The trouble with roaching

Recently, I had fun putting together my post about roaching.  However, many of the people who commented stated that they didn't know what roaching is.  So, I am going to try to clarify ... 

Maddie (Mad Dog) photo by Never say Never Greyhounds http://neversaynevergreyhounds.blogspot.com/

photo by Never say Never greyhounds http://neversaynevergreyhounds.blogspot.com/

I want to know what boot camp these dogs attended, that they have this skill of "roaching"!  They obviously didn't get "posed" by the photographer, but really knew how to roach.

Thanks so much to the "blog sisters" who allowed me to use their photos to illustrate this subject.

I suppose by now you can tell that I am a bit jealous of the people whose dogs roach.  I really enjoy the idea.  I just can't get the babies to perform!

Update:  This morning, Fleur gave a signal to Power, they switched beds, and Fleur roached!  She stayed in that position for hours!

She moved her head to follow me when I was moving about in the motorhome, but stayed on her back!
Did one of you blogging greyhounds send her a telepathy message telling her to get on the ball about roaching?
Life is wonderful, isn't it?

Roach!

Yesterday Fleur roached for the first time in my view.  I reached for my camera and zip! She flipped back to upright position so fast it might have been in my imagination. 

 I thought for a short second that the roaching was going to be a new habit.

I think the position lasted about 2-5 seconds!

Then the next night she roached for a few seconds! I had the fleeting thought that I would get to enjoy years of relaxed roaching by Fleur.

I came in from work Monday, and Chica was sitting in my La-z-boy, and as I entered the motorhome  she turned over onto her back, exposing her soft belly.  I reached for my camera, and without a sound, she rotated to lying upright before I could even get it turned on.

I'm not leaving any witness to my up belly!

I've had my eyes on Power for every day of the last 9 months, and have not found him roaching.

Mom, is this roaching?  I want to make your blog interesting!

I thought that this expression was your favorite, MOM!

I'm very relaxed in this position, MOM.  Why isn't this what you want?

Fleur says"these tutoring sessions with Power are tough!  You are going to owe me big time, Mom!

I think Power has a lovely sweet face, but each time I mention it, Fleur says"  Mom that's not a lovely sweet face, that's a dumb expression!

See, MOM!  He's in the water, and not on his back!

I haven't figured out how to have all those legs, like a roach!

I thought this was my mother bunny, not a roach!  How am I supposed to do a roach without a roach!

This is my favorite playing position.  Isn't it cuter than a cockroach?

I give up, MOM!  I've tried to satisfy you but you're hard to please!

More horses! and more page views!

Horses near beach camping area.

Getting a drink

that water was so-o-o-o good!

It's so much fun to see the horses throughout the state park.  I really think they add so much to the atmosphere! Not to mention the horse poop that is everywhere.  If any person's dogs left poop, people would complain loudly, but not a single complaint about the horse poop.

The comments from our campers goes like this:   I have fresh horse poop in my campsite.  They must have been there just before I woke up!  I hope they come back! 

I also wanted to say thanks to all you readers who contributed to the 16000 number of page views!  I'm so new to blogging that it's very exciting to me!

Sheep!

Recently I saw this herd of sheep, and at first I saw only the sheep, but then I saw a dog working the sheep.

Sheep herd

Sheep herd

After a few minutes watching, I also saw a teen girl, probably Navajo, herding the sheep.

I didn't get a photo of the girl or the dog, but I enjoyed seeing that some of the old traditions are still being followed.

Interesting sheep herd just outside state park.


I'm told that sheep meat, (mutton) is a common part of the Navajo diet, and that when they shear the sheep, they send the wool to be processed into yarn which they get back and then weave into blankets for use or for sale!

Traditional Navajo loom weaving makes lovely and long lasting blankets.

April Showers bring May flowers

Paintbrush

Since the summer rains began about a month ago, the ground is covered with flowers.  I decided to share them with you.

Morning Glory
This morning glory grows profusely under trees, and along boulders.

Paintbrush again

This Paintbrush is a bit different from the plant I knew as Indian Paintbrush, same color, different structure.

Name unknown

I wish someone would know what this plant is.  I've researched till I'm blue in the face and cannot find it!

Mani-Pedi

I took the dogs by the vet's office to get their nails trimmed.  I can do it, but the dogs resist and it doesn't get finished.

Fleur's feet


The two ladies who work in the vet's office did all the trimming, and they did the work in the waiting room, not taking the dogs back to an exam room.

Fleur's foot

There was no bleeding, no dog biting the handler, and no GSOD!

Power's feet


It was the most peaceful nail trim I've ever experienced.
Great job!

Tiger Collar

A friend has a greyhound named IDEE, and she is a senior (aged 9 yrs) who has red and dark brown brindle stripes.  Many people have called her a "tiger".

I found a roll of grosgrain ribbon with tiger stripes on it and bought it to make her a beaded tiger stripe collar.

