December 19, 2009 marked the first big snow storm of the season and the day after was nice and sunny. We took Scraps and Rags and my Nikon D200 out for a walk. We eventually convinced each of them to prance through the deep snow for a shot or two. It snowed 8-10 inches so it was pretty deep for the two dog. Below are a few of the best pictures I took or go to the Picasa Web Album and enjoy a slide show. There are some cool pictures up there.
Categories: Rags · Scraps · Weather
Tagged: Rags, Scraps, Snow
Week 1:
On a cold Valentine’s Day Saturday morning, Kathy and I begin our much needed around town training with Rags. We can hopefully teach her some manners as she walks in and about other people and dogs. We will see how it goes. In the mean time it’s time to gather her papers, the chopped up cheese and her gentle leader and off we go. Fortunately for Rags the gentle leader was all twisted and we couldn’t get to work so Rags practice all the time just with her harness on.
So we get to class and there is a lot going on in the St. Hubert’s parking lot. The previous class is still in session and there are lots of dogs all over. We wisely used that time to practice a little walking around all these distractions until we were let into ring #2. Once in Ring #2 we discovered Leah Hartley was our teacher and there were only 3 other dogs in the class. This gave us lots of nice personalized attention along with the nicely attentive TA, Karen.
Leah interviewed us to see what we wanted to get out of the class and then she tested us all on our sit, sown stays. For the first time in my life I was able to walk around rags while she was in a down-stay. She was unbelievably well behaved and never once barked at any of the dogs in the class or other distractions we encountered along the way. It was a real worthwhile experience.
On the way home we stopped at the Swiss Chalet for breakfast and we saw Adam Batt roll up on his bicycle in his winter biking outfit where i didn’t recognize him. I thought he was one of the schleps from the Marty rides. I now look forward to our 3 other classes in this around town mode. Great stuff for Rags.
Week 2:
I did the second class by myself without Kathy, and in addition, there were only 3 dogs in the class and 2 instructors. Needless to say, we received a lot of personal attention. This class focused on “leave it” more so than anything else. It meant to leave the treat on the ground, leave the fire hydrant, leave the pedestrian, etc. By then end of the hour Rags was really responding to the cue. All the practice Kathy does in the basement really pays off. Reward with a treat when she makes eyes contact with you after being given the “leave it” command.
Week 3:
I did the third class by myself and it was just me and another big dog with the two teachers. Once again very specialized and focused training. I got there 3 minutes early, parked in the Stop and Shop Parking lot giving me some breathing room to get Rags settled in.
We got into the class and it was just Leah, Karen, me and Rags. For a while it seemed as if I would be the only student, but another dog showed up. I was able to keep good focus ob Rags as the new dog came into the room. In essence we practiced 3 techniques for Rags:
A really good class overall, I feel we made good progress today.
Week 4:
Last day of class is on a beautiful Saturday morning, March 7, and walking around town today was beautiful and not cold like every other class. Kathy joined me on our last class and I have to say Rags behaved beautifully. We encountered many people and distractions around town, had a few nice strangers says “hi” and we did well. We worked on wait at a distance. We did the emergency sit stay but it wasn’t much of an exercise. Leah’s a great teacher, she gave us a few tips to take into the futures. The best being the walking with her not being allowed to be in font of me and the “leave it.”
In the end it was a very beneficial class now if I remain focus and concentrated with Rags on the leash she will come around to act like a dog that doesn’t embarrass me every time a distraction approaches.
Scraps and Rags love each other at the dog park walk.
The bee was accepting donations.
On Sunday, October 19, 2007 Scraps and Rags, as well as Kathy and I, joined about 50 other people and dogs in a walk to support and find out information about Morris County’s newly proposed dog park. The Park Started at the Lutheran Trinity Church, just north of Franklin Street in Morris Plains. The plan was to meet at the church and walk about 0.7 miles through bucolic Morris Plains to the location of the new dog park in the new Morris County Central Park. This is the park that is being established at the new property Morris county obtained from the closed Greystone Psychiatric Campus. It is pretty exciting and that is why Kathy and I want to support it.
Scraps and Rags walking to the new dog park.
It was a beautiful autumn morning in Morris Plains. The trees were about a week past prime but due to the recent gorgeous weather, most of the colorful leaves were on the trees and not on the ground; and we do know that in Morris Plains the leaves inevitably fall to the ground. In parts of western Morris County some are trying to stop this inevitability.
