Merry Christmas!!

Today was my first Christmas with Ms. Beth and her family in Pickens! What a great time we had! All of the doggies got treats when the family exchanged gifts, we had a yummy Christmas dinner, a long walk in the woods and lots of time for naps!! I enjoyed ever momen!

Hope that your Christmas was everything that you hoped it would be too!! Merry Christmas !!

Christmas Shopping

On Saturday I went Christmas shopping with Ms. Beth. We went down to Pupcakes on Devine Street and we picked up a stocking my picture painted on it!!! How cool!!

I also had the best time playing with the toys and the friendly staff at Pupcakes. The tossed the tennis ball for me repeatedly. They are my new bestest friends :)

If you are interested in getting a handpainted Christmas stocking similar to mine, please stop by Pupcakes on Devine Street or visit their website at: http://www.pupcakespetboutique.com/

Hunt Test!

Last Saturday morning Ms. Beth woke me up and said it was time to "Load Up" with Aunt Madison! We trucked off to Jedburg, SC for the Greater Charleston Weimeraner Club Hunt Test event where Madison was entered in the Junior Hunter division.
Ms. Beth took me around and socialized me with many of the other dogs and people, because she wants be to become familiar with the sounds and goings-ons at hunt tests so that I will ready when my turn comes!!
In the picture you can see how our friend Tony was showing me the ropes along with his dog Torrie. We've never seen a bird like THAT before!!! It was cool!!
Everytime we passed that truck, I made sure to let Ms. Beth know that there were BIRDS over THERE!!! She said it was funny. Whatever !! I really wanted to get those birds!!!!
Miss. Madison had her 15 minute run in the field with her bracemate and the Judges! The backfield was kind of think and Ms. Beth was in a hurry to get to the birdfield. Miss Madison had different plans though!! She went on point on the backfield and at first Ms. Beth could't find the bird.... until she walked behind the tree Miss Madison was pointing at!! And there was the bird!
Miss Madison found another bird in the backfield not 2 minutes later! Ms. Beth said that's the big lesson that she's had to learn about these hunt tests as compared to showing in Rally or Obedience, you really have to learn to trust your dog, to follow the dog's lead...they are the experts out in the field!!
Because she's listened to Miss Madison and followed her lead, they received a qualifying score that day!! Yay!!! Miss Madison now only needs 2 more qualifying scores to earn her JH title!!
I can't wait until it's my turn to start training and performing in Hunt Tests! This is going to be so much fun and I can't WAIT to show Ms. Beth that I can do it!!!

It's Starting to Feel a Lot Like Christmas!!

Last Saturday, I got to go with Ms. Beth to pick out our Christmas tree at the Columbia State Farmers Market!! There are a number of different vendors there selling live Christmas trees, garlands and wreaths from North Carolina. It took Ms. Beth a while to pick out a tree, but FINALLY, she decided on a perfect tree!!

Once we got it home and inside the house, she spent lots of time making us listen to Christmas music and made us worry while she dragged all of the Christmas decorations out of the attic!

Then, she made us take pictures next to the tree as she was decorating it! I've never heard of such a thing, but Uncle Jackson says that she does this every year. Oh well, I guess it's pretty fun. I definitely like having a live tree in the house and checking out all of the pretty, dangling ornaments ;)

Well, we've been busy!! Last weekend I got my first exposure to live quail birds and I was super excited about them!! Jackson and Madison were out taking turns with some other setters. They were all practicing for an upcoming AKC Pointing Breed Hunt Test. Afterwords, they planted a quail out in the field to see what I would do. I was mostly focused on Ms. Beth the whole time, but once I found that quail and I realized that there were MORE quail on the back of the truck.... well, I think I like quail as much as I like Ms. Beth!!!

After that we went back to my first home at Hollow Creek Kennel in Leesville, SC. http://boykinsforever.com/ I had a good time visiting with Ms. Pat and getting to know a family that was there picking out a puppy! Fun times!

