Walk For Life 2013

This year, I decided to go on the 2013 Walk for Life with my church St. Robert Bellarmine. The Walk for Life is a protest against abortion. I am completely pro life, I don't agree with killing innocent babies. Take their hands and not their life, they have a beating heart even though it may not seem like it.These babies are living, flesh and blood, human beings and don't deserve to be killed at all. It says in the Bible "Thou shalt not kill". My friend came along with me on this trip to San Francisco. We hopped on the bus at 6 a.m. on an Saturday morning. It was a very long drive, about 5-6 hours. There were movies playing on the bus to keep us occupied.When we arrived in SF, it was a HUGE city. I didn't expect it to be so big. When we got to the park where the Walk for Life started, it was  packed. There was literally no place to move. You were crammed with a bunch of other people. This makes me proud that so many people agree with life. We out numbered the pro choice people.We listened to the woman and men who regretted lost mother or fatherhood tell their stories. Most of the women deeply regretted their abortions right after having them. They couldn't live a day without thinking of the child they had killed. Then, we listened to the bishops and priests talk. We also listened to women who were forced to have abortions. These stories were terrible to hear. The people telling the stories were sobbing and were just very sad. So then, all of the churches started the walk after the speeches. We walked through the city of San Fran holding signs that said pro life and we yelled pro life! My friend and I made our own posters with pictures of babies and quotes from the Bible, Mother Teresa, and some of  our own. The pro choice people yelled and screamed at us, cursing us Christians and the Bible. At the end we hopped back on the bus and headed home. We got home around 10 p.m. at night. The city of San Francisco was very cool. One problem was it was a week before the Super Bowl and they were selling shirts that said "defeat Baltimore!", I didn't like that so much.

I enjoyed sticking up for those babies.

Beginner 4-H er

Last year at county fair, Dinoboy was the only cloverbud. Cloverbuds can only do showmanship.Dinoboy went into the ring with Boomer for the first time. I helped him hold the showmanship lead correctly. He won a blue ribbon! This year, Dinoboy is planning on competing again. We will see what the year has to come.

Roxy and I

Here's some pictures of Roxy and I.

Roxy, Wally, and Boomer

Roxy, Wally, and Boomer have been doing good. Roxy is now in her third year of dog 4-H with me, we make a very good team. Roxy is my best friend I have ever had. She never lets me down, no matter what I do. My girl is now 5 years old. Wally is doing pretty good. He is now 5 years old, almost 6. He's an at home dog, because he has attitude problems. Boomer is in his second year of dog 4-H with Electroman. They are doing pretty good together. Boomer is no longer a little pup, he's 2 years old. Her's some pictures of them. Some of the pictures are older, but I just love them! Roxy and Boomer are best friends, they never leave each other's side. Boomer looks up to Roxy so much. He will follow her every move and do whatever she does.

Take a Little Hike

I had another photography assignment using the 5 rules of composition: framing, simple background, up close, lines, and rule of thirds. So, we took a little hike to take pictures. I just thought I would share some of my pictures.

 Framing/Landscape

 Up close/ simple background

 Up close

 Lines

 Lines

 Simple background

 Rule of thirds

 Simple background

 Simple background

 Up close

The Baltimore Ravens Win the Super Bowl!!!

So, my family and I are Baltimore Ravens fans and always have been. This year it was so exciting when we made it to the Super Bowl, especially when we won!! I had a photography class assignment that day and I took lots of photos. I really like the one of me and my friend with our jerseys on. I think it really captures our favorite player's names and numbers. We also painted our nails for the game, I don't have a picture of them but they were really cool. Mom painted mine with a lot of cool designs. Our friends brought over a pizza with Joe Flacco's  #5 on it. I call the picture the most valuable pizza, cause Flacco got MVP. The ending score was BAL 34 and SF 31.We were so excited we ran out into the street and screamed and just went crazy!

4-H Dog Club Skillathon

Hi, it's been a while since I posted! So, for my 4-H Dog Club we had a skillathon. A skillathon is our first meeting with the dogs at the beginning of the year. It's a way for new members to get to train their dogs in public for the first time. For the old members, it like a kickoff for the year. The club members meet and we introduce new training skills that the dogs will be learning throughout the year. We went over aglilty, rally, and showmanship with guest trainers. We didn't do obedience( that's the boring stuff lol). Anyways, I think most of the club members had fun. We don't have too many club members this year because unfortunately people drop out at the beginning. It's always the same four at the end, which is sad because 4-H is really great. We won't be able to have a fun match this year because we don't have enough people to help. It really sucks, but it is a lot of work for just two adults and a few kids to put on. Instead, we are doing a mock show in July before county fair. We are also going to try to find some other local shows.

