The Saga of the Broken Leg

 

Since we have been working here on the farm, Freya has learned to round up the cows and bring them in for milking.  She is excellent at her job, and very enthusiastic.

 

On Friday 11 March when we were doing the afternoon round up a cow turned round and tried to head back where she’d come from.  Freya went in to stop her and the cow carried on going and poor Freya got tangled up in her back legs!  Freya yelped once then stood there holding one leg up and waited for me to get off the motorbike and come to her.  We scooped her up and finished bringing in the cows (with Sparkie) while Freya took a ride on the motorbike.

We took her to the vet who with a quick examination in which he almost lost his nose, told us that is was probably broken (which we thought anyway).

They took her off for an x-ray (with a muzzle on now).  Returning shortly they confirmed that both bones in her front leg were broken.

 

 

After a 3 day long weekend stay at the vets Freya was operated on late Tuesday Morning.  We were very worried about her and missed her tremendously.  They decided that the best outcome for Freya was to put a plate in her leg – also the most expensive option!

 

On Thursday, almost a week after the accident we got to bring her home!  She was so happy to see us that the vet was worried all her uncontrollable-bouncing-with-excitement would damage all the hard work she’d done in repairing the leg!

 

Once home she settled into her crate with a new very comfy mattress as she now has to spend the next 12 weeks in here or on short, controlled leash walks.

 

 

We don’t like to ask for money, but we’d appreciate any help towards the vet bill which is already in excess of $2000 and she still needs more x-rays to check in the healing process.

 

If you’d like to help we have set up a Go Fund Me campaign at

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http://www.gofundme.com/FreyaVetBills

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Tuesday 29th we head back to the vet for her first post op visit.  Hopefully it will be all good news and we’ll be able to start 15 minute walks twice a day.  For the last two weeks it’s just been short walks out to the toilet – boring!

 

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: Dog,Broken Leg,Farming,Cows,Freya,Working Dog

Fun times

That was one very busy weekend!  Wednesday afternoon we pulled into the Gympie Showgrounds with everyone on a high ready for the show to start in the morning.  We tried to organise everyone for an early night but with adrenalin running high this was not easy task!  I think it was nearer 9pm before the younger ones were settled … only to be up at 7.30 am wondering when we were going to the show!

 

Thursday was a quite day, getting the dogs accustomed to the sights and sounds of the show (again) and checking out the sights and sounds for ourselves.  The Aussie FMX were a big hit, especially for Mr 4 whose highlight of the whole show was getting a high five from the O G (Old Guy) of the FMX team!

 

Friday we relaxed some of the day, resting the dogs in preparation for the high jump.  As usual they called the dogs in at 4pm, and then they had to sit and wait (and listen to the grating voice of the MC/commentator who over used the words “Thank you very kindly”) and to pass the time the kids counted the times he used those words!  (26 times in about 3 hours).  They are planning on changing the system next year which will hopefully mean less time sitting round in the sun waiting.

 

After waiting almost an hour and a half they called the dogs in to the main ring and the jumping started!  As always there is another dog there (called Dougie) who can jump over 9 ft and is just too good taking out first prize for three years running!  When it all came down to the line, it was between Sparkie and Tess for 2nd and 3rd place.  Sparkie took out third, then the rain started (which is why there are no still photo’s of this event) so they gave Tess one more jump which she couldn’t do it so they called it.  The prize for 2nd place was a ribbon and $150 and $50 for third place!

 

Saturday saw us up early and heading over for the Novelty Dog competition!  This is our 6th year competing and winning prizes, so it was no surprise that the girls and dogs came away with a good portion of the prize pool. 

 

The highlight this year was Suzanna (age 6) who came in third in Best Child Handler running Tess.

Jasmine and Sparkie, Best Tricks, Gympie Show 2014

 

Chana and Lassie, Best Trick, Gympie Show 2014

More results and pictures are up on the Superdogs Facebook Page.

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Sunday was another early start as we headed off for our first Superdog performance of the year at the Gympie RSPCA Million Paws Walk.  As it was raining off and on we didn’t get any photo’s of this event either.  It was a success though and everyone enjoyed it and the dogs all got a free hydro bath so smell great now too.

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Next up is the Springsure Show at the end of the month.  Hopefully the weather will be kind to us and we can get some more pics!

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Ever tried to write a blog when your three young children are watching a movie (in this case Tangled) right beside you?  Sorry if this is a bit disjointed.

Two weeks to go

Till the start of the winter show circuit and most of us have colds, it’s wet and there are not many suitable places to rehearse!  The stress levels are rising in both the parents and the children!

We don’t have far to drive now to get to Gympie where we start our circuit competing at the Gympie show then the following day (Sunday) performing at the Gympie RSCPC Million Paws Walk.  

Chantel and Freya at the Million Paws Walk 2013

When it rains we often cannot train and travelling up the east coast there are not many free camps where we can pull up for a couple of days and set up the agility equipment!

