The RoxyLog

Roxy training diary week 34
Sun Jan 25 to Sat Jan 31

Not much to report this week. I was in Tampa until Wednesday, doing whatever it is that academic adminstrators do (it's a lot like sitting around in the dorms in college: we talk about stuff).

I came back to a fairly substantial stack of things to do at work, so in the process of chipping away at those, lost track of time and Roxy's training regimen.

We did, however, get a bit of work in on Saturday at The Dog Wash. I got to see what she knows well and what areas need work. Off to agility camp!

Roxy training diary week 33
Sun Jan 18 to Sat Jan 24

Today (Sunday) was the day that Annie and I gave another run at fUtility obedience and (more importantly) the day we picked Roxy up from Chris Moore at the Greenville shows.

Roxy now has three points (of the 15 she needs to get a conformation championship) and zero majors (of the two she needs). So, she's a lot further along than she was when we dropped her off with Chris on Christmas Day.

Best of all, she's developed into quite the little miss. She isn't perfect – not by a long shot – but she really matured under Chris' tutelage. We are quite happy with how everything turned out. We'll wait until Roxy has filled out and matured, then send her back with Chris again to try and pick up some majors and the other points she needs.

Annie? Well, let's just say she had a perfect score in obedience. It was close – she almost got a score in directed jumping – but she managed to get a zero on everything. The good news is, I get experience in the ring which I can use when Roxy is old enough to go there with me.

The big event this week will be Roxy's first introduction to Mr. Prong Collar. Both Chris and I agree it's time; her neck is now strong enough and this pulling thing has got to stop.

Roxy Stacks for Chris

Roxy's Horoscope
from www.astro.com

Introduction
This report is a short edition of the astrOtext Youth. It is meant as a sample and and advertisement for the full version of the astrOtext Youth which can be ordered from Astrodienst as a bound report of about 20 - 30 pages. In the short edition, only a few, but nevertheless important aspects of your natal chart are considered.

Sagittarius Rising
You are a very open and outgoing person, quite frank and honest; in fact, you may be blunt to the point of indiscretion. But people who are hurt by the frankness of your remarks feel better when they realize that you really do not intend any harm.
You have a great deal of energy, and you enjoy freedom very much. If you can't direct your own life as much as you want, you feel trapped.
You are likely to be interested in sports and outdoor activities.

Sun in Aries
You are very energetic and spirited. You tend to be impatient if events don't move as quickly as you would like. This may cause you to become totally wrapped up in yourself, simply because you aren't relating to others enough. You have a mind of your own, and you do not care if anyone else agrees with you.
You like to be the first to do everything, and often you take risks that others consider unwise. Just be careful to avoid real trouble, and try to listen to what others have to say; in fact they may be trying to help you.
You are rather quick to anger, but you do not hold grudges. However, while you are angry you act rashly and may say things that you will regret later.
In talking with other people, you prefer to be simple and direct. Just be careful not to be so blunt that you hurt people's feelings.

Sun in the Fourth House
The warmth and security of your home are very important, for you need to know that you have a place to withdraw to. Your parents are very important people in your life [biological or adopted? – ed.], and their attitudes will have a tremendous impact on you.
You are likely to be a quiet person with strong feelings and emotions, and you keep to yourself a lot. But you aren't really weak or retiring, because by going into yourself, you gain strength.
Although you may be quite successful when you grow up, you will not care much for being famous. You are much more concerned with living up to your own inner standards and having a rewarding personal life.
When you feel good and secure about yourself, you like to bring people into your home and share your good feelings with them.
Note: The Sun is technically near the end of house 3 and is therefore interpreted in house 4.

Moon in Sagittarius
You are an idealist who wants the world to be grand and good and beautiful. You want people to be good and noble and are very disappointed when they are not.
You are so concerned with the important things in life that sometimes you forget about little matters that really have to be done. You are very independent and resent anyone who tries to keep you from doing what you want.
You are optimistic and cheerful, and you can't stay sad for very long. Usually you feel good about life, and you try to make others around you feel that way also. People will like you for this.
When you are an adult, you will be interested in any subject that teaches you more about the universe and your place in it.

Moon in the Twelfth House
You are rather unwilling to talk about your feelings with others, because you feel that they won't understand you or won't think well of you. Often you feel that no one should see the real you, but that is not true.
You have a great need for emotional security, but you often feel you won't get it. But even though it is difficult for you to trust people on an emotional level, you do like to help others. You may pretend that you are not really generous and helpful, but in fact you are.
Often this position means that you like to fantasize and daydream.