4-H Community Club Christmas Caroling

On Wednesday, December 19th the 4-H Community Club went Christmas caroling in one of the neighborhoods. It was really fun, I had never been caroling before and I wasn't sure if I would like it. The club rode on a trailer and we all sang Christmas carols. We had "runners" who would go and knock on people's doors so that they would come outside to hear us caroling. We were able to see many different Christmas lights and some pretty neat houses. One of the houses flashed it's lights to the rythm of the songs on a radio station. Afterwards we went into 7 Eleven to get hot chocolate because it was very cold outside.

4-H Dog Club Community Service

This month the 4-H Dog Club delivered cookies to the Senior Center for the seniors who don't have family to bake them cookies this Christmas. Each of the club members baked cookies at home. Then, we came together on a Sunday and put the cookies on plates and wrapped them. On a Monday,we gathered at the Senior Center and delivered the cookies. The seniors were so excited when we brought all of the cookies. It feels good to help the community. This is one of the many reasons why I love 4-H.

Homemade Microwave Potato Chips

I found this recipe on Pinterest. These potato chips were delicious and very simple to make.

Ingredients:
1 or more potatoes
A bowl of cold water
Salt and/or other seasonings (optional)
Olive oil (optional)
Directions:
1. Slice the potatoes thinly, about 1/8 - 1  1/16 inches thick. Immediately put the slices in cold water.
2. Rinse the potatoes in cold water. Soak the potatoes in cold water until the water stays clear.
3. Dry the slices between two clean dish towels.
4. Put the slices on a microwaveable plate and season them if desired.
5. Microwave them for 3 minutes on one side and then flip them and microwave for 3 minutes again. Continue cooking them at 1 minute intervals until they are crispy and golden.
6. They will stay crispy for a few days if kept in an air tight container or zip-lock bag.
7. Enjoy these delicous potato chips!

Boomer's Birthday Cake

On December 23rd it was Boomer's birthday. I made him a doggie birthday cake. The dogs loved this cake they all ate it very fast. Roxy ate 3 plates of cake. Boomer and Wally only ate 1 1/2 because Roxy ate the rest. I forgot to take pictures, but I am going to post the recipe below:
Dog Birthday Cake Recipe:
Ingredients:
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1 tsp of baking soda
1/4 cup of peanut butter
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
1 egg
1 cup of doggy biscuits or your dog's favorite treats
2 thinly shredded carrots
Directions:
1. Take out all of your ingredients. Double the ingredients if you want a large cake for many canine guests.
2. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees.
3. Take a large bowl and mix the baking soda and flour. Add the peanut butter, vegetable oil, dog treats, eggs, and carrots.
4. Mix together well or until the batter is smooth.
5. Spray the pan with cooking spray and put the batter into it.
6. Bake for 40 minutes.
7. Frost the cake with peanut butter and yogurt frosting. You can use carrots and shredded dog treats as decoration.
8. Cut a slice of the cake and give it to your pup while singing "Happy Birthday".
9. You can also make dog ice cream. All you need is to mix peanut butter and yogurt in a tea cup and freeze it. After it is frozen pop it out of the tea cup and serve.

Dog Training Tip #6 Recall

The sixth dog training tip is recall. Recall is used in obedience during dog shows. To train your dog recall follow the instructions below.
1. Tell your dog to sit.
2. Tell your dog to stay.
3. Tell your dog come or front. The dog needs to be completely in front of you. He must be facing you and come right up to your feet.
4. Then tell your dog to heel or finish. The dog needs to walk around you and sit by your right side. He should be facing the same direction as you and his paws  must be aligned with your feet.

A Dog Needs Protein

On the back of your dog food package, it should tell you how much protein is in the food. If the first five ingredients listed are grains this means the  protein in the dog food is mostly from plants.
Dogs need animal protein.  When a dog doesn't get the right amount of animal protein in his diet, many problems can occur.
Some symptoms from lack of animal protein are: skin or ear infections, cancer, lack of pigementation,weakened immune system, vomiting, diaherrea, poor appetite, agression, timidity, tail chasing, and they may have a hard time healing their wounds.
Source:
The Complete Idiot's Guide to a Well -Trained Dog by Jack and wendy Volhard.
I also learned some of this information from a vet who came to my 4-H Dog Club meeting and talked about dog nutrition.

