Maggie's Thoughts SpoK-9s Flyball Dogs Racing Team, Spokane Washington

Well, we have a lot to report so let’s get under the skin of our handlers.

· Dad said that he couldn’t go so when mom let me outside Friday morning, I took a walk to get over my disappointment. Sure was funny watching mom in her nightgown running around the neighborhood looking for me. Casper

· Sure glad that Pandy and I don’t need Passports since Mom would likely screw those up too. Holly

· Mom had the truck AC so cold that Claire and I almost froze. Tesse

· COOKIE! COOKIE! COOKIE! If I hear that during one more tournament, I am going to whip that damn Fat Ruby!!! Dexter

· What was Mom doing in the outhouse when the twister came through? Annie

· Dad always insists that we stake down our shade tents – Mom laughs and says it’s just a waste of time. Now, what say you Mom? Lacey

· The twister broke the timing lights and took away the fun of starting. Mom couldn’t constantly adjust my start location. I think that I did better without her “help”. Eddi

· The misting tent was great until the twister blew it away while I was standing under it. Scared me to death! Rani

· Did you see Mom panic when I faked the poop on the course? She grabbed my butt and carried me outside. She is so easy to fake out. Dexter

· Mom got lazy - so I decided to wake her up and run around the hurdles. Next race she did my recalls correctly. Acorn

· Dad, don’t ever send me without you again. Mom would hold me until Merry poked her in the butt and said send him. I could not believe that it took the two of them to do what you and I do alone and very well. Casper

· Taylor got a cold shower and a beer shampoo when I got my Flyball Master Title. However, I too got a present – a pretty collar, a leash and a medallion with my title on it. I am proud. Thanks Mom and Dad. Annie

· I ran almost every heat and my times were respectable for a 12 year old veteran. I’d bet that Maggie and Pandy wouldn’t be doing that at age 12. Bill

· Did you see me spin around three times with the ball on my back? I was showing off for the carnival clown in the audience. Puma

· Dad is afflicted with a need for short cuts. On the way to the tournament he lead the group on a wild goose chase. I think he was lost. Annie

· I was hot and tired when I laid down on the course. Would somebody give me the name of the nasty judge that mimicked me by also laying on the course? Buster

· Mom!!! If you bring one of those “Jack Russell’s” into our family Buster, Anne’gun and I will run away. Scrappy

Enough of this format – I am bored with this column. It’s time for it to end. But before I sign off for the last time, I thought it might be fun to review past “Maggie’s thoughts”. Here are a few that brought back fun memories.

Argus Oct 2004

· Did you see Patty’s face when I jumped three feet in the air as she launched me? Eddi

· I heard ready, set, go. My leash was loose so I went out on the course, waited for my turn, then ran and got the next ball. -- WOW!!!! That redhead woman official was really ticked. Maggie

· “I wonder if Shawn really had money in the pillow case he carried to his room.” Merry

· We ran races in 22 to 24 seconds however Dorothy, Carolyn and Merry would take 45 minutes to discuss in detail each race as we rode home Sunday. Pandy

· Saturday night I was lying on the floor when I heard a loud POP. Soon I learned that it was Mom breaking another crock-pot. Holly

· Could anybody tell me if Dad was not paying attention or was he really sleeping when he failed to launch me? I tried to get away but couldn’t. Lacy

· I have been working very hard on focusing my efforts - but it just wasn’t fair when Mom let that pigeon clean up the breadcrumbs right in front of my crate. Did she forget that I am a bird dog first and a fly ball dog second? Rani

· Jim said that I almost lost the tournament for the team. He said when I started 40 ft back and ran my fastest times ever it caused us to break out. Well too bad – it’s my new strategy and I’m going to continue it. Eddi - Team captain

· I wish I could stop trembling every time Merry looks at me. Pandy

· I heard rumors that Dexter is being considered for fly ball training. Guess I better take my training seriously or I will continue to be a spectator. Parker

Cloverdale Jun 2005

· I should have just eaten him and then we would never again have to put up with the little t---. Parker

· Each night after many races my badly needed peace and quiet was disrupted with a loud noisy party – disguised as a stats meeting. Must be a Border collie thing. Rani