For Thanksgiving, Ms. Beth took me down to South Georgia to visit with her extended family. Uncle Jackson and I were a big hit with the kids because he and I both get really excited about playing fetch!!! We fetched pinecones, tennis balls and rubber balls. We fetched and we fetched till we were exhausted. Aunt Madison doesn't fetch, so she just hung out on the back of the truck and looked pretty :) ha, ha. I think Thanksgiving is my new favorite holiday!!!! It's the day where I get to stay outside all day long and play non-stop with kids and Ms. Beth :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

I just want to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving Holiday!! Ms. Beth made me pose in the yard next to her fall harvest display. It was not very exciting when I was sitting there by myself, but I did enjoy sitting with my Uncle Jackson a lot more :)

Hope that you all have a wonderful time with your family and friends !

Hill's Healthier Pet Trot!

On Saturday morning, Ms. Beth got us up pretty early for a weekend and said that I was going with her. Aunt Madison was pretty disappointed, but Ms. Beth promised her that she could be in the next race ;)

Ms. Beth and I drove up the Statehouse grounds where we completed our pre-registration commitment by donating some dog food and I received a cute red scarf to wear during the walk.

The Hill's Healthier Pet Trot was held in conjunction with the Governor's Cup 1/2 Marathon and 8K run. Ms. Beth entered me in the 4 mile pet trot because she hasn't wanted me to do a lot of running on pavement until I was past my first birthday. Something about growing bones and joints??? Oh well, I'm past my first birthday now and I'm ready to do some real training!!!

Although the walk was fun and I enjoyed meeting all of the people, I really wanted to catch up with all of those people running ahead of us!!!!!

While we were walking I was able to see some other dog breeds also participating including a German Shepard, a Sheltie, a Weimaraner and many others. So great to see so many people out with their pets! Exercising with your pets is good for them and good for you ;)

My Birthday!!

Well, Ms. Beth has been super busy and she hasn't been posting a lot about me on the blog, but that doesn't mean that she hasn't been doing things with me!!! Since my last post, I've completed my first basic obedience course, and now I'm in training to earn my AKC Canine Good Citizens Certificate. Will have more information about that in the near future!!

October 20th was my birthday, and Ms. Beth took me to Pupcakes! Pupcakes is a fun doggie shop in the 5 Points area of Columbia. While visiting Pupcakes, I met my first doggie pirate! Arghhh!! http://www.pupcakespetboutique.com/

After selecting a fun Halloween treat, I accompanied Ms. Beth and her friend Erin for lunch at Yesterday's resturant where they have outside seating. The waiter even brought me my own bowl of water! While having lunch there, I hung out under Ms. Beth's chair and just took it all in. At one point it was very exciting because a big firetruck came by. Ms. Beth said she was super proud of me because I didn't miss a beat..... just took it all in stride. I figured if she wasn't worried, why should I be worried???

I also go to experience my first Halloween with Trick-or-Treaters! There were lots of visitors in all shapes and sizes! I accompanied Ms. Beth to the door everytime so that I could view all of the creative costumes. At one point, I decided that I would venture off down the street with the Trick-or-Treaters, but Ms. Beth disagreed and called me back to stay with her. Maybe next year I can go Trick or Treating too!!!!

Right now, I've got to get to bed because Ms. Beth has entered us in the 4 mile, First Annual Hill's Healthier Pet Trot in Columbia! The "race" starts at 8:00 am, so we'll have to be there early. For more information about this great new event, check out: http://governorscupsc.org/PDFs/2009HealthierPetTrot.pdf

All in all, we've been busy, and will continue to busy for the rest of the Fall season. I will try to get Ms. Beth to post pictures of the Pet Trot as soon as I can ;)

First Confirmation Show

On Saturday, I traveled with Ms. Beth and her friend Loren down to Augusta, Georgia for and AKC confirmation show. Ms. Beth entered me into the Miscellaneous Breed Class for Boykin Spaniel puppies. I had to wear a special show lead and we could only trot around the ring. I really wanted to run FAST... but Ms. Beth said that we could only trot.

