In which I have a new camera and a hope for a new teacher.

I love my Maizer, but life with her has been nothing if not dramatic since I got her, on my 30th birthday last year.

First she got "strangles" which I put in quotes because there's some discrepancy over whether or not it was actually strangles, a very serious condition. Next came demodectic mange which a few of her brothers and sisters also got. There was also the incidence of the Evil Vet Who Doesn't Believe Dogs Should Be Raised With Children Or At Least Not My Particular Children -- but still wanted me to continue at the vet practice. Thank you, but no. I'll go to a vet that doesn't accuse me of benign neglect when I bring in my puppy for hundreds of dollars worth of care. I switched to another vet who was comfortable with raw-feeding -- which I had done with Deuce and Tex for years -- but that didn't last very long because I inadvertently got involved with some drama at the local kennel club over Maizey being skeleton-esque, and ended up seeing a vet an hour away who does performance with her dog (agility) and pronounced Maizey perfect and un-skeletal.

(Picture taken with my new camera! Thank you, Dustin! It was my Valentine's Day Gift.)

But now, I'm concerned about her obedience class. After I got her, I took her to Puppy School at PetSmart, which was mostly just a chance for her to be around other dogs. Then I took her to Puppy K at my local kennel club, and I had an awesome teacher. Her name is Tina and she was so enthusiastic about teaching, and so helpful. You know the type -- the teacher who loves what she's doing and inspires you to learn. She was very down-to-earth and personable, she always gave the students a chance to ask questions and discuss specific concerns, she had a great sense of humor. She was awesome -- okay she still is awesome, but she's not my teacher since Maizey graduated from Puppy K to Dog Beginner, in January.

And right away, I realized that my new teacher was Debby Downer and would not inspire much -- except a thorough evaluation of the class and her as a teacher, which I've been composing in my head since about week two, because I want to make sure it's free of vitriol and full of suggestions.

Dear Class Evaluator,


I have taken both Puppy Beginner and Pet Beginner at this club. I noticed several areas of concern. First, the discrepancy between what is taught in Puppy Beginner and what is expected in Pet Beginner is enormous. I feel both classes would benefit from some curriculum coordination. I felt at a huge disadvantage when I began Pet Beginner, after just finishing Puppy Beginner. Further, I believe Pet Beginner is too stringent, and much closer to an Advance Beginner class. Not all who take the class plan to do performance with their dog, and I feel it is geared toward that instead of the average dog owner who simply wants a better-behaved dog. 


The instructor could use improvement in her teaching skills. Although her knowledge and experience with dogs is impressive, she seems ill-at-ease with their human companions. 


Specifically, she does not answer questions until after class. She seems to believe that whatever issues one person is experiencing with his or her dog is not indicative of the rest of the class  -- despite the fact that everyone in the class has dogs approximately one year old and came from the same Puppy K class. She does not offer real-world suggestions for dealing with dog behavior, except to say what she would NOT do. 


She singles out the "best" two or three students in the class to use as examples, leaving everyone else ignored. She demands all attention on her for the entire class, getting angry if the students exchange pleasantries with each other. Again, this is a class full of adults who have been together weekly for four months. She does not inspire positive feelings about dog training or attending her class. She insists that everyone tell her we've practiced, even if we haven't, rather than address why those who aren't practicing are having problems finding the time. She again showed favoritism by announcing what students would pass CGC/TDI testing and who wouldn't, which was somewhat embarrassing for those whose dogs wouldn't pass. 


She suggested that my dog would not pass CGC/TDI testing, and that I should repeat Pet Beginner. Although I take responsibility for my dog, I will not be repeating the class with her as an instructor. 


Sincerely,

Definitely NOT One of the Best Three Students 

In which I make some resolutions for 2010

I like resolutions; I like the idea of having a specific starting point for changes. I make good resolutions. You'll never see me resolving to stop biting my nails (HA! ha ha ha ha. That will never happen!) or stop eating chocolate or start working out (I did not have painful weight-loss surgery so I could get sweat in my eyes.) I try to make them achieve-able and positive and fun.

1.

Spend more time with my family. I have LOVED this vacation with Dustin off work for over a week. We haven't accomplished as many cleaning tasks as I'd like to (ever), but it's been very relaxed and I've had a lot of time with Dustin and the kids. And I've enjoyed it.

2.

This isn't really "fun," but I love water so it shouldn't be hard.

3.

Finish Orientation. Move on to my normal course work. Work regularly -- lately I go in spurts of stop and go. I'll work every day for a week and then not open my binder for the next four days.