I’m sure it will all work out, it always does.  I remember a few years back a few days before our first of the year show telling the girls that their routines needed a lot of work, in fact I just may or may not have told them that their routines sucked!  BUT on the day, they shone!  I know this year will be the same.

We did train/rehearse this week after spending time at the beach, when we found an amphitheatre.  Some of the locals/tourists enjoyed a free show.

HERE is our newest video :  Playtime at the beach with the Superdogs

Playing at the beach was a good stress reliever and the girls did well with the rehearsal, but need a bit of polishing before the first show in two weeks!

Blayney Show Roundup

What a fun busy day it was at the Blayney show 2014!  The older girls always wake early on a show morning and insist that I get up and make coffee!  It was still cold and the grass wet with dew when we took them (the dogs) for a walk and gave them a brush.  By the time we got over to the first competition at around 10am everyone was shedding layers!
After filling in the paperwork, signing to say we would not sue the show society if something went wrong <insert rolling of the eyes> we went in search of some shade to wait for the rest of the competitors to be ready.
Finally our time for competing arrived, and the girls and the dogs did great!  As we watched the Best Tricks I was thinking to myself “Now if the judge is anything like me (which I hope she is) she’ll have Freya first, Sparkie second and Tess and Lassie third equal!  We had to wait till all classes had finished before waiting another 10 minutes for the judges to decide on winners.

Our patience was rewarded when the judges came over and awarded Freya a first, Sparkie and second and Tess and Lassie third equal!! 

Jasmine and Sparkie

Jessica and Tess

Chantel and Freya

Chana and Lassie

At 2.15pm we headed over for the dog high jump.  This is the first year the Blayney Show has run a dog high jump so we didn’t know what to expect.  We watched as they set it up and realised it was a vertical jump as apposed to one on a slight lean that becomes more of a dog scramble! 
The dogs have often competed in “dog scramble” so we were a bit nervous as to how they would perform with the vertical high jump.
It was blistering hot, and there were quite a few other dogs to run but it was worth it.  The dogs did great!  Freya was the first to give up, followed by Sparkie who decided it was too hot to jump (she was right!).  Tess and Lassie kept going, surprising everyone!  Finally it was down to Tess, Lassie and one other dog. Both Tess and Lassie cleared a height of 174 cm, but the other dog cleared a height of 202cm (a new record!)  So once again Tess and Lassie shared a place, this time a second place!

So the result table looks like this:

Sparkie: 2nd in Speed Sit, 2nd in Tricks.

Tess: 1st in Speed Sit.

Lassie: 3rd in Speed Sit, 3rd in Best Biscuit Catcher.

Freya: 1st in Tricks.

Tess and Lassie got 3rd equal in Tricks and 2nd equal in the High Jump.

Total ribbon haul: 10, and 16 bags of dog food!

There are lots more pictures on our Superdogs Facebook page.

Performing in memory of

Sunday 15 September 2013 we performed in memory of our babies we have lost. 

Pregnancy Loss Australia had their annual fundraiser to raise money to assist families who have lost a baby through miscarriage, still birth or neonatal death.  When they asked for stall holders and entertainers for the event we offered our Superdog Trick Show for the event.  It was an honour to sponsor such and event.

To be able to bring joy into the lives of others who have also suffered loss or losses is a privilege.  If for 15 minutes we can make people smile, take away the pain or give them something else to focus on our show is a success.  Judging by the number of people who came over to watch, and those we spoke to after the show, I think we succeeded in our purpose.

Having suffered multiple miscarriages and a neonatal death there we lots of emotions stirred in our family too.  The girls who perform with the dogs were very keen to do this in memory of their siblings lost and especially their forever little sister Serenity who went to be with Jesus at 13 hours old on 12 March 2011.

Balloons were released at the end of the day … a very moving experience.

Not sure how much was raised in total, but it was in excess of $20,000!  Awesome effort by all involved!

First Time in the Northern Territory

After the show in Mt Isa, we were booked for our first show in the Territory!  We were all excited about it as we’d never been in that state before.

We left Camooweal around 11 am and embarked on what we think is the most boring drive we’ve been on in all our travels so far!  The distance to Tennant Creek from Camooweal was almost 500km’s with lot’s and lot’s of nothingness in between!  To quote Sheppard and Ford in Stargate Atlantis:  “I’ve never seen so much nothing!” “And I’ve never gone so far to see it!”

We didn’t get a photo at the border because of the graffiti on the sign.

We arrived in Tennant Creek , a town of around 3000 people at around 7pm.  Lots of Aboriginal people were just wandering the streets.  We checked out the town then headed to the showgrounds to set up camp.

Next day we talked to the show secretary who had only found out the day before that the Superdogs were even coming to the show!  We walked around with him while the thought about were he could set us up to perform.  Really the only place to set up was round the back and mostly in the sun.  We asked for some chairs so we could set up a place for the audience only to be told “we don’t have any chairs, all the locals will just sit on the ground.” 

