I do like ice cream...yes I do!

What I did over the summer by Gizmo Savory

I finally convinced my mom to update my blog. With the help of my dad here is the story of what I did this summer. I was a very busy boy, but I had alot of fun!

Well it all started in around May when my mom and dad said I was going to get re-tired (I never did see any tires and couldn't quite figure out how you get them on something that has no rims, but I didn't think I really wanted to find out so I kinda left it alone.) Anyway shortly after that me and a bunch of my friends and their mom's and dad's started meeting at Shawnigan Lake for a swim on Saturdays. It started out just being for a fun get together but as the summer progressed our parents started to get us more focused on certain exercises. It was still a lot of fun and sometimes if I was really good I would get part of a bran muffin or something. Now you know that I don't usually eat any kind of food let alone human food but after I have been swimming for a while I could eat just about anything. Soon we were pulling in boats and adding in some handling to the mix. I like the boat pulling the best!

oh alright then, I like riding in the boat the best but if someone needed saving I could if I wanted to pull the boat to shore!

On the last weekend in August we all went up to Hornby Island for a few days and stayed at my property up there. You already know that Hornby is one of my most favorite places in the whole world. The beaches are just awesome and on some days we go to four or more beaches in one day! I love it!!! We all practiced everyday and had a great time!

Once we came back from Hornby we practiced more but at our beach near our house in the ocean. My mom and dad were getting me all ready for my water test. I was working all summer towards my Water Dog Title, and now I was going to get tested.

But that is when I pointed out my injury on my paw. I had an infection and it required an operation and stitches and meds and everything. I wasn't allowed to get it wet for weeks....so guess out...I missed my test.

But I sure had a lot of fun learning and the swimming was such a relief from the warm summer we had!

Now the staff have got me this new body harness and the wheeled thing they want to attach me and the new harness to. I really like the new harness (it has my name on it too) but I don’t know about the wheeled thing . It looks like a lot of work top me (I think I can feel my foot getting sore again). They tell me it’s what we are going to be doing until the national so I guess I should make the best of it besides it seems to humour the staff.

By for now Gizmo

PS I will let you know how the wheeled thing goes.

I thought that bears hibernated in the winter...................

I Rescued My Mom Today!

Well this isn't really me, but I can dream big, can't I...

We are progressing quite well with our Water Training. It's one of my most favourite things to do. Today we were only allowed into the water one at a time, and we went through the steps to the test. Once the on land obedience is done, which is basically showing some control, which I have to tell you, beleive it or not, I'm exhibiting a wee bit of control these days. Mom says it's because I'm older and wiser and by now I should know what is expected of me. Yeah OK mom..whatever!! So after the heeling, recall and the one minute down it's into the water we go, again exhibiting control the whole time of course. There are five exercises that I must complete in order to pass my water test. Which takes place in September. The first one is "Simple Retrieve" Dad throws my favourite bumper into the water and when dad tells me to go get it I must swim directly to it and return it to dads hand. Just like the exercise says "Simple" right? Exercise 2 is the "Marked Retrieve" This is when an item gets dropped in the water about 50 feet from the shore, I'm not supposed to see it drop. The item could be a boat cushion or a life jacket. Dad will point it out to me and when he says "GO" I am released to get the item and return it again to dad's hand. A little more difficult but I think I can do it. Exercise 3 oh I like exercise 3 its "Tow the Boat" I sit at he shore with dad and 75 feet from shore is a boat. The person in the boat attracts my attention by calling and tossing a bumper that is attached to the boat into the water. When dad tells me I swim out and grab the bumper and return to shore. Again I must give the rope to dad's hand. Exercise 4 is the hardest one for me and I'm still trying to get this one down. It's "Take a Line" naturally I like to bring things in from the water, it's really hard for me to grasp the concept of taking something out to the water, but mom is hoping with lots of practice that I will figure this one out. I have to take a 75 foot floating line out to someone in the water that is 50 feet away from me. The person that I take the line to has to be a stranger, and I'm not real keen about going to strangers. Something that I was told when I was younger, never talk to strangers. The exercise is complete when the stranger has hold of the line. And finally exercise 5 is "Swim with Handler" I love swimming with my dad so I think I can nail this one too. Dad and I will wait at the shore until instucted to wade into the water for a swim. We will swim out about 20 feet and then turn to the shore at which time dad hitches a ride and I tow him into shore. Once I am able to walk dad will stand up and we walk to the shore together. And thats it, once I complete all 5 exercises I pass the test and am awarded the title of "WD" Water Dog. So what do you think, can I do it? You bet! I just need alot of practice and I'm going to ace this test! Wish be luck! I'll keep you posted on my progress until then. Gizzy

Water Training

Every Saturday our Newfie club puts on Water Rescue Training. It's so much fun. We all gather at Shawnigan Lake and we have 2 hours of endless fun. We start off doing some dry land training, obedience kinda stuff. Then it's into the water. We have 3 separate beach areas as well as a dock for jumping off of. I had never jumped off a dock before, it was a little scary at first but I finally made the plunge and went in over my head. Dad threw my orange buoy in and I jumped in after it, then dad jumped in to swim with me to the shore. I gotta tell ya it was soooo much fun!!! but boy was I tired afterwards! I live for Saturday mornings!! Gizzy

Gizmo Passes the Test!!!

