new doctor seems good

I saw the new doctor last week, and yesterday the results of my blood work came in. Ha! This young woman read them exactly as I do, following current NIH guidelines. Hurrah! She was also very sane during our first meeting. Didn't even flinch when I told her I regard health care as a collaboration and double-check everything. I think getting them just a couple years out of their residency is the trick.

So today I will have the great pleasure of writing a very snarky letter to my former doctor and explaining just how wrong her approach is.   I've been looking forward to that!  I just wanted to make sure of the new doctor first.

My medical care is looking up!

Drew is a jumping fool

Drew was hilarious at parkour last week. We were at one of the nature centers and had lots of big rocks and stumps and logs to work with. One of the moves is to jump on objects; another is to do gap jumps between objects. He loved it! Got so excited that he spontaneously jumped on everything -- including the bench he was supposed to go under. Any time we stood around with a loose leash, he jumped on something, then told me he deserved a treat.

Then we went over to the children's play area, where there is an enormous turtle statue, the back higher than my head. He tried to leap onto that! Only thing is, there are ceramic shapes all over it, mimicking the patterns on a turtle's back. He couldn't get a foothold and slid down -- fast! -- and I caught him. Whew! It didn't worry him, though; he did a two-paws-up on it a minute later.

I think he looks a bit embarrassed in this photo, eh? He's a jumping fool!

Border Collies have so much energy! I can't keep up with Drew physically! Luckily, he's fairly calm for a Border Collie, so that's not too much of a problem; I can generally settle him with ten or fifteen minutes chasing the tennis ball. I had to teach him what balls were for, and it was a good thing I did! He'd probably have difficulty if I was still working and he was alone all day, but he really enjoys having a human at his disposal at all times. Poor boy wanted a human of his very own for his birthday, and he got stuck with me!

He does always need something to think about, but I don't mind that. It's fun to think of new games and variations for him. His main job is taking care of me.  Also, we go to dog club two or three times a week, which gives him lots to think about. I do love having a training club nearby. It's fun for both of us, and I don't have to purchase and maintain all that equipment! 

agile Drew

We taped Drew's agility class this week, so I pulled a couple of photos off the tape to show you. Sorry about the blur!

The A-frame is his favorite obstacle -- but he loves the whole sequences. Sometimes (like this week) he gets so over-excited that he forgets what he's doing and knocks the jumps over instead of jumping them. Funny boy!  

water dog

Drew has a new game!

He throws/pushes his ball into the pool, then retrieves it. He's learned to use the steps so that he doesn't have to dive.

Of course, there are times when he grabs the ball and throws the wet, squishy thing right on top of me!  If I'm already in the pool, he aims it at my head, so that I can throw it back as requested.

Water dog has many variations!