an iron paw. Here's the little fellow:

Finally, we have Dougie, the newest & youngest member of our pack. Doug's almost two years old now, is known as the clown of the group and is a Collie, a distant cousin of the Shetland Sheepdog breed. Everybody loves him and he, in turn, loves everyone he meets. Always smiling, this fine Collie is impervious to any weather. For instance, he runs around like a madman when it's 100+ degrees outside & want to play in the yard when it's -10 degrees considering the wind chill factor! He's a true member of the herding group:

We love all these fine dogs!

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