So mom and dad have been doing alot of training with me, and I wasn't too sure where we were going with it. Other than the fact that I've been getting a whole lot of yummy treats when I do what they ask me. These treats are very very special mom calls them "Cinnamircles" and I love them!!!

But it finally hit me. The other night we were out and I had to be on my best behaviour, there was alot of other dogs there as well. Dad took me through a series of different experiences, like meeting a stranger, letting that stranger pat me, comb me.

I then had to walk thru a bit of a course where the Evaluator gets you to turn in different directions, slow down, speed up and halt when told to.

I had to walk through a group of strangers, do my down and stay ( I like my down and stay) come when called, walk by some kind of distraction, walk through a door, and you know you never walk through first, always let your mom or dad go first, just in case there is something on the other side your not sure of. Had a little play session with dad and then settle down, (that was easy) then get left alone with a stranger for 3 minutes...all of this without relieving myself, which I was very proud not to do. Some of the other dogs didn't pass because they had to relieve themselves. But dad made sure we looked after that before the exam.

So in the end I passed and got this really cool looking rosette, got my picture taken and got letters at the end of my name. It's official, I'm now "CH Mainsail's Blackbeary Express CGN"...which stands for Canine Good Neighbour!

I'm not sure whats in store for me yet, but I'm thinking it might have something to do with either water or carts. Just no rest!

My life is never boring, well except when mom and dad go to work.

Gizzy

Gizmo gets his first Group Placement

Mom is just so excited, and I really don't know what all the fuss is about. She spends hours washing, drying, combing and clipping me, which I endure just to keep her happy and for what? A couple minutes in the ring, where I'm looked at and touched in the most inappropriate places by some strange person!
But today was different. I didn't just get one turn in the ring, I was invited back again, this time with various types of dogs, not just the newfies. It was all so new to me, I can remember this happening once before when I was a young lad, but that was awhile ago.
I had quite a cheering committee, whenever I went around the ring I could hear them clapping and hooting for me, that was cool!
Then we are all lined up and the judge starts picking dogs and putting them in a different line, and I was one of them!!!


We do one more lap around the ring and more clapping and cheering and the next thing I know dad has this big white rossette in his hands for moi being 4th in the Working Group!

When we came out of the ring there was a bunch of hugging and more cheering, and there she was, my girlfriend Olive, who was ringside watching the whole thing! She is such a sweet young girl, and she gets me going everytime she comes near. We got to play around a bit until dad said I wasn't allowed to climb on her....he spoiled my fun!

All in all it was a very good day despite the problems dad had with the truck on the way to the show. But we got that fixed on our way home. With a side trip to Dairy Queen for an ice cream cone....yummy!!

After a big dinner I was so ready for a sleep! Until next weekend when rumour has it they have me in another show, this time its for 3 days!!!...oh the horror of it all!

Gizzy

Oh I have been one busy boy!

Mom and dad are on vacation and they are keeping me soooo busy! I've had no time for napping. First of all we got some great company from Germany. Jutta and Jurgen, I wasn't too sure of them at first but after a few days it was like they belonged here! We headed up to my most favorite place in the whole world, can you guess...yup Hornby Island. Jutta and Jurgen just loved it as well. They were wondering where all the people were. We spent alot of time at the beach and we were pretty much the only ones there!

Well besides the eagles, which there was alot of!

I met alot of people on the ferries as well as at the store. Hornby has 2 stores one of which is the Co-op, and that is where most people do their shopping.

These three girls were camping and we pretty much fell in love with each other. They asked if they could take me back to their campsite....hahaha mom said sure! But that never happened.
We made it back home from Hornby just in time to go to water training. Jutta and Jurgen had never seen it done before. There was 8 of us newfie types and we did dry land training. We practiced take, hold and release with all kinds of objects like buoys, life jackets, rope...you name it, if it fit in our mouth we were working with it! Then we did a bit of obedience training, heeling, turning, long stays and coming when called. Our next training session should see us in the water! I can't wait, cause mom and dad have been practicing alot with me in the water, this dry land stuff is well for hangashores...(oops sorry Satch)


We took Jutta and Jurgen to the airport a couple days later to see them off. Again I met alot of people there. Mom took me inside even tho the sign said "No dogs Allowed", but hey who's the dog?

Now I'm getting ready for a dog show this weekend. I got to go swimming this morning, and a big bath and mom put all this goopey stuff in my coat that makes me smell pretty...hey mom I'm a boy, I'm not supposed to smell pretty!

And now its time for me to have a well deserved rest. If you feel the ground shake don't worry it's just me snoring!


Thanks for reading
Your friend Gizmo