Next she asked me to stop and stand still while she fiddled with my feet and made them all nice and straight. She said that she wanted me to stand squarely... whatever that means!!

Then a lady judge came over. First she looked at my teeth, and then she felt my neck, shoulders, back and back legs. Whew!!! All I wanted to do was go play with my cousin Woody who was in the ring with us!!!!

The best part about all of this was that I got to eat lots of hotdog! Ms. Beth told me that I was a very well behaved boy and then we got to go outside and socialize and that was fun! I earned a ribbon and I was glad that Ms. Beth was happy. She says that we're off to a good start. Check out the pictures of my ribbons. I earned 1st place in my puppy class and also received Winners Dog and the Best of Breed Ribbon. Fun stuff!!

Can't wait until December when the Boykin Spaniels will be fully recognized by the AKC and I will be able to start earning points towards my Championship! Ms. Beth says that we're going to have a BLAST :)

1st Trip to the Beach!

For Labor Day weekend, Ms. Beth took me to Crescent Beach in St. Augustine, FL! I was very excited about the beach! The smells, the birds, and all of that space!! I got to play with my new toy and I just couldn't get enough of retreiving my toy from the waves. It was challenging and I had to learn to grab the toy quickly before the waves took it away, but I loved the challenge! Ms. Beth thinks that I could play at the beach all day long, every day!!

While there we met people from Georgia, South Carolina and Florida. Lots of people stopped to talk and watch me. Many people correctly guessed that I was a spaniel, but none of them had seen a Boykin Spaniel before, so Ms. Beth had to tell them all about me and my breed characteristics. All I wanted her to do was just throw the toy!! Throw the toy!!! Throw the toy!! I had to keep reminding her ;)

All in all we had a GREAT weekend and I can't wait for my next trip to the beach!!!

Big Boy Collar and a New Toy!

After spending some time hanging out with the sporting dogs last weekend, Ms. Beth decided that I definitely need to practice my swimming more and that I need a retreiving toy! We took a trip to the pet store, and I got to pick out a fun new orange Kong made just for retreiving in water! I can't wait to try it out in the water, but in the meantime, I'm having a good time playing with it on land!!

While we were shopping Ms. Beth also decided that I was old enough for a big boy collar and after much debating and trying on of various colors and styles, she chose a blue SC collar with the Palmetto Tree on it. It fit me perfectly the first time she put it on and had a great time showing it off to some of the the other shoppers at the store, which led to a discussion about how the Boykin Spaniel has been recognized the S.C. Legislature as the State Dog of South Carolina. How cool!!! What do you think of my new big boy collar?

While we were out and about today, we also saw our first car sporting the new Boykin Spaniel license tag! That was fun too! All in all, it was definitely a great day to be a Boykin Spaniel in South Carolina!!

Rally Training for Sporting Dogs!!

We got up early this Saturday to head out to Eastover, SC so that we could do some Rally training with some other sporting dogs. Two pointers (Sport and Pine), two Weimerianers (Denning and Dixie), an Irish Setter (Jackson) and me!! (I just went to socialize and tag along, but Uncle Jackson definitely did some hardcore training :) After everyone practiced, we had the opportunity to survey the property boundaries, through the trees, across streams, up hills and everywhere in between!
We ended up with a swim at the little pond at the end of the trail, and I got to practice my swimming skills again. Ms. Beth is still concerned that I don't swim very efficiently.... I splash a lot and haven't learned to just level out and propel myself forward with my legs underwater!! I tell her I just need more practice :)
She also needs to get me a retreiving dummy. I am soooo excited about retreiving, I am much more inclined to go swimming if I'm actually retreiving something..... especially if I have to beat another dog to get there first! (I am just a wee bit competitive :)
All in all, it was a GREAT day and I'm so glad that I got to tag along and train with the sporting dogs!! They are such great fun :)

Trip to Atlanta

This past weekend, Ms. Beth took me down to Atlanta to visit with her brother! We stayed right off of Peachtree street and I had to practice my leash manners. It was tough because there were so many things to see and smell. The traffic and noise didn't bother me a bit! Ms. Beth was worrying needlessly!!