I put black beads on the black stripes of the ribbon, and left the edges plain so that the edges were available to sew the ribbon to the collar.

I am really looking forward to getting this collar finished and onto IDee's neck.

Zoomies!

After evening exercise yesterday (1 mile running), I walked the hounds back to our campsite, thinking they were tired (I certainly was).  I let them into our yard, and disconnected their leashes.  I went to unlock the motorhome door, and was planning to enter the RV with the dogs.  The dogs however had other ideas.

Power started a "zoomies" contest, and Fleur joined right in!  They threw their toys into the air, caught them, threw the toys into the pool, picked them up, shook them, and ran with them, chasing each other!

I can run faster than you can!

My yard is 25 x 20 feet large, and I didn't think they would be able to get much running in that small area.  They however, have decided that they are smarter than I am and that they will figure it out!  They turn on a dime, growl at each other, keep running back and forth for quite a while, interspersing the running with jumps into the pool, twirling several times, and then leaping out and chasing each other all over the yard!

Swimming pool water tastes the best!

So much fun!

Sunshine feels great on my head when I'm lying in the pool!!

My squeaky toys are my favorite!

Play time is the best time!

Sofa Dogs, part 2

For the past few days I've been trying to get my hounds to use the sofa, instead of having to purchase dog beds for the floor.  The cost of dog beds would be okay except for the fact that they don't hold up to use, and they take up my floor space in my living room.

Guess who decided she liked the sofa after all!

Fleur had a first avoided the sofa, but lately she has used it some and can relax while she's up there!

I have the red sleeping bag over the sofa to protect the fabric.  The first days of Power's sofa use, he accidentally pulled the sleeping bag out of the sofa cushions, and it would slide to the floor, thus using floor space and not protecting the fabric.

A couple days ago, I got Power off the sofa, and pulled all the cushions off the back and tucked the sleeping bag so far down that it was almost touching the floor, then put the cushions back on.  This has worked very well, and now I just need to find a way to keep the quilted throw over the back cushions.  So far it has been safety pins, with little luck.  Any suggestions?

No roaching, so far!

Beads and needles, part 2

A few days ago, I posted about beading a collar for Fleur.  I have now reached the end of the beading on the loom, and needed to sew or glue the beads onto a backing.  Someone suggested that ribbon might work well.  I had not thought of ribbon, so on my next trip to Walmart, I looked for ribbon.  They had a small selection, and I chose this pink polka dotted grosgrain ribbon.

Beaded collar still on loom

Beads and needles!

First I want to celebrate having reached 15000 pageviews on this blog!  Thanks everyone for looking and reading!

Now, on to the life at this park!

Next to my motorhome is another volunteers's RV.  She is a beader ( using that term for lack of a better one).  She's quite accomplished, and I decided I would try to learn a little more about beading from her. Anita (my neighbor) taught me the peyote stitch, so I practiced that for a few hours, till I thought I had it mastered.  


I have a box with my beads and threads, etc kept inside.  I have a bag of pink beads which a friend gave me, and I decided to make a beaded collar for my female, Fleur.  I decided that if Bunny (the world famous greyhound who writes her own blog) could wear pink collars, then Fleur could, too.

Anita, working in park office, and also beading.


  I got out my loom, threaded it and started weaving the pink beads.

The loom I purchased at a craft show in Quartzsite, and the beads were a gift.
I have to measure the neck of my female, Fleur, and then I have to sew a backing to  the beaded weaving, and then fasten it to a leash with an adjustable slide.  



The above collar is a picture from the http://www.dogcollarsboutique.com/Martingale-Hound-Dog-Collar-w-Leash-11-patterns-p-614.html
This collar and leash does not have hardware to adjust the size, so therefore

the beaded areas don't have any hardware to ruin the look of the beading.
So, I will sew a backing on the beaded weaving, and then attach the leash, and I should have a really stunning pink collar and leash for Fleur.

I will show the finished product when I have finished it.

Sofa dogs?

I have so enjoyed seeing the many pets on the blogs lying on sofas, looking so cute!  I decided I was going to allow my greyhounds to be sofa dogs. So I moved all of my items off the sofa, and tried to get the dogs up there.  They balked completely!   I decided to lift Fleur onto the sofa, because she has always acted like she wanted to be up there.  I thought it would be a cinch!  But no go.  NO-GO!  She was having none of it!   As soon as I released her from my arms onto the sofa, she jumped off and got back on her dog bed!

Fleur just waiting till I let go to jump off the sofa!

So next I tried to get Power to get up there.  He got wild eyed and went berserk! He acted like he was being tortured!

Power, very reluctantly lying on the sofa for a few seconds!

I tried the same thing again the next day, and I had slightly different results!

Fleur stayed about 3 minutes

I did manage to get Power up onto the sofa, now he's content.

Power showing that he has "sofability"