Venus in Aquarius
You are friendly with people but sometimes you find it difficult to form close relationships. You prefer friends who are somehow exciting and different.
You enjoy being popular and you work well with other people in group projects and team efforts. You understand immediately what is good for the group and can adjust your own goals to fit.

Venus in the Second House
You like to own beautiful things and be surrounded by comfort and luxury. As a result, money runs through your fingers, because when you see something you want, you buy it.
On the positive side, if you learn to have good taste and good sense, you will buy only things that are worth the price.
Try not to give in to every desire and whim.

Mars in Capricorn
For a young person, you are quite ambitious, and you are willing to work very hard for something that is real and important to you. You are practical, rather than idealistic, and you like to work for tangible results. For your age, you are quite disciplined and can take on considerable responsibility.
You can be quite courageous, but you are not willing to fight for any cause unless you see the point of it very clearly. The one danger that you should try to avoid is measuring people's value according to their income or their social prestige.

Mars in the First House
You are very energetic and self-assertive, and you never retreat from a conflict. In fact, you may even look for a conflict where there is none. Be careful of this tendency, because people will probably dislike you for it.
If you are placed in a position of leadership, which will happen, you will lead very energetically.
You are quite impulsive and extremely restless. However, if you have to work very hard on something that requires a great deal of physical energy, you enjoy it.
Learn to take the time to understand other people's points of view. You tend to see only your own and to become angry when someone challenges your beliefs.

for Roxy (female)
born on 23 March 2003 local time 12:00 midn.
in Mira Loma, CA (US) U.T. 08:00
117w31, 34n00 sid. time 12:11:32

Planetary positions
planet sign degree house motion
Sun Aries 02°16'30 03/4 direct
Sun is technically near the end of house 3 and is interpreted in house 4.
Moon Sagittarius 09°48'15 12 direct
Mercury Aries 03°37'48 04 direct
Venus Aquarius 24°42'01 02 direct
Mars Capricorn 11°41'16 01 direct
Jupiter Leo 08°16'57 08 retrograde
Saturn Gemini 22°54'48 07 direct
Uranus Pisces 00°39'50 03 direct
Neptune Aquarius 12°25'26 02 direct
Pluto Sagittarius 19°57'04 01 stationary (R)
True Node Gemini 01°15'00 06 direct

House positions (Placidus)
Ascendant Sagittarius 17°27'31
2nd House Capricorn 20°44'23
3rd House Aquarius 27°54'35
Imum Coeli Aries 03°08'30
5th House Taurus 02°15'29
6th House Taurus 26°06'14
Descendant Gemini 17°27'31
8th House Cancer 20°44'23
9th House Leo 27°54'35
Medium Coeli Libra 03°08'30
11th House Scorpio 02°15'29
12th House Scorpio 26°06'14

Major aspects
Sun Trine Moon 7°32
Sun Conjunction Mercury 1°21
Sun Trine Jupiter 6°00
Sun Opposition Medium Coeli 0°52
Moon Trine Mercury 6°10
Moon Trine Jupiter 1°31
Moon Sextile Neptune 2°37
Moon Conjunction Ascendant 7°39
Moon Sextile Medium Coeli 6°40
Mercury Trine Jupiter 4°39
Mercury Opposition Medium Coeli 0°29
Venus Trine Saturn 1°47
Venus Conjunction Uranus 5°58
Venus Sextile Pluto 4°45
Jupiter Opposition Neptune 4°08
Jupiter Sextile Medium Coeli 5°08
Saturn Opposition Pluto 2°58
Saturn Opposition Ascendant 5°27
Uranus Quincunx Medium Coeli 2°29
Neptune Sextile Ascendant 5°02
Pluto Conjunction Ascendant 2°30
Numbers indicate orb (deviation from the exact aspect angle).