4.

Cook! I have a dream of one day getting sharp knives, a Cuisinart, and maybe even an apron! Also, I kind of want an electric can-opener and a bread-maker. And I want to make my own cheese.

5.

Continue working with Maizey. Our Beginner Obedience class starts next week and I'm excited. When we finish that, we'll probably move on to rally. Also, work more on handling -- the last time we attended class Maizey barked, chewed her lead, dragged me around, and generally ignored all humans in favor of canines. I'm sure the other competitors will LOVE that when we're in the ring.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO MY FIVE READERS!

In which I discuss my other hobbies

(Other than birth, breastfeeding, childbirth education, and car seat safety, that is.)

j'aime manger les hamburger

J'aime mon chien

j'aime faire cuire

You would think that since I love to eat, I have always loved to cook. You would be wrong.

Dustin used to do all the cooking. (Yes, after he worked a 9-hour day followed by an hour commute home, including crossing the border from Mexico back into the States. We also used to have a cleaning lady. I, who weighed nearly 300lbs, sat on the couch and watched TV and ate bon-bons, perpetually pregnant. I was THAT wife.)

But now that I've had my intestines re-arranged, I can't eat bon-bons, there isn't much good TV anymore except for Modern Family and Lost, four children is enough, and I like to cook. Here are a few of my recent pleasures, all courtesy of my favorite website, allrecipes.com

• World's Best Lasagna it was SICK. (And I mean that in the way that all the teenagers use it. Apparently "SICK" is the new little black dress. Not that teenagers wear anything but jeans and hoodies, but I digress.)
• Garlic Cheese Roll-ups actually out beat my favorite processed chicken food in taste. That is saying a lot.
• Chicken Enchiladas putting Taco Bell out of business, one cheese-filled bite at a time.
• Bacon-wrapped hamburgers What could possibly taste better than a burger? A burger wrapped in BACON!
• Amish Breakfast Casserole almost makes me want to bust out a floor-length peasant dress and never have my picture taken again.

I have to give some credit to Leigh, who taught me that any "hydrogenated" ingredient is bad, and took me to Trader Joe's; my therapist for suggesting I watch Food Network; and Dustin* for putting a premium on raw milk, grass-fed beef, and organic chicken and eggs. Thank you.

*At some point I will make your Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Cake that I owe you for your birthday.

In which the Carolina Community Maternity Center gets its license!

I'm now a licensed midwife apprentice (yes, that's how it's written, not apprentice midwife; midwife apprentice) at a South Carolina-licensed free-standing birth center run by licensed South Carolina midwives! The Carolina Community Maternity Center!



Happy dance!

To celebrate, the midwives and I had dinner at City Tavern and they toasted each other on getting a birth center up and running in less than 7 months. What an accomplishment! I have to give so much credit to Leigh, Christine, Damaris, and Lisa for going out and getting it done. Helping them has been a learning process for me, and what I've learned is that starting a birth center is a huge totally thankless undertaking that involves lots of people and lots of money.

My contribution? I'm trying to get a small aquarium donated to the birth center. I think it would provide a nice sense of ambiance! I would like to have two fish, named Amnion and Chorion. And maybe they could have babies.


Today I went to a community car seat check. I checked three seats: two convertibles (rear-facing) and one combination forward-facing seat using a seat belt. Unfortunately, none of these seats officially count for me because there was no instructor on site to check off that I did them (although there were two senior checkers, both of whom are licensed to seat-check for special-needs children). But it was experience, and I was reminded -- again -- that I do enjoy being a car seat tech and checking seats. I'm teaching a basic car seat safety class at the birth center on November 12. I plan to focus on what new parents need to know about seats: NEVER put a rear-facing seat in front of an airbag; keep a baby rear-facing for as long as possible; the middle of the back seat is the safest place for a car seat; buy a new seat if possible -- and if impossible, there are programs that provide free seats, or make sure you know the person you're buying from and that the seat has always been used properly and never been in a crash.

I also had puppy school with Maizey today. I love puppy kindergarten. I've learned as much as Maizey has, I've met some great instructors and other dog people, and I've made some contacts in the world of Cardigans for when Maizey and I are ready to show. There are only two more weeks, sadly. After that I'm switching to Handling Class (30 minutes/week on how to show a dog), and then in January I'll start beginner obedience. Yes, dog training is my hobby. When I was a little girl, and someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grow up, my answer was always "a dog." Now I love being a confident, knowledgeable dog owner who is giving my animals a nice life.