The sheriff has some big a$s dogs
The dog park will be the responsibility and owned by the Morris County Park Commission but they still have to get the park raised up on their budgetary hierarchy so it is still some time away from opening but they have a site which is 90% of the battle. Dignitaries at the walk who I would like to thank for supporting the effort included Morris Plains, Mayor Frank Druetzler, Morris County Sheriff Ed Rochford, Morris County Freeholder John Murphy. Also there from the Morris County Family were Dave Helmer and Denise Lanza of the Park Commission and and the Park Commission’s chairman Judy Schliecher. Then let us not forget Morris County’s Recycling and Solid Waste Coordinators Kathleen Hourihan and your humble narrator Larry Gindoff. There were probably some others that I am forgetting but let us not forget the real stars of the show. The dogs and the beautiful setting for the park.
Build it and they will come. Come Rags. Come Scraps.
The walk started at the church and there must have been 40 dogs in all. Usually I would be embarrassed by Rags in that situation but Rags was on her best behavior and so were most of the dogs. I was impressed. It wasn’t until we sat down to listen to the speakers that Rags misbehaved when a dog or two came over to sniff where we were sitting. And even then, it wasn’t all that bad. I think it really helped that we walked at a fast pace from home to the dog walk and that probably tired out Rags a bit. I was even able to let Frank Druetzler walk Rags for a while and she handled that great. Scraps was on his usual best behavior.
Morris Plains Mayor Frank Druetzler walks Rags during the walk.
In the end kathy and I both donated money to the Morris County Park Alliance which is a non-porofit established to funnel money to the Morris County park system from some donners that cannot donate money directly to a governmental orginazation. It seems that the Park Commisson needs to generate some donated money to help fund the dog park and that will give them the ability to push it over the edge. Hey whatever it takes, thanks to all who are involved.
This was displayed at the dog walk.
Larry and Rags heading to the Critical Mass ride in Morristown, August 29, 2008
It was the last Friday of the month and in Morristown, NJ for the past year that has meant a critical mass bicycle ride through the streets of Morristown. This month we took Rags with us in the cushy bike carrier as Kathy and I joined what must have been at least 200 other bikers in the ride. This was the one-year anniversary of this ride and is coincidentally just over the one-year anniversary of me riding to work on my bike. I feel connected to this ride as it has advanced along the same bike path as me.
Mayors Nace, Cresitello and Hussa are just a few of the Morristown Mayors who biked in the critical mass bicycle ride.
This was a giant ride including lots of dignitaries besides Rags. Morristown Mayor Cresitello rode in the ride along with Denville Mayor Hussa, Morris Township Mayor Nace, Parsippany Mayor Luther, Morris County Freeholder and Wharton Mayor Chedwiggen and I’m sure a few others I didn’t know about. We saw Rebecca Feldman who is a councilman of Morristown. The primary theme of the ride was biking to work so people were encouraged to wear suits and work clothing. I wore a tie around a golf shirt while Kathy wore a pink sports jacket. There’s probably a woman’s name for this type of sports jacket but I’m not sure what it would be. Marty was there, Paul Miller, Steve the Saturday morning bike rider who I had no recollection of was also there. There was “thay guy” and oh yeah, “that guy” and “we’ve seen that woman before.” Everyone seemed to be at this ride. I captured lots of it on video as I was hauling Rags around so enjoy it. Unfortunately, since Rags was behind me and I was recording the ride I got like no footage of Rags. You hear her barking a bit and people commenting about her.
Rags on the bike at the Critical Mass Ride in July 2008
Along the ride Rags would bark if Kathy was riding ahead of me. Rags enjoyed looking behind me and seeing Kathy. We stopped for Pizza at Milanos on the way home. It was dripping rain a bit but not too badly. We ate the pizza outside in it and then rode home. Nice and quick through Morristown.
Since you miss the dog dfor the most part on the bike ride video, below is a video compilation of Scraps and Rags playing ball and playing in the agility park at the Denville Dog Park the night before (August 28, 2008). For a little while Duke and Link the Dogs were there playing with them, but for the most part it was just Kathy, Scraps, Rags and a tennis ball.
The unofficial, undergound poster for this critical mass ride.
Rags barking at the neighbors prior to gogin to the dog park.
Categories: Bike · Rags
Tagged: Bike, Morristown, Rags
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