Roxy training diary weeks 29-32 Sun Dec 21 to Sat Jan 17
Christmas Greetings 2003
Well, once again no entries in the RoxyLog because we have no Roxy to Log. Christmas Day, we drove up to Arkansas and dropped Roxy off at Chris Moore's. We drove back the day after Christmas. On the trip back, our five-year-old bag phone (the size and weight of a brick) finally died. So, the one good thing that came out of the trip was I got a spiffy new cell phone to carry around with me, so I can go have public conversations and annoy people. Roxy went to the Nolan River shows in Texas the first weekend of 2004, taking only one point (of the 15 she needs) there. Then she and Chris traveled to Florida to do the circuit down there. Unfortunately, there were no points for us there and so she returns to Mississippi with just one point to her name. This Sunday, I'll be showing Annie in fUtility obedience and we'll get to take Roxy home again. I hope to get back to a regular RoxyLog. Annie was no slouch. During the waiting time, she got her Therapy Dog International certification, along with a picture ID and a new Therapy Dog Vest. On one side it says, "Ask to Pet Me / I'm Friendly" and her new yellow "I'm a Therapy Dog" tag hangs there too. On the other side, I put her title pins and a "Therapy Dog" patch. She actually gets a little prideful when she puts the vest on. It's cute.		Annie, Therapy Dog
Roxy training diary week 28 Sun Dec 14 to Sat Dec 20
So Sunday Dec 14 was the day we got Roxy back. Her new favorite aunt, Chris Moore, took her into the ring both Saturday and Sunday at the conformation show here in Jackson. She got beat both days, so she's not pointed yet, but she did show quite well on Saturday. Sunday, she was pretty squirrely, and both her handler and the judge were annoyed with her antics. The plan is to take her back to Chris' place in Arkansas about Christmas, then have her show with Chris at the shows in Texas and Florida during January. We'll meet up again at Greenville, Mississippi on Jan 18, and I'll get her back then. It was hard on both Rosemary and I to have her away, and we really didn't know how much we had missed her until she got back. It seems to us that she has grown. She's now considerably taller than Annie and Dylan, and I think she may have broken 18", which would have her jumping 20" in AKC agility. We'll just have to see how she measures when we get there. Plans are to have her go to the Pati and Stuart Mah Baby Dog Camp the first week of February, then start taking her to AKC agility trials in early April after her first birthday. It's hard to believe that on Jan 28 I will enter my little girl in her first agility trial. I've gotten lots of practice filling out entry forms for her Puppy conformation classes. After Christmas, she'll graduate from a 6-9 Puppy up to a 9-12 Puppy. I don't know how likely it is that we can take points out of the puppy classes, but living with and showing with Chris has been a great boost to her. She apparently was really reserved at first but we could see this weekend that she has come out of her shell – maybe a little too much, but out of her shell nonetheless. Annie got to strut her Utility stuff Sunday, and while she didn't do well we just went in and had fun and that was the best part. I was pretty much over my ring nerves and so we just got to do what we could. She forgot her "sit" signal; she picked up the wrong scent article on both trips out; she ran for the #2 glove and then corrected herself and went to #1, which was the correct glove (that was awfully cute!); she actually got a score on the moving stand; and she did her first go-out to the corner of the ring, and her second one she took the jump on the way and blew that too. All in all, she looked happy and I wasn't displeased with her performance. We'll take the opportunity during the Greenville trip to try Annie's obedience again but I'm not real hopeful that it will amount to anything spectacular. Mostly, I want to get the ring experience and use that to inform my RoxyTraining. Right now I've been forbidden to teach her the sit any longer (just kidding, Chris), so I'll work on her stand and her drop.		Three Australian Cattle Dogs Again Caution – Red Dogs at Play It Was All a Blur Loose Ball!
Roxy training diary weeks 26 to 27 Sun Nov 30 to Sat Dec 13
Why the question marks? Why no entries in the RoxyLog, you ask? It's because Roxy is at holiday camp, learning how to be a proper little conformation goddess. A while ago, Rosemary and I decided that Roxy needed more than an education in agility and obedience, and more than the Princess Training that Annie is providing her. An Assistant Princess title is nice, and promotion to Full Princess is always a possibility, but Roxy deserved more. So, we arranged with Chris Vohsen Moore (Shalimar Kennels) to take Roxy for a while and show her for us in conformation.		Roxy Packs
Roxy packed her little Charlie's Angels suitcase with her favorite rubber bone and was off to holiday camp. Before she went, we got in some Sunday agility practice. It was cold, but Roxy did surprisingly well. She was a little apprehensive on the seesaw, but took to it after a few tries. The weaves are pretty good, but she still needs a good bit of luring and has not learned to do them without a lot of help. One picture of Rosemary and Roxy looks like Rosemary is slinging her over the jump by her neck (she did not!) so I made sure to include it. So, on Wednesday December 3, it was off to Biloxi to meet Chris and enroll Roxy in Princess Camp. It was not what Roxy expected. Our first opportunity to see Roxy will be this weekend at the local shows. We'll probably hide behind a post to watch her. Annie is entered in fUtility A on Sunday.		Roxy Dislikes Her New Accommodations

RoxyLog November 2003 (weeks 22-25)

RoxyLog October 2003 (weeks 17-21)

RoxyLog September 2003 (weeks 13-16)

RoxyLog August 2003 (weeks 9-12)

RoxyLog July 2003 (days 25-54)

RoxyLog June 2003 (days 1-24)