Staying at "Ritz Carlton"

When we went to Tauranga for a championship last weekend, we stayed at a motel called Ritz Carlton Motel. Although the name might sound familiar to some of you, it actually has no resemblance with the world wide hotel chain, The Ritz-Carlton.

When I was looking for accommodation in Tauranga, I found two pet friendly motels in the area (I later found another one after making a booking at the Ritz Carlton). I chose Ritz Carlton over the other one, because the motel has a hot therapeutic mineral pool with each unit. Although the other one also has private thermal pools, not every unit in the motel has one, and the rate for their unit with a thermal pool was more expensive than that of Ritz Carlton.

As soon as we arrived at the motel, Cinnamon started checking the rooms and the hot pool area.





When I looked at photos on the motel's website, I thought that the hot pool was indoor. But, it was actually in an outdoor space, adjacent to the unit (the unit has a large window with curtains on the pool side) and enclosed by high walls. It was so nice and relaxing to be soaking in the warm mineral water, stargazing!!




At the motel, guests in the units on our both sides had a dog or dogs. A couple staying in the unit on our right had a basset hound and they were also from Auckland. They said that they were thinking about moving to Tauranga. And a woman staying in the unit on our left had more than one dog. When we saw dogs in crates in her van, my husband and I said to each other, half joking, that those dogs might be competing at the agility championship that we were going to (At that time we didn't see the owner of the dogs). Then, the next morning, when we were loading our luggage in our car, a woman, who I had remembered from previous agility trials, came out of the unit!

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Update on Cookie's condition:

Today we were sent to the Veterinary Specialist Group (VSG) pet hospital, after I reported our vet that Cookie's condition was not getting better. When I rang the pet hospital to make an appointment for a consultation, a receptionist said "I remember you!" in a cheerful voice. But, I didn't know whether I should be pleased to be remembered or not. VSG's specialist fees are so expensive that we always tell our dogs not to go there whenever we pass by the pet hospital.



At VSG we saw the same surgeon who had done an initial consultation when Cookie had a slipped disk two years ago. After letting Cookie walk to see how he walked and examining his body carefully, the surgeon gave a diagnosis, another slipped disk in the neck. But, this new one seems to be much less acute, so he doesn't need to have an X-ray or any medication at this stage, let alone an operation. All that is required for now is a complete rest. Thus, he will have to stay in his crate for another couple of weeks.

Tauranga Jumpers Championship

We took part in our first championship on Sunday. As the venue, Morland Fox Park in Tauranga, is over 200km away from Auckland, we went to Tauranga on Saturday and stayed in a motel that allows dogs in the units.



Do you want to know the results? We entered three competitions, Jumpers C1, C2, and C3, and got a run with two faults, a Clear Round, and a DQ. After we did our first run in Jumpers C1, I felt a significant improvement in Cinnamon's concentration. At our second run in Jumpers C2, we finally got our first Clear Round in a championship!



After the first two runs, we had to wait for four hours and a half before our final run in Jumpers C3.



After having a nap in the car, I started warming up well before our turn by doing obedience exercises and tricks, in order to concentrate again. But, it seems it was a shallow idea. When our turn came around, both Cinnamon and I were already exhausted. Look at this. Everything went in a bad way. No focus!!



However, it was a fruitful experience and I am satisfied with our results.


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Update on Cookie's condition: His walking still looks unsteady, but he doesn't shiver from pain any more. It seems he knows he should avoid jumping.

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Finally I would like to show you Cookie's entry to Honey's Spectacular Slobber Contest.



If you click the pic to enlarge it, you can see how his slobber is bent halfway :-)

Not young forever

What is Cookie doing in a crate?

Last week, when he tried to jump on a couch, he yelped and started shaking. Such an incident happened twice in the last week, and the symptom at the second time was worse than the first time. When he became like that the second time on Saturday, his shivering continued nearly half an hour. At that time I thought "A slipped disk? Not again!!" But, unlike the time he had a slipped disk in the neck and had an operation, his condition didn't deteriorate.

This week I took Cookie to the vet for an annual checkup, and then I told the vet about Cookie's condition. To my relief, the vet's diagnosis was a simple back pain that has nothing to do with spinal injuries.

Just in case, I will keep him in his crate most of the day and take him out only for shot walks on the lead until Monday. But, it seems Cookie doesn't mind it, because he spends most of his day having a nap anyway.

Beagle Walk in the Auckland Domain

We went to a Beagle Walk at the Auckland Domain on Saturday. The Auckland Beagle Club holds Beagle Walks every other month at various places in different areas around Auckland.

Although rain was forecast, we were lucky enough to make a full circle around the big park before it started raining midday.

We met at a car park near the duck pond.



Set off for a walk at 10:40am.



Cinnamon was so excited that she couldn't stop barking at first.



The first stop at the Valkyrie Fountain.



A group snapshot in front of the Auckland War Memorial Museum.



Cookie's snapshot.



The last stop at the Wintergardens.



Soon after we got back in our car to go home shortly after midday, it started raining.

Well done, Cinnamon!!!

Cinnamon did a great job this weekend!! Not in Agility though, but she helped find a missing cat.

When we came back from our morning walk, a couple were looking inside the gate of our next-door neighbour's house, which I was looking after as the owners of the house were away. So, I asked if they were visiting the owners of the house. Then, the husband said that their cat had been hit by a car and their neighbour had seen the cat getting into the property right after the accident. We looked around together after I took Cookie and Cinnamon home, as the cat would be scared of the dogs. But we couldn't find him at that time.

In the evening just before sunset I went over to the property again, this time with Cinnamon. I was thinking she might be able to sniff out the cat, as she has such a good nose that she often starts tracking the scent of a dog that has passed by before we see it. As soon as she entered the backyard, she started sniffing around a bush beside a deck. She even tried to climb over the bush to poke into under the deck. It was an unusual behaviour for her. I had never seen her do that in the neighbour's backyard, which she had been to many times. However, we still couldn't find the cat.

And first thing in the next morning I heard the owners of the missing cat calling his name, Oscar. So, I went out and looked for the cat again together with them. The red eyes of the wife showed that she hadn't had much sleep. In the afternoon, the wife visited us and said she wanted to have a look under the deck later with a torch after her husband came back from work, because she remembered I had told her that Cinnamon was keenly sniffing around that area. Actually, later it turned out that, behind the bush, there was the only path to get in under the deck and to under the house, where we at first thought was unreachable from outside without opening a locked door to the basement.

And, yes, the couple finally found their cat under the house!! At that time I wasn't with them, as I didn't want to disturb their search. According to the cat owners, when the cat was found, he seemed to have a sore back but looked all right otherwise.

Cinnamon did a great job, didn't she!?


*****

On the weekend we visited an official measurer of the New Zealand Agility Committee to have Cinnamon measured. In order to enter Championships as Midi or Mini dogs, dogs must be measured by an official measurer and get a certificate for the height class.



It was not easy to measure Cinnamon, as she was scared of the measuring instrument. But, luring her with a dog biscuit, the measurer managed to measure her height at the shoulder bone. Her measurement was 375mm, which falls into the Mini category. Now we are ready to enter Championships!!