We also went down to the AKC dog show that was being held in Atlanta that same weekend. This was a big, All-Breed show, which also included obedience and rally competitions. Ms. Beth says that soon I will be training and competing in those rings!! We cheered for our friend Corey the Gordon Setter. (see him in the pics). We also cheered for other Gordon Setters in the confirmation and rally rings.

As you can see from the funny picture above, Ms. Beth took a self-portrait of us at the dog show. I don't know why she is making that funny face. I look a bit worried in the picture, but rest assured, I had a good time at the dog show, checking out the vendors, visiting with other dogs and just generally having an all around good time!

Visitor!

I have been having the best week! Which is good, because last week we lost our "Kitten". Ms. Beth and Madison have been a little bit down in the mouth about losing Kitten. I have tried to perk both of them up, but I'm not sure if I was overly successful. Oh, well, I tried.

Anyway, my friend Stitch, the French Bulldog mix has been staying at our house all week! I have shared all of my toys with Stitch, and we have had lots of fun barking at strangers, playing fetch, tormenting Uncle Jackson, wrestling and running around the yard! Stitch is a lot more active than the Setters and Ms. Beth says he might actually tire me out a little bit! I find that to be highly unlikely, but Stitch is a lot of fun and I am running around a lot more now that he's here. I love having friends over :)

Kalmia Garden at Coker College

Yesterday was a great adventure for me! Ms. Beth and I left Columbia to travel up to Marlboro and Darlington Counties to visit good friends. We saw lots of soybeans and cotton in the fields, but not a lot of people. It was HOT out there!!

First we stopped to visit our good friend Brad and his family. I had the best time fetching the tennis ball and showing everyone just how consistent I can be. After a while, though I was pooped! Ms. Beth said that's the first time that's ever happenend!!

Our next stop was to visit Ms. Mary Ridgeway who is the Director of Kalmia Botanical Gardens at Coker College in Hartsville , South Carolina. She took us through the new raised bed education garden, and a short hike through the bike trails around the big house and surrounding facilities. The best part, is that Mary brought her cute little dog Birdie with us! Birdie is such a flirt and I had a good time walking through the gardens with her!

Kalmia Gardens is a public garden and outdoor classroom that has been open to the public since the 1930s. It has a wide variety of horticulture specimens, beautiful facilities such as the Historic Thomas Hart House and its surrounding garden spots, as well as over 2 miles of bicycle and walking trails. For more information about beautiful Kalmia Gardens, please visit: http://www.coker.edu/kalmia/

Ms. Beth promises me that we will go back again when the weather is cooler. I can't wait!!!

Socialization at PetSmart

Yesterday was fun! Ms. Beth took me for a ride in the car and we went up to the PetSmart store! It was FULL of smells and people and other dogs. I was very excited, but Ms. Beth said that I was a good boy to stick close to her and the shopping buggy.
While we were there we stopped by to visit with our friend Phyllis Beasley who is a Nutro representative, and she also teaches Rally classes at the Greater Columbia Obedience Club. Phyllis was impressed by how much I've grown! And she told me what a handsome boy I was becoming :) I like Phyllis!!
Ms. Beth and Phyllis compared dog training tips and ideas, while I had to practice my sits and my patience while waiting on them. I really, really wanted to go check out all of the toys and fun chewies they had!!
Ms. Beth told me that she was proud of my behavior and that I was a good boy. She also had a special name plate made with my name and our home contact information on it. She says that way if I ever get seperated from her, and someone else finds me, they can get in contact with her so the we can be reunited. I told her, I don't EVER want that to happen, but was super glad to have my new name plate. Now I'm just like Madison and Jackson and I have a collar that "tinkles" when I walk!!!
Hope that you are all having a good week! Can't wait to tell you about my next adventure, wherever it may be!!