· All right, I went – ran perfect runs – put up with the noise and behaved myself. Now, I want my former life style: on the couch with the cold beer, a cigar and the remote for cable TV. You can take those tennis balls and stick them!!! Dexter

· I thought I would test Dad’s mood early in the morning so I peed in the corridor, while waiting for the elevator. Turned out to be a bad way to start the day. Lacy

· Mom and Dad told Kenneth to be very polite to the room guests and then they tolerated the antics of the least civilized people I have ever seen. Rani

· Rumor has it that mom was squirting water from a window on the 17^th floor at Taylor and David swimming in the pool below. Please tell me it’s not true. Eddi

· Good grief, forget all that phony stuff – just show me the lane and get out of the way. Bill

· We arrived at the Motel. Our room overlooked the pool and had two big soft beds. Soon Taylor, Claire and I were dancing on the beds and trying to touch the ceiling. Annie

· All the young K9’s, you know the “tough ones,” complained about the heat. I thought the 100+ temps were invigorating. Dexter

· Did you hear Mom scream as she pinched her bottom under the seat in the Honey Hut? Maggie

· Good grief Papa, Taylor is 10 and I am almost 1½ years old. Annie

· Did you see Mom lead Jon and Debbie into the speed trap on the way home Monday? The Police stopped them and we kept going. I thought it was a great trick. Dexter

Stanwood August 2005

· Has anybody on the Flyers team figured out Mom’s coaching signals? Holly

· Where was Mom when the Flyers needed me? Probably socializing. Buster

· So what if I ran on the wrong lane. Big deal. I would have lost my status as Mr. Stud if I hadn’t crossed over to the other lane and tried to meet the Tiffany. She was obviously the cutest dog at the tournament. I think I’m in love! Dexter

· Dad said he needed to leave for WSU right after the Sunday tournament. Nonsense. I think he was running from the embarrassment of attending another victory party. Lacy

Argus Oct 2005

· Did you all see mom bounce as I ran to the end of my leash just to test her strength against my current weight. Rest area stops offer so much opportunity for fun. Jeffy

· I didn’t like that Cathy very much. She insinuated that I couldn’t be patient and relaxed between heats and still post outstanding start and run times. I guess she is blinded by Border collie bazaar behaviors and therefore does not recognize composure and commonsense when she sees it. Just because I run like a Border collie I don’t have to act like one. Eddi

· Whose idea was it to hold a tournament in a horse barn on dirt? It made the tennis balls filthy and taste like @#$% in the mouth of a Golden Show Dog. I started refusing to carry the ball and Sunday I got all clean balls. What a hoot. Thank you Claire for helping clean all those dirty balls. You are a great gal. Parker

· Saturday night I looked out the motel window and every Auburn police car was in the Motel parking lot with the flashing lights on. My immediate thought was that Dexter had taken the girls out on the town again. Scrappy

· Did any of you see mom’s “look of fear” when she got confused and opened the back of the Patty Wagon and was greeted by 3 big Goldens and Mr. T? Rani

· What did that Cathy mean when she looked at me and said that she could not help “Taylor with his starting times”. It’s me that get those great times. Annie

· Mom sure is easy to fool. It was raining outside when she decided to go outside and potty me. I distracted her for a moment and peed on the wall. She is so easy. Mr. T

· Cathy was talking about not using sugar treats for energy and mom got up and gave me some M&M’s. Guess which Cathy I love the most? Buster

· Mom must be on a money saving kick again. After every race she would take me outside to cool down, walk me past a pile of spilled potato chips and tell me to take only one. I think she figured if I took only one the pile would last all day. Eddi

Cloverdale Mar 2005

· Who in the heck came up with the name of Hauling Hot Dogs? What happened to my suggestion of Dexter’s Elite Turds? Dexter

· Did you see Dads face plant when he forgot to release me when it was my turn to run? And he didn’t learn the first time so I did it again. Pandy

· I am blonde, handsome, muscular, strong, and big, yet this small white four legged nothing interfered with my race. Why Oh Why did Mom raise me to be a gentleman? Parker

