The daily lives of Brett, Julia & Data
Today, Tula went for her first unassisted swim. It was mostly voluntary, though I presume she was more than a little surprised that she wound up fully in the water instead of just splashing around. She panicked slightly trying to get out, but seemed to enjoy herself. She’s already much better with water than Data was at that age – he didn’t start to enjoy swimming until he was about six months old. Here are some photos of her after she swam, looking filthy:
Today we gave Tula and Data appropriately-sized Kongs filled with treats. Within minutes, Data they had swapped.
I’ve been asked by several people to post new photos of Tula, so here you go, get off my case! One photo of Tula and one of Data. They can also be seen at my SmugMug.
We picked up the new puppy yesterday from breeder Gretchen Boss of Breckin Labradors and she is beautiful. We were going to name her Tasha (long story short, Data’s first girlfriend in Star Trek: The Next Generation is named Tasha), but ultimately were dissuaded due to that name’s frequency. So, her name will be Tula (\ˈtü-lä\), as chosen by Julia.
She met Data briefly last night, but today was the first chance they got to play together. Of course, photos were taken. Click “there’s more to…” to see them all or visit my SmugMug.
Data was entered in the New Brunswick Kennel Club dog show in Edison, N.J. this weekend, so Julia, my mom, and I went down to watch him perform. He took second in his class.
Here are some photos of him (one at the show and a few of him playing at home with his mother, Joey). Click “there’s more to…” to see them all or visit my SmugMug.
Today, I went down to the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, NJ to pick up Data at the Big Apple Sporting Society show. A month ago, we dropped Data off with Kathryn Mines, a professional handler. With her, he has won four points, including a three-point major. (More information on the structure of dog shows can be found here.) He didn’t win today, but we were thrilled to have him back after the show. I stayed out of sight and scent until he was finished in the ring, so when he did see me, he was beyond thrilled, snorting and running around in circles.
On my way home, I passed a pretty nasty accident involving three cars, one of which was in the process of being devoured by flames.
Since arriving home, Julia watched the final episode of Six Feet Under (one of the greatest shows of all time in my opinion) and is now watching The Empire Strikes Back for the first time (unbelievable, I know). Data is settling back into his favorite seat on the yellow chair and all seems to be well in the world.
Here are some photos from the day. Click “there’s more to…” to see them all, or visit my SmugMug.
Data in the ring.
Per Sarah’s request, here’s an update on Data:
We haven’t seen him in a month. He’s been showing in Florida, New York, and New Jersey. We’re going to pick him up on Thursday, at which point we will have a much more comprehensive update with photos and everything.
As Brett mentioned on Friday, Data is in Florida for a few weeks with handler Kathy Mines and is competing in shows in an attempt to win points towards his championship title. Kathy has been kind enough to update us regularly on his progress, which I especially have appreciated considering the fact that I feel a bit like a mother who last week sent her child off to camp for the first time. She tells us that Data has apparently been doing well, although he’s very excitable (no surprise) and has struggled a bit to contain his enthusiasm whilst in the ring.
Well this morning Kathy called to give us some fantastic news: Data had been doing phenomenally well in the ring this morning, and managed to win a 3-point major! This is a huge accomplishment for him because it earns him 3 points (and one out of two mandatory major wins) towards the 15 that he needs to earn a championship title! We couldn’t be more excited and proud. Kathy also said that he’s starting to get into the routine, and I hope this means we’ll have more good news for all of you in the coming days!
<3 J