New Boykin Spaniel License Plate

I am so excited! I just found out that the SC DMV office is now offering Boykin Spaniel license plates for your vehicle!! I have been jumping for joy and begging Ms. Beth to drive down to the DMV office so that we can sign up for a new tag. How awesome is that? Now everywhere she goes, she'll be able to show off the Boykin Spaniel breed and she'll have a constant reminder of me wherever she might be. For more information about the new tag, check out this link: http://www.thestate.com/breaking/story/882310.html

Show your support for the Boykin Spaniel Foundation by signing up for your own vehicle tag. Wear it with pride!!

SC Commissioner's School for Agriculture

This past week, I spent the entire week visiting with Ms. Beth's parents up in the Upstate. Ms. Beth is a staff member for the S.C. Commissioner's School for Agriculture, which is a partnership between Clemson University and the S.C. Department of Agriculture.

The program is geared towards rising high school juniors and seniors who are interested in learning about career opportunities in agriculture, forestry and natural resources. The students must supmit an application and go through a selection process to participate in this weeklong event.

While at Commissioner's School, the students have the opportunity to participate in water quality stream assessments, learn about the University farms and current research projects, hike through the Clemson Experimental Forest, create and market a Smoothie drink made from Certified SC Grown produce, and a number of other programs. Students hear from various professionals in the agriculture, forestry and natural resources industry, as well as developing leadership skills and even participating in an etiquette dinner.

I hated that she had to be away from me for a week, but I think that all 33 participants had a great time this year! I'm hoping that maybe next year I'll get to tag along ;)

For more information about the SC Commissioner's School for Agriculture, please visit: http://www.clemson.edu/cafls/sccsa/index.html

Farmers Market on a Saturday morning !

This morning Ms. Beth and I went to visit the new Brookland Baptist Church Community Farmers Market on Hwy 378 in West Columbia, SC. It was fun! We met lots of nice people and we got to sample some yummy products!! Check out the pictures of the juicy blackberries from Chesnee, and the sweet peaches and ripe tomatoes from Swansea! Enjoying the fresh fruits of a South Carolina summer! Nothing's Fresher. Nothings Finer!

Pool Fun!

For the 4th of July celebration, Ms. Beth and I went to visit our good friends Tony & Anna, and all of their dogs. Best of all, they have a great big swimming pool, which was so nice to enjoy on the hot 4th of July!

I've been in lakes and ponds, but never a swimming pool! It was kinda scary at first, but Ms. Beth looked like she was having a good time. I rode on a float for a while, but that wasn't that much fun. Then, someone got out the tennis ball..... and my fear of the clear, blue water quickly disappeared!!

Ms. Beth says I need to take swimming lessons because I splash too much! Apparently there's an art to swimming, and I need to practice! But you can bet that I didn't let that stop me from chasing the tennis ball!! I got a little worried when I couldn't get the ball on the first grab or two, but Ms. Beth encouraged me to keep going for it and I got it!!!!

I swam back to her every time and made her throw it again and again! She made me take turns with Grace the Springer Spaniel because she said that she was worried that I would overheat or drown myself. WHATEVER!!! I love tennis balls and I love chasing them into the pool!!

Now she'll just have to take me more often so that I can practice my swimming ;)

Happy 4th of July!!

Ms. Beth has been busy preparing for a big celebration! She told me that tomorrow is the Birthday or Independence day for the United States of America, and that means lots of grilling out, fun in the sun and water, and an all-around big celebration!

She was busy making a watermelon pie, and I was hanging around, watching her every move. So, she took me outside, and offered me my own slice of fresh, ripe South Carolina Watermelon! YUMMY!!!!

She had to hold it for me, and she laughed at me because she said that I looked like a typewriter going back and forth in a line eating my watermelon, but I didn't care! It was so sweet, and juicy... I think it's my new favorite treat!

So, here's to wishing you all a very happy and safe 4th of July celebration this year, and make sure to stock up on lots of tasty treats, like the fresh South Carolina Watermelon that we enjoyed today :) To find locations where fresh South Carolina watermelons are sold please visit: http://www.certifiedscgrown.com/