Choosing the Right Dog Food

All dog food ads say that they have the best nutrition for your pet.
Is this true?
Some clues from your dog that tells you his food may not be nutritious enough?
Your dog doesn't want to eat the food.

• He's going to the bathroom constantly, has diaherrea continiously or has bad gas.
• His teeth are dirty and brown, has stinky breath or burps constantly.
• He sheds a lot, has a dull coat, has a strong dog smell, gets fleas or worms easily.

Dogs need protein that contains 9-12 of the essential amino acids, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, minerals, and water.

Dog Training Tip # 5 Down

Dog training tip number five is "Down".
I had such a hard time teaching Roxy this. There are a couple of different ways to teach your dog this command. You may choose which one works best for you and your dog. You should practice the down command 5 times in a row for 5 days or until he learns it.
#1:
1.Make your dog sit.
2. Sit down on the left side of your dog.
3. Put two fingers of your left hand(palm facing you) through his collar.
4.Put a treat in your right hand.
5.Show him the treat and lower it in front of your dog as you apply gentle downward pressure on the collar.
6. If your dog goes down tell him firmly "DOWN!"

#2 (This one worked for Roxy)
1. Make your dog sit.
2. Stand in front of your dog.
3.Put a treat in your hand.
4. Bring your hand down fast in front of your dog tapping his nose gently.
5. If he goes down, tell him "DOWN!" firmly.
6. With this method of training down you can use a hand signal of raising your hand in the air and your dog will go down without you having to say the command.

#3
1. Make your dog sit.
2. Get down to your dog level.
4. Have a treat in your hand.
5. Bring the treat out in front of him.
6. If he goes down, give him the command "Down" and praise.

#4
1. Make your dog sit.
2. Get down to your dog's level.
3. Pull his paw out gently, some dogs will lay down right away when you do this.
4.Give him the command if he goes down and praise.

If you plan on showing your dog, you will have to get him to go down and stay for a certain amount of time. In 4-H it is 3 minutes for beginners, 5 minutes for more advanced. The owners also will have to down their dogs,leave the ring and the dog is not allowed to get up. You can slowly increase the time as your dog is learning.

Please Don't Leave Your Dog In The Car!

It's summertime and that means very hot weather for many of us! It's been up to 102 degrees here!
Please don't leave your dog inside of the car while you go shopping. When the temperature is above 70 degrees farenheit the inside of a parked car can reach 120-175 dgerees even with the windows cracked. 
It doesn't matter if you park in the shade or if you leave the air conditioning on, a parked car can still get as hot as an oven.
Animals can suffer from heat stroke. If you see an animal locked in a car on a hot day (above 70 degrees) tell the store manager. If no one claims the animal and it's panting really hard or collapsing call the police, animal control, or the humane society to get it out. You can make flyers and pass them out at stores or put them on car windows. It is better to leave your dog at home then to risk his life by leaving him in the car.

Dog Training Tip #4 Come

Dog training tip number 4 is the "Come" command. This another useful command. When you want your dog to come with you all you will have to say is "Come!". Come is an obedience command along with sit and stay. Your dog needs to know sit and stay before learning come.
Simple steps to training your dog the "Come" command:
1. Tell your dog to sit.
2. Tell your dog to stay.
3. Call your dog's name in an excited voice. Example: "Roxy! Come!"
4. Your dog should come running over to you.
5. Make him sit in front of you after he's come and give him a treat.
6. Repeat the steps until the dog come's on command.

Dog Training Tip #3- Stay

The command "Stay" can be useful at times. It can keep your dog out of danger.  An example, if he wanted to chase something in the street, all you have to say is stay and he won't move.
Stay is used in the Obedience classes at dog shows along with the command sit.
Your dog must learn the command sit before learning stay (see dog training tip #1).

