Dogs & the National Western Stock Show

I ended up with a horrendous migraine and went to bed at 5:20 yesterday afternoon; and the kids cuddled right up with me - since I had taken my medication, I slept until this morning. And I was amazed when I opened the back door for the kids to go out, for there was an inch and a half of snow on the ground and spilling over onto the patio. The weather folks this morning said it had surprised them, too; no one had forecast it. It was all of 12 degrees when I walked to the bakery for my blueberry bagel this morning - and the wind chill made it feel like 1 degree. The sun is shining and we're up to 23 degrees at the moment. Today was the day I was going to have to go to court and testify about the Chandler dogs, Victor and Xena, and about the Wessells and their dogs, Olie, Annie and Bentley. Thank goodness Pete and Blair consulted with a lawyer, and have decided to just pay the "dogs at large" ticket in court today. Had the Chandlers gone to mediation as the Wessells wished, any settlement would not have been covered by home owners insurance. The Chandlers' home owners insurance will settle with the Wessells... and the Chandlers premiums will go up, but at least they will only be out-of-pocket for the two dogs at large tickets. (Victor and Xena jumped the back fence last Mother's Day, and ran out to find someone to play with. They met up with Olie, being walked by Wendy, a family friend of the Wessells. Wendy is very frightened of other dogs and people - she is extremely timid, and not a good choice of dog walker - in my opinion - for the Anatolian Shepherds, who are huge dogs. Olie was wearing a cast on her left foreleg for a ruptured tendon sheath. Wendy freaked out when Victor and Xena appeared; they were dancing and leaping and asking Olie to play. Wendy was sure they were trying to attack both Olie and herself. No one was bitten, no one was knocked down. Wendy says she just barely managed to "escape" with Olie. Olie's tendon sheath did not heal correctly, and the Wessells were suing for $6,000+ in vet bills, plus unspecified amounts for mental pain and suffering and anguish that Wendy, and the vacationing dog owners, went through.) I take care of both sets of dogs, walk and play with them, and groom them. None of them are dangerous, other than the fact that Olie and Annie are Anatolian Shepherds and weigh 115 and 125 pounds each.....

  Besides getting close to Christmas, we're also getting close to the time of the Denver National Western Stock Show. Events begin taking place on Thursday, January 10, with alpaca shows, wool judging, and, at noon, the Parade of Longhorns and Horses in downtown Denver. The big Opening Day is Saturday, January 12, and they have tons of things to do and see - there are all the horse shows: breeds and disciplines; draft horses and mules; all the livestock judging; vendors; food; the Colorado Fiddle Championships; Mexican Rodeo Extravaganza; PBR Bull Riding and Pro Rodeos;the Wild West Show; the Junior Livestock Auction; Super Dogs; the Martin Luther King, Jr. African-American Heritage Rodeo; the National 4-H Judging Contest; the Coors Western Art Show; the Ram Invitational Freestyle Reining Horse competition; the Gambler's Choice Open Jumper competition; the USEF Grand Prix of Denver; the NWSS Horse Sale; and the Evening of Dancing Horses (dressage performed with a live orchestra). If you are interested in attending, please visit http://www.nationalwestern.com/  for much more detailed information. I can't wait to go!