· Why did Jim buy Mom dinner when I was the one that got the 5 perfect starts? When will they realize who really runs fly ball? Eddi

· Mom said not to tell anybody about this. Early early Monday morning we all crawled out of the motel window, ran to the car, got in and drove home. I am not sure why. You guys promise not to tell anybody – okay???. Jeff

· I thought I would need to rescue Mom on the way home. At a rest stop she “called” (gobbled) to an enormous live tom turkey. He ruffled his feathers and walked very boldly towards us – even as we hustled into the van. Holly

Abbotsford May 2006

· Our first stop was at Banks Lake for a rest and lunch. As we left dad proceeded to run over a large garbage can. Maggie

· I can’t believe that mom had eye surgery on Thursday and traveled on Friday. She is one dedicated and tough gal. Casper

· Mom and Debbie sure are easy. It took them all day to realize that I was eating anything eatable in the car. I figure if they continue to call me fat I will continue to eat everything. The great part was watching mom deal with my diarrhea. Ruby

· We were in the first race Saturday morning. It was noisy and uncontrolled dogs were running everywhere, so I decided that I would run down the course, jump the barrier and head out the open door. Mom can run really fast when she has too. CJ

· Hey Seth, how does it feel to run a dog that is older than you? Bill

· I thought mom was going to blow a gasket – she was trying to get us to go to the box and get a ball. I decided to add to her problems and just sat down when it was my turn to run. Holy cow - was she frustrated!!! Ruby

· I thought we would never get a race started successful so I would get to run. Casper

· After all the attention the Miracles received, I got ticked off and decided to pee on the course to show my disgust. I held up the tournament for about 20 minutes. Mom’s face was bright red. What a hoot!!!! Eddi

· I had been watching that little white terrier run all over the course so I decided to catch and take him to dad. I am a Labrador “retriever”. Dad had visions of Pecos and screamed so loud that dust fell from the rafters. Casper

· Eddi, I see why you get mad when Patty gets credit for 00.0 starts, I got some and Papa took credit. That will change in the future. Annie

· I was so excited that I forgot what to do when mom sent me to get the ball. Acorn

· After Saturday’s victory party at the Mexican restaurant, the restaurant refused to seat us Sunday evening. I was so embarrassed. Rani

· Sunday’s victory party must have been a wild one. The first story was that mom came home in a taxi – then I heard that she was stuffed in a grocery cart basket and pushed back to the motel. I hope to never know for sure. Eddi

· That border-crossing officer was sure grouchy – he pulled everything out of the pickup then carelessly threw it back in and slammed the back door. When he yelled at mom I almost bit him. Tesse

· I thought it was a 4-day tournament since we left Thursday and planned to return Tuesday. Friday, I found myself locked in the Motel room while dad was out site seeing. I decided to rebel. Dad returned quickly to the motel from downtown Victoria. Casper

· Did you all notice there were no little white dogs running all over the course interrupting the races. Finally, I have been successful cleaning up this sport. Casper

· Did anyone see Dad panic when I tried dock diving off the ferry on our trip home? My tail still hurts. Lacey

· An event free trip to Victoria and almost the same on the way home until we stopped at Monroe for fuel. Mom and Deb offered to go to Starbucks and get the coffee lovers a cool drink. I thought that was a nice gesture. After returning to the station, she stopped in the middle of the driveway and passed out the drinks. Sure backed up traffic trying to get gas. I loved it!!!! Eddi

And the best caper of all was:

· And how about Saturday night? The phone rang at the Motel. Several handlers were being held hostage at the restaurant because Dad had allegedly not paid the bill. Dad found Mom’s purse in the room, ran down the hallway, out the door, across the parking lot, over the freeway pedestrian overpass, and into the restaurant to show the receipt. And to top it all off, at least 8 Canadian Mounted Police were having supper there. Why didn’t he take only the receipt to the restaurant and save me from the embarrassment of my Dad running with Mom’s purse all the way back to the restaurant? Lacey

Now I pause to rest my paws. I am sure that future events will compel us to report in another style and venue. Until that is discovered, let’s keep playing flyball!!

Love to all my Spok-9 teammates.

Maggie

Maggie's Thoughts # 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12

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