Time Flies!

Well, I really thought that I would be doing this more regularly. Being fresh out of prison after 13 years, I had no idea how hard and fast the world would hit me. In addition, my publishing company, May December Publica-tions, is eating a lot of my time. I have edited two full length novels and two anthologies in the two months since I came home.

But this is about Aoife. She is a joy to train. All the books say how smart the Border Collie is and they are not kidding. She learns so fast that I worry I may not be teaching her enough. She made her first trip to Cannon Beach, Oregon last week and LOVED it. She chased waves and tried to get them to go where she wanted them to go.

I hope that I will be more diligent about this in the future. But this is a start.

Start at the Beginning

After thirteen years in prison, I am ready for a new adventure.  I have always loved dogs, but never once considered a Border Collie until watching an episode of Dogs 101 on The Animal Planet.  My hope is to train my Border for the agility competitions you might have seen on television.  I may even aspire to enter her in the ring at an American Kennel Club (AKC) sponsored event if things go well.  This will only enhance her value when we decide to breed her.  (that won't be for at least a few years.)

So...everything I read leading up to this said that a Border Collie is HIGH ENERGY.  No matter how much that is stressed in anything you might read about the breed, it is not stated enough.  

On June 12, 2011, we picked up Aoife and the journey began.  So, first things first...about the name.  I pronounce it EYE-fa.  I am sure that Celts would be cringing at my butchering of the name of one of their ancient goddesses.  Aoife is the goddesses who supposedly gave the alphabet to man (form one account that I read).  As a writer, that fit perfectly.  All my Borders will have Celtic mythology names.  I am a theme-oriented person when it comes to pet names.

She was a bit timid, which is to be expected when you first bring home a new pup.  That first few days away from the mother and litter-mates is understandably traumatic.  Still, that first night, she slept through in her wire kennel without so much as a whimper.  That was the last time she would be so mellow.

Since then, she has been a pleasure to train.  Yes, there have been a few accidents, but anybody who gets a puppy and doesn't expect that is highly delusional.  I've chosen Innova after doing my research, and she seems to love it.  So, there is my first endorsement.

The journey is just starting...but I am thrilled.  Already Aoife is good with the "sit" command and is improving on the "come" command.   Puppy Perfect: The user-friendly guide to puppy parenting (Howell Dog Book of Distinction) bySarah Hodgson is my guide for the early stages of training, and it has been an awesome source.

So, I hope you will check in and see how things go.  My next entry will touch on the insanity of AKC names and the start of the odyssey that is teaching the "down" command.  Now, for what you probably really came for...

Aoife the Beautiful

Here she is...the star of the show...Aoife.

She knows just how pretty she is.

Welcome to My Life With Aoife.

Getting out of prison after thirteen years is a bit daunting.  Why not make it a bit more exciting?  To that end, after some research, I decided that I wanted a Border Collie.  I would like to train her to compete in those crazy dog agility competitions with the ramps, hurdles, weaving poles, and other stuff.

I chose the name "Aoife" because I want to breed Border Collies as well.  I plan to stick with Celtic gods and goddesses as my naming source.  Aoife supposedly gave the alphabet to man.  Being a writer, this was the natural choice for my first female Border.

I also hope to share information and tips about finding a quality AKC registered pet, tips for training (what worked and what didn't), and perhaps even a venture into what seems to be the rather closed and exclusive world of AKC shows.

Feel free to comment or ask questions.  Dogs are far more complicated than you might believe...if you want to do it right.