Simple steps to training your dog the command stay:
1. Tell your dog to sit.
2. Then stand directly in front of him and tell him firmly "STAY". You can also use a hand signal like putting your palm out towards him.
3.Wait for about 1-2 seconds and then praise him and say "Good boy stay!"
4. Then, make the dog stay for about 3-4 seconds and so on. For 4-H Roxy has to stay in sit for 1 minute and down for 3 minutes. Take it slowly.
5. As you make him stay longer, walk a little bit further away from him.
6. If your dog gets up during the process without your release say "no-no" or "ah-ah". Do not praise and put him back into the position immediately so that way he knows that you don't want him to move.
7. As your dog gets more advanced at stay you can add distractions. Throw some treats in front of him, call his name, have other people call his name, or throw his ball. You can take him to new locations and make him stay. You must make it clear he may not get up without your permission.
8. Eventually keep adding to the distance. Then completly leave your dog and tell him to stay for however long you want him to. When you return to the room you left him in, he should still be staying.
9. Always make sure that training is fun for the dog. If he feels like he's being punished, he won't want to listen anymore. You want to be firm, but very rewarding.

Dog Training Tip #2 Getting Your Dog to Look at You

When  training your dog, you always want them paying attention to you. While showing your dog, judges like to see that your dog is paying attention to you and only you. While you are heeling your dog in a show, he should be looking at you constantly. He shouldn't be sniffing the ground, trying to go to the bathroom, or trying to chase the rabbit in the corner of the yard. You should be the dog's main focus area.

Simple steps to getting your dog to look at you:
1. Call your dogs name and whenever he looks at you say "Good boy!" and give him a treat. Everytime he looks at you say "Look" or "Look at me".
2. If calling his name doesn't work, use a treat and put it up to your face so that he looks at you. Say "Good boy look!" and praise.
3. You can also give him the quick snap of his choke chain so that he looks up at you. Say "Good boy look!" Praise and treat.

If he wants to keep sniffing the ground make a loud noise to try and get him to look up.

Dog Training Tip #1 Sit

Dog Training Tip #1 is the command "Sit."   Sit is the easiest to train and should be taught first. Every dog is able to learn (old and young). Every dog learns in a different way, however here are some tips to teach your dog how to sit.

How to train your big dog to sit:
1. Say your dog's name to get his or her attention.
2. Stand in front of your dog.
3. Hold your hand with the treat inside of it over the dog's head.
4. While the dog is looking at the treat, gently push his bottom down with your other hand.
5. When you get him into the sitting position give a firm command and say "SIT".
6. When your dog is in the sitting position reward him with food and love. Give him lots of praise so that he will want to do it again.
7. Repeat the last 6 steps until your dog sits when told.
If your dog jumps up on you for the treat, give a firm "NO" and do not reward for the jumping. Only reward your dog when he is doing what you want him to do. Dogs always want to please their owners and will be happy to do good.

How to train your small dog to sit:
1. Kneel down on the ground in front of your dog.
2. Say his name to get his attention.
3. Hold your hand with the treat inside of it over his head.
4. While the dog is looking at the treat gently push his bottom down with your other hand.
5. When he is in the sitting position give a firm command and say "SIT".
6. Praise the dog when he is in the sitting position with food, an excited tone, and lots of love. Give him tons of praise.
7. Repeat the last 6 steps until your dog sits when he is told.

Training your dog is a great way to bond with him. Dogs love to be trained!

The 4-H Uniform and Pledge

So, I thought  I would post the 4-H pledge and uniform requirements for members who might just bestarting with a 4-H club.

The 4-H uniform:
The 4-H uniform is a green tie for both boys and girls, short or long sleeve white button up shirt with collar, black pants (long skirts are also acceptable for girls), and a black belt. Shirts must be tucked in neatly. There shouldn't be any stains on the clothing.You should look very neat whenever you are participating in a 4-H event. Some clubs and counties dress differently so you will want to double check with your leader.
The 4-H Pledge:
I pledge
My Head to clearer thinking,
My Heart to greater loyalty,
My Hands to larger service,
My Health to better living,
 for my Club, my Community, my Country, and My World.
There are so many different clubs to join. If you like to work with, train and show animals such as dogs, horses, cats, rabbits, cavies, and more then 4-H is great for you!  If you enjoy community service, photography, legos, art, painting, shooting and much more, 4-H would be great for you.
There are different clubs in different counties across our country.
To find a 4-H club in your area visit:
http://www.4-h.org/

Roxy and I at County Fair

I thought I would put a picture of Roxy and I at last year's county fair.
This year's county fair is in August, so I will make sure that I post something about this year's fair later on.