We had our first snow falls in December and Birdie just loves to roll and play in it!
The first half of the month she was very busy with activities: a visit to the dentist, a haircut, a walk with her PADS buddies Athena and Strudel, Christmas Open Houses at Larch Hills and Ovino wineries, two sessions of One to One reading with our students at school, Baby Time at the library with our grandson Heath, a visit to the chiropractor, 2 sessions of puppy class, a car wash, a Vernon Vipers hockey game, Caravan Farm Theater and the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train.
At puppy class, we practised turning our backs to the pup (one by one) and walking away, in hopes that the dog would not follow. Most could handle it and stayed put if you took it in small increments at first. Birdie aced this and had no problem with it. Then we practised stepping over our dog while in a down. This was something new for Birdie, so during class, she had trouble with it, but with a little practice at home, she was successful.
PADS was invited to a Vernon Vipers hockey game to sell 50/50 tickets. As the fans arrived, we mingled and sold over 5,000 tickets by the 3rd period. It was a great training experience for the eleven pups that attended with their raisers and families. They all behaved very well, given the amount of popcorn all over the floor! We raised over $2,500 which we split with the winning Vipers fan.
The next night we attended the Caravan Farm Theatre and saw a performance of The Nutcracker. It started out in an outdoor barn with a stage and then we moved onto 10 horse-drawn wagons pulled by a team of 2 horses each. We stopped at various outdoor stages as the actors performed the play as we went along. There was even a trapeze act at the Land of the Sugar Plum Fairy before returning to the main stage. Birdie was calm and did very well with the whole experience: being among the horses and riding in the wagon, even though it was a cold evening.
The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train came through Canoe and Salmon Arm one Friday night before Christmas as it spread holiday cheer with live music while collecting for food banks. The train arrived and stopped for half an hour. One of the cars opened on the side to reveal a stage and performers played and sang contemporary Christmas tunes as the crowd cheered them on. Before you know it, they were gone. Afterwards, there were fireworks, which Birdie was totally calm with, showing no signs of any stress whatsoever. Phew! A fun experience for all.
The next day we went cross-country skiing at Larch Hills Nordic with 4 adults, 2 dogs, and our grandbaby in a Chariot stroller pulled by his dad. The pups behaved very well while off-leash, not getting in the way of skiers. Birdie had already done this last winter, so she was a seasoned pro.
And lastly was Christmas, but not before Birdie went into heat on December 20th. Halt! Put on the “not-so-fancy pants” that are little boys’ underwear in our household (see picture). Here goes 30 days of quieter times for Birdie with no public access, but that’s OK, it’s Christmas time! My daughter came from Vancouver for 4 days with her 3 cats and a bunny. So, we had a house full over the next few days while we celebrated Christmas Eve with our 2 kids, daughter-in-law, grandbaby, grand pup Jeff plus 3 friends and their baby as well for Christmas Day. Birdie and grand pup Jeff were calm and practised good house manners during the festivities, being gentle with the 2 babies, not to knock them over.
After Christmas, things were much quieter for Birdie. Since she still was in heat, she settled nicely at home with the occasional walk outside on a very short leash! We ushered in 2024 quietly at home watching the ball drop at Times Square in New York City.
It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Birdie. She is 17 months old now and is due for Advanced Training soon, but she also may become a breeder for PADS. Time will tell.
Submitted by: Chris Buitinga