Our first performance of the day didn’t have many people watching which was disappointing and made it hard for the girls and the dogs to stay positive and perform their best.  After that performance we headed off in search of some chairs (that they apparently didn’t have) and we found all of seven (7) of them!  And for our next performance we actually had people come and sit in them!    Never once did we have people come and sit on the ground!  Lesson learned: if you want a present audience, set up some chairs!

Another piece of advice we were given by an elderly gentleman who watched our final show of the day was:  give it your best even if there is no present audience and then the dogs will also give their best.  He was right!

It was a hard day, about 31 degs and we were looking forward to spending the afternoon/evening relaxing.  We bought some cold drinks and headed back to camp.  As we were relaxing and thinking about dinner we noticed a very drunk Aboriginal male heading over to our camp.  He came and stood beside Mike (who was washing the dishes) just looking over his shoulder!  Rather disconcerting to say the least.  He then staggered round and sat down under the tree about 1 metre from our table and watched us from there!

On looking round we noticed all the other showies packing up and getting ready to go and decided we didn’t want to be in the showgrounds on our own!  So we told the girls that we had a change of plan and we were packing up (at 7pm) and leaving as we didn’t feel that it would be safe in a tent.  I’ve never seen our girls pack up so fast!  By 8pm everything and everybody was packed into the van!  Our usual pack down is about 2-3 hours!

We headed off, had dinner outside a gas station and hit the road back to QLD!  Spent the night in our small (3 person) tent with 5 people in it and the older girls and dogs sleeping in the van.  We woke to a beautiful day, being Mike’s 50th birthday!  With still about 400k’s to go we decided to postpone his birthday till later and packed up and headed east!

We are now regrouping after a busy time and preparing for our next gig at Mt Isa’s Paws Hoofs and Claws Christmas in the Park fundraiser on July 27.

We put the chairs in the only patch of shade!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chana and her crazy dog Lassie!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jessica and her energetic dog Tess!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jasmine and her smart dog Sparkie!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chantel and her pretty puppy Freya!

If you want the Superdogs to perform at your show, festival or fundraiser, please don’t hesitate to contact our agent, Mac Brothers Circus.

While in the Territory the Superdogs were also interviewed by ABC Radio.  You can find the audio HERE.

Technorati Tags: Circus,Superdogs,Northern Territory,Performance,Travel,Tent,Family,Dogs

Mt Isa Show

What an epic weekend!  Our tent is very quiet tonight; after two day’s of performing three shows a day everyone is beat! It is a healthy tired after spending most of the day outside in the sun doing lots of walking, running and talking.

We had the privilege of once again working alongside Australian Circus King – Roy Maloy.  Roy holds six world records in circus including walking on stilts 76ft high and also laying on a bed of nails and having a 1/2 ton block of ice lowered on him with a forklift, then smashed with sledge hammers! 

We first met Roy at the Winton Show where Chana assisted in one of his performances; this time Jessica got her moment of fame!

In appreciation for her help, Roy made her a balloon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle!

 

 

 

 

 

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The girls and their dogs did some awesome shows!  Everyone we spoke to loved it even those who were not “dog people” said it was very entertaining and great to watch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And our crowd ….

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Superdog Trick Show Again!

Life has been so busy that this blog has had to take a back seat!   Last time I updated here we’d not long sold the bus and bought the Hiace Van!  Now that was way to long ago!  We still have the van and the tents.  Are we enjoying it?  Well, some days we do and some days we don’t, just like the bus!  It is often harder to find a place to set up as we now need grass so if we cannot find a place to set up we have to sleep all 9 of us and the dogs in the van!  We have done it a few times, but it’s not the best nights sleep.  The kids sleep well, but us adults are not as flexible as we once were and a night in a squishy seat takes it’s toll! <insert creaky sounds>   When we do find a place to set up it’s usually a place we can stay for a few days.  Setting up and packing down every day is not my idea of fun! 

This is us camping at the Winton Showgrounds where we performed with the dogs. 

Speaking of the dog shows … don’t forget to check out the Superdogs facebook page and give it a “like”.  They are doing really well and getting lots of positive comments from all who see them performing or practicing.  At the Winton Show even the other entertainers took time out to watch them saying they’d never seen anything like it before!  Another stall holder told us that everyone he spoke to was either coming in to see the dogs or leaving talking about them! 

This is the first performance at the Winton Show, by the last time we had a much bigger crowd! Exciting stuff!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was going to put a video on here, but seeing as I’m writing this outside reception area it’ll have to wait. Or check out the Superdog Website which has links to all the videos.

Not sure when I’ll get to update here again, but we regularly put updates and photos on our facebook page so if you haven’t “liked” it yet, we’d love to have you join us.

I’ll leave you with a bit of humour to brighten your day.